Chapter 4 – Battle of the Square.

The moment Motohama entered a small common square with some benches and a statue to mark the way, he noticed that there had been a strange ripple of energy in the air. Looking up at the sky, he saw that the once blue sky had been dyed a purple and black hue, as if it were the darkest aurora borealis he had ever seen. Motohama knew what it was all about, even the plaza was an imitation of the real world, caused by the use of an illusionary barrier.

Instinctively Motohama brought her hands to his nose and mouth as she felt a feeling of disgust spread through his body. He felt a loathsome presence approaching, forcing him to curl up and fight not to throw up.

– As The Doctor thought, a medium with a certain talent for magic. Not bad boy – said a thick voice from behind Motohama.

– Yea. It's a shame he doesn't have Sacred Gear or have received proper training from an early age. His value could be much greater – said a voice slurred like the hiss of a snake.

Motohama looked back, seeing two people. One of them wore a black suit under a white coat, a monocle was in his left eye; he had black hair combed to the left side with a lot of gel, making it shine. The other bald, dark-skinned man, tall and easily over seven feet, wore black dress pants and a white shirt with the top buttons undone and on his hands a pair of black fingerless gloves. The biggest one looked extremely strong, but as disgusting as his aura was, it didn't compare to the aura of the man in the white coat.

Motohama looked at the muscular man's status first.

Name: Jasper.

Age: 42 years.

Race: Lost Demon (hybrid: half-demon, half-ogre).

Male gender.

Rank: D

Mana: 378/378.

Piece: Horse.

Description: A hybrid demon, the offspring of a low-level demon and an ogress. He is currently working alongside the Doctor to receive ongoing enhancements that are part of the Doctor's research in exchange for his services.

The muscular Jasper had already proved to be a big problem for Motohama, but the feeling that the presence of the other had aroused in Motohama was much worse.

Name: Ilias Armongeu (The Doctor).

Age: 35 years.

Race: Lost Demon.

Male gender.

Rank: D

Mana: 533/533.

Ask: Bishop.

Description: A demon son of a pure-blood demon and his servant. He fled the underworld in order to carry out his research in secret. He currently captures humans with special abilities and sells them to the underworld to pay for their research. He likes to open his test subjects while conscious and enjoys studying their reactions.

Motohama noticed that the two were lost demons, but they didn't have any monstrous mutations that caught the eye. Usually, lost demons supposedly turn into monsters because they can't control their demonic powers and instincts, so they become hideous and dangerous creatures. In the case of the two, even though they were lost demons they seemed to have decent control over their demonic powers. Another option was that the Doctor had developed something that would help them control their powers without the need for a king.

– Who are you? What do they want? – Motohama asked apprehensively, taking a step back while taking his left hand to the holster at the back of his belt.

– To your misfortune, we are demons, boy – said the muscular man, grinning evilly.

– More precisely, I am a researcher and this is one of my associates. Unfortunately, my research is expensive, so we want you - said the one in the lab coat, adjusting the monocle in his eye while smiling smugly - As this island is not under the supervision of the Bridge... things are ugly for you.

The Bridge was an organization intended to serve as its name said, a bridge connecting the supernatural with the common people. They were responsible for overseeing and interceding in supernatural matters, protecting both ordinary humans and supernatural beings. This organization was created a long time ago and operated in different points around the world. As much as the organization was formed by a large number of human beings who used special tools created by a great inventor, Alunna Asford (Luna). Using technology created by Alunna, BRIDGE agents had been exercising their role of policing the involvement of the supernatural world in the normal world.

– I have no interest in men, but you can meet someone in a bar at night – Motohama said as he opened the holster on his belt and, with a thought, selected the talismans he needed.

– Very funny. Let's see if you can still make fun of it after losing your teeth - said the muscle, not liking the insinuation in the comment that Motohama had made.

– "Damn it! I don't expect trouble anytime soon... I have to get away! If I fight now, I will die!" – Thought Motohama starting to despair, starting to hyperventilate while sweat ran down his face.

Suddenly, Motohama found himself in a totally different place. He was standing over what looked like a large library with corridors so wide they looked like avenues and so long that he couldn't see the ends of them. The bookshelves were absurdly high, going up to the clouds being full of books. The most surprising thing was that he was not alone. The halls held hundreds, if not thousands, of people, all women. They looked like real women, but they were as still as mannequins. Motohama approached one of them when he found his familiar, noting that she was the wife of one of the residents of the building in which he lived. Motohama raised his hand to try to touch the woman and call out to his, but before he could he heard incredibly loud roars coming from all directions startling him.

– What the fuck was that!? – Motohama asked scared.

– It was the family he inherited from Luna – said a male voice behind Motohama.

Motohama turned around to see a man in his mid-twenties standing looking at him with a slight smile on his face. He had very fair skin, blue eyes, black hair, and wore black clothes. He was undeniably handsome – that pissed off Motohama more than he cared to admit.

– You! You are Alex Argent! – Motohama said surprised.

– A part. The rest is inside you – said Alex, pointing to Motohama's chest.

– Does that… mean we haven't fully merged? – Motohama asked after analyzing what was said.

– You have a good head on your shoulders. Maybe he would have been a better hunter than I was in my world," Alex said with a satisfied smile.

– You didn't much like being a Hunter – Motohama pointed out.

– True, but it's more for the choices I made after my sister was murdered. I hunted long after his death and broke our code, not caring if my targets were innocent or not. I regret killing innocents, but not hunting monsters, saving people, and following the family business – Alex said seriously.

– I… I'm not like you. I don't have the courage to fight. I prepared so much and when it came time to fight, I was scared – said Motohama with shame.

– It's different when we face these things in real life, isn't it – said Alex, approaching and placing his left hand on Motohama's shoulder.

– Yes... I always imagined that I could be like a hero without fear at the time of the fight... but instead I started to have a panic crisis – Motohama said still with his head down.

– Motohama is not wrong to be afraid. Fear keeps you vigilant. It reads once that "Fools are those who say that fear is a feeling for the weak, they are wrong, fear keeps you alive, everyone who doesn't feel fear is idiots" – Alex said, making Motohama look at him and roll his eyes.

– Quoting Dylan Wright, for real? – Motohama asked, arching an eyebrow.

– It's a good quote. Are you afraid to fight? Or afraid to fight and get hurt? – Alex asked, surprising Motohama.

– If I fight I will get hurt. Seeing a character fight in an anime is one thing, but fighting in real life... to face real pain is not something I want – Motohama said sincerely.

– Nobody likes to feel pain… well, masochists do, but they have their problems. It's usually instinctive to want to avoid feeling pain, but you have my memories. What's worse than feeling pain? – Alex asked.

– Me… worse than feeling pain… is seeing my family suffer or lose them? – Motohama asked, remembering Alex's life.

- Yea. First I lost my aunt, then my mother, and finally my sister, leaving just me and my father, but I wasn't there for him. I gave myself to the hunt, thinking that if I had been a better hunter, they would be alive, and I walked away, not answering his calls or replying to his messages. And yet, when I was injured during a hunt, he came to the hospital to see me. The look of pain and relief he showed when he saw that I wasn't seriously injured is something I didn't wish I had inflicted on him. That expression made me wish I hadn't walked away and had been a better son for him - Alex said with an expression full of regret - you are better at this point than I am. You still have your parents and your sister with you. You have the opportunity to grow stronger and protect them and prevent more people from suffering.

– I will… I will be sold or killed, – Motohama said, swallowing hard.

– If that happens, what will become of your family? – Alex asked seriously.

– My mother, my father... even Yukari will suffer – said Motohama starting to feel irritation when imagining seeing in his mind the image of his family members.

– They live in a world full of monsters! In this world, humans like your family are prey to monsters. They don't have the strength to defend themselves. Do you want them to get hurt like my family did? – Alex asked aggressively, taking Motohama by the shoulders while images of Alex's family came to his mind. The first image was of Alex's aunt lying dead in a morgue with his throat ripped open. Then the image of Alex's mother lying dead on a hospital gurney with bite marks on his neck. Lastly, the image of Alex's sister with the black blade of a katana across his chest.

– No! I won't let anyone touch my family! – Motohama said irritably, pushing Alex away – I'm scared... but if I have to, I'll fight. I will fight because I need to win! I need to survive!

– Very well said. You won't fight alone – Alex said raising his right fist to Motohama – after all... you are me.

– And I am you – said Motohama, touching his right fist on Alex making Alex body start to become particles of light entering Motohama.

Motohama opened his eyes with a blue light shining in his iris. For a moment, Motohama's glasses slipped a little from his nose, allowing him to see a little of the world without being through the lens, and what he saw was disconcerting. Everything seemed to be covered in red lines coming from different directions. He was forced to straighten his glasses, making his vision go back to normal, deciding to think about what those red lines were later. Now he had to focus on the problem in front of him.

– Calm down, calm down, Jasper. We can't. We can't damage the goods too much. It is not every day that we meet a medium with a high level of spiritual sensitivity. Try not to break him... too much – said the demon in the lab coat with a wicked smile.

– I'll try – said Jasper, jumping towards Motohama at full speed.

Seeing that the muscular demon was flying towards him, Motohama threw one of his talismans towards him. The paper strip stuck to the demon's forehead causing symbols to spread across his body like chains, immobilizing him. Jasper fell to the ground thrashing around while Motohama wasting no time throwing a talisman towards the ground causing the talisman to enter the earth and another towards the Doctor which exploded it forcing The Doctor to jump away. The sidewalk where the talisman had blown up in a cloud of smoke, and out of it came a large shikigami in the form of a gorilla made of concrete earth, slamming furiously into his chest before charging towards Jasper just as he had managed to break it with brute force. the fuin.

Motohama might not be a powerful mage, but he was very good at spirit magic. Spirit magic was done with the use of spiritual power coming directly from an individual's spirit and a little bit of mana. Spiritual power was not measured in the stats displayed when Motohama used his ability, but it existed within Motohama's spirit.

– Now it gets interesting! – Jasper said, advancing towards the land gorilla, exchanging blows with him.

– I have to say – said the Doctor patting the ashes of his lab coat - unfortunately if that's all you have, I suggest you give up. I prefer that you don't get hurt so I can send you along with the goods I collected this month.

– As if I would give in easily! – Motohama said, releasing three more talismans that sank into the ground, causing the ground to break and shikigami to emerge from it in the forms of two samurai statues made of stone larger than Jasper and an archer – "This won't hold them for long! Where are those demons to take care of their territory when you need to?"

The two stone samurai advanced towards the Doctor as the archer forced him to dodge the arrows he was shooting. When the Doctor dodged yet another arrow preparing to use his magic against the archer, he had to jump backwards to avoid the katana of one of the samurai. The Doctor seemed to be losing his temper as he dodged another arrow.

– This is getting uncomfortable – said The Doctor before raising a hand towards one of the samurai who was running towards him making a magic circle appear in front of him, releasing flames against the samurai, exploding him.

– Lumus – Motohama said, creating two moon balls and sending one in the direction of the Doctor and another in the direction of Jasper, who had just defeated the earth gorilla. When the spheres of light were less than two meters from their target, Motohama closed her hands, causing the spheres of light to cause two large flashes of light.

– Shit! – Jasper said, covering his eyes, blinded by the flash that occurred very close to his face.

– This game has lost its fun! – The Doctor said, also being forced to cover his eyes as he jumped away, narrowly escaping the stone samurai's sword leaving a cut on his lab coat.

Both demons were weak against light, and even that spell, not being made of holy light, was strong enough to temporarily blind them. Motohama took advantage of that to make his moves.

– He arrives! – said The Doctor, furiously shooting blades of wind in the direction he knew to be the archer after being hit by one of the arrows in the shoulder.

The wind blades hit both the samurai and the archer, cutting them in half. When the Doctor and Jasper regained their sight, they were surprised to see three identical Motohama with their hands raised, two towards Jasper and one towards the Doctor. Motohama who was pointing his right hand while holding his right wrist with his left hand, created a magic circle in front of him and from it fireballs were fired in the direction of the Doctor who used his own magic to block Motohama's fireballs. Motohama's game balls were very weak, but as he was focusing on quantity instead of power, the Doctor was being forced to focus his attention and use his magic continuously to block Motohama's attacks.

The two Motohamas that were pointing in Jasper's direction worked as a team, one making the ground below Jasper turn to quicksand while the other shot fireballs. Jasper looked increasingly annoyed, having to cross his arms in front of his face to block the fireballs that caused small explosions, damaging his clothes and causing some burns. If it weren't for the fact that Jasper was the tough, tough type, those fireballs could do some serious damage.

– He arrives! – shouted Jasper opening his arms and creating a current of wind so strong that the fireballs exploded before they reached him.

Jasper leapt out of the quicksand, using the wings that broke from his back to fly. He then flew towards the Motohamas with his right fist raised. He ignored the fireballs that collided with his body and hit one of the Motohamas hard, causing him to fly towards a tree, crashing with him exploding in a cloud of white smoke, giving way to a paper talisman with a hole in the center. Before the other Motohama could react, Jasper kicked him away, causing him to explode in a cloud of smoke, giving way to a torn talisman.

– Now you! – Jasper said, flying towards Motohama who was facing The Doctor.

– I think not! – Said a voice from above Jasper, revealing a white-haired boy falling towards Jasper, punching him hard in the face, making him fly against the ground, creating a crater.

The white-haired boy had fair skin, red eyes, and wore the Kuoh male uniform underneath a white hooded sweatshirt with a black band on the left side of his chest. The most striking thing about the boy was the arm he used to attack Jasper, which seemed to be made entirely of stone.

–Sorry to intrude, but I don't think two low-class devils against a human mage is fair enough, – the boy said with a serious expression.

– Hey, this is dangerous! Get out of here while I distract them before they want to sell you too... – Motohama said worriedly.

– Sell? I see... I had heard something about selling human slaves with special abilities. Apparently, humans with special abilities or Sacred gear are sold at auctions in the underworld – said the boy looking annoyed at the idea of ​​human beings being sold as slaves.

– Interesting… a vampire… not a dhampir. That right arm... Sacred gear? Looks like we've found a big prize, – said The Doctor, grinning mischievously.

– Award? The bastard hit too hard for me to forgive him just because of the money. I can be content at least if I break his arms and legs – Jasper said angrily coming out of the crater his body had formed.

– Don't overdo it too much. This commodity is much more valuable than the others. If you want, you can break the other boy's arms and legs. He's been an annoyance from start to finish –said The Doctor before looking coldly at Motohama.

– It saw! You should have run when I warned you... I really hope Gremory or Sitri will show up to sort this all out – Motohama said irritably as he prepared to release more

– Do not worry about me. I take care of the brute and you try to hold the greasy one – said the boy, bending down, putting his left hand on the concrete floor making his arm shine, becoming a stone arm.

– You do not understand! I'm... – Motohama said, but he was forced to jump to the left, rolling on the ground to avoid a fireball.

Motohama squatted down and placed his left hand on the ground, causing sharp spear-like stalagmites to shoot out of the ground below the Doctor who leapt out of the way avoiding them. Motohama found himself pressured to only know offensive fire and earth magic, with the fire element having the most affinity at the moment, but the one who knew less magic. The offensive spells that Motohama knew were just fireballs and stone stakes. He knew some support spells like quicksand and lumus, but they weren't very effective against demons.

As the Doctor and Motohama started shooting fireballs at each other, the dhampir began exchanging blows with Jasper. Initially, the two seemed to be on an equal footing, but little by little, Jasper started to take the advantage, forcing the boy to jump away, punching the air twice, releasing stone darts in Jasper's direction, forcing him to defend himself by covering his face with his hands. weak. When Jasper lowered his arms, he didn't see the boy until he was hit by a hard punch from the left. Unexpectedly, Jasper fought the force of the punch that hit the left side of his face and counterattacked with a strong punch to the boy's stomach, knocking him off the ground and throwing him up. Jasper appeared flying beside the boy before applying a kick to him, making him fly into a tree close to where Motohama was creating an earthquake that unbalanced him. Motohama had to throw himself to the ground to avoid a fireball, causing him to fall next to the dhampir.

– Shit, they're tougher than they look, – said the dhampir, gripping his left shoulder, which had returned to normal.

– I didn't want to get you involved in this. I tried to say that I am... - Motohama said until he was interrupted by the Doctor.

– Looks like the game is over, boy. Time to surrender or we may have to be cruel if necessary… - The Doctor said with a mischievous glint in his eyes, with Jasper smiling cruelly beside him.

– In the name of Duke Gremory, I order you to stop where you are, – a female voice said firmly before the Doctor and Jasper had to leap away avoiding a blast of black flames enveloped in a red aura.

Motohama and the Dhampir looked in the direction where the flames came from, seeing two beautiful girls, with big breasts and spectacular bodies, one being a redhead and the other brunette. Motohama knew that the redhead was Rias Gremory, a pureblood demon of the Gremory clan and one of the ladies of that territory. The other was Akeno Himejima, a reincarnated demon who acted as a queen in the service of Rias.

– Tsk, we were so close... come on Jasper – said The Doctor as he raised his left hand, creating a large fireball, sending it towards Rias and Akeno.

Akeno raised one of his hands, creating a magic circle, easily blocking the game ball fired by the Doctor creating an explosion. When the cloud of smoke cleared, the Doctor and Jasper were gone.

– Ara, ara they ran away – said Akeno, putting a hand on his cheek.

– It doesn't matter. With what we know about them, we already have an idea of where their hiding place is, – Rias said simply.

– Now what are we going to do with these two boys? – Akeno said, smiling gently, looking at Motohama and the dhampir.

– Ham… are they friends or foes? – asked the boy to Motohama.

– Well... I denounced one of the redhead's nobility and opened a case against his that apparently caused some problems for his and I may have taken advantage of some of it to obtain knowledge in magic among other things as a form of compensation – said Motohama making the boy look at him in a shocked way.

– So… she wants to kill you? Is there someone who doesn't want to break up with you? – asked the sweaty boy to Motohama who didn't know how to answer that question with absolute certainty.

– As much as I think we could have resolved things otherwise peacefully without causing so much trouble for my servant... it's all in the past - Rias said, smiling gently – I can somehow understand that Kusanagi-san made the choice who thought it best to protect himself.

– About everything that happened with Issei-kun. We would like to apologize to you, Kusanagi-san. Issei is still a young demon and doesn't know how to control his strength properly – said Akeno, bowing slightly to Motohama.

– Ham… maybe I went too far too. I apologize for the trouble I caused – Motohama said standing up and making a slight bow too.

– I'm glad to see that we arrived in time to help you, – Rias said, looking from Motohama to the Dhampir.

– We really appreciate the help – said the boy standing next to Motohama.

– Actually... I kind of don't... – Motohama said until he was interrupted by Rias.

– Your name is Kaito, right? Kaito Kuchiki, right? – Rias said, looking at the Dhampir.

– Yea. My name is Kuchiki Kaito, nice to meet you. I recently moved to Akatsuki Island – she said with a bow.

– Ham… I didn't mean to interrupt… but my time is running out, – Motohama said hurriedly.

–Your time? – Kaito asked tilting his head.

– Yea. I've spent a lot of energy and I'm almost out of it. I tried to say that you didn't need to put yourself in danger to help me because the original already had... – Motohama said until he exploded in a cloud of smoke, surprising the other three until they saw a white paper talisman take its place, slowly landing on the floor while the symbol on it went out.

– What was this? – Kaito asked with wide eyes.

– Shikigame? – Rias asked in surprise before looking at Akeno who she looked equally surprised.

– Yea. I... I hadn't noticed that it wasn't Kusanagi-san until now. It was really a surprise - said Akeno picking up the paper talisman from the floor.

– He must have created a shikigami in the form of a clone of himself during the fight and used it to evade enemies. Surprising for someone with so little time to learn magic - Rias said, analyzing the situation.

– So that's what he was trying to say earlier? I... needn't have interfered. For some reason… I kind of want to hit all four eyes a little bit – Kai said as a vein popped in his forehead.

– I know that feeling – Rias said with a faint sympathetic smile.