Start of 2nd Arc.

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“This is--”

Shou stands shocked by the scenery he sees right before his eyes.

“Hey the two over there, what are you doing here?” someone calls them from behind just before Shou finished his sentence.

Shou turned to see the one who called them. This appearance is one that Shou knows well. The one who called them is a white-haired man who wears red coat and bringing a sword with a skull like carving on it.

‘That guy is… as I thought, this must be another game that I installed on my PC’

“Ah no, we are--” just before he finished his words, the white haired man, rushed towards him and taking out his sword and thrusting it forward.

“WHOA!” Shou panicked and fell down on his butt.

But, his sword didn’t even graze him. Shou and Mao blankly opened their eyes wide. What he aimed for was the thing that approaching Shou from behind.

“What is… that..?” Mao asked curiously.

“” the white haired man called the demon’s name.

As he pulled out his sword from its head, the falls limp and dissipated a few moments later.

“It’s a lesser demon in another world.” Shou explains while trying to stand up. “Particularly weak, but have some variation. There’s one with the scythe attached to its leg and there is also the big ones if I’m not mistaken.”

“Ho~, you know quiet the details huh? Seems like you’re not from here aren’t you?” And as result, Shou caught his interest somehow.

“Ah, well… that’s…”

‘I guess I need to fix my habit of giving of explanation, people might find me suspicious.’

Tense atmosphere build up between Shou and the man. He worried that the man found him suspicious.

Of course one from this world would found him suspicious. Someone who has a good deal of knowledge about the demons of another world is not just anyone. And what’s more, Shou seems to know about the man, that makes him more and more suspicious.

“You are… just some normal human. Heh, you are a pretty interesting one I see.” Once again, the man pointed his sword towards Shou.

“We are from ‘another world’. I’m searching for a way to get back to my own world.” Mao cuts in.

“Ah hey! MAO!” Shou giving a sign that she shouldn’t do something unnecessary.

“… I see, so that’s how it is. You guys really are interesting ones.”

His interest in them seems to grow bigger.

“Well, I just recently got back here myself. Somehow I was pulled to another place before, or should I say, another ‘world’?”

His exclamations made Shou lost for words.

Suddenly, something flew right above them.

“That’s…”

Shou got surprised when he sees the enormous thing that just flew past trough.

A pair of wings that shaped like a bat wing, two arm and legs with its sharp claw, sturdy scale that seems hard to pierce, long and strong tail that could whip through the buildings, close to lizard but its size even bigger than airplane.

“A Dragon…”

Dragon, , , , , , there are many titles for dragons as they brought calamity wherever they pass.

“This place shouldn’t have any dragon, should it?”

“Do you mean that the dragons are also from another world?”

“Well then, I guess I still have business to take care of here. And so, goodbye and take care.” The man jumped away, following the dragon.

“… So… he was ‘drifted’ to another game and makes his way back here? Does that mean some of the character from another ‘game’ might do the same? If so, I don’t have to finish into all of the game on my PC huh? So then--”

“Oy Shou! What are you mumbling about? Are you leaving that giant lizard here?” Mao interrupted Shou.

“Ah sorry, it’s nothing. Just thinking of something. Well then, shall we go after that dragon? We might find something.”

* * * *

“ARGH! I've had enough! I don’t want to continue anymore!!”

Mao suddenly pouts.

The two of them have walked pretty far away and now arrived at buildings debris. They were following the dragon halfway, but they lost track of its trail.

Now they search for the dragon by following the destruction caused by the dragon (probably).

“Don’t be like that. You wanted to return don’t you?”

“I hate walking. I don’t want to walk anymore. Carry me.”

“Sigh, why do I have to carry you? Can’t you just fly using your magic?”

“Using magic is tiring and I want to save my magic power if possible.”

“You sure are demanding… come on, let’s go. We wanted to go back to our own world, right? I’ll go check out the debris. You can rest for a while then.”

Shou moves closer to the debris and examine it.

“As I thought, this is caused by that dragon. This building sure seems sturdy… I wonder how powerful its attack is. I wonder if it’s done by only one dragon, it seems like there would be two or three attacked these buildings…”

Unknown to Shou, something moves tailing them.

It’s observing them from faraway, waiting for a chance.

“I’m tired… I wonder if it’s still far. Hey Shou, how much longer do we need to follow that dragon? We can’t even see it anymore. Can’t we just leave it to that guy?”

“Well, we can leave it to that guy but...“

As Shou looks over Mao’s direction, he saw some lights flew towards her.

“Behind!”

He shouts out warning to Mao.

But it was too late. That thing is already too close to Mao. Unable to dodge, she at least prepares her resolve, but the light just fly past through Mao.

“… Eh?”

“… Nothing happened? What was that..? KUH!”

Suddenly Mao fell down on her knees.

“Are you okay?!”

“That thing… it stole my magic power!” Slowly, Mao begins to stands up. “Wait you little fly!!!”

“Wait! Mao!”

Shou quickly follows Mao who went after the things before.

When Mao tries to catch it, the light always passes through her. She could only look at the light fiercely, but the light float happily as if it was provoking her.

“It seems physical attack is useless against that thing.”

“I know. Damn, if only I was a bit more careful. My magic is almost empty so I can’t afford to use magic.”

Shou moves to the front and unsheathe his sword.

“Maybe I can hit it with this.”

He pointed his sword towards the floating light. As if understand that Shou is challenging it, the light stop moving left and right in joy.

“Shou, can that sword really hit it?”

“Not sure. Well, this sword probably has some magic power. Probably…”

“… oh well, I’ll just leave it to you.”

“Got it!”

As soon as he said that, Shou dash forward.

He swing the sword upward, making some of the dust flew up creating a thin smoke screen between Shou and the light. Using the smoke screen as surprise, Shou diverted his momentum and spin to the left side of the light.

While changing his course, and spin his body, he takes the opportunity to swing the sword towards his enemy.

“Got you!”

As the sword touch the light

“!”

The light and the sword flashed their light making Shou surprised a bit.

As the flash dispersed, the lump of light had gone, and Shou’s sword is glittering in light.

“… I guess the thing that ate your magic power got sealed inside this sword?”

“… what’s with the asking tone? I should be the one asking.”

“Well… I’m not sure after all. Why not ask the one who has been spying us from the shadow over there.”

Shou pointed his sword at the debris of building.

“!”

A man wearing a long black coat and a mask comes out.

“…”

“Hehe, you’re pretty good to notice me hiding over here.”

He walks a bit closer to Shou and cast away the hood from his coat and also his mask. He seems to be a middle aged man, probably just some mob enemy character.

“Seems like I can’t under estimate you, young man. To think that you notice me who was concealing my presence, you really are a dangerous guy.”

“Ah no, actually I was just trying to act cool as if someone is spying us and I notice about it but… I guess there really is someone huh…”

Shou scratched the back of his head and feels a little dilemmatic because of his own act.

“Are you for real…”

“W-what?”

As you would expect, anyone would be in awe after hearing such coincidence happened.

"That was just a coincidence? Wait, you mean, I wasn't even discovered? Then--"

“Mao! Capture him!”

Not letting the man finish his complain, Shou ordered Mao to capture him.

“!”

The man’s arm moved to his back and a shackle of light formed on his arms.

“Guh!”

“Now, let’s ask him some question.”

“I still can move you know. Do you think I will obey that easily?”

“Who knows, your arms being shackled probably enough for us to have the upperhand.”

“Che, prideful brats. Do you think you really can have me submit to you? Don’t underestimate me, do you think this me, the great will be a mere puppet to you? I’m not scared of you people even if I’m restrained and can’t use my skill.”

Suddenly a thunder strikes near him making the ground burnt black.

“HIE!”

“… Mao…”

“Shou, his attitude annoys me." Mao walks forward to the man "Which side is prideful? You are the one who don’t know his place.”

Mao makes an annoyed face, it feels as if you can see an anger emoticon clearly over her head.

“So I guess you need a shock therapy before you can talk properly huh?”

A flow of electricity zapping out from Mao’s hand, that enough to intimidate the man.

“HIIIII! I’ll talk! I’ll talk so please don’t! I don’t think I need it!”

“Oya? Why? Even though we specially prepare it for you, you don’t want it? It will feel so good you know, as if going to heaven (literary). Well, only if you are accepted by them.”

‘… she forced a smile on her face… it’s quiet scary…’ Shou felt a little terror while he was looking at Mao. 'Anyway, huh? If I'm not wrong, it was a mid boss which have strong puppet but the puppeteer himself was totally weak...'

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