“…How? We’re within the barrier,” Maha said.
As mentioned before, the town was covered by a barrier that demons weren’t supposed to be able to get past. It would be one thing if the alchemic devices maintaining the barrier had been destroyed, but Maha could still feel them working.
“Your kind’s barriers have no effect on me.” The demon sneered, her voice bewitching and coquettish. “How very human of you, though, to think you would be safe in your little bubble forever.”
“Miss Maha…”
“It’s fine. We just need to buy time until others come. It doesn’t matter how strong this demon is, she can’t fight many of us at once.”
“Naive.” The demon raised her right hand into the air. “This is how you make a proper barrier.”
A dome around twenty meters in radius formed centered around the demon. Maha felt the space alter with magic.
“Time works differently in my barrier. No allies of yours will come no matter how long you wait.”
Maha made a rare show of expression, scowling for once. The stronger a demon was, the more intelligent they were. She didn’t know this demon’s strength, but the fact she could speak human tongue showed she would be no weak foe.
“Ruri, find an opening and slip out of the barrier. I need you to call for Ney and the others.”
“No! I’ll fight too!”
“An opponent like this is still too much for you. Not even I’m confident I can take her.”
“B-but…”
“We’ll have a fighting chance as long as Ney can get here. Please.”
“…Okay.” After some convincing, Ruri relented.
“Are you done strategizing? It’s not going to do you any good,” the demon said. She stood with her arms crossed, completely unguarded. Maha remained wary, understanding the demon was just that confident in her victory.
“What’s your name?” Maha asked.
“My name? Why would you want to know?”
“No particular reason. But I figured I’d ask now since it’ll be too late once I’ve defeated you.”
“You talk big. Very well. I’ll tell you out of respect for your bravado.” The demon lifted her right hand Maha’s way. “My name is Tao. Remember it—the name of your killer.”
The moment those words left her mouth, Tao’s hand extended at an incredible speed. Her target, however, was not Maha, but Ruri.
“Preset 1!”
“On it!”
On Maha’s request, I instantly summoned a Spear of Mercury and fired it off, meeting Tao’s approaching arm. Some alchemy, like this one, could be used without the full chant. The spear collided with the arm but didn’t pierce, merely glancing off. It was enough to divert the arm’s trajectory, however. Maha felt something disappear from inside her again.
“Hm. You have some decent reflexes about you.”
“I’m your opponent. Leave Ruri alone.”
“No can do. The homunculus is the only thing I need. You just happen to be here.” Tao’s extended hand returned to her. Her grin was sinister, with the glee of a little child tormenting ants.
…She’s after Ruri? Maha wondered why as she pulled out a vial filled with shiny crystals. “Metako, I need some crystal spears.”
“And the compensation?”
“My memory of the fear I felt against this demon.”
“How efficient.”
“That which tears to pieces, spear of radiant stone. Come forth and eviscerate my prey.” Maha popped the cork off and horizontally scattered the crystals. Five crystal spears formed where they showered, catching the light. “Spears of Crystal!”
The spears shot forth one by one, rushing at Tao. Each of the five traveled a different trajectory; dodging this should be near impossible.
“Child’s play.” Tao made no move to dodge, however. With only some casual flicks of her arms, she knocked away the spears.
“Haah!”
“…Hm?” Her expression soon clouded slightly, however. Maha had used the blind spot created by the spears to run alongside them, getting close without being seen. Of course, her movements had been enhanced with alchemy. Once in range, she used her dagger to swing at Tao’s neck. “Well, you’re not half-bad.”
“…Dammit! Too shallow.” Maha’s dagger connected directly but only managed a meager scratch. Tao’s neck proved too hard to cut. Maha backed off for the time being, keeping her dagger at the ready.
“Homunculus,” Tao began. “You don’t want to see this one hurt, do you? Why not surrender yourself?”
“Don’t listen to her, Ruri.”
“No, Miss Maha. Let me talk to demon. Just little bit.”
“What? Ruri!”
Ruri gave Maha an apologetic look and addressed the demon. “Miss Tao. I heard demon’s plan to bring ruin to whole world. Even demons. Is that true?”
“That’s not exactly how I’d put it, but you’re basically there,” Tao said.
“Why? What thinking makes you want to do that? Is living not good?”
“Ruri, stop,” Maha warned. “Demons love nothing more than to lead people astray. Their words are poison.”
“Let me ask you two then: do you really see a merit to life? Is this world worth being born into?” Tao asked.
“Huh?” Ruri looked confused.
“Living guarantees suffering. If only one were never born, they wouldn’t have to suffer. Haven't you ever felt such a way?”
“Shut up!” Unable to bear listening any further, Maha attacked. The things Tao said resonated with a part of her, and she couldn’t stand that.
“I see. Perhaps you’d understand better than—”
“I said shut up!”
Tao tried to fly back to create distance, but Maha followed and kept attacking.
“You like close combat. How rare for an alchemist.”
“Just stop talking already!” Maha entered a low stance and slashed, making a wide sweep at Tao’s legs. No matter which leg she tried to move away, Maha would take the other. Or at least, that had been the idea.
“You underestimate me.”
“Wha—”
Maha’s attack was one few could anticipate. Reacting to it having never seen it before should be nearly impossible. But Tao did just that, stomping on the blade and catching it against the ground. Maha was left defenseless.
“Maha!”
“Too slow.”
“Gah…!” Maha let go of her dagger and leapt back, but she couldn’t avoid Tao’s kick in time. She was hit squarely and soared into the air.
“It’s over.” With Maha unable to avoid the strike, Tao pierced her body straight through with her sharp claws.
“Miss Maha!” Ruri shrieked with terror. But the fight wasn’t over.
“What?!”
Maha’s body burst into flames the moment Tao pierced her through. This wasn’t Tao’s doing, however. She took the brunt of the blast, temporarily losing her stability and her vision.
“Playing dirty is my forte.” Maha, now behind Tao, stabbed her dagger into Tao’s back.
“An illusion?” With admiration in her voice, Tao coughed up blood and turned to look at Maha.
Back when Maha’s strike at Tao’s legs failed, she had created a decoy double to leap back while she filtered the light to disguise herself and move flat across the ground. Winding up behind her, she had waited for Tao to show an opening and struck.
“Hm. Perhaps I was the one that underestimated you. I don’t see the homunculus around. How long has she been gone?”
“Are you still talking?” Icily, Maha dismissed Tao’s question. Her grip was still firmly on her dagger. “Metako, Chaining Blaze.”
“What will the compensation be?”
“My memory of this moment of victory.”
“Very well.”
I connected her to the Akashic Record as she asked. She took a hand off her dagger, reached for a vial of sulfur, and broke it against her dagger. “That which burns away, raging otherworldly flames. Come forth and incinerate my prey.”
Tao reached for the dagger and tried to pull it out, but it stayed lodged in her body like it had a will of its own. “…A shame.”
“Chaining Blaze!”
Flames burst forth from where the dagger was stuck, crawling farther along Tao’s body until she was engulfed completely.
“…Well done. But I haven’t given up on the homunculus just yet.”
“Suit yourself. You’re dying here regardless.” Maha watched with cold eyes as Tao turned to ash. “…I doubt you’ll answer, but I might as well ask: why were you after Ruri?”
“Ha ha. Curious, are we?”
“A little.”
“Hm. I suppose I could tell you as a little reward for your victory. The homunculus will lead me to the Song of the End.”
“What?!”
Tao was almost completely burned away by this point, but she left behind a few more words. “The moment I obtain the homunculus is the moment this world meets its end. Go ahead and struggle all you can.”
With that, she was gone for good. Her barrier vanished at the same moment.
“…What did she mean? Ruri will lead to the Song of the End?”
“Should I look into this, Maha?”
“…Let’s report to Ney first.”
“All right.”
The reinforcements Ruri called for eventually arrived, but news of this event caused a stir. The fact a demon was able to slip past the town’s barrier was cause for concern enough, but the fact homunculi might somehow be the key to the Song of the End shook the foundations of Plan Homunculus. Ney, Diriyah, and the rest of the brains of the force quickly gathered to deliberate countermeasures and a course of action moving forward.