“Kekekekeke!”

  The cackle of the lunatic was heard throughout the classroom. Abaddon seemed to be overjoyed by this experience. Right now he was feeling a lot of emotions. It was overwhelming for someone who forced himself to be empty.

  Empty; completely focused on his goal. His grand desire. His dream to eradicate the very existence of the Vin-Sync company for everything that they’ve done. This emptiness was what kept him alive.

  Empty; not being able to turn to anyone. There was no trust. No one he believed in. Everyone he dealt with was consumed by darkness.

  His dominant hand moved to cover his mouth, muffling his laughter as he continued to have a fit. Countless other battles ended a lot easier than this. But, with this man… this one man was standing up to him.

  This is insane. So many people tried to play the hero. They tried to stand up to me to protect those who were dead to them.

  But, they all failed. Was their love not strong enough? He’s protecting people who have nothing to do with him.

  Why is he so strong? What makes him different? A part of me doesn’t want to kill him.

  Sadly, I have to. Because I’m a demon.

  It drove him mad. He actually had a pair on him to stand up to someone like him. For what? To save a bunch of nobodies who meant nothing to him?

  Even his other colleagues had respect for him. They feared how powerful he could be and how resourceful his ability was. His blood-red eyes stared intensely at his foe. His attention narrowed to the genome.

  “Does Vin-Sync have more monsters like you?”

  If the answer was yes, where do we stand? Have they also been getting stronger?

  Oasis was caught off guard by this statement. Most demons didn’t really know about the company. Even if they did, they didn’t pay much attention to it. What was his reason for wanting to know this?

  “Just a few.”

  No matter what.

  I have to kill this man.

  If I can’t do that… if we can’t do that. Then…

  I won’t be able to stand against Vin-Sync.

  We won’t be able to destroy them.

  “You should have followed in Terios’ footsteps. Working with them is such a foolish thing to do.”

  “Foolish? You’re one to talk. It’s a lot better than what you’re doing.”

  “I had to take drastic measures in order to make sure I could stand up to any threat. That includes you.”

  “I hate to break it to you. But, you wouldn’t stand a chance in hell at destroying them.”

  Oasis said this bluntly as he focused his aura through his body. Right now he didn’t care about finding out his reasonings for wanting to destroy them. He just wanted to end this fight as quickly as possible.

  “It’s fine… I know I’m not strong enough.”

  At the end of the day, I’m a reject.

  A mistake. I should have never survived, but I did so just by rotten luck.

  Right place, right time. That’s all.

  Because of that day, I have carried on the will and desires of so many others.

  I don’t even know who I am. I can’t remember my name or much of my past.

  Once I absorbed all of the genomes’ souls… I became a different person.

  Anger… that is all I know.

  But, why am I angry?

  It’s been so long and I still don’t know if I can beat them…

  Abaddon’s aura spread through the ground. Spreading throughout the classroom and engulfing the feet of the desks and Oasis’ feet. It was threatening to the genome, but soon figures began to emerge from the ground.

  Dark Marionette

  Five demons rose up from the very ground itself. Their skin was tattered and torn. They have been decomposing for quite a while. The flesh was missing in random places that revealed bone.

  “So this is your main ability…” Oasis said as he checked his surroundings

  “Yeah, those who I don’t absorb, I add to my collection. This is what I will use to take down Michael Vincent!!”

  Abaddon lifted his arm up and his hand generated red wires that fired off into the head of his plague of demons. Once they were with this Either only then did their heads begin to twitch and writhe.

  Oasis stared in the middle of this and there was only one thing that was going through his mind as he saw this. There was something that he needed to be answered after witnessing this sickening display.

  “Were these your comrades? Or do demons not have camaraderie among their ranks!?”

  “Nothing but stragglers. Lesser demons to be killed and used. Originally they were worthless, but I gave them purpose. They became my tools… my instruments of destruction.”

  “Disgusting.”

  “Can you really talk like that in your shape? I’ve killed people for less.”

  Oasis clenched his fist, the back of his hand showing off an ever larger vein. He was now tense and heated with this revelation.

  “I’m always going to point out people’s faults. This is wrong and I won’t stand for it!” Oasis yelled as he charged head-first without even caring for his safety.

  “Headstrong buffoon. I’m going to give you a fate worse than death.” Abaddon mentioned this, his tongue slipping out of his mouth to lick his lips.

  Soon the first two demons moved, responding to him twitching his index and ring finger. Upon this subtle movement, they rushed toward Oasis… a red aura being generated into them by their master.

  When the first demon appeared in front of Oasis he wasted no time delivering an Either infused punch toward its head. There wasn’t much to its defenses so his fist easily caused its head to rotate about before being sent flying away.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  The second demon latched onto his left side, however, merely holding him at bay. Despite it not having much strength the mere presence of another body proved to be a heavyweight.

  “Get off me!”

  As he struggled to try and remove the demon latched onto him… Abaddon twitched his thumb and pinky finger causing the other two to move. One demon latched onto Oasis’ right side. While one attempted to bite him from the center.

  Luckily the genome was nimble enough to raise his leg straight up to deliver a staggering kick to the demon, striking him perfectly underneath his neck. The sheer force and speed caused its head to be ripped off from its body as the head spun in the air.

  However… the rules of living didn’t matter to Abaddon. They were able to bend to his will and so the demon continued to move, latching onto Oasis.

  The demon to his right used this to his advantage as he managed to sink its decaying, yellowing teeth into the genome’s neck. Blood dripped down his side and…

  “Ngggh!” Oasis winced out in pain… feeling his blood being drained. It was weakening him. He struggled to break free, but they were enough to keep him pinned here.

  “Yeah… this ability suits me the best. There’s no better feeling than controlling someone. Having them do your dirty work.”

  “Bastard…!”

  I can control anything with my Either threads. Living or nonliving.

  It’s easier to control non-living beings because they don’t put up a fight.

  However, living beings have their perks.

  In order to control a being my Either threads have to make contact with it.

  It doesn’t matter where, but I often give the illusion that I control their mind. So I often aim for the head.

  However, as long as I have Either running through them, I can control them remotely.

  Once my Either flows through them. They are a part of me and I can control them mentally. I can also witness and hear everything through them if I desire.

  With his foe pinned down. Abaddon walked over to a nearby desk and kicked it away. He then moved to break a piece of metal off from the chair that was near it. The end of it was sharp and jagged and with his Either flowing through it this weapon was like a harpoon.

  “I’m going to kill you myself. Then I’ll add you to my collection. That will be your fate!!”

  “I won’t let you!” Oasis struggled, denying him of his action.

  However, there wasn’t much that he could do in this state. Despite him wanting to put up a fight the demon hurled the weapon at him as if he was catching a fish.

  It tired through the flesh of the demon in the center. It then came into contact with the hero. Despite him defending himself with Either…

  It tore through. Abaddon was stronger. He was a demon and had better control of this esoteric force.

  The weapon impaled the genome as if he were a wild animal to be slaughtered. It tore through his upper stomach, just below his rib cage.

  It created a wound about the size of a quarter. Blood oozed out vigorously while the force sent all of the bodies onto the ground with Oasis on his back.

  The weapon lodged itself into a wall with all of the residue force that remained.

  Blood soon began to stain the ground, the bodies biting into the remains of the living. Upon seeing this Abaddon was disappointed.

  Over already? I thought he’d be more of a challenge.

  I guess in the end the hero loses and the villain wins. Those who worked in Hollywood had it all wrong.

  He started to approach the genome… removing his threads from the three on top. He would let them go into auto-pilot mode for now.

  “You seemed like you had more in ya. But you disappointed us.”

  He continued to stare at the genome which wasn’t even oozing with Either… he was as good as dead by this point. He signed and lowered his guard.

  It was at this moment the windows to the buildings shattered into fine pieces. This was the arrival of impending doom.

  Terios floated outside with Ina hanging onto him. He then burst through one of the openings that breaking the windows created and gave a swift kick to the demon.

  The attack forced the enemy’s head back and sent him flying outside of the classroom as his body created a new opening.

  Terios quickly analyzed the situation, but his brother was a step ahead.

  Ina Immediately hopped off from his brother and pried the demons off of Oasis. They didn’t seem to reach which gave Ina enough time to read Oasis’ situation.

  “Anthony!”

  A nasty neck wound looked like something sliced into the left side. While the right side was bitten into. A lot of blood must have been lost.

  He also had one hell of a hole near his stomach that continued to bleed even now.

  Seeing this caused Ina’s eyes to widen with fear. His friend was badly hurt…

  “No… I wasn’t fast enough!”

  Not again… not again.

  Because I’m so weak another comrade could die!

  Damn it Anthony, why did you have to play the ducking hero!?

  That always pisses me off. I’m so envious of that. I wish I could be that strong.

  “He’ll be fine.”

  Ina looked at his brother, confused.

  “He took a much bigger beating before. He’ll live.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I just do.”

  If his brother said so he would believe him. That means their objective right now should be clearing the demons.

  As if on cue they all started to move. Their bodies twitched as if they were being given orders.

  “Let’s clear them up and kill that demon.” Ina suggested.

  “No. I’ll chase after the demon. You can take these demons out.”

  “It’s too dangerous!”

  “Trust me.”

  Kain zipped off.

  Ina sighed but agreed to the plan.

  Arriving at the hall, things seemed different. The atmosphere had changed almost as if they were in the jaws of the beast. The demon of destruction was looking to turn this school into a tomb.

  Abaddon was nowhere to be seen… but a pile of zombies lay in his wake. Demons… now deceased stood in Kain’s way.

  But this was like a game as they were all lined up, leading to the stairwell. This was a challenge… one that Terios wasn’t going to back down from.

  Where it stood… Ina and Oasis were stronger when it came to combat and strategizing. Terios was still developing his skills.

  But this was the reason why Vin-Sync wanted him so badly. He was the one with the most potential. Enough to even surpass his brother.

  His midnight blue aura secreted from his body as he rushed forward, full speed ahead.

  The basics of Either… using it to strengthen your body, joints, and limbs. He didn’t need a special technique.

  He would just brute force these demons. They stood like a wall from his target and for that, they all had to die.

  His eyes narrowed, his dim gray hues darkening as he prepared to send the dead back to death.

  SLICE! SLICE! SLICE! SLICE! SLICE!

  His hands became as sharp as any blade. Using this to bisect the demons who stood in his way while continuing to move ahead.

  However, he realized that doing this did nothing to truly stop them. Now he stood in the center of the hall.

  The demons that he couldn’t bisect were starting to approach him. The ones that he sliced in half were crawling like a child to try and latch onto him.

  Seeing this he realized that he couldn’t stop them by normal means. This was a way to weaken him. To have him use up his Either.

  The person he was fighting was a manipulator. Someone who couldn’t fight fairly. He would alter the game to his favor.

  If that was how he wanted to play he was going to oblige. His aura expanded… easily swallowing the zombies that were approaching him.

  Once they were ensnared their movement halted… If they were alive it would have felt like someone was holding them in.

  Terios focused… imagining what he did to those working at the research lab. He imagined how happy it made him feel to be free. No matter how he obtained that freedom even if it was by killing he would enjoy it.

  He implemented that same feeling into his targets, overloading them with his Either and causing their bodies to explode, gushing out with blood, organs, and guts that sprayed throughout the hall.

  One of their kidneys appeared to have slapped across his face, but he didn’t seem to react too much. His mind was still much like his aura.

  It was another basic move, but whoever’s Either is stronger often wins a battle of force. Overwhelming them with his own he could easily decimate their bodies. Especially with how adaptable his aura was.

  He also noticed that Abaddon barely put any amount of aura into these corpses. He was trying to hold off… he was expecting Kain to have a different ability. Thankfully, he didn’t need to exert much to defeat them.

  Terios continued on up the steps and once he got to the next hallway he was met with another group of demons. They were merely waiting for his arrival. They only reacted once he confirmed he was on the third floor.

  Among the mass of rotten flesh was Abaddon who was waving toward his new target. He then pointed up to the ceiling as he called out to Terios.

  “Timmy! Listen, I’ll be on the roof. I would rather fight you one on one. In fact, I just want to talk to you.”

  “What is there to talk about? I’m here to kill you.”

  “Wouldn’t you rather kill Michael Vincent?” As the demon uttered these words he licked his lips. “The man responsible for all of this?”

  “...”

  “I can see it in your eyes. You’re a tortured soul just like me. Don’t hide it.”

  Terios remained silent as the demons continued to approach him. Seeing this Abaddon assumed his words were getting through to the genome.

  “You don’t know a thing about me.”

  “I know more than you think. We’ll talk soon.” Abaddon focused aura around his body as he leaped up through the ceiling, breaking through it and causing some rubble to drop down.

  Terios stared at the demons approaching him and rushed through them. Channeling his aura he followed his earlier tactic.

  He sliced through every single one with nothing more than his bare hands. With his aura channeling through them, they were sharper than any sword.

  Once they were cut down to size he would ensnare them with his aura like last time and finish them off. Overloading them with his aura as he caused their bodies to rupture.

  A fatal technique yes, but one that was draining for him. He sighed after doing so as he immediately went after Abaddon, floating up through the hole that he created until he found himself on top of the school.

  Abaddon had his back turned to his foe. Looking down at all of the police officers who had the area surrounded. People were even being escorted out on stretchers. It must have been the work of Anthony.

  Looks like his main mission was to get those injured to safety. He cared more about their safety than his own.

  “It’s over for you.”

  “Tell me something, Timmy. Have you ever defeated a demon before?”

  “The ones you sent after me.”

  “You can’t even count them as demons, kekeke!!”

  This kid is different. He isn’t like Anthony.

  I don’t feel any light from him. He’s… similar to me.

  He’s covered in a shroud of darkness. He will make a good partner or an annoying enemy.

  Which way will it be?

  “So what? Are you saying you’ll be different?”

  “Yeah. I can tell by experience that you won’t beat me.”

  “...”

  “But, we could team up. Work together to accomplish what we both want.”

  “What is it that I want?”

  “You want revenge for Setsuna.”

  Terios’ fist clenched. His aura spiked as this thing mentioned her name. “Don’t… don’t you ever bring her up again…!”

  “Listen man. I know how much she meant to you. That’s why she wants me to help you.”

  “You’re dead!!!”

  Terios had lost himself in a blind rage. The frightening thing is that this lunatic wasn’t trying to trick him. He believed that he was doing the right thing. Once the genome charged at him, he knew he would need to defend himself.

  That is when he called upon a familiar force from his arsenal. Using his ability the demon was able to summon: Abigail.

  She emerged from the roof… from a red smog of nothing and turned into something. She looked as she did from the last time that the genome had seen her.

  Terios froze in place as Abaddon connected his Either threads to one of his proud subjects. A thread connected to the back of her head, each arm, and both legs. Unlike the others, the demon was pumping her with a lot of aura.

  “Listen to what I’m offering you. I’d hate to inflict anymore trauma. Oh…! Who am I kidding, I’d love it either way!”