Fwoosh!
The succubi didn't bother arguing with Alistair. They instantly exploded into swarms of bats and crows, scattering in every direction.
"So decisive?" Alistair blinked. He hadn't expected them to flee without a word.
Thud, thud, thud.
Alistair was about to give chase when three of the succubi suddenly plummeted from the sky, writhing in pain.
"This is my territory. I've hidden quite a few barriers around here for my own protection. I hope you don't mind," Eri Tsukikawa said, floating in the air with a slight smile.
"I guess it takes a succubus to catch a succubus," Alistair said, extinguishing his blue flames. He walked over and grabbed the bob-haired succubus by her hair, yanking her head back. "Hey, you were pretty cocky earlier. Calling me names. Care to continue?"
Alistair smiled playfully, but then he noticed a rune on her neck. He recognized it from his uncle's memory crystal: "Silence."
"I put those on them," Eri explained, dropping two more captured succubi to the ground. "In a real fight, talking to the enemy is a waste of time unless you're stalling. They realized they had zero chance of winning, so they didn't want to waste a second. They just wanted to be in another city."
"I see. Very pragmatic," Alistair mused.
"For the truly powerful, talking during a fight is common. Crushing a weakling is boring, so they 'play' with their food. Between equals, they can't easily kill each other, so 'trash talk' becomes a psychological weapon to find an opening." Eri stacked the helpless succubi together with magic.
"Makes sense." Alistair thought of all the anime he'd watched; the strongest characters were always the most casual. "So, what do you want to do with them?" Eri asked.
"My plan? How about... removing the threat permanently? I only needed them to find the others. Now that I have them all, there's no point in keeping them. We're already enemies; might as well be thorough."
Alistair spoke with an uncertain tone, but a basketball-sized orb of Pale Blue Flame suddenly appeared in his hand. He slammed it into the pile of succubi. Then, using the Rabbit's speed, he grabbed Eri and retreated dozens of meters, watching the blue inferno with curiosity.
"What's wrong?" Eri was startled by the sudden movement. She didn't resist; she knew who Alistair was now. Her gamble in helping him recover earlier was paying off. Alistair was clearly a "high-quality" individual with a powerful background.
"You didn't feel that?" Alistair looked at Eri. As a "senior" succubus, she should have noticed something was wrong.
"Feel what?"
BOOM!
Before he could answer, a loud explosion drew their attention. The succubi engulfed in blue flames had turned into a puddle of ink-like substance, boiling and churning.
"What is that thing?" Eri recoiled, terror in her eyes.
"You're a succubus too; shouldn't you know?" Alistair asked.
"This isn't in my bloodline inheritance! Our magic is mostly support and mental. This looks like a sacrificial ritual—something that shouldn't exist in our race!" Eri raised a magic shield. The "Black Mud" was releasing a massive pressure that, while not physically damaging, was crushing to the spirit.
"Tsk, someone is pulling strings again." Alistair realized this wasn't a succubus internal matter, but a third party's interference.
Wait, this feeling... it's the same as the tentacle monster inside that 'N-word' guy from before. Is it the same group? Alistair sensed a familiar aura through the Tiger and Sheep talismans.
"This one is even more distinct... a bloodthirsty intent... Eri, did you clear the area of civilians?" Alistair frowned. The emotions in the mud were far beyond "Lust." It was filled with "Abuse" and "Slaughter." Is this thing a follower of Slaanesh? Nothing but sex and violence.
Alistair was confident he could kill it, but he didn't want to use his high-output moves if it meant collateral damage and drawing government attention.
"I cleared them already," Eri nodded. Mental magic was her specialty.
"Good. Then I'll end this." Alistair coated his body in Pale Blue Flame for defense.
Sizzle—
Alistair fired two heat beams from his eyes, punching holes in the "Black Mud." Beneath the surface was highly concentrated purple mana.
Purple? What element is that? Alistair threw a spear made of blue fire.
As expected, it was immune to physical damage. But the mana density on the surface of the mud was low, so the blue flame couldn't ignite it well. However, through the holes made by his lasers, he could see the inner mana was much denser—perfect fuel.
Whoosh!
The mud suddenly coalesced into a stick-figure-like shape and lunged at Alistair with an uppercut.
Thud!
Alistair was faster. He landed a punch first, but was shocked by the hardness. He sent the "Stickman" flying, but it stood up immediately, unharmed.
"That hard?" He was surprised. The lasers had poked holes in it easily; he thought it would be soft.
The Stickman stabilized itself, its surface turning an even deeper, darker shade. It lunged again.
Snap!
Using the Rabbit, Alistair dodged and slammed a palm into its side.
"Hard, but breakable." Alistair withdrew his hand. The three armor-piercing needles he had projected were shattered.
Fwoosh!
As the Stickman tried to stand, flames erupted from within its body. Cracks spread across its form, glowing with blue light.
BOOM!
The Stickman disintegrated in a massive explosion of blue flower-like sparks.
"Quite spectacular," Alistair remarked.
In a run-down district, Sonaya felt the feedback. Her eyes widened in surprise. "What? The marks on those succubi were blown up? Impossible... that's not something a normal person in this world can handle. Does humanity have a hidden trump card?"