Morgan takes off her helmet, stopping Beelzebub in its tracks as she takes out the key. Beelzebub suddenly halted, the demon's expression lit up like the eyes of a child.
"Morgan! You're here, more importantly, the key!"
The world around Beelzebub went silent to it, to Beelzebub, there was only the key. It was the most coveted object in the eyes of the demon lord. Should the demon get its hands on it, then the title Lord of Flying Fiends would rightfully be his again.
Yet Morgan had no intention on handing it over, she tosses it to the floor, skidding across the floor right towards a sewer grate. Beelzebub quickly starts flying downwards into the ground, eyes on the prize.
As the human hand reaches towards the ground, Arata's silhouette speeds up closer to Beelzebub. The very next moment, a pillar of light as thin as a fingertail stabs through Beelzebub, leaving a beam of light in the skull of the pig.
With Beelzebub suddenly halted, Arata finds himself face-to-face with the pitiful creature. The lightning bolt is fired as requested, with a "Now!" heard from the distance. Demiurge Foundry activates as energy wells up inside Arata's body, his next strike bursting with flames as Arata uses Bloody Mary to pierce the creature's wings. Now the Chitin fuses to the spine, rendering the Lord of Flying Fiends grounded.
Arata falls back down, spotting Morgan reaching out to catch him, only for the rest of the knights to cut out in front of her, the four of them catching Arata. Alexander's eyes lit up, "Shit, not doing too bad for yourself huh Arata?"
Yet Arata had no time. Now that he had touched the floor again, he needed to pay more attention to Beelzebub. Seeing as they both reached the ground, Arata's eyes quickly scan around the battlefield for where he may have landed. He sees the crackling flames back behind a horde of the alraune.
Damn, no time, I just have to run right past them… I can't let him get up. Cauterizer in hand, Arata sprints at Beelzebub to which the alraune attempt to intervene, their human fingers stretched outwards like a net until they are suddenly cleaved wide apart. Morgan had cut open her eighth finger, which she had stored up.
The path now clear Arata readies his sword to swing at Beelzebub, slicing down at the flaming corpse yet as the sword lands, the shed skin goes flat, slick with mucus except for at the human hand, which is pierced through by Bloody Mary.
I can't let Beelzebub leave. Selena wouldn't want me to kill for her revenge, I'm not, I have to see this through though.
Beelzebub's body twists upwards, fresh. slick with liquid except for its hand now stuck, fused to the floor which can no longer moves. The former Lord of Flying Fiends turns up to face Arata, the human face looks at Arata with revolt while tears begin to well up underneath the welded together eyelids of the pig. The sorry creature was paralyzed with fear.
Arata didn't realize how his eyes went dark, unfocused and cold. Arata looks down, not staring into Beelzebub's eyes, but rather past them. Arata quickly swung down at Beelzebub as the fly half tried to dash away, the human half buckled just to be lacerated by Cauterizer. The pitiful creature can't fly away with its wings fused to its back nor is the creature supposed to stand with its anatomy. The ugly, crawling pig suddenly turned its human head towards Arata, from its throat cut open by the Cauterizer, a stinger came out.
Arata couldn't react, all he could do was block, sticking his sword out in front of him to block. A sharp sting pierces his dominant arm, the venom burns at his skin. Arata prys out the stinger, Alexander similarly moving to help Arata by shielding him off from Beelzebub.
Quickly thinking, Alexander takes out his sidearm, using the knife, he cuts open the wound the stinger entered. "Arata, you should use your ability to seal the wound. I'll make sure Beelzebub doesn't get too far in his injured state."
Arata nods, thinking to himself: Ravenna named it Cauterizer but I have never yet ever heated my sword as a means to cauterize a wound. Is it painful? I'm used to pain but-
The bleeding stops as sizzling smoke comes off the injury. Arata's face said it all, he was, in fact, not ready to handle the pain despite taking it so well. Taking his sword off the injury, Arata looks around for Alexander.
Yet Alexander is nowhere to be seen, there is only a trail of Beelzebub's blood leading down a street. Arata dashes after it, following the line to its end where he sees Alexander, standing over a bleeding out Beelzebub.
This time, we really won? Like that, it's over… Arata's body flips the switch on to relax and immediately off again. Something was wrong. Alexander takes off his helmet, back turned to Arata in silence.
Unfortunately, Arata gets a small glimpse inside the helmet with how Alexander chose to hold it, there's a hole right where his eye is supposed to go lined in crimson. Turning around, Arata clenches his mouth, he feels awful, like he has to vomit.
"To Morgan and to the others, tell them I'm sorry, keep this. Armor's expensive Arata. This can get patched up, you'll have to replace me." Alexander smiles, his face illuminated in the moonlight.
No… You're so unfair, don't talk like you're already dead. Arata clenches his fist in anger, he forgot just how annoying Beelzebub was.
A tear of blood trickles down his pale skin, now a sickly white with his mana drained. What remains of his eye is an eyelid bite full of pus, doused in blood and residue of the eye's humor.
"You're my junior, I should have you work a lot harder to earn my helmet. Let's see… You'll cook just as I did, I have no skill so just the effort matters. I expect you to get Captain Morgan back to her senses since she'll definitely blame herself. Finally, I want to die a human."
The Humble Househand Son
Written by:
Act XX
X Ext. The Forest
Alexander (Male 16) is out picking herbs when he smells smoke.
Alexander
Father said his cough was hurting. Even after I got what looked like the right herb, apparently the plant doesn't have flowers… Am I an idiot?
Alexander puts his hand on his chin, he's not smart enough to deduce if he was one. Alexander remembers hearing his father's thanks. It made him feel warm even if his father was dismissive.
Alexander
I guess only an idiot would talk to themselves. These forests don't change so I get a pass. It's all the same trees, same look, same noises, same smell?
Alexander
I smell smoke. Is it back towards the village? Did they all light up a fire in the center of town again?
X Ext. The village
A few hours after leaving, Alexander returns. The battle had already ended by the time Alexander arrived. What remained were corpses, some still had a little life in them but others already made no noise.
Alexander
Dad! I'm back, where are you!
Alexander stops dead in his tracks, out front his house, he sees a body, unidentifiable but surely one of his parents.
Alexander
I need to be optimistic, that is only one of them. At least someone survived, dad is inside and waiting for me.
Alexander's father was inside the building, having waited for his son to return yet he was not too long for this world.
Alexander's father
Son, come closer, I-
Alexander
Yes father? Are you ok, you'll survive right?
Alexander's father
Don't give me that bullshit, boy. I know you left right as they arrived and you didn't say shit. I guess I spend my last few minutes as a disappointed father.