Chapter 36: Fighting the Demon

McCoy had noticed the imminent threat blazing in Vehitoshi’s eyes. He immediately turned towards Sarah and Zuru.

"Disperse!" he yelled.

Sarah and Zuru didn’t even linger to ask questions. They immediately ran in different directions. At the same moment, McCoy made to flee in another direction, but...

’Nhhhh!’ His throat tightened. Something far more imposing was already upon him, or more accurately, someone.

He had barely tilted his head when he saw that Vehitoshi was already upon him, his claws sweeping down towards him mercilessly. His heart skipped a massive beat. Deep down, all hope was lost. There was no time to dodge, no room to bargain with fate. All he could do was brace himself for the killing blow.

"SLICE AND DICE!"

Time itself seemed to slow. A huge crimson card spun through the air at savage speed, cleaving the space between Vehitoshi and McCoy. A sickening, flesh-tearing sound followed in its wake.

"Mm!" Vehitoshi’s eyes widened.

His attack never reached McCoy. His arm had been severed just above the elbow, leaving only the upper portion intact. His severed hand, dropped harmlessly on McCoy, splattering blood all over him.

Vehitoshi quickly recollected himself midair and landed a few feet away from McCoy.

He snarled angrily before looking up. There, floating lazily in the air, was the Red Queen, seated on her flying settee.

"Gosh! So much for taking a little break." She glanced at the ruined village beneath her, then sighed. "I leave for a few minutes, and the whole place turns into a disaster. Honestly, can’t you people destroy things a little more slowly?"

McCoy turned towards Vehitoshi again, the Red Queen’s timely arrival lending his battered confidence a much-needed reprieve. Sarah and Zuru also faced the demon, though they remained some distance apart. With a languid adjustment of her posture, the Red Queen floated down to a lower altitude until all four of them stood within striking distance of their adversary.

Vehitoshi finally smiled, though it was a shallow one. The anger he felt over Dante’s escape still burned within him, as did his resentment towards the people who had helped make it possible. He simply flicked his severed arm, and crimson energy rippled across the stump. Flesh and bone reconstructed themselves in a matter of seconds, restoring the missing limb as though the injury had never occurred.

Zuru cleared his throat nervously. "Well, that’s not concerning at all."

"Listen to me, Star..." McCoy began.

He took a cautious step forward, raising his hands slightly in a gesture meant to show he wasn’t there to fight.

Vehitoshi narrowed his eyes towards him, the little smile that had appeared on his face vanishing completely.

Yet McCoy pressed on. "I know you’re in there, boy. I just want you to know that we’re not giving up on you. We’re your family now, whether you wish it or not."

Vehitoshi seemed to stagger backwards. He even went so far as to clutch both sides of his head.

Everyone stared at him, hope flickering in their eyes.

"McCoy..." Sarah whispered, nodding encouragingly at him. "Come on. Continue."

McCoy nodded back and turned towards Vehitoshi to continue, but...

"Hihihih!"

Vehitoshi burst into laughter. He laughed so hard that his shoulders shook, and he had to bend forward, bracing his hands against his knees to keep himself upright.

"Save your strength, human..." he managed between fits of laughter. "Star is not different, and neither am I." He slowly straightened. "We are one. Besides, we’re angry. You let the king escape yet again with what belongs to us..." His laughter died, leaving a cold, murderous expression in its place. "And I will not forgive you for that."

McCoy was about to offer what looked like a responsible reply, but the Red Queen beat him to it.

"Come on, then, demon," she mused lazily. "Quit talking and just fight."

Vehitoshi turned towards her, and that evil smile returned to his face.

"Fine..."

Poom!

The word was still drifting through the air, but Vehitoshi was already in front of the Red Queen, his fist coming down at a speed that rendered the movement almost imperceptible.

"Shit!" she cried as she jammed both arms together. A huge crimson card materialised in front of her just in time for Vehitoshi’s fist to slam into it.

BOOM!

A thick shockwave tore through the air from the impact. The card held, but the force behind the attack sent the Red Queen flying backwards violently.

Vehitoshi immediately moved to pursue her, but a thick coil of blood suddenly wound around his other fist.

"Huh?"

He glanced down at his hand, then followed the blood back to its source. A short distance away stood Sarah, her arm extended as she tightened her grip, pulling the blood taut between them.

Vehitoshi lifted his gaze, and their eyes met.

For one fleeting moment, the chaos surrounding them seemed to recede into the background.

Sarah looked past the demonic expression, past the crimson glow that had replaced the familiar warmth in Star’s eyes, searching for the boy she had once trusted without hesitation. The boy who had laughed with them, travelled beside them, and somehow made her believe she had finally found someone she could call a friend.

"Please, Star..." she whispered, her voice so soft it broke into his soul. "You need to stop."

Vehitoshi’s eyes trembled. He stared at her longer than expected, and his breathing eased, if only marginally. Something about her voice seemed to have reached into the depths of his consciousness, brushing against a place that even his monstrous rage had failed to erase.

But quickly, he looked away. ’No!’

His fingers closed tightly around the taut blood. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Before Sarah could fully react, Vehitoshi yanked it with tremendous force, savagely pulling her towards him. The sudden movement caught her off guard, but she refused to go down without a fight.

Midair, she scattered the blood before Vehitoshi could complete his pull. The sudden severance robbed him of the resistance he’d been pulling against, and his arm shot forward under the momentum of the failed yank, forcing him to overextend and expose his back.

And that was when she saw her opening.

With a skilful twist of her body, Sarah converted the pull into a front flip. As she rotated, the scattered blood gathered around her hand, drawing itself into a narrow, razor-sharp edge. She completed the flip and slashed across Vehitoshi’s exposed back before he could recover his balance.

"...!"

Vehitoshi was stunned. He had seen the attack coming. He could have defended against it, and he had even spotted an opening for a counterattack of his own. Yet, somehow, he had remained frozen for that crucial instant, allowing the blade of blood to cut into his back.

However in that moment of his daze, more strands of blood coiled around his legs and drew taut. While he was still looking down at them in surprise, another pair wrapped around both his hands.

"Mm?"

YANK!

The blood tightened like ropes pulled by an unseen force, dragging Vehitoshi down onto his knees.

Yet he didn’t react immediately. Instead, he turned towards Sarah.

She stood a short distance away, both arms extended as she manipulated the crimson strands surrounding him. The blood twisted and coiled through the air like living serpents, each strand pulled taut under her control.

But Sarah was paying a price for every second she held him.

Her face had grown frighteningly pale. Blood trickled from her nose and ran over her lips, yet she refused to loosen her grip. Her arms shook with the strain, but her eyes remained fixed on the demon she was determined to stop.

’She’s so brave...’ Vehitoshi thought, watching her through narrowed eyes. ’But too bad. I can feel the ring, and I know they want to put it on me. I’ve only just started enjoying this freedom far more than I ever expected. I can’t let that happen.’

With that thought, he tensed his body.

Crimson matter spread from his skin and rapidly coated the blood restraining him. In that way, Sarah couldn’t control the blood anymore.

The crimson matter had also tied itself around Sarah’s hand. Now if Vehitoshi pulls again, Sarah wouldn’t be able to maneuver.

"It’s over," Vehitoshi declared.

But Sarah didn’t cower, even as she looked into the cold, menacing glare he turned towards her. Instead, she drew a shaky breath, summoned the last of her strength, and shouted:

"NOW!"

"What?" Vehitoshi muttered as he looked up and saw something approaching him fast.

It was the Red Queen, seated on her settee as though she hadn’t just been punched out of the sky. As she approached, she flicked her wrists languidly before crossing them in front of her face.

"Laziness."

"Idle Aspects: Sluggishness."

Three crimson cards materialised between her fingers.

"Three-Card Puppetry!" she cried, flinging them towards Vehitoshi.

The cards streaked through the air, trailing crimson light. One struck his forehead, while the other two struck his shoulders. All three dissolved into crimson embers on contact.

That was it.

Vehitoshi’s movements slowed.

’What?’ His eyes widened in disbelief.

He could still feel the strength in his body. He could even feel himself trying to control the matter coating Sarah’s blood, yet an overwhelming wave of exhaustion smothered his efforts, dragging down his every movement.

Sarah immediately turned towards Zuru. "Zuru! The ring! Now!"

’No!’ The word thundered through Vehitoshi’s mind. ’I refuse to go down like this!’

He clenched his teeth and tensed every muscle in his body. Instantly, his body began to vibrate wildly. As he shook, crimson mist seeped from his skin, dispersing into the air around him.

Zuru, who had barely taken two steps forward, stopped dead as he saw the demon vibrating so intensely that the ground beneath him shook. "Universe!"

The Red Queen’s smug expression faltered. "Hold on!" Her voice trembled. "How are you resisting my ability?"

Sarah could hardly believe her eyes either. One card had been enough to slow Skarthrax, yet this monster was tearing through three.

Vehitoshi slowly raised his head, his burning gaze locked onto the Red Queen. She could see the tension in his jaw and the veins bulging across his face. He wasn’t merely angry. He was absolutely furious.

And as though to prove her suspicions right...

Clatter!

The matter coating Sarah’s blood shattered, breaking apart into countless fragments. With it, the blood restraints shattered too, scattering into droplets that splashed across the ground.

"He broke through my Sluggishness!" The words had barely left the Red Queen’s mouth when she noticed the ground beneath Vehitoshi crack.

’And he’s about to attack...’

The realisation sent a chill down her spine. Her fingers trembled as she hurriedly crossed her wrists in front of her face again.

"Higher idle aspect!"

Five crimson cards appeared between her fingers.

"Five-Card Puppetry!"

With a sharp flick of her wrists, she sent them flying towards him.

Vehitoshi had already leapt at her, but upon seeing the cards, he twisted aside and evaded them with a swift movement. A triumphant glint flashed in his eyes. He raised his hand and sent his claws sweeping towards her in a brutal strike.

But midway through the swing, his body suddenly became drastically sluggish. The effect was so overwhelming that even his upward momentum seemed to falter, and he began to fall.

Unbeknownst to him, the cards had circled around behind him and attached themselves to his back before dissolving into tiny crimson embers.

The Red Queen released a huge breath of relief. But even that wasn’t enough to steady her. A sudden wave of dizziness washed over her, blurring her vision for a fleeting moment. She shook her head, struggling to regain her bearings, then instinctively raised a hand to her nose.

When she pulled it away, her fingertips were stained with blood. "Mother’s milk!"

Meanwhile, Vehitoshi hadn’t even descended a full foot when...

"YAAH!"

The crimson mist exploded from his skin all at once.

"Universe!" the Red Queen cried.

Sarah’s heart sank. ’This can’t be happening!’

Even Zuru and McCoy exchanged frightened glances. Neither dared to speak. The look in their eyes said enough: if the Red Queen couldn’t stop him, what chance did the rest of them have?

Vehitoshi planted both hands down, and crimson matter surged beneath his palms, forming a solid plane. He kicked off it and shot back towards the Red Queen relentlessly, his claws sweeping towards her in a savage strike.

But the Red Queen was fast too.

She threw herself backwards, causing her flying settee to retreat. Vehitoshi’s outstretched arm sliced through the air, missing her by mere inches.

"Nrgh!" he snarled as gravity dragged him back towards the ground.

He landed heavily. But before the dust from his landing could even settle, he dug his claws into the ground, propelled himself forward, and launched himself straight back towards her.

Horror flashed through the Red Queen’s eyes, but she reacted just as quickly.

"Ten-Card Puppetry!"

"Blurgh!"

"Blurgh!" Blood burst from her nose and mouth. The technique was too powerful, especially considering how suddenly she had used it.

Still, she managed to fling both hands forward.

Ten cards shot towards Vehitoshi, their crimson trails intertwining like strands of blood-red silk.

But just then, the Red Queen’s breath caught.

"What the... ?" she gasped, watching with wide eyes as Vehitoshi made no attempt to dodge his incoming attack.

Of course, he understood what she was trying to do. She wanted him to dodge the cards, buying herself precious time to escape or prepare another attack. But he refused to fall for it. Besides, those cards were too weak to stop him.

The cards struck Vehitoshi’s body. Yet before they could fully dissolve into embers...

Whoosh!

Crimson mist billowed from his skin, and Vehitoshi was already upon her. His fist came hurtling towards her face with enough force to shatter bone.

"Oh, you’re kidding me."

THUM!