"Please put down the axe" Hiraku said softly,wanting to see how she would respond.
A few seconds went by but she stayed motionless her grip tightened to the axe and the little girl who was drenched in sweat and tears couldn't summon the strength to scream.
Hiraku lost his patience and ran towards the woman but a loud deafening shriek tore through the air,a bolt of energy blasted from the woman sending Hiraku's body crashing into the wall forcefully.He fell to the ground and coughed up a splatter of blood. He could sense that the entity before him was an alpha demon - its strength was greater than the Omega demon he faced near the bridge.Slowly he got up and wiped his mouth.
his index and thumb fingers linked together while he wrapped the rest of the fingers together.
"Dissioco!"
His voice resonated through the surroundings, and within seconds, his spiritual form materialized. The fiery sword in his hand gleamed, as though hungry for battle.
"Hahaha. Meat!" a crackling voice came from the woman. A dark astral form slowly emerged behind her. A tall, slim, grotesque left leg came into view, followed by the face of a beast. Flames danced around the horns protruding from its head. The towering alpha demon stepped forward, squinting at Hiraku's spiritual form.
"Half-breed," it said in a harsh tone, "why have you come to my domain?"
Hiraku couldn't understand why it called him half-breed, but there was no time to ponder. He drew his sword and pointed it at the demon.
"Let them go, demon!" he retorted angrily.
"They are mine. I'll do with them as I please," the demon replied with a wicked smile.
"Then be prepared for doom!" Hiraku leapt forward, his sword slashing through the air, but it struck nothing—the demon had vanished from its position. Hiraku gripped his sword tightly, but his next reaction was too slow. The alpha demon reappeared behind him and landed a powerful blow to his left torso, sending him crashing into a tree.
The top half of the tree plummeted to the ground. Fortunately, the girl was unharmed, though the rope around her remained tight. She mustered some courage and cried for help, her voice trembling with fear. She tried to cry out again, but there was only still silence.
The girl couldn't explain what was happening, but she felt two distinct presences around her—one gentle and the other demonic. Squinting her eyes, she saw her mother still standing firmly, holding an axe in her hand. A drop of rain touched the girl's face, and moments later, the drizzle began.
Lisa was hiding near the side of the house, waiting for the opportunity to save the little girl. As the rain began to fall, she knew this was her chance—it was now or never. She crawled her way to the side of the tree, where she wouldn't be visible to the woman with the axe, and slowly started cutting the rope with a pocket knife.
The little girl felt the tight grip of the rope loosen. She slowly unwrapped herself and looked fearfully at her mother, who stood with the axe firmly in hand. Her mother's eyes seemed lifeless and cold.
Lisa crawled over to the girl and pulled her tightly to her shoulder. The girl shivered in fear at the stranger holding onto her, but Lisa motioned with her hand, signaling that she should remain quiet.
Lisa stood up, holding the girl, and they both slowly began walking toward the gate in an attempt to escape. But suddenly, a force grabbed Lisa by the neck and lifted her into the air. The little girl cried out in horror.
"Run,run!" Lisa managed to mumble as she made an attempt to break free from the invisible hands attempting to break her neck.
"Aaargh!" The demon let out an agonizing growl as Hiraku's sword pierced through its back. It howled in a burst of pain and released Lisa, who fell to the ground. Hiraku withdrew his sword, and a gust of black ash billowed from the wound. The demon staggered backward and collapsed to the ground.
"A half-breed wielding the sword of the spirit—truly a rare sight," it said, coughing up blood.
"Consider yourself lucky, half-breed. If not for that whore, I wouldn't have lost to you," the demon raved, its gaze shifting to Lisa.
"Enough!" Hiraku couldn't stand the demon's words and shouted the incantation of entrapment. The demon dissolved into dark smoke, which began to be absorbed. The process seemed to be working, but something was wrong. As soon as the demon entered the third eye, the pebble began to shatter. Hiraku looked on in horror.
"Impossible!" Hiraku cried in anguish as he clutched his left hand. The crack in the red pebble grew larger until it exploded.
A blast of dark energy in the form of smoke engulfed him, growing into a medium-sized tornado of dark aura.
Lisa regained consciousness and slowly stood up. She squinted her eyes and saw that Hiraku was in trouble. Another troubling sight caught her attention—a book was floating towards her. Its faint yellowish glow drew closer, and a page opened. She didn't know how or why, but she understood the incantation written on the front page.
She began reciting the entrapment spell in a hushed tone, then grew louder. Her legs lifted off the ground as she began levitating into mid-air. She spread her arms and continued the incantation. The gust of dark energy engulfing Hiraku started to get absorbed into Lisa's third eye, which opened on her forehead. Her third eye shone red as it absorbed the dark energy until no trace of the evil aura remained.
Exhausted, she fell to the ground and passed out.
The rain slowly ceased, and Hiraku returned to his normal form. He couldn't understand what had just happened, but he was relieved that Lisa was still alive. He quickly went over to the mother and daughter, who had passed out, and recited the memory spell to erase the terrible memories they had experienced.
Hiraku then lifted Lisa into his arms. Her light frame and motionless expression filled his heart with anguish. This was the second time he had seen her in such a state—the first time, he had saved her, and now she had saved him. Perhaps it was fate.
He walked along the distant road and disappeared into the dark of the night.