107 Dark Alessa

When a single bullet pierced a human brain, how long did it took until all body functions shut down? Could the human even felt the pain when their brain got squashed like a puree?

In movie screens, the characters would instantly died upon getting hit in the head, no matter what. That was the rule. But sometimes, some people would survive even when it was a straight shot. Well, it was just a movie anyway. Physics only applied when the scripts said so.

In real life, the same alternatives existed, depending upon what type of firearm and bullets were used, and where the bullet entered and/or exited the body. It's all a matter of physics and how much damage the energy the bullet causes.

These kinds of thoughts would pass my mind once in a while, just like this time, when the barrel of my handgun was facing Dahlia.

'How did I get myself here?' I questioned myself. It was not because I forgot why I was here in the first place, but because of some other reasons.

Just like how unbelievable it was that someone could survive a headshot, the reality in front of me was just a fabric of imagination. I kept telling myself that even if the woman in front of me was that cruel, it was only because the story in the script said so. I kept telling myself that so that I wouldn't lose control of myself, to keep my reasons. It just came to show how repelled I was regarding Alessa's past.

I pointed my gun at the perfect angle, so even if I accidentally fired it, the woman before me wouldn't immediately die. That's right. I wasn't going to kill her. No matter how much shit she did before, it was with the belief that it would 'purify' her daughter, not knowing that she was going to be burned like a lamb to be slaughtered. I only had the right to judge, not to deliver the punishment.

But that was enough, all I needed was for her to come. It was a challenge, not toward Dahlia, but toward our little observer that had been watching everything inside this world for the last 30 years. It was about time for the darkest version of Alessa to appear.

"I won't do that if I was you." muttered the voice of a little girl.

Bingo.

A hand that was a bit smaller than mine grabbed my wrist. I couldn't budge my arm as if it was locked by a steel scaffold. It was Dark Alessa. If Rose's adopted daughter, Sharon, was the manifestation of the good side of Alessa's soul, Dark Alessa was the opposite. She was Alessa's darkest incarnation.

She wore the same outfit that the original Alessa usually wore to school, a blue shirt with a white collar and a skirt overall with the same color. Her white shoes, including her skins, looked as if it was covered by the ashes falling outside. Her hair was unruly and unkempt, there was no love in her eyes, as deep hatred permeated through her small iris. In this world, she ruled over everything. The sin and the sinner, the punishment and the punisher.

"And what if I do?" I replied, rather cocky I admit.

Dark Alessa didn't reply immediately. I noticed the bird on the cage was having a fit and throwing tantrum. It happened again.

The sirens resounded throughout the town. With her as the center, the walls started scraping, revealing a much rotten look. Using the telekinesis, I closed the door leading to the room where Eve, Rose, and Sharon were. I already ordered the Limbo butterfly to protect them. Even my strongest attack would need time to scrape its defense. All I need now was to bear the brunt of Alessa's anger.

Dark Alessa noticed what I did, "There's no hiding from the suffering of this world, you know?"

I smirked, knowing that what she said was the truth. Even if we hide inside the building, the monsters would still found a way to breach in. I might only have a minute until the butterfly's defense fell. I prayed that it was enough to spare some time.

I couldn't Naruto'd my way out of this by delivering a heart-touching speech. By taking her mother hostage, I was already branded as an enemy by Alessa. It was reckless, but it was the fastest way to summon her.

I let go of the hand that was holding Dahlia's neck and raised it, showing that I wouldn't do anything to her. The movie ended with Alessa finally enacting her revenge after the last 30 years. However, if I went after that same ending, we would be eternally trapped within this world.

It might be cruel for her, but there was only one way. Before she could merge with the good Alessa, I must end her myself. It was either her... or us.

"I'm sorry," I muttered with a dull expression.

Light bloomed as the sleeping Oni Gauntlet opened its judging eye. The black iris turned into a slit as it met Alessa's. The gauntlet had already branded her as a demon that must be exterminated, allowing me to wield Blackbeard freely even though she had a human form.

As I grasped the dark shadow appearing in the air, Blackbeard appeared. It was the first time I look at it properly. It had been a long time. I couldn't help but glance at the information about the new Blackbeard.

After using permanent reinforcement on the gauntlet, Blackbeard also evolved into the next level. There were now golden embroideries on the other end of the barrel that would glow when I pulled the trigger. The shape also became a lot firmer and cleaner. It was a bit heavier as well, but it felt better like this. There was no written information about the increased performance, but I knew it was twice, no, four times more powerful than before.

It wasn't only that, it also received a new weapon ability, Persona.

As I finished reading the new information in a split second, I felt a presence on the floor above mine. A huge broadsword shattered the ceiling as the sword was thrust to my face. It was Alessa's answer to my mundane apology.

He was the owner of the sword, the Great Knife. He was the executioner, the one who hunted the sinners. A creature of vengeance and punishment. He was called by the players as the Pyramid Head. The name was self-explanatory on the bearer as his head was covered by a large pyramid-like helmet.

"What are you trying to do, outsider?" asked Dark Alessa, glancing at the pitiful Dahlia who couldn't even meet her eyes.

A dark column appeared from within the wall, taking the woman somewhere else.

"A date," I replied confidently as I crouched on all four, dodging Pyramid Head's horizontal slash.

"Then, you have picked the wrong ice breaker." With Dark Alessa as the center, she summoned clouds of darkness much thicker and scarier than the one engulfing the town. The world was turned pitch-black, leaving only the structure of the apartment to be seen

Pyramid Head sent a heavy kick causing me to fly toward the end of the corridor even though I used both of my hands to shield myself.

'What a strong power!'

I somersaulted in the air while shooting Blackbeard twice and landed on both feet while I braked with the use of the A.T. Although a wide hole started spreading from his chest, Pyramid Head still dashed toward me and thrust his sword again. I lightly jumped while reloading Blackbeard as the sword pierced the wall behind me.

Bam! Bam!

As the A.T.'s roller touched the ceiling, I shot Blackbeard twice again. He didn't budge even when his left shoulder started forming holes, disintegrating. Taking advantage of his height, Pyramid Head grabbed my right wrist that was holding Blackbeard and slammed me on the floor facing down.

Slam!

"Khuaakh!" I groaned in pain as I tasted iron in my mouth while my other free hand took out a handgun.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Two hit his neck while one just ricocheted after hitting the helmet. Still unfazed, Pyramid Head, sent a kick but I evaded by twisting my body. I could see his leg scraping the floor apart. When I glanced toward him, I could see through the hole gaping on his chest that Dark Alessa was walking toward the room where Eve and the other was at.

As Pyramid Head's gaping hole closed by his regeneration power, I delivered a heavy kick like a released rubber, using the momentum from my twisting body.

Gwaaang!!

A deep dent was made on the Pyramid Head's helmet. Though he didn't fell, he recoiled a few steps back from the impact and I used this chance to push him aside and sprinted toward Dark Alessa.

"Regina!" I yelled, asking for her help.

The floor and the ceiling where Dark Alessa stood suddenly slammed toward her. Regina used the Telekinesis ability I granted for her use to assist me. However, Dark Alessa simply stood there as the two flat pieces of concrete were stopped mid-air. Though it didn't manage to harm her, I was successful in taking her attention.

"You..." mumbled Dark Alessa, as she shoved a stream of darkness out of her back toward me.

I crossed both of my hands in front of me and gritted my teeth. But the pain just brushed by my side as Regina formed an invisible shield using the telekinesis. Just as I manage to relax a little bit, a sharp whistle sounded in my ears. I rolled sideways just as the Pyramid Head's sword split the floor in two. The crack spread immediately and I started to lose my footings. I used the handgun on my left to shoot at Dark Alessa while Blackbeard bore a new hole on Pyramid Head's shoulder.

The bullet stopped right in front of Dark Alessa, but it gave way for Regina to pull her and slammed her to the ceiling on the next floor. I could hear her breaking through several floors before it stopped. She should've been thrown out of the building.

During this time, I happened to wrap my arm on Pyramid Head's left wrist.

Crack!

The now fragile arm, drilled with holes, was bent backward as I heard the bones snapped. With his arm still under my lock, I followed up by judo slamming his huge body on the cracked wall where his sword pierced before.

Boom!

The wall couldn't bear the impact of Pyramid Head's body and it crumbled in an instant. I threw his snapped arm away. With this, the armless Pyramid Head was thrown outside of the building. However, his right arm that was still intact successfully grabbed my leg and pulled me with him.

Both of us were free-falling from the third floor. I shot Blackbeard to his helmet. He screamed in pain before releasing my leg.

[Duck, sir.] warned Regina.

'I'm on the air. How am I supposed to do that?' I protested in my heart, but I still did my best to lower my head. I could hear another whistling sound before a flat surface brushed past my head.

Pyramid Head landed on his feet. The asphalt road immediately broke as his leg cave in a little bit. Before he could catch his breath, his sword pierced through his helmet. The sword even pierced halfway through the asphalt, causing Pyramid Head to bent 45°. A split second later, I followed up by twisting my body and kicked the sword's pommel, sending it to pierce even deeper to the ground. Pyramid Head was lying flat on the asphalt ground with his own sword stopping him from moving from the ground. But even then, it still flailed around. What a tenacious being.

"What is it that you're aiming for?" questioned Dark Alessa, watching as I landed on my feet. Unlike before there was no spite in her words, it was just plain curiosity to my resistance.

It might be a lot coming from me, but there was no other reason that I could think about except for getting out of this hell hole. I replied, "I just want the real Alessa to sleep and forget about this revenge."

Dark Alessa laughed out loud, quite a contrast to her small frame, "The long 30 years of struggle just to keep on living, to keep these so-called elitists to shut their mouth. Do you think it's easy to let go? Isn't she doing the world some goods by keeping them at bay? Why would you tell her to stop, when the world should be praising her as a hero. Don't you think so?"

"And to let her suffer? Demon like you shouldn't talk about the heroic act when you fed on her anger and negative emotion." I replied, cynically.

"Funny isn't it? You blame me, but as a Demon, what I did was much more human than the real human. I could twist the reality for her however she wants and gave her the chance to exact her revenge."

"A good dream is better than a bad reality. Is that life worth living if she would be trapped in her death bed for 30 years?" I replied coldly.

"For a stranger, you knew quite a lot, don't you? I don't like it," said Alessa. A long wall of darkness suddenly rose like a curtain behind her, she opened her palm toward me and muttered, "let's see what you're gonna do if I did the same."

She clenched her palm and the curtain of darkness vanished like a sakura flower, revealing a copy of myself. He didn't have Blackbeard or my Oni Gauntlet, but he had all of my equipment. The two knives strapped on the waist along with the two handguns right under, the bulletproof vest, gloves, even the exact trenchcoat. But what flustered me was the face my copy had. It was a face that I hadn't seen for quite a long time. The face that was just by my side a few days ago. The face that I started to miss.

"Mi–Michael... how...?" I stammered.

Dark Alessa turned around and walked into the darkness far away. Before she vanished, her voice found its way into my head, "Let's see how you would fare fighting against your guilt and desire for punishment. Let's see how you kill your friend... one more time."

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