The evil spirit chuckled at Akihiro's lifeless state as his dozens of arms gestured wildly, as if he were a teacher lecturing an invisible audience. His bloated body swayed with giddy delight, and his jagged grin stretched wider while he stared down at the motionless boy in his grasp. The alley seemed to shrink under his presence as his laughter echoed with sick amusement.
"Hey kid, look at the brighter side of things, your mother can finally escape the suffering of this world," he said with a giggle until his voice exploded.
"IM BASICALLY DOING YOU A FAVOR HERE HAHAHAHA!".
The evil spirit continued laughing as his massive arms slammed against the ground, each strike carving craters into the alley floor and sending tremors through the surrounding buildings. Dust rose in thick clouds while debris rattled and shifted, as if the world itself could not withstand his amusement. His laughter grew louder and more chaotic, filling every corner of the space.
Then a quiet voice slipped through the noise and forced everything to stop.
"Oi," Akihiro said.
The evil spirit's laughter faltered as he slowly lowered his gaze, finally noticing the boy he had been holding. Akihiro lifted his head, his face empty of fear while his eyes locked onto the monster with a cold deathly stare. The air around him tightened, as if something unseen had begun to awaken.
"I'm going to fucking kill you,"
The evil spirit hearing this stared blankly for a second and then burst into a loud laughter, his body wobbling as if the statement was laughable beyond reason. His dozens of eyes narrowed with mockery as he leaned closer, clearly entertained by the boy's calm declaration. The ground trembled again as his laughter rang out.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! THEN SHOW ME HOW YOU ARE GOING TO DO IT!" he shouted.
Before he could continue, his glowing, bloated body suddenly collapsed inward like a punctured balloon, his laughter snapping into panic. His surface rippled violently as if something inside him had begun to crush him from within, and his dozens of eyes darted in confusion. For the first time, fear replaced his arrogance.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON—?!"
His gaze snapped back to the boy in his grasp, and what he saw froze him completely. Akihiro was no longer the same child from before, as a dark purple psychic energy surged around his body like a violent storm. His pupils glowed with a deep violet hue, and his stare carried a weight that felt like death itself.
"WAIT—!" he shouted.
BOOOOOMM!
A thunderous explosion erupted as the evil spirit's body split apart, bursting into thick brown smoke that scattered across the alley. The shockwave blasted outward, shaking walls and sending debris flying in every direction. Akihiro remained floating in midair, untouched, his expression unchanged as the destruction unfolded around him.
The bodies that had been trapped inside fell as dark purple force caught them before they hit the ground. The energy handled them carefully, lowering them onto the broken pavement one by one. Some had already been melted inside the spirit's body, but several remained intact, among the survivors was his mother.
Akihiro guided his mother towards him using his telekinesis, her body still coated in yellow slime from the creature's acids. He reached out and pressed his fingers against her neck, checking her pulse. When he felt it, a faint breath left him as a small, relieved smile appeared.
"Thank goodness," he murmured.
But suddenly a furious scream erupted from below, tearing through the alley.
"YOU THOUGHT YOU KILLED ME, KID?! THINK AGAIN!"
Akihiro looked down as the creature's remains gathered, forming that grotesque mouth as it stretched open unnaturally wide. Red energy condensed within it, swirling and compressing as a sharp humming sound filled the alley. The spirit's body trembled as it forced the power forward, distorting the air around it.
THUUUUUGGGG!
The beam fired like a cannon, tearing through the air with overwhelming force as a shockwave spread outward and shook the buildings. Dust and debris were blasted aside, and the ground cracked further under the pressure of the attack. The red beam surged toward Akihiro with destructive force.
Akihiro let out a quiet sigh, his gaze unmoving as he raised his right hand.
"Then I'll kill you properly this time," he said calmly.
His dark purple energy surged forward with a simple wave of his hand, meeting the incoming beam without resistance. The red bean attack split cleanly in half as if it was made of air, its energy scattering and fading into nothing. The difference in power was absolute, leaving no room for struggle.
"IMPOSSI—!" the evil spirit screamed until.
BOOOOOM!
The purple energy struck the evil spirit, detonating upon contact and tearing his form apart. The alley shook again as smoke and debris burst outward, the creature dissolving into nothing under the overwhelming force. Akihiro hovered above it all in silence, his presence overwhelming as the chaos settled beneath him.
***
Far from the chaos in the alleyway, four exorcists rushed through the streets toward the reported location of an evil spirit. They wore simple black shirts and jogging pants suited for combat, each marked with bold white letters that read Division 4 Exorcist. Their uniforms identified them as members of the Department of Supernatural Exorcism and Defense, a government organization composed of skilled psychics tasked with eliminating threats and protecting civilians from spiritual activities. Their footsteps echoed as they moved with urgency. These exorcists carried experience in dealing with spirits, yet none of them relaxed as they approached the scene.
When they finally reached the alleyway, they were met with devastation that immediately stop their momentum. Blood stained the ground and walls, trash was scattered everywhere, and chunks of broken concrete lay across the path. Several bodies were sprawled across the area, some unconscious while others seemed to have been melted into unrecognizable remains.
The group exchanged tense glances as they scanned the surroundings, their instincts sharpening at the silence. There was no sign of the evil spirit, and more importantly, no trace of its presence could be seen. They stepped deeper into the alley, carefully tending to the unconscious while remaining alert for any hidden threat. One of them, a man with a buzzcut and stern eyes, knelt beside a fallen civilian and checked for a pulse. His expression tightened slightly before he spoke.
"Where's the evil spirit that the station reported?" he asked.
Another man with messy hair and a short trimmed beard closed his eyes briefly, focusing as his ability activated. One of his psychic ability, Clairsentience spread outward, sensing any energy traces left behind in the environment. After a moment, he opened his eyes with a thoughtful look.
"There's seemed to be residual energy from the evil spirit," he said, pausing slightly. "But I'm also picking up another psychic energy."
A heavier-built exorcist let out a low hum as he crossed his arms, glancing at the destruction around them. His gaze moved from the broken ground to the unconscious survivors, piecing things together. He then spoke with quiet certainty.
"Then someone must have already took care of it," he said.
The bearded man nodded, his tone steady as he confirmed the assumption. "That's what it looks like."
A bald exorcist nearby exhaled deeply, relief easing his shoulders as he looked around once more. "Good," he muttered, shaking his head slightly. "I'm getting too old for fights like this."
The others let out small laughs, the tension easing just enough for them to continue their work. Despite the grim scene, the fact that the threat had been handled spared them from a dangerous confrontation. They resumed assisting the survivors, carefully lifting those who could still be saved.
"We'll report the casualties," the bearded man added. "And note that an unidentified psychic neutralized the spirit."
The group agreed without hesitation, focusing on their task as they gathered the injured. The bald man glanced at the others again, curiosity flickering across his face despite the situation.
"Who do you think handled it?" he asked.
The others paused briefly, considering the question, but the bearded man simply shrugged. "Doesn't matter who it was," he replied. "What matters is they saved lives."
The group nodded, accepting the answer as they continued their work in silence.
At the Tsukishima household, Akihiro had already brought his mother home some time ago. His father and sisters had opened the door to find him collapsed from exhaustion, while Hoshiko remained unconscious. Panic had filled the house for a brief moment before they carefully carried both inside.
Now, Akihiro lay in his bed, his body resting but his mind far from calm. His face twisted in discomfort as he struggled against something, trapped within a nightmare he could not escape. His breathing grew uneven as the memory replayed itself over and over again.
In his dream, the alleyway returned in vivid detail, but far worse than reality had been. He watched as his mother was torn apart slowly, her body ripped piece by piece while her cries echoed endlessly in his ears. The horror stretched on without mercy, forcing him to witness every moment without the ability to move.
"Mom… no… stop… please stop…" he muttered helplessly.
"I'm here… I'm right here… why can't I move…?" his voice trembled as he struggled within the dream.
"I said stop… STOP IT…!" he shouted, his voice breaking.
Akihiro jolted awake, his body shooting upright as he gasped for air. Sweat drenched his clothes, and his chest heaved as he tried to steady his breathing. His eyes darted around the room, searching for something to ground himself.
The familiar sight of his room slowly came into focus, and he realized where he was. The walls, the furniture, everything confirmed that he was safe. The tension in his body eased slightly as he slumped back onto the bed.
"It was just a nightmare," he murmured.
His thoughts drifted back to the alleyway, replaying what had truly happened. He remembered the moment his power awakened, triggered by the overwhelming trauma he had experienced. More importantly, he remembered that he had managed to save his mother.
"Thank goodness," he whispered.
Relief settled over him like a quiet wave, easing the weight in his chest. His eyes slowly closed as exhaustion took hold once more, pulling him back into sleep.