Blood dripped from her chest and onto the hospital floor. The wound on her chest had already started closing, but it didn't matter. A mere bullet had broken through her passive barrier, something unthinkable for the Conquest who fought Death.
A single thought had crossed her mind.
Should I run?
Every instinct she ever had screamed at her to run, to get out and survive. But as far as she knew, Conquest never fled. Especially not from a lesser demon.
So she would fight. Regardless of having no mana to conjure her projectile negation or use any of her active abilities, which included materializing Kenji as a sword.
She planted her feet and squared her shoulders, eyes locking onto the officers in front of her. Her hands hung at her sides, fingers curling slowly into fists.
The corridor went quiet as the officers stared back at her. One-by-one she watched their confidence drain from their faces. Their trigger fingers trembled and it seemed that one of them took a half step back without realizing it.
From behind them, the superintendent's voice cracked.
"Fire! Fire now, you idiots! She's coming for us!"
Sweat ran down the officers' faces as they opened fire. Shell casings bounced off the floor with sharp metallic rings. Dust and smoke erupted from the walls, swallowing the corridor until the officers could no longer see what they were shooting at.
"Stop! Stop shooting!" the superintendent yelled. "She's using the dust as cover. Keep your eyes open for any ambush."
The officers gulped, weapons raised as the dust swallowed their vision. The silence that followed felt suffocating.
One of them looked up at the ceiling and before he could open his mouth her feet had already slammed into his back, dropping him flat against the floor as she launched off his body straight at the superintendent. But the other officers spun around faster than she expected.
Bullets slammed into her back one after another, each impact jerking her forward and slowing her momentum.
The superintendent sidestepped her reach with ease, keeping his distance as he straightened his coat.
"That was... closer than I expected." A bead of sweat ran down his forehead. "You know, I couldn't believe my luck when that nurse came running down the hallway screaming about some freak in the hospital. At first I didn't think much of it. Plus, I had other business here so I just ignored it. But then I heard the description and thought... no, it can't be. The great Conquest? Here? Reduced to this?"
He let out a nervous laugh as he whispered. "I just crossed through the veil not too long ago and already I've stumbled onto the opportunity of a lifetime. If I finish you off here, who knows Lucifer might even give me a promotion."
Conquest's body had already started regenerating as she huffed from exhaustion. That attempt was close. But hesitation held her back and that was all it took to lose her chance at exposing the demon.
If it had worked she would have been able to deal with the demon in a one-on-one fight. The officers would have run for their lives the moment they saw his true face. That would have been the best outcome.
She spat blood on the floor and took a ready stance, eyes locked on the demon and the officers surrounding her on all sides.
The superintendent tilted his head in confusion.
"No words? I expected more from a Horseman. Then again, I suppose there's not much to say when you're surrounded."
He clapped his hands three times and shouted.
"Alright, my police officers, no need to hold back any of your bullets. Rain hell on her now!"
The officers yelled in unison.
"Yes sir!"
Conquest blinked. That was all. One blink.
A cold breeze hit her face and body. When her eyes reopened the officers had not fired a single shot and were still standing, guns raised.
Yet their heads were on the floor. Their bodies hadn't fallen yet, still frozen in the exact positions they had been a second ago. She counted at least six heads on the floor and watched as blood began to pool from their exposed necks.
"What the…hell?" Conquest whispered.
She turned her head and found the superintendent on the floor, arms and legs severed, growling up at the short man who had one leg planted on its chest with his katana aimed at its head.
His circular black sunglasses sat perfectly on the bridge of his nose. His black hooded jacket still had snow melting off the fur lining. It took her a second to recognize him since standing on top of the demon made him look slightly taller.
Conquest yelled at him.
"You killed the humans but left that demon breathing?! Explain yourself!"
Her stomach twisted as the words left her mouth. But she pushed it aside.
The short man turned his head to face her with a disinterested look.
"Is that how you talk to someone who saved you? Talk about ungrateful…"
"Un…Ungrateful?!"
"Exactly what I said. Now I'm going to handle this situation, you can leave or stay, I don't really care."
Conquest straightened up and marched toward him.
"Do you know who you're talking to? I am Conquest, Ruler of All and I shall not be disrespected."
Instead of answering her, he grabbed the demon by the collar and ripped the tie from its neck, shoving it into its mouth to silence its growling.
He was ignoring her. She had just told him who she was and he didn't even flinch. She didn't know how much more disrespect she could handle before she lost it. It was getting out of hand. First it was Lucifer and now this short little human.
He pulled a rope from his pocket and strapped the body of the demon to his back before finally turning to face her.
"If we're doing introductions then I go by Kamui, Kamui Hoshigiri."
Conquest's eyes lit up. She had heard that name before. This had to be Riko's older brother.
This man seemed dangerous, even if his demeanor felt unbothered. His speed was inhuman and the worst part was that it hadn't come from the katana he held. So the only explanation was that he had been blessed from birth.
The Sovereign had been known to bless certain humans on rare occasions, gifting them with abilities that couldn't be explained by science. Basically, a one in a billion occurrence.
Yet, despite how low his mana was compared to the rest of his family members, this single blessing alone might have made him the most dangerous individual within the Hoshigiri family, with the exception of the late Sorcerer King of course.