This Way
DGM
Chapter 10
The Fight Begins!
Allen put his glove back on and they walked back to the group before they lost sight of them. Lenalee didn't say much about the innocence, she was too shocked, but Allen didn't tell her not to tell anyone. So what she did was up to her. Allen didn't mind anymore. No one asked why they got behind, but it was obvious they curious. Everyone was giving them enough respect by not asking.
When they got to Edo, akuma were all over the skies. You couldn't even see the sky to be honest. Chomesuke wasn't kidding when she said he called every akuma to Edo. To think, this is all that's in Japan. It's kinda sad. For one akuma, two people had to die. So double that and that's how many lives were lost to the Earl. Allen kept that in mind as they traveled through the town.
Allen's eye was constantly activated and in pain, but he tried his best to not let it get to him. It didn't help. The pain was so great. Blood was still running down his face. Mahoja stopped walking once she realized Allen wasn't with them. When she turned around, Allen was hunching over, covering his eye still. "Allen." Mahoja ran over to him.
The gang stopped again. By time everyone turned around, Allen collapsed. He used his right hand to support him, to keep him kneeling instead of falling. With the state he was in, no one hesitated to run over to him. Allen's face was getting paler than usual and that was clearly from the loss of blood. His glove was stained red by now. "Allen?" Anita asked, putting her hand on his shoulder.
Bookman watched from a distance. Anita and Mahoja tried to get him to speak, but he was ignoring them. His left arm was hurting now. The eye, the curse, it wanted him to destroy them. To save the soul from suffering. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't right now. Allen couldn't find the strength. It's been a long time since he's been like this. It had to be because there were so many of them. So many akuma. "Allen, answer me." Anita said, getting more upset with each passing second. "Allen."
Allen lifted his head. "Go on ahead."
"We an't do that. We're not going to leave you behind." Lenalee said, almost angry. No, furious. "You wouldn't let any of us stay behind."
"Right now, I'd only get in the way. . . . . I could get you all killed. . . . I'll be fine. I just need a few minutes. By then, this should pass and I'll. . . . Feel better." Allen said, pausing when a surge of pain was sent up and down his body. "I can defend myself if I have to."
"But. . . . Allen. . ." Miranda started, unsure of what to say at first. "Couldn't someone carry you? Maybe I could use time record to stop it."
Allen was going to tell her no, but he didn't get the chance to. "That won't be possible." Bookman spoke for him.
"Uh. . .But why not?"
"Allen told us before we left China. It's a curse. To stop this, you would have to reverse to the time he got the curse otherwise it will still affect him. My guess is that he's had the curse for years by now. Innocence can't reverse the power of a curse." Bookman explained.
Allen dug his nails into the ground. "I've had this curse since I was 10. Five years it's been, I'm used to it by now. Please, go ahead."
Their gazes softened. Five years. He's been going through this for five years. "Allen, when you first told us it was a curse, I never thought it was bad. The curse gave you the ability to locate the enemy that could pop out of nowhere and kill you. I never thought it did this to you. If this is the price you have to pay, I don't think it's worth it." Lavi said sympathetically.
"Even so, I rely on it all the time. I can endure the pain because it hardly gets this bad. Although it is bothersome, the pain isn't what bothers me." Allen said, looking at the sky. They all followed his gaze, it was towards the akuma. "It's the way I can locate them."
"Is it really that bad?" Chomesuke asked, kneeling in front of him.
"I've adjusted to what I see almost everyday, but there are times when it still gets to me. . . . . . You see, the reason why I want akuma destroyed is because of two reasons. The first one is your reasoning. The akuma are a threat and to save lives, to keep people safe, you must destroy them. However, my other reason is entirely different."
"Does this has something to do with our souls?" Chomesuke inquired.
Allen gave a small nod. "My eye lets me see the soul of an akuma. That soul belongs to the person who died and their loved one grieved over them. When they returned, they had to kill that person dear to them and wear their skin. What I see, are those people's souls suffering. The soul is tormented and once they're destroyed, the soul flies up into the sky. I want to save akuma and the victims." Allen removed his hand from his eye and he stared at Chomesuke, his hand left hand switched with his right hand and he caressed Chomesuke's cheek. "This is the first time I've seen an akuma's soul happy. . . I wish they all looked like yours, Sachiko."
Allen's face was filled with remorse and profound honesty. Chomesuke's eyes broadened and her gut twisted. His gaze was intense, in a good way. His smile showed how he felt. Despite the blood on his face and the scar, everyone saw it as angelic still. "How do you. . . . know my real name?"
A single tear strolled down his face. "Your soul. . . . . It's been calling out to me since we met."
Somehow, all the tensity vanished. Chomesuke had tears in the corner of her eyes. She didn't want them to call her Sachiko, but when he spoke her name, something was taken off her shoulders. A heavy pressure and sorrow. Chomesuke has never felt so happy. "Go on, I'll keep him safe." Chomesuke said.
"Chomesuke. . . . Alright, but nothing better happen to him. You will reunite with us Allen, alive." Lavi said strictly.
"I promise."
"Come on, we should hurry up." Lavi said and they all took off. Before they lost sight of Allen, Lavi glanced at him one more time. He somehow knew he'd be fine. Even without Chomesuke, but he still didn't want to leave him behind. Just like everybody else. "Don't make me regret this."
Allen pressed his back to a wall and sighed. It was a good thing he switched hands when he touched Chomesuke. His hand might've hurt her because of the innocence. Chomesuke sat beside him, eyeing him. He was starting to gain color again. His eye stopped bleeding, but she knew he felt weak. Allen said all he needed was a few minutes to regain his strength. Hopefully that was true.
Both of them shifted when a pillar of fire lit up the sky, taking out dozens of level 2 and 1 akuma and rushing towards the Earl and more people Allen didn't know much about. The Clan of Noah, right? "It looks like it has begun." Allen uttered.
Lavi took the cloth he used for an arm brace. A tall Noah stood before him and a purple cross-like shield-Lavi presumed-was in his hand. "Tyki Mikk, eh? I'll keep your name in mind when I give my report to Komui." Lavi muttered.
"If you live long enough."
"Oh, I will." Lavi swung his hammer and his fight with Tyki began. "Got ya."
"If that move is what you call a hit, I'd like to know what you think a miss is like." Tyki said, from apparently, behind him!
Lavi twisted his body around, but Tyki sent him flying over to his friends. He stood back up and grumbled. How did Tyki move so fast? He'll have to find a way around that trick of his. After a few more swings, Lavi was separated from the gang. It didn't take him longer to find out Tyki's powers allowed him to phase through whatever he pleases. That gave Lavi a disadvantage.
While Lavi battled the Noah, the others were stuck with everything else. The akuma started to join together and created a giant akuma. It hovered over everyone and everything. Krory jumped on it, seeing it as a threat and a feast, but when he tried biting it, his own teeth almost shattered because the skin/armor was so tough. The akuma swatted Krory away and Krory landed on the roof with Bookman and the others, but created a small crater there. "Krory!"
"I'm fine Lenalee." Krory assured, wincing as he stood up. "My teeth didn't even pierce it. How are we supposed to take it down?"
Bookman stared at the seemingly giant-like akuma. "Compass of Spells: North Crime!"
Bookman's needles soared through the air until it hit it's target, however, they just jumped off the akuma and fell to the ground. Not a single scratch was made. Bookman studied this enormous being and made a estimated conclusion. "It's face appears to be the only weakness. We need to get up there." Bookman claimed.
Krory followed Bookman's gaze. "Yes, but how do we get up there? Lenalee isn't able to use her innocence yet. If I run up it, I'm sure it would only knock me down again."
Suddenly Lavi came to a crash behind them on the other half of the roof. He stood up once the dust lifted and extended his iron hammer by placing the top part on the ground and looked around for Tyki. "That's it! Why not use his hammer?" Chaoji blurted out.
"What?" Lavi rotated and the others eyed him.
"Yeah, that's a great idea Chaoji." Lenalee said cheerfully.
"Again, what?"
"Do you think you can reach the head of this thing Lavi? It seems it's our only chance of defeating it and unfortunately none of us can get that high up and our attacks can't either." Lavi explained.
Lavi took a moment to take everything in and grinned. "No problem!"
"Lavi, wait-"
"Grow, grow, grow. Grow!" Lavi was about halfway up when the akuma looked at him strangely and used a finger to pushed the hammer's arm and he crashed into another roof. He sat up, rubbing his sore head. "Urgh."
"Lavi, are you okay!" Krory yelled.
"Yeah, I think so."
"Idiot! Use your head for once! You know you can't attack while riding your hammer! That's leaves you vulnerable, it's your greatest weakness! How could you forget that!" Bookman lectured.
"So-sorry." Lavi apologized, inspecting the situation again. "I might be able to bring it to its knees, but it's only theory."
"Rationally?" Bookman stressfully inquired.
"Yes!"
"You probably shouldn't yell at him like that, Bookman. It could pressure him and at a time like this, when stress comes, it's hard for anyone to think things through thoroughly." Anita offered gently.
"I know, but that stunt could've gotten him kill."
"I've seen you do something careless once and you could have been killed. All that matters is you all make it through together and go home safely. Isn't that what you all keep saying?" Anita said calmly.
Bookman sighed. "Besides, I don't think any of you could be killed so everything that's happened so far." Mahoja added.
During their conversation, a purple star appeared behind the akuma and giant threads (or wires) started shooting all over the place, destroying whatever was in it's path. Lavi reacted as fast as he could and told them to hop on. Only few did before Krory picked up Miranda and Lenalee. Mahoja took Anita and Chaoji-he was closest. Bookman ran with them and Lavi took the rest to shelter, well, following the others. Before the attacked hit Lavi's hammer, he shortened it and they all started falling. Krory made a rebound after dropping the girls off. He managed to grab Maosa and Ky, but Lavi fell on the ground.
He felt bad, but he couldn't check on Lavi. Tyki appeared and Lavi got right back up and fought back. That was enough for Krory to go on that he was okay, but what about the akuma now? "It's best if you don't leave me unoccupied. I could come out from behind and kill you." Tyki scoffed.
"I didn't exactly have my guard down, y'know." Lavi retorted.
"Really?" Tyki asked, raising a brow. "We'll just go with your word on that. Let's get the real fight going, it's better than throwing words at one another."
"And here I thought I'd never agree with you."
Miranda put Time Out! on to defend them against the enemies. Lenalee and the others rested inside the old barn-it appeared- and sat in the hay. "That was a close one." Ky muttered.
"Is everybody okay?" Miranda asked.
"Yeah."
"Miranda, what are you doing?" Lenalee asked.
"It's called Time Out!. It works as a defensive shield in simple terms. It should protect us for awhile, until we figure out what to do, but I'm not sure how long I can keep it up." Miranda said.
"Don't push yourself Miranda. It'll only do more damage." Lenalee urged.
"But what else can we do?" Miranda questioned, eyeing her hand.
Lenalee clenched her fist. Miranda was right. All they could do is defend themselves. She looked viewed everyone and everything around them. It seems no one could locate them. It'd be hard to narrow them down when there are so many places to hide. "Wait a minute, Allen isn't back! What if he got hit?" Lenalee said anxiously.
"Don't fret Lenalee. He can take care of himself." Anita said.
"Anita. . . . . . I know he can, but if that hit him. . . . We have to find him. I knew splitting up was a bad idea. I can't just shake it off as if it were nothing. Allen wasn't even a fair condition when we left him! What if-" Lenalee paused. Anita's eyes watered and a few tears streamed down her face. Of course she was worried. How could Lenalee think otherwise? "I'm sorry, Anita."
Anita wrapped her hands around Mahoja's arm and leaned on it for comfort. There was small fear in her eyes and plenty of concern, but strength. Anita kept her strength. She was convincing herself of bright things. Anita had a better outlook on things than any of them right now. "If you're this worried about him, then why didn't you stay with him?" Mahoja asked.
"Because I have tremendous faith in Allen. Ever since he was young, if the odds were stacked against him, he would always pull through. I know he wouldn't die here, not now. . . . . Not now. It wouldn't be like him." Anita whispered.
Lavi fell from the ceiling and landed on the ground roughly, skidding. "Lavi!" Miranda shouted, worriedly, leaning over him.
Lavi weakly sat up and held his head, groaning. There were definitely more injuries on him then before. He couldn't even stand up straight and not without using his hammer. "Damn, he's stronger than I thought he'd be."
"You shouldn't fight him anymore." Miranda said.
"I have to. . . ." But Lavi fell back down.
Krory held his head and leaned on the wall. He was losing his energy too. And there wasn't a single akuma around for him to get more strength. Just the giant. Bookman didn't appear so well either. Miranda can't fight and Lenalee couldn't. Then, the akuma attacked again and it struck Miranda's barrier. Not without taking a toll on her. She screamed out in pain and stress. After that, the barrier shrunk. The smaller it got, the closer Tyki got to them. Once it died completely, Tyki appeared at the door. "Found you."
At once, all capable exorcists stood up and aimed at him, prepared for anything. Tyki started walking in and the exorcists stepped back. When Tyki lunged, an all out brawl began. Everyone escaped while they fought and the place came down. All four-Tyki, Bookman, Lavi, and Krory-jumped out of the rubble.
Krory jumped at Tyki, but was rammed harshly and landed at Miranda's feet. Not a moment later, Bookman followed, only he was unconscious. Both of them. They strained themselves too much. Lavi was alone. He noticed the akuma was ready to attack again too. He got an idea, but it would most likely take the last of his energy, but with no options left, he had to risk it and hope for the best.
Seals surrounded him and Lavi lifted his hammer. He stamped a seal hard on the ground and said, "Heaven Stamp: Violent Thunder, Whirling!
Clouds formed and twisted in a circular motion above. Then lightning hit the akuma dead on. It was enough to bring him down, but it didn't destroy him just yet. Lavi expected that. With this next attack, he should get Tyki too. He had to do it just right. ""Combo Stamp: Terrible Lightning of Heaven!"
A giant fire serpent formed and rushed towards Tyki, engulfing him and flew over to the akuma, hitting it straight in the face. It was destroyed. Tyki, though engulfed, released his tease and they came at Lavi, biting him here and there, but Tyki somehow came out unscathed. Lavi swung at the purple butterflies and Tyki chuckled lightly. "Nice try." He applaud halfheartedly and went for an attack.
Lavi held his hammer up and defended himself. "Tyki, come back." Earl said.
"But it was just getting fun." Tyki responded, he turned his head and his eyes bulged.
Tyki immediately took off. Lavi didn't know why, but he didn't care. He got separated from the others while using his stamps. He had to hurry over to them, but Lenalee found him. Barely, she jogged over to him.
They didn't get a chance to say anything. More of those giant akuma appeared and was about to step on them. Right before they were about to get squished, something yanked on them and they were pulled away and off their feet. It wasn't too bad, but they practically crashed into another roof. They looked around and spotted somebody in an awfully familiar uniform. Two to be exact. "Yu!" Lavi exclaimed gleefully.
Kanda slightly turned his head, but unsheathed Mugen and then ran off, slicing several of the giant akuma. The guy next to him pulled a few strings-literally- and the last two were destroyed. Lavi, who was trying to warn them it wouldn't work because the strings were squeezing the armored body and Kanda wasn't going up high enough to reach the face, felt weird when they did destroy them all.
Kanda landed near them and glared at Lavi with a glint in his eyes. "Hey you,"
"Yes?" Lavi squeaked.
"Don't ever call me that again." Kanda "warned" threateningly.
"Always so scary." Lavi murmured.
"That's Kanda for you." Lenalee said, oddly enough, happily.
"Anymore Marie?" Kanda asked.
"I can only sense one more akuma in town, but there's so much noise, I can't locate it specifically." Marie said, holding his headphones. "Are you two alright, Lavi, Lenalee?"
"Yes, we're fine. Thanks to you. You came in just in time." Lenalee said.
"I couldn't agree more." Lavi commented.
"Tch, where's that akuma Marie? Give me a direction at least." Kanda demanded.
"Kanda." Lenalee mumbled.
"What?"
"That akuma isn't a threat. It's one of the General's modified akuma. She's been helping us since we got here. Please don't harm her. Especially right now. She is watching over someone who came here with us." Lenalee pleaded.
"An akuma is still an akuma."
"Kanda!"
"Che, fine. . . For now." Kanda eyed the Earl and jumped to the ground, running towards them. "There's other people to deal with."
"Kanda!"
"Leave him be."
Allen's hand was on the wall for support when he walked. Chomesuke idly walked. He told her not to help him. That didn't seem like Allen, but he had to have a good reason. After a small argument, she finally caved in.
Looking up at the Earl, Allen stared at the small black sphere in his hand. It was expanding. It got larger and larger and took out buildings. It was destroying Edo! Chomesuke understood that as well, but she couldn't think of what to do.
The wind started to pick up and it was getting harder to just stand there. They were both going to be blown away or eaten by that spheric black hole. Allen spun around and grabbed Chomesuke's wrist and pulled her as he ran. She joined him, but Chomesuke was much slower. Allen looked behind them and noticed the sphere was getting faster at consuming everything. Allen yanked a little harder and picked her up. Stunned, she didn't fight. The pace quickened and they were going somewhere now, but not fast enough. Once Allen realized that fact, he put Chomesuke in front of him and they were forced off their feet by the gust. Allen hugged her body tightly to keep her close to him and to protect her. After that, everything went black.