THE DEVIL AND THE HERO STAND STRONG IN SASAZUKA 2 page

?Yeah. You weren?t a pure demon. Not like Alciel, Malacoda, and Adramelech. But with your heaven-born blood, I figured that capturing the Western Continent would have been a cinch, even if it was a Church stronghold. Too bad I was wrong.?

?Too bad indeed! I devoted my all to eradicating the humans on the island, to fulfill the mission granted to me. But??

Lucifer turned his glare toward Emi. ?But the Hero?s armies overwhelmed me. That much, you already know.?

?Would your friend mind telling me the rest?? Maou asked.

?Well?? Lucifer turned toward the floating robed figure next to him.

He laughed, as he seemed to give his partner a nod. ?Certainly. I am??

??Olba Meiyer, one of the six archbishops of the Church??

The man stopped cold at Maou?s prompt guess.

??!? Emi?s mind was in utter disarray. The name was too familiar to her. ?Olba? That?s a lie! Olba is my??

??your companion, who sent you to this world, then tried to eradicate both you and me. Right??

??You knew of that??

The figure interjected, a tad crestfallen that the thunder was stolen from him as he raised his hood. It revealed a calm, benign-looking man, aged fifty or so. His tonsured head, the symbol of a high-level Church bishop, shone in the morning sun.

His pure white archbishop?s robe, embroidered with blue and silver thread, flapped in the strong wind blowing between the nearby buildings.

?Us demons, we practically invented evil, you know. I can always tell what a villain is thinking, start to finish. You?re the guy who was behind Emi when she entered the Gate, right? Once I heard that, I pretty much guessed the rest. No one else had the chance to take a shot at me and Emi.?

?No? No! Olba, why are you with Lucifer? You didn?t??

?Everything began after Lucifer lost to you, Emilia.?

The archbishop Olba cracked a thin smile, his voice rising to crescendo as he prepared the epic tale he was about to spin.

?After you destroyed the demon forces, you didn?t want the Hero lording it over you, so you tossed her into another world and consulted with Lucifer while she was still powerless to do anything about it. Then you secretly wiped out the rest of the Hero?s crew in order to protect the vested interests of the Church. The end. Any corrections I need to make??

Once again, Maou stole the limelight.

What?s more, judging by the way Olba?s mouth opened and closed in stunned silence, he had it right. Maou laughed a hideously mocking laugh.

?That scenario?s been done a thousand times before, baldy! You think this girl was gonna try becoming goddess of the universe or something? Even a low-budget B movie would come up with a better script than that.?

Maou nudged Emi as he spoke.

?Hey, stop that!?

Emi was still in a state of shock, but the nudge was all it took to bring her back to reality.

??Baldy? B movie??

Olba was shocked for different reasons.

?Um? Your Demonic Highness? I would hardly call him naturally bald.?

For some reason, Ashiya found it apt to defend him. Ignoring it, Maou defiantly stood before his two enemies.

?See, this is why I hate heaven. You people all say one thing and think the exact opposite. It?d be much more humane for everyone if we demons ruled the roost instead. I can probably guess how you got Lucifer on your side, too. Did you bait him with the chance to return to heaven??

?H-how did you?!?

?Don?t ?How did you? me. Could you at least try to be a little original? I guess you were just B-movie caliber, too, Lucifer. Seeing you fall for this idiot makes me want to cry.?

?Y-you accursed devil!!? Olba?s voice cracked as he flew into a rage.

?If you?re gonna float up there, baldy, and start crying just ?cause I?m telling the truth, you really should have come up with a better script!?

The sheer abusiveness behind Maou?s seemingly never-ending invective left not just Olba and Lucifer open-mouthed, but Emi as well.

?And now you?re gonna be all like ?Oh, nooooo, you have angered Lucifer! And you will not be able to flee like last time! Die where you stand alongside the Hero!? That is so lame, man! Even the villain from some kid?s sentai show would come up with better lines than that!?

?What is a ?sentai show??! What are you going on about, you stupid idiot?! Plus, they kind of took Chiho hostage, remember?!?

Unable to take any more, Emi slapped Maou in the back of the head.

?You could at least know your place right now! They were both ready to confess all their evil deeds! So stop heckling them already!?

?Your Demonic Highness! When on earth did you have the chance to watch any movies?! Such a waste of money??

Emi and Ashiya laid out upon Maou in tandem, albeit for somewhat unfocused reasons. Tears of frustration came to Maou?s eyes.

?Man, that hurt, you bastard! If I let them go first, you probably would?ve fainted from the shock, all right?! So I made a little effort to cushion the bad news for you instead! That, and come on, what?s a movie now and then gonna hurt?! I?m the one bringing home the bacon!?

Neither Emi nor Ashiya were willing to give in.

?I don?t need you fawning all over me like that!?

?I?ve wanted to stop playing househusband all day and enjoy a little entertainment too, you! But I held myself back!?

?Stop this! All of you!?

It took Olba shouting at the top of his lungs to halt the argument.

?I deigned to listen to you, and my reward is all this nonsensical blubbering? You will pay for this, Devil King Satan!!?

?That is so amateur hour, man. Couldn?t be more unoriginal if you tried.?

?Grrrnnnnhhhh??

Olba?s face had reddened to the point where one could fry an egg on it.

?Hey, mind if I ask you a question, Archbishop Cueball??

Maou picked at an ear as he spoke, flicking the results out to his side. ?How many people did you attack in order to prop Lucifer?s magic levels up??

??!?

?Huh?!?

?Whaa?!?

??You are perceptive indeed, Your Demonic Highness!?

Maou lowered his tone as he continued over the startled reactions of the other four.

?Lemme ask you, Emi? Where do all the gods and devils live in this land? In Japan??

?What? I don?t know??

?They?re inside the hearts of the people. Tell me you at least thought about that by now.?

?The hearts of?the people??

?Yeah. The people of this nation aren?t ruled by their gods. They roll over to the evil side, or the holy side, with a snap of the fingers. Look at the divinity, and the evilness, you see in a person whenever they?re forced into extreme circumstances. That?s our source of power! The way we can gain power in this world!?

?It?is? Then??

Maou nodded back, then turned his gaze back toward Lucifer.

?Seeing a demon in all his glory like that would make most people wet their pants. They?d be too scared to do anything. These are probably the guys behind that string of robberies.?

Emi turned to Olba, all but asking him to deny it. But Olba said nothing. How long had they been here? They couldn?t have gone without food or drink that entire time. How did they stay fed?

?That was why I reverted back to my old form a little bit yesterday. People were despairing their impending death all around me, and that forced its way into my body.?

There was still a part of Emi that begged for Olba to say it was all untrue. But, even so, she still couldn?t understand why Lucifer and Olba were working together.

?They sucked in all the negative energy, all the fear and sadness. All that power that drove the first magic sniper attack, and yesterday?s earthquake? How did they get all of that, hmm??

Just then, Emi recalled the morning after the magic-blast attack, as well as the news she saw in Rika?s room. Her face wrinkled.

?So if you want to gain enough magical force to return to Ente Isla??

?You have to cause a huge disaster! Sucking power out of one or two people isn?t gonna cut it.?

?No??

?I kind of like this world, you know? It?s been a real fresh experience for me, being human. It?s been a good world to me, and I don?t want to screw it up like that. I want to take a different approach. So??

With a grin on his face, Maou looked up at the two figures above him. ?What next? Wanna do it here??

He could tell that even this was enough to faze them.

?B-but, Devil King! Don?t you care about this girl at all? We?re fully aware of your relationship! We know you?ve been intimate!?

Maou had to laugh, resigned, at how plainly villainous Olba was acting. ?Hey. Emilia the Hero. I really hate bishops, but I?ll tell you what I hate more, and that?s traitors.?

Emi?s gaze shot between Maou and Olba for a moment, but soon it was fixed entirely upon the archbishop.

?Yeah? I hate demons and traitors, too.?

?You sure about this? You?ve been saving that power for a while. If we fight here, you might never be able to get back.?

?Good things come to those who work earnestly.?

?That?s what I like to hear.?

Emi flashed a bitter smile.

Maou smiled as well, as he gestured upward. ?C?mon, let?s do this! I?ll pulverize both of you! And I?m gettin? Chi back, too!?

The majestic, larger-than-life air he presented reminded his observers of a Devil King from another time.

?B-but, Your Demonic Highness!?

Ashiya, naturally, stepped in from behind to ruin the moment.

?We need to fully gauge our opponents. Unless we thoroughly understand why they chose this moment to suddenly unfurl this trap for us, it?ll be too dangerous to move things forward recklessly??

?Sound advice, Alciel. Let me show you,? Lucifer said, his wings seeming to glow for an instant as he spoke.

There was a whoosh, followed by a short, cut-off groan. Maou and Emi turned around.

Ashiya was on the ground, blood spurting out of a wound on his left breast, as if he had been shot.

?A-Ashiya!? Maou screamed.

?My! Look at the force she belted out for his roommate Alciel as well! You must have plunged this girl into the depths of despair for me!? Lucifer?s smile was a sneer, his words pitying.

Seeing Ashiya bleeding on the ground caused panic to spread across the area in an instant. Even with the previous bridge collapse, a large audience was still looking up at Lucifer, demonstrating the uniquely Japanese lack of ability to sense danger. Lucifer muttered downward, not paying a moment?s notice to the fleeing throngs.

?Your immaturity will be your downfall. Imagine, such a small thing causing such vast, ballooning clouds of despair and sadness!?

?You?you?re going into Chi?s heart??

Maou blinked helplessly.

?Negative feelings are so easy to control when they?re directed toward a unique target. I?ve grown able to fire bolts of magical power that will have a more punishing effect on the both of you, and only the both of you, than ever before. Watch!?

Lucifer?s wings glowed darkly for another moment. Countless streaks of light coursed toward the ground.

?Dammit??

The sheer number, and their speed, was too much for a human?s weak legs to completely avoid. Clicking his tongue in frustration, Maou raised his arms, then brought them apart from each other. The streaks of light followed his hands? direction, redirecting themselves toward a nearby building.

With an explosive rumble, every window in the multifloor edifice shattered, the people inside flying out like wasps from a fumigated nest.

?Devil King! Alciel?s?!?

Emi picked up the head of the completely immobile Ashiya. The blood showed no sign of stopping, and his skin was rapidly turning the shade of a sheet of paper. Bringing her hands to his neck and wrist, she found only a weak, rapid pulse.

??Careless!?

?That?s the pot calling the kettle black, don?t you think??

?Ngh!?

The second volley launched outward. Maou brought his hands upward in the same motion, but:

?Crap, I don?t have enough!?

?Whaaa?!?

There was still a small amount of magical power, borne from the nearby fear they encountered as they crossed the bridge rubble. But Maou had not actively tried to absorb it within himself. Diverting a single round of Lucifer?s mind-controlled magical bullets had made him run out of gas already.

Emi instinctively covered her head, unable to launch an antimagic protective wall with her holy force while covering for Ashiya at the same time.

The blasts Maou failed to divert thudded against the concrete.

?Whooaahhh!?

Maou?s scream was swallowed up by the asphalt dust thrown into the air by the explosion. The shock wave from the magical blast coursed across electric lines, poles, and buildings, and in an instant, Sasazuka station had transformed into something resembling a battlefield.

?Ha-ha-ha! I had no idea my first taste of destruction after my defeat at Emilia the Hero?s hands would feel so wonderful!? Lucifer?s howling laughter echoed across the area. Sasazuka station, its air choked with toxic dust, seemed like hell on earth.

The neighborhood had ceased to function as it once did, what with all the fleeing people, the people who had failed to flee in time, the impossible-to-imagine explosions, and the sheer, otherworldly bizarreness of the scene.

?Don?t get distracted, Lucifer! Our mission is to destroy Emilia and the Devil King!?

Lucifer sneered to his side at Olba, who was bellowing at him as he gauged the fight.

?You dare to butt in on my business??

Olba flinched for a moment at the impact of Lucifer?s threat, but he kept his emphatic tone as he continued, sweat beading on his brow.

?Y-you haven?t forgotten that I am the one who controls the Gate which shall serve as your bridge to heaven??

??Damn you.?

Lucifer rolled his eyes in frustration, then turned them upon Chiho, still under one arm.

?You have nothing to worry about. As long as I have this girl, the Devil King and Emilia the Hero will never flee from us.?

Once the dust settled, the only thing left on the ground was Ashiya?s blood. Maou, Emi, and Ashiya were gone.

?Lucifer!?

?Calm yourself. They can store up as much power as they want, but they will never have enough to resist us. After them!?

The pair glided across the Sasazuka sky.

?What? That was all a bluff?!?

Maou and Emi were using the cover offered by an alley to escape from their airborne pursuers. But Ashiya was leaving a trail of blood dots as they carried him on their shoulders. It would be followed, no doubt.

?Well, what do you want from me? I used up pretty much all of my magic force, too.?

The potted plant in the garden they faced suddenly shattered with an enormous cracking sound.

?Did they shoot that?!?

?What do you think?!?

Unable to even turn around to see behind them, Emi dove behind an electric pole, while Maou hid in the eaves around a private residence. But, since they were carrying along the larger Ashiya behind them, it was akin to a bear hiding behind a laundry basket.

?Come on! Where?s all the bravado from before?!?

An enormous ball of magic crashed into the home Maou hid near, accompanied by Lucifer?s thundering voice.

?Uwaahh!? Maou and Ashiya were easily blown aside by the blast, not even able to attempt a clean landing.

?H-how could this be???

Emi was appalled at the sight of Lucifer, a demon with no qualms at all about collateral damage. If there was anyone inside the home that blast just leveled, there was no time to check.

?Let?s go!?

Maou still tried his hardest to flee, picking up Ashiya by himself, no longer even pretending to fight.

?Oh no you don?t!?

Lucifer made a gun with his hand, aiming it straight for Maou?s back.

?Look out!?

Emi?s shout came too late. The shot struck Maou at the edge of his shoulder, sending him to the ground with Ashiya.

?Ow, ow, ow, ow, owwww,? Maou hissed in pain. ?This body?s so damn fragile! I always knew it was, but ugghhh, it totally is! Dammit! I don?t want to die!?

?What are you wailing about? You call yourself Satan, the Devil King?!?

Emi jumped out of her hiding place, putting Maou and Ashiya behind her as she glared at Lucifer.

??Hmmm? Emilia? Are you trying to protect the lord of all demons??

Lucifer laughed a chiding laugh. Emi ignored the bait.

?This isn?t what you?re fully capable of, is it, Lucifer??

She had to buy time. They needed a grip on the battle situation. Ashiya was near death, and it was doubtful Maou could help the cause any longer.

More than anything, as long as Chiho remained ensconced under Lucifer?s arm, she couldn?t just strike wildly at him.

??So??

Lucifer didn?t deny Emi?s words.

?Those finger blasts, and these balls of magic? This isn?t the Lucifer I remember fighting.?

??It is more than enough to bury the three of you now.?

Lucifer had opened the window a crack. Emi lunged at it.

?Any demon who acts like he has it in the bag always loses, in the end.?

?Yeah!? Maou interjected. ?That?s the biggest lame trope in the?arrghh!?

Emi, not looking back at the wailing Maou, gave him a swift kick. He groaned in response.

?So, basically, you?re the same as I am. Neither of us can unleash their true force right now. And??

Olba, for reasons known only to him, slowly followed behind Lucifer.

??you can?t afford to waste energy, either, am I right? You are still a bishop, after all. Unlike Lucifer, you can?t just do something evil to restore your powers. You wish you had it so easy.?

Olba certainly could have heard her, but refused to respond.

?But even I lose my patience sooner or later. Emilia the Hero didn?t build that name getting beaten up over and over.?

?Wait! Don?t do it now?ooof!?

Emi?s back heel stopped Maou midsentence once again.

?You touched my foot, you perv!!?

?Is grabbing your foot because I wanted you to notice my bloodied husk on the street a crime punishable by a boot to the stomach??

Maou staggered to his feet, but he was plainly not well. Ashiya, still balanced on his shoulders, was liable to make him collapse at any moment.

??If you die, I?m leaving you here.?

?Don?t worry about that. If I let one of my own minions kill me, it?d be an embarrassment to my entire bloodline.?

With that, Maou suddenly grabbed Emi?s hand, pulled at it, and began staggering his way away.

?Wh-whoa! What?re you doing?!?

Maou?s arm was unexpectedly strong as it pulled Emi along. But this was no opponent he could flee from by tottering around with uneasy steps.

?What are you trying to do now? You cannot escape me.?

With an easy smile on his face, Lucifer shot Maou again. He fell as the blast tore through his leg.

There were screams around them as the bloodied trio vaulted into a wide-open intersection.

?Oww??

?What are you doing?! Are you trying to die?!?

?Heh-heh? Does it look like I?m about to???

Emi tried to support the collapsed Maou, but Lucifer and Olba followed along, like a pair of vultures looming over their weakened prey.

?Heh-heh??

?Stop laughing! Ugh, you make me sick! This isn?t a joke! If anyone?s killing the Devil King, it?s me! Why do I have to sit here and get killed right next to you?!?

Maou and Ashiya were sprawled out in a car lane on the street, neither moving a muscle.

By sheer luck, it was the exact intersection, restaurant and all, where Maou and Emi first encountered each other in Japan.

A finger blast from Lucifer scraped past Emi?s nose before smashing through Maou?s shoulder. The force of the shot sent both of them to the ground.

?Pathetic! This is the Devil King that stood tall above me? That had Ente Isla in the palm of his hand?!?

The pity in Lucifer?s smug laugh was almost palpable.

??Hurry up! We can kill the both of them at once! I have to retain my powers for the Gate!?

Once Olba stopped speaking, he reached into his robe and pulled out?a pistol. Emi?s eyes opened wide at the sight.

Firearms, of course, were unheard of on Ente Isla. Either Olba or Lucifer must have come across one in this world.

Olba must have been an active participant in the string of street robberies, not to mention the first sniper attacks upon Maou and Emi.

During her journeys across Ente Isla, he was a humble servant of the Church, one who held the title of archbishop in high esteem and easily won the respect of his peers. With his heavenly powers and fatherly smile, he had provided Emilia and her friends with solace and comfort across their voyage. Now there was some other force behind that façade, one brandishing a deadly weapon at her. Emi?Emilia?gnashed her teeth in sadness and frustration.

What could have changed Olba so much?

The corrupted clergyman, paying no heed to Emi?s emotions, pointed the gun barrel toward the fallen pair.

Just then, Emi heard several sirens approaching from afar. The police and fire department must have started casing the area. Thousands of people must have witnessed Maou and Lucifer by the time they reached this intersection. Of course the authorities were called. But trying to take on Lucifer right now would only add to the victim count.

Maou took in the scene, as much as his rapidly fading mind could amid the blood loss and fatigue.

??Good. Good. Now they?re probably gonna??

His voice was too soft to be heard by anyone. Then:

?Emi, hold on.? He took the hand of the girl who had fallen, defeated, next to him.

?Mmm??

A soft, white light enveloped Maou and Emi. By the time Lucifer?s magical blast and Olba?s bullet reached them:

??He had enough power left to teleport them all??

All that remained was the blood Maou and Ashiya shed. The three of them were gone.

?Lucifer!?

??He waited for just this situation. He couldn?t have enough power left to go far. It?ll be easy to track him.?

??Gah! You scared me!?

Emi was shocked that Maou used his teleportation magic without warning, but now was no time to chide him. They needed a grip on their situation.

They hadn?t gone far. In fact, they had simply returned to the area they first saw Lucifer, so his magical trail would no doubt be followed shortly.

What differed from before was the masses of typical Japanese onlookers (still no sense of danger at all!) and the police and fire vehicles tending to the victims caught up in Lucifer?s magical blasts.

?But?but what?re you trying to do, taking us here??

This time, they truly had nowhere to go. They lacked the strength for it. Judging how their foes made quick work of that residence earlier, Maou and Emi knew they hadn?t hesitated for a moment to consider the innocent victims.

??Hey! Don?t die on me! You okay??

?? ??

Maou was breathing, but his face was completely white, likely due to the bleeding. Ashiya, meanwhile, was beyond white and into the realm of light blue, teetering on the brink of death.

?You didn?t come here for the ambulances, did you??

?You?kidding me???

?Well, what, then?! If you just stay here, you?re both gonna die!?

?I?know.?

Borrowing Emi?s hand, Maou somehow forced himself to sit up.

?Just a little?more, I think.?

?Oh, you still have some kind of trick up your sleeve, now??

A forlorn voice loomed over them. Looking up, they were greeted by the same sight as before: Lucifer and Olba floating below the towering Shuto Expressway. Teleporting this short distance away was nowhere near enough to lose them. They were at the end of their rope.

?Lucifer! We?re only attracting more witnesses with these delays!?

?Ah, you?re always so flinchy, Olba. If there are too many, I can always cull them down a bit.?

Emi shuddered. Lucifer?s magical power skyrocketed as he spoke those disquieting words.

?Wh-what?re you gonna do?!?

?Who can say? A terror bombing? Destroying the Shuto Expressway? Countless victims? I think it a good fit for this nation.?

Lucifer flashed an evil grin.

?But I don?t need the Devil King returning to life?the way he did underneath Shinjuku.?

A light zoomed past Emi.

?Ngh! Ah??

The groan came from within Emi?s arms.

?Satan!!?

Lucifer?s blast of light had shot through Maou?s chest. A black hole opened up in his midsection, and the light flickered out of his pupils in an instant. The strength drained from the hand supporting Ashiya, collapsing his body to the ground.

?No! You?re the Devil King! Stay here for me!?

Maou leaned heavily upon Emi?s arms. She slapped his cheek several times, with no response.

?No! You?re kidding me! Come on, Satan!?

She tried to lay him down to perform CPR, but seeing the hole in his chest made her gasp and freeze on the spot. The area of the body where his heart was located had been cleanly pierced through. There was no way to revive him.

Lucifer watched the pair, a satisfied smile on her face.

?My work is done. You can have the girl back.?

He flung Chiho away from his arm like a wadded-up piece of paper.

?Chiho!?

Emi raised her tear-stained face, lunging toward her landing point, but:

?Ngh??

Her fragile human body was capable of being crushed simply by having a girl land on it from several meters above. Emi?s leg, which was poised beneath the falling Chiho, was now twisted in assorted unlikely directions.

Lucifer, watching this unfold from up high, let a sadistic smile unfold over his face.

?It is time to complete my contract with you, Olba. I hope you will hold your end of the bargain.?

He opened his arms wide, to both sides of his body. Massive amounts of magical power, far more than the force that pulverized the house from before, flowed into his palms in a torrent.

?Wh-what?re??!?

Emi, holding back the pain, looked up at Lucifer. But Lucifer wasn?t looking back. His eyes were on the Shuto Expressway above.

?Lucifer! Lucifer, stop!?

She shouted it from beneath Chiho, fully understanding his intentions. But it was nothing that could stop a Great Demon General.

??Such a beautiful voice. Go ahead. Sing a beautiful chorus for me, alongside the roar of destruction and the screams of despair, until the end finally arrives!?

He unleashed his balls of magic toward an expressway bridge support.

?Farewell, Emilia the Hero! You will follow in the path of Alciel and the Devil King!?

A pair of explosions completely vaporized the support.

Every man and woman in the area looked toward the sky. The black concrete roadway above them rumbled its way downward, like some otherworldly being emitting an alien roar as its jaw descended upon them.

There was no way anyone could stop the tilting expressway from collapsing any longer.

The road panels began to come apart, cars plunging downward amid the chaos.

Emi hugged Chiho?s head tightly as the expressway fell, snuffing out even the crowd?s crazed screaming.

Their faces and bodies were covered in darkness, their souls filled with despair and helplessness, as their consciousness and vision were cut off.

?Total B movie. Just like?I thought.?

No one noticed the smile that had come across Maou?s face.

Emi opened her eyes.

She remembered resigning herself to her fate, but if she was awake, she must have avoided death.

But she couldn?t have emerged safe from having the Shuto Expressway fall on her. What happened to??

??Ngh!?

She moved her body. Something was draped on top of her. She remembered it was Chiho, thrown down upon her by Lucifer.

?Chiho!? Oof!?

Trying to get up, Emi noticed the state of her leg for the first time. As she did, a swell of pain rushed across her body, like her blood was boiling. But she didn?t mind. It was all the more proof she was alive.

?Ngh?ergh??

Chiho groaned. Slowly, Emi extracted her body from below, keeping a close eye on her leg as she placed the other girl on the ground.

?Chiho! Chiho!?

??Ah.?

Slapping her cheek, she found Chiho waking up far more readily than she guessed. She was less knocked unconscious, it seemed, and more put to sleep by Lucifer?s force.

?Yusa? Nnh?!?

She had recognized Emi, but Chiho still grimaced, apparently in pain.

?Those wings? That scary guy??

Emi looked upward, her memory jogged by Chiho?s rambling. Yes. If they were safe right now, then Lucifer was the one menace they had to watch out for. But the sky above them was cut off by a vast, uniformly black presence. What was blocking it out?

The Shuto Expressway had collapsed, making a hideous groan that portended doom as it did. I was almost directly below it. So why am I still here?

Date: 2016-06-12; view: 177