Ssskraaaagh!
A deafening boom shook the sky, a clear sign that something truly troublesome was about to happen.
-Will there ever be a day when those sounds mean good news? Desmon thought, sighing inwardly as his gaze stayed locked on the massive black cloud.
Kagenra, the demon who had been chasing them with the persistence of a toxic ex, began to mutate.
From the dark mass, black serpents emerged, each as large as a bus... and because life is never hard enough, every single one of them had wings.
What's worse than a giant, fast, and deadly snake? Exactly — one that can fly, too.
As the snakes continued to form, the cloud of smoke started to clear. Within seconds, the sky was crystal clear... except for the monstrous serpents now slicing through the air. Just another day, nothing unusual.
-Should've brought my snake repellent...
By splitting himself, Kagenra granted each creature full independence, like wild beasts driven solely by the instinct to hunt.
Without any more warning, every serpent launched straight at Desmon.
Their movements were so erratic it was almost impossible to predict them. Facing them all at once... well, better not to think about it.
Yet far from being intimidated, Desmon looked more energized than ever. What did they say? Money can't buy happiness?
For him, happiness was simple: no debts, sleeping all day, and eating loads of sweets. And all of that could be bought with money. So, with JB's open promise of payment, Desmon was more motivated than ever.
"Asako, I'm leaving the rest to you. Try not to die before I get back." He said, winking at her.
"I hope one of those snakes eats you!"
"Love you too! See you in a few minutes!"
Without wasting a second, Desmon let go of Asako's waist. The combined force of the motorcycle's speed and his own momentum launched his body backward.
He broke the fall with a roll, planting his hands on the ground and using the force to catapult himself into the sky like a helium balloon.
"So this is what a rollercoaster feels like." He mused as he shot upward, headfirst.
All the snakes turned their eyes toward him, moving as one. The meal was served on a silver platter.
Was he really an idiot for throwing himself into the air like an easy target?
After all, it wasn't like he could fly or had some secret trick up his sleeve... or did he?
Following their killer instincts, the first serpent darted straight at him, mouth wide open, ready to devour him.
"Tough luck." Desmon grinned. "I'm not on today's menu."
With a swift move, he twisted his body and grabbed onto one of the beast's scales as it grazed past him.
"Oh, solid. Thought it'd be just smoke..."
Riding his improvised "taxi," the serpent started climbing higher, trying to shake him off. Meanwhile, the others closed in fast, their bloodlust almost palpable.
"This is my stop! Put it on my tab!"
He let go a split second before the serpents collided into each other. The one he'd ridden was shredded apart, dissolving into a cloud of black smoke.
"So they turn to smoke if they take enough damage..." He nodded to himself. "Guess I should start worrying about the fall now."
From an alarming height, Desmon plummeted, completely out of control. Yet instead of fear, his face lit up with excitement. It was as if the whole ordeal was a theme park ride for him.
-Not every day you run into flying snakes... although I feel like I've fought something like this before... He pondered for a moment, then shrugged. -Meh. If I don't remember it, it wasn't important.
Being hauled around like cargo inside a box wasn't exactly fun. Maybe Lady heard him call her an old witch, and this was her way of getting back at him?
He steadied himself mid-air, twisting his body to face several serpents rushing straight toward him.
"No parachute, no wings... and Kurox isn't around... though I doubt that bike could fly anyway."
Everything was against him. He was freefalling, chased by flying serpents.
And yet... it wasn't Desmon who looked pathetic.
It was the snakes who were in trouble.
"Let's rock, baby… it's showtime." He said with a cocky grin.
And then it happened.
The serpents crashed into each other, dazing themselves on impact. Some met instant death, impaled by the fangs of their own companions.
You learn through experience.
In that instant, Desmon tensed his body, stretching his limbs. He gained a crucial second that allowed him to twist midair and use the bodies of the serpents as makeshift footholds.
No ground? No platforms? Doesn't matter. Use what you've got!
With nimble steps on the bodies of the winged demons, Desmon leapt from one to another, moving forward through the chaos.
In this snake-infested mess, he had one clear advantage: they didn't know how to work together. If they did, Desmon would've been history by now...
He jumped straight toward one, waving mockingly with one hand—just before being intercepted from below by another serpent that swallowed him whole.
The serpent's jaws snapped shut. But before it could swallow him, another serpent sank its fangs into its throat, forcing it to open its mouth and giving Desmon a chance to escape.
Was it a master plan or just dumb luck?
"If I had a coin for every time a demon's eaten me... I'd have two. Not a lot, but still weird that it's happened twice."
Desmon landed on another serpent's body and took off running. Around him, several more closed in at high speed.
"Time to see how tough you guys really are!"
Desmon leaped toward another incoming serpent, twisting midair and dodging two others that snapped their jaws at each other.
"Would this count as animal abuse? Guess we're about to find out!"
With almost childlike excitement, Desmon slammed his fist into a serpent's head, crushing it instantly—and falling once more.
"Hmm... just got an idea." He muttered casually.
While thinking of a more efficient way to wipe them out, another serpent lunged at him from the side. This time, Desmon used his entire body to block its jaws, keeping them from snapping shut.
Like a mouse trapped between a cat's teeth, he struggled to avoid being swallowed.
"Ever heard of mouthwash? You should give it a try!"
The serpent clamped down harder, trying to crush him, but Desmon wouldn't budge. In fact, little by little, he forced the demon's mouth open with sheer brute strength.
Finally, with a massive effort, he broke free and jumped back—just in time to watch two other serpents crash into each other.
"If only I had a weapon..." A wicked grin spread across his face.
Twisting in the air, he landed on another serpent's back and sprinted forward.
With a brutal leap, he shoved one serpent into another and, in the same motion, smashed his fist into a third.
"Three down! Still got... one, two, three, four... Ugh, too lazy to count." He said with a shrug midair.
Just then, another serpent lunged at him from below, but Desmon saw it coming. He bent his body, landing on its back like a skateboard, and started sliding at full speed.
"Woo! Look, no hands!"
With a graceful flip, he jumped just as the serpent tried to throw him off, delivering a clean spinning kick that decapitated it.
Back in the air, he twisted and latched onto another serpent, climbing onto its back like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Time for a brutal game of Snake!"
No weapon? No problem. Why not use the serpents themselves?
Their fangs were more than enough.
Mounted on the winged demon, Desmon grabbed its wings tightly.
"Here we go!"
Pulling the wings like reins, he began steering the serpent.
"Open wide!"
He stomped hard on its body, forcing the creature to open its massive jaws right as it rammed into the side of another serpent, destroying it instantly.
"This is better than bumper cars!" He shouted, laughing like a kid in a candy store.
Desmon rode the serpent like a pro—left, right, up, down—dodging attacks and crashing into enemies.
Under his command, the beast became a wrecking machine, mercilessly tearing through its own kind.
Back and forth, Desmon led the slaughter, while some serpents vanished in clouds of smoke.
"He's really good at riding..."
From the road below, Asako looked up and spotted Desmon wiping out the serpents as he rode one like a wild beast.
Each impact sent clouds of smoke billowing into the air, thinning their numbers fast.
"Think you can keep up with me?! Bring it on!"
Pulling on the serpent's wings, Desmon guided it upward, gaining altitude as the remaining serpents chased after him in a messy formation.
He climbed higher and higher, breaking through thick layers of clouds like tearing through cotton.
When he pierced the final layer, the world changed.
Beyond it, an endless horizon of lights, colors, and unknown lands spread out before his eyes—something he never would have had the chance to witness otherwise.
It's not every day you get to ride a winged serpent beyond the clouds.
"I'm sure... she would have loved to see this."
The thought crossed his mind like a whisper. Old memories, long sealed inside him, returned without permission:
"I want to see what's beyond the clouds!"
"Isn't it just more clouds?"
"Weren't you paying attention in class?"
"I fell asleep..."
"...I'm not letting you copy my homework!"
"Oh, come on, don't be like that... the teacher's really going to fail me!"
For a moment, Desmon's carefree smile faltered.
His face showed that weakness, that wound that would never truly heal. No matter how much time passed, it had already become a deep scar within him.
Unfortunately, there was no time to get lost in memories.
Not because the serpents were already catching up...But because he had no right to remember those moments.
SSSKRAAAGH!
The shrill screech of the winged serpents snapped him back to reality.
For a split second, he could almost swear she was there beside him, smiling at the sight of the sky.
He closed his eyes for just a second.
When he opened them again, Desmon had already regained his eternal mask of indifference.
"They're so noisy..." He muttered, forcing a smile. "They're going to wake the neighbors."
The last ten serpents were now beneath him. It was time to finish them all.
"Don't keep me waiting."
Without another word, Desmon leapt from the serpent's back, diving headfirst toward the demons rising up to meet him.
Those memories had left him a little melancholic... but more than anything, he wanted to unleash some anger.
The fierce glint in his eyes made that clear.
The first serpent barely had time to open its mouth before it was met with a devastating punch, disintegrating into smoke.
In one smooth motion, he flipped through the air, bringing down a crushing axe kick that obliterated another serpent's head.
One by one, they fell.
Every strike, every kick, every spin—perfect. Precise. Lethal. His skills only sharpened when his demonic instincts kicked in.
In just a few seconds, the ten serpents had turned into scattered clouds of smoke.
He's definitely not the kind of guy you want to piss off.
And just like that, Desmon was alone in the sky... falling.
He relaxed his body, closed his eyes, and felt the gentle breeze surrounding him as gravity did its work.
Maybe he could use this moment for a well-deserved break.
After all...
The day wasn't over yet.
And it had been, without a doubt, one of the worst.
And there was still more to come.
Plummeting at high speed, the demon hunter showed no signs of worry.
Maybe crashing into the ground at this velocity wouldn't kill him?
He's not about to find out.
"Told you not to keep me waiting." He muttered with a grin, opening one eye.
Coming straight at him in a dive was the last serpent.
The sole survivor.
If an outsider saw the scene, they might think it was trying to rescue him...
Nothing could be further from the truth.
The distance to the ground was shrinking fast. It was now or never.
"Think Shizuka will be mad if I bring home a giant snake?" He said with his usual deadpan tone, the gleam in his eyes already gone.
As the serpent got close enough, Desmon tensed his body.
With an agile midair twist, he latched onto the serpent and climbed onto its back.
"Let's go!"
With his new improvised ride, Desmon steered toward the road, where Asako was moving below, slowing down and descending to match her speed.
"What do you think? Think they'll give me a license to drive one of these?" He said cheerfully.
Asako glanced up at him for a moment, needing to tilt her head slightly, but then simply looked away—She already expected Desmon to say something ridiculous the moment he came back.
"What's with that huge black cloud? Is it over already?"
Ever since Kagenra had transformed into snakes and gone after Desmon, the sky had completely cleared. There was no trace of the demon... or so it seemed.
"If it were that easy, I'd be lying on the couch right now. Besides, saying stuff like that always jinxes it..."
And as if Asako's words were cursed, a strange mass of smoke slammed into the road ahead, triggering a massive explosion that shook the highway.
"Told you..." Desmon sighed.
Asako steered her motorcycle around the crater left by the blast, while Desmon glanced back up at the sky, where the remains of the destroyed snakes were reforming — but this time, the large black cloud was gone.
A dark figure, as if surfing on a cloud of darkness, took shape: Kagenra's reformed body, ready for more.
And if that wasn't enough, its claws held clusters of demonic energy that exploded on impact.
"DIE!!!"
Without wasting a second, Kagenra began hurling those energy clusters without restraint.
"Tch!" Both cursed aloud as they dodged the incoming blasts.
Desmon urged the serpent upward to gain more room to maneuver, while Asako accelerated, weaving away from the blast zones that were leaving behind more and more craters.
The road maintenance department was going to have their hands full, as the highway was almost entirely destroyed.
"Huh? Seriously...?"
Things were already bad for the two of them, but as if it couldn't get worse, Desmon spotted several cars approaching from the distance.
And it's not like he could just ask the demon to step aside and spare those people. On top of that, Kagenra wasn't letting up.
With no other choice, Desmon had to find another route to the laboratory — and luckily, now he had a ride suited for it.
"Hey Asako, change of plans! We're splitting up here. I'll be waiting for JB's reward — catch you later!"
Casually waving goodbye, Desmon steered the serpent off the highway and into the surrounding mountains.
Kagenra immediately shifted its pursuit, continuing to rain down destruction with those deadly blasts.
"Don't you dare do anything stupid, you hear me?!" Asako shouted after him, but Desmon was already too far ahead.
Doing stupid and risky things was just another day in the life of a demon hunter.
At that moment, there was nothing more she could do for Desmon, but the more she thought about why he had changed course, the clearer it became — especially when she saw several cars approaching.
"Guess he's not as much of an idiot as I thought."
Asako let out a quiet, relieved smile and focused on what she needed to do.
...
"Don't you ever get tired of throwing that crap?"
Over a dense forest, Desmon weaved through the sky, dodging explosions that were tearing apart everything in their path.
''YOU ONLY KNOW HOW TO RUN''
Kagenra kept bombarding him, forcing Desmon to steer the serpent in wild, erratic movements.
"If you were even remotely tangible, you can bet I'd kick your ass without hesitation! But nooo, it's cheating if nothing can hurt you!"
If only Desmon had a weapon that could slash through demons or intangible entities... but that would be asking too much, right?
"COWARD!"
For now, it was enough for Desmon to just keep dodging until he could reach the lab — after that, it would be JB's problem.
Unfortunately for him... Kagenra wasn't about to make it easy.
"What's wrong, you hungry or something?" Desmon stomped on the serpent's body — but it didn't move.
-This is bad…
Before he could react, darkness surged up from the serpent's body and latched onto his legs, trapping him in place. Being part of Kagenra's body, it was easy for the demon to reclaim control.
"DODGE THIS!"
Seizing the moment, Kagenra gathered a massive amount of demonic energy — a mass three times its size — and hurled it straight at Desmon.
"Well, guess I'm dead..." Desmon sighed in resignation.
All he could do was watch as the enormous wave of energy rushed toward him.
Seconds later, a massive explosion obliterated everything around. Mountains, trees, the very ground itself — all wiped out as if they had never existed.
The world around him was swallowed by a hell of smoke and ash.