The monster in front of them is not Riddle Rosehearts. There is just no way this was the same Riddle Rosehearts.
His hair and eyes were as red as blood, a small veil cover his left glowing eyes, connected to his black crown on his head. He was wearing a torn-up black-and-red dress which was open on the front part, showing his tight pants and knee-high boots, with two black belts on his corset. The dress had a white collar and black spikes, and he also had a heart-shaped choker around his neck. The hips part is decorated with white roses, tainted by black ink, with ribbon with card motive. His arms have splotches of inks, forming a pair of sticky black gloves around his hand. His legs and knee-high boots and covered by black inks.
"Se... Senior Rosehearts..."
Jonah's voice sounded small but was not unheard of by 'Rosehearts'. He turned his head toward him, lips curled up into a sickening grin.
"HaHaHaHaHaHa! ThOsE FoOlIsH EnOuGh tO DiSoBeY Me, I HaVe nO NeEd oF ThEm iN My wOrLd. I Am tHe lAw iN My wOrLd, I Am tHe rUlEs! No oThEr rEsPoNsE ThAt 'YeS, lOrD RiDdLe' Is aCcEpTaBlE! iT'S OfF WiTh tHe hEaDs oF AnYoNe wHo dIsObEyS Me! AhAhAhAhAhAhA!"
"Ah, how could this happen?!" Crowley wooed, still shielding Jonah. "A student had gone into overblot right in front of me!"
"What the hell is overblot?" Grim asked in a panic. None of them realized that the sealing collar around their neck had disappeared. "That guy's turned completely evil now!"
"Overblot is the one situation that all magicians should avoid," Crowley explained. "Right now, he's being enveloped by so much negative energy that he's lost control over his emotions and magic."
"I don't get it, though!" Grim yelled.
"Me, too!" Deuce added.
Cater groaned. "Ah, geez! In other words, it's like an evil villain berserker mode!"
"If this goes on, Riddle's life will be in danger!" Trey said, looking at Riddle in fear.
His life?
Senior Rosehearts could... Die?
A thought suddenly came into Jonah's mind. Senior Rosehearts will die… That's a bad thing, right? Even if they're in a bad term, they can't just leave him like this… Can they?
Dying is… A bad thing?
Don't die…
"We... We have to..." The boy clenched his fist, gritting his teeth at the thoughts. He lowered his head, bangs covering his eyes.
"Right now the safety of other students is the top priority," Crowley said, slowly letting go of Jonah's shoulders. "I shall evacuate the other residents! Mister Rosehearts must be brought back to his senses before his magic consumes him. Losing his life is an absolute bad scenario, but worse than that…" He shook his head. He didn't dare to continue what he was saying. "In any case, you boys go get the rest of the staff and prefects to help control the situation–"
"No."
"Argentum?" Crowley watched Jonah as he was being pushed away by the boy.
Slowly he lifted his head, staring straight at Riddle, challenging his presence. "Ace, Deuce, Grim, gather around me!"
The three students who were called by him turned toward him. "Jonah?!" Ace asked.
Jonah ripped his eye-patch off his head, revealing his yellow-and-red eyes once again. They always seemed to listen to him when he revealed his eye. It made him feel like the one in charge above them. And he needed them to listen to him right now. "This is your captain's order! All hands on deck!"
The three of them looked at each other. It was clear that Jonah won't back down this time. He stood up tall without an ounce of fear. His voice was filled with confidence and authority, refuse to take 'no' as an answer. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes, ready for battle, ready to lead them. It was like at the Dwarfs' Mine again...
The three of them exchange grins. If their captain wants a battle, then the whole crew will follow him. "Aye, aye, Captain!"
"Wait a minute, you boys!" Crowley yelled at them. "That is dangerous!"
"Senior Rosehearts is going to lose his life, Headmaster," Jonah said in a surprisingly calm but firm voice. "We can't let that happen."
"I still haven't heard him say 'It's all my fault, I'm so sorry' to me!" Ace grinned from ear to ear, preparing his wand again.
"Besides!" Grim stood on all four to top of Jonah's head, smoke coming out from his nostrils. "It's not cool at all to lose to people we challenge!"
"This is probably the only to make him come back to his senses," Deuce added in all serious tone. "There's no way I can sleep peacefully with him like this."
Trey looked at the three underclassmen. Two of the group don't really like Riddle. But, to see them willingly face against probably the hardest being in their life...
He reached for his magical pen. He can't take it anymore... He can't stay silent again... Not when his childhood friend is in danger!
"What is your plan, Jonah?" Trey said.
Cater turned his head toward his friend in shock. "What are you saying, Trey? There's no way you can beat Riddle!"
"Maybe... But I can't lose him yet. I..." He clenched his magical pen hard. "I have so much to tell him!"
"Senior Diamond. Help the headmaster evacuate!" Jonah commanded. "We need to get everyone out here!"
Cater looked at the boy as if he just offended him. He looked at Trey again, begging him not to fight. But, Trey just nodded, a sign just too follows. "Ah, damn it!" he said in frustration. "I get it already. There's no other way, huh?" He turned to Crowley. "Headmaster!"
Crowley watched as Trey moved closer to Jonah, who already had Ace, Deuce, and Grim on his side. The boy glanced briefly at him, telling him to hurry and make his decision. With a sigh, Crowley finally nodded. "Alright. As soon as I finish evacuating the other students, I'll be back! So please stay safe until then, all of you!"
Cater raised his magical pen, summoning magic circles around him. "[Split Card]!" One copy of himself emerged from each circle. "Let's go!" With that he and the headmaster ran from the battlefield, leaving the small group of magicians under the angry eye of the corrupted prefect.
"This guy, ThAt gUy, TrEy... YoU AlL HaVe sOmE NeRvE... I'll TaKe aLl oF YoUr hEaD!"
He thrust his hand out, black ink came out from his fingers, aiming straight at the group.
"Senior Clover!" shouted Jonah. Trey already knew what to do. He ran in front of the gang and pointed his magical pen toward the attack, a magic circle appeared to bellow his feet.
"[Doodle Suit]!" he shouted as colorful light appeared from the crystal of the wand, clashing with Riddle's ink, turning them into playing cards.
"DOn't gEt iN my wAy, TrEy!"
The growl sent a shiver down Trey's spine, but he didn't dare to back down. Around them, the rose bushes started to move, roots climbing up from the ground, and branches lowered. Like zombies, the rose bush puppet-like monsters started to walk toward the gang.
"Ace, Grim, Senior Clover! Cover us!" shouted Jonah.
Ace grinned wider, summoning his magic circle. "Eat this!" He waved his magical pen, blowing the nearby rose-bush-zombie away.
Grim jumped off Jonah's head. "Fugya~!" He spat fireballs on every rose bush that his eyes caught, burning them to ashes.
"Ha!" Trey waved his wand, changing the rose bush that nearing Deuce and Jonah into harmless playing cards. He could hear Riddle let out a booming laugh, mocking them.
"hahahahahaha! I Am aBsOlUt... No one sHaLl sTaNd aGaInSt mE!"
"We'll see about that," Jonah said, lips pulled up. "Deuce, cauldron!"
Deuce summoned his magic circle in front of him. "Haaaa..." He snapped his eyes open. "[Fire away]! [Cauldron]!" A large-sized cauldron shot out from the magic circle, hitting Riddle straight in the face. The prefect let out a scream of pain, his head was thrown backward from the attack.
"Ace, trap him!" shouted Jonah. Ace blew the nearest rose bush before turning to Riddle.
"I'm gonna catch you, you little gremlin!" he growled, summoning the wind around Riddle, forming into a ball of wind, trapping the prefect in it. Riddle trashed around the ball, screaming in anger and unleashing his ink attacks. But none of his struggles managed to make a loose in the ball.
Ace grinned at him. "Hah! Can't do anything now."
Riddle kept growling, fist clenched hand, and Jonah noticed his glowing eyes became brighter.
"EvErY SiNgLe oNe oF YoU ArE GeTtInG AhEaD Of yOuRsElVeS... oFf wItH YoUr hEaDs!"
"Watch out!" warned Jonah, but Riddle already made his move. With a roar, Riddle unleashed dark light around him, cutting himself free from Ace's wind prison. Behind him, a silhouette was formed, a figure in a red dress and a heart-shaped head filled with ink and a golden crown on top of it.
"What the hell is that?!" yelled Ace, partially still in shock that his trap was broken.
"I'M ThE OnLy oNe wHo's always RiGhT! If nOt, ThEn aLl tHaT I'Ve wOrKeD FoR WaS...!"
Riddle let out a high-pitched whine, raising his right hand and the silhouette, like a shadow, followed Riddle, raising its left rose-bush arm. Riddle thrust his arm forward and the shadow followed him, swinging the rose-bush arm toward the group.
"Look out!" Trey pushed Jonah out of the way, letting himself get hit by the rose bush hand. He let out a pained scream, feeling the thorns cutting his skin.
Jonah pulled himself up from the ground. How did he miss that?! He looked up to Trey who was on the ground. "Senior Clover!"
"TrEy... YoU TrAiToR..."
Trey, still on the ground, looked up to his childhood friend. "Riddle-" He didn't get to finish his sentence for Riddle ink tentacle shot out and wrapped itself around Trey's neck. The young man let out a strangled breath. He couldn't breathe. Riddle was choking him too hard. And the boy didn't even realize it. He stared at the red eyes. They looked... hurt...
"HoW CoUlD YoU..."
"Get away from him!" A magic circle appeared in front of Deuce again, pointing his pen straight at Riddle's chest. "[Blast off]! [Cauldron]!" He shot a cauldron straight at Riddle. The prefect didn't get to defend himself. He screamed, pulled back his ink tentacle, letting Trey fell to the ground.
"Trey!" Someone suddenly appeared and caught Trey before he touched the ground. It was Cater. When they finally escorted the last remaining students out of Heartslabyul, Cater immediately excused himself to help his friends. He arrived just in time when Deuce released his cauldron.
"TrAiToR... aLl oF YoU ArE!"
"Is there a limit to this guy's magic?" Ace screamed.
"We need to finish this as soon as possible," Jonah muttered, standing up again. "He has to have a weakness..." His eyes darted around Riddle, trying to find something that could be his weak spot. Maybe the heart corset? The choker? The crown? The-
Wait.
There.
Riddle's eye. The one covered by the vile. The one that was glowing with red light, was now flickering, from red to gray to red...
"His eyes..." Jonah's eyes widened. A plan forming in his head. "Senior Diamond! Can you do a flying spell?"
Cater looked up from Trey, who was barely conscious, to Jonah. "To make you fly? Yes."
"Good. We're gonna need it!" He ran toward the other three. "Deuce, prepare as many cauldrons as you can around Senior Rosehearts!" Deuce nodded, gathering his power, summoning as many magic circles as he could.
Jonah turned to Grim and Ace. "Grim, prepare you fireballs! Ace, you think you can make them explode like a bomb?"
"I can try!" said Ace.
Jonah nodded. Good enough. He glanced at the other seniors, focusing on Trey. "Senior Clover. Can you still fight?"
"Dude-"
"Yes..." Trey groaned, cutting Cater off, slowly sitting up. He looked up at Jonah and nodded. "Yes. I can!"
Jonah nodded. "I'll need you to protect us."
Trey nodded again. Slowly with the help from Cater, he stood up, magical pen gripped tightly in his hand. He looked up to Riddle who was screaming angrily at them.
"YoU aLl wIlL ReGrEt aNgErInG ThE QuEeN!"
"Well, down with the bloody red queen!" Jonah screamed in response.
Triggered, Riddle raised his arms, summoning his army of rose bush again. Jonah had prepared this. "Ace, Grim, Deuce, prepare the canons! Senior Clover! Defend!"
Trey moved to action, running to Jonah and back pressed again the smaller boy protecting him from behind. "[Doodle Suit]!" Using his magic, he changed the approaching rose bushes into cards again.
"[Split Card]!" Cater shouted, summoning his copies once again to protect the underclassman who was already working on their part.
"[Come forth]! [Cauldrons]!" Deuce raised his magical pen as the cauldrons emerged from each of the magic circle.
Grim flew above them, avoiding Riddle's ink tentacles attack. "Fugyaa~!" He shot multiple fireballs, aiming for each cauldron.
"Haah...!" Ace waved his magical pen like a baton, summoning the wind around the fireball, holding them in a small wind sphere, forming a 'bomb' inside each cauldrons-'cannons'.
"StoP GeTtInG In mY WaY! i'lL CuT YoUr hEaDs oFf!"
"All cauldron loaded, Captain!" shouted Ace.
Jonah took the signal. "Senior Diamond! Float them everywhere!"
Cater waved his magical pen, summoning magic circles underneath him and each cauldron. "[Wingardium Leviosa]!" The cauldron began to float and Cater positioned them in the air around Riddle, all aiming toward the prefect.
"NnNnNoOoOoOoO!"
"Fire the cannon!" shouted Jonah, pointing forward. Ace then screamed, clapping his hands together, shooting the fire from inside the cauldron at an intense speed like a cannonball. The blast hit Riddle everywhere, his body, his face, his shadow. He was unable to avoid them, unable to stop screaming.
One of the blasts managed to hit Riddle right on his flickering eyes.
"AaAaAaRrRrGgGhHh!"
Jonah could hear a glass break. He didn't know where it came from, but he knew they had done something.
"I WaS... wRoNg...? tHaT'S NoT TrUe... Is iT...? MoThEr..."
Riddle let out another scream as something black came out from his eyes. Black, slimy, tart-like ink flowed out, along with all the ink from the prefect's body, revealing the poor boy in his torn-up dorm uniform. The limp body fell down the ground, but Trey, who was screaming for Riddle's name, managed to caught the smaller boy in his arms and fell onto his knees.
While both seniors were busy with the prefect, the first years focused on the ink, slithering in the air like a snake. Without anyone expecting, the ink suddenly shot itself toward Jonah. Nobody was anticipating this, not even Jonah, they all froze in their place when the ink suddenly hit Jonah in his right eye.
Jonah could felt his mouth moved, forming a gasp, and his body fell backward. He didn't feel any pain, which was a surprise for him. He could barely make out whoever screaming for his name.
And then, suddenly, everything faded away...