Up above a lush forest a figure was flying in place with white feathered wings. A girl was hovering over the forest in a blue sky that had green streaks flowing through it against white clouds. She was wearing white tennis shoes, a Yokai Academy girls skirt, a white t-shirt, and her unique white hat that had cat ears and blue bows on each side. She had long hair that shifted from pink at the top towards a dull yellow at the bottom, the girl's pink eyes looking down below at something with interest as she had a gentle smile on her face. Below the girl loud crashes and roars could be heard echoing out in the forest as a few trees toppled over and dust kicked up in the area. A strong vampiric aura was flaring around as a red glow was flickering amongst the obscured forest floor.
"You really are something else," Ren said with a soft sigh, captivated by the aura down below, and the monster that it belonged to.
Inside the billowing dirt cloud among the destroyed trees a large scorpion demon was skittering around, having a disfigured face with twisted mandibles while its red and yellow body moved about through the area in a strafing pattern. Its tail struck out quickly with a snapping sound into the dust cloud, the pointed end piercing through trees and boulders and reducing them to rubble as the demon hissed loudly. The tail struck again into the dust cloud, then stopped suddenly. The limb suddenly yanked back and the demon was thrown across the area through a tree and into another scorpion demon that was skittering towards the area. The two monsters tumbled back as the dust cloud calmed down to reveal a figure standing there. He stood there with his normal black shoes and brown pants, along with a black t-shirt that was fluttering a bit as his vampiric aura was flaring around him wildly. His black hair had a gray streak that was bled through the side and his eyes were black and crimson, the vampire staring down the two demons as they stumbled back to their feet and charged him again. Dust and foliage flew about as the monsters charged through two more trees and struck at the boy with their tails again. The limbs moved at blinding speeds, yet were dodged easily enough by the vampire as he darted back in the blink of an eye. He narrowed his eyes then jumped up as a claw swiped by where he was. The boy flipped back over a lizard demon that had tried to sneak up on him and landed behind it, then struck the monster with a powerful kick to the head. The demon flew off to the side with a shattered skull as the vampire bolted forward towards the scorpions, the two demons skittering towards him as their faces hissed at him wildly. The boy darted to the side of one of the tails as it struck forward, then jumped up over the second, the vampire then striking down with a powerful punch to one of the monsters causing it to be blasted into the ground with a powerful explosion.
Up in the sky Ren giggled as she watched the boy with caring eyes, knowing full well he could handle these things without any problem.
As the scorpion demon was crushed into the ground by the tremendous power of the vampire, the boy then darted over and sent a powerful sideways kick to the tail of the other monster. The kick carved right through the appendage causing the demon to howl and screech in pain. The boy grabbed the dismembered tail then with a powerful thrust he sent the pointed end through the body of the demon with a crunch. The monster howled before wavering and falling down dead, the echoing cry of the monster causing growls and snarls to be heard all around. The boy stood up on his kill and glared around with his eyes. As he did he saw the approaching monsters all around, seeing nothing but darkness around him except for the glowing lights of blood from his incoming enemies.
"Nearing my limit, need to make this quick," Tsukune growled, feeling his hunger spiking from the use of his vampire energy. In a flash he darted towards one of the glowing blood signatures he saw, the boy's vision returning to normal just in time to show him sending a punch towards a blue skinned brute and obliterating his skull. While the broken bits of bone and splatters of blood shot back while the body dropped down dead the vampire glanced to the side as his vision switched again from his bloodlust, seeing an illuminated figure racing towards him with four arms.
Up in the sky Ren watched him carefully, seeing the vampire dart forward and punch right through an incoming punch from a four armed lizard demon. Tsukune's fist blasted apart the demon's hand, arm, shoulder, and then head as he followed through with great force, causing the remains of the monster to be thrown back into a bloody tumble. Ren watched the sight with wonder then smiled with awe.
"I swear, nothing can stop you Tsukune," she said confidently as she watched the boy dash around at high speed, the vampire using his full strength to annihilate all the monsters from Paradise that were converging on him. He sent a powerful kick to a bulbous giant, causing the large demon to blast apart like a popped balloon. The boy then spun around and punched right through the chest of an armor scaled brute, the hardened skin shattering from the strike as the demon coughed out blood into the air. The boy then jumped up and kicked off of the monster, the demon being shot into the ground with a powerful blast, then flew over and sent a powerful punch to a tall spider demon. The giant arachnid's head was smashed in, the boy then swinging around the crushed skull and landing on the body before stomping his foot down with great force. The monster shot down and the large body of the beast splattered on the floor of the forest as Tsukune seemed to shoot off like a bullet and reappear in front of another demon, striking it down with a quick punch as his aura flared around him like a wild torrent. He started growling and looking around with a glare as the world around him was dark, seeing nothing but darkness except for the glowing signatures of the blood from the demons.
"Getting… so… thirsty," he growled as the hunger for blood started to escalate. He shook his head and tried to focus his mind, feeling his senses slipping as his bloodlust started to reach critical levels. Ren watched him carefully as she saw him struggling in place then glanced around at a few more incoming demons.
"He's getting to that point. C'mon Tsukune, just finish them off quickly," she said carefully.
Tsukune growled and glared around at the incoming monsters, his world getting darker as his hunger for blood started getting heavier. In a flash he dashed towards an incoming illuminated demon, the boy seeming to vanish and reappear instantly before the monster with a powerful punch to the face. Before the skull and brain shattered back into fragments Tsukune vanished again, only to reappear and send a fierce kick to a lumbering brute. As the boy struck into the chest of the gray skinned monster the previous demon's head blasted apart into pieces, just as the brute's chest was smashed in while blood and bone fragments shot out his back. Ren watched with wonder as Tsukune vanished again in a blur then appeared over by where another demon was instantly splattered back against a tree from a powerful punch.
"My god… he really is invincible," Ren said softly.
A large four legged demon scrambled towards Tsukune with its jaws open, the large extended mouth filled with razor sharp teeth while the vampire was facing the other way. Tsukune growled then roared out, his aura blasting around him as the ground below him scorched and cracked apart. Ren watched with wide eyes as the lizard closed its jaws down on the boy, right before the blast of sheer vampiric energy blew the jaws apart. Teeth and bone along with blood flew out on either side of the boy as the lizard demon staggered back with a howl.
"No way…" Ren said with wonder. Tsukune glanced back to the demon and held out his hand toward it, his aura turning a deep red. He felt the full force of his vampire energy surging through him wildly, using no restraints as he tried to push his will to the limit. He focused on keeping his hunger in check with all his might while he let his power run freely, and in doing so he could sense the monster energy of the lizard demon. He could almost feel it in his hand as he flexed his fingers.
"His energy… he's… he's using only his energy to kill that thing," Ren said with amazement. The siren watched with surprise as Tsukune yelled and swung his hand to the side, and in doing so the demon was thrown over and crashed into several trees. The boy growled and then focused his energy on the demon, the ground around the vampire lighting ablaze as his aura seemed to ignite the area around him. Ren stared with surprise before a powerful wave of vampiric energy washed over her, feeling her senses being shot as she moaned out loudly. She dropped from the sky as her eyes couldn't focus, her world spinning from the powerful vampire aura that hit her. She fell and tumbled down through a few branches, then dropped down onto the ground shaking as her mouth was quivering.
'My god… so much energy!'
"Tsukune!" she cried out with passion, feeling her mind going numb as she tried to think straight again. After the wave hit her she not only had an orgasm but lost all cognitive thought, the girl rendered in shock from the powerful wave of energy that rippled through her. She slowly rolled over and stumbled to her feet, wearily looking over to Tsukune as he was holding his hand out towards the demon still. The lizard demon was howling in pain while its mouth was torn apart as Tsukune's aura seemed to swirl around him wildly. But it wasn't just a red glow circling him, as the siren saw streaks of fire flaring up briefly as well.
"Tsukune… how… how much monster energy do you have?" she asked with disbelief.
Tsukune yelled out as he clenched his fingers in his hand, the boy's aura seeming to spike in a drastic shot all at once. Instantly the demon's chest burst apart as blood and bone blasted out. Ren watched with wide eyes as Tsukune had literally used nothing but his vampire energy to cause the monster's heart to explode.
"Tsukune… how… you…" she said with shock. She looked at the dead lizard demon then over to Tsukune with wide eyes, seeing a massive torrent of power circling around him. He lowered his hand slowly as his eyes were set in a glare still, the boy's power flaring around him causing the siren's heart to skip a beat.
"Tsukune…" she said under her breath. She had never felt more attracted to the boy, feeling her entire body being drawn towards him like no other. The boy slowly looked over to her, the girl feeling her legs wobble as he set her in his sights. She suddenly felt like she couldn't move or talk, the world around her shifting to a blurry haze. His crimson and black eyes pierced into hers as he held out his hand towards her, the girl suddenly being dragged towards him by his energy. Her feet skidded a bit on the dirt and grass as her eyes remained locked onto his, the girl unable to think or move at all. She was brought over to him as he bared his fangs, the boy's eyes only showing him the illuminated blood from the girl. He grabbed her around the waist as he used his other hand to move her hair away from her shoulder then tilt her head.
'Tsukune…'
He snarled then bit down into her neck, the girl not showing a reaction as her eyes remained unfocused.
'Tsukune…'
She felt her blood being taken from her quickly, the girl's strength dropping as he held her forcibly. She shivered a bit and slowly opened her mouth.
"Tsu… Tsukune…" she breathed out.
Her eyes started to slowly close as her breathing slowed down, the girl feeling her body going numb as she tried to move. She couldn't break free from his grip, and couldn't form any proper words to sing him to sleep in this state.
"Tsu… kune... stop…" she whimpered out quietly. The boy growled as he held her forcibly, the boy's bloodlust showing him only the illuminated blood as his senses were overwhelmed by sheer hunger. She shakily brought up her hand and gripped his arm that was holding her.
"Tsukune… please," she said softly as her world started to turn to black.
The boy growled loudly then suddenly jerked back from her neck. He looked at her with a strained expression as she wavered in his arms.
"R… Ren..." he said as he struggled to fight his hunger. The siren slowly looked into his eyes as her world started to blur.
"Tsukune…" she said before she lost consciousness.
Ren's eyes opened slowly as she started to stir a bit, the girl blinking then looking around. She was lying on the grass near the cliffside while Tsukune was sitting next to her. He had his rosary seal attached to his wrist again, the boy's hair and eyes having returned to normal. His fangs however remained as he was now a full blooded vampire, his power only somewhat suppressed by the magical seal. The boy was looking at her worriedly as she slowly looked up at him.
"Tsukune?" she asked softly.
"Ren, I'm so sorry. Are you alright?" he asked with concern as the girl just looked up at him with a gentle gaze.
"I… think so," she said softly.
"I'm so sorry Ren, I almost lost complete control. Please forgive me, I never meant to… I couldn't stop myself," he said looking down with closed eyes. The siren slowly sat up and looked at the boy with wonder.
"How… did you do that Tsukune?" she asked softly. He looked to her worriedly as she turned to face him.
"You… you killed that demon with nothing but your monster energy. And… the way you looked at me like that… I couldn't do anything but let your energy carry me to you," she said with wonder. He looked at her worriedly then down.
"I… I'm not sure. I just… when I was facing that monster… I could feel it. I could feel his monster energy. It was like… I could reach out and… grab it," he said looking to his hand.
"You did, you blew apart his mouth with nothing but your energy Tsukune. You… you tore apart its heart without ever actually touching him," Ren said with awe. Tsukune looked to her then up as he recalled the event. He was mostly trying to keep in control of his vampire urges, but he did remember the feeling of using his energy to tear apart the monster's heart. It was as if he could reach out and grab the actual monster energy of the demon and rip it apart with his willpower.
"And… the way you controlled me…" Ren said softly. The boy looked to her worriedly as she held a hand to her chest.
"I couldn't do anything. I couldn't think, I couldn't move, I couldn't even talk. It was like… you controlled me with your energy alone," she said softly. He looked at her with wonder then down, not remembering that part too well.
"I… did?" he asked. He shook his head and looked back to the siren with worried eyes.
"I'm so sorry Ren; I never meant to do that to you. I don't remember what happened; I was just trying to keep in control. But… I failed at that. I nearly killed you," he said before looking down with remorse. Ren looked at him with concern then slowly held out her hand and grabbed his. The boy looked to see her smiling at him gently.
"It's ok Tsukune. I'm here to help you get through this; I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Besides, you stopped yourself, you regained control and stopped yourself from taking too much of my blood," she reassured kindly. The boy looked down at her hand then away.
"That was too close though, what if I hadn't heard your voice in time?" he asked.
"My voice?" the girl asked softly. He nodded and looked back to her.
"I heard you call my name, before that everything was dark. I couldn't stop myself from feeding… until I heard your voice. Only then did I realize it was actually you I was feeding on," he explained with remorse. She looked at him with wonder then down timidly.
"You… heard me Tsukune?" she asked softly. He nodded and looked down with closed eyes.
"I'm sorry Ren, I nearly drained you dry of all your blood. I tried to put an end to those demons before I pushed myself too far, but I failed in that. I nearly got you killed," he said with regret.
"I'm still alive Tsukune, and so are you. You did what you came out here to do, to fight your bloodlust and learn to overcome it," Ren said gently. Tsukune looked to her with concern then over at the horizon near them, seeing the moon that was strangely close to them in this unique world.
"Maybe we should wait until Ruby gets back before doing that again, just so you're not alone if I-"
"No!" Ren shouted out. Tsukune looked to her as she shook her head.
"No, I can do this. We don't need her here with us Tsukune," she said firmly.
"But Ren, what if I lose control again and nobody's here to help you? You nearly died because you were all alone when I was struggling to keep in control," Tsukune asked worriedly. Ren leapt forward and hugged the boy, holding him close as he jumped a bit in surprise.
"I'm not scared Tsukune. I know you'll be able to beat this thing, I just know it. Nothing can stop you, not a damned thing," she said closing her eyes and holding him close.
"But Ren," Tsukune said worriedly.
"I'm staying by your side Tsukune; I'm the only one you need here. I'm the only one you need with you. I promise we can do this together, I know we can," she reassured. Tsukune glanced to her as the girl smiled softly while looking ahead with a gentle expression.
"You need my blood to stop the thirst, you need my singing should you go out of control, and you need…" she said before looking down. She leaned back and let the hug break as Tsukune watched her curiously.
"I need what?" he asked. The girl hesitated for a moment then smiled at him.
"Never mind, but the point is you need me Tsukune, not that witch. We can't stop now, not when we have a long road ahead of us," she reasoned assuredly. Tsukune looked at her with wonder then down a bit.
"But… what if I go out of control like that again? You couldn't sing me to sleep when it happened before, you might not be able to when it happens again," he said worriedly.
"I don't care," Ren said. Tsukune looked back to her as she shook her head.
"I don't care if it's dangerous for me, or if I might die next time. I'm not giving up on you Tsukune, no matter what," she said firmly. He looked at her with wonder as she smiled gently at him.
"You're stuck here with me Tsukune, get used to it. I'm not leaving this place until you're cured, and that's final," she said with a smile.
"Ren… why are you so determined to stay here with me? We hardly knew each other before coming in here," he asked curiously. She nodded and looked down a bit.
"It's my choice Tsukune; I'm doing this to help you. Besides… we can still get to know each other while we're here," she said glancing back to him with a timid smile. The boy smiled a bit and looked down as the girl watched him sit next to her.
"Thank you Ren, for helping me like this. I'll try to be more careful next time I start to get thirsty again," he said with a weak smile. He blinked then rubbed his eyes a bit, the siren looking at him with a gentle gaze.
"You're still hungry, aren't you?" she asked softly. The boy looked at her and saw her blood illuminate before his eyes for a brief moment. He nodded and looked down as he held a hand over his eyes.
"Yeah… I stopped myself as soon as I saw what I was doing to you, I didn't want to risk hurting you," he said. He then looked to see Ren moving closer and holding him around the waist, the girl flicking her hair over her shoulder and tilting her head.
"Ren, no. You're still too weak; I've taken too much from you before. You need to rest," he said shaking his head.
"Tsukune…" she said softly as she looked at him with gentle eyes. She smiled and moved closer to him, the boy smelling her scent and blood as she had her neck close to his mouth.
"Please, take what you need from me. It's ok, really," she said as she closed her eyes.
"But Ren, you need to rest," Tsukune said as he saw the blood illuminate quickly along her neck, the girl's scent filling his nose and causing the hunger to grow.
"I'll be fine, I promise. This is what I want Tsukune, so please, take what you need of me," she said holding him close to her.
"Ren…" he said closing his eyes.
"It'll be fine, take what you need. I trust you with my life," she said softly.
"Ren," the boy said as he slowly held the girl around the waist.
"For you Tsukune, I'll give anything," she said quietly. The boy trembled slightly then slowly bit down onto her neck. She didn't flinch or make a sound this time, having a gentle smile on her face as the vampire had more of her blood. She already felt weak, but was ready to give anything she had to him if it meant it would help him. She wanted to give the boy everything he needed to overcome this condition, and was determined to do just that. Even though it was her own blood that she had to give to help him with his training, which weakened her after each time, she didn't mind at all. In fact it was quite the opposite, as she held onto the back of his head with one of her hands she felt her heart beating a little faster for the vampire.
'Tsukune… I'm all yours. Everything I am… is yours.'
Alarms were sounding off as red lights were flashing in the hallways of the HDA command center, with soldiers running around armed with their weapons while radio chatter was scarcely overheard. Security breaches on the east and west side of the compound were being reported along with a monster escape taking place in the holding cells. Up at the top floor of the tall building a man was looking out the window of his office as he was sitting back in a cushy office chair. He was dressed in a dark business suit, having dark hair and a thin mustache while his black eyes were looking out at the sky outside. He growled a bit and glanced back to his desk where he had a computer screen showing the building's layout, along with three red dots pulsating with exclamation marks. Standing in front of his desk were two HDA soldiers, the men standing at attention.
"So, two simultaneous break-ins and a prison break at the same time. I was wondering if the monster world really was so naïve to think that they could actually attack us like this and expect to get away with it. Seems the answer to that question is yes," Jenner scoffed with discontent. He turned his chair back around and looked at the monitor.
"Sir, west side patrols are reporting three monsters breaking into the structure at the ground level. East side forces are reporting a larger group of ten monsters that have broken through one of the parking garages with a stolen truck. They are in the basement area and are moving deeper into the complex as well," one soldier reported in a professional tone.
"Also we are getting reports from the holding cells; the group of monsters scheduled for execution tonight are attempting to escape. We have them pinned down in the atrium and are sending in more reinforcements. Do we try to detain them or execute them now?" the second soldier asked with a firm expression. Jenner glanced to them then to the monitor.
"It appears they won't go down without a fight. So be it. Send the order to all squads. Any monster that isn't in their cell is to be shot on sight. If any of them try to surrender kill them anyway. We'll settle for showing the public and the monster world their bodies after we kill them like the rats they are," he said with discontent.
"Yes sir," the soldiers said with a salute. Jenner examined the monitor carefully as he looked between the three simultaneous disturbances.
"Keep the holding cells under strict lockdown; shoot any monster that tries to flee their cells. We're supposed to be keeping some alive for research, however take no chances. If they even breathe funny, kill them," he ordered. He looked from the middle icon showing the holding cells' emergency status to the lower status icons that were showing two groups of intruders entering from both sides of the building.
"And find those intruders, and kill every last one of them. Take no prisoners, and use every available soldier for the job. I want no problems dealing with a few misguided rats in our basement," he said with a scoff.
A group of four soldiers were firing down a hallway, the gunfire echoing from their rifles as spent shell casings dropped to the ground around them. Red lights were flashing around the halls while alarms were going off. All four HDA soldiers were at a T-intersection firing down the middle hallway with focused expressions, their bullets streaking down the corridor and tearing up the wall at another T-intersection. After a moment they stopped firing and looked around the three different halls with careful eyes.
"Damn, how could we miss that one? She was right there in front of us then she just vanished," one of them muttered.
"Keep a sharp eye out, who knows what these things are capable of," another cautioned as he peered down a hallway for any sign of movement.
Down the hall near the bullet riddled intersection Complica was keeping against the wall next to the corner with her baseball bat held tightly in her hands. She took a breath and glanced to the hall next to her, having just dodged out of their line of fire with her chrono magic.
"Ok, I can do this. Just take out their guns… and maybe they'll run away," she said to herself. She concentrated her mind and shifted into the moment of time, then ran around the corner towards the men that were frozen in place. She raced up to one of them and lifted up her bat, aiming at the rifle that was being held by the soldier. Suddenly her magic fluxed and the intersection warped and bent around erratically as her magic slipped out of her control. In a flash the entire area along with the men were torn apart as waves of chrono magic rippled around the girl wildly. Complica blinked then looked around with remorse as she shifted out of the moment, watching the bloody remains of the men splatter around the walls violently as the area was ravaged by her magic. The floors and ceiling around her ripped and cut apart while the walls that were concrete with plaster were torn apart and mangled in a flash. She sighed and lowered her bat as the bloody remains slowly dripped from the walls and ceiling.
"Sorry…" she said softly as she looked around at the humans' remains. She didn't want to kill anybody if she could avoid it; however her magic was always unstable whenever she used it.
"I really need to get a handle on that," she said worriedly as she looked around at the damage she did.
"Complica!" Arial called out from down the hall. Complica looked to see Arial running towards her from down one of the corridors.
"Hey, there you are, are you- wow!" she said looking around at the ravaged area. A few bloody chunks of the remains from the soldiers dropped to the ground while pieces of concrete and plaster crumbled down as well. Arial blinked then looked at the butterfly girl with wonder.
"You're a stone cold killer Complica," she said with a smirk.
"What? No I'm not! I didn't mean to do that, really!" Complica pleaded while waving her arms around franticly.
"Wow, your time magic is so cool. You slaughtered them," Arial said looking around with amazement.
"I only tried to disarm them; I just wanted them to stop shooting at me!" Complica cried out.
A bloody disfigured hand dropped from the ceiling and plopped onto the floor along with the mangled remains of a rifle in its grip. Arial looked at it and nodded.
"Mission accomplished," she said simply. Complica looked around at the area with worry and shook her head.
"I'm not a murderer I'm not a murderer I'm not a murderer," she kept telling herself. Arial looked at her with worry and walked up to the girl.
"You're not a murderer Complica; you're doing what you have to here. Same as all of us, we're trying to free my husband and the innocent ones that are being held here, we're not bad monsters. The only bad ones here are these humans," she reassured gently. Complica looked at her with concern then down.
"I just want to go home and free my sister and get out of this world and stop fighting and draw at home like I wanted to earlier before I came down here and everything fell apart and WHY WON'T YOU LISTEN TO ME?" she shouted out as she saw Arial just looking around at the damage the butterfly girl caused with her magic.
"Seriously, that's just incredible the way you can do that," Arial said with wonder. She blinked then looked back to Complica.
"Huh? Were you saying something?" she asked.
"Yes I was saying something and you just ignored me again why do you never listen to anybody that tries to tell you anything?" Complica yelled out.
"There's more of them!" a soldier called down from the other end of the hall. The two girls looked over to where Complica had come from to see three soldiers aiming at them with their rifles.
"Take them down!" a man yelled out as they took aim.
Suddenly the corridor and soldiers blasted apart furiously as a sonic wave shot by, with the bloody remains of the men and chunks of the corridor flying off down a hall as a high pitched yell seemed to echo out. The air rippled away violently as streaks of light shot down the hall while Arial and Complica watched with wide eyes. From the intersection Sun ran over and stopped, glaring down the corridor where the soldiers were sent flying away in bloody pieces. Her wings were arched behind her as she had a focused expression.
"Sun?" Arial asked with wonder. The siren looked over to them then waved with a friendly smile. She ran over to them then looked around at the bloody remains that were splattered around the ravaged intersection with surprise. She looked around at the surroundings then to the girls with wonder.
"Um… she did it," Arial said pointing to Complica. The butterfly girl jumped and started waving her arms around franticly.
"I didn't try to kill them I only wanted to stop them from shooting at me I'm sorry my magic is always unstable when I use it I'm not trying to kill them I swear it just happened I didn't mean to do any of this!" she pleaded urgently while somehow being able to say that extremely long run-on sentence with no pauses for air. Sun looked around at the ravaged hall then to the girl with wonder.
'Just how powerful are these kids anyway?'
"Wow Sun, that was amazing! You took them all out with nothing but your voice!" Arial cheered looking back down to the other ravaged intersection, with bits of concrete and plaster dropping around the hall that was reduced to ruins from the siren's voice.
"Her voice?" Complica asked looking at Sun curiously.
"Yeah, she's a siren Complica, I mean look at that! I wish I could do that as well, that's so cool!" Arial cheered out looking at the ravaged area from the siren's attack. She giggled and looked to Complica again.
"There, you see? Sun's doing what she has to as well, and she's not a murderer. That means you're not one either," she reasoned assuredly. Complica looked around at the bloody remains of the soldiers then to Sun with worry.
"I'm not a murderer am I?" she asked nervously. Sun shook her head with a gentle smile. Complica looked down a bit as Arial looked around the surrounding hallways.
"No you're not Complica, I promise. Now which way do we go? We need to find my Dark before it's too late," she said urgently. Complica looked around while gripping her bat, trying to be as brave as she could be given the extreme circumstances. Sun glanced around then started running down a hall, the two monster angels then following after as the alarms around the area continued to sound off.
In the lower levels of the complex gunfire was echoing out in a large supply storage hall. Concrete pillars were holding up the ceiling in the expansive hall as large storage crates and boxes were piled up around the area, the storage hall used to take in supplies, ammo, weapons, and other equipment from the loading garage next door. On one side of the large rectangular hall HDA soldiers were firing from behind cover of the large storage crates, the group of men shooting towards a group of intruders that were taking cover behind stacked crates on the other side of the hall.
Apoch and Render were leaning back against a few steel containers as bullets whizzed past and struck the sides of their cover. Apoch was looking around worriedly as she gripped her barrier sword, hearing gunfire echoing out constantly while bullets were pelting the surrounding area the group was hiding behind. Render chuckled and glanced to the side as he held his swords down casually.
"Hey Leon, ever get the feeling you're not wanted?" he called out. Next to them Leon and Astreal were hiding behind a concrete pillar, the mimic mage taking shots out from around the corner with his rifle before ducking back as bullets struck around him. Astreal shot out blindly with her magical attacks from around the corner of the pillar, the searing red projectiles flying out and striking storage boxes and bursting them into flames.
"Not going to lie, sometimes I do," Leon said casually with a shrug. Near them Gin and Kokoa were crouched down behind some storage crates, the couple keeping their heads down as bullets were striking off their cover repeatedly. Gin held the girl close as she gripped her Kou-mace, the girl growling with frustration as they were pinned down behind cover. Next to them Gabriel was keeping pressed against a stack of storage crates with a fearful expression while Ceal was casually leaning against them next to the angel with his arms crossed.
"So angel, still want to protect them?" Ceal asked glancing to his frightened comrade. Gabriel glanced to him then looked ahead again.
Next to them Razico and Ruby were crouched down behind cover as well, the casters leaning against the storage crates as bullets struck their cover and wall in front of them.
"So what now?" Ruby asked glancing to her boyfriend.
"We need to push through here," he said as fire raced along his arm. He leaned up and shot out a fire ball before ducking down, the warlock's attack flying over and striking a stack of crates causing them to burst into flame.
Apoch and Astreal looked to each other and nodded, then stepped out from behind their cover as they raised their magical barriers before them. Bullets struck the shields repeatedly as the girls looked to their boyfriends.
"Let's go," the sisters said in unison. Render smirked and walked out next to his girlfriend while holding his two swords while Leon stepped out and fired off some more rounds with his rifle.
"Alright, I'm done waiting here," Ceal said as his reptilian hand glowed a black hue. From in front of their cover black tentacles whipped out from the ground, the limbs grabbing storage crates and flinging them down the hall towards the soldiers. Several crashed into a stack of crates and knocked them over onto some of the men as others struck the pillars and broke apart, their contents of boxes of ammo and guns flying about. A few burst into flames as another exploded.
"Watch it you guys, you don't know what's in these things!" Gin shouted out.
Apoch and Astreal started running down the hall between the large stacks of crates while Render and Leon kept close, the four moving behind the protective barriers as HDA soldiers fired at them from behind cover. A few grenades flew over and bounced around as the group looked to them with surprise.
"Watch out!" Leon yelled as he grabbed Astreal and yanked her back behind a concrete pillar. The grenades exploded and several crates blasted apart furiously, the force throwing debris and flaming pieces around. Apoch's barrier stood strong against the large explosion as Render braced from the impact, the boy looking over to seeing Astreal's barrier blasting away while Leon held her against the pillar. She looked at him with a blush as he leaned out and fired his rifle with one hand, the boy glaring at the soldiers that nearly killed him and his girlfriend.
"Leon… thank you," she said softly.
"Are you ok?" he asked looking back to her. She just nodded as he held her against the pillar. Apoch looked over to them then growled as she ran towards the soldiers with her barrier held before her. Render raced right behind her and geared back with his swords. Apoch raced up and jumped into a kick at a soldier, knocking him back before she swung her blade around, the barrier sword slicing through a concrete pillar and a soldier's skull with a crunch. She then swiped her blade and cut down the other soldier with a loud yell. Render jumped up over the crates and landed down between two soldiers, the boy spinning his blades around and slicing them through their chests with a quick maneuver. Apoch held out her hand and the barrier formed behind the boy as bullets from other soldiers started flying at them, the girl then looking behind her to see a soldier aiming his gun at her. Before he could fire a large spiked mace swung down and smashed him into the ground with a crunch. Kokoa and Gin ran over as Render looked back to the other soldiers that were firing at them still. Gin then darted out and raced across the hallway towards the other side at high speed, the large werewolf moving at high speed. Razico and Ruby jumped out of cover and ran towards the end of the hall, with the witch firing her purplish bolts of magical energy from her wand while the warlock let out an electrical bolt towards a soldier. Ceal calmly walked out from around cover and headed towards the end of the hall while Gabriel kept looking ahead at the wall, the angel feeling conflicted about allowing humans to die by monsters like this.
Leon fired out some more rounds from his rifle while Astreal kept staring at him with wonder, the witch's heart still racing from how he saved her life.
"Let's go Astreal," he said glancing back to her. She blinked then smiled softly.
"Right," she said softly, then followed him out while they fired at where the humans were hiding behind cover still. Gin raced towards the far end of the hall at high speed then darted around the crates to see the humans still firing at Render and Apoch. The werewolf grabbed a soldier and smashed him into the wall, then darted forward and swiped another into a stack of crates. The other soldiers looked back to him with surprise before purple and red blasts of magical energy shot through the storage crates causing them to explode next to them. A few soldiers were thrown back into the wall on fire while others stumbled back. One of them was riddled with bullets as Astreal and Leon raced up while another was struck with a bolt of lightning and blasted back into the wall. Ruby and Razico raced up as another soldier pulled the pin to his grenade and geared back to throw it at them. Suddenly a black tentacle wrapped around his arm and yanked the man away into a spiral off into the hall. Ceal casually walked up to the group as an explosion blew apart more crates behind him along with the soldier.
"Everybody ok?" Razico asked looking around.
"I think so. Where's Gabriel?" Ruby asked looking around cautiously.
From the flaming crates nearby Gabriel walked past and over to the group, looking around at the flaming warzone with worried eyes.
"Gabriel, you ok?" Kokoa asked. The angel looked down to a burnt body of a human with remorse then over to the one Leon shot to death. He shook his head and looked down with frustration.
"Hey, it's ok Gabriel. We did what we had to do," Ruby reasoned gently.
"Yeah, they were trying to kill us. We're innocent here," Render agreed with a nod. Gabriel looked to him then to the blood that was trickling down from the boy's swords.
"I used to kill monsters that did what you did to humans… and now I'm just watching and doing nothing. What kind of guardian angel am I?" he said looking down with remorse.
"But what we're doing is right; we're trying to save my big sis and our friends. We're not the bad guys here," Kokoa said shaking her head. Gabriel grabbed his hair as he had a strained expression, conflicted about what he was doing.
"Rason's being held here as well, he's going to be executed by these guys. Isn't that reason enough to fight back?" Ruby asked worriedly. Gabriel looked to her with concern then down.
"It's my job to guard humans until they die, no matter what. I… I can't go against that law," he said shaking his head.
From the side of the hall three HDA soldiers ran in and looked around with surprise at seeing the storage hall a flaming mess. Shipping crates were on fire, some having been blasted open as supplies and equipment lay strewn about. They then looked over to the monsters and aimed their guns.
"They're still alive, fire!" one of them yelled out. They fired as Apoch held out her hand, the witch creating a barrier before the group as the bullets struck the shield repeatedly. Ceal waved his reptilian hand and black tentacles whipped out and ensnared the humans, the men struggling to break free as their guns dropped to the ground.
"Tell me this angel, if your lord ordered you to kill yourself, would you?" he asked as one of the men was ripped apart violently by the limbs.
"Stop it Ceal!" Gabriel cried out as the other two humans stared at the catalyst mage with fear.
"Do you have a single ounce of freewill in that body of yours?" Ceal asked as another soldier was ripped apart violently, the dark limbs tearing the body into pieces and throwing them to the sides. The group looked to Ceal then to Gabriel as he watched with horror at the humans being slaughtered by the catalyst mage.
"Stop, don't hurt them. They're done, they can't fight back," Gabriel said looking at the fear in the soldier's eyes.
"So you want me to let him go?" Ceal asked looking to the angel. Gabriel nodded with pleading eyes.
"Please stop killing them. They don't have to die," he said urgently.
"If I let him go he'll leave, rearm, and come back with more help. They'll try to kill us again and again, they won't show mercy angel," Ceal said coldly. Gabriel looked at him with worry then to the human. The group looked at the angel with concern as the boy shook his head.
"I… can't let this go on. They're human beings, they're… they're sacred," he said with frustration.
"They nearly killed those two witches behind you. They've been trying to kill us this entire time. They're going to kill your friend and the others held here tonight. And you're calling them sacred?" Ceal mocked with a raised eyebrow. Gabriel looked to him with worry then down. Ceal glanced down and picked up a handgun, then tossed it to Gabriel. The boy caught it and looked at the weapon with surprise, then to Ceal.
"Make your choice angel. If you want him to live, you're going to have to kill this monster," Ceal said with cold blue eyes. The tentacles around the human tightened and he coughed out, a few ribs cracking from the pressure as the group watched Gabriel carefully. The angel trembled and looked to the human.
"They're going to kill you and all the monsters they see. They're going to execute your friend tonight in cold blood. If you really wish to spare this human, then shoot me," Ceal said simply. Gabriel shook a bit as he gripped the gun in his hand.
"Stop, just… stop this Ceal," he said nervously.
"Time's running out angel," Ceal said glancing to the soldier as blood started to drip from the man's mouth. The human coughed and choked as the dark limbs applied more pressure to his body. Gabriel looked to the human and shakily brought the gun up to face Ceal.
"Let him go… please," the angel pleaded.
"No," Ceal replied. Gabriel shook his head and aimed the gun at the boy.
"I said let him go. He's not a threat anymore, he doesn't have to die," he said shakily.
"Gabriel calm down, just lower the gun," Ruby said worriedly. Apoch kept her hand ready to form her barrier as she watched the angel closely. Ceal looked at the angel and shook his head.
"Five," he said simply.
"Don't do it," Gabriel pleaded while shaking his head.
"Four," Ceal continued.
"He's gonna do it," Render said glancing to the bound human soldier.
"Stop!" Gabriel shouted out.
"Three," Ceal said calmly.
"He isn't stopping," Leon said glancing to Ceal.
"I mean it!" Gabriel yelled out as he showed a frustrated expression.
"Two," Ceal said simply.
"Put the gun down Gabriel," Razico said sternly.
"One," Ceal said as he raised his reptilian hand up, his fingers poised to snap and give the command to his pet to kill the soldier.
BANG!
The group watched as the soldier jerked back from the bullet going through his head, the man falling limp in the grip of the dark limbs from below. The tentacles vanished back into the dark rifts as the body dropped to the ground. The group looked from the body to Gabriel, the angel still holding the gun out towards where he shot the human with a frustrated expression. He was breathing raggedly, slowly lowering his gun and trembling a bit. After a pause he slowly looked over to Ceal.
"Gabriel," Ruby said softly.
"You… killed him," Kokoa said in wonder. The angel looked at the man he shot then slowly over towards the vampire.
"I gave him a merciful death… far from what Ceal was going to do to him," he said looking down with a pained expression. He dropped the gun and looked to his hand, mortified at what he had done.
"What… have I done? I killed a human being," he said quietly.
"Rason did the same thing when he came to this world," Gin said with a slow nod. Gabriel looked over to him as the wolf looked at the fallen soldier.
"He struck down a human because he wanted to do what was right, to save a monster," he continued.
"He didn't know the man was human, he made a mistake," Gabriel said shaking his head.
"Maybe, but knowing him I'll bet he still would have made the same choice even knowing that fact," Ruby said gently. Gabriel looked to her then to the soldier that he killed.
"It was because of him that Luna is alive today, he saved her that night. There's no way he regrets his actions or what came of them," Kokoa said assuredly. Gabriel looked at his hand then to Ceal, the mage smirking slightly at him.
"Congratulations angel," Ceal said casually.
"For what?" Gabriel asked.
"Now you're one of us," Ceal said looking down to the dead soldier. Gabriel looked down then glanced to the soldier he killed. He had gone against his own code to protect human beings, first by allowing them to be attacked by the monsters he was with, then by personally shooting one dead. He knew shooting Ceal wouldn't be right, and likely wouldn't end well for him either, and knew the only thing he could do was give the human a quick and painless death while he could. After a moment he glanced back to Ceal.
"Were you expecting me to do that?" he asked curiously.
"Not sure to be honest. Though it was interesting to watch you struggle with that little decision of yours," Ceal said with a shrug.
"What if I had killed you instead?" Gabriel asked.
"You wouldn't have," Ceal said simply.
"How could you know that? I had the gun aimed right at you up until the last second," the angel said curiously.
"The bullet never would have reached me," Ceal said glancing to Astreal, the witch lowering her hand a bit to her side.
"Sister? You had your shield up?" Apoch asked. Astreal nodded and looked at Ceal with wonder.
"Yes, but how did you know that Mr. Ceal?" she asked.
"I saw you raise your hand up a bit out of the corner of my eye when he aimed the gun towards me. The slight glow from your wrist showed you were using your magic," Ceal said casually.
"You knew she was protecting you," Ruby said looking to the blonde haired witch. Astreal looked around at the group then down.
"Ms. Falla would have been upset if her boyfriend was killed here. I didn't want to risk it," she reasoned with a shrug.
"I was wondering why you were so confident handing over a loaded gun to him like that," Render mentioned with a simple nod.
Gabriel looked at the group then to the soldier he killed with remorse.
"I'm a murderer, I killed a human being and went back on my sworn code to protect them," he said sadly.
"You're not a murderer angel," Ceal said solemnly. The group looked to him as he shrugged.
"You're just another monster like us," he reasoned. Gabriel looked at him with a stunned expression then down.
"And with that being the case now…" Ceal said as he reached down and picked up a rifle. He held it out towards Gabriel, the angel looking at it with caution.
"You're no longer bound by your old code. You're free to act, as a fallen angel if you will," the mage said with a smirk.
"Fallen angel," Gabriel said softly.
"That's the title Rason had when he was banished to the monster world, for going against his code," Kokoa said looking to Ruby. The witch nodded and watched Gabriel curiously, the angel staring at the weapon being held out to him. He slowly looked up to Ceal then to the others.
"We could use your help Mr. Gabriel, to free our friends from this place," Apoch said softly.
"Please, Rason and the others need us. We need all the help we can get if we're going to save them," Ruby said as she held her wand securely. Gabriel looked around at the group then to Ceal. He slowly reached out and took the rifle, looking to it cautiously.
"Now do your job angel," Ceal ordered. The group looked to him curiously at that remark.
"My job?" Gabriel said slowly.
"Yes. Kill those that threaten your friends, and let the Almighty sort them out," Ceal said as his reptilian hand glowed with a black hue. Gabriel looked to the rifle in his hands, the weapon he would need to help save his friends from captivity. He had spilled the blood of a human soldier, going against his code to always watch over mankind and protect them from monsters. However there was no getting around it, the HDA would not hesitate to shoot and kill them along with any innocent monsters they came across. He felt conflicted about fighting against those he had once sworn to protect, yet knew what had to be done. He needed to save his friends from this place, and there was only one way he could do that.
He slowly armed the rifle and nodded.
"I guess I don't have a choice now, no going back after what I did. Let's see if I'm half the fallen angel Rason was," he said looking to the group.
"You're a real angel in my eyes still," Leon said with a small smirk.
"Same here, having you with us is going to be a big help," Ruby said with a small smile.
"An angel holding an automatic assault rifle in his hands, my how times change," Render mused with a chuckle. Apoch and Astreal giggled at that while Razico smirked at the angel. Gabriel smiled at that a bit and looked down at the weapon.
"Alright you guys, let's get going. Our friends are waiting for us," Gin said looking to the nearby door. The group nodded then ran off into the complex in search of their friends. As they did Gabriel had a focused expression, having chosen what side to aid in this war. There was no going back for him; he had already gone against his code to protect human beings that were alive in the mortal realm. In doing so he realized that these humans weren't sacred, they were just as evil as monsters could be, and were going to kill the innocent monsters along with his friend from heaven. He understood what Rason meant when he defended his actions for protecting Luna on that fateful night. A life is a life, no matter what it is.
The group ran down the hallway as sirens and red lights flashed around, and as they did the angel looked down to the rifle he was holding in his hands.
'I'm the first angel in history to wield such a weapon against humans, but I'll do what I must to save Rason and the others. If using this weapon is what it will take to free them, then a fallen angel I shall be. I know Rason wouldn't hesitate to do what's right, he would use this weapon to save his friends without a second thought.'
"Seriously Rason, you are just god-awful with that thing," Dark said flatly, leaning back against a wall with a raised eyebrow. He was holding a rifle in his hands while two dead HDA soldiers were laying on the ground next to them, the men having their necks snapped after the demon had taken them out while unseen. The demon and his angel friend were inside the stairwell that led to the upper and lower floors of the holding cell atrium along with having a hallway that led into the complex alongside the holding area on that floor. HDA soldiers were firing from down the hall at them while Rason was trying to shoot from around the corner, the angel's rifle kicking around as the bullets shot around wildly and struck everything but the soldiers.
"Give me a break, I'm the first angel in history to use something like this, I'm not a trained soldier like you are," Rason snapped as he ducked back behind the corner.
"Even Mizore got two of them on her first try," Dark said shaking his head.
"This isn't easy! I mean seriously, this thing is impossible to aim!" Rason cried out as he looked at the rifle in his hands. Dark rolled his eyes then aimed out from behind the corner, firing a few rounds down the hallway with a keen eye. He ducked back as two soldiers dropped dead while the others backed up behind a corner branching out into the complex.
"Got two. Mine's working fine," the boy said with a shrug. Rason just looked at him with surprise then shook his head.
"Whatever man, some of us didn't do this for a career," he said dryly. He then glanced back out into the atrium where gunfire was still echoing out.
"We need to do something fast man, they're going to shoot everybody to pieces in there," he said worriedly. Dark grabbed his shoulder and the two vanished into a black wisp.
From down the hall two soldiers peeked out from behind a corner with their rifles, watching for movement at the nearby stairwell. They stepped out and started firing down at the corner, shooting apart the area as they took a few steps closer. They stopped and waited a moment then gunfire echoed out as they were shot repeatedly from behind, the two falling forward dead as Rason fired on them at pointblank range from under the shadow demon's cloak.
"Much better," the angel said with a smirk.
"Way to go hotshot, now let's keep moving," Dark said as they ran down the hallway.
Inside the atrium Kurumu and Mizore were keeping low and against a wall of rubble, the two girls under constant fire as soldiers were shooting at them from across the atrium. The concrete wall chipped and cracked apart a bit as the two girls kept down while holding each other.
"This is crazy!" Kurumu cried out. Mizore looked around, only seeing the empty walkways on both sides of them. There was no cover to hide behind, and the level was encased with the chain-link fences that surrounded the opening in the middle of the area.
"We need to get out of here, we can't just sit here like this," she said with frustration.
"And just how do you propose we do that without getting shot into teeny tiny pieces?" Kurumu cried out with fright.
On the floor above them Moka, Ran, Yukari, and Ahakon were keeping low as they were trapped in one of the open cells, the four monsters watching gunfire strike up at the edge of their cell and ceiling as the soldiers kept firing up at them. The walkway in front of the cell was collapsed down below, the four monsters trapped inside the cell as the HDA used suppressing fire.
"Well, any ideas?" Ran asked worriedly.
"Don't get shot?" Ahakon asked fearfully.
"If we jump down they'll just shoot us right away, we can't outrun bullets," Yukari said worriedly. Moka looked around then ran over towards the wall, the girl's rosary lighting up as she struck at the wall with a fierce punch. The hit stopped and she froze in place, the girl then backing up holding her hand with a strained expression.
"For the love of…" she grunted shaking her hand in pain. She looked around with frustration and shook her head.
"What's this place made of anyway? I can't break through the walls," she said with disbelief.
"This place is made to keep monsters in cells, I'd imagine it's no ordinary prison," Ahakon reasoned.
"I noticed, that hurt like hell. Yukari, could you try to blast apart the wall with your magic?" Moka asked looking to the witch.
"Um… if I fire a powerful burst of magic in here I'd be doing those humans a favor by killing us," Yukari said shaking her head.
"Well we can't just sit here, we have to get out of this place and find the others," Moka said looking around.
Down below them on the lower floor Kurumu and Mizore were keeping against the rubble for cover as bullets continued to race by them. A whistling sound was heard from a rocket before a powerful explosion detonated against the side of their cover, causing a good portion of it to blast apart and off into the nearby empty cell. The two girls tumbled to the ground then scrambled back to the cover, both of them lying on the ground as their concealment was now much shorter than before.
"We're going to die, this is it!" Kurumu cried out.
"We need to make a break for it," Mizore said looking down the walkway to the stairwell entrance.
"We'll never make it, they'll tear us apart long before we-" Kurumu said before looking over to the other side, seeing an armored HDA walker stepping out from an elevator along with two other soldiers. The large suit aimed it's mini-gun at them as the soldiers held their rifles at the ready. The two girls stared with wide eyes as they lay on the ground, both watching the mini-gun barrel spin up as the humans aimed at them.
"Goodbye Mizore…" Kurumu whimpered with tears forming.
"No… not like this…" Mizore said with fright.
Another whistling sound was heard as the girls shut their eyes, both ready for death to strike them down. A rocket raced over and struck through the chain link fence into the walker, the projectile detonating into a powerful explosion. The two human soldiers were blasted back into flaming heaps as the walker stumbled over and crashed back into the elevator, the suit's right side a flaming wreck as the pilot inside was screaming loudly. Kurumu and Mizore looked to seeing the soldiers taken down then peeked out from behind the rubble. On the other side of the atrium they saw humans staring with surprise at the sight then over to see one of their men holding a rocket launcher, the confused man then being thrown through the opening in the fence and falling down with a scream towards the ground below. The launcher however remained floating in midair as the HDA forces stared at it with wide eyes. Even monsters that were still in their human forms while in their cells were looking at the sight with puzzlement as they kept away from the bars in front of them.
"Rason," Kurumu said softly as she felt the pull of the bond towards the floating weapon. Mizore glanced to her then over to the launcher.
"Dark," she said with a smile forming.
From around the rocket launcher a black wisp flew around to show Dark holding a rifle and Rason holding the launcher with a cool smile, the demon letting the shoulder of his friend go as the angel chuckled a bit while aiming at the other soldiers nearby.
"See, this is more like it. Can't miss with this one," Rason said coolly as he fired a rocket out, the projectile flying over and veering up at the ceiling. It exploded and knocked the soldiers back as Rason blinked and looked to seeing he missed them.
"Good thing I took the shot to save our girls. You would have killed them yourself," Dark said flatly while shaking his head. He looked over to Mizore and shrugged, the snow girl smiling brightly at seeing her demon alive still.
"I don't get it; the crosshair in this scope thing was right on them. How did I miss?" Rason asked puzzled as he looked at the launcher in his arms. The HDA soldiers got up and fired at them with their rifles, the angel being grabbed by Dark and vanishing into a black wisp. The launcher dropped down as it was pelted by gunfire, the soldiers firing their rifles all along the cells and walkway which was torn apart by bullets. Monsters in their cells ran back to the far walls as the entire walkway before them was lit up by gunfire.
"Dark!" Mizore cried out.
"Rason!" Kurumu cried out as they watched the walkway get torn apart. Suddenly a large ball of magical energy flew down and struck the walkway, the blast destroying the concrete area and incinerating the soldiers. Part of the walkway collapsed onto other soldiers below them as smoke billowed around the impact site. Up in their cell Yukari was looking with frustration as she held her wand out, the witch then ducking back as gunfire shot up again at her from the other lower floors.
"Yukari! Are you ok?" Ahakon asked as the witch scrambled back to him.
"Yeah, I'm fine. But Dark and Rason… they… they…" she said looking back to the opening.
"Oh no. Dark, Rason," Moka said holding a hand over her mouth.
"No, don't say it Yukari," Ahakon said shaking his head. The witch trembled and choked back a sob.
"They didn't have anywhere to run to in time," she said before she started crying.
Mizore and Kurumu looked at the bullet riddled walkway with fright, seeing dust and broken bits of the ceiling falling about from the onslaught of gunfire from the soldiers.
"Oh no… no!" Mizore cried out as the girls scrambled out of their cover and ran along the walkway. The soldiers below their floors continued firing up where the witch shot out her attack from, with a few then firing at the two moving girls that came into view. Kurumu and Mizore ducked down and ran low as bullets shot over them, the projectiles striking the ceiling and the cells as monsters inside of them jumped back with fear of getting shot. The two girls rounded the corner and raced along the walkway towards where they saw their boyfriends vanish before the area was shot apart.
"Dark!" Mizore cried out as they ran over to the walkway that was ravaged by bullets.
"Oh god no… Rason! Rason!" Kurumu cried out looking around.
"Where are they? They're not here," Mizore said looking around the walkway quickly. Even monsters in their cells were peeking out wondering what happened to the two escapees. Kurumu looked around, blinked, and then looked out at the open atrium.
"Rason," she said as she felt the bond of her Destined One. Mizore looked over to her then out at the opening. They ran over to where the fence that surrounded the walkway was torn apart and looked around.
"They're… they're right there!" Kurumu said pointing at something. From the air gunfire echoed out, the bullets flying down and pelting the floor below the girls as HDA soldiers scrambled away and got shot down. Other soldiers looked up and around to find the source of the gunfire as the floor below Kurumu and Mizore was gunned down from something unseen. Monsters in their cells jumped back as HDA soldiers were shot by an unseen assailant, the men jerking back and dropping against the bars to the cells. Mizore narrowed her eyes as she looked around atrium then saw the flicker of something moving about.
"They're airborne," Kurumu said with a smile.
"They're armed," Mizore said looking down at the ground, picking up a rifle from a dead soldier. Kurumu looked to her with worry then around. The snow girl then ran back to the other walkway to their side, kneeling down close to the edge and aiming at the soldiers below them.
"Mizore, what are you doing?" Kurumu cried out running over to her. The snow girl took aim and fired a few shots.
"I'm helping them. We'll provide cover and keep them busy, go back and get Moka and the others, bring them down here," she said as she started firing. She shot up the ground and edges of a few floors; with soldiers ducking back before gunfire echoed out from the open space in front of them. A few soldiers fell back dead as monsters in their cells started yelling and cheering loudly. Mizore glanced to Kurumu then glared at her.
"Get going, hurry!" she ordered out. Kurumu jumped a bit and nodded nervously, then ran back down the walkway. Mizore looked down the iron sight of the rifle and fired a few shots, trying to keep the soldiers distracted while her airborne fiancé was firing at them as well.
"This is crazy, this is crazy, this is so crazy!" Kurumu cried out as she ran back over to where the girls first fell down onto the level. Her wings emerged from behind her and she flew up through the opening, the girl then running over and leaping over the gap into Moka and the others' cell.
"Kurumu! You're ok!" Moka said with relief.
"Yeah, I'm fine. The others are keeping the humans busy, c'mon we need to go," Kurumu urged while waving the group over to her.
"Dark and Rason are alive?" Yukari said with relief.
"For now, but we need to get the hell out of here, c'mon," Kurumu said running back and jumping down to the lower floor. The other four quickly followed her as gunfire echoed out in the atrium. Mizore kept firing the best she could while Dark and Rason flew around, the angel carrying Dark about as the demon used his rifle to fire at soldiers from above. The HDA soldiers started firing around wildly into the air, confused and frustrated about what trickery the monsters were using against them. Rason weaved and dodged around as Dark continued to fire at any target he could. Mizore fired a few more shots then looked over to see the others running up to her.
"Oh thank god, you're both alright," Moka said looking between her two friends.
"Glad to see you're all safe as well," Mizore said standing back up as the group backed away from the edge. She looked over and open fired into the stairwell as a few soldiers ran out, striking them down as Yukari aimed her wand back down the walkway and fired another powerful blast towards more soldiers that were running along the walkway after them. The projectile blasted apart the area and sent the men flying back into a smoking tumble as monsters in their cells jumped away from the explosion with surprise.
"Where are Dark and Rason?" Ran asked looking around. Mizore and Kurumu looked out to the open area inside the atrium as gunfire echoed out from midair.
"Doing their flight maneuver of course," Mizore said with a soft smile. Kurumu followed something with her eyes and turned her head a bit, the group then seeing Dark and Rason reappearing from a black wisp as they landed back down in the walkway through the broken fence. Rason's shirts were torn off as his wings were arched behind him, the angel looking back to the opening as he let go of the demon. Dark dropped the rifle that had spent all its ammo then picked up another from a dead soldier before the two ran over to the group.
"Hey, are you guys alri-" Rason started before his world went black.
"You're alive Rason! You're alive! You had me so worried there; I thought for sure they shot you to pieces before you vanished like that! Oh my Rason, they didn't hurt you did they? I'm so glad you're safe and sound again, and oh my god, the way you were holding that rocket launcher like that, you know just how to get my motor going babe! You looked so hot like that, just like an action hero!" Kurumu cheered out as she hugged her boyfriend dearly, the group watching as Rason's head was engulfed in his girlfriend's bosom while his arms were flailing about before dropping to his sides.
"Kurumu!" Moka cried out. The succubus paused and blinked, then looked down at her angel. She screamed and jumped back as the boy dropped to the ground out cold.
"Rason! Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that! Rason, speak to me, please!" she cried out as she knelt down next to him and started shaking the boy.
"Poor angel," Yukari said with a sigh.
"Now? You're going to do that to him now?" Ahakon said in disbelief.
"Oh my god, she killed him," Ran said with fright. Moka sighed and shook her head.
"No, he'll be fine. He's probably used to it by now," she said dryly as she watched Kurumu shake the angel while having a frightful expression. Mizore smiled at her demon and took out her lollipop, then being held by the boy with one arm as he pulled her into a kiss. As they had their moment Rason jumped up a bit with a gasp, looking around quickly then seeing Kurumu watching him with worried eyes.
"I'm so sorry," she said softly with teary eyes. He blinked then smiled at her.
"Glad to see you're ok too lover," he said before he pulled her into a kiss. She closed her eyes and let the boy hold her as the group watched the two couples.
"Again, now? You're seriously going to do this now?" Ahakon cried out. Mizore broke from the kiss and put her lollipop back in her mouth as Dark brushed the hair away from her eyes with his free hand.
"Nice shooting there my little snow bunny," he said softly. She blushed and looked down timidly.
"I wanted to help my husband," she reasoned with a small shrug.
"And you did, thanks for the assist," Dark said with a slight smile. Mizore nodded and smiled at him timidly as Kurumu and Rason got up from the ground.
"You're all ok still, that's a relief," Rason said looking at the group.
"For now, let's get the heck out of here while we can," Yukari said looking around worriedly. They turned to head for the stairwell entrance before a blast door slid down and slammed shut in front of it. The group looked at it with surprise then over to see the elevator entrances and the other stairwell entrances on all floors having blast doors dropping down in front of them. The red flashing lights stopped and blue flashing ones started as the sirens stopped blaring. Monsters that were in their cells looked around worriedly as they kept away from their bars.
"What… what's going on?" Ran asked worriedly. Dark walked over towards the edge of the walkway and aimed his gun down, not seeing any sign of other soldiers below them.
"They're gone… they pulled back," he said looking around carefully.
"They ran away? That's good, right?" Rason said hopefully. Dark glanced back to the blast door and shook his head.
"They didn't run away, they sealed us in," he said with a cautious tone. The group looked to the blast door as the atrium got very quiet all of a sudden.
"This… isn't making me feel any better," Kurumu said worriedly.
"We're trapped in here?" Ran asked looking around nervously.
"What are they up to now?" Mizore wondered as she held her rifle in her hands still, looking around carefully.
The speakers around the area sounded off with a tone before an automated woman's voice spoke up.
"Attention. Holding cells compromised. Atrium integrity below minimum safety standards, monster containment failing," it said in a calm voice.
"What's going on?" Yukari asked looking around puzzled.
"Monster outbreak eminent. Removing holding area sector from facility for disposal," the voice said again.
"Um… what does that mean?" Ahakon asked carefully.
"Removing it from the facility? What are they talking about, how can they remove-" Kurumu started before the entire area started shaking. Monsters in their cells started yelling as they were looking around outside their bars while the lights flickered wildly.
"Now what's happening?" Rason said as the group tried to balance themselves.
Outside one of the ground level blast doors three soldiers were watching a monitor on the wall with cool smiles.
"Good riddance to them. Should have done this from the start," one of them said.
"Tell me about it. Guess the higher-ups decided it wasn't worth the risk of keeping any of them alive anymore," another said with a laugh. Suddenly an ice shard struck through his head from behind, the man falling forward against the wall and slumping down as the two other men looked over with surprise. In a flash Complica appeared and finished swinging her bat, the girl's attack through time blasting one of the men into two bloody halves that tumbled down to the ground. The remaining soldier staggered back and dropped down against the wall, looking to seeing three girls walking up to him.
"What the… monsters!" he yelled out as he saw the girls' wings behind them. He grabbed his rifle before Arial flung an ice shard at him, the blade striking into his shoulder and pinning him to the wall. He yelled out as he dropped his gun, grabbing the shard as he watched the three monsters with a strained expression. The girls walked up then looked at the monitor as it had a static feed of inside the holding cells. It showed a level where a cell door was blown apart and the walkway before it was missing.
"This is it, this is the holding cells. We found it!" Arial said looking to the blast door. Complica looked to it then to the monitor which cut to static as the area started to rumble violently.
"What's happening?" she asked as she tried to balance herself.
"You damn things… you're too late," the soldier spat out as he glared at them. Arial banged on the blast door then looked around, then turned to the soldier with a glare.
"Open the door right now!" she yelled out. The man chuckled and shook his head.
"Nothing doing monster, that door can't be opened now. Not like it would make a difference, those inside are already dead meat," he scoffed. Sun looked at the man cautiously then to the monitor. Arial growled and shook her head.
"Like hell they are. Complica, tear the door open!" she yelled out. The chronofly looked to the blast door and gripped her bat. The area shook violently as the young monster angels stumbled to the ground while Sun held onto the nearby wall. She looked at the monitor which switched to a side view layout of the HDA center. It had a large illuminated sector that stood tall inside the main complex, the lit up sector then sliding downward. The girls heard loud engine noises as sirens sounded off inside the hallway.
"What's going on here?" Complica said standing upright again as the place shook about still.
"Never mind that, bust open this door! I need to get to Dark right now!" Arial yelled out. She looked to the monitor as the lit up area slowly lowered down below the building and kept going.
"What… what is this?" Arial said shaking her head.
"Did you really think we were going to let you set all those monsters free into our world? Did you really think… that we wouldn't be prepared for an attempted prison break?" the soldier grunted as he struggled to pull the shard out from his shoulder. Arial screamed and held her ice claw towards his face, the man looking at the girl with wide eyes.
"What's happening here?" she yelled out with anger. The man looked at the frozen claw worriedly then to the snow angel.
"It's our security protocol… if we start to lose control of the holding cells," he said nervously.
"What security protocol? What are you talking about? What happened here?" Arial yelled out. Complica vanished then reappeared near the door as she swung her bat down, the blast door being torn apart violently by a tear through time. The destroyed fragments of the door flew out into a large empty chamber, with the butterfly girl looking around with wide eyes.
"What… what the heck happened? Where are the holding cells?" she asked as she saw nothing but darkness inside the doorway. Arial ran over and looked around, then down to see flashing red lights on the ground that was slowly dropping lower.
"What… is… is that the holding cells?" she asked with surprise. Sun ran over and looked down, the girl's eyes widening as emergency lights turned on all around the large empty chamber along the walls. She saw large metal treads on four sides of the empty area then looked down to see the ground lowering with large gears spinning against the treads.
"The holding cells… they're being lowered into the ground," Complica said nervously. Suddenly giant metal doors started closing from the sides of the walls below the girls, the large bay doors covering the hole into the ground with a large thud. The wounded soldier started chuckling as the girls looked over to him.
"Like hell we'll let those things go free. You and all your kind are going to hell, you fucking monsters," he spat out at them.
"Where are they going? What have you done to them?" Arial screamed as she ran over to him, the ground below her freezing over solid as she growled with rage. The man shivered as frost appeared on his body then chuckled weakly.
"The holding cells are suspended on metal tracks kid, in the event of a possible breakout the whole chamber is lowered down underground to keep anything from getting out into our world," he explained.
"You're trying to bury them?" Arial yelled out. The man laughed and shook his head.
"No no, of course not. That wouldn't stop monsters from breaking out eventually. Those walls in the chamber may be strong but they couldn't guarantee a monster breakout I'm sure," he said with a cold smile.
"What's going to happen to them then? Why are they being lowered underground like that?" Complica asked nervously. The man glanced to her and chuckled.
"Simple, once all four security gates are closed above it, the chamber will be surrounded by 20 feet of reinforced steel and safely below the city. That way nobody else will be harmed when the bomb inside that chamber goes off," he said with hatred.
"Bomb?" Arial and Complica yelled out. Sun looked at the man with surprise then to the monitor, the siren seeing the lines representing the second security gate closing underneath the first one they saw below them. The soldier laughed a bit as Arial looked at the monitor with horror. She growled loudly then struck her ice claw down, slicing into the skull of the man with a crunch. She swiped out to the side and splattered the blood and bone from his head before she screamed out.
"DARK!"