"Shadow Displacement."
Shoya whispered, appearing behind Ragnarok. His dagger barely touched Ragnarok's neck.
Both Shoya and Kuroha, Nyx, retreated as blood spikes protruded from every inch of the fallen angel's body.
Kuroha looked over at Shoya, who looked tired slightly. She touched his shoulder, transferring mana over to him.
"Huh?"
[Use it properly while I teach you how to utilise my brother properly.]
Shoya stared at her for a second before nodding.
"I'll kill you both..."
Blood arrows floated behind Ragnarok as he slowly approached the two.
"For the sake of my Master."
·———·
"So, will you tell me?"
Maria asked Ishtar.
After Emika came, she tied up Ishtar with her mana strings and placed her against the side of the tunnel.
By now, Maria would have broken every bone in Ishtar's body and have her talk, but, Emika hated the idea so Maria simply restrained the Tarot.
"What exactly is the Major Arcana?"
She asked.
"Uhm... Well..."
(I should be able to tell them, right? I mean, we betrayed Father...)
Ishtar thought.
She looked up at Maria, who wriggled her fingers playfully as a means to threaten her.
The woman irked backwards.
(But, I feel like Ragnarok will kill me if I tell her...)
"Hey,"
"Y-yes?!"
Ishtar flinched.
Maria leaned closer to her. She brandished her gloved hand and wriggled her fingers again.
"Are you sure you don't want to talk?"
"Uh..."
The Tarot thought of a solution. Stalling for time. At least one of her teammates must have defeated one of the kids.
"I'm quite fickle. If you don't talk now, I may just make you into a ragdoll like your friend over there."
Maria pointed at Ephraim.
He was still unconscious, with both arms twisted and mangled. It was a sorry sight.
"Fine! I'll talk! I'll talk! Just promise me that you'll put me in some sort of protective custody area! I'll die if anyone finds out."
"Well, that all depends on the relevance of the information."
Maria replied.
Ishtar grumbled, as if unsatisfied, however, once Maria moved her hand closer, she began talking.
"The Major Arcana is a group made of 22 Tarots, though a few have either died or gone missing."
"What's this? You talked rather easily."
The demi-god teased.
(Blame the state of Ephraim—the guy you destroyed. I still have things I want to do in life. The moment I use my Yuna, she'll break my arms.)
"I want to know a couple of things."
"..."
"Firstly, what are you? That one guy with you resembled a demon but you don't seem human at all, nevertheless, a demon."
Maria looked at her.
Ishtar thought carefully, wanting to give as little relevant information away as possible.
"You're a homunculus, aren't you?"
Emika intervened.
The Tarot shivered.
"Is that true?"
"Y-yes, but how did you know?"
Ishtar asked Emika.
"Uh, well, using a spell that I have, I was able to see stigmas inflicted onto your body, just in case you could escape."
Maria seemed slightly shocked.
(She can already use Luminescent Stare? Emika is using Advanced Light Magic already? She told me that she only discovered her affinity for Light Magic in February.)
"That one on your abdomen looks like a homunculus stigma that I saw in a book once. I heard that creating homunculi was illegal, though..."
Emika said.
Ishtar felt slightly uncomfortable. She peered up at Maria.
"So, what is the purpose of the Major Arcana?"
"The purpose is..."
As soon as Ishtar averted her eyes to think of an excuse but Maria caught on.
"Tell me or, otherwise..."
"We don't really have a purpose! We're supposed to accumulate power and do things in the interest of Father!"
"And who is this 'Father,' you speak of?"
"Our Father is..."
·———·
"Even with your neutral alignment! You can't beat me!"
Ragnarok proclaimed, punching Kuroha relentlessly.
The injury on Kuroha's body had started to heal but Nyx could not utilise Kuroha's power to his max—there was also the fact that Kuroha used up a lot of mana before and also gave some to Shoya.
In Nyx's current state, she could not beat the fallen angel. However, she never intended to beat him from the start.
Nyx knew that, with Kuroha's condition, she could not win. That was why she taught Shoya the correct way to use Erebus.
Because she believed it would ensure victory.
"Lance!"
Ragnarok shouted; a blood lance emerged from the ground, piercing through Nyx's waist.
He struck her in the face, however, Nyx did not fall backwards. She stayed in place, clenching her abdomen, and grabbing Ragnarok.
She closed her fist.
Purple sparks ignited around her fist as she drove it forward into his face.
"Firebolt!"
Nyx gritted her teeth while enduring the pain from her calf and pierced her waist.
"You'll pay for that one."
Ragnarok muttered.
"...!"
The fallen angel turned, laying out his hand, casting a spell of multiple blood arrows.
From behind, Shoya appeared, almost unnoticeably like a shadow.
(Hm? His katana? Why would he not use his daggers?)
As the multiple blood arrows bombarded Shoya, he swiftly countered, splitting the arrows precisely in half.
Ragnarok stiffened his fingers as a spearhead of blood formed. He shot it; Shoya sliced it in half, though, the remnants of the blood sliced Shoya's forearms.
"Annoying."
The boy disappeared.
The next moment, multiple cuts surfaced on Ragnarok's body. They were all shallow due to the hardened mana coating around his body.
"How did you grow so fast?"
He asked, licking the blood on his finger.
"None of your business."
Shoya was still not in the mood to entertain.
In actuality, it was not Shoya evolving so suddenly but simply using Erebus fluently. Instead of treating Erebus like a weapon, as he usually does, he is treating Erebus like a companion.
Shoya is not using force to swing Erebus but lets Erebus do as he pleases while using Ragnarok's movements as a precursor.
This change may seem small but could defeat Ragnarok at this stage.
The two stared at each other, silently, sizing each other up.
They then began once again.