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  Chapter 4: The Angel of Doom**

  That night, the trio returned to the square in secret. The lights were out, but the place was far from silent. A tall figure knelt in the center, hands raised, murmuring inaudible words.

  — Gabriel — Gotier called, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade.

  The man rose slowly, turning to face them. His face still bore that calm smile, but his eyes now gleamed with something cold and menacing.

  — I knew you would return — he said, his voice sounding almost disappointed. — So curious... so determined. But you do not understand what I am doing here.

  — We understand enough — Gotier replied, stepping forward. — You are using these people for your rituals. Sacrificing them.

  Gabriel sighed, opening his arms as if explaining something simple to a child.

  — They have nothing. I give them a purpose. A chance to become part of something greater. Do you really think you are saving anyone here?

  — That is not redemption. It is murder — said Akari, preparing for battle.

  Gabriel's smile turned into an expression of disdain.

  — So naive...

  He raised his hands, and the ground beneath the square began to tremble. Blood seeped through cracks in the earth, forming living serpents that writhed around the priest.

  Gotier stepped back, shock in his voice.

  — He is a Blood Priest. One of the most powerful.

  Gabriel laughed, his voice echoing through the square.

  — More than that, Gotier. I am a servant of purification. And you... will not survive this night.

  ***

  ### **The Battle with the Blood Priest**

  The square plunged into a pulsating chaos of blood and darkness. The red serpents emerging from the ground coiled around Gabriel, radiating a sinister energy. He seemed to grow, his presence becoming more threatening, as if the very environment conspired in his favor.

  Yuzuki unsheathed his sword, its blue glow flashing against the blood-soaked ground.

  — Gotier, you said you know this magic. How do we deal with it?

  Gotier froze for a moment, his mind flooded with memories of his days as a priest.

  — He cannot do this alone. He needs fresh blood.

  — He must have prepared something in advance — said Akari, her eyes sharp. — An energy circle, perhaps. We need to break the connection.

  Gabriel laughed, his voice thundering across the square.

  — Ah, Gotier. Always underestimating what true devotion can achieve. There is nothing you can do now.

  He raised a hand, and the blood serpents lashed out like whips toward the group. Yuzuki leaped aside, dodging swiftly as he delivered a quick strike that severed one of the serpents.

  — These things are tough!

  Akari unfurled a scroll and recited an incantation, unleashing a shining seal that repelled one of the creatures.

  — We have to find the source! Gotier, where could he have drawn the circle?

  — There! — Gotier pointed to the trees at the edge of the square. — The offering altar. That is where the ritual began!

  — Then I will handle him — said Yuzuki, advancing toward Gabriel as Akari and Gotier ran for the altar.

  Gabriel watched Yuzuki approach, a sneer on his lips.

  — You think you can face me, boy? Corrupted faith is stronger than any mortal blade.

  Yuzuki did not answer, sweeping his sword in a swift arc. Gabriel raised a hand and a wall of blood surged up to block the attack. Yuzuki's blade cut through the barrier but met resistance, as if the blood had the density of metal.

  — Interesting — said Gabriel, narrowing his eyes. — You are not ordinary.

  ***

  ### **The Blood Serpents**

  Gotier solemnly drew his silver cross, wielding it as a sacred weapon amidst the apocalypse.

  — I can purify this place — he said, his voice firm. — I will use the *Dankai*... the blood seal. But I need time. Can you protect me?

  Akari felt the pressure in the air. The altar pulsed like a dying heart.

  — I cannot promise miracles... — she said with a faint smile, raising her arms. — But I promise we will not die here.

  With a swift gesture, Akari invoked the barrier. A dome of violet light enveloped them, cutting through the darkness like a flame. The shadows lashed against the shield, writhing, their non-existent mouths screaming in agony.

  Inside the protection, Gotier began the ritual. Latin words spilled from his lips, broken but filled with an ancient power. His cross glowed intensely as the ground trembled. The blood in the runes began to evaporate, as if the curse itself were being expelled.

  On the other side, Akari held the line. Each strike from the creatures made her body tremble, but she remained firm, her eyes closed, focused—not as a warrior, but as a human shield.

  The square was a field of destruction. The air reeked of iron, blood, and smoke. In the center of the chaos, Yuzuki surged forward with a torn roar, his eyes blazing with determination. Mao's darkness pulsed around him, feeding his blade with pure fury.

  **CRASH!** The sword cut through the sacred circle, shattering Gabriel's barrier with a dry crack. Before the priest could retreat, the steel sliced through the air and brutally struck his right arm.

  — **AAAAAHHHHHH!!!** — Gabriel screamed, the sound echoing like a profane lament.

  Blood gushed in a grotesque arc. His fanatical smile vanished, replaced by raw terror and pain.

  — Th-this is not... not possible! — he cried, stumbling backward.

  Yuzuki panted, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He raised his sword, its tip pointed at Gabriel's heart.

  — What is impossible... — he growled through clenched teeth — ...is you continuing to harm the innocent. It is over, Gabriel.

  In that instant, as if his words were the final seal, the circle around Gabriel dissolved. The blood serpents let out one last roar and collapsed to the ground like dead flesh.

  From the shadows of the altar, Akari and Gotier emerged staggering, their clothes torn and stained. The barrier had vanished, but their eyes burned—exhausted, yet alive.

  Gabriel fell to his knees, his face a mask of despair. He looked at Gotier with empty eyes, full of hatred... and fear.

  — You... will never understand, Gotier — his voice failed. — What we do... is for the greater good.

  Gotier approached slowly, his heavy steps echoing like judgment bells. In his hand, the silver cross looked more like a sentence than a symbol of faith. But his eyes... held no rage. They held something worse. Disillusionment. Grief. Shattered love.

  — You had a choice, Gabriel — his voice sounded like a whisper in a tomb. — And you chose the wrong path.

  He raised the cross.

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  Light.

  White, searing, screaming.

  — **NOOOOOOOO!!!** — Gabriel let out a final scream, tearing his throat in despair as he was consumed by the purifying light.

  His body dissolved into fragments of energy, like ashes carried by the wind. All that remained was his black cloak, fallen to the ground... empty.

  ***

  ### **The Price of Truth**

  The explosion of light that consumed Gabriel left the square in an unsettling silence. The thick fog seemed to dissipate momentarily, revealing anguished faces and furious stares. The population of Doom, composed of the poor and helpless whom Gabriel had helped—or manipulated—began to slowly encircle the group, with a mixture of despair and hatred in their eyes.

  Yuzuki raised his sword, still stained with the blood of the serpents.

  — I think the reception here has gotten a little worse.

  — You killed him! — shouted a woman with a thin, hunger-marked face. — Gabriel was our only hope!

  A man stepped forward, pointing his finger at Gotier.

  — He gave us food, protection! And now you have ruined everything!

  Gotier remained motionless, his expression grim.

  — Protection? He was sacrificing you to fuel his power. You were not protected. You were the fuel.

  — So what? — shouted another, his voice choked with anger. — Better to die as part of something greater than to wither away from hunger!

  Akari, who was watching the crowd attentively, noticed that the faces did not just reflect anger, but also fear. They had nothing left. Gabriel was, to them, a false hope, but still, hope.

  — Gotier, what do we do now? — she asked softly, as the villagers began to pick up stones and pieces of wood.

  — We survive — he replied, gripping the cross in his hand. — But this is a battle we cannot win by force.

  ***

  The Demon Within Me**

  The first stone flew, passing inches from Yuzuki's head. He raised his sword to intimidate the attackers, but the crowd seemed unfazed.

  — Akari, Yuzuki — said Gotier, retreating toward a side street. — We need to get out of here. Now.

  — What about them? — Yuzuki asked, gesturing toward the crowd.

  — We cannot save those who do not want to be saved — Gotier replied bitterly.

  Akari cast one last glance at the people before following the two. But something inside her seemed to pulse. A strange sensation took over her body—a heat and an energy she did not recognize. *"It's like... something trying to break free,"* she thought, but pushed the feeling aside as she ran.

  After taking refuge in an abandoned house on the outskirts of the city, the group finally had a moment to breathe. Akari, however, was restless, pacing back and forth.

  — I can't get their faces out of my head — she said, her voice trembling. — They hated us. They would rather die being sacrificed.

  — That is what desperation does — Gotier replied, sitting in a corner, his expression grim. — I have seen it before. People manipulated by the promise of redemption. I used to be like Gabriel.

  Yuzuki, who was sharpening his sword, lifted his gaze.

  — What do you mean?

  Gotier sighed, looking at the cross in his hands.

  — Before I lost my family, I blindly believed in the Church. I thought the end justified the means. If we had to sacrifice a few to save many, so be it. But it was that same logic that took everything from me.

  The silence hung in the air until Akari spoke, her voice softer.

  — Then why do you still carry that with you?

  — Because, despite everything, faith is not the problem — Gotier answered, raising the cross. — The problem is who manipulates it.

  Akari felt a chill. The energy inside her pulsed again, and this time, Yuzuki noticed.

  — Akari, are you okay? — he asked, approaching her.

  She nodded, but her breathing was heavy.

  — I don't know. There is something... something wrong with me.

  Gotier studied her carefully, his eyes narrowing.

  — It is your Kugutsu, is it not?

  Akari froze, staring at him.

  — How do you know?

  — I smelled it. The same scent I smelled in Gabriel. But with you, it is different. It is... purer.

  — What if I am becoming something like him? — she asked, her voice trembling.

  Gotier shook his head.

  — It is not the power that defines who you are, Akari. It is how you use it.

  Yuzuki placed a hand on her shoulder.

  — Whatever it is, we will not let it consume you. We are in this together.

  ***

  ### **The Escape from Doom**

  As the city awoke to Gabriel's absence, the trio knew their time was running out.

  — There is a path behind this house that leads to the forest — said Gotier. — It will not be easy, but it is our only chance.

  Before they left, Akari looked out the window at the streets of Doom. She saw people wandering aimlessly, their eyes full of fear and rage.

  — They will never forgive us — she murmured.

  — Perhaps not — Gotier replied, placing a hand on her shoulder. — But sometimes, doing the right thing means bearing the weight of being hated.

  With that, they disappeared into the darkness of the forest, leaving behind the city of Doom and its false hopes. But as they ran, Akari felt the pulse inside her again, stronger than ever, like a dark promise that her journey was just beginning.

  ***

  ### **The Priest's Tale**

  The night was calm, interrupted only by the sound of the river flowing near the camp. Gotier, Akari, and Yuzuki sat around a campfire. The flames cast dancing shadows on their tired faces, while Mao remained silent within Yuzuki's mind, watching and waiting.

  Gotier held the old crucifix in his hands. He looked into the fire, as if searching for answers in the flames, before beginning to speak.

  — I was once a man of faith... a priest dedicated to the Church of the Holy Faith. I believed in purpose, love, and redemption. But all of that was torn from me when they discovered something I could never deny: my family. — His voice was laden with pain. — I had a wife and a daughter. They were my light, my refuge. But to the Church, a priest cannot be selfish. They took them from me... brutally and definitively.

  The silence that followed was heavy. Finally, Akari asked, her voice soft:

  — And what did you do after that?

  Gotier looked at her, his expression hardening.

  — I burned my faith along with the ideals of the Church. I do not seek redemption. I seek only vengeance.

  Inside Yuzuki's mind, Mao began to whisper, his voice seductive and full of poison.

  — **Are you really going to trust him, Yuzuki? A man consumed by vengeance, who could very well betray you when it suits his interests? He is weak. He talks of justice, but deep down, he is like everyone else. You do not need him, Yuzuki. He will only drag you into his darkness.**

  Yuzuki clenched his fists, fighting against the thoughts Mao planted. He looked at Gotier, trying to see beyond the demon's words.

  Akari, sensing the tension in Yuzuki, placed a hand on his shoulder.

  — Yuzuki, are you okay?

  He took a deep breath, nodding.

  — Yes, just... thinking.

  Gotier continued, seemingly unaware of the internal conflict.

  — I know Mr. Kitty is involved. He is the key to my vengeance and perhaps to the answers we all seek. Whether you help me or not, I will follow my path.

  Yuzuki finally spoke, his voice firm.

  — We are in this together. But we need to remain vigilant. We cannot afford to trust blindly.

  Mao laughed, a low, cruel sound only Yuzuki could hear.

  — **Good choice, Yuzuki. Always vigilant. Never trust completely. Not even her.**

  Yuzuki shot a quick glance at Akari but pushed the thought away, determined not to let Mao win.

  ***

  ### **Mao's Awakening**

  Yuzuki felt the weight of exhaustion take over his body as the silence of the camp settled in. The firelight danced in unsettling shadows. However, something deeper than physical fatigue troubled him—the growing sensation that he was not alone in his mind.

  The darkness seemed thicker that night. As if the sky itself was breathing with difficulty.

  In the dense silence of the camp, Mao whispered like poison dripping into Yuzuki's ears:

  — **This night will be different, Yuzuki... You gave me space, and now, I will take control. I will bring chaos. I will show that I am more than words.**

  Yuzuki tried to resist, clinging to himself. But his consciousness slipped like blood through the hands of a dying man.

  Everything went dark.

  When he opened his eyes... they were no longer his.

  His pupils had contracted, tinged with a fiery crimson red, and a macabre smile twisted his lips—a smile that belonged to no human.

  The wind ceased. Even the river fell silent, as if nature itself was holding its breath.

  Mao was now breathing.

  He turned.

  There she was. Akari. Sleeping. Innocent. Vulnerable.

  Like a hungry predator, Mao slid over to her. His fingers closed slowly, with the precision of someone savoring every second. There was no rush. It was delight. It was the peak of domination.

  — **Shhh... Let's see who screams the loudest.**

  His hands on her neck tightened. And she woke up in hell.

  The air stopped coming. Her eyes watered. Her throat gasped like a trapped animal.

  But Mao... smiled. That smile. Sick. Sadistic. Proud.

  — **So fragile... so warm... slips easily...**

  Akari's moans were muffled by her own panic. The sound of her nails scraping against his skin. Her legs thrashing, useless.

  He groaned in pleasure. Low. Contained. Like a cruel lover.

  — **Fight, my flower... I want to feel your soul escape...**

  Akari's eyes rolled back. She was on the edge...

  Until—**CRACK!**

  Gotier emerged like the fury of a just god. A piece of wood—and the dull impact against Yuzuki's skull echoed like the end of a nightmare.

  Mao fell. Rigid. The smile shattered like cracking glass. The body slumped, the eyes dimming in a final flash of interrupted desire.

  The silence returned. But it was not peace. It was trauma.

  Akari coughed, gasping, her eyes wide like someone who had seen their own end. She placed her hands on her neck, feeling the heat of the touch that had almost killed her.

  — It was not him... — The voice that came out of her was almost a broken whisper.

  Gotier, panting, trembling, looked at Yuzuki's body—or what was left of him that night—and whispered:

  — We need to act. Or we will lose him. Forever.

  And there, in the darkness of Yuzuki's mind, Mao was still laughing.

  The tension remained palpable as the night wore on. And even unconscious, Yuzuki still seemed trapped in a nightmare that no one knew how to face.

  Akari swallowed hard, her eyes fixed on the flame of the fire, which danced hypnotically, as if trying to distract her from what she was about to reveal. The night was cold, but the warmth of the fire seemed not enough to shake the weight of the words she held inside. Gotier, alert, waited, knowing that something important was about to be said. Something that would change everything.