*Rubs eyes* Alright, here we go again.

Sleepy?

Eh, I'm always sleepy. Break's going to be over soon, too.

Poor sod.

DarkRai99: It's a rash... it'll go away. You won't think anything else.

IAmSoCleverWithMyNameLol: W-What in the fuck..?

BURN THEM! BURN THEM!

*spits* How many of those do I have to bite off?

Ethereal...

Nightlyy: If it's for the right reasons. I mean, canon Minato indirectly killed Jin and (possibly) even Takaya.

Zia Jordan: Congrats! Here's a cookie...

Here's a biscuit...

Here's a... Uh... An Alice... yeah.

Here's Death's Scythe.

clevernameeh: 'Course they're scared of me... I am the most dangerous thing in the entire world.

What about Izanami? I mean, you don't even have the universe (yet?)

Well-

Or me.

Uh-

Or Father (Nyarlathotep)

Alright! Alright! Point taken. Geez, you guys are buzzkills.

That's my job... I get a nickel every time.


Streets

Makoto extended his free hand and beckoned the boy in front of him to come closer, and above him was his prime persona, Orpheus Kai.

"Cocky eh?" Sakuya suppressed a laugh, remember how he almost killed Makoto last time and was saved merely by SEES' untimely arrival "Better hope you do better this time."

As per usual when fighting against the brunette, a thick darkness began to shroud the entire area to that no one except the person who cast it can barely see anything that's directly in front of them.

It was strange that he still used this technique despite knowing that Makoto would be able to sense where he was, ruining the element of surprise that he would have normally gained from any of his attacks.

Just as the shroud of darkness began to take hold, the sensation that Makoto felt from Sakuya's plume just disappeared. It wasn't that he ran away nor anything of the sorts, he actually just seemed to vanish from thin air.

Oh, I see... Makoto thought as A small smirk began to form and he prepared himself.

Makoto quickly did a full twirl and prepared himself just in time to parry what likely would've been A mortal injury as Sakuya reappeared directly behind him.

The two boys locked blades as they glared into each other's eyes. Neither of them were willing to back down from this; This was the perfect opportunity for them to finally settle what began almost a month ago from today.

After the previous battles, Makoto had finally learned something about his opponent. He didn't just use Umbra to blind his enemies, it's linked to some of his abilities, including teleportation.

Both of them had their own motivations, but it all stemmed from the same thing: revenge.

Makoto had to live in order to exact the revenge he desired on Kirijo and their associates. SEES might not have had anthing to do with what happened ten years ago, but they won't stand by when he tries to kill Mitsuru and that despicable android, Aigis. Recently his resolved has been shaken by that damned redheade girl, making him wonder if this was what he really wanted. In truth, he didn't even fully know, but it was the only thing he could think of to make all the nightmares go away.

Sakuya just had bide his time for the perfect opportunity. He was just another orphan kid before everything, but then Ikutsuki took him and put him through hell for the bastard's own amusement. To make things worse, he took away the only one he had any sort of relation towards even if it was A rather violent one. Ikutsuki was going to pay somehow, no matter what.

Both of them desired revenge, but their paths intertwined and only one could truly emerge from this conflict alive in the end. Makoto couldn't have a target on his back, and Sakuya's life literally depended on Ikutsuki's use for him.

Both boys had only been resorting to single bladed combat; Both still had one usable hand. Before his opponent could, Sakuya reeled back his off-handed fist and struck the bluenette's jaw which caused him to take a step back from the impact.

Before Sakuya could attack further, Orpheus Kai quickly played his lyre which was followed by powerful winds that pushed the boy away and launch him in the air. Before he could hit the ground however, Sakuya's plume once again disappeared.

Makoto continued looking in every direction as he tried to see through the darkness. When he tried sensing the plume, it seemed to bounce from one place to the next due to Sakuya's constant teleportation from one place to another.

Ah, fuck... Makoto thought as he gripped the sword tightly in his hand and tried to find a way out of this predicament. This shroud is clearly a darkness based spell, so maybe a light-based spell would take care of it?

However, Orpheus nor Orpheus Kai had any spells that were light-based. If he wanted to try and dispel this shroud then he'd have to use something else which Sakuya would be able to see.

The moment Makoto felt a foreign presence next to him, he swung his sword as hard and as fast as he possibly could.

Even Sakuya was caught off guard from the speed and barely managed to parry the sudden attack from the bluenette.

"Ooh, been practicing?" Sakuya asked interested in what sort of training Makoto must've gone through.

"One eye, one arm broken, and no healing whenever I get a chance to go to Tartarus..." Makoto explained his training regimen. It was a pain to try and adjust himself to not having to rely on Pharos healing him, but it was an unfortunate necessity.

"Not-" Before he could finish, Sakuya was forced back by a kick from Makoto, unwilling to waste their one valuable hour they had to finish this.

Seeing how Sakuya was temporarily stunned, Makoto rushed forward to deliver one quickly slash across from just below the left collar bone to left lower ribs before jumping back before he could counter-attack.

"Krgh..." Sakuya grunted as he took a small step back at the grinning Makoto who was already fairly confident in how this fight would end.

However, this was only returned by Sakuya giving a smirk of his own as if persona appeared behind him "Atom Smasher."

"Oh shit..." Makoto cursed as he realized what was about to happen.

Scotus swung his scythe only once, but this was followed by dozen of slash wounds forming from every possible angle before he was hit by another slash from Scotus which left him suspended in the air.

"Unhallowed Flames..." Makoto whispered and Orpheus Kai played his lyre and suddenly the entire area began to be engulfed in black flames similar to what Thanatos uses but somewhat more tame in comparison.

The flames were enough to get Sakuya to back off long enough that Makoto was able to land on his feet again and gather his bearings again.

You know, I could do this for you. Minato whispered into their shared head.

Fuck off. Makoto brushed off whatever suggestions his other self may have. Things are only as complicated as they are now because of him, he wasn't about to let him risk complicating things further.

Before Minato could respond, Makoto was surrounded by what seemed to be a dozen white orbs, each of them seemed to roughly resemble a full moon. As quickly as them came, each of them suddenly exploded at the same time.

Makoto screamed in pain until he impacted with the side of a parked car. Grunting, the boy slowly tried to stand up as his body pushed out the shrapnel and repaired the damage from the impact, but only that of the impact.

Over and over... How many times has this happened now? How many times has he been left in pain because of someone else?

All the nightmares he keep going through are all because of what Kirijo had done to him and his family. It's because of them that Pharos in an animalistic state of mind forever change his life. It's because of them that on that, he... did something he'll never forgive himself for.

Makoto's eyes began flickering dimly as his emotions began to become increasingly unstable. He wasn't in any condition to fight mentally, especially against someone as powerful as him.

"He he he..." Makoto couldn't help it, he could only laugh "Ha ha ha! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Uh... You broken or somethin'?" Sakuya question as he dispelled Umbra, thinking he wouldn't need its help anymore given Makoto's current state.

Makoto's laughter was reduced to chuckling as he slowly began to stand up. The boy raised his head slightly, his eyes were focusing on the boy in front of him but his head was still tilted downward so that most of his fast was hidden.

"One fraction..." Makoto whispered just loud enough to be heard "You fucked with me on a very bad day for me, and managed to piss me off to the extent that I'll show you just one fraction of what I really am..."

"Ooh, edgy..." Sakuya scoffed as he decided to humor the boy a bit and pretend to get ready for a serious fight by making another sword materialize in his hand "Alright, go ahead."

Makoto took a deep breath and slowly exhaled almost seeming as if Minato were about to take over "Ascend fallen angel..."

Out of nowhere, Sakuya suddenly shivered for a second as he felt as if he just teleported through time and it was early winter or something.

Pharos, who'd done nothing but watch the whole time began to whisper as well "Arise, and claim what has been stolen from you..."

Makoto slowly closed his eyes as he felt a large stream of power begging to seemingly flow endlessly into "Arise... clawing at your wings."

A small smiled formed on Pharos' face as he looked at the brunette who was casually waiting for the little show in front of him to be over "Ascend, Prince and angel."

Makoto's eyes shot wide open as they glowed a bright yellow. The boy's skin had become slightly grey-ish, one could see that several veins throughout his body had become black, and there were a few jet black streaks that had formed from the edges of his hair.

Chuckling softly, Makoto slowly titled his head to the side with a smirk on his face as a silhouette of Thanatos began to form behind him.

Sakuya, who moments ago was able to critically injure Makoto in just a few moments, was now taking a step back with wide eyes at the sudden change. There was definitely no way he could be confused as to what the silhouette was, but what the hell just happened to him?

"He he he..." Makoto chuckled softly as he took a step forward, completely ignoring whatever damage had been done to him a few seconds ago.

"You think you've been through hell?" Makoto asked as he took a another step forward "'Look at me! I was a child test subject and lost my surrogate brother of routinely tried to kill me!' Boo-fucking-hoo..."

Makoto took another step forward, his unnatural eyes staring deep into the brunette's soul "You could have a god that makes you go insane, or be forced to live countless cycles of of being torture by a god, but even then you couldn't even comprehend the hell I've gone through from my self-loathing alone..."

Makoto took one final step before stopping completely and Thanatos fully materialized behind him "Forget hell, I go to somewhere far, far worse every night I go to sleep." The boy's sneer returned as he looked at the still stunned brunette "So... Are you ready to die?"

As quickly as it came, Sakuya's shocked face was replaced by his usual smirk "Done showing off? Alright.." Scotus appeared behind him, he was going to need him if he was going to fight something like Thanatos "Bring it one, sonuva of a whore!"

"Gladly, slave of slaves." Makoto answered as he and Thanatos dashed forwards together.

Somewhat surprised that he'd do such a naive maneuver, Sakuya simply decided to thrust both of his blades forward both of which pierced Makoto's flesh and came out the other end.

"He he..." Despite the attack, Makoto was still laughing "That's it?" he asked as he grabbed the blades and pulled them further into him until he was stopped by the hilts.

"What the..?" Sakuya let his swords go and instead had a knife materialize in his hand and stabbed it into Makoto's shoulder, yet he still didn't seemed even slightly fazed.

Makoto continued to smile as he grabbed the hand that still held the dagger, before using it to repeatedly stab himself in the throat again and again before stabbing himself one more time and completely cutting through one and of his throat to the other as blood splattered all over both of them.

Not even bothering to attack him, Makoto simply let the boy's hand go and continued to smile as he took another step back in shock.

"What's wrong?" Makoto asked as he began to slowly walked forward to the shocked boy who had never in his life seen somewhat survive something like that "You were talking all that good shit just a minute ago!"

"S-Scouts!" For the first time in his life, Sakuya stuttered in fear of just what this boy was. No human could've done what he just did, so what the hell was he?!

Scotus swung his scythe, but it was stopped by Thanatos' bare hand gripping the blade as if it were nothing but a mere plastic toy.

Faster than even the blink of an eye, Thanatos slashed his blade upwards and completely cut the scythe in half rendering the god of darkness defenceless.

Sakuya had to choice but to order Scotus' retreat and continue to step back, completely unable to do anything to Makoto.

"How's it feel?" Makoto asked, his voice now beginning to sound a bit raspier than it was just a few moments ago "This feeling of helplessness; the feeling of worthlessness... It's but a mere fraction of what I've already felt."

"Like I said: You could be abused by every family member you've ever had or be forced to smash your own puppies brains, you could some psycho prick who had a god in him that gave him an uncontrollable bloodlust, you could be tortured by the embodiment of Chaos itself, you could be forced to live eons worth of cycles of being nothing but a giant door continuously being beaten by some god-tier shadow, and you still wouldn't be able to even imagine the hell I go through every night I go to sleep, never mind the past ten years."

Sakuya couldn't help but gulp and desperately searched any sort of courage he had left "Y-You've fucking lost it..." he barely managed to utter with a trembling lip. No wonder Makoto had never used this before, his sanity seemed to progressively go down the drain the longer he used it.

"Lost it?! Bwahahaha!" Makoto erupted into a fit of laughter at the mere suggestion "I lost it the day I lost my family and my other half years ago..."

Black flames began to spread across Thanatos' blade and the god of death began to reel his sword back.

Sakuya quickly jumped out of the way just in time to avoid being completely incinerated as the entire street was reduced to nothing more than rubble that glowed from the extreme heat, but Makoto had enough sense to restrict it to nothing more than the street to avoid any collateral.

Sakuya was easily able re recognize what that was. The attack wasn't meant to kill him, it was meant to demonstrate the power difference between the two when he's at a mere fraction of his true strength. What the hell was he?!

However, Sakuya was still able to cut through his flesh meaning that while his body recovered at a rate that practically rendered him immortal, there was a way he could walk out of this alive.

"Five..." Makoto said, seemingly out of nowhere.

"What?"

Makoto crossed his arms and continued to smile "I'll give you five attacks free. I'd advise you hit me as hard as you possibly can. Not some number or arbitrary percentage. Hit me as hard as-"

Makoto was cutoff when Sakuya rushed forward and slashed both of his legs in one swing to by him some time, all the while hoping to god that didn't count as two separate attacks.

Following this, Sakuya slashed the boy's throat and jumped in the air to kick him in the face as hard as he could which caused the boy to fall to the ground.

Lastly, Sakuya took off running as Scotus reappeared briefly to attack with an Omega Cluster. There wasn't any way that he was going to be able to kill him like that all alone, he hit and running was the best he could do if he wanted to live.

The black and red explosion easily shattered seemingly every bone Makoto had as he was left a mess on the floor in a pool of his own blood... No, that wasn't quite right either. The liquid was similar to blood, yet it was darker and seemed a bit thicker than that of a normal person's.

"Heh, well played..." Makoto thought as his body was slowly put back together and he could stand on his own. It was easy for one to think that Sakuya was going to tell everything to Ikutsuki, but Makoto knew better.

Sakuya was nothing more than a puppet, and puppets desire nothing more than freedom. Makoto had made it quite clear that he fully intends to kill Ikutsuki eventually, so the brunette wasn't going to say anything... Not while there's still a chance that he could gain freedom by Makoto killing the puppet that calls itself puppet master. All Sakuya was going to do was treat this as another one of his failures even if he's sentenced to agonizing torture because of it.

"Oh Ikutsuki, this just isn't you year is it?" Makoto thought out loud as he began to make his way home, his features slowly returning to their proper form.

When the Dark Hour ended, it was soon followed by a small rainstorm which was actually somewhat welcomed as his soaked clothes and body lost much of the ichor that had been collected all over him.

Makoto continued to smile despite the fact that any normal person would be shivering themselves to death right about now. I was going to kill you anyway, but I do hope you enjoy the pain I'll give you for this... He continued to think to himself.

The entire area suddenly brightened as lightning struck in the sky. For just a moment, one could almost see that there was another figure that could be seen towering above Makoto. The figure was larger, even larger than Thanatos and was something that made even the Bringer of Death look tame by comparison.

Rest assured Ikutsuki... Makoto thought as his eyes flashed a bright yellow one more time before reverting back to their usual color ... Hell awaits. For you, Kirijo, and anyone who dares interfere. You will be left begging for the most painful of deaths, just so that your torment may end. He he he... Ha ha ha! HA HA HA HA HA!


Christ, it was hell getting this chapter out. Seriously, this chapter went through writing hell. *rubs eyes* And now my eyes are tired from looking at the screen too long.

Hmm... That's weird, I can't find me.

Um... You're not in the chapter.

WHAT?! *glares at Grim* How dare you!

Oh, for fucks sake...

Anyway, I had to get a chapter out today of all days. Why for people in the future? Because: Happy new year y'all! Wish you the best of fortunes in 2018 and I hope everyone has a wonderful new year. Take care everybody! Have a good day/night!