The Laughing Swordsman

Lucifer's words echoed in Maya's head.

'Would you like to see them all die?'

She grit her teeth and clenched her fists. Maya's breathing became unsteady, while a sudden dizziness assaulted her.

  "I..."

Maya thought about the carefree life she wanted. For a moment, she saw herself with Apollo and her parents, playing around in a river.

"I..."

But that was impossible now.

After all they were dead, weren't they?

Maya's breathing became shaky.

"Do."

Her eyes became bloodshot.

"ALL OF THEM, ALL OF THEM."

She grabbed onto her head with both hands, pressing the gemstone fiercely against her skull.

"I WANT TO BREAK THEIR BONES."

An ugly frown formed on Maya's face.

"I WANT TO BURN THEIR FLESH."

The skin on Maya's face and arm began to crack as though it were glass. A black horn appeared on the side of her head while her hand began to blacken rapidly.

"THEY DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE. NONE OF THEM."

Suddenly, Maya lost her furious expression. 

She looked up to the sky.

Maya's lips were parted ever so slightly, like they were on the verge of saying something. Her eyes looked into the snowy and dreary sky, like she had asked it a question. 

It was as though the soul had been sucked out of her body.

A teardrop overflowed from one of her eyes, slowly dropping down her cheek. Maya reached with her demonized black hand, trying to wipe it away. However, her fingernails had elongated considerably and trembled, making the process rather clumsy.

Maya's voice became softer than a feather.

"Why do they get to live..."

Her vision blurred.

"If the good people die?"

Lucifer laughed as though he heard an amazing joke. After he gradually calmed down, a deep breath escaped him.

"Well said."

Without warning, the tree that they were standing on sunk into the ground, startling Maya. It was as though the ground was water, letting the tree pass straight through.

Suddenly, a clear bang resounded.

Maya abruptly fell down, but used her hands to catch herself. She thought that the force of gravity suddenly increased. However, that was not the case.

Wind relentlessly whipped past, causing Maya's hair to flap wildy in the wind.

As she brought her face up, she realized the scenery was rapidly changing. Then, Maya stood up completely and let out a small gasp.

"W-What?"

She was on a large chunk of earth that was being propelled into the sky by strong wind currents.

Lucifer stood tall with his hands behind his back. He looked forward with a small smile on his face. Lucifer's wolf-pelt coat flapped with the wind, lifting high into the air. However, it was firmly attached to his shoulders.

Maya peered off the edge of the chunk of dirt. She saw countless tiny little trees far below and a vast blue sky.

For a second, Maya felt like she was above everything, like it could all fall with a touch of her finger.

In the distance was Evermore city. Even from up high, it still looked quite large.

But not enough to be intimidating.

They continued rising, making the air thin. Maya began to heave, speeding up her breathing. Yet it felt like no matter how hard she tried, the oxygen just wouldn't get into her lungs.

On the other hand, Lucifer was completely fine. He noticed Maya's poor condition and pulled out a small black stalk. It appeared to be part of a plant, like a flower. However, unlike the bright green most plants had, this one was pitch black.

Lucifer held the stalk in between his forefinger and middle finger. Blue and green mana seeped out of his hand and into the stalk, making it wriggle and grow.

A white bud rapidly formed, before blossoming into a beautiful flower. Then, a black fruit began forming on the middle of the flower, growing to the size of a tangerine.

Lucifer placed his index finger and thumb on the fruit and gently plucked it off with a soft snap. He tossed it to Maya, who caught it easily.

Lucifer gave her a quick glance.

"Consume it."

He continued to inject mana into the stalk and plucked two more black fruits one after another.

Lucifer handed one more black fruit to Maya.

"As for this one, keep it safe. I will be needing it later."

He directly tossed the remaining black fruit into his mouth, giving Maya the courage to do the same.

It tasted uncomfortably sweet and was thick like honey.

The moment it reached Maya's stomach, she felt full, like she had eaten far too much. A strong vitality passed through her body, strengthening it several times over. Maya's horn grew a little larger while her fingernails extended out a little longer.

The cracks on Maya's body extended further and enlargened, revealing black flesh underneath.

She blinked a few times in surprise.

Breathing became easier for her. Not because she needed less air, but rather, she was able to forcefully compress the air into her lungs.

Maya gradually shifted her gaze to Lucifer, who began lifting his finger into the air.

Seemingly out of nowhere, countless translucent gemstones appeared in the air, hovering lazily. Maya immediately recognized them.

After all, they were the same as the one in her hand.

Those gemstones came in various sizes and shapes, belonging to demons with one to four horns. The smaller gemstones littered the sky, outnumbering the snowflakes. The larger gemstones were noticeably less, but considering they each represented a dead high ranked demon, it was a frightening amount.

Suddenly, a fierce wind began to swirl around Lucifer, who pointed his finger up into the sky. His skin ripped open, forming many thick crimson lines across his body. Blood sprayed out and swirled with the wind.

Lucifer let out a soft breath as his small smile widened ever so slightly. 

"I don't plan on doing this much since it's a pain, so..."

Lucifer snuck a glance at Maya from over his shoulder.

"Watch closely."