Chapter 36: Sinking Darkness
On the ship
The boat starts to sink into the ocean.
"THE SHIP..." Lavi shouts. "IT'S SINKING!"
"Why...!?" Miranda says. "The Recovery should still be functioning normally...!?"
Miranda then sees chains coiling around her Innocence
"What... is this?" Miranda asks.
When Miranda touches the chain, she feels electricity through the chain.
"Ow!" Miranda says and she widens her eyes. "Can this possibly be... don't tell me...!?"
In the middle of the ocean
Leenalee slowly sinks down into the water.
"...Tch. What...!?" Leenalee says.
"I'm certain my Dark Boot haven't broken down..." Leenalee thought. "So it must mean..."
"Your ship is sinking." The Akuma Eshi points out as he looks at the boat and Leenalee looks up. "A ton of people are being swallowed up by the sea."
Leenalee looks at the same direction as the Akuma.
"It's impossible for you to see that far with your meager human sight, eh...?" Akuma Eshi says as he looks at Leenalee. "But you will return to them soon enough." It then points at the ocean. "In the darkness below."
Suddenly, the chains appear around Leenalee.
"Eshi's Dark Matter... has the ability to 'manipulate gravity'." Akuma Eshi explains. "Those who are recipients of Eshi's attack... not only suffer damage but feel the effects of gravity influenced by Dark Matter. You can no longer move swiftly as before. This is the end."
Leenalee grabs the chain and start pulling it.
"GUH...!" Leenalee grunts as she feels the electricity. "A—H!"
Akuma Eshi starts to charge towards her.
"You can no longer escape." Akuma Eshi says.
It then starts to attack Leenalee not able to dodge its attacks anymore.
"My body feels so heavy, I've lost my speed and agility...!" Leenalee thought.
Akuma Eshi then grabs Leenalee by the head and drags her straight into the ocean.
"Title:" Akuma Eshi says and punches Leenalee before it comes out of the ocean. "'A Holy Woman Fallen into Darkness.'"
As Leenalee sinks into the ocean, Akuma Eshi grabs its head and opens all of his eyes that is all over his head.
"EXCITEMENT!" Akuma Eshi shouts. "I can hear... That woman's heartbeat is getting weaker... The heartbeat that gets weaker from the water pressure... Even though Eshi reached... Level 3... Eshi still can't reach the bottom of the sea... Eshi wanted to see... Eshi wanted to see the completion of Eshi's work... However, Eshi shall enjoy your friends' dead body...!"
Black Order: Asia Branch
Allen's Cursed Eye activates and Allen wakes up from the pain of it.
"UH!" Allen grunts and he sits up. "Again..."
Allen stares at his Cursed Eye.
"It's like a starving demon seeking its prey..." Allen describes. "Is it reacting to Akuma that's somewhere far away...? Ever since it's rebirth at Krory's castle. This evolving left eye sometimes hurt me like this in the middle of the night. As it it doesn't allow me to sleep. As it it wants to send me to Akuma. A scream of a great amount of souls that I wasn't supposed to hear wanders around my body through my left eye."
Allen gets up and leans on the wall for support.
"Tonight is..." Allen trails off. "Very... strong..."
Allen then trips on the ground.
"OUCH!" Allen exclaims. "... Please wait for me. I can't go yet. Please calm down, I beg of you. This... I don't like this kind of shape...!"
~Meanwhile~
In the room where Alice is
As Allen tries to calm his left eye, Alice's body slowly starts to glow.
"Al... len... Lee... nalee..." Alice mutters.
Wherever Allen is
Allen hears Alice's voice and he looks up.
"Alice...?" Allen calls.
~Flashback~
On the way to General Cross; In the town
Alice and Leenalee looks for Allen and they found in a separate room
"Allen?" Alice calls.
Allen looks back and covers his left eye terrified.
"You were here..." Leenalee says.
"A... Alice? Le... Leenalee?" Allen calls. "Wha-what are you two doing at this hour? Eating in secret?" He asks.
"Don't be stupid! We're not like you!" Alice yells and Leenalee notices that Allen is covering his left eye.
"Your left eye... what's wrong?" Leenalee asks.
"I'm alright!" Allen reassures as he walks backwards to the dark part of the room. "It's nothing. Please go to bed."
Alice notices Allen is walking into the darkness.
"Wa..." Alice starts. "Wait!"
Alice grabs Allen's hand to stop him.
"Alice?" Leenalee calls.
"If... if you don't want to show it... I won't look at it, so... don't go any farther into darkness."
Alice starts to tremble.
"Please don't go away into the darkness!"
Allen widens his eyes at Alice's words.
"Is something wrong, Alice?" Allen asks. "You haven't looked so well since we've gotten together at Krory's castle. Something happened... didn't it? Did you have a nightmare?"
Alice then remember of the dream where there is ruins everywhere and a body floating on the black sea. Tears starts to form on Alice's eyes, surprising Allen.
"Uh..." Alice mutters and she then hugs Allen.
"UWA—H!" Alice cries.
"WHA!?" Allen exclaims.
~Later~
Alice tells Allen and Leenalee the nightmare she had.
"A dream of the end of the world?" Allen asks as he covers Timcanpy's eyes so that a certain General won't see it. "That's a scary dream..."
"I've been having that dream over and over again." Alice says. "It's like I'm actually there. You were gone when I woke up."
"Alice woke me up to help her finding you because she had a bad feeling. But I'm glad that you're all right." Leenalee says.
"That's over protection." Allen points out.
"I'm sorry." Leenalee apologizes.
Alice let go of Allen and looks at Leenalee.
"Leenalee, why do you care so much about us?" Alice asks. "It seems like you're fighting only to protect us."
"When you close your eyes and think of 'the world'... what do you see...?" Leenalee asks.
"Eh?" Both Allen and Alice say.
"Well... I don't see 'the world' like a map. I've been in war for a long time. What I see are the faces of companions under a fence of 'Black Order'." Leenalee explains. "I'm a bad girl, huh? My friends are more important to me than the real world. To me, the death of one companion... is like a piece of 'the world' gets destroyed. If there's nobody left, even if the real world is saved, I will be destroyed... so please don't die. Please don't go away anymore... For that, I... I..."
~End Flashback~
In the ocean
Leenalee sees Alice's form reaching out towards her. Also, Leenalee remembers what she said to Allen and Alice at the night of the town and she holds onto Alice's hand.
Above the ocean
Akuma Eshi hears Leenalee continues to struggle.
"AHH? Are you still struggling?" Akuma Eshi asks.
Then the ocean starts to turn into a whirlpool.
"Ah... good girl. come on up." Akuma Eshi tells Leenalee. "I'll sink you deeper this time."
In the ocean
After grabbing Alice's hand, Leenalee's Dark Boots starts to change.
"INNOCENCE ACTIVATING MAXIMUM POWER! RELEASE!"Leenalee thought and the chains are spread out still surrounding Leenalee. "I did it. Eshi's Dark Matter had the power to control gravity. Once caught, there is no escape."
Leenalee starts to go up towards the surface.
"But since Dark Matter and Innocence are polar opposites; by releasing my Innocence, I should be able to temporarily cancel his ability out."
Leenalee then starts to cough up blood, but she continues to swim.
"Allen, I'm scared... For Suman's sake, you forcibly release your Innocence too right? My Synchro rating is 86%. We aren't supposed to do this without a synchro rating of 100%..."
Above the ocean
As Leenalee gets out of the water a hurricane appears along with Leenalee.
"Welcome back!" Akuma Eshi greets.
"My Innocence isn't a part of my body like yours is." Leenalee inhales. "But even so, for the sake of my world..."
"I will..." Leenalee begins. "Take you out here and now!"
~Meanwhile~
On the ship
As Lavi and Krory are hanging on the rope, Krory is like a ghost.
"Aaaaa~" Krory says.
"Why're you so out of it, Kuro-chan?" Lavi asks.
"Need... Akuma... blood..." Krory manages to say. "Losing... strength..."
"Snap out of it! There's no time to be tired!" Lavi shouts at Krory.
"I see her... Eliade..." Krory says.
"GET A GRIP!"
Then the Akuma the sky start to shoot again. Lavi jumps up and lands on the mast.
"Damn! They just keep shooti—" Lavi didn't finish as he slips off the mast. "ACK!"
Then one of the beams hit Lavi's shoulder.
"GAH!" Lavi screams and Krory widens his eyes.
"LAVI!" Krory calls as Lavi falls into the ocean and Krory follows him.
In the ocean, pentacles starts to spread in Lavi's body as he falls, but Krory holds Lavi's arm and goes towards his neck before he starts sucking all the poison from the Akuma. After that, Krory then jumps out of the ocean with Lavi and lands on the mast, dropping Lavi next to him and Lavi starts to cough out the salt water.
"Huh? Didn't I just got shot...?" Lavi asks.
"Phew! Your alive." Krory says in relief.
"What?" Lavi says and he sees his blood tricking down.
"Looks like I managed to suck out the poison before is spread all over your body." Krory says. "Thanks for the meal."
Lavi is in shock that he got bitten by Krory.
"Oh, and I think I drank some of your blood too by accident." Krory says. "Kukukukuku."
"YOU RETARDS! HOW LONG DO YOU PLAN TO SITTING THERE?!" Bookman yells. "GET YOUR BUTTS IN GEAR AND FIGHT! YOU SLACKER!"
"How dare he talk to ME like that..." Krory says.
"I was bitten..." Lavi thought.
"WHY AREN'T YOU USING THE 'WOOD SEAL'. LAVI?!" Bookman question.
"Oh yea, I forgot I had that move... I'm so stupid." Lavi says.
"YOU IDIOT!" Bookman yells.
"Stop shouting, Panda." Lavi says. "Kuro-chan, c'mere for a sec." Lavi asks as he pulls Krory's ear and starts whispering. "OK?"
"Hmm? I see. But our footing isn't too steady." Krory says.
"But if we don't do this, we're goners."
"You're right. A death like this is unbefitting for one such as me! Plus it would suck if Leenalee got back and the ship was gone."
"This is where we stand."
In the middle of the ocean
Leenalee and Akuma Eshi are continuing their fight. Akuma Eshi then grabs Leenalee's arm.
"It's over girl. While cancelling my abilities, you can barely even move." Akuma Eshi says. "Eshi's body has now evolved into a close combat type. You cannot damage it."
"'Close combat type'. there are different types of Level 3 Akuma...?" Leenalee asks.
As Akuma Eshi holds Leenalee's arm, Leenalee is hanging.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Akuma Eshi laughs.
"I see... so your just one of the more stubborn types." Leenalee understands. "I get it now."