Zilong looked on in horror. Standing before him was a seven foot tall cloaked figure. The figure, pointing its hand toward the hut, tilted its head to the side.
"They didn't die?" it said, as another cloaked figure appeared behind it.
Mr. Haruki observed the scene, his eyes serious. The two cloaked figures looked at him, confused.
Zilong watched all this unfold, his vision turning red. "Huh...?" He touched his forehead, and his eyes widened when he saw his hands covered in blood. His hands shook in front of his face. Shocked, Zilong looked at the being powerful enough to cause such destruction in such a short amount of time.
Mr. Haruki squinted at the cloaked figures, analyzing them.
"Wow, you pushed them in time. That's quite commendable," the cloaked figure said. In those last moments, Mr. Haruki had pushed Zilong, Jacob, Emma, and Ava away before the explosion occurred. He had moved so fast that Zilong hadn't realized it until he thought back to the incident. He looked at Mr. Haruki in shock.
"What is this...?" the cloaked figure said, raising an eyebrow. "Young Master Bloodthorne, just finish them off," the other figure said. It seemed like these two people had appeared out of nowhere. And worst of all, Zilong couldn't sense any bloodlust before the explosion; it was as if they had just materialized.
"Who are they? Oni?" Zilong wondered, horrified. Mr. Haruki stared intensely at the two intruders. They weren't Oni—he could tell that much—but were they humans? The ability to create explosions was unheard of.
These weren't Seekers with the power of arcane magic; he couldn't sense any energy coming from them. The first figure removed its cloak, revealing a humanoid appearance. The only difference between it and a human was its unnaturally long ears, resembling a bat's. The being wore golden armor that glowed under the moonlight, making it look tall and imposing.
"What's going on?" Zilong thought.
"Who are you?" Mr. Haruki asked, still focused on them, not daring to look away.
The golden-armored being looked at Mr. Haruki. "You do not deserve to know," it replied.
Zilong didn't know what was happening, but the aura radiating from them was so suffocating that he was forced to the ground by their malevolent will. He stared at the figure, which stood, pulsating with a golden aura and dark majesty. When it glanced at Zilong, he froze, its gaze piercing into the very marrow of his bones. A chill ran down his spine, and beads of sweat dripped from his chin.
"W...who is this?" Zilong stuttered, confused. This didn't seem anything like the Oni they had encountered before. No, this seemed like a deity—an enigmatic figure, a godlike entity.
But Mr. Haruki was equally terrifying. His gaze, once calm and friendly, had contorted into a mixture of anger, coldness, and bloodlust as he looked at the intruders.
"What was that? Who is that?" Jacob asked, recovering from the sudden explosion, his voice filled with confusion.
Honestly, that was the question on everyone's mind. Who was this guy?
"Hey, old man…" the tall being in the golden robe spoke.
"He's tall... too tall," Zilong thought. Seven feet was no joke; he was even taller than Mr. Haruki.
Mr. Haruki responded, "I asked you a question. Who are you?"
There was a heavy silence.
---
By this time, Zilong had already made his way to Jacob, helping him up. Ava and Emma were somewhere nearby, but he couldn't see them. Something about Mr. Haruki had changed. He had gone from playful to looking like he could crush someone in an instant.
"What is that? That looks like an elf," Jacob said, eyeing the being.
"What's an elf?" Zilong asked, unsure. "Maybe they taught them in school," he thought, realizing he had never attended one.
Why did everything feel so tense?
The silence...
The two imposing figures stared each other down.
"Was it elf or something else?" Zilong wondered.
Suddenly—**BOOM!**
Like a bullet, the elf—or whatever it was—charged at Mr. Haruki in a blink of an eye. Zilong didn't understand how someone of such size could move that quickly. He was puzzled and confused.
And then, **BOOM!**
Another explosion erupted, sending Zilong and Jacob flying in different directions. Zilong flew all the way to the edge of the clearing, where the trees stood, and his head struck something hard. "Ahh," he groaned, touching his head. It was still bleeding, but now it was worse.
"Ava…" he murmured. With his whole body still shaking from shock and fear, he made his way back toward the explosion. He saw Jacob, who had landed a few meters ahead, get up and start running away from the blast. They crossed paths.
"Where are you going?" Zilong asked, confused.
Jacob looked at him, shocked. "Zilong, you're bleeding!" he said, panicked.
"Yeah, don't worry about it—"
**Boom!**
Three simultaneous explosions burst out, shaking the very earth, causing them both to stumble.
"We have to help Mr. Haruki!" Zilong said, holding Jacob's shoulder. "Where are our sisters?" he asked again.
Jacob shook his head, indicating that he didn't know.
"And where were you going?" Zilong asked, looking at Jacob with wide eyes.
"Bruh… if it isn't clear already, I'm getting away from here!" Jacob said, panicked.
**Boom!**
Another explosion rang out, shaking the ground violently again. The surrounding trees caught fire, and the flames spread through the forest like a creeping disease.
"Zilong, let's run! We'll find our sisters later!" Jacob urged.
"Isn't it you who has the sacrifice rune? Aren't you supposed to sacrifice yourself for another?" Zilong asked.
Jacob looked at Zilong, ready to protest, but then gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Fine," he muttered.
They made their way through the burning forest, occasional tremors shaking the ground beneath them.
"Is this the power of that deity?" Zilong wondered as he looked around. "But Mr. Haruki is even more impressive to be able to stand up to it."
*Cough, cough.*
Zilong turned to the side and saw Emma and Ava running through the flaming woods.