Ben was coughing up smoke from the explosion. There was bck smoke in the air, obstructing his visibility. “Is everyone all right?” Ben asked.

  “Yes, we are my love,” Alvida replied back. One by one each girl responded to Ben`s call. Luckily the explosion was a bit far away so there were no injuries. BM had shield the impact from Mikita, Za and Marianne.

  “What just happened?” Kaya asked.

  “Simon,” Saphir responded.

  “He is alive,” Kaya excimed, a mixture of surprise and relief in her voice.

  “Certainly is,” Rubis affirmed, pointing upward toward the egg.

  As the smoke cleared, they all looked up to see a man with two rge paper wings looking at Shushibaruba. He had a wide smile on his face. “It is glorious,” Simon said.

  Ben transformed into his hybrid form and flew towards Simon. ”Get away from it,” Ben said. He added, “Demon Inferno Fire.” Ben unleashed a torrent of bck charcoal fmes from his mouth at Simon.

  Simon put his hand up and covered it up with paper. The fire failed to engulf the paper in fmes. Simon smiled. At that time Alvida came running up and leapt into the air. “Kanabo Swing,” Alvida said as she swung her mace at Simon and hit his head. The attack connected and Simon felt the pain as he was knocked out of the air and crashed on the ground.

  As his hand grazed his head, he felt the unsettling warmth of blood. "How?" he whispered, the query escaping his lips almost involuntarily, as if he were seeking an expnation from the depths of his own thoughts. He looked angry.

  Ben caught Alvida in his arms as they slowly descended towards the ground. Simon raised his hand forward.”Sefer Ha-Zohar,” Simon said as he unched paper from his hand.

  Marianne took her paint pallet out of the bag and paint brush. She dipped the brush into the paint and threw it at Simon and hitting the papers as well. The paper impacted the ground and nothing happened.

  Simon looked at Marianne. “You brat,” he said in disgust. His hands and body were covered in paint.

  “Don't call her that,” Za admonished. She turned her hand into one single spike like nce and hit Simon in the chest where the paint was. “Stinger Lance,” Za said. She stabbed Simon who took the hit. He was pushed up from his feet by the impact but did not fall over.Simon spat blood. He looked at Za. He transformed parts of his body to paper and managed to escape her. He reformed back a few feet away. “You,” Simon remembered, her hands turning to needles and piercing him before.

  “Yes me,” Za said.

  Mikita then shot the Veridian Enigma at Simon. He got hit by the bullet. Papers scattered however they reformed back. Simon was unhurt by the attack. “Logia,” Mikita muttered.

  Simon looked at Mikita. “Shoryo no Mizu,” Saphir said as she took some water out of a bottle she had and poured it into her hand. She then threw it at Simon. The water drops impacted Simon, like they were bullets. He stumbled backwards.

  Simon looked at Saphir. He created his wings and flew towards Saphir. He changed his hand to a paper sword. He tried to ssh Saphir. However, Saphir used her spear to block Simon. Simon gred at Saphir. “So here you are with them,” Simon remarked.

  “I am where I belong,” Saphir asserted.

  “You belong in my control, where I will mold you just like Gad, obedient and loyal," Simon decred with a chilling conviction.

  Saphir felt sad for Gad. He was with them together when they escaped. Even though he treated them like dirt, he did give them scraps of food, clothing and shelter. He did not deserve that. “I will never go with that,” Saphir stated.

  Simon was about to reply when Alvida jumped from Ben`s arm. “Slip on slide,” Alvida said as she slid towards Simon. “Get away from her,” Alvida said. She held Seraphina from her handle and swung her mace. Alvida hit Simon on the face again as he was distracted by Saphir.

  Simon got hit in the face and went stumbling back. His vision went blurry for a second.

  Kaya, who was in her beast form, opened her mouth. Vivi on the other side of Simon aimed the Gero Gero gun. “Angel HyperBeam,” Kaya said as a golden beam from her mouth towards Simon. Simultaneously, Vivi fired from her Gero Gero gun and fired a frog shaped bullet at Simon. They both impacted Simon and created an explosion.

  “Good job,” Nojiko congruted.

  Simon jumped back. “You incests,” Simon said. His body had traces of bck smoke from the attack.

  Marianne came and threw more paint on Simon. The markings he used on his paper were contaminated.Ben flew towards Simon. “Demon Inferno Fire,” Ben said as he unleashed a torrent of bck charcoal fmes from his mouth at Simon. The fire started burning Simon who stumbled back and rolled on the floor to extinguish the fire. He produced more paper in the burnt areas in his body.

  Simon got up again. He was panting. He looked around and he thought these girls were something else. He looked at Ben. “You all are very strong,” Simon said as he coughed up blood.

  “But still, nothing compares to me,” Simon decred with a smirk, his confidence unabated.

  “You're about to witness true power,” he added, a sinister edge to his words.

  “You're out of your mind,” Ben retorted.

  “Fuhahaha,” Simon ughed maniacally.

  “Definitely crazy,” Vivi remarked.

  “He only looked after himself,” Rubi added, underscoring the selfish motives behind Simon's actions.

  “He saw everyone equally below him,” Emeraude said.

  “Sefer Ha-Bahir,” Simon said as he produced papers from his hand and threw them on the floor around him. There was a series of explosions on the ground near him creating a thick bck smoke near him.

  “Captain, he is creating a smoke screen,” Robin said.

  Simon sprouted paper wings on his back. He flew.

  “Stop him,” Ben shouted as he raced behind Simon. It was too te, Simon had flown over to Shushibaruba hovering in the air and touched it. There was a blue transparent yer around it. Simon got sucked into it.

  “Glorious,” Simon said.

  Shushibaruba awaken. It opened its rge mouth and swallowed Simon hole. The blue transparent yer broke.

  [Quest 9 Failed]