Japanese Terrorist: What? I'll fight Hellstar!

"I'm so sorry to have disturbed you in your private Marseille..."

Azawa Yuuma knelt down, his forehead hitting the concrete floor hard, and sincerely apologized to Amamiya Rin.

Each syllable carried a strange, sticky quality, drilling straight into Amamiya Rin's head.

The dizziness intensified, and darkness gradually enveloped Amamiya Rin's mind and body at the edge of her vision.

Give up... give up... give up the struggle, sink completely into the darkness, and as long as you can't hear, the power of the demon will have no effect on him.

(No way! If I lose consciousness at a time like this, wouldn't I be completely at their mercy?)

Amamiya Rin bit her tongue hard, the salty, metallic blood spreading in her mouth. The sharp pain was like an electric current shooting through her dazed brain, bringing a brief moment of clarity.

(I'll give it my all... Tomie! Today we'll find out if your cells really did transform my body!)

Without thinking, Amamiya Rin took out a ballpoint pen and, taking advantage of his fleeting moment of clarity, stabbed it into his left ear!

"Pfft!"

A muffled thud, accompanied by indescribable pain, followed by warm liquid flowing down her earlobe, staining the collar of her neck red.

The world in my left ear became deathly silent, leaving only a sharp ringing sound and tearing pain.

But that's not enough!

Amamiya Rin pulled out the blood-stained ballpoint pen and, ignoring Mamiya Yuka's horrified gaze, stabbed himself in the right ear, just like before!

The same excruciating pain exploded again. For a moment, the whole world seemed to be muted. All sounds became distant and indistinct, and only the rushing blood in the brain and the roaring of the heartbeat could be heard.

"In this way... your magic will no longer be able to affect my mind..."

The intense pain banished all drowsiness. Yu Gonglin tossed aside the blood-stained pen, his body swaying from the pain and blood loss, but his eyes became clear and sharp as a blade.

He drew his wooden sword from the scabbard behind his shoulder, tossed aside the scabbard, and held the blade horizontally in front of him, its brown lines gleaming with a cold, hard luster in the dim light.

Yuuma Azawa was clearly caught off guard by Rin Amamiya's actions. He froze on the spot, looking at Rin Amamiya with a blank expression.

It's now!

Amamiya Rin took a deep breath, his body taut like a bow amidst the excruciating pain and exhaustion. He took a half-step forward with his left foot, the sole of his shoe grinding against the edge of the step, and raised the wooden sword he gripped tightly in both hands—not a standard sword stance, but more like a dying beast baring its fangs at its enemy with its last strength.

"Go to hell!"

With a loud shout, Yu Gonglin squeezed out all his strength, pushed off the edge of the steps with both feet, and leaped into the air.

The wooden sword was raised high above his head, the blade drawing a sharp arc in the dim light. Carrying his entire weight and resolute killing intent, it pierced the heavy air and slashed down fiercely at Azawa Yuuma, who was kneeling on the ground!

Yuuma Azawa instinctively raised his arm to block Rin Amamiya's attack.

"Snap!"

The wooden sword struck his forearm hard, and Azawa Yuuma screamed as he was knocked backward by the brutal blow and fell to the ground. His right arm was bent unnaturally, clearly severed by Amamiya Rin's sword.

"Ugh—ugh—!"

Azawa Yuuma's face was contorted in rage, his body curled up in a ball, clutching his severed arm and gasping for breath.

Amamiya Rin wasn't much better off.

After the blow, the last bit of strength he had mustered completely dissipated. The wooden sword clattered out of his hand and fell to the ground. His body slammed heavily against the cold fire door, his vision blurred, and blood from his ear piercings stained his collar.

Yuka Mamiya stood on the high place, staring in disbelief.

The change in circumstances was beyond Yuka Mamiya's comprehension. She stood there, stunned, not knowing what to do, and shocked by Rin Amamiya's decisiveness and ruthlessness.

"Let's go... let's go!"

Amamiya Rin's labored calls brought Mamiya Yuka back to her senses. She rushed over and helped Amamiya Rin up.

"Amamiya-kun, we..."

"Walk!"

Amamiya Rin's vision was filled with double images. Being able to swing that sword and make it hit was already his limit.

After that one strike, he was completely powerless to fight.

Seeing the dark circles under Amamiya Rin's eyes and the blood flowing from his ears and mouth, Mamiya Yuka quickly understood Amamiya Rin's condition. She immediately dragged Amamiya Rin up, glanced at the groaning Azawa Yuuma, and fled downstairs.

Staggering out of the emergency exit on the first floor, the sight in the hospital lobby made Yuka Mamiya gasp.

The once chaotic crowd had fallen silently to the ground, thick brain matter flowing from the orifices of their heads, pooling into disgusting stains on the ground.

Amidst this mess, a little girl in a light-colored school uniform stood out.

She knelt beside a corpse, sticking out her tongue to lick the brain matter off the ground.

Hearing footsteps, the girl looked up.

Those eyes were unusually prominent, with pupils so large they almost filled the eye sockets, and the whites of the eyes were covered with fine, spiderweb-like textures. There was also whitish brain matter stuck to the corners of the mouth.

"Hehe, hehehehe, my useless brother didn't even stop you? He really is a good-for-nothing."

Mamiya Yuka felt a churning in her stomach, and the intense nausea made her want to vomit.

She forcefully supported Amamiya Rin, trying to get around the strange little girl.

"By the way, do you really think you can escape?"

The little girl gave a strange smile, as if she were mocking something.

Mamiya Yuka looked wary, as if she was about to grab something to defend herself, when she realized that Amamiya Rin's cane and wooden sword were lying on it.

"I have no interest in chasing you down. It's my useless brother, or rather, that demon."

The little girl said with a sneer.

"demon?"

Yuka Mamiya couldn't help but ask.

"My brother is an absurd person. Since he was a child, he has enjoyed killing small animals such as snakes and frogs. It was a ritual to summon demons. One day, he actually summoned an apology demon from the back mountain. He always puts his hands together and looks ahead, as if he is begging the demon for forgiveness. Every time he apologizes, he feels a kind of heavenly pleasure. Moreover, at that moment, the evil electromagnetic waves between my brother and the demon will take effect, causing the person who hears the apology to gradually melt from the head."

The little girl spoke in a strange tone, and for reasons unknown, she explained the origins of Azawa Yuuma's abilities.

In fact, every time Azawa Yuuma committed evil, if he took his time and did things carefully, the girl would jump out before the victim was dissolved and inform Azawa Yuuma of his abilities.

However, no one ever wanted to believe such an absurd thing.

"Oh, right, my brother also has another ability: he can make someone ugly by praising them, because he's actually praising the demon he worships. You've received his praise, haven't you? Although I don't know why he praises men, he's got his eye on you, and you definitely can't escape."

The little girl pointed at Amamiya Rin and said with a gloating expression.