In spite of having no clue how Asmodia had taken command of his body, Haruki was, for the first time, willing to let her take charge to somehow get them out of a dire situation. Crossing her legs, she sat on an invisible throne of air, all the while a devilish smile rested on her face.
"You're too slow, too reliant on that ability to alter, and too moronic for attacking my children," knowing exactly what she was doing, the smile on Haruki's face kept getting bigger.
"That's really you, Mother?" Asked Moriyana, but turning her head Asmodia gave her a revolting gaze.
"Don't even…" directing her finger to Moriyana, Asmodia flew her body against the wall right beside her.
Hitting her head in her weakened state, Moriyana instantly lost consciousness even before her body could hit the ground.
'What the hell are you doing?!' Unable to speak, Haruki could only share with her his thoughts.
"Shushhh, I do not need a bunch of children lecturing me," watching all of this unfold, Razor wasn't sure what move he should make.
Should he escape through a realm tear, or engage in a fight to try and subdue the allegedly weakened Asmodia?
"Now, where were we?" Finally bringing her gaze back to Razor, she scanned his body up and down. "Ughh…the rear-guard general, I thought they'd send someone stronger."
Both insulted and a bit threatened by her words, Razor gritted his teeth and growled back.
"I'm not here for you!" Gulping down, he reeled in his tone. "The emperor never told me you'd be here, I doubt he even knows or cares."
"What did you just say?" Her eyes glowing like the morning star, emanated a crushing aura. Lingering heavy in the air, her anger over Razor's comment had taken the form of toxic miasma. "I've heard you're weak to toxins, is that right, Razor?"
Masking his face with his hands, Razor tried to conjure up a realm tear, but the ability got blocked by Asmodia who didn't even have to move a single finger.
"Going somewhere?" She muttered, looking at him from the front.
"Shut up! Thunderbird!" Trying to incinerate Haruki's body, Razor leaped forward with the aura of immense lightning, and although it managed to tear the office to shreds, not even a single scratch was had on either Haruki's or even Moriyana's body.
Disappearing into thin air, they had left Razor haphazardly looking around the place trying to figure out exactly what was happening. However, when he couldn't see or sense them inside the office he once again tried to escape the place with realm tear.
"I wonder what Atlas even saw in you to grant you those abilities." Teleporting behind him, she whispered into his ears.
"Shut up you whiny bitch!" Swinging his fencer behind him, he tried to hit her, but Asmodia once again teleported behind him.
"Did I strike a nerve?" She chuckled.
"Just because he didn't want you that doe-" As he was flinging his sword at her again, a phantom hand took hold of his neck. Crushing him under its non-existent fingers, it gradually drained his lungs. "H-how do you keep blocking my abilities?!"
His eyes bloodshot, Razor glowered at her with gritted teeth.
"How? Don't make me laugh, you're but an imitation of what it means to harbor the essence of space magic," leaning closer to his face as his legs flopped around in struggle, Asmodia had but a smile to offer him. "But I? I am its father, and mother, and it all stems from me!"
Stripped of his only two god-like abilities, and thunderbird one of his most powerful magic skills not working against her, Razor had no choice but to resort to desperation.
"That guy, whoever the hell that is, you know I can be better," still holding onto his pride, he didn't sound the least bit convincing.
"You and I both know how this ends, don't we? So spare the niceties," reaching onto him, she clawed his face with Haruki's fingers. "There, may you never die a thousand deaths."
As those words trailed off of her tongue, a hazy mist of pure malice filled up the room entirely. After the haze twirled into the air and conformed into a unifying being a creature of dark reached out through it. Upon seeing the burly monster with gargantuan claws, Razor's fears were turning into reality.
"You know you can't kill me, the emperor won't allow it!" He roared with the last of the breath still left inside his lungs.
"I know, and that's why your torture would be never-ending," taking Razor in its cold dead grasp, the creature drew him into its ghastly jaws. Pushing him deeper into the clouds of deadly toxins simmering inside its mouth, the monster had him trapped in an endless slumber.
'What the hell happened? And why did he give in so easily at the end?' Witnessing all that had happened, Haruki was as lost as one could be. But with her energy fleeing, Asmodia didn't have time to offer an explanation.
"He's alive, but won't bother you for a while, that's all you need to know warrior," feeling heavy in the eyes, the strain from pushing herself despite being in a vulnerable state, was finally catching up to her. "I-I think I need some rest."
Putting Haruki's body back on his feet, she sat down on a chair with her hand holding Haruki's head straight.
"Do not be weak, warrior…I doubt the emperor will let this incident go so easily, be stronger because I won't be there to help you for long now," knowing exactly what was happening to her, Asmodia didn't wanted to waste even a single breath before she was forced back into slumber.
"Why? Why can't you just help me?" With Asmodia's grasp on him loosening up Haruki was once again able to speak through his own lips. "And where the hell is Moriyana?"
Deliberately repressing Haruki's memory on how she teleported around and where they were while traversing through space, Asmodia wanted to keep the knowledge confined to an arcane few.
"She'll be back, I'm sure," she mumbled, resting her head on the desk.
Sensing her presence retreating into him, Haruki internally screamed for answers. But no matter how much he pleaded, there was no there to give him some clarity.
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