Nicholas barely had time to turn his head before shards of glass tore through the room, followed by a black silhouette stepping through the broken frame. Sasaki stood outlined by the night, two figures landing right behind him.
Without a second thought, Sasaki grabbed the Obsidian Beast's shadow blade before it could decapitate Nicholas. The weapon slipped from its grip as the dark, slimy liquid peeled away from the Obsidian beast and vanished into Yuki's chest.
A sigh of relief came from Nicholas, his smile returning.
"W–why… th-thank you. I truly thought my end had com—"
Nicholas' head struck the floor, the sound reverberated through the room. A cold sensation was felt in his face where it touched the ground. While, his eyes moved around in utter confusion.
"Huh–"
He soon realized his head had been severed from his body as his vision landed on his still upright body, while Sasaki's scythe rested against its exposed throat.
A few seconds later, both his head and body vanished, disintegrating into nothing. His Obsidian Beast followed soon after.
Fear settled over the room at what Sasaki had done. No one could utter a word. They could only stare at him.
Sasaki smiled, his sarcasm doing nothing to ease the tension.
"Would you look at that, the butler was behind the disappearances. Shocking! Am I right?"
The atmosphere remained tense. Realizing that their fear would not fade anytime soon, he ordered Riko to open a portal and escape the roaring fire as the heat in the room continued to rise.
Once everyone made it outside and reached the front gate of the mansion, where General Abuto stood with a few of his soldiers, they watched as golden flames swallowed the mansion, fire eating away at its walls.
Sasaki took advantage of the moment while everyone was distracted and aimed his ring at Yuki's chest. He had already read Sayuri Kanzaki's mind the instant he came through the window and understood what had happened. In short, he knew the ring had to be placed on Yuki. It was not ideal, but it was the best choice in a bad situation.
Still, it seemed that Conquest remained under the influence of his Deathmark. Unable to take back control of her body. As her soul still remained locked in a never-ending cycle of death.
Another thing became clear. Azazel had not been aiming for the mansion after all, and their presence has completely faded from this world.
Ideally, now that he had the Horseman of Conquest under his control and the Four Laws were invalided, he could have fought Azazel right here in the mortal realm. Unfortunately, he would have to return to the Unseen Realm and defeat them there.
As he brought his ring to Yuki's chest, a dark glow began to form, but Riko slapped Sasaki's hand away, catching him off guard.
"Huhh…What's the matter with you!"
Riko stared at him, sweat beading along her forehead.
"What were you going to do? This glow… it doesn't feel right at all."
Sasaki rolled his eyes attempting to keep his composure.
"Relax, I'm just checking if she's okay."
Sayuri grabbed Sasaki's arm just as he brought the ring toward Yuki's chest. He turned toward her anger, bleeding through his composure.
"What is it? Hmph. You want your end of the contract or something? Can't you wait till I finish what I started?"
Riko's eyes widened as she shoved Sasaki away from Yuki.
"Contract? Finish something you started? What are you talking about, and how does this relate to Yuki? Answer me!"
Sasaki lowered his head, the faint curve of his smile thinning until it vanished.
"Did I ever tell you that your father died in battle against a demon?"
General Abuto reacted instantly. He stepped forward, boots striking stone, placing himself between Sasaki and Riko.
"That's enough, The Sorcerer King being killed by a demon is impossible.Do not listen to him, Miss Riko. He's trying to unsettle you."
The male reporter and female reporter both watched the scene in utter shock as the male reporter kept his camera trained on Sasaki.
Riko's eyes widened, words catching in her throat as her gaze dropped to her trembling hands. She clenched them as hard as she could, then rushed to her uncle, who sat slumped against the black gate, his back pressed to the metal as he winced through the pain.
"Uncle, please tell me he's wrong. Has my father truly died?"
Koji's relic crystal shard was drawn from his coat, his eyes closing as it was held in his palm. After a few seconds, the crystal shard revealed a vision of the Sorcerer King's final moment, his body slumped against his sword as a child with black wings stood before him.
A second later, the shard was consumed by darkness, its surface turning completely dark.
"What was that vision, Uncle?"
Koji brought a hand to his mouth, struggling to piece together what he had just seen.
"I'm normally able to see the future of anyone I focus on, but that wasn't a vision of what will be. That was a vision of someone's final moments."
Riko's eyes widened as she fought to hold back her tears.
"You're lying! This can't be true. My father was killed by that child demon?" Her voice trembled. "I refuse to believe it."
Riko stared at the shard, confusion plain on her face.
"Explain! Why did it turn black?"
Koji went still, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead.
"I… I can't see my brother's future… anymore..."
Riko's head snapped back toward Sasaki, where his ring was pressed against Yuki's chest. After a few seconds, Yuki was engulfed by a large violet glow, chain-like tattoos appearing along her neck.
Sasaki couldn't help but laugh as he watched Conquest fully under his control. A moment later, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a key, and tossed it to Sayuri Kanzaki.
"This concludes our contract agreement. Now, listen carefully Sayuri Kanzaki. This key will bring you straight to Lucifer. However, once you decide to meet him, I cannot guarantee your safety anymore, as you no longer belong to me from this day on."
Sasaki aimed his glowing ring in front of him as a violet portal appeared.
"Okay, Conquest, it's time to go and get our revenge."
Riko rushed in front of Sasaki and Conquest, spreading her arms wide.
"You think I'm gonna let you leave with Yuki?"
Sasaki raised an eye brow.
"And what do you think you will do against me?"
Riko drew on the power of her skull bracelet as it shone bright red. A second later, a red cage formed around Sasaki. Then she reached into her pocket, pulled out a thin collar etched with glyphs, and fastened it around his neck, restricting his magic.
"This is exactly what I'll do. Now remove whatever curse you put on Yuki, or I'll kill you, and that will be the end of it."
Sasaki put a hand on his mouth holding his laughter.
"Kil…Kill me? Kill me?? How do you plan on killing Death, please don't make me laugh."
A hand landed on his shoulder, confusion flickering across Sasaki's face as he turned.The instant he looked back, a fist slammed into his face, the force shattering the red cage and hurling his body through multiple trees.
His body tore through the last of the trees before crashing into one with enough force to split it in half. He slid down the broken trunk and slumped onto the grass, his eyes flickering open.
W—What happened. Who did this to me….
Not even a second later, Sasaki looked up and Conquest was standing above him with a mocking grin.
"Listen well, Demon. I was never yours to command. Your defeat began the moment you thought otherwise."
Sasaki wore a worried grin, blood trickling down his lips.
"Oh, is that so… an interesting conclusion you came up with. But even if I can't control you, what makes you think you can defeat me?"
Conquest grinned and put her hand up.
"Igarashi! Come forth!"
Sasaki raised an eyebrow, confusion written on his face.
Who is this Igarashi?
Black liquid seeped from Conquest's white chest plate, crawling up her raised arm. It gathered in her palm, forming into a dense black sphere as she closed her hand around it.
Then it stretched and sharpened, transforming into a black blade in her grasp.
"This one is Kenji Igarashi, my friend from the mortal realm. His body remains bound within Purgatory, and I shall not know rest until it is reclaimed. This decree extends to every human soul imprisoned there. All will be freed, without exception."
Then she aimed her black sword at Sasaki's neck.
"Such is my will, for I am the Rule Of All."