A Royal Fall Chapter Fourteen

"Ah, yes, I feel the spirit's presence," said the exorcist as the five entered Squalo and Xanxus's room. "May I ask everyone to leave? This is a very powerful ritual for eliminating demons. But no worries, it's also very effective."

"Aw man, I wanted to see him blow up senpai's brother," Fran muttered as he and Bel were shoved away by Squalo and Xanxus. The group headed out, leaving the man alone with the spirit.

"Mm... it seems like a very dangerous phantom indeed," the man sighed, "but it seems like there's a nice little barrier up already. How convenient."

Xanxus stared at the man, then at himself, and then at the invisible barrier that separated them. "Who the hell...?" he wondered.

"Be gone, devil!"

Xanxus doubled over with pain, groaning low. He felt like he was being torn apart, and he yelled angrily as the pain intensified, creating splitting headaches, severe cramps, and an all over bad energy was being transmitted into him. "Squalo... he gasped, "Squalo, help... nng... ah..." The fiery pain escalated until it was nearly unbearable, reminding Xanxus of his terrible experience years ago, in which his supposed father had frozen him in ice... except... the pain was becoming even worse than that! It crushed the man's spirit, making his movements slower and slower, until he finally ceased all movement, his jaws parted in a silent shout for help.

"Die!" shouted the man, blotting Xanxus's vision into a blinding white color.

As he felt his spiritual form being literally ripped to shreds, Xanxus breathed out his last words as a living phantom.

"I love you, Squalo..."

Meanwhile...

Xanxus froze.

'Boss?' he thought, 'Was that... no... it couldn't have been...'

"Squalo... you... idiot," breathed a rasp of voice over the Sky's ear, and he felt his knees tremble as he made the heartbreaking realization.

'Boss... no...!'

And Xanxus collapsed as the spirit possessing him was expelled once and for all. The body lied there, empty, and would stay that way, for a few hours yet to come.

"Rasiel!" Squalo shouted, grabbing the shoulder of the man who owned his body. The silverette turned.

"Hm?"

"Xanxus... Xanxus is...!"

"You didn't know?" mocked the physical form, grinning widely. "That exorcist just now... he dispelled of your precious Xanxus, not just some imaginary ghost! Usheshe!"

The shark snarled and slammed the other into a wall, drawing back his fist to deal the man a punch. "You bastard! WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE?" Squalo screamed. "Do you have any idea what I'll do to get him back?"

"What? What will you do?" Rasiel taunted, "Pray tell you won't hurt me."

"I'll... I'll tell the exorcist what you've done! I'll make him eliminate you, and bring Xanxus back!" the shark announced, feeling himself grow sick at the thought of Xanxus being gone forever. Abruptly, Rasiel left Squalo's body, and the swordsman was dragged into it immediately. He grunted when he felt the odd sensatino of being pulled back into a physical form. "Did I... scare him off?" Squalo wondered. His relief at the idea was short-lived.

"No, you just got me angry," spoke a deep voice from behind Squalo. The silverette turned, and saw the exorcist

.
'No... that's... that's not the exorcist,' Squalo thought, 'that's...!'

"Sheshe! Get ready for a huge suprise!" Rasiel shouted, before taking a knife and slitting his- the exorcist's- throat. Squalo gasped, standing back, as blood splattered the ground, and the man glowed for a moment, before collapsing.

Leaving another fully materialized man in his place.

The man had short, straight, blonde hair, and a wide cheshire grin that mirrored that of the Varia's prodigy, Belphegor. He was dressed casually in a white dress shirt, a long, black jacket, and blood-red pants. He looked up at Squalo, his gaze covered by his bangs, and laughed, "Usheshe. Look at me, Squalo. I'm alive..."

"And it's all thanks to you."

-End Chapter

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