“What?”
Kirino and Garol tilted their heads in confusion.
Sparing no further explanation, Yō raised her hands to release whirlwinds to lift them up.
“Ah….Wa!”
“Woaaaaah! Yō, Yan-san! Isn’t this the Gift of the Gryphons?! How are you able……”
“Stop talking, you will bite your tongue!”
Yō’s tone had taken a rare blunt and agitated edge to it, and it was evident that the situation was that urgent and pressing.
Rapidly turning around, Yō sped along the Outer walls. After all, to be alerted by the cries of the children would surely have meant that the attack had started and she might be one step too late.
The worst possible scenario was floating to the surface of her mind and Yō couldn’t stop the cold sweat that was forming on her back. But a familiar voice seemed to stimulate her eardrums as she got closer.
“ ---YAFUFUFUFUUuuuuuuu!”
Just then, a blast of hot air swept across the area.
“That voice just now…… Could it be……?!”
Yō made a left turn at the crossroads between the Outer wall and the citadel ruins and a gust of hot air swept past her cheeks.
And before her, the one who was displaying his power was the Pumpkin Ghost---Jack-O’- Lantern.
Jack was using his huge palms to smash the charred enemies while leading the children with his loud and hearty laugh.
“Yahohoho! Although I wasn’t summoned, I, Jack decided to show up here! Children, you guys are okay right?!”
“Y…Yes!”
“Good to hear that! I will be here to delay these guys, so please run quickly into the ruins over there!”
“Yahohoho!” Jack gave a hearty laugh as he swung the lamp with both hands to scatter the flames of hell in all directions. The children who were almost caught up in his flames scuttled quickly and raced each other to get into the safety of the ruins.
Ayesha who rode on Jack’s Pumpkin head confirmed in a low voice:
“All of them have gone in to hide already, Jack-san.”
“……Got it.”
The cheerful voice of Jack had gained several degrees of solemnness.
At the same time, Jack’s spiritual level started to expand and bloat up.
The steady glow in the hollows that were his eyes had also changed. In that moment, the flame that resided in that Pumpkin Head was an angry flame that was prepared to burn all its enemies to nothingness.
“---How dare you try eat these children even after seeing the flag of [Will-O'-Wisp]. Such ignorance and blatant disrespect. Looks like you guys don’t know the Cause that our Flag stands for!”
“…..Jack?”
Yō muttered his name but she was too far and Jack wasn’t able to hear her. Moreover Jack’s current appearance was clearly different from normal.
Jack who was spewing flames and emitting waves of hot air all over his body was staring at his enemies viciously---
“I shall teach you guys since you seem ignorant of it. Learn well from my flames of hell and thoroughly regret! Brand the image of our Flag with the Azure Flames into your minds---for the flag of [Will-O'-Wisp] will never leave young children to die!”
“That’s right! Let’s do it now, Jack-san!”
*Pak!* With the snap of her finger, seven lanterns[10] that burned with the flames of hell appeared above her head. And at the same time when the lids of the lanterns were unlatched, the raging flames immediately bloated and spilt outwards.
Garol who was beside Yō had turned pale immediately and started to yell:
“Oi……OiOi, are they serious about that?! To actually directly summon the Flames of Purgatory into this world, that’s not something that any normal demon can do! Are they planning to burn away the Outskirts of the Citadel as well?!”
“Huh? Are we in danger?”
“Very Dangerous! Escape now, Yō-chan!”
Just as Garol’s yell left his lips, the scene before them was swept with a blistering hot whirlwind that seemed like the opening of the doors to Hell’s furnace.
The things that were burnt by the flames from the depths of Hell’s abyss weren’t only limited to the mere weeds that were growing around the place.
The ground was charred and the air had also heated up to a blistering hot temperature and the enemies had all been vaporised without a trace.
The raging purgatory flames were spreading outwards, seeming to swallow the Citadel Outskirts in its path and had also seemed like the arm of a Demon as it seeks its enemies and burnt them to death.
Watching this scene from the sides, Yō couldn’t help but feel flustered.
“Woah, Woahwoahwoah……”
Yō rapidly flew higher into the skies to escape the heat. Although she had successfully managed to escape, a hair breath away from getting charred, the area of the spell effect was really abnormal.
“Yahohohohohohohoho! BURN FURIOUSLY!”
At the centre of the blistering hot winds, a lively and merry shout could be heard.
Seeing Jack sway his Pumpkin head and the tattered cloak that was his body, the thought struck Yō for the first time.
Jack-O’- Lantern---truly is a Herald created from a Demon.
The trio waited in the air for a while before slowly descending to the ground after confirming that the fires had begun to calm down. And now, Jack and Ayesha finally noticed Yō.
“Oh? That’s…”
“Ah, Yō-chan! What? You were also caught and brought here like these children?”
“……No. I’m here to rescue the people who have been caught.”
Yō unhappily rebuked his suggestion.
Hearing her reply, Jack seemed a little disappointed as he tilted his Pumpkin Head.
“……Aiyaya. You sure didn’t change a bit.”
“Eh?”
“Well, let’s not talk about that first. This place is too dangerous. Let’s meet up with the other participants first.”
Yō nodded her head at Jack’s suggestion. But Garol furrowed his brows in bewilderment.
“Oh so you still dare to mention that. With the purgatory flames that you have summoned, who could still survive that?”
“Garol-dono, be rest assured. We have Familiars who have already brought the contestants to a safe place.”
*Pak!* Jack snapped his finger loudly and a group of two legged candle holders and little puppets that held lanterns started to run over with the sounds of their feet pattering against the ground as they did so.
There were a total of fifteen. The blue haired puppet that seemed to be the leader tottered up to Jack and gave a bow.
“Thank you for your hard work. Are the others fine?”
“Lan~tern ♪”
“Good. Then call those people you have protected to come over. If you tell them that Garol-dono is here, they will be willing to follow you over without much hassle.”
“Lan~tern ♪”
The candlestick holders and puppets that held lanterns started to scatter away in all directions after giving the reply.
Garol backed down as he gave a witty comment.
“Oh I see. What an amazing Pumpkin Ghost.”
“Yahoho! Though that might be so, it’s still not the time to be careless. I will be leaving the call for the subsequent actions to you, Garol-dono.”
“……the subsequent actions? To escape?”