Luis' Past, Part 1

"JUST CUT TO THE CHASE ALREADY!" I roar as the veins of my right arm begin to glow blue. I slam my right fist down into the floor below me, ripping right through my bindings and forming a crater in the ground.

In the blink of an eye, Ace dashes over to me, drawing his bamboo sword and holding it up to my neck. I peer up at Ace without moving my neck and glare at him.

"Now, now, Ace," King says as he holds a hand up. "This isn't how we welcome new members."

"Yes, my King," Ace apologizes as he retracts his bamboo sword away from my neck. "I just don't enjoy seeing anyone threaten my King."

"As if this boy can harm me!" King laughs, clearly forgetting about the last time we were face to face. King then turns his attention back to me.

"Mankind is evil and corrupt, Blue Demon, Pro Slayers included. One does not call the lion evil for killing his prey but when demons use their weapons, their claws or their fangs to kill humans, their only food source, just like said lion, mind you, then they are evil?! It's preposterous! Mankind is the only race to harass and persecute and discriminate against their own kind. Racism, sexism, and homophobia are only human concepts. Not even demons, the "evil ones" carry out such tomfoolery! That's what we teach at the Cards of the King's church, the church of Demonism. It's a common misconception that we worship demons and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. No…we only want to use them to burn the world to the ground. Then, I shall rise from the ash as its new King. My followers and only my followers shall populate the new world, and we will create a just world!" King booms as he spreads his arms out wide to his side, like he's giving a speech to thousands of audience members, instead of just me. Though I suppose he has before, with these exact words.

"And why do you need me?" I ask.

"We need a half demon to open the gates of Hell, the portal to the realm of demons, and to summon the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse," King answers, causing my eyes to widen. "So how about it, half demon child. As a human, you were bullied. As a half demon, you were attempted to be killed. From one man used and abused by this world to another…care to join us?" King asks as he extends his hand towards me one last time.

I look from King's hand then up to King, and without a second though, I slap his hand away.

King stares at me, his pride wounded, like genuinely confused.

Ace's entire body tenses up as he reaches for his bamboo sword.

"HAH! So this is the pathetic recruitment speech you give to these goons?" I ask as I motion to Ace and Queen, standing behind King. "I'm the kind of guy who won't bat an eye when a stranger dies, or lift a finger to help someone I don't know, even if they're in front of me. That's just who I am. Am I an asshole? Of course! I've long since recognized that," I begin to say as I slowly push myself off of the ground.

"Humans, demons, who cares?! Humans made my life miserable, that's true. Demons really didn't hurt it. But humans...also made my life great. It may have taken fourteen long years, but after meeting the right people, I've found people worth fighting for, people I want to protect. People that I would kill myself for if it meant saving," I continue as I rip myself free from my restraints.

"I'm not a nice person. I'm not a good person. I'm not smart, or funny, or even that brave. Hell, being a half demon is probably my only redeeming good quality, and I hate it. But …I'd rather be a shitty person in a shitty world with my friends, than a savior in a perfect world without them!" I boom as I draw my katana, aiming the tip of its blade at King.

"With everyone else, it's always Blue Demon this, half-demon that, Slayer Fūjin…whatever! But with them…it's different…" I continue as I peer down, my eyes squinting from sadness.

"MY NAME IS LUIS TRAMONTANA, DAMNIT!"

"JUST CALL ME BY MY NAME!"

King pauses. He frowns, stares at me, then sighs. "The Blue Demon is a lost cause. Kill him, Ace," King orders.

He sure changes his mind quickly.

"Finally," Ace replies as he draws his bamboo sword again, slowly lumbering over to me.

"Wait, can't we talk this out?!" I cry as I frantically flail my hands at Ace. "I was just joking, I swear! I'll join you!" I stammer, but Ace continues walking towards me.

"The half demon boy is trying to make a fool out of me, the King, tricking us into thinking he's joining us, just to escape," King sneers. "He's a coward who values his own life over the betterment of mankind. Behead him."

Once in front of me, Ace stops and brings his bamboo high above his head. "Any last words, Luis Tramontana?" Ace asks me.

"Well, I guess my life hasn't been too bad," I sigh. "But before I die…I at least would have liked to have se-"

Before I can finish my last words, a boom noise comes from the wall behind King and Ace, as a black and yellow flash crashes straight through it with ease. The buzz of electricity rings through the air as the black and yellow flash continues towards me.

"Nick!" I exclaim.

Nick zips towards Ace and I, tackling Ace with his lightning-fast speeds and knocking him off of me. Nick then scrambles to his feet, scooping me up and zipping away from Ace, before either of us can even react.

Mikey and Daniel then hop through the hole in the wall created by Nick, as well. Mikey using his Flame Exhaust to fly over to us, and Daniel climbing across the wall like a scorpion, using his Shadow Sickles.

"Exploding Flame Bullets: Embers!" Mikey shouts as he draws his dual pistols, spinning them around his trigger finger for a second before aiming them at King, firing off a volley of flaming bullets his way.

"Shadow Sickles: Chain and Sickle!" Daniel shouts as dozens of Shadow Sickles wiggle their way out of his shadow, all flying towards Queen.

King sneers as he looks around the room, watching all of the chaos unfold. Still sneering, King brings his scepter in the air. "BLACK PRISM: ADVENT OF THE DEMON KING!" King booms as he slams his scepter back into the ground, and instantly, Nick, Mikey, Daniel, and I find ourselves kneeling on the ground before King. I feel an intense pressure pressing against my back, forcing me to double over, as if the "space" itself around us is trying to crush us. Looking over at the others, judging by their reactions, I can tell that they're experiencing the same sort of awkward pressure.

"We'll…never kneel to you…not mentally…" Mikey grunts, struggling to speak under the intense pressure.

"Oh? But you already are physically," King smirks. "What's another bend to your will?"

"I…wasn't fast enough…" Nick softly says to himself, his eyes wide, sounding applaud.

"This fight isn't over yet. BLACK DEMON!" Daniel shouts as he resumes his Black Demon form, using his Shadow Sickle limbs to lift his half demon body off of the ground. "Shadow Sickles: The Betrayal of One's Own Self!" Daniel shouts as a couple of Shadow Sickles wiggle their way out of King's shadow, flying towards his back. But in the blink of an eye, Ace slashes through Daniel's Shadow Sickles with ease, which reverts back into his black Cursed Power. Daniel is then forced to drop back down to his knees, due to the intense pressure.

"Crimson…Coat…" Mikey manages to utter out as he slowly strains his arm to lift a pistol up to his mouth. But before Mikey can pull the trigger, King ups the pressure, pinning Mikey's arm back to the ground.

"It's too much…fighting the Assassins, fighting each other, then fighting the Cards of the King…it's all too much…" Nick grunts.

"Ace, it's time these traitors to humankind learned their lesson. Decapitate them, starting with Slayer Hachi," King orders. "But leave that other half demon alive. The Blue Demon may be a lost cause, but this one can possibly be useful."

"Yes, my King," Ace answers as he slowly makes his way over to Nick.

"Stop…" I plead.

Ace makes his way over to Nick.

Nick grits his teeth, his blood vessels popping as he struggles against King's Black Prism.

"I'm the one you want, kill me instead!"

Ace pauses in front of Nick.

Slowly, Nick strains his neck up and peers up at Ace.

"I said; kill me instead!"

Ace brings his bamboo sword high above his head.

Nick stares Ace in the eyes, as Ace swings his bamboo sword downwards towards Nick's neck, in an attempt to decapitate him.

"DON'T DO IT!"

I keep screaming for Ace to stop, desperately, until…my voice begins to fade. And everything around me begins to fade, only to be replaced by the sound of a hideously nostalgic ringing alarm.