Hook, Line and Sinker

Ugh! My head hurts. What the hell happened? The last thing I remember is talking to Licht then–

Shit!

An explosion!

Ugh, I'm still a little disoriented.

My head stings and I can feel something sticky oozing from a cut. My head is also pounding and I ache all over, but I can already feel my <Auto-Healing> skill kicking in so I should be fine in a few minutes.

Wait… Where is everyone?

"Sylvia! Klint! Licht!" I call and roam my sight around the area.

Even though there was an explosion, I notice that there's not much damage to the surroundings but I can see a smoking building not far from where I am.

What was that explosion?

"April!" I whip my head to the direction of the voice.

It's Sylvia!

"Are you guys okay?" I ask, worry washing over me as I notice her bleeding arm.

"I'm fine, but Klint… Klint is…"

What is she-

I immediately head to where Sylvia is and I see an unconscious and bleeding Klint. I also see a shard of metal pierce his arm. And it's the one bleeding the most.

"Klint."

The teenager only grunts but remains unconscious.

Damn it! What happened that it got Klint into such a serious situation?

Wait… Someone's missing.

Where's Licht? I was just talking to him before the explosion. Where did he go?

"April! Klint! Sylvia!" calls a familiar voice.

It's Hiiro-san! And Licht is with him. How did he get to Hiiro-san?

"Are you guys okay?" he asks and gasps when he sees Klint in Sylvia's arms. "I'll call someone to get you guys treated."

"What the hell happened? What's with the explosion?" I ask.

"Remember the demons that were after Licht last time? They escaped from our holding facility and are now on the loose."

Great. Three demons on the loose.

It just means they're after Licht again, right?

Wait, why are they after Licht in the first place?

I turn to Licht and ask the lingering question in my mind but he remains silent about it.

Right… I might have to do extract the answer, the hard way.

"So, how did those guys escape from Sector Zero?"

"Well… Demons from the western religion aren't exactly our forté."

Right… Onmyoudou arts are quite different from the standard exorcism system and western magic of the western countries. At least that's what I found out when I tried to learn more about onmyoujis.

"An expert is supposed to come arrive in two days to help us but the demons suddenly ran amok and escaped."

"Well, you better do something to stop them from wreaking havoc in the area. The building owners won't be pleased."

There's another explosion… A temple that's considered a cultural heritage is just blown to pieces.

"Don't worry. We already put up the <Border Barrier>."

What's that?

[<Border Barrier> A mystical barrier that isolates a certain area from the rest. It's technically a barrier that mimics the area it covers, creating the same environment but in a different reality. At the same time it separates those involved with the supernatural from normal humans which stays in the real world. Whatever happens within the barrier is not reflected in the real world so you don't have to worry about the any damage inside.]

I just noticed that while Slayer explained it, Hiiro-san did as well.

Eeeh. It's a useful skill. How many Life Points do I need so I can have such skill using <Create Skill>?

[Answer. Host will need a total of 10, 000 Life Points.]

Ha? That's a lot! Why is it so expensive?

Dang! I only have seven thousand Life Points.

I wanna cry.

[Answer. It's a skill that can affect reality. Such skills are more expensive than most magic skills.]

I guess Slayer has a point.

"The barrier was erected at the last minute and since the three of you are part of the supernatural you got dragged in it. Other than regular humans, we can't exactly control whoever stays." Hiiro-san adds.

"Quite handy."

"It is, but it's also quite tiresome to maintain. It's a complex high-level barrier spell after all and needs about five magicians to activate and maintain."

F-five? I thought one person can manage it?

[Answer. It's a high-level barrier spell.]

I know. I heard it the first time.

So right now those demons are wrecking everything like nobody's business.

But…

"Sylvia and Klint can't stay here. They're too injured and the situation is too dangerous." I say.

"You're right. And it's not just Sylvia and Klint, but you as well April. I will have the three of you expelled from the barrier while we deal with the demons here. I already have men on standby outside the barrier just in case."

"What?! I-"

Damn it! Everything's suddenly glowing! I can't see a bloody thing!

[Warning. Individual Hiiro Wakaba is ejecting you from the <Border Barrier>.]

[Would you like to leave the barrier?]

[Yes/No]

So Slayer has that function too?

Anyway, I choose No! Those demons just messed with me! I'm not about to let them run free anymore.

Slayer, if I kill those demons, will I gain a lot of points?

[Affirmative.]

Good.

The light slowly fades away and I find myself still in front of Hiiro-san who has a shocked expression on his face.

"How did you- How are you still inside?"

"I got my ways."

Licht is staring at me with a suspicious look.

What is he looking at?

"So? How are you going to deal with the demons?"

"But… I-"

Seriously this guy. He loses his cool all too suddenly.

"Whatever you do, you can never expel from inside the barrier. I might as well fight with you guys." I retort in an annoyed voice.

I can't help it! He's probably thinking I should be benched because I look like a kid!

"Fine. Mattaku![1] Sakura-san will surely chew me for this!"

Don't worry, I'll talk to her for you later.

"So? How are we going to deal with those demons?" I ask again.

"We were told to hold them off until the expert gets here."

"Ha? Didn't you say the expert will arrive in a week or something?"

"I said two days."

"Same difference!"

I can't help but roll my eyes on that one.

"It's an emergency and HQ already contacted him. He will be here soon. We just have to hold that demon inside the barrier until he comes."

"That's going to be a problem then."

Now they're looking at me like I grew two heads.

"The demons? I don't know much about them but there's one thing I'm sure of them. The trail of dead bodies you blamed on Licht are done by them right?" Hiiro-san nods. "Then that means those demons are definitely a lot more powerful than you think. Can't you feel that dark and sinister aura?"

I've been feeling it ever since I woke up. A dark, sinister and oppressive aura. It's the same aura I felt at the time when everyone from Hope Orphanage died. It's a little weaker than the Lloyd look-alike but definitely not something anyone can just handle.

And I'm pretty sure they already noticed it but the barrier probably won't last long at the rate of the destruction and fluctuation of energy in the surroundings. If the expert won't arrive soon, this isolated place won't last.

I told Hiiro-san that and it only made him determined to send me away.

*SIGH*

Such a stubborn man. Now that I think about it, his stubbornness is a lot like mine.

"How about I help you deal with them Hiiro-san?" I offer with a smile. "I have a plan and I think it can help weaken the demons and turn the table to our side."

They're looking at me strangely again. Is it really weird for me to say such a thing?

"I get it, you're speechless. Anyway, do you know the terms hook, line and sinker?"

They're nodding. That's good.

"We'll do just that then. But for it to succeed, we need bait for the hook."

And I'm looking at you Licht. After all, those demons are after you.