Chapter 137: Death's Stranding

"Michael... That's his name, I'll get my revenge for losing to that son of b*tch, and kill him to avenge everyone they killed..." That's what I said when I found out about my parent's death when I woke up.

Michael, the strongest Archangel of Yahweh, as Millie and I were running I saw him raising his sword above and right in front of me, he beheaded my parents.

On that day, I felt something; a fit of unquestionable anger that I cannot understand, deep inside of me I felt a strong sting as I watch my parent's head fall slowly to the ground.

And that's when it happened, without knowing anger soon overcame my entire body, I was blinded by the amount I felt for Michael that I didn't realize I almost got Millie hurt.

I became a mindless beast that fought and defeated nine of the ten Archangels of Yahweh, if Michael didn't intervene I would've killed all nine of them unknowingly that I did it.

I guess this is what they meant like father like son, like him, I became a beast that even the strongest of the angels feared, but in the end, I'm not like him.

Legitimately, I'm the most useless guy there is, I was all talk when I said that I'm gonna kill the Archangel Michael, but here I am right now... It has been a couple of months since I made that remark, yet... Yet, looking at myself right now I haven't killed an enemy.

I've watched my people die when we fought Satanael's army and I couldn't do anything to protect them, if I was with them I know that I can't protect them due to my pettiness.

I'm unable to kill anyone, even if it's the most twisted enemy I'll meet, I won't be able to kill him. No matter how evil or good my enemies are, no matter what gender they are, no matter how old they are, or no matter how many people they've hurt or helped, I won't be able to find myself to kill them.

So I'll just watch, no matter how many times I watch my people die I cannot do a single thing because I'm too weak to kill even a single enemy.

I'm just a hypocrite who acts tough.

My life is nothing but full of pretending that I've become absorbed in those forged memories, I'm a demon yet I act like I'm human. No matter what anyone would say, even if it's my friends or the Gods, I just cannot bear seeing myself as a different race other than human.

I've lived my life for 18 years as a human; happiness- my smiles with Homura, Asahi, and Miyu, sorrow- the death of my adoptive parents, anger- when the only relative I've met; Aquamarine left, and pride- when I saved Ayame from that truck.

All of those emotions and others are what I've felt when I was human, is very hypocritical of me, every tough word I'm saying is just making me contradict myself.

Really... I'm too weak, I'm not like the others... I'm not like those who are strong, yet why do they-

"Haruki, did something happen? You spaced out when I was about to explain what you're going to do." Beelzebub asked worriedly. "You can't just space out now, we have no time to lose. Now come."

He grabbed my hand and handed me a knife. "The blade of this knife is made out of a material called Adamantite, you've heard of that name before right?"

"Yes, it's that mythical ore that's said to be harder than diamond right? I've seen it many times in video games and Millie mentioned it to me once."

"Good, looks like I don't need to explain what Adamantite is, but let me teach you something about it too. In myth, Adamantite is mentioned in Greek Mythology, it is said to be the strongest mineral there is. The former King of the Titans Cronus once used a harpe made out of Adamantite to defeat his father Uranus; the Greek Hero Perseus also used a harpe made out of Adamantite to slay the youngest Gorgon Medusa, not only that but the gate of Tartarus is also made out of Adamantite too."

"So what you're saying is this knife can easily defeat a God?" Then why didn't he tell me when I first met him? No, if he knows then why didn't the others tell me then? We would've easily defeated Zeus right now.

"Well it is good for killing Gods, as you know Gods are immortal- both in the body and the soul, the only way for a God to die is if another God killed them or a weapon with divine attributes killed them, and Adamantite weapons are a good example. But that's not what I wanted to show you."

Beelzebub grabbed the knife in my hand and cut his finger with it, the moment it bled I saw the cut start to let out steam when I took a closer look I saw that the moment the blood got out of the finger that's when it turns to steam.

"As you can see my blood is evaporating immediately, if a God gets injured by this Adamantite knife then they would bleed normally as anyone would, but if someone dead like me were to get cut, this is what happens."

"I see..." Wait, what did he say? "Now that I think about it, how the h*ck are you bleeding if you're dead?"

"Then how am I able to talk to you? Right now, I'm nothing but a dead spirit, so I'm still kinda alive because spirits have a special structured body, I don't have time to explain the rest so just ask Ifrit or Millie once you go back to Hell."

"Okay, then why are you showing me this?"

Beelzebub smiled mischievously. "Fairy dust, that's the main material we need to get the two of you out of here, and the only way to get one is you know what."

My heart stopped and I started to sweat, my body shakes from fear because I tried my best to forget what he said. "No! There's no way I'll kill someone!" I shouted, angry at what he has said.

Just imagining killing someone is making me insane already, the way the blood flows out of the body if I kill someone makes me feel sick.

"Really? Then how do you suppose to get out of here if you won't kill? Remember, once you get out of here and fight the Gods back in Japan, killing is a must." Beelzebub stared at me with strong judgment, he was clenching the knife in his fist, looking like he was about to stab me with it.

I was still shaking from what he asked me to do I couldn't answer his question, so I looked down at the ground and avoided the glare he was giving me.

"Haruki Hotaru! Look me in the eyes and answer my question!" He shouted, his vein was already popping out of his head and his hand shaking as he holds the Adamantite knife.

I continued to look down at the ground- still shaken, my breathing started to rapidly move, sweat started to pour profusely, and I was covering my mouth to stop myself from puking.

"I won't kill, I won't kill, I won't kill, I won't kill, I won't kill, I won't kill, I won't kill, I won't kill, I won't kill, I won't kill, I won't kill, I won't kill, I won't kill." I continuously muttered

Beelzebub looked at me with pure disappointment in his eyes. "I see... You're the current King of Hell, yet you act like you're human, truly... Why did Lucifer even choose you? Haruki Hotaru..."

My eyes started to shake and I look at Beelzebub's eyes, I could see them filling with bloodlust and rage, seeing this I knew immediately what he was planning.

I jumped away immediately, and as I jumped away my chest got cut. "Argh!" I fell on the trees- hitting back first. "What's this..? It hurts..." I looked at my chest and saw my blood evaporating.

Seeing this I realized what has happened, my body is back in Japan which means this body of mine is just a manifestation of my original body, hence why the Adamantite knife can damage my body easily.

"The passion to feel human... Why does humanity always get chosen? No matter how much I try, no matter what I do no one recognizes me..." Beelzebub fell to his knees and the ground started to freeze. "Ohh, how come humanity always gets chosen by the Gods? Oh, how I envy them, truly... I wish I was in their position... Oh, how I envy them."

I froze from tea rod what I'd heard, this was now I realized that the man I was talking to wasn't Beelzebub, but an impostor.

So that's why he seems oddly suspicious, when we were entering the forest I looked behind to check on the butterfly and saw it continuing its journey toward Asherah and Beelzebub, so I'm freaking stupid to just let the butterfly go.

And this impostor isn't someone I can mess with, his mannerism and the way he talks, not only hat but when he fell on his knees the ground froze, which means this isn't Beelzebub at all instead it's the Demon of Envy Leviathan.

"Wh-" My heart skipped a beat, it was again this weird sensation when I first met her at Mt. Levi, a weird type of combination of fear and nervousness that's like stabbing me in my heart.

My body was shaking tremendously and I couldn't move, as I stare at her coming closer to me I can see that my vision is starting to darken.

"Your cowardice, your wrath, your weakness, your inferiority, your jealousy, how... How pitiful..." Her body changed back to the same body that I saw back on Mt. Levi, her clothes started freezing and she took a single step toward me.

As soon as she took a step my entire lower body froze instantly, leaving me unable to escape once my strength comes back.

"Oh, how enviable... I envy the way you act like you are human, how gracious... I ask you little one, why are you inferior to everyone else?"

"In- Inferior..?" Doesn't she already know the answer to that question? She saw that I didn't take the knife because I was afraid to kill someone, that's all there is to that question.

"Answer my question, little one."

"You've already seen it yourself, I can't kill someone- Argh!"

My right leg was frozen solid and exploded, not a single part of my right leg could be found, and not even any of my bones or blood are to be seen on the ground.

Not only that but blood isn't coming out of my leg, Leviathan froze the wound shut to make sure I wouldn't lose any blood, but the freezing temperature of the ice is making my injury worse.

But that doesn't matter right now, I'm confused about why she decided to remove my leg.

"Incorrect, let me ask you again little one... Why are you inferior to everyone else?" She went closer to me and kneeled in front of me.

I was confused, my answer was right yet she said it was incorrect, so what kind of answer does she want?

This is bad... I'm currently unable to act, fighting her is just a quick way to suicide, and answering wrong is gonna be painful, no matter what I do I can't escape my fate.

Like they said death is inevitable, if I wasn't useless like everyone else then this wouldn't have happened, if only I wasn't inferior to anyone then I wouldn't get killed right now!

"Answer too late..."

"Argh!" My left leg exploded and both of my arms were now frozen solid like my legs before.

I can't believe this, I have to answer quickly or else she would continue to kill me slowly.

Come on think of an answer Hotaru Haruki! There's still a chance! I can't just die yet! As the King of Hell, as the Hero of mankind, what makes me inferior to everyone else?! What makes the person who the Gods are fighting for inferior to everyone else!?

No matter how much the Gods fight for me! No matter how much fate saves me! No matter how much everyone thinks highly of me! I'm just me, there's nothing special about me that stood out from the rest of the other living beings.

Every living being in this world, whether it'll be animals, humans, Gods, or devils everyone has a talent of their own.

There's no such this as a talentless person, everyone has a hidden talent that is just locked inside their heart, and that's what makes everyone the children of the Gods!

Yet what is something that's pulling me away. from that talent that the Gods seek?

"Too late..."

My right arm exploded and I puked out a lot of blood, my breathing is getting heavier and I was getting nauseous.

Sh*t! I don't have the time to lose consciousness, because if I did that's game over! I need to keep strong! I can't show Leviathan that I'm weak! I need to show her that I'm worthy to be the King and Hero of my people!

"Little one..." Her face was surprised that I wasn't still giving up despite losing a lot of blood already. "Such determination is enviable, if only you can keep up with this act then you're able to outpower even the Gods."

Keep this act? What does she mean? No, I got it...

How didn't I figure it out?! The answer was already a dead giveaway every time my friends got injured or I fight in a battle, because of this I keep losing, this is why Ruri calls me weak! Now that I know what it is, I need to keep moving forward, I can't give in to this anymore! I need to be stronger to be the ideal King and Hero of my people!

"The answer is I always let my emotions get the best of me!"