Chapter 188 - Family

Eating dirt could very well be the only thing she would eventually be able to remember now, given just how many times she had impacted the ground all brutalized and beaten. It may as well have become her new best friend and primary confidant… albeit one which would heartlessly smack her in the side of the face and coldly tell her to get off her ass to keep ongoing. The thought rubbed her the wrong way as a wave of irritation swept through her being alongside the sharp pangs of pain that accompanied the umpteenth impact she had with this hard, sandy ass dirt.

However, unlike the copious amounts of times she had met it in the beginning, the woman known simply as Arfoire did not stay down for a single second, smacking the ground with her arm to push herself upwards resulting in her flipping straight into the air once more.

It's a good thing she did so, because what looked like a worm with a boar's skull for a Mask over its face, a hollowed-out hole going through its torso area, surfaced beneath the spot she once lay at. If she had stayed there just a millisecond earlier, that thing could have swallowed her whole in one motion, and that would have been the end of her. Although the threat of death had not left her yet, Arfoire doubted that it ever would as long as she hung around her mentor and associate. Hell, in this dimension the feeling of 'death' loomed over it like a goddamn cloak, never to truly vanish due to being an almost crucial part of its foundation.

She hadn't been told much about this Dimension, but she didn't care. All that mattered to her was that training here would benefit her goals in the long run.

Instead of being intimidated at her current predicament, Arfoire scowled at the massive beast that seemed as thick as an oak tree in Leanbox, landing on the sand and sliding along a downward slope to a skidding halt. Her Glaive in her right hand while her left got placed in front of her, Arfoire narrowed her gaze at the beast while it reared itself back, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

That moment finally came when the beast lunged at her from the front but then pulled a feint on her and circled to her right flank, lunging at her from there instead. However, Arfoire had been prepared for this, having been exposed to this trick several times by previous monsters, hence why she waited till the last second… before twirling around and thrusting her Spear forwards.

Right into the beast's face through its mask and right into its brain.

Grunts of exertion escaped her lips, drowned out by the creature's shrill cries that soon died out while Arfoire slid back a couple of meters, her heels unable to get some good traction thanks to the desert sand. Once she managed to finally stop, however, Arfoire promptly yanked her Glaive out of the now-dead monster which promptly vanished into an explosion of pixels, the woman instantly on alert in case of a follow-up attack she KNEW had to become.

SLASH!

Her instincts, combined with the thousands of experiences with this tactic before, came true when Mundus came in with an arm already moving faster than a blur towards the back of her throat, prompting the woman to bend forwards and then kick upwards, just barely missing the man's head before she performed a side flip from this 'unique' position, adjusting her heel so she could launch it in a downward overhead kick towards the top of her opponent's noggin.

Just as her attack had been about to hit, however, the person vanished once more causing the woman to land in a crouch, unable to strike down her target. She didn't let that get to her unlike what she would have been like in the past, and instead quickly stood straight with her Glaive in a combat stance. This had been something she had learned over the thousands of battles that she had fought in this place, to always have a defense up even if all was silent so that the chances of one enemy catching one off guard would be abysmally low.

"So, you're starting to get the hang of it, garbage."

The moment she heard that statement, Arfoire's instincts sharpened as she turned to the source, seeing Mundus standing above her on the top of the dune… wielding what looked like a stick of sorts, its shape matching a few blurs she had seen a few times during the last dozen surprise encounters she had with this man. The amount she had ever since ARRIVING here, however, now THAT had been so many that it truly redefined what 'surprise encounter' meant for her, she had initially thought she had been made well aware of what that term meant before all of this began, however, that version of her had been as naive as a baby toddler unaware of the world's workings. Much to her own internal dismay, not to mention her pride had been shattered to BITS upon this revelation dawning on her. "...Teacher."

With his official title being her teacher, Arfoire wisely greeted him with courtesy, something she had learned to do with him the hard way. If she didn't then the 'punishment' he would hand out to her on a broken platter would have been added on TOP of the already sinister training regimen that Mundus had been putting her through to overhaul her battle capabilities to an… acceptable standard, at least acceptable in DPU Era standards. Those standards may as well have created legendary warriors in the current era, in her mind at least.

As he looked down upon her in both a literal and figurative sense, Mundus scanned her energy signature for any changes to this specimen he had decided to take under his wing and make her somewhat of a more useful pawn. Fortunately, there truly was something there since his eyes flickered with something much too fast for Arfoire to properly identify, though she could sense that he wasn't looking at her as harshly as he usually would. "Finally, the changes are making themselves apparent." He muttered through thanks to the atmosphere and her sharpened senses Arfoire had been able to hear him.

Still, when he had said that Arfoire looked down at her free hand, holding it at her eye level whilst she gazed at it intently. "I see… so these 'cultivation methods' really do work, after all…" She whispered, watching the ominous-looking glow that surrounded her hand… one which had been strengthened by the effort she had put in since she had been first put into this hellhole of a dimension.

"Of course, never question my methods bitch. Don't want to take a drip in that blood swamp, now do we?" Mundus sneered with a sadistic smile spreading out across his face, something which sent SO many chills down Arfoire's spine at her unintentional jab at Mundus (although she wished she could do it without getting blasted by those death powers of his). "The methods I taught you: the Heavenward Soul Earthen Body and the Tempered True Blossom are meant to turn you both physically and in terms of that shoddy energy of yours into that of a worthy warrior. Like I said before, the former overhaul your physical body the more it's practiced, and the latter strengthens internal energy." The DPU of Death explained, lecturing her like a strict father would his unruly children.

Cultivation Methods.

Arfoire had heard of them before during her studies of what remained of the records from the DPU Era. Back before all of this had truly begun 500 years ago, and from what she had learned it seemed that in that era there had been COUNTLESS ways for one to grow in strength. Ways which had been mostly monopolized by the DPUs and kept away from the humans, the reasoning Arfoire bet was to make sure nobody could challenge their might. That and a lot of the humans back then wouldn't have been able to handle such powers for long, just like with the Devil Arms, in addition to those who tried to acquire such powers being swiftly disposed of by the DPUs. Cultivation methods had been some of those means of gaining power.

But ever since the DPU Era vanished from Gamindustri many of those resources also vanished alongside it, either being taken away by the surviving DPUs or being destroyed by the foolish CPU at the time to prevent humans from getting too powerful. As a result, the humans spent their countless centuries up till the current era being protected and safeguarded by the CPUs across the ages, eventually developing their meager SP reserves. That stuff may have been enough to protect them from the residing monsters in Gamindustri (something even Arfoire still wasn't sure how Gamindustri got those), but the Abnormals and the countless horrors Gamindustri had forgotten about? Pft, there could be no comparison.

There were countless terrors out there, things that would make one want to puke in revulsion.

Arfoire desired to see those horrors return, to see them give Gamindustri a taste of what awaited it.

While she mused over these things, her instincts alerted her to a burst of danger nearby, causing the woman to react by sharply swinging her Glaive in its direction which resulted in her parrying a surprise strike from Mundus, who had appeared before her with a reverse horizontal slash towards her neck. If she hadn't reacted in time, well, she would have been beheaded instantly though compared to when this happened the first time Arfoire hardly felt any indignation about the action.

For a moment, the two stayed like this with their weapons shaking against one another, locked in a stalemate kind of power struggle to break the other's guard… though Arfoire had no illusions about being stronger than Mundus, if he had the desire then he could have done so regardless. Additionally, there was a lack of killing intent in this blow, so she deduced that it had to be some kind of test.

A test which she seemed to have passed considering the way Mundus silently retracted his makeshift weapon. Arfoire DEFINITELY didn't think that was his true sword either. "Looks like the Heavenward Soul Earthen Body's overhauled your bones, increasing your strength as well as your height some. The Tempered True Blossom's also amped up your energy's potency… I guess this can be seen as a good enough foundation. Nothing compared to my time, but at least now I don't get the urge to vomit whenever I look at you as much." Mundus remarked, Arfoire remaining silent.

Good, she was learning.

"Now that you're not as much of a noob to true warfare, I'll start teaching you a couple of things. Learn them well and try not to die out there." Mundus declared, appearing before Arfoire once again with his hands tied behind his back. Even in that state, the woman doubted that he had truly let his guard down as he began to lecture her. "The world of Martial Arts is one of the vastest things in existence, there is truly no one path forwards through it. One has to make their own path, but that doesn't mean others can't tread upon it after them. In life, paths are used by more than one person as you have seen many times. This 'Heavenly Demon' guy went on about how Demonic Martial Arts, as he called them, had the focus of 'harmony beyond balance and unbalanced'. With this philosophy, he created a whole Spear-based martial art which you can replicate with that Glaive you have till we find a proper Spear since it's similar in design."

Arfoire made no response to that, but looking into her eyes showed the DPU that he had her understanding of that fact. Although in his experience, he bet that she would TRULY understand once she experienced it herself hence why he had placed his left hand's middle and index fingers atop her forehead.

In that following moment, Arfoire's eyes became saucers when she felt some kind of electrical feeling pass through the man's fingers, directly into the center of her forehead. A second later, the woman started to feel like a computer, for the information she shouldn't have known started to seemingly download itself into her brain. Arfoire tightened her jaw but didn't make any other instance of feeling the strain that this put on her, having gotten used to it since this had been how Mundus had 'taught' her the Cultivation Methods she was currently practicing.

This process didn't last too long either, only about 2 minutes or so before Mundus retracted his hand, Arfoire's legs trembling as she placed her free hand over her forehead as she tried to process this newly downloaded information. "There. Gave you some basic Spear techniques from my time amidst one profound Spear Art from that Heavenly Demon guy: the 'Art of Six Seals and Destruction'." he told her. "Practice these while traversing throughout this Realm, use any and every resource you have to your advantage. That'll be the only way you can survive in this realm, little brat." Having finished his piece, Mundus gestured for her to shoo away, prompting Arfoire to nod with her teeth gritted, before quickly leaping away from the scene.

Once she had left his sight, Mundus sighed to himself at having to do all of this while the things in Lowee played themselves out. Having paid a visit to the whole puppet master behind Lowee's current incidents, Mundus had concluded that it would be best if he and that slut remained in his own little dimension: Hueco Mundo, so while they waited for their chance to make their move, Mundus had been stuck training this next to a worthless existence.

But that wasn't the only thing that annoyed him.

His mind had been pretty occupied with what he had been told about the current state of affairs by his former disciples.

2 days ago, they had told him that a bunch of Spec Ops Agents, Sparda's weakling champion being among them, had found and destroyed the Youma Production facility, leaving nothing left and taking only one prisoner: the politician that had been working with them in this operation. What this meant was that the enemy had gained a glimmer of hope for a way out of their current predicament, and he had to struggle not to vomit at the word 'hope' there.

This news hadn't been received very well (if blowing up massive holes across the dimension were any indication), but Mundus in the end hadn't emerged very surprised by it. In the end, it would seem that the first stage of the plan had been completed a little earlier than expected, with the Youma Facility's destruction. It would only be a matter of time before those dumb things would be wiped clean by the other players across the chessboard, and by that time new and old territory should be retaken for their captors to start flourishing once again.

Thinking about the facility made Mundus remember that a human man was helping them, whose name he had forgotten already. The DPU of death didn't give a damn about one mortal, but what he DID know was that the politician had been trying to discreetly thwart their plans with the deal that he had made for them, seeing Youma as less dangerous than the Demons they would have unleashed (and did but in smaller numbers).

Something which Mundus had to roll his eyes at while trying not to barf, that pathetic waste of space may as well have done nothing for all the impact his efforts had on the grand scheme of things. Whether he had made the deal or not, the outcomes would have been favorable for him and the slut regardless, in the case of the Demons they would have destroyed Lowee and became the dominant population on the island, but then there would be the Abnormals there and they would have been corrupted by Chaos eventually, fully giving the Landmass to Tzeentch which would mean fewer people to go against the slut and him. Whereas the Youma/Demon hybrid army may have given a small chance for humans to survive, thrive, and push them back but it bought them time… time for the next phase of their plan. A plan which had less risk of failing now that Youma and Abnormals were bigger in population than Demons. In fact, one might say his actions actually wound up helping them more considering how Demons were. Additionally, that politician may as well have succeeded in his end goal of destroying the Youma, but in saving lowee? Pft, the fool…

The best way Mundus could summarize this situation would be 'out of the frying pan and into the fire'.

'Still, because the phase was completed sooner than expected, THEY aren't ready to reveal themselves just yet. Fortunately, the Youma can be our meatshields for a little while longer, which should give them the chance they need if what that damn smartass told me was true…' Mundus mused to himself, scowling as he pondered on a conversation long since passed. One before the whole Lowee invasion had begun, though he soon cleared his mind of it with a look of fierce annoyance crossing onto his face. 'Don't think too much about it Mundus or you might just accidentally wipe out this entire dimension. That thing reminds me way too much of that smartass DPU of fate Diadact, it's like it's his offspring or some shit…'

Deciding to see how that slut of his was doing, Mundus started ascending upwards, his body enveloped by a purple chaotic-looking aura. He intended to watch her progress from afar and if he were to get too irritated by her slobbering around like a cockroach, he'd just go destroy a few dozen monsters or something. If there was ONE thing which he could say would prove worthwhile in training this one unlike his two Disciples, then it would be that it would be proof of the saying 'from death, came life. 'Those cultivation methods will be good for that slut… as well as serving as nourishment for THAT within her too. Hopefully, it will reach the top stage of its development, otherwise, everything I put into her would be a waste and I would REALLY lose it.' Mundus thought, shooting off into the vast dimension.


Hearing the loud, boisterous laughter belonging to the countless citizens who had survived the ordeals so far proved to be more of a positive change to him than Nico had expected, the male came to conclude to himself. Considering that this came from someone who had grown disillusioned with people, that said a lot.

The male currently sat on top of a Tavern, one which lay within the large castle walls of the City of RABONA. Within this Tavern, one could hear the joyous laughter of various citizens, as well as surviving soldiers and the biggest population currently, his Tekkadan troops. Apparently living with his troops for a while had allowed the humans to get a little closer to them, nothing too major considering that they were still abnormals and a 500-year long grudge wouldn't just go away like that, but considering the situation on a grander scale this change opened the doors to many possibilities for their future if they were to survive this ordeal.

As for the Spec Ops Agents, each of them had gone off to do their own thing throughout the city whereas their 'prisoner' had been put into the city's dungeons for the duration of their stay here. Needless to say, once they had explained the situation to the authorities who remained within RABONA, nobody felt any sympathy for the politician who essentially condemned millions to die at the hands of their enemies. Additionally, their de facto leader Katakuri had suggested that they stay here for a time since they had all exhausted much of their strength so rest would soon become necessary for them. Hey, they were monstrous Spec Ops Agents but they still needed rest!

Though speaking of rest, Nico honestly didn't feel all that tired at the moment as he looked up to the skies with a complicated gaze, one which betrayed the true feelings which roiled behind it. 'Guess good things don't always come at the end of the day…' the male mused to himself as he looked towards the skies.

The darkness of night had come to loom over the land of Lowee… or that's what he thought would have happened if the landmass wasn't under the control of Tzeentch still. According to his own readings, observations, and Biko's research, it would seem that even with the Barrier gone and their job was done this whole Landmass had become that of Tzeentch's. It honestly resembled a Demonworld at this point, at least to those who resided within it as according to his Demon Persona from the outside it would simply look like it normally did… until one got too close and the place's true colors would shimmer into existence like a mirage. Part of that Chaos God's many numerous schemes which it prided as one of its domains, something which made Nico wonder if they could ever truly be eliminated permanently.

Nevertheless, the fact that he felt a little frustrated that the Chaos God of Change still held dominion over the landmass remained ever constant. It reminded him every second that they had only won the battle, whereas the war against Chaos was still ongoing.

'BAH! CEASE YA MOPING, YA DAMN KING! THIS JUST MEANS MORE SLAUGHTERING FOR US!'

'...I wonder if Khorne would get a boner from all the rage you put out, Byakko…' Nico mentally retorted to his Ghoul Persona, sweat dropping at the abrupt interruption that he had done. It didn't blind him to the fact that he had a point though, since as Byakko represented his instincts as a Ghoul that meant a part of him relished the thought of shedding more blood.

'He probably would, as creepy as a mental image as that was. Moreover, just an update on the whole wounded creature situation.'

Unlike his Ghoul Persona, when he heard Biko's words Nico's interest quickly piqued at the mention of the unknown resident within his Inner World that he had unknowingly rescued during the trip to this place. 'Oh? What's the news?' he questioned curiously, wanting to know the score behind that thing. Actually, he still had loads of questions about that thing but had no illusions that he'd get them this quickly.

'First, it seems that the creature's injuries have been healed indeed, now all he will need is rest before he wakes up. From what I was able to examine, this creature has an infant's mentality at the moment so rational discussion is still a ways off from us. However, I took a look at his energy signature and I remember sensing something similar when looking into Sparda's origins. This creature may be like us in that he is connected to that DPU of Destruction.'

Now that WAS intriguing indeed, Nico mentally mused while his eyes briefly widened before a contemplative look formed over his features, his right gloved hand clutching his chin before he went deep into his thoughts. Something ELSE that was connected to his predecessor had fallen into his lap, which now that he thought about it made a whole lot of sense. He could sense from the moment he saw its form before it had entered his Inner World that it had been the same voice that had been contacting him, and in that case, he assumed this could mean that it had sensed his being Sparda's champion. As something similar to him, it probably intended to get to him like an asylum seeker trying to escape a war-torn country. If what Biko had said was true, then this creature may help him shed some more light on what Sparda was like as a person. So far, all he had known about him was that he had been a battle maniac to the extreme, as well as a brutally ruthless figure of the DPU era's history, essentially someone who Nico would have been exceedingly wary of if he ever met him personally.

'I see…'

'MEH, WE CAN SORT THAT MESS OUT WHENEVER, YOU STILL KEEPING THAT SHINGAN THING OF YOURS ACTIVE RIGHT NOW, AIN'T YA?'

Nico got broken out of his musings when Byakko made that statement, prompting him to smirk slightly while glancing away from the Tavern to the City's Basilcom, where the underground dungeons were located. 'You bet your ass I am. Even if I'm relaxing, I'm not foolish enough to think that asshole's got some kind of connections that he could use to get outta there. Plus if anyone tries to break him out I'll know about it.' He replied, narrowing his eyes at the Basilicom as dark, almost sadistic amusement filled him at the thought of anyone foolishly trying to break their quarry out of prison and booking it. He almost drooled at the thought with his inner beast actually doing that at the images of him slaughtering those prospective fools with his invisible Rinkaku.

Yet all of that just served to mask the fury he still felt towards the political Rimuto for his conduct in all of this, the fury that would have made him slice the thing's head off and drain his memories for more of that juicy intel he had. The way that he just callously disregarded the majority of his people and their capabilities, as well as the Spec Ops Agents themselves really pissed him off, since thinking about it what Rimuto's plan boiled down to in the end was just letting others (read: the spec ops) do all the dirty work without thinking about what they felt about it. True he had seen such things a lot of the time from those who were higher up in the social ladder, but there was just something about Rimuto's actions that pissed him off, almost as much as Yvoire's attempts to poison his precious Neptune.

Nico got so caught up in his comparisons between the two politicians that he didn't realize what he referred to Neptune as.

If Neptune ever heard about that then she probably wouldn't let him hear the end of it.

"...SIGH, well, hopefully, the judging system was purged of any corruption thanks to all of this shit. Assholes like that need to be punished." Nico eventually relented with a sigh, letting it leave through his nose as he turned his head away from the Basilicom and exchanged it for the much more thought-provoking multi-colored skies. "Though considering the way that things have been going, I'm doubting that will be the case." He muttered further. Maybe he wouldn't be executed like he should have been in Nico's eyes due to his abilities and foresight, but at the least, he should have his record tarnished for the rest of his life. Nico doubted that he'd be the only one who'd want that asshole's head either, with how many people he had condemned to die during Lowee's Fall.

"Just like I thought, you're still thinking critically about the situation DEATHSTROKE."

Glancing behind him when he heard a female voice say his name, Nico got treated to the sight of Raven approaching him from behind, a faint flicker of frost falling behind her to imply her method of transportation. The male didn't question that however, preferring the action of confirming her words himself. "Well, it's part of my job now, more so now that I'm the leader of the Tekkadan." A small chuckle then escaped his lips when a thought crossed his mind, one which he voiced as Raven stood beside him. "Now we have one more thing in common."

"Hm? You must mean us being small group leaders, am I correct?" Raven questioned, sitting down beside him.

Her guess turned out to be correct when the male nodded his head in response. "Nailed it. Though one can hardly call the Tekkadan 'small' right now, it's still nothing compared to a full-scale military like that of Planeptune or Lastation's. Similar to your group, but we do mostly hit and run tactics as well as other forms of Gorilla Warfare, something the boys are getting better at through each battle." he mused, a fond smile spreading across his face before something clicked and he glanced back at her. "How have the Tekkadan been here? And the boys doing alright?"

Raven nodded her head as she looked up at the multi-colored skies, a listless look in her gaze. "They have fared well, surprisingly so. Thanks to those two representatives of yours, the dwarf and the Elf, we were able to quell any infights as well as any disputes between them and the soldiers, of which there were surprisingly very few. Turned out that the soldiers all saw how the Tekkadan fought off the Youma and have had extensive fighting experience alongside them. All orchestrated by your group's staff members in conjunction with the leaders of this city's defenders, by the way."

So THAT was why there were so few fights between the two groups, Nico mused as he processed Raven's words. It was part of a project meant to help the groups cooperate, which made sense since they would falter inefficiency if they were at each other's throats all the damn time. ESPECIALLY if they were to be attacked by Youma during their potential conflicts. He'd assumed that it had been due to his boys keeping to themselves, guess his advisors and reps had better foresight of the bigger picture than him, which Nico found wholly understandable. "Ah, I see. That's a relief, glad that they were doing ok in my absence."

At this, Raven's lips curled slightly for a brief second before setting back into her default gaze, so fast that Nico would have sworn he'd imagined it. "Being a worrywart for your comrades… reminds me of the initial days of Team RAIL." she remarked, thinking back to when her group was first formed under the Spec Ops Higher Ups recommendation (read: demand). She remembered thinking about how this group wouldn't last even a day, ESPECIALLY with Lucy and her being opposites while the other two being males, a gender Raven generally disliked. She shook her head and cleared those memories, for now, remembering the other question Nico had asked of her. "As for the others, CYBORG and FALCON are awake, battle-ready, and willing to get back to work. They've been asking if you want to hang out with them by the way, since they didn't get the chance when you were here previously."

Nico nodded his head as he hummed. "Yeah, I kind of figured they would. But I doubt I'll be here long since we gotta escort that 'cargo' of ours back and report to the higher-ups left that we finished the Mission." Nico replied, sadly and one could tell VERY easily how much he meant it just from the dejection that took form within his eyes. He would always be down for hanging out with his homies, they were some of the only homies he really had after all. One could say that while chasing the ladies was a man's passion, hanging out with the boys and having a blast could also be counted as a passion… a very underappreciated passion. It was made even worse in this case since Nico hadn't been able to be there when the two had woken up, too busy getting shit done. Raising his head back up to look at her again, Nico decided to at least request the team leader. "I know this is selfish of me, but could you let them know I'm wishing them well till we meet again? In case I truly can't find the time to see them."

"Of course," Raven replied immediately, her steel gaze a sign of her resolve to commit to the task at hand. She had always been well aware of the bond of camaraderie between her two male team members and Nico, even before they became a boyband together. "Ideally you should visit them yourself, but if not I will be more than happy to provide them your regards." She said to him, prompting a huge sigh of relief from Nico as his shoulder slumped downwards, a figurative weight being lifted from them that had been present since the topic of conversation had switched to his bros. "Now that we've confirmed that, there is something I'd like to inquire to you about."

"Huh? What is it, Raven?"

"What do you think will happen going forward?" Raven questioned, her eyes narrowing as she looked down into the surrounding streets. Down below, they could see a bunch of RABONA soldiers passing by, looking devoted to their duties as ever but the two of them could tell, they could tell that they looked considerably exhausted… something which the two could relate to more than they had anticipated. It wasn't the usual kind of exhaustion due to a lack of stamina either, no it seemed more like general exhaustion, exhaustion with the fucked up situation that their home had found itself in with a desire to see some sense of the normalcy that they remembered.

Seeing this through observation of their body language showed Nico why Raven had asked that question to him at this moment… well, one of them really. This WAS her home, after all, the place she had presided over in place of Lady White Heart when she had gone off to Celestia to fight the other CPUs in their petty Console War. He could imagine the kind of morale-boosting, optimistic answer that one might try to give to the woman to try and ease her worries a bit, to try and play the hero card in a typical cliche and cheesy manner. Unfortunately, Nico wasn't that kind of person, and she had asked him his opinion on this issue, hence she got his honest opinion as a response. "Honestly, I think we're still in the preliminary, Raven. The battle against the Youma may be concluding, but the war? The war against Chaos? That's only just begun… and on that one, I just can't seem to see an end to it. What normalcy that people are wishing to have, we may never have it the same way as it had been before ever again." he told her as bluntly as the end of a hammer.

"... That's so, huh?"

"Just being realistic here, Raven. Never was one to hold back on the bigger picture."

After hearing his words, Raven glanced at him for a few seconds, before returning her gaze to the streets below, the guards that had unknowingly sparked this conversation. "...Indeed, that appears to be the case," Raven responded, letting out a tired sigh from her person. "Though I am grateful that you gave it to me straight, never was one for tolerating any BS from anyone, even my comrades."

"aThat 'strong survive, the weak die' mentality, right…?' Nico questioned, getting a nod from the woman while she put one knee to her chest and wrapped her arms around the leg itself. "Yeah, well… if things go the way I think they might, then the weak will be freaking purged from our world altogether. The things that are coming, the things that may come to light, the world NEEDS strong warriors, strong leaders, to stave them off. We may have thought we were used to the horrors of life, but… in reality? This is just scratching the surface."

Raven nodded her head, humming at Nico's opinion while her eyes looked to be in a contemplative position. "You speak from experience, don't you DEATHSTROKE?" She remarked, getting a nod from the male which spoke more than any number of words. After all, she had been made aware of how her companion, crush, etc had been visiting various worlds through the Hellgates, as well as had exposure to things she probably had never seen before. Thus, those words carried immense weight and made her think real hard about Lowee's future. "I assume you are also referring to something else with those words, aren't you?"

"Eh?"

"You do not need to play dumb with me, DEATHSTROKE," Raven stated with her eyes narrowing slightly, a brief flash of cool air erupting out of her. "I can tell by your posture and the way you spoke just now. There is something on your mind and it concerns something you have been suspicious about, something to do with the Youma if I were to guess." She stated like she had found a fact from a world of lies.

Though, she may as well have been right considering the way that Nico remained silent for a few seconds, mentally debating on whether or not to say anything until he decided to just come out with it. "Yeah, you're right there. There are just a few details about all of the Youma stuff that's sticking out to me," he admitted, rubbing the back of his head while various memories played themselves out inside his mind, his mouth seemingly moving of its own accord to let his thoughts slip out into the physical world. "There's been various instances which have got me thinking, thinking about the Youma. That bastard Rimuto may have helped build those critters which we will soon eradicate now that their production line's been halted. But, why? Why were they made in the first place? Sure, they were ported in from somewhere else, and I have my own suspicions on where though I haven't enough solid proof, but more than that there have been a couple of instances which have rubbed me the wrong way, multiple ones." Nico explained, looking up to the skies once more. "This whole thing… feels like it's part of something bigger, something much worse than what we've seen so far."

"Glad to see the rest of the group have caught on as well."

"?!"

Just before Raven could say her piece or ask Nico what he had meant by those words, the sound of Katakuri's voice came from behind them. Both warriors glanced backward to see the man standing there, Trident on his back with his imposing demeanor being present in full. It almost seemed like Katakuri was like Nico in that he could stay away for hundreds of hours, though the redhead wasn't sure how the larger agent could pull that off.

"...Katakuri," Nico stated, nodding his head in greeting while Raven tensed up, having not sensed his approach hence why she had quickly raised her guard. Also, there was the fact that she wasn't alone with Nico anymore, so she had automatically returned to her usual demeanor that she had designated only him as worthy of seeing. Unaware of these thought processes within her mind, Nico observed the man and voiced his opinion on it. "Looks like you aren't as intoxicated as the boys down below." He stated, gesturing to the tavern they were standing atop of. The chorus of laughter gradually rose and fell, breathing life into the atmosphere. "Makes me think you've been working hard at something since you got back here."

On hearing Nico's deductions, Katakuri remained silent for a moment, likely debating something within his mind (Nico decided against using the SHINGAN on him for professional reasons), before he confirmed the redhead's theory. "I've been discussing with the other Agents about their opinions on the mission's progression. From what they've told me, and from what I heard from you, it seems we are all of a similar mindset," he replied, then glanced over to Raven who narrowed her eyes at him. "The word around the streets praises you and your team's efforts against the Youma, justifying your team's combat record SAMURAI." he stated. "That qualifies you to hear this, as well."

"So what you're saying, is that the others are suspecting something greater at play as well," Nico remarked before Raven could say anything. He figured that it was best to get straight to the point since nobody here seemed to be a fan of beating around the bush.

An opinion that Katakuri just rolled with, evidenced by his following words. "Indeed. if there was a greater force at work here…" Briefly, he narrowed his eyes at Nico which the male noticed, but pretended not to so the man could continue. "Then our conduct has identified us as TOI's, targets of interest. This includes the entirety of the Tekkadan as they have the highest Youma kill count amongst us, including SAMURAI's team RAIL, thus it's best for all of us to be on our guard shortly." He explained, keeping his gaze solely on those two which wound up resulting in both Nico and Raven being susceptible to a certain sensation.

One which both of them knew from offering experiences.

'This feeling…' Raven thought as she glanced between Katakuri and the male beside her, sensing a strange tension between them. The moment that she had felt it she had immediately deduced a strange 'connection' between both Nico and this man, one which her companion seemed to be aware of instinctually. It didn't take her long to figure out what that was and draw a conclusion within her mind's sanctuary. 'These two… they're both predators in their fields, alpha predators at that.' she mused mentally, but since this information had been brought to her attention she felt that as the Team RAIL leader she should go and inform her subordinates. "I will take that under advisement, EEL." Raven eventually replied, standing up and hopping off the ledge down to the street below.

EEL? Nico internally wondered what she meant by that, but a couple of seconds later he looked to Katakuri and quickly figured it out. 'Ah, I see. That must be his codename… Don't think I've heard him mention it once.' he thought, internally surprised at the fact that until now Katakuri had never revealed his codename to them. Mihawk had HAWKEYE and Rory… he didn't know hers either. This proved to be a rare occurrence, one involving Spec Ops Agents showing little regard for their Codenames unlike many of their colleagues, Nico realized internally.

As for Katakuri, Codename EEL, he didn't give much of a reaction to his Codename being found out which only further cemented the redhead's mental theory. Regardless, looking at the man silently for a few moments made Nico gain the resolve to start a conversation which he felt had been a long time coming, though whether or not it would end with them coming to blows would be anyone's guess. "There was another reason why you visited me here, isn't there? More than just the possible greater enemy that would soon be targeting us," he questioned, but to Nico that was more of a statement than a fact.

Katakuri initially didn't respond, but when he finally did his response caused the redhead to tense. "You're not just a DPU, are you boy?" The moment those words left his mouth, the redhead Spec Ops Agent slowly lowered his head so that his hair shadowed his eyes, a new tension soon layering itself onto the atmosphere surrounding them as he gradually rose to his feet. "The way you fought against that warrior woman, the one you copied the technique of, some of the methods you employed were quite questionable. Hits which should have landed on you didn't, and strikes appearing on her body when nothing was there, and lastly the way your movements gained similar properties to hers when she became more animalistic."

Ok, just how the FUCK did Katakuri know any of this? That was something Nico wondered to himself as he did what he could to keep his composure under this figurative interrogation. Out of their group, this guy was NOT amongst them at that battle but here he was, questioning details one could only have known if they WERE present. Did he have some kind of Recon Drone like Nico himself? Or did one of the other Agents keep an eye on him and report him to Katakri afterward? Nico wasn't sure as he internally rummaged for some sort of answer, because this questioning opened the doors to a BUNCH of potential problems that he didn't want to entertain the thought of but reality would have forced him to.

Still, if this guy wanted to play the deduction game, then he didn't mind playing with him. It would be on him for provoking a predator like Nico, something he should have known better as a fellow apex predator. "And what about you?" He retorted, turning on his spot atop the ledge to fully face his fellow agent. His head raised, allowing Katakuri to see the focused and stern gaze leveled at him. "For someone who seems to be all about getting things done to complete the mission effectively, you seem to have an awful lot to hide. In all our battles against Youma, not just at the Facility, you have always advocated for us fighting alone against large clumps of foes. Anyone lower level than us would have been overwhelmed by the sheer numbers, true, but any leader worth his salt wouldn't just risk their men in such a way every goddamn battle." At the end of his retort, Nico narrowed his eyes into slits, a low growl emitting from his throat. "One MIGHT think you were trying to hide something of your own." he declared, putting more stress on the word 'might' to throw the scarf-wearing man off.

Apparently, his words combined with his gradually rising bloodlust had the intended effect, Nico realized when he sensed a burst of bloodlust erupts out of Katakuri as well. A thick layer of killing intent roared from his body like a flame being lit, filling the air around them with a thick layer of tension… yet ONLY the rooftop got exposed to this tension and killing intent. None of the residents within the tavern felt or heard a single thing going on up here, mostly due to both their own joyous, loud merriment as well as the control over their bloodlust that both men possessed.

Yet as the seconds passed, the thickness and intensity of their bloodlust gradually increased with the two seemingly engaging in a battle of perseverance, trying to outdo the other in their ferocious bloodlust, to showcase who between them was the superior predator. They didn't move a muscle during this engagement, didn't need to, as their gazes remained locked together with each of their lips pressed into a firm line… well, Nico's was since the scarf-wearing man hid his face. Plus, while the two stared each other down looking like a fight would erupt between them at any moment, their auras flared as well, rising so that they each overshadowed half of the entire rooftop.

On Katakuri's side, his aura shaped itself into an Eel, one which coiled around itself like a spring behind him, ready to pounce on any given moment or whenever it perceived a threat to its person, opening its mouth to bare its rows of fangs within its maw. Its eyes glowed brightly like a creature of the night's, much like that of Katakuri's right now. Threatening hisses escaped the eel as it snapped its jaw multiple times in an attempt to intimidate the prey before it…

Prey refused to bow down before the oppression.

As for Nico's, he himself had an aura shaped into a being consisting of a MIX of different creatures, seemingly having once been some simple yet demonic beast... yet now, it predominantly took the form of a Centipede. One with various… humanoid features while it circled its maker as if to shield him… or cage him, one might assume. Its maw, that of a centipede, cluttered with its mandibles repeatedly making clapping noises while its antenna flared about.

The two men stood there, menacingly with their fingers itching for motion, a reflex action which got drawn out by their intense staredown. Just when it seemed to almost come to blows between them…

"Tell me, boy. Do you have any family?"

"?"

Katakuri's question came out of nowhere, nearly throwing Nico off his game in their staredown had he not regained his composure in the next few seconds and settled back into his deadly gaze. Behind that gaze, however, the question's effects could be PLAINLY seen in how flames of literal wrath lit up within the male's pupils. If this guy even THOUGHT about bringing his family up in a form of threat against him, he would not hesitate to act superior be damned. It wasn't like those who could truly restrain him were going to be around for the duration of this war, anyways. "So what if I do? What's it to you?" he responded with some hard questions of his own. "I hear the Charlotte Family are quite vast themselves, thus you must have a LOT of families yourself. There's even a few nasty rumors spreading about them or so I hear." Nico retorted further, his aura centipede rattling its legs.

"Watch it, BOY." THIS got under Katakuri's skin a bit, as evidenced by how his killing intent sharply spiked up. Just mentioning his family ruffled up the man's feathers it seemed, something which the redhead noticed as he felt his Kagune start to thrash against his mental control, a strong urge to unleash it upon the man before him surging through his gut. "Say whatever you will about me, but insult my family and you will DIE by my hand." he declared firmly.

In the end there, Nico almost swore that something slammed into his very MIND just then, threatening to take over and force him into the land of oblivion with his body and brain feeling real heavy all of a sudden. Nico pushed such things back after a moment or two when his legs nearly buckled, resulting in him retaining their heated exchange of glares. "The door opens from both sides, ass." Nico spat back, various veins bulging on his person while he felt seconds away from summoning his Rebellion into his hand. "You try ANYTHING on those who I consider family then I don't give a shit, I'll BURN your entire livelihood to ashes." After saying this, Nico took a brave step forwards with his shoulders radiating steamy trails that rose to the skies. "Believe me, my bite's as big as my bark."

...FWOOSH!

In an instant, the two were right in front of one another, weapons in hand as they stopped just short of striking at one another. Nico's arms both held Rebellion's hilt in a thrusting motion towards the other man's heart area, electrical energy from its HF technology crackling along its blade. As for Katakuri, he had his Trident Mogura out for a thrust into the middle of the redhead's neck with the tips touching the skin. Not enough to break through it (Nico's defenses wouldn't make that easy for him), but the distance remained notable enough that the redhead kept some attention on it.

Regardless, neither of them broke away from each other's gazes, refusing to admit defeat to the other. One might consider this masculine pride and chide them for it, then there would be those who'd mistake it as a declaration of passion (looking at you fujoshi's), but… after another moment of intense staredown dark chuckles escaped the two men as they stepped back, lowering their weapons for the time being. Their auras dimmed to nothingness, too.

"...I see now." Katakuri began, being the first one to talk whilst keeping his weapon on standby. His fury at having his family threatened raged within him still, but it was currently being contested by something else, something which had just come into being within him at this very moment. "You aren't like the others, are you? Your family… you view them highly. To the point where giving your life is an option for them."

Nico's lips curved into a dark smirk, the tight grip on his sword's hilt an indicator of the fury that raced through him while his inner Beast roared within him, desperate to bare its fangs at the one who DARED threaten his family, Yet, thanks to that exchange between them he had seen something, something which gave birth to something else that contested the fury inside of him… that something apparently being within this man before him as well. "You bet your ass I would," he replied, his lips falling into a flat line while his aura intensified even further. "My family is everything to me, precious to the point of being irreplaceable…"

Briefly, his gaze fell diagonally to the side, a brief softening appearing within them when he began to think. Memories of his companions filled his mind, from Compa all the way down the list to Raven. All of them, even Noire, MAGES., Tekken, and the Tekkadan, one could call them all a part of his family, a part of his pack, as without them Nico didn't know how far he could have gotten in life. A life filled with hurdles and areas which could have collapsed under him to take him down into the abyss forever.

Shaking his head and regaining that hard edge to his gaze, Nico returned said gaze back to the scarf-wearing agent. "Family to me isn't defined by blood, but the closeness of those you spend your time with. Some may be more so than others, but in the end, they are all 'family' to me, an integral part of my life that I would go tooth and nail against the toughest foes to ensure their safety…" Taking a momentary pause, Nico closed his eyes as a small smile formed on his lips, a soft and tender one while he placed a hand over his chest where his heart… the main one since a second heart existed in his body thanks to the Gene Seed Implants, would have been. "In that sense, my 'family' may be as large as yours, Katakuri," he replied, opening his eyes again to regain his previous stern gaze while lowering his hand and stabbing Rebellion's tip into the rooftop beside him. A gesture that showed his willingness to compromise in this situation whereas the memories of his companions actually calmed his inner beast down.

It was also a gesture which Katakuri mirrored, the man stabbing his Trident into the rooftop opposite him. The man formed a serious, stern, and intense stare of his own which seemed more like his usual one… mixed with a look of contemplation. "Your words… I'll throw them back at you, boy," he stated, looking off to the side towards the direction of Leanbox if Nico recalled his geography correctly. "Family not being defined by blood… it's a unique viewpoint, I will admit that" he admitted reluctantly, before shifting his gaze back to the redhead spec ops agent. "Family is EVERYTHING to me, as well. Everything I do is for my family, the air I breathe, every action I take, it is all for them. If I have to be a cold-hearted monster to keep my family safe, then that is what I will do."

"Hmph." Nico huffed, crossing his arms in front of his abdomen, his lips curving upwards a bit by the second. The anger in him from before slowly ebbed away from the more he heard the man talk about the importance he placed on family. It was… something which the lad could respect in someone, doing whatever it took to keep their family safe…in the end, it wasn't all that different to what he himself did daily. The methods and identification may be different, but the core principles were there. "I'll say the same, Katakuri. Touch my family and you're dead meat. Then again, you wouldn't find it easy to mess with them, I made SURE they knew how to survive in this world. I may not be around to help as much as I'd want to, but I CAN provide the means for their own growth." he admitted. Perhaps his family really were as bad as the rumors he had heard claimed about them, but if there were people like Katakuri amongst them, then they weren't truly as terrible as people make them out to be. Perhaps he was just someone who was a good person at heart but had a shitty family background, yet still devoted himself to them. Nico wasn't sure and he didn't think he had the right to judge, at least until he met them himself if he ever would.

Katakuri remained silent at this, but in the end, they didn't need to say anything more on the subject, their previous anger now completely vanished since they now had a better understanding of one another. They may be quite different in tactics, doctrine, appearance, personality, etc, but one common ground allowed them to reach an understanding with one another: family. Something which seemed so universally cherished, yet so simple a concept to comprehend. This clash had also shown them their willingness to go the distance for their family too, something which both could find in their hearts to respect if anything.

After a moment of contemplative silence between them, Nico decided to bring up another observation he had made. One which he felt would pertain more to the man himself than anything important like the grand picture. "This was what you REALLY wanted to confirm, wasn't it?" Nico questioned, getting the man's attention. Pocketing his hands inside his coat, the redhead elaborated on his previous statement. "You were gathering information on the other Agents you served with, seeing who might be the most threatening to your family in the future."

Once again, Katakuri didn't answer that question, which was exactly what Nico thought he would do. Any answer might potentially backfire on him and his family, something that Katakuri refused to let happen hence why even though both of them knew this situation for what it was, neither needed to point it out. The reason why Nico concluded this was due to thinking back on the previous events, of how they only escalated when the talk of the family came up. There had been this sense of interrogation coming from the man at the time that Nico couldn't shake due to… some past experiences, and perhaps that contributed to his rather extreme response. This could have EASILY come to blows between them, but that hadn't happened for several reasons:

One, they were in a city full of civilians and tired soldiers who had just diligently defended their homes and loved ones. They didn't want to sully those brave men and women by making their sacrifices worthless in the end by blowing apart the city as a byproduct of their possible fight.

Two, both of them had come to an understanding with one another, allowing them to see each other's intent for this conversation as well as layout what they stood for. This would make it easier for them to converse and fight alongside one another again should the need arise, something which both felt would be quite common if their predictions were any accurate.

Three, and probably the one they would use if anyone were to ask them about this encounter: they may be beasts and monsters, but they weren't stupid, brutish idiots. Those previous 2 reasons played into the third in that they had the brains to control their brawn, as otherwise a LOT of people would have been caught in the crossfire, something neither of them wanted. It had been a close one sure since both had a similar feeling of apex predator coming from them, so the risk of conflict would always be present between them similar to that of those who had the status of a Reaper.

With this conversation done, Nico turned on his heels towards the ledge while grasping Rebellion's hilt, plucking the sword out from the rooftop, and then returning it to his Void Storage. "Anyways, just know this: don't involve those I consider family in any of your own shit, and we have no problem. There'll be consequences if you do otherwise." Nico stated, glancing behind him at Katakuri through the corner of his left eye. Briefly, that previous aura he had exploded back into existence as a warning…

One which Katakuri repelled with his own aura. "I will say the same. Keep out of our way, and we will not have any issues. You try to hurt my family, I'll be the first one running my spear through you, that is my promise boy." Katakuri replied, and underneath his scarf, a small smirk spread across his lips. "You will fall since you aren't at my level."

"Hmph, fighting words those are. Don't catch your chickens before they hatch, EEL."

With that response, Nico hopped off the ledge down below with the intent to head-on away to some random hotel he could find. At this point there wasn't any need to worry about possible spies or security leaks since he was A: on his own, he could take care of himself, and B: most of the population were either far away from RABONA or too busy celebrating having freaking SURVIVED this long to give a damn about assassinating him for someone. He didn't care much for whatever reaction he had invoked from the scarf-wearing Spec Ops Agent, for he had said what he had needed to as well as reached an understanding with him.

Whether things stay like that though, would be all up to fate.


Later on, the redhead Spec Ops Agent could be seen walking with his hands pocketed in his Trench Coat along the streets, the coat's bottom fluttering in the wind behind him. The male currently looked like he was walking seemingly without much thought, yet still managing to avoid the odd drunk person or two that he encountered on the practically deserted streets while looking for a hotel to stay at.

However, the redhead's thought process would show a completely DIFFERENT viewpoint.

'Biko, you know how Urthemiel's doing?'

'He's currently napping in one of the forests he had liberated from Youma control, Nico. He'll be ready for the journey back, which will be the hardest part of tomorrow if you ask me.'

'Alright then, that's good. He deserves his rest after the stuff he's pulled for us on this journey. Once he wakes up, let him know that he has my approval for his conduct in this mission.'

'Indeed.'

A small fond smile formed on the redheads' lips when he thought about his resident Archdemon. The creation may have come from a rather painful method of procreation, one which Nico REFUSED to go through again no matter how many times one tried to convince him to create his own monstrous army, but he'd shown worthwhile results so it wasn't all bad. Therefore, any rest he got would be well-earned in Nico's eyes, especially since in this Landmass the opportunity to rest would likely be quite a rare one for him due to the stuff Nico had him do daily. He'd have to make a mental note to keep an eye on him in case he got exhausted or wasn't taking ample breaks, a weary companion wasn't an effective one after all.

Again, memories of that water trial formed in his mind that made him curse himself internally.

Shaking his head to get rid of such thoughts, Nico paused his stride to look up at the multi-colored skies above, his gaze one of melancholy and longing. 'Never thought I'd miss the moon as much as I do at this point…' the male thought to himself, a small frown forming on his lips. Not only that, but the various colors in the skies above reminded him of the color schemes his various companions sported, which also brought a sense of eager anticipation of his return to NINTENDO where Neptune and the others were awaiting his return… probably after a whole load of ass-kicking.

Though, when he thought of them all and their happy faces, his conversation with Katakuri returned to the forefront of his mind which made him glance down at the pavement beneath his feet. "Family, huh…?" he whispered, kicking an idle pebble away as a certain person made her way into his thoughts: Helena Dawson, his adoptive mother.

What was she doing right now? Was she taking care of herself? Did she miss him like he was currently missing her? Everything that had gone down since he returned to Compa's house that fateful day had taught him just how much he missed his mother. Nico had thought he already knew what it was like to miss someone whom he held dearly, yet with so many life-or-death experiences on this adventure it made him question that thought's validity. One way for sure to know would be to call her himself, something which he intended to do once he got back since Nico had a LOT to talk with her about. Both about duty as well as changes in his relations with the girls as he hadn't told her about his answer to them at the Hot springs.

Nevertheless, there was a lot of truth to his words back then, as well as truth in Katakuri's words. Family truly WAS an important part of one's life. They could serve as one's crutch in stressful situations, provide a means for someone to live even when there's no other, or they could be a source of heaven in a hellish existence like his. However, the family wasn't limited to blood if one asked him as Nico had said before. Perhaps there may come a time when he and Katakuri would come to blows revolving around their respective families, especially if one messed with the other, and if that happened they would inevitably fight one another likely to the death. That would be one of the only outcomes they'd settle with to protect their families.

However, there was also a possibility that they would leave one another alone, and that one was the outcome Nico hoped for.

'Nevertheless, I have family waiting for me, and this man won't be leaving them alone for much longer.' Nico thought with a drive revived by his talk with the other Spec Ops Agent. He took his hands out his coat pockets then adjusted his gloves, tightening them before he looked back up to the skies above. He then raised his right hand and made a fist up to it. "You lost this round Tzeentch, but the war's just begun. I'll kick your ass out of Lowee, just you wait and see." he declared, before pocketing his hands into his coat again and continuing on his journey.


Chapter end!

New chap here guys, the aftermath chapter. A bit of a confrontation Nico had with Katakuri there about the importance of family. Now whether or not this will be something that comes back in some way will have to depend on the way the story develops, but this should mark the end of the Youma Production Arc now. After this chap's posted I'll choose another story to complete in the meantime, then when I return I'll make a bunch of filler chaps to wind down the seriousness and try to insert some comedy into this series. I'll likely not be good at it since I suck at comedy, but its the thought that counts.

Sorry if there weren't any questions answered, but since nobody asked any before the chapter came calling I assume that people don't have any and are just waiting for the next chap. If there's still such a large following, I guess that's the case. Thanks for sticking to the story for so long guys, really makes me smile. Hope you liked the chapter and I'll see you at the next one.

PEACE OUT!