This is part three to chapter 4. Please leave Power Stones to help the story gain more attraction.
Hope you enjoy.
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"This is it. Walk a few more meters and they'll know we're here."
"You can tell?"
The white-haired loli nodded, staring far out into the sea of trees. "I can sense their putrid magic."
A bead of sweat rolled down the older boy's face. Truthfully, he didn't need to be told that because he could sense it as well. Directly in front of him shining across the ground and spanning out wide was a red line.
Warning: Enemy Territory.
Issei examined the wall-like line and peeked over at his tiny companion. She didn't give any reaction or pay it any notice. It was something only he could see. However, it wasn't something that only affected him. Just like Koneko said, the fallen angels would sense them if they got any closer. Unless one of them had a stealth spell, they wouldn't be able to proceed without getting caught.
The darkened blue sky of the night had pushed the sun out, blanketing them in a shawl of cold. Branches and tree leaves obstructed the moonlight above, allowing only a whisper of light to creep through the vast forest.
"Can you see okay?" Issei asked Koneko quietly, keeping the volume down in case he was heard.
"Devil's see in the dark," She answered simply. Remembering that humans didn't have such advantages, she glanced over with a small look of concern. "Can you?"
Mentally opening his Menu Settings, Issei searched for an option that could help him see better. Finding one that could change his perception, he adjusted his brightness settings which allowed him to see through the dark. It wasn't perfect like his vision would be in daylight, but he could now see clearly.
"I'm good," He replied. He'd have to remember to change it back afterwards.
Her gaze lingered on him, before nodding with assurance. She then began stepping forward. "Let's go."
"H-hold on. You're not just gonna waltz in there, are you?" Issei asked disbelieving.
"Can't sneak in. No point standing around," With that simple response, she continued on only to have her wrist grabbed by a draconic gauntlet.
"Wait just a sec. Shouldn't we at least try coming up with a plan?" He didn't know how she could keep her poise in such a stressful situation. She must've been in several fights before; all of them dangerous.
"You got a better one?" She asked dryly, tilting her head up to meet the older boy's brown eyes. Scanning over his condition critically, she made sure he wasn't getting cold feet. "Well?"
"...I don't know." He felt her begin tugging her wrist away. "Don't be like that. Just lemme think." Prying her hand away, Koneko shot him a small look. Doing his best to ignore her, he tried coming up with something on the fly.
...And couldn't.
'Damn it. There's gotta be a better way than charging in there, but I'm too stupid to think of anything.' His white-haired companion's expectancy wasn't exactly helping. She probably thought he was stalling like a pussy. 'Get it together, Issei! That girl needs help!'
Help: Lure the fallen angels one by one.
Issei was startled by the message, jolting as if he were jump scared. It had been awhile since he'd gotten one of those, nearly forgetting about them. He just hadn't been in many predicaments where he needed them. Although, maybe he just didn't ask for help enough.
"Backing out?" Koneko's quiet voice snapped his attention back. There was a strange sense of comfort from it not usually there.
"No, I said I wasn't chickening out." He gave her a weird look, not understanding why she would ask that before it dawned on him. She saw him react to his Help Menu and jump. Not knowing what else it could be, she assumed he was getting scared to fight. "I may be a wuss, but I'm not a puss. Don't worry about me." Giving her a thumbs up, he gave her his best cool-guy smile.
Koneko snorted. He looked stupid. Typical Issei. Guess she was worried for nothing.
"I got a plan... kinda." The boy rubbed the back of his head wryly.
"Kinda isn't a plan."
"Just here me out." His head drooped. Even now the young devil could sneak in a little sass. "We have to lure the fallen angels one by one." He repeated his Help message verbatim.
"...And?"
"And? Err..." His inability to follow up caused her to shake her head disapprovingly. She didn't want to follow along with some half-baked plan. He had to do better than that.
'Okay, Game! Time to impress Koneko! Help me out and tell me what's next!'
Help: Lure the fallen angels one by one.
'Aww, dude really?' Disappointment immeasurable, Issei shot her another awkward grin, trying to save face and come up with the rest of the plan.
"Uh... Pshhh, we can just cause a commotion and distract them."
"They're not npcs, numb-nuts."
"Yeah, but like... it could work?".
"Just stop," Koneko sighed. Facing towards the fallen hideout again, she voiced, "I got a plan."
"You do?" A hopeful glint appeared in the second-year's eyes.
"What you said earlier gave me an idea... Luring the fallen angels away."
Pumping his chest out pridefully, Issei was delighted to hear that. It hadn't been from any direct effort of his own, but he'd still take credit for helping. His face perked up as he waited to hear what she cooked up.
"You'll act as bait."
His face fell.
"I gotta be bait?" He whined, not on board with her plan at all.
She nodded. "Turn off your Sacred Gear and act ordinary. Shouldn't be too hard for you."
"Hey!" He whispered loudly, heeding her command as his gauntlet vanished with a red flash of light.
Pointing out in front of her - incidentally next to the Enemy Territory line - she commanded, "Step over there. Someone will come for you."
"What if it's more than someone?" He asked, growing doubtful as he watched the miniature devil hop into one of the trees overhead, losing sight of her.
"Then we'll jump 'em," She answered, poking her head out of the greenery cutely.
"Aren't they going to be able to sense you?"
"Not if I hide my presence."
"You can do that?" Issei looked at her in wonder. It was like she was a Shonen character.
"Mn," She nodded. "Get moving. I'll cover you." Her head disappeared back behind the leaves. Unable to see the girl directly, a blue outline had now highlighted her form, showing him where she was. This was far from what he pictured would be happening when he mentioned the Game's idea. Leave it to Koneko to put his ass straight into the fire.
Though Issei was concerned, he still trusted the guidance of his ability. It hadn't steered him wrong and with Koneko as back up, he believed it would work out. Tentatively stepping closer to the warning line, he unconsciously winced as his leg passed over. Going through, he glanced back over his shoulder at the tree housing his companion before shaking his head vigorously. He'd give her position away if he did that. Her outline was still there and he could even feel her eyes on him.
Clearing his head and focusing on the plan, Issei walked around for a bit. He wasn't sure how effective it would be, but he passed through the glowing line occasionally in case it would alert the fallen angels more than once. Interacting with a game like mechanic like this in real life was weird. It didn't feel like he was doing anything, but he supposedly was. Maybe the warning line was just a general marker for him specifically and not anything else. Nothing to do with a real barrier being set up; simply the likelihood that he would be noticed becoming high if he crossed it.
Whether that were true or not, that was how he decided to rationalize it. What was more concerning than game mechanics was how dumb he must've looked walking around in literal circles. He felt like a headless chicken or a middle-aged mom who couldn't find what she wanted at a store. Koneko already knew the extent of how lame he could be over the course of the week, but that never stopped him from trying to look cool. She definitely had to be looking at him resentfully now. He could already imagine her bright golden eyes scrunching into a dark scorn.
He felt chills.
...No, that wasn't from his imagination. It was real.
Feeling his hair stand up, Issei turned towards the foreboding sensation approaching from the direction of the abandoned church. Behind the expanse of trees was another outline of a person he couldn't yet see. Unlike the other times before that were blue, this one was red. They were flying rapidly towards them
Warning: High Level Entity.
Warning: Hostile Intentions Detected.