"Before we just dive headfirst into a fight against the same giant demon that almost defeated us last time... what's the plan, big leader?" Thornton asked, sarcasm first.
"Dunno. I just wanted to piss him off," Red Uto confessed.
"Something you're unfortunately good at," was his brother's answer.
"So, we use the 'hit him with everything until he stops moving' plan?" Blue Boom asked, though he already knew the answer. "Desperate fight it is, then."
"Man, we haven't fought like that since we were eight," Thornton said, his eyes already scanning for weak points to hit.
"Five," Red Uto and Blue Boom corrected him in unison.
With no other word, the three Ghosts flew in three different directions.
They had already battled Him, and barely survived thanks to the other Ruffs' help. During all this time, through their apparent annoyance about the situation, they had gathered intel. And it all pointed to one conclusion: Him was basically invincible. Unless they found a way for "love defeats hate", tricked him into leaving, or the nearly impossible feat of forcing him to use too much mana, there was no physical way to defeat him.
Red Uto glanced quickly at the other Ruffs and Puffs. They were already fixing the trap.
[i:We may have one chance, after all], he signaled to his brothers.
The three flew in circles around the demon, leaving a trail of light in their wake -a strobing effect to mask what was happening on the ground. But the demon wasn't concerned with the "insects" below.
"You cannot defeat me! You are barely homunculi!" Him shrieked, his voice echoing with a thousand distorted tones.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Blue Boom replied with indifference.
"Don't use the distraction-talk; it's boring," Thornton scolded his brother, his eyes never leaving the demon's weak spots.
"Oh, dearest, you aren't even able to understand feelings—how could you be more fit than me to bring chaos?" the demon sneered, increasing his viciousness.
Thornton pivoted on a treetop, his body a blur as he propelled himself behind the demon. But Him caught the movement, his yellow eyes shifting to his left side.
"Fool! You can't trick me!"
A knife whistled past the demon's ear—a feint. In that split second, Thornton reappeared from the right. He materialized a heavy, spectral chain and pulled it freeze.
Thornton looked up, his expression unreadable.
"No, really. Feelings slow you."
Even with one claw anchored, Him remained a formidable enemy. He thrashed with a newfound caution, his yellow eyes darting to ensure his other limbs didn't meet the same fate.
"You think that makes you stronger, but you know the truth: you are alone in this world, and in the universe! Not even the other Ruffs can understand you!"
The boy looked around, searching for a point to strike the other end. The longer he had to hold the grip, the more exposed he was. And Him knew that. He raised his free claw to strike, but Blue Boom unleashed a static blast to deflect the blow.
"Sweetie, don't you know about magnetism?" With a flick of his wrist, Him inverted the electric current. The static charge that was meant to push the demon away suddenly turned into a violent pull. Blue Boom gasped as he was jerked forward, his own momentum dragging him straight toward the demon's jagged blades.
Thornton had barely time to raise a force field around his brother before Him could cut him off.
Now none of them could move.
Red Uto stood around, annoyed. His black-haired brother was now positioned right in front of Him's only weak spot, but he couldn't hit it without harming Thornton. It was a complete stalemate.
The demon laughed again: a deep, mocking sound that vibrated through the air.
"You can't hold this forever. Your grip is already slipping, and when it does, I'll crush your little brother in front of your eyes and then smash you into the dirt where you belong!" Him turned his gaze to Red Uto, with a mellow voice. "We have some time. We didn't really get a chance to properly meet. Why don't you entertain me with some last words? Perhaps begging for your brothers' lives? Or do you want to choose your own death? I'll give you that option."
The boy shrugged.
"Go to hell", he said with an ice-cold voice.
On the ground, the others triggered the portal. A high-pitched whine filled the air as the engine began draining all of Him's mana. The demon was sucked back into his own realm, creating a violent vortex that dragged the Ghosts into the dark with him.
"Ghosts!" was the last thing they could hear before the world vanished.