Chapter 14

I felt death approaching and squeezed my eyes shut. “Mom, Dad, I’m sorry. Grandma, I said I’d visit late, but it’s embarrassing to see you so soon like this…” Gah, who would’ve thought my life would end here, being eaten by the crocodile jam monster!

“Wha, what is this!”

I expected the horrible pain of being torn apart, but strangely, I didn’t feel any pain. Instead, I felt a warm sensation spreading through my body. Slowly opening my eyes, I saw something unfamiliar floating in front of me.

A long black body with a crescent-shaped blade glowing with a golden hue. It wasn’t a sword, an axe, or a spear.

It was a scythe. A massive scythe with a golden crescent blade was floating in the air, emitting a brilliant light. Peter Pan took a few steps back, his confusion evident. That’s when I remembered the ring Ariel gave me.

The ring that was definitely on my finger was gone. I instinctively knew that this golden scythe was the ring.

I grinned and silently thanked Ariel. Yeah, a scythe suits the Grim Reaper just fine. I grabbed the scythe.

“Whoa! It’s… it’s heavy!”

Its weight was heavier than expected, making my arms tremble. Isn’t it supposed to be easy to swing in cartoons and novels? Regretting my lack of exercise except for PE class, I struggled to maintain my stance, resting one shoulder against it as I prepared to swing.

“What?! Where did you get that scythe all of a sudden! Damn, hiding a weapon like that is dirty play!”

Peter Pan clicked his teeth together nervously while keeping his distance from my scythe.

“You should get a weapon too. Oh wait, you’re too stupid to even hold one, aren’t you?”

“Shut up! You’re destined to be eaten by me anyway! I’ll swallow you whole!”

Peter Pan charged with wide-open crocodile eyes. Is he really confident? I tried to intimidate him for an easier attack, but now it’s going to be a straight-up fight. Focus. One moment of carelessness will lead directly to death.

I’ll finish him off with a single strike.

That damn murderer. The disgusting existence that exploits countless children for his own power. It’s time to announce the end of his arrogant story!

“Haaaaa!”

I swung the heavy scythe down at Peter Pan’s charging mouth, which was open wide.

The first sensation after swinging was pain. My thigh turned bright red. Blood dripped down as excruciating pain spread like fire. The sharp teeth digging into my thigh.

Peter Pan’s crocodile mouth had bitten my thigh. But the wound wasn’t too serious. If it were a normal crocodile bite, my flesh would’ve been torn off or the knife-like teeth would’ve fully pierced my fragile thigh, but they only went halfway in.

Because blood was flowing from Peter Pan’s left front shoulder.

“Aaaaaaaaah!!!”

Peter Pan screamed and lifted his teeth from my thigh. More terrible pain came, but I gritted my teeth and endured it. Even though they only barely pierced through, it hurt quite a bit.

As I felt the strength leaving my thigh, I stared at Peter Pan. I couldn’t understand. My attack was poor. With my weak muscles, the golden crescent blade only grazed his shoulder, creating a shallow cut.

Yet he was writhing in pain on the ground as if he lost an entire arm. Rolling around with his large body, thick dust filled the air. Watching him made me chuckle wryly.

“It hurts! It hurts!!! You, it hurts too much! Blood, blood is coming out!!!”

Peter Pan reverted to his original bratty kid form. His shoulder wound didn’t look very serious at a glance. Just a small slice yet he’s making such a fuss, which made my anger boil.

“You think that hurts? Just a little scratch on your shoulder? Without thinking about what you’ve done? The suffering you’ve caused to children trapped in Neverland forever, unable to leave? Cassandra’s pain from losing her younger sister? The pain of children led to death by your hands and never returning?”

“Hieeeek! Don’t come closer! This, put away that scythe! I’m the king! The king of Neverland! Ugh! My shoulder hurts too much! Damn it!”

“No, that doesn’t even count as pain. You don’t know real pain.”

I gripped the scythe again with remaining strength, resting it on my shoulder. Seeing this, Peter Pan’s face turned pale.

“Hiiiiiek! No! Don’t come closer!!!”

Peter Pan suddenly got up and started running away, turning his back to me.

“Don’t joke around! I’m the king of Neverland! Like I’d let this happen! Ugh! It hurts too much! If only I had magic powder, I wouldn’t feel pain! Just wait! I’ll punish you!!”

As Peter Pan’s sentence rose, his small body collapsed instantly. Cassandra stood in front of him, wearing her younger sister’s ring, as he fell backward with a nosebleed.

“Where do you think you’re running to, trash!”

“Hiiiik! Nosebleed! You’re supposed to be Mom! This isn’t right!”

“Shut up, I’m not your mom. Right now, I’m here as Eris’ older sister who’s here to erase you, the one who killed my younger sister!”

“Uuuuaaaaah! Aaaahhhhhh!”

Peter Pan got up crawling and tried to escape from Cassandra by moving his legs. But the moment he stood up, he fell flat again.

“Aaaaah! Wh-what is this!”

His legs were covered by children who had been bound by his fear for a long time and finally released their resentment.

“What are you doing! Let go! Let me go!”

“Never. Not even if I die!”

“Do you have any idea how suffocating and painful every day was for us, forced to stay as kids under your control, you damn trash!!!”

“Living wasn’t even living!!! Every day was hell, you damn trash!!!”

The children extended their arms and clung to Peter Pan, preventing him from moving. Their resentful hands grabbed his head and skin.

“Aaaaaah! Everyone’s gone crazy! I’m the king! I can do whatever I want as a child! Let me go!”

“This is responsibility, Peter Pan.”

I limped toward Peter Pan and spoke. His pupils, filled with fear, reflected my figure holding the scythe, the harbinger of death.

“No! Hiiieek! Don’t come closer! I said don’t come closer! Get away!!”

Peter Pan thrashed about trying to escape, but there was no escaping the karma brought by his sins.

“Peter Pan, you said being a child means not having to take responsibility. But that’s wrong. Let me explain the difference between children and adults again. Adults take responsibility, and children…”

“Learn responsibility. There’s no way anyone, just because they’re young, can be free from responsibility. Just as your evil deeds have come back to demand responsibility from you now.”

I stood in front of him and firmly gripped the handle of the scythe.

“Damn it! No! That’s wrong! I didn’t do anything wrong! I’m just a kid! I don’t have to take responsibility! Mom! Save me! Tinker Bell! Ugh! Someone please help me! I’m just a kid!!!”

The children completely restrained Peter Pan’s limbs, allowing me to attack easily. Cassandra placed her hand on my shoulder and nodded.

They all had the same eyes. Eyes pleading for me to end Peter Pan’s cruel story.

Peter Pan’s eyeballs rolled rapidly.

“No, right? Wait a minute. J-just kidding, right? No way! Don’t do this! Please! I’m begging you! Look, if I…”

Peter Pan trailed off at the last moment. His eyes were filled with tears of fear of death, crying like a waterfall. Sticky mucus mixed with snot and blood flowed from his nose into his mouth, and saliva flew from his mouth as he stammered.

“S-so, I-I!”

“You need punishment more than words, someone like you. Feel it yourself once. The price of making others cry bloody tears!”

“Hiiiiiek! Ahhhh! No, please, no!!!”

With a whooshing sound cutting through the air, the blade rushed toward Peter Pan. Plok. The sensation of piercing something through the scythe. It wasn’t the terrible feeling of tearing through flesh or bone. It was just the sensation of piercing through the dirt on the ground.

The scythe sank into the ground right next to Peter Pan’s head. Shocked, he fainted with his eyes rolled back and wet, hot urine poured out from his pants.

“…You’re not killing him?”

Cassandra asked plainly without getting angry or questioning my decision not to finish him off decisively.

“This guy’s story can’t end simply by dying at my hands. I think it’s right for the victims to end it with their own hands. And there are people he needs to meet.”

As I tightly held the pendant and spoke, Cassandra nodded and looked up at the sky, muttering softly.

“The moon looks beautiful today. Really… beautiful full moon.”