Arata wakes back up on the final day of the trial, yet this time much earlier than breakfast, originally he had just lied down and only made his way downstairs when Selena fetched him. This time around, Arata found himself bolting out the door to Clemence's office.

  Clemence's mellow green hair hung loose over some documents, even if she was merely asleep, Arata did not like the sight of her still body. Her chest heaved, bent over to table, clearly she pulled an all nighter. Arata had credited her disheveled state originally to Beelzebub’s absorption of her vitality.

  She's been destroying her body for the sake of the trial. I feel bad, knowing the outcome is predetermined.

  “Huh? Arata… trial’s today, I did it… I figured it.” Her soft voice echoes throughout Arata's ears.

  Arata remarks, “hey, this whole thing seems to weigh more on you than Selena… need something?”

  Arata is suddenly pulled closer by Clemence, the two speak eye to eye, sitting at the table.

  “I just felt like I need someone to talk to before the trial… sorry for grabbing you, do you mind staying for a bit?” Clemence pleads.

  Arata sighs, “If I didn't intend on that, I would've shown more resistance when you yanked me.”

  Clemence begins to unravel her life story, “When I learned what Cayden did, the situation became a lot more personal… he's my half-brother. My mom was a prostitute and my father was a count.”

  Clemence continues, “Madam Kovalenko was my mom's boss, and she took me in after I caught word that my mother vanished. I was too young to know what that meant at the time… The girls were kind to me, supported me and even allowed me to pursue law so that I wouldn't go down their path. As I grew older, I learned to despise my lineage, this trial… it was truly what I wanted. I’m so selfish.”

  The Clemence last cycle was a Clemence while she lost herself and was fueled by the same rage that drove Selena’s father to murder. She sees her mother in Selena… she wants to use Selena's trial as an attack on Cayden.

  “I'm pathetic! Instead of wanting to help the people around me, I grew obsessed, I masked my intentions with a desire to help. I kept telling myself, I just don't know how to help the people around me. I excused myself for doing the bare minimum… I was frustrated, Selena was out of my reach to help so the most I could do is take out that anger on Cayden.”

  Arata stands there in silence, it was obvious now yet oddly familiar. Arata for the longest time wondered, his brother Ren had sacrificed so much for him just so Arata could act as a parasite. Arata also hated that feeling, someone close going through the roughest period of their life yet you have no faith in yourself to act as their support system.

  “Clemence, people covet being seen, you seriously do undervalue yourself…”

  We’ve had quite a few random hours of conversation, in the ripping, when she showed me the city. She still talks about Clemence.

  Arata backing off a bit from Clemence unloads his point, “Selena feels selfish that you're doing all this for her, it convinced her to show up and try to be courageous in court. If you take the initiative to help, it doesn't matter if you have selfish intentions if your actions do not diminish the benefit.”

  Clemence realizes she was mistaken, and she dashes out of the park to try and meet Selena. She wanted to reconcile her emotions.

  Arata dashes, following behind her to meet Selena at breakfast. Arata finds himself at the trial yet again but this time his demeanor changes.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  This time, however, the situation is less humiliating, having seen it play out once before. Not only that, his serenity was a result of a lack of effort.

  The same ending plays, mostly.

  Cayden Noble mocks Clemence, “Ha… that’s quite unsightly of the losing party, don’t you think?” Cayden sighs, leaning his shoulder on Arata. You don't live to see tomorrow in the normal timeline. I hate to admit it, but watching Clemence kill you was kinda satisfying… his blood and- am I becoming a psychopath?

  Arata, right as the trial is coming to a close shouts, “to have inhibition is to be human.”

  Meanwhile, with everyone focused on his mouth, no one notices his legs striding towards Cayden's lawyer.

  “Therefore, it's clear that you're not human right?”

  Arata snatches Selena's sword, unsheathing it right into the heart of the lawyer, Beelzebub the Lord of flying Fiends.

  Digging his sword deeper and bringing it down, Arata watches the fountain of viscera pour out onto the floor.

  The courtroom’s screams and panic ensue, Morgan originally still had saw what Arata had done and immediately drew their weapon, sprinting towards Arata.

  The cries were not directed towards Arata but rather Cayden and his lawyer who stood still, smiling casually as his skin suit began to rot.

  “Damn you Sir Noble! Working with demons, traitor to humanity!” Morgan shouts, that very sentiment is further echoed, the people were mad. Soon enough, Cayden had seen the violent mobs turn on him. With no rocks, shit or rotten food on hand, some of the men began to use their boots and shoes as projectiles. A boot struck him right in the temple, knocking Cayden onto the floor as those who got close enough began to beat on him.

  Yet they would not last a second longer, Beelzebub slowly began to emerge from the lawyer's skin.

  Arata begins barking orders, he’s no leader but in the current situation everyone seemed to listen, “Sir Morgan, please focus on getting everyone out, take Selena with you too since she's unarmed. I have a plan.”

  Beelzebub’s human body hung loosely upside down, the fly’s body was right side up to properly enable flight. It turned towards Arata, suspended in the middle of the courtroom.

  The demon’s voice ripples through the room, “how did you find that out human… oh how I hate that, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it! The audacity to try and restrict me! Force off my facade, you spoiled my grand reveal before I could call in my army, boooo!!”

  From the sky, a line of darkness streaks down towards Clemence's neck. Arata grabs Clemence’s arm. He tackles her to the ground to narrowly avoid the surprise attack. I’ve already seen these patterns! I won’t let that damn proboscis touch Clemence.

  Beelzebub’s attack was merely a diversion, the demon grabs Cayden and flies him up, crashing through the building's roof.

  Arata and Clemence both rush their way outside to intercept the fiend.

  Outside they glance up, eyes directed upwards, climbing up the A-frame to it's apex, Beelzebub looks down on the two humans.

  Held by it's head is Cayden, emaciated, hanging loosely, dropped from the roof.

  Cayden’s ragdolled form bumps against a flower pot on the window.

  *Crunch, crash*

  The visceral sound of Cayden's body against the pavement forms a symphony with the shattering pot as his broken form creeps it's way back tall again.

  His mouth begins to move, yet no noise is released. In fact, as he tries to scream louder, the noise disappears. to a greater degree. He cackles before pulling out a sword. The blade is bronze, and he swings through the air.

  Nothing happens, the world goes quiet, nothing is going on around Arata, no Beelzebub, no Clemence. He’s alone with his thoughts and the opponent who stands before him, that is, until he hears the sound of a slash.

  “Arata, you’ll die here and now! If I am not allowed onto the battlefield, I have to turn this city into one. I won’t let others take my glory!” Cayden’s mouth does not move, yet the voice is strikingly his.

  He’s loud, almost as loud as the bug; there was a delay, yet it came out with even more energy. The slashes are next! I don’t have the time to block, shit-

  Arata sees out of the corner of his eye, Clemence’s rapier. Clemence shields the blow. Yet Arata is still compelled to block, parrying the air in a wider arc than Clemence's blade. His breathing slows, but the flying invisible slash is blocked. Demiurge's foundry allowed Arata to pick up on the energy in the air, he was able to tell the start of casting even before the spell was formed. Arata had never utilized this bonus until now when it came in particularly useful. Arata’s back leg buckles as Clemence’s weapon chips, yet the two are still alive.