Battle Plans

"Well demons are a problem where we come from as well so I understand the struggle you're going through but it's very stupid to go on a suicidal crusade like this." Elliot said walking past Aldrif and talking to Akari. "Ankoku seems to be a dangerous opponent if you got those battle wounds but taken on a manticore."

"A young manticore." Aldrif pointed out with a small tone of spite. "I probably would've stopped it if he didn't try to gloat out his title and strike foolishly. Honestly, we won't have had to take this guy as a burden." She held her posture strongly while Rei gritted his teeth.

Elliot pushed Aldrif shouting, "Enough! I'm sorry sister but no one likes a sore loser. It's rude to call people a burden especially if they helped us! Remember what our parents said-"

"Don't bring them into something like this, Elliot!" Akari stood between them both as they both pulled out their weapons.

"It's best you both don't fight because you're both the only people that can help each other, coming from another place after all. With the resurgence of demons, families would choose to save their own before you guys. You need to keep out for each other in this world. Family is- well it's meant to be unbreakable." He explained as the siblings looked down putting away their weapons.

"I see that those words aren't just from your imagination, Akari. They come from the heart... I believe?" Aldrif asked trying to help him but Akari replied back.

"Now's not the time to dwell in fear, now is the time to end the demon. Will you help?" They both nodded smiling walking with him across the forest.

"Question. Where is it we're going?" Elliot asked stopping in his steps.

"We're going to find who will help us locate the demon..."

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"So who did you meet in your dream?" Asked Akio.

"It wasn't a dream. It was an actual event. I don't know why but it seems that I was transported through my mind. It's difficult to explain but I don't think I left the room but I went to this dimension..." Answered Mazoku back to him. "However I wish it was a dream after the people I met. There were monstrous beings."

"So a world full of mirrors?" Asked Daichi chuckling to herself. "Must've been terrible to be there." Mazoku chuckled sarcastically.

"Well luckily it wasn't that. I probably would've died then but for the latter there was a woman who can control meteors, an evil sentient moon and some helldogs. I don't know whether those were just it because I was only captured by them..."

"Just that?" Akio said smoothing his beard uninterested in them.

"I wouldn't try to underestimate them. If you ever meet them horror would get into your veins and stop you in your tracks especially when you meet their superior... The leader."

"Who then?"

"We'd probably call him Satan but his name is Akuma Mao."

Daichi looked shocked at him. "The Soul-Burner. You met him and he has a human name?"

"Yes but human? I didn't get a good look of him. I just saw a glimmer of an eye. Like a red stone. The rest was a dark silhouette. I was in a cave and when he grabbed me I had my eyes closed."

"That's a lost opportunity but it's fine for us. We don't need to give our attention to him currently." Akio cut in standing up and leaving. "Go to sleep and take some bandages to heal for our next training."

He left an ominous tone in the room as quickly as he left it. Daichi and Mazoku stared at him leaving and looked at each other. Why was he so strange?

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"They are searching for a demon I believe." One of the birds squawked as it walked over to the menacing manticore. "I believe a demon lives above our cave system? We could aim to stop there and try to ambush them."

"Let them fight each other and then we launch our attack... They will be weaker and easier prey to devour on... Now come here little bird." The manticore growled looming over it as the animal complied and it's loyalty was returned with a crushing fist killing it in an instant and weakening the ground.

"All of the birds! Bequeath me all of your children to add to my meal. I need myself to be ready for the massacre of Akari and his accomplices. My child was hopeless and would've died later anyways but now he gave his life to give me the whereabouts of Akari. Once we win each of you can have a strand of hair from him to remind you of my victory while I feast on the carcass of Haruto..."