Man, I'm on a roll! I hope you enjoy Chapter 18 as well!
Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.
Chapter 18- A Horrific Revelation
Ravana steps forward, holding a mace in one hand and a sickle in the other hand, sneering at us. "So, you're Mizushima Ayaka, the one who has been fighting and defeating my Asuras repeatedly, long before you moved here." He chuckles scornfully. "You have some nerve, I'll give you that."
"What are you doing here?" I ask, trying to sound calm, although my heart is pounding pretty hard right now.
He sneers. "What does it look like? I'm here to destroy you, once and for all!" he growls. Suddenly, to my surprise, Takachin jumps in front of me.
"Sorry man, but if you want to fight Ayaka, you'll have to get through me first," he says, giving him a serious look.
Ravana sneers disdainfully at him. "You? Protect her? Ha!" He lets out a short bark of laughter. "Don't make me laugh. You look like you can barely protect yourself!" A small smirk of realization crosses his face. "You must be her lover, right? If so, then that explains why you're trying to protect her so much."
Takachin glares coldly at him. "Hasn't anyone ever taught you not to judge a book by its cover?" he asks, an icy tone in his voice. "Yes, I'm her lover. Yes, I may look weak. But I'm stronger than I look. But enough of that! Come and fight me!"
"Now we're talking!" Ravana snarls, lunging at him.
I watch in shock as Takachin and Ravana fight to the death, neither of them showing any signs of giving up. Takachin seems to be fighting with more malice and ferocity than ever. However, I notice one thing about Ravana that seems rather… off. Usually, when fighting against an enemy, we can see the looks of malice, hatred, and determination in their eyes. However, for some strange reason, Ravana's eyes are completely void of any emotions and they seem almost… glassy. Right then, I remember something from all my previous fights with the Asuras. All of them only showed malice and scorn when speaking, but during the fights, their eyes were empty and emotionless.
"Don't tell me…" I whisper. Are they being controlled and manipulated by some greater force? Are the Asuras merely puppets as a part of a bigger plan?
"Ayaka!" I turn and see Hilda-san, Oga, Berubo, Lamia, Behemoth, Hecadoth, and Agiel running over.
"Whoa…" Lamia stops and stares in shock at the banyan tree.
"What's happening?" Oga asks as Takachin and Ravana continue to fight.
"Something doesn't seem right," I say. "I just noticed something right now. In every fight against the Asuras, all of their eyes are empty and void of emotions. Only when they talk do they express emotions."
"That's what we all noticed as well," Hilda-san agrees. "Not just the Great Thirteen, but all of the Asuras are fighting with emotionless eyes. What's even more intriguing is the fact that the Asuras are actually hermit-like and isolated."
"They only become this vicious when their territory is in danger," Agiel points out. "It's quite clear that they're being possessed."
"We just found that out," Hecadoth says. "After Jabberwock had defeated Sunda, the Asura actually showed confusion and shock when he realized that he was in the Human World. Not just him, but some of the other Asuras."
My eyes widen. I knew it! They were brainwashed and possessed! Suddenly, the sound of Takachin shouting in pain interrupts our thoughts and we turn just in time to see him being thrown back onto the ground. Right then, I start sprinting towards Ravana.
"Sudarshana Chakra… Talaiyitu Tantiroopayam!" I shout, striking the Asura Leader in the core, paralyzing him.
Takachin slowly gets up, his uniform ripped and dirty, scratches and dirt streaks on his face. He spits out some blood onto the ground and wipes his mouth on his sleeve. I run up to him. "Takachin! Are you okay?" I ask, concerned.
He nods. "I'm fine, it's nothing too bad," he says.
"Listen, Takachin. The Asuras are actually being possessed. They never initiated this plan, they're merely puppets!" I tell him. "Someone or something is controlling them!"
His eyes widen in shock. "But… But how?" he asks. Behemoth walks up to Ravana and presses his finger against his forehead. Suddenly, to our shock, a purple stream of energy shoots out of his mouth. When it all leaves his mouth, he opens his eyes, looking around in confusion.
"What the… Where am I?" Ravana asks, bewildered. He looks at Takachin. "Who are you?"
"It's a long story, but you were being possessed and controlled into doing this," Behemoth says.
Ravana's eyes widen in shock. "That's right!" he gasps. "Now… Now I remember! The one who possessed us was-"
"Ayaka, behind you!" Lamia suddenly cries out.
I turn around too late, and before I realize, a large vine curls around my waist, grabbing me and lifting me up off the ground. I scream in shock and alarm.
"Ayaka!" Takachin cries out.
"What the hell's going on?!" I shout, looking around me.
Suddenly, a woman's voice starts chuckling sinisterly, and I look around frantically. Everyone else looks shocked and tenses up. "I finally got you," the voice suddenly rings out. Right then, to my shock, a woman suddenly materializes in front of me. Her skin is sickly pale and her long, teal coloured hair flows down to her ankles. Her eyes are glowing yellow, and she wears a long strapless teal gown. The woman is beautiful, but in a sinister, frightening way. She gives an ominous, sinister smile.
"Mizushima Ayaka, the key to finally completing my plan," she declares.
I gasp in shock. This is… This is the same woman who has been appearing in my visions!
"No, it can't be!" I hear Lamia cry out in shock.
"Yes, that's her. That's the one who has possessed us," Ravana growls. "Taraka, the spirit of the very first leader of the Asuras."