Chương 42: When the lion bites

Hogsthawts suddenly raised his hand.

"Never mind. I'll evaporate you on the spot!" His magic surged.

"Magic Skill: Eradicator Ray!" A massive beam erupted toward Mochi. Mochi planted his feet.

"Magic Skill: Hand of Mochi!" A gigantic Mochi-shaped hand formed in front of him and collided with the beam. The two attacks pushed against each other. Mochi's feet began sliding backward.

"I... can't..." His arms trembled.

"... lose." The beam continued forcing him back.

"I won't lose..." His grin widened.

"... to trash like you." His expression became completely soulless. Then his magic exploded outward. The beam was completely overwhelmed and blasted apart. Hogsthawts stared in disbelief.

"HOW?!" He stumbled backward.

"No... no, no, no!" His eyes darted across Mochi's overwhelming aura.

"This cannot be possible!" He clenched his fists.

"WHAT ARE YOU?!" He could feel Mochi's magic signature. It was immense. Ferocious. Almost regal.

"Your magic signature..." Hogsthawts trembled.

"It feels like a king..." He stared at Mochi.

"A lion..." Mochi slowly emerged from the smoke. His shirt had been completely destroyed, leaving his upper body exposed. His chest rose and fell as he breathed heavily. Yet he was smiling. Then he chuckled. Hogsthawts stared.

"What are you?" Mochi looked up smirking"You really want to know huh?" His voice became eerily calm.

"Let's say.. I'm the thing hiding behind the nightmares of people like you." He took a step forward.

"That monster you convince yourself doesn't exist..." Another step.

"The demon that waits patiently in the dark for it's time to strike...." His scarlet eyes narrowed.

"That's what I am..." Mochi's grin widened.

"You spent all this time hunting monsters..."

"Never realizing you were standing in front of one the whole time.." Hogsthawts gritted his teeth.

"Nonsense!"

"NONSENSE!!" His body surged with magic.

"I refuse to believe this!" Mochi walked closer"Oh but it's true doctor.. don't be scared now.. you were so set on killing me.."

"Where'd that confidence go huh?" Meanwhile... Ace and Amelia finally reached the others. Thomas, Zeal and Tony turned toward them. Ace was breathing heavily.

"Where's Mochi?" Zeal's expression immediately changed.

"Where is he?" Amelia swallowed. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"He's still fighting Hogsthawts." Ace nodded.

"And he's transformed."

"Listen.. we know you and him are dough demons.." Tony looked in shock"WHAAT!?"

"Those killers!?" Ace gave Tony an expressionless stare..

"Yes.. but these two are different, I can tell.." Zeal's eyes widened.

"Oh no..." Tony looked confused.

"Whats wrong?" Zeal clenched his fists.

"When a Dough Demon avoids their true form for too long, there's a danger." Ace frowned.

"What kind?"

"They begin losing control when they finally transform." Zeal looked toward the battlefield.

"The longer they're transformed, the stronger their bloodlust becomes." Amelia's eyes widened.

"So Mochi..."

"Exactly." Ace clenched his fists.

"Then what do we do?" Amelia shook her head.

"Neither of us can beat or subdue him like this." Zeal stepped forward.

"Then I'll stop him." Ace looked at him.

"You're sure?"

"When we're both in our Dough Demon forms, our power should be roughly equal." Zeal tightened his fists.

"It'll be difficult, but I should be able to pull him back." Thomas suddenly stepped forward.

"No." Zeal stopped.

"I'll do it." Zeal looked at him.

"What? Are you sure?" He pointed toward the battlefield.

"Mochi is a threat in that state!" Tony smiled.

"Don't worry about the old man." Thomas looked at Tony.

"Old man?" Tony shrugged.

"You're strong. That's what matters." Zeal stared at Thomas.

"Is that really true?" Thomas smiled.

"I wouldn't be standing here as the Voyagers Guild Leader if I couldn't protect my own." He turned toward the battlefield.

"Mochi isn't just a weapon to be pointed at our enemies." Thomas clenched his fist.

"He's one of our guildmates."

"One of our family.." His expression hardened.

"And a leader who leaves his people to clean up his problems is no leader at all." He looked back at them.

"So I'll handle this." Thomas began walking away.

"Stay here." Zeal watched him leave.

"That man..." Tony grinned.

"Told you." Thomas continued toward the battlefield.

"I'll be back soon." Back on the battlefield.. Hogsthawts and Mochi collided in midair. The impact sent shockwaves across the wasteland. Hogsthawts swung. Mochi ducked. Mochi countered with a punch. Hogsthawts blocked, but the force sent him flying. He regained control and charged again. Mochi met him head-on. They exchanged blow after blow, moving through the sky at incredible speeds. Hogsthawts fired another Eradicator Ray. Mochi twisted around it as he dodged.

"MAGIC SKILL: BURNING MOCHI!" Hogsthawts barely dodged.

"How are you keeping up with me?!" Mochi appeared behind him.

"Because..."

"You're getting slower." Hogsthawts spun around.

"What do you mean?" Mochi punched him across the face. Hogsthawts flew through the air. He recovered and immediately rushed back. His fist slammed into Mochi's face. Nothing happened. Mochi didn't even move. Hogsthawts' eyes widened. Mochi slowly looked toward him.

"There's something I've noticed." He wiped the blood from his lip.

"Ever since you injected that Zee..." Mochi grabbed Hogsthawts' wrist.

"... your magic and physical strength have been declining." Hogsthawts froze.

"That's impossible..."

"Not only that." Mochi tightened his grip.

"It's happening almost twice as fast as normal." Hogsthawts struggled.

"Let go of me!" Mochi pulled him closer. His smile returned.

"You really thought that power up was going to save you?" Hogsthawts stared into Mochi's scarlet eyes. Mochi's voice became cold.

"You're nothing to me now." He lifted Hogsthawts off the ground.

"What started as a challenge..." Mochi grinned.

"... has turned into nothing more than child's play." Hogsthawts slowly raised both hands.

"What do you want?!" His voice trembled.

"I give up! You win! I'll do anything, just spare me!" Behind him, tiny insects began crawling out from beneath his cloak. Inside his mind, Hogsthawts smirked. Thank goodness I still have these. Nano-bugs. Once they attach themselves to a target, they inject a specialized toxin that paralyzes the victim. Mochi stared at him.

"So you've really stooped this low?" Hogsthawts lowered his head.

"I've tried everything. I can't beat you. You're too powerful for me." Mochi narrowed his eyes.

"You take me for some kind of fool?"

"Of course not!" Hogsthawts raised his hands.

"I've lost. You win. Just spare my life." One of the nano-bugs crawled toward Mochi's foot. Without even looking down... Mochi stepped on it. Hogsthawts froze.

"How...?" His eyes widened.

"How did you see that?! Those things are practically microscopic!" Mochi looked down at the crushed bug.

"In this state, everything is heightened." He looked back at Hogsthawts.

"My perception." He clenched his fist.

"My instincts." Mochi's eyes narrowed.

"Everything." Hogsthawts began sweating. Mochi raised his fist.

"You can't reason with a lion once its jaws are around your throat, Doctor. At that point, you're not having a conversation, you're just waiting to be devoured."

"So just give up.." His fist began descending. But suddenly.... Mochi stopped. Hogsthawts stared in disbelief. Mochi's arm trembled. His breathing became heavier.

"Stop..." He struggled against himself.

"Just... stop..." His aura violently fluctuated around him. After several moments, Mochi finally lowered his fist. He turned away.

"You know what?" Hogsthawts blinked.

"I've had a change of heart." Mochi began walking away.

"I'm going home."

"Goodbye.." Hogsthawts stared after him.

"It's over?."

"Over?!" Mochi continued walking.

"I already defeated you." He glanced back.

"Your magic is practically gone. You can barely move now I bet..." He smirked.

"You challenged someone who completely outclassed you..." Mochi turned his head.

"... and lost." His expression became colder.

"And to make things worse..." He tapped one of his horns and smirked.

"It was by a Dough Demon." Mochi turned away again.

"Besides..." He paused.

"If I kill you now, I'm only proving everyone right about what Dough Demons are..." He looked over his shoulder.

"So just cut your losses and go home, okay?" Hogsthawts stared at him. How dare he speak to me like that? Does he thinks he's better than me?! He clenched his fists.

"You think you're so righteous?!" Mochi stopped. Hogsthawts shouted after him.

"YOU THINK SPARING ME CHANGES ANYTHING DON'T YOU?!" Mochi slowly turned around. Hogsthawts' voice became filled with rage.

"You can't erase what happened boy!" He pointed toward Mochi.

"You can't erase the pain you caused everyone one of your victims!" His voice cracked.

"You can't bring back the people I lost!"

"You can't erase the screams!"

"You can't erase the blood!"

"All the pain and deaths you caused, are people who cannot be brought back to life!" Mochi's expression changed.

"Shut up..." Hogsthawts continued.

"You think walking away makes you different?!"

"You think refusing to kill me suddenly makes you innocent?!"

"You harmed and killed innocent people!"

"So don't stand there pretending you're better than me or that you're suddenly the good guy now!" Mochi's fists tightened.

"Shut up...." Hogsthawts ignored him.

"You can't escape your past!"

"You can run, you can hide, you can pretend you're some kind of hero, but underneath all of it you're still""Shut up... Stop it now..." Mochi's voice became firmer. Hogsthawts kept going.

"You're still the same monster who..."

"SHUT UP!" Mochi's scream echoed across the wasteland. His aura erupted uncontrollably. Hogsthawts smiled.

"There we are..." His eyes widened with satisfaction.

"You're finally showing your true colors." Mochi's breathing became ragged. Stop... I don't want this... I don't want to hurt anyone anymore... But the darkness inside him continued to surge. Hogsthawts grinned.

"I knew it." Mochi disappeared. Hogsthawts' eyes widened.

"Wha.." Mochi appeared behind him. His hand was already around Hogsthawts' neck. Before the Doctor could even comprehend what was happening.. Mochi tore his head free. Hogsthawts' body collapsed lifelessly to the ground. His severed head hit the dirt. Mochi stared down at it. His expression was empty. Then his foot came down. Again. And again. And again. Mochi finally stopped. His breathing was ragged. A tear slowly rolled down his cheek.

"No..." He stared at what he'd done.

"I did it again..." His knees gave out. He collapsed onto the ground.

"No..." His voice trembled. He was right. Mochi looked down at his blood covered hands.

"I'm a monster." His eyes filled with tears.

"And I always will be."