BANG!
Seth screamed in horror as their assailant's head had a small bullet in the shape of a black ball going through the side of her skull before flying across the vast forest and landing somewhere in the darkness while letting the blood squirt into the air. He gasped in shock with trembling hands as the girl fell on her side, landing with a loud thud after being killed.
His eyes widened in sight at the person responsible for this action, a silhouette cowboy with smoke escaping from the barrel of his musket. Pieces of puzzle start to connect on what is going on when the familiar boy steps out of the dark with a frown before commenting to the surprised Seth and Genno, "Took you long enough to finish that bitch!" Loudly remarked at the situation they landed themselves in.
"B...Billy?!" Seth yelled in disbelief as he recognized the person who had just shot their attacker dead in front of their very eyes. But before he could question this strange turn of events, the latter ignored him and was strictly focused on the corpse.
"She ain't dead," he confirmed, taking a couple steps forward with a wary expression. "Look at her," he said, glancing sideways to his friends who stood there and watched him carefully. "She's standing up." The answer shocked them when their eyes focused back on the girl.
Rose casually got up despite having a bullet piercing through the side of her head like it was nothing, where a visible hole could be seen but nonetheless intact with the rest of her skull. As expected, the little serial killer grinned and examined the new wound with her fingertips before withdrawing them with a smile and saying, "Thanks for the gift; I will cherish this forever," expressing her gratitude to the blond boy who raised his bayonet in the air, fully intending to put an end to her miserable existence once and for all.
But Seth was in disbelief of how anyone can survive that, let alone have a projectile enter through someone's brain and come out normal. Something about that girl is inhuman. "Wait!" Calling her out in hopes of getting the girl's attention, "Why are you so eager to fight us? There is no reason to hurt one another!" He stared intensely at her as he tried to understand her intentions.
Tilting her head innocently, she said, "I'm an assassin, silly! That's my job to kill people!" Unhesitatingly confessed in the most cheerful way possible while having blood leaking down from the left side of her head, "Of course, you three aren't exactly the people I expected to kill," giggling insanely at the very fact that they are a pretty interesting bunch.
He doesn't understand the point of all of this. Can't everyone just get along with each other? Why must there be senseless violence that leads to killings and all the bad stuff? What's the purpose of being violent when good people always get hurt and ignored?
Moreover, she reminds him of Cinder in terms of his jovial attitude, minus the psychopathic behavior this assassin is displaying. It is unnerving how similar their personalities are but different in terms of upbringing and morality. "If we talk this out peacefully, violence is never—"
"Cut off with that bullshit already!" Having gotten enough of his friend's peaceful antics, Billy is beyond showing mercy or reason after learning she was associated with the monsters who murdered his mentor in cold blood: "I'm going to shoot that kid a hundred more times before I rip her limbs one by one and cut her head off!" He shouted angrily at Seth before turning his musket's sights on the maniacal assassin.
Lost of words, Seth had never seen him this angry in his life; something had happened to him, and he himself doesn't understand the reason why. But when he stared into the blonde's eyes, there was only grief and revenge, overcoming any common sense that Seth had tried to make in regards to understanding his feelings.
"RAAAAGHHHH!"
Powered by hate and revenge on those who were responsible for killing one of the very people he was close with, he charged towards her with a musket in both hands, the bayonet aiming in her direction as he moved swiftly through the grassy ground with adrenaline rushing through his veins.
Unflinching from this situation, Rose calmly observed Billy running towards her. She found this rather curious for all the families of her victims that wanted revenge. This peculiar boy has so much hate within him to kill her in such a reckless manner. Perhaps she can indulge herself a little longer to learn the reason why.
Before the sharp bayonet reached her where her beating heart is, Rose swiftly dodged at the side without much trouble, surprising him in the process as she picked up the knife and aimed it directly at the back of his head, ready to stab through his skull to commit instant execution.
Luckily for him, Genno stepped in and grabbed her arm as he violently twisted the limb as far as he could make it go, effectively snapping it in two while also receiving a kick at his own jaw from her sudden attack that was strong enough to knock him into the air before landing in a heap of painful groans.
Looking at her own dangled arm, where the bone is poking out of the skin at the elbow, she coldly stared at it with indifference, not making any comments or emotions other than staring at her injury in complete silence about the damage Rose had gotten from him.
This is the first time she was seriously hurt, and it affected her to the core.
Callous laughter came from behind, turning around to see panting Billy with a devilish smirk of satisfaction plastered on his face. "How does it feel to have your own arm broken, huh?" He mockingly shouted with arrogance, "This is what happened to monsters like you who mess with the likes of me!" Angrily pointing his weapon at the seemingly annoyed girl, he said, "Come at me then!" Provoking her while remaining vigilant in case she decides to use an unexpected attack
Seth stared at the scene before him with an anxious display, unable to find a way to peacefully end this terrific fight without anyone getting seriously hurt or killed. He almost gagged in disgust after seeing her broken arm, making him nauseous and wondering how no one here seemed to be affected by it.
"Lost for words?" Thrilled at finally getting under her skin, he continued taunting this immortal assassin, "To scared of answering?! I know I broke that arm of yours, and don't deny it!" Mocking her further, "I did this, and I'm not afraid of doing it again, all for what you and those bastard monsters have done to Guan Yu!"
Guan...Yu? Despite being terrified beyond measure by the situation they are currently in, Seth was confused by what his American companion had just said. He was even scared enough to ask what happened to the man everyone in the group has looked up to as both a leader, a father figure, and a mentor.
Is that the reason why he is so angry? He thought, trying to piece together the puzzle of witnessing the hate in his friend's eyes. Maybe they did something to make the old man disappear? They did something to their mentor, and now he's missing? Whatever the case may be, he will soon uncover the truth as he watches Genno slowly get up from the ground.
Instead of her usual cheerful demeanor, Rose was not smiling nor saying anything aside from her very long stare towards Billy, as the girl's very aura was now emitting deadly intent while still not saying anything other than her expressionless look in her red eyes.
Slightly unnerved by this, he tried to lighten the mood for himself by continuing his never-ending assaults of insults: "Did I cut your tongue?" Taunting once again without fearing the consequences, "I can't take being mocked!" Finding entertainment in watching her reactions, "accept that I beaten the crap out of you and that's all you'll ever be; nothing but trash, bottom feeders that are scums of earth!" She continued to berate the assassin as she kept her mouth shut, angering him in the process.
As he was about to make another insult, she suddenly left an afterimage in where she stood before immediately appearing just in front of him faster than the eye can see as a second knife was briefly seen on her other uninjured arm, which she quickly plunged at the boy's left shoulder in a blink of an eye.
Shouting in pain, Billy instinctively pulled out the crucifix from his leather bag and proceeded to momentarily stab where her bullet injury was, causing her to feel an unusual experience of pain she had never thought she would experience as she screamed in agony before he pulled the cross away and kicked her away.
As she fell on the ground, the feeling of being burned alive lingered throughout her soul of memory in seeing her own old home being burnt to ashes while the only person she loved dearly bellowed through the fires that engulfed her grandparent, "Rose, run away while you still can! Don't worry about me, just run!" Her own grandma's voice echoed through the flames as her past self wailed in pure despair, watching everything she had disappear right in front of her, burning down in horrible screams as Rosie could do nothing but watch.
Indifference turned to madness and rage of having to remember her human self as she stood up after her fall, despite the dangling arm; she wasn't smiling nor blank, simply angry like how Billy felt when losing someone very important in their life.
"You feel it to," a cold tone spoke through the gritted teeth of the blond boy as her eyes are narrowed in pure hatred. "The sadness, the pain, the loss; it consumes you, eating away at your very heart as it rots away into nothing," visibly shaking with cold tears in having to be reminded by this. "How does it feel to lose something precious, you fucking monster?" Billy pointed his bayonet towards the assassin as it shines brighter than any flame around them.
Tears falling through the side of her face, the assassin gave him a deadly glare of nothing else but the need to finish this. "Your no fun," was the only thing she said before sprinting through the ground at lightning speed, charging in his direction with eyes locked in on his position.
His smart enough to know he can't win against her in terms of her agility and speed, but with the help of Genno, he won't have to fight this battle alone when his ally managed to appear beside him, clashing his knuckles with her incoming knife as he himself ducked in order for her to miss the target of her attack.
Genno's fist landed on her face while the knife harmlessly sliced the edge of his left cheek, completely missing its mark but not the punch itself as he sent her flying a few meters away due to the power behind it, causing the unfortunate girl to be knocked down a couple of meters into the air with a cry of anguish and frustration.
"Thanks for the help," Billy stood up with his head turning at the side of his shoulder. "I guess we're even, ey?" Acknowledging the assistance he had provided, his Japanese new companion simply smiled with a nod, acknowledging their teamwork.
"Now..." His eyes were focused on the girl who was crawling on the floor. "It's time to end this," the blond boy said, holding out his musket after putting the crucifix back in his leather bag, while being excited about finally getting his revenge for Guan Yu's death.
Seth could only watch in pity when he watched her pitifully continue slithering through the ground with her single arm acting as support to push her entire body to crawl. He would have to be crazy if he thought helping a serial killer like her was even remotely okay to begin with, but there was something inside of him telling him that he should do something about this.
Especially when she started sobbing with red tears, it appeared genuine as if it were coming from a broken human. "Mommy!" Rose desperately called out in fear and remorse of being transformed into a helpless little girl, "Mommy!" She was weeping and crying in great despair, repeating the same words over and over again as the pain of being the hollow shell of the girl she used to be.
Her cries broke his heart for despite how much horrible crimes a person does, everyone are simply broken children who made wrong decisions in life due to the unfortunate choices they make in living, "Billy..." He quietly called out to his vengeful friend when the satisfied blond boy placed his foot at her bed head.
"I'm going to enjoy this moment," he can feel it, the sweet and delicious revenge of avenging the old, "your finished," raising his weapon and pointing the bayonet directly at her skull, "this is—"
"STOP!"
Seth shouted at the top of his lungs, which was heard across the dark woods, startling everyone and Americans as he gazed in bafflement at the reason why he had to halt this murderous monster responsible for killing so many innocent people for years on end.
"What?" Stepping away from her, he turned to face the very person he considered close, like brothers. "Why are you stopping me?" Billy couldn't fathom why his very friend had to interrupt him from finishing this abomination: "She is a killer!" Glancing back at the assassin as she cried pathetically, "Are you willing to spare a life who doesn't deserve to live?" Demanding answers for this unwarranted act of intervention.
Genno shared the same confusion as well, for he understood the concept of karma and believed what comes around will certainly bite back on the suffering they've inflicted through their lives. "She's an enemy, Seth," he said, speaking in a soft tone. "Whatever she has lost, it is not worth sparing the lives of those who took innocent lives."
"I know..." Clenching his fists, his face was filled with conflict, sympathy, and kindness. "It isn't right when she's already like this." Glancing at the sobbing girl who is still calling her dead mother like a baby, "is it?" Seeing how cruel and merciless this is, especially the way Billy intended on killing her with no remorse or hatred in his heart,
However, the cowboy scoffed at this ridiculous answer: "Yeah, yeah, I heard it all. Killing won't bring them back, but..." Looking to Rose, who was trying to crawl away, "it will bring satisfaction and peace of mind in knowing that their abuser has been dead."
It was cruel in Seth's eyes, as despite there being some merit in his friend's words, he still couldn't allow this to happen. "I can't...let you do it," the black-haired boy proclaimed, much to their shock, "you will regret it, even if the world says otherwise," trying to convince them of the moral dilemma of what they're about to do, "love your enemies and show compassion to life they never once experienced," giving them the advice as he was taught by his old pastor.
"Unbelievable," she said, approaching him in haste, "don't you realize what she and those monsters had done?" Billy glared at him with bitterness in his eyes. "They killed Guan Yu in cold blood!" Pointing out his hand to the assassin, "You hear me! They killed him!"
Seth's world crumbled as he learned of what the Crimson Knights had done to the very man he looked up; the many moments of wisdom they shared and the encouragement the god of war had shown him—he never realized that he was dead.
"Dead..." He repeated in dismay as sorrowful tears formed from the edges of his eyes, "They... killed him..." Weakly, he spoke while dropping to his knees, unable to move on his legs from this, "his dead." His brain couldn't process the fact that he had actually been killed.
Seeing him like this, Billy seems to have gotten his point straight: "I told you!" Crouched down to him with a frown, "Guan Yu's gone, and I will not stop until these bastards have paid for their crimes!" Sternly pointing to the assassin, who's already further away,
"Now, I will—"
"No!" Seth shouted with tears in his eyes as he grabbed his friend's shoulders, "Just... don't do it!" Holding onto him as the thought of someone else dying for the second time had truly brought him into deep depression, he said, "Guan Yu won't agree with this!" Faced with conflict in the eyes of his dear friend
"I HAVE ENOUGH OF THIS!" Standing up with fury, he took out the crucifix and threw it on the ground in front of him. "I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL HER WITH MY OWN TWO HANDS, SO GET OUT OF THE WAY OR ELSE YOU WOULD HAVE BECOME MY NEXT ENEMY!" Billy stated it with a tone that is filled with raw and powerful hatred.
However, it only made the boy more determined on stopping him from going down this path. "If it means stopping you," grabbing his beloved cross with his right hand, he stood up before wiping his teary face with his sleeve, "then I will."
The tension between the two friends can be felt in the air as both Seth and Billy stared at one another with strong gazes, neither wanting to back down, and their opinions clashed against each other. Until a voice cut in their discussion with a third party who expressed a different response to the matter at hand.
"Shes gone," Genno pointed out to where she was, now disappearing into the woods to never be seen again, causing Billy to snap and turn in the direction where Rose once lay—now an empty grassfield in which the American is now furious at what he had just witnessed.
"SHEEESSSSSSHIT!" Letting out a shout of curses, he swung his bayonet and flung it across the grass, having missed the chance of bringing his old mentor justice. Turning to Seth, he then marched towards him, "YOU FUCKING RUINED IT ALL!" Accusing Seth of the opportunity he has lost, "YOUR THE REASON WHY SHE RAN AWAY!"
A fist flew at the regretful face of the one who spared her life; however, Genno stopped it with his palm, "That is enough," forcing Billy's fist back to its original position, "he wasn't the one responsible for Guan Yu's death," reasoning to the American of who is to blame.
Billy stared directly at his traitorous comrade; so much hate and rage were directed towards Seth before he finally left without saying a word, leaving the two to leave in silence as the darkness of night began to fall upon the forest.
"Did..." Rising his crucifix up the starry sky, he stared at it deeply, contemplating the question, "Did I do the right thing, God?" He asked for answers despite getting none, and the only thing on his mind was whether this was the right decision he had made.
