Chapter 124: "Artificial Paradise"
Negi stared blankly at the weapon in between his eyes. Boomcalibur was a light squeeze away from blowing off the young wizard's head.
"Ema! You can't!" Saeja started forward, but Asuna pushed herself ahead of her. She had been scratched up quite a bit but her injuries weren't too severe.
"Don't do anything to Negi!" she cried. "He's not the one responsible!"
Ema held her eyes on the mage. From a distance, she looked like she and the boy were both bound as statues. "I'll kill this kid. And I'll kill that Rinku-wanna-be. Because that's the only way to make sure he doesn't win."
Dyne gestured for Sigma to approach Xinruk from the right, and she proceeded forward. Asuna and Ema were still tossing logic around and about.
"Splendid! You really don't care what happens to anyone but yourself, do you, Ema Skye?" Xinruk said mockingly. "That's probably what Rinku hated about you most. But then, you have so many detestable qualities it's hard to say!"
Saeja bit down hard enough to make her gums bleed. "Leave the boy alone, Ema! I'll kill him myself and end it all!"
Dyne caught the rat-girl charging past her in a hand but only managed to take a patch of fabric from her blouse. "Would you wait?! Taking him head-on isn't going to work!"
The words rushed past Saeja's ears with the wind as she was knocked into the air by a crawling black mass emerging from the sand.
"Sae!!" Ema called out to her and was blown away by a palm to her stomach. Boomcalibur bounced from her hands into the sand and vanished. Negi began to recite an incantation in a voice just above a whisper.
Asuna shoved her weapon into the ground and darted in Negi's direction. "Counting on you, Miss Sae!"
Saeja regained control over her body and, gripping her weapon tightly, tilted it so the blade caught the glimmer of the sun. She could feel its energy surging through both arms. Finally, she unleashed it: "SHIDEN KAI!"
Saeja came crashing to the ground, cleaving through the gallow that had been summoned beneath her in a single thunderous strike. She hit the ground running, slashing through everything thrown in her way with a venomous howl on her lips.
"This one has spirit," Xinruk laughed, raising a hand into the air. A seal formed in the air above his palm, and mana began to form into a sphere above it. "Speaking of which, you may have seen this attack before~."
"A spirit bomb?!" Dyne's eyes found it floating up in the sky. Was there enough time?
"Ema! You can't!" Saeja started forward, but Asuna pushed herself ahead of her. She had been scratched up quite a bit but her injuries weren't too severe.
"Don't do anything to Negi!" she cried. "He's not the one responsible!"
Ema held her eyes on the mage. From a distance, she looked like she and the boy were both bound as statues. "I'll kill this kid. And I'll kill that Rinku-wanna-be. Because that's the only way to make sure he doesn't win."
Dyne gestured for Sigma to approach Xinruk from the right, and she proceeded forward. Asuna and Ema were still tossing logic around and about.
"Splendid! You really don't care what happens to anyone but yourself, do you, Ema Skye?" Xinruk said mockingly. "That's probably what Rinku hated about you most. But then, you have so many detestable qualities it's hard to say!"
Saeja bit down hard enough to make her gums bleed. "Leave the boy alone, Ema! I'll kill him myself and end it all!"
Dyne caught the rat-girl charging past her in a hand but only managed to take a patch of fabric from her blouse. "Would you wait?! Taking him head-on isn't going to work!"
The words rushed past Saeja's ears with the wind as she was knocked into the air by a crawling black mass emerging from the sand.
"Sae!!" Ema called out to her and was blown away by a palm to her stomach. Boomcalibur bounced from her hands into the sand and vanished. Negi began to recite an incantation in a voice just above a whisper.
Asuna shoved her weapon into the ground and darted in Negi's direction. "Counting on you, Miss Sae!"
Saeja regained control over her body and, gripping her weapon tightly, tilted it so the blade caught the glimmer of the sun. She could feel its energy surging through both arms. Finally, she unleashed it: "SHIDEN KAI!"
Saeja came crashing to the ground, cleaving through the gallow that had been summoned beneath her in a single thunderous strike. She hit the ground running, slashing through everything thrown in her way with a venomous howl on her lips.
"This one has spirit," Xinruk laughed, raising a hand into the air. A seal formed in the air above his palm, and mana began to form into a sphere above it. "Speaking of which, you may have seen this attack before~."
"A spirit bomb?!" Dyne's eyes found it floating up in the sky. Was there enough time?