A towering figure clad in dark violet aura is smashing the nearby trees. Its hands causing craters whenever it hits the ground and its roar deafening to the point I have to clutch my ears whenever it opens its mouth.
It has been two days since my third day of school ended. Yesterday, Sakura-nee asked me to assist the Onmyouji Union about a summoned spirit that went berserk. I did ask why they needed assistance on it but she just said their approach wasn't working. She decided to send me to deal with it.
And if I'm going, so will Nicco and Shino. Sylvia and Klint wanted to come as well but Sakura-nee told them to focus on their study so they can work with me in the near future.
I kind of look forward to that.
And so right now Nicco, Shino and I are at a considerable distance watching the out-of-control spirit trash its surroundings. It's enclosed in a barrier so there's no need to worry about it going on a rampage in a populous area.
"It's been demonized." Shino whispers and points to the rampaging spirit. "There's no other way but to get rid of it now."
Thank you, Captain Obvious. Or so I would like to say, but never mind.
I already used my
"We've tried everything but nothing is working." says a man in a trench coat. He's the detective/onmyouji in-charge of what's happening. "Lady Tsuchimikado said you three can help, which I still doubt to be honest, so feel free to do something about it. Although I'm not that adamant in sending kids to their deaths she said I shouldn't worry about it. But I can't help but worry."
"We'll be fine detective." I say to him with a smile. "I've done this plenty of times and the two of them just as much."
"Very well, but if things go south, do not hesitate to ask for our assistance."
"Okay."
We start walking towards the barrier with both Nicco and Shino are gripping their swords. I do not have an official weapon yet so I guess I'm stuck with using my skill at manipulating energy to fight, as usual.
The spirit looks like an overgrown tree with limbs and a mutation that went wrong. Instead of branches and leaves, it has snake-like things above its head and some violet goo is dripping from its mouth. A crazed look is present in its green eyes and its claws are definitely not something someone should play around. Even a slight graze from that will cause so much bleeding! It looks so sharp!
"Now what?" asks Nicco and points to the demonized spirit. "I'm pretty sure you want to deliver the final blow. What's the plan?"
"You two don't really have to fight with me you know?" I tell them. "I can do this on my own. Well, Noir is here so I'm technically not alone, but you get what I mean. Plus Nicco is only my observer, so you don't really have to fight with me."
"I'm not about to let a kid younger than me fight by himself even if he's aided by a demon familiar." responds Nicco. I swear his eyes and sword are glinting under the sunlight.
Dude, I'm older than you.
Meanwhile Shino is giving me a disapproving look and is currently messing up my hair.
Hey! Hands off the hair! That thing's like got a life of its own and it took me hours to style it! Don't encourage it!
I immediately get away from the boy with mismatched eyes but he seems nonchalant about it.
"I'm your bodyguard kid. If you have to fight yourself, I will be here to assist you."
Wow! That's the longest sentence he ever said to me!
Wait… he just called me a kid!
Ugh.
I'm fully aware of the fact that no man is an island. And it seems like I can't convince them anyway, so let's just get this over with.
"Suit yourselves."
We enter the barrier and I'm blasted by the creature's full-blown intense aura. Seems like the barrier has been blocking it for obvious reasons. Any mundane person that might come across it will obviously feel it or worse. The aura is so dense any untrained person will fall prey to it.
"Now what?" I hear Nicco ask. Again.
Seriously, I've heard him ask that question like a bunch of times already.
"All three of us will attack it of course-"
"I don't think that's a good idea April-"
"Don't cut me off Nicco, I'm not done yet." the Italian gives me an apologetic look and motions for me to continue. "As I was saying, we will attack the… well, raging spirit. The three of us will take turns on hitting it, especially when we use our abilities. Nicco you strike it in the front since that's your forte, Shino you come up behind it and take it by surprise. I'll attack it from above and try to disable its slithering… err… headpiece. Any ideas?"
"Since it's a wood-based spirit, won't fire be more effective against it?" Nicco questions in which I immediately nod.
"None of us has any fire-based abilities,"
Well I did, but it's gone now.
"…That's why I took this from Sakura-nee's inventory."
I pull out a few explosives and a flame thrower from my [Item Box] and show it to the two. They're already used to me pulling put stuff from nowhere, but I never really told them about the [Item Box] or the [Slayer System] in general. I think they're thinking I have some sort of spatial ability that enables me to store things in a separate dimension.
Not entirely inaccurate.
"You're serious?" Nicco grimaces while Shino gives me questioning looks.
"I am! Of course I'm not saying you should throw it randomly. You should find a good opportunity to chuck it and detonate it."
"Like finding gaps and openings." Shino adds. I give him a thumb up which he acknowledges with a nod.
I give them a couple of explosives and we start heading to the direction where we're going to attack. I hop towards a tree and perch myself on a branch, observing the mad spirit's movements. The snake-like things on its head seem to have a mind of its own and swipe on anything that comes across it. Meanwhile, its body continues to thrash around, uprooting trees and making craters on the ground in the process.
I can see Nicco and Shino start attacking it simultaneously, chucking explosives on any opportunity they get.
*BOOM!*
*BOOM!*
I thought I told them to find a 'good' opportunity?!
AAAARRRRG! Let's just join the fray.
I jump from where I'm perched and find myself just above the creature. I coat my legs with bluish-white energy and land a kick on its head, avoiding the snake-like things by smashing into them. It's easier for me to integrate the energy I manipulate in my body than controlling it in its true form. I can still do it though but it makes me easily exhausted which is not a good thing in the middle of a fight. It happened in one of my missions before I started going to school.
Wait a minute now that I get a closer look, the snake-like things are actually black vines that are pulsing with dark violet energy.
Strange. The energy resembles that of Levton's, yet different. But it's impossible to be that guy since he is currently stuck on house arrest in Hell and cannot wander or do any transactions in the mortal realm. Also, the aura may seem to look like his, but it definitely does not feel like his. It feels a little familiar though but something about it is… off.
Something's up.
*BOOM!*
I land at another tree branch, after throwing my explosive and letting it explode towards the darting vines. I threw another explosive on the reforming vines which successfully blows them away. Nicco seems to have seen this as an opportunity because he immediately chucks one of his explosives on the gap of the missing vines and at the same time swing his sword on its chest. I see Shino land a kick on its back and the creature is suddenly on its knees.
""APRIL!"" I hear them yell.
I immediately leap from where I currently am, points my flamethrower at the weakened creature and delivers a high concentration of flames from it. I encase myself in energy to protect me from the heat as I plunge into the burning corrupted spirit.
Well, I can't fly and it's not easy changing directions mid-air with the situation. I won't die but I will have injuries, probably. Maybe I should use
With one last explosion, I feel myself getting blown away.
Great. My own plan definitely bit me back.
I prepare myself for the harsh landing, maneuvering mid-air so I don't at least land face first in the dirt. I skid a few meters after I landed but I'm relatively safe. The burns I got from being near the burning creature are slowly healing thanks to my
I walk towards the remains of the creature that's slowly turning to ash and the violet goop it was excreting is evaporating.
*SIGH*
A wood spirit getting corrupted, I wonder what happened to it.
Slayer's message about slaying the creature is flashing but that's not what caught my attention.
From the remains of the creature we just killed, a crystal shining in dark violet light lay.
[Unknown]
Oh, that's definitely not good news.