I twisted midair and landed on one knee, skidding across the forest floor as my ribs screamed in protest.
Alright. That one hurt.
Across the clearing stood my surprise assailant: tall, proud, and glowing like someone had dipped her in a divine smoothie. Short black hair ruffled by wind magic. White-and-gold armor glinting in the sunlight. Her eyes burned with holy judgment, and her grip on that stereotypical-looking Holy Sword was tight enough to crack bone.
Great. Another attractive swordswoman trying to kill me.
"Name yourself, Demon," she commanded, stepping forward.
I groaned, brushing bark off my shoulder. "You first. You're the one who introduced yourself with a punch to the spleen."
She didn't flinch.
"Fine. I am Hinako Arasaka, Saint of the Twin Veil, protector of the royal bloodline."
Japanese. I knew it.
Her sword gleamed as she raised it. "Now fall, vile creature!"
I rose to my feet, rolling my neck. "Oof, Saint of the Twin Veil? That's a mouthful. I'll just call you Hinako-chan. That cool?"
Her nostrils flared. "Draw your weapon, Demon."
Moonrend was already in my hand, humming with suppressed mana.
"Fine, fine. But for the record, I totally saved that princess. You're just late to the party."
"Enough lies!"
She lunged. Wind exploded beneath her boots as she dashed forward, sword flashing in a high arc. I met it with Moonrend, sparks flying from the impact.
Steel screamed. I shifted, pushing her blade to the side and slipping into a counterstrike.
She ducked, her Holy Sword spinning with divine speed. The follow-up slash caught my coat, slicing the edge clean off.
"Hey!" I barked, backflipping away. "This jacket is custom!"
She was already on me again, light and wind magic coating her every move.
I activated Thought Acceleration, my mind kicking into overdrive.
Left swing. Overhead feint. Backstep counter.
I met each blow, redirecting, flowing, weaving through her strikes. She was faster. Stronger. Three times stronger by my estimate. But her technique?
Sloppy.
Too emotional.
"Someone's got anger issues," I said mid-parry. "Did a demon eat your homework or something?"
"Silence!" she snapped, launching a torrent of wind blades with her off-hand.
I leapt sideways, weaving through the deadly arc. One grazed my leg.
"Ow. Rude."
I responded with a one-handed fireball. It splashed harmlessly against her Holy Barrier.
She dashed through the smoke, water magic wrapping around her blade as she brought it down.
I blocked again, knees bending under the force. She was relentless.
"Wow, you hit like a truck," I said through clenched teeth. "Is this your flirting style? Because it's working."
Her cheeks twitched. "You vile—!"
I channeled wind into my legs and launched upward, twisting in midair and firing an arc of lightning from my free hand.
She deflected it with a shield of light, eyes narrowing.
"I see you're using elemental magic. So predictable."
"Says the girl with sparkly angel cosplay," I shot back.
She rushed me again. Our blades clashed, singing through the clearing. Holy magic laced her strikes now—each impact shaking my bones.
I activated Parallel Processing, letting Yang take over footwork while I focused on defense. My instincts sharpened.
But I was still being pushed back.
"You're strong," I admitted. "Way stronger than anyone I've fought so far."
"I'm not impressed," she hissed.
"Didn't say you had to be."
I ducked under a swipe and landed a punch to her stomach.
She stumbled back, surprised.
"Martial arts too?"
"Yeah," I said, cracking my knuckles. "My mom made me take lessons. Black belt, by the way."
I followed with a sweeping kick—she blocked with her sword, sliding backward.
I grinned. "Come on, Saint-chan. You can do better than that."
She steadied her breathing, her aura flaring brighter.
"You're not just a Demon, are you?" she muttered.
I tilted my head. "And you're not just a sword jockey. Let me guess… Japan?"
That did it.
Her expression darkened. Her magic spiked.
"You…" she whispered. "You stole that appearance… Didn't you? You killed one of the others. And now you wear their face."
"What?"
"You're a monster pretending to be one of us. That's why you know our tongue. That's why you mock us!"
"Okay wow, massive leap in logic there, Hinako-chan. I'm literally from Tokyo. Shibuya district, thank you very much."
She didn't believe me. I could see it in her eyes.
She surged forward, light blazing in her sword.
I met her charge.
Holy steel and dark katana screamed as they collided in a flurry of sparks. We broke apart again, breath ragged, bodies battered.
And I was loving it.
She came in low this time, sweeping her blade in a crescent arc that left a glowing trail of holy fire. I flipped over it, flames licking the soles of my boots.
"You know," I said mid-air, "for someone trying to kill me, you're putting on a pretty dazzling show. Are you single?"
She snapped upward with a water-laced uppercut of a slash. It caught me on the side, slicing through my shirt and skin.
Pain flared—but only for a moment. Already, my regeneration kicked in, flesh stitching back together like reversed film.
She noticed. Her eyes narrowed.
"Healing factor?"
I landed a few feet back and brushed my side. "Fast regeneration. Comes with the half-demon package. Try harder."
Her brows furrowed. "You shouldn't be able to regenerate divine wounds."
"Guess I'm built different."
She launched a barrage of wind spears next. I dove and rolled, deflecting the closest ones with Moonrend and frying a few mid-air with a quick blast of fire magic.
Then I vanished in a blur, appearing behind her.
"You left your back open," I whispered.
She spun, reacting with inhuman speed—her blade grazing my cheek.
A shallow cut.
It healed before she could even register it.
Her glare deepened. "You think this is a game."
"No, no," I said, circling her. "Games are easier. You're just… entertaining."
She snapped her fingers.
A dome of water surged upward, catching me in a cyclone. Her holy magic surged through it—cleansing, burning, purifying.
My skin sizzled.
I grit my teeth, slamming a pulse of lightning into the water. Steam exploded outward as I broke free, landing roughly on my feet.
"I'm starting to think you don't like me," I coughed, steam rolling off my shoulders.
Hinako wasted no time. She was on me again, blade glowing brighter now, laced with purifying light. Her strikes were sharper, more precise.
Still emotional—but adapting.
"You're smiling," she growled, ducking under a kick. "Why are you smiling?!"
"Because you're finally fighting like someone who's had a few lessons."
She slashed up, catching my arm. The wound bubbled and smoked. I hissed, gripping the hilt tighter.
Still healing.
Slower now. Divine damage stung worse.
I grinned through the pain. "That almost hurt."
"You're stalling."
"Nope. Just letting you enjoy the view."
Her face flushed with fury. She surged again.
But I was ready.
I flowed under her blade and drove my elbow into her ribs. The impact knocked her off balance—just enough.
I followed with a magic burst: earth spikes erupting at her feet.
She backflipped away, air magic cushioning her escape. "Nice reflexes," I called. "Will you go on a date with me?"
She landed in a crouch, eyes blazing.
"You talk too much."
"I fight better when I'm annoying."
"You're doing a fantastic job, then."
We clashed again.
The battle was far from over.
And I wasn't done being a pain in her sanctified ass.
Our swords met again in a flash of light and shadow, the crack of our blades reverberating through the forest like thunder. Her Holy Sword gleamed brighter now, singing with divine energy, while Moonrend throbbed in my hand like it wanted to draw blood just to spite her.
We broke apart, both panting, both circling.
"Still standing?" she asked, her voice a little breathier than before.
"Standing, smirking, and still better-looking," I quipped, spinning Moonrend lazily.
"I'm going to purify your soul through your teeth."
"Kinky."
She charged again.
This time her blade extended with light—nearly doubling its length. I ducked, spun around her slash, and delivered a fire-enhanced sweep at her legs.
She jumped over it with a wind burst, landing behind me, but I was already turning, slamming a bolt of lightning toward her chest.
She deflected it with water magic—then retaliated with a radiant pulse of divine pressure.
It knocked me back, slamming me into a tree. I groaned and dropped to one knee.
"Still regenerating?" she asked coldly.
"Slower this time," I admitted, watching my skin bubble and reform over the divine burns. "But don't worry, I'm not out of flirty remarks just yet."
"Your mouth is your biggest weakness."
"Really? That's not what the fangirls said."
Her eyes flashed.
Boom.
We clashed again, this time trading rapid blows like a pair of machines. Each strike sparked a miniature explosion—metal screeching, magic crackling.
She parried one of my overhead strikes, spun, and landed a kick into my ribs.
I staggered back.
"You're tough," she admitted.
"You're cute when you're impressed."
She stabbed forward.
I sidestepped, grabbing her wrist mid-thrust and flipping her over my hip with a clean judo throw.
She crashed to the ground but twisted into a backwards roll, coming up with holy water magic slashing through the air.
I raised a stone wall just in time—water hissed as it carved through it.
I smirked behind the crumbling rubble.
"You ever consider modeling instead of stabbing?"
She burst through the wall like a divine wrecking ball, sword glowing with what I could only describe as righteous judgment.
I took the blow—on purpose.
Her blade drove deep into my shoulder, divine energy searing through flesh and muscle. I grunted, eyes twitching.
"You're insane," she whispered. "And yet... still ridiculously charming."
With her blade still embedded in my shoulder, I wrapped my hand around the flat of her blade and pulled her toward me, headbutting her right between the eyes.
She yelped and stumbled back, blood trickling down her forehead.
I yanked the sword out of my shoulder and tossed it aside. My wound already began to close, steam rising from the cauterized edges.
"That was dumb," I muttered to myself. "Even by my standards."
She summoned the sword back to her hand with a flick of divine energy and charged again, this time using all three of her elements in concert.
Water surged beneath her, propelling her forward like a missile. Wind kept her balanced, light bent around her blade to make it nearly invisible.
I had no time to dodge.
I layered myself in fire and earth magic and met her strike head-on.
The explosion cracked trees. Earth split. Flame danced skyward.
When the smoke cleared, I was on one knee again, Moonrend braced in both hands.
Blood dripped down my jaw.
She stood a few feet away, panting heavily, face flushed from effort and fury.
"You're still alive?"
"Still flirty."
She looked down at her blade, then at me.
"…You asked me before," she muttered. "Why does it matter if I'm Japanese?"
I looked up at her. "Because I am too. And last I checked, we're supposed to stick together, not try to kill each other like it's a JRPG boss fight."
Her face hardened again.
"Liar. You just want me to drop my guard."
"Actually, I want to give you my name. Duel etiquette. You said yours earlier, but I was still catching my breath from the whole 'divine punch to the ribs' thing."
I smiled. "Nice to meet you, Hinako. I'm Kaito Amakusa."
She narrowed her eyes. "That name means nothing to me."
"Give it time," I said, rising slowly. "You'll remember it. Everyone does."
We squared off again.
She lifted her blade.
Her aura flared.
She was preparing something big.
I braced myself.
She raised her sword high.
Light poured from it like a beacon, illuminating the forest as though it were midday. Wind circled her feet, forming a miniature cyclone. Water floated around her in orbiting runes, all of it swirling together into the shape of a divine sigil.
"Divine Art: Judgment of the Veiled Star."
My eyes narrowed. I didn't know what that was exactly, but judging by the sheer amount of mana she was pouring into it, it was something between "nuke" and "extreme overkill."
"You've got to be kidding me," I muttered. "Is this really necessary? I just flirted a little."
She didn't answer. Her eyes glowed with searing intensity. The entire forest trembled under the pressure of her power.
Moonrend vibrated in my hand, warning me. Yang's voice chimed in from my subconscious.
"Escape is recommended. Fatality likelihood: 97%."
"Noted."
I backed up a step, then another. My body was still healing, but this attack… it wasn't something I could tank. Not even close.
Hinako's voice rang out, clear and merciless. "Face divine judgment, monster."
The spell completed. The light condensed into a giant blade of radiant energy above her head, twice as long as a house, humming with holy authority.
She thrust her hand forward.
The blade descended.
I moved.
But not fast enough.
The divine sword crashed down, splitting the clearing. I crossed my arms and cast layered barriers—earth, wind, fire, water. Anything to soften the blow.
The explosion that followed was deafening.
Light swallowed me whole.
Pain exploded across every nerve in my body.
I hit the ground hard, smoke and debris filling my lungs. I was still conscious—barely. My vision blurred. My regeneration kicked in, but the divine nature of the attack was resisting it.
System Notice: "High-tier divine damage sustained. Recovery delayed."
Perfect.
Through the fog of agony, I saw Hinako step forward, breathing hard, but her grip on her sword steady.
She thought it was over.
She approached slowly, looking down at me, ready to end it.
"You were strong," she said quietly. "But you're still just a monster."
She raised her blade one final time.
And that's when it happened.
"STOP!!"
The shout cut through the tension like a knife.
Hinako froze.
The Third Princess ran into the clearing, face flushed with panic, her guards staggering behind her.
"Lady Hinako, stop! He's not the enemy! He saved us!"
Hinako blinked. "I… what?"
"He saved me! He protected us from the beasts! Please don't kill him!"
The light around Hinako's blade flickered.
Her focus wavered.
I saw the gap.
My body screamed in protest, but I acted.
I dropped a smokescreen spell at my feet—pure shadow and wind, thick enough to cloud her divine sight—and vanished into the trees.
Every step felt like my bones were breaking, but I kept running.
Behind me, I heard Hinako shout something—maybe my name, maybe a curse—but I didn't stop.
Couldn't.
I needed time to heal. To regroup. To figure out what the hell kind of twisted misunderstanding I'd just barely survived.
Minutes passed before I slowed down.
I dropped to my knees beneath a moss-covered tree, gasping for air, steam rising off my half-healed wounds.
"Yin," I muttered, clutching my side, "how bad is it?"
"Survivable. Eventually. You need time."
"Great. Any good news?"
"You are now officially on record as the first known Demon to survive a full-force Judgment spell from a Saint."
I chuckled bitterly. "Yay me."
I leaned back against the tree, staring up at the forest canopy. "…I didn't even get an answer to my date invitation."