Character Analysis:
Misaki Izuna
(The captain of a special unit that dealt with any intruders at the Asakusa Tunnel trying to escape. During the events of the Lockdown, she revealed everything to Kazuya and his friends, and later helped Kazuya form the D.S.E.F unit to eradicate the last remnants of demons in secrecy. Now she works for JP's with her old friend, Makoto Sako.)
Chapter 4: The Reason
Daichi's mouth hanged open like a trout in complete amazement, his eyes scanning everywhere. "Whoa" was all that escaped his lips, marveling at the structure he was currently inside of. The place itself was incredible; frankly it put the command room for the D.S.E.F to shame. The facility that belonged to JP's was cylinder in shape for only the base of the central area, with metal support beams scattered around in a circular fashion, with a walkway that was done in a spiral on two sides, conjoining on one point and leading up into what might have been the central command center. On the stairway below the way into the command room was a golden clock with 7 Roman numerals instead of 12 with two stylized hands, the longest one was on the first Roman numeral with the shortest being on the seventh.
"I don't believe this..." Atsuro gaped, equally as shocked as everyone else. "T-this was all below the Diet Building? For how long?"
"For over two years, specifically one year before the Tokyo Lockdown." Izuna explained to the Devil Survivors and the Messengers. "JP's was founded by the Hotsuin family, the most wealthiest and strongest family in all of Japan. The head of the family act as the shadow of Japan with but one purpose, the protection of the country itself. The Hotsuin's have control of every military, political, and economical power in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya, the three largest, as well as the most vital cities in the entire country. Simply put, the Hotsuins have complete control of Japan."
"Whoa... seriously?" Yuzu said in disbelief. "So then... who founded JP's? He must be pretty old and wise!"
"Actually, its quite the contrary." Makoto shook her head. "The Chief is only 17 years old, about a sophomore in high school by you standards." This caused everyone's eyes to widen. The leader of such a large organization was only 17? "Yamato Hotsuin has been the leader of JP's for only 2 years, yet his capabilities as a leader are recognized by all political figures in Japan. However, the same could be said for Miyako."
"Miyako?" Keisuke asked, interested. However, before either one of the older women could answer, they were interrupted by a solemn voice from the top of the staircase.
"So, you're the group that defeated Dubhe?" Everyone's eyes were focused at the figure. He was young, about one or two years younger than them. His hair was pale silver, almost steely with cold gray eyes, wearing a dark gray-buttoned shirt with a black tie and gloves with a heavy knee-length black trench coat. The boy also wore black leather boots that went up to beneath his kneecaps. "Whether by coincidence or fate, you're actions are to be commended."
Kazuya's eyes focused on him immediately. He could feel the power flowing off of him; it was obvious that he wasn't someone you wanted as an enemy. The power wasn't familiar to him, it was unreal, nothing like that of a demon or an angel, not even like a God's for that matter. Whoever he was, this boy was clearly superior to the others. However, even Kazuya had to admit that he was nothing compared to Naoya, as his demon Nylarathotep would be able to tear him apart. He wasn't bragging or anything, but he really doubted that the boy could beat him and Lucifer. After all, the Great Darkness had nearly killed the Devil Survivor group without even as so much as a scratch or a nick on his body.
"Chief Hotsuin." Makoto bowed respectfully. Immediately after saying that, the group was shocked and looked back at the boy, who was now identified as Yamato Hotsuin. "I brought them as requested."
Yamato smiled thinly as he walked down the stairs, his gloved hand gliding down the railing. "I have to say, defeating Dubhe is worth complimenting." Atsuro growled, it felt like Yamato was just playing with them. However, what made Amane and Yuzu frown was the fact that his eyes were focused on Kazuya, who looked equally as on edge. "And you must be Kazuya Minegeshi, the younger brother of Naoya Minegeshi and the reincarnated Abel."
Kazuya's eyes widened to the size of softballs, his mouth open in shock. The other Survivors were shocked as well, considering that Yamato had known who he was the moment they walked in. Just who in the Hell was he? "I've met you're brother once before, not exactly the most friendly person in the area." Yamato said, making Kazuya level a glare at him.
"You'll find that Naoya isn't all that friendly with others, especially someone like you." Kazuya shot back, causing Makoto to look at him, aghast and shocked to know that someone like him had the nerve to say something like that to a Hotsuin. Yamato, however, didn't lose that thin smile of his. Kazuya had no meaning of the word "fear", nor did he know anything about "respect" to those superior to him. However, he had the power to defy those people, strike fear into them, and bring himself up to the top. Kazuya was more than a simple pawn; he was one of the major pieces.
Yamato laughed heartedly, his eyes never leaving Kazuya's. "Is that so? If that is the case, then I'll take you're word for it and be careful the next time I see him." Yamato turned his head to Hibiki and his friends. While it was true Kazuya was powerful, the same could be said for that boy. Summoning Byakko, a demon of his caliber, was no small feat by any means. In addition to that, he felt a familiar presence lingering around him, which made Yamato even more curious. Perhaps this boy could also be of use to him...
"I take it you are the other boy who destroyed Dubhe?" Yamato inquired. Hibiki nodded and bowed respectfully. "Summoning something like Byakko is rather an impressive accomplishment. If you are with Kazuya Minegeshi and his allies, then you're welcomed to stay here."
"Thank you, mister Yamato." Hibiki said politely. However, he was actually equally as glaring at Yamato as the others. There was something about him that just rubbed him the wrong way, something that felt... wrong, in a way. Hibiki didn't know how to describe it, it was a nagging feeling, a big one at that.
Yamato smiled as he turned to Makoto and Izuna. "Izuna, Sako. I want the two of you to fill them in on the situation currently at hand, and don't leave out a single small detail." the scion of the Hotsuin family said in a tone that was similar to Kazuya, however there was a sense of manipulation in there, almost as if he thought of them as nothing more but tools.
Makoto nodded, as did Izuna. As Yamato left, Midori could no longer hold in her frustration on the man and screamed. "Who the hell does he think he is! He's a thousand times worse than Naoya! ...no offense, Akuma."
"None taken." Kazuya said in equal anger. "In fact I think Naoya would be pissed too if he saw him."
"Too late for that, Hotsuin had already tried to recruit Naoya." Izuna sighed, running a hand through her hair. "God I'm still having nightmares about that. I swear to God that those two made Lucifer look like a snobby bitch compared to them."
"Guess Naoya and Yamato don't get along all that well?" Yuzu asked, laughing nervously and sweating. The last time Naoya was angry had nearly given her nightmares that would make even a certain finger bladed maniac scream whenever he would wake up.
"Get along?" Izuna scoffed. "More like at each other's throats."
Makoto sighed and crossed her arms, looking at Izuna with an eyebrow raised. "Misaki, we're supposed to fill them in on the situation at hand right now, not tell them what the Chief has been doing as of recently."
Izuna chuckled. "Oh relax, I was only telling them what had happened between Hotsuin and Naoya. If you don't loosen yourself up, you'll never find a good husband."
Makoto's eyes widened as her face went completely red, even more so than the skin of a Garm. Everyone in the hall, well the Devil Survivors and the three Messengers anyway, howled in laughter as Makoto turned away from her friend, still blushing and with her arms crossed over her chest.
After a few minor setbacks, the group entered the central room. As soon as he saw it, Atsuro was in complete computer heaven. The whole room was the size of a shuttle hanger with a large screen, showing the geographic map of the whole continent of Japan, however on different locations there were tower shaped legends imprinted. The top floor had a single walkway and platform with a cylinder like object at the end, while the lowest floor had several dozens of people working on seperate computers. Above the screen was a gigantic golden clock with the needle resting at the Roman numeral of 1. "No. Way..." Midori said, barely even above a whisper. "T-this belongs... to JP's?"
Makoto nodded. "Yes, this is the command room, as well as the briefing. Its in here that we monitor all the recent activity in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya."
"Wait, just those three?" Keisuke frowned, confused as to why JP's, with it being such a large organization, would only protect those three cities.
"Why not the others?" Amane asked. "Surely that with JP's being so huge, you obviously extended even past Tokyo."
"We do indeed, however the reason why we can't access the other cities..." Izuna said grimly. "Is because they've already been destroyed."
Everyone's eyes widened to the point they might have fallen out. The other cities beside those three were wiped out? That was impossible, there was no way the demons could have caused that much destruction so quickly!
"I know what you're thinking, and the only answer I'll give is that you already destroyed the demon that destroyed those cities."
"We already... destroyed it...?" Atsuro frowned in thought, but then he remembered the Summoning App when he had first accessed it. "Oh yeah, Dubhe!"
"Exactly." Izuna nodded. "JP's was founded two years ago, one year before the Lockdown that transpired in the summer of 2011 in the Yamanote circle. The reason it was created was to defeat a certain group of demons similar to Dubhe. These demons aren't like the others, I suppose its fair to say that they are like the Bels, however they aren't fighting each other, they work simultaneously, but also individually. Each one appears one day at a time, and unfortunately, Dubhe was the weakest of them all."
"So who's the strongest?" Amane asked worriedly.
Izuna sighed. "Unfortunately, we only have information on the one's that appear. The next one is to appear tomorrow, at Osaka. The demons, the Septentriones, target the towers located in each city."
"Why the towers?" Hibiki asked, frowning. "Don't tell me that they just feel like destroying land marks."
"If only that were the case." Izuna let out another heavy sigh. "The Towers create a special barrier that keeps demons out, however it also keeps them in. If a person chooses to die rather than become a Demon Tamer, the Summoning App will run wild, and the demons appear. If the Tower is destroyed, it not only lets demons from outside in, but the magical barrier surrounding the city will be destroyed as well. That's why protecting those towers are so important."
"And that's why these new demons are attacking the Towers!" Atsuro nodded in understanding. "Still, to combine machinery with magic, you must have some pretty fascinating equipment!"
"Indeed, we do." Makoto nodded. "A Paradigm coordinator, a Quartz-Process Generator, and some Generation 5 technology."
Atsuro's eyes widened, his dreams now confirmed. "G-Generation 5?! And a Paradigm coordinator?! Oh man, I'm in technology heaven!"
Yuzu groaned, slapping a hand over her forehead. "I knew you would say something like that, Otakuro."
The nicknamed computer nerd glared at her, grinding his teeth. "I told you not to call me that!"
Makoto giggled a bit as she looked at Izuna, who was smirking at the sight. "You were right, Misaki. They are quite energetic."
Meanwhile in Osaka, the streets were complete chaos. People were running in fear for their lives, their backs turned from the creatures that were anything but human or animal. They were red skinned with a canine like body, however its skin was a mix of leather and scales, a metal collar around its neck with black eyes and glowing blue iris', along with a swirling number of tails.
-/-X-\-
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Name: Garm
Race: Wilder
Details:
The guardians of Nifleheim, as well as a sort of Hellhound. They serve as both hunters and watchdogs, and have been known to run at frightening speeds, like all Wilder demons.
Information received, now dismissing Demonic Compendium
-/-X-\-
Most people would run from unknown creatures like these, the unknown was after all a frightening thing. However, for one certain individual he had no intention of running.
He was young, a first or second year in high school, standing at '5, 6". He was standing in a normal posture, one hand in the pocket of his white shorts, wearing a dark red shirt with a black school blazer, his dull silver hair was slicked back, and his gray eyes didn't to much to lessen that heavy glare of his, which was aimed at the demons. In his free hand was a cell, opened up with a blue screen.
The Garms stopped and looked at their new prey. It had been a short while since they had escaped the confines of that horrid place, that small place of the human contraption they called a cell, and now a human stood in their way with a heavy glare. That had infuriated them beyond belief as they hunched over on their hind legs and growled deeply.
The boy gave a 'tch' as he glared even further and raised up his hand. One of the people running stopped to look at the boy, and shouted at him. "What are you doing kid! Now isn't the time to be taking pictures!"
Keita Wakui ignored him and continued to glare at the demons, which were now even angrier than they were before. "Well?" Keita snarled at them. "You going to just stand there, or do I have to beat you right about now?"
Finally, the Garms charged. Keita smirked at their stupidity and let the light that extended from his arm continue up until it reached his shoulder. A bright light appeared before him, and as it vanished the people stood in both awe and fear as a tall figure stood in front of the young man. It looked human, however it wore a black cougar skin as a sort of coat which covered only its head, half of its face, the sides of its legs up to the knee with black straps around the thigh, and a long red blade in its hands. The eyes of the coat glowed a dark red color as it stood, its blade shined in the sun.
-/-X-\-
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Name: Berserker
Race: Touki
Description:
A mad warrior from Norse times. Some speculate that they were given the name Berserker because of their style of fighting, or that they intoxicate themselves before a battle and begin a mad attack. Berserkers are also warriors of the Norse chief god Odin.
Information received, now dismissing Demonic Compendium
-/-X-\-
When the first Garm came at him, Berserker quickly dashed in front of its new master and slammed his fist square in the demon mutt's jaw, shattering bone completely. It staggered back, however it couldn't recover as its head was chopped in half by a long red blade. Everyone was immediately on edge and backed off, realizing that Keita was a thousand times more dangerous than those demonic dogs.
The second Garm, after seeing what had happened to its comrade, thought it best to hang back and wait for an opening in its defense. However, they didn't know Keita. He was a boxer, and despite being only at amateur level he was nicknamed the "Silver Berserker" due to his fast and wild strikes in the ring. Officially, he was an amateur, but skill-wise he was a pro.
Berserker twirled his blade around in one hand before lowering his body to the point where he stood on all fours, his blade in an underhand fashion with one arm prepped behind him, as though he was crouching down for an assassination.
Then, Keita smirked with confidence, one that made the three Garms nervous. Why was he smirking? Was he thinking he had already won this battle, through intimidation and only killed one of their kinds? "Berserker," Keita called out. "Tear 'em up!"
Then, in what seemed like a mere second, Berserker was nothing more than a blur before he reappeared behind the second Garm, with the third impaled with the red blade, the sword poking out through its skull with a deep gash over its stomach.
The two Garm shook with absolute fear as they jumped back, and they had every right to be. This was completely impossible; even if Berserker was a powerful demon he was a Touki! Touki were powerful, but they lacked in speed. The fact that he moved so quickly was impossible, unless Keita had thoroughly trained him.
In a swift moment, one of the remaining Garm jumped up and tried to snap Berserker's head off, however in a split second its upper torso was gone, its remaining body dedigitized with the other corpses. Everyone was now completely frightened at how dangerous one boy could be.
The last Garm had quickly put the distance between them, making it impossible for Berserker to come at him without him seeing it. It was howling in confidence as it shot out a ball of fire from its mouth. Berserker's were weak to fire, and that was made them superior!
Keita scoffed and had Berserker crouch down before leaping into the air, easily avoiding the flames that exploded where he once stood. Before Garm could even fire off another Agi, Berserker tossed his sword at the demon. Garm had no time to react or dodge, and the blade pierce through the skull and poked out in the abdomen.
As soon as the body was gone in a red light, Berserker's feet slammed down on the road, the ground cracking beneath him. As the light around Keita's arm began to vanish, he looked over to his side to see someone underneath some rubble. He gave a sigh and rubbed his temple with his free hand. "Great..." he looked over at Berserker, who looked at his master with a frown. "Berserker, help them out will ya?"
Berserker, albeit grudgingly, moved over to the person beneath the rubble and tossed it aside like it was lint. After dismissing Berserker, Keita walked over to the person, and blushed a deep red when he saw that it was a girl in a rather... revealing... outfit.
She was attractive, there was no doubt about that, with smooth white skin and fiery red hair tied into a ponytail with thin, blue rimmed glasses, wearing a black skirt that came down nowhere even close to her knees, along with a white and blue decorated sash around her arms, which were covered by black gloves reaching past her forearm and ending near her elbows, however what made Keita blush was that she wore no undergarments over her upper torso, and the only thing covering her chest's small tips was a black vest.
Keita shook off his embarrassment and looked away bashfully, ignoring how people were looking at him. As the girl came back into consciousness, she looked up to see Keita, looking at her with what looked like a glare but was actually his own personal stare. "How long are you going to lie there?" he asked, holding out his hand.
The girl was confused at first, but then smiled as she took his hand and stood up. Keita cursed mentally when he saw that she was taller than him, which was natural since she looked older than him. She was probably 19, or 18 it was hard to tell.
"Thanks a lot..." the girl smiled sheepishly before bending down with her hands on her knees, winking at him. Keita blushed again and turned away, his hands in his pockets. "You know, you look quite cute when your blushing."
"Ah stuff it!"
However, the moment was short lived when a voice shouted behind them. "Hey, you there!" Keita looked over his shoulder to see a group of people in black trench coats or yellow shirts with black ties standing nearby, the logo for "JPs" on their sleeve. However, the only person standing out from them was a tall young man who looked to be in his early thirties, maybe mid-twenties. He had black styled hair with a small goatee on his chin, wearing a white buttoned shirt with a gray vest and a blue and white stripped tie, along with black slacks.
Keita lowered his gaze into a glare as he stared at the man approaching him. Something in his gut told him that things were about to get a lot more interesting than he thought...
"WAAAAH!"
In Nagoya, things weren't any better as the whole city shook from a gigantic impact. Especially at the park, where several people were backing away from what looked like their executioner. It couldn't even begin to be described as human, as it had an ox head with blue skin and hooves, wearing a green sleeveless vest and shorts, in its hands was a gigantic axe.
-/-X-\-
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Name: Gozuki
Race: Touki
Description:
The brother of Hozuki, a demon with the head of a horse wielding a sword, as well as one of the two tormentors of Hell assigned by Yama. He, along with his brother, torture souls relentlessly that have been sent to Hell.
Information received, now dismissing Demonic Compendium.
-/-X-\-
Everyone was huddled together like sheep, some in tears and others sobbing as Gozuki approached them with fiery red eyes. It seemed like it was trying to pick out who it would kill first, its eyes scanning the group. Then, its eyes fell on someone standing in the front of the group, as he had caught the demon's attention. For some reason, he didn't look the least bit afraid of Gozuki.
He was tall, maybe 19 or so, wearing a dark jacket with a white and light green striped neck collar, along with dark jeans and a black beanie, his shirt was white with a fish, in bold letters beneath it, it read: "Fish or Die!" His hair, from what little of it revealed from his beanie, was black. However, what made the demon flinch was his eyes, which were emotionless, yet they were shaped into a glare.
"Jungo, what are you doing?!" someone in the crowd cried out at the teen. "Get away! You're going to be killed!"
"Yes..." Gozuki chuckled evilly. "You should listen to them, puny human... Hide like a rat so that I will have more fun hunting you down to feast on your flesh!"
Jungo shook his head. "No." Gozuki would frown if he could, however he was amused as Jungo slipped his cell out of his pocket, and aimed it at Gozuki. "I won't let you kill anyone."
"Ack! You stupid blockhead!" a femine voice shouted behind him. Gozuki looked over Jungo's shoulder, however then he noticed a young girl standing behind his leg. She only came past his waist and at his stomach, wearing a white beanie with a white scarf around her neck with musical notes scattered all over it, along with a black thermal shirt and skirt with black knee-length socks. Her hair was cherry red, while her eyes were dark brown, almost black. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"Airi..." Jungo turned his head to the girl. "You should go too. With everyone else."
"Like hell I am!" Airi snapped back. "You expect me to leave you alone with that ugly thing?"
"What's all this fuss about, Gozuki?" a demonic voice said from behind Gozuki. He turned his head and grinned, seeing a familiar face. It was a demon like him, with the head of a horse with a black Mohawk and a sword in his hand, wearing a pale gray sleeveless Chinese vest and shorts.
-/-X-\-
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Name: Hozuki
Race: Touki
Description:
The brother of Gozuki, a demon with the head of an ox wielding an axe, as well as one of the two tormentors of Hell assigned by Yama. Hozuki, along with his brother, torment the souls that have committed sins and were sent to Hell.
Information received, now dismissing Demonic Compendium.
-/-X-\-
"Nothing, brother." Gozuki crackled, looking at the pair. "Just about to feast on a big sack of bones and a child!"
Airi formed a tick mark on her forehead, her body visibly shaking in anger. Everyone suddenly began to feel sorry for the two demons.
"A child, you say?" Hozuki whined in pleasure. "Nothing tastes sweeter than a youngster!"
"What..." The demon brothers turned to see Airi shaking in anger, her face hidden by her bangs. Jungo sighed, realizing that they had just seriously crossed the line by saying that. The chances of those demons getting out of this alive were starting to become slimmer.
"Oh boy, I don't want to be those demons right about now..." one of the people in the crowd murmured, making Gozuki and Hozuki frown in confusion.
"You and me both brother..."
Finally, Airi whipped out a white cell and screamed at the top of her lungs. "THAT'S IT! I AM ROYALLY FREAKING PISSED! I'M GOING TO RIP OFF YOUR HEADS AND CRAP DOWN YOUR NECKS YOU OVERGROWN BASTARDS! OOOOH, I'VE NEVER BEEN SO PISSED OFF IN MY LIFE!" Airi glared at Jungo, who already knew the drill and began. "JUNGO! LETS KILL THESE SOB'S!"
As soon as she said that, a light began to burn around their arms and appear before them. As the light faded, the crowd stood in awe as they saw two small figures standing before them. Both of the figures looked like cats, however they each shared different distinctions. The cat summoned by Jungo had black fur, wearing armor with a helm on its head, along with two banners hanging above it, which had been strapped to its back, a small katana in its hand.
The cat summoned by Airi, however, looked like some kind of conquistador. It had velvet blue fur wit red boots and a brimmed hat with a feather, a red belt around its waist. In its hand was a curved blade.
-/-X-\-
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Name: Cait Sith
Race: Animal
Description:
A feline warrior that has a strong sense of loyalty, and they are very well trained. Cait Siths are usually nobles that serve under the queen as her own personally selected guards, however sometimes rare exceptions are made for them.
Name: Neko Shogun
Race: Hero
Description:
A feline warrior dating back all the way to the Edo period. Neko Shogun was seen as a powerful man, however back then he went by a different name during that time. However, because of his beard, his name was changed to Neko Shogun, and is often perceived as a cat warrior.
Information received, now dismissing Demonic Compendium.
-/-X-\-
With a loud cry of anger, Airi ordered Cait Sith to charge, and Jungo ordered Neko Shogun to provide back-up. The crowd could only watch as the two cat demons began their assault on the two demon brothers, who were angered by the fact that a mere child thought they could defeat them.
However, unknown to them, several people were watching the battle, almost all of them, except one, wore either a black trench coat or a yellow shirt with a black tie. The only one who didn't wear that attire was a tall, young man with slicked back brown hair, wearing a blue sports sweater with black slacks. His brown eyes narrowed on Jungo and Airi, while a smirk formed on his lips. "Man, Nagoya hasn't changed a bit." Kaido chuckled. "I knew there was something I missed about this place."
"Shouldn't we arrest them?" one of the men behind him asked. "They might-"
"If they had abused the app, wouldn't they have done it by now?" Kaido nearly snarled as he looked at the man in annoyance. "Now shut up and watch."
"Y-yes sir."
Kaido 'hmph'ed him and turned back to the action, his smirking growing by the second.
"God damn does this remind me of the old days."