"Ikeda-san..."
I gently muttered her name under my breath, as inside me, I know that she's not supposed to be fully alive right now.
Just then, a voice called out to me.
"You're just right in time, Shiraishi Tetsuya! Let's help each other fend off this monster!"
I turned to the voice and realized that it was actually Ikeda Kaoru's boyfriend, Izanagi Takeshi.
"Izanagi-sen-", My sentence got cut off as I notice the hulking figure turn into a blur as it lunged at my upperclassman.
"No-"
I felt power, or something more like a burst of energy, surge through my legs and the next thing I knew, I was dashing to Izanagi's position and arrived just right before the large humanoid did.
Not knowing what to actually do, I decided to hold my scythe in front of me, thinking that it would be able to block the creature that pounced on Izanagi.
Flinching before shutting my eyes closed, I gritted my teeth and prepared myself for the upcoming shock that I'll receive.
"Gah-" A numbing pain appeared in my arm as I feel my scythe's handle make contact with the part of the large figure that it used to attack.
Grunting as I opened my eyes, I then felt a shiver run down my spine as I saw the face of the creature that lunged itself at my upperclassman and my classmate.
A face with no redeeming features, rotten skin, fully blank white eyes and sharp yet disarrayed large teeth.
"You look... pretty handsome, don't you, big guy?"
I made a sarcastic remark before I got pushed back, along with Izanagi behind me, to the book shelves.
"Guh-" We both crashed into the shelves, bringing them down along with us and though I might not have gotten the brunt of the impact, my body still shivered and my legs wobbled as I stood up.
"Izanagi-san-... Are you alright?" I pushed myself up with my scythe, gripping hard on it.
The upperclassman responded with a slight nod and a loud grunt, so, I just took it as an okay.
I just got thrown a few meters from where I was into solid wood and metal, yet my body didn't feel pained at all.
I don't remember working out to give myself a muscular and strong physique.
I'm actually one of those people who tend to slack off everything and just sleep, well... since that day my family died.
But, I stood up pretty well and my struggle was in vain. On the other hand, Izanagi Takeshi grunted as he pushed himself up from the floor.
"Ikeda-san... Please run away with Izanagi-senpai, now." I glanced towards my female classmate who was perplexed at the sight of the monster.
Ikeda Kaoru's eyes were wide open and she muttered various things, but as I called out to her once again, she actually managed to run to my back and help her boyfriend up.
"Please go somewhere safe, Ikeda-san."
"Y-Yes. Are you sure that you can handle that...-" Her voice trailed off before she let out a small whimper as she looked towards the monster in front of us.
"I can. Now, get going."
Ikeda nodded before hurriedly walking away with Izanagi, who, somehow, already looked fine, not even asking for support, but actually leading Ikeda by her hand.
"I'll come back soon, Shiraishi Tetsuya."
Izanagi-senpai said as he looked back at me, his hand now firmly holding Ikeda's.
Not so long after, I heard the door of the library swing open and Ikeda and Izanagi's footsteps as they ran off.
"Haa..." As I sighed, the monster made a small growl as a response.
I was feeling pretty hyped at the moment, actually, I was feeling that I'm in my greatest shape, just like how Olympic Athletes would feel after warming up, perhaps.
"Well, Guess I should act tough now that I'm actually tough..."
"Aha... Haha..." I chuckled as I straightened up and pointed the end of my scythe's handle towards the creature.
Then, I just remembered...
I don't know how to fight at all.
"And that's where I, Setoria, come in. I'll ingrain the movements of people who used the scythe since when it was made, into your body along with the knowledge you've took up in... uhh... numerous "battle games" you've played."
"Is that just how easy it's supposed to be?"
"Yes, it is." I was able to picture out a smirking petite blonde with that response.
Then, I felt something like an electric current run through my body and somehow, I became sure that I know how to use my scythe properly now.
"Well then, let's dance, big guy."
The moon shone on the room just in time as I saw the monster reply with a sneer, or maybe that was just its normal face.
However, it sure was grotesque and not something you'd want to look at during at night.
A slight feeling of nausea entered my thoughts, but maybe it was because of my Crest that I didn't react that much, seeing as to how the monster looked so ugly.
"I just have to say, I was kidding about you being handsome earlier." I swung my scythe in thin air, just testing to see how it felt, well, it felt great.
So, without any further ado, I dashed to the monster's front, determined to slice him apart if my scythe would be able to.
"Haa!!!" The creature was slow to react and it was only able to raise its hands up just in time to block the swing of my scythe, which was futile, as its hands, down to its wrists, dropped to the floor a second later.
"Huh... I actually did it." I gripped on my scythe again, preparing for another strike before the air out of my lungs got squeezed out as a punch landed straight into my chest and sent me flying once again, however, this time, I was sent upwards, to the ceiling.
"Guh-"
"Ah, I was too late- You need to cut down the demons across the center of their bodies, where their cores are, to kill them."
"You could've told me that sooner-"
I groaned as I felt my back push against hard cement and for a moment, I thought that I was glued to the ceiling, before I fell down the floor with a thud.
"Ugh-" I groaned again before slowly standing up, feeling groggy.
Then, I saw that the monster's hands weren't on the floor anymore.
"Hey, you're kidding right?"
The cut parts of the creature that the goddess named Setoria called a demon, were now back in place, as if nothing happened...
"That's how the demons are."
Setoria scoffed along a mental apology for the lack of what was supposed to be an information to be known before facing a being such as a demon.
"They'll keep on regenerating unless you destroy their core. Please do your best, Tetsuya."