An apex predator.
A creature that annihilates and devours any prey it comes across. The strongest. Nobody can beat it.
That exact feeling was what Miyako was feeling. She felt the intimidating area of an apex predator coming from the Mage Killer.
A rabid dog wanting to devour everything in sight. He was holding himself back.
Miyako's Magic Seal—Berserker. Her physical stats would be pushed to the limit, in exchange for delving deeper into madness.
"Saya!"
The girl could feel herself losing her mind. She called out to the black-haired girl.
"Status Ailment!"
Saya and Miyako's Magic Seals fit well together. Saya's Magic Seal could soothe any condition, like pain or madness, that the target was feeling.
Of course, it couldn't completely get rid of Berserker's madness. It would simply increase the amount of time she had in Berserker before she lost her mind.
"Hah!"
Emika advanced before anyone else. She dashed toward the Mage Killer, releasing a swift barrage.
"...!"
"Zephyr!"
The girl aimed the wind blast at the ground, it pushed the Mage Killer back.
Miyako tensed her legs, releasing them, running toward the Mage Killer. She hit the Mage Killer with a fast roundhouse kick.
He guarded his head, turning his arms into steel.
'Wasn't that blue energy blast his Magic Seal? It's true that he has more than one Magic Seal...!'
Miyako thought.
Despite her panic, she broke through the Mage Killer's steel defence. Emika didn't miss this chance. She got into the Mage Killer's blind spot.
Clenching her fist, it ignited with electricity.
"Mjölnir!"
She had the spell ready. She struck the Mage Killer's back. Thunder roared—there was now a hole in the Mage Killer's waist. He pulled back, looking at the blood that was leaking.
"I wasn't expecting that."
He said, looking at his blood.
"Mjölnir is a powerful spell and requires a lot of mana. Its disadvantage is that it has a longer activation time. The fact that you managed to hit me means that you had faith that your partner would break through my defence, am I right?"
The Mage Killer asked Emika. She felt threatened.
"You must have a large mana reserve if you're not tired after that Mjölnir."
Emika had enough mana to spare but she couldn't use another Mjölnir. If she did, then she would collapse. Now knowing about the spell, the Mage Killer would be on guard too.
"Just surrender yourself, Mage Killer! We don't want to mangle our prize!"
Miyako shouted at the man.
It sounded as though the Mage Killer scoffed under his mask. It was impossible to read his facial expression but he seemed to be smiling.
"Surrender when I haven't even gotten serious? This is the first time I've bled."
This was the first time that the Mage Killer had been injured. He had always gotten the jump on the magicians he's killed. It was the first time that someone else ambushed him.
He put his hand out in front of him.
"What's that?"
"It's not mana or from a Magic Seal..."
"Why is it so menacing?"
It was aether. They had never felt something like this before. The Mage Killer didn't feel like killing them. He wanted to test their capabilities. They may be magicians, but not the ones that he would gain fame for killing.
"You better not touch this."
His filtered voice warned.
"If you do, your body won't be able to take the influx of aether."
"Fire Bomb!"
Saya unleashed a spell at the black orb in his hand. It exploded upon impact. However, the aether remained. Mana couldn't overcome the potency of aether. At least, ordinarily.
Emika and Retsuya surrounded the Mage Killer, both attacking him at the same time.
"Be careful."
He warned. They both stopped before their attack landed. The two of them scurried away as whips of aether followed them. They branched off of her body.
"Shit! What is that?!"
"Don't touch it! It's giving off a bad vibe!"
"You'll accept my gift, won't you?"
As the whips of aether were keeping Retsuya and Emika busy, the Mage Killer seemingly sneered at Miyako, who stood in front of her.
She was around 7 metres away. Miyako stared down the orb of aether. The whips of aether disappeared—Miyako bent her knees, preparing herself.
"Vacuum Orbit!"
She pushed the orb of aether toward her.
"Berserker: Release!"
For this, Miyako released all of her power. The mask she wore opened up like a mouth. A red aura cloaked her, ominously. Her face contorted with rage and she clenched her teeth, drooling saliva.
This was Berserker when it was out of control.
She held the orb of aether with one hand. Miyako had stopped it.
The Mage Killer laughed.
"What the hell?! You're so fun! I never thought there'd be any magician who was able to stop that!"
Suddenly, the girl began pushing the orb back.
The three behind her were worried.
"I'll help!"
Emika announced, running toward her.
"Don't!"
Saya shouted. The orange-haired girl stopped. Saya noticed that the skin on Miyako's arm had begun to deteriorate.
"Berserker doesn't only increase her strength and plunge her into madness but all of her physical stats. Meaning the toughness of her body too. If you go and help blindly, you'll be nothing but bones."
"But...!"
There was nothing they could do but watch Miyako. The Mage Killer pushed his arm forward, increasing the pressure on the Vacuum Orbit.
As the berserk Miyako pushed harder, not only the skin but her muscles started to deteriorate, leaving only bones behind.
She added her other arm. Pushing with full force, she let out a wild roar. Finally, Miyako reflected the Vacuum Orbit at the Mage Killer.
The Mage Killer quickly reacted, slicing it in half with a large axe made of aether. It disappeared.
He laughed audibly at Miyako's sorry state.
"That's amazing! I thought killing magicians would give me joy but this does it for me!"
He shouted happily.
Miyako stumbled slightly. Retsuya caught her. She was unconscious. Her left arm was rendered to nothing. It didn't exist anymore. The Vacuum Orbit destroyed it despite the Berserker's buffs. Meanwhile, her right arm had been stripped to muscles, showing some bone.
"I want to know your name but you're knocked out right now. I'll leave you all alive since the girl entertained me."
Without warning, she appeared beside Emika.
"You—!"
Before she could react, the Mage Killer punched her stomach with a steel arm. The girl drooped onto his arm. He pushed her away onto the ground.
Retsuya couldn't move. He was afraid. He didn't know what to do. Many choices flooded his mind. He couldn't make one up.
The Mage Killer looked at him and briefly turned away.
"Boring, you can't even put up a fight."
"Fla—!"
Saya was too late in casting a spell. Without mercy, he punched her head. She collapsed as if she fell from a height. Her head bled dangerously.
The Mage Killer looked back at Retsuya. He was shivering, staring at the ground.
"You better snap out of it and call an ambulance or something for your friends. I was just playing but I found an unexpected toy. I never would've thought fighting was this fun."
He explained.
"If you don't, then two of those girls will die."
Emika had been knocked out with a punch. She was temporarily injured but nothing life-threatening. However, Saya was hit in the head with something of equivalent power to a warhammer. Miyako was bleeding out from her wound.
"I'll see you another time, Boy Wonder."
The Mage Killer disappeared without another word. Retsuya fell onto his knees. He shakingly looked at his friends.
"I... I have to call the am..."
He was scared. Not only of the Mage Killer but calling the ambulance. He didn't want his friends to get in trouble.
It was a silly reason.
What should he do?
Retsuya dialled someone. He begged them to pick up.
They did.
"Ayato... Help..."