Izuru and Nagisa sprang to their feet, rushing out of the bridge that connected to the park. The smoke thickened the air, stinging their eyes and throats.
Panic clawed at Izuru, his mind flashing back to similar horrors from his childhood.
Why is there so much smoke? What happened? Nagisa's voice wavered between coughs.
No idea, but we need to clear it, Izuru said, his voice hoarse but tight with tension.
And how do we do that?
Don't worry, I have something in mind.
Slowly, Izuru chanted, his voice dry and weary.
Spriggans of water, grant me your blessing. Come, Cranes of the silent storm.
Hundreds of small blue dots enshrouded Izuru and transformed into ethereal blue paper cranes that floated around him.
Skill activate, aura shield, Izuru whispered.
Izuru's tongue lit with a mystical blue hue and a mark of a crane dancing on ribbons appeared.
The birds swarming around him turned into steamer-like water barriers, separating them from the smoke in a dazzling display.
Nagisa was bewildered.
Are those cranes your manifestation?
No, I use them for decoration, Izuru replied with a straight face.
Nagisa rolled her eyes at Izuru's remark now used to his dry humor.
What are we going to do now?, she said, concerned.
Izuru gave the girl a weary side-eye and responded.
What do you mean we?
What are you going to do now?
Nagisa turned back to Izuru, understanding his underlying meaning, and looked at him with shocked eyes.
So you're going to leave all these innocent people to die like this.
That's the plan, Izuru responded calmly gesturing to the sky.
See that red, scaly thing with the horns? That's an Ifrit, a medium-grade dungeon beast. It has the raw power of a Walpurgis with three skills.
But if we work together maybe we can beat it, Nagisa interjected, determined.
Izuru shot her an annoyed weary look.
She can't be serious. People like her are the most annoying.
Look, I'm not a hero and I don't plan on being a martyr, so I'm out.
I don't believe you. If you're so selfish, why did you help that boy earlier? Why be a Walpurgis?
Izuru's voice turned cold. One, I told you already. The only reason I set out to become a Walpurgis is because I wanna drown the bastard who took everything from me, Astaroth, in a homemade body of water.
Two, as far as the kid goes, I helped him because I felt like it and I wanted my money back.
Three, why should I help them? You've been following me since I entered this stupid town, right? You saw how they treated me. Why should I help people like them? For all I care, they can rot...
Before Izuru could finish speaking, a blistering pain on his cheek interrupted him. Nagisa had slapped him.
I misjudged you, she said, tears welling up.
You're nothing but a coward.
Quickly, she turned around and ran away.
Watching her departing figure, Izuru saw the silhouette of his mother running with her and shook his head. It's better this way, he said melancholically.
Izuru continued through the burning town, seeing ghosts of his past. Every scene was more traumatizing than the last, depicting what he'd seen that day, until he stopped by a little girl. She was sobbing in tears, calling out to her parents.
Mommy, Daddy, where are you?
Looking at the girl's miserable sight, Izuru felt a tug at his heart because he saw another young kid in the girl begging for her parents to come back.
He saw himself.
Suddenly, echoes of the days of old overwhelmed him and his mind captured him in the past. There was a boy holding his mother's slowly fading body in the stormy rain surrounded by the ashes of what once was his home.
Izuru, promise me you'll be strong when I'm gone, said his mother, struggling on her last breath.
Don't say that, mom. You're going to make it. You have to, Izuru said, his voice whimpering between his sobs.
Promise me, she adamantly spoke.
I promise, I'll be stronger, and I'll make that scaly bastard pay, so don't just go.
That's my boy, she said, her voice finally giving in.
Noticing his mothers, body slowly turning cold, in the pouring rain, Izuru called out to anyone who could hear.
No, somebody, anybody, please...
Unexpectedly, a jolt shook his leg, and knocked Izuru out of his stupor. The little girl tugged at his pants, looking up at him with moist eyes.
Mister, please help me.
Dammit, he yelled internally. I shouldn't do this but...
Thirty minutes later,
On the other side of the town, Nagisa was battling the beast.
Spriggans of Earth, heed me! Skewer my enemies with rose thorns! Petal Storm!
Like Izuru, her tongue lit up a vibrant brown, with a mark of a rose losing its petals in the wind.
This was her manifestation, the rose queen.
Out of nowhere a storm of sharp petals attacked the fiery demonic beast, but they were all turned to dust.
Why did it have to be fire? This is annoying. My skills can't take this heat. It doesn't matter how many whips or petals I create if they all burn to ash. What am I going to do?
As the battle raged on, Nagisa found herself in worse positions because of the affinitive advantage the beast had over her. This caused her to waste more arcane energy, leading to a greater toll on her body. Feeling her strain , the Ifrit charged a large fireball at the girl to finish her off.
I don't know if I can last much longer. My body is tired, and my defense is wavering.
As the gigantic ball made its way toward Nagisa, she shed a slight tear at the end of her life. She tried to think about happy thoughts for her last moments, but a certain someone always popped in her mind.
Why do I keep thinking of him, she said aloud in frustration.
He's a selfish jerk who doesn't think about anything but himself. Well, at least I won't have to see him again, and I was able to hold it off for some people to escape.
With the ball of destruction a few meters away, she closed her eyes, about to succumb.
I guess this is goodbye. Too bad I never got to go on that adventure I'd always wanted. Granny's going to be mad when she gets back, but what can I do? I'm...
Suddenly, the heat stopped and was replaced by a refreshing coolness like an island wave, and a boy was standing right next to her behind a blue barrier.
Sorry I'm late, you wouldn't believe the traffic.
Izuru gazed down at Nagisa, a mixture of relief and concern evident in his eyes.
Looks like you could use a hand, he said, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
Not from an idiot like you. I was actually about to stop it with my secret technique, Nagisa said with a faint smile.
Oh really? I guess I should leave you to it, then.
No, you don't have to. Since you're here, please feel free to help.
Thank you, she whispered. Don't worry, I've got it from here.
Izuru stepped out of the barrier and looked at the demon.
Hey, you with the ugly mug. Honesty, Izuru said, scratching his head, yawning, I wasn't planning on getting involved, but you left me no choice. You shouldn't have made the girl cry. Because I didn't need a second reason to kick your ass.
The beast responded with a loud roar, but Izuru jumped up and palmed the ifrit in its jaw, closing its mouth.
Shut up. Don't make me add a breath mint to the list, because then I'll have to take you seriously.
Idiot, Nagisa said from a distance. You better take this seriously or you'll end up dead. It may be on the weaker end, but it's still a mid-rank beast, she said in a harsh tone.
Don't worry, Izuru said calmly.
The Ifrit charged at Izuru and pummeled him with a barrage of fist attacks, sending tremors through the ground. This kept on for one minute until eventually the beast stopped, thinking its attacks had been successful.
Nagisa was distraught. Is he.... dead?
Then a voice rang out from a couple of meters away. Hey, you know it's rude to interrupt people when they're talking, Izuru said with a serious face.
The beast grew angrier seeing the young man alive and started hurling fireballs at him, but Izuru gracefully dodged with more taunts in between.
Nagisa's eyes twitched at the display as she caught her breath. I don't know what I was thinking, a simple pummeling would've been too nice. People like him don't die easily, she thought with an annoyed look.
If you've got time to play around, then finish the beast off, she yelled.
Izuru started chanting. Spriggans of water, cloak my fists in your protection. Aqua Barrier: Impact Mode!
The atmosphere around Izuru lit up like the night sky, and hundreds of blue particles swirled around him with intensity until they condensed into more cranes.
The show's not over yet, Izuru exclaimed.
The cranes condensed into blue ribbon-shaped blades around his hands. The beast didn't stand there doing nothing; it launched a barrage of flame lances at Izuru, blurring his vision with a sea of orange and red.
Bladeless: Blade Dance.
Izuru spun around in constant motion, out-maneuvering or deflecting every spear that attempted to skewer him.
How is he doing that, Nagisa thought in bewilderment. It's like he's gliding. The spears should've killed him by now, but he's moving past them easily. I can't believe this is the same guy from earlier. At this rate, he might win. But...
But if all I do is dodge, I'll tire myself out. He has more arcane energy than me. I can't play his game. I've got to end it quickly, Izuru thought with a frown. I have to avoid a war of attrition. As soon as I get an opening, I'll use that.
As Izuru formulated a plan in his head, someone else intervened in the fight between him and the beast. Right on cue, a large thorn attacked the beast, causing the Ifrit to momentarily stop its barrage of lances.
Nagisa took this time to turn the ground around the Ifrit into a spike pit to damage its limbs and restrain it.
This won't last long. Finish it off now.
Izuru saw his opening and rushed toward the beast at full speed.
Bladeless: Dance of the Withering Petals.
The aura covering his hands intensified and turned into the shape of a giant petal blade. With one clean swing, Izuru severed the Ifrit's head, and the beast's body dissolved into smoke, leaving behind an unstable Arcane core.
Izuru collapsed to his knees, panting heavily, the exertion taking its toll. Nagisa hurried to his side, worry etched on her face.
You idiot, she muttered, kneeling beside him. You pushed yourself too hard.
Izuru managed a weak smile. Just doing what needed to be done.
Nagisa shook her head, a mix of relief and frustration in her eyes. You're still reckless, but thank you.
As they sat catching their breath, the fire and smoke began to subside, thanks to Izuru's water barriers. The town was in ruins, but the immediate danger had passed.
We need to get you somewhere safe to rest, Nagisa said, helping Izuru to his feet.
Izuru nodded, too exhausted to protest. As they made their way through the remnants of the town, he looked at Nagisa, a hint of determination in his eyes.
You know, he said quietly, being a hero sucks..
Nagisa glanced at him, unsurprised by his words. If you have the energy to complain, you can walk by yourself, she replied with a faint smile.
Together, they found a small, relatively undamaged building and settled inside. Nagisa tended to Izuru's wounds, keeping a vigilant watch for any further threats.
Rest up, knucklehead, she said softly, brushing a stray lock of hair from his forehead. We've got a lot of work ahead of us.
Izuru closed his eyes, finally allowing himself to relax. Despite the pain and exhaustion, a sense of calm washed over him. For the first time in a long while, he felt at peace.
Outside, the first light of dawn began to break through the smoke-filled sky, signaling a new beginning for the battered town and it's unlikely protector.