Chapter 136: The Hat Man

The group fell completely silent at this. A feeling of dread was wafting around them, the walls of the temple contorting itself again, reflecting their thoughts. A. N. Noh took notice of this and would chuckle to himself, relishing such moments they are resonating within. "My, My....My words must've impacted your courage, have they? Your motivation, even? Your faces are quite clear, y'now. Not a lot of people tend to pay attention to them, but your faces are saying all sorts of things...Things such as-" His words were interrupted as Harvard would speak up, a scowl made on the child.

"You're lying. You're lying so you can make us scared! YOU'RE LYING SO THAT YOU CAN USE OUR FEAR AS AN ADVANTAGE!! DON'T TRY AND TRICK ME, JERK!!" He would yell, with Zazel once again holding him back, yet such an expression was very evident, and one unlike him. The Demon couldn't help but console the boy, seeing his denial upright. He doesn't seem to be someone that accepts the death of someone so easily. A. N. Noh would back himself up, letting the walls spread out and unleash their own pair of eyes, their teeth gnashing one another at the bit, their blank stares watching for a new meal. Harvard realized his emotions was getting the best of him, and would try to take a deep breath, trying not to be so rash amidst all of this.

"Interesting...I knew from the get-go you were an impulsive one. One that is willing to take challenge and face opposition in pride, one that doesn't back down in the slightest. And yet, despite all that, I never thought I'd see such a weakness in you. Despite your words, you're afraid. You're worried about what I said, yes? You're worried about the answer being true, correct?"

"We'll just beat you and check for ourselves then! Who's to say you're lying so you can get under our skin and use it against us?"

A. N. Noh cackled to himself loudly at such words, being more and more open about his feelings. "Oh my, my! Even in such denial, you'd find an excuse. I suppose you're right! I MIGHT be lying all this time, but what good would it do if you don't know it yourself? What good would it do if you only have my words to go by? After all....You don't know the truth, don't you?" Despite such claims, the Card Magician cannot help but agree with such words. He visibly balls up his hands into a fist, gritting his teeth as he stares down at the Hat Man. He takes more deep breaths, trying to calm himself, closing his eyes and fixing his thoughts. The Hat Man, in response, merely snapped his fingers to control the Shadow People, before he continues his speech. "The beauty of innocence. You tend to believe in a fantasy where everything goes as right as rain, yet even the most benevolent and lucky have that one bad day. That one specific day where something goes wrong. Something so drastic, they hide themselves in denial. They're afraid of reality. They don't want to experience the outcome because they don't like the end result. I can see it in your face, little magician....You are experiencing that One Bad Day already."

"I do hope I get to see your expressions more"

As he finished his words, the Shadow People would begin their assault, with the children focusing on dealing as much damage to the area as possible. Zazel would cast Asmodeus to light the area on fire, whilst using Eligos to coat the flames amidst another layer, letting the lines spread out. While Zazel cannot see its light from either side, the heat is more than enough for a tell, letting the lines take such heat and ensure they wouldn't reach them on the floor. As a response, the Shadow People would stab into the walls and climb upwards, allowing them to attack from above, using their long tendril-like arms to swat at the children with relative ease, their length increasing. Despite this advantage, Harvard would be one step ahead of them, casting a spell to set them up in mid-air: Knives. Such knives would be casted along with the combination Zazel made within the ground, aiming them directly towards the ceiling, with Eligos being able to pilot the knives and maneuver their trajectory to the Shadow People, striking, nay, disintegrating them upon contact, with such a flood of steel piercing through their flesh, cutting them up alive as if they were nothing but mere sheets of paper. 

After such a effort made, A. N. Noh couldn't help but clap once more. "Wonderful~! Simply wonderful~! Your reactions are shining so much! Although, I don't like how you managed to be so coordinated. Let me fix that and study you some more.." He would state, snapping his fingers and causing the walls to close in, with more Shadow People being spawned, able to swarm in such numbers due to the limited space. Because of such space, Harvard would be forced to try and set-up a monster, hoping their size would be enough to expand and ensure such limits wouldn't affect them. As he does this, however, A. N. Noh would showcase one more trick upon his sleeve, tapping at the walls and causing something to appear, something that quickly caught themselves within the Card Magician's body, something in a similar fashion to Zazel's own demons.

One key difference was that it was able to glow properly. Lines of solid white being made across his body. Another Eligos. Zazel would turn to Noh for an answer, the walls closing in faster and more Shadow people swarming in, attempting to strike at the defenseless child. "It seems you caught on, hmm? Those creatures you saw aren't just mere beasts. I know I shouldn't say this, less you would know a solution to it all, but such a reaction to the information would absolutely provide more research to study. You children should have such a studious mind as well, it could be even a past time hobby for one of you! Of course, I'm getting ahead of myself-" Such ramblings weren't helping in the slightest, only increasing the fear and worry for the situation. Zazel would keep an eye out at the Shadowy figures, while also attempting to find a solution for the likes of such a sigil embedded in his friend's body.