Previously On Unknown: Tsukikage reveals Matsumoto's vulnerability lies in his human core, casting a Forbidden Spell that traps Matsumoto in a Blood Demon Art Technique called Maiden, Malevolent Prison. In the battle between Hisashi and Shiden, Hisashi's elemental attacks face Shiden's swift adaptations, leading to a fierce exchange. And now Akishima is on the stairs to the third floor…
(Continuing)
Akishima stares at them with a shocked and confused expression. They look back as if they were expecting his arrival.
Akishima is the first one to speak, as he inquires, "Uh? What the hell? Who are you three?" staring at them as they stare back.
Then the girl with the two daggers introduces themselves to Akishima by stating, "Isn't it obvious. We're your enemies." a slight, cheeky smirk on her face as she reveals. As if she were mocking Akishima.
Instantaneously, the man resembling that of a ninja, vanishes without a trace of sound being left behind. The big boy with the iron bat charged at Akishima, running down the stairs as if he were a maniac. And the girl? Well, she's right behind him.
With a killing intent, like a vicious wolf, she aims to give Akishima a swift decapitation.
Akishima, caught off guard by the sudden events, couldn't dodge the attack. Furthermore, the fat guy was already in range to launch his attack on Akishima.
As Akishima thinks he's going to die, he enters deep thought back into his subconscious.
*Within Akishima's Subconscious…*
An eerie silence filled a neverending midnight. Then, out of nowhere, an echoeing voice began speaking. Everything about this voice sounded like a Devil. Distorted, menacing, sinister, deep and commanding.
The devilish voice only asked one question. A question that will be a life-changing decision for Akishima. "𝔇𝔬 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔴𝔦𝔰𝔥 𝔱𝔬 𝔩𝔦𝔳𝔢?" A pitch-black hand with claws and a deep crimson, aura-like, outline suddenly manifested.
At the same moment, a spiritual form of Akishima manifested, floating in the neverending nothingness as if his soul left his body. Compared to the devil-like hand, Akishima was an ant.
Akishima answers the devil's question with a soft, determined, and echoing voice that repeats throughout the endless space, "Yes…" At the same moment, the devil's hand grabs Akishima and it transitions through Akishima's right eye and back to the present scene.
It seemed that time stopped when Akishima was in his subconscious. Because the girl hadn't decapitated him yet and the boy was still swinging his bat at him.
Akishima's right eye glowed red intensely as tears of blood flowed from his eye to his cheeks.
At the same moment, Akishima vanishes and time starts back normally.
The fat boy, who was about to hit Akishima with his iron bat, swung his bat and hit the girl, with the two daggers, directly in the head.
The ninja that vanished before was seen knocked out on the floor by Akishima.
And the girl, who got hit with the bat, head was bleeding profusely tilting back and dropping on the stairs as she was also knocked out.
The big boy was shocked, confused, and terrified at the site he was witnessing before him. Both of his companions were defeated in a flash, lying on the stairs.
He then turned as fast as he could to take on Akishima. But when he turned around, Akishima wasn't there.
He was even more shocked, not at the fact that Akishima wasn't there, but at the fact that when he looked down on his chest, where his heart is supposed to be, he saw a hand with claws covered in blood pierced right through his body and that same hand had a shiny, glowing orb in it. In the same moment, the hand retracted out of the big boy's body and he coughed up blood, falling on the stairs, lifeless.
Akishima stood there with the big boy's core in his hand staring at it. He turned his gaze at the lifeless body of the fat boy, his right eye still bleeding and glowing intensely.
Soon after, Akishima's right eye returned to normal as he fell to his knees, coughing up blood; heavily breathing, and exhausted.
He cursed himself by uttering, "Damn it all. I was supposed to save that ability for Yuji, but these idiots caught me off guard." wiping the blood off his mouth as he tries to stand on his feet.
His legs were like speakers vibrating intensely, showcasing his exhaustion. However, he doesn't give up and eventually stands on his feet. His face was pale like chalk and there were bags under his eyes; still heavily breathing.
With sheer determination, he manages to go up a stair but that's all he can do. He falls back on the stairs, his eyes blurry and slowly closing. He tries to open them but it's futile and he falls unconscious.
Suddenly, a voice could be heard through the air. It was the same voice that spoke to Akishima before.
As Akishima's eyes close we transition into his subconscious once more.
*Once Again, Within Akishima's Subconscious…*
The same devil-like voice as before chuckled. "𝔄𝔯𝔢 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔞𝔫 𝔦𝔡𝔦𝔬𝔱 𝔬𝔯 𝔧𝔲𝔰𝔱 𝔰𝔱𝔲𝔭𝔦𝔡?" His voice echoed as he questioned Akishima who now looked like a soul, the same way he looked the first time he was in his subconscious.
The devil continues by saying, "𝔚𝔢𝔩𝔩 𝔴𝔥𝔞𝔱𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔯 𝔦𝔱 𝔪𝔞𝔶 𝔟𝔢 𝔦𝔱 𝔡𝔬𝔢𝔰𝔫'𝔱 𝔪𝔞𝔱𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔯𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱 𝔫𝔬𝔴." he points his enormous, sharp fingernail, that is more like a claw, at Akishima. As he reveals. "𝔚𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔡𝔬𝔢𝔰 𝔪𝔞𝔱𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔦𝔰 𝔴𝔥𝔞𝔱'𝔰 𝔦𝔫 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔥𝔞𝔫𝔡." Akishima looks down at his right hand as he sees the magical orb he had before. His hand was covered in blood, from when he pierced the fat boy through his chest.
Akishima perks up, his voice echoing as he inquires, "How is this important?" looking at the devil's hand with a determined expression.
The devil answers the boy's question with a devious chuckle. "ℑ'𝔪 𝔞 𝔡𝔢𝔳𝔦𝔩 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔰𝔢𝔢. 𝔄𝔫𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔬𝔯𝔟 𝔦𝔫 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔥𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔦𝔰 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔪𝔞𝔤𝔦𝔠 𝔠𝔬𝔯𝔢 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔭𝔢𝔯𝔰𝔬𝔫 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔨𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔢𝔡." he explained.
Akishima, understanding what the devil was saying, stood there awaiting the devil to answer his question fully.
The devil, acknowledging Akishima's request, finally answers his question. "ℑ'𝔪 𝔞𝔟𝔩𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔞𝔟𝔰𝔬𝔯𝔟 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔪𝔞𝔤𝔦𝔠𝔞𝔩 𝔠𝔬𝔯𝔢 𝔬𝔣 𝔞𝔫𝔶 𝔩𝔦𝔳𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤. ℑ𝔫 𝔢𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔢, ℑ 𝔠𝔞𝔫 𝔡𝔢𝔳𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔰𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔰." the devil revealed to Akishima. His voice is ever-commanding and malevolent.
(To Be Continued)