Gunther took a step back as he heard a soft groan coming from within the smoke.
A chill ran through his spine despite the warmth of the night.
Suddenly, he felt something shift by his side. He turned instinctively—
Only to be greeted by a brutal fist slamming into his jaw, knocking him backward.
He barely steadied himself, preparing to strike back—
But like a ghost, Demon appeared above him, descending rapidly.
Gunther's eyes widened.
Demon's hand was now enveloped in a reddish aura, a strange, pulsing energy that made Gunther's heart skip a beat.
Without a word, Demon grabbed Gunther's face and smashed it into the ground repeatedly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The impact echoed through the compound as dirt and sparks flew.
Gunther, struggling, forged a blade from his iron suit and drove it into Demon's stomach—
But Demon didn't flinch. He didn't even slow down.
His focus remained locked on what he wanted to do to Gunther.
That sheer disregard for pain, that obsession—
It broke something in Gunther.
"You're insane!" Gunther snarled, rage taking over as he twisted the blade, hoping to force a reaction.
Demon finally grunted and leapt back, letting go of Gunther.
He landed a few feet away, a hand on his stomach.
His voice was filled with irritation as he glared at Gunther.
"Tch. You're disappointing me, Gunther."
---
The Final Exchange
Gunther scowled at the insult, but said nothing.
Instead, he jumped back, grabbing hold of his weapon.
Without hesitation, he slammed it into overdrive, the core glowing violently.
He aimed straight at Demon and fired.
The electric blast tore through the air, but Demon wasn't there to receive it.
Twisting mid-air, he dodged it cleanly, narrowly escaping the energy that vaporized the space where he stood.
As he hovered, he raised two fingers toward Gunther.
"I never thought it'd come to this..."
From his fingertips, a thin reddish beam shot out, precise and direct—
Right toward Gunther's eye.
"W-What the—?!" Gunther gasped, his instincts barely kicking in.
He raised his weapon in time, using it to block the blast.
The impact threw him backward, the ground behind him splintering from the force.
His weapon cracked under pressure—then shattered into pieces.
Panting heavily, Gunther climbed back to his feet.
"I… survived it," he muttered, half-relieved.
But then—
Pain.
An unbearable, foreign pain bloomed in his chest.
His breath hitched.
He looked down slowly…
And saw it.
A hand, driven straight through his chest…
from behind.
Blood dripped to the ground.
He heard a calm, cold voice whisper in his ear:
"I thought I told you… I just wanna play."
---
The Torture
Demon slowly stepped back as he removed his hand from Gunther's body, forcing Gunther to feel a sharp, stabbing pain.
As Gunther fell to his knees, he heard footsteps approaching. More of the teens moved closer to him.
A little girl, who looked no older than six, stepped forward. She tended to Gunther's wound after strapping a collar around his neck—one that suppressed his ability to use his powers.
Suddenly, another teen injected him with a drug—one designed to numb the body and stop it from feeling pain.
The actions of the children—and especially the little girl—confused Gunther. He looked around and saw more and more teens approaching, each of them carrying a hostile expression.
He then heard Demon's voice, cold and calm.
"You're not going to make it, Gunther."
Gunther, now fully aware of what was about to happen, began to beg. He turned, trying to call for help, only to discover that he was the only one left alive.
His desperation took over.
He screamed in frustration, then moved to anger… then regret… and finally, back to begging for his life.
His screams echoed throughout the base and even into the surrounding forest…
as the teens brutally tortured him to death.
---
Hours Later…
The battle was over.
Some of the teens partied and celebrated their victory. The base buzzed with a mix of relief and chaos.
Elsewhere, Hakimi called for Demon to meet him.
As Demon entered the dimly lit war room, he saw other familiar faces already seated.
He turned to Hakimi.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Hakimi turned and faced them all. He placed a digital screen in the center of the table.
On it was a list—a list of organizations above CODE.
"These are the higher organizations CODE falls under," Hakimi stated seriously. "And now… we'll be hunted."
The room went quiet for a moment.
Void shrugged it off casually.
"Tch… Things just keep getting more stressful."
Hakimi gave a small smile, trying to lighten the mood.
"On the bright side, the mini-base is finally ready. We can teleport any resource we need there. No one knows about its existence but us."
Lana looked at Demon with a proud smile.
"You're the one who came up with that idea in the first place."
Demon smirked and replied,
"nah don't mention it."
He paused, then added with a nod toward Lana,
"But you were the one who retrieved the data on the force field design from Anthony… without drawing any attention to yourself."