Chapter 12

Dilunelle

The girl roared, her voice resonating through the forest. The birds that once rested on nearby trees frantically flapped their wings and flew into the sky. Some wild beast in woods howled one after another like a frenzy of an orchestra. Each sound sent a shiver down on Arthur's spine. He watched the girl who jumped towards his direction desperately, barely reaching a quarter of their height. A few more jumps and the three armors came out of the door.

"Slow her down!" Duliri ordered with a shaky voice. "But do not kill her!"

Servo and Garo immediately lunged, their feet sinking on the ground where they landed. They seized both her arms, while Pirro tried his best to pin her down. Unlike the night before, they made an effort to stop her. The girl resisted, glaring at them with enormous bloodlust. An ample amount of mana pulsated on her arms, then she released massive blows with her fists. The three armors dodged, jumping back. Her eyes widened from their sudden change in technique.

On instinct, knowing that the armors weren't just letting themselves get destroyed, she ran to the woods at an alarming speed. The armors chased but their slow movements couldn't keep up.

Her steps trampled the grass and soon, now out of Arthur's and Duliri's sight, her chilling shrieks echoed through the forest. She went around the clearing for a minute. The trees shrouded her movement as dried leaves rattled against her sole.

Arthur kept following the sound until it completely disappeared. A dry gulp ran on his throat. His eyes shifted to every corner, his head snapping to any change of pattern. His stomach rumbled, but he remained unblinking. Just where are you?

His head cocked almost a hundred and eighty degrees, his waist turned to make up for the difference. Even Duliri was forced to move so he wouldn't lose his balance.

The girl had climbed on one of the trees. Her forceful grip sent its bark into the air, accompanied by sinister giggles. Once standing, her feet faintly glowed before she repeatedly leaped from one branch to another.

"Can you flew us higher Duliri?" Arthur exclaimed, his throat couldn't be any drier. "At this rate, she will bolt herself on us!"

"I can't! My powers are highly dependent on yours. We're lucky enough that I bathed in the sunlight earlier. If not, I won't even have enough mana to keep us up here," Duliri replied, gliding on instinct once the girl jumped on them.

Arthur shouted his lungs out though he had been anticipating it. His gaze met a pair of crimson orbs when he barely escaped her body projectile. Sweats oozed from his palms, dampening Duliri's fur from where he held him. He bit his lip in fear. Even if she escaped her jumps, if ever he fell out of his staff, it would certainly result in his untimely death.

"Duliri," Arthur called out as he watched the girl who landed successfully on the ground. Even with such a predicament, Arthur had tried his best to keep his cool and act accordingly. Now is the time, he told himself. "Can't we just escaped in the for–"

"No!" Duliri interrupted. "That place is more dangerous than her. Besides, look at the moons, there will be two full moons today, monsters and beasts will be more– Wait!" Duliri paused, a realization struck him.

Twilight was promptly concluding. The sun crept over the western horizon, painting the sky in yellow, orange and red. Two large full moons also shone far in the sky. Their golden glow brightened the sunset with more light than usual.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Duliri cussed repeatedly, barely keeping his composure. He watched the armors that had now engaged on the girl again as she tried to run past them. With a heavy heart, he shouted, "Garo, Servo, Pirro! This is your final order! Even if it's against the young master's will, you must protect him! You are permitted to kill the girl! The lord's safety is our utmost priority right now!"

"DULIRI! WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?" Arthur protested while the armors' whole body began to glow.

Mana flowed from the gemstone to their shoulders, arms, hands, legs, and feet. Garo and Servo leaped, now leaving a crater on the ground from where they once stood. And their speed, it was incomparable from before.

"I'm sorry, my lord." Duliri hovered atop the roof of the house and dropped Arthur. "I couldn't afford you to die. It was my and Lady Allegia's mistake not to realize that it will be a Dilunelle tonight."

"Just what are you saying?" Arthur said in a low voice, his words hardly cohesive and recognizable. His eyes stared at the girl who dodged the punches from the armors, their fists left an even bigger crater when they hit the ground instead.

"Demons are naturally attracted to the moons. While the sun radiates mana to all species, they're the only one who can seep mana from lunar light."

"Still!"

A loud metallic rattle echoed, pulling their whole attention. The girl's fist rammed against Servo's head. Much to Arthur's and her surprise, this time, the blow didn't make any dent. It only halted upon impact. She jumped back in reflex, seeing from the corner of her eyes that the other two were quickly approaching. They were clearly trying to corner her.

"Duliri," Arthur pleaded. "Make them–"

"NO!" Duliri didn't let him finish. He couldn't afford to, not right now. "I'm afraid that as the night gets deeper, she'll gain more powers from the moon. It will be easier to defeat her now!"

Arthur closed his eyes, slowly shaking his head. His hands found their way to his hair before he realized. He cuffed a fistful and immediately let go. He couldn't get angry at Duliri. He knew just how much the staff was trying to protect him.

A few more heavy breaths and he opened his vision again. The figure of the girl began to disappear in the dark forest. The three armors that were once held with limitation easily kept up with her maximum speed now. After a loud bang, Arthur heard a tree falling from a distance.

"I'm sorry, Arthur," Duliri said beside him. "Even if you loathe me after this, I will never take back my orders."

A bitter smile curved Arthur's mouth. He sat on the roof and embraced his knees. His chin hoisted a little, staring at the sky. "Do you think she ever regretted being born?"

Duliri didn't answer for a moment. He couldn't quite understand how a child could ask such a question, but after a few more trees fell, he decided to answer. Perhaps, it could distract the boy for a little bit. "Maybe," he said earnestly. "In this cruel world, she is forced to take on one of the most carnal forms of the demon species. She probably killed around a hundred at age six too..."

Arthur remained silent, his eyes briefly glancing at Duliri before looking at the two moons again.

"But maybe not…" Duliri inched closer to Arthur, hoping that the noise from the forest fell on deft ears. "Outside of her demonic instincts, I can see her will to survive– no, her eyes flared a will that she wanted to find a reason to live. Besides, she's even willing to reduce her lifespan to survive."

With a sigh, Arthur stood up after hearing his answer. He looked at him and gave him a warm smile. "Then, let's save her!" he declared.

"Pardon?"

"This isn't an order, but a request from a friend. Let's save the girl."

A laugh echoed from Duliri. "I always knew you'd say that."

"So you're doing it?"

"No, we're doing it together."