Marry X Princess

XXII: Devil

The figure in the smiling Oni mask drew closer as I took a step back. I tried to return inside the casino, but, evidently, the door behind me had locked when it shut.

Damn it!

I walked backwards down the alley as the masked person continued to approach me. Their pristine, dual blades reflected strays of light from a dim lamp that tried its best to illuminate the narrow space.

"I'd ask if this is a joke, but I think I know the answer to that," I muttered, receiving no reply.

My eyes darted around the alley, searching desperately for something I could use to make a hasty escape. But I didn't have the chance to form the slightest ghost of a plan. Without warning, the masked figure leapt towards me.

"Ah!" I reacted, just barely managing to duck beneath a swing that surely would've taken my head off.

My assailant wasted no time following up their decapitation attempt with another that I avoided by stumbling backward clumsily just in time. While I was off balance, however, the person jumped onto the wall, using their momentum to launch themselves from it and plunge a ferocious, flying kick right into my stomach. I flew into a pile of trash cans and felt a wave of pain ensnare my head.

I can't even think right now! This psycho is going to kill me!

My assailant began to sprint towards me with a clear intent to run me through with their blades. My body moved automatically, and I hurled a fallen trashcan lid directly into the hand of the attacker. The figure stopped and deflected the object with ease, but I kipped up to my feet and wasted no time attempting to spear my target.

They halted my momentum with ease as I tried to take them off their feet to no avail. They delivered two hard blows to my back with the hilts of their swords, and then kneed me in the stomach. One roundhouse kick later, and I was on the ground once again.

Like a harbinger of death, the figure slowly approached until they were looming above me, their mask catching the light in horrifying fashion.

Calling upon my training with Eva, I seized the opportunity and wrapped my legs around theirs, forcing them to the ground with a drop toe hold. Before I could take advantage of my surprise move, however, the assailant elbowed me in the face, breaking the hold. We both shot up to vertical positions, and I yanked the figure into a chokehold from behind. In seconds, I was slung over their shoulder with ease, pulled back up, pushed against the wall, and punched repeatedly in the face until I dropped back down into the pile of garbage.

My body reacted on its own, coughing and panting as though to let both me and the perpetuator of my assault know that I was finished.

The figure stood above me and buried both swords in the ground in a cross pattern around my throat. The sharp curves of the blades were mere inches from the racing pulse in my neck.

"I knew it," my attacker spoke for the first time. Their voice was distorted, as if they were speaking through a voice modifier. "You're just a fool out of your depth. You're going to ruin everything."

What?

The door I had used to exit out into the alley suddenly began to open, capturing the attention of my attacker instantly. In a blindingly swift motion, the masked figure pulled their swords and sprinted down the alley, disappearing as quickly as they had appeared.

The door fully opened, and from the bright lights of the casino's interior, Sylvia emerged. She stood in the doorway, looking left and right until she spotted me on the ground.