No no no no.. where is she...

And when I look to my right... A huge splash of blood was on the floor... With a corpse laying right next to it..

"No.. no.. AKIRI-SAN WHERE ARE YOU."

I Need to find her. And I have to be fast.

Suddenly I am able to sense the presence again.. it's close... It's coming from the closed off railway..

I quickly jump through the fence and run in the darkness.

The darkness gave me strength... I could see way better than I could see in the light...

I ran as fast as I could until I got out of the station and then I heard a scream..I rushed right to the source of the sound and ...

It's Akiri-san!

"Ayato, no! Run !" she shouts at me with tears running down her face.. but suddenly I hear a loud and angry growling right behind me.. I turn around.. and it was the same creature I got attacked by when Yokou saved me...

Pale.. no eyes or nose.. Just a big mouth covered by blood... But now it is way larger and more muscular than before...

How the hell is it still alive...???!!

I look at Akiri-san and shout

"Akiri-san! GET OUT OF THER-"

The creature goes for punch, I'm Able to dodge it but

Its tail lands a hit directly on my left hand while the impact sends me flying into the wall..

I scream in pain..

Fuck... My hand...I can't move it..

The creature rushes on all four towards me like a predator trying to catch its wounded and weakened prey..

Come on.. move... Move..!

Just as it's about to land another hit on me, I'm able to move out of its way, avoiding the punch.

The impact caused the creature to break a few of its fingers but it quickly heals itself.

I hold my left hand .. tch, it hurts..

How am I supposed to beat it..

Now it's still getting distracted by me, so Akiri should be safe for now..

I have no choice...

I extend my hand forward and summon my sword.

The creature quickly tries to attack again, but now I'm able to dodge it pretty easily..

From what I have seen so far, it seems to only be using its brute strength and nothing else.. it's not really fast either.. it's nothing compared to Yokou, so..I might have a chance..

But suddenly the creature shifts its attention from me to Akiri..

"No!" I shout in panic as I notice that.

Its tail bashes into me and I fall to the ground..

Ugh..

All I can hear is Akiri-san's sobbing and the creature slowly getting closer and closer to her..

No.. I try to stand up but I fall to the ground again, accidentally landing on my left arm and making it even more painful.

The creature slowly approaches her and extends its arm as it's preparing to land a fatal blow..

Akiri closes her eyes in fear but.. suddenly lots of blood gushes around as the creature is decapitated in a matter of seconds..

It falls on the ground..

What the hell..

I'm finally able to stand up and slowly get to Akiri-san..

"..Ayato?.." Akiri-san says as someone shows up behind us.. I turn around and there is a person.

With his sword resting on his shoulder and he stops the creature's head from rolling by stepping on it..

"Well, well, I thought it could put up a better fight." He says calmly..

A mysterious person with straight dark blueish hair.. wearing a coat..

His hands are covered up in bandages.. and on his back he's carrying another sword.

"Who the hell are you.." I say while I'm barely able to stand.. supporting myself with my sword..

"My name is Genki Emyo.. I'm here to take care of this creature and well unfortunately.." he points with the sword at me."I need to take care of you as well."

Tch... This is bad.. I can't fight with one hand... I need to protect Akiri..

I start to shake a little..

Akiri-san is still behind me, sitting in the corner..

"Please.. let her go at least..."

"Hm.. very well."

"Ayato, what's going o-"

"Go... Get out of here... Akane, get out of here right now.." she nods and runs away..

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Well then.. I may have to take care of you here.. but I'm still going to offer you this..

Come with me and you might survive.. or I will take you there myself."

Tch..

"Like I'm ever gonna do that.." I say..

I turn to face him..while my entire body shakes in fear.

"I deeply respect your bravery ... Ayato-san.."

He says as he moves his sword in front of him with one hand.

He had a long and elegant looking katana..

"But.."

Before I realized, he slashes my chest out of nowhere causing a large amount of blood to splash around...

Huh... How is he so fast??..

The sudden rush of adrenaline distracts me from the pain..

He attacks once again.. this time way slower than before..but before my blade even clashes with his..

I suddenly fall to the ground.. as I realized he had slashed my back.

He sighs. "Don't make this harder than it already is, man."

I'm barely able to stand up.. bleeding..from the huge and open cuts on my chest and back..

He puts his sword back to his sheath..

I gather all the strength I have left in my body to attack and..

My sword falls on the ground...

"Huh.."

My right arm.. is gone...

Blood starts to gush out everywhere as my sliced arm falls to the ground and so do I...

I scream in pain..not being able to protect my wound with my left hand..

A bright orange symbol shows up at the place he has slashed it off.. but I'm too distracted to notice or look at it carefully.

The pain is starting to kick in and it’s slowly but surely going to become unbearable soon.

He sighs again.

"I'm sorry, but….Orders are orders."

He moves his sword up and prepares to slice me from above.

"Don't hurt him!"

Huh ??

Akiri rushes towards me with not a single small drop of fear in her eyes and tries to protect me.

He looks surprised.

"Akiri... What the heck are you doing here..."

She doesn't respond..

"Listen, girl.. I don't wanna hurt you, so please step aside."

"If you want to get him you need to get through m-"

He stabs her right through the heart without hesitation.

She falls on the ground..

Directly on my lap..

She looks at me teary-eyed..

She smiles softly..

"I'm sorry.. Ayato….

We... probably won't go..to arcade..."

She says as she lets out her last breath...

No...

No....

Akiri... No, don't die .. please... Don't leave me...

No... please.....

The sadness... Quickly turns into rage...

I gently place her on the ground.. Carefully moving her hair off of her face.

"You....killed....her..."

My whole left arm gets covered in some sort of dark matter.. it twists and snaps.. the broken bones and somehow heals the injury...

The seal breaks..

The dark matter starts covering my face...

My voice slowly starts to distort.. as I keep repeating her name over and over again..

I stand up...

The dark matter now covers my entire face... Leaving me with no mouth but only pure white eyes staring directly into that bastard's soul..

Soon after.. snapping can be heard as a large jaw starts to form on my face ..

And my face can no longer be seen.

"You..

Shouldn't..

Have done that.."

"Just who and what the hell are you.. Sueharu Ayato ?"

He says calmly and laughs.

I warp at a high speed towards him, slashing his face with my sword while holding it in my left hand.."

He quickly takes a few steps back.

"Heh, I must say you got me there."

He smirks and wipes the blood out of his face and acting like nothing even happened before he places both of his hands on his sword.

"SHUT UP!" I shout In anger, attacking once again but this time he blocks it without problem..

The clanking of our blades was loud..

"Hm.. impressive.." he says as he keeps on blocking each of my attacks from every direction effortlessly.

"Hmm, although your technique..definitely lacks something."

He blocks again and hits my forehead with the hilt of his sword..but I'm unphased by it

"Hah, you seem to be way tougher than I thought. But still..."

He sheaths his sword.

"Seal.."

I suddenly feel my strength slowly leaving my body, but.. my left arm moves on its own and stabs him directly through the stomach..leaving the sword inside him.

I smile as the dark matter falls off my body and I fall on the ground as well.. passing out.."

"Tch, you are one sturdy bastard. I’ll give you that..

The seal is very simple, you see.. It will drain your power for a short amount of time and then it will break,

if you are still alive at that point, of course."

He says as he looks at me..and pulls the sword out of his stomach.

"Tch.. shit this hurt, you bastard." He chuckles.

but he suddenly gets attacked from behind..

It's Yokou.

He blocks both of her swords easily.. while wielding his sword using only one hand.

"What the fuck did you just do, you bastard!" She shouts as she aggressively moves her blades at an incredible speed.

He smiles..

"Hm, if it isn't Yokou.. the offspring of L-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP." she shouts as their blades end up clashing.

"Hmm.. self taught and not even half bad... Still."

Yokou grins.

"Take this, you motherfucker."

Kagami tries to land a hit from above with his lance, but Genki catches it with his bare hand

Both Kagami and Yokou are shocked .

"Pft can't believe a guy with one arm was better than both of you. You devils really aren't so tough after all ."

"Tch..."

"Yokou, now!"

Kagami and Yokou get ready to perform something, but before they know it..

Genki dashes right past them while he slowly sheaths his sword

Once he sheaths his sword..both Kagami and Yokou fall on their knees..

Their clothes become soaked in their blood..

"How..."

Genki grabs the head of the decapitated creature.

"I won't kill you for now.. but don't disappoint me next time.. Tobichi Yokou-san."

"Tch, you bastard..." Yokou tries to stand up and while her legs shake violently, she tries to dash towards him but stumbles and falls down right after.

Genki smirks and vanishes.

Ugh.. what.. where am I.. what is going on ?

I wake up again in the dark room..

This place has gotten darker since last time..

I feel like the darkness is consuming me at this point.. until I am completely submerged in it..

*GASP* I wake up in cold sweat.. while my heart beats like crazy..

What happened... I breathe heavily and take a look at my right arm...

It's gone...

No... No, no..

I look at my left arm and what I see shocks me even further.

My whole fist is covered in this dark matter. It looks almost as if it's turning my fingers into claws..

The matter covers my arm all the way to the elbow.. and from there on, huge black veins go directly into my chest...

All those veins come from a hole in the middle of my chest.. the same spot that was covered by all the seals and bandages...

But.. the sudden realization makes all these things seem like nothing..

Akiri-san...

In anger I smash the wall with my left hand and crack the entire wall in the process...

I breathe heavily....

I cover my face with my hand.. trying to hold back my tears..

The dark matter seems to expand and now it covers my entire left arm... Growing spikes out of it and several small tendrils come out of it as well..

Why..

Why...

My hand shakes violently..

I can feel the strength running through my veins..

Sakura and Yokou break into the room quickly to check on me..

They are talking to me but.. their voices are distorted and their words are incoherent... I can't understand...

Yokou grabs my head and makes me look at her.

"Ayato.. please calm down."

Seeing them calmed me down only a little bit.. but it doesn't help..

A little bit of the dark matter disappears.

"As I thought... His power heavily depends on what he feels.." says Sakura.

I look down..

"It's all my fault... If only.. I was just... Stronger... I could have saved her.."

I start crying... And I cover my face with my hand.

Yokou hugs me..

She stays silent and keeps holding me..

Sakura keeps looking at us..

"We are really sorry Ayato.. we were too late to save her