Assassins and Angels

51: Night Market Arc; Harmonies of Destiny

"Sigils, get out of the way!" Nico yelled, and takes aim behind Sigils but cannot fire at the risk of hitting him. The demon forms a double-bladed dagger with his flesh and beats on a drum attached to him, summoning a powerful shockwave that sends Sigils flying back.

From the epicentre, five immense wooden dragons form and take Sigils with them high into the sky. As he struggles to hold on, the dragons attempt to crush him in their jaws, forcing him to leap and dodge them whilst riding their necks. He soon loses grip and nearly falls into one's jaws but was thankfully saved by Kate.

"I've got you!" Kate exclaimed.

The two lands to the ground and see a new demon before them. "Kate, you okay?!" Sigils asked, concerned.

With Kate nodding back, Sigils turns back to the demon, who denounces them as brutes who torment the weak, deeming them "awful villains".

Sigils is shocked to see a sixth demon but realizes he does not see or sense the other four demons. I'm confused. Nico thought. This demon was Birsha not long ago. What's going on...?

The moment Sigils's sword nearly slashed that tiny demon's neck... the Anger Demon raised both hands! And in the blink of an eye, he drew in the Joy Demon and the Pleasure Demon! He pulverized their flesh... that absorbed both demons! Then in another instant, the Anger Demon moved towards Acheron! Acheron opened his mouth as if to protest, but before he could even get a word out, he was absorbed! The Anger Demon's body transformed... and turned into that!

Abaddon furiously stares at him, shocking the assassin silent with his overwhelming aura and rendering it difficult to breathe. Nico too freezes in sheer terror and trembles uncontrollably at the sight of his power. The demon of hatred asks if he takes issue with his actions. Despite his fear, Sigils questions why he calls them the villains, to which Abaddon answers "It's because you torment the weak. Right? Just now, you tried to slash a small, weak being who could fit in the palm of your hand."

Hearing his words, Sigils angrily asks Abaddon on how he could even call that demon weak, remarking that they reek of the blood of hundreds of victims and demanding they stop playing the victim. Raising his blade and denouncing their actions twisted and unforgivable, the assassin declares he will sever his head.

Bemused, the demon of hatred asks if Sigils has finished speaking and wonders if he had devoured his relatives to get him so angry. When he does not concur, Abaddon believes his actions are justified and the assassin's is irrelevant. Sigils retaliates by saying that helping people does not need a reason, stating that someone like him could not possibly know. The insult strikes a nerve in Abaddon, causing him to beat his drum and send the dragons after the assassin.

Still trapped inside the water pot, Henwy determines that with the remaining oxygen in his lung, he can attempt to escape. But the blade does not pierce through the water. Somewhat expecting to be unable to escape with a thrust due to his chipped blade, Henwy resigns himself to his fate; he begins thinking about Jelly, telling his most trusted friend that he will die and meet him again and hoped that SSundee will send at least two assassins to assist him.

"What makes you think that?"

Unexpectedly, Sigils appears and asks why he thinks so, noting that no one can be sure of what the future holds. Henwy grows confused since Sigils had never spoken those words to him and wonders who did say them.

As Henwy's vision begins to fade, he realizes he will soon die, but Sigils tells him "You can't decide for yourself when it's all over." The assassin notes again that he had not spoken those words to him. As Sigils tells him to never give up and that someone will come to help him, Henwy remarks to himself, "So I have to leave it to someone else? That's the worst thing I could do." only to be told that since a single person can only do so much, being helped by others makes it easier. Henwy states that no one can help him since they are all weaker than him and instead, he should have done better, only to make a fatal mistake by overestimating his strength as an assassin. Sigils concurs with his statement but also tells him it will turn out okay.

Closing his eyes as he succumbs to suffocation, he hears something jabbing into the water pot.

"Henwy!"

Aiden desperately attempts to stab the pot with a knife and states, "I won't let you die!" though he fails to cut through. Watching his attempts, Henwy comments that the young smith won't be able to help him if even he couldn't slice it, claiming that Aiden should instead prioritize things other than him, such as the village chief and gathering swords to flee from the village. Suddenly, he sees behind Aiden is a bladed fish demon. He begins to bang on the pot to get his attention but the demon attacks, slashing Aiden's arms and shoulder.

Henwy begins to panic and tries to tell him to flee but the demon stabs Aiden in the solar plexus. Believing he will die, he is surprised when the smith begins to walk towards him, attempting to dissuade Aiden from helping him and to hold down his wound. Instead, Aiden touches the water pot and blows bubbles into it, which reaches Henwy and allows him to gain a breath. Sigils suddenly appears again, stating Jelly's words; "Whatever you do for others comes around to help you, as well, in the end."

A new individual then appears, telling Henwy that humans are creatures capable of unbelievable strength when helping each other; the mist clears and reveals the individual has green eyes. Now with the oxygen to unleash one more attack, the assassin successfully cuts through Dagon's pot. Now free, Henwy remarks that he finally understands why Sigils seems pivotal to him;

"I remember now, Sigils."

...

"You have the same..."

...

"Green eyes..."

...

"As my dad..."