"Okay, you two ready?" I asked, standing casually with one hand on a sword hilt, a grin already tugging at my lips.
Luna stepped forward, lifting her claymore. "Sure. Let's begin."
"Didn't think you'd actually use that thing," I said, eyeing the heavy, two-handed weapon. "Bit bulky for a warm-up."
I glanced toward Jean, who still had her staff in hand.
"Unorthodox setup for a two-on-one," I said, arching a brow.
Jean smirked. "It works for me. Besides, you need the handicap."
"Yeah, I can see how it'd be useful against the Soldiers of Silver and monsters," I replied.
"You don't know the half of it," Luna added. Her claymore ignited with a flourish of fire, the flames dancing along the edge as she grinned.
"Oh? That's cute," I said, drawing one of my demon swords. Hou Yao, my fire blade, burst into a red-gold flame at the flick of my wrist. The other three swords strapped to my back slowly lifted into the air behind me, floating in a loose arc like sentient wolves awaiting orders.
"Huh?!" Jean blinked, staring at the levitating weapons. "You never said anything about floating death swords."
"Well then—let's start!" I shouted.
In just three steps, I closed the gap between me and Luna. She was still wide-eyed, caught off guard. I tapped her blade with mine, just enough force to jolt her senses.
"Wait! Stop—what's with the flying swords?!" Luna demanded, stumbling back.
"They're demon swords," I explained. "Bound to me. Humans can't use them, messes up their souls."
Jean stepped back, adjusting her grip. "Is that what you used to decapitate the general during the final battle?"
"Yeah. Most demons only get one. I've got four."
Luna narrowed her eyes. "Give us a moment to stretch, at least."
"Sure," I said, stepping back. "Also, I control the swords with my mind."
To emphasize the point, I slammed my foot down. Lava exploded from the ground beneath me in a wave toward them.
Jean yelped and jumped to the side. Luna swung her flaming claymore, splitting the molten wave in two.
"You can do that now?!" Jean gasped.
"New tricks."
With a mental command, I launched Hou Yao at Jean. She parried, barely holding her footing. At the same moment, I switched to Fushi Emo, the sword of rot. Its vomit-green blade pulsed with a sickly aura as it hissed through the air toward her.
Jean recoiled. "Ew—seriously?!"
"That's Fushi Emo. Don't touch it unless you like your skin melting."
Luna blocked my attack, but grunted as she was pushed back. We clashed again. As our blades locked, I allowed the flames from her sword to engulf my arm.
"You're on fire," she said, eyes widening.
"I'm a dragon," I replied, brushing the flames off with one hand as if they were lint.
She gaped. "You weren't even singed."
I dropped Hou Yao and summoned Ors, my light sword. Pure white and crackling with radiant energy, I swung it in a horizontal arc. A glowing crescent of light exploded toward Jean.
"Shit!" she yelled, ducking just in time.
"Don't get distracted!" Luna called, swinging at my back.
Her claymore met something solid.
CLANG.
"What?!" they both shouted.
"Right," I said casually, tearing off the last shreds of my jacket to reveal my armored sports bra underneath. "Dragon-scale body armor."
"Damn, you're built," Luna muttered. "And scaly."
"Didn't ask for that," I grumbled.
Switching again, I drew Heian Emo, my shadow blade. The pitch-black weapon hummed softly. I slammed it into the ground, and tendrils of darkness erupted upward like smoke-solid vines.
Jean leapt over one. Luna tried cutting through another.
"You've got a sword for every element, huh?" Jean panted.
"Not every. Just the fun ones."
With a spin, I flicked all four swords into action—Hou Yao raining flame, Ors slicing with light, Heian Emo unleashing creeping shadows, and Fushi Emo poisoning the air around it.
Luna blocked Hou Yao and countered Fushi Emo. Jean used bursts of light magic to disperse and shear through Heian Emo's shadow tendrils, slicing them apart with sharp, gusting arcs that dissipated the creeping darkness before it could gain a foothold.
It was a chaotic dance—each of us dodging, blocking, and clashing. I weaved between them like a whirlwind, testing their reflexes, probing their strengths.
Eventually, I leapt back and raised a hand. "Alright, that's enough."
"You didn't even use your strongest moves," Jean panted.
"Didn't need to."
"And I didn't use my strongest sword," Luna muttered.
Jean tilted her head. "Wait, you said demons usually only get one sword. Why do you have four?"
"Because of what I am."
Jean blinked. "Which is…?"
I grinned. "Drinks first."
Luna rolled her eyes. "Showers first."
"Compound gate in an hour?" I asked.
They nodded, and I teleported us back to the barracks.
General Zelda was standing nearby, reviewing files, when we appeared.
"Oh, you're back."
"Hello, General," I said, dusting soot off my arms.
"Zelda will do fine," she replied, giving Luna and Jean a quick once-over. "I see you three were sparring."
"Yes. Just getting familiar before the mission," I said casually.
"Hm. But?"
"It's to make sure they can protect my siblings," I added, smiling.
"Ah, I see. But before we go…" She pointed at my singed bra. "Get something more decent."
"Right. Luna's fire kind of destroyed my jacket."
I teleported, grabbed a new one, and returned.
"You and your siblings have been getting along well with my soldiers," Zelda remarked as we walked.
"Yes. They've never seen this side of humans before."
"The Saintess said most of them haven't seen real combat either."
"They will. I've been drilling them hard for the past month. They're ready."
"Hm. There's a problem, though, with you and Marasuki."
"What kind of problem?"
"She and you will be with most of the U.S. soldiers."
"Yes?"
"They see that as an insult. That they aren't trusted."
"Well, it's true. Most of them are with me for a reason. Marasuki and I have seen them on the battlefield. We know who we can count on."
"Are you confident?"
"Yeah. I'm not worried."
"Good." She nodded and left.
Not long after, Jean and Luna returned, showered and dressed.
"You two ready?" I asked.
"Sure. Are we heading for R&R first?" Jean asked.
"Why not?"
[10 minutes later...]
We found ourselves at a quiet corner of the base's rec sector, where a small lounge had been set up for off-duty hours. Vending machines hummed in the corner, and a few soldiers played cards across the room. It wasn't glamorous, but it was peace.
Jean plopped down onto one of the sofas with a sigh. "Finally, a moment to breathe."
Luna sat beside her, tossing a bottle of water between her hands. "That spar was insane. You really didn't go all out, did you?"
"Nope," I said, sitting across from them. "Didn't even use the swords properly."
"What do they even do?" Jean asked, leaning forward.
I smiled faintly. "Classified."
"Oh, come on," she groaned.
"Don't look at me," I said. "Demon tech isn't exactly open-source."
Luna nudged Jean. "Still. She was holding back the whole time. Even when you lit her on fire."
"Yeah… sorry about your jacket," Luna added sheepishly.
I waved it off. "No big deal. That was one of my cheap ones."
There was a lull. Not awkward—just comfortable.
Jean spoke again, her voice softer than usual. "You know, this is the first time we've just... hung out." Her tone carried a mix of surprise and quiet nostalgia, as if the realization had just hit her mid-sentence—that after everything they had survived, they were finally sharing something ordinary again.
I nodded slowly. "Yeah. It's been a while since we had that sort of time."
Luna smiled, genuinely and softly. "Well… I'm glad we get to do this. Even if it's between battles."
"Same," I said, letting the quiet settle again.
We sat there for a bit longer, watching the card game, sipping water, and pretending the war didn't exist—if only for a moment.