"Answer my call, Raphael!"

"Answer my call, Cypress!"

The woman's attention is drawn to the sudden beam of light that emanates from them. A sarcastic smirk wrinkles her lips as she passes her gaze over their Blessings and blazing souls.

Aragons.

"My, I hadn't realized I had new visitors. Please feel free to take any of the available seats," she greets them with a charming voice.

Raia leaps at her with her blazing longsword, and an ear-splitting sound reverberates throughout the room as the Cimmerian blocks her attack with the microphone without losing her cool. Her lips curve into a devilish smile.

"What bravado!" the Cimmerian exclaims, amused. "So much for your holiness. Lady, you might want to keep your temper under control."

Raia's gaze falls on the unyielding microphone and realizes what it is.

"Raia, watch out!" Raiden issues a warning just as the performer launches an attack.

"Tormenting Echo."

The microphone releases an invisible powerful force and slams Raia into the wooden wall. She winces in pain as she collapses to the ground. A high-frequency sound rings around her ear, making her dizzy. She clenches her teeth and stands, holding her sword in one hand.

She looks at the giggling Cimmerian and her microphone. Since she delivers her magic through the usage of an object, her Black Art is a weapon-type.

Vines sprout from the floor on where the Cimmerian is standing, but the demon leaps away and swings her microphone, slicing the vines with unseen energy.

Raia's gaze shifts to Raiden. The man's sword is embedded in the ground, a deep scowl on his face.

"Release thyself, Cypress!" Raiden declares, and his sword's blade splits into segments, joined by a vine at the core- a whip sword. He tightens his grip on the pitch-black hilt and pounces on the demon like a bolt of lightning, swinging his whip sword as hard as he can.

The Cimmerian yelps as the bladed whip collides with her face, and she crashes into the wooden wall. Raia raises an eyebrow as the woman staggers to her feet, wiping her bloody face and staring at Raiden.

Raia raises an eyebrow as the performer staggers to her feet, wiping the blood off her face and glaring at Raiden.

"How dare you ruin my face!" the Cimmerian whines. Raiden leaps at her, and her eyes widen.

A snapping sound echoes as the bladed whip slams into the wooden wall, ripping a hole in it.

Raia doesn't waste any time and darts after the Cimmerian, sword drawn. She growls and swings her longsword down.

The Cimmerian, stunned, barely blocks it with her microphone, and a loud metallic clang reverberates throughout the space. Weapons locked together, they push against each other. Raia strengthens her grip and gains the upper hand. The Cimmerian flies backward against the bar counter, shattering wines and glasses in the process.

"Kara!" Raia yells, and Raiden immediately rushes toward the demon, understanding the order underlying it.

"I won't let you have your way!" snarls the Cimmerian, standing on the bar top, blood streaming down her face. Splashes of wine splatter her once-beautiful gown, and she points the microphone at them while uttering a voiceless incantation.

Raiden ducks on the ground as bluish energy ripples out from the tip of the microphone.

Raia frowns and swings her blade around, dispelling the energy. Then, small bits of bluish light float in one place and thrust themselves in her face.

"What -" she starts, but it turns into a scream as a loud ringing bell resounds in her mind, accompanied by a throbbing pain beneath her temples.

"Raia!" Raiden shouts.

"Just finish her!" Raia growls, clutching her head, then a crashing sound follows as Raiden slams into a wall.

"Stupid disciple," Raia snarls.

The Cimmerian bursts out laughing and the two Aragons look at her. She's standing on the wooden counter table, twirling the microphone with an enigmatic smile tugging on her rosy lips.

"You sure are lively fellows," the demon says, pointing her weapon at the immobile customers.

Raiden's face pales. Raia leaps forward.

"I got this, just finish her!" Raia exclaims.

Raiden nods and charges at the Cimmerian. The demon ducks down and crosses her arms in front of her face as the disciple lifts his weapon.

"Stop!" the Cimmerian screams.

Raiden freezes in mid-action, staring at her with wide eyes.

Raia gives the demon a perplexed look. The bluish spots that surround her slowly dissipate.

"Aren't you heroes?" the Cimmerian says. "So, why are you so eager to harm a human being like me? Don't kill me, I just wanna be saved."

Raia frowns, puzzled by the demon's unexpected demeanor. But of course, she knows what the demon is trying to pull off.

"You're no human, demon!" Raiden snarls.

Raia shifts her gaze to him, her frown deepening. Raiden's hands tremble at his sides, and his weapon limps uselessly. Raia senses a powerful emotion emanating from him, and it isn't good.

Don't tell me he's falling for her act?

The Cimmerian impersonates a gasp. "How harsh. I'm still a human being. This body is mine. That indicates I'm a living being. And look at me, I'm bleeding. If you kill me, I'll vanish for good. If you're that cruel, don't call yourselves priests."

Raiden flinches at her remarks, then the Cimmerian bends forward and caresses his face.

"See? I'm warm. That means I'm alive."

"Shut up, you demon!" Raia growls and lunges at her.

The Cimmerian kicks off the table and lashes out, slamming her feet into the stunned Raiden and sending him sprawling onto the stage. She laughs and leaps at Raia.

Raia raises her longsword to defend herself. A metallic sound reverberates through the air as their weapons greet each other.

"Sonic wave," the Cimmerian utters, and Raia jumps backward.

The microphone emits invisible energy. Raia avoids the blow then she charges back at her opponent, swinging her longsword around.

The Cimmerian dodges her attacks as if doing a dance move, grinning the whole while.

Raia continues to swing her sword with little effort, careful not to exhaust herself too quickly. The Cimmerian just keeps dodging her attacks, and she undeniably possesses agility. But it's not possible to catch her off guard with a simple trick. Since the demon is entirely reliant on the microphone, all Raia has to do is separate it from her and destroy it.

So her aim is to disarm the demon before killing her.

However, something is wrong. It's the absence of her comrade's presence.

Frustrated, Raia leaps back and creates a distance between her and the Cimmerian. Her head snaps toward Raiden, who is slumped against the wall and breathing heavily.

"Get a grip of yourself, Kara. She is not a human!" Raia snarls and closes the distance between her and the demon.

"But if we kill her, another innocent soul will perish," Raiden says, a hint of hesitation in his voice. He slowly rises to his feet, his eyes staring blankly to the ground. "Another body will vanish. We're supposed to be . . . saviors."

The Cimmerian blocks Raia's attack, but Raia already anticipates that and that's her intention. She purposefully used the same attack and movement to be able to pull off the trick she's about to perform. After exchanging blows after blows, Raia observes that the Cimmerian is one of those who fight solely on physical abilities and power. They don't have any tactics to back up their strength. That makes them predictable and easy to defeat.

That's unquestionable given that she's a former human with no fighting history or experience. She's just one of those pathetic demons who go straight for vengeance after obtaining power. She may have gained strength superior to humans, but she lacks skill.

Raia can tell from her movements and expressions that the Cimmerian has slightly relaxed her guard as she has grown accustomed to Raia's consistent and predictable attacks. As a result, she's now more prone to minor surprises.

Seeing an opening, Raia leaps to her feet and flips over the Cimmerian. As soon as she lands behind her, she thrusts her flaming longsword into her back. The Cimmerian gasps in pain and surprise when Raia pulls the blade out. Crimson blood pours from the open wound. Raia spins her sword and the burning blade slices off the woman's left wrist.

A loud noise echoes when the microphone falls to the ground with the Cimmerian's severed hand. Raia destroys the microphone with her sword and delivers a spinning roundhouse kick, slamming the demon into Raiden.

Her companion lets out a yelp as the impact knocks him into the wall. The demon is strewn across his lap, dying. Raiden gives Raia a look of disbelief.

"What's the matter with you?" Raiden blurts out, but Raia pounces on him and grabs his collar with a firm grasp.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Raia growls at him, her eyes blazing. "Did you just hesitate a while ago?"

"N-no, I -"

"Kill her," Raia says in a deep and cold voice, pointing her flaming longsword at his face. The flame encircling the blade dies away, becoming a regular weapon, and its pointed tip shimmers with a faint glint. "I will not let you burden me."

Raiden stiffens. Her eyes are dull and intimidating, with not a trace of mercy in them. He opens his lips to speak, but before he can, the Cimmerian squirms, attempting to rise but lacking the strength to do so. Blood continues to leak from her wounds, staining the floor and his shirt. He looks at her.

"P-please, don't kill me. I . . . I don't wanna disappear," the Cimmerian begs, her trembling fist clenched. She's breathing hard. "I just want to have fun and comfort people with my music. We're all victims, and I'm helping them in overcoming their worries. We will . . . take our revenge on that bastard Seymour!"

Raiden scrunches up his eyebrows. "S-Seymour? The mayor?"

Recruiting demonic army to boot a mayor, I see. Understandable but still unacceptable. Their corrupted souls will bring more trouble to this world . . . and to me.

Raia glances at Raiden, who is still frozen in place, staring at the demon as if having second thoughts. Frustrated at how easily her companion can be sidetracked, she slaps him in the face. She has to wake him up and get him back on track.

Raiden's eyes widen and he lifts his gaze to her.

"Stop with that annoying sympathy of yours! It won't get you anywhere. Don't you get it?" Raia yells as she grabs his collar with both hands. "Demons are attempting to infiltrate your emotions. That's what they do! And what kind of disciple would you be if you displayed such weakness in front of an enemy? Don't let your emotions take over because that's how evil will dominate you. That's how you'll lose a fight!"

Raiden averts his eyes and tightens his grip on his weapon.

"Do you want more bodies to disappear? Do you want these people to become weapons of darkness?" Raia growls at his face. "Kara, to be a savior, you must also be a destroyer."

Raiden rises to his feet without saying anything, and Raia lets go of his collar. He then turns to face the Cimmerian, who is now looking at him with pleading eyes. He grits his teeth.

"Our job is to destroy them, not to feel pity for them," Raia says as she stands up. "She's a Cimmerian, after all. Let's deal with her first."

"But if that mayor is the cause of their despair, we must do something before more souls will be corrupted!" Raiden blurts out.

Raia's eyes darken. "As I have said, we must deal with her first. Destroy her."

"Please, let me live," the Cimmerian whispers.

For a disciple, sympathizing with an enemy is a big mistake. It's a flaw that an enemy can exploit.

Demons may have once been humans, but their souls have been corrupted and are now weapons of the Great Wizard; thus, they must be eliminated, even if it means erasing one's entire existence. Because the darkness is a cruel mistress. Because life is harsh. And being a savior can be cruel at times.

"Such impurity cannot be seen by my eyes," Raiden states, his voice emotionless, eliciting surprised looks from the demon and even Raia.

What? Raia's brow furrows as she considers Raiden's abrupt change of behavior. His voice isn't what it used to be, and neither is his demeanor. He's transformed into a whole new person.

"Demons deserve no mercy, and I shall destroy thee," Raiden says monotonously, staring at the Cimmerian with lifeless eyes. When he raises the whip sword, it emits a beam of light, and the divided blades fuse into one. His weapon reverts to its original form: a broadsword.

"No!" screams the demon as Raiden stabs the blade deep into her chest.

Vines sprout from the rain-guard of his broadsword and devour the Cimmerian's lifeless body. The vines, along with her remains, vanish shortly after. The blood on the floor also disappears, leaving no sign of the woman's existence. She's a Cimmerian, a demon who has fallen too far into the darkness and gone through a transition. Her soul will vanish and cannot be resurrected.

The fate of a Cimmerian is eternal oblivion.

"Rest in peace," Raiden whispers.

Raia casts an uncertain glance at Raiden, who remains motionless. He blinks once and looks at her as if waking up from a hypnotic state. Then he smiles ruefully.

"I'm sorry for momentarily losing my path," he says softly, returning to his usual demeanor.

What just happened? Raia wonders, a suspicious expression on her face as she stares at Raiden.

The people at the tavern come out of their daze. They blink several times, looking perplexed as they take in their surroundings, before focusing on two young men dressed in black.

As they rise from their seats, they speak in a confused tone, their cheeks flushed with fear. But just as Raia and Raiden open their mouths to speak, a familiar voice shouts out from the tavern, interrupting them.

"My! I guess I was late already, eh? But I'm glad she didn't have the Core."

Raia and Raiden turn around, and their eyes grow wide in surprise. Loki, with a mischievous smile on his lips, stands at the doorway.

"Hello, we've met again," he says as he waves his hand at them. "I'm sorry to say it, but I was hoping you two would lose. That Cimmerian isn't as powerful as I expected. What a pity."

He lets out a sigh of disappointment and tightens the bandanna around his head. "So, I guess I'll have to leave now since the play is already over."

Loki turns on his heels and waves his hand goodbye. In a heartbeat, Raia is behind him, the holy flame of her Blessing springing into life and engulfing the blade as she points it at him.

"Who are you?" she growls, her pupils constricted to a slit.

"You ignored me on the train, and now you want to know who I am?" Loki lets out a deep sigh and places a hand on his chest. "Let me introduce myself once more: my name is Loki. It's great to see you again."