Akumo appeared before them without a single scratch, casually dropping several daggers he had intercepted onto the ground.
Clang—!!!!!
"Level 6, was it?"
Swoosh—!!!
'Sharp instincts.'
The moment Argana saw Akumo appear unscathed, she immediately seized Kali and retreated.
A powerhouse who could parry a Level 6's surprise attack without injury—while simultaneously neutralizing a barrage of daggers and man-eating flowers—was not someone they could handle in a town like this. Furthermore, if they couldn't perceive his anomalous stealth, they were destined for a swift assassination.
Swoosh—!!
'He's fast...!!'
Thud-thud-thud—!!!!
"He blocked every single strike!?"
"Why don't you surrender quietly?"
Argana, stunned by the sheer velocity with which Akumo closed the gap, unleashed a rapid-fire sequence of punches, only to find each one effortlessly intercepted. Her composure fractured.
Tada—!
"Wait."
"What is it?"
"We have personal stationed throughout this town."
"Is that a threat?"
"That depends entirely on your next move."
"....."
Just before Argana could be subdued, Kali interjected, informing Akumo of her Familia members embedded within the city to restrain his movements.
Soon, she attempted to reveal their true objective to avoid further conflict.
"What we want are Tione and Tiona—"
Shiver—!!
"....!!!"
"Who exactly do you think holds the advantage here?"
"Kahaha!?"
'To think such a monstrous Battle Spirit existed in the Lower World...!!'
Kali burst into laughter, overwhelmed by the crushing pressure radiating from the man before her. A staggering, absolute aura of carnage—something she had never witnessed from her own children, nor from any mortal in the Lower World—swallowed her whole.
"You! Won't you become my child?"
"And if I refuse?"
"I am Kali! The Goddess of War who presides over blood and slaughter!"
".....War God?"
'If she presides over blood and slaughter, her essence must be entirely different from Takemikazuchi-sama.'
"Indeed! Join my Familia, and I shall reward you with countless battlefields!"
Kali immediately extended an invitation to the master of the Battle Spirit that saturated the air. If she possessed the being standing before her, Telskyura would flourish beyond imagination.
"My battlefield is this entire world. I have no desire to be tethered to Telskyura."
"Kik! Then it can't be helped."
Swoosh—!!!
"!!"
Boom—!!!!!!!
Just as the clash was about to ignite, another ambush struck at Akumo from the flank.
'Is this one a Level 6 as well!'
"I suppose calling it a nation of slaughter wasn't an exaggeration."
"Bache! Attack together!"
Crack—!!!
Thump—!!!
".....How?"
The woman named Bache successfully connected a punch against Akumo's guard during the ambush. Simultaneously, Argana charged again, launching a coordinated pincer assault.
However, as Akumo easily parried their strikes and prepared to cleave them with his blade—
Boom—!!!!!!!
Rattle—!!!!!!!
"Bache and I should be pressuring him, yet...!!"
'What are these fools aiming for...?'
Stagger—!!
"Poison...!!"
"What kind of monster are you that the effect only manifests now!?"
Thwack—!!!!!!!!
Feeling a sudden aberration in his biology, Akumo's vision wavered for a split second. Argana did not miss the opening, delivering a kick that sent him flying backward.
"They fled...."
'I only stumbled for a single second....'
"They are more dangerous than they look."
Akumo's vision cleared instantly, but Kali was already in the distance aboard a ship, laughing back at him.
He considered pursuit, but the surrounding harbor was filled with other vessels. Not only would a proper battle be impossible, but the commotion would surely attract unwanted attention and reveal his presence to hidden eyes.
Murmur, murmur—
".....I should make my exit as well."
Swoosh—!
Akumo's form dissolved into a shadow, vanishing completely once more.
**
Night fell over the city.
After escaping the harbor using the concealment magic of Balmung to erase his presence, Akumo headed to the rendezvous point Loki had designated.
'She said she'd be waiting here, right?'
Slide—
'I hear sounds. It must be Lo—'
What met Akumo's eyes was a cascade of beautiful jade-green hair.
It was a stunning silhouette from behind. And the clothing laid out nearby was a style he found painfully familiar.
"Where on earth did Loki find these clothes...."
'This is more embarrassing than being stark naked....'
Rustle—
"Is this how I'm supposed to wear it?"
It was a violent, overwhelming sight.
As she turned around to inspect her reflection, her physique—already accentuated by the slingshot bikini—became even more intoxicatingly seductive.
The spectacle was far too great a shock for Akumo's senses.
"Ye all dressed, Riveria-tan!?"
"If you come over here, I'll kill you. Wait behind the rock."
Loki called out from behind a boulder, yet Akumo remained frozen, his mind completely derailed by the scene before him.
"Hehe~? Riveria-tan?"
"What is it now?"
"What d'ye think would happen if Akumo were here right now~?"
"W-What!?"
"Just a hypothetical, y'see~ Hehe!"
"Akumo is not that kind of man!"
"Why? Ye wouldn't like it?"
"..."
Riveria couldn't find a ready answer for Loki. If he were here, what should she do? Should she push him away again?
She had confessed her heart, yet his rival—that silent static between them—had held his heart far longer than she had. In such a situation, she felt adrift.
'I'd rather....'
"I'm not entirely sure...."
"I'd almost rather he actually see me like this...."
She felt a surge of self-loathing at her inability to properly express her feelings. She wished for a situation, perhaps an accident like the one Loki described, that would bring them closer. In that moment—
"....."
'A gaze...?'
"Akumo~ Ye there?"
"Loki... you don't mean...!!!"
Whip—
"I am deeply sorry."
"....!!!!!"
As she spun around, she found Akumo on his knees, performing a deep dogeza to offer his sincerest apologies.
"How on earth did you get here....."
'No, the question is meaningless... Loki must have brought him.'
"..."
"I am truly, truly sorry."
"..."
".....Riveria?"
Step, step—
Akumo grew uneasy at Riveria's silence. She didn't shout in anger, nor did she invoke her magic.
Touch—
"Does it... suit me....?"
'Ah.....'
"It's beautiful... blindingly so."
"Fufu.... I didn't know you could make such a face."
Riveria personally cupped Akumo's chin, forcing him to look up at her. The smile she wore was so divine that one could easily mistake her for a goddess. Satisfied by Akumo's dazed expression, she asked a firm, direct question.
"....."
"Compared to that woman... how do I look?"
"What are you..."
"Compared to that woman, how do I look?"
Faced with her unyielding resolve, Akumo finally reached a decision.
'I can't hold back anymore.....'
"You, right now... are more beautiful than anything I have ever seen in my life....."
'That bikini is simply cheating....'
Akumo's face flushed crimson as he managed to voice his appreciation. Riveria savored every single word.
"Good. Very good."
"I'm glad as well. I'm glad it's you seeing this."
Embrace—
"I suppose this counts as a successful seduction."
".....You are absolutely correct."
Riveria's embrace was the killing blow. Surrendering to the soft sensation, Akumo's composure finally collapsed.
Mwah—
**
"Haa...."
"....."
"That was... quite pleasant...."
The long, deep kiss between Akumo and Riveria ended, leaving them staring quietly into each other's eyes.
Rustle—
"R-Riveria!?"
"What is it? Isn't it about time I changed back?"
".....No, I mean....."
"I don't particularly mind if you watch—"
Akumo didn't wait to hear the end of the sentence before fleeing back behind the boulder.
Dash—!!
"Fufufu.... I won't be falling behind anymore."
Riveria watched his retreat with a radiant, satisfied smile.
**
"Killer view, ain't it?"
"Shall I kill you?"
"Haha! Akudo, ye really are a sinful man, aye?"
Loki, who had also been hiding behind the rock, spoke playfully. Akumo found her so exasperating that he momentarily felt the urge to swing a fist.
However, Loki's appearance was also different from usual.
"Once Riveria is done, you go and change too...."
"What's this? Ye got a bikini fetish? Guess ye're disappointed it's just me, eh~?"
Reach—
"I wish you'd be more conscious of the fact that you're a woman sometimes...."
"...Eh?"
Akumo covered his eyes with one hand and draped his coat over Loki's shoulders.
"What did ye just..."
"It looks good on you, so wear this when we head back."
"....."
Akumo, assuming Loki was showing off her bikini, had spoken out of an unconscious desire to protect her, but his words landed differently with Loki.
'This boy... even after seein' Riveria-tan in that bikini....'
"Is it 'cause my bikini looks weird?"
"What are you talking about.... I told you it looks good on you."
Step, step—
Assuming Loki was simply being her usual persistent self, Akumo walked toward another rock to stare aimlessly at the ocean and cool his head.
"..."
'This is why....'
"I cannae ever let ye go....."
Watching his silhouette, the goddess truly felt that it would be an unbearable sorrow if this member of her Familia were ever to die.
If anyone who knew she was a goddess of reincarnation—and the Trickster Loki at that—could see into her heart right now, they would be profoundly shocked.
"Phew...."
'What is wrong with everyone today....'
"I'm a man, too, after all...."
Of course, the subject of those intense emotions was simply staring at the waves, trying desperately to calm his racing mind.