"What?! That Igichi guy had set the records before Claude?!" Shin asked as they all made their way through the hallway. The exams had ended and everything seemed to have gone smoothly.
"Yup. Claude only managed to pass his speed record. The rest remained the same," Ryan replied.
"That means the record of 14 blocks was his?" to which Ryan nodded. "But still, everyone here is so awesome!"
"No, that's not true!" Ryan tried to be modest, but internally, "You're saying that?! You're the one with the Material Natura here!"
"Well I guess we should go. We need to tell Hannah about this too."
"Yeah. Let's go, Diav." But he was not there. "Huh? Where'd he go?"
"He was here a second ago…"
----------------------------------------
Meanwhile, on a different floor, "Did you get to see what you needed?" asked a charming male voice.
"Yes, thank you," replied a soothing feminine voice.
"But I'll admit, I am kind of jealous. To think that you turned me down just to wait for that kid."
"He's special."
"No matter how special he is, unless he learns Material Natura he'll be in trouble. He won't even be able to protect himself, let alone, you."
"He'll grow in time. I have faith."
"...Well, whatever. I'm leaving this city anyway. Later. Hope we meet again!"
As the man was about to go down the stairs, "Igichi," the girl spoke out, "Thanks for everything you did for me last year!" she cast her parting words with a smile.
"Shut up, Suzume," his lips gently curled in its ends, "You're gonna make it harder for me to leave…"
----------------------------------------
Back to Shin and co, the five were sprinting throughout the building, searching for Diavolo. Opening classroom after classroom, "He's not here!" "Not here either!" "This class is locked!"
"Now that it's come to this, there's only one other place I can think of…" (Shin)
And they stood in front of the girl's washroom. With flustered poker faces they told each other, "You go first." "No, you." "I think I'll pass." etc.
----------------------------------------
Although, Diavolo was actually in the boys' washroom on a different floor.
"Dammit! I need to make sure not to make serious movements with this hand for a few days…" he thought, looking at his possibly fractured knuckles. Once he was done washing his face and pouring water on his hand, trying to somewhat even ease the pain, he walked out.
Exiting the door, bump, "Oh, I'm sorry!" said a startled girl.
"Eh? Shiro?" he recognized the familiar face he was looking for.
"Diavolo-kun?"
"What are you doing here? Weren't you absent?"
"Congrats on setting a new record!"
"Oh, you saw that? Then, what are you waiting for?! Go or you won't pass the test!"
"Don't worry about me. I'll manage somehow. More importantly, that was an impressive display."
"No, but… I don't know Material Natura like Shin or Yukio," he flustered a little.
"To be honest, I didn't even expect you to pass!"
"Hey!"
"But somewhere… I believed you could do it. After all, it's you," she gave him a meaningful look, leaving Diavolo confused.
"Huh? What are you talking about? I don't get— "
"Well then, let's go!" and she immediately locked her arm around his, "Like I promised, I'll walk home with you!"
The surprised Diavolo turned red, "T-that's okay, but why like this?!"
Suzume simply giggled, but was interrupted by the shrieks of girls from somewhere close. "KYAAAAAAA!!!!!!!" they screamed.
"What was that?!"
"Let's check it out." and the two ran downstairs.
----------------------------------------
On the other hand, Shin and co. were running for their lives because of the deed they had just done.
"Why did you smash the door open?!!" (Yukio)
"Why?! Why wasn't he in there?! I could've sworn!" (Shin)
"Whatever! Just run!!" (Ryan)
"I think I just saw heaven~!" (Todd)
"""Why are you still hanging out with us!!!"""
As they were about to make a turn in the staircase, they crashed into a different group of people and fell.
"Ow! Watch where you're going!" Shin heard an all too familiar voice.
"Diav?"
"Ah! It's you guys!"
"Don't give me that! Where were you?!"
"Sorry, I had to pee…"
"You could've told us! We barely know half the school! Don't just disappear like that!!"
"Huh?" Yukio noticed the person accompanying his friend, "You're… Suzume Shiro, right?"
"Oh, she'll be accompanying us from now on."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Suzume Shiro. I'll be at your care from now on!" she gently smiled.
"Ah! Nice to meet ya to! I don't know what went between the two of you for such a sudden change, but I guess things went well!" Shin gleefully said and approached Diavolo, "By the way, since we all passed, after we get home… let's have a party!!" and he gave him a high five. But—
Crack, opening his eyes wide and clenching his teeth, Diavolo went, "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!"
----------------------------------------
"You're lucky you didn't end up completely breaking it," the doctor concluded after the examination.
"Well, Doc? Is he okay?" Hannah asked, sitting on her couch, arms crossed.
"Not exactly. His bones are fractured. Right now, the most stressful work he's allowed to do is have his daily meals. Other than that, just tape up his hand and he should be healed within three weeks. But no punching or any sort of those 'training' before a month!"
"A month?! You've got to be kidding me!!" Diavolo nagged.
"Shut up! Just listen to the doctor!" Hannah glared at him.
"— Yes ma'am."
"Sorry for having you come all the way here even though we could've brought him to your place, Doc."
"No, no it's fine. I just happened to be nearby during my lunch break. It's no big deal. Well then, I'll be heading off."
"Yeah, thank you!"
"Give Mr. William my regards!" and the doctor left.
After a few seconds of awkward silence, she finally broke it starting with a sigh, "Now then, there are a lot of things I want to ask, but first of all… what are you doing here?"
"I'll be in your care, Ms. Rose," Suzume gently bowed.
"Honestly, I leave you guys alone for a few hours and suddenly a bunch of odd stuff happens."
"That's right! And if you had an injury, you could've just told us instead of vanishing like that! We would've come home immediately! Because of you, we ended up going into the girl's washroom!!"
"Shin… are you an idiot?"
"What?!" that line somehow really pissed him off.
"Did it never occur to you that I could be on another floor?"
"How am I supposed to know that we were allowed to go on other floors if the one of the washrooms were filled? I am just as new as you are!"
"I bet you just wanted to see the girls naked," he grinned.
"Don't put me in the same category as you!!!" was what he said, but an intense chill ran down his spine the moment after. Glancing at the corner of his eyes, he noticed a menacing glare being directed at him, making him release sweat droplets.
"Shin…" Hannah said with an eerily soothing voice, "I'll deal with you later."
"The suspense just makes it even more frightening! Just give me hell already!!" he whimpered.
"Right now, I need to ask Diavolo something. How'd you manage to break your fist just by one punch? I know you're made tougher than that."
The room fell silent. "Hey Diav, I think we should tell her."
"Yeah," he sighed and faced her, "You see Hannah, we were having extra training behind your back and didn't actually have time for rest. My bones must've been worn out because of that. That's also why we ended up sleeping in class most of the time," following him, the other two also clasped their hands together, """We're really sorry! We're ready to get any punishment!"""
"It's alright. I already knew."
"""Eh?"""
"Every night, you guys were practicing how to use Material Natura. That's how the two of you passed the exam, right Shin, Yukio?"
"She knew?! But that means…" they turned and looked suspiciously at Stanley standing in a corner.
"Oh, don't glare at me like that, please! It's alright! It's alright! She didn't yell at you so everything should be fine!"
"I don't know why, but the way he said it really pissed me off…" (Shin) "Me too." (Diavolo) "Same here." (Yukio)
"But I still don't see why your hand would break just by 10 blocks of wood."
"That's only if he didn't have 20 planks of Purple Oak to punch." (Suzume)
"What?! 20?! Then I guess it's understandable," her surprise quickly died down.
"That's it?!" the three boys were surprised at how fast she just went with it. Hannah on the other hand, wasn't really taken aback. She spent enough time with them to have known their pace and impulses. And she accepted the fact that Diavolo is someone who goes overboard when it comes to himself.
"Oh, by the way, I just remembered. Diavolo, you didn't succeed in learning Material Natura and so you practiced offence. How'd you manage to pass the second phase?"
"Well there was this senior who seemed to be quite friendly with sensei. He said that as an exceptional case, students can be allowed to show their Natura level as an alternate measure."
"Oh yeah! You should've seen Diav back then, Hannah!! He went all 'AAARRGH!' and the machine went haywire!"
"What?! The meter reached its limit? But that means you went over 5000! It's impossible for a beginner to have that much energy!!"
"It's not impossible… that is if you use Raze." Suzume coolly announced. The others were wondering why she was the one acting so proud, but they let it slide.
Hannah, rather, was too surprised at what she heard. Diavolo, was in fact, using Raze and not Natura. This was completely unprecedented on her part.
"WHAT?! Where did you learn that?!"
"Huh? But I've been doing it since the very beginning…?"
Hannah took a moment. Then it all made sense to her. Diavolo seemed to be able to use so much energy, yet she couldn't feel any drawing occur. Rather, she actually felt a slight increase in the energy near her. She just thought that Diavolo wasn't really proficient in using Natura and was mostly leaking whatever he drew in. But that was not the case.
With her entire viewpoint flipped upside down, they all seemed to fit into place. Why Diavolo's energy was so fierce looking. Why he was able to manage such excessive feats without even trying to focus on his environment. This was because… he wasn't benefitting from nature, but rather… himself.
"How much of Raze do you know?" she asked seriously.
"Not much. The test was still ongoing, so the coach told us to ask you when we got back."
"Fine, then. I'll explain it," she took a deep breath and commenced, "But first, I'd like to congratulate you all. Even if I planned to not be surprised by anything new you guys end up doing, to be honest, even I didn't expect Raze to become a topic so soon. And not just that, to be able to learn Material Natura in a mere two weeks… For a beginner, that really is astounding. I have underestimated you all based on my own standards, and for that, I apologize. But really… you guys really are amazing! I'm really glad I was able to train you on your first step!"
Hannah let out her heartfelt recognition to her pupils. It was but a mere month, but they had finally graduated from the basics. Her honesty really touched the boys and they were elated. They all blushed, yet expressed it in different ways. Yukio gently giggled while sitting cross legged on the couch. Diavolo felt embarrassed and turned away. Shin scratched his head, giving a wide grin.
Suzume, a spectator, smiled without a word as she observed the interactions between her newly found… friends?
"Then, let's get started. Unlike Natura that is energy used from the world around you, Raze is a more personal kind of energy, the energy from an individual's soul. Also, most people start off with learning Natura because it is by far easier to learn than Raze. Here's why…
Since Natura is merely the energy from around you, all energy is of the same nature and the only limiting factor for expertise is the person. After the energy has been gathered up, it can be molded into whatever kind you can and wish.
On the flip side, Raze depends on both the person's bodily capabilities and also the soul. Of course, since it's your soul, your compatibility with it is the highest, however, how connected you really are with your soul is highly personal. Not to mention, that the Raze is summoned pre-molded by its own 'ego'. Like this, several factors need to 'fit in' perfectly for someone to master it.
It should also be known that… souls reside in a completely different dimension. It is merely connected to your body through what we call 'gates'. As such, not much can be researched about it, but one thing's for certain.
The energy that can be brought, unlike Natura where you can only draw in as much as your target of energy source can provide, Raze seems to be endless. Yes, using Raze… means that you can have access to an infinite supply of energy.
The only thing that can prevent you from using all of that, is your body's own limits: how much it can take in one go, how much stress it can handle, stamina, so on and so forth.
And finally, since Raze is brought from a different dimension, it is in fact, much harder to use than Natura, even Material Natura, where energy is readily available. Raze users aren't exceptional, the world is filled with them. But it certainly does mark a special point in one's life. That's why… Diavolo! Rejoice! Your friends may have learnt Material Natura, but don't be disheartened! Unlike any of us, you've passed the test with your very own powers, in its purest sense!"
"Yeah, that's right! That's right! Even if we're rivals, it doesn't mean we'll have to compete in the same thing all the time, right! Diav is awesome in his own way! It's fine even if you don't know Material Natura yet! But damn!" Shin clenched his fists, "Raze, huh? Kuuu~! I'm getting fired up! I really wanna learn it right away!"
"Although, since Diavolo is using Raze, it'll actually be called Material 'Raze' rather than Natura, but the fundamentals are still the same. And yup, I wouldn't be surprised even if all of you end up learning Raze in the near future!"
"Ah! But rather than that, Hannah! Since we all aced it, let's have a party already! What's a celebration if we don't even have a party in the end!"
"You know, it really is just us few here now. A party needs preparations, invites and many other— "
"No! It's fine even if it's just us! Dump all that formal stuff and whatnot! We just want to let loose and have fun now! Right, Diav, Yu?!"
"Honestly, you guys are…" Hannah sighed in defeat.
"Ufufu! It sure is lively here, isn't it?" Suzume delightfully said, enjoying the scene before her eyes.
"It sure is… They're like a bunch of kids, I swear!" she agreed.
And so, till late, a loud and very unconventional celebration was held in the Rose household.
………
……
…
It was getting pretty late, and Suzume had to leave.
"I'll take my leave then! See you tomorrow! Thanks for having me over, I really had a lot of fun!"
"Likewise! Take care!" Hannah waved.
"Wait, I'll walk you home," Diavolo suggested.
"N-no, I'll be fine by myself," she somewhat timidly replied.
"C'mon! I insist! Let's go!" and he grabbed her hand.
"Ah! W-wait!" and he dragged her out the mansion.
"Hey are you sure they'll be okay? You know, the rumors," Shin asked worriedly.
"Yup, it's okay. I decided to leave Ms. Shiro to Diavolo from the beginning, so I'll let it be. And besides, think about it, Shin. After what you saw today, do you really think she's a threat?"
"Well it is true that she seemed pretty normal. I guess you're right."
Hannah could've actually asked her to stay over. But she didn't want to risk it. Although she wanted to help her out, it was still a fact that she went berserk. It would be a different case if she put only herself in danger by letting her stay, and sadly, that was not the case.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
"You don't have to hide it, Shin!" Yukio gave him a pat on the back, "You're actually really worried about Diavolo, right? I never knew you were such a worrywart! My opinion of you has changed!"
"Shut up! You want me to beat you up?!"
"Oops…"
----------------------------------------
Meanwhile, Diavolo and Suzume were on their way to her residence. They were walking through a quiet apartment complex. So quiet, it almost seemed deserted. Perhaps everybody there slept early?
"You surprised me there! What was that about all of a sudden?"
"I should be asking you the same thing. You acted really familiar with me at first, but now you're suddenly trying to alienate yourself again? I won the bet, so I'll be tagging along with you whenever I please, got that?"
"But it's dangerous… staying with me."
"You're bringing that up again? Give it up. I don't give a damn about those rumors."
"That's not it. It's—"
And with the sound of tire screeching, two black limousines did a drift and surrounded them out of the blue.
"Suzume Shiro. We have orders from Master Hisao. I'm pretty sure you already know, but resistance is futile. Get in the car now, nice and obediently," said a man in a suit, as two of them came out from the car ahead.
Possibly in his late thirties, and with a moderate build, the man seemed kind of smart, yet quite lax. Basically, very ordinary. Really short, brown hair, and three ear piercings. He also looked like a man who'd smoke.
Suzume shuddered at the sight. The time had finally arrived. She had given one last try to not involve others, but that didn't work. And now… this. She feared the scene that would unfold.
"Hey, Shiro. Who are they?"
"And hey, you there, mister 'bodyguard'," he gave a thumbs down as four other men came out from the second car, "You're going down!"
A bunch of completely unknown men just appeared out of nowhere and demanded Suzume to be taken away, unexplained. That alone would've been enough for Diavolo to decide to fight back. But furthermore, this man, who seemed to be the leader of the bunch, just openly declared he'll be putting him out of commision, very easily.
Without any prior knowledge of who they were or how strong they were on either side, Diavolo was being openly underestimated. This struck a nerve, and so, "What did you say?!" one small glare was all it took to decide how events were about to take place.
"Didn't you hear me? I said we were gonna take her! And don't worry…" and he put on spiked gloves, "…we have orders to kill you if necessary too. So, what's it gonna be?"
"Stop trying to scare him. You were planning to kill him from the beginning anyway," the seemingly, second-in-command added in.
"That's true," and the two exchanged a hearty laugh.
"I don't know what's going on here, but I guess I don't need to know…" he cracked his knuckles, "to decide what to do right now."
"Oh? So you're gonna go for it, huh?"
"Don't, Diavolo-kun! You're not strong enough to fight them yet! You're gonna get killed!"
"Hey, was getting impressed just for show? Trust me, I like it when it gets extreme. And besides, a bunch of goons just showed up out of nowhere, and wants to kidnap you. Sorry, but no matter how I look at it, I just can't let it slide."
"You don't know who you're up against!"
"And precisely because of that, I'd regret it if I didn't try. I'll live my entire life thinking that 'maybe' I could've made a difference."
"But your wound— !"
"Listen to me! Just stand back and stay quiet."
It was no use. No matter what she said, she couldn't convince him to stop now. Realizing this, Suzume gulped and took a couple of steps back.
"You really don't know what you're up against, do you, mister 'bodyguard'?" the leader cracked his knuckles too.
"Six on one isn't fair, you know," Diavolo smirked at his predicament.
"Nobody said this was going to be, right boy?"
"Fufu! Fine by me! Let's do this!" and he charged at him.
"Attack!" and the other five follow suit.
Suzume stood there watching. She was afraid this would happen. Till now, it was her elder sister who was protecting her. But now, she needed to leave for a very important task. As such, she was told to befriend some people who could be capable of more or less defending her.
However, she was told so with the knowledge that everything was fine at school after the matter of her going berserk was settled. Even after being asked everyday whether she was being treated normally like before, she would reply with a simple, 'yes, everything was alright.'
Poor Suzume was now in a dilemma. Her plan of wanting to not make her sister worry had backfired. But she still didn't want to make things worse by confessing at the last moment. Thus, she decided to take care of it on her own. She was prepared to repeat what had happened in school and hope for the best.
But then, Diavolo came in. The boy was odd and piqued her interest, so she was thinking of whether he should be given a chance. After the deal was settled with him on 'that' day, she had a new reason for wanting to get to know him.
It was but a mere hunch. Only a passing thought. It could've been just a coincidence. But certain things sounded too convenient, hence she, on her own accord, wished to befriend him. She was actually even ready to ignore it if Diavolo wasn't able to perform too well in the exam. But of course, since it was a deal, she planned to beat around the bush a little if so happened. Although, fortunately, that did not happen.
She was more than just impressed, she was glad. Not only was her deal with Diavolo fulfilled, but she could also use him as her temporary bodyguard. That's right… 'use'.
Having spent the day with their group, Suzume felt nothing but guilt thinking about the word. She no longer wanted to involve them, any of them! Above all, she did not want to endanger Diavolo. So, she tried to run away as soon as possible. Abruptly leaving the house without any company, only because she felt responsible and guilty.
But her attempts were too half-hearted. After all, she was about to cut a precious connection that had just begun to bud. In the end, she was dragged off by Diavolo and this was the result. She was trembling. Not because of the fear of getting taken away, but because of how they'd start thinking about her from then on.
She was already being boycotted for that 'occurrence.' But now, after so long, she finally met people who called out to her regardless. And having the one who tried the most face such a fate on their first day was unforgivable. She brought people bad luck. How would they think of her now? Will she be facing the same treatment once again? Or would something worse happen? After all, this wasn't a game. Diavolo actually had a possibility of getting killed!
Thinking of such questions, her hands got cold as she held them together, only to witness a scene that seemed to brush off all the worries she had. Yes, Diavolo, was in fact, holding his own against the well-dressed goons.
Five versus one, yet Diavolo was still matching them evenly. It didn't seem like he was using any particular skill or technique. He was moving by pure instinct. Still, managing to stay toe to toe against experienced men, that too five of them, solely on instinct was really commendable. Things were looking bright. That was, until, the sixth man, their leader joined in.
Two of them stood in front of him and simultaneously prepared a punch. Diavolo, naively thinking they were the only opponents to worry about, defended naturally, but the punches were feints. They moved away, and from that gap, their leader sprung in, "Got ya!" and kicked him away.
"Ugh!" Diavolo grunted as he landed on the ground, but his honed survival senses as a hunter helped him out. Instead of sprawling on the ground, he simply used his momentum to flip back up. The 'bear' wasn't going to wait for him to get up, was it?
"Diavolo-kun!"
"I'm okay," but he was not okay. A sharp pain made him grasp his abdomen. He was bleeding.
"Blood?! But all he did was kick me!"
"Yoohoo~!" the man said, dangling his right leg.
"Y-you nasty…" stuttered a coughing Diavolo as he saw the spikes protruding from his boots.
"Oi, oi, stop joking around. You expect to beat us like that?! Your movements are sluggish, you have no fighting style and you can only follow your opponents that are in front of you. All you do is swing your fist like an amateur. Things might've been different if you used Material Raze though."
"You bastard… shut up!" and he swung his right fist at him, but was grabbed easily. The man then squeezed his fist, causing him to flinch.
"I don't know what caused it, but you're severely wounded in this hand, aren't you? Don't worry. I'll make sure to take proper advantage of this situation!!"
Diavolo clicked his tongue and was planning a move, but, "Let go!" a voice behind, interrupted him.
"Oh, so you've already tied her up, eh?"
"Of course we have. This was our original mission anyway. Stop having your way," replied the co-leader as he finished up the knot.
"Oh, come on, give me a break. Just having a little fun won't hurt," and then facing back at Diavolo, "So, how's that? If you don't do something, the young missy's gonna get taken away. Or is it that… you actually don't even know Material Raze?"
With no reply, Diavolo simply frowned.
"I hit the jackpot, didn't I?! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!"
Diavolo felt pathetic.
"Oh, this is rich! I can't believe this is the bodyguard they were trying to be so cautious about!!! HAHAHAHA," but then suddenly, his expression changed to a very evil look, "You disappoint me, brat," and with a loud gong, he punched him in the face with the spiked glove.
"You! How dare you waste my time like that!" he shouted and kept on kicking Diavolo who was lying on the road, "And I was just about to release my full power on you! You!" another kick, "You!" and yet another, "I'll make sure you see hell!!"
"Guwah!" he spewed blood from his mouth.
"Diavolo-kun!" shouted Suzume and trudged towards him.
"Where do you think you're going?" they punched her and started dragging her towards their car by her hair.
Meanwhile, Diavolo was still getting beaten up. And finally, the man grabbed his head, raised it up.
"DON'T!!!"
And smashed it to the ground. From then on, all Diavolo could hear was a loud ringing noise. His vision blurred as he lay there, facing Suzume who was being taken away.
"Tch! Not even this is satisfying me!" and he then kept on stepping on his head. But to Diavolo, the pain was no longer there. The only input was the visual scene that continued to get more and more blurry.
"Ah, I messed up…" he thought, regretting not being able to make a difference. All hope was lost as his consciousness started to waver. Although, it seemed that Suzume was still struggling to get herself free. Ah, that was good, was what Diavolo thought. As long as she tried, maybe some help could arrive soon.
Huh? She seemed to be yelling something. But Diavolo couldn't discern the contents. Neither sound, nor vision.
As Diavolo lay helplessly on the ground, he thought, "Huh? Why is it happening like this? She's crying out so hard, but I can't hear her. Dammit, I'm so confused! I have no idea what's going on, and suddenly I'm gonna die?! What's up with that?! Maybe this was bound to happen. I'll be seeing you soon, mom…" and he held the pendant around his neck.
As his final bit of consciousness faded, all sorts of past memories gushed up in his mind.
〈You will not die here…〉 an unfamiliar feminine voice told him. It definitely wasn't a physical sound. After all, he couldn't hear anything. It felt like a sound in his mind. Maybe he had finally slipped into the realm of dreams and was hearing random voices.
"Who is that?" he asked in reply, to simply go with the flow.
〈This is not your place to die. You yourself are unaware of the degree of power you harbor. All you have to do is break the seal.〉 the voice replied as if it was the most natural conversation taking place.
"Shut up and just tell me who you are!"
The dream finally took visual shape. Diavolo found himself in an area with nothing but a giant golden gate in front of him; behind him, was pitch black.
"What is...this?" he muttered and walked towards the solid gate.
〈You have a goal, don't you? If you die here, everything will be over!〉
"Why does it matter to you?! Why are you telling me all this?! What's your objective?!" he bombarded the formless voice with questions.
〈This isn't about me, but what you desire the most. Tell me, is giving up really what you want?〉
Pictures of Diavolo's village burning down, his friends and family started appearing and disappearing around his head.
〈You are not the kind of person to abandon a comrade.〉 and finally the scene of Suzume being dragged away appeared.
〈Being aware of the consequences now, are you still willing to just leave everything behind? You will regret it forever...〉
The voice continued. It wasn't a voice Diavolo recognized, but it didn't seem hostile. It sounded quite soothing. Like a mother, gently trying to pacify her child. She patiently explained away, and felt like that she really did, in fact, mean well.
Coming back to his senses, Diavolo reestablished his priorities. It didn't matter if he was being told by a stranger or an apparition. Because they were simply facts. Facts that he could not just ignore irresponsibly. And so, he steeled his resolve.
"Tell me! What do I have to do?!"
〈Beyond that door, lies most of you sealed. The real you. If you break it open, everything will come gushing out.〉
"The real me…?" he walked to the gate and placed his hand on it. "Guh!" he suddenly felt a huge pressure on his body. "What tremendous pressure! Is this really, my true power?! No, I'm wasting time like this. I've got to break it, now!"
And so, Diavolo raised his fist, "HAAAHHH!!!"
Meanwhile, outside in the physical world, Suzume was still being pulled as Diavolo was being squashed.
"If this goes on, both of us will be in trouble!" she thought. She could no longer take it. They didn't even propose a deal for letting him live if she went with them without resistance. There was no room for negotiations.
"I have no other choice! Looks like I have to unleash it. I'm sorry Onee-chan, but I won't be able to forgive myself, if he is harmed any further!" and her eyes gave a faint glow and turned into vertical slits.
But before anything else could happen, the seemingly out of commission Diavolo grabbed the leader's leg in its tracks to stomp him again. Everybody ceased what they were doing.
"Oh? It looks like you still have some fight left in yo— Ack! Ow! Hot!!" he shoved his leg away from Diavolo's grip and hopped back a few steps. Looking down, he saw that smoke was being emitted from his pant sleeve; signs of being burnt.
Diavolo stood up...slowly, and finally, gave him a piercing glare. It was the same beat up, swollen and bleeding Diavolo, but for some reason, he wasn't even flinching from the pain anymore. Heck it didn't even look like he was in pain at all!
His pearl blue eyes had turned red and gave a faint glow. Combined with his wordless glare, he completely looked like the embodiment of rage.
"What the?! Was his eyes red from the beginning?! Moreover…what is this horrifying pressure I'm feeling?!"
"Hey, you two," Diavolo calmly said, "let her go."
"Hah!" the co-leader chuckled, "You think we'll just do whatever you say? Stop trying to act cool just because you managed to hold onto your consciousness!"
But the person that line was directed at was no longer there. He instantaneously turned the moment he felt the bestial presence behind him. But he reacted a bit too late. The scene greeting his eyes was his subordinate already screaming and wriggling on the ground with a broken arm.
Diavolo had actually dashed behind them with his utmost speed — faster than they could perceive — while the co-leader was busy making his retort. The 17 year old boy was in no mood for jokes anymore.
Not even waiting for them to turn around and be surprised, he had kicked the arm that was grabbing onto Suzume's hair; with enough force to actually break it. Not the arm joint, but the actual bone.
A second subordinate now panicked and pointed a gun at him, "Hey, don't move or I'll shoot!"
"Can you stand?" Diavolo asked Suzume, ignoring him.
"Y-Yeah," she replied as he helped her up.
"Hey, can't you hear me?! I said I'll shoot!" and without a word, Diavolo slowly approached him. "Stay away! Don't come near me!" he yelled and grasped the gun with both hands. But Diavolo simply walked on until the muzzle touched his chest.
"Shoot," he boldly dared him.
"Huh…?" he was confused and trembled.
"What are you waiting for?! This is your chance! Just pull the trigger!!" a third subordinate shouted.
"No, that's not it. It's not that he's not shooting, it's that he can't."
"What's that supposed to mean?! It's not like he's grabbing onto his hand or something!"
But unlike this ignorant subordinate, the co-leader knew what was going on. They weren't experienced enough to sense it unless it was directed at them. And that was exactly what was happening to the man with the gun.
Right now, Diavolo's entire concentrated pool of rage was being directed at him. The scene was like a predator gently looking down at its prey, without even lifting a muscle. The predator knew very well that the 'little creature' was helpless and couldn't run away.
It was similar to animal instinct. His fear was preventing him from taking the next step. The man in front of him, even if he was a rookie, was perfectly capable of taking a countermeasure even if he did pull the trigger; that's the kind of feeling he got.
On the flip side, Diavolo wasn't really thinking of such things. He wasn't trying to show off. He only had one objective in mind and simply played out his card as if it was a natural sequence of events.
"What's wrong? Shoot," Diavolo repeated, "Or is it…" he grabbed the man's hand and raised it to his forehead "…more satisfying to shoot here?"
"What is this feeling? It's like the gravity increases tenfold and I can't move! Who is he?"
"You can't, can you? If you don't even have the resolve, don't bother using a weapon," his eyes shimmered, "Go back home."
And Diavolo's hand ignited in flames, burning the man's arm.
"AAAAHHHH!!" he quivered on the ground. That was all it took to shatter his resolve.
With his right hand still aflame, Diavolo walked towards the leader. "You bastard!" the third subordinate yelled and charged at him. But Diavolo swiftly shifted away.
"He disappeared?" but Diavolo had actually moved just under him. A quick blazing uppercut, sent him flying to an ad board two storeys above ground, denting it and then came falling back down.
"Wait, I'm gonna catch you!" shouted the final subordinate as he ran towards where he was about to land.
"You should worry more about yourself," Diavolo charged towards him and just as he turned to look at him, he was smashed to the ground.
"Now then," Diavolo again made his way towards the leader. He only trembled.
"What's wrong? Aren't you gonna say anything? You were talking pretty big about me being weak, weren't you?" with some of his anger quelled, he spouted a very cocky line.
"Brat! You knew Material Raze? That was pretty nasty of you to trick me like that."
"Nope. I haven't learnt to lie like that yet."
During this exchange of words, the co-leader had stealthily walked to a fire hydrant and broke it. Water gushed out at Diavolo, putting out the fire on his hand.
"So what if he can use Material Raze?! It's not like he can control it like an elite! In the end, he's still an amateur! A simple countermeasure like this is enough to put him back in his place!"
"Hahah! Nicely done! Now then, stand right there, brat! These gloves are meant to do more than just pierce through people's flesh, you know," he hit his fists together and his gloves were enveloped in electricity, "With you wet like that, this'll be over in an instant!"
"You know old man, weren't you ever told not to underestimate your opponents?"
"What, you tryna scare me now or something?"
"It's just a piece of advice. Like you said, I'm just an amateur. It would be too optimistic of me to think I can 'control' this power so easily," Diavolo said it as if he was implying something.
"What?"
And then immediately, Diavolo went ablaze and shot a huge burst of flames at the hydrant, completely boiling through the water and the hydrant; as well as knocking (burning) the co-leader out of commission. The sound of sizzling permeated throughout the quiet neighborhood as the steam dissolved into the atmosphere.
His right fist had reignited. Only now, his entire left arm was in flames as well. Suzume watched awestruck at the Diavolo who was completely different from the one this morning.
"What's wrong? Don't tell me you're gonna stop here. After all, you went so far as to show off your 'special' gloves," he confidently retorted.
"You brat! How dare you do that to my men! You'll pay for mocking us!!" with all his subordinates out, Diavolo had pushed the final button on the leader. He blew his top and charged straight at him.
"Oh? Charging right ahead, are we? Perfect! It's just my style. Let me answer your rage."
"Eat this!" he did a straight punch with his electricity active.
Diavolo faced the attack head on and grabbed on his fist with his own hand. The sudden stop in momentum caused the ground to crack ever so slightly.
"You won't be acting tough soon," he said and the electricity started surging into him, "Well? How does it feel having over 10,000 volts of electricity surging through your body?"
"Shut up. Your voice hurts more than these gloves do," and he kicked his abdomen, sending him flying.
"Ugh! Stubborn kid! I'll have to finish this quickly…" and he raised his fist, just to see that the spikes were melted. "What the?! He melted my spikes? This is no joke! It's made of friggin iron! Just how hot are those flames? Wasn't this guy an amateur!"
He was utterly shocked. A short burst of energy was one thing, but by the looks of it, Diavolo seemed to be maintaining the same intensity of flames as it was when he melted the hydrant. This was an impossible feat for someone with absolutely no experience.
And it was not just him, but Suzume too, was surprised. No matter how talented or gifted one was, going overboard like that would only bring harm. To think that he still wasn't going berserk was— "Don't tell me! He's—!"
That's when they saw it. From Diavolo's standing figure, little chunks of burning skin and flesh were falling off.
Plop. Plop. Plop. One after another from his left arm and right hand.
"Ya idiot kid! Do you even know what you're doing?!"
"What?" he asked as if his question was too vague.
"Don't play dumb with me! Don't you feel any pain?!"
"Pain? Oh, this," then shrugging, "Beats me. Could this even be compared to the past…" he said drifting into his own thoughts. He raised his arm and aimlessly stared at it, rubbing the tips of his fingers against each other. Like dry scabs, more burning chunks fell, thinning the distance between the air and his bones, although under the thick layer of flames, that wasn't so clear.
"Stop screwing around! You're not sane!"
Voom, then dashing right in front of his face, "I don't want a half assed guy like you telling me that," and he gave the hardest punch he could muster up in that moment right at his chest.
"And this takes care of your power source," he said as the leader was sent rolling across the road.
His shirt burnt away, a blotted battery pack was visible attached to his chest.
"You're pretty lucky. That device prevented your ribs from breaking in. Now, what are you gonna do? Your spikes are of no use and your power source is busted."
"How did you know?"
"Hmm?"
"How did you know that I was using a power source and not actually Material Raze?"
"Instinct," he said bluntly, "And besides, my friend is a plasma user too. I know what real electricity feels like."
He sighed, "I'm not even gonna complain," and he lay there, fully expecting the final blow to be given.
Thick clouds loomed above and rumbling noises could be heard. A storm was brewing.
"It's gonna rain soon. You'll catch a cold in that state. Hurry up and leave," said the teenage boy as he made his way to his friend's side.
"W-what on earth do you think you're doing?!!! Finish me off! I don't need your pity!!" he said enraged.
"And I don't need to finish off a guy who came to fight here against his will!"
He calmed down, recalling that it was a fact.
"You were just ordered, weren't you? You didn't have any motivation from the beginning. You don't have any personal grudge, nor an interest in going full gear for your mission. Now, that you've lost, there's no reason to fight anymore."
That, and also, he didn't think he'd get in trouble for failing. Even if he was experienced as a fighter, he himself was a newbie too. This was his first task in the group he had joined. Also, even if the person hiring him got angry, he did not have any true authority over him. After all, his master was a different person.
"If you let me go now, I'll be reporting everything to my seniors," he calmly warned.
"Do as you want."
"Including your powers. They'll prepare countermeasures next time."
"Heh, good luck with that. I just got this power myself. Even I don't know what I can do. I'll be just as surprised as you guys when I try something new!"
The man stood up, "I'll remember this. Make sure you don't regret it."
Diavolo nodded as they all got into their respective cars. Just as he was about to get in, "I don't know much about our client, but honestly, I don't really like him. But what you really need to remember is our real boss' name," he handed Diavolo a small paper.
"If all goes well, we'll end up forming an official alliance with these guys. I'd prefer that doesn't happen, but keep this a secret. Our boss agreed to cooperate because he found this interesting, but we all think this deal is too troublesome. If circumstances allow it, do a number on them, okay? And when we meet again, we'll fight for real!" he grinned.
"Hmph, I never wanted to hear your details. Just don't make me wait. I've got the patience of a kid," he smirked in reply.
They took off, and once they were out of sight, the fight being finally over, Diavolo couldn't hold out any longer, so the flames just vanished. His eyes too, returned to normal. Exhausted, he lost footing, but Suzume wrapped his arm over her to provide support.
"Sorry, I guess I went a little overboard. Are you okay?"
"Idiot! You should be more worried about yourself right now! Just look at you! Come on, we've almost reached my place. We'll treat you there."
And that's how his fight concluded. Diavolo didn't have the heart nor energy to fight back at this time, and simply accepted the hospitality.
"Yeah, sorry for the trouble."
But he had no idea of just how big a story he was about to step into.