I stared down at Bernard. "If you keep using the same trick, you'll never be able to defeat me," I said, shrugging.
I grinned. "Let me carve the meaning of power into your soul." A burst of cursed energy radiated from my fingers, forming into a spark of purple light.
"A–amazing," Julian choked out. Soon enough, the air began to twist. Everything around me went wild, leaves levitating, trees bending and swinging like drunk men. Julian was barely able to stay on his feet.
"H–how could a human be allowed so much power!?" Bernard shouted.
The sparks and wisps of purple energy gathered at my fingertips, slowly forming into a glowing orb that continued to expand.
"Gojo, wait! I still have questions!" Julian yelled. "I need to know if he was the one!"
I paused my attack and nodded. "Sure, go ask your question."
Julian walked up to the demon, grabbed its arm, and twisted it sharply.
"ERGGHH!!" the demon screamed in pain.
"I just want to ask a few questions," Julian said, adding more force. The demon only screamed louder in response.
"What do you want!? Spit it out!" he demanded, giving the creature an ice-cold glare.
"Did you murder a couple? One of them looked like me, just older—with a beard. The other was a beautiful woman with blonde hair." His voice dripped with venom.
Truth be told, it was kind of scary how pissed he was.
"I don't know," the demon said, chuckling. "I've murdered plenty of pathetic humans. You're all like cattle, so easy to deceive and kill."
Julian's face went blank. "Humans are like cattle?" he repeated.
"Yes," the demon sneered. "Sometimes I even go out of my way to kill them for fun, manipulating them for fun, playing with them for fun, draining their mana for fun!" Bernard laughed, his tone filled with twisted pleasure.
"Just for fun?" Julian echoed quietly.
"Yeah! Watching the fear in their eyes is the funniest thing for a demon like me! Such weak, fragile creatures with no way to protect themselves!" Bernard spat out.
"Weak and fragile?" Julian said, his anger beginning to boil over.
"I especially enjoy humans with a lot of mana," Bernard continued, grinning. "I drain it right out of their bodies or sometimes, I plunge straight into their hearts and give it a good twist!"
Each word made me feel more disgusted. I'd heard enough.
"I don't need to hear any more," I said, preparing to attack.
"Gojo…" Julian said, turning back to face me. "Let me handle this demon." His eyes were cold, filled with pure rage.
"You mentioned a couple that looked like you! Yeah, I probably killed them!" Bernard taunted, laughing maniacally.
Julian lunged forward, fist clenched, and delivered a heavy punch straight to his face.
"Are you planning to avenge your parents or something? It doesn't matter.. they're dead!" the demon choked out, grinning through the pain.
"You've got a loud mouth," Julian said. He summoned a small fireball and forced it straight into the demon's mouth. The creature screamed in agony but couldn't do a thing.
"You also said humans are weak and fragile," Julian continued. "But you're inside a human body now, aren't you?" He leaned closer. "So you know what that means? You're weak and fragile."
The demon had probably lost its true body a long time ago, body-jumping from host to host just to survive. Watching Julian now, I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of pride, my student was finally achieving his goal.
Julian stood menacingly in front of the demon. He channeled mana into his hand, grabbed Bernard's shoulder, and dislocated it with a sharp twist.
"This makes one," he said, ripping the demon's arm clean off. Blood sprayed everywhere.
I could see that the demon wanted to scream, but the fireball that had entered his mouth had burned his vocal cords.
Julian wiped the blood off his face, muttering, "Disgusting."
"You also mentioned that you like to torture humans for fun, to see the fear on their faces," Julian said. He thrust his hand toward Bernard's other shoulder and dislocated it with a sickening crack.
"This time, I'll go slower," he said, ripping the demon's arm off.
"Be careful not to get your filthy blood on me," Julian added, punching him once more for good measure.
"You see this?" He raised one of Bernard's torn-off arms. "How does it feel to be killed like cattle?" He used the severed arm to slap the demon across the face.
"And last, you said you like to stab your victims in the heart and give it a good twist," Julian repeated coldly. He channeled mana into his hand, dug deep into Bernard's chest, and pushed past his ribs.
His fingers brushed against the demon's heart before he twisted. The demon convulsed, coughing up blood, and then went still.
"Wow, pretty brutal, man," I said, walking over and patting him on the shoulder.
"Gojo… I need…" Julian started.
"Need what?" I asked.
"I need a bath," he said, as if he hadn't just mutilated a corpse.
"Bath time, then."
We walked back to the inn. Julian was covered head to toe in blood, so we got a few strange glances along the way. When we arrived, he quietly took off his clothes and headed straight for the shower.
Honestly, I think my journey with Julian is over. I had such a great time, but he's achieved his goal. There's no more reason for him to keep pushing himself. He's avenged his family and killed the demon responsible for their deaths.
"After one more dinner, I'll leave. Maybe drop him off at an orphanage," I muttered. I was still a bit concerned about how he felt after his first kill, but he seemed fine. It wasn't like he did it by accident.
"Hey Gojo, where are we going next?" he asked, stepping out of the bath, fully dressed.
"How cold-hearted of you, no remorse for poor demon-san?" I teased, grinning.
His face turned red. "I did the world a great justice by getting rid of it," he said, trying to sound serious.
"You also did your parents a great justice," I replied, my tone softening. "But honestly, Julian... I don't think you need to come with me anymore."
"Ehh?" he blurted out, completely caught off guard.
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