Hey guys, new chapter here! If you haven't noticed, i don't plan on showing what Neptune and Compa have been up to during this little arc for plot reasons. There'll be some revelations about that later on once the main story kicks back up once more. Though, can anyone tell what kind of franchises I'm referencing here? A big clue will be in this one, and the next chap. Also, know that I'm practically steamrolling in the chapter dev department, thanks to most of it being written already in a different fanfic of my design.

Also, about the Bios, I'll repost Bios of certain characters when their powers are either changed or updated, so be on the lookout for new Bios at the end of the Chapters, cause that's where they'll be.


Chapter 80 - Absolution and Breakouts

As Nico approached the gates, the male could only feel this sense of tension in his gut. This tension that warned him of potential danger to his wellbeing. He knew it, he knew it very well, being so well-versed in the art of combat. What he was doing would basically boil down to invading the enemy base. No reinforcements would come, not for a while at least, and Nico had put much thought into an escape plan. If only to delay the issues circulating through his mind right now.

Tension that only increased when, upon standing before the metal gates, they slowly separated, swerving backwards as if to welcome him. He practically felt like he was being welcomed to his doom, though. A slight shudder travelled down his spine, but he quashed it while deploying his Plasma Claws. Instincts screamed at him to be ready for attacks, attacks that could come at any moment.

'Odds are, they will have known I was coming, and will have prepared something along he lines of a welcoming committee for me…' he thought to himself, a scowl hidden behind his Helmet. He could feel demonic energy coursing through his veins in greater quantities than before, coating him in a thin crimson aura. It also gave a red shine to his lone uncovered eye, something that made Nico smirk inside. Eagerness could barely describe how he felt about using his demonic powers once again. If he had an inner demon, then it would be cackling in glee right about now.

Oh wait… he did… but it wasn't the kind he was thinking of.

Entering the courtyard, Nico eyed its layout. The Courtyard seemed to be quite large, though not nearly as much as the manor itself. The courtyard had a set of stairs in front of him, stairs that led to a lower platform where the entrance lay before it. The courtyard extended to the sides, and if one looked at it from a bird's eye view, they would see resemblance to a trident of sorts.

'I'd focus if I were you, Nico. It appears your assumptions were correct.'

Turned out Biko was right, and Nico mentally thanked his demon persona. For the moment that he entered the massive courtyard, the gates closed shut behind him with an audible CLANG. He would have grimaced and held his sensitive ears that would have been ringing from the sound, had it not been for his helmet. Thanks to this, Nico barely jumped to the side in time to dodge a ball of pure fire, one the size of an average car, that came down from the skies above. He landed on one of the side platforms, sliding to a halt.

Once he was halted, Nico stood tall to see what had attacked him. Before, there had been nothing before the entrance, it was practically unguarded which had given off this eerie calm atmosphere. An atmosphere that kept his hair standing on end. Now? There was someone standing there, and still this person kept his hairs on end.

Standing before the entrance, clad in pitch black armour reminiscent of the night, wielding a glowing crimson sword that just pulsated with demonic power in his right hand, was a Chaos Knight. On his back, was a twisted looking black shield, but Nico focused more on the fiery pits that were his foe's eyes. The helmet hiding them sported the demonic horns the Chaos Knights back at the Mojang Mines had, but unlike them there was not a single steed present.

'A single enemy?' Nico wondered, raising a brow while eyeing the new opponent cautiously. He then shook his head in denial of that thought, refusing to believe it for a second. 'No, odds are that he has some reinforcements in hiding somewhere. I'll have to keep an eye out for them…'

The Chaos Knight roared at him, brandishing his crimson sword and pointing its tip at him in a threatening manner. Nico's eye narrowed at the enemy, swiftly reaching into his Void Storage and making too summon one of his demonic weapons. However, a thought came back to him, one that had been spoken to him by Biko with the whole Demon Prince fiasco. 'Biko did say that I have a new Devil Arm with me… let's see how it works.' He thought, switching on his Bracer's Screen to the new Devil arm.

Selecting it, Nico felt his back become heavier near instantly, a sign that the Devil Arm had fully manifested into the physical plane of reality. Swiftly grasping what he felt was the shaft of his new Devil Arm, the teenage Spec Ops Agent drew the weapon from his back. 'I better look into this possibility of summoning my weapons on mental command. It'd be a real great ability to have so I don't waste seconds on-'

Before he could finish, Nico saw the Chaos Knight break into a sprint, closing the distance between them in seconds. Reflexively raising his new Devil Arm, Nico blocked a slash that would have cut him in two, then had to block a rather vicious and brutal offensive that kept him on his toes. He could hardly find any openings to strike back, each hit was just THAT fast and powerful. 'Tch, this guy's got some strength behind that armour…' he thought to himself.

Sounds of falling gravel and a sight alteration in the surface area under his feet alerted Nico to a startlingly clear fact: he was being pushed towards the edge of the platform. Fortunately, there was a fence behind him, but Nico didn't fancy being knocked off the platform and down to the abyss down below thank you very much. When he saw the next slash coming, intending to decapitate him by cutting through his neck, Nico swiftly delivered a kick to the Chaos Knight's stomach, making gasp in surprise as he stumbled back. The teen followed up with a knee to the face, then twisted into a kick that sent his foe backwards.

The Chaos Knight staggered backwards, holding his helmet covered face. The hits that Nico had dealt managed to stun him for a moment, and that gave him time to breathe while he examined his new weapon. The Devil Arm Absolution, now that he got a good look at it, the weapon seemed to have the same appearance as the Axe the defiler wielded. The same textures, same edge, crystals and eyes and all. It was practically a perfect replica of that creature's weapon. 'Devil Arms… Biko said they were the souls of defeated Demons turned into weapons, and their powers depend on their demonic souls… if that's the case, then…'

Twirling Absolution above his head like a set of helicopter blades, Nico held his Devil Arm in a horizontal swinging stance. Biko told him that when it contacts an enemy it slows them down by infusing their bones with Corruption, but Nico got the impression the moment that his hands grasped the weapons shaft that there was more to it than that. Not to say that Biko was hiding anything from him, Nico figured that thanks to te situation at the time he had been unable to explain to him the full scope of this weapon's abilities. Something the teen understood perfectly.

The male made a mighty swing towards the Chaos Knight, and just like that, his theory became reality. For during the swing, the Axe formed a massive black wave made from pure Corruption, the kind the Defiler used not the Necromorph version, that spread across the courtyard towards his opponent.

Barely noticing the wave in time, the Chaos Knight jumped backwards jus before the wave could crash on him, dissipating out of existence shortly afterwards. 'Holy…' Nico remarked in his mind, his lone eye wide with surprise at his weapon's ability. He sneaked a glance to the Axe's blade, and saw it practically radiating with that same yellowish glow, mixed with writhing Tendrils made from its Corruption. The multiple eyes it had shifted direction every now and then, just proving how the weapon's power had sentience of its own, as expected of a Devil Arm.

'Absolution has Corruption related abilities… hmmm, this thing could be quite powerful if applied correctly. Let's see how I can apply it.' he thought to himself, slowly letting the Devil Arm's power out of its confines. Now the entire weapon had the glow plus the writhing Tendrils, Nico getting the feeling of satisfaction from the weapon, satisfaction born from the knowledge that its power was allowed to run rampant through its system.

Glancing at the ground, Nico raised Absolution for an overhead slam. He then brought it down, focusing the Devil Arm's power into its tip. The weapon impacted with a lout BOOM, creating a small tremor across the courtyard. But that was not all it did, for its tip generated a long trail of Corruption, a trail that generated dozens upon dozens of wicked sharp spikes that faced just about every direction.

The Chaos Knight quickly rolled to the side to dodge the attack, but it managed to pierce his hip armour still. Rolling onto one knee, the Chaos Knight checked the exposed area, finding there to be a cut going along where one of the Trail's spikes had scratched him. This made the Chaos Knight growl ferally, like a wild animal as he aimed a hateful glare towards Nico's direction. Standing up, the Chaos Knight drew his Shield and held his Sword at the ready… before sprinting towards him.

As his opponent charged at him, Nico remembered an attack the Defiler once used on him during their fight. The male smirked beneath his helmet, feeling the Devil Arm's powers touch upon his own in excitement as he swung horizontally once more. This time however, instead of a Corruption Wave or Corruption Trail, Nico sent several masses of Corruption towards it, one from the front and two more from its front flanks.

Despite his anger, the Chaos Knight managed to detect danger from those things, so he made to dodge them by diving through one of the shrinking gaps between them. However, a flash of… something triggered itself within him and Nico clicked his tongue. As if in response to that notion, the masses exploded and sent the Chaos Knight flying. His form had been covered completely by the Corruption, the male noticed, something that quickly worked its magic as the Corruption pinned his opponent to the ground. Mad shrieks and howls filled his ears as the Chaos Knight struggled to break free.

In his own experience, he didn't have long till his enemy broke free, but nonetheless, Nico thought something to himself regarding Absolution's powers. 'Hmmmm, I'll call this thing's version of Corruption… DC (Defiler Corruption). It'll make things easier if we ever encounter the Necromorphs again…'

Shaking his head, Nico glanced to the enemy and saw they were about to break out. There was still much more to learn about this power though, so he decided to keep going. Since he was here, there wasn't as much need to look for IF since she was practically right next to him. Worry for her was still present in his mind, though, but he reasoned that thanks to being on her own for a long time, IF would be able to take care of herself. But if she were to come to harm… heads would be rolling.

Once again, Nico twirled Absolution with the skill of an expert Axe wielder, thrusting it forwards as he felt the power inside the weapon do the rest. Fro the tip of the blade, dozens upon dozens of long Tendrils burst forth and, like mad vipers, lunged towards their prey. Their intent? To spear him through every section of his body.

Unfortunately, the Chaos Knight managed to manoeuvre his shield arm so that some protection was offered, and when the Tendrils collided with the shield they were bounced backwards. Nico's eye widened thanks to this, and he almost felt the recoil as if it were his own, making him step backwards in surprise. This gave the Chaos Knight some time to get back onto his feet, free of the DC that bound him to the ground before he rushed towards him.

Again, Nico relied on his instincts as he held his Devil Arm out in front of him, and from the shaft came a long stream of DC. It solidified and expanded, forming a wall the size of a human in front of him just a millisecond before the Chaos Knight's sword could meet his helmet-covered face.

The Wall retracted after repelling the Sword, receding in a blink of an eye into the Devil Arm's shaft. Nico swiftly jumped towards his prey, bringing Absolution down on the Chaos Knight's helmet. The Worshipper however, managed to raise his shield and block it in time, the impact causing the ground beneath them to reform into a six-inch-deep crater. A thin layer of dust also formed from the impact, though it went unnoticed by the two fighters while they repeatedly exchange blows, their eyes never leaving each other.

Nico twirled around, singing diagonally but that strike was parried by a strike coming from the opposite angle. Shifting his grip, the male attempted a slash from the end of his last one, but the same thing happened again. This process repeated itself until he gasped when a kick hit his stomach. The armour there protected him from the brunt of the attack, but it did cause him to step backwards several times.

Using this opportunity, the Chaos Knight jumped forwards, bestially roaring as he swung towards Nico's neck. The Spec Ops Agent however, managed to raise Absolution in time to block it, forming yet another six-inch-deep crater beneath them. He twirled the weapon in-between slashes, striking from multiple angles, each strike different from the last. It was basically a way to push the Chaos Knight onto the defensive, yet also deflect any attempts to get past his defences.

Sidestepping a thrust to his stomach, Nico spun into a downward slash. However, the Chaos Knight spun so that he could push his slash away with his shield instead. He followed up with a slash to his exposed shoulder, but Nico used Absolution's shaft to form a DC Wall in front of it, blocking the attack and sending his opponent staggering backwards.

Taking a step backwards, the male hopped into the air and brought his Absolution down onto the ground. DC passed through the Devil Arm into the ground, before resurfacing beneath the Chaos Knight in the form of several spikes. He'd call them Groundspikes for simplicity's sake, Nico thought as he watched them impale the Chaos Knight through the arms, making him scream in pain as he was held in the air. The spikes had been over 10 feet tall, which made that feat possible.

'Whew, this thing's energy is no joke. I think that out of all the Devil Arms I have, this thing has one of the more versatile of abilities…' the male thought to himself, eyeing Absolution in his hands. He could still feel how the Devil Arm still coursed with power, power that was on the verge of overflowing from the weapon's core. A sense of glee hit him, and he knew that it came from the Axe-shaped Devil Arm in his hands. It had always been like this, he thought, before looking up towards his prey. He always had a connection to Devil Arms, even before his ascension into a DPU, which explained why he could 'talk' somewhat with these things.

Looking up into the Chaos Knights' eyes, he saw both pain, and fury shining in those lava-like eyes, all of it directed at him. With his arms immobilised like they were, the Chaos Knight would be vulnerable to attack, he realised. Nico smirked behind his Helmet, pointing Absolution towards him and rearing it back for a thrust. DC gathered around the blade as he prepared to finish his prey off…

When something else did it fore him.

From a diagonal angle, Nico saw something stunning. If his mouth was free, it would have dropped to the ground when he saw this energy laser-like thing suddenly spear through the Chaos Knight's chest, burning through all of his chest cavity like it was nothing but weak dough. 'Whoa, what the hell?!' he shrieked in his mind. 'Where the hell did that come from?! It came from a diagonal angle… but, that leads to the courtyard reinforcements… Oh, hello.'

The moment Nico looked towards the Manor's entrance, he saw two more near-future opponents standing there. How they got there without him noticing was anyone's guess, though the teen deduced it to do with those Ward-things Biko told him about. Nevertheless, while Nico had to admit that these things looked fuck ugly, he'd seen a lot of that shit in his lifetime, so he would hardly call himself surprised at this point. Disgusted, maybe, but not surprised, not anymore.

These creatures, they moved on two hoof-made feet, and looked relatively humanoid in appearance. Their height would probably be at 10 feet tall or something similar. Their left arms ended in twisted, deformed looking claws, while their right arms were the claws of crabs. Their heads eerily resembled human faces, their expressions frozen into these blank expressions while these long tube-like protrusions came out the tops, as well as down their backs. Their backsides had long Tails coming out, but they didn't look particularly useful so Nico didn't pay much attention to them.

'Biko… Are these…?'

'Yes, indeed Nico. These are Chaos Spawns, or rather, Bloodbeasts in the service of Khorne. A Chaos Spawn is a term used to describe a whole spectrum of mutated creatures warped into being by the corrupting influence of Chaos corruption. Once the first mutation takes hold, the creature that was once a man now faces the inevitable dissolution of his mind and will, becoming something less than yet more than mortal. The fate that awaits nearly all surviving mutants is to become a Chaos Spawn, a gibbering abomination existing only to serve the whims of its infernal masters. Some manage to stave off this doom for a time, committing great and terrible deeds to gather the Rewards and Gifts of Chaos. But, for most, the fate of becoming a Chaos Spawn lies at the end of their dark and horrible road. The fate of a Spawn is to die, either on the field of battle by axe or sword, torn apart in the wilds by even more savage creatures, or literally ripped asunder by the Chaos energy that continues to course through its twisted body.'

Nico grimaced under his breath as he held Absolution in a ready stance. That… definitely didn't sound pretty. As he looked upon these two 'Bloodbeasts', the male had to admit. Even for these Worshippers, a fate like this did not seem like something that they deserved. The thought of slowly being twisted into an abomination like this… yeah, nobody sane wanted to go out like that. Only the truly mad and twisted fuckers would find something like that appealing, and something told him that the followers were either being used like pawns or they didn't care either way. The first one came from the belief, or rather hope, that they would think twice or leave the religion once they figure out the true horrors that their religion causes. Although the notion that they would be too stuck up like most pricks were did make itself known. The second one came more from past experiences than anything, really.

'I see you've been making use of Absolution's powers. Though you missed the Avatar function, though it's nothing major.'

Avatar function? Nico didn't know why, but he got the feeling he'd like to try that power out. He had to admit, curiosity filled him about that new power, and if the DC powers were anything to go by, Nico had a feeling this power would only make Absolution more broken compared to his other Devil Arms. Seriously, this thing was just too fucking badass for him right now, but hey, it wasn't like he cared about that. As long as he could use it to help IF out when he found her, then all was well.

'Alrightie, then let's see this Avatar form this thing gives me…' Nico thought, holding Absolution to his eye level. As if responding to his wishes, Absolution suddenly jolted in his hands, its multiple yellow eyes bulging wide open. A bright yellow hue overtook them as DC quickly spilled out from both the blade and the Shaft.

The Male stumbled backwards in surprise but made little other sounds. Apparently, those Chaos Spawn, the Bloodbeasts, didn't have very good hearing as they barely reacted to his stumbling. Instead, they just idly remained at the doors, guarding the entrance to the Hellverse Dungeon.

That would have to change.

DC Covered Nico's form, but not changed him. No, it only encroached around him and linked with his senses, taking on a form all of its own. He could feel it bonding with him on a level deeper than any man would feel after fighting with a weapon for so many years. It was like two halves of a coin were slowly but surely becoming one, mixing and merging together into a form that had the best of both worlds. It was… an interesting experience. Thankfully, his earlier fears had been misplaced, too.

From the moment the ability activated, he had thought briefly that the Devil Arm was turning against him, that the Corruption would possess him or something to do things he would never have done otherwise. Turned out though, that was not the case at all, instead this Avatar ability seemed to be similar to those prototype Mechs he heard rumours about in Planeptune. Perhaps he could look into those and see what the situation was, if he had a chance.

After a moment, Nico finally felt like he could see again, though this time he could see through two eyes instead of one. He theorized that the ability deactivated his Armour or something similar, since it was a part of him it could get past the ID lock and disable the Armour that way. Though, he felt this unfamiliar weight on his back, one unlike that of his Devil Arms whenever they manifested there.

Looking down at himself, Nico almost fell over.

'Holy… shit! I look like a freaking Defiler!' he shrieked in his mind as he checked himself out. Apparently, the Avatar ability was something that modelled DC into a shape reminiscent of its former master. He could feel hard flesh encasing him like his Armour would, but it felt more… fleshy. It was like he was within another organic body slightly disgusting but also quite interesting. Inside he looked like his normal human self, but on the outside the DC had moulded him into an abyssal black version of the Defiler. Absolution thrummed with power in his large, clawed hand, having grown larger in size so it could be accommodated properly to this new form. Looking behind him, Nico finally found out what it was that caused the unfamiliar weight: 4 large wings, shaped like those of a bat. They were curled inwards, ready to be used, but damn, if he unfurled them then they'd probably be big enough for flight.

Though, Nico didn't want to do that just yet. Don't get him wrong, the prospect of flying without the use of DDD sounded quite amazing. More than one way to access a flight advantage would be a good thing, and he missed that ability more than he cared to admit. He would usually experience personality changes when he transformed, so he never really got to enjoy the pleasures of flight. On the other hand, however, Nico figured there would be a learning curve for this one. After all, flight with four wings would likely be quite different compared to two wings. Plus, they were structured differently, so they couldn't be handled the same way.

He didn't need those right now, though. All he needed was to destroy those Bloodbeasts.

Bending his new form's legs, Nico took off in a burst of speed, clearing the distance between him and the Bloodbeasts in several large steps. Raising Absolution, he carved right through one's head and sliced the other clean in half. He twisted around and thrusted Absolution forwards, firing some DC Tendrils that slashed apart the rest of their bodies till they were nothing but paste. Even then the remnants of the DC used by his Devil Arm devoured what remained. Apparently, the DC could devour things to energize itself, who knew?

Turning to the doors to the Manor, Nico didn't waste time debating on it. His new form seemed to be sustained through Absolution, so he wanted to see how long he could keep it up. With that in mind, Nico stomped past the doors and went inside.


"So... that was what you got back in Lastation?"

Two pairs of feet clicked against the cobblestone ground, no walls to be seen throughout their trek. Instead were these spiky fences, meant to keep those walking along the narrow pathways from falling into the crimson abyss down below.

IF glanced behind her at Stefan, the two of them walking down a corridor, one that seemed to be made for hell itself considering the fact it looked like a place for those who enjoy sadism and torture to go on vacation. She sometimes had to grimace at some of the tools they had seen throughout… wherever this place was. Every time she did, it reminded her of how Leanbox used to be before their CPU came and established a Nation out of it. Still though, she had been asked a question by the man, whom she noticed had been eyeing her arms with a mix of caution and curiosity. She honestly couldn't have hoped for a better reaction, it seemed this guy had a good head on his shoulders. instead of freaking out, he had decided to focus on locating their missing gear, explaining to her how he'd overheard one of the Worshippers telling their buddies about how they would be paying the 'Armoury' a visit. That would likely be where their gear was located, so that was where they'd be going.

After eyeing him for a moment, searching for any signs of hostility in his eyes (can't be too careful, you know) the brunette turned her head back to the direction they were walking. This place was like a maze, with turns and paths that lead to all sorts of places. She had been fortunate enough to learn that this guy had kept a 'map' of the places the Worshippers dragged him to for torture and interrogation, though she didn't like that aspect of it. Still, it gave them SOME form of navigation through this hellhole. "Yeah, you could say that." She replied, making to pocket her hands in her Trench Coat only to remember that she didn't have it. An irritated grunt escaped her because of this. They better not have touched her phones, or there would be hell to pay. "Not really time for the full story, but suffice it to say that I didn't exactly become this way by choice."

A nod of understanding came from Stefan his eyes glancing to various places down below them, wall-less rooms that contained various torture devices. Some were occupied by dead corpses, while others… others just had blood stains. "Yes… That I can see. I heard the reports, looked at the rumours and saw the news. Whole load of messed up shit was what that was." He remarked.

"You could say that again…"

The two of them lapsed into silence once more, their footsteps echoing through the area. They didn't know how or when, but nonetheless they made sure to be extra careful. Enemies could come out at any time to fuck them over big time. Though, when they did they better be ready, for neither of them intended to make it easy for them. They'd been the tormented for too long now, now it was their turn to be the tormentors.

While this silence prevailed, IF gave herself time to think, think about what was going on. She didn't get much information out of those asshole Worshippers who'd come to torture her every couple hours or so. They would usually blindfold her so that she didn't see anything till she was in one of their torture rooms for the next 3 hours. Though to her, it usually felt longer thanks to the things that they made her go through. She mentally winced as phantom pains flashed over her body, where her regeneration powers had t be strained to their utmost limit to repair. Apparently those assholes were overjoyed with her ability to regenerate from injuries, as they would choose her for their sick tortures more often than Stefan.

Thus, she had no idea on where they were or if help would come.

Though, in the back of her mind, IF knew. She just KNEW that Nico would have noticed that she was missing by this point and would be storming this place momentarily. That guy tried his best to be there for the girls in the party as much as possible, so there was little doubt in her mind that he hadn't begun something at this point.

That didn't mean she'd be sitting in that cell like some sorta frail princess waiting to be rescued by her handsome prince. Oh, hell to the no, IF was NOT that type of girl, she'd be out here kicking ass and taking names for all the shit they put her through. The gravest crime they committed wasn't all the torture and interrogations though, nor was it how they killed so many innocent people just for their sick ambitions. Though that was pretty high up on her list of things to punish them for.

No, they did the ONE thing that nobody, NOBODY, should ever have done:

They. Took. Her. Phones.

NOBODY took her phones without her permission, ever.

That alone just sealed their fates.

IF clenched her fists as she tried yet again to restrain her anger. It would be a waste to just use it for temper tantrums, oh she was going to be saving it, bottling it up until the perfect opportunity arose. Once that opportunity would inevitably come…

Heads would be rolling… along with blood splattering, bodyparts flying, and screams. You know, the usual.

Turning a corner, the duo saw that there was a room up at the opposite side of the walkway, blocked by a giant metal door. Not something IF couldn't handle, a single strike from her Tentacles would probably smash it down. Though, judging by the way that Stefan's eyes lit up at the sight of it, told IF all she needed to know. "This the place?" she questioned him. It wasn't exactly necessary, but she did want vocal confirmation first before she'd… well, she'd throw that door open and get her stuff back.

"Yep, that's the Armoury alright. I remember it from one of my torture ses-"

Before the captain of the Ostermark Order could finish his sentence, IF remained true to her word and practically blurred across the hallway towards the entrance. If he saw her eyes, which was impossible considering how fast she had been going, then he would have a seen a gleam reminiscent of a drug addict finally locating his fix after so long of going through a withdrawl.

Halfway across the hallway though, something appeared within a burst of crimson flames, barring IF's path. The brunette stumbled backwards, about to fall over when she jumped into a back flip, making as much distance between her and their new adversary as possible. Sliding to a halt, IF noticed that she was now beside Stefan who had retrieved a sword that had been hanging from a nearby wall, next to a suit of armour. Though, he seemed quite reluctant to do so, for some reason.

Nevertheless, IF's eyes shined with anger as she swiftly formed her blades. "Okay, just WHO the FUCKING hell is getting in between ME AND MY PHONES?!" IF screeched, raw fury roaring within her eyes while she ignored the incredulous look she received from her companion. His expression literally translated to 'really?' while he too readied his blade for whoever chose to interrupt them.

In seconds, a being emerged from within the flames, standing before them with a growl of its own. If the brunette wasn't so angry, she might have lost control over her jaw at the sight, while Stefan merely tried to keep his composure. The man's forehead was littered with beads of sweat, however, betraying the unease rising within his gut.

The being before them stood at over 10 feet tall, though it slouched so it looked shorter. Its upper body had the structure of a muscular humanoid, not hiding a bit of its raw power. On its arms were demonic-looking black forearm guards, with a waist guard matching its design. Its lower body looked reverse jointed for speed purposes, ending in 3 toed feet. The head though, had 6 horns protruding outwards, 2 being straight while the rest curved towards the front and the back. Eyes like bottomless black pits leered at them as its dark plum coloured tongue hung out a maw filled with sharp fangs.

"Tch, a Herald!"

Stefan yelled that out, getting IF's attention. "A Herald? What the heck's that?"

"A Herald of Khorne is an elite form of Bloodletter, a Lesser Daemon of Khorne. Remember, I told you about those back in the Cell, but anyways." Clearing his throat, Stefan continued. "Leading the cohorts of the daemonic Blood Legions are the Heralds of Khorne, leering visions of damnation brought to life. Whether marching at the head of the daemonic warriors they lead, or riding to war atop a Juggernaut, the daemons of Khorne fight all the harder in their presence. The Heralds of Khorne are the strongest and most brutal of the Bloodletters, chosen from the ranks of their brethren by the Blood God himself. It is said that upon selection they are set against other aspiring Heralds, forced to participate in a contest of champions to wean out the undeserving. The energies of those who fall are reclaimed by Khorne and given to those that remain. Thus, the victor becomes swollen with power, and their Hellblade, having leeched a measure of this new strength, becomes known henceforth as a Blade of Blood. Its wielder too is given a title, one that befits their achievements and preferred method of warfare. Each is a ferocious warrior and leads the Khornate daemon packs beneath them."

With what he told her, IF scowled as she beheld the Herald they were facing, which was currently readying its Hellblade. Its ominous crimson glow coupled with its deadly, intimidating appearance and how it licked the blade with its serpentine tongue, definitely grossed her out enough to curb some of her earlier anger. The brunette had to admit that something like this definitely wasn't something seen every day. She remembered how the man had told her about his experiences in this place, about every horror he had learned. The demonic forces of the Chaos Gods, the Chaos Gods themselves, the entire sub-religion for the Overlord Momus Cult.

With her remaining body, IF formed her Armour, feeling it slide out from beneath had skin to cover her form. Though it left her arms bare thanks to their mutated state. Part of her thought that she would have to think about changing the blade mutation in the future, but she dismissed it for the time being. "Well, its standing between us and our goal, so it has to go down. Cover me, while I-"

The Herald roared as it burst into a sprint, dashing madly towards them with speed that caught both people off guard. IF quickly rolled to the side while Stefan mirrored her actions, allowing them to barely avoid the Hellblade that would have sliced them in two. Rolling back to her feet, the brunette jumped towards her opponent, spinning into a reverse slash. However, the Herald shoulder bashed her before she could complete the swing, sending her tumbling across the ground.

By the time she rolled to a stop, IF's brain had been rendered disoriented, her vision swerving about like a 12PM Drunkard making his way home. She could hardly make out the rapidly moving form of the Herald as it raised its Hellblade to finish her off, violent energies coursing through it to form a sinister orange aura. As the blade descended down towards her head, intent on cleaving it in two, the brunette quickly made to shift her right blade into her Tentacles.

Though, it soon proved to be unnecessary because Stefan suddenly appeared before her with his sword raised and glowing with a pure white aura. The two weapons met, and the man's legs trembled as he almost broke under the pressure. Gritting his teeth, the man spoke to his companion in a strained tone, his arms trembling as he struggled to hold the blade back. "Hey, IF! Now would be a really good time for some assistance!" he bellowed.

His shout quickly roused her to action, and IF finished her earlier shift. Her Tentacles lashed out from both the left and the right, slamming into the Herald with the force of a freight train, sending it sliding across the walkway. It stopped itself by stabbing its Hellblade into the ground, but it had already been forced to make about 15 metres distance between them.

"Thanks for the assist." The brunette stated with gratitude, her Tentacles swiftly stabbing into the ground around her and pushing her up to her feet. Her remaining blade arm reverted to a human one, before becoming armoured and shifting into its claw form. With her new weapons at the ready, IF got into a combat stance, her eyes shining with power as she felt her inner BOW roar in glee, awaiting its next victim. The brunette gave a lopsided grin, while she would have liked to feast on some of those Overlord Cultists for her first meal since escaping that Cell, she'd settle for some Demon flesh…

Wow, she really was getting into this whole BOW thing, huh?

Glancing towards her, Stefan kept it up for a brief second before he returned his gaze to the approaching Herald. He held his blade in a ready stance, his eyes as hard as diamond as he studied his opponents movements. This was one of the creatures that he had fought with his men against back at Mojang Village, he was sure of it. He could remember its sick commands to tear his men to shreds, the blood of his fallen subordinates that dripped between its fingers, the screams his comrades yielded as their lives left their eyes… This was his chance, he vowed, his chance to get back at those assholes. He vowed to avenge his men, they would rest in piece as long as he had anything to say about it. "Don't mention it, it shall be an honor to fight alongside you." He told her, getting a small smile from beneath IF's half-mask.

"Same to you, geezer. Anyways, less chit-chat, the enemy's about to go crazy."

Just after she commented that, the Herald before them let out a bestial roar, dozens of smaller fiery balls erupting from the ground around it. they formed a semicircle around it, blocking their way to the Armoury. From those balls, came smaller versions of the Herald, versions that BOTH of them recognised as Bloodletters. Stefan stifled growls as he saw those dreaded creatures again. Memories of his soldiers being brutally slaughtered by their hands flashing into the forefront of his mind. Holding this blade felt horrible to him, for there was only one sword that fit him in his entire career as a Captain of the Ostermark Order. Hopefully, though, those Cultists would have set the blade into that Armoury, otherwise he would likely hunt the blade down till the ends of the earth. It was a family heirloom passed down to him by his father.

Before they could do anything, the Bloodletters charged.

IF reacted first. She quickly launched her Tentacles forwards and had them lash out in a bunch of whipping motions. Most of the Bloodletters managed to dodge the attack, but some were knocked backwards into a nearby wall. Some tried to jump onto her Tentacles for leverage, but she didn't let them, instead IF retracted them back to her side, before launching them again in a series of overhead stabbing motions. She either aimed for the heads, since they were the universal weak points of any being, or the legs to slow the enemy down.

"Stefan, I got the Bloodletters, you go after the Herald!"

"Got it!"

With a mighty war cry, Stefan charged towards the Herald, which roared in response. Its Hellblade blazed with demonic energies as it raced towards Stefan, the other Bloodletters refusing to attack him. IF assumed it was due to their boss's orders to leave the mortal to their master, while they focused on their other prize: Her. 'Well, lets see how well they fair against me!' she thought with a grin beneath her armour's Mask. She noticed a Bloodletter getting a bit too close for comfort towards her position, and her Tentacles were too busy holding off its buddies. Well, she assumed they were buddies, but really you couldn't tell with Demons. They could potentially turn on each other for all she knew.

Shifting her claw into her Axammer, IF raised the weapon and brought it down on the Bloodletter, which roared while swinging its demonic Hellblade. The two weapons collided, a loud CLANG sound echoing throughout the hallway. IF cringed, feeling a strong stinging sensation rush through her arm every second that their blades remained connected. It was NOT what she had expected when their blades met. It was so hot, like a thousand suns worth of hot... like the Hellblade was trying to burn her alive or something. She didn't doubt they were at first, but as the seconds past she began to get worried.

Quickly, she broke their deadlock and looked her Axammer over. The weapon's edge looked like it was steaming heavily, the section that met the Hellblade's own edge glowing a bright orange. A sign that it was so hot that it would be on the verge of melting had it been an ordinary weapon. She didn't have much time to comment on this though, for the Bloodletter was already on her once more.

IF cursed as she jumped to the side, avoiding an overhead slash which could have cut her in half. While she was using her Tentacles to keep the others off her, it limited her mobility options. She could only dodge from one side otherwise the Hellblade would likely sever her Tentacles. She growled in feral anger when she landed, feeling her inner BOW raging inside of her. It wanted to rip this asshole a new one, to bathe in its blood and assimilate its flesh.

Well, she wouldn't mind that in the least, if it could help even the odds.

The brunette focused, and saw the enemy coming towards her once more. It jumped into the air and brought its Hellblade down with a wild roar. IF snarled behind her Mask, swiftly shifting the edge of her Axammer and swinging JUST at the right time. She had to time it just right otherwise she might have suffered significant injury, and she didn't know if the Hellblade would slow her regeneration down. Well, she didn't have to worry because she managed to swing her Axammer's blunt sell right into the side of its head, sending the Bloodletter into the reach of her Tentacles.

Wasting no chances, IF swiftly had one Tentacle break off from the rest and lunge towards the downed enemy, intending to end the creature right then and there. The Bloodletter managed to sit up though, and it noticed the limb heading towards it. It gave a loud roar, shaking the air around it as it swung its Hellblade towards the Tentacle. It was clear what it intended to do, and if this were any other situation things would have went in its favour.

However, it wasn't, and IF exposed this opportunity by manipulating her Tentacle and having it wrap around the creature's wrist instead. She grinned as she lifted the creature up as it shrieked and howled, clawing at her appendage which she used to smack it 12 times into the ground. A strange sense of De Ja Vu hit her, as she remembered Nico in his out-of-control DPU form doing this to Neptune back in Lastation. 'Heh, who knew i'd be mimicking you, huh dude?' she remarked in her mind, before tossing the Bloodletter away.

She had to hand it to the Demon though, the Bloodletter was pretty damn resilient to damage since it practically stabbed its Hellblade into the ground to slow its movement, and then slam its feet into the ground to finally halt it. It had a broken arm that was bent in an unnatural angle, its legs had pieces of stone stabbed through them that leaked blood (black blood she noticed), and there were numerous other injuries on its body. The wounds it suffered looked pretty bad, with blood trailing down the side of its head, but it didn't seem to notice or care. Instead, it focused its beady black eyes on her, and IF was SURE that they were brimming with rage at that moment.

Did these things even feel pain? IF wondered that...

For about 10 seconds, before the Demonic entity charged at her again.

This time, IF decided to go at this another way. There was a function on her Armour that she wanted to test out, one she instinctively became aware of the moment she first activated the mutation. She just never had the chance to test it. Now would probably be a decent time, but it also presented just as decent a risk to her health. Luckily for her, those humans she Assimilated had a ton of Biomass for her, thus she had practically filled her reserves back to full with just a few snacks. So, she commenced her plan while mentally hoping for the best.

Retracting her Tentacles, IF glanced at the Bloodletters, and saw that some had minor injuries like cuts and bruises over the more vital areas of their bodies, spewing blood like waterfalls, while others looked to have lost limbs or pieces of their heads. None of them looked too fussed over their injuries though, in fact they looked like they didn't even noticed just like their buddy here. 'They may be unable to feel pain after all, then. But, that doesn't mean they can't be hurt.' IF thought as she shifted her arms once more.

This time, she shifted her arms into her blades as she got into a familiar combat stance. It reminded her of the years she spent honing this style of fighting with her father, before she joined the Guild and, years later, met Compa, Neptune and the others. But this time, this time things would be different, and she could almost drool in anticipation for the upcoming slaughter. Her BOW Instincts screeched in joy while the C Gene prepped itself to work in overdrive.

"Alright, Armour... Eat up."

Instantly after IF muttered those words while the enemy roared and charged at her, the Armour seemingly came to life. The fractions it was made up of began to shine a bright red, with long black Tendrils swirling around her neck while her whole body erupted in a crimson aura, not unlike that of the DPU she travelled with. Her eyes shone a bright red, only intensified by the shadows generated by her bangs when she slightly lowered her head. Power flowed through her body like it was on overdrive, filling up every cell in her body like a drug... which in a way, it was. Cause it was meant to conceal the negative side-effect of this mutation.

Bending her legs, IF prepared to move forwards, her upper body hunched over and her glowing red eyes narrowing at her approaching adversaries. She looked like she was choosing which one to target first... when really all of them would be her buffet tonight. They just didn't notice yet, not that they would, or that she would let them. They thought they were on top of the food chain around here... well then, lets give them a wakeup call, shall we?

Raising an armoured foot, IF then took a step forward... and promptly became a blur.

The Bloodletters almost didn't know what hit them, as the moment the woman moved she became barely visible to them. The side ranks managed to move out of the way in time, but those in the centre ranks? Well, when she appeared behind them, her blades were stained with black blood. The blood of Demons. In the next second, every Bloodletter in the centre ranks got slash marks over their bodies... and promptly fell to the ground... in pieces.

Not wasting any time, IF twisted around and charged forth, leaving foot-shaped craters behind her as she hopped into a spinning slash, slicing through one Bloodletter's entire torso. She landed in the middle of the right flank, twisting around to deflect an incoming Hellblade before it could have a chance to burn through her blades. IF then stabbed one Blade through its head before the other sliced off the arm it tried to use to grab her. She sensed several others try to slash her back while she was distracted, so she jumped into the air and flipped backwards, raising her right leg and smashed it into one of their heads. She then kicked it into another while flipping into an overhead kick that reduced the third one's head to mush.

Furious at the deaths of their comrades, the left flank quickly raced towards their brethren to provide both reinforcement and support. However, they would soon end up realising their grave error... if they were human that is, as IF swiftly slashed away at her opponents. Unlike her weapons, her Armour in this state managed to repel their Hellblades, preventing them from even touching her skin long enough to burn her. This proved itself when a Hellblade came down on her right shoulder, but it bounced off the metallic armour there instead of cutting through.

During the slaughter, screams from the Demons and frenzied shrieks from IF, the brunette commenced Assimilating her Prey. Each time her blades pierced their flesh she would see them catch fire before being drawn into her, fuelling her powers all the more as she continued to devour. She could feel the C Gene working overdrive in adapting to these new Cells, applying their stronger traits to her own cells and killing off the weaker ones. It took hr no less than 5 minutes to deal with the rest of them, limiting herself to her blades in order to make the fight last a little longer. The Bloodletters did put up a decent fight though, she was willing to admit that, it was just that she was looking to end the fight both quickly and in a way that satisfied her desire to experiment with this mutation.

In her eyes, these creatures became nothing but food for her.


Once the last Bloodletter fell, IF Assimilated it for its Biomass, moaning. Turned out that, to her body, everything whether it be a monster, demon, or whatever, was just potential Biomass. The energies that the Demons were made from seemingly got converted into Biomass for her to use... as well as a new mutation she could feel forming within her gut. It wasn't ready yet though, so she couldn't find out what that was just yet. Whatever it was though, it felt POWERFUL, so she couldn't wait for when it finally got itself complete.

Her armour deactivated its special ability. She had yet to find a name for it, but it definitely had its uses. From what she could tell, the Armour stored up Biomass within itself, separate from her main reserves. When she called on the ability, it would inject her body with this Biomass and have it enhance her physical abilities beyond what they originally were, like it was FEEDING her Biomass. It was like her human body gained the movements and lost the limitations of the human shell, and gained those of the BOW instead.

However, IF had discovered a catch.

The woman looked down at her body as her Armour receded inside of her. The moment it did, she could see what her body was like, and if she were human she would have grimaced. He body literally was covered in small bite marks as well as large holes in her flesh. Her shoulders were barely there, same with her knees and hips. She could feel blood trailing down the side of her head, almost going into her eye. Fortunately, her power's already began repairing the damage, Tendrils knitting her flesh back together while fresh Biomass was sent to the chunks taken out of her...

By her very own mutation.

This was the catch, her Armour was literally cannibalising her own body to fuel its power. This didn't happen right away as it had its own Biomass stored up inside to feed on, an idea she had thought up when she was training her powers by herself. However, the rate it drained that Biomass was faster than when Neptune at er hungriest saw a pile of Pudding waiting for her, which caused concern for her. Once it had no more Biomass to feed off of, it would then turn to the only other source available to satisfy its hunger: IF's body.

Her body was LITRERALLY made from Biomass after all, so it had a lot to gouge on while still boosting her physical abilities. The boost would actually be enough to keep her from feeling the side effects of her Armour's ability during battle, but once the ability deactivated...

Luckily, IF still had power for regeneration, which quickly went to work on repairing her body. She'd have to make sure to figure out a way to stem the amount of Biomass this ability consumed in the future, but for now she would stick with what she had. It was good on her part to assimilate those Bloodletters, it would offset some of the drainage on her reserves.

Now, all that was left was the Herald of Khorne.

Loud grunts drew her attention. Turning to the Herald, IF saw how Stefan looked like he was fighting a losing battle against the Herald, which struck constantly and viciously with its Hellblade in ways that were superior to that of its minions. Stefan barely hung in there, his sword held in a defensive stance. How it hadn't broken yet she didn't know, but IF did sense something off about Stefan's weapon. Something was reinforcing it, something strong, but what that was she didn't know. All she did know was that it was powerful and keeping the weapon from shattering against the weight the Hellblade imposed on it.

Finally though, Stefan got himself caught by surprise by an upward swing, sending the sword flying into the air and off to the side away from him, rendered useless upon impact. The Herald roared with mocking laughter as it backhanded the man, sending him flying across the walkway. His form landed on the ground with a loud crashing sound, making him grunt on impact. The Herald stomped its way towards him, its feet creating craters on the ground that steamed thickly as it made to raise its weapon to finish him off, while the Ostermark Captain struggled to his feet.

Not her watch, it won't.

With a war cry, IF burst forth with her Armour reforming. She shifted her arms into claws again, and with a burst of speed she quickly closed the distance between them. She hopped into the air and spin kicked the Hellblade away from her companion, to the surprise of both as she landed before Stefan and kicked the Herald away. The extra Biomass from the Bloodletters helped a lot there, and because of that she could feel her body overflowing with energy right now.

"Hey, you alright?" the brunette questioned, glancing back at the man behind her. She wouldn't let him die, he was one of her only talking partners in this hellhole. Plus, he seemed like an honorable person, so she wanted to preserve that. There weren't that many guys like that around anymore, that's for certain. "Sorry I couldn't come sooner, was too busy kicking some Demonic ass." she said, her lips turning upwards slightly behind her Mask. Amusement danced in her eyes, to which the man nodded.

A chuckle left his lips as he too stood up. "Yeah, i'm fine. Could be worse, I could be dead by now, if you hadn't aided me." He responded, rubbing one of his shoulders as he rolled it experimentally. He sighed in relief when he felt little pain when moving it, at least the shoulder wasn't dislocated. Fighting with such a debilitating injury was always a bad idea. The man looked towards the doorway that the Herald had been blocking them from accessing, his eyes shining with desire. He then got an idea, turning back to the Brunette and opening his mouth. "Could you do me a couple favors, blow the door open and distract him for me? If this really is what I think it is, then i'll be of much greater help to you after this battle's over."

IF raised a brow at his question, humming in thought while the Herald roared at her, already beginning to charge towards her. Its Hellblade came down on her fast, but she shifted her right arm into her Tentacles and had them distract it for her. She didn't think that he'd be of much help considering he was only human. She didn't know what he was looking for, maybe some sort of weapon, but whatever it was she doubted it would have much of an impact against a Demon like the Herald. Even now, her senses told her that this thing was beyond what normal Mortals could defeat, and that this guy had a death wish. However, if he wanted to prove himself useful then he could go right ahead. She did admit to wanting to see what got him so hyped up in the first place, after all. "Alright, i'll keep it off your back." she relented, getting a beaming grin from the man as one of her Tentacles broke off from the battle and lunged towards the door. It stabbed into it, and with a mighty tug, ripped the door out of its place before tossing it aside with disinterest. "Better hurry though,or else I might just steal the kill from you."

"#chuckle# can't have that, now can we?"

With that, Stefan went inside the room while IF turned to face her enemy. The Herald instantly vanished in a blur of speed, but she already knew where it was headed. 'Oh no, you don't!' she shouted in her mind, stabbing all 6 Tentacles into the space in front of the entrance. The Herald slid to a halt when it saw this, swinging its Hellblade to try and sever the Tentacles, but before the blade could land the brunette was already on it, launching a flying kick towards its face. The attack hit, sending it tumbling across the walkway. "Sorry buddy, but your fight's with me, now!"


Chapter end!

Whelp. Here you guys go, some exposition showing how OP IF is becoming. Mean cliff-hanger, I know, but I feel that this would be a good place to leave off for now. Like I said in the beginning, I plan on OPing as many people as possible to keep the balance. IF's BOW powers can open the way to being super OP in the future that she could possibly give Nico a run for his money.

Hyperdimension IS a Gaming franchise after all, and that's not a fact I see many Authors using to this extent, which is kinda saddening to be honest.

Anyways, Like I said before, i'll be posting IF's Bio again in the future, since its hinted that her powers will be evolving soon. If anyone can guess what that might be, then lemme know in the reviews or PM's.

For now, peace out!