บท 87: Illumination

As he was only pretending to be immobilized, waiting for a second opportunity to attack, Will was somewhat annoyed when the ground beneath him lost its substance, his body plummeting into his shadow before being unceremoniously tossed into an alley.

"If you're so eager to die, I could always kill you myself..." remarked Ohta, grabbing one of the light-formed nails within Will's body and pulling it out with his right hand.

Making it clear he was playing possum, Will rose to a seated position, the light-formed nails disappearing into his body as he repurposed their Mana as his own.

"You really aren't normal..." remarked Ohta, frowning as he tossed aside the nail in his hand.

"Hasn't that always been the case...?" asked Will, rising to his feet and brushing himself off as Ohta stared at him with crossed-armed and half-lidded eyes, clearly having more to say.

"Who's Sarah...?" asked Ohta, catching Will slightly off guard as he wasn't expecting him to ask so soon.

Furrowing his brows slightly, Will became serious as he asked, "What are you really asking...?"

"Did I freaking stutter, asshole...?" retorted Ohta, furrowing his brows as he revealed, "Someone named Sarah spoke to me in my mind and using my mouth. And the way she spoke made it pretty fucking obvious the two of you know each other."

"I see..." muttered Will, closing his eyes, shaking his head, and resisting the urge to sigh. Ohta had been on an emotional rollercoaster ever since their journey began, but since he wasn't particularly fond of keeping the truth from people to protect them, he opened his eyes and revealed, "You might find this difficult to believe, but she, like me, transmigrated into this world. As far as who she is, I honestly can't say. Not because I don't want to but because she and I have spent very little time together."

"What the fuck...?" asked Ohta, sensing no falsehoods within Will's words, leaving him feeling even more disjointed. The concept of transmigration was familiar to him, as the Ancestor of all Demons and the Founding King Callum were both known to have originated from different worlds, but he assumed those were just stories.

Shrugging, Will attested, "I said I would be honest with you, and that's what I'm doing. Sarah was someone I knew in my very first incarnation, but we were never particularly close and have always walked separate paths. Until the other night, I wasn't even certain the two of you were related, so if you think I'm deliberately keeping secrets about your past from you, you're mistaken."

"You're definitely keeping something from me..." retorted Ohta, snorting, but mostly on principle. He knew from their time together that Will might be opportunistic, but he wasn't deceitful. He might keep things to himself, but when he did decide to share, he typically spoke the truth.

Misunderstanding that Ohta was being standoffish and not accusing him directly, Will raised his right brow and asked, "Are you referring to the fact you're a girl...?"

"..."

Following a brief pause, Ohta's frown deepened as he asked, "What the hell are you talking about? You've seen me naked at least a dozen times. Are you touched in the head, or do you not know the differences between boys and girls...?"

Shaking his head, Will asserted, "You're wrong. I'm not sure how it works or why I can see through it, but there is a type of obfuscation magic cast on you, making people perceive you as male. I can only imagine how you see yourself, but you're unmistakably a girl in my eyes..."

"That...that's ridiculous..." muttered Ohta, his voice and eyes trembling as he looked down at his body. He didn't exactly exude masculinity, but how could anyone look at him and see a girl?

"No need to suffer an existential crisis," said Will, his expression softening as he expressed, "It doesn't really change anything in the short term, and once we uncover the truth of your origin, everything should become clear. For now, we should focus on the matter at hand."

Though he didn't appreciate how Will was glossing over things as if he hadn't just dropped a paradigm-shifting bombshell on him, the distant sound of explosions and persistent tremors emanating from the nearby battle caused Ohta to remain silent. Only for a moment, however, as he pointed out, "That Mage with the engravings is dangerous. You won't be able to defeat him with your current strength..."

"Really?" asked Will. "I feel like I got pretty close when I threw my spear at his head."

"Even if you had hit him, it wouldn't have mattered," asserted Ohta. "He may look human, but there's something off about him..."

"Yeah, if I had to guess, he's probably an Angel," attested Will, causing Ohta to stare at him with a frown until he explained, "I'm pretty good at sensing things and can generally discern the elemental affinity of those around me. That kid feels like he's made from Light, not simply attuned to it."

"Then how do you plan to defeat him...?" asked Ohta, instinctively shifting his gaze to Will's gauntlet.

"This would probably do the trick," affirmed Will, holding up his gauntleted right hand and forming it into a fist before lowering it as he asserted, "But, even without magical tools or artifacts, my power of suggestion, the thing I told you about before, allows me to strike and harm immaterial and even immortal entities. I just need to believe my attacks are effective, and they generally are."

"Is that a perk of being a Transmigrator...?" asked Ohta, feeling it was a little similar to his own ability.

"Kind of...?" responded Will, making a so-so gesture with his right hand before confirming Ohta's suspicions as he explained, "That's how I first made the connection between you and Sarah. That power you use when you're especially angry is known as Denial. It's a rejection of phenomena that can even override causality and is entirely fueled by Wrath."

"It's annoying hearing you explain it that way..." remarked Ohta, his brows furrowing and cheeks puffing slightly. He felt that Will was taking a cheap shot at his anger issues, but now that he had an explanation for them, he also felt vindicated for all the times he had lashed out.

"What's your power called...?" asked Ohta, reasoning that if Will knew his was called Denial, the power of suggestion he employed should also have a name.

Though it was somewhat embarrassing, Will didn't hesitate to reveal, "It's called Dominate. And, just as your Denial is fueled by Wrath, my Dominate is fueled by Pride..."

"Oh? Is that why you're such a self-righteous ignoramus who can't leave well enough alone...?" asked Ohta, adopting a cheeky grin as he could tell Will was embarrassed.

"It's also what compels me to point out people are fighting for their lives and dying while we're standing here chatting..." countered Will, smiling as he extended his right hand to ruffle Ohta's hair.

"Whatever..." muttered Ohta. "But if you insist on fighting that monster, I'm going with you."

"I couldn't stop you if I wanted to," responded Will, causing Ohta to snort and bat his hand aside before turning away and abruptly dropping into his shadow. Will shook his head at this, but instead of calling out and insisting that Ohta transported him back to the battle, he leaped onto the nearest rooftop and took stock of the situation. At that point, dusk had given way to nightfall, so a curtain of darkness had fallen over much of the city. The only significant exceptions were the fortress and his destination, the latter producing such blindingly white light that the rest of the world seemed to darken in comparison.

'It's a shame I was never able to acquire a Skill related to archery...' thought Will, retrieving a dark cloak, a bow formed from blackened wood, and a quiver with no reflective surfaces, intending to take full advantage of the shadows. He had trained in archery alongside Alessandra since he began attending the Academy, but for one reason or another, he hadn't been able to attain the associated Skill. His Hunting and Throwing Skills had improved a fair amount, but neither was the Bow Mastery he knew for a fact existed.

Shelving such thoughts, Will took a moment to erase his presence before leaping near-soundlessly from rooftop to rooftop, aided by his enchanted boots, Gryphon Featherfeet. His covering, Veil of Shadows, also increased the efficacy of his Concealment Skill, so while he preferred confronting opponents directly, Will wasn't inexperienced with lurking in the shadows and awaiting opportunities...

...

'I should seriously give Ohta a spanking...' thought Will, his expression grim as he lurked in the shadows of a large piece of debris, observing the condition of the battlefield. They were only gone for a few minutes, but in that period, most of the Crimson Fangs had either been obliterated or fled, leaving only Wahl and two others facing off against the dark-skinned youth. Considering there were twelve when he left, it was a dire situation, to say the least.

"Just die, you bastard...!" bellowed Wahl, his crimson Aura tinted a distinct bloody hue as he burned his blood and vital essence to land an overhead blow on a large, ornate heater shield flanked by six wings, formed entirely of light. Will couldn't help noticing that the man was using his lance, stuck in its greatsword state, but he didn't take it personally.

*BOOM*

As Wahl's attack impacted the mysterious youth's shield, a crimson-hued shockwave rippling outward for hundreds of meters. It was an impressive display, especially considering the man was only a Fourth-Grade Adept, but the youth didn't so much as flinch as he stared at the blade digging a few centimeters into his shield and remarked, "Your tenacity is worthy of praise, but the outcome of this battle was decided the moment our paths crossed."

"Then I'll flip that decision on its head...!" roared Wahl, his face gaunt and muscular body becoming noticeably leaner as his Aura exploded outward, causing a thin sphere of golden light to materialize around the youth as he was forced down, cratering the ground beneath him.

"Senselessness beyond reason..." muttered the youth, raising his right hand, palm-side up and producing a compressed sphere of light. Wahl noticed this, but as he was already committed to his attack, he screamed louder and put everything he had left into the attack, his red hair losing its luster, replaced by silvery-white locks.

'That man possesses the spirit of a true warrior...' thought Will, closing his eyes and lowering his head respectfully as he could tell that Wahl's attack wouldn't be enough. He could attempt to intervene, but even if the energy unleashed by Wahl's desperate attack couldn't tear apart his defenses, he knew the man had already resigned himself to his fate and that interfering at such a critical juncture would irreversibly damage his pride. After all, for those who seriously committed themselves to the Martial Path, there was no greater prize than an honorable death.

Following another powerful shockwave, a reverberating hum, and a smell reminiscent of ozone, Will raised his head and opened his eyes just in time to see Wahl crumple to the ground with a cauterized, ten-centimeter hole clean through his body. One of his companions, a young woman, cried out and attempted to charge forward, but she was quickly restrained and held back by the youth with the diamond-shaped mark on his forehead.

Turning toward the duo with a cold, emotionless expression, the angelic youth raised his right hand with the obvious intention of eliminating them next, but his attention was captured by the many shadowy tentacles that abruptly erupted from beneath him, enveloping his protective sphere with a powerful contractive force. He quickly directed a beam of light into the shadows pooling beneath and threatening to devour him, but since it was nighttime and Ohta was especially angry, the destructive light seemed to have no effect, causing the youth's eyes to widen and leaving Will and the two remaining members of Crimson Fang speechless as his barrier began to crack before shattering completely...

...