Chapter 3
Destroyer of Ardor
Danzo and company soon entered another part of the castle, but this time they saw something that looked like a cathedral until they came to an altar containing the Pride of Lion which would grant those the path of trials. Suddenly a beam of light erupted from the tablet and destroyed the barrier surrounding the doorway. When they ran outside, they saw another altar ahead of them and a staff resembling the staff of Hermes that was used in the art of alchemy.
"Danzo, what do you think this staff does?" asked Mirai.
Danzo didn't respond however, but he did hear his friend clearly to know that she wanted to find out what was up. He was deep in thought when he felt a mysterious force he couldn't quite understand. He soon saw ancient writing and signaled Mirai over to his side, which of course made her feel at ease that she wasn't being ignored for too long.
"What's up?" she asked again.
"Look at this. It says, 'Go back the path and thou shalt return from the abyss with thy lionheart, and thou shalt receive the Pride of Lion.'" Danzo answered her.
"Sounds to me like this mystery is getting a lot more fishy with this Tina chick on our side," said Homura who had her arms fold in front of her chest.
Danzo motioned for them to follow, but then felt a bolt of lightning strike him, causing the platform he was on to crumble beneath his feet. He fell into the water, but then felt that he didn't have much long to survive in it as it began to feel the oxygen leaving him, he raced forward to see some skulls surrounding him with Youma markings all over them. Danzo transformed into his Youma Trigger and fought them off one by one with Alduin in his hands. Once they were defeated, Danzo leaped out of the water and onto the other side of the walkway drenched and soaked. Team Crimson, who had managed to reach the other side, saw Danzo coughing and sputtering on the ground, until Haruka gave him a special potion to get him back to full strength.
"Well, that was pretty refreshing of a swim," he said, and marched on ahead of his friends with drops of water trailing behind him.
When they returned to the altar of the Cathedral, Danzo stepped forwards and grabbed the pride of Lion. But as he turned to leave, a giant Spider youma appeared before him.
"Bah, a couple more small ones," the creature said, "I sensed something a little bigger. What a disappointing catch."
"What a BIG surprise. I hope for your sake you got something inside that big body of yours," mocked Danzo as he drew his sword, with Team Crimson following his lead.
"You puny pathetic things. I, Pincer, shall step on you like some ants!" the spider shouted, as he struck at Danzo and his friends who managed to jump clear of his attacks.
They retaliated after his first wave of attacks severely weakening him. Danzo unleashed his Youma Trigger again, but attacked ferociously with all of his strength. Pincer knew that he had underestimated his foes, until he saw Homura and Yomi charging at him with their swords at the ready. They struck at him with a team combo, as Danzo reverted to human form and fired his guns with Mirai at his side. Hikage soon let all of her emotions grant her the freedom to run wild, and struck at the creature with her knife leaving nasty gashes and wounds upon it. Finally Haruka flung several poisons from beneath her lab coat leaving severe burns while Homura went into Crimson mode and struck at it with her seventh blade Engetsu in a wild frenzy.
Finally, Pincer had enough and submerged into the ground as Homura charged in for a killing blow, only to strike the ground with such force, that it left severe burn marks on the floor.
"Coward! Come back and fight!" she shouted.
"Calm down Homura," Yomi said to her friend.
"Yomi's right, we managed to wound it enough, so there's no point in antagonizing it any further," agreed Danzo.
After a few seconds, Homura calmed down and reverted to her normal self. She adjusted her hair back to her usual ponytail, as the rest of team Crimson followed Danzo out of the cathedral.