Mythical Slayer: Mythical Girls Contract

His last attack took a lot of Spirit Power from him. In the end, he used around 25% of the total of his Spirit Power, wasting most of it to burn Jack-o'-lantern to nothingness.

Considering his reserve was as big as Amber and Ibaraki Douji, 25% of his Spirit Power was actually a totally ridiculous amount, comparable to many normal Slayers.

'The fastest way is to replenish mine with Amber or Ibaraki, but… I can't do that right now, right?'

The other way was to meditate. And when he did that, his body would be vulnerable to attack. Going back right now was something he didn't want to do, and he wanted to find Boogeymen as fast as he could.

And there was also the matter of the driver acting strange and the Jack-o'-lantern asking for help from someone he didn't know. Maybe Jack-o'-lantern's attack was something planned by someone else who wanted to stop him from searching for the Boogeymen.

'That's why I need to replenish my Spirit Power right now in case of an emergency.'

"That's easy." Liliana smiled softly. It was the first time he saw her smiling, and she looked beautiful with that. "You will replenish your Spirit Power right here?"

"No." Kai shook his head. There was a possibility someone would attack them again if they stayed in this place, so they should move. "Let's move a little bit further into the forest first. We shouldn't linger in this area any longer."

"Alright. I will follow you from behind."

Nodding his head, he began to jump inside the forest while trying not to make any noise.

***

Back in Romania, around the outskirts of Bucharest, Amber stopped in his tracks and looked a distance away.

'Strange. What is this feeling of uneasiness? Should I contact Kai?'

To be honest, she was actually worried about his safety. She also disagreed with moving separately but could only follow his command as she knew Kai was strong enough to protect himself.

Still, that didn't mean she wasn't worried about him. She was really worried about his safety.

Not wanting to brag, but Amber's feelings were usually spot on.

"Should I just directly go to where he is right now?" She muttered as she looked up at the sky. Dark clouds began to gather above Bucharest's sky, which was unusual at this time of the year.

Then she turned her focus to the side as she felt a presence approaching her. It was Ibaraki, and she appeared from the shadows with a worried face.

"Amber… Master's Spirit Power…"

"I noticed it." Amber immediately replied. "Maybe he had gotten into a fight. I could feel he used a big attack using my power earlier."

Ibaraki nodded at her words. "He used my power too."

As the Ruler contracted Mythical creatures, they shared a bit of sense with him. They could feel it whenever he used their power, even if they were far away.

"Should we help him?"

"I don't think that's necessary. The fact that he no longer used our power meant he had already defeated his opponent."

"But…"

"I know what you're worried about, Ibaraki. I am also worried about him."

It was the fact that Amber felt that. No, because she was the first one to meet and make a contract with him; she knew him better than anyone else.

"This is the first time we've been separated for more than 100 KM since we met. So it's natural for me to be worried about him and his safety. But…"

Amber was a Phoenix. She was a flaming bird who could travel faster than a plane. Not to mention, Ibaraki Douji was a Mythical Oni, only weaker than Shuten Douji, the leader of all Onis.

"We can reach him in less than a minute. No one would be able to beat our masters in under a minute, and you know that."

Maybe that was a bit naïve coming from Amber, but she only said with conviction that Kai was strong. Their contracts provided him with strength, and besides… She also had a hidden goal by allowing him to go by himself without her or Ibaraki Douji.

While she was indeed following his command, it didn't mean that she had no personal feelings. She loved Kai and wanted to be with him. And…

"If he used his Spirit Power, then we can also help him replenish it tonight~ Aren't you happy with that?"

Understanding what Amber had implied, Ibaraki's face blushed red. The Oni girl fidgeted, and then she nodded slowly.

"Un… I-I also want to do it again. H-Helping Master with my b-body…"

"Great!" Amber clapped her hands together. She knew that Ibaraki also thought like her, though the reasons behind their actions were a little bit different.

Her action was fueled by love toward Kai, and Ibaraki's action was fueled by loyalty from the contract and the Oni girl's desire to serve.

"We will welcome him together tonight, okay?"

"Yes."

Even if she said those things, however, she was still a bit worried. Behind her smile were unspoken words to keep Ibaraki from rampaging.

Naturally, Amber had known about what Ibaraki did a thousand years ago.

The Oni Race, especially the stronger ones among them, was prone to lose control of their power once their desire had taken over them. That was why Shuten Douji and Ibaraki Douji rampaged back in Ancient Kyoto, only stopping when the strongest beat them.

That was why Amber didn't tell Ibaraki. There was no way she would endanger Romania and told the Oni girl that…

'I feel some strange Spirit Power in the direction where Kai is.'

Just as she said earlier, she could arrive where Kai was in under a minute. That was the only reason she could still keep her calm right now.

***

"Khisisisi."

A low laugh, full of confidence and sending a chill to every child, rang in the woods, watching two people far away from them with nasty, evil smiles made from buttons on their rag faces. Those two people were Kai, who meditated, and Liliana, who looked around with narrowed eyes.

The one who let out a laugh held a hoe over their shoulder, fixing their straw hat with its other hand.

"My prey." They let out a chilling voice as they looked at an empty space. "Boogeymen's prey. Don't touch him. Don't send a pumpkin to him again."

No one was supposed to be there. But once the Boogeymen's voice rang from their mouth, a bunch of liquid metal came together and shaped into a human shape, standing in all glory as it regained its color.

"My my~ I was just trying to gauge his normal strength as I wanted to invite him to our group. By no means I am trying to kill him. Well, if he was killed by a single Jack-o'-lantern, then that's what he amounts to, I guess. Hihihihi."

A masked individual was what came out after the liquid came together. He was the Alchemist, the one who met Kai in Time Square, and the one who was supposed to be killed by the Boogeymen.

The Boogeymen looked at the man with narrowed eyes. Their eyes changed from O-shaped into flat ones, indicating that they were observing the man, Alchemist.

Their hand moved, putting their bladed hoe against the Alchemist's neck.

"Mine. Want your head severed again?"

The Alchemist raised his hands in surrender.

"Please, no. I will not touch him again." He replied with a shaking voice, but not a shred of fear could be detected from that. "May I ask something, though?"

"What?" The Boogeymen asked, interested.

"Why are you not showing yourself and making your presence known if you are targeting him, then?"

Facing such a question, the Boogeymen grinned.

"Kishi. What a silly question." They answered. "Prey is always best to be hunted when they are cornered. Preparations are not over yet."

"I see." The Alchemist nodded. "Then I will just watch. I want you to be careful, Boogeymen. Don't waste our effort to wake you up as something useless."

As soon as the Alchemist said that, the Boogeymen swung their hoe, intending to decapitate the man once again. However, he had anticipated that, and his body melted into a liquid metal once again, disappearing into the dirt.

"Hihihihi, not today. I hope you think about my offer again, Boogeymen."

Boogeymen watched that and pulled their hoe back, slinging it over their back.

"Boogeymen worked alone. We are one and only. No one orders us." They scoffed, and then their body sank into the ground, becoming one with nature. "And we will get that body without fail."

That was also the reason why Kai couldn't feel the Boogeymen's presence. Since the start, Boogeymen were nature themselves, and their presence had no difference from the nature around them.