Helix’s eyes snapped open the moment he heard the man asking about a curse from the white-haired girl, a sudden fear taking over his heart.
It was different from the despair of death Snow had brought when shooting his classmates. The particular fear Helix was feeling was born from knowledge.
Not his own, but rather the man’s knowledge. No one knew about the fact that the three Seraphic families were cursed, not even their own retainers. Only those who carried the curse knew about its existence, which meant one of two things.
Either the man was a traitor from the three Seraphic families, or the man was related to the Malakhim that had cursed them in the first place.
Both possibilities were immensely grave, the former more immediate, while the latter was simply outrageous.
And that girl...Willow huh?
Willow was Helix’s sister-in-law and, consequently, his childhood friend, which just made things even worse. How could he shake in fear while his sister was trembling before another man?
Sure, I may be a worthless mundane human, but I’ll be damned if I sit still.
The Abaddon family was known for many things: their destructive might, their mildly insane behaviour, but the one thing that shone brighter than the rest was a simple truth: every Abaddon was fiercely protective of their family.
Gritting his teeth, Helix pushed against the pressure forcing him down. His body screamed in pain as bones slid against bone, but he didn’t give up.
River would have undoubtedly pushed back, but he was no longer River. He was Helix Abaddon.
With renewed determination, Helix pushed back the tide, blood dripping from his nose. A moment away from breaking free, a popping sound echoed through the room.
The sound was loud, immediately drawing the attention of the entire classroom, including Helix himself. His concentration broke, and Helix slammed back into his seat with a resounding thud.
Ow...
The chair dug into his back like a rock, rubbing against his shoulder blades. Helix tried to pay it no mind, wincing as he turned towards the source of commotion.
Despite all odds, a black-haired boy stood under the gaze of the suited bastard. His right arm hung limp by his side, shoulder protruding at an odd angle, while his back was slouched as if under immense pressure.
Sweat buckled down the sides of his face.
Wiping his eyes, Helix realized that the man was actually Alexander, the same black-haired boy who had shouted before.
Now, are you Perseus or not?
Helix has no way to confirm at the moment, but confirmation didn’t matter. Because no matter who was in Alexander’s body, they had stood up for Willow.
The man moved his hand from atop of Willow’s head and stared at Alexander with a fiery gaze. His eyes mirrored his expression, burning like twin suns.
"Now look what you did! I was having a wonderful chat with the young heiress, and you ruined it. Now, Azrael, what are you going to do about this?"
Alexander’s legs shook like timber in a storm, but he didn’t move. Instead, the man moved forward, stepping closer to the shooter.
"And what about you. How dare you barge into our classroom, possess Snow, and shoot us all without introducing yourself? Now isn’t that rude?"
Truthfully, Alexander had no idea what he was doing, but the man seemed to be the curious type. Maybe he could stall for enough time.
I just hope he doesn’t kill me before help arrives.
Alexander flashed a smile after noticing Helix staring with his mouth agape. It was supposed to inspire confidence in his non-existent plan, but it did the opposite.
This damned bastard...is he really stalling for time!? Shit, I need to do something.
"Hmm. That is true, Azrael, I suppose, as the final boss, you all deserve to know my name. Young Azrael, you may call me Prince Caspian."
Helix didn’t hear his words, focused on his own task. His hands moved desperately, fiddling with a silver watch on his arm.
Obviously, it wasn’t a normal watch. From the memories he had inherited, he knew the watch was an angelic relic.
And its purpose was simply to work as an alarm. But instead of sound, it would shoot massive surges of Divine Ichor into the air, letting his family know there was a problem.
From there, everything would depend on his family. If they decided to notify the academy, it would be a win for Helix, but if they decided to come themselves, it would be even better.
Found it!
His fingers pressed a small black button. It went inside the watch, and a hair-like lever revealed itself.
But before he could move the lever...
"Now that’s an interesting device. My dear Abaddon, what were you about to do?"
A black blur shot forward, and the next instant, Helix felt his body lift. Caspian’s gloved fingers pressed deep into his cheek, brushing against his teeth.
He had been caught, and consequences would surely follow.
Goddamn this man.
The flabergasted Helix waves his legs uselessly, kicking Caspian’s steel-like body.
"What a roudy little one you are. Trying to call your parents and throwing a tantrum afterwards. You need to be disciplined, don’t you?"
I just need a single moment...
Helix turned to Alexander, and at that moment, understanding passed between them. Much like the Abaddon, the Azrael family was equally loyal to each other, and Helix, being engaged to Alexander’s older sister, meant that he was family.
Alexander shouted, then dashed forward. His feet barely touched the ground, but before he could even get close to Caspian, he fell...
A fountain of blood exploded from beneath him, followed by an animistic scream. Both of his feet had been sliced off.
Now!
Helix used his friend’s sacrifice and kicked Caspian in his crotch with everything he had. Simultaneously, he slammed his left wrist on the desk.
The impact tore his wrist, the bone creaking with a terrible sound.
Caspian’s gaze bore into him with fury.
"Oh, now you’ve done it, little Abaddon."
Raising his shaking hand, Helix brought it to his face and slowly furled it into a fist.
A single finger extended outwards, and with a smile, Helix spoke, voice broken.
"Go fuck yourself...you son of a gun."
The next instant, someone was standing beside Prince Caspian.