Chapter CXLVIII - Devil's Hell (part 2)

After every room, I finally arrived in the lobby where a lot of guards were stacking up to prepare an ambush on me.

"There she is! Charge--"

SHRESHH!!

He lost his head without even realizing.

"What!? Charge!? Haha!! For reals!!??"

The head bounced on the floor and rolled before stopping with the face facing the rest of the guards. 

BRAKKK!!!!

With a single crush by my foot, the head exploded as the rest of the soldiers stared at my foot with utter horror.

They all shuddered in fear as they studied whatever was left of their comrade. Then, they turned to me.

"W-Wha--"

"Hiii!!!-"

With a wide grin, I dashed forward and danced like the devil. The lobby turned to a bloodbath in mere seconds, and their pieces fell while making a really enjoyable sound.

SHRESHH!!!

BRAKK!!!

"HAHAHAHAHAH!!!"

BAKK!!!

"--AAAAAHHH!!!--"

BRAAAAAKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!

...

"Ahh~… this is so great… I want more… --Oh wait."

I mumbled, but then I realized the lobby is the last room.

Can't be… There must be more…

I returned back into the building, but it looks like every single person here already died. I checked all of the rooms again to see if there are any survivors, but there aren't.

There is no one else besides me in this building, and it got pretty lonely really quick.

That guy… Astar Besmar…

He wasn't here, right? Did I kill him by accident?

No, if he is, the others would have protected him heavily. I didn't see anyone who got overly protected, so he was not here.

And everyone is already dead… I don't have anyone I can toy around with. Which means, my only choice was to wait.

So I waited at the hall just after the lobby. 

I waited for his return, and waited, and waited… and waited…

and waited.

…

It was empty. My mind was completely lost, that I don't even feel impatient anymore. I feel like I can wait for days until that guy Astar Besmar shows up. But, it doesn't seem likely that he will take days until he comes here.

Because half an hour later, someone slammed the door open.

"W-What the hell!?"

A voice came from the door. I looked up to see who it was. While I can see him clearly, he can't see me because of the darkness of the hallway. I can recognize his face from the pictures the headmaster had shown me a long while ago, and I know who he is.

Astar Besmar…

Haha! He really did come!!!

I should play a little with him… It should be fine, right?

I can just heal him whenever! It will be fun, RIGHT!?

I reached my hand forward, and a long arm made out of shadow shot away. Astar was quick and ducked, but the hand grabbed his friend instead.

Ugh. Fine… His friend first.

I pulled the hand away and faced the poor friend that got taken. The guy screamed all the way until he arrived in front of me.

It was rather dark, but I can see his scared expression very clearly.

"Oh, poor you… He ducked and let you die..."

I said to him while whispering, and I placed my other shadow hand on the top of his head. Without much effort, I pulled it out. 

ZRRRGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blood sprayed and landed on the wet floor on my feet as I threw the head to the door.

DUK!!

The head landed on the floor and rolled towards the door. Besmar was watching the head the entirety of the time.

Seeing the horror in his face made me quite happy.

He needs to suffer… Far worse than the others…

After what he has done… After what he has put me through...

I was about to walk forward, but he turned his tail and ran.

"Ah... He ran away."

I was going to run after him with a dash, but then my senses picked up two people coming. 

I watched from a distance as Jericho and Manda landed right in front of Astar who was running away. Immediately, I stopped my walk.

Jericho and Manda talked for a bit, and then their gaze dropped on the entrance... at me. They probably couldn't see me, but they know something is going on here.

Jericho knocked Astar down and moved towards the door, followed by Manda. The two opened the door even wider, and the sunlight was shining through the door even more. A little bit of the hallway is now lighted up.

"W-What? What is-"

Manda looked very annoyed by the stench.

The two stopped, right at the entrance. From their faces, they looked quite horrified.

Are they… afraid?

Maybe I should show myself?

I slowly took a step forward, and followed with another heavy step. The sound of water being slapped by my foot can be heard all the way to the door. Of course, those aren't water.

I took off my devil form, clearing away any signs that I am a devil. Yet, my whole body is still naked, and there is blood sprayed all over me.

It's fine... They are my friends, right? They came to help me… right?

They will help me… and calm me down… and care for me...

… right?

I finally came to light. My whole body is now lit up by the sunlight, and the two can see me clearly.

I formed a smile on my face while my eyes were crying. My heart melted the moment I saw the two up close, and my mouth slowly moved.

"Rize?"

"Hello, Jericho… Manda!"

The two studied me a little bit hesitatingly. They still stood at the door. Why aren't they coming after me?

"R-Rize... Your body..."

"Yeah… they tried to rape me. But I killed them… I killed them all... It is fine now!"

I lifted my bloodied hands and grinned widely as I answered, which was very clear to them about my current mental state. My hands were fully covered in red, because the blood was old and dried out, sticking completely to my skin.

My eyes seemed baggy, even though it was not caused by a lack of sleep. My long hair seemed wet from the blood as well, despite the colors blending rather well.

It didn't take long for them to realize what was going on.

And since Manda asked, I answered what I thought should be the correct answer. 

But… the expression on their faces says otherwise.

"Rize... You... Did all these...?"

Jericho tried looking at the lobby one last time, but she quickly flinched away after two seconds. On her face is a really troubled expression that I cannot understand the reason for. 

Did I... say something wrong?

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

I answered calmly, but Jericho's eyes turned wide open while Manda covered her mouth from the horror. 

The two have come to a new realization over me.

Me, still not realizing what was going on, shook my head and stepped forward.

"I missed you guys--"

TAP!!

Immediately, my body stopped.

Jericho, Manda. The two took a step backwards the moment I moved to reach them.

…

Why…? Why are they moving further from me?

Is it because I killed these people? I did it because...

Because…

…

Because I…

…

They were… going to…

…

I looked to the ground under my feet, where the blood pond formed on the floor. Around me are corpses of the people I just murdered. Pieces of them are scattered across the room while the heavy stench of blood fills the room's air.

My expression turned from a pleasured grin into confusion, panic, and finally horror. I turned to face Jericho and Manda, but the two looked... different.

They don't smile at me anymore. Manda cried as she covered her mouth, while Jericho looked at me pained, as if she was looking at her friend who had turned into something else entirely.

Another thing that I also noticed… 

Jericho is putting up her guard up towards me.

"J-Jericho... Manda..."

"Rize... S-Stay away from us… Please."

Jericho said as she clenched her fist. A force of wind can be seen forming around her hand as she lifted it up. She is hesitating, but she is doing it very obviously.

At the time, I was so blinded by all the things that happened. My mind was shattered, and I was in the midst of a chaotic transformation.

I couldn't notice Jericho's expression better.

"Jericho--"

I took a step forward, which began everything.

"I said stay away!"

VWOOOSHH!!!

The wind vortex threw me back to the hall behind the entrance. My body slides on the floor thanks to the blood pool and finally stops. I stood back up, trying to comprehend what was going on, but Jericho was still crying.

She quickly snapped out and turned her eyes towards her hands, that just created that powerful wind magic.

Jericho was wearing a regretful face, but I was too shocked to notice it. So… I took that hit raw.

Why…

Why did she… push me?

I was about to walk back to them, but my hand immediately touched something on the floor.

It's… blood.

A ton of blood.

I lifted my hand up, studying my palms as blood slowly dripped from the ground. The stench arrived at my nose, and my entire body suddenly shuddered from the clear contact with dry blood.

This… this is…

I looked around even more in the hall, where even more pieces of the people I killed are left out. They are completely unrecognizable, messed up to no return.

But after seeing them and even smelling them, I realized that what I felt was not nausea or sickness from disgust.

It was joy. When I look, smell, or even taste all these gruesome things, I felt joy.

…

I see... 

So that's what has been happening?

Why Jericho pushed me… why they kept their distance.

I have become... a monster, haven't I?

Thanks to the realization, I now know what to do.

Shadow magic began cladding my whole body as a cloak formed on my entire skin. Wings behind my back are also forming, and I suddenly flew at high speed towards the door.

"Watch out!"

FWOOOSSSHHH!!!!!!!!!!

Manda shouted as she pushed Jericho's head down. The shadow flew past her head and Jericho's at high speed, and it flew to the sky above them, leaving them on the ground.

The two can only watch from the ground as the black winged person flew to the skies without any sense of direction, gradually getting further and further up in the orange skies.

I simply flew away from that spot without any idea of destination at high speed. My mind was too clouded for any calm and rational thinking, and I ended up flying towards the sea far to the north.

Arriving on the beach, it felt like my mind finally had enough. 

BOOM!!

I ended up crash-landing on the beach and quickly bashed myself in the ocean waves. The cold waters brush through my entire naked body, removing all the blood on my skin completely.

After cleaning my body from the blood, the waters turned red and got washed out due to the strong waves.

I looked at the reflection of myself on the slightly red water, trying to believe that I looked like this now.

My retinas are fully black, and the horns on my head are also still there.

I am still in my devil form… despite the fact that I already took it off before. The form forcefully reappeared… despite me not wanting it anymore…

I crouched while the cold ocean waves brushed my naked legs and butt. 

Then I cried like an actual girl right there… with my tears falling to the infinite waters.

.

.

.

This world… has completely changed me, hasn't it?