Chapter-10: Demolished

[Third Person's Point of View]

Augustus pushed aside his assailant's limp body with his left hand and slowly stepped out of the shadows. 

He straightened his posture, readjusting from the hunched position he was in before. Trying to appear nonchalant and casual, as if reaping lives was just another ordinary task for him,

Straightening to his 6'1, he approached his group of targets with a slow and deliberate pace. This was a tactic to put psychological pressure on them, making him appear more intimidating. Judging from their facial expressions, it seemed to be working effectively.

'A coward through and through Paul', Augustus sneered in his mind as he lifted his arm and extended his finger, pointing directly at the leader of the group. His cruel sense of humor was evident as he singled out Paul as his target.

Paul's anger seemed to reach a boiling point as he erupted in a fit of rage and barked orders at his followers, "All of you, GET HIM NOW!!!"

Without hesitation, five of the enemy combatants emerged from their spot behind Paul and rushed towards the figure dressed in black. Their eyes were filled with fear as they cautiously observed his every move.

In just two seconds, they closed the gap between them and their target, fists and knives drawn from pockets, pounding and slashing at him.

Much to their frustration, the mysterious figure deftly evaded all of their attacks, moving effortlessly between slashes and punches. In response, he delivered a powerful punch that sent one of the goons flying into the tunnel wall.

For a brief moment, the battle paused as both sides took a step back, creating some space between them.

The devil who had crashed into the wall let out a groan and struggled to stand, his hand gingerly rubbing over his injured ribs. The force of the punch had clearly caused some broken bones, as he winced in pain every time he touched the area. It was evident that he had sustained at least a couple of fractured ribs.

Paul's expression conveyed his disbelief as he witnessed the unfolding scene in front of him. The hooded attacker appeared to possess incredible strength, much more than him. That's why Paul hesitated to join in the fight, hoping that the other individuals would be enough to overpower their opponent.

After observing the short interaction between the masked attacker and his companions, he realized that in order to have any chance of surviving the fight, he had to get involved.

Now, with all of his adversaries prepared for battle, Augustus let out a heavy sigh and drew out the chokuto that was attached to the back of his black bodysuit. The hood he wore partially covered the sword's hilt, but it was still easily accessible.

Shing

Augustus tightened his grip on the chokuto in his right hand, admiring it for a brief moment before refocusing his bright amethyst eyes on his opponents. With a gesture from his free left hand, he invited them to come forward.

Unwilling to back down from such a provocation, Paul and his companions let out a fierce battle cry and charged towards their opponent.

Each of them strengthened their bodies with powerful demonic energy, but Paul took it a step further by enveloping his right palm in a searing layer of fire, ready to scorch anything it came into contact with.

Augustus remained composed, observing as the space shortened between them. The enemy's clenched fists, sharp knives, and hands coated in a searing layer of fire came at him faster than before, but the outcome was unchanged.

Augustus swiftly evaded each attack, using minimal movements and efficiency, before launching his own counter-attack.

Thanks to his recent promotion to sequence-9 and the Strong Body and Keen Instincts enhancement, his movements had elevated to a whole new level. It was as if he had acquired a supercharged Sixth Sense, moving with fluidity and agility, dodging all of the deadly attacks with ease as if they were nothing more than child's play. 

And then came the untried High-Grade Killing Mastery appeared, an illegal advantage in itself.

Killing Mastery gave him instant access to vital information and strategies, highlighted through dots or lines on his opponent's body. These markings disclosed weak points and provided instructions on how to take advantage of them. It also revealed the most effective areas to strike in order to kill, disable, or cause excruciating agony.

Augustus was truly shocked.

He had the power to end the battle at any second, but that would go against his intention of fighting today.

His primary motivation was to cause pain, and inflict twice as much as he had received from Paul. Secondly, he wanted to test his newly acquired abilities on real adversaries. However, if he ended the fight too soon, neither of these goals could be achieved.

So the capabilities of Killing Mastery truly took Augustus by surprise, as he noticed the uncanny resemblances between this skill and the Mystic Eye of Death Perception.

With the addition of his High-Grade Weapon Mastery, he was confident in his ability to exploit any weaknesses and death-lines that he observed with maximum efficiency.

Augustus expertly executed six precise strikes while gracefully evading the attacks of Paul's six henchmen. Each strike severed a killing line, disabling the lackeys and ending the confrontation.

The fight came to a halt as the six individuals slumped to the ground, immobilized and bloodied. They were helpless and would slowly succumb to their inevitable demise.

Paul stopped his attack as he surveyed the bloodied bodies of his henchmen scattered on the ground. A wave of panic and fear consumed him, dreading his immediate future

He gazed at the figure standing before him, wrapped in a hooded cloak. The clothes were still immaculate, just like they were when he first appeared. There wasn't a single drop of blood on his body, except for the red liquid oozing from his chokuto and falling to the ground.

"NOO...Leave me alone!", Paul's terrified screams reverberated through the desolate tunnel, pleading for mercy and begging to be left alone. With each step he took, his feet stumbled backward in a desperate attempt to escape the looming figure creeping closer and closer. 

The deep voice responded with a simple "no" as Augustus moved closer to the trembling Paul, relishing in the sight of genuine despair on his old enemy's face.

Paul's hands trembled as he watched the figure continue its relentless approach. With a shaky breath, he summoned a small ball of fire in his palm and hurled it towards the dark figure before making a run for the entrance of the underground pass on the opposite side hoping to escape.

As soon as he started running, he felt a sharp painful slash across his back and fell face-first onto the floor.

"ArgHHhh"

Anguished screams filled the tunnel, reverberating off the walls as Augustus stood over Paul's fallen body. Paul's muscles were seizing up, unable to fight off the paralysis spreading through his body.

Tears and snot streamed down Paul's face as he begged for mercy once more. "Please, I don't understand. Why are you doing this? I've never even met you!"

Augustus crouched down and violently jerked Paul's body, forcing him onto his back, now facing him with his piercing amethyst gaze locking onto Paul's brown eyes. Delicately, he pulled off his black, snug-fitting mask that concealed the lower half of his face.

Paul's voice trembled as he pleaded with the boy in front of him. "A-Augustus, it's really you, right? Please don't do this. We've been f-friends since school." The boy standing before him now wore a stoic and emotionless expression that made Paul question if he truly was the person he thought him to be.

If it weren't for his distinct eyes and still somewhat familiar facial structure, Augustus would have been unrecognizable to him. The amethyst-eyed boy had transformed so much in the past four months that Paul could have easily mistaken him for someone else.

Usually hosting a fearful or pained expression when confronted by Paul's gang, the unfamiliarly familiar emotionless face shifted for the first time during the whole ordeal to a deranged smile, sending shivers down Paul's spine.

"Paul, my man, we are more than just friends. We're best friends, especially after all you've done for me during my 'tough times'," Augustus exclaimed with a smile, tilting his head in a playful manner. "That's why I'm here in person, to show my appreciation. You gotta admit, you're pretty grateful yourself, right Paul?"

"Please don't. There is no nee-"

Augustus's cheerful voice rang out as he positioned the straight blade of his chokuto above Paul's head with his right hand. "No, I insist," he said firmly.

As Paul faced his impending demise and saw no possible escape, he let out a piercing scream in one last desperate effort to cling onto life.

"You think you can get away with this?!? I belong to the notorious RICO gang, the most feared group in this entire area. You have no idea what you're up against. We won't let you leave here ali--."

Paul squeezed his eyes shut as Augustus drove the blade down with a dangerous gleam in his eyes, cutting short his last desperate attempt to defend himself.

Paul's mind raced as he awaited the inevitable pain that never came. Was he already dead? He could still feel the terrible sensation from the cut on his back, reminding him of the danger he was in. Glimmers of hope flickered within him as he wondered if his attempt to bargain with his attacker had been successful. Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw the sharp blade hovering just a centimeter from piercing his skull, perfectly aimed between his eyebrows. 

Feeling a sense of relief that his ultimatum seemed to have the desired effect, Paul consciously relaxed his tense facial muscles and was about to speak when Augustus's deep voice interrupted him once again.

"I'll send them right after you".

He was unable to process the sentence before sharp agony consumed him, as Augustus forcefully plunged the blade into his skull.

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Author-san here!!!

I made some changes to the timeline of the story moving it from 2006 to 2016. Don't worry, the DXD cannon remains the same, starting after 2 years. I did it to better accommodate the JJK and other minor crossover timelines.

BTW, here's my new update schedule.

1 chapter each on - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.

That's 4 chapters a week. Woohoo.

And If you guys meet the power stone goal of the chapter, I'll post an extra chapter.

Let's get to 40 Powerstones for this chapter guys and I'll post a chapter tomorrow

And don't forget to comment your thoughts and leave a review if you like the story so far.

C'Ya