The demon transformed himself back into a human, as the mansion itself was clearly not designed with massive cat-like demon monsters in mind. Which given that it was made by them specifically, seemed like a strange oversight to have. But it wasn’t something that worried Yumi at the moment. That was elsewhere.

If someone asked her to tell them how to get to the main chamber of the Demon Lord, she wouldn’t have been able to answer. She knew that she followed the demon, but that was about it. Most of her attention wasn’t on the way out.

And before she really had time to figure out what was going to happen next, she was before the Lord. Before her was a large man seated on a very ornate bench, given his air she expected it to be a throne. The chamber itself had to take up a significant part of the mansion as she couldn’t easily see the walls through the countless columns. She thought it might have made up the entire floor, but her memory of the walk didn’t match that.

Unlike the demon she fought to a stalemate, this demon didn’t look anything like one. He had a fully human appearance with no extra characteristics about him. If she had to pick anything, he seemed oddly muscular, like out of one of Yuki's manga, but that was about it. The man even looked young, younger than the cat-like human form demon.

No good way to start the conversation appeared. She knew that she had no real power on hand to actually fight the demon with and worse it seemed the one she fought had regained much of his if he could hold human form once again. ‘Is this the part where I die? I still don’t know what death in this weird virtual world will mean to me. Is it just a game and I come back or do I return to the real world or do I die…’

Those questions had to be put on hold, for Yumi had a new one the moment that the demon spoke.

“Yo!” he said.

“Yo.”

Chapter 407 – A Demon’s Wish

“Eh?!” she yelled after she caught herself casually replying to the demon. So many new questions flew through her mind trying to figure things out. This wasn’t the way she imagined it playing out. Not even for an opening greeting. ‘Why is a demon using modern Japanese slang to greet me? Is it because my mind created this? But no one else has done anything like that. This doesn’t make any sense! What’s going on here?!’

“It would seem that you were correct about her reaction,” the Lord said to someone unseen, “This certainly is more interesting.”

“More interesting?! What’s going on here?!” she shouted, somehow running a little short on breath. Her lungs pounded against her chest as she tried to recover from the exploded stress that had built up. “I want some answers, dammit!”

“Minus the swearing, it’s on mark. You’re surprisingly good at your predictions.”

Yumi didn’t like the way things felt. There was no seriousness in the room when there should be. The demon was talking to someone off screen that seemed to have foreseen everything. And they were all getting a good laugh out of her expense. “Stop laughing at me!” In her shouting, she released her power, shaking the mansion, but it suddenly cut out, dropping her to the floor as she felt helpless.

The demon rested his head on his hand with a bit of a smirk on his lips. “Still had plenty of power left in you, despite claims to the contrary.” He looked over at the one that guided her to him. “With you as well, too.”

“What?!” Yumi yelped shocked that the demon lied about being out of power. She pulled herself back up to her feet despite the blood now streaming down her body, no longer held together because of her power. Everything felt weak to her as she slipped on her own blood.

He shrugged to her with a grin. “You weren’t being honest either.”

“But I didn’t…” Things started to get dark in her vision. She could no longer see the Lord on his seat.

“You should tend to her before she fades.”

“Already handling it,” said a familiar voice.

It made Yumi pull her head up trying to confirm who it was that she was hearing. But she couldn’t see them. They were nowhere in sight, though that wasn’t helpful for her at the moment. “Yuki…?”

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“You are a very calculating man.”

“It’s a learned skill.”

“Indeed…”

‘That’s Yuki’s voice! I know it is. So he actually was here, they were telling the truth.’ Suddenly, the pain and fog started to fade away for Yumi. Her body no longer screamed at her to stop moving. Though it did still want her to take it easy, not that she was about to listen as she pushed herself to stand. Yumi fought with her eyes to get them back to clarity. Those in the chamber started to come into focus when she found Yuki seated on the left of the Demon Lord. ‘What’s Yuki doing here looking like he belongs there?’

The Demon Lord crossed his arms impressed with Yumi’s recovery and determination. “Still bleeding out and forcing yourself back to your feet. You certainly earn your title.”

“I want some answers!” she demanded, which would have felt more impressive in her mind if her powers were working. She had tried to use them to emphasize her demands, but nothing came to her. Not that it stopped her from having a serviceable presence all the same.

Such a sight made the demon smile. “A look that could kill better than any sword.”

“That one’s new for me as well,” remarked Yuki, suddenly looking a little blue in the face at the sight of Yumi.

She glanced over at Yuki still not understanding what was going on, but she had enough time to figure it out. “Why did you seal my power?”

“You were making the house shake and considering what I’m seeing right now, I think I made the right call.”

“I thought you were captured by these demons, so why does it look like they’re your new best friends?”

Yuki recoiled, seeing the anger in Yumi's face. Though it wasn’t him that gave her an answer. “Your lover is my prisoner.”

A tick went through Yumi’s eyebrow as she narrowed her focus on Yuki, who shook his head knowing keenly what she was staring at him for. Then she looked back at the demon. “That’s not the way it looks from my position.”

“He’s proved amusing enough that I’ve kept him at my side while I waited for you to arrive.”

‘Why does nothing make any sense?’ It seemed everyone was in concert together to just screw with her the whole way. Perhaps it was the stupid personalities doing, since this was all their fault to begin with trapping her inside her mind for no reason. But at least it was consistent at this point, but unpredictable for her. She sighed to herself as she began to put things together. “Of course…you’re bored too aren’t you.”

“Loose lips.”

The cat demon gave another shrug, even to his Lord. “I had time to pass.”

“And all the fun too.”

“She is very remarkable,” he praised, while looking over at Yumi.

“That’s what I hoped for. The Hunters lately have been disappointing.”

“That’s because my Lord keeps his presence away from the humans. Their attention is on the flasher clans.”

“Such a disappointing vulgar display for those of our kin.”

“Not everyone handles peace as well as you do, my Lord.”

“That’s certainly the truth.”

And now they seemed to have completely forgotten or ignored her. Yumi didn’t really have that much interest in whatever unclear demon politics that they were complaining about. Her eyes focused on Yuki and thanks to his efforts, she noticed that his healing of her body seemed to be almost completed. Her body could move with ease finally, though fatigue was still apparently a thing. It felt tired even though it was fine, a very unsettling feeling to have. But she couldn’t let it bother her.

Yumi slid her feet over the well polished wood planks of the chamber to get over to Yuki’s side. ‘Just keep arguing or debating or chatting, whatever it is that you call that. Don’t look at me. I wish Yuki made me invisible with his power so we could easily escape. Or even just give me back my power… Why is he being so stubborn? We need to escape…’ Tension returned to her body as she hoped that they didn’t notice her. And so far as she slowly scooted over she remained undetected. She wouldn’t have a better chance than now.

As each second passed she prayed that they didn’t see her move further. She felt it was almost too easy. They were so blasé about her and the real threat she could present to them if she had her powers. It was like they knew that she could do nothing. But Yuki was supposedly their prisoner. ‘Why aren’t they worried about me taking away their leverage? Is it because I’m already here? So his value is gone? Or is there something that I’m not seeing? A trap? Is Yuki trapped? Does Yuki know? If he did, he would tell me right? Or can’t he?’

Doubt rose up with the tension. Though she kept moving forward because if she did nothing she would be left to the devices of the demons. She wouldn’t allow that to ever be the case. All Yuki needed to do was release her power and any trap that they could have set she could deal with. That much she was certain about. But he still hadn’t done it.

She felt nothing flowing through her. Her body was still normal. Why?

Yet she stood next to Yuki now and nothing changed. She still was powerless, yet there was no reaction from the demons. And Yuki seemed to be doing nothing as well. Nothing triggered either. Was it just that simple? ‘I’m here…I can just touch him…’

Yumi stretched out her arm with plans to run with him as quickly as possible out of here. If anything, she would knock him out so she could get her powers back and she would fight every demon that tried to stop her. That was the plan anyway, very simple.

However, complications arrived quickly in her simple plan. She couldn’t touch Yuki, something stood between them. An invisible barrier halted her hand from reaching him. ‘…damn…’

“I did mention that he was a prisoner, Hunter,” reminded the Demon Lord suddenly caring about Yumi again as though he knew the whole time what she was doing and just simply waited for that interesting moment to occur.

Grinding her teeth together, they had her stuck now. And thanks to Yuki’s Field, she couldn’t even fight her way out at the moment. “What’s going on here?” She looked over at Yuki trying to understand what his reasoning was. “Why are you still sealing my powers and why haven’t you already freed yourself? What’s going on?”

“So many questions.”

“They want something,” Yuki answered for the demon playing hard to get. Though he still seemed to be not giving her enough information as well.

“And what is that? What’s been the point of this whole thing, since you don’t seem that eager to kill me like so many of the other demons?”

“They want you to grant their wish. They want to die.”