Zack’s eye grew wider than a saucer as he saw a bloodstained blade piercing through William’s abdomen and out of his back. His body quivered with a mixture of rage and despair.

‘Am I… going to be saved again? Like that… again? Will Uncle die as well? Because of me? Why did he even come to save someone like me even after all that? Is this how it will end? No. No. No! No! No! NO! NOT AGAIN!’

A laugh echoed in his head.

His pupil constricted as his lone eye moved around, unable to find anyone.

A voice which seemed to echo filled his head.

‘Say, kid. If you get power, what will you do?’

Zack grew quiet as the despair in his eye turned from despair to resolution and madness. His chaotic thoughts focused like still water with no ripples as he thought of a word.

‘Kill…’

Like black ink smearing a cup of water its own colour, the boy’s hatred devoured his heart.

Up ahead, William’s hand latched onto the blade. With a clang, the blade snapped. A grey light shone out from his abdomen, forming a thin layer atop the part lodged within his stomach.

Gritting his teeth, William left the broken blade as is to deal with the immediate threat first.

Realising William’s course of action, Burt leapt back, gaining some distance.

William followed, preparing to strike with his sword.

However, a moment later, both men’s eyes grew wide. Their heads turned towards the same direction, their eyes meeting a bloody light far intense than the one dancing on William’s blade.

Looking towards the source of the bloody light, William couldn’t help but think, ‘What the— Is this… malice? It-t’s almost on the verge of becoming corporeal.’

His eyes focused in the middle of the bloody light, peering at a dense black miasma invisible to anyone else.

To his side, Burt’s body trembled. His body felt icy while his soul shivered. His heart thumped like a beating drum. He gulped before taking a deep breath to calm himself down. After calming, he was astonished to find cold sweat lining the back of his neck.

His hold on his blade loosened subconsciously as he gritted his teeth. Letting go of the hilt, his fingers spread out in the shape of a claw, heading straight towards the remains of his blade lodged in his foe.

William reacted in an instant, moving his sword to block the incoming attack.

*RIPPP—*

However, his reaction was a moment too late.

The space in front of him tore apart as a grey, bony hand covered with blood-red marks came out of the tear, latching onto the incoming claw.

Burt’s forearm stopped in an instant, not budging an inch. With a crack, the joint on his elbow shattered while his skin tore apart, unable to bear the force of his attack. Fragments of his bones jutted out of his elbow, with blood following the suit soon after.

Burt blinked. His heart grew chillier.

He couldn’t help but think, ‘Am I going to die?’

In front of his eyes, the crack in the space grew wider as a kid walked out of the crack.

His long raven-black hair blew with the breeze, contrasting with an eerily pale skin like that of a corpse. With no shreds of any muscles, his body looked like a skeleton covered with a thin bag of skin. Creaking sounds came from his body, like those of bones breaking apart and joining together. On his face, a broken stone mask covered the area near his left eye, emitting an intense bloody light.

The space behind his back tore open, forming a shape similar to that of a halo as a myriad of colours flashed over his body. The ground around him crumbled to dust, leaving behind what little remained underneath his feet. Sparks flew between the halo of torn space and the boy’s back.

As if possessed, a twisted smile hung on his face.

Meeting his gaze, Burt couldn’t see a shred of the timidness and fear from earlier. Instead, he saw a madness capable of doing anything, an utter disregard of all living beings, and an emptiness like that of a never-ending abyss within the lone black pupil that stared back at himself. He wanted to struggle free, but his instincts made him flinch each time, unable to move a muscle.

The lightning curling around William dimmed, as if paying obeisance to a ruler within his territory.

Zack’s lips moved as a voice which seemed to come from everywhere echoed through the air, “Ahaha, Mister Burt! I thank you for this. I really do. To show my gratitude, I’ll make sure you feel what genuine despair is.”

Finishing his words, the smile on his face grew thicker. His other hand stretched out towards his back, before his fingers curled together as if pulling at something.

The surrounding corpses of the soldiers who had died earlier flew towards him, turning into a mush of blood and flesh before being devoured by the bloody light.

At the same time, the boy’s body had a rapid change. The skin that stuck to his bones like a thin sheet turned to a rosy colour, while the muscles underneath grew at a rapid speed, not stopping until his body looked no different from any other kid his age.

The bloody light circled around the kid as his smile disappeared, his expression turning serious.

With the same echoing voice, he asked, “Say, mister Burt. I’ll ask you something. What’s the best way to torture someone?”

Burt felt his heart turning ice cold from bottom to top. His voice got stuck in his throat, as not a sound came out. He could feel his body shaking like a leaf in a strong wind.

“I asked you something. What was it again? Ah, I remember! Being a man as magnanimous or whatever as I am, I will ask you again. What’s the best way to torture someone?”