The Ghost

“Michael!” Naoki swiped his fingers across his phone, summoning his demon into the fight.

A space had been cleared around Yukari and the Ghosts, but the room was still packed. He had to finish this right now, no matter what.

With fierce precision, he ordered Michael to weave through the people and strike at the second Ghost, the one with the hawk demon.

But as the blade was about to make contact, a massive gust of wind blew through the air, throwing Michael off balance, allowing the Ghost to just barely dodge.

“Damn it!” Naoki cried out.

But before he could try again, the wind grew stronger.

Another Ghost had entered the battle.

Things weren’t just spiraling out of control, there wasn’t even a semblance of control left. But he couldn’t just sit around, he had to do something before–

“All right, I’ll take things from here.”

Naoki froze as he heard that voice.

Slowly, Naoki turned around. Before him stood Ryogo Suzuki. The commander of the 7th Squadron, the most feared member of the SSU by both enemies and allies.

At the age of forty, he was the oldest known Japanese person to be able to summon a demon, yet his was easily one of the strongest, and he had no shame in using it however he saw fit.

“There’s only one way to deal with Ghosts…” Suzuki pulled out his own phone, opening Helel.

Naoki knew it was over.

“Satan!” he called out.

Behind him, a truly monstrous demon appeared. It was humanoid, but massive, nearly seven feet tall. Its skin was a disgusting blue hue and it had horns that looked like swords protruding from its head.

“Gehenna!”

Satan started building up a fireball in its hands. Gehenna could burn anything down to cinders with usually serviceable accuracy.

The Ghosts would be eliminated, but Suzuki wouldn’t kill any civilians.

On purpose.

“H-hold on…!” Naoki reached out in vain.

Suzuki would solve the problem. His way.

“You can’t do this…!” Naoki pleaded, his voice hoarse and desperate.

But Suzuki didn’t listen.

The fireball left Satan’s hands. It flew through the air, and even though it was so fast you could miss it if you blinked, the milliseconds felt like minutes to Naoki. It would almost certainly hit its target, but it would explode, and the fire would spread.

It would be a massacre.

The people nearby couldn’t even see the fireball, but they could certainly feel its heat, its power, and they froze in fear.

The Ghost braced for impact, pulling up his arms instinctively…

Nothing would come.

A split second later, an ear-splitting explosion rang out from outside.

Naoki blinked. He almost didn’t believe what he had seen. But it was undeniable.

In front of the Ghost, a spinning, black void had opened up, swallowing the fireball.

And only a few moments later…

It had disappeared.

“Was that… A portal?” Naoki was bewildered. Had another Ghost entered the fight? An ability like that was beyond what he could imagine.

“Don’t you think that’s enough?”

That was another voice that Naoki recognized. Although the tone was completely different, it was him.

“Akemi?” Naoki looked up, seeing his classmate standing a fair distance away, a ghostly demon standing behind him, taking the form of an onryo.

Suzuki readied himself for another attack, but even he took pause upon seeing Akemi.

Akemi adjusted his jacket. “I wasn’t planning on involving myself like this, but you’ve left me no choice.” His face twisting into righteous anger, he pointed at Suzuki and Naoki. “The tyranny of the SSU stops right now!”

“Akemi!?” Naoki was too shocked to even properly react.

However, Suzuki only laughed. “And what’s a boy like you going to do? You’ll go down just like every other Ghost!”

“It’s too bad I’m not like every other Ghost then…”

Suzuki immediately had Satan build up another fireball, but before it was fully formed, he fell right through the floor, into one of those portals.

He appeared right next to Akemi, stumbling.

But before he could hit the floor, Akemi called out, “Okiku!” His demon slashed with her claws in an instant, splattering his blood across the room.

“Suzuki!” Naoki called out.

Okiku had cut across his chest, right down to the bone. Suzuki’s blood gushed out from the deep wounds, pooling on the ground. Satan disappeared as Suzuki collapsed to the floor. He was still breathing, just barely.

“Akemi, what are you doing!?” Naoki cried.

“What are you doing?” Akemi turned his back.

Naoki had fought many Ghosts, but he never had to fight an acquaintance. He almost couldn’t even fault him. Akemi had stopped what he couldn’t.

“You!” Yukari yelled as she ran across the room. She slid to halt a distance away from Akemi. “I should’ve realized it when I first saw you…” She was breathing heavily, head down. “Maybe I did…” Her eyes shot up. “You’re him, aren’t you!?”

For a few seconds, Akemi remained still and silent. And then, just barely glancing over his shoulder, he answered. “Yes. I am the Ghost.”

Yukari’s eyes widened, her mouth agape.

But Naoki couldn’t believe it. “What the hell are you talking about!?”

“I wrote the original poem and stole Helel’s source code to make the Demon App. So yes, I am the one who started this. And I won’t let you finish it.”

This was too much for Naoki to handle. Not only was Akemi a Ghost but he was the original Ghost!? There was no way!

“Akemi Kashima! The Ghost!” Yukari yelled out, clenching her fist. Her eyes filled with love and…something else… “I vow right here and now to make you mine!”

Akemi smirked. “Sorry. The Ghost doesn't belong to anybody…”

“Lilith!” Yukari called her demon, ready to ensnare Akemi with her chains.

Akemi readied himself as well, sending Okiku into a defensive position.

But before their fight could kick off, Chiaki burst into the room. “Naoki, Yukari! The 3rd and 12th Squadrons are coming to back us up!”

Naoki breathed a sigh of relief. They were both very reliable and would surely deescalate things.

But as he looked back up, Akemi had disappeared, one of his portals disappearing into thin air.

The most wanted man in Japan, the man who had instigated countless acts of senseless violence, had revealed himself.

By stopping a massacre himself…

Naoki fell to his knees. He clenched his fist and slammed it into the ground as he screamed out in frustration.