Innocent Lives
The tension in the Salem City bar had reached its peak. The laughter and toasts had vanished, replaced by silence and fear. Children cried, their screams cutting through the dense smoke that now filled the room. Parents, desperate, tried to reach their children, but their legs and arms would not obey. Their bodies were manipulated like puppets by an invisible and sadistic power.
"Look at me! All of you are now part of my theater of blood!" — Yuri declared, his voice booming like thunder.
His red eyes burned like embers, and the smile that formed on his face revealed a perverse pleasure. He controlled the blood of the innocent as if he were a maestro conducting a macabre symphony. Sharp blades made of blood emerged from the victims' veins, turning each person into a living weapon.
Parents screamed as they saw their children involuntarily walking toward the battle. Children wept as their small hands gripped blood-formed spears, ready to attack. An elderly man, tears in his eyes, tried to resist the control, but his arms were raised, wielding a blood sword pointed at Yuzuki.
Yuri licked his lips, as if savoring every moment.
"You are beautiful! The pain, the despair — all of it is part of the perfect art! Let's dance until the last breath escapes your bodies!"
Meanwhile, Alkaraz remained silent, his body hidden by the dense smoke. Only the intense, suffocating smell of smoke gave away his presence. Suddenly, a low, guttural laugh echoed through the bar.
"There is no escape... Whoever leaves dies. Whoever stays, dies too. So drink, laugh, live your final moments the way you should!" — Alkaraz said, his voice calm yet dripping with irony.
Amid the chaos, Yuzuki stood firm, his green eyes locked onto his enemies. Unlike the faces of fear and despair around him, he was smiling. A cold, calculated smile that contrasted sharply with the horror of the scene.
"You think you've cornered me, don't you?" — Yuzuki said calmly. — "You're so confident you haven't even realized where you really are."
Alkaraz stepped out of the smoke, exhaling a puff from his cigarette and raising an eyebrow.
"You talk too much for a man who's surrounded, Yuzuki. Tell me, what can you do against an entire clan? Against me?"
Yuri laughed, raising his arms. The people under his control moved forward like grotesque marionettes, surrounding Yuzuki.
"Let's get this over with. I have no patience for the mind games of a cornered rat," — Yuri thundered, his voice as powerful as a lightning strike.
But Yuzuki kept smiling. He lifted his cloak, revealing a black book adorned with golden details and the symbol of a blood tree on its cover.
Alkaraz froze. For a moment, his expression shifted from confidence to surprise.
"The Book of Faust..." — Alkaraz murmured, his voice thick with tension.
Yuzuki opened the book. A blinding golden light filled the bar, forcing everyone to squint. He smiled darkly, his presence now radiating something far more powerful and terrifying than any Kugutsu.
"You still haven't understood, have you?" he said, as the pages of the book glowed intensely. "You are in Pangeia, in the city of Salem. This is my battlefield. I've studied everything about you — your clans, your powers. I've developed my techniques in secret, far from the eyes of Mao and anyone else."
Yuzuki's smile widened, his green eyes shining fiercely.
"And now, you will face something you never imagined. Dankai: Wall of Sin."
A deafening roar filled the bar, followed by thunder that shook the windows. Mao laughed loudly inside Yuzuki's mind, his laughter echoing like that of a triumphant demon.
"This is going to be fun! Finally, Yuzuki, you're showing who you really are!"
Yuzuki, the True Demon.
Inside the bar, silence reigned, broken only by the thunder roaring outside. The golden energy radiating from Yuzuki lit up the room with a divine intensity, while Mao, astonished, watched the events unfold before his eyes.
"This... This is impossible," Mao murmured, his voice trembling with a mix of fear and ecstasy. "I've seen lunatics, religious fanatics, even the most terrifying kanjis, but never... never anyone from Kugutsu Island like him."
Yuzuki gave no reply. His gaze was locked onto Yuri, whose red eyes now flickered with desperation.
With a firm gesture, Yuzuki summoned the technique.
"Dankai: Wall of Sin."
A golden glow enveloped the bodies of Yuri's victims, breaking the control of the blood Kugutsu. The people, once unwilling puppets, collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. Some cried, others clung to each other in despair.
Yuri staggered back, stunned.
"Wh-what did you do? How dare you sever my connection?" His voice, once powerful, now trembled.
Yuzuki moved forward with another gesture.
"Shinkō."
The energy surrounding Yuri began to dissipate. The blood Kugutsu that served as his extension faded away, like mist scattering in the wind.
Yuri fell to his knees, unable to contain his panic.
"No... This can't be... How can something like this exist?!"
Mao laughed loudly.
"Ah, Yuri, look at you! The great blood demon reduced to a rat! But, Yuzuki, I must admit, even I'm impressed. You... You suspected me all along, didn't you?"
Yuzuki remained silent. His expression was serene, but his eyes gleamed with an intensity that bordered on the inhuman.
Alkaraz's Smile
Alkaraz observed everything calmly. The smell of smoke emanating from his body mixed with the tense atmosphere. He then smiled, a smile filled with irony and malice.
"So, this is it. You knew all along. You knew we were coming. You planned this. You're not human, Yuzuki. You're worse than a Kugutsu... you're the demon itself."
Alkaraz took a step forward, his presence overwhelming.
"Dankai: Alcali Protection."
A silver seal surrounded his body, blocking any attempt from Yuzuki to affect his connection with the Kugutsu.
"Yuri, we were deceived. He predicted everything. You must reconnect with your Kugutsu. I'll take care of this bastard until then."
Yuri disappeared into the smoke, trying to reestablish his connection.
The Contrast: Strategy Against Brutality
Yuzuki remained calm, his eyes following Alkaraz's movements.
"Not everything is about strength or power. Planning is the real weapon." He raised the golden book. "Dankai: Divine Protection Seal."
A golden barrier covered everyone in the bar, guiding them to the exit. Children cried as they were carried by their parents. Old and young people ran for their lives.
"Go! Now!" Yuzuki shouted.
Alkaraz, realizing he was losing control of the situation, took the knuckle dusters from his belt and equipped them.
"You can protect these people, but you won't protect yourself from me."
With impossible speed, Alkaraz charged. His punches came from all sides, hidden by the smoke that made him disappear and reappear like a ghost.
Yuzuki tried to defend himself, but the attacks were brutal and relentless. Each punch that hit his body felt like the impact of thunder. He was thrown against the counter, then into the tables, which broke under the impact.
"This is the end, Yuzuki. You may have planning, but your body is weak!" Alkaraz roared, his voice echoing through the bar.
Yuzuki spat blood but kept smiling.
"Don't underestimate the mind of someone who has already prepared for pain."
Meanwhile, Mao begged:
"Yuzuki, let me fight! I can finish him off now!"
"No, Mao. I don't want to depend on you. Not yet."
"You're stubborn, boy. But you know that, when you fall, I'll take control." Mao laughed, though his voice sounded anxious.
Yuzuki continued to resist, each blow pushing him to the limit. He knew he couldn't defeat Alkaraz through brute strength, but he needed time to ensure everyone escaped.
Finally, with the last child crossing the door, Yuzuki lifted his head, smiling.
"Now, this is it..."
The chapter ends with Yuzuki feeling satisfaction.