"Demon & Reality" (046)

Because the call of the ghosts came from a female's scream, Sakami and Tim hurried in to investigate the problem.

When they arrived, however, they were surprised to see someone dressed in black and wearing a hat tophat standing in front of a knocked-down Spiritual Duelist.

"Hmph... I guess Spiritual Duelists can't be trusted. And this Society argues that these people are the protectors of the future, despite the fact that they can't even stand on both feet after a simple disagreement."

"I can only envision a raindrop sliding down a leaf and splashing on impact, precisely like this young Duelist does after he loses..." The man appeared to be donning a lengthy mustache and wielding a large stick.

"What the hell is going on here?" Tim remained composed and took a stride to the front, flanked by Sakami. Tim rushed to the Spiritual Duelist who had been defeated and tried to aid him as much as he could.

"Is everything okay with you? What went wrong?" Despite the fact that our Hero hardly understood the Spiritual Duelist's remark, he quickly recognized the man in front of him as the enemy.

"Oh, you're amazing... A couple more Duelists. So, shall we Duel so that I can show you that you're unfit for such a task?"

The man scratched his mustache and smiled. "My name is Jean-Joël Rochette, and I'm also a well-known member of the 'Jours passés' clan."

"What the hell are you on about? You have the accent of a Frenchman." Tim added as he assisted the Spiritual Duelist in rising. "That's right, that's correct. I'm from France, as is our 'Jours passés' Clan; it's a very welcoming place."

Jean smirked, his mustache continuously teasing him. "So, what exactly are you up to in the Japanese region? Here, in particular... The Spiritual Realm."

"Hohohoho, I had merely come to pay a visit. Isn't it true, after all, that there are a lot of Spiritual Duelists here? Spiritual Duelists are a Japanese tradition, so I've merely come to add our name to the list."

"I'm not sure what you're referring to... But you can't fight in the Spiritual Realm unless both persons agree to duel, and you can't fight to the point of almost killing each other..."

Sakami swooped her right arm forward as soon as she warned Jean. When she summoned a deadly scythe, a purple aura exploded from both sides of her hand.

"What the hell is going on?! I was under the impression you had blades!" Tim took a deep breath as he noticed the dark color gushing from the scythe.

"I'm sure you recall it. Those who were impacted by the Black Storm have lost their Spiritual Blade as a result of the storm. The same thing happened to me, so I had to find a new one, which happened to be a scythe."

Sakami explained, but Tim seemed to be reminiscing about it. "I suppose a peaceful girl deserved a frightening Blade," Our Hero took a step back and began bandaging the Spiritual Duelist's wounds, which he had kept in his duffel bag.

"Just stay calm; I'll do my best, okay?"

The Duelist who had been treated nodded and permitted our Hero to aid them.

"What a fascinating concept. I haven't seen these sort of Blades in a long time. So, how about we get this game started..."

Back in the dorm, however.

Nobuhiko was laughing and raising his head, while Codey was standing in front of him.

"I get to fight the dumbest guy in the history of the world..." But, with the Reality Jewel tied on a rope around his hips, Codey raised his right arm to the side and instantly emitted a scarlet aura, and his garments whirling from his natural pressure.

Codey's arm conjured a scarlet thunder spear, which was charged with pressure and united by voltage, while the jewel was rippling left and right.

The scarlet sparks continued to drive themselves out once he raised it high above his head, and Codey's body began to feel terrible disadvantages, but he had anticipated this.

"What in the world is that intended to be?! Is there such a thing as a spear without a physical body?" Nobuhiko sighed but yelled as he buffed up his palms. "That's all right! I'm enraged to the point of bursting! Let's get this conflagration going!" When Nobuhiko yelled with a growl, his body released a tremendous amount of heat that continued to burn.

Due to the whirlwinds, he was making, Codey's hair began to rampage, and instead of being a regular hue, it became bright, strong, and terrible.

("Damn, this is a pain in the neck! My skin is burning as a result of it... Now I understand how Tim feels when he overuses his Talent... just hold on... It's not so bad; I'm fine with it!") Finally, while leaning back and swinging his lifted arm forward, Codey took a slow stride back with his foot.

"I'm not sure what to name this talent, but it definitely involves projectile control!" With the cry, he swung forward, and Codey's body tumbled forward onto the floor as a result of the pressure, after watching the ground beneath the flying spear shatter widely and call a great storm.

"Ya gotta be shittin' me?! What the hell do you think that's designed to be?!" When the spear passed Nobuhiko, he immediately jumped away, and the energy exploded from the cracks in the earth as well.

Finally, the big spear slammed into the wall, generating a massive scarlet explosion that obliterated the area and turned it into a genuine carnage.

Not only that but Codey's and Nobuhiko's classmates were terrified after being nearly blown away.

Nina's body flew through the air due to her inability to handle the hard-heavy energy, but thanks to her having assistance, Kiyoshi ran behind her and caught her in his arms when thunder almost struck them.

Nobuhiko's flaming head had gone out and he was seated on the floor, a large crack in front of him.

"H-how much might he be able to unleash?! This is Reality's strength, isn't it?" Yumi enquired, astonished and distressed at how badly our Demon's hand had been damaged.

Ayuka's long hair stopped waving when the wind died down, and she spoke with her arms crossed.

"... Reality, it's 1.2 Megatons of pressure. It has the same pressure as a nuclear weapon from the 1990s..." Ayuka, who was in a bad mood, explained. "Of course... You're going to die if you're hit and then caught in the explosion..."

Others were taken aback by Ayuka's words after hearing her. "Isn't that similar to..." Ayuka affirmed it before Kiyoshi could ask. "Yes, it's as powerful as 1,200,000 tons of TNT, making it a serious threat... think - if our adversary had that capability... we wouldn't stand a chance..."

Shigeru and Ayuka had been the calmest of the group. "...Isn't that why you needed to take the Reality Jewel?"

Ayuka averted her gaze, embarrassed. "Yes, we were fortunate... I doubt I would have survived if that attack had been directed at me... Regardless of my title..." Soon after, Ayuka sighed and walked away.

"Also, take in mind that Demon Blood, when mixed with its power... We're extremely fortunate to have him on our side..." Ayuka's right eye shifted to Codey, who was lying on the floor weary.

His arm appeared to be completely covered with blood.

"This is Reality's strength... It drained me so quickly that I barely feel like standing up... One move and I'm already weak..." Our Demon, Codey, shivered from exhaustion as he tried to figure out how to reduce the attack's potency.

"Damn it! Everything is a sham! Let's try it again!" Codey stood up, self-assured and oblivious to the discomfort.

"Dude, are you insane?! That onslaught came close to obliterating us, as well as yourself!" Nobuhiko screamed, his wrath growing.

"... I'm aware, but we have no choice but to give it enough time so that I can master it if we want to put it to good use! Whatever the case may be!"

His words echoed in his head, and he shifted his gaze to the Reality Jewel dangling from his hip.

"To summon attacks, I don't need to use the Reality Jewel... But it's the only way I can manage its power, at least up to the point where I can kill someone... So, if the Reality Jewel is destroyed, we're toast..." But, finally, Codey exhaled and turned ahead.

"Just keep doing what you're doing, and you'll be a pro in no time." Codey strengthened his stance as he became pumped.

"That's a lot more powerful than my basic Force creation... We can only hope that after learning this skill, he doesn't go insane..." Alpha exclaimed as soon as she heard the words.

"He'll need some time to completely perfect it... This is why he must put forth a lot of effort... If necessary, I'll tend to his wounds..." Ayuka asserted herself and moved closer to Codey.

"Wha'? Ayuka? What brings you here?" Codey was questioned when she reached forward with her left arm. "Give it to me... I'll look at it..." Codey was mortified once more, but he let Ayuka treat his wound.

"If you utilize your healing ability too often, you might pass out."

"I'm going to be fine... So long as you're in charge of how much you can handle..." Hearing Codey sigh, Ayuka said out. "Of course..."

Sakami had been in a fight with Jean on the other side of the hostel, some meters away, and their conflict had already begun.

Sakami tightened her grip on her twin scythe and swung it obliquely, prompting Jean to fall back and avoid it as she stepped together in response to the stick stabbing at her.

She gripped her scythe with both palms and deflected the pole's tip at that same moment.

She suddenly felt a huge surge of pressure, which knocked her to the ground.

So she ducked when separating the scythe into two parts, squatted, jumped high in the air, straightened her body, and flung both scythes with a spiral of her body.

Sakami came behind him, grasped both of her scythes, and tried to attack with a whirling kick as Jean stepped between them, causing both sections to fly behind him.

Instead of succeeding, Jean changed into a hat and smacked the hat with her sole.

Jean appeared behind her and softly pinned the pole into her right muscle, causing her defense to crumble.

That completely softened her arm, so she had to let go of one scythe and race across the ground before being struck again, landing in the distance.

She bit into her sleeves as she rapidly tied them together, her right arm wavering and feeble.

Simultaneously, Jean caught Sakami's kicked hat and replaced it on his head. "I'm proud of my performance..." Sakami, on the other hand, breathed while holding her arm up with her teeth.

"Sakami! Are you all right?" Tim, on the other hand, lunged for her arm as soon as she felt discomfort. "It seems hollowed out... W-What the hell is his ability?!!" Tim questioned her as she clasped her arms together.

"...his ability has something to do with the mass of my arm being weakened... I'm not sure how long this will stay, but my right arm is paralyzed. I'm not aware of it, as if it were absent from my body..."

Tim was astonished and stared at her. "No, no... You're completely wrong... All I do on the point of contact is inject a deadly substance into the muscles, thus paralyzing them..."

Tim and Sakami were both taken aback when they heard that. "... a poisoning approach for the muscles...? It doesn't fit into any of the usual categories..."

"Yes, that is correct ... That's why I came up with this talent... 'Muscle Liquiefy,' I call it... It has a longer name, but it turns muscles into liquid venom, which prevents the muscles from working..."

Jean had been having a good time. "I'm guessing it's from his Spiritual Blade..." Tim, on the other hand, had just noticed something. "It has to be... A portion of your arm has been pierced... Something sharp had to have stabbed it..." While glancing at Sakami, Tim explained.

"Perhaps that pole has a sharp but hidden part?"

Tim sighed rapidly before he could respond. "If it's poison, it should work in the same way. Sorry, but I gotta try..." When Tim tried to suck out the venom, Sakami was flabbergasted.

Sakami, on the other hand, saw that it was for her own good, so she remained mute while keeping an eye on Jean. "Is this something you're confident will work? It doesn't function the same way as a regular poison..."

"It's definitely worth a shot... After all, no one can be sure if you're lying..."

"... Tim, burn it, it will undoubtedly work..." Our Hero, on the other hand, grew stressed as a result of this. "H-However, Sakami, that will be incredibly painful... The flames will be directed into your wound, potentially further injuring your muscles..." Tim expressed his surprise.

Sakami ultimately reawakened Tim's confidence and trust by saying, "It *will* hurt, but it will evaporate the liquid."

"All right, bite something because this is going to hurt..."

When Sakami bit into her garments with her teeth, he lit his finger. She quickly became aware of how the fire was continuing to scorch her inner muscles.

She was in agonizing discomfort and sweating profusely while chewing into her garments due to the excruciating pain. She soon began to feel the poison's heat and evaporation.

("I've got it... It turns my muscles into venomous liquid, however, if evaporated, it can be purified... At the very least, the liquid is purified, but the muscles are still weakened for a while... I'm confident that it will be cured by my aura over time.") Tim had finally completed his task.

"There, it's done... I hope this was helpful..." Sakami cautiously raised her hand and began to move it as Tim spoke. "It'll be enough... For the time being..."

"I'm not sure how long this will help, but I think I should wrap things up..." Tim asserted, his gaze fixed on Sakami's.

"... I can settle the score between us, after all, I did confront him..." Sakami thanked him and straightened up next to Tim, who gazed up at her.

"Besides... As long as I don't get cut by his blade, I'll be just fine..." She swung her right arm in front of her chest, releasing a searing purple aura that ruined her right sleeve totally.

"... If things go horribly wrong, I'll step in..." Tim rose from his seat and returned to the audience.

To be continued...