Hostage Situation

Ryuma fell to both his knees as he was gasping for air since currently the whole area had been covered with smoke, making it harder for him to breathe inside it. As he was about to pass out, he felt something wrapped around his body as he was pulled backward.

...

"*Cough**Cough*... Line...?" As Ryuma recalls the face that just saved him, he's coughing at the same time from the smoke that's going inside his lungs. Until then, Ryuma had a hard time muttering a single word as he looked at his surroundings beside Line.

Most of the place was covered in smoke, making him unable to see the surroundings. All Ryuma sees is the broken pieces of ground all over the place. Vestine was nowhere to be seen, but all he knows is that the last attack definitely gave him a fatal hit.

Soon, the smoke started to fly off, revealing the large space. The star illuminates the dark sky shining inside Ryuma's eyes as if it is the first time he saw the sight. Not long after, Ryuma realized that his head had been lying on Line's lap, he quickly got up as soon he realized it.

"It looks like you're both alright!..." The familiar voice comes from a far distance, Ryuma turns his gaze towards the voice and sees Aura as she's making her way to him. At the same time, Line noticed the unfamiliar sound coming from inside the rubble.

An eye that's gazing towards the three, Ryuma, Aura, and Line herself.

"Miss receptionist?! I thought you were going to the shelter already-"

"Thousand Lines!" Line's shouting averted Ryuma's attention towards her, as he was not aware of it, Line summoned a bunch of needle-like lines to the rubble. No, specifically whatever is hiding inside the rubble. But it dodges Line's attack as it's closing its distance towards the two.

Just to leap off them and make his way towards Aura instead.

"Ahh~ It was close it was close~ But, the game's over kiddo." 

"What?! You're still alive?!" Ryuma couldn't believe it from his eyes, the middle-aged man that's lost his monstrosity appearance who he just burned him whole earlier somehow was able to survive the attack. Hell, even be able to stand up his two feet, Vestine.

"You..." Ryuma stand up as he's about to charged towards Vestine who has Aura as the hostage.

"Wowowo Kiddo~ Slow down a bit." Said Vestine as he pointed his index finger to Aura's head.

"Look, I've had her brain on gunpoint. I don't care what any action you're trying to pull right now. But, I'll say it, one move and she's gone. Boom! The brain will be splattered to the ground, not even that girl could save her, since it's the 'soul' that will go away that's it..."

Hearing the threatened words from Vestine, Ryuma immediately stopped his muscle. Everything went from A to Z, and somehow they went back to A back. To the point when Vestine tried to hold Ryuma in his palm. No, he had Ryuma in his palm at this point, any word that came out from Vestine would be inevitable. 

Be it going against his will or not.

"From the looks on your face, you're probably thinking how am I still alive after all this time. All this time, my monstrous strength, and inhuman appearance, are all forms of the 'shell'. In summary, you've been hitting nothing but my shell all this time."

As Vestine has Aura as a hostage, he then keeps backing away from Ryuma and Line.

" Lady, I could've asked you to teleport me away from here, but I'm also quite the cautious guy. I know, you can' teleport yourselves. That's why I don't wanna take my chance to make you do that. In case you're tricking me. No, I know you're doing that, that's why we're taking the detour outside this town."

As Vestine was about to drag Aura away, it was a second before he noticed the arm that's aiming the spell onto Aura's brain has been tied with the rope, out of nowhere.

"What is this...?" Vestine let his guard down the moment before he noticed it. The rope proceeds to pull him away from Aura as he loses his grip on her. Vestine lost his balance as he was dragged away on the floor. He tried to get rid of the rope by burning it with fire magic.

But once again as he realized it, another rope was attached to his leg. Thus, the rope is dragging Vestine by his leg right now.

"Kuh! Where the hell is this rope coming from?!" At some point, Vestine was dragged far enough. On the right side of his eyes, he saw the figure standing behind the rubble. An unknown identity, one could say. But, Vestine knew exactly who the person was.

"You're... An S rank! Lainar Faulkner! I thought you were gone for a week!"

"Ah, I was. But I hurriedly finished up my stuff and came as fast as I could. But, who would predict this small town would be attacked by the one of biggest syndicate themself..."

"Tch, you..." Vestine proceeded to attack Lainar with the fire magic, but it was futile. Vestine was confused when his fire phase through Lainar, as if he was a ghost.

"I'm right here, what you just attacked is my reflection." Vestine immediately turned his head to the opposite side of him and saw Lainar, aiming at something that was attached to his arm. It was the harpoon launcher, Lainar pulled the trigger, shooting Vestine with it.

Although the harpoon was aimed at the head, Vestine barely dodged it. But with the cost of his hand as the hand was pierced by the harpoon instead. Lainar seeing Vestine survive his attack, gave him a huge stomp on Vestine's face.

"I believe... This is our second encounter... In the old days. Who would thought we'd see each other after a while? Plus, I fucking saw how you're taking my girl hostage. Just to clarify, you aren't getting out of this alive, old man..."