The Smiling Death

Amon summoned his sword and gripped it tightly in his hand. His heart was pounding loudly in his chest. Fear, rage, and sadness were blooming inside him. He was feeling all emotions at the same time. He got on his feet.

With gritted teeth, he dashed forward. He strode fast, with all his strength.

"You-"

The creepy woman hurled Vixra's body on the ground.

Thud!

With a thud, she fell.

The sword now out of her body, Vixra looked up at Amon. Blood flowed from her mouth as her hand clutched her stomach, where the sword had thrust. She looked up at Amon. With her last strength, she muttered, "Ju-Junior... R-run..."

Amon was already close to them.

But before he could even swing his blade,

Swish!

A sharp sound cut through the night air. Flesh was cut cleanly.

Something rolled across the ground, bumping softly against his boot.

His breath hitched. Slowly, his gaze dropped.

There, resting by his feet, was a head. Her head.

Vixra's emerald lifeless eyes stared up at him, wide and glassy, frozen in shock and pain. Her lips trembled faintly, as if still trying to say something that would never be heard. Her soft pink braided hair was now loose.

The world fell silent.

"…Senior Vixra…" he whispered, his voice breaking.

The silence that followed was heavier than any scream.

"..Se-Senio-"

Swishh!

He didn't get any chance. The sword had already swung at him. Coming out of his daze, he ducked, barely avoiding the slash.

Then, putting force on bent knees, he jumped backward, increasing the distance between them.

He looked up at the woman, but she was already in front of him.

Slash!

Her sword diagonally cut across Amon's chest. Blood spilled in the air. A sudden pain shot through Amon's whole body as he gritted his teeth.

But he didn't care about the pain and swung his sword at her. His sword moved rapidly. Steel met steel. The woman smiled widely at him, her smile creepy and twisted, which only fueled Amon's rage.

His blood was boiling from anger. At this time, all he wanted was to kill her to torture her to death.

But reality was cruel. She was too strong, tremendously powerful. Pain shot through all his body. His arm muscles tightened.

Her sword collided powerfully against Amon's. Its impact sent Amon flying backward in the air.

She vanished from her position, already looming over Amon's mid-air body.

She grabbed Amon's collar and threw him against the wall.

Thudd!

"AAHHHH!" Amon cried in pain. The wall formed huge web cracks from his body colliding against it. Some of his bones cracked inside

"Cough!" He coughed up a handful of blood. His eyes dazed. The world was spinning around him. He shook his head, trying to get his thoughts straight.

'Hah... fuck, it hurts!'

He stood on his legs and looked up, only to see her standing in front of him with the same smile. Her sword came forward in a thrust, ready to tear into his stomach just like Vixra's.

Amon, with his stained muscles, moved his body. He sidestepped, yet the sword left a cut on the left side of his stomach. Blood spilled again.

"Aaargh!" he groaned. The woman looked at Amon's hurt and painful expression. Her eyes were delightful, as if she was enjoying his pain.

Amon grabbed her wrist tightly with his left hand. The sword swung with inhuman speed in his right.

A trajectory formed as it attacked the woman. She freed her wrist from Amon's hand easily, just taking a few steps back to avoid the sword.

Amon didn't waste his time and summoned a grenade in his left hand at the same time.

He pulled the pin with his teeth and threw it in the woman's direction. She gazed at the round metal object curiously.

Amon was still close to her, leaning against the wall. He didn't move. A smile appeared on his face.

BOOM!

The grenade exploded. The sound of the explosion echoed through the road. Its impact threw Amon's body back, breaking through the wall.

Bang!

He fell straight through, slamming onto the floor inside the house's living room. Dust exploded into the air, and the grenade's smoke flowed inside the house. The stone bricks shattered, falling around him. He coughed and started to get back on his feet.

His skin burned here and there from the explosion. His body throbbed and ached all over. Blood continuously streamed from his body.

'I can't kill her! Damnit! I need to run!'

The creepy woman outside stood in the same place. Her skin was burned, and her clothes were a little tattered. Yet the smile never left her mouth. She jumped inside the house through the broken wall.

Shishhh!

A white smoke spread all inside the house. She was not able to see, but she also did not sense anyone inside.

Amon had already run out of the house.

On the other side of the house, Amon was running for his life. He needed to meet Selena and Jareth as fast as possible.

He couldn't survive alone here, nor could he kill that woman. If he wanted to kill her, he needed to get back with them.

Amon took out a healing potion and chugged it down. His wounds started to heal. Blood ceased to flow.

He ran through the dark street, his breaths heavy and ragged. Blood dripped from his wounds, each step sending a jolt of pain through his body. His vision blurred, but he didn't stop. He couldn't.

The small wounds were healed, but the deeper ones were still there. The potion was not enough to heal him completely.

He came to the town square. But he heard something.

'This is bad!'

He looked back and saw that the woman already coming towards him—too fast. Unavoidable.

He used all his remaining mana in his legs and dashed forward. Muscles strained tightly, yet he continued to run.

Slash!

"Arraaagh!"

This time, his back was slashed.

He felt a searing pain rip through his back. Blood spattered across his vision as his body jerked forward uncontrollably. With a sickening crash, he slammed into the fountain nearby, sending shards of stone and water spraying in every direction.

His knees buckled, and the world spun around him, the taste of iron thick in his mouth.

"Ahh!"

He turned, sitting with his back against the fountain. His forehead had crashed against the fountain. Blood flowed from the wound there. His eyes were red and hazy.