Chapter 265 — Through the Wound
The wound opened at noon.
There was no warning.
No change in the sky.
No tremor beneath their feet.
No voice.
One moment, Xcution was walking through the white country beyond Eden.
The next, the ground split.
Black fire came through.
Brook heard the sound before he saw it.
A wet tearing noise.
Like something enormous dragging its claws through the world from underneath.
"Down!"
Crowley's voice hit them a fraction before the fire erupted.
Brook dropped.
A column of black flame tore through the place where his head had been.
Henry hit the ground beside Sera.
Charon exploded out of Henry's back.
"THAT IS NOT NORMAL FIRE!"
Sera rolled onto her side.
"Nothing here is normal!"
"I WAS HOPING FOR A SMALL EXCEPTION!"
Gabriel was already standing.
His eyes were fixed on the wound.
The earth had split open in a jagged line.
Not a crater.
Not a hole.
A wound.
Black fire leaked from inside it.
Something moved behind the flames.
Crowley went completely still.
Brook saw it.
He had seen Crowley angry.
He had seen Crowley amused.
He had seen Crowley injured.
He had seen him fight.
He had seen him stand in front of Heaven without lowering his eyes.
This was different.
Crowley looked at the wound as if someone had spoken a name in a room where nobody else was allowed to hear it.
"Crowley?"
No answer.
Rick came up beside him.
"That's Hell."
Crowley nodded.
"I know."
Shoyo looked toward the ridge.
"Can it cross?"
Crowley didn't answer.
The black fire surged.
A hand came through.
Then another.
The first demon pulled itself out of the wound.
It was tall.
Too tall.
Its body looked unfinished, as though Hell had made it from several different things and stopped caring whether they fit together.
Two horns.
Four arms.
A mouth across its chest.
Another mouth where its face should have been.
Sera stared.
"That's disgusting."
The creature smiled.
All its mouths opened.
"King."
Crowley didn't move.
The creature bowed.
Not deeply.
Not respectfully.
Something closer to recognition.
Henry looked at Crowley.
"You know it?"
Crowley answered without looking at him.
"Yes."
The creature laughed.
Then more came through.
Five.
Ten.
Twenty.
Hell poured through the wound.
Demons hit the ground running.
Gabriel's wings appeared.
White light exploded across the field.
"Stay together!"
The first demon reached them.
Gabriel intercepted it.
His blade of light appeared in his hand and struck through the creature's shoulder.
The demon screamed.
Black fire burst from its wound.
Gabriel twisted away before the flames reached him.
Sera shouted.
"WORD!"
The air shook.
"DROP!"
Four demons slammed into the ground.
Henry and Charon moved together.
Charon's arms became blades.
Henry drove forward.
"Left!"
Charon blocked a claw.
"Your other left!"
"I KNOW MY LEFT!"
"You absolutely don't!"
Henry punched the demon in the jaw.
It went down.
Charon formed a hammer.
"See?"
Henry stared.
"That was your plan?"
"It worked."
Brook ran forward.
A demon came at him.
He ducked beneath its claws.
His fist struck its ribs.
Nothing.
The thing turned.
Brook's hand went to his weapon.
Then the fire came.
Black flame.
Hellfire.
It moved faster than normal fire.
Brook jumped backward.
The flames followed.
He raised his arm.
A wall of earth came up between them.
Tala stood behind him.
Her hand was buried in the ground.
The earth trembled.
Not violently.
Just enough.
The demon's fire crashed against the stone.
Tala's face tightened.
"I can't hold it long."
"Then don't."
Brook grabbed her wrist.
"Move."
They ran.
The demon tore through the stone.
Crowley appeared in front of it.
He didn't draw a weapon.
He simply looked at it.
The creature stopped.
"King."
Crowley punched it.
The impact threw the demon across the field.
It struck a white tree.
The tree cracked.
Crowley looked annoyed.
"Sorry."
The tree did not respond.
Brook almost laughed.
Then another demon came through the wound.
Crowley turned.
"Brook!"
Brook saw it.
A black-armored figure was standing on the other side of the wound.
Unlike the others, it didn't rush.
It simply watched.
Crowley's expression changed again.
Recognition.
Not of Hell.
Of the person.
The captain stepped through.
His armor was dark.
Not black.
Dark red beneath layers of iron.
His face was uncovered.
There was a scar running from his left eye to his jaw.
Brook saw Crowley stare at him.
"Who is that?"
Crowley didn't answer.
The captain smiled.
"You still walk among them."
Crowley stepped forward.
"You still wear that armor."
The captain's smile disappeared.
"So you remember."
"I remember everyone I killed."
The captain looked around.
"At least you kept that."
Brook glanced at Rick.
Rick's expression was grim.
"You know him too?"
Rick nodded.
"Unfortunately."
Shoyo looked at him.
"That's three."
Rick didn't look away from the captain.
"Three is enough."
The captain's eyes moved toward Brook.
They narrowed.
"B-01."
Brook's body went rigid.
Not from fear.
Recognition.
The same designation.
The same sound.
But this time, Crowley stepped between them.
"Don't."
The captain smiled.
"Still protective."
Crowley didn't answer.
The captain raised his hand.
The wound widened.
The entire field shook.
Black fire rolled outward.
Gabriel shouted.
"Brook!"
Brook moved.
He didn't think.
He jumped over a wave of fire.
Another came from the side.
He twisted.
A third came from behind.
He landed.
The ground beneath his feet collapsed.
Brook fell.
He caught the edge of a stone ledge.
Below him was not dirt.
It was fire.
Not burning upward.
Falling downward.
A vertical ocean of black flame.
Brook looked up.
Henry was reaching for him.
"BROOK!"
Henry stretched.
Charon's arm extended.
Too short.
Brook's fingers slipped.
Then a black hand grabbed his wrist.
Brook looked up.
The demon from earlier had him.
Its mouth opened.
"Found—"
Brook's eyes changed.
The pressure came.
Hot.
Immediate.
Violent.
Lucifer.
The Devil's Instinct surged through his body.
The demon's wrist was exposed.
Brook could break it.
He knew exactly how.
Twist.
Pull.
Step.
Rip.
The movement was already forming.
Brook's other hand tightened.
He could feel the violence asking for a decision.
Do it.
Brook stared at the demon.
"No."
He slammed his head into its face instead.
The demon staggered.
Brook kicked its knee.
It collapsed.
He pulled himself up.
The instinct didn't disappear.
It waited.
Brook breathed.
"Not yours."
He climbed.
The moment he reached the surface, another wave of Hellfire struck.
Brook raised his weapon.
The flames swallowed him.
"BROOK!"
Rick moved first.
Crowley moved with him.
They reached Brook from opposite sides.
Rick caught his left arm.
Crowley caught his right.
"Move!"
Brook fought against them.
"I can handle it!"
Crowley pulled harder.
"No."
"I can!"
"That's not the problem."
Brook turned.
The captain stood across the field.
The wound behind him was growing.
Hell was not invading randomly.
It was reaching for something.
Or someone.
Brook.
The captain pointed.
"Bring him."
Every demon moved.
Crowley looked at Rick.
Rick looked back.
Neither needed to speak.
They pulled Brook backward.
Brook fought them.
"Let go!"
"No," Rick said.
"Rick!"
"You're going."
"I can fight!"
"You can barely see straight."
Brook shoved backward.
Crowley caught him.
"Stop."
Brook turned on him.
"You don't get to tell me to stop."
Crowley's grip tightened.
"Yes, I do."
Brook's eyes burned.
"You know that captain."
"Yes."
"You know what B-01 means."
"Yes."
"And you're still not telling me."
Crowley didn't flinch.
"Because if you stay here, you'll find out the worst possible way."
Brook stared at him.
The Devil's Instinct twitched again.
Crowley saw it.
"Brook."
"Don't."
"Look at me."
Brook did.
Crowley's face was bloodied.
His coat was torn.
His eyes were completely steady.
"Come back."
Brook breathed hard.
"I am here."
"Then act like it."
A demon charged them.
Crowley released Brook's arm.
He turned.
His fist struck the demon so hard its body folded.
Rick caught Brook again.
"Now."
Brook finally moved.
They ran.
The battlefield collapsed behind them.
Gabriel flew overhead, forcing demons away from the retreating group.
Sera shouted Words one after another.
"BREAK!"
A wall of black fire shattered.
"FALL!"
A demon crashed.
"QUIET!"
The battlefield went silent for half a second.
Then the Word broke.
Sera staggered.
Henry caught her.
"You okay?"
"Fine."
"You're bleeding."
"Fine."
"Your nose."
"Henry."
"Right."
He let go.
Charon looked at Sera.
"You should probably stop saying fine."
Sera wiped the blood beneath her nose.
"Noted."
Tala ran beside them.
The ground shifted beneath her feet.
She stumbled.
Brook caught her.
"Keep moving."
She nodded.
"I am."
They reached the edge of a forest.
Rick shoved Brook behind a stone outcropping.
"Down."
Brook dropped.
Crowley followed.
Gabriel landed beside them.
Sera and Henry came next.
For several seconds, they could only breathe.
The wound continued burning behind them.
But the demons stopped at the forest edge.
They didn't cross.
Brook looked back.
"Why?"
Crowley stood.
"Because Hell isn't stupid."
Henry frowned.
"That's not comforting."
"It wasn't supposed to be."
The captain remained on the other side.
He stared into the forest.
Then at Crowley.
Then at Brook.
"You cannot hide him."
Crowley stepped out from behind the stone.
"I know."
The captain smiled.
"Then why run?"
Crowley looked at him.
"Because I chose to."
The captain's smile faded.
Crowley walked backward toward the group.
The captain called after him.
"King."
Crowley stopped.
Everyone went quiet.
The captain lowered his voice.
"You know what waits for you."
Crowley turned his head.
"Yes."
"Then don't pretend you've escaped it."
Crowley looked at the wound.
Then at the demons.
Then back at the captain.
"I don't pretend."
He turned away.
"Good."
The captain raised his hand.
The wound began closing.
Slowly.
The demons withdrew.
The black fire sank into the earth.
Within a minute, the crack was gone.
Only scorched stone remained.
Brook stared.
"They left."
Crowley nodded.
"For now."
Rick looked at him.
"You know why."
Crowley wiped blood from his knuckles.
"Yes."
"Are you going to tell them?"
Crowley looked at Rick.
"No."
Rick sighed.
"Of course not."
Brook stood.
"Tell me."
Crowley looked at him.
Brook's voice was calmer now.
"I don't need everything."
Crowley waited.
"Just enough."
Crowley considered him.
Then said:
"That captain has served Hell longer than you've been alive."
Brook frowned.
"That's it?"
"For now."
"What's his name?"
Crowley's expression changed.
The smallest shift.
"He knows mine."
Brook waited.
Crowley didn't continue.
Brook sighed.
"Fine."
Henry sat on the ground.
"Can we talk about the fact that Hell just opened a hole underneath us?"
Sera looked at the scorched earth.
"I think that's obvious."
"No, I mean—"
"I know what you mean."
Charon formed a tiny nose.
"I would like to file a complaint."
"With who?"
"Hell."
"They probably have a complaints department."
"That's not funny."
Henry looked at him.
"You're the one who said it."
"I regret it."
Gabriel sat against a tree.
His wings faded.
He looked at Brook.
"You stopped."
Brook knew what he meant.
The Instinct.
The demon.
The violence.
Brook nodded.
"Barely."
Gabriel shook his head.
"Barely still counts."
Crowley looked at Brook.
"Not always."
Brook met his eyes.
There was no judgment there.
Only something harder.
Experience.
Brook looked at the scorched ground.
"I almost killed that thing."
"You didn't."
"I wanted to."
Crowley nodded.
"I know."
Brook looked at him.
"How?"
Crowley glanced toward the place where the wound had been.
"Because I know what it looks like when something inside you tells you the fastest answer is the right one."
Brook didn't respond.
Rick watched Crowley carefully.
Shoyo did too.
Neither said anything.
Brook sat.
For a while, nobody spoke.
The forest was quiet.
Too quiet.
Then Henry broke it.
"So…"
Everyone looked at him.
Henry rubbed the back of his neck.
"Five seconds still counts, right?"
Sera stared.
"Why are you talking about that now?"
"Because I'm trying to remember I'm capable of good things."
Charon raised a hand.
"Five seconds."
Henry smiled.
"Five seconds."
Brook laughed.
It came late.
Not as late as before.
But late enough for Crowley to notice.
Crowley looked at him.
Brook didn't notice.
He was watching Henry hold up his hand.
A tiny light appeared.
One second.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Henry concentrated.
Five.
The light died.
Everyone smiled.
Even Crowley.
Then Brook looked back toward the scorched ground.
The place where Hell had opened.
The place where the captain had stood.
The place where he had said one word.
B-01.
Brook touched the folded scrap inside his coat.
Laboratory Nine.
The Wall.
His parents.
The past.
All of it remained unanswered.
But now there was another certainty.
Hell knew the designation.
And Crowley knew the captain.
Brook looked at Crowley.
Crowley was already looking at him.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Crowley glanced at Henry's tiny light.
"Five seconds."
Henry grinned.
"Exactly."
Crowley nodded.
"Keep practicing."
Henry's smile widened.
Brook looked at the three of them.
Gabriel.
Henry.
Sera.
Rick.
Shoyo.
Tala.
Hutena.
Crowley.
The people around him.
The people he had nearly lost control around.
The people who had pulled him back.
He looked at his own hands.
Then closed them.
Not into fists.
Just closed.
The forest remained standing.
The wound remained shut.
Hell had come through.
Hell had called him by a designation.
And Hell had failed to take him.
For now, they walked again.
Forward.
No door opened.
No answer was forced.
And behind them, beneath Eden's white earth, the place where Hell had wounded the world slowly cooled.
End of Chapter 265