Kasumi tries to react and slashes ‘Hana’ as soon as she reaches her.

  *CTANG CTANG*

  But as soon as she swung her katana forward, it flew out of her hand and fell to the floor. Her grip was so weak that she couldn’t even properly swing her katana. Her swing also wasn’t as fast and powerful as she usually does.

  *GRABS*

  “URGH!!”

  ‘Hana’ reaches her and grabs her by the neck. She slowly lifts her up into the air as her whole body hangs in the air from her grip.

  “AKH! AKH!!”

  ‘Hana’ closes her face in towards Kasumi’s.

  “KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

  She screams loudly right in her face as an act of intimidation. ‘Hana’ tightens the grip on Kasumi’s neck.

  “ORGH! ORGH! ORGH!!”

  Kasumi is starting to gasp for air. She has trouble breathing because of how hard ‘Hana’s grip on her neck is.

  “ARGH!! AKH!!”

  Kasumi is in a lot of pain right now, but then her hand reaches out to ‘Hana’.

  “Hana. . .san!”

  . . . .

  “AKH! Hana. . .san. . .OKH!”

  “Hana. . .san. . .please. . .AKH!!. . .Return to us. . .”

  “KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

  ‘Hana’ screams very loudly once again right in her face. She raises her other arm above her head.

  *ZAP ZRAAARRRR*

  And a red thunder strikes it from above, engulfing her left hand in red lightning.

  *ZRRRRRRRR*

  The red lightning flows from her left palm to her right hand that is gripping Kasumi’s neck.

  *ZRRRRRTTTT*

  “AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRKKKKKKKKKKHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

  Kasumi’s entire body is now electrocuted by her red lightning, on top of being choked violently.

  “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

  “KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

  Amidst the pain in her neck and the zapping pain of the red lightning, Kasumi still stretches her hand out to ‘Hana’.

  “HANA. . . SAN. . . AAARRRRKKKHHHHHHH!!!”

  “. . .”

  All of a sudden, the red lightning engulfing Kasumi dispersed. The strong grip on her neck also loosens, but she’s still unable to escape from her hand. Her entire body goes numb. She couldn’t move her already weakened body, and now, simply breathing is painful for her.

  “. . .”

  ‘Hana’ suddenly doesn’t move anymore.

  . . . . . . .

  *ZRAAAASSSSSSHHHH*

  “KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

  ‘Hana’ screams in pain very loudly, and then her entire body is split open, right in the center, in two.

  “Hana. . .san. . .??”

  Inside the torn flesh of ‘Hana’s entire body, the real Hana, the one that Kasumi recognizes, suddenly emerges from the inside, standing still. The torn flesh looks so disgusting, with so much black and white slime still sticking to both sides of the torn body. Black colored blood is spilling to the floor, making a really slimy puddle below. But the real Hana’s body was completely clean and untouched by any of those things despite standing in the midst of them all.

  “Kasumi-san. . . I’m sorry. . .”

  “Hana. . .san?”

  “This is all my fault. . .”

  Hana’s facial expression looked terrible. She doesn’t smile at all, and her eyes look empty and dejected.

  “I’m sorry, Kasumi-san. You had to be the one on the receiving end of this.”

  “Hana-san. . .?”

  “HANA!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU TRAITOR??”

  Suddenly, an ‘angelic’ figure with a similar appearance to the ‘Hana’ that is physically choking Kasumi appeared behind the real Hana. The angel stretched out her neck and curled it around Hana’s own neck. Her face draws closer towards hers from her left.

  “HANA! I’VE BEEN HELPING YOU TO GET RID OF ANY PEOPLE THAT GET IN THE WAY OF OUR LOVE WITH KAITO-SENPAI!! WHY ARE YOU INTERFERING NOW? I WON’T KILL THIS WOMAN!! SHE’S SOME SORT OF A FRIEND TO YOU, RIGHT? I’LL ONLY KNOCK HER OUT!! AND THEN WE CAN KILL THAT HANDLESS MURDERER FROM BEFORE!! AND THEN I’LL HELP YOU DEFEAT OR KILL THE GAME MASTER AS WELL!! WE’LL REUNITE WITH KAITO-SENPAI SOONER THAN LATER IF YOU JUST HAND OVER YOUR BODY COMPLETELY TO ME!!”

  “. . .Kaito-senpai.”

  “YES! YES! WE’RE GOING TO BACK OUR PRECIOUS KAITO-SENPAI!! IF YOU’D JUST LET ME HANDLE EVERYTHING!! DO YOU TRUST ME, HANA-CHAN?”

  “. . .We’re going back to Kaito-senpai?”

  “YESSSS!! YESSSS, HANA-CHAN!! WE’RE GOING BACK TO HIM!! YOU CAN GO SLEEP IN HIS HUG AS YOU ALWAYS DO!! DON’T YOU WISH FOR THAT? ISN’T THAT WHAT YOU WANT?”

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  “. . .I do. . .I want to be with Kaito-senpai. . .”

  “THEN GIVE ME COMPLETE CONTROL OVER YOUR BODY AND I WILL GRANT YOU THAT WISH, HANA-CHAN!! LIKE I ALWAYS DO!! I HAVE NEVER FAILED TO ACHIEVE MY END OF THE BARGAIN, DID I?”

  “. . .”

  “DON’T THINK TOO MUCH ABOUT IT, HANA-CHAN!! I WILL MAKE SURE YOU GO BACK TO KAITO-SENPAI WITHOUT MAKING YOU LOOK LIKE THE BAD GUY!! I PROMISE YOU!!”

  “. . .I would very much like that. . .”

  “GOOD!! WE’RE ON THE SAME PAGE!!! GIVE ME COMPLETE CONTROL OVER YOUR BODY THEN!!! HURRY IT UP!!”

  “. . .”

  *Thud*

  “Ukh!”

  *!*

  Suddenly, ‘Hana’ lets go of her grip on Kasumi’s neck, and her body falls freely to the floor. She lies down with her back against the floor.

  “Ukh. . .”

  She’s still enduring the pain in her entire exhausted and weakened body.

  “HANA-CHAN!! WHY DID YOU DO THAT? WHY DID YOU LET HER GO? ANSWER ME, HANA-CHAN!! ARE YOU BETRAYING ME, HANA-CHAN??”

  “I do want to go back to Kaito-senpai, but. . .”

  “HUUUUUUUUUHHHHHH?? BUT WHAAATTTTTT, YOU NAUGHTY CHILD????”

  “I don’t want to sacrifice Kasumi-san or anyone else anymore. I have had enough.”

  “. . . .”

  The angelic figure was taken aback by Hana’s response, and it could not say anything for a few seconds.

  “GO BACK INSIDE YOU TRAITOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!! KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

  ‘Hana’s’ body, which was torn in half, rapidly sticks to each other and traps the real Hana inside. Her body quickly smokes black on the torn wounds, and the wounds are closing in very fast.

  *!!!*

  The real Hana realizes what is happening. The angelic figure is trying to take her body by force against her will.

  *ZRAAASSSSHHHH*

  Before her chest completely closes in, Hana shoves out her right hand through her chest, and the wound reopens violently.

  “KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

  ‘Hana’ screams in pain and agony.

  “KASUMI-SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!”

  The real Hana lets out a very loud scream, screaming Kasumi’s name.

  *!*

  “HRRRGGHH!!!”

  Kasumi forces herself to get up and sits on the floor.

  *pant pant pant*

  She finally looks to the front and sees that the real Hana is getting swallowed and absorbed into ‘Hana’s’ physical body. She sees that the real Hana shoves out her hand and opens her palm.

  “USE THAT, KASUMI-SAN!! PLEASE SAVE MEEEEEEE!!!! I’M COUNTING ON YOUUUUUUUU!!!”

  And then Hana’s hand was completely absorbed into ‘Hana’s’ physical body.

  *!*

  Kasumi looks forward and sees something strange, yet something she is quite familiar with.

  “Isn’t that the Sword that Master Quroe often summons in his hand?”

  The real Hana summoned her Sword of Purification when she stretched out her hand forward. The Sword of Purification is floating upside down, making it look like a white holy cross floating in the air.

  “KASUMI-SAN!! PLEASE GRAB THAT!!”

  *!!!*

  Somehow, Kasumi heard the voice of the real Hana.

  “Hana-san? B-But, I am not a Judge, nor am I any part of all that stuff. How can I use this?”

  “JUST GRAB IT, KASUMI-SAN!! YOU’LL UNDERSTAND!!”

  *ZRRUUUUTTTT*

  But then ‘Hana’s’ physical body has been fully healed. All the wounds have closed in, and now the real Hana’s voice can no longer be heard.

  *THUMP*

  “KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

  ‘Hana’ stomps her right foot forward and lets out a very loud roar that even shakes the entire infinite maze.

  “URGH!!”

  Kasumi immediately ducked down and tried to cover her ears, but with only one hand, her other ear got hurt from the intense screaming to the point of bleeding.

  “KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

  The scream went on for a very long time, not enabling Kasumi to move from her spot.

  “AAAARRRGGGHH!!!!”

  Hana’s other ear is ringing so painfully, and it keeps bleeding slightly.

  “URRRGGGHHH!!!”

  “KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

  “(She doesn’t stop! URGH!!)”

  Kasumi forces herself to lift her body up. She sees the Sword of Purification floating upside down in front of her. She lets go of her ear and reaches out to the floating Sword.

  “KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

  “AAAAAAAAARRRGGGHHHH!!!”

  Her other ear is immediately ringing in pain, and it starts bleeding as well. But her right hand is still struggling to reach the handle of the Sword.

  “KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

  ‘Hana’ is still screaming, and her pitch even gets higher and higher, hurting Kasumi’s ears and making them bleed even more.

  *GRABS*

  But Kasumi finally grabs the handle of the Sword upside down.

  *!!!!*

  But then all of a sudden, everything just went quiet.

  .

  .

  .

  “. . .?”

  Kasumi was confused about what had just happened. She had her eyes closed the moment she grabbed the handle of the Sword.

  “. . .”

  She slowly opened her eyes, and her head was facing downwards to the floor. She sees an empty white floor all of a sudden. She gets confused even more.

  *!*

  She felt a strange sensation on her hand that grabbed the Sword. She looks to the front and sees someone’s hand firmly holding hers.

  *!!*

  She finally realizes that there is someone right in front of her. ‘Hana’ and the helipad room were nowhere to be seen. She is suddenly all alone in a vast, empty, white open space with a tall male figure, holding her hand. She looks at the figure and immediately realizes who He is.

  He wears an all white garb with a purple cloth swirling diagonally around His torso and His waist. His face was bright, and Kasumi could not make out any familiar face in her mind. He has a hole in both of His palms.

  *sobs sobs*

  She starts crying out of nowhere. She felt somehow that her heart had been touched by a very tender and pure love.

  My daughter.

  *!!!*

  The figure spoke, though she could not physically hear it; it felt like He spoke directly to her heart. He also pulls Kasumi into His hug.

  *sobs sobs*

  And then Kasumi started crying even harder than before.

  *sobs sobs*

  After a while, Kasumi starts complaining to God about everything that happened. She complained about how painful it was to cut her own hand. She cries about how dreadful this whole situation is. She cries about how much despair she felt during the fight with the Believer who used venomous power. She cries to God about how she misses Master Quroe. She complained to God about how weak she is compared to Hana. She apologizes for letting Luna get hurt. She gave every piece of her mind to God about her predicament.

  But God only rubbed her hair as she kept complaining and whining and crying, with tears and snot running down her cheeks and nose.

  *sobs sobs*

  It felt like Kasumi had been crying in His arms for hours and hours, but then He let go of her hug. Kasumi wipes her tears with her hand and stops crying as well.

  Fear not, for I am with you.

  He spoke to Kasumi, and all of a sudden, a surge of power and courage entered Kasumi’s physical body.

  “. . .”

  He disappeared from her eyes, and the empty, white, open space slowly broke apart from her consciousness.

  “Thank you, Lord Jesus!” said Kasumi with teary eyes.

  .

  .

  .

  “KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

  Kasumi wakes up from a one-millisecond sleep. She immediately activates her Vein armor, and her veins are glowing brighter than usual. She is holding the Sword of Purification firmly in her right hand. Her ears are no longer bleeding, and they are fully healed as well. Her entire body has recovered slightly, though still covered in bruises, but her left hand is still missing. Somehow, ‘Hana’s deadly scream no longer affects her.

  “YOSH!”

  Yet Kasumi’s eyes show a firm and new determination. She’s convinced now that she can definitely bring Hana back to her normal self. The God of the universe has personally visited and encouraged her after all. All of her fears, self-doubts, and anxiety have completely disappeared. Nothing else would possibly have made her stand firmer than she already is right now.

  *BWOOSSSHHH*

  She jumps a bit into the air and spins herself multiple times clockwise.

  “SHUT UP!!”

  *BAAAAMMMMM*

  “KRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!”

  Kasumi hits ‘Hana’ on the left side of her head with a spinning round house kick, forcing her to stop her deadly screams.

  *THUMP*

  *FLAP*

  *THUD*

  She hits the floor with her left shoulder but quickly flaps her wings and recovers herself and lands on her two feet, 10 meters away from Kasumi.

  “KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

  She screams in anger.

  *!!!*

  But then she saw that Kasumi was already in front of her again. She spins herself again, vertically this time.

  *BAAAMMMM*

  “KRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!”

  *THUMP*

  She does a spinning axe kick, and it hits the top of her head. The impact of the kick sends her crashing against the floor below, really hard, so that her mouth and nose start bleeding.

  *thud*

  Kasumi lands on the floor directly in front of her head. She lifts her right leg backward and up high.

  *BAAAAMMMMM*

  “KRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

  She kicked her head and sent her entire body flying 20 meters away from her location.

  *THUMP THUMP*

  She lands with her wings hitting the floor, and she bounces off a few times before finally landing on her back against the floor.

  Kasumi points the Sword of Purification in her hand at ‘Hana’.

  “Alright! Whatever you are, whoever’s haunting Hana-san, your time is up! I AM GOING TO BRING BACK HANA-SAN!!!”

  Kasumi had just declared her declaration of victory over the angelic/demonic being.