Disclaimer: I do not in any way, shape, or form, own Chrno Crusade. This work is based upon the popular anime/manga series created by Daisuke Moriyama. The only things I own are any original ideas you won't find in the anime or the manga. Enjoy the story!
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"Azmaria! The crucifix barrier! Quickly!" Rosette's voice rang out in the night as he and Rosette continued their battle against the demon Anixiel and his minions. The large man that stood at the top of the hill in the middle of Cortland County commanded his legion like a king; and his legion – which consisted of the townsmen under a spell – obeyed without question. They advanced upon Rosette and Chrno while Azmaria hurried with the crosses."I've got to," she panted as she dodged one of the advancing women. "I've got to – AH!" A lanky townsman appeared in front of the small, silver-haired diva and reached out to grab her.
"Azmaria," Chrno screamed as he picked up a large rock and hurled it at the man hitting him in the middle of his forehead. The would-be attacker fell over from the impact as Azmaria fell to her feet, her small hands clutching onto the crucifix. She was shaking from her experience and barely noticed Chrno running towards her.
The demon dropped to his knees and put an arm around her.
"Azmaria are you," Chrno began just as Azmaria screamed soundly, startled by Chrno's sudden appearance. The demon's sensitive ears rang with the din of Azmaria's voice - one that would normally invoke the heavens – but now only caused pain. Her eyes widened when she saw the purple-haired boy face down on the ground next to her and her hands immediately moved to cover her mouth.
"Oh no! Chrno!" She put her hands on his shoulders and shook his gently. "Chrno I'm so sorry, I just. I well..." She trailed off and bit her lip. She always seemed to cause trouble. She began to sniffle, tears welling up in her when Rosette ran up to them.
"What do you two think you're doing?! Get up Chrno!" She began using her feet to nudge at the fallen devil. "CHRNO!"
Chrno stirred at the constant nudging and at the shrill sound of Rosette's screaming. He blinked his eyes and immediately jumped to his feet when he remembered where they were.
"Rosette!" His exclamation held a hint of confusion in it.
Rosette's eye twitched. "Chrno…" It was obvious she was biting her tongue. "How nice of you to JOIN US IN TIME FOR OUR DEFEAT!" The hordes of men, women, and children were advancing upon them quickly, forming a circle around the trio. There was no escape and Anixiel laughed maniacally.
"You're mine, Sinner! I'll use my new horn to take the rest of your astral energy and the energy of your contractor! And that girl…" he said, trailing off as he pointed to Azmaria. "That girl will grant me more power than I ever had in the Kingdom of Heaven!"
Azmaria huddled behind Chrno and Rosette, her hands still clutching onto the crucifix, the final one needed to complete the barrier. Rosette glared at the devil as she swung the two by four frantically to keep her legion at bay.
"You'll never get away with this," cried Rosette in a high-pitched tirade. "I swear to God that if you lay a hand on Azmaria I will-" the girl in the nun's outfit reached a hand behind her to grab onto Azmaria only to find the girl was not there. Her eyes widened as she began to look behind herself and Chrno.
"WHERE IS AZMARIA?!" Rosette asked sternly as she towered over Chrno, veritable flames flickering in her eyes.
Chrno held up two hands and smiled innocently at the most hot-headed member of the Magdalene Order. "Rosette! Maybe we should concentrate on fending off these people and finding Azmaria." His voice was as calm as ever. .
"Lose your Apostle," Anixiel asked with a wicked chuckle. "Let me find her for you," he offered with a bow though anyone could tell he was anything but sincere. He leapt off his hill and began stalking toward the increasing group of town's people that had gathered around Chrno and Rosette.
"We have to get through this crowd," Chrno yelled as he subdued two of his attackers with swift blows to the gut.
"Don't you think I know that," Rosette replied through gritted teeth as she pushed against a small group of four men that had 'decided' to come forward for an attack.
"Goddammit," she thought to herself. "If we've lost Azmaria I'll never…" She put her head down for a moment. "Joshua…"
Just then a hand grabbed her wrist and jerked it upwards, forcing her to look up.
"Anixiel," she muttered as she began to struggle against his grasp. The devil smirked and glanced at Chrno. The legion stopped their advance and created an almost impenetrable fence around Rosette and her partner.
Chrno's eyes narrowed as he turned his body to face Anixiel though his eyes were averted to the ground. "Take your hands off of her," growled the Broken Horn as he clenched his hands into tight fists. The air around him began to whirl with intense energy.
Anixiel smirked. "Looks like we've gotten someone ang- AHHHHHH"
Anixiel let go of Rosette and fell to his knees in pain as a brilliant blue light surrounded them in the shape of a cross. Rosette and Chrno looked up and smiled.
"Azmaria," they said in unison as Rosette and Chrno made their way through the fallen bodies of Anixiel's legion. They were making a mad dash for their car when they were joined by Azmaria who had emerged from a dense collection of bushes.
"You finished the barrier," Chrno said excitedly as he continued to run beside the small girl.
Azmaria nodded. "I just couldn't let you two down."
Rosette looked over her shoulder as Azmaria spoke and smiled. "Right. Well let's finish the job then!"
The trio reached the Ford and Rosette jumped in quickly, half of her body immediately disappearing into the back seat. She began to rummage through their supplies furiously, throwing things left and right in the car.
"WHERE IS IT?! I KNOW I BROUGHT IT WITH US!"
Chrno and Azmaria watched in silence as Rosette's rear end bobbed up and down in the car. A slight blush rose to Chrno's cheeks before he looked away only to find Anixiel charging toward them. Azmaria's eyes widened and she ran to hide on the other side of the car.
"Uh… Rosette…I think you better hurry up…" Chrno said as he stuck his head into the car.
"You're not helping, Chrno," Rosette replied right before she popped straight up holding a Field 16 Gauge shotgun in her right hand.
"AHA! I knew I brought it," she said triumphantly as she jumped out of the car.
Chrno cocked a brow. "Isn't that the Elder's newest weapon?"
"Yep! Azrael's Wrath." She said with a grin. "Thought I'd test it out for the Elder." She grabbed a small, leather case filled with two bullets and opened the magazine.
"Does the Elder know that you have it?" Chrno's brow furrowed as he watched the gun and then Rosette's wicked delight in loading it and locking the top part down. "No, of course he doesn't."
"There's no time for that! Here he comes," Rosette cried as she spied their enemy coming towards them.
Rosette raised the shotgun skillfully in one hand and aimed it at Anixiel, who was still a little shaken by the crucifix barrier. The devil swayed left and right as he ran; he bared his fangs angrily as his claws flexed in preparation for a fight. Rosette followed the devil's every movement, her trained eye trying to get a fix on him.
"Come on," she muttered under her breath. Anixiel was less than twenty feet away and he was still swaying erratically. "Applesauce!" She let the shotgun drop to her side angrily. "He's not staying still!" She dropped to her knees and sighed.
The fact of the matter was that Rosette just didn't have the ammunition to waste a shot and she wanted to make sure this was going to hit the mark. Then suddenly Chrno appeared behind her and raised her arm up.
"You can do it, Rosette," he said as he kept her steady, his right arm right alongside hers as his hand wrapped itself gently around her wrist. His other hand had found its way to her left arm and was raising it to the shotgun. "Two hands…" he whispered as he moved the shotgun in line with Anixiel. Rosette nodded and took a deep breath.
"ANIXIEL!" Her cry resonated through the air as her finger pulled back upon the trigger. The two shells exploded from the barrels of the shotgun and flew through the air, splattering into a thousand tiny silver pellets made from a silver cross that used to reside in the Vatican.
Penitence, that's what the Elder called the bullets because they were filled with the Divine Spark, the essence of Azrael's power over flames. When the pellets embedded themselves into Anixiel's flesh, the demon howled. But not as much as when the pellets themselves exploded inside of his flesh, sending the holy silver and the Divine Spark through his body. His spirit would be restrained while his body was consumed in flames.
Anixiel screamed and his hands moved to his head in unimaginable pain. He clutched his blue and silver hair with bloodied hands and pulled at it as the flames from the Divine Spark worked their way to the surface.
"YES!" Rosette's face beamed with pride. "I did it!" She twirled the shotgun up quickly so that it could rest upon her shoulder. Her opposite hand fisted upon her hip and she began to laugh almost maniacally. "This shotgun is jake, Chrno! I'm gonna get the Elder to make tons more of those Penitence shells too!"
But Chrno was paying little attention to Rosette as his eyes were fixed upon Anixiel who was glowing red and orange as his flesh was being consumed by the Azrael's fire until the moment his body began to expand. And then the devil didn't move at all. Chrno's eyes widened as she quickly grabbed onto Rosette.
"Get behind the car," he yelled as he dragged her to join Azmaria on the other side of the Ford. Seconds are their retreat, Anixiel exploded, his fiery flesh splattering to the bushes and small shed that occupied the area. The park - which had always been a beautiful and peaceful place - was now set ablaze by the flaming material from Anixiel.
Rosette peeked out from behind the car and screamed.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She jumped up and rounded the Ford and began to hop from one foot to the next. Chrno and Azmaria joined Rosette and looked at each other, both unsure of what to say.
"It's okay Rosette," Chrno began. "This wasn't your fault… not really."
Rosette however was paying little attention to the devil by her side. Tears had begun to well up in her eyes and she began to wail.
"Why is it always like this?!"