Chapter 11: Devil's Emergence Arc: Parties Closed
The two adventurers looked upon a place that could only be described as a chaotic Hell; the Demon's power was obviously growing with how much was being altered by its illusions so they needed to hurry things up to their end. Ash pointed upwards. "Most likely it's at the top of this chaos on this side of the portal. We need to kill it before we can seal this all off with the Yamato because my guess is it won't let us otherwise." He said.
Akira nodded at him as they started to move forward again. He stopped for a moment and raised a hand to his ear. "You hear that?" He asks. Ash stops and listens as well, using his superior senses to discern the sound Akira was hearing. "It almost sounds like-" Akira was saying before he saw a chunk of rocks flying right for them. "Move!" He yelled as he jumped to the side and Ash teleported to the other; barely avoiding the impact and becoming blood stains on the floor. The rock made the floor go up and shatter, forcing the two to jump between the new slabs of rock and earth (Hell earth?) so they could reach an area that still was flat.
Looking up after making the climb they see their dead old friend the Demon. "You...you both are still ALIVE!?" It yells out in frustration. "Why will you not die!?"
Ash points at it getting the attention of both other occupants. "You." He said simply. "You had me stuck fighting hordes of Demons for two whole days. I've been killing them to get to you, and then you try some bull shit where you're at the top of this stupid chamber. I'm exhausted, hungry, thirsty, dirty, and my clothes need to be fixed up. When I get to you I will make you have the most painful death possible. It won't be slow; but it'll feel like it was." Ash said angrily. Akira was shocked; normally Ash was the calm one of their party but right now he was far from it. Must have been a real pain to be fighting for so long non-stop.
The Demon seemed to be ignoring the dangerous edge to Ash's voice and simply laughed at the teens. "Then come and try it, you worthless insects!" He yells as he starts picking up and chucking more rocks at them.
"Let's go up there and bag this bitch." Akira said, holding out his fist. Ash bumped his own against it.
"Definitely." He says as they begin their ascent. Akira blasts his way forward with Gilgamesh and punches through a rock allowing Ash to have a path free of blockage up for what Demon, grabbing said adventurer and throwing him upward.
Using the momentum Ash takes Yamato and teleports as much as he could in his tired state, slashing apart rocks as they came before he was right by the Demon's face who had a very surprised expression on. "You're...lucky." Ash said annoyed as he looked to be in pain and massively fatigued. "Akira...he's yours...but..." he says as he quickly throws Yamato like a boomerang and smirks as it connects. The blade severs the left arm of the Demon and forces it to stumble back, bleeding heavily as the blade comes back to Ash who is now falling. "There...finish it." He says before going back to the ground.
Akira launches upward again and connects an uppercut to the Demon making it fall back. It rolls to fix itself and stares at the human before it. "You dare...YOU DARE!" It yells in extreme anger, even roaring, making the entire place shake.
"Oh I more than dare you bastard. You trapped me in my own desires for what felt like hours; come to find out it was two days! I have friends here who are probably looking for us, and because of you Ash was alone fighting like hell to get this far!" Akira said as he dashed to the side of a fist hitting the spot he was at previously. "So I'm gonna dare all I want with you, and when I'm done you'll regret messing with me and my friend!" The human said as he charged the Demon. It was like a boss battle to Akira, it was almost like he could hear Raise Hell by Zardonic playing in the background too.
"I will crush you!" The Demon said as it grabbed...a giant boulder!? Akira looked closer and saw...ripples as if it was changing the object to be something it wasn't. Did it have more than just illusions to use? Or were they not even illusions to begin with?
Akira jumped over the 'boulder', watching as it changed back to a simple rock after passing him. However he took note that the rubble it made up until that point matched its previous size. Akira landed and kicked the Demon hard in the chest making it stumble back a bit. "Now I get it so much better! You don't use illusions. You channel your Demonic Energy into items and change what they look like! You channel it into the areas I was at to warp it to my mind's desire earlier."
The Demon seemed to grow in anger as Akira stated it's secret. "So what if that's what I do!? It'll kill you here!" It yelled stomping on the ground to make more rubble come up to throw.
Akira dodged, duked, dipped, dived, and dodged his way through the barrage of attacks and made it again up to the Demon. "Taste this!" He yelled kicking it in the mouth with a charger left roundhouse. He followed up by using his versions of Rising Dragon and Divine Dragon: in place of Demonic Energy he uses Magic to charge up and attack like he's been doing. The spin connects sending the creature back down in a heap of itself, but Akira didn't let up. He used Full House to charge back down and hit it again, now with it staggered he started going all out in it.
He grabbed it and slammed its head back down, punched it in the face a few times, then picked it up by the jaw and spun it before letting go and watching as it crashed into a sort of pillar. He walked slowly up to it leaning back as it used it's now unhidden tail to attempt to stab him; the tail itself tipped with a stinger and had razor sharp barbs near said tip. Akira grabbed the tail and shoved it beneath his foot, charging up to the point the pressure severed it. "AHHH!" The Demon yelled out as it looked to its second missing appendage. Akira came up to it and reeled a fist back; but before he could finish it off it held up its hands. "Wait! Please wait!" It begged. "I submit...you win. Just please let me live!" It cried out.
Akira looked down at its battered and bloody form. It was sure as hell beat that's for sure. "And why should I do that?" He asks. "You have three chances to convince me."
The Demon quickly blurts out its first attempt. "I'll give you power beyond the human limit!" It said hopefully.
"Not interested. Strike one." Akira said simply.
"I-I'll never bother anyone again!" The Demon tried again. A head shake made it even more scared.
"Strike two. No guarantee that now is there?" Akira asks.
The Demon gulps as he sees the fist charging up again. "I'll...I'll become like your weapon! I'll be a Devil Arm for you!" It cried out.
This time that got Akira's attention. He thought it over and knew it was a good deal. "Alright...first let the other people you have trapped go." He says. The Demon whimpers and snaps it's finger.
"There, they're outside the house now." It said as it began to glow. "I am Aztrian. From now on...I am yours." Aztrian said as it slowly was overcome by the light and its body replaced by a staff. Akira reached out and grabbed it, weighing it in his hands before smirking. He swung it in a few arcs with kicks and flips, then channels some magic through it. When he did it split into three segmented yet connected parts making a sort of whip. He swung it around in this form a bit before catching it and putting it back together, now concentrating as he channels magic into it. This time the tip away from him had a blade appear; it could become a pole arm as well. He tested this out with a double sided axe form and a spear form before nodding and putting it into his magic-made storage dimension.
"Nice." He said as he walked by the edged and looked over. Ash was no longer bellow so where-
"I am here." Ash's voice said start along the Fighter. "So you got a new Devil Arm? To think you could as well in this world. Interesting." He muttered to himself. That last bit caught Akira's attention.
"Wait, 'you as well'? What did you get one to?" Akira asked. Ash simply reached a hand to his back and summoned Iz'gath which took a very familiar form. "Whoa! Is that legit Madara's fucking War Fan!?" Akira asks.
"Indeed. The Devil I killed, Iz'gath, didn't have much time to actually fight me. However from what I've gathered he had similar abilities: reflecting attacks, and conjuring shields. So the Devil Arm Tom this firm as it was the closest thing in my mind I knew to best represent it's powers." Ash said as he put Iz'gath away. "Let's hurry and end this. I wanna go to sleep." He said walking to the portal with Yamato in hand and Akira next to him.
/Outside\\
Arkham watched as his old house raddled and started to fall apart. The dust kicking up as adventurers appears out of thin air. "They did it...they did it!" He yelled out with a smile. "Now where are those two?" He asks.
As the dust settles the two Devil Hunters walk out with Ash leaning on Akira. They walked up to the man with some limps, cuts, and bruises. "Well," Ash says, sounding tired. "That was fun." He says.
"Hahahah! No it wasn't." Akira says slapping his back. Arkham tried handing them a lunch but Akira pushed it back. "Nah, we got some good stuff out of it already. Keep it." He says. Arkham looks shocked as the two walk off.
"Is it wise to leave him alone?" Ash asks, giving a quick glance back.
Akira smirked and shrugged. "Well I didn't see any Jester, so I think we're good." He said as they made their way back to Axel.
When they approached they saw their party, Megumin and Aqua rushing toward the two where upon reaching them Aqua began healing. "Where the hell were you two?" Kazuma asks.
Ash and Akira simply chuckle. "In Hell for the most part. Other than that...having a mini party." Akira says as they head back in for rest and food finally.
Lula: They won!
Ember: Of course they did...but looks like you're watching now too huh?
Lula: Shut up, there's nothing to do here.
Ember: Got that right. So this is the end of an Original Arc huh?
Lula: Seems like it. Now what?
Ember:...want to go get some cheesecake?
Lula: YES!