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Ravel Phenex, wreathed in Phoenix flames, stood before Makihisa Tohno.
Makihisa felt the searing heat of the flames, a 'mortal threat' that even stirred the Oni blood within him, and gulped.
'Had he just heard her say—Phenex? Those wings, radiating horrifying flames, the overwhelming demonic aura…'
"Damn it—a shapeshifting Demonic Beast? No, she called herself a Phenex—a Phoenix. one of the legendary, immortal birds? But those are supposed to be extinct…" Makihisa stared at Ravel in horror.
He wanted to 'strangle' his informants. A legendary Phoenix, reappearing after millennia? Such vital information, and he hadn't received a whisper of it.
And now—he'd stumbled right into its path.
Even the weakest Phoenix was an immensely powerful being, a High-Tier supernatural entity that only the most powerful Magicians—the Twelve Lords: Monarchs or the monstrous beings of the Twenty-seven Dead Apostle Ancestors—could handle.
He, Makihisa Tohno, was just a Half-Demon, a mortal with Oni blood. While stronger than ordinary humans, he was no match for a Phoenix. Perhaps someone like Shiki Tohno could stand a chance, but he…
"This is a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding, Phenex-sama!" Makihisa raised his hands in surrender, backing away slowly.
He wasn't stupid. Facing an insurmountable foe, surrender was the only logical option. He hoped she'd show mercy, given her apparent youth, or perhaps he could find an opportunity to escape.
But Ravel's Phoenix flames had already incinerated any remnants of his confidence.
"My apologies. But I've already made my declaration. So, would you mind dying? You—filthy mongrel, she said, her voice sweet, yet laced with a chilling menace.
The temperature around them spiked, the air shimmering and distorting from the intense heat.
The flames surrounding Ravel surged, coalescing into hundreds of soccer ball-sized fireballs that hurtled towards Makihisa.
"Damn it!" Makihisa cursed, his Oni-enhanced speed allowing him to dodge the initial volley, his body weaving through the fiery barrage.
The wind whipped past him, followed by a series of explosions.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The ground erupted in a shower of fire and debris, the earth melting and glazing under the intense heat, creating a pockmarked wasteland.
As the terrain transformed, Makihisa's movements became more and more restricted.
A fireball exploded beside him, sending him flying.
"NO!!!" He screamed, his voice filled with despair, as he saw another fireball hurtling towards him.
BOOM!
Dozens of fireballs struck him, engulfing him in flames. He crashed to the ground, his body a burning pyre.
"Is it over? Time to report to Haru-sama and collect my reward," Ravel murmured, her Phoenix wings fluttering slightly as she turned to fly towards Haru.
Makihisa's screams echoed through the air, the smell of burning flesh thick and cloying.
The Oni blood within him, sensing the Phoenix flames, surged, desperately trying to regenerate his body.
"This isn't working!" Makihisa realized his predicament. He was trapped in a gruesome stalemate—his regeneration battling against the relentless burning. If this continued, his mind would break.
His eyes bloodshot, he pulled out a small, charred knife and began to cut away the burning flesh, piece by piece, performing a grotesque self-mutilation, his Oni blood the only thing keeping him alive.
Hours later, his body was a mangled mess of raw flesh and charred skin, he finally managed to extinguish the flames. He collapsed onto the ground, his face ashen, his body slowly beginning to regenerate.
Thirty minutes later, Makihisa, his body still weak, limped back towards the Tohno mansion.
...
Black feathers drifted down from the sky, and a sinister voice echoed, "Such sloppy work—for a Devil…"
...
4:00 PM. The Tohno mansion stood silent and empty.
"Butler, bring me something to eat! Something—nutritious—and high in calories…" Makihisa's voice was weak.
He stumbled through the mansion's entrance, his face pale. He desperately needed to replenish his strength after his ordeal. His mind, too, was hazy, the Oni blood stirring within him. He needed to recover quickly to suppress it.
He sniffed the air, his nose twitching. The metallic scent of blood reached him.
"Blood…?" he murmured.
Then, his eyes widened.
Whoosh!
A spear of holy light descended from the sky, piercing his groin, the force of the impact driving him to the ground.
The smell of burning flesh filled the air.
"AAAAAHHHHH!!!" Makihisa stared at his charred—lower regions, his mouth agape, a silent scream echoing in his mind.
That area, which he'd protected so carefully, which even the Phoenix flames hadn't touched—was gone.
He looked up, his eyes widening in horror as he saw the figure standing before him.
"A—Fallen Angel? How…?"
"An involuntary reaction, I'm afraid. My apologies. But—you are a complete man. And I—despise men who are more complete than I am," Kokabiel grinned, his voice filled with malice.
Makihisa stared at him, dumbfounded. "!!!"
Rage surged through him. His face turning an apoplectic shade of red, he roared, "You—eunuch!!!"
Kokabiel's face darkened. It seemed he'd struck a nerve. "Perhaps—I should show you—just how scary I can be…"
Makihisa's eyes widened in terror as he watched Kokabiel begin to undress. "No! Stay back! Don't come any closer! Yamete!!!"
...
The front door of the Tohno mansion opened, and a young girl, four or five years old, with a white hairband and a brown backpack, skipped inside.
"Daddy! Grandpa Butler! I'm home!!"
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