"Tsk, how disgusting. Trying to get handsy in broad daylight."
Natsuha Shinomiya ground her heel into the face of a young punk with a neon-red mohawk, her expression dripping with unconcealed loathing.
"It really is annoying. If only they'd come out at night," Rhea's voice echoed in Natsuha's mind, tinged with the regret of a missed meal. "With so many people around, the scent of desire is so thick... it would have been the perfect spiritual feast."
"Enough. Get lost!"
Natsuha kicked the red-haired punk away with a look of utter contempt before turning to walk away as if nothing had happened.
"Not eating souls isn't the end of the world. If you devoured him, I'd have a hard time explaining the corpse. The cops might be lax, but we can't be completely reckless."
Natsuha arched an eyebrow. Too many deaths would bring heat she didn't want. The law wasn't all-powerful, but it wasn't useless either.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm just venting," Rhea chirped, shifting the subject. "By the way, that girl sitting behind you, Mina Morita? Her progress is almost catching up to yours. She's finally found her resolve—though I have no idea why. My Second Sister certainly wouldn't be the one to push her."
"Mina? Her partner is your 'Second Sister'? Are you sure?"
Natsuha frowned. Generally, since their physical ages weren't far apart, they ranked themselves by strength. Rhea was toward the bottom of the fourteen sisters. While Rhea claimed to be powerful, Natsuha assumed her raw strength was on the lower end. If Mina's partner was "Second Sister" rank, she had to be formidable.
Despite their friendship, Natsuha was competitive. The thought of her partner being significantly weaker than her best friend's rankled her.
"I'm positive. We've seen her. That metal emblem she wears on her arm? That's her."
"That weird triangular badge? Wait, haven't you tried to contact her?" Natsuha recalled Mina wearing the accessory recently, claiming it was a family crest.
"No. Every time I sense her, Second Sister is in a deep slumber. If I forced her awake, she'd be in a daze for ages. I don't want to risk an accident before she's ready. Based on my memory, her true form is a Shield—it was her signature weapon."
"A weapon? What about you? Your signature weapon is a giant scythe? To cut grass?" Natsuha teased.
"Exactly! I started with a scythe and just got used to it. Besides, during the war, I was cutting grass. Once you ascend to Demi-God status, dealing with low-level grunts is like playing a Dynasty Warriors game. Total 'mowing' mode."
"Fair enough. The gap is too wide. Do you remember what the other sisters used?"
"I remember Second Sister and the youngest. As for the others... my memory clears as my power returns. I remember Eldest Sister—she used a Greatsword. A massive, heavy hunk of iron. But honestly, pray we never find her. She's ruthless to everyone except us. If you met her, she'd probably slaughter you before I could even say hello."
"That serious?" Natsuha's pace faltered for a second.
"Mmhmm. Eldest is the strongest. She could take five or six of us on at once."
"Five or six? That's insane." Natsuha tried to wrap her head around it. She had seen Rhea's memory fragments—the shockwaves from her weapon could carve deep trenches in the earth. To think the Eldest was many times stronger... was she at the level of leveling mountains with a flick of her wrist?
"What about Second Sister then? Mina's partner."
"Second Sister is... different. Her ability is focused on 'Defense-Counter.' It's hard to gauge her raw power. Eldest is a front-line berserker whose mana absorbs and reinforces. I'm more of an Assassin. I can't beat them in a head-on clash, but in a surprise attack or a blitz? Only one other sister could even compete with me."
Rhea's voice was thick with pride. She was supremely confident in her lethality.
"And yet you haven't taught me a damn thing," Natsuha muttered, seizing the opening. She wanted Rhea to stop holding back.
"Because you're too weak! Once you reach Transcendent status, I'll teach you everything. But since you're so impatient, I can teach you some basic Dark Element spells once we're home. Just don't expect much—your mana pool is barely larger than a normal human's. You can't cast the heavy hitters yet."
Rhea, inside her "Pen" soul-vessel, rolled her eyes. To a Demi-God who was a natural genius in a high-magic era, Natsuha's eagerness seemed like a toddler trying to run before they could crawl.
"Wait! Natsuha! Stop!" Rhea suddenly shrieked with excitement. "I sense a familiar aura coming from the river. Go that way—we might have found another sister!"
Natsuha looked down toward the riverbank. Far below the road, she saw two girls standing by the water.