Infernal Academia

Chapter 62 - Trayer's Righteousness: Part 6 (Broken Chains)

Click.

The hollow sound reverberated through Cobalt's skull as the revolver hammer snapped shut and the cylinder turned one sixth of a rotation.

Clang.

All around him, he heard the sound of chains shattering and demons screaming as they toppled off their chairs and to the floor.  Shaken, but alive.

Clunk.

The revolver struck the ground with a dull sound as it slipped out of the Incubus' hand.  He stood there with his eyes blankly staring ahead, his entire body tensed and rigid.  His heart was hammering and his breaths were coming short and fast, and yet he could not move.

He heard the sound of shoes striking concrete as someone ran up to him.

Smack.

A purple hand lashed forward from beyond the haze and struck Cobalt hard across the face.  As the Incubus fell back onto the floor, his vision cleared and his thoughts unstuck, allowing him to see Karazelle standing before him, hand outstretched as tears streaked down her cheeks.  She was holding his pen, having used its nib to saw through the tape binding her hands.

He lightly touched the stinging handprint.

"K- Karazelle...?" he breathed, shaking all over.

"S- Sugar...!  You...!"

Swallowing hard, the Succubus dove forward and wrapped her arms around him, bowling Cobalt onto his back.  Unsure of what to do, he just patted her back, his heart still hammering.  After a few moments, she pulled back and grabbed his cheeks with both hands.

"What were you thinking?!" she cried, her eyes already going red.

Glancing over at the discarded gun, Cobalt blinked a couple of times.

"I- I don't know..." he breathed.

A little ways away, Quinn picked herself off the floor and shook a switchblade out of her pocket.  Opening it with her teeth, she cut open her bindings and limped over to the dropped revolver.  Lifting it up, she swung the cylinder out and shook it, causing six brass casings to tinkle to the floor.

"Wanker loaded it with spent shells... What kind of fucking nutter are we dealing with here...?" the Imp breathed, tossing the weapon over her shoulder as she went to help Lottie with the tape around her wrists

Kicking her chair aside, Izzbelle marched across the basement floor, her eyes ablaze and her bindings already burning away.  Hoisting Karazelle off her teacher, she grabbed him by the throat and lifted him into the air.  She pinned him to the wall with one hand as she raised the other in a balled fist.

"How many times?!  How many times are you gonna fuckin' scare me like that?!  Do you really have a death wish, you fuckin' dumbass?!" she roared.

"I- Izzbelle...?!" he choked, limply kicking his legs.

"Did you not listen to a single fuckin' word I've told you?!  I don't want no-hurtin' you, least of all yourself!" the Oni cried, her eyes moistening despite her rage.

Her eyes widened upon hearing someone hiccup behind her.

"P- P- Please... s- stop fighting!"

Dropping the Incubus, Izzbelle whipped around to see Jelli lying on the flood, absolutely soaked by her own tears.  With puffy eyes and a streaming nose, she gazed pleadingly at Izzbelle and Cobalt.  Almost immediately, the Oni rushed to her side, leaving her teacher to pluck himself off the floor by himself.