Hi everyone, Blaize83 here.
Sorry for the extraordinarily long wait since the last chapter, but I was struggling on how to pace this chapter properly while hopefully keeping it engaging. I just hope that I succeeded in that regard. Also, I originally said that this would be a two-parter. Turns out there was a lot more to write than I had initially planned, so there with be a part three coming very soon, hopefully.
Other than that, to follow the story, leave a review, all the usual stuff, and as always, I hope you enjoy the new chapter and I'll see you next time!
The Sno Ball Inn, snow was flurrying down heavily as it fell from the night sky onto the old onsen. The peace and tranquillity that was present before was nowhere to be found, now replaced with the sounds of gunfire and battle as the building was being assaulted by a sizable force of elder devil soldiers. MON forces were fighting them off as best as they could, but if they weren't careful, they would soon be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
Meanwhile, by the hot spring itself, Yuuto was currently facing off against a trio of elder devils that had snuck their way in. The devils themselves were surprised to find that they had run into a devil half-breed of all things, though the woman leading the group didn't seem to be perturbed by this fact for too long as she removed her helmet to lock eyes with him. Locks of shoulder length wavy dark green hair fell to the sides of her face as her green slit eyes surrounded by black sclera gazed at the blonde man standing against them.
"You should be honoured, half-breed," She spoke as she gave him a sadistic grin. "not many surface-dwellers get to lay eyes on an heir of House Beelzebub before their demise. You are outnumbered and stand no chance against the might of our pureblood forces. Surrender now and I may consider granting you a quick death." She continued as she spoke in a sickeningly sweet tone, not bothering to even mask her murderous intent.
The hybrid seemed unfazed by her words as he grasped his left hand around the sheath of his weapon. "I'm afraid I can't do that; I have a job to do." He replied in a serious tone as he refused to break eye contact with the she-devil in front of him. "If you value your lives, then I suggest that you leave this place now."
The greenette scoffed at him, displeased with his continued defiance. "You dare continue to stand against your superiors?! Do you know who you are speaking to?!" She responded in an angry tone. "I am Azmani Beelzebub, future lord of House Beelzebub! Who are you to stand in my way?!"
Yuuto could've just given her his name, but he thought back to when he was talking with Eisheth earlier. Maybe his devil name that his father had failed to tell him about would hold more meaning to these members of House Beelzebub.
The blonde smirked back at the woman. "…Dagon Diablo, son of Baal Diablo." He replied as he intensified the surge of chaos energy around him.
Azmani's eyes widened in surprise at the mention of his devil name, or maybe it was mentioning his father that caused her this moment of distress. "You're a member of House Diablo?! Impossible!" She shouted in disbelief.
The older male devil behind her spoke up. "It isn't that hard to believe; House Diablo has been known to interact with surface-dwellers quite frequently. It would make sense for them to send someone to aid House Satan's ambassador with their negotiations." He explained to her. "And besides, he appears to be associated with this country's special forces, not to mention that he's a half-breed. It's more likely that he's an unwanted outcast of his house."
The she-devil took a moment to calm down at hearing his explanation. "In any case, he still stands in our way and could become a potential threat in the future. Better to put down this mongrel before he can do any real damage." She then refocused her attention towards the MON agent. "You hear that, worm? We'll be putting an end to your misery soon enough." She told him as a sadistic grin graced her face once more.
The hybrid didn't care about what they said about him or House Diablo, all he cared about right now was preventing these devils from getting to Eisheth by any means necessary. "Do your worst." He replied without hesitation as he tightened his grip around his weapon's sheath.
The younger male devil who hadn't said a word since they infiltrated the premises couldn't hold in his anger towards the half-breed any longer at how he stood defiantly against them. "Enough of this!" He yelled as he unfurled his wings and started flying towards their adversary at full speed with his spear poised to strike. "For House Beelzebub!"
"Wait, you fool!" The older male shouted, but his warning came too late.
Yuuto stood his ground as the younger male recklessly charged towards him. Just as the devil had gotten within striking range with his spear, the hybrid drew Black Lotus from its sheath and swung an upwards slash at him in a blink of an eye. The tip of the spear was severed from its hilt as blood spurted from the large wound he inflicted on the devil, running from the base of his chest and through the front of the devil's skull and severing one of his horns in the process. The young devil fell backwards from the sudden counterattack and fell into the hot spring with a large splash. His body quickly resurfaced as blood filled the waters and started to stain it a crimson red, now floating there lifelessly.
The MON agent swung his katana low to his side to fling off the blood on it onto the snow below as he stared back at the other elder devils with devil's blood splattered across his face and combat fatigues. "Who's next?" He said to them challengingly.
Azmani was in shock at what she just witnessed. One of her most trusted soldiers had been felled with such ease by the half-breed standing against them. She felt fear well up inside of her, not knowing what he was truly capable of.
"My lady, snap out of it!" The older male shouted as he stepped forwards to guard her. "The boy was too reckless and left his guard open, he has only himself to blame for his death. Though, I am surprised that this foe was able to use his chaos energy so efficiency." He continued as he tried his best to remain calm.
She quickly shook herself from her shocked state and stepped to his side as she poised her spear once more, ready to fight. "Indeed, then we shall not repeat his mistake. We shall strike as one from both sides."
"An excellent strategy, my lady," He replied as he smirked to himself.
Just as they were poised to attack, Yuuto rushed to the side in a flash and was gone before they could register what had happened. Azmani glanced to her left and found that the hybrid was almost on top of her with his katana held in a reverse grip as he was about to strike at her.
The older male noticed this too and quickly push her out of the way as he stepped in to defend her. "Watch out!" He yelled as he held his spear up to block the attack.
Black Lotus stuck at the shaft of the weapon and slid across it with ease as sparks of metal and chaos energy flew from the strike. The elder devil was pushed back by the attack as Yuuto spun his katana in his hand back to a normal grip and stepped forwards to strike again, though the elder devil woman had taken the opportunity to fly around behind him to strike at his back. The MON agent stopped in place and spun around to deflect the attack, but now the older male had recuperated and was back on him in a flash with his spear poised to strike. Both the purebloods were sending out a flurry of attacks from both sides with incredible speed thanks to their chaos powers, though Yuuto was able to keep up as he struggled to deflect each of their attacks with his incredible reactions.
Now forced on the defensive the hybrid stepped to the side to get out of their pincer attack, though the pair were on him again in an instant as they both thrust their spears towards his torso. Yuuto dodged to the right whilst stepping forwards towards the male devil as he was now exposed to an attack. Before the older male could react to this new development, the MON agent swung Black Lotus at his neck and swiftly proceeded to decapitate the devil. His head was sent flying as a fountain of blood spurt from the stump that was left of his neck before his body collapsed to the snow-covered ground.
Azmani was left stunned once more as her other ally had met a swift end at the hands of the half-breed she had mocked earlier. Yuuto took a step back as he held his guard up against the remaining devil of the small group as he glared back at her with a serious look in his eyes. The she-devil felt rage and aguish well up inside of her at the demise of her comrades, all because of this filthy mongrel standing before her, now stained in their blood.
"YOU BASTARD!" She yelled at the top of her lungs as she readied her spear to strike at him once more, her whole body now enveloped in chaotic energy. "NO HALF-BREED SHOULD BE THIS STRONG, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE!"
Yuuto kept his composure as he continued to stare back at her. "This is your final warning. Leave now, otherwise, I'll be forced to neutralise you."
Azmani couldn't believe what she was hearing. A mixed-blood outcast, giving her an ultimatum? She would have none of it, for she was to become the next lord of House Beelzebub if what she planned was to come to fruition. She had intended to kill all who stood in her way tonight, but she felt a great desire to make this Dagon Diablo suffer a fate worse than death.
With a battle cry, she took flight and charged at him with hate and fury in her heart. "YOUR LIFE ENDS HERE, WRETCH! YOU WILL BEG FOR DEATH ONCE I'M FINISHED WITH YOU!"
As she drew in close, she started striking at him with a flurry of thrusts from her spear, but Yuuto kept his cool and deflected each attack that came at him with some difficulty. This woman was acting more like a savage beast than a warrior of a demonic army, though he was kept on the defensive as she gave him no chance to counter-attack. Failing to land a single strike, Azmani took to the air and outstretched her arm towards him with an open palm as chaos energy coalesced around her hand. She then fired off a series of chaotic projectiles towards the hybrid with a sadistic grin on her face. The MON agent had no choice but to dodge her attacks as best as he could as each projectile shattered the ground where they struck. As he was doing so his foot slipped on the snow, causing him to fall to one knee, leaving him exposed.
Satisfied with this turn of events, the she-devil flew down towards him with her spear outstretched, ready to plunge it into his body. "NOW, SUFFER AT THE HANDS OF HOUSE BEELZEBUB!"
Yuuto regained his footing quickly before he stepped back to dodge the strike. The spear struck the ground with some force, causing the stonework underneath to crack and crumble at the force inflicted on it. This only served to anger her further as she yanked it out with ease and proceeded to charge at him with her spear outstretched once more as she was now swathed in chaotic energy.
"JUST DIE!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.
Yuuto finally had his opening. As her spear surged forwards, he deflected it to one side as he now stepped in between her guard. Just as she realised what had happened, he spun around and switched Black Lotus to a reverse grip before he plunged the blade with both hands into her chest. Azmani fell upon his back as she felt a searing pain in her chest, now dropping her spear as she was unable to move. The hybrid looked back at her to see her face now contorted with pain and agony. Yuuto's eyes widened in shock as the girl now leaning against his back struggled to breathe, now feeling her blood trickle from the hilt of his weapon onto his hands. She then violently coughed up blood as her chin was now resting on his shoulder.
"…This…is not…how it was…supposed to…end…" Azmani struggled to spit out before her body fell limp and lifeless upon him, her once coursing chaotic energy now falling silent.
Yuuto stared back in horror at watching such an agonizing death caused by his own hands. He looked away and clamped his eyes shut as tears started to trickle down his face. He gave himself a moment to recuperate before he pulled his katana from her and let her body fall unceremoniously to the snow-covered ground. He looked back at her corpse once more, feeling guilty for making her suffer in the end, despite her wishing harm upon him. As he calmed himself once more, he was only now just noticing the comms from his earpiece going wild with activity.
"Running low on ammunition! They're just too many of them!" He heard Manako shout with a hint of distress.
"More forces sieging from the front! Preparing to fall back!" Blare yelled in a panic.
"Hostiles have broken inside! We'll try and hold them off!" Zombina shouted over her gunfire.
"They're swarming the skies! I'll try to take out as many as I can before they-!" Kestria shouted before she was abruptly cut off.
Yuuto panicked as he pressed his finger to his earpiece. "Falco, come in! Falco!" He yelled, but he got no response.
Just then, a figure fell from the sky and landed in the hot spring with a large splash. He looked towards the pool as he saw several blood-stained feathers fall slowly towards the waters.
"KES!"
He sheathed his katana and dove into the hot spring as quickly as he could. After a moment he resurfaced with his arms wrapped around Kestria's torso as they both began to breathe heavily. He quickly lifted himself and the raptor harpy out of the blood-stained water before he laid her on her back as he knelt to one side of her to see if she was hurt. He saw that she had a deep flesh wound on the left side of her torso just under her breast with blood slowly oozing out of it. He then pressed his hand against the wound and put pressure on it in an attempt to slow the bleeding.
Kestria hissed in pain as he did that. "Geez, not so rough, Hotshot. You need to be gentle with a girl." She joked in an attempt to distract herself from the pain as she grinned at him with a pained expression on her face.
"This isn't the time to be joking around," He chided her. "what happened up there?"
"Some asshole managed to slice me good, but I managed to take out a couple of them before they took me down," She replied as she looked down at her injury. "not sure how useful I'll be now with that damn thing though."
Yuuto couldn't help but smirk at her, proud of her efforts. "Good work out there, now let's get you inside and see if Raia can patch you up." He said as he was about to lift her.
Just then, two devils came down from the sky and landed by the wooden shelter, though one of them had a few minor flesh wounds on his right shoulder where his shoulder pad had been ripped off, more than likely caused by Kestria.
"There's the bitch! Let's finish her off!" The uninjured devil shouted as he readied his spear.
"Hold on, I need to deal with this quickly!" The other devil shouted as he pressed his left hand onto his wounds hard.
After a moment, a great deal of chaos energy coalesced around his hand before he shocked his shoulder with it as he grunted in pain. He then removed his hand to reveal his now cauterised wounds which had successfully stopped the bleeding. Now ready to fight, the injured devil readied his spear and moved to his ally's side.
Yuuto let out an exasperated sigh. "No rest for the wicked it seems." He muttered to himself as he stood to his feet and drew Black Lotus from its sheath once more. "Kes, hold on tight. I'll deal with these guys quickly." He said to his squadmate before he charged at the devils with his weapon poised.
He engaged the pair of devils and started swinging his blade at them, though they had deflected his initial strike and were now on him with jabs of their own. The hybrid was forced onto the defensive once more as their attacks didn't seem to relent. His earlier engagement with Azmani and her group had already tired him somewhat and he was starting to struggle to keep up with them.
Just then a yellow talon swung at the nearest devil to it and sliced his neck open with one of its claws. Yuuto and the other devil looked towards the perpetrator of the attack to see Kestria with a hardened look on her face. Before the other devil could react, the raptor harpy thrust her other talon forwards and grasped his head in it before she pushed him down to the ground and landed on top of him, causing the elder devil to drop his spear.
"GEF OFF OF ME!" He screamed in a panic as he began to shock her with chaos energy.
Kestria gritted her teeth in pain before she tightened her grip on his head with her talon and with a swift motion wrenched his neck hard, snapping it. The shocking stopped and the devil lay there dead, though the raptor harpy fell hard to the ground, now paralysed by the attack. Yuuto sheathed his weapon once more and rushed to her side in a panic.
"Kes, are you okay?!" He shouted as he knelt to her side once more.
Kestria coughed out loud before she looked up at him with a grin once more. "Guess I just saved your ass, looks like we're even." She said before she winced in pain once more as she looked down at her wound, it now bleeding more profusely. "Looks like I might not make it though."
Yuuto just remembered that one of the devils used his chaos energy to seal his wounds. Maybe the hybrid could do the same for his squadmate. "The hell you won't!" He shouted as he pressed both his hands hard against her wound.
She hissed in pain at his action. "Hey, I told you not to be so-!"
"Shut up and grit your teeth for a second," He interrupted. "this is going to hurt."
Before she had a chance to respond, the hybrid charged his hands with chaos energy suddenly before shocking the wound with them. Kestria screamed at the intense pain but it was over before she knew it. "What the fuck, Hotshot?!" She exclaimed with a pained expression. "Are you trying to kill…" She trailed off as she saw her squad captain remove his hands from her wound, now staring in astonishment at seeing it fully cauterised, not the mention that the pain had been numbed for the time being. "…No way…"
"That should stop the bleeding for now," Yuuto explained as he brushed the now dry blood from his hands. "guess I just saved your ass this time." He added as he looked down at her with a smirk on his face.
The raptor harpy couldn't help but smirk back at him as her features softened. "You're such a show-off sometimes."
"You know you love it," He teased as he gave her a wink, which earned a giggle from her. He then wrapped his arm under her wing and around her back as he began to help her stand. "think you can walk?"
As he lifted her, she got onto her talons and slowly stood up straight with the hybrid's help. "Yeah, I think I'll be alright." She answered before leaning into him for support, taking a few deep breaths as she did so.
"Good to hear," He then noticed that the comms had gone silent and pressed his fingers to his earpiece. "This is Vergil to all units, does anyone copy?" He got no response, there wasn't even any static coming from it. "Damn, must've got damaged in the hot spring."
"We might as well go inside and see what's happening," Kestria suggested as she was struggling to stay awake after all the blood loss. "plus, I'm freezing my ass off here."
"Agreed," Yuuto responded before he pulled Black Lotus from its sheath and held it in his left hand. "we're a little too exposed out here right now anyway."
The raptor harpy looked down at his left hand holding his katana. "Isn't that going to be a problem for you? I thought you were right-handed."
"I'm ambidextrous, so it's not a problem," He replied nonchalantly.
She looked back up at him and quirked an eyebrow. "Is there anything you can't do, Hotshot?"
He could help but chuckle in response. "Come on, we should get inside before we get singled out."
With that, the pair started to make their way inside the building as fast as they could considering Kestria's condition. They just hoped that the others were alright.
Back on the balcony, Manako was busy firing rounds from her sniper rifle at the oncoming swarm of devils flying towards the inn. She had already managed to take out a fair few of the soldiers with some well-placed headshots, though she was starting to run low on ammo.
She took cover for a moment as she pressed her fingers to her earpiece. "Running low on ammunition! They're just too many of them!" She shouted with a hint of distress in her voice.
She heard Blare and Zombina making announcements of their own and it sounded like they weren't holding up too well. She also heard Kestria call in before she was cut off, followed by Yuuto desperately trying to get in touch with her.
"Damn, looks like we're all having a hard time right now. I've got to hold them off as best as I can," The monoeye thought to herself before she repositioned herself on the balcony to take another shot.
Before she had the chance to aim at another devil, she saw a flash of red in her peripheral vision and glanced to her right to see a projectile of chaos energy rushing towards her. She didn't have chance to react as it smashed into her rifle and snapped it in half, sending her flying into the room rolling on the ground before she collided with the small table with a yelp of pain. She slowly staggered to her feet and made to grab at a pistol in her holster before aiming it towards the balcony.
"She's in there; take her out!" She heard a female devil shout, which was accompanied that several confirmations from other devils.
"Oh no, I've got to move," She thought to herself as she began to run out of the room and into the corridor before she pressed her fingers to her earpiece once more. "This is Observer, my position's been compromised and my rifle has been damaged! Will rendezvous with you downstairs, over!"
"This is Walker, we've got our hands full down here so we'll take all the help we can get!" Zombina shouted in response over the gunfire of her SMG.
"That's affirmative, I'll be there soon!"
Just then, two she-devils came flying out of the room that she just came from and were now speeding their way towards her. "You've got nowhere to run, so just accept your fate!" One of them shouted with their spear raised.
Manako stopped and turned around to face them before she dropped to one knee and took aim with her pistol. She opened fire on the devils, though the pair had shrouded themselves with chaotic energy in response. As the bullets closed in on their targets, they were instantly vaporised by the veil of chaotic energies surrounding them. The MON agent stared in shock at what just happened, it seemed that standard firearms were practically useless against them.
"It's useless, you can't defeat us!" The other she-devil exclaimed as the pair charged towards her with their spears poised to strike.
With no time to escape the monoeye reached for her last means of defence, a small combat knife strapped to her side in case anyone closed in on her, though she doubted it would do much harm against armoured devils. As the devils drew close, the wall to their left burst apart as an arachne charge through towards them in a burst of speed. One of the devils used a burst of chaotic energy to propel herself forwards, though her comrade was not nearly a quick to react and found a carapace-covered hand thrust itself into her side. Before she could even react to the pain she was soon slammed into the opposite wall before another carapace-covered hand impaled her face, rendering her dead in an instant.
Cynthia turned to face Manako as she pulled her hands from the body and was speeding her way towards the other devil. "Observer, look out!"
"Too late, she's mine!" The she-devil shouted with anger as she raised her spear, ready to strike down the monoeye that shot down her comrades.
From above, a kunai flew down and struck the devil in her collarbone, causing her to stop in place and scream in agony. She then looked up to see an empusa drop on top of her before being pushed to the ground. She tried desperately to get up as a pair of raptorial arms clamped themselves around her neck and impaled her skin. She froze in horror before her neck was wrenched by the appendages, snapping it with a sickening crack.
Manako looked up to see Kasumi staring coldly down at the devil she just killed. She made a note to never to get on the wrong side of an empusa shinobi.
Kasumi freed her raptorial arms from the corpse and shook as much blood off of them as she could before she went over to the sniper to check that she was in good health. "Manako, are you alright?" She asked in a worried tone as she leant down and extended a hand towards her.
The monoeye nodded in response before grabbing the empusa's hand. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Thank you for your help." She answered with a smile as her co-worker pulled her up onto her feet.
Cynthia was also shaking blood from her hands as she convened with the monoeye and empusa. "We should rendezvous with the others; it'll only be a matter of time before we get picked off by these devils up here." She said in a serious tone.
"Right, we'll follow your lead, Ma'am," Manako answered while Kasumi nodded in response.
The monoeye and empusa quickly fell in line behind the long-legged arachne and the small group started to make their way through the corridors once more. The quicker they met up with the others, the better.
Back downstairs, Ms Smith, Eisheth and her bodyguards, as well as Yukio and her host were still holed up in one of the central rooms of the inn as they heard the sounds of fighting all around them. Both the bodyguards, who were now wearing white Chaosium armour had stationed themselves at the only entrance to the room. Eisheth, Yukio and her host were sat at the small table in the centre of the room, trying their best to stay calm despite the chaos happening around them. Kuroko was doing her best to keep tabs on all the MON agents, trying her best to keep up some sort of defensive strategy.
"This is Cerberus, I've just gotten inside! There are too many hostiles outside!" Blare shouted down the comms.
"They're starting to swarm in upstairs; Observer, Shadow and myself will proceed to reinforce defences downstairs," Cynthia added in as calm a tone she could muster.
Smith pressed her fingers to her earpiece. "Copy that, Charlette, stay safe."
The government agent was starting to worry about Yuuto and Kestria, seeing as she hadn't heard back from the pair for some time, they both seemed to be in a great deal of trouble the last she heard from either of them.
She pressed her fingers to her earpiece once more. "Cerberus, head towards the hot spring and see if you can make contact with Vergil and Falco." She ordered in as calm a tone she could muster right now.
"Will do, Ma'am," The hellhound responded.
"Also, has anyone seen or heard from Copycat recently?" Smith added as she worried about her doppelganger co-worker.
"This is Titan," Tionishia responded. "Last time I saw Pel-chan she said she'd try and blend in with enemy forces to see if she could find out what they're planning."
"That's confirmed. Thank you, Titan," Kuroko took a deep breath as she tried to calm her growing nerves, now taking off her sunglasses and placing them in her shirt pocket. "It's absolute hell out there." She muttered to herself despairingly.
Eisheth stood up and turned her attention towards the government agent. "I'd rather be in Hell right now; it isn't the realm of eternal suffering you humans think it is." She told her in a serious tone.
The human woman glanced back at the she-devil with an apologetic look on her face. "That was a poor choice of words, I'm sorry-"
"Don't be," Eisheth cut her off with a look of understanding. "I'm sure you're under a lot of stress, considering the current circumstances. I'd be the same if I had allies risking their lives for someone they hardly knew."
Kuroko smirked back at her as she crossed her arms under her breasts. "Don't worry, as I said before, we have some of the best special forces in Japan protecting us right now. If anyone can pull this off, it's them."
The she-devil then gave her a sad smile. "I'm glad you have such faith in them, but I doubt that they've had to fend off demonic forces before now."
"It will be difficult for them, but they've had the best training possible. They will find a way…" The government agent said in a more solemn tone.
Back at the table, Yukio's host was panicking to himself over the siege on his home. This didn't escape the yuki-onna's attention as she placed a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "Dear, it's okay. We'll be safe in here." She said in a calming tone as she gently rubbed his shoulder.
He looked back up at her with tear-stained eyes as he calmed down slightly at her cool touch. "I'm sorry, Yukio. It's just that my family has worked hard to keep this place running, and now it looks like this will be the end of it." He said in a despairing tone.
Without warning, Yukio wrapped her arms around him and placed a hand on the back of his head as she rested his head against her bosom. "Haruto, it'll be fine. We have skilled people defending us, and besides, the inn can be rebuilt in time." She said to him in a caring tone as she started to stroke his hair comfortingly, her cheeks now blushing a slight red.
Haruto started to calm down as she did this and his cheeks went red as he started to relax into her, now clutching at her yukata. "…Thank you for being here, Yukio."
The yuki-onna couldn't help but smile down at him as she continued to stroke his hair.
Suddenly, the group heard a loud noise coming beyond the wall on the far side of the room. The two devil bodyguards instantly sprung to action and flew past the group and stood in defensive stances facing the wall as they pointed their spears towards it. Eisheth sensed the concentration of chaos energy from beyond the wall and she turned to face it herself, staying behind her bodyguards as she did so. She then opened the palm of her right hand and a crimson magical seal formed in front of it for a moment before being replaced with an ornate Chaosium spear with two serrated prongs that resembled devil horns. She then took up a defensive stance and she unfurled her wings as chaotic energy intensified around her entire body.
"Stand back, this might get messy," The she-devil said to Ms Smith and the non-combatants in a commanding tone as her eyes stayed locked with the wall in front of them.
Kuroko pulled her pistol from her holster and pointed it towards the wall with a serious look on her face. "You're going to need all the help you can get, Lady Satan."
"I thought humans weren't allowed to harm liminals," Eisheth replied with a smirk on her face.
The government agent smirk back at her. "I'm sure the ICEP will overlook it considering the situation we're currently in."
"I doubt that pea-shooter of yours will do much to them but you're welcome to try,"
Just then the wall burst open with a blast of chaos energy and soon three armoured devils came charging in with spears poised. Two of them managed to single out one of the bodyguards, though the House Satan devil managed to parry the first attack. He left himself exposed as the other devil thrust his spear deep into his side. The other House Satan devil tried to intervene but was engaged by the third House Beelzebub soldier. With the first bodyguard falling to the ground dead, one of the devils thrust his spear down with both hands into the second bodyguard's collarbone as a fountain of blood gushed from him. The soldier that killed the first bodyguard moved forwards and readied to strike at the she-devil they were after, but Eisheth caught him off guard and thrust the two prongs of her spear into his exposed neck. She yanked her spear out of the body as the other two devils attempted to assail her though before they could strike, she raised her left palm and a demonic seal appeared in front of it before erecting a barrier of chaotic energy. Their spears struck at the barrier and sparks of energy erupted from the surface as they were unable to penetrate it.
Ms Smith moved to the side and raised her sidearm to fire at one of the devils. As she fired the weapon, the closest devil to her intensified the chaotic aura around him and her bullet vaporised before making contact. The human woman looked on in shock as the devil gave her a sickening grin.
"Nice try, human, but you'll have to do better than that!" He shouted as he disengaged from Eisheth and started to move towards the government agent.
As he got closer, Yukio got to her feet and stood between him and the coordinator, looking back at him fearlessly.
"Yukio, no!" Haruto shouted in a panic as he reached out to her.
Before the devil could close in on her, the yuki-onna raised her hands and sent a wall of ice surging towards him. He was caught in the blast and the surging ice cascaded towards the last Beelzebub soldier and Eisheth. The she-devil caught this in her peripheral vision and flew back at the last second as the ice now encased itself around the other devil. The whole far side of the room was frozen over in a thick wall of ice, fully encasing one devil and trapping the other devil with only his face exposed.
"What in Pride's name is going on!?" The exposed devil shouted as he struggled to free himself.
Eisheth took the opportunity to pick up a spear belonging to one of her dead comrades and raised it above her shoulder as she aimed at the trapped soldier. "That's the least of your concerns now." She replied with a hint of venom. She then hurled the spear along with a burst of chaotic energy and the point pierced right through the ice and into the devil's chest, killing him instantly. With that, she held her spear to her side as she made her way to the door. "We should leave at once; the other devil will break out of the ice soon enough." She commanded with great urgency.
Kuroko nodded in response and turned her attention to the non-combatants. "Come on, we need to go, now."
Yukio continued to freeze up the remainder of the room in an attempt to slow the devil down. "That should slow them down." She said before turning to face the coordinator. "Ready when you are."
With that, the group left the room and now found themselves in the large interior hallway. Zombina, Tio, Lala and Raia had set up a chokepoint in an attempt to slow down any invaders, though the forces that had made it inside were giving them a hard time as they struggled to fend the devils off. The zombie and mummy were opening fire on any enemies they could get a bead on, though the intensified chaotic energy they shrouded themselves in as they advanced made their weapons practically useless. The ogress and dullahan were doing their best to keeping the soldiers from closing in on the group, but they were starting to get forced back by the growing number of devils, the only thing keeping them from being overrun was the covering fire from their undead squadmates.
Zombina pulled hard on the triggers of her SMGs as she yelled in frustration. "Damn it, my bullets ain't doing crap to these guys!"
"I know how you feel, but we've got to hold them back!" Raia shouted back at the redhead as she continued to fire upon the devils. "At least it's slowing their advance!"
Tio was doing a phenomenal job at blocking as the attacks coming her way, but she wasn't able to get any counter-attacks in at all. "They're just too fast; I can't keep up with them!"
Meanwhile, Lala was defending herself against a single devil as Raia was holding off the rest of the group with suppressing fire. The young reaper was holding her own against her demonic adversary as they dodged and deflected each other's blows, much to the annoyance of the House Beelzebub soldier. She kept a stoic look on her face as she tried to find an opening in her opponent's defences. The devil himself was getting frustrated as he was unable to get past a single woman despite his efforts to try and kill her. He just wasn't able to get past her series of wide arced strikes from her scythe.
He let out a battle cry as he thrust his spear towards her torso. "It ends here!"
The dullahan held Crescent Shadow upright in both hands and used it to both block and deflect the strike away from herself. With the devil now wide open, she tilted her scythe to the side and swung the blade towards his exposed neck, soon beheading him with little effort as she spun to the side and let his body collapse to the ground. Though as she did so the devil behind her adversary stepped forwards and made ready to strike at her exposed side with a menacing look on his face. Before he could close the gap, several straps of linen wrapping shot towards the devil and ensnared him, holding back his arms and binding his wings together to prevent his escape.
"Lala, now!" The mummy shouted.
Lala glanced back at her and nodded before she locked eyes with the bound devil and swung Crescent Shadow towards him in a high arc as she let out a battle cry. The blade dug itself deep into the devil's collarbone and pierced through his internal organs, killing him on the spot. With his body going limp, Raia unravelled her wrappings from it and Lala pulled her scythe free as it fell to the floor lifelessly, now staining the immediate area blood red.
The young reaper held her scythe to her side and glanced back at the mummy with a thankful look on her face. "Thank ye fer yer aid, Raia."
"No problem, we need to help each other out," Raia replied with a warm smile on her face as she retracted all her wrappings. "though I'm sure more will be coming soon, so heads up."
Just as she finished talking, more devils came around the corner of the corridor the pair had been guarding. The dullahan took on a stoic look once more as she faced them and readied Crescent Shadow once more. "It seems they do nay wish tae cease their assault on this domain."
Before they could get close, Yukio stepped up behind the dullahan and placed her hands on the wall nearest them before sending out a surging wall of ice across its surface. The corridor in front of them soon started to freeze over entirely and the devils were forced to fall back to avoid being frozen over themselves. Lala looked back to see the yuki-onna with an exhausted look on her face as she removed her hands from the wall.
"That should hold them off for now," She said before taking several deep breaths.
The young reaper couldn't help but smirk back at her as she placed her free hand over her face and entered her reaper persona. "Ye have me eternal gratitude, Ice Witch."
Yukio smiled back at the dullahan. "It's not a problem, I just wish to help as best as I can."
Back at the other side of the chokepoint, Zombina and Tio were still struggling to hold back a small group of devils currently assailing them. As one of them was striking at the ogress, the other two devils held back to try and find an opening, but they were forced to keep their shroud of chaotic energy up to protect themselves from the incoming gunfire which was slowing their advance. As they held their position, an armoured she-devil came up behind them, catching the other devils off guard as they just realised who she was.
"Lady Azmani, I didn't even sense you coming," One of the devils said in surprise, though the other devil looked at her suspiciously.
"Never mind that!" The House Beelzebub heiress shouted in annoyance. "Why haven't you dealt with these surface-dwellers yet?"
"Sorry, but they've been putting up more of a resistance than we-!"
Before he could finish, the other devil raised his left palm and blasted Azmani with a bolt of chaos energy, sending her colliding with the wall behind her before she slid to the ground in agony. The soldier responsible for the attack looked down at her with a hateful look.
His comrade looked back at him in shock. "What did you do that for?! She'll kill you for-!"
"Pay attention you fool," He interjected as he kept his eyes lock with the she-devil. "there's no chaos energy emanating from her. She's a fake."
Slowly, Azmani's body began to unwind into locks of silver hair revealing a doppelganger underneath as she held her arms around her torso in agony. "Damn, so much for my surprise attack." She muttered to herself before coughing violently.
He stared at her scornfully for a moment before he glanced back at the soldier currently fighting the armoured ogress. "You, hold them back with a barrier while we take care of this scum."
His comrade jumped away from his foe and nodded in response. "Right!" With that, he held up his free hand and erected a barrier made of chaos energy to separate himself from the ogress and zombie in front of him.
Tio was initially confused by this change in tactic before she noticed Doppel slumped against the wall in front of them. She immediately panicked as she slammed the butt of one of her riot shields against the barrier with little effect. "Pel-chan!" She shouted desperately as she continually slammed her shields against the barrier in an attempt to shatter it.
Zombina saw this too and she moved up towards the barrier before firing upon it with both SMG's "Damn it, don't you dare die on us, Doppel!"
With the surface-dwellers held back, the two unoccupied devils started to move towards the doppelganger with raised spears. "Let's finish this quickly." The leader of the group commanded.
"Of course," The other devil replied as he moved towards the girl at a quickened pace.
As the pair of devils moved closer, Doppel looked up at them with a smirk on her face as she transformed the ends of her hair into four serrated blades and thrust them towards their targets. The more inexperienced devil was stabbed in his exposed side and neck, too close to avoid the attacks in time, though the leader of the group was far enough away to dodge to the side before he blasted the doppelganger with chaos energy again, now paralyzing her as her hair fell to the ground and reverted to their natural state.
Doppel screamed in agony once more as chaotic energy coursed violently through her small body, though she looked back at the devil responsible and gave him a smug grin. "Guess it was worth a try…" She muttered to herself once more, concluding that her life was about to come to an end.
The devil stepped in front of her and looked down at her with a sinister grin as he raised his spear above her, ready to deliver the killing blow. "There'll be no mercy for you where you're going."
Before he could bring his weapon down onto the woman, a katana coursing with chaotic energy came from out of nowhere and impaled his neck from the side with great force, knocking his body to the ground as he let out a gurgled cry of agony. The devil holding up the barrier looked back in horror at his now-dead comrades. "What the hell?!"
Just then he noticed a dark figure leap from the side corridor onto the back wall. Just as he could get a good look at the figure, he saw a hellhound woman pouncing towards him with a vicious look in her eyes as flames burst from the corners of them. He turned around and tried to raise his spear in time to defend himself, but he was too slow as the woman slammed the side of his head with a well-placed roundhouse kick, causing him to collide with the side of the corridor with great force. He slumped to the ground with his back against the wall, but before he could get up the zombie from before stood in front of him as close as she could before she readied her SMGs and pointed them at his chest. He let out a panicked scream before the redhead fired a volley of bullets into him at point-blank range as she let out a battle cry. His screams went silent before his body slumped to its side lifelessly.
Zombina raised her weapons and took several deep breaths to calm herself down. "About fucking time, that barrier shit was starting to piss me off." She said out loud in an attempt to relieve her stress.
Doppel glanced back at the now-dead devil that had come close to killing her and saw Black Lotus sticking out from the side of his neck. She looked down the side corridor and saw Yuuto and Kestria moving down the hallway as quickly as they could, considering the harpy's current condition.
The hybrid and harpy pair stopped in front of her as the blonde looked down at her with a smirk on his face. "Guess you owe me one, Doppel."
The doppelganger couldn't help but smirk back at him as she raised her left arm and reached it out towards him. "Just shut up and help a girl out already, Romeo."
Yuuto gave her a warm smile and reached out his left hand to grab her arm before lifting her to her feet.
As she got up, Doppel looked up at the harpy leaning up against him as she was taking deep breaths. "The hell happened to you? You look like shit." She said in a teasing tone.
Kestria looked back down at the shapeshifter with a smirk on her face. "I could say the same to you, looks like you got too intimate with a taser."
The tanned girl couldn't help but chuckle to herself. "You must be doing well enough if you've got the energy to make witty comebacks." With that, she used her hair to pull out Black Lotus from the devil corpse before handing it back to the hybrid. "Here, Romeo, you might need this."
The hybrid looked down at his weapon before he grabbed with his free hand and re-sheathed it. "Thanks a lot."
Whilst they were talking, Lala came rushing through the group to check up on her boyfriend. "Me Love, are ye well?" She asked in a worried tone as she stood to his side.
"Don't worry, I'm good," He replied as he gave her a warm smile. "well, no worse for wear at least,"
The dullahan returned a warm smile of her own as her cheeks went bright red. "Just as expected from ye."
Eisheth stepped forwards and smirked at the hybrid. "I didn't expect you to perform so well. You've exceeded my expectations, Dagon."
Most of the MON agents looked at the elder devil in confusion. "Dagon?" Blare questioned as she quirked an eyebrow at her.
*Sigh* "I'll explain later," Yuuto interjected in a slightly annoyed tone. "right now, we need to regroup and strategize." He looked around the corridor and noticed that some people were still missing. "Speaking off, where's Manako and the others?"
Just then, they heard skittering coming down the stairs and the group saw Serge coming down the stairs, with Manako and Kasumi close behind. "Sorry to keep you waiting," Cynthia said in a professional tone. "we were momentarily held up upstairs by hostile forces. They were starting to overrun the top level of the inn."
Without saying a word, Yukio moved to the side of the staircase and once the trio of liminals got off, she used her ice magic to seal off the way to the top floor with a thick wall of ice. "It'll take them some time to break through that." She said flatly.
The monoeye looked up at the yuki-onna's handiwork in amazement. "Wow, thank you very much."
"It's certainly a big help," The shinobi commented as she looked over the newly-formed ice wall.
With everyone gathered, Kuroko stepped into the middle of the group and got everyone's attention. "Now that we're all here, I suggest that we fortify our current position and make use of the tight corridors to our advantage. Their forces shouldn't be able to move very freely in here."
"I don't think that's such a good idea, Ma'am," Doppel spoke up to gain her superior's attention.
The government agent glanced towards the doppelganger with a look of worry. "What did you find out from the enemy?"
The tanned-skin girl took a deep breath, almost hesitant to bring up the information she came across. "I overheard their leader's plan; they're going to try and bring the entire inn down on top of us."
The arachne of the group mused over this new intel. "They're trying to flush us out into the open; very clever." She said out loud.
Eisheth closed her eyes and could sense that apart from Yuuto, all other sources of chaos energy were more than likely outside that vicinity of the building. "If they're using such a strategy, then there's no doubt that their Legion Commander is leading this operation. Our situation has just become a lot more dangerous." She explained in a grim tone.
Looks of worry crossed the faces of the group, though Yuuto kept his cool as a smirk crossed his face. "Guess we'll just have to step up and take them head-on. I'm sure it's the last thing they'll be expecting."
"That's just plain suicide," Cynthia spoke up in an irate tone. "we're currently outnumbered and heavily outmatched in terms of firepower. We stand little chance of repelling their forces out in the open."
"But they've been underestimating us this whole time," The hybrid responded with confidence. "They've already lost a fair number of soldiers with us only taking minimal casualties so far. We either take our chances out there, or we stay in here and wait to get crushed. I know which option I'd rather take."
The others wanted to believe what he said, but the majority of the group couldn't help but think that the odds were stacked against them at this point. Despite the grim mood in the air though, Blare couldn't help but give her squad captain a confident smile in return. "I'm with Stud! He hasn't let us down before now, so why should we doubt him now?!"
A grin crossed Zombina's face as she locked eyes with her fellow squad captain. "I've always had a good feeling about you, Beesh. I've got your back on this."
Lala gave him a loving look, determined to believe that he had the means to get them out of this situation alive and in one piece. "Nay matter what may happen, I will forever stand by yer side."
"I've been buried once already, and I wouldn't recommend it," Raia said jokingly as she looked to him in confidence. "plus, I'm not letting you go anywhere without me, Medjay."
Kestria let out a sigh while still clinging to his side. "I hope you know what you're doing, Hotshot."
Kasumi moved in between Blare and Lala before locking eyes with the hybrid. "Senpai, what do you have planned?"
At that moment, Yuuto looked towards Tio as he gave her a questioning look. "Tio, remember when we watched that city siege scene in Return of the King the other week when the bad guys were trying to break down the gate?"
Tionishia scratched her helmet in confusion until she realised what he was on about as she pointed her finger up in realisation. "Oh, you mean the bit with the massive battering ram?"
"Yeah, that one," He replied with a smile on his face. "well, imagine that, but replace the flaming battering ram with your riot shields swathed in chaos energy. They've probably put a barrier up to try and trap us in here and I need you to use your shields to bust us out the front entrance."
The ogress thought it over for a moment. "Would that even work? I thought your chaos magic could only empower Chaosium gear, wouldn't it just shatter my shields?"
Eisheth moved to the side of the towering MON agent and examined her riot shields. "I wouldn't be so sure. Those shields look like they're thick enough to resist the destructive properties of chaos for a short time, long enough for our purposes at least." She explained as simply as she could for her.
The ogress considered what the she-devil had said for a moment before she looked towards Yuuto and gave him a massive smile from behind her helmet. "Alright, I'll do it, Sweetie!"
"Awesome," He said to her before turning his attention to everyone else. "alright, we're going to be breaking out as one large group. So, I want Tio taking point, close-quarters combatants at the front, ranged combatants at the rear, and non-combatants in the centre. Stay close and watch each other's backs; they'll try and pick us off one-by-one if we're not careful."
"I hate to break this to you, Hotshot, but I'm not in any position to fight right now," Kestria said begrudgingly while she was still leaning against him for support.
"I know," He then looked towards the yuki-onna and her host and called them over. "Yukio, Haruto. Would the two of you mind looking after Kes for the time being? I'd appreciate it." He asked politely.
"Of course, anything to help," The young man replied before he went to the raptor harpy's side and propped her against him for support.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure to protect them," Yukio added in a confident tone.
The hybrid nodded at her in confidence. "Thanks, just be careful." He told them before he was about to take his leave.
"Hey, Hotshot!" Kestria shouted to get her captain's attention.
Yuuto looked back at her, giving her a questioning look. "What's up, Kes?"
The raptor harpy merely smirked back at him. "You go show those assholes what a real devil is made of."
The hybrid couldn't help but smirk back at her as he gave her a thumbs-up. "Will do." He answered before taking his leave. "Stay safe."
As he was moving towards the front of the group, the walls and ceiling started to shake violently. It seemed that the devils outside were intent on destroying the inn with them still inside. The MON agent was about to meet up with Tio when he felt a hand grab at his wrist. He looked back to see his loving girlfriend look up at him with worry.
"Me love, are ye certain about this?"
Yuuto felt the need to smile back at her to ease her worries. "As certain as I'll ever be. What other choice do we have?"
The dullahan smiled back at him lovingly. "Of course, I trust yer judgement." She then pressed herself against his chest and placed her hands against his cheeks. "I believe that we'll come out o' this nightmare with our lives, but should the worst come tae pass…" She trailed off for a moment before she pressed her lips to his. Their lips glossed over each other for a moment before she pulled back slightly and locked her eyes with his to look into his very soul. "I will love ye always, even tae the end o' days."
The hybrid looked back at her with loving eyes before he grabbed her shoulders tightly and pressed his forehead against hers, wanting desperately to feel her closeness. "I love you too. Now, let's go win this."
"Aye," She replied with an unsteady voice as tears trickled down her cheeks. She then pecked his lips one last time before she reluctantly separated from him. "let us find victory in this conflict."
The couple stepped back from each other and resumed with their preparations. Yuuto stood himself behind Tio just to her left. He took a moment to take a few deep breaths to calm his growing nerves. Despite what he said to everyone, he knew how badly the situation was stacked up against them. They were potentially walking out to their deaths, and all he could say was that everything was going to be alright as long as they stuck together. They were more than likely going to be blasted to smithereens by a volley for chaos projectiles the moment they stepped out of the inn. He just hoped that the forces of House Beelzebub valued Eisheth's life more than their utter annihilation.
Even with being distracted by these horrid thoughts, he could sense Eisheth stand to the right of him, he powers unwaning. "You truly are an inspiration, Dagon Diablo." She said to him in a confident tone.
Yuuto glanced back at the she-devil and gave her as confident a look he could muster. "Well, someone has to keep spirits high in such dire circumstances."
She nodded in response. "Ms Smith told me a great deal about you. Not many people could've gone through what you have and come out unscathed."
The blonde couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "I don't know, I feel plenty scathed as is. Hell, I'm pretty sure I'll be getting plenty more scathes with what we've got to look forward to."
"True, but you don't let those physical and emotional scars define who you are," She responded with a great deal of sincerity. "you have a strong soul, and that's what draws others to you. And it's those connections you make with others that allows you to stay strong even in the face of imminent death. I just wish there were more people like you in the Demonic Realms."
His cheeks went slightly red at her comment. "Thanks, but maybe we should leave the compliments until after we get out of this alive."
"Of course, we're all counting on you," She replied as her cheeks went red.
Yuuto took a deep breath. "Well, no pressure then." He then looked up at the ogress and tried to get her attention. "Hey, Tio. Let's get those shields charged up."
Tionishia looked down at him before she lowered her shields next to both him and Eisheth as she gave him a wide smile behind her helmet. "Alright, charge away~" She replied in a cheery tone.
With that, the hybrid and the elder devil placed their hands on the ogress' shields and began to charge them with chaotic energy. Thankfully Eisheth had some grasp on how much they could charge the shields before damaging them and told Yuuto to stop around the same time she did.
Tio then lifted her shields and looked at them in awe. "Wow," She said in amazement. "I don't think I've ever held anything so big and powerful before."
"…You might want to watch your phrasing there…" Yuuto said in an embarrassed tone.
Tio suddenly lowered her shields as she became embarrassed herself. She was thankful that her helmet was currently hiding her reddening face. "Oh, right. Sorry about that…"
The hybrid took a deep breath once more to calm his nerves. Once he was ready, he tapped his fist against Tio's back to get her attention. "Ready whenever you are."
With a look of confidence, the ogress slammed the edges of her shield together as sparks of chaotic energy flew off them. "Alright everyone, let's go!" She shouted as she started to run forwards with everyone behind her matching her pace.
"You heard her! I better not catch anyone falling behind now!" Serge shouted in a commanding tone.
"Yes, Ma'am!" The majority of the MON agents shouted in response.
As they ran down the corridor, they turned the corner and they were now heading straight towards the main lobby and the front entrance of the building. As they got closer, Yuuto could just make out a faint barrier of chaotic energy right at the entrance of the building. The closer they got to the lobby, the more the interior of the building shook violently, to the point that debris was starting to fall from the ceiling.
"Let's keep moving!" Kuroko shouted commandingly. "this place is going to collapse any second now!"
The group quickened their pace as they entered the main lobby itself. As they neared the front entrance, Yuuto glanced over to the she-devil as an idea popped into his head. "Ei, let's give Tio a helping hand!" He shouted to her with a smirk on his face.
Eisheth glanced back at him and returned a smirk of her own. "I like the way you think, Dagon."
With that the elder devil and hybrid readied their weapons and charged them with chaotic energy, ready to strike at the barrier ahead of them. Together, along with Tionishia, they all let out battle cries as they attacked with their chosen weapons in unison. They just hoped that they could break through; their lives were depending on it.