Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an alternate version of the Nagoya Arc with events different from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta readers, ResidentialPsycho and Falchion1984, for their help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review!
Chapter 23: A Promise between Friends, Part II
Everyone in the Shinoa and Satoshi Squad nearly jumped out of their skin when they heard the sound of a loud explosion coming from one of the higher floors of the main Nagoya City Hall building, and it wasn't hard for any of them to guess what was happening.
"Shinoa, something's wrong! Guren and Shinya are in trouble; that noble must be more than they could handle!" Yuichiro exclaimed with a worried and fearful expression while pointing upwards.
"She's right!" Mitsuba agreed. "Now that all the hostages have been freed, we gotta help the major general and lieutenant colonel!"
Shinoa hesitated as if unsure what to do. She knew Guren well enough to know that he disliked having anyone intervene in his battles but also realized that Crowley Eusford and his retainers were not opponents Guren could take down easily, even with Shinya's help. Shinoa shot Satoshi a look as if asking him what he thought they should do since it was suicidal for her squad alone to go after Guren. That would mean charging into a vampire stronghold with no backup, which was a risky proposition to say the least.
Fortunately for Shinoa, Satoshi was of the same mind as herself and Yuichiro.
"I agree with Yuu and Mitsuba. We should go in and lend our superiors a hand since we're unlikely to survive, let alone complete our mission, without their leadership."
Relieved that she had Satoshi's support, Shinoa gave the order for her squad to move.
"Alright, everyone, let's go!" she ordered while Satoshi did the same with his own squad.
"You heard Miss Hiragi! Now move out but try to keep as quiet as possible once we're inside since we have no idea where the vamps may be hiding!"
Both squads obeyed and without another word, all ten members stormed the main building of Nagoya City Hall in the hopes that they would find Guren and Shinya before Crowley, Chess, and Horn did. With only four minutes left on their watches, the two squads knew they had to act fast.
Once they were inside the building, both squads found themselves in the run-down lobby that was now a shadow of its former glory that none of them could remember since they had all been young children when the apocalypse struck, and looked to their leaders to provide them with further instructions.
"Ok, so where do we go from here, Shinoa?" Yuichiro asked impatiently.
"Well, when we were with Shinya earlier, he ordered me and Takeshi to fire at the fourth floor while he fired at the fifth. So I'm guessing Crowley and his retainers must be somewhere in that part of the building," Yoichi answered.
"That may be true, but you're forgetting one thing, Saotome: now that they're chasing the lieutenant colonel and major general, the vamps could be practically be anywhere!" Takeshi pointed out.
Yoichi blushed in slight embarrassment when he realized his sniping partner was right and could not help feeling silly for not seeing something so obvious.
"Oh… I'm sorry, I didn't realize…" the brunet boy admitted sheepishly but Shinoa gave him a brief smile before becoming serious again.
"No, you're not totally wrong, Yoichi. In fact, it's very likely that you're right. But, to be sure, I can summon my demon. If Guren, Shinya, or the vampires are still here, Shi-chan can sniff them out."
"Really? How?"
The purple-haired girl gave a mischievous grin before becoming serious again.
"Just watch!" she answered before closing her eyes, hands tightening around the handle of her scythe as she focused her thoughts to project to the demon within. Both squads present watched in silence as Shinoa's lips slowly repeated the order she formed in her mind to her demon contractor.
"Shi-chan, scout the enemy for me…"
For a moment, nothing happened and Satoshi considered asking Shinoa if she was sure her demon heard her before the scythe started to glow, signifying that the demon was summoned and present.
Normally, Yuichiro would have found discovering new abilities of other MDC members' weapons as well as her own fascinating. But her impatience as well as concern for Guren and Shinya prompted her to inquire their whereabouts as well as Crowley's right away.
"So, where are they?" Yuu asked impatiently.
Shinoa quickly placed a finger over her lips in a gesture for everyone to remain silent before raising her arm and pointing to the ceiling.
"They're directly above us," she answered quietly before turning to Satoshi and nodding towards the direction of the stairway leading to the next floor.
"Got it!" he said. Trying his best to keep his voice low enough so that their nearby enemies would not hear, Satoshi gave the order for both squads to follow Shinoa's lead.
"Everyone, head to the second floor and remember to stay in formation! Our lives as well as those of our commanders' may very well depend on it!"
Yuichiro didn't need to be told twice and, had she not known better than to break formation this time, would have rushed up the stairs by herself just to get a head start on finding Guren. *1*
Even if it meant having to confront a powerful vampire lord such as Crowley by herself.
Shinoa, on the other hand, was secretly relieved to see her most difficult and rebellious subordinate behave herself and follow orders quietly for once.
Once they were sure both their respective squads were ready, the two leaders gave the order to depart.
"Let's go!"
SSSSSS
"Shit, this guy just doesn't give up, does he?" Shinya rasped as he struggled to catch his breath after he and Guren had managed to escape from the room where Crowley, Chess, and Horn had cornered them earlier and back out into the hallway.
Although Shinya and Guren were fortunate enough to find a room where they could rest for a brief time, it still wasn't nearly enough for them to recover from the toll the battle with Crowley took on their bodies; it only felt like they had barely caught their breaths before the two men found themselves fighting and running for their lives yet again. By this point, both men had lost track of time but were easily reminded of how little they had when they started feeling the rebound effect of the curse stimulant drugs they took earlier- effects that included light-headedness as well as shortness of breath.
Irritated, Guren was about to give his best friend another earful for his constant annoying pessimism when he suddenly heard the sound of someone punching through the wall next to Shinya and saw a large hand that happened to be attached to a strong arm, grab him roughly by the front of his uniform. The major general gasped in pain as he felt their pursuer's gloved fingers digging into the muscles of his chest, which had not yet healed completely from the injury he sustained earlier when Crowley deflected his demonic bullet.
"Let go of him, you bastard!" Guren shouted. Acting quickly, he swung his demon sword and sliced off the noble's hand at the wrist before he could injure Shinya further.
Pulling Crowley's severed hand from his uniform jacket, Shinya flung it to the ground before Guren quickly took his free arm and draped it over one of his shoulders. As much pain as both men were in now, they knew that they had no time to rest and had to get as far away from this dangerous vampire lord as they could before the drugs' effect wore off and left them completely helpless and at his mercy.
As they were sprinting down the hall, Guren did his best to ignore his own injuries while inquiring Shinya about his.
"Shinya, how bad is it? I'm sure that noble grabbed you where you were hit by the ricochet of your demon bullet earlier."
"It's not great, but I'm sure I'll live!" the other man joked half-heartedly, which earned him a glare from his best friend.
"Well, if you're fine, then run on your own, dumbass!" Guren snapped.
"Aww, you can be so cruel sometimes, Guren!" Shinya pouted, feigning hurt before he became serious again. "I'm just kidding. I only need a few more moments, so bear with me a little longer, please…"
Guren rolled his eyes but gave in to his friend's plea before the pair heard a voice calling from a distance behind them. No doubt, it was the maroon-haired vampire lord who leisurely broke down the wall in the room where he had cornered Guren and Shinya earlier to reclaim his severed hand. As soon as Crowley reattached it, he resumed his chase for the two human men who dared to venture into his domain and challenge him by themselves.
"Well, well, well! I can't believe you two managed to get that far ahead of me even with those nasty injuries of yours! Wait up, will ya? You know I hate running!" Crowley called in a casual tone from the other end of the hallway as he slowly started to pick up the pace from the steady strides he was taking to catch up to his prey.
"Fuck, he's just playing with us!" Guren snarled without looking back as he silently tried to encourage Shinya to move faster.
"Agreed," the other man said grimly before turning slightly and aiming his demon rifle at their pursuer. Even when holding the weapon with only one hand, the major general was still capable of hitting his intended targets with astounding accuracy.
"You hate running, freak? Then, why don't you quit following us!?" he shouted.
Crowley grinned and laughed mirthlessly as he easily deflected Shinya's tiger bullet with his sword. The noble knew that with his vampiric speed, it would be no trouble for him to easily catch up to two humans, even if they weren't slowed down by their injuries. But like a predator that enjoyed toying with its prey before the kill, he chose to humor Guren and Shinya by walking slowly at first before picking up the pace little by little.
"Quit following you? That sure sounds rich! After all, you were the ones who attacked us first and now you don't want me to follow? You know I can't do that!"
Before either Shinya or Guren could respond, Crowley finally decided to get serious. Moving faster than the human eye could see, the vampire lord appeared to vanish from behind the two men before reappearing right in front of them with his sword raised to attack.
Alarmed, Guren knew he had to act quickly since Shinya's weapon would be of little use against Crowley at such close range. Before the other man knew what was happening, Guren quickly flung Shinya as far away from himself and Crowley as he could.
Unfortunately, such a move left him wide open for a brief moment and that was all the vampire lord needed to drive his sword into Guren's chest near his shoulder. Knowing that Ferid wanted the human commander alive, Crowley deliberately avoided hitting any of his vital organs but that still didn't make the injury any less painful for Guren to bear.
"Guren!" Shinya cried as he propped himself onto an elbow and aimed his rifle at Crowley.
The noble waggled a finger at him even as the point of his sword remained lodged in Guren's chest, just slightly off from his heart.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, human. Your aim might be impressive, but I doubt you're going to be able to hit me without killing your friend first. I may be old, but I do know a thing or two about firearms."
Shinya gritted his teeth and glared at Crowley in defiance, but he knew the noble was right. As he probed his mind for a plan, he heard Guren call out to him though his gaze never left Crowley's.
"Forget about me, Shinya! I'm as good as dead, so take command of the MDC and continue the mission without me!"
"What? I just can't leave you at the mercy of those bastards knowing what they'll do to you!" he protested.
"Well, it doesn't look like you have a choice, human," Crowley taunted. "Fortunately for you, I'm more interested in your friend here, so I suggest you take his advice and get on out of here before I change my mind and feed you to my lovely ladies."
Although Shinya Hiragi was not a man who was easily riled, the noble's taunt sorely tempted him into running the risk of shooting Guren just to blow that smug grin off his arrogant face.
Shinya never got the chance, however, before he saw Crowley's look of confidence suddenly change to one of alarm. Unknown to him and Guren, the noble's vampiric hearing picked up the soft sound of a feminine voice whispering.
"Asuramaru, enchant these bullets!"
Before Shinya could register what had suddenly caught Crowley's attention, he heard the report of a firearm going off from behind him before seeing what appeared to be a projection of a small green bat fly past his right side and straight toward the vampire lord holding Guren hostage. *2*
Knowing that he couldn't allow Guren to be killed, at least not yet, Crowley quickly tossed him aside to a nearby wall before deflecting Yuichiro's demonic projectile with his own weapon, a heavy European-style broadsword. Once the noble's blade made contact with it, the little green bat exploded in a brilliant burst of light, catching him off guard and blinding him for a brief moment.
Seizing the opening her previous attack provided, Yuichiro, who had quietly turned the corner and made her way into the hallway where Guren and Shinya had attempted to flee from Crowley earlier, made a mad dash for her opponent. *3*
As soon as he realized what she intended, Shinya attempted to order Yuichiro to cease her suicidal attack on the vampire lord and get as far away from him as she could.
"No, Yuu! Don't do it!" he shouted as he reached towards her with an outstretched hand. "You can't take him on alone, so stay away!"
I'm sorry, but I can't do that, Shinya… Yuichiro thought as she pretended not to hear the major general's order. Not when both you and Guren are in danger because you're injured and too weak to fend off that noble by yourselves…
With that in mind, the ravenette silently called for her demon as she tried to close the distance between herself and Crowley.
Fan out, Asura Cannon!
The demon obeyed and produced what appeared to be a dozen replicas of Yuichiro's main weapon, levitating and arranging themselves in the formation of an arc above her. Once all the replicas of Asuramaru were completely manifested, Yuichiro made a downward swipe with the one in her hand as the signal for them to launch themselves at her opponent.
Instead of being intimidated, Crowley merely smirked, unimpressed by the human girl's attempt to cut him down with her demonic weapon.
"Do you really think you can kill me with a cheap parlor trick like that, human?" he asked in amusement before finally taking in Yuichiro's delicate features. "Ah, I remember you! You're that girl who tried to wipe the ground with me in Shinjuku!"
"Thank you, I'm glad you remember! I almost wish I could reciprocate!" Yuichiro shot back as she watched her opponent easily deflect her flying swords by producing a gust of wind with his own. Not only did Crowley prevent them from coming even within a few feet of him, he also managed to force Yuichiro back slightly as well.
"Is that the best you can do, my lady?" the noble taunted. "Surely you didn't come here thinking you can challenge and defeat me alone, did you?"
Yuichiro sneered at her opponent, who was twice her size and probably outweighed her by at least a hundred pounds or more.
"Don't insult my intelligence, my lord."
Before Crowley could ask Yuichiro what she meant, he felt the ground beneath his feet tremble and stepped back just in time to see another human with short blue hair wielding a gold-tone katana break through the stone floor. Taking advantage of the distraction Yuichiro provided as well as Crowley's own surprise at seeing him, Satoshi attacked, followed by Kimizuki.
With his vampiric speed and reflexes, the noble quickly blocked the two boys' attacks before drawing back his sword to swing at them, forcing Satoshi back and knocking Kimizuki away. Even the energy demon decoys that Mitsuba had launched at Crowley from a distance with Tenjiryū's power was of no effect as the noble appeared to not even feel them.
"Ah, I see. So, you didn't come alone after all. My apologies, I should not have been so presumptuous!"
Annoyed that Crowley could fend off three attacking opponents with such contemptuous ease that he could speak to Yuichiro over his shoulder without missing so much as one parry, Satoshi glared at the vampire lord. *4*
"Hey, don't ignore me, you bastard!" he shouted.
"I wouldn't dream of it, human!" Crowley replied coolly before forcing the blue-haired boy back. "You're hardly a thorn in my side but not quite beneath my notice."
Satoshi was about to make a scathing reply to his opponent's barb when he noticed two female vampires move in to join the fray. Up until now, Chess and Horn had been quietly following their lord in his pursuit of Guren and Shinya but had chosen not to intervene without his direct order.
"My lord, be careful! There are more humans here than we thought!" Horn warned as she pointed to the additional six human soldiers who made their way into the hall, brandishing their weapons. No doubt the two human squads had come to rescue their commanders. *5*
"Permission to join you in taking them out?" Chess asked excitedly as she withdrew her rapier from its sheath at her side.
Crowley shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, why not? It would be totally unfair of me to hog all the fun."
Now that they had his permission and approval, the two vampire women took out their weapons and stepped in front of Crowley.
"You humans will have to go through us before you can get to Lord Crowley," Horn said smoothly. "Now, which one of you will be the first to die?"
"None!" Yuichiro shrieked as she moved in to back up Satoshi.
"Careful!" Crowley teased. "Screeching isn't ladylike."
"You think I actually give a shit about that right now?" she demanded.
"Ignore him!" Satoshi hissed from besides her. "He's just trying to bait you!"
Yuichiro gritted her teeth, but she knew her partner was right. With the both of them working together, they may have a chance of taking down Chess and Horn while providing the rest of their squad mates an opening to get to Crowley.
Unfortunately, despite the fact that both Yuichiro and Satoshi were sword-fighting prodigies, the vampire women were still no push-overs, even with Daisuke and the Harada twins trying to assist them from a distance. With their speed and reflexes, Horn and Chess were able to evade the sai and fan attack combo of Risa and Riku as well as Daisuke's whip lashes by cleverly maneuvering themselves in a way to keep Yuichiro and Satoshi between them.
As a result, the three ranged fighters could not freely launch their attacks without running the risk of hitting their sword fighting comrades. And with Guren being in such close proximity to the nobles, neither Yoichi nor Takeshi could take a shot at them without possibly injuring their commander further. Or worse, killing him.
"Dammit, this is going nowhere…" Shinya cursed as he accepted Shinoa's help in getting him to his feet. His chest injury had not yet completely healed, so he was forced to rely on his adoptive sister for support, allowing her to drape one of his arms over her shoulders while he silently begged Byakkomaru to at least try to heal him faster.
"Please, don't talk, Nii-san," Shinoa implored him. "We need you as much as Guren, so you must conserve your strength!"
Shinya managed a weak smile and patted his sister on the hand.
"I appreciate your concern, Shinoa, but I can't let this go on. Even if we managed to destroy these nobles, we won't be able to complete our mission if exhaust ourselves or lose our squad mates in the process," he said grimly as he watched Yuichiro and Satoshi struggle in their fight against Horn and Chess. At the rate things were going, the two young sword fighters would have no energy left to fight Crowley and be left completely at his mercy by the time they managed to get past his retainers. If they got past them.
Taking a breath, Shinya ordered Yuichiro and Satoshi to retreat. As an experienced soldier and commander, it was apparent to him that this was a battle he and his subordinates could not win. Especially since their enemy had an important hostage to hide behind on the off-chance that the battle turned in the humans' favor.
"Yuu! Sato! Fall back!" he shouted to the two teens attempting to take down Chess and Horn.
Instead of waiting for Yuichiro or Satoshi to respond, Crowley gave the signal for his own retainers to retreat. "That's enough for now, ladies!"
As always, Chess and Horn obeyed their lord without question and retreated, jumping back and removing themselves from Yuichiro and Satoshi's reach.
"Hey, are you two running away!?" Satoshi demanded.
"Don't underestimate us, bat brains! This isn't over yet!" Yuichiro added.
Unoffended by the humans' insolent challenge to continue fighting, Crowley simply said:
"You should listen to your commander, humans. Especially you, girl."
Yuichiro glared at the smug noble, infuriated by his casual tone.
"Don't call me 'girl'! I have a name, and it's Yuichiro Hyakuya! How about I carve in into your heart, so you don't forget next time?!" she shouted angrily.
Rather than being intimidated or even offended by the human girl's threat, Crowley took advantage of the double meaning her statement provided to irk her further.
"Well, I'm very flattered, Miss Hyakuya, but you're not really my type!" he said with a grin.
"Why, you arrogant bastard! Why don't I cut that tongue out of your mouth instead?!" Yuichiro screamed, her cheeks burning in embarrassment at Crowley's taunt, as she prepared to make good on her threat with her Asura Cannon attack again.
Were they not in such a life and death situation, Satoshi would have rolled his eyes at Yuichiro's outburst, especially after he had already made it clear that Crowley was just baiting her.
As if reading her mind, Crowley quietly walked over to Guren, who was still too weak to move from where he was thrown earlier, and lifted him off the ground by his throat.
"I wouldn't try that if I were you, Miss Hyakuya," the noble warned as he strode imperiously forward, his iron cold hand clutching Guren. Seeing Yuichiro and Satoshi's eyes widen at the sight, he smirked and shook the lieutenant colonel in front of them like a ragdoll. "Not if you don't want anything to happen to your commander."
"Nice try, but I know you won't kill Guren," Yuichiro sneered. "Not after all the trouble you went through to capture him alive."
"You're right about that," Crowley admitted. "But that doesn't mean I can't lop off one of his arms or legs. After all, my superiors only need him alive. Not necessarily in one piece. Simply alive."
"Dammit, he's right," Satoshi hissed. "What are we going to do now?"
"There's only one thing left then. I want you to cover me, Sato. I'll take Guren back by force if I have to!" Yuichiro shot back.
Satoshi was about to protest against his partner's suicidal proposal, but Shinya beat him to it. While they weren't looking, the major general had Shinoa release him as soon as he was strong enough to move on his own and walked up behind Yuichiro.
"No," he said firmly as he clapped the younger girl on the shoulder. "Leave Guren. Our priority is to get out of here alive, so we can continue our mission."
Appalled by Shinya's seemingly cold remark, Yuichiro spun around and slapped his hand away.
"What? Are you fucking kidding me?!"
"I am not. There's nothing we can do for Guren, and I can't risk everyone being killed just for his sake."
Forgetting her anger towards Crowley earlier, Yuichiro now turned it on Shinya.
"You're crazy!" she spat. "Fine, then! I can save Guren myself without any of your help!"
Yuichiro was about to turn around and do just that when she suddenly felt Shinya grab her by the shoulders and give her a firm shake, his piercing blue-eye stare holding her fast, more so than his hands ever could.
"Listen to me!" he commanded. "I may be your friend, but I am also your superior officer! In Guren's absence, I am in command of this unit, and that means you must obey me in his place! Do you understand, Yuu?!"
Yuichiro was about to argue but before she could even utter a word, she heard a clicking sound and turned her head to see Shinoa, whom she had failed to notice approach her and Shinya earlier, holding up her pocket watch.
"Yuichiro, our time's up. Do you remember the promise you made to me earlier?" Shinoa asked calmly.
Yuu turned her head and stole a glance at Guren, who was starting to choke in Crowley's iron-clad grip, as she fought the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes.
"But they still have Guren! Do you expect me to abandon him just like that?"
Shinoa frowned. Her heart was filled with pity for the other girl but she also knew that she could not afford to indulge her subordinate, not this time.
"I'm sorry, Yuu, but you gave me your word that you would retreat with the rest of us once the five minutes are up no matter what. All of our lives depend on it, including yours."
Yuichiro wanted to protest further but could not find the words to do so. Especially now that the sound of approaching helicopters caught her attention as well as everyone else's.
"Oh, shit!" Satoshi cursed as he kept his sword drawn while calling out to Shinya and the others, even though neither Crowley himself nor his retainers made any move to attack, as though they found the drama unfolding before them entertaining. "Sir, I think that's their back-up! We can't stay any longer; if we do, we're all dead!"
If nothing Shinya or Shinoa said could convince Yuichiro to abandon her plan to rescue Guren, Satoshi's statement finally did. Not only would further argument prove futile, it would also waste precious time and endanger the lives of everyone in the two squads as well. And as stubborn as Yuichiro could be, even she was wise and sensible enough to know that she must put her mission as well as the safety of her squad mates above her own desires.
Finally relenting, Yuichiro threw her arms around Shinya and sobbed into his shoulder. Taking pity on the younger girl, he allowed her embrace and gently cradled her head as she buried her face in his jacket. Glancing over Yuichiro's shoulder, Shinya saw Crowley finally release Guren, who landed on his stomach with a thud and coughed before struggling to get air back into his lungs. As soon as he was able to lift his head, Guren looked straight into his best friend's eyes and silently mouthed what may very well be his last request:
Protect Yuichiro…
Seeing the desperate and pleading look in the other man's eyes, Shinya felt like breaking down himself, but knew he had to be strong for Yuu's sake as well as the sake of the junior squads who were now under his command. Nodding his head in silent acknowledgement of his friend's wish, Shinya finally gave the order for both squads to retreat and escape before the vampire reinforcements can arrive.
"Everyone, I'm taking command now! Retreat!" the major general ordered as he released Yuichiro.
Chess and Horn frowned at Shinya's order for the other humans to withdraw but made no move to stop them. At least, not unless they were ordered to do so by Crowley himself.
"Lord Crowley, are we going to let them go, just like that?" Horn asked curiously.
"Yeah, I'm getting peckish again. Can I have at least one or two of them?" Chess pouted like a child begging a parent for a treat.
Crowley shook his head. "You just fed not too long ago, Chess. Remember what I said about exercising more discipline regarding your thirst? In any case, none of these other humans really hold any value except for maybe Miss Hyakuya there. I'm sure Lord Ferid would be very interested in a specimen like her."
"So, do we capture the girl, then?" Horn asked while stretching her whip with both hands. "Just say the word, my lord, and it will be done."
"Oooh, please, Lord Crowley? Can we?" Chess asked excitedly, secretly hoping that she would be permitted to drink Yuichiro's blood later.
"Hmm, why not?" Crowley said with a shrug. "At least, this way, she can be with her commander whom she seems to be so fond of."
As soon as they had Crowley's approval, Chess and Horn were about to move with the intention of capturing Yuichiro, but Shinya quickly pulled her behind him and aimed his demon rifle at them.
"I'm afraid I can't allow that," the major general said coldly.
Chess snickered. "Like you're in any position to stop us?" she challenged.
Shinya gritted his teeth. Now that Crowley had decided Yuichiro was valuable enough to capture, he knew the vampire women loyal to him would do whatever it took to carry out his order.
Even so, that didn't mean Shinya was going to just hand Yuichiro over to them without a fight. Even in his weakened state, he was determined to protect the younger girl with his life.
Taking a breath, Shinya was about to tap into Byakkomaru's power when he noticed the hallway appeared to grow hotter before suddenly bursting into flames. At first, the major general thought he was hallucinating before he noticed the surprised reactions of his subordinates as well as the vampire nobles.
Guren, who had also noticed the hall erupting in flames, called out to the man he knew was responsible for producing this fiery illusion as soon as he was able to find his voice.
"Hey, Goshi! Don't tell me you decided to follow these kids' stupid lead and come running to the rescue too?!"
"Aww… why'd you have to spoil the surprise?" The blond man pouted as he finally showed himself by walking out of a wall of flames not too far from behind Shinya and Yuichiro, causing Guren to groan in frustration. Not only did Shinoa and Satoshi decide to go against his orders by showing up, his own squad did as well. Guren also knew that if Goshi were here, the others could not be too far behind. And he was right when he saw Mito, Sayuri, and Shigure rise up from the illusionary stream of lava that was starting to pool in the hallway.
"You fools…why did you come here?" he demanded weakly.
"We've come to save you, sir!" Sayuri cried.
Guren glared at her. "You shouldn't have come!" he snapped before turning to Goshi. "I have no strength left to move, so I'm as good as dead. I want you and the girls to help Shinya get the kids out of here, all of them!"
"Sir, no! We can't just leave you!" Shigure insisted. It was rare for the quiet raven-haired woman to raise her voice but when it came to her commander's safety and well-being, Shigure was just as emotional as Sayuri and Mito.
Ignoring her as well as the pain in his chest and lungs, Guren shouted at Goshi.
"Do it, Goshi! The vamp's reinforcements will be here soon! Get everyone out of here now before it's too late!"
"Dammit!" Goshi cursed under his breath as he took the gold-tone pipe from his mouth.
"Don't you dare, Goshi!" Mito hissed from besides him. "No matter what he says, there's no way we're leaving Guren here!"
"I'm afraid that's not for you to decide, Mito!" he shot back harshly. "This is a direct order from Guren himself! I'll keep the illusion going for as long as I can but you and the others must ensure the safety of the kids!"
Without waiting for Mito to answer, Goshi blew on his pipe again to intensify the illusion, causing Chess to jump and even Horn and Crowley to back off slightly.
"Oww! Hot! Hot! Hot!" Chess squealed as she attempted to bat the flames around her away, fearing that they would set her dress on fire.
Horn, who was also affected, fared better in bearing the heat and stood her ground. Even if they felt like it, she knew the flames were not real and could not harm them.
"Relax, Chess. It's just an illusion."
Crowley nodded his agreement. "Be that as it may, it's still powerful enough to affect even the minds of nobles like us. Humans didn't have anywhere near this kind of power that I'm aware of. There's no way they could have developed it on their own. So, the question is, where did they get it? Oh, that's right! You know, don't you?" he asked as he turned to Guren, who had finally managed to sit up and lean against a nearby wall.
The lieutenant colonel sneered at his captor.
"Fuck you!" he snarled. "You'll get nothing out of me!"
The noble chuckled in amusement at his captive's defiance.
"That's all right, I don't mind. I know you're the kind who'd rather be tortured to death than betray his comrades" he said before looking towards Shinya and Yuichiro. "However, I do think it might be a bit easier to make the little Missy talk if she knows anything."
Turning to Chess and Horn, Crowley nodded towards Yuichiro's direction.
"Take her," he ordered.
"Yes, my lord," Horn answered before drawing back her whip.
"I won't let you!" Shinya snarled before firing at the blonde vampire woman while gripping Yuichiro firmly by the arm to keep her close. Knowing that he had to conserve his strength to help Yuu and her young squad mates escape, Shinya turned to Mito, Sayuri, and Shigure.
"Cover for us and then get out of here as soon as you can!"
Although leaving Guren behind was the last thing they wanted, the three women, like Yuichiro herself, also knew they must put his orders above their own wishes.
"Understood!" Mito said as she, Sayuri, and Shigure stepped in with their weapons drawn to block Horn and Chess's access to Shinya and Yuichiro.
Once he was sure he had secured the cooperation of his female subordinates, Shinya called out to the junior squads.
"Everyone! Follow me! We're getting out of here, NOW!"
"Yes, sir!" Shinoa and Satoshi answered while giving their subordinates the signal to retreat per Shinya's orders.
"We won't let you get away!" Horn exclaimed after swiftly dodging Shinya's bullet and called to Chess, who was still jumping around like a rabbit trying to keep the flames away from her skirts. "Chess, will you stop being a baby and panicking like a human, already? I told you the fire is just an illusion!"
"Ok, ok, I get it!" the younger vampire answered before pulling her rapier out of her sheath.
"Ignore the others. Just get Miss Hyakuya. Bring her to me!" Crowley ordered while ignoring the glare Guren was giving him.
"Understood, Lord Crowley!"
"You'll have to get past us first!" Mito sneered, reaching out and snatching the whip Horn had sent whistling her way, her demon gloved hand holding the weapon fast.
Before Horn could pull her weapon back, Sayuri sliced the whip in half with her blade before going to assist Shigure who was holding Chess off by sending a barrage of Kunai her way. Since they were not black demon wielders, the three women knew they were unlikely to take down Chess and Horn; their intention was to simply buy time for Shinya and the junior squads to escape. As for Crowley himself, nothing less than a complete squad fighting at full power would have any chance of slaying the maroon-haired vampire lord.
Once Guren was sure Shinya as well as the junior squads were gone, he called out to his remaining subordinates.
"Forget about me and get out of here, all of you!" he ordered.
"You, quiet." Crowley said before kicking Guren in the chest. To the noble, it was just a light tap with his foot but to Guren himself, it was a blow nearly strong enough to crack his ribs.
Alarmed, Mito called out to him after forcing Horn back with a roundhouse kick to her side.
"Guren!"
"I said get out NOW!" the lieutenant colonel repeated, a bit more forcefully. Guren's outburst earned him another kick, this time in the abdomen, from his vampire captor.
"And I said quiet, human. You're just a glutton for punishment, aren't you?"
Mito gritted her teeth at seeing the noble kick Guren around as if he were a dog and was about to pounce on Crowley when she felt Goshi clap a hand on her shoulder.
"We have to go, Mito, while I can still keep this illusion going to cover our escape," the blond man said calmly.
"He's right!" Shigure agreed. Although the thought of leaving Guren behind was just as unappealing to her as it was to the rest of her squad, Shigure knew that the web of magical thread she had conjured while Sayuri covered her to keep Chess and Horn at bay won't last much longer.
"Dammit!" Mito cursed but gave in and followed the rest of her squad mates as they turned heel and ran from the hallway while Goshi's wall of flames obscured the vision of their vampire enemies long enough for them to escape.
Once the producer of the hellish illusion was gone, the flames and lava vanished, leaving a heavily damaged empty hallway with pieces of tile and stone littering the floor as well as the hole Satoshi and Kimizuki broke out of.
Chess and Horn frowned when they saw that their target was long gone by the time the illusion vanished. The blonde vampire turned to Crowley and bowed.
"I'm sorry, my lord. We have failed to capture the girl. Please, forgive us."
"Yes, I'm sorry, too…" Chess apologized, following Horn's lead.
Crowley merely shook his head as if unconcerned with his retainers' failure.
"It's quite all right," he said. "We've already got the one we really need; the girl was just a bonus we can afford to let go. And besides, it's not like we won't get another chance to capture her."
Chess sheathed her sword and breathed a sigh of relief that Crowley was not angry or bothered by her and Horn's failure to capture Yuichiro. Walking over to Guren, who was still trying to recover from being kicked earlier, the purple-haired vampire girl looked Guren in the eye as he was sprawled on the floor, her face almost close enough to make his eyes water.
"I think you're right, Lord Crowley. Seeing how fixated she was with this human, I can see her coming back to try and rescue him. Not that I blame her; he is quite a looker!"
"Wow, you really have no concept of personal space, do you, Chess?" Horn asked incredulously as her eyes took in the entertaining scene before her.
Crowley rolled his eyes. "That's enough," he said sternly as he walked over and tapped Chess on the shoulder. Taking the hint, the vampire girl stood up and made room for her lord.
"It looks like your comrades have abandoned you," he said to his human captive.
"Heh… well, they don't care for me much…" Guren answered as he placed a hand over his aching chest and abdomen.
"Oh, please, how stupid do you think I am?" Crowley countered. "You had to practically order them to leave you behind. Such a noble and self-sacrificing creature you are. I was like you once, human. Look where it got me. Hopefully, fate will be kinder to you." *6*
Without waiting for Guren to answer, the vampire lord turned to his two retainers.
"We'll be taking him with us. He may be weak, but tie him up anyway just to be sure."
"Yes, my lord," the two answered in unison.
Guren said nothing and did not resist when he felt himself being lifted off the ground. As he started to lose consciousness from the pain of his injuries, his thoughts became filled with the young girl he had begged Shinya to protect.
Please live, Yuichiro…
Footnotes:
1. Fem!Yuu is normally calm and collected during battle but becomes reckless whenever Guren or anyone else she cares about is in immediate danger.
2. Fem!Yuu carries a pistol as a back-up weapon that she can ask Asuramaru to enchant so she can fire demonic bullets similar to Shinya's but smaller. The price for using this power is that her main weapon is weakened briefly until the bullets hit their target.
3. Compared to male!Yuu, whose attacks are often direct and dramatic, fem!Yuu prefers stealth and the element of surprise whenever possible.
4. The three opponents attacking Crowley while fem!Yuu provides the distraction with her pistol are Satoshi, Kimizuki, and Mitsuba, who tries to assist them from a distance by sending her energy dummies to distract Crowley.
5. To avoid confusion, fem!Yuu, Satoshi, Kimizuki, and Mitsuba made it to the floor where Crowley was chasing Guren and Shinya first. Their remaining six squad members made their way into the hallway shortly after that.
6. In the Michaela LNs, Crowley was implied to be very loyal to his comrades during his human life as a medieval knight who fought in the crusades. In this sense, he compares himself to how Guren is loyal to his comrades in the Moon Demon Company.
