After going through several houses with his impressive speed, Shiki finally arrived at an abandoned factory, a place he had verified as the hiding place for his target. The building, dark and silent, seemed the perfect setting for the confrontation that was coming.
Before entering, Shiki made a ceremonial gesture in the air, summoning a piano-shaped keyboard and a large musical organ that emerged from his spiritual power. These instruments manifested themselves as an extension of his energy, with the angel in the form of a musical instrument appearing on his back, radiating a majestic and powerful aura.
Shiki spread his spiritual power throughout the city, crossing the barrier that covered Kuoh. Power dispersed like waves through the city, reaching all the corners protected by the barrier. The atmosphere was filled with a presence that was perceived by all beings within the barrier.
"Gabriel..."
Suddenly, a voice, soft as a song but full of authority, resonated in every corner of the city.
"To everyone who hears this voice, I order them to go to a safe place and then sleep. Do not wake up for at least an hour."
(A/N: I had to edit this small order, because there really were some comments that said, what happened to the people who were driving or going down the stairs, and the truth is that you were right, but seriously they don't let a small mistake pass)
The effect was instantaneous. All the humans within the barrier, no matter where they were, from shops to their homes, followed the order to the letter. They fell into a deep and restful sleep, unable to resist the given order.
However, the two heirs of the underworld who watched Shiki from a distance also heard his voice but were not affected. Shiki had not directed his order towards them, leaving them aware and alert while the rest of the city plunged into the silence of a forced dream.
After giving the order, Shiki advanced with determination, while [Gabriel], the musical instrument, faded into spiritual dust.
The abandoned factory stood before him, wrapped in shadows and silence, a fortress that he had chosen to hide the alien.
Shiki knew that there would be noise and activity inside the building, so he had taken precautions.
By putting the whole city to sleep, he made sure that none of the non-supernatural people were alerted, keeping the chaos to a minimum.
He understood that in this world, the supernatural and the non-supernatural were in separate spheres, and his intervention was designed to keep that division intact during his operation.
Upon entering the abandoned factory, Shiki found an oppressively silent atmosphere. The emptiness of the factory seemed to respond to the echo of his steps with a murmur of loneliness.
With an ironic smile, he went into the void of the room. "Won't you welcome a guest when he visits you at this time of the night?"
The echo of his voice faded without a response, further accentuating the disturbing atmosphere. The factory, with its old beams and rusty machinery, was kept in a tense silence.
Shiki wasted no time in making his most imposing entrance. He wrapped himself in his spiritual power, summoning his astral armor with a ceremonial gesture.
The armor, tight and Gothic style, combined shades of white and dark purple.
A lock-shaped necklace hung from his neck, and two metal wings, evoking those of an angel, emerged from his back, giving him a majestic and threatening air.
"Elohim Tzabaoth," Shiki murmured, his voice resonating with authority while his armor shone with an intense and cold glow.
With a cold and calculating look, he focused his attention on a specific direction within the factory. "If you're not going out... then I'll make you go out!"
With a decisive move, Shiki extended his hand as if he were grabbing the air and shouted,
"Raphael!" Immediately, silver chains with sharp tips manifested around him.
The chains turned quickly, surrounded by a whirlwind of wind, creating a noise that filled the factory.
"El Na'ash!" Shiki shouted with a voice that resonated with relentless determination.
The silver chains, evoking a contained fury, fired towards the hidden target. Around him, the wind gathered in a frantic whirlwind, endowing the chains with an almost hypnotic speed.
The extraterrestrial, until now camouflaged and hidden, felt the roar of the chains approaching at a dizzying speed.
Desperate, he undid his camouflage and threw himself in a quick movement, dodging by a sigh the chain that passed grazing his cheek.
The wall behind him collapsed with a deafening roar, the sound crossing the speed of sound and adding a layer of chaos to the already tense situation.
'If I hadn't dodged, those chains would have blown my head off!' The alien thought, with cold sweat running down his forehead.
Adrenaline and terror mixed in his mind as he prepared for the next move, aware that he faced this earthling.
"Who the hell are you!? And why are you attacking me!?" The extraterrestrial roared as he unmasked himself.
Its shape revealed a gray and dark purple monster, with an imposing and muscular body, and a long, reptilian tongue that moved restlessly. It was the incarnation of an alien nightmare.
"You don't need to know my name, since you will die soon," Shiki replied with an icy coldness, his relentless gaze and impassive tone.
Despite never having killed anyone in his two lives, Shiki was willing to make an exception with this disgusting extraterrestrial. The threat he represented and his plans to approach Lala had marked him as a goal without redemption.
"Bastard! My name is Ghi Bree, Prince of X planet!" The extraterrestrial, Ghi Bree, spat out his words with fury. "If you keep attacking me, I will make my kingdom attack this planet!"
Shiki sneered, completely dismissing Ghi Bree's words as an empty threat.
The idea that a simple third prince could mobilize the entire army of his planet to invade another seemed absurd to him.
In addition, the planet Earth had beings like the great Red or Ophis, who were as powerful as Gid, a galactic king. The threats of a kingdom of a random planet were mere caricatures.
"As if a simple third prince could move the entire army of his planet to invade another?" Shiki said with a tone of contempt that reverberated in the darkness of the factory.
Ghi Bree, despite his reptilian skin, reddened with fury. His anger was palpable, his eyes sizzling with rage and the veins marked on his forehead in a grotesque way.
"How the hell do you know that?! This planet is so backward that it hasn't even gone into space," he said, his voice full of disbelief and frustration.
"Who knows?" Shiki responded with a calm that only increased the fury of his opponent. His ambiguous response did nothing but feed Ghi Bree's despair.
This knowledge came from [Rasiel], a capability that Shiki didn't have to share. His words were a simple reminder of the disparity of power between them.
"Then why the hell are you attacking me when I haven't done anything?" Ghi Bree roared, his voice resonating in the industrial voids of the factory.
Confusion and anger were mixed in his expression, as if he could not understand why this earthling looked at him with such freezing coldness, as if he were seeing his parents' murderer.
Shiki stared at him, his golden eye with the watch hand slowly spinning like an ominous tick-tock. The coldness of his gaze was so intense that he seemed to go through the darkness of the factory and freeze the air around.
Ghi Bree, feeling the weight of that look, shuddered. Shiki's words resonated with a cold determination.
"Lala, I am her boyfriend and future husband. Do you think I didn't know what you were planning? Do you think I'll leave a disgusting one like you alive?"
The intensity of his words was palpable, and the threat contained in them was as clear as crystal.
In response, Ghi Bree let out a thunderous laugh that reverberated off the crumbling walls of the factory.
"Hahahaha! So that was it! Although I don't know how you can know my plans when I just arrived on this planet a few hours ago."
Ghi Bree's mocking tone quickly faded when, with a dramatic gesture, he began to transform. His muscles contracted and expanded, forming sharp thorns that sprouted from his skin.
A long, winding tail emerged from his back, and his fangs lengthened, sharpening like blades. His appearance became even more terrifying, a nightmare vision in the middle of industrial shadows.
Outside the factory, the heirs of the underworld and their nobility, who were watching from a distance, felt overwhelming pressure.
Ghi Bree's aura, now of maximum class, was so powerful that it filtered through the walls of the factory and extended outwards.
The tension was palpable, as if the air itself had been compressed by the magnitude of the presence that was now manifesting itself.
Ghi Bree, with his mind clouded by greed and madness, proclaimed with a manic laugh,
"If I kill you, I will be able to stay with Lala and inherit everything that belongs to the Galactic King Gid! I will even be able to taste three of the beauties of the galaxy: Lala, Nana, and Momo!"
His enthusiasm was palpable, his desire for power and domination overcoming any trace of fear.
Shiki looked at him with an icy coldness, his thoughts completely focused on the threat that Ghi Bree represented.
Suddenly, Shiki's spiritual power was unleashed in the form of bluish-white lightning that crackled throughout the factory.
Biri* Biri*
The sound of lightning illuminated the darkness of the factory while Shiki, wrapped in a layer of electrical energy, moved with a speed that challenged perception. In the blink of an eye, he appeared right in front of Ghi Bree.
The lightning that surrounded him illuminated his figure, creating a blinding glow that contrasted with the darkness of his environment. Ghi Bree, without losing momentum, tried to counterattack with a devastating blow.
His huge fist, wrapped in a purple aura that looked like purple flames, hurled toward Shiki with tremendous speed.
Shiki, with supernatural agility, dodged the blow. The power behind Ghi Bree's fist was so brutal that it destroyed all the nearby walls and glass, creating a wave of debris and chaos.
Without giving a truce, Shiki counterattacked. With a quick turn, he delivered an accurate kick to Ghi Bree's chin, sending him flying to the roof.
The strength of the kick was so intense that it broke the ceiling, leaving Ghi Bree suspended in the air, bewildered and stunned.
'What just happened?' Ghi Bree thought, as he rushed through the air with an expression of surprise and confusion on his scaly face.
Shiki didn't lose a second. He flew after him, taking his chains and wrapping them around his opponent's huge body. With a powerful pull, the chains drew Ghi Bree toward him with incredible speed.
"El Na'ash!" Shiki shouted, his fist wrapped in lightning striking Ghi Bree's cheek. The alien's teeth shattered with a thunderous crunch, and the force of the blow sent him flying toward the clouds, dispersing them in his path.
Blood gushed from his mouth, and Ghi Bree staggered, stunned by the impact.
Regaining consciousness, Ghi Bree spread huge wings from his back and pushed himself up, looking for his opponent in the middle of the cloudy sky.
"Where are you! Show yourself if you're not a coward!" he shouted, with an overflowing fury.
Shiki didn't take long to respond. He threw himself toward him with a speed that seemed to defy reality itself, manipulating the wind around him with the power of [Raphael]. His presence dematerialized and materialized again in front of Ghi Bree, who did not have time to react.
Ghi Bree, with his body wrapped in a purple aura like fire, tried to counterattack with a powerful blow.
Shiki blocked the attack with his chains, wrapping his arms in an impenetrable defense.
Although the blow did not hurt him, the force of the impact sent him flying through the sky, dragging a trail of energy.
The extraterrestrial wasted no time. He gathered an enormous amount of power in his mouth, forming a gigantic sphere of purple flame.
"Die!" he screamed as he shot the sphere like lightning at Shiki. The energy of the attack dispersed the clouds in its path.
Shiki, seeing the incoming attack, shouted firmly: "Raphael!" The spiritual energy was concentrated in his right hand and formed a dazzling spear.
"El Re'em!"
With superhuman dexterity, Shiki manipulated the wind, concentrating an immense amount of energy on the tip of his spear. With a fluid movement, he threw it, transforming the weapon into a projectile that tore the air with a sharp whistle.
The spear went through Ghi Bree's attack effortlessly, cutting the sphere of flames into two perfect halves, as if they were nothing more than smoke.
Ghi Bree, aware of the imminent danger, desperately tried to evade the spear that was advancing at a dizzying speed. But it was in vain. In a blink, the sharp tip sank into his stomach, tearing out a choked scream.
"Gah! This can't be happening! Damn it!" he shouted, his voice interrupted by the scorching pain.
With trembling hands, he desperately tried to pull the spear out of his body, but before his fingers could even touch it, a shadow wrapped around him.
Shiki appeared in front of him, moving with such fierce speed that the air around him was distorted. Without losing a second, he grabbed the spear firmly, stopping any attempt by Ghi Bree to save himself.
The surprise and pain were reflected in Ghi Bree's eyes, while blood flowed from his mouth and stomach. Shiki watched him with cold indifference, without showing a hint of emotion at the suffering of his enemy.
"Bastard..! How?" Ghi Bree babbled with astonishment and despair as the spear was removed from his stomach by his enemy.
The blood that covered the spear evaporated instantly due to the heat of the rays that surrounded it.
Shiki, relentless, took the alien by the neck with a firm hand.
"Goodbye," he said coldly before throwing him hard up, as if he were a simple ball.
The majestic wings of Shiki's astral armor detached from his back, unfolding in a display of light and energy that illuminated the sky like an aurora borealis.
With a fluid movement, the wings were reconfigured in front of him, forming an imposing arch that vibrated with an ancient and ruthless power.
"El Na'ash," he murmured as he manifested a pendulum that functioned as a rope for the bow.
Ghi Bree, trapped in the inescapable prison of gravity and the impact of the previous attack, turned uncontrollably in the air.
The paralyzing terror in his eyes reflected his absolute impotence; he could do nothing but wait for the approaching final judgment.
With lethal precision, Shiki fitted the spear into the pendulum. The wings that formed the arch were stretched, and the pendulum shone brightly as if it contained the weight of a thousand storms.
The spear was transformed into an arrow of pure energy, burning with a fury capable of razing entire worlds. Shiki stretched the rope, channeling immense power into the bow, while his eyes flashed with an icy glow.
"El Kanaph!" His voice resounded like thunder, loaded with unbreakable authority.
The arrow shot out with a deafening roar, breaking the sound barrier and beyond, leaving a luminous wake in its path like a runaway meteor.
The arrow crossed the clouds, splitting them in two with a thunderous roar, as if the same sky had surrendered to its power.
The spear sank into Ghi Bree's body with unstoppable force, and at that moment, time seemed to stop. Ghi Bree's body began to disintegrate into a swirl of ashes, disappearing in a blinding flash before he could even emit a last cry of horror.
Shiki floated in the sky, like a being from another world who observed the result of his work.
The clouds slowly faded, dispersed by the colossal force of the arrow, and the sky became clear, as if nature itself had bowed to its power.
A sigh escaped from his lips as he reflected in silence.
"I killed someone... Even if it was garbage, the act of killing is still... killing."
With a slight murmur, Shiki turned around, wishing to see Lala's smile, the only thing that seemed to be able to relieve the weight of the night. He gently descended toward the factory.
Upon arriving, he met a group of demons who were watching the place, their eyes fixed on him with a mixture of astonishment and concern.
The silence was palpable, only broken by the occasional crackling of debris on the ground.
Shiki stopped about ten meters from them, his imposing presence evident even without the glow of his armor.
The demons remained motionless, their eyes fixed on him as if they were waiting for him to break the silence.
After a moment that felt eternal, Shiki raised an eyebrow and, with a slightly uncomfortable expression, said:
"..... Hello?"