In a dark and foul-smelling alley which only grew dimmer, a hooded figure put down a cell phone and took a deep breath, laying back and relaxing between two trash bins. He had done no great effort; it was but a phone call. Yet the mere act of blackmailing had winded him. Why was that body so frail? It was a painful question which he found himself forced to revisit again and again. How ironic that a being with such great aspirations as his was so limited by mere mortal flesh. Maybe it was a punishment for all of his past actions, which by the majority's morals would have been considered transgressions of the highest degree. He chuckled. That morality was but for the weak, who when they were faced with the greatest power of all – that to govern over life and death – were quick to condemn it on the basis of so-called empathy and free will. Power was always for the few, which was why the majority always claimed to loathe it, but secretly craved it, for when one of them were to end up with the same power, how quick they were to change sides. Truly, mortals were a disgusting hypocritical bunch, and he could not wait to see the day when their species would have finally fallen under his claws. But having in mind the current events, a new fear was overcoming him. What if his pitifully weak body would eventually succumb to all of his power and be gone? Then he would fall back into the Abyss, without fully enacting his vengeance. He clenched his fist. That could not happen! He would not return there, not until he paid back the one who last threw him there.
"Master, who are we going to target next?" Bochiborof asked as he looked at the bag with the two maimed corpses.
Demon Subaru remained silent. He had intended to keep the upcoming victim for last, but with time not being on his side, he decided that he was going to act then and there. Pulling the cards of Bluenika and Greene out of his pocket, he stared at them and once more attempted reaching out to All Over The World. Like before, no answer came, he felt absolutely nothing. That creature's unresponsiveness was slowly beginning to irritate him. Left with no option, he clutched on the cards and once more his fingers glowed purple as he drew power from them. Again the miracle happened, the entire weakness went away as he felt at ease inside his body. Mustering his renewed vigor, he got back on his feet and turned to the purple wolf.
"Take a new bag and follow me," he instructed and took steps to leave the alley.
"What about the other one?" Bochiborof wondered.
"Hide it between the trash bins."
And with that said, he was off.
Steam came from the bathtub filled with hot water and blurred the bathroom mirror. The mysterious melodies of a symphonic black metal song echoed from a laptop in the bedroom into the living room with bookshelves. The entire apartment was filled with the same bohemian atmosphere it had had over the past fifty years. If anything, it was less of a home and more of an escape from the outside world which was always busy and chaotic. Yes, behind those walls there was nothing but the little world of its owners, a safe haven in which they would pour their very being and truly feel like themselves. And in there, time passed so slowly, it felt almost like an eternity of self-indulging. Yet somehow, the fear that death would one day come and put an end to the beautiful dream they were living still loomed over one of them…
Subaru stood in the kitchen, laid back against a counter, dressed in a black bathrobe with matching plush slippers, and sipping a cup of hot chocolate while talking on the phone.
"So you're busy and can't come home tonight? Don't worry, it's no biggie, I can entertain myself until bedtime," he assured the one on the other line. "Heh, I'll wait for you to finish your race."
As he hung up, the lights in the apartment began to flicker. Subaru gave a tired sigh, the fuses were acting up again. Breaking out of the comfortable trance that laziness was pulling him into, he walked to the front door to check on the fuse box above, dragging a chair along. The sooner he fixed the issue, the better, then he would be pleasured by a long and warm bath, followed by a good night's sleep. Climbing on the chair, he reached for the box hung on the wall, only to be startled by the noise of a vase breaking. He looked around and saw nothing. Maybe it fell somewhere where he forgot a window open and the wind blew it off. After giving a shrug, he opened the fuse box and began checking on them, when all of a sudden there were loud knocks at the kitchen's window. Just great… He tried ignoring it and checked the fuses, but the knocks got increasingly louder, breaking any semblance of concentration that he had. Whatever bird was doing it would be in a lot of trouble. Subaru got off of the chair and went back in the kitchen to shoo the critter. Upon setting foot in, he froze and stared utterly dumbfounded.
There he was, knocking on the window, the monster who had terrorized him and his loved ones fifty years ago. That face which haunted him in the rarest of nightmares, that cold glare from those shining red pupils which he buried long ago with those awful memories, his demonic reflection had returned. But this time around he, Subaru, was old, while the other was still young. Subaru his eyes and gave himself a light slap on the cheek. No, he wasn't dreaming.
"Missed me?" Demon Subaru asked with a gleeful grin which exposed his razor sharp fangs that were yellowed by flesh and blood consumption.
"H-how?" Subaru could barely mutter back.
"I think you should rather wonder if I was ever gone. But the answer is yes, I am back."
"Help! Help!" Subaru shouted in the hope that his neighbors would hear.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Demon Subaru put a hand over his mouth and feigned concern. "Nobody's alive right now to take your call."
Subaru rushed to the counter and picked up his cell phone, only to find the battery dead.
"What the… It was 65% last I checked!"
"Was," the one at the window added and giggled maliciously.
"Alright, what do you want from me?" Subaru demanded and turned to face his unwelcome visitor.
"Hmm, let's see…" Demon Subaru checked his claws and spoke in a rather bored manner. "You helped foil my ultimate plan, defeated me and took back your body, banished me to the Abyss. Gee, I wonder what could it be that I want?"
"Bloody vengeance, is that what you want?" Subaru asked, unaware that his entire body was beginning to shake.
"Maybe." Demon Subaru blew on his claws.
"Isn't what you did back then enough?! Why are you even doing this? Are you really that rotten on the inside, Shishima?"
"I don't know, Subaru. You've shared your body with me since you were born, you should know better by now."
"I didn't fucking ask to share anything with you! You're the one who decided to infest me like a cancer and do all those horrible things!"
"A cancer? This is how you think of me?" Demon Subaru put a hand over his heart, acting offended. "After helping you get your payback on all those who hurt you, what an awful thing to say!" Then his tone got colder and the playful mask fell off. "For the record, I hate you just as much."
And then the lights stopped altogether, turning the apartment into a dim cave that was only illuminated by the few streetlights from outside, and darkening the visitor's face, letting his crimson pupils glow in the night.
"I wasn't the one who couldn't control his emotions back then. If you were more stable on the inside, I would have remained dormant. But instead you let your anger and sorrow consume you, faking stability on the outside and letting me influence you on the inside. Tell me, Subaru, if you were truly such a good person, would you really have listened to me whenever I whispered into your mind those thoughts of murder?"
"No!" Subaru shouted and shook his head. "You're just screwing with me, back then I was getting over the worst breakup of my life and-"
"Was your breakup with Tsugumi an excuse for you to want to see her suffer and die, alongside all those who plotted it? You asked me if I'm that rotten, but really you should be asking yourself if you're that petty, Subaru Geki!"
Shaking his head, almost as if he were in denial, Subaru hastily went to the apartment door and unlocked it, running off into the flat's corridors as the sounds of the kitchen window breaking echoed from behind.
Much to his surprise, the entire building was as dark as his apartment. However, there were many reflector lights moving around as if searching for something. A few were frozen in one place, blocking the path to the elevator. For a moment he wondered what would have happened if he dared touch one, but then a familiar hiss echoed from behind, causing him to hide behind a corner.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Demon Subaru called out as he walked by.
Subaru peeked and saw the hooded figure walk by the reflector lights effortlessly. He paused by the stairs, puts his hands on his hips and shook his head, disappointed.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, so you want to make things hard for yourself. Very well, let's play then."
And then he climbed the stairs to inspect the upper floors. Subaru gave a sigh of relief and walked out of his hideout. From the looks of it, touching the lights was definitely not good news for him. Whether they were fatal or it was merely a way to alert the Demon of his presence, he did not know, nor did he want to stay around and find out. Breaking through the window and jumping out seemed as an option, but that would have definitely caught the monster's attention. More so, they were at the second floor, and with how fragile his old body had become, the chances of actually getting away seemed even slimmer. His only other option were the stairs.
Bracing himself, Subaru went ahead. First he waited for a light to go up so he could pass, then he quickly ducked and went forward as a second one descended. A third one flickered on and off. Not trusting his speed at that age, he crawled on the floor, going beneath it. To his chagrin, a fourth one lighted the floor and came at a fast speed, forcing him to jump back on his feet and dodge it with painfully acrobatic precision. Thankfully, that was all he needed to reach the stairs, and he rushed down them, avoiding another light that came from the elevator's direction. Another unpleasant surprise greeted him – there was a hole in the middle of the stairs, around ten steps were missing. This game was becoming all the more vexing for him. Taking his chances, he jumped and was lucky to make an exact landing, although for a short moment he was close to losing his balance and falling off the stairs. A light was coming upwards in his direction, making him duck out of its way. More lights were searching the stairs as well, thus as he climbed down he kept making last second leaps to avoid them.
Once he landed on the first floor, he had the displeasure of seeing the flat's exit blocked by the same lights, meaning that there was no way out. If he tried to get past them, who knew what would have happened? If he waited for someone to come and help him, he would become a sitting duck for the Demon to hunt down. Was this really how he would have ended his long life? Bested by his inner monster? It seemed that the fear of death which had been haunting him over the past few years was right all along. No, he couldn't give up yet, there had to be something he could do! And then it hit him – the main fuse box in the basement, he could control the entire building's electricity from there, maybe that was the key to his escape. Jumping to the right, he avoided another light and ran into the elevator, quickly pressing a button which closed its doors and took him down. Its sounds ticked off at the upper levels as well, causing Demon Subaru to turn to it and see it reach the basement. Grinning, he sent all of his search lights there and calmly walked down the stairs to the first floor, waiting for his prey.
Unbeknownst to him, Subaru was hoping for that. Once the elevator arrived in the basement, Subaru rushed all the way to the other side, stopping with his body pressed against the cold wall. Moving his hands on it, he soon felt the fuse box. Subaru hid beneath it and waited for the lights to arrive. It did not take them long. Two blocked the stairs, two more blocked the elevator's entrance and around a dozen surveilled the area. Taking advantage of their illumination, Subaru got up from his hideout, quickly opened the box and checked the fuses. Apparently they were all shut, but the very last one on the right was weird, for its switch was stuck in the middle. Was his pursuer using it to fuel those lights? With a gulp, he switched the last one off, shutting off the electricity of the entire flat. As soon as he did that, all of the reflector lights vanished. So his theory was correct. With the coast finally clear, he ran up the stairs and reached the first floor. There it was, the building's exit waiting for him with no other obstructions. Knowing that there was not much time left until he would be found, he rushed straight to it. As soon as he would be out, he would scream for help as loudly as possible, hoping that maybe then Demon Subaru would have given up on him.
Another surprise awaited him once he went through the doors. Instead of ending up on the streets, he found himself on the roof. Just how in the world did that happen? Was he losing his mind? No, he was sure that he had been on the first floor. The night sky had turned red, giving the city beneath an ominous aura. And for some strange reason he could not help but feel as if he was experiencing a Deja-vu.
"I must commend you," the hissed voice spoke from behind, startling him and prompting Subaru to turn back and find his counterpart leaned against the now closed doors with his arms crossed. "You haven't lost your touch after all these years. I'm very pleased."
"How did you come back? I know very well that I've beaten you on the inside," Subaru recalled, the memories of that inner struggle beginning to resurface after a long time.
"Was I ever beaten?"
"Enough with the mind tricks!" Subaru snapped, his patience having reached a limit. "I know very well what I've lived through back then. I saw past your lies, I dueled you, I defeated you and I've made sure that you would never control me ever again!"
"Keh, while all of that may have been true, you of all should've known that I would one day return," Demon Subaru replied, sounding vaguely disappointed. "Not even the prisons of Hell nor the endless darkness of the Abyss can hold me off for long!"
"I may not know how you've managed to crawl your way back here, but I won't let you harm me or my loved ones ever again!" Subaru declared and took out his deck from the bathrobe's pocket.
Demon Subaru licked his lips. "I've waited half a century for this." He then produced his own deck.
Both their hands glowed purple and two dueling tables arose between them.
"Shishima, I'll make sure that you return to your slumber and never curse this world with your presence again!"
"Bold words for a geezer."
Both set their cards in a strangely similar fashion, almost as if they were looking in the mirror. That was because Demon Subaru was sure to imitate every body movement that Subaru made. Once they were done, they stared each other in the eye. Subaru's brown eyes masked his fear with righteous anger and a determination to protect those close to him. Demon Subaru's red ones glowed with anticipation of a vengeance long postponed, though whether it was sadistic delight or murderous wrath, Subaru couldn't tell. With a wave from their right arms, five teal-colored rectangular shields arose above each of them.
"I summon BloodRayne, Start Dash." The cowboy humanoid with a skeletal reptile on his shoulder appeared by Demon Subaru's side.
"I summon Jasmine, Mist Faerie and destroy her." A green-haired faerie in a brown dress appeared and immediately exploded, putting the top card of Subaru's deck to his mana zone.
"BloodRayne reduces his cost, so I summon Magnum, Allshot Doll." A blue cowboy doll appeared next to the humanoid.
"I cast Dark Life." Subaru checked the top two cards of his deck, placing Hellborof, Supreme Dragon Edge to his mana zone and Honenbe, Skeletal Guardian to his graveyard. "Then I cast Shrine of Rebirth." Both Dark Life and Jasmine went into his mana zone from the graveyard.
"I summon Ninjariban, Dragon Edge and bring out Greene, Dragon Soul Ruins." The blue ninja plushie toy appeared alongside the green ruins, surprising the old man.
"It can't be… Sora's dragheart?" Subaru wondered, worries for his friend beginning to grow inside.
"Keh, unfortunately that vegan tripped and fell in a butcher's shop," Demon Subaru answered, giving an innocent shrug. "Now what's left of her is minced meat."
That snide attitude meant one thing and Subaru knew it - he was not lying; his mockery was only intended to rub salt on the wound. Sora was dead, there was no doubt when it came to that monster. But dwelling on it and getting even more upset would have only fed her murderer with negative emotions. If he wanted to fight back, Subaru knew that he had to control himself and keep on going. He would first deal with the problem once and for all, then he would allow himself to mourn. Drawing his next card, he began his turn.
"I summon Honenbe, Skeletal Guardian." A purple skull with four bat wings appeared, causing the top three cards of his deck to fall into his graveyard, those being Rebirth Eye, Shrine of Reaper, Haridelberg, Hell of D and Ballom Quake, God of Demons, after which he returned a second Honenbe to his hand. "Then I summon another Honenbe." Three more cards fell into his graveyard – Death Hands, Misfortune Emperor, Dark Life and Hellborof, the latter of which went back to his hand.
"Keh, let's get this party started." Demon Subaru licked his fangs in anticipation. "I summon Hellborof, Supreme Dragon Edge and bring out Welcome Hell, Supreme Devil King Palace." The purple wolf plushie with wings and horns appeared, wielding a scythe which created a hole in the sky and made the winged demonic palace descend from it, floating above them all. "Welcome Hell revives Vader, Dark Armor. Since I put a creature in the battle zone for free, Magnum destroys Ninjariban." The blue cowboy doll aimed a gun at the ninja plushie and blew him to smithereens. "I end my turn and use Vader's effect." Time Tripper, Shadow of Stagnation landed in his graveyard, allowing him to draw a card.
"I summon Bell Hell De Skull, Moon Reaper and return Ballom Quake from the graveyard back to my hand." A demonic anthropomorphic tiger in golden armor appeared by the old man's side.
"I summon Bochiborof, Aloof Fighter," Demon Subaru said and the purple wolf plushie with long hair appeared, thrusting his fists in the air.
"Bochiborof…?" Subaru asked, rather surprised by the new incarnation of Uroborof.
"He's got slayer, and with his other effect I put the top three cards of my deck into the graveyard and return a creature to my hand."
"So a slayer Honenbe?"
"If you're as easy to dismiss cards with potential as an ignorant beginner, I suppose," Demon Subaru snidely replied, then he let Hayabusamaru, Lightfang Ninja, Deadzone, S-Rank Zombie and Death Hands land in his graveyard, returning the first of them to his hand. "Then I summon Hell Mission, Dark Armor. Hellborof, attack, and Welcome Hell evolves Bochiborof into Duenyan Emperor!" The long-haired wolf plushie then evolved into a fat black cat plushie dressed in emperor attire and wielding a fish skeleton staff. "Magnum's effect destroys Vader. Then S-Rank Invasion "Zombie", I evolve Hellborof into Deadzone, S-Rank Zombie and give -9000 power to one of your Honenbes!" The winged and horned purple wolf then transformed into a dark purple motorcycle robot which immediately grabbed one of the small skull Guardians and crashed it on the ground. "Magnum shall destroy Hell Mission and with Hell Mission's effect I'll destroy your other Honenbe." The cowboy doll shot the dark purple knight and its sword flew off and impaled the other skull Guardian. "Go, Deadzone, triple break his shields!"
The robot rushed into three of Subaru's shields and used its wheel claw to break them, but then a purple light came out of one of them and a horned knight with a red cape appeared and slashed the black cat plush with a scythe.
"Shield trigger activate, I summon Death Hands, Misfortune Emperor and destroy Duenyan Emperor!" Subaru retaliated.
"With Duenyan Emperor's effect, I revive Bochiborof," Demon Subaru calmly responded and he watched how Jenny, the Dismantling Doll, Time Tripper and Vader went into his graveyard, the latter of which he returned to his hand. "Then Magnum destroys Bochiborof." Once more the cowboy doll gunned down one of its allied creatures. "Magnum, break his shield! BloodRayne, break his final shield!" Finally, the two cowboy themed creatures rushed at the opponent's remaining shields and brought them down.
Demon Subaru rubbed his hands and crossed his arms, looking satisfied at his cornered opponent. But then Subaru looked back at him, the same determination in those brown eyes that he had all those years ago, and he knew that a comeback was imminent. Good, that would have made things more interesting.
"Mana evolution, I evolve Hellborof into Ballom Quake, God of Demons!" Subaru shouted and the green goat demon with red wings appeared on a giant yellow leaf filled with red rose petals. "With Ballom Quake's effect, I destroy all non-Demon Commands!" The demon roared and fired purple beams from the holes in his hands, sparing no creature but Bell Hell De Skull. "I end my turn."
"You definitely still have it in you. I like it, I like it a lot!" Demon Subaru exclaimed, his grin growing ever larger while Subaru remained cold and stoic. "I expand Haridelberg, Hell of D." The entire battlefield then shifted into a mountain filled with spikes.
"The time has come to turn the tides against you!" Subaru claimed as his hand erupted with a purple aura upon drawing his next card. "Yes, I evolve Bell Hell De Skull into Tyrant Black Monarch!" The demonic tiger got enveloped by the same purple aura and grew in size, becoming the tall dark purple demon with shining red eyes on his chest. Their opponent gleefully sneered at the sight of both Demon Commands, having a Deja-vu of facing them fifty years ago in his true form as Shishima. "Black Monarch, attack, and I revive both my Honenbes." The two skull Guardians reappeared, causing the top six cards of their owner's deck to fall into the graveyard, him returning Ninjariban and Black Psycho, Revenge. "Go, Black Monarch, triple break his shields!"
Demon Subaru stretched his arms and welcomed the attack, watching the shattered shield shards fly past him. Then he reached out and picked one of the cards, revealing it to his opponent.
"Shield trigger, I summon Death Hands." The creature tried appearing by his side as well, but it was quickly grabbed by Ballom Quake's vines and sent into the mana zone without doing its effect.
"Ballom Quake, break his final shields!" Subaru ordered and the plant demon fired beams from his hands on the remaining two shields, shattering them and leaving both players defenseless.
Silence befell on the scene as both of them stared down each other once more. Although he was in advantage once more, Subaru was breathing heavily, obviously everything taking a toll on his body. But the hope of prevailing was what kept him going. On the other hand, Demon Subaru kept smiling, regardless of the dire situation he was in, almost as if he always was in control. But after sharing his body with him back then, Subaru knew that it was not always the case. Shishima had fears, Shishima could be defeated, and in the very last moment when said defeat was certain, the Demon's smile would fade and the illusion of him being in control would be shattered.
"I summon BloodRayne, Start Dash and School Man," Demon Subaru said and the cowboy humanoid reappeared alongside a mud creature possessing a school building, the latter of which imploding and taking the former with it. "School Man's effect, I destroy them both, and Haridelberg shall give -4000 power to both your Honenbes!" Two pairs of spikes rose from the ground and impaled the purple skulls with bat wings. "Then with School Man's effect, choose and destroy one of your creatures!"
"I destroy Black Monarch," Subaru declared and the explosion caught the tall purple demon as well.
"I summon Savage, Forbidden U." A faceless gray-armored humanoid with a red cape appeared, its owner putting Uroborof, Dragon Edge from the top of his deck to the graveyard and then returning School Man to his hand. "Then I summon School Man again and destroy them both. Be gone, Ballom Quake!" Demon Subaru exclaimed and gleefully watched how the muddy creature reappeared and blew up again, this time taking with it all the creatures in the battle zone. "I end my turn and activate Haridelberg's Denjara Switch…" he said while flipping the D2 Field card upside down, "…all of my creatures shall be revived!" One by one, Savage, School Man and BloodRayne reappeared once again. "With Savage's effect, I mill Ninjariban and take Hellborof back to my hand. Then with School Man's effect, I destroy both BloodRayne and Savage. Keh, now we're back to square one. Your move, old geezer."
"I summon Ninjariban, Dragon Edge and bring out Blacko, Dragon Soul Palace," Subaru said and the blue ninja plushie appeared alongside a purple palace with a horned skull atop its entrance. "Is this what you want from me? Then I'll give it to you – Blacko's effect, discard a card!" His opponent scoffed and tossed Vader in the graveyard. "Then I evolve Ninjariban into Black Psycho, Revenge!" The plushie then transformed into a dark purple jester demon wielding a sword and shield.
"What the…" Demon Subaru murmured and then his eyes widened as he randomly discarded Hellborof and Hayabusamaru, Lightfang Ninja, his last means of defense.
"Black Psycho, todomeda!"
Heeding the order, the Demon Command rushed at Subaru's opponent and with a swing of his sword, not only the fiend but also his cards and dueling table vanished in a red smoke. At last, it was all over, he had triumphed once again. Subaru fell to his knees and tried to regain his composure. He would get back inside, inform his friends of what had happened, and then he would finally get that relaxing hot bath he had been craving for.
"I hope you're happy now, Subaru, for you've finally achieved your goal," a hauntingly familiar young woman's voice spoke from behind.
"Who said that?" He turned around and had the shock of seeing a girl in her twenties with long blonde hair, wearing an elegant red ball dress that had large holes ripped in several places and was stained with blood. "Tsugumi?" He got up, staring at her in awe. "What happened to you?"
"The chosen duelists are dead…" she coldly stated.
"What?! But I've defeated the Demon, everything is supposed to be okay now!"
"Demon…? What demon?" the young Tsugumi asked as she gave a little laugh that had a hint of sadness. "No, Subaru, there's no demon, you're crazy."
"What do you mean there's no demon?!" Subaru raised his voice. "That's impossible, I know what I saw, I know what I've been through, I'm not crazy!" He shook his head in disbelief, just what was going on?
"I know that you disliked me after our relationship broke. I admit it, I was too proud to own up to my faults and I hurt you even more when I betrayed you," she confessed with a saddening honesty he had never seen before, yet had always expected of her back in their youth. "But despite all that, I thought that we… were still friends," her voice broke a bit, then she gave him a short sob. "Somehow I thought we could still get along." And then her sad expression turned into one of pure anger. "But you trapped me in that basement, you raped me while tearing out my internal organs, no mercy or regret in your eyes… only joy. As you ripped my entrails out, as you tore my womb, as you chewed right through my neck."
"What?!" Subaru yelled. "Tsugumi, you're wrong, I would never do such a thing!" he explained as he began to sweat profusely. "Back then he controlled me, but somehow I managed to regain control and defeat him. And, and, and now I just defeated him again… yes, I defeated him again, to make sure he'd never hurt-"
"Oh yes you did," she interrupted him with a sarcastic tone. "You so controlled yourself when you killed me, Edo, Sora and Rita. Oh, and Rad. Out of us all, he tried his best to get to you, and what did you do to him?"
Subaru gulped as he waited for her answer, which came soon in an even louder scream.
"You tore him to pieces, you shoved your claws into his body and pulled out every organ your greedy hands could catch, fucking grinning while he was screaming in agony and choking on his own blood!"
"I would never do anything like that!" Subaru yelled back, his legs shaking.
"You did that to one of my friends…" Tsugumi paused for a moment, "…and worse, to your own lover!"
"I couldn't have… Shishima must've made me do it…" Subaru nodded, his voice beginning to crack. "Y-yes… that fucking bastard… he made me do it!"
"There is no Shishima!" Tsugumi shouted at him once again and calmed down afterwards. "He was all just your imagination, your little scapegoat to hide the fact that you're an evil fuck. Everyone who died back then and will die now are your responsibility! The heartless monster who went as far as to butcher babies in front of their mothers."
Subaru was stunned and left speechless. Was she right? Had Shishima all this time truly been only inside his head? Was he the one who did all the murders back then? If that was the case, then were the past fifty years a lie? Had he been living in a happy delusion while in the real world others were dying at his hands?
"I can't believe I ever loved you," Tsugumi spoke again, looking at him with sorrow and disgust. "Farewell, you sick piece of shit, I hope you've got what you wanted…"
And then she vanished, leaving behind a tearful Subaru who slowly headed to the roof's edge, staring down at the desolate city beneath.
"I couldn't… have done any of that. Shishima… was he really just in my mind?" He clenched his teeth as he started to realize that maybe that truly was the case, and the severe implications soon followed. "No… Tsugumi, everyone, I'm… No, forgive me, please."
Closing his eyes, he let himself fall headfirst, and as he did so, his entire life began flashing back to him, all pleasant and painful moments, an adventure for which there was no number of novels to best capture it. And when all was said and done, what words were there left to say? None, only silence, and the cold and tough embrace of the asphalt which finally opened death's doors for him.
Demon Subaru walked to the body with his arms crossed and a satisfied smirk, followed by a highly impressed Bochiborof. The illusion had worked brilliantly.
"Milord, that could have been your greatest performance yet, I'm in awe!" the purple wolf confessed, but his master ignored him as he focused his attention on the latest victim.
"Keh, you really could defeat me a second time, Subaru. However, you forgot that in the end a demon always has an ace up his sleeve!"
Demon Subaru laughed triumphantly, but suddenly he began to cough even harder than usual, blood squirting out of his mouth as he grasped his chest tightly in a vain attempt of stopping himself. The power he kept using began taking a harsher and harsher toll on his body. He may have ultimately prevailed, but in the end both sides of the mirror had been shattered.