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SHINN & ETO'S POV
"Yo, Shinn."
Eto appeared behind him, waving.
"Where the hell have you been?!"
He's been waiting for like forever. Splitting up isn't a good thing when it comes to Eto. But Shinn had to take the risk.
"Uh, I helped someone and visited Bulmund."
"Bulmund? To do what? I never mentioned anything about visiting anywhere."
"Relax, before Master dispatched us, I recalled he sent no one to Bulmund. So I decided to check it out. I'm working my brains too, hehe."
He chuckles, folding his arms
"Well ... okay, that's good. Did you find anything?"
He shook his head.
"It's a peaceful nation but lacks military service and is threatened by other nations."
"What a pity, we have no orders to act on such a mission."
"What about you, Have you found anything?"
"Yes. When I got here, I witnessed a woman summoning a Demon and ordering it to kill another demon."
"Hmm, I don't know why, but it doesn't seem right."
"Of course. There are no villages nearby except the kingdom itself, and I've searched the area with no remnants of darkness either, so this means.."
"The Demon must be within Flitwood, and we'll get to witness the epic showdown."
Eto guesses enthusiastically.
"Idiot, but you're right. Let's go."
The duo set off toward Flitwood, encountering others all moving in the same direction.
"What is this?"
Shinn asked, speaking loud enough to draw attention and it worked.
"I don't know, but we'll get to see."
A gentleman stepped forward, answering before posing his own question.
"So, are you guys adventurers too?"
"N.."
"Yes."
Eto glared at Shinn for his sudden interference.
"Excellent! The Demon must be pretty strong to get this much company."
"What, Demon?"
He asked again to find more information.
"Oh, you don't know? We're summoned here to get information about the Demon we'll hunt, and I suppose the first to take it down wins the prize."
"I see."
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Eto thought jokingly.
We walked together to the hall where we waited. It seemed like there would be an announcement here.
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"Roger."
For some reason, Eto seems to be obeying Shinn.
After a while, the minister came and addressed the situation that there is a Demon running amok, and the adventurers will help them kill it; the one who defeats it will be heavily rewarded.
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"No.. I can't do this. "
One of the adventurers started protesting and wanted to get out but was stopped by the guard. He persisted, and the guard ended up killing him.
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Eto pointed his finger at the guard, who killed the adventurer and cast.
"Reveal."
A sharp, painless light struck the guard, and he began to tremble as if he were on fire. His scream transitioned from human to that of a monster's, revealing his true identity. A goat headed Demon with wings and tail, everyone present, made a distance from it.
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The crowd instinctively backed away from the demon, except for one figure. A black-haired woman wearing a mask stepped forward and, with effortless precision, defeated the demon using her fire magic.
"That magic is that...."
"Flames?"
"Conqueror of flames!"
The crowd noticed and she turned out to be famous. The masked lady ignored them and posed a question to the minister.
"What's the meaning of this minister? Demons disguised as guards? Could it be your demon, too?"
She asked, pointing her blade at him.
"N... no..."
"Kfufufu oya, looks like someone interesting is here."
Said one of the adventurers who was dressed in all black robes, his face covered by his hoodie.
The crowd spaced away from him as if he were some bad character. Removing his hood was a man with short black hair, black cornea, golden pupils, and red iris. He did turn out to be a bad guy. Shinn's eyes widen.
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Shinn stopped him by grabbing his clothes.
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"Y... you're a Demon?"
The masked lady asked.
"So what if I am?"
"What's your name?"
"Kuro?"
"What do you hope to achieve by masking among humans?"
"Just here to do my job."
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The masked girl thought.
"Anyway, I'll defeat you here and now."
She leapt ahead.
They engaged in a battle within the hall. It was amazing they were almost equally matched but still fighting without damaging their surroundings.
Kuro rushed to stab the masked lady with his long black claws, but the instant he touched the mask, he was repelled by some unknown force ripping off his right hand. He spaced out, surprised.
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"Looks like that will be all for now."
He spoke briefly before disappearing. The adventurers erupted in cheers for the masked lady. Afterward, the gates were opened, and some adventurers departed while others remained in the kingdom.
"So, what now, Shinn?"
"We stay of course. Kuro will certainly come back to hunt that Demon. But for now, you keep an eye on the mask lady, and I'll find out who's watching us."
"Sure. In spirit?"
"If you wish, as for me, I must,"
Shinn dematerialised and left.
"I have to do the same."
Eto sighed before disappearing, setting off in search of the masked lady.
After hours of tracking and wasting time, he spotted a blonde-haired man leading the way, with the masked lady following him down a long hallway.
He guided her into an underground chamber, and as they stepped inside, I sensed Shinn's presence here as well.
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Inside the hall were three thrones. Two on the sides were occupied by the minister and the bishop. The blonde-haired man approached and seated himself on the unoccupied throne between them.
"Y… you're the king?"
She asked, taken aback by the unexpected revelation.
"Of course. And you should know why you're here."
His eyes changed to red, and two horns sprouted from his sides.
"A... Demon?"
She drew her sword facing him.
"I am the Demon, Orthos."
"Orthos? That's the name of the hero who killed an Arch Demon a long time ago."
"Indeed, but I was named Orthos cause I was the one who killed that Demon."
"Now it all makes sense. You've brought us here to kill us all, huh?"
"Yes, you're right. And we thank you for taking care of that other Demon, Shizu the Conqueror of Flames."
The minister spoke.
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Shinn answered.
"You're the rumoured Arch Demon, and you used your influence to gather adventurers here to kill them all."
"That is precisely why we can't let you live. You're smart and strong."
"I'll defeat you all, enemies of mankind."
The masked lady stated.
"I'm the
The minister replied, his voice carrying authority. The king rose from his throne and lunged toward Shizu at impossible speed.
Shizu swung her flame-imbued sword in a rotating strike, grazing Orthos' chest with a shallow cut. He effortlessly kicked her sword aside before seizing her, lifting her off the ground by the throat.
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"Oya, I can't have this. How can the one who damaged me die at the hands of such a weakling?"
Kuro, from earlier suddenly appeared holding the corpse of a guard. Orthos dropped the lady who was still alive, his gaze now towards the new person on stage.
(Too fast. Crying emoji.)
"You think you're strong because you managed to defeat some puppets? A lowly Demon like you is no match for an Arch Demon like me.."
He was praising his worthless ass but Kuro wasn't in the mood. He switched the table now strangling the 'Arch Demon'.
"Who are you calling 'lower' you who are dependent on red?"
He asked with his unique eyes, staring at the now useless Demon. Mr Arch Demon was put in his place, but it was too late.
"Um...you...it...can't be....you..you're...urg"
He was struggling with words, let alone the power to fight back.
"I'll destroy your very soul so you won't reincarnate."
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Eto was left confused.
Kuro said as he erased Orthos, killing the minister and the bishop before eyeing his next target, Shizu.
"What now? Are you gonna kill me?"
She asked, sitting helplessly.
"Of course not. It's not what I'm here for."
"..."
"It won't make sense if a Demon appeared and killed another Demon, but you'll make a great story. After all, you contributed a lot."
Kuro looked down at his misplaced arm before picking it up.
"...I don't care about the glory."
"You don't get to call the short."
He turned around to leave but was forced to a halt by the following words.
"Send my regards to Blanc and Violet, will you?"
"A human dares to mention a Primordial name casually?"
Kuro slowly turned his gaze, landing on Eto.
"What happened to no interference, Eto?"
Shinn asked, materialising next to him.
"You... who are you?"
Shizu asked.
"You're the brat from the other day in the Underworld."
"Ah, so you were observing, weren't you?"
"Go tell them yourself. I'm not some messenger."
He ignored us, taking his leave.
"One out of seven left. Yeah, I was able to dig out the total numbers of Primordial Demons."
"Good luck finding the last."
Kuro vanished.
"Are you ok?"
Shinn asked Shizu.
"Y..yeah."
"You're Yuuki's master right?"
"Yes.."
"I can see some similarities... in skills."
"..."
"Let's go, Eto."
"Rogerrr."
"Wait, what didn't you interfere?"
She asked.
"Orthos wasn't my prey but Kuro's. I'm not planning on going to war with some Demons."
"But I am or should I say already did."
Eto laughed.
"Shut up."
He fell silent instantly.
"I see. Where are you two from?"
"Some island in the north."
"That far? I used to live in Ingrassia."
"Ok."
"No threats left, right, Shinn?"
"Let's exterminate the Demons before leaving."
"Leave that to me."
Eto vanished from sight, moving with the effortless precision that only he possessed. I made no attempt to stop him; interfering would have been both pointless and reckless.
The trio, Eto, Shizu, and Shinn, made their exit from the kingdom quietly, leaving the adventurers behind. Yet, their deeds quickly became the talk of the kingdom.
Word spread that Shizu, known now as the Conqueror of Flames, was a majin who had single-handedly defeated the rampaging Demon. The story exaggerated her power, turning a tactical victory into legend in the eyes of the people.
As the adventurers departed in groups, some returning home and others setting off on new journeys, Shizu moved alongside Shinn and Eto, her presence both commanding and enigmatic. The three of them were now unified by their shared experience, their paths intertwined in ways that only time would fully reveal.
The kingdom slowly returned to normal, but the shadow of their incredible feat lingered in the whispers and awe of those who had witnessed or at least heard of their actions.
"Come to think of it, the kingdom has very few people."
"Orthos must have killed the rest."
"Not really."
Eto pointed to the civilians who were also evacuating.
"Are you thinking what I am thinking, Shinn?"
"Yeah."
After everyone else had evacuated the kingdom, only Shizu, Eto, and Shinn remained behind, their figures standing solitary amid the empty streets and fading echoes of the crowd.
"Good, no life forms within the kingdom. Do it, Eto."
"Roger."
He raised his finger and unleashed a concentrated beam, which expanded outward until a massive barrier encapsulated the entire kingdom.
"It...it disappeared?"
From her perspective, it did.
"Nah, it's an undetectable barrier. People in this world can't detect it."
Shizu was surprised.
"You're otherworlders too?"
"Too?"
Shinn asked, and Eto replied.
"Yeah. We're not like the others, though. We weren't summoned or reincarnated. We...."
Eto explained as he demonstrated with his fingers. His left fingers landed on his right, like an aeroplane.
"That's impossible."
"It not. This is goodbye, Shizu. Nice to meet you. You'll be fine on your own, right?"
"She's a potential Hero, Eto. Be careful."
"Haha."
"Yes, I will see you later, Eto, Shinn."
Shinn nodded, and Eto waved before the duo disappeared, leaving Shizu behind.
"Otherworlders that came without being reincarnated or summoned? I guess I'm still unfamiliar with this world."
Shizu said before waving us goodbye, and we went our separate ways.
After five days of investigation, Eto and Shinn appeared on Star Island, making their way toward the palace with purpose.
(Antares ≠ Asteri, Asteri ≠ Clones. Different personalities, different powers, and different knowledge. Unless it's coming from Antares, most of the things aren't accurate.)
To be continued...