Chapter 67 - Delving Deeper
She couldn't have predicted this.
She could NEVER have predicted something like this to happen.
'Arfoire… have you truly sunk so low…?'
Thoughts along those lines were the only thing that occupied the ancient [World Tome] that was Histoire, as she recorded the events in Mojang Village in her Tome. Usually, this process happened automatically, even in her sealed state, but thanks to Arfoire unsealing that… thing, that monstrosity from a past that the past CPUS had hoped to leave forgotten, that process had begun experiencing 'glitches'. Performance issues, one might call them.
The land was once again being reintroduced to demonic energy, energy that should never have returned to their time. It was meant to stay a relic of the forgotten past, where it would be forgotten for eternity, to one day face the void and be consumed by it. Though, the only exception came from the heroic demon entity known as Sparda, the one demon that the CPUs of that age respected and admired for both his skill in battle, and his honor as a warrior. He made a fine ruler of the demon race, and under his reign things progressed serenely, at least, as serene as things could get for that time period.
All across Gamindustri, Hellgates were opening to the Demon world, Hellgates that were created by this Cult belonging to this 'Overlord Momus', a foolish notion that Arfoire had spread throughout the four Nations. Because of that faith, it had become possible to bypass the barriers between Gamindustri and the Demon World, weakening those barriers to allow Hellgates to be forged.
Worse still, the thing that Arfoire had found, sealed away by the very beings they were fighting now.
If the Overlord was bad enough, then this thing surpassed that notion in power by leaps and droves. A relic of the past age, the age of the DPUs, had resurfaced into the current Gamindustri, something that the CPUs of old dreaded as much as losing all their shares, powers, and lives. Through the ages, countless threats to their rule had emerged, and each time the CPUs would have fought them with all their might, prevailing in one form or another.
But this… this was not something the CPUs of the present could hope to handle.
Not only because they were divided, but it was also because it was difficult to call them proper CPUs in terms of power alone. At their full power, a CPU still couldn't match a DPU's strength, the strength of a being that could tear entire continents apart with just a single swing of his sword.
To make things even more unfair to the CPUs, a DPU was a god in every sense of the word, able to wield more power without relying on the faith of others, as well as channel the ambient energies around them into their bodies, fuelling their reserves. Not only that, but like the progenitor of all life, they could create and spawn Monstrous creatures on a whim, either through… intercourse (she would have blushed if she were to assume the proper form for that) or to expel a portion of their energies.
That was a FRACTION of a DPU's power, and Sparda was able to do so much more than that. It made Histoire tremble in fear at the very thought of it all.
In the end though, hope still yet existed, for despite this deity re-emerging from the past into the present, a new DPU, for the first time in millennia, had reappeared due to Sparda's foresight. His champion, a successor to his legacy. It was more fortunate that this DPU held no such malevolent intentions towards Gamindustri, for if he did then they would likely have fallen to his power long ago.
That was always a nagging thought, a fear, in the back of Histoire's mind as she recorded Nico's life choices, even the ones that he didn't remember right now.
Those memories were something that Histoire feared the most, aside from the re-emerging threat from the past. Such horrors that befell him in those dark times… they were enough to break a person, to render them completely demented and insane. The sheer agony, trauma and loathing those memories held could be felt through every spec of knowledge that the [World Tome] possessed. How Nico had not gone completely insane was anyone's guess. It only made sense that he couldn't recall it, with his mind blocking the experiences out.
Hopefully, with the people he was surrounded by, Nico would make the correct choice in the future… Gamindustri counted on it.
"You doing #BOOM# alright there #CRASH# SAMURAI?!"
"I am #SMASH# fine!"
Both Nico and Raven expertly avoided the attacks from the Infernal that they were fighting, the beast opting to use its fire attacks less and less. This wasn't good, it showed that the beast was aware of its weakness and was trying to keep itself around a little longer. Basically, it was a monster on life support.
Still didn't make it any less dangerous.
Nico slid across the ground, leaning his body sideways to avoid a fist that would have decked him in the face. He deployed his Plasma Cannons and fired them at its chest, while pelting it with shells from his Plasma Launcher. The Infernal stumbled backwards from the impact these rounds had, which gave Raven the opportunity to strike back.
"I'm going in!" she yelled, before dashing forwards like a bullet. Nico would have tried to yell at her to stop, but then he noticed something about her: she had a faint blue aura around her, a faint shine added to her eyes. 'Wait, does she plan to…?' Nico wondered. It had been so long, that he had almost forgotten. He wasn't the only one with a condition, no, not when it involved Team RAIL.
Raven was always a… guarded, individual, alongside her title as a man-hater, which was well earned through her background. Most of it was classified though, much like his own. Therefore, the two had something in common, though they didn't talk about it very much. But despite that, the two got along after a… particularly rough start.
She always was a cold person, well, mostly cold. She did show some signs of emotion, but usually she had a stoic, no nonsense personality. She looked down upon those who were 'weak' and scum. Most of those criteria applied to criminals and the arrogant, though, while when she regarded civilians, there was always this… lost, look in her eyes, like she was thinking of something but couldn't remember it exactly.
Still though, when Lucy made that comment about none of them being normal, she couldn't have been any more right.
Like him, Raven too had her own special 'condition' a condition that was highly classified by the Guild's higher-ups. For good reason too, since on the scale from mildly 'queasy' and 'beyond-all-manners-of-fucked-up' her secret ranked quite high. Lucy had a similar condition, which was one of the reasons why they got along.
Also, another reason why Team RAIL was formed in the first place: to monitor these two.
As she ran, Raven drew her free hand back, prepping for a punch. Now, ordinarily this would be classified as a stupid move, punching a being whose body radiates an aura that burns you? Not something any normal, sane person would willingly try to do. They would end up being burned alive by the Infernal's aura, leaving nothing behind as it was all burnt to a crisp and scattered to the winds.
Raven however, was not one of those people.
The Infernal snorted, doing its best impression of a derisive chuckle as it reared its own fist back, preparing to smash her puny fist in as well as her entire being. That was for sure what it expected to happen when it awaited Raven getting close enough to attack. When she was within that range, the beast roared with victory as it thrusted its fist towards her, intending to smash her to bits.
However…
Something ELSE happened, something it did NOT expect.
CRACKLECRACKLECRACKLECRACKLECRACKLECRACKLECRACKLECRACKLECRACKLECRACKLE!
The moment that the two fists were about to meat, Raven's eyes flashed blue. In the instance afterwards, her fist had single large Ice gauntlet, like the ones seen from a knight, big enough to stop the creature's hand, floating parallel to her arm. It had appeared from nothing, building on itself to take on its current form, and right now it was the gauntlet that had landed the blow to its face, sending it flying back.
POW!
The sounds of cracking Ice and cracking stone filled the air from Raven's attack, and as she watched what happened to her opponent, her chest rising and falling indicated that she was breathing heavier than normal. She looked down at her right hand, having sheathed her Odachi a second before the previous collision, and gazed at it through her Mask. If her face had been visible, the flashes of reminiscence would have been shown for the world to see.
How long…
How long had it been since she last resorted to using these abilities?
It must have been a while… she couldn't remember. She knew that she would have to practice with them once more, to shake the dust off. She didn't even recall why she had stopped them in the first place. The one thing she could recall was probably when she drafted herself into the Spec Ops Programme, rising quickly through the ranks and getting her current reputation. It wasn't for money, fame or fortune that she fought, but rather something else… something that she had forgotten before, but only now remembered.
'Nevertheless…' Raven thought as she looked up, seeing the place where she had sent the Infernal flying. The power of cold that flowed through her veins, it was soothing, comforting, and brought back mane memories for her. Both good and bad memories came back to her, but she pushed through the haze for a moment. 'Now's not the time to reminisce about the past. This beast must be dealt with quickly. Using these powers will be necessary. Now, let's see if I can get back into the swing of things.'
Her gauntlet vanished into misty blue vapour, as Raven let out a silent breath she'd been holding, a cloud of vapour released from her Mask. 'Alright… okay… okay… looks like my powers can damage this beast. Makes sense, considering what they are…' she thought to herself, before getting ready to attack again. Her Odachi was then redrawn, its blade a shimmering blue to show that she was using the power of Ice, her primary element.
People say she had a heart of ice…
They had no idea how right they were.
Raising her free hand, Raven gathered her power, extending it from her hand to bend the cold air to her will. In moments, from seemingly nothing a huge javelin of Ice had built itself, being thick enough to stab through an entire building, yet only fill a quarter of its tip. Her eyes shined like icy blue flames, lighting the darkness of the night with their glow.
The Infernal roared, sensing the power behind that construct of the cold, and wanting nothing to do with it. There was also hints of something within, something that it should be powerful against. However, it didn't get the feeling like it would live after a blow from that, and that was what prompted it to try and move out the way.
However, much to its shock, surprise and horror, the beast found that it couldn't. Something was rooting it to the ground, making it impossible for it to evade the incoming attack. Looking down, it checked to see what it was, and saw a sheet of pure Ice having extended from the ground and beneath its feet. Ice had quickly sprung from that sheet, and now was encroaching around its feet like a living parasite.
Its immolation aura quickly set to work, flames licking away at the ice that threatened to extinguish it. The flames roared and raged as their territory was invaded by the oppressive, biting teeth of the cold. Two opposing elements waged war on the Infernal's body, using it as their battleground. It even tried supporting its flames by lighting itself on fire with a fire stream. Yet, no matter how much they tried to stop the Ice, it only continued to spread up and up its legs like a fungus.
A cold sense of dread accompanied the Ice as it now filled up its legs, extinguishing the flames that made up most of its body.
Now desperate, the Infernal roared as it fired one last fire stream at its attacker, hoping to get a lucky shot to end her once and for all. If it was going down, it would do what it could to take her with it.
However, it was not to be, for the woman merely glanced at the beam and it instantly froze into solid ice, falling to the ground and shattering into many large pieces. Almost rivalling a human in height.
"Reap what you sow, creature." Raven stated, her tone echoing throughout the vicinity. Nico couldn't help the shivers that travelled down his spine, watching Raven do her thing with her powers. No matter how many times he saw it, seeing something like this always made him feel small and inadequate. Like a bug looking up at its boot. It was like each word she spoke was a storm that would rock his senses till the day that he died. Haunting him like vengeful spirits.
Finally, Raven reared her arm back, the Javelin mimicking her actions as if it were being held in the palm of her hand. She then threw her arm forwards with a mighty cry, launching the Javelin right towards the captured Infernal's chest cavity. The creature could not react in time, and thus, was impaled through the chest.
It gave one last dying groan, before dissipating into flames.
With the enemy defeated, Raven gave a loud exhale, releasing vapour from her mouth that the Mask let pass through. Her powers receded into her, waiting for their mistress to call on it once again. The Ice around their surroundings soon began to disintegrate, her will no longer intent on sustaining it. Within moments, the Ice had turned into tiny blue specs of Particles, before disappearing into nothingness, the fate of everything that is birthed by her powers.
Sheathing her Odachi, Raven turned to face her companion, who was walking up to her from his previous position. His Plasma weapons had either been deactivated, or put back into his Void Storage, but there was something that had been bothering her. Not only the question that she would be asking, but something else also. "… are you harmed?"
"Nah, I'm good." Nico replied with a dismissive wave. His eye scanned the vicinity, before his helmet opened up for conversation. "Man, we really did a number on the place." He remarked, whistling in both awe, and cringe. Their battle had destroyed practically all the surrounding buildings, littered the battlefield with craters and scorch marks from the demonic hellfire attacks the Infernal had unleashed on their asses. "The Government's going to have a fit when they hear of what happened here."
At his words, Raven rolled her eyes behind her Mask, turning on her heels. "I could care less about those waste of flesh." she stated, and while her tone was her usual stern one, there was a cold edge to her words that made him grimace. Thankfully, his helmet had closed at this point, so it was hidden.
However, what she asked him next made him REALLY thank the deities that he had his expressions hidden once more with his Helmet. "Your Demon Patrol Unit form… why do you not use it?" she asked him, Nico shuddering at the sharpness in her voice. It was like those Ice powers of hers were forming icicles from her very words and piercing him through his armour down to his very being. "You do recall that I do not like weakness. Why do you not take this situation seriously, and transform? This battle would have been significantly shorter if you had done so from the beginning."
'Well, not at the EXACT beginning, but she does have a point…' Nico thought, wincing. He should have remembered that, like him, Raven's intuition was a well-known skill that she possessed. She could notice things that only those that Nico could, and combined with her natural coldness, it made for an intimidating picture. '… But I don't know how to tell her the truth…'
'It would be best to be honest with her, Nico.' Thank anything! Nico mentally beamed as he heard the presence of his demon persona connect with his mind, having felt his worries over the occurring situation. 'Based off memories of your previous interactions with this woman, I can tell you that dancing around the issue will solve nothing. Thus, it should be best that you be as honest with her as you can about your situation.'
'Right… Thanks, Biko.'
"I'm unable to use that power at this time, SAMURAI." Nico responded evenly, keeping any of his emotions hidden from his speech. He would have pocketed his hands in his Trench Coat, if he hadn't been wearing his Armour. "Something has happened during my last Dungeon Mission that damaged me in a way that makes using those powers as a… less-than-beneficial means. I am repairing the damage, however it will be significant time frame before I can use it again."
"I see…"
Raven frowned behind her Mask, pondering his words while thoughts circulated her mind. Her senses told her he was telling the truth, something that she found admirable about him. His energy, now that she could sense it, didn't feel completely right… like it was unstable, volatile to the point that the slightest use would prove disastrous. There were signs that the energy was also healing his body though, healing it from the damage that the energy itself seemed to have caused.
"We must go. Time to see if our comrades have done anything about the rest of them." She spoke, already proceeding to head where she could sense her comrades Lucy, Aiden and Ivan. 'VERONICA, FALCON and CYBORG seem to be holding their own. From what I can sense, those last two are covering for their vice leader while she is gathering power… I see… so that's what their plan is.'
Nico watched her as she went, not showing any signs of what she was thinking in her body language. Well none on the surface, but thanks to having known this woman for as long as he did, he had been able to read the signs that otherwise people would never see. This kind of talent probably wouldn't be available to anybody but to those that knew her beyond that of an acquaintance, though.
'She seems like someone who doesn't care, but in reality, I believe that isn't the case…' Nico thought to himself as he slowly trailed after her. Raven was a cold woman, nobody could deny that. She believed in a survival mentality, the strong live and the weak die. But, compared to before, he'd say she'd changed a little.
She wouldn't have batted an eyelash at her team's separation before…
On Lucy's end, the woman glanced upwards, her brow raised when she sensed a powerful energy. A very FAMILIAR energy that caused her lips to twitch, barely repressing the urge to grin. 'So, Raven's starting to show her powers to the viewers at last.' She thought, pleasantly humming while she glanced to the two Infernals they were fighting.
Ivan had his Bionic arm in Rifle Mode, dodging their punches and smashes while peppering their faces with bullet rounds. Meanwhile, Aiden flew in between them, sometimes rolling through the air to avoid them trying to grab him, or sharply evading their fire streams in case they would melt him alive, before peppering them with Pistol rounds. Sometimes he would unleash a Missile Barrage on their asses, but they hardly did anything beyond annoying them.
Nevertheless, they were doing a good job of distracting the two Infernals while she gathered the power to finish this fight. 'It doesn't look like she used much of it, but the fact that she did proves that she took her enemy seriously. Well then, better not be shown up by her, I'd be ashamed of myself otherwise!'
Her mind told her that her powers were ready, and soon enough Lucy almost beamed in glee. These next few moments would be rather interesting for her. "Guys, I'm ready! Break off, fall back!" she yelled to the other two males.
Said males, Aiden and Ivan, both glanced at her while nodding. They then jumped away, or strafed backwards in Aiden's case, as Lucy readied her attack. The Infernals noticed that they were retreating, and before they could wonder why, the redhead second of Team RAIL struck.
She raised her hands to the air, and from the ground beneath them, the Infernals roared in shock and surprise when the ground broke into tiny pieces, making way for dozens, and that was meant quite literally, of long, green and sharp vines to erupt from below. They came at the two Infernals en masse, wrapping around their limbs to restrain them. The Infernals' immolation auras tried to burn them off, but Lucy had reinforced them with her power to prevent them from being burnt.
Her domain had a minor fire resistance, something she was exploiting right now.
With the Infernals busy trying to break free from her vines, Lucy closed her eyes and focused more, pouring her power out into the surroundings. From her heels, the entire ground gradually started growing grassy plains, trees and other fauna rapidly growing throughout the battlefield to turn it into a nature paradise.
"Dude!" Ivan shrieked, eyes wide in stunned awe as he saw the entirety of their surroundings become a tropical dream come true. Thousands of plants and wildlife could be seen all around them, filling the once empty streets with vibrancy and life.
Aiden regarded this event in a significantly calmer manner, but with the way he was tensing up in the air as he gazed at all the life rapidly filling their space, he too seemed to be taken aback by the spectacle. He had to release a sigh as he palmed his eyes, shaking his head. He didn't even care that he was still holding his Pistols at this point. "That woman… she always has to try and one-up our leader, doesn't she?" he asked nobody in particular.
It had been clear as day that the two were rivals in more ways than one.
In the end, the Infernals were restrained by the Vines to the point where not even their immolation auras could burn through them. They looked like those balls of string kittens and cats love to play with, only their heads being visible. That was enough to show that they weren't happy though, not that Lucy cared or anything.
"Aww, you guys look so adorable…!" Lucy cooed, the Spec Ops Agent having hearts in her eyes as se eyed her 'prey' with the admiration of a child. That expression peeled away seconds later, to reveal a sadistic glee at the thought of what was going to happen. "Still though…"
"Just because you're so cute when you're unable to resist me, won't save you from this."
From the ground in front of them, a larger plant rose out, created from her power. It's width was as wide as a 3 by 3 apartment complex, its long stem made out of segmented flower petals. Its top resembled that of a vicious Venus flytrap. Its maw slowly opened, revealing a maw dripping with acidic saliva and wicked sharp teeth. The reason why the Saliva was seen as acidic?
When some dripped out its maw and hit the ground, the ground sizzled, soon revealing a hot six-foot crater.
"Ummmm…."
"Remind me not to get hit by that."
Both Aiden and Ivan sweat dropped, each taking a gulp as they watched the massive plant rear its head backwards, like a serpent, before it lunged down towards the Infernals with a mix of a hiss/shriek. There was just something about facing off against a giant Plant that was about to make you its dinner that just chilled you to the bones.
That was something both boys felt was true in every sense of the word. Parts of them wondered what the heck was going on though, Lucy had always shown abilities linked to plants, wildlife and Nature, but never to this extent.
She had literally converted this entire area into a pseudo forest… a forest full of things that can kill you in various gory mannerisms.
Creating life from nothing… that was a power that they would have thought the CPUs had.
The two Demons, if they were humans, would have squealed like little girls as the Plant chomped down on them, the vines that held them having receded into the ground faster than a certain black and red hedgehog using a certain power from a certain emerald. The plant swallowed them whole in one gulp, their forms easily seen as bulges going down the creature's stem, which gradually shrunk as they were digested by the Plant.
Its task done, the Plant took one look towards Aiden and Ivan, who did their best not to show their unease. The stare was only a few seconds long, but to them it felt like an eternity. More than that, they felt like they were being scanned by a scanner for any irregularities… only in this case, those irregularities were basically any reasons to add them to the menu.
Being digested by plant, not something they'd want to have on their tombstones… if there was anything left to bury.
Finally, the Plant creature seemed to shake its head, before diving down into the earth once more, leaving behind Vines that picked up the pieces of rubble that its entry had created. These Vines pulled them back into their proper places, making it so that the ground had been repaired after the big plant's unexpected entry.
"Phew, haven't used that in a while…" A loud sigh alerted them to the one that had started all this tropical stuff, making both boys turn to their sole female member as Lucy rubbed the back of her head. She winced, raising her arms and stretching them. She stretched them for several seconds, and oddly enough the snapping sounds that came from them reminded the two of Plant stems snapping.
Once she had gotten a good stretch out of her arms and legs, uncaring or rather unaware of those who were watching, Lucy looked towards them and gave a wide grin, showing a thumbs-up. "Yay, we did it, guys!"
In response, both males sweat dropped.
"Yo, kids!"
The three looked to the side and saw that both Guts and Isaac were walking towards them through a destroyed building. It would be impossible to describe it, for the building had been wrecked beyond imagination. Nevertheless, the two men looked like they had went through hell, with burn marks on their armour, ruffled hair, and dirt-covered faces. Fortunately, their injuries were minimal, likely thanks to their teamwork.
"I assume the enemy didn't give you two much trouble?" Aiden questioned, landing beside his comrades while tucking his wings into his backpack, also putting his Goggles onto his forehead. He gave the two men calculating looks, not unlike a certain transforming Spec Ops Agent. "From the looks of things, you two must have fought against overwhelming numbers before. You show that through the lack of injuries on your person."
Isaac scoffed, waving a hand dismissively at the thought. "Pft, nah. That was nothing, I've seen way worse back in the day." He stated, before raising his right hand and pointing towards his partner. "Now this guy, he's the one that did most of the work this time around, killed most of the bastards before I could get a shot off em." He explained, making Guts roll his eyes in annoyance. Though, the three noted that there was a lack of aggressiveness too his actions.
"Hey, I have a question…" Lucy began, getting everyone's attention. She pointed at Gut's sword, which still looked like it had patches of stone from hacking away at Infernals. "That sword isn't like any normal sword, is it? It just doesn't feel… natural, if you get what I'm saying." She asked, before hurriedly explaining her reasons. She didn't want to offend these two with her queries, especially since they were fighting together.
However, it looked like her efforts were unneeded, for the man with the sword shook his head. His stance betrayed no negative emotion towards her, something that Lucy secretly got relieved over. "You do not have to worry. Dragonslayer here is a unique sword, been with me since I first joined the Spec Ops."
'Wow, when he talks about tat Dragonslayer sword, he really talks.' The three Agents thought, surprise at how much emotion Guts had poured into his words when talking about his sword. It was like one mention of it got his gears going or something. He must REALLY like that Dragonslayer, although there was one question that popped into their minds about it. "Dragonslayer?"
Isaac was the one to cut in this time, as Guts drew his sword from his back. "It's the name of Guts' sword. It was originally made by a renowned Leanbox Blacksmith, to slay large dragon-type Abnormals, hence the name. Sadly enough, it was too large to be used by any man or woman, until Guts came along. Wanna know something freaky? Apparently, this thing's bathed in so much blood that its apparently been able to exist on an astral plane, so when Necromancers try to bring the dead to life, their spirits are targets for this blade."
"That sounds…" Ivan began, eyeing the blade of Dragonslayer with disbelief and doubt.
Aiden finished his sentence with a deadpan when it became clear that he wouldn't be finishing it, instead focusing on the massive sword. "Like a poorly written plot device used in a Manga."
"Meh." Lucy stated without a care in the world, getting the attention of the others. "At least it can kick ass and take names, right?" she queried with a smirk. She swore that, when she saw Guts nod in confirmation, that she also saw that he had his lips twitch upwards as if attempting to smirk.
She never got the chance to confirm it though, because she sensed the energies of their last 2 comrades.
Turning to their direction Lucy saw Raven walk out from behind another ruined building at a leisurely pace, her posture that of a calm cold wind in the fields. She moved with the natural grace of a warrior, while also carrying the composure and presence of something inhuman. Her heeled boots clicked against the ground as she made her way towards them.
As for the second presence, Lucy sensed that it was coming from above. She couldn't help but chuckle in amusement, rolling her eyes as she saw a familiar figure jump out from behind a building, spinning like a sausage upside down before it fell the ground. When it landed, it was revealed to be Nico, who'd landed in a knightly crouch for a moment. His landing had caused a small shockwave, one that rippled through the hill before he slowly stood up, his lone uncovered eye still closed. "Tch, show off…"
"I try." The male mused, opening his eye. Wordlessly, he stepped aside and dodged the smack that Raven tried to hit him on the back of the head with. "Geez, c'mon I was trying to break the tension…" Nico spoke as he tried to placate the annoyed swordswoman. However, he still felt like he had a cold blade pressed against his throat, even though there was nothing there, when she continued to glare at him.
Thankfully, he was saved by the Engineer/Spec Ops Agent, who figured to continue their conversation. "While I liked the landing, if a little unneeded, kid…" he began, getting a scoff from Nico but nothing else. "We should focus on what's really important, like what the hell were those things? They weren't like any Abnormal I've ever heard of. Those things felt so much more hellish, sinister, than the normal kinds… and I can't believe I described Abnormals as something 'normal'."
Guts nodded. "Quite the contradiction, that statement is."
"Hush you."
"Anyways…" Nico began while he broke into the conversation, stopping Isaac from arguing with his partner. If this was any other situation, he wouldn't have cared, but right now they had more important matters. "In what actually matters is that those things had to have come from somewhere. Where that is, becomes the question."
He checked his right Bracer, lifting it to his waist level while manipulating the interface. He displayed a screen showing the samples of the ash they had been examining previously. "I scanned some of the ashes found near those charred craters. Turns out this stuff reeks of an energy that's got similar properties to Share Energy, the energy the CPUs are said to be powered by."
"Huh? How's that a thing?" Isaac asked, blinking behind his helmet while Guts rose a brow, equally befuddled. "You telling me we got some Pseudo CPU crap to deal with, and not only that, but this stuff is what produced those Infernals?" Everyone paused, taking a moment of silence to take this all in.
While the two Spec Ops from Leanbox tried to ponder this, Team RAIL and Nico quickly figured out what this energy was. Especially when they glanced at each other as if having a silent conversation with just their eyes. Just by gazing into them Nico could tell that they were thinking the same thing as he was, that this was demonic energy.
While Biko did indeed confirm that the Infernals were demons before, this proved that they had a connection to why the Village had been so barren when they arrived. The only problem now was, what happened to those civilians? If they were dead, they would have smelled the scents of rotting corpses, but no body had been found during the battle. Although, in that theory's defence they wouldn't have been paying attention to those details.
Before anything could be said and done, Nico heard Biko calling to him with his energy, making him establish a mental link with his demon persona. 'What is it, Biko?'
'Nico, I can sense residue demonic energy in the atmosphere. Those Infernals hid it well, but when the last ones perished, I detected a trail leading east. I believe its worth taking a look.'
The teen nodded his head, cutting the link as he addressed the others. "Before this battle began, my scans detected a faint trace of this energy to the east. We could find something at the end of the Trail." He suggested.
"You think so?" Guts questioned.
Nico nodded. "Yeah, and besides, I doubt we'll find anything concrete in this desolate place." he shrugged his shoulders, gesturing to the Village around them. With the state it was in, Nico doubted they could find anything salvageable for their cause. Though he spoke with remorse, his eyes showed that he couldn't care less about the destroyed village. Not to say the male didn't care about the citizens, it was more the fact that he didn't care for the Nobles' profits in it. As far as he was concerned, the nobility could go rot in an oven or some shit like that.
"Whelp!" Lucy chirped, already skipping to the east with a light spring in her step. "Let's go then! Whatever this trail is, it ain't gonna explain itself, ya know! C'mon, we're burning moonlight, here!"
With their goal decided, the Spec Ops crew quickly went on their way to the east, following the demonic energy trail Biko had sensed.
