“I think they have something of a grudge against you now,” continued Semiazias conversationally. “Especially after you killed two of them. Oh — and your pet Hellhound didn’t help either. Seems he was a bit of an inconvenience. Caused them to lose your trail for a bit there. Not that it wasn’t sorted out in the end. I don’t think your Hellhound will be around anymore to help you out. They made sure of that.”
Sam felt his rage building at that. If the jibe about their mother hadn’t hit home, this certainly had. Yeth had been his only friend and these creatures, had killed him. They would pay. Oh yes. They would pay alright. He let his rage take over, enjoying the sensation as his eyes turned red. He had something like less than three minutes until the airstrike. Three minutes to hurt these demons as much as he could. In three minutes, the smirk on his brother’s face would be wiped off forever.
“Come on then,” he snarled, drawing his swords.
The Devil’s Hand didn’t need a second invitation. They advanced, their faces grim, both male and female with swords already in their hands. His brother and the two Succubi looked on, appearing to enjoy the spectacle, much like sports fans at a game. Sam thought he recognized two of the Cambions, marking them for the ones he had already killed. They would be the stronger ones — the two he would have to watch.
Their tactics were simple but also incredibly effective. The moved to surround him, to attack him from all angles, making it all but impossible for him to defend. They hadn’t counted on his whirlwind attack though — an attack specifically designed for this scenario. They weren’t aware of it — how could they be having never encountered it before? And they were supremely confident in their abilities. Why wouldn’t they be? Even if they failed this time, they could come back at him again and again. Death was no hindrance for them. It would, on the other hand, be a severe setback for Sam.
Unbidden, the words of Miyamoto Musashi came to him, words that applied to situations just like this: There are many enemies applies when you are fighting one against many. Draw both sword and companion sword and assume a wide-stretched left and right attitude. The spirit is to chase the enemies around from side to side, even though they come from all four directions.
He moved faster than he ever had in his life. Desperation lent him more strength and speed than he’d thought possible. And what had the Watcher told him? That he had more power than he knew. Perhaps it was time to show it — to truly embrace his heritage and the power that it entailed. It was time to even the odds.
The move was devastating. To the human eye, Sam was a whirling dervish, both swords almost invisible, seemingly everywhere at once. Sam felt both blades bite deep — his Katana straight through the torso of one of the Cambions, while his Wakizashi almost decapitated a second. Both demons disappeared. Neither one of them were the ones he’d killed before. Worse luck.
He straightened, feeling drained and sluggish. The great exertion had cost him. Sensing his weakness, the three remaining Cambions attacked together — two from either side and one from the rear. The one to his left — a female — seemed just that much slower than the others. He blocked her attack with one of his shorter blade, sweeping it to the side and plunged his Katana through her eye. She had time to emit one shriek before she disappeared.
The move didn’t come without a price. He danced away, spinning, sensing the attacks, but his arms felt heavy. A blade slashed through his upper arm, all the way through to the bone. Immediately, he felt the deadly draining effect from the hell-blade. That was from the male Cambion. The sword carried on down on an angle, leaving a bloody trail across his body, ripping open his hoodie all the way to his waist. He felt and then heard something drop from his pocket and onto the floor. His last remaining frag. Sam’s attention was distracted for the briefest of moments. It was all the time the other Cambion needed. The female suddenly spun on her heel. As she did so, she crouched down. In Sam’s weakened state, it was an attack that was impossible to resist.
Her blade bit through both of his shins. He cried out in pain and staggered, barely deflecting another blow that would’ve taken off his head otherwise, casting around desperately for his lost grenade. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw it, rolling towards his brother’s desk, just as one of the Succubi (was it Lilith? — he couldn’t be sure) bent down to pick it up.
Sam knew he only had seconds remaining. Seconds before the airstrike. Seconds before the last two remaining members of the Devil’s Hand finished him off. Either way, he’d be dead. Sam leapt backwards, mustering as much energy as he could, giving himself as much space as he could between them.
Over the shoulders of the two advancing Cambions, he saw the Succubi lift up his grenade and smile at him, gloating. She mouthed the words ‘Looking for this?’ at him.
He could hardly lift his swords now; his life blood was leaving him, draining onto the expensive rug. He felt nauseous. The two Cambions were raising their swords, smiling in anticipation of the kill. Somewhere outside, he heard a roar and he knew what it was — knew that it spelled death.
Despite his weakness, he reached out with his mind, feeling for the object, willing it to move with all his might. At the last second, his brother realized what he was doing. His eyes went wide with terror.
“No!” Semiazias bellowed, lunging for the Succubi and the object she held in her hand. The she-demon turned towards the noise of her master, missing the fact that the pin on the grenade she was holding had somehow… fallen out.
Both Cambions also turned at the noise. Sam realized an opportunity when he saw one. Lunging as fast as he was able, he hurled himself through the wall-length window, just as the frag detonated. As he flew out the window, surrounded by a rapidly expanding cloud of glass shards, a much larger detonation suddenly erupted, the shockwave kicking with the force of what felt like an elephant landing on him.
The ground was lurching up towards him at terrifying velocity. Even in his losing battle with consciousness, he knew there was iron beneath him. The impact would kill him. There was no doubt in his mind. As he tumbled and fell, Sam started to smile. It had been worth it though. Some good had come of this. At least he’d killed his brother.
The thought comforted him as he plummeted to his death. Other faces appeared in his head: Aimi, his mother, Hikari, Yeth, Grace, his father and brother. All the people he’d saved. Those he considered friends. Where he was going, he wasn’t going to see any of them ever again. He doubted whether the eternal sea of fire encouraged visitors.
As he lost consciousness, he realized his mind must have been playing tricks on him because he felt hands on him. Hands that were soft but incredibly strong. Hands that lifted him up, carrying him gently towards the clouds that raged and boiled above.
Epilogue
Heaven
“ To open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” Acts 26:18
A ttack.”
Aimi did just that, her movements lithe, balanced, light as a dancer’s, doing as Hikari bid.
Sam waited calmly, trying not to grin, knowing that Aimi had really taken the previous night’s lesson to heart. Hikari had read from his favorite textbook on swordplay — Miyamoto Musashi’s, Book of Five Rings. The passage had been about the environment and how to use it to your advantage. Aimi, with her usual academic brilliance, had memorized every last word.
She stood with the descending sun behind her, knowing full well the effect it had on Sam. A normal opponent would’ve been at a disadvantage, their vision impaired by the light in their eyes. With Sam, it was compounded, his eyes much more sensitive to daylight. He squinted, keeping his eyes downcast, using his peripherals to track her movements.
Behind and to Sam’s right was the training rack. Aimi came in from his left, trying to force him that way. Sam almost laughed. It was a textbook maneuver, straight out of Musashi. When the fight comes, always endeavor to chase the enemy around to your left side. Chase him towards awkward places, and try to keep him with his back to awkward places.
She knew that Sam would have to watch his footing as he backed away, conscious of the obstacle behind him. He thought of a few tactics to counter her. Musashi’s tactics. Foremost amongst them was to dash in quickly,
