"Please, we need backup! Two upper-first-class demons are fighting each other! Please approach with caution!"
The sky suddenly turned a deep crimson. Since it was nighttime, the flames illuminated the horizon, visible from miles away. A building slowly crumbled as a man, appearing to be in his early thirties, leaped into the air. His hands had been severed, and open wounds marred his body.
"Argh!! Ahhhh!!!" he screamed in agony as he began to regenerate his arms and close his wounds. "Is that all you can do?"
In an instant, the building collapsed entirely, and a teenager emerged from the wreckage. He seized the middle-aged man and dragged him across the ground, moving at an unbelievable speed before launching him skyward.
The man twisted in mid-air, desperately trying to maintain his balance. His eyes darted around, searching for the teenager, but he couldn't locate him.
His heart raced as he felt a grip on him from behind, forcing him down headfirst until he was slammed into the rubble.
The middle-aged man's body began to melt away, turning to ash as the teenager landed on his back. His once-black hair gradually transformed to white, and his red eyes darkened slightly. With a mischievous smile, he relaxed, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep.
...
Kakashi stood up from the ground, trembling as pain coursed through his body. He forced himself to look around. The building had collapsed, yet he was completely unharmed.
_What exactly happened here?_
Surrounded by the debris, a few flames flickered weakly, releasing black, toxic smoke into the sky and providing minimal light. In the distance, red and blue flashes of light barely illuminated his surroundings.
Suddenly, a sharp irritation in his stomach overwhelmed him, and he began to vomit. Looking down at the contents, he gasped.
"Blood!?" Memories flooded back to him. "Megumin!"
Kakashi tried to run, but his left leg buckled beneath him, and he fell face-first onto the ground. He glanced at his twisted leg, and the sight intensified his pain.
"Uwahh! Arghhh!!" Kakashi cried out, attempting to straighten it but finding the agony unbearable.
He forced himself to stand and began to walk again, this time much slower, hopping on his right leg while dragging the left behind him. He stopped a few meters from where he had started and began to dig through the debris. After a while, he spotted something protruding from the dirt. Desperation fueled his movements as he dug faster, ignoring the injuries to his hands. As he lifted a boulder, he discovered a girl lying beneath it.
The girl had long yellow hair and wore the same clothes as Kakashi, though her blue trousers were longer, and her white shirt was more fitted. Fortunately, aside from her hand being crushed by the boulder, she appeared to be also unharmed.
Kakashi struggled to carry the girl while enduring the pain in his leg. He gently placed his head on her chest.
"Thank goodness, she's still breathing," he said, managing a painful smile. He looked toward the flashing lights and saw a helicopter hovering a few meters away, searchlighting the area.
"Hey!!! We're down here!" Kakashi yelled, waving both arms in the air, desperate to catch the attention of whoever was flying it.
It was clear they didn't hear him, as no one came to his rescue. So, he decided to go to them instead, carrying the girl on his back.
_Just hold on, Megumin. We'll get there soon. I will not let you die._
Kakashi screamed in his thoughts as he struggled onward. Something caught his attention, causing him to stumble and fall. He had tried to raise his left leg to avoid pain, but it didn't work. He wanted to scream, but what he saw made him forget about his agony.
Kakashi's eyes widened in shock as he stared at Kenji.
Kenji was one of his friends from his time in the lab. Kakashi wouldn't have recognized him due to the right side of his body being burned and the left side covered in blood, but his bright red hair was unmistakable—a color Kakashi could easily identify, as Kenji was the only person in the lab with red hair, at least among the boys.
Kakashi was baffled by the sight of Kenji's body above ground, even though the building had collapsed, and Kenji had died before that. The sight of his body nearly made him vomit again.
"Kenji!" Kakashi yelled, keeping Megumin close as he forced himself toward Kenji. Although Kenji's upper body was exposed, his legs were trapped in the rubble, and he was bleeding from his abdomen. "Just hold on, I'm going to pull you out!"
Kakashi grasped Kenji's shoulder and tried to pull him free, but his hands slipped on Kenji's bloodied body, and he fell. He quickly regained his footing and grabbed Kenji again, pulling harder than before, completely forgetting about his injured foot.
With a final effort, Kakashi managed to pull Kenji out of the rubble and collapsed beside him.
"I guess we're even now," Kakashi said with a smile, holding Kenji's hand. "I was able to save you."
"Please, just kill me," Kenji said shakily.
"Do you hate the fact that I saved you that much?" Kakashi laughed, turning to Kenji. His laughter morphed into screams as he pushed Kenji away.
Kenji's lower body was missing. Blood pooled around Kakashi as he tried to avoid it by pushing himself backward with his hands. His hand brushed against something, and he paused, tilting his head to look behind him.
"Ahhhh! Wahhh!" Kakashi screamed as he saw an arm. He turned to the other side and saw a head. Looking around again, he realized he was surrounded by dismembered bodies, each cut into pieces. Panic surged through him as he hurriedly stood up, carrying the girl before hopping toward the flashing lights. He moved slowly but steadily closer to the lights.
"Help!!! We need help!! Anyone, please answer me!!!" He screamed as he drew nearer, but then he slipped on something and fell, his head striking a rock.
"Look! One of the kids is still alive!"
"Look! There's another one beside her!"
Kakashi's vision blurred as he struggled to stay conscious. He saw two men running toward him. They finally reached him, and one of them attempted to lift Megumin, but Kakashi clutched her shirt tightly.
"Please, I don't want her to leave," Kakashi cried, pulling Megumin closer to himself.
"Don't worry, we'll take care of both of you."
After hearing the man's words, Kakashi finally closed his eyes.