"Huh?" Remuel sat up as if he was suddenly called out. He looked around and noticed that he was suddenly moved to a different location.
"But I just slept..." He was first doubting as it didn't take him a second between his sleep to be transferred to a different location. "Even if I was asleep, I'd notice any movement or magic..." He quickly gathers his guard as he stood up.
He wasn't exactly in his pajamas as he went directly to sleep without even changing his clothes. But the tiredness of thinking was able to creep up to him as he looks around without any prior knowledge.
"Somehow... This feels familiar..." Remuel started to walk on the plains without any goal in sight. But even if the plain stretches out infinitely, he may have to look for ideas. However, just as he made his first step, he immediately received a greeting.
Burning lances numbering up to twenty suddenly appeared from thin air aiming to joust him from behind. Remuel quickly took notice and avoided the surprise attack with ease. He looked around to check if there are enemies nearby, but he wasn't able to detect any presence at all. He finally brought out his trusty scythe and even activated [Amalgam of Bible].
It was then he was finally able to hear footsteps, coming from a sound that felt unknown to him yet. It was as if the person was stepping on air. Remuel looked around until he frantically on guard.
"Welcome once again Remuel Baphomet, to my [Nightmare Fantasia]." Remuel quickly caught up with the words spoken as he turned his gaze towards the owner of the voice.
"[Once again] huh? This means you have brought me here before and wiped my memories of it?" Remuel was able to catch on from the feelings of déjà vu while preparing his abilities. The devil in front of him, who had the amalgamation of various devil breeds and mutations narrowed his eyes in wariness and started speaking.
"Ho?" He snorted in interest. "It seems like you are able to quickly find out about this ability huh?" Remuel finally understanding the situation as he's placed in a disadvantageous spot, quickly activated [Amalgam of Secrets] to gather information. And while gathering information, he assumed the start of battle. "[Fog of Death]!"
Black fog quickly spread throughout a large area, covering the sight and slowly causing the devil to become sleepier.
"So this fog is to make me lose my concentration and consciousness aside from making it dark huh?" The devil quickly swiped his hand which caused the fog to split away from the slash. Remuel appeared from behind preparing to slice the devil in half. The devil simply smiled as he teleported away from the fog. "Fool! I have already known you to use that ability! It's futile!" Remuel narrowed his eyes and clicked his tongue while hiding himself back in the fog.
"Mu... Imaginary world huh...?" Remuel muttered while hiding inside the fog where he couldn't be attacked. The devil already knew that fact due to the [Soul of Greed] making use of [Amalgam of Secrets] on Remuel at least once. Remuel finally absorbed the entire fog in one go as he prepared himself to fight against the devil without holding back.
"Brave, and for one thing that you understood the concept of [Nightmare Fantasia]. Too bad you won't be able to remember anything. Or maybe you will even die in this imaginary world." The devil started laughing as if already sure that he will arise as the victor of the battle. Remuel didn't flinch and simply prepared himself from what will come.
"Now, it doesn't seem like you won't move from your position, is it fear? Is it frustration? Or maybe, you're thinking of a plan?" Pointing his finger towards Remuel, the devil summoned hundreds of burning lances and tridents to overwhelm him. However, Remuel easily brushed off the attacks and dodged them with ease by hairsbreadth and elegance to flex on him.
"Y-You!" The devil groaned in annoyance, to which Remuel noticed and used it as an opportunity to aggravate him further. "Just this? Draxus can overwhelm me better than this you know?" Being compared to someone unknown to him caused the devil to skyrocket his frustration. He materialized a trident and quickly entered within Remuel's melee range. He attempted to pierce through Remuel but his advance was hindered as the scythe blocked his attack. "Welcome to my domain idiotic demon."
"[Fog of Famine]!" Remuel smiled as a blue fog starts to envelope around the two. Within a second, the devil was no longer able to see Remuel even in melee range. The scythe resisting him disappeared along with him, making him thrust forward for a short moment. The devil tried to use his imaginary magic to escape, but he was suddenly struck with major hunger pangs, breaking his concentration easily.
Remuel then appeared right beside him before he could recover his concentration, the devil panicked slightly as he stepped back while receiving damage from Remuel's sudden attack. The devil thought of counterattacking by summoning burning lances and tridents, but he was completely unable to do so. He immediately thought that he couldn't use magic due to the fog, while the hunger pangs is just an additional effect. "Shit!" He then booked to a random direction while in preparation for something. While running in mid air, he suddenly heard a voice right behind him.
"No matter where you run." Chains of darkness quickly wrapped around his body to restrain his movement. "!!" It was then Remuel materialized in front of him with his scythe mid-swing. "I will be there to kill you." The devil clicked his tongue and took the attack without any resistance.
Remuel sighed as he thought he finally got rid of the threat in front of him. With a clean beheading, Remuel kept an eye to ensure that the devil had lost his life in the imaginary world. But suddenly, the fog he created was quickly getting sucked into a vortex. Remuel absorbed the entire fog to restore the mana of the remaining fog. He looked around and witnessed the devil's head slowly returning to his body.
"Fuhahaha..." With maniacal laughter, the devil slowly recovered from certain death right in front of Remuel's eyes. With at least half of the mana worth from releasing the fog stolen, he knew that Remuel would be reaching his limit sooner or later. "Unfortunately, my existence here is only imaginary. So no matter how many times you kill me, I will come back to life and kill you once."
"Tch." Remuel narrowed his eyes in annoyance as he clearly understood what that meant. He was the only real existence in the imaginary world, thus he is forced into a fight for survival situation where the only way to emerge as a victor is to survive. "Then this makes it all the more fun..." Remuel finally gave up holding the line and started to activate the full extent of his abilities.
"So you're finally doing it huh...?" The devil spread open his dragon wings and started flying closer to Remuel while preparing thousands of burning lances and tridents to surround him. "Time for you to die!"
But just before the attack could land at Remuel's side, he instantly disappeared from the devil's sight. The sky was then instantly painted into a tinge of red, and blood was everywhere. Small spots could be seen in the skies, as if the imaginary world was painted in crimson.
The devil couldn't move, as if time was stopped against him, but he was able to look around. He searched for Remuel's whereabouts, but he wasn't able to catch on for a few seconds. That was where a small level of anxiety began attacking him.
"Just where is he?!" He thought to himself, quivering in the imaginary world that turned into nothing but crimson. It was then he heard Remuel's voice from above that the devil was able to move again.
"[Deal]."
Remuel was flying sky high, with a presence befitting of a god. He looked down on the devil that forced him to use one of the abilities that represented his godhood. "[God of Equivalence] huh...? Thought I was [God of Wrath] for a second, but this works better." Remuel remained up in the skies as he knew that the devil isn't going to be able to reach him. "[Deal with the Devil] is as expected painful... But I can still use it." After a short monologue, he then began his descent.
"Shall we begin the [Crimson Festival]?" With a calm tone, Remuel revealed himself, and his own presence right in front of the devil. "Magna Ensarkóno, Apostle of the God of Dominion."