Chapter 247: Fake-Out

"They....They were children. THEY WERE JUST KIDS!! WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU MURDER THEM IN SUCH COLD BLOOD!? WHY WOULD YOU-!?" Natalie would scream, trying to rip off her very restraints, even if it meant losing her arms. The display of the four kids being damaged in such a manner was a haunting sight, destroying her fighting spirit entirely, overstruck by grief and crying mad for their losses. Gabriel merely stared in horror at the display, even when the screens that showed such a demise turned off. The Boss merely took a deep breath before letting out a bellowing howl.

"THEY'RE NOT JUST KIDS, JITTERBUG!!! SHUT UP AND LET ME SPEAK!!" His command was almost powerful, silencing Natalie, yet she still tried to free herself from such shackles, being reminded of the time she spent as a Prisoner. "Let me ask you this: What would you do if a child had a bomb? If a Child has the capabilities to weaponize that bomb, and is fully endorsing a decision to drop it on your entire kingdom, would you let that child slide? Now obviously, you would start questioning me at how exactly that would be possible. It's stupid. Barbaric, even. No sane person would let such a child near it, right? Or rather.....you know that scenario by heart." As he quelled his temper and talked in a reasonable manner, he allowed the siblings to understand his emotions, thinking back on the night they first met the 'Gallant Knights.' How he was so impatient and wishing upon violence back in the couple of days, that it felt like he was going to burn everything down into ashes.

The very act he did on the monster within the forest.

The Boss continued his words, reading their expressions easily as if they were books with an open cover. "You see? Now you're understanding what I have to go through. It doesn't matter here on who we are, who we love, what we love, what we wish to be, or what we believe in. It doesn't matter how old, how young, how cold, how warm, how soft, how stubborn, how vile, or how benevolent we become. We're the same thing, right under our skin. We breath the same air, we eat the same food, we drink the same fluids, we run the same path. We even learn the same Magic. Once Magic was introduced, everyone can be superior or inferior to one another. Morality is on the backfoot when putting our Energy into a source on the equation, because that'd mean our next time we walk around underneath that smiling sun, will be our last. All because some random freak of nature decided to drop that nuke on us. Hell, you've SEEN IT with the Brat's monster out there. You have ANY IDEA HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE, TO GET RID OF IT!? It's gonna take MONTHS, if not YEARS, with how giant it is, and the ability to drive people mad. This is my job. This is what I was hired to do. I didn't choose to kill them because I'm a sick monster."

"I killed them because their abilities will kill this hotel, and by extension, your contract...Mr. Makarin."

He'd take a sip of his wine as he'd guide the four staff members towards the group, pulling out a weapon from their respective hole, the two eye sockets merging to one in order to utilize the Hole Magic easier. "I'll explain it briefly for you. As long as my Contract Magic exists, and as long as you abide by the rules implemented, you will not suffer judgement. I had to personally rig new contracts against those four, along with the pre-existing knowledge I was told of them before they went off the map. That, alone, is stressful enough as it is. So please, work with me here. Don't listen to anyone else but us. You can check out of the Witch Hour any time you like. Just remember that you can never leave. Okay?" His words were almost cooing the two forward, trying to make them lower their guard so that The Boss can bring them back to their rooms and let Gabriel rule over the Hotel once more.

SHIKK!! KRASH!! KA-BOOM!! SHIKK!!

An assortment of attacks from below, striking at all four of the members. Two of which were cursed by the Crown of Thorns, wrapped around their necks and forcing the blood to be drained out, with one of the crowned Staff being struck down by a giant hand-like appendage to snap the opponents neck in such a strike. A third would explode upon a Star-like ball, and a fourth was crushed underneath the leg of a robotic creature. The Boss, growing pale, looked back to see the person responsible, his fears coalescing once he got a proper look at their face, as well as a member he did not took into account for.

The four children were back, somehow mostly unscathed, with a shadowy-like creature laughing manically at the pompous demon.

"How- How did you....-" He stopped himself, nearly dropping his wine glass and crushing his cigar, when he saw the boys come out of the shadow itself, telling him exactly the method taken: Shadow Magic. Solomon faked his own death by utilizing the crown of thorns to spill his own blood and tossed his red cape-like cloak, pretending he was crushed underneath the stamp. In reality, he was pushed into the shadowy depths provided by Shady, saving his own life in the process. From then on, any area with a shadow, whether it was pre-made like Stolas' light creating one on the cockpit, or an existing one, such as the shadowy side for Zazel and the Hole for Harvard's Judgement, were used to get them out of trouble before any further harm was casted. The Demon and Card Magician especially having a specific measure to ensure the least amount of damage was taken, with Zazel's sigil of Beleth being made, showcasing the replica of himself taking the damage in his place, and Harvard's Monster Magic making the final strike one big joke, being riddled with holes on his body, yet smiled at the demon, knowing full well he tricked him. The Boss was left out of such information, not being told that they managed to master either a separate style of magic, or used a strategy to survive against the killing blows and guarantee their survival, alongside one another as a team.

The hole would disappear almost entirely, freeing the two siblings, prompting Natalie to barrage the walls, ceiling, and flooring all at once with a massive array of projected fists, creating a gaping hole to allow Satan to breach and snatch everyone inside, the hotel being weakened in its strength to ward such a beast because of Natalie's strikes. The four were quick on pushing one of the Staff Members to the demonic tendrils, letting them all get scooped and dragged away, yet the last image left for The Boss, would be of Gabriel himself, staring down at the demonic kingpin with an ugly look. A Stare of malice. Hatred. Anger. Vitriol. "Listen to me, and listen it well..." he'd began, his voice and tone drastically changed after witnessing such despair.

"When I'm done healing my friends, Your life is on my hands. I will not let you rest, until I see your head mounted on my wall. You've broken what I truly loved. Remember that..."