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Chapter Forty Eight
Psychopomp
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Ren took a deep breath.
The cold air above Japan rushed into his lungs, reminding him of how improperly he was dressed for the time of year. The suitcoat he wore was tattered, numerous small tears letting his white shirt peek through. Taking a moment to find his bearings, Ren slowly accelerated forwards, increasing in speed until the land beneath him stretched into dark smudges of treetops and empty fields.
โ๐ป๐๐ ๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐น๐พ๐๐ ๐๐ ?โ
โFine.โ Ren murmured, unable to open his mouth very much with the high wind around him. โI now realize why this mask has such small eye holes.โ
โ๐ด๐๐๐ ๐ท๐๐น๐ ๐พ๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐.โ The Demonโs voice rippled through the air around him. โ๐ด๐๐๐ ๐พ๐๐ฟ๐๐๐พ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ถ๐ท๐๐. ๐ต๐ ๐ธ๐ถ๐๐๐พ๐๐๐ ๐๐พ๐๐ฝ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐ป๐๐ ๐พ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐พ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐น๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ ๐๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐๐ธ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ ๐๐๐๐ป ๐ ๐๐๐๐พ๐น๐๐.โ
โThanks for the insight.โ Ren rolled his eyes, slowing his flight as the lights of the city beneath caught his gaze. โIs that it?โ
โ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐.โ The Demon cooed. โ๐๐๐ถ๐ฝ๐พ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ ๐พ๐ ๐ธ๐๐๐๐. ๐ด๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐พ๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐.โ
BANG
โ๐ช๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐.โ
Renโs lids slowly parted, his pupils locking onto the glowing orange sphere floating just above the snow. The sensation of tears running down his cheek abruptly reasserted itself, stinging in the cold air.
โ๐ด๐๐ ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐๐น๐พ๐๐.โ
Renโs gaze did not travel far enough to see the fractured arm he lay upon, but it did allow his perceiving the crimson circle which crept into the snow beneath him. His eyes searched the back of his mind, trying to recall where the shock had gone after it had driven him unconscious.
โ๐ผ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐น๐พ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ท๐๐น๐โ๐ ๐ธ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ท๐ถ๐.โ The demonโs voice rang in both his mind and ears, bombarding his senses with the message. โ๐ด๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐น ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ถ๐พ๐, ๐ถ๐๐น ๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐ ๐ผ ๐๐พ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐ป๐๐๐ ๐๐๐. ๐ผ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ท๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐ธ๐ฝ๐๐ ๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐ผ ๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐ ๐๐๐ธ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐.โ
โ๐ป๐ ๐พ๐ ๐ธ๐๐๐พ๐๐.โ The demon eye quickly zipped back into Renโs pocket. โ๐ด๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ป๐๐, ๐ธ๐ฝ๐พ๐๐น. ๐๐๐ถ๐ฝ๐พ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ ๐พ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ป๐ถ๐, ๐ท๐๐ ๐ป๐๐, ๐ท๐๐ป๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐.โ
With a deep inhale, Ren pushed forward with the power of his mask, sliding across the rooftop and into the open air as he slipped off the edge, oblivious to the gloved hands that gripped it just as he passed. And as he accelerated further, the gloved figure matched his speed below.
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Kohaku slowly opened her eyes.
The rocking of the vehicle had abruptly appeared, indicating it had finally landed back on its tires. The massive hand of Goshiki was still pressed up against her shoulder, unintentionally flattening her against the side window, while its owner stared out the open door with wide eyes and the present unspoken frustration at having an entire row of seats in his way, preventing him from lunging out the open door to stand aside his master.
Perhaps open was a poor descriptor, as the door had been entirely blown off by Oisim, who had reacted when the ominous figure smashed into the road in front of them and caused the panic driver to send the vehicle into a roll, prompting the patriarch of Koi Blood to emerge and restrain the vehicle with the power of his mask. he now stood, staring down the inhuman machine which looked up at him, no eyes present on its slab face. After a moment of silent staring, the figure turned towards the treeline and leapt with tremendous force across the dark sky.
โWe must hurry.โ Oisim grumbled, casually lifting and throwing the ruined door as if it weighed nothing, another hiss of stead erupting from his body as he did so. โIf we are to survive what is to comeโฆ We must hurry.โ
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Ren looked back.
The flash of red on the highway below made clear the identity of his pursuer. Undoing his suitcoat, Ren slipped it off pulled it over his shoulder, too preoccupied with tying it into a sling to notice the large electric sign he barreled towards.
The blinding flash of sparks that erupted around him as he passed through the massive hole in the sign drew his attention upwards once more. โWas that him or you?โ
โ๐ฏ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐๐๐๐ถ๐พ๐๐ ๐พ๐๐ป๐พ๐๐พ๐๐.โ The demon replied. โ๐ฏ๐ฝ๐ ๐ป๐พ๐๐พ๐๐ ๐พ๐ ๐ธ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐น. ๐ฏ๐ฝ๐ ๐ป๐พ๐๐พ๐๐ ๐พ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐น ๐๐ฝ๐๐ ๐ผ ๐น๐๐๐ ๐พ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐๐๐๐น. ๐ฏ๐ฝ๐๐๐ ๐พ๐ ๐ถ ๐ธ๐พ๐๐ธ๐๐ ๐๐ป ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐๐น ๐๐๐๐ธ๐๐๐๐๐พ๐ธ๐ ๐พ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐โฆ ๐๐๐๐ฝ๐๐๐๐ฝ ๐ผ ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐๐๐๐น ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ธ๐. ๐ป๐ ๐๐ถ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ธ๐ฝ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐น ๐๐ถ๐๐ฝ๐๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐.โ
โWhat do I do?โ
โ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐๐ ๐ผ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐,โ The demonโs voice quieted as the lights of Asahikawa appeared beneath him, hundreds of small street corners in an angled grid directing his course. โ๐ฎ๐๐พ๐๐ธ๐ฝ ๐๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ ๐๐๐๐ป ๐๐ถ๐๐. ๐๐๐น ๐ท๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐.โ
Ren barely had time to look back down before the demon forced its way back into his mind, blasting all his senses in one furious shout. โ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฒ!!โ
BANG
The hawk mask shattered the instant he removed it.
Ren tumbled about, trying to reach his left hip pocket for the wolf mask as he fell from the sky. Barely able to twist his body around enough to reach inside, he placed the wolf mask on his face just before he rolled across the rooftop he landed upon. His open palm raised to catch the smallest fragments of the former mask which landed around him, stuffing them into the pocket of his red-stained shirt.
Usul wordlessly ascended the roofโs edge, swinging the rifle in his hand around to wield as a club, glancing casually at the red stain on the butt of the rifle as he adjusted his grip. There was a silent second shared between the two adversaries, the black skull mask finally close enough to observe the small gold lines running through it, sealing the cracks the impact of Rookโs frame had caused.
Renโs eyes traveled to the outside of Usulโs suitcoat. The weight of it in the cold wind revealed the gun hidden inside. Renโs hand stole towards the side of his own suitcoat, where the second of Usulโs firearms was tucked away. Usul mirrored the motion, and the two shared another unsteady second of silence as the first drops of rain began to fall.
โIโm ready.โ Ren muttered.
The demon eye zipped out from his pocket, landing inside the limp hand of Renโs fractured arm. Usulโs confident demeanor shifted to visible anger as his stance lowered, muscles tightening for the inevitable spring forwards.
With a grunt, Ren pushed himself towards the red-clad Pangolin, who matched his approach at the same speed. Both guns appeared as the rifle clattered against the roof, and both fired in perfect unison. Usul matching the speed of the bullet and striking at Ren was matched with the wolfโs reaction speed amplified by the demon eye.
Blows were exchanged, both accelerating to compensate and avoid the strikes. Two more shots were fired simultaneously, the barrels of the guns that fired them nearly scraping against each other. Faster their attacks grew, more viciously they struck at the empty air the other previously occupied. With each shot fired the barrels almost touched, both refusing to give the other even the slightest advantage.
As the guns clicked, having expended all their ammo, they were struck together, both attempting to strike his opponent with the firearm. The strikes matched with absolute precision, sparks slowing to a crawl as the speed and ferocity of their blows grew exponentially.
Finally the pair came to a halt, both looking down in surprise as there was nothing to react to or match the speed of beyond the rain, which they had so thoroughly outpaced it appeared frozen in time, abruptly catching up to them as it hissed against the melted slides of their firearms, which heated up to the point that they fused together. The bullets splashed onto the roof, having been fired with such precision that they too had merged, each one melted into the other.
With little time for reaction, the roof exploded into debris around the pair, somehow finding the strength to not instantly collapse under the sudden and demanding arrival of five inhuman figures. The tallest of the group stood high over Usul, its slab face displaying the two crude circles the Pangolin had carved into it.
Ren flinched as the two at his sides passed by him, pulling Usul away from the fused firearms and towards the tallest one, before all five began slamming their fists into his tailored suit in rhythmic fashion. He never once wavered, his eyes remaining locked on Ren until the bones in his legs were too fractured to keep him aloft, and all visibility of the black skull-shaped mask was obscured by the endless barrage of mechanical hands.
Ren didnโt wait to see what happened. Turning, he leapt off the rooftop, rolling across the sidewalk and yelping as he impacted his fractured arm. But the pain didnโt stop him. His desire to react to the agony melted away in an instant. All that remained was the painโฆ And the eye.
โ๐ฏ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ ๐๐๐๐ป๐๐๐ .โ The Demonโs voice spoke entirely in his ear. โ๐๐๐ธ๐๐๐น ๐๐ ๐พ๐. ๐ผ ๐๐พ๐๐ ๐ท๐ ๐๐ถ๐พ๐๐พ๐๐.โ
With zero hesitation, Ren vaulted up the side of the wall, his one hand gripping the edge of an apartment balcony. The gunshots had awoken some of the denizens of the small city, who now cautiously peeked out into the night air, unsure where the sounds had originated. Despite only having one arm available to him, Renโs wolf mask did most of the heavy lifting, allowing him to scale from balcony to balcony with little issue. As he ascended the top of the building, he pocketed his wolf mask and took the eye out of his limp hand, walking to the center of the roof.
โIโm here.โ
The door or the airplane, suspended in midair on an unending wave of vibrations distorting the air beneath it, softly descended onto the rooftop, the gravel parting as it settled.
Tone stepped forwards.
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