Aldo understood.
A true master never fled from battle.
He was immortal.
He would inherit the legacy of his brothers.
And he would finish the job perfectly.
Midnight.
Nara Alice had drunk far too much and was fast asleep.
"Ono" gently brushed a hand across her face. Her chest flattened instantly and her hair shortened in the blink of an eye. Two vertical scars appeared around his right eye socket.
Aldo had returned to his true appearance.
"A real master assassin does not need disguises," he murmured.
He carefully pulled the blanket over Alice.
"Alice, thanks for taking me in and treating me to drinks and barbecue."
Then he calmly walked to the kitchen and picked up a cleaver.
Swish.
One clean strike.
Alice's head rolled from her body before she could even scream.
It hit the floor with a dull thud as blood soaked the bedsheets.
Aldo picked up her severed head and gently kissed her forehead.
"See that, brother?"
"I didn't vomit when I killed her. I didn't feel sick either."
"I've finally become a real expert."
Holding the head, Aldo walked out of the house.
He felt the moon calling him.
Three in the morning.
The wilderness.
An empty clearing surrounded by darkness.
Alice's head was placed carefully on the ground.
Aldo raised both hands and stared at the full moon hanging high in the sky.
The small white disk slowly expanded in his vision.
Something was there.
Strange figures.
They had long gourd shaped heads with no human features. Their skin was corpse white. Each creature possessed only a single eyebrowless eye and a wide open mouth.
They had no bodies and no arms.
Instead, long legs extended from beneath their heads, like the skinned legs of a giant bullfrog. Tumor like lumps covered those legs, resembling grotesque human glands.
These things could not possibly be people.
They were Moon Demons.
A group of them jumped around a bonfire, chanting in a distorted rhythm.
"Ha moon, ha moon... ha moon die die ha moon..."
"Ha moon die ha die die..."
The moment they noticed Aldo watching them, their single eyes turned toward him.
Thump.
Aldo dropped to his knees and pressed his palms together.
"Demon of the Moon, I offer you this sacrifice. Please form a contract with me and grant me the power to kill Cael."
"Ha moon, ha die die?"
Their language was strange and incomprehensible.
Yet Aldo understood them perfectly.
"Yes," he said with complete sincerity. "I'm willing to offer everything I have."
The Moon Demons' mouths stretched almost to their foreheads.
They began jumping excitedly.
"Ha moon, ha moon!"
Whoosh.
Nara Alice's head disappeared.
The next moment it appeared above their bonfire, skewered and roasting.
After a chaotic scramble among the creatures,
"Ha moon... burp."
The Moon Demons let out a satisfied belch.
Devil contracts were absolute. Once a contract was made, both sides had to obey. Anyone who broke the agreement would die.
However, the Moon Demon itself did not possess much power.
It could not grant Aldo the strength he desired.
But that did not bother it.
The Moon Demon had connections.
Extensive connections within the Devil World.
It was extremely weak, but it knew many powerful devils.
In simple terms, the Moon Demon was a broker.
A middleman.
It connected humans and devils and profited from both sides.
Since Aldo had already proven his sincerity, the Moon Demon decided to introduce him to a suitable devil.
Recently, because of the Falling Devil incident, one particular devil had grown far stronger than before.
That devil also happened to be rather simple minded.
Easy to fool.
Perfect for Aldo.
The Moon Demon quickly contacted that devil through its own methods.
After a brief negotiation, the Moon Demon vanished.
Aldo remained kneeling in the clearing.
Suddenly, his body trembled.
A hoarse voice echoed inside his mind like the toll of a massive bell.
"Human."
"Offer your entire right arm, and this old man will form a contract with you. In return, I will grant you power capable of overturning mountains and seas."
"I accept."
Aldo did not hesitate.
He drew his knife and sliced off his right arm.
Splat.
The severed limb hit the ground.
"AAAAHHHH!!!"
His scream tore through the empty wilderness.
The pain was unbearable. His eyes rolled back as he collapsed, convulsing violently.
At the same time, the severed arm dissolved into particles of light.
"Heh heh heh!"
"What delicious flesh and blood."
The ancient voice laughed.
"Very good, young human. This old man is very pleased with you."
"Remember this name."
"I am the Earthquake Devil."
---
Nine in the morning.
Wearing the face of Tachibana Yuuya, Aldo arrived outside Cael's shop.
In one hand he carried a bulging snakeskin bag.
At that moment, Tachibana Yuumi stepped outside after keeping vigil at the mourning hall all night.
The moment he saw Aldo, his eyes widened.
His legs trembled.
He rubbed his bloodshot eyes repeatedly.
"This... this can't be right."
His brother had died.
Yuumi had personally pushed the body into the cremator. The ashes were still inside the backpack he carried.
So who was the man standing in front of him who looked exactly like his brother?
Was this a ghost?
"B... Brother?" Yuumi asked with a shaking voice.
"What?"
Aldo looked at him.
"Brother... you're alive?"
Aldo examined the man carefully. Their faces had a faint resemblance.
He immediately understood.
Turning away, he covered his face and reverted to his scarred appearance.
"You must be exhausted. You probably mistook me for someone else."
Yuumi rubbed his eyes again and looked at the scarred man.
"Oh... yeah. You're right. I guess I missed my brother so much that I'm hallucinating."
"I'm really sorry."
Aldo nodded casually.
"If you have nothing else to say, move aside."
"If you keep blocking my path, I might kill you."
Yuumi froze.
"Eek!"
Calling the man a lunatic in his head, he quickly ran away.
Tsk.
Ding dong. Ding dong.
Aldo pressed the doorbell.
A moment later the door opened.
Cael and Asa Mitaka stood behind it.
Aldo glanced at them calmly.
"Boss, I need your help with an embalming service."
Asa took out her tablet, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.
"Sir, do you have an appointment?"
"If you do, please provide the last few digits of your phone number so we can confirm it."
"No."
Aldo shook his head.
"But I can pay extra."
Cael instantly felt that something was off. He pulled Asa slightly behind him.
"We don't accept extra payment."
"If you need embalming services, you'll have to wait three days."
Aldo smirked.
"What if I said..."
"I'll pay an extra three billion Yen?"
Cael scoffed.
Three billion Yen.
That kind of money could buy more than a dozen funeral homes like this one in Tokyo.
"Fine," Cael said casually.
"Transfer the money and we'll handle it right away."
"Hahaha!"
Aldo suddenly burst into loud laughter.
Thud.
The foul smelling snakeskin bag dropped onto the ground.
"Relax, relax."
"I was joking."
"I'll wait in line."