Asura Mode Unleashed
Asura Mode! Rumble rumble! Boom boom boom!
“Shaaak!—"
“Block them! We have to stop those demons!”
A storm of purple lightning raged from the skies. Those swept up in the tempest transformed into female demons, launching attacks not just on the warring forces outside the castle walls but even flying into Brad City itself.
They appeared as alluring, beautiful women, but these were demons surpassing human strength and speed. Anyone caught in their grasp was torn to shreds.
Normally, the powerhouses of Brad City wouldn't fall so easily. The inhabitants of the North Continent were all killers without exception—most were notorious criminals from other continents, and some had even contracted with nameless lesser demons.
But Azazel-worshipping black mages had infiltrated the city, sowing chaos from within and sparking fierce street battles everywhere.
Boom boom boom!
“Shaaak!”
“Hail the King of Greed!”
“The great Azazel, overseer of decadent sin, shall descend upon the earth!”
“For our master!”
“For the eternal lord of pleasure!”
Hundreds of black mages had infiltrated the city. They'd long ago embedded secret warp magic arrays in sewers via various organizations they'd planted in Brad City. While all eyes were fixed on the battle outside between the Holy Kingdom and Magus Civitas, they'd slipped in using Warp.
Teleportation Magic
The North Face Family had swept through as many infiltrators as possible, but they couldn't find every hidden warp array in a massive city's sewers.
Splat! Crunch! Grind!
“Arrrgh!—"
“These bastards think they can just waltz in here?”
“Rina sis! Kill these guys?”
“Yeah! Smash 'em all! Mira! Shera! Kill anything in our way!”
““Yesss~♪””
Whoosh! Boom! Crunch! Splatter!
The ogre trio rampaged through the city, hunting down demons and black mages, pounding them into oblivion. No matter how skilled the mages or demons, they stood no chance against their monstrous strength. A casual kick or punch exploded bones and flesh like overripe watermelons, staining the streets red.
“It's the North Face Family!”
“We're saved!”
“Hey! Demons over there too! Help us out!”
“These pricks who always looked down on us!”
“Cool it, Rina sis! Boss is away—if we cause a scene now, he might sulk and ignore us for weeks.”
“Ugh... but those fuckers...”
“I said knock it off. Wanna see Boss clutching his head and collapsing?”
“Eek!”
“Allen! Too many enemies. What now?”
“Jean and Pablo, take the kids and block those turned demons! Capture if possible—no killing!”
“Huh? Isn't killing easier?”
“If Boss were here, he'd say save as many as we can, right?”
“Ah~ yeah, our boss would.”
Having stuck with Actor for over a decade, they knew exactly how he'd handle it. Even if these people were demons attacking now, just like they once were—Actor would order them subdued to save them.
Jean and Pablo nodded along with the others nearby.
“What about the black mages?”
“Me and Derek got those trash. Mages are our prey anyway. Rina sis, help block the turned demons with the kids. Derek, let's go!”
Nod! Flap flap!
With Actor away, Allen managed North Face. The family moved swiftly at his command. Clearing obstacles for the organization and boss—that was their mission.
“Offer sacrifices to Azazel! Souls for him!”
Boom!
“Arrrgh!”
“Who the hell—?!”
Hummm—
“You crazy black mage fuckers. This city's your grave today! I'll savor your souls nice and slow!”
“Soul Eater?! How's a mid-tier demon—?!”
“No need to know! Pay for turning our city to shit! Doom of Destiny!”
Doom of Destiny
Hummm!—
“Block it! Can't let that spell hit! Take down Soul Eater no matter—”
Crunch! Grind!
“Gahk!”
“Arrrgh!”
“Aaaah! That's... a f-fell hound?! Why's a Muspelheim beast here?!”
“*$@#&... Eat 'em.”
Munch! Munch! Munch!
Seizing the moment all eyes turned to Allen, hellhounds poured from the shadows. The black mages screamed their last as Derek's fell hounds devoured them. Allen declared their doom from above.
A glowing red orb crashed down, exploding and shredding souls and flesh. Allen's snake-headed tail gobbled the souls.
While Allen and Derek handled the black mages, the rest focused on neutralizing the turned demons. Though humans were weaker than demons, North Face members were all magic swordsmen—some even chimeras from mage experiments. Wielding their monstrous powers, they subdued most. With Brad City's underworld—Big Daddy's family—joining the fray, the internal demons were safely contained.
** ... ... ...
Boom!
“Eat this!”
Bang! Bang!
“Shield!”
"Shield"
⟨ Defensive Barrier ⟩
Clang! Ting! Ting!
“Vanish in the moonlight! Moonlight Slash!”
"Moonlight Slash"
⟨ Lunar Blade ⟩
Slashhh!—
‘Can't use sunlight, so forming blades from moonlight mana to attack!’
Schwing!— Thud—
Ostis, lord of the White Tower, master of light magic. By day, he wielded sun-fueled ultra-high-heat beams to vaporize foes. The drawback: without sunlight, his offensive spells were severely limited.
But shaping moonlight mana into blades rivaled an Aura Blade—slicing anything without the heat of solar attacks.
“Scurrying like a rat, eh?!”
“Oh yeah? But the old geezer who lost his face skin to that rat's still yapping big?”
“You bastard... how dare you!”
‘Use his face skin? But I can't fully control a tower lord's mentality yet... Time to try that.’
Over the past decade, I'd collected face skins from countless powerhouses amid battles. Knight swordsmanship, mercenary tactics, hunter archery and marksmanship, diverse mage schools—I'd mastered them all.
Optimistically, I was a versatile all-rounder like my family. Pessimistically, a jack-of-all-trades, master of none.
A Sword Master's skin might grant me Aura Blade someday. But that's post-victory talk.
Right now, facing a tower lord—mage pinnacle—I lacked sure wins. Even his skin would just be me vs. me: a ridiculous mirror match.
So, time for my trump card!
“Hey, you crazy mage. Surrender quietly while you can?”
“Kuhahaha... Spare me the nonsense. Think I'd yield to my nemesis?!”
“Sigh~ Yeah, never ends nice. Guess I'll end it here.”
“Hm?”
I pulled out face skins from my pouch. Three from top talents: knight, hunter, mage.
I donned them all over my faceless head.
Crunch! Crack!
“Nngh! Urgh... damn... still not used to it? Hurts like hell...”
“What... the hell?!”
Snap crackle! Bones erupted from shoulder lumps, forming new skulls wrapped in skin. Those became new heads. Side ribs burst with bones morphing into arms and hands.
In seconds, I was a monster: three heads, six arms.
“What are you?! Your true nature—?! Dantalian's contractor! Records say they transform using faces! But what the hell is this?!”
“““Can't tell? Dantalian's contractor. Actor!”””
!!!
“““My new trick. Call it Asura Mode.”””
Like a three-sword pirate style from some manga—three faces, six arms. Straight out of Buddhist lore: an Asura.
These skins were from elite specialists. Now I was mage, knight, gunslinger. My mind flickered between personas, but to beat this lunatic, it was necessary.
“““Behold true Asura wrath!”””
“Arrogant freak! I'll crush you and reclaim my face skin!—"