Chapter 81 81 - Prayers To Summon A Demon
Taking a seat in front of the military general, Haruki, as well as Moriyana, were tensed up to the bone. Not being able to communicate openly, Moriyana didn't know why Haruki hadn't teleported them away through a portal similar to the one he'd shown her the minotaurs with. And yet with no other real option, she complied with whatever Razor had to say.
"So, what do you want?" Asked Haruki.
"Ideally," wearing a smile, he glanced back and forth between the two. "To kill you, and all these heretical bastards living in this city for going against our lord."
Although he still wore a smile, the tone of his voice was anything but pleasant. Propping his back upright, he picked up his fencer and between his thighs. Its tip pointing directly between the two sent a menacing message.
"Now, before I start slashing your throats, why don't you tell me what else you're hiding?" Flickering his sword between the two, Razor offered. "Or are you gonna ignore my mercy of giving you some extra seconds to live?"
"Why would we tell you anything if you're just going to kill us anyway?" Moriyana rebutted.
"I guess you've made your choice then," without even entertaining her question, Razor got off the chair.
Turning around he took a few steps away from the duo, but that was enough time for them to ready themselves for whatever was coming. By the time he turned to look back at them, Moriyana was back on her feet with protective magic circles shielding them from any impact, as for Haruki he'd given up on pretending to be Arnold and changed into his demonic form.
"Clone!" Creating a few mocks of them both, Haruki had them stand in Razor's way so he couldn't directly get at them.
"Are you done preparing? I want a fair duel after all that lackluster performance from the day," saying that Razor firmly wrapped his fingers around the fencer.
"Shut up…" Growling at him, Moriyana too changed into her demonic form.
Although it was Haruki's first time seeing her in the body of a succubus, he couldn't spare even a moment to look at her for more than a second. And his caution proved fruitful when Razor left forward toward them with his fencer. Expecting him to tear through the clones and hit the magic shields, both of them planned on offense the moment his actions were deterred from the impact.
"Realm tear," mumbling under his breath, he betrayed their expectation and appeared right behind them.
"Check!" He mocked before stabbing Haruki in the back.
"UGHH!" Haruki let out before flying straight ahead to get his distance.
"Reality alter: wither!" Razor used the ability on Moriyana but it didn't affect her in the slightest.
'Immortal bodies that doesn't age…lust demons,' Despite the lightning pace at which he was moving, he was swiftly able to deduce just what kind of enemy he was fighting.
"Holy chain binds!" Holding his hand forward, Haruki managed to bind Razor's limbs with chains of holistic light.
"What?!" Surprised by a demon using light magic, Razor was dumbfounded by the binds. Thinking back on the time Haruki had used illumination yet another light magic spell against him, Razor let out a chuckle at his own forgetfulness. "Seems like the emperor's habit has begun brushing up on me ahaha!"
Having no clue as to what Razor was talking about, the two demons continued with their assault.
"Garden of illusion!" Flying back closer to Haruki, Moriyana tried to trap Razor in her ability.
However, unsurprisingly as her mana began to dome him into the illusion, he broke right out of that barrier with ease.
"Rejuvenation!" Healing the wound on his body, Haruki watched as Razor simply pulled onto the chains and shattered them to dust.
'I'm already tired from fighting those minotaurs, and Moriyana is probably half drunk too. Our chances of winning this fight are absolutely abysmal…' Realizing that the only way for them to survive was to somehow escape the place, Haruki's mind raced for any possible solution.
"Are we done with cheap tricks?" Swinging his blade, Razor took care of all the clones in one swift swing. "You're both too slow, too reliant on each other, and even too moronic for thinking you can defeat me."
Getting their attention on him by hurling insults at them, Razor managed to create a window where their guards were down completely.
"Reality alter: Shrine to Atlas!" Upon just hearing the god's name both of them suffered deep hurt inside their heads. But what was about to follow was going to be a hundred times worse.
As they braced for the effects of the skill to set in, their vision slowly began failing them. Turned into a blurry mess, all they could see was a muffled image of everything around them. Finally, unable to keep their stressed eyes from blinking, their eyes shut closed before opening up to an unfamiliar view.
Suspended in a space devoid of all objects, they found themselves trapped inside a dark blue confinement. Was it a prison? Some strange part of the abyss? Or perhaps even an illusion? They had no idea. That is until they began hearing loud bells ringing all around them, and a chant of prayers to Atlas echoing throughout the place.
"Aghhh!" Grunted Moriyana as the mention of his name inflicted pain directly on their souls.
"W-What d-do we-ughh…do?!" Gritting his teeth, Haruki tried to power through the pain.
"I don't know! I've never fought someone like him!" Curling up inward from the pain, even Moriyana wasn't sure if they were trapped in an illusion or if this was part of some obscure skill to use against demons. "I-I can't…use my powers!"
Trapped in a prison specifically designed to torture demons, both of them had no choice but to keep on struggling. The continuous chants not only attacked their souls, but the deafening sounds made their whole bodies bend inward and draw blood from their ears and gums.
"Are we done?" Pulling the two out of the prison, Razor had them fall headfirst down from the ceiling of Moriyana's office.
Hitting their head on the floor, they were in no shape to move even a muscle. Thus laying lifeless on the ground both of them glared at Razor while grinding their teeth in rage.
"Now to finish things off," drawing his fencer out, he placed it right over Haruki's throat. "I doubt you can heal yourself in this situation now."
'I'm not dying like this, am I?' Just moments before Razor's arrival, the two of them were discussing taking the first step towards his revenge, but now with a blade to his neck, Haruki knew it was no longer possible.
'Tyrant's heart has been changed to Mistress of Darkness.' The sudden announcement in his head turned his rage into confusion.
"Long time no see, Razor Alumnibolt," muttered Haruki.
'What?' Despite having said those words, he knew it wasn't him speaking.
'You don't need that ability anymore, your heart has been corrupted enough already.' Speaking through his thoughts, the feminine voice was no stranger to him. 'Besides, it's best we work together to keep you alive at the very least.'
"What's happening?" sensing the sudden change of presence inside Haruki, Moriyana glared at his back in shock.
"Hmm? I doubt our guild meeting was that long ago," not realizing what was happening, Razor tilted his head in confusion. However as Haruki's eyes began glowing in a violet glow Razor knew exactly who was speaking. "No…no way."
With a racing heart, his breaths grew heavy. Leaping back to get some distance, he stared at Haruki's lifeless body in shock.
"It can't be you," he whispered, hoping he was wrong in his assessment.
"Too bad, it is ahaha," retaining full consciousness for the first time as she spoke through him, Haruki knew there was now a chance of turning the tides. "And I'm sorry to say, but your insults were just as mild as ever."