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Chapter 4 - Chapter 4

Sasha's wings exploded into movement. The speed was so absurd that it created gusts of wind that made Hana stagger. In a fraction of a second, the deity disappeared from the spot.

Hansel blinked. When he opened his eyes again, he no longer faced the winged woman. Only Nemor and Hana, who trembled uncontrollably in the middle of something she would never understand. Shock completely took hold of her. People with powers? Does that exist? She had never seen anything like this in her life. What the hell are these creatures? The question was stamped on her face, pale as paper.

Hansel didn't even have time to process where the deity was.

Small stones on the asphalt trembled. The air pressure changed drastically. Sasha reappeared from nowhere, materialized right in front of one of the men like a ghost.

Seeing her emerging before him, the man reacted by pure survival instinct. His hands transformed. Metal sprouted from his skin in liquid waves that quickly solidified, materializing into twin cannon barrels that vibrated with contained energy. Blue electric rays began to accumulate inside the barrels, crackling violently, light growing in deadly intensity.

But she was faster.

Sasha grabbed his face with brutality that made bones creak. When she moved her arm in a descending arc, the world seemed to slow down. The impact echoed like thunder. The man's head was crushed against the asphalt with force so devastating it opened a shallow crater. The body followed in collapse, limbs crumbling like a broken doll. Blood gushed from his mouth in a thick jet, staining the deity's pale and impeccable arm. The materialized cannons trembled before dissolving like toxic smoke.

The other thirteen men witnessed that. Muscles locked. Breaths stopped. Primordial fear froze them for precious seconds. But they couldn't hesitate. The mission was absolute, unquestionable. Bring the girl to "him."

Nemor observed the scene, relief flooding his exhausted body. But also genuine surprise at Sasha's monstrous strength. She wasn't simply fighting. She was annihilating.

Hansel tried to maintain composure, but his voice betrayed growing desperation when he shouted: "Why are you standing there, you idiots?! Kill that aberration already!"

The order broke the trance. Everyone moved simultaneously, converging on the deity in coordinated formation. Meanwhile, Hansel maintained laser focus on Hana, who trembled so violently that her teeth chattered. Nemor remained as a human barrier between them, body tense like steel rope, prepared for a direct attack he knew he couldn't block.

Fourteen men ran at superhuman speed.

One of them stood out. Vivid red hair swaying, lean body cutting through the air like a blade. His speed surpassed all the others. He was almost reaching Sasha when she beat her wings with explosive force. The impulse lifted her several meters above the ground, suspended like an avenging angel.

The red-haired man – Sun – reacted without hesitating. A shadow expanded from his feet like an ink stain, growing within seconds until it covered him completely. He was swallowed by the dark mass that undulated like living liquid. He disappeared along with it.

The shadow reappeared silently on Sasha's back, emerging from nowhere like a predator. Sun emerged from it, body already in attack motion. The shadow solidified in his hand, becoming a black sword with serrated blade that seemed to suck the very light around it.

He delivered a devastating horizontal cut right between the deity's shoulder blades, before she could even turn her head.

The blade connected. Sasha was thrown downward with brutal force. Her body hit the asphalt at terminal velocity, punching through the ground and opening a deep hole that spread in spiderweb cracks. Dust and concrete fragments exploded in all directions like a grenade.

The other men didn't waste the opening. They raised their arms in perfect unison, channeling their powers simultaneously.

Flames sprouted from some hands, so hot that the very air around distorted in heat waves. Others fired bursts of compressed wind that whistled like turbines, capable of cutting steel. Three of them manipulated gravity, making irregular pieces of stone and metal float before accelerating them like cannon projectiles.

Everything converged on the smoking hole. Chained explosions. Suffocating heat. Crushing pressure that made nearby windows explode. The entire street shook with the concentrated devastation.

When they finally stopped, panting and sweating, they observed the crater in tense silence. Smoke rose in thick spirals. Flames danced on the edges. The asphalt had literally melted in some spots.

It was obvious. Impossible. No one would survive that.

Hansel seized the moment. He took two calculated steps toward the girl, confidence gradually returning. He activated his power. His eyes began to glow in a hypnotic and sinister mixture – electric blue intertwined with deep purple and blood red. The colors spun in his irises like living galaxies.

Nemor looked at the men who now directed their attention toward him. Then he looked at Hansel. The aura emanating from that man was different, too dense, heavy like multiplied gravity. It made his knees tremble involuntarily. He desperately tried to think of some way out. "Shit," he muttered through his teeth.

Hansel approached closer. He was a few meters away, almost extending his hand to touch Nemor, when Sasha was simply there. Blocking the path. Without a single visible scratch. Staring directly into those multicolored eyes of Hansel with absolute indifference.

She spoke, but the words were directed at Nemor, voice calm as always: "I'm sorry, sir. I'll finish this now."

Hansel felt something impossible. Weight. Pressure. As if an invisible mountain had materialized right in front of him, pressing against his entire body. By pure survival instinct, he tried to retreat.

Too late.

A single finger of Sasha's already touched lightly on his chest, right over the sternum.

The impact was devastating beyond comprehension.

Hansel was thrown backward like a doll tossed by an angry child. His body spun uncontrollably in the air, limbs flailing from side to side without any control. The world became a blur. Before he could splatter against a concrete wall, Sun reacted. He teleported via shadow that sprouted from the ground, appearing behind Hansel and holding him by the shoulders with force to cushion the impact.

Even so, Hansel coughed violently. Blood gushed from his mouth, staining his impeccable black suit. Every breath was pure agony. His muscles moved with extreme difficulty, torn fibers screaming protest. He stuttered with effort: "Thank you... Sun."

The deity gave no respite. Her wings expanded even more, becoming immense and majestic. The wingspan easily covered ten meters. Golden and red feathers glowed with their own light, creating a threatening halo.

Sun's shadow manifested again, solidifying into a black sword that he wielded with both hands. The other men assumed combat formation, bodies tense, powers accumulating. Before anyone could move a single muscle...

CLAP.

Sasha clapped her palms. The sound echoed. It wasn't just physical sound – it was command. Order loaded with incomprehensible power that reverberated in reality itself.

Instantly, all the men felt it. Their consciousnesses were forcibly pulled to some impossible place. For two eternal seconds, they saw absolutely nothing. No light. No sound. No physical sensation. Only absolute and terrifying void that threatened to devour their very existences.

CLAP.

The second sound brought them back.

Everything returned to normal in a blink. But the pain came along. Sharp. Unbearable. As if every nerve in their bodies had been set on fire simultaneously. Blood exploded from their mouths in jets. Eyes rolled back. Bodies collapsed like marionettes with cut strings.

One after another, they fell. Breaths became panting, shallow, desperate. They tried to get up but muscles didn't respond. Consciousnesses slipped into merciful darkness.

Within seconds, all thirteen were on the ground. Knocked out. Defeated.

Only Hansel remained conscious, supported by Sun. He looked at that trembling so intensely that his teeth chattered. Voice came out broken, almost a desperate scream: "Who are you?!" Pause to breathe with difficulty. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

The words were directed at Sasha, but she didn't answer. She just took a calculated step in his direction.

Hansel didn't wait for anything else. With all the effort remaining in his destroyed body, he channeled power. Blue rays exploded around him, completely enveloping them both. In a blinding flash of light, he and Sun disappeared.

They left only the bodies of their companions scattered across the destroyed street.

Nemor finally released the air he held in his lungs, relief flooding every fiber of his being.

Sasha dissolved. Her body transformed into two intertwined energy streams – red like blood and golden like the sun. The streams flowed through the air and entered through Nemor's back, being absorbed back.

He had time for one more breath. Then he toppled forward, hitting his face on the asphalt without saying a single word. Consciousness shut off instantly.

Hana remained there, stopped like a statue. She was almost mute. Without mental strength to even begin processing everything she had witnessed. Her brain simply refused to accept reality.

Nemor's eyes closed completely. He plunged into deep darkness. He couldn't see, hear, or feel anything anymore.

---

Meanwhile, far away from there...

Inside a spacious room illuminated by lights that flickered like giant candle flames, one could observe luxurious furniture. Black leather sofa in the center. Low glass table. Huge television screen on the wall, displaying some program that no one really watched.

Sitting on the sofa was a man who emanated authority just by existing. Impeccable white suit, without a single fold or stain. Perfectly combed white hair. He held a crystal goblet containing red wine that shone like liquid ruby under the dancing light.

In his lap sat a little girl. Apparent age of ten or eleven years, no more than that. Angelic face of an innocent child. She wore an elaborate red and black dress, too large for her small body, as if it had been made for someone much bigger. She held a black teddy bear firmly against her chest, squeezing it as if it were her only comfort in the world.

But the impossible detail to ignore: on the little girl's forehead were engraved eleven perfect red crosses. And a bright red symbol representing infinity – lying on its side, without beginning or end.

The sound of the television filled the environment comfortably.

Then the air in the room vibrated. It cut the TV sound like a knife. Blue electric rays exploded from nowhere, tearing through space with violence. When they dissipated, Hansel was there, standing but staggering. He breathed in spasms. Blood stained his mouth and chin.

The man in white didn't seem surprised. He held the little girl with paternal care and placed her gently on the sofa beside him. He stood up with fluid movements, natural grace. He walked to Hansel with measured steps. He asked with neutral voice, almost polite: "Why didn't you bring the girl?"

Hansel tried to answer but the words came out scrambled: "I'm sorry, sir, but an into was protecting her." Panic grew in his voice. "No, no, no, it wasn't just that! There were two intos! There was a woman there! It was... it was exactly like a demon, sir!"

The word cut through the air like a blade: "Silence!"

Silence dominated absolutely. Even Hansel's breathing seemed to stop.

The man continued, each word loaded with cold disappointment: "You're telling me that only two intos prevented you from bringing the girl?" He let the question hang in the air for long seconds. "I don't want to hear your pathetic excuses. I want to see your success." He turned slightly. "Now reflect on your failure..." Calculated pause. "...and bring me the girl."

Silence returned, even heavier.

Then he added, voice lowering to something almost whispered but infinitely more threatening: "And the head of the into you mentioned."

Hansel swallowed hard, throat contracting painfully.

When he finally gathered courage to raise his head and look, he saw it. On the man's forehead: fifteen red crosses arranged in perfect pattern. And on the exposed left arm by the slightly raised sleeve: four horizontal red bars glowing faintly.

Fifteen crosses. Four bars.

Power beyond comprehension.

The man turned, ignoring Hansel as if he no longer existed. He returned to the sofa, picked up the little girl carefully and placed her back in his lap. She snuggled against him naturally. He said almost casually, like someone commenting on the weather: "We need to put an end to the nightmare."

The words hung suspended in the air.

Hansel remained there, sitting on the cold floor, still wounded and trembling. He didn't dare move until given permission.

---

Meanwhile, far away from that room...

Nemor's eyes opened slowly, eyelids heavy like lead. The first thing he registered was light. Orange and warm light. When he finally managed to focus, he saw the sun rising on the horizon, tinting the clouds pink and gold.

Then he felt it. Different texture under his hands. It wasn't hard asphalt. It was sand. Thick and damp. And sound. Waves rhythmically hitting the beach, hypnotic and constant sound.

He woke up completely in a spasm. "Fuck!" Hoarse voice. "Where the hell am I?!"

He looked around frantically. Beach. He was on a deserted beach. Sea extending as far as the eye could see. But his body was still destroyed. When he tried to stand up, his legs simply gave way. He fell to his knees on the wet sand.

Sasha's voice echoed calmly in his mind: "You just dropped a paper."

Frowning, confused: "Paper? What paper?"

He looked down. There, half buried in the nearby sand, was a folded piece of paper with written letters. He picked it up with trembling fingers and opened it.

The handwriting was feminine, hurried:

"I don't know who you are, but stay away from me. I helped you, carrying you away from those guys, so we're even. Don't ever come near me again."

He let the paper fall back onto the sand. It was obvious. The message was from Hana.

He sighed deeply, exhaustion weighing on every word: "Help my ass. I don't even know where I am."

Sasha spoke, tone maintaining that irritating calm: "If you're thinking about helping her once again, my recommendation stands firmly. Stay far away from the girl."

Nemor, still kneeling, sand sticking to his clothes and skin, responded with clear frustration: "Again with that talk?" He looked up, at the clearing sky. "Can you tell me once and for all what the hell is wrong with her?"

Sasha's voice came tranquil, but loaded with weight: "Of course, sir. The girl you're protecting..."

The silence extended for seconds.

Then she continued, each word falling like a heavy stone:

"...she is the Extermination."

**END OF CHAPTER 4**

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