Fur.
That was all Egun could see. The fur was surrounding the body of the man who came out of the bushes. He was a little taller than Egun, and the color of the hair around him was black. His bloody black eyes were making Egun nervous.
His face was shaped like a wolf, but that was not the scariest thing of all. The scariest thing was that, although the face was deformed, he could recognize that person.
"Zelig?"
"Are you surprised, Egun? Are you afraid? If that's the case, don't worry. For our friendship, I'm going to kill you without causing you any pain."
Egun stepped back unconsciously. It was true that Zelig's current appearance was terrifying, but that did not frighten Egun. What had set him back was the gray light that exploded around Zelig.
It was similar to an explosion, and Egun closed his eyes instinctively. When he opened them again, the color had receded slightly, but it was still monstrous. Its intensity was unmatched by any he had seen before, being only inferior to that of Luna Crowley.
"I couldn't believe it when you said it the first time, but you can see the "magical aura" of others. It was expected of one of the princes of hell, I suppose."
Egun didn't understand a word Zelig was saying. What was this magical aura? Could it be related to the colors he had been seeing? And the prince of hell, was he referring to him?
"Who are you? No, what are you?" Egun asked him without ceasing to be on alert. He did not know when Zelig could make a move against him.
"Can't you guess? I am a werewolf. My orders were to approach you and watch over you, and now that you're starting to awaken your powers, I have to kill you."
Egun's pupils contracted. The "magical aura" that surrounded him became more and more violent, and it seemed to threaten to assault Egun's body.
"Concentrate, feel his breath, calm down, relax your breath. Get ready, Egun, this is going to be difficult".
As Egun spoke to himself in his mind, Zelig slowly approached Egun. His fingernails, or what once were fingernails and now it would be correct to call them claws, lengthened and took on the appearance of blades.
Ten blades were now threatening Egun's life. Still, his body was relaxed as he waited for Zelig's movement.
The words of his master echoed in Egun's mind.
"An attack aimed at taking a person's life has a different breathing pattern. If you can detect that breath of life, you will have a much better chance of achieving victory in a fight to the death."
Swoosh
"There it is."
Egun reacted to the moment he heard that Zelig's breathing pattern was changing. Without a second thought, he rolled on the floor.
"Oh, not bad."
Zelig was genuinely surprised. He didn't expect Egun's reaction.
"You dodged it, but... so what? You are destined to die here, prince. You should have lived your life as a rich and pampered child, instead of awakening your powers. It's a pity. I liked you. You're going to die, but don't blame me, blame that girlfriend of yours because it's her fault that you woke up your powers that should have remained sealed as they were agreed eight years ago."
"What does Maki have to do with all this?"
Egun did not ask how Zelig had found out about his relationship with Maki, as it would be a waste of time, nor did he ask him about this supposed pact eight years ago.
"That girlfriend of yours, she has been slowly awakening your powers during these six months. Don't you think it's a lot of coincidence that you started seeing the colors at the same time you started a relationship with her? Did you really think she asked you out because she loved you? You are very naive, Ryujin Egun, no, I should call you by your real name, Lucifer."
Egun looked at the floor as he clenched his fists. From Zelig's point of view, he was a poor, betrayed and desperate boy on the brink of death.
"You didn't think this was going to happen, did you? You always kept quiet about the news that you had a girlfriend, you fucking bastard. And now, she's the reason for your death. I would die for having a girlfriend so cute, touch her but, squeeze her boobs..."
So he resented that. After all, Zelig was still a pervert.
Sigh.
"What? Have you given up already?"
"I think I should thank you, Zelig. During these six months, something was bothering me, not counting these lights that I sometimes see in people. I've always been wondering what Maki's reason for asking me out was... So this was the reason. Although I don't quite understand it yet, I guess she wanted to use me."
Egun's calm surprised, even frightened, Zelig.
"What a strange fellow. Well, you're going to die tonight. Come on, Egun, say goodbye to your life as a young master."
"You've called me a rich and pampered child. You've called me naive, you've called me a prince. But I'll tell you something, Zelig. You are an idiot."
This time it was Egun's turn to approach Zelig. His eyes glowed coldly as he looked at Zelig. Those demonic eyes of Egun contained no fear.
"Are you trying to intimidate me with such a poor murderous intention? How many people have you killed in your life, Zelig? 1, 5, 10, how many have you killed? And you call me a prince, pampered and naive? Don't make me laugh. To me, you are but a little kid who plays with some knives."
Involuntarily, Zelig took a step back. Egun didn't have an aura surrounding him, but he was emitting a blood pressure that was forcing Zelig to retreat.
"Who are you?" It was Zelig's turn to ask that question.
"I am Ryujin Egun, the heir of the Ryujin family. I also have another name; in the underworld, I'm known as Dark Lancer."
"Dark Lancer..." Zelig's face hardened.
"Ryujin Egun is the good-looking face of the coin. He is a perfect heir than any noble family. Dark Lancer, on the other hand, is the disgusting face, the one that absolutely cannot come to light. You used to try to intimidate me with such a tiny murderous intention, how about I give it back to you?"
A bloody pressure descended on Zelig's body, paralyzing it in place. Zelig was incredulous to see that he couldn't move; Egun was terrifying. Zelig could no longer look at him as a pampered child; how could this be a spoiled child? How many people has he killed to have such an aura?
Dark Lancer... He was a hired assassin! And one of the most famous of the underworld!
Dark Lancer. An assassin who is characterized by the use of the spear. So far, he hadn't failed in any job he had accepted.
Zelig then realized a detail that made his tense body relax, and he laughed.
"No matter if you are Lancer or Saber, without your spear, you are nothing but a common human. I am a werewolf, and the weak humans have no chance against me. You, Suijin Egun, or Lancer, today, you will fall under my grasps."
Egun frowned. The claws were undoubtedly dangerous, and he had nothing to face them. For the moment, he could only retreat as he came home.
Swoosh
"Die!"
Egun had never left his state of alertness and had instinctively reacted when he heard Zelig's breath change.
Egun dodged successfully, but the danger did not end there. Unlike before, Zelig's attacks continued. Egun did everything in his power to avoid the werewolf attacks, but relying on breathing wasn't a long-term option.
Egun was quick to receive his first wounds. They were light cuts, which did not endanger Egun's life at any time, but they gradually grew deeper.
"Lord, help!"
Out of nowhere, Egun shouted as he looked in a particular direction. Zelig stopped momentarily to look in that direction, and Egun used that moment to connect an uppercut to Zelig's chin.
Egun did not stop there. He could not let his momentum be easily lost and had to punish Zelig's body as much as possible.
Hit after hit, Egun kept hitting Zelig without stopping. A right hand connected directly to Zelig's stomach.
Gough.
A large amount of blood came out of his mouth, followed by intense pain.
"It hurts, it hurts so much, you bastard!"
Zelig fell to his knees. Egun's fist was stained with blood, and more of it came out of the werewolf's stomach. Egun's blow had been so powerful that it had pierced Zelig's skin.
"Do you think that by not having my spear, you will be able to kill me? Naive, you are very naive."
Egun grabbed Zelig by the hair on his head and lifted it with his left hand. Zelig saw Egun's cold eyes and shuddered; he was going to die here...
"Hahahahaha! Hahahaha!"
Zelig's sudden burst of laughter surprised Egun. Suddenly, a hairy hand grabbed Egun's hand, which was holding Zelig's head. He began to rise slowly, and Egun saw, to his horror, how the hole in the werewolf's stomach was closing at speed noticeable to the naked eye.
"You don't understand, do you? Look at the sky and look at the moon today."
Egun looked up and saw it.
A full moon.