"Ah... yeah. This is definitely it."
Sixth day of survival in the Underworld. At Tannin's request, we were hunting a stray devil and scouting its hideout. Using the rocky terrain where we'd camped yesterday as a base, we split up to search for traces of the target. We were already within the perimeter previously scouted by the dragons, so the devil could appear at any moment. I took the forest—teeming with monsters—since I can erase my presence, while Lavinia and Lin handled the open plains and mountain slopes.
I sprinted through the woods, tracking the auras of every living creature I sensed. Devils possess distinct magical signatures, so I could use a detection tool to find them. If I could find even a trace of where one had passed, tracking it to its lair wouldn't be difficult. After about two hours of searching, the needle on my magic compass finally jerked in a specific direction.
I immediately slowed my pace, cautiously advancing toward the signal. As I moved, the needle's reaction grew stronger. This suggested one of two things: either the devil was physically there, or they had left behind a lingering field of high-density magic. Several minutes passed, but the target didn't budge. I started to wonder if I was just going to find a corpse.
"Lavinia, the compass is reacting. But there's no movement. It might just be residual magic, or the target could be dead."
"Understood. We are heading to your location immediately."
"On it!"
I pressed my hand to my ear, activating a magic circle to relay the message. Just to be safe, I decided to scout ahead. With my ability to sense life signs, I was the best choice for a point man. There was always a chance it was hiding its presence. My accuracy increased the closer I got, and so far, I wasn't getting any of those 'bad vibes' that usually signaled an ambush.
Filtering my focus through magic and my Sacred Gear, I crept toward the source. I stepped carefully through the undergrowth, ducking between trees and jumping to secure higher ground. As I moved, a realization hit me. The forest was too quiet. The closer I got to the source of the magic, the more the forest's natural aura seemed to wither away.
"...Not even a monster or a small animal?"
I expanded my detection range. The life signs vanished entirely as I approached the epicenter. Compared to the vibrant, powerful aura of the woods near the Fire Dragon's nest, this place felt suffocating. It was as if the forest itself were holding its breath, waiting in frozen terror for a predator to leave.
My pseudo-Senjutsu isn't just for sensing presence; it's the power to feel the aura of life inherent in the world. Aura is never static; it shifts with emotion and physical state. If someone's aura is flickering violently, I can tell they're angry.
Of course, Lord Mephisto warned me not to over-rely on it. Real experts can control their own aura to hide their feelings or even project bluffs. My guardian, for instance, always has a smile and an unreadable, unchanging aura. It's a world where Senjutsu is known, so naturally, people have developed countermeasures. Senjutsu users are rare, so few people bother to mask their aura, but I couldn't afford to be careless. There really isn't much 'peace of mind' in this world.
Regardless, based on the aura of the forest, I knew I shouldn't rush in. Wild monsters live in harmony with the woods and survive on instinct. Their intelligence might be low, but their survival instincts are sharper than ours. I contacted Lavinia again, then leaned against a nearby tree to wait while she processed the information.
"It could be a trap," she finally said. "Or perhaps there is something there that even monsters fear by instinct."
"A trap? Setting a trap in Tannin's territory seems... pointless. I don't think anyone would fall for it, and surely they aren't planning to take on the dragons."
"They likely didn't expect pursuers like us. However, leaving such an obvious 'anomaly' is baffling. A place devoid of life and leaking magic would eventually be noticed even by dragons who aren't specialized in tracking. It is almost as if they are announcing their location."
True. Even I had noticed how unnervingly silent the woods were. The affected area was small, so you'd have to be looking to find it, but the risk was high. What did a stray devil gain from that? No matter how much power a stray gains, they can't compete with a dragon. So why leave a trail?
"What if they're doing it on purpose?"
"...A reason to lure the dragons' attention? Kana, was the magical field in an obvious location?"
"No, it was pretty deep in. I only found it because I was being thorough."
"I'm on my way to you now," Lin chimed in. "But that area doesn't have any big monster dens. It's not a very good hunting ground, so dragons usually ignore it!"
"So, it's not somewhere a dragon would wander into without a reason."
For a dragon, finding this place would be like finding a needle in a haystack. Tannin's territory is massive—possibly larger than Japan. The Underworld is roughly the size of Earth, and since there are no oceans, the landmass is endless. There are still vast tracts of unexplored wilderness. Tannin is an Ultimate Devil who prioritizes the environment and food for his dragons over status or money.
"But if they were searching for him, like we are, they'd find it eventually."
"Precisely. Unless there is a specific purpose—like finding a stray devil—a dragon has no reason to come here. I believe I understand the reason now."
"Wait, really?"
"Yes. That magical field... it is likely an 'alarm.'"
The voice didn't come from the magic circle, but from right behind me. I stood up as the sound of rushing wind filled the air. Lavinia descended, her blonde hair and white robes fluttering as she manipulated the air for a perfect landing. Beside her, Lin returned to her original size, spinning gracefully before sticking the landing. She gave me a smug little huff, so I reached out and patted her head. She looked delighted.
"So, Lavinia, what do you mean by 'alarm'?"
"For a stray devil, a dragon joining the hunt is a death sentence. They would be annihilated before they could even resist. Therefore, they needed a way to confirm if the dragons were actually looking for them."
"Tannin did say dragons are prideful and move at their own pace. They might ignore a low-level stray. Though I doubt someone as serious as Tannin would just let it slide."
"But the enemy does not know of Tannin's sense of responsibility. They needed to see if the dragons would join the hunt. A stray devil wouldn't want to give up this land—it's perfect for hiding and full of prey to increase their power. But it is also a danger zone."
"I get it. They want to gorge themselves on prey right up until the last second, but they're terrified of the dragons. So, they set a subtle bait in a hard-to-find spot. If anyone is actually hunting them, they'll inevitably investigate the anomaly. The moment someone steps into that field, the stray gets the signal to vanish."
This stray was more cunning than I'd imagined. They'd left the magic behind specifically to fuel a warning spell. If a dragon tripped it, they'd flee the territory immediately. They'd still have pursuers, but they'd avoid a one-hit-kill from a dragon. A dragon wouldn't bother chasing a low-level stray outside their borders—especially since Tannin's protected dragons aren't allowed to leave the territory without permission.
It was a good thing I hadn't rushed in. If I'd tripped the alarm, the target would be gone.
"If there is an alarm, there must be a ritual site. Let's neutralize it first."
"Got it. Can you handle the search for the magic circle?"
"Yes. Once I locate it, I will leave the rest to you, Kana."
"Right. I'll handle the counter-hack."
If it was an alarm, there was likely still a 'path' or connection back to the caster. I could use Script Rewrite to seize control of the spell, trace the caster's connection, and pinpoint their location. My teacher always used to sigh and tell me that with me around, leaving barriers or spells behind was a liability.
Persistent spells like barriers or supports require a constant feed of energy, which almost always means a direct connection to the caster. If I hijack the spell, their defense vanishes in an instant. Even if I can't seize it, I can identify the source. And in a fight, taking out the support-type first is the golden rule.
We moved silently as a group, but as we reached our destination, we all grimaced. Lavinia bit her lip and readied her magic, while Lin looked visibly disgusted. A wave of nausea hit me, but I used my partner's power to instantly suppress the feeling. I thanked Lavinia as she cast a spell to dampen the odor, and we pushed forward.
The stench was horrific—a cloying mix of rot and iron. The air was thick with a stagnant, magi-tainted aura. No wonder the monsters stayed away. Even with the promise of food, wild instinct would scream at any creature to avoid a space this corrupted.
As we drew closer, my senses confirmed there were no longer any 'living' signs at the destination. Then, the source of the stench came into view.
"..."
"This is... they were just playing."
Lin's voice was slow, but laced with clear irritation. I'd grown somewhat used to the sight of blood during last year's dragon survival training, but this was on another level. Lavinia closed her eyes as if offering a silent prayer. I couldn't look; I had to turn my head away.
Before us lay a forest stained crimson. Shattered trees were scattered everywhere, and the ground was gouged with deep furrows. But it was the corpses that commanded the eye. None of them were intact. Body parts were strewn across the clearing, limbs twisted at impossible angles, and viscera painted the trees and ground.
"What... is this? Is this what's left after it eats?"
"No. It didn't even eat them. It just killed them for fun. It swung them around, smashed them, tore them apart. If you put the pieces back together, you'd find almost nothing is missing."
Lin explained it calmly. As a dragon living in the wild, she was used to death, but the desecration of life clearly offended her. For a high-ranking dragon raised with discipline, wasting the 'bounty of life' was an abomination. I remembered the adult dragons teaching the hatchlings about this during the survival drills.
A dragon that delights in toy with life, that finds ecstasy in trampling the weak, and seeks only raw power... they are known as 'Evil Dragons.' That is why the adults are so strict with the young. They teach them respect for life, so they don't fall into that darkness.
I took a deep breath and forced myself to look. It was nauseating, but I had to see it. And in that moment, I knew: this stray devil could not be allowed to escape. Any lingering thought I had of trying to talk things out vanished.
This was beyond redemption. The marks where prey had been slammed into the earth over and over. The way they'd been battered against trees before being discarded like trash. The way limbs had been torn off to make it rain blood. I could feel the malice through my Sacred Gear—a giddy, laughing cruelty. There was no reason here, not even the logic of a beast. This was just a monster. My grip tightened on my weapon.
"These bodies... are they Harpies?"
"Yeah. You're right, Kana."
"The scouting party from yesterday...?"
The four monsters we'd seen flying near the rocks. It was hard to tell with them in pieces, but the count of the torsos matched. Four of them.
"There are no big nests here, so this was one of the Harpies' hunting grounds. Based on how dry the blood is, it hasn't been that long. I'm sure it's the group you saw."
"Then the stray is probably still nearby."
They'd been heading in this direction when they left the rocky area. The stray must have ambushed the flock as they arrived. Looking at the blood, it had been maybe half a day. They couldn't have gone far.
"I see. They scattered magic and blood everywhere to mask the ritual they performed."
"Lavinia?"
"The magic circle is hidden within the monster blood."
Lavinia pointed to the crimson-soaked earth. Looking closer, I could feel a faint pulse of magic beneath the gore. By creating a space stagnant with death and mana, they'd cleverly camouflaged the array.
"This type of circle targets any living being that enters its radius. It's designed to trigger when someone investigates the site for clues."
"So if we hadn't been looking for an alarm, we would have walked right into it."
"Yes. You would need to be an expert in detection and ritual logic to see it. It would be difficult for most dragons. Tannin's direct subordinates might notice, but they are all high-ranking officials with busy schedules. They don't have time for a simple stray hunt."
"Yeah! Papa is always busy with tribal business, territory management, and Underworld work!"
As expected of the kin of an Ultimate Devil. If Tannin was that serious, his subordinates had to be just as hardworking. You don't send the board of directors to do an entry-level job.
"...By the way, Lin, what would you do if you found this place?"
"I'd get mad because it smells bad and burn everything to ash!"
"And the moment the circle is destroyed, the caster is alerted. A secondary alarm."
Whether someone entered to investigate or tried to destroy it out of disgust, the result was the same. No one would want to leave a place like this as it was. It was an insult to the forest.
I steeled myself and stepped up to the edge of the blood-stained earth. I summoned my Sacred Gear and coated it in magical energy. Exchanging a nod with Lavinia, I drove my partner into the ground.
"Script Rewrite!"
Through the weapon, I flooded the blood-soaked circle with my mana. First, I stripped away the owner's permissions. Next, I located the path connecting back to the caster and erased the 'recognition' component of the link so they wouldn't realize the spell had been tampered with. Finally, I deleted the alarm function and restructured it with my own mana, converting it into something harmless to us. Delete, construct, control, transmit, delete... I cycled through the concepts in rapid succession.
"...Alright, full control established. Lavinia, can you transfer this circle?"
"I have the card Lord Mephisto gave me. Let's try to move it there."
Lavinia stepped forward, placing a card on the circle I now controlled. She closed her eyes and began an incantation. I felt the circle being pulled toward the card and erased its 'resistance,' giving Lavinia's magic a boost. The sprawling circle on the ground began to shrink, finally being sucked entirely into the card. When she picked it up, a blood-red magic circle was etched onto its surface. Success.
"Alright, Lin. Burn the rest. I don't think the Harpies want to stay like this."
"Got it."
Lin nodded and incinerated the remains and the tainted forest. Lavinia managed the fire to ensure it didn't spread, giving them a proper cremation. I drove my weapon into the earth to purge the remaining filth and perform a purification. Slowly, I felt the forest's aura begin to stir again. It might just be self-satisfaction, but I couldn't stand leaving a place that stagnant. Not after what happened at the warehouse...
After thirty minutes of cleanup, we turned our attention to the card. By following the path connected to it, we'd find our target. I pointed the way and sent a message to Tannin, letting him know we'd locked onto the target. We couldn't let it slip away. Just as Tannin suggested, I requested backup to secure the perimeter.
"Ready to go?"
"Yes."
Strangely, I felt no fear at the thought of fighting a stray devil. Instead, I felt a simmering sense of duty—a fighting spirit. The thought of letting this monster go was far scarier than the fight itself. I kept seeing Megu-san's face, crying and saying she just wanted to live like she always had. The anger I felt then hadn't faded.
I can't bring myself to hate an entire race. Even among devils, fallen angels, and dragons—who the world calls evil—there are good people like Clere, Ajuka, Azazel, and Tannin. There are selfish, bad people too, but that's no different from humans. I used to feel sad in RPGs when characters said, "Humans are greedy and evil." It felt like they were throwing away the possibility of understanding each other.
Six months ago, I stopped Toji Shido. I stood in his way when he tried to label all devils as evil. I won't let those feelings be a lie. You can reach an understanding, just like I did with Shido. As for the devil who tried to kill Clere... well, after Mil and Robo trampled him, and Mephisto and Ajuka squeezed him dry, my thirst for justice was mostly satisfied.
But if there's someone I absolutely cannot forgive... it's a 'monster.' I dislike people like the Old Satan faction who only care about profit, sure. I can accept that some people just have different values. If we can't coexist, then we clash—that's just how it is. But 'monsters' are different. I don't have a strict definition, but... this stray had definitely crossed my line.
Responding to my emotions, my Sacred Gear glowed a brilliant crimson. We stepped forward, heading straight for our target.
+++
"...This is mist."
"The most common type of barrier used by abnormal entities, right?"
"Yes. They are likely using this mist to diffuse their own magical signature. Furthermore, mist disorients the senses, making it perfect for ambushes or escapes."
"This stray is probably a wizard type. Since we have a magic path to follow and I'm good at sensing presence—not to mention I'm immune to illusions—this is actually the easiest type of magic for me to deal with."
"That only applies to you, Kana..."
I didn't know what to say to her deadpan stare. Mist barriers are popular in the supernatural world because they're reliably effective. The dark, fog-shrouded forest looked like something straight out of a ghost story. I could even feel a chill in the air.
Come to think of it, can I sense ghosts with my pseudo-Senjutsu? I wasn't sure if I wanted the answer. Akeno Himejima mentioned she did exorcism work, so restless spirits definitely exist. I like horror games, but horror movies and haunted spots? Not so much. They're legitimately terrifying, especially in a world where curses and spirits are a real, physical threat.
"Well, we're right on top of them. We could just charge in... but this stray seems pretty crafty. I'd rather end this in one hit before they can pull any tricks."
"I agree. However, while you might be able to bypass the mist undetected, Lin and I will certainly be noticed. We could act as decoys to lure them out, but..."
"...No, I think we should go on the offensive."
It was just a gut feeling. You don't give a tedious opponent the first move. The more time you give them, the messier things get. Besides, following their pace isn't really our style.
"Lavinia, is it still too difficult to use your Sacred Gear here?"
"Tannin's request includes environmental preservation. Manifesting Absolute Demise freezes the surroundings and triggers a blizzard just by existing. Intentionally disrupting the natural environment would be bad for the forest. My Sacred Gear is difficult to use in confined spaces or under conditions like these."
"Right... I was hoping the Princess could just nuke the stray from above with a holy water blizzard."
"Kana, your ideas are terrifying."
Don't worry, I'd make sure she didn't hit Lin. As a half-devil dragon, Lin still wasn't a fan of holy attributes. The effectiveness of the holy water blizzard from Saint Demise Gear Doll was well-documented—it even damaged a high-ranking Magic Dragon. But yeah, the timing for it was tricky.
"Since I want to keep my magic within a range that won't harm the forest, Lin and I won't be able to use any large-scale attacks."
"I could take the frontline, but... I'm not really supposed to, right?"
"Of course not. You are our cornerstone, Kana. To the enemy, you are the 'first one who must be eliminated.'"
I remembered Azazel telling Asia something similar. Healers and supports are rare and are always targeted first. Even during my close-quarters training with Masaomi, we focused on evasion, reading moves, and parrying. I still wasn't confident in a straight-up brawl. I only take the front in emergencies—or when the situation calls for it.
"Hey, Lavinia. Can you manifest the Princess on a scale that doesn't affect the surroundings?"
"Wait, without affecting the area? Kana, I'm sorry... controlling that doll to that degree is still..."
"Okay, forget the Princess. Then, can you make a different kind of ice doll? One with suppressed power that won't harm the environment?"
"Eh? What...?"
Lavinia looked completely confused. But I had a feeling she could do it. If the host desires it, the Sacred Gear responds. My teacher said the greatest trait of a Longinus is that it 'reads all the host's desires and evolves or changes to grant them new power.'
I knew she still hadn't overcome her fear of the 'Princess.' It was too much to ask her to master her 'ultimate goal' right away. So, why not let the Princess sleep for now and start by controlling a fragment of that power?
"How do you move the Princess, anyway? Does she have a will of her own?"
"I have never felt a will from her. She simply moves according to the commands I give her."
"Is basic automation possible?"
"Yes. For simple orders, she can operate autonomously. I can send her forward while I provide support magic from the rear."
If she could do that, it was possible. In the past, she'd used the Princess to carry frozen luggage or turned her into Robo. She could make the gear take whatever form she 'desired'—usually with a lot of whimsy involved. But the key to a Sacred Gear isn't complex logic; it's passion. It's the drive of "I want to do this!" and "I can do this!" That's how I'd done it, at least.
I thought about Issei Hyoudou's Dividing Wyvern Fairy or Yuuto Kiba's Glory Drag Trooper. Both were autonomous sub-abilities of their Sacred Gears. The essence of the Red Dragon Emperor is doubling and transferring, and Sword Birth is about making swords—not mini-dragons or knights. This meant Sacred Gears had the inherent potential to create offshoot abilities.
Absolute Demise creates ice. Ice is solid, but water is fluid. It can take any shape before it freezes. Since we'd successfully combined it with holy water, the Princess clearly had that fluid potential.
The problem was that Lavinia's image of the 'Princess' was too strong, making it hard to change. If I could use my Concept Deletion to help...
"You want me to change the shape of Absolute Demise?"
"Not just a variation of the Gear Doll. We change the foundation. Create an ice doll that is yours alone, Lavinia. Something you want."
"A doll... that is mine alone."
If the Princess was too destructive, she just needed to create a derivative ice doll that wasn't. A Longinus would surely answer that desire. The Princess wasn't something she'd asked for; it was forced upon her. It's hard to love something like that. So, why not start by making a doll she could actually like?
"I'll support you with my ability while you manifest it. Just focus on controlling the ice into the shape you want."
"C-Can I really do that so suddenly?"
"You did the Gear Doll on the fly, didn't you? The secret to making new abilities is high tension, momentum, and truly believing 'wouldn't it be cool if I could do this!' You've got this, Lavinia!"
"You're relying on 'vibe' and 'momentum' way too much, Kana."
Lin chimed in with a mutter. Hey! I was just sharing the method my partner and I used to make my abilities! That's literally how it works!
"Is there a specific kind of doll you want to make, Lavinia?"
"I... I never really liked dolls because they reminded me of the Gear..."
"Hmm... how about a 'Knight'? Every Princess needs a Knight to protect her, right? It's classic. And cool."
"A... Knight? Ah! If it is a Knight, I would love to! You've shown me so many of them, after all. I definitely want to try making an Ice Knight!"
"...Wait, what?"
I was glad she was excited, but I felt like there was a misunderstanding. I'd shown her 'so many'? I didn't remember lending her many games or manga about knights...
Regardless, she was all in on the Knight idea. I guess girls just like the 'cool knight' aesthetic? Her enthusiasm was the same as when she first made the Gear Doll or when we played 'Magical Girl.'
"Let's do it, Kana! I will make a whole legion of Knights. It is time to show you the results of my research!"
"O-Oh... okay."
"Yeah!"
I had a bad feeling. I felt like I'd just flipped a switch I shouldn't have. My gut told me I'd just bulldozed through her common sense. Lin and I didn't quite know what to think, but we decided to ride the wave of her excitement.
A few moments later, Lavinia's Ice Knight Corps was complete. Lavinia and Lin were ecstatic. I just buried my face in my hands and groaned.
+++
The stray devil, reeking of blood, smirked as he looked at his latest prey. He held a monster with a snapped neck in his arms, unhinging his jaw to crunch down on its head. The texture of the flesh, the thrill of violating a soul—he savored it all. His magical power was steadily growing. Soon, he might even be able to slaughter those annoying pursuers.
"Honestly, devils have much better meat and souls than monsters... but nothing beats a human."
From the moment he went stray, his goal had been the human world. He'd hoarded power and let his sanity dissolve in magic, but he'd kept just enough rational thought to survive. He knew he wasn't high-rank. He'd been born low-class and had lived with a deep-seated inferiority complex toward those above him. That was why he'd been so focused on quietly accumulating power.
It was sheer luck that he'd stumbled into dragon territory while fleeing. He knew he was a nobody, and he didn't believe a dragon would lift a finger for a mere low-class stray. By the time he was powerful enough to be a threat to them, he'd already be gone to the human world.
And even if they found him, misdirection was his specialty. He gently patted the 'eggs' on his abdomen—clusters of magic he'd refined from the souls he'd devoured. He had become a humanoid insect-like devil, and he used his abilities to their fullest. These eggs were his precious soldiers. They were weaker than him, but their numbers were formidable. They were empty dolls with no will or emotion, existing only to follow orders. Pursuing devils would assume he was alone and let their guard down. Then, he'd swarm them and harvest their souls.
If a dragon or a real powerhouse found him, he'd use his soldiers as decoys. They were clones of himself, almost indistinguishable from the original. No one would be able to pinpoint the real one in a sea of identical copies. He'd use the distraction to flee, eat more souls, make more soldiers, and start the cycle again. He laughed to himself as he finalized his preparations.
His only fear was someone with high-level detection or someone who could also fight with numbers. But the chances of encountering someone like that were slim. His thoughts were cut short when his mist barrier flickered.
"What... is this?"
The stray's face contorted in confusion. Something had entered the barrier. It wasn't a monster, but it didn't feel like a devil either. A dragon would never have gotten this close without being noticed. More importantly, there were no life signs. And yet, dozens of entities were methodically advancing through the mist, closing in on his position.
Cold sweat ran down his back. He was already surrounded. He sensed over thirty reactions from all directions. There was nowhere to run. He was about to be lynched.
"Eggs, hatch! Protect me!"
The stray didn't hesitate to play his trump card. He didn't care about the dragons or the future anymore; if he hesitated, he was dead. He released the eggs and stimulated them with magic, forcing a rapid hatch. He'd eaten over a hundred monsters here. A hundred clones against thirty targets—he could easily punch a hole in their line. A hundred empty, hollow meat puppets with his own face stared vacantly, waiting for a command.
"Kill them!"
The command was short and sharp. The puppets raised their weapons and shrieked, lunging at the nearby signals. The stray suppressed his presence as much as possible, planning to slip away in the chaos. He peeked through the brush to gauge the enemy's strength.
"...What the hell is that?"
He blurted it out in pure shock. His sanity was mostly gone, but even what was left couldn't process the scene before him. What in the Underworld was he fighting? His mind screamed at the absurdity.
The things in the mist were small—only about thirty centimeters tall. They were mechanical... things. Each one carried a weapon and a shield, their rugged forms clanging and whirring as they moved. Some had rollers on their feet; others had massive wings or cannons on their backs. Some were cyclopean, some were spiked, some had horns. They were roughly humanoid, but their entire bodies were encased in armor.
A connoisseur would have recognized the intense detail and craftsmanship in each unique design. A collector would have wept with joy. A certain Grand Duke would have worshipped them. And every single one of them was made of ice. A legion of armored ice dolls was marching through the woods, the sound of thirty whirring motors filling the air.
"J-Just break them! Destroy them all!"
He didn't know what they were, but they were small and made of ice. They had to be easy to break. One of his clones lunged, claws raking across an ice doll. His arm snapped from the hardness of the ice, but the doll shattered into pieces. See? A hundred clones would make short work of them. It was just a parlor trick. But then, the stray froze.
"They're... regenerating?"
It was a nightmare. The shattered doll was instantly enveloped in ice, returning to its perfect form in seconds. It didn't pause, swinging an ice saber to cleave the armless clone in half. They were small, they weren't particularly fast, and they weren't highly skilled. But they never stopped.
No matter how many were broken or blasted with magic, their regeneration and hardness were relentless. Their small size made them hard to hit, and some of them were firing ice missiles from their arms or shoulders. Did they have infinite ammo?!
"Dance, my dolls! Inherit the spirit of the legendary Mobile Knight Dungam and show the world your might! Go, Indomitable Knights' Play: Doll Armor Guardian!"
The stray, already losing it in a swarm of ice Dungams, failed to notice the white-clad girl who had slipped through the mist. As she spoke, the ice knights began to move with even greater precision. He didn't know why a human was in the Underworld, but she was clearly the master of these dolls.
But the path to the girl was blocked by a wall of ice knights. Several Dungams stood guard around her. A fan would have recognized them as the transformable units from Dungam Z or perfectly replicated weapons from the OVAs. They would have shouted about 'romance' and 'spirit.' To the stray, they were just terrifying, self-healing plastic models.
"This can't be happening..."
No matter his numbers, fighting entities that didn't feel pain, didn't stay dead, and ignored damage was insane. Fortunately, the ice dolls hadn't targeted him yet. His clones were working as decoys. He let out a breath of relief, but he knew he had to move. He gave the order to his remaining soldiers to cover his escape.
He kept his eyes glued to the girl, watching for any sign of an attack. Because he was so focused on her, he failed to notice the presence that had slipped through his clones and arrived directly behind him.
"Sense Deletion."
A sharp pain lanced through his back. He tried to scream, but realized he couldn't feel the pain anymore. It wasn't just the pain—his sight, hearing, smell, even the sensation of heat or cold vanished. He couldn't tell if he was standing or sitting. Every sense he'd ever known was gone. He was in a void of total nothingness.
It might have only been seconds, but for the stray, the terror was eternal. He flailed his arms where he thought they were, but didn't know if they moved. He didn't know if he was screaming. The void was absolute.
Then, his senses slammed back into him. First came the agony in his back where something had pierced him. Then his vision returned, showing him a boy thrusting a red spear into him. He looked down in daze, finally noticing the spear protruding from his own abdomen. He hadn't even felt it go in.
"...Gh... GAAAAAAH!"
The stray's fear turned into raw fury. His pride as a superior being screamed at being wounded by a mere human. He raised his arms, pouring all his malice and madness into a strike at the boy. The boy's shoulders flinched for a split second, but he didn't let go of the spear. He gritted his teeth, forcing back his fear, and roared back.
It was a scream of pure malice, but the boy remembered something more important—the promise that had started his journey into this world.
"In exchange, promise me: live until the very end. And keep smiling. Even if I erase your memories, don't let that gut and that spirit that refused to lose to a monster disappear."
Those were the words he'd said to her. He couldn't afford to lose here. She'd had no power, yet she'd stood her ground against evil. That promise, that courage, pushed his feet forward. And besides, he had a partner he could count on.
"Disappear!"
"Kana!"
Lavinia fired a shard of ice into the stray's arm, slowing his swing. In that opening, the boy coated the spear in the power of destruction and swung it upward in a flashing arc. The Ruin ability inherent in his Sacred Gear did its job, erasing the stray's raised arm entirely. He used the momentum of the swing to spin, driving the red spear through the stray once more.
"...Goodbye."
The stray's restored hearing caught the boy's final parting. Blood sprayed from his mouth and wounds, staining the earth. Despite the stray's massive weight, the boy hoisted him into the air on the tip of the spear and hurled him toward the sky. With gravity and air resistance erased, the spear shot upward like a rocket, carrying the stray into the clouds.
"If high output is bad for the forest... then we just finish it where there's nothing to hit."
A flash of crimson appeared in the sky. The small red dragon intercepted the target on its master's signal. Having charged its mana to the limit, it unleashed its maximum fire breath upon the airborne stray. The target was incinerated in an instant, before he could even feel the pain. The souls he'd devoured were released from their shells by the flames, vanishing into the heavens.
+++
"...It's over."
"Yes, it is."
With the death of the stray, the clones collapsed into heaps of meat. The ice Dungams formed a neat line, saluted their Princess, and vanished like a mirage.
Lavinia returned the salute to her 'Indomitable Knights.' Her eyes were sparkling. "I must show Glinda the Dungams," she said, satisfied with the new 'gift' for her beloved grandmother.
Souma Kuramoto gave his partner a hollow laugh. A year ago, he'd used the robots Azazel made as a hint to help her create the Demise Gear Doll. He'd suggested that robot anime and manga might serve as good reference material and lent her the entire Mobile Knight Dungam series. In that year, she had truly 'awakened.' He offered a silent apology to Glinda.
He hadn't realized she'd equate 'Knights' with 'Dungams.' In his previous life, they were called 'Mobile Suits,' so the connection had slipped his mind. The moment she started making ice plastic models, he'd realized his mistake. But seeing her this happy, he couldn't bring himself to rain on her parade. He'd successfully opened a new path for her... for better or worse.
"Good job, Lavinia. You too, Lin. Nice fire."
"Thank you, Kana. You did well too. The Knights still have many parts that can be upgraded, so I am looking forward to it. Next time, I think I will incorporate elements from the manga and the alternate universes."
"Kana! Lavinia! Look at me! I was great!"
"Yeah, yeah, you were amazing without having to say it. Lavinia... next time, I'll borrow the DVDs for the new Dungam series for you."
"Oh! Thank you!"
Souma watched her smile and gave up. Well, at least I have a fellow anime fan now, he thought. It was pure escapism. It was entirely his own fault that his partner was now a mecha otaku. If she was scared of dolls, maybe giant robots werebetter. The rugged designs, the scale, the lack of a 'will' but the presence of 'romance'... He stared up at the purple sky. The influence of subculture in this world was truly terrifying.
They shared a high-five for the successful mission, offered a prayer for the clones, and contacted Tannin. Souma's hands were still shaking slightly from the fight, but he clenched them and took a steadying breath. He wasn't used to the malice yet, and it was still scary, but he'd found the courage to stand his ground. There was still a lot to learn, but he felt ready to face the future.
And so, the Underworld hunt came to a successful end.
***
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