With a frightened expression, the young boy unwillingly threw his blade at the demon who dodged and acquired the sword by snatching it with his threads. The demon laughed at the perplexed boy who just stared at him with despair overpowering him.
"There was an attempt...BAHAHAHAHAH!"
"Damnit! Do we really have to resort to violence?"
"You're desperate aren't you?"
"Stop mocking me!"
"It's useless to be desperate since this is where you die."
"Screw you!"
The young boy, crowded with rage and fear, ran the remaining flight of stairs and reached the same floor as the demon who crouched at the ledge of the railings. Brandishing his second blade and summoning his shield out of thin air, the young boy charged for the demon.
"I told you it useless! HAHAHAHAHA!" the demon laughed as he dodged it and flew with two large black tattered wings.
"Wha-!?"
"This sword of yours sure has an interesting property...it can amplify stuff eh?HAHAHAHA! I've hit the jackpot!"
"That doesn't belong to you!"
"It will in a matter of seconds...as I'll be going to be ending your useless life!"
With his courage filled up, the young boy jumped off the wooden ledge and time seemed to slow down. Shocked by the sudden events, the demon moved out of the way and the boy fell, luckily the boy stretched out his hands and grabbed on the railing. Clutching the railing with all his might, the boy uttered out some words.
"Just you wait! I'm going to send you where you belong!"
"Oh? What can you even do in the predicament you in?"
The still floating demon stood at the boy's hands that are still on the railing. The boy screamed in pain as the demon kept on stepping on his frail hands.
"What were you going to do again?" mockingly said the demon
"Damn you!"
"Running out of insults to say?"
"Crap..."
"This is getting boring...guess I'll get rid of you now then!"
Suddenly, the boy's limbs were caught off by thin threads, he screamed as he helplessly plummeted to the ground.
[It seems I have to take over then...] A familiar voice whispered in the boys head
"Hel?"
Millimeters off the ground, a black portal open with arms jutting out of it, those arms caught the boy. Switching roles for a brief moment, the boy and Hel, the guardian of the crown fragment of death manifested herself in the boy's body.
"Zersha...it's been a long time! KEKEKEKE!"
"That voice...Hel?! It sure has been a long time...LET'S SETTLE OUR SCORES RIGHT NOW RIGHT HERE!"
"YOU BET WE WILL!"
"IT'S BEEN TWO DECADES SINCE YOU WERE SEALED UNDER THE YGGDRASIL! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW LONG I'VE WAITED, BEARING THE GRUDGE AGAINST YOU! I'VE GROWN STRONGER AND STRONGER SO THAT I COULD PREPARE FOR THIS DAY!"
"YOU SURE TALK A HANDFUL! LET'S GET TO IT ALREADY THEN! SCYTHE OF SORROWS: LAMENT!"
A huge black scythe appeared in the boy's hand, the aura it gave off was sinister as if it were filled with the souls of the damned.
"FLASHY SCYTHE EH? WHIP OF LIFE AND DEATH: ENRAGE!"
Wrapping around his arm, a red whip materialized, the thing was at least around ten feet. Without hesitation, Hel ran head-on with the scythe in hand, the two collided and dealt blows to each other. Hel repeatedly slashed the scythe at Zersha which dug deep into his tough body whilst Zersha was trying his best to dodge the barrage of attacks while trying his best to retaliate.
"KEEP ON RUNNING! I'M PUMPED UP TODAY!"
"SO AM I! I'LL BEAT YOU TO A PULP!"
Exchanging another set of blows, these two entities are no match for the young boy with his current state. Floating amidst his own sector, a young girl with silky black hair and golden eyes woke up the unconscious young boy.
"Kasu...?"
"Tarus! It's been hours since you went missing!"
"Hours...no...it's been days! Weeks!"
"What are you talking about? The last thing I remember was you laying me down and making me drink something...why do your clothes look so different? Your hair too! It's a mess! Didn't you at least comb it?"
"I have a lot of questions but for now we need to get out of here..."
"O-ok...oh the pendant I gave you is glowing!"
"Oh...I forgot to hand it over to your sister."
"Sister?"
"You have a younger sister, appearance-wise she looks older than you and her name is Nananko."
Streams of tears flowed down from her golden eyes, she noticed the young boy staring at her with worry in his eyes, she immediately wiped off her tears.
"So she lived..." she whispered in a low tone
"I didn't hear that, what did you say?"
"N-nothing...how do we get out of here then?"
"I'm currently not the one inhabiting my body, it's someone I know and trust and she's fending off a high-ranking demon with intelligence."
"How many horns?!"
"Nine to be exact...but who knows when a tenth one might appear..."
"That's beyond high ranking!"
[Can you guys be quieter?]
"Zeichi?"
[It's been a while, the last time I was able to contact you was when you were entering the temple where the sword of time was...I think it was the barrier that was stopping me from contacting you...]
"Yeah, it's really been a while..."
"May I ask who you are?"
"I'm Zeichi..."
"Do you really have to cover your face?"
[Unfortunately yes...]
"Oh okay..."
"Zeichi, how did I end up on the other side? You said you were going to answer me!"
[Someone interfered and forced you to encounter all those dangers here at the other side.]
"You said that the border was the one stopping you from contacting me...then how are you able to contact me?"
[Azuma is currently not on the other side, but rather this country is in its own dimension.]
"What's going on?"
"I'll explain everything when we meet up with the others, for now, let's find a way to get out of here and help Hel."
The boy was still anxious about going out of his sector since he was beaten to a pulp by the demon. Back outside, the raging fight against Hel and Zersha continues to rattle the whole of kyotomi palace.