The unsavory duo suddenly appeared in the midst of Team Char’s battle against Numbers.
“It’s been entertaining watching you guys go at it with each other, but I’d much rather kill you all myself.”
One of them is a young boy about Charlotte’s age.
He has white hair, red eyes, and a cocky demeanor. Growing out of his back are a pair of bat wings.
“Ugh, lame…”
The other one is a girl with a curvy build─particularly in the chest area.
She has white hair, too, tied in a single braid that reaches down to her ankles. Her expression is sullen as if the whole thing is truly one big “ugh” to her.
The two devils are hovering in the air without moving their wings.
“Excuse me… But who might you be?” Charlotte inquires politely.
“Hey, Murzalla! Did you hear that? This human has the gall to ask the great devil Urim a question!”
“And what is your business here?” Charlotte adds on.
“Hah! Isn’t it obvious? We’re here to take you hostage and kill you-know-who. A few of you will get away with a missing limb or two. As for the rest of you, I’ll crush you like ants.”
“What a moron…” Murzalla, the girl devil, sighs and rolls her eyes.
Urim, the boy devil, has already blabbed his name, identity, and purpose.
Number 4 yells, “Whatever that means, I don’t care. It’s plain to see that you’re an enemy. Your flight magic is quite impressive, but at the same time, it makes you vulnerable. Let’s go, team!”
He lets out a battle cry and charges at Urim.
Number 12 doesn’t miss a beat to encircle him from the other side.
“Stop, both of you!” Alexei shouts, but he’s too late.
Number 4 focuses his mana into his fist while Number 12 swings her whip around.
Urim strikes them both with blasts of Dark magic.
“Gahh!”
“Aah!”
“Fools. Did you really think flight magic would drain our mana? We’re on a whole different plane from you humans. But I suppose for someone with a death wish, it’s a reward. I regret not going a little easier on you. Would’ve liked to watch you suffer a bit more.”
The devil boy cackles. Once again, Murzalla sighs.
“You’re truly idiotic. Look again. They’re still alive.”
“What?!”
Number 4 and Number 12 are both sprawled on the ground, but they’re still breathing.
Urim glowers at Alexei. “I assume this was your work, you cheap knockoff!”
“It wasn’t me. But I surmise from your words that you are my enemy, too.”
“True enough. We’ve been granted permission to dispose of you while we’re at it. I do pity you, but don’t worry; I’ll make it quick.”
Charlotte, who was quietly watching the whole thing, raises her magic wand.
“I don’t completely understand what’s going on, but as the old saying goes, ‘The enemy of my enemy is my ally.’ Mr. Alexei, now that we have a common foe, I propose that we collaborate. What do you say?”
“I suppose we’ve no choice. But I’m no match for them and neither is your team. Our only option is to wait for her to recover.” Alexei glances at Flay, who is still quivering on the floor under her white sheet.
He then sweeps his gaze across the battleground.
The rest of Numbers are out of commission; they’ve been quelled by the boney army. Not that they would’ve stood a chance against devils anyway.
“Knight Skeletons, please protect the injured. Princess Marianne and Prince Laius, you will back them up. Iris and Alexei, you two will contend with the devils. I’ll assist you while doing something about the whole situation!”
Despite Charlotte’s vague commands, everyone quickly grasps their role and springs into action.
“Well, well! Suddenly they’re all worked up. Do they really think they stand a chance against me, the great Urim?”
“Will you quit blabbing and just kill them? Leave the annoying little one for me.”
“Back me up!”
“Sigh… You’re a pain in the ass.”
Alexei and the others decide to focus on playing defense. An offensive battle would be too reckless. They brace themselves for an attack.
“I’ll start with you, cheap knockoff!” Byoom! Murzalla’s arms spring out of her body like rubber.
“?!”
She lunges for Alexei’s head but he dodges by a hair.
The wriggling long arms chase him around as he slips through and deflects them with his Dark magic bullets.
“Not enough, huh?” Murzalla grumbles. Her shoulders swell and─Byoom!─another pair of arms grow out of each side.
“Quite an unsettling feature you’ve been gifted with,” Alexei grimaces as he scrambles to evade the four arms.
“What are you waiting for, Murzalla? Quit messing around and lend me a hand over here. Literally!” complains Urim.
“Ugh, shut up!”
Meanwhile, the boy devil unleashes a torrent of black missiles.
Johnny and the Knight Skeletons parry with their swords but a few of the missiles hit home, disassembling the skeletons to pieces. Fortunately, their limbs reattach right away.
“Augh!” A stray shot hits Laius, knocking him over. “Dang. That was a heavy hit…” As he staggers to his feet, another missile bolts towards him.
“Move, quick!” Princess Marianne sends a Water attack right into the black bullet, changing its course just in time.
“It’s my fault! I just can’t get close to him…” All Iris can do is to deflect the blasts with her fists and feet. She’s trying to narrow in on Urim, but instead, she’s getting pushed further away.
The battle is heavily one-sided. And yet Urim clicks his tongue in annoyance.
“Something isn’t right. My magic is infused with a curse that should penetrate the target’s core. How can they be unscathed after taking a direct hit?!”
Despite that, the devils inarguably have the upper hand.
“Hua-wa-wa… This is getting dangerously dangerous…” Charlotte, who’s been supporting her comrades with her Light magic, is starting to get overwhelmed.
Flay is their last ray of hope. Yet she remains flopped on the ground, still shivering.
“Hmph! What a bother. Take this!” A giant pitch-black sphere─ten feet in diameter─appears in front of Urim’s face.
“Oh no!” shouts Charlotte.
The projectile roars though the air, heading straight for the injured members and the boney army surrounding them.
Charlotte jumps into its path as she thrusts both arms forward to stop the blast.
“Hah! I was gonna spare you, but, oh well. Go ahead, get blasted into the darkness!”
Charlotte clenches her teeth.
My little sister is sacrificing herself for her friends’ lives─what a touching sight. Here come the waterworks!
All right! Now!
Up until this point, I’ve been preoccupied with a few tasks: blocking and canceling the weird effects of the devils’ attacks and etcetera─all behind my optical camouflage─and it’s at this moment that I drop the optical camo to jump in.
I block the massive black sphere with a defensive barrier and, at the same time, blast it to ashes with a barrage of tiny bullet barriers.
“What the hell?! Where did you come from?!” Urim fumes.
Nice. Sweet production value if I do say so myself.
“Shiva!” Char’s eyes glimmer.
“Sorry I’m late. You all did a great job holding your own.”
A superhero always swoops in at the right moment. I would’ve preferred to ambush the bad guys from behind and get it over with, but I gotta make sure I hit all of Char’s happy buttons.
As a side note, Flay’s already recovered. I ordered her not to interfere.
“I’ll take care of these two. You can get back to your treasure hunting contest.”
Two Anywhere Doors appear, one in front of each devil.
“…?!”
“What the heck?!”
The doors open and swallow them up.
I conjure one more door and step through it myself.
“Keep up the good fight!” Char hollers after me as I make my way to deal with the intruders. It’s all the motivation I need!