Gasps, yelps and excited shouts rang out as a wolf-like monstrous figure stomped onto the ground, growled with animosity and kicked up dust as it powered forward. The bystanders scattered, keeping their eyes on the scene that unfolded.
Following that Magical Beast from afar was a young man with yellow hair and latex hat, with a petrified expression.
"D-Damn it, Shihon!" he cried out, clenching his fists before following pursuit hurriedly.
Without hesitation, his own Magical Beast had already picked up speed.
In the short time that Shihon had taken him to the alleyway in order to transform away from the eyes of others, the fugitive was now barely visible, dashing onto another street several feet away. Still, Shihon's iron-like claws dug into the concrete and every stride she took gave her an advantage, closing the gap little by little.
Her heart, beating like a drum inside, pulsated with vigor and anxiety. Her fur glowed green, morphing into vines that detached and gently pushed aside the passers-by out of her way to avoid collision.
Go get that scumbag, Shihon, she ordered herself. You can do it!
A thief being a scumbag, huh? Does she know the details of what her Master does for a living?
Agitated, the robber took a quick second to look back. A flash of panic appeared on his face and his jaw dropped as he spotted a rampaging Magical Beast the same height as him bursting towards him and growling with all her might.
W-WHAT THE FUCK!!!" he screamed out, and accelerated with all his might, shoving aside an older woman onto the busy street beside him.
Shihon's monstrous eyes widened, staring at the braking sedan that was unable to steer clear at the last second.
Her paws sank into the ground, and through the cracks that formed under the intense weight, a flower bed shot out instantly in the direction of the oncoming vehicle with soft varieties of flora, aiding the halt and avoiding a disaster by five inches.
It felt as if time had stopped, and the men, women and children nearby stared, completely frozen.
The transformed magical beast slowly neared the woman, her body expanding and shortening beneath the ethereal fur due to the large breaths being taken.
The woman could only peer into her large, light green pupils with tears leaking out of her own eyes.
"Th…..ank….you," she spoke silently, and the moment that bystanders quickly rushed to her aid, reality returned to Shihon, and she continued her pursuit, gnashing her fangs with sheer animosity.
Don't tell me that guy did that just to throw me off!?
The fugitive was now almost out of sight.
Unable to control her emotions, the beast's sudden howl resonated within the entire area like a roar, silencing the crowd around her, and she continued the pursuit.
Still trailing her by some distance, Liohime felt a lump in his throat, and he could feel sweat building up.
This is bad, he thought. This is really, really bad. She's losing control, and I can't stop her!
Shihon continued to increase the gap from him with her unnatural speed, but but he could still easily make out her beast form's erratic movements as she leaped onto the concrete wall of a corporate building in order to cut through the people around her and dashed through to the other side of a not so busy street without giving any attention to the settings around her.
If I use a Special Order, I can get her to stop…!
He bit his lip in frustration and considered the idea, but-
No, let's not use it yet. I gotta try my best to personally order her to stand down!
He reconsidered using his emergency option.
However, Shihon, zoned out from hearing Liohime's pleas from afar, kept her eyes focused on the dot-sized figure ahead of her as she glared at the robber making a sharp turn into an abandoned construction site.
***
"Ya know, it's been a while since that geezer has returned," a buff man snapped, before lighting a cigarette.
"Well, maybe he just ain't cut out for this shit," another scoffed. "Either way, if the Luna Gang gotta survive, we need to lock in and gather more hordes of everything that we listed, man. We're gonna make bank, I just know it."
A group of about ten gangsters loitered around the unfinished two-story building that was now neglected in the abandoned construction site. They called themselves the Luna Gang.
What, like Team Ecli…? Subtle.
On seeing one of their men return, one shouted out, "Finally, ma-" and then stopped.
They all focused their attention on the petrified man who hollered, "Get your Magical Beasts ready to fight off this thing that's chasing me!! Get your guns, too!!"
"Wha…what do you mean!? We can't send out shots in a place like this! The police could find out! Let's just bail-"
"No time!! Prepare to fight, you idiots!!" was the anxious reply.
Stunned, the group huddled close together for a few seconds, preparing for something as some summoned their Magical Beasts.
"Kleokrush, stay close."
"Xalamander."
"Hellpheren, prepare yourself."
The name choices aren't bad, Tezukumo-sensei. No full marks, though.
The creatures advanced forward: A large metallic crab wearing a floating golden crown. A mutated variant of an oversized salamander able to breathe fire. A majestic light grey horse, with swords telepathically suspended upon nothing around it.
And their opponent, entering the compound but failing a near-successful sharp turn and crashing into wood, debris and sand, kicking up dust was–
Found you.
–The menacing shadow that stood behind the cloud of dust, with two large, green circles containing her monstrous eyes piercing through.
The men shuddered, and their legs shook as they bickered among themselves in fear.
"W-What the fuck…is that?"
"What the hell did you bring towards us, man!?"
"S-Shut up and let's just take that fucking beast down before we run for it!!"
Still quaking, they commanded their Magical Beasts to rush forward and attack.
Therefore, the battle between Shihon and the Luna Gang had begun.