'Stoic.'
I was finally able to put a word to the emotion I felt deep in my chest, as my fist drove into his.
I severed his spine, my fists grabbing on it with the same intensity as his own.
There had only been one strain of justice that I had always followed.
An Eye for an Eye.
And today, I had strayed away from my belief.
My second fist dug into his chest, grasping onto its prize, ripping it out of his chest.
It had been a hard decision, going for the heart rather than the brain, but I was glad that I had made that decision.
I held it tightly, in the palm of my hand, sensing its still rhythmic beat.
It was disgusting.
Still, even as I crushed it into mush, ending its sound, I was glad to have made my decision.
Otherwise,...
'It would have been over too soon.'
I smiled.
'Sometimes you just have to follow your heart.'
[Xiao Li]
'He's here!'
I had never doubted for a moment that we would be avenged, relishing in the certainty of my killer's painful death after my own.
Still,...
'I had not expected him to arrive so soon.'
The Grand Master's grip loosened around my neck, allowing me to break out his hold, probably more distracted with the arrival of his reaper.
'What?'
'Why's he not turning?'
My brain questions briefly, before my eyes were able to answer my questions.
His actions were instant, my eyes only being able to capture the aftershocks of his attack through the pulverized remains of the man's spine and heart that I observed.
The greatest muscle and bone contained within the human body, disregarded by the man, now like worthless debris as they sat there, on the floor.
I turned my eyes up, wanting to thank him, wanting to express this feeling crawling inside of my body.
'Lo-'
I stopped, this new feeling of dread pulsating through my body.
This nightmare far surpassing the last.
'That's not him.'
[Kuzan POV]
I was stoic.
Not feeling any of the anger I had expected.
'Why am I not angry?'
[Diana POV]
'No,'
I had done everything right.
I had done everything correct.
'No,'
I had never skipped a single day, I had followed the instructions completely, I had followed Master Oliva's words precisely.
'Please...' I cried out in anguish, "we did everything right!"
"Why!," I cried out in screams, my tears screeching out from the depths of my soul.
"WHY!"
I was broken.
Even when struggling through that disease, even through all of Master Oliva's training, even during all those nights alone in the palace, locked in, awaiting his next visit.
I had never felt so powerless.
Even as he dove into my embrace, it did little to wake me up from this nightmare.
"NO I'M STILL DREAMING, PLEASE...!" I refused to acknowledge it, the presence in that gaze of his, that monster having worn the skin of my beloved.
I couldn't take it, even as I snuggled deeper into this impersonators' chest, I couldn't acknowledge the lost of my beloved.
'Please God, let me still be dreaming.'
[Kuzan POV]
From any ration point of view, even from my own, I had expected to be infuriated.
Still, it felt strange if like anything at all.
I didn't not burn up in a fury, like in the fight I had just thrown to save them, and perhaps myself.
I did not feel anger coursing through my veins, even when I should.
Anger for having to abandon the fight, anger at not being there sooner, anger that someone had dared attack them, anger at them for having been left alone despite their promise and assurance, anger at them having been hurt so much despite having followed all of my instructions.
'It was my fault, for trusting anyone else to get the job done.' I thought, while pulling Diana into a hug after tending to her minor wound, still feeling nothing, even when she yelled in her emotion outburst surely at the situation she had just survived.
Nor did I feel joy.
Joy at the countless system prompts that would have undoubtedly flooded my vision if I chose to view them, joy at being able to go far in my fight with him, joy at finally being accomplishing my goal in life.
Neither did I feel lost at having reached that summit.
'It's so simple.'
I could see it, an even greater mountain for me to climb
I did not make this decision in my hotheadedness; in fact, I was never made a more calm and clear-headed decision.
My body served merely as a vessel that would fulfill the consequences as dictated by the laws of the universe, like heat always rising up or water always flowing to the lowest point.
I had no need to plan my next set of actions, them being instinctual, coming from my soul.
"Come out."
I neither shouted nor growled out my command, not needing any of those theatrics for it to be followed.
They finally came into plain view, no longer hiding from the other residents of the room.
I was unconcerned at their previous actions, at having not accomplished the job I had 'paid' them to do, the weight of my favors being discarded by them.
Shibukawa and Orochi, with the Tiger Slayer carrying Melissa with not a scratch on her.
He carefully laid her down on the bed, in consideration for her unconscious state.
Regardless, I did not react, as neither their past actions nor their explanations were worthy of my attention.
I acknowledged neither their knowful abandonment of their duties, nor their supposed relationships to me.
They were useless.
"Get out."
[Doppo Orochi POV]
I held my head down in shame, not even daring to meet the eyes of my disciple who I had so greatly abandoned.
'I don't have the shame to call myself that boy's master.'
I had failed, failed in my duties to the young man who had come to me in excitement and passion to learn.
'It was my fault.'
We had watched, allowing the girls to face this threat on their own, hoping that they would learn and grow.
It was a perfect opportunity to have them practice against such a foe, when could assure that there was never any danger to their safety.
It was our shamelessness that caused us to make that decision, having seen the talent tapped within the three youngsters. We had even started betting with each other, trying to determine who would get the girl currently in my arms, the other two choices having been obvious.
'I had gotten too caught up in my greed of a new talented disciple, that I forgot my responsibility to my current one.'
If I had known, maybe if I had been paying more attention,...
'I would have intervened far sooner, boy.'
'Even before the start of his training in Japan. '
[Xiao Li POV]
I was also pulled into the hug by Kuzan, who suddenly squished the two of us together, before finally letting us go after planting two small kisses on our foreheads.
I turned my eyes, to view the horror in her eyes, as they reflected my own.
It seemed that we had both been able to reach the same conclusion.
'We can't ever let Melissa see him like this.'
[Kuzan POV]
"Please." I spoke to the two girls currently in my arms, telling them to exit the room as well.
It seemed that they understood my intentions, not taking offense to them, not speaking a word of complaint as they followed my instructions despite my current selfishness and inconsiderations for what they had just been through.
Xiao Li moved first, running to Melissa in an especially fast pace, carrying her out of that room. Diana was last, following in the footsteps of the two men, carrying and not waking up Aunt Elizabeth just yet per my instruction as well.
I turned my head, again facing the egg, who I had but a few moments left to enjoy with.
For the first time since entering this room, I felt joy, whistling out my tune as I walked slowly, ever closer to the egg.
"♫ Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall ♫"
I reached my catch, picking him up oh so delicately, afraid of breaking his shell, stopping his petty attempts to take his own life.
"♫ Humpty Dumpty had a great fall ♫"
First was the arms, as I popped them out of their sockets, before tearing them the ligaments, throwing them away after I was done with them.
"♫ All the king's horses and all the king's men ♫"
Then were the legs, as I stretched them farther and farther apart from each other until they parted as well, taking great care to not split the egg down the middle, thus ruining it's yolk.
"♫ Couldn't put Humpty together again ♫"
Having finished my preparation, I now seared my egg, applying just a little pressure with my leg...
Until finally, it was ready, no longer bubbling around and moving.
'Itadakimasu'
I prayed, in thanks for the meal I had been able to receive
I flicked off his disgusting blood from my hands, content by how much I had been able to devour the man till now.
I had finally learned the what that word meant in it's truest sense, not to eat the man, that would have been disgusting, but to eat his very will to live...
To watch, as the light flashes out of his eyes.
And I kept watching even after that, kicking away that disgusting figure to as far away as possible, not bring able to stand the very smell of something so rotten.
I watch his yolk, matching the color of the yellow spinal fluid that was currently leaking from his ears. It was foul, just like I had anticipated, to even look at much less touch, it taking my every ounce of willpower to not vomit at sheer disgust of the man's smell.
'Ah,...'
'Looks like I needed to cook it for a bit longer.'
"Hohoho..."
NOTE: Kuzam didn't actually eat him, it's just a metaphor. Even Pickle wouldn't eat a rat like him.