About a hundred meters from where the two of them were desperately struggling to defeat the four demon horses.
Zuhen calmly observed the battle from higher ground. Just by lowering his gaze and staring intently, he understood the situation there.
"Tell..." he murmured softly. "Can you defeat those demon horses?" Zuhen asked without turning his head.
The strange creature shaped like a human, yet not, with a body posture like a baby, yet not something that could be called a baby, giggled eerily and answered with a crooked grin, "Of course I can. But you know what you have to do after that, right?"
Zuhen clicked his tongue. "It cannot be helped."
Tell spread her wings for a moment before floating higher above the ground, and several black feathers began to drift as she ascended further.
'Combining a second tier spell—reversal, with a first tier spell—decomposition is a crazy idea. I know, its destructive power is small. But, it is enough to defeat those horses...' Zuhen thought, staring intensely at Tell as she flew higher than the trees.
---
Meanwhile, Zavi and Miss Felina had already expended a considerable amount of the spirituality within their bodies.
Their vision declined. What they had previously been able to see clearly in the darkness became faint.
Their chests pounded violently, and with every breath their throats felt as though they were being scorched by burning embers.
They supported their bodies with their hands, occasionally witnessing that the demon horses had stepped out of the protective area and stood frozen, waiting for the next attack.
Felina's jaw hardened, her teeth grinding left and right. "Do not... underestimate me, you damned monster..."
With her last strength, intending to release all of her spiritual energy, Felina lifted her body again as if she did not care about the pain she was receiving.
Her body stood straighter than before even while holding her arm.
'Sir... Perhaps I will.' she thought, hesitant to continue.
After thinking for a moment, she shifted her gaze to the side. Staring at Zavi with a face full of hope, but upon seeing him already unmoving, Felina had no choice but to do it.
"Ckk. Is this the end of that strange man's life?"
She finally made the same motion as before. Making a movement as if about to draw a bow, her eyes faintly able to see the arrow.
She pulled straight back behind her head. Stretching it again until the string aligned perfectly with the bow, then repeating it so the accumulation and destructive power would be higher than what she had planned while waiting for Zuhen's action with full hope.
Her trembling mouth moved after feeling the accumulation was sufficient. "Now. Goodbye to myself."
A green flash of light forming an arrow shot swiftly through the air. Forming a barrier that encircled the two horned demon horse in a fraction of a second.
Sensing the pressure and the killing sensation. They thrashed from within, spewing lava from their mouths and releasing bursts of blue flames which briefly cracked the green barrier, yet it recovered again.
"Graghhhhh....." the horses screamed in unison. Annoyed as they tried various attacks; kicking, spewing blue fire, and ramming into the shield. But the effort failed.
Felina, who had previously been dominated by worry, began to smile cynically after seeing the demon horses realize that underestimating was foolish.
"Die..." The words were cold, yet her body, already at its limit, forced her to collapse and lose consciousness instantly on the spot.
Scratch after scratch, a barrage of tiny needles invisible to the eye destroyed the thick skin of the demon horses. The horns, which functioned to measure danger and indicate differences in type, shattered under thousands, even millions, of needles striking them.
Skin. Flesh. Bone. Everything was destroyed. Yet the horses managed to regenerate their bodies. And from the stomping of their hooves caused by panic because they could not avoid the needles, the ground beneath them transformed into pools of lava, causing them to sink into it instantly.
The demon horses burned. From arrogance into screams of pain that gnawed at their minds and bodies.
But, it was still not enough to kill them all. Two of them died. Yet two remained who managed to regenerate their bodies before the heat of the lava completely destroyed them.
From a pit about seven meters deep, they leapt with the aid of their companions' bodies that were being consumed by time and would vanish under the heat of the lava.
The slight tremor from their leap caused the ground beneath their hooves to erode downward. Making the lava filled hole grow larger with each passing second.
The horses swung their bodies along with shrill neighing. Their red eyes burned, holding something as they stared at the two who lay weak and whose consciousness had faded.
They scraped the ground before intending to leave.
But, as the horses turned part of their bodies, they heard the rustling of leaves and the rhythmic sound of footsteps, as though the owner of those steps was skilled at concealing their presence.
Two talisman papers shot through the air like arrows, heading straight toward the two demon horses that were watching the bushes that produced the sound and creeping vines.
Sensing danger, they simultaneously dodged to the side. The ground trembled briefly after their hooves touched the earth again.
"Worthless creatures," the voice was restrained, echoing briefly. "I will entertain you for a while. Unleash all the strength and abilities you possess."
Tell, the mysterious creature with black wings beneath her shoulders, began to reveal herself after brushing aside the vines blocking her path.
The demon horses did not move. Their blazing red eyes stared intensely at the winged creature floating not far from them, their expressions tightening.
They growled in irritation. Their jaws hardened, their mouths slightly open ready to release flames, not underestimating the creature.
Just by looking at her, the demon horses knew that Tell possessed strength equal to theirs, perhaps even higher if she became serious.
"Come forward," Tell finally said. "Why are you staring at me like that? Are you afraid?" The corner of Tell's lips lifted, confident that she would win easily.
Tell exhaled slowly and said with a heavy heart, "Very well. Then I will attack you first."
Her black wings flapped instantly, creating a powerful gust of wind that made everything around her shift momentarily.
The forest ground that had previously been covered by dry leaves began scattering in all directions, partially covering the bodies of the two who had fainted.
Her small hand clenched tightly, Tell directed it straight toward the neck of one of the demon horses. The horse, unable to dodge or counterattack in time, was instantly thrown several meters backward.
"One down, perhaps," Tell said with doubt.
Her eyes caught a glimpse of blue fire moving swiftly toward her. She was startled and flew backward as fast as possible to avoid unnecessary trouble.
"For something the size of an ant," she said, her brow furrowing. "You are quite daring to attack in secret."
Her black wings trembled briefly before she launched forward and unleashed a decisive strike with her hand enveloped in a pale purple aura that overflowed intensely.
Bruk!! Thudd...
The demon horse's skull began to crack. Hearing it, Tell added a little more force. The crack widened, then shattered, exposing the organs inside its head.
The horse was instantly flung backward, creating a pressure wave strong enough to slam into its companion who had just stood upright.
Feather after feather of black drifted before falling slowly as Tell flew higher.
She snapped her fingers. Staring intensely downward. One demon horse stared back at her. The other had already regenerated its previous wounds.
"Not bad," she shouted loudly, wearing a confident expression.
'Has he finished observing all this? It seems I will fall asleep again.' Tell thought, doubtful of Zuhen's plan.
She exhaled, easing the tension.
"It cannot be helped. Die, you damned monster."
Tell snapped her fingers calmly.
The air wrinkled briefly. A purple mixed with black barrier enclosed the demon horses along with the trees, creeping vines, and plants around them.
'Is this enough, Zuhen?' she thought, smiling.
She snapped her fingers again.
From outside, Tell could no longer see the demon horses for several seconds, blocked by the barrier.
Meanwhile from inside, a barrage of needles and spikes shot in every direction. Bouncing. Piercing through the demon horses' bodies. Exiting. Entering again. Repeatedly.
This attack was stronger than Miss Felina's earlier, slightly modified by Zuhen from afar.
Because of panic and being unable to regenerate properly, instinctively their mouths spewed blue flames at maximum intensity. Through the gaps of the needles and spikes tearing flesh, skin, and bone, everything was clearly visible through their own flames.
The barrier faded.
The tearing assault of needles and spikes vanished. Some of them embedded into trees not far from the location.
Tell was still flying, watching the two horses turn into ash. She decided to descend closer, to make sure.
'Perhaps I went a little overboard.' she thought, smiling faintly.
She noticed the surrounding trees had been damaged. Some trunks were now nothing but fine powder.
"Have you succeeded?" Zuhen asked, stepping steadily toward her while flicking his cigarette.
Tell smiled briefly before floating closer, hovering beside his left shoulder.
"Smells like cigarettes," Tell said, covering her nose.
"So what?"
"Nothing," she replied, scratching her cheek. "But what about earlier?" she asked, reminding him of their previous agreement.
"Yes. Alright, alright."
Thin white smoke lingered in the air. For a moment. Then faded as he turned, approaching the two who were unconscious.