Rogue

Chapter 28

*Slightly gruesome content ahead*

Izumi bent over to look Erias in the eyes. He seemed hesitant as he approached the older boy so he tried to act as nonchalant as possible.

"Izumi Kohei, but you can just call me Izumi."

"Why do I have to use your last name?" Akira nudged her brother with her elbow.

"It's the culture in this part of Meeden." The younger boy nodded up to his older sister and reconnected eyes with the older male.

"Enomoto Erias. It's nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine," Izumi replied suavely. This made the blonde girl cock her brow at his behavior. Trying to win my brother over or something? "Should we move toward the edge of the forbidden zone and keep him hidden?" Akira went to respond to her teammate but found her voice cut off by another from further behind them where the pile of dead Rabbits lay.

"Unfortunately, I can't let you leave here alive." Akira knew that voice without even having to see his face. Erias did too as he tried to reach for his sister but was instead shoved into the arms of Izumi without explanation. The blonde woman positioned herself between the boys and this man with a snarl. "All you had to do was kill the girl and I'd let you live," he spoke condescendingly toward the younger sibling. "But now it looks like I'll have to kill both of the remaining Enomoto's, just like their parents."

"Trigger off." Izumi went to grab at Akira but she was already far out of his reach. She had removed her Border trigger and stepped away from the others. He knew what this meant. If she made this choice right here and now, there was no way he could continue to protect her. As soon as that Black Trigger were to pop up on the monitors at HQ, she was done for. Commander Kido had been very clear that he cared more about containing her power than the ongoing war.

"Akira," Izumi called out. "Don't do this! We can't protect you from the top brass if you go through with this." The girl seemed to think it over to herself. However, that smug bastard was just leering at her across the battlefield, beckoning her for their final duel. "Please," he begged.

"I've come all the way across the Neighborhood for you to back out of our fight?" The tan man's teasings rang in her ears so violently it drowned out all the other voices she was hearing. "I sent your failure of a brother to take you out when I should've just done it myself. But if you're not planning to fight back, killing you two will be a breeze.

"It'll be easier than killing your mother and father," he rambled. She knew he was just talking out of his ass to piss her off, but boy was it working. She could feel her anger getting the better of her. "I thought your life goal was to kill the man that ruined your life. I thought you wanted revenge." The way he spoke down to Akira finally made her snap. He was right; she did want revenge, more than anything.

Akira reached for her pendant without a second thought and felt the gates of hell corrupt her mind and soul once again. Izumi's heart dropped as he realized there was no turning back now. He became breathless at the sight of her; a dark cloak sat across her shoulders, hiding her inhuman form from his eyes. Though, the power she radiated made him feel real, true fear for the first time in his life. This was not just any Black Trigger; no, they called her the Grim Reaper for a reason. She really was here to retrieve the souls of the damned.

"Izumi, collect the Black Trigger and bring Akira into custody," he heard over his comms. "All A and B-Rank agents in the vicinity, redirect your paths and take down the Black Trigger user."

"Roger!" Izumi felt a lump grow in his throat as her body seemingly swayed with the wind. This showdown had yet to begin but he decided that if he could stop her right here, right now before she could do something she might regret, he might still be able to save her from a lifetime of incarceration.