Hey! I'm finally back, whew! This chapter is a bit longer than the usual ones + a bit darker too ^^;;

I'm not very experienced with writing action scenes, but I gave it my best!

Please enjoy~


1:00 AM

"Paolooo~ Are you guys done in there?"

Renata's face was currently mashed against the outside of the men's bathroom door, further scrunched in a childlike pout. It had been approximately 2 hours since they'd fled the dining hall with the guest, and the old man had emphasized his urgency to seek out the nearest lavatory almost immediately after. Paolo, bless his unfortunate soul, was forced to supervise this action.

"No, not yet! He says he's constipated!"

Perhaps the fireman's carry really doesn't sit that well with a 70 year old who'd just consumed five consecutive plates of fettuccine alfredo. Nevertheless, the noxious odors seeping from within the bowels of the darkened restroom was enough to send Rena reeling back with disgust. She quickly recovered with a shake of the head and cupped her hands around her mouth.

"Wha~t?! I thought he said he had diarrhea!"

" Shh! Just keep quiet and stand guard out there! We'll attract too much attention with all this shouting."

Paolo's muffled voice was tinged with audible exasperation, even through the heavy steel of the bathroom door. Renata cracked a grin and leaned back against the wall, hands linked on the back of her head.

It felt nice to have those 20 pound weights removed, she mused, swinging a leg up to cross her shins.

Of course, all the trainees had gotten used to them after a month, but actually taking them off was an unimaginably blissful feeling.

Even if they were "under attack" right now, the entire mission had been fun for Rena up to this point.

Man, hopefully Paolo and the old man would be out of the bathroom soon. She was really starting to-

click.

Something resounded from around the corner to her left. Renata's head whipped around.

click.

Something was not right. Something was coming, and that something sent electric chills up her spine.

click.

Her intuition was screaming at her to move, to run, to do something, danger was coming this way, and-

Renata's hand shot out reflexively to grasp the sphere handle of the bathroom door.

The cool metal crumpled like an aluminum can beneath her fingers, and the frame gave a yawning screech as the sheet of steel peeled away, hinges popping.

With a barreling twist, the youth sent the entire door hurtling down the darkened hallway.

2 AM

Belphegor smirked amusedly as he strolled down the dim corridor. A trail of crumpled bodies lay behind him, each sporting a trademark silver knife. It was too easy, as he'd expected.

However, no amount of prodigiousness could've prepared him for the flying metal door that slammed into his gut as he rounded the corner.

The sheer momentum sucked the air from his lungs as his back crunched through the plaster of the wall. The whiplash tore stars into his vision.

He gave a surprised cough, and something warm dripped from his cheek. Something warm and wet. Something…

"U-Ushishishi...what's this?"

.

.

.

Renata straightened up as the solid impact of the projectile echoed back from the end of the hallway.

"What the fuck are you doing?!"

Paolo's shell-shocked face emerged from within the dented frame of the doorway. However, his initial surprise quickly melted into trepidation as he focused on Rena's expression. It was the first time he'd seen her afraid since they'd first met.

"Paolo. You need to take him and run. Now."

Her voice was hoarse, barely audible.

Paolo could feel ice beginning to settle through his marrow.

"But-"

She gave him no time to respond, roughly grasping both of them by the arms and shoving them down the other side of the hall.

The young man stumbled as he turned back towards her, clutching onto the old man's elbow.

"Ushishishi...ushishishishishi…. how dare you spill the blood of a prince."

A flurry of blades whistled through the air, glinting silver in the moonlight streaming from the hallway windows. The trio cringed and ducked, only to be greeted with a metallic screech as the knives glanced off of the glowing blade of a saber.

"Sofie!"

Paolo yelped, jumping up. The petite woman sheathed her sword.

"Paolo? Miss Rena? What are you doing here? I thought I told you to evacuate the guest-oh god..."

Her glance trailed towards the opposite end of the corridor, jaws suddenly slack with horror.

"Oh god...what is he doing here? Oh no... no no no no this can't be happening, this isn't how things were supposed to go!"

Her hand flew up to the communicator in her ear, before hesitating and latching onto Paolo's arm instead.

"We need to escape, NOW. That's Prince the Ripper. No one here stands a chance of surviving against him! I'm reporting this to Brioschi as soon as we get to safety."

A whizzing knife embedded itself in the floor at Paolo's feet.

"Shishi... where do you think you're going? "

Renata stepped forward. Her face was grim.

"You guys run. I'll buy us some time."

"Rena," Paolo's tone wavered, and he grasped her shoulders gently. " You're shaking."

The disheveled youth clenched her trembling hand and smiled up at him.

"Don't worry about me, madre . I'll catch up with you guys later, ok?"

Sofie suddenly grabbed each of the men by the arm and bolted away, towards the stairwell. Behind them, Renata dropped to the floor and narrowly dodged a series of knives that thunked into the wall behind her.

There was no choice. Sofia Costello would not have all three innocents die on her watch. She had to preserve what life she could. At least that was what she repeated tearfully to herself as they sped away from the scene of carnage that was undoubtedly to follow…

.

.

.

Belphegor's vision was a haze of red and black. He could barely make out the silhouette of his opponent; all he could comprehend was the adrenaline coursing through his veins. It roared in his ears, it hissed through every tendon and fibre of muscle: Kill! Kill! Kill!

The knives left his hands as soon as quickly as they were drawn. He charged forward in ecstasy, roiling with pure killing intent.

4 AM

Renata Andoloro, for once in the short span of her time on Earth, was absolutely fucking terrified. Every nerve in her body screamed for her to run , but she forced herself to turn towards the unseen enemy.

Rapid footsteps echoed from the darkness across the hall, and a figure burst from within at a dizzying pace.

As another round of knives whizzed past her nose, Renata discovered in herself, a newfound appreciation for Brioschi's implementation of knife dodgeball during the course of their training.

Che cazzo, will this guy ever run out of knives?!

The youth desperately glanced about the wreckage for any objects that could be used as a makeshift weapon, but the next volley of blades sent her diving for cover inside the ruined bathroom.

The stench made Rena gag as she quickly scoured the dingy lavatory for potential weapons.

Let's see...soap...towel dispenser...aha!

Wrapping both hands around the sink faucet, she yanked upwards.

Outside, Prince the Ripper wrinkled his nose in confusion at the sudden stench of sewage. However, his bloodlust had not diminished in the least, even as his opponent slid out from a pool of wastewater with a metal pipe in hand.

Renata wasted no time in a forward rush that angled a heavy swing upwards. The knife guy had only been utilizing ranged attacks so far, and although she had no way of telling whether or not he had a melee weapon, Rena was willing to take the risk.

That risk indeed bore consequences, as Belphegor easily dodged the blow and retaliated with a handful of knives lodged into her arm.

With no time for a second swing, Rena lunged wildly and body-slammed the other with the entirety of her weight.

The combatants locked into a fierce struggle for a few heated minutes before Rena broke away, fresh wounds blossoming from her shoulder. The pipe was used as leverage for escape, smashing into the knife-wielder's knee with a sickening crunch.

To her repulsion and fear, the damage dealt out to her enemy was only successful in inducing laughter of a more maniacal degree. This fucker was literally inhuman.

Renata panted heavily, blinking fresh blood out of her eye. Her vision was starting to waver. This was not good, she was losing too much blood. She couldn't afford to drag this on any longer. Her attention settled upon the large marble column protruding from the corner.

As Prince the Ripper rose unsteadily to his feet and started towards her once more, Rena took a running start before sliding between his legs like a batter sliding into home.

Before her opponent could react, she gripped the blood-slick pipe and swung towards the pillar with the last of her strength.

The impact tore her left arm out of its socket and caused a violent shudder throughout her entire body. A deep crack snapped the marble column in two and with a whining creak, the entire structure toppled.

A paralyzed Belphegor was unable to pull himself out of the way before the stone pillar crashed through the floor, taking him with it. The bottom half ripped through the window panes of the very same floor, and a seismic shudder ran through the entire building.

The metal pipe slipped from her fingers with a clatter as the ground caved in beneath her feet.

.

.

.

Across the expanse of training grounds, inside the 6th floor of the Varia mansion, Superbi Squalo looked up from his desk as a distant rumble rattled the panes of glass inside his window.

He bolted up from his seat, snatching up his coat. It was much too early in the year for thunder.


I tried making it as evenly matched in injuries as I could lmao ^^;;

Rena is definitely outclassed here in a fight with a Varia officer, so I had her rely more on tricks than actual combat experience. Through sheer luck (and for the sake of our story here) she's managed to survive this one...although it'd be very unlikely in another situation if Belphegor hadn't been caught off guard like that lol

Ah, enough of my rambling! Please drop a review if you have the time, and lml what you think!