"But… Why?" Diana asked, more so to herself than to the Hunter standing beside her, "Why would Lady Camilla do such a horrible thing?"
The Mamono's world had been shattered on more than one occasion this evening. Her grip on the railing trembled as she looked out across the dying city, her eyes avoiding the road with all the bodies left out to rot. Even if she hadn't returned the telescope she knew what was there, to look in that direction would just conjure back what she witnessed; the loose flesh of the corpses hanging in the breeze, decaying upon their spikes. She shuddered when she remembered the jaws hanging wide, as if they were still screaming out in terror and pain. Their lifeless empty eye sockets silently judging her and all her kind.
The Hunter's own bird skull mask carried much the same resemblance to the dead Heroes, yet despite the rigidity of it's bone like material the brows seemed to droop, as if he was… Sad. It might have been the trick of the lighting, but the emotions the Kikimora could feel radiating off the Human told her the truth. "I don't know. But, that's something you can ask her yourself once we reach her."
Hollow green eyes glared questioningly up at Kautz, "…And why would you even trust me to bring you to her?" Diana sniffed, the ash in the air was starting to get to her, "I just tricked you, led you to where she isn't. Heck, we nearly fought each other just now! …What makes you think I'll co-operate any further?"
Milo reached into his pocket, causing the Kikimora to stiffen until he brought out a clean white cloth, to which he offered down to Diana. "…Because you want to know her reasons just as much as I do. Nobody, even within the Order knows why she did it. Only Camilla does."
"Such… Utter nonsense…" Diana sniffed, rubbing her face with the handkerchief. "You must have really bonded with that mask, because you're a real bird brain."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Milo bowed his head graciously, "You know, my Master once said something similar, when she gifted me this mask."
"They sound like they know you well," some of the life was returning to the Kikimora, her eyes were still bloodshot and her face pale, but her ears and feathered tail didn't seem to droop so much. "…I only wish I knew my own so well. Then maybe… Maybe I could I have done something."
Kautz shook his beak remorsefully, "That I doubt, there's not much one can do to change the mind of an Ancient Vampire Lord." Diana was about to correct him when he pushed off the railing and began to walk towards the steps that lead off the balcony. "But, I suppose it's worth a shot. Come, we haven't much time left."
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Roderick bared it for as long as he could; his will was iron and his drive was enduring. If he could just wait them out his chance to escape from this hell was there… He just needed to bide his time and ignore these heathens…
"Aww, he's so adorable when he pouts! Look, his cheeks are all puffy!" He just needed to focus…
"I think that's more to do with his busted face than his natural boyish charms," the Hellhound corrected her junior while admiring the sharpness of her own claws. Noticing that Roderick was watching her she flashed him a fanged grin. "Though, if you give him to me for a few rounds later on I could see if I can't make his face permanently swollen up. Give him a real 'bad boy' charm with some black eyes."
"I think having a few bruises are the mark of a real warrior," the Oni carrying him seemed to agree, "After we meet up with Camilla-sama and this siege is over I'll see if you two can't have a sparing match. Boy needs to train hard to become as strong as his Aniki!"
"…What do you know about my Brother?!"
All eyes raised their eyebrows at the young boy slung over the Oni's shoulder, several shared glances conveyed a silent conversation between all the Mamono present. The heavy gauntlet holding Roderick gently patted him on his back (though it felt almost as if she was aiming lower than she really meant to). "You'll know more about Nathan-sama once we meet up with the Mistress."
A burning coal lodged itself inside the prince's stomach; he felt the heat rise to his face as he set them all with his piercing ice blue glare. "Don't you dare speak his name, filth!" Roderick snarled, "If I hear you utter anything regarding him that isn't pointing me to his location or prostrating for using his name I will make sure I cut all of your tongues out!"
The Hellhound snickered, "Geez, and here I thought Herma had a fowl tongue!"
"HEY! My tongue is sweet and delicious!" the girl in question puffed her cheeks and stuck her tongue out. "It's that wet mutt smell that he reminds me of, much like your own! Maybe I should hypnotize you into taking a bath for once Bielka!"
The leader of the group sighed in exasperation once again, "Nobody is cutting anyone's tongues out or… Now actually, that last one might be somethin for me to consider…" Bielka looked taken aback that her leader was even considering letting Herma do that to her! She smelled just perfectly fine! That was just her natural Alpha musk, and any self respecting wolf would never give that up willingly!
Roderick looked between all three of them, silently confirming his suspicions in his mind. By the Goddess… They're all morons…
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"Well… Fuck. That isn't good…" Gloria took a step back, anxious sweat running down her grey forehead. The Lich grit her teeth as another wave of energy surged out of her palms.
It had been several minutes since she had lost control of the ritual. No matter what she did, be it chanting her cancellation command, or even attempting to redirect the mana flow the arcane power kept pouring through. The air within the stone bricked crypt was starting to become so thick with mana that Gloria was practically swimming in it, or more accurately, drowning in it. Even though the undead didn't need to breath the blue flame of her soul that was kept inside her phylactery felt as if it would be snuffed out…
Purple lightning cracked within the enclosed room, scorching anything it touched with atomizing strength. The runes formed with chalk along the floor pulsed with blinding light along with each surge that came out of Gloria, the rate it pulsed was as if it was channeled from a still beating heart, though none of the crypt's current residence had any such thing anymore. The Zombies still strapped to the gurneys thrashed and howled with maddening pitches. Gloria wasn't sure which would end up ripping her apart first; the spell she had attempted to cast, or the gnashing blood thirsty monsters that were attempting to break free of their restraints.
As purple cracks began to etch themselves along the Lich's grey arms she knew it was too late for her. Gloria clamped her eyes shut, a single tear rolling out along her cheek. "I'm sorry… Camilla… I failed you…"
"Who gave you permission to fail?"
All at once the torrent of mana that had filled the room seemed to vanish, the wild magiks that had been tapped into were quelled by one of such a greater will. The Arch Lich slumped to her knees, still barely holding up her hands to maintain the ritual, if she still bothered to use her lungs she would most likely have been gasping for oxygen by now.
The Mamono didn't need to open her eyes to know who had intervened; there was only one being Gloria knew who could do such a feat, one who was much older than even she was.
There was the sound of clacking coming from behind her, each step was timed perfectly and resonated with a crisp echo. The high heels eventually came to stop right in front of Gloria. "Rise my friend, rise as you will with my legion."
Standing before her, in all her pride and majesty was Lady Camilla Von Kharstien. Her regal bearing shone through the dim light inside the dirty underground room; cool red eyes gently stared down at Gloria, her platinum hair waving behind her in the now tamed magical breeze. The Vampire's slim face was set in a bemused half smile.
"My Lady…" Gloria shakily stood back up, she felt the urge to bow to her master, but to do so would break her tentative grip on the spell. "I… I thank you for your assistance. My work and myself would be lost if you had not arrived…"
"Always putting your work before yourself I see, Gloria," Camila's delicate brow crumped into a concerned frown, "What good is a castle without companions to share it with? We both know how the ages of loneliness can wear away at us in our extended lifespans. Do not forsake me to be alone with only your toys to remind you by."
"I'm sorry… tapping into the lay lines has been… Arduous…" the Lich nodded towards her phylactery cross behind her strapped to her back, the same purple lines that had spread to her limbs had encroached upon the demonic silver rosario. "Had there not been some interference from above… the ritual would have been a success… But there is something… Pulling at my power… It tugged at the strings… And now…"
Camilla raised her hand, "Say no more, I can tell it has strained you more than needed to be. I shall hunt down what fowl trick the Order dogs have played upon us, and by the end of this night they shall hurt us no more!"
Gloria watched as a malevolent glint cut across Camilla's crimson eyes at the mention of the Humans. She knew why her old friend wished to bring about their destruction, but she felt there could have been better methods perhaps than to have her meddle in ancient pre-Lilith rituals. Though the results would no doubt be effective, they has not been tested thoroughly within the current thaumatic environment. With the current Demon Lord's alterations to the equation it would perhaps be approximately twenty three percent less eff-
"Glo, I can see your gears ticking away in that skull of your's…"
Gloria's ashen skin along her cheeks reddened somewhat in embarrassment, "I… I… I can't help but analyse the conundrum and come up with hypothesises! Also… brains don't have gears or 'tick' like you say!"
Camilla giggled at her friend's literalism, "It's just an expression, Glo. No need to overanalyze everything."
"Oh. My apologizes then."
The platinum haired mistress shook her head in amusement. Turning around Camilla observed the cadavers still attempting to tear off their bindings. She eyed them with a critical eye; Zombies were never her favorite to deal with, they rotted out in most conditions, could never truly be controlled or ordered around, and their decaying bodies were perhaps one of the weakest amongst the Mamono. Even a small hamlet of farmers could perhaps manage to fend one or two off. Their real strength came in their numbers however, traveling in a horde using their bodily mass to deal with any problems that stood erected in their way. Unfortunately after the last party of 'Heroes' came by they had cut down Kharstien's resident brainless horde into no more than two dozen or so.
That was about to be solved though, to make up for their shortcomings Gloria had been tapping into the Arse Goetia and using its incantations to draw in power from the natural mana lay line that was buried beneath the castle. Looking at these monsters now… Camilla was sure they would tear any foolish Human limb from limb.
Each gurney had what appeared to be giant slabs of muscle the size of an ox tied down to it. Each quaked with unbridled rage and feral madness, their razor sharp teeth already torn through their chokers, everyone of them baying and screaming out in unnatural pitches, their vocal cords already rotten or torn from the experiment.
"Are they ready?"
"Umm… According to my calculations… Taking in their uncontrollable violent outbursts and the unstable nature they are most unsuitable for frontline combat. Giving them orders or directions is neigh on impossible. There is also the matter with their thaumatic resonance was altered as a by-product of how the ritual was preformed in a less than idea state..." A cannon shot from above rocked the ceiling once more, obviously the battle was still raging above ground. Gloria was given a gesture by Camilla to speed it along, "Uhh… I… Well… I suppose… They… Could be?"
"It'll have to do, we're in need of their ferocity at repelling this siege. Send them above ground in a teleport once I give the signal… I want to be there to see the Human's look upon their faces, as it's devoured by these beasts!"
Lady Camilla looked out at her mad undead dogs, tonight she would unleash hell upon these invading Order vermin! They will know pain unlike anything they've ever witnessed. Pain that would still not compare to how Camilla felt after they had taken away her love…
Turning again to Gloria the Vampire Lord fixed her with a deadly serious expression, one that was born of a worry that had grown in her all night. "I have one last favor to ask… Will you stay by the vault? …I need you to protect it in case the worse shall happen."
"My estimates on such a possibility to occur is 0.00000^79.98… But I shall protect Maria with all that I have."
"Good… Good…" Camilla felt relieved at her friend's reassurance, but something at the back of her neck itched… The last time she felt so was when she had lost her Husband. She never prayed to any of the deities… But she desperately wished that such a similar tragedy would not occur tonight.
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Milo followed the Kikimora down the marble steps, his mind wandering slightly as they descended to the garden below. Each foot fall bringing him further into the gloom waiting below. The only source of light was still just the glimmer of moonlight through the black clouds above the castle, none of the castle windows had any candles or lanterns, an eerie atmosphere draped along the statues and shrubbery in the courtyard, it really did seem as if Kharstien had finally died and was abandoned. If it weren't for the clap of thunder from the cannons outside the walls then Milo would have thought they had already won the battle.
The Hunter knew better than such; danger and monsters still prowled in the shadows, if he let his guard down too much he could easily become prey to an ambush. But, the night had been long and it had taken it's toll upon his body already; the bouts from earlier had left him bruised and drained of his own mana, it would take some time for it to naturally recharge. Even with supplements he had taken earlier it would never beat a good rest. The effects of the Holy water he had injected still ached his arm and drained him further as it had been busy mending the cut flesh…
Milo just wanted this night to be over already, sleep beckoned to him sweeter than any Siren's call.
Finding anything to focus on to keep his attention sharp he found himself listening to the clacking upon the lichen covered steps, the sharp clicking of each 'heel' of his companion hitting the stone sounded slightly off. Gazing down past the hem of her black maid skirt and the large red feathered tail Milo saw with closer inspection why the steps sounded off to him; they weren't boots on the maid's legs, they were in reality golden scaled claws kept in a form resembling a boot. The ends of the 'boots' separated slightly into four different talons, with a fifth forming a high heel at the back. If these were the same legs he had read about in his studies then they would have no problem spearing him through if Diana ever decided to kick him… Something he made note of to avoid if he could.
"Ummm… C-could you not keep staring?"
Diana had apparently caught on to Milo's observation. The red feathers poking out from beneath the maid uniform bristled slightly as the Kikimora tucked her legs out of view behind them. The girl's face was quite flushed, as she held his gaze with a slight frown.
As if she's worried I might be ogling her… Preposterous, I'd sooner watch a pig rolling in dung before I'd see her like that! Though outwardly Milo never voiced his thoughts, he instead rolled his eyes before walking past the maid. "I would ask as well that you could walk a bit less noisily, but I suppose that's out of your ability to do so with those chicken legs."
That seemed to push the right button, as the Mamono increased her frown alongside her embarrassment, her rosy cheeks now almost as bright a red as her hair. "They are not 'chicken legs'!"
Milo just looked back down at yellow scaled legs, both seemed to anxiously take a step back up the stairs at being seen so intently. The Hunter slowly turned his beak back up to Diana, before staring back down. A slight chuckle came from beneath the mask. "…If you're not a dog, and not a fowl, then what even are you?"
Diana was about to give the jerk a piece of her mind and pointing out it was hypocritical of him when he was dressed up like an owl in a suit, when the noise of a wooden door being opened came from down across the courtyard.
"-I'm telling you Biekla, you've gotta break his mind first before you marry him, otherwise if you rough him up first he'll just be harder to re-wire with a concussion."
"And I say having a good fight first to test how strong he is best! How else would you know without any brain mumbo jumbo to fog up his mind? Fighting is all about the reaction times as well as the strength to land the hit, take that out and you might as well be mating with a drone."
"Yep, again I've gotta side with my furry underling here; she's right about how fast he should be, otherwise in bed he'll prob take forever to climax if he's slow in both heads."
From across the open courtyard came three Mamono engrossed in their philosophical debate on man catching… Something it seemed the Oni had managed to do already, as she had a blonde Order soldier slung over her shoulder like a sack of vegetables. Diana instantly recognized the girls and squeaked as she ducked behind Milo's cape for cover. The Hunter didn't complain, as his attention was focused more so on the group; he recalled seeing the Gazer and the Hellhound from when he was scaling the wall, though his eyes were drawn more so to their captive. The boy was battered, bruised, and his armor was practically destroyed, but on the march to Kharstien Milo had unfortunately suffered through several meetings with the high and mighty lad. …Always knew the Prince would be useless in a fight, guess he took the easy way out in the end.
It seemed they weren't the only ones to notice the other's company, as the Hellhound stopped in her tracks before sniffing the air. She motioned for the others to halt as well then immediately snapped her face up the staircase to where the Human and maid stood. "Girls… We've got company."
Roderick looked up to see the Hunter standing above him on the stairs, his face turned from that of sour displeasure to giddy relief. "Oh thank the Chief Goddess! Hunter, slay these morons and save me!"
The girls next to him gave him a unpleasant stare, the large Oni however just smacked Roderick across the top of his head with a meaty hand, eliciting a pained squawk from the Prince. "Shush you! Adults are busy here."
The giant Red Oni strode forth, coming to the base of the stairs with her bounty still struggling above her massive bicep. The golden glint of her eyes reflected the light from the moon above, the savage grin told volumes about this Oni's intention. "Interesting to see one of you bird beaks back ere… I wonder how it is you got past all my guards?" Milo didn't reply, but from how the Oni looked to behind him to the shaking red feathered tail sticking out she made her own guess. "Well well well, looks like we've got ourselves a spy in our midst!"
Diana stiffened behind the Hunter's cloak, despite her apprehension the red headed maid poked out from the other side to sheepishly grin towards the Mamono before them. "…I-I-I'm not a spy! H-honest!"
"…She's telling the truth there, she's more of a bargaining chip, nothing else… Much like how you have one trussed over your back."
The Oni made a deep laugh, her tone was anything but jovial however. "Odd then that she ain't even tied up! You run outta rope hanging my girls up by their necks?"
Milo chanted a few cants before he drew his saber, his boots shimmered with mana as he aimed the blade directly in the approaching Monster's face. "Not yet, just that I can keep a tight grip on someone's neck already without the need for such. I've got quite the reach…" In a flash the dark clothed owl Hunter disappeared, all the Mamono and even the Prince stared in slack jawed bewilderment as the Hunter was dematerialized.
In the next split second Ibaraki felt the sudden urge to dodge backwards. The gut instinct saved her throat from being sliced as Milo's blade zipped through the air, instead the tip of the blade actually cut a few stands of blonde hair from the top the boy's head.
"HEY! You're supposed to be rescuing me!" The Prince cried out indignantly, shaking a fist to the other Human.
Ibaraki looked to her left with a raised eyebrow, a curious smirk on her face, "…Since when did you squirm out of your bindings?" The boy's face paled, realizing too late his mistake in revealing his secret to escape. In a desperate attempt to make use of the slip up he jabbed his fist out at his captor, smacking her right on the nose.
"OW! Shit!" In retaliation the massive woman clubbed the lights out of her prisoner, who went limp with the second concussion that evening. In all fairness, it wasn't that he had done any damage to the Oni aside from a nosebleed, but Ibaraki didn't have time to deal with the youth's tricks right now. Turning to her Hellhound subordinate the Prince was tossed unceremoniously in the air, luckily the wolf kin was quick on her toes and dashed forwards to catch the flying ragdoll.
"Bielka-san, take the boy, I'm gonna need both hands to finish this big guy off."
Turning back to the Hunter Ibaraki found that he had surprisingly been waiting patiently by the foot of the stairs, still ready to charge at any moment, but none the less had allowed the exchange to happen. From behind the mask the gleaming yellow eyes caught the Oni's. "Don't get me wrong, I'd just hate to explain why the Duke's idiot heir was cut to ribbons."
Ibaraki snorted, she was gonna enjoy fighting this one. He might even survive more than a few minutes if he was being this cocky. "Sure, whatever you say."
The two began to circle each other, like two wolves sizing each other up, looking for weaknesses or chinks in the other's armor. Ibaraki noticed the cut along the Hunter's left sleeve along with the bandage underneath, perhaps from a previous bout. At the same time Milo took in a similar notice of the Red Oni's right arm gauntlet, the full plates covered nearly the whole arm, which seemed a bit out of place for one who wore next to no other armor; it's movements were also unnaturally stiff, even when you factored in the bulk of the slated pieces. Both opponents took in as much info as they could before they stopped at nearly the same spots they started from.
"Now ere I thought I'd be missing the battle on my way to my Lord, but it seems the Order was so kind enough to send me a little gift!" The Oni licked her lips as she held up her spiked metal bat. "Name yourself Order soldier, and let us do battle!"
"…Names are for the living to call each other by, and only one of us will be walking away from here." The Order Hunter made the sign of the Chief Goddess as he said a quick prayer for strength in battle.
The Oni shook her head, mildly disappointed, but not willing to press the issue any further. She'd get her answer from him, whether he was able to walk out without a broken pelvis was another matter entirely.
With all the Mamono present silently watching with bated breath the two fighters coiled themselves, ready to pounce on the slightest provocation.
"Come nameless warrior, let's fight!"
"…I don't have time for this… Be a good bitch and let me take your head already."
And they were off.
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"TRAITOR!"
With Ibaraki and Kautz swinging madly at each other, and Bielka holding onto their captive, Herma took the chance to circle around to the stairs where Diana still stood. "N-No! It's not like that, I swear!" Diana backed up as an irate Herma advanced upon her. With Kautz busy fighting the guard Captain she no long had anyone to hide behind. "We're… We just… We just came across each other!"
"Then why were you just casually standing right next to him?!" Herma snapped, jutting an appendage towards the black cloaked Human, currently locking blades with Ibaraki. "Unless he's your Husband, which I highly doubt, he's working for the Order!"
"Erm, yes you're right, but I'm beginning to think there might be some grievous mistake here! I think we can just talk this out peacefully, no one else needs to die tonight!"
"Do you not smell the ashes? That smoke is all that we've treasured here going up in flames!" The black Mamono shuddered as she remembered the sights she had seen outside the citadel's walls… All the bodies chopped to ribbons. She had been trying to distract herself since then, but fooling around with Bielka and the boy only did so much. Herma felt sick, even seeing the Hunter's mask brought back the same feelings as when she saw the army of killers butchering her sisters. "He's a mass murderer! There's no 'Peace' with the Order, only by capturing them and turning them into Incubi can we be rid of them! Otherwise, our blood will be on your hands too if you help that bastard!"
"No!" Diana clenched her hands, shaking her head side to vigorously, "If we fight him we'll all just end up like how you said… I've seen him fight, no one here could stop him, except for Lady Camilla. But if we try to reason with him maybe we can-"
A tremendous crash suddenly filled the air, followed by debris falling from above. Both girls shrieked as smaller splinters of stone rained down upon them, when they opened their eyes it had seemed Lady Luck was with them, as between the Mamono stuck upside down in the soft soil of the garden was the tip of one of the castle's turrets. A smoking cannon ball rolled along the ground until it disappeared into a shrubbery.
"…Even if they aren't aiming for us they'll eventually kill us Diana, why can't you see that?!"
Diana was still in shock, staring at the pieces of the destroyed stone structure a few feet away from her, a chill went down her spine at the thought that it had nearly stuck her down.
Herma clicked her tongue in frustration at being ignored. The one eyed girl strode right up to the maid, raising her hand wide she brought it across Diana's cheek in a slap.
The Kikimora acted more upon survival instinct more than conscious thought… It was unfortunate that her 'fight or flight' response chose the former, as before she knew what she was doing her hands had extended their claws and slashed at the one who had just attacked her. Herma cried out as thick black blood sprayed out of a trio of gashes along her left cheek.
"…Fine. Have it your way… Traitor." Herma's tentacles writhed around her protectively, clearly agitated as each glowing yellow eyeball glared with pure hatred towards the other Mamono.
Diana blinked owlishly at the other girl, then back down to her hands, her nails now dripping with fresh blood. It took her too long to process what had just happened before the Gazer was upon her. The maid shrieked as she was tackled to the ground by the naked Mamono. The grass was wet with dew but it was soft enough to cushion the blow to her back.
"I should have mind raped you ages ago and turned you into a drooling slave!" Herma seethed, the blood from the cuts below her singular giant eye making it seem as if she was weeping in the darkness. "Maybe then you wouldn't have been picked by Camilla as her favorite servant!" A pair of slimy black hands gripped around the slim neck of the pinned Kikimora.
It was a struggle for Diana to keep the other girl off of her and still breathing, with the tiredness that had crept into her during the night and her muscles unused to fighting it became nearly impossible to fight back. Getting a grip on the slippery skin of the Gazer was impossible, so after a fleeting moment of trying to pry the girl's surprisingly tough grip Diana resorted to hitting the monster girl anywhere she could; she punched her chest, hit the black arms holding her down, even slapping Herma across her face, though at the end it was more like she was hitting her with wet noodles as the life was sapped from her.
Diana's lungs burned with the need for a gasp of air, each second Herma had her hands around her neck became pure agony. I… I'm going to die here, aren't I? A splitting headache reared it's ugly head by pounding through her skull with each rapid heartbeat. I DON'T WANT TO DIE!
Using the last of her strength Diana jabbed her sharpened claws into the soft belly of the girl on top of her. Herma yelped in pain and jolted back as she felt the stabbing sensation in her abdomen, it was enough of a reprieve for Diana to kick out with her naturally strongest weapon: her razor sharp feet.
The bird like talons of all Kikimora were never something you would want to be on the receiving end. It was said that some Mora who chose the path of a bodyguard rather than a maid would sharpen their talons to the point where they would puncture even a Hero's shield. Diana of course wasn't one of those fighters, she took rather a bit of shame to having such brutish weapons for legs, for they weren't elegant or soft like how other Mamono were, but for once she thanked her ancestors for giving her the means to getting her attacker off of her.
Herma's bellow of pain shattered a few stain glass windows nearby, the Gazer rolled and writhed along the grass nearby where Diana had kicked her off to; judging by the amount of black ichor on the grass and the wiggling tentacles separated nearby the talons had managed to slice off a few of Herma's eyeball appendages.
The maid used the moment to gasp for air, she hungrily gulped down as much oxygen as she could manage before Herma stood shakily back up again. Diana didn't know if she had the power in her to continue the fight, but she wobbly stood back up as well to face her tormentor.
"Now you've done it, Runt!" Herma seethed as she began to open the single eye on her face wide open. The eyeball became bloodshot as small veins popped along it's surface, the yellow glow it emitted pulsed with magical power as the Mamono concentrated most of her Demonic Energy into her vision. The pure black iris snapped into a near perfect vertical line right before she unleashed her species trump card: The Evil Eye.
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This Human was unlike any Ibaraki had ever fought before. He was fast, too fast.
His saber swung as if it were a mirage, where there was a distinct after image to the blade. The sound of it slicing the air came as a high pitched whistle through each arc. The Order dog was never too far behind the blade, often following through a slash with a side step to get around to the Oni's blind spot.
The last strike he made Ibaraki retaliated with her own overhand swing of her mace. The Hunter's beak twitched as he looked up to see the oncoming attack. With a deft movement of his feet the owl masked Human shot backwards out of range.
It was no small achievement to force the giant Guard Captain onto the defensive; usually it was the other way around, as the Red Oni would use her massive bulk to slam through smaller opponents. This time, it was all that she could do to just keep up with this bird beaked Monster.
A rapid barrage of swings from the Hunter's saber kept the Oni's iron mace up to guard her face. Each collision of metal grinding on metal sent sparks flying in all directions. "D-Don't know when to let a girl breathe, eh?" Ibaraki panted, several of the swings had made it past her guard, the red droplets running from small cuts mixed with sweat, turning the pigmentation of her skin a glossy crimson.
The Human didn't reply, at least not with his words. His left hand reached under his billowing cloak to remove a cylindrical weapon. Ibaraki had mere nano-seconds to roll to the side as the air she had previously stood in was filled with lead, smoke rose from the barrel of the sawn-off shotgun. The Human tisked when he saw his shot had missed.
"WOAH! WOAH THERE!" The Red Oni was now sweating bullets of her own, "That's rather unsportsmamonolike, tah bring a gun to a knife fight! Where's yer sense of honor?"
"…Don't care." Milo swung the barrel over to where the Oni stood, this time the shot landing a few pellets when the Mamono didn't dodge in time. It hit near the right arm, tearing chunks of flesh from the red skinned chest and the rest pinged off of the full arm gauntlet she had strapped on. Ibaraki screamed in pain as she held her right side with her other arm.
Milo made to push his advantage and finish the Mamono officer off, but something beat him to it. From across the courtyard came a blinding yellow light, it cut through the dirt like a runaway plow and shook the earth like an earthquake, it's zigzagging pattern causing massive devastation wherever it left it's burning trail.
Both Mamono and Man dove for cover as the beam sliced between them. Ibaraki was lucky enough to find shelter behind a statue of a Succubus, as a second later the oppressive heat of the magic laser splashed over the stone artwork.
Peering from around the mutilated garden statue the Red Oni's eyes blazed with fury. "OI FUCK OFF HERMA! When we're done ere I'mma gonna shove my fist right up your ass for that!"
What Ibaraki saw however wasn't a Gazer fucking up like usual, but instead came face to mask with the Owl beaked Hunter. Before the Oni could even swear the Human had brought his saber down; the blade itself wasn't too thick or heavy like how most blades were on this foreign continent, it was designed for swift strikes upon soft flesh and armor, so when it came down upon Ibaraki's right arm the saber didn't quite cut far enough to lop the appendage off, but it did slice through a few of the slats.
Perhaps the Hunter was surprised when his sword didn't cut right through, but Ibaraki wouldn't allow him the chance. With the blade still stuck in her armour the Oni grunted as she slammed her head right onto the mask of the Hunter. The Human recoiled immediately, stumbling backwards as his head rang like a church bell.
"Yer not gonna get off that easily! Time for some payback!"
The Oni grabbed the Hunter's coat before swinging him straight into the statue. Spider webs of cracks spread away from the impact along the stone, along with the sound of cracking stonework Ibaraki could hear the sound of several ribs snapping. Her suspicion that she had hurt his internals coming true as she saw globs of red fluids dribbling out of the owl skull.
She didn't let up, as now that she had her opponent pinned she took the chance to land blow after blow with her fists on the Human; he tried to fight back for as long as he could, but the massive fists raining blow after blow on his chest drained his fighting strength. Eventually all he could do was hold up his fists to guard his vitals.
"Haa… Just… Give it up," Ibaraki wheezed, still keeping her left arm pinning the Human against the pedestal. "Y-you… *wheeze* You can't win this now…"
With no further motion from the Hunter the Oni took the chance to indulge in her curiosity. Her damaged right arm reached up and grabbed the side of the owl mask, she wanted to see the face of the man that had pushed her this far. "Let's see that handsome mug then…"
Too late did Ibaraki realize her mistake, as soon as she had touched the mask with her index finger did her world explode into a million different forms of pain. With a howl Ibaraki stumbled backwards, her legs giving out as she crumpled to the ground, her limbs going numb as they twitched erratically. A crystal dropped to the ground and shattered, the magic inside it already drained from it as the boundless lightning it had once contained sparkled into nothing. The Hunter similarly slumped to the ground, no longer being held up by the Oni's grip.
The world soon started to blur, as shadows creeped into the edges of Milo's vision, he had lost too much blood and was bound to pass out any second. He probably wouldn't survive if he passed out now, the other Mamono present would surely rape him and corrupt his soul, or worse if they felt like taking vengeance on him. But, he was just too tired to care anymore.
He had done as much as he could, he hoped the plan wouldn't go to waste. The mission would still go on without him, Kharstien would fall regardless.
As the last glimpses of light faded away from his vision he swore he saw a shadow approach him. Boundlessly to be a Mamono ready to defile his corpse… Though for some reason it kept calling his name… As the shadow touched his mortally wounded body he felt no fear, only a strange warmth.