“ing do something!” Dami yells into the receiver.

Down below, Handong was struggling to get out of X’s grip. His hand was on her neck, pinning her against the pillar. It was already glowing a faint red but then the addition of Handong’s blood smeared onto it made it glow just like the one in Busan.

Jiu, Bora, Siyeon, and Not-Yoohyeon were the only ones standing in the middle of the forest. Everyone else either died by the hands of the enemies or retreated to minimize losses. A cerberus demon stands between them and Handong, baring its sharp teeth.

“Jiu, get back. This’ll be ugly.” Siyeon says as she watches the cerberus eye them like meat. The drool dripping from its open mouth makes her want to throw up from the smell. They hear Handong cry out in pain from behind the hideous beast and that springs them into action.

Bora, Siyeon, and Not-Yoohyeon attempt to fight as far away as possible to split the cerberus up. Despite having three heads stuck to one body, the cerberus was surprisingly agile and flexible. It dodges with its huge body when it sees winds and flames headed its way. Even when Siyeon manages to stun the rightmost head, the other two strategically shield it before she could land another serious blow.

--

Meanwhile, Handong is fully struggling by punching and kicking but X’s grip is strong. His mask has no eye holes but Handong can feel his gaze meeting hers. “I never imagined that I would encounter another of my kind. I thought the elders up there were too busy caring only for themselves.” He muses.

She struggled to breath through his grasp. “They sent me to stop you.”

“Or so you think. They sent me a gift instead. Tell me, how much did the elders tell you about me?” He laughs. “Well that was a stupid question. If you knew who I was, you wouldn’t have taken so long to find me.”

“We’ll stop you no matter what...” He laughs again at her futile words.

“O’ precious child of the moon, you have no idea how many times I’ve heard that line in that past millennium.”

--

The tengu lands her clawed feet on the ground a few feet away from the cerberus.

I can’t hear his voice...he is suffering…

“Yes. I know.”

Her sharp eyesight assisted her in locating the white cross but it was nowhere to be seen. The beast slowed down considerably in the past few exchanges because of Bora’s and Siyeon relentless attacks.

“There’s only one thing to do...” She mutters to herself.

Killing him will hurt you.

Not-Yoohyeon readies her wings and her circuits. “Yes, it will. But ending his suffering is more important.” She releases a burst of wind, drawing the cerberus’s attention to her. The winds coil tightly around her open palm until they form a long sword made of wind. It is mostly invisible air, making it hard for others to gauge the dimensions of her sword.

Without missing a beat, the tengu flies towards the cerberus, cleanly sliding her invisible sword through the center head. It gets caught when she reaches the skull but all she does is narrow her eyes and release a burst of energy from her sword. The head, along with the body, is in two halves.

“Well . Why didn't you just do that before-'' Bora slams her hand over Siyeon’s mouth before the younger could say another word. Not-Yoohyeon’s side profile was visible to them as she stands in the middle of the carcass. Tears are streaming down her cheeks and her eyes are full of remorse.

The body of the cerberus disintegrates but this time, something is left behind.

“Wolfy...and the black dog...” Bora covers in shock. Those were the dogs from the shelter. “They were turned into demons....”

The fire-user runs past the dead dogs and the silver-haired girl, full of rage in her entire being. Her sights are locked into the black-clad man. “JUN YOU ER! WHAT DID YOU DO TO THEM?!”

She doesn’t care anymore. Not when those innocent dogs were used in such a twisted manner by some sick man. She doesn’t care and so she lets her flames reflect the rage she is feeling.

Everything can ing burn down for all I care.

X turns around but doesn’t block the punch fueled with purple flames in time. He stumbles back and clutches his face, mask broken off. The sight of Jun’s face in plain sight makes Bora angerier and all she can think about is killing him.

Siyeon is stunned at the reveal. Jun was someone they trusted all these years that they’ve frequented the dog shelter. All the rank 1 student could think of was why? Why did it have to be him?

Nonetheless, she grips her daggers harder and approaches the struggling man with Not-Yoohyeon falling into step beside her. Sensing the odds stacked against him, X smirks and disappears in a black smoke, reappearing behind them to draw Handong’s blood.

Somehow, Handong literally disappears from the pillar. Jun only has a second to be surprised before the other three are pressuring him. Winds are cutting at him from every direction, flames are at his skin, and two daggers are trying to make their way into his heart.

He sees the tengu’s and his own skin getting scorched from Bora’s heat but for some reason, the rank 1 student doesn’t even slow down. But it doesn't matter to him. The second pillar is active and he can feel its energy coursing through him. The leader of CM forcefully catches Bora’s fist in his palm, stopping her in her tracks.

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