Inside the arena, Mina and Nox were completely on enemy turf.

  The stands were packed with roaring demons. Balrog, looking every bit the red oni, was shaking his hips in a victory dance, lapping up the crowd’s adulation. Mina watched with a blank expression, thoroughly unimpressed.

  “Hey, Nox—is this really happening?”

  Nox shrugged as if it were someone else’s problem.

  A closer look at the stands revealed what had to be close to two hundred spectators, each waving flags, swords, or handkerchiefs in support of Balrog.

  “BAL-ROG! BAL-ROG! BAL-ROG!”

  Mina covered her ears.

  “What is this idiotic chanting?!”

  She scowled.

  And yet, despite having assembled this many followers, he insisted on fighting alone. How arrogant could one person be?

  “Or is he just stupid?”

  Still, it was far better than all of them attacking at once. Mina resolved to take down this red demon first.

  “Listen up, everyone! I, the great Balrog, will now begin my battle against these little runts. I hope you enjoy the show!”

  Cheers erupted from the stands. Mina snapped.

  “Excuse me! All I’ve heard from you is one selfish thing after another! A grown man using violence against two innocent girls—aren’t you ashamed?!”

  Balrog spread his arms wide, his face saying: What’s there to be ashamed of? That expression was infuriating.

  “You’re absolute garbage!”

  Balrog grinned.

  “What do you expect from a demon? I love picking on women and children!”

  “That’s a crime! A crime!”

  “The police can’t help you here! We’re demons!”

  Balrog stuck out his tongue and cackled.

  “Now then—what kind of screams will you treat me to?”

  Mina ground her teeth and glared.

  “Why, you… Nox! Let’s do this!”

  “Roger that.”

  They split up and sprinted in opposite directions, closing in on Balrog from both sides. He smirked.

  “Charging in without thinking, are we? Let me show you the great Balrog’s fire mag—OOF!”

  Before he could finish, Nox’s kick exploded across his face.

  “Pay attention!”

  Nox followed up with a rapid-fire barrage of cat punches. Balrog whipped around to glare at her and instantly launched a fireball. As the flames hurtled toward Nox, an earth wall shot up in front of her, shielding her completely.

  The next instant, Nox appeared behind Balrog and drove a kick into the back of his skull. His face slammed straight into the Earth Wall, and his nose crunched against the stone.

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  “OW!”

  Balrog spun around with tears in his eyes and fired several fireballs. Naturally, Nox dodged them all with ease. Balrog growled.

  “Damn it… she’s fast!”

  He was hurting, but the crowd was loving it.

  “Go, cat girl!”

  “You can do it, cat girl!”

  Somehow, the enemy demons were cheering for Nox. Balrog whirled on the stands.

  “Whose side are you on?!”

  He took a deep breath and spread both arms wide.

  “Flame Armor!”

  His entire body erupted in flames. Nox immediately pulled back and leaped onto the top of an earth wall.

  “Mina! Change of plans!”

  “Got it!”

  Balrog snarled.

  “Change of plans?! Bring it on, you brats!”

  At that moment, a hole opened directly beneath Balrog’s feet. He plummeted straight down.

  “AAAAAH!”

  Balrog fell.

  A murmur of shock rippled through the stands.

  “Like my earth magic Pitfall?”

  Ignoring the buzzing crowd, Mina and Nox exchanged a high five.

  “Listen up, all of you! You’re weaker than Balrog, right? If you don’t want to end up like him, get lost! I’ll let you go this time!”

  Laughter erupted from the stands again. Cheers of “Go, go!” rang out. The bizarre enthusiasm made Mina recoil.

  “Wh-what?! This isn’t funny!”

  A demon in the stands rose to his feet.

  “Fool! You think something like that could defeat Lord Balrog?!”

  “What?!”

  The demon pointed at the hole.

  “See for yourself.”

  As Mina cautiously moved to peer inside—

  “Watch out!”

  Nox grabbed Mina’s clothes and yanked her back. A pillar of fire erupted from the pit, missing her by inches.

  “Eeeek!”

  Mina ducked behind an earth wall in Nox’s arms.

  Peeking out from the edge, she saw Balrog rising from the hole with enormous wings of flame sprouting from his back and rocket-like jets of fire blazing from the soles of his feet.

  “How dare you drop me into that filthy pit!”

  Mina stared, dumbfounded.

  “…You can FLY?!”

  “Of course I can! A demon of my caliber can fly before breakfast!”

  Mina—who couldn’t fly—felt inexplicably irritated.

  “Besides, that’s such a girly way to fight. Sneak attacks and pitfalls—come at me head-on!”

  “No thanks—you’re way too hot to get near.”

  “We’d literally get burned.”

  Balrog ground his teeth.

  “Grrr—fine, then I’ll come to you!”

  He wreathed his fists in flame and rocketed toward Mina on jets of fire.

  “Here he comes!”

  “Mina! Behind the wall!”

  Balrog grinned.

  “Useless—useless!”

  He cocked his fist back.

  “Crimson Fist!”

  BOOM! Mina’s hardened earth wall was obliterated, reduced to dust and rubble. Nox snatched Mina away, spinning through the air before landing a short distance back.

  “He’s a brute-force type?!”

  “Run, Mina!”

  “Run where—outside the ring? Won’t that be a foul?”

  “We don’t owe him anything by his rules.”

  “F-fair point.”

  “Hey—wait! Are you running away?!”

  “It’s a strategic retreat!”

  “You can’t just forfeit! Flame Eruption!”

  In an instant, a wall of fire encircled the entire ring.

  “That’s dangerous!”

  Mina’s bangs sizzled and curled. She went pale.

  “NOOO! My bangs—more precious than life itself!”

  She fixed Balrog with a murderous glare. Sensing trouble, Nox tried to calm her down.

  “Mina, stay calm. Your bangs will grow back.”

  But those words were gasoline on the fire. Mina was ablaze with fury.

  “How DARE you burn my bangs! You’ll pay for this, Balrog!”

  She ground her teeth and reached for the Thunderbrand Ring. Nox grabbed her arm.

  “Think about this, Mina! What are you doing?”

  “Using the Regalia.”

  Nox stepped directly in front of her.

  “Reconsider. You can only use it once a day.”

  Mina shook her head.

  “I’m going to kill him! He owes me for my bangs!”

  Balrog watched Mina’s furious face and howled with laughter.

  “Ha ha ha! Your bangs mean that much to you? I’ll never understand!”

  Nox glared at him. “You—shut up.” Then she turned back to Mina and looked her straight in the eye.

  “Yep, she’s too far gone.”

  Mina was beyond reason. Balrog… you made me angry. She thrust her glowing fist toward him.

  “Divine Judgment!”

  From somewhere above—smashing through the ceiling—a torrent of lightning bolts rained down on Balrog.

  “GYAAAGH!”

  Not ten. Not twenty. Bolt after bolt hammered into him in rapid succession. It was a technique worthy of its name—divine punishment, merciless and absolute.

  Balrog collapsed, charred black. Mina and Nox let out heavy breaths.

  “Is he dead?”

  “I feel a little sorry for him.”

  But whether from Mina’s inexperience or insufficient power, Balrog stirred and pushed himself upright.

  “He’s still getting up?!”

  “Mina… unfamiliar spells don’t hit as hard.”

  “You could have told me sooner!”

  “Nox tried to stop you.”

  Mina felt a twinge of regret. But at least she’d avenged her bangs.

  “Balrog—we win. Accept your defeat gracefully!”

  But Balrog shook his head.

  “I’ll grant you your strength. But I made a promise to Lord Verglies. I will bring you back, no matter what.”

  He raised his right arm toward the crowd.

  “Mina—don’t think you’re leaving here alive! All of you—attack!”

  A roar went up from the stands.

  Mina couldn’t believe her ears.

  “WHAT?!”

  “That wasn’t the deal!”

  Balrog glared at them.

  “Enough! Boys—get ’em!”

  “YEAAAH!”

  “Tear ’em apart!”

  At Balrog’s command, the horde of demons in the stands poured into the arena.