The Sword Of Salvation
Ch. 6 — Uneasiness
CELINEE—with both hands still covered in blood—looks horror at the bodies of his two colleagues. He did not know what was happening and how it could happen, suddenly when he realized that his hands had already pierced through their hearts. Celinee had already killed both of her comrades without even realizing it.
He had stood still for an hour more looking at the bodies of his two colleagues while remembering what really happened. However, not a single clue could help him explain what had happened.
He remembers leaving Lukhiel to return to Serenity's headquarters. The two comrades came to pick him up, and they left Birmithan together. However, shortly after they rested and conversed lightly, Celinee suddenly discovered that both of her hands had pierced through their hearts. He didn't know how, it suddenly happened.
Celinee knew no human, demon, or any other creature had manipulated her before the incident. He was convinced of that because he had put all his abilities into searching. And Celinee couldn't find any trace of their presence, but she was a ninja!
His head was infiltrated assuming that he had been manipulated before leaving Birmithan. However, Celinee did not remember anything that stuck while traveling from there. His memory is not wrong. He's a ninja; celine has an abnormality-detecting style. And everything's in good shape.
Therefore, Celinee stood still with a look of horror.
Fearing that what he was doing was purely his dark desire left Celinee standing motionless. He had heard of the case of multiple personalities. What if it turns out that there is another personality inside of him that is violent and cruel? What if this wasn't just some senseless murder he'd committed?
Celinee doesn't know what to do now. The wild assumption that popped into his head made the ninja paranoid. He was afraid that returning to headquarters now would make others wary of him. Celinee was also worried about Madam Rhemea's reaction. But what is more damning is the feeling of guilt. Both of them were his responsibility, but both his hands had actually wiped out their lives.
What...what should he do now?
...—Birmithan—
...
Soon it will be past midnight, and the city has been quite quiet ‒ quieter than usual. From the window of the room where Celinee had rented, Lukhiel stood silently observing. He should be on the move by now, looking for the right point to infiltrate the mayor's building. But he was still motionless.
Seeing a more deserted city than usual makes Lukhiel question one thing: Did Celinee really get that information? Or, the information was deliberately discussed in order to get to Celinee's ears. Which means, the results of the performance of the archaeologists who were in the mayor's building are fake?
It can be a trap to catch him. The situation of a quieter city than usual was quite suspicious. Indeed, Lukhiel did not feel any strangeness. Maybe there is nothing, or maybe there is also an extraordinary magic user who has unleashed his ability in the city of— so that he can not detect the presence of strong people.
Lukhiel who was busy weighing in instantly widened his eyes as his instincts screamed. He soon realized that his worries were real. A powerful magic user had tricked his perception. All of this is a trap. Lukhiel is really being targeted.
But the witch could not fool the instincts, Lukhiel's inner self while avoiding a flash of fire that shot in a straight line aimed at his back.
“As can be expected of a Primordial Devil Lukhiel.”
The voice belonged to the short grey haired woman, looking at Lukhiel with a look of disdain. Each of his hands had been covered in thick yellow flames.
Lukhiel looked at the woman. He could guess he was not alone; there might be some others who were ready to attack him at any time. He can say that and make the woman's confidence decreases. Normally that's what he would do. However, spending time with Mariel made him have other thoughts.
“You are brave enough to show yourself in front of me alone,” he said after pulling a cigarette from the cleft lip. “It's a shame that I have to kill such a brave young woman like you. Why don't you turn around and leave? I prefer not to kill if I don't need to be killed.”
“Ha-ha-ha-ha. Disgusting. I'm gonna puke. Hearing you say that makes me want to tear your heart apart. Aren't you ashamed to say that after killing so many humans? It would be more ironic if you died at the hands of your people, but what can you do because I want you to die right now.”
Lukhiel sucked his cigarette in response, and it was enough to make the woman annoyed instead of clumsy. He darted forward with a furious growl, the flames in both of his hands blazing violently. It showed clearly that he hated the devil very much, but this was not surprising.
Lukhiel prepares to release a wave of wind to thicken the woman. However, he suddenly disappeared and appeared just like that behind the demon. Lukhiel who did not take into account it had to be bounced due to a blow layered with fire that hit the back.
Unfortunately for the woman, Lukhiel was not a demon yesterday afternoon. The fire that started to burn his clothes instantly extinguished due to the wind that his body released. Lukhiel's actions also made the young woman bounce out the window. Meanwhile, Lukhiel can land after rolling once.
“Last time I fought a teleportation user about six hundred years ago,” muttered Lukhiel while running in the opposite direction to the window position.
Lukhiel did not bother to open the door. He hit the door and did the same thing to the wall in front of the door. And with both wind swords in both hands, Lukhiel drove straight out of the inn. Then it shot east.
“Don't run, motherfucker!”
Lukhiel glanced back. Other than the woman who was shouting at him in anger, she saw the soldiers also darting in different directions. He also saw two members of the Level 1 Sterminatore who were in charge of guarding the laboratory entrance above the inn where he had exited.
Who is behind this plan? Lukhiel asked inwardly as he accelerated his pace. Did Arthur IV interfere?
The only magician who might surpass his perception in the whole of Camelot is Athrecia Le Fay.
However, as far as Lukhiel knew, the woman had never left Avalon Island. The Camelot Witch Association was just a bunch of kids playing around with magic when compared to Athrecia. Let alone them, the famous witch in the Southern Continent was even more inferior to the daughter of Morgan Le Fay.
I got a bad feeling.
When his premonition had arisen, Lukhiel did not need any more excuses. It was better if his premonition came early, but he could not complain. Lukhiel added to his pace as soon as he landed after successfully jumping off the east wall of the city.
“Don't run like a coward, Lukhiel! Face me if you dare!”
The average human being has high arrogance. No wonder the average arrogant demon is not playing. As former humans, demons truly reflected their origin race. The woman who was chasing him was not very strong, only her teleportation was troublesome. But its arrogance seemed to challenge the sky.
Didn't he learn of what happened to one of the Round Table Knights who desperately chased after me alone?
Lukhiel did not think, but he also thought about it. Now he must rid himself of the woman and return to London. Maybe it's time he and Mariel left Camelot. He also needs to give “Sword of Salvation” to the boy – it is time for the sword on his waist to find its owner.
...* * *
...
Mariel knew he had to head to Birmithan quickly. He must go there and help the master. However, his legs suddenly stopped as his eyes accidentally saw a woman standing before two corpses lying covered in blood. It just so happened that the woman also looked at him.
An angry expression immediately dyed the woman's face. Before Mariel could think of what made the woman angry, she had suddenly darted towards him with a kunai (a weapon typical of ninjas) embedded in each hand. One of the kunai he threw deftly, darting rapidly beyond the speed of sound in the air.
Mariel tilted her head avoiding the kunai slash, but right after that she was forced to duck avoiding the kunai slash of the kunai. Hitting a woman is not a good thing, but it is different again if it is in a fight. Thus, Mariel did not refrain from hitting the woman's stomach while looking down to avoid the kunai's slash.
Mariel was a little surprised when suddenly the woman turned into a piece of wood – he also did not know where the white smoke came from, even though the wood was in unburned condition. However, what he faced was a ninja, so he should not be surprised. Even more shocking than that, why were there ninjas in the Western Continent? Isn't it the most anti-nin to leave the Eastern Continent?
Mariel didn't have time to think about the question. The ninja immediately appeared behind him after the body he hit turned into a piece of wooden trunk. The slightly surprised Mariel had no other option but to unleash a wave of wind in all directions.
“Water Release: Water Cannon!”
The ninja—though in a state of being blown away by a wave of wind Mariel— spewed high compressed water from his mouth with his left hand forming a hand seal.
Unfortunately for the woman, Mariel had moved from her stand before the burst of water reached her. Like the woman, she also gushed the wind from her mouth. However, unlike the woman, she did not need to form a hand seal. The wind that he sprayed was also different in shape with his water ‒ which Mariel's mouth released was a ball of wind.
Mariel's windball hit the woman. However, Mariel could not immediately cut the distance due to the incision of three shuriken that had thrown the ninja. The sharp pace of the shuriken forced Mariel to stop to dodge to the left, and that short time was enough for the ninja to get up after being hit by a ball of wind.
Mariel of course shot back.
He ignored the self-doubling that the ninja did. He had read and heard that the clones created by the ninja had two types: illusory and real. Illusionary clones won't have a real clone-like effect. And although real clones can give wounds, they will disappear after being hit by a blow or two. What Mariel could not ignore was the change that happened to the eyes of the ninja.
“You are half demon,” comments Mariel after finishing off the three clones that the ninja created simultaneously with both wind swords in both hands. “Is that why you attacked me? Not that the half-demons are the demons and the conspirators Doctor Lergen?”
The ninja said nothing. Along with his skin turning black sparkling like a black diamond, he swung the kunai blocking Mariel's wind sword slash. Of course the kunai made of ordinary steel was cut in half easily. However, to Mariel's surprise, his wind slash was unable to simply scratch the ninja's skin.
“Say, have you manipulated my mind?” ask the ninja while trying to hurt Mariel's face with his sharp black nails.
Mariel avoided the claw by slightly bending backwards. Then he turned his body and floated a swing of the sword twisting. The slash of his wind sword hit the ninja's neck, but failed to give the wound as before. Instead the ninja seized the opportunity by capturing Mariel's wind sword and thrusting his left hand in a piercing gesture, the target of her hand prick was Mariel's neck.
Of course Mariel tried to block that prick. However, his wind sword was broken due to the prick of the hand. This demon skin is very hard. Mariel doesn't know what Devil Curse she has, but clearly it makes her skin as hard as (or maybe more) a diamond.
Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to beat Mariel: he had first jumped backwards before the prick had pierced his neck.
“Are you taught to attack first just ask?” mariel asked with a faint smile on her lips, but her eyes observed the ninja with detail.
Demons cannot use spirit as humans. However, instead they had what was referred to as the Devil Curse. Every demon has a Devil Curse, some are the same type and some are different. Half the demons had a demon heart inside their body, naturally they would be able to use that power.
Mariel did not know if the ninja could use spirit power either or not. If he could, maybe he should kill him quickly to avoid the unwanted. If not, he can arrest her for questioning. Lukhiel had a good relationship with the half-demons who belonged to the Serenity Organization. He needs to know if the ninja is part of them or not.
“Jawab only my question!” exclaim the ninja while making hand seals with both hands. “Water Release: Multiple Water Bullets!”