Crimson dance

Kazuma and the others were approaching Megumin and Yunyun but ended up bumping into Jack. "Yo, Jack! Were you the one responsible for all that ruckus?" The guild workers had finished cleaning up the monsters, so they were mostly just waiting for either Jack or Megumin to show up.

Jack quickly grabbed Aqua and started to give her a princess carry. "Follow me, and you'll find out!" With that, he sped away, followed by Aqua's childish giggles.

Kazuma and the others watched as Jack swiftly carried Aqua away, their eyes widening in surprise. "What's gotten into him?" Kazuma muttered, perplexed by Jack's sudden actions. Darkness blushed and stammered, trying to make sense of the situation.

Kazuma spoke with a mixture of amusement and annoyance. "It's always something with those two, isn't it? We should probably catch up with them and see what they're up to."

Chris, who had been observing the scene with a mix of curiosity and amusement, turned to the group. "Well, it seems like Jack has his own way of handling things. Let's catch up to them and see what he's up to." With a mischievous grin, she started sprinting after Jack, with Kazuma and Darkness following close behind.

They arrived shortly after, and what they didn't expect was to see Megumin engaged in a standoff with another girl. Both of them wore serious expressions and held their staff and wand, ready to call upon their magic at any moment.

"Megumin, I brought Aqua here!" Jack gently placed Aqua at a considerable distance before approaching Megumin and Yunyun. "Now let me remind you again, don't take this clash too far, no matter how much you both want to prove a point." Jack locked his gaze with Megumin to convey the seriousness of his words.

Megumin reluctantly nodded in response to Jack's reminder, her competitive spirit still evident in her eyes. Yunyun, on the other hand, appeared slightly nervous but determined to prove herself.

Jack stepped back, creating some distance between himself and the two girls. He observed their intense standoff, recognizing the strong magic potential in both of them. He knew that this clash could either deepen their rivalry or help them find common ground.

"Alright, Megumin and Yunyun, I understand that you both have a lot to prove to yourselves and each other," Jack began, his voice calm yet authoritative. "But let's make this a friendly competition, a chance to showcase your skills and learn from each other."

Megumin tightened her grip on her staff, determination burning in her eyes. "Fine, but don't think I'll hold back, Yunyun! I'll show you the true power of my explosions!"

Yunyun squared her shoulders, a determined expression replacing her initial nervousness. "I won't back down either, Megumin! I'll demonstrate the strength of my magic and prove that I'm not just a shadow in your presence!"

With the rules set, the air was filled with anticipation as Megumin and Yunyun prepared to unleash their magical prowess. The surrounding onlookers watched with bated breath.

The air crackled from the pressure their magic exuded, and then they both pointed their staffs at each other. "Hold it!" Jack jumped between them. "Time out, Megumin."

Megumin slowly lowered her staff. "What are you playing at, Jack? Don't tell me you're stalling or something. Did you get bewitched by that cow?" She quipped with annoyance lacing her voice.

Yunyun's face gained a brilliant shade of red as she covered her chest, feeling scandalized by Megumin's words and growing angry. "Megumin!"

Jack raised his hands while speaking in a calming manner. "I'll be real quick, calm down, both of you."

Megumin avoided Jack's gaze and looked to the side, her heart in complete turmoil. Meanwhile, Yunyun took a deep breath to calm down. Jack walked towards Yunyun. "Come here real quick,'"Jack whispered to Yunyun. The close proximity made her nervous.

"I'll be honest with you, unless you can teleport around as much as you like, Megumin is going to smoke you." Jack got to the heart of the problem.

Yunyun gripped her wand tightly. She wanted to prove herself, not only to Megumin or the world but also to her first real friend. She gave Jack a shaky smile. "J-Jack, I got this." Although she tried to sound reassuring, it failed spectacularly.

"If you're thinking something like 'I only need to fend her off once!' or something along those lines, then you should give up. I'm not saying this because I don't believe in your strength; it's just... ah, Megumin is on a league of her own after being trained by me." Yunyun quickly turned towards Megumin, suddenly more nervous than before. It didn't help that Megumin gave her a deranged smile while drawing a finger across her throat in a taunting manner once she noticed Yunyun's gaze on her.

Seeing her bewildered silence, Jack continued. "She can use that attack more than once, so let me ask you again: Do you have a way to teleport yourself around in quick succession?"

Yunyun gripped the hem of her skirt. "Only to places... I marked." She lowered her gaze, suddenly feeling very weak and useless.

"No big deal. Let me teach you something real quick." Jack placed a hand on her shoulder and encouraged her. Originally, he wanted to make her give up by letting her know who she was dealing with, but that would definitely have repercussions on her psyche in the future, so he scratched that out.

Yunyun weakly nodded. She would put her trust in her friend. She gave Jack a little smile. "If you think I deserve your help, then I'll do it."

Jack gently grabbed Yunyun's head and made her look into his eyes. 'It should be the same concept, just a different path.' What Jack was doing was making Yunyun 'dream'; it would teach her what she needed to know without wasting much time.

Megumin, on the other hand, didn't take kindly to the gesture. She gripped her staff tightly, causing the air around her to grow warmer. Her expression was now concealed by her big hat.

Jack tapped Yunyun's cheek to wake her up from her daze. "I'll explain everything later, just know that illusion or not, what you learned was very much real." He let her go and started walking away. "Good luck!"

Megumin turned around and started walking, creating distance between herself and Yunyun. "...No mercy for you" she muttered angrily to herself.

'Oof, good one, idiot!' Kazuma, who was enjoying watching the whole scene, couldn't help but loudly facepalm. He had figured out what was going on, and that dumbass, in his attempt to help, only added fuel to the fire. Or, in this case, threw nitroglycerin onto a burning house.

Kazuma wasn't one to get easily scared... not as much, at least. But the face Megumin was making honestly made him want to drop everything and run for the hills. "Kazuma?" Darkness turned around after she saw Kazuma hiding behind her.

"I'm just watching your back, Darkness. Don't worry about it," Kazuma waved her off while avoiding eye contact.

After Jack got back, Aqua looked at him. "So, Jack, you want me to revive that girl when she bites the dust?" Aqua said, watching the whole thing with an uninterested gaze.

"No!" Jack quickly answered. "I mean," he coughed. "No one is going to die, I just want to make sure you heal them after they fight it out."

After Jack said those words, they were hit by a blast of wind, and the clearing was filled with smoke. "Yeah... about that, odds are that the girl you brought here is gonna end up like the dragon we met before," Kazuma said while grimacing and looking around. "What a shame. Those were some mighty b-" Chris quickly slapped Kazuma on the head.

"Ignore him, Jack! I'm sure you sorted everything out, right?" Chris started twirling a dagger in her hand when Kazuma turned around angrily and gave him a challenging smile. Kazuma narrowed his eyes.

"And... that's enough. How will we defeat the Demon King if we kill each other?" Jack's eyes glowed as he said that.

"S-such a piercing gaze... it's as if he can see me without-" In this case, it was Darkness herself who interrupted herself by placing both of her hands on her mouth. She was blushing and sweating nervously after Jack turned to her.

He raised an eyebrow but decided to ignore it in favor of watching Megumin and Yunyun's 'duel'. If it gets too out of hand, he will intervene. With that in mind, he placed a hand on his chest and kneeled, creating a barrier around them.

-----------------------

'I'm sorry, Megumin. I apologize for being an inconvenience, but just this once, let me be selfish.' Yunyun pointed her wand at Megumin and was momentarily paralyzed by Megumin's gaze. When she finally reacted, everything went bright.

Yunyun shakily got up and started coughing. "I held back just this once. It's not too late to beg for my forgiveness." Once again, Yunyun locked her gaze with Megumin.

"D-don't look down on me!" Yunyun brushed off her clothes and started levitating. Yunyun pointed her wand at Megumin and quickly chanted, "Light of Saber!" She summoned spears made of pure light that crackled with energy, lighting up the sky, and shot them at Megumin.

Yunyun expected Megumin to dodge them, but instead, she raised her staff and created an explosion. This caused the spears to disperse along with it, and Yunyun was pushed away. Megumin lowered her staff and began walking in the direction where Yunyun had been sent.

'Is this what my friend warned me about?' Yunyun grabbed her hand while strategizing. She wasn't used to facing an opponent like Megumin. Her surroundings started to glow brightly. "Eh?" Yunyun quickly pointed her staff in a random direction. "Warp!" A chain of explosions filled Yunyun's previous location.

She fell face-first onto the ground and turned to the sky. Cold sweat started to slide down her face when she saw what had almost hit her. Megumin once again started walking towards Yunyun while she was recovering from the sight. Yunyun pointed her wand towards Megumin. "Tornado!" What ensued soon after was the formation of a powerful tornado that uprooted the trees around them.

Megumin herself was being lifted by the tornado. Once airborne, she grabbed onto one of the trees and was forced to close her eyes due to the strong wind blowing around.

She then started gathering her magic at the point of her staff. "Explosion is the purest form of destruction. As the most powerful wizard in the world and its master, I am the incarnation of destruction. Return everything to whence it came from, let there be dust!" Fire started dancing around Megumin as it condensed into a ball small enough to fit into a palm.

"Abyssal Arts: Neo Explosion!" The small ball quickly expanded and encompassed the entire tornado, forming a crater soon after. The light it produced could be compared to that of the sun.

Yunyun panicked and without thinking twice, she jumped into the air and flew away from the radius of the explosion.

Megumin herself was unscathed and started descending towards the ground. She pointed her staff at the ground and began creating small explosions to maneuver herself. She succeeded in avoiding a deadly fall but only bruised her ego when she impacted a tree, resulting in a rather shameful display.

Yunyun landed a few yards away, narrowly avoiding Megumin's display. Megumin quickly brushed herself off and pointed her staff at Yunyun. Seizing the brief respite, Yunyun started speaking. "You really are amazing..." She felt both envious and in awe of Megumin.

"...You aren't so bad yourself," Megumin ended up saying. Before Yunyun could say anything else, Megumin created a small blast that made her kiss the ground. "It's something I will never say to a thief like you" Megumin looked at Yunyun's prone form with cold eyes.

Yunyun placed both hands on the ground and struggled to get up. "I-it's a misunderstanding. I only want some friends. I'm not trying to steal Jack or anything," she stammered while blushing.

She looked at Megumin with a mix of admiration and longing. Megumin stayed silent, so Yunyun continued. "Megumin, I've always admired your courage and determination... I've always wanted to be like you!" she said, panting.

Megumin stayed silent for a while. "You may speak your words, but they will change nothing," she pointed her staff at Yunyun. "As the winner, I get to choose your fate... Don't try to get all chummy with Jack, ever." Megumin turned around and started walking away. "Search for friends elsewhere."

Yunyun's pupils shrank at Megumin's words. With a surge of strength, she got up. "Jack... he is my first real friend." She pointed her wand at Megumin. "I will never surrender, no matter who it is I'm against."

"I see... then begone, Catwoman!" She flared up her magical power, as did Yunyun. "Cursed Lightning!" "Abyssal Arts: Zero Explosion!" They chanted at the same time, summoning powerful spells capable of wiping out armies. They gave it their all. Megumin summoned a black orb that looked like a mass of goo. It shrank in on itself before creating a beam that was fired towards Yunyun, who shot a black lightning bolt.

The clashing caused the ground to shake violently, and sparks flew wildly around them. They both started screaming as their spells fought for dominance. 'Why is it called Zero Explosion?' This thought suddenly popped into Yunyun's mind. Unfortunately, she got her answer soon after.

Megumin's beam started spiraling like a rotating sphere while shrinking at the same time. In Yunyun's short experience with Megumin's new magic, shrinking spells always gave a foreboding feeling.

When it seemed like the unstable magic would collapse on itself, a hand slapped both spells away. "Oops, sorry to interrupt, but it just seemed like you were about to blow yourselves away." Jack said drily.

He didn't receive any answer and could only watch with exasperation as Megumin and Yunyun collapsed on the ground. "Aqua, you're up!" Before she could speak, Jack cut her off. "Expensive wine, I know." She gave Jack a big smile before approaching the girls and casting some healing magic.

Kazuma, Darkness, and Chris were too busy watching the sky blackened by Megumin and Yunyun's magic. Kazuma turned to Jack robotically and made a slapping motion. Jack shrugged. "I'm just built different."