Chapter 416: Look At Them
The surviving Shadow Council operatives scattered like roaches when light hit them.
"Get them!"
A Mafia member yelled, chasing after the fleeing operatives with bloodlust in his eyes.
"Don’t let them escape!"
But most of the Mafia members stayed watching Damian and Jonathan fight, unable to look away from the aerial battle.
Damian didn’t see any of it, his crimson eyes were locked on Jonathan, his merged form still holding despite the exhaustion burning through every fiber of his being.
Blood ran from dozens of wounds, his wings were torn in places, feathers missing and his claws chipped from the brutal exchange.
Jonathan’s golden armor was completely gone, his body covered in cuts that leaked blood, his left leg barely holding his weight and his blade trembling in his grip.
’Just hold on a bit longer, Kuro...’
Damian’s thoughts came strained and desperate.
’Kuro... trying... But can’t... much longer...’
The raven’s mental voice was weak, fading, the merge taking everything from both of them.
’ONE MORE STRIKE... JUST ONE MORE AND HE’S DONE...’
Damian’s axe came around in a vicious arc, aimed for Jonathan’s throat, Slaughter Intent blazing around the blade with killing certainty.
Time seemed to slow down as Jonathan’s golden eyes tracked the descending axe and watched death approaching with terrible clarity.
’Do I really have no choice but to use that?’
His thoughts raced, panic bleeding through despite the exhaustion.
’But... I’ll lose my mind... My will isn’t strong enough to control it... The demon warned me...’
The axe descended, centimeters from his throat.
’I’ll become a monster... Worse than what they already made me...’
Then the 4th Shadow King’s voice echoed across the battlefield, loud enough to reach even here.
"TWELFTH! FOURTEENTH! DO IT!"
Jonathan’s eyes went wide.
’The Shadow Kings are transforming...’
The realization hit like ice water.
’So... they were also forced to this extent?’
The axe was millimeters away.
’I guess I have no other choice as well...’
BOOM
Jonathan’s body erupted with crimson light, the transformation instant, his form expanding into the three-meter demonic shape with black horns and glowing eyes.
His clawed hand caught Damian’s axe mid-swing.
CRACK
The weapon’s handle shattered in the demon’s grip.
Then Jonathan’s clawed foot came around and caught Damian in the chest with a kick that defied physics.
BOOM
The impact drove Damian straight down, sending him plummeting toward the street below like a meteor.
’No... NO...’
His thoughts came fragmented through the shock.
’WHY... HOW IS HE...’
CRASH
He smashed into the street, the impact cratering pavement, sending cracks radiating outward for meters.
The merge with Kuro exploded apart, black wings dissolving into mist, claws retracting and feathers scattering like leaves.
Kuro’s small form separated, hit the ground unconscious beside him, then dissolved into Damian’s shadow on pure survival instinct.
Damian lay in the crater, blood filling his mouth, running from his nose and leaking from his ears.
’Demon... He’s a demon...’
The thought cut through the haze of pain.
’No... He’s clearly human... So... a contract?’
Then the old beggar’s words surfaced unbidden from Alessio’s memory.
["Demons rarely form contracts with anyone... And when they do, they choose only the strongest or the most desperate... Those with nothing left to lose..."
"Do they form contracts with humans?"
"Hehe... they consider humans as unworthy..."]
’Then why?! Why would they make a deal with Jonathan?!’
Damian tried to push himself up, his arms trembling.
’Kuro...?’
Silence answered him, the bond present but distant, the raven unconscious in his shadow.
’Kuro?!’
Still nothing.
’I need to... need to get up...’
His arms gave out, face hitting pavement again.
’Get up... Get up...’
Jonathan landed beside the crater, his grotesque demonic form towering over Damian’s broken body.
Then he started laughing.
The sound came out doubled, human and demonic speaking simultaneously, but the tone was wrong, cracked and fractured like glass about to shatter.
"LOOK AT THEM!"
He turned Damian’s face toward the battlefield, toward the scattered Mafia members watching with horror on their faces.
"LOOK AT HOW THEY WATCH YOU!"
The Mafia members were shouting, voices overlapping.
"BOSS!"
"GET UP!"
"YOU CAN DO IT!"
Jonathan slammed Damian’s face into the wall.
CRACK
Lifted his head again and forced him to keep looking at the Mafia members.
"You know what I’m most envious of?"
His doubled voice cracked with emotion.
"That look in their eyes... That desperate hope..."
Another slam.
CRACK
Jonathan’s doubled voice dropped to something almost conversational despite the madness bleeding through.
He let go and let Damian slump to the ground, then crouched beside him.
"I had that once..."
His demonic face twisted, laughter bleeding into tears, rage into grief, cycling through emotions too fast to track.
"People who looked at me like I could save them... Who I thought would stand with me no matter what..."
His clawed hand trembled, then clenched and then opened again.
"But when the main lineage came... when my mother burned in front of me... every single one of them ran."
Tears ran down his demonic face freely now, mixing with blood.
"They chose themselves! And I stood there alone... watching her die... too broken to do anything but watch..."
He stood slowly, his movements jerky and uncoordinated despite the power radiating from his demonic form.
"So before I kill you..."
He turned toward where Old Man Mike knelt on the pavement, his weathered face showing pain but no fear.
His doubled voice cracked between a laugh and a sob.
"I want you to feel that same helplessness... Yes... Yes, that’s what I want..."
His clawed hand flexed as he started walking toward Mike, muttering to himself.
"Watch... watch them die... too broken... just like me..."
Damian’s hand twitched.
’No... No NO NO NO NO!’
His broken fingers closed around the shattered blade of his axe, cutting into his palm.
’Move... MOVE...’
Jonathan took another step toward Mike.
But Damian’s bloodied hand shot out and grabbed his ankle.
Jonathan stopped, looking down with his demonic face showing surprise.
"Still... struggling?"
His doubled voice carried genuine confusion beneath the madness.
"Broken... bleeding... dying... and you still reach for me?"
He kicked, trying to shake Damian off.
But Damian’s grip tightened, blood running between his fingers.
