Don't Play With Fire
-+Chapter Eleven+-

He didn't know what attacked him; all he knew was that there were a lot of them, and that if he wouldn't do something to even up the odds and eventually tilt it to his favor, he would put Sayo's life in jeopardy. Gritting his teeth, Shouzo Rorenzo leapt as high as he could up into the air, swept his gaze all over the area to examine the situation he was in, and was instantly disappointed.

He was outnumbered. He was fighting a dozen or so demons on his own, with only his strength, agility and endurance to counter the advances of the fire-wielding beings. I shouldn't give up, he thought sternly, glancing at the young Christian woman who stood at a corner with wide, concerned green eyes. I can't give up. If I would, then all would be lost.

Suddenly, he felt a stinging sensation on his back, and he crashed facedown on the ground with a loud sound that made the young woman who was watching him intently wince. He pushed himself up, determined to fight back, but his arms and legs immediately gave way, obviously weakened. From the back of his mind, he saw the attack that was bound to happen after a few seconds, and decided to think of an alternative, as he was unfortunately incapable of standing up.

The minions were closing in fast, dive-bombing towards the young man who lay on the ground, unmoving, and when Shouzo was sure that they could not turn back, he quickly rolled to his right, making his attackers meet at the vertex and crash into each other. He then grabbed the large piece of rock that was situated just within his reach, and hurled it to the huddle of demons, successfully hitting a few.

At least I've got less to worry about, he told himself, allowing a small smile, but then he grew all serious again, knowing that he still had other things to be concerned of. He tried to get up one more time, and to his luck, found that he was able to. He reminded himself to be careful, to avoid being struck down the way he was the last time, as he could not afford to get weaker than he already was.

"Shouzo, behind you!" Sayo Amakusa screamed, breaking his thoughts.

The young man whirled around, meeting his opponents' attacks as forcefully as he could. One demon fell after the other, until the only one left standing was the biggest of the bunch, a red-skinned beast with ugly-looking horns that breathed fire and exhaled black smoke. Last one, he urged himself, ignoring the pang of exhaustion that was threatening to devour him.

He fell into a fighting stance, then motioned his adversary to charge. Angered by his rather arrogant gesture, the fiend charged, gaining speed and momentum as he neared the young warrior. Shouzo stood his ground, waiting for the right moment to pull off his attack that would knock the hideous-looking spawn of hell out ---

--- when his vision blurred.

Shouzo stumbled, taking one step back, and that second of weakness cost him everything he fought so hard for. The beast smashed into the young man hard, sending him across the terrain of rocks and fire, and slamming him to the wall of stones. The impact furthermore caused the rocky barrier to break down and build a fortress atop the unfortunate warrior.

Tears immediately filled Sayo's olive eyes as she called out her friend's name, hoping that her voice would somehow do something miraculous to help him survive what had just happened. But the sight was just too much for her to handle. She fell on her knees, staring at the fortress of stones where Shouzo was buried under with a weakened spirit.

The Devil's laughter echoed loudly all over the battleground. "Now, now, Sayo dear, don't cry," he taunted, smirking in his amusement. "Tears don't become you. You shouldn't really worry about him; after all, you're going to join him soon." He appeared a few inches away from the young woman, looking as sinister and as foreboding as ever. "And I would be very honored to offer you the gift of eternal rest."

He lifted his demonic hand, wisps of flame flocking to it like a swarm of bees attacking a child who stole a few slabs of honey. His scarlet-colored eyes glittered like a gem, making him look as crazed as he was believed to be. "Any last requests, little one?" he asked with a cackle before putting on the look of mock sympathy that his prisoner was supposed to fall for.

But Sayo kept silent, glaring at him for his atrocity.

"Very well, then. Your wish is my command," the Devil said with one last smile before he floated up into the air and prepared to eliminate the Christian who had the ability to foil all of his plans. However, he was unable to launch his attack at the time he intended to do so, for the wall of rock from behind her shattered, causing an earthquake of average magnitude to take place.

A figure appeared amidst the debris of the upheaval.

"Leave Sayo alone."

---

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, everyone! But not to worry, I've finished writing until the last chapter, although I'm not going to upload them all at the same time for you to be in suspense. *smirks* Anyway, thanks for all your reviews! I just hope that I didn't let you down in this chapter, and that I won't let you down in the chapters to come. Also, I'd like to warn in advance that there'll be a lot of references to the beliefs and traditions of Christians, so if you aren't one, please do keep an open mind. Thank you so much!