Chapter 112: Fourth Trial, Part 4

The strike that put down the demon left everyone, except for the Pastor, to be stunned. The boy's neck was practically snapped, almost crooked. Although there are no signs of fatality such as exposed bone or any blood, the very shape of the neck was almost enough to question if he was dead or not. Harvard would be the first to try and reach out to his demonic ally, before being stopped by the Knight himself, still holding his animalistic eyes, but instead of a raging scowl, it became nothing more than a smug grin. "Uh, Uh, Uh! No helping! This is a one on one, remember, Brat?" The Knight demeaned, almost enraging the child somewhat with his attitude. He was almost likely to try and strike at the warrior, before being held back by Stolas and Solomon to prevent further confrontation.

"THE HECK DO YOU MEAN NO HELPING!? YOU GUYS DID IT FIRST!! DON'T TRY TO BEND THIS IN YOUR FAVOR!" Harvard Exclaimed, willing to cast a spell to light the Knight on fire, even more so when the Knight did a haughty laugh. Such behavior even left Fiona and Pria stunned, almost unwilling to be on the Knight's side with his ego being filled. He was being given everything, down to the last moment of the Pastor's lightning reflexes.

"Well CLEARLY you should've thought of that BEFORE you would issue such a challenge."

"ARE YOU DUMB!? YOU'RE THE ONE WHO WANTED TO HAVE HIM FIGHT THE CHURCH GUY-" Harvard's throat would be threatened once more by the Knight brandishing his blade near it, ready to cut it once again.

"I said....Its your fault. You should've thought about that." The Knight was cold in his words, even being in the boy's face about it, his tongue and lips being expressive to savor the victory he was given. Such cockiness almost brings Harvard's blood to a boil, even despite the threat before him. Solomon would be the next to speak up about this display.

"You know he's not done yet, right? He's still able to breathe, yet barely. You might wanna hold your tongue first before you start bragging. That usu-" The Knight would cease Solomon's words by having his sword be placed upon his neck as well, however, Solomon would already cast a spell to plague the Knight, forcing him to back down, as he could feel his legs being infested with an insect, gnawing at his flesh to make him itch and smack away whatever invaded his body. Admittedly, Harvard would laugh a bit to ease his frustration at the sight of the knight flailing around.

"Gh....Fine then. It doesn't change the result anyway. The boy is downed. Three to One. Nothing more than a useless imp, a meek freak of nature even" The Knight would state, yet the children wouldn't give in. Stolas would be the one to help in getting his voice heard, followed by Solomon, and lastly by Harvard himself. The Pastor, meanwhile, would see the scuffle and simply sigh to himself. He'd turn towards the limp demon, keeping an eye on his vitals, waiting for a reaction. The Knight, last of all, would look to the children and raise an eyebrow, confused at the situation. "Seriously? You're all doing the Friendship thing..?" The Man would state, a smirk once more, using their own words. "I really don't like repeating myself, but apparently your brain is hollow enough that it doesn't even properly hold knowledge. So ingrain this in your empty skulls when I say this..."

"He is Downed. He is nothing more than a Useless Imp."

KA-BOOM!!

Right amidst those words, something would happen. The earth itself would explode, a crater left under the Demon's body. The imprints amidst the crater looked to be like hands, and when the dust cleared, they could see the Demon stand up once more. The children would cheer as they saw him get back up, yet something was off. He didn't seemed to have heard them. Rather, he seemed to have most likely heard from the Knight's insults. He'd cast a sigil upon his neck, lines being etched around it, before snapping it back into place, purposely breaking it and maneuvering it back in its proper position, letting any bones mend themselves, and any tissue to reattach. Zazel would rub his neck as he'd look towards the group, more specifically at Malak. His eyes were almost like an animal, staring down at the Knight with no words. Despite the silence, the Knight would be somewhat threatened, staring down at the demon. He knows what the Devil wanted.

He'd look towards Manipura, once Zazel's message was finished ingrained to Malak's mind. "I knew you weren't done yet. I could see it. You're carrying a fire that doesn't wish to be put out. You don't seem to be afraid anymore of me." The Pastor would state, still being calm and keen on his surroundings. The Demon merely nodded as he'd feel his face once more: His skull was still somewhat hurting his brain, so he'd have Eligos invade his body once more, snapping the skull back in place, as well as tending to his brain in the process. He gave a nod of affirmation to Manipura when hearing such words, before getting in a stance. "Tell me....What do you plan to do next, Devil...?" He would ask.

Zazel merely took a deep breath before answering the Pastor's question. "I'm gonna win. If anything else....than to shut that guy up." His words were just as calm, showcasing his newfound motivation. Not of kindness, not of acceptance, but of hatred. Visceral, Violent, Unnatural Hatred. A Hatred only experienced when it is justified. A Hatred only experienced when the very threat almost gets away with their blatant crimes.

A Hatred that he himself wishes to resolve.

He'd charge forward to the Pastor, sigils casted, sending a strong wave of fire to his sides. Manipura merely used his Chakra Magic to create the barrier once more, throwing himself into the fire to mask his next attack, dashing across the wave before reaching towards the Demon, aiming for a strike right at his face. What he didn't expect, however, was that Zazel was prepared, turning to the direction of the very strike.

SHIKK!!