Chapter 9

At the Zodiacs headquarters

"CAUTION!! DEMONS HAVE BEEN DETECTED IN THE CITY CENTER!! PRECISELY AT MONTERO SCHOOL!! TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION!" 

"The city center?" Ivar wonders.

"How did they get in that far?" Crysalia asks.

"It doesn't matter how they got there! Two people come with me!" Maximus says.

"Count me in," Ivar says.

"I'm coming, too." Ozzy says.

"Alright, you guys wait here. The three of us will go. This time, we have to catch one of them!" Maximus says.

The three of them head toward Montero school.

"It looks like they're after the ancient spell book possessed by Dominic." Domina says.

"But, they won't be able to beat him." Domino says.

"Heh? You don't understand. Are you really that forgetful? Since that incident, he has promised never to fight again for good." Domina asserts.

"Ah, you're right! This is serious. If they managed to retrieve the spell book, then they're one step closer to the resurrection ritual!" Domino says.

"What do you two mean?" Crysalia asks.

"Yeah. I don't understand, either," says Cordelia.

"What happened? What made him not want to fight?" Iris asks curiously.

"Ah, never mind. It's a long story." Domina replies.

"Whatever it is, I think Domino and Domina are right. We all know that for the past 15 years, Dominic is one of the 3 biggest powers in the world. Supposedly, if demons appeared in the school, they would've been easily eliminated by him alone!" Gunther explains.

At Montero school

"Darius! Marveus! What happened to you guys yesterday?!" I shout.

"Heh! You want to be a hero all by yourself, do you?!" Darius snaps.

"I won't let you be careless, that's why I came to protect you two." Marveus says.

"Huh?! Who are you talking about, Pineapple Hair?!" Darius mocks.

"Doesn't your hair look more like a pineapple?" Marveus says.

"You want to fight me again?! Come forward!" Darius snaps.

"Hey, you two! What the hell are you doing?! Our enemy is over there!" I point at Jean.

"Siera? Why are you on their side?" Marveus asks.

"Heh. Pretty girls always do bad things. Unbelievable!" Darius mocks.

"Alright, now it's three against three. We're even!" I shout.

Giganto walks slowly toward the three of them. "You think this is child's play, brats?! Alright. I'll be serious this time!! Although you're still kids, but if left unchecked, you could become dangerous one day!! Black hole!!"

Giganto throws a black ball at the three of them. "You're done!!" 

"What is it?! My body is being pulled toward that ball!" I shout.

"It's a suction ball! Stay away!" Marveus shouts.

"I'll destroy that ball!! Great Wave!!" Darius tries to attack the orb, but it's all in vain. Anything nearby is sucked into it and disappears.

"What?! No! My attack had no effect!!" Darius shouts.

"Get away, Darius!" I shout.

"You can't run, brats!! Throwing Knife!" Hermins throws knives at them. 

Stab!

"Darn!! My foot got caught by those knives!" Darius says.

"Arrgghh... Mr. Satoshi, wait here for a moment. I'll go rescue Darius!" I say.

"Petra!! You'll get sucked in!" Mr. Satoshi shouts.

"The black ball is getting bigger!! It's bad!! Petra, Darius, hurry up!!" Marveus shouts.

"Argghh!! I'm trying to remove these knives!" I say.

"Haha! The black ball will grow bigger as it sucks in the objects around it. Of course, its suction power will get stronger as well! Go to hell, brats!"

"Charge Attack!!" Ivar comes and immediately hits Giganto so hard that he's thrown against the wall.

"Earthquake!!" Ozzy slams both hands on the ground and creates a small earthquake in the vicinity.

"Whoa!!" Hermins and Jean slip and fall due to the earthquake created by Ozzy. 

"Apocalypse Shield!! You guys can't go anywhere anymore now. Give up!! I've blockaded this place with my ability." Maximus says.

Hermins tries to destroy Maximus' shield, but it's all in vain. "Zodiacs!! You're insolent! Why are you blocking us?!" Hermins shouts.

"What? The black ball disappears! We're in the shield of the Zodiacs leader, Maximus! How marvellous!" I say.

"Darn! I was supposed to be the one to defeat those demons!" Darius grumbles.

"Are you guys okay?" Maximus asks Petra and Darius.

"Yes, we're fine. Thank you guys for coming to help us." I say.

"Hey, instead of being so cool, you should just finish off those demons!" Darius says.

Smack!

Petra smacks Darius' shoulders.

"Don't hit me! You want to fight me?" Darius snaps.

"Hey! What are you talking about, Darius?! We've just been rescued. Behave yourself!" I snap.

"I'm just reminding him, 'cause the big demon has a dangerous ability that can suck us in!" Darius shouts.

"Take it easy. They won't be able to use their abilities inside my shield. You don't need to worry." Maximus says.

Principal Dominic comes over to Maximus. He whispers something to Maximus.

"Principal Dominic? What's he doing?" I ask.

"Well, thank you, Senior Dominic. You're looking very well, mate." Maximus says.

"Even though I don't fight anymore, I still train my body, young man!" Principal Dominic says.

"Alright. Ozzy and Ivar, tie the three of them up. We'll take them to headquarters." Maximus says.

"Thank you, Zodiacs!" I salute them.

"Thanks, Zodiacs!" Marveus also salutes them.

"Hey, Darius!!" I snap.

"No need to yell at me!! Alright. Th-thanks, Zodiacs!" Darius salutes but won't look at the Zodiacs. 

"Alright. I'll get going. You guys should be more careful. I'll send the elites to help you clean up this mess." Maximus says.

"Maximus! Remember my message from earlier!" Principal Dominic says.

"I will! I swear on my family's name! I'm off, Senior Dominic." Maximus says.

Maximus, Ivar, and Ozzy return to the Zodiacs headquarters with Hermins, Jean, and Giganto.