The Laughing Swordsman

Maya's body was thrown down the street. She coughed up a mouthful of blood as she scraped her back against the cobblestone path.

She left a trail that consisted of both dried and wet blood.

Maya got up to her feet once she stopped sliding. If one were to look at her back, one would see part of her spine and ribcage through the torn flesh.

Edmund laughed.

"You're on your last legs, aren't you?"

Maya let out a growl while her head raised to the sky.

"...I've always been on my last legs."

Suddenly, cracks formed on Maya's face. A black horn emerged from her forehead while her flesh regrew. But not her skin.

Edmund's eyes narrowed.

"What, a demon?"

He clenched his fist.

"...How is that possible?"

Edmund leaped forward, throwing a punch towards Layla while she appeared to be in a daze.

His fist was just half a meter away when Maya suddenly snapped out of her stupor, grabbing Edmund's wrist. His bones snapped.

Edmund looked at Maya in terror, feeling his wrist about to snap off.

Cracks formed across her hand as it shifted to a deep black. Her fingernails grew longer and sharper.

Maya stared into Edmund's eyes with a dull expression.

As for Edmund, he looked back at Maya's cracked face.

"Demon in human skin..."

Maya paid no heed to his remark. She raised her red hand and pointed it towards Edmund. A fireball coalesced on her finger.

Edmund frowned. Only one arm of his arms was held by Maya, thus he still had the other to work with. Without wasting another second, he sent his fist towards Maya.

It was a direct hit on her stomach, folding her body in half and throwing her back.

However, Maya also finished her spell.

A fireball that was over two meters wide appeared before Edmund. There was no time to dodge.

A fiery explosion shook the air, making its presence known across the city.

Smoke billowed.

Once it cleared, it revealed Edmund.

He was still standing, however, he was definitely not unscathed.

Edmund trembled lightly. The little hair he had on his head was now gone, leaving a black patch. This was also the case for his chest. His ox fur coat was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was a patch of charred skin.

Edmund grit his teeth.

"Damn you! How did a demon get into the walls of Evermore?"

Maya was sprawled out on the floor, but stood back up the next moment.

Her head slowly raised to meet Edmund's gaze.

"...In the end, we are all demons, no?"

Edmund furrowed his brows and mumbled under his breath.

"Have the demons learned how to turn humans to their side?"

Maya pointed to Edmund once again, coalescing a fireball.

As she did that, Edmund ducked behind a house. He believed that she would save her energy, opting for a clear shot.

However, he was wrong.

A deafening bang rang out.

The house collapsed almost immediately, sending flaming planks towards Edmund.

With a swing of his arm, he deflected the debris falling towards him.

Someone within the house began screaming. They were burning alive.

Edmund clicked his tongue.

"It can't go on like this... the city will be in shambles by the time she gives up."

Edmund ran back out to the streets.

This immediately attracted Maya's gaze. Like it was natural, she formed another fireball.

Edmund's eyes became fierce. He crossed his arms in front of him and ran towards Maya without abandon.

His body was still charred from the last explosion. Another one might even cripple him.

However, Edmund threw those thoughts out of his head.

By the time he was a few meters away, Maya let the fireball loose.

Edmund braced his mind.

Another bang reverberated throughout the village. However, it could not mask Edmund's roar.

His figure appeared from the smoke, charging forward.

Edmund was completely covered in soot, further blackening his skin. His arms took the brunt of the impact, causing him to lose a huge chunk of his flesh. You could even see parts of his bone.

However, the fierce look in Edmund's eyes never left.

Maya simply stood there, not even attempting to dodge.

The sound of cracked bones filled the air.

Edmund crashed into her, throwing her backward once again.

He panted.

"...That should be enough... right? Even her bones cracked."

Maya laid on the floor motionless. However, the next moment, she brought herself up.

There was a dead look in her eyes, but she was very much alive.

Maya turned around and walked away, not bothering with Edmund anymore.

Edmund grit his teeth.

"Don't think I'll let you go, dammit!"

He took a step forward, then stopped. A sudden weakness overcame him.

Edmund fell to his knees.

"What?... Why can't I..."

He looked down.

There was a gaping hole in Edmund's chest, where his heart used to be.

Edmund's eyes widened in fear.

"This..."

His breathing became unsteady.

"The sound of bones shattering was not from her..."

His eyelids slowly dropped.

"...But me."

Edmund's body fell to the floor, lifeless.

In the short period where Edmund charged into Maya, she used her black hand to pry out his heart, crushing his ribcage in the process.

The calm tapping sounds filled the air.

A man approached Edmund's corpse. He had short grey hair, but an average-sized beard. Although he was clearly old, he was incomparably burly. He had sharp purple eyes that peered through the curtains of this world.

There was a dark brown crown on his head, lying quietly like a sleeping beast. It had two spikes that curled upward, almost like horns.

Carved within the crown was the pattern of Ox faces.

It was Kabito.

He looked down at the corpse below him.

"...Who dares kill my student?"

Suddenly, Kabito's head snapped to the side.

"...You."

The ground under him cracked, sending him flying into the air.

As for Maya, she was simply walking down the streets, launching fireballs as she went.

A thundering boom came from her front.

The dust and snow cleared to reveal Kabito, looking at Maya with hatred.

"....So demons have learned how to dress up as a human."