Awakening of the Weakest Slayer

The beast stood just beside Sezel, his heartbeat stopped and time stretched itself thin, each heartbeat an eternity. Sezel only saw the blur motion of the scythe coming towards him, crimson blade whistling through the dank, stagnant air.

His mind blanked and body moved on pure adrenaline rush, without any thought he reflexively acted, the katana snapped up between himself and the oncoming scythe, not even unsheathed, just a desperate, instinctive shield.

A deafening sound of impact rang out, Sezel felt his whole body being attacked by an irresistible force. Just the next moment all he could sense was a stream of immense pain jolting down through every corner of his body, as if it was being torn apart.

He had been thrown flying through the air, hurled into a wall like a ragdoll, every part of his body felt numb from pain, he could taste blood in his mouth. The sound of cracking made him notice the katana in his hands, clenched tight, a few cracks formed on the scabbard and then it broke, dismantling into small pieces.

Sezel opened his mouth to speak, but his innards hurt so much, not allowing even the freedom of speech. Sezel choked back a sob and coughed dust, desperate for air that felt thick as syrup. But amidst all that he looked up, the beast lunged again, with an inhuman grace.

It closed the distance in no time, another scythe arced through the murk, hungering to carve Sezel's body into scraps, the thought of being eaten by a damn monster was not the most pleasant one, he pushed his body to the side, evading the attack with a last-second luck.

The edge of the beast's scythe tore straight into the wall, sending a rippling dust cloud, the monster's scythe left a trench in the wall where his head had been, fine powder raining down in a pale, deadly haze. Sezel gritted his teeth, stammering back on his feet, running away from the direct range of the beast, laying beside the monster's gaze was not the best idea after all.

His whole body was sore, as if multiple bones had broken together, he was sure some were, but he couldn't afford to stop. So, Sezel drank the poison of his pain and sprinted to the girl who sat frozen inside the open cell.

If just Sezel could provide a moment for her to run away from here, but the beast would not allow that to happen so easily. It was locked on killing its prey.

Sezel stood in front of the little girl, sword gripped in both hands, his feet rooted themselves in cracked stone. The attack would come without warning and in an instant, Sezel wanted to make way for the girl to run away, then somehow find a way for himself to escape.

The beast curled itself, insectile and hunched, it studied them, head cocked, body vibrating with an eager flicker of murder and with a blur of motion attacked again, Sezel used the same logic he used to dodge Krono's assault back during the fight. He ducked low, gritting teeth against the throb of his battered limbs. He moved a split second before instinct screamed danger—a wild gamble, body moving ahead of logic, anticipating the attack.

And the next moment, a wild slash of wind passed over his head, the beast barreled past, inertia carrying it into the wall.

Gasping, Sezel staggered upright, vision swimming. He seized the girl's hand, "Come on, you have to run." he said, emergency lingering in his voice. He dragged her along, sprinting for the narrow tunnel that led away from the cell block.

"Go on ahead," he said, pushing her gently. "Hide somewhere safe. I'll come for you."

She pressed herself against his leg, clinging with tiny hands. "No, I won't leave mister here," she begged, voice shredding at the edges.

Sezel gave her a cryptic smile, "I will come behind you soon, till then hide in one of the rooms." He tousled her hair, pain and warmth mixing for a heartbeat.

The girl looked up at him, her blue icy eyes reflecting his crimson gaze. A feeling of warmth filled Sezel's heart, a familiar sense of responsibility flickering within.

The beast stirred again, there was no time to be sentimental, Sezel stood and turned back to the direction of the beast, katana clutched tight in his hands. The girl ran out from the alley and hid inside an adjacent room.

Sezel's heart thumped loudly, his chest heaving with every breath. 'I have to find a way to run from this thing and hope, that until I get to her those damn snakes don't attack.'

A wild gamble with everything at stake, there was no certainty of anything. There was no guarantee Sezel would be able to run from the beast in front of him, if killing it was even an option.

The creature jerked its head off a few times, rage simmering behind a wall of blank, pitiless eyes, then it jumped, both its hands flanked, the scythes acting like a pair of scissors coming to cut Sezel in half.

The katana in his hand was not enough of an anchor to stake his life upon but, there was nothing else, so he held it firmly and placed it between the meeting point of the scythes.

The blades clashed, a shockwave rippled through the whole building, dust clouds rose from the ground and the walls. The katana somehow held, a miracle. But the sheer strength of the impact was wild enough to send cracks through Sezel's bones.

His body flew straight from the alley, crossed the corridor outside and crashed into the grills, sending a cold pulse through his head. His body felt like a broken toy, several tiny fractures ran through both of his hands, he felt like even moving them would pain him to death.

But the bugged beast didn't stop. It walked slowly through the same pathway and stood at the other corner of the corridor, eyes locked on Sezel.

'Damn it, I need to do something.' Sezel gritted his teeth, he was not going to give up. 'Even if there's a sliver of hope, even a tiny bit. I will gamble it all on it.' But in that moment, hope was a lie—the only law was violence and fear.

The beast stopped, scythes lowering, ready for the butcher's work. Sezel's breath came thin and ragged, his vision narrowed to a tunnel, every sound distant but the rapid hammering of his own heart.