Chapter 36: The Demon Within (1)

Previously:

*An hour later…*

"I really should put this away." The female Kujou said to self as she placed the wooden box carefully down onto the ground. 'I wonder what it is…'

But curiosity got the better of the girl as she placed her hands on the edges of the cover and lifted her arms.

"…?" Rin silently wondered as she stared at the contents within.

Inside the long rectangular box was a white cushion of length filling the entire box. And sat atop of the cushion was a sword of obscure appearance. The sword had a grip wrapped in black bandages, with yellow and pink crystals welded at the pommel of the hilt. The unevenly sharp and pointy guards of the sword were seemingly blended with the hilt, with its deep purple color matching its overall dark appearance. And although the blade itself wasn't as long as a katana, it's center ridge divided the blade into two colors, with the left edge black in color, and it's right edge deep purple, seemingly emanating a faint glow.

"I think I should put this in the storage room on the second floor." She said to herself. "But…" She trailed off a she slowly went for it. Her right hand edging closer and closer to the sword. 'I've never seen a blade like this before…'

Chapter 36: The Demon Within (1)

*A certain Manga Studio Apartment…*

"More please!" A collection of three voice called out, each holding out an empty bowl.

"Good grief…~" A girl huffed tiredly as she put her arms on her hips, flat golden brown eyes staring at the pitiful scene before her.

There they were, the three Devilukean bodyguards, each dressed in not their usual apparels, but instead in plain earthling clothes. The two overly towering males behind one with grey hair. The three had nothing but simple pairs black trousers and dirtied white wife beaters on them.

"In the end, nothing beats Mikan's cooking after a manuscript is done!" Zastin's two henchmen cried out in joy as they once again dug into their bowl of now refilled rice, happily munching on their lifeline, tears rolling down their faces.

"Arigato! Mikan-san!" Zastin also called out, wolfing down the delicious hot food down his system.

"Let me warn you though, I'm not doing this again." The girl said tiredly, now folding her arms. "My hands are full with the house as it is…"

"ARIGATO GOZAIMASU! MIKAN-SAN!" The heterochromic bodyguard and his two henchmen thanked out loud, pumping a balled fist, anime tears flowing down their eyes, something that made Mikan cringe with a sweatdrop.

"By the way, why are you dressed like…that?" Zastin asked, munching on a piece of tofu, looking at the girl standing before them.

"Ah, this?" Mikan said excitedly, now realizing what the man was looking at. Adorned the female, not unlike many of her friends, had on her a typical maid costume, with black dresses and frilly white apron and designs around the edges, as well as white high knee socks. "I got this from Momo-san." The brown haired girl picked up the hem of her dress slightly and spun around sassily.

"Well I wasn't interested at first, but then when I tried it on." She said as she posed dramatically, one hand on her hip and the other on the back of her head. "It just feels like a battle dress!" She exclaimed, sparkles seemingly glittering around her optimism. "I can really get the housework done in no time!~"

"Oh! Most impressive! It's like my scorpio-armor, really brings out the warrior inside us, am I right?!" The Devilukean captain smiled childishly.

"Hahahaha…Right…" Mikan agreed with a deadpanned expression as Zastin began laughing to himself.

"Commander Zastin…" A voice whispered out, catching the man's attention as he turned to his left.

"What is it Smutts?"

"We have a report regarding a dangerous item on Earth." The henchman said as he showed his superior his phone. Zastin's eyes lit up in surprise.

All of a sudden, the studio apartment's atmosphere changed drastically. The sounds of once again empty bowls being dropped on to the table could be heard alongside with chopsticks as the three bodyguard unanimously stood up.

"…Zastin-san?" The female Yuuki asked, curious.

"Ah gomen, Mikan-san," the Devilukean man apologized, scratching the back of his head. "It seems like I'm needed elsewhere. But it seems like we'll have to leave the rest of the cleaning to you."

"Hey wai-"

"Thanks for the food!" The three men shouted, followed by the swift slamming of the door. They were gone in an instant, leaving the little girl alone in the room, confusion obvious on her face.

"Wh-What are they up to…geez…" the 'maid' sighed exasperatingly. The girl then decided to head over to the drawing table, picking up the garbage littered on the floors and desks.

"…Wah…!" Mikan's eyes widened tenfold as she carefully took the stack of papers from the desk, flipping through them one by one. 'Impressive… Zastin-san must really like manga… or really talented…' Mikan finished her thought with a sweatdrop as she examined the pages of manuscript. To the girl's complete surprise, the bodyguard's drawings were of good quality and quantity, shadows where they should belong, speech bubbles where they should be, lines were clean and crisp.

'Since he so good, then I wonder if I can ask him…' The girl thought as she went to the other side of the room, retrieving a stack of pages on her own, and laid it on to the drawing table beside the original. 'Zastin might be able to finish "The Lone Eagle"…'

"Well…I guess I'll have to leave it for him here then. I should get going…" Mikan said, now looking outside the bright skies beyond the window. 'I wonder if everything is going smoothly at Tenjouin-san's place…?' She wondered to herself, but swiftly dismissed her bubble of insecurity. 'If it's Rito, everything'll be fine…'

*Right about the same time…Tenjouin Mansion…*

Tak.

Tak.

Tak.

The repetitive sounds of footsteps could be heard as a young girl walked down the dull and long hallway. Her long black ponytail flowing against the wind from the shattered windows. There was no talking, yet the hideous hissing sound emanated from the sword she carried in her right hand, drooped down by her side. Calm and collected, step by step, the girl slowly strolled aimlessly down the hallway, her bangs shadowing her eyes.

*Conversely…another part of the mansion…*

Not too far away from the silence was another room of the mansion, brown dusty bookshelves watched the four walls of the large room, leaving no corners unfilled.

"Huuuuuh…" Rito let out boringly as he wiped the edges of a non-particular bookshelf, a wet towel in hand. "Sigh…"

"You're probably worried about Rin-san aren't you, Rito-san…" The voice of one Momo Velia Deviluke spoke to him on another part of the room, but close by.

"Yo-You were listening, weren't you…?" Rito replied expectantly. 'Should've known...'

"Well at least you tried to cheer her up, Rito-san. How very manly of you…" The temporary maid teased. "Don't tell me, you're…" She then halted herself, settling with a question and a sweet smile. "Rito-san, how do you feel about Rin-san?"

"It-it's no-not like that at all, Momo!" The earthling boy yelled defiantly, deep red blush on his face. He received an unconvinced look from the pink head.

"But….if you want…" The Devilukean princess continued cheekily. "I could work to direct her feelings of loyalty towards you instead…~" She suggested with a wink. "She does look good, even you have to admit, Rito-san~"

"Th-That's not the point!" A flustered Rito stammered out, but his utter embarrassment gradually turned into a frown. "I…I'm just worried that about her want for strength…"

Momo then changed to a questioning look. "What's wrong with wanting more power? I mean, aren't you helping her to-"

"No, not like that." Rito corrected, now standing up from his squatting position by the bookshelf, backing off with his hands on his hips, marveling at the now squeaky clean bookshelf. "She doesn't think she's doing a good job as Tenjouin-senpai's bodyguard when in fact her abilities are way beyond that of one. I'm just worried that she might get too power hungry over this incident." Hearing a wordless expression of surprise from the staring girl, he continued. "People who get power hungry…doesn't generally end well for them…" Rito said, with empty eyes. He thought back to the unfortunate events of the year before, and the adversary he had faced who were all, not unlike him, striving for power.

But then.

All of a sudden.

BOOM!

A loud 'bang!' was heard from behind Rito as the bookshelf behind him seemingly exploded into bits of wood splinters. Out of instinct, the boy's vision had begun to change as his body reacted to the situation in a split second, leaping forward towards Momo.

Through his eyes, he could make out the distinct brown and dusty smoke emerging from behind and around him, every dust particle, every scrapped and torn book that flung out of the toppling bookshelves, every debris of the cement wall in the air, every ice shard sprinkled in the air. He saw everything slowly in seemingly perfect vision, in mid jump.

Feeling his adrenaline now lessen, the world around them seemingly sped up to real time as he landed with a ground roll, next to the female Devilukean, both unscathed as they looked back at the newly created hole in the wall.

Rito's golden brown eyes widened as he saw his senpai in her maid uniform, an empty and dull expression adorned, her hard eyes narrowing at the two. "Give me…"

"…blood…" Rin finished, much to their surprise.

"K-Kujou-senpai?!" Rito and Momo called out in confusion, still on the ground, littered with debris. But in response, the bodyguard uttered not a single word as she silently brought an oblique purple sword to her opposite side, readying for a slash.

"Ma-Matte, Rin-san!" Momo cried out in worry as her purple eyes flickered back and forth between the ends of the rooms, between the student and mentor, between Rin and Rito.

"Don't move, Momo." Rito muttered out, his serious tone now appropriate to their predicament. Noticing the slight bent of the bodyguard's knees, Rito knew what was coming as he briefly nudged the Devilukean to the side of the room, out of the trouble that was to come. "What's going on, Kujou-senp-"

And it did, as Rin sprung from her side of the room, dashing at the boy with impressive speed. Rito, seeing the girl approaching at inhuman speed, swing her one handed sword. Staying calm as threw his wet towel forward at eye height, the girl was temporarily blinded. He swiftly sprang into action, dropping down onto the ground with low leg sweeps, retaining his forward movement. As a result, the swordsman was forced to move back steps, her arms raised for balance.

But through the boy's rapid movements, the ponytailed girl found a small precious opening as she brought her sword down in a swift arc from the top during a pause. The boy, expecting this, swiftly transitioned from leg sweeps into a smooth starfish kip up, his legs briefly tangling with her, tripping the girl and at the same time regaining standing composure. With an impressive display of arm strength, amidst the fall, Rin had managed to balance herself on her left hand as she flipped backwards, landing perfectly on both feet. The two combatants now had distance between them.

"What's the deal, Kujou-senpai?" Rito called out loud, his eyes narrowing onto the purple sword, though his eyes, it glowed bright red, a sign of bad intentions. 'What is this sword? What's gotten into her?' Rito asked himself.

"Rito-san!-" Momo called out in worry as she took a pink phone from her pocket, now flipped opened in her hand. But she halted her fingers when Rito raised an urgent hand to his side, signaling her to stop as he once again focused on the sword wielding girl.

"Mind explaining yourself?" Rito asked calmly, assessing the situation, simultaneously reaching for his golden necklace around his neck. 'She's definitely not herself. I need to contain the situation without hurting her. What if I use my king piece- no-' He told himself from within as he unclasped his hand from the pendent around his neck. 'It's too dangerous, Senpai still doesn't know how to defend against long weapons, and there isn't much room, I might hurt Momo along the way.' He clenched his jaw slightly in frustration. "What's gotten into you, Kujou-senpai?" The boy once again called out, after hearing no response moments after.

"…Give me….blood…." But the bodyguard once again chanted as she dashed forward, sword pointing forward with one palm on pressing against the pommel, readying for a straight stab. Rito waited for the opportune moment as their distance once again closed and stepped sideways, narrowing avoiding the stab. The girl then halted her dash as she now spun around, meaning to decapitate the boy. But the boy was faster, ducking down and avoiding the slice. Rito then swiftly followed by with a palm to her stomach and a harsh shove to her shoulder, causing the girl to stumble backwards. In response, the girl then shuffled forward, swinging her arms around her head, keeping the blade vertical and close to her body, finishing the swing with a two handed diagonal cut down. Rito merely leaned his upper body to the left accordingly, letting the blade sail past before his face. And seeing an opportunity, the boy swung his right arm upwards, interlocking his right shoulder with hers. With the momentum of his pivoting body, he swung the girl one revolution and detached himself off of her. Rito then came forward with a powerful push kick, to which luckily enough, Rin blocked head on with her blade. But as a result, she was pushed back unwilling, smashing against yet another bookshelf, instantly destroying it. Sounds of wood buckling and the rustling of papers could be heard, the girl picked herself up from the dented bookshelf.

'Her movements are fast and ruthless, but she should've been able let go of her sword and counter me just then, like I taught her…' He analyzed as his eyes darted around the room, in search for a more suitable weapon instead of his king piece. 'If only I can use my king piece…this would be so much easier…'

But his thought left him careless as the girl unexpectedly bounced back from the cracked wall. But Rito's eyes widened in realization as the girl had never reached him, but instead made a dash for the Devilukean princess.

"MOMO!" Rito called out in extreme worry as he ripped the pendant from his necklace without hesitation, transforming it into a long golden Guan Dao. Gripping the middle section of his crescent moon blade, the boy spun in midair to gain momentum and threw it like a javelin. The blade hurdled across the room.

Just as Rin brought her sword down on the Devilukean, the two girls were startled as a massive blade jamming itself into the wall, dividing the space between them. Rin halted as her sword smashed onto the blade. The clash between the sword and the heavy two handed weapon send shock down Rin spine as she moved back, her hand shaking. Rin stared at the blade of the Guan Dao, staring at its reflective blade face… well…in the face, hollow eyes met hollow eyes. Seeing the opportunity, Rito vanished, appearing behind Momo.

"Calm yourself, Kujou-senpai!" Rito called out as he wrapped a protective arm around the pink headed girl's waist, to which she blushed profoundly, despite the situation. Rito then grabbed onto the Guan Dao's metal pole by the center and pulled with his right arm, with an impressive display of strength. The half-buried blade was ripped from the wall, combined with a simultaneous swing, causing his opponent to jump away, landing on the opposite side of the room.

"Daijobu, Momo?!" Rito asked, looking over the girl with protective and caring eyes.

Dumbstruck at his change in attitude, Momo could reply in stutters. "H-Hai…"

Rito then loosened his grip of the Guan Dao, the long pole blade transforming back to its necklace form, snaked its way up his arm and back to his neck smoothly. He narrowed his eyes, questioning his decision. 'The Guan Dao's too dangerous for Kujou-senpai, and there's not enough space…if only I brought my weapons…'

"Momo, run for the door. Don't look back!" Rito ordered, with a voice of absolution. To girl, sensing his authoritative tone, complied with his orders as the 'maid' swiftly made her way to the door with a dash.

Seeing her prey on the run, the swordsman leapt up high in the air, her blade high up her head, her arms cocked, readying for a slash to the running girl. "Get the others out of here, Momo!" Rito called.

'Crap!' Rito thought as he appeared by the door, naturally slipping into a defensive stance, pure electric energy danced around his body, making rapid ticking noises. 'Gomen ne, senpai.' He thought as the girl edged closer and closer.

PANG!

Rito's eyes widened.

Rin's blade had never reached him.

Instead, he was met by the tickling sensation of hair briefly brushing his face. He found himself staring now at the back of one maid with long golden hair, her legs spread in a slightly wider stance as she blocked the incoming downward slash of Rin's with her own blade, thanks to her right hand, now transformed into a thick silver blade of similar length.

"Y-Yami!" Rito called out in realization.

"What kind of ecchi thing did you do to make her this mad, Yuuki Rito?" The Trans weapon deadpanned, much to Rito's comical whelp in protest.

'No…' but the newly comer thought as she pushed forwards with surprising strength considering her size, moving Rin back. The bodyguard then soon found herself forcing to disengage, the two blades slid off each other in an eerie screech. The girl now joining Konjiki no Yami in a blade dance.

'…?' Yami thought to herself in an inward surprise as she was met with rapid and polished sword strikes from the earthling female. The assassin held herself back as much as she could, as to not harm the girl. Though she did not show it, she too was just as confused as Rito was.

'Something's wrong.' Yami concluded as she adjusted to her opponent, attempting to level speed and strength with the earthling. For all the countless strikes that Rin would produce, they would all simply be met by Yami's counters or plain air. The two had seemed to be on even grounds.

"…Blood…" the 'maid' muttered lowly as she upped her intensity. The girl's strikes were now harder, no longer sliding off Yami's blade simply with orange sparks, but instead clashing and blocking with loud metallic 'clang!'s.

'This is…' Yami wondered as she met eyes with the maid momentarily, crimson red ones meeting soulless black ones.

*Not much later…Not far away…*

"Minna!" Momo cried out for everyone as a tailed girl appeared in the main hall of the mansion. The girl was panting, a bead of sweat rolling down her face.

"Momo-chan?" A curious voice asked as the Devilukean turned to her right in relief.

"Nana! Mea-san!" Momo called out, jogging towards them hastily. "Gather everyone and head for safety, Kujou-senpai is-" But before the princess could finish her sentence, yet another huge 'boom!' could be heard as a section of the far wall on the second story had seemingly exploded in smoke.

"Na-Nani?!" Nana called out in surprise and caution.

'…Ice?' The red haired assassin detected in the air the hints of glistening sparkles from the smoke.

Out of the smoky hole in the wall, two figures leapt out of the smoke, the cloud of dusty cloud trailing behind them. Rito and Yami emerged from the second story, skillfully landing in the center of the hall beside each other, small chunks of debris trailed their presence.

"Yami-oneechan!" the maid with the red braid called out in slight surprise, seeing her older sister, her transformed blade replacing her hand.

"Rito-san/Rito!" The twins shouted in unity, seeing the 'butler' of the day beside the assassin.

But response, Rito merely turned around, his face full of worry. "You three! Stay back!" The male called with a hand raised. His head snapped forward once again as a ponytailed swordsman landed a distance before them all, her sword held lowly by her side.

"…Her movements and timing…they're nearly identical to yours…" Yami asked, emotionless lacking in her voice.

The Kujou bodyguard then raised her sword, launching two 'X' shaped energy waves towards the two assassin, who leapt aside with synchronized speeds.

"…She's a fast learner…" The boy replied lamely, once again dodging a series of frosty energy blasts with a few cartwheels.

"Wh-What's happening?!" Saki and Aya now appeared at the main entrance of the mansion, only to be left in shock as the battle between the trio dragged on.

"Stay behind us, Saki-san, Aya-san!" Momo said, her twin counterpart gesturing the same as they all watched the scene unfold.

"Yuuki Rito, do you sense it?" Yami asked, standing calmly next to the boy.

"…Yea" Rito said with reluctance. "This bloodlust, most of it is coming from the blade." He replied just as calmly, astonishing everyone. 'What is going on…' he wondered in his mind confusingly, frustratingly.

"That purple blade…there's no doubt about it…" Yami trailed off, her eyes zeroed in onto the weapon. "It's the demon sword… 'Bladix'."

"Wh-!"

"Na-!"

The mention of the infamous cursed weapon fell on everybody as a surprise.

"Th-That's the sword Zastin was talking about!" Momo called in realization, much to Nana's displeasure and somewhat horror.

"It-It was a tru-true story?!" Nana stuttered spookily, taking a step backwards.

"Yes…However…" Yami interjected. "According to the knowledge of weapons of all lands and eras imprinted in us since childhood, 'Bladix' isn't a cursed sword."

"It's a parasitic intelligent metal based lifeform. An experimental weapon created in some other galaxy about two thousand years ago…I think." Her red haired sister finished off. 'It requires blood as a source of energy and it will force a person it possessed to fight until they die. Another dangerous echo from the Galactic War…'

The demon blade wielder then wordlessly spun, swiveling on one foot, holding her blade close to her. And upon spinning, the sword unleased two powerful gale of purple whip of energy, travelling towards the group at an alarming rate.

'…Shit!' Rito cursed in frustration as everyone leapt away from the explosion, with Momo dragging the rich Tenjouin as she did so, and Mea with Nana.

"Wh-Where's Aya!" Saki shouted alarmingly, now looking over at the explosion, where smoke and debris replaced where they once stood. "NO…" The blonde girl muttered out weakly, fearing for the worst.

"…" Mea said nothing as she landed, with Nana in toe. A small portion of her maid uniform was torn from the blast. Sparkles and a blush adorned the Trans weapon as she once again dodged several energy blasts. 'In the end…I still have the urge to fight…But…' Mea paused. 'I must restrain it…! For master.'

Amidst the confusion, a shadow overtook Yami as she looked up, seeing Rin bearing down with both hands on the Bladix. Instinctively, the golden haired Trans weapon ascended, her angelic feathered wings generating a gust of wind, she met the earthling in mid-air, a shockwave between their blades as they met.

"Yuuki-san!" A cry in the background the loud sword fight had startled everyone on the ground as they turned to the side, seeing a young girl with big round glasses emerging from a small corridor to their left, a long Katana clutched in her hands.

"Aya!" Saki called out in relief, seeing her friend alive and well.

"Daijobu, Aya-senpai?!" Nana said, rushing to the girl. But she soon noticed the long black blade close to her chest. "Pl-Please give this to Yuuki-san!" She stuttered out, hastily giving the sword to Nana.

"…Tsk…" Rito snickered as he stood guard between the maids and the fight, unsure of what to do. 'Kujou-senpai is possessed by this Bladix…what the heck do we do…?!' Rito asked himself, but no answer came to mind, bearing a face of frustration. But amidst his deep thoughts, a familiar voice called out to him.

"Oy! Rito!" the voice of Nana shouted, causing the earthling to look to her direction. "Catch this!" the Devilukean called out. The boy immediately recognized what the girl held in her hands. And he smiled.

With a deep breath and the swing of an arm, the tomboyish Devilukean hurled the Katana into the air, high above in the ceilings of the mansion, the katana spin wildly.

"Arigato na! Nana!" With a twist of his ankle and the crackling of his body, Rito's body shot up into the air above, his body dancing with electricity. He then spun rapidly, tornado kicking the hilt of the blade towards the two combatants.

"Yami!"

Hearing Rito's signal, Golden Darkness had known what the boy was doing as she got prepared, her hair begun dancing around her. The katana hurdled downwards towards the two as Yami caught it in midair with a thin tendril of golden hair, then whipping it over her head and across in a horizontal slice towards Rin. Surprised by the unorthodox move, the bodyguard could only backflip, her head narrowly missing the sharp edge of the blade. She then hopped backwards in defense, preparing for any further attacks.

But she had failed.

Amidst her maneuvers, she had failed to pay attention to the figure above. As if like a whip, Yami's tendril of hair wavered in the air, snapping as the sword was once again hurled upwards, but this time, it was caught by Rito, who descended down towards Rin.

In a futile effort for protection, the girl brought up her purple sword, meeting Rito's katana in an 'X' formation, a small explosion of purple and blue shockwaves emanated from both swords as they fought for dominance, each not butting an inch. The occasionally sparks and electricity would occasional spill from between the contact point.

With a small determined cry, the orange haired butler had managed to push through the cursed sword, which had oddly seemed to give way. As a result, the girl was knocked backwards, smashing against the large window pane of the wall, easily destroying what little glass was left intact in the mansion. The girl shot out of the hall and out onto the grasses.

Golden brown eyes met crimson red ones as both assassins nodded. Rito then leapt out after his senpai, the golden haired maid swiftly followed.

"Tenjouin-senpai, Fujisaki-senpai please stay inside!" Momo called out as the twins alongside with the braided Mea ran for the main entrance, leaving a stunned Saki and an awestruck Aya.

"…"

"…Was that…Rin…?"

*Outside…*

"If Kujou-senpai's really taken over by Bladix…" Rito huffed as she bore down on Rin with a series of swift slices, switching his angles between each strike, seemingly unpredictably. "…Then how are we…" Rito continued as he ducked down, avoiding a slice of Bladix. Instinctively, Yami rolled over Rito's back, taking over his position before the girl. "Supposed to help?!" Rito finished.

"We will just have to hold her off…for now…" Yami said as she too dodged a slice by hopping up, spinning as her the tips of her hair turned silver. Rin then ducked to dodge, but instead was met with Rito's leg sweep as she lost complete balance, falling down on the ground on her back. But the girl had never made it to the ground as she was once again met with a low spin back kick to the stomach, sending her flying across the grassy fields, skidding along the ground, instantly destroying the bushy mazes along her way. The girl tumbled and finally stopped, with the help of a water fountain statue.

Rito and Yami then seemingly retreated, pulling back, their weapons halted as they waited for the trail of dirt and smoke to disperse. The echoes of the impact could still be heard.

"But perhaps…if we can't knock the blade out of her hands…" Yami said as both arms began to morph and transform. "Then maybe…we just have to destroy it…" The elder of the Trans weapons finished, and so too did her Transformation. No longer were her hands long silver blades, but instead, they were solid armored fists, with bumped spikes along each knuckle and had a dark blue coating over it. She had intended to smash the sword to pieces.

"…"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Yami-oneechan." A voice said casually, catching the girl's attention.

*Inside the Tenjoin Mansion, same time…*

"Just what in the world is happening…?" Saki asked out loud, her friend just as confused as she. Since everyone's disappearance, the sounds of explosions and the clashes of metal could be heard, but yet they dare not step outside the hall.

All of a sudden, the two girls heard footsteps behind them as they cautiously turned around, expecting the worst.

But what appeared before the two was far from it.

In fact, it had been far better than any of them would've hoped…or so for Saki Tenjouin anyway.

"Am I too late…?" Zastin said as he calmly moved towards the two girls, his scorpion styled battle armor clung onto his muscular figure. "I came because I had a bad premonition…But to think…" The Devilukean said, looking through the shattered window.

"An-Ano…" Saki's speech stuttered and slurred, her heart seemingly skipped a beat as she blushed heavily upon laying eyes upon the knight. "Wh…Who are y-you?" She muttered nervously, gawking at the tall knight. 'Who is this knight….so handsome…so cool….'

"Tenjouin Saki-dono…right?" He corrected himself. "I am Zastin, the Royal Guard of Deviluke and second in command of the Deviluke special force. I'm very sorry for coming in unannounced, but I heard a sound of destruction from the grounds here…" He said, slightly confused at the girl's nervous antics.

"A demon sword?!" Saki and Aya called out in shock.

"Hai…based on the report from subordinate of mine." Zastin said. "A shady sword whose special characteristics fits the description was brought to Earth, and there was a possibility that it was passed onto the Tenjouin Group."

But all of a sudden, a loud boom could be heard as a cloud of smoke filled the skies in the distance.

'That must be it!' The male Devilukean thought to himself as he leapt off and through the window without hesitation, his purple cape flapping after him.

"Zastin…sama…." Saki trailed off, her cheeks hot and red. 'He's like a dream….'

*Outside…*

"…" But Yami chose to remain silent as everyone paid attention to the younger Trans weapon.

"What do you mean, Mea-san?" asked Momo.

"I think the way that sword controls Kujou-senpai works similar to how I do it." Mea said, surprising the crowd. "An application of the Psycho Dive...'Body Jack'."

"Body…"

"…Jack?" The twins finished each other off.

"It's an ability to physically and mentally meld with someone and seize control of their body purely with the contact of a single strand of hair." Mea briefly explained, albeit uncomfortable about addressing her abilities. "Demo…if that's the case…"

"If you destroy the sword, Kujou-senpai's mind that's synchronized with the sword will be broken as well." Mea warned.

"Th-Then…" Nana trailed off, fearing for the worst.

"A broken mind cannot be fixed." Mea stated. "Kujou-senpai will never regain consciousness."

"Then…."

"What can we do…" Momo asked, hopelessness filled in her voice.

"…"

"…"

"…"

But the response the princess got from everyone was all but silence.

"Kurosaki Mea." Rito called out, seeing the emerging Kujou, her sword by her side, calmly walking towards the group.

"…Nani?!" Mea replied in reluctance, irritated at the boy's voice.

"…I need a favor…"

"Cho-" But whatever Mea was about to say was halted as a presence spoke within her mindscape. 'Let him speak, Mea.'

'Master…!' Mea exclaimed inwardly, surprised to hear her Master's voice within her.

"Use your powers…"

"To connect my mind with Kujou-senpai's!" He finished in determination, now practically begging. "Then…"

"…"

"We'll call it even!" Rito finished, a hint of frustration in his voice, but a plea nonetheless. His burning eyes of hope meeting her own deep blue ones.

"…?" But the red headed girl remained silent.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: WITH KUJOU RIN HELD HOSTAGE BY THE DEMON SWORD, WHAT AWAITS OUR FELLOW ASSASSINS?

I MUST IMPLORE ALL OF MY READERS TO READ THE BATTLE SCENES IN COMPANY OF THESE BATTLE SOUNDTRACKS:

'HUNT OR BE HUNTED' – WITCHER 3

'SHOUKEI NO SAKI NI MISUERU MONO' - DANMACHI

WHEW…THIS CHAPTER TOOK A WHILE…FEELING EXHAUSTED.

NOTHING ELSE TO SAY REALLY…

FUN FACT #12: NOT EVERY DAMAND CAN BE SATISFIED WHEN WRITING…

FUN FACT #13: OUGI TSUNARU MANNERISM IS INSPIRED BY 'FAR CRY 4''S PAGAN MIN AND RED FROM 'THE BLACKLIST' , KINDA LIKE A BLEND BETWEEN THE TWO ;)

AND AS ALWAYS, MORE CHAPTERS STILL TO COME!

REVIEWS AND FEEDBACK ARE MUCH APPRECIATED!

CRITICISMS ARE ALSO ACCEPTED.