Sora’s POV

Ah… how do I describe the scene…

Ever played ‘Call of Duty’? Seen what a grenade or a flash grenade does? The blinding and the instability….same effect.

Did a bomb ripped through the inn?

I think I may have blown out an ear drum.

I stood quiet close to the in before it exploded.

I arrived just moments before and the Blue Rose Inn exploded before me….

After collecting myself and coming to terms with what had occurred, there was shock and then despair…for a moment my senses plunged into my stomach, the kind of feeling one gets on a free fall coaster. The feeling that makes you want to throw up.

My first thought; I thought that I had been discovered.

But I just got here….my thoughts were then directed towards the Abbe and the other Guardians.

Another bad omen like feeling overwhelmed me.

My hands went cold.

Could something have happened to them?

I shudder.

Although my Guardians’ have played no major role in changing this world’s fate, they are my life support. Without my Guardians I do not believe I could have survived as long as I have….the thoughts of them dying have left me feeling like a little lost child. A child who carelessly let goes of their parents’ hand in a crowded street.

Could it be that they were discovered?

I felt certain that I distracted everyone with my antics in front of the store. Nobody followed Maylon or Gustav back….and as far as I recollect the Abbe’s escape went off without a hitch. Heck, even I am not too sure when the Abbe managed to escape from the hostage crisis.

Did the secret police see through my plans? Were they tailing the Abbe while at the same time keeping me busy?

If it wasn’t them then who else could it be?

My questions were answered soon enough, when I saw the debris move.

Someone actually survived that explosion?

Let me explain the reason for my surprise here if I didn’t detail it out before. The Blue Rose Inn was massive. It was three storeys high with an excessively thick thatched roof. The roof was made of large logs and metal sheets; give or take it had to weigh a couple of tons. Of course, its not like I knew what it was made of, but I could see from the debris it had quite an extensive layout. There was a lot of rubble.

There was the explosion that happened. It could be likened to a bomb exploding. Loud and powerful.

Possibly flame magic? The fire and heat was bad enough but there was also the shrapnel…to survive all that….

It can only be a monstrous being.

Two thoughts came to my mind; the black butler or the bloody cardinal? It can’t be the later because I left him behind….then it must be the former.

There was a large creaking of metal wreckage and out stepped the black butler. Although I couldn’t see him clearly my eyes were still adjusting to the increased light. His silhouette, created by the glowing flames in the background, is easily distinguishable. In addition to that there is always the icy atmosphere around him; as though one has stepped into the morgue.

He stood up with great difficulty as he pushed away the wreckage on top of him. As my vision adjusted to the increased light, I could see that he his temple was dripping with a thick black liquid.

Was that his blood? Black blood for the devil? It looked more like oil or tar than blood.

There was something different about him right now.

He didn’t have the air of perfection and meticulousness that he possessed once before. His clothes looked ruffled, his shirt was crumpled and his trousers were dusty…

Maybe I am looking at this the wrong way….the entire inn (three stories) collapsed on him and the only problem with his image is a bleeding forehead, dusty pants and a crumpled shirt…

I have mixed feelings of awe and fear. Okay mostly fear….or better described as terror.

The Devil spat out something into the pile of rubble. It looks like more blood….more black blood. His blood is seriously like black as oil.

Who on earth could do even an iota of damage to the Devil? I mean it is the devil we talking about. The dude is practically immortal….no he is immortal. I have no recollection of any anime, fable or legend where the devil had been killed for good.

The pink haired woman standing beside me gave a look which seemed to be saying the same thing. I don’t know if she knew that this man was a devil but I think she seemed shocked enough that a man survived an entire building collapse and appeared before us as if it were nothing….or maybe she is scared because of the aura the man in front of her emits. It the cold and bone chilling aura which makes you want to run away and hide beneath your bed.

The Devil looked towards me.

He smiled and shivered.

I have a very bad feeling about this.

[You have some very troublesome Guardians…but it seems that luck does not favour you or them…] The Devil said as he began walking towards me.

He must be joking.

I think Devil-san understands what I am thinking from my body language.

Surely my guardians couldn’t have caused this?

I am certain that neither the Abbe nor Maylon nor Gustav are capable of touching a single strand of hair of the Devil let alone get him shaking to his knees.

[What have you done to my Guard…]

Before I could complete my sentence, the devil appeared before and lifted me with a single hand. He grabbed me by the neck and lifted me into the air with a single hand. He did it so effortlessly. His grip was so strong that no matter how much I struggled, I could not escape. In fact, it was so tight that it would have choked me.

Fortunately, I am a slime monster and things like throat don’t really mean anything to me. I only created this throat like mould to look more human. It’s not like it has any air going through it. The slime body is more like an amoebas’. Even for breathing I simply absorb it through my slime skin.

“COME OUT!” The Devil shouted.

Woah….idea flash: ‘Your Guardians are troublesome’ followed by choking me and then saying ‘come out!’ With that I can conclude my Guardians are alive. I feel somewhat relieved, though this situation is bothersome.

“COME OUT!” The Devil shouted again as he tightened his grip around my neck.

His grip really didn’t do anything.

Devil-san looks very uncool and frustrated right now.

I am scared of the blood lust which he is emitting right now. Where does he get this much blood lust from?

Nothing happens....no one comes out....Other than the crackling of the flames there is no other sound to be heard.

Right now, I can see where things are headed.

Where does any terrorist holding hostage situation head? Over kill.

They (the Guardians) reveal themselves, they get killed and I get killed. They don’t come…only I get killed.

I can only say this I am not strong; may be incredibly lucky sometimes but not strong at all. I don’t have the courage to die for the sake of NPCs….but I do have a plan - It’s a semi-plan which involves using skills that I have never tried before….so basically I am saying I am not sure if the plan will succeed or not.

I have secured an escape route; not from my current predicament but from any predicament which involves me dying. It a one shot move and it doesn’t guarantee success that I’ll live after using it.

“DON’T COME HERE!” I shout out as I struggled against Devil-san’s grip.

Devil-san looked at me angrily and began tightening his grip around my neck.

Devil-san snapped my neck.

At the level of pressure he was applying it would have ordinarily crushed a human neck in two by now. However, I am a slime monster….and the more he crushed my neck the more deformed it became…like clay? It seems Devil-san forgot that I am a slime and holding me up like this meaningless?

Darn it.

I think he noticed something was wrong as well.

The Devil stared at me and I stared back at the Devil.

I am confused. Should I smile politely?

I smiled at the Devil.

Devil-san sighed.

:sigh:

Oh yeah....I am still hanging in the air with him holding me up there....I feel somewhat awkward. Is that normal in this situation?