Chapter 29: Crown Clown

While floating on the water, Fou reverts back to her original form and the Akuma looks down at her.

"Haha." It laughs. "This explains a lot."

Fou looks up at Allen. "Wa-... lker..." She mutters.

"Fou..." Allen calls. "Bak-san was crying."

Fou then looks at Alice. "You took... your time to wake up..."

"I know." Alice says. "I'm sorry."

Then the Akuma looks at both of them.

"Well?" It asks. "Are you two strong?"

Allen doesn't answers and looks at the soul that is trapped inside of the Akuma.

'...Se love…' The Akuma soul mutters. 'Please love me! Stop him— stop this thing. I'm right here. HELP ME! You can see me, right? You can hear me, right? Even though I've turned into this form— Please love me! PLEASE LOVE ME! You exist for out sake, don't you?!'

Allen smiles. "Yes."

"Allen!" Alice calls. "He's coming!"

The Akuma charges at the two and destroys the rubble that Allen and Alice were standing before the both of them jumps away.

"My Dark Matter is still breaking you down to bits. Don't make me laugh!" Then blades that are made up of Dark Matter appears on his hand and tries to stab Allen repetitively but Allen dodges each attack. "Disappear, little boy!"

"Allen is not your only opponent!" Alice tells the Akuma and splits Silver into twin blades before she begins to slash at the Akuma. Then Bak enters the room.

"Walker!" Bak calls. 'I knew he couldn't activate yet...' He thoughts and spots Fou floating on the water. "FOU!" The Branch Chief jumps over the ledge and starts running towards Fou.

'I will fight for the Akuma, and live for the Akuma.' Allen thought. 'That alone is the purpose of my existence.'

"FOU!" Bak calls again.

Allen sees Bak running towards Fou and hugs her. 'That should have been the road I had decided to walk on.' He continues. 'And yet... And yet, I...'

When Allen lands on the pillar, his body starts to crumble. Alice sees this and widens her eyes.

"Allen!" Alice shouts.

"What a fool..." It says. "You thought you could fight with that body?"

Just about when the Akuma strikes Allen, Alice jumps in front of it and blocks the strike. However the strike is too powerful and sends Alice to one on the rubble, making her to deactivate Silver, and strikes Allen.

"WALKER!" Bak shouts.

Allen lands in the water as the Dark Matter blades touch Allen and he starts to screams from pain and crumbles.

"Stop that, you bastard!" Bak and opens his hand.

'Guardian deity.' Bak thought.

Bak uses a piece of the rubble and it transforms into a hand. Before the rock hand touches the Akuma, the hand splits into two with one finger, pointing at Bak.

"Moron!" It says. "This thing won't word against an Akuma."

It then shoots a thread at Bak and the thread goes through him. His body starts to have cracks all over his body.

"Bak!" Fou calls and another thread goes through her.

"Now disappear, you piece of trash!"

Fou then looks at Allen's crumbled arm.

"Walker..." Fou mutters.

Then both Fou and Bak scream from the pain. Suddenly, water covers Alice's body and she slowly stands up, making the Akuma to look at her.

"What?" It asks. "Do you want to go again?"

She then starts to walk on the water slowly as the water recedes showing Alice is now wearing a long, blue, slightly pleaded skirt, a white robe, and a white ribbon tied on her hair. Above her eyes, red marking appears and Alice opens her eyes, narrowing them, glaring at the Akuma.

"Let them go." Alice demands. "I'm your opponent this time."

"Oh really now." It says.

Alice activates Silver again in bow form and aims at the two threads as two arrows form in between her fingers. She then fires the arrows at the treads and cuts them, releasing Fou and Bak from the pain.

"Not bad. But it's not enough!" The Akuma shoots again at Fou and Bak, but Alice quickly goes in front of them and puts her hand up, making a barrier to protect both of them from the threads. "Is this the best you can do?"

Alice doesn't answers when the same hand makes a claw causing the streams of water shoot up from its body and cuts the threads before flying towards the Akuma which it dodges them. Consequently, the streams come back and coils the Akuma tightly and many water needles surrounds it with their sharp pointed ends at it.

"Now you can't move anymore." Alice states.

'Unbelievable! Even without her Innocence, she has this much power?!' Bak exclaims in his head.

"Now tell us where you came from. Even with that portal you brought it with you, you should have come from somewhere." She interrogates.

The Level Three simply scoffs and looks at his water prison. "Do you really think that this will stop me?" It questions and slowly spreads its arms out from the tight bind and breaks free.

Alice narrows her eyes which all the needles shoot at the Akuma but before they reach their target, the Akuma jumps up to avoid them. It then shoots its threads against the barrier with more force in them causing the girl to be push back with a grunt.

"Give up. It is inevitable that you will die by me along with Allen Walker."

Alice keeps her perseverance with her barrier but even she has limits. 'Allen…' She thought. "ALLEN!"

"Innocence..." Allen's voice calls when all of a sudden, a glowing left arm appears in front of Alice, Fou, and Bak and a pillar of light then appears surrounding them. "My left arm is for the Akuma. My right arm is for the humans." The pillar of light starts to transform into a figure. "Both define me. Both are important to me..." The figure begins to have a cloak, right glove and a mask. "So now I will answer you." The cloak grabs the threads that Alice tries to prevent. "These humans and these Akuma bring them to salvation!"

"What... happened?" Bak asks, bewildered. "What is this...? Did this thing saved us?!"

Alice and Fou look at Allen's arm that is glowing.

"What? Another weird thing showed up."

"Allen/Walker...?" Alice and Fou call.

"You're in the way." It tells the cloak and charges. "I'll make you all disappear!" The Akuma quickly gets in front of them and the figure whips its cloak to protect Alice, Fou, and Bak before the Akuma slashes at them. "Disintegrate!" The Akuma opens its mouth and tendrils come out towards the three of them but the figure continues using its cloak to cover them.

"WA—H!" Bak screams as he closes his eyes but then opens them again. "Huh? What happened...?"

"It's all right." Alice assures and Bak looks at her.

"That's Walker's Innocence..." Fou finishes.

The mask of the figure, Allen's Innocence goes closer to the Akuma's face.

"You little..." It says.

The mask lifts up and white ribbons pierce the Akuma, severing its arms and hands. The mask then sees Allen's arm and flies over to him, contacting his arm. After that, light slowly envelopes Allen's arm, becoming a white glove.

"Let's go..." Allen says as Fou and Bak smiles. "Together..."

"Your late… idiot." Alice mutters but smiles.

Allen then gets out of the water and his body stops crumbling by the purification of his Innocence.

"You bastard..." It curses and charges toward him and Allen moves his eyes at the Akuma and jumps over it.

"Pitiful Akuma," Allen says and the cloak on his left side moves, showing his fully restored arm that is black, clad in armor and razor sharp claws, "let your soul be saved." He slashes at the Akuma with his left arm, reducing it to its head and main body. With the ribbons from the cloak, the Akuma tied up in the air. "Please tell me, Akuma. Who sent you here and to where you suppose to take me back?"

"'Who', 'where'...?" It repeats. "Kuhaha... If you spare me, I'll tell you."

Allen didn't say anything and smiles. "Okay, I will." He replies and the Akuma is silent. "So please tell me."

Then the Akuma starts to laughs and gets closer to Allen's face. "You don't plan on saving me, you farce actor! Kukuku. It's Noah-sama. It's Lord Tyki Mikk send me! I wonder what's going on about now in Edo? Especially with your friends! Mikk-sama and four other Noahs are over there and the Count too!"

Allen, Alice, and Bak widen their eyes at the news.

"Allen~~? Don't you think they're in big trouble?"

Allen then touches the Akuma's forehead with his left hand. "Thank you." He slides his finger down on the Akuma.

"The Noah's Ark... Right there... Ride it, Allen..." It tells him. "It'll warp you though space to take you to Edo..."

"—...Why are you telling me this?" Allen asks.

"Why? Because Master Noah ordered me to do so." It says as horizontal line starts to form. "No... Actually I don't know..." Once the second line is made the two lines becomes a cross. "But for some reason I feel really good..."

The light from the cross envelopes the Akuma and disappears in the light.

"Good night." Allen says.

"Walker!" Bak calls.

"Allen!" Alice also calls.

Allen turns around and smiles at Alice, Fou, and Bak.


~Later~
Bak's Office

Bak is watching a recording of Allen's Anti-Akuma Weapon, Crown Clown. He then hears the door open and sees Allen and Alice walking into the room.

"'Clown'... I really do look like one there." Allen says and Alice nods her head.

"Walker, you've had the check up?" Bak asks.

"Yep, Wong-san said I'm in perfect condition." Allen reports.

"Right." Bak says. "And how's your left arm?"

Allen takes off the left side on his shirt, showing that is black and more scale-like, and arrow-shaped markings forming along the shoulder blade.

"It still feels a bit stiff. But it'll be okay." Allen adds.

"I see." Bak says and looks at the report about Allen's Innocence.

While Bak is thinking about Allen's Innocence, Allen looks at his left hand up to look and Alice also looks at it.

"Ah, I wonder if I still cheat at cards with this..." Allen wonders.

"Is that all you cared about?" Alice asks with her hands on her hips.

Allen then notices a dumbfounded expression on Bak's face. "Bak-san?" He calls.

"Ah, no. It's nothing." Bak reassures. "'Crown Clown' huh? ...Yeah, we'll call it that from now on."

"Was it strong?" Allen asks.

"Hn?"

"Was it strong, my Innocence?"

"Oh, oh yeah! It was a very strong Anti-Akuma Weapon, Walker!"

"Good!" Allen says with a smile.

Then the phone starts to ring and one of the scientists picks it up.

"Chief, our line to Headquarters has recovered!" Scientist A reports.

"Oh, right!" Bak replies and he turns back to Allen and Alice. "Well then, Walker. I'll see you again later."

"Okay." Allen says and Alice bows towards Bak.

Allen and Alice walk towards the door as Bak picks up the phone.

"Bak-san." Allen calls. "No matter what Komui-san says, Alice and I are taking the Ark."

Allen and Alice exits the room as Bak stares at the two Exorcists, while walking through the hallways, Alice stops walking after she looks down and Allen notices and looks at her.

"What's wrong, Alice." Allen asks.

"Allen, I remember a part of when I was little." Alice says.

"Then your memories—!" Allen exclaims and Alice shakes her head.

"It's just a part of it."

"I see... Well, what was it about?"

"I have a twin little sister and a grandma..." Allen trails off.

"Eh? You have a sister and she's your twin? And a grandmother?"

"Yeah. I can't remember my sister's name, but that girl is very kind and very shy. As for grandma, she told something very important to me when I was little."

"Alice..." Allen walks towards Alice and pats her head, making her to look up. "It's going to be all right, Alice. We're all with you."

"Allen... you're right. So where are we going?" Alice asks.

"To where Fou is. I want to see her before go into the Ark."

~Later~
At the gate

Allen walks closer to the gate as Alice looks around the room.

"Hey, Walker." Fou's voice says. "You're bored?"

"How are you doing, Fou?" Allen asks.

"I just have to rest in here and then I'll be okay..." Fou replies. "It just takes some time, and that can get boring. Well, I'll sending off the freak Exorcist from here."

"Hey, that's harsh. How am I a freak?"

"Haha... you idiot." Fou says. "Walker, you really... liking both humans and Akuma is pretty strange, you know?"

"Haha!" Allen laughs.

"I'm tired so I'm gonna sleep..." Fou tells him. "A guy like you should be running off to the battlefield—and good riddance. A guy like you..."

Allen smiles and gives Fou a thumb up.

"I'm going." He tells her before leaving. "Let's go, Alice."

"Okay." Alice replies and looks at the gate before following her fellow pupil.