This was it.
Today was the day he'd been waiting for–
day number 4, the day Rem got cursed.
He'd been preparing himself for this, with a basic understanding of water magic, his Envy supply being much better than in his last loop, and with the knowledge of the enemy.
He would finally save Rem.
That's what Xeno thought to himself as he cleaned the windows of the mansion. If he remembered correctly, they should be heading out in an hour.
Xeno: 'Okay, Xeno, you can't mess this up. You gotta lock in.'
He was admittedly worried. He had no idea what to expect.
It should be fine... right?
For now, he focused on his job. He still had like... twenty windows to clean.
Xeno: 'What a pain.'
He really wished he could use Envy, but no he had to save it.
Time flew by like a breeze as he cleaned the windows hurriedly. It wasn't his best work, but it would do for now.
Checking the time on the seer crystals these things were all over Roswaal's mansion they told the time in a rather inconvenient way.
Wind Time (Green): Starts at dawn (roughly 6:00 AM).
Fire Time (Red): Starts around noon (12:00 PM).
Water Time (Blue): Starts at sunset (roughly 6:00 PM).
Earth Time (Yellow): Starts at midnight.
To denote smaller divisions within these six-hour blocks, they were often split into the two halves of Brightsun (Wind and Fire, effectively AM) and Darksun (Water and Earth, effectively PM).
Seeing these crystals, Xeno honestly thought—
Xeno: 'I'm honestly disappointed they thought of these things instead of a simple clock. Seriously, it couldn't have been that hard?'
Xeno had to use Gluttony on the crystal just to properly know the time.
His eyes widened in surprise. It was almost time.
Concentrating, he activated Gluttony's second function. His body faded from existence. Despite how uncomfortable the lack of sensation was, he ignored it.
He used it to sink through the floor, then ran through walls, saving not only time but also avoiding causing a disturbance.
Turning around a corner, he saw the sisters talking about something.
He hid behind the same corner, then turned off Gluttony.
Walking toward them slouched, looking tired, he complained—
Xeno: "Uugh! I'm finally done."
The two turned their attention toward him.
Rem: "Sister, sister, Xeno is complaining after completing such a simple task."
Ram: "Rem, Rem, Xeno is whining like a child after completing a simple task."They teased him.
Xeno stared at them deadpan, rubbing his nose in annoyance.
Xeno: "Oh! I wonder why? It's not like you were supposed to help me, Ram. So I'm bitching about it. Deal with it."
Ram: "Ram was doubting your skill, but she's beginning to doubt your intelligence as well."
Technically speaking, Xeno was more knowledgeable than the both of them due to his modern education.
But that would be a blow to their egos so low, Xeno wouldn't comment on it.
Xeno: "Whatever. So what are you two discussing? Seems important."
Rem: "We seem to be out of seasoning. We were discussing heading to Arlam to restock."
Ram: "But now that you're here, why don't you accompany Rem to do the heavy lifting? Ram doubts you're that incapable."
Xeno: "Goody." He said sarcastically.
But this was exactly what he wanted. He had planned on Ram pushing the work onto him.
His eyes turned sharp. He couldn't afford to mess this up.
The sisters noticed, the same thought went through their minds.
'That look... he's planning something.'
Xeno: "Really? Again? But unfortunately for you, I'm forcing you to come even if you don't want to." He was adamant on it.
Ram: "Oh! So you want two pretty flowers to accompany you? How shameless." He pretty much walked into that one.
Xeno: "Pretty flowers?" He questioned, looking at Ram.
The sisters were left dumbfounded by Xeno's next actions.
He openly ogled Ram, making no attempt to hide himself looking at her body.
Ram stiffened, not expecting such a shameless act, while Rem boiled at him looking at her sister with such a gaze.
She might just try to rip out his non-existent eyes if he continued.
Well then, it was a good thing for Rem that Xeno, even before Ram's betrayal, didn't find her remotely attractive.
After a few seconds of ogling, he snorted, covering his mouth like he'd just heard a hilarious joke.
Xeno: "Pffff, hahahaha, that was a good one, Ram. Just for that, you don't have to come."
Rem: "Xeno, you—"
Ram: "Rem, it's fine." She cut Rem off.
Rem: "Sister?"
Ram: "It's fine. That's the upper limit of his comebacks. It's sad, really. That's the best he could come up with."
Xeno: "Heh, keep believing that, Ram."
He chuckled, then stood to the side, gesturing at Rem.
Xeno: "Ladies first."
Rem: "Let's... go." She said reluctantly, relinquishing her anger.
...
Arlam Village, a small but lively settlement within walking distance of Roswaal's mansion.
The village had a total of sixty-six buildings surrounded by trees, dirt roads, and fields of farmland.
The place was littered with the elderly and the young going through their peaceful day, while the seven children in the entire village (somehow) played around in a field.
This tranquil atmosphere was disrupted when two figures approached.
One being the stoic Rem that everyone was familiar with, and the other being the new butler that the Lord had recently hired.
He was a handsome young man with snow-white hair.
The man had both hands in his pockets. His posture was lazy, yet tense. His expression was one of laziness mixed with unease.
What stood out most about him were his strange eyes—two voids from which his red dot-like pupils looked straight ahead, sometimes darting around.
The strange duo immediately caught the attention of the villagers. Gossiping amongst themselves, about the new arrival.
Rem: "I'll be buying everything we need, so don't run off and cause trouble."
Xeno, glancing at all the looks he was getting, replied deadpan—
Xeno: "No promises."
Rem sighed, accepting the answer before heading toward the mini market in the village center.
Now was his chance.
To survey the area and find that wolgarm.
He took a good look around, making sure to be careful.
He was being stared at by some people after all.
After a bit of time, he had to admit this place was cozy. Something he needed.
And on the bright side, the villagers lost interest in Xeno pretty quickly.
Though he would still get some looks from the women, who would turn away whenever he looked back.
Xeno: 'Huh? I guess I'm more attractive than I thought?' He wasn't completely sure of his own incredible looks.
The women only giggled at his reaction.
Xeno: 'Whatever. I've covered half the village, nothing unusual so far. That wolgarm has to be on the other side... or maybe it's just not here... yet...Why do I hear footsteps?'
True to his thoughts, a bunch of footsteps approached him. They were light and hurried.
Turning, he saw many of the children about to tackle him.
Which wouldn't have been that bad if one of them didn't have snot coming out of their nose and the expressions of having just found a new toy.
Xeno immediately went on alert. If these brats got their way, it would not only be embarrassing, but if Rem found out then Ram would as well.
Knowing Ram, she'd wouldn't shut up about it for a few days.
It was why he immediately used Envy to make four tail-like appendages shoot wildly from his back.
They automatically grabbed four of them and lifted them into the air.
Fat kid: "Woah!"
Shirtless kid: "Ah!"
Seeing the four dangling in the air, Xeno turned to the three girls.
Xeno: "You three also want to join them?"
They shook their heads rapidly.
Xeno: "Good. Now tell me, what do you want?"
Orange-haired girl: "We just wanted to play, mister." She said respectfully.
Xeno facepalmed in disappointment. His appendages put the four on the ground, much to their relief.
Xeno: "Kids, is this any way to do that? What you were about to do was highly disrespectful." He sternly reprimanded them.
All of them looked at the ground in shame.
Xeno: "I don't have time to play with... you—"
His words cut off as he noticed the purple-haired girl holding a small puppy with a bald spot in her arms.
Xeno: "..."
Xeno: 'Can it be?'
Purple-haired kid: "I-Is something wrong, mister?" she asked timidly, taking a step back at Xeno's stare.
Xeno: "Say, are there any more puppies, or is that the only one?"
He pointed at the puppy, who looked at him curiously.
The children immediately brightened at the question.
Orange-haired girl: "Yes, mister! This is Meili's puppy. Isn't he adorable?"
In response to the orange-haired girl's words, the pup woofed cutely.
Fat kid: "He's so soft! Do you also want to pet him, mister?" He excitedly did exactly that.
Xeno's eyes flashed red as he used Gluttony on this 'puppy'.
The children: 'His eyes!'
[Name: Wolgarm (Pack Leader)
Race: Mabeast
The mabeast that cursed Rem in the last loop.]
Xeno: 'Thought so. In hindsight, that makes sense. It would disguise itself as—'
The children lunged at Xeno once again, disrupting his thoughts, while the girls looked at him with stars in their eyes.
His appendages once again grabbed them and held them in the air.
Shirtless kid: "That's so cool, mister! How did you do that?"
He said, enjoying being lifted again.
Xeno: "What did I just tell you brats?! Ugh, you know what, fine! I'll play with you, only if you promise to leave me alone afterward, got it?"
Children: "Yaaaa!"
With a sigh, Xeno made three more appendages, lifting the rest up, then made them fly through the air with them.
He carefully tightened them around their chests so they wouldn't fall down.
The reason for his sudden change of action was simple.
He found the mabeast, but had no evidence to convince the others.
And then there was the other thing he discovered.
He was worried that the mutt might have bitten Meili, so he used Gluttony on her as well.
And what he found was... rather troublesome.
[Name: Meili Portroute
Age: 13
Relation: Intrigued and wary of you
Title: Mabeast User
A child assassin hired to cause chaos in Roswaal's territory. Also Elsa's younger adopted sister.]
...
Xenophanes continued to play with them, using Envy in various ways to entertain them, all the while thinking of a plan to take care of the mabeast and this assassin.
Xeno: 'Think, Xeno, think.'
Xeno went to the orange-haired girl's level, asking softly:
Xeno: "What's your name, kid? And tell me, what's your favorite animal?"
Orange-haired girl: "Petra, mister, and umm... I like rabbits, mister."
Xeno smiled. Snapping his fingers, he used Envy and poof—a plush rabbit appeared in the girl's hands.
Her eyes lit up at the sight. Holding it up, she stared at it with wonder before snuggling it, feeling its soft fur.
The other children's eyes also lit up pleadingly.
Shirtless boy: "Mister, I want one!"
Fat boy: "Me too!"
Brown-hair girl: " Please, one for me as well."
Xeno just sighed, pleased.
Xeno: "Alright, tell me your names and your favorite animals then."
Xeno: 'Wait! I know this. It may be risky, but if I get myself cursed, then make someone find out by "accident", I'll not only avoid suspicion, but also convince the others of the mabeast's existence—'
His pupils morphed into stars.
Xeno: 'And since it belongs to the assassin, I could use the excuse that she could be cursed as well to bring her in the mansion and make Puck or Beatrice point out her hostile intentions... something they can apparently do.'
A bright smile stretched across his face at the genius of his plan.
Xeno: 'Someone give me a fucking Oscar.'
Petra: "Mister, your smile is scary."
...
Overall, it seemed Xeno had won the village over with his 'magic'. Some of the villagers watched as the children played soccer (or football, depending on where you live).
Xeno was playing goalie to keep things fair.
Xeno scrambled to the left to catch the ball, only to miss as Meili successfully scored.
Making the score 3 - 5.
Xeno was successfully failing at his job.
Petra: "Come on, Mister Xeno. How could you miss that?" she complained with a pout.
Mild: "Even I could have caught that." Said the fat kid.
While Lucas, the shirtless boy, high-fived the timid Meili.
Lucas: "Good job Meili, that was awesome."
Meili: "T-Thank you."
Getting up, he stretched his back.
Xeno: "Sorry, sorry. I'm not used to playing sports." He excused himself.
Which was the truth, in his entire life, the amount of time he had engaged in sports could be counted on both hands.
Just goes to show how abnormally antisocial he was.
Nobody bought his excuse.
Starting again, Xeno's team kept trying to win, putting their all into it. But above all else, they were having a blast.
After some time, Rem had purchased all she needed.
Carrying two big brown paper bags, she began searching for Xeno when she didn't find him where she had left him.
In her search, she noticed a crowd gathered near an open field.
Moving toward it, she saw Xeno and a group of children playing a game she had never seen before.
It looked entertaining, to say the least. But no matter how entertaining it was, they still had to go.
Rem: "Xeno!" She called out.
Xeno turned his attention toward the familiar voice.
Spotting Rem, he sighed.
Xeno: "Alright, kiddos, it's time for me to go."
Mild: "Come on, play with us just little longer." He begged and the others agreed.
Xeno: "Sigh, i wish I could but I have a job to do so, sorry."
The children were saddened by the news.
Petra: "You'll come back, right, Mister Xeno?"
Xeno: "Of course I will. See you till next time."
He waved them goodbye while they did the same.
Approaching Rem, he grabbed one of the bags from her hands.
Xeno: "Alright, let's go."
...
On the path between the village and the mansion, the sun was setting.
Rem and Xeno crossed a bridge, walking beside each other in silence.
The silence was awkward for Rem, but Xeno was used to it.
Due to this, Rem started a conversation with him.
Rem: "Those children seemed pretty fond of you."
Xeno: "What can I say? I'm just amazing."
He proclaimed, making a smile with his left hand, only to wince.
Rem: "Are you alright?"
She asked, mildly concerned, but now taking a closer look, she could see a bite mark on his hand.
Xeno: "Yeah, I just got bitten by a stupid dog... I should be fine."
Rem: "Do you want me to heal that for you?"
Xeno waved it off.
Xeno: "Nah, don't. This is perfect."
Rem tilted her head in confusion. Xeno, seeing that, hastily followed up.
Xeno: "I'm learning to use water magic, so I was thinking of training myself by healing this."
Rem had a look of understanding. It made sense. Healing that should be good exercise for a rookie.
Rem: "Very well, if you say so."
Xeno put his left hand into his pocket.
Xeno: "Just don't tell Ram. I'm exhausted, and I don't think I have the mental energy to deal with her."
He sighed. Just thinking about Ram's jabs made him feel tired, though he had to say his new body was quite impressive.
His previous self would've been exhausted by now, but he was barely winded.
Rem, on the other hand, remained slient seemingly lost in thought.
Rem: 'She needs to know.'
Rem: "Xeno, why do you dislike Rem's sister so much?"
The unexpected question momentarily voided his eyes.
Xeno instinctively touched his stomach with his right hand, which was carrying the bag.
His reaction confirmed all she needed to know. Something happened between them.
Rem: 'But when? To my knowledge, we never met him, nor does sister seem to know him.'
Xeno's purple pupils glanced at her. He answered seriously.
Xeno: "You must be imagining things."
Rem: "Rem doesn't believe you. She has seen you smile brightly and treat everyone kindly, but whenever you're with sister, you're hostile."
Xeno: "I'm telling you. You're imagining things."
He stopped and narrowed his eyes at her.
She returned his gaze, stopping as well.
Rem: "You're not as good at hiding your emotions as you think, Xeno. Please tell me, what did my kind sister do to deserve such hate?"
She pleaded, trying to understand him.
Xeno: "…"
(I treated you with kindness.)
(I thought we could get along.)
(But I won't be tricked any further. Fura)
From the depths of Xeno's mind, these memories played back, reminding him why he resented her.
'She's selfish.'
'Making this ALL about HERSELF.'
'What about my kindness?'
'What about the moments we had, the laughs we shared?'
'Did none of that matter? Was none of it real?'
'It must have, for you to never hesitate for a second in condemning me.'
Xeno's eyes gradually turned hollow. But Rem waited patiently for his answer.
For what felt like hours, Xenophanes closed his eyes.
Then he opened them and looked back at Rem, his eyes glowing purple.
Xeno: "No, I don't hate her." He corrected her.
Rem: "Then why do you act like she wronged you in some way?"
She questioned, unable to figure Xeno out.
Xeno: "You wouldn't get it."
Rem: "Then make me understand."
Xeno: "…"
He could feel it, she wouldn't let this go until he answered, his pupils dimmed in annoyance.
Xeno: "Tsk. Fine. You wanna know sooo badly? Then here."
He took a deep breath, his voice becoming more certain.
Xeno: "She betrayed my trust, disappointed me, and the worst part? She didn't hesitate. She never did. That's why I resent her. She threw away our friendship just to satisfy her own emotions."
Rem's eyes widened in surprise.
Rem: "W-What? B-But—"
Xeno: "We don't know you? She never met me? Is that what you're going to say, right?"
He chuckled.
Xeno: "Oh! But you do know me. It's such a shame you'll never remember."
Rem gritted her teeth, trembling with emotion.
Anger at this man calling her sister selfish.
Confusion at the certainty of his words.
She couldn't understand what he was talking about. But there was one thing she was sure of.
Rem: "You're lying. Sister would never do that. She's a kind and thoughtful person. She couldn't do that!"
Xeno: "I'm not claiming to be an expert, nor do I know her all that well. What I do know is what I saw and what I experienced. That's all the proof I need."
Rem: "N-No, that's not possible."
She tried looking for any deception yet all she found was certainty.
But—
Rem: "I don't understand what you claim my sister did, but I know it's wrong. I know sister better than anyone. She would never do something like that—"
She fiercely looked at Xeno, holding zero doubt in her heart.
Rem: "You're mistaken. Someone must have tricked you or lied to you. I'm certain of that."
Xeno just stared at her blankly. He could understand it.
Why would she believe him? But that didn't matter. The only thing that did was—
'Making you learn the damn real version of her'
Xeno: "Stop putting her on a damn pedestal. I get it, you love her, but don't think she's all that—"
Rem stiffened at his words.
Xeno: "She's selfish, throwing all her pain onto whoever's closest just to make herself feel better—"
"Shut up."
Xeno: "Playing the victim, blaming others for throwing away her kindness, her trust, when it's the other way around—"
"That's not true. Stop lying."
Xeno: "She'll throw away everything without any hesitation whatsoever, calling them the 'liar' when she's—"
"Shut up, shut up, shut up—"
Xeno: "Just. A. Filthy. Traitor."
S L A P.
...
...
...
Three steps.
Xeno took three steps back, his blank eyes widened in shock.
He shakily touched where she had struck him with his left hand.
Rem: "Don't you dare pretend you know Ram. You don't know a thing about her."
Her hands trembled at her sides.
Rem: "Sister is kinder than anyone you'll ever meet. Even after losing everything, she never complained. She kept moving forward."
Her voice shook, but her eyes were locked onto Xeno's.
Rem: "When I was weak... when I could do nothing but burden her, she stayed by my side. She worked harder than anyone, carried more than anyone should—"
She ferociously glared at him.
Rem: "So don't stand there and call her selfish. You know nothing about the person she is... or everything she's done for me."
Rem: "Rem is sorry for whatever happened to you... but she will not allow you to tarnish sister's name."
Rem: "Rem is giving you one final chance."
"Apologize."
This was Rem's ultimatum.
...
...
...
"HehehehehehehehahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahHah."
Yet—
all she received was laughter.
Laughter from someone who had finally understood.
Rem: "What's so funny!?" She yelled furiously.
He realized something.
Two important factors that made the entire situation comical.
First, he was an idiot.
Why did he expect her to understand when he had done nothing but vent his frustration?
And second—
the person he vented to was no different from the person he resented.
He was doing nothing but digging his own grave.
And you know what's funny?
He had expected understanding. That she would validate his words.
Hearing his laughter pulled at the last of Rem's patience.
She had tried to be understanding.
Tried to reason with him.
She had even gone as far as to give him one final chance to de-escalate the situation.
But all she had received in return was mocking laughter.
Rem: "Stop! Do you think Rem's words are funny?"
Xeno: "Ha... hahahah... sorry. I just couldn't help it. It's so damn funny. Haha..."
Gradually his smiled faded.
Xeno: "But do you really want my answer?" He intensely gazed at her.
He spoke only one word.
"No."
That simple answer broke the camel's back.
Before she could stop herself, Rem's right jab struck Xenophanes squarely in the face.
The impact lifted him off the ground and sent him flying several feet backward, the brown paper bag falling from his hand.
Thud.
Shock spread through her.
She had once again let her emotions get the better of her.
Yet
she wouldn't deny he had deserved it.
"Hahahahahahahaha."
Rem snapped out of it.
Facing Xeno, she saw him laughing while four appendages spread out from his back, lifting him into the air.
Standing back on his feet, he glared at Rem with anger.
Her actions had confirmed it in his mind. Rem was the same as her sister.
Xeno: "Finally showing your true colors, huh? Good. I hope you're ready for what happens next."
He spread out his arms, his tendrils swimming wildly in the air.
Rem: "Wait! I—"
"Shut it! You started this, and unlike last time—"
All four of Xeno's tendrils pointed at Rem. A faint stream of fire radiated from his eyes.
"Iwillnotbemoved."
One of them fired forth toward her.
Rem reacted quickly, side stepping narrowly dodging the attack, letting go of the bag as it ripped through, spilling its contents.
But Xeno didn't let up.
He followed with a low sweeping attack. Yet again, it missed as Rem backflipped over it, intending to retrieve her morning star.
She stopped when she saw him preparing to strike her midair with both of his remaining appendages.
Her eyes sharpened. She stretched her hand out.
"El Huma."
A multitude of ice shards hurled themselves toward Xenophanes.
His attack halted instantly. The two tendrils compressed, then slammed downward like springs, catapulting him into the air.
In the air, Xeno raised his hand high. One of his tendrils grew to monstrous size.
Rem: "!!"
Rem stared in disbelief. She broke into a sprint when it came crashing down.
Boom.
The ground creaked, spiderwebs spreading across the road, the shockwave sending dust flying everywhere.
Rem glanced at the destruction then ran even faster toward the nearby forest.
Landing safely back on the ground, Xeno clicked his tongue in annoyance.
He may not have had any combat experience, but even he could figure out what she was trying to do.
'Well, so much for spamming this attack–'
His overgrown appendage returned to normal size.
'No problem. You just made a huge mistake Rem. Alright, Xeno, lock the fuck in.'
He smiled, his form flickering out of existence.
...
Sneaking through the forest, the blue oni made sure to conceal her presence.
With her morning star in hand, she intended to finish this quickly.
She used her sense of smell to locate Xeno's miasma.
Moments after sensing for it, Rem was stunned.
She couldn't smell his scent.
He had somehow managed to conceal it.
But that only confused her even more.
Rem: 'If he could do that, why didn't he? Why make himself suspicious like that?'
Something was definitely off here.
She didn't have any time to contemplate further. A pair of shoes suddenly filled most of her vision.
She was sent flying toward a tree when Xeno's dropkick struck her jawline.
The entire tree shook, many of its leaves falling off as Rem collided against it.
Her eyes widened in surprise.
'When did he—?'
Xeno grinned as he created distance between them.
'I always wanted to do that.'
His smile instantly dropped when he barely managed to use one of his tendrils to deflect Rem's morning star.
It sent the weapon flying off course, but the appendage itself shattered instantly.
A bead of sweat dropped down his face. He had almost messed up.
Rem pulled back her weapon, spinning it rapidly.
She sprang forward, easily covering the distance between them and struck.
His appendages automatically yanked Xeno out of the way of Rem's first attack.
She followed up, unleashing a series of punches, which were blocked.
He tried to make distance which failed, as Rem wouldn't allow that.
She had Figured out he wasn't a fighter, so tried to overwhelm him.
Remaking his broken appendage, he planned to attack until he noticed her winding her arm back, pulling her weapon along with it.
He ducked the morning star, but that left him open for Rem's follow-up punch to his ribs.
Then she landed another.
Avoiding his appendages, she kicked him in the kidney.
He painfully slid across the rough ground.
She followed that up by raising her hand.
"Al Huma."
A swarm of deathly icicles swarmed Xenophanes. He had barely any time to react when they collided with him.
Pain pulsed though his body, he screamed in agony.
Rem had intentionally made her spell weaker. After all, she wasn't trying to kill him.
Just teach him a lesson.
A VERY painful lesson.
Rem approached Xeno while he lay on his back, clutching his chest in pain.
Rem: "Give up. You lost." She stated calmly, seemingly satisfied for now.
Though if he still wanted to continue, she wouldn't complain.
Xeno: "Screw you."
In response, Rem just kicked him, sending him rolling a few feet.
With the help of his appendages, he got off the ground, panting heavily, his pupils still burning bright.
Rem: "Just give up. You can't win as things are now."
Xeno just smiled at that.
"You're right. As things are, I can't beat the crap out of you. Then I guess—"
He snapped his fingers as multiple sharp bones surrounded her from all angles.
"I have to go all out."
He threw his hand forward.
The signal was received as the sharp bones flung themselves toward her.
Rem was surprised. She hastily cast—
"Huma."
An omnidirectional water barrier encompassed Rem.
They struck the barrier unable to fully pierce through.
Bang.
Rem gasped sharply, instinctively grabing her left shoulder feeling a painful sting.
Her barrier shattered.
Smoke was coming from Xeno's finger.
"Surprised, Rem? Well don't be, because I've got a lot of tricks up my sleeves."
He pointed his finger at her. From it, a football-sized dark purple orb formed.
"Dodge this."
A rapid-fire barrage of pellets shot forth from the orb.
Rem slipped aside, enduring the pain in her shoulder.
She ran in an arc, trying to cover the distance once again, her morning star ready as she spun it vertically.
Xeno continued to fire at her, slowly backing away.
The more he fired, the smaller the orb became until it finally ran out.
That was the moment Rem had been waiting for. She lunged, throwing her flail at full force to finish this in one blow.
But that wouldn't work on him. A singular bone sprouted from the ground, knocking it high into the air.
Two of his appendages morphed into arms, rushing to snatch the chain at the same moment Rem tried to pull it back.
But it was too late.
The hands firmly grasped the chain, yanking it hard.
Rem slid closer to Xeno rapidly. Trying to hold her position.
The last part of Xeno's trick revealed itself when rows of deathly spikes manifested in front of her.
He wanted her to let go of her weapon. Which she did.
Letting go, she vaulted upward over the spikes, above Xeno's position.
Rem cast—
"El Huma."
He didn't even look at the spell, more focused on her weapon.
He calmly curled up her flail as a glass-like dome had already formed to guard him.
The icicles shattered harmlessly against its surface while Xeno finished wrapping her weapon.
Xeno: 'Hehe. She may be able to use magic, have super strength, and be terrifying in combat... but there's something not even she can defeat.'
Click.
'Cheappadlocks.'
He carelessly threw her weapon away, dusting his hands off.
Meanwhile, Rem shifted fluently through the bones.
Sensing danger, Rem ducked. Which was a good move, as two axes flew overhead.
"OOPS, that was an axeident."
Xeno shrugged with a smile.
Rem didn't react instead darted straight at him, not stopping even when bones sprayed toward her, either avoiding them or using magic to counterattack.
She immediately went on guard when Xeno made a yanking motion.
Glancing back, she saw the two axes from before boomeranging toward her.
Leaping into the air, she twisted her body and rolled sideways, precisely avoiding the axes as they passed both above and below her.
In that same motion, she grabbed the top axe and swung downward, slicing an orb in half.
Boom.
They exploded on either side of her.
She resumed her pursuit, swiftly catching up with Xeno, winding the axe as she slashed sideways.
Sweat dropped down his forehead, he swung his own weapon.
"Come on, not even a laugh? You have to admit that was a cleaver one."
He blocked with a cleaver and almost staggered back from the force of her attack.
Even though both had superhuman strength, Rem still beat him in that regard.
He scraped back as Rem began overpowering him.
Xeno desperately guarded against her attacks with his cleaver.
This action made her suspicious, and she swiftly backed away.
Rem: 'Why is he not backing away?'
She grew even more cautious when Xeno stomped the ground, enclosing them in an area of bones.
Rem: 'Something's wrong.'
Now she was the one creating distance, axe and magic ready for whatever he was planning.
"This has gone on for long enough. Let's end this."
Xeno's face literally turned into =), his eyes and mouth glowing purple, looking very creepy.
Using most of his remaining Envy, he prepared a power attack.
A dark purple orb the size of a person materialized in front of him.
Rem could feel its power. If it connected, she could very well die.
Rem: 'I need to—'
Her thoughts were interrupted when she suddenly felt a heavy weight around her legs.
Snapping her head downward, her eyes widened in shock.
Heavy chains had bound her in place. Dodging was no longer an option.
And Xeno gave her no time to think. He unleashed the orb straight at her.
Rem didn't hold back either. She unleashed her strongest attack as well.
"Al Huma."
A giant spear of ice blasted forth.
Both of them held their breath as the two attacks collided.
A massive explosion erupted, engulfing the area in dust.
Rem shielded her eyes but didn't miss the opportunity to break free from the chains.
But for the first time, Xeno was one step ahead.
From the dust, he suddenly appeared in her vision once again.
In his right palm was a rotating ball of dark purple energy inches from her chest.
Crunch.
Enormous pain shot through her chest.
Her ribs creaked as it slammed into her. Blasting her backward with immense force.
The chains tried to keep her in place, yet all they did was dislocate her joints before snapping apart.
Rem was flung through the air, crashing through the bones Xeno had made
previously, snapping them into small pieces.
She almost tore through all of them before finally stopping, buried beneath piles of broken bone.
...
...
...
Silence.
Just silence.
It was over.
Xeno had won—barely.
Xeno was panting heavily from just how mentally taxing combat was.
Seeing Rem not get up made him sit on the floor, sighing in relief.
That was the last trick up his sleeve.
If Rem got up from that and was still able to continue then, to put it lightly, he was completely fucked.
Though sitting there did make him contemplate his actions.
While he was angry and all, he had still taken things way too far.
And frankly, now that it was over, he didn't feel great.
In fact, he felt like he hadn't achieved anything from this fight.
Unlike anime, he didn't magically learn some lesson about letting go or being humbled.
All he got was...
Nothing.
Xeno: "..."
Xeno: 'I sometimes really do wish I got what I wanted... Heh. I guess even now I'm spoiled by how easy my life used to be.'
Xeno shook his head.
He got up, brushing the dust off his clothes, then turned toward where Rem should've been buried.
Xeno: "Sigh... time to dig her ou—"
BANG.
Crashing out of the debris was Rem.
Xeno slowly turned his head, his eyes going hollow.
What stood out even more was the pink horn protruding from her forehead and the manic expression on her usually beautiful face.
With deranged glee, Rem raised the axe high and swung it toward his neck at a speed far beyond anything she had shown before.
Xeno stumbled backward, panicking. Closing his eyes, he desperately used Envy to defend himself.
A thick bone ripped through the ground, blasting toward Rem as her axe came within inches of his neck.
SPLAT.