[11] The Creep and His Pet
<span style="font-weight:400">Chapter 11: The Creep and His Pet
<span style="font-weight:400">—
<span style="font-weight:400">"Still, to think Shiranui Frill was… <i><span style="font-weight:400">that</i><span style="font-weight:400">. You think being one of ''that'' gives her advantages in acting?"
<span style="font-weight:400">Ruby, Tsubasa, and I were walking the streets towards the train station, and my little sister was still stuck on the situation from lunch break.
<span style="font-weight:400">Shiranui Frill being a Yokai was apparently very surprising to her, and now she was doubtful if her acting was all talent or not. It could actually be magical, honestly.
<span style="font-weight:400">Still, I took the chance to jab at her ribs with a finger. "I can''t be sure. I''m unaware of what sort of abilities she has. But wow, did you refer to her as ‘that’? Are you being racist?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Ouch, I am not being racist! You’re using me.”
<span style="font-weight:400">"Hey, just what are you two talking about? Include me in!"
<span style="font-weight:400">Tsubasa had enough of our weird rant as she demanded aloud. I stopped walking, and that made the two girls pause too. Tsubasa looked a little nervous suddenly when I turned to her, worried that I got mad.
<span style="font-weight:400">However, I only paused now because I was at my destination. Today, my destination and theirs were different. It was a crossroad and I pointed at the part at the far end of one of the roads.
<span style="font-weight:400">"I''ll be heading there, Ruby. I have some work there. Take Tsubasa back home, and tell mom that I am helping a deaf girl reach her home, that''ll make her notin."
<span style="font-weight:400">"Huh? Why should I lie? Take me with you and then I will."
<span style="font-weight:400">"Shut up and head home, it can be dangerous where I am going. Weakling."
<span style="font-weight:400">Ruby clicked her tongue and was about to argue again, but when she met my serious gaze, she grumbled and pulled the confused Tsubasa away. I watched them leave, their backs vanishing on the horizon, and only then did I start walking my path.
<span style="font-weight:400">It was a road of raw soil, with thick trees on either side. I kept my Copper Sight and Jade Perception activated on high alert. I had to be careful since I wasn’t sure what the cause of the incident really was, it could just be a magic rock or a living being.
<span style="font-weight:400">It could be a friendly but naughty Yokai that isn’t supposed to harm anybody and was just having fun scaring them, or it can be a dangerous Phantom too.
<span style="font-weight:400">Yokais existed in this world, I knew that from my knowledge of DxD anime, and also from meeting Shiranui Frill. However, the concept of Yokai was a bit different than the one that the public knows of.
<span style="font-weight:400">If you search Wikipedia, it will tell you that Yōkais are Japanese spirits or East Asian ghosts, like the Hanako-san legend or even the story of the "Slit-mouthed girl", both of which hail from Japanese legend. However, in this reality, those dead spirits aren’t considered Yokai.
<span style="font-weight:400">Yokai in this world were a race of their own, they’re <b>alive</b><span style="font-weight:400">, and they were a “Spirit” from birth. In opposition to the slit-mouthed girl, for example, who’s a dead woman turned spirit. Due to their differences, I’ve decided to call people like her "Phantoms". Not all phantoms were evil, but most of the time they were like that.
<span style="font-weight:400">Ghosts here couldn''t be considered Yokai, they were Phantoms. However, Phantoms were more than that. They can be monsters, beasts, though one thing that’s a must was that, they''re always dead. If they aren''t dead, then they must be the manifestation of dark emotions from people. They bear a deathly aura around themselves.
<span style="font-weight:400">I wonder what this lightning phenomenon was caused by. Was it a Phantom, a Yokai, a Stray Devil maybe? It could also just be an artifact, or maybe a magical beast.
<span style="font-weight:400">I don''t have any preferences, but I hope whatever it is, it''s strong enough to act as nutrients for my growth. It''d beme if I finally found a proper lightning source, for it to be insufficient.
<span style="font-weight:400">* * *
<span style="font-weight:400">The evening sun was setting, and the lights of modernity filled every corner of the city. Every corner other than Kuoh Park, where the public lights were flickering in and out of existence.
<span style="font-weight:400">There was a disturbing feeling in the air, and it worked to make everyone walk fast to leave the park behind them. By the time the sun set, there was nobody left in the park. No human wanted to be there because their life essence felt disturbed and demanded they leave for safety.
<span style="font-weight:400">Unless they were really depressed, where their life essence would be overwhelmed by an aura of depression, they wouldn''t notice anything wrong. In fact, they might find this unsettling silence calming, until their soon-toe demise from the beast that caused this.
<span style="font-weight:400">Unfortunately, there was one such human in the park today. Her short pinkish-red hair was iled downwards, she sat on a bench and stared down at her thighs.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Tonight feels nice, the air is cool…"
<span style="font-weight:400">Arima Kana muttered softly, sighing and raising her head to look at the sky. Only the stars and moon illuminated the area today, Kana had no idea it would be this peaceful away from the electric lights.
<span style="font-weight:400">"...Maybe I should go mountain hiking, or maybe camping. Alone. It would be kinda dangerous though."
<span style="font-weight:400">To Kana right now, that didn''t seem like an issue. She just hated to be in the spotlight these days. The era of the inte was too harsh to people like her, it''s hard to endure even though she was used to it.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Actually, should I quit?"
<span style="font-weight:400">She hesitated to make a decision. Soon, despite the thick negative essence in the air, her answer was a firm no.
<span style="font-weight:400">"...No, I don''t want to quit yet. A bit more."
<span style="font-weight:400">Kana decided to stand up. Suddenly, as she reaffirmed her decision to stay, this ce felt weird. It felt… wrong. What was it, she couldn''t point out, but it felt odd.
<span style="font-weight:400">"I should leave. It''s been a few hours since school ended… not that there is anybody back at home to worry if I''mte." Kana said and quickly shook her head, pping her cheeks. "Ugh! I sound so depressed, I am being dramatic. This isn''t the first time one of my shows failed. I should get going."
<span style="font-weight:400">Kana decided and began to walk away. She took a step toward the direction of the exit and then another. Only on her fourth step did she realize something odd.
<span style="font-weight:400">She wasn''t closing any distance with her steps. She froze and looked around to realize she was still in the same spot where she started.
<span style="font-weight:400">"W-what?"
<span style="font-weight:400">Was this a dream? She had experienced such a thing in dreams before. But she felt too awake, her mind was clear.
<span style="font-weight:400">"How sad, I was going to y with your mind a bit more. But you turned out to be stronger than I expected."
<span style="font-weight:400">Kana flinched when she felt breath falling on her neck,ing along with a smooth old voice.
<span style="font-weight:400">Turning back, she found an old man with grayed-out hair on the side of his head, and brown in the middle. He had pointy ears, and he wore a creepy grin. The weirdest part about him, however, was the ckbird sitting on his shoulders. It had four wings, and electricity flickered around it.
<i><span style="font-weight:400">''This doesn''t feel right.''</i><span style="font-weight:400">
<span style="font-weight:400">Kana gulped and tried to take a step back, and to her relief, she could take a step back. She tried to run away right away, but then she couldn''t increase any distance again.
<span style="font-weight:400">Kana paled while the stranger''s grin widened.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Hah! That look of hope that vanished just now is pure ecstasy. Ahh, do that again, make that dreaded expression again!" The creepy middle-aged man, or whatever he was, began tough as Kana shuddered.
<span style="font-weight:400">What was going on? A nightmare would be eptable, but this felt too real. Was she going to die today? She heard the rumors of this park recently, but not enough to pay any heed to them. Did she make a mistake?
<span style="font-weight:400">The man walked over to her. He reached out a hand, and she noticed his ck nails were long and pointy. She shuddered and squeezed her eyes shut when his cold fingers ran across her cheek.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Huhuhu, look at you shaking… so pleasant." He leaned over to smell her hair, and she tried to hit him with her fist, but he caught it midair. He grinned at her. "Man, this is fun. I came here just to kill the two obnoxious devil princesses as a ''Fuck You!'' to the two Satans before I''m inevitably hunted down for killing my King, but this is nice. Maybe I can spare a night before I move with that mission."
<span style="font-weight:400">What this mentally ill man will spare the night with was pretty clear, as he grabbed her neck with his hand and gently caressed it, while staring at her shaky eyes with his hungry ones.
<span style="font-weight:400">In onest desperate attempt, Arima Kana gathered all her energy into her throat and yelled. “HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!”
<span style="font-weight:400">The devil-like man didn’t stop her from yelling, he just grinned down at her more and watched her yell. He found it amusing, and that filled her with dread. Even if someone dide to help, would they be able to do anything against this supernatural being?
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oi, stop yelling.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Yet, someone dide. Kana’s voice froze in recognition, as she looked over the shoulder of the devil to see who just talked. With blonde hair raining down his shoulders, and bright blue eyes shimmering like stars, Aqua stood a few meters behind the devil in his school uniform.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hoh? What is this, someone actually came?" The devil let go of her throat by pushing her towards the bench, where she fell on her butt and was frozen, unable to move. “Odd how I couldn’t sense him, however. Huhuhu, you’re special.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“A-aqua! Run, this is dangerous! He-”
<span style="font-weight:400">“You’re safe, Arima Kana. Stay put.”
<span style="font-weight:400">* * *
<span style="font-weight:400">After shutting down the little girl, I gave the knock-off vampire-looking Devil an amused look. I couldn’t help but smile, what a stroke of luck.
<span style="font-weight:400">This situation was bigger than I expected, I was hoping to meet only one supernatural, but there were actually two. The bird on his shoulder seemed to be his pet, yet it was stronger than him; the devil himself focused on mind magic, I think, while the bird''s only there to deal heavy hits.
<span style="font-weight:400">A ck ThunderBird. ck Lightning was powerful, killing it will be hard, but fruitful too. As for the devil, he doesn’t appear to actually have been a Vampire before reincarnated as a Devil, his appearance just looks like it. There was nothing really special about him other than that, it’s a thing to wonder how he managed to kill his King, as he imed. He was a stray, so killing him myself shouldn’t cause any political trouble.
<span style="font-weight:400">All that thinking blitzed through my head in a second, and by the time the devil spoke for the second time, I had already finished nning the entire fight.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, look at you. So brave and young. Hah! You have no idea what sort of situation this is.” The Devil was proud for some reason as he yelled that, I gave him a nk stare.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Not surprised that devils are pedophiles, but still, you’re looking at me with the same eyes even though I am a guy. Homosexuality is a sin, indeed.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“…What would you know, you brat?” the old man growled, angry at his fetishes being disyed.
<span style="font-weight:400">My expression was gentle like the tranquil sea as I smiled. “What more is there to know? You were all touchy with her earlier, but you haven’t approached me yet. You are scared. Is that what you’re trying to say? Not only are you gay and a pedophile, but you’re also a weakling loser, scared of anyone with a bit of magic inside them. No matter, forget it. I am going to finish you now.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Of course, he wasn’t expecting a sudden change in attitude. I didn’t like how he looked, so I decided to finish him quickly.
<span style="font-weight:400">The old man probably didn’t expect me to attack right after I said I would, because he tried to say something. He paused when my straightened palm which was coated in crackling lightning was inches away from his face.
<span style="font-weight:400">My nails were glowing blue imbued by the lightning, and my entire hand was hundreds of degrees hot; I blitzed from my spot and right in front of him, with my hand going right to his nose. It was supposed to push through his nose and into his skull, but seldom do things go that smoothly. The bird moved from his shoulder fast enough to sh with my hand with its beak, too gleamed with ck lightning.
<span style="font-weight:400">In a pure lightning sh, I would lose to that ck lightning in my current rank. However, lightning wasn’t my only power. I made a slimy movement with my hand so that it just moved from the sh point, and grabbed the bird’s neck. The four-winged bird gagged, but I wasn’t nning to end it yet, I couldn’t. If I tried going for a killing blow now, the devil would attack my opening.
<span style="font-weight:400">So, I used one of the three currently avable techniques from my Path. These three techniques each use Lightning, Water, and Wind Qi respectively. While the basic Lightning technique was for pure destruction—the technique I killed that shut-in with—the Water technique allows defense, and the Wind technique allows movement.
<span style="font-weight:400">The [<b>Water Bubble Technique</b><span style="font-weight:400">] would act as a defense if I wished, but also as the name suggests, it’d act as a binding technique if I wished too. So I cast it on the bird, immediately wrapping it in a circr prison of water, and threw it far in the distance. It’ll be able to break free ande back soon, but not soon enough to save its master.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Y-you! What do you think you’re doing?!”
<span style="font-weight:400">The devil yelled in shock and desperation, his hand reached out with a bolt of mana on its fingertips to blow my skull off, but I shoved it away with my left hand and attacked again with my right.
<span style="font-weight:400">Then, I used the [<b>Wrath of the Roaring Sky</b><span style="font-weight:400">] to simply shove my hand through the gap between his eyes. I didn’t apply it in a form that’d pulverize his entire body since I wanted to loot his items, but instead had it coated on my palm that shoved through his brain like a hot knife cutting butter.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Auckgh…” With a weird groan, the foolish devil lost his life and fell on his back.
<span style="font-weight:400">Immediately, I heard a screeche from Kana, but by the time I looked at her, she was already unconscious. Huh, the scene of seeing a murder was too much for her little heart.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Kreaaach!”
<span style="font-weight:400">I heard another screech, but it was from a bird. The ck thunderbird rushed towards me with an angry scowl, with lightning crackling around its four wings. It appeared pissed, angry enough that it would tear my head with its beak. Its body size increased as it flew, and surely its beak was now big enough to actually do just that.
<span style="font-weight:400">The massive bird pped its wings a few dozen meters above me and then waved its wings down to shower lightning at me. I ran from the spot to keep Arima Kana away from the lightning’s trajectory, and the bird was too enraged, or dumb, to not take her hostage. It followed me with its lightning, and I ran while dodging.
<span style="font-weight:400">Then, I kicked the ground when I found a big stone and used [<b>Whirlwind Blink</b><span style="font-weight:400">], my Wind technique. This technique utilized the Wind Qi to perform rapid movements, but at the same time, it allows me to execute short-range teleportations by momentarily merging with the wind.
<span style="font-weight:400">One moment I was on the ground, and in the other, I was above the bird. Before the bird could even realize what was going on, I took out a utility knife from my school bag at a rapid speed. I let go of my bag and it fell, but before it could touch the ground, I was done with the bird.
<span style="font-weight:400">The superheated de extended in a light of burning Qi. The de Qi cut through the bird''s wings and neck in countless shes, and it fell to the ground first before the bag.
<span style="font-weight:400">The bird would have been mostly immune to my lightning attack, but it wasn''t the case when it was attacked with a hot de Qi.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Krea…"
<span style="font-weight:400">The bird moaned on the ground as Inded gently on top of it. I looked at its sad eyes but didn''t feel any pity, it chose the wrong master, and now it was paying for its sin.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Better luck next time."
<span style="font-weight:400">I shoved the de Qi deep into its eyes, prating into its brain as its cries died out.
<span style="font-weight:400">The battle ended in under two minutes, and I stood victorious on top of the dead bird''s corpse.
<span style="font-weight:400">**
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