Taimanin: Young Mage in an Erotic World

Tatsurou and Yukikaze were currently in Maesaki City, the closest urban center to Gosha Village. Despite its proximity, it still took three hours by bus or train to reach. This small city was where they had chosen to have their date, walking through its quiet streets toward a café for a quick lunch. The afternoon sun filtered through the shop awnings, casting warm patches of light across the pavement.

Tatsurou was determined to lift Yukikaze's spirits. Losing her mother again had to be weighing heavily on her, no matter how much she tried to hide it. Especially since Yukikaze had believed she had grown stronger and yet still couldn't protect the one person she wanted to most. And while Ryuji had told them not to worry, his words weren't enough to ease her fears.

"Yukikaze," he called out, hovering his spoonful of marlowe pudding in front of her. He decided to take a more aggressive approach, the way Ryuji acted toward Yukikaze, with teasing and closeness. Maybe if he adopted that style, his chances would improve. "Here, try this pudding. It's really good."

Yukikaze's cheeks flushed a soft pink, caught off guard by his sudden boldness. She fidgeted slightly in her seat. "Idiot… what's gotten into you?" Her voice softened despite the protest, the sharpness fading into something warmer. Still, she leaned in and took a bite of the sweet, smooth pudding, letting the flavor melt across her tongue. Rich and creamy, with a hint of caramel.

She decided to do the same with vanilla ice cream with soda. Cola flavour. Yukikaze scooped some of the ice cream, making sure there was some soda in there, and hovered it toward Tatsurou, letting him taste it. A small, playful smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

Tatsurou took a bite, the fizziness and ice-cold creamy ice cream invading his tongue. A soft sound of pleasure escaped his mouth, and the warmth in Yukikaze's eyes told him his advances were working, at least a little.

"Mmm~ it's good." Tatsurou said. "Thanks, Yukikaze."

"You're welcome." Despite the warm atmosphere, Yukikaze still felt a weight pressing on her chest.

"You're still feeling worried about your mom?"

"Yeah…" Yukikaze sighed, her gaze dropping to the table. "I finally got her back, only to lose her again."

"But she is fine, right? Ryuji said she is safe."

"Maybe he is right. She is safe." Yukikaze sipped on the cola, the fizz tingling her throat. "But I can't shake this feeling like I know that guy in the picture. This Juryu."

"Know him?"

"Yes. And it's the same feeling I had with Ryuji as well. Like I know him from somewhere. This feeling… It's like nostalgia." She paused, her brow furrowing. That morning in the Sanctuary, when Ryuji came downstairs, she finally got a good look at him. His shameless attire, just a shirt and boxers, and yet there was this feeling like she knew him from somewhere. His looks, his hair. When he sparred with Rinko, the way he fought felt like she had seen it before.

"Maybe you met him somewhere?"

"Somewhere…" Yukikaze's eyes drifted upward, searching her memory. "Yeah. I remember him somewhere related to a game. An arcade, or a gaming convention maybe?"

"So Ryuji-senpai is a gamer like you." Tatsurou leaned forward, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "Have you ever thought about making him your gaming buddy?"

"A gaming buddy…" Yukikaze tilted her head, considering it. "I don't know. He might be old school since he had an old PS4 console." A mischievous grin crept across her face. "But it might be funny seeing him fail and gain a ton of viewers during the stream."

Tatsurou's eyes twitched. He had hoped Ryuji could make Yukikaze's gaming experience more fun, and it would be. But more in the sense of turning him into a laughing stock. "I don't think you should treat Ryuji-senpai like that."

"Huh? Why not?" Yukikaze's brow furrowed. "I’m sure he doesn’t mind. I mean that guy let me shock him…" Her voice trailed off, and she fell silent for a moment. A pang of guilt crept into her chest. "What kind of weirdo lets himself get shocked?"

"Someone who really cares about you." Tatsurou's answer was simple, and without hesitation. "You should apologize to Ryuji-senpai once we return to the village."

Yukikaze flinched. "I-I know." She looked away, her fingers tightening around her glass. "But that idiot probably doesn't care anyway. I don't know why, but it feels like he just isn't someone who holds grudges."

"You guessed correctly. Senpai doesn't really hold grudges. He told Rinko-nee that, during her apologies."

"But… I hurt him. He can't be that nice."

"Rinko-nee tried to cut Ryuji up and even gave him a splitting headache by forcing him to use his special ability. And Ryuji forgave her."

"W-well, I had to give him something." Yukikaze fidgeted. "Your sister gave Ryuji her body, right? So what should I give him?"

Tatsurou sighed. He couldn't blame her for thinking that way. "Just to clarify, Rinko-nee only hugged his arm. There's nothing serious about it." He paused, considering. "How about you give him a dessert. Like a cake, donuts, or even pudding? I heard from sis that Ryuji-senpai showed great interest in sweets when they visited Inageya."

"Sweet… sweet…" Yukikaze nodded slowly, already lost in thought. "Okay, so I just have to buy him the tastiest dessert money can buy." She grabbed the menu, scanning it intently for the perfect sweet to bring home.

"How about coffee jelly?"

"Eh?" Yukikaze wrinkled her nose. "Wouldn't there be a bitter taste?"

"They're also sweet. Combining both would make a tasty snack."

"No!" She shook her head firmly. "It has to be completely sweet. Not bitter."

"Then you might as well just give him sugar."

"Since when do you do sass?" Yukikaze blinked, genuinely surprised by how quickly Ryuji had influenced Tatsurou's personality.

"Um…" Tatsurou's cheeks flushed as he realized what he'd said. He cleared his throat. "How about mango pudding? It's sweet and refreshing."

"No…" Yukikaze shook her head. "Mango is healthy. It needs to be so sweet that it rots your teeth."

"You do realize you're just making it harder on yourself?" Tatsurou sighed, rubbing his temple. "How about this, we go to the cake shop and buy every type of cake in slices until it becomes a whole cake."

"Buy every type of slice cake…" Yukikaze's eyes lit up. That was actually a good idea. She nodded, a determined grin spreading across her face. "Okay, then. To the cake shop once we finish our lunch."

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The trip to the cake shop had been quick. Yukikaze moved through the display with laser focus, picking out anything that looked tasty to her. Soon enough, she had a small box filled with slices of every cake that caught her eye.

But it was still too early to end their date. So they decided to spend some time at an arcade.

The place was a jarring contrast. Colorful, bright lights flashing against a dark, futuristic theme. Neon signs and holographic displays lined the walls, and the sound of electronic music. Yukikaze's eyes lit up the moment they stepped inside.

Tatsurou, on the other hand, knew he was doomed if he played any video game against her. The only option was to go physical.

"Let's go have a match at the Air Hockey table."

"Eh?" Yukikaze pouted, pointing toward an arcade game. "But I want to play Alleyway Warriors."

“Come on, we always play what you want. How about we play what I want this time.”

"Alright, then." Yukikaze agreed.

Now they stood on opposite sides of the air hockey table. Tatsurou would start the game. He placed the puck down, and Yukikaze readied her defense, a confident smirk playing on her lips. Then she looked up at Tatsurou, and was caught off guard by the determination burning in his eyes, like a fire had been lit inside him.

'He's taking this seriously. I guess I'll take it seriously as well.' Yukikaze thought, though she figured it wouldn't be that bad.

Tatsurou then moved his hand, and in that moment, he struck so fast that in the blink of an eye, the puck was already in the goal.

"Wha- huh?!" Yukikaze couldn't react in time, her eyes wide with surprise. "Oh, this is how you want to play."

She placed the puck on the table and readied her mallet. Then, with a sharp crack, she sent it flying straight across the table with incredible speed.

But Tatsurou was ready. He countered instantly, angling his mallet to send the puck zigzagging off the sides. Left, right, left. Without losing any momentum.

Yukikaze calculated where it would land, tracking its path. But she misjudged the consistent speed. The puck slipped past her mallet and into the goal.

Tatsurou won the second match.

"Y-You…" Frustration flickered across Yukikaze's face. Tatsurou hadn't shown her any mercy—no crack in his focus, no hint of sympathy. Was this what he felt like every time she crushed him in a one-sided video game match?

"What's wrong?" A mocking smirk tugged at Tatsurou's lips. "Don't tell me you're starting to cry?"

Yukikaze's eye twitched. She was going to stop bullying Tatsurou in video games after this.

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The air hockey match was completely one-sided. Yukikaze managed to eke out only three wins against Tatsurou's nine. But Tatsurou felt a pang of guilt seeing her frustration and decided to let her pick the next game.

Initially, she was about to choose Alleyway Warriors. But then something caught her eye. An old fighting game, tucked away in the corner of the arcade, its cabinet slightly faded but still glowing with a familiar logo.

Her breath caught.

It was the first game her father had ever gifted her. The fighting game that had inspired her to move forward, even after losing her mother.

"No way…" Yukikaze's voice was barely a whisper. "I can't believe they still have this old game!" She grabbed Tatsurou's arm, her heart pounding with nostalgia. "Tatsurou-kun, let's play this!"

"Magi Revolution?" Tatsurou squinted at the faded title on the screen. It appeared to be a fighting game. On the side of the cabinet, a character portrait was displayed. Surprisingly similar to Ryuji, though with a more anime-like design.

"Alright," Yukikaze said, already positioning herself on the left side. "You're on the right, and I'm on the left."

Tatsurou inserted the coin, and the intro started. He skipped it with a press of a button. Now he could pick his character. His eyes naturally gravitated toward the Ryuji lookalike. When he moved the selection cursor over the character, the name appeared at the bottom of the screen.

Miyatake Ryuji.

"Um… Yukikaze…" Tatsurou's voice was hesitant, a nervous edge creeping in. "Isn't it weird that there's a character who looks like Ryuji and has the same name?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Yukikaze quickly moved her selection to the same character, and froze. Her eyes widened. "I-It's a coincidence…" She forced a laugh. "Yeah, that's right. A coincidence."

‘Coincidence… Right. It has to be.’ Tatsurou thought to himself, though the unease in his chest didn't fade. He selected the Ryuji lookalike and waited for Yukikaze.

Yukikaze still felt weirded out, but she pushed the feeling aside and quickly picked a character that caught her interest, a magical girl with cobalt-blue ponytail hair and a love-patched eye on the right side of her face.

The game loaded, and they found themselves in a forested arena. The character introductions began, as they always did in fighting games.

The magical girl stepped forward first, her voice tomboyish and dripping with challenge. " I don’t know you. But get ready for your ass beating, bad guy."

Then the Ryuji lookalike stepped into frame, but unlike the real Ryuji, this one was a mess. His posture was stiff, shoulders shaking, hands fumbling around as he panicked. "M-Miyatake R-Ryuji," he stammered. "You can call me Ryuji if you want." A pause. Then he quickly dropped into a fighting stance. "And I'm not the bad guy!"

The announcer's voice boomed across the arena. "Round 1… Fight!"

Neither character moved. They were both frozen, not from the game, but from shock. It was getting harder and harder to convince themselves this was just a coincidence. The voice, the way he introduced himself, everything was so similar to Ryuji.

"Yukikaze, I don't think this is a coincidence anymore." Tatsurou waited for a response, but all he met was silence. He quickly turned to check on her, and his heart sank. She was crying.

"Ryuji from the game and from here are the same." Her voice trembled as the pieces finally clicked into place. That was why she had felt so strongly nostalgic around him. "He is the same! The Sanctuary, The Third Eye, The Calming Flame and even the PS4. That explains everything!"

"Um… are you sure?" Tatsurou hesitated, glancing between her and the screen. "In this game, he acts more nervous. Ryuji is more… confident."

"That's because this is a sixteen-year-old version of him!" Yukikaze wiped her eyes, her voice steadier now. "Before the big story events happened. In the sequels, this character will act more like our Ryuji."

"Oh…" Tatsurou stared at the screen, watching the nervous, fumbling boy stumble into a fighting stance. "So this is what Ryuji was like at sixteen." It was strange—almost jarring—seeing him act so unsure of himself.

"Yup." Yukikaze nodded, a soft, nostalgic smile crossing her face. "I think I understand where this nostalgic feeling comes from now." But then the smile faded, replaced by a frown. "W-Wait… How did he come here?"

"Yeah, that's the big question." Tatsurou's brow furrowed as he started to piece it together. "We met Ryuji-senpai in Yomihara. So that means he first arrived in our world there. He mentioned being forced to come, so something must have happened to cause him to travel to our world."

"If there's a way to bring these characters to this world…" Yukikaze's voice trailed off, her mind already racing with possibilities. "I wonder…"

"Yukikaze," Tatsurou cut in, his tone firm. "I don't think it's a good idea to force these characters into our world. And it might not be someone bringing him here. We don't know what we're dealing with."

"I know. You don't have to tell me." Yukikaze let out a slow breath. "If we mess up and accidentally summon the wrong one, it would cause chaos." She fell silent for a moment, her gaze drifting to the box of cakes on the table. "I think I need to do more than giving him this cake."

"More than a cake?" Tatsurou blinked. "But why?"

"Because Ryuji is one of my idols." Yukikaze's voice was quiet, but steady. "I admire my mom and dad. And when both disappeared… this video game franchise helped me push forward. It inspired me to get stronger and be more optimistic when I was all alone in the house. Seeing Ryuji's story—everything he went through—makes me want to push forward and get that happy ending for myself."

"Yukikaze…" Tatsurou's expression softened. "Sure. Let's do that. Since you play the games, I'm sure you know what Ryuji really wants."

"Um…" Despite her speech, Yukikaze suddenly looked sheepish. "I kinda forgot the story. It's been a long time since I played the games, so I don't remember much. Only key moments."

"Then we just give him the cake for today, okay?" Tatsurou offered a reassuring smile. "Once you rewatch the story, I'm sure you can find him a great gift."

"You're right. Now, let's pla—"

The announcer's voice cut through the air. "Time's Up! Tie!"

"..."

Both Yukikaze and Tatsurou stared at the screen. They had forgotten to pause the game, and wasted an entire round.

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The day turned to evening, the sun beginning its slow descent beyond the horizon. Now they were on the bus, traveling back to the village. The exhaustion of the day had finally caught up with them, and they spent most of the ride in comfortable silence. Yukikaze slowly let her head rest on Tatsurou's shoulder as she dozed off. Tatsurou stayed still as a stone, not wanting to disturb her rest.

Then his phone rang, jolting them both awake. Tatsurou fumbled for his phone and saw his sister's name on the screen. He answered the video call, and soon both he and Yukikaze were chatting with Rinko.

Both of them knew Rinko had gone on a date with Ryuji. She had mentioned the idea when Tatsurou left the faculty room after the meeting with Shizuru-sensei, wanting to learn more about Ryuji. Though the more they thought about it, the more it made both of them question Rinko's feelings toward Ryuji.

Then Rinko mentioned she was taking care of Ryuji, who had fallen sick at the Akiyama estate. Tatsurou's eyes went wide. His sister was willing to anger their father just to take care of Ryuji? The thought lingered, heavy with implication.

As they continued to talk, the phone was suddenly snatched away, revealing Ryuji on the screen.

His face was flushed, his eyes red-rimmed and glassy. His voice came out hoarse, slurred, almost drunk. Ryuji requested Tatsurou to stay with Yukikaze for tonight. Yukikaze immediately rejected the idea, her cheeks burning, but Tatsurou simply shrugged and said he didn't mind, just for one night.

Then Ryuji, in his feverish haze, threatened them to have sex. Rinko's palm connected with the back of his skull before he could finish the threatening sentence, and he crumpled out of frame.

There were quick, awkward goodbyes after that. The call ended, leaving Tatsurou and Yukikaze in the quiet hum of the bus.

"That was weird," Tatsurou said.

"And it's my first time seeing Ryuji with a natural fever. That has never happened in the story."

"Well, it's a story at the end of the day. They can't show everything about the characters' day-to-day lives."

"Do you think Magi Revolution is actually a real world?"

"Ryuji is real, so his world might be real too."

"I want to visit that world if I can."

"What?" Tatsurou blinked. "Sorry, it's just… isn't Ryuji's world similar to ours?"

“Yes, but ours is much more terrible." Yukikaze's voice grew bitter. "Seriously, the only magical places here are Gosha Village and Kyoto's Gokou Academy. Outside of that, it's just criminal cities." She paused, her gaze drifting out the window. "Ryuji's world had the Druid's Grove. The hidden sorcerer city of Majutsu. A village full of witches. The Yokai town of Yokai-Machi." Her voice softened with longing. "And all we have are criminal cities filled with demons that would just attack you and turn you into a prostitute."

"I don't think Ryuji's world is that nice, not with the amount of scars he's suffered." Tatsurou still remembered vividly the scars crisscrossing Ryuji's body, the ones he'd glimpsed when Rinko had changed his clothes.

"Yes there is danger, but so does walking down a shady streets. As long as you know which streets to avoid you’re safe. But Ryuji is the exception." Yukikaze shook her head. "If I remember correctly, most of the conflicts he encounters are because of his bloodline. Most of the strong enemies he fights tend to have grudges against his clan. Even his own clan is against him."

"His own clan? Didn't he say it was destroyed?"

"Oops, I misremembered." Yukikaze winced. "It's not a clan, it's an organization called the Miyatake League. It consists of six clans that serve under the Miyatake. If I remember correctly, they tried to groom Ryuji and make him completely under their control."

Tatsurou's eyes widened. Even his own clan's organization had tried to hurt him?

"He managed to avoid the League's control through the protection of the Sovereign Mage Militia." Yukikaze suddenly felt an urge to relive those memories. "Let's watch the anime of it when we arrive at my house."

"There's an anime adaptation?"

"Only one. And it only adapted the first game."

"Should we watch it?" Tatsurou hesitated, his brow furrowing. "It feels like an invasion of privacy. Wouldn't it be like watching someone live through a spy camera, except in the form of an animated cartoon?"

Yukikaze opened her mouth, but no words came out. Now that Ryuji was actually real—actually in the village—would watching his story be like invading his privacy? “It's not like that. Think of it as watching a documentary."

"You really want to watch this anime, don't you?"

"Shut up! It won't be that bad."

"I won't judge you." Tatsurou let out a meek laugh. "I actually want to watch it too."

Hearing that, Yukikaze pouted and delivered a punch to his shoulder.

"Ouch!"

"Jerk." Yukikaze turned her head away from him, but a small smile slowly crept across her lips.

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Yazaki Muneichi sat in his luxurious hotel room, a glass of champagne in his hand. The city lights glittered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, but his mind was far from relaxed. He needed to rake in a fortune, enough to appease the Incubus King after losing Mizuki Shiranui.

It had been difficult. The money bled away faster than he could earn it, most of it funneled into security. After the day those three Taimanin attacked, he had tripled the number of bodyguards and hired only the best. Now, finally, he could breathe. No one would dare touch him here.

He raised the glass to his lips.

The window shattered inward.

Two men in black crashed through in a spray of glass and twisted metal, their bodies encased in dark body armor. Their faces were hidden behind masks, but Muneichi could tell them apart by height alone. One average, the other short. Tall as a child.

"I can tell you're thinking about my height, you bastard." The shorter one's voice was young, almost boyish. But it carried an edge that made Muneichi's blood run cold. He quickly hid under the table. The boy cracked his knuckles.

"Didn't you have the ability to control your height to average? Isn't that what you've been training for years?" the taller one said.

"And I can only do it for about twelve hours a day, Isamu. It's really putting a strain on my muscles and mind trying to keep the balance."

As they spoke, guards entered the room. A mix of orcs and beastmen, ready for the kill. But the two reacted quickly. The taller one pulled out his gun and a combat knife; the short one drew a metal bo staff with Chinese characters etched into it.

Shots were fired, but the two mages closed in, letting their armor absorb the bullets as they began killing the bodyguards. The dwarf smashed bones and skulls without slowing down. The tall one fired at close range, targeting vitals, then sliced and diced with his short knife.

The fight was slowly turning in the invaders' favor.

But the tide shifted in an instant. A giant fist crashed down on the dwarf, shattering his armor and sending him crashing into the wall.

"Koguma!" the taller one shouted, dropping into a defensive stance as two newcomers stepped forward. Ogres, one red and one blue, both taller and bulkier than any of the bodyguards.

As Koguma slowly rose, recovering from the brutal punch, a whip wrapped around his neck. He was yanked forward, forced to his knees.

"I didn't know there was a cute boy here." A succubus licked her lips, stepping her heel onto his head.

"Hehe." Muneichi finally regained his confidence as he watched his side take control. "That's what you get. I upped the security after the last time you Taimanin attacked."

Instead of worry, the taller one's voice carried only concern. "Are you sure you're comfortable letting yourself go, Koguma?"

The succubus looked down at the dwarf, noticing something. His size was changing. Was he… getting bigger?

"I-I was at first…" Anger seethed out of his voice. "Until I felt the aphrodisiac effect. Now I'm going to kill everyone in this building!"

As Koguma made his declaration, he smashed his fist into the ground. The floor groaned, cracked, and collapsed entirely. Everyone fell, stunned by the sheer force of the act.

Isamu landed on the lower floor then seized the opening. He lunged toward Muneichi, knocked him out with a single punch, grabbed him, and leaped out the shattered window.

The succubus noticed and scrambled to follow, then her vision flipped upside down with a sickening crunch. Her body refused to respond. She collapsed onto her knees, dazed and confused.

Then she saw it. An ogre stepped in front of her. No, not an ogre. Its hair was long. Its body was lean, not bulky. And the bloodlust pouring off it was suffocating. She could feel the hatred radiating from it like heat from a furnace.

"How does it feel? The sense of despair as death closes in. The despair you tried to instill in me, you slut."

Ah. Now she understood. The child had become this monster. No wonder the dwarf hadn't panicked, he had already expected this to happen.

Koguma raised his foot above the succubus and slammed it down onto her skull, crushing it in a single, brutal motion. She was dead before her body hit the floor.

Then he shifted to his next target. The two ogres, still stunned. He rushed in like a madman and tackled the blue one to the ground.

Instead of a punch, he went straight for its nose with his teeth and bit it off in a single, savage bite. The ogre screamed, thrashing wildly, desperate to escape. Then Koguma grabbed its right arm—effortlessly, as if its strength meant nothing—and snapped it. The broken bone tore through flesh, protruding grotesquely.

Koguma moved for its neck, intending to snap it—but the red ogre tackled him before he could finish.

The red ogre unleashed a barrage of punches as Koguma was forced to block with his arms. Despite being pinned down, Koguma grew impatient and tried to grab its arms. The move left him open—fists hammered into his face, again and again. But in exchange, he seized the ogre's head and drove his thumbs into its eyes, pressing and gouging deep.

The red ogre screamed and grabbed Koguma's arms in pain. Koguma used the opening to throw it off him.

Slowly, he rose to his feet. The bodyguards finally got a good look at him after the chaos. He had grown as tall as an ogre. His black hair had lengthened, spilling down to his chest. His broken armor revealed lean, corded muscles, and his face—once boyish—now looked like something between a man and a beast.

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This was the plan from the beginning.

Lure most of the bodyguards toward them, and let Koguma unleash his true form on the rest. There were two objectives. Capture Yazaki Muneichi, and eliminate the hired mercenaries.

Why was killing the mercenaries a priority when it would have been easier to just kidnap Muneichi and leave? Because the Militia had a private mercenary army. It wasn't publicly stated, to others it was just another up-and-coming mercenary company. They had placed someone loyal in charge and had been quietly building its power, climbing the ranks among the mercenary groups.

One of the ways to do that was to eliminate any rivals that threatened them. Yazaki Muneichi had hired a mercenary company. The Militia took this opportunity to destroy them.

Now Isamu was falling, Muneichi in his arms. At this height, even a mage would surely die on impact.

This was where Shoot's role came into play. She was already in her magical girl battle dress—lavender colour, and glowing faintly with power—diving down toward Isamu. She caught him mid-fall, her hand grabbing Isamu's hand, and slowly guided them both down to the waiting van.

Isamu quickly drove off with Muneichi in tow. Shoot shot back into the sky, heading straight for the skyscraper to assist Koguma. She pulled out a giant rifle, its barrel humming as she charged a shot. When she unleashed it, an entire floor was obliterated, reducing the enemy numbers significantly and making Koguma's job much easier.

With that done, she flew back to the van, escorting it safely toward their territory.

While Shoot had been assisting Koguma, Isamu had put considerable distance between himself and the building. But he was quickly chased down by two cars and ten flying demons. If Isamu had looked more carefully, he would have noticed most of the flyers were humanoid. Likely succubi, since they were the only human-like demons known to possess wings. At least, as far as they knew.

Gunfire rained down from the cars. One of the succubi managed to land on top of the van, stabbing her sword into the roof and slowly cutting it open. She was stopped by a headshot. Her skull exploding, blood spraying out like a geyser.

The succubi quickly shifted focus to Shoot, who was holding a rifle and already firing another shot. Another demon fell.

Shoot shot upward with incredible speed, and the succubi followed. She quickly stowed her rifle and drew two short swords. Her body slowly turned to face the group, her silhouette cutting a sharp line against the night sky.

"I am Shoot Lavender, proud former member of the Air Hearts Company, and the former right hand of Miyatake Asahi." Her voice rang out, clear and commanding. "Demons, let us dance in the sky. I shall be your leader in this night's dance."

With those final words, she flew down like a missile, a lavender blur against the dark sky. The succubi, shocked by her sudden acceleration, quickly formed a tight formation, linking their power together into a barrier they believed would stop her.

It wasn't strong enough. Not nearly as strong as a bunker.

Shoot's immense speed and her refusal to slow down—to even flinch—shattered their defense. She tore through them, her twin blades cutting through flesh and bone. Multiple succubi were sliced to pieces before they could react.

One managed to drive her sword straight at Shoot. But Shoot blocked it, by letting the blade pierce straight through her left arm. She hardened the limb instantly, trapping the sword inside. The succubus panicked, tugging desperately to pull it free.

In that split second, Shoot drove her sword straight through the succubus's skull.

Another succubus managed to slice across Shoot's back—but was decapitated before she could celebrate the hit. Shoot's resilience and insane combat style—letting herself get damaged just to open a counterattack—baffled the succubi. They had never seen anyone fight like this.

They had to use poison. It was the only way.

One of them quickly pulled out a bottle, but her hand suddenly separated from her wrist. Shoot was already in front of her, delivering a flurry of stabs all over her body. Multiple visible wounds covered her torso and face as gravity pulled her to the ground.

"W-we can't beat this crazy bitch!" one of them screamed. "She's crazier than any Taimanin! We need to retreat!"

That declaration was enough. The succubi scattered, fleeing in all directions.

Shoot hovered in the air, breathing heavily, a crazy smile plastered across her face. She wanted to go after them. Every instinct screamed to finish them all. But she couldn't. She had to prioritize the van.

With a reluctant sigh, she turned and flew toward the van's direction.

Isamu was driving at high speed through traffic, two cars in hot pursuit, their occupants firing shots at the van. He had pushed his body enhancement to its absolute limit, weaving through oncoming traffic on the wrong side of the road just for a chance to escape.

"Come on, Isamu. You can do it. You used to be a top street racer in Shibuya." He psyched himself up, slammed the gas pedal, and pushed the gear to its maximum. The van surged forward, now going hundred kilometers per hour.

He swerved left and right, narrowly avoiding oncoming cars. The chasers weren't so lucky. They managed to avoid crashing, but each near-miss slowed them down further.

Ahead, a roundabout junction loomed. Isamu's left hand hovered over the handbrake. He was about to perform a drift.

As he approached, he yanked the handbrake and counter-steered. His foot danced on the gas pedal, controlling the drift with practiced precision. The van slid around the roundabout, tires screaming against the asphalt.

The chasers' jaws dropped. The target—a van, of all things—was performing a perfect drift.

"I give up," one of them muttered. "I don't get paid enough for this shit."

The rest of the mercenaries agreed.

.

.

.

On this night, there were two battlefields. The Militia had succeeded in both.

They had earned a well-deserved rest. As the night wound down, the mages quickly finished their tasks, tending to wounds and securing their gains, before finally allowing themselves to breathe.