Chapter 144 - Ascension
The battle against Okada Izou had ended… though it did not end without repercussions.
Panting was the only thing Crimson Soul could do right now, the DPU having fallen to one knee whilst stabbing Soul Edge into the ground before him. His gauntlet clad hands kept a firm grasp on the blade's hilt whilst his chest inflated and deflated quite visibly. If his features were fully discovered, then one would find him to be sweating bullets from the recent experience he had just went through. His whole body felt like it was on fire (not the good kind, or his Hellfire either), and a lot of aches assaulted his form. Not to mention how around him, the residue embers from the attack collision still fell. His wings hung downwards almost like they were slouching, embers calmly falling from them like leaves falling from trees in the autumn. In addition, the winds generated back there began to settle down with the lack of motion to power them, all the while the dust around the battleground where the clash had taken place began to vanish out of sight, there no longer being anything that could generate it.
Glancing to the side, Crimson Soul noted how there was a lack of flames and runes around him and had to mentally congratulate himself… whilst also ponder on what had just happened for the future. The Death Parade had long since begun to destabilize, vanishing out of existence thanks to its creator no longer supplying it with Demonic Power. Even so, this would mark the first time Crimson Soul had ever unleashed a Death Parade… he could only imagine how useful this thing could be in future battles. He could use it to lock in place powerful Abnormals that would threaten his comrades, in addition to these Demons, Legion soldiers, heck perhaps even mortals. Not to mention how this power seemed unique to those who could use demonic energy, which usually meant Demonkind in general, so it wasn't something wholly unique to the DPU himself Maybe it could even be used to capture troublesome opponents, though he'd have to check if he could use it in human form too.
Even so, he had to pay the price for using so much power in one go like that… and this was it.
'Perhaps…' the DPU thought to himself whilst slowly getting to his feet. The transformed male gradually did this, before he allowed his powers to bring him back into a floating position. Although he looked slouched over at first, the DPU managed to keep himself from falling down again. Much to the protest of is body however, though he kept pushing himself since there would still be much for him to do as of yet. There would be time to rest and recover later, Crimson Soul mused whilst he finally managed to stand tall. He looked sort of like how the CPUs would look when low on power during their transformations, now that he thought about it. 'I should have reconsidered going DDD and using so much power from the get-go… I have indeed been abusing my body since I've awoken from my coma, it appears.' The DPU thought to himself, barely regaining his composure before he looked upwards…
Towards the space which Okada had once occupied, which now looked like nothing but a pile of ashes on the ground.
That attack…
Crimson Soul shuddered to himself when he recalled the attack that had pretty much nearly killed him outright. The DPU never showed much emotion during his time in this state, most of his emotion being heavily controlled by the mental state that he'd enter in this form. Only by feeling excessive emotions would he be able to display them, and right now the DPU couldn't help but both fear AND respect the amount of power that Okada had reached… with only a simple sword.
That one sword swing had contained power that made the previous powerful strikes look like bug bites in comparison. Its like that sword which, upon being revealed from its camouflage-like ability, went from 90 in terms of power to 1000 real quick, and if he hadn't pumped all of his physical power, and amplified it with his Red Rage Ring, then he would have surely lost both of his arms in one go. However, that didn't mean that he hadn't taken any damage at all from that last attack, or rather, Soul Edge hadn't. The DPU's eyes glanced down to the section of the blade where Okada's sword had hit, and there he could see huge cracks spreading across the blade like a series of complex patterns, like thorny vines tearing through with brutal efficiency, from there to the inner depths of the blade right up to just below the teeth themselves. To be frank, Crimson Soul couldn't help the relief he felt at the blade not snapping in half, though he did feel a sense of anxiety like the blade would shatter at any second.
This honestly made him so glad that just before Okada could break through his blade completely (even with his power reinforcing the blade), he had vanished into Particles just like any Abnormal would. Even so though, the effects of his actions still lingered on the young DPU as he eyed his damaged sword with cautions and anxiety in his gaze. Soul Edge was a Devil Arm unlike any other, as it came from his soul. Not to mention that it existed on multiple different planes, which meant that no ordinary sword could harm it. However, even if he had been human originally, Okada still seemed to exist on another plane, a plane that was meant only for the damned it seemed. That was the only thing Crimson Soul could think of as to why Soul Edge had taken as much damage from that swing as it had. Remnants of the Demonic Power that flowed through it quickly began mending the cracks though, but if he were to guess then the process would likely take a couple minutes to complete. Not the usual seconds that DPU energy usually took to mend his wounds. It was even faster than his Ghoulish regeneration, though Nico usually conserved his Demonic Power for his offensive powers. There were probably some exceptions to this in the past, but he couldn't recall any right now.
Therefore, for Soul Edge to be damaged by a simple sword like that which Okada Izou had used, then the strength that the Manslayer possessed definitely wasn't a joke.
He truly was one of the best swordsmen that Crimson Soul had ever fought.
'I hate to admit this; however, I do believe that this battle wasn't even a battle, nor was it just a game… it was more like a one-sided struggle for survival…' Crimson Soul thought to himself as he held the blade horizontally at his eye level. Even as the cracks along the blade faded away from the remnants of Demonic Power inside it, Crimson Soul could almost visualise them as phantom images on the blade, a deadly reminder of just how vicious Okada had been. Even in human form, Crimson Soul felt like he wouldn't be one to call himself arrogant or superior. If he were to look down on something, it wouldn't be without good reason. He could thank his countless missions against Abnormals for that, as every time he had to watch out for any surprise abilities from those creatures which could catch him off guard and result in him losing his life. Not to mention that he almost lost his life many times during his early fights against them due to thinking that they would be like any other monster in Gamindustri… though that was simply because he hadn't seen an Abnormal back then. Heck, even back then he had been pretty cautious and distrustful once his eyes had been opened, but not even that had helped him prepare for fighting against them. As he got good at killing them, Abnormals cemented themselves as proper nightmare fuel for him in terms of how they always kept secret aces up their sleeves, and some of them had remotely superior intelligence than others.
Regardless of all that, it left him with the mentality of never underestimating the enemy if you didn't want to get horribly smacked down and brutally ripped apart. Not many rookie Agents got the message as quick as he did however, and the prices they paid would vary depending on the level of lethality each Abnormal they faced possessed. Lower ranked ones just outright killed them… they would be counted as the lucky ones, whilst higher ranked ones used them for more nefarious purposes (especially the females, and if he was in human form, then he'd shudder in dread). Even with that mentality however, Crimson Soul still felt like he did during those early times in that he had just dodged the fangs of a particularly vicious Abnormal, an Abnormal named Okada Izou. Truly, he felt like a complete novice who just survived a battle against a master. Even now in his current form, Crimson Soul could feel his heart thumping like a wild beast on an overdose of aggression drugs within the cage that was his chest. He tried to calm it down by placing a hand on his chest to elevate its worries slightly, the familiar metallic sensations of his armour instead of the feeling of a blade meeting it doing no small amount of comfort for him.
'Okada Izou… that is a name that I will never forget… for whilst I managed to put all I had into defence at the last second, he would have broke through my defences and sliced me clean through had he not vanished at the last second.' The DPU thought to himself whilst he closed his eyes to do something he rarely did in all of his life: he held his free hand in a chopping position before his lips, closed his eyes and offered a one-handed prayer for the Manslayer, firmly imbedding this experience into his mind, heart and very essence of his being. Okada Izou made his mark on the world, and himself, in his last moments. Crimson Soul would loathe himself if he didn't at least do this much.
Now, it was time that he regrouped with his comrades…
Huh?
Blinking after he opened his eyes and lowered his armoured hand to his side, Crimson Soul furrowed his brow when he began feeling… strange. By strange, he meant that there was this tightening sensation in his gut. It wasn't an ordinary one either, but it did feel like when one pulled on both ends of a rope simultaneously, stretching the rope to its utmost limit. This sensation filled his gut, and boy did it feel uncomfortable. Not to mention that this hot yet cool heat (he'd register it as lukewarm if he were to use a proper word for this) which only added to his discomfort.
'What the… what is this?' he wondered to himself ad he placed a hand over his abdomen, where he could feel the source of the sensation. In addition, the more seconds passed, the more 'strained' this sensation felt, like it was being stretched so much that it could go and snap at any second. Add in the minute trembling sensations he got from the main one, and you end up with something akin to a miniature earthquake inside Crimson Soul's gut. He didn't like it, not one bit, nor did he know why he was feeling this way. As he tried to ascertain the source, Crimson Soul brushed briefly with the links to his Devil Arms, Ouranos and Soul Edge, and when he did the male surprised himself when he noted their feelings… their emotions, which should be controlled by their links, actually kept getting flooded with intense EAGERNESS. Eagerness, excitement, anticipation take a pick of the lot, and these weapons would be expressing it through these links.
That just threw him for a loop as the sensation trembled greater and greater, to the point where Crimson Soul sat in a meditative position whilst wrapping his arms around his stomach to deal with the sensation.
What the hell was up with his weapons?
Why were they excited?
Was it to do with these sensations?
If so, then what were these, and why was he getting them now?
Could it be something to do with Okada Izou?
Did he do something that Crimson Soul wasn't aware of?
The DPU shook his head on that last one as he gritted his teeth to bear the strain of this sensation, sweat rolling down the side of his forehead beneath his helmet. It would be rather unlikely that last one would be legit, since Okada Izou, according to what he felt from his sword and actions when they clashed, seemed like the type of guy who preferred no cheap tricks or to not be deceived by his opponents. Plus, it wasn't like his Demonic nature would let any toxins (if there were any on that sword, though he didn't get the feeling there was) run wild through his system.
What he didn't notice, though he would if he could see his reflection, would be how his eyes were slowly gaining a crimson glow with a white outline, one that covered his slitted power button symbols.
CRACK, SHATTER
FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Just then, at the height of the tightness in his gut, Crimson Soul suddenly felt it. Something cracked within him, something deep within the very fibres that made up his essence… before he gave a loud roar, nearly falling forwards when the next thing he knew his power SKYROCKETED to new heights. It even showed itself physically when an INTENSE black aura with a red outline suddenly tore itself out of him like a beast finally breaking out of its cage and exploded everywhere, whilst shooting through the crater to deepen it. The aura swelled and swelled like something that never stopped growing, shooting through the landmass and turning the entire crater into what looked like a dungeon sized pan with the black and red aura resembling the flames that Crimson Soul used.
Not to mention that if he listened, he could have heard a centipede's screech mixed in with the roar of a dragon.
Outside the crater, all fighting between Arfoire and the CPUs plus Guts, stopped when they noticed the energy surge. How could they not when it literally just occurred right next to them? With the intensity and sheer ferociousness that not even the blood thirstiest of Abnormals could match? Quickly, their eyes got drawn to the source, and as a result, all of them became… well, more than a little bit shocked. Not to mention legit terrified when they felt the massive demonic energy signature heat up the surroundings to the point where the grasslands around the crater turned a dark black as if they were being burned alive, the skies itself becoming stormy as if the very air itself became nothing but charcoal, and lastly the entire vicinity felt so oppressive that each of the fighters struggled to even breathe. Even then, this same power felt like it was cracking down on them just for breathing in its presence.
"Wh…WHAT?!"
Yeah…
That could sum up their responses quite nicely.
"Hmmm… LOOKS like the KID'S power has ASCENDED… from mere CONTINENT class to… MULTI-CONTINENT class…I guess for THESE mere WEAKLINGS this POWER would class as TERRIFYING… those MONGRELS.."
Unlike them though, the mysterious figure did NOT show any concern for what was happening to the surroundings in the slightest. Whilst darkness concealed the figure's reactions, judging by its words the figure seemed to be more on the calculating side with no small hints of distain and mocking. The figure even just flared a simple bit of its power to offset the effects this energy seemed to have on any living being close enough (not to mention unlucky and stupid too), to feel its presence. The energy it used felt so miniscule that even an atom would be bigger than it, so the figure hardly even noticed what its own energy even did thanks to it being so small in scale.
It was nothing compared to the warriors the figure was used to fighting however…
In fact, it could be said that this wouldn't even faze him if they were to square off in the heat of battle…
Something which the figure believed that would be happening very shortly.
"It MATTERS not, then. IT is FINALLY time for MYSELF to JOIN this so-called 'CONFLICT' that these PATHETIC beings call INTENSE… If they were BORN in MY era… then THIS would BE a mere SQUABBLE between INFANTS in comparison…"
Down in the crater, Crimson Soul let out another large gasp once more, his eyes shooting open as his upper form lurched forwards. His wings flapped a couple times to help stabilize his body, preventing it from losing its balance. He finally felt the energy surge within him vanish out of existence, making him hunch over from the force behind it. Heavy gasps and laboured breaths escaped him for what felt like an eternity, as he tried to come to grips with what just happened… whatever that had been. 'The hell…? Why did… my energy just act like it was throwing a temper tantrum…?' the DPU wondered, shock, confusion and concern written all over his features whilst he tried to regain his bearings. It was a good thing he did, cause when he looked down to the area below him, expecting to see solid earth…
The thing that greeted him was a rather HUGE hole that went down the entire landmass.
'WHAT…?! What the hell…?!'
'Nico, calm yourself…'
'Biko…?' A surge of relief spread through the DPU's chest after a brief moment where startled realization dominated his mind, when he heard Biko's voice. His Demon Persona had been quiet this whole time, not saying a word for whatever his reasons had been. But, the fact that he was talking to him now meant that odds were he had some form of explanation for what just happened to him. Whilst he took bigger breaths to calm his mind down, not to mention his thumping heart, Crimson Soul's expression returned to its normal composed state whilst his demeanour soon followed suit. His form bobbed up and down in the meditative position, with his legs crossed and his hands resting on their backs on his thighs. All the while, Crimson Soul's wings occasionally flapped themselves whilst releasing streams of embers from their forms, nearly filling both of his sides with their presence. 'Do you know what just happened right now?'
'I do. In fact, I would have said something earlier had what happened not temporarily shut down out link to each other. That was why you never heard me, but that isn't important right now. Nico, what just happened was… we've ascended.'
'Huh? What do you mean, ascended?'
'Take a look at your energy reserves.'
Crimson Soul did so by using his mind to check his own energy reserves. What he found though, nearly caused him to lose balance once more when he got BLOWN AWAY by how HUGE his energy reserves had swelled. He almost didn't even realize that this was his energy, not one bit cause the sheer volume and quality of it just defied what his energy felt like before. His energy reserves, they felt like the centre of a huge ocean instead of a large lake like they did before, and the deeper he tried to go into them the more he felt like he would be swallowed by the depths of his energy. 'The hell… my energy, it's…!'
'It has indeed swelled, in quality as well as quantity. I did some research into this, and from the Fragmented Memories I found out that you have become what is known as a 'Mid Continent Class' DPU. Its where your abilities have increased in both potency and demonic purity to the point where you can, if you didn't restrain your power and let it run wild, destroy multiple continents with a single swing of your blade when in DPU form. Essentially, you reached the next level of power in DPU Culture. Though it only applies to your identity as Crimson Soul, your human form won't receive any additional upgrades based off this ascension.'
'Ascension, huh? Is there any more information you can tell me about this?'
'Indeed. I will start with the ranking system DPUs possess. The DPUs each vary in terms of pure power, however NONE of them are weak, none at all.
First, there is the Continent Class , which you were at before now. The lowest Class of DPUs have the power to destroy an entire continent with a single swing of their swords at 100% power. The lowest rank a DPU has is called the 'Continent Class' and these DPUs have similar level reserves. The energy reserves for any DPU rank have to be able to sustain the DPU's strikes, thus they are fairly larger than the class they are announced as,
Then, there is the second rank, which you have just now achieved. Multi Continent Class. Multi Continent Class DPUs have the power to destroy, well, multiple continents at once, and can shatter single continents with much more ease than their lower ranked brethren. Those who are of mid class however, have one difference between their lower ranked brothers though, and that is the power of the Archdevil Arms. A single Archdevil Arm allows the DPU to advance to this power level. The reason this is, is because of how Archdevil Arms are formed, and also, they are seen as a sort of 'rite of passage' for DPUs. Once they gain an Archdevil Arm, their powers will skyrocket in potency, lethality and versatility. Mid rank DPUs usually have one or two Archdevil Arms however, which is why they are on this level. Though, if a mid-class DPU is able to manifest more than that amount of Archdevil Arms, they will be one step away from approaching the next class.
That next class is the Chaos Class. The Chaos Class is a ridiculously high class of power even in DPU standards, a power that only the Chaos Gods have reached. This rank is only achievable for those who don't rely on Archdevil Arms, and reach a situation where their powers have evolved over time, through intense training and battles with stupidly OP opponents. Archdevil Arms only hasten this process, so those who have more of them and learn how to harness 100% of their powers ascend to this classification quicker than those who don't. This is the difference between them and Mid Class DPUs, as the latter have only partial control (like say 45% at max) of their Archdevil Arms. Till the current times only the Chaos Gods have gained this level of power, and they did NOT rely on Archdevil Arms but their own power.
Finally, there is the one class that surpasses that of the Chaos Class, and that is the Primus Class. To this day, there is only one other class that is above the Chaos Gods, and that's the Primal Class, which only the four original DPUs have gained. This is solely because while they have their own power levels comparable to such a class, but they seem to have something that helps their powers become a threat to any of the Chaos Gods. What that is, I do not know, but from what I CAN tell, this power is extremely lethal in more ways than one. I'll have to do more research at a later time.'
That… That was a lot of information to process all at once, Crimson Soul felt while keeping a neutral face on the outside to keep his inner conflicts internal. Even so, he didn't complain since this was simply how Biko did things. Whenever he explained something, he did it by going into great depth, and made sure there would be no room for doubt. It likely wasn't for everyone, but in his eyes Crimson Soul no matter which form he was in, would gladly accept this depth. For it answered more than one question that circulated through his mind. Not just about what happened, but also about the DPU era in general. There was still so much that he didn't know about it, so much that somehow he could feel would have connections to the current era somehow.
He'd love to see what that era had been like just from a learner's standpoint… even though he didn't like the way that the DPU's did things.
'Alright… so I am a Multi-Continent Class DPU then, that part I get… and judging by the way you spoke just now, do you think that…?'
'That more DPUs are still out there? I do not know for certain. Information about that subject is very vague at best, and the only point of reference we can use is what the Defiler told us back at Planeptune.'
(Flashback)
"Unfortunately, as time passed, the truth of the matter was spun into a web of lies, some of his followers were traitors in secret. They spread their word around, convincing everyone in the Underworld to follow them."
(Flashback END)
'… I get the feeling that a lot of what that guy said was merely understatements and lies, just like he had said…' Crimson Soul thought, frowning as he floated in the middle of the hole. 'If what we've learned since then has told us anything, then this 'Underworld' is likely just one of the many demon worlds out there, and they will likely have their own twisted version of those events. A long time has passed since the DPU era after all, 30 trillion years is MORE than enough time for the truth to become distorted. If one asks me, then I would say that the outline of what he said may have some truth, but if I want to know what REALLY happened, I'd have to ask well, someone who had been THERE during the war. That demon didn't feel like it was, its power level felt way too low for such a thing.'
Biko hummed over on his side of the link.
'I agree, the fact that there are many worlds involved in this, not just our own if all these Hellgates are what we think they are, further supports this theory. For now, however, it would be best if we regroup with the others. It is likely that they may be worried about what became of us thanks to that power surge.'
'Right. I'll make sure to let them know I'm alright, though when all this is over… perhaps it is time we bring them up to speed on these matters.'
Biko didn't answer that last bit as he cut the connection, but Crimson Soul knew why. He wasn't the only one who still had some trepidation over the idea of informing the girls about what they didn't know about his DPU Powers, as well as his knowledge of the Demonic. He bet that, if one were to investigate then they'd find that of every person in Gamindustri, Crimson Soul would be the one who had the most understanding of Demonkind. That would look suspicious alone, but with Biko's existence finally revealed to them, he at least had a way of properly explaining things. He just hoped things would be at least okay with the girls… perhaps he could let them vent their frustration by stabbing him with something or another punishment of similar nature… probably something that could pierce through his hide since no normal weapon can do so. If they didn't want to be around him anymore, then he would accept that decision no matter how much it'll hurt. After all, it was their choice, and he would accept it since he kept these things to himself.
Shaking his head to push those thoughts to the side for the time being, Crimson Soul looked upwards towards the crater, having found that somehow, he had been drifting deeper into the crater's depths. Though, as he looked down at the hole beneath him he wondered if it was even right to call this a Crater anymore. In any case, Crimson Soul had to regroup with the girls, to see if they were doing okay. Perhaps Guts was alive too, wait in fact he KNEW that stubborn bastard was alive due to how tenacious he is. Heck, a lot of the time Crimson Soul found that no matter how beat up that guy got, he just somehow managed to spring back into action whilst every opponent he has lay dead in his wake. It was something that boggled everyone's minds to this day, be it human or non-human alike.
With that in mind, Crimson Soul flared his wings before he gave them a simple flap. The male quickly shot up and out of the Crater, looking more like a streak of orangish red fire than a human as he did so.
'I must apologize for making them wait for so long… those females…'
Outside the crater…
Purple Heart, Black Heart, Green Heart, IF, Compa and Guts all stood before Arfoire, looking like they had seen better days. Each of them looked like they had been beaten up by a bunch of bullies in an alley, with cuts and bruises dotting their forms which could only have been possible with something like a Glaive. Something of which their enemy indeed possessed. IF's regeneration however, took care of her wounds whilst Compa, whom had switched from Metatron to Gabriel, gave them all a BARD OF HEALING, taking care of the others as she used FIRST AID on herself.
On the other side, Arfoire looked like she had went through hell a dozen times over, with her body littered with wounds ranging from minor to serious, some of them oozing with blood that dripped down her form and fell to the ground beneath her. To be honest, it was a miracle that she had even remained floating with the amount of damage she had taken from these women along with their sole male companion (that other boy being still in the crater), since she had taken more attacks than she'd care to count. Normal attacks she could have dealt with, but they had each launched their fair share of Skill attacks, special moves and their weapons own unique abilities. Not to mention that she had been caught and bound in various crystal formations: a Cross behind her, stakes pinning her hands and fee to it whilst crystal chains wrapped around her, perfectly sealing off all ability to move.
Needless to say, Arfoire did NOT feel like one happy camper at this moment.
"Its… I can't believe it, but… to think that you all still had this much power… left in you…" The woman moaned whilst she glared heatedly towards the CPUs. Not to mention Guts whom had been targeting her breasts more than she would have liked during their bout. "And what about you, repeatedly aiming for my boobs like that?!" she yelled afterwards, pointing to him with the Glaive she wielded with comical tick marks over her forehead.
Guts merely shrugged his shoulders, a notable clanking sound coming from his body Armour. All the while, the man held his Dragonslayer in both of his hands towards his opponent in the traditional kendo stance. "Not like you even use them."
CRACKLE, SHATTER
The sound of cracking glass could be heard after Guts' bold statement, not to mention the expressionless face that he said it with too. Arfoire temporarily lost her furious look for one of absolute shock. No, it would make better sense to say she looked absolutely mortified at what Guts had just stated so brazenly.
Purple Heart however, couldn't resist the smirk that formed on her lips as her human self's trolling nature slipped through. "Hmhmhmhm, good one." she stated, giving a thumbs up to the man from the side whilst trying to stifle her laughter.
Something which Black Heart had even more trouble doing if how she covered her mouth with her non-weapon hand, her shoulders shaking wildly. "pfffft!"
That notion got imitated by the smirking Green Heart too, Her smirk showed just how amused she had been with that savage claim, her eyes dancing with mirth. "I do believe that would be considered a decent roasting, Guts. Be proud." She then added on in her mind, something else. 'Even though it is cliché, this victory isn't just for myself, but for all of us.' She thought, glancing down towards Gungnir which constantly crackled with golden energy. 'Yes… all of us…'
This merely made Guts roll his eyes, whilst IF sweat dropped. "Wooow… cold, much?" she remarked, before remembering who it was that was getting roasted. "Then again though, since its this old hag… Yeah, I think I'll allow it." Whilst IF didn't fancy herself a girl to hold grudges, considering what this woman has helped to do over the course of her stay in Leanbox, IF felt like this would be a prime time to make an exception.
Compa, who floated up above them still, could only smile weakly at what was going on beneath her. "Everyone's roasting the old lady… Grandpa would not like that, though…" she remarked to herself, although the darkness within her has this reaction that basically state 'Pft, so what not like its not true'.
"Wh-Wha-?! You-!"
"By the way…" Purple Heart mused as she turned her head to face her fellow CPU, completely ignoring and interrupting the fuming Arfoire who looked like she wanted to choke a bitch. "It's a relief that you have your powers back, I'm glad. Now you don't have to be so nervous about leaving your room…" her eyes then fell upon Gungnir, shining in melancholy. "Or have to rely on a divine weapon such as this, to sustain your power as a Goddess. But, there's one thing that we should be considering." She said, going serious at the end as she gestured to the weakened Arfoire.
But, before she could speak further, Purple Heart along with everyone else looked towards the crater when they each sensed a powerful Demonic Power suddenly on the move. The same one that they had sensed earlier, it shot through the crater whilst heading straight towards their position. Before any of them could react, a HUGE blur of motion suddenly shot out, shooting through the air like a meteorite before it pulled a backwards flip, then swiftly blasted down to the space before them.
By the time that the smoke settled, everyone looked to find Crimson Soul, the DPU form of Nico, floating there before them with Soul Edge strapped to his back. His wings flared outwards whilst the male floated, eyes closed before he slowly opened them. Looking towards the girls, the male remained silent for the longest time, and after a rather tense (if shocking for the onlookers) silence… he spoke. "If I were in my human form, I would hug you all right now." he stated bluntly.
That statement quickly snapped them out of their stupor however.
"… NI-NIIIIIIIII!" A completely teary eyed Compa squealed when she saw her childhood friend return to her, a whole rush of emotions swelling inside of her as she acted without thinking. Whilst completely forgetting about the captive Arfoire, she flew downwards ad rammed right into the transformed Spec Ops Agent's chest. "Ni-Ni, Ni-Ni, Ni-NIIIIII! You're alright, you're alriiiiiiight!" … Needless to say, Compa's arms wrapped around Crimson Soul's Armoured torso faster than a certain bird which runs on roads, her shoulders visibly trembling whilst the sounds of shedding tears filled the air. She buried her head so far into his chest Armour, just to assure herself that he was indeed there, that the DPU wondered if her face would leave an imprint somehow…
Through all the shock of what happened that is.
Still, the mentioned DPU looked down towards her, his eyes slightly wider than normal, his mouth hanging a bit more like an 'O' and his arms lifted slightly so that they were above the arms wrapped around him. Now, normally in this form Crimson Soul had a great deal of control over his emotions, a side effect of not only the transformation but also due to the nature of his powers. He merely showed emotion only when he felt them to strong degrees, so when he saw Compa bawling her eyes out like this, clutching him like he was her lifeline, all Crimson Soul could do was wrap his arms around her back and hug back just as fierce. A surge of strong over-protectiveness, affection and guilt for causing this filled his being, which just went to show just how protective he was of his childhood friend. "Compa…" he muttered under his breath, before he buried his head into the crook of her neck and embraced her just as tightly as she did to him. Neither of them let go as he whispered into her ear with all the softness and tenderness he could muster right now. "Apologies… I must apologize for worrying you like that…" he whispered, the DPU already realizing just why she had been acting this way.
It was because of his actions, both prior and now. Something which honestly did NOT settle well with him.
"#hiccup# N-N-Ni-Ni #hiccup#... you're a big meanie…!" The Nurse-In-Training bawled out, pulling her hands into fists and bopping his back Armour. Though, there was no strength behind it, merely frustration and worry instead which arguably made him feel a whole world's level worse about everything. "F-First you get p-p-p-poisoned, and now this?! Ni-Ni's a big meanie for making Nurse Compa worried like this!" she exclaimed, and Crimson Soul remained floating there, hugging her and letting her unleash her frustrations out on him. It was the least he could do.
"You have more than Compa to worry about, you know…"
Crimson Soul looked up to see the other girls approaching him, each of them having various expressions of conflict on their faces. It would be impossible for him to tell what they would do however, something which could only be possible due to the girls bottling everything up so that he couldn't see it like he could normally. It had been Purple Heart who spoke first with her hair shadowing her eyes, and she had also been the first to approach him by floating forwards, following after Compa whom he had made to let go… only for the Nurse-In-Training to cling onto him.
'Well… I won't blame her for that… she feels quite worried…'
'Nico… the amount of sorrowful emotions, mixed with frustration and grief, coming from these females is astronomical… they must have kept it all inside for this entire time-frame…'
Biko's words reverberated inside his head, causing the transformed team to feel like utter shit. Looking towards Purple Heart, Crimson Soul made to say something… when she stopped before him and did something Crimson Soul had never thought she'd do.
Purple Heart clenched a fist and punched him in the abdomen, punched him in a way that avoided Compa who kept him from bending forwards too much.
PAWNCH!
"Ngh!"
The fist ended up near the opposite side of his abdomen, coming in with a brilliant level of force which he had mixed feelings about. On one hand, it impressed him that she had that much strength, which could only mean she had been training hard in how to use said fists in combat. However, it also made him feel like explosions were going on inside his heart thanks to the amount of negative emotion he felt in that punch. Was this what it had been like for those who had to see their loved ones, their wives or daughters, sadder than anything they had ever seen before?
It felt freaking AWFUL!
'Ugh, I guess I deserve that one too… no, that is a DEFINITE…' the male thought to himself whilst wincing at the force put behind the punch. Once again, he looked to the Planeptune CPU to try and say something, only to feel them stop in the middle of his throat. For a moment, Crimson Soul thought that he had seen something wet trailing down both her cheeks, but he didn't know for certain.
The reason? because what he thought to have seen had caused her to embrace him from the opposite side, burning her head into his Armour and flesh so that he couldn't see her face. Her hair flapped about behind her from the sudden motion she did, and Crimson Soul felt like he couldn't breathe as easily as he could before. Crimson Soul didn't even dare to think if this was out of character for her or not, as even if Purple Heart was a serious version of her, she was still the adorable innocent Neptune deep down. A girl who cared so much about her friends beneath a layer of teasing and insecurities that plagued her mind daily. For someone like her, possibly losing some of her friends would likely destroy her inside. He always DID see those insecurities and fears behind her Mask, she just tried to keep it up until only the two of them were in the same place. Then, the mask came down.
If she were in human form and if they were alone... Crimson Soul would have shuddered at the implications if he could.
"What… Compa said is true. You have been a big idiot here, Nicky…" she muttered, lips trembling as she struggled to keep her emotions in check. This would be the first for her to feel so strongly in her HDD form, and she didn't like it. Nope, not one bit, and she could tell how Crimson Soul felt (something she found quite amazing in the future since it meant that their feelings actually got through to his DPU form, not something that had happened before) judging by how his heart kept thumping away within the confines of his Armour. "Making us worry like this, keeping secrets from us... aren't we meant to be a party Nicky? Why couldn't you trust us a little more?"
Hearing those words made Crimson Soul feel like dozens of knives filled with the poison that knocked him into that coma in the first place pierced his body all at once. Goddammit, since when the hell did he get so affected by seeing these wonderful girls sad? It freaking pissed him off! What pissed him off the MOST however, was that he couldn't do jack shit to fix it! "Neptune..." he muttered under his breath, before he pulled an arm from Compa, leaving the other where it was on her back, and slowly moved the arm to wrap it around Purple Heart's back in turn. He did it slowly though, just in case she didn't want to have it there until he was certain she wouldn't slap it away or anything. Once he had been certain, Crimson Soul tightly wrapped the arm around her back, pulling her into the three-way hug as well. "Neptune... Compa..." he muttered, raising his head to look at the others. "I... words cannot express how apologetic I am right now. The fact that my actions are the main cause of this burns me inside, it really freaking does."
"Yeah, well good."
Then came a stern, cold voice as Crimson Soul looked towards IF. He soon wished he hadn't cause the heated, angry gaze she had on right now gradually made him start to feel something along the lines of... fear. Fear of the opposite sex, something he never felt in this form before. He could go head to head with monsters, demons and possibly other dangerous beings, but women? Why were they the ones who drew out these emotions from him? Was it because of his attachment to these girls? Was it these girls in particular? If that was the case, then these girls were much more deadly than anything else he'd ever fought.
"Look, I won't say more than I did at the Gala, but you REALLY screwed up when you got poisoned, Nico." The brunette spoke, scowling as she walked up to him. Her steps, each of them felt like the looming presence of doom that the transformed male could sense oozing out of her form. "You have ANY idea how worried we were? Compa was so worried sick she had to focus solely on training and had difficulty sleeping at night. It took her and Neptune sleeping in the same bed, the same bed YOU slept in to calm them down."
...
...
...
... Seriously?
If he felt bad before, Crimson Soul felt utterly wretched, like the very worst person in the world when he heard down at the two females hugging him, Crimson Soul's mind betrayed him as it conjured up the image of Neptune and Compa, both in their signature PJ's, curled up on his human self's bed with bloodshot eyes and tears rolling down their faces. Even holding each other for comfort, even though it wouldn't replace the real thing. Was this... was this what those who wanted to die in a hole felt like?
Grr! Goddamnit!
God fucking DAMMNIT!
What the hell?!
What the FUCKING HELL IS WRONG WITH HIM?!
The DPU couldn't hold it in anymore and quickly morphed his right fiery wing. That wing, after deforming into a simple mass of flame, shifted into a long arm made up of fire. One which lunged forth faster than IF could react, and before she knew it the arm pulled her into the group hug as well. "Wh-Wha-?! Nico, what are you-?!" she tried to say, and if he wasn't mistaken there was a bit of red on her cheeks when he did this, but Crimson Soul didn't care.
He just HAD to do this.
"IF... think of this as part of my apologies. I vow on my honor and my pride that I will make it up to you all for this. I will find a way to earn your forgiveness..." he told her, though he also directed it to the rest of the worried girls. Glancing down at Purple Heart and Compa, whom had looked up to him with the cutest teary eyes one had ever seen (he was so going to die from diabetes... oh wait, he can't die. Shit!), Crimson Soul held those gazes before he looked up to Black Heart and Green Heart. The former seemed to be fidgeting uncomfortably whilst refusing to look at the transformed male. Meanwhile, the latter just looked sideways, though one could tell that both of them also had their own levels of worry. "That goes for all of you. I will make it up to you all somehow, this I vow to you on my pride as DEATHSTROKE."
Hearing this caused their eyes to widen in shock, each of them looking at his face which showed nothing but resolution. No matter what form he was in, their crush always kept his word when he promised something to them. He did so rarely because of this, but when he did promise something he always kept that promise. It may take him a while sometimes, but both Crimson Soul AND Nico kept their word, it was the more honorable thing about him. So, the fact that he had vowed to make it up to the girls in some way, he didn't say what (likely he wasn't sure how), but that was okay in their books. Just hearing him vow that managed to put their hearts at ease.
Honestly, they doubted anyone else who did this would succeed, this felt more like a personal quirk belonging to this one man.
"Well, we'll hold you to that, Nico." IF stated, slowly allowing a small smirk to form on her face as she was allowed to pull herself out of his embrace. To be frank, she didn't know how much longer she would have been able to control herself if she had stayed in his arms like that. His human form was bad enough with that bad boy look he got going on for him, but his DPU form had pretty much been what he would have looked like if he went into adulthood. She had to suppress shivers just thinking about it.
Just like that, the heavy tension began to ebb away as the girls began to calm down. Especially since their male companion had promised them something like that (with every intention of delivering that promise, mind you) with such a serious face. Plus, it was a fact that he was now up and about, alive and well whilst being poison free. Just as Biko had told them a couple weeks prior to it.
Even so, Guts, who had merely stayed silent during the whole exchange, let out a slight smile when he stepped closer to the party, the clinking of his Armour making Crimson Soul look up to him. "Looks like you made a big, and I mean BIG, promise there kid..." he remarked, before his face turned serious like usual. "You better keep it. Also, what is all..." he spoke, before using Dragonslayer to gesture to Crimson Soul's current form. "This?"
"I must admit, I am indeed curious as well..." Green Heart added as she and Black Heart floated over, though the latter didn't seem nearly as confused as she felt, something the Leanbox CPU noticed but chose not to comment on in favor of getting answers. Her eyes ran themselves along the DPU's muscular yet lean Armoured physique, the broadness of his shoulders, the masculinity of his torso, everything about him just screamed MANLY. Even more so than his human for which had more of a bad boy feel. "This form... what is it, Nicky?" she questioned. 'It feels so much like those Demons back at the Basilicom... yet, not at the same time. For one, the energy signature feels tremendously more powerful than they ever could achieve, with greater control and concentration. The 'purity' of this Demonic Power feels much greater in comparison as well... Not to mention how calm, controlled and... good it feels. Definitely not like the other Demons.'
Glancing at each other for a moment as if having a silent conversation, Crimson Soul finally decided to relent and explain to her what he was right now. "This power to transform, Vert, would be that of the Demon Patron Unit, AKA DPU for short. Essentially I've become a Demon God, the exact opposite of a CPU. Been this way for a while now, though originally I was in fact, human." he explained. 'Well, mostly, though I won't say that.' he thought, referring to his OTHER side, his inner beast which felt... strangely docile right now. Was it because of the intense fight with Okada? Maybe so. "I didn't turn into this knowingly though, so do not assume that I will end up your enemy in the near future."
"Yup!" Compa chirped, grabbing everyone's attention as she continued. "Ni-Ni's really strong in this form, just like the CPUs when they transform. His toughness goes through the roof in this form, and he acts super serious too."
IF then interjected, chuckling as old memories filled her mind just when Crimson Soul had regained his previous composure from the emotional onslaught previously. "Yeah, though he couldn't control it at first, remember?" she remarked, getting sheepish looks from those who knew what she had been talking about (even Crimson Soul). "By the way, Compa... what the heck are you doing with his arm right now?"
Why did IF ask that with such a stern, foreboding tone you ask? Everyone thought that, and thus blinked owlishly when she did it. Following the direction that her eyes were glaring at (with an intensity that rivaled that of the ferociousness of Crimson Soul's Hellfire...), each of the girls noticed something particularly... jaw-dropping about the cream-haired girl's position.
She was... holding his arm close to her chest whilst in her Astral Dress... with Haniel out. The Broom had also transformed Crimson Soul's Armour and bodysuit into a handsome formal tuxedo, pants, dress shirt and slacks.
... Was it just them, or did a church bell just ring around the two of them?
"Compa... what is it that you are playing at?" Purple Heart asked her in a slow, low tone whilst emitting a dark aura. She could even feel hr human self practically manifesting herself in her mind to yell out whilst flailing her arms about. "HEEEEEEY, THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE ME THERE WITH MY HUBBY, COMPA?! WHAT GIVES?! VIOLATION! VIOLATION OF THE SIS CODE! THIS NEP-NEP DOES NOT APPROVE ONE BIT!" Behind her, one could also see a hanya mask manifesting with its gaze looming down from above towards the Nurse-In-Training...
A look which soon got mimicked by the rest of the girls, much to the DPU's confusion.
'Huh? What's got them all up in a bind?' the male wondered whilst looking down at the trapped limb. 'True I'd likely be freaking out over this situation in human form, but in this form i'm marginally calmer. Still, there's nothing wrong with this, is there?' Crimson Soul questioned in his mind. In his opinion, Compa was just holding his arm, but when he noticed the 'extra' features though his confusion only increased. 'And why the hell have I suddenly changed clothes?'
'I believe that may be to do with that broom, Nico. I sense strong magical energy emitting from it, a LOT of it too.'
Biko's words filled his mind, but in this situation they only enhanced his confusion.
Compa meanwhile, simply stuck her tongue out childishly at them, giving them a cutsey wink as if that would stem the tide of jealousy radiating from the girls (including Black Heart and Green Heart, surprisingly enough). "Hehehehe, Its simple really, Nep-Nep. I've been wanting to do this for a while now, ever since I got my powers." she explained, before snuggling into Crimson Soul's arms with her face, all the while practically SLURPING their saltiness in a metaphorical cup. It was delicious, and invigorating. She could somewhat see why Neptune did it to IF and the rest of the girls when in human form. 'Hehehehehe, sorry girlies, but this Compa's not staying by the wayside anymore.' she thought to herself while resisting the urge to giggle 'Compa's gonna go full throttle without stopping now!'
By the Goddesses did it feel good to just do this without holding back. She had SO wanted to be a bride one day, ever since she had been a little girl. She sometimes even dreamed of herself, clad in a Wedding Dress like she was now (although not like how she imagined it to be) and with her crush in a tux going down the isle into married life. But, thanks to her previous self she didn't get nearly as much headway as she would like with him... that would be changing now, though. Get ready ladies, cause Nurse-In-Training Compa would be joining the chase!
"Well, good for you Compa..." IF began, grinning at her friend whilst walking over. She couldn't help but feel a sense of pride for her deep down, but that wouldn't stop her from what she would be doing next. "Even so though..." In that moment, IF quickly planted a hand on her shoulder and pulled her away from the DPU's arm with Biomass flooding her limb to enhance its strength. This act, ended up catching Compa off guard thanks to the sudden surprise of it, making her go "Kyaa!" as she nearly lost her balance had she not managed to adjust her balance correctly in time.
"Um, what is going-?"
"Hush now, Nico. Well, since Nep and the others have staked their claims on you already, I'm doing this." IF stated before she grabbed him by the neck with her other hand, and pulled him in for a passionate kiss directly on the lips, eyes closed and everything.
Crimson Soul's on the other hand, along with everyone else's, flew open wide.
"EH?! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!"
'WHOOOO HOOOOOO, SLAP THAT ASS, BOI! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, SLAP IT, THEN TEAR OFF THE BUTT CHEEKS AND USE THEM TO RUB ON YOU CHEEKS UNTIL THEY ROT! TAKE OUT HER ORGANS, DO ALL KINDS OF FREAKY SHIT TO HER, KING, YOU KNOW SHE CAN TAKE IT!'
IT spoke within his mind, but Crimson Soul paid no attention to it, his mind had been too busy trying to figure out what the hell was going on right now, and if he were in human form then he'd be blue-screening right now. True IF had kissed him before, but when she did she always left him freaking breathless and mushy in the head. She just had that effect on him, an effect that every guy who had been in a relationship would call 'whipped', though they wouldn't say it in his presence lest they lose their testicles.
By the time several minutes passed, IF pulled away. She could have kept it up for hours on end ad still not get sore lips thanks to her Powers, but she wanted to drink in the jealousy of the others a little more. She huffed with enough pride to rival lions, as she turned and aimed a smug grin at the other girls who glared at her with deep, almost abyssal jealousy. Even Compa, which promoted a string surge of pride within the brunette. "Sorry ladies, but if ANYONE of us has an effect on Nico the most, i'd be in the lead there."
Oh yes, those jealous angry stares tasted great to her. She could almost find herself getting addicted to it, wanting to do other things in front of them to the guy just to mess with them.
'Heh, and if my life has taught me anything, it would be to 'go for the goods!' in these situations.' IF thought with no small amount of satisfaction and pride swelling within her.
On her side, Green Heart gritted her teeth, grinding them together whilst maintaining a fairly jealous look. One girl making the moves on her in-game husband candidate she could take, two on the other hand invoked the womanly instincts within her to act. She hadn't had much of a chance to stake her claim on Crimson Soul as of yet, not with everything that had happened. But, she would be damned if she didn't take this opportunity! Everyone was challenging each other, deliberately goading their friendly rivals with challenges that basically screamed 'come at me, bro!' and thus, she would not be left out. "Alright then, if that's how you all want to play..."
The CPU then appeared right beside the surprised Crimson Soul and smashed her lips into his own, giving him not only her first kiss but also proceeding to surpass even IF's with how passionate and heated she made the kiss. She'd seen the way people kiss in various hetero anime and manga, not to mention the heavy passion in her BL Games, but those had NOTHING on what it felt like to kiss someone for real. Not to mention someone who she actually had genuine feelings for that had been born from a videogame.
'Geez, I believe that the term 'thirsty' fits this moment with these heroines quite well.'
'Biko, I do not believe you're using that word right, but I see you're point of view.'
Whilst each of the girls glared heatedly at Green Heart (whom took her own turn and drunk it all in with pride), Guts could only sweat drop at what he was seeing, a literal 'WTF?' look on her face as he looked to his Dragonslayer awkwardly. 'The thing about being with others... adjusting to their quirks.' he thought to himself, not wanting to get himself involved in THAT mess. He may be a warrior, but even Guts knew not to get involved with this one.
Fortunately, someone else decided to do it for him.
"Ugh..." Arfoire, whom had been chained up and forgotten about the moment Crimson Soul returned, scoffed as she made a gagging motion. "Please, get a room to have your orgy brats."
Blinking at the voice rather than what it said, each of the girls plus Crimson Soul looked back at her, momentarily forgetting all about her.
"Who is this person again?"
"Um, I think she's the one who did that stuff, right?"
"Oh yeah, now I remember." Purple Heart ended the short discussion between herself and Green Heart (ignoring the twitching of Arfoire's brows at being treated the way she was) as her eyes narrowed at her. "What shall we do with this Evangelist? She's got a lot to answer for after all…"
Looking towards the woman before them, Green Heart's eyes narrowed at their former opponent, bound and restrained by Neptune's crystal powers. "I would definitely say to bring her back to the Basilicom. We can put her in the dungeon and question her there. She does INDEED have a lot to answer for, after all." She stated, a cold smile spreading across her face. She even had a few ideas on how to 'convince' this woman to go along with her demands, ones that nearly caused her to break into a fit of… moderately disturbing giggles. 'Hmmm, I wonder which one I should show her first? There's so much BL I wanna subjugate her to, that I can't decide…"
…
…
…
…
… For some reason, the Author just shuddered along with any self-respecting male reader reading this.
Nevertheless, Arfoire merely scoffed derisively within her little 'prison', rolling her eyes. If she could do more, then she would but her restraints refused to let her do more than that without resistance. Whilst she would have done something to get out of this mess if she could, it was due to several problems that she couldn't. With her current energy reserves, not to mention the way she was pinned to this crystal, there would be little she could do to escape this trap on her own. Even so, she still didn't feel all that threatened by what Green Heart wanted to do to her. Nope, she knew someone FAR more terrifying than this pathetic trollop could ever be. Not to mention that she could feel it in the air, something that only she, who had been around the source long enough, could have noticed. 'Why isn't that bastard coming yet? We promised to work together, is he planning to betray me?! After all that humiliation?!' she shrieked in her mind. Even so, she kept her internal conflicts inside her head whilst she laughed her signature laugh. "Haa Hahahaha! You really think you trollops will be able to get anything out of me?" she questioned with a mocking sneer.
"I would not attempt to mock the ones who hold the ability to end your life if they so desired, woman." Guts retorted back, heaving his Dragonslayer onto his shoulder. He would have gone for this woman's head already for what she had done to his friend, never mind what happened to Stefan, and boy did his darker desires want that to happen so badly. However, Guts had his patience, he would be able to wait a bit before being allowed a crack at the enemy. Not to mention that this had been their mission in the first place, him and the rest of the soldiers had only tagged along. It was their right to decide her fate now that they had won.
Arfoire merely countered back with bite. "Believe me, I know what DEATH really is, and he's on my side. Oh, and I would be careful not to point an over-sized dildo at someone. What, you trying to compensate for something, you oaf?"
TWITCH!
Guts took EVERY breathing exercise he could in order to stop himself from doing something he'd regret. Nobody insults his Dragonslayer, if he were a lesser man he'd go on about how it made him more manly, able to swing such a giant bigass sword with the ease that he did.
"Oh? Are we trying to act all tough when they don't have any other options?" Green Heart questioned, tilting her head with a faux innocent and curious expression on her facial features... whilst twirling Gungnir in front of her in a threatening manner. She would have gone a little further, buuuuut...
"Sorry, BITCH! But I kinda HALFTA stop YA fine ASS right THERE!"
"Eh?!"
BOOM!
In that moment, something shot through the air from above them and crashed into the space where the girls had once occupied... had Crimson Soul not grasped onto them with his Wings (which had morphed into Tendrils) then Warped them out of its flight path.
Once the dust settled after they reappeared around the male (Guts having had the foresight to jump backwards at the last second then use Dragonslayer to stop his motions), Purple Heart stumbled forwards whilst holding the side of her head. "Ugh, what the heck? What the heck was that, Nico?" she asked him, looking towards the male DPU.
Said male merely stared forwards, eyes narrowed as he clenched his fists. In his mind, he could only scowl as he sensed the Demonic Energy present within whatever attacked him. It was largely thanks to his current form, but if he were in human form then he'd probably be trembling like a scared little girl. Reason: the amount he could sense practically dwarfed his own like an ant looking up at a mountain. It was just that TITANIC in terms of scale. It didn't even feel like the presence was flaunting it's power either, which only unnerved the DPU even more. If it was this large, and the user WASN'T trying to manipulate it in any way, then this thing DEFINITELY wasn't something to be messed with.
'Biko... what the hell am I sensing here?'
'Trouble, with a capital T. I cannot even BEGIN to analyze the levels this energy is capable of sporting. Its like trying to probe the depths of the centre of a large ocean, practically impossible for me. This is... a first, and I do NOT like it one bit. But, what I can say for CERTAIN is that we're in deep shit. Be wary, Nico, and keep Soul Edge at the ready.'
'Will do.'
When Purple Heart realized that she wouldn't get an answer, she along with each of them looked towards the place that they once stood at... only to see a black figure looking at them with glowing purple eyes.
Chapter end!
Alright, another chapter done. To be frank, I had a LOT of fun with this chapter, ESPECIALLY with the more... funny parts between Nico and the girls. Oh, it would only have been better if he were in human form but... I dunno, the image of a hyperactive Compa and the ever-stoic Crimson Soul reminds me of Caster from fate stay night and her master. That image will never leave my mind, I swear.
That aside, now the REAL big boys are coming out to play, I wonder how the girls will be able to handle this one, cause believe me, if you all thought the Greater Demons of Khorne, Okada Izou and the World Eater Traitor Legions were bad, well this guy will take the cake for you.
