Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume1 Chapter5 (section)

===Part 9===

"You... This... You—!"

Haruaki chopped at Peavey with all his strength. The sword itself also responded to him by offering its greatest speed. Shrouded in fury, Konoha made the most of the brief moment she had before she would faint from the sight of Kirika's blood.

Peavey's fist was already in motion as if about to smash Fear's head. With great precision, the black scabbard struck the fist, completely shattering the bones on the back of Peavey's hand—

"Guh—"

While she groaned in pain, the axe grip flew out of her hand at the same time.

Success! Damn her! Serves her right! Take that! Fear could feel violent and impure pleasure running amok inside her body. But only during this moment did she feel it was not bad at all. As long as she recalled the wicked deeds of this woman.

In that instant, the world appeared to be moving in slow motion.

Fear watched as the axe flew through the air as if progressing frame by frame. At the same time, she heard the woman's choppy cries.

The woman in the black dress, her arm dangling powerlessly. Saliva dripping from her mouth as she watched the end approach.

"—Ah, ah, ah, ah—"

But at this moment, the eyes which displayed intensely dark emotions transformed into the eyes of a beast.

Her groaning lips also began to roar like a wild beast.

"—Ngaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Then widening her mouth as if tearing it apart, she bit and held the grip of the flying axe between her teeth.

A number of her teeth broke and flew out. In spite of that, she continued to twist her neck, her torso half bent over, using a strange posture to wield the axe forcefully in her mouth with unbelievable speed and power—

Only one person was able to counter this berserk attack. Konoha murmured softly in apology, but it was not directed towards the woman.

(—I am sorry.)

In the next instant, this axe would surely bury itself into Fear—or Haruaki's body. Then there was no choice.

(Time to use the true Killing Counter—)

The true secret to the Killing Counter was not its destruction of weapons but the fact that it destroyed weapons and nothing else. In other words, it was simply a high-level technique of mercy born from her taboo and avoidance of bloodshed.

Provided she discarded any notion of mercy to release her true self, Konoha was able to destroy weapons with pure power alone rather than technique. But given such a level of force, what might result indirectly in the wake? Injuring—or even killing the opponent would not be surprising.

(Killing someone and seeing the blood I spilled, perhaps I might be cursed again. However... There is someone I refuse to let her murder no matter what!)

Consequently, she deliberately ignored the taboo of murder she had maintained for past decades and centuries.

For the instant this thought existed, she imposed it upon the past demon she had abandoned—

In order to put into practice a sword's proper yet wrong purpose, its one and only original duty, the white blade slid out of its scabbard.

(—True-Kill Counter!!)

The art of drawing the sword with superlative divine speed. A light flashed across Dance Time wielded in the enemy's mouth.

And the result was—something inevitable, something fortunate, and something unlucky happened.

As the axe blade was split in half like tofu, the broken piece flew in the air and shattered inevitably.

Having deflected the axe blade that could have slashed his throat, Haruaki was fortunate that only a mere layer of cells was shaved off his ear.

As if guided by some unseen force, the flying shrapnel from the shattered axe blade flew straight into one of Peavey's eyes—

A scream.

Konoha accepted her scream and bleeding. Even though they were caused indirectly, they still counted as her crimes.

Desperately, she suppressed her inner self which reveled in joy and nostalgia.



"It's over... Right? ...Konoha, are you okay?"

"Uh... Yeah. I'm fine."

"What about Fear?"

"I'm also... Fine... But that's not the most important right now!"

"Right, Class Rep, hang on there! I'll call an ambulance straight away—"

Peavey lay shuddering on the ground as she listened to these voices while she endured the pain assaulting her eye. The urge to laugh was the reason why she shuddered. How utterly stupid, she thought. Sliced through the chest and abdomen like dissecting a frog, surely that girl must already be dead. For them to care about something like that and turn their attention away from her, they were truly stupid. Right now, the location where she lay happened to be where she had thrown her gun. God must truly be stupid to have prepared such a delicate coincidence in her favor.

She felt the hard and solid sensation beneath her belly. Even with her hand broken she was still able to move a finger at least. No one was paying attention to her. The boy was located closest to her. A gun was unable to destroy Wathes, but given the situation, she would satisfy herself with abusing the boy at least!

"Hee—Haha... Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

Dragging out the gun under her belly by hooking it with a finger, she stood up. The gun barrel swayed unsteadily, but she could not possibly miss at this distance. All she needed to do now was press the trigger—With great surprise, the boy and the rotten box looked back at her as they gathered around the girl's corpse. How meaningless.

"Gahahahha! Go and die!"

Fear-in-Cube was too late to get between them. Even if the sword wanted to control the boy's body to run, there was not enough time to raise blade to deflect the bullet.

The bullet flew towards the boy's skull. Brain matter and blood spattered all around. The Wathes screamed to Peavey's great delight. Serves you right, serves you right, serves you right, serves you right! Because you underestimated humans—

Her delusions forcibly interrupted, Peavey stared wide in surprise.

Why?

The girl lying on the ground—

Why was she staring back with her head inclined?



The gunshot failed to sound out. Something had wrapped itself around Peavey's right arm. It was that black leather belt.

(Ahhh... Ahhh... Ahhh... Ahhh! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!)

Then all Peavey could see was something else. Something that brought a chill down her spine. She had previously mentioned to Mummy Maker that she hated long slender Wathes in particular. Especially when it was leather, black, and extending lengthwise, to her eyes—

It looked exactly like that which had caused her father to go mad, the frightful whip he used to abuse her.