A Demon's Tale

Tequi: [And now, Tequi Tensetsu shall teach you all the way her Tarantula Orchestra works!]

Shiro: [T-Tequi… You really don’t need to–]

Tequi: [Now, I know what you may be thinking. Tequi! How is this any different than your Spider Silk Song? It’s different in a bunch of ways, dummy! Firstly, Spider Silk Song functions on a rule in which I need to use it for a set period of time, either five minutes or above that, to level it up! Luckily, I’ve been using it for quite some time now, ever since this war started! However, there’s also a second rule to this ability! Ooooooo! I need to destroy a total of ten arrows all at once. But thanks to the team up between Devi and I earlier in our bout against this dastardly villain, I was able to successfully do so! Now, let’s look at what makes it different as a power! When I used Spider Silk Song, I needed my fingers to do all the work in order to use it. On top of that, I could only have a max of ten given that I only have ten fingers. I wish I had more! But lucky for me, Tarantula Orchestra has neither of these restrictions! I can use as many arrows as I want, all of which can be controlled with my mind! I’m like a psychic!]

Devi: [Do you think he can hear us from over th–]

Tequi: [So basically, I never have to worry about how much I use! I have a limit in terms of my matōki, of course. Using this will also drain it over time. However, it’s thanks to this advanced matōki ability that I’m more ultra powerful than ever before! Mwahahaha!]

With a confident pose, Tequi crossed her arms with a grin while the other two stared at her.

Devi: [Well, now that her performance is over, I believe I will also–]

Tequi: [That’s another thing. Devi, don’t use yours.]

Suddenly, Tequi’s excitement had disappeared.

Devi: [May I ask why I should not, Tequi?]

The mauve eyes that matched Tequi’s hair glimmered as she looked towards the smoke.

Tequi: [Our greatest obstacle is surpassing him. As it stands, we might be able to do that with some teamwork. But that also means that we need to endure what he sends at us. If we’re talking about abilities that can do something like that, yours is best suited for it. Save it until the end, and we can use it to guarantee our victory.]

With a nod, Devi set her eyes on the same cloud of smoke.

Devi: [Understood. I shall do as you say.]

From beyond came Nero, who returned with the same cold gaze as always. Looking down at his clothes, he noticed a large tear in his jacket by the left side of his chest and abdomen. He clicked his tongue, irritated by the sight of it.

Nero: [Tch. I’ll have to ask Mena to fix this later.]

His eyes were then moved to Shiro, who he slowly marched towards.

Nero: [I’m rather disappointed, Shiro. Yoro thought of you as the closest among our group of friends. Yet, here you stand, showing a pure hatred for her with your actions. She spent many hours pouring her blood, sweat, and tears into these clothes. I’m sure you know that. But not a single concern was raised upon attacking me. I now understand why you joined those two.]

An angry display of Shiro’s teeth started to emerge.

Shiro: [Would someone who hates her friends ask if their daughter was safe?]

Nero: [Information such as that could be for your own benefit. Look who you have sided with.]

A far greater anger was beginning to envelop the goddess in white.

Shiro: [I ASKED BECAUSE I WANTED TO KNOW IF SHE WAS STILL SAFE AND WITH YOU!]

Nero’s gaze widened at her explosive response. Casting his sight to the side, he looked towards the grass for a few moments before cracking his neck.

Without warning, he launched towards them with a mighty kick. However, before he could even make it close, he noticed the arrows that approached him. His eyes moved to view Tequi’s hands, but he soon realized that they were no longer moving in an odd fashion. A smirk was given by Tequi in response.

Nero: [Tch. What an annoyance.]

The arrows were now harder to dodge. Nero could still avoid them all the same, but there was no longer a clear indication on where they would come from. Regardless of the difference, not a single one touched his body. This created a surprise for Tequi, who did not understand why he was able to see through it.

With a quick jolt forward, he continued his sprint towards them while the arrows followed close behind. In response to his charge, Devi and Shiro dashed forward on their own and provided an attack from both sides. Shiro’s slash was dodged while Devi’s was blocked with his blade.

Without fleeing, the two continued to thrust their blades at him in order to weaken him. Though his situation had only changed slightly, the change was significant enough to provide a far greater annoyance to Nero than the arrows from before.

Those very same arrows had become a problem once again, as due to the effects of Tarantula Orchestra, Tequi was now capable of controlling them remotely. The need to use her fingers was now gone, and what remained was a perfect synchronization with Shiro and Devi as they attacked Nero repeatedly.

It was no longer just the thrusts and slashes of swords that he needed to deal with, but arrows that were aimed to pierce him from every corner of his body. A situation that felt as though he was trapped in a small box with nowhere to go and could only block or dodge what came next.

However, just as they assumed that they were in the perfect spot…

Nero: [Enough!]

A claw-like strike was sent towards Devi by Nero’s empty hand. Due to her reports, she was already well aware of the fighting style behind this. The Black Rose style, a style that had been outlawed for decades and often forced life sentences onto those who had learned it.

Using her ability to quicken her pace, Devi jumped across the field to avoid the attack. Behind the strike was Nero’s sword placed in his other hand, which he used to strike at Shiro’s own to gain distance.

With a sizable difference in space between them, Shiro and Devi gave a nod to each other. Shiro shot several pellets of raw matōki from her fingertips and surrounded Nero with them. She then electrified said blasts with a light amount of her element. Devi threw a wave of matōki towards him. A wave of fire of the same size was sent out following it to explode as soon as it would close in. Their attacks could not properly conduct the effect they desired, as Nero slashed through each of the blasts thrown at him.

Smoke started to form and the two used it to their advantage to jump at him again. Tequi’s arrows shot in from every direction and created a scene where Nero would likely turn into a pincushion. Before that could happen, Nero struck the ground with his fist and roared.

Nero: [Frosted Zero!]

An absurdly large tree of ice was formed, and both the arrows along with the two women moved back. The thickness of the tree provided a hazy view of what was inside. However, to Devi’s own eyes, she could see a silhouette becoming more clear. A shatter in the ice occurred and Nero struck down at Devi’s blade. Just like what had occurred earlier in their fight, another thick line along the grass was created, all the way to the medical tents. Devi struggled to repel it as it drew close to her shoulder.

Devi: [Ya!]

With a mighty shout, Devi pushed Nero back and allowed for Shiro to tag in. Devi had then looked to her shoulder, only to see–

Devi: [But I stopped the attack…]

A much deeper wound than the one produced on her chest was created. Blood twisted and turned as it ran down her arm.

While Devi remained confused regarding her injuries, Shiro and Nero’s blades countered each other at every moment. From above, below, and towards each of their chests, they provided strikes that were fighting for power.

Though she did not want to distract herself from the battle at hand, the clash had reminded Shiro of an oni she faced not long ago. The two of them had countered each other’s strikes during that battle. Unlike that however, which felt like a battle of sheer speed and some power behind it, her battle with Nero had felt like both at full force.

A melody of metal was created as they sped up their attacks, ending in one final loud ring as their blades met in the middle. Both jumped back from their positions shortly after.

While Nero kept his distance, Devi and Tequi made their way to Shiro.

A visible concern was resting on Tequi’s face.

Tequi: [Shiro, I need to ask. Are you alright after using your ability for so long?]

Shiro panted heavily and responded to her with a smile.

Shiro: [Yeah… I’m a lot better with it than I was in the beginning. With that said, I don’t know how much longer I can hold out for.]

Tequi casted her eyes down as she swallowed Shiro’s words.

Their scenario was a harsh reality, but one they had to accept. Sooner or later, either side was bound to grow tired.

The one who would fall first would be the victor when that time came.

Though the three of them struggled to keep going, there wasn’t an ounce of sweat and fatigue on Nero’s own face.

Perhaps it was due to how long he had stayed back in the fight, or perhaps it was a difference in stamina. Whatever the reason may be, their battle had started to lean in his favor.

Moving her eyes back up with mustered resolve, Tequi looked to Shiro again.

Tequi: [If you don’t mind me asking, do you have an advanced ability you could use right now? Even if it means pushing past your limit in matōki, we’ll compensate for it in any way we can!]

Shiro: [Unfortunately, I don’t. I can’t even think of one that would work for me when I’m put on the spot like this. I barely have enough energy to think about it as is. Sorry, Tete…]

Tequi kept her smile attached to her face as she shook her head.

Tequi: [No, it’s fine. I was hoping for an alternative plan in this scenario, but I guess we’ll just stick to our main plan then!]

A white eyebrow on Shiro’s face was raised in response.

Shiro: [Our main plan?]

From behind her head, another voice spoke to her.

Devi: [We’ll attack as one. The same as we did just now, only this time, Tequi shall join us for the combination.]

Tequi: [I’m not skilled with just my bow, you know? There’s a fighting style that was passed down in my family for generations just like Devi’s! Well, I guess calling that style Devi’s is a little complicated considering… Regardless, I can join the two of you! We’ll use everything we’ve got to beat him down, and then we’ll use our combined strengths for one final, explosive attack! Does that sound good, Shiro?]

A shine of teeth that matched Shiro’s clothes radiated with brilliance on Shiro’s mouth.

Shiro: [Yeah! Let’s wrap this thing up!]

Devi: [That’s the spirit, Shiro. Now then, let us finish this duel.]

Tequi: [I was getting tired of this war anyways! Operation Vivi-Roro-Tete is a go!]

The backs of Devi and Tequi were placed against Shiro’s shoulders as they prepared for what would come next.

In front of them, Nero put each of them into his sight and whispered a single statement to himself.

Nero: [I’ll remove the persistent one first.]

Moving his head up, Nero formed his empty hand into a claw and moved it forward. He then took the massive greatsword in his other hand and pressed it against his shoulder.

The war near the kitsune village would soon reach its decisive finale.

The time would soon arrive for the terrible ordeal to be put to an end.

3 minutes until the clock strikes 5:30 PM.

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