Author's Note: The art for Rugi and Jehan will officially be uploaded on the Discord server after this. Once again, they are not accurate portrayal due to the limitations of the app!
The system had gone completely quiet in her mind.
It clearly did not seem eager to clear up any doubts Cecil had in her mind about it.
Fortunately, her momentum had slowed down considerably in the air. Cecil knew it was not the time to ponder on the enigmatic system in her mind.
She glanced around hastily, trying to find a proper landing spot, one that would not result in her getting broken bones. Throughout this entire journey with Xue, Hana and K’xug, she had been thrown and flung into the air countless times.
Learning to be somewhat calm in a situation like this right now…
I guess I could count it as a blessing.
At that moment, she managed to catch a glimpse of blue in the distance.
It seemed like...water.
The object neared her rapidly and she realised it was water...or more specifically, a long column of water.
It stretched across the roof of the buildings, meandering and twirling, eventually reaching towards her. The next second, it wrapped around her entire being and she was submerged completely in the water.
“...?!”
Cecil squeezed her eyes close.
This...this person!
They are controlling the water element so easily!
Why am I encountering formidable people one after another?!
She felt a force gently pulling her through the column of water, like someone was guiding her through it.
Cecil let out a gasp of air, panicking.
She had an inkling as to who...had this level of skill with their element.
***
Whereas, on the ground, Haru and Kiyae were still running around the town like crazy, trying to catch a whiff of Cecil’s presence. The two of them encountered one another halfway through, and decided to put two heads together to search for the missing raven-haired woman instead.
Luckily, this part of the town wasn’t affected by the fight and the people were still going about their daily routine. The only difference was the increase of guards around the town, which was only noticed by Kiyae and Haru.
It was as if someone was trying their best to keep the chaos contained, and not letting it seep out to the rest of the town.
The chaos, which was only experienced by Haru and Kiyae, made them receive bewildered looks from the people. They were flustered looking for their friend.
A few seconds later, a column of water cut through the air, right above the roof of every building. Everyone stared at the scene in awe.
“This is…” Kiyae muttered out, looking at Haru. “Captain, this can only be…”
“It’s Rugi,” Haru scoffed in disbelief. “Only he is capable of doing something like this.”
“It’s the owner!”
“The owner! He’s doing it again!”
Some people started clapping and cheering.
Haru and Kiyae hurried to follow the column of water, dashing across the crowd.
***
The force guiding her via the column of water gradually slowed down, and Cecil felt herself descending. Her eyes were still closed, all she could hear was the sound of water rushing by her ears.
At this time, the sound of the water rushing by died down.
She became still in the water and she could feel the column of water growing smaller and smaller as she was gently dropped into a pair of arms. She shivered as she felt the wind blow by, blinking her eyes slowly.
There was still water clinging to her eyelashes.
“What a strange day.”
Their voice was clear and mellow.
Cecil burst her eyes open, water dripping from her hair and clothes.
A pair of sea-green eyes gazed down at her, the owner of those eyes had a smile playing on his sensual lips. There was a mole on the corner of his mouth.
“Demon hunting down angels, a soul of ours killing and absorbing, Ephert's mercenaries causing trouble,” he continued speaking, droplets of water falling from his hair and rolling down his face. “And there’s still the case of the customer that tried to harm one of my people, hiding from me.”
A face that looked exactly like Xue.
“Then, there’s you. Flying in the air.”
He smiled in a charming manner, his wavy sea-green hair glimmered in the sunlight.
Cecil was too shocked to even say anything. Her eyes wide as she continued staring at the green-haired man in disbelief.
To be more specific, it was Xue with green hair.
He only continued smiling down at her, carrying her in his arms.
“...”
All of a sudden, Cecil sneezed.
“Oh, that’s right,” the man spoke softly, closing his eyes. “Just a moment.”
At that moment, she could feel the water clinging to her body being sucked away, and she could also see it happening on the man still carrying her in his arms. Cecil observed the scene around her, this was something Hana had done before as well.
Within a short moment, they had been completely dried off. It was as if the water never touched them in the first place.
“There, much better,” he slowly opened his eyes. “I never expected our first meeting to be like this, Cecil Lan.”
It was no surprise he knew her name.
Cecil already knew who this man was.
According to Yun, this man was their main source of information. He probably had ears and eyes everywhere.
“...uhmm…” she finally spoke up. “Please...let me down.”
He smiled, proceeding to place her down on the ground gently.
She slapped on a lukewarm expression.
“Who are you?”
However, Cecil already knew his name. She was asking for the sake of formalities, and to change the topic.
“Himura Tsurugi,” he reached out, noticing that the braid Hana had tied for her had become tangled. “You can just call me Rugi.”
Cecil was startled by him closing the distance suddenly, trying to move away.
“Wait, don’t move or it’ll hurt,” he warned her, her sudden movement causing his fingers to become even more tangled in her hair. “And you’ll slip easily from the roof, it isn’t stable.”
They were still standing on the roof of the building, and Rugi was right.
It wasn’t the most stable place to be at.
Without any more struggle on her end, he started to untangle her hair, his movements careful and gentle.
Cecil observed Rugi quietly, a conflicted look on her face.
“From earlier and until now, I have noticed…” he continued to speak, glancing up towards her. “You don’t seem too...happy to see me.”
Cecil paused, looking at him.
It’s not that I’m not happy to see you, but I wanted to avoid seeing you…
...but to think that the first person I would after being separated from the others is you...and in such a funny way.
Cecil smiled nervously. “What makes you think that?”
“Reading people’s expressions are my speciality.”
She wanted to cry without tears.
That’s right!
In the novel, he was like that too!
Why is he such an observant casanova!
Cecil managed to maintain her smile, shaking her head. “You are reading too much into it, besides, we have never met before. Why would I be unhappy to see someone I am meeting for the first time?”
Since she had already met him, there was no point in avoiding him now. It was better to make a neutral impression than a bad impression on someone you wanted to avoid. Moreover, if it was regarding the soul fragment of your lover.
Just then, Rugi finished untangling her braid.
Her hair unravelled, tumbling down her shoulders and framing her delicate, attractive face. Her limpid, onyx eyes met him at that moment, and Rugi seemed to be exuding a seductive charm, the mole near his lips was more prominent as he smiled slightly.
Cecil looked away, tugging her hair behind her ears.
Deadly.
Cecil closed her eyes.
His sea-green eyes softened, admiring the beautiful woman before him.
“That’s right, it’s our first meeting,” his voice was low, his eyes trailing down her face. “Because if it isn’t, I would remember you.”
Cecil took a step back, furrowing her eyebrows.
Too deadly.
She slipped at that moment, the roof was still slippery from earlier. Rugi hastily reached out, his arm wrapping around her waist and bringing her close.
“I said you’ll slip easily,” Rugi raised his eyebrows, his voice still low. “Didn’t I?”
Cecil widened her eyes, her heart skipping a beat. She hastily stretched her hand out, trying to extricate herself from this compromising position.
Just then, a sharp pain coursed through her shoulder and her hand shot towards the shoulder as she winced in pain. At this time, she also realised how her entire body was really sore.
Rugi hurriedly released her, blinking in shock. “You are injured.”
Cecil grimaced, glancing around. “I...I need someplace safe to take a good look at my condition.”
“Follow me, I’ll bring you back to my--”
Rugi halted abruptly in his words, spinning his head sharply. He stared into the distance, appearing frustrated.
“Wh-what’s wrong?” Cecil asked.
All she could see was an empty sky.
“No time for that now,” Rugi turned back, wrapping his arm around her waist. “You’ll have to make do with this for now.”
“What do you mean--”
Rugi leapt from roof to roof, dragging Cecil along with him. She could even retort, and within half a minute, she found herself being guided to the ground.
It was an alleyway and Rugi jumped right into the middle of the group of three. One of them was kicked down by Rugi. The three men were dressed in uniforms that Cecil realised was donned by the guards in the town.
One of them wanted to bark at Rugi, for almost trying to kill him. However, after seeing Rugi for who he is, the three of them instantly cowered.
“Ow-owner!”
“We weren't slacking off, we swear!”
“You two, come with me,” Rugi pointed to two of them, and he looked at the last one among them. “And you, bring her to Tsuki, tell them this lady right here is with me and that she needs rest.”
The three of them nodded vigorously.
Rugi brought her closer to the guard, handing her over. “Careful.”
Cecil winced once again, moving her shoulder carelessly.
“Quickly, go. We don’t have much time.”
Cecil and the guard nodded, starting to walk off.
“You two, follow me quickly.” Rugi prepared to dash off the opposite way, when he halted abruptly.
He creased his brows and spun around.
“Wait, Cecil, let me check something.” Rugi approached the guard leading Cecil away.
Cecil could see the guard stiffening. It was subtle, but Cecil was still alert enough to catch onto it.
“...?”
She tilted her head.
Alas, Rugi could not check what he wanted as something propelled towards them, landing in between them. Dirt and dust swirled in the air, blocking their view momentarily and all they could see was a figure standing between them.
“Himura Tsurugi, I have come again,” the figure spoke with a voice Cecil was familiar with. “This time, I am stronger and I will win.”
The dust and dirt started to clear, and Cecil caught a glimpse of navy blue hair. She gasped, her eyes widening in recognition.
“Jehan?!”
The navy blue-haired man and Rugi turned towards her.
“Owner!”
“Th-this man looks so much like you!”
With his face on clear display for everyone, there was no denying he was Jehan. It turns out, he had been beaten black and blue by Rugi many times, and always came back to fight him after absorbing more souls.
Rugi seemed to be stronger than the other soul fragments he had encountered, and a very tough one. He used both his brawns and brains to fight, and was always rationale, an annoying opponent for someone like Jehan.
“Cecil Lan?” Jehan laughed in disbelief. “You are here too?”
Rugi rushed in between Cecil and Jehan.
“Good, very good!” Jehan chuckled, shifting his focus to Cecil. “Without him here, snatching you away would be easy!”
He wielded his dangerous claws, aiming it for the guard beside Cecil. She held one of her daggers, using it as a last resort method for defence.
Clang!
A ringing sound rang through the air.
Rugi had summoned out his sword, defending Cecil and the guard. He gritted his teeth, speaking urgently.
“Quickly, go! I’ll handle him!”
Cecil and the guard made their escape quickly.
Jehan wanted to go after them, however, Rugi conjured a dozen water blades in the air within a heartbeat. All of them rushed towards Jehan, and the guards that Rugi had demanded to follow him were smart enough to try and follow up with his attacks.
Jehan dodged the water blades, though one of the guards managed to nick him on the cheek. He smirked, wiping the blood of his cheek.
“Three against one,” Jehan smirked even wider. “You are playing dirty.”
“For someone like you,” Rugi narrowed his eyes. “This isn’t playing dirty.”
Just like that, the two soul fragments clashed once more.
***
“Ugh!”
Xue was tossed onto the ground roughly, coughing out a mouthful of blood on the ground. He wiped his lips, lifting his head and glaring at the cobalt blue-haired devil standing before him.
The next second, K’xug was forced back and stood beside Xue. He glanced down, observing Xue with worry. An anxious look crossed his different-coloured eyes, tightening the grip on his twin swords.
“Just be good and stay there quietly, Xue.”
Xue clenched his jaw, glancing down at his palms and all he saw were his elements switching between fire and water.
He was hoping to catch a glimpse of a bright, white light.
A sign of light magic.
However, it was hopeless trying to bring it out. First of all, he hadn’t collected all four elements, an absolute requirement he needed in order to use light magic.
This was what he trained for years for the throne of the Supreme God. Slowly by slowly, he mastered each element, and slowly by slowly, he turned them into light magic.
It would explain why his light magic was more superior compared to the average angel.
“Damn it,” Xue cursed out, curling his fingers into a fist. “I…”
Xue closed his eyes, accepting the painful truth.
“I can’t do anything.”
Veau rushed forward, making a sword out of pure, dark magic and aiming it at Xue. K’xug knew there was no way Xue would be able to defend against that, hence, he quickly blocked the attack for Xue.
Zeau smiled dangerously, throwing out an attack of his own. It hit K’xug right in the chest, causing him to stumble back and kneel down on one knee, coughing out blood as well.
Xue witnessed this scene, clicking his tongue and pushing himself up.
“Brother, make him sleep for a while.”
Veau glanced at Zeau beside him, putting on an exaggerated unhappy expression.
“I worked so hard to gain back my energy from the seals and curses I have been throwing around,” Veau lamented with a sigh. “And now I have to spend a quarter of it?”
“I’ll share the burden with you.”
Veau shrugged. “Now I did not force you to do that, you said it yourself.”
“...”
Even in a battle like this, Zeau was speechless that his brother was still in his usual lazy and joking demeanour.
Veau clashed weapons with Xue once more, and an aura of dark magic drifted out from him. It was intense, and Xue widened his eyes in shock.
K’xug swooped in with his wings, wanting to carry Xue and Hana away from this battle. He was already injured, and there was no way he could fight against Veau and Zeau.
Xue was nowhere near his full strength.
Hana was still unconscious too.
“No, K’xug, forget about me!” Xue barked out. “Zeau is after Hana!”
K’xug gasped, his eyes looking towards Hana. Zeau was quick on his feet, and K’xug wasn’t sure if he would make it in time.
Hana!
K’xug gritted his teeth, surging forward.
At the same time, Xue gasped in pain when he felt something grabbing at his very soul within him. He lifted his head shakily, glaring at Veau before him.
The cobalt blue-haired devil had a huge circle made of dark magic floating in front of him. There were symbols on it, and Veau smiled lazily, one of his hands was balled up into a fist.
“Go to sleep, Xue, for a while.”
“...ba...stard…”
Veau shrugged, the dark magic circle hovering in front of him was pulsating as the aura around Veau amplified, his eyes turning demonic.
Xue cried out in pain, feeling a tearing pain at his soul. It felt like something was dragging his consciousness out from his body, forcibly lulling him to sleep but the pain was excruciating.
K’xug gasped, opening his mouth to shout out to Xue. Alas, he was still sealed up.
Xue maintained eye contact with him at that moment, mouthing out some words weakly.
“Save...Cecil and Hana...first…”
The ash blonde-haired man collapsed to the ground a second later, completely unconscious.
“Fortunately, you are still weak,” Veau tilted his head. “Or this wouldn’t work at all, and the backlash I would receive would be difficult to handle.”
Meanwhile, on the other end, Zeau smiled genially, standing in front of the barrier that was protecting the unconscious Hana. With a wave of his hand filled with dark magic, the barrier shattered into pieces.
His eyes turned demonic and wings sprouted out from his back, this time, in his view, he could see the seals placed on Hana hovering in the air. He reached out to Hana, tendrils of black magic flowing out from him.
Thwarting Valoel’s efforts to help Hana, that would be easy enough.
K’xug’s breathing became unstable.
I won’t make it in time!
At that moment, Zeau sensed something from his left and he gasped, turning his head. An arrow shot towards him and dodged it.
If it was a normal arrow, he would have caught it and crushed it into pieces. However, this wasn’t a normal arrow.
Light magic.
Are there more angels here?
He brought his head up.
K’xug snapped his head towards the left as well.
“The owner was right,” a man revealed himself, wearing a black glove on his hand as he was equipped with a bow and a quiver filled with arrows. “Beautiful people can be deadly.”
Behind him, there were several more people equipped with the same things. They were all from the brothel, and they were busy preparing their weapons when they saw the commotion.
K’xug was shocked by the scene he saw.
Veau and Zeau were equally shocked.
“These angels...are they collaborating with mortals?” Zeau furrowed his eyebrows.
However, K’xug recovered from his shock quickly enough, since he had already witnessed such a scene before. He picked up Hana and threw her over his shoulder, before he hurried over to the motionless Xue.
He shook Xue lightly with his hand that was not holding onto Hana.
The man was completely unresponsive, his eyes closed.
***
Pt. 1
《 start 》
There was no possible way I would forget meeting someone like you.
I would remember you.
I would remember you for my entire life.
It is our first meeting.
...but why do I feel as if we have met in many different ways before?
《 stop 》
***
Pt. 2
《 start 》
Cecil Lan.
Cecil Lan.
Cecil…
I said I would take good care of you...for my entire life…
My Cecil Lan...
《 stop 》