Before Dignitas' interference…
"Goddamnit, that still hurts. It's almost like the Log takes away my soul every time I use it. I hope situations like this don't happen all the time."
Back in the infirmary, Dignitas had just woken up.
"Have you awoken, disciple?"
"...you scared me, Teacher. Welcome back."
Noticing his oddly vigorous self, Dignitas immediately got up and started walking around.
"It was you who restored my mana, yes? I feel so energized. Thanks for that."
"Hmm. I figured I could at least reward my disciple for his outstanding performance today."
"Before that, could I trouble you to follow that hole?" Dignitas pointed to the large hole in the infirmary wall. "I'm sure you noticed the demonic aura leaking."
"I would, but I'm still tired mentally. The things I experienced before returning were shocking, even for me. That's why I will be assisting you."
"Enough to hold my own against an A rank demon?"
"Definitely not." Sayuri replied, "You'll have to get stronger for that."
The swordswoman placed her hand on Dignitas' forehead, and slowly but surely, began to send all her remaining mana, making sure not to overwhelm the boy's body.
"I thought so. In that case, I'll be troubling you."
***
"Shall we dance, demon?"
"I do not have the time to entertain a human's musings. You should've just stayed down."
"Maybe, but it's not like that would've made things better. I have a responsibility to uphold, you see."
Varnier tilted his head.
"Not for you to know. But enough talk, let's do this." Dignitas tightly gripped Dainsleif.
Not giving Varnier time, he immediately charged forward.
The moment he reached his attack range, Dignitas swung Dainsleif downwards.
Varnier caught the attack with his hand, then slashed at Dignitas with his other.
The claw wasn't obstructed. Dignitas had taken the hit at full force.
"Hmm… it doesn't hurt as much as it should. Adrenaline rushes are the best."
Varnier was surprised. His claws had practically dug into the human's body, almost reaching his organs.
And yet, he felt no pain?
"Impossible. You are not human."
"Nope. Pure human. One hundred percent."
Once again, Dignitas swung his sword downwards. But this time, Varnier wasn't able to block it.
"Haha! Again, again!" Taking advantage of Varnier's confusion, he stabbed Dainsleif into the demon's rocky skin repeatedly.
"Enough!" Varnier used his monstrous strength to throw Dignitas to the other side of the room.
The impact created a crack in the wall, prompting a cry of pain from Dignitas.
"Gah, there it is. That hurts." Dignitas continued, "But really, it's just pain."
Getting off the wall, Dignitas' eyes opened wide upon seeing a boulder coming towards him.
Perhaps it was a subconscious move, but he quickly slashed downwards, cutting through the attack with ease.
Varnier's eyes further widened. Wasn't the sword broken? The last time he saw it, the surface of the blade was cracked.
"Great sword, huh? I don't deserve such a thing, you know. I'm glad it was entrusted to me, though."
Varnier's mood was increasingly getting more foul. The human in front of him wasn't dying. It needed to die, and fast.
"Demonic Rage."
It happened rapidly. Varnier's size rapidly grew to thrice his original.
His claws were further sharpened, his body looked even more durable, and lastly, his aura felt even heavier.
"I heard this saying from somewhere before. Was it… ah, yes. Size doesn't matter. The origins don't really matter, but I thought it fit the situation."
"But tell me this, demon. Can you withstand the power of nature?"
Varnier had entered a state of frenzy. His rationale was lingering and on its last legs.
He was so out of it that he didn't even bother to register Dignitas' last words. If he was of a calm mind, he would've heeded it.
"Wraagh!"
The giant Varnier threw his arm out. It was now many times larger than before.
So large that even Dignitas could walk on it. Which was what he did precisely.
Swiftly evading the attack, Dignitas ran up the surface of Varnier's arm.
It was like an annoying fly that wouldn't go away. Varnier attempted to swat the human away.
However, that only sealed his fate.
"You know, I would've never taken this fight, no matter how much I wanted to save John." Dignitas said as he parkoured the demon's body, before finally reaching his head. "But I had someone helping me today."
Placing both his hands on Dainsleif's handle, Dignitas drove the entire sword into Varnier's skull.
There was no pain on the demon's side, though. He was too caught up in his rage.
The pain wasn't what Dignitas wanted him to feel, though.
"Alright. I did it. Now it's your turn, Teacher."
"Yes, yes, you did great, my disciple. Let us end this fiasco."
Sayuri raised her fingers. And in an oddly slow motion, snapped them.
The entire Colosseum rang.
"Goodbye, demon. I'm not exactly a science geek, but at least I've heard about erosion and weathering, and all that stuff. Basically… don't mess with nature, eh?"
Varnier's body began shaking. Inside, Sayuri's mana began coursing through his veins. The Devil Ashra that inhabited him was slowly being overtaken by Nature mana.
Until it manifested itself as a beautiful sakura tree.
***
"Fire on my hand, The wind at my side~"
As odd as it looked, Wang Jin was singing. It was almost as if his initial anger towards Kruos and the Jin clan had faded.
"Where did your anger from earlier go, Wang? Show me more of it!" Kruos swung his machete at his neck.
All it took was a slight movement of the wrist for Wang Jin to catch the blade and retaliate with an Asmodeus-powered punch.
Kruos took the full force of the hit, and his clothes caught on fire.
"Damn these flames, annoying little–" Kruos caught the fist Wang Jin threw at him. "Almost got me there, Wang."
"My mother taught me to control my anger. She knew what happened to people who failed to control it."
This was why Wang Jin was constantly in a happy mood.
"I needed something to distract myself from the rage eating away at me." Wang Jin slid downwards and unleashed a sweep kick.
Kruos leaped over it but was completely vulnerable to the roundhouse kick Wang Jin threw at him the moment he recovered.
Even though Asmodeus didn't cover his feet, it still held the same devastating power as one that did. Just minus the flames.
"I'll admit, Wang. You showed me something good today. Your martial arts have improved."
"All the more need to kill you. Time for an illusion."
Wang Jin threw out a fire-infused punch at Kruos but was shocked to find it disappear a few moments later.
*bang*
"Hmm. Good reflexes."
Wang Jin had caught the bullet in his hands. He maintained a cool face…
Before dropping the bullet on the floor.
"Ah, hot, hot! That's hot."
"Idiot." Kruos charged forward, pushing his machete forward in a thrust.
Wang Jin just barely dodged the blade by ducking.
Kruos didn't stop there though. He kept on stabbing, trying to get a hit in.
Unfortunately for him though, Wang Jin had evaded every single one of the hits he threw.
He would get overwhelmed by it soon, though. He couldn't continue dodging forever.
"Which is why… we run!"
Waiting until Kruos had lost his focus, Wang Jin pushed him away before running in the opposite direction.
"Wha– get back here, Wang!"
The chase lead the two around the entirety of the school campus. Through alleyways, buildings, the park, and basically anything.
And each time Kruos got closer to Wang Jin, he'd fire his gun.
Luckily for Wang Jin, he was able to get away with just a few scratches from bullets that grazed him.
Seeing that Kruos wasn't following him anymore, Wang Jin looked for a hidden alleyway and sat down.
"Hah… maybe Mother really is with me. I can't count how many times I should've died those past few minutes."
"But Kruos will most likely catch up with me soon. I have to think of a plan."
It was terribly uncharacteristic of Wang Jin to use his head. But in this situation, that was all that he had.
"Now then… what's near me?"
After taking a short breather, Wang Jin got up and started looking around for anything that might help him turn the tide against his enemy.
"Ah, a weapons store. Perfect." In front of Wang Jin stood a building that was labeled "Utilities".
Without wasting time, he entered the shop. It was locked, but a simple punch shattered the windows.
*ringgggg*
"Maybe I should've thought that through. The alarm's ringing now…"
"Kruos deeeefinitely heard that. Let's see what we got."
Wang Jin didn't have the luxury or the time to look around. He grabbed the closest items he could find.
"I guess this place is as good as any. I should prepare my defenses."
Wang Jin could feel the mist enclosing his location. The air felt thick.
The things he took were just a tripwire and a bomb that he assumed was one that released electric shocks.
"This should be enough. Now, we wait."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You just gave away your position, Wang! I thought you were better than that. But I guess you were just a dumb brute."
"Let the mist consume you!"
And instantly, a blanket of mist and fog began surrounding the store. It was so thick that Wang couldn't see past the windows. Even the interior of the shop wasn't spared.
"Damn, I can't see. Gotta hope for the best, now."
"Holed up in its nest, as a rat should be. I'm coming in, Wang!" Kruos shouted.
*ding*
The sound of the bells ringing signaled the door had been opened. Forcefully, it seemed.
"Where are you hidi–graahhh!"
"It hit him! Time to take advantage."
Wang Jin blindly ran through the mist, until he neared the source of Kruos' screams.
And there he could see it. A paralyzed Kruos stood still.
"Looks like I'm the one who wins this time, Kruos."
"Last time. Asmodeus."
Wind magic, stronger than before, traveled to the tip of Wang Jin's fingers. And at the same time, the sheer speed of the wind caused flames to appear.
"Never tried this trick. It's one I've only seen in movies, hah. But it's worth a shot."
Wang Jin stretched out his Asmodeus-infused right hand. With his thumb on top of his other fingers, he began copying a move he had seen before in a film.
"What was it called? One inch… ah, whatever. Take this, Kruos."
And at the next moment, Kruos' body was launched far back, past the door and into the darkness of the night.
"...hah, that should be it, I hope. Time to end this."
Wang Jin sat down, taking some time to restore his mana and heal himself. The battle had been far more… personal than his past ones.
It was understandable to have some sort of mental battle happening inside his head. Lying down to process the events helped Wang Jin in remaining calm.
After a few minutes, Wang Jin stood up and made his way to where Kruos' body flew.
He wasn't worried that he would get away. There was a multitude of reasons as to why he wouldn't, or rather, couldn't.
This was his mission. He was personally sent here by the elders of the Jin clan, or so he heard. He was also either very tired or possibly gravely injured from Wang Jin's last hit.
Those were just a few of them. But as far as Wang Jin knew, Kruos would rather choose to die than return home having failed his task.
Eventually, Wang Jin reached Kruos. He lay against a nearby car. One that had broken from what he assumed was his body colliding against it.
It was also on fire, and would possibly explode. Wang Jin knew Kruos' time on this planet would soon stop.
"You've looked better, Kruos."
"I definitely have. Pftwooh!" Kruos spat out a mouthful of blood.
"But to think…" he continued, "I'd get defeated by you. I didn't think it possible. A part of me is still telling me to get up and fight, but I've given up."
"Good. I would've kicked your ass again, hah." Wang Jin replied.
"After seeing it… I don't doubt that. *cough*."
"Looks like it's my time. Could you do me a favor?"
"As long as it doesn't involve me getting hurt, gladly."
"No. I want you to… take my gun and kill me yourself."
"If I go back there," he continued, "they'll kill me. I'll be ostracized, condemned, and quite possibly executed if I'm lucky."
"It strikes me weird to ask you this, but you're the only idiot around here anyway."
"So do it." Kruos reached behind him, pulled out a black handgun, and handed it to Wang Jin.
Wang Jin looked at the gun in his hands. He knew that the person in front of him deserved death, but he still felt a certain sort of kinship with him.
Perhaps it was due to him finally meeting a fellow Jin clan member after so long.
"Is that hesitation I see in your eyes? That's no good, Wang. And here I thought you changed."
"Listen to me." He beckoned Wang Jin closer.
"I will not be the only one. I am the first, but certainly not the last. The elders won't stop until they are sure you are dead. Day and night, they will send assassins like me."
"I'm not asking you to spare me out of pity, but to finish the job with a headstrong look."
"That may be true, Kruos. Yes, they will send more. But I will make sure none of them harm me or the people I hold dear to my heart." Wang Jin tightened his grip on the gun.
Seeing that he had reaffirmed his will, Kruos smiled. It wasn't a smile of happiness, but one of gratitude.
"Maybe I'll watch your journey from the Spirit Realm."
"You should. And you better not pass along as long as the Jin clan is still alive."
"I don't know about that. Maybe if you bore me, I will."
"Heh. I'll try not to then. Ready?"
"Ready."
Wang Jin raised the handgun.
"Ah. Wang?"
"Yes, Kruos?"
"Fuck you."
"And fuck you, too."
*bang*