DID YOU KNOW? YOU CAN NOW READ THREE TO SIX CHAPTERS AHEAD. CHECK MY PROFILE FOR THE LINK.
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Leon had the distinct feeling that he had been played, and he didn't like, not even for a moment, that events were unfolding without his involvement.
Before he could voice his objection, however, the miasma surrounding them erupted.
It began to swirl like a hurricane, forming a colossal face that slowly emerged from the storm.
The face was screaming, and yet it wasn't. At the same time, it was laughing... and yet it wasn't. Then, upon another glance, it seemed to be crying... and yet it wasn't.
Jaune had appeared.
Leon's eyes narrowed.
The enormous face was visible only to those sensitive enough to perceive dense concentrations of magicules. Thankfully, not everyone present possessed such perception.
For those who did... Specifically, the weaker members of the Knight Corps, the moment their eyes met the impossible visage, they collapsed where they stood.
Blood streamed from their noses and eyes as tears rolled freely down their faces, their minds unable to withstand the incomprehensible torrent of malice and destructive magicules flooding into them.
"...Is it weird that I'm starting to have second thoughts about this?" Kanade muttered from beside Leon.
Leon slowly turned his head and fixed the Archmage with a flat glare. This had been his idea.
Kanade caught the look and awkwardly raised both hands in surrender. "Yeah, yeah, I know." He gave a sheepish smile. "Don't worry. I've got this."
Without waiting for a reply, the Archmage began walking toward the eye of the hurricane.
He stopped several paces away before calmly returning his hands to the sleeves of his robe.
As though acknowledging his approach, the swirling miasma slowly parted.
For the first time, Leon laid eyes upon the Primordial Yellow.
Jaune. One of the Original Demons.
She stood slightly taller than Kanade, though still a few inches shorter than Leon himself.
Her bright blonde hair was short, full, and almost deceptively lively, framing a heart-shaped face that could only be described as beautiful.
Crimson eyes regarded the Archmage with unmistakable amusement. When she smiled, rows of pristine white fangs completed the image.
She was, without question, breathtaking.
At least... she would have been, if not for the suffocating aura of death, malice, and unstable nuclear particles that constantly radiated from her very existence.
She said nothing. She merely stood there with her arms folded, wearing a wide, feral grin as she stared directly at Kanade.
Leon couldn't see it.
No matter how many times he compared the two, he simply couldn't picture the Archmage defeating the force standing before him.
Kanade's magicule count wasn't even a quarter of Jaune's. And while Leon believed that a battle couldn't be decided with just a higher magicule count, he wasn't sure that would matter here.
"Hahahaha!" Jaune's laughter rang across the battlefield as the white fur-lined jacket draped over her shoulders fluttered wildly beneath the torrents of energy constantly pouring from her body.
"Hey, Leon." She grinned broadly. "I didn't think you'd actually play with me this time. You're always so serious. Hehe." She tilted her head, her smile growing even wider.
"I'll have to thank Violet for the assist. I was getting bored just bombarding your city from afar, you know?"
Leon didn't deign to answer. He remained as stoic as ever, his golden eyes fixed upon the Primordial without the slightest hint of emotion.
"I'd appreciate it if you called her by her name, Wisteria, from now on." Kanade beamed cheerfully, seemingly unbothered that Jaune had completely ignored him in favor of speaking to Leon. "Thanks."
Jaune paused. Only then did she finally turn her attention toward the red-haired boy standing opposite her. "...Huh?" She blinked once.
"That brat got herself a name?" Her brows shot upward. "The hell? Who'd do something that dumb?"
Kanade's smile never faltered. "Aren't you two about the same age?" he asked. Then, after pretending to think about it, he nodded to himself. "Although, now that I think about it, Wisteria is a lot more mature."
He pointed at Jaune. "So I guess that makes you the brat."
"Hahahaha!" Jaune threw her head back and laughed. "Have you seen her?" she asked between laughs. "She looks the part, doesn't she? You can't deny that."
Kanade simply shrugged, offering no opinion either way.
Jaune's laughter gradually subsided into an eager grin. "So... she really got a name, huh?" She clicked her tongue, looking genuinely amused.
"Looks like things are finally getting interesting again." Her crimson eyes gleamed. "Especially if Vio..." She caught herself. "...Wisteria is going this far just to rile me up."
A feral grin spread across her face once more. "Heh. That brat really is a brat."
"Still, though..." Her smirk widened as the aura pouring from her intensified once more. "It means I finally get to cut loose for once."
She turned toward Leon, excitement dancing in her crimson eyes. "You ready, Leon?"
Silence answered her. Not even a twitch. It was an awkward silence
"...Ah, Jaune-san." Kanade awkwardly raised a hand, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "I'm the one who's supposed to be fighting you. Please don't ignore me. It's actually pretty cruel, you know."
Jaune blinked before turning back to him. "...Huh?"
She stared for a moment, then let out an amused huff. "You were serious about that?" A grin spread across her face. "You actually want to fight me one-on-one?"
She shrugged casually. "I don't mind fighting all of you, you know."
Kanade laughed sheepishly. "That's alright, Jaune-san. Though..." He smiled. "I think just me should be more than enough."
Jaune's grin grew wider. "I like that confidence." She looked him up and down without the slightest hint of mockery.
"Thinking you can handle me..." She chuckled. "You're fun. I like you."
"Ah, thanks a lot, Jaune-san." Kanade smiled right back.
"So..." Jaune clasped her hands together. "Let's make this a little more interesting, shall we?"
Her grin turned feral once again. "What do I get if I beat you?" She tilted her head innocently. "Other than killing you, of course."
At those words, several of the Spirit Riders subtly shifted their footing.
Jaune didn't so much as spare them a glance. Her attention remained fixed entirely upon Kanade.
Kanade, meanwhile, adopted a thoughtful expression. "Hmm... I suppose that's fair."
He tapped his chin for a moment before snapping his fingers. "How about this? If you win, I'll prepare you a proper flesh-and-blood body."
He gestured toward himself. "Something like mine, for example. I may not look it, but I'm actually fairly strong."
He smiled. "And the Spirit Riders won't interfere either."
Jaune gave him another once-over before wrinkling her nose. "...No offense, dude."
She pointed a thumb toward him. "But your body's a little..." She searched for the word.
Her gaze slid back to the black-armoured Spirit Rider she'd been observing this entire time. "How about that one instead?"
She pointed directly at Maureen. "I've been watching her for a while now." A grin slowly spread across her face. "Her body would make a perfect vessel for me."
She folded her arms. "What do you say?"
Kanade followed her finger. "...Maureen?"
The young Spirit Rider instinctively straightened beneath the attention now directed toward her.
Jaune nodded enthusiastically. "Yep." She pointed again, this time with both hands. "That one."
Kanade rubbed the back of his neck. "Hmm... that's a little difficult.""She's one of ours." He shrugged. "I don't really hand my people over."
Jaune clicked her tongue. "Boring." She looked Maureen over once more, almost appraisingly. "She's got a nice body too. Strong. Stable. Plenty of room."
Maureen felt an involuntary chill crawl down her spine.
She had no doubt the Primordial wasn't talking about appearance. Jaune was evaluating her as a vessel.
Kanade spread his hands helplessly. "So... you'll have to settle for mine."
"Hmm..."
Jaune tapped her chin. "No." She answered immediately. "I don't want you."
"...That hurts a little." Kanade sighed dramatically. "I've been rejected by a pretty woman. Who's gonna console me? Leon, looks like we're going to remain single forever."
Leon listened to the exchange in complete silence.
"..."
Neither of them seemed to understand the gravity of what they were discussing.
"...Then no deal." Kanade concluded with another shrug.
Jaune tilted her head. She looked disappointed for all of three seconds. Then her grin returned. "Fine."
She rolled her shoulders, each movement causing the surrounding air to distort beneath the pressure of her aura. "I'll just beat you first."
"Then I'll take her afterwards."
Kanade, however, merely sighed. "Sure, if you think you can."
"So prideful." Jaune cracked her neck. "But this wouldn't be fun otherwise."
Golden sparks began dancing across the miasma around her. The distorted space surrounding the Gate of Hell groaned.
Far behind them, every Spirit Rider and every knight instinctively looked toward the two figures standing before the breach.
Leon's hand slowly settled upon the hilt of his sword once more. He really shouldn't have let Kanade run his mouth.
If Jaune broke her word... He would move.
Kanade noticed the motion from the corner of his eye. "Lord Leon."
"..."
"If I lose..." He smiled without turning around. "Feel free to kill her."
"Hahahaha!" Jaune burst into laughter. "I knew I liked you!" Her grin widened until her fangs were fully visible.
"Ah, one more thing, Jaune-san." Kanade called with another sheepish smile.
Jaune groaned loudly, throwing both hands into the air. "Argh! What now?" She frowned. "You're starting to ruin the mood, you know?"
Kanade chuckled awkwardly. "Well... we never discussed what I'd get if I won."
Jaune raised an eyebrow. "Hah?" She looked at him as though he'd suddenly grown another head. "I thought you didn't want a bargain in the first place."
She folded her arms. "And now you're making one?" A grin slowly spread across her face. "That full of yourself, huh?"
Kanade tilted his head. "...Are you afraid you'll lose?"
The sheepish smile that had lingered on his face until now subtly changed.
Jaune's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before she threw her head back and laughed. "Hahahaha!"
"As if!" she barked. "Fine then! I accept!" She spread her arms wide. "Whatever it is, lay it on me!"
"Oh?" Kanade's smile sharpened. For the briefest instant, Leon felt as though he were looking at an entirely different person.
"If that's the case..." His voice lost its easygoing warmth, becoming calm, relaxed... almost cold.
"If you lose..." He looked directly into Jaune's crimson eyes. "...You'll come work for me." A beat of silence followed. "And," he added with a small smile, "I'll even give you a name."
Jaune stared at him. Then... "Hahahahahaha!" She laughed even harder than before. "You really do say the weirdest things."
She wiped a tear from the corner of one eye before flashing him another feral grin. "Is that all?" She shrugged. "Sure."
"If you beat me..." She pointed a thumb at her own chest. "I'll pledge my loyalty to you."
Silence fell over the battlefield. Even the howling miasma seemed to quiet for a moment.
Leon stood frozen. For perhaps the first time in centuries, he genuinely felt the urge to shout.
'What in the world is going on...?'
This entire conversation had somehow taken place directly in front of him.