Chapter Eight - Hypocrite.

“H-Hey… Ryuji…” Hiro said. No response. Hiro glared at the goblin, getting up from the ground. The students in Hiro’s art class had already evacuated to the roof.

“I know you can hear me, you bastard…”

“I need you to help me out here…” Hiro said.

“And why the hell should I do that?” Ryuji said out of Hiro’s mouth. One of Hiro’s eyes turned red.

“B-Because, this is a bad situation for both me and you!” Hiro said. Ryuji raised a brow,

“Me? How is it a bad situation for me?” Ryuji said. Hiro sighed,

“Use your brain for a second and think about it! If I die here, and everyone else does, this place will get torn down and your sword will be lost forever.” Hiro explained. Ryuji scoffed,

“Alright then… Let's make a deal, boy.” Ryuji said.

“What’s that?” Hiro asked.

“If I lend you my power…”

“… Once this whole incident is over, we have to go to Ignifera and find my second blade.” Ryuji said. Hiro was silent before sighing.

“Fine… It’s a deal.” Hiro said. Ryuji chuckled,

“Of course it is.” Hiro’s red eyes went back to black. Suddenly, both of Hiro’s eyes turned red.

“Alright… I’ve got to make my way to the gym!” Hiro said. His voice had a weird layered echo. He looked surprised at his hands, feeling powerful. He then looked up at the goblin walking toward him.

“T..That… Really damn hurt you brat…” The goblin scowled. Hiro put his fists up,

“You know you have a sword, right brat?” Ryuji said in Hiro’s head. Hiro nodded,

“I know… I’m not gonna use it.” Hiro said.

“Are you stupid!? Those are Sylvetherian Forest Goblins!” Ryuji said. Hiro raised a brow,

“Sylvetherian Forest Goblins? What’re those?” Hiro asked. Ryuji sighed,

“The thing you’re fighting.” Ryuji said. Hiro nodded as the goblin approached closer. Hiro ran toward the goblin, punching it in the stomach. Its eyes widened as it flew through multiple rooms past students. Hiro sprinted through the walls toward the goblin past other students.

“Go to the roof!” Hiro shouted. The students stood there in shock,

“GO!” Hiro shouted. The students ran out of the room. The goblin struggled to stand up, glaring at Hiro.

“When the hell did you suddenly get so strong…” The goblin asked. Hiro chuckled,

“I prefer fighting and not talking…” Hiro said. Hiro slowly walked toward the goblin. It then quickly got up and hit Hiro in the stomach with its mace. Hiro’s eyes widened as he flew into the wall.

“Ow…” Hiro said, crawling out of the hole in the wall.

He then ran toward the goblin, kicking it in the face. The goblin flew out of the classroom, into the hallway. The goblin stood up, running back into the room and swinging its mace toward Hiro. Hiro ducked, tripping the goblin. As the goblin fell, Hiro punched it in the stomach, making it fall back back into the hallway. It got up, punching Hiro into the wall.

Hiro grabbed the goblin’s wrist, throwing the goblin on the ground. Hiro kicked the goblin across the hall like a ball. The goblin got up slowly, bleeding from its mouth. It slowly pushed itself toward Hiro, winding back its mace. As it approached Hiro it would swing its mace. Hiro then uppercutted the goblin in the stomach. The goblin then passed out, falling onto the ground, fading from its head down. Hiro wiped the blood from his mouth,

“Alright… I need to make an announcement in the teacher’s office…” Hiro said, beginning to run down the hall. He continued running down the hall as he approached the staircase. He looked down seeing a pile of rubble blocking the staircase.

“Shit…” Hiro looked back over at the goblin’s mace. He ran over to it, grabbing it. He dragged it down the hall toward the open door of a classroom. He approached the door turning into the room. His eyes widened as he walked in.

“N-No…” Hiro stuttered. He turned his head, looking at the ground. He covered his mouth as he began to throw up.

“AGH! GLAGH!” He wiped his mouth. He looked back, a pool of blood staining the ground and the torn up school uniforms stained dark red. He had a saddened look on his face, lifting up the mace and looking at the ground. He then slammed the ground with the mace, smashing the floor below. He would fall through the floor, landing in the teacher’s office below. He began breathing heavily. He dropped the mace, shaking his head. He then ran over to the intercom system, pressing the button on it.

“A-Anyone listening! If you’re near an unblocked stairwell… Make your way to the roof!” He breathed heavily, gritting his teeth and closing his eyes. He snuffled, beginning to cry.

“I…”

“… I’m so… So sorry…” Hiro said. He then dropped the intercom system onto the ground. He slowly walked toward the door, opening his palm. The sword then appeared in his right hand. He would open the door of the faculty room, limping on the way out.

“The gym…”

“… I’ve gotta…”

“… Gotta get to the gym…” He said, weakly, weakly limping down the hallway. A dark red aura floated around the pitch black shadowy looking sword. He looked tired, like he couldn’t go on. He had blood all over his body, staining his pants and shoes, but most of all. The blood stained his hands, a stain he could never wash off in a bath. A stain that would stay with him until the day he would perish. He continued walking down the hall until he approached the entrance to the gymnasium. The door had already been locked ever since a new one was put on, nobody had been allowed in the gym, but a trail of blood still led straight to it. It was as if it had become a new hall of sacrifice, and Hiro was its next victim.

“Mom…”

“… I’ll see you soon.” Hiro said. He walked toward the door,

“Hey! Brat! That wasn’t the deal!” Ryuji screamed. Hiro looked tiredly annoyed.

“You think I give a shit about the deal now?” Hiro asked, weakly. Ryuji scoffed,

“We agreed on it!” Ryuji shouted. Hiro scoffed,

“Then agree on it with someone else after I’m long dead…” Hiro said. Ryuji grit his teeth,

“Why are you so adamant on dying here!!??” Ryuji asked. Hiro chuckled,

“Cause I’m a shitty human being.” Hiro said. Ryuji looked extremely annoyed,

“Don’t feel bad for yourself!” Ryuji said. Hiro began to laugh,

“I’m not feeling bad for anything… Did you not see that classroom full of blood?” Hiro asked. Ryuji continued to look even more annoyed.

“It’s all my fault, I failed to do the one thing I promised Lyra and the others…”

“… I’m a hypocrite.” Hiro said. He then opened the gym doors slowly.

“So you’re giving up?” Ryuji asked. Hiro chuckled,

“…”

“… Yeah… I guess you could put it that way…” Hiro said. The goblins cleared out a path to the middle of the gymnasium where the goblins stood around the circle. Hiro began limping toward the circle with a smirk. While he walked, he closed his eyes remembering Lyra’s smile while they ate chips and watched tv in his room. He remembered her getting flustered whenever she spoke to Jin-Ho one on one.

He remembered the time he first arrived at his house with Lyra. He remembered when he first met Juliana in the school hallway. He remembered when he first met Jin-Ho in the gymnasium with a gun to his head. He remembered when he spared Juliana. Hiro chuckled, opening his eyes as he stood in the middle of the gymnasium surrounded by goblins holding various weapons. He then remembered the first time he saw Lyra in the janitor's closet.

“Before we begin…” Hiro smirked weakly,

“… I have to say one thing…”

“… My ass is not going out without a fight…” Hiro said, his smirking turning into a grin.

“YOU HEAR ME!!??” Hiro yelled. Hana would be standing on the roof, a sling around her arm.

Hiro stood in the center of the gymnasium, his katana gleaming under the flickering fluorescent lights. Surrounding him were goblins of all shapes and sizes, their grotesque forms clutching rusted swords, jagged spears, and crude clubs. Their low growls echoed, filling the air with tension and malice.

His breaths were steady, the grip on his katana firm despite the blood dripping from his already battered arms. The ground beneath him was slick with sweat and crimson, his body a tapestry of bruises and cuts. Yet his eyes remained focusedundaunted.

The first goblin lunged. Hiro stepped forward with precision, the blade slicing through the creature’s weapon before cleaving it in two. There was no pause. Another rushed in from the left, swinging a jagged axe. Hiro ducked low, sweeping his katana in a deadly arc that caught the goblin at the knees.

The wave intensified. Goblins swarmed him from all sides, their screeches reverberating like an unholy chorus. Hiro danced between them, his movements a blend of grace and raw instinct. Each swing of his blade brought down another foe, but with every clash, his body slowed, his breaths growing heavier.

A club struck his shoulder. He staggered, gritting his teeth against the pain. A spear grazed his ribs, and blood seeped into his torn shirt. He retaliated with a flurry of strikes, cutting through his attackers, but the horde seemed endless. For every goblin he felled, two more took its place.

His vision blurred. The gym’s harsh lights became streaks of white against the encroaching darkness. A goblin’s blade slashed across his thigh, forcing him to one knee. He pushed back with a desperate upward slash, but his strength was waning.

Still, he stood. His katana felt impossibly heavy, yet he held it aloft. His legs shook, his breaths ragged. The goblins circled, sensing his exhaustion. Their cruel smiles widened, their weapons raised for the final blow.

Hiro lunged forward one last time, his katana carving through the nearest goblin with a burst of strength born from sheer will. But the momentum left him exposed. A club struck the side of his head, and he fell to the ground with a thud. The katana slipped from his grasp, clattering onto the bloodstained floor.

The goblins closed in, their forms a chaotic blur. Hiro tried to rise, but his body betrayed him, collapsing under its own weight. His vision tunneled, and the noise of the horde faded into an eerie silence.

“Got… To…” He grunted. He got up weakly,

“... Destroy… The Crystal…!” Hiro said. He slowly heaved toward the crystal in the corner of the gymnasium. Suddenly, a demon began closing in on him quickly. He looked back, his eyes widening slightly. He looked back at the crystal, throwing his katana toward it with his weak arms. The goblins closed in, their forms a chaotic blur. Hiro tried to rise, but his body betrayed him, collapsing under its own weight. His vision tunneled, and the noise of the horde faded into an eerie silence. He looked up at the ceiling breathing heavily. As his vision blurred he saw someone look down at him, his vision too tunnel he couldn’t make out and unique features.

As the darkness consumed him, the last thing he felt was the cold floor against his cheek and the faint, distant thrum of his heartbeat slowing. The gymnasium fell silent, the goblins disappearing as though they had never been.

Hiro’s body lay still, his katana resting beside the destroyed summoning crystal. Though unconscious, his chest rose and fell faintly, a quiet reminder that his fight was far from over.