Chapter 236 - John's Mercy

John decided to leave the girl for last, dealing with the others was the best option for now. But he still had to scare her or neutralise her in a way. 

Because of this, he stretched out his arm to grab her and, in that instant, he quickly pulled his body back, avoiding the slash which was sent at him by a hair strand. 

As he avoided it, wind pressure came out from the other end of the blade, slashing at his arm. 

*Slash* 

John's right arm was cleanly cut off, falling to the ground with his right dagger still in it's grip. 

Without giving John a second to rest, the man quickly turned the direction of the blade, before heading straight towards John's head 

As the blade got closer and closer, John could see wind forming in front of it. 

And right as it was about to hit him, he shadow stepped away. 

*Voom* 

Sharp wind cleanly cut through the area where he had stood, as it formed a giant sphere of rampaging wind. 

The man responsible for this, was the same purple haired man that John had lost sight of in the beginning of the battle. He carried a strange green and black sword which resembled a katana. 

John reappeared, behind the man's head, with blood pouring out of the half of the right arm which had been cleanly cut off. 

The man quickly turned back and right as he swung his sword at John, John swung his arm which was missing the other half at the man's face, making some of the blood enter his eyes. 

But before it could hit him. John shadow stepped to the man's side, before swinging his left arm which held on tightly to the dagger straight at the man's head. 

Right as it reached the man's neck, John felt a strange thud before his dagger and left hand were pushed back. 

Following that, slashes of wind were sent all around the man, and John who was within the range was about to take all of them head-on. 

But once again, John shadow stepped away before it could hit him. 

The man slowly pulled back his sword before wiping his eyes and turning to John who stood a few feet away from the two. 

He watched as steam was let out of John's cut off arm while blood dripped out of it. Yet despite all of that, John didn't let out a single sound. 

"Did you get it?" The man asked 

The girl who was next to him, bent down to the ground before grabbing on to John's cut off arm and saying 

"Yeah, fighting is bad but I'll allow it this time." 

The moment she grabbed on to John's hand hand, she ripped off her dolls hand, before it slowly got bigger. 

Once it was big enough to fit in John's hand in the ripped off sleeve, She placed John's hand in it before chanting a few words. 

As she did so, The purple haired man looked over at John who wasn't making any moves, he just stood there, quietly with his head hung. 

"Done." Said the girl 

Seeing this, the man charged straight at John. 

John who saw this, raised his head and was about to move his body to dodge, when all of the sudden. 

He realised that his body was paralysed. He couldn't control it. 

As the man swung his katana straight at the immobile John, for a moment, just a single moment, John's eyes glowed a bright yellow colour 

And in that instant, he muttered 

"Cancel." 

John tilted his body to the side, before electricity began to flow once more through it. The emotionless gaze remained on his face as he muttered the words. 

[Gravitas x 50, Modero] 

The purple haired man's eyes widened, as he lost sight of John's movement. His body grew heavier and heavier as he tried to move away 

*Slash* *Slash* *Slash* 

When he came to it, He had received slashes all over his body, causing him to fall to his knees. 

John was surprised, The man's body was being protected by a strange wind armour, making all of John's strikes shallow, but despite that, he was still able to hit him in the vital points. 

Seeing as how he stood no chance; the man formed a smile on his face before saying. 

"H-How did you... Hmph... It's your win. Kill me." 

His voice sounded rather calm for someone who was asking to be killed, he seemed satisfied with the result of the fight. 

He stopped, not because he felt pity for the enemy, but because of the strings which had grabbed on to his hand and the young girl who had moved in front of John's attack. 

"S-Stop..." She muttered 

Her eyes closed, legs trembling in fear, and her voice breaking as she let out the quiet plea for him to stop. 

The purple haired man's eyes widened as he watched the girl stand up for him. He then looked over at John whose expression remained unmoving. 

John tried moving his left arm, but the string was wrapped around it tightly. 

He turned back and noticed the brown-haired boy he had knocked into the wall, was slowly walking to them, with blood dripping down his head. 

"D-don't hurt them..." The brown-haired boy muttered 

He had his arms stretched out and with strings coming out of the edge of the gloves he had on. John who saw this, looked back over the girl whose eyes were still closed as she tightly held on to the doll. 

The emotionless expression on John's face changed into an angered glare as he stared straight at the girl and a man. 

"Ila, who told you to help me? Go away, I lost, and it wasn't even a fair battle... I've lost my morales but at least let me go out with my honour and pride." Said the man 

"No." The girl replied 

"ILA! Stop being stupid! You're just a kid! HE'LL KILL YOU!" 

"I DON'T CARE!!" She shouted out from the top of her lungs 

The whole room fell in silence as she said 

"Everyone... My friends... Family... Even my parent's abandoned me... Yet you were the only one who offered me help and took care of me... IF YOU'RE GONNA DIE THEN I'LL BE ALL ALONE AGAIN!! SO PLEASE! DON'T GIVE UP!!" 

Hearing this, the man's eyes widened, small tears began to form on his eyes as he muttered 

"Yeah, you're rig-" 

He was interrupted by a sharp pain which passed through his arm. Confused, he looked over at his right arm which held on to his sword, only to see it lying on the floor in the ground. 

"Be quiet." Said John 

"ARGH..!!" 

The man grabbed on to the area of his arm which had been cut off before squeezing it tightly. Blood was heavily pouring out of it. Faster than it did with John. 

The girl who saw this quickly turned to him to help him and the Curley haired boy tried pulling John's left arm back, only to realise the his strings had been cut off. 

"H-How... These strings are made of pure magic concentration... They can't be cut..." The boy muttered 

John crouched down to the man who laid on the ground while facing the girl as he said. 

"What gives you the right to decide who gets to give up? All of those lives taken on that day, all of those people who are suffering till today... What makes you think I'll let you guys continue to live your life In happiness?" John asked 

He stared straight at the girl straight in the eyes. She stared back with tears forming in her face, she stared into the darkness which could be seen within John's eyes and began to feel fear brooming from within her. 

"W-we weren't the ones that k-killed them" 

John's eyes began to glow a yellow light as he muttered 

"Even Serena... Someone who had nothing to do with it, ended up being kidnapped because she was related to me... That boss of yours, I won't forgive him." 

"I-I said-" 

She was interrupted by John once more who said 

"I don't care, look at me in the eyes and tell me you've never killed anyone innocent for that guy before." 

She struggled to look John in the eye, the amount of bloodl.u.s.t he was releasing was intense, on top of that, she couldn't deny it. 

"Wrong answer." 

"D-Don't hurt her... If it's a life you want... Take mine... Don't be a coward..." The man muttered, His voice clearly weaker than before. 

Hearing this, anger clouded his mind and John moved in his dagger to slash both of them, and as the girl closed her eyes the man wrapped his remaining arm around her to take the hit. 

But Contrary to what he was expecting, nothing happened 

John had stopped, right as he was about to cut through them. 

No matter how hard he tried, his arm wouldn't move any further. Seeing this he clicked his tongue before getting up.

"Tsk."