Chapter XIII

"I'm gonna goddamn kill you!"

Dashing forward, I am no longer hesitating to expend all of my remaining energy on the man who had stabbed the child. I've got to rely on my Artes. In my right hand, a sword-like Eis materialized. Strangely, the hue of darkness is devouring my vision thus even my blood is definitely on the point of going insane. All I knew up to this time, everything in my eyes was nothing. I couldn't do anything about the darkness that was simply eating me.

It was truly disappointing. The person who will only end his life will be none other than us humans. Henceforth, this is why I have to do this. To cut down the evil, I have to start by killing the whole root. This man is not the root, of course. The main culprit was up there—amusingly watching from afar.

When I finally got closer to the guy, he just tossed the kid's body as he pathetically trembled in fear. Once I glanced at his hand, a sharp bloody razor flashed in my eyes.

"Ahhhh!"

A loud shout rang in my ears. The next thing I knew was his blood spitting from my face uncontrollably. Half of his arm was already detached from his body. It was so fast; that I didn't even see my hand swaying in mid-air. He fumbled to the ground recklessly.

"D-did I do that?"

My hands were tightly gripping the tainted blood from my Artes. It is still shaking and uncertain.

It was like I was possessed by something and now seeing this gruesome thing right this instant, did I really do that?

Enough with nonsense contemplating. Shifting my attention to the guy who crumbled in pain and fear, squirming to the ground while hugging his armless hand. Perhaps he was trying to reduce the bleeding and pain. But to see how he holds his tears; he must be scared of me.

"P-please! I beg your mercy... don't kill me..." fearing death after you've killed a person. He must be an idiot for thinking he will still be saved.

I stood right just in front of him. My sword faded as I became calm, still, I prepared something special just for him. I've had form small knives using still my Artes Eis. Those knives will surely pierce each side of his body if I want to, however, I'm not going to do that yet. I still have something I want to hear. So, I just let the knives swirl behind me but I made sure he could see them properly.

Looking back at the lifeless body of the kid, I felt sad yet calm. And so, I have to proceed with my interrogation.

"Why did you do it?"

"...I-I have no choice but to do it..."

The assassin attempted to conceal both the suffering and the truth that I seek. He wasn't even attempting to focus by looking away. I had no choice but to scare him as if he was testing my tolerance. My knife slashes his right cheek.

"...?!" his eyes widened as the graze's blood dripped from his skin. "Are you trying me, dumbass?"

He trembled in fear once more. He crawled his buttocks backwards this time, attempting to block his face with his left arm. That was all he did, whining and everything. Perhaps he was unaware that he had just killed someone. I should remind him.

"You've just killed that innocent boy." Pointing to the kid's dead body, the guy's eyes followed my hand as he's been reminded that he is a murderer. "Stop thinking that you're still worthy of living after what've you done!" Even a saint will never tolerate someone who killed an innocent person right in front of him.

"N-no! Please listen to me! I didn't mean it!" he pleaded.

"I'm not a god or even a kind person. If I slash you right here, right now then don't you even think that I've meant it? Everything will be an accident."

If I couldn't obtain any information that I wanted to hear, there was no reason for me to stay and listen to anything he has to say. Everything that happens from now on will be determined by his own fate. If God does not execute his punishment, I shall take his place and put an end to all of this.

"There are exactly two paths for you to choose. Pay now or pay later. However, you've already taken someone's life, and from this onwards. You don't have any right to choose. You have to pay it now."

"But...but you've just said—!"

"My apologies. There's no hope for you, I have no intention of letting you live."

Deciding to make my knives surround him. There will be a total of eight knives that will pierce him to death.

Now that I think about it. Those remaining students do nothing but stand around. Maybe they're scared of what's going to happen to them, even though that guy (who helped her before) was merely standing right ahead of them. Based on his expression, he has no intention of interfering. He must have felt bad about what had just happened, or he was simply terrified. That's not my problem right now; let's get back to this guy.

His brows would be drawn up and together as if he had seen the death dreadful on my face. Even his top eyelids would be stiff, as would his lower eyelids. His mouth was stretched and dragged back, potentially revealing teeth. The tension inside him is pretty much obvious. That's what I'd like to see. His fear.

My blades are about to make a move and desert him dead, however, "Please! I have been ordered!" I had to come to a halt when he eventually made a direct confession.

"Ordered?" I repeated once more. I'm not sure if I heard that clearly.

"Y-yes! You've heard it right!"

He confessed before I could bury these knives in his body. So, if I were in his shoes, what would I do? I'm just going to confess before death comes first. I expected to hear that from him because there is no excuse to kill someone in the first place.

The rules were clear. Shouldn't kill your own ally, or is this what they really want? Being possessed and not is different. Nonetheless, instead of being arrested for murder, this man remains on the loose. That is, very literally, a violation of the rules.

"Who ordered you? You have to tell me!" Now I have to make him tell. I don't need the shitty names of the council. He only needs to say that the person who ordered him is a member of the council and I will massacre them all.

"I-i...—." I can sense his reluctance. He is staring squarely at the council. Then I see the answer; I'm confident his eyes are all spitting the answer I'm looking for.

"That's enough."

"...?"