Chapter 13: Split Operations

Suddenly, Phaga shifted to the side.

Sunlight pierced through like a blade, its blinding glare stinging the Dead End Butcher’s eyes. He instinctively raised a massive hand to shield himself.

That brief delay was exactly what Phaga was waiting for.

Whoosh!

A gust like a hurricane slammed forward. The Dead End Butcher reflexively threw a punch, Ether bursting across his fist with such force that even the colors of space seemed to twist and warp.

But he struck nothing.

He stiffened, lowering his head to find Phaga crouched low, tilting his head back with a smile. Crimson eyes glimmered with a light that threatened to devour his soul.

Boom!

Phaga lunged, his step shattering the ground. His once-human palm now bore razor-sharp claws, dark crimson flames licking across them.

One strike.

Two strikes.

The Dead End Butcher staggered back as ten slashing wounds seared across his chest, each one blazing with fire.

Through vampire eyes, Phaga saw the Butcher’s Ether surging chaotically. Its activity was dropping fast, as though its very life force was being burned away as fuel for the flames.

“…Heh.”

“The death countdown begins.”

Closing his eyes, then snapping them open again, Phaga waited for the Butcher’s roar before another punch came crashing down.

He drifted right on his wings, dodging the furious blow, and countered with a slash that carved five more wounds across the creature’s right arm.

Even as an Ether Abomination, the Dead End Butcher couldn’t endure the agony. He bellowed furiously.

His massive fist slammed down again, carrying even greater force!

Clang!

The Butcher froze. His core contracted.

What—blocked?

With wings alone?

Impossible.

But it was real. Phaga’s wing pressed firmly against the Butcher’s fist, locking it in place.

“You’d be better off using that strength on a construction site. No need to waste it on me.”

Phaga’s wing flared, forcing the Butcher’s fist back. At the same time, he surged forward with ghostly speed.

The Butcher’s wild barrage struck only afterimages. Phaga’s true form was already at his side.

His left hand clamped down on the Butcher’s right arm.

Confusion flashed in the monster’s eyes. Rage and the searing burn of the flames had already driven him past reason. He raised his left hand to strike.

Phaga’s grip tightened. His body lifted, wings snapping wide. In a hawk-like flip, he landed upside-down on the Butcher’s shoulder.

Boom!

The Butcher’s strike missed, his own fist slamming into his elbow.

He whipped his head around, searching.

But Phaga was already behind him—out of reach of all four arms.

“Those two arms… they just grew, didn’t they?”

His crimson gaze burned brighter. His grin stretched into something wild, broken by low, eerie laughter.

The Butcher’s core flared with alarm, rage faltering under a flash of reason. He spun, desperate.

Too late.

Phaga’s hooked claws tore into his back, again and again. In seconds, a hundred wounds split open, flames igniting across each one.

Ether burst forth in a geyser, painting the scene in violent color. The Dead End Butcher screamed in agony, dropping to one knee, unable to resist further.

Smack!

Phaga’s clawed hands slammed against the base of the Butcher’s new arms.

The monster’s eyes widened. He twisted to look, horrified, as Phaga’s nails dug deep.

“ROAR!!!!”

“ROAR!!!!”

“ROAR!!!!”

His howls thundered endlessly. His huge hands smashed against the ground, claws gouging deep trenches in the earth with shrieking force.

But the outcome didn’t change.

Crack—!

With a savage pull, Phaga tore both new arms clean from his back.

Splat!

Ether burst sprayed skyward like a fountain, splashing five meters high. The walls and trees it touched shimmered with strange, shifting hues.

Click.

Phaga folded his wings, landing lightly. His fingertips dug into the Butcher’s body, tracing across its waist as he circled halfway around.

He stopped before it.

Ssshhhk!

Every claw mark erupted into flame. Fire roared skyward, drawing the eyes of students hidden throughout the ruins.

“Look! Phaga’s winning!”

“Finally—he’s really going to win? I thought…”

“Hey, what was that wing thing?”

“You missed it. I’ll explain later.”

The hidden students buzzed with excitement, whispering to each other.

They had endured too much despair. First blocked from escaping by the Butcher. Then nearly losing Ellen to exhaustion. Every time hope rose, it was crushed.

Now, the tide had turned again. The end was near. The Butcher had no chance left. Their cheers built like thunder.

Boom!

A sudden crash silenced them.

They crowded into the stairwells, peering out—then gasped.

The Dead End Butcher was kneeling.

The flames across his body were already fading. The class president muttered that it must mean his life was at its end.

The president let out a long sigh. “It’s over.”

Click!

The sound of a camera shutter made him turn.

Ruby stood there, holding up her phone, snapping photos of Phaga.

“I’m framing this one,” she whispered.

Damn it!

The president nearly smacked himself in frustration, fumbling for his own phone. “Ruby, send me a copy later.”

“Got it… Hey, Phaga, watch out!”

The Butcher, with his last breath, swung one final punch.

But he was too slow.

Phaga tilted aside, the blow missing completely. He walked forward as the Butcher collapsed, barely able to raise his core, watching helplessly as Phaga approached.

“Ah, you were seconds from death already. I thought—even as an Ethereal—you should go quietly, let the [Netherflames] burn you down.”

He reached out, seizing the monster’s massive head.

“But no—you had to make me cut the line for you.”

Crack… crack…

The skull split under his grip. Bone shattered with every squeeze.

Crack… crack-crunch…

Crunch! Snap!

Boom!

The Dead End Butcher’s headless body crashed to the ground. Phaga raised his right hand high, the severed head clutched tight in his palm.

The ruins fell silent, every breath held. Two camera flashes burst in quick succession.

Ruby’s eyes gleamed as she looked at her phone. “This one’s getting framed too.”

“You took pictures?”

A classmate’s voice sparked an uproar.

“What, someone took a photo?”

“Damn, I missed my chance.”

“Ruby, send it to me too!”

Ruby was swarmed, dizzy with all the attention.

“Hey!”

A shout echoed from below, saving her. The students turned to look.

It was Phaga, carrying Ellen and holding his parasol, calling up to them.

“Get ready to head home! Unless you’d rather turn into Ethereal, in which case—forget I said anything!”