Void

At first, I didn’t comprehend what just had happened.

But realization dawned quickly.

I was in Femto’s void.

“That stupid brat!”, Femto complained loudly and rather unprofessionally. “Can’t believe she made me panic like that! Ugh! I looked like a complete chump!”

“W-what are you doing!”, I barely managed to prevent myself from screaming. “Minerva is back! We have to go help….eeeek!”

Femto had pushed a hand down the back of my pants and was pulling my underwear up hard. “Don’t get your panties in a twist. Remember, time stays still while we are in here.”

Oh, right.

But that doesn’t explain why you are giving me a wedgie!

“You know what a stressball is?”, the devil said while lifting me up the ground. “It’s kinda like that. Don’t worry about it.”

No, I think I will worry about the searing pain in my butt!

“Besides, this isn’t even the Dark Lord but a Galmon, Dragongirl”, the angry devil explained as she bounced me up and down.

“D-Dragongirl? But why?”

“Ugh, who cares! Seriously! Weren’t you supposed to train her? The way I see it, Bea is just becoming a bigger and bigger brat. I swear. If I get my hands on that smug little face I am going to…!”

She yanked even harder and finally succeeded in ripping my boxers off. I tumbled to the ground. That prompted Femto to take a deep breath. “Alright, alright. I’m a professional. I can handle this. I’m cool, I’m cool. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10.”

One more deep breath followed. “So, Bea...will be fiiiiine. The shitty little brat will just teleport herself away. Valkyrie can handle the flames, which means...”

I grunted in pain. “I…”

“Shut up.” Femto interrupted me by shoving my boxers in my mouth. “Here’s what’s going to happen. Once we exit the void, I put a shield on you. Will shield you from the flames. Immediately rush to the playroom and jump out the opening. Don’t worry about the height. I protect you.”

“Mpppgrfgmmmpppfff!!!”

She smiled mockingly. “Why of course, big bro. Just leave everything to your little sis. Again.”

…

I finally managed to spat my boxers out and glared at her. “You are not my sister”.

“This again?”, Femto winced in annoyance. “Listen, I am so not in the mood for this right now.”

“So what?”, I snapped at her, finally unable to to deal with her bullshit any longer. “You think I’m having fun here? Why are you even helping me? So that you can hate me even more later?”

“Not exactly the place or time, Sir.”

“Oh yes, I believe it is! I’m sick of this! I...”

I stopped. As always the void was pitch black. And yet I felt something.

Something that terrified me to my core.

“Femto!”

I cried out in shock.

“Not Ceri, eh?”, she chuckled weakly. “Femto.”

“You...you”, I could only stutter out. “What’s going on?”

Femto was shivering. Her body felt hot and cold at the same time. She smiled at me. “What do you expect would happen when we went against a Dark Lord? I wasn’t banking on coming out of this unscathed.”

N-No. “How bad is it?”

“Bad? Well...Bea’s Black Destruction Beam hit me full ****”, Femto coughed. “Listen, this place collapses when I die, so we need to...”

“No!”, I screamed and hugged her. “I don’t want to lose you again! You can’t!”

She chuckled painfully. “Heh, sorry, Mari. But I guess this way I can make both you and Bea suffer.”

“You idiot! That’s not true. That’s not you! Pull yourself together, Ceri!”

She smiled at me. “...you call me Ceri?”

“Of course I do!” I shouted at her. “I won’t allow you to leave me again! This time I protect you!”

She remained silent in my arms for quite a while. “You know...I hate you but I don’t dislike the time we spend together, It was…fun...”

“No! Ceri! No!”

“Hey Mari…” she smiled at me. “Can you say you are my little sissy princess...one more time?”

I sniffled, unable to hold my tears back any longer. “I...I am your little sissy princess….”

…

..

.

“Ah...alright I’m good now.”

...

I blinked at Ceri in confusion. That **** lack of energy, it was suddenly...back?

“Y-you”, I stammered. “I thought you were, you said…”

“Huh?” Ceri looked at me in mock confusion as she promptly separated herself from me. “Whatever do you mean, big bro? I think you misinterpreted my words.” She stretched herself and let out a pleasant sigh. “I am fit as a fiddle!”

“You...said the Dark Lord…”

“That I didn’t come out of the fight unscathed?” Femto nodded. “Yep. That Dark Lord sure killed me a bunch of times. Whew! Sure scathed me good that one. I lost about...6% of my HP?”

I stared at Femto with my mouth open.

“But to think something like this would reduce you to tears”, the Devil chuckled smugly. “My, you’re such a crybaby, big bro.”

“Y-You...you fucking biiiitch!” I lounged at Femto but the Devil merely laughed and enveloped me in a bunch of tentacles.

“Ah, whew! I needed that! Alright, I’m feeling much better now. Thanks, stress-ball!” She patted my head.

“I hate you!”

“Aww, big bro! Whelp time to save your ass again. Hang on tight, little sissy.”

…

..

.

The situation outside the void was exactly the same when we left. A raging inferno engulfed the entire room.

As predicted, Beatrice reacted immediately and teleported herself away.

“Valkyrie!”, I shouted. “We have to flee!”

But instead the Valkyrie ignored me and rushed towards the source of the flames.

That moron!

I wanted to stop her, but by then Femto had already wrapped me into a tight tentacle cocoon and carried me along, ignoring my protests.

Before long Femto jumped out of the tower and we landed on the spectator seats overlooking the arena. Only then did she release me from her tentacles.

By this point, the entire arena was bathed in light and flush with activity.

“We have to go back!”, I shouted at Femto.

“Sorry, big bro”, my devil of a sister responded. “But our contract is just about to run out. Exactly one minute to go to be precise.”

I looked up at the blazing inferno that used to be Minerva’s tower. “That’s still one minute! We have to…”

But then I saw someone jumping down from the tower, landing with a loud crash next to us.

It was Valkyrie, carrying two individuals.

An **** Galmon and a sleeping butler.

“I couldn’t leave these two to their fate”, the strongest Galmon explained. “My apologies.”

“A-are you alright?”

“Of course she is!”

Just on cue, Beatrice arrived, teleporting herself to us with great fanfare. Once more sitting on her skeleton throne.

But she wasn’t alone. Falling out of the sky right and left from her were Cassandra and Sylphid.

“Fucking hell!”, the huntress complained. “Teleport us properly, you shitty brat!”

Beatrice was only smiling smugly, as she crossed her legs. “Well, Well, it appears everyone is present and accounted for. As expected of…”

“You there! Stop right there! You are under arrest!”

Many burly security guys were running towards us.

“EXTRACTION NOW!”

Leaving the sleeping butler behind, the rest of us used Femto’s void to disappear.

This perhaps goes without saying but I will not take part in the final match of the tournament.