The first thing George was aware of when he woke up was that it hurt like crazy. His entire body felt like it was on fire. It was like someone had dropped a bucket of gasoline all over his skin, and he could feel every little bit of the burning sensation.
"It hurts." George opened his eyes and noticed he was in an unfamiliar room, "Where am I? What happened?"
Slowly, he remembered the events that had taken place, the fact that he had committed suicide, signed a pact with a demon and killed an innocent person being used by another demon.
He could feel his stomach churning as memories slowly came back to him, and he began to hyperventilate. He couldn't believe what he had done.
"Blechhhhhh.... urgghhh... what have I done to that girl... I just killed a person..." He threw up in the nearby trashcan.
He heard footsteps coming from outside the door. Someone entered the room,
Ah, you're awake.
He turned to see Baal standing at the door,
How are you feeling?
George groaned and tried to stand up, stumbling slightly, "Shit."
Consider yourself lucky. You're the first person to survive wielding HF Kokorowatari.
"You mean that sword?"
What else could it be?
"You lent me that sword knowing it could kill me?!"
Of course not. I had a feeling it wanted you to wield it.
Baal placed one hand on George's forehead and one hand next to his neck. He held out the other towards George's chest.
George felt his soul start to rise up from his body.
Baal chuckled slightly.
Now, let's get you fixed up, so you don't die on my watch.
When George's soul sank back into his body, the pain he had felt before seemed to vanish. The throbbing headache became bearable.
"Ummm... thank you." He rubbed the back of his head nervously,
Let's go.
"Err... where to? Where are we to begin with?"
It's a well-maintained abandoned house I found.
You wanted to live a new life free from your family, right? I have already prepared documents for your new identity. There's a university nearby, too, and it's within walking distance.
Baal took out several documents.
There were at least five student IDs, the other some basic information. There were also some credit cards and a couple of bank statements, which contained bank accounts, money transferred, and bills paid. It was quite clear that this was all legitimate.
George saw that he retained his old name... Confused, he asked, "What the- What's the point of having a new identity if you didn't bother changing my name?"
Take a look in the mirror.
George walked towards the bathroom and looked into the mirror.
He gasped when he saw himself.
His hair was silvery white, his skin was pale and soft, and his face was youthful and aesthetically pleasing. All parts of his face had the right proportion, size, and distance, which complemented each part's aesthetic properties perfectly. He had full lips, large eyes, a slender nose, and high cheekbones.
Even his eyebrows matched perfectly, making his already long eyelashes look even longer.
And worst of all, there was no sign of acne, not even a hint of anything except smooth and shiny skin.
"..." George swallowed the lump in his throat,
"What the actual fuck is this?!"
What, you don't like it?
"Of course, I don't!!! How are we supposed to hunt down demons while living a normal life when I'm the human equivalent of a glow-in-the-dark ouija board."
Don't worry, don't worry. No one will see your face. I'll show you how to do a partial demon transformation later.
Oh, and you're mistaken about something- you're no longer human.
You're now a half-demon.
That gave George pause, "... are you serious?"
Yeah, yeah, true story. I added a little bit of demonic energy when I was rebuilding your body to make it stronger and more resilient. You should be able to survive fatal injuries better than most humans. Even losing a couple organs won't be enough to stop you. You're also no longer required to sleep.
"So what's the catch? There's no way there's something that convenient without a hefty price."
There is no catch. As long as you don't inject your liquid dream killer into a normal human.
"What are you talking about? Explain it."
The demonic energy on your body turns your liquid dream killer into a liquid mankiller
Let's get to the main point. This is the deal between us. First: You cannot sleep. During the night, you must roam the city and execute every demon you find. Second: During that entire process, I will be teaching and assisting you. And third: You're free to live your life the way you want in the morning and afternoon. No matter what happens in the morning, you still have to do your work during the night. Deal?
"Deal, but the hell is a liquid dream killer and liquid mankiller?"
Good. You don't have to know that last part, you'll know when the time comes. It's almost nighttime. We should go on our way.
Baal entered George's body, and they both exited the house through the window.
They ran across rooftops until they reached a small alley that overlooked a busy street. From there, they jumped off the roofs.
George landed on top of a building, then leaped off to another rooftop. They kept running like that all night, jumping from roof to roof.
Every time they did, they would come across another building and jump.
They aimlessly traveled for four hours without seeing any sign of demons.
"I've never experienced such an exhilarating feeling in such as this," George said breathlessly.
George glanced down into the street below him.
The lights of the city lit up the night sky and the buildings around them. Trees of a park near them swayed in the faint breeze.
The place that George was standing on was a tall skyscraper overlooking the city. He could see the street lights afar, the tall clouds of the night, and the glassy surface of the lake far away. The stars twinkle in the sky.
"I've never realized that the world was this beautiful."
Suddenly a loud scream echoed in the night. George quickly jumped back down on the street, where the group of humans was now running away from.
In the middle of the street was a huge demon, almost twice the size of the truck. It was black and had sharp claws. Its eyes glowed in a yellowish color, and it had a long tail swaying back and forth.
"Baal, the sword. Give it to me."