The old man took a long drag from his cigarette, the glowing tip burning brighter before he raised his shotgun again. He aimed it at the mansion, eyes sharp, and pulled the trigger. A massive beam of light shot out from the barrel, tearing through the air towards the building.
The light was hurtling straight for the mansion, ready to hit them all when...
"Demonic Defense!"
Kozue thrust her hand forward, summoning a massive demonic circle that flared up like a shield in front of them. Coming from a noble lineage of demons, her mana reserves far surpassed those of typical demons. The Touyama family was famous for their unparalleled ability to create nearly indestructible barriers, capable of withstanding anything—even high-tech weapons like tanks and cannons. While they lacked offensive firepower, their defensive prowess made them one of the strongest families in the demon world.
Kozue was Sarushima's rook on this deadly chessboard.
But even with her powerful bloodline, facing a holy-class weapon that could release energy beams like this was no easy task. That's why she poured every ounce of her mana into the shield.
Her teeth gritted as the beam collided with the barrier. Cracks splintered across the shield's surface, but Kozue kept channeling her mana, repairing it instantly. Yet, the moment she fixed one crack, another would appear. The shield continuously broke and mended in a vicious cycle.
It was a game of endurance now—whoever faltered first, lost.
While the old man kept firing his beam of light, Nagisa sprinted toward the enemy. A massive sword trailed behind her, scraping the ground as she moved with incredible speed. She aimed for the old man, but a woman wielding a katana intercepted her, their blades clashing with a loud, ringing clang.
The woman quickly stepped back, but Nagisa remained still, unflinching.
"Oh, this one's troublesome too," the man muttered, breathing heavily, his mana nearly depleted from earlier.
"Her sword's got more impact than I expected," the katana-wielding woman said. The Kusanagi she wielded was renowned for adding extra speed to the user's swings, boosting both attack speed and movement. The trade-off was low mana usage, but its defense was lacking. Parrying large attacks was a challenge. Nagisa's massive sword had enough force to shove the woman back slightly, even with the Kusanagi in hand.
Nagisa didn't waste time. She charged again, swinging her huge sword with all her strength. The woman holding the Kusanagi didn't back down, deftly parrying each attack with precise counters. She was fast, dashing around Nagisa, who had to use the full momentum of her body to swing her enormous weapon.
I can't keep up with her speed. If I could just land a hit... Nagisa thought, frustrated. She was being outmaneuvered. Every time she swung, the woman was gone before the blade even came close.
And much to her frustration, Nagisa couldn't keep up. Every time she tried to strike, she was outpaced, leaving her open to getting hit. Even with Aria jumping in to help, using her weapon to assist, they were both being outclassed by the sheer speed of the Kusanagi user.
"If I just dodge all your attacks and parry when necessary, taking your head won't be that hard," the woman taunted, her voice dripping with confidence. "Even with that demon at your side, neither of you can handle my speed. I could take you both on without breaking a sweat."
Bold words, especially against someone called the Demonic Samurai. Nagisa, with her raw power and the skill to wield that massive sword like it was nothing, should've been intimidating enough too. But the Kusanagi user didn't even flinch.
"I'll be back in the fight soon," the man said, still panting as he tried to recover. He'd drained most of his energy unleashing the defensive power of the Marmiadoise but was slowly regaining strength. "Just need to catch my breath."
"There's no need," the woman replied, smirking. "I've got this in the bag already."
"You're really confident. I'll warn you just in case, though—that maid is known as the Demonic Samurai for a reason. She's way more experienced than you."
"I've got Kusanagi on my side. What could go wrong?"
That overconfidence is exactly what's wrong, the man thought to himself. But I guess that's just her being her.
Meanwhile, Yuuna was struggling. She was completely drained, her mana utterly spent after using her ability Crimson Dance. It was a powerful technique, one she could only cast once every ten days because it consumed all her mana in one go. She rarely used it, but in this situation, she hadn't had a choice.
"I'm totally out of mana," Yuuna admitted, breathing heavily. "Can you take over for now, Hina?"
Hina nodded. Out of all of them, she had the second-highest destructive power, so she was more than capable of handling the offensive.
"I'm going to... rest for a bit," Yuuna said, though she knew resting wasn't a luxury they could really afford in the middle of such a dangerous fight. But with her mana drained, there wasn't much she could do otherwise.
Unless...
I'm going to see... Okumura-kun for a bit.
Yuuna had figured something out. Her mana would regenerate just by having any kind of physical interaction with Kouhei. She could speed it up—by having sex with him.
With that plan in mind, she realized she could recharge and return to the battlefield sooner than later. All she had to do was go find Kouhei and get it done.