AUTHOR'S NOTE: I don't own anything here at all!
The end of the cave system opened onto a cracked and broken street, small fissures and broken architecture dominating the landscape. To the left stood the giant coliseum, looming over the pair. Something bright was shining at the centre of the rings surrounding it, giving the ancient building an ethereal glow. To the right was a sight she never wished she could see.
Vigrid burned. The town was alight with flame, each antique house and building crumbling into the inferno. A closer look revealed that lava was overflowing and destroying the streets, running off the cliff where they both had stood, mere minutes ago. There were no screams of pain or anguish, and she theorised that everyone was already dead.
At least they hadn't suffered. That did not give her any consolation, however. Bayonetta stared at the scene, feeling pangs of sadness, and guilt began to build up inside her.
This was her fault. She could feel it in her heart. Whatever had occurred with the girl had attracted the Audito, and it had destroyed the town and killed everyone in it. Her actions as a person had interfered with her role as a protector of mortals and led to her running like a-
Her guilt quickly turned to rage as she turned away from the depressing scene. She knew that nothing good would come from staring down that. Besides, the Audito, or whatever he had called it, was still out there. She could not afford a distraction right now.
Sodding Laguna…" She hissed, her eyes reflexively looking to the skies. There was nothing, of course. That didn't reassure her one bit. "If any of the fucking churches knew about what their so called 'holy figures' actually do, they'd disown them in a heartbeat…"
"I think I can stand…" A weak voice said to her from her arms. Bayonetta glanced down to see his eyes opened slightly, and she gently placed Sephiroth down, sitting him up on a rock. He grimaced in pain as his eyes shifted to hers, and she placed a hand in his forehead, only to draw it back at the temperature of it.
"Bloody hell, did you dunk your head in lava?" She looked at him with sympathy and curiosity. "What is going on in there?"
He held a hand to his head as he replied. "My halves are trying to get me to fuck the Audito or kill it. It hurts." His hand jerked away from his temple, and he stared at it in pained fascination. "Jesus, that's hot."
Bayonetta couldn't help but let out a small laugh. He gave her a pained grin in response. "At least someone is enjoying all of my suffering."
She shook her head. "I'm not enjoying it, it's just something that makes everything a little easier to process."
"That's supposed to make me feel better?" He turned to her with a confused expression. "I don't-"
"It's not supposed to make you feel better." She cut him off before he had a chance to continue ranting. "It's entirely to my benefit. No come on, up!"
"At least offer to help me." He rolled his eyes and held a hand out. She accepted it and clasped her hands around his.
"How do you feel?" She asked, pulling him up and into a standing position.
"Like a rubber band that has been stretched in two directions." He looked over at the burning city, frowning. "That's our fault, isn't it?"
"If you think about it, the only way it's our fault is if you believe in the butterfly effect." Bayonetta smiled, trying to lighten his mood.
It seemingly didn't work. He stared at it, his face falling expressionless. "Then it is."
She bowed her head. "We should've been more vigilant."
"Why?"
The question caught her off guard. Bayonetta slowly raised her head, staring him down, her expression remaining neutral. "Hmm?"
"Why should've we been more vigilant?"
Her eyes narrowed. "Are you stating we shouldn't have?"
"If I am?"
She let go of his hand, and he almost immediately crumpled back down to the floor. His other arm shot out and grabbed the wall, giving him a small amount of support. "Sephiroth, innocent people just died because of something we did. Surely you have to feel something towards them."
"Nope."
"What!?" She hissed, eyes narrowing. "You don't even care?!"
"I spent twenty years or so being tortured while mortals looked on and took notes on how I was 'reacting to stimulus' or some assorted bullshit like that." He looked over to the burning city with a hardened expression. "They never cared about me; why should I repay them with respect and honour? They clearly haven't earned it."
She struggled with herself internally, trying hard not to lash out at the sheer arrogance of the man. Calming herself to where she could fake her composure, she replied; "A few bad apples don't always spoil the entire bunch. There are good mortals. There are bad mortals. An experience with one isn't enough to ruin your perception of the other."
"Clearly you haven't met the same mortals I have." He returned his gaze to her, his golden pupils shining with intensity. "If I were to step out of Purgatorio, and reveal myself to them, what would they do? What would the mortals do?"
"I don't see how this has got to do with-"
"They would put me in a cage and try to show me off to everyone else and poke and prod me until they learned what I am, for lack of a better descriptor." He snapped, silencing her. "No different than what I left from. They are all the same."
She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "You are still assuming things, darling. You have no idea what they would do. Sheba, I had my doubts and most mortals only give me a second glance because of my hips. "
"Wow!" He rolled his eyes and looked up at the coliseum behind them. "The beautiful, somewhat human looking girl has no issues with mortals! Who would've thought of that?"
She activated the Bracelet and closed the distance between them, then deactivated it. He froze at her apparent teleportation, and at the expression in her eyes. She grabbed his arm and yanked him forward until their foreheads were almost touching.
"I find your tone a little unfit for my liking." She whispered. Her eyes bore into his, and they widened in fear. "Just because I blend in better, it doesn't make my experience with mortals any easier than you. Now shut your mouth and keep it that way unless you are addressed. Understand?"
"O-of course." He barely squeaked out. She sighed, noticing how he was actively trying to not tremble, and released him.
"Just think before you speak, alright?" She glanced back to the burning town, and her gaze hardened. "Try to understand someone else's point of view before talking."
"I see."
His tone told her another story. He wasn't convinced or remotely interested in trying to change. That was easy to tell, and it irked her. She could sympathise with him, but the majority of mortals weren't so heartless. How he couldn't understand that, she had no clue. And quite frankly she wanted to change that.
You could always keep him along. Butterfly dryly spoke up. Teach him manners and all that.
She was right. The best way to change him would be to do it herself, and there was a whole trip between here and Ithavoll, and whatever lay beyond this Right Eye. Her only real argument against the trip would be potentially an insufferable personality the whole time and the simple fact she had never been in a team situation.
You can learn. And you can deal with it.
She sighed softly. She could, but did she want to?
Giving him a flat look, she turned around fully and stared at the coliseum. The city limits were supposedly right here. She had little to no idea what lay beyond, aside from the scant information she already knew. Bayonetta took a step forward, and felt a presence inside the coliseum immediately, and she frowned before grinning as she recognised it.
It looked like her new friend refused to leave her alone. What a good boy.
A glance behind her told her he had sensed it too. A hand was held to his head, and he was grimacing in pain? Annoyance?
"We aren't going there?" Sephiroth asked, catching her smile.
"If there's one thing you must know about me," she nodded, the smile growing wider. "is that I don't back down from an opportunity."
"You call fighting an Audito an opportunity." He deadpanned, then winced as something else shot through his head. "You do know they are the strongest living Angels?"
"It's just a large Angel. No different to what we have already fought before." She gestured to him. "Now come. We have a date to keep."
"Like we agreed to one in the first place." He stumbled forward, but managed to walk in a straight line to her. She waved forward and followed behind him, poised to catch him if he fell.
Although she wasn't particularly sure if she would catch him at all.
Ask him.
Oh shut up, you, she answered back, but honoured her wish. Catching up to him with several long strides, she tapped on his shoulder to get his attention.
"You know, if you really wanted to, you could tag along with me to Ithavoll." Bayonetta threw the idea at him as they slowly walked to the coliseum. "I could definitely use the company in more ways than one."
"Ithavoll?" He choked out. "You're going there?"
"Yes, it's my destination on this little holiday of mine, darling." She frowned back at him. "Have you been there before?"
"I was made there." He scowled at her. "I'm not going back anytime soon. I'm going to help you with this Audito and that's it. I'm leaving."
Bayonetta didn't answer. She felt it wouldn't be right for anyone to try and convince him. Even with his disdain for mortals, a trait she hoped she could wean out in the next five minutes, sending someone back to an environment they probably despised more than anything. That was a move that a blind mortal could see was stupid.
Her heart fell slightly as the realisation sunk in; she was going to be alone again.
…
The pair entered the coliseum to a strange sight. The Audito was waiting for them, as if it was its nest. The two draconic heads snapped and growled at the pair, whilst the main head smiled at them.
"Greetings from Paradiso." It rumbled. "Were you the two that woke me from my slumber?"
"Possibly." Bayonetta answered. Her hands were poised to grab her guns at any time to defend herself if need be. Sephiroth on the other hand, was clutching his head in pain. It had seemingly increased as they had continued along, and she wondered if he was going to collapse.
Her left arm moved away from her side and hovered near him. He didn't notice.
"Tell me child, has the war ended?" It addressed her, ignoring the man at her side. "I tire of this fight against the Umbra."
"If I were your child, I'd make an awfully ugly witch." She managed to dodge the question. She hoped it didn't notice. "Your face is one only a mother could love and one I could never forget."
It laughed, sending vibrations throughout the stadium. "You have a mouth, child, and you use it well. Do we quarrel?"
She shook her head in response. "I don't believe so, unless you want to continue what we started in the church?" She was also hoping it didn't want to fight; she didn't think she could fight it and protect Sephiroth from anything that it might do.
"Ah, you were that one. Apologies. We do not quarrel then. May Jubelius, the Creator, grace you."
And with that it began to rise, leaving the coliseum and the pair.
"That went remarkably well." Sephiroth remarked from beside her, his voice still betraying the pain he was in. She nodded, still watching the angel rise.
"My good luck streak has returned, I believe." She smiled. "Maybe I should take you to Vegas, one day."
A cracking voice was all they needed to hear to let them know that it was all about to go to shit.
"Fortitudo!"
A small red figure appeared at the lip of the coliseum. The Audito turned to face the newcomer, and both Bayonetta and Sephiroth growled at her appearance.
"Jeanne?" She asked for confirmation, and Sephiroth grunted. He held one hand up to his temple, and seemed to be massaging it.
"She's blocking me. It's her, alright."
"Another witch…" Fortitudo greeted the figure, it's tone not changing. "Do we quarrel?"
"Not if you know what is good for you." Jeanne answered. She placed a hand on her hip and pointed at the Angel. "You have forgotten your place, Fortitudo, and your purpose!"
"My purpose is to eliminate the Umbran threat." It thundered. "Unless there is another clan hidden away, it has been neutralized. There is no reason for us to continue this folly."
Jeanne scoffed. "That is where you are completely wrong! Your purpose, idiot, was to capture the bearer of the Left Eye, of which you both failed and somehow managed to get yourself sealed away!"
Bayonetta felt a memory rush through her as the other Umbran spoke. Holding her head, she doubled over as it overwhelmed her senses…
...
She was sitting in her cell, watching the witches convene outside. The last bearer had fallen the night before; her arrogance in a fight with some Angels had gifted her contracted Infernal a window of opportunity to drag her soul and body down to them. However, in her last moments, the Eye had been retrieved and was now in the possession of the Elder.
And as was tradition, the strongest witch was now to gain the right to become the bearer of the Left Eye, the fabled Umbran treasure that was gifted to them by the old God. And that witch to many was Jeanne. She was stronger, faster and generally just better than her Umbran peers. A shoe-in for the choice, and honestly she didn't see any issues with her becoming the bearer.
It was her birthright, after all.
Jeanne stood in the centre of the arena, her red, traditional outfit fitting her form perfectly. Her head was held high in pride, her hair rolled into twin buns and held up with a cloth headdress. She had chosen to forgo her glasses today, and she could imagine her silver eyes piercing the line of the Elders in front of her.
"Jeanne De'Arc, daughter of Thallise!" They began. "You have been chosen to undergo the trials to become the Left Eye, the overseer of the darkness and eventual leader of our clan. The criterion for why you have been chosen is because of your skill, leadership and combat prowess, to which you are unequalled."
Jeanne, to her credit, did not exhibit pride or happiness at this statement. To them it was simply the truth, Bayonetta reflected. As far as anything went, Jeanne was the strongest witch in the clan, and the rightful bearer of the Left Eye. She, however, noticed how Jeanne stiffened at the words 'unequalled.' There was still one person in the room she couldn't officially say she was the superior of, and Bayonetta knew who it was.
As soon as she had stiffened, her body had relaxed and the Elder's had not noticed. Nodding in acknowledgement, the witch in red let them continue.
"To make this official, the Left Eye demands a trial by combat, as is tradition, by an opponent of equal or greater skill. You may make this choice, or we shall provide one for you given you are unable to select."
Jeanne nodded in confirmation. "I can choose anyone, right?"
The Elder's nodded back. "Anyone, as long as they fit the criteria."
Jeanne turned to her. "Then I chose the outcast, C-" WHITE HOT PAIN HER HEAD IT MADE HER SCREAM CLAW HER HEAD MAKE THE PAIN STOP OH GOD IT HURTS STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT
The Elder's immediately broke into shouting, the leader's voice carrying over the others.
"You can't! It is forbidden! To challenge the outcast is to destroy everything we stand for!"
"She fits the criteria you described; she is of equal or greater skill and is my choice. We have duelled before and are evenly matched." She tilted her head, electing to ignore the yells and cries from the elder's behind her. "You also said I could choose anyone."
The Elder's all glared at her. Jeanne turned on her heel and walked over to the cell, opening it with a flick of her wrist.
"Will you face me in this hallowed arena?" She asked, reaching down to her.
Bayonetta stared back. "Aren't you afraid of what could happen if I win?"
Her only friend scoffed, and the hand did not retract. "If you win? Bitch, please."
She reached up and clasped her hand, letting the chosen pull her up and onto her feet. They walked together to the centre of the arena, Jeanne wordlessly electing to stand in front of the Elders.
"I accept your challenge." She smiled in response, ignoring the looks of the other assembled witches around her. Her lips straightened as she began to concentrate. "May the true Eye triumph."
Just because she thought this was a horrible idea, it did not mean she wasn't going to try.
...
Her trip down memory lane was interrupted by a strained voice whispering to her. Funnily enough, all the pain she had experienced at the mention of her name was gone.
At least she knew it started with a C.
"Bayonetta?" She looked up to see Sephiroth's pained face staring in concern. "Are you okay?"
"I am." She straightened herself out, stretching her arms out. "At least I think."
"You spaced out-"
The Audito's booming voice then interrupted them both. They turned back to the Angel, who had seemingly conversed with Jeanne some more in the brief moment of time she was inconvenienced..
"My quest to find the Left Eye ended with the demise of the Umbran Clan." It growled with its twin draconic heads at her. The central head continued to be stoic, giving it an air of control. "Jubelius will not be resurrected this time, unless the Father has another plan, or another Eye is hidden up his sleeve."
The name did not mean anything to Bayonetta, but Sephiroth shot upright, his pain and mental battles forgotten. He squinted at the two figures in the sky, seemingly reignited by the words. She didn't spare him a glance, although.
The tension in the air was rising. She couldn't afford a distraction right now.
Jeanne gestured down to the pair. "Use your other sight, fool! The Eye still lives! If you can defeat her and take it, perhaps the Father will forgive you for your stupidity!"
"Now go and finish the job you failed five hundred years ago!" She disappeared from sight, and a sound of a motorcycle signalled her leave.
The Audito growled, but turned to the pair in the coliseum. The middle head looked disgusted and it changed to apprehension as it leveled its gaze on her. "Apologies, but it seems we do quarrel. The glory of Jubelius will rise, and you are required for it."
Sephiroth shook his head. He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her to face him. His eyes were pleading with her, and she was immensely curious about this new change in attitude. "We won't let that happen. We can't let that happen!"
Bayonetta nodded, and then began to channel her power as her sleeves retracted and revealed her bare arms and white gloves. The beehive splayed out and unformed, straightening itself out into a long wave of hair. Power crackled in the air around her, and she could feel Butterfly's excitement in the back of her mind.
"I really don't like all this talk about resurrections and eyes, it bores me so much. Will we be continuing what we began?" She smirked, stepping forward. Sephiroth stayed behind her, not moving.
Fortitudo's main head grinned. "I apologise now for the defeat you will suffer later."
A gun appeared in her hand and she fired three shots in rapid succession into its head. "Oh, flock off, featherface. If you think you can defeat me, then go ahead. Try your very best."
"Insolent witch! Die!"
Bayonetta ignored it and instead whispered an incantation under her breath. Her hair stripped from her body and flew into a portal, summoning Madama Butterfly. The Demon reeled back to punch the Angel square on the nose, much to her own surprise, and gained her the upper hand. Surely the Angel could've seen that coming.
Roaring in pain and reeling backwards, Fortitudo answered by launching twin fireballs, one from each head, at the two. The main head breathed in, and a jet of fire lanced out and slammed into the ground. Bayonetta sprinted towards Sephiroth, and with one motion, grabbed him and tossed him towards a small terrace high above them. She jumped up after him, letting Butterfly fade back into Inferno for now, and watched as the floor cracked into a mixture of lava and stone.
Fortitudo did not give them any reprieve. As Sephiroth was scrambling to his feet, more fireballs were launched toward them. He shrieked and ducked down, his wing covering his head. Bayonetta rolled her eyes and launched fists at the projectiles, knocking them down and out of the way. Fortitudo flew closer, both heads rearing back. She anticipated the jaws to come flying in, and she prepared herself for an attack.
It never reached her. A chunk of solid ice flew passed her and slammed into the snout of the Angel, driving it back.
"Finally." She whispered. Sephiroth ran past her, a blue energy swirling around his hands. More ice formed around him, circling around like her Little Devils would if she had ever chosen to use them again. Fortitudo roared in response, and the floor turned into lava completely.
The ice didn't last long. The temperature from the ground melted it before it could reform into a larger projectile. He abandoned that plan and instead launched himself up with a burst of air.
What his plan was when he got up there was a mystery to her.
Summoning Butterfly again, she sent the Infernal to engage the Audito to buy them some time. Sephiroth began to flail wildly, and then sent himself flying back down with another gust of wind, holding onto his wing like a parachute. He landed onto the terrace, a defeated slump on his shoulders.
"What was I thinking?" He whispered.
"Good job." She sighed and ran passed him, recalling Butterfly, and he squeaked and averted his eyes. "But this is how you do it."
Somersaulting off of the terrace, she reached out with her right leg, sending bullets out of her heel to herald her approach. Her foot slammed into the Angel's cheek, creating a crack on the porcelain face and drawing a hiss of anger from it. Back flipping away, she summoned a hand to hold her and another to slam into the approaching dragon head, knocking it down and back to the ground. The floor reappeared gradually, and she gestured for Sephiroth to take the advantage.
Except he still wasn't looking at her. Sighing, she placed her hands on her hips, and drew a circle with her foot. Her platform hand tossed her up and she twisted into ball, tensing her legs for the follow-up. The hand returned as a fist, shooting her towards the fallen Angel. Angling her guns, she shot bullets that ricochet back into the eyes of the right head, causing it to scream in agony and lift its neck up.
Bingo.
She slammed into the joint, feeling the armour disintegrate from the force and the fleshy interior to rupture. Blood exploded everywhere, and she hoped there was a shower in her near future. The screams became bellows of anger and rage, and a small nova of energy pushed her back and away from the newly revealed weakness.
Fortunately for her, Sephiroth had decided to look and notice the situation at hand. Electricity arced and burned the exposed neck, charring through the neck. The head fell, the remaining tendons and skeleton holding it on proving simply not enough. The stench hit her nostrils, and her face scrunched up. A portal to Inferno opened up beneath the severed head, and Infernals grabbed the prize and promptly dragged it back, closing after themselves.
That would keep the smaller fry happy. She thought to herself, glancing towards her companion. He was doubled over, trying hard to keep his stomach in order.
"If you do decide to empty your lunch out, please do not aim for my shoes." She took a step away, returning her gaze to the recovering Angel. "These cost far more than any other item of clothing I am wearing."
"You say that..." He answered amidst his hackings. "Like you are wearing any."
"Touché, darling."
"You insufferable worms!" Fortitudo had recovered, ash falling from the stump. It lumbered towards them, the main head glaring with rage. "You will be punished for this transgression against me!"
It opened the other dragon head, and rapid fireballs shot out, like a machine gun. Jumping over them, the pair both glanced back to see them impact into the legs of the terrace. The stone groaned, cracked and then collapsed into a pile of shards and dust. She turned back as Sephiroth blasted the incoming debris away with another gust of wind, firing a few shots to gain its attention on her.
It worked, kind of. Fortitudo abandoned its long range plan and sprinted as fast as it could towards her, the dragon head snapping and biting. Flipping and jumping away from its awfully orchestrated offense, see sent a wicked kick at the snout and scored with a roar of pain from her enemy. Sephiroth burst passed her, leaping up and grabbing onto the wounded head, attempting to follow up. His fist slammed against the underside of the armoured plating, trying to reveal its weak spot again.
Shooting at the middle head's eyes, she heard it roar and send burst of fire in her direction. Slipping past it, and becoming relieved internally at the sheer heat of the laser, she turned to see Sephiroth holding his hand aloft, summoning and launching a giant chunk of ice the same target. It struck true, hitting it directly on its chin and shaving more of the porcelain armour off. Fortitudo screamed in pain, and slammed its head around, trying to shake the persistent man off.
It succeeded, to Bayonetta's horror. His one handed grip faltered, then slipped away. He panicked and tried to ground himself with another burst of wind, but it swung around with its head, pushing him towards the wall. It stopped well clear of the stone, but momentum kept the winged man going. He bounced off of the wall, much to her surprise, and he was launched into the air. Turning around with the speed of the wind, it aimed at the helpless man with its tail like a baseball bat, and it scored a direct hit. He streaked passed her, now unconscious, and hit the opposite wall hard, slamming into it. The stone shattered and he disappeared out of the coliseum, and out of the battle for now.
Laughing, Fortitudo turned its attention to her, broadly smiling with the central head. "It seems your friend is not a match for much. Will you fare any better, Umbra Witch?" Its other head snapped in agreement, a strange chirp coming from its jaws.
"Enough talk." Bayonetta growled and began to formulate a plan of attack. "You will pay for that."
The Audito answered by opening its mouth and shooting a laser of molten lava at the floor. She could feel the heat intensity of the beam, and she could sense the pressure building in the floor beneath her. Weaving her fingers, she activated her witch time as the floor exploded into fire, sending chucks of rocks into the sky. Nimbly jumping between them, she scaled the space between her and Fortitudo, leaping onto its right head.
Restoring time, the Audito seemed confused as to where she had disappeared to, until she summoned a stomp from Madama Butterfly to slam into the head she was standing on. Somersaulting off and grabbing the chin, she pulled down with all her might, flipping over the stunned angel and sending it crashing onto the floor. Landing beside the head, she summoned two fists from Madama Butterfly and lifted the Lagunan like a hammer and started slamming it around in an almost casual fashion.
Nearly sighing audibly at the ease of it all, she let Madama Butterfly leave her for the moment. Grabbing the snout with both hands, she tensed, twisted it slightly to the right, and then threw all her strength behind one massive twist to the left. It was enough to shatter its armour, dislocate its bones and tear through its flesh, decapitating it cleanly. Letting the head and neck fall to the ground, she briefly looked away as demonic hands rose from a portal underneath, grabbing and pulling the fallen head into Inferno.
Slowly, in what she assumed was great pain, the Audito stood back up. Its remaining head growled at her and it leaped forward, using its body like a cannonball in an attempt to flatten her. Arrogantly, she side-stepped around at the last possible moment and drop-kicked its left leg, two wicked stomps aiding her. Fortitudo went careening to the right, its wings flailing wildly to keep it balanced. A click of her fingers heralded a wicked palm strike, and the colossal Angel fell to the ground.
"Giving up already?" Bayonetta taunted the mostly harmless Audito, wagging her finger at it. "Surely you can go another round?"
Fortitudo merely bellowed in response. Rolling back upright, it leaped up into the air, roaring again. Stumbling at the sounds and blasts, she abandoned all pretences and summoned a small Umbran barrier, ready to slip out of the building if the situation called for it.
That would be, if there was still a building to slip out from.
The arena shattered in an explosion of stone and lava. The walls flew upwards, surrounding the wounded Angel. Slowing time down briefly, she jumped onto the falling stone and worked her back onto the sides of the coliseum with little effort. Once that spell had ran out, she again weaved together another time spell, and released it at the apex. It, to her astounding run of luck today, ignored her attempt of time manipulation and continued to move at normal speed. Slamming into the walls where she stood, it had given up on any finesse or strategy and was simply trying to squash her like a cockroach.
Her lip curled in disgust at the comparison. Jumping to yet another part of the coliseum, she looked up to it trying to swipe her with its tail, like it did to Sephiroth earlier. Shrugging, she simply caught the tail, swung it around and threw the Audito across to the other side of the coliseum. Letting an invisible beat guide her, she danced and muttered in Enochian under her breath.
"A GRA ORS!" Her hair left her body as her incantation finished, and a giant bird flew after the flying Audito. Catching up to it easily, the Infernal smashed the helpless Angel into the coliseum, and began pecking at it like a woodpecker. The Angel squealed as what remained of its armour plating was bored off, and then again when its flesh and bone were destroyed as well. The Infernal, Malphas if she was remembering right, reared back once more, this time slamming its head straight through. It demanifested, revealing a giant hole where its eyes and forehead would've been.
Summoning Madama Butterfly's fists again, she slammed them down and broke apart the wall she was standing on. Grabbing chunks as they appeared, she grabbed them and threw them towards the stunned Fortitudo. Due to Witchtime being active, the stone didn't fly far, or at all. That didn't matter to her; her plan did require a basic understanding of physics, and the conservation of momentum.
Or lack thereof of it.
Jumping across to a solid part of the remaining coliseum, she watched as the blinded Audito tried to get its bearings. She felt a small twinge of pity, which died down to apathy almost immediately. The damn thing had just tried to kill her. Holding a hand above her head, she snapped her fingers and time resumed as normal.
It worked perfectly. The chunks flew like a bullet from a gun, smashing and destroying whatever was left of the Audito into a pulp of flesh, stone and feathers. Resuming Witchtime to not die from the rest of the coliseum falling to earth, she leaned against part of the terrace and placed a hand onto her hip.
"You know, you're far less ugly when you are screaming." She commented, patting down her figure for a lollipop. "Perhaps one day you will get the girl."
"The prophecy was true…" The dying Angel gasped out. "Your power… is indescribable… Incredible... What he said was..."
"What prophecy?" Bayonetta frowned, abandoning her search. She stepped away from the terrace, staring down the Angel. "Explain yourself!"
"I, Fortitudo, am but a simple sacrifice for the resurrection of the Creator." It ignored her. It orientated itself so it was seemingly staring at the sky. She didn't have a clue; the damn thing had nothing resembling a face anymore. "May the Creator, Jubileus, grace you on your journey."
Rolling her eyes at its pretentiousness, she snapped her fingers once more. A portal to Inferno erupted behind it, tearing through reality with an unholy screech. The Angel glanced around, trying to find the disturbance, and arms grabbed at it from behind.
Arms from her Infernals.
"Now, I still have many mouths to feed. Please, enjoy my little gift for you all." She addressed her various patrons, ignoring the shrieks and pleading from the Audito. "If it's not enough, then just tell your feathery friends to send more at me. I'll await the challenge."
"You dare challenge the might of Paradiso?!" It screamed in defiance. "You will burn for your arro-"
The arms pulled, and the portal snapped shut with a clap of thunder and silence remained.
"Such a pity. I was beginning to like that voice." She put her hands on her hips, her thoughts racing. She blankly stared at the falling coliseum, picking out debris as they started to fall outside of her time spell.
There was a lot more to this than she initially expected. To be honest, she was expecting literally nothing, but all she had learned over the last six days had her more intrigued in this expedition than most of the jobs Enzo had put her up to.
But first, where did she leave her personal feathery friend? Any questions he could possibly answer needed to wait for just a bit-
A sharp pain interrupted her thoughts, and she placed a hand to her temple. It was for naught, as it rapidly intensified, sending her vision swimming and into darkness.
Her consciousness followed.
…
Sephiroth awoke amongst the rubble. Pushing chunks of misshapen rock away, he pulled himself up and into a standing position. He glanced around, and his thoughts jumbled their way out.
Where was Bayonetta?
Where was Fortitudo?
Where was the coliseum for that matter?
Shaking his head to refocus and/or clear his thoughts, he let his mind go blank. He started with the obvious question, and started to find an answer.
The coliseum was in the air, seemingly floating in the air. Flashes of light and shadows of darkness illuminated the interior, and chunks of the encasing ring flew off in all directions in rapid intervals. He knew Bayonetta at least some level of time manipulation; it certainly helped to explain whatever was happening up there.
"Now this is something else..." He said in wonder. His thought briefly entertained whether she could do the same, but he found himself adamantly refusing.
He did want to crush her when the time was right. Or at least he really wanted to. Having some form of time manipulation would put those dreams to dust.
A giant flash of red light broke his reverie and Sephiroth's eyes went wide.
That had to be a portal to Inferno. He had felt such fear from his Lagunan side, and such pleasure from his Infernic. All he could sense, for the briefest of milliseconds, was something that he could only describe as negativity. Anger, fear, lust, vanity, wrath, jealousy, greed and sloth were all he could feel, and he could hear the whispers of Infernals beyond his comprehension telling him to join his world, to return to darkness-
And as soon as it appeared, the portal was gone. Along with any trace of the Audito.
His warring personalities went silent. His eyes narrowed, then a huge grin broke out on his face.
"We can kill them..." He whispered. Joyous laughter followed, and he moved in a strange dance. "We can kill them! Yes!"
Sephiroth wiped the tears from his eyes as he stopped moving. Now, where was she? He was surprised she hadn't made a comment yet at his expense. He looked around, eyes taking in the basic details before moving on.
He found her falling to Earth, her limp body following the coliseum as it fell back to Earth.
"Bayonetta!" He screamed and immediately hesitated.
He had no obligation to save her. She had already made her intentions known, and those were against everything he had learned. If anything, letting her die now would spare her the trouble of the Father killing her.
But he knew he couldn't leave her to die. She had rescued him, and he owed her that at the very least. If anything he could use their perceived equality to broker their complete separation at the end of all this.
Crouching down, and flattening his wing, he pushed up with all of his limbs. He whispered under his breath, calling for the wind to aid him.
"Ozongon fifis ol." A gust pushed him up and acted as a buffering shield, pushing aside the debris coming straight at him. The distance between the two closed rapidly, and he realised he was about to overshoot her by at least ten metres. Curling into a ball, he allowed one of the falling chunks to hit him and deviate his course downwards. He screamed in pain at the impact, but ignored it as much as he could. He reached out and Bayonetta fell into his arms.
Great! Now what?
He had to make his way down without landing in the path of a falling coliseum. Formulating plans in his head, he began to drop as well.
Panic began to set in. Now they were both going to die, and there was nothing he could really do about it. Seeing a path and road in the distance, near the mountains, he sent a gale of wind to push them towards it in a last-ditch effort.
A chunk of the terrace appeared in his vision, and his head smashed into it.
Then he knew no more.
…
Jeanne shook her head with disappointment. Fortitudo was dead, merely seconds after being reawakened. For the self-styled 'strongest' Audito, it really had not put up much of a fight. An embodiment of courage? It was far more arrogant than anything else.
"What a colossal waste of time and effort. As much as this was a mishap to our plans, I know it at least warranted an attempt." She began to talk to herself. "But one Audito, especially the stupidest and most overconfident of them all, would not defeat them and you know it! It was folly to suggest it in the first place!"
She flinched as a sharp pain laced through her forehead. "I know, I know. It was interested in our cause, and would have made a fine ally."
"Although." She placed a hand on her chin. "It seems that our little experiment has some skills we can truly examine. Elemental magic seems to be part of its forte, which leads credence to your theory. I propose we test it's limits in a more uncontrolled environment."
Staring at the direction of the Umbran Mountains, she seemed to wait a moment before continuing. "Yes, I agree. I'll guide your forces into the area, and then we will meet up with them. I know I'm interested in seeing what she can do."
Her face turned sour. "Are you sure you want to involve it? The experiment will not take lightly to its presence, and you know it."
"It is rather temperamental." She agreed. "That we can use to our advantage. If we wish to awaken their power, they must be put into a position to use it."
The presence from her head faded, and her shoulders relaxed slightly. "I understand."
Turning, she walked back to her bike. Swinging one leg over the seat, she sat down and began revving the engine. A frown etched its way onto her face, and the bike took off.
She had such a wonderful meeting and reunion to look forward to.