"You..."
"You're the guy from earlier?" Naegi said in shock. She then darted her eyes around, trying to find Kyle's figure. But to no avail, she saw no one.
"Is it my imagination?" Naegi mumbled to herself in a low voice.
"I'm sorry, but I'm real," Kyle said with a chuckle as his body gradually emerged from the side of the pillar that supported the building.
"Darkling ability?" Bernard questioned in doubt. He then exchanged glances with Thomas as they shared the same bewilderment.
Kyle quickly arrived beside Naegi and whispered in astonishment, "I never thought you're capable of transforming into a lightning, Miss Naegi."
"I also never thought a guy I saved turns out able to hide his presence in the darkness without alarming everyone." Naegi returned with amazement flickering in her eyes.
They then smile knowingly, silently acknowledging each other's power and secrets.
"Let's cooperate? I'm gonna take Thomas. How's that sound?" Kyle suggested.
"Alright," Naegi unhurriedly nodded her head in agreement.
"Heh, little girl, do you think you've won just because you've gained an ally?" Bernard smirked before hinting something to Thomas and immediately rushed forward.
Since Naegi was assigned to fight Bernard, she also proceeded to dash ahead. When their bodies are about to collide, Naegi slashes her sword in descending motion.
Bernard quickly raised his spear, intending to block the sword. However, the attack he anticipated didn't surface. Instead, he saw Naegi's body rapidly vanish from her spot.
'Sh*t!' Bernard silently cursed. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Naegi had her sword set up to his side.
'Judgment Weapons First Style, Punishment Sword!' Naegi shouted in her mind. As soon as she said that, the wooden sword was magically transformed into a two-meter long great sword, filled with a divine and leal aura.
The sword looks heavenly sacred that one would impulsively kneel before it. Apart from the sight of the divine sword, there was nothing else.
For the first time after arriving in the human world, Bernard felt an immense hatred, fear, and disgust creeping into his heart when he gazed at the sword held by Naegi. It's like facing his powerful nemesis. But, how's that possible? He, a senior demon, afraid of the weapon carried by a puny human girl?
His pride couldn't take that feeling.
As she struck her holy sword against Bernard's right shoulder, a streak of an aghast wound instantly arose. A deep and loud groan immediately emitted from Bernard's mouth as his body jerked for numerous meters.
His body was sent crashing against bleachers, making the scene look awfully satisfying for Naegi.
Naegi was about to execute another movement when furious throbbing deluged her head. It was really hurting that she couldn't help but use her sword to support her body.
Following her fatigued state, her sword returned to its normal state.
At this moment, Thomas who had been waiting for an opportunity to launch a sneak attack, abruptly moved.
In a ghost-like fashion, Thomas briskly moved to Naegi and thrust his right fist forward.
Confronted with such a dangerous assault, Naegi looks strangely calm. Just before Thomas's fist landed on Naegi's face, his motion suddenly halted as though someone had put a leash on him.
Like an entangled dog, Thomas constantly wriggles his body in an attempt to break free from the invisible shackles.
However, it was fruitless attempts as Thomas remained nailed at his spot no matter how much strength he exerted.
It was at this moment did Kyle arrive beside Naegi. The latter asked in a curious manner, "What did you do? Telekinesis?"
"Guess," Kyle replied mysteriously.
Naegi inspected Kyle's behavior, only to end up with no result. No matter how she observed Kyle, she couldn't tell what his actual ability was. His appearance screamed he was an average person.
The only striking feature she could make out of his appearance was his eyes looked wholly black as in a black hole. It's like light didn't exist there.
She then saw Kyle slowly approach the immobile Thomas and punch the latter in his stomach.
Kyle didn't stop there and proceeded to launch a barrage of punches by lunging both his fists swiftly like a machine gun.
*Bang*
*Bang*.
Every fist he smashed was carrying a heavy, latent force that could penetrate a wall. If it were a normal person, that person would surely be at least half dead. However, it's clear that Thomas didn't belong to such a case. His body was sturdy and firm as a rock.
But, even if it were a rock, surely it would break if it were under constant pressure.
That's what is occurring right now.
Although on the surface Thomas looks collected, the moment Kyle's fist penetrated through the former's clothes, a dreadful bruise was exposed.
Kyle was about to launch a fatal attack on Thomas's stomach when he felt his right wrist was tightly gripped. "Have you got your fun?"
As soon as Kyle heard that, a fist flew in his direction. In response to this, Kyle could only use his left arm in an attempt to block it.
*Bang*
Because his movement was hurried, Kyle was at a disadvantage and could only helplessly watch Thomas flip the table over.
'So, this is my shadow control limit, huh?' Kyle mused inwardly while trying to endure the agony that gradually accumulated on his left arm.
When Thomas showed a sign of wanting to deal a heavy blow, Kyle used this chance to flick his right wrist and make a smooth and swift motion to escape Thomas's grip, which had been slightly weakening due to his concentration being diverted.
After escaping the predicament, Kyle immediately made a huge jump backward to make some space in between them. He now learned that in terms of close-combat, he'd likely lose to Thomas, who possesses a monstrous strength.
When Thomas sees Kyle's gesture, he lightly grits his teeth in anger.
Suddenly, on another side where Bernard gets thrown off, a figure with a face that resembles a demon with its horn pointed upward emerges. On his right shoulder, a striking scar was visible as blood oozed out from it.
"Haha, great! You've finally made me angry, brat!" The demon laughed madly.
"You... You're the person who snatched Bernard's identity?" Naegi asked, trying to confirm her guess.
"Correct, this has been twice you've guessed right. And the reward will be your death!"
As Naegi saw the demon charging for her location, she briskly shook her remaining fatigue and forcefully transformed her sword once again. However, even after her sword had changed, she didn't immediately brandish her sword. Instead, she shut her eyes and looked focused.
When their distance had closed to about five meters, Naegi abruptly opened her eyes and loudly declared, "Running is prohibited within five meters around me!"