Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this violent conflict… especially for the one who is forced to obey.

~保護者~

"O' Death"

~保護者~

One… perhaps two remain.

Picturing his portal in his mind, Kaden silently calculated just how long it would take to acquire the remaining shards. There was one shard in particular that he knew would require a bit of time to get his hands on… and not to mention effort. Basic forces will not suffice. Not against her. A higher degree of force will be needed. Cracking open his eyes, Kaden glanced down to the floor beside his stone seat within the citadel he had so long ago claimed as his own. The triplets Alynn, Shyrr, and Tyrnn busied themselves by his feet, tending to their knives and waiting for permission to go out and resume practicing their hunting skills.

He let them be for now, allowing them time to sharpen their knives to perfection before sending them out. Instead, he closed his eyes again and issued a silent command for a certain high-ranking general to come to him. She was no ordinary general, in fact being the strongest fighter in all his legions. That alone was reason enough for him to call upon her as opposed to anyone else… especially given that he was due to be leaving soon. She could retrieve the shard with ease in his stead. Of that he was sure.

Zareil entered the citadel and calmly walked up to his throne, setting a hand on her hip and frowning. "You do not call for me often."

"You are not needed often," was the immediate response.

Hearing their voices, the triplets looked up. One respectfully nodded and murmured, "Hello, Mother," before returning to sharpening her blades.

She nodded to the child, kneeling momentarily. "You all are tending to your training, correct?"

"Yes, Mother," Tyrnn (the youngest by several seconds) confirmed, never looking up from her work.

Another nod from Zareil served as her only response as she stood, seeming satisfied. "What do you need me for, Kaden?"

Few were ever allowed to address him so directly, but Kaden afforded her that one small privilege in most situations. This was one of them. Opening his eyes, he tossed a disinterested look her way and muttered, "The Hexan woman thought it wise to take the World Eater head-on. She was successful, but the battle has left her weakened." He stood from his seat and walked over to Zareil. "She is still more than powerful enough to kill most any who stand in her way… which is why you will be retrieving the shard she has been guarding."

"Am I allowed to kill her should the chance arise?" Zareil asked, raising an eyebrow. "She is an ally of that nuisance."

Kaden bared his fangs at her and growled, "You are required to kill her if such an opportunity presents itself."

"Good," Zareil answered, a wicked grin on her face. "Any further instructions for me?"

Twining a finger through her hair, Kaden yanked her head so that her throat was bared, revealing an old scar of hers from a battle long since past. "No more of these," he said quietly. "It will not do to have your skin marred by injury."

"I would allow no such thing," she answered in kind, her wicked grin fading into a small smile. "If she does manage so, however, there will be grave consequences."

He tossed her a look that was vaguely disapproving. "Make no idle threats, woman. Carry them out and then perhaps I will take more heed to your words."

"I should not need to carry them out. Her head will be removed if the chance arrives, without further damage to my body."

His hand disentangled from her hair. Following the line of conversation still, he muttered, "Cover your legs with proper armor, lest they be removed from you." He turned away to walk back to his seat.

"Should they be removed, you would be given more access," Zareil joked lightly. Kaden's ear flicked, but he didn't respond. "I will find proper armor momentarily. I will not take the Hexan lightly."

"Hn." Kaden reclaimed his seat and murmured a command to the triplets, who all were quick to jump up and rush out on their much-awaited hunt. They had shown remarkable patience in spite of the bloodlust they were experiencing following their latest meal, and for that they were rewarded with an opportunity to kill for themselves again. With them gone, he returned his attention to Zareil. She was virtually the only person who knew more in-depth information about his plans and activities, so no explanation was needed when he said, "Malevolence has been quite abruptly startled awake… and much too early for its liking. If we are fast, we can infiltrate without the fierce interference I anticipated."

"Doing so would allow you to kill it far more quickly, correct?"

His initial answer was just a small hum, but he soon continued. "That is not the current concern," he admitted, closing his eyes again in thought as he reclined in his seat. "The shinobi we decided to corrupt… it was his Darkness that roused the beast."

Zareil's eyebrows furrowed. "Is his Darkness that potent?"

"Why else bother drawing it to the surface?" Kaden drawled in indifferent challenge.

"Yes, but for it to awaken Malevolence…" Zareil murmured thoughtfully. "I suppose I can even further respect the decision to corrupt him. That kind of power is nothing to scoff at."

"He is one of the most… uniquely challenging individuals," Kaden said quietly, "that I have ever attempted to corrupt. Even now, with so much taint within his own Darkness, he continued to find it within himself to resist."

"Would the attempt to further separate him from his lifelines increase the chances of a loss of control over himself, or is such an effort out of the question?"

"It would," Kaden acknowledged. "That is another task for you and you alone. The other riffraff would not survive long enough to handle such a job."

"Tch." Zareil sighed. "We could use someone like him. I tire of cleaning up for those that cannot perform, unlike yourself."

Kaden shot her a look for that little comment, but nevertheless continued. "You will need some degree of a plan if you are to go after him. 'Winging it' will not do."

"There is a being of Light there, correct?" Zareil asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.

"In a manner of speaking, there are multiple. Two are partial beings of Light while one is wholly a being of Light."

"I will need them to be removed from the area. They could ruin my skin," Zareil drawled. "If I remember correctly, the one 'blessed' with Light is actually somewhat dangerous, correct?"

"She is," Kaden nodded slowly. Then he added, "I will remove them when the time comes."

She nodded as well. "I will see what I can do. There are some formidable fighters among them, but few that should be capable of holding their own against me. Am I allowed to kill any that are not related to you?"

"Do as you please. I do not care what becomes of them."

"I will take whatever chances come my way, then," Zareil murmured softly, smiling.

After a small pause, Kaden unexpectedly stood again. He spied a marking on her arm and traced it with a finger, almost idly, as he said, "Take care not to let the Hexan cripple you with her magic. Replacing you is not a task I wish to take on right this minute."

"You will not need to replace me," Zareil answered.

Giving in to a baser instinct, Kaden leaned in and nipped at her throat once in mild reprimand. "Prove it, then."

"I will feed and then go. Best to take the power of those that cannot fight reliably for something this important," Zareil murmured.

At this, Kaden responded, "A mother is spawning near the southernmost entrance into the catacombs. She and her… family are not needed. They should make a sufficient meal."

"I hope so, or I will be disappointed," the female demon answered. "Keep the children from serious harm while I am away. I have lessons for them upon my return."

He growled a little. "After their latest adventures, they will not be straying far from here. They have lost that right for now."

"Good," Zareil huffed. "That was entirely out of line. I will not object to any further punishment for such actions."

His answer was a huff of his own, shortly followed by several harsher nips to her throat before he moved away. "Go, then. Any further talking can wait."

She nodded, turning to walk away. "Do watch the… cat. She is troublesome in her own right. Debris from her tantrum nearly hit me while I was visiting." With that, she vanished.

Reminded that he needed to check on the cat in question, Kaden teleported away to where he had left Astra earlier. The woman was currently in a near-meditative state, enough so that she didn't seem to notice Kaden's appearance. Her magic flowed about her, so it was plainly obvious she was engrossed in something. Kaden took note of that but approached regardless, a mild scowl on his face. "Astra," he called in a clipped tone.

Her eyes opened and she glanced back, blinking a few times. She opened her mouth to speak, but it took a few seconds for sound to come out. "Is there something you need?" the cat asked slowly, a faint frown on her face.

Kaden fixed her with a bit of a glare. "He has recovered enough from your efforts to be up and around. Explain."

"I did not want him realizing what was occurring. Him gaining knowledge of my seed will remove further chances of control. Do you need him immobilized?"

"Immobilized, crippled by pain, unconscious, I do not care. Keep him where he is and unaware of what is going on elsewhere. If he intervenes in this battle, it will be your head that is lost."

"All three, then. He will not be able to move of his own accord," she murmured, her purple eyes glowing. "It will take mere moments. Is there anything more?"

"No." Spinning around on his heel, Kaden walked away. It was high time he left and got to work as well.

~保護者~

Several minutes ago now, Espio had left Sako with his parents and vacated his home, seeking shelter in the deep woods. His departure had been quite abrupt, he admitted, but at the time he'd felt there was no choice. He needed privacy while he tried to make sense of what was happening to him. In an unusually restless action, he paced up and down the length of a branch in the tree he was occupying, massaging his temples all the while. After a short time he sat down where he stood, one leg dangling over the edge as he put his head in his hands. Whatever was happening, Kaden's corruption was the root cause. He was sure of it.

Instincts he had previously had no basis for understanding slammed through him, filling him with thoughts and emotions that he seemed to have no real means of controlling right this minute. He's issuing a call… summoning someone. ...Not me… but I can still hear it. Why? Why can I sense him to such a degree? Is this normal? Gritting his teeth, he tried his damnedest to focus on what his newfound instincts were so angrily shouting at him. There's a warning, too… warning everyone else away… We can't go near him. Interrupting is… dangerous. There are repercussions… punishments… Confused and not at all happy about that fact, he shook his head. Since when did he care about interrupting people, much less being punished for doing so?

Only after spending further time sifting through the aforementioned instincts did he come to understand several things. It was a truly basic, primal instinct for a demon to fear and yet be unwaveringly loyal toward their God. That loyalty went hand in hand with an instinct to display complete obedience, lest those fears be made a reality by the God in question. But while he knew this now, he was unaffected by the fear aspects of these instincts. Perhaps, at the very worst, he was somewhat wary. As for the loyalty and obedience… he wasn't sure. He did know, however, that he couldn't seem to shake the notion that they were affecting him to some degree. It was difficult to even briefly entertain the idea of getting any closer to where Kaden was, much less convince himself to try doing it just to prove he was capable.

Letting out a soft hiss of annoyance between his teeth, Espio stood and quickly teleported back to his house. He gave no one there a chance to speak, not wanting to face their questioning and concern, now or ever. So instead of dawdling, he located Armaris, took hold of her arm, and quickly returned to where he had earlier been. He was sure to release her immediately upon arrival, but restlessness soon had him pacing again. More thoughts like those from earlier swirled as his mind continued to try to make sense of everything.

Armaris frowned deeply at this, gently taking hold of his wrist and fixing him with an imploring gaze. "Hey, what's going on?"

For once, he didn't hesitate to admit aloud that he had no idea. "I don't know," he mumbled. He felt antsier and more restless now that he wasn't moving, but did his best to remain still right now.

"You brought me here with you, so you wanted me for something, right?" she asked, trying to prod lightly. "Talk to me."

Tugging his wrist free, Espio made himself sit down so as to avoid further pacing. After a second or two of trying to organize his thoughts, he gave in and just said, "Whatever Kaden did is… creating changes."

Armaris sat down beside him, keeping her gaze on him. "What kinds of changes?"

With a shake of his head, Espio muttered, "Instincts… I think. And I can sense him - what he is doing and whatnot." He hated bringing this up, hated taking these issues to her (knowing full well how much she, understandably, hated the topic of demons in its entirety), but he hadn't known who else to turn to.

Her expression visibly soured at this, a deep frown on her face. "Are… you serious?" His only response to that was to scowl a little. Of course he was serious. This was not something he would lie about - assuming he was willing to lie at all most of the time. One of Armaris's eyes twitched, but ultimately she ignored the agitation this topic brought on and sighed. "What are you hearing…?"

Espio shook his head a little, but forced himself to reply. "He called upon someone… and was warning everyone else away." He paused, reluctantly listening, and added, "He has begun calling upon large groups, now. Powerful demons… I think."

Armaris nodded slowly to this, thinking for a moment. "Is there anything else?"

"Something about there being repercussions for interrupting him. Severe punishments." He frowned again, trying to discern any better details, but ultimately found none.

"He's doing something big, then," she murmured. "I doubt that's all you wanted to talk about."

Though he still hated to do it, Espio had to ask. "Is this… normal?"

Armaris looked down, expression somewhat gloomy now. "Yeah… it happens, but it's not normal to be hearing Kaden to that extent."

Well, that at least proved he had been correct to assume Kaden's corruption was the source of this bit of trouble. Just perfect.

She murmured something under her breath before looking back to him. "There's something else bothering you," the cat pointed out. "You're definitely really stressed… or anxious."

That gave him some pause and prompted him to immediately try and determine if that was actually true. Except… he wasn't aware of feeling anything like that. "What?" Belatedly, it occurred to him that his racing thoughts usually did indicate stress, but… him, anxious?

Armaris gently set a hand on his shoulder. "You were pacing, you can't really seem to think, and you're definitely a bit stressed," she explained carefully. "If you're not anxious, then I've got even more reason to be worried."

He frowned again and admitted slowly, "I don't… feel anything." He wouldn't have admitted it to anyone else, but with her… he supposed it was safe enough.

"I understand," she murmured, wrapping her arm gently around his. "You… aren't entirely connected to your emotions. To some degree and some way, you've grown detached from things, and that makes it hard for you to feel like you normally would." That… sounded somewhat familiar. Whatever memories he had regarding that matter were largely lost to him now, but a fragment of one remained. He was somewhat certain he'd had a conversation somewhat like this one long ago, but when and with who and why he had no idea any longer. "Look, I don't know how to help you with this, but I'm here for you," Armaris murmured.

Though it was difficult, Espio suddenly found that he had it in himself to slowly and quietly admit, "I… appreciate that." Maybe it was just stress loosening his tongue. Hell if he knew, anymore.

A bright smile broke onto Armaris's face and she pulled him a little closer. "You better. Otherwise I'd have to be around you more." He huffed a little at this. She smiled more and nudged him lightly. "I don't hear you complaining."

Trying to regain some semblance of his usual self, he deadpanned, "Shinobi do not 'complain'."

His bit of dry humor earned a small smile. "Then, I guess you're stuck with me."

~保護者~

Wave was breathing heavily as she knelt upon a large slab of floating flesh. This region of space was so empty that only hers and her father's magic was providing any light. Needless to say, that had been useful in their fight. The fight in question had been surprisingly long, though overall uneventful. But the length of the fight… that had been troublesome. It took a lot more out of me than I thought it would. She took in a breath, let it out slow, then turned her head to locate her father. The tan-colored Hexan was busily disentangling himself from what remained of the World Eater's jaw. It had bit him quite savagely, but he had reacted fast enough to protect himself with his magic. He was unharmed, just as she was, and she was relieved. Still, she called out, "Do you need some help, Dad?"

Finally, he pulled his legs free, though he lost a shoe in the process. Making a face at the saliva covering his lower half, he pushed the jaw away with a foot. "No. I need a bath."

"I'll say, you do," Wave chuckled, managing a tired smile. "Why don't you go clean yourself up and let Alec know we're okay?"

"He would like to hear that from you as well," Han answered her. "Not just me."

"I'll be along," Wave assured, dismissing him with a motion of her hand. She got to thinking, though, and soon corrected herself. "Well, maybe not right away, though. I've got to let Jet know we're okay, and then I have to check on Sonic and the others."

Han sighed a little, but accepted without argument. He knew she had responsibilities. "Inform Jet that our people are largely unwilling to join in this war. He needs to know."

"I will." Wave examined her sword, deemed it clean enough for the time being, and then sheathed it. "You'll still keep trying to get what people you can though, right? ...What about your brother? I know you two barely speak to one another, but-"

Although he did is gently, Han interrupted. "I called upon him. He is willing to lend his aid, as are our father and aunt."

Wave's brow furrowed. "Aunt? What aunt?"

This earned another sigh. "Our mother's sister. She is like our mother, in that she has no inclination toward being good, but she cares enough about staying alive that she has expressed a desire to help."

"You'll… step in if she gets out of line, right?"

"Of course."

"Good. Just checking." Wave was quiet for a second before saying, "Go on, then. Go get cleaned up. You smell."

Han smirked a little at her mild attempt at humor. "Watch it, or I will share this… gooey 'gift' with you."

She made a face at the idea. "Ew, no thanks! I know dads like to spoil their daughters, but I'll live a long and happy life without receiving that particular gift."

He let out a low chuckle. "If you insist." With that, he disappeared, slipping out of this realm and into Lost Hex, their home realm. With him gone, Wave sighed and pushed herself up until she was standing.

"So, you're already alone?" Zareil asked, sitting atop another chunk of flesh, ripping a piece off of it and consuming it. "Shame. Would've been nice to kill off the pesky Hexans together."

Hearing this voice, Wave cringed. Aw, hell. With trepidation, she turned around to face the other woman. She was reasonably sure that she knew who said woman was, based on past accounts from Jet regarding his encounters with her, and that did not bode well. Still, she plastered on her casual demeanor with ease and relaxed into a smile. "Guess I should've expected that you would show up again sooner rather than later. What's wrong, bored of terrorizing Jet already?"

"Not my problem he can't handle his own mind," Zareil shrugged, continuing to casually eat from the demonic carcass. "Besides, getting you would terrorize him even further."

Wave stiffened in confusion. "Can't handle his- What are you talking about?"

Zareil stifled a laugh. "I suppose someone lesser wouldn't have a clue. It's not in my interests to explain a thing, but you'll get a hint. Poor guy has a bad migraine." The demon mockingly acted as if she were a child crying for a second before grinning. "Guess you aren't getting help this time."

Dropping all pretenses, Wave glared at Zareil and removed her sword from her sheath. "What are you after, then? Spit it out. I haven't got all day."

"Neither do I. Give me everything you've got on you and I just might let you live."

Everything consisted of her sword, sheath, clothes, and… Oh, shit. Now was so not the best time to be too tired to teleport. In fact, it was arguably the worst possible time to be in such a sorry state. Fucking shit. Hoping to buy some time, she played dumb. "I have nothing you want."

Zareil stood, armored body standing tall as she teleported her spear into her hand. "Raise your sword if you don't want to die immediately." Without giving her any time to do so, despite her warning, she was on the move, viciously attacking the Hexan. She bashed the pole of her weapon against Wave's sword several times before slamming it brutally into the smaller woman's stomach. Wave wasn't launched far as Zareil snatched her by the head and brought her knee up to meet the Hexan's chin before blasting her away with Darkness, pursuing yet still with immense speed. The World Eater… so much power to gain before I arrive.

Zareil used her long spear to guide Wave through walls of Darkness before resorting to vicious melee blows to keep the Hexan from recovering. "Give. Me. What. I. Want," the demon demanded, ever so violently beating Wave into submission. "And maybe you'll live!" This sentence was accentuated with a brutal kick to the chest, slamming Wave against an asteroid that she drug over with her energies.

Before this could continue, there was a distinctive golden flash of Hexan magic as Han appeared back within this realm. Seeing what was happening, he lunged for Wave and grabbed her, then teleported back out of the realm without allowing Zareil to harm her any further. Only, in his haste to save his daughter from her attacker… the very item Wave had wanted to protect was dropped and left behind. Given that he had no knowledge of the item's very existence, Han didn't pay it any notice, or return for it. And Wave, in the condition she now was, was in no position to do anything about it.

Zareil grinned wickedly, retrieving the shard and teleporting it to Kaden's world before turning and beginning a rapid feast on what was left of the World Eater. I'll kill them all if they make any mistakes. When she felt she was finished, she teleported to Mobius, outside the barriers of Hyale. Energy brimming to the surface, she launched a single attack against these defenses and tore a hole large enough for her to walk through casually. The reason why she was able to do so with such ease was deceptively simple. Being a type of vampiric demon, she could draw temporary strength by feeding off of the energies of others, be they dead or alive. She was strong enough in her own right without that little boost, but it certainly made this task vastly more easy than it otherwise would have been.

The demon walked forward, impeded by a sword that she caught in one hand and an arrow of Light that she had to twist her upper body to avoid. "I see, neither of you are actually worth my time, then…" Zareil murmured, clenching her armored hand around Aniko's sword tightly and glancing to Rose. "Don't blink, or you'll miss it." In that instant, Rose was forced into a defensive stance, forming a chrysalis of Light around herself to block the various blows that came careening at her one after another, all while Aniko attempted to draw her attention away. The butt end of Zareil's spear broke through the chrysalis, slamming against Rose's chest while the blade on the other side parried one of Aniko's strikes. Several vicious blows sent Rose bouncing off the ground with such destructive force that it knocked Aniko away slightly.

Right at that second, there was a flash of motion as Shei rushed in. Taking stock of the situation in a fraction of a second, he grabbed both Rose and Aniko by their arms and disappeared with them in tow. Rose needed to be taken away from here entirely, as did Sako (whom Shei had no choice but to carry with him), and Aniko at least needed a chance to regain her senses. As such, he took off with them in the hopes that Zareil wouldn't follow right this second. Zareil merely watched this happen, twirling her spear in hand as she continued toward the village. There were far more targets to brutalize, and the thought left her lusting for more blood.

Shadow was the first to realize something was amiss when he sensed Rose and Aniko's abrupt departure from Espio's home. When Shei burst after them not even a minute later, his suspicion only grew. His eyes lit up as he began rapidly scanning the area, quickly zeroing in on a source of power that had him teleporting two powerful handguns to him without hesitation. Tails spotted this and sat up straight. "What's… what's wrong, Shadow?"

Toru grimaced, unsheathing his tachi and crouching. "A demon. Very strong," the chameleon called to the others. "Prepare yourselves." His gaze fell on Shadow, a mild concern coming over him. "You sure you're wanting to fight this? It seems she took out the cat already."

"There is no choice," Shadow growled lowly, his fangs somewhat bared in an instinctual show of hostility. His gaze remained fixed on the precise spot where the demon in question was walking.

Tails scrambled to his feet, throwing an anxious look to Vector. "You need to get inside, okay?"

"Don't gotta tell me twice," Vector gulped, already heading back to the tree. Cream, meanwhile, stood with a grim look on her face.

Something about her expression made Tails's heart sink. "...Cream?" While he was speaking, Silver emerged from whatever tree he'd been hanging out in nearby Cyril and hurried over to the group.

The bunny blinked away a few tears and forced a tiny smile. It didn't last long as she murmured, "I just… had a vision. Of this. I… I don't think I…"

This drew Shadow's attention and his gaze snapped to her face. "You what?" he demanded sharply.

Cyril turned to her, a deep frown on his face. "What's wrong?"

"Surprise," Zareil beamed, slamming Toru out of the tree as she suddenly appeared, watching as his body gouged out the earth below. Tails flinched and just about jumped out of his skin while Cream uncharacteristically let out a gasp of alarm. Shadow, meanwhile, cursed under his breath and readied his guns with special ammunition while he still had the chance.

"Aw, crap," Silver exclaimed, already taking to the air and disappearing after Toru. He was gone before anyone could stop him, assuming they even wanted to.

The demon's gaze fell on Shadow and she grinned, reaching out to take hold of him. "I know someone who would really enjoy seeing you. Mind coming with me?" Tails fearfully edged away from the pair, mind racing as he tried to work out what to do. Tears freely flowed down Cream's face as he dragged her along with him.

Shadow had a gun pointed directly and unwaveringly at the center of her forehead in under a second. "Fuck off," he snarled. Right about then, Silver teleported back with Toru and cautiously tried helping the chameleon back up onto his feet.

Zareil laughed softly at this, then glanced slightly to the rest of the group. "Anyone with Darkness should come with me. That way your lives can be spared and I won't have to eat you."

"Eat us?" Silver echoed, horrified.

At that moment, Espio appeared right beside Toru and roughly yanked him up by the arm. "Up. Now."

Toru grimaced, glancing down to his body. Everything was in pain from the hit he'd been dealt, but he'd have to survive for now. "Got it. Any plans?" Toru's gaze fell on a shadow approaching rapidly, already understanding that Armaris was returning as well.

Whether or not Espio intended to reply, it was cut short by Shadow muttering to Zareil, "It would seem you're being ignored." His eyes narrowed. "Fancy that."

Zareil smirked. "Not important. I'll start tearing your little friends apart limb by limb if they think ignoring me will save their pathetic lives."

Shadow let out an indelicate snort. "When you return to your home… tell Father I am not in the mood for games." He said nothing further before firing once, loosing a high-powered and radiation-filled bullet through the armor on her head. He had no doubt it wouldn't hurt her much, but it did succeed in punching a hole through the metal and creating a wound to some degree.

The demon stood there, head recoiled backward before her helmet suddenly exploded off of her. Kaden, am I allowed to hit this boy harder than I would have before? There was a small pause before the permission was granted. This was unsurprising, given that he cared about keeping his sons and grandson alive… not necessarily uninjured. Her eyes flared open wide and she let out a bestial roar before slamming her fist into his stomach, launching him high into the air while letting out a concussive blast of Darkness to ground anyone that dared to attempt to intervene. "All of you will perish," she growled, slamming into the ground and storming forward at them with her spear in hand. "You made your final mistake."

Espio ripped a knife free, as he no longer had a sword, and motioned subtly for Toru to take a position by Tails and Cream. Silver gathered psychokinetic energy around himself in reluctant preparation to defend himself. "Go," he muttered. At about the same time, Shadow caught himself on a high branch of a tree with one hand. He used his other to aim and fire twice more at Zareil, hitting her back precisely along her spine to cause her as much pain as possible and regain her attention.

Her spear slammed into the ground, effectively throwing Armaris out of her shadow and into the air where a precise strike sent the cat crashing through the tree containing Espio's home, taking the whole building with her. This succeeded in rousing Aku from his long slumber (being as old as he was, he tended to sleep through a lot), and he dropped his camouflage. Seeing a demon in his midst, he rose up to his full impressive height and unleashed a beam at her from his mouth. The demon vanished from sight, pushing Toru away long enough to stomp violently at Tails and Cream. The pair reacted immediately using radiation (an unintentional move on the fox's part) and psychic ability as they dove out of the way.

Zareil snatched a card from Cyril out of the air and crushed it in her hand as she landed a roundhouse kick to Toru's sword, launching it out of his hands and far enough into the air that he could no longer see it. He was then sent flying toward the tree Shadow was in, skidding to a stop on his feet. Seeing this all go down, Shadow cursed again and snapped, "Soul!" The chameleon glanced up quickly, steadying his stance so he could keep his balance. Reasonably sure that Toru could fire a gun (it wasn't that fucking hard) and knowing he needed a weapon, Shadow threw one of his two guns down at the other man. "Don't lose the damn thing," he muttered angrily, returning his attention to Zareil again. Toru nodded swiftly, turning his attention back to the fight.

The demon was currently busied with Cyril, his versatile magic being enough to keep her back temporarily as he increased his own abilities, threw up shields, and sent out rapid attacks. She eventually smashed through his barriers and grabbed him by the throat, slamming him violently into the ground until Aniko returned and kicked her with enough force to make Zareil release the Babylonian. The two clashed weapons violently until the demon suddenly ducked under a blow and sent Aniko into the air with a merciless kick to the chin.

It was this attack on his mother that finally prompted Espio to join the fight. Utilizing his extreme speed, he knocked Zareil's body aside several feet and came to a stop in front of Aniko. Zareil winced slightly and sighed, glancing to Shadow with a smirk. I hate to contact you twice, but could you let me borrow the ability to clone myself, Kaden?

This time, there was an audible frown in Kaden's voice when he replied. I cannot grant you perfect clones now. I need them.

Not necessary, dear. I just need to be able to keep Espio busy while I work on Shadow. Perhaps rid ourselves of a few of these pests as well.

Fine. The power was granted without further dialogue.

Wordlessly, Zareil began creating clones of herself (which immediately took off after the others) at a rapid pace while walking toward the tree Shadow was in. Toru fired at her, but she reacted far quicker this time, avoiding the bullets and throwing herself up by Shadow. "Don't move. It'll hurt more that way," she murmured, creating a sphere of Darkness around the two of them to begin the corruption process. Shadow fired at her rapidly, buying himself just enough time to break free before they were fully trapped. He kicked Toru out ahead of him, also freeing him from the sphere.

Zariel moved quickly, snatching Toru by the neck and firing a blast of corrupted Darkness at Shadow, fully intent on knocking him out if she had to. Even Shadow wasn't sure how, but he managed to dodge in the nick of time and shot at her once again. Despite barely looking at where he was shooting, no bullets ever missed their mark. He struck her on the cheek and arm each once, then several times in the region where her heart was. She snatched one before it could hit her, wincing as every one that touched her caused some degree of pain. Each minor pain she felt only further served to fuel her rage, leaving her to kick with such ferocity that everything in her wake was reduced to dust.

She then suddenly appeared behind the dark hedgehog and slammed his body against Toru's before trapping them both within a corruptive sphere of Darkness again. "You spelled your own demise, boy. Do not wave your little toys at me ever again." Zareil then revealed that she had his gun in hand, tossing it aside carelessly before violently removing the gun Toru had held tight within his clutches to throw it away from them as well. As she did this, Shadow pushed himself off of and away from Toru as much as this trap would allow, internally cursing her, the pain he was now in, the energies crackling through and around him… everything, really.

"You'd do well to watch your back, demon," Toru muttered through gritted teeth, clenching his fists. Shadow tried to stand, found he couldn't quite manage it, and sank back down on one knee.

Zareil idly reached behind her, then pulled her arm back in front of her and glancing over the card she'd caught. "Huh, metal infused with magic. Interesting." She launched it over her shoulder and smiled in satisfaction as she listened to Cyril cry out and drop to the ground. "Well, that saved me some time. Do you two think you'll be good and stay there? Good," she muttered, beginning to walk off. "Kids to kill, bodies to feed from. Who first?" she mused, grabbing her spear from the ground before her eyes fell back on the debris. "You…" The demon stood over Vector's unconscious body and sighed. "Weak." Her spear plunged through his heart, the withdrawal of her weapon removing the organ with it and leaving her mildly disgusted. "Too weak." She flicked her spear and removed the atrocity staining her weapon, instead moving to more interesting prey.

"Bunny!" the demon called, appearing over her and kneeling down in front of Cream. "You have the pleasure of being removed next."

Cream somehow managed to regain her composure in this moment as she sat up from where a clone had thrown her. "I know this," she said softly. Her eyes opened, locking with Zareil's intently. "And I also know that you will meet with success in other ventures as well." She looked away, wearing an uncharacteristic frown. "Do not think this means that you win. You will not."

"I need not win," Zareil answered easily, pressing the tip of her bloodied spear against the bunny's throat. "I live to kill, and to serve my God. I am pleased and fulfilled as long as I am performing in those ways."

Spying Li nearby and knowing this was to be her final moment, Cream swallowed back more tears and whispered to him, "Tell Espio-sama I said goodbye… please."

The wolf turned in time to react, his hand flying in front of the spear as it was drawn back only to be pierced along with Cream's neck. His eyes widened and he dropped to his knees, unable to do anything as Zareil pressed him into the ground with her Darkness. Cream dropped limply behind him. Novei suddenly launched into action, managing to catch Zareil off guard enough to throw the taller woman to the ground and take off in a run with Li in her arms. The demon pushed herself back to her feet and found her gaze falling on Tails. Li wasn't worth her time, and neither was the Therian, but she knew that this fox was something interesting. "A mortal, still alive after all this time?" she called, prying her spear out of Cream's neck to walk to him.

Tails left off staring in abject horror at Cream's body long enough to stutter out a small, "Y-Yeah… something like that," as he slowly backed away. Purely out of instinct, he allowed a volatile combination of electricity and radiation to crackle to life around him. It was his only means of defense.

"You lot are hilarious. Rebellion until the moment you drop. I suppose this resilience is what makes you so capable of surviving the many, many wars I've heard of. Would that be correct?" Zareil asked, stepping no closer at seeing his display.

"U-Um…" Tails thought it best to shut up right about then and just gulped.

Zareil knelt down once more. "I'll kill you from over here and eat you, got it?" Her spear twirled slightly before being launched powerfully through his body, a satisfied smile on her face. Tails hit the ground once the weapon went through him, rapidly losing consciousness as he bled. "That makes th-" Her smile faded and she grimaced, standing once more to glance behind her as a portal opened in the air. "You." She watched as Ylden dropped into the battle, growling faintly before deciding killing him would need to wait. The demon stood, teleported her weapon in hand, then suddenly appeared and slammed into Espio while teleporting the both of them away from the battlefield.

Espio gritted his teeth, eyes sparking with temper as he violently kicked her off of him. He jumped back and away, putting a healthy distance between them and buying him a couple precious seconds to get his bearings. Already he knew they were nowhere near the others anymore. Fucking perfect.

"So, first your mother, then your woman, and then your little bunny child. How does it feel, knowing you could lose it all in just a snap of my fingers?" Zareil asked, a smile on her face. He glared heatedly at her but didn't dignify her words with a reply. That he was beyond furious and barely containing the emotion was already too much of a reaction as it was. She twirled her spear and let the bladed end stick high in the air. "The fresh blood of three. The reptile, the bunny, and the fox. They are dead, Espio," she taunted, growling in satisfaction. "Come, hit me with all of your fury and hatred!"

Refusing to rise to the bait no matter how badly he wanted to just tear her apart, Espio bit out, "You will join them soon enough." Despite his efforts to reign himself in, Darkness crackled frenetically around him several times. He sought to quell it, but his anger was such that this was impossible.

"What of it? My God will simply bring me back. I am far too useful to him to be lost forever, Espio." She smiled. "However… I could help ensure that you are not killed, alongside your family and lover. All of you could fight alongside each other forever and if one of you was to die, you could simply be brought back. Does that not sound like something you would want?"

Espio's gaze was cold and unflinching as he muttered, "Such a rousing speech… but I am afraid that no one who cares is around to hear it."

"Then they will die and you will come with us alone," Zareil growled, rushing forward with no hesitation and creating a sphere of Darkness around them both.

Though he started to react, Espio was stopped dead in his tracks when a terrible, dark chill ran down his spine. The instincts that had been clamoring within him earlier rose up, screaming at him that he was being contacted... and that he had to listen. A voice softly whispered in his mind, issuing a simple command. "Stay still."

Just like that, Espio found himself rooted to the spot. It lasted only a few seconds before he regained control of himself, but that was several seconds too long. Zareil grabbed Espio and forcibly began the corruption process, staring directly into his eyes. "The God wants you in his legions. You would do well to listen."

The sheer ferocity of the corrupted energies forced Espio down onto his knees before too long. They, along with the energies Kaden himself had left him with, soon created a faint glow in his eyes even as he continued to struggle to remain in control. Shit…

Zareil smiled and set a hand on Espio's head, beginning to force him down further. "Let the corruption set in. You will be better off if you quit resisting." Due to the energies now freely coursing through him, Espio found himself unable to focus enough to respond to her in any manner. Bit by little bit, his resistance started to crumble. Her gaze shifted to the right and she glared at the sight of Ylden and Armaris rushing toward them. "Looks like your woman is here to have her head removed, alongside her father. Watch, and see what happens when you defy Kaden," she muttered, leaving the sphere and reclaiming her spear once more.

"Zareil," Ylden muttered, his clothes and fur being teased upward by the immense magic building up around him. "Release him, now."

"You are in no place to make demands," Zareil answered, launching forward and lashing out at him. A barrier of magic held firm just long enough for Ylden to release his spell, a colossal spell crashing into the sphere and shattering it. Released now, Espio fell forward on his hands and knees, breathing heavily and slowly regaining focus. The faint glow remained in his eyes, however, and energy continued to writhe around him. "You bastard!" Zareil yelled, shattering his barrier with a malicious burst of energy around her before slamming her spear down at Armaris. I'll cripple you both by killing her.

Armaris phased around the spear by temporarily turning into Darkness, then darted under Zareil's legs to get to Espio as Ylden kept her busy with various magic attacks. The female cat dropped to the ground immediately, shock wracking her body as she stared at Espio's prone form. "E-Espio!" she cried, shaking. "Are you awake?" Despite his condition, Espio subtly grimaced after a long moment and, seconds later, managed a very slight nod. The new corruption, coupled with Kaden's initial corruption, was tearing through him stronger than he could manage to fight. It didn't help that his own Darkness was so readily letting all of this in. Tears flowed from Armaris's eyes as the adrenaline rush (part of the only reason she'd been standing moments before) and the weight of her emotions caused her to crumple and left her on the ground sobbing beside him. "I'm so sorry!"

Another chill ran down Espio's spine as he heard the words, "Stop fighting," whispered in his head. In spite of himself, his resistance crumbled even further. He cursed internally, though he wasn't actually able to do so aloud. The glow in his eyes intensified almost immediately. Armaris wanted to do something to help him, but nothing within her knew a single thing to do that wouldn't result in her own corruption.

At this moment, Aniko suddenly appeared beside them both, quickly scooping Armaris up under one arm (so as to keep her away from the corrupted energies) and staring at her son in mute shock. "I-... Espio…" Hearing his mother's voice brought some focus back and Espio almost flinched as he tried to focus on her further. The glow in his eyes flickered away for a second, but only a second. She watched him in disbelief, some dull, deep pain spreading through her core. "My son… what have they done to you…?"

There was another chill, followed by another command. "Ignore her… Focus on this." Helpless to resist any further by now, Espio's attention soon drifted away from Aniko entirely. All he was aware of was the Darkness. His resistance faded almost entirely.

Aniko's hand shot up to catch the spear nearly brought down on their heads, deep hatred and defiance burning deep within her eyes. "You have hurt my child," she hissed. She ripped the spear free from Zareil's hand and bashed the pole against the demon's head, then swept her feet out from under her. "You will pay dearly." She briefly clashed with Zareil, Ylden's magic further boosting her ability to match this demon alongside her untapped fury. For just a moment, she seemed capable of besting the demon, then she was forced to protect Armaris from a blow that would have ended her. The chameleon shot after Zareil, intent on attacking once more until the demon picked up Espio, put him between the two women, then shot a smirk and vanished with her son.

Elsewhere, Zareil's sudden departure caused the sphere trapping Shadow and Toru to suddenly vanish. They were dropped roughly onto the ground, leaving Shadow in incredible pain as he pushed himself up. Whatever corruption had been attempted on him rapidly fell by the wayside in light of his complete refusal to let it affect him. That he had no prior corruption for this to feed off of certainly helped. As such, the eyes he opened were initially glowing to a degree, but that glow was gone by the time he blinked. Wincing, he moved to stand.

Toru laid on the ground for the moment, shifting slightly to try and determine if any bones were broken. He deduced that a few were likely fractured, given the pain, and made a move to very slowly sit up. "Shit…"

Hearing the slight grinding of bones, Shadow muttered, "Stop moving around."

"I can't stay lying on the ground the whole time. There are others far worse off than myself that need tending to," Toru countered, but only lightly. He understood what Shadow was saying this for, entirely.

Looking around at the wounded all around them, including many of this village's residents, Shadow let out a soft growl. "I will tend to who I can. You stay put." He chose not to mention the fact that he was doing so partly as a means of distracting himself from the faint thrum of corruption still pulsing through him. Zareil had focused so little of her efforts on him overall that his corruption was minor enough to be overcome and ignored... but having a distraction was nothing he would object to.

The chameleon huffed, sighing. "Fine. If you take too long, I'll get up regardless."

Shadow shot him a somewhat withering look, but in the end just let out a soft snort. He started walking away, but not before idly threatening, "Do so and I may shoot you."

"With your aim, I'd be a dead man," Toru joked lightly, chuckling before coughing in pain. Shit, he was right. With no reply to make, Shadow walked off, headed straight for the closest victim. Already, he was dreading the state he'd find her in. Cream was dead. So many people were dead. Espio was gone.

They had lost.

~保護者~

8,689 words this time. So, uh, this got real dark. Hope you all enjoyed. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help... and yes, I am very broken inside about poor Cream. It had to be done, okay? *Tears* Posted (at about 11:20 p.m.) 05-19-20.