One of them dashed toward me, arm raised.
As it came down, I caught his wrist, pulling him towards me, I slammed my fist into his face.
His body shot forward, crashing into a nearby tree.
'What?!' His partner stared in shock.
His jaw tightened slowly.
Moments later, energy swirled around him.
'That doesn't look like mana.'
Water from the pond behind me rose into the air, coiling around his body before splitting into several small, floating balls.
'Fire!' he shouted.
The balls vibrated rapidly before it shot toward me.
Raising my hand, I snapped my fingers.
Fireball.
Flames sparked at my fingertips, flickering through the wind.
Then, suddenly, the spell collapsed before it could form and exploded.
*Boom*
I didn't flinch.
Waves of heat and pressure washed over me, then nothing. My magic resistance absorbed it.
'So it's not just weaker. It's failing outright.'
The water balls struck a moment later. Like the failed spell, they barely registered, just a faint tickle.
'So much for magic...'
I stood up.
'Fine. I'll do this by hand.'
Reaching into my inventory, I pulled out my old glove and slipped it on my left hand.
Across from me, the man steadied himself. A dragon constructed of water coiled protectively around his body, its form constantly shifting.
'Magic? From a human?' He said, raising his sword.
I ignored him.
'Since you still carry demon blood… this should work.'
Mana flowed into my left hand. The blue glow flickered, then bleached into a white golden light.
I clenched my fist and charged…
But before I could close the distance, I felt the ground tremble.
I quickly leap back.
*Boom*
A wall of stone erupted from the ground.
'To think this guy caught my attack.' He wiped his blood.
He approached his companion.
'This isn't normal… we should fall back,' he whispered.
'Agreed. The clan head needs to hear about this.' The other's gaze lingered on me. 'We don't know what he's capable of.'
They nodded.
He then slammed his hands onto the ground.
A dense mist of water spread outward in an instant, swallowing their forms.
By the time it cleared, they were gone.
I didn't bother chasing them because I didn't need to.
'At least you still work.'
A faint projection formed above my palm.
Tracking magic.
A single red dot moved steadily away from me. A spell the thief taught me long ago.
I removed the glove and returned it to the system.
'It looks like it just rained.'
Everything around me was soaked.
I sighed and returned to my house.
Quietly approaching Eri's room, I opened the door and she was still snoring away.
'Still safe.'
Closing it, I went to take a shower.
'What were those powers they had?'
It resembled magic, but not quite.
'I need to do some digging.'
But for now, it was bedtime.
———————————————————
[Next day]
'Ready to go, Eri.'
'This lord was born ready.'
I locked the doors, and we headed out.
'Eri, do you know anything about ninjas with powers?'
'Ninjas?! Where?' She spun around, eyes gleaming. 'Are they strong? Do they use hidden techniques? Wait… are they here to challenge me?'
'… Never mind.'
She pointed down the street. 'If they're out there, I'll crush them and add them to my legend.'
On the way to school, she remained on high alert, pausing at corners, glancing at shadows, and occasionally narrowing her eyes at normal pedestrians.
Meanwhile, I discreetly checked the tracker.
The dot had stopped moving.
'Upper part of Tokyo.'
I opened a map on my phone and scrolled to that general location.
All the map showed were mountains.
Suspicious.
'I'll take a trip there when I can.'
The phone slipped back into my pocket.
'This world is getting complicated.'
Glancing at Eri, who was still looking around with innocent enthusiasm, I ruffled her hair.
'Don't worry. As long as I'm here, you're safe.'
She blinked, caught off guard.
'… Why say that all of a sudden, my servant?'
'Just thought you should know.'
She huffed, crossed her arms, but didn't pull away.
'Naturally. A servant must protect their master.'
The corner of her lips lifted.
We arrived at school.
Throughout class, my thoughts kept drifting.
My magic. It was failing.
With these new threats, losing it would severely limit my options.
A few weeks ago, my healing spell worked perfectly.
Now…
It wouldn't activate at all.
The only silver lining was that my system and my physical abilities remained unaffected.
Though given how fragile this world is, I've had to place limiters on my strength.
'Remember, exams are in two days,' the teacher said.
'Yes,' the class responded.
*Ding. Dong.*
School ended, and we headed home.
'Hello, Saki.' I waved. 'And you too, Hina.'
Surprisingly, Hina was with her.
'Ready to suffer defeat, bastard?!'
Same old Saki.
'You say that every time.'
'And one of these days, I'll win!'
Hina sighed beside her.
Then…
Something smelled odd.
'Sniff, sniff…'
A familiar scent.
Faint, but unmistakable.
Demon.
*Beep*
All three of our phones vibrated at once.
Hina checked hers first, her expression tightening as she read.
'National emergency,' she read. 'Evacuate to designated areas or stay indoors if you can't reach one.'
Saki's grin faded.
'This isn't a drill, is it?'
'No.'
'How far is the nearest one?' I asked.
She started checking…
Then every screen went black.
*Tap tap*
'My phone isn't working.'
'Everyone, inside my house. Now!'
My voice cut through the moment.
They looked up, startled.
'Where are you going?' Hina called out.
'Checking something out. Just stay in my house; I will be back.'
I ran before they could respond.
Following the scent, I accelerated until I became a blur.
*WAAAAAH*
Sirens wailed in the distance.
'RUN!'
People flooded the streets, shoving past each other, shouting, stumbling, trampling forward in blind panic.
Then I saw it.
A demon.
At least ten metres tall, its body a writhing mass of flesh and malformed limbs. Limbs twisted into each other, splitting and reforming without pattern. Tentacles lashed outward, tearing through buildings as if they were paper.
Concrete split.
Glass rained from above.
I slipped on my glove.
'HELP ME!'
A thin voice. Desperate.
A girl lay pinned beneath a slab of rubble, her leg trapped, blood pooling beneath her.
There was no time.
Pulling a relic from my system, I donned a mask. My features shifted, melting into something unrecognisable.
I stepped forward and gripped the slab.
Lifting it, I tossed it aside and crouched beside her, already pulling out a health potion.
'You'll be okay.'
I poured the potion over the wound. The flesh knitted together almost instantly, and the bleeding stopped as colour returned to her face.
Behind me…
'ROAR!'
The air shook.
A tentacle slammed into the ground nearby, shattering the pavement.
Yeah… this ends now.
Then something snapped.
One of my magical traps had been triggered.
My head turned toward my home.
'Fuck.'
The ground fractured beneath my feet as I launched forward, vanishing in a burst of speed.
I crossed the distance in an instant.
My fist drove straight into the demon, holy energy erupting on impact.
'Purify!'
Light tore through its body.
The mass convulsed, collapsing inward as the corruption burned away. Flesh unravelled into ash and smoke, peeling apart until only a warped humanoid shape remained.
I didn't stop moving.
'Come on…'
I pushed harder, the world blurring around me as I sprinted back.
*SHING!*
Something cut through the air.
My body twisted on instinct, and a blade grazed past my chest.
I skidded to a halt.
Several humanoid demons stepped forward, blocking my path.
'Move.'
They exchanged glances, then laughed.
'HAHAHA! Hear that? This human thinks he can command us!'
The air suddenly grew heavy.
'Step aside.'
A feminine voice echoed behind them.
The demons froze, their legs shook, and they dropped to their knees.
She emerged from behind them.
Red hair. Cold eyes. The lower half of her body coiled like a snake, scales reflecting light. In one hand, a shield and in the other, a massive axe.
'Are you their leader?' I asked.
'I am.' Her gaze locked onto mine. 'Now answer me, how did you destroy that demon so easily?'
'Hard to say really, I've stopped keeping track.'
'… I see.'
She swung with no warning.
*Boom!*
The ground shattered where I'd stood.
'So you can move.'
As she lifted her axe, a crate was left in its wake.
'Of course. That swing was slow.'
'…'
Her expression twisted.
'YOU DARE INSULT ME?!'
Her attacks came faster now. Each swing tore the road, sending debris flying all around.
Please let me be wrong…
—————————————————-
[Somewhere else at Dylan's residence]
[The decoy has been set.]
'Good.'
[Remember, capture her quickly before the Taimanin arrive.]
'You presume I require instructions?'
[She has already escaped us once, Ingrid.]
'Because you let her.'
'A traitor's blood should never have been allowed to run free in the first place.'
[…]
*Beep*
'… Pathetic.'
She rose to her feet, her gaze settling on the traditional Japanese house.
'To think the spawn of a disgrace would hide among humans…'
'No matter what.'
She clenched her fist.
'I will correct this mistake.'
———————————————-
[Ingrid] Tamanin.