Chapter 32: Chapter 30

*BOOM*

*Tink* *Tink* *Tink*

*CRASH*

“Haa…”
“DIE, BEAST WOMAN!”
“I’LL BURN YOUR VILE CREATIONS TO ASH!”

*KABOOM* *CRASH* *CRASH*

Yuuji rubbed his temples to alleviate the headache he felt coming on from the deafening battle before him. At first, he’d been concerned with the death threats and hurled insults, but as the meaningless back and forth continued on and on, he gradually became numb to it.

“Can I-”

*BANG* *BANG*
*Rattle* *Rattle* *Rattle*

“-Can I leave yet?”
“Hah!?”
“Of course not!”

The two girls froze mid-combat to refuse his request as if it were a matter of course, and in perfect unison at that. Seemingly content that he wasn’t going to disappear on them, they re-engaged in battle once more, causing him to groan in exhaustion.

“Take THIS!”
“This is the end!”

*BOOOOM*

The shockwave from their final overly dramatic clash rippled through his hair and caused him to flinch, squinting to see who was the victor after all was said and done. Through the dust and smoke, two figures remained ragged and worn, but with confident grins nonetheless.

“My kin, it is time to announce mine victory.”
“Nonsense. Ishitake Yuuji, it is clear I have won.”
“...”

Claire flicked away a lock of hair from in front of her eyes, while Leona gave a fearsome grin which bore her teeth. They both stared at him expectantly, and now more than ever he was regretting allowing himself to be roped into the position of judge for this bout.

“It’s a draw…”
“Draw!? Nonsense, my power was overpowering!”
“Hmph, I pummelled that devil worshipper’s minions without even breaking a sweat!”

What frustrated him most, was that they both made valid arguments. Claire’s summoned skeletons had surrounded and overwhelmed Leona a number of times, and she was covered in various cuts and bruises to show for it. But then again, Leona had continued to outmanoeuvre them, and in terms of stamina seemed entirely unphased while Claire was panting roughly from the demanding strain of continuous re-summoning. Though physically unharmed, if the battle continued for longer her odds would only have worsened.

“It’s a draw. A tie. Equal points.”
“I disagree!”
“Then, let’s rematch. I’m still raring to go!”

He silently swore he would never agree to arbitrate for these two ever again after this day.

“Look at the state of you. Neither of you is fit for a rematch - Leona, go to the infirmary. Claire, go take a seat for a while and recover.”
“...If I must.”
“Tch. Fine. This isn’t over!”

Claire puffed out her cheeks, while Leona clicked her tongue and began to walk away. The nicks she sustained in the fight weren’t severe, but they were deep enough for blood to trickle down her limbs, and it was beyond foolish to ignore them and continue to scrap aimlessly.

Yuuji breathed a sigh of relief as the two girls relinquished their conflict and accepted his decision, and he would finally be able to escape to a peaceful evening.

******

*Clink*

*Clink*

*Clink*

“Surrender now, you macho gorilla. My schemes are too advanced for you to comprehend.”
“Shut up and drop your piece before I slap it out of your hand.”
“...How did this happen!?”

Yuuji held his head in his hands and let out a mournful wail. He could have sworn he was done with these two for the day, so how did they end up in his room playing Connect Four?

*Clink*

“...”
“...”
“...”
“Hmm. It appears the board is filled, and no victor has been decided.”
“So what? Balance the pieces on top if you have to, I’m going to win.”
“I’m losing my mind here!”

The girls turned to face him with confusion at his outburst.

“Just accept the draw! There doesn’t have to be a winner!”
“My kin, I cannot simply back down against this musclebound troglodyte.”
“Ishitake Yuuji, some battles must be fought to the end. If I surrender to this cultist it would be an insult to my faith!”
“How is admitting a tie an insult to the principle of Christianity!?”

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Leona shook her head as if dealing with a child, before stepping away from the board game. Approaching him with a stern glare, she thrust her finger in his direction, her other hand on her hip.

“You of all people should know! Necromancy is an unholy art, and most of all someone who reveres the fallen angel Lucifer could never triumph over that which is pure and divine!”

Yuuji, who was already feeling lost, glanced over at Claire to gauge her reaction. Catching his eye, she smirked and crossed her arms with a self-satisfied expression.

“Lucifer. Hades. Iblis. The ruler of darkness and the underworld goes by many names - I merely draw upon that evil soul that rages within mine flesh.”
“So there’s an evil soul inside you?”
“It is so. A great and fearsome old god - its very name burns my tongue to speak.”
“Didn’t you just call it by three different names? Does that mean you burned your tongue three times, or do some of the names burn more than others?”
“I-It was a manner of speech! That is to say, it is not a power to wield lightly, lest its strength overtakes me.”

As he turned back towards Leona, she gave a fiendish grin, and for once their thoughts were aligned. He’d been put through enough today - it was time for some payback.

“Let me just get this straight: if you use your power too much, Hades will take over your body?”
“M-My kin? Why do you wear such a devilish smile?”
“I’m just enjoying our conversation, don’t worry about it. If your power is summoning, around how many skeletons can you bring out before it’s too many?”
“T-The old ones may rampage fiercely some days more than others. I could not say for sure-”
“Let’s say 200 skeletons? Are 200 skeletons worth one Hades?”
“I-It isn’t wise to say his name in vain-!”
“Ishitake Yuuji. Do not forget the hound.”
“You-! Beast woman!”

Claire’s face had become beet-red as she jumped to her feet, scowling toward Leona. The tables had turned, and now Leona was the one who wore a smug expression.

“Ho~oh? Tell me more.”

Enjoying his sweet, sweet revenge, Yuuji reclined back in his chair like a supervillain straight out of an old spy movie.

“She summons a two-headed beast-”
“Stop! That’s enough!”
“-Called ‘Cerberus’.”
“Cerberus..? Isn’t Orthus the one with two heads?”
“...”

The two of them had expected some kind of response from her, but it never came. Their grins slowly faded, as they turned back towards the girl before them.

“Uuu… I was just a child… By the time I realised the difference it was too late…”
“...Ah.”
“...Oops.”

Her head was practically steaming, and she had become so flustered that she’d even lost her archaic pattern of speech, and seemed on the verge of tears. It had dawned on the two aggressors that they had perhaps taken things a little too far, and they immediately switched gears into consolation mode.

“A-A name is just a name! It’s still a fearsome creature, right, Ishitake Yuuji?”
“Y-Yeah! If you brought it out in the duel earlier, you totally would have won!”
“Well, l-let’s not-”
“...Really?”
“Oh, absolutely!”

She sniffled towards him with upturned ruby-red eyes, and his heart thumped with the desire to hug and protect her like some small helpless creature. Only minutes ago he had been fully into his revenge plot, but he had conveniently forgotten that fact as he mercilessly turned on Leona, his partner in crime.

“H-Hmm. Well, it is only natural for a creature of the abyss such as mine own…”
“Right! Leona wouldn’t have stood a chance!”
“You-! Don’t get too carried away!”

Leona had reached the limit of what she could endure and snapped back at the duo.

“...”
“...”
“...”

*sniffle*

“...Leona had to leave her church because her body distracted the boys studying there.”
“CLAIRE!”

Unfortunately for Leona, this battle was one of mutually assured destruction. The decision in Claire’s mind was simple - if she was going down, she was going down swinging.

It was a hell of a bombshell to drop, but Yuuji didn’t find it all too surprising past the initial shock. After all, her smooth sun-bronzed skin had an alluring air to it, and her tomboyish behaviour reinforced a dangerous charm.

She fought with flashy moves in battle, but from the comfort of the sidelines he’d studied the elegance of her technique, and her outfit that prioritised freedom of movement over tradition gave enticing glimpses of her long, well-toned legs with every kick.

If she had been practising her martial arts in the same church courtyard as the others, she’d easily find herself many admirers of all kinds, which would surely cause some friction in stricter circles.

“You promised you wouldn’t tell!”
“As did you. With this, we are even.”
“H-Hmm. Well. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, right Leona? If anything, it’s a compliment.”
“...”

Leona fell nervously silent as she stared at him. She’d become strangely docile, which only interested Yuuji more, as for better or worse he quite enjoyed seeing the other sides of the both of them.

The cogs in her head whirring, she slowly reddened more and more, until the boiling point.

“-I won’t forget this, Ishitake Yuuji!”

She stormed out of the room in a flash, leaving the two of them behind in her wake. They exchanged uneasy glances for a moment before Yuuji scratched his head.

“...Was it something I said?”

Regardless, the next day he made a conscious effort to find and apologise to her properly.

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