The ruined hospital stood silent, the echoes of battle still reverberating through its broken walls. Kenji and Aya remained frozen, their bodies locked in place by the suffocating presence before them.
Azazel stood at the shattered opening in the wall, gazing down at the Emerged Shadow sprawled in the crater below. Its body twitched, its form flickering in and out of existence as it desperately tried to crawl away, fear twisting its once-arrogant expression into pure horror.
It was trying to run.
Azazel let out a soft sigh.
A moment later, the Shadow gasped, its limbs convulsing as something impaled it to the ground.
A sword.
A sleek, black blade that hadn't been there an instant ago now pinned the Shadow's body into the broken concrete.
The Shadow's breath hitched. It hadn't even seen it appear.
It struggled, clawing at the blade, trying to wrench itself free, but then....
Shhk.
Another sword.
Then another.
And another.
Blades rained from the air, manifesting from nothing, impaling the Shadow over and over again.
The first stab was a punishment.
The second, a sentence.
The third..... pure execution.
Azazel's expression didn't change. His golden eyes remained cold, distant, as he simply flicked his wrist. More swords materialized in an instant, their edges gleaming with an unnatural darkness before they tore into the Shadow's already failing form.
The Shadow let out a ragged, gurgling cry, its essence cracking apart.
Azazel took a slow step forward, descending into the crater, his presence looming over the dying creature.
It twitched, its flickering eyes filled with something between agony and pleading.
Azazel simply tilted his head.
"You were running?" His voice was devoid of emotion. "But you never even left the spot."
The Shadow choked on its own failing existence. "P....please…"
Azazel exhaled. "Poor thing."
With one final gesture, a massive blade formed above them, its edges humming with raw, abyssal energy.
It plunged down.
The impact shook the earth.
The Shadow let out one last, pitiful shriek.....
Then silence.
The body flickered.
And then, its form ignited.
A deep, unnatural flame erupted from within the impaled creature, black and gold, twisting in eerie, mesmerizing waves.
The flames devoured everything. Not just its body, but its very essence.
The Shadow's soul.... its existence itself..... was pulled into the consuming inferno, sucked into Azazel's form like a beast finally feasting.
Kenji and Aya watched in silent horror as the last remnants of the Emerged Shadow were claimed.
Azazel straightened, his golden gaze flickering as the flames receded, leaving nothing but dust behind.
He turned to them, stepping forward, his presence crushing.
Kenji swallowed, gripping his sword so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Aya's threads coiled, reacting instinctively.
But neither of them could move.
Azazel looked between them.
Then, finally, he spoke.
"Now," his voice was calm. Controlled.
"Let's talk."
Kenji's breath was shallow. Aya's fists clenched. Every fiber of their being screamed at them to move.....to do something..... but they remained rooted in place, caught in the oppressive gravity of Azazel's presence.
The golden-eyed figure stepped forward, his movements fluid, effortless. The air itself seemed to ripple around him, distorting as if reality struggled to contain the sheer weight of his existence.
Aya's instincts, sharpened through years of battle, screamed one undeniable truth: They weren't standing before Vieira anymore.
Azazel studied them, expression unreadable. His golden gaze flickered to Kenji's sword, then to the floating threads around Aya. He let out a soft hum.
"Exorcists," he mused, as if the word were foreign on his tongue. "How... quaint."
Aya forced herself to swallow. "Vieira...?" Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Can you hear me?"
Azazel's gaze snapped to her. A strange amusement flickered in his eyes.
"Vieira?" he echoed, rolling the name over his tongue. He placed a hand on his chest, as if testing how the name felt on his own body. Then he gave a slow, deliberate shake of his head.
"No. That name is not mine."
Aya's stomach twisted.
Kenji, however, grit his teeth and raised his sword, ignoring the overwhelming fear pressing down on him. "I don't give a damn who you are," he spat. "What did you do to Vieira?"
Azazel regarded him with the mild patience of a teacher watching a student struggle with basic arithmetic. "I did nothing," he replied. "He merely fell... and I rose."
Kenji didn't lower his blade. "Tch. Damn cryptic bullshit."
Azazel sighed, as if disappointed. "How tedious. Do you need everything spelled out for you?" He took another step forward. "Your friend is still here... somewhere. But whether he returns..." His gaze sharpened. "That is entirely up to me."
Aya felt her heartbeat thunder in her ears.
Kenji tightened his grip, every muscle coiled to strike.
Azazel's eyes flickered between them before he let out a low, almost mocking chuckle. "Ah... I see." His tone softened, almost pitying. "You're afraid."
The air around them seemed to bend under the weight of his aura. Kenji and Aya felt their bodies grow heavier, their knees threatening to buckle.
Then.....just as suddenly as it came...the pressure vanished.
Azazel turned away from them, looking toward the ruined hospital entrance. His golden eyes narrowed slightly.
"More are coming."
Aya's breath hitched.
Reinforcements? From the Exorcist Corps?
Kenji frowned, stepping forward cautiously. "Wait. You're not going to fight us?"
Azazel tilted his head. "Should I?" He sounded genuinely curious. "You are of no consequence to me."
Kenji bristled. "You... !"
Azazel raised a hand, and in an instant, a blade materialized at Kenji's throat.
Kenji froze.
Aya's heart stopped. She hadn't even seen the sword appear.
Azazel smiled slightly. "If I wanted to kill you..." The sword pressed ever so slightly against Kenji's skin, cold and sharp. "...you would already be dead."
Then, as suddenly as it appeared, the blade vanished.
Kenji stumbled back, his breaths ragged.
Azazel turned fully now, gazing at the ruined hospital with mild disinterest. "Stay here if you wish," he said simply. "Fight, run, do whatever it is you exorcists do. It makes no difference to me."
Aya finally found her voice. "Then what does matter to you?"
Azazel paused.
The gold in his eyes burned slightly brighter.
"...I have only just returned," he murmured. "And there is much to do."
Without another word, he took a step forward....
And then he was gone.
A gust of wind swept through the hospital, kicking up dust where he had stood.
Aya and Kenji stood frozen, the weight of what had just transpired pressing heavily on them.
Kenji let out a shaky breath. "...Well. That's bad."
Aya didn't answer.
Her mind was already racing.
If Azazel wasn't lying... if Vieira was still in there, somewhere...
Then they had to find a way to bring him back.
Before it was too late.