Oh, the horror! The destruction! The copious amount of property damage Asra would have to answer to!

The vibrant and lively market of Chikukei was turned upside down by a trio of fluffy delinquents with pointy blades. Broken stalls, wasted food, panicking Monoke running left and right like a bunch of headless chickens.

Speaking of, the Knight could clearly see the flames building up on the other side of the plaza. His worries about the Lycan Squad's safety crept into his mind. In fact, they left him vulnerable to a nasty flying kick from the kunai Weasel. He clutched his gut, surprised by the blow's potency.

Fortunately, Lien was there to chase the assassin with the yellow bandana away from him. However, there were two more wind devils to deal with by himself.

Asra was barely prepared for the duo's dance of blades. Each swing from one's weapon was complemented by the other's, making it virtually impossible to exploit weak points.

Close combat wouldn't cut it. Heh, quite the opposite, actually.

The scythe slashed at the hero's legs, but he jumped at the last second! However, this was only a ruse to leave him open to a lunging katana! It threatened to pierce through his stomach, but the guard countered the dastardly tactic with a powerful air burst, pushing the assailants a couple feet away. Sometimes, it was necessary to use your opponent's weapons against them.

Finally, he had some room to breathe and think. If the Baku was working with the Weasels and the Yūrei, he still wouldn't kill Stella on the spot since he needed her to become more powerful.

...

Wait. Dreams... The Chōkō's prophecy... The army's involvement was awfully convenient for the terrorists, huh?

This whole mess reeked with mind magic. Maybe the general would listen to him if he had proof of the Baku's treachery. Or perhaps that wasn't necessary because the girl would lead to the Tizohi's Chosen regardless.

Now, if only he could get rid of the ninjas. They stared him down, ready to attack on his first movement.

A handy advantage of the helmet was that the Weasels couldn't see his eyes shifting to their surroundings. He couldn't move his neck, but his peripheral vision was already enough for his new stratagem.

The hero poured a hefty amount of his Saniya into his Blinding Halo. He knew they wouldn't fall for the trick, but it gave him enough time to punch the katana-wielding one to a pile of watermelons, then thrash the other with a barrage of kicks.

The one-eyed Weasel evaded his second defeat by blowing air at the guard's leg, making him lose his balance momentarily. The assassin flew much higher than he had in their previous duel.

He shouted. "とっつ！セツ！夏はツバメ一匹だけでは終わらない！"

The Kunai wielder was clashing his blades against Lien's claws until he heard his brother's cry and joined him. The samurai freed himself from confinement by dicing the watermelons into perfectly cut slices.

The trio had reunited in the skies. The Knight stared at them, puzzled, while Lien shared the sentiment. "They're not running away, right?"

Indeed, they were not. Asra could feel the air changing around them, running towards the ninjas. He didn't need a sixth sense to know that he should run right now!

The hero grabbed Lien and carried her on his shoulder, then dashed away using Lightspeed!

Lien protested. "Hey! What's the big- What is going on up there?!"

A dome-shaped vortex spawned in the sky. It pulled and devoured everything in its proximity, almost including the hero and the Wolf. Fortunately, he escaped from the radius just in time.

Going around a hill so the Weasels wouldn't see the trail his spell leaves behind, Asra found cover behind one of the massive coops the citizens of Chikukei leave. The thick bamboo trees surrounding them were a perfect natural hiding spot.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

He gently put Lien back on the ground. "I'll need you to back away from this fight." He stopped the girl from complaining by booping her nose. "However! Your mission is no less dangerous!"

The pup's ears perked up. "Really?!

He nodded. "You know the guy who took Stella? I think he was responsible for this mess with his dream powers. Go to your mother and tell her that! Maybe we can convince the Basan to help us this way!"

Lien extended her knuckle. "You can count on me, sir!"

The two fist-bumped. "I knew I could count on my sidekick! Now, go! Stay on the hills until you're away from the Weasels!"

The Wolf obeyed his orders, leaving Asra alone to deal with the terrorists. The Human lamented his destroyed gadgets, but this was only a pesky setback. The Silver Knight doesn't need tools to defeat evil! They only assist him in making his work faster.

However, the only way he could see himself penetrating this powerful mass of wind would be by using his Solar Collision, his most powerful technique. He couldn't waste his energy so quickly, not when there was more than just the assassins to fight.

Perhaps stalling could work on them as it worked with Grýla, but Stella might not have that much time left.

Just this thought flashing in his head in a split second made the guard's heart hasten with anxiety.

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Stella:

Another dream...

A dream about... Uh...

Nothing. The girl stood in an empty void.

"Am I dreaming? Hello?!"

Her feet were touching some metaphorical invisible floor. The darkness was so suffocating that she couldn't even see herself. Thankfully, she could still feel the contact of her skin and clothes.

"Hey, freak! Is this your fault?!" She could hear that Baku's insufferable cackle moments before passing out. That pink and purple gas had somehow turned off her consciousness like it did with the Lycan Squad.

However, what had spooked her was the one who stood in their way before those bullies. The ape-like bard from before used his enchanting music to deprive the Knight of the ability to stand, much less run. His unnerving eyes locked with hers with the intent to... Honestly, she couldn't get a read on them.

Whatever his intention, what truly mattered was that Stella was trapped inside her own mind, in a pit of neverending darkness where boredom reigns absolutely...

Yeah, I feel her...

The girl's thoughts drifted to how much she would prove herself completely helpless. Those Lads really were a bunch of weaklings, weren't they? She had no chance against all-powerful witches, ninjas, zombies, and whatever that annoying fool was.

Speaking of the Devil...

"Hey! HEY! Wake up, will you?!"

Stella turned backward and then saw him in his complete monster form, the same creature who was slurping on her fantasies like one big, non-material smoothie.

After meeting his actual form, his intimidating presence was totally nullified. It was like one of those "catfish" cases Stella saw passing on TV sometimes. She never understood the correlation with the animal.

"Did you have your fun, asshole? I hope my dream was a fucking all-you-can-eat buffet for you!" She was ready to pounce on that clown at the first opportunity.

The creature smiled. "Absolutely! Your dream is like if ice cream and pizza merged together in a paradoxical magnum opus of cooking!" He lowered his head. "With the bonus of not forcing me to use the bathroom a second later."

Stella crossed her arms. "Lactose intolerant?" She remembered when Sofia insisted on eating a piece of cheese on a particularly scarce day. That horrifying fecal crime scene was forever burned into her retinas.

"More like intolerant to anything solid. A Baku's body specializes in consuming only dreams." He explained.

"That sucks." She sighed and then sat on the non-existent floor. "So, how do I wake up? Pinching myself?"

The monster took on a pensive posture. "Good question! I only drain people's dreams, then immediately run away."

"Gee, what a great guy you are..." Wait, she was floating now? Her butt wasn't feeling anything. This was kinda cool, she had to admit.

The Baku seemed annoyed by her newfound appreciation of this fantasy plane. "Hey, stupid girl! I have a promise to uphold, and I need you awake for that!"

Probably not unicorns and ice cream.

Scratch that. There was a good chance unicorns were actually involved.

"Make me." The girl smirked.

The dream Monoke wrapped his trunk around her waist and started shaking her like a paint spray can.

"WAKE UP, YOU MORONIC DULLARD!"

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Her eyelids opened.

"Holy shit, it worked."

It took the girl a while to adjust to the real world again. Stella was fine and dandy before that pigheaded jerk came with his sparkly knockout gas. Probably a side-effect of dream stealing? Felt more like a hungover.

Her burning eyes slowly braved the dazzling light of the sun, picking up a towering red blot.

Aw, shit...

"About time!" The Oni sat on a low earth pillar. Her black eyes were shaded by yellow as she stood up, her spiky club in hand.

The giant was already intimidating from afar, but now?! Stella was utterly fu-

"Hey! What the hell, ma'am!? I ain't fighting you!" Stella's brain immediately reignited back to full awareness.

The red beast chuckled. "I wanted to fight a Human, and that's what I'll get!" She slammed the weapon on the ground, and then four colossal walls rose from the ground, confining them in a rectangular makeshift arena.

Stella gulped. What a way to abandon her mortal coil, huh?

The Oni grinned while making a taunting gesture with her index finger. "Don't be shy! Do your worst, punk!"