"Yes, don't make me repeat myself. The ones that attempted to end our family are the Jarilos family; all of the servants that suddenly turned on us were brought here by them." I repeated it over the phone.
That's when I felt a sudden surge of demonic energy, something that could only be categorized as a green-grade demon. It formed a giant eye in the skies, and with a wink, it was able to cast away the clouds covering the floating city.
To even unleash a demon here, those bastards have completely lost their minds.
I thought I tightened the chains around my fists.
Goddammit, I hadn't had my refill of Ashen lately; I should've asked for some more last time. I can't believe those bastards managed to steal over half of my stash when they kidnapped that fool. You see now, Robby, this is what happens when you don't take care of these bastards. They always come back to bite your ass. Everyone in this world is our enemy; the only ones we can trust are family.
I didn't know how much I had until I started feeling the effects of demonic influence, so I wound up my right hand as far back as I could and swung it forward with all my strength, launching a shockwave against the eye. Coincidentally, the eye shot out something very bright against us shortly after I launched mine.
How annoying, to think his attack would match mine. I guess this one is probably more powerful than… No, have I seen this demon before?
I could already tell it was charging itself to unleash another attack, so I steeled myself, charged another punch, and unleashed it, spinning my whole body with it to squeeze as much power as possible.
The eye then shot out another laser that ended up fragmenting mid-air as it clashed against the shockwave I created with my own hands. But this failed to land on the large demon floating above the city.
Fine, if this one doesn't work, how about this!
I widened my stance and took a deep breath in before unleashing a palm strike aimed at the giant eye using my left hand, and then as I retracted my hand, I unleashed yet another strike, this time with my right hand.
Not enough.
One after the other, I kept increasing the speed and strength of my attacks until they finally overpowered the eye's attacks and tore it apart, forcing it to retreat.
Mph! Who do these bastards think they are? To suddenly mess with us, they're either extremely sure of themselves or really stupid… Either way, they messed with the wrong family.
The sky had already turned red, that woman had probably overheard our conversation, and she was probably already spying on me to get the info she wanted to take immediate action.
"Yep, you've both gone super soft in the past decade. I can understand Robby, but not you, you who were barely in Lucy's life. How did you even allow your heart to get so soft despite working in the Fracture?" I took out a cigarette and lit it up to pass some time.
As I took the first puff of smoke, I could feel my mind slowly drift further and further away from sanity. Many chains were weighing down my body as sweet voices were moaning in my ears.
Ha, I really had that little left in me… I guess I'm starting to build up a resistance to Ashen, great, just great… Another thing I have to deal with… damn.
I had more than enough willpower to withstand those childish provocations, but I didn't want to suffer through the rest of the day, so I opened the trunk of the car to get my last stash of Ashen.
A small plastic bag containing no more than five grams of that very soft, fine, and magical powder.
All it took was one handful of that rainbow powder to make all of those demons disappear from my mind; now my sense of vision and smell felt clearer than ever.
The kids were still watching me, their eyes filled with wonder and admiration. It wasn't something that I was particularly proud of, especially for how young they were, but the world wasn't kind enough to let me raise them in a proper environment.
I'm sure they're looking at this through rose-tinted lenses. Back then I also used to be like that… And now here I am.
I took another puff of the cigarette, a long one to inhale as much smoke as possible. I wanted to feel lightheaded for once, but my constitution didn't allow for that. My body was too far gone in the direction of a demon to still be able to enjoy worldly pleasures.
I had three small packs left of ashen; the emergency stash could only last a couple more weeks in case I avoided fighting and using my powers in any sort of way.
"We should stay here; in this large open space it's a lot easier to spot an enemy. Moreover… the invisible bridge could have been attacked and have collapsed already; I would rather not gamble with that." With the third puff of smoke, I realized I had already consumed the rest of the cigarette.
If I recall correctly, that family is that of that chubby kid. Did he start this over a personal grudge? It's my first time seeing such a display of stupidity… Usually they're a lot smarter than this.
I saw a couple of shows lurking around the mostly empty parking lot, hiding behind cars, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
What a bunch of amateurs… It's evident that these people don't know anything about how people of the Fracture fight. If you're playing for a battle of attrition, you're dead wrong. I already know who your target is.
I took out another cigarette and lit it up as red rain began to pour from the skies.
That woman… Does she really trust me this little?
The guys hiding behind the nearby cars came out of their hiding spot, screaming in pain as the red liquid was slowly melting their bodies. They tried summoning their powers, but before they could even attack us, their heads had melted into a dark puddle along with their shoulders.
The acidic rain also completely consumed my cigarettes but left my clothes, hair, and body intact. After flipping off the clouds in the skies, I got back in the car.
Mind your fucking business, Elena. If I want to smoke, let me smoke in peace.
"Okay, we've stayed here long enough. Is there anything you'd like to eat on our way back? The event was supposed to have a buffet; unfortunately, it was—" Just then a thunderbolt struck one of the floating islands.
The shockwave released was enough to send quakes throughout the upper city.
You don't have to sink the whole island, for fuck's sake; leave some for us… Lately the traffic of demons has taken a spike. With the discovery of the seventh layer, we've been hoarding demons to the point we almost filled our facilities. Just clear it of the cockroaches so I can put it to use.
I complained internally as I kept driving forward; the kids were both suffering from the extremely loud explosion. So to ease their pain, I summoned the Ghostly Whistle and blew it gently to repair the damage done to their ears.
"Uncle, when will I be able to take the abilities you reserved for me?" Lucy asked me as soon as he recovered from his injuries.
Look at him, already thinking of learning how to fight; however, it's still a little too early for you.
"You've got to ask your parents first. Taking in a demonic weapon is no joke. Once you grow a bit older, you'll be able to wield them. Don't worry, they won't run away; they'll wait in the storage for as long as you need." I reassured him.
Back when I was his age, I was already wielding my first demonic weapon, but that wasn't the future I envisioned for any of them. I wanted them to enjoy these moments a little longer before they had to step into the bitter world of the adults.
However, it seems that it won't be possible at this rate.
I sighed as I turned around the corner and headed straight towards my brother's house to bring him back his child.
"Can't we head back to your house?" Lucy asked.
Huh?
"Did something happen at home?" I didn't want to sound too intrusive, but at the same time I didn't want to ignore his eyes looking at me with sadness.
"N-no, it's just, I would prefer to spend some more time with others, that's it." He replied, averting his eyes.
"Sure, why not? I'm sure your parents will understand; it must've been an incredibly stressful day." I said out loud as I accelerated the speed of the car.
Oi, Robby, What is this now? Didn't you say that gentle parenting wouldn't lead to these cases? Were your words just a farce? What happened here?
I wanted to punch that irresponsible coward in the face but resisted the urge and simply drove past his house and headed towards mine.