[Nar Point of View]
Diana was able to locate the True Beastmen group, Simba. Dana and Kat went to fight them, and since the situation is under control, Sas and I joined them. We can leave the rest to them. Randy, Savel, Apollo, Asterion, Jean, Linda and other knights and adventurers, including the giants, are capable of handling the threat now that we have thinned them out one by one.
"Thunder Spell. A strong one" [Sas].
"This is undoubtedly Dana. Looks like the battle has already begun" [Nar]
If that's the case, we should hurry. Dana and Kat are strong, but against a leader of an extremist group with the Black Flame of the Devil King, it will be difficult, even suicidal.
As the thunder spells become more frequent, the two of us speed up our pace where we see a black lion beastman, fierce, with a scar on his eye. His fang is of metallic origin, probably replaced for even more biting power. His claw is even bigger than most of the lion beastmen. Just one look and I'm sure most will be terrified by his appearance. Worse, however, is how easily he commands the Black Flame. Still...
"Even you take damage from the flame" [Nar].
"Not as good as Valerie then" [Sas]
"Fireball" [Simba]
A provocation from both of us, so that he shifted his attention from Dana and Kat to us. Well, he couldn't afford to shift his attention all the way to us, because Dana and Kat are also powerful opponents for him to face alone. His minions can't get close enough to help him because they themselves are vulnerable to being burned by the black flame.
Dana and Kat were there during the entire incident with Valerie, so they have experience fighting an opponent with Devil King Flame that doesn't come from its rightful owner. They did take some damage, but it wasn't from the black flame. It is from the spells, arrows, and rocks thrown by the True Beastmaster's minion.
"Hand That Burned the World" [Simba]
"Miasma of water. With me" [Sas]
"Puny water like this, even from a hero like you, would not be enough" [Simba].
Sas isn't someone who is blessed with water magic, so his output of water magic is from his own magic wand. Of course, it's not enough against the power of the black flame, but his attention wasn't to extinguish it. No. It's just a distraction.
"Aura Slash" [Nar]
It's so that I can slice that proud lion's arm. I missed by a few seconds as Simba himself moved like an experienced warrior. He anticipated it. This is the first time we have fought him, and since both Sas and I being hailed as heroes, information about our fighting style must be sold on the black market, and anyone who wants to harm Amleth and its citizens will buy it. I'm sure he'll get the information he needs to fight not only us, but the entire Vars family.
(The beastmen who support him are a nuisance.) "Earth Magic: Gaia's Hand" [Sas]
"Thunder and Water Magic: Thunderstorm!" [Dana]
Looks like Dana and Sas are thinking the same thing. With one attack after another being blocked or dampened by the Minion, they decided to take care of it in one fell swoop. This gives Kat and I a chance to close the gap and deliver a killing blow. I did. Kat couldn't because Simba was using the black flame as a defensive barrier that would hurt anyone who tried to hurt him.
"Times like this, I wish I had an aura" [Kat].
"It's useful, but the black flame consumed most of it, leaving my fatal blow just a scratch" [Nar].
Still, it's a double-edged sword for him. Unlike Valerie, who has THE THING that integrates the black flame into her body, Simba doesn't. So he has to completely tame the flame to keep from getting hurt. So far, I have to admit, he's done a great job at that, which is not in our best interest, but I'm just continuing my assault on him, weakening him physically, magically, and also making sure that the black flame gets out of his control to hurt him.
"Dana. We will finish him in one blow" [Nar].
"Right. Aeries. Brontë. With me!" [Dana]
"Kat, support her" [Sas]
"I will" [Kat].
Both Dana and I recharge for our attack. We will get through him no matter what. Sas with his overabundance of miasma and Kat with her lightning attack continue to chip away at the black flame.
"Tsunami of Black Flame!" [Simba]
"My sword will be the light that cleaves the path! Aura Sword!" [Nar]
"My spear. Howl like a thunderstorm! Aura Spear!" [Dana]
The two of us attacked him. The Devil King's black flame really hurt us. Without Diana, Witch Merlin, or Saintess Rumia to soften the blow and heal us, it would be fatal, but we managed to get through. I managed to cut through both of his arms, while Dana managed to pierce his stomach. With that, he lost control of his black flame.
"Oh no, you don't!" [Nar].
He wanted to escape and he's using everything he can to do so. His minions, who are just regaining consciousness, are trying to help him. Some of them are high-ranking members of the True Beastmen Group, and I can even recognize one who is considered the right-hand man of that group. We tried to neutralize them all, but the right-hand man managed to use an Empire-made tool to let his boss escape alone, leaving only them behind.
"Surrender or you will pay a heavy price" [Kat].
"To a beastlady like you cozying up to a human? Don't make me laugh"
"Poison... Do you really think I'll let you kill yourself?" [Dana]
Angered by the actions of the True Beastmen group who wanted to commit suicide to prevent information leakage, Dana unconsciously activated her blessings and quickly knocked them all out. Even she herself didn't realize it. By the time she realises and wanted to get the hang of it, the fairy transformation of her is undone. Rather than getting disheartened, she actually feel even more motivated. She said that she actually have an idea on how to activate it
"It's a shame we couldn't get Simba" [Kat].
"What's done is done. No use crying over spilled milk" [Sas].
"Tchh. Next time I'll make sure he's caught by my hand" [Dana].
"I'll tie them up. You three go and support each other" [Nar].
"Right!" [Sas, Dana, Kat]