It took a while to get back to Ajimi to give him the ingredients. Once there, Aline walked up to Ajimi, all four in hand.

"What do we have here!? You brought back more than one of the secret ingredients!? Wow, you're good. I just knew you'd make the perfect assistant!" Ajimi stated cheerfully.

"It was nothing," Sam replied. "Anyways, we're kinda in a hurry."

With that, she handed over the Ogre Liver, Lips of Ice, Eyeball of Fire, and Black Demon Horn one at a time.

Once that was done, Ajimi chuckled. "With each secret ingredient I add, my love for Lord Orochi shall deepen! OK! Now I have all the secret ingredients. It's time to finish off my special dish! Feast your eyes on my fabulous skills, darling! With a true heart and tender loving care, I shall prepare a symphony of demonic goodness!"

With that, he began juggling all four ingredients (much to Dean's shock) before adding them to the pot. A few minutes later, it was ready.

"Ta-dah! Introducing the crown jewel of appetizers! Guaranteed to bring out maximum flavor in any main course! I give you my ultimate masterpiece! 'Dungheap slimebucket goulash'! This shall make that main course, Kushi, taste 1,000 times better! Well, we mustn't keep Lord Orochi waiting, sweetheart. Go to the great hall and ring the epicurean bell. That shall herald the completion of my appetizer masterpiece! The sound of that melodious bell shall draw open the curtain on Lord Orochi's bloody feast!" Ajimi practically shoved the two hunters out the door.

"Sounds disgusting!" Dean said as they walked to the bell. "Smells gross, too."

"I think it looks good," Aline replied.

Less than a minute after she spoke, she noticed that Dean wasn't following her anymore. Turning around, she saw he'd stopped in his tracks and was currently giving her an "are you kidding me" type of expression.

"It's dungheap slimebucket goulash. I mean, dungheap and slimebucket. Those two words alone guarantee gross food."

"I agree, but that doesn't mean it doesn't look good." It was the first time they'd disagreed on food. Ever. "Talk about it later?"

"Yup." He caught up to her, and she ran the bell eight times. Once that was finished, the barrier above the elevator disappeared and four imps carrying the goulash on a giant covered platter walked out of the kitchen and got onto the elevator. The two hunters watched as the elevator was slowly pulled up to the top floor.

Twenty minutes later, the elevator came back down. Dean looked over at her.

"You ready?" he asked.

Aline took a deep breath and let it out, grabbing his hand tightly in hers. "As ready as I'll ever be." She was calm on the outside, but on the inside…

(Orochi. KILLKILLKILLKILL.)

Her upper lip twitched for a brief second as the two of them ran over to the elevator and the imp.

"Phew… That sure was stressful! I wish I hadn't seen Lord Orochi's throne room. There is something about that place that just terrifies me!" the imp said once they were close, shuddering.

"Sorry pal, but… Would ya mind taking this elevator to that throne room again?" Sam inquired.

Aline was completely positive that, if they could see the imp's mouth and eyes, it would be dropped in shock and his eyes would be wide as he stated, "Wh-What!? Are you insane!?"

"Oh c'mon. Please? I mean, I wanna take a peek at Lord Orochi's throne room, too! C'mon, just this once!"

"B-B-But… We're just Lord Orochi's lowly underlings! Lord Orochi will surely gobble us up if we barge in during dinner! You really want to see the throne room that bad!?"

"Yes," Aline replied.

The imp said nothing for a few seconds. "… I can see that you won't change your mind. I'll take you to the throne room if you want to go that bad. After all, I was born to operate this elevator!"

Once he finished speaking, the imp cranked the lever, pulling the elevator up. Aline's lip twitched in a snarl as she looked up at where they were going.

(Up there. Upupup. KILLKILLKILL. Do it for Sam. Do it for Kevin. KILLKILLKILL.)

She rubbed her hand over her face, schooling her features before Dean saw it.

(She didn't know that he did, and his eyes had moved once again to her shadow on the floor of the elevator.)

Dean and Aline ignored the platter of goulash, instead choosing to run up the long ramp. Aline quickly switched to her wolf form the moment she felt they were taking too long, and Dean climbed onto her back without saying a single word. At the same time, she made her Infinity Judge her main weapon. It was only a few minutes later when they saw the wide open area waiting for them. Right in the middle of the area was a familiar looking shrine surrounded by a garden with a giant temple bell hanging in it on a large stone pedestal.

"This is a weird place for a shrine," Dean pointed out.

Aline's blue eyes narrowed at the sight of it as she growled lowly before moving forward. She felt Dean's eyes on her.

(Avenge Sam. Avenge Kevin. Kill Orochi. KILLKILLKILL.)

She sped up, practically bolting to the end of the pathway.

"Is this…?" Dean asked, looking around.

Aline nodded. "Orochi's throne room," she responded with a growl.

"A-Ammy, look! Over there!" Sam yelled.

Aline's head shot up, eyes locking on a familiar figure dressed in a white robe lying unconscious underneath the bell.

"KUSHI!" Dean shouted.

Aline jumped off the platform and raced to the sake brewer. She stopped a few inches away from the shrine once the ground began shaking, sliding into a fighting position, growling.

The ground around the shrine began to break. Aline jumped out of the way once the cracks grew bigger. Kushi woke up and looked around, clearly afraid. The shrine began to spin, and eight giant dragon heads wearing samurai helmets popped up and seven of them moved to look at her. Each of the helmets had familiar kanji written on them.

(Fire, Earth, Poison, Light, Lightning, Water, Wind, Dark. Ka, Tsuchi, Doku, Hikari, Kaminari, Mizu, Kaze, Yami.)

The Lightning head popped up behind them, looking clearly confused.

"What the hell?" Dean muttered, eyes darting between all eight heads.

Aline ripped off her mask, snarling at the serpent. Dean followed suit, still staring at the heads.

"O wild god of the heavens…," Orochi began. "100 years have passed since you imprisoned me here. How is it you have come back after perishing and turning into stone? 100 years in a cold stony tomb… You reek of decay!"

Sam hopped off of Aline and toward Orochi, saying, "I've heard enough! Bottoms up, big guy!" And he pulled out Kushi's Thunder Brew and threw it at the giant eight-headed serpent. The Fire head caught it and drunk it.

"And the dumbell drinks it," Dean muttered under his breath.

"Well, he did just insult me," Aline replied in the same tone.

That was the moment Orochi chose to spit out the vase and roar. Aline roared back in her own way, and the fight began, but…

"Hold on a sec!" Dean shouted. "He's got a barrier!"

Sure enough, Orochi had a gold barrier around himself that she couldn't penetrate. Aline growled as she powerslashed it.

"That cheater has a barrier up! What are we gonna do now!? Any bright ideas, furball?" Sam asked, pointing out the obvious.

All eight heads turned away from Aline and focused their sights on Kushi, who had moved to stand on the edge of the serpent's back. Her head darted between all eight heads, clearly afraid.

"Run, Kushi! Run!"

The Fire head moved in for the kill…

"Hold it right there, vile serpent!" they heard a familiar male voice say, stopping Orochi in his tracks.

Aline and Dean turned around. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dean's jaw drop in shock. It was Kevin, wearing a white and purple sash and a wooden headpiece on top of his head with Tohenboku on his back. His arms were crossed over his chest as he stared down Orochi from where Aline and Dean had stood just moments before.

"Susano! You came!" Kushi stated cheerfully. "I knew you'd come!"

"Have no fear! Susano is here!" Kevin shouted, holding his arms out in front of him. . "Orochi and I have a score to settle."

"Pops!?" Sam said, clearly shocked to see the prophet.

Dean was uncharacteristically silent as he stared at Kevin. Then again, so was Aline, except her jaw was clenched as she watched all eight of Orochi's heads move up to him, the Fire head the closest.

"Long have I awaited your coming, O descendant of Nagi," he stated. "Now we shall fulfill this burning desire which has consumed us. The descendants of Nagi have kept me imprisoned here for 100 years. Yet it is that accursed bloodline which shall unleash my true power. A pact between Nagi's descendant and I, the great Orochi, shall deliver unto me dark powers beyond all comprehension. Let us seal the blood pact for all eternity!"

"What the heck's serpent breath talking about!?" Sam inquired. "A blood pact with Susano will unleash Orochi's true power!?"

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Dean muttered.

Aline said nothing.

"O he who seeks power, your first chance slipped through your grasp. But now the time has come for us to seal our eternal bond! Speak the words 'I wish darkness upon the world.' Utter that prayer to me and seal our blood pact. You too shall gain dark powers beyond all comprehension."

"Orochi's trying to tempt Susano! I bet that sneaky serpent was the one giving pops those nightmares!" Sam exclaimed.

Dean shook his head. "Don't do it, Kev," he pleaded. "He won't do it, will he?"

Aline said nothing once again.

"Now, utter the prayer! Let the words come from deep within! Recite the words of our blood pact!"

"Oh, I shall!" Kevin stated.

Dean gulped.