My first impression when I've arrived at the Scarlet Devil mansion is that it is practically fortified with enough forces and guns that you think the Devil himself guarded the area. My jeep is tucked inside one of the courtyard repurposed as a parking lot. I was escorted by a captain of the Scarlet Devil Guard Unit. She is an attractive Chinese girl with fiery red hair that reminds me of the blood spilled by my fellow soldiers. Not to mention she also has a very curvaceous figure that can put a succubus to shame. Her AK47 was slung at her back as she calmly explained the situation.

'The hardest part of the war is when they first attacked' she told me as we make our way to the interior. If it wasn't for the warning our head explorer gave us, we be dead in day one.

I studied the mansion's defence. The horde must be a big one to nearly destroy this place. The whole area is enclosed with high walls that were guarded by sentries and automatic gun sentries. To prevent demons from climbing the wall over is that the edges of the walls are dotted with barbed wires. A small amount of anti-air guns were installed around the area. The gate is covered with gore which is being hosed off by a few members of the mansion (recent attacks gone wrong.) sandbags, trenches and pillboxes are placed strategically in the compound. Watchtowers guarded every corner with machineguns and sniper rifles. To top it off, everybody in this place is armed.

She excused herself as we reach the door. She runs off, her hair trailing behind like the whiskers of a dragon. I also realized that her uniform is showing off the shape of her rear. Cursing myself for such impure thought I turned around to face my new escort. The maid's steely gaze unnerved me as she brought me to the interior.

I was surprised by the décor of the place. It is a mix of dark red and Gothic black design, making it both suffocating and mysterious at the same time. It is not that luxurious, but there is a certain allure of secrets lying in there, like the residual aura of the Scarlet Devil himself.

The maid is by far elegant and beautiful, as if she was a noblewoman at some point in life. Despite my honour code reinforced by the arrival of hell forces I found out that she has quite the figure herself. But that's not all I see. Strange bulges came from places where it is not natural.

As if noticing my intrusive stare, she quickly pulled something out of her apron before sticking it near my throat. The slender and elegant knife strangely suited her silver hair as she spoke to me. "I rather not am seen as a piece of meat waiting to be devoured thank you very much."

Trying to defuse the situation, I explained further. "I'm looking at the unnatural bulges at your uniform. Did you conceal your weapon in there?"

To answer my question, she pulled out another knife. This time the handle is green. "This is wartime sir, and with the growing amount of casualties mounting by the hour nobody would miss a lowly corporal in a middle of nowhere. So I suggest you do NOT lay any hand on my mistress and maids" Her voice is unemotional, but her eyes have a steely gaze of determination that I saw at my commander's eye before every engagement.

"I wouldn't dream of it, miss…"

"Sakuya"

"Right miss. I am may be a lance corporal, but I have dignity and honour of a marine. I won't treat any of your female companion and worker under me as harlots. They are after all, one of the people we marines vowed to protect"

She held her gaze for a while before sheathing back the throwing knives she brandishes earlier. She bowed slightly, much to my discomfort. "Forgive me sir Hito, I guess I've misjudged you a little"

"Thanks"

"I said a little" she replied. Then she returned to her original pose. "You see, I am wary of new marines coming in, especially the officers. Most of them view us nothing more than comfort women…" Her face hardens at the phrase "… Sometimes somebody tries to challenge the boundaries by sexually assaulting one of the maids. As a head maid you know what I must do"

I try not to think of the blood spilled by 'friendly fire'. "I'm sorry Miss Sakuya. I hope that the action of few types of rouge won't affect your perspective of the whole corps"

"Thank you. Now prepare yourself. We have arrived" She replied as she opened a door. Nodding imperceptibly, I took a step inside the room to meet the Unwavering Explorer of the Scarlet Devil.

It has a certain rustic look on it. The room doesn't hold much furniture, a bed here, a table there. But what caught my eye is the sight of a man in his middle 20s playing chess with a young blonde child. The man despite the heat of the day wears a black hoodie with unorthodox armour over it. I don't even know if it was qualified as armour. Small pieces of leather reinforced by metal frame protect the left and right ribs and a single Kevlar plate covered the chest area. Both of the shoulders are protected by small shoulder pauldrons that fits snugly at its place. All of this was connected by series of straps. The greaves and kneeguards are scratched but still look painful to get kicked at. I notice that the bracer's on the man's forearm is scratched and burned but still operational.

The child turned to face me. Her outfit is just a simple red and white blouse accented with frills at the neck area. The red skirts are at ankle height which shows off her cute white-red shoes. The blonde child is unmistakably a family member of the Scarlet Devil. Her deep, shining crimson eyes stares at me in a certain childlike inquisitiveness, as if it was a playful fairy that has its attention taken on something.

With a heavy sigh he politely asked the child to leave, which reinforced my idea of her relatives. Her strides are light and soft as she exited the room. We both saluted each other. His eyes travel to my temple which is covered in bandage and the camera around my neck. He did not complain about the voice recorder I produced. He was a young Asian man with spiky black hair and glasses as well as a pair of deep beautiful brown eyes. Come to think off, he is quite a looker like me, not too handsome but not average enough to call 'plain'.

Alex: Hello sir, sorry for the mess. I didn't expect you to come here that quick

Hito: It's fine. I'm just a lance corporal, not a bloody sergeant or something. Beside, this is much more sanitary than my last assignment.

Alex: [Chuckles] so you are a military reporter or something?

Hito: Barely. I'm a military correspondence for Star and Stripes magazine. I was here under order of my commander.

Alex: Quite a lot of effort for just a military magazine, travelling all the way from Hakurei Stronghold. [Pauses] I thought there are two of you.

Hito: My, my partner died along the way. A fucking Hell Knight tears him in half [sigh, looks down to his own crotch]… Stupid fucker thinks it's a good idea to distract the demon from a group of fleeing survivors. Those civilians didn't even make it; ran straight to the waiting claws of Imps.

Alex: [He shook his head in sympathy] Fuck… I'm sorry sir…

Hito: Hito, Lance Corporal Sairento Hito…

Alex: …I mean it sir Hito, but remember; he sacrificed himself in believe that it will save other people. Remember him as a hero.

Hito: Thanks.

Alex: (Exhausted sigh) another day, another men dies. Another day, a family loses a father or son. For fuck sake when will all this end? Can't they finally realize that they cannot destroy all of us?

Hito: …Alright. Now let's get straight to the point. We want to know your experience of your expedition in Deimos.

Alex: So you want to know what I saw in hell.

Hito: That's why I'm here Alex.

Alex: (Sigh) Sure, you did lose a man over me. Guess I'll pay you back with a little war stories of mine.

News flash; it's not Deimos I end up at. I end up right at the middle level of the Second Circle of Hell. Lust.

Hito: (I took a double take) what? You mean you actually reach Hell itself?!

Alex: (His face became grim) It's not a fucking horrible sight, Hell, it's even WORSE than horrible. Flame, brimstone, screams of the damned… (He stares into the space, lost in the deep memory) Ahhh, guess I need to tell ya from the start to let you understand anything.

I graduated from Hope's Peak Academy for Gifted Individual. It is the most prestigious school in the world. Anybody got drafted in there would have a successful live guaranteed. But here's the catch; you need to have a talent, and you're the top fucker among the others. If you are a fanfic writer, you need to become the best of the best, the number one of the whole country just to have a chance in Hope's Peak. Oh, and you also has to be a teenager. Guess what my talent is.

Hito: Exploring?

Alex: We got a winner! (Sarcastic clap) I graduated as the best Explorer the world has to offer. Any place is not safe against my eyes; no place is fortified enough to keep me away. [He gave me an unnerving smile] And yes, I've even explored the girl's changing room in my last school.

But I need sponsors and employers to get money, and places for me to wander has become even smaller as helicopters, jeeps and internet proves to be a cheaper and more trusted alternative than my service. I need a full-time employer; preferably a rich one to work for. Then out of nowhere, I found her.

Hito: Who?

Alex: [Smiles] Alice Margatroid. That woman saw me wandering through The Forest of Magic. It was fascinating for me. A brand new, uncharted territory with unknown creatures and beauty lies here, waiting to be explored. I don't even mind when the creatures of the Forest assaulted me. It was beautiful and spectacular; humanoid crows throwing multi-coloured laser balls in a mesmerising pattern…

I don't know what compels her to my area, my gunshot or the tengu's attack perhaps? But she came out of nowhere and blasted the damn tengu away. I was attracted to the doll first. They're small, miniature version of their owner yet they move with graceful step as their owner controlled it with a string. Women can be found everywhere, but a flying, expressive doll that acts like its alive? Not to mention the doll itself is damn adorable.

[He saw my deadpan stare] Come on, everybody always has a thing for adorable thing! Slayer himself has adopted a bunny and taken care of it with tender love and care. But anyway, she is quite a cutie though. But what she told me make her an angel.

Hito: What did she say?

Alex: [Grins] I am in a different area that has a different timeline than the world outside, that has never been fully explored, with HUGE chunks of land ready to be wandered through, and a fucking rich vampire duchess that is hiring explorer. I fucking kissed her on the spot. She took offense on that, unfortunately. And she makes her displeasure known by slamming me through several bamboo shoots and hissed the mansion's address into my ear.

Hito: Why were you not scared? You are in an unknown territory far away from anybody familiar with tons of dangerous…fairies… God I still felt stupid saying that but, aren't you afraid?

Alex: [He gave me a look that means I have grown a new head] that…is…what… drives me to become an explorer! The desire to see the world unknown to man, to see the world what it can offer! To beheld the beauty of nature and the intricacies of city long lost in the annals of time! To see the terrifying and elegant animals in their own territories! To see…

Hito: [I raised the palm of my hand to stop him] Please Alex, we get it, you love this place. We get it. Can we please get on with the stories?

Alex: Sorry, got carried away a bit. [He scratches his head awkwardly] So I ran straight to the Scarlet Devil Mansion, applied for the job and was ready for action in a day!

Hito: Really? Is there any competition at all? I heard that you have quite a substantial amount of cash as a fixed salary.

Alex: Nobody wants to do anything with the SDM. Plus many humans fall prey to the youkais outside the Human Village. Having just a stroll between towns is considered risky to them, but to actually travel to the deepest reach of their territories alone and outnumbered? No amount of gold can convince them otherwise. Hell they were even shocked by how fast I applied for the job and my determination in it.

Hito: So that's how you end up working for them.

Alex: Yup.

The door opened to reveal Sakuya herself with a tray bearing our teatime snacks. She carefully placed it on the table as I removed my rifle from the table. I gave her a patient smile. She only bowed. Elegant and perfect.

Alex: Thanks Sakuya. My throat is getting thirsty. [He took a sip from the hot tea. He sighed happily] Excellent as always Miss Sakuya.

She smiled. That was surprisingly…nice. I guess they are in good terms.

Hito: So, now we know how you end up working for the SDM. May I ask why you were called the 'Scarlet Devil'?

Alex: Sorry, classified information. Yea I know how much you hate the term, but my mistress order comes first. [I groaned] Here's a translation; if I tell you, mistress Remilia would tear my ass off.

Hito: So, how about you're exploring system? How do you work?

Alex: Sure, it's not classified. I would get my order from either mistress Remilia or professor Patchouli herself to explore an area such as the Youkai Mountain, I'll go explore it. Then after a detailed exploring I'll write down the info needed and forward it straight to Patchouli-sama, which will be translated, analysed and archived. The info is very important for her.

Hito: How so?

Alex: [he stays quite for a while]… she…her physical health is very bad. She may looks fine to you, but she's literally a walking, talking china doll. She has asthma and Anaemia at the same time. Forget about travelling, a 1m run could've killed her faster than any gun conceived by man. The outside is surprisingly dangerous and there's not many combat servant in here brave enough or stupid enough to travel a foot away from the walls without protection. She's a voracious reader and her thirst for knowledge is unquenchable. But with no way for her to see the outside world, she literally loses her touch with the world. She's nothing more than a great unmoving library. [His eyes held pity] As a wanderer, I cannot imagine a life without at least taking a tour across the neighbourhood. But she can't even do anything without her assistant at all.

[He stared at me with soul-filled eyes] You notice that she's a youkai right? She lives like a thousand years yet she never heard anything about a cellphone, or even a normal radio. She associates radio with the huge clunky ones we have in the 70s! When she realizes that she is far away from today's technological advances…

[He stopped. It is affecting him. I told him to stop but he waved it off.] I'm fine. It's just that, I can't stand seeing girls cry. I felt like the worse type of man possible, as if I failed being a true man. Yes I have a fair share of crying girls, but nothing like Patchouli-sama or Flandre-chan. Their eyes, slowly moistening up but not yet streaming make every crying girls I have to put up in the past felt nothing against them. I just break down then and there. Not giving a fuck if I wetted their carpet.

Hito: You must really care for Professor Patchouli then.

Alex: [realising the implication behind the word, he gave a short, harsh laugh which surprises me] really sir? You think she would go out with a guy like me? She's sick and introvert while I'm healthy and loud as balls! [Chuckles] We both make a promise to each other to remain friends. Nothing can change that. We're friends and that's that. Plus, sleeping with your boss doesn't sound right no?

Hito: [Chuckles] Yeah doesn't sound right. So what started your expedition to hell?

Alex: [sips tea] It all started because of the rumours in the Forest of Magic. The mansion guards and maids occasionally saw monsters and demons prowling in the forest. Yes we live in an area filled with youkais, but the description of the creatures…

Flying ball of flesh with one green eyes, humanoid figure with big hateful eyes and chilling screech, and sometimes the devil himself with goat's legs and horns…those are NOT youkais. Patchouli-sama is very curious. She wants to know what they are; they could be a new type of youkai prowling around! On the other hand, Remilia is worried about the maid's condition. Rumours and ignorance is destructive for the mansion and she doesn't want her maids to spend their time looking at their back. [Sips tea] so… she decides to remedy the unknown by making the unknown be known.

Patchouli-sama sent me straight to the forest where the concentrations of demon forces are thick. Mind you that we don't know what they are, so we just call them unknowns. It's my job to remedy the unknown.

Hito: Were you armed?

Alex: [Grins devilishly. He pulled out a rifle at his side. Its wooden stock reminds me of a WWII era gun] a scoped, bolt-action, 7.92 mm Kar98k infantry rifle. The Nazis used these during the war. It's accurate, powerful and insanely cheap. This is much cheaper than the pistol I bought for myself. [He pulled out a sleek, silver handguns with a silencer attached to it] A silenced, semi-auto 0.45 ACP M1911 Custom pistol. The rifle's good and all, but sometimes you need a faster and much more quiet way of taking on an enemy. [He then pulls out a survival knife] What? I'm an explorer remember? Knives are king in wilderness survival. [He sheathes back the knife, and then he pulls out a submachine gun behind him.] A silenced, full auto 5.56mm P90 submachine gun. The rate of fire of this baby is what saved my ass in every city combat. Not to mention this damn thing held 50 ammo and is lightweight and small, which is very important if you're fighting in a tunnel."

Suddenly, gunshots and loud booms can be heard outside. The screams and grunts of the fighter held contrast against the screeching and roaring voice of the demon invaders.

Another maid appeared holding a 9mm handgun. A Glock 19 to be exact. Her face has a certain paleness that requires attention. She explained between gasp as she informed us about the demon attack. Apparently the demons fresh from the Moriya District Portal has arrived. Grinning insanely, Alex picked up his submachine gun and followed Sakuya out, leaving his rifle behind.

"What? You think we're gonna hunt a stag or something?" He asked in jest. "The fuckers won't stay still for you to aim. Be as fast and agile as they are, and you're gonna be fine"

We arrived at the front door. Sakuya is standing guard, knives in hand. Not to offend, I don't think a single knife can make a difference against a glowing fireball. I checked my M4 and my M9 pistol. Alex got his gun ready and loaded.

"On count of three" Alex said. "One, two…Three!"

We rushed straight to the battlefield. Fireballs and bullets flew around as we advances and roared back, issuing a challenge for every demon to face the wrath of mankind.