Some of the thoughts running through Nicholas's mind as this "demon" entered included: tall, dangerous, handsome, and deadly. The presence this guy had was suffocating, to say the least—like the entire room had shrunk around him.
The demon's sharp blue eyes scanned the scene, taking in the battered group, the cowering civilians, and Wally's wounded shoulder. He let out a long, almost theatrical sigh.
"I guess you don't have the money you owe, do ya, Wallace?" His tone was casual, but there was something predatory beneath it, like a cat toying with a mouse.
Wally grimaced, wiping sweat from his brow. "Just let me deal with this cretin," he said, jabbing a finger at Unknown. "Then I'll get the Big Man's—"
Bang!
A bullet whizzed past his ear, barely grazing it. Wally yelped, clutching the wound as he collapsed onto his side. The shot had come so fast that Nicholas hadn't even registered it happening.
"Tsk, tsk." The demon clicked his tongue, his disappointment clear. In his hand, he casually spun a sleek, silver handgun, a thin wisp of smoke curling from the barrel.
Nicholas's stomach tightened. I didn't even see him draw it…
"I can't have you giving away valuable information like that, Wallace," the demon continued, his smooth voice laced with quiet menace. He tilted his head slightly and turned his gaze to Nicholas. His eyes raked over him as if trying to decide what to make of him.
"... especially not in front of whatever this is supposed to be." His tone almost sounded like he was smirking beneath the demonic mask, yet his eyes remained cold. Then, his gaze shifted to the civilians.
"And definitely not in front of all these innocent people you've dragged into this mess." His tone changed and became something much more dangerous. "You know I don't kill innocents without a good reason, right?" His voice dropped lower. "So don't give me a reason."
Even Nicholas, who wasn't easily rattled, felt the weight behind those words. The room was silent except for the quiet, panicked breaths of the hostages. Wally, still on the ground, stared up at the demon, his expression twisted in terror.
The demon took a slow step forward. "Now, Wallace... how exactly do you plan to fix this little situation you've gotten yourself into?"
Silence settled over the room, stretching the seconds into what felt like an eternity.
"If I may interject…" Nicholas finally spoke, his voice even. "How about a proposition, Mr. Demon?"
The demon's head tilted slightly, an eyebrow raised in amusement. "Wow. I didn't know it could speak." His tone was light, almost playfully surprised. The gun in his hand shifted ever so slightly—now aimed directly at Nicholas.
Nicholas internally scoffed. He wasn't fooled. The man was mocking him, trying to get a reaction. That alone was enough to tell him that this "demon" was testing him. He didn't take him completely seriously, but at the same time, the demon didn't let his guard down, either.
"So, will you listen," Nicholas asked, his eyes locked on the gun, "or just blow my brains out?"
There was a pause, and then the demon let out a small chuckle, tilting his head. "Whoa… Buddy, I don't swing that way."
For some reason, Nicholas was instantly reminded of Haru and Dick—and that seriously ticked him off. But he refused to let it show. No emotion. No cracks. He needed to stay in control in front of this guy.
The demon, seeing the lack of reaction, sighed dramatically, shoulders slumping. "Man, everyone's lame. No one appreciates a good joke anymore."
"To be fair," Nicholas shot back before he could stop himself, "it's hard to enjoy a joke when lives are at stake."
The demon's eyes gleamed with interest. "Oh?"
"How about this," Nicholas continued, shifting his stance slightly. "You let the hostages go—preferably me as well—and you gentlemen can sort out whatever business you have amongst yourselves. Sounds fair, doesn't it?"
The demon was quiet for a moment, then let out a hum. "Huh. A negotiator. Didn't take you for the type." He slowly spun the gun in his hand, as if weighing his options. "But let's be real here... what exactly are you offering me in return?"
Nicholas narrowed his eyes. "Other than not having to deal with civilians in the middle of whatever mess you're about to make?"
The demon chuckled again, though his gun didn't lower. "That's cute. But see, I like messes."
Nicholas exhaled slowly. This guy was sharp and he enjoyed toying with people way too much.
Before he could respond, the demon took another step closer.
"Alright, I'll humor you," The demon said, his voice laced with lazy amusement. "Convince me. Give me one good reason why I should let you and the hostages walk out of here. Make it good."
Nicholas considered his options... They weren't great. Realistically, the demon had no reason to let him or the others go.
He sighed. "Why not let them go?"
The demon didn't respond immediately, but his eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly.
"I'm sure those idiots behind me have already stripped them of everything valuable," Nicholas continued. "They're useless now, aren't they? It's not like they know anything. Sure, they can describe what they've seen here, or they could keep quiet for their own sakes. Not to mention, no sane hero would venture into the VilZone alone. And gathering a dozen of them? That's a challenge in and of itself. The police wouldn't dare—they're severely underpowered, after all." He paused before adding, "There's a kid there too."
The demon's eyes flicked toward the hostages. Sure enough, there was a child among them. He tilted his head downward slightly, obscuring his expression. A beat passed. Then, out of nowhere, he threw his head back and laughed.
"Wow. Just wow," The demon chuckled. "I never would have expected you to go down that route." He shook his head. "When you hit me with that 'why not,' I thought of shooting myself, thinking I knew where this conversation was going. I figured you were about to appeal to my humanity or something... And in a way, you kinda did. At the end, at least."
Nicholas kept silent, his stance steady despite his unease. He had no idea which way this was going to go.
The demon exhaled, his amusement fading. "Anyway, what's your name, guy? You can call me Gin."
"Unknown," Nicholas said flatly.
The demon, or Gin, visibly recoiled. "That's… such a basic edgy name. Are you trying to be edgy, or were you just born edgy?"
Nicholas frowned. "Personally, I don't think it's that edgy."
Gin's eyes suddenly widened, like he had an epiphany. "Aha. So you were just born edgy, huh? That sucks—for you, of course."
Nicholas clenched his jaw. "Just answer already, man." He was oblivious to the shocked stares from Wally, Finkle, and Dutch.
In all their time working for their boss, they'd never imagined the Demon being this talkative. After every job, he'd return, silent as ever, muttering that the mission was "boring." They also couldn't believe that Unknown was having, what felt like, a casual conversation with the Demon of the Underworld.
Gin rubbed his chin as if contemplating his next words. "Y'know, I was considering it… but the problem is, you're Unknown."
Nicholas narrowed his eyes. 'Hah? What is this bastard saying now?' He thought.
"You took down one of our pet projects," Gin said casually. "Boss's orders are to get rid of the pest."
Nicholas scoffed. "Aha, let me guess—I'm the pest?"
"No shit, Sherlock."
"No need to be rude. I, for one, think I've been pretty respectful so far."
"Like respect means shit here."
"Figured it might work. Even if only slightly."
The rest of the room watched in disbelief. The casual way they were talking—it almost seemed like they were friends.
'Pet project…?' Nicholas's thoughts raced. 'It couldn't be… Markus? He said it was supposed to be a one-and-done…' He shoved the thought aside for now. If true, it would explain a lot about this situation.
Nicholas exhaled. "Then, you let the hostages go, and I'll stay."
Gin didn't react.
Nicholas pointed to his forehead. "Actually, you can just shoot me. Right here. Right now."
Silence.
Then Gin let out a low whistle. "Damn. That's some balls ya got. Or are you just an idiot?"
Nicholas didn't flinch. "Does it matter?"
Gin tilted his head, seeming to weigh his next move. His fingers tapped against the gun in his hand.
Then, with a shrug, he pointed it directly at Nicholas's forehead.
"Alright, let's see if you're bluffing."
The room tensed as his finger rested on the trigger.
Then—BANG!
In the next moment, Unknown collapsed to the ground. Unmoving.
The room was filled with thick, suffocating silence. No one could utter a word, and no one even breathed.
Except for Gin.
He took a slow step forward, tilting his head as he observed the fallen body. Then, without hesitation, he kicked it. Once. Twice. A third time for good measure.
"Guess he was just suicidal, huh?" He muttered, though there was no amusement in his voice this time. He even felt a slight amount of disappointment. Though… something felt off.
Then he noticed it.
No blood.
His brows furrowed. 'What the hell—'
Before he could react, a fist slammed into his gut with crushing force. The impact sent him flying backward, his boots skidding across the floor as he barely caught himself.
Nicholas stood up, completely unharmed. Not even a dent on his mask.
"Alright," he said, cracking his neck. "I can agree with you calling me an idiot. But suicidal? That's too much."
Gin coughed once but managed to grin beneath his mask. "Well, well… Now that's something."
Nicholas ignored him, his gaze snapping toward the hostages. "Well, what the hell are you waiting for?! Run!"
That was all they needed to hear. Panic broke loose as people bolted toward the exit, shoving past one another in sheer desperation to escape.
Gin didn't even glance at them. His focus was entirely on Nicholas. "That was a neat trick, Unknown. Gotta admit, you had me for a second." He straightened up, rolling his shoulders. "Now I'm really interested."
Nicholas tensed. The way Gin said that… it didn't sound like a simple observation. It sounded like a threat.
And there was a problem.
Gin stood near the only exit, his presence a wall of danger the hostages had to pass through.
The silver-haired demon tilted his head, glancing at the frozen civilians. "What are y'all waiting for?" His voice was low, almost casual, but there was an unmistakable edge to it. "He said to run, didn't he? So run." His fingers twitched near his gun. "Don't worry. I'll honor my end of the bargain."
Still, they hesitated, feet rooted to the ground by fear.
Then, a single voice cut through the silence.
"Come on!" Evan, the young thief, was the first to move, grabbing one of the people's hands and tugging them forward. "We gotta go!"
His small act of bravery broke the spell. The flood of people surged forward, stumbling, shoving, desperate to escape. Some even brushed against Gin in their panic, but he didn't react. He didn't move an inch. He just kept staring at Nicholas.
And in that gaze, Nicholas saw the truth. Things were about to get a whole lot worse.
The last hostage slipped through the door, leaving the room eerily empty. Moments ago, it had been filled with murmurs and fear—now, only silence remained, broken by the ragged breathing of Wally, Finkle, and Dutch, who, for some reason, had decided to stay.
They really are idiots… Nicholas would have preferred if they had left too. He had no doubt the Demon would kill them without hesitation. As rotten as they were, he wasn't about to let that happen—not out of any moral obligation, but because he intended to make them return everything they stole. What would happen to them after that? As far as Nicholas was concerned, they could go to prison.
Gin exhaled, stretching his arms. "Man…" His voice was light, almost soft. "To be honest, I would have thought you would have run too." Then his voice seemed full of life. "You just keep surprising me."
He rolled his shoulders, then took a step forward.
"You're hella interesting, Unknown. So, for my sake…" His piercing blue eyes gleamed with something wild, something dangerous. "I really hope you're good at fighting."
That look… that fire burning behind his gaze… it was hunger. It seemed that the Demon of the underworld was a battle maniac.
Nicholas let out a long sigh. 'I just wanted my phone back.'