In the locker room I simply lay down on the floor and stretched out my body under Serafall's incredulous gaze.

"Are you really going to fight yourself?"

--This is how it works~ Serafall~

--You're crazy, you don't even know who or what you're up against!

--That's what makes it fun~

I stretched out my body and did a light warm up, swapping my pants for a pair of tight shorts, baring my torso showing off my ripped six pack and pecs to which Serafall couldn't help but hiss.

--Whew~ that girl wasn't kidding, you're well defined~

--Full HD without filters~ 100% natural without chemical additives monounsaturated non-acids~

I laughed a bit before Serafall's serious face showed itself again.

--You have to win since I will bet on you~

--Count on it~

I smiled cheekily and left the locker room.

***

In the sand.

--LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! TODAY WE HAVE A NEW FIGHTER! FROM THE DEPTHS OF THE OCEAN! THE DEEP ONE! JHOAM!

With the shouts of the presenter, I calmly walked to the arena which was nothing more than an octagonal cage three times larger than normal.

--AND WHO WILL FACE THIS BOY! IT'S AN OLD FRIEND! THIS MAN HAS 15 WINS WITH NO LOSSES! AN ENTHUSIAST OF ANTIQUES! A CONNOUNCER OF THE FINE ARTS! TEACHER! TEN-SHU-DOOOO!

With that, a man or at least in shape, entered the octagon, he had the body of a man and the head of a turtle, a semi-human dressed in ancient Chinese clothes, about 2 meters tall and a bulging physique worthy of a bodybuilder with hypertrophy.

*AUDIENCE NOISE*

--Oh~ It seems like the public supports you Turtle Man~?

--Sorry kid~ but I'll take your weapons~ there's a painting up for auction~

--Oh~ then no hard feelings~

--Smug little...

--Come on~

--FIGHTERS READY! GET STARTED!

Contrary to what would be expected the turtle man charged at me at high speed with a side leg which for mere amusement I stopped with my arm.

*BLAM*

The pressure, the weight, the force put into that kick were considerable but still they couldn't break my scales in fact it didn't hurt at all. With the same block I moved my wrist and arm digging my nails/claws into his calf, holding the poor guy, he knew what would happen and a large shell covered his torso and kept his limbs (except the one he was holding) inside.

--OH~ this will be fun~

*SLAM*SLAM*SLAM*

I punched and shook the turtle-man just like the Big Green Man did the God of Jokes and didn't stop until the bone in his leg snapped and a horrible scream escaped from within the shell.

--GYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~

--GUHAHAHAHAHAHA ~

I tossed the guy into the air and charged my fist with some (quite a lot) of compressed touki, greenish-black aura swirling in my fist and I yelled for the audience's amusement.

--Deep One Karate : Fist of 3000 Boards!!!

I hit the turtle man's shell and it shattered into pieces leaving only a bloody mass embedded in one of the octagon's walls.

--THE WINNER! THE DEEP ONE JHOAM!

The audience erupted in a crazy round of applause and whistles, except for Serafall who was pale and shaky, I just laughed and walked past her before she followed me like a baby duckling following its mother.

***

--Big fight boy~

--Fatso~

*CLAP*

I high-fived the fat guy like we were lifelong friends, behind him a couple of girls in bikinis carrying an old-looking tea set and a briefcase full of money.

--Here's your prize boy~ A Ming Dynasty tea set and 10 million.

--Oh~ cute cups~ now~ I ask~ Can I fight again~?

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--You still have energy kid~ well I can have a quick fight before the formal schedule starts, so... what do you bet?

--The cups are for the house so put the money and let's make more money Fatso~

--The 10 million? You go big boy~

--The turtle didn't even last to warm up, give me something with more consistency~

--A picky customer~ I have a guy that many want cold~ He's a good fighter but he's a pain for management so...

--I kill the son of a bitch and that's it~

--I like you boy~

*CLAP

I high-fived the fat man again, ignoring the angry face of Serafall who had stayed out of everything.

***

changing rooms

--Are you crazy, you already crippled a poor guy and now you're going for the kill?! Haven't you had enough?!

As soon as we were alone Serafall yelled with undisguised fury to which I could only laugh with great amusement.

--Oh~ cuteness~ that's how things work on the dark side~ seriously you "Devils" are just guys with badly drawn bat wings, uselessly long lives and some magic... but you don't seem like real devils to me, I have seen the real demons and I was one of them, and you my cute and innocent girl are not a demon, maybe you really are just a cute and delusional magical girl but to hell with all this~ I'm having a lot of fun in this place and I won't stop, this brings back too many memories to leave it halfway~ You can leave if you want~ I'll fight another round and see the rest, this is my new favorite place~

I laughed like a child and nonchalantly lay down on the floor.

"You really are crazy, Jhoam... How horrible was your life for you to find this amusing?"

--My life? One shit, over another with slight breaks of hype bliss~

--Wouldn't she, Natasha, be sad about all this...

My laughter stopped and my happiness stopped, I got up and grabbed Serafall by the neck, her smooth, smooth neck compressing under my grip.

"Say one more word and I'll break your neck... I won't let you say his name, or even think of speaking on his behalf..."

--...ack...

--*PIU* Pathetic...

I spat and released Serafall before sitting cross-legged on the floor for her part. Serafall slumped to the floor as she coughed and touched her neck, her purplish eyes filled with tears but they didn't run without staying on the edge. of her long eyelashes.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean...

"One more word and I'll kill everyone in the building..."

--...I...

--Shut up!

My touki exploded making the entire building tremble, screams of panic and terror along with hundreds of running footsteps echoed throughout the place, bringing a new wave of terror and fear that fueled my strength.

--One more word Serafall Leviathan and I send this whole world into the Abyss...

I saw my reflection in the mirror, the ladder of my eyes turning black as my irises turned pale blue, my body surrounded by an aura so thick that all that could be made out were my eyes shining amidst all the chaos.

Serafall remained silent, for my part I retracted my touki and feigned ignorance before Fatso's panicked questions, my fight was fast, I only received the first blow from the guy who was strong pushed me for a few meters before he nailed the Feet on the ground, too bad the guy just had strength, he lacked speed or stamina, so I just ripped his heart out unapologetically and decapitated him to make sure he stayed dead, the audience went wild again and showered me with applause too bad that my mood literally went to shit thanks to a certain magical girl.

I took my money and walked out of the arena, put a wardo on Fatso and that would give me a free hand to fight whenever I needed to ventilate my mind.

***

--Jhoam... I'm sorry I didn't want to...

--Serafall... let's be honest, your sister wants a weapon~ I want a way to die before I really stop caring if I'm Jhoam or Souji or not and choose to obey the voices that ask me to bring horror to the world. world~

I smiled at a terrified Serafall I could see my reflection in her purplish eyes. In them was a broken man filled with pain and a lust for immeasurable destruction, a beast in human form.

"But you know, you and your sister make it hard for me not to choose to blow this world up, since all you do is act like you know who I really am, like you know what she was like... and let me tell you something... They don't know, you just look like her, you're just a bad joke of fate just like Sona, you guys just look alike but it's not them, maybe before Ajuka played with my brain I could have worked but not anymore... They opened the box and now whatever it is I... I AM FREE!

I held out my arms and hundreds of shadow tentacles rose around us as well as a dozen wardos snarling at the sky.

--One last warning, if you try to tarnish the memory of my wife and daughter, even once...

Consciously release all my power by raising it to the maximum, I know it's stupid and it would mark a target on my head but it really didn't matter anymore.

That last outburst of anger opened the seal and the Sacred Gear activated.

--I will drag everything into the abyss, not just the human world, everything will be swallowed without exception... be it heaven, hell, Hades or Olympus, the jade palace or whatever~ I will destroy everything... I've been clear... MICHAEL!

--Hey? !

In response to my words a pillar of golden light fell from the sky and a handsome man with blond hair and emerald eyes dressed in gold and silver appeared in front of us. To avoid trouble the wardos took the paralyzed Serafall and dragged her back to Kuoh.

--It's a pleasure to meet you Hyoudou Souji... or do you prefer Jhoam Hanzo...

--Let's drop the formalities and get to the point, you didn't leave your post just because I released a little madness, right?

“Indeed…I was waiting for the right moment to meet you…I can see that even with the heavy gift our father has given you you still keep a pure spirit in you…”

--Pure, you say? I think you need to go to the ophthalmologist urgently Michael-sama~

--All your anger and pain, even your madness are born from that pure love for your loved ones, although I am not the best one to say it, I respect that and I can see that there is still hope and redemption in your way...

--Sincerely thank you... you're the first person who doesn't try to be condescending, compassionate to me, that and you're not pointing a tactical mana cannon at my face~

I laughed and pulled out a couple of chairs from my shadow along with a couple of glasses and some wine.

--I don't know if angels can drink? Is it Italian wine? It serves?

--Oh~ indeed we can if only a little.

--It's enough for me~

I poured two glasses and to my surprise the great Archangel sat quietly in the chair and enjoyed the wine while we looked at the stars on this abandoned road in the middle of nowhere.

--Young man, your path has been full of pain, I don't know what those hardships were but seeing the marks I can say that it was not easy...

--And that you say it~ although I don't regret it, what if sometimes they torment me a little...

"That is kindness and guilt, young man... but fear not, good is rewarded, evil is punished, and pain is treated... If my words are worth anything, live as long as you can and seek your own answers, looking for death is not an answer, live and enjoy everything this world can offer you.

--Thank you and by the way you better prepare yourself, the pot you hide will soon burst~ you can't hide the truth forever~

"So...you know?"

--I've always known~ don't underestimate the Outer Knowledge~

--Hahahaha~ you are an interesting young man...Well I must go back or Uriel-chan will be mad at me~

--See you and good luck with “it”~

--Thank you.

Michael disappeared in a single flash of light just in time for an enraged and exasperated Serafall to appear with a turbo charged wand in hand.

--Where is that Dove?!

"He's gone, get that dangerous thing down now~"

--Where is Michael?!

--Well, in heaven~ the guy is back home~ he's a nice guy unlike you~

Without further ado I plunged into the shadows and returned to Monet's apartment, I had about 25 million in cash to spend and a set of Ming tea to enjoy.