SOMEWHERE ON THE ISLAND...
Tyson and Kevin were running down the slope of a mountain.
Finally, they stopped.
"We reached here. That took some time," Tyson said.
Kevin looked around.
"Thankfully, no one saw us coming here... right?"
Both of them were breathing heavily after running down the slope.
"You wanna go and check first?" Tyson asked.
Kevin turned towards him.
"Why don't you go first? You joined earlier than me, as you always say."
"Why don't you go? Can't you see that I'm tired?"
"So am I," Kevin replied.
The two stared at each other for a brief moment.
"Fine. Let's go and check together. That way, neither of us has to go alone," Tyson said.
Kevin nodded in agreement.
They stretched their arms, preparing themselves in case they needed to run away, and slowly moved forward.
They were as stealthy as possible.
They passed through several quartz pillars and approached the center of the four pillars surrounding the area.
DUM!
The ground suddenly shook.
Tyson stopped instinctively.
Kevin continued walking, not noticing that Tyson had stopped.
CRACK!
The ground tore open.
A rocky hand slowly emerged from beneath the earth.
Kevin finally noticed it and stopped.
The rest of the body emerged.
It was a terrifying creature made from three different elements—fire, water, and earth.
Unlike many Devils, it wasn't floating. It walked on two legs.
Its upper body was made of thick mud.
Its middle body was formed from natural rocks.
Its lower body consisted of volcanic rocks, with flames burning between them.
This wasn't a natural Devil.
It was a man-made Devil created through experiments.
The Devil let out a horrifying scream.
"AAAHHH!"
It suddenly extended its arm towards Kevin.
"Stand back, Kevin! It's not friendly!" Tyson shouted.
Tyson rushed towards Kevin and pushed him out of the Devil's path.
Kevin kicked Tyson in the opposite direction to avoid the attack as well.
"Why were you standing still there?" Tyson asked angrily.
"Why didn't you follow me?" Kevin shot back.
Before either of them could continue arguing—
DING! DING!
An announcement echoed throughout the island.
«"Dear contestants, the ELEMENTAL DEVIL has been unleashed by Team 18.
The Devil will now roam freely around the island and hunt every contestant.
One more hint for you all: The Devil possesses one Golden Band.
Defeat it and take the Golden Band.
Thank you."»
The announcement ended.
Tyson stood up.
He pulled out a small knife.
"If you have the Golden Band, then you have to be defeated. I kinda feel sorry for you."
Tyson threw the knife towards the Devil.
"MULTIPLY × 100!"
The single knife instantly multiplied into hundreds.
Kevin's mouth fell open.
SMASH!
The hundreds of knives struck the Elemental Devil.
"You've gotten better at this since the last time we met, Tyson," Kevin said.
He smiled.
"If I remember correctly, you could only multiply ten or twenty objects before."
Tyson smiled back.
"But still, I don't think that was enough to defeat that Devil."
Tyson shifted his attention towards the creature.
The Elemental Devil suddenly charged towards him.
BOOM!
The Devil exploded into pieces.
Kevin stared for a moment.
"Just kidding. It worked perfectly."
Kevin used his index finger to push the corners of his mouth upward into a smile.
"Still, I'm stronger than you."
TYSON'S MULTIPLICATION COVENANT
Tyson possesses the Multiplication Covenant.
He can multiply an object using his own blood. However, the original object must be sacrificed in order to create its multiplied versions.
KEVIN'S DELAY TIME COVENANT
Kevin has a contract with the Time Devil.
His ability allows him to delay the moment of impact of an attack and release that impact later whenever he chooses.
However, he cannot use his ability for longer than the amount of time he delayed the attack.
---
"That was easy. Now, shall we get the Golden Band?" Tyson asked.
Kevin and Tyson turned their attention towards the Elemental Devil.
They began moving towards it.
Suddenly—
SHAKE!
The Devil's body began vibrating.
Something was forming from within it.
Then—
THREE NEW DEVILS APPEARED.
WATER DEVIL
A slimy blue Devil completely made of water.
EARTH DEVIL
A brown Devil covered in sand and rocks.
LAVA DEVIL
A Devil surrounded by flames, hot enough to melt a human if touched.
"What is happening right now, Kevin?" Tyson asked.
Kevin remained speechless.
The two immediately turned around and started running in the opposite direction.
ANNOUNCEMENT!
«"The Elemental Devil has multiplied into three separate Devils.
One of them possesses the Golden Band.
Thank you."»
Kevin and Tyson heard the announcement.
They continued running.
"Should we fight them and figure out which one has the Band?" Kevin asked.
"How are we supposed to know which one has it?" Tyson replied.
They continued running through the forest.
"Gamble or figure something out, just like your teammate does," Kevin said.
"You know I'm not Orowaki, right?"
Tyson reached into his bag.
He pulled out a small pin and threw it towards the Devils.
"Delay the impact, okay?"
He threw the pin.
Nothing happened.
"Why didn't it multiply? Did you run out of blood?" Kevin asked.
"No. I couldn't concentrate properly because we were running."
They continued arguing while running.
For a while, they escaped through the forest, jumping over exposed tree roots and using branches to move between trees.
They even tried using a rope to trip one of the Devils.
It didn't work.
Until—
"METAL AMPLIFICATION!"
A metal piece shot towards the Rock Devil's mouth.
It entered its body and began growing.
CRACK!
A fracture appeared across the Devil's rocky surface.
"Looks like you two are having trouble."
A voice came from the shadows.
Yamado stepped forward.
"Now where did this kid come from?" Kevin asked.
Tyson looked surprised.
"Yamado! But how did you find us?"
Yamado looked towards the Devils.
"It was easy. I followed the flames coming from that thing."
Kevin looked at Yamado.
"Yamado? Have I heard that name before...?"
His eyes widened.
"Wait. You're that kid who's always with Haruto!"
A voice suddenly came from behind Yamado.
"Exactly."
Kevin turned around.
"Wait... Serena? You two are on the same team?"
Tyson smiled.
"Oh, Serena. Long time no see."
He waved at her.
Serena waved back.
The Devils suddenly attacked.
Fire, water, and rocks were launched towards them.
GRAB!
Jenna caught one of the rocks.
She absorbed the water attack while another attack of hers deflected the flames.
"You really are strong, Jenna," Yamado said. "Even though you're rough sometimes."
JENNA
Jenna doesn't possess a Covenant.
Instead, she is a Blood Manipulator.
She can absorb or deflect attacks depending on how much blood she currently has in her body.
Serena looked towards Tyson.
"You haven't forgotten about me, Tyson-chan?"
She smiled.
"Now tell me—which one has the Golden Band?"
---
A FEW MOMENTS EARLIER...
"Why do you always reject the things I suggest?" Yamado asked.
"Because you're a kid, and I only listen to stronger people," Jenna replied.
She looked towards Serena.
"Now tell us a way to figure this out, Senpai."
"You're the real opponent here. Leave me alone, Senpai," Yamado complained.
Serena held Yamado in place.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
An explosion occurred in the distance.
"What was that?" Jenna asked.
They all looked towards the source of the explosion.
"Above us, Senpai!" Yamado shouted.
Smoke rose towards the sky.
"Wanna head that way?" Serena asked.
Jenna immediately moved.
"Let's go, Yamado-chan, or we'll lose her!"
Serena and Yamado followed Jenna before they lost sight of her.
---
PRESENT...
"Don't go running off like that anymore, okay, Jenna-chan?" Serena said.
Jenna nodded.
Yamado looked around.
"By the way, where is your third teammate? Are you planning a sneak attack?"
Tyson and Kevin looked at each other.
"Ahhh... actually, we haven't found our teammate yet," Tyson said.
"They're lying," Jenna said immediately. "Ambushing doesn't work on us. Remember?"
"We're not lying, right, Kevin?"
Kevin remained silent.
Serena smiled.
"You're telling the truth because Kevin isn't saying anything."
The Devils continued attacking them.
Yamado protected everyone with a large metal plate.
Kevin looked towards Serena.
"Looks like we have to find that out."
Yamado looked at him.
"Find out what?"
"Find out what Serena asked."
Kevin pointed towards the three Devils.
"Which one has the Golden Band?"
Yamado activated his ability.
"METAL AMPLIFICATION!"
Jenna returned the water she had absorbed earlier towards the Lava Devil.
The Devils split apart and escaped in different directions.
Kevin looked towards Serena.
"The first team to find the Golden Band keeps it. Deal?"
Serena smiled.
"It's a deal."
She immediately ran in one direction.
The others scattered across the island as well.
The hunt for the Golden Band had begun.