Elaine stood alone, surrounded by enemies. Antonio was to her right, clearing the shell that was crumbling off after his invocation.

“I don’t have a lot of time,” Antonio said, panting for air. “I need to catch up with Haze.”

“Dream on, pretty boy! You’re not going anywhere,” Hanna replied. “I might have lost the competition, but I’m taking a consolation prize,” she smirked n a twisted manner.

Hanna walked towards Elaine, extending her rapier towards her.

“To be honest, sister, I doubt blackie has a chance to win against Haze,” Hanna smirked, “And no matter what I do, I can’t win against either of them, not in this condition. So, the best I can do is kill you and your leader.”

Hanna slowly approached Elaine as she took on a defense stance. Hanna swung her blade, sending a gust of air towards Elaine.

Instinctively, Elaine moved out of the way. The attack missed, slicing the top off a stone wall located behind her.

Sweat dripped down Elaine’s forehead after seeing the might of her opponent. Having determined that she’d be at a disadvantage at a range, she gathered her composure and charged forward, unleashing a combination of punches aimed at Hanna.

Hanna swirled away, avoiding Elaine’s strikes. In a rush forward, she pierced Elaine several times with her rapier, throwing her back towards the gate.

Antonio looked down at his fallen comrades, both dead, pierced by Ulmak’s spear. He clenched his fist and started running towards where he last saw Haze.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Hanna snapped, delivering a ranged attack, striking Antonio in the back.

For a brief moment, Antonio collapsed onto his knees.

He thought back to his childhood. He was an orphan living on the streets, forced to steal food to survive. The people of the lower babel were not kind. Children like himself were often treated like parasites, vermin plaguing the streets. It was commonly thought that food would only be wasted on street kids, as such kids would not be able to survive either way.

One night, he tried stealing food from a warehouse on the outskirts of the city. He was caught, beaten black and blue, almost killed. The men, frustrated with the child, tossed him down the river. The boy lost consciousness, being carried by the current. When he woke up, he saw a strange, masked figure looking over at him. That was when he first met Haze.

Haze took care of Antonio. Cleaned him up, gave him food, and a place to stay. Haze taught the boy how to read and write. He showed him kindness and love. Haze became the boy’s father, the only father that Antonio ever had.

When Antonio grew up, he became a mercenary. Able to make money on his own, he no longer stayed at the orphanage. But he often came back, bringing money and supplies for the kids still living there. Haze always greeted him with a smile. The same loving expression.

But Antonio could tell that something was wrong with Haze. Although Haze did not age, his appearance changed. He appeared sickly and weak.

One day, a doctor approached him, a man who he used to know from their time living at the orphanage. He told Antonio about their father’s condition. He told him that he had been taking drugs to suppress his demonic energy, so he could stay in lower babel and keep taking care of the kids. These drugs were slowly killing him and if he were to continue taking them, he would surely die.

As such, when Antonio heard about Haze entering the cradle of fools, he decided to come along to help his teacher one last time.

“I guess I’ll kill you two after all,” Antonio stood up. “Soul,” he murmured, summoning his gauntlet.

He charged at Hanna as fast as he could, gripping her rapier and striking her with his other hand.

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Elaine used this opportunity to sneak up behind him and attack, hitting Antonio on the back of the head several times.

This, however, did not faze him. Antonio kicked Hanna, forcing her down to the around. After that, he grabbed Elaine’s hand, intercepting her attack.

“Explode,” he said, detonating her arm.

“Ahhh!” Elaine screamed at the top of her lungs. A pool of blood flowed from out of her arm, which was now pulverized below the elbow.

“I invoke,” Hanna whispered, using this opportunity to summon her invocation.

A silver armor coated her legs and arms. A part of a mask started manifesting, covering her face. Hanna leaped towards Antonio, attempting to strike him while he was distracted.

Antonio deflected the attack, tapping lightly on Hanna’s shoulder with his gauntlet.

“Give up or die,” Antonio growled with a grim expression.

“Not a chance, pretty boy,” Hanna lunged at Antonio.

“Explode,” he said, forcing her shoulder to explode, ripping her arm clean off her body.

Elaine looked at the two combatants as her consciousness faded.

“If only I was I contractor,” she thought to herself. “Why am I not a contractor? Am I not worthy? Am I too weak? How dare you wretched demons not want me as your vessel!?” she called out inside her head, striking the bloody ground with her stump.

“Ahh, how impudent!” a voice suddenly beckoned her. “You who are beaten, bruised and broken. You who are weak and unable to protect the one who matters most to you. You who has love in her hear which she cannot accept. You who even in death, can only feel anger towards my kind. Will you seek the unknown? Will you battle to the very end? Will you seek power beyond the veil of humanity? Will you accept my contract?” The voice asked.

“I accept,” Elaine whispered, grinding her teeth together with ferocious intensity, bringing Antonio’s attention to her.

“Then say my name!” the voice screamed out.

“Ignis! I accept your contract!” Elaine shouted from the top of her lungs.

Suddenly, the air around Elaine began to vibrate. A spark ignited a fiery circle that floated down to Elaine, surrounding her in a fiery tornado. Her blood, too, ignited in a majestic white flame. Het wounds healed rapidly as her dismembered arm formed out of the flames. The fire continued to rise higher, forming into a distorted face.

“I Ignis, the master of the blooming flames, henceforth establish this contract. All who stand to oppose my contractor shall burn within my flames. All who stand before them will turn to cinders. Now rise contractor, show your enemies the path of thy flames.” The demon said, its words forming out of the fire.

Elaine stood up as the fire began to die down. She looked at Hanna and Antonio, who were visibly shaken by the events.

“Soul,” Elaine called out, channeling a weapon made of pure lames into her hands. The fire formed and hardened, twisting into the shape of a saber. A pale blade that appeared so as the interconnected tongues of fire twisted around it.

Antonio immediately dove towards Elaine, attempting to strike her with his gauntlet, but before his attack could reach her, she counterattacked, lashing at him, forcing him on the defensive.

Fire flowed in the wake of her saber’s path, igniting anything it touched. Elaine dashed at the two opponents calling forward a storm of pure fire, causing a powerful explosion that sent both Hanna and Antonio flying hundreds of meters away, incapacitating them. Elaine looked on into the distance, confused at what had happened. And even though she had finally reached her goal of becoming a contractor, an uneasy sensation filled her heart.

Meanwhile, a series of loud clangs could be heard coming from inside the door. Zeke entered just moments before.

Haze growled as his invocation formed around his body, twisting into solid armor. He cracked his whip, striking Ulmak from the distance, then using his tentacles, he launched himself towards his adversary, retracting his weapon, striking him up close.

Ulmak parried, having no answer to Haze’s assault. Sweat dripped down his head, and a worried expression took over his face as a nervous thought seeded deep in his mind too root, “I don’t think I can win.”

Haze shifted his weight, striking Ulmak in the stomach with a kick, launching him into a stone pillar. Then he charged forward, pushing Ulmak further against the structure.

Ulmak pushed back with all his might, but it was not enough.

Ulmak swallowed. “I invoke,” he growled, calling forth an invocation for the first time in his life.

Dust swirled around Ulmak’s arms and feet, encasing them in a scaly shell. Ulmak groaned as his body shifted into an unfamiliar state. The pain from his limbs being reformed was intense, it forced him to gasp for air. But then, suddenly, he felt it. His arms were light, almost weightless when compared to before.

He extended his spear in a flurry of attacks, pushing back Haze’s advancement.

Just as Nolan taught him before, using his spear as a medium, he touched the ground, casting a spell on it. He kicked Haze with great ferocity, forcing him back, before throwing his spear towards the ceiling of the cave.

Angered, Haze charged at Ulmak. Just as he was about to reach him, two large stone cylinders erupted from the ground and ceiling. Clamping together on Haze, splattering his body into a red paste.

Haze’s mask dropped down to the ground, cracked and devoid of its master.

“That’s what you get, clown,” Ulmak smirked, going towards the last challenge.

image [https://i.postimg.cc/BnRx0WPQ/Name-Alias-X-Species-Demon-Age-80-Height-182cm-Affiliation-Knights-Rank-Special-grade-investigator.png]