He glanced down. Rian was still hanging helplessly from his tail, squeezing his eyes shut as he cried in terror.
This human is stupid, but his courage deserves a round of applause. I have to open the flow of my magic energy through his body one more time!
Zephyrus planted his hind paw against Rian’s forehead. Instead of channeling his magic slowly, he fired every last scrap of his astral energy directly into Rian’s nervous system!
BZZZZ-ROAAR!
Rian’s eyes suddenly flew wide open. His irises radiated a brilliant golden light, sparkling like miniature suns. His fear vanished, swallowed by a wave of magical adrenaline burning through his blood.
“I... I can feel... power beyond measure!” Rian whispered, his voice suddenly taking on a deeper, more authoritative rumble—as though borrowing Zephyrus’s aura of grandeur.
Rian let go of Zephyrus’s tail. In midair, he spun like an artistic gymnast and landed smoothly on the ground in a superhero landing.
“Give me back my cat, Shadow Skull!” Rian shouted. He snatched up the remains of a broomstick, snapped in half, lying near the door. Thanks to Zephyrus’s energy flowing through it, the charred wood transformed into a Golden Light Spear carved with ornate dragon designs!
BOOOM!
Rian leaped three meters into the air and swung his Golden Light Spear straight at the black iron cage.
CLANGGG!
The soul-devouring cage shattered into pieces! A burst of white magic pierced the night, destroying the dimensional suction and sending Zephyrus plummeting from the sky.
Plop!
Zephyrus landed right on top of a pile of leafy trash, his belly bouncing softly. Ouch... What a thoroughly undignified landing.
Meanwhile, the blast from Rian’s spear sent the five black-robed figures flying backward. One of them, apparently the leader, snarled furiously.
“How can a mortal human use God-Tier Magic?! This makes no sense!” Rian stood proudly in the middle of the alley. His hair whipped in the magical wind, and the golden spear in his hand shone brightly.
“Get out of this alley before I turn you into floor mops!” Zephyrus watched Rian’s performance from behind the bushes and smirked. Good, Scratching Human. Show them the power—
But that grandeur lasted exactly three seconds.
Bzzz... pfft.
The golden light surrounding Rian suddenly went out. The dragon spear in his hand reverted to the charred, broken remains of a broomstick. The effects of Zephyrus’s energy transfer had run out.
Rian blinked several times. His eyes returned to normal. The golden light vanished, replaced by an incredible ache that attacked every joint in his body.
“H-huh? Where’d the golden fire go?” Rian mumbled innocently. The five black-robed figures, who had been terrified moments earlier, slowly began grinning again.
They advanced together, surrounding Rian, who now stood trembling while clutching the broken broomstick.
“Your magic energy is gone, Human,” whispered the black-robed leader, raising a skeletal claw into the air. “Now, die!” Rian swallowed hard. “M-Mochi... help me...”
Behind the bushes, Zephyrus slapped his forehead with his front paw. Useless human! Praise him once and he runs out of gas immediately! Zephyrus knew his physical magic power was completely depleted. There was only one way left to save them both: using forbidden magic from his cat body’s own metabolism.
Zephyrus drew a deep breath through his pink nose. He inhaled as much dust from the bushes as he could.
Hnnngh... This is unbearably itchy...
Zephyrus sprinted out of the bushes and leaped right between Rian and the five black-robed enemies. His lower jaw fell wide open. His eyes bulged ferociously. “HAHHH... HAAAAHHHH... HAAATCHIIIIIIWWWWWW!”