《Reaper's Purgatory》


 Chapter 1: A Tough Life

    "My balloon!!" a child reached into the late afternoon sky, too late as their red balloon drifted further into the air. Luckily it was caught in the black gloved hands of a young woman in a gray hoodie and blue jeans.


    "Here you go." She handed over the balloon with a gentle smile, still hiding her face within her draped hood.


    The boy smiled happily. "Thank you, mis-" He stopped. Unknown to the women the boy could feel a terrifying aura coming from her. Tears welled from his eyes and in that moment, he ran away, screaming in terror.


    The woman was left to look on sourly, biting her lips. "I-I just¡­"


    "H-h-hey! What are you doing here!!" A man suddenly shouted.


    The woman jerked her head and found the local store manager shouting at her with a terrified expression.


    She bolted away, releasing the balloon as she did.


    "I-If you come back here, I call the police! Ya here!! Megumi!!!"


    The hood freed itself as the woman ran through the sidewalk revealing a beautiful face from beneath it. With this new freedom her lush brown hair with three long bangs wildly danced in the air.All the while she could only continue running, teary eyed.


    She quickly wiped her pure red eyes. "It''s alright, I just have to meet him by the park¡­"


    ********


    Later that same day Megumi wandered along the park''s path. She enjoyed the chirps and croaks of the birds and the frogs as they sang their songs to the spring season. She enjoyed the peace it gave. But the best part was that rarely did anybody come by.


    Walking along a side path, hidden from view, she followed it, finding their favorite secluded spot by the pond. Megumi sat herself on the nearby bench in front of the now sparkling pond.


    She fiddled her hands and fingers, looking around. Fidgeting like a child, unable to hold their anticipation.


    Watching the ducks swim by, became tempting enough for her to leave the safety of the bench for a closer look.


    She paddled the water with her fingers, watching the ripples clash against the ducks. But upon reaching out, they became alerted to her presence. Frightened, they immediately fled into the sky, far from her.


    She frowned and looked at her hands knowingly. "Why is it always like this¡­?"


    "Heya Megumi!!"


    Megumi jumped, almost falling to the pond. She looked back, irritated and pouted at her friend. "Eric!"


    Before Megumi stood a young man with black hair and brown eyes dressed casually within his blue jeans and red buttoned-down shirt with a white t-shirt underneath. He held a paper fast food bag and plastic store bag in one hand. and in the other, he held fast food cup.


    "Hahaha¡­ Sorry bout that Megumi." Eric offered the cup of her favorite soda. She forgave him at that moment, taking the cup in hand and thanking him.


    They both retreated to the bench behind them where Eric ripped open the fast-food bag. The fresh scent of fries and freshly seasoned chicken wafted Megumi''s nose.


    She practically leaned over the food in anticipation. And as if by instinct, she quickly grabbed her leather gloved, putting it back on.


    "Now! For the limited edition, specially spiced chicken sandwich! All secured in their homemade butter bread, with secret sauce to boot." Eric handed the food to a giggling Megumi.


    She took her first small bites of the sandwich with a smile.


    "So¡­ How is it?" he asked.


    "Nmmm¡­ It tasht like the lasht one."


    Eric laughed hard. "I know right! That''s what I told them too!"


    "Mm. I think the sauce is pretty ok. But I think this one is on the lower end."


    "Yeah. that''s literally the only thing that holds it together." Eric continued to laugh with Megumi, simply enjoying his reaction. "What''s the point of having something that''s limited edition if all of it is mostly samey. I bet all they did was add a little extra paprika to their mix." he joked.


    Megumi giggled hearing this, agreeing with his statement. They both enjoyed the little joy that was there. And slowly, it died back down with Megumi taking a few more bites before taking a sip from her drink.


    "By the way¡­what did they say?"


    Megumi stopped. She took her lips from the drink and looked sadly upon the shimmering yellow pond before them. "I-it''s fine. Don''t worry about it."


    Eric could instantly tell by her face that she was lying. "C''mon. You can trust me. We''re friends, remember."


    Reluctantly she finally confesses. "They''re going to kick me out of the house. I have a week left to get my stuff together and leave."


    Eric looked on in shock. ''But that makes you-"


    "I-I''ll figure something out¡­ I always do¡­" she lightly squeezed her drink. " E-e-even if everyone else is scared of me, I-I''m sure I can figure it out¡­ I¡­ I just need time to think¡­"


    "Is this about your supposed curse and what happened the other day?"


    Megumi didn''t answer.


    "Look, what happened wasn''t your fault. Sometimes coincidences are just that¡­ Just because you touched Nikki doesn''t mean you''re cursed."


    "But because of me. Now she''s dead¡­" Megumi glanced back at her hand sadly. "Just like everyone else I touched¡­"


    Eric saw that he wasn''t getting through to Megumi, so he sighed. "Well¡­ I was planning on moving down south. I have a cousin there that owns an apartment complex there¡­ He owes me a favor¡­ So, if you want¡­ I can probably get us some rooms."


    "W-wait¡­ What about the military? I thought you were going to join. Also, won''t your dad¡­"


    "Nah! Don''t worry bout my old man. He can disown me for all I care. Besides, I don''t like fighting wars for other people anyways." Eric laid in head back, nonchalantly.


    "B-but this is too much! I¡­ I¡­"


    "Stop it will ya!" Eric sat back up looking straight at Megumi. "You''re my friend. And friends gotta stick together no matter what. Right?"


    Megumi blushed a little and paused for a moment before agreeing with this sentiment.


    "Alright then it''s agreed." Eric smiled, holding out his hands. "You still remember our ''promise shake'' right."


    Megumi chuckled. "But we only used that as kids."


    "And? Why not now?"


    She grabbed his hands, and they immediately shook up and down. They hunched forward, clutching each other''s hand with their thumbs up. Upon finishing this little performance, Megumi couldn''t help but continue blushing.


    "So, you do remember it!" Eric laughed. Megumi laughed along with him.


    A little later they finished eating their food, collecting all the trash into the paper bag to be disposed of. Megumi was ready to leave but was stopped by Eric.


    He quickly gave her the plastic back he was carrying around. "This is for you. I think it''ll suit you well. Take a look when you get home."


    This brought a smile to her face. She thanked him, appreciating the surprise gift.


    With nothing left to say, Eric waved goodbye with Megumi doing the same, going back home.


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    After some time of walking and avoiding crowds, she finally made it back home. It was a cozy looking home that blended in with the rest of the neighborhoods. It was certainly a house you wouldn''t think twice about looking at.


    Megumi crept her way around the back of the house, opening and closing the basement door quietly. And entering her safe domain. Within she carried memorabilia of her times with Eric from childhood to current day, all specifically stashed out of the prying eyes of most people.


    She pulled the beaded chain to switch on the dinky lightbulb that hung above. She opened her gift and found that he had bought her a long-sleeved jean jacket that went as far as her hips. This brought a smile to her.


    "Megumi!!!" the raspy old voice of a woman yelled.


    Megumi jumped, hearing several locks clicking and clacking. The door burst open, and a few luggage cases were thrown down the stairs.


    "You''ve got two days to leave!" The women above shouted.


    Megumi hurried to the stairs, seeing that the women had already slammed the door shut. "B-but I had a week!" Megumi retorted.


    She was ignored and the locks clicked back into place one after another. Megumi raced up the stairs knocking at the door. "D-didn''t you say I had a week to leave!?"


    "Two days! You should be happy that we picked up a cursed girl like you back then! Now because of you the whole town will think my family is cursed!"


    "B-b-but that was an accident, I¡­ didn''t mean to touch her. I¡­ Just wanted to wish her luck¡­"


    "Yeah? And now the mayor''s daughter is dead. Because of you! And now everyone will look at us!" the women shouted. "Everyone you try to be friends with dies, days after interacting with you! Everyone knows that! At this point It''s a damn miracle you haven''t touched me or my family with your death-ridden fingers!"


    Megumi is left to just listen just at the door, with her head leaning on it. She knew it was pointless to continue conversing with her adopted mother. She was as hardheaded and relentless as they came.


    "Two days!" she repeated to Megumi, as she glumly trekked back down the stairs. She looked back at the jean jacket, which helped bring back a more somber smile.


    Returning to the gift, Megumi took off her thin black gloves, freeing her soft hands to feel the fabric of the new clothes.


    She began to blush brightly. "I-I''ll tell him tomorrow¡­ This time for sure." Now determined, Megumi turned to her drawer remembering that Eric loved to go camping a lot.


    She rummaged through the bottom of the drawer until she found an old pocketknife that she found a long time ago. It was still in relatively good condition and practically unused.


    After finding the knife she sat on her bed and stared back at the pocketknife in hand opening it up. Her thoughts drifted to what could be. Thoughts of leaving their small town in pursuit of a much happier and calmer life. And all of it with Eric. she could only imagine it.


    Soon she returned to reality looking back at the luggage scattered on the floor. With great reluctance she began packing her clothes and memorabilia that she holds so close to her heart. This continued throughout the night until she finally decided to retire for the night.


    Closing her eyes and drifting to sleep, she found herself within that same dream she always has. She looks at her own back as she is surrounded by the dead bodies of people she knows. At this point she became accustomed to this sight. After all, it was simply like looking at a piece of art someone drew. Nothing happened. And no one moved.


    But this time it was different¡­ For some reason the copy of herself turned around, and suddenly looked straight at her with hollow black eyes. Her heart sank when her clone curled a sinister, yet knowing smile. And just as her clone was about to talk¡­ she woke up.


    Megumi felt her head, confused. "That was weird¡­ What was that about¡­?"


    Suddenly a text appeared on her old flip phone. She looked at it, finding that Eric had texted her with news and wanting to meet up back at their secret space.


    Megumi glowed seeing this and practically hopped at the opportunity to get ready. She prepared herself the best she could, wearing her new jean jacket with her favorite striped, magenta tank top. She even tucked Eric''s new gift within her pocket as she rushed to leave the basement. Unfortunately, within her own excitement. She had left behind her hood and gloves¡­


    ********


    Much later she approached the park in the town square. But as she passed a huge store window, her heart leapt, catching a glimpse of her reflection. She finally realized she wasn''t wearing her hoodie.


    "O-oh crap!" She darted her eyes around, finding that nobody else was around. She looked across the street where the park waited and ran across without thinking.


    HONK


    HONK


    Megumi looked to her left, finding a huge gas truck heading her way fast! Her heart sank so far, it was practically non-existent.


    "MEGUMI!!!"


    A hand pushed her out the way as she recognized that voice. "Eric???"


    A sudden screeching of the wheels and ahard impact of someone getting hit. Megumi fell on the other side of the street, quickly looking back to find the gas truck tipping over and the proceeding cars'' attempts to stop in vain as one after another crashed into each other!


    Megumi panicked, looking around for Eric whose voice she heard.


    "E-Eric. Eric!!"


    After frantically looking around, she finally found a maimed and bloodied body of Eric. She hurried next to him, grabbing onto him. Explosions rang and fire flooded the streets nearby. She quickly pulled Eric as far from the disaster as she could.


    She could still hear his shallow breathing as another person called for 9-1-1.


    Eric! Eric! Please stay with me! P-p-please. J-just hold on"


    ********


    Within the small-town hospital, Chaos reigned as a flood of patients entered the new hospital beds. patients put on respirators, others getting bandaged while the worst had to be sent for emergency surgery.


    "This is crazy, over 20 cars were wrecked!?" One of the doctors whispered to the other. "How does that even happen!???"


    "I don''t know but I''m sure the intersection at the park didn''t help. And from what I understand it''s a busy road at the downtown square."


    "No Kidding¡­It''s a miracle some of them are still alive¡­"


    "Don''t get our hopes up just yet. Judging from some of their injuries, I doubt that even half will even survive¡­ it''s probably the work of that woman no doubt."


    The doctor, listening was taken aback. "W-wait d-d-don''t tell me she''s involved. S-she isn''t here is she?"


    The second doctor leaned closer and pointed. "She''s in that room there. I would stay away from that room if possible. At this point, even that poor kid in there is destined to die¡­"


    A teen girl with dirty blond hair pushed through the crowd of people, entering the very room with Megumi. The girl looked at Megumi as she stood over a severely injured and bandaged Eric.


    Hearing the girl enter, Megumi looked up.


    "What are you doing here?" Megumi asked.


    "Mom, heard what happened. Since you blocked her, she told me to tell you not to come back. The door''s locked and your stuff is¡­ outside." The girl averted her eyes feeling more awkward as she backed off a little.


    "F-first it was a week. Then it was two days. A-and now it''s today?" Megumi''s emotions began to boil over.


    "I''m sorry. That it had to be this way."


    "S-sorry??" Megumi took a step, frightening the girl.


    "Stay away!" she blurted.


    The girl immediately recomposed herself. She shakily reached into her pocket, pulling out a wad of money. She at first tried to hand it to Megumi directly but saw that she wasn''t wearing gloves. So, she threw it to the ground instead.


    "T-take it. It''s not a lot, but maybe you can put it to use." Quickly after she took her leave, running off and as far as she could past the crowd of doctors and nurses.


    Megumi could only stand, stunned. She bent over, right by Eric''s bedside. She looked to the ground, now unsure what to do. Silent listening to the beeps of the hospital machines, that seemed to keep Eric''s life intact.


    She clutched the bed bar, thinking about her lonely life before meeting Eric.


    The boy that gave her hope, that made her look upon life much more brightly. She just couldn''t imagine a world without him. A world where she had to now survive by herself.


    Megumi reached over, grabbing his hands. She could feel him tightening his grasp, although weakly. "I-I can''t do it¡­ How can I go on living without you?"


    Megumi attempted to hold her own tears. Tightening her own grip. "You¡­. You can''t die here! I haven''t told you yet but¡­ You''re the only thing I have left to look forward to each and every day."


    "So please¡­ please, please, please¡­ Just come back to me¡­ Eric¡­ I Lo-"


    BEEEEEEEEEEEEE~~~~


    Megumi''s heart sank. "N-no¡­ " Megumi looked back upon Eric with a fear she''s never felt before. "E-Eric. Eric, no!


    "S-somebody, HELP!!!"


    A male nurse entered calmly, entering to simply turn off the machine. Megumi was in shock as they tried to leave.


    "What are you doing? What are you doing!?"


    The nurse turned around, glaring coldly. "They''re dead. There''s nothing we can do now."


    "B-but y-you can still save him! Why aren''t you doing anything!!!" she cried.


    "He''s under a DNR agreement. He doesn''t want to be resuscitated. You''re better off just leaving now, I hear that his family just arrived, and I doubt they''ll be happy to see you around. Just a friendly warning." With those last words, the nurse left Megumi by herself.


    Megumi fell to her knees, practically at a loss for words. Memories of Eric saving her flared through her mind, followed by immense guilt. "This¡­" She looked back at her hand "I-it''s all my fault¡­"


    "W-why!?? W-why does this keep happening to me!?" Megumi reached out to Eric''s hand; eyes now drenched in tears. "This¡­. T-this isn''t fair¡­ I-I can''t take it anymore! Just what''s the point in even living!!!??"


    Megumi wailed from the loss of someone so close to her. All those memories. All those good times with him. Leading up to ultimate demise.


    Suddenly, the pocketknife in her jacket pocket fell out, grabbing her attention. She stared at it for a while, tears still in her eyes. Slowly she bent down, picking it up in her left hand. She flicked it open, looking at the silver blade.


    "Just¡­ What''s the point¡­ What is the point in living?"


    Megumi clutched the knife more firmly in hand. She brought the knife to her own neck. Hands trembling from fear.


    Memories of the scorn, hatred and fear flashed through her mind. Being blamed for the deaths of loved ones that she only wanted to be friends with. Over and over and over again.


    She finally calmed her shaking hand.


    ¡­.


    ¡­.


    ¡­.


    ¡­.


    "Eric¡­ Wherever you are¡­"


    ...


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Please¡­."


    ...


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Just wait for me a little longer¡­"


    ...


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Slowly a form of Megumi starts to materialize from an ethereal mist. The nothingness she found herself in slowly vanished as her sight soon returned.


    "Hmmm???"


    Upon collecting her full vision, she was left in utter shock. Before her, she could see her own dead body slumped over Eric''s with the blade sitting to her right. ''What the hell is going on?"


    "T-this is a dream. Right!?


    Slowly a circular wall enclosed upon and through Megumi, closing into the horrific scene she saw until it disappeared. This left her confused. "Huh?"


    She was now alone in the hospital room, with no soul in sight¡­ or so she thought¡­ as a deep authoritative voice came from her side.


    "How interesting¡­" it said. "Megumi Scorn. Age, 22. Dead May 7, 2022. At 3:04 PM¡­"


    Megumi could only wrench her head towards the voice, finding an imposing and towering skeleton.


    He wore a large black and gray hooded robe with strange black stones tracing the outline of the shoulder pads that edged down twice fold. And his skeleton face with what looked like black steaks marks coming down both eye holes towards his mouth. All the while his cat-like white pupils stared at her.


    She backed away seeing this tall monster approaching. "Here you are¡­ dead¡­ And now here I am."


    Megumi''s back hit the wall. She was forced to look up, trembling in fear.


    "W-what''s going on!?"

 Chapter 2: Purgatory

    "There''s nothing left for you here. So¡­ It''s about time we left." The tall, hooded skeleton said.


    Megumi could only look up upon the imposing skeleton before her. Fear gripped her very mind as his boney fingers inched closer to her.


    "N-no!" The last second, she finally broke free and jerked away from him. She tucked herself in the corner of the room by a broken cabinet and window.


    "S-stay away from me!! Whatever you are, d-don''t come any closer!" Megumi exclaimed.


    She became more panicked, frantically looking around and finding the hospital room was much more dilapidated than before.


    The Reaper suddenly grabbed her, bringing her attention back to him. "I am a Reaper. You can say that I''m here to collect your soul" He began to slowly lift her in the air.


    "C-c-c-collect me????"


    "Ughh... Yes. But let''s take this outside."


    The Reaper''s nonchalant response worried Megumi. "Outside? Why would-"


    Without warning the Reaper sent Megumi crashing through the hospital window! Shocking her to her very core! "Huh?"


    She fell from the towering hospital, screaming her lungs out as she fast approached the ground. She slammed onto the side of the street hard on her back, pain reaching throughout her body. To her surprise however¡­ she was still alive¡­


    The pain quickly subsided, and she worked her way to her knees, but fell back forward. She gritted her teeth trying to bear with the lingering pain.


    "How¡­ How am I now dead?"


    The sound of a large thud of something landing behind made her freeze. She could only guess who it was.


    The Reaper''s deep voice arose once more as she could hear his approach. "Make no mistake. You are dead¡­"


    "It''s just the matter that you''re no longer among the living¡­" He passed her, glancing back as he did. "After all, ¡­ We are in ''Purgatory''."


    At that moment all that fear built up, was replaced with disbelief. She grabbed the bottom of his robe, stopping him. "T-that can''t be right! Isn''t there supposed to be a-a h-heaven or hell!??"


    "Hmm?" The Reaper looked back, seemingly a little confused by her words. His confusion slowly turned to that of a chuckle before bursting out in a grand laughter. It was as though he heard the greatest joke of his lifetime.


    Megumi finally let go of his robe, stunned. She could only watch as he laughed hardily. It was then she realized that they were surrounded by many people walking around, all going to unknown destinations. She could tell from a glance that some were even stopping and staring at her.


    Not long after the Reaper finally stopped laughing. "How very entertaining. However, ¡­"


    The Reaper turned around to Megumi, his demeanor became much more serious. "What you''re looking for doesn''t exist. You''re now in Purgatory, a world where the human soul comes when they die by the hands of their other fellow men."


    Megumi, seeing his approach, crawled backward onto the sidewalk, behind, not taking her eyes off him.


    "Murder. Suicide. Execution. You name it¡­ If your life was cut short, then your soul ends up here in Purgatory.


    Megumi''s back hit the wall. Panic rising again. Despite this she managed to muster the courage to speak back out. "I-If that''s true, t-then tell me where Eric is! H-he wasn''t anywhere when I got here."


    "Hmmm¡­?" The Reaper cocked his head. "You mean that boy from the hospital room? That one¡­ Is a special case¡­"


    "What... What do you mean?" Megumi slowly worked her way up the wall. Her heart began to sink, and readied for the worst.


    The Reaper sighed. "Unlike yourself, the life force of the boy has already expired."


    The Reaper, seeing the face of disbelief on Megumi continues. "Let me clarify¡­ When a human dies before it is their time... Their life force such as yours ends up here in Purgatory¡­ However, a person that lives outside their days until old age or dies from an illness moves beyond this world."


    "If it makes it any easier. Think of life as a candle. A candle whose life is snuffed before the wax is melted can survive its descent. But a candle with a completely melted foundation has no means of surviving. Especially as a puddle. Many folks here know this as the world natural death."


    "Natural death? N-natural death!???" Megumi''s eyes welled up, not wanting to believe the skeleton Reaper before her.


    "There''s nothing ''natural'' about being rammed by a huge truck!!!" She shouted. "That''s not natural!"


    Megumi stumbled back to the wall with tears seeping down her face. Her knees became weak, and she tried to lean herself on the wall. "I don''t understand. This can''t be true¡­! I-It can''t be¡­"Megumi''s knees finally gave way as she fell back down.


    "Whether you believe me or not, doesn''t matter. Whether or not you like it¡­ This is just how the world is¡­ "


    Megumi looking at the ground noticed that each tear falling from her face practically evaporated into a strange blue mist. There was no use denying it anymore. Wherever she was, was no longer her previous world.


    "T-this i-isn''t fair..." she said, softly. memories of her previous life, living with the ire of everyone who knew her arose. She clenched her teeth and hands out of frustration with these memories lingering, within her. "None of this is fair!!"


    Her face suddenly contracted a crack beneath her eyes. Megumi heard this but couldn''t realize that it was coming from her. A strange nauseating feeling filled her. She looked back up, finding that many of the people around them had stopped. All of them were now staring at her.


    "Huh?" Megumi worked her way back up and as she did, they all began to approach her, still ignoring the Reaper. She could see their scornful gaze on her. The very same gaze she would get when she was still alive.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    One of the men started to reach out and grab her.


    "HOLD IT!!'' The Reaper shouted.


    Everyone''s attention fell to the Reaper. They all back away from Megumi, muttering to themselves. Some of them even looked a little surprised.


    Megumi''s heart raced a million miles a minute unsure what''s happening as she glanced back at the Reaper.


    "What a troublesome woman you are¡­ It seems I''ll have to bring you to ''Arc'' to have you judge for your sins."


    "J-judged? F-for my s-sins?" she questioned.


    "That''s right and if needed I''ll-"


    The air suddenly changed. a malicious intent. The Reaper pulled his arm forth and like magic a bone tentacle erupted from a small black portal.


    Megumi closed her eyes, seeing it come her way.


    SHHNNKK!!


    She opened her eyes back up not feeling any pain. The Reaper''s arms were still lifted. And a tentacle seemingly pierced something to her side. She looked to her left and her eyes widened in shock seeing a man holding a knife, posed and ready to stab her!


    The only thing that separated her from that man''s blade was a bone tentacle that was piercing the man''s face.


    The blade then fell from the man''s grip. Soon after the Reaper pulled his bony tendril from the man''s face revealed a hollow hole. No blood. No bones. Just a hollow black hole.


    They stumbled forward and reached out to Megumi. But not long after that, cracks emerged from the hole, spreading throughout his body fast. His legs broke and fell forth and crumbled into a trillion pieces and into a pile of ash.


    "How annoying. But you get the picture¡­" The Reaper said.


    Megumi became pale. Her mind raced as she looked on, horrified by the scene.


    "Kill her!!" One of the men shouted.


    "She''ll turn into a demon!" Another shouted.


    "Do your job damn it!"


    Many people surrounding her agreed. They all started to become riled up as they closed in. The reaper glanced around at the angry crowd around them. He growled, annoyed by their presence.


    Megumi on the other hand began to slowly feel the mounting pressure of the crowd. Slowly it all became white noise to her with building pressure around.


    "Let''s go Megumi¡­" the Reaper indignantly said.


    Megumi turned to Reaper, finding that he was standing over her once more. His figure, more imposing than ever before.


    "I have to get out of here¡­ I have to¡­" Unknown to Megumi, the crack on her face deepened further. The pressure within her exploded. She suddenly dashed away and passed the group of people.


    "She''s getting away!"


    "Don''t let her escape you idiot!!"


    "Megumi..." The Reaper said aloud.


    Megumi printed down the street into a nearby forest.


    "Megumi!!" The Reaper now shouted.


    Megumi slid down the hill of the tree further into the forest. She remembered trending down here many times before. Everything was familiar, that was until she headed further down the hill. She expected a road, but there was even more forest, confusing her. "W-what the-"


    "DOWN HERE!!"


    She spared the thought, choosing to run further into the forest instead. She ran past tree after tree. First it was oak, then turning to pine then birch and back to oak. It was like she was trapped within many forests combined into one.


    She was caught in a confusing mess of a forest, hearing the approach of the mob coming from all directions. She quickly hid herself behind a tree the best she could, she even squatted low, hoping for no one to find her.


    "She must''ve come this way. C''mon!"


    The rustle of the leaves cracking of branches followed. She peeked, seeing them running in a single direction, she sprinted the opposite of them. She ran as fast and as hard as she could until she was finally met with the light at the end of the forest


    She emerged out of the forest by a small cliff. Scanning the area, she found herself somehow in a cul-de-sac filled with some fanciful homes. "Houses?"


    Megumi felt uncertain, thoughts of turning back were quickly thwarted by the shouts of men chasing her. "How''d they-" They were closing in! She glanced back at the house and found an open door to a home. Without hesitation she dashed inside, closing the door behind her.


    She leaned herself on the door, sweating profusely "H-how did it come to this?" she whispered to herself.


    Muffled voices from outside could be heard.


    "I think I heard her over here. Look around. She has to be close by. No matter what, we can''t let her live."


    Megumi shook hearing those words. "This is crazy! T-this is just crazy!" She slowly fell back on her knees and hunched over in defeat memories of her life as a practical outcast, resurfacing.


    "Why is this happening to me? Why¡­ Why does everyone hate me?" The emotions boiled over. And just as they brought her head further down the voice of another made its presence known


    "Hate you? I don''t hate you." a boy said.


    Unknown to Megumi, she had been watching from the corner of the hall since she first entered the home.


    She became alert. She quickly got back to her feet attempting to escape back out. The door was locked. "Why can''t I¡­"


    She peered back into the darkness within the hall, looking for the figure behind the voice. She could tell by the footsteps alone that whoever it was, wasn''t wearing shoes.


    The first thing she could see was his cat-like pupils and sharp white teeth. "Why don''t you stay and play with me¡­?"


    Slowly his face emerged revealing himself to be a child with pale white skin with curved black hair pulled to the back and two tufts of hair hanging from his face. His eyes were hollow black with white pupils and had an unnerving smile that indicated sinister intentions. There were also two similar shaped black marks just beneath his eyes. These marks had three points to them with the longest one practically curving to the side of his face.


    "I know a great game we could play¡­" he said.


    The rest of his body soon followed as he looked to be wearing a torn yellow shirt with black jeans.


    "A... Kid?" Megumi looked a little worried seeing his strange appearance.


    "Let''s play a game of tag." He spoke. "I''ll start."


    The boy flashed a much wider smile.


    "Tag!!" In an instant he launched his right arm forth! Megumi dodged in time as his clawed hands penetrated the door. His arms stretched to an absurd length; He reeled himself towards Megumi stomping onto the door.


    The Boy quickly clawed his left hand into the door and jerked his body to face Megumi. Using his free hand, he stretched his hands back at Megumi.


    To his surprise, she dodged again with her back now against the wall. and now more panicked.


    "Hey, that''s not how this game works¡­" The boy whined.


    She looked frightened by the child''s strange powers. Seeing a doorway next to her to escape entering into the house''s living room.


    "Wait. Is that how it''s played?? Haha! This is a lot more fun than I thought!!" He exclaimed.


    Megumi glanced over to her left, finding a way leading to the hall. Running, there was a sudden crash behind her. Glancing back, the boy had smashed through the wall behind!


    He landed on the other side of the room and bounced off the wall straight at her! "TAG!"


    The Boy thrusted his arms hard. Luckily Megumi tripped, avoiding this attack! He smashed the floor where she would''ve stood.


    As the boy stood back up, there was no doubt in Megumi''s mind that the boy in front of him was not human. A terrifying aura surrounded him with a face of anger to match.


    "He''s- He''s gonna kill me!!"


    And just as he faced her¡­ "I keep on missing¡­" He looked back at his hand very confused. "I wonder if I''m tired¡­"


    Megumi was completely befuddled by his reaction. "Moved¡­ Moved!!" She thought to herself.


    Megumi broke through her fear, getting up and dashing past the boy! She turned left into the hall, quickly finding a kitchen door that led outside! She ran to it much faster.


    But to her shock men from the mob were just outside of that door and spotted her!


    "HEY EVERYONE! SHE''S IN THIS HOUSE!! SHE''S OVER HER!!"


    "W-why are they in his backyard!!???"


    Megumi turned back but was cut off by the boy''s stretched arms. He landed onto the kitchen wall, indenting it.


    "This is fun." he looked back giving a wide smile.


    He lifted his free arm. "Tag!!" He smashed his entire arm to the floor and nearly hit Megumi!


    She wasted no time running from them with no time to think she just ran to the closest door.


    "Tag!"


    The boy sent his arm flying, ricocheting from the walls to the ceilings to the dining room table and past Megumi!


    "I missed again..." disappointment could be heard from the boy''s voice.


    To her surprise, Megumi found that she went in a complete circle, ending up back in the living room. She proceeded to the other doorway in the living room, remembering seeing a railing for a staircase to its right. She quickly glanced behind.


    "TAG!"


    Turning back, she found the boy now in front of her, grabbing her as if he had doubled back!


    The Boy pushed her into the ground hard, pinning her to the floor. "I got you this time," he said.


    The boy chuckled to himself as he smiled devilishly. He now had Megumi at his mercy.

 Chapter 3: Friend?

    Out of fear, Megumi closed her eyes and turned away, expecting the worst to come. But then¡­


    "YEEAAHHH!!!"


    Not feeling herself being pinned, she peeked and to her shock she found the boy dancing and jumping around.


    "I caught you! I caught you!" He laughed joyfully. "You''re it! You''re it!"


    Megumi got back up, completely befuddled as she watched him escape up the hall stairs. The once monstrous child turning into just that. A child


    "Catch me if you can!"


    "What??????" She approached the hall stairs, looking up, still bewildered.


    SMASH


    Megumi turned quickly, finding that the mob had broken through the kitchen door! They began to flood the home with one pointing straight at her.


    "There she is! She''s right over there!!!"


    A man in the crowd suddenly threw an ax at her. She dodged, letting it hit the stairs. She backed herself within a hall that was practically a dead end. Lucky for her, she noticed a doorway just under the stairs. Taking her chances, she hurried inside, slamming the door shut!


    But this was no use as with a few hits, she was easily overpowered by the mob chasing her. She tumbled down the stairs, falling unconscious.


    The mob of men quickly surround Megumi picking up by both her arms as one of them readied another ax in their hands.


    Not long after, Megumi quickly awakened in time to see the ax wielding man approach. "O-oh God." fear began to creep back into her as tried to free herself in vain. "L-let me go! Let me go!!"


    One of the men jerked her head down. "Make it quick."


    "Right!" The man with the ax lifted and swung his weapon true. As he did, even more cracks appeared beneath Megumi''s eyes.


    "I''m¡­"


    Suddenly the hand of the man fell in front of Megumi and the mob.


    "M-my hand!!" The man gripped his not stubbed arm in shock.


    "Oi. What do you think you''re doing to my friend?" Everyone looked up the stairs, finding the boy that chased Megumi earlier standing menacingly. His face was contorted to that of pure rage. The boy began to outstretch his arms and the men in the mob began to panic,


    "Wait! Isn''t that¡­ A demon!"


    In that instant, the boy stretched his arms past the mob and zipped past them at a blinding speed. Before they realized it, he sliced the head from three of them. He slid behind them, ready to continue his attack.


    "I-it killed them!!"


    His gaze sent chills down their spines. Some of the men started backing away and towards the stairs.


    "W-what kind of demon is he!!?"


    Looking at the boy they realized that they had two choices. Most of them choose to run, dashing up the stairs and knocking Megumi to the ground in a stampede. Slowly the dead bodies around Megumi began to turn to dust. Looking back at the boy, his arms became pitch black with claws. A strange black mist also surrounded his arms working its way around the boy.


    "Who do they think they are?" the boy growled.


    He outstretched his arm again grabbing the heads of one of the assailants.


    "H-hey! Hey! Help!!"


    The boy made short work of him, launching himself and slicing the man''s head from his shoulders. He slid at the wall and launched himself through the door of the basement. Quickly closing the gap and cutting off another three heads!


    Turning back to the crowd, he went on the offensive, slicing and cutting through five more men! He sliced arms, cut stomachs and ripped through anyone that retaliated against him. He eviscerated everyone he saw until only a few remained.


    He stood there with his back turned against them. He slowly calmed himself down knowing full well that they were helpless.


    "P-please, just let us go. We promise we''ll leave you alone and n-never come back. W-well even keep your hide out a secr-"


    "NO." the boy interrupted. "You tried to hurt my friend¡­" He glanced back with a gaze lace with even more toxicity. "I''ll never forgive any of you for that!!"


    The boy shaped his right hand and arm into a large blade ready to finish them.


    Another of the men ripped out his knife charging in. "F-forget this! You can go to hell!!!"


    The boy easily used his new arm to cut through both the man''s chest and blade-wielding arm. He then posed his left arm at the remaining men.


    "Die."


    Suddenly his finger sprung forth like blades penetrating the last of the men. And in one swift move of his arm, he sliced them all into ribbons.


    Back in the basement, Megumi could hear the screams of those men as she huddled herself at the wall of the basement. Unsure what to do, she hugged knees in a desperate attempt to calm herself down.


    "I just wanted to be with Eric¡­" She whimpered. "E-even here''s it''s the same¡­ I just want to-¡­"


    Megumi heard the creaking from the stairs. Looking back up she found the boy standing with his arms still black.Stolen novel; please report.


    "I just¡­" Megumi brought her head down as he continued his approach. "I just¡­ I just¡­"


    The boy now in front looks down at her.


    "I¡­..."


    The boy suddenly dropped himself to the ground, crossing his legs.


    "...Are you alright?"


    Megumi was shocked by this question. She looked back at him, finding that he looked a little more normal. His black eyes dulled to a gray and his teeth seemed a little less sharp than before.


    She brought her head back down, unsure how to answer.


    "Hey miss¡­ Are you oka-"


    "Leave me alone!" Megumi bawled his fist as she thought about her life before. She suddenly slammed her fist like a hammer into the ground. "D-damn it! Damn it! Damn it!! Damn it!!!"


    Tears began to fill her face once more, each one falling off fiercely and evaporating seconds after.


    "W-why did it have to turn out like this? I-it wasn''t supposed to be like this! What am I supposed to do now?" Megumi held herself tightly with tears continuing to fall. "It feels like my entire being is being crushed. And I hate it¡­! I HATE IT!! I just¡­ I just want to die¡­"


    The boy continued to listen to Megumi''s plight attentively as her last few words softened. He saw the cracks on Megumi''s face deepened even further.


    Slowly, Megumi began to release herself, trembling. "I guess now that I''m in purgatory¡­ Nothing really matters anymore."


    The fractures continued rippling across her face, despair settling in within her very being. Suddenly, the boy grabbed her hand, surprising Megumi.


    "H-hey! Let go of Me!" She feared the worst, but then, he placed her palm on the top of his head. She felt the roughness of his hair.


    "W¡­What are you doing???"


    "...Now¡­ I''m it." he said.


    He released her. And slowly reeled his head back, leaving Megumi puzzled. She then remembered about the game of tag he forced her into a little earlier.


    He spoke up. "When I was sad¡­or felt alone¡­ My dad would come and play games with me¡­after that, I would always feel tons better!" The boy then briefly glanced upon some scattered boxes with various labels.


    "But when he wasn''t home, or when I was by myself in school, it always felt lonely¡­ he''d always try to make it up to me by playing more games or telling fun stories¡­ But¡­"


    Megumi could hear a hint of sadness within his voice. The boy then rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I never really had a lot of friends back then. Maybe one or two, but they¡­were¡­"


    The boy stopped and looked back at Megumi a little more somberly. "I know how it feels to be sad and alone¡­And ''I don''t think you deserve to be hated at all.''"


    Echoes of Eric''s past remark hit Megumi.


    The boy then smiled widely. "Besides, you can''t feel alone if you have someone to play with, right?"


    Megumi looked back at that boy much more somberly. She could tell just by his smile the sincerity of his words. The cracks in her face slowly began to recede as if by some mysterious force. She calmed down, wiping the tears from her face.


    Suddenly, he poked her knee. "Tag. you it." the boy flashed a smile. "Let''s have fun, yeah?"


    Megumi looked at her hand curiously. She then leaned forward towards the boy, slowly reaching out to him. "T¡­Tag?" She placed her hands on his shoulder.


    She leaned back, hearing his chuckle. "Looks like you got me this time." he then posed himself, as if preparing some special attack. "But this time I''ll getcha with my super-duper tag attack!"


    "Super-duper tag attack! Activate! UWAAHHH!!"


    The boy quickly scooted himself closer to Megumi and patted her shoulder. "Tag."


    Megumi blurted out into a chuckle, seeing the silliest display so far.


    "Yeah! I got you again!" he cheered.


    "Eheh¡­ Alright¡­ I guess I''m ''it'' then" Megumi readied herself to tag the boy again, but he then scooted back away, she reached out further for him to jump back playfully. She fell to the ground trying to reach him.


    "Hah. Missed me."


    Unexpectedly, Megumi pulled him to the ground. He hit the ground hard, looking a little stunned. Not long after he laughed, Megumi soon followed along, having forgotten her circumstance.


    After a little while they sat back up, recovering from their laughter. "O-oh yeah! I don''t think I introduced myself. My name''s Cider! Cider Lynch! It''s nice to meet ya!"


    "That''s an interesting name¡­" Megumi Noted. "I''m Megumi Truman. B-but everyone still refers to me by my previous name ''Megumi Scorn''."


    Cider laughed. "I like Megumi Scorn, It''s sounds super cool!"


    "D-does it?" Megumi became a little embarrassed hearing this. At that moment, Cider offered his hand. "I''m sure we''re gonna be great friends!"


    "Friends? Can I really-... No, it''s different this time."


    "Y-yeah¡­" she said.


    "This time¡­ Everything will be just fine."


    "Let''s be friends¡­"


    To her utter shock a bone tentacle suddenly ripped through Cider''s chest. He was left only to utter her name. "M-meg¡­gumi¡­?"


    The tentacle then lifted Cider into the air and threw him to the furthest wall!


    "CIDER!"


    The Reaper Burst through the ceiling of the basement and posed his hands at Megumi! "''What a mess you''ve left me with!" Bone tentacle wrapped around her in that instant and pulled to the wall.


    "L-let me go!" she yelped.


    The reaper sighed to himself as he approached. "Silence! You don''t seem to understand the situation you''ve put yourself in."


    Cider suddenly went on the attack charging at the Reaper. The Reaper grabbed him by the neck with ease. "My Job does not require me to treat you with care or Kindness. I am simply here to take you to ''Arc'' to be judged. That''s it!" The reaper threw Cider away from him.


    He posed his hand, and the plethora of Tentacles pierced through Cider leaving him to blurt out in pain.


    Megumi tried to struggle to break free, but the bone tendrils were much too strong.


    The anger within the reaper''s voice arose. "But you went on like the foolish women you were, making yourself a prime target for even more foolish souls that would end your miserable existence!!"


    The tentacle''s piercing Cider released. The reaper glanced back at Cider, annoyed. "And to top it off, you put yourself in direct danger, to a demon of all things!"


    "B-but¡­ He''s just a kid." Megumi wheezed.


    The Reaper lifted her in the air, looking at her straight in the eyes. "It doesn''t matter what he looks like. Demons are one of the most unpredictable beings in Purgatory. But a stupid girl like you wouldn''t know that."


    "L-leave her, alone!" Cider wobbled in with an attack from the side. He completely missed and simply cut the Reaper''s robe. Cider collapsed between the two and Megumi could only look on in horror.


    The Reaper released Megumi at that moment, irritated. "Bah! What a waste of time!" He then turned his attention back to Cider. "I''m surprised that he''s still alive"


    "C-cider!" Megumi rushed to him, finding that he was dissolving away into ash.


    "He''ll be gone in a few seconds. It''s better not to waste your breath."


    Megumi ignored the Reaper instead trying to pick up Cider''s head. "Cider! Cider!"


    "N-no! It can''t be happening again!" Megumi briefly glanced back at her ungloved hands. "I-I thought it''d be different this time! It''s just like Eric and the others¡­ Everyone and anyone I care about¡­ They always Die¡­!"


    "Megumi?" Unexpectedly Cider lifted his hands shakily. "Do you think¡­ We can play more later?"


    Not long after his body completely dissolved into a pile of ash. Her hand now in the piled remains of the demon she believed she could befriend.


    Megumi is left to stare at the pile in disbelief.


    "Whether or not you like you, you''ll be coming with me now. If I need to, I''ll rip your core from your body." The Reaper began to leave. "If you''re finished, we should get going. We have quite the distance to travel..."


    He abruptly stopped. "That smell¡­ It''s still here¡­ It can''t be¡­" He turned to face Megumi again, seeing that her hand was rustling in the pile and the cracks on her face becoming more noticeable. An ominous energy surrounded her, bringing his guard up.


    Like magic she pulled a black round sphere from the pile of ash, levitating it under her left hand. And like magic, she conjured forth a long rod. The rod quickly reshaped itself into a long handle followed by a crimson blade curved from one end. At the center of the blade was the very sphere she pulled out, that pulsed with dark energy.


    Megumi swung the weapon in the air, posing and revealing her weapon to be a crimson scythe that oozed a bloody essence from it.


    The Reaper watched as Megumi brought the scythe down to her side as she stood tall. "This is bad. All this time¡­ I thought that the stench of death was coming from some demons. But it looks like I was wrong. And now you''re entering the state of Chaos¡­"


    Megumi flashed a crazed smile at the Reaper. "Eheheheh¡­"


    The Reaper Became more serious, Preparing for the worse. "How annoying¡­"

 Chapter 4: The Chaos State

    Megumi giggled to herself. She crouched to the ground, posed and ready with her crimson scythe in left hand.


    "This isn''t good." The Reaper thought. His demeanor, much more serious.


    To the Reaper''s shock, the next second, Megumi was already under him laughing maniacally, with the scythe fast approaching!


    The Reaper blocked with his bone tentacle. He pushed Megumi back with all his power. To his own surprise she kept her feet planted to the ground as she slid back


    She curled a smirk, amused. "Eheheheheh¡­ Now this is going to be fun."


    Megumi dashed back into action with another attack on the ready.


    The Reaper blocked another slash with his tendril. He quickly dodges out the way, as she slashes through it!


    Once again Megumi slid, jerking herself to face the reaper once more. He glared back at Megumi, annoyed and confused.


    "This is bad¡­ She hasn''t been in Purgatory for long, but she ended up in ¡®the state of chaos¡¯!"


    Megumi suddenly disappeared from his sight. Her presence, now behind him!


    She swung her scythe down at him. The Reaper dodged just in time as she brought the scythe to the ground hard. The scythe, now halfway on the pavement of the basement floor.


    "If she isn''t brought back to her senses, she could¡­ Become a demon¡­"


    Megumi pulled the scythe out the floor with ease, she then turned back, smiling sinisterly, chuckling. "Stop being so boring!" She yelled. She bolted back at the reaper, attacking fiercely.


    The Reaper was now forced to parry and block her manic slashes. Each one leaving a trail of a bloody mist behind it.


    "What a damn mess I got¡­" Finally, after some time, the reaper grabbed the scythe, just beneath its blade. The air pulse burst from the sudden stop as the scythe nearly cut his head.


    He glared back at Megumi. "It''s a shame it had to come to this." He thought.


    Mustering up all his strength, the Reaper used the scythe to whip Megumi from her own weapon. Sending her flying and crashing into the wall!


    "You should stay down for your own good, Megumi."


    Megumi stumbled forth from the newly cratered wall, laughing. With a smile, she lifted her left arm. "Why should I?"


    The scythe was suddenly ripped from the Reaper''s grasp to his shock, and back to Megumi''s!


    "How did she-?"


    "Especially when things are just getting interesting!!" She yelled.


    Megumi dashed forth with a new set of attacks, each one becoming faster and precise than the last. This time, she sliced through his robe, then his hood, and then his strange star crest holding his robes. Her last attack was blocked by his bone tendril. It held much better, but the crack began to form as the scythe dug deeper.


    With one last push she shattered the entire bone tentacle to pieces!


    "Tch!!" Seeing her posed and ready to attack once again, the Reaper pulled another bone tendril from his robe aiming it straight at Megumi. "How is she fighting like¡­"


    She dodged.


    "She''s been in Purgatory before!?"


    In that instant Megumi swung her scythe into the Reaper''s chest. Unseen by her, she quickly blocked the attack with his arm. Despite this, The Reaper is sent flying up the basement staircase and through the house, crashing into the second floor of another home!


    "Damn!" The Reaper stabbed his bone fingers into the wooden floor beneath. Floorboards and chunks of plywood scattering as he slowed himself.


    Megumi ascended the stairs. A wide toothy smile on her face. Her hair begins to shift from brown to a scarlet red starting from the tip of her hair.


    "Alright Megumi¡­"


    Suddenly, Megumi leapt into the second floor of the building with absolute ease. She smiled more wickedly than before as the scarlet red continued creeping up the tip of her hair.


    "If you want a fight¡­"


    She swirled her blade only for him to block it once more with his bone tendril.


    "I''ll give you a fight¡­!!"


    The Reaper deflected Megumi''s attack, sending her back to the hole she leapt through.


    "Just don''t ask to be forgiven." The Reaper finished. A multitude of Bone tendril sprouted from beneath his robe as he was prepared to retaliate.


    Megumi ignored his comment as she went back on the offensive, attacking and dodging bone tentacle after bone tentacle. She slowly progressed from the forest of bone tendrils conjured by the Reaper. Soon she found herself face to face with the Reaper once again.


    Drooling from Anticipation, she wasted little time engaging in an absolutely blinding flurry of attacks and parries with the Reaper. He stood tall, not even breaking sweat with the exchange.


    "Hmmmmmmmmm¡­."


    Eventually after another minute The Reaper found his opening.


    His tentacle disarmed Megumi! Using this opportunity, he grabbed her by the face with his own arm and threw her into the wall behind.


    She crashed through the wall and into a forest below where she landed on her feet by some miracle. Cracks began to continue spreading throughout her face as her smile still masked her face. It was a confidence unlike something Megumi would have before. She looked back up at the Reaper staring at her from the home above.


    She held out her hand once more, calling for her scythe. The Reaper moved his head aside letting the scythe fly by him.


    It''s not long before Megumi is attacked again. She dodged, grasping her scythe once more as she did.


    Once again it became a war of Megumi''s versus the conjured bone tendrils attacking her. She continued to slice and cut. Dodge and parried until the Reaper finally brought his presence before her, jumping back down.


    He landed hard on the Ground, and seeing him, she became that of a wild animal dashing madly through a plethora of attacks heading her way. He quickly posed his hands, sending several Bone Tendrils her way, only for her to dodge and slice them.


    "Is that All you''ve got!?" Megumi Taunted.\


    Suddenly, Megumi was struck with a bone tentacle. Luckily for her, she blocked it in time with her scythe. Glancing back up, she found that the Reaper was now over her.


    He punched her straight in the face, Sending her crashing through the trees and into the ground!


    Megumi got back to her feet, finding even more bone tendrils coming her way. She simply grinned with laughter and in one swift motion swerved her scythe around. Creating currents of crimson wind and ripping through all the bone tendrils.


    As the crimson mist dissipated, Megumi made another mad dash to the Reaper, Dodging and weaving through all his attacks that would overwhelm just about any normal person.


    The Reaper, seeing this, turned up the heat. She posed and pointed his finger, sending even more bone tentacle''s her way, crashing through tree after tree and leaving craters within the very ground!


    He growled, annoyed. "She''s a slippery one..."


    To his utter shock, Megumi ran up one of his bone tentacles! The others followed to intercept. But she jumped off, nearly avoiding them!


    Now hurtling towards the Reaper, Megumi readied herself to finish him off.


    The Reaper stood tall and composed seeing this. He then glances up with a glare. The next moment, he sprouted several large and long bone tentacles from his robe. In the same instant, they swirled around him, creating a tornado that enveloped them! This pushed Megumi into the air along with chunks of earth and tree. She held on tight to a large piece of rock, trying to stay oriented and focused.


    As she did her entire hair finally reached its full scarlet color with her front three long bangs, crimsoned. She smiled much more widely with her teeth sharpened like some wild animal hungry for prey. After scanning around, upside down she finally located the Reaper.


    "Heh! This won''t stop me. You must be desperate!!"


    Megumi starts leaping from debris to debris within the artificial tornado. She quickly closed the distance as she descended back to the Reaper. unexpectedly however, it suddenly stopped.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "Desperate?" he asked.


    The Reaper started to reform the large bone tentacles in his controls, shaping them into a fist. "I wouldn''t say that''s the case."


    Without hesitation he sent the large bone fist hurtling towards Megumi as she was defenseless in the air.


    "Ah¡­."


    .....


    .....


    "It seems we''ve had the same idea!" she proclaimed.


    Megumi posed her scythe over her head, and as she did, it grew fifty times its original size.


    She swung down hard. Slicing through not only the Reaper''s attack, but through the Reaper himself! Cutting him in two.


    Megumi landed hard on her feet leaving a trail of dust and smoke behind. She glances back briefly at the devastation left in the wake of their battle. Broken and cut trees and craters in the ground. And the Reaper''s two halves laid, fallen on the ground.


    Exhausted, Megumi began to breathe much more heavily, still standing tall and trying to keep her own composure. "That was entertaining¡­"


    She then lifted and looked back at her arm, seeing it start to crack apart with ash falling from it. "But it looks like this body won''t last long¡­"


    Megumi glanced back, feeling something strange. "Oh."


    Suddenly The Reaper appeared once more. Megumi could only see his boney fingers reaching out to her as he spoke in her opposite ear.


    "For someone who was just born in Purgatory, you sure know quite a bit."


    With a vengeance, the Reaper slammed Megumi''s head into the closest tree. The Reaper then backed off, hearing the laughter coming from Megumi.


    "You must be immortal. Hahahahaha."


    Megumi held herself onto the tree. More cracks appeared throughout her body.


    "Enough! Tell me who you are! You''re obviously not the same woman." The Reaper''s pupils narrowed. "You''re clearly not some separate personality. And with the way you move, and your knowledge about this world¡­ It makes me wonder who you truly are."


    Megumi continued to laugh. "You caught me. Eheheheheh."


    "You''re trying my patients. Tell me where Megumi is, you damn demon!!" The Reaper glared much more harshly at her.


    "Megumi, Megumi, Megumi. Is that all you really care about? It''s funny how you really think I''m- no. That we''re a demon." Megumi turned, with her back now leaning on the tree. She continued to smile with the confidence of a fox.


    "I like that face of yours. It looks as clueless as that pathetic me."


    The Reaper slammed his fists into the tree behind her. Megumi didn''t even flinch as she kept her eyes on the now furious Reaper. Even more cracks appeared covering the entirety of her face.


    "You''re holding her hostage, aren''t you! What is it that you''re after!" he hissed.


    Megumi sighed, keeping her smirk. " She''s no hostage. But you can say that our current predicament is interesting. If it makes you feel better the weak me is still safe from being purged by the corruption that is eroding our very being¡­"


    "That is, just for a few more minutes. I don''t know how much longer I''ll be able to hold it back. If only there was a ''reaper'' with the caliber to enter souls¡­" Megumi raised a mocking tone at the Reaper as she smiled knowingly.


    "So, what will you do, Mr. Reaper? You won''t let this poor girl become a demon, will you?"


    The Reaper gritted his teeth. "You witch¡­!"


    Megumi looked back much more seriously. Now frowning. "So, what will it be-"


    Megumi opened her mouth, spoke his true name. The Reaper''s eyes widened in shock.


    "How do you¡­"


    The Reaper reoriented himself, seeing Megumi''s face as she was confident, once more. With great reluctance, he placed his boney index fingers on her forehead. Without another word he then plugged it straight into her head.


    ********


    Megumi''s life flashed before her. From her terrible, secluded childhood to her days in school as she was being ostracized and considered cured for all the deaths that followed. Each one connected to how she would touch them. Everyone around her began to fear and hated her, seeing her as the harbinger of Death.


    Memories of her newfound reluctance to interact with others arose. She even started to wear gloves from those days on. But this was followed by her first unexpected meeting with Eric. Despite the rumors around her and the warnings given, stepped up to be her friend.


    She could remember the reluctance of wanting to be his friend, but he never once gave up on her. From the time he reignited a hope she once lost to bringing joy back to her once gray life. But it all accumulated within her and was torn to shreds. As he sacrificed his life for her.


    Great regret filled her heart as she found herself in a void of nothing. She was now alone in her thoughts.


    "W-why is it always like this? W-why did he have to die? Why wasn''t it me!?? Why didn''t he just stay where he was and just let me die!?... I never deserved a second chance. I don''t deserve it so why? Why!!??"


    Unexpectedly, Megumi was pulled into a bright light. She suddenly found herself now in a white void. She then landed on the watery ground that lacked the same wetness of water.


    As she coughed, she looked back, finding the Reaper now standing over her. "What the... Where am I???" Megumi gazed around in confusion.


    "We''re in the recesses of your core, where your most important memories that make up your identity lie¡­"


    The Reaper turned away from Megumi, instead putting his attention on a big crimson ball of mist that floated above. Megumi finally took notice of this herself. "W-wait! What is that!!?


    The Reaper narrows his eyes. "This¡­ must be the source of your corruption."


    "Corruption?" she questioned.


    "Let''s just say that if this stays here you could turn into a demon."


    "The Damn thing is feeding off her memories!?? I''ve never seen anything like it before!" He thought.


    Just then, the mist began to reach out to Megumi, swirling around her.


    "It''s still after her!?"


    Megumi started to feel immense pain spreading throughout her body. "Aaaarrgghhh!! W-what''s¡­ happening to me!??"


    The Reaper quickly focused several of his bone tentacles into one. He spun it like a drill. Not wasting time, He sent it hurdling into the red mist. Upon piercing the mist, it exploded and dissipated.


    The Reaper gave a sigh of relief seeing that Megumi was no longer affected by the strange mist.


    "Alright¡­ That should do it." he said.


    Just as he thought everything was fine, a presence then rose from behind him along with a familiar chuckle. He glanced back, finding the red mist collecting itself together! "What!!?"


    The Reaper readied himself to go on the attack once again.


    "BEGONE."


    With a swift motion from a hand the Reaper evaporated into a mist like he never existed.


    Megumi couldn''t understand what was happening as she watched this event unfold. She could only look on, stunned, as the person she was now looking at was the very copy of herself from her dreams. A corrupted looking Megumi with hollow black eyes with scarlet and crimson hair.


    As the dark Megumi approached, a white glint appeared in one of her hollow eyes. "Eheheheheh¡­ We finally get to meet¡­" the dark Megumi said.


    Megumi felt a pit forming within her stomach as the copy of herself came closer. After a few seconds she was finally able muster the courage to speak. "W-w-who are you??"


    The dark Megumi cocked her head, smiling knowingly. "What a silly question to ask. After all these years together, you still don''t recognize me. How disappointing."


    "Let me give you a hint." The dark Megumi instantly crouched, pulling Megumi to her. "I''ve been trapped in that soul of yours, forced to bear witness to that folly you call life all this time. Day after day, all I could do was watch¡­ and for what?"


    Megumi felt something sharp piercing into her back. "Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to be unable to control your own actions? Year after year. Body after body."


    "Still don''t get it?" The Claws within her back scratched it way up. The dark Megumi gave Megumi a good view of her cracked face and hollow black eyes that seemed to stare right through her.


    "We''re one in the same¡­ M-E-G-U-M-I."


    "You''ve just¡­ " The dark Megumi outstretched her left hand, nails sharp. "FORGOTTEN!"


    Megumi is stabbed in the chest with her copy''s own hand! Megumi fell to the ground wheezing as the copy pulled her hand from her chest. Dark Megumi simply smiled seeing her writhing.


    "Just like everyone else¡­ Ehehehe. Trust me¡­ You wouldn''t be here if I could take control¡­ so you should consider yourself lucky. But still¡­ It''s pathetic how I had to help you from being corrupted."


    To Megumi''s surprise, as she looked down, she found that her chest completely crumbled apart, revealing a pure white ball of mist. "W-wh¡­ What the¡­."


    A crimson mist began to swerve and enter the ball of white mist, slowly converting it to a red hue. The dark Megumi chuckled, amused.


    "Still¡­ Being able to stretch my legs was a nice change in pace. It''s been a while since I had some fun in Purgatory¡­ Eheheheheh."


    Slowly the dark Megumi turned into a shadow red mist, laughter continuing to echo through the void.


    "If it brings you comfort there''s still a way to get to Eric here in Purgatory¡­ If you don''t believe me just as that reaper whose so dead set on saving us."


    "Huh?"


    The count part completely turned into mist, now entering the red hued mist in Megumi. She continued. " I can''t leave a lost cause like you rotting away with no hope. Don''t disappoint me, because I''ll be watching you very closely¡­ Megumi Scorn."


    "W-what¡­?" Megumi muttered. The copy''s laughter echoed as Megumi can only look into her broken chest, stunned that the copy seemingly entered into her. The ball of mist gained a crimson within the white shell encasing it. With that, Megumi''s chest reconstructed itself.


    ********


    Suddenly she found herself waking up. Huh!?" Wh-where am I!?


    She oriented herself, finding that she was now in a decimated forest. "How did I end up here-" She finally noticed a plethora of bone tentacles surrounding her, ready to attack. She could only look on, befuddled by her circumstances, trying to hold back her panic.


    "I see." The Reaper said.


    Megumi jerked her head to the right, finding the Reaper posing with his hand raised.


    "It seems I was worried over nothing then." the bone tentacles around Megumi retracted back into the darkness from whence that came. The Reaper now also relaxed himself a little more.


    "All that miasma gone. And you returned to normal by the look of things." he approached. "Since you''re much better we shou-"


    The Reaper stopped seeing a familiar black round sphere on the ground. He proceeded to pick it up from the ground.


    "This is¡­"


    "Actually¡­ can we talk for a moment." Megumi shuffled her way to the closest tree she could find. She gave a few awkward glances at the Reaper. He promptly agreed. He proceeded to walk past her, seating himself on the other side of the tree.


    "So¡­ What do you want to say?"


    "Well¡­ I¡­" Megumi was at a loss for words. She paused. She then tried to force some words out but failed to make a singular point.


    "Take your time." The reaper suddenly said. "Now, what is it that you want to say"


    "I¡­ I know that I''m dead. I accept that¡­ I never really had a good life to begin with so, I''m a little relieved, in a sense. But¡­ I can''t help but to wonder what I did wrong."


    Megumi held her arms, squeezing it as she continued to force her words out. "All my life I was so hated and feared. Even now I still don''t understand it.¡±


    "I always thought I''d be destined to be alone¡­ But Eric¡­ H-he didn''t care what other people thought or said about me. He wasn''t even afraid or even hated me." Megumi''s face became a little more flushed. "He was the first friend I ever made¡­"


    "I see¡­" The Reaper said.


    "Please tell me honestly¡­ Is there really no way I can meet him again? I''d give anything to see him again. I want to¡­ I want him to know that I-"


    "H-how I feel." she quickly corrected herself becoming even more flushed.


    "Is that so?" The Reaper peeked back at the small black sphere in his hands.


    Something rolled over to Megumi, hitting her leg softly. "Huh?" Megumi picked it up.


    "That black ball there is a core. But not just any core. It''s that of a demon. The very same demon boy you were so fond of."


    Megumi peeked back at the Reaper even more confused.


    "Believe it or not, here in Purgatory It''s hard for a person to actually die. And unlike the living world we''re neither made of flesh nor blood. What makes up our true being is a core that resides in all of us. You can say that each of our cores represent the weight of our sins."


    "Is¡­ Is that true?"


    "Who knows. But whatever past you had, and mistakes you''ve made up until now. They''re all meaningless"


    Megumi turned to the reaper, now on her knee. "There''s nothing meaningless about the past! Even if my life was hard. I never want to forget the times I spent with Eric!"


    The Reaper chuckled to himself, this turned into a laughter, confusing Megumi. Unexpectedly, The Reaper got back to her feet, with his robe repairing itself as if by magic. "You truly can''t let this Eric person go, can you? I have to say Megumi, you''re the first person in a long time that''s gained my interest."


    Megumi stood back up too, still confused by the reaper''s remarks.


    The Reaper paused for a moment, as if pondering something. "I can''t currently tell you how¡­ But I do know of one way you can reunite with this man you''re looking for."


    She cracked a smile as hope began to refill her heart.


    The Reaper turned back to Megumi, his look more serious. "However, ¡­ It won''t be easy. In fact, this''ll likely be far worse than what you''ve every face, and it''s not for the faint of heart."

 Chapter 5: Dunes of Ash

    Megumi walked along a strange dirt path within the forest populated by nothing but trees. It felt eerie and empty, as if life had yet to exist. She reached into her jacket pocket, grabbing the core belonging to cider. She examined it for a little before her mind drifted off once more as questions arose.


    Thoughts of the darker copy of herself and the Reaper''s proposal ran through her mind. Then the thoughts of Cider who the Reaper had killed much earlier came up. She still wasn''t sure if the Reaper spoke the truth that he would revive.


    Her thoughts then finally shifted back to Eric. some that she held dearly in her heart.


    "Is something on your mind?"


    Megumi looked back up seeing the Reaper was glancing back at her. She looked back at the core a little unsure.


    "So, there''s no other way, is there¡­"


    A silence enveloped the two as she awaited his response.


    "No." He finally spoke. "While there''s no real way for you to reunite with your friend here in purgatory, I do know of one way you can see him¡­"


    The Reaper looked back towards their path. "Like I said before, it¡¯ll take a lot of effort on your part. Of course, That is if you truly wish to see him¡­"


    "O-of course I do!" Megumi proclaimed. She ran up to the Reaper, putting the core back in her pocket.


    "I''ll do anything it takes to see him again! Even if I have to-"


    "Yes, I know." The Reaper interrupted. "You''re much too eager and determined for a woman so sensitive."


    "So, what!? I''m serious about seeing him again. No matter what!" she retorted, her eyes now filled with determination.


    The Reaper sighed. "I''m sure you are¡­ But before you go jumping down any cliffs, you should really think this over carefully¡­ After all, you still have a chance to live a normal life in purgatory."


    "I¡­I know that¡­ But¡­ If I don''t do this, I know I''ll regret never telling Eric that I love him." Megumi became flush and averted her eyes from the Reaper, rubbing her own arm from embarrassment.


    "Oh¡­ If that''s the case, I won''t pry any further."


    Megumi became even more flushed, and her mind dizzied from his comments. "Th¡­ Thank you."


    "I can''t believe I said it!!" Her mind began to race a million miles an hour.


    "Do you still have that core by chance?" the Reaper asked, Bringing Megumi out of her stupor.


    "H-huh?"


    "The core of that kid demon."


    "O-o-oh yeah¡­" Megumi pulled it from pocket, still a little disoriented. "And his name was Cider! Here."


    The Reaper glances at it briefly. "Good. By the look of things, he might return sooner than I expected. So, make sure to keep it close to you."


    Megumi put the core back into her pocket once more.


    "There are other Demons that might take the chance to devour him in that state¡­ That is if they''re stupid enough to do so¡­"


    "Yeah. Sure. But I''m still not sure if I believe that this ball thing is supposed to be him."


    "You''ll see in due time¡­"


    Unknown to Megumi, they were being watched from afar by a pale woman. Her eyes were coal black, and black long hair. She also had a black mark that streaked down from her eyes on her face like a knife. She grabbed the edge of the tree, breaking chunks of it off as she glared at the two of them.


    Megumi glanced back, hearing the noise, but found nothing of note. She continued to scan until she was called by the Reaper. She gave another glance back before retreating to the Reaper.


    The Women watching this could only growl as she watched them enter further into the forest. "Cider belongs to me!"


    The Women receded from the tree with her robe cloaking most of her body. "How dare they-" She stopped herself.


    "What are you waiting for?" a gremlin voice asked.


    Right above the women a grotesquely shaped beast crawled down. Its features were extremely like that of a human, but as if by some strange evolution its body was contorted. What should''ve been the top of the person''s head, held the fangs of a monster with the eyes separating further as if trying to look beyond itself.


    "Let¡¯s just eat her! And get that kid!"


    The eyes fixed itself like a chameleon straight at the women.


    The Women snarled, revealing her teeth to also be fang like a demon. She refused to look at the ugly creature.


    "No. There''s a reaper among her¡­ I''m sure of it!"


    "Coward!" The monster said. What would a Reaper want with a girl like her!? She looks weak. Not to mention that sweet~ smells she''s giving." The monster began to drool. "It''s so irresistible, I can barely hold myself back now."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    "If you want the girl so bad, why don''t you try it yourself. There''s nothing for you to lose if you get her."


    The demon cackled hearing her remark. It lunged forth to the next tree to chase after Megumi. "You don''t have to ask me twice!"


    It lunged from tree to tree, eventually landing on the ground and making a mad dash towards Megumi. "I can''t wait to savor her taste!"


    With the distance close it pounced!


    To his shock however, he spotted a skeleton reaper, appearing to his side. "Oh."


    In that instant his head was decapitated with the swift motion from the Reaper''s bone tentacle.


    It didn''t take long from the demon to crumble into ash, salting the earth as if he''d never existed.


    Megumi turned around confused. "When did you get behind me?"


    The Reaper walked past her, leaving her befuddled. "Don''t worry about it, let''s go. We should be close to the rift."


    "Okay?" Megumi continued to follow behind as the Demon women continued to watch.


    "I won''t let them take you away from me so easily." she growled. "I''ll just use that man to get him back." The Women slinks back into the darkness as many white cat-like pupils of other demon¡¯s peer out, all scattered around like black pepper.


    ********


    Soon after traveling further into the forest, Megumi and the Reaper finally arrived at their destination. Megumi was in awe as a white-bluish light glowed faintly.


    Before them was what looked like a bolt of lightning that ripped through the sky, standing still as if stuck in time. Its many sparks protruded out, shaping to that of a tree. Approaching it and getting a better look, Megumi could tell that it was just as thick too.


    "Whoa¡­ It looks like a grand tree¡­" Megumi glanced back, a little nervous. "S-so we just walk through it?"


    "Yes." The Reaper didn''t hesitate to begin walking through it. "Now follow me."


    Megumi took a gulp, readying herself for the worse. "O-okay¡­ For Eric¡­"


    She closed her eyes and with the little courage she had she walked though, feeling the sensation of something pushing down at her, lightly. opening them back up, she became even more shocked than before.


    Before her stood a vast land of gray dunes. In the far distance, even more of the strange lightning bolts were spread throughout the land. Some, more visible than others. She looked around, finding what looked to be gray sand that surrounded them, but they were much softer than that.


    "What¡­ Is this?"


    Looking behind that same lightning bolt that passed through, and looking beyond it she jumped. Within a nearby rock formation was a person''s actual face with an expression of agony written on it., stumbling back into the reaper. Fear now etched in her face.


    "What you see before you are the remains of the defeated."


    "I-I thought you said no one could die in Purgatory." Megumi said.


    "I said it''s harder to die. Not that you couldn''t. But the ash you see and the rocks you see, are those who are in deep slumber. Some of them are demons. Others are the ancestors of old that were defeated way past their prime."


    The Reaper turned Megumi to look in a certain direction, he then pointed. "You see that city over there?"


    Megumi''s eyes widened, surprised she missed something so obvious within the gray desert. The city looked to be elevated on a strange rock formation the poof up like a mushroom. Its walls were rough and rocky and chaotic with a gate that looked much more pristine. It had another towering building like something she''s seen in some of the residential areas she once visited.


    "Is that arc?"


    "No. That city is Gondola, otherwise known as the ''the city that walks''..."


    "The city that walks?"


    "Yes. and it''ll bring us to Arc within a few days." The reaper wasted little time pressing on. Megumi then came to the realization that they still had a way to go. She quickly changed her attitude, pumping herself up. She raced by the Reaper''s side, remaining quiet. Seeing all the strange human shaped rock formations throughout the dunes made her unnerved.


    Wanting to shift her mind she attempted to talk to the Reaper. "Hey Reaper, c-can you just tell me how that city''s going to bring us to Arc."


    "I don''t think you''re ready for that kind of conversation just yet."


    "Try me! I''m really good at listening."


    The Reaper sighed, giving in easily. He proceeds to give an in-depth explanation. But as he continued Each of Megumi''s brain cells slowly started burning away one by one as she tried to remain composed. Her mouth twitched as she watched the Reaper continue until the very last sentence.


    "...So, you could say that Purgatory itself is moving, and not the city." The Reaper glanced back at Megumi. "Did you get that?"


    Megumi continued to smile, a little more awkwardly. "So it moved like a plane?"


    The Reaper stared for a moment. "Yes¡­ It moved like a plane."


    Megumi laughed and rubbed the back of her head, feeling a little awkward. "Purgatory is a little more complicated than I expected. Eheheheh."


    "In due time you''ll understand more about this world, but for now just take it one thing at a time. Besides, you were born into this world not even a week ago."


    "A-alright." she squeaked.


    "Halt."


    Megumi looked back, seeing that they''d already made it to the city gate. "Oh¡­"


    The Reaper walked in front, flashing the pendant coupling his robe together. "She''s with me," he said.


    "Very well, go on ahead." The guard moved aside allowing them to pass through.


    Megumi noticed that the guards looked to be offly laxed. Each of them minding their own business.


    The huge wooden gate in front of them began to open, slowly revealing a bustling market of shops and stands, all decorated with a variety of colors. People were haggling and exchanging something that looked to be ethereal from their bodies in exchange for goods or some service.


    "What are you waiting for?" The Reaper said.


    Megumi realized that she just spaced about looking at all the people going about their day.


    "A¡­Are you sure."


    "Yes. As long as you''re with me, you¡¯ll be safe. Besides, Gondola is a sanctuary for all people."


    With her confidence renewed, she rejoined the Reaper. She looked around in awe, amazed by how lively the city was. It was just as big as her small town but much busier overall.


    Eventually after a while, she noticed some demons lurking about and shopping around. Some were pale skinned while others had pale green skin. all had a differently shaped black mark riddle somewhere on their bodies. There were a few however, that either carried extra human limbs or extra eyes and mouths on them. She found them unnerving to look at.


    "H-hey¡­"


    The reaper understood the source of her troubles immediately. He spoke much more quietly so only she heard him, "Like I said. Gondola is a sanctuary for all. Demons like I said are the most unpredictable beings here in Purgatory. But at the end of the day, they were all once human like you and I"


    "Huh?" Megumi looked at the Reaper a little confused. "You''re a human!? No way!!" her Doubt was made clear.


    The Reaper, seeing this, burst out into laughter, finding her sudden outburst comical. Megumi stared back at the Reaper indignantly, almost offended. "What''s so funny?"


    Suddenly, a demon with many eyes and an opened collared shirt bumped into Megumi hard, knocking her back. "Ow!"


    "Hey!" she yelled.


    The Demon turned back fast, bowing. "Sorry. Sorry. I''m in a rush!" The demon turned and continued forth, not stopping for a moment.


    "That was rude¡­what was that about¡­?" Megumi questioned. Looking back at the demon.


    "Pay them no mind, C''mon I know a place where we can rest for the night. I''m sure you''ll find it cozy."


    Megumi turned back, to follow the Reaper to their upcoming destination. Unknown to either of them, however, the demon with many eyes opened a pouch, dropping a black core in with a mixture of white and gray cores.


    The demon smiled to himself. "Hehehe¡­ It''s not often you see someone with a core on them, she made it too easy."


    That very black core began to pulse and glow. The same core that Megumi just lost.

 Chapter 6: Mischeivous

    A pale green skinned demon with multiple eyes riddled on his body wanders and turns down many alleyways, hidden from view. He passes by a few sleeping, grotesquely formed demons sleeping.


    He paid them no mind as he continued his trek forward. He was less than concerned with the sight of these lowly demons that struggle. Most of them limped or even struggled to get up from the ground. They were all just weak demons, waiting to get put out of their misery.


    After journeying through the alleys, he finally arrived at his destination. Before his was a shabby, makeshift shack that didn''t look too noteworthy.


    He approached the door and brought out his one clawed finger. And as if giving a code, he scratched the surface of the door, rhythmically.


    The door clicked, slowly opening for the demon. However, he didn''t wait, pushing the door open more forcefully. he erupted inside the hideout, quickly setting himself on a couch by the door.


    "Got the haul you wanted." The multi-eyed demon threw a decent sized sack on the ground. "Now we have all three hundred like you wanted."


    A fat gnome sized demon glanced from behind the forcefully opened door. He closed it and rushed to the sack. And despite it having no eyes on its face, the uncontained excitement was clearly visible with its smile.


    It opened the sack, marveling at the new haul of white and gray spheres within it. All of them, cores, from other people.


    A much taller demon with no nose approached the sack, with a much more serious demeanor. He then glanced at the multi-eyed demon, who flashed a smile and chuckled.


    "With this many, it could last us a year," The short demon exclaimed. He investigated the sack, practically drooling.


    "Don''t go eating our bargaining chip, just because you want more power, Weasel." The tall demon calmly stated.


    "I-I wouldn''t dare!" The multi-eyed demon spoke up once more. "I think that concludes my end of the deal. Don''t you think?"


    The tall demon proceeded to shift through the sack until he found what looked to be a pulsing black core. An anger flared.


    Suddenly the tall demon smashed his leg down upon the multi-eyed demon, destroying the couch he sat on. The tall demon then grabbed him by the neck, pulling him up.


    "What''s the meaning of this Devon!!?"


    "C-calm down Farn" Devon choked.


    The tall demon, Farn, presents the black core to Devon. "What is the meaning of this demon''s core??"


    "Nngghhh¡­. I just¡­. Snatched it from some women!"


    Farn slammed Devon into wall. "This is unacceptable! If we gave this to the Sin of Rage itself, we would all perish!


    Weasel, the short demon, freaked out as Farn slammed Devon back into the destroyed couch. "Go back out there and get an actual human soul!!"


    Farn let Devon go, leaving him to gasp for air.


    "F-f-f-farn!" Weasel pointed to the black core in his hands, finding it pulsing much more rapidly. "W-what do we do with that!?"


    "We get rid of it.," he said plainly.


    Farn quickly posed himself, ready to throw the core into the sky. The only problem being that they were inside of a shabby home.


    "W-wait. You''re not going to¡­"


    With all his strength, Farn hurdled the core through the ceiling and far into the sky!


    The black core hurled on like a rocket in the sky and slowly began to descend. As it did, the pulsing ceased, and the black core glowed brightly.


    From outside the core, a boy began to materialize from a mist being brought together by some mysterious force. His yellow shirt and blue jeans became noticeable. and a familiar face and hair also formed back in.


    Finally, Cider has revived. Albeit in the sky over Gondola while sleeping soundly.


    Upon feeling the rush of air on his face, Cider finally woke up, yawning. And looking down.


    "Huh¡­. WHHAAAAAAATTT!?????"


    Cider freaked out falling from high up in the air. Unknown to him, two hooded figures are watching from a far distance as he flails his body around.


    Cider looked around for a way out of his predicament. Seeing that he was getting much closer to the ground, he made a gamble. He outstretched his arms, grabbing the top of a building. And in one move, he launched himself back into the air and crashed through another taller building!


    Cider burst through the walls of small apartments for several people landing in a bathroom, where an old man sat, doing his business and reading the newspaper


    Cider shook the rubble off himself and took a good look of his surroundings until he realized the old man was just staring at him.


    Cider waved. "Hi¡­"


    The old man seeing this started gasping like a goldfish, not long after, he turned to ash, leaving cider by himself again.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "Oh..."


    Uninterested in the man, he left the bathroom looking around the apartment. "Whoa. This is like a house. But smaller."


    Cider immediately began jumping on the bed, rummaging through belongings and playing dangerously on the window.


    He stopped, finally realizing something. "Huh. Wait a minute. Where am I?"


    He peeked out the window again, finding an assortment of rustic buildings and one very tall building that erupted into the sky like a needle. "Whoa~!"


    "DEMON!!" a woman screamed.


    "Huh?" Cider glanced back, seeing an elderly woman falling on her butt. A lot of different people rushed over to her aid from the hall.


    "Get that demon!" one of the residents creamed.


    Cider could only cock his head in confusion.


    "Oh~~." Cider smiled. "This is another game! Is this a tag?"


    A man rushed in conjuring a cleaver into his hands and attacking with it! Cider dodged.


    "Oh. Are you ''it''?" He laughed.


    The frustration on the man became more evident.


    Cider stretched his hand past the old woman to the hallway door.


    "Catch me if you can!"


    Cider slung himself out the room into the hall.


    "Harold! W-where''s Harold!?"


    The man with the cleaver glances back finding a pile of ash on the bathroom toilet.


    "That kid took his core!! After him!!!"


    Many of the resident''s that witnessed the event began pursuit. They ripped through the hall following Cider close behind as he ran. Reaching the end of the hall for the stairs, a knife was thrown, missing Cider by a hair.


    He glanced back a little surprised. "Hey, everyone can''t be ''it''."


    Another man that caught up threw a punch. Cider dodged, latching himself on the ceiling. "Alright. If that''s who you all wanna play the game with, I''m fine with it."


    "You bastard! Give the old man back!"


    Cider stuck his tongue. "What are you talking about? Dummy!"


    Cider dodged another sudden attack from a strange energy blast. And push past the last man into the staircase.


    He jumped over the railing plummeting towards the ground floor.


    "He''s trying to escape! " The residents followed suit jumping down the rails too.


    "Haha. Dummies. I''m not going down!" Cider smiled more widely as they realized he was holding onto another railing. Not long after he launched himself up past a few reluctant residents.


    Those residents followed up the stairs as Cider landed on the top floor. He turned, peeking down the stairs. A small group of them continued to rush up. Seeing her blew a raspberry, taunting them.


    "That little-!"


    Cider scooted off, giggling to himself as he opened the door to the roof. Walking outside he got a better look of his surroundings, seeing that he was no longer in the town he was in before. He observed the needled tower, curiosity lighting up in her eyes.


    "Hmmm¡­.. I feel like I''m forgetting something¡­"


    Cider''s thoughts were interrupted as the resident finally caught up, now running at him, he wasted little time fleeing and sticking his tongue at them. Inching closer to the edge of the building, he jumped.


    The resident watched in horror. "That demon''s crazy! What''s he thinking!?"


    ********


    Back with the elderly woman, she''s bawling her eyes out. Her worry for her husband, clearly visible. Suddenly, within the old man''s ashes, his core pulse violently unit it shined. He was revived within his bathrooms.


    His hands gripped the door, three times bigger than what it was before. Veins pulse in his arms and neck as he clenches his now squared jaw.


    The elderly woman saw him, now becoming relieved and ecstatic. "Harold, you''re still okay!! You had me so worried! Huh? You look upset." The woman cocked her head, pondering a thought.


    "Where''s that boy!"


    "That demon you mean?" she asked.


    Suddenly, Cider came into the view of the old man, just outside their window. His eyes widened. He pushed past his wife, crashing through the walls and window, leaping at Cider.


    His body was three times its original size with muscle on top of muscles, tearing through the fabric of his clothes. And the once frail looking man was now the peak of human evolution with his short brown hair and goatee.


    Despite this change of appearance Cider could still recognize him as the old man he met a moment ago with just a glance.


    "Old man?"


    The old Man, Harold Punched Cider hard in the chest, sending them both hurtling into the next building, cratering into the floorboard.


    The man backed away glaring at Cider with indignation. "Lil bastard. What kinda prank are you trying to pull here?"


    Cider got back up from the crater, smiling widely. "Looks like you caught me."


    An eerie aura started to surround Cider. It even started to unnerve the man. He posed himself to be ready for anything.


    "I guess that makes me ''It'', doesn''t it?" Cider rubbed the back of his head, chuckling, as if he''d lost some bet.


    "Damn brat are you trying to give me another heart attack!?"


    Now pissed, Harold threw another punch. To his shock, the punch was stopped, sending a shock wave that destroyed the wall behind Cider..


    Cider peeked his head out with a sly smile. "Heh. You''re ''it''."


    Harold''s Vein pulsed from anger. He followed with another punch that was dodged by Cider.


    He threw another and another and another punch all directed and missing Cider. Each punch made, leaving a devastating hole through the building, crushing and busting everything around him. All the while cider laughed from the excitement of not being caught.


    Now in the air Harold found his opening, he wasted little time hurling his fist Cider. Unexpectedly Cider once again caught it, midair. He ended up hanging on the man''s fist, cruising his own instinct.


    Harold threw another punch that Cider dodged.


    Cider then outstretched his hands to the man, finding him blocking his attack.


    "Hah! Now you''re ''It'' again!"


    To Cider''s surprise, Harold grabbed his arm, pulling Cider straight at him. "This isn''t some game!!"


    Harold punched Cider hard in the stomach sending him flying out of the building and into several more of the smaller buildings.


    Harold looked, still angry. "Damn kids."


    A second later, the buff man instantly turned back to his frail looking body. He gave a sigh as he looked around for an exit.


    ********


    As Cider continued to hurtle down wards in the air, he crashed through another building and even whizzed past Megumi and the Reaper who were looking around the market.


    "Huh?" Megumi glanced up and looked around in the sky. "Did you hear something just now?" she asked.


    "No. Don''t worry about it. Let''s just keep going." he said.


    "Okay¡­"


    Megumi glanced back briefly at a random dress a vendor was pawning off. With a sigh she followed back with the Reaper.


    ********


    Finally, after a while, Cider crashed into another building. He now found himself hanging upside down, absolutely stupefied by the sudden trip.


    "That old man is strong¡­" Cider glanced at his stomach, finding the wound left behind, healing up fast. He relaxed himself, allowing himself to sway in the broken building.


    "I still feel like I''m forgetting something important¡­ But what is it¡­"


    Cider closed his eyes and rubbed his chin, lost in thought. "Hmmmm¡­. I think it had something to do with a¡­ girl?"


    Opening his eyes he found a hooded figure posed and ready with his fist.


    "Huh?"


    Cider was struck in the face and into the destroyed building. Luckily for him, he was able to land on his feet.


    "Welcome to Gondola¡­ Under the authority of the Reaper Corp, you can consider your life, forfeit."


    Cider smiles widely, amused.


    Standing behind him now were two people wearing a hooded uniform. A man with tan skin, black hair and green eyes. And a woman with fair skin, blonde hair and blue eyes, who wore a strange mask just over her nose.


    He continues. "You must have some balls for breaking into this city."


    Cider turned around, revealing the sharpened teeth in his smile. His eyes became a pitch black, and he chuckled to himself happily. "Would you like to play tag too?"

 Chapter 7: Ciders Game

    The Women in the Hood uniform pulled her mask down. Revealing an absence of mouth. Suddenly Cider leapt forward, his smile agape. His now black, misty hands were ready to attack.


    "I''m gonna getcha!" He shouted.


    However, to his surprise, Sonic waves shot from just under him, launching him in the air!


    "Huh?"


    Looking back at the two reaper''s, A fist suddenly appeared from thin air punching cider in the face, sending him back.


    He reoriented himself quickly, landing back on the ground. Despite his immediate confusion he pressed on, dashing back, forth. The two reapers also went on the offensive, ready to fight.


    Cider slung his hands forth, but it was caught!


    He noticed a hand missing from the hooded man. Suddenly he was tossed into the sidewall. He recovered quickly, and upon jumping back down, he found the woman just mere inches from him.


    Cider was blasted in the face with a sonic wave from the women. Confused, he attempted to move his hands closer to the women, but it was like he was stuck in midair, unable to get any closer.


    "Cheaters!" he pouted.


    Just then his face was seemingly grabbed and received a head butt from above. He crashed into the ground and once again the women kept him pinned with a sonic wave.


    Cider met this challenge head on, mustering all his strength to get up on his feet.


    Suddenly another sonic wave blasted him from just above! The floorboard beneath his feet gave out, plunging him deeper into the floor.


    "This¡­ Isn''t fair!" Cider yelled.


    With all his strength Cider stretched and whipped arm, nearly hitting the woman. This was stopped by a blast of sonic coming from her body, sending his arm twirling back, before it returned to normal.


    "Keep him right there!"


    The hooded man was closing the distance from above. with his fingers and arm outstretched he thrusted his arms at Cider.


    He blocked him. The overwhelming power soon cracked the last of the floor and with one last press he sent cider completely through the floor.


    The hooded man jumped back to his partner, annoyed


    "Tch!"


    "Mmm. Mm."


    "Yeah, I know." The man said.


    They burst through the floor below, reinitializing their attack with Cider. Upon seeing them, Cider prepared himself. "Something''s telling me they don''t wanna play tag¡­" He thought.


    Both the reaper''s attack simultaneously, both getting blocked.


    A flurry of attacks came Cider¡¯s way. He blocked both reapers the best he could, as he got grazed by some of their attacks and punches.


    They both pressed him with attack after attack, each one more confusing than the last. It was like the man''s punches were coming from nowhere!


    Meanwhile the women step back and blasted Cider with sonic wave from her palm, sending it not only through him, but throughout the entire building.


    The man came back in, dishing out a punch to the gut, followed to Cider¡¯s face.


    Hearing a noise of birds to his left, he jerked his head to the noise and successfully bit the man''s hand.


    "Ow!" he reeled his arm back, shaking off his hand from the sudden pain. "Cheeky demon."


    Cider was once again blasted into the air once more by the blast of sonic. He spun in a dizzying motion that felt like it''d make him puke.


    Realizing their game, he outstretched his arms and legs, sending a dizzying array of random attacks that devastated the building! His legs and bladed hands slammed and cut through and into the building and its walls indiscriminately, leaving the two reapers on the defense.


    They both dodged and countered the best they could as rubble began falling in wake of the chaos.


    "This demon is more of a pain than we thought. What do you want to do about this Chime?"


    "Mmmm." Chime aimed her hands at the man and echoed her thought into him "You know what we have to do, Dove."


    The two became more serious and charged forth in the collapsing building.


    "Alright! Let''s take this outside!!" Dove landed a lucky punch on a spinning Cider, launching him out of the building. Chime followed up by grabbing Dove and blasting their way out of the building.


    Dove could only look back with guilt. "Sorry everyone. We''ll have some help for you all later."


    The building completely collapsed behind them leaving a ruin.


    Cider after a while crashed and landed into what seems to be a relatively peaceful park. Both parents and children alike fled, seeing this commotion.


    Cider lifted his head from the ground seeing the fleeing civilians. There were benches and trees and a large lake to boot. He smiled, taking a liking to the scenery.


    This didn''t last long however as the Dove and Chime slammed their attacks at Cider, cratering the ground.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    To their shock, he wasn''t beneath them.


    "I guess playing tag is getting boring, isn''t it? But I don''t know what other games we should play."


    They both looked up, finding cider sitting on a tree branch with ease. He seemed to be lost in thought with his fingers on his chin. "Hhmmmmmm¡­. How about hide''n''seek""


    Cider dodged another sonic attack from Chime.


    He landed on his feet now running laughing. "Yeah! Let''s play that! Find me if you can!"


    "This kid is getting on my nerves," Dove stated.


    He pursued Ciders with every intention to kill him. Cider glanced back. "Huh?"


    He dodged another of his strange attacks again.


    "Hey!" Cider snarled, glaring back at Dove. looked ready to fight back, so Dove prepared to counter him.


    Cider pointed at him and¡­


    "That''s not how Hide''n''seek is played! You have to count to ten then look for me, cheaters." he scolded.


    Dove was left in complete disbelief by what this demon child just said. "Huuuhh?? You can''t be serious¡­"


    "Don''t get distracted!" Chime echoed to Dove.


    "Tch. Right!"


    Dove, hearing her, went back on the attack. "We''re not here to play some games you damn demon!"


    Dove''s fist projected from above Cider, nearly hitting him. The fist dispersed into doves that flew away.


    Chime followed behind, sending a shockwave from under Cider once again.


    "Not fair!" he yelped.


    He tried to keep himself firmly planted to the ground, digging his feet further in. Chime wasted little time closing the distance along with Dove. She sent even more sonic waves at Cider from above, keeping him pinned to the ground.


    Now with a solid opening Dove went in for another killing.


    "You two are no fun." he quietly said.


    Dove struck Cider in his chest with a powerful punch. Pressure rippled past his back from its sheer power.


    But to Dove''s shock, Cider didn''t even finch. "What the-"


    "I just wanted to play and have fun. And make new friends¡­"


    A dark aura surrounded Cider as cracks appeared across his body. Dove backed away quickly from Cider.


    "Why can''t I have friends?" Even more cracks dispersed into his body.


    "Argh! This is the worst-case scenario. Now he''s going into the state of Chaos!"


    Cider''s entire body got enveloped into pure black with cracks still visible. And his voice became akin to a broken radio.


    "Fine, I''ll have my own fun by myself!"


    "CHIME!" Dove shouted.


    Chime immediately sent out a pulsed shockwave from every corner of the park that aimed at Cider. From every tree to bench and even hills.


    Slowly Cider''s eyes were consumed by white. And the only thing visible to the two reapers were his pitch-black clothing, cracks throughout his body and his sharp, fanged teeth as he smiled.


    Cider lifted his arms, still somehow standing from the immense pressure being sent his way.


    His fingers drooped down from his hands and like taffy, he whipped it around him devastating the trees and bushes around! A wave of dark energy pulsed through killing the once lush green grass. He even scratched up the two reapers.


    Chime''s sonic waves ceased, freeing Cider. He went on the attack.


    Outstretching his arms he slammed it to the ground. Slam after slam sending debris everywhere!


    He contorted his body, now using his legs to whip and whack at Dove and Chime to the ground.


    The park filled itself with dirt and debris.


    Taking advantage of all the debris, Chime used them to blast sonic waves and projected fists into Cider''s direction, some landing as others were blocked. Dove also followed up, attacking with his projected fists.


    Cider plowed through their attack, closing the distance on Dove. Now posed with his sharp clawed hand he swung down hard cutting into the reaper!


    Or so it seemed.


    To Cider''s surprise, part of his body turned to doves, flying away! Soon Dove''s entire body turned into a bird. Reappearing behind Cider, he grabbed him from behind, holding him down.


    "Chime now!" he shouted.


    Chime appeared before Cider held her palm outstretched to him. In an instant she sent a shock wave through his head, jerking it back!


    Cider kicked her away with his outstretched legs, then bit into the Dove''s arm, forcing him to release Cider. Backing away, Dove found Cider back on the attack.


    They both fell into a series of flurrying attacks, each one avoiding or blocking the other as Chime would attempt to intervene in vain.


    Cider''s smile widened more devilishly. "I''m gonna get ya."


    "MMMmm!!!"


    Unexpectedly, Chime pulled her ace. She emitted a sonic wave shaped demon that punched into Cider hard. sending him into the lake behind.


    Just as it seemed they got a breather, Cider jumped from the lake and, like a spinning top, attacked the two of them again!


    They could only block this attack in vain with each of their strange powers. Suddenly another slash came onto their chest and stomachs.


    "How is he-!"


    Chime Steeled herself along with Dove as she sends another more powerful sonic shock wave from under Cider is blasted into the air, more disoriented.


    "DOVE NOW!!" Chime echoed.


    Dove, using his strange ability, turned into a flock of dove birds, reappearing above Cider. Dove projected a kick onto Cider sending him crashing into the ground.


    Dove landed back on the ground safely. "Tch! He''s tougher than expected! Where the hell did this little bastard come from!?"


    "Mmm. Mmm."


    "I don''t know but we need to secure his core here and now before he wreaks even more havoc!" Chime Echoed.


    Not long after, Cider tore himself from the ground and charged straight back at Chime and Dove.


    He outstretched his arms and in that same moment, he jumped, spinning like a pinwheel. He ripped through the ground, nearly hitting the two. He landed on the ground, revealing his arms now to be two long blades!


    "He can morph too!?


    Cider attacked.


    He swung, blocked and slashed them. The two reapers give an inch as they both traded blows with Cider attempting to put an end to this struggle. And just as Cider Seemed to be on the winning edge, Dove found his opening, thrusting his arms towards Cider''s chest!


    "Gotcha!!!"


    Memories flashed in his mind at that moment. Confusing him. It was a memory of getting stabbed in the chest from behind, just as Megumi was gonna shake his hands. He remembers the look of despair on her face.


    "Meg¡­Gumi¡­?"


    Unexpectedly, Cider grabbed onto Dove''s hand, shocking him. "H-how did he?"


    Slowly the pitch-black skin dissolved away with his black eyes returning.


    This shocked Both Dove and Chime. Leaving them in a state of confusion.


    Dove quickly ripped his arm away from Cider, jumping back to Chime.


    "What''s¡­ Happening?"


    Chime was rendered speechless.


    "Chime."


    She was brought out of her stupor.


    "Mmm.


    "I don''t know what''s happening." She echoed. "This is my first time seeing a demon return from its chaotic state in the middle of battle. It rare to see something like this happening"


    "Is he up to something then?" Dove wondered.


    A cold sweat ran down their faces as they watched Cider just look around, confused.


    Cider spoke to himself very quietly. "That''s right¡­ I do have a friend." he remembered back to the events before. With Megumi accepting him just before he was killed.


    Cider turned back to the two Reaper''s he was just fighting "Hey!" Cider yelled. "Have you seen a girl named Megumi and mean looking skeleton in a hood?"


    "Mmm?"


    "Skeleton in a hood?" Chime wondered.


    Dove shook. "This damn demon¡­ What kind of joke is this!!?"


    In that moment Dove dashed back in with a blind fury.


    Cider Dodged his first strike.


    "You''re mean," Cider said.


    He blocked another. And saw the frustrated face of Dove peeking through.


    "Why are you so angry?"


    Dove began to outstretch his finger, channeling some mysterious power. A red light emitted from his palm.


    "Mmm!"


    "What are you thinking!? Chime echoed. "If you use that, you''ll enter the state of chaos!!"


    "That''s the point! There''s no better time to use it until now! Alright demon! Prepare to die!!"


    Cider could only look a little confused. But just as Dove was going to use his secret weapon, he felt the presence of some from behind him fast approaching.


    "A demon??" He thought


    "Leave Cider alone!!" A woman yelled from behind.


    Hearing the running from behind, Dove quickly and easily dodged out the way.


    Suddenly, Megumi completely missed her mark and punched Cider square in the face! Her eyes widened, in shock and horror.


    "I''M SO SORRY!!!!!!" she yelled, unable to contain her guilt.


    Both Chime and Dove were left in a state of confusion by the unfolding event before them.


    "Huh???"

 Chapter 8: New Troubles

    Cider was punched hard in the face, by none other than Megumi. She could only look on, in horror.


    Cider flew and fell to the ground hard. "OW!!"


    "Ow. Ow. Ow!" Cider felt his face. He glared up, but seeing Megumi, his expression immediately changed.


    "I-I-I''m so Sorry!" Megumi blurted. She hurried over to Cider¡¯s side.


    "Megumi?"


    Megumi started to ramble off, apologizing. Cider didn''t pay attention to this. He smiled and jumped up in joy. "There you are!!"


    "Huh??"


    To Megumi''s surprise, Cider practically danced around her, stupefying not only her, but the other two Reaper''s that were fighting Cider not too long ago.


    As they watched, the skeleton reaper that was accompanying Megumi arrived behind him.


    "I told her not to rush in," He sighed.


    Dove glanced back, finding the skeleton reaper just watching Cider climb over Megumi.


    "W-w-what the hell!??" Dove stumbled back onto his butt and Chime watched the Reaper with a cold sweat running down her face.


    Dove reoriented his eye, as if recognizing him, "W-wait aren''t you-"


    "That demon child¡­" The Reaper interrupted. "He''s with us¡­"


    ¡°H-huh?¡± Dove looked on, in surprise hearing the Reaper''s words.


    "I think someone stole his core off of us when we weren''t paying attention. It wasn''t until he entered his chaos state that I realized he wasn''t with us."


    The Reaper glanced back at Dove. "I take responsibility for the trouble he caused. I''ll try keeping him on a shorter leash."


    The Reaper looked at Cider much more intensely. ¡°That child¡­ He somehow freed himself from the chaos state¡­ He¡¯s much stronger than I expected¡­¡±


    "Are you sure you want to keep this demon with you? We can take him off your hands." Chime echoed.


    "Ah, Chime. That won''t be necessary. But what brings you two, to Gondola?"


    "It''s a private matter." Chime glanced at Megumi, who looked relieved, despite Cider''s playful nature being on full display. "I''m also assisting someone else, like you are."


    "You mean this kid here?" The Reaper, clearly referring to Dove.


    "No. Hahahaha. My student here to help me with the matter at hand."


    "I see."


    "HEY!" Dove suddenly shouted.


    He held out a note pad with a pen, bowing in respect. "Can I get your signature please!!"


    This surprised the Reaper.


    "He''s a fan of yours. He''s heard of all your past exploits."


    The Reaper sighed. ¡°Another person dove into the forbidden archives?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Chimed echoed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I can¡¯t expect all my work to be tucked away forever.¡± The Reaper quickly signing the notepad to please the other reaper.


    "Megumi! We''re leaving." He shouted


    Megumi turned back to the Reaper. "O-okay."


    At this moment Cider finally realized that the Reaper was with them. "You!"


    He hopped off Megumi, dashing forth to attack the Reaper.


    "Wait! Cider! He''s not here to hurt you!" Megumi yelled.


    Ignoring Dove and Megumi, he closed in to cut the Reaper with his now black clawed hands.


    Unexpectedly, the Reaper used his bone tentacle to grab Cider by the leg, slamming him to the ground.


    Cider became dazed by this sudden action but quickly recovered. Seeing the Reaper, he swung and swiped at the Reaper, all the while he was hanging upside down by the bone tentacle.


    Everyone witnessing this, was unsure what to make of the scene before them as Cider rambled on and swung away like a puppy defending its master.


    The Reaper could only sigh exhaustedly from this.


    "Will you stop if I promise to buy some Ice cream?" he asked.


    Cider immediately ceased. He continued to stare at the Reaper indignantly. "Maybe."


    ********


    Cider ate away at a large banana split ice cream with vanilla and chocolate scoops.


    Meanwhile Megumi slowly licks away at a cherry flavored ice cream, awkwardly watching Cider eat his.


    They were all eating at an outside an ice cream shop table where people and demons alike passed by them. Watching them from afar was Dove and Chime, who also got their own scoops of ice cream.


    "Hey chime?"


    "Mmm?"


    ¡°Yes?" She echoed.


    "Why did you get ice cream?" Dove asked.


    "Hmm?"


    "I don''t know." Chime promptly threw away the Ice cream.


    Both chime and Dove carefully observed their group quietly as they all ate their treat.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Soon, Cider finished his unnaturally large portion of Ice cream. Gasping in satisfaction with the treat.


    Shortly after he glared back at the Reaper pointing indignantly once again. "Don''t think I''ve forgiven you for what you did! You hurt my friend an-"


    Cider was pulled up by his legs once more. Once again, he attempted to fight the Reaper in vail.


    "Well, that didn''t last long." The Reaper said. He then glanced back at Megumi seeing her a little unsure about something. "Is something on your mind."


    Megumi seemed a little bit distracted.


    "Megumi?" Cider suddenly called out.


    "Huh?"


    That same instant Cider was released, and like a professional he landed on his feet.


    "O-oh sorry I was just a little distracted." Megumi smiled a little more gingerly. "Honestly, I''m so relieved you''re alright. I couldn''t be happier¡­¡±


    Cider cocked his head, a little curious. ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ There¡¯s something different about you¡± Cider got closer to Megumi.


    Seeing that Cider was about to touch her hand, she quickly jerked it away. This surprised Cider.


    ¡°S-sorry! It¡¯s a force of habit. I try to keep from touching my hand, it-¡± Suddenly, Megumi dropped her ice cream, freaking out.


    Cider and the Reaper became alerted.


    "What happened!? Are you alright!?" Cider blurted.


    The Reaper scanned the area for any suspicious person.


    "M-m-m-my gloves!!!" Megumi screeched.


    Megumi quickly dug in her jacket pockets, pants pockets, frantically searching for her gloves.


    "Gloves?" The Reaper questioned irritated. "You didn''t have gloves when you arrived.¡±


    A face instantly became flushed, realizing that the Reaper was correct. She instantly hid her face, completely embarrassed by her outburst.


    "Here you go."


    Megumi brought her head up seeing a waiter holding a fresh new cone of cherry ice cream.


    He was tall, with long black-hair and squinted eyes that made it hard to tell its color. And just with a glance, she could tell that he was from an Asian descent, Chinese perhaps.


    "Oh. Thank you."


    Just as she took the ice cream in hand the waiter suddenly held out his hands in expectancy. "That''ll be five-hundred opal."


    KA-CHING


    "Eh. What?" Megumi became stupefied hearing the absurd sounding number for ice cream. It didn''t take long for Megumi to realize that he was asking for money with people asking for various amounts of ''opal''. It became an easy comparison to the normal dollar bill.


    "Five-hundred opal?" the Reaper asked.


    "Yeah. two hundred for the new ice cream, and three hundred for the mess I have to clean up." he said, with an undeterred smile.


    "Eh?" Megumi''s mouth began to twitch.


    To those not aware, Megumi was always known for two specific things in her hometown. The first, being her cursed touch of death. And the second¡­Her absolute lack of money. In other words, Megumi was always, inexplicably, broke!


    Suddenly she crushed the ice cream cone in her hand, spilling her new ice cream on the floor.


    "Oh, that''s unfortunate."


    The waiter quickly pulled out a notebook and scribbled in it. Not long after he ripped it off and presented it to Megumi. "That''ll be one-thousand opal now¡­ If you want another ice cream of course"


    Megumi could only stare dumbfounded by the man¡¯s actions. "W-why are you charging me for you to clean up my mess?"


    "Because you made a mess, of course. Besides, I can''t go home without getting paid." The waiter gestured with his hands, almost tauntingly.


    Megumi picked a napkin from the table readying it. ¡°Y-you know I think I can clean this mess myself-¡±


    The waiter instantly took the napkin in hand, still standing tall and overconfident.


    ¡°Oh, please. You¡¯re our guest at our shop; I can handle this easily.¡±


    Megumi pulled the napkin towards her. ¡°Then why are you charging me for doing your job?¡± She growled, trying to keep herself composed.


    ¡°A man''s gotta make extra cash somehow in purgatory.¡± He pulled it back towards himself, maintaining his smile.


    ¡°Then charge someone else!¡±


    The bickering continued and left both Cider and the Reaper to watch on, in disbelief.


    After a few more seconds the Reaper finally got up, sighing exhaustedly. "I''ll handle the-"


    "No! I''m sure she can handle her own tab. And she otta have some savings she could spare for this meager exchange. I mean, how could anyone come to Purgatory, completely broke?"


    "Hmm?" the waiter cocked his head. He saw Megumi start to become more annoyed.


    Cider, seeing Megumi¡¯s reaction Jumped onto the waiter exuding a menacing dark aura. The waiter glanced up curiously. He laughed. ¡°And what do you think you''re doing, you little devil?¡±


    "I-I can''t pay you!" She suddenly said.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    "L-look, I¡¯m completely broke. I¡­ Really don¡¯t have any of those ¡®Opal¡¯s¡¯ you¡¯re looking for¡­" Megumi¡¯s face became flushed, completely embarrassed by having to reveal this to the man.


    ¡°Oh? Is that so?¡±


    "Hey Cider." Megumi called.


    Cider immediately turned to Megumi.


    "Could you get off him?"


    Cider looked a little more reluctant to listen to Megumi. Suddenly the waiter busted into laughter. He pointed and laughed straight in Megumi¡¯s face. ¡°How could you enter Purgatory completely broke!?¡±


    After seething for a moment, hearing his laughter, Megumi erupted with anger and pointed straight at him and indignant. ¡°Grr! Kick his butt Cider!¡±


    The Reaper Acted swiftly, pulling Cider off with his tendril before he could do anything. The Reaper could only sigh as he wrestled Megumi to keep calm with another of his bone tendrils


    Not long after the waiter finally ceased to laugh, wiping a tear off his face.


    "Ahh~. Thanks. I feel much lighter now. It¡¯s amazing how easy it is to lighten the load. Hahahaha."


    Never has Megumi been so angry with a person until now. She could only watch on, as the waiter stretched, and smiled nonchalantly. "If you''re really broke, I think I could think of a way for you to pay off your tab."


    Without missing a beat, the Reaper tossed over a red clear looking stone to the waiter. He caught it in his hands, looking at it curiously.


    "There, a thousand opals. We''re not here to play any games. It''s been a long day already."


    "Aww¡­ That''s disappointing."


    The Reaper instantly released Megumi, pulling her from the shop. Cider, not long after, was released too. He hurried alongside them, childishly calling the Reaper names.


    "Maybe I''ll see you all later." The Waiter waved.


    Megumi could only glare back with annoyance. "Later? I hope I don¡¯t have to see him again."


    He ignored this looking back at the small pill sized orb with an amused smile. "Oh, yeah. Forgot to give her that replacement ice cream¡­ Eh, I''ll cover it next time."


    Back with Megumi and her group, they walked through the streets of business and markets, past all the different looking demons and regular looking people.


    "Sorry about him." The Reaper suddenly said.


    "What? O-oh. It''s not your fault. I wasn''t expecting to meet someone so¡­ eccentric??" Megumi tried forcing a smile but practically failed.


    "Hey. Hey. Hey. Where are we going." Cider called,


    "Oh right."  Megumi glanced back at Cider, Jumping around traveling ahead of them now.


    "Can we go in here-"


    He was instantly pulled back by the reaper''s Bone tentacle.


    "Hey!" Cider yelled.


    "New rules. You will follow my lead and the instructions¡­ I don''t need a demon of your caliber causing trouble for this city. The Reaper pulled from his robe a small collar, putting it on Cider.


    "What''s that for?" Megumi asked.


    "If he enters the state of chaos again, the collar will zap him back to normal."


    She was a little surprised to hear this since the collar looked very average. Glancing at the store that Cider was pointing to earlier it seemed to have a variety of gloves on display.


    Megumi¡¯s interest, instantly peaked.


    "Uh¡­ Hey, M-mr. Reaper? Can you get me some new gloves?"


    The Reaper glanced over at the shop with Cider trying to hit him in vain still. He sighed. "Fine. But let''s make it quick." He released Cider who fell to the ground hard. He quickly got up, following the two inside.


    "Wait for me!"


    "By the way Megumi¡­ Feel free to call me ''K''."


    "K¡­? Sure. Thanks, K"


    ********


    Elsewhere in a stony prison, the demon women from the woods, trek past cell after cell looking for a particular person in mind. Most of the cells she passed by contained gnarly and grotesque looking demons, misshapen into beast.


    Some of these demons went on the attack, while others cowered as she passed by them. Eventually she reached a cell with a normal looking human.


    "There you are."


    "Did you find him Annabelle?" a strange looking demon with Pale green skin approached from behind her.


    "Yes. and it looks like he''s raring to go."


    The man in the cell glared back angrily at the two demons before him.


    The man had short blonde-hair, blue-eyes and had a piercing on his left ear. He also wore a torn blue shirt and combat pants. Around his neck was a strange black looking collar.


    ""What do you want from me now?" He questioned.


    A shock was immediately sent through him, emanating from the collar. He cried out in pain, falling to his knee and clutching the collar itself.


    Be careful Dino¡­ You might just become a demon if you''re not careful." Anna taunted.


    Soon the pain passed. Dino glanced back up, much more calmly. "Fine¡­ What do you need from me¡­ Today?


    Anna curled a smile, satisfied. "Good."


    "You have a very important mission; I need you to rescue someone very important to me. And failure is NOT an option."

 Chapter 9: Unsupervised Shopping

    Megumi looked upon her new gloves with pride. "Ahhh~ Thank goodness I have a new pair now."


    Megumi sat just outside the clothing store that they were just shopping at. Lucky for her the Reaper, K, covered the expense of everything.


    Cider hopped up from behind with joy. "I''m so happy you figured out how to put them on!"


    Megumi could only give an awkward sigh before looking at Cider with his new clothes. Luckily, she was able to convince K into purchasing some new good-looking clothes that complimented him much better. It had the bonus of giving him actual shoes to wear. All of it, handpicked by Megumi herself.


    Megumi saw that Cider was looking over her shoulder, practically hovering. She didn''t mind this however, turning her attention back to her gloved hands.


    "Y-yeah, it''s weird how you put clothes on. Having to imagine it myself wasn''t easy¡­" she chuckled a little nervously, remembering all the horrible trial and errors she went through for simple gloves.


    The Reaper, K, approached from behind. "It could''ve been much worse. You''re lucky that you learn fast. Some people it could take weeks before they are able to change out of their clothes."


    "I-is that so?" she replied.


    "Most people have a hard time recalling their memories sometimes. In this world, your memory is one of the most valuable assets you could have. Try changing your clothes everyday using your old memories if you can. It''ll be good practice."


    Megumi side-eyed K, unsure of that idea. "Uhhhh¡­ I''m not sure I''d like to use any of those clothes if I''m honest¡­ I think I prefer something newer like the pair we just got."


    "That''s fine, just make it a habit for yourself to change often."


    "Sure¡­"


    K turned away from the store, ready to leave. He urged Megumi to follow, which she quickly obliged.


    "The residence we''ll be staying in shouldn''t be too far." K noted.


    Eventually after some time of traveling through the streets they came across what looked like a tall glass building that stood in contrast with the rest of the building. Megumi couldn''t remember seeing a building like this when entering the city, and she''s seen a lot of the tall buildings.


    "Where did this building come from?" she asked.


    "It''s out of view from the general public; you can say that it''s a secret hideout for other reapers and their constituents."


    "Is that so¡­?"


    "What are you guys talking about?" Cider simply looked around in confusion, somehow not seeing the building.


    "Megumi, Hold the demon''s hand."


    "O¡­ Okay¡­"


    Megumi grabbed Cider''s hand. This didn''t alleviate Cider''s confusion as he continued to search for the building in question.


    K led the way inside with Megumi following closely behind. To her surprise, he entered the wall like a phantom.


    "Okay. here we go."


    Megumi held her breath, she felt the wet touch as she entered the building.


    Opening her eyes she found a large room with a plethora of people wearing hooded robes. From a distance she can see a pure white service desk with a lady manning and taking other men and women in hooded robes.


    Scanning the room more thoroughly she saw that there were some regular people as well as a couple of demons lingering around but were chained up.


    "Megumi."


    K brought Megumi back to focus. He led the way to the receptionist who stared in shock by the skeleton Reapers mere presences.


    "Y-your-"


    "We need an escort room for three." The Reaper said, with practiced ease.


    The receptionist took a few seconds to register the request.


    "U-u-u-h I''m sorry. But you''ll have to give us some time. We''ll vacant a room for you but It''ll take a little while."


    K sighed hearing his news. "Alright, that''s fine. But please have it ready by tonight."


    The receptionist bowed. "Will do!"


    "So¡­ Uhhh What do we do now" Megumi asked.


    "We''ll wait here until everything is ready." stated, approaching the closest corner of the room. In an instant a table and chair were formed which K quickly used.


    "How did you do that?" Megumi asked, subtly surprised.


    K Ignored her question, pulling a book from his robe, a few new chairs were conjured before them.


    "Just sit and relax." K pointed.


    Cider gave out a disappointed groan. "That''s no fun. Hey! Megumi wanna play a game?"This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    "No games," K said.


    Megumi, unsure what to do, looked around. seeing people waiting patiently as others began to leave.


    "Uumm¡­. Just out of curiosity, how long will we be staying here again?"


    K glanced back at Kalika. "Three days, then that''s when we''ll reach Arc. Why do you ask?"


    "I-I was wondering if. Maybe I could¡­ You know¡­I was thinking about looking around the shops a little more." Megumi as much as she tried to look at the Reaper, averted her eyes many times over. Nervous of his reply.


    ¡°We just came from shopping, and now you want to shop more?¡±


    ¡°I-I just want to look around, that¡¯s all.¡± She defended. ¡°Since we¡¯re going to be staying here for a little, I figured, why not take a better look around¡­¡±


    "Oh! Oh! Can I come!" Cider happily chimed.


    K sighed, then pondered for a moment, thinking about the request.


    "Fine¡­ But you have to keep a close eye on the demon if he¡¯s going with you."


    Megumi smiled happily. ¡°Sure!¡±


    "But only for an hour. After that, I want you to come back here." Suddenly, K tossed something to Megumi. She almost fumbled the catch and gripped on a rectangular looking rock.


    "What''s this?"


    "It¡¯s to help you find this place again. See how its glow''s"


    "Y¡­Yeah?"


    "That''s how you know you''re close by."


    "I see¡­"


    Cider also looked upon the tablet in fascination. "Huh¡­"


    ********


    Megumi now found herself walking throughout the marketplace along with cider, still looking at the tablet. She watched as the glowing from the tablet faded away as she ventured deeper within the market.


    Cider trekked ahead, looking at all the funny little gadgets and trinkets, up for sale. Some of the owners seeing him shooed him away to his disappointment.


    "Meanie." he stuck his tongue out in defiance.


    "Don''t do that." Megumi scolded.


    "But I just wanted to see that necklace."


    Megumi quickly glanced around the busy marketplace of stands and stores. "Hey, why don''t we play a game?"


    "a game?" Cider''s ears perked up.


    "Yeah. I''m looking for something very special¡­" Megumi closed in for a whisper. The item in question surprised Cider.


    "Do you think you can find it?"


    Cider quickly affirmed, calling himself the best item finder in the world. Wasting no time, he zoomed around the marketplace keeping an eye out for the item in question.


    Megumi also scanned around the marketplace, slowly and calmly. From time to time, she would even glance up towards the roof, feeling as though she was being watched.


    She remembered back when K mentioned they were likely going to be observed for a while after the incident with Cider and the other reapers. She presumed this feeling to be connected to that.


    She paid it no mind however, continuing forth in the market.


    Eventually after some time, Cider gasped, finally coming across what Megumi was looking for.


    "I found it! I found it!" he yelled.


    Megumi, hearing him, rushed over to him. Pushing through the crowd and looking through the glass panel of a store.


    "Yup good work Cider!"


    She gave thumbs up, proud of the effort he put in.


    Cider gazed back to the panel, presenting a strange looking book. He then pressed himself on the glass panel, getting a closer look. ¡°So, what kind of book is it that you wanted again.¡±


    ¡°L-lets talk about that inside.¡±


    They both entered the store, beholding the bookcases that lined up like a supermarket. This took Megumi by surprise. She chuckled a little nervously. "T-this is a¡­ Little bigger than expected.


    Looking to her right, there was a woman demon manning the counter. Her skin was a pale green and had extra limbs that assisted with the books. Stamping each one with just a glance.


    Undeterred, Cider hurried over to the demon lady. "Hey, we''re looking for a book."


    The woman stopped, glaring at the boy. She then turned her menacing glare at Megumi who shrank into her shoulder.


    "W-w-w-w-we''re looking for a book, f-f-or romance." she squealed.


    "And comic books." Cider added.


    After a few seconds, the woman set down the tools and books, and got up from the counter, her figure tall and imposing on Megumi.


    Megumi let out a forceful smile, chuckling nervously. Not long after the women circle around the counter, gesturing for the two to follow her.


    Megumi glanced around nervously, finding other strange demons and humans looking at her.


    She suddenly stopped. She presented an entire long line of books.


    "Romance," she said.


    Megumi looked down at the huge, long line of bookshelves. "A-all this?"


    "Is there a name you¡¯re looking for?" The Librarian asked.


    Megumi instantly became nervous and blushed. "O-oh. I don''t know it was¡­ It was¡­"


    "The knight and the cursed princess Saga." Cider suddenly said.


    "C-Cider!"


    "Ah¡­" The demon reached her arm out. Suddenly her arm grew more arms and more arms after that until it grabbed a book. Then it grew another arm and continued grabbing six sets of books.


    The woman reeled back her arms, handing the pile of small books to Megumi.


    "Huh?"


    Megumi, confused, grabs the books in question. She looked, finding that the books she was looking for were all there, as well some of the books she didn''t recognize.


    Before Megumi could thank her, the Librarian spoke up. "I''ve added some recommendations for you. Now for that other request."


    Not long after traveling they were in a section of the bookstore with a plethora of comics.


    The number of comic books she saw was unfathomable. it was like a whole new world entirely.


    Cider dashed forth into the books before them scrounging up every interesting looking comic he could.


    Oh! This one looks so cool! Hey Megumi! Look at this one!" He happily waved the comic around like a flag


    "When you two are done, just see me at the front."


    "O-okay." With those last few words, the woman took her leave.


    Megumi watched on as Cider flipped through the comics, enjoying all the cool panels of art. Eventually after a little while of looking through the books he picked his favorites from the pile. He presented them with pride in front of Megumi.


    "These are the best comics here!¡± He proclaimed.


    "Hah!" a kid suddenly laughed. "Should''ve known a demon like you would have a bad taste in comics.


    Megumi looked on in surprise as Cider turned around just as surprised. A Kid suddenly showed up out of nowhere. He had blue eyes, a fair skin with brown hair that perked out from a train conductor''s hat he wore. He also wore a uniform similar to such a job.


    "Where''d that kid come from?"


    Out of nowhere he proudly presented a more cartoony comic with pride. An old-style comic book named ''Doko Chi-Chi''. It had a strange art style. It was a mix between Japanese art with the old American cartoon style. On the cover was a dog hiding from its owner that was carrying a bat, as the dog itself was ready to pounce with a shotgun in its paws.


    "Lame~." Cider retorted.


    The kid became indignant. ¡°What!? What do you mean lame!?¡±


    The boy began to Defend his favorite comic with vigor. He began pointing out flaws in the comics that Cider chose and practically made excuses for why his favorite comics were far superior.


    Cider listening practically ignored everything he said, calling him ''lame'' once more.


    Megumi could only watch on in stunned silence. After a little bit of bickering, Megumi decided that it was the perfect time for them to leave.


    "Hey Cider. We should get going."


    Cider agreed. Beginning to follow her.


    The kid, however, bit his lips, still soured by the argument of which comic is the best. Suddenly the only entrance of the comics section closed off before the two, surprising them.


    The world around them seemingly began to shift and distort before them.


    ¡°H-hey! What''s going on!?" Megumi blurted,


    "You''re not going anywhere," the kid said.


    To the shock of Megumi and Cider, the characters from the kid¡¯s favorite comic came to life! He encircled the boy, towering over everyone else in that room. The boy''s gaze became much more menacing as he looked at Megumi and Cider.


    "Not until I prove Doko Chi-Chi as the best comic."

 Chapter 10: Doko Chi-chi Madness!!

    "W-what the heck is going on!!?"


    In front of them a strange cartoonish dog-like figure, pounced!


    Both Megumi and Cider dodged the sudden attack. The dog danced and bopped around like an old day cartoon. And like magic, its paw became hands and stretched out a large bat from nothing!


    Its face contorted cartoonishly, displaying its excitement.


    WHAM!


    WHAM!


    WHAM!


    Out nowhere the cartoon dog, Doko Chi-chi slammed craters into the walls and floors in an attempt to hit Cider.


    "Over here." A static radio -like voice called.


    POP


    POP


    POP


    The Dog Curved and contorted its body dodging and allowing the cartoon bullets pass by to hit Cider.


    Cider quickly dodged, but the bullets with face suddenly changed directions, striking him from above!


    Megumi, in shock, Rushed over to Cider''s aid. "Leave him alone!"


    A cartoon wall with a face was set in her path by the boy. He sat on the wall watching Cider having to fight for his life.


    "This is between me and him."


    "If you want, I''ll be your opponent lady." the static radio-like voice came from the wall as it grinned happily.


    It spat our cartoon bricks at her, and she avoided the best she could with a couple hitting her legs and arm.


    She held her arm, feeling the pain throb in it.


    The bricks then came to life, and they chucked themselves at her once again!


    They all got back up with tiny arms and legs, bouncing and bopping around like the oldie cartoons. They raced over to continue throwing themselves at Megumi leaving her hands full.


    Cider, hearing the struggle on the other side, became concerned. "What are you doing to my friend!?"


    "She''s not important. Admit that Doko Chi-chi is better than that lame comic of yours."


    Cider stuck his tongue out. "NNYAAA!! In your dreams!"


    Veins bulge from the kids head seeing this. The kid stood up on the wall with his arms raise.


    "Alright, how about this then?"


    The cartoon dog and the human owner with a cartoon gun levitated from the ground, The circled around each other really fast like they would fuse together in to one being.


    A bright light, blinded Cider, forcing to cover his eyes.


    "BEHOLD!!"


    The feet of his new creation landed gently on the ground.


    "THE DOKO CHI-CHI FROM VOLUME 3 CHAPTER 16!!"


    Cider Could only look in awe as the light dimmed.


    "DOKO CHI-CHI COMBINED MODE VERSION 1!!"


    "Eh?" Cider was dumbfounded.


    He quickly pointed indignantly at the creation. "Hey wait a minute! This is just that weird dog sitting on that old man''s head!!!"


    It was just as Cider said, the new creation, was in fact, just the cartoon dog sitting on its owners head, with the only difference being that the dog was carrying the shoot gun now with the owner holding the bat.


    Cider looked away unimpressed. "There''s nothing cool about that at all." He pouted.


    The kid wrenched his fingers, hearing Cider''s words. "Oh, yeah?"


    The boy conjured forth a crayon in his hands. Jerking over a smile at Cider he created several new cartoon characters!


    A cartoon cat Pounce!


    A cartoonish baby double Cider''s Squirted its bottle and a plethora of inanimate objects threw themselves in Cider''s direction!


    Cider was force on the defense, dodging through any attack he could until the fused creation smacked him hard with its bat!


    Shots fired his way!


    He dodged and blocked the second.


    Megumi, Hearing the explosion and the myriad of noises on the other side, became even more petrified by the thought of what would happen to cider.


    "Get out of my way!" She shouted.


    The big cartoon wall simply laughed at her. "What can a puny girl like you do? That kid is getting what he deserved."


    "Getting what he deserved?" Megumi clenched her teeth, now frustrated by the wall''s words.


    "Oh, Did the little woman get mad? Oh whoa is me? Hahahahah!!"


    Seeing another of those bricks tossing itself at her, she finally released some pent up frustration, hitting and shattering the brick to pieces.


    The wall seeing this, shut up, shocked by what he saw."


    The boy, hearing this, flinched, glancing back at Megumi.


    Megumi, on the other hand, looked at her fist in surprise. "That¡­ Didn''t hurt?"


    Another brick flew her way and she dodged. Seeing a second brick below her, she kicked it with the same result, surprised by the lack of pain she expected.


    "That''s right. This isn''t real life." She looked back at the cartoon wall who looked a little more nervous. "This is purgatory."


    Without missing a beat she raced over to the wall in her way.


    "H-hey! Don''t get any funny idea''s now!"


    Without a moment''s hesitation, she punched the wall!


    She didn''t break through the first time, so she punched him a second then a third!


    "Hey! OW! OW!"Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Two more of the cartoon bricks come behind her. She dodged both of them, letting it hit the still talking cartoon wall.


    "YOW!!!"


    She punched the wall one last time, Punching completely through.


    Cider seeing this became a little surprise.


    "Megumi!?"


    Taking advantage of his distraction, the The combined Doko Chi-chi grabbed Cider by the waist.


    "Hey! Let go!" he yelled.


    He was brought face to face with the dog that sat atop the cartoon man. It laughed wickedly, ready to enact deadly desire.


    Suddenly Megumi tackled the leg of the cartoon man, shocking not only the combined Doko Chi-chi, but the other cartoon characters and the boy with the train conductor''s hat.


    "Let him-" She tackled once again "GO!"


    The combined Doko Chi-chi bent the knee, losing its grasp of Cider. Using this opportunity, Cider slashed the cartoon dog''s head off with his outstretched arm.


    With the Doko Chi-chi, seemingly defeated, Cider bloated out an embarrassed laughter.


    "Thanks Megumi, That dog thing kept stretching away from me."


    Megumi could only give out a sigh of relief hearing Cider''s words. Suddenly the boy on the cartoon stone wall poke up.


    "Unacceptable. This doesn''t involve you girl."


    Now irritated by the pompous attitude of the boy, Megumi retorted back.


    "Unacceptable? You attacked us first!"


    The boy pouted. "Then he should''ve just agreed with me then!"


    "What''s wrong with this kid!?" Megumi thought.


    "You can''t make me old man! NYAAN!!" Once again Cider stuck his tongue out with defiance.


    "Y-you''re not making things any better Cider¡­" Megumi noted.


    Suddenly Cider was Smacked hard with the cartoon bat of the cartoon man!


    "O hohohoho! Just watch you little demon!"


    Megumi turned around too late, seeing the bat coming for her too!


    With a great force she was smacked hard with the bat and sent crashing into the cartoon wall!


    She felt a great intense pain, unlike what she''s ever felt in her life surge.


    The Cartoon dogs head stretched back to its body, fixed like new. Cider getting up, felt a fury surge seeing Megumi barely conscious within the cartoon wall.


    "Meg-" He clenched his sharp teeth, and he became more serious.


    The combined Doko Chi-chi went on the attack, smashing its bat into the floor.


    Cider dodge from the smoke. Now facing the amalgamation again.


    "You hurt Megumi!" Cider then darted his eyes at the boy who carried a smug expression.


    With the gesture of the boy''s hand, Doko Chi-chi attacked.


    Cider ignored the amalgamation, using its head as a platform, he leapt towards the boy.


    His eyes widened in surprise as cider swung his outstretched blade arm at the boy!


    The attack was blocked!


    "O hohoho¡­ So, you figured me out then." The boy said with a smile.


    To Cider''s shock, the boy pulled Cider towards himself and punched him back towards his creation.


    Cider reoriented himself quickly, Swinging at Random. He struck Doko Chi-chi and at the other cartoons made by the boy. He landed back on his feet dashing through the attacks being expertly orchestrated by the boy.


    Cider Dodged and countered the attack being sent his way. Approaching the wall again Cider was struck in the side, sending him into the tall shelf of comics.


    Shots from the cartoon shotgun rang out, aimed at Cider.


    Shots riddled the wall and kept trying to reach Cider as he avoided this attack.


    "Admit it already." The boy said.


    The combined Doko Chi-chi appeared before Cider, surprising him.


    "Doko Chi-chi is the best!"


    The bat smashed into the bookshelf, missing Cider.


    "No! It''s lame! Just like you!"


    The boy curled up another frustrated. "Lame? You brat."


    His eyes glowed with a fierce intensity. "Fine If that''s how you want it, I''ll-"


    "That''s enough," Megumi said.


    A cold sweat ran down the boy''s face, He looked back with deep confusion, finding Megumi standing behind him, her tone much more serious. Her red eyes gleamed much brighter and her hair began to emanating a a red aura.


    "Wait. H-how are you-"


    She snatched the crayon from his hands, throwing it to the side. She then mercilessly pulled him up from his leg with her other hand holding him upside down. She grabbed his other leg and held him over the edge of his cartoon wall, and he squirmed.


    "H-hey w-w-wait! Let''s talk about this!"


    She pulled him closer to the edge of the wall, looking irritated began to calm down. "Sure, do you want to apologize?"


    The Boy gave a grin and chuckled. "Got you."


    Megumi looked up and found the huge Doko Chi-chi about to strike her. But for some reason, she didn''t feel afraid of this.


    In that same moment Cider from below, launched himself up and sliced the arms of the Doko Chi-chi, in one fell swoop. He reoriented his body and brought his blade arms together, and spun himself down fast like a saw blade, cutting Doko Chi-chi in half!


    This completely shocked the boy.


    Cider teased the boy for being caught, shortly after.


    The boy then looked behind Megumi, suddenly seeing that the Librarian showed back up. the boy frowned.


    Megumi glance back, getting spooked by the Librarian. "Huh!? W-where''d you come from!?"


    The demon Librarian ignored her. She bent over to look at the boy, disappointed in him.


    "A man your age shouldn''t be fighting over trivial matters, Mr. Armsworth."


    The boy looked on in defeat, knowing the jig was up. "Drat."


    ********


    "I must apologize for Mr. Armsworth. He can be a bit too¡­ Competitive."


    Megumi and Cider were now in a guest room. In the center was a table with tea and snacks. The boy was already sipping on tea with narrowed eyes, gazing at Cider with contempt.


    Megumi took a quick sip of tea, now feeling a little more awkward. As the demon librarian sat before them, Meanwhile Cider was simply playing with the snack, paying no mind to what was being said.


    "Go ahead Mr. Armsworth. Apologize." The librarian urged.


    The boy became indignant. "Blast it all! As if I''d apologize to that simpleton!"


    "Fine. Then you can consider your membership terminated."


    The boy, shocked, quickly changed his mind, waving his hand frantically. "No, no, no. no! I''ll do it! I''ll do it!"


    The boy turned to Cider; he was still barely paying any mind to him. He begrudgingly started. "H-hey demon kid. I''m sorry for fighting with you."


    Cider stopped for a second,


    He stuck his tongue back out at the boy. "NYAA! You''re still lame."


    The boy slightly raised his fist with frustration, keeping himself calm with clenched teeth.


    "Y-you little brat¡­" He muttered just beneath his breath.


    The boy then turned to Megumi who took a cookie. "By the way, How the heck did you get to the top of my wall?"


    "Oh¡­ I just climbed it." Megumi stared at the boy like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "When I was little I had to climb a lot of walls¡­"


    "You can climb walls!?" Cider exclaimed. "That''s so cool! Can you teach me?"


    Megumi chuckled, nervously. "M-maybe another time¡­"


    "Here you are Arnold."


    Megumi looked behind and instinctually frowned. "That guy?"


    Behind her was the waiter that had annoyed her much earlier.


    "Liang." The boy called. "What are you doing here?"


    "I should be asking that myself."


    The Waiter was dressed down in a more casual attire, wearing yellow undergarments and a black coat that looked Chinese in nature.


    "Looking for you, C''mon, the big boss wanted to talk to you." He gestured for the Boy, Arnold, to follow.


    Arnold gave an exhausted sigh. "Fine." just as they were about to leave, Arnold pointed back to Cider indignantly. "This isn''t over just yet! Just you wait!"


    "C''mon already, it''s already getting late." Liang said.


    Cider stuck his tongue out again and called Arnold lame.


    Megumi could only sigh, seeing this.


    As soon as the two departed, the librarian passed along a card to Megumi.


    "What''s this?"


    "A membership card. If Mr. Armsworth causes any more trouble for you when you''re here, just use this."


    "O¡­Okay¡­"


    "Can I get one too!?" Cider added.


    "Maybe next time¡­" The librarian got up, handing over the books they originally wanted. "Here, you both can have these, They''re on the house."


    Megumi looked at her books, blushing slightly. "Th-thank you. We should probably get going now. Thank you again, miss."


    Megumi got up, ready to leave.


    "No need to thank me." The demon Librarian bowed, respectfully, to Megumi''s surprise. "Thank you for your patronage."


    Megumi could only smile a little awkwardly, not used to seeing someone bow to her.


    Shortly after Megumi and Cider finally took their leave, leaving the market to rejoin the K. From afar Dove and Chime continued to watch the two with interest.


    "Looks like they''re finally going back," Dove noted. He then sighed. "At least that''s one debt repaid."


    "Mmm. Mmm." Chime said.


    "What are you two doing here?"


    Both Chime and Dove look back, finding Liang. Dove instantly went on guard, ready to attack. But then Chime came between them, holding her arms out to stop Dove.


    "Chime?"


    "Forgive my student, He''s not familiar with you," Chime echoed to Liang


    Liang laughed, a little amused by this. "That''s alright, there''s nothing to forgive."


    "So the boss needs them too?" Arnold came from behind Liang "Yup."


    Suddenly, Liang''s eyes became more serious. "There''s a huge movement of demons. And the boss thinks that that Gondola may get raided by one of the Sin''s army"


    Both Chime and Dove were surprised by this news.


    Liang turned, ready to lead the way. "We don''t have time to waste, so let''s go."


    Dove glanced back at Cider and Megumi who were still traveling, unsure if they should leave.


    "They''ll be fine, Dove." Chime Echoed. "Right now let''s get the briefing¡­ And depending how bad it is, we might have to get K involved. Hopefully that won''t have to be the case."


    "Right." Dove, with his new mission, followed behind along with Chime, leaving Megumi and Cider journeying back without the watchful eyes of the reaper''s.


    ********


    Just outside of the City of Gondola, a tall, fit, blonde-haired man in a hooded robe, approached the gates.


    Making it out of the sandy dunes he soon came in contact with the first guard, wishing to identify him.


    In that instant the blonde-haired man grabbed to guard by his mouth, revealing his icy blue eyes.


    "Get out of my way." he said.


    The second guard was about to intervene, but suddenly, shards of crystal shot from the guards body, The guards dissolved away into ash shocking his companion.


    The second guard went on the attack. "Intrude-"


    A crystal spike shot through his head!


    He too dissolved into ashes like his companion.


    The man looked back up the large gate, his face determined.


    Following far behind him, a horde of misshapen, horrific looking demons charged forth ready to attack.

 Chapter 11: Demon Invasion!?

    Megumi with her books in hand, glanced around corner after corner along with cider, who followed close behind. She then turned her gaze to the sky, seeing it was becoming dark.


    It didn''t take long for Megumi to conclude their circumstance... They were lost.


    Megumi turned back to Cider, awkwardly, pointing in down a random street. "I-it was this way, right?"


    Cider shrugged his shoulders. "I don''t know¡­"


    A cold sweat ran down Megumi''s face. "Crap¡­"


    "Are we lost?" Cider asked.


    "Megumi jumped, starting to stutter. "N-n-n¨Cn-no¡­ I-I just-"


    "Oh right!" Right then she remembered the tablet given to her by K. She dug in her pocket excitedly.


    She found nothing.


    She stopped and became pale. She could only question herself on how she could lose something so important. However, just as she was about to lose hope, Cider pointed out something strange sticking out of her waist.


    She glanced down, and to her utter shock, she found that the tablet was somehow embedded into her very being. It was sticking out from her stripped magenta shirt, just under her short coat, like a thumb drive.


    "HOW IS THIS INSIDE ME!!?"


    Panicked, she tried pulling it from her, but strangely enough, it wouldn''t budge one bit.


    After a while of struggling to pull it out, she stopped, noting the lack of pain she felt. She poked it, unsure what to make of the situation at hand.


    "O-okay¡­"


    She grabbed it again, trying to pull it from herself.


    It wouldn''t budge. An awkward silence then hung in the air as Megumi continued to try to pull the tablet from her body with no success.


    She stopped again and chuckled nervously, knowing she was getting nowhere.


    "L-let keep on looking around until it glows. The brighter it glows the closer we get to that invisible building."


    "Oh. I think I saw it glowing a little when we were over there." Cider pointed down the road they just came from.


    "A-alright." Megumi, taking his word, started to lead the way past the other pedestrians and demons walking to destinations unknown. Some of them began to snicker and giggle upon seeing Megumi''s tablet sticking out.


    Cider glared at them. But despite hearing them, Megumi ignored them. she was used to being laughed at behind her back. This was no different for her.


    Her thoughts quickly flashed back to that waiter that laughed straight in her face, she couldn''t understand why he annoyed her so much. She quickly put that thought aside, putting her focus back into finding the reaper''s hideout.


    A woman voice came from behind.


    "How the hell did ya get that thing in you?"


    They both turned to find a woman that was Megumi''s age with dark caramel skin, luscious brown hair that curled at the tips, and deep blue eyes with the color of the sky.


    She wore a long sleeve turtleneck shirt that pressed on her chest but kept her stomach in the open. Along with her shirt she had some loose jeans and sneakers to match her dark blue attire.


    The woman before them crossed her arms and looked at them with drooped yet serious eyes, as if scrutinizing them with her unreadable expression.


    "O-oh. Hello." Megumi was going to wave, but quickly brought her hand down nervously. "Do you know how I can get this out of me?"


    The woman sighed, waving her off. "Don''t ask me, girlie. You''re the one who put that in ya." she said in a blunt tone.


    "But I don''t know how it got to me." Megumi retorted.


    The women stared at her blankly, as if assessing Megumi''s intelligence. "Rightttt¡­. Anyways, if you''re looking for that Reaper base, they''re over in that direction."


    Using her thumbs, she pointed to her left. "Just keep going that way and I''m sure you''ll bump into the place you''re looking for."


    With those last words the woman tacked her hands into her pocket and took her leave.


    "H-hey wait!? W-what''s your name?" Megumi asked.


    The woman waved nonchalantly. "None of your business girlie. Good luck~."


    "That was¡­ A little rude¡­" Megumi turned back to the path she was heading down, along with Cider.


    The woman departing, glanced back with a raised brow and spoke quietly. "Wasn''t that boy a demon¡­? Whatever. My master has to be around somewhere¡­I''ll check to south gate..."


    The woman continued going her separate way as Cider and Megumi marched on to find their destination. While traversing the streets of Gondola, Megumi turned it into a game of finding the treasure as they went down random paths they were directed towards. The continued their search until the tablet grew much brighter, eventually finding their destination.


    Megumi could only give a sigh of relief, finally making it back to the secret reaper hideout that K wanted them to stay in.


    With her books in one hand and ciders grasp in the other, they entered into the tall glass like skyscraper, phasing through its walls.


    "You''re finally back."


    Megumi turned, finding K still reading his book. His gaze immediately turned to the tablet stuck in her waist and sighed.


    All the other reapers and demons took note of this as well with a few chuckling at the scene. Megumi could only smile awkwardly.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    "U-uhh¡­ Could you help get this out of me"


    "K! Your room is ready!" the receptionist suddenly called.


    "Looks like you two came back just in time." K noted. He got up from the chair, moving to get the key from the lady. He then gestured both Megumi and Cider to follow. "Come, I''ll help you in our room."


    Following K through the white halls of the building, they entered corridor after corridor. As they did, they noticed that many of the reaper''s in the building were rushing out in a hurry.


    K ignored this, focusing on leading the way for both Megumi and Cider.


    "And here it is¡­"


    K opened the door to the room. Entering inside, it was like a full-blown house with a living room, a kitchen and a hall that led to other possible rooms. Megumi couldn''t help but be astonished as Cider rushed in to jump onto the couch.


    "This place is so big!" He exclaimed.


    He looked back up seeing the large window that gave a grand view of the city.


    "Wait? Aren''t we still on the first floor?" Megumi asked.


    "It''s a bit complicated to explain. But the long, short of it is no¡­ anyways, turn around and let me see it."


    K closed the door behind him, examining and seeing that the tablet he gave was indeed stuck inside. He sighed.


    "Set those books down."


    Megumi did as she was told. "O-okay."


    "Alright. Now close your eyes and hold out your hands."


    Megumi looked a little unsure. With a little bit of reluctance she followed his instructions.


    "Alright. Now imagine that you''re holding the tablet in your hand."


    "Are you sure about this?" she asked, a little unsure.


    "I''ve lived here in purgatory for many millennia. So yes."


    "A-alright¡­ If you''re sure¡­"


    After a few seconds of concentration Megumi could feel something in her grasp, she raised a brow, curious.


    "I thought so¡­" K stated


    "Hmm¡­?"


    "Open your eyes."


    Opening her eyes she found that the tablet was somehow, now in her grasp. "Wait. What? How did I-?"


    K took the tablet from Megumi, and like magic, he made it disappear in front of her.


    "W-wait, how did you do that!?"


    "The tablet I lent you was simply a memory, or what others would call an ''echo''. They can come in the form of everyday items or objects. Once you have it, you can store it within yourself."


    K glanced over to the books on the floor.


    "Try it with those. All you have to do is imagine not carrying them anymore."


    Although a little reluctant she listened to what he said as Cider watched intently, mildly entertained by Megumi learning.


    Just as K said. The books disappeared from her grasp like thin air.


    "W-whoa!"


    "It''s the same concept with talking off and putting on new clothes here in purgatory."


    Megumi continued to look at her hands, a little stunned.


    "That''s amazing." She noted.


    "Yes, well I would say you''re lucky. Like I said before with the clothes. Most people take weeks to learn and get used to¡­ But you learned it all today."


    Suddenly a bright light appeared before K, surprising him and Megumi. His demeanor quickly shifted with him becoming more serious.


    "What is that¡­?"


    "I''m sorry Megumi but it looks like an emergency has come up."


    Megumi was dumbstruck. "What happened?"


    K quickly turned to leave the room. "I don''t have time to explain. Just stay here and rest. The TV can play any past movies or shows you watched so entertain yourselves with that."


    Without letting her say another word he closed the door behind.


    "What was¡­ that about?"


    Cider could only cocked his head, curious himself. "Yeah¡­"


    Megumi then turned to a nearby chair. "I wonder if I could do the same with this?"


    Touching the chair she tried the same thing. Only it ended up sticking outside her like the tablet.


    "N-not again!!"


    Cider could only laugh on seeing this and fell off the couch.


    ********


    "What the hell is going on?"


    The woman Megumi and CIder had met earlier was now watching chaos break out in the streets of the city.


    Savage looking demons were flooding the front gates attacking everyone and anyone in sight, including other demons that were simply living in the city.


    "Where are the reapers!!!!???" A pedestrian called.


    As if on cue, a several horrific looking demons was killed, and turned to ash. Another hooded reaper from the Reaper Corp slashed into more demons coming his way, along with another who followed up with a strange looking gun. They attempted to push back the hordes of demons flooding the streets the best they could.


    Eventually even more reapers followed suit, turning the streets of Gondola into absolute chaos.


    "Everyone! Evacuate to the safehouses immediately!" One of the reapers shouted. They repeated this phrase over and over again as pedestrians and other demon residents fled.


    Soon Dove and Chime arrived on the scene, also killing many of the savage looking demons, using their powers to the fullest.


    Chime sent sonic waving through the horde of demons trying to enter the gate as Dove punched the demons aiming for her with his shadow fists.


    A demon attempting to kill him slashed his long rusted sword. To its shock however, it passed through him. It then dispersed into a plethora of doves and without warning, Dove punched the demon from above!


    "Damn it! Where''d all these demons come from!!?" Dove complained.


    Less complaining and more collecting." Chime echoed.


    Chime collected several of the black cloudy spheres from the ashes of the demons. And from her hand, they all disappeared without a trace.


    "Right!" Dove went straight back into battle.


    Meanwhile the women with caramel skin watch from atop a tall building. "There she is¡­" She tightened her fists realizing that she shouldn''t linger in the unfolding chaos. "I should get back. I shouldn''t be here¡­"


    She growled at the unfortunate circumstance, leaving to get to safety herself. She brought forth a tablet similar to what Megumi had before.


    Unknown to her however, a hooded man was watching from afar. he smiles, seeing her.


    ********


    Elsewhere even more of the savage horrific demons were being slaughtered by cartoons and other hand drawn creations. Bone tentacles began to ripple through the earth alongside these cartoon creations, killing demon after demon. Meanwhile some of the other reapers sped through the chaotic streets, picking up the cores of the defeated demons.


    "Now where did you come from?" Arnold asked. Seeing that the K had just arrived.


    K ignored the child, opting to focus on killing the demons in front of them.


    Demons suddenly attack through both from behind.


    They were all killed in an instant with the Reapers bone tentacle purchasing each and everyone.


    "Not bad for a fossil." Arnold quipped.


    "What a lame joke."


    "Urk!" Veins instantly bulged from Arnold''s head as he glanced back indignantly.


    ********


    Megumi comes back to the living room. She found Cider glued to the window, watching as chaos reigned the streets of the city. Fires erupted, and buildings were being demolished. It looked like a full on war was going on.


    Megumi''s eyes widened, completely surprised at now seeing this chaos herself. She started to get a sinking feeling in her gut, as if something worse was yet to happen.


    "W-what''s going on??? Is this¡­ normal??"


    "No¡­ It''s not¡­" Cider watched intently. "That''s not normal."


    "This is probably why he had to leave¡­"


    "A-alright. Why don''t we watch something interesting? Maybe we can watch something fun."


    Cider turned back to Megumi seeing her forcing a calm smile. "Do you know any good shows we could watch?" she asked.


    Understanding Megumi''s intentions, Cider went along with her, racing over to the TV with a smile.


    "Yeah! I know a super cool show!"


    Megumi followed. But suddenly she felt a presence from behind her, along with a strong and overwhelming sense of danger.


    She glanced back and to her utter shock she saw a blonde-haired man standing affixed to the window as if it were the floor itself. He wore a brown hood and looked at her with his blue eyes.


    He aimed his palm at the window, and in a mere second, a crystal shot from his palm and shattered the window!


    The man entered the room with his hood falling from his head, revealing his face. He looked to be a handsome man a little older than Megumi. His short hair was a little messy and had a gemmed earring on his left ear. He also wore a strange collar around his neck, that was somewhat similar to Cider''s.


    This man was, Dino Briar.


    He was now face to face with Megumi. A quickly scanned the area with his serious gaze as if looking for something.


    In an instant he blocked Cider''s arm blade with his crystallized arm!


    "There you are." Dino said.


    He deflected Cider''s attack, sending him through the wall.


    Megumi stumbled back, seeing this. She looked dumbfounded, unsure what to do.


    As she shook, Dino glanced at her and raised his palm to her.


    "Go to sleep."


    Cider quickly changed the trajectory of the crystal shot at her!


    "STAY AWAY FROM MY FRIEND!"


    Cider went on the attack once again. Cider pushed him back to the other side of the room, clashing a few times before being grabbed by the neck.


    Dino turned and crushed Cider into the wall as Megumi could only watch on in horror. He glared harshly at Cider with his deadly gaze.


    "I could care less about that woman, Cider Lynch."


    His arms crystalized and hardened around Cider''s neck. "I''m here for you."

 Chapter 12: Desperate Escape

    Cider suddenly laughed out loud, surprising both Megumi and Dino.


    Dino irked. "What''s so funny?"


    "I''m glad¡­ So, you aren''t here to hurt Megumi."


    "Megumi was a little dumbfounded by his words since mere moments ago, Dino was about to kill her with his strange crystal power.


    "Since you''re not here for Megumi¡­"


    Cider clasped both his feet, shaping them into a blade and stabbing Dino!


    Dino''s grasp loosened, letting cider push him away. In an instant, Cider stretched his arm and whipped it at Dino, almost sending him flying out the building.


    Dino glanced at his wound, finding it to only be a little cut. He quickly shifted back to Cider and charged back in with a fury, his arms crystalized, and his fingers outstretched. "Just go to sleep!"


    Cider blocked this attack with his bladed arms. Cider then noticed Dino glaring straight at him.


    Spikes of crystals erupted from the ground and wall around Cider. Some of it is scraping and scratching Megumi.


    "Megumi!" Cider, noticing this, quickly changed priorities.


    Using all his powers he deflected Dino''s attack and broke from the makeshift crystal prison.


    He made a bee line for Megumi grabbing her by the hand, pulling her with him. She reluctantly followed. "Hey w-"


    Seeing they were heading for the hole in the window, Megumi panicked. "W-wait! Wait! That''s not saf-"


    Cider pulled Megumi along out the window and kept a firm grasp on her hand.


    "W-we''re falling!!"


    moments later, Cider plunged his bladed arm into the side of the building, slowing their descent. Both landed hard on the ground; Cider on his feet while Megumi fell straight on her stomach.


    Cider quickly turned to Megumi. "Are you alright?"


    "I¡­ Think so¡­" Megumi croaked, with her eyes now dazed.


    Looking back up, the chaos reigning in the streets felt like a warzone. She couldn''t believe that everything had changed so quickly, and in so little time too.


    Cider glanced up, as if sensing something.


    "We have to go," he said. "Come on."


    "But where too?"


    Cider quickly glanced around. His head then pointed in a single direction and using his finger, he pointed. "That way. If we find that stupid skeleton guy he could help us."


    Megumi, hearing his suggestion, agreed.


    "This place was supposed to be a hideout, but that guy somehow found it..." Megumi quickly put aside the question of how he found them in the first place. "If we could find K, maybe he could help us."


    A demon suddenly leapt into the air to attack Megumi. She panicked for a moment falling on her back. Luckily Cider was already on the job, and sliced the demon in half.


    "W-we need to hurry." Megumi quickly stated. She quickly got to her feet allowing Cider to lead the way.


    Dino, who simply watched the two from above, looked to see the direction they were heading. He saw that it was the western gate.


    "So, they''re looking for help, huh?"


    He stepped out of the room falling from the glass building while sliding his feet against the panel. A second later a crystal spike launched him from the building.


    He landed on another tall building and began his pursuit.


    Demons, seeing him chased after him with a thirst for blood. He easily dispatched each and every one of them with ease. Not even batting an eye.


    Unknown to him however, the woman he followed earlier watched him from her room in the reaper hideout.


    "So, he''s the one that followed me¡­. I thought he was a demon too. And now he''s chasing that girl." Her eyes drooped ever so subtly. "What a pain in the ass¡­"


    ********


    Back with Megumi and Cider, they were fighting and pushing though the hordes of demons that ambushed and chased them left and right.


    They were completely and utterly relentless in their pursuit as each and every one of them leapt to attack Megumi, all the while Cider was forced to protect her.


    Cider sliced the head of their latest attacker.


    "Why do they keep attacking me!!?" Megumi complained. She stopped, seeing that they demons seemed to have ceased.


    "I don''t know. Maybe they like how you smell too?"


    "What''s that got to do with anything!"


    A horrifying looking demon grabbed her from behind. She screamed, horrified.


    "L-let me go!!" She elbowed the demon in his face, practically destroying its head. Shortly after, it turned to ash.


    This left Megumi in an utter state of confusion and panic


    "W-w¡­ W-w-w-w. What did I just do????"


    Cider simply gave a thumbs up and smiled. "Good work!"


    This didn''t comfort her as she fell to her knees forcing Cider to turn back to her.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    She looked at her hand briefly, "H-how did I do that?"


    Several more monsters came for the attack, but like the many times before, Cider stepped up to save Megumi.


    "Megumi we have to-!"


    Crystal spiked grazed Cider''s face. He ducked, avoiding the second.


    Sensing the urgency, Megumi quickly tore away from her last thoughts and quickly got back on her feet, fleeing with Cider.


    Dino continued to hop and launch himself from building to building, all while sending spikes of crystals their way. His intent was clear to them. It was shoot to kill.


    Crystal spikes after crystal spikes were sent their way. All they could do was dodge each one that came their way, while at the same time, defend against the demons coming after them.


    "I don''t think so!" Dino charged up a more powerful spike and shot it straight at a building.


    The building exploded with shards of black crystals blocking their path!


    Cider tried slicing through them to little success, surprising him.


    Just as the demons encroached on them, they were saved by a group of reapers. Several of men in hooded robes slaughtered the demons before Megumi and Cider with their powers.


    Chain shot from a reapers hand as another blaster some sort of pressured wind through the hordes, killing them in an instant. Another two came in wielding sword, slicing through the demons in their way


    The last one brought his hatchet down on Dino, who dodged.


    "Tch! The reapers!"


    Just as Dino was about to back away and make an escape himself. A woman''s voice entered his head. His eyes widened in shock.


    "I don''t think so. Failure is not an option¡­. Remember¡­"


    ********


    Elsewhere, Annabelle, the woman who watched Megumi and K pass through the forest with Cider''s core, sat in some dungeon. A grotesque, gnarly looking demon stood by her side as she talked.


    "You don''t want to become a demon too, do you?


    ********


    Dino''s heart thumped. He felt at the collar on his neck, with a cold sweat running down his face.


    "Damn you." He muttered.


    He then glanced back at Megumi and Cider who were now departing with a few reapers by their side.


    A couple more Reaper''s showed up to back up their ally.


    "We''ll give you one chance to turn yourself over. If you don''t, we''ll bring you in ourselves. The reaper''s ready his hatchet as the other two held their palms out as if preparing to use their powers.


    Dino calmed himself quickly. "Fine..."


    He sighed. With much more confidence, Dino smirked. "Damn. I almost feel sorry for you three." They went on the attack. The first threw his hatchet that was caught in Dino''s hands,


    He then uppercut Dino just under his chin, forcing his to release the weapon.


    That same instant, crystal spikes erupted from the ground, forcing the reaper to jump back.


    The other two followed up with the second reaper blasting a perfectly shaped round hole through his crystal and and the third chaining Dino''s neck!


    They pulled him towards his own crystal, shattering them upon impact.


    Glancing up, Dino found the first reaper gone. Seeing this, Dino rolled to his feet, avoiding an attack from a ginormous axe as he slammed it to the ground!


    Dino gritted his teeth and placed his hand on the ground. "Damn¡­ These Reapers are no slouches." He thought to himself.


    Once again, the ground beneath erupted into an entire terrain of crystal spikes. The chain around Dino''s neck shattered. They looked back to where he was, but he disappeared.


    "But it''s not enough to beat me!!"


    Dino pulled himself out of one of his crystals behind the reapers. He grabbed the second reaper by the back of their neck with his crystalized hands and shot a spike out!


    Despite this otherwise lethal attack, the reaper turned to aim his palm shakily at Dino, but this was met with a slice of the hand.


    Hidden at Dino''s back hip, just under his shirt was his trusty combat knife.


    Not wasting the opportunity, he stabbed into the reapers neck and sliced his head off!


    The reaper became a pile of black ash.


    His allies, seeing this, rushed in to attack Dino. The chain shot from the third reapers hand had merely grazed Dino''s face. He quickly dispatched of the second reaper and moved to the last one standing.


    Their weapons clashed against each other and interlocked.


    "Who the hell are you?'' The reaper questioned.


    "Heh. Funny you ask."


    Spikes of crystals shoot through the reaper, forcing him to turn into a black ash. Dino licked the tip of his dagger before sheathing it.


    "I''m a demon hunter."


    His gaze then turned to a far-off building. It seemed empty just at first sight, but he knew better. Amused, he blurted out a chuckle.


    He quickly collected the reaper''s cores and laid them out in the open. He then took his leave chasing back after Cider.


    ********


    Megumi, sprinting to their location alongside Cider and the other Reapers, felt a little more comfortable.


    "Are we almost there?" She asked.


    "It''ll be another twenty minutes this way. Over there, we have few ''Grimms'' that could keep the two of you safe. If what you say is true.


    "Grimms?"


    "Yeah, think of them as the commanding officers or captains if you will. In times of crisis like these, they are usually on the front lines taking care of the problems while we acolytes take in the smaller stuff like killing off the small fry and collecting their cores."


    The reaper turned to Megumi with his serious gaze. "By the way are you alright,"


    "Y-yeah? Why."


    "Excuse my rudeness, but you smell like death."


    Megumi had no idea how to respond to that.


    "D-do I really stink!?" She whined.


    "No, no¡­ J-just forget about it."


    "I think you smell nice," Cider retorted.


    She could only sigh exhaustedly, her face becoming a little flush from embarrassment.


    Just then a building to their left. Began to collapse.


    "Watch out!!" one of the reaper''s warned.


    Another building in their path collapsed, then another behind them!


    It was like the entire city around them was starting to get demolished.


    Suddenly, spikes of crystals shot from several different directions. The two reapers accompanying Megumi and Cider dodged and deflected these attacks with their conjured weapons.


    Both had equipped themselves with swords.


    They both gritted their teeth, understanding that their allies had failed to capture the assailant after Cider.


    "Get behind us!"


    To everyone''s surprise, demons erupted from the rubble of the destroyed buildings, each one, more horrifying than the last. They came from the rubble, from the streets blocked off even from some of the tops of the buildings and windows.


    They were getting surrounded by an army of demons. It was clearly more than what two could handle. Even if Cider helped them, even he would be overwhelmed.


    "So now you help me¡­" Dino said.


    ********


    Annabelle, understanding that Dino was talking to her, smiled.


    "It feels only right to lend my little hunter a hand¡­"


    ********


    Megumi could watch as the number of demons continued to rise before them.


    "This¡­ This is crazy! There''s so many of them!"


    "Don''t worry¡­" Both the grips of the reaper''s swords tightened. Ready for battle. "We won''t let them take either of you."


    Cider''s arms became blades too and in a single movement, the demons charged their way.


    Megumi''s heart sank and became pale as the chaos of battle erupted around her.


    Waves of energy shot from the reaper''s weapons like magic as Cider sliced through demon after demon.


    Dino, who was watching from above, aimed his palm. "Now who should go first?"


    He shot out the first spike, piercing the first reaper''s leg.


    "C- Crap!"


    The reaper pressed on fighting the demons, not once wavering.


    "He''s shooting out those crystal spikes!"


    His friend glanced at Dino who was watching and sneered.


    Dino wasted little time continuing to be a thorn in the two reapers'' sides. Spikes shot out, one after another, piercing foe and friend alike.


    While this happened, Megumi tried to find a safe place to stay as the battle ensued.


    She was jumped by a few grotesque demons but was surprisingly saved by Dino.


    He gave a glare before returning to shoot at the reaper bodyguards.


    Finding the prime opening, he shot the first reaper in the chest!!


    This allowed the demons to swarm him, turning him into a black ash.


    It wasn''t long for the last one was overtaken and shot in the head with Dino''s spike.


    "Heh. That''s two."


    With the two reapers taken care of, the remaining demons slowly encroached on Megumi and Cider.


    Dino continued to watch on with his confident gaze.


    Megumi bawled her fist now trapped in a den of demons and now at the mercy of this assailant.


    ********


    Back within the room Megumi and Cider were in, a familiar man with formal black shoes stepped in with his long loose black pants. He saw the messy living room and the glass scattered on the floor.


    "Well, this isn''t good."


    He looked out the window, rubbing the back of his neck.


    "And here I thought I''d have a little more fun with her¡­"


    He conjured forth a sword sheath with an ornamental-looking sword inside. He placed it at the side of his waist, overlooking the city in chaos.


    "Welp. Back to work I go."

 Chapter 13: Unfair odds

    Megumi and Cider stood on guard in the dilapidated, destroyed streets of the city, as the demon horde surrounded them. All the while, Dino watched from the safety building towering them.


    The first demon leapt forth, attacking Megumi. She crossed her arms preparing the worst, but it was immediately shot down by Dino''s crystal spike.


    Both Megumi and Cider were surprised by this turn of events.


    "Stop!" Dino shouted. He looked down at the demons somewhat indignantly.


    The demons looked back at him and slowly backed away, giving just enough room for Megumi and Cider to get a breather. Despite this little reprieve they could both recognize that they were still trapped within a circle of demons.


    Cider kept close to Megumi, recognized that the horde was still too much to handle just by himself. And leaving Megumi''s side would only make her an easy target for them.


    Megumi could only clench her teeth, understanding the predicament they were now in. "Why... Why am I so useless¡­"


    Dino spoke up, interrupting her thoughts.


    "I don''t mind cutting you two a deal. I''m only here for the damn demon kid." Dino pointed to Cider. "He comes with me calmly, and I''ll let you go."


    "Why are you after Cider!?" Megumi questioned. "I-I know he can be a trouble maker sometimes, but he''s still just a kid."


    Dino simply laughed at Megumi''s remark.


    "Either you''re ignorant or stupid." Dino insulted. "That demons obviously no kid. Besides, This job is just a means to an end. And I don''t have much time to waste so either hand him over or I''ll put you both down."


    "Leave her alone!" Cider growled.


    "Oh, how scary. So what will you do Cider Lynch." Dino spoke, almost mockingly.


    "A demon like you is powerful. But even you have your limits."


    Cider glared much more fiercely at Dino.


    Surprisingly, Cider relaxed himself, Taking a few deep breaths.


    Cider''s demeanor suddenly shifted. And his tone, more serious.


    "Fine. I''ll go with you¡­"


    Megumi''s eyes widened, surprised by his answer.


    "BUT¡­!" Cider continued.


    It was like the world had stopped, Everyone seemed to hold their breaths, awaiting Cider''s words.


    "You have to beat me in a game of ''War''!"


    Dino Narrowed his eyes. "War?"


    He couldn''t tell what the kid was up to. Even Megumi didn''t understand what game he was referring to.


    "The rules are simple. We fight and the person who is defeated loses the game. Anything goes."


    Dino blurted out a chuckle. So a regular one on one battle?"


    With Cider''s words accounted for, Dino''s eyes flickered with amusement. "What a dumb game. Fine. If that''s how you want to play it, be my guest."


    Megumi grabbed Cider by the arm, her eyes filled with concern. "Cider! What are you doing!?"


    He refused to look at Megumi, instead, looking soberly at the ground. "Sorry Megumi. This is the only thing I can think of to help."


    He then turned to her, forcing a rye smile. "Please, Try to find the dumb skeleton man without me."


    "B-but-"


    Just before she could retort, Cider turned. He combined his two hands, forming the biggest blade she''s seen him make yet and slammed it hard into the rubble behind them.


    A newly made path was cleared with the direction leading straight to other reapers.


    Cider began o pant heavily, most likely from exerting a lot of his power. "I know you can make it without me. So just go."


    "How noble." Dino said, sarcastically. "But If we''re going to have this war game I think a change of scenery is an order.


    Channeling all his energy, Dino began to conjure up an ever growing wall of black crystals around them all.


    Cider, reacting quickly, pushed Megumi out from the area, Trapping only Cider and Dino along with the demon horde that remained.


    Megumi quickly scrambled to her feet, punching at the crystal wall separating the two, "Cider! Cider!"


    Cider watched as Dino leapt down, ready to fight.


    "It''s just you and me," Cider announced.


    "What are you talking about? Didn''t you say, anything goes."


    "He''s correct." another demon with a static-like women''s voice said.


    Cider''s eyes widened in shock, recognizing the voice. The Demon then gave a smug smile. "All is fair in love and war."


    Over half of the demon horde began to leave the area, shocking Cider. "Where are they going!?"


    "That damn girl took you from me!" The grotesque demon smiled much more wickedly, echoing the words of a women''s voice. "I think it''s only fair that she serves as a snack for our other fellow demons. Don''t you think?"


    The demons climbed over the crystal wall with ease, Converging together all in the effort to surround Megumi.


    It didn''t take long for Megumi to realize that she was being surrounded. She looked up, finding hordes of demons, drooling, ready to pounce at her at a moment''s notice.


    "M-more demons?"


    Cider quickly stretched his arms in order to stop the fleeing demons.


    "Keep Cider Preoccupied for me, Dino. If you know what''s good for you" Annabelle Echoed to Dino.


    "Tch! Fine,"


    Dino Met Cider at the top of his wall. "Your opponent is me, remember!" He kicked Cider straight back to the ground within the wall..


    Cider wobbled back to his feet, holding his right eye from the pain of the kick. With all the power in his voice he shouted. "MEGUMI!! RUUUN!!"This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Megumi''s hearing Cider''s voice, wavered. She didn''t want to leave Cider behind with that dangerous man. But at the same time, Her life was also in deep peril if she didn''t escape.


    "I''m- I''m not strong enough! I¡­ I have to find K! H-he''s the only one that can help!"


    "H-hang in there Cider! I''ll be back!!"


    With great reluctance, Megumi broke into a sprint, rand ran off to escape the pursuing demons. And to get the only hope she could think of.


    "Haha! Yes! Run! Run! This''ll make your demise all the sweeter!" Annabelle echoed. Demons began to chase, hopping and pouncing towards Megumi with vigor as she dashed away to escape their pursuit.


    A strange projectile whizzed past her. She quickly glanced back seeing the huge horde even bigger than before. Her heart began to sink as even more of the strange spikes shot from these horrific dog-like demons that chased her.


    "W-what kind of demons are these!!??"


    Spikes after spikes launched at her, each on either scraping or grazing her while others missed her by sheer dumb luck.


    "It''s straight ahead! It''s straight ahead! It''s straight ahead!! They''re straight ahead!!!"


    Unexpectedly, Demons began to crawl down from the top of the buildings in front of her. She glanced up slightly seeing even more of the demons


    "You won''t escape from me." Annabelle echoed to Megumi.


    Megumi grasped the side of her head, shocked. "W-what was that!?"


    BOOM


    A building ahead of Megumi collapsed!


    Her path was now blocked with an intersection going left and right.


    She turned left in an instant


    BOOM


    BOOM


    BOOM


    Megumi started to hear laughter in her head.


    "W-where''s that voice coming from!?" Megumi thought.


    Megumi quickly came to a stop. She looked up, finding that she came to a dead end!


    She froze, unsure what to do. A cold sweat ran down her face as she glanced back seeing the horde of demons.


    She felt a fear unlike what she''s felt thus far. It couldn''t even match the time she was being hunted by that mob when she first came to purgatory. It was beyond that.


    Her breathing hastened with every step they took, and her vision started to blur.


    She could only watch on as the first demon pounced


    "I-I''m¡­ Dead¡­"


    Suddenly a blue barrier erupted, killing, slicing the demon''s head off!


    A woman jumped down from above, breathing exhaustedly.


    "Just so you know¡­ You run too damn fast."


    Megumi''s eyes widened in familiarity.


    "W-wait, Y-your-"


    "Not now girlie," She interrupted.


    Her drooped eyes became more serious as she gazed upon the demons trying to break through her barrier.


    "First we have to get the hell out of her."


    The woman held her fist up and formed a barrier around it. She then reshaped it into a fist.


    "An'' in case you''re wondering again, the name''s Kailey."


    "Kailey Renard!" In an instant Kailey brought her barrier down and punched the first row of demons. She quickly formed another forcefield fist punching through the second row.


    She pushed through the rows of demons, forcing them back. Suddenly, demons dropped from above, forcing her to conjure another barrier above.


    She clenched her teeth, annoyed by their presence. With practice eased, Spikes shot forth from her barrier, killing the demons.


    Megumi, watching, couldn''t help but be enamored by the strength of the women before her. She continued to fight with all her strength, through the demons.


    Kailey glanced back at Megumi, annoyed. "What are you waiting for!?"


    "O-oh!" Megumi hurried to Kailey''s side, second later she turned her fist to the door by their side, punching it down.


    "This way!"


    Megumi followed without question, letting Kailey lead the way for her. Without wasting time, Kailey punched through a wall into the street.


    Even more of the demons dashed at them from all angles as if prepared.


    Kailey quickly conjured a barrier around them. Demons from all around covered them like mindless zombies to their prey. They bit and gnawed at whatever piece of the barrier they could.


    "Tch! Damn it! It''s like all the demons are coming here!"


    She shot spikes forth from her forcefield again with less effect.


    "We should get to a safe house quick, unless you have any other bright Idea''s girly."


    "I-it''s Megumi. A-and there''s reapers down there!" Megumi pointed in the direction she was headed with urgency.


    "No good." Kailey retorted. "There''s even more coming from that direction than anywhere else. If we go in there, we''d both be toast. We have to get to the nearest safe house."


    "I¡­ I can''t do that! Cider''s in trouble."


    "Huh? You mean that demon kid?" Kailey wondered. "Sorry girly, but he''s likely dead already. An'' I''m not gonna waste my time looking for a dead man."


    Megumi instantly became silent, surprised by the remark.


    Megumi mustering, what little courage she could bawled her fist. "T-then Let me out."


    Kailey was taken aback from what Megumi had just said.


    "Are you crazy! If I let you go, they''ll tear you to shreds!"


    As Kailey spoke, she could remember a time she once had with Eric.


    ********


    Megumi as a child was locked in a classroom closet, she pounded on the door, begging to be released.


    Nobody was there.


    Just as Megumi was about to give up, the door swung open with a fury.


    "Megumi!"


    The boy with black hair was panting heavily, exhausted from running.


    "There you are!" He exclaimed. "What happened?"


    Her eyes widened, excitedly, but seeing Eric, she quickly tucked in her hands. She hid her eyes away from him. Doubt started to fill them.


    "Who did this to you!?" He raised his fist. "Whoever did it, I''ll kick their butts!"


    She looked back surprised to see him so angry on her behalf. "But¡­ Why???"


    "What do you mean ''why''?" he asked.


    "Why do you care. Why do you keep... trying to help me...?"


    Eric held his hands out offering a cheerful smile. "Isn''t it obvious? You''re my friend. Besides¡­"


    "What kind of friend would I be if I left you behind." Eric said.


    ********


    "What kind of friend would I be if I left him behind." Megumi said. she cluthed her hands even tighter.


    "He tried to save me... I can''t... I can''t leave him now!?"


    Her eyes filled with renewed determination, feeling much calmer than before. She looked back into the chaotic horde of demons, desperate to get to the two of them.


    "Thank you, Kailey. You helped me clear my mind."


    Kailey glanced back, indignant. "Huh???"


    Without warning, Megumi charged out from the barrier to Kailey''s shock. "What is that girl-!!"


    "Even if I have to punch my way through...! I''ll do it!" Megumi with her newly bare fist, punched the first demon in the face!


    The air cracked and whipped, then out of nowhere the explosion of ash and rock erupted. The demons around were blown away in an instant from the sudden impact.


    Megumi looked back at her hand seeing a strange wave of energy emanating as she moved her hand. "What is¡­"


    A demon attacked from behind, but was saved by Kailey and she used her forcefield punch. "Now''s not the time to get distracted, girly!"


    Using her barrier, she pushed all the demons back, giving them some much needed space.


    Kailey, glanced back at Megumi a little surprised. "What was that? It''s like power erupted for this girl just now..."


    Megumi looked more ready to defend herself, it was as though she gained new determined confidence.


    She turned, hearing an approach from behind and blocked a demon''s attack. Despite its sharp claws, she could barely feel a thing from the demon. Kailey followed up, sending a spiked forcefield through its head and letting it turn to ash.


    "Forget about that demon girly. if you don''t get to a safehouse these demons will take your core and eat it!"


    Megumi stopped for a moment


    "Then just forget about me then... Cider helped me so much, so I''m not going to give up on him!" Seeing another approach, Megumi dodged. "If you really care about me then just find some help reapers to help."


    Megumi ready her fist, punching into another demon with the same results. soon after she felt much more drained than before. and started breathing much more heavily.


    "Are you listening to yourself? You''ll never make it past all these demons!" Kailey plowed through another row of demons before forcing the barrier on both her and Megumi.


    "They''d sooner kill you before you could do anything!"


    "Maybe¡­ But I''ll never know until I try."


    Annebelle''s voice echoed in Megumi''s mind again. "She''s right you know, you wouldn''t even make it back if you''d try. Cider belongs to me and me alone."


    "Cider doesn''t belong to anyone!" Megumi snapped. "Whoever you are, you won''t win!"


    Kailey, looking a little more strained, peeked back up at Megumi confused. "W-who are you talking to"


    "You don''t hear them?" Megumi asked.


    Suddenly cracks started to appear as the demons continued to get through the barrier.


    "Listen girly, It''s not too late to change your mind¡­ There''s a safehouse not far from here¡­ But if you go after that demon, it''ll be on you. I''m not going looking for any reapers or anything. Not with these many demons around."


    Megumi could tell that Kailey was starting to reach her limit. "Fine¡­ If that''s how it is¡­ Then go. I have nothing to lose."


    Kailey scowled. "What an idiot."


    In that moment the entire barrier shattered, even shocking Kailey.


    Looking to their right, a demon three times the size of the normal demon had shattered the barrier.


    It was a complete amalgamation of several other demons, fused into one.


    "What... What is that thing? It so... Big..."


    It brought up its fleshy looking arms that contained the faces and arms of other demons and swung it down hard.


    "Kya-hahahaha!!"


    Both Megumi and Kailey became alert, hearing the laughter.


    Suddenly a man in black and yellow shirt arrived just between the two.


    "How bold to try and venture off alone in such a storm¡­" he said.


    He clutched the handle of his sword and in one fell swoop, killed the demons that surrounded them including the big one!


    A gust of wind instantly blew away the ash of the demons, leaving their black cloudy cores bare. Not long after, he sheathed his sword.


    Megumi''s eyes widened from shock seeing the man behind the blade.


    "W-wait!! Y-you''re that waiter guy!!!!"


    "I prefer Liang. And if I''m not mistaken, I believe I owe you and ice cream."


    Despite his squinted eyes she could tell that he was giving a wink.

 Chapter 14: Megumis Plight

    Megumi looked on, in stunned silence as the man that had annoyed her earlier in the day, had shown up and saved her and Kailey. Even Kailey was taken aback by this sudden entrance.


    Without giving another glance Liang spoke up. "Hey, dark skinned girl. Are you able to put another barrier up?"


    Kailey scowled and conjured forth a new barrier. "Y-yes but it won''t last long. An'' the name''s Kailey." she said.


    "Ah~. Nice to meet you, Kailey. And I''m Liang"


    Not long after demons once again surrounded them, hitting and gnawing at the barrier like a pack of wild animals.


    "Thanks~... Now¡­ Megumi¡­ Was it?"


    Liang sat down in front of Megumi, surprising both the women even further by his nonchalant attitude.


    "The big cheese wanted me to make sure you and the demon kid didn''t get into trouble. And here I was thinking that it''d be a simple job."


    "The big cheese" Megumi questioned.


    Liang rubbed the back of his head a little awkwardly. "Well, apparently it was a favor that was called in by that skeleton reaper, K."


    "O-oh¡­"


    Liang laughed a little seeing her reaction. "Yeah. Imagine my surprise. Although to be honest, I did mean to find you to give that ice cream you forgot."


    Megumi immediately became indignant and gave a scary face upon hearing about the ice cream. "You mean the ice cream you unjustly charge me for."


    "Yup."


    "You have no shame!" Megumi retorted.


    "Anyways, what happened to that demon kid?"


    Megumi quickly averted her eyes and balled her fist. "He¡­ Tried to save me¡­ There was a blonde hair guy that was after Cider. I need to get to him now! He''s in danger!"


    Liang held her hands out to quiet her down a little. He peeked at the barrier, finding it to start cracking and Kailey was becoming paler.


    "Alright." Liang said. He got back up to his feet. "Lead the way and I''ll help you where I can. And as for you¡­"


    "Kailey. " she spoke.


    "Kailey¡­ how about I handle things from here."


    "Tsk. That suits me just fine¡­"


    "Goo-" Liang was interrupted and forced to catch something from the air. He took a glance, finding the white cloudy core of three reapers. "Ah. Much appreciated. I''ll be sure to keep them safe."


    "I''m outta here. I''m not risking my neck for some demon." she sent large spikes through her Barrier clearing the way or her own retreat.


    "Ah. We''ll see you around then."


    Kailey waved him off. She then mustered all her strength, expanding her blue barrier like a hand grabbing the building. She quickly pulled herself to the top of the building as the demons now dashed forth to Megumi and Liang..


    Before departing she glanced back at the Liang and Megumi.


    As if reading her mind Liang spoke up. "Don''t worry I got this handled. I might not look it, but I can handle these demons myself¡­:"


    Megumi casted a somewhat worried glance.


    "Fine." As Kailey began her departure,


    Megumi''s fear rose as the demons got closer, but quickly stiffened her resolve. "I can''t be scared now. I have to stand strong¡­ Not only for Ciders sake¡­ But also for Eric too!"


    Seeing the first demon on the attack Megumi punched, closing her eyes. But unlike the first few times, she hit something hard.


    She opened her eyes seeing that the demon didn''t even flinch, confusing Megumi.


    Just as the demon turned back to attack, It was sliced into a hundred pieces. She glanced around noticing that all the other demons were standing still also.


    "What the-"


    "DEMON VERSE TWELVE: THE TWO DANCING SKIES."


    Liang sheathed a different looking long sword with an audible click. And like magic it disappeared before anyone could get a good look.


    The group of demons surrounding Megumi erupted into sliced pieces. They all fell to the ground before turning to ash.


    Despite her dislike of the man, Megumi was amazed by his skill.


    He turned with a smug smile. "It looks like you already used most of her energy¡­ Still¡­"


    Suddenly, from the ashes of these demons, another bigger demon emerged!


    Like the last one defeated it was grotesque and was an amalgamation of several other different demons.it was already on top of Liang, ready to slam its large hammer-like fist at Liang.


    "You''re quite the bold woman."


    "W-watch out!!" Megumi warned.


    Kailey, who was still watching, was about to move when Liang was struck!


    But unexpectedly, the demon was killed in his place!


    Liang simply cracked his neck and massaged his shoulder. "Oh. Right¡­" Liang glanced back at the newly defeated demon. "Sorry but you can''t beat me that easily¡­"If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Megumi was put into another stunned silence as Kailey could only chuckle to herself half amused. "Heh. I guess he''s not all talk..."


    Not wanting to linger any further, she departed.


    "Alright Megumi. Lead the way, and I''ll help you the best I can." Liang stated.


    ********


    Annabelle who witnessed this was left dumbfounded.


    "What the-! What the hell happened to my demons!? They should''ve killed that girl!!"


    The grotesque demon standing by her side raised a brow. It then spoke up in its deep gravely voice. "And progress with the kid Cider?"


    "Cider''s putting on a good fight as I expected But he''s bound to lose.." with a blush and a smile reminiscing of the past, she felt her cheek. "After all he''s never won a game of war in his life. Not with me or anyone else for that matter. And with that collar preventing him from reaching his chaos state, This makes things all the easier for this hunter to capture him."


    Annabelle reopened her eyes with a much sharper serious gaze. "But capturing Cider again will mean nothing to me if I can''t kill that damn woman. Order all the demons in the city to kill her. I WANT HER DEAD¡­!!"


    The grotesque demon bowed his head slightly, "It shall be done."


    ********


    As if hearing the order by Annabelle, the demons battling against the reapers and chasing the remaining residents stopped. They all turned their head in a particular direction and began their pursuit.


    The reaper still fighting these monsters attempted to chase after them with some of them having escaped the reaper''s sight. It was the strangest phenomenon one could witness. It was something unlike what the Reaper Corp had witnessed thus far in Millennia of existing.


    ********


    Dove, who was witnessing and still killing demons, took note of the event. "Something is wrong¡­ It''s like they''re after something now. But that shouldn''t be possible."


    "Yes, it''s like someone is actually controlling them. This does not bold well. I''ve never seen anything like it myself." Chime echoed.


    ********


    Arnold and K also watched this event occur in their area too.


    "Don''t let them escape!" Arnold yelled.


    His cartoon creations crushed any and all resistance trying to get past him and K.


    K could only narrow his pupils, suspicious by the sudden change in the demon''s demeanor. "Something is clearly amidst¡­"


    "What do you suggest we do?'' Arnold asked.


    "We need to make sure to keep any more demons from entering¡­ But considering how big this army is, it''s clear that whoever is behind this either wants to capture this city or is after something inside¡­"


    Arnolds Cartoon creations destroyed another horde of demons.


    "I think it''s safe to say that is the latter, Which is all the more reason we need to keep them out. Unless we''re able to stop the flow of demons in this city, they keep coming and will otherwise overwhelm the entire city itself."


    "What about the demons already inside?"


    "We have to leave them to the acolytes for now. And we should also have them look for the source of these demons'' behaviors too."


    "You mean, something like that." Arnold pointed over to what seemed to be a newly made black building made of crystals.


    K was left in complete disbelief looking black at the new tall structure. Shortly after, he became more serious knowing something was indeed happening far from them.


    "Yes. Send as many acolytes there as soon as possible!"


    ********


    Cider spun down like a saw blade straight at Dino, leaving the two interlocked as sparks flew in the air. Mustering up the strength, Dino pushed Cider back and forced Cider to plant his feet firmly back on the ground as he slid back.


    Cider wasted no time dashing back forth, swinging his arms wildly as Dino shot spikes of crystals at him.


    Each one viscously blocked as Cider inched every closer to Dino. Just as Cider was about to strike, a huge crystal erupted from the ground, forcing Cider back.


    Dino crystalized his arm, extending it partially to his body. It became like a suit of armor for his entire arm.


    More spikes were sent Cider''s way and he''s forced to dodge through each one. Seeing an opening, Cider brought his bladed leg up with a huge stretch and slammed it down at Dino who blocked it perfectly.


    "Tch! Damn demon!" He deflected and closed the gap between him and Cider. He then outstretched his finger and scratched the ground.


    Like magic, Spikes of crystal shot up from the ground he scratched, cutting through Cider and his clothes. Cider''s hollow insides were visible for all to see.


    Cider stepped back, breathing heavily. He then smiled. "This is fun¡­ So Anne put you up to this?"


    Dino''s eyes twitch, still keeping himself on guard for anything. He simply grunted.


    Cider sighed. "I thought so¡­ You seem like an okay guy. But I¡­. Don''t want to go."


    "You don''t have a choice in this kid!"


    A sudden spark came from his collar and screamed of pain.


    "Shut it hunter! Just get my precious Cider. Use those demons if you have to!" Annabelle echoed to Dino.


    Dino''s demeanor became more serious, and with a hint of irritation he re-initiated the battle. He ordered all the demons that had stood by and watched to attack. They collectively charged straight at him, leaving themselves wide open for Cider to kill and slaughter each one with practiced ease.


    Periodically, Dino sent spikes of crystal Cider''s directions, leaving him distracted just long enough for the demons to get their share.


    They sliced and cut into Cider, forcing him to jump in the air for a brief reprieve. He then slammed his bladed arms into the ground, cutting through some of the demons. HE then proceeds slicing and dicing through the other demons with the small room given.


    Finding enough room, he outstretched his bladed arms, beheading several of the demons that surrounded him.


    This didn''t stop the remaining demons as they punched and clawed at Cider, undeterred. Dino, using this prime opportunity, attacked Cider head on, using his crystalized fist.


    Cider Blocked this just in time. He growled as he attempted to muster out more power. Instead, he felt the tightening of the collar on his neck and the draining of his power. "What!?"


    Cider was suddenly kicked. He quickly reoriented himself back to his feet and fended against the remaining demons that attacked like wild animals.


    Slicing off the head of the final Demon, it was now just Cider and Dino within the large arena. Cider, breathing heavily, charged back in, ready to fight again.


    ********


    Megumi and Liang now ran through the streets with a new horde of demons on their tail.


    "You''re keeping up very well, And here I thought you''d be freaking out by now."


    "S-shut it! I''m gonna save Cider from that guy, no matter what it takes!"


    "You''re still on about that?" Liang saw Megumi''s determination flowing from her very being. He could also sense a still calmness within her.


    "Interesting¡­" He thought.


    Liang then glanced back at the horde of demons seeing that they were clearly fixated on Megumi. "She''s clearly being targeted¡­ Even if I were to bring her somewhere safe, We''d only end up putting everyone else in the safehouses in danger.¡­"


    "U-uuhh¡­ Liang?"


    "Hmm? Yes?"


    "What are you anyways? Are you a reaper too?"


    Liang smiled, amused. "You can just think of me as a demon hunter for now."


    Megumi narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. He was clearly withholding something from her.


    "Still don''t believe me?" Liang inquired. "Trust me, I''ve been hunting demons for the better part of twenty-two years."


    He gave a thumbs up, "So anything related to demons, I''m pretty much an expert on."


    She sighed giving in. "Fine. Let''s say I believe. Please be honest¡­ You won''t charge me for your help will you?"


    "Oh, you bet your butt I''m charging you. Fifteen-thousand opals will cover my service once we''re done."


    Liang became even more excited, "I can see it now! A mountain of opal''s and all for me!"


    Megumi could only cry on the inside in despair. "Damn iiit¡­ I knew he was up to something."


    "Don''t falter now. Here I''ll make you a deal."


    Megumi''s brows raised.


    Liang continued. "If you''re able to deal with the situation without my help, my service will be free. Sounds good?"


    Liang noticed Megumi''s unconvinced expression. "Still not convinced?" suddenly stopped running. Megumi could only look back, confused.


    "Then how about this? I''ll show you how to reach that latent power of yours and use it."


    A few of the demons continued to run past Liang as he watched the demons hurtle towards Megumi.


    "But first, You''ll need to show me that grit of yours!" he stated firmly.


    Megumi faltered for a moment as several different demons attacked her at once.


    "This¡­This asshole!"


    "Show me your resolve in this perilous situation."

 Chapter 15: Untapped Potential

    Megumi, surrounded by three attacking demons at once, was at a loss. Seeing Liang standing behind them as other demons flooded past him, she glared.


    ¡°What¡¯s with this guy!? First he wants to help, and now he wants me to show my resolve???¡±


    ¡°Eheheheh¡­ Didn¡¯t you want to save that Demon¡­ M-E-G-U-M-I?¡±


    ¡°M-my voice? No wait! That''s-!¡±


    Suddenly, Megumi found herself in front of her dark counterpart with her scarlet and crimson hair. She sat on a throne of skulls and other bones. She smiled knowingly at her as a red light emitted from below, painting them in a pinkish hue..


    ¡°That is your desire¡­ Isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Just as Megumi was about to question her dark counterpart she was quickly returned to her current predicament.


    ¡°Why did-¡± She bawled her hands in frustration. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this! Cider needs my help!¡±


    ¡°Get¡­ Away from me!!¡± Megumi screamed.


    A red aura erupted from her body, pushing away the demons to their shock. The others halted at once as Liang watched on, in surprise. Shortly after, Liang could help but laugh happily.


    ¡°Good! Very good!! You¡¯ve surpassed my expectations.¡±


    After a few seconds of hesitation the demons behind continued to dash forth at Megumi. The other demons seeing this, also raced over to Megumi as her eyes gleamed a much brighter red, Her hair swirl as though wind from above blew on them and she posed herself as if ready to fight back.


    Suddenly, as if on cue, an army of reaper¡¯s appeared, killing the demons chasing after Megumi. She could only look on, in confusion as the demons were completely wiped out with ease.


    ¡°W -where did they¡­?


    Slowly the energy flowing through her dissipated and her demeanor returned to normal.


    ¡°They came from around the city,¡± Liang said, approaching her, ¡°It looks like they sensed all that energy you were giving off.¡±


    Megumi couldn¡¯t understand what he was talking about nor why he was so comfortable with approaching her after what he just did. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Pointing his index finger up, he explained. ¡°I was looking to draw in the other reapers to get rid of the demons chasing us, Although I could¡¯ve done it fine myself I figured I let you do it when fighting back against the demons. But instead you release all your energy at once, becoming a literal beacon to everyone around.¡±


    Liang then stroked his chin. ¡°To be honest I¡¯m surprised there were a lot of other reapers around us. Quite the lucky break.¡±


    Megumi side-eyed him, not understanding his mumbo gumbo. ¡°Riiggghhhtttt¡­..¡±


    ¡°Thanks to that little spectacle you made, I think I have a good idea of what your sin is¡­¡±


    Curious, Megumi paid a little more attention. ¡°My¡­ Sin?¡±


    The Reaper¡¯s finished off the last of the demons that surrounded them. One of the reaper captains then approached them. ¡°Who are you tw- Hold on! Your-!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d appreciate it if you could keep the demons off us. For some reason the demons are taking an interest in this woman here.¡± Liang placed his hand on Megumi¡¯s shoulder. She didn¡¯t like this and irked.


    ¡°Captain! We have another horde of demons coming from the west gate, they seem to be heading this way!¡±


    Another reaper came forth. ¡°Captain, some demons front the south seem to be headed in this direction.¡±


    Liang hearing these updates from the acolytes became alarmed.


    Suddenly another news of more demons converging on their positions came forth.


    ¡°Yuanfen¡­¡±


    Megumi raised a brow, hearing this word for the first time.


    ¡°Yuan¡­fen? What does that mean?¡±


    Liang glanced at her, his expression more serious. ¡°This is no mere coincidence, May two hordes of demons coming this way might be a coincidence, but three or more¡­ No¡­ They¡¯re obviously targeting someone.¡±


    ¡°With what I¡¯ve seen so far, it seems like they¡¯re most likely after you¡­¡± Liang clutched the hilt of his sword scabbard. ¡°It looks like whoever is behind this attack, you pissed off greatly¡±


    Liang chuckled amused. ¡°You''re certainly a woman who knows how to find trouble.¡±


    ¡°S-so? What do we do now?¡± Megumi asked.


    ¡°You still want to save that demon kid, Right? So just focus on that and leave the demons to the reaper¡¯s here. So while they handle the demons, you can help that friend of yours.¡± Liang gazed upon the tall black tower of crystal where Dino and Cider were still locked in battle.


    ¡°I heard you''re pretty fast at learning how things work here in purgatory.¡± Liang suddenly said,


    He continued with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m going to help you learn how to use the power of your sin.¡±


    Megumi couldn¡¯t help but narrow her eye¡¯s in disbelief.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ********


    Both Dino and Cider continued to clash through the rough arena of rubble and destroyed buildings. The building¡¯s once pristine were simply gravel beneath their feet as the arms clashed and blocked strikes


    Spikes of crystal shot from Dino¡¯s arms as Cider dodged each of them as she slid away from the man.


    Reoriented, he charged back with a vengeance, scraping the ground and throwing the rock and gravel Dino¡¯s direction.


    Dino could only block particles with his arms as his vision was obscured. ¡±He came through. No! Above!¡±


    Cider¡¯s blade arm whipped down and was blocked in time with Dino¡¯s crystalized arm.


    Dino could only growl as Cider was still holding strong against him.


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d said, he¡¯d be easy Annabelle!¡±


    Dino pushed away the attack and shot more spikes out, each only merely grazing Cider¡¯s hole ridden body.


    Out of nowhere, Cider spun his body like a spinning top in the air, slashing at Dino¡¯s chest, to his shock.


    Dino quickly distanced himself seeing that he was struck deep.


    Cinder landed on the ground, ready to continue. All the while, Dino could only glare deathly at Cider.


    Dino quickly brought his hand to the ground. ¡°CRYSTAL WONDERLAND!!¡±


    Spikes and shards of crystal shot up from all around Cider, recreating the landscape into a world filled with crystals. Looking back for Dino, he was gone.


    Cider frantically searched around for Dino, only seeing subtle reflections of himself through each crystal.


    He was struck!


    He pumped away from the direction of the attack.


    No one was there¡­


    Another came, Then another and another.


    Cider was being attacked from nowhere and everywhere all at once!


    He couldn¡¯t keep up as the chain of attacks kept speeding up, faster and faster until Cider jumped far into the sky to escape this trap.


    Finally catching a glimpse of Dino in the terrain, Cider readied for his counter attack. Cider brought his blade arms together and charged down like a comet, all the while Dino simply looked at him.


    Right before Cider could touch Dino.


    He disappeared, shocking him.


    Cider slammed his attack to the crystal terrain sending thousands of shards of crystal flying in the air.


    ¡°Thanks dumbass¡­¡± Dino said.


    Cider could now see reflections of Dino in every shard of crystal in sight.


    ¡°Now I can kill you faster.¡±


    Shards of crystal suddenly shot from every crystal in the air, piercing through Cider¡¯s body.


    Dino reappeared before Cider, aiming his hand at him.


    ¡°I hope you don''t mind him being in pieces¡­¡±


    ¡°That''s fine¡­ As long as he¡¯s back with me, You¡¯ll get your reward.¡± Annabelle echoed.


    ¡°You better keep your end of the deal.¡±


    The spike shot out. But to Dino¡¯s shock, Cider miraculously caught it in his mouth! He clenched hard and stopped it in its tracks with his teeth.


    The collar around his neck tightened, his strength drained even further. He quickly calmed himself with the thought of Megumi. He then spat out the crystal.


    ¡°Not yet¡­¡± he said.


    ¡°He¡¯s still kicking?¡± Annabelle echoed.


    Cider¡¯s breathing was becoming much more shallow as he thought about his short, yet fun time he had with Megumi.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you take me away this time¡­. This time¡­ I want to stay.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Annabelle echoed to both Cider and Dino. ¡°The only person that''s allowed to be your friend is me! You''re my precious little apple, Cider. Don¡¯t tell me you''re going to abandon me like my sister.¡±


    Cider¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°N-... N-no¡­ I just¡­ I just want to find more people to be friends with!¡± His eyes soften a little. ¡°People that accept me like both of you.¡±


    ¡°Spare me the sobbing¡± Dino interjected. He ready another crystal spike in the palm of his hand to shoot out.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing what¡¯s best for you. So listen to your friend.¡±


    Cider glared up. ¡°No, I''m done listening to you!¡±


    Using all his strength Cider lifted himself up off the ground. Even as Dino shot his crystal spike, Cider stopped it with his hand, letting it pierce through.


    The crystals within his body pushed out from his body as his hollowed body began repairing itself.


    ¡°You''re just full of surprises, aren¡¯t you. But¡­. This is the end¡±


    Just before Dino could shoot anything out, he was suddenly punched in the face hard!


    He was sent flying back into the wall of his own creation.


    ********


    Anabelle who witnessed this stood up from the sheer shuck and rudeness of this attack. The demon beside her raised a brow.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked in his gravelly tone.


    Annabelle cringed. ¡°Impossible! How is¡­¡±


    ********


    ¡°How is she back there!?¡±


    Megumi was now on her knees shaking the hand she used to punch Dino. ¡°Ow, ow, ow!¡±


    Cider could only look astonished by what just occurred.


    ¡°Looks like I got the right person this time. ¡°She joked, sharing a rye smile with Cider.


    Dino stumbled back to his feet, a little disoriented. He wiped his lips, as thought they were bloodied. ¡°How the hell did you get back in here?¡±


    Megumi, hearing him, answered. ¡°I had a little help getting up.¡±


    ¡°Heh. I¡¯m surprised those demons hadn¡¯t killed you already.¡±


    ********


    Annabelle slammed her fists at the table where she watched everything from an orb. ¡°Where the hell are those demons Dragerd!? I thought more of them were coming her way!!¡±


    ¡°Weren''t you paying attention? Those reapers set a perimeter around that hunter''s crystal tower.¡± The demon Dragerd brought his head down, disappointed by Annabelle''s shortsightedness. ¡°Right now my subordinates are getting slaughtered as we speak. So if you want that woman dead it looks like it''s up to the hunter to do that¡­¡±


    Annabelle glared at the orb in complete rage. ¡°That woman¡­¡± She snaked from her mouth.


    ¡°DINO!!¡± she shouted.


    ********


    Dino raised a brow hearing Annabelle¡¯s voice.


    ¡°KILL THAT WOMAN!!¡±


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t part of the original deal.¡± He retorted.


    Suddenly a shock was sent throughout his collar!


    Dino was brought to his knees, suffering the excruciating pain. Megumi took note of this, seeing that it was somewhat similar to Cider¡¯s collar.


    ¡°Unless you want to become a demon like that master of yours, You¡¯ll do as I say!¡±


    ¡°Grr! You bitch!¡± An even more powerful shock was sent coursing through Dino after his retort.


    ¡°What was that!?¡±


    Dino mumbled something indistinctive.


    ¡°I can¡¯t hear you!¡±


    ¡°F-fine!¡± He shouted.


    ¡°That''s what I like to hear. Now kill her.¡± she ordered.


    Unaware of their conversation, Megumi demanded Dino to stop, not wanting to fight him. She quickly realized it was no use. Just as she thought he was aiming his crystal spike at Cider, she was saved as cider pushed her out the way!


    The crystal spike whizzed past her face.


    ¡°Tch! Damn demon!¡± he muttered.


    He aimed his palm straight at Megumi again, making it clear that he was after her life too now.


    Megumi narrowed her eyes as she thought back to a conversation she had with Liang, moments prior to climbing over the large black crystal wall.


    ********


    ¡°No. He actually saved my life. Honestly, it seemed that he was only after Cider¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ Is that so¡­¡­ Perhaps someone else is behind this. It is no coincidence that this guy showed up at the same time as all these demons. This is just a hypothesis but I think whoever is behind these demons are also the ones pulling that man''s strings.¡±


    ¡°So your saying-¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Right now that man that''s fighting your friend is merely a puppet on the strings, and forced to conform to their master.¡±


    Megumi didn¡¯t know what to think, hearing the Liang hypothesis. ¡°How would I know if he is the mastermind or not?¡±


    ¡°To be honest I don¡¯t think it matters either way. Most likely, you¡¯ll have to fight him and when that happens, use what I taught you.¡±


    ********


    Back to the present, Megumi breathed in and out. Slowly she released the energy within her, letting it flow just and Liang said. His eyes gleamed a brighter red.


    ¡°Oh. Is that supposed to scare me?¡± Dino said.


    His eyes began to shine a bright blue in complete contrast to Megumi.


    Determined, Megumi readied herself for a tough fight ahead.

 Chapter 16: Megumi Fights Back!

    Prepared with the intent to kill, Dino shot crystal spikes at Megumi! She nearly dodged, as she moved and ducked with a few grazing and scraping across her body painfully.


    She winced from the pain and when she looked back up, Dino was already in front of her, ready to strike with his crystal hands.


    With his sharp crystal fingers outstretched, he swiped to finish her in one strike.


    Cider quickly got in front of her, blocking with his black bladed arms. His arms weakened and just before it gave way¡­


    Megumi attempted to punch Dino again. But this was caught by Dino''s free hand. The three were completely interlocked with the odds seemingly against Dino.


    "You damn bastards." Dino hissed.


    Using all his strength he pushed Cider away followed by Megumi.


    Dino pushed forward, as he whipped his leg around, kicking Cider. He quickly raised if left hand, shooting spikes at Megumi once again, asserting pressure onto her as she''s forced to flee.


    She stumbled and ran out of the way of the spikes he shot out, each one barely grazing and whizzing past her.


    Mustering some courage, she stopped to cross her arms and focused a red energy into her arms. The red energy flowed like water into her arms, and she braced herself for impact.


    The crystal spikes shot fast like lightning but shattered upon hitting her. While it did hurt a little, that pain she expected was much less than what she anticipated.


    "It just as Liang said."


    Cider leapt back into action outstretching his arms and attack with what little strength he had left in in him. He slammed it down to the ground covering the area in a cloud of ash.


    Dino scoffed. At this point he could hear Annabelle screaming at him. He changed tactics to close combat with his target being Megumi. He dashed out the smoke screen of ash readying his attack.


    Unsure what to do, she panicked. "U-uhh. Okay. F-focus o-on-"


    Dino was already on her and she quickly crossed her arm again to block whatever attack he was sending. Dino gave an annoyed grunt and grabbed her to her instead.


    She gave out a surprised gasp and was tossed straight in to the air with ease. all the while Dino prepared to shoot more of his spikes at her.


    Cider not far behind caught Megumi in the air, bringing her back to the ground with a loud thud and creating another cloud of ash around them.


    "T-thanks Cider. that was close..."


    "Megumi you should go. If you get hurt, you-"


    "No." She interrupted. She got back to her feet preparing to fight. "I''m not going to leave you again. This time I want to help you¡­ Besides, didn''t you say that anything goes in this game?"


    Cider glanced back up at Megumi, seeing her calm down a little. He smirked, understanding and accepting her sentiments.


    "Alright. Let''s go all out then."


    "Wait... I have a favor to ask..."


    Cider perked his ears as Megumi told him something.


    "Sure. if that''s what you want, I don''t mind."


    "Thank you, Cider."


    The smoke dissipated, revealing that Dino had been waiting for them to leave the smokescreen that was created.


    They both immediately ran in separate direction from each other. "Alright, which one of us will her go after first." Megumi wondered.


    She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Opening her eyes, she found that Dino chose to chase after her!


    He attacked her head on with his crystal hands, but she blocked it just as quickly,


    "Hold him there!" Cider blurted.


    Hearing Cider, Dino tried to escape but was quickly grabbed by Megumi. "You-!"


    Unexpectedly, Dino changed directions, charging straight into Megumi into time avoided Cider''s slash.


    "L-let me go!" Megumi followed with a clumsy punch that Barely grazed him. Her hand stung from hitting him and he pinned her straight to the ground. But this didn''t last long as he dashed away to dodge yet another of Cider''s whip arm that nearly struck.


    Cider continued a relentless wave of whip attacks with his arm blade eventually cornering Dino. Cider swung his arms true with Dino being slashed upon becoming an inevitability


    Just before it connected however, Dino''s entire body became crystalized and completely deflected cider''s attack!


    "W-what!?" Cider yelped.


    Dino grabbed his arm, returning to normal and pulled Cider towards him. In an instant punched Cider in the gut.


    "Cider!" Megumi rushed in with a punch of her own, but it was easily caught by Dino.


    With his hand gripping Megumi''s fist, Dino quickly crystallized it and squeezed hard on her fist, crushing it.


    "Aarrgghhhhh!!!"


    Hearing Megumi''s painful cries, Cider swiped his blade arm up towards Dino''s face, forcing him to retreat.


    She quickly grasped her left hand, trying to recover from the pain. However, Dino charged back into action, not giving them room to breathe.


    He clashed with Cider again, his crystal hands against his bladed arms cloaked in black.


    He raised his other hand, shooting his crystals at Megumi who dodge this attack. she ran behind him and swung her fist.


    In the last second, Dino pushed Cider away and rolled out the way. He glared at them with annoyance and quickly Placed his hands on the ground.


    "CRYSTAL WONDERLAND!!"


    To Megumi''s shock the entire area around them erupted with crystals after crystal, turning essentially the entire arena into the city of crystals.


    Megumi, looked back for Dino after the brief distraction on to find that he suddenly disappeared.


    "W-where''d he go!?" she questioned.


    "Megumi watch out!"


    Dino''s hands outstretched from the crystal behind Megumi. She turned in time, finding the hand aiming to grab her face.


    Dino spoke up. "I didn''t want to have to do this¡­"This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Cider raced with his arm blade ready, but suddenly, he was grabbed by the leg and fell over. Dino''s arm in front of Megumi stopped and retreated back to within the crystal, confusing Megumi.


    a second later Cider was ruthlessly dragged into the large crystal behind him, trapping him withing the crystal!


    Cider got back to his feet, within the crystal and hopelessly watched as it turned black, and his voice muffled as he tried to break out.


    "Megumi!" he called before he was completely silenced.


    Dino pulled himself out from a crystal in the center of the world of crystals he made. Soon all the crystals around him turned black as though to close off any semblance of escape.


    "That''s better, Now I can kill without issue"


    "What did you do to Cider!?"


    "Don''t worry about him, I''ll be dealing with him when I''m done with you." Dino aimed his palm shooting more spikes. Megumi quickly braced herself behind a large crystal.


    C-crap!"


    The sounds of the crystal spikes colliding with her cover, stopped. Her senses told her to duck, so she quickly did so in time. A moment later the entire top half of the crystal fell off.


    Dino sheathed his blade back behind his hip, a hint of annoyance smeared across his face. He crystalized both his hands once more going on the attack.


    He went on the offensive, as he practically swung his arms wildly, leaving Megumi with dodging as her only option.


    He whipped his feet towards her, forcing her to duck, and letting him shatter the crystal of his own making.


    Smoke filled that air and spikes of crystal shot out once more. She blocked taking the full brunt.


    "Ugh! What do I do!?


    Suddenly Dion jumped out from the smoke with his combat knife in hand. He swung, cutting through Megumi''s arm to her shock.


    The pain was enormous and was unlike anything she''s felt until now. This was followed by a numbness of no longer feeling her own hands.


    Her eyes dilated, and despite not seeing anything bloody she felt queasy.


    Dino was ready to finish her off, but Megumi was able to reorient herself in time to dodge the last attack.


    "You''re making this harder than what this needs to be." Dino said. "Stop moving and I''ll make this quick." He held his knife threateningly.


    Megumi steadied her breathing. "Calm down Megumi. Calm down¡­"


    Slowly the cut hands stitched itself back together, confusing Megumi. "W-w-what? H-how did I-?"


    "N-no that doesn''t matter right now." Megumi moved the fingers of her hands finding it to be normal again.


    Dino as shocked as he was, charged back in to attack Megumi. she arched herself back avoiding his latest attacks, keeping her focus on him and him alone. violent swipe came after violent swipe, until her leapt into the air to strike his knife down with a vengeance.


    She dodged this and watched as he clutched his knife even tighter. it was clear that he was getting even more frustrated.


    "I can''t keep dodging like this I... I have to do something!"


    "What''s the problem Megumi?" Liang suddenly shouted.


    Megumi jerked her head around finding that Liang awas waiting atop an unscathed building.


    "How do you expect to help your friend if you hold back?"


    Dino became on guard. "Another one!?"


    "KIll him too if you have to," Annabelle Echoed to Dino.


    Dino could only clench his teeth in frustration.


    Liang continued to speak. "I thought you''d try using the power of your sin by now. Unless you want my help that is."


    "I-I''ll handle this myself!!" Megumi shouted back.


    She turned her gaze back to Dino whose full attention was now on Liang.


    Liang noticed this but didn''t pay too much attention to this. He simply sat himself down to enjoy the spectacle.


    "I''m just here for the show," Liang reassured.


    Dino slowly turned back to Megumi, clearly more weary.


    Taking advantage of this opportunity, she began to channel the red energy into her hands. She though back to when Liang told her about the power of sins.


    ********


    Both Megumi and Liang stood just at the base of the black crystal tower.


    Liang spoke. "Now for the sake of time I won''t go too much into the specifics, but for now, just know that there are seven total sins of this world."


    "Like the seven deadly sins, right."


    Liang smiled. "You catch on fast... Now the sin I think you have is just a hunch, But I believe it''s potentially associated with conjuring weapons" Liang gave an example, pulling his sheathed sword out of nowhere and making it disappear again.


    "Kinda like that."


    Megumi made a mental note of this. "Should I try it now?"


    "I wouldn''t recommend it." he said.


    "Why?"


    "Because once you do you have a chance of completely exhausting yourself. the worst-case scenario, you''ll turn into a core where you''ll be vulnerable."


    "T-then how will I be able to use my powers, if i don''t try?" she questioned.


    "Thats the kicker, isn''t it. You''ll have to pray that you get it your first try."


    Megumi gave Liang a scrutinizing look.


    "Hey, as long as you don''t conjure a frying pan, I think you''ll do just fine."


    Megumi could only sight at the last statement his made as he continued giving some additional instructions.


    ********


    "Focus¡­ Focus¡­"


    Slowly red energy she gathering started to take form. A tip of red and black blade began to poke out with a curve from her left hand. "A-am I doing it!?"


    Her excitement started to grow, but upon glimpsing back upon, she freaked out seeing Dino charge straight at her with his crystalized hands.


    She yelped and instinctively raised her hand to block his attack. To the shock of both of them, a curved blade colored in black and red completely ejected out from Megumi''s palm blocking this attack.


    "W-what the-!"


    Dino tried pressing his blade furth but as he did, he found that his own knife was getting cut!


    He quickly backed away from Megumi, unsure what to make of what he just saw.


    Glancing back at his knife, sure enough the cut was still there. But slowly the knife repaired itself with time.


    Dino readied his knife once more. Megumi followed him and she posed with her left arm, and she held it with her other hand.


    Suddenly laughter erupted from above. She recognized that it was Liang''s laughing. She glanced seeing that he was pointing at her as he continued his laughter.


    "You''re holding your hand like it''s a weapon! Thats great!!"


    Megumi could feel a vein bulging from his forehead as she became red. "D-did I really do it wrong??" She wondered. Looking back at Dino she could display a face of pity.


    "I-I don''t need your pity!" She shouted.


    She readied her hand with the blade again. This time she made the first move.


    She charged in readying to slash with her hand.


    Both Megumi and Dino clashed blades, Dino angling his blade just enough for it to avoid being sliced.


    She bawled her fist and tightened her fingers around the blade that protruded from her palm. She instinctively swiped her blade in and blocked an incoming strike from Dino in time, snipping the tip of his knife.


    She moved to stab the blade at Dino who dodged this. He turned to shoot spikes of crystal her way too little effect as some were blocking her large blade from her palm.


    "Tch!"


    He moved to circle around Megumi using the cover of the black crystals around her. He jumped to ambush her, but each and every time she would somehow dodge and block his attempt as if she could sense his very presence.


    Becoming more serious, she kept a look out for Dino. Catching a glimpse and shading the blade his way, cutting through the black crystals to both their surprise.


    "You gotta be kidding me! It''s like her senses have sharpened. And it doesn''t help that, that damn blade in her hand can cut about anything. It''s like it was made to cut the soul itself!"


    Megumi continued to cut through the crystals one by one at random.


    "What the hell is she doing now? Wait a minute- She''s trying to take away my cover! But this won''t help."


    "There!" Seeing an opening Dino took it. Leaping once again in the air he was posed, ready to strike.


    "It''s done." She said, she twirled around, her blade hand now prepared.


    Dino quickly crystalized his hands and shot a huge crystal pillar towards the ground lifting himself over her.


    He snapped off the growing crystal from his hand and landed back on the ground, sliding back. "Damn it!" He quickly charged back in; his knife posed to strike the heart.


    Megumi turned, ready to meet him head on as her eyes gleamed an even bright red than before. Suddenly a red aura pulsed from her brown hair.


    "This feeling. It feels weird, but so familiar¡­" Megumi thought.


    Dino''s eyes widened seeing something strange occur. Liang, who was also watching, raised a brow as his attention to Megumi focused.


    Before the two, the shade of her hair erupted into a scarlet with her three natural bangs turning a crimson.


    Dino tried stopping himself but got too close as Megumi swung the blade hard at Dino. He blocked in time, putting all his will to ensure his knife would withstand the blow. "I-impossible!! How is she-"


    She completely sliced through his knife, slicing through his chest to his utter shock. "T-this fast??"


    Megumi exhaled and the red in her hair dispersed at that moment. "That was close, I thought you had me for a moment."


    Dino fell to his knees with a big gash across his chest. "H-h-how???"


    There was a silence for a brief moment before Megumi spoke up a little awkwardly.


    "L-look I don''t want to kill you." She offered a hand to Dino to his surprise. "Just give Cider back. Thats all I want."


    Dino laughed at her statement. "Y-your too nice for your own good." he wheezed. "If it were up to me, I would''ve never attack you two."


    "You were supposed to kill her!" Annabelle echoed to Dino. "I should''ve realized it was useless to rely on a hunter like you."


    A shock was sent through Dino''s very being. His eyes bulged as he clutched the collar around his neck.


    "What''s happening!?" Megumi questioned.


    "R¡­. RUN!!!" Dino cried out.


    Liang watching this finally noticed the collar around his neck. "This is bad," he noted. His eyes opened slightly, revealing the yellow pupils hidden in his squinted eyes.


    "Oh, how I wish I could tell that girl what is in store now. But it looks like she found a way to block me. Not that it matters anyways since now you can eat her soul!" Dino could hear the gleeful tone within Annabelle''s echoed voice.


    "Then she''ll cease to have ever existed in the first place!"


    "N-nooo!!" Dino yelped. He could hear Annabelles cackling in his ears, unable to tune it out.


    Slowly Dino''s eyes became black with a white narrow pupil.


    All Megumi could do now was watch as the crystal exploded and erupted in and around Dino in a frenzy as he screamed in pain.

 Chapter 17: The Curruption of Chaos

    Dino screamed out in pain as crystals erupted and crackled across the ground around him. One after another erected from his body like blistering boils running out of control.


    Megumi could only brace herself as she witnessed as the crystals powers Dino once controlled with ease completely consume him.


    Slowly the black crystals field he made that still lingered around, disintegrated into nothing. This included the crystal that held Cider captive leaving him slumped on the ground, unconscious.


    Noticing Cider, Megumi turned away from Dino and rushed by Cider''s side. "Cider! Cider!"


    Cider crept open his eyes, and looked around in a daze. It was clear that he was having trouble registering the increasingly dangerous situation.


    A rush of wind blew from behind as Dino''s consumed body picked itself up. The crystal exploded onto his arm, his leg, then his body. They protruded almost like an uneven suit of armor all around him.


    His blonde and handsome face suddenly erupted with the crystals that covered his face, mimicking that of a monstrous face with jagged teeth that clamp together into what looked to be a gnarly mask. His white narrow pupil''s in his black eyes pierced through the crystal armor, crazed and hungry.


    Dino had entered the chaos state!


    He roared out loud like a beast ready to hunt. He rushed over like a wild animal with his newly clawed hand posed and ready to strike. Megumi was paralyzed with fear, unsure what to make of what was going on with this once normal looking man.


    Dino swung his clawed hands but was suddenly blocked by a sword with a long hexagon shaped hollow center. It held strong against the man now consumed with chaos. The now demonic Dino try to exert more pressure in vain.


    Finally, Liang gave a sigh of relief. "Whew. That was close. Consider this free of charge."


    With great ease, Liang pushed back, sending him Dino crashing into the far-off black crystal wall that now started to slowly dissolve away.


    "W-what''s going on?" Megumi''s eyes dilated, still shocked by the sudden and horrific transformation he underwent.


    "He''s in a state of chaos." Liang answered. "And a forced one by the looks of it."


    Dino dug himself from that wall, ready to charge in. He growled like a mindless beast.


    "It won''t be long until he completely transforms into a full demon. And there''s no telling if he''ll gain his sanity if that happens."


    Megumi glanced at Cider, thinking back to wall the beast that chased after her all this time.


    "Did¡­ This happened to all those other demons¡­ including Cider?"


    "Yeah." Liang said. "Once a normal person is completely consumed by the chaos within them, they could lose all sense of reality and who they were. It''s rare for a demon to keep a grip on their own psyche like your friend here. But its not uncommon either."


    The demonized Dino charged in to attack Megumi and Liang. Acting quickly, Liang grabbed both Megumi and an unconscious Cider jumping far away from the latest attack.


    Dino roared with anger, creating pillars and spikes of crystals around him, creating his own crystal prison. He began breaking and cracking through the crystal with his newly found brute strength.


    Liang, without a second though began to make their escape with both Megumi and Cider in hand.


    "Wait! W-we can''t just leave him like this! There''s got to be a way we can stop him from transforming!" Megumi shouted out, her face now laced with concern.


    Liang stopped and glanced at Megumi. She released herself from Liang''s grasp, determined.


    "You actually want to save this guy?" He smiled a little amused. " Funny, Not only did he try to kidnap your friend, but he also tried to kill you. And now you want help him?"


    Megumi gazed back at the demonic Dino that was still breaking through his own crystal prisoner to attack them again.


    "Y- Yeah. I know what it''s like to be used." Megumi''s thoughts shifted to the memory of her life before purgatory. "I had a family that adopted me when I was young. But they only did it to attain money from the government . They used me for money and in return I lived in there basement and a caged life."


    Megumi balled her fist, remembering his initial reluctance to hurt her and then of that mysterious women''s voice the spoke and taunted her. "I think he''s being used too...."


    "Beside... Didn''t you say it yourself that someone else was behind all this."


    "It was just a speculation." Liang said.


    The collar that was once on Dino''s neck suddenly snapped off by the continuous crystal still growing on him. Liang took note of this, Looking at it intently. "But one that seems more fact than fiction now."


    Liang turned to look at the demonizes Dino and pondered. he looked back and forth between Megumi and Dino for speaking up.


    "Are you sure it isn''t because he''s handsome that you want to save him," Liang teased.


    Megumi balled her fist in frustration. Liang immediately held his hand up defensively "Relax, relax I was joking."


    His demeanor immediately shifted. He grabbed Megumi and jumped out of Dino''s charge, far away from him.


    "That was close. Got a little distracted there." Liang said.


    Megumi, back on the ground, took a deep breath, calming back down.


    Suddenly Liang spoke back up. "We don''t have much time to work with But there''s a way we can save him. But it''s a race against time. I reckon in the next ten minutes his transformation into a demon will be complete and by then, it''ll be too late."


    "Well, how do we stop it?" Megumi asked.


    "We''ll have to kill him and revert him back to his core. By doing that it''ll put an end to the chaos state that he''s in¡­ I can easily put an end to this¡­"


    Without warning Liang pushed Megumi forward. "But I''ll let you handle this." he chirped.


    "H-huh?" Megumi''s confusion turned to shock by his boldness. "Hey wait! Why does it have to be me!? Aren''t you an expert in this?"


    Liang''s eyes gleamed with mischief "Oh, are you saying you''d like to hire my services? I have no problem with that, I charge a very, very low price of five-hundred thousand opals. Hehehehehe"


    "H-hey! wasn''t it fifteen thousand before!?"


    Oh. "I don''t know what you''re talking about" Liang averted his eyes and spoke with puckered lips.


    "LIAR!" Megumi could only stare coldly at his blatantly obvious fib. Not long after she looked back, and watched as Dino suddenly leapt into the air, ready to attack.


    "Good luck." Liang jumped away with Cider, to Megumi''s surprised.


    Huh!?" She glanced from Dino to Liang, dumbfounded by her new predicament.


    Reacting quickly, she her left hand with the blade curving from within it, and blocked Dino''s attack.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    With the sharp end pointing at Dino, his hand got sliced off in an instant. Megumi could only look on in shock by the sharpness of the strange blade.


    Without a care in the world, Dino attacks with his other clawed hand. Nearly hitting Megumi, she backed away, finding that Liang atop a tall building watching from safety.


    "You jerk!" Megumi shouted.


    Liang sat himself on the edge of the building with his feet crossed. "Pay attention now."


    He pointed back at Dino who was already attacking. Megumi dodged and swerved through the first few attacks and blocked the last. She was being overwhelmed by the sheer strength Dino had, but by some miracle, she held him off.


    Crystal spouted forth from the ground, nearly hitting Megumi''s neck, making her jump from surprise. "Eep!" a cold sweat ran down her face as she tried to hold back against Dino.


    "H-he''s too strong..."


    "You can beat him." Liang shouted nonchalantly. "Don''t lets his tough looks distract you."


    Megumi was becoming more annoyed by his antics, and shouted back. "Th-that''s easy for you to say!"


    Even more crystals erupted around her and the sliced hand, Dino''s one hand grew back as if nothing had happened to it. He aimed to attack with his newly grown hand, forcing jump back.


    Dino smashed the ground hard send smokes of ash all around.


    as the smoke dissipated she could see Dino''s body contort and and grow even more crystals on his body. He eyes twitched around violently, unorganized and crazed while looking around like a chameleon.


    Liang spoke up once more. "Trust me, you may not see it yourself but you''ve already won this battle. You just have to insert yourself."


    His eyes focused at once darting his eyes back at Megumi with his cocked head. He gave out a war cry dash at Megumi, his claws outstretched and ready to rip her to pieces.


    Megumi faltered, blocking much more clumsily. "I-insert myself!?" he hit hard, then he struck at her blade again and again as if to break it from her very palm.


    loud sounds of clanging reverberated loudly through the air, of the supposed metal blade and crystal hand went at war.


    "C-crap! crap! crap!"


    Suddenly Dino brought both hands together, slamming them onto her, leaving with blocking as her only option. He pinned her even harder to the ground. she felt as thought her very feel was plugged into the ground.


    Slowly, she could feel her legs weakening under the pressure of Dino''s large monstrous crystal arms. And the heat from his breath as he leaned closer as if to observe her.


    She looked into his very jaws seeing nothing but a black void the sent her into a stunned silence.


    "Don''t tell me your already giving up." Liang blurted a chuckle. "And here I thought would be the perfect opportunity for you to prove yourself."


    Megumi''s lips shook. she clenched her teeth as he continued to speak.


    "But in all seriousness... If you truly want to save that man, you need to put a little more faith in yourself. You''re still shaking, because you don'' want to kill him, right?"


    Megumi stopped, noticing that her hand was indeed shaking. She didn''t realize it herself, but she was indeed hesitating.


    "I... Isn''t there another way? I don''t..." Megumi continued the hard struggle against the demonic Dino.


    "No... Killing him is the only option you have Megumi. In purgatory it''s no different from the living , where it''s kill or be killed..."


    Megumi brought her head down, still barely holding off Dino.


    But don''t forget..." Liang continued. "Here in purgatory, it''s a lot harder to die. So don''t hold back for one bit!"


    Suddenly, Dino grew even bigger along with his strength.


    "Oh." Liang watched this happen. "It looks like he''s changing faster then expected. So make you choice now." he announced.


    Megumi stiffened her resolve. "D-damn it."


    Megumi gazed back up, upon Dino more determined.


    "Alright, fine! I won''t let you turn into a monster on my watch!"


    Megumi with all her strength pushed and pushed, surprising the now mindless Dino before her. And in a swift movement pushed Dino off her and sliced both his hands off!


    Dino stumbled back leaving himself wide open.


    Megumi went on the attack, thrusting her blade in her hand into him. She twisted the blade, making Dino screech out in pain.


    "Sorry, but this is for your own good!"


    Dino''s hands grew back out and gripped her hand. He ripped the hand blade from his stomach and tossed Megumi halfway across the destroyed area.


    He stomped hard on the ground and sent a row of clustered crystals erupting for the ground at Megumi. She dodged, getting scraped by some of the crystals.


    She looked back at Dino, finding that he vanished, she glanced up, finding him posed to attack with his claws.


    She blocked the blade. But this didn''t stop Dino from attacking Megumi relentlessly. He swung and swung, regrew his arm and swung more, putting Megumi on the defensive


    She tried looking for an opening but each one she saw felt like a feint ready to happen.


    Suddenly he lifted both hands, ready to crush her beneath the weight of his attack again. She used this prime moment to slash at his stomach.


    Dino didn''t flinch, instead, his crazed white narrow pupils looked at her and curved, what looked to be a smile and instantly healed the wound.


    "C-Crap!"


    She reeled her blade back to block but was crushed from beneath his mighty attack!


    She coughed out something resembling blood, practically confusing her,


    Dino tried crushing her again, but she brought her blade back in time, and with its sharp end ready.


    Without hesitation Dino continued the attack, slicing his hands off before he could reach her.


    Megumi made her escape from beneath Dino and readied herself or more.


    "T-that was close-!!"


    More crystal pikes were sent through the ground!


    Megumi nearly avoided it. Another one quickly came her direction. Then another and another after that.


    Dino with an amused creepy smile, sent spikes of crystal through the ground again and again.


    Megumi was forced to dance through the relentless attack, all before Dino closed the distance between them again


    He swung his clawed hands at her, forcing her to dodge! She blocked the second attack and then the third.


    He stomped his feet on the ground sending a crystal spike erupting from beneath Megumi to her shock.


    She dodged back, avoiding the attack in time.


    Shortly after, even large crystals had erupted from Dino''s body, making him appear even more monstrous than what he had already appeared.


    His black eyes got covered and a jaw even wider. He even gained a snake-like tongue alongside crystal-like horns that poke like a crown on his forehead. A tail made of crystal grew from his very body.


    It became obvious that there wasn''t much time left. She had to defeat him there and now.


    ********


    Annabelle, who was observing the fight, was mesmerized by the amazing transformation Dino was undergoing.


    "I should''ve turned him in much sooner. That hunter had an amazing potential to be a Sin''s servant like us."


    The other demon right beside her kept silent, watching the fight through the orb on the table.


    ********


    Dino roared even louder with the black crystal walls finally completely dissolving away. The Reapers that surrounded the area became shocked seeing the demon made of crystal.


    Dino looked around, practically drooling seeing the other Reaper''s that looked upon him much more fearfully.


    "W-watch out! He''s in his chaos state!!" A reaper warned.


    Dino charged straight at the yelling reaper, ready to attack.


    Megumi clenched her teeth. She ran and blocked Dino''s path, facing him head on. "Y-your opponent is me!" Megumi proclaimed.


    Dino didn''t discriminate and attacked. Megumi. He attacked, slashed and clawed at her while she dodged and blocked trying to find an opening.


    Suddenly she was struck in the gut and sent flying. She fell to the ground tumbling.


    She got to her hand glancing back in time seeing that Dino was attacked with a much more powerful attack in his hands.


    She dodged out the way in time seeing the ground glowing a bright blue, blinding everyone around.


    Shards and spikes of crystals erupted from the ground all around them. They busted through the streets, the buildings, even some of the reaper''s were nearly killed by this huge attack.


    Megumi was left scratched and bruised, breathing heavily. She was left unsure if she could actually beat him.


    Suddenly, his hands reached out from the crystal, terrifying Megumi. She sliced it off immediately and backed away. Then even more of the hands sprung forth from the crystals. She dodged and cut away at the hands and watched as some of the reapers got pulled into the crystals against their will.


    Liang seeing this became more serious. But stood patiently watching Megumi.


    Sinding somewhere safe she looked around, trying to find Dino, but he was nowhere to be seen.


    "Where is-"


    A dread filled her. A pure sense of danger that was coming from behind.


    She ducked and saw Dino''s body whizzing past her like a bullet and into a crystal.


    Her eyes widened from shock.


    She looked at all the crystals that surrounded her, even more concerned. And as if on cue, Dino shot from another crystal!


    Megumi dodge again and could only watch on as he entered back into another crystal.


    He shot past her again. And again. And again, an even faster, rapid succession.


    Megumi whipped her head around, trying to keep up with the sheer speed he was going, as he kept shooting past and around her, laughing demonically as he did.


    It was clear that she was being toyed with now. Slowly, she started to lose hope.


    "Don''t give up now! You can do it!"


    Megumi glanced back to where Liang was, seeing a heavily wounded Cider was up with his hands pumped to his chest. He looked determined as he spoke. "You can beat that guy!"


    Liang watched Cider, a little amused.


    With this small bit of encouragement from Cider, Megumi steeled her resolve.


    Completely surrounded by what looked to be several afterimages of Dino, Megumi stood still, concentrating. She concentrates all the power into her arms, then her hands, and then the blade within.


    Sensing his impending attack, Megumi tried to sweep out of his line of attack but was slashed through the stomach. She bit her lips bearing with the pain and slashed up and through his neck!


    The monstrous face inked out its dying cry, being killed in one fell swoop. The body and head struck the crystal it aimed itself at and slowly dissolved into ash.


    Megumi fell to her knees seeing that the fight was finally over. She looked down at the gash, seeing nothing but a crumbling body and a pitch-black void within her.


    "Oh yeah¡­ We''re just souls here¡­." Megumi''s exhaustive breathing became even heavier.


    She watched on weakly, as Liang and Cider made their way to her side. Not only that but the reapers that were captured just seconds prior were all freed from the contaminants, all just fine.


    Liang fished inside of Dino''s ash picking out his core that turned from a black cloudy mist to pure white.


    He smiled, throwing Dino''s core to a Reaper. "Congratulations Megumi. Looks like you did it."


    "T-thank¡­ God¡­"


    Cider wrapped her arms around his shoulder, all before the smiling Megumi slumped her head down in complete and utter exhaustion.

 Chapter 18: End of the Invasion

    Megumi slowly reoriented herself. She could feel a breeze and felt herself being lifted on someone''s back.


    "E¡­Eric?" she mumbled.


    Her vision cleared up and she saw the black hair of someone else, confusing her. Her eyes widened as she realized she was on the back of the very last person she would''ve wanted.


    "Nope~." Liang sang.


    "H-huh!???" Alerted, Megumi jumped up in surprise, finding that Liang was now carrying her on his back while jumping from tall building to building. "W-w-w-what''s going on!? Where are we!? What''s happening!???"


    "Oh? We''re running away from a huge horde of demons. that''s all" Liang said with a smile.


    Glancing back, Megumi saw Cider was following close behind and a ginormous horde of demons that completely were overflowing the streets. She could only look on, flabbergasted by the sheer number. There were not only demons swarming through the streets, but there were even demons climbing the walls like spiders and jumping from building to building too.


    She could feel herself becoming pale seeing this.


    "Yeah, I think they''re after you¡­ After you zoned out demons started to surround us and everything¡­" Liang chirped. He then laughed out loud. "I''m surprised no one died when that happened."


    "A-alright but why are you carrying me?" Megumi questioned.


    "I wanted to carry you personally, but that guy wouldn''t let me," Cider pouted.


    "Maybe next time, short stuff, try to grow a few more inches." Liang jokes.


    Cider simply stuck his tongue out at Liang, still upset with the decision made. "Meanie."


    Suddenly a demon attacked Liang from the side. Megumi tried to warn Liang but was seemingly ignored.


    The demons swiped his claws seemingly slicing through Liang''s neck. However, to her shock, the demon''s neck was sliced clean off instead. It evaporated into ash as Liang looked totally fine.


    He scratched his neck. "I feel like a mosquito bit me." He spoke.


    Megumi couldn''t understand how he could be so calm after what just happened. Then she remembered this happening earlier when he saved her from those other demons.


    "Is this¡­ His power?" she wondered.


    Liang turned his head, seeing a bright light in the distance. He smiled. "It looks like it''s ready."


    He quickly gestured for Cider to follow. "C''mon, this way."


    Cider without hesitation followed Liang''s lead as the swarm of demon followed close behind,


    "What''s happening now?" Megumi asked.


    "This little invasion is coming to its climatic end. Hope you''re ready for the fireworks."


    ********


    Elsewhere, Annabelle is seething, watching as Megumi is being carried off to safety by Liang and Cider.


    "That bitch! That harlot! The nobody! HOW IS SHE STILL ALIVE!!!??"


    The table broke beneath her strength as her eyes became a deeper black, like the void in space. And her narrow white pupils were so thin, they were practically non-existent.


    The grotesque demon, Dragerd, stood by and watched with great interest. He formed a smile, keeping a keen eye on Megumi. How interest in Megumi had been clear. He still surprised that a woman of her caliber could even defeat Dino in his chaos state.


    Clearly there was more to her than what meets the eye.


    Annabelle suddenly whipped around and posed her hand commandingly. "MORE DEMONS! WE NEED TO SEND MORE NOW!!!"


    "I''m afraid we''re all out." Dragerd said. He closed his eyes amused by Annabelle''s sheer rage.


    He slowly opened his eyes back up. "The best we can do is send the devourer."


    "T-then send him. I don''t care if he eats those other demons. As long as he kills here Then that''s what matters to me!"


    Dragerd formed a much more sinister smile. "Such wise words from a lady of your stature."


    ********


    Back at the gates. The reapers continue their fight, trying to keep out the demon menace. They made strides in pushing the demons back outside of the city. They kept coming one after another, but slowly the numbers dwindled down


    "We got this! Keep pushing them back!!" A reaper shouted.


    Unexpectedly, A large hand grasped the large stone wall like a branch.


    "Huh?" Some of the reapers stopped in place as the demons around them started to flee. The all watched intently at the large hand now grasping the wall.


    The stone cracked from just the mere grasp of its fingers. The demon slowly raised itself, revealing its true body.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    It was a ginormous demon compiled with faces in the millions that tried to worm their way out of the skin of the body. They stretched and contorted the very arms, body and face of the despicable creature, all painted with a face of agony and suffering.


    Megumi from afar saw this large, horrific demon that looked like they came straight from a nightmare. Its gaze then darted, straight at her. Seeing this her heart sank and felt even colder as her skin became pale.


    "W-w-w-wehat is t-that thing?"


    Liang and Cider both took notice as well. Liang grew more serious seeing the ginormous sized demon hopping over the wall like it was merely a small fence.


    In that instant, many of the demons and reapers were crushed by its weight.


    Liang spoke up. "That''s a giant devourer. It''s a demon almost as old as time itself, and by the looks of it, seems like this one consumed a lot of souls." a seriousness rose within his voice. "Demons like these are used by the sins of purgatory to maintain power and control over some parts of this world. If there was a place they didn''t like, or it looked disadvantageous to them¡­ The sins would send one of these things to single handedly wipe out other worlds and cities off the face of purgatory."


    The giant scooped up some of the cores and earth beneath him and consumed them.


    "Some people simply just call them destroyers for that reason¡­ to be honest, most grimm''s in today''s day and age probably wouldn''t even survive that thing¡­ but today, it looks like we''re in luck¡­"


    As Liang finished his explanation, the demons that were once chasing after Megumi, quickly turned tailed, scurrying away. Clearly, they felt the danger of another, more powerful presence that was beyond even them.


    This didn''t sit well with Megumi, as she looked back at the giant demon.


    Slowly it trudged its way to their location clearly, just like the other demons, for some reason or another it was after her specifically.


    A panic started to rise within her, and she looked back to Cider and Liang finding their face''s sporting a calmness.


    Suddenly they stopped, and land atop the tallest building in Gondola.


    "W-wait! Why did we stop!?"


    "We''ve reached our destination." Liang said. "Now we leave the rest to that friend of yours, or better yet¡­ our ace."


    "Friend? Ace?"


    Cider sat with his legs crossed, pouting as he looked away from the scene. "I bet I could''ve beat that thing too!"


    "What does he mean ''friend''... Unless he means-"


    Out of nowhere an explosion rang out as something in supersonic speed sped past them. Megumi watched as a familiar robed individual hurdled towards the large demon devastating the city''s buildings.


    The demons roared and whipped his hand down as to swat the fly before him.


    Unexpectedly, that very monster''s hand was completely pushed aside!


    A large fist bone of bone tentacles has formed and punched the gut of the demon, sending him hurtling back to the gate from whence it came!


    The reaper, responsible for this attack, landed and a half-destroyed building looking at the demon before him.


    His boney fingers reached out to the back of his bone neck, cracking it audibly.


    "I never expected they''d actually send a giant devourer here¡­ Just my luck." K said, clearly exhausted. He sighed, crossing his arms.


    K prepared a plethora of bone tentacles and watched as the Giant in front of him got up and made a mad dash for him.


    His tongue outstretched in crazed hunger. The beast had found a strong prey to devour and outstretched his to grab him,


    K, unamused by this, used his bone tentacle to slice the behemoth''s hands off in an instant. K glared coldly up at the giant. "Lucky for you¡­ I''m feeling merciful today¡­"


    With a gesture of his hands, even more bone tentacles shot out from the darkness of the buildings and rubble that laid around him. They sprouted like plants, curving and entangling in one another. They all culminated together creating a top half giant sized man even bigger than the giant demon itself.


    The once crazed demon looked up in shock. Even Megumi and Cider, who watched, were shocked by this display of immense power. Liang simply watched on, content.


    "What''s the matter?" K asked. "I made this¡­ With all my soul." The giant man, manifested by K''s bone tentacles, posed and raised its fist.


    With a flick of his finger, the bone formed man struck hard at the demon. It blocked with his arms, but they were no match against the sheer power of K''s creation.


    It obliterated through its arm and shot its fist through its chest. As if that wasn''t enough, an explosion of power surged and decimated chunks of the body around the fist, leaving only the eyes of the demons to look on and the bottom half of its body.


    ********


    Annabelle and Dragerd who watched this scene from the safety of their hideout could only look on in shock.


    "W¡­Where did this reaper come from?" Annabelle was frightened seeing such power on display. "Not even a Grimm is this powerful." Her voice cracked as she continued to watch.


    "He''s probably part of the ''Old Order''." Dragerd noted.


    "Annabelle couldn''t help but to glance at Dragerd curiously. "Old¡­ Order¡­?"


    Dragerd ignored Annabelle, stead, peering into the orb with even greater interest.


    "We''re retreating." Dragerd, plainly said.


    "Huh!!? We can''t back down now!"


    "We''ve already lost¡­" Dragerd watched as the giant demon that was defeated, slowly turned to stone. The arms fell hard along with the top of the head that cratered to the ground. The bottom half of its body continued to stand, now a stone statue stood tall over the rubble it left behind.


    Bone tentacles shot through this newly made statue, shattering it to bits.


    "That''s better." K said.


    "With a reaper this powerful in the city, the invasion was doomed to fail¡­"


    Annabelle could only seethe, hearing the words from her ally. As much as she wanted to order the demons to continue, she knew she had no control over the army.


    The only person the demons would listen to, was in fact, Dragerd.


    Suddenly, K looked straight at them through the orb they were watching from. Shortly after he sent a bone tentacle through it, destroying their only means of seeing the events in Gondola.


    Dragerd smirked, amused by this set back. "It looks like he found our eye too¡­ With a reaper of his magnitude, there''s clearly something important in that city. The sin of Rage will want to hear about this.


    ********


    Megumi, who watched from afar alongside Cider, could only look on in shock. She knew that K was strong, but she didn''t realize he was this strong.


    "Not bad." Liang said with a smile. "That just leaves all the demons still lounging about¡­ Huh?"


    Liang along with all the reapers in the city witnessed a very bizarre sight. They watched as all the demons that had invaded started to flee.


    "How odd¡­ It isn''t every day we see something like this¡­"


    "There''s no doubt about it anymore¡­ These demons were clearly being controlled¡­ There must be a power user of the sloth¡­ That''s the only thing that can explain this¡­"


    Liang looked back to Megumi he saw as the blade that was still in her hand began to disperse into a bloody mist.


    Megumi''s eyes began to droop. "T-that''s strange¡­. Why am I feeling so tired all of the sudden?"


    Without warning, K stepped up to Megumi, Cider could only flinch, surprised by K''s sudden arrival. "I''m glad that you''re still safe. You did good, holding out for me¡­"


    Megumi felt a subtle warmth hearing those words. She didn''t expect for K to say those to her. But she wasn''t against it either.


    Slowly Megumi slipped back into a slumber, exhausted from the night''s events.


    "Cider." K spoke. " I can see that you fought hard¡­" He turned away and grabbed Megumi gently with his bone tentacle. "Thank you."


    Cider smiled proudly with his head held high. "Hah. I also won my first game of war too! This is the best night ever!" Cider pumped his hands in the air, laughing.


    "Hey, I challenge you to game of war, I bet I can beat you now- whoa!!"


    K''s bone tentacle suddenly grabbed him by the leg and held him upside down. "Don''t get ahead of yourself now." K said.


    "Hey! No fair!!" Cider began swinging and flailing his arms in vain at the reaper.


    Liang watching this interaction couldn''t help but give a chuckle.


    "What an interesting bunch¡­" Liang thought to himself.

 Chapter 19: Surprising Events

    Megumi woke up. She found herself in a cozy and calm room. It looks like one of those casual rooms with a dresser, cabinet and simple bedroom d¨¦cor littered throughout. Right beside her on her left was a comic book left on a short cabinet.


    Looking to her right she saw a light peeking from the covers of the window. She pulled herself up, smelling the calm scent of lavender in the air. on the floor in front of the bed was a nice blue rug that draped across the floor, filling half the room.


    After a few more moments of looking around she finally realized that she was also wearing the same clothes from that night.


    ¡°Where am I?¡±


    A door suddenly burst open and Cider came running in.


    ¡°You''re finally awake!¡± he exclaimed.


    Cider quickly embraced her in a hug, She was taken aback by this sudden gesture of affection. "Cider..." She gently brought her hand around his back and allowed his hug to continue for another moment before prying him off her.


    ¡°What is going on? And where am I?¡±


    Cider ignored her questions and quickly pointed back at the door. ¡±He¡¯s not being fair! He cheated! I know he did!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Megumi looked up, and her eyes widened in utter shock. ¡°W-what the- what are you doing here!?¡±


    Before Megumi, leaning on the doorway with his arms crossed was Dino. The man that was made to kidnap Cider and kill Megumi herself. This time he wasn¡¯t wearing any collar. He wore a casual blue button down shirt and some cargo pants that looked military in nature.


    ¡°Leave it to the kid to not explain anything.¡± he sighed.


    Megumi quickly jumped on the bed in surprise, she was poorly posed as if expecting him to attack.


    This only invoked a strong exhausted sigh from Dino as bags formed beneath his eyes.


    Not long after, K had showed up. ¡°I see that you''re awake now. That good. for a moment, you had me concerned that we¡¯d miss our window.¡±


    Megumi¡¯s face was plastered with absolute bewilderment by how calm everyone was. "Uhhh... What''s going on?"


    ********


    Shortly after they were all made to sit at the same table together. The Dining room looked like a casual home and it keenly reminded her of Eric''s house diner that felt familial. Looking at the d¨¦cor, she realized that some of it was actually ancient looking with some weapons hanging on the wall.


    Despite the cozy calm atmosphere it entailed, Megumi couldn¡¯t help but be annoyed. As it turned out, the home they were in belonged to Liang of all people.


    ¡°I hope you found the room to your liking, Megumi~.¡± Liang was smiling from ear to ear as he gave her some white rice and some thin slices of steak on the side with sauce drizzled on top.


    "of all people, why did it have to be him?" She looked at the food given to her suspicious of the man.


    ¡°It¡¯s on the house,¡± he said.


    Megumi¡¯s suspicions didn¡¯t stop, making him involuntarily rub the back of his neck nervously.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Megumi, I am very well aware of what took place.¡± K said. He took a spoonful of rice, eating it.


    ¡°I know about the attempted kidnapping, and the fight both you and that boy had to endure.¡± K glanced over to Cider seeing that he was gobbling up the food on the plate.


    K sighed. ¡°I¡¯m even aware of the cheap tactics Liang had used on you to provoke you to fight.¡±


    A cold sweat ran down Liang''s face as he chuckled nervously across the table. He sat himself down and began to eat himself alongside Dino who was slowly eating his fill.


    ¡°Needless to say, you did well holding on your own given the circumstances.¡±


    ¡°T-thank you¡­ but uh¡­¡± Megumi finally looked at the plate of food. She took the spoon in hand before turning to Dino who was taking a bite from his food. ¡°What is he doing here?¡±


    Dino started to speak for himself. ¡°I¡¯m here on probation. So that kooky guy there has to look after me I guess.¡± He pointed straight at Liang who was the only one eating noodles for some reason. ¡°Wanna make sure I don¡¯t turn into a demon I guess¡­¡±


    Dino then plopped another spoonful of rice into his mouth, and stared at Megumi nonchalantly as he spoke with his mouth full. ¡°M¡¯names Dino Briar by the way. In case you''re wondering.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but why are you on this probation thing?¡±


    ¡°As you correctly surmised, Dino was under the influence of another demon¡­¡± Liang said. ¡°Apparently this demon sent Dino to kidnap your friend Cider, the reason why is still unclear.¡±


    ¡°Yes and it¡¯s most likely connected to the demons attacking as well¡­¡± K added. ¡°We already know the name of the assailant behind this attack. An old friend of that boy apparently.¡±


    Cider¡¯s mood shifted ever so slightly, Megumi immediately took notice and watched as a bigger frown made its presence known. It looked as though he wanted to say something but immediately shut his mouth.


    K continued. ¡°In any case, this man before you was deemed just as much a victim because of it. But we¡¯ll keep our eyes on him just to be sure.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I plan on doing anything anyways.¡± Dino still spoke with his mouth full. ¡°But I¡¯d be lying if I said that now the situation makes things less complicated for me. But that''s my own problem¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll believe you for now¡­. But I¡¯ll have my eye on you two.¡± Megumi gestured, bringing her two fingers from her eyes to his eyes, looking determined as she did. All the while Dino could only look at her like she was stupid.


    ¡°Now on to more important matters,¡± K said.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Megumi¡¯s attention quickly shifted. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember how I told you that the city of Gondola moves throughout purgatory?¡±


    ¡°Uhh,,. Vaguely I guess. Yeah?¡±


    K gave out a long sigh. ¡°Because of this invasion the city won''t be moving due to all the repairs that have to be made to the buildings, and that will take over a week. In layman''s terms, in time we don¡¯t have.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Shouldn¡¯t we have a few weeks or something?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately not. You¡¯ve been asleep for over two weeks.¡±


    ¡°W-what!!??? Two weeks!!?¡± Megumi jumped up in surprise as Dino and Cider looked at her a little confused.


    ¡°So this leaves us with only a week to get you to Arc if you wanted to join.¡±


    Megumi slouched herself back in her chair, and stared at the ceiling in defeat. ¡°And when was it again? In five hundred years?¡±


    ¡°Is there something I¡¯m missing?¡± Dino questioned.


    ¡°Yeah, What ¡®s wrong,¡± Cider asked. He looked at Megumi, more concerned.


    Megumi brought her head back down, glancing back at Cider. ¡°Oh, yeah. I didn¡¯t tell you, did I?¡±


    ¡°Tell me what?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ Well¡­¡± Megumi scratched the side of her face nervously. ¡°You see¡­¡±


    Everyone listened intently as Megumi told her true goals for when she reaches Arc. Dino raised a brow, Cider seemed to grow excited, while both K and Liang looked on, unsurprised.


    ¡°So you want to join them, huh?¡± Dino took another bite of his meal. ¡±Well to each their own.¡±


    ¡°Oh that''s so cool, can I join!?¡± Cider asked excitedly


    ¡°That''s a no.>¡± K said. ¡° Demons are barred from joining.¡±


    Cider pouted ¡°Booo.:.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act surprised, Demons like yourself are unpredictable and unstable.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad that experience won¡¯t be going to waste it seems.¡± Liang gave a laugh before being hung upside down by K¡¯s bone tentacle. ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Megumi could only glare at Liang, unamused. ¡°You threaten to extort me for money.¡±


    ¡°And it worked like a charm.¡±


    ¡°You''re shameless.¡± she finally bit into a spoonful of rice.


    K promptly released Liang from the bone tentacles he conjured. Megumi was disappointed to see Liang land on his feet however.


    She sighed. ¡°What are we supposed to do now?¡± Megumi began to play with her food a little, shifting around the rice in her plate.


    ¡°The plan stays the same.¡± K said. He took another bite of his food enjoying the simple taste of rice. ¡°In two days we¡¯ll be departing along with a group of other people who planned on heading to Arc too. As it turns out, some of them are in a hurry to get to Arc like you.¡±


    ¡°Really? But will we get there in time?¡± Megumi continued eating along with everyone else. ¡°The last thing I want is to wait five hundred years to actually join.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s actually fifty years, but I understand your concern. But there is a way we could get to Arc fast, but it''ll be risky. And because of that, I''ll leave this choice up to you.¡±


    Megumi''s face became a little more flushed, averting her eyes from everyone at the table. ¡°T-the sooner I join the sooner I can see Eric¡­ So I don''t care if its risky¡­ I''ll take that risk.¡±


    ¡°Eric?¡± Dino raised a brow.


    ¡°He¡¯s someone she harbors deep feelings for, and we¡¯ll keep it at that.¡±


    ¡°K!!!¡± Megumi reflexively jumped to her feet, embarrassed that he would say anything.


    ¡°Is he in Arc too?¡± Cider asked.


    Megumi turned to Cider, reluctant to answer. ¡°N¡­No¡­ He¡¯s not¡­¡±


    ¡°H-he¡¯s¡­ not in purgatory¡­¡±


    There was a sudden silence of understanding.


    K broke the long silence between everyone. "So it''s decided then... for today, you should rest up. and tomorrow we''ll gather some extra supplies for ourselves for the trip ahead."


    Megumi slowly sat herself down and agreed. After a few moments, Liang suggested that everyone finish their meals.


    Everyone around, agreed to this and ate and awkward silence hung between all of them. Megumi slowly ate her rice, her mind still a blur with thoughts of Eric now lingering in her mind.


    Cider took notice of Megumi¡¯s somber expression. Using the opportunity Cider offered his share of steak to Megumi to cheer her up.


    She quickly declined the offer, forcing Cider continued to watch her look on with the same expression as she ate.


    Suddenly, a naughty idea came to mind. He looked at Dino¡¯s plate, finding that he wasn¡¯t even paying attention to it. He curled a playful smile seeing this.


    ¡°Psst¡­ Megumi¡± Cider whispered.


    Megumi glanced over and watched as Cider tip-toed his fingers towards Dino¡¯s plate.


    Both Liang and K were too focused on their meal to notice while Dino was simply ignoring everyone in the room.


    Cider could only snicker and hold back his laughter as he outstretched his hands to an inhumane level.


    Megumi watched, anticipating for Dino to actually take notice, but when Cider reached his target, he grabbed a slice of his steak, and recalled back to himself. He quickly gobbled it up without a second thought.


    Megumi giggled, surprised that Cider¡¯s plan actually worked!


    Despite this small victory, Cider wasn''t satisfied yet. He went in for seconds.


    Slowly he did the same thing, inching his fingers to Dino¡¯s last piece, closer and closer.


    Megumi, in deep anticipation, brought her eye level to the table watching in anticipation to see if Cider would actually get caught this time, He grabbed the steak, and like before he threw it straight in his mouth! all while being undetected.


    Megumi blurted out a laugh attracting the attention of Dino who saw her tucking her head down to the table.


    ¡°What''s so funny?"


    He drove his spoon into the rice where the two pieces of steak once laid. ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Dino glanced at his plate, finding the two pieces of steak vanished. ¡°What the hell- Where¡¯d my steak go!?¡±


    Dino quickly glanced around his plate and then the table, finding that Cider had the tangy sauce, that was drizzled on their steak, on his face. Not only that, but he still had his two pieces his slices of steak left.


    Dino could clearly see Cider holding back his laughter. And with that, it didn¡¯t take long to surmise who the thief was.


    Dino stamped his feet on the table disrupting the once silent meal. He curled his sleeve and glared angrily at Cider. ¡°You twerp! You stole my food! Didn''t you?¡±


    Cider stuck his tongue out mockingly. ¡°Nyaaa. Not saying.¡±


    ¡°Why you little.¡±


    Dino Jumped in to attack and Cider welcomed it.


    To Megumi¡¯s shock they began to wrestle each other out. It went back and forth as Dino had the upper hand, then Cider had the advantage and the cycle continued on. Liang simply laughed watching them and K simply ignored the two.


    The table suddenly broke due to their outburst. Her food along with K¡¯s and Liang''s were saved by K¡¯s bone tentacles just in time.


    Not long after, Liang for some inexplicable reason joined into the fray turning it into a free for all.


    Megumi then came to a realization and looked back to K. ¡°Wait a minute. Why isn¡¯t he stopping this?¡±


    ¡°What are you looking at me for? You''re missing the show Megumi,¡± K said. ¡°You should be enjoying yourself.¡±


    Megumi was silent for a moment, but quickly fell into laughter as she watched.


    K watched the wrestling between the three and formed a bit of a smile with his boney teeth. ¡°I bet this Dino man will beat that kid, Megumi. What do you say?¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± Megumi retorted. ¡°I bet Cider will kick his butt!¡±


    ¡°Hey, what about me?¡± Liang pointed to himself as he continued the three way fight.


    Megumi scowled. ¡°What about you?¡±


    Liang was left surprised by her bitter response, leading to him getting punched by Cider and Dino. but for some reason the damage reflected back to them.


    The two were left reeling from the pain of their own punches.


    ¡°Cheater!¡± Cider called out.


    Soon after the fight became more rowdy and chaotic.


    Just outside the door, the two reapers guarded the door in the bright white hall. Hearing the noisy fight inside they were tempted to look inside, Arnold especially. He thought about joining to simply kick Ciders butt for calling him lame again, just the other day.


    An old looking man came into view of Arnold and he quickly fixed his composure.


    ¡°H-Harold. What brings you here?¡±


    Standing before Arnold was Harold Truman, an older looking fellow that Cider had fought with when he first arrived in Gondola.


    He struck his chin, listening to the chaos inside. ¡±Fighting again, eh?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes. By the way, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you, but do I really have to be here? Should a Grimm like doing more important stuff?¡±


    ¡°Oh, but this is important. That demon child inside is the prime reason for this invasion. This is not mentioning the fact that the woman inside was specifically targeted by a demon woman named Annabelle. We believe that she might be a new General for a sins army.¡±


    Harold glanced back at the door. ¡°I was planning on checking in on them but it seems my timing was very poor by the look of things. Oh well. It¡¯s better to let them enjoy their time for now. Wouldn¡¯t want to get that old fossil inside mad.¡±


    Harold laughed to himself as he departed leaving Arnold a little puzzled. He sighed and continued to guard alongside the other reaper by his side that looked like he was going to poop himself.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ His aura sure is strong¡­ But that''s the ruler of Gondola for you¡­¡±

 Chapter 20: Last Day Mishap

    Megumi grew bags under her eyes, staring straight ahead and she journeyed forth. To her left, Cider was whistling as he leaned his head on the palm of his hands. To her right, Dino trudged along with his hands in his pockets. He averted his gaze from Megumi, looking at all the miscellaneous products in the destroyed market.


    Megumi grumbled to herself before sighing silently.


    She thought back to what had occurred not even an hour ago.


    ********


    Megumi was playing a game of hide and seek with Cider withing Liang''s living room. She peeked around the corner with her newly gloved hand searching and scanning the kitchen then the hall still finding nothing.


    ¡°Not here¡­¡±


    Megumi ponders to herself for a moment. ¡°Now¡­ If I was Cider¡­. Where would I hide?¡±


    She heard some snickering followed by the clasping of the mouth, all coming from above. Looking up she found Cider outstretching his arms to hold himself on the ceiling.


    ¡°There you are!!¡± Megumi pointed straight at him with vigor.


    ¡°Ah dang it!¡± Cider blurted. He fell back to the ground, sticking the landing as always.


    ¡°Ten points to me and zip for you. I think it''s high time that I hide this time.¡± Megumi proudly proclaimed.


    Cider pumped his arms in complete refusal. ¡°No! One more time! One more time! This time you won¡¯t find me for sure!¡±


    ¡°Geez. Could you two be any more annoying?¡± Dino stated with irritation. Dino sat at the couch staring at the blank Tv screen.


    ¡°Well, there''s nothing better to do,¡± Megumi retorted.


    ¡°It¡¯s your fault for never watching Tv while you were alive." Dino said. "And the shows that Kid watched are the dumbest things I¡¯ve laid my eyes on.¡±


    ¡°You''re one to talk. You never watched any shows or movies yourself. All of it is just camera footage.¡±


    Dino turned his head from the two. ¡°I have my reasons.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m sure you do.¡± She dryly said.


    Looking back to Cider she found that he was gone. ¡°Ah crap!" She sighed. "Now I have to find him again.¡±


    Dino blurted out a mocking laugh, getting under Megumi¡¯s skin. She grumbled and then looked up with her arms crossed. "Why''d ci-" Unexpectedly Cider hid back in the same place.


    "Seriously..."


    ¡°Dang it!¡± Being found, Cider was forced out of his hiding place again and dropped back down.


    ¡°That makes it eleven¡­¡± Megumi chirped.


    a second later, Liang and K entered the room.


    Liang instantly spoke up. ¡°I see that you three are doing well together.¡±


    Both Megumi and Dino stared sharply at Liang, all the while Cider tried sneaking away while Megumi was seemingly distracted. This didn¡¯t work however as K¡¯s bone tentacle pulled him up by the leg and held him upside down.


    ¡°Since we have about a day left, how about you and that kid go shopping.¡± K said to Megumi. ¡°I¡¯ll provide the funds too if you need it.¡±


    K presented a pouch filled with differently colored opals. There was blue, yellow, red and a singular black opal.


    ¡°The blue opals are worth two-hundred fifty each. The reds are five hundred. And the yellows are worth a thousand.¡±


    ¡°What about this black one?¡± Megumi asked.


    ¡°Those. They are worth a million.¡±


    Megumi tensed up from hearing such an absurd number, the number was so shocking she could barely ink out any words from her mouth. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think it''s¡­ a good idea that I take this¡­¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. Just store it inside yourself like with those books.¡± K said.


    ¡°O-oh yeah. I¡¯ll try that now.¡±


    Megumi took the bag of money in hand and like with the romance books she was given; they disappeared from her hand.


    ¡°I did it!¡±


    But suddenly the opals shot out from her body like a gun shooting everywhere in the living room.


    Cider posed himself in time to with holes smoking from right behind himself. Meanwhile Dino and the rest were able to dodge the blast of opals. Although Dino was still surprised by the event.


    ¡°What was that¡­.?¡± Dino questioned.


    Liang scratched his cheek unsure what to make of the situation. ¡°Well, that''s a first¡­¡±


    K picked a single opal from the ground and handed it to Megumi who was just as shocked as everyone else.


    ¡°Try it again¡­¡±


    Again, Megumi transferred the opal into her body but like before, it shot out from her body like a gunshot through K and his robe.


    ¡°Hmmm...That¡¯s very strange.": K said. "I guess for now just hold it like you¡¯d normally do but you should bring along Dino.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± Megumi and Dino said in unison.


    ¡°Wait, doesn''t Liang have to watch him!?¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Liang shrugged. "Eh. A couple of hours out of my sight won''t do any harm. Besides, you¡¯ll be watching him for me.¡±


    Megumi frowned at this. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be his babysitter.¡±


    ¡°Funny. You seem to like to babysit that kid a lot, besides it''s more like I¡¯m babysitting you.¡± Dino retorted.


    ¡°Hey! Cider¡¯s my friend! F-R-I-E-N-D!¡±


    ¡°Like I care.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± K yelled.


    Shortly after Cider was released.


    K continued. ¡°Just gather the opals and go shopping together¡­ All three of you.¡±


    ¡°And why do I have to go?¡± Dino questioned. ¡°Can¡¯t one of you two go instead?¡±


    ¡°Wish I could~. But we both have somewhere to be. For now. Let''s just say that it¡¯s a very important meeting.¡± Liang raised his finger to his mouth. ¡°So, for now go out and enjoy yourselves.¡±


    ********


    Megumi looked back to the bag in Dino¡¯s hand as they traveled the bustling streets of people and demons shopping.


    Just moments before, not only did some demons steal from her twice. But when she allowed Cider to hold their funds, he almost used all the money at once trying to get a toy from a scammer.


    Thanks to those incidents Dino is now in charge of holding the money, being a little more tough looking. Although annoyed, he took responsibility for it.


    ¡°You never should¡¯ve given him that money.¡± Dino suddenly said, as if reading her mind.


    ¡°I know¡­¡± She said defeatedly. ¡°My luck¡¯s never been good when it comes to money. I alway''s been broke¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Dino asked.


    ¡°W-well. how do I say this... There were times in my life where I should have had money but for some reason, I''ve had extremely bad luck. L-like When I was just a kid I found a dollar bill in the streets. But for some reason, after I picked it up¡­ It... Inexplicably burst into fire."


    Dino gave an awkward glance. ¡°Yeah right. How does something like that even happen?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. At the time I thought it was a prank played by some bullies¡­ another time I found a hundred dollars only for a bird to snatch it from my hand.¡±


    ¡°Huh!¡± Cider was surprised and in disbelief. ¡°That''s a lot of money!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m calling bullshit.¡± Dino said.


    ¡°But it did happen!¡±


    Megumi stopped rubbing the back of her head meekly. ¡°In any case, because of that I never really handled my own kind of money, each time someone else had to pay for me since my luck was so bad.¡±


    Megumi glanced back at her gloved hand. ¡°It was another reason everyone saw me as cursed too¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I still don¡¯t believe it.¡± Dino handed the pouch of Opals back to Megumi. ¡°Here those last few times were just a coincidence. I wage a million opals that nothing will happened. So just hold on to it when we''re shopping in that store there.¡±


    Dino pointed to a clothing shop showing a variety of different clothes.


    ¡°O-Okay¡­ If you''re sure¡­¡±


    As if by magic, Megumi''s seemingly natural bad luck took effect. A demon-like bird instantly snatched the pouch from her hand. shocking everyone.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Dino blurted.


    "Hey, give that back!" Cider yelled. He dashed into action chasing after the weird demon bird. He smashed through stands and broke windows trying to claw at the bird with his inhuman outstretched hands.


    Megumi realizing the chaos that was occurring chased after Cider with Dino tagging along still shocked by the sudden chaos that was unfolding.


    The chaotic scene continued until Cider slingshot himself into a merchant''s stand and defeated the bird.


    ¡°Haha! I got it! I got it!" Cider cheered.


    ¡°What the hell¡­¡± A woman''s voice said.


    Looking back, Cider found Kailey standing there, her brows twitching at the absurd scene before her.


    Suddenly Cider was bonked hard on the head by Dino.


    ¡°OW!!!¡±


    ¡°Damn kid! What were you thinking?¡± Dino spouted.


    ¡°Hey. Aren¡¯t you that guy that attacked the other night.¡±


    Dino glanced at Kailey. A woman he used to track Cider down to the hidden reaper''s hideout.


    ¡°Oh. You¡¯re that girl that was following me that other night, right?¡±


    ¡°Firstly, you''re the one who was stalking me first.¡±


    "WAR!!" Suddenly Cider punched Dino in the face starting a wrestling match. Kailey''s brows twitched again and decided to step back from them, turning around she brought out her own pouch of opals. only to find Megumi stopping right in front of her.


    Megumi finally caught up with the two, breathing in and out heavily. ¡°Finally.¡± She wheezed.


    She looked up and found Kailey with her same droopy eyes, and expressionless demeanor. She looked at her for a good ten seconds before she could finally register her identity.


    ¡°W-what the- What are you doing here!¡± Magnum pointed surprised to simply see Kailey again.


    ¡°That should be my question. I¡¯m surprised that you''re still alive after what happened the night of that demon invasion¡­¡±


    Megumi quickly straightened herself up. And held her hand out in a friendly face and gesture. ¡°I-it¡¯s nice to see you again Kailey.¡±


    Megumi quickly double checked her hand, assuring herself that her glove was still on. She quickly calmed down and waited expectantly.


    However, to her surprise Kailey threw a black opal just behind the destroyed stand and left, walking past Megumi without another word.


    Megumi quickly glanced back at Kailey as Dino and Cider seemed to be brawling again, over a merchant who was still in a daze. ¡°That was rude¡­¡± She then looked back at the black opal on the ground making her wonder.


    Suddenly, a sonic wave came from below, ceasing the wrestling match Cider and Dino were having. They were both sent flying through the air and into the debris of the other destroyed stands. This also freed the otherwise captive merchant who was now traumatized.


    An echoed voice then entered Megumi¡¯s head. ¡°Sorry about Kailey. She¡¯s not really a people¡¯s person. So she can be a bit anti-social at times.¡±


    ¡°Where''s that voice coming from?¡±


    Megumi felt a hand on her shoulder. She quickly turned, finding Chime standing right behind her. She waved to Megumi cheerfully. ¡°That would be me.¡± She echoed.


    ¡°Hey, I think I remember you¡­¡± Megumi pondered for a bit before a light bulb lit up. ¡°Oh yeah, weren¡¯t you with some other guy that attacked Cider on our first day here?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ You have a very good memory. That''s good, I was sure you would''ve forgotten me after a couple of weeks.¡± Chimes gave an amused and cheerful look. And despite her mask, Megumi could imagine the smile that she would have.


    Not long after Cider and Dino erupted from the debris ready to wrestle again. This put the traumatized merchant in a panic as he screamed like a girl. ¡°Noooo!!! Not again!!¡±


    The fight started again.


    Megumi could only look on in disbelief at the two¡­ ¡°We were supposed to be shopping¡­and now this...¡± Megumi thought with some irritation.


    ¡°A-anyways, don¡¯t take it too personally. God knows she needs more friends. Anyways I do hope she doesn¡¯t cause too much trouble when you''re all traveling to Arc.¡±


    Megumi glanced back at Chime. ¡°She¡¯s going to Arc too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. And as much as I¡¯d like to attend her with the travel, I have some stuff to finish here in Gondola, reaper Corp business so I can''t talk much about it.¡±


    They both looked back to the two who were fighting and now pulling at each other''s hairs. Not long after another sonic wave erupted from the ground sending them flying again.


    ¡°You should probably calm your friends down now before they fight again.¡± Chime noted.


    ¡°R-right¡­¡±


    With the whole scene now put at peace, Chime departed after Kailey, leaving a newly bruised Cider and Dino with Megumi.


    Trying to keep her composure, Megumi looked back awkwardly at the two boys. ¡°Y-you guys know how to fight, don¡¯t you. Honestly, I¡¯m surprised at how childish you are Dino.¡±


    Dino looked away indignantly, scoffing at her remark. ¡°That damn brat started it.¡±


    ¡°Very childish.¡± Megumi remarked.


    Cider could only hold back his laughter after hearing Megumi¡¯s statement.


    ¡°Anyways we should get back to shopping.¡±


    Megumi moved to grab the pouch of money, only for it to inexplicably burst into fire. Both Dino and Cider could only look on in shock by the event as the pouch and opals were burned to nothing.


    ¡°HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE!!¡± Megumi screamed.


    Megumi fell to her knees in defeat. "I only picked it up and it turned into fire...."


    Dino patted Megumi and the back of the shoulder, just as stunned by the event. ¡°I think I believe you now.¡± Dino said.


    ¡°I really am cursed, aren¡¯t I¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Probably.¡± Cider said.


    That day they returned empty handed. Unable to buy anything and leaving K to repay for the damages Cider had cost.


    Liang now overlooked Megumi who sat at the table with food, still depressed by the outcome of their shopping trip.


    ¡°So, opals can burn, huh?¡± Liang still couldn¡¯t wrap his head around the explanation.

 Chapter 21: The Journey forward

    ¡°I feel dirty.¡± Megumi said.


    She looked at the same clothes that she¡¯s been wearing since arriving in purgatory.


    She was now traversing alongside K with Cider close behind, resting the back of his head in his palm.


    They were now leaving the busy streets of Gondola into a large area where a plethora of people were preparing to depart, entering into a large sled that could hold over a hundred people. At the reins were three people with several large strange looking dogs.


    Around the walls there were people still trying to fix the wall from the attack that occurred some weeks ago. and despite some of the work that still had to be done, the time to depart from Gondola was arriving.


    ¡°Are you sure we can¡¯t just stop somewhere to shop for a moment?¡±


    ¡°The caravan will be departing in an hour so no.¡±


    Megumi could only grumble in silence.


    ¡°Look. Once we arrive in Arc, I¡¯ll bring you somewhere where you can get new clothes. Also, you do know that you can change into other clothes you wore in your life, right?¡±


    ¡°Y- Yeah b-but I want to look presentable, a-and the clothes I have¡­ aren¡¯t the best.¡±


    Cider was left to wonder about the potential clothes she would have. Most of the thoughts drifted to her wearing a mascot costume of his favorite superhero for some reason.


    Looking around more, Megumi noticed that there were some demons of a lot of different shapes and sizes joining in with the caravan. Noticing that Megumi¡¯s gaze was glued on a group of demons, K spoke up.


    ¡°Those demons are likely looking for treatment for their condition.¡±


    Megumi''s attention turned back to K.


    ¡°Not only is Arc a place to find out your sin, but it¡¯s also been a place for some demons to slowly heal to hopefully regain their human form. Many of them try, but only a few are able to succeed in this¡­¡±


    Megumi¡¯s gaze softened on the group as they helped each other up. ¡°That¡¯s sad¡­¡±


    ¡°You can feel sorry all you want; be they are only few in a billion with the same stories as others that came before them. I¡¯ve seen this sight so many times I can predict how things will turn out for them in the end. And I can assure you that it''s not good.¡±


    ¡°But what if it¡¯s different this time for them.¡± Megumi quickly asked.


    ¡°A person¡¯s fate is dependent on themselves.¡± K said. ¡°If they¡¯re unable to make that change from within, then they¡¯ll stay the same forever. And very few people can make that change, whether it be because of their inability to overcome their innate desire¡­ Or circumstances that led them back the same path.¡±


    Megumi became silent for a little. She glanced at Cider who was minding his own business, watching all the people boarding the sled.


    ¡°What about Cider? Do you have any predictions for him?¡±


    ¡°That boy¡­¡± K pondered to himself for a moment, before answering. ¡°To be honest. I see him returning down a dark path. Despite his childish nature, I can still see he¡¯s hiding a darkness in his heart. What it is I can¡¯t tell. But other than that, it''s still uncertain.¡±


    ¡°Uncertain? What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Unlike many like him, he has a walking anomaly by his side.¡±


    ¡°Walking¡­Anomaly?¡± Megumi wondered what he meant, but didn¡¯t have to wait long.


    ¡°Unlike many of the people I¡¯ve met here in purgatory, you seem to be quite the wildcard. So what will happen to him, I''m still unsure. But keep in mind that your naivety and kindness will only get you so far. Remember Megumi¡­ Not everything here in Purgatory deserves mercy.¡±


    Megumi her hands. ¡°I¡­ I already know that.¡±


    Memories for those demons that attack her flashed through her mind. Despite this she could only wonder what they were like before they became demons.


    ¡°Megumi! Look!¡± Cider yelled.


    He brought Megumi from her stupor, pointing at Kailey who was boarding the a sled along with a few other people and Dove.


    ¡°That other guy¡­¡± Megumi said quietly.


    ¡°She¡¯s with that cheater guy I was playing with the other day.¡±


    Megumi could only chuckle a little awkwardly. ¡°I don¡¯t think that''s what happened¡­¡± She thought.


    ¡°Our sled is that one over there.¡± K pointed over to the very front of the line of sleds.


    With their new destination charted, they proceed past the many different sleds with regular looking folk to some demons that were malformed and misshapen. Eventually they made it to their sled that looked to have been made of wood.


    Despite its rustic exterior the whole sled felt smooth as metal as she grabbed the edge of the sled. She stepped onto a step ladder, lifting herself up only to be met by a familiar face.


    ¡°D-Dino!? What are you doing here?¡±


    Dino, who sat with his arms crossed, glanced over to Megumi. ¡°You''re finally here and you''re surprised to see me?¡±


    ¡°I thought you were going to stay with that Liang guy.¡±


    ¡°I am¡­¡± DIno said. His tone, more sour.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Megumi¡¯s expression turned from confusion to despair as she understood the meaning behind his words.


    ¡°Y-you gotta be kidding me¡­¡± Megumi irked.


    ¡°Get in.¡± K urged.


    With great reluctance Megumi continued into the same empty sled with Dino, sitting right across from him. Cider quickly followed in, seating himself next to Megumi.


    Megumi quickly crossed her arms and questioned Dino, and K entered into the sled too. ¡°So where is Liang anyways?¡±


    ¡°Like the hell I know. All he said was that he''ll be right back.¡±


    ¡°Really? I wonder why he¡¯s even joining this expedition?¡±


    Ka started to speak up. ¡°He¡¯s-¡±


    ¡°Welcome everyone!¡± Liang interrupted with his booming voice.


    Megumi and the rest quickly jerked their heads from the direction his voice came from. As it turned out he was at the top of the large wooden gate. He wore his same fancy attire from the day of the invasion and had his sword at his side while holding a microphone in his other hand.


    Right next to him were some reaper¡¯s including a familiar boy with a conductor''s hat, let of Liang. There was also an elderly looking man to the right of Liang. Standing by his side like a bodyguard.


    ¡°To the uninformed, ¡°I¡¯m Liang Yun. But you can simply call me Liang.¡±


    ¡°Obviously.¡± Megumi thought to herself.


    ¡°I still currently hold the occupation of a demon hunter here for Gondola, but as of now, I¡¯ll be the one leading this journey to Arc.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± Megumi quickly erected onto her feet from the sheer shock. ¡°He¡¯s leading us to Arc!?¡±


    Liang quickly bent down to the height of the kid, Arnold. He looked a little tired.


    ¡°But I won¡¯t be guiding you alone since we¡¯ll be accompanied by a grimm of the reapers corp.¡±


    Megumi immediately recognized the kid on stage as the one that attacked her and Cider over a difference of opinions. It felt like one shock after another was coming her way. ¡°I-isn¡¯t Grimm a high level for the reapers corp, K?¡±


    ¡°Yes. it''s the second highest rank you can achieve within the association.¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°And me and Cider fought that kid?¡± Megumi felt like puddy at that moment.


    She watched as the Arnold simply yawned


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Nice to meet you all.¡±


    ¡°Lame~¡± Cider called out.


    Arnolds instantly bulged a vein on his forehead, quickly clutching his fist and darting his eyes at Cider. ¡°That damn youngin!¡± he hissed.


    ¡°Liang patted Arnold''s shoulder. ¡°Now, now, being angry isn¡¯t good for your heart Arnold.¡±


    ¡°Tsk. Whatever.¡± He glanced away from Cider indignantly.


    The old man by Liang, right, gave a glance at Cider too. He stroked his chin gingerly.


    Liang spoke up loudly once more. Presenting the old man before the crowd. ¡°Before I continue, I think I¡¯ll thank Harold here for helping with some of the accommodations. Without his help, this journey wouldn¡¯t be possible.¡±


    Liang then turned to Harold. ¡°Is there anything you want to say?¡±


    ¡°I supposed that there¡¯s something I''d like to get off my chest.¡±


    Liang allowed him to take center stage, handing over the microphone. Harold gripped the microphone tightly.


    Suddenly the pan started to inflate. It started with his neck, then his body and arms and he contorted like a balloon being filled. Not long after his clothes ripped from his body leaving him in a pair of shorts.


    Megumi as well as the other uninformed listener watch in shock as the feeble old man turns into an overly muscular man with tons of chest and biceps.


    Megumi¡¯s mind at this point started to shut down due to the sheer absurdity of what she just witnessed. ¡°Right. I guess I should¡¯ve expected this somehow¡­¡±


    Even Kailey that was watching from a distance was taken aback, as well as Dino.


    However, Cider simply pointed to the man. "Hey! You''re that old man that beat me up!¡± he yelled.


    ¡°Of course he beat Cider up. Why not¡­¡± Megumi¡¯s mind was officially drifting off to space now.


    Dove, glancing at Harold, looked on more seriously. ¡°Looks like he¡¯s serious¡­¡±


    Kailey, who was listening to Dove, raised a brow and looked back at the muscular, young-looking man on the gate.


    After a moment of keeping everyone in deep anticipation, Harold finally spoke. ¡°As the Ruler of Gondola, I would like to remind you all that this is ¡®purgatory¡¯. For many of the unfortunate few, I am already aware of the many scars you already have from this world of ours. But for those who are fortunate, remember this¡­¡±


    A suffocating aura made its presence known, emanating from Harold and his eyes darkened. ¡°When you venture through those dunes of purgatory. You are putting your very soul on the line.¡±


    Soon after, Harold spoke. Some of the normal people and demons quickly changed their minds and left the group.


    ¡°That is all¡­¡± he finished.


    Harold handed the microphone back. ¡°There¡­ I culled the herd.¡±


    ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Liang watched on as a few more people left their group. Not long after Harold shrunk back to being an old man and repositioned back to Liang¡¯s side. He then gave a quick glance at Megumi¡¯s group, gardening Megumi¡¯s curiosity.


    Liang continued his speech shortly after.


    ¡°Like Harold said, going through the dunes is dangerous, especially in a large group like ours. But that¡¯s why we have some reaper¡¯s accompanying us to Arc. Just do as we say, and everything should go off without a hitch.¡±


    Megumi turned back to K who was barely paying any attention to what was being said. ¡°Hey k, how dangerous is it out there in the dunes? I don¡¯t remember it being that dangerous when we walk through there.¡±


    ¡°That was because we were walking from the rift to Gondola. Most demons are usually dealt with during that time for safer travels. And the path we¡¯re going to take hasn¡¯t been secured since the journey there could take about five or so days.¡±


    K Glanced back up to Megumi. ¡°While most reapers are able to travel safely on their own through the ashes of Purgatory, souls like yourself can become prime targets for the primordial demons that wait out their days in the ashes of dunes in purgatory. For this reason, a city like Gondola makes life easier when in purgatory.¡±


    ¡°And that''s why it is also one of the most popular places to set up a shop¡­¡±


    Megumi turned back to Liang who seemed to be finishing up with some rules being set.


    ¡°Alright and before I finish, I would like to remind everyone here that we¡¯ll depart in the next thirty minutes so make sure you have everything prepared and on your person.¡±


    With those last few words, Liang finally finished. Megumi groaned and narrowed her eyes. She wished she could get some new clothes, but the fact that they were so far away from any shops made it justify getting something quick. Even if she would take an hour looking for something.


    Far within the alleyway, a group of familiar demons prodded into the large docking area of sleds fitted for the dunes of purgatory. They kept a low profile keeping themselves hooded.


    Within the group, there was a very tall demon, short stubby demon and a normal sized one that kept his hood as far down as possible.


    A reaper quickly confronted them, seeing them as suspicious.


    ¡°This area is only for those heading to Arc. Do you have the ¡®Harold¡¯s Opal¡¯?


    The tallest demon quickly brought out an Opal with an insignia of the city. It features curved horns and circles.


    The reaper casted another glance at the group of three demons. Despite his suspicions with the three he allowed them through.


    One of the demons, snickered to themselves quietly. Just from under the hood, a familiar demon with many eyes and mouths on his face smiled.


    ¡°Devon, be quiet.¡± The tall demon said. ¡°Remember, we can¡¯t screw this up. Otherwise lord Dragerd will be displeased.¡±


    The many eyed demon, Devon smiled. ¡°Yes, of course.¡±

 Chapter 22: Gray Dunes and Desperate Demons

    "OPEN!!" A guard yelled.


    Slowly the gates of Gondola swerved open revealing a world of a grey desert filled with ash. From a distance Megumi could see several large bolts of lightning stuck in time. She quickly glanced back, finally realizing how normal the sky of Gondola actually looked compared to the world of purgatory outside.


    Looking back into the dunes of ash, she was immediately reminded of the strange stone statue-like landscape. She saw faces and arms reaching out that look as if they were natural formations of this world.


    Seeing a ginormous lightning bolt that was a bright white in the distance, Megumi pointed straight at it. "So that''s the rift to Arc right?"


    Cider followed her finger, tracing it to the very place. "Wow, that''s big!" Cider exclaimed.


    "Good, you remember." K said.


    "I thought it''d be a lot harder to find to be honest."


    "Hah." Dino blurted. "How could you ever miss that? Arc is literally the center of purgatory. "


    Megumi turned to Dino, Curious. "Have you been to Arc yourself?"


    "Honestly I can''t say I had. My master recommended that I go there once, but I refused." Dino said.


    "Really? Why is that?" Megumi asked.


    Dino sighed and crossed his arms, as if tired by a question asked several times already. "If you want to know, I was looking for my brother here in purgatory. He was killed before I was, and I figure that I look around for him considering that he''d always find some way of finding trouble. But the only person I found was an old coot that taught me how to hunt demons."


    "Are you sure he''s here in Purgatory?"


    Dino''s eyes sharpened. "He was blown up by a rocket launcher."


    Megumi was put into a stunned shock. "U-uu-uhh¡­ S¡­Sorry¡­"


    "Rocket launcher? That sounds cool." Cider interjected.


    Dino quickly softened his eyes and looked away from Megumi. "It''s not so cool if someone you knew your entire life is blown to pieces. In any case I know for a fact that he''s here in purgatory. And I know he''s already gotten into trouble with some very powerful people here too."


    "The last news I heard about him was that he attacked a ''Sin''..." Dino''s eyes narrowed, with a flicker of a lasting desperation as if trying to hold out hope.


    "A¡­ Sin¡­? What do you mean by that?"


    K spoke up. "A Sin¡­ Is more than just a human tendency that could become malicious. In purgatory, Sin''s themselves are a concept given life. They are an undying idea of the world that continues to live on, almost like Godly beings in this world¡­"


    Megumi became surprised at hearing this news. "What? Wait, so there''s gods in this world too?"


    "No. Although they are powerful, and immortal, I can say with certainty they''re as vulnerable as you and me¡­"


    Megumi gave a sigh of relief.


    "That is... If you reach their level of power."


    Megumi stopped and looked over at K. "So, if a sin attacked us now, we would die?"


    "Yes¡­ That is with the exception of me of course."


    "I''m not sure if that''s very comforting, Megumi noted.


    "Just who are you anyways." Dino interjected.


    K glanced over at Dino who gave an indignant stare at him. "All you need to know is that my name is K¡­ That is all."


    Dino rolled his eyes. "Of course."


    Suddenly Liang landed in the center of their sled carriage. "Sorry, I was held up by Harold, Did I miss anything?" he asked.


    "No." They all said in unison.


    "Nice."


    Without a second thought Liang sat in a seat by K, lazily lying back with his leg resting on the other. Megumi couldn''t help but pout at the fact that she had to ride along with Liang.


    Finally, the huge dog-like beast''s began their move with Megumi''s group leading the charge out into the dunes of purgatory. It didn''t take long for the beasts to burst out into a large sprint. Everyone held on tight to the sled feeling the force of the wind pushing against them.


    Slowly they all got used to the force and were able to continue sitting comfortably. It was a wonder that those hulking beasts could move as fast as they did, but Megumi didn''t want to question it.


    "Be careful not to trip.'' Liang teased.


    Wanting to get her mind off him she continued their previous conversation.


    "H-hey K, is there anything else you can tell me about the Sin''s?"


    "Don''t you think that''s a step too early to learn Megumi~." Liang taunted.


    She pouted again briefly before K could speak.


    "As you already know, there are seven sins... Each of them rules over a piece of purgatory like a warlord of a country, each of them filled with demons as far as the eye can see. With the very center of purgatory itself being under the influence of the Reapers corp."


    "Really?"


    K conjured forth a map, showing it to Megumi with Cider taking a peek himself. Dino however didn''t seem too interested.


    Megumi held the map tight in her hands as the corners of the map whipped around in the wind. As she looked over the map, she was surprised to find no land mass, instead there were several dots and lines of red, indicating dangerous territories.


    "Where''s the land?" Megumi continued to scan the map given to her, finding it strange and alien.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    "Everything you see before you is land. Purgatory is a land of ashes and lost dreams. Anything beyond the boundaries of that map will bring you to the other side of the world."


    K took his boney finger and gave a quick and simple example. Megumi understood instantly, even if it did sound a little confusing to her.


    "If it helps, just think of those territories in red as land masses in of themselves."


    She glanced back up briefly taking in the information. "Yeah. I guess that helps a little¡­"


    The more Megumi thought about it, the more round the world seemed to be. But thinking any more beyond that, put her in a tizzy as she contemplated if Arc was truly the center of Purgatory.


    "H-here." For the safety of her mind, Megumi handed the map back to K. He took it back without complaint.


    "Too much to handle, huh? Don''t worry, just give yourself another year and I''m sure you''ll grow accustomed to our little world here." Liang said.


    Looking back at Liang, he seemed more focused on the sky above than anything else. Megumi didn''t entertain him any further and looked out the sled. Cider joined in, seeing what little thing they could find as they sped up and down through the dunes.


    They passed what looked to be monuments, giant statues, and more of the rifts that seemed to be more scattered around and much smaller than some of the others that she saw in a distance.


    It was amazing to see how fast they were flying through what looked to be a vast landscape.


    After a while of traveling through the dunes, everything seemed to become the same, like the background of a games loading screen. Suddenly, something caught Cider''s eye. "Hey, look at that!" Cider pointed to what looked to be a large group of overly skinny pale demons.


    Megumi was able to look fast enough to catch a glimpse of them and their hollow black eyes, and somewhat wrinkled skin. The caravan of sleds sprinted past this group.


    "Whoa, what was that?"


    "Keep your head down!" Dino shouted.


    Not long after a blood curdling screech echoes through the air.


    "What wa-" Megumi jerked her head back to the source.


    To her shock, a dry skinned, wrinkly pale white demon with hollowed black eyes leapt at her from above their sled. Its mouth drooled with an unnerving desperate anticipation.


    She held her breath as it inched closer to her, But the demon was quickly intercepted with Liang''s sword slicing through the demon''s face.


    The demon turned to stone in an instant, with its top head landed by Megumi.


    "Dumbass! I told you to get down." Dion forced Megumi down as the ducked.


    Even more of the pale white demons leapt at the other sleds in the caravan but were swiftly dispatched of by the other reaper''s accompanying each of those sleds.


    several more demons tried attack them again, only to be intercepted by Dino''s crystal spike and Cider bladed arms.


    Although panicked by this she quickly calmed herself. She glances back at Liang who was now standing in the middle of the sled dispatching of two more demons.


    Beyond Liang was the caravan where Megumi found a huge group of the same demons following right behind their group.


    "Ah, nuts." Liang said. "I was hoping we wouldn''t find these primordial demons so soon."


    "T-there''s so many of them." Megumi looked on, surprised by the army of demons chasing them.


    "Eh. it could be worse, but it looks like we''ll be fighting them for a little bit.


    Cider began to become more serious, but Liang posed his sword as a gesture for Cider to cease. "Leave this to me and the other Reapers here¡­" Laing said.


    Among the other passengers were Reaper''s, posed and ready leave the safety of the caravan to engage with this hostile threat. From Arnold to Dove and a few other reapers, one of which carried a strange looking gun another reforming their arms into large hammers. Some of them smiled happily, more than ready for a bout.


    At once, they all step out from the sleds, and despite Megumi''s worry Liang continued forth with a smile. He opened his eyes, reveals gleaming golden pupils.


    Liang posed his sword and sliced the first demon''s head off, turning it to stone in an instant. He ran forth along with the other few reapers, clashing against an otherwise losing battle.


    They tore and sliced their way through the demon''s horde, stopping them in their tracks. and slice and ripped through their adversaries without mercy.


    As some of the horde try to run past Liang and his allies, Arnold came in conjuring forth a large and expanding cartoon wall, trapping the preventing the demons to moving beyond them


    Without hesitation Arnold conjured Doko Chi-Chi. His cartoon dog stretched and slammed the demons with its cartoon bat. With his pen he conjured cartoon bullets that swerved and struck multiple of the primordial demons.


    Dove swerved his way through the field avoiding the rubble of the demons turned stone, as expertly fought through demons after demon. He manifests his fists far from demons, punching and tossing them across the battlefield. Getting attacked from behind, he turned himself into a flock of doves, only manifesting himself above and crushing the demons from below.


    As he continued his fight, bullets riddled the field by another reaper who was smoking a blunt. Another reaper crushed other demons beneath his arms that were reformed into a sledgehammer.


    Leading the charge against the demons was Liang himself as he sliced and diced through the horde of demons, cutting off heads and stabbing through hearts. A demon attacked from above, connecting straight at the top of Liang''s head. Suddenly the attack was reflected back at the demon, killing it.


    Liang glanced back with no scars, finding a new horde of demons heading his way with clawed hands. They swiped at him one at a time, each one falling to the same fatal attack that should''ve killed Liang.


    "I didn''t expect to be this popular." he chirped.


    Liang readied his sword again, slicing through the chest of the first demons, turning to cut the head of a second, and stabbing through a third that tried to sneak around him.


    As this battle continued Megumi watched with some interest as the sight of the event got smaller and smaller. Despite their view of the battle being blocked, everyone couldn''t help but to watch


    "W-we''re not stopping?" Megumi asked. She turned to K, slightly concerned.


    "If we stop now the people in this caravan could get hurt or even eaten by those demons."


    Cider who was also watching gave a disappointed groan. "we''re missing all the fun..." he remarked.


    "Only a demon childlike yourself thinks it''s fun.: Dino retorted He then turned to K. "Hey K, how do you suppose we''re going over the wall?"


    "There''s a wall? Where?" Cider looked around a little confused.


    "What wall?" Megumi also questioned.


    Dino glanced over to Megumi to respond. "We''re in the western part of purgatory, from what I was told, there''s a huge wall. Well, actually I think it''s better to describe it as a mountain or a plateau. They say once you''re over the wall that you''ve reached the central territory of purgatory."


    "I don''t think we''ll reach it for a while, not for another couple days at least." K answered.


    Megumi looked forward, seeing nothing but vast gray dunes. And the thunders of the rifts.


    "Everything is going as planned, so far¡­" a demon spoke quietly. Within the very last sled in the caravan are three demons along with a hypnotized reaper.


    "Yes, but he wants that girl separated from him." The tall nose-less demon, Farn said.


    "I could swear, I''ve seen that girl from somewhere before¡­ But I can''t put my fingers on it." Devon noted. His many eyes narrowed, glimpsing back at Megumi who was far from their sled.


    "It doesn''t matter!" the short stubby demon, Weasel exclaimed. "We get him the girl and we get more cores for ourselves!" They could hear the sheer excitement from his hush voice.


    They all agreed among each other as the Caravan continued forth


    ********


    Elsewhere, Annabelle was wondering about the gray dune so purgatory as she thought back to when Dragerd just abandoned her.


    ********


    Anna was staring at the crystal orb that was now dead. She was seething from the rage of a lost battle that should''ve otherwise been a walk in the park. Not only did the mercenary she sent fail to capture Cider and bring him back to her, but he failed at killing the girl she grew to despise.


    "I''m leaving," Dragerd suddenly said.


    Annabelle turned back with a glare. "You can''t leave now! You still have to hold up your end of the deal!"


    "I''ve already held up my end of the deal. I lent you my forces and now my debt to you is officially repaid." Dragerd took the crystal orb in hand. Slowly from his shoulder to his chest, a mouth with sharp teeth opened. He threw the orb within him, crunching and munching at the rock until it was consumed,


    Annabelle, unsatisfied, continued to glare at him as he continued to speak.


    "As much of a waste this invasion was, I''m glad that I helped you. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have found that woman you seem to hate." Dragerd curled a smile on his misshapen face, his right eyes grew even larger from his already ugly mug as he drooled.


    He broke out into a chuckle. "She has such great potential... I can''t wait to get my hands on her."


    He then glanced back, his excitement, palpable. "See you around. Annabelle..."


    Suddenly the dungeon Annabelle was in receded away into the ground, leaving her in the gray desert of Purgatory.


    ********


    Back to the present Annabelle looked over the horizon. "Damn Dragerd!"


    Annabelle continued to wander forth. "They''re probably still heading to Arc, and if they are¡­ Dragerd will probably capture them¡­."


    Slowly Annabelle started to blow away in the wind, piece by piece like ash in the wind.

 Chapter 23: Demons Ambush!!

    Megumi Looked on, in the dead of night. She leaned on the edge of the sled as the ashes flew through the air, never to be remembered again. catching a glimpse of her gloved hand an idea was raised in her head.


    She looked to her side finding that Cider was still sleeping. Meanwhile K was simply reading a book and Dino was taking a nap, himself.


    After pondering for a moment, she took the glove off of one of her hands and brought it outside the sled, feeling the particles being caught on her fingers. She sighed, feeling the cool breeze on her skin.


    Feeling the chill air blow against her hands brought back memories. One of which was when that Eric had offered her a ride in his father''s car.


    ********


    It was just after school back in her second year in high school when she was still just a teenager. The same year and day that she was expelled. She waited outside in the cold snow for the town bus.


    Megumi was bundled up to combat the frost of mother nature. the warmth of her breath, left her mouth leaving a trail of fog in its place. The only thing she could think about was the expulsion she was given just hours earlier.


    Her adopted mother was already notified but was forced to travel home herself due to her adopted father''s sheer refusal to bring her back. He called a tough lesson she needed to learn. whatever that meant.


    She looked at her freshly gloved up hand and clutched to it tightly. All she could see now, was a cursed hand that brought nothing but misery to her. Her sense of normalcy was just a faraway dream to her.


    Unexpectedly, a red SUV drove up to her, piquing her curiosity. The windows quickly rolled down, revealing Eric in the driver''s seat, wearing a snowcapped hat.


    "Eric!?" She jumped up, stunned by the sudden revelation. She fearlessly approached and pressed herself at the door of the car, still shocked.


    "What are you doing here!?" She jumped a little and hushed her tone more. "Aren''t you grounded from using your dad''s car?"


    "What he doesn''t know won''t hurt," he said quietly. "Besides he''s out with his friends again so he won''t be back until nighttime."


    Megumi could only look at Eric, more concerned. ""B-but what if he finds out? Y-you shouldn''t do this."


    "Hey, it''s alright. I''ll return it before he knows it''s gone¡­Look, I just want to help a little. It looks cold outside so just hop in. Okay?"


    Although reluctant at first, Megumi finally decided to join. She attempted to enter the back seat but was stopped.


    "Huh?"


    "You don''t have to sit in the back Megumi. C''mon. You can join me up front." After a second she obliged, running around the distinctly shaped hood of the SUV and entering into the car. Not long after, Eric drove off through the soft falling snow.


    Since the school was far from Megumi''s home the drive was long. Despite the journey Megumi enjoyed herself with some idle chatter about food, people, even the music that was playing. They even at times played with the window, changing the breeze they would feel.


    It was a warm experience she couldn''t forget. A simple time that was locked and forever guarded.


    As they arrived at the house. Megumi thanked him but stopped short of leaving the car.


    "Hey Megumi¡­"


    Megumi turned back to Eric. unsure what he wanted to say.


    "I¡­ Heard you got expelled¡­ Everyone''s been talking about since school ended today. Is it... True?"


    Megumi''s smile slowly turned. Her eyes drooped to an expression of uncertainty.


    "Yeah¡­"


    .....


    .....


    Before she realized it, she was being hugged. Her eyes widened, shocked by this gesture.


    "I know it wasn''t your fault. What happened to Charles was not your fault. Remember that."


    Megumi''s eyes began to tear up, she tried holding it in the best she could but could only dig her face deep into Eric shoulder. "Thank you... Thank your Eric."


    If you need me. Just let me know and I''ll be there." Eric slowly released. He raised a fist giving a sportsman-like smile.


    "I mean, we''re friends, right?"


    After a second, her smile returned. She affirmed and fist bumped with her gloved hands.


    ********


    Looking into the sky, she brought her gaze back down to her gloveless hands.


    "Can''t sleep?" K asked.


    Megumi glanced at him, seeing that he was still reading. "No¡­ I''m not very tired right now¡­"


    "Make sure not to stay up too late¡­"


    "So, we''re really going to just keep going without a break?"


    "Are you concerned about Liang?'' K asked.


    "Not really¡­ But he said he was the leader, and he was just left behind to fight all those demons." Megumi glanced back at the towards the direction where Liang was left behind.


    "Yes¡­ And I''m sure by now he''s trying to catch up with us, so I wouldn''t worry about him."


    "If you say so¡­" Megumi stated. She began to place her glove back on and turned to lean on her back. "But if he makes it through all that, then that''s good."


    K gave a peek at Megumi before returning back to his book in hand.


    ********


    Unknown to anyone however, they''re being watched very carefully by Dragerd. He watched from a far cliffside, dressed in a hooded robe. He curled a sinister smile watching the caravan continue forward.


    "Just a little further now.''


    ********


    The three demons under Dragerd''s command, start to see a glow from an opal they were carrying.


    Farn, the tall demons, snickered. "Looks like the time has come, boys."


    Kailey, who was still awake, witnesses the three demons jump off their sled. She raised a brow seeing this from her separate sled. "Why did they-"


    Just before she could utter another word, walls stretched around them. Shooting up for miles!


    Even more shot up then more, and more from all directions around them.


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    Kailey looked around shocked by the sudden event, as was everyone woke up from the loud noise becoming just as shocked. Even Megumi was stunned seeing everything unfold before them.


    "K¡­ What''s going on?"


    K witnessing this event, growled. He narrowed his eyes as he examined the wall ejecting from the ground. "It''s a trap!"


    Suddenly The pillar shot into their sled!


    Many other of the sleds also were shooting into the air and crushed, sending everyone flying int different directions.


    "CIDER! K!" Megumi reached her hands out in vain as she flew in a completely different direction from her companions.


    K attempted to use his powers, but was blocked by a wall that separated them, "Damn it!!"


    As if someone was watching, a pillar shot through the wall, hitting K!


    Before anyone could realize it, they were all captured inside walls with long and varying sized pathways.


    Cider, woke up by the sudden shock of being alone, is left dazed and confused. "Hello? Megumi? Dino? K? Where are you guys?"


    K found himself in a place with lots of bright light surrounding him. He gazed around seriously and grumbled to himself.


    Dino simply peeked his eyes open before seemingly going back to take his nap.


    All the while, Megumi herself. She picked herself up and glanced around, finding herself in a four-way intersection. She looked around confused through the pathways and into the sky, finding that the walls traveled up from miles. "W-what''s going on?"


    "This has to be the doings of a demon¡­ If this is a trap, then¡­"


    As if on cue, the sound and rumbling of something unnatural became more audible. Megumi turned and whipped her body around as she searched the source of the distinct pattering noise of many different sized feet. It was like it was coming from everywhere.


    Elsewhere, everyone else that was part of the caravan looked around in concern, hearing the noise get close and closer. Panic started to rise as everyone was by themselves without anyone else to protect them.


    As if by instinct one of the men looked up. To their horror they found millions of demons crawling down from the top of the walls!


    Like insects that they all crawled down like an army taking orders from their hive mind. Even deeper panic spread, and everyone ran seeing this horrifying scene.


    Even Megumi noticed this. She took a random path to escape the flood of demons heading her direction. She ran long and hard down several different paths through the maze.


    "This is bad! This is real bad!!"


    ********


    Elsewhere outside of the stone pathways Dragerd overlooked the entire area from a tall stone pillar. He overlooked an entire maze that spanned for miles, laughing maniacally. He smiles widely, proud of his creation.


    "Welcome one and all, to my "Maze of Nightmares"!" He proclaimed. His arms spread out as if triumphant.


    ********


    Megumi ran ahead with the path given to her. Seeing an intersection, she turned left. She gazed back up and behind seeing them getting even closer than they were before!


    "Crap! Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap!"


    Another intersection, she turned right this time. But to her horror it was a dead end!


    She whipped herself around but found her only path back completely blocked by the growing horde of demons before her.


    She wasn''t alone in this, as all the other people and friendly demons were also getting surrounded themselves. Even Cider and Dino became completely surrounded by the army of demons. With Cider looking on confused and Dino still napping.


    "Megumi. Cider. Dino." K''s voice echoed.


    "K-K!? Where are you-"


    "That''s not important right now. Right now, just know that I''m trapped somewhere where I can''t help you. Whoever set this trap is obviously aware of me and my powers¡­ For now, I have to go along with this little game of theirs."


    Megumi was surprised to hear this revelation. It was pure shock that K could even be captured. Cider looked around confused as Dino seemed to still be napping.


    "What''s going on?" Cider said.


    K continued to speak. "Right now, you''re all on your own. I have no doubts that you''re scared, Megumi¡­ But for your own sake you have to fight to defend yourself."


    A chill ran down Megumi''s spine hearing those last few words. I was like someone just woke her up to reality she now had to face. She had to fight to survive.


    Looking upon the approaching demons they were coming to pouncing distance, another familiar voice echoed in her mind.


    "B-but there''s-"


    "Don''t let their ugly mugs scare you. These guys are just fodder." Dino echoed.


    "Dino!?" Megumi was shocked to hear his voice too.


    "So, you know how to communicate through echoes too, huh?" K echoed.


    "I picked up a thing or two from my former master¡­" Dino slowly opened his eyes back up, finding demons pouncing at him. "Things like identifying the weak demons from the tough ones."


    Suddenly, shards and spikes of crystals erupted and rippled from the ground around Dino. each one struck and killed the demons attacking him. All the while, Dino was completely calm.


    Cider on the other hand was whipping his outstretched arms around, slicing and dicing his way through the demon''s horde before him. "Stay away, you meanies!"


    "If me and that demon kid can fight these low lives, so can you." Dino Echoed. "Trust me. If you can beat me, you can breath all these demons."


    Despite these words of encouragement, Megumi was still unsure of herself as the demons finally made their attack. Her heart raced even faster as doubts crept deep in her mind.


    "Bu- But this is too many!"


    Unexpectedly, Time stopped around her. The demons in front, attacking her, stopped in the air, frozen by some invisible force.


    "What''s wrong M-E-G-U-M-I? Why are you so scared?" From her side, her dark counterpart walked past her and crouched herself just under the demon. She brought her elbows to her legs and gently rested her face on her fist, smiling knowingly.


    "What-"


    "- am I doing here?" she interrupted.


    There was a brief silence before the Dark Megumi spoke up again. "I''m here because you''re about to die..."


    The dark Megumi picked herself back up and started pointing. "Not only do you have demons here, ready to rip off your face¡­ You have three jumping from above you, two that are behind you and another attacking from your side¡­"


    Despite wanting to move, Megumi was stuck in place also, unable to even make a glance.


    "All that talk of, ''You can do it. You can fight back''. Hah! If only they knew how much of a pushover, you actually were. So, you''ll have to forgive me since I''m hard pressed to see you trying to survive all on your lonesome out her Megumi." The dark counterpart spoke more mockingly with her last few words.


    Megumi''s dark counterpart grabbed her at the back of her shoulder and brought her face up to Megumi''s side. "But if you want, I don''t mind taking over for a little bit. I could always stretch my legs, and I bet it''ll be a lot of fun to hunt for everyone in this maze and collect their cores one by one."


    As if reading her mind, Megumi shuddered at the true intent behind her decorated words.


    "Who¡­who are you?"


    "What a boring and tiring question to ask myself¡­ I''ll give you ten seconds to make our choice, then I''ll choose for us if you can''t make up your mind."


    "N-no!"


    The dark Megumi leaned back, unsurprised. "Heh. That was a quick answer. I thought you''d at least writhe before whimpering. Shame."


    Once again, Megumi''s dark counterpart left her in a state of confusion. Pushing her confused and messy thoughts aside she spoke up. "I-I can handle this myself! I don''t need a demon like you for anything! Whatever you are!"


    "Oh~. Is that what you think we are?"


    "N-no! Whatever you are, you''re not me!"


    The dark Megumi''s smile deepened, amused by the words of the normal Megumi. "Is that so?"


    The dark Megumi circled back around in front of Megumi and placed a single finger on her forehead. A painful shock surged through Megumi''s head. "Fine, believe what you want. But as soon as you die my hunt will begin. I''ll be watching closely."


    The dark Megumi curled knowing a smile before completely vanishing.


    Everything un-freezed and Megumi was left with a second to act. "W-wait! What do I-"


    Suddenly, red curved blades sprouted from every inch of her body to her own shock. They struck and sliced through the demons that attacked.


    Not long after, these blades shot out from her body killing a large chunk of the horde that chased her. "H-how did I-"


    "That''s not important right now!"


    Using this brief window of time, Megumi channeled what power she could in her hands, remembering Liang''s pointers for conjuring a weapon, she focused her energy further outside her palm.


    "I think I got it this time!"


    Megumi failed with the same result occurring. "Ah crap! not again"


    This time a large curved red blade stuck out from the back of her left hand. The blade looked to have several hollow areas as the blade edges themselves seemed to be moving like a misty liquid energy


    It wouldn''t be much of a problem, if a short rod wasn''t sticking out of her hands too. As unwieldy as it looked, it was still usable.


    She grabbed the unfinished handle and used it to help her block another incoming attack. She could still feel a pit within her stomach, having to fight against demons again.


    She quickly stoned her resolve. "I-if I could do it then¡­ I can do it now!"


    With all her power, Megumi tried to push the demon back. Instead. She completely sliced through it!


    Although surprised, this gave her some confidence to fight back with a little more courage.


    She blocked and sliced her way through the crowd of demons. The only prize she had her eyes on was the maze path behind the swarming demons.


    She hacked, and slashed. She blocked and dodged the best she could through the overwhelming demons that surrounded her. And as she did, the only thing motivating to push through this was the sheer thought and determination to reunite with Eric once again.


    "Get out of my way!"


    With finality she finally broke through as a pulse of energy flashed from her, pushing away the suffocating number of demons.


    With the path cleared of most of the demons, she hightailed it, dashing out as fast as her legs could carry her.


    As this happened, the reaper''s, still alive, found the civilians and friendly demons and went into action defending and protecting them against the horde of non-stop demons.


    Unknown to everyone however, they were all being watched, all through separate crystal orbs that floated around Dragerd. He watched Cider slice through demons, Dino shooting crystals and moving around the maze like an expert fighter and K simply wandering around in a white bright maze.


    But one of the orbs he had a vested interest in was Megumi''s. He drooled and watched her as she''s forced to defend herself and run away from his demon horde.


    "All that latent potential. All that power." Dragerd''s smile grew even larger. "I''ll make it all belong to me."

 Chapter 24: Maze of Nightmare

    Kailey stared at the blood thirsty demons trying to get to her through her thin blue veiled barrier that encased her.


    ¡°Hmmmmmmm¡­¡­¡±


    She sat in a pathway corner of the maze. All she could see were the gnarly and disgusting faces of the malformed demons, most of which carried extra limbs and eyes. Others even had extra mouths on other parts of their body.


    ¡°There¡¯s so many of these things¡­ it¡¯s a good thing that these ones are weaker than those other demons from that invasion¡­¡±


    She sighed. ¡°I guess I¡¯m stuck here for a while¡­¡± Kailey then leaned herself further on her barrier and dug into her turtleneck shirt. She pulled out a pendant that opened up revealing a picture of women. Gazing upon it brought her some comfort in an otherwise dim looking situation.


    She closed it with an audible click, returning it back from whence it came.


    Suddenly from beneath the loud noises of the demons scratching and clawing at her barrier, she heard a faint screaming. Curious, she stood up and shifted the barrier to push away some of the demons to peek outside.


    To her astonishment she watched as Megumi zipped past her through a far away maze pathway, from an even bigger horde of demons. She rubbed her eyes thinking that she was imagining a red blade that was poking from Megumi¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    To her surprise Megumi once again zipped right past her from a different maze path. And then a third time.


    ¡°Umm¡­


    ¡°AHHH!!! Get out of my way!!!!¡± Megumi screeched.


    Kailey turned to her left, and to her utter shock, she found her barrier being shattered by none other than Megumi!


    ¡°Huh? Kailey?¡± Megumi opened her eyes and the demons around smiled, knowing that they were now freed to attack.


    ¡°DUMBASS!!!!!!¡±


    Now both Megumi and Kailey were running side by side away from the horde of demons that only became bigger by the second.


    ¡°I''M SO SORRY!!!¡± Megumi yelled.


    ¡°SHUT UP! YOU¡¯RE GOING TO ATTRACT MORE OF THOSE THINGS!¡±


    Even more demons flooded from in front of them forcing them to turn down a path.


    ¡°How the hell did you shatter my barrier!? No wait. Better yet. Why the hell do you have a huge knife sticking out of your arm!?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!!!¡± Megumi cried.


    The chase continued with the demons keeping right behind their tails. No matter how fast they ran, the demons wouldn¡¯t be far behind with some trying to block their path.


    ¡°Hey wait! Can¡¯t you just make a barrier?¡± Megumi questioned, huffing from running for so long.


    ¡°Oh yeah. Make another barrier when the strongest one I made was just destroyed. Yeah that sounds like a great Idea. If I had the power to make another!!¡±


    ¡°So, you can¡¯t make another.¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± Kailey shouted.


    They made another turn seeing more Demons heading their way. But in doing so they were trapped in a new dead end.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Kailey blurted.


    They both ceased their running knowing that they were now trapped. ¡°They led us here like animals and we fell for it.¡±


    Kailey with gritted teeth turned herself around. She manifests arms three times her size from her barrier power. ¡°If there¡¯s any time to use that large dummy knife of yours, now''s the time to use it girly.¡±


    Although reluctant, Megumi posed herself. ¡°I-it¡¯s Megumi¡­¡± she looked upon the large horde of demons bringing back that pit she felt before. ¡°W-were screwed, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    Without hesitation the first demons outstretched its hand to attack Kailey. She smacked it hard into the wall using her barrier arms. More came and she manifested severe more barrier arms punching and slapping the demons with brutal efficiency.


    Megumi, seeing Kailey fearlessly facing these horrifying demons, couldn¡¯t help but to be in awe.


    Seeing a demon attack from Kailey¡¯s side, she jumped into action, she cleanly sliced through the demon saving her.


    Megumi continued to defend Kailey and herself as the demons kept coming at them in full force. They were scratched and clawed at with a few of them nearly stabbing through them.


    Feeling overwhelmed Kailey created a small barrier around the two of them and pulsed it as far as she could before it vanished. She then moved to manifest several barrie fists and punched into a crowd of the demons.


    Inspired by her courage she pushed past her own reluctance and went on the attack too.


    With her bladed arm she swiped and slashed through the demons. She blocked another from her side and cut through them.


    ¡°Watch out!¡±


    With immense vigor, Kailey swung her projected barrier arm at the demon attacking Megumi. She then brought her hand down smashing several more to the ground.


    Megumi instantly reoriented herself, going back on the attack against the demon horde. Little by little they fought against the overwhelming horde. The demons from front, the demons from behind even the demons from above invaded the walls like a swarm of insects.


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    In the midst of the battle, it became apparent that their numbers were growing ever larger. It was beginning to feel like they were fighting an unwinnable battle. That was until Kailey noticed something strange.


    Suddenly a laughter came to Megumi''s head from her dark doppelganger. ¡±[Eheheheheh. So, when will you kill the real one?]¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Megumi instantly became confused.


    Unexpectedly Several hundred demons vanished at once bringing Megumi into a deeper bewildered state.


    ¡°Girly!¡± Megumi glanced back, seeing that Kailey had decapitated a demon that looked a little bigger than the rest.


    ¡°These are the real demons! We have to look for the stronger ones!¡±


    Megumi watched as the demons Kailey defeated turned to ash. Not only that but she noticed that the entire floor was spotless. This entire time they haven''t been fighting an army of demons, but an army of demon fakes.


    The attacks of demons suddenly ceased. Their strategy had been found out.


    ¡°So now they cower. How pathetic.¡± Kailey said.


    Feeling insulted, many more of the demons began their attack on the two again. Megumi fought back, defending herself as she searched for any strange looking demons that were around or hiding.


    ¡°They have to be close by. Keep your eyes open, girly!¡± Kailey slammed down several more of her barrier fists.


    Kailey, committing the full extent of her power, began to swing her actual fists too. She punched straight, projecting several of her fists.


    She uppercutted through another group sending them flying through the air.


    Punching from the side she was able to slam several different demons into the wall, pushing through a chunk of their forces. As she did, she caught a glimpse of a demon that retreated further back.


    ¡°That''s the one over there!!¡± Kailey pointed.


    Megumi, seeing the demons in question, dashed past Kailey. And as if by command, she began to fight more fiercely through the demons with a target in mind.


    She sliced through several of the demons using her bladed hand but quickly got caught by several demons from behind. They grabbed her leg and arm, holding her in place as other demons came to attack.


    ¡°C-crap!¡±


    Luckily Kailey came in with a smaller barrier protecting her. Clutching her hands, Kailey turned that smaller barrier into a spike and killed the demons, freeing Megumi.


    Not wanting the demons to let her escape, Megumi began her pursuit again, cutting and slashing and putting the fear of God into the demon.


    Megumi pushed and pushed and pushed through the crowd. And jumping over the large group that now surrounded her from all sides. With finality she thrusted her bladed hands into the demon''s chest!


    And in one swift motion she swerved the blade out from it and back into him, cutting him in half.


    Like last time, several hundred demons disappeared like mist, as if they had always been illusions. Before she realized it it looked like over half of the army of demons that had chased them was gone, replaced with several large groups of demons. The remaining demons that were watching became more weary of the two women seeing that two of their comrades have been defeated.


    As Megumi took one step forward the army of demons flinched.


    ¡°You win¡­ For now¡­¡± one of the demons croaked. Like the others, the remaining demons disappeared like mist leaving nothing behind.


    Megumi was taken aback from this sudden retreat.


    Seeing that it was now safe, Kailey approached from behind, exhausted from the battle. ¡°It looks like they were all just cowards.¡± she noted. ¡°Also¡­¡±


    Kailey smacked Megumi in the back of her head. ¡°Ow!¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you listening!? I was telling you to come back! You almost got yourself killed!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t hear you. I guess I was too focused on getting that demon. Sorry.¡±


    Kailey gave an exasperated sigh. ¡°Well, it looks like you''re okay, but you shouldn¡¯t try anything risky. Right now, it¡¯s life or death. So, if one of those demons gets a hold of us, we¡¯re screwed.¡±


    Using her hands, Kailey dug into the newly made pile of ash, pulling out a black core.


    ¡°Any demons we kill we should hold onto their cores for now. That way if we find a reaper we can give it to them for safe keeping¡­ The last thing we need is the same demons hounding after us, after we kill them.¡±


    ¡°R-right,¡± Megumi became a little more awkward, glancing around as if unsure about something. ¡°Uhh¡­ Have you been in a situation like this before?¡±


    ¡°No. Not really. But I¡¯ve been told what might happen in a worst case scenario. And it looks like we''ve actually reached one.¡± Not wanting to stand, Kailey sat herself at the wall.


    ¡°Alright¡­. Sssoo then we should go around and look for help.¡±


    ¡°You can do that if you want, girly. But I¡¯m staying put here.¡±


    Megumi became befuddled by her statement. ¡°W-wait! Why? S-shouldn¡¯t we go around and look for our friends?¡±


    ¡°And what? Put ourselves in more danger? No thank you. It was already hard enough trying to find the real demons in that army you brought me, but going back out there? You''re out of your mind.¡±


    Kailey scoffed. ¡°You have to have a death wish if you want to go out into the unknown just to find help. Besides, if we stay put, we could at least increase our odds of being found.¡±


    ¡°But what if nobody comes, we can¡¯t just sit around and do nothing.¡±


    Kailey groaned, annoyed. Slowly their conversation became that of an argument as Megumi urged Kailey to accompany her through the maze as Kailey vehemently refused. Unknown to either of them and demons with many eyes and mouths were watching them.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Now I remember¡­ I¡¯ve seen that girl before¡­¡± Devon said. A few of his mouths cracked a smile. ¡°That¡¯s right. I took that demon''s core from her a couple weeks back¡­ So Dragerd wants that woman, huh?¡±


    Devon revealed himself to the two women wearing an unbuttoned shirt and jeans. His skin was pale green skin and sported black hair. He waved vigorously, wearing his sleazy smile that cloaked his true intentions.


    ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you girls from the caravan?¡± Devon shouted.


    ¡°A demon!¡± Megumi yelped.


    Seeing Devon, Both Megumi and Kailey ceased their bickering and immediately went on the defensive, ready for an attack.


    ¡°Wait wait wait! Hold on!¡± Devon held out an opal with Harold''s crest. ¡°I-I¡¯m from the caravan too! See?¡± Megumi saw the opal from a distance, recognizing it. She remembered K telling her about the need to carry the opal that was engraved with a crest, in order to identify her as part of their caravan along with everyone else.


    Of course, she lost it as soon as she was given it, via a strange demon bird. And nobody knows about this incident aside from herself.


    She began to sweat nervously hoping nobody would ask about it.


    ¡°I guess he is a friendly demon.¡±


    ¡°S-sorry about that.¡± Megumi brought her bladed hands down


    Devon brought his hands together, thanking her. ¡°I thought I¡¯d never find anyone wandering in this maze.¡± Devon said as he continued to the two. ¡°Thank goodness we found each other though. Have you two found anyone else yet?¡±


    Kailey stepped back and sat herself back down, leaving Megumi to answer.


    ¡°N- No. we just ran into each other recently. And to be honest we were fighting about what to do.¡±


    ¡°Correction. She was trying to make me come along with her because she felt unsafe staying put.¡± Kailey said.


    Megumi forced a smile, with her aggravation becoming more evident. ¡°I guess I can¡¯t convince you then.¡±


    ¡°I can tag along with you if you¡¯d like?¡± Devon said. ¡°I have to look for a few of my friends too. We seemed to have gotten separated like everyone else.¡±


    Despite the unnatural look Devon sported, Megumi easily took him under her wing. She was simply glad to have someone help her with her journey into the maze.


    Kailey, seeing the smile deepen on Devon''s face, sighed. She got back up from sitting and reluctantly spoke up. ¡°Fine I guess I¡¯ll come too.¡±


    Devon''s smile became smaller, but he forced it even larger. ¡°The more the merrier.¡±


    Unexpectedly Megumi brought them both together in a hug, sporting amore chia smile. ¡°Looks like we got a team!¡±


    ¡°Hey, watch where you''re aiming that thing!¡± Kailey shouted.


    Both Kailey and Devon reflexively jerked their bodies to avoid Megumi¡¯s blades.


    ¡°O=oops. sorry.¡± she immediately released them and looked at her bladed hand. ¡°Umm¡­ Does anyone know how to get rid of this?¡± Megumi asked.


    ¡°You gotta be kidding me¡­¡± Devon and Kailey thought unison.


    ********


    Elsewhere Liang and the other reapers were racing forth through the dunes of purgatory.


    ¡°We should¡¯ve known something was up from the get-go." Arnold said.


    Liang groaned.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯d have ever expected K to suddenly disappear like that.¡± Dove retorted.


    ¡°Yeah. Somethin like this is unprecedented.¡± Another with a cowboy''s hat chimed.


    Liang finally spoke up. ¡°Look. What matters now is that we find the caravan and the escorts as soon as possible. And make whoever''s behind this pay!¡±


    With a serious gaze Liang continued to lead the way onward to Dragerd ultimate creation.

 Chapter 25: True Plans Revealed

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Cider looked around seeing all the malformed and ugly demons that surrounded him. Some looked animalistic in nature as other looked as though they¡¯ve been beaten with a hammer


    He was being dangled around by a much bigger demon that was holding him upside down by his legs. A gesture that he didn¡¯t appreciate too much.


    The demon crackled, seeing himself as victorious. ¡°Is that all you have? Little demon?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ This is boring. You''re no fun at all mister.¡±


    ¡°No fun?¡± The demon brought his large head close to cider who was growing impatient. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m plenty of fun, in fact when I bring you to Dragerd, We¡¯ll play lots of fun games.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t feel like going with you. I have to find my friend Megumi. Have you seen her?¡±


    The demon burst into laughter. ¡°You don''t have a choice in the matter. And whoever that girl is, I''m sure we¡¯ll find her too.¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t know where she is?¡± CIder asked.


    ¡°No. So let''s get you to-¡±


    Suddenly the hand of the large demons was sliced. Within the same second, Cider released his leg from the detached hand, and in an instant sliced off the neck of the large demon using his outstretched bladed leg!


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Before the demon could realize it became a large pile of ash that Cider landed on. Cider took a moment to stretch and crack his neck as the demons around him became weary.


    ¡°I guess I have to keep looking¡­At least it won''t be too boring.¡±


    Demons attacked from above, claws posed and ready.


    This didn¡¯t escape Cder as he whipped his balded arm slicing at the attacking demons.


    Even more rushed to attack with renewed vigor. They were all me head on with a flurry of attack and countersas as Cider playfully made nonsensical moves.


    He sliced and cut and whipped himself around like a tornado creating a torrent of attacks and ripping through demons.


    Seeing that even more demons were charging, he fearlessly confronted them head on, slamming his overstretched arm into the crowd and whipping his arm back to combine his two arms into a bigger blade. He struck them down like thunder cratoring the floor as he killed several more demons.


    ¡°Get the kid!¡± a demon croaked.


    Glancing back he saw that even more demons came his way. Unbothered hehe swung his outstretched arm around, decapitating a few of them. The last surviving ones attacked and swung at him only to be dodged and blocked.


    Reforming his blade arms into hands, he grabbed one of the other upcoming demons, tossing him into the wall and sliced the other two.


    Just as he didn''t, he was grabbed from behind by a group of demons.


    ¡°Kill the little bastard!¡±


    A much uglier demon came up to Cider holding a misshapen sword, swinging it at him. Unexpectedly, Cider caught it with his feet, shocking the demon. ¡°Huh!?¡±


    Not long after Cider reformed his feet into blades and cut the demon down. He then head butted a demon holding him from behind, piercing them with his hair.


    ¡°Argh!!¡± The demon releases Cider involuntarily, allowing hin=m to slaughter the other few demons holding him.


    ¡°The little bastard''s hair is like a porcupine!¡± The next moment Cider separated his head from his body.


    ¡°You guys are bullies¡­¡± Cider said.


    The demons charge back into or attack, leaving Cider to dodge them. Another attacked from behind but he simply jumped on his head. He began picking his nose nonchalantly. ¡°Sorry But i gotta look for my friend now.¡±


    ¡°You little- Argh!¡±


    Cider flicked a booger at the demon.


    ¡°Bye.¡±


    Demon tried attacking but found Cider fleeing from them, running on the maze wall.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him escape!¡±


    Cider seeing the floor was clear jumped back down, running from the horde. Looking back at them he became more amused.


    ¡°First one to catch me gets a special prize!¡± He yelled out.


    His taunts seemed to have invigorated the horde as they seemed to move much faster after hearing him.


    ¡°Oh.¡± This surprised cider so he picked up the pace.


    Cider turned down several different maze paths trying to lose the chasing demons on his tail, but it seemed to be in vain. He glanced back with a pout. ¡°Why are they still chasing me!? Grr¡­¡±


    Suddenly cider heard a ruckus coming from up ahead. He watched as demons from a side path were launched in the air. His interest piqued. As he approached the path, Dino suddenly appeared! Kicking a demon through the chest with his crystalized leg.


    ¡°Get outta my way!!¡±


    As the demon faded into mist after its defeat, Dino and Cider both locked eyes for a moment.


    ¡°The demon kid?¡± Dino thought.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°The dumb head?¡± Cider thought.


    As if called by some unknown force, a large horde of demons that were chasing Dino emerged from the pathway, just behind him. Cider got a good look of the demons chasing Dino, as Dino saw the demons chasing Cider.


    Dion¡¯s face contorted into that of disgust ¡°Ah crap.¡± he muttered.


    ¡°YOU DAMN BRAT!!¡± Dions voice echoed throughout the entire maze.


    Dion was running from the demons that were chasing him and Cider.


    ¡°What are we going to do?¡± Cider questioned.


    ¡°You can start by stopping clinging to me, you little turd!¡±


    As it turned out, Cider clung to Dino¡¯s back like a sloth to its mother. ¡°But it''s more fun this way.¡± Cider interjected.


    ¡°Shut it! You''re lucky I don¡¯t throw you into that mob of demons!¡±


    Cider climbed up, and jumped ahead of Dino but slowed his pace to run alongside Dino.


    ¡°There¡¯s more of those little freaks than I thought there¡¯d be. There has to be a demon somewhere in there that is splitting clones of himself or several of them.¡±


    ¡°Wait. Other people split themselves up?¡±


    Dino glanced at Cider before having to explain. ¡°Technically no. But there¡¯s exceptions for this. As far as I know some people can split if they have different personalities within them. People that are sick in the head from the living world.¡±


    ¡°And then there¡¯s demons with the sin of Envy. From what I understand of that sin lets people copy certain things. So there¡¯s probably a demon with that power copying other demons within their ranks.¡±


    Glancing back at Cider, Dino found rubbing the temples of his forehead, trying to process the information. ¡°Hmmmm¡­.. I still don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°If you find a bigger or stronger demon, Kill him first. Then a lot of the other demons will go puff.¡±


    ¡°Oohhhh¡­¡±


    Seeing that there was a dead end, an idea suddenly crept into Dino¡¯s mind. He cracked a smirk. ¡°Hey Cider. Since we¡¯re cornered, do you wanna play a game?¡±


    CIder quickly looked at Dino with wide eyes. ¡°A game! What game?¡±


    Dino screeched himself to a stop with Cider following along.


    ¡°It¡¯s a game I like to call ¡®Kill the strongest demon¡¯!¡± Dino posed his arms, manifesting a crystal. He then plunged it straight into the ground and the entire terrain turned into a world of crystal spikes.


    A few of the demons got caught and killed, while the horde continued its rampage further. ¡°The winner makes the loser their slave for a day. So how about it?¡±


    Cider, with excitement, jumped ahead of Dino with a wide smile. ¡°You''re on!¡±


    Cider whipped his two bladed arms down and slashed down a wave of demons. He quickly picked his arms up, whipping and outstretching his arms to an absurd length.


    Not falling too far behind, dino shot crystals after crystals. He then crystalized his arms, punching through several demons. He whipped his legs around kicking other demons and forced the head of another to the ground.


    WIthout mercy, he conjured spikes of crystals from the ground, killing several more demons around him. He proceeded to enter a crystal in a flash like a fragment of light. He zipped around through crystal after crystal, killing demons with his trusty combat knife.


    Dino then reappeared atop a large crystal of his own making. Cider flew past him slashing and dicing through enemies calling out for the strong demon to come out. .


    Dino, watching the chaos, closed his eyes allowing CIder to let loose on the poor demons. He focused himself, feeling out for a stronger aura within the demon''s ranks.


    ¡°The demon will probably have a cluster of other cores within. If I find that¡­¡­.¡±


    Dion narrowed his eyes, sensing several powerful presences.


    Dino immediately went to work. He skips atop the head of several demons before running on the wall. He stopped with his feet still clinging to the wall.


    The demos army leapt straight at Dion, posed and ready to kill.


    Placing his hands to the wall beneath his feet, he pressed his power in, making the area around him explode with spikes of crystals. The demons around him were pierced as he eyed himself on a single demon..


    ¡°There you are!¡±


    An ugly looking demon looked up at Dino, horrified that he was found.


    Dino leapt down, forming a crystal arm blade, posed and ready to strike. Just as Dion was about to strike the demons down, Cided swooped in, stealing his kill!


    Hundreds of demons vanished, dissolving away like mist.


    ¡°Hah! Got one!¡± Cider touted.


    He leapt back into the hoarder, skilling several more demons in his way.


    Dion simply blurted a chuckle ¡°Game on.¡±


    Dino followed behind, aiming to tactfully dispatch of the strongest demons that hid among the illusionary ranks. They dodged, blocked, and pushed through way deep into the overwhelming hordes. One after another the demons that hid themselves fell to the hands of both Cider and Dino as they competed to kill them


    Little by little the arm of demons were whittled down as these demons were killed. Eventually their little game came to a tie breaker with the last demon fleeing for his life.


    ¡°I got him!¡± Cider blurted.


    ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t!¡± Dino retorted.


    They both zipped past the remaining demons dispatched of the last strong demon at the same time, ending their little charade with a tie.


    The remaining army vanished, leaving several oddly malformed, beast-like demons remaining. They all cowered and crawled up the wall to escape the two.


    Dino could only scoff at this.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we chase them?¡± Cider questioned


    ¡°Nah. Let ¡®em go, they¡¯re too weak to be dangerous.¡± Dino cracked his neck and rolled his arm around. ¡°Damn I thought we were screwed there for a moment.¡±


    Cider flumped himself on the ground giving an exhausted groan. ¡°I thought I was gonna win that for sure!¡±


    Dino glanced sharply at Cider. ¡°It''s a good thing this kid¡¯s gullible. Without him, I¡¯m not sure I actually would¡¯ve gotten some of those demons¡­¡±


    ¡°We should probably look for Megumi,¡± Suddenly said. ¡°She¡¯s probably in some kind of trouble right about now.¡±


    Cider easily agreed, hopping back to his feet.


    Unknown to either of them, they were being watched by a short chubby looking demon with bangs covering where its eyes should¡¯ve been. The demon cackled to himself.


    ********


    Back with K he was now searching around for an exit through the light filled pathways he turned back round finding a dead end only to stop after turning back a corner he came from.


    ¡°The paths changed again¡­ I see¡­ So that''s your game¡±


    ¡°Hahahahaha¡­. Figured me out, huh?¡± Dragerd echoed.


    ¡°A demon of your caliber is rare to come by¡­ I¡¯m assuming you''re under the command of the Sin of rage.¡±


    ¡°Bzzz¡­ Wrong¡­ Although¡­ I''m sure Rage would like to have this woman too¡­ Her potential to become a demon is far too tempting for me to ignore.¡±


    ¡°Megumi!?¡±  K immediately thought.


    ¡°Spilling your plan out already?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter now. By the time they find out it¡¯ll be too late. I already have my subordinate bring her to me as we speak.¡±


    K immediately went on alert. He jerked his head around as if to make outside contact but nothing happened.


    ¡°Trying to make outside contact? Hahahaha¡­ Sorry to say but I made sure that you''re no longer part of the maze. As of now, You¡¯re well on your way to Arc This is the last time we¡¯ll speak like this. Goodbye.¡±


    Just then, K felt a connection was severed. He clenched his boney fist. Rage boiling within him. ¡°This demon thought everything through didn¡¯t he!?¡±


    ¡°Keep calm. I have to find my way out of this maze and fast!¡±


    Outside of the maze a large stone structure was being propelled forward into the dunes as the large stone maze stood tall, far in the distance.


    Dragerd Now stood in the center of the maze, reveling in his victory against the only thing that stood in his way. ¡°Now my little demons Fest to your heart''s content.¡±

 Chapter 26: Pawns

    "Waahh!!!!" An injure man screamed in terror as a, ugly demon beast lunged forth.


    Luckily for him, he was saved by a reaper''s sword, as he sliced the demon''s head off.


    "Stay close!" the Reaper commanded.


    The man was helped back to his feet by another reaper and brought over to rejoin the other people being defended by the group of reapers. They were completely surrounded by an army of Demons that were being held back by the reaper''s that fought.


    Waves of demons were pushed back as the very floor itself was ripped from the ground. Another reaper projected his own hands, burning through the oncoming demons with its mere touch. A third ran across the field of demons attempting to dispatch each and every one of the demons with an axe with brutal efficiency.


    There were several more like the sword wielding reaper that attempted the whittle down the herd in vain. But no matter how many they killed; it seemed that they kept on growing in numbers.


    Finally, after a long battle, an eagle-eyed reaper finally took noticed strange anomaly of the demons not turning to ash. She came up to one of her companions with a startling revelation. "Nikola, we have to regroup!"


    "Huh!? What do you mean, there are still more of these things here!"


    "Haven''t you noticed already? The floors are absolutely clean. most of the demon''s we killed aren''t turning to ash." The reaper she conversed glanced at the ground and the demons that their other companions were killing, realizing that she was correct.


    "Shit."


    The Reaper, Nokola, quickly conjured a new large axe to his hands and dispatched several more demons attacking from behind.


    "Damn it, there must be some demons of envy. I swear they''re more annoying than demons of pride!" Nikola said.


    "Sensing demons was never really your strong suit." She remarked.


    "Shut it, Angela. Just go ahead and let everyone else know, I''m gonna search for those damn demons."


    Nikola with a newfound surge of energy, dashed into the large horde.


    He hacked and slashed through the demons in his way, battling for every inch he could. Angela on the other hand proceeds to retreat back to her allies to relay the news.


    As this happened, a tall and nose-less demon, Farn, watched from above with careful satisfaction. He scanned a group of reapers with his narrow white pupils. He notices that one of the reapers were now actively searching for the demon copying other demons.


    "Hmph. So, they found out, huh?"


    Farn turned his attention back to Angela, who was still trying to reach her allies from within the ocean of demons.


    Seeing an opportunity, he jumped down from the skyscraper-like wall. He began to glow a red, and like a meteor, He smashed Angela right before her other comrades. and keeping the vital message from being reached.


    Farn stood tall over the others and looked at the black ash that was once Angela. "I expected a little more from her."


    Nikola turned, noticing this change. He realized that Angela was nowhere to be seen, replaced with a tall demon. Sensing that something was wrong, he bolted back in the direction of Farn who now sported a smug expression.


    "Lord Dragerd was right. Your group must be the new bloods." Farn said.


    Feeling insulted, the reaper with the sword jumped in. "You bastard!!"


    He brought this sword down with a fury, only for it to completely shattered, shocking the reaper. "Huh!?"


    Farn''s smile widened. "Hahaha."


    Farn instantly grabbed the Reaper by the neck, the next moment several more reapers were on top of him!


    "No guys!" The reaper choked out. "This demon''s sin... Is rage!!" he wheezed."


    All the other attacks failed in that instant. Farn was like a walking tank that could take anything.


    Farn began to laugh, as he finished off the reaper in his hands. "What''s the point in titles, when your friends can''t even lay a scratch. Your group couldn''t even break through these demons."


    The reaper turned into a black ash, leaving Farn to finish his remark. "Honestly I think your superiors would be disappointed in all of you."


    The several reaper''s now aware of the true danger distanced themselves quickly.


    The tallest of the reaper could only glare at the powerful demon before them. "Damn it. I didn''t know the sin of rage could enhance their strength to this extent! This bastard must''ve eaten over a hundred souls to get this strong!"


    Farn found his statement amusing. "Well, I did have myself a snack or two along the way. They both had great potential too. Both with dreams of being reapers like. Can you imagine?"


    Farn immediately broke into a laughter.


    "What a ridiculous thing to want!!" Farn''s laughter continued on, infuriating the Reaper''s around him. But they all understood that acting uncoordinated wouldn''t help. They all stood their ground awaiting Farn''s next move.


    "Sure, us demons can''t eat your kind. But you become trapped in these core for decades on end." Farn moved to pick up a pure white core from the black ash. "And this isn''t even mentioning how brittle you cores become."


    Farn began to pinch the core in with clawed fingers, forcing everyone to watch as cracks appeared on the core itself.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Suddenly Nokola appeared behind Farn, his axe posed and ready to strike.


    "Hehehe. I think you forgot something very important¡­"


    As if on cue, Nikola was attacked by demons from all around him at once. They pinned him to the ground stabbing through his chest.


    "Nikola!!"


    Farn tossed away the reaper''s core and watched gleefully as Nikola had turned to black ash.


    Sensing something wrong, the other reapers looked around. To their shock they found the other demons encroaching, posed and ready to attack them and their escorts. realizing that Farn had kept them distracted for too long, they went into action to protect the civilians from the hostile forces


    Out of desperation, one of the reapers grabbed the very floor itself, ripping it into a long stem and whipping it around. He knocks away demon after demon as some of the other also tried to pitch in killing the threat on sight.


    The reaper with the floor then used it to create a makeshift fort-like dome around him and the other escorts. He pressed his hands hard on the wall as if to keep it reinforced. "I''ll keep everyone here safe. You guy deal with that demon!"


    Understanding their ally the went into action, fending off against the demons whilst also charging in to attack Farn.


    It was a five against one scenario. They were odds that Farn liked.


    "This''ll be fun." Farn said as his body glowed a brighter red.


    ********


    Elsewhere Dino and Cider ran through the confusing maze. They found another dead end. "Damn it" Dino blurted. "It feels like this maze keeps changing, I could''ve sworn this path in three other directions."


    As dino turned around, he caught a glimpse of a short pale green demon running away. "Thats weird..."


    "Hey wait!" Dino called. He took after the demons at once, suspicious of it.


    Cider followed along, a little confused BY what he was doing. Eventually after following the tiny demon, they were able to catch up to him.


    Dino cut instantly him off, keeping the small demon from escaping. Unexpectedly the demon held out and opal with Harold''s crest. "I-I''m part of the caravan, don''t hurt me!" he squeaked


    Dino was dumbfounded seeing this. He became more serious, darting his eyes at the small demons. "Then why are you running away?"


    "I''m looking for my other friends. Yes. T-they somewhere around. A-and I think they''re this way." The small demon pointed down a path that Dino could''ve sworn he''s been down.


    "And how do you know where they are?"''


    "Because he''s with that girl friend of your-" The demon immediately stopped talking.


    Cider raised a brow. Dino however became much more deadly serious. "Is that so¡­?"


    He darted his eyes at the demon''s neck, finding no collar. "By the way, you wouldn''t happen to have lost your collar too. As far as I''m aware, only Grimm can remove those collars. That''s if you even had one at all."


    The small demon, Weasel, felt his neck confused, finding nothing there. He then smiled and cackled to himself. "Oops."


    Unexpectedly, the weasel began to undergo a transformation. His body began to inflate and energy itself. Slowly it began to tower over Dino; he seemed unsurprised by this.


    Weasel''s voice became much deep and echoed through the maze. "Lying and tricking were never really my strong suits."


    Reacting quickly, Dino blocked a punch from the giant demon''s fist!


    Cider was kicked far back into the maze path as dino is sent hurtling into the far-off maze wall.


    "Hehe. I might as well let loose." Weasels'' smiles deepened.


    Dino quickly blocked and encased his entire arm in crystal. He took a hard pummeling from the weasel as his body was met with fist after fist, sending him deeper into the maze wall itself.


    "Damn it! I should''ve just attacked the little bastard!"


    Suddenly, Cider attacks the demon''s back, whipping his outstretched bladed arm and cutting him.


    "YOOOW!!!"


    Weasel, then grabbed Dino to his surprise and tossed him far into the maze again and into another wall. Cider soon followed Dino as his bladed arms were caught and he was tossed over by Dino as well.


    Dino released himself from the wall, coughing, he noticed that they were now in some strange square arena.


    "What the hell?" Dino muttered.


    Weasel stepped in. They watched as the path behind the weasel closed off, sealing them with him.


    "It looks like that Lord Dragerd saw it fitting to give us a place to fight. I will kill you and enjoy your soul." Weasel gloated.


    Dino scowled. "Is that what you plan to do with Megumi too?"


    "Lord Dragerd wants to see her himself. But knowing Dragerd, He probably sensed great power from within her. Hehehe. If he thinks her soul is delicious, I''m sure he won''t hesitate to enjoy eating her core. Heheheheh."


    Getting up, Cider started to finally understand the predicament. His eyes blackened deeper. The collar around his neck sent shocks through his body.


    "L-leave my friend alone! If you hurt, her you''ll be sorry." He hissed.


    He flinched trying to bear with it, but it proved too much, forcing him to his knees.


    "Eh hehe. Not so fun is it being chained up like a dog with those reaper collars, is it?" Weasel taunted. "But what happens to her up to Dragerd what happens with that friend of yours."


    "Then tell me where she is!"


    Dino steps up to place his hands in Cider''s way. "He''s not going to tell us. If his friend is with Megumi, then we have to beat him fast and find Megumi."


    Cider seemed to half listen, keeping his eyes fixed on Weasel.


    "But you have to keep your cool." Dino finished.


    Just as Weasel was about to speak up, he paused, as if someone was talking to him. Dino narrowed his eyes, taking notice of this.


    "Yes. Yes Lord Dragerd, I''ll finish them now."


    Weasel began growing even bigger. He Jumped in the sky, and slammed his fist to the ground, barely hitting Dino and Cider who jumped away in time.


    He left a giant crater in the ground, quickly realizing that his attack missed. By the time he looked back up, Cider had gone on the offensive. He whipped both his outstretched blade arm at the giant demon, leaving small scratches.


    Weasel retaliated by slamming a barrage of his fist in Cider''s direction. Soon a cloud smoke filled the air blocking his view. Feeling the pecker of Dino''s crystal spikes, he turned and whipped his other arm, knocking Dino off balance.


    Dino quickly reoriented himself and prepared and new crystal in hand only to find and empty space. He glanced up and quickly dodged a stomp from above.


    "Stay still, will you!"


    Cider''s blackened hand hurled out from the cloud, grappling Weasel tuft hair. With vengeance, Cider came rocketing at the giant, his blade arm ready to attack.


    Suddenly a sock surged through him. He launched past the demon, crashing into the floor, writhing from the pain of the shock.


    "That idiot!" Dino thought.


    Without wasting Opportunity, Weasel snatched up Cider in his hands and started squeezing him like a grape.


    "AARRRGGGGHHHH!!!!"


    Acting quickly. Dino manifests a huge crystal spike from the ground itself, stabbing into Weasel.


    Weasel winced from the pain of being stabbed but fought through it. Using his other hand, he grabbed Dino too, pinning him to the ground.


    "Wait your turn, I''ll be eating you soon enough."


    "Let me go!" Cider blurted.


    Weasel squeezed him even hard, making him scream out in pain. Feeling that Dino was trying to free himself too, he was also crushed deeper into the ground.


    Weasel gazed back to Cider. "I think Dragerd will enjoy having your core. We can probably have you fight in Sloth''s arena."


    Laughter began to fill the air. "Like that''ll happen." Dino retorted. "You really think that we''ll fold like that? You''re a bigger idiot than that kid!"


    "Please. What''re you going to do? Poke with those crystals?"


    Dino gave a much smugger look at Weasel. "Nah, I''m gonna stab you with a bigger one."


    Suddenly a pitch-black crystal erupted from the ground piercing through Weasel. His grip over Cider loosened, as he was pulled up further by the growing crystal spike.


    Thinking quickly, Weasel pulled himself out of the spike, falling hard to the ground in front of Cider and Dino who stumbled to their feet.


    Weasel slowly picked himself back, growling.


    "Don''t go around thinking that trash like you can just push us around. Just because you''re big doesn''t mean you can''t fall."


    Cider and Dino readied themselves to engage in combat once again, leaving Weasel frustrated at what should''ve been a quick victory.


    ********


    Dragerd watching from the safety in the center of the maze, watched all the ongoing events as the reapers were struggling against Farn. Dino and Cider were about to start another round against Weasel. And Megumi''s, who was accompanied by Kailey, were being led straight to Dragerd by Devon.


    He smiled, content, but unknown to him, a certain man was now climbing the outside of his maze.

 Chapter 27: Retaliation

    The giant demon, Weasel, smashed the floor and walls trying to strike back against Dino and Cider. But they both proved to be faster than the huge demon.


    On the other side of the coin, Weasel''s relentless attack kept them on the defensive as they both tried to find angles of attack that only ended in failure. Each counter attack only led to a mere scratch and their attacks bouncing off its skin.


    Dino proceeded to shoot several more of his crystal spikes at Weasel, all ending in the same result. ¡°Tch! We¡¯re getting nowhere! Fast!¡±


    Weasel slammed the ground again, nearly hitting Dino. He slid back scanning the now smoky area for any movement.


    A fist ejected forth, forcing Dino to block with his crystalized arms. He was backed all the way to the maze wall and was made to hold off against the brute strength.


    Not wasting time, Cider flew in from the side, slicing at Weasel¡¯s back. He then launched himself in the air and spun down like a saw blade unto Weasel who cried out in pain.


    Weasel jerked back, freeing Dino.


    With determination, he quickly ran under the giant demon, placing his hands on the ground. ¡°IT¡¯s now or never!¡±


    ¡°Crystal wonderland!¡±


    A plethora of crystal spikes protrude throughout the entire square area, with some piercing into Weasel himself.


    Cider attempted to continue his barrage of attack on Weasel, becoming an annoying little fly to him. Eventually he caught Cider in his hands again.


    ¡°Gotcha!¡±


    He squeezed Cider tightly. But a second later, he disappeared from his Hands!


    ¡°EH!?¡± Weasel looked around, and found Cider standing next to Dino with a slight limp.


    ¡°That guy¡¯s tough!¡± Cider blurted.


    ¡°Yeah, Well we¡¯re getting nowhere by working separately. We gotta work together if we¡¯re gonna kill this demon.¡±


    Weasel Charged straight at the two, crashing into the wall. Somehow, that both ended up on the other end of the arena.


    Cider shivered a little. ¡°Y-you¡¯re power¡¯s weird.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well it¡¯s the only thing keeping us alive, listen¡­ I have a plan.¡±


    Weasel¡¯s became much more irritated by the two. Clawed into the ground, picking a piece of a huge rock and tossed it straight at them. Like magic, Dino, and Cider vanished only to rea appear miles above him.


    ¡°And that¡¯s the plan, are you up for it?¡¯


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    Cider and Dino posed themselves¡¯ ready to go on the offensive again.


    ¡°How the hell are you teleporting!!?¡± Weasel shouted angrily.


    He tore another piece of rock, this time from the wall. And with vigor, it threw it straight up at them.


    Dino quickly dodged and clung to the rock, He instantly sent crystals through it and with cider¡¯s assistance, He wrapped his arm around the enlarged spiked rock and hurled it back at Weasel.


    Weasel took the full brunt of this attack


    Not wasting the opportunity, Cider sliced several of the demon''s huge fingers off!


    Dino followed behind trapping each of those within his crystals that turned black.


    ¡°You think you can stop me from catching you!?¡±


    Weasel instantly grew his finger¡¯s back. He tore another piece of the wall, tossing it at them once again. They dodged, allowing the debris scattered along the crystalized floor.


    Cider zipped back at Weasel, with his blade arms at the ready. He dodged and weaved through the onslaught of rocks and debris and with expert precision, He outstretched his bladed arms slicing off several more fingers from the giant demon.


    The rock in its hand fell hard and those fingers were instantly snatched up by Dino, who stored them in more of his crystals, turning them black also.


    Weasel pounded his reformed fist to the ground onto Dino, But he somehow escaped once again.


    Cider then showed up once more, taking down several more of his fingers. Irritated Weasel used his other hand to lock him into the wall. He crushed him, but suddenly found Dino on his arm.


    Dino pressed both his hands on Weasel¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Crystal wonderland!¡±


    Crystal spikes erupted from Weasel''s arm, practically cutting his arm off.


    ¡°He can use his power on me too!?¡± Weasel thought.


    Weasel tried punching at Dino but was dodged once again.


    ¡°Too slow.¡±


    Dino quickly pulled his combat knife from his back sheath and dug it straight into Weasel''s shoulder.


    ¡°Argh!!¡±


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Weasel reflexively backed himself into the wall to crush Dino, only for him to escape.


    Dino jumped back to the ground where Weasel finally witnessed Dino entering into his crystal. Seeing this, he finally understood what had to be done.


    He stomped and attempted to crush Dino¡¯s crystals, all the while being attacked by Cider who cut and sliced off his fingers, resulting in them being trapped in black crystals.


    Eventually he stomped onto one of the black crystals, cutting through his own feet. He screamed out in pain and moved to use his hands instead, punching at the crystal. But to his shock, his hand was completely cut by the crystal!


    Using this opportunity, Cider cut his hand giving Dino the chance to store these hands in crystals too.


    Weasel growled, but upon looking at the arena, it was practically filled with black crystals now.


    ¡°I have to say Cider, You did a good job for once.¡± Dino said. He stepped out from one of the remaining crystals letting it shatter on its own. Cider rejoined by his side, balancing himself atop one of the black crystals.


    ¡°What¡¯s this supposed to be? Are you expecting to lay down and use this as a back scratcher?¡±


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t noticed? How sad. I expected a demon of gluttony to be already aware.¡±


    Without another word both Cider and Dino charged at him at once.


    ¡°Hah! Aware of what!?¡± Weasel undeterred threw his fist their direction. They both dodge through his barrage of punches and he kept trying to crush him under his own weight.


    As Cider moved in to attack Weasel found his chance. He quickly pinned Cider to the wall again. And before Dino could move to help, Weasel also pinned him to the ground.


    Weasel smiled happily seeing Cider and Dino squirm from beneath his grasp.


    Suddenly Cider began screaming as if in pain. This amused Weasel. He puffed his own chest up in pride.


    ¡°Hehehe. So what was that about me not being aware of something?¡±


    Cider began squirming around more violently.


    Dino then seemed to mutter something, forcing Weasel to bring his ears closer to him. ¡°Huh? What was that? I couldn¡¯t hear you from all that pathetic screaming. Hehehe.¡±


    ¡°Pfff. You idiot.¡±


    ¡°EH!?¡±


    To Weasel¡¯s shock, Dino began to laugh.


    ¡°Cider. Cider. Stop it. Hahahaha. I can¡¯t talk seriously when you act like that. Hahahaha. You look stupid.¡±


    ¡°Aww¡­ But I was really trying.¡±


    ¡°Grr! Die!!¡± Angered, Weasel tried crushing them both beneath his grasp.


    But nothing happened.


    Confused, he tried pressing harder and harder, but no matter what he did, they wouldn¡¯t get crushed.


    Slowly Dino began to stand himself up, pushing his way out of Weasel''s grasp. Cider did the same, actually pulling himself out to the sheer and utter shock of the demon.


    ¡°W-what the hell!!How did you become so powerful?¡±


    Dino scoffed. ¡°I guess a trash demon like you wouldn¡¯t understand. Here I¡¯ll spell it out in terms an idiot can understand.¡±


    With a smug expression Dino mimics his hands into a pair of scissors. ¡°We simply trimmed that extra fat off you and stored them away in my crystals. So all that extra power you had is tucked away nice and safe. So now you''re as deadly as an inflated teddy bear.¡±


    Weasel could only look on in bewilderment, still not understanding the explanation. He glazed at Cider who was perched on his hands with a devilish smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest to you Cider.¡± Dino said.


    Cider looked at Weasel more menacingly. ¡°With pleasure.¡±


    In an instant Cider tore through Weasel''s huge arm, Wrapping around it like a maniacal demon. Jumping from the pit of his arm , Cider spun like a spinning top, tearing through the entire demon''s neck and chest.


    Despite Weasel¡¯s best resistance, he was torn to shred, eventually turning to ash.


    From the ash, Dino picked up Weasel¡¯s core. Unexpectedly the walls of the square arena started opening up. Four new pathways opened up before Cider and Dino.


    Dino narrowed his eyes, suspicious of this event. Cider rushed forth down a random path. ¡±C¡¯mon Dino we have to find Megumi!.¡±


    Hold up! You idiot!¡±


    Dino cut Cider off from the path. ¡°Hey, what''s the problem!?¡±


    ¡°Stop and think for a moment. If finding Megumi was so easy to find, we would¡¯ve found her by now. For all we know she¡¯s half way across this maze. Besides, if Megumi was close by we would¡¯ve been trapped in here. I have a feeling that this Dragerd demon is in control of this maze¡­¡±


    ¡°So what do we do then?¡±


    Dino brought his head down and closed his eyes to ponder that very question. Becoming more serious he quickly looked around and sensed the area.


    ¡°Tch!¡±


    ¡°Impossible! It couldn¡¯t be that-¡±


    Dino began to sweat with the worst case scenario seemingly being an actual possibility. He quickly glanced up. ¡°So even if we¡­¡±


    ¡°If that''s the case, We¡¯re all screwed unless we escape from here!¡± Dino thought.


    Dino turned back to Cider. ¡°I know where Megumi will be.¡±


    ********


    Elsewhere, Megumi and Kailey still followed behind The multi-eyed and mouth demon, Devon.


    ¡°This way I think I remember seeing my friends come down here.¡± Devon pointed to an ¡®X¡¯ mark on the wall. ¡°We just have to follow these and we should find them no problem.¡±


    Megumi gave an awkward and affirming smile. ¡°S-sure.¡±


    Kailey glanced at Megumi noticing that she was becoming a little woozy. ¡°Hey girly, are you alright? Ever since you got rid of that blade thing from your arm, you¡¯ve been looking a bit out of it.¡±


    ¡°I guess, I feel a little tired. But I can keep going. Honest.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry,¡± Devon spoke. ¡°My friend is with the reaper, so once we find him you can rest to your heart''s content.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to know,¡± Megumi chirped. She turned back to Kailey. "See, there nothing to worry about. One we find the other reapers, I''m sure we can rest a little easier."


    Kailey kept silent, instead keeping a watchful eye on Devon as he continued to lead the way with his hidden smile. He chuckled silently, knowing that each step they were taking was another step closer to his master, Dragerd.


    ********


    Back with Farn, He stood triumphant over the only a couple reaper¡¯s left, that stood in his way. The remaining demon army stood at attention, surrounding the two reaper¡¯s and the escorts of men, women and collared demons that were losing more hope by the second.


    Farn looked at his two feeble opponents, then at the escort of people that cowered. He chuckled to himself at the state the reapers were in now. ¡°How pathetic.¡±


    The reapers tried to stand tall and tough in these skewed odds. With determinations they charged at the tall demon with their conjured weapons of choice putting all their remaining power into their last strike.


    Despite the explosion of power, that would¡¯ve impressed any other bystander, It wasn¡¯t near enough.


    Farn cracked his neck. ¡°I¡¯m still waiting~. Heh.¡±


    They were both grabbed by the necks and held up by Farn. ¡°I could kill you both but I think it¡¯ll be more fun for you two watch and enjoy the show instead.


    Both the reaper¡¯s eyes darted to the escorts that they were to keep safe., Horror filled both their eyes as they forced to the ground and forced by the other demons to watch as Farn approached the defenseless men and women.


    ¡°N- No! Stay away!¡± A man attempted to back by spurting some weak fire from his hands at the demon. But this was in vain as the man found his end with a swift swipe to the neck.


    The remaining men and women back away in horror, watching as the man turned to ash. Even the collared demons among them averted their eyes from the brutal display.


    Without protest, Farn picked the man''s white core from the ground. He slithered his sharp tongue from his mouth ready to devour the core in hand. ¡°Finally.. A nice meal.¡±


    Farn''s arm detached arm fell straight to the ground with a loud thud. The core within it ruled from its grasp, leaving everyone in utter shock and confusion.


    ¡°Whew, Looks like I got here just in time. I doubt Lilith would¡¯ve been happy to hear that someone actually died on this trip.¡±


    The hallowed sword was completely sheathed with an audible click.


    Farn could only back away as he looked on in utter shock as the core was picked up from the ground, only for it to completely vanish from the man''s hand.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep you safe for now.¡±


    Standing before Farn was Liang, whom despite the overwhelming odds that stood around him, smiled widely in complete confidence.


    ¡°I see, so you¡¯re one of the delinquents that fooled men.¡± Liang''s eyes darkened, hiding the deep rage beneath his smile "Looks like I¡¯ll have to punish you for your treachery.¡±

 Chapter 28: Rage and Pride

    Dino and Cider ran through the stone pathway of the maze. They twisted and turned through path after path through the seemingly endless hall of dead ends. Suddenly demons jumping down from above, attacking with a fury.


    "Tch! more of them!?" Dino raised his hands, shooting crystal spikes at these demons .


    Cider followed from behind, slicing at the demons with his outstretched blade arms. Seeing that even more were jumping down, he Whipped his arms around more furiously, dicing through all the demons like a blender.


    They both noticed the lack of ash, a clear sign that more Demons of envy were lurking within the army of illusionary demons.


    "Up for another game of "Find the biggest demon?"


    Cider simply nodded with a smile from the excitement of another game. They both engaged the horde of demons that charge forth with the malformed jaws and ugly mugs. Shard of crystal''s flew in the air alongside the limbs of the unfortunate demons caught in Cider''s cross fire.


    As they fought, Liang''s voice suddenly made itself known.


    "Dino." Liang echoed,


    Dino''s eyes widened in surprise. "Liang!?"


    ********


    "Where are you!?" Dino echoed back.


    Liang blocked an incoming attack from Farn who regrew his decapitated arm. The sheer pressure of his attack sent rippling winds his direction that was inflicted onto Farn. Soon after a crater was formed just beneath where Liang stood.


    "I''m taking care of these delinquent demons that''re attack the other people from the caravan. I''m the only one here until the others find their way up and in this maze."


    "Wait? But how did you get in?" Dino questioned.


    With practiced ease, Liang pushed Farn back away from him. Meanwhile the demons holding the reapers were suddenly slashed by some invisible attack. Liang sheathed his sword, still standing tall in the face of the army of demons that surrounded both him and the other people on all sides.


    "I had some help climbing the walls of this maze. It''s almost as tall as a skyscraper and harder to climb too. I had to use my sword to climb the rest of the way."


    Liang then looked around taking note of the demons around him "Clones, Huh?" he noted.


    "Hey, Dino." Liang echoed. "Have you seen K?"


    "No. Me and Cider are too busy with these demons here. The demon behind this has a lot of demons of Envy... But it has been a few hours since I last heard from him."


    "And Megumi?" Liang questioned.


    "She''s being targeted by this Dragerd Demon, I think he''s the one behind this. I have a strong feeling she''s being led to the center of the maze right now as we speak. I tried contacting her, but I''m not getting a response back, so me and Cider are trying to get to her now."


    "I see¡­"


    Liang raised a brow. "Dragerd, Huh¡­ He should be dead¡­"


    Farn started laughing. "What''s wrong reaper? Getting cold feet now?" he called


    "Hm?" Liang then smiled. "Oh, no. I was getting on some of the people missing from our group. You must be one of Dragerd lackey''s"


    Farn, hearing his master''s name, quickly became serious. "How do you¡­"


    Farn quickly regained his confidence. "It doesn''t matter a reaper like yourself can''t possibly fend everyone on your own. Heh."


    "I''d like to point out that I''m not with the reaper''s corp yet, In fact I''m currently a demon hunter." Liang began to unsheathe his sword. "Not that I blame Dragerd for being misinformed, it has been a while."


    The demons that surrounded Liang became more -ancy and ready to attack. Knowing fully well of their uneven odds, Liang spoke to the two reaper''s that stood behind him.


    "Hey, you two. Stay close to those people, and whatever you do, don''t let a single demon attack through."


    "Y- Y-yes sir!" that said in unison.


    The reapers behind Liang immediately got into position with both their weapons that broke, reconjured in perfect and fit form.


    Feeling impatient, Farn yelled out his order. "KIll them all!!"


    The demons under his command rushed forward, swarming like a whirlpool in an ocean.


    Undeterred, Liang dashed in with purpose. He hopped, dodge, and ducked under the vicious demons. Locating his first target, he struck fast, cutting their head off.


    Thousands of demons faded into dust in seconds.


    "What!?" Farn Whipped his head in Liang direction, shocked by his speed.


    Liang blocked an attack from one of the demons but quickly pushed it away and moved on to a new target. The demons, now knowing his intentions, rushed in to overwhelm him with their sheer numbers.


    This did little to slow Liang down as he expertly weaved through the waves of demons, like a shadow in the night. He aimed true, cutting his next target in half.


    Several hundred more demons vanished.


    "Tch!" Farn, seeing that Liang was dashing through the army of demons, looked on angrily in complete disbelief, Unable to continue watching, Farn joined in. He hunted down for Liang with a vengeance. using his keen perception, he spotted the smallest trace of him and jumped into action.


    Just before Liang could dispatch another of his demons of envy, Farn struck hard with his red cloaked fist, punching Liang in the face!


    But to his utter shock, the damage was completely reflected onto the demon he was trying to defend!


    "What! What kind of power is this!!" Farn was suddenly struck by an invisible force that pushed him back.


    Without worry, Liang continued speeding through demons, slicing off heads, and thinning out what seemed to be an invincible army of demons. The reapers and escorts were in awe by this display of skill and precision, it was like Liang himself was untouchable.


    Within the chaos Farn kept trying to slow Liang down with little to show for it. Within the chaos, he noticed something. Despite attack Liang directly, he would never block, however when it came to the illusionary demons, he consistently and proactively blocked them.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    The found the interactions strange but pressed on in trying to take Liang down.


    After another few minutes of their game of cat and mouse, Liang finally killed the last fleeing demon. He whipped his sword to the side, clearing the ash. What would''ve taken another army, all Liang had to down was dispatched of fifty demons.


    Now all that was left was just him and Farn.


    Farn was left in the center of the maze path, between Liang and the other reapers who still guarded the escorts.


    "Now it''s just you. And me." Liang said. He stood tall, confidently awaiting for the demon to make his move.


    Farn however'' knew better than to attack recklessly, He scrutinized Liang then glanced back at the reapers and their escorts.


    "What''s wrong, Getting cold feet now?" Liang called. He began his march to Farn, which quickly turned into a sprint.


    Acting fast, Farn blocked Liang''s attack with his arms. Despite the deep cut he was barely able to stop it.


    He pushed Liang off, coming at him with a straight punch to the gut. But like before, somehow the damage Liang should''ve taken was completely reflected.


    He felt the impact himself, backing off with a wheeze.


    Liang smiled and moved to attack again. "You''re gonna have to try harder than that!!"


    Farn was struck hard, cutting deep into his chest. But to Liang''s surprise, Farn held off strong. He gripped the blade of his hollow sword, trying to pry it from his very chest.


    Liang took this as a challenge, pushing harder at the demon. Slowly Farn was being pushed back. Seeing that he was fighting a losing battle, he raised his fist again, but stopped seeing how unconcerned Liang was.


    He then turned to the blade, striking at breaking it in half.


    The broken blade sliced through the side of his body, but Farn quickly healed from this.


    Slowly the broken blade that was still in his body vanished, reappearing onto Liang''s stubbed blade making it new again.


    "Damn it! I''m not strong enough!" Farn glanced back to the defenseless men and women with the reapers. He smirked with a sinister plan.


    He turned, rushing to the reapers and the other people.


    "Hey!" Liang, realizing his intent, moved to stop Farn. But to his shock, he was suddenly blocked by a wall that ejected straight from the ground!


    Farn smiled widely seeing this. Knowing that Dragerd was indeed watching over him.


    The reaper moved in a desperate attempt to stop the demon but was easily dealt with, as he dispatched the last two that stood in his way.


    WIth deep and desperate anticipation, he aimed and attacked with his red cloaked clawed hands. "Become my power!"


    Unexpectedly, His attack was blocked by Liang with him using his sword.


    "Urph. It''s a good thing I stabbed the top of that wall." Liang exhaled as clumps of ash fell from the side of his face.


    Liang became more serious with his golden yellow pupils peeking from beneath his squinted eyes. "You demons and your tricks."


    Farn took keen notice of Liang''s state, surprised to actually have finally landed some sort of blow on him. It was then that it clicked. "So that''s it¡­" Farn smile began to widen.


    Farn quickly backed off of Liang and then began to amass a massive amount of muscle. Farn grew another foot in height as vein began to bulge and his muscles twitched. "It was so simple this entire time. I''m ashamed that I haven''t realized it until now."


    With his muscles finished growing, Farn cracked his neck. "It''s not often you come across a pride user with power''s like yours."


    Liang simply narrowed his eyes, watching more closely.


    Farn jumped and hurled his fists down to the group of escorts. Acting fast, Liang met him head on, blocking with his sword once again. Wind whipped around and the sheer pressure of the attack started slashing into his jacket and arms.


    Farn continued to exert as much pressure, all the while Liang could only hold out from this attack until he was sent crashing back to the ground behind him.


    The crowd of people quickly distanced themselves from Liang who struggled back to his feet. He wiped his face, now glaring at the Farn.


    Liang quickly calmed himself, relaxing himself. "I guess it''s been a while since I''ve actually had a challenge."


    He put his sword horizontally, as if ready to engage in at any second.


    In this moment the people behind him pleaded for him to win. for him to defeat the vile demon that had slain those other reapers.


    "Don''t worry everyone, I''ll beat him. no question bout it." Without a second thought Liang sprang into action.


    He watched as the pale demon enveloped his entire body in a ready aura and suddenly appeared in front of him.


    Farns fist was a mere inch from his face. Thinking quickly, Liang jerked his head back.


    It was just as Liang thought. He could feel that his face was barely scratched. "So he did figure it out, huh?"


    An unexpected excitement sprung forth. And as if on auto pilot, Liang swiped the Farns hand away with the handle of his sword, He elbowed his chest, and kicked him away.


    He moved in, slashing with his sword only for it to be caught by Farn, who returned the gesture with a flurry of aimless punches at his face.


    Liang tried to pull out but Farn kept his grip on the sword forcing Liang to deal with the assault.


    Liang clenched his teeth and with all his strength, He pushed against the hulking brute as far from him as he could. Not wanting to let up, he raced to Farns side, where he posed his sword at the ready and attacked.


    Farn blocked taking on the attack with his swollen arms.


    Farn quickly planted his feet in the ground slowing his decent and sending stone rubble under his feet in all directions. As he stopped, he pushed Liang back into a nearby wall and went on the offensive.


    He came straight at Liang with a newly powered fist striking fast, He slammed it into the wall, missing Liang by just a hair.


    Seizing the opportunity Liang, kick Farn off him. He attacked with his sword, each time barely hitting Farn or missing him. He then swiped from below, creating a small window for Farn to grab Liang and throw him back into the wall..


    In that instant he took damage for what Liang should''ve taken. This didn''t stop him however, as he began to pummel Liang and with his fist with a barrage of punches. All the while Liang could only defend himself with his sword.


    "How does it feel to be ignored!?" Farn yelled.


    He continued with punch after deadly punch, being absolutely relentless with his attacks.


    "You know what''s- Urph. Neat about this power of mine?" Liang looked up at Farn smiling confidently. "It''s that I get to store all that damage other people tried to dish to me over the years and use them whenever I want."


    Farns eyes widened. in an instant, he was pushed from Liang by some invisible attack that sliced both his arms and legs sliced off. He quickly re-grew them, and landed back on his feet.


    Liang tore himself from the wall crater, rolling his shoulder. "The only caveat about it seems that I can''t kill ya instantly. But luckily for you I can easily remedy that."


    Liang dashed back to fight Farn. The ground was smashed, the walls sliced. The battle between Liang and these demons shook the very long path they fought on.


    Even as Farn used the lives of the remaining escorts as a cheap tactic to land a hit on Liang, It was never enough.


    The longer they fought, the more it was becoming apparent that Liang was ahead of him. Farn began to feel as if Liang was one step ahead.


    Anger started to boil over the longer he wasn''t able to land a clean hit. Seeing Liang lower his sword, Farn acted.


    He lunged straight at Liang, aiming for the ground below him, Liang dodged, letting Farn destroy the ground.


    "Damn you!!! How are you still moving!!!?"


    Farns attack soon became a lot more eradicate, swiping and slashing with his clawed hands, all before striking his fist into the wall.


    Farn froze with his fist still embedded I the wall. Just second ago Liang was right in front of him, but now he stood right behind him.


    This time Liang turned his back to Farn. "I think that''s about all she wrote."


    Farn finally snapped. He channeled all his frustration and anger into this last attack, he aimed straight for Liang''s very  chest.


    He punched through Liang''s chest, alarming the other people that watched the intense battle.


    It was then, that Farn realized his mistake as a hole suddenly reflected onto his chest. The searing pain that should''ve been Liang''s now became his. And he now felt his very being crumble away.


    "Damn it... You¡­ You bastard."


    Farn quickly found Liang''s sharp blade at his neck. Liang glared at Farn with deadly seriousness. "That''s funny¡­ The last time I check, you were the demon. But I guess I should at least thank you¡­ You reminded me a little of why I became a reaper all those yours before retiring¡­ Those were some good times¡­"


    Liang returned to his happy-go-lucky attitude. "As thanks I''ll spare you from the embarrassment of killing yourself."


    In that instant, Liang sliced his head off. Letting him turn to ash much quicker. With Farn, defeated, Liang grabbed his core, before storing it away in his vessel.


    "Hey, Liang. Are you still there?" Dino Echoed.


    "Huh. Oh." Liang quickly replied. "Sorry, I had my hands tied, what is it?"


    "You have those other people from the caravan right?"


    "Hmm? Yeah?"


    "You have to get them out as fast as you can. The faster the better."


    Liang raised a brow, curious. "Why? What''s going on?"


    Dino quickly explained the situation that he believes is the case. Hearing his explanation, Liang''s eyes widened, shocked to hear Dino''s explanation.


    He grimaced, thinking of that very idea. "That would make sense if that''s the case. But that also makes things a hundred times worse."


    ********


    "I''m gathering up the people now. Just find Megumi and anyone else and hurry out the best you can."


    Dino, who was dashing alongside Cider, agreed. Continuing deeper into the maze the best he would.


    ********


    Liang turned to the remaining people, raising his voice. "Alright everyone this is not a drill!! If you want to get out of here alive, you have to follow my command to the ''T''."


    ********


    Back with Megumi''s group, she continued deeper into the maze. She was continuing to get more and more woozy, now swaying and she struggled to remain awake.


    Devon Couldn''t help but to narrow his eyes at Kailey who was following from behind, he growled to himself .


    "How is she still awake!" Devon wondered.

 Chapter 29: Manipulation

    Megumi, who was still holding out to stay awake, stumbled towards the maze wall. she held tight to the cracks in the wall trying to stay awake. Both Devon and Kailey noticed. Devon noticed this, Glancing back to Megumi. He watched as Kailey quickly came to Megumi''s side to check on her.


    "Are you alright?" Kailey asked.


    "I- I''m fine... I just..." Megumi felt a deepening sense of calmness. soon she collapses to the side of the wall in slumber.


    Kailey exhaled, disappointed by the outcome. "So she couldn''t make it after all¡­"


    Devon took note at how Kailey was still wide awake. "All her energy should''ve already drained from her too."


    Keeping his composure, Devon sported an more calm demeanor. "Maybe we should rest for a little and gather our energy. But if you don''t want to wait..." He lent his hand out. "I could carry her the rest of the way."


    Kailey scanned Devon almost scrutinizing him. After a while she finally spoke up. "No need. I can do it myself."


    Devon chuckled nervously, "But I insist. A lady like you, shouldn''t have to do a man''s job."


    Kailey ignored him, picking up and holding Megumi in her arms. "I can do this just fine myself. Alright¡­ " Kailey turned away from Devon, leaving. "Goodbye."


    Devon was left dumbfounded. "H... Hold on!" He rushed in front of Kailey blocking her path, he forced a friendly smile, trying to stop her from leaving. "Where are you going? W-we''re so close, we shouldn''t turn back now."


    "We? Oh right, You thought I was following you, didn''t you? Sorry to disappoint, but that''s not the case. Since we have that cleared up I''m going to find an actual way out of this maze. The last thing I want is for a demon like you sapping my energy too." Kailey tried to push through but Devon made it apparent that he wasn''t moving.


    Devon''s eyes darkened, making his position more known to her.


    Kailey narrowed her eyes. "Deciding to show your true colors now. I guess that''s par for course for demons. Things don''t go your way and you get violent."


    Devon growled. "How are you still standing?"


    "Because I''m not some gullible idiot like this girly here. And I guess it helps that my barrier is protecting me."


    Slowly Kailey''s skin boated up revealing that she had protecting herself with her barrier this entire time. eventually the barrier enveloped Megumi too separating them and Devon.


    "She wore her barrier like some skin suit!?" Devon, surprised, stepped back and clenched his jaw in frustration. "Are you a reaper too?"


    Kailey refrained from answering. She interlocked eyes with him the best she could, combating against the several eyes to stare through her.


    Devon smiled. "Heh. of course you aren''t. otherwise you wouldn''t have put that barrier up..." He raised his fist, with confidence and hurl it at her Barrier.


    A barrier hand formed and caught his punch, dampening its impact.


    "Such refined control. You must be a sloth user." Devon noted


    "And you, a demon of greed. I heard your type could steal anything from a person''s face to their very life force."


    glanced a the barrier, noticing something peculiar. He smiled, finding its fatal flaw. "Oh, I can take more than that. Unfortunately for you, it looks like your'' a bad match up for me." Devon mocked.


    Using his other arm, he grabbed the barrier arm and tore it from her barrier to her shock.


    Kailey quickly closed it up and was forced to watch as Devon wore the arm like a glove.


    "It''s not often you find a person using their own memories to shield themselves." He swung with the newly equipped arm, slamming the barrier hard. Slowly cracks began to appear on Kailey''s barrier. "Now this''ll be fun."


    Kailey flashed a glare at Devon. The crack quickly repaired itself, but like before, Devon smashed his hands through the crack and ripped part of her barrier out.


    To her shock, Devon wormed his way into her barrier, sprinting straight at her with his raised fist. "So much for that barrier or yours!"


    Kailey conjured a new barrier just in time, out of sheer desperation. Devon once again swung his barrier cloaked fist, cracking the barrier in front of Kailey, but unlike before it recovered much quicker.


    Seeing this, Devon began to punch at the barrier in an attempt to break it down again.


    Kailey glanced back on to the find a wall erupt from right behind her. "What the hell!?" She looked back to Devon, finding herself between a rock and hard place. "Damn what do I do? If I stopped maintaining my barrier he could kill me. And even if I wanted to, I can''t fight a demon like this head on without my barriers!"


    Kailey glanced down at Megumi in arm arms briefly. "This is bad! Unless she wakes up we''re both screwed."


    Devon continued his relentless barrage of trying to break open Kailey''s barrier. He could tell that the strain on her was piling up so she picked up the pace. "You can only hide in there for so long!"


    By some miracle, Kailey felt a movement from Megumi. "Finally!"


    In that moment of distraction, Devon finally broke open the barrier, exposing Kailey and Megumi to this vile demon. "Crap!"


    Devon peaked a sinister and knowing smile with his many mouths as he looked at Kailey mockingly. "Eeh hee. She woke up a little earlier than I thought but that''s alright." Devon drove his hand straight into her head!


    Kailey tried pulling away, circling around him to distance herself and Megumi from him. She quickly glanced back to Megumi even more concerned.


    By some miracle Megumi seemed fine. she slowly opened her eyes, grumbling. "what''s going on?" Finding that she was being held by Kailey, she jumped. "W-what the- Who are you!!?"


    Kailey''s eyes widened and she glanced back at Megumi, shocked, "What?"


    Megumi wiggled out of Kailey''s grasp. Backing away from her quickly. Devon ceased from attacking any further as Megumi looked back and forth between him and Kailey.


    "H-hey Devon, What''s going on?" Megumi asked.


    Kailey became alarmed.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "This woman here tried to kidnap you, Lucky for you I was able to stop her before she got away."


    Hearing his words Megumi slowly backed away from Kailey, now cautious of her. "So she''s with them too? W-what do we do?"


    "We have to kill her. But I think this is a good opportunity for you to show what you can do."


    "I-I''m not sure." Megumi stuttered. "I-I don''t think I can do it."


    Unsatisfied with her answer, Devon stuck his hand straight in her head again. "You want to fight her. In fact you want to show off you power."


    "You bastard." Kailey hissed.


    Devon took his hand from Megumi''s head, shrugging "When at first you don''t succeed, try, try again. As they always say." He turned back to Megumi. "So how about now?"


    "S-stand back. I can take her." Megumi said.


    "Tch! So his power can manipulate a person memories to!?" Kailey prepare herself for the inevitable fight as she thought back to what Chime had told her back before entering Gondola.


    ********


    Kailey was experimenting with her powers in a dining room. she looked on at it, uninterested.


    "Remember Kailey." Chime echoed. "Memories in purgatory are like the blood that runs through our veins. Not only does it keep us going. But its used power."


    Chime conjured forth a hearty meal with the wave of her hands. "The stronger the emotions the stronger the memory."


    Chime looked at Kailey more cheerfully.


    ********


    Kailey clenched her teeth seeing at how amused Devon looked. "I have to kill that demon, Otherwise she''ll continue being his slave." Kailey instantly sent barrier fist hurtling in Devon''s direction.


    Suddenly, Megumi appeared, slicing through her Barrier fist! "Leave my friend alone!"


    Kailey could only growl seeing this, she kept her harsh expression as she now looked at Megumi with her newly conjured weapon..


    She saw it had strangely shaped handle that stuck out from Megumi''s left palm. On the back of Megumi''s hand the blade completely arced around her elbow and the other end curving past her hand. Although it was hard to tell at first glance, Kailey could tell that the weapon must''ve been a scythe.


    "I think I''m getting a little better Devon." Megumi looked at the blade briefly. "Is this a¡­ Scythe?"


    "She cut through my barrier!? It''s like last time. She''s more dangerous than I thought. If she hits me with that, I''m done for."


    Megumi getting back to Kailey posed strangely with her newly conjured weapon. Ready to fight.


    "Stay back Devon¡­ I think I can deal with her myself."


    Megumi''s struck a nerve with Kailey.


    Kailey forced a scoff. She prepared a sphere of her barrier just below her hands. "I don''t like this but I''m gonna have to be rough with you girly."


    "Don''t call me girly, you demon women."


    Another nerve was struck. "I change my mind. I''m gonna enjoy this a little bit."


    Kailey wasted no time expanding her barrier around her and even beyond, Through it, several different shaped hands reach from it charging Megumi and Devon alike.


    Megumi sliced and dodged the first two with Devon avoiding the attacks expertly and ripping off the other few with his clawed hands. Another barrier came straight from above him, that he missed.


    Lucky for him, Megumi quickly came to his defense, slicing the arms. Suddenly another arm came from the side, grabbing and throwing her high into the sky.


    "Waahhh!!"


    As she fell from the sky, she tried to recompose herself. Seeing another hand coming her way, she braced herself for impact, only to be grabbed from behind. Looking behind her she saw the barrier arm clenching onto her jacket. "Huh?"


    "Don''t move," Kailey said. She focused purely on the demon pelting multiple barrier arms in his directions. Seeing that he was in danger, Megumi cut the arm that was holding her, forcing Kailey''s hand.


    She launched a few of her barrier arms at Megumi who cut the first and landed on the second, sliding down it. Seeing another coming straight at her, she fell, unable to control her balance.


    She landed onto Kailey''s round barrier seeing that Kailey''s frustration was rising.


    "Y-your fights. with Me!" Megumi declared.


    Megumi dug her awkward scythe into the barrier cutting it open like roast turkey.


    "Crap!" Kailey, forced to confront Megumi, tried closing her barrier to no avail. Megumi quickly dashed inside her barrier with more determination.


    Thinking quickly, Kailey shrunk her barrier fast and expanded it just as quickly. With this simple move, she pushed back Megumi forcing her to the maze wall.


    She darted her eyes back in search of Devon. "Damn it! Where''d he go!?"


    Devon jump atop the barrier and used it as a platform to the other side. With a sly smirk he made his own makeshift barrier using the pieces he tore from her.


    Taking it as a challenge she pelted him directly with a barrage of her barrier fists. She fists became fast and faster, slowly breaking away his own barrier.


    Seeing an opening within the chaotic affair, Megumi charged back at Kailey, slicing the barrier open once again. Alarmed, Kailey attempted the same trick, but this time Megumi was prepared and slashed through the expanding barrier that tried to push her away


    Finding that Megumi was mere inches from, Kailey clenched her teeth in frustration. "I didn''t want to use this." Kailey posed her hands, creating a new blue barrier that surrounded her. "But I have no choice!"


    As Megumi struck the barrier, it bounced off, with a crack appearing onto the barrier itself. Megumi became a little stunned. Unexpectedly, she saw a projection of Kailey''s weeping face.


    The barrier shattered at the point revealing an even more determined Kailey as she formed a barrier fist over her own arms. Without hesitation Kailey punched Megumi in the gut.


    Megumi stumbled back writhing from the pain of her gut being punched.


    Shortly after Kailey fell to her knees, gasping for breath as if it was stolen. "You dumbass!" She wheezed.


    Devon reappeared aside Megumi to even her surprise. "Good work Megumi, Now all we have to do is kill her, and the path out will open up."


    Megumi became more reluctant. "I-I... DO we have to-"


    Devon stuck his hands with her head once again. "You want to kill her now."


    Megumi''s eyes became more hazed as he took his hands out. She hardened her heart and stepped up with the scythe now at Kailey''s neck.


    "[Poor misguided Megumi¡­]"


    Just as she deepened the scythe at Kailey''s neck, she stopped.


    "[I shouldn''t have been surprised that this happened. this is an entertaining scene but there''s something I dislike¡­]"


    Slowly Megumi''s hair shifted from the brown to a scarlet and crimson red. Her demeanor changed to that of irritation.


    "I dislike having our memories tampered with." Dark Megumi said. Devon back away slowly, shocked and bewildered by this sudden change in Megumi.


    "What the-"


    SSHHHIIINNKKK


    The crimson scythe now stood tall in the air.


    Curious by what was going on, Kailey glanced up, seeing Megumi now sporting her flowing red hair. Meanwhile, Devon himself backed away more, holding his hands out as if expecting something.


    "What.. are you?" Shortly after Devon split into two halves that fell apart.


    Kailey saw this event, shocked by the sudden turn of events. a cold misty metal was then felt under her chin, that drove her to look back at a now smug Megumi .


    "Heh. Consider yourself lucky this time."


    Slowly, Megumi reverted back to her old self with her brown hair returning. The scythe dissipated into nothing and she fell to the ground hard with a thud.


    Kailey could only stare at Megumi in disbelief.


    It didn''t take long for Megumi to wake up, getting back to her feet and rubbing her eye. She gasped.


    Megumi jumped to her feet, darting her head around. "Kailey!"


    She quickly found Kailey in front of her and stood over her, unsure what to do. "K-Kailey I''m so sorry! I don''t know what happened, I thought- I just thought-"


    "Forget about it," Kailey interrupted. "As long as your sane again, that''s what matters." She helped herself up. she winced, feeling some sort of pain.


    "A-are you alright?"


    "Yeah I''m fine¡­ I just need some time to rest."


    "Megumi, are you there??"


    Megumi jumped, hearing Dino''s voice in her head. "Dino!? She whipped her head around searching for Dino.


    Kailey raised a brow, seeing Megumi act all frantically. She then saw a glowing orb circling around Megumi. Kailey caught the little orb, examining it thoroughly. Megumi quickly noticed, becoming just as curious at what it was.


    From the little orb, Dino''s voice was emitted.


    "What is that?'' Megumi questioned.


    "I think its a sprite. My master said it''s used to communicate with people within a certain distance¡­"


    "Sprite?"


    Yeah, Apparently all you have to do to connect with it is to have it by you could hear talk to its owner. All you have to do is send your thoughts through it."


    "Can I try?" Megumi asked.


    Kailey passed the sprite to her. After a moment, she passed her thoughts through it.


    "D-Dino?"


    ********


    Dino stopped, hearing Megumi''s voice. Cider stopped too, seeing Dion stopping.


    "Megumi! Where are you now!?"


    ********


    "Huh?'' Uhhh¡­" Megumi turned to Kailey. "Umm.. I don''t know, Me and Kailey were following a demon but¡­ things happened."


    "Don''t follow that demon!" Dino warned. "He''s trying to lead you to the center of the maze."


    "W-well he can''t do that anymore, he''s dead¡­ But what happened? Is there a problem?"


    ********


    Both Dino and Cider could only watch on, as all the pathways were suddenly blocked off one after another until they were completely trapped.


    "Megumi You have to escape from this maze now!"


    ********


    "This Maze is the leader of these Demons!!


    Just then Walls erupted from paths all around Megumi and Kailey, trapping them in the maze path. Another path then opened up in front of them.


    "Ummm¡­ Dino¡­. I don''t think we can escape.

 Chapter 30: Maze Demon Dragerd!

    From a far off cliffside within the dunes of purgatory that overlook a city sized stone maze, a woman with pitch black hair and a mark just under her black eyes, watched.


    She saw as a group of reapers made it to the top, and how the maze walls were shifting ever so slightly. She growled watching as the event continued to unfold before her. ¡°How am I supposed to get Cider back if Dragerd uses most of his body to trap him!? And now all these reapers will make it hard for me to get in unnoticed¡­¡±


    The ash around Annabelle shifted around creating a seat made purely of ash. ¡°I suppose I should wait for Dragerd to kill them all¡­ I doubt they¡¯d last another hour there.¡±


    She now watched as several of the reapers jumped into the maze. "It''s only a matter of time now before he eats them all, anyways.¡±


    ********


    Laid before Megumi and Kailey was a single narrow pathway. The once long path started to close in on the two.


    ¡°D-Dino what do we do!? The walls are closing in.¡± Megumi echoed.


    ¡°Are you trapped like us?¡±


    ¡°N-no. There¡¯s a path in front of us. I think he wants us to follow it." Megumi glanced over to Kailey who looked, just as unsure as she was. "I-I don¡¯t think we have much of a choice¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright. But keep your guard up. Who knows what this Dragerd demon is planning.¡± Dino echoed.


    ¡°I guess we have no choice but to keep going,¡± Kailey said. She looked at the encroaching walls sharply.


    Kailey''s eyes widened as the walls unexpectedly became much slimier. ¡°W-what the hell¡­¡± Kailey uttered. Even Megumi began to take notice of this change. They came much closer to each other, and back away from these walls. They entered into the narrow path to escape this mysterious occurance.


    ¡°U-u-uh, Dino¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Did something happen?¡± he asked.


    Slimy arms ripped out from the slimy walls. Seconds later, demons pulled themselves from the very walls just outside the narrow path. Their faces oozed and dripped with the strange red and yellow slime.


    Screeches from the demons arose one by one. Just then, more arms ripped from the wall from Megumi¡¯ and Kailey¡¯s side.


    Kailey attempted to conjure her barrier only for it to immediately dissipate. ¡°C-crap! I can¡¯t use my barrier¡¯s!¡±


    ¡°Wait! What do you mean!?¡± Megumi turned to Kailey, Shocked by this news


    More arms and demons erupted from the walls, forcing the two women closer together. Kailey bit her teeth hard. ¡°Do I have to spell it out girly¡­ That last barrier I used to protect myself against you expended all my energy. If I try to force myself to use my barrier, I¡¯ll just revert to a core for these demons to eat.¡±


    ¡°That could happen!?¡±


    Kailey gazed back sharply at a bewildered Megumi. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you thought I could use my barrier¡¯s forever. I could only use them so long before they completely drain me just like you.¡±


    The slimy demons charged straight at them, screeching as they did. Kailey quickly and reflexively kicked the first demon. ¡°Run!¡±


    On that order Megumi ran with Kailey close behind. The demons chased after them with their large number that only continued to grow.


    ¡°Megumi! What¡¯s going on!?¡± Dino called.


    Megumi glanced up, seeing that the ceiling above was starting to close. ¡°Demons are coming from the walls! Slimy demons!¡±


    ¡°What!? Whatever you do, Stay away from them! If they touch, they¡¯ll eat away at your body!¡±


    ********


    Liang was leading the way out for the other escorts. He just watched as the other grimm¡¯s arrived from above. "Ah. Finally..."


    ¡°Liang, there''s a problem!¡± Dino echoed.


    Liang became more alert, quickly responding back. ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Dragerd¡¯s leading Megumi and another woman straight to the center of the maze and me and Cider are being boxed in!¡±


    Screaming suddenly erupted as slimy demons erupted from all around Liang also. A boy with a train conductors'' hat, moved fast to conjure a huge cartoon dog that slammed its bat onto the first demon, splattering it everywhere. Soon after the demons began to multiple from the very slime on the ground.


    ¡°Demons of gluttony, and some old ones at that.¡± Arnold shouted. He conjured a new cartoon with his crayon. This time he created a big fly swatter with eyes and mouth to use for himself.


    Arnold moved to swat away the slimy demons as another cowboy-looking grimm brought forth his pistol shooting up the demons. A third conjured an axe using it to cut up the demons. Even more of the grimms were forced to join in on the fight seeing the number of demons growing.


    As they all fought, the axe wielding grimm was splattered with the goop that burnt through his entire arm, leaving a gaping hollow hole.


    Despite the well fought resistance it was clear that they needed Liangs help too.


    ¡°As much as I want to help, I don¡¯t think I have that Luxury.¡± Liang echoed to Dino.


    ¡°What do you mean? This is urgent!¡±


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°So is this.¡± ¡°Liang pulled his sword out, Defending himself from the first demon. Seeing another demon attack on one of their escorts, Liang moved swiftly, taking out the demon.


    ¡°You and the demon kid need to find a way to get to Megumi and that other person out fast! I have no doubt that Dragerd will plans to devouring Megumi once he gets his hands on her! It''s all up to you two.¡±


    ********


    ¡°Tch!¡±


    Dino narrowed his eyes, scanning all around for an exit.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Cider questioned.


    ¡°The demon that''s after Megumi is forcing her to the center of the maze. If we don¡¯t get to her, he¡¯ll probably eat her. Or worse.¡±


    Alarmed Cider Looked around too. ¡°Then we have to find a way out fast!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think I know that!?¡± Dino retorted. He then growled as he looked up into the sky. ¡°There''s only one way out now¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah!¡± Cider understanding What Dino meant, glanced up to. He sprinted over to the closest wall and dug his with his blackened clawed hands.


    ¡°Hey! Wait!¡± Dino called.


    ¡°We can¡¯t wait! We have to help Megumi!¡±


    Dino rushed over to Cider. ¡°No, That¡¯s not what I mean!¡±


    Just then, as Cider finished climbing up a few feet, the walls of the maze contorted and shifted around like a big wall of gelatin.


    ¡°What the¨C¡±


    Before he could realize it, Cider was whipped off the wall itself, sending him crashing back to the ground.


    ¡°O-ow¡­¡±


    ¡°I tried to warn you¡­¡± Dino said. He quickly helped Cider to his feet and glanced back to the wall. ¡°This just proves me right¡­ This maze is the demon. If we stay here, he¡¯ll probably devour anyone that''s not a demon.¡±


    Dino glanced back at Cider. ¡°Lucky for you Demon¡¯s eating other demons is practically impossible without destroying themselves. So I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the other demons here end up getting enslaved by this bastard once he spits you all out.¡±


    ¡°But how are we supposed to get out now? We¡¯re trapped.¡±


    ¡°To be honest I don¡¯t think that even my crystal tower can reach the top¡­ But I think I have an idea.¡± Dino said.


    ¡°You do? What is it?¡± Cider asked.


    Dino turned to Cider to explain the plan.


    ********


    ¡°CRYSTAL TOWER!¡±


    "It all hinges on my crystal tower. But in order to escape one of us will likely stay behind."


    A black crystal spike erected from the ground hurtling into the sky like a comet. Cider held on strong with Dion balancing himself at the very top of the spike.


    ¡°Damn! This maze is tall!¡± Dino exclaimed.


    As they shot up fast, he noticed as the walls contorted and bent to someone''s invisible will. The walls converged to their location trying to prevent them from leaving.


    Dino clenched his teeth, frustrated. ¡°I knew it would do something like this. he''s trying to keep us from escaping.¡± Dino looked back down to Cider. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to go by yourself?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do. But I want Megumi to be safe and I don¡¯t know if I can find her in time If I go by myself. So, I¡¯m counting on you Dino.¡± Cider stuck his tongue out in defiance. ¡°But you''re still a dumbhead!¡±


    Dino paid not mind to Cider''s last statement, instead he focused on the only exit before them. ¡°Alright, We¡¯re almost there, Cider. Are you ready? We only have one chance at this.¡±


    ¡°Ready!¡± Cider affirmed.


    Slowly the wall came ever closer to stopping their ascension. The black crystal spike suddenly stopped, launching both Cider and Dino into the sky even further up.


    As they flew higher into the sky, Cider held onto Dino¡¯s one hand with both of his. His two arms wrapped around his body like a roll of yarn and in the same instant the arms unwound like a propeller.


    ¡°ALRIGHT! HERE GOES NOTHING!!¡± Cider spun, faster and faster, pushing against the force of the wind itself. Eventually as his arms completely unfurled and launched Dino up, ripping through the sky and out of the maze itself.


    As Dino hurdled back down to the enclosing maze wall, he gazed back in time to see Cider being trapped by the maze walls along with many of the other maze paths. Not long after he landed hard on the top of the maze


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Cider. I won¡¯t let this Dragerd bastard get his grubby little hands-on Megumi.¡± Dino turned to a large spire in the far-off distance, narrowing his eyes. ¡°And I¡¯ll repay my debt to her too.¡±


    With his new mission clear, Dino pressed on in the effort to reach the maze¡¯s center.


    ********


    Both Megumi and Kailey ran down a long narrow labyrinth. The slime demons chased from behind, practically breathing down their necks.


    Arms and goop splattered from all around and behind the two, becoming a constant reminder of this new nightmare, they found themselves in. The path ahead seemed to only become narrower by the second, like a mouth closing to consume them whole.


    ¡°Th-they¡¯re right behind us!¡± Megumi screamed.


    ¡°Just keep running girly!¡±


    They turned the corner and found a bright light. But along with it, the squishing and slimy sounds became more violent, as if the walls themselves were trying to devour them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look! Don¡¯t look! Don¡¯t look! Don¡¯t look! Don¡¯t look! Don¡¯t look!!!¡±


    They shot out from the narrow path with the walls behind, completely closing in on themselves. All that was left of the path behind, was a singular hand that twitched before melting away.


    Megumi and Kailey could only breathe out more heavily, ¡°Th-that was close¡­¡± Megumi wheezed.


    Kailey solemnly agreed before taking in their new surroundings.


    Looking around they were now in some circular room and with skyscraper walls that were seemingly infinite. On the ground below them was a pattern that traced to the very center where a hideous looking demon resided.


    The Demon was a pale white with his chest bare for all to see. On it, there were multiple slits on it, as if he was cut. His hair stuck up, and his right eye seemed to be too large for his own head. The other side of his face sagged and looked malformed like some unborn child.


    Meanwhile his stature was tall and imposing as he stood with his eyes closed, showing the full extent of a black mark even bigger than what any other demons seemed to have. He opened his black eyes, and his mouth drool seeing the two women.


    ¡°Ah~. Welcome. I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve finally made it.¡±


    Megumi and Kailey went on guard. They could both understand who this demon might be.


    The demon pointed to himself. "I am Dragerd. A demon general to the sin of rage. It¡¯s nice to finally meet you¡­ Megumi Scorn,¡±


    Dragerd lifted his leg, moving to approach Megumi and Kailey. As he did, each time he would lift his leg, the sound of something sticky became audible.


    Kailey, sensing the danger this demon imposed, pushed Megumi behind her. Dragerd stopped, seeing this vain attempt to defend Megumi. He smirked. ¡°And you''re the lady with the barriers.¡±


    Dragerd lifted his hands up to his face, pointing his middle and index fingers to the sky. With a quick gesture of the hands a pillar of shot from the side, striking Kailey.


    ¡°Kailey!¡± Megumi could only watch on in shock and horror as she hurtled aver to the far side wall.


    Kailey landed hard on the ground soon after and tried to wrestle herself up.


    Dragerd wasted no time flicking his hands again, Sending pillar into her gut. Then again and again.


    Megumi rushed in to stop him but was struck with a stone pillar too!


    Dragerd Then captured Kailey within two of his stone pillars that were erected from opposite walls. He squeezed Kailey tight, letting her writhe in pain.


    ¡°L- Let her go!¡± Megumi yelled.


    A stone pillar suddenly came from above, squeezing her down to the ground.


    Dragerd Ignored Megumi, approaching Kailey. ¡°You have a lot of potential too. But I think you''re better suited as my snack.¡±


    Dragerd circled behind Kailey¡¯s back, stroking her chin gingerly. Kailey''s eyes widened in utter shock. ¡°Yes. A very good snack.¡±


    Kailey attempted to free herself more ferociously, she kicked and whacked at the demon who stood unflinching and more amused. ¡°DON¡¯T YOU DARE TOUCH ME!!! LET ME GO!!¡±


    The Dragerd Chest started opening up by the slits, revealing them to be big gap jaws that were set with rows of teeth and drool.


    ¡°N-no! Leave her alone!¡±


    CHOMP


    Dragerd''s body crushed Kailey into his body in front of Megumi. But what she saw was something straight from a horror movie. Soon after the crushing ceased the only part left was a hand Kailey reached out with for help.


    Dragerd picked this up too, putting it inside his body''s mouth. He smiled more satisfied and moved to Megumi who stood pinned to the ground.


    She tried to wiggle free, terrified of what he might do with her. He stepped hard on her hands and crouched close to her eye level. ¡°Now. How about we talk¡­ Megumi.¡±

 Chapter 31: A Choice

    Megumi could only look at the demon, Dragerd, in terror. Just seconds ago he¡¯d just eaten Kailey whole, leaving Megumi in a panicked struggle as he was meeting her eye to eye.


    She whipped around and struggled to free herself, but the stone pillar on top of her proved too heavy. Dragerd, who watched, found the sight of her struggle simply amusing, giving out a few chuckles before moving to business.


    ¡°You can stop your pointless struggle. I don¡¯t plan to eat you.¡± Dragerd said.


    Mustering up her courage, Megumi glanced back at Dragerd as he stood back up. He circled around her, tauntingly.


    ¡°Hmph. In fact I have an offer for you. My companion had me send my army to capture a kid friend of hers some weeks ago. And then we stumbled upon you.¡±


    Dragerd crouched back to her side. ¡°She wanted to kill you. I think she still does in fact. But she¡¯s too blind to see great potential in you. In fact my master would love to have someone of your potential by his side.¡±


    He stepped away, and stood tall before Megumi. Behind him a few demons escorted a couple of regular people. They glanced around, terrified.


    ¡°L-let us go!¡± One of them yelped.


    Megumi became alarmed. ¡°What are they¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you two choices¡­ ¡° Dragerd spoke, presenting the two people. ¡°Become a demon now and consume their souls¡­ Or I can kill you now and turn you later.¡±


    Dragerd grinned much more widely awaiting Megumi¡¯s answer as she looked on in shock. Without hesitation, Dragerd immediately slaughtered the two in one swift move.


    Suddenly, Megumi¡¯s hands sunk within the floors along with her legs. Before she realized it both her hands and feet were cuffed and chained. It wasn¡¯t long before the stone pillar dispersed, leaving her just as trapped as before.


    ¡°So what will it be?¡± Dragerd presented the two newly acquired white cores to Megumi.


    She glared at the demon, despite the deep pit in her stomach.


    She just as quickly averted her gaze as the voice from her Dark counterpart echoed in the back of her head. She couldn¡¯t forget her dark versions proclamation to take control of her body if she would die


    ¡°Even if the chances are low.. I-if he kills me, That demon in me will kill everyone around me¡­ But¡­ I don¡¯t want to turn into a demon either¡­¡± Megumi grimaced.


    Megumi got up to her knees and saw her gloveless hands. ¡°If I want to be with Eric again I have to ¡­.¡±


    She curled her fingers on the stone pavement. Refilled with new resolve, she reached out, taking the core in hand. She focused at the core in hand. ¡°So if I eat this¡­ I turn into a demon¡­ Is that it?¡±


    ¡°Hehehe. Yes. Eat more than one soul and you¡¯ll turn into a demon. It¡¯s quick. But it''s a very painful process.¡±


    Megumi clutched the cores more tightly. She took a hard gulp and with some reluctance, she slipped the cores into her mouth. Her puffed cheek soon became flat and she looked back at Dragerd with a glare.


    Dragerd chuckled contently watching Megumi finish the deed, but then she pushed him back. He looked back at her, surprised and confused.


    ¡°What? Why isn¡¯t she transforming?¡± He thought.


    ¡°I won¡¯t become a demon.¡± Megumi suddenly said. ¡°But I won¡¯t let you kill me either..¡±


    Dragerd and his demon underlings looked at Megumi for a solid minute, befuddled by her statement.


    Using his moment, Megumi pulled hard at the chains, trying to free herself. Dragerd clenched his teeth and stepped forth, grabbing her face and forcing her mouth to open. ¡°Tch! Where the hell did they go? You should¡¯ve turned if you ate them!¡±


    Dragerd narrowed his eyes, trying to make sense of the increasingly strange situation, ¡°There¡¯s no way she could¡¯ve stored them away as an echo. Normal folks and demon¡¯s can¡¯t store them¡­ Unless.¡±


    Suddenly Dragerd felt a fist to his gut as the chains the shackled Megumi broke!


    ¡°Get¡­ AWAY FROM ME!!¡± she shouted.


    Dragerd, to his own shock, is sent hurtling back to the center of the circular arena.


    Megumi broke free of the other chain. As Dragerd could only glance curiously at her. ¡°Perhaps I was a little too careless¡± gestured for the demons to apprehend Megumi. ¡°I tried to be generous, but you forced my hand.¡±


    The demon henchmen move in to restrain her, but to Dragerd shock, the demons disintegrate at the touch of her arms. It worked up their arms, then their body and finally their entire being, turning them to ash.


    Megumi looked back to her hand and brought it to her chest.


    Dragerd stood back up with renewed vigor. ¡°Fine if you won¡¯t turn, I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    Dragerd posed his hands as if grappling a heart, in an instant sharp spikes shot at Megumi from on her two sides. But to his shock, they all shatter upon touching her.


    ¡°Impossible!¡±


    Just as surprised, Megumi glanced at her arm, seeing a thin blue veil layered on her. ¡°I see, you even used the last of your power to protect me too¡­¡± Megumi muttered.


    She thought back to when Kailey stepped up to defend her. At that time she echoed something to her in secret.


    ¡°Girl- No. Megumi¡­ You have to escape. no matter what. When you see a chance to get away from him. Take it. And whatever happens¡­. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±


    This last thing Kailey had echoed to her was still etched in her mind as she finally came to a consensus.


    ¡®No. I won¡¯t run away. I can¡¯t. Not if I want to see Eric¡­And not if I want to save you Kailey.¡± Megumi''s hand shook. She quickly grasped it to cease its shaking. ¡°I know it¡¯s a long shot, but I have a feeling you''re somehow still in there somehow.¡±


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    After calming down, she looked into her left hand where two core cores laid, embedded in her and. They soon sunken and shifted into her arms and up the sleeves of her jacket. ¡°And don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll get you two out here too. I refuse to let anyone else die because of me.¡±


    A rage built up inside of Dragerd. He scoffed and as if on order, more spikes protrude from the ground, forcing Megumi to go on the move.


    Shots of stone spikes fired at Megumi, she avoided the first few but was struck by the others and shattered upon impact. Lucky for her the blue veil protected Megumi. But seeing more spiked launching at her she quickly hid behind a pillar, as she did, the pillar itself turned into a blade and attempted to smite her.


    She dodged this surprise attack, nearly avoiding this devastating attack. It was at this moment she remembered Dino¡¯s words about the maze and how itself, was Dragerd.


    ¡°Stupid women, you''re just running around in the palm of my hand. If I want I can crush you at any moment.¡±


    Dragerd clutched his hands, and as if by command fingers from a stone hand arose beneath Megumi. It bawled its hand¡¯s trying to catch Megumi. Fortunately for her, she stumbled out of its grasp.


    Suddenly, even more hands reached from the ground and the walls all aimed at Megumi. Each one crashed walls and ground alike as they pursued Megumi relentlessly.


    As Megumi shifted her gaze back to Dragerd she found that he suddenly disappeared. She darted her eyes around the circular arena, scanning and searching for him. ¡°Where¡¯d he go? Where¡¯d he go!?¡±


    ¡°I can be anywhere, and everywhere, all at once. I can sink you, I can crush you, I can stab you. I can even devour you If I wanted to. I gave you a choice and you choose DEATH!¡±


    The maze walls and floor moved around like a roaring ocean, making Megumi lose her balance. Even more attacks came at her in quicker succession, each one shattering upon impacting her.


    ¡°If you won¡¯t join me, I¡¯ll devour you along with all the others still in me!¡±


    Megumi, alarmed, looked back. ¡°T-that¡¯s right! There¡¯s other people in here too!¡±


    ¡°I have to- Urgh!¡± Megumi was struck hard from her side. She peeked, as saw a subtle crack from her side. ¡°It¡¯s breaking already!¡±


    From the center of the arena, Dragerd rose from the ground as though it was water, a hundred times bigger than before. He stared down at Megumi intensely with a plastered and knowing smile.


    ¡°You can struggle and hide as much as you want, but it¡¯s pointless. There¡¯s nothing you can do and nowhere for you to hide! Megumi Scorn!¡±


    Megumi stuttered, and stood frozen seeing his sheer size. Mustering what little courage she could, she spoke. ¡°N-No. It¡¯s not pointless.-!¡± Megumi ducked in time avoiding another spike.


    ¡°Oh? Then tell me what a woman like you can do?¡±


    Megumi was struck in the chest by, hurtling her pack into a wall. Reacting swiftly, she pulled herself wall as spiked claws erupted to capture her. She stumbled to her feet, staying alert for any more attacks.


    ¡°I-. I can kill you!¡± She shouted. ¡°With just a touch you''re destined to die!¡±


    Another stone spike shot from the ground, nearly hitting Megumi. All the while Dragerd laughed after hearing her proclamation.


    ¡°How ridiculous!¡± He laughed.


    Finally after a long winded struggle, Megumi was captured by Dragerd spinning her to the walls with his clawed stony hands. He grasped her tight, bringing her face to face.


    Megumi winced from the tightening of his grip. She tried to pry his hands open but it was useless.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of you.¡± He said. He opened his jaws wide. ¡°Now it''s time to die.¡±


    Megumi brought her hands to his jaws, trying to push him away with little to show for her effort. But suddenly, he stopped.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Dragerd glanced up, confused.


    ¡°CRYSTAL WONDERLAND!!¡±


    Crystal erupted throughout Dragerd¡¯s head!


    Megumi looked in shock. She could recognize those crystals clearly


    . Soon it wasn¡¯t long before her ally came to view.


    ¡°D- Dino!¡± She yelped.


    Dino, who stood at the top of Dragerd head, pulled his combat knife from its sheath. Using his crystal, he teleported to Megumi in a flash, appearing before her and slicing the Dragerd hands off.


    Dino followed Megumi down to the ground, crashing and breaking the stone hand that captured Megumi.


    Megumi crawled from the now destroyed hand, surprised that she was still in one piece. She coughed getting up. ¡°W-warn me next time!¡±


    ¡°Tch! Damn it!¡± Dino said. He looked up at the top of the maze, watching as the ceiling formed above them. ¡°So much for escaping now.¡±


    SMASH


    Dino, pulling along Megumi, dodged an attack from above.


    Megumi quickly reoriented herself, now realizing that a flurry of attacks were coming their way. Dino quickly pushed her aside, seeing an attack coming from above.


    ¡°Keep moving and focus!¡± He yelled.


    Forced to comply, Megumi ran as fast as she could, avoiding the dangers of the stone spies and the clawed hands as much as possible.


    ¡°You Worm! How did you get here!!¡± Dragerd erupted before Dino, posed and ready to attack. Dino crystalized his arms blocking the attack. his arms slowly cracked beneath the weight and strength of Dragerd stone fist.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know.¡± Sensing another attack from the side, Dino backed off and reposed himself, ready to go on the offense.


    Dino struck Dragerd in the chest, followed by an uppercut to his chin. He moved to kick him backward and dashed in with his crystal legs, kicking from the side.


    He struck Dragerd fast and hard, This however, did little to make him flinch.


    Dragerd grabbed Dino¡¯s leg, crushing it in his hands. ¡°I almost forgot. You were that failed demon hunter Annabelle sent. It¡¯s a shame, You could¡¯ve been a wolf among lambs like us.¡±


    ¡°Like hell I¡¯ll become a demon.¡± Dino sneered.


    ¡°Haha. That¡¯s not what your brother said!¡±


    Shocked and confused, Dino¡¯s guard dropped, allowing Dragerd to toss him across the arena, crashing into the wall.


    Seeing this event, Megumi rushed to Dino¡¯s side, the best she could. Attack after attack. Spike after spike, it was like a trail of chaos was following right behind her.


    Despite these overwhelming odds she pushed through to reach Dino.


    ¡°Dino!¡± She yelled.


    ¡°Dino pulled himself from the deep hole he was in. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me Keep running!¡±


    Dragerd suddenly emerged from the wall and grabbed Dino by the neck. He sinned him back to the wall as Dino struggled against the demon.


    Dino Reached for his knife, Stabbing it straight into Dragerd that only laughed at the attempt. Seeing that it didn¡¯t work, he pressed his hands on the wall. ¡°C- Crystal wonderland!¡± he wheezed.


    Spikes of shards of crystals erupted. Oh, no you don¡¯t.¡± Dragerd pulled Dino and pounded straight back into the crystals of his own making. ¡°GAHH!!¡±


    ¡°C-crap! I have to do something!¡± Megumi dodged another two hands and spikes from the ground as the chaos of attacks continued she then watched as Dino¡¯s combat knife fell straight to the ground.


    ¡°A weapon!. I-I need a weapon!¡±


    Although reluctant, she quickly stuck her hands forth to begin conjuring her weapon as she ran. She glanced back and forth from Dino to the weapon that shaped itself with panic rising from within.


    Learning from all her past failures in conjuring the weapon she learned two things. The first was that her focus needed to be on the weapon, while the second was to avoid merging her hand with the strange light she was manifesting.


    As she glanced back she found the and even larger version of Dragerd emerged from above Dino, Jaws agape. ¡°I- I won¡¯t make it!¡±


    She could only watch as Dino was lifted towards the Jaws of Dragerd. But suddenly the head of the large Dragerd exploded! Shocking everyone that was around.


    ********


    Just outside of a large and overly bright tunnel, in the sand of the dunes A tall muscular man stood. Steam emitted from his thumbs.


    The man sighed. That¡¯s all I can do for you for now Megumi¡­ It¡¯s all up to you and Dino now.¡±


    The muscular man turned, grabbing a familiar set of black robes from the bright tunnels before taking his leave.


    ********


    Back with Megumi and refocused all her efforts into fully manifesting her weapon. A deep crimson mist enveloped the weapon before revealing its true form to Megumi.


    ¡°So it is a scythe.¡±


    Sensing another attack, she blocked with the large handle of her scythe before turning to slice through another stone hand that attacked from above.


    She turned back to Dino and Dragerd, and without hesitation, she dug her scythe into Dragerd and cut him in half.


    Dino fell back to the ground, coughing. He quickly placed his hands on the ground and spoke with his wheezed voice. ¡°C- Crystal wonderland.¡±


    Crystals erupted from all around Megumi and himself, turning part of the arena into a haven of crystals.


    To Megumi¡¯s surprise, the attack ceased. across from them, Dragerd reappeared, scowling at the two with disdain.


    Dino stood back up, wiping his mouth. ¡°So what Liang said was true then¡­ so long as the floors and walls aren¡¯t part of you, you can¡¯t manipulate them¡­¡±


    Although not understanding Dino¡¯s word¡¯s, Megumi knew one thing for certain. And that was that, their fight against this demon was about to become much more intense.

 Chapter 32: Battle for Survival

    The head of a slime demon fell to the ground, turning to ash. Liang, reacting fast, sliced another in half!


    He wretched, scanning around in the brief moment of peace he found himself in, looking for any possible escapes. But everywhere he looked, there was nothing but slime entrenched walls that were enclosing, and more of those slimy demons that came by the dozens.


    ¡°Where did Dragerd get all these demons!?¡± Liang questioned.


    The Cartoon dog, conjured by Arnold, slammed its newly acquired cartoon hammer straight into the wall. Slime splattered everywhere with the reapers avoiding the slime with purpose. As the hammer reeled back, the dent made in the wall refilled itself.


    ¡°Liang!¡± Arnold called. ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do. No matter what I do, the darn thing just keeps healing!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t get through either.¡± Another taller grimm said. ¡°It¡¯s like we¡¯re inside of some gut.¡±


    ¡°Step back!¡± A Reaper with a cowboy hat stepped up shooting his largest gun. The wall took the brunt leaving no scratches. He scoffed. ¡°Yeah. Seeing that we¡¯re inside a demon, it looks like the only way we can get out now is if someone busts this wall down from the other side¡­ That or kill the demon.¡±


    The cowboy shot the head of an encroaching demon as he took a smoke from his blunt.


    Liang narrowed his eyes. Forced with no other option he made contact with Dino again.


    ¡°Hey Dino!¡±


    ********


    Dino and Megumi stood in the center of an area afflicted with crystal spikes. They both stared straight at Dragerd. It was like a duel to see who would flinch first.


    Dino¡¯s ears perked as he heard Liang. ¡°What happened?¡± Dino responded.


    ¡°We¡¯re in a bit of a bind here. In fact, you can say we¡¯re completely trapped. There¡¯s nothing we can do on our side.¡± Liang echoed.


    ¡°Tch! I can say the same here. Right now, me and Megumi are trapped with Dragerd. And this demon¡¯s no slouch. He almost bit my head off! But at least that advice you gave worked.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious. This is bad. He¡¯s likely ready to crush us and eat whoever¡¯s not a reaper or demon. As much as I hate to say this, you and Megumi might be the only ones that can kill him. I don¡¯t foresee anyone coming to our rescue any time soon.¡±


    Dino darted his eyes to the side, not sure if he heard Liang right. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious! How do you expect us to deal with a demon general of all things!?¡±


    Megumi turned to Dino, noticing his concerned expression. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Dino glanced back at Megumi. He growled as he relayed the information. ¡°Liang¡¯s telling me he¡¯s trapped along with the other people from the caravan.¡±


    ¡°Liang¡¯s back!? But how!?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not important right now. Right now, he needs us to kill Dragerd. A demon general of all things.¡± Dino clenched his teeth.


    ¡°How do we even kill this guy, in the first place!?¡± Dino echoed back to Liang.


    ¡°You should know the answer to that already, Dino. He¡¯s just liked any demon. But your best shot is if you find his core¡­ And destroy it. It¡¯s a tall order I know, but if Dragerd¡¯s in front of you two, then the core shouldn¡¯t be far behind.¡± Liang stated.


    ¡°What did he say this time?¡± Megumi asked.


    ¡°To kill him we have to find his core.¡± Dino readied his Knife. ¡°If we find and destroy it. We kill him.¡± Dino glanced back at Megumi, catching a glimpse of her hands seeing that they were shaking.


    He stepped up in front of her. ¡°You can set this out. You¡¯ve already done more than-¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Surprised by the abrupt answer Dino turned slowly, seeing that she was more determined than before.


    ¡°I¡­ I want to fight him too. I can¡¯t stand back and watch. Not now!¡± Megumi, with her crimson misty scythe, posed, ready to fight. ¡°Besides¡­ I don¡¯t think I have a choice¡­¡±


    Megumi directed her gaze to the edge of the crystal terrain. It was slowly being taken over by Dragerd¡¯s stone wall and ground.


    Dragerd smirked, knowing that it was only a matter of time before he could reach the two again. ¡°The two of you didn¡¯t think you could escape me, did you? Or did you both forget where you are?¡±


    Dragerd lick his lips in anticipation.


    Megumi spoke back up. ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ I can¡¯t run away forever. So, whatever I can do to help, I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    Dino Immediately got ready, knowing that Dragerd would soon be on them. ¡°Okay Fine. But Megumi, whatever you do, don¡¯t let your guard down for a second!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    The recrystallisation of Dino¡¯s terrain sped much more fast turning a minute of reprieve into mere seconds. Now seemingly freed Dragerd chuckled and went on the offensive. Spikes of stone shot from the ground, separating both Megumi and Dino.


    The whole arena erupted back into chaos as stone hands and spikes shot from walls and floors alike all concentrated on Megumi and Dino.


    Dino Swerved and dodged, looking for an opening on Dragerd, his eyes practically interlocked on Dragerd. ¡°The Core must be in that body he¡¯s showing.¡±


    Dino posed with his combat knife and dashed through the opened gaps of the attacks that were sent their way. He sliced spikes and stone hands coming from his blind spot. But as he got closer to Dragerd, A larger version of his head erupted from the ground, attempting to swallow him whole!


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Dino sped to a stop placing his hands on the ground, ¡°Crystal Wonderland!¡±


    Without wasting a second he teleported his body inside and through the crystals, sliding back. Not long after he saw as his crystals dissolved away in seconds.


    ¡°He can dissolve my crystals faster now!?¡±


    Several more spikes erupted from the wall, forcing him to block. Then a stone hand came from above leaving no room to react. ¡°Crap!¡±


    The hands suddenly turned to Megumi landing to his far side. She turned quickly to check on him. ¡° That was close, are you okay!?¡±


    Reacting quickly, she blocked another attack with expert precision.


    ¡°I¡¯m just fine. Worry about yourself!¡± Dino exclaimed.


    A stone hand then came from behind Megumi, attempting to grab her as several more spikes launched at her.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± Dino warned.


    Megumi glanced, behind. Acting fast, she swerved her scythe, slicing the hand in two!


    Dion was taken aback seeing how easily Megumi sliced through the hand itself.


    ¡°You can¡¯t escape from me!¡± Dragerd¡¯s voice boomed. Slowly a giant version of himself rose from the ground before the two.


    Megumi instinctively stepped back but realized she couldn''t be distracted in the midst of the chaos of battle. She forced herself into a clumsy dash, brunting the aftereffects of the rubble from attacks set on her by the stone hands and the spikes.


    Dino however charged forth at the large demon, shooting several of his crystal spikes at him before stabbing through Dragerd.


    Dragerd laughed at his meager attempt and smacked Dino away with an extended stone pillar from the side. A slid back and wiped his check. He watched as a plethora of stone pillars were created and scurried around the arena like a protective barrier.


    ¡°Damn it! When does it end!¡± Dino hissed.


    A pillar went on the attack and Dino dodged. Sensing another attack from below, He jumped, avoiding a stone hand that emerged from the ground.


    But looking at it from below he noticed that it was just a fist. It instantly clicked for him


    ¡°A feint!¡±


    He glanced up and noticed a new plethora of stone hands raining from above. From the corner of his eye a stone pillar zipped towards him and several stone spikes launched at him.


    Dion growled, Moving fast he plunged his hands down to the stone fist below. ¡°Crystal wonderland!¡±


    In an instant he entered the crystals zipping from one to the next as they shattered and dissolved away. Soon he was left with more, forcing him out into the open.


    Each attack that came close was an overwhelming reminder of how far distant they¡¯re power was from the demon before them. They were clearly outmatched, and all they could do was survive through the onslaught of attacks.


    Megumi in particular stumbled and dodged through several of the attacks clumsily. Each time she tripped, she was forced to block a new attack or attempt to counter them. It didn¡¯t help having to lug around the large scythe in her and, but it served as her only mode of offense.


    She glanced back at Dragerd that stood in the center of the chaos like a meister playing an orchestra. One gesture of his hands and an attack would come whether it was a stone spike or a hand attempting to capture them.


    His ugly mug grew ever so cocky witnessing the one-sided battle being made. To him, it was only a matter of time before they were crushed beneath him.


    Megumi sharpened her gaze. ¡°I¡­ I have to do something!¡±  Knowing that there was only one way to put a stop to the madness, she mustered what little courage she could and charged in.


    She dodged and sliced the attack sent her way. It felt like a complicated dance between focusing on her target while also dealing with all the chaos of attacks.


    She was mere feet from him but the pillars that surrounded him were moving at a blinding speed. Thinking of one way to enter she wrenched her scythe, ready to use it. But suddenly she was struck in the gut by a sideways pillar.


    She¡¯s sent hurtling straight into the wall behind and grabbed by a stone hand! ¡°Gah! Dang it!¡±


    Spikes of stone are launched straight at her.


    ¡°Heh.¡± Dragerd Glance at her with a smirk.


    Just before reaching her, Spikes of crystal erupted from the ground, and she was suddenly slung out from the stone hand to somewhere else.


    She watched as the stone hand was Pelt and Dino was holding her wrist. He glanced back at her. ¡°Don¡¯t be reckless!¡± He quickly pushed her aside, avoiding another pillar that ran straight at them.


    Megumi stumbled but quickly found her footing again, dodging another of Dragerd¡¯s spikes.


    ¡°Jerk!¡± Megumi directed Dino.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go charging in like that your dumbass!¡± Dino Echoed.


    ¡°Hey! I just wanted-¡± Megumi saw as Dino gestured her to shush as he pointed to his head.


    ¡°The angel.¡± Dino hinted.


    Understanding she sent her thoughts straight at him, while slicing and dodging through the attacks. ¡°Do you have a plan or something?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s a longshot. I noticed that you''re able to cut everything with that scythe of yours. Do you know if you could cut through the walls too?¡±


    ¡°I- I don¡¯t know, this is my first time- yes.¡±


    Dino glanced back a little confused ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I have a good feeling this could cut anything¡­ But I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Well you do know, or you don¡¯t know! We¡¯re in a tight bind you know!¡± Dino complained.


    Megumi Seeing that she was steadily getting closer that the floor was below them, plunged her scythe in and with ease, kept running as if she was cutting butter. ¡°Does that work?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! I need you to cut a chunk of the walls and we¡¯re gonna chuck it at him!¡±


    Megumi couldn¡¯t help but see the pointlessness of the plan in an instant. ¡°But why?¡±


    ¡°Just trust me, if you can cut a large chunk out, I¡¯ll handle the rest!¡±


    ¡°Tsk. Fine!¡± Megumi shouted.


    The two continued to dodge and counter through the attacks set on them. Eventually Dino converged with Megumi. ¡°Now!¡±


    Although surprised by the abruptness, Megumi moved to stab the bottom of the wall before arcing it around as if to make a big door. All the while Dino countered the attacks launched at them.


    Megumi kicked it, finding it easier to move than expected.


    Dino, using a brief opening, quickly placed his hands on the far side of the large chunk. ¡°Get out of the way!¡± He warned.


    A second later the chunk exploded from its crevice with a black crystal attached to the chunk of the wall. It sped at Dragerd like a bullet, striking him directly.


    Despite this attack, Dragerd didn¡¯t move an inch. He wiped himself from the remaining rubble.


    He smirked. ¡°You two will have to be smarter than-¡±


    Megumi was now in the air with her scythe posed and ready to attack.


    ¡°How did she-!¡± Dragerd caught a glimpse of the black crystal that now had a large cut on it. ¡°Tch. She hitched a ride?¡±


    Dragerd gestured with his hands. ¡°Nice try, but this is where you die!¡±


    To Dragerd surprise, his hand was suddenly pierced by Dino¡¯s knife.


    Dino raced towards Dragerd, as if preparing for the worst. ¡°This¡¯ll probably be the only chance we get, don¡¯t screw this up!¡± He echoed.


    As if a hand was guiding the very motions of her scythe, Megumi arced the scythe cutting Dragerd in two!


    She landed right behind Dragerd, with the top half of him falling to the ground. The attacks all ceased at once and everything became quiet as Dino arrived.


    Megumi fell to her knees. ¡°I got him.¡± She said, exasperatedly.


    ¡°Yeah. Looks like you did.¡± Dino patted Megumi on her shoulder. But before they could celebrate, a laughter echoed in the air.


    Alerted, they both went on guard.


    Megumi quickly glanced back at the two halves. ¡°But I got him!¡±


    Dragerd laughter continued before he was able to cease. ¡°That was a very close call. You were close I admit, but in the end¡­ you couldn¡¯t make it.¡±


    The body sunk back into the ground. Not long after an earthquake erupted. Everything shook violently and felt as if everything was being raised.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening!?¡± Megumi exclaimed.


    Suddenly the entire floor slanted forcing both Megumi and Dino to the wall. It was as though the entire world was turning over.


    ********


    The very same event was occurring where Cider was fighting off demons and Liang¡¯s group as they were fending off the slime demons.


    Arnold, reacting fast, conjured a cartoon floor onto the slime wall, avoiding the worst case scenario. Everyone understood that something bad was about to occur.


    Dragerd¡¯s laughter turned more hardy and deeper as it echoed throughout the entire maze.


    The walls everywhere started to move together even faster than before. Not long after Dragerd¡¯s voice boomed throughout the entirety of the maze. ¡°The games were fun. But now it¡¯s time for everyone to die!!¡±