It's been a day, but they still continue their journey to their new base. The new base was outside of Lunin, so it would make sense as to why it would take more than a few days to reach. They were traveling with a new member, however. Her name was Kaori. After their initial awkward encounter with her ended, she joined their team. Hoping that she could aid them in defeating Yaldabaoth and his army. She also joined their journey to their new base.
Despite being around the same age as most of them, she got along with Tenma, the most. But, in spite of that, there were some occasional awkward silences, popping up here and there. Which lead Kaname to create a conversation with Kaori, in hopes of ending the longing silence of awkwardness.
"So, Kaori, you never told us how you had that injury on your vein, that we healed."
"Oh, sorry, that I forgot to explain. My mother's side of the family has a defect where instead of being able to use one of the 7 known types of Magic, we're able to learn 'Plant Magic'. As the name states, we are able to control plants and greenery. Remember the forest I met you guys in?"
They all shake their heads, symbolizing "Yes," except for Tenma, who was still trying to remember when they met Kaori. But she eventually starts to nod her head up and down.
"I used my Magic to constantly heal the forest. Soon, animals started moving in and started living there, and treated me like a Goddess. Yesterday, a Demon attacked the forest, so I fought it. Unlike most regular Demons, this one was exceptionally strong. It managed to slice one of my veins, but I still was determined to kill it. After I killed it, I knew I was going to die because of the injury, but then you guys showed up and re-invoked my will to live."
Justice and Kaname both release a slow, but calm sigh. They smile at the same time.
"Wate!!!"
Tenma disrupts the silence and runs towards a pond— a very dirty one. The good thing was that she didn't scream loud enough for Demons that lived around that area to be able to hear it.
"Tenma don't drink that—!"
Everyone chases after Tenma to stop her from drinking the dirty water. Justice picks her up, right before she was able to get a sip of the water.
"You shouldn't drink dirty water. If you were thirsty, you should've just told us."
"Are we sure you guys aren't her parents? Justice is acting exactly like her father. I mean, he probably is, but still."
Says Sakaki, looking at an overwhelmed and blushing Kaname. Kaori, who wasn't really filled in on everyone's relationship with one another, says:
"Wait, they aren't? I was under the impression that Justice and Kaname were her parents."
Before anyone said anything relating to him being Tenma's parent, he put his hands over her ears, so she wouldn't hear a thing. He was relatively calm unlike Kaname, who was blushing so much, you couldn't see anything on her face besides the color pink.
"Anyway . . . we should resume our journey."
"Kaname is right. If we procrastinate any longer, we won't be able to reach the base soon."
They leave after Sakaki states that. Once dusk falls, they decide to rest until morning, and seek a temporary base. They find a cave and check everywhere to see if it was inhabited by Demons or not. Luckily, it wasn't, so they decide to stay there. Justice volunteers to go hunting for more food and kill time, but has to stop when everyone rejects that idea. In the meantime, he and Kaname play with Tenma. Kaori and Sakaki sit and chat with each other while also watching the others play with Tenma.
"They look like a real family."
"Yeah. I've known Justice since I was very young. Back then, he also had a gentle, caring, and sacrificial personality. So, I didn't have any doubt that Tenma would consider him a bad parent."
"You and Justice were childhood friends? I think you're the person I know the least about, in this team."
"Vice Versa."
"So . . . what are your hobbies."
"My hobbies? Eating, sleeping, and practicing Ninjutsu skills. What about yours?"
"Eating, sleeping, and practicing Archery."
She scratches the back of her head and lets out a nervous chuckle.
"Huh? What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, Sakaki. I'm just a little antisocial and have always been. I don't like talking one on one. But I get even more anxious when talking to a large group of people. I've always preferred talking to animals instead."
"Ah! I was like you at one point, then. But I was really young, though. I'm pretty sure it was Justice who brought me out of my antisocial and stubborn shell. So I guess I'll do the same to you!"
Sakaki smiles and gives Kaori a thumbs up. Kaori blushes with happiness and gives Sakaki a thumbs up, to show her gratitude towards him.
"Tenma fell asleep out of exhaustion. Kaname and I are going to follow her and go to sleep. Night!"
Deciding that it was very late, and that they should continue their conversation for the next day, Kaori and Sakaki also went to sleep. Once Morning came, everyone except Tenma woke up and started heading to the new base. While everyone else was walking, Tenma slept peacefully in Kaname's arms.
They start noticing that they weren't walking through rubble anymore, they were in a field — a lifeless looking field with Demon corpses everywhere. Everyone was mortified of what they saw. Sakaki lifts his arm up to the left side. Symbolising that he was telling them not to move anymore.
"What is it, Sakaki?"
"I can feel a . . . powerful presence. It wasn't here the last time I came, neither were the Demon corpses. We should be very cautious while walking through this field."
Everyone gets close as they can get and start walking slowly. Not necessarily slow enough to delay them even more on their journey. Tenma was still sleeping, so everyone could only hope that she doesn't wake up crying. As they keep on walking, they walk into a forest. Unlike the previous forest they were in, this one looked to be absolutely destroyed, with dead trees and plants everywhere.
Someone steps on a stick by accident, which causes all of them — save for Kaname — to bring out their weapons, because of anxiety. But it was only natural for scared people to do that. After realizing that nothing was coming, they put their weapons back, they continue walking, slowly.
They come to an abrupt stop when they find blood dripping from a tree. When they all look up at the tree, they find one half of a Demon. Its organs were everywhere, and the blood continued dripping. That scene alone gave everyone a despair-filled and mortified look. Kaname turned around, so neither she nor Tenma would have to look at the sight.
"For blood to be still dripping . . . that would mean——"
Kaori was interrupted by a roar. The roar caused everyone stop looking at the tree and made them swiftly turn around and look at where the loud sound came from. What made the sound was unidentifiable. It looked like a cross between various animals, but, what was certain, was that it was large, had armor-like exoskeleton, and hungry. Looking at the unexpected visitors as fresh food, already.
It was two times bigger than them, had a trunk similar to an elephant's, tusks similar to a boar, armor comparable to that of a Knight around its body, claws resembling that of a Wolverine's, and a serpentine tail. It was the ruler of all the fields in Lunin. The blood-lusted Behemoth.
"We have to battle it—! It doesn't seem like it'll back down."
"Someone has to watch Tenma."
"I'll do it."
Kaori volunteers.
"I am sure that my arrows will not be able to pierce its tough exoskeleton. And, in the worst case scenario, you guys are all–– dead, I'll be able to stall long enough for Tenma to escape."
"My Magic might be able to do something against it, but I'll need to get direct hits."
"It's settled then. Kaori will protect Tenma, Sakaki and I will attack its exoskeleton, while Kaname will support us with her Magic, and attack at the same time."
Kaname puts Tenma into Kaori's arms, who hides behind a tree to ensure that Behemoth would not target them first. All three of the fighters get their weapons out and prepare to fight. It was battle time, and everyone knew that one mistake will endanger everybody. After all, it was said to be able to hold its own against one of Yaldabaoth's Bind Masters. Which is an incredible feat on its own.
A Bind Master is someone who is one spot lower than Yaldabaoth's direct subordinates. Someone who is powerful enough to be able to lead armies of one thousand Demons, and is rumored to also be able to fight twice as many. In short, a Bind Master is extremely powerful.
They stare at Behemoth waiting for him to attack first, Behemoth stares at them, and does the same thing. Eventually it became a stand still. Both sides of the battle were being wary of each other.
"I'm sick of this anxiety . . !"
Sakaki fires all of the Kunai that were in his hands at Behemoth. The tough exoskeleton completely blocked the attack. The Kunai weren't able to even dent the armor, despite being enhanced by Magic. The attack provoked Behemoth, it started charging towards them. ––It was fast. Despite not looking the part, Behemoth was fast.
"Take this!——"
Light was fired from Kaname's staff as a beam. Unlike the Kunai that Sakaki threw, the Magic from her staff looked like it was harming Behemoth, effectively leaving dents in the armor too, but it wasn't enough to slow it down.
"Es Des Gyro!"
The sword in Justice's hand began emitting a reddish-orange light. He started charging towards Behemoth, who was charging at them.
"Justice, what are you—"
Behemoth attacks Justice with his claws while he defends with his enhanced sword. That one clash made sparks fly everywhere. A few more clashes happened, and Justice's sword was still flowing with Magic. Justice dodges a swing from Behemoth. Taking advantage of the dodge, he uses his sword to slice a part of Behemoth's side.
Behemoth screams in pain.
——!
This shocked everyone.
"His blade was enchanted that much?!"
Sakaki shakes his head to remember the current situation. He pulls out a shuriken.
"Lock-On!"
The Shuriken becomes a golden color, Sakaki fires it, and it homes into Behemoth's wound. Once it hits the wound, it creates a very small explosion, which harms Behemoth from the inside. Another scream of pain comes from it. Its serpentine tail whips Justice, causing him to start flying somewhere into the forest.
"Justic——"
Like before, Sakaki blocks Kaname's path.
"He's fine, Justice is able to take way more than that. Also, it doesn't seem that Behemoth has changed trajectories."
"You're right . . ."
"You keep on attacking it with your Magic, while I try finding weapons it's weak against."
As they prepare to attack it once again, they still can only hope that they'll survive. They all — including Kaori — clench their teeth, and squeeze the weapons in their hands, all because of the anxiety Behemoth had brought forth upon them. Suddenly, Tenma wakes up from her sleep.
". . . Huh? . ."