"Hahaha, looks like the tables have finally turned," the demon chuckled as it landed on its feet.

  "Code!" Ryūma shouted, racing toward him, but he halted when he realized the demon was blocking his path. "Aww, man," Hina muttered, gripping her sword tighter. "No, Code!" Finn exclaimed, peeking into the hall. Blood spurted from the stump on Code's knee, drenching his floor crimson. His vision moved from the pool of blood beneath him to his severed leg twitching on the floor.

  "How does it feel, you bastard?" the demon purred. "How does it feel to be the one cut up, huh?"

  "It's painful," Code replied. "It feels like my energy is draining away with the blood."

  "Hahaha," the demon laughed.

  'Is this what Van meant by blood sorcery?' Code thought, his gaze darkening. 'Without blood, I'm practically useless. I can't do anything.'

  "Arrrgh, guess it's time I got rid of you," the demon said, raising a barrel to Code's face. "Try not to be so weak in your next life."

  "Shit," Code whispered, staring hopelessly down the barrel. "Am I really going to die this time?"

  The barrel cranked, releasing a spinning cannon barrelling toward Code's face. But suddenly, just centimeters from Code's inevitable end, a chilling aura descended, shaking the entire building.

  "Hnngh!" Code groaned. The pressure cracked the floor beneath him. "What is this?!" the demon exclaimed, looking up to the ceiling, barely standing against the immense force.

  "This power. Don't tell me..." Ryūma whispered. His chest thudded as he slowly turned.

  ...

  Meanwhile, back at the bar... "Thinking of it, has Hina ever entered the zero state before? Like, actually using that special disorder's power?" Ken asked, dropping a mug on the table with a loud clank.

  "Hmm," Van hummed in thought, his eyes darting lazily. "Yeah, a few times," he finally replied. "Oh?" Ken mouthed, tone dripping with mock surprise as he gulped his booze.

  "The first time was when we met, in some random village," Van began. "There were reports that the villagers were keeping a powerful demon's body as an artifact and passing its power down through generations. But by the time I got there," he continued, tone dropping to a dark whisper, "every villager was already dead."

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  "Woah," Ken interrupted, mouth falling open in shock.

  "Guess who was standing in the middle of the chaos?" Van said, shaking his head against the dizziness. "Hina?" Ken answered.

  "Yeah," Van nodded. "The power was passed down to her, and she used it to write everyone's death like it was a grocery list."

  ...

  "Hina," Ryūma muttered, swallowing hard as he fixed his eyes on her. Her entire body and sword were cloaked in darkness; her eyes were abysses of void. The darkness surrounding her was so dense she seemed to absorb the light. "Don't tell me she wants to use that technique," Ryūma whispered.

  "What? That power is coming from just her?" the demon said in disbelief, staggering backward. Hina stepped forward. Each footstep left trails of darkness on the floor. She passed Ryūma and spoke. "Five seconds."

  "H-Hina," Code whispered, his sight following her. Hina walked past him, eyes fixed on the demon. "Wh-what is she?" Code asked.

  "Code, you might wanna move back," Ryūma cut in, reaching him. "Huh?" Code blinked, visibly surprised and confused. "You don't want to get caught in her technique," Ryūma warned, helping Code to his feet. "It'd be instant death for you."

  "Ah?" Code's eyes widened. "Just watch. You'll understand," Ryūma replied. Hina reached the demon, her gaze cold and detached. "Y-you, what the hell are you?" the demon stammered, shivering. "Stay back!"

  Hina didn't reply. She simply raised her darkness-coated katana and pointed it at the demon. Then the dark chant began. "Heed my voice, thou who sleeps in the darkest abysses..." Every word etched terror into the atmosphere. The air grew taut with tension. "With my life force, I summon you, the author of fate..."

  "What? She's chanting?" the demon snarled. "Then I'll kill you before you finish!" Its gaze hardened, as it pointed barrels and blades forward. "Die!" the demon roared, lunging forward. But mid-lunge, Hina spoke again. "Aralyss Nyxvoria!"

  "The hell?!" The demon's eyes bulged at the name. Everything fell into a state of halt. Time slowed to zero. Hina's lips parted. "Dark Sphere: Vox Nihilia!" A dome of darkness descended from above, swallowing the two combatants.

  "Oh?" Code's system shook, as he stared at the dark barrier inches from his face. "Ever heard of special disorders, otherwise known as demon lords?" Ryūma asked, standing beside him.

  "Y-yeah," Code replied. "Demons are classified into five ranks: low-class, mid-class, upper-class, special class, and the ones at the apex, special disorders." His eyes narrowed. "Exactly," Ryūma nodded. "Only three are known to exist in Tenebrous, and the strongest of them all, Aralyss Nyxvoria; the author of death, is the one possessing Hina."

  "What?!" Code exclaimed, a mix of fear and disbelief strung across his face. Inside the dome, Hina swung her sword, splattering darkness across the floor.

  "Ha-ha-huh?" The demon's mouth opened in horror as it locked eyes on the enormous figure now standing behind Hina. She was cloaked in robes of darkness, her hair a deep blood-red, eyes glowing with bloodlust. In one hand she held a feather pen; and in the other, a massive tome. The demon's heart thudded, breath ragged.

  "Aralyss's power is simple," Ryūma continued. Hina began stepping forward, closing in on the demon. "Her power is instant death upon belief," Ryūma explained. "Anyone inside her sphere is forced into a death contract where they're dead if they believe it."