《Never After》Chapter 5 : Retaliation

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The grass plains turned silent; each prisoner seemingly had their gaze upon the sky, but the next moment the laughter had stopped.

Harmonia felt cold air sweep her hair from above, and in an instant, the girl looked up, what she saw was white flames with black streaks coming off from it, falling from the sky.

The flames fell in front of her and immediately dispersed as it hit her body. She realizes that it wasn't fire. Instead of burning her, it was cold to the touch. It was something worse than that. It was mana. Mana thick enough to cause friction in the air, causing it to have a flame-like appearance. She had known about this from the books in her family library, but seeing it up close was another experience for her.

The now dispersed flames revealed a figure covered in flames, but with enough form to know that inside was a person. It moved its mana filled hands toward the approaching magic blast. As it reached the figure's hands, the white flames opened like a jaw. It shut the jaw-like mana shut and shattered the sphere inside.

Across the field, Ales was displeased with what had happened in front of him, "Whoever you are. You are on the wrong side of this battle," said Ales.

The figure stayed quiet until they started to emit a chuckle. The form inside the flames turns its head back as its flames dwindle.

The black streak of flames moved wildly across the figure's head, forming an eerie smile and three eyes that stared at Harmonia. "Do you see what I mean by you better remember that quote, Mistress?"

The familiar voice pierced through the girl's ear. The figure's voice was more vivid than the time behind the glass wall. Harmonia gasped, "H-Hilbert!?" She asked.

"Who else would it be?" Hilbert chuckled. The white flames dissipate entirely, only covering his hand, feet, and face. Hilbert was wearing a grey shirt, tattered at the edges and long black pants.

The wounded Agent musters up his last remaining strength to utter, "Hilbert... You are..." The Agent groaned and his knees fall to the ground clutching his wounded shoulders with his left hand.

"Rest yourself, Fynn. I'll take care of everything from here," said Hilbert. He raised his mana covered hand in front of him. "Right, almost forgot about that part." He moved his hand to cover his face—a magic circle formed in front of his palm. The magic circle emitted a faint glow, and the white flames covering his face, feet, and hand disappeared.

Revealing a face with a right eye painted in deep black as if a corpse and his left eye, as red as blood and brimming with life. His black hair uncombed, with white lines of hair predominant on the left side of his head.

"W-why did you save us?" Harmonia asked, her eyes still filled with dread.

Hilbert sighed, "Are you really this dense, Mistress?" Before he was able to open his mouth again, a gust of wind blew from in front of him. The man stomped his foot onto the ground and grinned.

Another purple orb approaches at full speed. Hilbert cackled as he moved his left leg to wind-up for a kick. In an instant, it reached in front of him. He let go of his hold and kicked the orb upwards. The sphere flew into the sky until it exploded into a cloud of purple smoke.

Hilbert stood there unharmed, his hair messier than before. "How many of those are you going to throw?" Hilbert casually asked, as if mocking Ales.

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"None," said Ales as he moved forward from the group of prisoners, "Who are you? A simple nobody wouldn't be able to dispose of those two attacks with just luck."

"Ah, that's right, none of you scum would know who I am." He fixed his stance, "Let me introduce myself," he said in a disciplined manner, still with a small grin on his face.

"My current name is Hilbert," His grin grew into a smile, "I'm a prisoner of that prison just like all of you." His smile grew wider and wider.

"Then, what rank did they assign you with?" The figure raises his hand to the side, signaling the people behind him to stand down.

"Mine is Rank A, number six," he remarks cockily, "The other A ranks above me seems to have escaped, what fools." he sighed, "Now, stop defending that girl and I might spare you."

"Those A ranks know better," he chuckled, the white flame-like rose from the ground near him. "It would appear that it's time for me to drop the facade."

Hilbert's voice turned erratic and echoed throughout the plains, "Rank S, number nine," His smile twisted and turned into a horrific one. His voice cold and stuttering as if holding back laughter, "As known as," the grass plain was silent, The group of personnel behind him was speechless, and Harmonia was left alone not knowing what the man just said.

The kneeling Agent F murmur, "So what you were telling me was true, that you are..."

"The Devil," Said Hilbert, his horrific smile fully spread across his cheeks.

"W-what!?" Harmonia panicked, turning to Hilbert, "E-e-eh? T-then d-did I-" Said Harmonia, lost for words.

Hilbert glanced back at Harmonia, "Yes, you did."

Across the grass plain, Ales scoffed and laughed, "Rank S, you say? Don't make me laugh; that rank doesn't exist. If an S class existed, it would've been widely known by the prisoners throughout the facility." Ales pointed towards Hilbert. "What you just said was merely to intimidate me, wasn't it?" He laughed, the other prisoners laughed at Hilbert's remark as if commanded by Ales.

The commander of the prisoners then raised his hand and shouted, "It's a free for all. Do what you want with them. The guy over there is just bluffing. Don't forget, Agent Fynn and Harmonia is mine, don't touch them." Immediately, as if a dam was breached, waves of prisoners came rushing towards the group of personnel.

Hilbert placed his palm on his forehead as he sighed. His horrid smile had turned into a frown, "I tried to warn you, people." He raised his left hand, but then dropped it. He looks back at Harmonia, "Do you happen to be one of those people with a No Kill Rule?" Hilbert asked casually, paying no mind to the coming horde.

"Oh, um," Harmonia mumbled in shock, but before she was able to say anything, Hilbert has turned around again, "I guess so," He sighed, "This makes my job a bit harder."

"Let me make this quick," He stomped his foot onto the ground creating a shockwave that didn't deter the horde of people. He raised his left hand again with his palms open.

The white mana from before gathered above his palm; the space around his hand vibrated while strong winds gathered, the white flames now spinning as if dancing on his palms. A loud shriek erupted from the center, forcing a few people in the plains to kneel and cover their ears.

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"Urgh," Fynn groaned as he kneeled and covered his ears.

"Hilbert, what are you doing!?" Harmonia shouted.

The white mana turned into its flame-like form and expanded sideways into a staff structure, and as if reality was glass, the white flame on his palm twisted and shattered. Revealing a pitch-black spear, Hilbert grasped it in his hand, and the horrific smile returned to his face.

"H-How," Harmonia trembles, her eyes dimmed as she stared into the familiar object that has appeared in so many of her dreams, "Urgh," She groaned as she felt an acute stinging pain on her back.

Ales was in disbelief, the prisoners he commanded fell one by one by the sheer gravity of Hilbert's aura. Hilbert spun the spear around as if playing with it. He raised the spear in front of him, pointing the sharp tip to the ground and stabbed it down. The grass around it started to wither and rot, starting from the tip of the spear.

"What did you do!?" Ales shouted in anger.

Hilbert looked around the plains. Some of the prisoners were still eager to attack them. He spotted a pile of bodies near the end of the plains, their bodies still emitting mana- alive, but unconscious.

"Seems to me that you have no human decency left in you," said Hilbert, ignoring Ales.

Ales noticed Hilbert staring at the pile of bodies, "So what? They are traitors who didn't want to help us; they don't matter."

"Oh, it does matter," Hilbert laughed, "Because now-" A white magic circle immediately emerged from the tip of the spear, quickly expanding throughout the entire grass plain in a matter of seconds.

Ales sensed the amount of mana being spent at such succession, "A-are you insane?" The man shouted as purple magic tendrils spurted out from his orange jumpsuit and pushed him upwards, the other prisoners that stayed away from Hilbert in confusion as they looked down on the ground.

"I can slaughter you all like animals," said Hilbert with a hint of disdain. Instantly hundreds of white spears, shaped by the white mana-shaped flames, emerge from the ground where the prisoners stood. In an instant, the spear impaled them one by one.

Seeing the scene of the carnage unfolding in front of them, The still standing prisoners panicked as they tried to run away, "To hell with this," said one of the prisoners. The prisoner immediately ran towards the outside of the magic circle. But as they neared the edge, the circle expanded with each of their steps. One of the prisoners tripped and fell; realizing his fate, he stayed on the ground as the spears made their way.

Hilbert scoffed at the sight, "No running away now," He said mockingly.

"What are you doing!?” Harmonia shouted as she had finally stood upright, her eyes dead focus on Hilbert.

"Ah, it's not what it looks like Mistress," Hilbert looked back, "They are still experiencing the pain, but no harm is done to their bodies. Considering how much knowledge you know about the basics, you should know my type, right?"

"Eh?" Harmonia stepped back, "Weapon Type, Mana Manipulation?" The girl guessed.

"Correct and don't worry; I didn't solidify the mana inside it, it only messes with the mana inside their body, causing the same exact pain as if an actual spear goes through them."

Hilbert turns around again, inserting his left hand to his pocket, "Take care of the people here for a bit, especially Fynn." he scratched the back of his head, "Use your magic to create bandages. Consider it as your first training."

The alleged Devil had his eyes on Ales as he walked, "Do you believe me now?" Hilbert shouted from afar, but the figure was too focused on dodging the spears. "Hey," the alleged Devil called out to Ales again.

Hilbert lowered his stance into a kneeling state, his leg bent, and upper body aiming at Ales. He grinned and immediately pushed himself forward with the strength of his right foot, propelling him into the air.

Ales noticed the living bullet and moved his tendrils sideways, trying to push himself out of the way, but as he looked around, the Devil's hand was already grasping his head. With a firm grip on the side of Ales' head, Hilbert opened his palm, aiming towards Ales' back. In an instant, a white magic circle appeared behind Ales. Then, with his build-up momentum, Hilbert bashed Ales' head onto the floating magic circle.

Ales groaned in pain and tried to use his tendril to retaliate, the edges of the tendrils sharpened and aimed at Hilbert's head. Hilbert glanced at the attack and dissipated the magic circle, causing them to lose momentum and fall. Hilbert grabbed Ales' collar and immediately threw him down.

The Devil opened his palm as he fell, aiming at the falling prisoner. Three white spears created from mana manifested behind him and propelled themselves towards Ales instantly. Ales’ purple tendrils moved in front of him to fight off the incoming spears.

"Hah, did you forget? Spears are also coming from the ground?” Hilbert scoffed. A magic circle manifested below him as he fell. He landed on the magic circle as he watched Ales fall to the ground.

Ales panicked and looked back, he saw multiple spears emerging from the ground, and all of the prisoners defeated in mere minutes.

He clenched his teeth. In a desperate last attempt, he sent out a flurry of sharp tendrils towards Hilbert, but the Devil just laughed, "Let me show you how futile it is," white mana manifested around his hand. Then, jagged black horns that point forward jutted out from both sides of Hilbert's head. For a fraction of a second, the white mana around his hand turns black as Hilbert softly moved his hand from right to left as if brushing off dust in front of him. The sharp tendrils twirled and dissipated like vines withering.

Ales wasn't able to prevent the gasp of shock from escaping his lips as he looked at Hilbert. Fear crawled up his back as he realized his meaningless attempts and Hilbert's sheer mana pool; he could feel an enormous dark presence coming from The Devil.

The spears coming from the ground pierces through his body, followed by the dozens of spears coming from the sky. He groaned in pain, clutching his fist and brace for impact with the ground, but as he nearly reached the ground, Ales could feel his body stopping and his collar pushing his neck from the back.

"If you didn't remind me, he would've died, you know?" the Devil's voice seemingly has calmed down. "How did you?" The man looked down at Hilbert's footing and saw a magic circle right before the sharp spears below it.

"Unhand me!" He shouted.

"Well," Hilbert glanced down at the multiple spears under him and loosen his grip. He looked up with one eyebrow raised towards Ales, "You sure?"

Ales looked down and sighed, "No, he said meekly."

"I thought so," Hilbert snapped his fingers, the spears under him dissipated one by one, he jumped down to the ground, his hand still grabbing the man's collar. He turned around, back towards the group of personnel. He spots Harmonia running around the crowd with bandages carried on her arms.

The Devil smirks, "Good Job," he whispered. He then makes his way towards the girl with the thought of the deal lingering in his mind. As he walked, the spear that impaled the prisoners dissipated around him. They fell to the ground with their bodies still twitching from the pain.

"Urgh, w-who reminded you?" he said groggily.

"Secret," Hilbert giggled.

"Then, why did you save them? You're a criminal just like us."

Hilbert looked up at the setting sun, "If I were to escape, the Grand Sorcerers would be at my neck, and that girl you threatened really piqued my interest."

He approached the spears he stabbed into the ground. Harmonia turned her head towards Hilbert, "Hilbert..." She tried to speak.

"It's over. I killed no one if you were wondering," Hilbert casually said as he threw the injured prisoner on his shoulder to the ground.

"Huh, now that I look at your face, you look quite familiar," Hilbert tilted his head, reaching for his spear, "I'll need this back."

Hilbert felt a gust of wind blowing behind on top of him, "Tch," The Devil clicked his tongue as he jumped back a few feet without grabbing his spear. Immediately a sword pulsing with blue aura stabbed the ground where he stood.

A man fell from the sky and grabbed the sword, swiftly moving the blue sword created from mana towards Hilbert's throat, a few inches away from slashing it.

The man's face filled with anger. His teeth clenched, and eyes focused towards the Devil. Blue swords manifested behind him, all aimed at Hilbert.

"Ah, long time no see, Clarke of the Grand Sorcerers," said Hilbert with a smile.

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