I Plead Death

'Aralyss Nyxvoria: the author of death,' Code thought, eyes narrowed and locked on Hina and the demon inside the sphere. 'If I remember correctly, history says she died in the war between humans and demons many years ago.'

"Oi, you don't wanna miss this part," Ryūma said, cutting into Code's thoughts.

"Uh... oh, yeah," Code muttered, his gaze rising.

SHIUUUUN!

Hina's sword gleamed in the darkness as she stood before the demon, who was shivering in trepidation.

Her lips parted, and she commanded, "Begin!"

As the words left her mouth, Aralyss raised the hand holding the pen and gradually moved it to the tome, beginning to write ancient words.

Her handwriting was gothic and unreadable, every mark leaving trails of darkness sprawling about.

'This power... How does a mere human posses it?' the demon whispered inwardly, sweat sliding down its forehead. 'Shit,' it muttered, jaw clenching.

'I can't move at all.'

Aralyss finished writing and raised her pen.Hina's eyes darkened. "One!" she spoke.

FWAAM!

Aralyss hauled her pen downwards, darting it into the written words.

And almost immediately—

SHREDD!!

The demon's eyes went wide as a long black metal rod suddenly pierced its neck from behind, tearing out from the front.

"Gahh!" the demon shrieked, gasping for breath as blood spurted from its mouth.

"Where did this come from?" it whispered, falling to its knees.

Then came the command.

"Two!"

Aralyss's hand came down again.

SPLURRTT!!

Another rod materialized, tearing through the demon's forehead and coursing out the other side.

"Oh my goodness," Code said, his breath hitching as he stared in horror.

'Is she torturing it?' he thought. 'Wait,' his eyes widened.

'She's not just torturing it, she's making it want to die.'

GUSSH!!

Another rod tore through the demon's torso, puncturing a gaping hole through it.

BASH!

This rod went through its eyes, tearing its facial skin and bursting its eyeballs.

Code covered his mouth, stomach churning.

"Ha." Ryūma chuckled lightly. "You'll get used to it. Probably," he said grimly.

"She actually activated it," Finn whispered, standing behind Code and Nara.

"Seven!"

BLURRSSH!

The demon's body had become unrecognizable. Its arms were shredded, skull crushed, torso punctured, eyes burst, legs twisted, and blood smeared all over its flesh.

Hina's eyes were cold and indifferent. She seemed unconcerned by the pain the demon was enduring.

She raised a hand toward the demon and opened her mouth.

"Eigh—"

"Stop!!" The demon's groan halted her mid-sentence.

"Huh?" Hina asked, her hand dropping. "Do you plead death?"

The demon looked up at her. The gaze she cast upon it was a disdainful glare filled with unending hatred.

'I've never been on the receiving end,' the demon whispered internally. 'I've always been the one torturing humans, but now I'm the one screaming.'

"Haha," the demon chuckled, locking a dead gaze on Hina. "If death will take the pain away, then I plead death."

Hina raised her hand again, and this time Aralyss spoke.

"Final Verdict: Death Penalty!"

FWAM!

The tome closed.

"Ugh?!" The demon's eyes went wide.

Hina's hand fell, and as it did, the heavy blade of a guillotine materialized and descended from above.

CLANG!!

The blade connected with the demon's neck, severing its head in a bloody spray as it rolled to the ground.

Code exhaled.

"She's done," Ryūma said.

The space fell into an ominous hush as Code, Ryūma, and Finn stared at Hina with heavy breaths.

"Arrgh," Hina sighed, turning back to them. Her eyes were sunken and filled with tiredness. "That was tiring," she said with a faint smile before collapsing in a faint.

"She fainted?" Code exclaimed.

"Yup," Ryūma replied. "Creating and maintaining a sphere doesn't just take tenzen, it also saps its weilder's life force."

"Oh?" Code said.

"Oi, scaredy cat, you can come out already," Ryūma announced, referring to Finn.

"Wha?!" Finn blurted, brows knitting. "I'll have you know I was here the whole time!" He shouted.

"Whatever makes you sleep at night," Ryūma replied casually, waving dismissively.

"Anyway, we should scram outta here," he continued, walking toward Hina.

"Uh...yeah," Code nodded awkwardly.

"Your leg's healed," Ryūma said, crouching next to Hina.

"Eh?" Code gasped, gazing shifting to his right. "It regenerated already?" He exclaimed, staring at his whole leg.

...

Meanwhile, outside the house...

The evening sun cast a pale red glow over the city streets, the air filled with chatter and whispers.

A dense crowd surrounded the building, muttering among themselves.

"I heard this house was haunted," a man said.

"It was a demon," another replied.

"But what was that sudden aura that filled the air?" someone asked.

Far behind the crowd stood two men, hunched over each other. Their eyes were glassy, and their cheeks flushed with dizziness.

"Ugh, aren't they talking too long?" Van asked, his voice draggy.

"Yeah. Was a mid-class demon too much for them?" Ken replied, a hint of concern in his tone.

Van shook his head. "Nah, no way they'd lose to a mid-class." He straightened a bit.

"There's heat," Van muttered, pressing a hand over his face as he removed his mask. "Sheesh," he groaned.

"Uh… Van?" Ken said, casting a side glance at him before looking back at the crowd.

"Eh?" Van exhaled, turning to him. Sweat drenched his forehead and slid down his face.

"You sure you wanna keep that mask off?" Ken asked.

"Ugh, what are you talking about now?" Van replied, his eyes rolling about in dizziness.

Ken raised a hand, then pointed with his thumb.

Van blinked and followed the gesture until his gaze reached them.

The crowd.

His eyes widened instantly, the dizziness evaporating.

"'Is that…?'" a lady murmured, covering her mouth in shock. "V-Van Ackerman?!"

"Eh?" Van blurted, stepping back. "N-no, you've got the wrong guy," he tried to deny.

"It's unmistakable," a man on the far right said. "That is Van Ackerman!"

"Oh, shit," Van gasped.

"Oh my God! It's really him!" a voice screamed.

"Oi, Ken, you gotta help—" Van whispered shakily as he spun toward Ken, but stopped mid-sentence.

"Bastard!" Van growled, biting his lip when he realized Ken had disappeared.

"Van Ackerman!!" voices shouted as people surrounded him.

"Give me your autograph!"

"He looked at me!"

"No, it was me!"

"Oh my God, I touched him! I'm never washing this hand for the rest of my life!"

"He is the manifestation of a god!"

"I'm blessed!"

"Arrgh," Van sighed grimly.