"Do you see that? Why are all those women fighting over one human?"
"Initial analysis: dispute over food. Demiurge fighting against the human-demon-vampire coalition. Hypothesis: human possesses high vitality, providing increased flavor, possible repeatable feedings. Anomaly noted. Inquiry priority: low. We continue with the mission."
"Shut it, Scrap Metal. What's so special about him! There's no way a human can give them anything!"
"Emotional inquiry detected. Low racial stats have denied you intimate Succubi contact. Your vitality remains inefficient even at Captain rank. Personal inadequacies do not take priority over research of the lightweight ore in the north. We continue with the mission, Tiny-Horned Demon."
"I was ordered to protect your worthless scrap, not obey it. How does a pathetic human get fought over like that… It pisses me off. We're watching this."
• • •
The stone Wurm, held together by vines, charged first. It arched over the three girls in front and lunged straight for Tsukihi.
"Wait!..."
Leon yelled out, but the Wurm was already in full strike.
Tsukihi snapped her fingers. Sparks crackled along the Wurm's body, then detonated at once.
The explosion tore through it. Rubble and burning vines rained down around her and Leon.
What the!?!? Was that a silent cast spell...
Before he could finish his thought, one of the failing rocks in front shattered. Stone shards were now shooting towards them.
"We're here for you, Leon!"
Roselyn had moved in, using the debris as cover. And at the last second, she rammed through it, shield raised, sending the falling stone shards ahead of her.
"STAY BACK!"
Tsukihi held the snow globe in front of her. A massive jagged wedge of ice surged from the ground toward Roselyn.
Roselyn slammed her shield into the earth. It grew instantly just as the ice wedge crashed into it. The impact froze the airborne stone shards mid-flight before the ice locked fast against the shield.
Tala and Valeria rushed forward along either side of the ice wedge. They had been concealed behind Roselyn when she led the charge.
"~My Blood, Overturn in Iron~"
Blood ran up Valeria's forearm like a rising current, gathering into a ring of suspended droplets above Tsukihi.
On the opposite side, Tala tapped her staff against the ground as she closed the distance. Silent casting as each strike attached a thorned vine to its end. The quarterstaff changed into a ribboned weapon.
"~Lockdown!~"
The ring of droplets hardened into thin crimson bars before shooting downward.
Tsukihi lifted the snow globe above her head. A disk of ice formed overhead to intercept the spell.
But the crimson bars pierced through it like butter.
Tsukihi's expression flickered with surprise as the blood magic struck around her, snapping into a cage of thin, rigid bars.
"That was only first level? How?!"
First level? Are there spell levels? But Valeria uses blood arts…
"Sit!"
Tala mocked as she swept her ribboned quarterstaff through the air. The thorned vines at its ends lashed forward, slipping through the gaps of the cage toward Tsukihi.
They coiled around her in midair before they collapsed inward.
Tsukihi's form burst into white smoke. She was behind herself. Standing outside the crimson bars and still holding Leon's hand.
Tala called out to her party.
"My attack definitely hit. Which means it wasn't an illusion, but the Substitution skill. She's not just an Elementalist, but an Illusionist too."
"Why won't you all just forget already!"
Leon looked at Tsukihi. She didn't have a scratch on her but the left sleeve of her kimono now had cuts in it.
Most wouldn't have noticed, but not letting go of Leon's hand during the skill was what revealed Tsukihi against an opponent like Tala.
Leon squeezed her hand.
"Tsukihi, they're not going to take me away. And you're not going to win this fight while holding my hand either. Let's go talk to them!"
"No, No no no! They'll forget. They always do. Only a bit longer and they won't even remember why they're fighting. Then we'll run! We'll be together forever!"
Before Leon could answer, a black disk appeared in the sky above Tsukihi and him. Tala, Valeria and Roselyn, who had freed herself shield from the Ice, now stood in a circle around them. Right on the edge of the black disk.
Even working with Valeria for the first time, did they plan all this?
Cersei who had been in the blackline this entire time had been channeling the incantations of the spell while the other 3 fought.
"~Gravity Well!~"
Leon felt his body gain hundreds of pounds.
But before he could fall to the ground, the weight disappeared.
"-C-COUNTERSPELL!"
Cersei yelled and was in complete shock. Tsukihi's purple eyes glowed with intensity.
Leon had played enough games that even without fully understanding this world's magic system, silent casting a counter spell was terrifying.
"Look at that, she is an Arcanist too."
Tala was the first to rush in.
"~Vines of the Hydra~"
The vines, which had previously acted like ribbons, now began to arch and curl. Venus flytraps grew at each of their ends and pointed towards Tsukihi.
Wait, Tala was silent casting before. Now she's using the spell's name? Is she using more powerful spells!?
"Tala! Wait..."
Leon called out only to be interrupted. Tsukihi had begun to speak her own full incantations. Smoke, the same white of her hair and tails began to flow out. The line between hair, tails and smoke blurred as it fell down her body like a dress.
"~Ivory Bloom~"
Wait, no. Tsukihi not you too
"~Alabaster Sight~"
Valeria and Roselyn rushed in next. Crimson rapier and shield at the ready.
"~Snow that Frosts the Ice~"
"Tsukihi you need to stop!"
"~Ash that feeds the Flame~"
Four purple discs shot out of Cersei's staff, rolling against the ground like wheels spinning at high speed towards Tsukihi.
"~Smoke that covers Mirrors~"
What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? I need to stop her but no one is listening!
"~For all shall return to Blank~"
Leon stepped in front of her and kissed Tsukihi.
Her lips were sweet and soft, tasting of the hot honeyseed they had drunk last night. Her body pressed against him.
Even in the middle of the active battlefield, the whole world seemed to disappear. He just had to kiss her until the spell fizzled. Until the other closed the gap. With this kiss he could convince her.
Untold movement passed. However when this kiss finally broke, Leon opened his eyes to see the world actually was gone.
Nothing but smoke surrounded the two of them.
Tsukihi stared at him smiling and blushing.
"You're all mine..."
"~White Lotus~"