You know?

I had almost forgotten.

In my rage, my conviction to uphold my promise.

I had made the mistake of thinking I was accompanying a delicate flower on a mission..

SHIIIINGGGGG!!!!

But as I watched Khalifa swing around an 8ft long blade, taking the heads of dozens of demons with a single strike, I had to do a double take.

It suddenly dawned on me that I was accompanying a supreme sanctum student, one the entire academy unanimously hailed as The white death.

SHIIIING!!!!

The flash of her blade instantly sent another dozen heads flying.

This wasn’t a delicate flower, not by any means, she was a wild rose, one filled with an innumerable number of thorns.

Her form was nothing but a blur, one moment she was here, the next she had appeared somewhere else, a trail of bodies being the only evidence that she’d ever been present.

The massive blade seemed as light as a feather, as she swung it with such effortless grace, yet the continuous booming impacts it made whenever it hit the floor told otherwise of the massive weight behind the weapon..

SLASH!!!

As I watched her carve a path of carnage out the doors, a bloody and manic smile on her face, It felt like I was just seeing her for the first time.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! You fuckers!! DIEEEE!!!!!"

SHIIIINNG!!!!

The way the blood painted a macabre look on her, the manic, excited, and bloody smile on her face, for a moment, I let everything fade, the noise, the crowd, even my rising killing intent subsided, as I just watched.

For at this moment, at this point in time, she had never looked more,

"Beautiful...."

.......

"Hahahahaha!!!! Bastards!!! You keep trying to ruin my efforts!"

Slash!

Bang!!

"Always meddling when that bastard is finally calming down!"

WOOOSHH!!!

Bang!!

"Since you guys don’t know what’s good for you, then,"

SWISHHHH!!!!

"Let me send you packing!!"

BANGGGG!!!!

She suddenly planted her blade into the bloodied ground as she surveyed the carnage she had wrought, her smile still present.

"Haaa.... Satisfying.." she let out a satisfied sigh as she adjusted her arms.

"If it wasn’t for the fact that I was trying to save my pervert, I swear, I can see the pleasure in wiping you fools out. Ptui! Try to ruin my efforts next time will you!" She spat, as she turned around.

....

..

"Hey! Dante! What are you looking at!? We need to move!" Her urgent voice broke me from my trance as I finally came to.

"Let’s go!!" She suddenly grabbed hold of my arm, pulling me forward in a rush..

"You know, I can handle this easily." I spoke up, not minding her taking the lead.

"Yea? And let me watch you wipe out an entire city of innocents? No thanks, now just shut up and keep looking good, let me work!" She shut me down instantly.

It wasn’t the right time, nor the right place, yet for some reason, a smile couldn’t help appearing on my face as I watched her rush ahead, free arm swinging her sword in brutal fashion...

"CATCH THEM!!! DO NOT LET THEM GET AWAY!!!!"

The furious yelling of the demons sounded behind us as they gave chase.

"Where exactly are we going?" I had to ask.

"To the city lord’s mansion, there should be a working teleportationstation there."

"And we’re not using any of the ones in the city because?"

SWIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!

A flying spear that almost took my head off immediately answered that question as I kept quiet and let Khalifa lead the way...

"Shit!!! Get away!!" Khalifa suddenly yelled.

I looked up, and there, right in the middle of the road, blocking our path, was a crying demon child.

"Papa... mama... where are you!!!!"

"Fuck!!!"

"Let me take care of it." I raised a finger, taking an aiming gesture.

"What? What are you doing??"

"Taking care of the obstacle."

"You’re about to kill a child!!"

"It’s a demon blocking our path, nothing to think about." I took aim, about to shoot when,

"Fuck! Put that thing away!" Khalifa forced my finger down, "I’ll handle this." As she rushed to the child.

I merely stayed back, letting her work, not minding in the least, the rushing demons behind us, after all, a single move and they would be history, so there was no harm in letting Khalifa have her way since I was enjoying watching her work.

A warm smile unconsciously surfaced on my face, just as Khalifa reached the child, "little girl, you need to move away, this place isn’t safe, those guys are...."

PSSSSSHHHHHHHHH.

The world suddenly froze as a splash of red flew through the air, my mind going blank, the smile freezing on my face.

"Ughh... you..." Khalifa suddenly puked a mouthful of blood as she stepped back, hands on her chest where a dagger had been lodged in hilt deep.

"KHALIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!"

The roar tore out of me before I could even understand what was happening..

"Kehehehehehehehe..... for the demon k..."

BANG!!!!!

I had already blasted the wretched creature into a blood mist before it could even finish whatever it had to say, my arms catching the collapsing figure of Khalifa.

"No, no, no, no, Khalifa... stay with me..."

Her form had gone limp, her heart bleeding profusely as my hands became warm, the color red staining them.

"Khali... khali.. no... no.. please... god no.." I was spiraling, nothing was making sense, her body was getting weaker, her breathing became faint the longer I wasted time, yet my mind couldn’t begin to fathom just what was happening.

I had promised Kaila, no one would touch a hair on her head, yet...

Once again!

Right before me!

Once again! These creatures! They dared!

......

"HALT!!!" The leading demon suddenly commanded his soldiers as they surrounded the kneeling figure of Dante.

"Captain, why are we stopping? He’s right there, we can take him.." a soldier stepped forward, suggesting.

Bang!!

Only to get smacked into the ground by the captain.

"Quiet!" No one dared speak after that.

"Can you feel it?"

"Feel what captain..."

The vice couldn’t complete his words before the stale air started... moving.

"Wind?" The man’s confusion was clear.

It was no secrete that the corruption in the air had killed the entire atmosphere, so the concept of wind was all but forgotten..

RUUUUUUMMMMBLLLLEEEEE!!!!!!!

The skies suddenly rumbled as dark clouds started gathering..

"A storm?"

"What’s happening??"

WOOOOOOOOSHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

The wind suddenly picked up a horrifying pace as tornados of epic proportions immediately arose, the wind turning into sharp blades that cut into the soldiers skin..

"Ahhhhhh!!!!!"

"What’s happening!!???"

RUMBLLLEEEE

CRASHHHHHH!!!!!

Thick pillar like golden lightning struck the ground in fury, throngs of soldiers being obliterated at each strike..

"Something is wrong!"

RUUUUMMBLLLLEEEEEE!!!!

The clouds immediately opened up as a punishing rain began pelting he earth.

Lightning, wind, rain, a storm of apocalyptic proportions immediately fell upon the entire city...

Before any of the demons could understand what was happening,

"Never again...

"Never again....

Even through the heavy rain and punishing storm, the voice was somehow still clearly heard by all,

"Never again..

"NEVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The roar was immediately followed by the dark clouds splitting apart as a massive WHITE sun made itself known.

Before it could even come close..

"Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!"

"Captainn!!!!!"

"I’m burning!!! It hurts! It hurts!!"

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!"

Horrific cries erupted all over the city as demons began combusting simultaneously, the weaker ones being turned into ashes instantly.

The captain was already sweating bullets.

He, a law comprehension stage powerhouse, was being boiled from within.

"Retreat!!!" He gave the other, intending to fall back only to realize,

"We can’t!!!!"

"We’re stuck!!!"

That no one could move.

The concept of motion had been BURNED out of existence.

The captain looked up, his eyes meeting what he could only describe as the visage of a demon from hell.

It was nothing but a white burning flame, with eyes that swirled an unfathomable darkness as they stared straight into his soul.

And there, right then, he knew for certain.

"We’re dead.."

......

A rage unlike any other bubbled forth through me..

I could feel the dead atmosphere reviving at my anger, reacting.

I could feel the storms.

The rain.

The wind.

Yet, none of it registered.

All I could think about was,

"They hurt her."

Someone I cared about.

Someone I vowed to protect.

Yet,

"They hurt her."

Once again these vile creatures had dared touch what’s mine.

Once again, they’d try to steal from me.

"Never again..."

Will I let them lay a hand on what’s mine.

"Never again..."

Will I give them the benefit of a doubt.

Tssss...

Woooshhh!!!!

My head ignited into a blazing white flame, the temperature around us reaching unprecedented highs..

"Never again..."

A pure white sun manifested in the skies above the dark clouds...

"NEVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!"

I roared as the clouds split, the white sun letting itself be known.

I had tried to give Khalifa a chance, and this was the result.

I have seen enough.

This city shall burn.

So shall the one after this.

And the one after that.

They shall all burn until eventually, Enviria is nothing but ashes and blood, a relic of the past.

That shall be the ultimate price they pay.

I raised my head, eyes locking unto those of the worthless creature that had commanded this hunt, and then,

"FALL!!!" The sun plummeted, the entire city had already been set ablaze at its mere appearance, so the moment it began its descent, it was pandemonium.

The floor melted into sludge.

Demons were being turned to ashes before the sun even broke the atmosphere, yet at the same time, they were all frozen solid.

Today, I shall let the world burn for daring to touch what’s mine...

***************

A/N: can’t say brother isn’t valid though, cause wtf??

***************

Thanks for reading...