(AN: Hello! I know many of you have been displeased by the latest chapters and the unending cheesiness with the romance stuff entering the story. And for such writing, I apologize. I am deeply sorry for taking away the element that keeps most people reading this story, and as such, I have taken in all of your comments and returned to the roots :3

Savage Reika BEGIN!

Enjoy the chapter)

"...The death sentence..."

...

...

...

Complete silence filled the atmosphere as everybody stood shocked by Pietro's declared sentence...

No one even dared to look me in the eye, except for Pietro who was clearly amused by the entire situation...

To anyone's foreign eye, this could've been seen as a tragedy, a complete and utter loss for the hero of the story...

Yet for me...

...

...

...

This was just hilarious...

A dreadful silence had filled the scene. It was clear everyone was serious regarding this sentence... But I was simply no longer able, to contain myself, as a loud laughter echoed throughout the room.

"PFFFFFFFFT〜 HAHAHAHAHAHA〜 Good one, you idiot! Like that'll ever happen〜"

...

...

...

*Gasps* *Whispers* *More Gasps* *Even more Whispers*

It was quite obvious everyone had been suddenly thrown into a state of shock by my calm, nonchalant and plainly insulting response...

"S-she can't be s-serious right?" -Audience Adventurer

"T-there's no way... P-pietro-sama was right...?" -Audience Merchant

"W-what is sh-she p-planning...?!" -Audience Peasant

It was quite clear not even Scarlet or Myria would've expected this from me. Especially since I had kept quiet all along...

To my surprise, even Myria's parents were left speechless as my sarcastic words had reached each and every one of the audience members...

But, speaking frankly, I did not really care anymore. I had enough. I worked tirelessly for these people as an adventurer protecting them through hardships and other atrocities, yet the moment someone comes along with the stupidest of accusations... they turn their backs on me?!

'I will not take this...'

I turned to a confused and offended Pietro, and stared daggers at him, making flinch. I then spoke in the most sinister, menacing and intimidating voice I've heard in a very long time...

"Let me make this very clear you, lame-excuse of a guild master. You, peasant, don't have the right to even consider calling me a liar, a poser, much less a traitor... And if we're talking about who's most guilty here... you forcing the Litherm Kingdom to cooperate with your petty wishes, is nothing but absolute hypocrisy..."

...

Once again, silence filled the room as no one dared to utter a word...

Pietro seemed overly terrified by my words, as he was unable to blurt out anything but undescribable noises...

His expression was filled to the brim with fear, as the audience began releasing cold sweat...

Now, to some, this might've been punishment enough...

But I hadn't had enough...

Not even close...

Ever since coming back from the demon territory and seeing Sakura... I had been far too submissive, neglecting and forgiving... I had not realized... But it was true...

'JUST WHO IS THIS GUY TO EVEN THINK HE CAN APPLY A PENALTY ON ME?! I'M THE EFFING DEMON EMPRESS'

This really enraged me... But thenreason everything had arrived to this point... was kinda my fault...

For some reason... Just seeing Sakura... It regressed me to my timid, shy and neglected personality I had finally been freed of...

It was unavoidable... for some unknown reason, Sakura quite literally triggered the "Old Reiki" to come back...

I blame myself so much for my past... It was total garbage, but that was all, on me... I shouldn't have kept it all in... I shouldn't have dealt with it all alone... That was my responsibility, in which I failed...

But... Ever since I came to this brand new world, everything had finally changed for me... Like it or not, life had become surprisingly positive, regardless of that cursed sword resting on my belt... In contrast to Earth, I would look forward to tomorrow... I would look forward to being with my friends... those people who had accepted me as who I am right now...

Regardless of its up and downs, I had friends... I had people who I could count on... I had care and love... Something that had been completely stripped away from me from a very early age...

Who knew, being sent to another world as the most handicapped would turn out to be my salvation?

While I've had sufferings like none other in this world rather than back on Earth... I'd still say it's honestly better to live in a rollercoaster of pain and excitement, than not to live at all...

This had been my newfound ideal, this was my brand new 'raison d'être'...

But, ever since I saw Sakura... It had all just become null... My newfound happiness, my new personality, and even my new confidence became shattered and tucked away...

Boukyaku had performed so many strange changes in my personality, some good some bad... Yet... my stupidity hand't been fully erased...

Seeing Sakura, destroyed all I had worked for in this new world... Everything that now created my reality...

...

And I wasn't letting that go any time soon...

I was no longer going to be kept shackled...

I was not going to be pushed around by those same standards of a society that had thrown my life into a mess in my previous life...

I would never allow myself to be bossed around, abused or suffer for someone else's amusement... ever again...

As I concreted my resolve, I lowered my eyes...

I could feel the strange, nervous and uncertain reactions from those around me...

The old me would've held back... but these people...

They were the same exact people who had once cheered, encouraged and helped on... Those same people had neglected me... Those same people had just rejected me... Despite my efforts... Despite my work... Despite my change...

'This all ends now...'

Without a single shred of doubt in my mind remaining... I placed my hand on Boukyaku's hilt and faintly began to unsheathe it...

I knew the implications of drawing it on a crowded area... But who cares anymore...

But, as I was about to continue with my internal monologue, I was surprised by a strangely pleasant surprise...

A slight tap on my shoulder made itself apparent...

'Oh no...'

I could only think I had been busted before being able to claim my revenge...

I was already getting frustrated before even facing my friends...

But when I did... all of that faded away...

Before me was a very clear picture... I did not ever imagine I would see...

It was clear my actions didn't go unnoticed by my dear friends who had immediately turned to me with soft smirks...

"So, you finally doing it...?"

"Yeah〜 We were wondering where had you gone〜"

I was a little taken aback by their strange questions... It was just, very strange... I was clearly about to do something violent, and had even replied back to that lowly Pietro... It would've made perfect sense for Myria or Scarlet to scold me and try to go for a more peaceful approach...

But after slowly seeing their genuine happiness and teasing smirks... A warm smile crept across my face as I nodded in response...

Both looked astonishingly satisfied and relieved at my response...

'To think they had noticed my sudden change... That is probably also why they were acting so violent towards Sakura earlier... Who knew? To think my friends would know me more than myself...' I couldn't properly grasp how much they truly knew about my situation, yet I was still thankful...

I could even feel myself wandering in thought as I wondered about the possibility of them having noticed my change...

But as I did, I was finally snapped back to reality by the irrefutable confirmation of my hypothesis...

"Welcome back〜 Reika-Cha〜n"

"Yeah, it's good to have you back, Reika... Now just do your thing!"

In all honesty, I would've probably cried right there and then after hearing such moving and loving words from my friends...

I would probably rate holding my tears in, as an SSS+ quest... A quest I barely managed to fulfill...

Don't get me wrong, it's not like I did not want to cry my eyes out...

There was simply something that needed to be done first...

As I managed to contain the tears from such a moving moment we had just held in front of a perplexed audience...

I was sure of what I was about to do...

As I finally chanted without further hesitation:

"[Master Hide Presence: Off]..."

Not even a split second after I finished my incantation, the atmosphere around me changed completely...

Nobody dared to utter a single sound as the atmosphere turned dismal, truly overflowing with killing intent...

But this was like no other time I had ever activated this skill...

After practicing for an entire month alongside Scarlet and Myria, I had finally managed to use my already deadly skill in a far more... menacing manner...

Even at our absurd power levels, after seeing its effects, all three of us had decided to keep it locked up... for safety reasons...

...

But right now... I nothing was preventing me from using it...

While the people around me surely felt fear and an unmatched pressure irradiating from my presence... they would surely remain sane, or at least alive...

In contrast, to one slight exception...

All of the aura of killing intent... every last drop of it... Every single evil intention I could muster... was all concentrated in a single spot...

...

In front of Myria, Scarlet and I... stood a choking, dying and agonizing Pietro...

It was probably one of the most traumatizing sceneries any normal person would ever see throughout their lifetimes...

Yet to the three of us... this was nothing short of entertainment...

As our sadistic grins widened... we kept looking over at the disgusting show that was unfolding...

His eyes had fully whitened out from the unimaginable fear he was experiencing...

His already pale skin had become even paler than Scarlet's skin, literally making him look as if he was a walking corpse...

But not just any corpse, as if he was being constantly electrocuted, his body was having constant muscular spasms, as his entire body kept twitching away...

Furthermore, there was even some strange yet funny white foam leaking from his wide-opened mouth...

It looked as if he would die any second now...

And that notion was probably not too far off...

Because, while he remained in dreadful silence for the first few seconds... shortly after, he began screaming the single most blood curling and desoerate screams I've heard so far...

"AHUAHUAHUAAAAAAAAAHUAHUAAAAAA!!!!!!!!"

It almost seemed as he was trying to say something, yet all I we could catch was undescribable noises and terrified screaming...

"AHAHAAAAAAAAAUAAAAUAAAUAAAA!!!!!!"

It was honestly quite stupid at first seeing him in this depressing state, as we were only left to smile wryly... but... I didn't quite exoect his cowardice... to get to THAT point...

"UUUUUHHAAAAAAAAHAAAAHAAAHAAAAAA!!!!!!"

As he kept screaming away... Something I had not been expecting at all happened...

It honestly shocked the entire audience present and even made Callum flinch from such a sight...

As Pietro had been screaming away... He had been flailing his arms around without any objective sense... But for some reason... as he kept screaming away... his arms... began... eh.... how to put it...?

He literally began nailing himself...

Yeah... it was gruesome and filled with gore...

His nails started burrowing deep into his skin. He would break his tissue a bit... and then... would pull with all of his strength...

HE WOULD QUITE LITERALLY TAKE CHUNKS OF HIS OWN FLESH WITHOHT ANY HESITATION WHILE SCREAMING IN AGONY!

It was absurd!

And that was not even it... oh no...

Of course, as expected, whenevet he took a chunk of his own flesh, blood would immediately gush out...

But what he would do next... was simply... stupid...

As if trying to cover his eyes and ears... he literally began pushing his own eye sockets and ear drums full of... bloody... chunks... of... skin...

No one could react quite properly as we kept staring...

Pietro's body had gotten to a point of no return bu this point... His voice had gone sore, blood was gushing out of every pore in his body... and his face was no longer human...

It was truly horrifying... a scene straight out of a scary movie...

And as we remained watching the scene unfold... it finally came to an espectacular end...

As the dying Pietro came right to death's door... he performed one final action before dropping dead...

As he became preoared to die, we could clearly see some strange sounds being uttered from his body... they were obviously unnatural... And quite disturbing... but it didn't even come close to what followed...

In his final seconds of life... Pietro, quite literally barfed his entire innards...

...

No joke...

He literally painted the entire room... red...

"..."

Nobody dared to utter a word... not us... not the audience... not Sakura... not Callum or the monarchs...

The room was utter silence as the deceased corpse finally slammed against the marble floor...

...

...

...

"[Master Hide Presence: On]"

...

I turned to Myria and Scarlet as I was at a loss for what to do...

Yet... none of us really seemed sure...

'I might've gone a little overboard... hehe'

...

The room remained silent for a while, with the only sound being the dripping of blood from Pietro's deceased body...

But that all came to an end, when out of nowhere a terrified scream eang out...

"S-SHE'S A DEMON!!!!!"

I turned around in confusion as I was met with a peasant trying to back away as if his life depended on it...

It all seemed very strange to me... Honestly, after killing Pietro that gruesomely, I was fine leaving it there...

But as we all know by now... Life never quite conspires in my favor...

Because, since that peasant had just uttered some baseless, (somewhat) fake, and outrageous accusation... others joined in too...

"SHE'S A MONSTER!!!" -Peasant 1

"CRIMINALS!!!" -Peasant 2

"CAPTURE THEM!!!" -Peasant 3

...

Yeo, more peasants were apparently having a death wish... Didn't you literally see me kill your guild master with nothing but my aura?

I honestly felt infuriated by the fact these guys would even consider declaring me a monster just like that... Even though the ones who offered to wage war was the Everidian kingdom...

'Oh, so now I'm the bad guy (girl)? Don't make me laugh!'

I could only stare in perplexion as the entire audience trembled in fear....

To be honest, it was a little amusing...

But at the same time, it still felt wrong...

I actually did not mind leaving it all here...

Just returning to my good ol' life with Myria and Scarlet...

Adventuring and living the good life...

But I had kinda forgotten who this guy had been...

I mean, at the end of the day, a guild master is a guild master, regardless of their personality or stupidity...

And this was truly reminded to me... because as I turned around to face Sakura, she was standing ready to engage in combat...

And when, I looked at her straight in the eye, she, fully determined, spoke:

"The curse, I deem you enemies of all the human alliance!"

(AN: HELLO! So, as you can see I took a lot of your displeasure and tried to create a formidable chapter... though I feel I might've gone too far hehe...

Please do answer me this, in order to know your opinions:

Was this chapter a good change in the direction of the story?

You see this might seem stupid or petty, but I had seen too many complaints regarding both Sakura's character and how calm Reika is being, and as such I made this... So please... tell me what you think... please.

Yeah, just know, I read all of the comments, and I mean ALL of them. So, as such, please do tell me when you find something wrong or lacking in my story.

With that out of the way, thanks for reading, voting, and sharing my story!

Thanks)