"Kakaka!!"


    The Dark Ape chattered its pointy, gruesome teeth together as it stood over the terrified girl. Then, to add to her dismay, it shredded her dress with its sharp ws, leaving only her underwear to conceal her vulnerability.


    "N-Nooo!! St-Stop it!!" Aya screamed, hugging her body in absolute horror. "D-Don''te any closer!!!"


    "Kakaka!!"


    The Dark Ape''s malicious grin widened as it ripped away thest of the fabric covering Aya''s figure. Something between its legs reared its head, and the beast readied itself tomit an unspeakable act.


    "Pl-Please…! N-Noooo…!!!" Aya''s eyes dimmed as the Dark Ape attempted to spread her legs. Yet, because of her unconscious unwillingness and superior strength, her legs wouldn''t budge.


    Annoyed, the Dark Ape pped her across the face, leaving a dark red mark on her jerked head.


    ''Kakaka! Why even bother resisting when you can''t even properly use your strength?! Just stay still and get mated, bitch!'' The Dark Ape seemed to think this as it forced her legs apart, fully prepared to permanently scar her.


    Yet, before its hideous appendage coulde within inches of Aya, an arm shot through its stomach and lifted its entire body off the ground.


    "What do you think you are doing…?"


    "!!!"


    The Dark Ape felt every hair on its body stand on end as it slowly turned its bloodied face. There, it met a pair of ck, spiraling eyes that tunneled deeper into its psyche than any abyss. Fear overwhelmed its mind as all color drained from its previously sinister expression. It squirmed and struggled desperately for its life, but it could do nothing to escape the grasp of the terrifying figure ring at it with an emotionless face.


    In a simrly apathetic voice, Cassius said, "You…" His eyes red with uncontroble anger as he observed the sobbing mess Aya had be. Shadows shrouded his face as he used his free hand to grip the Dark Ape by the back of its neck. "...You… must be tired of life…?"


    "!!!"


    The Dark Ape peered into those endless abysses sunk into Cassius''s face, its body convulsing violently. The sheer terror coursing through its mind forced it into aa.


    Cassius''s grip on its neck tightened, crushing every bone in its throat, yet he stopped just before killing it. Seeing the red mark on Aya''s tear-streaked face ignited a level of rage in Cassius that he hadn''t believed himself capable of feeling.


    No matter how she had treated him in the past, Aya was still family. To do something like this to family… and to try going even further…


    "Tell me… You must really hate living…?" Cassius''s abyssal gaze bore into the Dark Ape''s fragile mind, snapping it back to reality.


    The first thing the creature did upon realizing it was still alive was shriek for reinforcements.


    "Jajjkakk!!!!" It screeched deliriously, iling like a worm.


    "...Cass…ius…?"


    Off to the side, Aya''s eyes cracked open, only to see the enchanting face of the man she had been searching for all this time. Her tears flowed even harder as her reddened face scrunched into a sorrowful state. "...I-I was… l-looking f-for you… B-But I…"


    Cassius turned toward the weeping girl. Contrary to the terrifying anger in his expression a second ago, his eyes now held a gentleness that radiated warmth, washing away the terror in Aya''s heart.


    "I know, Aya. Don''t worry; I''ll take care of everything from here. You can sleep."


    Too muddled to notice Cassius''s newfound strength, Aya''s vision blurred. She fell softly to the ground, her crestfallen sleeping face a grim reminder of what had happened—and what almost happened.


    OOOM!


    A frigid iciness exuded from Cassius''s figure as shadows obscured his face. The tattoo on his right arm vibrated before materializing into a dark, obsidian-red sword.


    "...Since you all find amusement in watching others suffer, I shall show you what true suffering feels like…"


    The Serrated Devil de broke into pieces, hovering in midair. With an unbelievably quick flick of his hand, dozens of de fragments whizzed through the air, cutting through the oppressive atmosphere. The room''s walls were sliced into pieces, and the dozen Dark Apes rushing through the hallways were diced up as well. Yet, none of them died outright—even though none of their limbs remained attached.


    "Kaaaa!!!!"


    The Dark Apes screamed in agony as excruciating pain erupted from every part of their bodies.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    By the end of a half-minute-long session of hollering, all that remained were a dozen bloody lumps of flesh, their twisted expressions frozen in pure anguish.


    The Dark Ape still writhing in Cassius''s grasp felt its mind slipping again, but even the reprieve of unconsciousness was a luxury it no longer had.


    "Do you honestly think dying like they did is what you''ll receive…?" Cassius sneered, controlling his Devil de to hover just above the Dark Ape''s third leg. "...Well, think again."


    SPURT!


    The Dark Ape''s third leg was slowly shredded, reduced to a mangled, unrecognizable mess. It endured a level of pain so intense it passed out multiple times, only to wake up almost immediately each time. The gruesome cycle persisted for a few agonizing seconds that felt like an eternity.


    Finally, when the Dark Ape was teetering on the verge of death, Cassius struck it in the same spot it had pped Aya. The impact caused its head to explode in a visceral spray.


    POP!