A/N: Hi everyone, hope you've all been doing well.
I hope you enjoy the new chapter of this story, though be warned this will be a long chapter, so it'll be split into two parts.
Feel free to follow, favourite, or leave a review or suggestion as always and I'll see you in the second part of this chapter!
Night had fallen on the Sno Ball Inn once more. The MON team had an exhausting day with the events at the shrine and were now digging into dinner for the evening, except for a certain blonde hybrid.
Yuuto had decided to sneak away while the girls were stuffing their faces to enjoy the pleasures of the hot spring alone. As much as he enjoyed their company and despite wanting to spend time with Lala, sometimes a man needs some alone time to relax properly, and so that's what he did. He quickly made his way to the changing rooms to exchange his robes and undergarments for a towel before making his way to the hot spring. As he walked out of the changing room, he made his way to the faucets to wash himself down. He took his towel off and sat down on a stool before cleaning himself, giving his hair a quick wash and scrubbing his body down. Satisfied he rinsed himself down and stood up before making his way to the hot spring proper. He put his towel down to the side before he stepped in and sat in the warm water. He relaxed as he placed his arms on the edge of the hot spring and let out a content sigh.
"Finally, some peace and quiet." The hybrid thought to himself as he let a smile curl onto his lips.
He closed his eyes for a moment as he enjoyed the tranquil atmosphere, though he noticed something strange as he did so. In the few weeks that he had adapted to his new powers, he had learned to sense the presence of his chaotic energy as it coursed through his body. What had surprised him though was that he could feel other sources of chaos energy to his left, several at least. He opened his eyes and looked to his left to see two tan-skinned men with bat-like wings and horns on their heads also relaxing in the hot spring, though they seemed more content with keeping an eye on him. Yuuto could sense a moderate amount of chaos energy coming from them, but he could also sense a larger concentration of chaotic energy coming from behind them.
"I'm glad you finally noticed me," The voice of a woman called out.
The hybrid looked up to find a slender but busty tan-skinned devil woman with white hair tied in a ponytail and white slit eyes with black sclera, as well as white wings, white horns and a white spade-tipped tail. She was currently sat at the edge of the pool under the wooden shelter with her legs dipped into the hot spring and a towel covering her front, the only thing currently protecting her modesty. She was looking back at him as a smile curled onto her lips and her cheeks blushed red. Yuuto couldn't help but stare at her for a moment, but soon his cheeks went red with embarrassment as he realised what he was doing and broke eye contact with her.
The devil woman giggled at his response. "Oh, don't be so shy," She started as she stood up and waded her way through the hot spring towards him. "I just want to talk."
"My lady," One of the devil men said as they both stood up to guard her. "you shouldn't act so recklessly."
She quickly placed her hands on their shoulders and pushed down as they begrudgingly sat down in the warm waters once more. "Calm yourselves, I can handle myself if need be." She said to them in a calming tone.
*Sigh* "As you wish, my lady."
Happy with their response she continued to make her way towards the blonde hybrid until she was right next to him, at which point she took her towel off and placed it by the side of the pool next to his. Yuuto quickly moved his arm out the way as she knelt next to him and crossed her arms under her bare breasts before resting them at the edge of the hot spring. She then looked back at him and gave him an innocent smile, though the MON agent had a feeling that she had ulterior motives.
Yuuto tried his best to calm himself down before he glanced back at her. "So, what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked as he tried to keep his cool.
"Well, it's not every day you get to meet a devil half-breed," She answered as she gave him a knowing look.
The blonde was initially surprised that she knew he was a hybrid, but on second thought it made a lot of sense. He was performing on stage earlier using his devil mode so it was easy to imagine that she caught sight of him back then. Even if that wasn't the case, if he could sense her chaos energy, he was almost certain that she could sense his.
Instead of playing dumb, he let out a defeated sigh and decided to be honest to her. "Guess I can't hide it," He said begrudgingly before he closed his eyes and triggered his devil mode. He then opened them and looked back at her with his now red slit eyes as chaotic energy course around his body. "but don't go expecting too much though. I've only been able to do this for a few weeks now." He added with his now distorted voice.
The devil woman looked him over with interest for a moment before she hovered her open hand a few inches above his arm, at which point sparks of chaos energy arced between them. "Interesting, you're able to activate it with such ease," She muttered to herself. She then shook her head as a smirk crossed her lips before she sat herself up straight. "but where are my manners?" She added as she extended a hand towards him. "I'm Eisheth of House Satan, but I'd prefer it if you'd called me Ei"
Yuuto smirked back at her as he reached out a hand to hers and shook it. "The name's Yuuto Kazama, it's nice to meet you, Ei."
"Ah, yes, your human name. Though I was told by your grandfather that your true name was Dagon."
The hybrid gave her a quizzical look as he pulled his hand away from hers. "Dagon?"
The elder devil rested her back against the side of the pool as she kept her gaze on him. "Yes, Dagon Diablo, son of Baal Diablo."
"Baal?" Yuuto questioned before the image of his father sprung to mind, the man in all his demonic glory smirking back at him. "…Dad…" He muttered in an angry tone as he looked away from Ei and clenched his fist as chaotic energy intensified around them. "There's still more crap that asshole isn't telling me…"
Ei looked on in concern before she turned to face him and placed a hand on his shoulder, which quickly earned the blonde's attention. "Hey, it's alright." She said in a calming tone as she gave his shoulder a light squeeze. "I did have business with House Diablo but I didn't come here on their behalf."
Yuuto glanced back at her as he began to calm down. "Okay, then why are you here?"
She let go of him as she sat back once more. "Mostly curiosity, but my grandfather, the emperor of the Demonic Realms did ask me to delegate with the humans of this country on his behalf." She replied with a sad smile. "Normally he would ask my father to go, but…" She trailed off with a now forlorn look on her face. "…Let's just say that diplomacy isn't his strong suit."
The MON agent nodded back at her with a thoughtful expression. "I see. Well, I'm sure things will go well from what I've seen of you so far is anything to go by."
Ei let a warm smile cross her lips as her cheeks went bright red. "I'm sure they will…" She then stood up to grab her towel and covered herself up with it. "Well, I have other business to attend to, though I'll be here for the remainder of the evening before I make my way to the liminal embassy in Tokyo tomorrow. With any luck, I'll achieve what my grandfather has set me out to do."
"Fair enough," Yuuto replied. "well, good luck with that, Ei."
She glanced back down at him as a smirk crossed her lips. "I believe I've had plenty of good luck on this trip already, seeing that I found you." She then leant down to whisper into his ear. "I'm sure we'll see more of each other soon." She added before she planted a kiss on his cheek.
The hybrid's face went bright at the act, not expecting it from a total stranger.
Ei quickly stood herself up straight once more as she giggled to herself. "You certainly do have an effect on people, whether you realise it or not. Though, you are quite the handsome devil." She then stepped out of the hot spring before he could even react, at which point the other devils did the same and covered themselves with their towels before making their way to either side of her. "Until we meet again, Dagon Diablo." She said as she and her associates made their leave.
Yuuto was left flabbergasted at what happened. This she-devil came out of nowhere knowing more about him than he did and then left him with a kiss on the cheek. He wondered if all of this was some sort of sick joke orchestrated by his father, though he wasn't given much time to think it over as a certain hellhound came running out of the changing rooms still wearing her robes.
"Stud! We've got an emergency!" Blare shouted in a panic.
The blonde quickly turned his gaze to meet hers with a look of concern on his face. "Blare, what's going on?"
She took a moment to calm down before she returned him a serious look on her face. "Smith is calling an emergency meeting; it looks like our vacation's been cut short."
Yuuto was confused at first, but then something clicked in his mind. Ei said she was heading for Tokyo on urgent business for her grandfather, the emperor of the Demonic Realms. Maybe this emergency his squadmate was on about had something to do with her.
With that in mind, he nodded back at her before he stood up and covered himself up with his towel as he returned a serious look of his own. "Alright, let's go."
Inside the dining area of the Sno Ball Inn, all the members of MON had gathered as requested and were knelt around one of the tables with Smith knelt at the end in her black suit. Everyone else was still dressed in their robes seeing this meeting was called on such short notice, apart from Doppel of course.
"Good, you're all here," Kuroko started as she glanced at all the members of MON. "now we're just waiting on our VIP."
Yuuto looked over at the government agent with a serious look on his face. "This VIP wouldn't happen to be the elder devil woman currently staying here, right?"
"Ah, I see you've already met," She answered with a smirk on her face. "well you must at least have some idea of the importance of this meeting, seeing you've already spoken with her."
"Yeah, and I get the feeling that us staying here around the same time was more than just sheer coincidence." The hybrid responded in an annoyed tone as he subconsciously triggered his devil mode.
Smith merely lowered her sunglasses as she locked eyes with him as her smirk pulled into a grin. "I honestly don't give you enough credit sometimes, Bishie-kun. The ICEP made arrangements with her grandfather not too long ago, so I planned this vacation to coincide with her arrival here."
"Would it hurt you to warn us in advance for once in your life?" He asked as he quirked an eyebrow at the government agent.
"If I did that, you wouldn't have been able to enjoy your time off work as much," She replied with an innocent smile as she pushed her sunglasses back up.
He just groaned at her response feeling displeased by her deception, though he was prevented from protesting any further as Blare slumped onto the table with a discontented sigh. "Oh man, and here I was just starting to feel relaxed too…" She complained out loud.
"Get used to it, Fuzzball," Zombina spoke up with a wide grin. "you've got to keep on your toes with this job."
As she said that, the sliding door opened as Ei and her bodyguards walked into the room, the group now dressed in the same robes as the MON agents. "Good evening, I hope I haven't kept you all waiting." The she-devil spoke in an apologetic tone.
"It's quite alright, Lady Satan. We haven't long gathered ourselves," Smith replied politely.
Ei nodded in response before she and the two other elder devils knelt at the other end of the table, though as she did so she scanned the group over. "You have a fair few agents here, I hope they don't disappoint."
Kuroko couldn't help but smirk back at her. "Trust me, both Alpha and Bravo squads are some of the best special forces agents we have at our disposal." With that the human woman cleared her throat, now grabbing everyone's attention. "Alright, everyone. Our VIP here is Eisheth Satan, she's currently acting as an ambassador for the Demonic Realms on behalf of her grandfather, the emperor. Our job is to keep her out of harm's way until she arrives at the liminal embassy in Tokyo."
"Just one question, Ma'am," Doppel spoke up as she raised a hand. "If she's such a big deal, shouldn't she have more personnel at her disposal to keep her safe? Two bodyguards alone aren't enough for such a big shot if you ask me."
The devil woman in question smirked to herself as she looked towards the doppelganger. "The reason for such minimal protection was in hopes that we'd make our way to Tokyo unnoticed, though it seems that plan has gone amiss. We have reason to believe that one of the other houses in the Demonic Realms would rather not have us engaging in diplomacy with the surface-dwellers."
"Surface-dwellers?" Kasumi questioned as she tilted her head to one side.
"Yes, the Demonic Realms is a subterranean empire. This is why we devils have remained hidden from the other races for so long."
"Okay, but why would another house in the Demonic Realms be against diplomacy?" Yuuto questioned.
Ei looked up at him with a forlorn look on her face. "There are many devils that think that we should remain isolated from the rest of the world, though they don't seem to realise that our empire has reached a point where we cannot sustain ourselves for much longer, and that's why I'm here to delegate on their behalf."
"As you can see, it is of the utmost importance that we make sure Lady Satan makes it to Tokyo safely," Smith interjected.
"That's fine, but there's just one problem," The zombie of the group spoke up. "we're kind of lacking in equipment and firepower right now. We're not in any position to defend anyone."
The government agent couldn't help but smirk to herself before she removed her sunglasses and locked eyes with the redhead. "Don't worry, that's already been accounted for."
Just as the government agent had finished talking, someone knocked on the door before sliding it open, revealing Yukio with an expressionless look on her face. "Pardon the disturbance but there's a Miss Cunningham that wishes to speak with you, she mentioned something about preparations for an upcoming operation."
"Ah, yes, we've been expecting her," Kuroko replied with a smile. "let her in."
"Very well," The yuki-onna responded with a nod before moving from the doorway.
As she did so the long-legged arachne made her way into the room with some difficulty, wearing her yellow and black MON combat fatigues and her long blonde hair tied up in a bun. She stopped not too far from the doorway as she stood to attention and saluted to the government agent. "Sergeant Cynthia Cunningham, reporting for duty, Ma'am." She said respectfully.
"Serge?!" All the other MON agents exclaimed in surprise.
"It's good to see you too, Sergeant," Smith replied in a professional tone. "tell me, have you completed preparations?"
"Affirmative, all gear and equipment you asked for have been secured and transported here as requested," Cynthia answered as she stood at ease.
"Excellent work," The human woman then turned her attention to the other MON agents in the room. "alright everyone, suit up and get ready. We'll be taking shifts patrolling the perimeter of the inn grounds and keeping watch, I don't want anyone coming within one hundred metres of our VIP."
"And what should we do if the enemy tries tae siege this stronghold?" Lala asked with some visible concern on her face.
Kuroko's face turned grim at the young reaper's question. "We are to neutralise any hostiles that try to break through our defences. You are all authorised to use lethal force if necessary."
There were varying reactions from the MON team, there were nods of confirmation from the more experienced members such as Zombina and Doppel, but the newer members such as Blare and Lala were initially shocked that they've been permitted to kill. Yuuto was also taken by surprise by the order, seeing that he's never been given the order to use lethal force before during his time in MON, but he knew that it would eventually come up in their line of work.
The hybrid took a deep breath before letting out a sigh. "Understood, Ma'am," He said with some uncertainty.
Smith nodded back at him before turning her attention to the whole team. "Excellent, you're all dismissed."
"You heard the commanding officer!" The arachne shouted to get their attention. "We've got work to do so get a move on, on the double!"
All the MON agents shot up to their feet without question. "Yes, Ma'am!" They shouted before they quickly made their way out the room to get suited up for the upcoming operation with the sergeant following close behind.
Eisheth couldn't help but smirk to herself at how much of a panic they were in from the sergeant's orders. "Well, it seems that they're well-disciplined at the very least."
Kuroko smirked back at the elder devil at her comment. "They certainly are. You couldn't ask for a better team of special forces agents."
"I hope that is the case," She replied in a melancholy tone. "I'm just hoping that if we do get attacked that they'll be able to handle it."
The government agent dipped her head in worry, knowing how serious a situation they were all in. "They can handle themselves; I know they can…"
The members of MON had quickly suited themselves up as ordered and were making preparations of their own. Zombina and Manako were giving their SMG's and sniper rifle respectively a thorough looking over to make sure they were operating correctly, Tio was buckling up her armour and examining her riot shields, Kasumi was checking her shinobi equipment to make sure everything was there, and even Raia had been given an assault rifle to check over for the upcoming mission. Everyone else was mentally preparing themselves with Blare and Kes talking to each other, Doppel shifting her hair into blades repeatedly and Yuuto practising some basic kendo stances. Lala was busy strapping some sort of metal brace around her neck, though it seemed that she was struggling to fasten it properly.
The blonde hybrid noticed this and sheathed his katana before moving to her side. "Hey, let me help you with that." He said with a loving smile.
The young reaper was caught off guard by his sudden interjection but she was happy for her boyfriend's assistance. "Thank ye, me Love. This relic the Organization has bestowed upon me seems tae resist against me actions." She said with a slight pout on her face.
Yuuto chuckled at her response as he fastened the buckle on the brace. "Don't worry about it." With a click, he seemed happy enough with his work and took a step back. "There, that should do it."
Lala ran her hands along the edge of the neck brace to make sure it was fixed on properly. "Aye, it seems so, though I do nay understand the purpose o' this relic." She said with a quizzical look on her face.
Doppel overheard their conversation and smirked to herself as she decided to have some fun with the young reaper. "Let's take it for a test drive then." She interjected with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
The doppelganger shot several locks of her hair towards the dullahan and wrapped them around her legs. Lala was then hauled into the air by her feet and she was now hanging upside-down with her arms pressing against the top of her head for protection.
"D-D-Doppel, cease this at once!" She yelled with a panicked look on her face.
"Cool your jets, Juliet," Doppel replied with a smug look on her face as she sauntered towards the now suspended dullahan. "that thing you're wearing is supposed to stop your head from falling off."
"She's right," The hybrid said as he knelt next to his girlfriend and put his hands on her arms. "just move your arms away for a sec and you'll see."
The young reaper was hesitant for a moment but she eventually calmed down and nodded back at him. With his assistance, she moved her arms from the top of her head, though she was initially surprised that her head hadn't immediately toppled to the ground as it stayed in place thanks to the neck brace she was wearing.
"…This sensation…" She started with a look of confusion on her face. "…it feels like there is a great pressure building around me face." She added as her cheeks went slightly red.
"That'll be because the blood's rushing to your head," Doppel replied as her features softened.
"Would that even be possible if her head and body can function independently?" Kestria questioned as she looked on at the proceedings with a questioning look on her face.
All of the MON agents had similar expressions on their faces as they thought about the conundrum. Many of them had grim looks on their faces as they thought about what would happen if her head fell out of the brace right now, not wanting to see the results, including the dullahan herself. With some haste, the doppelganger uprighted her squadmate and placed her back on her feet with some care.
All was silent until a certain empusa spoke up as she tilted her head to one side in thought. "If that is the case, shouldn't blood be-"
"For the love of whichever deity in concerns please don't finish that sentence," Yuuto interjected as his face went slightly pale.
This was soon followed by the gut-wrenching laughter from Zombina as she was no longer able to contain her amusement at the situation. "AHAHAHAHAHA! YOU SHOULD ALL SEE YOUR FACES, IT'S PRICELESS!" She exclaimed as she held her sides tightly.
The young reaper's face went red with embarrassment and she put her scarf back on over her new brace and tried to hide her face with it. "I do nay think that such an outcome would occur, but I do nay wish tae tempt fate…"
Things were starting to calm down again as everyone got back to their preparations, though Yuuto found himself deep in thought. He started to worry about what would happen to them if they were attacked by a group of elder devils as Eisheth had feared. Sure, MON had found themselves in dangerous situations before, but nothing they felt that they couldn't handle. Now though there was a good chance they would face off against an enemy they hardly knew anything about. The blonde only had his own experience fighting Fukuda back when he initially awakened to his devil powers and he was surprised by what he could do. He could only imagine what an experienced pureblood elder devil could do, and they'd probably be facing off against multiple elder devils at least.
This time, their lives were truly on the line.
Lala noticed the worried look on her boyfriend's face and immediately went to his side to comfort him. "Yuuto, is something the matter?" She asked in a concerned tone as she took a hold of his hand with both of hers.
The hybrid was shaken from his thoughts by her touch and looked back at her before a smile crept onto his lips. "Yeah, I just have my concerns about this mission, that's all." He then turned his attention to the rest of the team. "Hey girls, I was just wondering. Have any of you killed anyone before?" He asked as an uneasy look dominated his face.
The members of Squad Bravo wore shocked by his query, not expecting him to bring up something so morbid, though this didn't stop Blare from speaking up. "Well, I used to do a lot of hunting with my mom and siblings back home."
"That's not what he's asking, fur-for-brains," Kestria interjected as she silently questioned her squad mate's intelligence. "he's asking if we've ever killed another person."
The hellhound finally caught on and her shock grew. "…Oh… Well, I've only ever hunted animals, so that's a no…"
"Can't say I'm any better," The raptor harpy replied. "My sisters and I never hunted anything smarter than an elk."
"I haven't done anything beyond hunting myself," Kasumi spoke up with some hesitation. "though many people in my clan are trained shinobi, I've never been involved in any assassinations myself."
Raia let out a sigh as she spoke up. "I've never killed anyone, but I have been on the receiving end and I know all too well how horrible the feeling of dying is…" She said as she tried to contain her emotions.
"And I have only ever guided the spirits o' the dead tae their final resting place. I have never forcibly ended the life o' a mortal being." Lala explained as she squeezed his hand comfortingly.
The hybrid nodded in understanding before turning his attention towards the senior members of Squad Alpha. "I'm sure you all have plenty of experience with situations like this, right?"
Zombina and her team were silent for a moment as they recalled their actions from operations before even Yuuto joined up with MON, but the redhead of the group soon spoke up for all of them. "Yeah, Beesh. This ain't nothing new to us, but killing someone isn't something that you ever get used to. You just learn how to cope with it is all." She said in a solemn tone.
"That's right," Manako interjected in a serious tone. "I take no pleasure in taking a life, but sometimes we have to do what's needed in this job."
"Yeah, sometimes you have to take a bad guy out for good to protect others…" Tio added as her eyes began to tear up.
Doppel stopped messing around with her hair as she directed her attention towards the newer members of MON. "Look, trust me when I say that there are some assholes that deserve to die. We've seen atrocities that would traumatise most people, and I've been more than happy to kill the bastards responsible for them, but it never makes it any easier to do. Just know that we only kill when it's necessary."
The hybrid pondered on what his work colleagues had told him and he took a moment to put his thoughts into perspective. If push comes to shove, they'll just have to do what's necessary. They were well trained special forces after all.
Before he realised it, Zombina was right next to him and had placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry so much, Beesh. This isn't our last stand, it's just another job, right?" She asked as she gave him a toothy grin.
After a moment Yuuto smirked back at her and gave her a nod. "Right."
"And that goes for the rest of you," The zombie said to the other members of Bravo, as well as Lala. "there's nothing to worry about! We just work together like we always do and we're gonna make it through this without a hitch!" She shouted with enthusiasm.
Blare, Kasumi, Kestria, Raia and Lala couldn't help but nod at the redhead's encouraging words. Even Manako, Tio and Doppel couldn't help but smile at their captain's upbeat mood. Before long, Cynthia skittered into the room with a stern look on her face, only to find both Alpha and Bravo in surprisingly high spirits. Even she couldn't help but smirk at the scene, but they still had a job to do and she shifted back into her commanding persona.
"ATTENTION!" The arachne bellowed as she stood up straight with a stern look on her face once more.
All the members of MON flinched at her voice and soon filed up in line at opposite sides of the sergeant now stood at attention.
Satisfied, Cynthia continued. "Alright everyone, we have a routine operation on our hands. Orders are to protect our VIP's at all costs, so I want surveillance and constant patrols throughout the night until we're ready to escort them back to Tokyo tomorrow. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Ma'am!" The MON agents replied in unison.
"Good, now gather around," She said as she made her way to one of the tables in the room as she laid out a floor plan for the onsen with Alpha and Bravo now gathering around the table also. "This is what I have planned."
It was now the middle of the night and the operation was well underway. Thankfully for the team, the only people in the Sno Ball Inn right now were them and the VIP's, as well as Yukio and her host. Unfortunately, it was starting to snow heavily outside due to how anxious the yuki-onna was. Zombina, Tio, and Lala were stationed near the room where Smith and the non-combatants were staying in for the night to make sure no one came close to them. Doppel, Raia and Cynthia were patrolling the corridors and rooms inside the building to make sure they were unoccupied. Blare and Kasumi were tasked to keep an eye on things outside despite the worsening conditions, though they did their best to keep themselves sheltered as best as they could. Even Kestria was currently in flight to have an aerial view of the grounds to make sure no one would sneak past their defences. At the top level near the front of the building, Manako was stationed on the balcony of one of the rooms with her sniper rifle resting on the railings as she scanned the area in front of the inn. Thankfully there was nothing in view for the time being but she had to be vigilant, especially in these poor weather conditions. The monoeye was starting to shiver slightly due to the cold, but she couldn't afford to let her vigil waver just yet. She then sneezed for a moment, disturbing some of the snow that had been building up on her weapon before she rubbed her nose with reddened cheeks.
"Observer, Falco. Get yourselves inside, I'll be up in a second." Yuuto called down the voice comms, causing the girl to flinch momentarily.
Manako pressed a finger to her earpiece. "That's affirmative, Vergil. I was starting to get a little cold." She replied without hesitation.
"Copy that," Kestria added. "you don't have to tell me twice."
Just as she stepped inside the room and rested her rifle against the wall, the sliding door opened to reveal the hybrid holding a tray with three mugs of steaming hot chocolates on it. "Looks like you could do with a bit of warming up." He said as he gave her a cheeky grin.
The monoeye couldn't help but smile back at him as she made her way to him and picked up a mug from the tray. "Thank you, Yuuto. I think I was starting to go numb out there." She replied in an appreciative tone before taking a sip of her drink.
Without much warning, Kestria swooped in and landed on the balcony of the room before she stepped inside and shook some snow off of herself. "Damn, it's really bad out there right now." The raptor harpy complained as she made her way to her co-workers. "Can't we get Yukio to ease off on the snowstorm she's making?"
Yuuto handed his squadmate her drink, much to her delight before he sipped his drink and placed the tray down. "There's not a lot we can do about how she's feeling, but her host is trying his best to keep her calm." He replied in a sombre tone. "We can only do what with the current conditions as best as we can."
"That's fair," Kestria answered before taking a sip of her drink. "damn, that's the good stuff."
As the pair were talking, Manako leant back against the doorframe of the balcony and resumed to keep watch. "Well, despite the conditions, we should be prepared for anything. Any potential hostiles would use this as cover."
"Yeah, Ei seems convinced that there'll be an attack on us tonight," The hybrid commented before he triggered his devil mode. "but I should be able to sense them coming long before they can make a surprise attack."
"Oh, you've already got a pet name for her?" The raptor harpy teased with a smirk on her face. "I'm surprised you two have already gotten so close."
"It's not like that, Kes. She asked me to call her that." Her captain replied in an annoyed tone.
"She so has the hots for you, Hotshot," Kestria retorted as her smirk widened into a grin. "we just can't leave you alone with a girl for even one second."
Yuuto's chaos energy started to intensify slightly as he was starting to get irate with his squad mate's teasing. "It's not like I intentionally try to pull every woman I-!"
The hybrid cut himself short suddenly, which put Kestria and Manako on edge. He could sense multiple sources of chaos energy coming from the back of the building, as well as more coming from the front and the sides. He hoped that they were Eisheth's bodyguards but he could already sense them from the floor below, as well as Ei herself. He could sense more chaos sources coming towards them from all sides, even some coming from above the building. The MON agent started to panic as the number of sources continued to increase around them.
"Hotshot, what's the matter?" His squadmate questioned in a concerned tone.
"Are you alright, Yuuto?" Manako asked as she looked towards him with visible worry.
Yuuto snapped himself from his trance as he focused on the pair once more, giving himself a moment to recompose himself as he took a deep breath. "We're surrounded."
The raptor harpy and the monoeye started to panic at the sudden news. "You're kidding me! I didn't see a damn thing out there just a minute ago!" Kestria exclaimed in disbelief.
Manako dropped her drink and immediately picked up her rifle before she rushed to the balcony and readied her weapon as she scanned the area for any potential hostiles. "But how? I should've been able to spot something sooner, even with how bad the weather is." She said as she tried her best to keep herself calm. As she scanned the area in front of her, she managed a spot a few flickers of red in the distance, and they were closing in fast. "At least three targets confirmed, but there's bound to be more."
Without hesitation, the blonde quickly placed his drink down and pressed his fingers to his earpiece. "This is Vergil to all units; we have spotted hostiles moving to our location. I'm sensing more targets coming in on all sides." He called down whilst trying to keep his cool.
"This is Raven; copy that, Vergil," Kuroko replied in a serious tone. "All units, cover all entrances and prepare to engage with hostiles. Lethal force authorised, repeat, lethal force authorised."
All the MON agents made their acknowledgements before making ready for the incoming attack.
"Alright, I'm going to take off and see if I can pick any of those bastards off," Kestria said to him before trying to make her leave.
"Kes!" The raptor harpy froze as she turned around to see her captain giving her a look of worry. "Just be careful out there, okay? We don't know what we're dealing with."
She couldn't help but smirk back at him as she gave him a wink. "Don't worry about me, Hotshot. If it's a fight in the sky, they stand no chance."
Yuuto calmed himself down once more as he smirked back at her. "Alright, but I better not be pulling your ass out of the fire after spouting such bravado."
"You'd love that, wouldn't you?" She teased before she finally made her way onto the balcony and took flight.
"Be careful out there!" The monoeye called out to her.
"I will!"
"I'd better make a move myself," The hybrid said as he grabbed a hold of Black Lotus' hilt and started to take his leave.
"That goes double for you!" Manako shouted to him as she kept her focus outside. "I don't know why, but I have a feeling that you'll be our best shot at taking down the enemy tonight." She added in a more worried tone.
He couldn't help but smile in her general direction. "I'll be careful, I promise."
The sniper smiled to herself. "Then go, we're counting on you."
Yuuto nodded in silence before he rushed out of the room as fast as he could. As he ran, he could sense three sources of chaos energy coming from where the hot spring was, they were getting too close for comfort. He wasn't sure how tough the enemy was going to be, but he knew he had to do whatever he could to stop them as he made his way to the back of the building.
Outside int the hot spring area, three armoured figures flew over the fence and landed near the pool, all of them covered from head to toe in Chaosium armour and wielding Chaosium spears. Two of the elder devils were well-built muscular men who've looked like they've seen their fair share of battle, whilst the last devil was a short and slender woman who couldn't have looked any older than her early twenties, though she seemed to be in charge of the group.
"The immediate area is clear," One of the male devils announced.
"Then let us make haste," The female devil replied as she readied her spear and looked towards the door in front of them. "let us be the first to enact the will of our Lord."
"May I advise caution, my lady," The other male devil warned her. "your father said to hold our position until our forces are ready to strike as one."
"And let my sister have all the fun? I cannot afford her to out-shine me in this conflict, it is my right as future lord of House Beelzebub to lead the charge." She bit back in a proud tone.
"Not while your father and sister yet live, my lady."
Chaos energy intensified around her as she looked back at the man as if looking down on him for questioning her will. "Then it would be a shame if they were to lose their lives here." She answered with a sadistic grin. "Grandfather would only have me to call his heir to our house then."
The two males just looked at each other with sceptical looks on their faces, though they knew better than to argue with the girl. "This is not the time to debate such things, let us seek glory and put an end to House Satan's madness." He said to the woman.
"I couldn't have put it better myself," The girl retorted as the group started to head towards the back entrance.
Just as the trio of devils was about to make their move, they heard a window shatter from above them. They looked up to see a figure jumping out and falling towards the wooden shelter below. The blonde man they saw landed on one of the room beams and slid down it effortlessly before jumping off at the end to land on the other side of the pool on one knee. The three elder devils held their position and readied their spears, pointing them towards the newcomer. Even in the low light they could make out he was human, but what had confused them was that they could sense a respectable amount of chaos energy emanating from his form. The chaos-bearing human soon looked up at them, showing them his crimson eyes as sparks of energy coursed over them.
"What in the name of Wrath?" The girl said out loud as she locked eyes with the blonde.
"He appears to be some sort of devil half-breed," The older male answered as he kept his guard up.
"A half-breed?" She questioned in disbelief. "House Satan must be desperate to call upon the aid of a false devil."
After observing the enemy, Yuuto finally stood up straight as he continued to stare daggers at the group and pressed a finger to his earpiece. "This is Vergil, confirming three hostiles by the hot spring; preparing to engage."
It was finally time for the hybrid to test his metal against a pureblood elder devil.