CHAPTER XXXVIII: A SAINT MASKED BY DARKNESS

DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except, (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku! He is my original creation and thus owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.

A friend of mine is the biggest Halo fan and supporter I'll ever know. His devotion to a wildly huge franchise that is epic in storytelling inspired me to get "Halo" styled advice for two chapters from Book IV of "The Aftermath Chronicles: The Revelation of Good and Evil." The chapters were explosive, gritty and sunk with war and carnage. Returning here and in the previous chapter was a delight, and I'd like to thank my fellow "Spartan" for helping me in the past...because this chapter's for you my friend!

A group of silver armored Elites with jetpacks, armed with Plasma Repeaters and Concussion Rifles charged at the Cloakmaster. Holding the Energy Sword in front of his face, and with his hood flinging off his head, the Demon Demigod's eyes filled with a fiery glowing crimson. Tojiro charged forward, flinging the sword left and right to smack away blasts of Concussion shots. Tojiro went on to slice three Elites in half from the waist down, then punch to the left, then used his right foot to deliver a painful deal of hurt to the throat of another Sangheili.

Tojiro quickly ducked from several Plasma Repeater shots, but wasn't ready for the slew of more Plasma rounds that repeated with extensive force that smacked him to the ground. An angry Elite charged at him, armed with two Plasma Rifles. It stood over the Cloakmaster, but Tojiro quickly drove the Energy Sword in his right hand into the Sangheili's chest, then immediately proceeding to jumping back to his feet. Tojiro cut off the arm of an Elite that charged from the right, but he was suddenly stabbed by the same Elite. Tojiro leaped back, but the Energy Sword remained embedded in his hand. Tojiro viciously removed the blade from his stomach, wielding it in his left hand.

"You just made this battle ten times easier for me." invoked the angry hell-bent demon.

The Elites violently fired their Plasma Repeaters, and even a group of seven Grunts stood behind the Elites, armed with Fuel Rod Cannons. The Cloakmaster was up in the air, holding the Energy Swords out to his left and right. The Grunts fired their weapons with violent decisiveness. Tojiro kicked away the globs of green with his feet, then crossed the swords over another. Charging down towards a space between two Elites, Tojiro swung the Energy Swords outward, decapitating the two Sangheili.

Landing back on the ground, he sped forward with super sonic speed, cutting the rest of the Elites in half, then sliding to a halt in front of the seven Grunts.

"Boo." he grumbled.

The Grunts suddenly broke up into fear at the death of their Elites, some of the fleeing Unggoy even ran into one another before they could even escape and get far enough from the mad Cloakmaster.

Tojiro leaped over to the other half of the shield surrounded hanger. He landed on top of a Phantom, shaking it. He back flipped off the Phantom drop ship, heading down towards an unsuspecting Hunter. He landed on top of the alien beast, driving both Energy Swords deep into its back, and forcing its dead corpse to smash to the floor. Tojiro turned around, quickly slashing away through five Jackals, and eight Skirmishers, all in one set of swift steps and lunges. Tojiro stopped, a storm of pink needles hitting him in the right arm, causing a painful set of red lightning to shock his entire body.

He dropped to the ground on all fours, growling furiously to himself. He was suddenly kicked by a vengeful Hunter, throwing him into a motionless Wraith, denting the front side of the Covenant's version of a human tank. Tojiro quickly reached himself back to his two metal feet, taking a storm of Fuel Rod Cannon blasts shot by three Grunts, including the Hunter that put him in his current position.

The blasts repeated and obliterated around him, resulting in a large cloud of plasma green to explode out from the momentous storm of merciless plasma bombs. The Grunts lowered their Fuel Rod Cannons, and the massive Hunter stepped towards the cloud of slowly drifting smoke. Unfortunately for the Hunter, the humongous visage of the Wraith came through the smoke and plowed through the Hunter and buried through the shocked Grunts.

Tojiro came out of the smoke, still standing, and still holding his dual Energy Swords. Seeking higher ground, Tojiro jumped back up to the round about walkway behind him. Landing on top of a Skirmisher, he quickly sliced it's head off then dashed off to the left, a clear path. Spotting a door up ahead to the left, he dashed for it. Passing by a set of crates, the sudden image of Concussion shots came at him from the right. Tojiro took himself to roll forward to dodge the damaging shots.

Appearing back on his feet in a crouched position, he stared off to the right, seeing a hovering Phantom to be the source of the recent firing. The side doors opened, revealing a group of angry Brutes to jump out both sides, fourteen in total. Tojiro strategized that if this threat was left alone, he would continue on to rescue Yoko and only come back to find himself surrounded. Tojiro took the initiative; jumping towards the hovering Phantom drop ship. He turned the Energy Swords off, auras of crimson red Chaos energy formed around his fists. Tojiro heavily smashed down on the front of the Phantom, drastically forcing it to crash down into the floor, killing seven of the Brutes below.

The Cloakmaster landed beside the smoldering wreckage of burning plasma and charred remains of the ship, standing back into a fitting state of posture. Tojiro quickly turned the Energy Swords, turning to the right to see two Brutes fire their Spikers at Tojiro. Taking several spikes into his legs and chest, the anger of the demon boosted him to charge forward and impale the two beasts.

However, the two beasts punched Tojiro at the same time, not feeling enough hurt to their system. Tojiro tossed the two swords forward, impaling the same Brutes, and knocking them down. The sudden image of a Brute Chieftain jumped over the two dead Brutes and swung its massive Gravity Hammer at the Cloakmaster. Tojiro prepared a barrier of gold Chaos energy by crossing his arms in the shape of an X.

The force of the hammer caused the Chieftain to stumble back, growling in fearsome anger. Tojiro quickly lowered the barrier, pointing his hands forward. The two Energy Swords embedded into the chests of the two dead Brutes behind the Chieftain came out, and spun sideways towards the Chieftain, slashing through its hips, spilling its dark purple blood onto the floor. Tojiro caught hold of the Energy Swords, charging forward, but the angered Brute leader charged and bashed Tojiro with a swing of its hammer. Tojiro was sent smacking into a corner section of a walkway above him and dropped back to the Brute Chieftain that desperately awaited him to get closer.

Tojiro pointed the Energy Swords down, and then flipped forward, his feet kicking the Brute in the face before it even had a chance to lift its Gravity Hammer. Tojiro landed behind the towering beast, quickly swinging the Energy Swords in opposite directions, one to the left and the other to the right, across the Brute's hips. The Brute Chieftain choked on the blood that spat from its mouth. Tojiro lowered his swords by his side, letting the Brute drop dead to the ground. From behind, Brutes fired their Spikers into Tojiro's back. He hastily turned around, using the swords to deflect the storm of spikes that never seemed to impede.

Swinging them forward, he released a surge of air to knock the storm of needles back, killing and butchering the last two Brutes to death. Tojiro sprinted to the right, then jumped forward, dodging an array of pink needles that attempted to skewer and explode all at once. Tojiro released a breath of red flames from his mouth, scorching through a Wraith, and blowing through ten squads of Grunts. Tojiro lowered his head, his back hunched, he stood in a weakened state.

A Concussion blast hit him in the chest, then the sudden appearance of another Brute Chieftain landed behind him, smacking the Cloakmaster with a vicious swing of its Gravity Hammer. Tojiro slammed to the ground, rolling to the feet of two Energy Sword wielding Sangheili. The Demon Demigod quickly lunged his Energy Swords and impaled the two Elites, permanently stiffening their bodies. Tojiro quickly turned around, swinging the two dead corpses' of the Elites at the Brute Chieftain. It swung its hammer, knocking the bodies away, but this plan only gave Tojiro a window of opportunity as he leaped towards the Brute, knocking the beast onto it's back.

Tojiro then drove the two Energy Swords into the Brute's chest with deadly accuracy to the beast's organs. Tojiro removed the two swords, stepping off its body, avoiding the annoying stench of death. Tojiro turned the Energy Swords off, leaping himself into a back flip, landing on top of a motionless Phantom, then leaping over to a set of automatic opening doors that were one of many throughout the Covenant Corvette's network. Tojiro kept the powered off Energy Swords tightly in his hands, preparing to turn them on at the slightest hint of overwhelming danger, only overwhelming. The Cloakmaster faced and handled these creatures before, but now the times have changed, and some of the pieces on the board have been checked and removed.

Tojiro had no time or room to make mistakes now; he had to save Yoko. Charging down the large hallway, he smashed a Grunt to the wall with his elbow, shattering its skull then flinging his right foot across the jaw of an oncoming Elite, knocking it against the wall.

Tojiro readied the Energy Swords, their blistering glowing fearsomeness, using the deadly combo to slash through three Skirmishers, cutting the arms and legs of a Brute, then driving the two weapons into the chest of an Elite, and split the alien literally in half. Through all the spilled blood, he managed to think. Of all times to think, he assumed this wouldn't be the best of times.

"Yoko's in danger because of me…and she still doesn't understand. She'll never understand." raced the Cloakmaster's thoughts, booting a Grunt into the ceiling with his right foot.

He ducked under a swing from a Gravity Hammer wielding Brute, then cutting the top hammer off, and kicking the hammer into the Brute's face with enough force to break its skull, and knock it to the floor. He jumped over its motionless corpse. The Cloakmaster turned down a hallway on the right, immediately skidding between the legs of an Elite General, then as he continued to run down the hall, he pointed his right Energy Sword back, releasing a bolt of red lightning which blew the Elite into nothing more than body parts and blood.

Tojiro turned forward, skidding to a halt, immediately crossing his Energy Swords together, creating a protective barrier of lightning in front of himself from a flurry of Fuel Rod projectiles. Tojiro remained still as a statue, refusing to let this force knock him back, he wouldn't allow it. At the end of this fight, he knew Yoko…would be there.

No matter threat he faced thus far, somehow he saw someone to be at the end of his ballistic trails of violence, and he would find a form of acceptance as well. Tojiro slashed through a door that refused to open, continuing on to cut five Grunts in half, one at a time, then leap over a golden Elite, cutting its arms off at the same time. Even as he continued to be drenched in his foes' blood, still the demon ran, and still he thought. Memories of his past that he shared with Yoko came vividly to his mind. The times she, with all her effort, was determined to keep him…safe. Tojiro's glowing red eyes fired up. He slid to a halt, a horde of Elites charging down the hall at him.

"FINE! BE THAT WAY! It doesn't matter to you! It doesn't matter to me! I don't care what you say to me! I don't care what you think of me! Believe whatever you want; I DON'T LOVE YOU!" shouted the past of Yoko's words.

Tojiro's Tsukikagegan appeared as he stretched open his eyes. He angrily fired a ringed beam of death out his eyes, splattering through the Elites and painting all sides of the hall with their purple blood. Tojiro growled with extensive hate. He was annoyed and discouraged with himself to let such petty thoughts take such quick control of his conscience. He quickly turned around, swinging his left Energy Sword, slicing an unfortunate Hunter's head clean off. He turned back forward, clicking the Energy Swords off, storming down the hall with a definite pace of carelessness. Even through this disoriented scene of awful horror, everything around him was invisible to his thoughts and sight.

"You never cared, haven't you? Everything always seemed so invisible to you. It was as if nothing mattered! No one mattered! Not…no-not…not even me." said Yoko's distant words from the past.

Tojiro came to another door, this time it opened with clear convenience. He stormed down the hall once more. Yoko's been the type of person that seems to only understand one sign of free logic. Yoko saw the world through her own will. However, through Tojiro's actions, she was ashamed of how he viewed the world. A Hunter's large armored arm was severely cut off, then the massive alien was blasted down the hall by a blast of Chaos energy that streamed from Tojiro's eyes. He continued on, slicing down the middle of two Skirmishers, taking a storm of Focused Rifles to his body, and yet he managed to charge forward, yelling and screaming with fearless agony. Yoko actually despised him.

Tojiro cut through five of the armed Jackals with their Focused Rifles. Tojiro then ducked to avoid several plasma grenades. When a group of six Grunts readied a suicide charge by holding active plasma grenades on their hands, Tojiro was sickened deeper than the lengths of hell itself. She…truly couldn't understand.

At the end of the hall, where a door stood, from the other side, a vicious beam of red Chaos energy surged through the hall, annihilating the door in the process. He somehow never managed to understand Yoko either; because he never wanted to. Tojiro judged others on their most pertained form of decisions and actions, not simply by first opinions. Even with the power to read into peoples' minds, it didn't seem to show mercy to his beliefs.

The Cloakmaster doomed himself by selfishly putting his hide to the test, in attempt to preserve the life of someone who deserves true peace. Maybe that's why he never had time to judge people so quickly, particularly Yoko Littner. Tojiro walked through the smoking chaos that was at the end of the hall, his eyes returned to blank white. On the other side of a large work station area of the Covenant Corvette, several walkways and stations sat all around him. However, he felt the presence of the red haired Yoko herself, and it was close than he could imagine. Tojiro used Chaos Control to appear up top on a slim walkway. Up ahead were four equally sized plasma pylons that formed a square.

The walkway he stood on lead straight to the other side of the large power room, and two paths to the left and right. However, several Yanme'e; otherwise known as Drones, flew up from the left and right, madly firing their Plasma Pistols at the Deathly Demon. Tojiro quickly took the shots like nothing, but as the shots continued his skin was getting worn and burned by the apprehensive firing of the trigger happy Drones. Tojiro took upon himself to halt his intimidation of being able to handle pain, and quickly spin like a tornado, creating a red tornado of Chaos energy around himself.

The footing he stood on shattered under his feet, and the tornado grew straight down to the ground, obliterating several consoles and seamlessly killing more Covenant that it touched. Bolts of furious red lightning beamed out from the ferocious cyclone of chaos, causing several consoles and the walls to explode with a simple touch of the override of electricity. The Drones were blown away already, but the entire room continued to take the hurt from Tojiro's manic power.

The power of his Chaos finally dispersed into a field of small red glowing orbs that filled the entire room. Several Grunts on the ground strangely looked at them. One touched one of the floating orbs but was surprisingly shocked by it. The Grunts, and only the Grunts began to insanely shoot at the floating spheres of sudden pain. Tojiro floated over onto the middle of the room, standing in-between the four plasma pylons. A drifting smoke of transparent red was simmering off of Tojiro's body. On the inside, his Chaos energy was rapidly having too many things to do.

First, heal his wounds, then he uses it to fight, including using it to protect himself. With every being, Chaos energy works like blood cells do, it even has the same name. Tojiro's Chaos Cells were completely suffering with so much jobs to do, and his current state was a perfect example why. He turned the Energy Swords off once more, stepping forward, his metal legs still in operable use. Even through the Chaos energy he wasted, with every breath he took; it became apparent to how every second and minute would cost him greatly to increase his Chaos Cell build-up. Tojiro stepped to the automatic opening doors, passing through it. He stopped in his tracks. He punched his fists together, forcing the drifting red smoke to dissipate and halt any slow pain it was dealing to his skin.

As inches of information increased to pounds, Tojiro began to lose Yoko's presence. Having the ability to use a hedgehog form and possess Chaos energy, Yoko's trail was cold and free of darkness. Tojiro put himself into a sprinting position a few feet before another door up ahead in the hallway he was in. His lifeless eyes of freezing hate remained dismal until the door lit up. A swarm of twenty Drones flew down the hall. Tojiro's eyes angrily widened to a furious stare of death. He turned the Energy Swords on one final time, pointing them forward.

The Energy Swords were of course designed to have an open part through the center of it, giving the weapon its two sharp points. However, by infusing his Chaos energy into it, the middle open sections of the Energy Swords brimmed with red lightning. The Energy Swords changed to a glowing red, and the red lightning changed to gold. It sporadically shocked around the swords with uncontrollable pressure. The Drones in front of their swarm fired a horde of fully charged shots. Tojiro put the swords together, side to side, giving it the appearance of one single Energy Sword.

"PLASMA HELLSTORM!" roared the insanely angered Demigod of Death.

A fearsome storm of small glowing red spheres shot forward. In-between the storm of spheres that filled the halls, they were all connected with bolts of gold lightning that amplified the spheres' power. All at once, a monstrous explosion occurred, and ate through the entire swarm, destroying the walls at the same time. Flames of plasma along with Tojiro's Chaos energy scorched all the way down the hall with a monstrous image until it assimilated the door at the end of the hall.

It was the door into the bridge. The Elite General that captured Yoko was still holding her captive. Except, she was being bind by plasma made cuffs, and the Elite General held her in front of him. The Elite General was busy at the controls before it turned around to see the large cloud of smoke wander into the bridge. Yoko, equally as surprised, let her eyes shake and widen. Storming in a fit of rage, the Cloakmaster slid across the floor on his feet, halting at the entrance of the bridge room, armed with his glowing red Energy Swords that simmered with white smoke.

"Yoko…" growled the Cloakmaster, putting himself into a sprinting stance.

Suddenly, the Cloakmaster was lifted off the ground from behind and impaled through the chest with an Energy Sword. Yoko's eyes widened with shock and fear. The Demon Demigod slowly turned his gaze down at the two studded sword that was pierced through his chest. The Special Operations Sangheili stood holding the Cloakmaster up off his feet, and continued to push the sword forward. Yoko was turned away by the Elite General, who believed the pitiful Tojiro to be dead.

"Tojiro! Damn it! You're not going to seriously let these freaks beat you so easily, right? Are you a coward or not?" she vividly exclaimed.

The Elite General smacked her down on the console, keeping her subdued. Tojiro continued to gurgle and growl in etching pain.

"You're really serious about this? You better not be you stupid coward! Are you going to betray your beliefs so easily?! Don't you want to see me safe? Or are you too much of wimp to even convince yourself?!" she continued to shout.

Tojiro's eyes filled with annoyance, a rage he refused to keep hearing. The Special Operations Elite suddenly turned ablaze with flames, forcing it to cry and scream in agony, dropping Tojiro, and then dropping itself to the ground. With his Tsukikagegan present in his eyes once more, he stared forward at several Elite majors armed with Energy Swords. Tojiro, even with an Energy Sword embedded through him, sent a chilling shockwave forward, that literally froze all the Elites in ice, then at the same time; shattered to hundreds of pieces. A dark black aura crept around the Cloakmaster. The sudden appearance of fangs grew in his mouth. Yoko shockingly saw this.

"Even in that hedgehog form of his, he's getting those teeth of that other monster he turns into! God, I think I pushed him too hard." imagined the shatter wide eyes of the sharpshooter.

Walking forward at a steady, he held his Energy Swords down by his side. An Elite Ultra charged from both left and right, but the Demon Demigod easily dealt away with them by swinging his swords, decapitating them both at the same time. Tojiro shot a beam of red Chaos energy from both of his eyes, blowing through a line of unready Jackals. A stream of seven Focus Rifle beams shot from both the left and right. Tojiro held his Energy Swords up, stunningly causing all the beams to reflect and immediately silence the Skirmishers that foolishly fired at the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

The Elite General turned around, keeping his left hand suppressed on Yoko's back to keep her forced against the console. Tojiro neared closer and closer, no more Covenant was in the way now. The Elite General took Yoko, readied an Energy Sword and jabbed it forward. Yoko's eyes froze like she was overwhelmed with a pain of incomprehensible thought once she saw the Elite General drive the sword forward at her heart.

However, before the sword was even lifted, Yoko was sitting safely on the floor before the hologram picture of Planet Sargasso that was in the middle of the room. She looked forward, seeing Tojiro with both of his Energy Swords impaled into the Elite General, while the Sangheili had its Energy Sword pointed over the cloaked demon's left shoulder.

Tojiro yanked his weapons from the Elite's belly, then kicked its useless corpse to the ground. Sitting with her legs sideways on the floor, Yoko remained still. The creeping aura of darkness that remained around Tojiro made his appearance just as frightening. Merely sliding her left hand across the floor, Tojiro swiftly turned halfway around. Yoko jolted at his sudden response. Tojiro turned all the way around, his Energy Swords continuing to simmer as his increasing hatred climbed higher and higher.

"Tojiro…you're there, right?" she said with determination.

Tojiro took a step forward with his right foot, tightening the grip of his Energy Swords.

"Tojiro…you did it. You can calm down now. Please…" said the silent sharpshooter, still shocked by his resonating appearance of increasing fear.

Tojiro took one more step with his left foot. It was almost as his current state was lifeless. His mind could completely be in another place, so what was controlling the Demigod of Death now? Yoko remained on the ground. A thought in her mind told the sharpshooter that one single movement would enact his pulsating hate that seemed to never extinguish itself.

Tojiro immediately charged forwards at Yoko with no contempt in his heartless eyes of hateful wrath. Yoko jolted back. Tojiro swung the Energy Sword in his left hand down at her upper chest. She was able to avoid the fatal slash, though the plasma sword sliced the thin strap that connected her bikini together. In a frantic shock, she covered her chest with her jacket, sighing with relief. Tojiro held both swords up at Yoko, but a sudden beam from a Focus Rifle hit him directly in the face, then a series of pink needles storm and blew him back across the floor once they hit his stomach.

Yoko looked over her shoulder at the swarming number of Elite Specialists, Generals, Hunters, and even Brutes gathered from the main entrance into the bridge. Tojiro ferociously sat up. Yoko looked between Tojiro and the furious group of angry Covenant soldiers. In the front line, six Brutes fired their Spikers straight out at Yoko and the Cloakmaster behind her. Tojiro lunged forward at Yoko.

As if time slowed down, the red haired sharpshooter looked over her shoulder. The demented demigod continued to run at full force, not a single hint of slowing down appeared in his actions. Suddenly, Yoko looked forward, finding Tojiro standing defensively in front of Yoko. His cloak let out a large black wall that stretched to the left and right. All the spikes immediately vanished upon impact against Tojiro's barrier.

"Tojiro?" stuttered the female sharpshooter.

He turned his head over his right shoulder, his eyes appearing blank white again.

"I'm an idiot…for involving you. I…should never have…made you suffer. I…I was…wrong to be angry…at you." he said weakly.

The entire barrier vanished with immediacy. The two red Energy Swords turned back to blue, then turned off. Tojiro dropped to his knees, dropping the two Energy Swords, before falling forward to the ground. The Elite Generals, four of them stepped forward, lowering their Concussion Rifles or Plasma Repeaters. One of the massive Hunters strolled over to the corpse of Tojiro, preparing to stomp him into the floor. The Elite General stepped forward, halting it. A golden Elite Zealot stepped past the Hunter and Elite General, standing before Yoko.

It turned around, speaking to two Brutes, giving them orders. Yoko kept a tight grip on her jacket so it would remain closed. The golden Zealot Elite waved a hand sign, telling her to get up. The Brutes pointed their Spikers at her immediately. Yoko looked past the golden Zealot Elite, noticing two Jackals removing Tojiro's cloak.

"Leave him alone!" she angrily screamed, stepping forward.

She was only to be stopped once the Zealot Elite readied his Energy Sword inches to her neck, halting her definitely. The Jackals took away Tojiro's cloak, leaving his wounds to heal with time and low efficiency. Lowering his Energy Sword, the Zealot stepped out of the way, pointing towards the cleared entrance. Yoko glared with anger and distaste at the alien, but nonetheless she had no other choice.

Yoko walked towards the entrance while in front of her, Tojiro was being carried over the shoulder of the massive Mgalekgolo. Even in this situation where no hope was present, Yoko still managed to believe like Tojiro would believe. In some form of distant hope, a wager went off in Yoko's head like a new set of lights. It could be impartial, or even dismal. The true fact that Yoko first saw once she looked at the unconscious Cloakmaster that was draped over the Hunter's shoulder is that Tojiro's determination came this far.

Along with himself, his unrivaled confidence refused to dim or be shaken. There was too much at risk for him to give up, and so much to lose if he did. Yoko's conscious began to think and exchange a whole bank of questionable thoughts. They were thoughts she never imagined bringing up more than once. After all, even by looking at him, Yoko felt that Tojiro came this far for a reason…and to go through so much hell to reach her…his reason must have been noble.

The next place Yoko found herself was in the ship's holding cell area. One of the shield doors vanished, and the Zealot Elite shoved her into it. Yoko fell to the ground, rolling onto her knees, glaring at both the Zealot Elite and the Hunter. The Zealot turned to the Hunter halfway, then took another glance at Yoko. The Zealot pointed into the cell.

The Hunter growled, tossing the bloodied corpse of Tojiro right before Yoko's eyes. The shield door appeared, locking the pair inside. The Covenant supporters then walked away, the distant sound of the entrance into the cell room grew and shrank as the Zealot and Hunter left. Yoko turned her eyes to the still unconscious Tojiro.

"There has to be a reason why he always does such things. There…just has to be." thought the solemn sniper.

Yoko slowly scooted forward, using her left hand to drag herself across the floor, even as she remained on her knees and kept her right arm over her jacket to keep it sealed. Yoko reached her left hand forward, grabbing his left shoulder and rolling him onto his back. His black t-shirt was somewhat shredded. Gashes across the chest, along with torn sleeves. His baggy black cargo pants remained unscathed. Yoko blushed nervously, her eyes off to the side.

She removed her right hand from her jacket. Fortunately, the jacket only slightly opened, but the sides of her breasts were still showing. Yoko carefully took Tojiro, and positioned him against the right wall of the cell. She continued to blush with overreacting embarrassment. Even the simple change of her subtle thoughts couldn't get her mind off of it. Tojiro suddenly stirred. In a fit of panic, Yoko jolted to the other side of the small cell, keeping her jacket closed.

A sudden mist of black surrounded the Demigod of Death. Yoko curiously looked at the strange phenomenon. The black smoke vanished, revealing Tojiro to be in his human form. Small bolts of silver electricity appeared around his body, arms and legs, vanishing as quick as they appeared. Tojiro's orange eyes opened up. Once he sat up from his slumped position, his hood fell back, and the Cloakmaster was awakened once again.

NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW

"Beyond the outer reaches of hope, Tojiro claims to Yoko his indestructible desire for the Nightmare Scythe."

-Yoko covers her chest with her jacket.- -The Cloakmaster points down at Yoko as he stands high and mighty.-

"He seeks an unruly path. One that is alone and free of light, free of allies, free of friends," -Yoko's hands slam the metal floor of the cell, angrily denying Tojiro's lone wolf attitude with brimming irises.- "Closer and closer can Yoko feel it: The Cloakmaster's grand plan."

-In a Tokyo flooded by water and buildings capsized, Tojiro falls through the sky.- "Do endless possibilities...truly exist?"

-Tojiro is raised off the ground of the prison cell by an Elite Zealot.- -Yoko's stare remains off to the side.- "Tojiro's grand plan...for the legendary mythic power of the Nightmare Scythe. It continues to frighten Yoko with the greatest of ease." -Tojiro stands as Yoko's eyes quake in tense emotion: Seeing fangs and rage engulf the Demigod of Death's voice and expression.-

-Tojiro is thrown into a Chaos Portal masked with malevolence and madness; his hands reaching out as far as he can stretch...falling farther and farther away.-

NEXT TIME!

THE NIGHTMARE WARS

CHAPTER XXXIX: GRIM FUTURES