::Author's Note::
Ladies and Gentleman, I'm finally back! I apologize for my extended hiatus, I never meant to put this project down for as long as I did. Unfortunately forces beyond my control pulled me away for a few months. Outside pressure from work and one of the most severe cases of writers block I've ever had kept me from working on the Devil's Colt series for awhile.
But after plenty of time to soak in new media, settle some IRL affairs, and update the previous arcs I'm back in the swing of things, here with four brand new chapters for you, with more on their way. The first two Arcs have both received story updates for any of you who may feel like going back and rereading some of the older chapters. If not, then stay tuned as we continue with a A Ten Winged War.
The break lasted a lot longer than I would have desired, but the adventures of Jonathan Hyodo are back in full force. I'm very happy to present to you all Chapter Nineteen at long last.
::End Note::
Akeno's head was rested against Rias's left shoulder. Her Queen was currently in the throes of ecstasy on the couch in the Chapter Room, her head pressed firmly into her President.
"It feels wonderful, doesn't it, Mistress?" Rias purred into her ear while groping her Double D breasts.
Akeno nodded her head enthusiastically moments before arching her back and screaming in pleasure as she came hard. While Akeno caught her breath, Asia popped up from in between her legs and giggled, smiling contently at both of them.
"Holy crap." The Priestess of Thunder took a moment to cool down, her eyes still wide from shock. "Rias, my Love, you weren't kidding were you."
"I told you." Rias insisted with a devious smirk on her face. "She's a prodigy at this."
Asia licked what remained of Akeno off her lips, a sultry look in her eyes. "Should we go again?"
Right as she asked, the phone began to ring. Rias peered at the line curiously before standing up and walking over to answer it.
"Now who could that be?" She picked up the phone and held it to her ear. "Occult Research Club, this is Rias Gremory speaking." The President smiled upon hearing the voice on the other end. "Oh, Sona! So nice to hear your voice. How is everything?"
Her smile evaporated the moment she began speaking. Asia and Akeno both exchanged worried looks with one another while Rias nodded and replied with various forms of "Yes" and "Uh huh" to everything that Sona was saying. Her expression darkening more and more with every word she spoke.
"Yes, I understand. We'll get right on it. See you in a few minutes." The moment she was done Rias slammed the phone back down onto the pedestal and fumed.
"What is it, Rias?" Akeno asked with concern.
"I'm gonna kill them." She quietly seethed. "I'm going to kill both those prideful idiots the moment I get my hands on them."
Kiba was forcefully pushed back by the Red Knight's inhuman blows. Despite the power of his Sword of Destruction, Kiba was having trouble landing any major hits on the stubborn armor. He'd burned through a decent portion of his magical energy dealing with the six normal suits of armor and the Blade he was currently using was rapidly burning through whatever remained.
While he clashed with the Red Armored Knight toe to toe, Koneko provided support as best she could. Kicking and punching its midsection before quickly darting away before it could take a swing at her. They worked as a team, tagging in and out to take it in turn to wail on the armor whilst avoiding the massive silver broadsword with unknown enchantments on it.
"This is going to take forever!" Koneko growled before walloping the stubborn knight with another kick and then dodging out of the way of its sword swing.
An idea popped in Kiba's head. "Koneko, do you think you can get behind it?"
"Maybe…" She peered at him curiously. "What's your plan?"
"We'll hit him as a team, you aim low and I'll aim high." He explained.
Realizing what Kiba meant, Koneko grinned and nodded in agreement. As the suit slowly continued to approached she charged. It went for a horizontal sweep with its sword which she nimbly dodged by sliding between its legs like she did with the last suit of armor. Koneko brought two fists together and slammed with all her might into the joint behind its knee. Dislocating the armor and whatever flesh was beneath it from the rest of the body. The Armored Suit dropped to a knee as Kiba went in for the kill, bringing his sword over his head and down on the armor's plated helmet. The Sword of Destruction cleaved the suit down the middle, finally stopping right at the pelvic area. He dislodged his sword and backed away along with Koneko as they awaited whatever the Red Knight had in store for them next.
Clearly not wishing to disappoint, the Armor slowly lurched back up, standing on its injured leg as it snapped back into place with a sickening pop. A black, amorphous blob of flesh burst from the space between its damaged armor and grew to monstrous size. It completely took over the armor, save for its legs and right hand which still held the silver broadsword, forming a massive snakelike head with glowing red eyes and sprouting a mass of bladed tentacles out of its back. The armor on its left hand burst off as a massive boney, fleshy, arm with bladed fingers grew in its place.
"You are one ugly, Motherfucker." Koneko quietly commented as she stared up at the looming behemoth with a look of horror and disgust on her face.
The misshapen mass of black flesh, bone, and tentacles let loose a blood curdling wail. It was hard to tell if it was in pain, pissed off, or both. The monstrous creature lunged at them, slamming its boney claw into the ground as Koneko and Kiba proceeded to dart away. It lumbered after Kiba before trying to swallow him whole in one bite of its monstrous jaw. Though slowed considerably by his weapon, Kiba was still able to get out of the way before its snout hit the ground. Koneko, meanwhile, went in for a kick to the creatures base where the joints of the armor connected with the dysmorphic mass of flesh. She was swatted away by its boney backhand and collided hard with the concrete wall, getting knocked for a loop in the process. Kiba attempted to charge from the Monster's right and hack at its base with his sword but was blocked by the silver claymore still in its right gauntlet. The creature lurched back and slammed its fist into the ground repeatedly, trying to squash the nimble Knight.
Koneko recovered from the blow and shook the fog from her vision. As she scoped out the scene of the battle, she realized she was now behind the beast. The mass of tentacles on its back sprang to life, each one glaring at her unsettlingly with a single, misshapen eye. An idea popped into her head and the Rook charged the creatures back, drawing her handgun in the process. As the tentacles took it in turns to swing their blades at her she nimbly dodged each one. The moment she found an opening, Koneko popped one in the eye, severing the tentacle from the creature's back and causing black blood to come gushing out of the wound. The moment the beast tried to turn around to face her Kiba would swing at it again, drawing the Monster's attention back to him. They continued this pattern of pulling it in opposite directions, with Koneko popping each tentacle in the eye and severing it off its body. She quickly reloaded her weapon with her final remaining clip and aimed at the last two tentacles, dodging an attack from one while firing on the other one. She quickly dispatched both remaining tentacle in rapid succession before running up the creature's back and onto its head. She stuck the muzzle of her gun directly against it and fired point blank repeatedly. The amorphous monstrosity howled in pain before reaching up and plucking Koneko up by her shirt with its boney claw. It snarled angrily at her before opening its mouth to drop her down its gullet. With her last remaining shot, Koneko aimed and fired on its right eye, blasting it with her final UV round and causing the creature to howl in pain once more while clutching at the wounded limb.
"Now's your chance, Koneko! Do it!" Kiba shouted while parrying the Silver Broadsword.
The moment she landed on her feet Koneko charged the creature's legs and performed a leg sweep on its bad knee strong enough to knock its foot out from under it. The creature went careening backwards as its center of balance was thrown off before tumbling to the ground. Koneko grabbed it by the leg and, summoning all her strength, began to slowly spin the creature in a circle. Kiba stood in amazement as the air in the room circulated in rhythm with Koneko twirling the massive beast. Finally, she let it go, whereupon it smashed completely through the concrete wall in addition to the layer of steel rebar that was reinforcing it. The wall opened up into a large antechamber leading to a series of dank, dark catacombs which the beast went merrily sliding down before finally coming to a stop. It slowly, shakily, righted itself up as best it could, using its boney claw to support its lopsided weight.
"I almost feel sorry for it." Kiba commented as they both entered the new area and slowly approached the wounded creature. "Poor bastard probably doesn't even know what it is or why it exists."
Koneko knocked a fist against her open palm. "Then it's up to us to put it out of its misery."
Jon and Sammy worked their way methodically through the ever growing pile of headless bodies they left in their wake. These things, though still relatively frail, definitely were not your average zombies. Normal zombies didn't dress in black robes and cake their faces in warpaint. And they certainly didn't wield morningstars, machetes, and other such weapons of war. Whatever these things were, they still maintained some rudimentary form of intelligence.
Having said all that, they were obviously still monsters. Beings devoid of any true human spirit. They fought with heard mentality and used overwhelming force to bring down their prey and devour their flesh. As the two Dragons worked their way through the masses of undead hordes, the same overwhelming feeling surged within them.
"This fucking rocks!" Sammy roared in excitement before blowing another zombies head off with his shotgun. "Their brains go flyin everywhere if you pop em right!"
"Another group coming on your left!" Jon declared before turning and popping a group of fastly approaching zombies with his assault rifle.
Sammy wheeled around to his left and began firing off shells into the skulls of approaching zombies until his weapon was spent. He quickly shouldered his shotgun and pulled his Desert Eagle, downing the remaining horde with a group of well placed shots to the forehead. Once the remaining zombies had been dealt with, the two Dragons quickly reloaded their weapons and took stock of their remaining ammo.
"I've got five shells left." Sammy declare. "As well as two mags for my sidearm. You?"
"I'm down to my last magazine." Jon admitted. "Guess we won't be able to get away with not using our magic at this rate."
"Eh, it was fun while it lasted." He shrugged.
They both chuckled before slowly making their way further into the catacombs. Going room by room, hallway by hallway as they had been doing. Judging by what they were seeing, the zombies had devolved into some sort of tribal based mentality as many of the various rooms they found living dead in also contained altars and dark fetishes within them. This wasn't just a horde of zombies, it was a full blown Undead Cult.
"The more I learn about this place the less I like it." Sammy muttered warily. "It's like the further down we go the worse things get."
"I just hope the others are doing okay." Jon admitted with a hint of worry.
As they rounded another corner they were met with a long hallway with a large ornate door at the end of it.
"Well that looks promising." Sammy smirked.
Jon tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to the zombie standing right next to it. "But that doesn't."
The Undead Cultist lurched over to a nearby lever and pulled it down. The walls opened up to reveal a veritable gauntlet of swinging pendulums, moving buzzsaws, and, of course, more zombies.
"Are you fucking serious?" Sammy growled in annoyance. "Who the hell designed this place?"
"Someone with way too much time on their hands." Jon surmised before shouldering his rifle and pressing forward.
The Holy Swordswomen had used up the last of their ammo with their primary weapons doing battle with the two Flesh Golems. Now armed with their SMG and Revolver respectively, Irina and Xenovia seemed to have barely made a dent in these things as they would just keep regenerating every time. Meanwhile, the two monstrously strong golems wielded their metal claws with deadly efficiency. Attacking with reckless abandon like two possessed berserkers. While Xenovia fired on the golem to the right with her SMG, Irina took shots at the one on her left with her revolver. It charged her and swung wildly with its two metal claws, forcing her backwards to dodge out of the way. In the tight space they were fighting in, avoiding his weapons was proving to be difficult.
Spotting an opening, Irina drew her Excalibur Mimic and ran up the wall, narrowly avoiding another slash from one of its claws. She somersaulted off the wall and wrapped her lasso of light around his right bicep before tugging sharply, severing his arm from the rest of the body. Tendrils of flesh sprouted from the stump and caught the appendage mid flight, pulling it back to its body and mending it instantly.
Irina shuddered in disgust. "At least the last golem I faced was just sand."
"Remember Irina! The core is the weakness!" Xenovia shouted while still going toe to toe with the golem on the right.
"Right!" Irina's Excalibur Mimic morphed into a katana. As the golem charged again she channeled her psionic energy and unleashed her full potential on the creature. Flashing in and out of existence while slowly cutting down the monster to bloody ribbons. She sliced off all four limbs as well as its head before morphing her weapon back into a lasso of garrot wire. She wrapped the deadly strand around the torso of the beast in a criss cross pattern before tugging backwards and pulling. The torso shredded into pieces, revealing a glimmer of the core beneath all the flesh. She quickly pulled her revolver and fired, shattering the glass core and destroying the soul inside. The flesh that remained fell harmlessly to the ground before slowly dissolving into a pile of bloody detritus. On the other side, Xenovia holstered her spent SMG and pulled out an Incendiary Grenade. Summoning her own monstrous psionic energy she pulled the pin on the grenade and slammed it straight into the flesh golem's meaty chest. She then delivered a powerful kick, dislodging her fist from its chest while leaving the grenade inside. The Golem's chest regenerated around the grenade as it lurched forward to attack again.
Xenovia smirked victoriously moments before the golem's top half exploded in a shower of gore. Its legs took two unsteady steps before dropping to its knees and collapsing, dissolving the same as the other golem.
"Is it just me, or are these things getting more and more disgusting the further in we go?" Irina griped as she put her revolver away.
"This is bad. I've never seen necromancy on this level before." Her partner commented.
"Are we even sure this is still Necromancy?" Irina commented, looking around at the remains of the Flesh Golems. "From everything I know about the forbidden art, mutations of this caliber should not be possible."
"We won't know more until we find that lab." Xenovia insisted. "Come on, we need to find the others."
A massive tremor rocked the catacombs, chipping plaster from the ceiling. Irina and Xenovia both turned and looked at the entranceway that lead deeper into the substructure.
"Or...maybe they'll find us." Irina commented as the duo made their way towards the noise.
Jon and Sammy dropped their spent weapons and approached the ornate door, having just spent the last of their ammo reserves fighting their way through a gauntlet of traps and enemies.
"Okay, this shit was amusing at first but now it's just starting to piss me off. Whoever designed this place is looking to get a size twelve boot up their ass." Sammy growled impatiently.
"Save it for when we find Valper." Jon insisted.
"If he hasn't scampered off already. We weren't exactly discreet with our arrival you know. What's to say he's even still here."
"All the same, we can't just ignore everything we've seen." He replied while inspecting the door. "This goes far beyond just a simple revenge mission. Rias and Sona both need to know about what's down here."
They knocked their shoulders against the door, smashing it open to reveal a large, well lit antechamber. On the far wall opposite of them was a balcony overlooking a large, stone doorway. As they cautiously entered the bizarre new area, the sound of someone chuckling immediately caught their heightened ears.
Jon cursed under his breath. "I'd recognize that laugh anywhere."
"Me too…" Sammy growled before unholstering his Desert Eagle.
From above, a familiar looking mad man dressed in priest's robes slowly clapped his hands for them as he came into view from the balcony. He was flanked by two mysterious figures dressed in red and black robes that obscured their faces completely.
"I was wondering when you would notice us." Freed Sellzen spoke in his usual gleefully psychotic voice. "Tell me, do you like what I've done with the place? A bit of a fixer upper I admit, but the architecture was just perfect for new trap designs."
Jon chuckled, a spiteful smirk plastered on his face. "Should have known all this sick cultist shit was your idea. Only a madman could have come up with this place."
"Criticize all you want, but my new congregation simply loves it."
"A new congregation, huh?" He quirked a brow at him. "You preaching the good word again, Freed?"
The Stray Hunter cackled in delight. "Oh please! I've got a far better purpose now than spreading that horseshit!" He raised his hands into the air pridefully. "I have been honored with the prodigious power of Shepherding our newest flock." He snickered, his eyes glistening with manic joy. "I understand you've already made yourselves acquainted. They've been busy spreading the word of our Lord Kokabiel to all the healthy uninfected masses that have come here."
"Honestly, can't you nutjobs just handout pamphlets or go door to door bugging upper middle class families?" Sammy joked in a blithe manner. "You know...like everyone else?"
Freed sighed dismissively. "It's going to feel so fucking nice when I can finally shut those smartass mouths of yours up!" He snarled angrily at both of them, his thin veneer of sanity falling. "God I can't fucking stand Dragons! Those superior, smug, faces of yours make me want to puke!"
"Well what are you waiting for, Freed." Jon calmly challenged. "We're standing right here."
The Stray Hunter's angry scowl slowly vanished and turned back into a twisted smile. "All in due time, Jon. There's still work to be done before we're ready to toy with you again. In the meantime, why not play with my associates here?" Freed turned and waved them off dismissively. "Kill them both."
The two figures in robes removed their hoods to reveal that they were in fact Fallen Angels. Two sets of black wings sprouted from their backs as they slowly descended down from the balcony which receded into the wall as a concrete slab shut the entry point off.
The two shirtless bald angels approached and glared at Jon and Sammy, who in turn glared back at them.
"So what's y'all's story?" Jon commented gruffly.
"I am Barchiel." The Angel on the right introduced.
"And I am Balthial." The Angel on the left added. "We are Four Winged Angels counted among the Legion of Lord Kokabiel's Watchers."
"Jonathan Hyodo." The Gremory pawn introduced with a tip of his hat. "Red Dragon Emperor."
"Sammy Genshirou." The Sitri pawn added. "Black Dragon King."
"You boys are picking a fight you can't win. You oughta know that, right?" Jon insisted.
"And yours is a fool errand." Barchiel calmly spoke. "You think you can defy our Lord and not pay the price?"
"None will be saved from the flood that is to come." Balthial added. "Least of all you."
"So what, you going biblical on us?" Sammy asked curiously. "Your Master planning to start the apocalypse or what?"
They both shook their heads, those same blank, emotionless expressions on their faces.
"No." One spoke.
"No." The other spoke.
"This is not an apocalypse." Two maces composed of pure light appeared in Barchiel's hands.
"It is an extermination." Two battle axes composed of pure light appeared in Balthial's hands.
Jon and Sammy both looked at each other and nodded. Jon then removed his hat and tossed it aside as two gauntlets appeared on his arms as well as two metal boots on his feet. His face became covered in the Dragon's Mark and he sprouted a set of horns and two red Dragon wings. Sammy quickly followed suit. Summoning his Sacred Gear as well. His face became covered in his own Dragon's mark and his back sprouted a set of black and purple Dragon's wings.
Both Dragon's brought their own terrible power to bare as they glared at their next challengers with two sets of glowing eyes.
Irina and Xenovia dashed down the corridor of the underground catacombs they found themselves in. Following the sounds of a conflict from off in the distance. After rounding another corner they eventually stumbled upon Koneko and Kiba battling a massive misshapen monstrosity the likes of which neither of them had ever seen.
"What the hell is that?" Irina commented with a hint disgust. "These things just keep getting bigger and uglier don't they?"
"Perhaps we should assist them." Xenovia commented taciturnly.
Irina nodded and pulled Excalibur Mimic from her belt before charging into the frey. She whipped the razor sharp strand of light at the behemoth, cutting a diagonal slash into its body. The creature roared in pain before slamming its bony claw down on top of her. She quickly flash stepped out of the way and ran up the length of its arm before leaping into the air and slicing into its back.
She landed next to an injured and exhausted Kiba who regarded her warily. "About time you showed up."
"Sorry." Irina chuckled apologetically. "We were a little tied up on our end."
"You too, huh?" Koneko appeared next to her and glared up at the still standing monstrosity in front of them. "We've thrown everything we've got at this thing but it still won't go down."
Irina nodded in understanding. "Right. You two think you can hold out a bit longer?"
"I'm fine." Kiba insisted before raising his sword again.
Irina gave Koneko a look as if it to ask "Is that true?" to which the Gremory Rook immediately shook her head. Kiba had burned through a lot of his magical energy. She should have known he would be stubborn about this.
"Alright, you two hang back and rest up. Xenovia and I can take it from here."
Koneko nodded in agreement while Kiba simply rolled his eyes and looked away. As the beast slowly lurched back up and turned to face them, Irina charged once more, pulling an incendiary grenade from her belt and lobbing it at the creature's gaping mouth as it prepared to attack again. The grenade exploded, sending the amorphous monstrosity reeling as she proceeded to hit it with a vertical slash down its belly. She then performed a handspring to gain some distance before slashing at the weakened monstrosity repeatedly with her whip. Yet no matter how many cuts she made in its black fleshly exterior, the damn thing just would not go down.
"Tsk, enough of this." Xenovia commented before summoning her Excalibur Destruction to her right hand. The moment she took hold of the massive two handed sword her body surged with ungodly power. "Irina! Get back!"
Her partner immediately dashed out of the way as Xenovia charged. She leapt into the air and brought the end of her sword down into the behemoth's head. Its entire body began to glow with blue light before exploding into ash. The Holy Swordswoman landed daintily on her feet and shouldered her destructive blade while Koneko and Kiba gawked at her in bewilderment.
"Man...sometimes I forget just how powerful that chick is." Koneko commented.
Irina smirked pridefully. "Yep. Xenovias the best in the business when it comes to being a Hunter."
"Why doesn't she lead with that thing?" She asked curiously.
"The Excalibur Destruction is a powerful tool to be sure but it can also be unstable. If not used carefully, it's as likely to harm an innocent bystander or and ally as it is to vanquish evil."
"It's not as if that blade hasn't shed innocent blood before." Kiba stewed angrily. "What's a few more corpses to the pile?"
Irina peered at Kiba searchingly. "There's something I wanted to ask you."
He turned and regarded her warily. "What?"
"Why the Excalibur Swords in particular?" She asked curiously. "Why do these blades bother you so much?"
"I already told you why." Kiba insisted with a hint of aggravation in his voice.
"No but…" Irina shook her head. "...the Excalibur Swords existed long before Valper ever ran his experiments. Why do you hold a grudge against them?"
Kiba opened his mouth to speak when Xenovia did it for him.
"It's because without Valper's Research, no one would be able to wield the Excalibur Blades anymore."
Irina gasped in shock. "Wait...that can't be true, can it? I mean...I knew we benefited from Valper's research but I didn't think-"
"It's true." Kiba spoke up bitterly. "Before Valper's experiments only those who were born with Holy Blood could wield the Swords."
"Holy Blood?" Irina asked curiously. "As in, blood connected to one of the original twelve apostles?"
Xenovia nodded. "Every Legendary Swordsman who came before shared blood ties to the original twelve apostles. Arthur Pendragon, Saint George, Roland. They each shared a connection to the Twelve Apostles of Christ. Their descendants would go on to become infamous Holy Sword Users as well...however, as time passed, more and more Holy Bloodlines began to go extinct as their family's connection to the original twelve became more and more diluted. That was until..."
"Until the Vatican began using Light Crystals to imbue normal humans with the powers needed to wield a Holy Sword." Kiba finished angrily. "A method that came into being thanks to Valper's Research."
Irina looked crestfallen. "So then...our Blessing Ceremonies…"
"Were paid for with the blood of my friends!" Kiba shouted angrily. "Every time you use that blade you are profiting off of the pain and suffering that my comrades were forced to endure."
"So that's why you wanted to destroy the swords." Xenovia surmised. "You figured if you couldn't destroy Valper or his research you could at least stop it from being used by getting rid of the very power it was aimed towards unlocking." She shook her head in disappointment. "How unbelievably petty."
"Shut up!" Kiba glared at her angrily. "You have no idea what it is I've endured! The pain we went through just so you could hold that blade in your hands!"
She remained silent for a moment, considering her next words carefully.
"Did you know that there are several modern advances in medicine that can be traced back to the Eugenics Experiments performed by Nazi Doctors back during the Holocaust?"
He blinked at her in confusion. "What does that have to do with anything."
Xenovia shrugged, her blade still slung over her shoulder. "I'm just saying, as vial as those experiments were, a lot of human lives have been saved by what was learned. Just like a lot of human lives have been saved with our blades."
Kiba looked as if he wanted to say something but remained silent.
"I don't consider the sacrifices your friends made to be meaningless. Quite the opposite. I pray to them in thanks every time I use this blade."
He went wide eyed, completely at a loss for words with her admission.
"Xenovia...I didn't know that." Irina smiled warmly at her.
She nodded. "We can't always stop innocent people from suffering. But we can at least learn and grow stronger from it." She sighed. "And...for whatever its worth...I am sorry for what you and your friends were forced to endure."
Kiba seemed to consider her words for a moment. Finally, his expression softened and he turned, motioning for them to follow.
"We should...we should find the rest of our group. Let's go."
As Kiba walked away, the three girls watched him. Each with questioning looks on their faces.
"Thank you." Koneko finally spoke, a small smile forming on her features. "He needed to hear that."
"It's the least we can do." Irina insisted.
She sighed. "You know...I'm not sure we'll ever be friends but…" Koneko looked up at both of them with sincere eyes.
"We don't have to be enemies anymore."
The fight with Balthiel was beginning to remind Sammy a little too much of his duel with Xenovia. These four winged Angel freaks were tough, no doubt about it. His opponent was really pushing his abilities to the limit. Pushing him back repeatedly with the two battle axes he wielded in each hand. Sammy remained primarily on the defensive. Dodging and blocking axe swings while occasionally gaining some ground and hurling volleys of purple fire at his opponent. Balthiel would respond by shielding himself with his wings and spinning. Using wind magic to snuff out each fire attack as it attempted to land. With one final push backwards Sammy was taken to a knee, clearly winded, a bead of sweat forming on his brow.
"Try not to take it personally, Black Dragon." Balthiel spoke with calm authority as he slowly approached. "Our orders are very clear. We're to destroy anyone who comes poking their nose in here, where it doesn't belong."
"Alright, I won't." Sammy snarled before getting back to his feet and drawing on his power again. "And you try not to take it personally when I kick your ass back into the dirt!"
"Bluster all you want, I can tell you're reaching your limit." He charged, delivering another flurry of powerful blows that sent Sammy reeling back. Try as he might he just couldn't land a decent hit on the guy. "So long as my brother and I stand guard at this entrance, no one will reach Lord Kokabiel's secret lab."
"So this lab of yours?" Sammy spoke while dodging and deflecting attacks. "They making more of those zombies down there or what?"
Balthiel chuckled at him, continuing his relentless attacks as he replied. "Those mindless hordes are merely the footsoldiers. My Lord's invincible army shall be something far grander than that pahetic rabble upstairs."
The Fallen Angel managed to get a knick on Sammy's arm as he dashed backwards yet again. He winced in pain before clutching at the wound. "Damn Devil's curse…"
"I must say, it's been a long time since I've hunted prey that was this amusing." His opponent taunted. "I only hope my brother is enjoying himself as much as I am."
Sammy began to chuckle in amusement.
"What's so funny?" Balthiel asked in confusion.
"See about that…" A wicked grin formed on his face. "...as much as it kills me to admit this...Johnny Boy and I ain't exactly on the same level. At least not yet."
The Fallen Angel gave him a curious look to which the Black Dragon King sighed morosely.
"I'd never be able to beat him even on my best day."
It was then Balthiel heard something come crashing down to Earth behind him. He turned and gazed in horror as his brother Barchiel slowly raised himself out of the crater his body had just formed, beaten and battered. Above, the Red Dragon Emperor loomed over him like a wraith.
"Damn you!" Barchiel summoned a barrage of light spears which Jon avoided by popping in and out of existence, flash stepping from left to right before finally blocking the the last one with an energy shield. The Fallen Angel resummoned his maces and charged again, attacking from multiple angles yet never once successfully penetrating the green shield surrounding the Red Dragon Emperor.
"What?!" Balthiel was taken aback. "But that's impossible. His power was on par with yours!"
"Yeah, he's gotten pretty good at hiding that over bloated power level of his." Sammy admitted with a shrug. "And that's not even mentioning his boosted gear. Fact is, this fight was over the moment the audience heard the matchup."
Going back on the offensive, Jon knocked Barchiel completely off balance before delivering a flurry of supersonic punches at his central axis, finishing it up with a straight shot to the gut that knocked the breath out of his opponent and sent him careening into the far wall.
"Barchiel!" Balthiel abandoned his fight with Sammy to assist his brother, giving the Black Dragon King the opening he needed. He aimed his right gauntlet upwards, summoning his absorption line and firing. The strand of blue light wrapped itself around Balthiel's ankle upon which Sammy tugged downward with all his strength, jerking the Fallen Angel from the sky and sending him slamming down into the hard ground below.
"B...but how…" He attempted to stand only to discover much to his horror his energy was being drained. "What is this thing?!"
"This is my absorption line." Sammy explained pridefully. "I may not be able to boost my own power the way Country Boy does, but I can augment what I do have with the energy you're so kindly providing for me."
As the energy returned to his body, Sammy felt the air in his lungs become lighter. His muscles relaxed and the soreness in his joints ebbed away. Once he had absorbed his fill, he tugged swiftly backwards on the line with his reinvigorated strength and smashed the drained Angel in the face with a sharp left hook. Knocking the completely stunned Barthiel back into the dirt just as he promised he would.
"Dammit! Why didn't we know about this?! Why didn't anyone warn us what we were up against?!"
"Hate to break it to ya, but your Masters left you guys high and dry." Sammy commented whilst popping his knuckles. "Guess you're not quite as high on the totem pole as you thought if even Freed is getting a pass before yous two."
"Enough!" He barked angrily before resummoning his axes and attacking. The Black Dragon King nimbly dodged out of the way before delivering a stiff punch to the gut. The breath left his lungs as Sammy followed up with another hook that sent him tumbling back to the ground. From above, the wounded Barchiel saw his brother in peril and rushed to his aid, only to be stopped dead in his tracks by Jon who snatched him up by the throat and began slowly crushing his windpipe.
"Hey Sammy! Go long!" Jon called before spinning around and hurling Barchiel's body like a javelin. The Black Dragon King grinned wickedly before taking off into the sky and roaring, spouting an arch of purple fire directly at Barchiel that vaporized him upon contact. When the smoke cleared, nothing but a few scorched feathers remained which slowly made their way back down to Earth.
Balthiel stood up on his hands and knees, coughing up blood as he inspected his surroundings. Two angry Dragons looming over him and his brother dead and gone. If he didn't leave now, he was done for.
"This isn't over, you Bastards." He seethed whilst charging energy into the palm of his hand. "Not by a long shot."
Jon and Sammy were suddenly blinded by a flash of light. After managing to stun them, Balthiel summoned the last of his energy and teleported away. As their eyes readjusted, both Dragon's silently cursed as they realized the Fallen Angel had managed to escape.
"Come onnn, what's the matta ya pussy?" Sammy taunted to the spot where the Fallen Angel used to be. "You mean to tell me you're gonna pick a fight and then not finish what ya start, eh?"
"Forget it Sammy." Jon insisted before slowly descending back to Earth. His sacred gear disappeared as he picked his hat up off the floor, dusted it off and placed it back on his head. "We've got bigger fish to fry."
"Shouldn't we wait on the others first?" He descended back to Earth as well, his sacred gear fading.
Jon smirked. "No need, they're already here."
Sammy was about to ask when the door they entered from was suddenly blasted off its hinges. Koneko lowered her foot back down to the ground as she and the rest of her group made their way inside.
"Well it's about friggin time!" Sammy bemoaned. "Where were youse guys five minutes ago?!"
"Fighting a giant flesh monstrosity." Irina casually commented.
"Do I even want to know?" Jon asked warily.
Koneko shook her head. "No, you really don't."
Xenovia approached the door on the far end of the tall and inspected the inscriptions on it. The mural above depicted a greek warrior fighting what appeared to be a three headed dog, however the three heads were missing.
"Get a look at this." She called to the rest of the group.
Upon inspecting the mural closely, Jon, Irina, and Koneko each took out the dog head they were holding and nodded at each other. The group combined the three heads together, placing each one into the appropriate slot on the mural. As the final dog head was pressed into place with a satisfying click, the mural suddenly slid down into the floor, revealing a new passage. Upon stepping into this new hallway, the group noted at the end of the hall an ultra modern looking elevator complete with chrome finish.
"How much you wanna bet that leads us down to the lab?" Sammy commented.
"We're wasting time." Kiba insisted before hastily making his way to the elevator. "Let's get this over with."
They quickly made their way over to the elevator and got on. They hit the down button and the doors shut behind them, dropping them down deeper beneath the mansion into parts unknown.
The elevator descended down further than Jon and his group could have anticipated. From the glass tube they were riding in, the group could see the entirety of the massive, sprawling substructure that composed this impossible underground lab. It was massive. A giant metal silo with different structure and rooms hoisted up on steel scaffolding forming a circle around a central hub. It took the group's breath away the moment they saw it.
"I never would have imagined...how long has this been down here?"
"Probably not as long as you would expect." Kiba commented. "This place wasn't built by conventional means. The Fallen Angels played a big role in its construction, I guarantee it."
The elevator eventually came to a lurching halt and the group prepared themselves for the inevitable conflict that was to come. Much to their surprise, however, there was no one waiting for them in the corridor that opened up.
"They know we're here…" Xenovia pointed out warily, her SMG at the ready. "So where is everyone?"
"Coffee break?" Sammy joked blithely.
The group cautiously entered the sterile white tube that composed the entrance to the lab. On the wall was a map that gave the general layout of the building. Each section held an individual laboratory where different experiments were being conducted. While the central hub appeared to be devoted to the business and administration office.
"That's where he'll be." Kiba growled while pointing to the central hub. "I've no doubt."
"We should try to gather intel while we're here." Xenovia insisted. "I suggest we see what's in these labs first."
"Our only objective is Valper." The Knight insisted angrily. "I won't risk him getting away."
Jon sighed wearily. "As much as I hate to say it, it looks like we're gonna have to split up again. Koneko, you and Sammy check out the labs to the left. Irina, you go with Xenovia and check out the labs to the right. I'll head towards this central hub with Kiba."
They all nodded in understanding of their assignments. Each group split apart and began making their way through the labs.
Irina and Xenovia slowly worked their way through the complex to the right. Sneaking around corners and remaining out of sight of any security cameras as they flash stepped from cover to cover. They eventually happened upon a door that appeared to require some sort of cardkey to access. The Holy Swordswomen approached the door and inspected it thoroughly.
"So what do we do about this?" Irina asked curiously. "Not sure either one of us is strong enough to break through a door this thick."
"Unfortunately you're right." Xenovia smirked. "However, as always, I came prepared."
She pulled a roll of brown tape from her utility belt and began sticking it to the wall in a square pattern. Irina smirked at her.
"Thermite tape. Nice."
Xenovia nodded in agreement. "I don't have much left, so we better hope this is the only door that requires security clearance."
Once she was done planting the tape, Xenovia placed a small electronic primer against the top of the square. She hit a button upon which the tape ignited and began burning through the metal in a square pattern. Once it had eaten through the door, Xenovia kicked it down, revealing a large laboratory filled with rows upon rows of cylindrical vats. Inside the vats were bodies connected to tubes.
"This must be where they grow their husks." Irina surmised grimly.
"What was once a ritualistic process involving a witches cauldron can now be done in half the time through genetic cloning." Xenovia observed with a hint of disgust.
"Necromancy of the future." She shuddered. "Let's find out what we can and then get the hell out of here."
Moving further in, they entered another lab filled with what appeared to be machine parts. Robotic arms connected to lab benches where a body would be seemingly be placed. A consol on the far wall displayed information regarding the project which Xenovia approached cautiously.
"Dammit, it's encrypted." She cursed upon trying to access the holographic interface.
"That's my que." Irina gently moved her aside and pulled out a small circular thumbdrive. She inserted the drive into the monitors external port and began typing away on the holographic gui interface.
"What's that?" Xenovia asked curiously.
"It's called a P'own Box." Irina explained. "The tech geeks back at headquarters came up with it. Right now I'm bypassing their network security and bridging the closed system to the nearest telecom relay. Now I just need to run this decryption program I've uploaded from our servers and….there! Full access."
They scanned over the contents of the computer monitor in front of them. Just as they had suspected, the Fallen Angels were using cloning and genetic modification to streamline the Husk growing process.
But that's not all they were doing.
"Cybernetic Augmentation?" Xenovia peered at the words on the screen, a nervous pit forming in her stomach. "So...Cyborgs?"
"I guess so…" Irina accessed a computer file labeled, Model 1, and opened it. What appeared were the schematics for the suited agents that they had been fighting in the city. From the looks of things, there was nothing out of the ordinary for these vat grown Husks. Next, she clicked on the file next to it labeled Model 2.
What they saw made them visibly turn green. The schematics that popped up appeared to contain details for a project whereupon the husks would be surgically fitted with some sort of robotic endoskeleton before having their flesh grafted into a suit of high tech armor. Biological entities fused with cybernetic machinery.
"Irina...do you have any clue what this is?" Her partner asked nervously.
"N...no...not exactly." She swallowed back her nerves. "But if these schematics are to be believed, then these new models of Husks are nothing compared to the ones we've been fighting.
"This is sick." Xenovia shook her head in disgust. "A perversion of life at its lowest form."
"You don't suppose they've actually managed to start building these, do you?" Irina asked worriedly.
She scanned over the various files that appeared on the monitor before pointing to an application labeled Open Warehouse. "See what that does."
Irina hit the application causing them both to jump as two metal shutters opened up to their left, revealing a massive, darkened warehouse. They approached the glass window and peered into the dark void. Suddenly, a series of floodlights began to kick on one at a time.
Their jaws hit the floor. There were hundreds...no...thousands of the things. Soldiers clad from head to toe in ebon body armor, a rifle in each of their hands. They were standing still as statues in what appeared to be some sort of stasis pod, awaiting activation.
"Well...guess we just found the army."
Koneko busted down a large metal door leading into one of the laboratories in the left wing. Inside, they found vats containing samples of necrotic flesh in various stages of decomposition. Sammy sniffed the air and grimaced.
"It smells rotten in here. What do you think all this crap is for?"
The Rook shrugged. "Don't know. Can't be good though."
As they wandered around the laboratory, they happened upon a personal laptop sitting at one of the desks. Sammy sat down and tried to access it to find it needed a password.
"Well shit. Should have known it wouldn't be that easy." He sighed. "Don't suppose you've got any bright ideas?"
Koneko shook her head. "Unless you need someone threatened or a door smashed down you're better off asking someone else."
"Yeah, somehow I don't think threatening the computer is going to…"
An idea popped into his head. Sammy peered down at the laptop again as if searching it for something.
"What are you doing?"
"When Hyodo spoke in Draconian and got those cops to piss off, it got me thinkin. What else can the Dragon language do?" He pondered while staring intently at the screen.
She glared at him in disbelief. "Don't tell me you seriously think you can open a laptop by shouting at it."
He shrugged. "It's worth a shot."
"Do you even know Draconian?"
"Of course I do. I'm a Dragon." He insisted. "I've just gotta...you know...get in touch with my inner King is all."
She groaned wearily. "Oh, this is gonna go well."
Sammy focused on his inner voice. The one that would speak to him in his dreams. Jon said that all he had to do to speak in Draconian was switch from his external voice to the internal one. But what the hell did that mean?
The more he focused, the more he could feel it. That second presence. The inheritance of the Black Dragon King. The massive force slowly merging with his body. Sammy took a deep breath, focused his power into his voice, and spoke.
"Bex."
Without any prompt from him whatsoever the computer unlocked itself, granting him full access to its contents.
"Holy shit…" Koneko stated in shock. "That actually worked."
He snickered pridefully. "Eh, what can I say? Sometimes I know what I'm talking about."
As Sammy began browsing through files, Koneko eyed him warily. Even the Black Dragon King was capable of extraordinary feats of power. And with access to something like the Draconian Tongue, it wouldn't be long before he possessed an extraordinary amount of influence over the Earth.
And Jon was even more powerful than him. Something she never failed to remind herself of whenever she started feeling herself getting close to him again.
"Hey check this out." Sammy pointed to the screen. "It looks like there are some audio logs here."
He scanned through the different logs and eventually picked one marked as Session 13. Sammy clicked on the log and hit the play button.
"Personal Log, Dr. Valper Gallilei. This will be my thirteenth clinical trial introducing the mutated Z-Strain into a living organism. I'm eager to validate my tissue regeneration theory. Initial restraint was somewhat problematic but now the patient is resting comfortably."
They could hear what sounded like a man begging for his life in the background, fighting against some unknown restraints.
"There's no need to be frightened Isaac. Isaac...you know that's a biblical name? God said unto Abraham, give me your son, show me you are willing to sacrifice that which you love most. The one thing most precious to you."
It was clear by the other mans panicked wails he was not listening to Valper's mad ranting.
"You know what always impressed me about that story? It isn't Abraham's sacrifice, it's Isaacs."
A sardonic chuckle resonated from Valper.
"If I'm being honest, I have no idea what kind of God would ask a man to make that sacrifice but Isaac is still the hero of this story. You my friend, are the hero of our story. Through your sacrifice, we shall make the world whole again."
He began speaking purely to the recorder again while his 'patient' continued to beg for his life in the background.
"He understands his part in all of this. Places his life in my hands, knowing that he is to become part of something bigger than himself. The forehead has been swabbed clean and marked. And I am now attempting to create a passage to insert the sample tissue into…"
What followed was the sound of a motorized drill digging into what they could only guess was the poor patients skull while he screamed in agony amidst inarticulate attempts to beg the madman to stop. Sammy quickly shut the recording off.
"Sick fuck…" He sneered in disgust. "No wonder Blondie wants this Bastard dead."
"Can you get the next door open?" Koneko asked, seemingly ignoring the gruesome audio log.
"Already on it." He assured.
The door to the next section of the lab opened and the two made their way inside. There they found more vats, albeit far bigger than the ones before. These contained massive specimens, each grossly mutated beyond recognition.
"It's a regular Frankenstein's gallery in here." Sammy commented grimly.
Ignoring the monstrous creations for now, they made their way to the far wall where they used Sammy's new ability to open up a console interface detailing what experiments were being done here. While they couldn't understand most of what they were seeing, all the research being conducted here seemed to revolve around the pathogen Valper mentioned. The Z-Strain.
"So this is how he's raised such a massive army of zombies." Koneko observed worriedly. "Valper has discovered a way to turn living humans into zombies through a virus."
"Science and Necromancy, together in unholy matrimony." Sammy shook his head in disbelief. "What a fucking nightmare."
In the central hub of the lab, where the business and administration's office was kept, a meeting was taking place. A group of twenty two men and women, all dressed in suits, lab coats, and other formal attire were holding a business conference of some kind. At least that's what it sounded like. Jon and Kiba were less than interested in the specifics as they shuffled along the scaffolding and peered down at the meeting room below. The figures sitting at the oval table were surrounded by security. Those same Husks all dressed in suits and shades.
"Any of these guys Valper?" Jon whispered to Kiba.
"No." He whispered back.
"So what of the figures from our branch in Africa?" One man in a tailored navy suit asked.
"Well, the latest figures show we currently control roughly seventy percent of anti-malarial vaccines, thirty four of HIV Medications, and forty percent of all oncological drugs across Sub-Saharan Africa." Another man in a similar suit spoke up. "But we're facing challenges from the World Health Organization who've campaigned against our counterfeit pharmaceuticals."
"We have identified the key individuals to target." One woman in a professional looking skirt and blouse spoke up. "And we're expecting the same success we had with the campaign against human trafficking. Dr. Rigel?"
The woman in the lab coat nodded and pulled up figures on her smart tablet. "Since the boards resignation we have placed a hundred and sixty thousand human females into the leisure sector. As well as a hundred and eighty thousand humans of both genders into the research and development program. The inevitable completion of our Global Surveillance System based in China puts us right where we wish to be in regards to communication and information gathering. So once the operation is carried out, the moment for aggressive expansion will become available to us as soon as we…"
All conversation stopped as a hooded figure wearing dark, somber robes entered the room. Behind him was Freed Sellzen, who regarded the rest of the room with taciturn indifference as the hooded figure silently sat down.
"Don't let me interrupt you." He calmly spoke.
Kiba's body went rigid and his blood ran cold. "That voice…"
The Doctor cleared her throat and continued. "Our increased surveillance capability means government intelligence agencies will be easily counteracted once the operation has started." She finished.
"Thank you Doctor." The man in the navy suit spoke up. "Now onto the matter at hand. As I'm sure we're all aware by now...a fly has infiltrated our lab. The Red Dragon Emperor must not leave these premises alive."
"My team needs time inputting the final commands for the detonation sequence, and Tamiel and Ramiel are stuck at Site Thirteen dealing with the police. Once we've had time to backup all our necessary files and purge everything that remains then we can tear this place apart looking for him, but until then we do not alter the plan." One of the suits spoke up.
"Still, a direct confrontation seems inevitable. He's gained considerable power since his battle with Raynare if our information is to be believed." Another suit observed. "Do we have a plan of action?"
All eyes turned to the hooded figure expectantly. He reached into his robes and placed a glass jar on the table containing a jagged blood red crystal. Everyone sitting at the table scooted back in their chairs away from the glass container.
"The...the prototype was declared a failure." Dr. Rigel insisted nervously. "It's too unstable."
"It should be stable enough to serve our purposes at least." Another one of the suits observed. "Provided we find a willing volunteer to test it."
"I'll do it." One of the men on the opposite side of the table from the hooded figure stood up and adjusted his tie. "My loyalty to this organization is total. I will protect it with my last breath. There will be no more amateure mistakes this time, I assure you."
After a moment of silence, the hooded figure spoke again.
"Does anyone here challenge Mr. Altese's claim for the prototype?"
The members of the board meeting all looked at one another expectantly yet no one seemed to step up. Finally, a bald man entered the room opposite from where the hooded man was seated, bypassing security and glaring at Altese. Jon recognized him immediately.
"Baratheil?" Altese laughed haughtily. "Even after the beating they gave you? I'd have thought you had more sense than that."
Barathiel said nothing. Though he still bore the wounds from his battle with Sammy, he looked no less fearsome than he did before. If anything, he now looked moreso.
"Give me one good reason I should let you take the-"
Before Altese could finish his sentence Barathiel had already summoned his war axes and charged. In a single swift motion he cleaved Altese's head from his shoulders which went merrily tumbling across the table as his lifeless body slumped back in its seat.
"Well I'd say that was rather definitive. Any objections?" The hooded figure asked.
There were none. As the room returned to a quiet atmosphere, the hooded figure calmly strummed his fingers against the large wooden table.
"It's funny…" He spoke in an unsettlingly calm voice. "...all that excitement at Site Thirteen, and now this, rang a distant bell. And now...suddenly it all makes perfect sense."
His gaze turned up towards the scaffolding above.
"Welcome Kiba. It's been a long time."
The Knight's breath stopped as the figure slowly lowered his hood. The man beneath it had short grey hair and a vertical scar running down his left eye, which was white as a marble. A hideous smile formed on his features.
"What took you so long to see me again?"
"VALPER!"
Kiba drew his sword and dropped from the scaffolding down onto the table below in a blind rage before charging straight for his target. Freed darted in front of him and blocked with his Excalibur Rapidly. At that moment every Husk in the room drew their guns and took aim at the Knight. Jon dropped from the rafters above, his revolvers in hand as he proceeded to light up the room, firing shot after shot as he landed on the table and gunned down every single Husk present.
The members of the board room all glared up at Jon before slowly rising from their seats. He lowered his still smoking revolvers while slowly gazing about the room, taking stock of the twenty two angry faces he saw staring back at him.
"Well howdy."
During this time, Freed had successfully managed to fend Kiba off and knock him backwards onto the table next to Jon. With a victorious smirk he then retook his place next to Valper who calmly stood up from his seat and took his leave.
"I'll leave you both in the capable hands of my associates. Until next time, Kiba, auf wiedersehen." He placed his wrist up to his mouth and pressed a button beneath his robes. "Disable security failsafes. Priority alpha."
Valper left, leaving Jon and Kiba alone at the mercy of the twenty two boardroom members who each one by one sprouted a set of black wings and took to the sky. A spear of light formed in each of their hands, along with a set of six above them.