Chapter 8: Chapter 1 - Finale

Sean quickly got into a defensive stance, parrying the demon's attack, and I yelled at him to watch out for the chest strike. As Sean narrowly avoided the strike that had injured Emma, I noticed a glimmer of surprise on his face.

He asked me when I had become so good at reading attacks, but I quickly corrected him, explaining that it was the same move the demon had used on Emma. Sean's expression grew cold once more, and he declared that enough was enough, rushing towards the demon with determination.

As Sean attempted to strike the demon's upper area, the creature effortlessly dodged his attacks, while Sean struggled to avoid the demon's strikes. Eventually, the demon landed a solid punch to Sean's side.

Suddenly, the demon conjured a dagger and swiftly aimed for Sean's head. Reacting quickly, I moved to the backside, already anticipating Sean's next move. The demon's blade collided with his shoulder pad, slicing through it and grazing Sean's shoulder.

I heard Sean grimace in pain, but he smiled defiantly at the demon, taunting him. The demon, frustrated by the blade being stuck, struggled to remove it from Sean's shoulder. Taking advantage of the situation, Sean held the blade in place and used his free hand to smash a purple perfume bottle into the demon's face, burning his flesh.

At the same time, I plunged my blade into the demon's side, targeting the same spot where Emma had left a mark.

In that moment, I thought we had him. But our joy quickly turned to fear as the demon screamed in pain, releasing the knife from Sean's shoulder. With a swift motion, the demon slashed his arm off and sent Sean flying, while another slash from the demon caught me in the face, causing me to tumble against the wall in agony.

Trying to think quickly, I noticed Sean struggling to get up; his arm sheared straight off as if by a blade, and my left eye badly gashed. The demon slowly walked towards me, one hand pressed against the wound, revealing signs of healing but also showing signs of great pain. Realizing I still had two of Liza's grenades on me, I knew it was our last chance.

I thought to myself, "That's it!" and with a swift motion, I threw the pressure Helix grenade toward the demon. Just as in my flashback, he caught it, intending to crush it as he did with the M62.

With a sense of urgency, I screamed at Sean to hit the deck. Despite his injury, he managed to lower himself, trying to yell, but his voice was weak. At that moment, a massive explosion erupted, shattering every window and door in the building. Even though I hit the ground, my entire back suffered severe burns, and any open wounds I had were instantly cauterized.

After a few minutes, I crawled over to check on Sean. The explosion had effectively cauterized his severed arm. I told him to stand up slowly, hoping we could get far enough away to radio for backup. But as he coughed up blood, he responded with a grim realization that he didn't think he would make it. His face took on a bright purple hue as his condition worsened.

He continued coughing up blood, muttering that the perfume might have been something more than just perfume. I started to say we might need to use the..., but my train of thought was abruptly interrupted when something caught my peripheral vision. I turned to see the demon slowly rising; his face half melted, revealing a red part of his skull and a glowing blue orb in his chest.

The demon cursed, vowing to give us the worst death imaginable. In the blink of an eye, he dashed towards us, like an injured animal cornered and baring its fangs one last time. I tried to react, but all I could manage to do was reach for the last grenade in my pouch. However, before I could act, the demon grabbed me by the throat, his grip tightening.

Sean attempted to intervene, but he was instantly impaled in the chest, the force violently puncturing at least one of his lungs. Desperate to buy some time, I yelled at the demon, taunting him and reminding him of the mistake he had made before he crushed my windpipe. With all my remaining strength, I threw the grenade into the air.

Fear filled the demon's eyes as he realized the imminent danger. Just as he was about to crush it, Sean acted as I expected, using his free arm to catch it. But before he could press the button, his hand was sliced off almost instantly.

As Sean's severed hand flew above his chest, Emma, who had propped herself up despite her injuries, took aim. Coughing up blood, she fired her pistol, the bullet speeding through the smoky air. It struck Sean's lifeless hand, hitting the grenade's red core, triggering an instant detonation.

A final explosion engulfed everything, reducing the building to ash and obliterating the demon's core. Darkness enveloped me.

When I hastily opened my eyes, I was bewildered to find myself completely unharmed. Confusion consumed me.

Was I dead? I must be, considering I had just been caught in an explosion. But where was I? And where were Sean and the others?

Then, I looked down and realized I was standing on a surface resembling a white prism, with a cloud-like formation overlooking a shapeless silhouette of a ghostly figure seated upon a black and gold chair. The figure had a mysterious smile directed toward me.

I raised my voice, filled with curiosity and uncertainty, asking who the figure was and where I was.

The figure chuckled softly, its voice reminiscent of a gentle, feminine tone, and replied,

"You are nowhere and yet everywhere."

I was taken aback by the response, struggling to comprehend its meaning. The figure continued, expressing surprise at encountering me in this domain.

It explained that typically, souls would flow in and out like cogs in a wheel, but somehow, there had been a slip in the wheels of time, causing you and the others to slip into places you don't belong.

I continued questioning the figure; my voice filled with urgency,

"Wait, what did you mean by others? Did Sean end up here as well?"

However, before I could receive an answer, everything began fading back into darkness. It felt as though I was being pulled back into the chaos of the explosion. Just before everything vanished, I caught a fleeting reflection of Sean standing over the same figure, engaged in the same conversation.

Then, all faded to black, and my attempt to call out to Sean was silenced.

End Chapter 1 -

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