Chapter 17: Just, What Are You?
Mika stood below, his blood, drenched uniform clinging to him, the bone-gripped dagger twirling idly in his hand. His face was blank, his eyes empty, as if the apocalyptic scene unfolding was a foregone conclusion, a chore he’d ticked off his list.
The man, suspended and powerless, also knew his end was imminent. No plea, no bargain could sway the boy before him. He wasn’t human, not in any way that mattered.
This was a monster, a force of incomprehensible scale, wielding power that rivaled the SSS-tier goddesses themselves.
But even still, the man’s mind raced, grappling with the impossibility of Mika’s existence. Where had he come from? How had such a being emerged, cloaked in the guise of a college kid?
But more than curiosity, a defiant spark flared within him. He refused to let his final moments be a whimpering beg for mercy. He wanted to land one last blow, to strike at the heart of this demon’s resolve.
So, a manic smile split his face, and he laughed a wild, unhinged cackle that echoed off the rusted walls, startling the cult members above.
"Alright, kid!" He shouted, his voice raw but defiant, his eyes glinting with desperate bravado. "I’ll give it to you, you’re stronger than anyone I’ve ever seen. Hell, it was dumb as shit to cross you, not knowin’ what kinda monster, what kinda demon you are. You probably crawled outta some crack in hell itself!"
He leaned forward as much as the chains allowed, his grin fierce. Mika didn’t react, his blank stare unwavering, but the man pressed on, undeterred.
"But listen, no matter how strong you are, no matter how much power you got, you said it yourself, half the world’s out for those daughters of the goddesses...Half the world, full of hate, jealousy, greed, every damn sin in the book!"
"They wanna do horrible things to ’em, rip ’em apart, own ’em, break ’em. And sure, you stopped us today, but you can’t stop everyone."
"Hehe...That darkness out there? It’s endless, kid. You might crush one cult, then another, but eventually, those girls and their mothers will fall!"
His laughter grew, a fevered edge to it, as he leaned closer, his eyes wild with victory.