An obvious trap, a greedy cat has laid out for the mouse.
And which, the mouse has no other option but to cross the obvious trap.
But, things quite took a sudden..... sudden shift. The trap does work for the prey, however, it causes other damage.
I still remember how Mistress Tanao warned me about avoiding going on the campus by Sunday. How her intense eyes tell the truth and profoundly pure warn.
My stomach suddenly felt upside down as I gaze above the campus' tower. I did not obey her warning, and now currently following Columbane.
She appeared in front of my hut this sunrise. I admit I almost stab her or even worst, whisk disintegration potion. That potion will burn every flesh and bone, not leaving any trace behind. The burned substances will then be carried together with the wind.
"Columbane? What are you doing here?" asked I with a surprised look.
She just smiled, a mischievous one. "I always gather all students in this personal way. Apology for my intrusion. Anywho, you need to attend the worship hours."
"Worship hours? I am sorry but I have...other religion." I have high hopes, almost hitting the ceiling, for Columbane to leave me alone.
"Don't worry. The worship hour is generally applicable for any religious views. Trust me."
If anyone would ask how her zui that moment, it looks so clean and white. She had no dark and hidden zui appear. Or had she?
I hesitate to answer. Thus, she becomes more persuasive. "This day is a holy day. Don't really worry about being indifferent! Besides, Traiser is present there."
I don't care if he was. I badly want to say that but knowing Columbane, she got great admiration for Traiser. Even, I, a demon, is being crept out of Columbane.
"I'm sorry. I don't wan-"
In a zap, she changed into an aggressive one. "It is mandatory, Miss Nakajima. Don't you understand? Once you didn't attend the worship hours, you'll be kicked out, or worse, you'll be banned in K.U. So, get your feet down here and we'll arrive at the campus before the event starts. And, if I arrive there late, you're going to pay for it."
Anyways, I don't plan to stay there for an hour or two. A single sacred bell gets into my nerve.
I sighed, and read her zui once more. She's still clean, and that's odd.
"Whatever. Fine!"
She stops at her track. A huge dome appears at the end of our path. It is really way huge dome, a circular perhaps elliptical structure with glistening purple and gold colors. There are a lot of curious and glowing marks, probably handwriting, all over the dome.
Columbane proudly says, "This is the Pagsamba Hall, a sacred worship sanctuary which has been blessed by Bathala and all of the deities. Let's go in."
Blessed by Bathala, himself? Bathala is the ruler of all deities, the highest of them all. Loads of thoughts start to kick off. The curious marks have been deities' writing all this time.
I just stand there, frozen. Unable to move a muscle. I am sure I won't get to enter the so-called sacred sanctuary.
What have I done?
Columbane again calls me. "In a few minutes, we'll start. Come on!" Impatience draws on her face as she insists. "You, first."
I smile. "No, after you." then, motions my hands toward the entrance. There are two teachers standing at the side of the main entrance. Both look estrange at me, with a confused expression.
Columbane shyly smiles. "Okay!" She effortlessly walks in, while swaying her hands.
I put all my strength to raise my feet, stepping forward. Unfortunately, my whole body from the head down to my toes couldn't enter. I look like a dumb thing stop by an invisible door.
I tried and tried. I just couldn't, even the two teachers hold my hand and pull inside. But, still, I couldn't enter.
For this moment, I directly eye inside and meet Mistress Tanao's sight. She's surprised and scared at the same time. She even mouthed 'run' to me.
A horrible, loud, and deafening crack of laugh shook my inner system. Columbane with her hands on her stomach continues on laughing. Her eyes and zui also tell a wicked aura.
She then mutters. "Poor Hanna.. Did you know only those atheists, non-believer, and perhaps demons are not allowed by the deities to step on a blessed place? O, which one are you?"
She levels her face to mine. With an annoying and greedy smirk painted on her face. She's literally like a Zonax cat with disgusting motivation to kill.
I want to strangle her neck if I can.
She even maximizes her volume. "AN ATHEIST?! I KNEW IT! THIS TRANSFEREE IS A FRAUD!"
Everyone turns their back and looks at me. All of them have disgusted and angry expressions. They now have one zui. All dark hues building up and almost containing the whole dome.
Well, that's a sight.
The two teachers grabbed my shoulders. More came to my position, a group of unknown teachers. To my keen sight, they are not ordinary teachers except the ones who are grabbing me.
They are engkanto. Servants of deities.
The couple teacher stops and releases my shoulders. I look at them, hoping they'll let me escape or run. "Sorry, atheist." Those are the only words they say, afterwards they turn their back at me and walk away.
Meanwhile, the group of engkanto speeds up and appears in front of me. A few fingers away from my face, the seeming leader of engkanto stood.
Quick as a blink of an eye, it tightly grabs my neck. Lifting my whole body from the ground. I am struggling to breathe, but not much.
Just as it's speaking something, a language I couldn't understand. Probably because my senses are centered on escaping from the tight strangle.
I take that slim chance to hold its wrist tight, my four tails quickly strangle its neck. It'll lose its balance when I direct the other tails on its arms, gripping it, almost crushing its bones.
And, it did.
Freeing my neck from its strangle as it losses balance and its arm suffered. The other engkantos didn't stand by. One almost got a hit on my head, but fortunately, I dodge.
I increase my height, twice their size. Although it doesn't intimidate them, they keep on charging. One lunge a blessed arrow straight to my legs, a good thing I manage to deflect it by my hardened skin. Others try to wrap me through a eucalyptus-scented ribbon, slowly getting enlarge as it approaches me.
As it was about to engulf my body, I shrink my size to average humans' height. The ribbon fails, but it doesn't stop chasing me. My tails take that stupid ribbon one-on-one. I hardened them and making them sharp, cutting the ribbons into pieces.
Meanwhile, there are about six engkantos around. Some successfully wounded my skin by boomerang, I suppose a scared boomerang. I can't keep up with them due to the spontaneous ringing of a sacred bell.
Darn bell!
I let out a cry. Humans may hear this as a roar or loud siren. Thus, this cry petrified the engkantos. They are frozen and shaking while looking at me.
I throw spikes at all of the bells that surround me. Then, I assault the first engkanto with my horns. All of them are now slowly weakening while I clash my horns to their weapons. Even the ribbons stopped their chase, few engkantos are lying in the ground with a pool of blood.
I am disappointed in myself because I can't hold my hardened skin for longer. I wonder why.
Just as I am about to finish off the engkantos, numerous of them came for reinforcement.
I look around and notice this whole campus has been a blessed barrier dome. Like the barrier in the worship sanctuary!
I couldn't believe it with my own eyes. How my third eye had been deceived all this time.
I remember Mistress Tanao's words. Now, I learn about this Sunday a hard way.
All of the reinforcement has this deadly weapon for demons. As if shouting and claiming to be the Demons' Slayer weapon. My tails and horns went crazy, they act threatened as my tails' hairs rise and my horns straighten.
I've read that in the journal. A whip about 1 meter long, known as buntot ng pagi, has been rumored to spend about a hundred years of bathing in deities' holy water. I guess their holy drools. Another fact, it has a legend that when a demon got whipped, immediately it'll burn down to pieces.
And that makes it a deadly weapon.
I felt a lump in my throat.
How will I face a dozen of buntot ng pagi whip?
May the Zonax have mercy on me.
My body acts on its own. I pull my daggers which I also bathed in for thousands of years in the Zonax misery volcano. They are specialized and customize by yours truly.
I stand on my ground. Not going to flinch for them, I am going to beat them to death! They'll know how Zon-
My body vibrates suddenly. A sacred bell rings once more! What on Earth?! I rapidly got up to my feet, and enhance my senses. I instantly dodge one's whip, however, it got slightly on my leg's flesh.
Absolutely a horror! My skin got almost burned. That whip is no joke.
A smile stretches on my face. Even engkantos notice it, and fundamentally confused.
Demons are quite unpredictable.
I heightened my speed. Appear from behind and in front of other engkantos, gladly to slice them deeply into their chest. Engkantos are creatures with immortal lives, thus they can be defeated.
Slice them into multiple pieces. This will take them about ten years to be regenerated. Additionally, crush the beating soul or 'eagi' placed in their middle chest.
I somehow manage to eliminate half of them. But, I surprisingly grew tired from offenses. While half of them remain to lunge attack.
Once again, a sacred bell rings. Darn!
A whip caught my stomach. Through its heavy force, I fly and crash into the ground. My skin bleeds and some liquid spreads into my flesh. Wait, is that poison? I look up to the engkanto who smile and even says, "Poison of eucalyptus, always work for fool demons"
I control my wounds by channeling them through my veins and preventing any poison spread out.
At the same time, their whips look like tentacles in rhythm to penetrate their prey. And, I felt like a small fish, waiting to be killed. My whole body doesn't feel alive anymore.
It's even crazy how my mind flew to think about the corpse candles lit in front of Traiser's house. And, the line goes,
"Fate shall know no mercy,
Massive loss of lambs in journey"
I think I am one of the lambs. Prefer the brave demons who took the quest, where I'm included.
Farewell, quest.
Unexpectedly, one figure stood in front of me. Shielding me from the attack of tentacles, a full-grown diablae embraces the whips. Although she has a metallic body, those whips did deep damages.
Mistress Tanao with a smile faces me. "Don't worry, your journey will be carry on." I felt like a useless demon. Mistress Tanao also says that she unlocks the barrier and disengages the bells so I can run away and escape.
All of my thoughts are disrupted. I couldn't hear a thing. Can't even see anything aside from Mistress Tanao getting tortured with whips. About three to five engkantos left which Mrs. Tanao got control of.
My feet stumble to move, but I build the courage to run at least twenty meters per hour. My tails supported my weight to prevent my body from falling. I never forget how I look for the last time at Mistress Tanao's situation. I felt an invisible sword has been stabbed into my heart.
I will honor her sacrifice.
I turn my head for the last look. Her body is no longer metallic but smokes sprung from her skin. In an instant, her body crumples like combustion happened, burning with white flames.
Slowly, disintegrating into a pile of ash.
Engkantos laugh and laugh. Their wicked laughter had marked on my mind.
For hours, I remain staring into the void. Feeling empty even though my large wound has a slow healing process and poison momentarily killing my cells.
This is the risk I expect, but, I still can't get over the fact of having someone offers herself to my own crisis. I don't expect it at all.
My time is running, I remind myself. How could I be disoriented to mere engkantos? Next time, I'll beat anyone who crosses my way to my quest!
Finally, I got the poison out of my body and my wounds to heal. Probably, these will heal completely tomorrow.
For now, I'll leave this hut and search for another place again. Once I'll meet Columbane, she will be sorry for existing.