Chapter 107 - A Demon Falls
SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG!
This was quite possibly one of the most exhilarating fights he had had a long time, Crimson Soul decided.
The reason?
Simple, he was currently clashing blades with the Knight of Darkness, Logan, though with his personality Crimson Soul had a hard time calling him a Knight and not calling him some damn warmonger.
SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, CLANG!
This new form seemed so much more interesting to study than the previous one, Crimson Soul felt while they fought, their swords nothing but blurs while they looked like party dancers with how they moved all over the place. Not only did Logan not lose any of the power his other form had, but he seemed much more nimble and athletic in this form, as he sometimes would end up sausage spinning into rapid slashes that he could barely block with Soul Edge. The blade's offensive power may be on an abyssal level, but defensively it fell a little short. Not to say that it didn't, but it felt clear to him that this blade specialized primarily in offense.
Maybe he could find some way to change that in the future.
Regardless, this form Logan took felt so much more nimble and agile than his previous one. He found himself having great difficulty hitting this guy with some of his attacks, and whenever he did strike back Crimson Soul had to keep on his guard since he struck so fast that Shapeshifting Soul Edge into any other form would be impossible. It relieved him though that he could still weave in a few BLUTSUCKER Skill Attacks in with his strikes, they were his main source of damage at this point.
Hellfire was useless since Logan would dodge each attack, and he'd rather not use anything large scale like FIRE SCORCHER with this Death Parade limiting the space they could fight in. Plus, he didn't know much about this new method of duelling, so he didn't want to chance things unless he had to. Warping helped his situation as well, though, since he could use it to get some distance or even close the distance between them, keeping Logan on his toes.
As for Logan's attack strategies, he seemed to forgo the idea of ranged Hellfire attacks and instead just focused on pure swordsmanship. He wielded those dual fiery Scimitars with INSANE Skill. He used techniques that he didn't know even existed, which forced the DPU to keep an eye on those Swords while dishing out strikes of his own.
Though, it seemed that wasn't all there was to this form. While he focused on swordsmanship, it also seemed that he maximized the ability to Warp in this situation, something that Crimson Soul found himself fucking ABUSING just as much as they would Warp the fuck about the battleground, exchange a strike then Warp again. Sone cases Logan would fall to one of Crimson Soul's strikes, and other times it was the opposite.
Neither of them had any time to see if they were being watched, only focusing on each other while their minds only had one thought that entire exchange: kill. This truly did feel like a life or death struggle for survival, of two power house warriors meeting in a deadly battle to prove who was superior. No movement was wasted, everything had a purpose. One had to be innovative if they wanted to surprise and catch their opponent off guard. Both of them did that in spades, maybe too much since now it felt like they were too guarded to try anything funny.
So, in the end, these two felt like they both were in a stalemate.
Nevertheless, as the two broke off once again, holding their swords in various stances, the DPU had to admit to himself that e enjoyed this fight immensely, despite the risks involved. This fight, this thrill, his heart thumped wildly in his chest like it was a criminal trying to break free from prison. His blood boiled like Hellfire, his body trembled with each blow in a way that just felt so fucking good that he just had to have more. it was almost like he was addicted to a good brawl like one would be to something like heroine.
Still, even in the heat of battle, some thoughts about what the hell was going on persisted, like toddlers constantly nagging their parents for sweets even though it was bad for their teeth. Questions like 'What is a Demonic Ascension Ceremony?', 'How the hell did he get it' 'did he have anything else interesting to know?' and 'does this guy know anything about Maghda's next move?' constantly flew about in a small, undisturbed yet highly annoying section of his mind.
He had so many questions that he wanted to ask this guy when this was over, and if what he was sensing about this Duel, this so called 'Death Parade' was true then he may just get those answers he sought…
Just had to defeat this guy first.
With that in mind, one Warp later and Crimson Soul was right behind Logan, swinging Soul Edge in a reverse horizontal motion towards his helmet. The demonic warrior ducked under the blade, letting the air and power it had built up wash over him harmlessly before he shot forth with a kick towards the DPU's shin. Crimson Soul jumped back to avoid it, before spinning into another reverse slash to the man's back.
Logan crossed both Scimitars in front of him after twisting about, catching the larger blade. He then unleashed one of his techniques, one that Crimson Soul had dubbed 'Specular Cross' the moment they had caught Soul Edge, deflecting the blade away from him and then going for a downward strike against Crimson Soul directly. The DPU however, managed to form a barrier from Hellfire just above the spot on his body that would have taken the hit, blocking the trike just seconds before impact though it did send him skidding backwards.
Once he halted himself, Crimson Soul looked up to see his opponent already on him with a cross slash in a mid-range forward dash. The DPU chose to block with his wings instead this time, reforming them into a wall in front of him that exploded upon the blades meeting it, sending Logan backwards.
Pumping Soul Edge with Hellfire, Crimson Soul swung a full circle that ended in Logan's direction. The result: A Logan sized wheel made from pure Hellfire that raced towards his opponent with the speed of an Olympic athlete. It was only a technique he had developed this battle, so the speed could have used some work. His other attacks travelled much faster than this one, so it explained why he didn't show much surprise when he saw Logan run towards it and then side roll out of the way.
Warping close, Logan unleashed a sword technique called End Revolver: a full-circle spin slash with quite the range to it, range that got further enhanced by the Hellfire-made blades. Crimson Soul managed to block it however, bringing Soul Edge down into an overhead smash that Logan dodged by Warping away. The blade crashed into the ground, forcing the ground around him to lift upward from its physical strength… as well as unleash a shockwave that blew everything away from him.
Logan appeared once more and generated a Hellfire barrier to block these pieces. By the time his cape stopped flapping to indicate the barrage had passed, Logan looked to see Crimson Soul having launched a barrage of fireballs at him, forcing Logan to Warp out of the way. When he reappeared, the DPU had already Warped to that position, and was bringing Soul Edge down on his ass.
One quick SPECULAR CROSS changed that though.
"What, you didn't THINK I was NOT going to USE that?!" Logan mocked, cackling insanely while jumping into a furious onslaught of spinning slashes. Crimson Soul did what he could to parry them, until he released a wave of demonic energy to blow Logan back. The transformed teen furrowed his brows as he saw Logan Warp right back, the male blocking his left Scimitar then sidestepping his right one. He threw a slash towards his stomach, but the man dodged that one by stepping back.
Not one to waste momentum, Crimson Soul used his last strike to twirl around, morphing his wings into swords to try and stab the guy for him to bend backwards to avoid them, before he came down with another overhead swing. However, Logan Warped out the way to appear beside him, carving an X shaped gash along his side while dashing past him.
'Th-This is!' Crimson Soul thought, feeling the fiery pain explode from his side where the Scimitars had sliced through. His Armour seemed to have given way there, exposing the under suit beneath it. That must have been what Logan had targeted with that last attack, he thought, before raising Soul Edge and becoming deadlocked with Logan's Scimitars which had tried to Scissor Slash him again.
Not going to fall for that trick again, the male thought as he quickly unleashed a BLUTSUCKER on the guy's ass. While he couldn't see if the guy had anything beneath his Armour, the transformed male had no doubt that BLUTSUCKER wasn't effective, if the shuddering the guy did was any implication. He had to make this fast before the guy could Warp again, and what best way to make the most of this closeness than getting even closer?
Sliding forth, Crimson Soul got right through Logan's defences, surprising him and catching him off guard. That would cost him, for Crimson Soul shoulder tackled him down to the ground, the spikes in his pauldrons helping out there. The DPU then summoned large all of Hellfire to throw the other Demon's way. The Hellfire hit, causing a large pillar to erupt that sent Logan flying.
Not allowing that to be the last of it, Crimson Soul morphed his right wing into a long arm/Tentacle-like appendage. He then let it lunge forth at high speeds, grabbing onto the Demon's left leg Armour, before proceeding to lift him higher into the air and slamming him into the ground repeatedly with the force of a sledgehammer being swung with maximum strength. Part of his mind conjured the image of himself doing the same to Neptune that one time in West Wind Valley, but he pushed through it. If he were in human form, this would have been a different story, but like he theorized before in this form his mental resistance was much greater. His hallucinations wouldn't be bothering him while he was in this state.
After the 30th time, Crimson Soul threw the Demon away from him and let the appendage morph, along with the other wing, into a pair of large hands. These hands slammed into the ground and pushed forwards, propelling him in the Demons direction as he spun into a spinning swipe with one. Logan barely managed to recover in time, flipping to the right position as he landed on the ground. He then looked up and raised both Scimitars for a SPECULAR CROSS to block the claw coming to his face…
Only for it to be a feint for Crimson Soul to halt mid-flight and fling Soul Edge like a wheel at him.
Again, Logan's eyes briefly grew larger to indicate his surprise, but this time he managed to catch himself and block the attack from hitting him. He crossed his Scimitars in front of him, instead of using his counter technique since the wielder wasn't there to strike, he was too far away for it to be effective. Soul Edge's form collided with his Scimitars, constantly grinding against them while it spun, and Logan gritted his teeth at the force behind the blade. He had figured out that it had great physical strength, the various craters and cracks on the ground was a testimony to this. However, even after clashing with this blade so many times Logan still found himself baffled at its power.
If only he had such a blade…
Maybe then people would respect him more!
Maybe he could get what he wanted again!
His thoughts got halted when Logan saw the blade suddenly spin backwards, moving diagonally upwards before angling its tip towards him and going in for a stab. He quickly Warped out the way, reappearing beside Crimson Soul with a slash aimed towards his head. However, Soul Edge appeared in a flash of Hellfire in front of him, blocking the slash while swinging itself, knocking him back.
'That's right…' the transformed teen thought to himself, grasping his sword's hilt and brandishing the demonic blade towards his enemy, eyes shining with battle maniac type joy. The blade thrummed with power, PREDATOR miasma coursing over its form in a truly thick, wicked manner. It almost felt like he was holding a hellish dungeon filled with screaming, groaning and moaning prisoners. All of them frozen in a state of agony throughout all time. 'Soul Edge has telekinesis, combined with its sentience it can act as a separate entity to attack my enemies.'
'Perhaps you could combine this idea with some Hellfire…'
Upon hearing Biko's words, Crimson Souls' eyes gained a curious glint to them amidst the bloodlust, not that Logan saw as he raised his Scimitars to slash like an X, drawing on some Hellfire powers to send a pair of Hellfire waves in the shape of how he slashed towards him. Crimson Soul however, swung the mighty blade once, and smashed right through the attack. The monstrous blade easily passed through the flames, using raw power to brutally smash the attack into mere embers.
Logan's facial expressions couldn't be seen, but Crimson Soul got the feeling that he didn't like that stunt as evident by the barrage of slashes, fireballs, and other Hellfire based attacks that Logan sent his way. Crimson Soul gripped the hilt of his Devil Arm, feeling its white-hot bloodlust coursing through his veins while he made his weapon swing like a blur of motion, entering a deadly 'dance' while slicing through each attack sent his way. Even as dozens of strikes rained down upon him, Crimson Soul never let any of them hit him.
After the last attack, the DPU quickly swung upwards, releasing a rising pillar of Hellfire that halted Logan's attempt at a quick dash his direction. However, instead of simply losing all motion, he instead used it to flip to the side and swing sideways, unleashing a Hellfire slash at close range.
Unlike before, the DPU had only barely blocked it in time with a Wing, before morphing both into claws that he slammed into Logan's blade before whipping at him with his Tail. Crimson Soul then decided to try out Biko's recommendation. While Logan got temporarily dazed, his Tail strike having hit him in the head, the DPY engulfed Soul Edge in Hellfire, before telling it via their link to use that Hellfire through Telekinesis. He wanted to see if this would work.
He only had a few seconds thanks to that strike, better make this count.
In the moment that Soul Edge left his hands, it seemingly understood his intent as the Hellfire around it began to morph, the flames spreading out from the hilt while forming a fiery appendage, almost like an arm but not quite. The flames constantly shifted and morphed, spreading further and further while under Soul Edge's influence. Crimson Soul then sensed danger heading his way, and quickly raised a gauntlet covered arm to catch the Hellfire Scimitar of a pissed off Logan.
Wrapping his Tail around the limb like a serpent coiling around a startled mouse, Crimson Soul quickly unleashed a constant stream of Hellfire from his free hand right into Logan's face. The Demon cried out in pain, the flames licking away at his Armour as they tried to get into his insides. It was a good thing this Armour he had wasn't ordinary, otherwise it would have caved in under the heat a second into the burning.
To break out of this, he channelled as much power as he could into his lungs and let out a loud scream. The scream created a huge ass shockwave, one that sent Crimson Soul flying away from him and setting Logan free in the process, allowing his body to destroy the Hellfire remnants on his form, repairing his Demonic body in the process.
Not something the DPU anticipated.
'That shockwave…so, he can generate that much power just by screaming, huh?' the male thought while landing on a fiery platform just inches above the ground, sliding on al fours to a halt. He then morphed the Hellfire claws into wings again, allowing him to dash right back in to launch a vicious snap kick to the other Demon's face. Logan blocked it however, grabbing onto Crimson Soul's leg.
Just before he could retaliate, the DPU whipped him again with his Tail, striking his face first then tripping him up by cupping his Tail and pulling it from behind his legs. The Demon yelped in surprise when he fell onto his back, allowing Crimson Soul to perform a forward flip and move into a reverse heel right into the Demon's face. Said Demon quickly rolled out of the way however, Crimson Soul's metallic boot's heel slamming into the ground with enough force to cause a crater to form.
The DPU refused to stop there as the two jumped at each other, foregoing swordsmanship in favour of pure martial arts. Crimson Soul used the combat style his human form had, the variation fist, to launch fast, blade-like strikes to Logan's vitals while the other demonic being quickly retaliated. His style seemed more on the lines of countering his opponents then using that opening to quickly strike at any weakened defences. When Crimson Soul struck with an elbow strike, Logan did the same to counter it, the two locking their limbs together in a heated clash.
Glancing downwards, the DPU quickly capitalised on his opportunity, and stomped on Logan's right kneecap, shattering it and getting a loud cry from the Demon. He then twisted on his right leg, using his left for a roundhouse kick to the side of Logan's head. His attack hit, and had Logan not used his demonic power to numb the pain while his kneecap regenerated, he would have lost his head as he ducked under the blow and grabbed onto the Tail that made to spear through him.
He then twirled around on his sole good leg, surprising the DPU as he flung his opponent over his head and onto the ground behind him, a loud BOOM echoing from the impact while the ground around them was forced upwards like a circle of spikes. Crimson Soul gasped in surprise rather than pain, before he grabbed onto one of the limbs with his gauntlet clad hands and wrapped his legs around the limb further, twisting his waist and hips to slam Logan into the ground with him.
Another BOOM occurred.
Logan cried out when he felt some of the earth slam into his Helmet, since Crimson Soul had aimed for the spikes that had jutted out from his previous slamming attack, but the DPU wouldn't be finished there as the male pulled with all his might, planting both feet into his sides and with one mighty tug… tore the Demon's Armoured arm clean off his body.
"ARGH! DAMN YOU!" Logan screamed, stumbling backwards while getting to his feet. His free arm clutched the profusely bleeding socket after forming a wave of Hellfire to eep Crimson Soul from coming at him again. While his Kneecap had finished mending itself at this point, his arm socket's screams of agony filled his senses that his kneecap didn't matter. It helped tat his arm already began to sizzle, a sign that demonic power was rushing to regenerate the limb. He felt so angry that he simply yelled out in that louder voice, no signs of differently toned voices in his words like the usual Demons.
The DPU made to continue his assault, since his prey was getting vulnerable now, when he felt something in his link with Soul Edge. This had caused him to stop moving towards his reeling opponent for a moment to take the feeling in. It felt like those 'PING' sounds microwaves make when finishing their heating of whatever foods were put into them, strangely enough. For a moment, he didn't know what that was, but then he remembered the task he set for it and then looked to where he'd thrown the Devil Arm.
He wasn't disappointed.
Standing with Soul Edge equipped, was a Hellfire-made monstrous knight clad in gold-detailed crimson Armour and a tattered black cape, its right arm mutated into a grotesque three-fingered claw. It's face and much of its body are obscured by its Armour and helmet, the latter of which had two sets of fins on its back and a horn protruding from the front. There were two black void-like sockets where its eyes would be, within them being crimson fiery irises that lacked pupils. This Knight also, interestingly enough, had the same wings his Demon Persona had protruding from his back.
Huh…
The more one knew, eh?
'Looks like the idea was a success, Biko…' Crimson Soul thought to his Demon Persona, glancing to Logan to see his arm halfway complete in its regeneration. Even as it healed, he could sense the drain on his energy. It wasn't a small drain either, which sort of surprised him. He guessed that the difference between their reserves was just that great, although now that he thought about it Logan had been using more Physical attacks than energy ones their fight. Still, this meant that this fight would be over soon. That he would win this Death Parade.
He had to admit, this Death Parade thing felt quite exciting, almost borderline orgasmic, although he wished to know more about it. Fighting within one felt much more thrilling than a regular battle. It made him feel like tittering on the edge of life and death, and you know what they say, the closer the one is to death, the more they feel alive. Perhaps he could add that to the list of questions he would be asking this guy when this battle was over. CRIMSON Soul knew he wasn't the only one to feel this either, for he could feel the elation his Devil Arms felt at the rush of pure thrill this type of combat brought him.
Looking towards the fiery Avatar that Soul Edge had formed, Crimson Soul found that only one name fit the bill for this new form: Inferno. Hell, even as he thought that name he got a sense of prideful glee from his Sword, which he suspected acted like the main control centre for the body, mimicking the motions of a monstrous warrior that it was projecting with the solidified yet flaming Hellfire.
With the name decided, Inferno pointed Soul Edge, which was held in its massive claw, at the stunned Logan whose Arm had fully regenerated, and roared. Ts roar shook the entire battlefield as it stomped towards its prey, jumping into an overhead slam. Logan's fiery eyes briefly showed fear as he quickly rolled out of the way, not wanting to let such a beast hit him with a weapon like that sword. It may as well have been for naught, for Inferno had seemingly full control over the blade's power (to Logan's visual knowledge at least) as te shockwave that erupted from the collision Soul Edge had with the ground got directed solely in his direction.
Inferno didn't let up either, spreading its wings to leap forth and start swinging wildly and savagely to try and cut Logan into pieces. "BLOOD! DAAAAARKNESS! LET YOURSELF DROWN IN BOTH!" The demonic fiery Knight bellowed during its swings. The way it swing the sword in one hand felt like a primitive caveman to Crimson Soul, the way it swung left so many openings that could have been exploited… if it were human and had a purely physical body. However, when Logan tried to slash some of te areas those openings left, it seemed like his blades only passed through them without hitting anything. Almost like the construct wasn't even there.
'It makes sense, Soul Edge forged that body from Hellfire. It can attack enemies on its own now, without using telekinesis, yet this body is only a husk that it controls. That means that even if the body is physical, attacking it will do no good. It makes for an ideal deception on the battlefield, and by the time the enemy has figured that out they will already have been met their ends by Inferno's blade.'
Biko's explanation made the DPU hum in acknowledgement, his eyes carrying a thoughtful gleam as he analysed the infernal Avatar's movements. The way it roared like a bloodthirsty animal brought him out of his musings however, as Crimson Soul hurriedly joined in on the action by spreading his wings and taking off.
His entry into the battle became known to the other two parties simply in the form of his spinning like a drill and aiming a kick right into the side of Logan's face. Right when the guy had just Warped away from a rising upward spinning slash from Inferno, too. This attack sent the Demon sliding along the ground, allowing both Crimson Soul and Inferno, who just glanced at each other and immediately established their relationship as comrades, to dive at him for a well overdue beatdown.
Barely rolling to his feet in time, Logan raised both Scimitars, which he had to reform a few times in this battle, to block both Inferno's Soul Edge and Crimson Soul's right wing, which had moulded itself into a blade he could use. The three rapidly exchanged blows, each one lasting a millisecond before the next one, such as how fast these three went. With the intensity in the air, the way the three fought with Logan on the defensive and both opponents going for broke, it would be clear to any onlookers that this would be the final stretch of this battle at long last.
Blocking one strike, Logan sidestepped a swing from Inferno before swinging both Scimitars at each of them, Crimson Soul forming a barrier from his Hellfire powers, while Inferno switched the hand he gripped Soul Edge with to use the monstrous arm to grab onto the other Scimitar. Crimson Soul and the Hellfire Avatar quickly locked the Demon in place, before they unleashed two separate straight kicks into his abdomen, knocking the wind out of the Demon while making him bend over. If he could, he would have coughed up Saliva from those combined hits.
Crimson Soul reached forth and grabbed him by the head, throwing him about 10 feet off the ground before hopping into a scissor kick, an attack followed up by a fierce jab from Inferno's monster arm. It sent Logan rolling across the ground, only to be stopped before he could recover by a fiery arm, curtesy of one of Crimson Soul's wings, that proceeded to set him alight with Hellfire while dragging him across the ground.
Logan's screams could probably be heard all the way to Leanbox.
Mustering the energy after a moment of breaking through the pain, and thus Warping out of the Arm's grasp, Logan fell to one knee after reappearing further away from his opponents, one hand on the ground while his form mimicked that of someone who looked absolutely exhausted. If he were still in his human form, he probably would look like that. Nevertheless, none of this limited the sheer anger and frustration building within his chest right now. His fists clenched over the ground, digging up trails through the volcanic earth though he felt none of it. His eyes lit up with the rage coursing through him, almost reaching up to the skies if they were big enough.
How dare he…
How dare this brat, this mortal, be winning against him in a duel!
The brat obviously had experience with his powers, that's for sure. The way he moved and the way he used his powers indicated as such, however Logan himself had his powers for much longer. He had the multiple forms, more than what this brat did. He had more experience in using said powers, he had almost 2 decades worth He was older! Stronger! Better! So why the hell was he fucking losing to this brat?! He even went to the trouble of transforming into his second form, something that fewer people knew about than those who knew of his other, larger Demon form! And that number was in the freaking single fucking digits!
He'd gone up against the brat with every certainty that he would win, he had the advantages on his side, he had more power than the kid, he had more control, more experience, more fucking EVERYTHING! He had almost killed the brat multiple times in their duel, both in this form, and the others, yet he could not land the finishing blow no matter what as it seemed like the brat always had a means of escape under his Sleeves! This wasn't like those cliché anime tropes where the power of fucking friendship prevails over all or some bullshit plot armour, either! There had to be a fucking reason, this was the REAL WORLD for goddamn crying out loud!
So why?! WHY WAS THAT BRAT BEATING HIM?!
"I assume you will be wanting to know why I've just won, aren't you?"
"?!"
Looking up, Logan's fiery eyes enlarged like the widening of human eyes when he saw Crimson Soul hovering before him, a sword similar to the weaker form of Soul Edge in hand and pointing at his forehead. Only one thrust would be necessary to end it, something which Logan quickly realized while staring up into the cold, blank eyes of the DPU above him. For the first time In this battle, Logan felt like he was willing to just abandon everything, his drive, his ambition everything just so he could run away from this kid and hide for all of eternity. If they were both the same, then they both possessed immortality, so that would mean he would be hiding from this kid for all eternity. He didn't understand it well himself, but he just got this feeling that the kid had been holding back greatly, and that there was a gap between their power that he could never hope to fulfil.
It was almost like this being before him was destruction incarnate…
Out of desperation, Logan tried to Warp again, only to feel that, to his horror, he no longer had the energy to maintain his Demon form Nevermind use any demonic powers. The second he realized this, his form cracked all over, spreading from his helmet down to the rest of his body before it shattered like tiny glass fragments, exposing his body… his half-naked body for all to see. With this transformation, the Hellfire circle that both signified the Death Parade and the Duel itself, vanished into a series of embers. These Embers, instead of just vanishing like normal ones however, entered Logan's body in one big rush.
The man cringed and groaned, clutching his chest as if he were having a heart attack. Crimson Soul watched emotionlessly as Inferno walked up behind his defeated opponent, Soul Edge poised to end the man from behind at the given command. It may be a monster on the battlefield, but more importantly it was created to obey Crimson Soul/Nico's orders. Thus, it would hold off on wiping this soul off this plane of existence for the time being, until such a time as it got its orders. But back to the defeated Demon, his hand clutched the kin of his torso so hard that it practically bled trails of blood, all the while this circular symbol similar to the one that formed the Death Parade branded itself onto his chest. Logan growled and grumbled, shifting about but not making any major movements. Whether that was because of his defeat or something else remained to be seen, in Crimson Soul's eyes.
"You… You have… won…!" Logan spat with venom, shakily raising his head to glare hatefully at the other male. There was this powerful, yet heavy weight on his shoulders now that he had this symbol, and the lack of Demonic Power circulating through him didn't help either. "B-By the rules of the D-Death Parade… I am subject… to your whims…! Until you feel that the price has been paid…!"
Crimson Soul arched a brow at that, frowning in confusion on what this man was talking about. He made to speak once more, probably to ask him to explain what was really going on, but then he heard the sounds of wings flapping. Looking upwards, he saw Teo descending towards them… with Rinjiin riding atop his back while sporting some rather knight-like Armour. Probably the armour he wore from his days as a Dragonator. It looked like this plain, silver armour, but with a green dragon design on the chest, stomach and shoulders. His weapon seemed to be a Knightly sword, one that was as long as he was tall.
'It never ceases to surprise me how so many of us try to go with large weapons that look heavier than necessary for their functions…' the DPU couldn't help but think to himself. If he was in human form, he would probably go on about how the popular 'edgy character with a badass sword' trope was being applied to a lot of people, people like him, Guts, Neptune and that one blonde black-wearing guy with a massive buster sword. Its almost like people who wield large swords tend to be badasses.
He broke out of those thoughts as Teo landed beside the two males, his class slamming into the ground to create a rippling shockwave through it, though compared to what they dealt with during their fight it felt quite minor. Also, Crimson Soul was floating so he didn't feel it very much if at all. Inferno was merely a construct created by Soul Edge via Hellfire and Telekinesis, so it didn't really feel it either.
Once the dragon-like Abnormal had landed, Rinjiin dismounted him and walked up to the two. Crimson Soul noted the wariness in his steps, and the way he occasionally switched between furious glares at Logan and wary glances towards him making the DPU mentally sigh. It wasn't his intention to show the man that he didn't know well this form, but things had escalated to a point where he couldn't keep it hidden. Thus, he opened his mouth to speak. "It is over, Rinjiin. The enemy has admitted defeat. His troops are dead, their fleet destroyed. All that is left is this man before us."
His words, sharp as they were while reinforced by the demonic undertones that usually accompanied his voice, nearly made Rinjiin jump. However, he composed himself and glanced warily down at the Hellfire version of the weaker Soul Edge in his right hand. "Y-Yeah… I can see that…" the man stated unsurely. When he didn't feel like he was being burned after a few seconds, the man seemingly calmed down, making Crimson Soul wonder if he really thought the male would burn him or something. He didn't know why, since the man hadn't done anything to warrant such treatment from him. "Well, I'll not ask what this…. This form, is. Something tells me that the whole truth will be too unbelievable for me."
A nod came from the transformed male, confirming Rinjiin's suspicions before he looked over and gestured to the defeated Logan, who looked at him with absolute fury. Well, the feeling was definitely mutual at this point. "Well, why haven't you killed him yet? He's down, and it's not like he will want to change." He asked the DPU.
"I would, but I feel like you should be the one to decide this man's fate… though If I may put in a request, let me interrogate him first There are things that I would like to ask him regarding what happened in these battles." Crimson Soul answered, while flicking the burning Hellfire bade in Logan's direction. The flames briefly touched his nose, or rather the robotic part at least, but nevertheless it made him yelp slightly. It looked… oddly restrained though, something he planned to ask him about if he got permission.
Rinjiin arched a brow, a scowl on his lips as he sneered at the man. "Odds are he won't answer a damn thing about those questions, kid." He stated, before gesturing to him. "Believe me, I know this guy as much as I don't wish to, and if everything he's done here has taught me anything, its that he would rather die than squeal like the pig he is."
"I have no choice in the matter right now, fucker!" Logan snarled in Rinjiin's direction, before wincing and gasping in pain. Crimson Soul briefly noticed the symbol on his chest pulse brightly for a moment during this time, before fading to a dull glow again which allowed the man to release a tense, angry breath. "This symbol on my chest…will force me to comply with any wishes th victor, this asshole here, wants from me. It won't allow… for anything ese…!"
The way that he spoke just now, the way it sounded so trained, like he was pulling against something just to gain the ability to speak for himself back, it drew both men's attention. Rinjiin eyed him intently, trying to see if he was lying or not. He had enough bad experiences from this asshole, he didn't want to risk anything against this guy. However, the kid beside him (though he had to force himself to see him as an adult in this… state he was in) had already beaten him once, and it looked like he had utterly wrecked the man. So, it stood to assume that this asshole couldn't do anything even if he wanted to.
It was a long, intense internal struggle for supremacy in his mind, but in the end, the looks that he got from the demonic boy before him helped him come to a conclusion. A resigned sigh escaped his lips as he placed a hand on the rim of his straw hat. A hat that he seemed to favour over a helmet for some reason. "Alright, kid. He's all yours, but promise me you'll do what needs to be done by the end though." He final spoke, relenting to the teen's request.
"Of course, and after this, would you do me the honor of explaining how you know this person? I have many other questions I want to ask, but that one I feel is better asked to yourself than him." Rinjiin nodded as Crimson Soul turned his head back to Logan, his eyes shining with a sinister intent. "Looks like I have the go ahead. We'll be having a NICE long talk, and you will answer my questions. Are we clear? Good, then lets begin."
