The man in the gi stood before them, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. His presence alone radiated an ominous aura, an air of someone who had seen far too much to remain unscathed by the harsh world around him.
Belial's voice broke the tense silence, his tone thick with urgency.
"Where are they?"
The man stared at him, confused and defensive, as if trying to measure the threat in front of him. His eyes shifted to Azire, scanning him as if trying to determine whether they were friend or foe.
"Who are you? Are you part of them?" he growled, his fists clenching at his sides.
Azire's gaze was firm, his own voice unwavering. "No. But we need to know where he took the girls."
The tension in the room seemed to stretch to its breaking point, before the man's face twisted into a mask of sorrow and rage.
"So it's your fault..." His voice trembled as he slammed a fist into the floor. "You're the reason why he killed my students."
A cold chill ran down Azire's spine, his mind racing. "What do you mean?"
The man in the gi's face darkened, his voice low and filled with grief. "An angel came to my dojo. We were all petrified when he walked in. He asked where they were. Not knowing what he meant, I kicked him out, but..." His hands trembled, as tears began to fall. "He came back. He murdered all my students. Cold blood. No mercy. All of them... gone."
The man collapsed to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably, the weight of his words suffocating him.
Before anyone could say anything further, the door to the dojo burst open, and Uno stepped into the room, his presence commanding. His eyes scanned the group, then settled on Azire.
"What happened?" Uno asked, his voice tinged with concern. "I heard the girls got kidnapped."
Azire nodded solemnly. "It's true. They're gone."
Belial's voice was sharp and urgent. "We need to move fast. We don't know what they're doing to them."
Uno's face hardened. "We can't waste any more time." His eyes then turned to Ken, the man in the gi. "What's your name?"
Ken wiped his tears away, his hands shaking as he stood. "Ken." He looked directly at Azire. "If you help me avenge my students, I'll help you find your friends."
Azire nodded, a deep sense of gratitude swelling inside him. "Thank you, Ken."
Ken nodded back, his expression serious. "We need to move. I know where they're going."
The group rushed through the streets of the city, moving swiftly toward the towering skyscraper that loomed in the distance. Azire gazed up at it, his eyes wide with awe.
"This building is massive. Bigger than anything back in Japan." He muttered to himself, admiring the sheer scale of the structure.
Ken led the way, glancing back at Azire with a nod. "Shall we?"
Uno's hand shot up, signaling for the group to halt. "Wait," he said. "I'll cast a spell. We can't let the town know what's going on here." He paused, his face darkening as he added, "Sadly, we'll have to kill everyone inside. There can be no witnesses."
Azire's eyes widened in shock. "Kill everyone?" he whispered, his mind racing. He had never killed anyone before, except for Jackal, and even then, it had been in self-defense. This felt different. The weight of it settled heavily on his shoulders.
Belial, sensing his hesitation, placed a reassuring hand on Azire's shoulder. "You good, bro?"
Azire nodded stiffly. "Just thinking. Nothing special."
Uno raised his hand, muttering an incantation under his breath. In an instant, the entire skyscraper became shrouded in an impenetrable barrier, sealing off any possibility of escape for those inside. The group charged forward, ready for the battle ahead.
Inside the skyscraper, the group was immediately confronted by thousands of angels. Their wings spread wide, ready for a fight. Uno wasted no time, charging into the fray with an almost unnatural speed. He cut through the ranks of angels effortlessly, each swing of his weapon precise and deadly.
Ken was right behind him, his movements smooth and calculated as he dispatched one angel after another. The two were like a well-oiled machine, cutting down their enemies with brutal efficiency.
Azire turned to Belial. "Let's go, bro. You ready?"
Belial grinned, his Eclipse Gauntlet shimmering with dark power. Azire summoned Abyssfang, the black blade materializing in his hand. "Let's do this."
Azire brought his sword down upon Belial's gauntlet, the two energies combining into a massive explosion that tore through the battlefield. The shockwave obliterated every angel in its wake, leaving nothing but destruction.
When the dust finally settled, Belial was on his knees, gasping for air. "Woah, Belial..." Azire panted. "I didn't know your gauntlet was that strong."
Belial chuckled weakly, his body trembling with exhaustion. "We need to keep moving. No time to rest."
Uno and Ken nodded in agreement, but Azire could see that Belial was near his limit. Azire summoned Cocobeal, the small demon appearing on his shoulder, ready to help Belial move forward
The group reached the final floor, where a solitary figure sat at a desk in the center of an otherwise empty room. The man at the desk raised an eyebrow as he saw the group enter, a sinister smile creeping across his face.
"I'll tell you where he is," the man said, his voice dripping with mockery. "But only if the Demon King kills this innocent beastman."
The floor beneath them rumbled, and a cage dropped into the center of the room, revealing a beastman inside. His body was battered, his clothes torn and stained with blood.
Uno, Ken, and Belial stood silent, their eyes locked on the cage. "Azire..." Belial whispered, his gaze intense.
Azire stood frozen, his mind racing as he stared at the beastman, whose eyes were filled with terror and pain. He didn't know what to do. The weight of the decision hung over him like an anchor.
Cocobeal's voice whispered into his ear, barely audible. "You have to do it, Azire. Kill him... or he will."
Azire's demon eye activated, and his body moved on its own. With a cold, calculated step, he walked toward the beastman, his sword—Abyssfang—appearing in his hand. In one swift motion, Azire slashed through the bars of the cage, ending the beastman's life.
The man at the desk burst into laughter, throwing a scroll at Azire. His voice echoed in the room. "You made the right choice."
Without hesitation, Azire turned his sword on the man, cutting him down in an instant. The man's laughter died in his throat as his blood stained the floor.
After the chaos had passed, Azire sat back on the ground, the weight of his actions heavy on his heart. The scroll lay in his lap, but his thoughts were far away.
This world wasn't like the shows he watched. There were no sparkles, no rainbows. People died here. Real people. And Azire had just killed someone—he had just taken a life. The reality of the situation set in like a cold wave.
He tossed the scroll to Uno, his eyes empty, as he pondered the true nature of the world he now found himself in.
This was no fantasy. This was real.