Chapter 35: Power of the Muse

Erik trembled for a moment, but then shouted:

“No one can defeat me!”

He knew he couldn’t call forth his spirit anymore since he was weakened. So, he decided to use the supreme blast once again, now without the Dragon spirit’s power:

“Leo Style, Battler Art, Emperor Mode, Final Craft – Blast of the Sun!”

He blew out the powerful golden ray. Much to his and the collapsed girls’ surprise and horror, the blue-haired young man only raised one of his blue-fired hands to meet the blast head-on. The ray collided with it and dispersed around as if it had hit an unbreakable barrier. Erik’s jaw dropped – he dodged it with his bare hand?!

“Ouch, a scratch…” Kokujin frowned and rubbed his cheek which was bleeding from such a tiny cut as if a thorn had scratched him. His icy-blue eyes fired up with rage, while his body got covered in blue flames: “You dared scratch the Demon Lord?! No forgiveness! No mercy!”

Erik shuddered:

“W… What is this monster?!”

The crazy eyes of Kokujin locked on him, and when he raised a hand, he didn’t even cast any spell. The blue-flame ray simply emerged from it, hit Erik hard, and blasted him into the wall. Erik roared in pain as his flesh burned.

No way! How come I, a Fire user, am burning?!

He couldn’t even get back to his feet when he noticed the monster had come straight up to him. He gazed into his shimmering eyes. Before he could even react, a strong hand grabbed his neck and pulled him up, suffocating him. The demonic young man chuckled:

“Can the other divisions hear me?”

Erik widened eyes – he had access to those teams’ Telepathic System too?! He wasn’t even a Zodiac Master!

When the team members heard the unfamiliar voice, they had already engaged in heavy fights against Erik’s other clones.

“Who is it?” Edmund asked in dismay.

“Where are the girls?” Nick got worried too.

“It is an ally, for the meantime. I’ve got a pest here… Are you other guys ready to take out the remaining three? Because my hand’s itching to finish this one off…” Kokujin clutched Erik’s throat even tighter, making him gasp for air.

“What? But who are you?” Edmund was confused – he meant he was going to finish Erik’s clone off with bare hands?!

“Demon Lord Kokujin D’Infernal, enchanté[1]. So, are you ready or not?”

“Um, yes…” Edmund grew dumbfounded – Demon Lord?! What the heck did he mean?

“Wait, you said… Kokujin?” Nick’s voice called out in stupefaction, “Tamie’s muse?!”

“Nice to finally hear your voice, Nick,” Kokujin grinned, “I’ve always wanted to meet you in the real world”.

“Tamie’s muse?!” Edmund and Diana’s team exclaimed in a stupor – she had already unleashed her muse, so fast?

“We’re ready!” Shiba called out, fighting beside Diana.

“I’m ready too. Do it, Kokujin,” Nick shouted.

“With pleasure,” Kokujin turned back to cramping Erik, who was completely terrorized: “Well, say goodbye to the precious life you lingered for, pest. I’ve never liked you from the start”.

He clutched his fist and squeezed Erik’s throat. The clone shone red and exploded. In the mansion of the Braun, three other explosions sounded at that same time. Then, the final blow came:

“Capricorn Style, Builder Art, Demigod Mode, Final Craft – Blast of Saturn!”

Goldmund blasted Jan’s struggling Ghost Clone inside the glass box and killed him off.

All was over. The collapsed girls watched the demonic young man from the behind, whose black tunic floated in the wind caused by the explosion, while his blue hair played with the breeze.

“That is Tamie’s muse?”

Tiger could remember Tamie’s muse had a different face when fighting Fiorette, and he wasn’t this powerful. To actually have something like this up one’s sleeve…

“Amazing,” Riza said.

So, this was the true power hiding inside Tamie’s world of imagination – her innate companion, male muse, Kokujin.

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[1] Enchanté – Nice to meet you (French)