"…Treacherous? Me?" Kazemaki Ryuya's mind was completely blank. The sharp pain radiating from his abdomen clouded even his ability to think.
"First you ambushed me, then you ambushed a high-ranking demon. To me, your existence poses a certain threat. That's reason enough to eliminate you as a priority."
Hearing those words, Ryuya's face filled with disbelief. At the same time, the man who wore the face of Ken Yakushiji—no, the former Celestial Astronomy demon sorcerer, Mapa—calmly retracted his veiny, claw-tipped hand and casually flicked away the blood and entrails that clung to his fingers, splattering a fresh pool of blood onto the ground.
"Ryuya-nii!!" Ayano Kannagi's eyes widened. Her fingers clenched instinctively around the Enraiha blade, her expression dark as she glared at Mapa. "You bastard!!"
"We meet again, flame sorceress of the Kannagi clan." Mapa bared a hideous smile at her. As he grinned, his muscles swelled grotesquely. In the blink of an eye, his entire frame expanded threefold. At the top of his head, a horn like that of a rhinoceros beetle erupted, and extra pairs of compound eyes opened on his cheeks and forehead. Within a single breath, he had shed all resemblance to a human.
—This was demonization.
The moment a demon sorcerer released their suppression over their demonic powers and abandoned their human form, they entered this monstrous state. In such a form, all of the demon sorcerer's abilities would be enhanced across the board, surpassing the limits of the human body by far.
With a loud roar, Ayano's body ignited in orange-red flame, the power of the family heirloom sword Enraiha surging around her like a blazing halo. But Mapa looked at her without the slightest concern.
"The Enraiha, passed down in the Kannagi family… If your father, Jugo Kannagi, were here, I'd have turned and fled. But you?" He sneered. "How much of that sword's true power can you really bring out?"
"Damn you! How dare you do that to Ryuya-nii!!" Ayano's silver teeth ground together. Her flames burned even more intensely in response to her fury.
"Admittedly, this is a little ahead of schedule, but considering the high-ranking demon has already been subdued, there's no reason for me to waste time either."
The demon, now towering over three meters tall, took a deep breath. Black-and-red flames mixed with the pungent stench of sulfur sprayed from his mouth, gathering in his massive palm and solidifying into a massive black-and-red greatsword.
"Come then, scion of the Kannagi clan. Let me see just what you're made of without a wind sorcerer backing you up!"
"I'm made of enough to burn you to ashes!" Ayano's forehead veins bulged. Stamping forward, she charged in, her orange-red flames trailing behind her as she swung her blade without hesitation.
Seeing Ayano's reckless charge, Chisato Nishikigi couldn't help muttering under her breath, "Uh… that guy's not dead yet, right? Why does Ayano-chan look like she's lost her mind?"
"Hey now, maybe it's better not to remind her. Let her vent her anger a bit? At least let our lady here hold on a little longer." Luo Shu, who was still focused on setting the hypnotic pattern for the demon girl, whispered softly in response.
Takina Inoue watched from the side, her expression hesitant. "Um… isn't it kind of wrong for us to just stand here watching? Shouldn't we be fighting alongside Miss Ayano?"
Why were they just spectating like this?
But Luo Shu's reaction was utterly calm. Maintaining the precise angle of his ring to keep the demon girl's gaze locked, he explained evenly, "We don't have much choice. The subject's resistance is intense. Plus, since she's a demon, the hypnosis process naturally takes longer."
As Luo Shu spoke, the demon girl's eyes visibly struggled to look downward, her limbs twitching violently. If not for Chisato and Takina holding tightly onto the doll's four limbs, thereby restricting the demon girl's movements, she would likely have broken free and attacked the nearby Luo Shu by now.
"So how much longer will it take, Luo Shu?" Takina asked nervously. "With this setup, Chisato and I can't fight at all."
"Just a little more time," Luo Shu replied calmly, his gaze flickering towards Ayano and Mapa, who were exchanging fierce blows nearby. He clicked his tongue in mild admiration. "Besides, Ayano doesn't look like she's losing, does she?"
"Well, that's true." Chisato, still watching the fight, seemed fairly reassured. But her curiosity about Luo Shu hadn't faded. "But, hey, what kind of hypnosis are you putting on the demon girl anyway?"
"Hmm..." Luo Shu drawled slightly. "Something along the lines of: 'You are deeply in love with Luo Shu and are willing to serve him wholeheartedly, even if it means becoming his devoted slave.' Something like that, probably."
"What did you just say?" Takina blinked in shock, utterly stunned.
"That kind of hypnosis isn't slow, that's a scam! Hurry up and change it to something simpler!!" Chisato's face flushed bright red, her mind clearly jumping to certain forbidden scenarios, as she yelled at Luo Shu in embarrassment.
But Luo Shu looked genuinely regretful. "Aw, don't say that. It's almost done. Changing it now would be such a waste, don't you think?"
"Waste, my ass!!" Chisato completely broke down. "I used to think you were the most reliable one! Turns out you're the biggest problem child of them all! You're fifty times worse than Takina!"
"Why drag me into this?" Takina looked utterly confused at being implicated.
Just then, Luo Shu suddenly moved his hand away and said calmly, "Done."
At his words, the demon girl's gaze flickered, then slowly closed. She simply lay there, sleeping soundly as if nothing had happened.
"Phew! Thank god!" Chisato immediately let go of the doll's left arm and leg, her muscles spasming visibly, though she gritted her teeth and endured the pain.
"The longer-than-expected duration increased the side effects too… muscle spasms," Takina muttered, enduring the sharp pain in her right arm and leg. This was the backlash from using the abyssal tool—the doll. The longer they restrained the target, the greater the pain would rebound upon them, and for each use by the same person, the pain multiplier would double. Since this was the first time both Takina and Chisato had used the doll, their pain was only doubled, but due to the demon girl's fierce resistance earlier, both of them were now struggling to focus.
"Takina?" Chisato glanced sideways at her partner and whispered.
Takina nodded slightly and replied softly, "The signal's been sent. That thing is ready. Now, the most important thing is to get Mister Kazemaki and Miss Ayano back."
"Good." Chisato let out a sigh of relief. Turning her head, she checked on Ayano and Mapa's fight. What she saw instantly changed her expression. Ayano was half-kneeling on the ground, using the Enraiha as support just to keep herself from collapsing.
"No way… She lost that fast?!"
At that moment, Ayano, still kneeling, stifled the urge to vomit and muttered in confusion, "... this is… poison?"
"Is it taking effect?" Mapa looked surprised as he observed Ayano's state. "That demon hybrid poison—just a milligram would knock out an elephant. You've been inhaling it for quite a while, yet you're only dry heaving? Flame sorcerers really do live up to their reputation as the strongest of the elementalists."
"Despicable…!!" Ayano cursed weakly, her vision blurring, her body swaying unsteadily.
"Thanks for the compliment~ After all, being called despicable is high praise for a demon."
Seeing that the most troublesome flame sorceress had finally fallen, even if it had taken longer than expected, Mapa's mood remained good. He quickly glanced around to confirm the positions of the other enemies, preparing to move in for the kill. But as he stepped closer to Ayano, a sudden sense of danger jolted through him, forcing him to reflexively step back.
"I've heard that the bodies of the Kannagi clan are so saturated with fire element that, if they choose, they can self-detonate at the moment of death, dragging their enemies down with them. Seems that rumor was true."
Realizing that killing Ayano directly posed a significant risk, Mapa gave up on that idea and instead turned his attention towards Chisato and Takina, who were still unable to move properly. Only after that did he glance at Luo Shu and the demon heart held in his hand.
"Your comrades just collapsed, yet your heartbeat stays calm and steady. Heh… you seem perfectly suited for that ring, little brother."
Hearing that, Luo Shu smiled as well. "I think you and I would probably get along just fine. Seems like we speak the same language."
"I'd actually love to exchange a few pointers with you about poisoning techniques. But as things stand… you don't look like you plan on letting me leave, do you?"
"Smart."
Mapa's lips curved into a faint grin. Then, without warning, he lunged straight at Luo Shu.
"Which means... I'll have to kill you here!"