Ch 2
Barnabas and Victoria Collins arrived in Daniel's room to find him awake, lying in bed. Both Daniel's eyes were nearly swollen shut, his face bruised purple, a swollen lip and a nose support covering the center of his face.
"Daniel!" Victoria said in a gasp.
Barnabas, looking angry, asked in a heavy tone. "Who did this?"
"Hey," Daniel said weakly. "I talked to the cops. I can say a couple guys beat on me, and some girls attacked Akemi with water bottles, but not much else," he explained.
"What was it about?" Victoria asked as she settled down beside Daniel and clasped his hand.
"They said we were no longer wanted at Harvard, that they were going to drive us away," Daniel explained.
Barnabas walked towards the window and called his lawyer. What happened to Daniel was not acceptable.
"At Harvard," Victoria said as in disbelief. "This is suppose to be one of the best schools and things like this happen here? Where was security?"
Daniel let out a snort and winced. "They stay out of sight. Supposedly so the students won't feel threatened. Ain't that funny?" he asked.
Barnabas turned briefly. "They will think it less amusing very soon," he intoned.
.
Detective Reynolds managed to see Betty Faust again. She was more compose this time, and swore they were only standing around and minding their own business when Akemi Aono ran up and attacked them. They defended themselves with the only thing they had, their water bottles. He took down her statement and asked a few questions. One, Betty paused at.
"Why caps with holes in them?" he asked.
Betty paused, then said, "To drink from."
"So why bother bringing the solid caps that didn't have holes?"
"We didn't."
Reynolds eyed her. "Who did?"
"I didn't," she said quickly.
Reynolds nodded, then asked, "So someone put one in your bag?"
Betty swallowed. "I … guess they must have."
She was lying, it was all over her face. "And you claim Akemi Aono attacked you?"
"She did," Betty said firmly.
"Who beat up on Daniel Collins?" he asked.
"I … don't know."
"You were there, weren't you?" Reynolds asked.
"I didn't see it, I don't know."
Looking at his notes, Reynolds said, "In your previous statement, you said you and those with you were there to drive Akemi Aono away. How were you going to do that?"
Betty's face turned red. "We were … going to ask her to leave, that's it. She became violent!"
"How so?"
"She attacked us."
"And Daniel Collins attacked you too?" he asked.
"Yes … er, no. Daniel tried to get between us."
"And that's when those boys started beating on him?" he asked quickly.
"Yes … wait, I think he attacked them first."
"You are a terrible liar," Reynolds said firmly. "Daniel told me two boys told him to leave. He didn't. He stayed to protect Akemi, so they dragged him down and beat him. You are telling me he's lying?"
"I didn't see," Betty said quickly.
"Excuse me!" a man said as he rushed into the room. Holding out a card, he said, "I am Brian Carter, from Carter, Carter and associates. May I ask who you are?"
Reynolds showed his badge. "Detective Reynolds."
"Sir, I am advising my client to exercise her Miranda rights and stay silent," he said, looking at Betty.
"Why is that?" Reynolds asked. "Miss Faust is has not been charged with anything."
"As a precautionary measure, Sir." Brian stated.
"Interesting," Reynolds said as he got up. "Unfortunately, I do believe this was only an informal interview to find out what happened at the school entrance."
"My client has nothing further to say," The lawyer stated.
"Well, that's too bad," Reynolds said with a shrug. "Because she has already said plenty, and contradicted herself from previous statements. Are you sure you don't want her to clear up a few … discrepancies?"
"I wish to speak to my client in private."
Reynolds nodded and held his hand out. "May I have one of your cards, please?"
The lawyer handed one over. Reynolds thanked him and left.
He knew Faust wasn't going to say anything else, at least, outside a courtroom. Walking back down the hallway, he checked on Daniel to find a couple in his room. He knocked on the door frame. "Excuse me. Daniel, How are you feeling today?"
"Better sir. Detective, this is my Uncle and Aunt, Barnabas and Victoria Collins," Daniel said.
"Please to meet you," Reynolds said, shaking each of their hands. "Do either of you know Akemi Aono?"
They did. Both Barnabas and Victoria had a glowing review of Akemi. The girl was smart and brave, and had helped them through a bad time. He asked a few off hand questions. No, Akemi wasn't bad tempered, in fact she was quite disciplined. Victoria told him about the Reverend Trask incidents. The good reverend was intent on doing her harm, but Akemi subdued him and tried to get him go away. The local Sheriff ended up having to take the man away.
He also found out how bad plain water was to a vampire. Victoria admitted to being a vampire, and talked about how bad it burned when she spilled water on herself while watering flowers. To them, untreated water was like acid was to a human. Reynolds had a nice talk with them and got some good information. He thanked them for their time, then went back to his office to study the crime scene photos.
.
Reynolds made a call to the Aono's that he timed to be at 8:AM their time. The phone rang twice.
"Aono residence," a woman said.
"This is Detective Reynolds in Boston. May I speak to Mr. or Mrs. Aono?"
"One moment please."
The wait was short. Another woman came on. "This is Moka Aono," she said crisply.
"I am Detective Reynolds, I've been tasked with investigating the incident at Harvard that your daughter was involved in, Ma'am. How is Akemi?"
"She is healing. Can you tell me what happened to her?" she asked in a demand.
"I am leading that investigation. We are collecting facts, and once we have them, I will be able to tell you. One thing I need is to speak with Akemi so she can tell me what happened," he explained.
"I can tell you everything …"
"I'm sure you can, Mrs. Aono," he said quickly. "I need to hear it directly from Akemi. This is an official investigation. I must hear it from her."
A growl of impatience came over the phone. "Very well. If you will stay on the line, you will be able to see her," Moka said. He then heard a yell "Yukari!"
Reynolds waited a moment. A dark clad woman then appeared in his office. She bore a tall pointed hat, a dark cape and was holding a wand. He let out a yelp of surprise and dropped his phone.
"Detective Reynolds?" the woman asked.
Reynolds swallowed. "Yeah … how did you do that?"
The woman bowed. "Please excuse my intrusion. I am Yukari Aono. Come with me, I will take you to Akemi."
The wall behind the woman was solid. "How did you get in my office?" he asked.
"I am a witch, Sir," Yukari explained and bowed. "If you wish to speak to Akemi, please come with me," she said and held out her hand.
He did want to speak with Akemi, and this woman knew where she was. He grabbed his tape recorder, pad and pen, then went around his desk and took her hand. She turned to the wall and took a step. Instead of running into the wall, she disappeared briefly, then the room changed and he was in what looked like a Hollywood set for a witch's den.
"Whoa," he muttered as he looked around at the floor, which had a large 'magic' circle like he'd seen in movies. There was a cauldron in the corner, shelves with all kinds of jars and a few scrolls on them, and a desk lit by candles in the corners. "Where are we?" he asked as she led him to the door.
"My Magic room. Akemi is in her room. She had agreed to speak with you," Yukari said.
Reynolds followed her into a stone block hallway with an arched ceiling. They went down another shorter hallway, then down another with many solid wood doors. Stopping at one, Yukari knocked then peeked in. "Moka, that Detective is here."
"Please show him in."
Yukari opened the door and motioned him in. Akemi was sitting on her bed. On her right side was a frightening looking woman who had red cat like eyes and silver hair. On her left was a blue haired woman he'd seen on TV. It was the pop star, Kurumu Aono. Akemi herself had a bandage on her cheek, and a wrap on her head hiding most of her pink hair and a band on her forehead. He also noted her knees were wrapped up as was one arm.
Miss Aono, are you getting good treatment?" he asked sincerely.
"I am, thank you for asking," Akemi said meekly.
Reynolds showed her the tape recorder and said, "Your mother was willing to tell me everything that happened, but for the investigation, I need to hear it from you. I know it may be hard to go through it, but you must tell me in as much detail as possible."
Akemi nodded.
Reynolds started the tape recorder and said, "Interview with Akemi Aono, incident at the south gate of Harvard University. Miss Aono, what can you tell me about what happened?"
Akemi spoke slow and told him about the group coming from the side to block their path. She explained in detail about how they told her to leave and not come back, then rushing at her with the water bottles and the two boys attacking Daniel. He interrupted her to ask how they were holding the bottles, then asked, "Why didn't you run?"
With a stricken look on her face, Akemi said, "They were beating Daniel. He was down and trying to cover himself, and they kept pounding on him!" Akemi let out a sob, adding, "I thought they were going to kill him! They hit me with water. It burned bad. I … don't remember exactly what happened next, except wanting to get to him. The next thing I really remember is standing over him. Daniel was out, and I hurt so bad." She slapped a hand to her face and cried.
Reynolds noted something no one else had said. Sympathetically, he said, "I'm sorry you have to go through this, Akemi. You said you called the police? What number did you use?"
"911," she said in a sniffle. "Someone yelled 'get her' right after that. The blond I think. That was when they ran at me, squirting water."
Reynolds made a note to check for a recording of the call. "Akemi, did anyone take pictures of your injuries at the hospital?" he asked.
Akemi nodded. "Some woman did, I think she was a nurse," she said.
"Why the pictures?" Kurumu asked.
"Evidence," Reynolds told her. "Five kids are dead, and people will want to know why."
Akemi gaped at him. "They're dead?" she asked, looking surprised.
Reynolds nodded. He spoke into the recorder. "End of interview." He pocketed the recorder.
"I … killed someone?" Akemi asked in a squeak.
"Looks like it," Reynolds told her. "Right now, just concern yourself with getting better. For the moment, I'd like you to stay right here. I may have more questions for you, and to be sure you are properly being taken care of."
"Is Daniel OK?" Akemi asked.
"He's sore, but he'll pull through. What do you know about Betty Faust?"
Akemi shrugged. "Not much, except she doesn't like me very much. She was one of them with a bottle, squirting at me."
Reynolds knew why a lawyer had been called for Miss Faust now. "I see."
"Detective?" Kurumu asked in a sweet tone. "Can you tell me what you've found so far?"
Reynolds told her without thinking. "Right now? I think we're looking at a hate crime. Six individuals attacked Daniel and Akemi here to drive them out of school. That can be considered terrorist activity, denial of Civil Rights, and for how bad water affects vampires, possibly attempted murder. Despite the opinion from some I've heard, what I am seeing is Akemi tried calling the police. When that failed she defended herself and Daniel. If she had run, there is a good chance Daniel would not have survived. I have some more facts to gather, but that is what the incident is shaping up to be."
Right after the words left his mouth, Reynolds realized what he'd just done.
"So Akemi did nothing wrong," Moka stated.
Reynolds had no idea why he'd just spilled everything, but that was a very bad move on his part. He silently cursed himself and went on pretending he hadn't just done that. "I've said too much already. If you are asking if I intend to arrest anyone, I must find out all the facts first." To get this interview over and get out of here as fast as possible, he said, "Thank you for speaking with me. I would like to return to my office now to get Akemi's statement typed up."
"I will take you, Inspector." Yukari said.
"Thank you, Ma'am."
Reynolds was deposited back into his office. He sat down in his chair hard. That had to have been the strangest interview he'd ever done! Thankfully, no one from the department had heard him just rattle off his growing opinion. It wasn't exactly illegal, but it could dump his career down the toilet. He focused on getting back to work and called the emergency center to get an audio of that call. He also wanted to see the rooms of these dead students. Six people just didn't accidentally mingle together at the same time to go after one person.
.
Through scries and spies, Fang-Fang found his troubles were just beginning. Yokai from surrounding areas were coming to seek shelter, as were many humans. Three separate Chinese armies were headed his way, and over flights were nearly constant. Outwardly calm, Fang-Fang was very tense. As much as he didn't like the idea, he realized he had to prepare for war. Although the Chinese humans were not approaching his lands yet, they were surrounding him on three sides.
One of his servants came in and bowed deeply. "Master, Shuzen Kokoa has arrived and wishes to speak to you."
"Send her in," he said, and put down his copy of The Art of War.
Kokoa entered wearing a flowered Chinese mini-dress. She bowed and said, "Master Fang-Fang, the items you requested, I have delivered for my father."
Fang-Fang returned her bow. "Thank you, Shuzen Kokoa. Your family has always been a good and honorable friend to mine. Please, come and sit. The tea is hot and fresh."
Kokoa took her place across the small table. A servant poured her tea.
"There was no problem obtaining the items I requested?" Fang-Fang asked.
Kokoa grew a crooked grin and said, "There was not. We even got the TOW anti-tank missiles and the anti-aircraft missiles in the quantity you requested. Father did ask me to remind you that this is one big favor."
"It is a tremendous favor," Fang-Fang agreed. "One I will not forget." He took a sip of tea and added, "Lord Aono wants to maintain the peace. But what I am seeing, that is becoming less and less possible. How are things at home for you?"
"We are fine. There has been no trouble with our territories. Father has made our contributions clear to all local governments. We fully support them, and if there is trouble, the humans will all know we support them as well. Hence, they are working hard for our benefit."
"I am happy to hear that. Perhaps humans here will see reason. One can only hope," Fang-Fang said with a sigh.
"Is Tsukune doing anything to help?" Kokoa asked.
"He is," Fang-Fang said with a nod. "Unfortunately, the international stage is not where the problem is. While he has put out a very strong call for peace, as have many nations, it's almost like the humans here are under some kind of spell. I understand tensions with India with our human brethren are also peaking. A wise man would not antagonize two enemies at once. I suspect there is something foul lurking under the surface, though no specter has reared it's ugly head. Both my and Lord Aono's people have been searching for a hidden cause. I may be forced to take over the government to keep the situation from getting out of control."
"Will that not make keeping to peace easier?" Kokoa asked.
"Initially," Fang-Fang admitted. "However, Kokoa, politics is a slimy task I wish to avoid if at all possible. It contains many pitfalls for the unwary or unwise. Although I am neither, I do not wish to become involved in any official capacity in the government if it can be helped. Ruling from the shadows will not get one burned by sunlight."
Kokoa gave a slight nod. "I think I know what you're saying. Father says something similar."
Holding up a finger to stress his point, Fang-Fang said, "Shuzen Issa is a wise man. Learn all you can from him, Kokoa."
A servant hurried in and bowed. "Master, the Wolves have been seen approaching from the south. There is a human army between them and us. Chin Lao is asking if we should assist Liang."
Fang-Fang thought briefly, then said, "Have Chin Lao gather witches and warn Liang. If he can get around those humans to the west, help him find a trail. If he cannot, then open a suitable portal to bring the Wolves to safety."
"Yes, master," the servant said and hurried away.
Kokoa watched the servant go, then asked, "Don't you want someone behind the enemy? Isn't that tactical sense?"
"Too soon, Kokoa," Fang-Fang told her. We will not be aggressive until they become so. I promised Lord Aono I will not make any aggressive moves first. Also, one does not tip their hand in warning. If the humans come for us, then they will find a host of deceptions awaiting them. While knowing tactics is essential, patience and timing are also very important."
Kokoa let out a sigh. "I wish I could stay to see how this plays out. I have a feeling you are more than ready for an attack by the humans."
Fang-Fang smiled and said, "With the additional support your Father has supplied, we are set to teach those humans a very painful lesson about those they oppose."
.
In a conference room with his staff and the DA, Detective Reynolds listened to Akemi's frantic 911 call. They played it twice. One thing they picked up on was the yell to "Get Her!" just as Azami had told him. Everyone had typed copies of every statement they'd gotten, as well a pictures from the scene, responder's statements, and the results of room investigations on every student who had been involved. They went over everything they had, then the DA looked at Reynolds and asked, "Can you give me a time line?"
Detective Reynolds nodded. "With fair accuracy, yes. Harold Weyman, Samuel Gunter, Alice Cassidy and Rachel Walker were all part of an anti-yokai group. Samuel had a web site toting hate of and alleged discrimination by yokai. That site has been taken down. Through E-mails and texts, we have found they did plot to drive Akemi Aono off campus. Sam found out from a source we have yet to identify, that plain water is very volatile to a vampire. They met with two others, Betty Faust and Kathy Benning, on a per-determined day, as per their e-mails and text messages, to confront Akemi Aono and stop her from going to school."
Turning a page on his notes, he said, "On that morning, they gathered near the south entrance and intercepted Akemi Aono and Daniel Collins on their way to school. From statements, Daniel Collins tried to get them to back off. Akemi called 911. Upon her call, the group attacked, beating Daniel and squirting water from their bottles onto Akemi. Akemi tried to dodge, but upon seeing Daniel down and being beaten, she tried to move to help him and was drenched with water, which burned her badly."
Reynolds looked up from his notes and told the DA, "At that point, being burned and fearing for Daniel's life, Akemi did attack. From what she told me, it was not a conscious decision, but one borne of pain and suffering. She was trying to get to Daniel. Four people were in her way. She knocked them aside. Due to her power, when she knocked them away, it was with enough force to kill them. The pattern of bodies on the ground supports her statement. Betty Faust passed out on her own, Kathy Benning died of a heart attack. By law, Akemi Aono was defending herself and Daniel. What Akemi Aono did was self defense, and in defense of Daniel Collins."
The DA frowned. "I've had pressure from several sources to bring this killer to justice. I need to bring charges on someone," he stated.
"Then bring them on Betty Faust for collaborating with a terrorist group to deny the Civil Rights of others, attempted first degree murder of Akemi Aono, assault against Daniel Collins, and conspiracy to commit murder," Reynolds replied.
The DA shook his head. Heavily, he said, "Faust isn't the one who killed five kids."
"Four, one died of a heart attack. They all were committing a crime," Reynolds said, correcting him. "It is sad, but those are the facts."
The DA frowned again and said, "The plea of self defense has limitations. I will agree, Aono had a right to defend herself, but the force used was excessive. I think the best course of action is to charge Akemi Aono with four counts of murder, then allow a plea bargain down to involuntary manslaughter. Bring her in and book her."
Reynolds let out a huff and said, "You are looking at a circus of a trial here. Water is to Aono as acid is to us. They tried to kill her. She defended herself and killed them. That is within the guidelines of self defense."
The DA got up. In a firm tone, he said, "Pick her up, charge her. I expect she will be in jail by the end of the day."
Reynolds watched him go. "You don't have a case," he said. The DA ignored him and left.
.
"NO!" Moka said flatly. "Akemi was attacked, and because she stood up for herself, they are now charging her with murder?" she asked in a screech.
Tsukune felt a headache coming on. A big one. Detective Reynolds had called, and wanted to see Akemi in his office. Kurumu coaxed him into telling her it was to charge her with four counts of murder, then take her off to a prison hospital. "Moka, we can't just ignore this," he pleaded.
Enraged, Moka stated, "ANYONE who tries to put Akemi in jail WILL be shown their place!"
"We need a good lawyer," Tsukune explained, "If we keep Akemi here, it will only make her look guilty. We have to prove her innocence."
Moka shifted foot to foot, so angry she didn't know what to do. "MY baby is NOT going to sit in jail," she stated.
"She won't. We get a good lawyer, make bail, and she can come back home," Tsukune told her firmly.
"Moka, Tsukune?" Kurumu asked and got between them. "Do we know who is making these charges against Akemi?"
"Not by name, no," Tsukune said.
"Let me find out. I'm sure I can coax him into dropping the charges."
Tsukune almost nodded. That was a quick, easy solution. It was also the worst thing to do if anyone happened to find out about it. Besides Akemi, he was very concerned about human/yokai relations over this. Still, he teetered on whether or not to do it.
Moka wasn't so unsure. "Do it," she stated. "Just make sure you are not caught."
"Moka, that may be a big mistake," Tsukune warned.
"We have already made a big mistake, trusting humans with our daughter," Moka grated.
"Hey! I'll do it and I won't get caught, OK?" Kurumu said, eyeing Tsukune. She all but ran from the room.
"Tsukune, I cannot allow humans to put Akemi in their jail," Moka stated.
Tsukune didn't want that either, he really didn't. He also knew to not go along with these charges and see them through was going to put yokai in a very bad light. Never had he thought he'd have to deal with something like this, especially with Akemi in the middle of it.
A crow flew in a window and flapped to a stop on Tsukune's shoulder. A note was rolled up and put in a small sheath hung from the crow's neck. It was a note from Ruby. Tsukune took the note out and read it.
Humans are advancing on Fang-Fang's territory and tried to bomb his defenses. Fang-Fang is set to counter, both armies are on the move.
"DAMN IT!" Tsukune roared.
.
At the borders of Fang-Fang's land, a long line of tanks rolled towards the simple fence marking the village and fields. Just behind them, troop carries with mounted machine guns and grenade launchers made another long line in support of the tanks. On the other side of the fence, all was quiet. There was no movement, not even from the village.
Driving on, the line of tanks approached the fence to knock it down and drive through. Just before the tanks reached the fence, the ground in front of them opened up in a chasm. The tanks couldn't stop. Most of them fell in immediately, a few teetered on the edge, desperately trying to back up before they slipped in also. Behind them the support vehicles stopped. Yelling and frantic radio calls went out.
In the fields around the village, ground erupted and tanks appeared. These tanks began shooting at the troop carriers. As carriers blew up, others tried to back up and flee. In the area around the village, none made it. Far to the sides, carriers did race away from the trap.
The chasm in the ground closed up. On one side of the village, carriers driven by Fang-Fang's forces appeared to race at the fleeing carriers. Armed with rockets, the carriers that appeared from Fang-Fang's side blew up the fleeing troop carriers nearly at will. Far to the other side, Men and orcs appeared at the fence line with TOW missiles and mortars to devastate the fleeing Chinese.
At the air base that was to support the attack, dragons appeared overhead and dove down to breathe fire on planes and into buildings. Men on the ground screamed and burned as they tried to flee. The dragons flew away, leaving the base a flaming wreck with explosions from burning ammunition causing more destruction.
At a Chinese army encampment, a single female walked up to the gate. The guards challenge her. The Siren belting out her scream strong and hard. Her voice carrying, the guards, and men all over the base clapped their hands to their ears as they cried in pain, their bodies breaking down from the Siren's wail. Once the bodies stopped moving, the Siren walked away. Men supporting Fang-Fang ran onto the army post and collected up arms and ammunition.
Outside the area, sixty miles away, humans supporting Fang-Fang and their families blew up bridges and rail lines, cut wires and blocked roads with everything from fallen trees to rocks. Cell phone towers that they found had the power cut off. Warnings for the Chinese army not to enter the area were put up on posts for all to see.
Fang-Fang called it defending the lands of his people.
The Chinese called it a declaration of war.
.
The Chinese army had no 'front line' to speak of in it's fight. The troops advancing into Fang-fang's territory were obliterated. The remnants of the Chinese advance and the reserves fought small groups using guerilla tactics that were everywhere. There was no large counterattack, but thousands of small attacks on traveling units, communications, and supply depots. Night time saw the carnage increase. Patrols were found dead, stripped of their gear and vehicles. Lighted encampments drew mortar and yokai attacks. Those that went without light fared better battle wise, but still found many dead in their ranks come morning. Fear filled Chinese ranks as soldiers became afraid they were going to be the next to be 'found dead'. Chinese soldiers fled the area to avoid being killed by things they could not even see.
It was death by a thousand cuts.
Four days after the initial disastrous push onto Fang-Fang's territory, Chinese all along the line retreated back outside the places where posted warnings had been put up. Leaving over half their numbers as dead or missing, as well as large portions of their equipment, the General in charge regrouped his forces from three armies to only two, and set up defensive positions 80 miles away from their intended target.
An air strike was called to bomb the target area to stop any advance. The planes were shot down with anti-aircraft missiles.
Another factor that cut deep into the Chinese army that no general had considered was mass defections. Chinese army units that became surrounded met young women who 'coaxed' them to see the true enemy of China was the communist party and that Fang-Fang and the yokai were their saviors. Starry eyed and Charmed, young Chinese soldiers turned sides and became part of the NCR, the New China Republic. While the Chinese army lost 80,000 soldiers from the battles, Fang-Fang's forces gained 14,000 soldiers, as well as many tanks, artillery pieces, over a thousand trucks and tons of supplies.
For China, it was a total humiliation. One that could not be allowed to stand.
.
On the southwest border China had with India, Indian authorities had enough with Chinese soldiers coming into Indian territory to begin building roads and reinforcing their 'proper' line. After pounding the Chinese with 4000 artillery and hundreds of rockets for a full day, A mass of Indian soldiers with hundreds of tanks attacked the Chinese.
Overhead, Indian air power flooded the sky with ground attack and air-to air missiles, sweeping the Chinese air force from the sky. The strikes were not just on the border areas, but also deeper behind the lines. Indian paratroopers dropped far behind the lines to block roads into the area and prevent reinforcements.
.
The Devil lounged back, very pleased with the work Cruella and her demons were doing. In China, sides were being taken in the coming war, with Yokai or against. Although he would have preferred a pure Yokai Vs Human conflict, it wasn't coming out like that. A yokai warlord had amassed a mixed force. Slick tongued and knowing how to manipulate, Fang-Fang had drawn in nearly a hundred thousand yokai and humans. The Chinese government army that had come to subdue him had grossly underestimated what they were getting into, and were beaten badly. Now, everywhere in China, Yokai were shifting to 'safer' places where there were no humans, or places that had humans who welcomed them. Humans who were told / shown that yokai needed to be destroyed were also gathering in like minded enclaves loyal to the Government. With this large division splitting up China, the Indian Army ran rough shod over the border forces, driving 70 miles into China and taking passes to reinforce their positions.
In the mid East, Palestinian rockets overwhelmed the 'iron dome' defense systems to pound Israeli cities. Israeli war planes flew out to find and destroy the rocket launching platforms to run into a surprise of anti-aircraft missiles. In celebration of downing Israeli fighter-bombers, another thick wave of rockets shot out to rain down on Israel. The Iron Dome missiles depleted, all Israeli soldiers could do was watch the rockets pour down like rain. Before the building was destroyed, the Prime Minister announced a declaration of war on Palestine.
The Devil's smile grew as more and more souls died in anguish and with hate on their lips, and fell down to him like rain to add to the burning fires of his realm.