Gift of a Miracle

Chapter 9

The number of Demons, including human Demons, had multiplied from the crowd of Tainted, but such a sight wasn't the only matters troubling Kazuki. There was another strange presence lingering around the warehouse for some time. It was as formidable as it was intimidating... an aura he'd never sensed before. Even though it'd recently faded from his sentience, the unsettling feeling still crawled within him. He had to deal with one issue at a time, and dealing with the magnitude of Demons before him whilst protecting Father Benjamin was his main priority.

He swirled around the priest, swiping his Holy weapon as the dark creatures approached thick and fast from almost all directions. Father Benjamin stretched out his silver cross in front of him as far as his arm could extend, whilst he continued the Chants unrelentingly. When they both positioned themselves back to back, Kazuki caught a glimpse of Jung still standing on the second step of the doorway within the stone ground, shooting his blunderbusses at the Demons surrounding him like there was no tomorrow, and still there was no sign of Iliana.

'Not a damsel in distress aye?' He scoffed.

His view on Jung was soon obscured when a handful of the human Demons lined in front of him. They all seemed to look alike in the black diaphanous material cloaking their tall figures. The only difference between them were the length and style of their ice, white coloured hair. Their ape like counterparts ceased their advances as the human Demons took the front-line position.

"You cannot defeat us Purifier... you are outnumbered." Said one whose unruly hair reminded Kazuki of a collapsed bird's nest.

"Number isn't always everything." Kazuki responded bitterly.

He lunged forward without a second thought, whipping his sword at his opponents. They moved swiftly away from his strikes. The floaty material enshrouding them made them appear like wisps of black smoke. Pairs of long clawed hands emerged from the waves of the gossamer like material. Kazuki bent backwards as low as he was able and managed to avoid them, whilst simultaneously swinging his sword over himself in almost a circular motion, paralleling his body movement. He struck three of them in one swoop. Streaks of white smoke delicately swayed within the midst of the dusty air before dissipating like the fading of a ghost. When he straightened his posture and pivoted around, he ran towards another incoming human Demon. Almost within an arm's length, the Demon leapt up into the air with his hands in position to attack him. However, Kazuki swerved away from the Demon's aim, spun around in a flash before penetrating the sword straight into the centre of the Demon's back.

Suddenly an almighty force struck him from behind, causing him to stagger into the white cloudy wisps from his recent Purification, and almost crashed onto the ground. He instantly placed a hand on the stone surface, flipped forwards and landed in a crouching position with the tip of his sword firmly set on the ground, giving him support. His back cried out with pain from the almighty force. The culprit was an almost bald headed human Demon with threads of white hair hanging from the back of his head. The other, Bird Nest, now stood next to Father Benjamin with his index finger caressing the priest's lips. The sounds of Jung's blunderbuss shots had also ceased giving a sense of quietude in the warehouse.

"Not bad for a mere Purifier!" Bird Nest hissed, still stroking Father Benjamin's lips like he was a pet. "Nonetheless... none of you cannot stop the chain that has already begun. The balance is unbalanced, and it will be your turn to become... history or forgotten!"

The remaining human Demons sniggered at Kazuki, whilst their counterparts growled in excitement. There were times when similarity between a Demon and human were almost undistinguishable.

"You speak as if you're the leader of the pack, but from my presumptions that is untrue... why won't your 'Master' emerge from the shadows and come and join this... exhilarating charade of yours, I know he's nearby... I've felt him lurking this damn place!"