The specter of Ethan's past stared at him in horror as his hand swept down.
The next instant, a scream of pure terror tore from its throat.
"NO! AAAAAAGH!"
POOF.
A plume of gray-black smoke burst from its right leg. At the same time, Ethan's true form completed a clean, decisive chopping motion across his own right calf. A section of flesh, shimmering with bloody red energy, separated instantly and dissolved into crimson mist.
Ethan's body jerked violently in midair, yet a savage grin split his face.
"I can't kill you," he rasped. "But I can sure as hell take you with me."
In that moment, he looked more demonic than the Heart-Devil itself. His madness was sharper, more deliberate, stripped of hesitation.
"No! You can't! You'll die too!" the specter shrieked, its voice breaking as it shifted from tormentor to desperate supplicant.
"Then I die!" Ethan roared. "Better that than letting you out to hurt the people I care about. And you know what? I should thank you."
