Chapter 6: Busted
No POV
Axel stared motionless at the devil from the tree.
It’s crumbled form... patches of skin loosely cling to its body threatening to peel off.
He remembered that devil. He recognized it all too well...
The devil bent over, lowering himself to the ground.
**BIFF**
He punched, hitting the ground with enough force it blew open.
Then, slitting his wrist, he allowed just a drop of blood to fall into the hole.
A bright red light illuminated the field.
Axel squinted his eyes, the light blinding and disorienting.
He wanted to know what this devil was up to.
After the light dimmed, he peered into the hole and watched in shock as a pentagram began to form in the middle.
Realization set in.
This devil was about to recreate the incident that happened to him over a week ago.
The same incident that made him lose everything...
Axel gritted his teeth.
He’d seen enough.
Drawing a shaky breath, he jumped down from the tree, landing directly behind the devil.
"And who might you be?" Without turning, the devil asked.
"..." However, Axel stayed silent. Not because he couldn’t speak, but because the rage he felt at that moment felt so heavy it was like something heavy was being forced on him.
Axel clenched his fists. He clenched them so hard that his knuckles turned white.
Seeing this, the devil laughed.
"You want to take me on? You really think you could do that, hm?" He smiled. A sick sinister grin exposing his teeth. "I’d kill you before you even knew what was coming."
Axel’s eyes widened. Not in shock but in pure unadulterated anger.
He rushed at the devil with a punch—the fist flying directly towards his face.
The devil scoffed and leaned backwards, catching the blow and twisting the arm with force.
Axel gasped and turned to the direction his arm was being twisted, using the momentum to reposition himself to avoid his arm being broken off.
Now he faced the opposite direction, arm a little bruised.
The devil tried to jab his head but Axel ducked, pivoted and tried to kick him in retaliation.
The devil smirked and grabbed his leg, lifting him into the air and landing a blow to his stomach sending him flying, clearing some trees in the distance.
Axel tried to stand, ignoring the blood pooling from his mouth.
[Warning!]
[Host has encountered an A rank Catastrophe.]
[Survival probability: 15%]
[Escape while you still have the chance.]
Axel gritted his teeth.
"No!" He was going to kill this devil here and now. Even if it meant that he was going to die with it.
Releasing a war cry, Axel launched himself forward toward the devil, launching multiple attacks in all directions.
Axel didn’t use [Hunter’s Eye] this time around and the reason was simple...
He simply didn’t care how strong this devil was. He wanted him dead.
The devil dodged and parried all the blows effortlessly. By now there was no other expression aside from annoyance on the devil’s face.
"If you’re going to attack me," he said, grabbing Axel by the neck, "at least give me a challenge!"
**BIFF, BIFF**
**BOOM**
Two punches, square in the face then one at the gut.
The force of the blow was enough to send him flying further and clearing a path.
The devil scoffed. "What a waste of my time."
"Hold it!"
"Great."
Turning, he was met with the sight of three hunters running towards him—the same hunters Axel hid from sometime ago.
"This is as far as you go." The female ordered. "Stop whatever you’re doing."
Silence...
Then he smirked.
"Make me."
~~~~~
Axel laid still, buried underneath tees and dirt. His body mangled and sore. His breathing failed.
He had failed.the one thing he wanted to do. The only thing he was ever set on doing.
An image of his father crossed his mind.
’Is this how I die?’
An image of his mother appeared in his mind.
’I don’t want to die...’
Another image appeared in his mind.
’I will not allow myself to die.’
Something flooded his system. Something hot, burning through his system within seconds.
’I can’t fail. I will not fail!’
Red energy surged, engulfing him completely.
Then,
**BOOM**
Part of the field went up in red smoke. The force of the explosion uprooted the trees around it, causing both the hunters and devil to turn.
Steeping out all their eyes widened. A devil with a bulking red form stepped forward —mist escaping its mouth as it breathed.
Pure, unfiltered murderous intent radiated from him in waves so thick they could almost taste them in the air.
[Host has activated Scarion.]
[Initiating Combat Protocol.]
The pale devil’s eye widened. This power... the suffocating feeling he felt right now... he could’ve sworn he had felt it somewhere before.
The red devil began to step forward. One step after the other.
The ground shook as his feet sank into the earth...
"Hayley! The situation is escalating. What should we do?!"
The gun man yelled towards the hunter wearing the helmet...
His words barely registered. Her focus was locked entirely on the devil as he took his next step.
The ground trembled again. Red energy flared wildly around his body, accompanied by the steam that hissed from his overheating skin.
He clearly hadn’t gained full control of this new power yet as it raged uncontrollably, lashing out in every direction.
He advanced slowly at first; deliberate and predatory, moving toward the other devil.
Then, in a blink, he vanished.
A cloud of red smoke exploded where he stood.
When it cleared, the two devils were locked in a savage exchange of blows. The sound of their fists colliding was like thunder through the air.
The red devil growled wildly, a sound that vibrated deep in their chests. His opponent staggered back under the onslaught and, after a shaky exhale, summoned lesser devils.
They descended in a tide of fangs and claws...
For a terrifying moment, it looked as though the red devil would be completely overwhelmed—eaten alive in a storm of bodies.
Hayley tensed, power already surging as she prepared to intervene. But before she could move, the red devil erupted.
With terrifying speed and precision, he eviscerated the entire swarm. Limbs flew. Black blood sprayed across the broken street. He carved through them like a whirlwind of death, his movements growing faster, more fluid, and more brutal with every passing second.
It wasn’t a fight anymore. It was a rampage...
The pale devil’s eyes widened as raw realization hit him like a tidal wave.
"This is—"
**BOOM**
As soon as the last lesser devils fell, he whirled back toward their leader. The two clashed again in a frenzy of blows, each impact shaking the air.
They bore heavy damage, yet she noticed something... every wound the red devil received began closing almost instantly. Blood that spilled from his crimson body evaporated into steam within seconds—except for the wound on his face which, instead of healing, only seemed to grow.
The brutal exchange didn’t last long. Both devils were panting, their power putting a strain on their bodies. The enemy devil managed a bloody grin as he spoke.
"Heh... I see you took the power. That strength was never meant for you. It’ll eat you alive from the inside eventually. But don’t worry—I promise I’ll kill you myself next time we meet. Before that scar even gets the chance to—"
He never finished....
The red devil unleashed a devastating explosive attack. A roaring blast tore forward, erasing the devil from sight and reducing an entire row of trees behind him to rubble and dust.
When the smoke and debris finally settled, the enemy was gone. Ecaped, but clearly wounded.
Axel stood there panting as he looked at the destruction he had caused. His body slowly reverting to human form.
"Who is that guy?" The gun man whispered.
"I don’t know," Hayley replied. Then stepping forward, she spoke again. "We’d like you to come with us. We have a few questions we would like to ask you."
Axel flinched.
He had been caught.
"Shit!"
Cursing, he took to his heels—running towards an alleyway with the objective of escaping.
"Wait! Argh son of a bitch!" Hayley cursed as she ran after him.
The gun man however, stayed silent as he raised his gun.
He aimed...
**BANG**
He fired...
"Ack—!" The bullet tore through the air flying through Axel’s side.
[Warning!]
[Host has been poisoned.]
Axel staggered and fell. His vision began to blur.
He crawled into the alleyway and managed to drag himself to his feet.
Seeing Hayley approach, he rushed forward aiming to kick her in the sides.
She blocked, pushed the leg away causing Axel to stumble back.
Axel, however, refused to let up as he quickly regained his bearings as much as he could and hurled a punch towards her.
Hayley clicked her tongue as she caught the hand, pulled him forward and drove a knee into his stomach.
The force of the blow was eno
ugh to knock him out cold.
When the gun man approached, he stared at Axel’s body before glancing at Hayley.
Meeting his gaze, she spoke casually:
"He’s still alive."
Then studying him for a moment longer, she spoke again:
"Bring him in."
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