The moonlight gently illuminated the forest, and the cold night air seeped into my skin. In that faint light, Tenuto flashed a cocky grin and struck a pose, as if he were an actor on stage, perfect in every way. He straightened his back and slowly ran his hand through his hair, a gesture that showed his unwavering confidence, hidden beneath his air of nonchalance.

"Pretty boy, here’s my final warning. Hand over the girl if you don’t want to die."

The demon's voice was low and cruel, resonating as if from the depths of the earth. His massive figure stood still, blending into the darkness. His presence, bathed in moonlight, was a sharp contrast to the natural scenery around him, like a foreign entity invading this world.

"You wouldn't be rushing to your death just to impress a girl, would you?"

Tenuto scoffed, ignoring the words, and placed his hand lightly on the holographic piano, as if showing off his composure. "Rushing to my death?" His voice was smooth and cold, much like the moonlight that bathed us.

"That word doesn't exist in my dictionary. Protecting girls and defeating villains—that's just my way of life."

At that moment, rage flared in the demon’s eyes.

"Silence!"

The giant stepped forward, swinging his fist through the air with a force that seemed to slice through the atmosphere. Yet, Tenuto didn't flinch. He calmly let his fingers glide over the keys of the piano. His movements were so theatrical, it was as if he was intentionally ignoring the tension around us.

His performance began. The holographic piano bathed in moonlight played the melody of "Moonlight Sonata," a magical piece for piano invented three years ago. The sound it produced sliced through the night, and the moonlight surrounding Tenuto turned into beams of light, reflecting toward the demon. The union of sound and light created a mystical aura around him.

"You think that’ll work on me?!"

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The demon roared, swatting the beams away with his massive fist. The sheer force caused distant mountains to tremble, triggering a small landslide. The earth shook, and the trees shuddered.

Witnessing this, my heart quaked with fear. Tenuto was risking his life to fight for me. I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. I had to act, even without my voice. But I still had my saxophone. I grabbed it and began preparing to cast a wind spell with it.

But before I could play, Tenuto glanced at me, smiling.

"Oh? It seems that sax isn’t just for show."

His eyes sparkled for a moment.

"Care to join me in a session?"

Something ignited deep within me at those words. Session magic—the rumor that if two musicians improvised within a certain scale, they could activate powerful, random magic—popped into my mind. I took a deep breath, raised the saxophone to my lips, and let the sound vibrate through the air.

Tenuto began playing along with my performance, but his rhythm was stiff, and he kept reverting to classical patterns.

"That’s supposed to be a swing rhythm!"

Tenuto shouted, but something was off in his playing. He couldn’t fully catch the groove of the jazz rhythm, and the heavy classical sound clashed with my saxophone.

The demon seized the opportunity.

"Is that all you've got?!"

He swung his dark fist again, pushing back our magic. The power of the tornado weakened, and the flames we summoned were swallowed by the demon’s darkness, failing to deliver a decisive blow.

Panic welled up inside me, but I shouted in my heart:

"The rhythm... we need to sync our rhythm!"

Breathless, I played the saxophone once more. This time, I didn’t try to match Tenuto. Instead, I trusted my own rhythm.

Tenuto looked into my eyes, took a deep breath, and began moving his fingers again. Slowly, his sound melded with mine, and the light swing of jazz began to emerge once again. His piano notes resonated with my saxophone, creating a melody that blended into the forest.

Our music fused into one, and the wind and fire regained their strength. The jazz rhythm that now flowed from Tenuto’s piano perfectly harmonized with my saxophone, sending a powerful wave toward the demon. His expression shifted to one of shock, but it was already too late.

"What is this...?!"

The demon’s voice wavered as the darkness he wielded was pushed back by the force of our music. The flaming tornado engulfed his massive body once again, but this time, it swallowed him completely. The power of the music amplified the tornado’s strength, making it unstoppable.

"This is the end!"

I screamed in my heart.

Tenuto must have felt the same. The moment our breaths aligned perfectly, a pillar of light transformed into a tornado, piercing through the demon. His final scream echoed through the forest, and his body crumbled into dust before vanishing entirely.

Silence returned to the forest, and the moonlight gently bathed us once again. Panting, I looked down at my saxophone, then shifted my gaze to Tenuto. He smiled, despite his exhaustion. This time, our music had truly defeated the demon.