"The hardest choices require the strongest wills,"-Thanos
I'm a man of my word as we hit the 19th chapter with Iruyana continuing his rampage against Chloe and finally getting some action going again for this story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any hentai in this story.
Note: The title of the story, named for the iconic song of the same name by Disturbed, was suggested by DarkChild316 to describe Iruyana's way of thinking; with certain things about him in this chapter being attributed to him as well.
A SKETCHRAPTOR PRODUCTION
"Iruyana-dono, wait!" Sera pleaded with said Dark Elf inching away as he revealed his mandibles and hissed upon getting closer with her wielding the flare from earlier alongside Rutejia as Chloe managed to support herself albeit wobbling legs.
"Hey! Hey! Ignore them! It's me you're after!" Chloe said with Iruyana running at them only for Sera to launch a burst of light shot from her flare and set off a series of small explosions in his path. As this went on around him, Rutejia did the same with the next set of explosions being enough to affect his hearing and eyesight just enough for them to get away from the deadly Dark Elf.
Before he could do anything else, electricity smashed into his side and knocked him back across the area. He recovered to see Origa wielding her sceptre with her fury barely masked in her expression and he stared back with blood gushing from his mouth while grasping the spear.
"Do not move." Origa spoke while a black sphere formed on his hand that he shot into the ground and sprang at her. Quickly forming a spell binding over Chloe along with a weaker variant on herself, she then steadied herself as Iruyana sprang over her only for the Dark Queen to utilize a series of spells on his ankles while his arms were bound behind his back and leaving him to fall into the ground with Meiriin and Miria holding blades to his sides.
Looking up at his fellow Dark Elves, he struggled with Miria and Meiriin rearing their respective blades just as he shot up again with either of them stabbing into either side of his torso only for him to trudge ahead unhindered with Origa chanting in elvish.
Meanwhile
"Great." thought Serafina hustled to the nearest portal just as Hermione appeared with the Chivalry just behind her.
"Hey there, Serafina. What's the trouble?" Arsura asked.
"Sorry to cut you're being here short but Lady Origa has advised me to tell you to stay away from Iruyana until further notice." Serafina said.
"Did something happen to him?" Hermione asked with all but her reading the grim expression on Serafina's face and before anything else could be said, Origa's lightning spell flashed from a distance.
"What was that?" Shamsiel thought to herself.
"Origa's spell…" Celestine said before the group hustled to the source with Serafina and Hermione leading the way. Back at the scene, the charred Iruyana moved unhindered as he fought against spells that bound his mouth and blinded him with the homicidal Dark Elf lowering his head while his ears twitched.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Alicia's voice said.
Just then, he looked in the direction Chloe had been taken before breaking off like an unchained dog with his ears again twitching as the Chivalry arrived and his eyesight beginning to return just in time to see Hermione with aforementioned half-elf now being supported by Alicia and Naruto. With his mind going back to seeing his daughter surrounded by the raiders of his home, he reared the spear back while infusing it with his power and held it aloft.
"Hermione, get down!" said teenage Dark Elf heard his voice along with the Chivalry as he tossed the spear into the air with Celestine managing to catch it just before it could strike Chloe between the eyes and held it overhead. Before she could crush it, the spear burst to pieces with a mix of smoke and black magic trailing from her charred palm.
"What's gotten into you?!" Hermione demanded.
"Step away from the half-elf, and I may yet end your lowly lives swiftly!" Iruyana said with their immediate response being to draw their weapons and Naruto cocked his head for a second.
"Don't you dare threaten them, you…!" Chloe started to say.
"You want to lay a hand on her; you're going to have go through us to do it!" Alicia and Janne spoke in unison with Iruyana unfurling his hand and Shamsiel lifting him with her magic with the Chivalry attacking just in time for Naruto to smash his foot into his ribs. Iruyana flew back before recovering mid-air as red mist quickly took effect in the air with Origa looking with alarm and turning to her workers.
"Get outta here!" Miria and Meiriin called out with the servants fleeing as fast as they could from the growing mist as Iruyana had vanished into and Sera looked to Rutejia as they ran. Sprouting their respective wings, both Catue and Janne managed to lift Kaguya and Nana out the mist from they're being closest and Shamsiel barely grabbing Willan.
"Take it!" Sera said while holding her flare out to her with the elf hesitating at first until she took hold of it and broke off in a mad dash where the mist had the least amount. As she took off, the Chivalry grouped with the person nearest to them with Naruto partnering with Origa as Celestine had become engulfed within the mist and she looked around as Iruyana's silhouette appeared before her.
"Oh, hell!" Naruto thought upon hearing the silhouette starting laughing with it echoing from multiple locations and quickly dispatching shadow clones into the air as Origa took note of his expression.
"Naruto, do you know this magic?"
"I came across an archipelago a couple days ago with mist just like this when I was looking for Rafaela that was impossible to see through even with any of my dōjutsu." Naruto said with Origa grimly looking into the mist with Iruyana's silhouette attacking people with her again launching another spell to no effect and he looked into the distance with him activating Sage Mode to then pick up little to no alarming emotions to his surprise.
"Naruto, do you see anyone at all?" Celestine's telepathic voice spoke.
"Not yet, and my clones haven't picked up anyone either." He answered with Origa ceasing firing and trying her best to stay calm at the situation with Naruto raising his hand as a Wind Release: Rasengan took shape.
"Over here!" He said with Origa and her subordinates getting behind her as the air swirled around them albeit very little of the mist flowed towards them. As he did this, the screams and silhouettes coming from the mist still remained as they lifted with the clones following suit and having yet to see any of the Chivalry members within.
As this went on, Maia and Claudia stood back to back watching as they observed the silhouettes attacking and quickly realizing none of them were attacking so far. The two glanced back at the other with both knight and mercenary listening to the shrieks around them and demented laughs sounding about and Iruyana traveled through the mist as he looked at the Chivalry members he had come across.
"More children…" Iruyana thought upon seeing the likes Ruu-Ruu and Angelica who looked in his direction but didn't seem to notice him as the mist spread by the minute. Just as he darted away, Angelica's ears twitched with her looking after where he went and realized that the sounds of the murder occurring through the mist were hollow compared to the laughter and cautiously proceeded through it calling out to her allies.
It was then that a silhouette appeared behind her cackling with her spinning around to slash at its neck just as the spear thrust at her chest before she could block it and she then noticed she hadn't been cut. Just then, a screech sounded from the side with her diving out of the way just as an enormous bat flew at her with its fangs bared and she drew her sword.
"What on this green earth are you?" Angelica said with the beast coming around again with its talons lashing out in her direction and she spoke in elven while opening her palm. The bat's wings suddenly began to spasm that gave her the edge to slash into its chest which only resulted in angering the creature and it hissed at its injury.
It came back again with the ground beginning to rumble as the mist steadily began to flow into it and knocked Angelica off balance with the bat's talons lashing at her with its horrid breath in her face. The elven warrior managed to stab through its tongue and used the adrenaline to hack into the lower jaw.
As it reared up, she sprang onto the beast's backside while pulling on its ear as it soared through the mist trying to shake its rider off and she then heard Irena yelling. Angelica yanked the bat's ear to the sound of the noise and managed to steer it in the very same direction of Irena only for it to collide headfirst with another bat.
It spiraled to the ground with Angelica barely managing to get her footing with the other monster recovering with Irena stabbing its ear and giving her elven friend the chance to finish it off through stabbing into its brain.
"Any luck finding a way out?" Irena asked.
"Afraid not but what is…" Angelica answered before seeing a couple of beings heading their way as the mist started whirling about while Catue, still clutching Kaguya by her hands, flew through the air alongside Janne and Shamsiel as they observed the mist having engulfed nearly all of Garan and looked for any signs of their teammates.
"Wait a minute. Shamsiel, get us lower." Willan said with the succubus lowering themselves into the mist with her long ears twitching as she listened to the noise going on about below and whispered into Shamsiel's ear.
"Do you see Iruyana?" Janne asked.
"No, but follow our lead and the both of you spread your wings as far as they can go. Willan's got something up her sleeve and Nana, get ready to use those sharp ears of yours." Shamsiel said with said Elf nodding as the redheaded succubus flew down into the mist with Janne and Catue following suit. Doing as instructed, they fanned their wings out to their full length while tailing Shamsiel and the scent of death radiating from the mist nearly made Catue retch.
As the screams they were hearing so far didn't belong to any of the Chivalry, Nana and Willan's hearing managed to focus on searching for their friends with them until catching sight of a being below and looking to find Serafina holding her dagger.
"Serafina!" Catue said with said Dark Elf looking about in alarm as she laid eyes on them and shushed them while gesturing for them to get closer.
"What is it?" Nana asked with Serafina tossing her dagger at a nearby silhouette with the blade phasing through as it continued laughing while claiming its astral victim.
"Are all of the silhouettes like that?" Kaguya asked while reaching for her talismans.
"So far, yes, but just to be safe…" Serafina said with the group moving in a circle formation for her to retrieve her weapon and trudge through the area. Even with the silhouettes, they kept on their toes with the elves picking up the sounds of weapons clashing nearby and came to hear multiple footsteps with the smell of rotting flesh growing followed by the sounds of blades.
They looked to see Claudia sever the skull of a skeleton with Maia cleaving one through the mid-section before stomping the skull just as another lunged with this being having Iruyana's black aura filling out its bones. Stabbing into the aura itself, the skeleton only made a rattling hiss before clasping its fingers together as it brought them down at her and Maia slammed her boot into its side.
Recovering, it lifted Maia off the ground with her slashing through its bony femur and Claudia's blade freeing itself from the black aura only to discover the tip had been severed. The Holy Knight stepped back as it lunged for her and wound up having its leg tendons slashed by Maia.
It was then Claudia slammed her foot into its upper spinal column followed by a swing of her sword into the same area that Maia followed up and the skeleton shrieked at the two just as the redhead tossed her sword to her. Effortlessly catching it, Claudia lashed the blade into the base of the skull that resulted in cleaving it apart and looking to their oncoming allies.
Further
Alicia and Prim stood on their guard with Hermione still supporting Chloe as the Dark Elves listened for any sign of Iruyana amidst all the screams and laughs going on until their ears twitched at a faint sound akin to a rapid heartbeat.
"Duck!" Chloe and Hermione both shouted while using their magic to knock Alicia and Prim to the ground just as a ball of black aura shot at them.
"Come out, you coward!" Alicia shouted with Iruyana jumping at Chloe with Hermione managing to get her out of his path and clutched her dagger. He concernedly looked at the younger Dark Elf guarding Chloe until he snapped out of this mindset just in time for Alicia to attack with his spear blocking her sword only to reverse himself with Prim's sword going for his chest and both Hermione and Chloe started to chant.
Iruyana vaulted over Alicia only for his vision to be struck by an enchantment that made him hit the ground and gave Prim the edge to pierce the back of his neck only for him to violent jerk to his feet. Stumbling back for a moment, she regained her footing as he lashed his spear at her throat that she barely managed to block in time and Alicia charged into him with her sword ripping into his belly.
It was then he grabbed her by the back of the neck and slammed her onto the ground with his ears twitching just the next minute as Janne smashed her heel into his face. Glaring as Willan's group arrived with Maia, Claudia, Irena, Angelica, Ruu-Ruu, and Arsura, he found himself being attacked by Catue and Shamsiel flying at him and blocked her sword only to be stabbed by Serafina with Ruu springing onto his back.
Throwing herself backward, the surprised Iruyana flew as well with her waiting until she was upside down and kicked him into the air where he was caught by Shamsiel's magic. She poured all her magic into sending back to the earth just in time for him to be impaled by all present with what was his stomach spilling on the ground and he noticed Hermione escorting Chloe away.
It was then he knocked them back with Janne flying into the air as he leaped at the running pair and clicked his mandibles at Chloe.
"I don't know what in Anatolia's sin is going on with you but hurt anyone of us, you'll dig your own grave if you don't surrender!" Hermione hissed as she held onto the half Dark Elf with Iruyana's mind immediately going to his defending Reuben with the immediate thought afterwards being him surrounded by the defiled bodies of his tribe after the raid and he held his hand out at her before spinning around to grab Serafina's dagger with Shamsiel swooping down fast. Tilting his head just before she could grasp it, the succubus flew clean over him with him moving out of Serafina's way as she reared back her dagger as the Chivalry all him from all angles only for him to knock the ground out from underneath them and turn his attention back to Chloe.
"I had planned on ending your life first so you wouldn't live to see what lies in stores for your friends..." Iruyana's telepathic thought echoed in her mind before charging his spear with his magic and looking at Janne flying at him. Hurling the spear at her, she managed to slightly turn but the weapon tore through both her wings and sent her falling to the ground with Shamsiel holding her hand out.
It was then a massive amount of the mist went flowing down to earth and obscured Shamsiel's vision before her magic could catch Janne. Maia, who was nearest to Chloe and Hermione, hustled to them as the mist took on solid form akin to hail with Shamsiel still flying like hell to reach the last space where Janne was last seen just in time to see her crash into the earth with her wings breaking off.
Roughly rolling against the ground as the succubus was thwarted again this time by the Dark Elf himself, she vanished into the hail-like magic with Shamsiel furiously clawing at him before he captured her in a headlock and she dug her claws into his sides while flapping her wings as fast as she could. It was then his ears picked up the oncoming sounds of metal and he whipped his head to the side.
Shamsiel quickly reared her head back with her horns puncturing his throat as the mist subsided with Serafina's dagger flying into him with the succubus using the distraction to break free only for him to grab her foot and jerk her back to him. It was then the mist encased her hands just as she prepared to use her magic again as he tossed her to the side in time for Alicia and Claudia to attack him and he opened his mouth with his jaw detaching.
It was then dark magic appeared in the shape of a bat climbed out his mouth that sprang at Alicia's chest and caused her to hit the ground. As she lifted her arm, it felt heavier than she could describe before attempting to move and finding the feeling spread throughout her whole being.
"Alicia!" Claudia called out with Prim getting to her sister's side with the blonde knight opening her mouth and staying like that as stone began to encase her.
"I can't move! I can't move! I can't.." Alicia's thoughts echoed until she was completely petrified from head to toe with Prim and their surrounding allies gaping in silence for a brief moment only for Iruyana to attack again. Touching her sister, Prim's eyes became glassy before clutching her sword and attacking the Dark Elf with all the fury she could muster alongside Claudia and Irena.
Kaguya shot her talisman at Iruyana to wrap his head and limbs as Prim's sword was grabbed by him only for Ruu-Ruu to head-butt his abdomen with her using the momentum to ready her axe. Just then, Iruyana's arms broke free of the talisman to grab both the axe and Halfing alike before tossing her aside with an aerial kick slamming his foot into her spine with a bone-chilling crack being heard.
Flying headfirst into a nearby wall, Ruu-Ruu now lie on her back with blood trickling down her jaws and struggling to rise to no avail with Iruyana now over her with his boot lifted above her head. Fear appeared on her usually spirited face as she took in his expression that she could only think of as neither gleeful nor particularly remorseful but resigned acceptance with his hands appearing to tremble and his raised boot dithering.
As this was happening, Catue flew as fast as she could to the scene and grew tense at Iruyana's raised foot before her adrenaline picked up. Ignoring her searing throat, she then inhaled to her limits before unleashing a torrent of silver-indigo fire onto Iruyana's backside that spread about so much that he turned his attention away from the downed Ruu-Ruu just in time for Catue to again breathe fire into his wounds.
Kaguya shot yet another talismans that wrapped around one of his burning arms and blew it off with Serafina claiming Ruu-Ruu with Irena standing guard for her. Iruyana then noticed Chloe, Angelica, Hermione, and Maia were now missing with Willan tackling him with Prim running him through once the elf had moved out of her way and she ripped out the sword to thrust it into his skull.
Iruyana went limp with his eyes remaining in place as Catue flew to the ground and approached her allies before abruptly beginning to gag while clutching her throat as the searing quickly increased to where it felt as though the inside was literally burning. It was then she fell to her knees with her gag becoming horrendous hacks with her coughing up blood into her palm that dripped onto the ground and Claudia. Arsura, and Shamsiel made their way to her.
"Catue!" Prim worried called out before Iruyana suddenly jerked to life and knocked her off of him before ripping the sword out of his head. Kicking Willan in the ribs before slamming her onto the ground, he jumped at Catue before her allies reached her and strangled her while summoning a few of his bat monsters to keep her allies at bay.
Blood continuously ran from Catue's mouth as Iruyana cocked his head and studied her as she rasped about in his grip until Claudia returned. Knocking her aside with his elbow, he tossed the now unmoving Catue to the ground and took Claudia's sword before bringing it to the fallen Princess Knight.
He lashed it at her before Claudia again got in his path and captured the blade in her hands as Iruyana watched her sink to her knees while keeping the sword at bay. Even with her hands bleeding as the blade was inching away from her forehead, the Holy Knight defiantly held her ground as Iruyana scowled at this and he looked to her bleeding hands with a primal roar sounding from her as his mind again flashed back to him doing all he could to keep his family safe from the raid in his arms.
Scowling at this, he head-butted Claudia with enough force to knock onto her back and he moved past her with the Holy Knight getting back to her feet with her now-bleeding forehead to reclaim her sword as she protected Catue from the bat creatures. Iruyana reared into the mist before finding Chloe and Hermione with Maia and Angelica taking stances as more bats arrived and he approached the four.
It was then one of them punched into his back with so much force that it held his heart and insides within its claws and he looked at the being to see the bat it had arrived with having its head torn off. He then noticed the bat's eyes were pure green as it morphed into Celestine as the high elf's face was unrecognizably cold with vengeance as she then crushed his heart and he rasped as he hacked on his blood with him grabbing for her.
She instead twisted his arm before smashing his body into the ground until he was completely battered and launched him skyward where an intense killing intent that matched his own hit him. He then looked to see Naruto enhanced with Kurama's chakra punch him in the face that sent him flying back to earth only to be continuously pummeled with the blonde roaring in anger as he tore into him with his attacks and kicked his jaw clean off before stabbing him in the head over and over again with his brain matter flying.
"Good thing the Dark Elves aren't around to see this happen to you." Naruto hissed while reading his mind and though his memories made his heart ache, he gave him a lasting uppercut before firing a Raikiri stream through his body with a gaping hole where his chest and midsection used to be. Iruyana crashed into the earth with the mist vanishing into the ground as well with the bats and skeletons remaining and Hermione's jaw gaping as she looked at her friend's injuries with Origa, Meiriin, and Miria now behind them.
As Naruto's clones tended to Ruu-Ruu and the unconscious Janne, another crouched over Alicia's body and carefully studied her with Kaguya manifesting from him. Her chakra enveloped Alicia's unmoving form and after some passing moments, nothing happened with Prim concernedly kneeling beside him.
"Anything, Granny?"
"At the moment, I can't say for sure if I can entirely restore her without worsening her health." The Rabbit Goddess spoke with Naruto doing likewise for Catue, now in her normal state, while healing her throat.
"Just need to breathe, alright?" He said with the Princess Knight opening her mouth to speak in barely audibly rasps before coughing again as blood trickled from her lower jaw and the blonde calmly shushed her as she fought back tears while he tended to her. She then raised her hand out to where Iruyana had landed just as the ground startled rumbling once more and all looked to see said Dark Elf standing again with his arms spread out with the ground settling.
Chloe felt the ground get soft with her ears picking up a sound from bellow that they moved away from and it was then a hand burst from the ground to clutch her throat. Squeezing at it with all her might, Chloe was freed from the hand as Origa clubbed it with her sceptre only for it to grab her leg as a decayed body broke arose from the earth and clawed at her.
It was then the blonde Dark Elf grew horrified as the eyeless corpse of Galadriel sprang at her and raked at the earth trying to get to her. As Chloe backed away gasping, the head of another clawed out of the ground with multiple ones following all over Garan and Origa's face paled as legions of her past soldiers and former civilians alike of Garan amassed with Iruyana spreading his arms out as if crucified.
As the corpses, skeletons, and bats closed in on the Chivalry, he bowed his head with both his skin and sclera darkening with his bottom jaw and arm reforming and multiple bone-like extensions forming on his back while his new arm became encased in a similar structure shaped like a crossbow with multiple yellow lights shining from top to bottom. As his eyes glowed yellow, the bony structure formed on his hips and still wounded midsection as well as the left side of his jaw and formed a necklace of protrusions jutting upright as a violet-blue aura appeared on them.
Iruyana arose to the air and surveyed the chaos from above as the Chivalry engaged his creatures with his accepting expression unchanged. Hermione looked at him to her injured friends and her stomach lurched with her heart sinking.
"What have I done?" She asked herself.
Elsewhere
Rutejia looked at the kingdom with apprehension at the Dark Elf corpses and looked to the flares before holding them together. Aiming at the northeast area, she fired both flares with either sending a pair of explosions larger than usual and she then dropped both as she stood in place.
To Be Continued….
