It was 9:17 PM. We were in Aokigahara District, on the subway next to the forest.
"Sorry... for being late!" I ran up to the whole exorcism team. Layla held my hand as she ran with me, her bangs covering her eyes.
"Oh! Man, how late can you be~!" Haruki rolled his eyes.
Carmilla giggled softly.
Sebas looked at Layla, his eyes wide. "And who's that...? I've already met with that little pink girl over there... but who's this blackhead?" Sebas asked, pointing his finger at her. He seemed worried, tho I had no idea why.
"Little pink girl?! I am anything but little!" Carmilla exclaimed in frustration.
"Oh, thi-..." Suddenly, she cut me off. "My name is Layla! I'm friends with Shoji! Nice to meet you, exorcist!" She smiled softly, and her grip on my hand tightened.
He looked her up and down. "Yeah, nice to meet you. My name is Sebastian, though you can call me Sebas or Father, whatever you want to." He sighed.
"So, why are you late, Shoji?" Carmilla asked, not acknowledging Layla's presence.
"Oh, yeah... it's because of this silly girl next to me! It took her half an hour to change~!" I rolled my eyes playfully.
Layla looked at me, pouting softly. "Hey! It's not my fault! You were staring at me when I was changing... I couldn't focus because you're such a pervert~!" She giggled.
Haruki was stunned for a moment, but then he spoke. "It's weird... you seemed very shy, Layla... where did this shift come from?" He asked curiously.
"Oh! Shoji did something to me... it was soo warm and soo good~! I loved it and I'm happy that he did it! I'm so happy that I can't stop smiling! I'm glad to have Shoji as my friend, that's all!" She smiled innocently.
I sighed. "God... that stupid girl literally couldn't choose worse words to describe what happened..."
Haruki looked at me and started laughing.
He then looked at Layla again. "You can't just stop at being Shoji's friend. I can also be your friend, Layla." He smiled kindly and offered her his hand.
Carmilla pulled his hand away and hugged it. "No! Haruki! You don't! I won't let her steal you away from me! Just look how she has wrapped Shoji around her stupid fingers! Damn, witch!" She pouted.
"That was mean... Carmilla..." Layla looked down.
I looked over at Sebastian, he seemed to be lost in thought. "Hey! Sebas! Are you here with us? Don't stare at me like that! It's creepy! Oh, wait~... Don't tell me you're not staring at me... but at Layla's tits~" I laughed.
Layla pinched my cheek and her grip got even stronger. "Shojii! Stop talking about my body out in public! It's embarrassing!" She pouted, a slight blush on her face.
Sebastian finally came back to the reality. "No... I just wonder... your Vymir... Its color and amount intensified..." He muttered under his nose.
Everyone besides me and Layla gasped.
"Oh yeah! Uhh... after a certain incident with a certain someone... I found out that I can be even faster than I was previously! It hurt me at first and almost felt like my mus-..." Suddenly Carmilla and Sebas screamed the same thing in surprise. "SO YOUR AUTHORITY TYPE JUST RAISED IN LESS THAN A WEEK OF LEARNING ABOUT CONTROLLING VYMIR?!"
"Yeah basically... tho I've also managed to master the output on my Authority Type 2 Vymir, so my body is constantly on enhancement," I added.
Layla huffed, pushing her chest out in pride.
"Is that bad or anything? I'm curious because you two just screamed like that..." Haruki asked with worry.
Sebastian coughed and regained his composure. "No no... you got us wrong. It's not that it's bad or anything... uhh..."
"Such a rapid growth hasn't been ever registered in the history..." Carmilla said, looking down at the ground, her smile widening.
Haruki grabbed my shoulders, shaking me in excitement. "That's amazing, Shoji! That's even more amazing than your ability to cast a spell without even seeing it before!" He smiled widely.
Layla pulled me away from him, she pouted softly. "Hey! Don't steal my friend!" She huffed.
Sebastian looked at the two of us, smiling softly. "The stronger the parents are, the stronger the children will be... just imagine your child, Shoji-kun... wouldn't that be amazing?" He said.
Layla blushed and looked up into my eyes, smiling softly. "Childreeeen..." She said softly and giggled.
My smile faded away. "Yeah... after all my grandpa was your Partner, wasn't he?" I said coldly.
"Huh? What are you talking about, Shoji?" Haruki said.
"Oh? Since when do you know?" Sebas asked softly.
"Since yesterday... my grandpa told me some things about you... that's why I want to ask one question..."
"Come on." He said.
"Have you dragged me into all of this on purpose? To experiment?" I asked, looking straight into his eyes.
"I did." He said firmly.
"That's what I thought... it's been bothering me for some time... why were you lying on the ground with a wound on your head, when you're literally impossible to damage... you've told me about all the magic types just to see me trying to use them... it was all a set-up..." I looked down on the ground.
Layla glared at the priest, her fingernails glowing slightly larger and her grip on my hand tightening even more.
"Yes, that's how it all went, I'm sorry for messing with you, tho I really like you, kiddo." He smiled softly.
He then looked at Layla. "Hey you, calm down." He giggled.
"You... filthy human... you've used my friend?! How could you?!" She muttered under her nose.
I smacked her on the head. "Calm down, you stupid blackhead. I don't care about what he did because if it wasn't for him, I would have been dead."
"Ouch!" Her nails quickly morphed back into their original form as she looked up at me. "It hurt!" She pouted.
"Psycho..." Carmilla frowned.
Suddenly Sebastian started clapping his hands. "Okay! Calm down, kids! Someone might be dying by the hands of that insane scum that's appeared lately, and we're just standing here arguing!" He said firmly.
Suddenly Layla looked at the forest. "Something weird is going on here..." She muttered under her nose.
Suddenly all the cars disappeared, and only the darkness and silence remained.
"What's going on?" Haruki said with worry.
"Jozy Yano..." Sebastian and Carmilla both said at the same time.
"What does it do?" I asked curiously.
"It separates the user and the targets from the world, dragging them into another dimension where the user can mess with surroundings and even the targets themselves," Layla said in a bubbly voice.
"Wait... wasn't Jozy the second strongest spell...?!" My eyes widened.
"Our opponent must be very strong... maybe even a Noble..." Haruki said in fear.
Carmilla hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry, Haruki! You're very strong! You have Authority Type 4!" She smirked.
"You're wrong, Pink girl. Even if he has Authority Type 4, it doesn't mean that he can use the entirety of his power because his body would be shredded into pieces if he did so. The only exception here is Shoji-kun, but that's only because he's immediately adapting to the tool Vymir takes on his body." Sebas said firmly.
"Shoji! Enhance your aura with Hilo so the enemy won't be able to mess with you! And you Haruki, use this." Suddenly a machete made out of Hilo appeared in Haruki's right hand.
"Without chanting?!" I asked in disbelief.
"Oh yeah, make sure that the black-haired one won't be clinging to you, Shoji. And you Haruki, don't even bring that weapon to the pink one."
Layla finally let go of my hand after so long. She looked up into my eyes with sadness. "Sho..."
"Imagine it Nakamura... your aura mixing with your spell..."
"Ka Hilo," I said, enhancing my aura with Hilo.
I took my revolver out of my belt.
"Is everyone ready?" Sebas asked.
"Yes!" Layla said.
"Yeahh..." Carmilla sighed.
"Yup!" Haruki smiled.
"Hell fucking yeah!" I said.
We made our way into the forest and after two minutes, a strong shiver ran down my spine and I turned around.
"Everyone! It's here!" I said loudly.
Suddenly a demoness landed on the ground about 20 meters away from us. She was clad in a dark cloak, a mask covering her face, and two large bat wings sticking out from her back.
"Good evening, filthy humans, and my lovely demons." Her voice was distorted and cruel.
"Who are you, you don't seem to be insane, are you even behind all those deaths that have been happening here lately?" Sebastian stepped out, asking calmly.
Carmilla stumbled back in fear. "I... I can't read her Vymir! She's hiding it! That must be... a Noble!" She said.
Layla giggled and sighed softly, her smile slowly fading away from her face.
"I am one of the Moonbound Scouts of the Luminous Order, and yes, I am behind behind most of those disappearances." She giggled with satisfaction.
"You... you've killed so many people?! You stupid bitch! You're a monster!" Haruki screamed, gripping the machete with all his strength.
"Fuck... Haruki will go berserk again..."
"Carmilla! Calm him down!" I said loudly, trying to keep myself calm.
"Luminous Order, huh? Never heard of it before. What is your business here? Why have you killed all those humans." Sebastian asked, as his body started glowing slightly.
"This glow... he's using his Mutation!"
"Why have I killed all those humans? What is my business here~?" She giggled softly and reached her hand out in Sebastian's direction. "I got orders from my superiors~! They want you and your knowledge, The Old Man." She smiled in a sinister way.
He took a step back. "Where have you..." His eyes widened. "Kit-..." He then stopped speaking.
"We can give you even more knowledge! Just join us and follow our leader!" She spread her arms wide, her breasts jiggling softly. "Join us, and watch how we will bring our leader to his old might and finally take over this filthy world!" She screamed in excitement.
I looked at the priest in confusion, flicking my fingers before his eyes. "Sebas? Hey! You stupid priest! Wake up!" I kicked his leg.
"You... You fucking..." Haruki looked down at the ground in fury.
"Haruki! Stop! Calm down!" Carmilla grabbed his shoulders, trying to calm him down.
Sebas just stood there, as if he was frozen, his eyes blank and empty.
"Fuck... fuck!" I screamed. "What the hell is the meaning behind all of this, you fucking whore?! What the hell did you do to him?!" I screamed at her in fury.
"Shoji... don't scream li-..." Layla said but I looked at her with fury. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" I screamed.
She smiled softly. "Okaaay~" She giggled.
I could feel the demoness's glare and it sent a shiver down my spine. "You dare to raise your voice at me, you filthy human? Hahaha~... oh my my...!" She then spread her wings.
"YOU DAMN BITCH! THIS IS FOR ALL THE PEOPLE YOU'VE KILLED! THIS IS FOR ALL THE TIME MY FATHER WASTED ON THIS FUCKING CASE!" Haruki screamed and then he lunged at the woman.
"Haruki! Stop! Don't do it!" Carmilla screamed in worry, but it was too late.
"Where did he go?!" I looked around.
"Oh... you don't see it, Shoji? Very well then... I'll lend you two my vision..." Layla whispered into my ear, hugging me from behind.
"Hey! Sebas said that you shouldn't get close when...-"
"Don't worry, Shoji... your aura is too weak to hurt me..." She then whispered into my ear again. "Kyuy Yano."
Suddenly everything slowed down and I saw Haruki fighting the Demoness. He was going all out on her, swinging the machete at her like a wild beast.
She gracefully dodged everything. "Oh! You're strong, human! What is this... Authority Type 4, huh? Hahaha~! You cannot even use the full output of Type 4 hahahah!" She started laughing in a sinister way.
"What is going on...? Why is he so fast right now... last time when we were fighting a demon, I was weaker, but I could perceive his movements..." I asked curiously.
"Haruki's body wasn't strong enough to withstand the power of Authority Type 4... but it seems that his rage actually helped him to break through his limits... it's kinda fascinating... and... illogical." She said.
Haruki swung the machete towards her neck. She blocked it with a black spear that suddenly appeared in her hand.
"Hey, Layla... you've used Kyuy Yano... isn't that the most powerful Yano spell? Just how strong are you?" I asked her.
"I am strong enough to be by your side, Shoji... you were always so amazing that I cannot even consider myself your equal..." She said, smiling softly.
"Layla... you..." I looked down at the ground. "You are in denial..." I muttered under my nose.
The machete clashed against the spear. The woman giggled.
"Oh my~! You're very strong, Haruki-kun... maybe you should join us alongside The Old Man? Think about it... about the power! You're already strong... for a human very very strong... but you will get even stronger with us~!" She said with excitement, blocking all of his attacks.
"FUCK YOU! YOU FUCKING WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT! I'LL KILL YOU AND WIPE THE FLOOR WITH YOUR FUCKING GUTS!" He screamed at her in fury.
He swung the machete with such speed that he managed to cut her mask a little.
She then flew up into the air, using her bat-like wings. Her mask cracked in the place where Haruki cut it.
She growled and held the mask, gripping the fabric of her cloak in frustration. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, HUMANS?! REJECTING SUCH OFFERS WITH NO HESITATION AT ALL?! HAHAHA~! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! BUT VERY WELL THEN... PLAYTIME IS OVER... I'LL JUST KILL YOU ALL HAHAHAHA~!" She laughed loudly.
"This woman... she is insane!" I said with fear.
Haruki suddenly collapsed onto the ground.
"HARUKI!" Carmilla screamed with worry, running towards him as fast as she could, using almost all of her Vymir.
She kneeled beside him, hugging him tightly. "WAKE UP! HARU-HARU! PLEASE! WAKE UP!" She screamed in terror, tears running down her cheeks.
I ran up the them and pulled Carmilla away from him. "Carmilla! Stop it! Stop! Don't touch him! He has used all of his Vymir up! His body might not be strong enough to withstand any physical pressure!" I said with worry.
Carmilla struggled, trying to get away from me. She scratched my face, screamed, and cried.
"LET GO OF ME! I CANNOT LEAVE HIM LIKE THAT! I LOVE HIM! I'M HIS GIRLFRIEND! YOU CAN'T SEPARATE US!" She screamed at me.
Layla looked up at the Demoness who was flying in the sky.
"You're taking pleasure in it, don't you? You made him use all of his Vymir to put him into a coma. Just who exactly are you... this mask of yours blocks my perception." Layla said coldly.
Carmilla fainted out of stress.
The demoness giggled softly. "Oh my my~! Says who? Says no one other than you... Layla... you hypocritical stupid girl... hahaha~!" Layla frowned. "Oh~? What's with that look on your face? You mad~?"
"I hate you soo much, little Layla~... so I will just kill you all with one simple spell~!... I WILL BURN YOU ALL ALIVE!" She screamed and her aura started to get even more intense.
"Finally... you've said it... you threatened me~..." Layla giggled and suddenly in a blink of an eye, the demoness fell onto the ground, her clothes ripped apart in many places and her body beaten up, tho her mask was still somehow not broken.
Layla was suddenly standing next to us, holding a beautiful black and red double-edged scythe.
"Y-You... you fucking monster..." The demoness growled.
"What just happened?!" I asked in surprise.
Layla slowly made her way towards the demoness.
"She is so... fucking elegant."
Layla stood over the demoness, shoving her hair off her eyes, looking down at her.
"Look into my eyes... scum." She said coldly.
The demoness tightened her teeth and grabbed some of the mud, looking up at Layla. "I always knew... you were a monster... but two slits...?! This is... too much..." She bit onto her lip so hard that she started to draw blood from it.
Layla swung the scythe towards the demoness's neck, but before it made contact, everything around froze in place.
"What the hell is going on?!" I said loudly in confusion.
The demoness started laughing as if she had lost her mind. "Hahahahhaha~! You lose! You all lose! Thank you... my dear Celestial! Thank you for sending her out to me... for sending the one and only Celestial Archon, hahahah~!" She screamed in ecstasy.
A shiver ran down my spine and I turned around. My legs started trembling and I fell to the ground.
"Oh? You can move? That's surprising... even more surprising than the fact that you're alive..." An emotionless cold woman's voice said.
All the memories flash before my eyes. Remembering the pain and emotions I've felt back then, I puked on the ground.
"That Junihitoe kimono... those orange fox ears... short orange hair... those empty orange eyes that have no trace of emotion... there's no mistake... it's her!"
The black spear appeared in the demoness's hand as she brought it to Layla's neck, a wide smile on her face.
"Haha~ I've waited to kill you for sooo looong~! And the time has finally come! Goodbye, Laylaa~!" The demoness giggled, still lying on the ground.
The kitsune walked past me towards the demoness. She looked down at her and the spear disappeared immediately. "You don't want to kill this girl, at least not now. She will not die so easily... I would bet that you cannot hurt her... even if she's stopped." The Kitsune said coldly.
"I... u-understand..." The demoness said in fear.
The kitsune threw her over her shoulder and just walked past me again, ignoring my presence.
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" I managed to scream, biting through all the flashbacks and confusion.
"My name is Nyx and I am The Celestial Archon of The Luminous Order." She said, her voice emotionless.
She looked down at Haruki's ring and then looked at me.
"We will meet again, I'm sure of it." She looked into my eyes coldly.
"You will just walk away like that?! Do you think that I'm so pathetic?! That I am a waste of time?!" I screamed as she started to walk away.
"That's exactly what I am thinking about you, human..." She said coldly.
"YOU MOTHERFUCKER! KA HILO!" I screamed, pointing the revolver at them and shooting the most powerful bullet I've ever made.
It hit the already very weakened demoness in the hand, shooting right through.
"Aghh! Filthy human! I'll kill you!" She screamed in rage.
Suddenly the kitsune and the demoness both disappeared and Sebastian finally woke up.
"-sune!" He said loudly.
"Huh?" Layla gasped in surprise as she slashed the ground with her scythe, realizing that the demoness was suddenly gone.
I looked over at Haruki and I crawled over to him. Looking at his unconscious face.
"LUMINOUS ORDER!" I screamed, hitting the ground in frustration and rage.
Sebastian looked around, seeing all the destruction, the blood on Layla's uniform, unconscious Carmilla on the ground and most importantly, Haruki who looked like he was dead.
"What the hell has happened here?!" He said in frustration.
"HARUKI...! HE'S OUT OF VYMIR! PLEASE... SEBAS! PLEASE SAVE MY FRIEND!" I pleaded with him, tears running down my cheeks.
His eyes widened.