The Disillusioned Land

Chapter 40 - Hubris

Embers dance in front of my eyes, shifting their colours chaotically as they flicker. Wind blows against my body. Though this could hardly be called anything more than a light breeze I can feel it upon my skin more vividly than ever before. A discordant cacophony of sound surrounds me, but the silence is too loud for me to make sense of the noise.

My name is Ryan. I moved to this country when I had just become an adult in order to pursue a higher education. I met a particular woman and worked under her as something akin to a scientist for a year or so. Eventually, it all went wrong, and so I ran away. I worked as a librarian for a couple years, but that job wasn't exactly stable either.

And now I'm here.

I'm here in what I can both literally and metaphorically describe as hell. Within my chest lies a hole. No... that's not quite it. A hole lies beside what remains of my chest. The two intertwine, almost resembling the yin and yang. Death and darkness on one side, remnants of life on the other. My right arm is missing. Even if I knew where it was, it's not as if I could just reattach it.

It really didn't take long at all to catch up to Junko using Yukari's power. In fact we may have gotten here too fast. With my recent streak of victories I must have thought myself invincible. Of course everyone I've fought as of late has been holding back to some extent, either that or I've been saved last second by someone else. The knowledge that my knife is the very thing that can stop Junko certainly didn't help either.

But all of that is nothing more than excuses from the loser I suppose. The fact of the matter is quite a lot simpler. I got cocky, impatient even, and I went for the first strike. Suffice to say I didn't exactly succeed.

The commotion continues on even without me, my companions clash with the enemy over and over again. A figure looms above me, but I can't make out their face. In fact, my vision grows too blurry to make out much of anything. In the face of this futility I resign myself and simply close my eyes.

...

"Ran! Get him to safety!"

Ryan's body falls limply into a gap underneath him. The shikigami moves quickly and catches him, hoisting the man up on her shoulder.

"Understood." Ran starts moving as soon as she acknowledges my order. Though Ryan is gravely injured the attack nearly missed his heart, if he gets medical attention quickly it might still be possible to save him. I close the gap and turn to face Junko once more.

"Was that it? A mere human? I presumed you to have lost your mind to betray me, but it seems you've far exceeded my expectations in that regard."

Her words strike a chord, but I restrain myself from responding. I can't allow myself to grow emotional. I know far too well the power Junko amassed as a result of our agreement, fighting her head on wouldn't end well, even with our greater numbers. There's also Hecatia backing her up. She may be a little battered from our previous fight, but she still can't be taken lightly, especially since she's assembled all three of her bodies for this fight.

Junko continues glaring at me, as if waiting for a response. No... that's not it. She's glaring at me because I betrayed her. In the brief moment I spent thinking the goddess of hell has already moved to isolate me from my companions by engaging them in battle. Junko on the other hand heads straight for me with what I can only imagine to be murderous intent.

There's something I have to do before I get caught up in a fight with her. I quickly scan the battlefield for Ryan's dropped weapon. I find it on the ground alongside what remains of his arm. It's closer to Junko than it is to me, but I should be able to get it if I use a gap. I look back at Junko and notice she's spotted the blade as well. I quickly open a gap beneath it but she lunges and grabs it before it can fall in.