One moment Buio was preparing to speak to Tamashi about the strategy he had come up with to combat Bane, then in the next moment everything was flipped on it's head and he was now under attack from the same individual he intended to help. This new development was simply infuriating.
The Supreme magi was now actively attempting to pull every ounce of air right out of his lungs. Tamashi had cast the spell in a wide radius, encompassing the entire room but was still able to exclude Ceres.
If he was an average mage he would have already died right then and there.
His superior was being irrational... or maybe not. Even tho Buio was actively trying to aid in countering Bane, it was understandable that anyone would be angered by a supposed ally keeping tabs on them without their knowledge. Especially when said ally was possibly capable of murdering them at a moments notice.
That's why Buio wasn't actively trying to harm Tamashi. Instead, he focused his efforts on siphoning the mana out of the Supreme magi's spell, allowing him to blow off some steam in the meantime.
At the moment Tamashi was becoming more agressive, as deep gashes were being carved out of the nearby walls. It was like the weathering process which gradually ate away at a cave wall over a prolonged period of time.
The older mage had now become like a small tornado, if that tornado was trapped inside a closed space and had sentience that is. Of course Buio could simply fight back and be done with this whole situation as soon as possible. However that might just give Seishin exactly what she wanted, division among the people capable of thwarting her plans.
So he didn't. After what felt like several minutes Tamashi finally calmed down. Then stared at him for a few seconds, according to what his beast bonds told him... then relaxed somewhat. "Why didn't you try to counterattack?" He asked shortly afterwards. Buio turned his head in Hive's direction then replied: "That would have given her, exactly what she wanted... division among us."
Then he turned facing Tamashi once more and continued: "I apologize for spying on all of you without your knowledge but i had to do it that way. I could not be sure whether any of you guys were already under her control or not and as it turned out i was right, although things were somewhat different from what i had expected. As you now know my actions and decision to keep it a secret were indeed justified. Also i mean you no harm, this i assure you."
The supreme magi soon provided him with a response. "That's understandable in hindsight i should have thought along those lines before assuming the worst, i apologize. I must be suffering from more mental fatigue than i thought."
Buio gave Tamashi an understanding nod. "I have a plan on how to deal with Hive and her organisation but even if we were to speak outside of the presence of her vessels that are present here, she might still hear it." Buio said turning his head in Hive's direction.
"I recently discovered that she might be able to hide her soul fragments inside of her vessels in a dormant form without their knowledge of it, even if we put that aside she can still take over a persons body without revealing herself as you already well know. So even though i think i can trust you i may still not be able to trust you." Buio finished.
From the way Tamashi's body shifted uncomfortably in the mana surrounding him, Buio could tell that the Supreme Magi had a clear understanding of the possible ramifications. Seeing as his wife was currently one of her vessels for no one knew how long and had been in contact with Tamashi for all this time. Maybe she had become one of Hive's vessels for up to over a month by this point.
The poor man must have started worrying whether his entire family had already been taken over by the sinister tyrant. Just then, Buio sensed Tamashi shaking his head from side to side, he must have come to a conclusion. "She hasn't taken me over or placed a soul fragment inside me as yet. Maybe she is unable to do so quickly for whatever reason, she might be unable to do so indefinitely... however which answer is truth or fact i am not sure. Reason being if she already had such control over me she wouldn't need to be blackmailing me for the information which she has requested." Tamashi replied.
"Okay you seem to be safe then, i think..." Buio replied shortly. "But just to be safe in case she has any other means of surveillance let's go somewhere i am almost certain neither Hive nor her subbordinates should be able to follow." He finished as a portal quickly appeared before them both.
As soon as the portal closed behind them Tamashi had to conjure a mana barrier around himself, then fill it with wind. He then glanced at Buio who appeared next to him, not following suit. Buio smiled at him then said without needing to be prompted for an answer: "I'm immune to it." Tamashi simply nodded in reply. "So it is true then, you are truly capable of killing all of the guild masters if you wished to do so." Buio turned his head towards the Supreme Magi and nodded. "Even me?" Tamashi asked in a way which sounded less like a question that it was probably supposed to. He didn't want to continue on this topic but didn't wish to lie if it wasn't necessary so he replied shortly: "Yes, even you. Just to alleviate any sense of weariness towards me, once again i will reiterate... i have no desire to do so. When i said i only want to eradicate the demon race during the Elite Force tournament i meant it."
Tamashi nodded most likely recalling what he had said after facing off against Dominaire. Speaking of which Buio decided to address the matters having to do with the guild master. "Guild master Dominaire is likely going to end up being on Seishin's side in this war whether he likes it or not. As you now know at first he was being blackmailed, just like you yourself are currently being blackmailed. However, i think Seishin might need to break a persons will or something to be able to take control of their soul, considering the fact that he recently received news that his son is dead... Dominaire might be long gone by the next time you see him."
Tamashi replied quickly, obviously not needing much time to understand the magnitude of the situation. "Understood, that is grave news indeed. He is one of the strongest combatants in our kingdom afterall, even among the guild masters. Only Osoi Abajo is undoubtedly outright more powerful than him."
Tamashi quickly turned his head towards him then began to ask: "Osoi, is she...?" Buio didn't need to hear the rest of the question. "As far as i can tell she's okay. When she's not outside of her guild headquarters keeping a watch out for any possible trace of Bane and it's members, she remains at home doing very normal things... like petting her kitten. She's most likely fine, Seishin probably can't gain possession of her body, simply because of the way her ability works. Nothing short of that kitten i mentioned earlier is going to have an easy time trying to touch her... except perhaps guild master Markus." Buio mumbled to himself.
"And the others?" Tamashi inquired. "They seem fine but i can't be completely confident in that assumption. Besides, what better way was there to destroy a kingdom than by taking away it's most important assets and adding them to your own arsenal." Buio suspected that since Hive knew he was keeping watch on the guild masters she would not reveal her possession of their body's, unless it was absolutely necessary or if it was time for her to use them to tip the odds in her favor.
"Speaking of important assets, back to the matter of powerful people. How powerful are you exactly... Purple Coat?" Tamashi asked. Buio could tell the Supreme Magi had no intention of letting this go. He simply shook his head and sighed. Then he replied: "Excuse my asphyxiation on killing demons, but they killed my biological parents and for that i will never forgive them and will never rest until they are all wiped out of existence... And to that end, i have put many preparations in place."
....
As soon as Purple Coat finished speaking, several humanoid figures seemed to appear out of nowhere. Tamashi could only stare in astonishment. He had not sensed their presence before, not even a hint of their mana had been apparent to him. They were all capable of masking their presence.
He counted them mentally then shook his head in denial. "These beings... they are as powerful as you. Every single one of them, aren't they?" He asked in bewilderment.
Purple Coat didn't offer him a reply immediately. "You have this many individuals or beings as powerful as yourself in your possession. Aren't you able to create your own guild, the most powerful guild at that... despite the inferiority in numbers which it would have compared to the other guilds?" He asked genuinely curious.
"I can't even tell the difference in power between you and them, you would be more than qualified."
The young man in question let out an amused laugh then replied: "Inferior in numbers, most definitely not Supreme Magi. These Permaclones of mine which you are currently being introduced to are only a small portion of the total amount in my possession. I have plenty more, this is less than half of them."