A/N: This is kinda hard to write! I have too many scenarios running through my head at lighting speed and its hard to catch one! I don't know if this was good enough! This is it ya'll! The war begins! How will Shinigami-sama and the Alpha Spartoi fare in the battle against the Kishin? Will they succeed? Read and find out!

Summary: They've defeated Kishin Asura and believed they've gained peace. But they're wrong. Lurking in the shadows, a group of people lead by a man named Noah are trying to create another Kishin using Chrona and Shinigami-sama's son, Kid. And and enemy thought dead wasn't as dead as they believed. How will Maka and gang defeat them? Will they be able to save both Kid and Chrona? They've found help from a young man who proclaimed himself as a Demon Weapon. Can they trust him? AU, OC & OOCs.

Pairings: Soul x Maka, Kid x Chrona, Black StarxTsubaki, LizxOC.

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater. It's the work of Okubo Atsushi. If I owned it, I won't be writing Fanfictions. (^_-)


Chapter Thirty Four: Alpha Spartoi, Into Battle!

Spirit zipped up his snow jacket higher and adjusted his hat. He was sweating a bit from the trapped heat but he's sure it'll be replaced by a bone-freezing cold in a few more minutes. He looked around at his comrades: Stein, Marie, Azusa, Excalibur, Sid, Tezca, Enrique and Nygus. He shut his eyes, recalling the faces of his fallen comrades and smiled bitterly as he thought, Looks like I'll be joining you guys soon.

Shinigami-sama, now without his mask, turned, 'Alright, Azusa-chan and Nygus-chan will be staying. Azusa-chan will take charge of battle strategies for us and the young Spartois when he time comes. Reiji-kun will help.'

Reiji perked up at the mention of his name. He gave a curt nod. Shinigami-sama then turned to Kid, 'Kid-kun… when the time comes… you know what to do.'

Kid nodded, 'Hai, chichiue.'

'Once we leave, Death Room will be in total lockdown. No one but Kid-kun, Azusa-chan, Nygus-chan and Reiji-kun are allowed in here until the time comes. Tezca-kun, how are the Witches? They ready?'

Tezca tapped a mirror and Hanna's face appeared, Raven's disgruntled face was behind her left shoulder. She grinned and saluted, 'Witches and werebeasts are ready for action!'

'You know the plan right?'

'You can count on us!'

Kid stepped forward, 'And about Chrona-san's training…'

'Don't worry about your pretty little girlfriend. Mabaa-sama will keep this a secret until she's ready. Someone will send her back when her training is over. Won't take long. Give her a day or two.'

Kid sighed, 'Make sure someone keeps us updated. Ragnarok will be a handful to keep on a leash…'

'I'll leave that to my little sister here Jenna!'

A younger girl who had her red curls tied to two pigtails on her head was pulled into the view. She let out a startled yelp and her face was red with emarassement, 'H-hi! I'm J-J-Jenna!'

Stein pushed up his glasses, 'We better go now.'

Shinigami-sama nodded and Hanna's cheerful face turned solemn as she turned to the people behind her. The view in the mirror flickered then returned to its reflective nature. Tezca placed a palm against a tall mirror and concentrated hard, 'Just give me a moment, I need to find a clear ice to make a portal.'

He let out a whoop when he found what he wanted. A wall of ice on the side of an ice and snow mountain. And there's a spacious land of snow and ice, enough for a crowd to gather and make camp. It's also protected from strong wind by the mountan of ice. He withdrew his hand and the mirror shimmered then showed an image of a land of ice and endless whiteness.

Marie checked her hair to make sure its in a tight bun then put on her snow hat. She shuddered slightly, 'Damn, it looks freezing there.'

Stein rolled his eyes, 'It's Antarctica. Nothing there but snow, ice, cold wind, penguins, seals, walruses and maybe a few polar bears…'

Marie nudged him and he ignored her annoyed face. He then followed Shinigami-sama who was walking toward the mirror. Without looking back, the older Death God said, 'Goodbye… Kaito-kun. You've been a good son and nephew. And I'll always be your proud father.'

Kid stepped forward, 'Chichiue…'

'Wish us luck son! And let's hope you youngsters don't have to go face Scelus.'

One by one, the adults walked through the portal. Azusa tried to keep her face impassive as she stared at Tezca but he knew her too well. He gave her a quick hug and whispered, 'I promise to do my best to survive and come back to you. Than maybe I can keep that other promise that you keep forgetting.'

Azusa shut her eyes, 'What other promise?'

'You know… the one I kept spouting during our years as teens?'

Azusa let out a chuckle, her face tinged pink, 'Oh.. that one… survive this war then. I'll be waiting for you.'

Tezca reluctantly pulled back, he gave her hands a small squeeze, 'I'll do my best!'

'I know you will,' Azusa smiled.

'I knew it,' whispered Marie with a smile as she looked at her two friends. She then turned and followed Stein. Her hand quickly grabbed onto his coat and she smiled widely when he turned and give her a questioning look.

Sid squeezed Nygus' shoulder and gave her a curt nod, 'Take care of the kids while we're gone 'kay?'

Nygus smiled, 'Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on Black*Star.'

'And you take care,' said Sid as he gave her a pat then walked toward the mirror. Excalibur was prancing next to him and he sighed at the sight. Spirit was right behind him. The redhead stopped and turned, 'Take care of my daughter.'

Kid nodded, 'I promise.'

Spirit smiled sadly then crossed over. Enrique did a little dance then he leapt into the portal. Tezca was last. He waved at Azusa with less enthusiasm, 'See ya soon!'

Azusa raised her hand and gave a small wave, 'See you…'

Once Tezca crossed over, the mirror shimmered and then the image of snow and ice disappeared and showed a reflection of Azusa who was directly in front of the mirror. She dropped her hand and stared at her own reflection. The sadness on her face disappeared and her face returned to its stoic form. She waits anxiously for Tezca to send them an image of the situation once they began. Nygus gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze as she stood quietly next to her friend.

'What do we do now?' asked Kid as he stared at the mirror too.

'We train,' said Reiji as he turned and walked toward the exit.

Kid gave the mirrors and the two women a last glance then followed Reiji out of the room. He pressed his palm against the door and the markings glowed gold and there were a few clicks. His hand slid down the door as his eyes trailed the intricate design carved into the stone of the door, 'He's not coming back… isn't he?'

Reiji stopped at the end of the hall, one palm against the wooden door. The man sighed, 'No. You know the rules right? No two Shinigami is to wander in one realm. Your ascention to a mature Shinigami will happen soon and that means the old Shinigami's soul must be reaped by you.'

Kid clenched his fists tightly beside him, eyes glaring at the black and white tiled floor, 'What if I-'

'You must reap Death's soul. If not, it will be corrupted and might become something… ugly. A demi-God's soul like Scelus is already a challenge to take on when it became a life form controlled by insanity, we don't want to face a corrupted soul of a God.'

Kid slowly exhaled and his shoulder slumped forward. He clenched his eyes shut, 'I understand.'

Reiji stared at the young Shinigami, 'Do what you must, as Death-sama instructed.'

Kid gave a small nod and Reiji pushed the door open and exited, letting the door swing shut behind him. The sound echoed in the long hallway. Kid staggered to a wall and pressed his right shoulder against it. His left hand pressed against the wall as his shoulders began to tremble. He suddenly felt so small like a child again. Feeling lost, confused and alone. He doesn't care about the salty tears trailing down his pale cheeks as he slid down to his knees, a choked sob escaping his lips. He pressed his palm harder against the wall, needing to feel his foster father's vague presence surrounding Death City. It made him feel vulnerable, not being able to feel the familiar and comfortable presence of Shinigami-sama's soul. Whatever small amount of soul wavelength left behind to protect Death City was easily obscured by the presence of thousands of living souls withing Death City.

'Chichiue...'


Shinigami-sama looked lowered his gaze, his face stoic but his heart aching, 'Be strong Kid-kun.'

'I'm opening the portal for the Witches ' announced Tezca as he pressed his palms against the ice wall. It glowed white and shadows were seen coming from behind the light.

Hanna's face was easily recognized when she stepped out. She let out a gasp at the chilling wind, 'Hot diggy dang! It's freaking cold!'

'Welcome to the South Pole,' said Spirit jokingly through clattering teeth.

Everyone except for Shinigami-sama and Stein were visibly shivering. The Witches wore thick fur or feather-like coats to stay warm. The portal closes once everyone had crossed over. There weren't many of them, about five thousand or so, but the ones present are those picked out for their strength and abilities. The few humans who were sent to assist the witches while they were preparing for this day were present as well, crossing over from the Witches' realm through the same portal they used. Hanna began giving instructions to her group. A majority of the medics were going to stay at base camp and a few heavy duty fighters will stay to guard the camp. White tents were quickly set up and the fire-element Witches started fire to warm everyone up at their certain group camp.

'Should I send the intelligence squad out now?' asked Hanna as she tilted her head.

'If you think they're ready. Tezca and Enrique will go with them, he can teleport them here once they've gathered enough intel or if they're in danger,' said Stein. His eyes were busy scanning at their surrounding, his Soul Perception scanning as far as he could to sense nearby threats.

'Before that, can you cast Soul Protect to those who hasn't had it?' asked Shinigami-sama.

Raven tensed when he turned to her. Her face flushed when she snapped out of her trance at the sight of his face. Her brother, Crowley, cleared his throat and nodded, 'Of course. Will do so. Come sister.'

Raven pouted slightly when she was led away from the man she and her peoples had hated for many centuries. She never expected him to be so good looking instead of old, ugly and wrinkly as she imagined. Hanna had bounded off to gather the intelligence squad and gave them a short briefing before sending them off. Tezca and his partner joined her to get themselves acquainted with the group. They were surprised at the sight of the mascot bunny head he was wearing.

Shinigami-sama tilted his head down when Excalibur poked him with his cane, 'Baka! Don't waste your strength trying to protect everyone's soul from insanity's corruption! Reserve your strength once the Witches cast their Soul Protect on everyone!'

Shinigami-sama nodded his head, 'I know.'

'I shall act as your voice of reason if your defense against insanity dwindle!'

'Shinigami-sama?' asked Marie when she noticed his hands were shaking.

The Death God turned away, 'I'm fine.'

Stein pulled her away and shook his head when she gave him a questioning look. He then led her away toward a big tent where the squad leaders were seen walking toward. Spirit lingered and stared at Shinigami-sama's tall and lonely looking back, 'It's okay Shinigami-sama, I won't let insanity consume you.'

Shinigami-sama looked over his shoulder and gave a humorless chuckle, 'You're kinda out of practice Spirit-san.'

Spirit tensed at the sudden formality, 'Well, you know me. Surprises are my specialty!'

Sid came running from the big tent that Stein and Marie entered, 'The leaders have gathered!'

Shinigami-sama nodded and he walked toward the tent followed by the zombie, the Death Scythe and Excalibur.


A being was floating in the air with his knees pulled close to his chest. His red eyes gazing at the endless whiteness in front of him. His hair and loose scarves flapping wildly around him with the howling wind. The smile on his face stretched to a Cheshire Cat-like grin, 'They're here… They've come to play…'

The moving white masses below him let out a cacophony of sounds. They were excited as well. They can feel their company close. The Clowns pushed and shoved against each other with anticipation, ready to jump into action when their Master commands them. But as for now, they were instructed to wait, impatiently that is. Their Master was amused by their restlessness, 'Shhh, calm yourselves.'

'Yessss, Massster~' they chorused in a hiss.

The Kishin sighed, 'Shinigami-kun is not with them…'

His minions let out sounds of unhappiness. They began muttering about searching for the young Shinigami for their Master, bring their Master's chosen vessel to please him. So that they could see him bring destruction and chaos with a strength that made the other Gods too cowardly to face him.

The Kishin reached a hand forward and let the cold wind caressed his exposed hand. He moved his fingers about, 'Oh well… he'll come to me eventually.'

He sighed again and shut his eyes, 'Foolish Asura… He believed he could consume us? Control us? How stupid… we only play with someone strong. Weaklings should be squashed like bugs…'

The Kishin's grin returned when he remembered how easily he snuffed out Asura's soul. The weaker Kishin was no match for them, only Scelus and Shinigami-kun are strong enough to contain them. But they're stronger now, they can control Scelus now and put him to sleep. Keeping him around was important because they need him to latched on to, to be something. Something that is alive. The disembodied voices giggled with glee inside the Kishin's head, 'Yes, Shinigami-kun will come to play with us.'

The flailing scarves wrapped around his body as he pulled his legs closer, cocooning him. As his surrounding become darker he envisioned the Shinigami-kun's face, 'Ah… we can't wait to play with him. Come to us quickly Shinigami-kun. We wanna play.'


'Ughh, I can't sleep when the sun doesn't set,' grumbled Hanna as she tugged down her snow hat to cover her eyes.

Marie chuckled, 'Well, be glad that we don't have to worry about being attacked in the dark. The sun won't set until March… I think.'

Raven stirred in her sleeping bag, 'Just our luck. The damned Kishin decides to hide here in November where the sun is up for 24-hours!'

'To tell ya the truth, I think I'd prefer we be here when the night is 24-hour…' muttered Hanna.

Marie grimaced, 'I'd rather not… though it may be a great help for stealth and ambush, it'll also be a huge advantage to the enemy…'

'… why the hell are we discussing about day and night in Antarctica?' asked Raven.

The other two women shrugged and shifted in their respective sleeping bags. Shinigami-sama had instructed them to get some sleep while they wait for Tezca to return with the intelligence squad. A majority of them are having trouble sleeping with the sun still up and won't set until March came. Marie smiled wistfully, remembering her younger days where she spent camping with her friends during holidays and mission. Eventually they drifted off to sleep pulled down by exhaustion and boredom. It was about three hours later that they were awakened and had been escorted to the meeting tent. Raven grumbled at the disturbance and Hanna practically dragging her out of her sleeping bag. Marie sighed and combed her rebellious hair with her fingers then quickly bunch it up to a tight bun and then covered her head with her hat. She stumbled through the thick snow as she followed the two women.

'Ah glad to see you ladies joining us. Sorry for waking you up so soon from your beauty sleep though,' said Shinigami-sama with an apologetic smile.

'Just get on with it,' grumbled Raven as she tried to tame her slightly frozen hair.

Hanna was grinning and doesn't even bother about her hair, 'Raven always gets grumpy when she doesn't get at least six hours of sleep!'

'Shut up mutt!' muttered the Witch.

'Tezca, what do you have?' asked Stein before the two women began their 'usual' banter. He had learned the two tend to go at it for minutes or hours. One does it for amusement while the other out of irritation.

Tezca perked up at the mention of his name and he stood up, 'Uhh, right! We've located the Kishin! He's about thirty miles ehh… that way!'

Everyone sweat dropped when he pointed at a direction. He had thought saying South would make it weird seeing that they're at the southern part of the world. He cleared his throat, 'A-and there's about ten thousand Clowns under his command. We need to send only those who could withstand the influence of Insanity because that area is literally the Insanity Zone. I mean a place where sanity couldn't survive. Josh and Nancy were instantly mutated to t-this disfigured creature when we got too close. I had to teleport the others back as quickly as I could…'

'Did you see him?' asked Marie.

Tezca shook his head, 'No. There's just too much snow and the amount of Insanity is just dizzying…'

'You did good Tezca,' said Sid as he placed a hand on the shaking man.

'Okay, round up Teams A to D. We'll depart in an hour,' said Stein.

Shinigami-sama turned to Sid 'Sid-san, take Tezca-san and Enrique to the medic for a check-up.'

'M'fine,' muttered the masked man as he pushed Sid's hand off his shoulder.

'No. This is an order Tezca. Get yourselves checked first. You need to really be okay to help out. And we'll change the plan a bit. You're not going to teleport us there, we'll go there by ourselves to conserve your energy and give you time to recover. Your duty is to stay here and pull the injured from the war zone, got it?'

Tezca sighed, 'Aye. Roger that.'

'Good. Alright, move it people!'

Shinigami-sama watched everyone leave the tent to do what they need to do. Spirit who had stood quietly beside him raised a shaky hand to comb through his red mane, 'So, this is it huh?'

'Yes. Scared?'

Spirit let out a chuckle, 'Duh.'

Shinigami-sama smiled, 'You'll be okay Spirit-san. I'll make sure you get back to Maka-chan safely.'

'No, you don't have to say that Shinigami-sama. This is war. There's a chance I won't survive, I know that… But hey, I'll go down a martyr It's cooler than dying of old age. I'm going down kicking and fighting!'

Shinigami-sam laughed at his friend's optimism. He then tilted his head down, 'Excalibur?'

'Baka! I'm not staying here! I'll be by your side comrade! We'll fight and triumph over evil! Just like old times,' said Excalibur as he swing his cane.

'Ah yes, the good old time…'

Shinigami-sama smiled bitterly a that. Back then he and a few had formed a group and called themselves The Great Eight. Their mission and aim was to purge evil and protect the innocent. Sadly, one of them had turned darkside and brought so much chaos. And now there's only him and Excalibur, of The Great Eight, left to protect the innocent. But he was optimistic. There are younger fighters to replace them, Eibon's son would be their new leader. He's positive they could maintain peace longer once he had passed on.

'Ano… Shinigami-sama?' asked Spirit interrupting his thoughts.

'Yes? What is it Spirit-san?'

'W-what about… you know? Rinrei-san?'

Shinigami-sama smiled as he pulled at the necklace hidden behind his collar and showed him the silver pendant with blue stone and gold carving on it. He stared at it, 'Three shots. Will try my best not to miss any.'

'You think it'll work?' asked Spirit.

Excalibur smacked Spirit's bottom causing the man to yelp, 'Baka! Of course it will! Rinrei was a blessed spirit! She has that special ability to repel and cleanse Insanity. With her aid, we can weaken the Kishin enough to destroy him with a simple Kishin Hunt!'

'Let's hope it'll be good enough… and I don't miss.'


Marie wiped the slight fog away from her yellow tinted goggles with her gloved hand. Her breath came out in wisps of white with every exhale. They've been trudging in the snow and hail for about four hours now. The wind and snow slowing them, 'It's really cold sown here…'

'How much further?' asked Sid as he casually trudged through the snow. He's dead anyway, the cold doesn't really affect him other than making him feel quite stiff.

'We're close. About two miles now,' said Stein.

Hanna rolled her shoulders, 'Oh yeah, can't wait to get into action!'

'Should we stop to rest a bit?' asked Marie as she turned her gaze to Shinigami-sama's back. He was floating at a slow pace so that everyone could see him leading them.

He stopped and lowered himself to te snowy ground, 'Well, take ten minutes break.'

The group of three thousand fighters stopped to rest. They were all nervous and high strung for the battle. They began whispering strategies with their respective teams, needing to remind one another of their plan, pass the time and try to get rid of the nervousness. Once the ten minutes were up, they began moving slowly again. Their advance were slowed by cold wind and thick snow but everyone was committed and determined to give a hand at ending the war so they could have peace once more.

The sensors (those with good Soul Perception) and werebeasts tensed when they sensed the danger and they shouted a warning to their teammates. Hanna who was in her wolfish form growled, 'An ambush!'

All Hell broke loose. The situation was instantly chaotic. The sensors pointed out where the Clowns were hiding so they could kill them and the werebeasts jumped into action, pummeling toward the hidden Clowns to blow their cover. Marie was amazed at the great teamwork, even though a majority of them didn't know each other. She watched as the Witches attacked at long or close distance with their magic, the Meisters too and the werebeasts battle it out using their super strength and speed. They were looking out for each other. She snapped out of her momentary trance and hit a Clown hard with her hammer-like fist and sent it flying off somewhere. She spun and drove another fist into a charging Clown and there was an explosion that sent the Clown flying to a group of its ally and crashing into them.

Stein was fighting using his Wavelength concentrated skills, stunning or causing Clowns to explode to white dusts with his hits. He doesn't seem to be facing any problem yet, she'll join him later. Sid was equipped with Excalibur and he slashed at the Clowns. He was quite known to adapt himself with many different weapons. Handling Excalibur was no problem for him. Spirit was fighting not far from the zombie, the ambush didn't give him and Shinigami-sama a chance to get together. He was now fighting viciously to get away from the Clowns surrounding him so that he could transform and become the Death God's Death Scythe. He got his chance when Raven came to aid him by sending a flock of ravens flying and pushing the Clowns back ad away from him. Shinigami-sama swooped down and grabbed him just as he transformed.

Everyone watched with awe as Spirit grew into a huge black scythe with black sparks surrounding him, he grew wider when Shinigami-sama raised him and then swung him into a 360 degree, instantly slicing Clowns within tenmeters radius into half. They screeched and disintegrated. The Meisters' morale were instantly boosted as they each performed Soul Resonance with their weapons and had managed to eliminate twice the number of Clowns than before.

Shinigami-sama looked around, 'Something's not right!'

'Yeah, this is too easy!' agreed Spirit uneasily.

They tensed when they see that the sliced and diced Clowns gather and become a different Clown. Bigger and stronger than their previous form. Everyone was shocked and their morale began to dwindle. More of them were getting injured and pulled back to base camp by Tezca, for medical treatment, through the small mirrors everyone had on them. Shinigami-sama cursed, 'He's using that technique again?'

'What? What is it?' asked Spirit.

'Witches! I need your assistance! We must find the Kishin and cast Soul Protect on him so that the Insanity leeking from him cannot manifest into these undying Clowns!'

'But we can't sense him! There's just too much Insane Wavelength surrounding us!' said a werebull who looked like a Minotaur.

'Leave it to me! Level One Witches, come with me!' said Shinigami-sama as he sped through the throng of Clowns, slicing and dicing any that blocked his path. A group of about twenty witches quickly following him, including Raven and her brother Crowley. They saw the Death God changed his grip on his Death Scythe and prepared themselves for his signal. They watched him sped off at lightning speed and there was a loud clang as he hit something they didn't see through the hail of snow. They skidded to a halt when something unfurl and sent Shinigami-sama flying back a bit. Those who had never laid eyes on Asura gasped. His red eyes swirling with madness and a splitting grin stretched on his face. His scarves flying wildly around him.

Shinigami-sama growled, 'Asura?'

The Kishi chuckled and spread his arms wide. A voice belonging to more than one person was heard from his moving mouth, 'Oh, no, no, no! We are not that weakling of a Kishin!'

Spirit frowned when he sensed Death tensed. A sense of confusion and uncertainty washed over him from the Death God. He knew Asura and Scelus' fighting style but not this… this new Kishin. Shinigami-sama's grip tightened, 'Who are you? Scelus?'

'We have many names. We can be anyone we like! But we are often known with one name: Insanity!' he snapped his fingers and more than a dozen Clowns swirled to a solid form from the snow under him.

Shinigami-sama was instantly in action, he slashed at the clown but they quickly regenerate, 'Witches! Cast the Soul Protect on him!'

'D-do we have a chance? He's so strong!' said a weasel-like witch.

'Just do it! What's important is to slow the insanity from leaking to much!'

Raven gulped, 'You heard him, let's do it!'

They began chanting in unison. Shinigami-sama tried his best to protect them, joined by Stein, Marie and Sid. The Kishin just hovered in the air, grinning as he stared at them, 'Interesting, you mortals are amusing! You fight against one another but when in great peril you work together! Once this war is over you'll be at war against one another again! The cycle never ends! Peace is never meant to last long!'

'Ignore him!' said Crowley through gritted teeth.

'Amusing! So amusing! Hahahahahaha!'

Spirit tried to ignore the Kishin's ramblings. This Kishin is weird, it's like a crazy child on sugar rush. He can still feel Shinigami-sama's discomfort at this unknown Kishin and that doesn't help ease his discomfort. He held his breath when the Witches cast their spell on the Kishin. The effect was instaneous. A small numbers of the Clowns collapsed back to snow and the ones that had been sliced and diced sluggishly regenerate themselves. But this was better than before.

The Kishin stopped laughing and he pouted, 'No! My toys!'

Everyone within close radious of the Kishin were knocked off their feet at his childish outburst. They scrambled to their feet and readied themselves. The Kishin snapped his fingers, 'Rise, rise, rise! More, more, more!'

A smaller amount of Clowns rose from the snow and the Kishin growled, 'You just have to ruin my fun don't you Shinigami-san? You're no fun! Not like Shinigami-kun! He's fun! I don't want to play with you anymore! Go AWAY!'

Shinigami-sama was stunned when he flew back, pushed by the Kishin's wavelength. He cursed, the Kishin didn't even raise a finger. He changed his grip on Spirit and pour out more of his wavelength into the Death Scythe making it grow larger, jagged and menacing, 'Let's see how tough you are!'

He sped toward the still, pouting Kishin, at lightning and swung the scythe at him. Shinigami-sama and Spirit gasped when the Kishin caught the blade between two fingers. His face split into the mad grin again, 'Oh, you still wanna play? Fine. Let's play!'

Shinigami-sama didn't see it coming, the fist drove deep into his abdomen and the release of wavelength at that close from a super-charged Kishin had to be the most painful thing he had ever felt. He spat out a generous amount of Black Blood as he was sent flying back and crashing against the Clowns, Witches, Meisters and werebeasts then into the snow, leaving a trail of white smoke and a deep grove in the snow covered ground.

'Shit!' cursed Stein when he felt the raw power from the Kishin. It was far too immense than the one he had felt from Asura. He was beginning to feel the dull clawing of Insanity against his wall of sanity. He has heard a few of their fighters succumbing into madness and turned against their ally or killed themselves.

'This is bad right?' asked Sid.

'Baka! Of course this is bad!' said Excalibur.

Marie tried to still her trembling hands, 'But we have to do our best and weaken him! So that Kid and the young Spartois could take him down!'

'And we must do this quick before we succumb into Insanity!'

Sid tensed, 'What do you mean by that Excalibur?'

'This Kishin is pure madness. Unlike Asura who elicits madness by instilling fear, this Kishin triggers madness with what an individual obsessed over!'

'Like curiosity, rage, insecurities and the sort?' asked Stein.

'Correct!'

'Hot diggy dang! That's bad right?' asked Hanna who had joined them. She stared at the Kishin with wide eyes, 'Cuz, I might go crazy with hunger and start chewing on living things with blood!'

Marie grimaced, 'Way too much info there.'

'Well, you should worry more about the two remaining members of The Great Eight turning mad. We're no match against either one of them! And without them we can't face the Kishin,' said Stein.

'That bad huh?' asked Hanna as she gulped.

Everyone was startled when four chains with skulls flew above them and latched onto the Kishin's wrists and ankles. They turned to see Shinigami-sama aiming a glowing arrow made of energy at the Kishin. Black Blood trailed down his chin as he fixed a glare on the Kishin. The Kishin grinned, 'Give me your best shot!'

The arrow was release and it flew at the speed of light and hit the Kishin's chest. The chains were pulled taut when the Kishin flew back at the impact. He let out a pained howl, curling into himself. Everyone's hope rose at the sight but it was quickly crushed when the Kishin chuckled, 'Is that all?'

Everyone raised their weapons when the Clowns chuckle then swirled into dusts as they chant along with the Kishin, 'Ring around the roses.'

Everyone watched warily as the swirling snow flew around them quickly. They raised their arms to protect their face from the literally biting cold stinging their exposed skin, 'Pockets full of posies.'

The swirling snow spun and spun and spun, 'Ashes!'

The snow turned to tiny needle like icicles, 'Ashes!'

Those who saw what's coming quickly formed barriers around themselves and their teammates as the icicles hovered around them, at every angle. The icicles flew at them at a quick pace, piecing through skin, muscles and organs. The unfortunate ones fell one by one in a bloody heap.

'They. All. Fall.'

Maried opened her eyes warily and she gasped at the sight of Shinigami-sama who looked more like a pin cushion. His face etched with pain. His arms spread open trying his best to protect his comrades. His cloak that had been formed into a large barrier around the small group of Spartoi was tattered. Raven and her brother fell on their knees, panting as they've just used a huge amount of mana to form barriers around anyone close to them. Hanna had a few scratches that were rapidly healing. Marie paled when she saw the sadistic grin on the Kishin's face grew as Shinigami-sama lost his grip on Spirit and stumbled forward, landing face down into the snow, 'Down.'

'SHINIGAMI-SAMA?!'


I thought the chapter was too short but when I looked at the word count I was actually surprised to find it over 5,000 words! I hoped you all enjoyed this chapter! R&R~ Kid and the young Spartoi will be joining the battle soon!