There were very few humans that gave Luizitine a difficult time. The wizard, unquestionably. Felissa, regrettably. And then there was the nuisance that was World 700’s champion. Even compared to the wizard, that man had been a pure force of nature able to decimate most of his army with only a lance. He had hoped that world had been an outlier. That man. But then he'd woken up in Angelas.

His eyes darted to the side as wood arced through the air, missing his head by an inch. The woman changed direction in seconds. Too fast to dodge. He raised an arm to block, feeling the sting of holy magic sending shockwaves through his body. He followed through in kind, knocking the woman away with a boot. Which she managed to shake off as well. The human. He didn't know how, but she was managing to keep pace with him. Matching him even.

Her movements were unrefined but skilled. When he stopped she stopped. When he attacked, she attacked. It had gotten to the point where he had to use a metal lid he'd found as a shield so he didn't get blown apart by her magic. The ones imbued within the bat at least. Despite rivaling the hellspawn's speed, she had yet to cast a single spell. A single augmentation. But that alone made him more than wary.

“Damn." The woman stepped back, avoiding a trash lid to the face as she gained some distance. “No idea what demon you are, but you’ve got some moves.”

He didn’t know how to respond. He’d found himself sweating. Even with the downpour above, he could feel Justin's limits constraining him.

The human. She was chaotic but clearly well-trained. Experienced. Too much for the likes of Justin to handle, even with the hellspawn's power flowing through him. But to release any more would require a transformation. It would be enough to make short work of the human, but it would also paint an immediate target on his back. One that would follow him to the junkyard. To his kingdom. To his knights. He couldn't let their work end so soon.

Dammit. Why must humans be so annoying?

At the very least Jeffrey seemed to be having a better time with the human man.

The rain had been a surprise, but it seemed the reptile benefited most from its appearance. His leaps and claw attack became much more vicious, Jeffrey scaling a wall and diving in seconds. As fast as he moved, the human had to use augmentations to keep up. Holy spells flew out in quick succession, blades of light and projectiles hitting dead air as Jeffrey cleared them with ease. But it wasn't just the reptile's speed that helped matters. Luizitine had noticed the same phenomenon every time the man fired a shot or cast a spell.

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His aim was atrocious.

"Eyes up, monster!"

He snapped to attention, lid deflecting another bat attack. The woman gave him no time to breathe, raining down blows and pressing him backward. The buildings seemed to close in around them. He watched as his shield dented further and further. It wouldn't hold. With a bit of effort, he managed to knock her away, but the damage had already been done. His shield was a dented can. Useless. He tossed it aside.

If this keeps up, I'll be dead long before I reach the mayor. Dammit.

He glanced to Jeffrey who, as well as he was doing, had his hands full keeping the other mage at bay. And then there was Gingee. The devildog remained frozen in place where they'd left him. An annoying complication. As long as they were trapped, they were at the human's mercy. Leaving Gingee behind was off the table. But to free him would mean getting past both humans. One of which had Luizitine against a wall. He felt the brick moments before wood smacked him across the face.

"Gotcha!"

Holy magic flooded his body again, his eyes flashing for a moment. Dammit. This annoying human. The bat swung again, but he didn't bother dodging. The strikes hurt, but he was done trying to avoid them. He was done being the human's prey.

What good was staying hidden if it meant taking a beating from the likes of her? He was supposed to be a king. A ruler. Holy flooded his body again again, his teeth rattling as they turned to fangs. Any desire to stay hidden faded with each successive hit. He could only see the nuisance he wanted to cull.

There was a voice from far away. He recognized it, but at that moment, he didn't quite care to indulge it. He didn't quite care if it meant getting caught. The voice in his head was screaming louder than another.

Release. Release. Release. Release.

His hands started to transform, ice melting away from his mouth. As the bat swung again, he caught it in midair, wood cracking as he squeezed.

"Soul of-"

"Master!"

A weight slammed against both him and the woman, knocking them clean off their feet.

His head smacking the pavement drove the voice away, Luizitine's mind returning. Oh no. He reformed his body to normal, quickly putting a hand over his mouth as he looked for what it was that hit him. Who it was he'd heard screaming at him through his bloodlust. The devildog's paw was placed firmly atop the body of the struggling human.

“Leave master alone,” Gingee growled, their fangs bared at the ready.

Luizitine relaxed, looking from his minion to the spot where they'd just been trapped.

The edges of the circle were still intact, but the center had been replaced by an empty section of road. A crater in the dirt that was steadily filling up with rainwater. Looking back at Gingee, he could see blood running down its flanks. Tears across its body. But the devildog showed no signs of falling. It stood tall over the human, several eyes locked on her.

"Hey!" she screamed. "Lemme go! Get off!"

Gingee didn't take its eyes off the human. Luizitine sighed.

Dammit, Gingee. Always such trouble.

He smiled at his minion.