My OP Minion System in the Apocalypse

As fast as I could, I drew [Tengen-Ko-Rin].

Chain it down, Tengen.

By the skin of my teeth, I managed to stop the grenade from detonating right underneath my feet. I quickly made my way further back and stationed my Minions in front of me.

"Who's that coward over there?!"

Call me a coward all you want, but you're the one that's about to die.

Robbie ran toward Joel and swung [Nija-T'an-Mo]. Joel swiftly raised his [Reaper's Sabre] in order to block it. Their blades clashed several more times before Robbie used another ability.

"Rein Helleborus."

Thick green vines were conjured out of Robbie's arm and travelled toward Joel. Joel swung his [Reaper's Sabre], trying to cut through the vines, however, the vines were unable to be cut. He was only able to temporarily knock the unbreakable vines away, only to see them moving towards him again.

"Why can't I cut these?!"

He frantically swung his sword, trying to knock away the predatory vines which wanted to latch onto his body. Despite everything, Joel's sword technique was incredibly clean, managing to keep the vines in check for the most part. The dark blade of the [Reaper's Sabre] danced through the air, smacking the thick, impenetrable vines away from his body.

A little while later, Robbie decided to bring the vines back to him. The vines were slowly absorbed back into his body as he raised [Nija-T'an-Mo].

In the short break, Joel threw several more bombs at Robbie. He was forced to scramble up some plants in order to absorb the explosions. However, Joel did not stop his onslaught, throwing more and more bombs at Robbie's feet. Slowly losing ground, Robbie was forced to retreat and give Joel more space.

All of a sudden, Joel summoned a [steel dagger] and tossed it into the air.

"Explode."

Like a gun, he fired the dagger directly at Robbie, using the explosion in the palm of his hand to launch it through the air. The dagger travelled at an incredibly fast past, zipping through the air faster than an arrow would. Robbie summoned a wall of plants to block it, however, it easily pierced through, stabbing Robbie in the arm.

Without a moment's hesitation, Joel tossed another dagger into the air. Using the explosive force of his palm, he launched it toward Robbie.

With only a split second to react, Robbie raised [Nija-T'an-Mo] and by pure chance, the dagger smashed straight into its blade. Following his previous attack, Joel once again closed the distance, dropping more bombs at Robbie's feet. Robbie frantically conjured more plants to absorb the explosion.

In the chaos, Joel swiftly closed the distance and slashed straight through the plants with his [Reaper's Sabre]. After trading several blows, Joel managed to break through Robbie's defence and managed to get an opening.

The very tip of Joel's [Reaper's Sabre] managed to cut into the very edge of Robbie's arm. It slowly sliced apart a tiny section of skin, causing a very minor bleed, no bigger than a paper cut. However, even such a small cut would prove fatal.

"Shit."

With that single attack, Robbie was now immobilised.

"This is what you deserve, you criminal."

Summoning a very large bomb, he dropped it at Robbie's feet.

I quickly backed up.

A few seconds later, the entire area was filled with smoke, dirt, mud, grass, dust and plant debris. The explosion was so powerful that the wind swept up entire layers of dirt from the ground, tossing it into the air. However, in the commotion, just before the explosion, I managed to hear a very slight voice.

"...let's go, Nija..."

A few seconds passed and the silence was deafening.

However, as the dust settled once again, Robbie was no longer standing where he was before.

"What the hell...?" Joel couldn't believe it.

"Ah, you almost got me there," commented Robbie, who was standing a few metres away from the detonation point of the bomb.

"How did you get away...? I definitely cut you with my [Reaper's Sabre]!"

"It's a secret."

"Why... you..."

It would seem that Joel had never used a Demonic Weapon before. As soon as I heard the chant, I immediately knew what happened. Robbie must have used Nija's ability. However, to stop or to avoid an explosion of that size, he must have sacrificed something. For example, when I draw more power from Mayuri, I'm forced to sacrifice some memories.

Now that I thought about it, I hadn't needed to sacrifice anything to Tengen upon using his ability. I assumed that it was likely due to the small scale I was using it. If I ever decided to use his ability on a larger scale, there'd likely be a consequence for doing so. I had no idea what Tengen took as a sacrifice.

Joel once again began charging at Robbie. The two of them engaged in more sword combat, and the loud clanging of their weapons echoed through the air. Every few seconds, Joel would drop an explosive, causing Robbie to cover it with plants. The exchange continued, as the two of them frantically fought each other. From what I could see, neither side had an advantage over the other.

"Rein Helleborus!"

Robbie summoned more vines from his arm, hoping to catch Joel off-guard. However, Joel was again able to break away from the vines, slashing at them with his [Reaper's Sabre]. The two of them appeared to be stuck in a stalemate, neither side being able to break through the defence of the other.

I guess I could help one of them, but then again, it sounded like a hassle and it was more fun just watching by the side.

Their weapons clashed once again, I watched as the swordplay of the two fighters appeared to almost be in sync. They constantly traded blows, deflecting each others' weapons. However, in a lucky break, Joel managed to clip the hilt of Robbie's weapon. For a brief moment, this gave Joel an opening.

He threw several explosions around the ground as Robbie brought plants to absorb them. In one swift movement, Joel's weapon sliced through the air, aiming straight for Robbie's neck.

It looked like it was about to be over.

Except...