Demon!

It was supposed to be a easy mission.

Follow the unarmed Crimson Sect man without being detected. Report back how the story checked out. Hisoka loved this kind of simple job where he needed nothing more than his astute observation and expert stealth abilities.

But matters were immediately complicated when Oji very obviously alerted previously unaware enemies. According to Hisoka's briefing, the Crimson Sect that Oji Emor claimed to belong to was strictly impartial.

That being the case, could Oji Emor be an imposter? Or perhaps he was paying an old, personal debt to Zhou? Or even he rose up to the Crimson Sect as a former member of Zhou?

It actually barely mattered if none of these was true or if all of them were the case. By his actions, Oji Emor created doubt as to his identity as a member of the Crimson Sect and made himself an enemy of Qin. As a result, Oji and the Crimson Sect couldn't blame Qin even if he were a member.

Even so, it took Hisoka time to gather himself and make his attack. He was able to tell Oji was an Initial High Origination, but anyone in or posing as a member of the Crimson Sect wouldn't be simple. If not for the High Origination Sword that Hisoka had bought with a year's wages, Hisoka would go for backup at the risk of Oji escaping.

The calm, joking manner he was met with set Hisoka's teeth on edge, and he opted to test Oji out with lighter attacks. Hisoka felt relieved to see the look on Oji's face when he drew the Sword, but Hisoka felt his cool beginning to slip as all his attacks missed their mark.

It felt like none of Hisoka's attacks had the ability to connect to Oji, as the Evil Essence in his body contorted with terrifying flexibility. Unconscious of doing so, Hisoka began to put more force into each attack as he tried to maximize the speed of each individual attack.

But in doing so Hisoka created pauses in his attacks which allowed Oji to both reset his stance and predict each strike. Before long Hisoka began feeling even worse as each of his attacks felt like they were under the control of his enemy and every movement of Oji threatened Hisoka.

He started sweating as Oji's Evil Essence soaked the area with an unimaginable desire for blood. Even without a single attack having been made, Hisoka found himself dodging vital kicks, punches and palm strikes. Oji's grin tormented Hisoka all the more as the demonic fighter allowed Hisoka to slice a small wound across his chest.

"There you go. You finally got me." Oji teases playfully, arrogant grin not even revealing any pain. The Evil Essence surged as horrific bloodlust spiked.

Feeling something in him snap, Hisoka dipped deeper into his experience as he brought out his Sword Techniques. Tyranny's Head Slicer, Wisdom's Thousand Slash Cage, War's Heart Seeker.

Oji avoided everything, the sense of Hisoka being a mere puppet striking him ever deeper as he suddenly felt his back hit a tree. Facing a man who hadn't even attacked yet, who had been bloodied and was unarmed, a man who was two Stages below him, Hisoka had felt his desire to fight crumble in the face of Oji's absolute control of the fight and the savage desire for death in the air.

"What are you? This... is not possible!" Hisoka finally spoke to deny the rising terror he felt from the sheer hopelessness he felt. He thrust at Oji with nothing but automatic reaction and sheer defiance.

Oji had been waiting for that stab, and allowed it to graze his left side as he stepped into Hisoka's space. Oji used his left arm to lock Hisoka's forearm against his left side as a sharp kick sent Hisoka to his knee. After that, a turn of Oji's body dislocated Hisoka's shoulder and elbow as a Black Palm ruined the hand holding the Origination Sword beyond recognition.

All this happened in less than a second, and caused Hisoka to scream in unimaginable agony. He did his best to swallow his pain as Oji held Hisoka's own Sword to his throat. Whimpers still escaped as his tormented arm hung facing the wrong direction at his side, ending in a mess of shattered bone and crushed flesh where his hand used to be.

Looking down the length of the blade at Oji, Hisoka couldn't help backing away until the tree behind him was uprooted and collapsed, tripping Hisoka. He tried to crawl away, but the High Origination sword that he had been so proud of ran through his calf and pinned his leg to the earth.

"Where do you think your going? I still need you to do something for me." Oji's amused voice cut into the scream of agonized pain. "You know full well you aren't leaving here alive. But you could simply die, quick and easy."

Hisoka's heart turned to water inside him. "Demon... that's what you are. You are an absolute Demon!" He screamed in a complex rainbow of emotions from anger to horror to regret. Why had he depended on a mere weapon as sufficient advantage against this demon!?

Oji grinned sadistically. He casually cut the tendons of Hisoka's ankle on the previously uninjured leg. "Don't interrupt. As I was about to comment, you could choose to be a vastly frustrating individual who refuses to cooperate and be slowly tortured to death instead."

Knowing this lunatic was serious, and that this demon was evil enough to enjoy every second of it, Hisoka was tripping over himself to agree to divulge everything he knew about Qin's current attack.

The interruption earned him a slice across his butt. "I just said not to interrupt me. Keep your mouth shut and do exactly as I tell you to do with exact precision. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" By this point Hisoka was honestly more scared of Oji than of dying.