บท 79: Chapter [79]

Jason entered the B&B with his friends, his heavy footsteps echoing on the wooden floor as he looked around the room with disdain. His eyes quickly found Martha, the owner of the place, who was arranging the reception.

"Hey, lady," Jason started, with a false tone of courtesy. "I heard a new guy moved to town and is staying here. You know where he is?"

Martha looked up, studying the group for a moment before responding. "Ah, you must be talking about Kaito. He's in room 203, on the second floor."

Jason nodded shortly, not bothering to thank her. He glanced at one of his friends and pointed toward the entrance. "You stay here and guard the door. I don't want anyone interrupting us."

Jason's friend, a tall, robust guy, nodded and took position by the door, watching the street outside. Jason and the other two began climbing the stairs, their footsteps echoing off the walls of the B&B as they made their way to Kaito's room.

...

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

'Who's knocking on my door like that?' Kaito thought, his expression growing serious as he slowly stood up. He wasn't expecting any visitors, and the aggressive knock suggested this wasn't a friendly chat.

Kaito walked to the door, opening it calmly. On the other side stood Jason, accompanied by two friends, all of them with looks filled with hostility.

"You're the new guy, right?" Jason asked, his voice cold and full of contempt.

"That's me. And you are...?"

"Jason." He took a step forward, almost invading Kaito's personal space. "I heard you and Thalia are... close."

'Who does this guy think he is, talking to me like this?' Kaito thought.

"Come in," Kaito said, stepping aside and motioning for them to enter, which briefly surprised Jason. Jason's friends exchanged confused looks but followed their leader, stepping into the room without hesitation.

Kaito closed the door slowly, locking it with a soft CLICK, and turned to face Jason and his friends. The atmosphere suddenly grew tenser, with the three werewolves watching Kaito's every move.

"Who are you to demand explanations from me about Thalia?" Kaito said.

"That's none of your business, you damn Jap. Just stay away from her if you don't want trouble," Jason spat, stepping even closer to Kaito.

Before Jason could continue with his threats, Kaito, with a quick and precise movement, delivered a punch to Jason's stomach.

THUD!

The impact was so strong that the sound of the blow echoed through the room. Jason remained still for a second, his expression shifting from contempt to utter shock. He tried to breathe, but the air wouldn't come. A searing pain radiated from his abdomen to his ribs, now broken.

Jason fell to his knees on the floor, groaning in pain.

"Aaagh!"

He clutched his stomach, unable to move as he desperately tried to catch his breath. His eyes, now filled with pain and surprise, looked up at Kaito, unable to believe he had been defeated so quickly.

Jason's friends, seeing their leader down, rushed at Kaito, their eyes glowing with lupine fury. One of them partially transformed, sharp claws emerging from his hands, ready to attack.

Kaito, remaining calm, raised a hand and controlled the wind around him. A powerful gust filled the room, swirling rapidly and enveloping Jason's two friends. The air around them became dense, suffocating, as if the entire atmosphere was being compressed.

One of Jason's friends, the more aggressive one, started clutching his own throat, his eyes widening in panic. He tried to breathe, but the wind around him prevented any air from reaching his lungs. His face turned red, and he fell to his knees, desperate for oxygen.

"Arr...gh...!" Jason's friend tried to speak, but his voice was just a muffled sound as he struggled to breathe. Desperation grew in his eyes as his movements slowed, his strength quickly fading.

The second friend stopped advancing as he saw his comrade collapse. He looked at Kaito with fear and hesitation, unsure of how to proceed.

Before he could react, Kaito grabbed him by the head, his expression calm but firm.

A red glow began to radiate from Kaito's hand, enveloping the werewolf completely. His eyes glazed over for a moment, and Kaito took the opportunity to access his memories.

'Chris...' Kaito thought as he sifted through the werewolf's memories, discovering his name and other relevant information. He used his magic to alter Chris's perception, modifying his memories so that, from that moment on, he believed he was Kaito's friend and ally.

Chris blinked, confused for a brief moment, but soon smiled warmly, as if Kaito was someone he had always liked.

"Now, Chris, I need you to go downstairs and call the other werewolf standing outside," Kaito said, his voice calm yet authoritative.

"Sure, Kaito! I'll get right on it!" Chris replied, quickly descending the stairs.

Jason, still kneeling on the floor and clutching his aching stomach, watched the scene with pure terror in his eyes. He saw Chris, his long-time friend, act as if he had always been loyal to Kaito. This left him horrified, unable to comprehend how Kaito had so quickly altered Chris's loyalty.

"What... what did you do to him?" Jason asked, his voice trembling with fear, as he struggled to stand up.

Kaito smiled.

"I just made him understand who the real leader is here."

Jason, still clutching his painful stomach, tried to crawl backward, putting distance between himself and Kaito. The friend who had passed out due to lack of air remained unconscious on the floor, leaving Jason alone to face Kaito.

"What... what are you?" Jason asked, his voice trembling with fear as his wide eyes reflected his growing realization that he had underestimated Kaito.

Kaito took a few steps toward Jason, keeping his gaze fixed on him. "I am a Devil."

Jason's eyes widened even more as he heard the revelation. He tried to compose himself, his breath still ragged from pain and fear.

"I... I didn't know..." Jason began to stutter, trying to find an excuse for his aggressive behavior. "Look, I... I didn't mean to cause trouble... It was just a misunderstanding."

Kaito observed Jason with a calm expression, but his unwavering eyes made it clear he wasn't accepting any weak explanations.

Chris arrived at the door with the other werewolf, who had been standing outside. The werewolf, upon entering and seeing Jason on the floor groaning in pain, and the other unconscious friend, immediately became alarmed. His eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, Chris moved with impressive speed.

THUD!

Chris delivered a precise blow to the back of the werewolf's neck, causing him to fall unconscious to the floor without a chance to react. The sound of his body hitting the ground echoed through the room, creating an even more tense atmosphere.

CLICK!

Chris shut the door, locking it, while looking at Kaito with a satisfied smile, as if pleased to have fulfilled his task.

Jason, witnessing all of this, felt his despair grow. He couldn't understand how Chris, someone who had always stood by his side, now blindly obeyed Kaito. The betrayal seemed incomprehensible, and the fear that the same fate awaited him began to dominate his thoughts.

"Please... let me go," Jason begged, now more desperate, his eyes pleading for any sign of mercy.

"I'll let you go," Kaito said, his voice calm but carrying an underlying threat.

Jason briefly breathed a sigh of relief, but quickly realized something was wrong in Kaito's tone. Before he could react, Kaito extended his hand, and a magic circle appeared beneath their feet, emitting a bright glow.

In the blink of an eye, Kaito and Jason materialized in a dense and gloomy forest, surrounded by tall, thick trees. The night enveloped everything around them, and the only light came from the pale moon, barely filtering through the treetops.

Jason's unconscious friends had also been teleported to the location, their bodies falling to the ground like ragdolls.

Kaito extended his hands toward the ground, and the earth beneath their feet began to tremble slightly. With a firm gesture, he manipulated the magic of the earth, causing a large hole to slowly open up, deep and dark, like a grave waiting to be filled.

Jason, watching what was happening, grew even more desperate. "Please, I'll do whatever you want! Just... don't do this!" he begged, falling to his knees, tears beginning to form in his eyes.

Kaito, ignoring Jason's pleas, turned his attention to Chris. The werewolf, still under Kaito's control, looked at him with a blank and loyal expression, unaware of what was about to happen.

"You've been useful, Chris," Kaito said, his voice devoid of any emotion.

With a swift movement, Kaito grabbed Chris by the neck and, with a sharp crack, broke the werewolf's neck. Chris's body fell limp to the ground, without resistance.

THUD!

Jason, watching the scene in horror, began to tremble. "No... no...!" he murmured, his voice choked with pure terror.

Kaito, still calm, picked up Chris's body and tossed it into the hole he had created in the ground. Without hesitation, he did the same with Jason's two unconscious friends, throwing them into the deep hole as if he were discarding mere objects.

Jason, seeing his friends discarded like trash, began to sob with fear. "Please, don't kill me! I'll do anything!" he begged, still on his knees, trying to slowly back away from Kaito.

Kaito looked at him with disdain. With a wave of his hand, he controlled the vines from the surrounding trees, making them rapidly grow and entwine around Jason, binding him tightly. The vines constricted him, preventing any movement, as Jason futilely tried to free himself.

"You were very unlucky to find me on a bad day," Kaito said, his voice low but laced with a chilling coldness.

With a simple gesture, Kaito lifted Jason into the air, using the vines to throw him directly into the hole, alongside the bodies of his friends.

Jason let out a desperate scream as he fell into the darkness.

THUD!

The impact was muffled by the earth, and Kaito, without hesitation, extended his hands again, making the ground around the hole start to shift. Slowly, the earth began to cover the hole, sealing it completely, until there was no trace left of anything having been there.

Kaito looked at the now-leveled ground and took one final breath before preparing to leave.

"It's done," he said to himself, as a glowing magic circle appeared beneath his feet once more. In an instant, he vanished from the forest, leaving behind only silence and darkness.

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