XLVI

Everyone was a madman, cadavers, humans and Hunters alike. There was no line separating them, only the extent to which they carried out their maddening actions. And the one who would turn up at the top will be Ace Jaeger, a simple human who broke the definition of simplicity when he decided to hunt, kill and eat other humans. His motive had been hidden under a humane smile and a happy home.

But what was insanity without sanity?

Through the rainstorm, Ace marched into the private cemetery that was behind the tall mansion, the sound of a battle behind him. Mud splattered under his clean shoes, his face as blank as a white sheet of paper. Up ahead, a group of people stood, soaked to the core by the chilling rain. A smirk broke onto his face at the sight of Kara; she was unconscious in one of those people's arms.

Ace hadn't even reached them when he yelled, "search the cemetery! Kidagakash's sarcophagus should have a crescent on its sculpture's forehead!"

"Yes Sir!"

Except for the person carrying Kara, the rest spread out, searching for the right sarcophagus. Ace kept his eyes on Kara's form as he neared them.

"Sit her on the ground," he ordered lightly and the man did just that. He crouched and sat the unconscious lady in the mud, letting her limp body rest against his. "Knife." Ace squatted and dropped the torchlight on the floor. The person took a pocketknife out of his pocket and handed it to Ace. "Hold up her wrist." The man did just that and Ace held the goblet under her hand. He brought out the knife's blade and used it to cut Kara's inner wrist open. Kara groaned and Ace only hmmed, watching as her blood dripped into the goblet.

Ace kept the goblet under her bleeding wrist until it was filled halfway with blood. After that, he threw the knife aside and stood. He glared into the darkness and hissed, "where the hell is Ma—?"

"Miss me?" Maria said as she flashed into view. Ace blankly gazed at her and she held up the bagged organ. "Your delivery is here."

"You're late." Ace took it and eyed it with narrowed eyes.

"Pests." She massaged her neck, her face to the sky.

"Hunters or cadavers?"

"Both. One more stupid and delusional than the other."

"Hmm. Don't worry." He raised his head as one of those who were searching the cemetery called out to him. "Soon, all will be over."

Maria heaved a sigh. "I hope so."

Ace treaded through the darkness and headed for where the people where pointing flashlights at. From afar, the sarcophagus looked like the rest that dotted the cemetery. But the only thing that was different was the crescent symbol on the sculpture's forehead. Unlike the rest, it looked like it was cleaned regularly. Ace snorted at the idea of worshipping a corpse. He motioned them to open the coffin and they did, groaning as they fought to push the top off.

The suspense was incredibly irksome. Ace clicked his tongue.

"Hurry up," he said through his teeth.

They exerted more strength and soon the cover was thrown off. The first thing Ace noticed was the neat clothing she was dressed in and it made Ace groan in irritation.

Such foolish ideals. He handed the goblet to one of them. Ace took the organ out of the bag and held it to the humongous hole in the body's chest. His eyebrows furrowed. It all ends today.

Ace pressed the organ into the hole. The organ simply sat there and stayed beatless. He grabbed the goblet from the person and held it to Kidagakash's cracked, parted lips. Ace tipped the goblet and poured the blood into her mouth. He didn't care if it spilled as he watched the blood flow down the sides of her face. Ace stared and stared, waiting for the right moment. His eyes snapped to her chest when it began to cover up. Even her sickly looking ebony skin began to look alive, loosing its sick tone.

It's now or never, he thought as he left the goblet and shoved his hand into his jacket's inner pocket. He pulled out a dirk, its blade rusted. Ace held it in his hands and inhaled slowly.

Be patient. Wait for the right moment, a voice said in his head. When the time is right, Kidagakash will regain colour and life. Strike then. Destroy her heart with a blade that had been crafted from the flames of a burner. Don't disappoint me boy.

"I won't." He held it over his head and stared at Kidagakash with eyes that leaked death. "It all ends now."

Ace drove his hands down, targeting the heart. The seconds ticked as the blade got closer. Ace's heartbeat fastened and his eyes grew wide. Anticipation soaked his bones and the blade was almost there when it was suddenly held back by a hand that belonged to the very corpse that had come back to life.

"Shit," he hissed, still pushing down. "Hold her hands down!"

His helpers circled the sarcophagus. They gripped her arms, keeping them down. All of them tugged and pulled, and Ace pushed and pushed, but there was no effect.

Soon, Ace was looking into a pair of silver eyes that glowed. He growled.

"Die already!"

Kidagakash inhaled once, her chest going flat. "I don't intend to do that for now." She twisted her hand around and swindled the dirk out of his hand. Kidagakash stared at the others and threw them away when she forcefully tugged her arms out of their holds.

Ace shrieked in anguish and pulled out another dirk. He twirled the dirk and was going to stab her in the chest when she glitched out of focus and out of the sarcophagus. Ace spun around and caught the sight of her as she landed on the ground, light on her feet.

Kidagakash's face was blank as she stared at him. She held the dirk to her face, rainwater coursing down her face, her curly hair shrinking under the rain. "This dirk is deadly." She squinted. "How did you get it? I sense that you are not a Hunter."

"It doesn't matter."

"And why had you awakened me just to kill me?"

He pointed the dirk at her. "You are an evil woman. You claimed to have had a cure to a plague yet you birthed another. What do you see yourself as?! Some deity?!"

Kidagakash stared at him, sniffled then peered over her shoulder. Spotting her unconscious mother in the arms of an unfamiliar young lady—who had claws to her mother's neck—she lifted a brow. "Tell you what." She faced him and tossed the dirk to his feet. "If you defeat me, you take your success. If you fail, you pay for your sins."

Ace locked his jaw and frowned. "Sins? You call my actions sins? What sins?!"

"They are sins you made for yourself so only know what that sin is. Only when you fail will you realize your sins." She spread her arms wide. "Come at me Ace Jaeger."

Ace stiffened. "How do you know my name?"

She smiled lightly, her eyes glowing. "You're not the only one who has eyes and ears everywhere."

Ace held her gaze for a while. His hands clenched and unclenched around the dirk, his chest becoming tight with anger. Around them, rain drummed against the earth, creating a ragged battle tune. Ace's helpers circled them, pointing their guns at Kidagakash.

Maria growled lightly and hissed, "fight already!"

"Calm down child." Kidagakash looked at her and squinted. "He is wise to wait and think. You shouldn't act irrational and simply jump into action."

Maria scoffed and pierced Kara's neck with her claws. Kara gasped loudly. She smirked as Kidagakash's face tightened. "And so should you."

Kidagakash simply rolled her shoulders, her bones popping softly. "Kill my mother and you will pay." She looked at the helpers. "All of you."

Ace rolled his eyes and eyed his helpers. He dipped his head and all of them cocked their guns. They didn't hesitate and began to fire their guns at her, creating a death song that rang in line with the sound of fighting that filled the environment. Kidagakash held her ground and let the bullets bury themselves in her flesh. Despite her skin becoming gnawed by silver flames, she held her blank face. But Ace didn't, his face becoming pale as some of them began to exhaust their bullets.

Once the last gunshot sounded, Kidagakash smirked and cracked her neck. She raised a hand to the sky and spread out her fingers, palming thin air. The others stared with wide eyes, some of the helpers shuffling backwards, as the wind picked up.

"Do you know why people fear me?" Kidagakash asked quietly, her voice a whisper in the roaring rainstorm. "They do so because I steal life and I can also give it."

Ace gritted his teeth and Maria threw Kara to the side, jumping to her feet. Kidagakash shook her head as Maria ran to her, her claws raised. Maria shrieked in anger as she fisted her hand and threw a big punch at Kidagakash. Kidagakash was smart and caught her wrist. She narrowed her eyes and gripped Maria's neck. Her eyes glowed a bright silver as she held Maria by her neck and pulled her off her feet. Maria's eyes bulged out as Kidagakash pushed her power into her, causing her to grip Kidagakash's wrist with her hands. A moment passed and Maria began to quiver in her hold, her eyes becoming teary.

As Kidagakash's power began to work—stealing Maria's life—she saw the lives of others in Maria's mind. This made tears come to her eyes, seeing pain in all those memories, sucking Maria empty to the last drop.

Ace watched as bullet after bulled spilled out of Kidagakash's flesh, her wounds wasting no time to seal up. His heart was pounding in his ears, his shoulders falling and rising. He twirled the dirks.

Now is the time. He took a step forward. Now or never.

Ace took the opportunity that Kidagakash was backing him and lunged at her. He quickly dug the dirks in her body. He grunted in anguish as he pushed the dirks deeper into her body, feeling their blades slide through her ribs, tearing through her flesh. Blood trickled down his hands and painted his skin and cloth with the colour of pain and life. Ace frowned as Kidagakash looked over her shoulder at him. She narrowed her eyes and looked back at Maria. She unhanded the young lady, allowing her dead body to drop into the mud.

Kidagakash stared at the sky, listening to the sound of war as she whispered, “I see. Life isn't what I had envisioned it to be. Loss and pain and fear has taken over and it is being harvested by the greedy." She twisted around and harshly elbowed Ace in the face. His head snapped to the side and he stumbled away, palming his face. He didn't see Kidagakash coming as she lifted a fist and punched him in the gut. Ace doubled over and dropped to his knees. "You are a monster. You use the pain of the weak for your own selfish desires. You claim to want to bring a new world, meanwhile you're the bane of the old one."

Ace spat blood on the floor and looked up at her through his lashes, his eyes demonic. "And what do you know? You had been dead for more than a century yet you already know what I really intend to do." He grinned, blood polishing his teeth. "I want what you have. You don't have the right to all you have. You're a mistake. I can correct that mistake."

Kidagakash shook her head. "A cadaver is never really dead except if made possible by Hunters." She reached around for the dirks, took them out and threw them to the floor. Her eyes trailed to Maria's body. "This girl has the ability to swim through the past memories of cadavers and you used her powers to your advantage, twisting her bothered mind, bending it to your own will." Her gaze shifted to where the sound of the fight was coming from. "You're fighting a battle that has already been lost."

Ace cocked a brow. "What do you—?" He wasn't able to complete his sentence as Kidagakash rushed to him and punched him into a state of unconsciousness, silencing him.

Kidagakash watched as Ace's body landed in the mud before she gazed at all the petrified helpers. "Leave before you share the fate that is about to fall upon him. And take your companions with you." They stayed still before she sharply said, "leave." They all jumped into action and scrambled out of the cemetery.

In a little while, the sound of the battle began to thin out, and a few cadavers started spilling into the cemetery, wanting to see if their maker had truly awoken. And when they confirmed it with shocked faces, they all bowed to their goddess.