An angel. An angel came down from the heavens and shielded the menace from getting involved in a fight that wasn't necessarily a high priority. With a swing of her arm, Elizabeth knocked the demoness to the side, forcing the other woman to lose her balance momentarily as she tried to regain her footing.
"Ciel, go after Voros." The angel commanded. "H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. will handle things down here. Amelie, Charlotte, and Jonnathan are already searching for bombs."
"As you wish." Chuckled the bluenette at his cousin's order. "We'll end this in no time."
"What about Araneus?" asked the menace, reminding the pair of their remaining opponent. "I can render him helpless, if you give me a minute."
"You need one more chance to reign terror on that thing?" questioned Ciel. "Alright, make it quick. I want you back at my side as soon as possible."
"Aye-aye, Captain Poochie!" Alois answered cheerfully. Kissing the other man on the chhek, he shooed him away, sending the watchdog in the general direction of the clock tower. His smile then morphed into a smirk as he cast his eyes in the direction of the former Earl of Trancy.
"You're not faking it, are you?" he questioned, knowing full-well that his nemesis could not hear him. "Good thing… If you weren't brainless, you would probably be crying right now."
In an instant, Araneus reached into his coat to brandish a weapon, and the Macken did the same. Sceleri and Poena against Kaspar. As his foe pulled the trigger, the menace did as well, their bullets crashing together and knocking each other off-course. Alois crouched down, preparing to advance with a disturbing grin on his face. So that's where his last gun ended up? While the menace knew full-well that he could potentially die according to how good the other demon's aim was, he was still excited. He would be fighting his arch-nemesis on almost equal terms, and this time, he would destroy his foe completely.
"Come at me!" roared the lion, prompting the spider to bare his own garish fangs. The menace fired, following parallel to the other man as he tried to either dodge or flee.
The crowd of tourists around them scattered, leaving them to battle without distraction. Araneus slammed his foot against one of the outside pillars of the building, leaping off of it to appear on the other side of the menace. Before his feet even touched the ground, he emptied his gun, having to immediately reload it as the menace quickly evaded. The Macken's eyes glowed crimson as his sharper senses allowed for him to escape unscathed. Whipping around, he fired off his own shots, prompting him to have to reload as well, keeping his still live pistol trained on the older former Earl.
Gritting his teeth, the lion grew angrier and angrier with each missed shot. His brow furrowed. His face contorted into a nasty snarl. At last, he managed a shot into the man's shoulder, forcing him to retreat behind another pillar.
"Know fear!" he bellowed, knocking chunks out of the structure with the force of his bullets. "Know helplessness! Know despair! I will make you know them all, just as you have done for me, 'Father'!"
Elizabeth watched in almost a state of horror at the display. Yes, she knew that Alois said frightening things while working, but this was an entirely different scale. There was a genuine and sincere rage that boiled within that body of the menace's—one passed on from a previous vessel. He looked like a wild animal that was rampaging out of control, but the more Elizabeth watched him, the more he looked like a frightened child. Oh, so it was personal…
"Alois!" she called out. "Calm down! Don't become something you're not!"
While she only knew the Macken for a short while, she knew better than this. Alois wasn't a monster. He was intelligent, sensitive, and kind. He lacked self-confidence at times, which could lead him to feeling helpless or alone. Sometimes, he would get jealous if he felt that his position in another person's heart was threatened, yet he wouldn't do a thing to stop it. He simply didn't think he had the right. That man was only present now behind glazed over eyes that burned with icy fire. As Elizabeth watched him, she saw his face warp into a twisted grin.
"Alois!" she shouted one last time before taking a step toward him. Her amethyst eyes narrowed however as her arm reflexively blocked a downward slash from her own opponent.
"Oh, no! You get back here!" growled Verdigris. "You're the one who wanted this to be one on one, and I've still got business with you!"
The angel swung her arm hard, knocking her foe back. The other woman retaliated by striking at her again, and again, and again in rapid succession. Much to the frustration of the demoness, each and every one was blocked effortlessly by the angel. Sparks flew as metal clashed against metal.
Once Verdigris decided that she had had enough, she unsheathed a second blade, brandishing it at the angel. Her moves became more fluid as she was now able to continue swinging without having to pull back and prepare for another strike. Again, and again, and again, the demoness attacked, leaving her opponent only capable of blocking.
"What's wrong?!" Verdigris demanded. "Not so good with that sword, now, are you?! I've been practising! C'mon! Fight back! Coward!"
"You don't take defeat well, do you?" questioned the Hellsing, leaping back. "Underneath your usual calm lies a sore loser. How unladylike. Show some grace. You'll never be able to defeat me on your own like that. You were lucky that you had help last time. You wouldn't have escaped with those scars, otherwise." The other woman snarled in response, furrowing her brow and baring her teeth.
"Bitch!" howled the demoness, dashing forward. She was forced to stop dead in her tracks, however, as she was assaulted by a blinding light. Her eyes narrowed, hoping to shield herself from the onslaught, only having to readjust her focus once it dimmed.
A maiden donned in armour stood before the demon with a glimmering halo behind her head. At her sides were six sheaths—five of which containing swords, as the final one was currently in her grip. Reaching down with her free hand, Elizabeth grasped the handle of another blade, calling it out into battle.
"Nuntius…" she said, stating the weapon's name. "Opes, Franciscus, Defensor, Exiguus… Not many people see them, but you've gone and really pissed me off. Caelum and Nuntius, however, should be more than sufficient for delivering your punishment."
"Wh-wha..?" Verdigris gapped, being trapped in a bit of a trance at the sight. "You… you-!"
With that, she charged again, bringing one blade down on top of the other woman's head, only to be blocked. When she tried to deliver the second strike, however, she was forced back by the angel's. She leapt backwards, still earning another gash on her stomach. She continued stepping backwards, quickly attempting to block the other woman's strikes, and missing quite a few of them.
Fresh cuts appeared in her flesh as Elizabeth brought her divine retribution down on top of her. Verdigris backed up until she couldn't anymore. Her shoulders hit the wall of the building, followed by the rest of her back. Sparks flew as she managed to block a few more strikes, only for the demoness' eyes to widen in terror as the both blades were cut into pieces. In that moment, the attacks stopped, allowing for a pause. Slowly, Verdigris looked up, watching as the angel stood up straight.
"Verdigris…" Elizabeth said calmly, placing the tip of one of her blades against the other woman's throat. "For contributing toward the unwarranted loss of life, inflicting terror upon mortal citizens, as well as other heinous crimes against humanity, your diabolical life must be put to an end." She took the blade away, cementing her feet to the ground and solidifying her stance.
"You also messed with my family…" she added, winding her arm back and building muscle tension. "In the name of God…"
Her eyes flickered toward the blonde menace for a brief second, forcing her opponent to follow her gaze. Elizabeth needed to assess Alois' status briefly before she felt as though she could continue. In a split second, she let everything go, swinging her arm and staining the brick of the building behind her foe crimson, slicing into the wall and leaving a large gash as she cut through flesh and bone. Once she heard the demon's head hit the concrete, she stood up straight again, watching as Verdigris' body hit the ground.
"…Repent, motherfucker." She murmered, sheathing one of her swords with a displeased expression. Her attention shifted again, however, as she moved on to her next objective.
"Alois!" she called, trying to snap the man out of his daze. Alois was having none of that, however. He was far too engrossed in his dance.
The Macken fired almost without purpose, as if he were merely trying to frighten the expressionless shell that his "father" now was. He grew frustrated with the lack of results, wanting to know just what would break the other man. He wanted to strike fear into his heart and make him tremble, but his foe's current state did not allow for that.
"Hurry…" the Macken growled lowly. "Hurry up!"
As his foe stepped out from behind his pillar once more, Alois charged toward him, moving his head so that a bullet only grazed his cheek rather than blowing the contents of his skull all over the asphalt. His skin stung and it didn't heal right away because of the bullets, but he didn't care. Soon, he was right in the older demon's face and raising his hand to strike, but his wrist was caught by his opponent.
Ignoring Araneus' hand which held Kaspar, he aimed his own directly for the center of his foe's forehead, and the other demon did the same to Alois. Both pulled the trigger. A loud clang rang out as Alois' bullet struck the mask of his nemesis.
As for Alois himself, he held his breath as his head was tilted backwards, staring up at the grey sky overhead. Truly, sixth sense was a wonderful thing. He heard the clicking of an empty gun, causing him to look forward with a smile. Before Araneus could reload, he shot the gun right out of his grip. Putting the gun in his left hand back in its holster, Alois reached out, clutching the amulet around the other demon's neck. With a swift yank, the older demon's world came back into focus, and it crash down in an instant.
Araneus screamed a bloodcurdling scream as he was freed from his stupor. His legs collapsed from underneath him as he set sights on the menace. Eventually, his screaming died down as his throat became raw.
"Lions…" he managed to whimper. "The lion…"
"That's right." Alois said, taking a step forward, forcing the demon back. "And what is this lion's name?"
"Lion…"
"No, my name."
"The lion…"
"My. Name!" the menace roared, aiming his gun at the man.
"J-J-J-Jim!" Araneus sobbed. "Jim Macken!"
"That's right. Who has all of the power?"
"You do!"
"Who's weak and pathetic?!"
"I am!"
"That's right!" the menace laughed. "I'm not afraid of you anymore. You're nothing… As if a spider could ever defeat a lion…" He watched for a moment as the man sobbed at his feet, his amusement falling into disgust.
This is what he was hyped up for? This is what he had been so afraid of? This?! Alois grew angrier and angrier by the second. He was almost disappointed by this turn of events. Jim Macken had stripped his nemesis of all of his power, rendering him as a useless mass of flesh and bone that did nothing but cower, sob, and shake uncontrollably while whimpering and mumbling about the beast who did this to him. It was sickening. It disgusted Alois to have been so terrified of such a pathetic being, and almost ashamed for continuing to torture it.
"Not worth the time." He mumbled, turning around to walk the other way. He placed his weapon back in his holster.
"Have H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. collect this thing." The menace said. "They might appreciate a live specimen that they can experiment freely on."
"Alois…" breathlessly spoke the angel. "That's cruel…"
"His mind is completely gone. He won't know the difference anymore." Alois stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "Besides, if it weren't, he would have done the same thing to someone else. He's just being useful, this way."
"Doesn't that just make you as deranged as him, though?" Elizabeth questioned, her tone somewhat grave. "Don't fall to that place, Alois… You're a good man…"
"You don't know that…" the menace stated. "I don't care how cruelly he's treated. He certainly didn't care when things were reversed."
"So you're going to be like him?"
"I am not like him!" Alois shouted, his face warping into a snarl. His fists clenched at the accusation and his eyes flashed crimson. The woman before him was startled. She raised her eyebrows, but she did not flinch or step back. Instead, she thought for a moment, trying to come up with why the typically friendly man was behaving in such a ghastly manner.
"I'm sorry." She said in a softer tone. "That was a horrible implication I made. You have every right to be angry and hurt, but don't let it blind you."
"Then how am I supposed to handle this?" the blonde asked. "What's an acceptable way to deal with this? That man… He tortured me… He literally, fucking tortured me like a goddamn prisoner of war almost every day for two fucking years! You can't just come back to that all fucking hunky-dory, Elizabeth! You don't get that!"
This is what Ciel interacted with on a daily basis. It's what he related to. He knew how to handle the blonde's rage, simply because he knew it himself. Now, Elizabeth knew, just what about Alois captivated the bluenette so. They were the only two that they knew of who could truly understand each other. Elizabeth, on the other hand, had no hope of comforting the Macken or quieting his unrest.
"I don't know what to say to that." The woman replied. "You're right. I don't get it. I'm sorry. I spoke out of place, there."
Now a look of confusion slowly donned the Macken's visage. She was agreeing with him? That was odd to him. Now he didn't understand what was happening. The man examined the angel's face carefully, trying to decipher any strange alternative motive behind this. He certainly couldn't think of an answer that was straightforward.
"Preston, was it?" the angel called, causing the frightened Omid gentleman to jolt.
"Y-y-ye-yes?!" he stammered, sitting up straight as he was summoned to attention.
"You keep an eye on Araneus." Elizabeth instructed. "Alois and I are going to provide backup for Ciel."
