"For Kate and Clarice!! Allen was irreplaceable! He was so indispensable!!!"

Hearing such a shout, Gharaga gnawed his teeth together.

(He\'s talking silly nonsense. My nausea that had subsided has returned.)

"Well, then. When you\'re both ready, please come this way---!"

The cat-eared female beast-man who usually takes the role of referee appeared again today, wagging her tail, and led Suzuki and Gharaga to the center of the training grounds.

Surrounded by so many demons, Suzuki seemed a little nervous. Some of them, if not more, were cheering for Suzuki.

"Now, both of you! Face each other!"

(For what it\'s worth, it\'s all going according to my plan. I\'m going to kill you right now, human!)

However, just before the battle began, Gharaga noticed that Suzuki was unarmed.

"Hey, shitty brat. How are you going to fight me without any weapon?"

"Combat is not all about strength. I\'m going to teach you that right now. "

"Don\'t you dare underessstimate me."

Gharaga lightly slashed Suzuki\'s other cheek with his fingernail. Another streak of blood dripped down. The demons in the training grounds were in an uproar.

"That Gharaga fella. He wounded Suzuki a tiny bit!?"

"That cute Suzuki!! Unbelievable!?"

"He\'s crazy...!"

Even the words of the audience sounded pleasant to Gharaga. When he looked at Suzuki\'s legs, they were trembling slightly.

(Ke-ke-ke. I knew it. He\'s scared, ain\'t he?)

"Then, from now on, the duel between Gharaga and Suzuki will begin!"

At the same time as the cat-eared referee spoke, the training grounds filled with cheers. Most of the support was for Suzuki. Suzuki took a deep breath as the demons cheered him on.

"I... believe in Master."

"Eh? What are you talking about, bastard?"

Then Suzuki wiped the blood from his cheek with his thumb. At some point, the trembling of Suzuki\'s legs had stopped. He gave Gharaga a piercing glare.

"The one and only special technique, surpassing both attack power and magical power. That is Pritis."

"Don\'t talk nonsense that makes no sssense to me!"

Gharaga shouted and swung his right arm. He intended to kill Suzuki at that moment. He was overcome with a terrible sense of loathing as if he was about to attack the evil god that served as the subject of the demonic race\'s faith.

(Ke-ke-ke-ke-ke! I don\'t give a damn! I\'m going to kill it! Even if it\'s an evil god!)

A moment later, he let his fury take over and tried to swing his right arm out with all his might.

"Pritis\'s 48 Gestures---Fourth Gesture, \'Hands Clasping\'."

Suzuki\'s whisper sounded in his ears. At the same time, Suzuki was holding Gharaga\'s left hand.

"Bastard!! Don\'t touch me with your FILTHY HANDS!!"

However, Gharaga thought that this was his chance. Before Suzuki\'s ability activated, he would drown himself in a sea of anger and cut off his head.

With this in mind, Gharaga looked at Suzuki.

(Moron...!)

An impossible sight stopped Gharaga\'s movements.

Until now, he had been fighting against Suzuki. And yet, right in front of his eyes...

"Gharaga! Long time no see, you know!"

Mimi was holding Gharaga\'s left hand. The young Mimi spoke to Gharaga with that same smile.

"Let\'s play! Gharaga!"

The dreadful-like emotion rising from the pit of his stomach caused his fangs to rattle.

"Ga... Gaaaaa--!"

Gharaga screamed in an attempt to erase the illusion in front of his eyes. It worked. Mimi was gone, and in her place stood the loathsome Suzuki.

"This sorcerer familiar!!"

He was unexpectedly holding one of his hands just now. Perhaps that was the trigger for the illusion to activate. He wouldn\'t let that happen next time.

Gharaga raised both hands, showing off his sharp claws, high in the air.

"Wicked Serpent Cross Claw Guillotine!!" 

Gharaga\'s signature strike, which cuts through the target with both claws crossing each other, was aimed at Suzuki.

However, before Gharaga\'s arms could reach the target, Suzuki murmured.

"Pritis\'s 48 Gestures---Twenty-Fifth Gesture, \'Puffy Face\'."

Suddenly, Suzuki\'s cheeks puffed up in anger. A demon in the audience could be heard exclaiming, "How cute!"

"What in the hell is so cute about it? Stupid idioooooooot!!" Gharaga shouted.

(You\'ve got to be kidding me, you son of a bitch! I\'m going to slice your face off in one fell swoop!)

Gharaga made up his mind to do so but then realized that Mimi was standing in front of him. Once again.

"Gee! GHARAGA! You\'ve got to stop screwing around, you know!"

Mimi\'s cheeks were red like apples, showing that she was angry. It was the same as thirty years ago, just like in his memory. Mimi\'s realism shook Gharaga to his core. The raised arms lowered without any force.

(Su--Suzuki, looks like Mimi...? No, I\'m, a moron! This bastard is a man! He\'s not even the same age as Mimi... and they... don\'t look anything alike!)

Gharaga\'s frustration was at its peak. With bloodshot eyes, he extended his left arm forward.

"Fine! One arm, I\'ll let you have it!"

Without hesitation, Gharaga sliced off his left arm with his sharp claws. Blood gushed out. The demons were surprised by Gharaga\'s strange behavior. 

(Intense pain interferes with the illusion! No more! Your techniques WON\'T work anymore!)