Chapter 16
Haruko's voice trembled with rage as he confronted the boss, his words laced with a fierce determination to seek justice for his sister's unjust demise. Despite the pain coursing through his body and the exhaustion weighing heavily on his limbs, Haruko's resolve burned brightly, fueled by his deep-seated hatred towards those who had wronged him.
"You're a Core user," Haruko spat out, his voice strained with effort. "You have the power to go anywhere, do anything. So why... why did you come here?" His question hung in the air, charged with an intensity that echoed his inner turmoil.
"What did she do?" Haruko's voice lowered to a dangerous tone, a lethal edge sharpening his words as he demanded answers from the boss. In that moment, his eyes glinted with a fierce determination, a silent promise of retribution for the injustice inflicted upon his sister.
The boss's cruel laughter echoed through the room, sending chills down Haruko's spine. "Oh, hurting people is just a bonus, my naive boy. I came here for entertainment, to revel in the chaos and despair that the Sin Continent offers," the boss sneered, reveling in Haruko's growing frustration.
As the flames of rage burned brighter within Haruko, he mustered the strength to stand tall. "Your 'entertainment' cost me everything," Haruko growled, his voice cutting through the room like a blade. The boss's amusement faltered for a moment, replaced by a glint of surprise at the resilience displayed by the boy standing before him.
Beside the broken window stood Haruko, his silver hair slowly morphing into dark strands as a sinister aura enveloped him. His black irises gleamed with shadowy hues, exuding an ominous presence that sent shivers down the spine of those who dared to meet his gaze.
"You took everything from me, for entertainment," Haruko's voice echoed through the room, dripping with a venomous mixture of anger and resentment. With a swift movement, he lifted his leg and brought it crashing down upon the ground, the impact sending shockwaves rippling through the air.
In an instant, Haruko disappeared from his position, leaving behind only a lingering sense of dread in his wake. The boss's eyes widened in confusion and fear as he scanned the surroundings, searching for any sign of his elusive adversary.
"Where- where are you, boy?!" the boss stammered, his voice trembling with uncertainty as he struggled to comprehend the sudden disappearance of his foe.
"Looking for me?" Haruko's voice sounded from behind the boss, sending a chill down his spine. With a cold smirk, Haruko stepped out of the shadows, his presence looming over the boss like a specter of vengeance.
"This is how you appeared in my life," Haruko continued, his voice dripping with disdain. "An unknown force that took everything from me. I will now take everything from you."
As Haruko advanced towards the trembling boss, his aura pulsating with dark energy, the room seemed to shrink with the weight of impending doom. In that moment, the balance of power shifted, and the boss realized with a sinking feeling that he was now at the mercy of the very force he had once thought to control.
The boss's heart pounded in his chest as he scrambled backwards, his hands trembling with fear as he searched desperately for a means of escape. But the surroundings offered no solace, no avenue of retreat from the advancing specter of vengeance that was Haruko.
As Haruko closed in, his aura pulsating with an ominous intensity, the moon cast his face in a malevolent glow, illuminating his features with an otherworldly light. The boss felt a chill run down his spine as he stared into the depths of Haruko's dark eyes, sensing the unfathomable depths of anger and resentment that burned within them.
With nowhere left to run, the boss raised his hands in a feeble attempt to defend himself, but Haruko's gaze pierced through the pathetic gesture like a knife through butter, his anger burning with a righteous fury that sent a shiver down the boss's spine.
"Before I kill you, I want you to feel the pain you've inflicted upon me," Haruko whispered softly, his voice dripping with malice as he closed the distance between them. The boss's breath caught in his throat as he realized the full extent of Haruko's intentions, his mind reeling with terror at the prospect of facing the consequences of his actions.
In that moment, as Haruko stood poised to deliver his retribution, the boss knew that he would pay dearly for the sins of his past, his fate sealed by the hand of the very man he had wronged. And as Haruko's shadow loomed over him, casting a pall of darkness over the room, the boss braced himself for the inevitable punishment that awaited him in the cold embrace of Haruko's vengeance.
Haruko's smile twisted into a sickening grin as he stood before the cowering boss, his eyes gleaming with a cold resolve that sent a shiver down the boss's spine. "Don't beg for mercy, because I have none at the moment," Haruko whispered, his voice dripping with malice as he loomed over his trembling adversary.
Turning his attention to the broken-down house nearby, Haruko's voice resonated with a chilling intensity as he addressed the men cowering inside. "Don't think I forgot you two," he called out, his words cutting through the silence like a knife. "Your companion got off easily by dying at your boss's hands."
Inside the house, the men stiffened with fear as they tried to play dead, hoping against hope that Haruko had forgotten about them in the chaos. But their hopes were dashed as Haruko's words reached their ears, sending a wave of dread washing over them.
The man who had been punched through the guts groaned in agony, his body hanging by a thread as he struggled to cling to consciousness. The other man, his arm broken and twisted in pain, could only stare in disbelief as he grappled with the realization that their fate was sealed in the merciless hands of Haruko's vengeance.
As Haruko stood before them, his presence looming like a specter of death, the men knew that there would be no escape from the wrath of the man they had wronged.
The boss trembled with fear as the gravity of his situation became apparent, his breaths shaking with despair as he pleaded for mercy. "D-don't hurt me! I-I'll do anything!" he stammered, his voice quivering with desperation as he clung to the faint hope of escaping Haruko's wrath.
But Haruko's eyes remained fixed on him with a cold, unfeeling gaze, his stare piercing through the boss's feeble attempts at bargaining. There was no pity in Haruko's heart, no mercy to be found in his soul.
"Do you think I haven't thought of what I would do to you?" Haruko's voice cut through the air like a blade, his words laced with a deadly resolve that sent a shiver down the boss's spine. With each step, Haruko drew closer, his presence looming over the trembling figure of the boss like a harbinger of doom.
In that moment, as Haruko closed in on his prey, the boss realized with a sinking feeling that there would be no escape from the consequences of his actions. He had crossed a line that could not be uncrossed, and now he would pay the ultimate price for his sins at the hands of the relentless avenger known as Haruko.
Haruko's voice dripped with irony as he posed the chilling question to the boss, taunting him with the prospect of a slow and agonizing torture. "You're an adult. Tell me, what is the best way to torture someone slowly?" he asked, his words laden with a macabre humor that sent a chill down the boss's spine.
But then, with a sudden shift in tone, Haruko dismissed his own question with a casual indifference. "Forget it. Don't mind me. I'm just a little kid," he remarked nonchalantly, his voice belying the deadly intent that lurked beneath the surface.
As he picked up the rusting knife and crouched down before the boss, Haruko's eyes locked onto his with an intensity that sent a shiver down the boss's spine. With a swift motion, he slashed the knife across the boss's face, the blade tearing through flesh and leaving a jagged gash in its wake.
The boss let out a guttural cry of pain as blood spilled from the wound, his face contorted in agony as he realized the extent of the damage. With only one eye left, his vision blurred and his senses reeling, the boss knew that he was now at the mercy of the merciless Haruko.
"I can make you feel things you can't even imagine, you pathetic, insignificant worm!" Haruko's voice thundered through the room, each word laced with venomous fury as he circled around the boss like a predator closing in on its prey. His eyes burned with an intensity that sent a shiver down the boss's spine, his voice dripping with hatred and menace.
The boss's bloodshot eye darted from side to side, his heart pounding in his chest as he searched desperately for an escape from the impending doom at Haruko's hands. Fear gripped his very soul as he realized the true extent of Haruko's wrath, the air heavy with the weight of his impending demise.
Unbeknownst to Haruko, his own heart was racing at an intense rate, the adrenaline coursing through his veins and ravaging his body with its powerful surge. But in his blind rage, he was oblivious to the physical toll it was taking on him, his mind consumed by thoughts of vengeance and retribution.
"W-w-wait! I'll give you anything. Please!" The boss cried out in desperation, his voice trembling with fear as he pleaded for mercy, his body quaking with terror at the sight of Haruko's menacing gaze. With his legs already giving out from the overwhelming fear, he struggled to get away from Haruko, his mind racing with thoughts of escape and survival.
Haruko stared at the boss with a cold, unyielding gaze, his eyes narrowing in contempt as he took in the pitiful sight before him. Subconsciously, he brought his hand to his nose, recoiling at the pungent smell of ammonia that filled the air. His gaze fell upon the boss's soiled pants, a grim reminder of the fear that gripped him to his very core.
"What's this ammonia smell?" Haruko remarked with a dark chuckle, his voice laced with a mixture of amusement and disdain. "Are you scared? You should be," he added with a confident and surprisingly cocky tone, his words dripping with malice as he reveled in the terror that he had instilled in the boss's heart.
Haruko's smile took on a sinister edge as he reveled in the torment he had inflicted on the boss. "I'm bored," he declared, his tone changing as his expression turned cold and distant. The atmosphere shifted, leaving an eerie uncertainty lingering in the air.
With a sudden movement, Haruko clenched his fist and brought it closer to the boss's face. A dark aura enveloped his fist, solidifying upon contact with the boss's flesh. Blood spurted in every direction as the dark energy consumed the boss's head. His lifeless body crumpled to the ground, the gruesome scene signaling the finality of his demise.
In the aftermath, Haruko stood over the lifeless form, his expression unreadable. Whether it was still Haruko in control or a darker force within.
With a cold determination in his eyes, Haruko turned towards the broken-down house without uttering a single word. The dark aura in his hand coalesced into a swirling sphere of energy as he raised his palm, the ominous power gathering in his grasp with an unsettling intensity.
With a swift motion, Haruko hurled the giant spherical energy towards the broken-down house, the dark energy engulfing the structure and the two injured men within. In an instant, the house was reduced to rubble, consumed by the relentless force of Haruko's power.
But as the dust settled and the echoes of destruction faded, Haruko felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, his vision blurring as he struggled to maintain his balance. "W-what is happening?" he muttered, his voice trembling with uncertainty as he grappled with the sudden onslaught of weakness that gripped his body.
Unbeknownst to Haruko, the power he had wielded with such ferocity had siphoned a significant amount of energy from him, leaving him drained and vulnerable in its wake.
As Haruko's vision blurred and he struggled to maintain consciousness, he felt himself slipping further into the abyss of unconsciousness. His legs gave out beneath him, sending him crashing to his knees, his body trembling with the effort to stay upright.
Desperate to regain control, Haruko placed a trembling palm on his head, willing himself to wake up from the haze that clouded his mind. But as his vision continued to blur and darkness threatened to engulf him, a dignified voice cut through the haze, its tone filled with amusement and intrigue.
"Interesting," the voice remarked, its presence sending a shiver down Haruko's spine. Through his fading consciousness, all he could make out were a pair of leather shoes, seemingly expensive, and a comfortable coat that exuded an air of authority and sophistication.
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That's it for chapter 16