After a few minutes, they had come to a stop and Raina had recalled the car back into her ring.
They all fell onto the floor, except for Raina.
She picked Zousa up and dusted him off while looking at everyone else.
『Woah, you boys all okay?』[Raina]
Mune clenched at his stomach and was sweating beads onto the dirt ground under him.
『Ngh… I think I'm going to hurl...』[Mune]
Nova was hyperventilating, almost certain that he would have died if he didn't buckle his seatbelt in.
『Hah… Hngh… Everything… Hurts….』[Nova]
He took deep breaths, but his heart wouldn't calm down.
If he had to describe it as something, he felt like he was being constantly assaulted by an attack for the entirety of the five or ten minute ride.
The mana in his body roared, but his condition got better and better as the mana slowed down gradually.
He grabbed the ground and propped himself up on a tree that was nearby.
『...I… would have preferred… to walk.』[Nova]
Raina laughed and patted him on the shoulder.
『We wouldn't have had time for that! Anyways, here we are!』[Raina]
Nova's vision began to clear up, causing him to get goosebumps when he realized where they were.
He was sitting propped up next to a tree in front of his apartment complex.
『W-w-why are we here?』[Nova]
『She wanders around here. The victim so far is one of the homeless in this area.』[Raina]
Raina raised an eyebrow.
『Why? Do you know something about this place?』[Raina]
Nova leaned onto the tree while pulling himself up.
『...It's my home.』[Nova]
『Oh… Hey, don't worry. We've kept the damage to a minimum, all the civilians have been evacuated.』[Raina]
She walked over to him and helped him prop himself up.
『We're here to make sure nobody else gets hurt. It'll be alright.』[Raina]
Nova had a conflicted look on his face, but nodded.
『...Right.』[Nova]
Zousa suddenly looked off in a direction.
『Anyways, we're going to apprehend her, but we don't have much information. The other groups are currently looking for her, bu-』[Raina]
『She's there.』[Zousa]
When they looked back at him, he was pointing down the street and over the fence of his apartment complex.
Mune suddenly looked over with a suspicious look.
『...Huh? How do you know?』[Mune]
『I just… do.』[Zousa]
Mune didn't seem to be satisfied by this, though.
He grabbed Zousa by the collar and pulled him close.
『Are you hiding something from us?』[Mune]
Zousa maintained a calm face and exchanged eye contact with him.
『No. I simply have a feeling… If I recall… this is the feeling of animosity… bloodlust… negative energy.』[Zousa]
Mune's eyes slowly opened wider before he quickly let go of him.
He quickly patted Zousa on the shoulder and nodded his head.
『...Sorry about that. Still a bit on edge from that fight where you beat most of us up.』[Mune]
Zousa let out a thin smile and laughed.
『...Heh. It's no problem, but I won't be able to fight at that level. Most of that was the work of the demon inside of me.』[Zousa]
Raina suddenly became interested.
『...Right! There was a demon inside of you! How in the world did you get rid of it?』[Raina]
『Nova did it. I'm not sure what happened… I just woke up and he was standing there, ice cold.』[Mune]
The attention turned to Nova, but he shook his head.
『I'm sorry. I have no idea of how to recreate what I did.』[Nova]
Raina had a bit of an aggravated look on her face.
『...I wanted to know how...』[Raina]
She brushed it off and walked over to the gate of the apartment complex.
『Alright, then. Let's go investigate near where Zousa pointed off to, then.』[Raina]
The three of them followed Zousa, but Raina stood close to him.
Around then was when Reischneid began to speak up in Nova's mind.
「...Hey, kid.」[Reischneid]
「Huh? Is there something wrong?」[Nova]
「No… not that. That woman. Asmodasiah. She's been kind of quiet, hasn't she?」[Reischneid]
「...You're right. But… maybe she just doesn't want to materialize.」[Nova]
「No. I don't think that's right...」[Reischneid]
He seemed to mumble in thought for a bit.
「Her presence isn't clinging over you at all… or, rather- it's really weak. I can't-」[Reischneid]
Another voice rang out in his head, giving him a jump.
「Be quiet, old man.」
Without a doubt that voice belonged to…
「Asmodasiah?!」[Nova]
「Yes, correct. I was forced to bind myself to you in order to keep you alive.」[Asmodasiah]
Any fear Reischneid had of her seemed to dissolve when she said that.
「Aww… you care about Nova! Does our little otherworld entity have a cru-」[Reischneid]
She responded coldly and matter of factly.
「I simply did not want to find another host. Please do not imply me having any relation to such an inferior species of creature.」[Asmodasiah]
「...I… see? I'm glad you're alright...」[Nova]
「...Glad?」[Asmodasiah]
Reischneid gagged.
「Glad?! Why?!」[Reischneid]
「Well… she burnt her own energy to help me with that, you know? At the end, I saw more energy coming out, but it wasn't mine.」[Nova]
He kept walking, concentrating more on the conversation than keeping an eye out.
「...It is of little importance.」[Asmodasiah]
「Little? Not no importance?」[Reischneid]
「No, it is of little importance. My strength has been scattered. I am unable to stay physically manifested like before. I suspect that it will take some time before I can sustain myself in this realm once more.」[Asmodasiah]
Nova was taken aback, but felt a warm feeling in his body.
「...Thank you.」[Nova]
「It is no matter worth discussing. Please continue with what you must do, but keep in mind that I am no longer able to help you without the lives of others.」[Asmodasiah]
Nova had felt an option shut off to him.
「...That means that there is no way to fight that blood giant for me, is there?」[Nova]
「...Not quite.」[Reischneid]
「Huh, wha-?」[Nova]
Just as Nova was about to ask, a loud noise sounded out as Zousa was suddenly sent flying into a nearby wall.
He quickly pushed himself out of the wall and shouted.
『THEY'RE HERE!』[Zousa]
Quickly following, Raina pulled a necklace from underneath her shirt and calmly spoke.
『First encounter. Requesting assistance at my location.』[Raina]
With that, her necklace began to glow as a myriad of phantasmal colors shot into the sky.