Bless This World With A Stranger

by RhineWrites

Arc 8: Konosuba Inferno (chapters 37-?)

39. A8: Canto 16-23

{|} Canto 16: Depths of Despair {|}

'Am I... just where am I?'

Kazuma was looking up into the sky, seeing nothing but dark energy that was being pulled deep into a never-ending void of nothingness. He couldn't move his body; he could barely even move his own head. Looking as best he could, he could see nothing but an endless sea that was as black as tar.

Or maybe it was actually tar? He couldn't be sure.

"I feel heavy... tired. Why can't I move, why can't I even speak. Everything feels distorted... fuzzy.'

Around him, bubbles began to rise from the surface of the sea of tar, floating into the air to hover right above him. As Kazuma's exhaustion grew, he found it difficult to even keep his eyes open. And then one by one, each of the bubbles began to glow as images began to appear upon them and from them came voices.

The first was an image from his old middle school. He could see his old childhood best friend, Erika, talking with two other girls. And then this is what he heard.

"I'm surprised Erika. The way you just shot down Satou like that; acting like you didn't even know him. I thought you and him were supposed to be all buddy-buddy with one another."

"Yeah, Akari-chan is right. Don't get us wrong. Cutting ties with that guy is one of the best choices you could have made with your life. Everyone knows that he's a loser. But still..."

"To go about doing it in the way that you did. Wasn't that a little cold on your part?"

Erika looked at them, her eyes narrowing for a moment before she turns away and walks past them to stare out the window. After a pause, the image of Erika finally says-

"There's nothing cute about lamenting ones past choices, to wallow in one's own regret. I have a chance to realize my childhood dream. I owe it to myself to see this as far as I can, for as long as I can. Regardless of how I may feel about... past choices, I have to keep looking to the future."

She then looks back at her friends, showing them a very clearly forced smile as she adds.

"Any regrets that come my way in the years to come... I'll deal with them when they come my way."

And then, the bubble this image had been born from pops as a tar like representation of Erika emerges from the sea of tar, reaching out and grabbing onto Kazuma.

'Is that what happened after I approached Erika that day at school? The last time I ever saw her...'

The next bubble then comes close, an image of Kazuma's parents appearing upon it. They were sitting at the kitchen table; a piece of paper in the hands of Kazuma's father. It was his annual report card from school. His father was reading off what it said, then places it down before letting out a sigh.

"So, I guess that's it then. What do you want to do, dear?"

asked Kazuma's mother. After a moment, his father finally responds by saying-

"We warned our first born; told him what would happen if he didn't start to improve. We told him and he failed to take that warning seriously. And now, we have no other choice but to send him away. In order to make sure his... 'weakness' doesn't start to influence his little brother; we have to make this choice."

"Do we though? Don't get me wrong, I'm in complete agreement with you. But I also can't help but recall what Kazuma said when we had that talk with him. How other families would still be proud with what his grades are. After all, it's not like he's failing by any stretch of the means."

There was a pause before the father spoke. And when he did, there was something off in his voice.

"Perhaps so, but we aren't like other families... we can't be like other families. For little Kenta's sake, for his brighter future. For Kazuma's sake, though most wouldn't understand... and for our sakes, sending him away is for the best. It's the only option really..."

'Is this the moment they decided to send me away; ship me off to that private school over in Tokyo? Did they really have so little faith in me? Was me being me really that... much of a bother. Why couldn't they have set me down before making a decision like that? Why couldn't they... have just let me find my own path?'

Like before, the bubble that had shown this image pops as manifestations of his parents rise up from the tar, taking hold of him much like the manifestation of Erika while another bubble then shows its image. This one was of Megumin, Yunyun, Cielo, Darkness, and Chris.

If Kazuma's guess was correct, the five of them were inside the hotel they had stayed out while in Arcanretia. Was this going to show him what happened with them just before he had come rushing in from outside, having grown tired of waiting on them to realize that he was missing.

"So, has anyone recalled why it was we came her to Arcanretia?"

"Not yet... which is starting to get really annoying here."

"Maybe we came here to experience the famous hot springs this place it known for. It's the only reason any sane person would ever risk stepping foot into the home of psychopaths that are known as the Axis cult."

"No, there has to be something more than just that. I don't know... maybe we should just head back to Axel and call it a day."

"Or maybe we should chase after the troupe that master Alonzo is with. He did offer us a job with him and his people. I don't know about the rest of you, but when we were hanging out with him... I mean, with them, when he was leading us in the defense of the caravan... I don't know. I just felt so right, you know."

"Yeah, I can't recall ever having so much respect for someone that I only just met before. There was something about him that... it just feels like being by his side is the right thing. For all of us really."

"So, we should have a vote and quickly. Do we stay here and see if we can recall the reason why we even came to begin with. Do we just head back to Axel and continue on with our lives. Or... do we hurry up and run after the caravan and see if it's not too late to join them. To join master Alonzo."

"But won't that mean we'd be giving up being adventurers?"

"Would that be a bad thing? Maybe we should try out something new with our lives and who better to do it with than master Alonzo. So, what will it be..."

The all look at each other, then smile as the answer must have been obvious.

"Let's go and be with..."

And in that moment, just as they said that, was when Kazuma saw himself finally enter the hotel.

'Is that... is that what was happening right before I came walking in? They really were going to...'

As Kazuma thinks that, images of the five girls then emerge from the tar, also taking a hold of him. And then, another bubble suddenly takes on a shape. It wasn't just showing him an image but actually becoming a person. It was that hate filled woman, Aberlina.

"What did I tell you, boy. The world they live in and the one you live in are two very different worlds. Try all you might, you will NEVER have a place in their world. It is destiny, really. Try as hard as you want, you'll never be able to stay by their side forever. Even if THEY also try to keep you close, you'll eventually fall from their grasp, and nothing will ever see you back to their sides again."

The image of Aberlina then brings a foot down onto Kazuma's chest and then, along with the hands that were gripping onto him, Kazuma found himself being pushed down into the sea of tar. As he sinks deeper and deeper, the voices begin to ring out inside his head.

"Why did you have to be the one I found safety in. Why were you the one who was fine with my perverted nature. Why were you the one to hold their hand out in friendship. Why were you the one who's scent I find so desirable. Why did it have to be you who I see as the perfect partner in crime."

"Why... why was it you of all people that had to become a part of my life. The only one who can understand my love for Explosion magic."

The voice of his friends, as well as plenty more voice; besides, all lamenting having ever met him to begin with. Was this the truth about how they secretly felt about him? No, this had to be a trick; it was a trick by this place, whatever it was supposed to be. To drain him of his willpower and make it easier for him to submit and give in.

And in truth, it was working.

And then a final voice came upon him, a voice that came from a small point of light that had come into view for him.

"Don't go giving up on me yet. Don't forget, I'm always with you, Kazuma... Linear!"

{|} Canto 17: Realm's Style {|}

"EXPLOSION!"

With a mighty boom, the last of the Atlas had been blown to smithereens while it had tried to make a run for it. After seeing the power the little succubus looking girl could unleash and what that power had done to its brethren, it had decided it wasn't going to fair much better.

Perhaps it should have thought of that sooner.

Megumin, her eyes partially glazed over as she panted, smiled a content smile as she slowly glided onto the ground, coming to rest on her legs folded beneath her. How many had that been? Fourteen, fifteen? She wasn't sure how many, but it had felt DAMN good to have unleashed that many.

'If only Kazuma could have been here in this moment. I wonder what score he would have given all that?'

Megumin was confident it would have been a high score too. Perhaps not as high as her Hyper Explosion had been from back then; not even close to it. But it would have still been an amazingly high score he would have given; she was sure of that.

Actually, maybe it was better that he wasn't here to have seen that after all. Given the current state of her mind at the moment as well as how she was feeling and add the fact she very much was a succubus at this time as well, whatever score he would have given would have most likely sent her into a sexual lust that would have seen her tackle him and start 'raping' him on the spot.

"Damn, that was sure a lot of Explosions you fired off, Megs. Assuming that each one represented a certain bodily function that must... 'come' super easy for you succubi, you must have been having quite the naughty series of fantasies going round inside your head to make all those blasts possible."

Megumin sent a dangerous glare Lynn's way as a warning that if she knew what was good for her, she would shut up before Megumin decided to allow herself one more Explosion, this time with Lynn herself being the target. Instead, Megumin opted to say while working to regain some strength so she could stand-

"Instead of hovering off to the side and having fun at my expense, how about you go do something useful here and see how close that incoming dust cloud of demons has gotten."

Lynn's response was to stick her tongue out at Megumin before shooting into the air to do as asked. Megumin then begins to work on getting back onto her feet. It takes her a few tries, but she finally does it though her legs were feeling like jelly nonstop the whole time. She hoped she could at least fly better than could walk at the moment otherwise she won't be getting far for a good while.

'Of all the times I would want to have Kazuma present to carry me, it had to be here and now.'

Lynn finally flies back down to Megumin, who asks how long she thinks they have. Lynn's response-

"I... honestly don't know. I look and I see them coming but they don't look like they've gotten any closer to us than what they were from when I last saw them."

"Eh? That can't be right? Maybe it was never actually coming towards us to begin with. Maybe that giant dust cloud wasn't any sign of a horde of demons coming our way but a sign that the horde was doing some fierce fighting, enough to be kicking up a lot of dust over their way."

"Or the distance between them and us is such that even after those few minutes you spent turning all those Atlas into rubble wasn't enough for them to look like they've made any progress in getting here."

Megumin shrugged but that didn't matter. If nothing else, it just proved the physics of this place were really weird. Either way, at least they had time or so she hoped. Megumin then turns towards the direction Cielo and Darkness had been sent off to by that whatever it was that had tackled them.

"Regardless, enough wasting time. Let's go see if those two need any help so we can get a move on already. We've already wasted enough time as it is with just letting ourselves remain in one place when we should have already started moving towards the next realm and after what Plutus sa-OOOF..."

Before Megumin could finish, something had come landing right in front of her. Before her mind could react or even register what it was that had arrived, she feels it send a punch slamming hard into her gut that send her crashing to the ground in a hacking and coughing filled fit of intense pain.

"Megu-GGGAAAHHH..."

Lynn had started to shout out her name in concern before crying out herself, making Megumin turn her pained gaze up to see what had happened. More of the same kind of creature that had launched a surprise attack upon her had arrived and one of them had grabbed Lynn from out of the air and was now crushing her within its might grip.

"Damn it, let her go you freaks?"

She shouted, getting no response from her attacker though the one that was currently keeping Lynn held tight appeared to grin ever so slightly. Taking a good look at them all, Megumin's brain concludes that these guys must be Malebranche; the demon enemy Darkness had described to her earlier and the challenge she said she had to overcome with Walther back inside Aldarp's little castle looking hideout.

Megumin tries to get back onto her feet but the pain from the blow she took to her stomach hadn't yet relented enough to allow that to be an option for her. Once more, her eyes looked solely onto the Malebranche that had attacked her as it cracked its knuckles, cracked its neck, and then took a few steps towards her.

"Hey, let me... let me go, you damn ugly ram horned freak. Just wait till my father and grandfather find out how you've treated me... were rough with me. They'll have all your hides for that one."

shouted Lynn, not that her words did anything to change her situation, beyond the Malebranche that was holding her adding more force to its hold which makes her cry out in pain even more. For Megumin though, all she could do is remain vulnerable as the Malebranche that had sucker punched her was standing over her, likely preparing to end her with its next attack.

Megumin closes her eyes tightly as she thinks 'Damn it, I came all this way to save Kazuma and now here I am, the one that needs some serious saving. I'm sorry... Kazuma.' The attack comes...

But it doesn't make contact for in that exact same moment, something came flying down from the sky, striking the Malebranche and slicing it in half like its body had been made of butter. Immediately, the other Malebranche all jump back as a defensive instinct because of this sudden development.

Megumin opens her eyes and looks at the things that had just saved her here. It was a scythe made of bone, a yellow tint to it and a serrated blade and teal-colored glowing line that ran along its body. Suddenly finding herself being filled with a second wind of energy, she crawls over to the scythe and gently touches it with her fingers.

Almost immediately, she felt a surge of energy course through her whole body. Without a need to wonder, she already knew that Kazuma had been the one to send this weapon her way. Picking herself up off the ground, she began to trace a finger along the teal-colored lines, her eyes closing as images began to flow into her. Things she couldn't recall having ever seen or experienced before and yet...

"... This all feels so familiar to me. I think I can..."

The Malebranche were still looking at her, playing the caution game here as this girl, while having the appearance of a succubus in their eyes, was now giving off a strange energy. One that they weren't familiar with, one that was sending their survival instincts into overdrive.

Finally, one of the Malebranche seemed to have become tired of all the waiting as it stepped forward, rushed out in fact to attack Megumin. Lynn screamed out at Megumin, warning her of the attack. And just as the Malebranche had reached her and was sending a fast-moving blow towards her face.

Megumin had gripped onto the scythe's handle, pulling it from the ground, done a quick spin to avoid taking the hit while moving the blade of the scythe to be perfectly positioned, and the Malebranche found its head being sliced clean off do to its own forward momentum combined with it making contact with the scythe before it could slow itself down.

As the now headless body crumbled onto the ground, Megumin comes to a stop, her eyes finally opening to look at them. Lynn lets out a gasp immediately. She didn't have any trouble with seeing it here. Megumin's crimson eyes weren't crimson at the moment, but a bright yellow color with her pupils having become more slit like, like the pupils of a cat. And her hair... it suddenly was sporting a red sheen alongside the jet black. That was new too, or had she just never noticed that about Megumin before?

"You really sent me a scythe? Sigh, can't be helped, I guess. You're probably only able to make THIS type of weapon from the 'Bone-Made' ability at your current level. (grin) No matter... I can work with this."

"Megu..."

"You pitiful creatures, daring to get in my way. Allow me to show you what happens when you make an enemy of a goddess of destruction."

Megumin had just said that, taking up a battle stance which saw her having one foot ahead of the other, her left arm hovering before her chest, and her right hold the scythe weapon behind her back with the blade positioned in such a way that she would surely make contact once swung back around.

"Let me give you a little taste of [Realm's] style!"

One of the Malebranche let out a mighty battle cry in response to those words as it then charges forward, the rest of its kin present following just a moment behind it. Megumin goes running forward herself, ready to end them so she can get back to far more important matters here.

The first Malebranche sends a swiping blow her way; an attack that should have easily landed due to their kind having a longer reach to them. But the attack misses as Megumin ducks under the outstretched arm before sending her scythe spinning upwards, slicing its extended arm clean off.

She then does a back flip, her foot clocking the Malebranche's chin from beneath which sends it flipping back into two more of its kin. Instead of landing on her feet, Megumin sends the scythe's blade sinking into the ground while she comes to stand on it in perfect balance.

Another Malebranche tries to knock her off, but she jumps over its swing, then ducking under another which leads her to look like she was resting dead center along the long handle. She gives them a cheeky grin before spinning herself around, sending more kicks into them that sends them flying.

She then allows herself to slide off the long handle while grabbing onto it and pulling the scythe out of the ground and immediately sending it into a spin using her previous spinning momentum to slice several more Malebranche in half at the waist.

Another tries to jump her from behind but she pulls back hard with the bottom side of the handle and impales it right between its eyes before lifting one of her legs up only to bring it down onto the handle which allows her to send it spinning fast and hard, bring the now lifeless impaled Malebranche circling over her so it comes slamming down on one that was coming in fast from the front, crushing it into the earth like a hammer. She then sends the handle down further to impale the other one as well.

Several more Malebranche try to gang up on her, including the one she had disarmed, forcing Megumin to put her foot down literally onto the top of the two dead Malabranche and yank hard to free the scythe before using her free hand to help her send into an insanely fast spin that looked like a buzz saw that she then begins using to slice through the ones trying to assault her at once.

By now, the few that still remained were starting to show signs of hesitation here, having not expected this succubus looking girl to be so dangerous. Still though, they had their personal reputations as Perdition's top fighters to protect to better to die in battle than run and become known as cowards.

It was time for the Malebranche to use their most potent technique. Instead of going right at Megumin, they instead started to pile onto each other and then the eight Malebranche began to fuse and merge together into one and their newly forged self began to grow bigger and bigger till it was nearly as big as the Atlas had been.

"Oh crap, Megumin. That's a big one. Do you think you can handle it, especially before that incoming horde decides to finally show up?"

Megumin didn't answer at first, instead keeping her eyes locked onto it as it reaches its full height. She then lets out an annoyed sigh before mumbling to herself.

"Ah, it's times like these that really make me miss having my full power available to me. Can't be helped, seeing as I gave the core of that power to our daughter to keep her safe. At least I know it worked, if my [current self's] memories are correct. Anyways, it just means I'll have to be a bit more hands on when dealing with you... and that incoming horde."

Megumin is then forced to immediately jump away as the giant Malebranche begins its assault against her. Ever second she manages to land, she is forced to dodge again as it was coming in fast and hard with her now, far more so than what she had been doing before.

Naturally, Lynn was really starting to worry but for some reason, Megumin wasn't. If anything, she had an ever-growing grin on her face; almost like this was all some sort of game to her. And then, in mid jump, Megumin suddenly does something rather odd: she brings the tip of the scythe up close to her mouth and licks the tip of the blade, making a glowing mark appear that begins to run along the blade's entire length. She then lands and immediately jumps again to avoid another hit...

Only to immediately land on its still outstretched arm. Megumin then quickly plants the blade of the scythe into the Malebranche's arm before she begins racing up towards its shoulder. The Malebranche tries to knock her off with shakes and with its other arm, but nothing works and just before she reaches the shoulder...

She jumps while pulling the scythe clear, then sends it slashing in several quick swings into the beast chest before digging it in deep into the other arm, doing a near full circle around before finishing her run to its shoulders with the other arm before jumping again, doing a full circular spin around its neck before sending herself up to eye level and carving a final X shaped mark right between its eyes.

The Malebranche howls in pain though its head didn't fall off as Lynn had expected. Instead, the cuts Megumin had carved into it suddenly began to glow as transparent spheres of energy began to rise up. Even stranger, the massive Malebranche's body sudden goes rigid as it collapses to its knees.

Megumin, for her part, begins to use her succubus wings to maintain a hovering status before it as she digs the scythe into its chest one final time before somehow lifting the entire creature off the ground, an act that should have been impossible, in Lynn's opinion, given the difference in both size and weight between Megumin and the beast. She goes up higher and higher until she could clearly see the incoming horde of demons, then Megumin says-

"No doubt you are confused. What is going on within your body. Why have you been rendered motionless all of a sudden. It is all because I infected you when I slash you with this scythe following my previous action with it. As of right now, you are becoming a living bomb and as such, all energy within you is being converted to fulfill that role, hence why you can't move."

She then looks out over the field and takes a few moments to study it before adding-

"Hm... about four point seven two miles... that should be about right. Sorry buddy but can I have you do me an important favor. Would you help me with keeping those friends of yours from adding to our wasting time here. We have important business elsewhere, you see. Oh, and thank you... for letting me have a little fun for old times' sake."

Megumin then goes into a spin, moving faster and faster before she lets the giant Malebranche go flying off into the distance. She then watches as it flies and soars across the land, it's body seemingly falling into the massive dust cloud being made by the incoming horde...

Which is then consumed by a massive explosion of power, one so bright that even she was forced to avert her gaze. When it was all over, there was no sign of the incoming horde of demons, just a massive and smoking hole in the ground.

"Heh, I wonder what score that would get from you...? Wonder how many kills that was also? Damn it, I should have seen if I could have gotten an estimate first. Oh well, perhaps another day."

Megumin then begins to float back down onto the ground, not failing to take notice of the fact the scythe was beginning to crack and fade here. Once she was on the ground, Lynn comes flying over and understandably asks-

"Megumin, what just... what the heck was all that about?"

"Listen... Lynn was it. I'm afraid I have only a few moments more here before 'I' must return to slumber and the 'current' me reawakens. Before that happens though, I must ask you to do something for me. I need you to ask Kazuma to do something for me here."

"Huh? Oh... I mean sure, no problem. But what's going on and just who are you?"

"I... I'm she who you see standing before you, just from a... previous lifetime. Sorry, that's all I can say with what little time I have left. The rest will... anyways, please listen and make sure Kazuma does what I'm about to ask once you all have rescued him..."

{|} Canto 18: Unexpected Arrivals {|}

With not even half her strength being put into her hands, Darkness crushed the neck of the blade limbed demon she had managed to trap in a choke hold. She then turns her gaze onto the last surviving one and says-

"And here I was thinking you guys would be able to give me a challenge here but those blades of yours are so weak that they can't even penetrate my armored body here. Seriously, why am I always being left wanting by you demons. What does a girl have to do to have a little fun here?"

The last demon takes a step back while Darkness brings up an arm in a battle-ready stance. Truth told, there was another reason for her doing this than just to show the last demon standing that she was ready to throw down with it once it was feeling ready here.

On the backside of the palm she was currently holding out and up at her foe was a small glowing circle; a circle that was currently just below halfway from being empty. She didn't need to guess at what the circle meant. It was clearly a timer meant to let her know just how long this Aegis Mode would last for. And given the time that was left, she needed to end this fight quickly and then go make sure Megumin and Lynn were doing OK over in their particular battle.

"OK, if you don't want to come at me then..."

Darkness didn't get to finish as the blade limbed demon did something strange and unexpected. It suddenly brought those limbs in close; closing them around itself to now give it a look that made it appear to be some kind of human sized javelin.

And then, that javelin begins to spin around and around, faster and faster. And then it begins to lift up into the air, its spinning only getting faster before it shoots into the air like a rocket, darting around all over before shooting down right at Darkness who tries to catch it in midair as it tries to impact against her.

Darkness cries out as she wasn't fast enough and the demon drills right through her armored body which sends her flying back as the demon curves and goes darting right back into the air. Aegis Darkness hits the ground and it takes a moment before she begins to move and when she does, it's because she had to roll herself out of the way to avoid being hit a second time.

"Damn, didn't think that thing could actually be the first to penetrate me... I'm not sure how I should feel about that now in hindsight. OK, at least I know what NOT to let it do against me."

Darkness manages to get herself up back onto her feet just in time to avoid another attempt at being hit though her left arm does get a noticeable crack in it. As it comes around in preparation for another attack, Darkness quickly considers her options.

'OK, I know it can actually pierce me... which is kind of weird seeing as this state is called Aegis Mode. I thought an Aegis was supposed to be impenetrable. Wait, am I even using this form right? Oh crap...'

Darkness is draw from her thoughts in order to dodge another attempted attack. But this time, she subconsciously reaches out and grabs hold of it from the side as it passed her, finding her movement successful as it comes to a stop momentum wise though it was still spinning.

If Darkness had teeth in this form, she would surely be gritting them here as the feeling of it spinning was making her metal hands feel like they were on fire. She tries her best to keep hold but the friction was too much and she is forced to let it go.

"Damn it, if only I could make it stop moving or if I knew how to use this form properly..."

"Anima... you aren't tapping into your anima, Darkness?"

Darkness quickly turns her attention back to Cielo, seeing her off to the side as she worked to finish reattaching her severed arm and heal herself.

"What are you talking about, Cielo? I don't have access to..."

"Yes you do, Darkness. When in that form, you do. I can see the light of anima shining from your center, but you aren't drawing upon it. You need to use that anima in order to draw on the true power of the Aegis. Hurry..."

'Is that true? Do I... can I really...?'

Darkness is reminded that she was still fighting a dangerous foe as she hears the whistling sound its spinning makes coming right at her and turns in time to avoid another serious injury though she does lose a good chunk of a shoulder with that attack.

Seeing as she had a few moments before it could come around again and she really didn't have anything else to lose here, she turns her focus inward. It takes a moment of searching but she then finally feels it; the warm light that upon touching it she finds herself being filled with new power.

A light then began to glow and all the damage that she had suffered begins to heal; the hole closing up like it had never happened, the damaged hands becoming like new, and the shoulder reappearing like it had never been struck. And as the demon comes in for another strike...

Darkness just holds out a hand and tanks the hit like a boss, no sign of damage present from the impact. Before the demon could react, Darkness raises her other arm up and sends it hammering down on the demon, shattering part of its bladed covering and sending it crashing into the ground.

The demon emerges from its javelin like form and stares up at Darkness who was looking at her open palms as she says to herself-

"I understand now. When I activate Aegis Mode and use it properly, I essentially become invincible for the duration that its activated. Well, seeing as Cielo isn't ready to jump back in, please excuse me as I take a page from her book and show you what my fisting technique feels like."

Darkness then balls up her fist and send it flying down hard at the demon which just barely manages to dodge out of the way. It then does something very understandable here; it tries to make a run for it. Unexpected, seeing as this was the realm for demons to go ham with kicking each other's asses.

'… Guess that means even battle obsessed demons have a survivor instinct to them. Should I let it go or chase after it to finish it off?'

After a moment, Darkness makes her choice and turns her attention back to the demon, preparing to make her move...

And then another arrival comes slamming down from above, crushing the retreating demon into the earth; it clearly being crushed under the feet of whatever it was that had just arrived. Unfortunately, there was too much dust coming from the impact of this sudden arrival to make it clear as to what it was so Darkness instead quickly turns back and moves over to Cielo to check on her.

"Hey Cielo, are you good?"

"Give me another minute and I should be ready to get back into the fight here."

Darkness nods as she turns back at the dust cloud which was now clearing, and the new arrival was finally coming into view and what became visible made both Darkness and Cielo stare at it in shock.

The new enemy had the appearance of a knight; its body being that of jet-black armor. Coming from the cracks of the armor as well as several points where non armor pieces would normally be seen was black hellish flames with a greenish tint along the ends. The hands were demonic looking claws, and the helmet also had a demonic look to it... as it was being held in one of its hands.

In the minds of the two girls, they didn't need to ask it as they already knew what it was... who it was before them.

"Verdia..." (x2)

In response to their words, the demon looking knight just lets out a hiss growl as it raises its free hand over itself, a sword of hellfire forming that it then takes hold of before aiming the weapon right at them. Darkness then sighs as she gets to her feet, saying-

"I don't know what to think about this. I mean Verdia... being down here in this place. I know his life as a Dullahan wasn't a spotless record, but he was a good man when he was alive. A good man who got seriously screwed over by the blue-bloods he served under."

"I don't think that's Verdia we're looking at. At least not the real him."

Darkness looks back again and sees Cielo picking herself up off the ground. Darkness then asks-

"Cielo, are you doing OK enough to be getting back onto your feet now? And what do you mean this isn't the Verdia we know?"

"Yeah, I think I'm good here. We'll know soon enough. As for what I meant when I said that the thing we're seeing before us isn't quite Verdia here... well, have you ever heard of a Nemesis devil?"

'A Nemesis devil? If memory serves, a Nemesis is born whenever a good person is turned into a being of darkness against their own will and is later killed. When that happens, all that was originally good about that person will be given a rebirth or afterlife option while all the evil that festered within them will be reborn down here as a Nemesis version of themselves. In this case, this guy must be...'

"A Nemesis Dullahan; the embodiment of all the evils that were born within Verdia when he was turned into a Dullahan. Is that it?"

Cielo nods as she tightens her clenched fist.

"We need to take this guy out, if only to ensure that the good things Verdia did in life, when he was going by his original name of Beldia. If I remember correctly, once a Nemesis has been destroyed then it will be gone forever."

"In that case..."

Darkness shoots forward, preparing to make the first strike here while her Aegis Mode was still in effect. Cielo calls out to her, yelling at her to not be so reckless though Darkness ignores her as she gets in close, catching the swing of the Nemesis Dullahan's weapon. She then locks it in place as Darkness yells back at Cielo-

"Hurry and go in for the attack Cielo; while I keep its weapons restrained."

Cielo hesitates for a moment before giving Darkness a nod as she takes to the air with the intention to send a fist slamming down hard. The Nemesis Dullahan tries to move its weapon to counter Cielo but Darkness refuses to let it go.

"Sorry pal, but as long as I can stay in this form..."

And in that moment, Darkness returns to being a mere shield which quickly falls into the ground.

'Wah... why did that happen... damn it. Now I understand why I'm not naturally drawing in anima the moment I enter Aegis Mode. It speeds up the countdown timer, so I need to use it only during my attacks and when defending. Not letting it stay active constantly.'

With its weapon now free, Nemesis Dullahan sends its weapon swinging up at Cielo who barely manages to dodge clear but her sudden change in direction, alongside the fact she still wasn't at peak condition, ends up losing control of herself and goes crashing into the ground.

"Darkness, why of all times..."

"Sorry-sorry, I didn't ask myself why I didn't have my anima active from the get-go until just now. So, any ideas here?"

In truth, Cielo didn't though that didn't stop her from trying to think of something as she picks herself up off the ground. Shield Darkness was right by the Nemesis Dullahan's feet. She needed to be clever if she was going to get over there, collect her, and making some distance while avoiding taking a hit from that guy whose damage potential was an unknown to them both.

And then the Nemesis Dullahan does something unexpected. It kicks Shield Darkness over to Cielo as if it was trying to help her out for some reason. Cielo wasn't going to complain as she quickly grabs Shield Darkness and slides her back onto her arm.

"I hate to rush you here, Darkness. How long will it be before you can turn all knight form yourself here?"

"Ah... yeah, that might be an issue. Turns out its a once-a-day thing for me. Guess I jumped the gun with using it when I did, huh?"

"YOU THINK!"

A sudden sound draws them back to the Nemesis Dullahan; the color of the world becoming all dark violet in color as a field of energy envelops them both. The Nemesis Dullahan, the source of the field, then throws its helmet into the air in a recreation of the Over Gaze skill Verdia had used against them before.

And then, without even taking a step forward, it swings its hellfire sword through the empty air, making any object sticking out of the ground immediately get sliced in half. Within the field, both the things before the Nemesis Dullahan, to its sides and even behind itself are all cut down without remorse.

Cielo, having seen that happen, immediately panics as she checks herself over as well as sparing a glance at Shield Darkness. To her surprise and shock, neither of them had been cut. And the reason they hadn't been cut was because something had pulled them from the field at the last second.

"What... what happened? I thought we had been..."

"Yeah, and after what that thing just did. How is it that we're not even suffering any scratches?"

"I believe you have us to thank for that one, outsiders."

Cielo then begins to look around for the source of that voice, as does Darkness even if her ability to look around was rather limited. And then they both saw them; not one but two winged figures floating down from above to stand between the two and the Nemesis Dullahan.

The first of the two was without question female. She had a slender build with yellow cat like eyes, long red hair that was violet along the ends, large breast, and large horns on her head. Along with her skimpy clothing choice, she gave off the impression of being a succubus.

The second was a true demon in its appearance. Pitch black skin that had something of a metallic luster about it. Its eyes were pure white with no sign of either irises or pupils. Large bat like wings and two sets of horns; one set atop its head and the second set that appeared to be growing out of its cheeks.

"Who-who are you two?"

"And... are you actually trying to protect us here?"

The two new arrivals look back at them and give them a nod and a surprisingly kind smile as well.

"That is correct. We have come here at the behest of a certain Archduke with a keen eye when it comes to business. My name is Arnes; Greater Devil Arnes..."

"I am the demon Hoost. Together, we are the loyal minions of Lady Wolbach and as such, it is only natural that we come here to aid the friends and family of-OW-OW-OWWW, ARNES?"

"You idiot, you're saying to much there. Lady Wolbach will skin us if we say anything more about that topic. Anyways..."

"Yeah, let's deal with this guy first before we do any more explaining anything to them."

And with that, the two named Arnes and Hoost launch themselves at the Nemesis Dullahan who moves to attack them in turn.

{Insert Image 1}

{|} Canto 19: Take Flight; Yunyun {|}

"So, are you really sure about going down there, yourself... Eris?"

asked Ego Aqua as Chris finished her transformation into her true goddess form. As Eris then began to strip out of her adventurer's attire so she could get her goddess robes on, she says in response-

"That's an odd question to go asking me? What, is my counterpart from your timeline such a selfish girl that she wouldn't bother with going to save a friend... or does your Eris not see your Kazuma as a friend like I do mine."

"Oh, she sees our Kazuma as a close friend. In fact, if not for certain little details that comes from our status of being divine beings, I'm pretty sure she would have gone ahead and engaged in having an intimate relationship with him. She could deny it all she wanted but it was obvious to even me that she loved our Kazuma deeply."

"Then why is my going down there so surprising for you?"

Eris finished getting dressed before turning her attention back at Ego Aqua. Seeing that Eris had finished getting ready, Ego Aqua finally says-

"Sorry, I wasn't trying to insinuate anything here. You see; in our timeline, divine beings have to live under many different rules. Rules like we can't engage in intimate relationships with mortals or, in this particular case... neither angel's nor gods and goddesses are permitted to ever set foot in Hell without proper authorization from the higher ups. Are the rules different here in your timeline?"

"No, unfortunately they're not any different. And you're right about me needing permission before going down there, something I have not been given yet. To be honest, at this moment... I just don't give a DAMN about getting any permission for anything from anyone. Here as of late, certain things have become known to me about the higher ups and their willingness to NOT take notice of certain things going on and doing something about it. As such, I'm going to do as my heart compels me to do here."

"Even if that results in you losing your status as a goddess when all is said and done. You do realize that if you are made mortal, then your timeliness counterpart of me will mostly likely be put in charge of this world... and after what happened to Arbel when it was under her watchful eye..."

"Don't remind of that, please. Seeing what became of my home world... became of my friends and family in particular. Anyways, I doubt Aqua will become the new goddess of this world. If anything, they would probably promote Clover to full goddess status and leave it all to her."

"Even though she's still so young... well, she'd still be a better candidate than your Aqua. On the subject of her, are you aware she's currently throwing a temper tantrum over the fact that Lia and the other girls having decided to accept your Kazuma's offer to relocate Idol Hearts here to Axel instead of going along with Aqua's desire to see them moved to Arcanretia... and now she's getting shit faced drunk here too. Sigh, and to think there was a time I was like that too."

Eris wished there was more time for her to ask Ego Aqua more about her life, beyond the details she had already shared when talking about the events that had led her and her group into being here now. Eris then opens a new portal and is about to step inside before stopping and looking at Ego Aqua.

"Aqua, once I have returned with the others, will you please stick around for a bit longer. There's a few more things I wish to ask you about... if possible."

"Sure, I don't mind. Just as long as it's just going to be the two of us present for that talk. Honestly, I don't think now is the right time to tell them about... oh, this is unexpected."

Ego Aqua then immediately puts her mask back on and brings her hood up to cover her hair while Eris asks what was going on. Just a moment later, Yunyun appeared through the 'doorway' that connected the Erisia Cathedral to the Sacred Vessel. Eris, understandably, was quite confused by this.

"Um... sorry for intruding like this."

"Yunyun, what are you doing here? And how did you even know about this place to begin with?"

Yunyun blinks, confused by the two individual's present in the room alongside Kazuma. So, it was only natural that Yunyun ignored the two mystery individuals and quickly moved to Kazuma's side.

"Kazuma, is he... will he be, OK?"

"First, will you answer the question asked of you by your worlds goddess, miss Yunyun?"

"Huh, goddess?"

Yunyun turns her attention to Eris, fully taking her all in before her eyes go wide, leading her to start bowing repeatedly over and over hastily. Eris nervously scratches her cheek before repeating her question from before. In response, Yunyun says-

"Well, thanks to Kazuma, I was cured of the mana degradation curse. It took longer than I was happy with, but I was finally able to come back after having this terrible sense of foreboding which is what brought me back sooner than what had been planned. Upon returning, I was informed by Anna back at the mansion how the others had left and hadn't made it back home yet. As I was heading to the governor's mansion, I suddenly had this impulse to come the cathedral and once there, I was drawn into a specific room and through some weird magic picture... mirror, whatever, and here I am now."

"I see... I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Anyways, seeing as you're here. Allow me to tell you the current situation..."

And thus, Eris gave Yunyun the four-one-one on the current status of things. Once she was done with that, Eris then adds-

"And now, I will be going down there myself to make sure the others are safe and to make sure we get Kazuma's soul brought back to where he belongs. Seeing as you're here now Yunyun, I would like for you to remain here with Aq... with Ego and keep watch on things in my place."

"I refuse, lady Eris. I'm coming with you to save Kazuma and the help the others out."

Eris was taken aback by those words. She could understand Yunyun wanting to come and had expected to hear her ask if she could come along. But for Yunyun to outright refuse and say that she was coming; that wasn't expected at all. Ego Aqua suddenly laughs, getting the two to look at her as she says-

"I see your time around Kazuma really has had an impact on you, Yunyun. You are a lot more assertive than the Yunyun I know when she was your age."

"Huh? I'm sorry but I don't..."

"Well Eris, it looks like there won't be any talking this one out of coming along with you. Now Yunyun, I will tell you the same thing I told the others before they left. Once you enter Hell, expect to undergo a little change in appearance in order to help you adapt to being down there, even if only temporarily. As such, you will be needing this little number."

Ego Aqua then snaps her fingers, making a dress appear from out of thin air which she then hands off to Yunyun who accepts it while also asking what it was for.

"Oh trust me, you'll understand the purpose in having this here in a few moments. Let me just say that I probably should have given one of these to Megumin before she left but... it was going to be way more humorous when it's just her having to endure the humiliation."

"Um... pardon?"

Eris sighs before placing a hand on Yunyun's shoulder and says-

"I really wish you'd stay behind like I asked but... never mind that. If we're going, then we need to be going now."

Yunyun looks at Eris, nods, then adopts a serious face before turning to the opened gate and, without any hesitation, jumps into the portal. Eris walks up to the portal herself, takes a moment to look at Ego Aqua one last time, then she herself passes through the portal.

As soon as she emerged from the other side, Eris takes a moment to look around before turning her attention to Yunyun, seeing her quickly sliding the dress she had been given on.

"So, it did come in handy after all. That dress, I mean."

"Yeah, it did. I don't understand why but when I exited the portal, I had been turned into a succubus... at least I think I'm a succubus based on my lack of clothing. Either way, I'm not comfortable with letting others see me looking like that. So, which way should we go here?"

"Give me a moment to get a read on everyone's locations here."

Eris then closes her eyes, letting her godly senses reach out across this place. She didn't like the feel of it, that's for sure. So much arcana flowing through the air that it made her want to gag. But despite that, she pushed onward and soon had their locations locked onto with her senses.

"OK Yunyun, I know where they are. Just stay close to me and... YUNYUN?"

Yunyun had immediately pulled away, her succubus wings emerging from slits along the back of her dress. She was moving fast, like a rocket, across the sky. Eris quickly follows in pursuit as she calls out to Yunyun, getting no response. And then Yunyun comes to a stop as a barrier appears to halt her advance, which confuses her.

"Yunyun, listen... under normal conditions, someone like you would have to pass through each realm of Hell like you were undergoing a trial. Only divine beings like myself have the ability to bypass that little detail. So just stay close to me and..."

"Light of Saber!"

Immediately, Yunyun activates her spell, slicing an opening within the barrier which she then squeezes through without effort before continuing onwards without any hesitation. Eris just stands there before cracking a smile and shaking her head.

"I shouldn't be surprised with seeing her do this. After all, Yunyun is..."

{|} Canto 20: A Conclusion to this Battlefield {|}

"Ow... why is my head hurting all of a sudden? Wait... what's going on? Where are all those..."

said Megumin who for a few moments following the disintegration of the scythe she had been holding, had just been standing in place as if in a trance. But finally, her eyes regained the light of recognition to them before she started looking around, clearly confused but the fact that she and Lynn were no longer engaged in battle with those scary looking horned humanoids.

Lynn, herself being lost in thought following the words the other 'Megumin' had said to her, was drawn from those internal thoughts. She then flies over to hover before Megumin and asks-

"So, you finally decided to return to us. Megumin, do you... do you remember anything from these last few minutes?"

"Huh? Of course I remember. I had just finished blasting away all those Atlas guys with my Explosion magic, which I'm really miffed about because Kazuma couldn't be here to see me work my magic to that extent. Then those other guys came onto the scene and then that scythe fell down onto that one and... and... and then suddenly those things were all gone, and you're here hovering before me."

"So, then you don't remember the fight that happened after that scythe came falling down onto that one then? Nothing but how the others of its kind were slaughtered like they were weaklings. And nothing about how that incoming horde of demons getting nuked out of existence either."

"What? What do you mean? Explain what you mean by that?"

Lynn didn't respond though which irritated Megumin as she didn't like being left in the dark. Little did Megumin know that Lynn was having quite a serious debate on if she should tell Megumin anything here.

["It may for the best to keep what just happened and what I just told you to yourself, Lynn. I doubt the 'current me' will understand any of this. At least not at this point in time."]

That had been the words said by the 'other' Megumin, the one who had awakened and done such an amazing job of dealing with that threat from before. After all, even though Megumin would often proclaim herself to have been a god of destruction in a past life, just how much did she actually believe that? Did Megumin even believe in the concept of someone being able to live multiple lifetimes?

In the end, Lynn decides to not tell her anything; instead opting to do as the 'other' had asked her to do with dealing with this matter.

"Let's... hold of that talk for another time, alright. We should go see how Cielo and Darkness are doing and then all four of us should hurry on over to the sixth realm before anything else happens here."

Megumin looked like she wanted to keep their conversation going and she probably would have as it was customary for Crimson Demons to not go around waiting for things. But luckily, Megumin agreed with Lynn in this case, probably because Kazuma was still very much present in her thoughts at the moment. So, the two turn and begin heading over in the direction the others had been at when they had last saw them.

Meanwhile, Cielo was taking a few moments to do some last-minute healing on herself as she and Shield Darkness watched in shock and awe at the battle that was happening before them. The two newly arrived individuals were really giving it to the Nemesis Dullahan. Perhaps even to the point of overkill.

"Dark of Saber!"

shouted the succubus looking woman named Arnes. The Dark of Saber spell did indeed look like Light of Saber, the spell Yunyun as well as many other Crimson Demons loved to use. A stream of lightning that moved in a controlled way and cut through the air like the blade of a sword down onto the Nemesis Dullahan. But, unlike the Light of Saber, which was yellow in color, this Dark of Saber was charged with purple colored lighting. Was it some kind of variant of the Cursed Lightning spell?

Actually, it would make sense of all spells demons and devils used in combat were cursed variants of existing spells that mortals made us of. Nemesis Dullahan jumps clear as the Dark of Saber impacts against the earth, leaving a deep clean slice at the point of contact.

"Cursed Inferno!"

shouts the demon named Hoost, unleashing a ball of black fire from both hands that manages to hit the back of the Nemesis Dullahan which sends it jolting forward and right into the path of another spell Arnes had unleashed as a follow up.

"Negative Zero!"

The blood red spike of ice called Negative Zero manages to pierce the stomach area of the Nemesis Dullahan, making it slump forward as the rest of its body begins to crystallize from the spreading of the cursed ice. Hoost comes around and sends a punch right into its chest, making the whole-body shatter like glass and send the head bouncing along across the ground.

"There, that should do it, right partner?"

"Yeah, we should be done here. Not that I'm too surprised to have ended this quickly. After all, Hoosty. Whenever you and I tag team a foe, their heads always end up rolling at the end... no pun intended."

"Uh-huh, sure there wasn't. Still, can't help but feel we forgot something here."

"You mean like that guy having the ability to rebuild himself there."

Hearing the words of Shield Darkness, Arnes and Hoost turn to see the helmet of the Nemesis Dullahan was glowing as the earth beneath it began to rise, taking on a humanoid shape. Once it had fully risen, the earthy body then began to glow as it reshaped itself into a new armored body.

"Oh right, all Nemesis class have one part of them that, if it can survive the destruction that the rest of its being suffers, it can use the earth to rebuild itself all brand new like. If memory serves, they also..."

"So, we make sure to take the head out first or alongside the rest of it. Leave that to me."

Hoost then goes flying forward towards the Nemesis Dullahan, sending several Cursed Fireballs at the creature to distract it. All the while, Arnes yells at him to stop and wait till she was done talking. Instead, Hoost goes in fast and hard with the intent of crushing the helmet between his two fists.

And because of that, both his hands are sliced clean off with a single swing of the Nemesis Dullahan's flaming sword. It then tries to slice a surprised Hoost in half, but the winged demon is grabbed from behind by Arnes who manages to pull him back to safety before he could meet his end.

"He... he actually cut my hands off? That's never happened to me before. Ugh, and now my pride had gone down into the shitter because of this."

"You idiot, don't tell me you forgot that whenever a Nemesis class rebuilds itself, it gains a short-term increase to all its stats. Strength, defense, speed, magic; everything is doubled from what it normally has for a little while. I can't believe you, really. And here I thought you were supposed to be the smartest among us who proudly serve lady Wolbach."

All Hoost could do was chuckling sheepishly in response, making Arnes sigh.

"You WILL be OK though, right?"

"Yeah, damage wasn't that bad, all things considered. It'll only take me a few minutes to regenerate new hands for myself. Think you can keep him occupied until..."

Hoost stops as a shadow comes over Arnes and himself, making them look to see the Nemesis Dullahan was bearing down on them, bringing its weapon around with the intent of slicing them both in half. But before it could land the hit...

"Angel Striker."

Cielo sends her fist slamming into it from the side, sending the creature flying before her body begins to glow with light. She then extends both hands and shouts out-

"Purification."

Immediately, the Nemesis Dullahan is enveloped in light as it lets out a piercing roar of pain. When the light fades, the body hits the ground in a smoking heap and doesn't show any signs of moving. Cielo then turns back to the two followers of Wolbach and, upon seeing their surprised reactions, says-

"What, you saved us, so it only made sense that I return the gesture."

After a moment that was filled with blinking eyes and looking at each other, Arnes and Hoost nod before getting back to their feet and thanking Cielo for the save. Hoost then begins to double time his healing while Cielo then asks-

"So, you said before you were sent here at the request of someone else. Guess you can't give me a name here by any chance?"

Arnes shakes her head and says-

"Sorry, wish I could here but we were told it was one of those need-to-know basis kind of things. And we were told you really didn't need to know, just trust that we're here to help you all."

After a moment to think and consider, Cielo simply says-

"Alright... but at least tell me this much. Does the one who sent you to help us have a habit of referring to himself as 'Moi' by any chance?"

"Ah, so you guys do know Van-OWWWW."

Arnes smacks the back of Hoost head, rather hard from the looks of it.

"You moron, I can't believe you... Geez, and I'm supposed to be the one who does the slip-ups in this relationship too."

"What, you mean you aren't liking the sudden role reversal here, Arny? What, don't tell me you like playing the role of some ditzy half n' half here."

This earns Hoost another smack to the back of his head before Arnes starts berating him for his nonchalant behavior. All the while, Cielo is standing off to the side, laughing nervously at the scene; not entirely sure on if she should step in to stop them or not.

"Hey guys, hate to rain on these fun times and all... but this fight isn't over quite yet."

Darkness's words make the three stop what they're doing to look back and see the the Nemesis Dullahan was picking itself up. And from the dark aura it was giving off, it was probably really pissed right now. So much so that the air was starting to become heavier and even the ground was starting to quake a little.

"Hm, looks like we're going into a bit of overtime. Angel girl, will you help us with finishing this fight here quickly?"

"Of course. We are, after all, on a time limit here and we've already been kept here in this realm for far longer than we should have. Let's finish this guy, reunite with our two MIA friends here, and get moving onto the next realm."

"Make sure you let me take at least one hit from that guy before you go killing him, Cielo. I want to see what kind of impact he can leave on me."

"Don't leave me out of the fun either. I just need another minute and I'll be able to join in as well."

As the four were saying that, the Nemesis Dullahan's dark aura was glowing even brighter as it prepares to throw its head into the air in order to unleash another Over Gaze upon them...

"EXPLOSION!"

And then the Nemesis Dullahan was gone, its body including the head were consumed by the fiery blast from which the shock wave sends the four flying back into making a less than enjoyable impact upon the ground. When then finish recovering, they see Megumin standing off to the side with a big smile plastered on her face.

"Do not forget, people. It is the custom of the Crimson Demon clan to always still the spotlight and take top honors in the end."

Megumin then begins to cackle maniacally while Lynn comes flying in and says-

"Yeah, sorry about the surprise Explosion there. You know how stubborn Megumin can be and... wait, who are these two? Friends or foes?"

"Friends... at least that's how they've shown themselves to be so far."

said Darkness as Cielo picked herself up off the ground who follows up by saying-

"According to these two, it seems Vanir sent them to help us out. Guess he's doing what he can to make sure we get Kazuma back safe and sound as well."

Lynn looks at the two suspiciously for a moment, which makes them nervous though they then introduce themselves. Lynn then sighs before saying-

"Well, I guess I'll give you two the benefit of the doubt... at least for now. I'll be keeping an eye on you two though, just to be clear. No offense. Anyways, my name is Lynn and that laughing psychopath is Megumin... huh?"

The moment Lynn had said Megumin's name, both Arnes and Hoost began to sweat... badly for some reason. Lynn looks at Cielo and Shield Darkness, sending them a look that asked if they knew what was going on, getting a shrug in response.

Megumin, having finally come down from her pride high, comes over only to stop as her eyes focus on the two new members of the rescue party. She stares... stares... stares... her mind processing the two creatures before it finally comes back to her.

"Wait, I know you two. Those bastards that tried to take Chomusuke from me before."

"Wait... wait, please allow us to explain." (x2)

cried Hoost and Arnes as Megumin began to prepare another Explosion to fire out at them.

{|} Canto 21: Doom Blast {|}

Since the start of their fight, they had found themselves moving all over the place within the seventh realm. The surroundings had changed as well alongside the ambiance of the atmosphere.

The world around them now had a distinct color to it; that being a mixture of red, orange, and violet. There was a strong wind blowing as well as a constant ringing of thunder in the air like the sound of horns being blown every few moments.

At first, their fighting had attracted other demons that called the Valley of Violence their home, trying to join in on the fun. This had naturally resulted in the Vampire and the Lich to stop their assaults upon one another in order to deal with the unwanted additions before going back to striking at each other.

Soon, any violence loving demon had lost their desire to try to cut in, perhaps out of fear or maybe they were more interested in seeing the two combatants in their dance to dispatch one another. Maybe by watching them, they were being given new ideas on how to go about being violent themselves here.

Clang... Clang... Strike... Clang... it went on and on.

By this point, both parties had stopped going for each other's 'chain' as it would only result in the other activating their skill that allowed them to avoid taking any damage. But it seemed both had also become aware that there was a limit to this skills usage as well. The trick was to figure out the work around to it; how long it could be maintained, how much time existed between one use to the next, that sort of thing.

Because of this, the decision had been made to refrain from trying to go for the 'chain' directly, instead opting to try to injure the other first in the hopes of distracting them for a few moments in order to make them vulnerable to the priority target.

At least that was the mindset for Dracula here. Who knows what was going on within the mind of...

Dracula sends his pike thrusting forward, aiming for one of the eye sockets of Lich Kazuma who moves his head just enough to avoid being pierced while sending his scythe swing down low, fast, and hard as it cuts into the earth before erupting outwards along with some of the soil being made into projectiles that pelt Dracula's body while he leans his head back just enough to avoid getting slashed.

Lich Kazuma then follows up that motion by sending his whole body into a spin, making his scythe spin around in a wide arc wildly with it changing from an even horizontal motion to being one that was either coming down high or rising from down low with each rapid rotation.

In response, Dracula jumps back constantly, shifting the position of his pike with each rotation in order to repel the attack while using the momentum to help him add a little extra step to his retreat. He times his counterattack proper; waiting-waiting-waiting... he then goes low and manages to avoid an even level slash before striking the dominate hand holding the scythe which causes Lich Kazuma to lose hold of the scythe and send it flying into a nearby tree.

Dracula smirks, thinking he had his chance as he immediately goes to thrust his pike into the 'chain' only for a turn of Lich Kazuma's body sends the pike impacting into his shoulder instead. Dracula was about to pull the pike free and make some distance again only for Lich Kazuma to reach out and take a firm hold onto the Pike.

Immediately, several thorn like blood extrusions rise up, piercing through the bony hand of the Lich, making Dracula smirk at the look of surprise from his foe.

"Oh, did I forget to tell you. Carelessly touching MY weapon can result in some nasty things happening to those that could be so foolish. It is, after all, a weapon made from MY blood after all..."

Dracula was going to chuckle but stops himself as he sees no sign of pain coming from the face of the Lich. Understandable really as pain is not something he was capable of feeling now. Lich Kazuma turns his gaze towards his hand and the blood pike and then...

Sends a powerful blast of lightning shooting right into Dracula's body using his free hand that had clearly been forgotten about. Dracula goes flying back a good thirty or so feet while his grip on his weapon is lost; the object immediately reverting back into a liquid form the moment his touch was lost.

Dracula was quick to recover though, only needing a moment to regain his composure and get back onto his feet again. He looks and sees Lich Kazuma looking at his injured arm, signs of it already healing itself being present. Another thing to keep in mind; a Lich entity has insanely fast healing abilities. Question was is that ability universal to ALL forms of injuries or are there some that take longer to achieve? Maybe even some injuries that can't be healed at all?

'Hm, this guy is proving to be a far greater challenge that I had expected. Perhaps if my own knowledge pool of my now found powers were greater... if I had far more time to get accustomed to and perfect these new abilities, I would have already ended this. There's no doubt in my mind that I am the better here but... How is it I can truly get an advantage here in this fight.'

"The trees... take this fight into the deep and dense forest you can see nearby..."

Had that been Maxwell that had just spoke directly into his mind? It had been so quick, so sudden that he hadn't had the time to think and process those words, but he had still heard them. He turns his head slightly. Sure enough there was indeed the outline of what appeared to be a forest nearby. He then begins to pick his brain for ideas.

Back home, in life... his original life, forest warfare hadn't been the most optimal option one could go with. Not when you were working with large armies and riding horseback at least. But given his current status as well as the concept of guerrilla warfare, then maybe...

Without a second thought, Dracula makes a quick beeline for the forest, several ideas already coming to mind for him. Just as he reaches the forest, something dawns on him, making him stop and look back at Lich Kazuma.

In those few moments he had been distracted with the voice and his thinking of his current plan, his foe hadn't even continued his attack. In fact, he had remained standing in place the entire time. Even now, he had not moved save for the turning of his head, keeping his eyes locked onto Dracula.

Had it been because he was still healing? Did self-healing for a Lich require them to stay motionless till it was done? Or was he simply maintaining a defensive only battle here? If so, then why. What was going on inside the head of that guy?

"What's wrong, Satou Kazuma. Afraid to follow me into this forest. Is it perhaps you know I'll have the advantage once you pass into the sea of trees?"

Lich Kazuma didn't react to those words, which made Dracula narrow his eyes in annoyance. There had to be something he could do to draw in Lich Kazuma so he could enact his special plans. And then...

"Kazuma!"

came an unexpected voice. Dracula turns his head and is surprised to see the Crimson Demon loli he had observed hanging around his new body in the past. The one he didn't have any interest in as her body type didn't match up with his personal wants and desires. But how did she...?

Dracula then takes notice of the reaction Lich Kazuma had to seeing her as well. He was clearly caught off guard by her present and because of that, Dracula had an idea how to draw his prey into the forest.

"Kazuma, I've been looking for you."

shouted Megumin as she goes to run over to him, only be stopped as Dracula grabs her from behind with enough force to make Megumin cry out in pain. This also gets a reaction from Lich Kazuma as his eyes begin to glow with a dark and dangerous light. As Megumin tries to struggle, to free herself, Dracula says to her-

"Why thank you, little child. Because of you, I now have the full advantage here."

While keeping one hand held tightly against Megumin's neck, Dracula then begins to use his free hand to molest her in view of Lich Kazuma, earning a low and dangerous growl from him.

"I give you a choice, friend. Come after me into these woods if you wish to save her and I would suggest you be quick about it too. Otherwise... I may have to go ruin her for you and any other guy in her future."

Dracula then lifts Megumin off the ground before retreating back into the forest, a loud shriek of a roar resounding through the air. As he heads deeper into the forest, he could feel it off behind him, a dangerous swelling of killing intent following after him.

"If you know what's good for you, you'd let me go right now and reconsider taking this fight to the forest."

said Megumin, sounding surprisingly calm considering her current situation. Dracula turns his attention to her and says plainly-

"Nice try little kid, but you are my insurance here. So long as I have you, he won't dare to attack me. Also, I guess I should thank you while I can... for giving me the advantage in this fight."

In response to those words, Megumin starts laughing. A merry filled laugh at that which makes Dracula frown before asking her what she was finding so funny. After a moment, Megumin turns her gaze up to Dracula, revealing a black and white mask that had appeared from out of know where upon her face.

"You... having the advantage? Forgive Moi if you misunderstood what is going on. You see, you aren't the one with the advantage here. No, that little detail falls into the hands of my business partner. And also, Moi must apologize for doing this."

Before Dracula could react, 'not' Megumin suddenly breaks free, her body shifting its appearance, now looking like a man dressed in a stylish suit and wearing the same mask that had previously appeared on the fake Crimson Demon. He then blasts Dracula with some energy that knocks him to the ground before saying-

"Sorry to leave so soon but Moi can't be seen taking direct action to help his partner here. It wouldn't look at all good for Moi here."

And with that, the man does a bow before disappearing from sight. Dracula growls as he picks himself up and just in time too as Lich Kazuma comes into view, scythe back in hand, and racing right towards Dracula.

'Damn, just who was that guy. I'll have to bring this up with Maxwell later. But for now, I did get Kazuma here into the forest so I better prove that mystery figure wrong and show them all that I have the advantage here.'

Dracula then focus' his power into his hands, preparing to unleash one of his blood shaped familiars to act as a distraction as Kazuma gets closer... closer... closer...

And then comes to a stop all of a sudden. Had he noticed the lack of the girl being present. Dracula couldn't be sure, but he decides to goad him into coming closer.

"Wondering where the girl is? I suppose there's only one way to find out. Well, what are you waiting for? Come at me, friend."

Kazuma didn't move at first. Perhaps he was doing some kind of sense of the area, possibly trying to determine where she was. No matter as Dracula was ready to make his move and was just about to do such when Lich Kazuma suddenly kneels down onto the ground, placing a hand down upon it.

"What is this? Giving up so soon. Not that I'm complaining, mind you, but I would have thought that you would..."

"BIND!"

Before Dracula could react, he found tree roots bursting forth out of the ground to ensnare his legs and torso while the branches of the trees suddenly reached down to enwrap his arms and upper body; all holding him tightly in place. Suffice to say, he was completely shocked and taken aback by this sudden turn of events.

And even more so, he heard a dark chuckle coming from Lich Kazuma himself; his skull face looking like it was smiling at him.

Now Dracula understood what that guy had meant when he said that Kazuma would have the advantage in here. With no choice, Dracula counters by unleashing a horde of blood bats that quickly fly over to Lich Kazuma, flying around him as a means of creating a distraction.

Originally, this had been intended to allow Dracula a chance to strike at the 'chain' but now it would be needed to buy himself time to get free. He now creates several blood wolves that immediately begin to work on biting through the branches and trees that were keeping Dracula immobile.

'This is starting to become an annoyance for me. I need to take this fight back out of the forest and come up with another plan too... what's he doing now?'

As Dracula had looked back at Kazuma, he had seen that despite being swarmed by so many blood bats, Lich Kazuma didn't seem at all fazed by them. He wasn't trying to swat them away like any other person would have. Instead, he was just standing there, his gaze never leaving its lock of Dracula.

And then, he brings his right arm up and held out before himself, pointing his index and middle fingers outwards as well. And from them, a small ball of green energy begins to form; pure arcana in the air becoming visible as its sucked into the small ball of dark greenish light.

"What is that? Just what are you planning on doing now?"

(Flash back)

"Kazuma, can I ask you a question... about these new skills you taught us earlier?"

"Sure, what's up Megumin. Not happy with the Dragon Slave?"

"No, nothing like that. Quite the opposite, in fact. I was just wondering if you created a new skill for yourself to use and if so, then why didn't you show it off to us earlier?"

"Ah yes, I was wondering if one of you would ask me that question. Actually, yeah. I did create a skill for my own personal use... except there was a problem with it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, let's just say the very nature of the skill I created for myself caused it to be auto locked into the skill pool that can only be used by undead, like a Lich for example. Because of that, I can't use it, nor will I ever be able to use it until I can master the Lich curse within me. Maybe not even then... Oh well, perhaps it's better that way. Honestly, I wonder if I should have ever made it to begin with."

"Is it really THAT dangerous, Kazuma?"

"You could say that. It's dangerous enough that I will never share it with anyone else so as to never let it actually become part of the greater skill pool that exist in the world. To do so could cause future generations to suffer needlessly and I don't want that to happen."

"I can understand that. So, just between you and me... what's the name of this Kazuma exclusive skill anyways?"

"Its name... the name of this skill is..."

(present)

The ball of dark light around Lich Kazuma's fingers was glowing intensely as Dracula was finally freed from being pinned in place. Without wasting a second, he forms blood wings upon his back and takes to the skies, hoping all the trees would act as both a shield and mask to hide himself, but...

"CERO!"

The power of the doom blast shoots into the air, right at Dracula; wide eyed as he is lost in the light as it goes racing off into the distance.

{Insert Image 2}

{|} Canto 22: The 6th Realm; Heretic's City {|}

"Hey, that up ahead. Is that..."

"That's right, little pixie. The great wall that separates our destination, as well as all the other lower circles of Perdition, away from the upper rings. The Wall of Dis and beyond that giant arch with the metal doors built into the wall is the entrance to the sixth realm; Heretic's City."

Everyone looked on following Arnes' words, seeing the massive wall that was bigger than any they had ever seen before back in the mortal realm; reaching incredibly high into the sky and stretching out across the land, in both directions, so far that it was impossible to tell where it would end... if it even had an actual end to it. But before it was...

"Be mindful of the rather thin and severally lacking any guard railing to protect one from falling off the side bridge we'll need to walk across in order to reach Heretic's City. Down below it is the sea of sulfur and word has it that if you fall into that, you won't be getting out any time soon... if at all."

"So, in other words Hoost, it's similar to the lowest realm of this place. We were told to never go down that far, no matter what as leaving the ninth realm is said to be impossible, or something like that."

"That is correct, Cielo. This is a matter of 'pick your poison' if any of you were wanting to try either out. What you'll see below as we walk the bridge is like an eternity of unending flame and torture while the Glacial Treachery is cold beyond compare and an eternity of motionlessness."

With that bit of knowledge in place, they all began to walk single file across the rather thin land bridge that connected the fifth and sixth realms together. Arnes was taking the lead with Cielo and Shield Darkness behind her followed by Lynn and a grumpy Megumin with Hoost taking up the rear.

"I'm surprised we haven't suffered another attack from any of those demons and devils that like hanging out here in the fifth realm since we met up with you two. Not that I'm wanting for us to get attacked right here, right now, mind you. But isn't it strange that we've been doing OK for the last while?"

"Did you forget already, Darkness. Thanks to miss Arnes cloak ability, we are well hidden from being seen or detected by anyone who would want to start a fight. That's why we're having to stay so close by her side, after all."

"No, I didn't forget Lynn... not exactly. I just didn't think it would work as well as it has."

"Didn't think or didn't want, miss talking shield. After all, I can feel it coming off of you; a strong wish to be pounded around by many more demons and devils here in this place."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Lynn ans Cielo laugh at Darkness's flustered reply and even Arnes and Hoost let out a soft chuckle as well. Having them come and join them, help them, in the quest to find and save Kazuma was quite a blessing. And because of that, they would have to pay Vanir a visit once this was all over in order to thank him for arranging their aid.

There was just one little detail, one issue that was adding a dark cloud to this whole thing now.

"I can't believe I'm actually having to work with these troublesome cat-nappers!"

grumbled Megumin to herself though she was still loud enough for everyone to hear her without issue. Cielo looks back and asks-

"What's turned you into such a pill all of a sudden, Megumin. Surely you can see what having these two come along with us will offer us in the grand scheme of things."

"Yeah, I know they be useful. But that doesn't mean I have to like it. Look, all I'm going to say is that I have history with these two and it ain't the best kind of history either."

"You think we're any happier with having to be stuck with you too, little Crimson Demon. I mean, we're both currently back down here instead of being up above helping lady Wolbach in her long-standing quest. There's also the fact I gave you a considerable amount of eris in exchange for handing off lady Wolbach... well, her 'other half' into MY care and how did that go? I ended up getting blamed for all the troubles around the village YOU had been causing with that once-a-day spell of yours and was chased out, without lady Wolbach or all my eris I gave to you. Don't forget you owe me payment for that."

In response, Megumin looked away; keeping her eyes averted from the questioning gazes of her friends. Arnes sighs before turning her gaze back to the path while mumbling out that this little topic was far from being concluded. In fact, thanks to what Lynn said next, it was still going to go on for a bit.

"Miss Arnes, what are you talking about. All that stuff you just said is news to us. Would you be fine with telling us those details about Megumin that we're clearly not aware of ourselves despite the fact that we're supposed to be her FRIENDS and COMRADES here."

"Gladly, all tell you all about the real Megumin and how she's nothing but a two-bit con-artist and a liar as well as how she got both me and Hoost killed when we weren't causing no one any real trouble."

"Don't listen to anything that devil has to say. She's clearly going to embellish the whole story to make her sound like she's the innocent party here... and besides, Yunyun was involved with it all too, so it was mostly her fault."

Cielo, Lynn, and even Shield Darkness all sweat drop at hearing that and even Hoost and Arnes seemed a little taken aback though Arnes does say-

"Well, I suppose that is true... I guess. It was that Yunyun girl that told the rest of the clan that I was the one going around launching Explosion magic around the villages outskirts when it was this little hellion here with that shy girl acting as her transport. Anyways, here's our side of the story on how it all went down."

And with that, Arnes told her tale which wasn't a short one. By the time she had finished, the three girls were all giving Megumin a dead stare which makes Megumin stop walking a sweat just a little. Lynn then says-

"Are we really sure that Megumin isn't the real demon slash devil here. From the way the story went, it sounds like she, and Yunyun to a lesser extent, were the real bad guys in all this."

"Oh come on, we weren't THAT bad, were we. Besides, it's not like Arnes and Hoost didn't go around killing anyone that was innocent."

"Um, while I acknowledge killing some people, they were all members of the Axis cult which should be more than enough to give me a pass here."

"And the only reason people died because of my actions was because of all the trouble this one gave me, and Arnes by extension. I didn't want to see anyone hurt but it couldn't be avoided."

There was a long silence before Darkness says the one thing that needed to be said-

"OK everyone, make a mental note to tell Kazuma about this once we've rescued him. We'll let him decide what Megumin... and Yunyun's punishments will be for their actions."

"Wait, please... there's no need for Kazuma to know about all that. Surely we can come to some sort of deal here."

After a bit more walking, they had finally reached the massive arch within the Wall of Dis. Quickly stepping through, everyone marveled at the sight of the massive and unending city that lay out around them. Even Hoost and Arnes seemed taken aback by the sight of it.

"You know, I'll never get use to the look of this place. Not that I'm a frequent visitor, mind you. It's just I keep forgetting how impressive and... modern it all looks."

"We're lucky we arrived in one of the more advanced areas of the city and not one of the old school zones that exist here and there."

"You say this is modern? Funny, I don't recall ever seeing a city that looks this advanced before. Like something from out of a fantasy book or something."

said Lynn, getting a reply from Hoost.

"Really? Oh right, what you're seeing isn't something that would be seen as the norm on your world as of yet. This is more of the style of buildings one we would see if they ever found themselves coming from the... land that all those cheat power users would come from."

"You mean like the famous swordsman, Mitsurugi?"

asked Lynn. Arnes nods then adds-

"Never met that guy but I believe so. Also, I think you're Kazuma might also be from that same land, despite not having any cheat powers to his name; according to you all anyways."

After that, they began to walk through the city, making the quickest and most direct beeline to the gate that would see them pass beyond the city into the seventh realm, where Kazuma was last said to be. As they go, they took some rather strange paths, the kind that led them to glowing portals that would help them jump from one point of the city to another, thus cutting down on their overall walking time. During this trip-

"Say, while we're going. Mind telling us more about this place. Like how it became known as the Heretic's City and more about the locals we should be aware of."

"We've already been told that they love chewing one's ears off with talks of their religious and political views but that they weren't as bad as the Axis cult in that regard."

"Yeah, about that..."

There was a moment of hesitation in Arnes words due to the questions Darkness and Cielo had raised. After a moment, she sighs then says-

"This place wasn't always known as Heretic's City, as it wasn't always one massive city that existed here. This region was originally a massive mountain range must like how the Vaults of Avarice is located within a mountain range. Originally, this land was known as the Temples of Heresy due to the massive number of temples that were present on the various mountains. But that all changed when Duke, the... Archduke of this realm, decided to change the look up. Had the mountains turned into the city and walls you are all familiar with."

"So, the archduke of Heresy is named... Duke?"

said Lynn with Hoost replying with-

"Yeah, that's right. If you think there's something funny about that then you're really going to like this next bit. Duke, believe it or not, was originally an Angel up there in Heaven. He ended up getting kicked out for one reason or another. Don't really know the full story behind that as he's never been one to open up and talk about it. All that is known is that had had something to do with the goddess he had once served."

Hearing that makes the girls come to a stop, surprised by what they had heard. One of the archdukes of Hell, one of the big wigs down here, was a fallen angel? Before any of them could say anything, Arnes quickly pushed them all into a corner and just in time because just a moment later...

A couple of demons and ghost with a yellowish tint to their spectral bodies came running past the spot they had been standing at in a panic. A moment later, a few more ghostly beings came running past as well, these ones having a blueish tint about them. After another moment, Arnes quickly peeks her head out, looks around, then breathes a sigh of relief before ushering the others to come out as well.

"Damn, that was way too close of a call there."

"What was that about, Arnes. What's going on."

"I'll talk as we move. You saw those demons, right? Those were the standard heretic demons that live here in this place. And the ghostly beings are actually the souls of mortals that ended up down here because of their personal beliefs... being so extreme that it led them to take actions that were far more damning than what would be allowed to have any other option but to be sent down here till they gained some common sense."

"Why did those ghosts have different colors from each other?"

"Ah, that's more about the nature of their faith. Their color aligns with the nature of their faith. For example, those blue tinted ones are the souls of those who follow the Axis faith, believe it or not."

"WHAT?" (x4)

The three girls come to a dead stop and after a pause, Megumin asks-

"So, you're saying that everyone who's apart of the Axis faith the follows the teachings of the goddess Aqua will be sent down into Perdition when they die?"

Hoost replies quickly by saying-

"No-No-No, not everyone who's of the Axis faith. Only those members who, because of the rather loose teachings of their faith's tenets, will end up here. Namely, those who believe they have a right to unleash unwarranted violence upon the Eris faith, like... you know, framing them my making it look like they had commiting some kind of heinous crime, if not doing such to them while using the claim that the Eris faithful are devils in human guises, as their excuse. There's also those in the Axis faith who go around enacting over the top sexual harassment upon others are also at risk of being banished down here. For example, I've heard that the current high priest of the Axis cult is risking having this place become his permanent home, what with all the poor girls he's tried to molest over the years."

"Oh yeah, I can definitely see that. I can think of a certain Axis priestess who could also be pushing her luck as well."

mumbled Megumin to herself. Lynn, meanwhile, says-

"They must be regretting their choices in life, like the faith they opted to follow, once they realized where it was they were sent down to."

"You would think so but according to Duke, it's likely they don't even realize that they're actually down in here in Perdition. They probably see this as just another city in need of being saved in the name of their goddess, hence why they're as ever active as always down here. They probably think they were brought here by Aqua herself to perform more great deeds in her name. Sigh, those people are nothing if not delusional."

"But why are they like that to begin with? I mean, I've heard that it was Aqua herself who wrote the very tenants that the Axis faith follows but surely she didn't intend for them to act like they do."

said Cielo. Arnes explains by saying-

"Well, according to Duke. The way the goddess Aqua wrote the tenants was very flexible and easy to bend and alter the actual meaning behind the words to serve the personal needs of those that follow it. You know, things like 'Don't worry about the consequences that could come from your actions, just focus on doing that which makes you happy in the moment' or something like that."

"It probably doesn't help that Aqua has been said to be a rather laid back and inattentive goddess for her followers. She'd rather spend her time playing games and pigging out on snack food than doing her job, leaving the workload to her assistant. And when someone complains to her, she'll shrug it off and say that it's all fine. She believes her faithful are good kids, never acknowledging their failings because of her because it would mean she would need to acknowledge her own failings, blah-blah-blah."

The girls go silent after hearing that. For some strange reason, they found themselves suddenly recalling that blue haired girl that happened to have the name Aqua back during the trip to Veridae; how she talked and acted, especially when talk of the Axis sect was brought up... specifically by herself.

If she was any indication of what the ACTUAL goddess Aqua was like, then it became far more understandable as to why the Axis faith became the way it is today.

As they continued onward, Hoost suddenly moves over to Megumin and asks her a question.

"Say, Crimson Demon... or should I now say Crimson Succubus?"

"First off, my name is Megumin. If you have a problem with saying my name then I won't have a problem with Exploding you into pieces... AGAIN! And second, what is it?"

"Yeah... that name. Never mind that for now. Seeing as you're here and all, I need to ask you a question. Do you, by any chance, know of a child from your clan that goes by the name of Komekko?"

Megumin comes to a dead stop, her eyes quickly falling onto the winged demon with an icy glare to them. The other girls also find themselves freezing in place though their reason was due to fear at where this was going. Arnes just looks at Megumin and Hoost in confusion.

"Yes, I know of a Komekko from my clan. Why do you ask about her?"

"Um... well, it's nothing to big. I was just wondering if when all is said and done for you all, when your business down here is done... would you head back home and ask her to stop summoning me all the time, using such questionable offerings and for such strange request as well."

"Please clarify what you mean, Hoost."

"Well, about the way she summons me to the mortal realm. She's always using the strangest of objects. Things like the core of an apple, moldy old cheese, and even the shell of a cicada. You know, stuff like that. The sort of things that are rather embarrassing for a demon such as me to be summoned with."

"That sounds like more of a 'you' problem than one brought on by this Komekko girl. Have you ever considered that you are just too easy to summon, Hoost?"

Arnes then begins laughing, getting Hoost to yell at her before turning his attention back to Megumin.

"Seriously, it's not that I have a problem with being summoned by her. If anything, I'm actually fine with her doing so as I can tell she has great talent at the summoning arts. In fact, she could probably give lady Wolbach a run for her money if she really wanted to. I just wish she would use more respectable offerings when she decides to call me forth."

"Yeah, I don't see how any of that is my problem to resolve. Like Arnes said, that says more about you than it does about my si-about this Komekko girl. Anyways, what was the other issue you have with her?"

"Huh... oh right, that. The real issue is what her reasons for summoning me forth. Normally, it's nothing to big as she'll ask me to make her some food or go kill some ugly monster for her so she can get experience points. Nothing I don't mind doing, seeing as she's still so young and all. It's just that some of her requests are rather curious... if not even a little alarming at times."

"And those would be?"

"Well, there was this one time she asked me to go beat this one guy up till he was black and blue because he was saying questionable things to her. The kind of stuff a young and innocent maiden shouldn't be made to hear, or so she claimed."

"WHAT? What was she told? And who was it that told her such things?"

"I honestly don't know as she never repeated what was said but I believe the person's name was 'Buckatany' or something."

Immediately, Megumin clinched both her fist and gritted her teeth, already knowing who it was that had been saying 'stuff' to her sister. As such, she made a mental note that when she next travels back to the village, she would be paying this certain person a visit and giving them quite the ass kicking.

"But the worst sounding request I got from Komekko by far was also the most recent one. When she summoned me this time, it was in the backyard of a place I had never seen before. It was a mansion of some kind. Anyways, she asked me if I would help her remove some 'annoying girl' that was interfering with her being able to spend time with her big brother or something. She said she didn't care what I did or where I sent her. Just send her to a faraway place for a while so she wouldn't cause them any trouble where spending time together was concerned."

"Wait, are you saying...?"

Lynn can't help but smirk as she says to Cielo, Darkness, and possibly Arnes as well-

"Ah, so it seems during that week you guys were babysitting little Komekko, she tried to get Hoost there to send Megumin away for a bit so she could have some alone time with Kazuma. I have to give that little girl some credit. She's without question the scariest of her clan."

"No kidding. Hopefully Megumin will be able to take it well..."

"Or not!"

Megumin, looking like she had suffered a severe blow to the gut, had fallen to her knees and was crying out why was his little sister trying to snub her now. And she was being rather loud about it too. Which ended up being a bad thing as...

"Hey, look everyone. I've found some more poor souls that need to be saved by the loving arms of the goddess Aqua."

They had found themselves being surrounded by followers of the Axis faith that had been sent down here.

(elsewhere)

Lilith was relaxing by her favorite swimming pool, a massive sized one at that. She allows herself to take a nice long sip from her favorite fruit drink; thankful that it was enchanted to never run dry, before tilting her head up and lifting her sunglasses to look at the pool itself.

Note, wearing sunglasses and sitting out like you were trying to get a tan was pointless, given that there was no actual sun shining down on them. If you wanted a tan, you'd have to pay a visit to some of the more volcanic spots in Hell for that. No, Lilith was simply doing this to create atmosphere.

Lilith smiles, watching some of her young family members frolicking in the pool, playing games and such though there were a couple that were playing some questionable 'games' with one another.

"Hey, if you're going to be doing stuff like THAT, then take it over to the indoor pools. We're not here to put on a show for any passerby's, alright."

She then sits back and looks to the sky and that's when she sees it; something racing across the sky right above her which makes her focus her gaze in order to see what it was more clearly.

"A succubus... no, it's another one of my Crimson Demon half-daughters. I wonder why she's in such a hurry?"

Indeed it was for it was Yunyun that Lilith was seeing. Lilith considers flying off after her, to see what was going on but she quickly determines that she wouldn't be able to catch up with the girl, as fast as she was going. And then, after a moment, another figure comes into view; a goddess from the looks of it who seemed to be struggling to keep up with the crimson eyed succubus.

"Yunyun, slow down some here. I know you're worried about Kazuma and the others... I am too but you need to... Seriously, just how can such a noob at flying be outperforming ME here? I mean, I'm a goddess and even a pro shouldn't be as fast as I can move here?"

Lilith watches them continue on before closing her eyes and letting out a sigh. Since a goddess was on the scene, maybe it would be better to not get any more involved with all this funny business that's been coming around as of late.

(back in Heretic's City)

They were surrounded by the ghostly forms of the Axis cultist whose actions in life had been so bad that they had been banished to Hell for their deeds. And true enough, they didn't see themselves being in hell as they thought the demonic appearance of Hoost and Arnes was simply the goddess Aqua letting them see Eris cultist for what they truly were.

"Yeah, no question about it. These guys are all members of that evil Eris cult. How should we handle this one?"

"Hey, don't go saying my faith is evil. We aren't the ones who were sent down into Hell after death because of our actions."

shouts Shield Darkness, making the cultist pause and look at each other. Finally, the leader of the group says-

"You're right, we are in hell... because so long as the vile and corrupt Eris faith holds any power and presence in this world, then it's the same as being trapped in Hell."

"Hey, check that one infidel out, trying to fool us by dressing up as an angel. Like that's going to fool anyone."

"Hey, is it OK if we play around with the girl dressed like a succubus if she doesn't agree to join the faith? From the way she's dressed, she's clearly fine with doing perverse things with people."

Hoost and Arnes had to restrain Megumin from using Explosion right there and then while the leader of the cultist ghost moves closer and says-

"So... HERETIC'S... what's it going to be? Will you join us the easy way are do we have to do things the hard way?"

In response, everyone takes up a battle stance with Lynn saying to the gathered crazies-

"Does this answer your question?"

The leader sighs before smiling a devious smile.

"So, this is how it's going to be then? Good! OK everyone, you all know what to do with devils like..."

He doesn't get to finish as a beam of green colored light goes exploding above them as it moves through the air, instantly destroying any sections of buildings unlucky enough to be tall enough to be hit by it. This causes the Axis cultist ghost to go into a crazy panic.

"The Eris Cult. Those damn heathens must be launching a sneak attack on the city. Everyone, to your battle stations."

And just like that, all the dead cultists were gone from the area, having clearly forgotten about the group they had been planning on 'converting' to their faith through force.

"What the heck was that?"

"I don't know but it saved our butts just now, so I won't complain."

"That was Kazuma, I'm sure of it as it had the look and feel of a skill he once described to me not long ago."

"Megumin, what are you... hey, wait Megumin. Don't go running off like that."

Megumin ignored Lynn's words, already running off with the others following her. They weren't sure how Megumin had known that Kazuma had been the source of that strange beam of energy, but they weren't going to question it either.

Because if Kazuma had felt the need to unleash something like that, then it must mean that he was engaged in battle right now. That he would probably be needing help here soon.

{|} Canto 23: The Showdown Begins {|}

The Cero that Lich Kazuma had unleashed had finally come to an end as the massive blast of wind that it had unleashed finally settled and the sound of thunder could once again be heard in the air. Lich Kazuma held an arm up and out for a few moments more before letting it fall lifeless to his side. His head lowered ever so slightly is the glow of his eyes dimmed just a little bit.

To look at him, one would be quick to assume that he looked drained and tired. And as for his target?

Vlad Dracula was laying on the ground, mostly, having hid his body as well as he could behind one of the large body trees in the area. His had his one remaining hand clutching the stump that had once been his right arm which was currently bleeding badly, assuming it wasn't actually some liquified looking version of arcana that was leaking out of him.

Thanks to his blood wolves, he had just managed to get free from the branches and roots of the trees that were binding him in place to avoid being taken out by that sudden and unexpectedly powerful skill the boy had unleashed on him, though he wasn't fast enough to avoid having one of his arms blown to pieces here. He had then quickly hidden himself away in order to think and heal here.

Currently, he had managed to regenerate a part of his missing arm, halfway between the shoulder and the elbow. Being a soul here in the moment sure had its advantages. But he still shook with absolute fear... no, terror here. That skill was powerful, too powerful even. If he had taken the full brunt of it, then his soul would have been reduced to a mere flicker of itself and that would have surely seen his false connection to the body of Satou Kazuma destroyed.

Dracula then takes a risk by peeking his head over around the side of the tree, seeing Lich Kazuma standing there all motionless and the sight of him sent one thought screaming through Dracula's mind.

'A monster... that boy has become a true monster here. I need to escape from him, NOW... no, I need to end him while he's not moving; before he can... can do something-anything more.'

"Indeed, as time is running out for you, my old friend."

'Maxwell... damn you. Why didn't you tell me he was capable of unleashing something like that?'

"Because I myself didn't know till just now. I have never seen such a power on display before. I admit that even an archduke would not escape serious injury if hit by that one."

Dracula wanted to say something, a lot of things in the moment really, but he knew better to be wasting his precious time here with such things. Best to save it till after this was all over. Instead, he asks-

'Then tell me... old friend, just what exactly do you recommend I do right now. That monster isn't moving in the slightest at the moment. Is it possible that unleashing a power that was made up of that much arcana had knocked it out. If so, shouldn't I take this chance to end him while I can?'

"His current state of inaction is indeed due to sheer arcana exhaustion. From what I can sense, he will need around five or so minutes before he can start moving freely again and even when that time has passed, he will most likely be sluggish and slow in any action he takes."

'Then I should strike while the iron is hot, as they say.'

"No, even if he can't move freely at present, he may still have some unknown means of protecting himself until free motion is once again his. No, I would advise you to pull back for now and leave the forest entirely, finish restoring your arm in the process."

'Are you sure? What if by not taking him out NOW results in him having time to gather the necessary amount of arcane into himself to unleash another one of those blast."

"I can assure you that he won't, at least any time soon. He pretty much drained all the arcana inside him to zero by using it. Even being down here in Perdition, he will need at least fifteen to twenty minutes before he can even make use of low-level skills. For something like that skill he used, I would say at least an hour tops. On a side note, as powerful as it was, I don't think it's possible for him to make use of it unless he is down here in Perdition."

'I understand... but still...'

"Trust me, old friend. I have a plan that will see your victory become a sure thing, provided everything goes as planned. I shall explain it as you make your way out of this forest."

Dracula growls in annoyance. While he knew it would be tempting fate, he really wanted to form a blood pike in his still existing hand and make one final attempt at his foe while it looked like success was guaranteed. But Maxwell had never led him astray before so there was no reason to question his judgment not. And so, with blood wings formed on his back, Dracula began making his way farther and farther from Lich Kazuma, heading in the direction that Maxwell told him to go.

'OK, I'm retreating for the moment. Now, what is this plan of yours.'

"Soon, you will pass into the third of the regions that makes up this realm; a vast desert where fire rains from the sky yet the air and ground have an near unbearable cold to them. Once you added a bit of distance still, you will stop and wait for Satou Kazuma to catch up with you."

'Wait, what? Why would I do such a foolish thing?'

"Because in just moments, his rescue party will be exiting the sixth realm into the seventh and at their current speed of approach, they'll be arriving at your final battle spot with little delay. And that's when you will..."

Dracula listened to Maxwell's plan, a devious smile forming on his face. There was this old saying; "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." He would use another of his newly gained vampiric abilities to once again trick the monsters' friends into attacking him and then, they would personally escort him back to his new body, not knowing the truth until it was too late.

(at the divide between the 6th and 7th Realm's)

Several figures were sitting in what looked to be foldout lawn chairs just beyond the gate that led into the Heretic's City. Some of the occupants were demons from the realm of vengeance and some were local souls from the realm of heresy. Right now, instead of doing their jobs, they had opted to instead sit back, relax, and take a moment to enjoy themselves.

"Man, if only every day could be like this, huh? All nice and peaceful."

"Indeed, my strange friend. Funny, when I was still living my life, I heard stories that Hell would be a terrible place to live. Honestly, I think my afterlife down here has been a lot more safe, secure, and financially stable than my living life could have ever hoped to be."

"Yeah, it's great isn't it. This is paradise for those who would have been called NEET's back in life. Do what you want, whenever you want. And the best part about it is... zero consequences to boot."

Just then, another demon comes walking into view with an excited look on his face.

"Hey guys, check it out. Word has it that there's a big party that's going to be happening over in the second realm. And we all know what happens when the succubi throw a party, am I right? Especially as its partly going to be... a POOL PARTY!"

Oh yeah, they all knew alright. Whenever the succubi threw a party, it always ended up with many of them stripping down into the nude and, more often than not, plenty of them doing all sorts of questionable things with each other... and giving any non-succubi present one hell of a good show.

"We're there, dude."

"Yeah, this is going to be cool!"

Then the gathered demons and damned souls began to laugh in a manner not unlike how Beavis and Butt-head like to laugh.

Of course, this doesn't last long as Megumin comes tearing through the air from out of the gate with enough force in her wake that all the lay-abouts are sent flying all over the place. The others soon follow, with Hoost and Arnes sending quick apologizes their way, before continuing to follow after the focused Crimson Succubus.

(in the burning yet freezing desert)

Dracula comes to a stop, letting himself come to a rest upon the earth. Just like Maxwell had told him, this place was both blazing hot and bone chillingly cold all at the same time. The heat was clearly coming from the balls of fire raining down while the cold...

'Let's see. According to Maxwell, the cold is actually coming up from the lowest real. Some place no one with any amount of common sense would ever think of going.'

Not that he had any attention of going to such a place anyways. Instead, Dracula turns to look back in the direction he had come, keeping an eye open for Lich Kazuma's approach. As he does this, he also puts his all into finishing with the restoration of his missing arm.

And he waits and waits and waits and...

And then there was movement coming from the distant sea of trees as Lich Kazuma came into view. He was moving through the air, but his movements weren't especially fast. From the looks of it, he was still in the process of recharging after that dangerous skill he had unleashed.

Finally, Lich Kazuma comes to land before Dracula, now choosing to walk towards him slowly. Dracula, for his part, begins to back away a a defensive manner. While he wanted to go on the attack while the odds were still looking to be in his favor, he would play it safe and follow the plan that Maxwell had suggested.

"What's wrong friend? Did that little number you tried to destroy me with really take it out of you?"

Dracula then glances down, seeing the state of the bone scythe, seeing it cracked all over, then adds-

"And that weapon of yours... it seems to have seen better days. What's wrong? Not going to make a new one to fight with?"

"They are almost at your location. They will be arriving at any moment now."

"Alas, it seems our play time must come to an end here. I have a surprise for you. Want to take a guess as to what that surprise will be?"

And with that, Dracula activated his vampiric glamor upon himself, causing him to take on the appearance of Kazuma himself. This causes Lich Kazuma to pause momentarily in his movement as Dracula Kazuma falls onto the ground, trying to make it look like he was injured. And then...

"Kazuma!"

shouted Megumin as she came into view. Her eyes looked down at the scene being presented. Moments later, the others arrive with Hoost saying-

"Looks like we arrived just in time."

"Yeah, it seems that your friend is being attacked by some strange Lich like creature. Odd, I've never known the Lich family to ever hang out in these parts."

adds Arnes. Lynn then says-

"Then we need to hurry up and... Megumin, wait."

Megumin didn't plan on waiting, having already shot down in order to take action. Dracula Kazuma looks up and sends her a smile as she gets closer and closer, all the while saying-

"You guys, you're actually here. It really means a lot to me that you all..."

He didn't finish as it was Dracula Kazuma, not Lich Kazuma, that was on the receiving end of a powerful right hook from Megumin. One that was strong enough to send the fake flying back a ways. This causes the others to freak out and ask what she had done. In response-

"Don't let yourselves be fooled, everyone. That guy wasn't Kazuma. That must have been Aldarp, trying to make us think he was Kazuma. He fooled me once and I refuse to ever be fooled like that a second time. This guy here... this is MY Kazuma."

Megumin the walks over to Lich Kazuma, reaching out and placing a hand to his boney cheek as she sends him a smile before hugging herself against him.

"Sorry that we're a little late in getting here, Kazuma. What do you say we go home now."

After a momentary pause, which sees the others land near to Megumin and Lich Kazuma-

"Megu-min..."

"Yeah, it's me. I'm here and I'm never letting you out of my sight again."

Lynn is the next to join Megumin, coming in close in order to take in Lich Kazuma's scent.

"This is Kazuma, alright. Heh, even turned into a Lich, his scent is still so... dominating."

"Interesting choice of words there, Lynn. Care to explain what you meant by them?"

asked Darkness with a hint of excitement in her voice. Everyone ignores her question as Cielo reaches out and touches Kazuma as well. After a moment, she sighs before hugging herself against one of Lich Kazuma's arms, seeing as Megumin was keeping his front all to herself.

"It's good to have you back, Kazuma."

Off to the side, Hoost and Arnes simply hold other another as they sniff happily while tears fall.

And then a massive blast of arcana erupts into the air, bring everyone back to reality as they turn to see Dracula, now back in his normal appearance, rising into the air with plenty of furious arcane visible in the air.

"THAT IS IT. NO MORE GAMES HERE. I AM TIRED OF THIS. TIRED OF ALL OF YOU. I AM GOING TO END ALL THIS, RIGHT HERE AND NOW!"

he roared out loudly, his voice being strong enough that it actually was creating distortions in the air.

The girls, along with Arnes and Hoost, quickly take up battle positions, standing between Kazuma and Dracula as they ready themselves for the big showdown against this most evil of foes.

The battle that will determine the fate of Kazuma's still living body, as well as his reputation, has finally begun...

{Insert Image 3}

{|} Next time, the finale will happen within the deepest of the depths... {|}

Image 1: Arnes and Hoost facing off with the Nemesis Dullahan

Image 2: Lich Kazuma firing off his Cero with a smaller image of a terrified Dracula being enveloped in the stream of arcana

Image 3: Megumin, Cielo, Shield Darkness, Lynn, Arnes, and Hoost standing between Lich Kazuma and a raging Dracula