Rosario Vampire: Brightest Darkness Act VI

by A.G. Fanfics

Mankind has declared war on the monster world, Tsukune is struggling to control his vampire urges while kept in isolation, and a great evil is preparing to conquer everything. Moka and the group must now try to prevent war between the two worlds while defending against the growing darkness that approaches them all.

6. Reunited

Down a hallway inside the HDA command center two human soldiers were running with a quickened pace, the two men armed with rifles that were held at the ready while sirens and roars echoed out down the corridors. Further ahead gunfire shot out from an intersection as a winged scaled beast was pelted with bullets before tumbling down next to a large gray skinned brute with large demonic wings. The two monsters were shot dead as the humans ran over to see other HDA soldiers down the nearby hallway junction firing at other monsters, the beasts and creatures being torn up by the bullets from four other armed personal.

"This is crazy, they're everywhere now," one of the two men said before they continued down the hallway while their comrades kept firing at other monsters running towards them from down their corridor. Up ahead a soldier was thrown from an adjacent hallway as an explosion echoed out, with dust and debris shooting from the corridor as the two humans readied their rifles. From the smoke a large ogre with bony wings and an armored plated brute that had its wings shot off already charged through with feral roars. The soldiers opened fired as they stopped and aimed at the two monsters, the bullets flying down the hallway at the rampaging creatures. The ogre was pelted all over the chest and head, with the eye bursting apart before the beast dropped dead. The brute roared as a few bullets cracked and splintered his plated skin before he ran up and smashed his fist down on one of the soldiers, the human being crushed into the ground while his comrade aimed his rifle pointblank at the head of the large monster. Blood and bone splattered out of his skull as the beast tumbled to the side while the remaining human showed frustration and fright at the sight of his comrade having been reduced to a bloody smear next to him.

"God damn… fucking monsters!" he yelled before he ran down the hallway once again. He raced down the hall as more roars and explosions were heard all around while many monsters had managed to flee their containment and start an uproar inside the building.

The soldier ran through the hallway and stopped at an office door, quickly barging through with urgency.

"Mr. Rythmore, we need to evacuate. They're breaking free, the monsters are breaking free from the building," he said quickly. Inside the office room Jenner was seated at his desk looking at the computer screen with frustration, tapping his finger on his desk impatiently as he bared his teeth slightly.

"I want to know how the hell these damned things managed to get out, that holding sector was supposed to have been completely sealed off and blown into subatomic ash!" he yelled out.

"We don't know sir, there was a problem in one of the engine rooms for the security gates, the detonation sequence for the bomb never got started," the soldier reported shaking his head.

"A problem in one of the engine rooms? For fuck's sake, don't tell me that's because of those other intruders that were reported, why haven't they been dealt with yet?" Jenner demanded banging his fist down on his desk.

"The ones that broke in were indeed monsters as well; we couldn't stop them before damage to the engine room occurred. We're sending in a repair team to the affected sector to see if repairs-" the soldier started before Jenner yelled out while grabbing his hair in anger.

"Dammit we're the HDA, monster containment and control are what we're paid for you idiot! Forget the damned repairs; send all available personal to deal with anything that's crawling around above ground. I'll just start the bomb sequence myself from here," he said with frustration.

"But sir, the lower sector isn't fully sealed, if the gates have been compromised then the whole command center could be in danger of being blown sky high," the soldier said worriedly.

"The whole command center is swarming with these monstrosities because you idiots couldn't keep a few stragglers from going more than two feet into our headquarters. We cannot allow a single monster to escape into the human world, I will not allow it. Have all your men kill what's above ground, use any and all hardware available. Get this situation under control now!" Jenner yelled out.

Before the soldier could say anything the building shook as a deafening roar echoed out through the area. The soldier looked around down the hall then back to Jenner with surprise.

"What… what was that?" he asked nervously. Jenner growled then looked to his monitor, the screen showing red danger circles all over the building. Near the lowered atrium a flashing exclamation point was seen.

"Whatever it is, kill it. Do you hear me? I don't care if this building has to be leveled to the ground in doing so, you use any means you have to in order to kill these things," Jenner ordered sternly. The soldier nodded then grabbed his radio, calling all squads to use any and all resources to kill whatever was outside the holding area. As he did Jenner watched the screen carefully as another large roar was heard inside the building. The images on the monitor flashed through several areas inside the building showing firefights and monsters running on a rampage while others only showed static and no audio.

"I will not allow these things to ruin our world, I simply will not allow it," he declared firmly.

The soldier put his radio back on his hip then looked to Jenner as he armed his rifle.

"All available personal are working to deal with the monsters running free now, however I feel we should get you out of here and to a safer location sir," he said with a nod.

"I'm not going anywhere; I'm not going to flee like their cowardly kind does in a crisis. As head of the HDA I'll face whatever comes to the very end, and you can be damned sure that I won't allow a single one of those monstrosities to run free as long as I'm still in charge," Jenner said typing a few keys into his system.

"Then sir, requesting permission to remain here as your guard, I can't let you stay here unarmed and vulnerable while these things are running free," the soldier said with a salute. Jenner glanced to him and shook his head.

"That won't be necessary; I can handle myself just fine. Take your gun and go help the others deal with these pests quickly. If any monsters dare show their faces here I'll deal with them myself," he said firmly. The soldier nodded as he readied his rifle, then was quickly ensnared by a few dark tentacles that came up from rifts on the ground. Jenner watched with surprise as the soldier yelled out before being ripped to pieces and flung to opposite sides of the room in bloody chunks. From the doorway a boy walked in carrying a snow angel in his arms while a young butterfly monster walked in behind him while holding a baseball bat in her hands. Jenner stood up quickly as the dark tentacles around the boy slowly vanished while he looked at the man with a cold stare.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" Ceal asked as Arial stirred a bit in his arms.

"You… you're one of those things," Jenner said with a growl as he glared at the kid. He reached towards his desk drawer before a dark tentacle came from the ceiling and whipped down, the limb grabbing the man by the throat and lifting him up slightly. Jenner coughed and thrashed around before two more limbs dropped from above and grabbed his arms, the dark appendages then holding him up while he looked at the catalyst mage with frustration.

"So, you'll deal with me yourself huh? And just how did you plan on doing that?" Ceal asked with a slightly amused tone.

"Why are we here Ceal? We need to get to the roof, Gabriel's going to be meeting us there remember?" Complica asked worriedly as she looked around at the remains of the HDA soldier she saw get torn apart a moment ago.

"Just thought we'd stop in to say hello to the man responsible for all this," Ceal said with a cold glare at Jenner. Arial slowly opened her eyes as Complica looked to Jenner with worry.

"Dark?" Arial asked softly as her vision came into focus. She blinked then saw Ceal carrying her, the girl slowly looking around with weary eyes.

"What happened? Where am I?" she asked.

"Arial, you're ok!" Complica said with relief as she saw her friend waking up. Ceal gently set the girl down as Jenner watched them with frustration while being held up in the air by the boy's necro magic. Arial looked around quickly then to Ceal.

"Where's Dark? And the others? And… who's he?" Arial asked looking back to Jenner.

"I saw the signs on the way here; office of Jenner Rythmore, head of the HDA. I remember that name from the news reports, you're the one that declared war on monsters on behalf of humanity," Ceal said with a tone of annoyance. The two angel children looked to the human with surprise as he growled at them.

"What? Wait… that's right. You were on TV; you're the one that gave the order to execute my husband!" Arial yelled out with anger. Jenner glanced to her with a bewildered expression then looked back to Ceal with anger as the boy slowly walked up towards him.

"Yes, I remember you now. You were the one blaming us for all the misfortune upon one of your cities. You were the one that accused us of being spies and traitors to humanity. You were the one that captured our kind to be executed. And I'm willing to bet that it was you that made the call to shoot those two witches outside my school," Ceal said coldly.

"You won't get me to beg you fucking monster, I'm not scared of you or your kind. The HDA is going to exterminate every last one of you filthy breeds," Jenner spat out.

"This is all your doing? Why? Why are you trying to start a war with our kind?" Complica asked shaking her head.

"Don't give me that crap monster, you attacked us! You killed and slaughtered our people and ravaged our cities! Even when my people were so foolish to trust you, to allow you to come to our world, you tried to kill us anyway! You started this war, and now we're going to finish it!" Jenner yelled out.

"That's not true, my husband and his friends saved all of you; they're heroes!" Arial shouted out. Ceal glanced to the angel then back to Jenner with a cold stare.

"This girl speaks the truth human; our kind did want peace with you until you tried to kill us. Those cities that fell under attack were done by monsters, yes, and they were saved by monsters as well. The ones you attacked were your allies, the ones that protected you from the real dark monsters of the world," he said as Jenner glared at him.

"Of course, how could I have been so foolish to think that the monsters in this building who are killing my men would be the enemy? Spare me the bullshit monster, I've already had to watch as my misguided government bought that crap, but I will not make that same mistake," Jenner snapped.

"You're making a different mistake human, one that could cost the lives of many of your kind. You're making enemies with the wrong monsters," Ceal said coldly.

"You're all the same, every last one of you. You lie, you kill, and you slink around in our world pretending to be allies when actually you're only trying to get closer to us to do away with us. You had your chance for peace, even against my deepest wishes our kind gave you a chance to coexist. And what do we get? A school and a city are thrown into chaos!" Jenner shouted out. Ceal looked at the man for a moment then glanced to the glass window behind him.

"Lie and kill," he repeated as he walked over to the glass. Jenner watched him with a glare as the boy shook his head.

"You speak as if humanity is any different. You speak as if no humans commit any crimes or are hostile to their own kind. You speak as if all of your kind are as pure as angels themselves," he said solemnly. Jenner watched him cautiously as the boy glanced to him, the mage then snapping his fingers causing the tentacles to vanish and drop the man down onto the ground with a thud. Jenner scrambled back to his feet as Ceal just watched him with his cold blue eyes.

"I could kill you, it would be easier than killing an ant," he said simply. Jenner looked at him with a careful eye as Arial and Complica watched the man cautiously.

"Even those two kids over there could kill you easily enough, and one of them has more than enough of a reason seeing as how you were going to execute somebody precious to her," Ceal said with a shrug. Jenner glanced over to Arial as the girl growled at him through bared teeth.

"To me, your life has no value. You're just another human that thinks he's above monsters, simply because he's human," Ceal said calmly. Jenner looked back to him cautiously as the boy shook his head.

"However, my life should have value to you human, just as the others that you've kept locked away here," the boy said looking out the window.

"And why would that be?" Jenner scoffed.

"Because we're the ones that can stop the real monsters in this world from killing everybody," Ceal said simply.

"Oh really? And just what 'real monsters' are you talking about?" Jenner quipped with annoyance.

The building shook violently as a large crashing sound was heard below them, with Jenner and the two girls looking out the window as the side of the building below them blasted apart with a deafening roar. From the debris and smoke a large figure flew out, the massive beast extending its wings out and flying up over the courtyard of the complex. Down below human soldiers and nearby humans in the city watched with wide eyes as the dark scaled dragon roared out into the air. The massive beast flew down and landed on the ground, with its legs crushing in two trucks causing them to explode under its feet. Gunfire echoed out as bullets bounced right off the scales of the dragon before the monster let loose a powerful fire stream from its mouth, the torrent of searing flames striking a smaller building next to the main complex and blasting it into an inferno.

"That would be one of them now," Ceal said as he saw the monster slowly moving around outside. He shook his head a bit as he recognized what it was.

'However, how the hell did that thing even get here is a better question.'

"What… is that?" Arial cried out as the two girls ran over to the glass.

"A dragon," Ceal said with narrowed eyes.

"Dragon?" Complica cried out.

"What is this? Another one of your attack dogs?" Jenner asked cautiously.

"You're mistaken human," Ceal said glancing to him. Jenner looked to the boy as the mage shook his head.

"In the monster world, these things are not our allies. They are just as dangerous to us as they are to you," he explained. Jenner looked at the boy cautiously then outside as the giant dragon roared out into the air as its wings spread out. Several rockets were fired from nearby in the courtyard and slammed into the body of the beast, the explosions only budging it a bit as the dragon let loose a torrent of flame around it. The entire courtyard burst into a firestorm as HDA soldiers were incinerated instantly while vehicles were melted into disfigured heaps of metal.

"Dragons follow nobody's rule or command; they are true monsters of power and destruction. Even our dark lords are cautious in their presence, as they are far stronger than legends give them credit for," Ceal said crossing his arms before him.

"What's it doing here? How did it get here?" Arial asked shaking her head.

"What do you mean how did it get here? Isn't that just one of your kind that we detained in our world now running amok?" Jenner asked glancing to the snow angel.

"Dragons can't conceal their form; they can't blend in to your world. Not like they would ever desire to do so, as they are more like wild animals than sentient monsters," Ceal said shaking his head.

"But… how did it get here then?" Jenner demanded with anger looking back to the giant beast.

"I don't know human, but I do know that it's going to be a real problem for both of us," Ceal said with a tone of annoyance. Jenner growled then reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a handgun, aiming it at Ceal as the boy merely glanced to him.

"I'm not going to fall for your tricks monster; this is all your doing. Like hell that thing isn't on your side, it's just like that Alucard thing you let loose in our world! You won't fool us into thinking we need your help to survive, we don't need anything from you!" he shouted out. Ceal raised an eyebrow then glanced down to the courtyard.

"Like I said human, your life has no value to me. I don't advise acting so foolishly when all that's driving you is fear," he said calmly.

"Fear? Fear? You think I'm afraid of you or your dragons? You think the human race will cower to monsters when we are the rightful owners of this world?" Jenner yelled out as he aimed the gun at Ceal's head. Arial and Complica watched him with worry as the dragon outside roared again.

"No no, we're not afraid of you monster. We're not going to let you take our world, you or these supposed others that are your enemies. You're all the same to us; you're all the ants in this world that we're going to be rid of. This is our world! And nobody is going to take it from us!" Jenner shouted. Ceal paused for a moment then shrugged.

"What was it that you said…" he said distantly. Jenner looked at him carefully as the boy nodded.

"Ah yes, I believe it was 'we gave you a chance for peace'," he said, the boy's reptilian hand then glowing black as dark limbs whipped up from the ground. They grabbed Jenner's arms and legs, the man being yanked into the air as his gun fired and shattered the window with a stray bullet. The gun dropped out of his grip as Arial and Complica looked up at the bound human with surprise. Ceal glanced to him then down to the dragon.

"I gave you a chance human, that's far more than what it's going to do," he said before the limbs flung the human out the window. Arial and Complica watched the human scream as he tumbled down through the air towards the courtyard. The dragon down below looked up at the falling human as people all around watched the figure drop towards the ground. The large beast roared then snapped its jaws up, snatching Jenner in its mouth with its razor sharp teeth. A blood spray shot out the side of the mouth before the monster snapped its jaws again and devoured the human. Ceal watched the monster with discontent as Arial and Complica watched with wide eyes.

"You… fed him to it," Arial said softly.

"Well… he did give him a chance for peace," Complica reasoned quietly. Ceal nodded once then narrowed his eyes at the dragon.

'Feeding a dragon isn't necessarily something I should feel good about, however I think this time I'll make an exception.'

The dragon roared then fired a torrent of flames back into the building from where it came from, with humans all around screaming while on fire as some were still trying to shoot it.

"We need to get to Dark now, he needs me!" Arial cried out a she turned to run out of the office. Ceal quickly grabbed her hand and yanked her back.

"You're not going near that thing angel," he ordered.

"Let me go, Dark needs me, I can't let that thing eat my husband!" Arial yelled as she tried to yank her hand free.

"Arial you can't go near that dragon; you'll be incinerated for sure!" Complica cried out. Arial shook her head then looked to the girl with desperation.

"Then you kill it, use your time magic! Hurry!" she pleaded. Complica gulped and looked down from the window as she held her bat in her hands.

"Neither of you are going near it," Ceal said looking down to the dragon.

"Why not? Complica can take care of it for sure, right Complica?" Arial said quickly. Complica paused for a moment then trembled a bit.

"Um… well…" she said unsurely. She knew if her magic could be controlled properly she likely could take down the large monster, however given that her magic was always unstable and that it was a dragon her frightened eyes were seeing the girl felt her legs wobble in fear.

"You both are going to wait for that angel to take you to heaven. I will not allow Falla's sister to go near a dragon while I'm here, and you snow angel will cause even more problems if you are seen by the others," Ceal ordered as he lifted the snow girl up by the back of her collar. The girl kicked and thrashed around as Complica looked down with fear.

"What's that supposed to mean? Put me down, let me go this instant! Do you have any idea who I'm married to? Do you?" Arial yelled out with frustration. Complica looked at the dragon with worry then to Ceal as the boy had a dull expression on his face as he watched the snow girl kick and scream in the air.

"I don't have time for this," Ceal said simply as his reptilian hand glowed black. Arial yelled and kicked around then looked down as multiple black tentacles came from the ground around her. She blinked then slowly looked to Ceal as Complica watched with worry.

"What are you doing?" Complica asked nervously as the ground below the snow angel seemed to shift into darkness. The snow angel glanced down to the rift then to the boy as he narrowed his eyes at her.

"If you're not going to behave then I'm going to have to put you in a time out kid," he said with a slightly cold tone.

"Time… out?" Arial asked quietly.

---

Down in the empty chamber above the lowered atrium a few figures were slowly getting up as large chunks of debris were lying around on the metal gate that was the floor. Near them a large hole in the wall was seen as the dragon had crashed through it out into the open area outside. Part of the metal ground near the group was bent upward and melting slightly showing a dark hole down into the lowered atrium that the dragon had somehow appeared in. All around the walls and ground flames were flaring around as the dragon roared outside, along with a scorched trail of metal and debris that went from the opening to the dragon towards the other side of the chamber where the fire stream had flown by and demolished the side of the chamber with superheated flames.

"Dammit, is everybody ok?" Razico called out as he helped Ruby stand up, the witch looking at the dragon with wide eyes still as her jaw was lowered. They had just jumped to the side of the fiery blast, with the witch's dress being singed on the end slightly from the heat wave flying past her. Nearby Apoch and Astreal lowered their hands as their shields dissolved, the two girls looking back to Render, Leon, Gabriel, and Rason who was holding the sleeping Kurumu in his arms still behind them.

"Yes, I believe we are," Apoch said with relief. Render looked at the scorch marks on the ground around them then to the girl with a smile, the group standing on a patch of ground that wasn't blackened as the girls' shields had deflected the flames around them.

"You really are something," he said with a nod. Apoch smiled and blushed as Astreal looked up with worry. Flying above the group Sun was carrying Fang Fang while Ran was holding onto Yukari and Ahakon.

"Wow that was close," Ran said shakily as she looked to the wall on the other side of the opening showing the melting steel and concrete from the fire stream that just flew under them.

"Indeed, thank you very much miss," Fang Fang said looking to Sun, the siren using her wings to keep them airborne while staring at the dragon with wide eyes. She just slowly nodded as she watched the dragon roar outside the building.

Moka coughed and slowly got up as Gin pushed broken debris off of himself and slowly got up, the boy in his human form still as he shook his head a bit.

"Damn, Moka, are you ok?" he said as he ran over and helped the vampire stand up again. The girl nodded a bit as she coughed.

"Yeah, that was too close. Kokoa? Kokoa are you alright?" she asked looking around. She blinked then saw Kokoa standing there near her naked, the girl's hair flowing loose behind her as her bows were gone. Everybody turned to her as the vampire looked around with an embarrassed expression.

"Um… Gin?" she asked nervously. The wolf jumped a bit and then quickly took off his green school jacket, then handed it to her before she quickly grabbed it and slipped it on.

"Um… what happened to her?" Leon asked with a bewildered expression.

"Ms. Kokoa's immune to fire," Apoch explained.

"Yes, but her clothing is not," Astreal added with a weak smile. Kokoa buttoned up the jacket and looked around nervously, the clothing just covering her thighs and rear.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't get around it in time," she said with a weak smile.

"Good thing she is immune otherwise she would have been incinerated," Rason said with relief.

"She's immune to fire? Wow, didn't think vampires had that kind of power," Render said curiously.

"They don't, Kokoa's one-of-a kind in that way," Yukari said as she and Ahakon were flown down by Ran, the siren setting them down as Sun and Fang Fang landed next to them. Sun looked at the redhead curiously then to Gin with a raised eyebrow. The boy chuckled and rubbed the back of his head with a small smile.

"Wait, where's Dark? And Mizore?" Gabriel asked looking around. The group looked around quickly as the silent couple was nowhere to be seen.

"Dark? Tell me you got Mizore away from that. Dark?" Ruby called out looking around. There was no sign of the shadow demon or snow girl anywhere in the chamber.

"Where are they? Did… did they get…" Ahakon said shakily as he looked to the massive scorch mark and melting steel that was near the wall of the chamber, the area having been hit hard by the dragon's fiery breath.

"No… tell me they didn't get caught in that," Moka said shaking her head with fear.

"Dark? Mizore?" Yukari called out fearfully.

"Mizore wouldn't have been able to survive that hit at all, she would have been vaporized instantly," Kokoa said with a frightful expression.

"No… no!" Rason cried out looking around quickly. Outside the dragon roared as more rockets hit it from the sides, the beast blowing fire all around it as the group looked to it with stunned expressions. The massive monster then turned back to the group as the surrounding courtyard and sides of the building were burning wildly, with vehicles and HDA personal being burnt to ash all around the creature.

"Oh no, that thing incinerated them!" Yukari cried out gripping her hat.

"No, there's no way. Dark… Mizore…" Moka said looking around while holding her hand over her mouth.

"Oh man… not like that," Render said looking at the melting wall of steel and concrete.

"No… this can't be happening…" Apoch said as her eyes started to water.

"I'm sorry," Fang Fang said looking down with remorse. Sun looked at the scorched wall with worry then down as well. The dragon roared out and started walking towards the group, all of them then looking to the monster with anger and frustration.

"No… NO!" Yukari yelled as she aimed her wand towards it. Ruby aimed her wand as it glowed with a bright purple light while Ahakon and Razico aimed their hands towards the beast, with electricity and flames flaring around their arms. Astreal aimed her hand as a red light swirled around her arm towards her palm, with Leon mimicking the magic as he took aim as well. All of them fired out their magical attacks towards the dragon, with the projectiles striking the head of the dragon and exploding into a bright flash. The group stepped back as the light faded to show the dragon roaring at them while smoke billowed away from its mouth.

"No… dammit not even a scratch," Ruby said with worry.

"We can't kill a dragon, they're beyond S-Class," Gin said shaking his head.

"As much as I would love a good fight, I gotta agree with him. We can't fight a dragon, its suicide," Render while holding his swords tightly.

"What's it even doing here? And how, it wasn't down below with us before," Yukari said as she stared at the dragon with fright. The large beast roared then lunged forward, the group darting back as the dragon reached out and grabbed Sun with one of its claws. The siren thrashed around as the beast stepped back and held her up towards its head, the girl staring with eyes of fright at it as it held her in its grip.

"Sun!" Gin yelled out. The dragon backed up out of the chamber then looked to the group as its mouth glowed red, leaning back a bit as fire built up in its mouth as its jaws opened slightly.

"It's going to fire again!" Kokoa yelled out.

"Me first," Dark's voice came from next to her, the group then watching as a rocket fired out of thin air between them towards the dragon. The missile flew past Sun and raced into the mouth of the beast, the projectile then detonating causing the dragon to howl and stumble back while flames and smoke flew out of its mouth to the sides. It held onto Sun with its claw still as Dark reappeared near the group, the demon dropping the spent launcher as he glared at the dragon.

"Dark! You're alive!" Moka cried out.

"You're ok, but… where's Mizore?" Ruby asked looking around. Dark looked back towards the broken door leading into the chamber, the group then looking to see Mizore peeking out from behind it.

"Why would I want her to be anywhere near a fire breathing dragon? I got her out of here as soon as the dragon crashed through the wall out of this place," Dark said simply.

"She's ok, you're both ok," Kokoa said with great relief.

"Geez, you had us scared there," Rason said shaking his head.

"That's great they're alive and all, but what about Sun?" Gin cried out as the group looked back to the dragon as it held the siren in its grip.

"Sucks to be her," Kokoa said with careless shrug.

"Kokoa!" Gin shouted out. The vampire glanced to him then back to the siren with a dull glare. The dragon shook his head slightly with a growl then geared back as fire built up in its mouth again.

"It's going to try that again," Moka said as the group backed up a bit. Mizore watched with worry as her fiancé was standing with the group while the dragon prepared to lay waste to the entire area with its fiery breath. The dragon built up its fire inside its mouth as the group tensed up, the beast holding Sun in its grip as the siren looked back to the group with fear. Before the dragon could fire Ceal dropped down from above onto the nose of the beast, jerking the head of the dragon down as its mouth shut. Flames and smoke blasted out the sides of its mouth and the monster recoiled as the boy jumped off towards the claw that held the surprised siren. Ceal landed down on the arm and grabbed the girl as the claw released her, then lunged down while holding the siren as the group watched with surprise. Sun watched with wonder as the mage landed down on the ground and started running towards the others while the dragon roared out with smoke billowing from its mouth.

"Who's that?" Moka asked as Ceal ran over to the group, the boy then looking back to the dragon as he set Sun down. The siren looked at him with wonder as the dragon roared while smoke and flames came from its mouth. After a pause Ceal glanced to Gabriel.

"Angel, get up to the top floor outside. Those two are waiting for you," he ordered.

"Who is this guy?" Yukari asked. Rason looked at him with surprise then to Gabriel, the redheaded angel looking up then back to Ceal.

"Um… right. Ok," Gabriel said as he started to run out. He took two steps before Rason shook his head then called out to him.

"Wait, what's going on Gabriel, just who is this guy?" he asked looking to Ceal.

"Ceal Erres," Fang Fang said with a nervous smile. Ceal looked over to the boy then narrowed his eyes.

"You're still alive?" he said with a bit of anger. Fang Fang chuckled weakly while rubbing the back of his head then slowly stepped behind Gin, and then peeked out again with a bit of fear.

"Um… it's nice to see you again friend," he said with a worried smile. Ceal growled a bit then looked back out to the dragon as it stopped roaring and looked back to the group with its red eyes.

"Angel, get up there now. I can't use my magic in two places at once, and I need it to deal with this pest," he said firmly.

"What's going on, what's he talking about?" Rason asked looking to his friend. Gabriel looked around nervously then up.

"Um… I'll explain later Rason, I promise," he said before he started running again, extending out his wings then flying up out the opening. The dragon looked up to him as it roared again, the angel looking down to it with fright before flying up as fast as he could. Ceal watched him go then looked to Fang Fang.

"I should feed you to the dragon before I kill it," he said with discontent. Fang Fang jumped a bit and waved his hand around nervously as the group looked to him curiously.

"Wait, let's not be rash. You can't be mad at me for what my family did; I had no say in the matter. Really, I'm innocent," he pleaded.

"Ceal, you can murder him later. But for now, how about we see some of that dragon slaying you were bragging about earlier," Leon urged as he watched the dragon roar at them.

"Dragon slaying?" Rason said as he held Kurumu in his arms still.

"Ceal's a dragon slayer, or at least that's what he claims," Ruby said as she and Razico backed up carefully.

"He's a what?" Moka said looking to Ceal with surprise.

"Are you insane? How's he going to kill a dragon?" Yukari cried out.

"I'm very interested in seeing that as well, like right now. Seriously, do something man," Render said as the large beast started moving towards them while smoke came from its mouth. Ceal looked back to the dragon then up.

"Move it angel, I need my magic now," he said with a tone of frustration.

---

Gabriel flew up towards a broken window at the top floor, landing down inside to seeing Complica there looking at something. Next to her a few black tentacles were holding a screaming snow angel in their grip, with her arms, legs, and body ensnared and suspended above the ground. Arial yelled and thrashed around while Complica watched with a worried expression. Gabriel looked at Arial for a moment then shrugged.

"I suppose I can understand why he did that," he said simply.

"Get me down now! Let me go, I need to get to my husband before it's too late! Dammit get these things off of me now Complica, what are you waiting for? Do something already!" Arial screamed as she tried to free herself from the dark limbs that held her in the air. Complica looked to Gabriel with worry then ran up to him.

"Hurry Gabriel, Ceal said for you to pull on that one when you got up here," she said pointing to a lone tentacle that was swaying around slowly near the angel. Gabriel nodded then yanked on the limb, the appendage and all the others then letting go of the bound snow angel and vanishing into the ground. Arial dropped to the floor as Gabriel watched all the dark rifts vanish, the angel then looking back down to the dragon as it slowly moved towards the hole in the building below.

"I hope Ceal really is what he says he is," he prayed worriedly. Arial scrambled to her feet before Gabriel grabbed her hand, the snow angel looking up to him with frustration as he had a stern expression.

"Let me go Gabriel, I'm not leaving without my husband!" she yelled out.

"Yes you are or so help me Arial you will answer directly to the Almighty himself for this!" Gabriel yelled out. Arial blinked then looked up nervously as Complica trembled fearfully.

"You… you can't tattle on me," Arial whined as she looked back to Gabriel.

"You two are under my care while you're dead, and as such I sure as hell can inform the Almighty of just what you've been doing down here Arial. I'm not in any mood to hear more of this nonsense, I need to return you two back to heaven now and get back to help the others," Gabriel said looking up to the sky. Complica nodded as her wings fluttered a bit.

"No… but… Dark!" Arial cried out shaking her head.

"We need to go Arial, that dragon will kill you for sure if you don't go," Complica pleaded.

"Just kill it with your time magic! What are you waiting for; you can do it no problem!" Arial cried out. Complica looked down with fear, knowing that she likely could if she could keep focused, however facing a dragon was making her shake with fear as she was scared to death of it.

"It's not her job to lay her soul on the line like that Arial, she shouldn't even be here just like you shouldn't be. You two are coming with me right now and that's final," Gabriel stated firmly before taking off into the air while holding Arial's hand. Complica flew after them with a worried expression, looking down to seeing the dragon down below as it slowly moved into the hole leading into the building.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry but… I'm not ready for this," she whimpered with a few tears forming then looked ahead as she prayed the others would be able to deal with the mighty beast.

---

Inside the chamber as the dragon growled loudly with smoke coming from its mouth the group backed up with caution while Ceal stood his ground, the catalyst mage watching the beast with a careful eye. The dragon started to move towards the opening as the group glanced to Ceal quickly then back to the large monster.

"C'mon man, you're the dragon slayer of the group, do something," Render said as he backed up with Apoch.

"I would love to, provided that angel hurries up," Ceal said glancing up to the ceiling then back to the dragon again.

Kurumu stirred a bit and slowly opened her eyes, the girl's vision slowly coming into focus to seeing Rason watching something with fright.

"Rason?" she asked softly. She blinked then looked over to seeing a large black scaled dragon moving towards the opening, pausing for a moment then jumping with a loud scream.

"What is that?" she cried out as she dropped down to her feet and backed up with her angel.

"It's a dragon, and a big one too," Ahakon said shakily.

"Actually it's not that big, it's a youngling in fact. Then again obsidian dragons don't really grow much bigger than this," Ceal pointed out casually.

"That's a youngling? It's huge!" Yukari cried out.

"They're dragons witch, they tend to grow to a large size," Ceal replied with a shrug.

"What's a dragon doing here?" Kurumu cried out as she and Rason backed up with the group, everybody watching the large monster with fear while Ceal remained standing still.

"A better question is what the hell is he going to do against it? All our magic and the HDA firing at it only pissed it off," Rason said looking to Ceal.

"Well Ceal? You said you were a dragon slayer didn't you? Well slay this one already, hurry!" Ruby cried out as she and Razico backed up. Ceal looked at the dragon then over to Sun with a careful eye.

"Tell me girl, why is it that this dragon seems fixated on you?" he asked. The group looked to Sun as she pointed to herself with a puzzled expression.

"Dragons don't take prisoners and yet it seemed to hold onto you all while its mouth was burning from the inside. Not to mention that this creature appeared out of nowhere as I would imagine it wasn't down in those holding cells with the others here all this time, and it isn't running wild around the area. It's staying here, near you," Ceal said cautiously. Sun looked around at the group then shrugged with a worried expression. Ceal glanced to the dragon then back to her.

"And even now it's only looking at you girl," he said with narrowed eyes. The group looked over to see the dragon growling as smoke came from its mouth, all while its head was facing the confused and frightened siren.

"Sun?" Gin asked worriedly as the group looked to her curiously. The siren looked to him and shook her head then turned back to watch the dragon's mouth light up again. Ran looked at the girl cautiously then back to the dark beast she recognized from her old master's domain. The group backed up a step while Mizore watched with growing concern over by the broken doorway.

"You can interrogate her later about it, I'll gladly help you beat an answer out of her even, just please do something already!" Kokoa cried out. Ceal looked to the dragon then to his reptilian hand as it glowed with a soft black hue.

"It's about time angel," he said scoffed as he flexed his hand a bit.

"Ceal? Seriously, do something!" Gin cried out as the dragon roared at them. Ceal waved his hand out as it glowed with a black light.

"Xarai," he called out. The group looked to him as a ghostly groan came from the ground below him.

"My sword," he commanded as he narrowed his eyes at the dragon.

From the ground two dark tentacles came from a rift on the ground, the limbs holding a sword housed in a black and golden sheath. It rose up next to the boy's side while the group looked at it with surprise.

"What the heck is that?" Yukari cried out. Ceal reached out and grabbed the handle of the blade and yanked it out, the long sword sliding out of the sheath with a slight metallic ring. The blade was a well-polished double-edged long sword, giving off a slight glimmer to it as Ceal held it with one hand.

"A sword? Dude, if all you wanted was a sword I could have given you one already. Seriously, I've got plenty," Render said with bewilderment. Ceal smirked and glanced back to him.

"You may have quantity hunter, but not quality," he said with a slightly amused tone.

"How are you going to kill this thing with a mere sword? Magic and rockets didn't do anything to it, what's a piece of metal going to do?" Moka said shaking her head.

"Just what are you anyway?" Ran asked looking to Sun. The silent siren looked to her worriedly as Ran shook her head.

"Why is a dragon from my master's dark world coming here after you? What are you?" she asked nervously. Sun glanced to the dragon, the large beast still keeping its eyes on her.

'I'm just a siren, why is this other world sending all these dark monsters after me like this?'

"Who cares, just throw her to the dragon and maybe it'll leave us alone," Kokoa said backing up a bit.

"We're not throwing Sun to the dragon," Gin said shaking his head. Kokoa glanced to him with a growl then looked back to the dragon.

"C'mon Ceal, do your job already and kill this thing," Razico said as he and Ruby tensed up.

The dragon geared back as it turned its head to look at Ceal, the group tensing up as fire and smoke built up inside the monster's mouth.

"Everybody run!" Leon called out as the dragon fired out a stream of flame towards the catalyst mage. The group watched the torrent fly towards Ceal as he smirked a bit. He whipped his sword up then struck down, the blade making a sharp pitched bang as a wave of light flew out in front of him. The torrent of fire was split down the middle as the pulse of energy tore through it, the group then watching as the two streams of fire flew past Ceal and blasted into small firestorms behind him.

"Wha… how…" Ruby said with wide eyes.

Ceal clutched his blade with both hands then dashed towards the dragon with a cold glare, running closer to it as the dragon roared at him. The mage swung off to the side with a powerful swipe, the blade sending out a slice of magical light that seared through the air and cut across one of the dragon's legs. The monster roared as it stumbled back outside of the hole in the wall while dark red blood came from the cut near its claw. Ceal whipped the blade to his other side and sent out another strange slice of light, the energy being dodged as the dragon jumped up into the air and started to flap its wings. It roared at the boy as he looked up to it, the mage holding his sword that glimmered with a soft vibrant glow. The dragon's mouth lit up again as the surrounding courtyard continued to burn with the flames of the beast's rampage.

"You won't get away from me," Ceal declared with a cold glare as his arm electrified with black lightning. He spun his blade around to his side as the dark power arced around it, and then swung it up towards the dragon causing a sear of light and dark energy to fly up in a wide arc. The wave of light sliced through the left wing of the dragon and cleaved it right off, the dragon howling as it spiraled down and crashed into the ground.

"What… the hell is that sword anyway?" Render asked with wide eyes.

"What the hell is he?" Ahakon said shaking his head.

"A dragon slayer… he really is a dragon slayer," Razico said in wonder. Mizore slowly walked out from the doorway towards the group as she watched the sight with wonder.

The dragon got back up and roared as it flexed its remaining wing, then blew a stream of fire towards Ceal. The boy dodged and rolled to the side as the torrent of flame shot past and blasted into the wall of the building. Steel and concrete melted and burned away as the mage got back onto his feet while holding his blade down to the side. He geared back and swung his blade out, creating a slice of magical energy that flew out and razed across the dragon's side. The monster roared and stumbled back as Ceal's arm electrified again with necro energy, the boy then swiping out into the air with his sword. The blade lashed out with a slice of light and dark energy, the wave arcing out and tearing through the remaining wing of the dragon. The wave sliced it right off with a clean cut, the dragon then roaring and thrashing around as Ceal whipped his blade down to his side again.

"How can he damage that thing when all our power combined didn't do anything?" Ahakon asked with amazement.

"It's his sword," Fang Fang said as he watched the catalyst mage closely.

"His sword?" Render asked glancing to him. Fang Fang nodded and watched as Ceal dodged to the side from another torrent of fire from the dragon.

"Yes, each family of dragon slayers has a unique method of fighting these beasts. From his family they use powerful enchanted swords, ones that are supposedly forged from the bones and scales of dragons themselves. His weapon is able to create energy waves with the dragon's essence fused into it, which gives it the power required to actually damage the dragon's body," he explained as he watched the mage swipe out again with his sword, the small arc of energy slicing across the other front leg of the dragon as it roared at him.

"You and this slayer have met before?" Dark asked glancing to Fang Fang. The yasha nodded and smiled nervously.

"Well, in a sense. I only saw him briefly as he was hired by my family to take care of a dragon problem we had. I learned all about how he and his family fought from my father," he said, then rubbed the back of his head and looked down worriedly.

"Unfortunately for Ceal here, my father refused to pay him as the dragon had already destroyed some valuable property of ours. It wasn't Ceal's fault; the dragon was slain in the process, however the monster was very destructive and unfortunately we lost a good amount of… family resources," he said nervously.

"Your father skipped out on paying a dragon slayer? That doesn't seem too wise," Ruby said shaking her head.

"I thought Ceal didn't care about gold or money, he never seemed to be concerned with that before," Leon asked looking to the catalyst mage. Fang Fang nodded and looked down worriedly still.

"No, but to all slayers it's a matter of pride and honor. They expect payment in return for doing this great service, and rightfully so. Killing a dragon is no trivial matter for any monster, even the dark lords often seek these slayers to deal with these things. Their monster energy is immense and very dense, making them extremely durable and tough to kill even with the strongest weapons and magic. If Ceal hadn't killed that dragon we might have lost much more that day. By refusing payment we are nothing but thieves in their eyes, ones that used them and then discarded them when we got what we wanted," he explained with a slight shudder.

"So he doesn't like you, that much I gathered earlier," Gin said with a nod.

"Oh if only it were just that, I'd say he rather hates me and my family. I gathered that much as after Ceal was refused payment he sort of… well…" Fang Fang said shakily. The group glanced to him as he gulped and looked back to the catalyst mage.

"He caused far more damage to our family investments than the dragon likely could have," he said weakly.

"You tried to rip off a dragon slayer, what did you think was going to happen?" Razico asked shaking his head.

"My father thought a lone slayer wouldn't have been a match for our family guard. He was very well mistaken. Ceal… slaughtered everybody that stood in his way, his necro magic was far stronger than anybody thought at the time," Fang Fang said nervously.

"We've seen it in action, his pet's pretty rough," Leon said simply.

"Oh yes, I've seen it too friend. Up close and personal. However I managed to elude a gruesome death as I hid under a body of one of my family's guards, or at least what remained of him," Fang Fang said with remorse. The group looked at him for a moment then over to Ceal as the mage swiped down with his blade, the magical slice of energy carving a torrent of fire apart as he stood his ground against the dragon still.

"Eventually he was pushed back out of our land after he inflicted a great deal of damage to our home. My father has yet to offer any apology or payment to his family, and I'm afraid we're not exactly on good terms with dragon slayers anymore," Fang Fang said with regret.

"Just what exactly is your family involved with that can afford to employ a dragon slayer?" Moka asked glancing to him. Fang Fang smiled a bit and rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh, a little of this, a little of that," he said casually.

"Alright, so he's going to kill you after he deals with this dragon because your father is a cheapskate. I guess it's good we at least know why he's going to tear you limb from limb before he does so," Render reasoned with a shrug. Fang Fang jumped a bit then waved his hands around nervously.

"But I'm innocent, I never wanted to deny him his payment, really," he pleaded.

"Good luck convincing him of that, he's rather hard to deal with to be honest," Razico said dryly.

"How come he hasn't been using that sword of his all this time? It seems like its extremely powerful, maybe more so than his necro magic," Leon asked curiously as Ceal swung his blade and unleashed another arc of magical light that sliced across the dragon's neck. The monster roared and spun around, swinging its tail towards the mage at high speed. Ceal spun his sword around then swiped down, slicing right through the tail causing the end to tumble off while the dragon roared out into the sky.

"Because he can't," Fang Fang said shaking his head.

"What do you mean he can't? Look at him, he's actually taking on a dragon with it singlehandedly, it's incredible," Yukari said with awe.

"I mean he can't young miss. It's against the laws of his people," Fang Fang said glancing to her.

"Against his laws?" Mizore asked. Fang Fang nodded and watched as Ceal held his sword at the ready while the dragon turned to roar at him again.

"Yes, my father told me about these slayers and their ways. Their weapons are indeed powerful and are able to slay these beasts; however they are only forged for that purpose. It is against his laws to use that blade to spill any blood other than a dragon's. Even if he so desired it, even if his life depended on it, he is prohibited from using that sword against anything else," he explained.

"He can only use it against a dragon," Ruby said softly.

"Correct. Dragon slayers have a high code of honor and pride, and Ceal is no exception. No matter what may happen he will never turn that blade against anything other than a dragon. He never once drew it against my family in his anger, even though if he had done so he likely could have killed us all. That's why my father assumed he could have dealt with a lone slayer, he thought that Ceal would be no match for our people if he couldn't use his sword," Fang Fang said as he watched the catalyst mage swipe another arc of energy towards the dragon. The group watched as Ceal geared back with his sword while dark electrical energy swirled around the blade. He could use all the magic he wanted to amplify his sword, he could use any means necessary to slay a dragon in his sight, as long as the ends justified the means he was free to do whatever he saw fit in order to slay these beasts. However there was one golden rule that he would follow above all else, something that he would never dare defy.

No matter what the situation may be, he could never use his sword against anything other than the dragons he was sworn to kill.

"He really is a dragon slayer," Apoch said softly.

"I don't believe it… Ms. Falla really does have a dragon slayer for a boyfriend," Astreal said with wonder.

"What? This guy is Falla's boyfriend?" Rason asked with a jump.

"He is?" Moka asked with surprise.

"How did Falla hook up with a dragon slayer in the human world?" Kurumu asked with bewilderment.

"Again, we have many things to tell you later, possibly a whole day's worth of stories," Ruby said as the group watched Ceal stand before the large obsidian dragon. She then looked up with worried eyes, hoping that Gabriel was taking care of the two wayward angels during all this.

'Please tell me at least something went right today.'

---

Up in the sky Gabriel was flying higher and higher while holding onto Arial's hand, the snow angel looking down towards the earth below with sorrowful eyes. Complica was flying next to them as she was looking up ahead with a worried expression.

"But Gabriel, I can't leave now, my husband is down there and he needs me!" Arial whined loudly as she tried yanking her hand free.

"Don't give me that crap Arial, you are in so much trouble, do you hear me?" Gabriel said sternly as he looked back to the girl. She looked at him with frustration and worry then down again.

"I can't believe you would be so foolish to fly into that rift like that, both of you even," Gabriel said looking to Complica. The girl flinched at those words then nodded with tears starting to form.

"I'm sorry, I just… I just wanted to save my sister and friend, I was worried about them," she said as she wiped her tears away. Gabriel and Arial looked to her as they flew higher into the sky, with the redheaded angel showing a bit of remorse.

"As soon as I drop you two off with the elder I'm going back to join the others Complica. We'll save your sister, I swear it," he assured gently. Complica nodded and looked to him with a small smile.

"Ceal promised that too," she said softly.

"And he meant it. I don't think a dragon slayer would lie to you," Gabriel said with a soft smile. Complica nodded then looked ahead with worry.

"I just want her back safe and sound, I don't want her to be alone in the darkness," she said sadly. Gabriel looked ahead with concern, knowing that Luna wouldn't really be 'alone' in the darkness while she was in captivity, something that he hoped to free her from before she suffered any horrible fate.

"I'll bring her out of the dark world Complica, I promise," he said softly, remembering the beautiful chronofly that he escorted into the heavenly realm.

'Luna… please be alright still, please.'

"Don't take me back now; I need to be with my husband! It's not fair it's not fair it's not fair!" Arial yelled out as she kicked and thrashed around. Gabriel glanced to her then looked ahead again with a focused expression.

"I really need to have a talk with your parents about your upbringing Arial," he said with annoyance.

They flew higher up into the sky towards the clouds while the wind raced past them. Gabriel reached out and grabbed onto Complica's hand, the girl looking at him with worry as Arial looked down towards the earth with teary eyes.

"Alright, it's back to heaven with you two. And this time you're going to stay there," Gabriel said firmly as he glanced to Arial. The girl reached out towards the earth below and cried out.

"Dark! Wait for me! I'll see you again soon, I promise!" she yelled out.

Suddenly the two girls were yanked from his grip and bounced back as a wave of glowing light flickered in front of them. Gabriel flew up then stopped, looking back down to seeing Arial and Complica rubbing their heads and flying in place in the air.

"What?" he said under his breath as his eyes widened.

"Ow, what was that for?" Arial groaned, looking up at the angel with annoyance. Complica shook her head then pressed her hands on the barrier, trying to push through as the light held her back.

"What… what is this? Gabriel? What is this?" she cried out. Gabriel flew back down, passing through the glowing barrier, and grabbed her hand. He tried to pull her up but her body wouldn't pass through the light. Arial pressed on it and looked around as the light rippled and pulsated in front of her.

"Gabriel? What's going on? Why aren't we going back? I want to go back!" Complica cried out as the redheaded angel kept trying to pull her up.

"What… this… this isn't right," he said cautiously as he grabbed Arial's hand and tried to pull her up. The snow angel's body would not pass through the light, the girl pressing on the barrier as she looked around nervously.

"Gabriel? What's going on?" she asked worriedly. Gabriel let go and floated in place above the barrier of light, watching with nervous eyes as Arial and Complica couldn't pass through.

'No… don't tell me…'

"Gabriel!" Complica cried out as she pounded on the barrier. Arial pushed with all her might and looked around at the barrier, unable to pass through the light.

"Um, Gabriel? What's going on?" she asked nervously.

"No… it can't be…" Gabriel said as Complica clawed at the barrier fearfully. She started breathing heavily as Arial shook her head.

"No… you're not thinking…" the snow angel said with fear.

"We can't go back! We can't get back in! Let me in let me in! Please Gabriel! I want to go back to my family! I want to go back!" Complica cried out with tears forming, pounding wildly on the barrier of light. Gabriel shook his head then looked up, knowing what he feared to be true. The heavenly realm was sealed off from the mortal world by its own barrier. Guardian angels and those brought by them were able to pass through the gateway into the realm without problem, however all souls in heaven were always intended to remain in the realm in their eternal afterlife. This meant that no soul could ever leave the heavenly realm under any circumstances.

No soul could pass through the gateway, from either side.

"No… you can't go through the heavenly gateway," he said looking back to the angels with shock. Complica cried and pounded on the barrier with all her might while Arial started to breathe heavily.

"We're trapped… we're trapped here?" she said in surprise as her frosted wings flapped behind her.

"No! I don't want to be trapped out of heaven, please Gabriel! I'm sorry I left, I'm sorry! Please let me back in!" Complica cried out. Arial pressed against the barrier with wide eyes and looked around as the light rippled away from them showing the heavenly barrier that was keeping them in the mortal realm.

"Gabriel help!" Complica cried as she kept trying to fly up through the barrier. Gabriel looked at the two wayward angels with frustration and sorrow.

"No… they're trapped… they can't pass back into heaven," he said as he shook his head. He flew down and held Complica, the girl crying into his shoulder as she hugged him tightly.

"Please Gabriel, I want to go back home! I want to go back home!" she cried out. Arial looked at her friend with worry then down as she flew in place in the air, showing a bit of fear in her eyes as she realized that she wasn't able to return to heaven.

"It'll be ok Complica; we'll get this sorted out. I promise, we'll get you two home again," Gabriel said looking up with worry.

'This isn't good, souls aren't allowed to pass through the barrier, which means they're blocked from both sides of the gateway. How am I going to get them back home now?'

---

Outside the walls of the HDA command center people and other soldiers were watching with wide eyes as a large dragon was roaring and breathing fire around inside the courtyard of the compound. People started running away screaming while soldiers radioed for every unit within the city limits to get down there for support. As people were running away in a panic one girl was sitting in her car watching the sight with fright. She was dressed in normal blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and white sneakers, having short green hair and hazel eyes that were watching the dragon roar before it blew more fire around into the courtyard.

"Oh… my… god…" Sandra breathed out as her hands trembled. She shook her head and looked around quickly as people were scrambling far away from the area as fast as they could. She shifted the car into drive and drove forward a bit then hit the brakes and shook her head with frustration.

"No, I can't leave them here like this. Dammit this sucks! Sun, Arial, Complica, please just get the hell out of there soon," she said looking ahead at the dragon as a firestorm erupted around the courtyard of the compound.

Inside the building the group was watching as fire was flaring around outside in the courtyard while the dragon was roaring and stomping around. Flashes of light and sharp pitched bangs were seen and heard as the flames billowed around. Inside the haze Ceal was seen darting around as the dragon snapped and swiped at him, the boy swinging his blade and striking at the beast with powerful arcs of magical energy.

"He wasn't just blowing smoke when he called himself a dragon slayer, he's the real deal," Gin said with wonder. Kokoa blinked then looked to Sun with a glare.

"Ok, what's your deal anyway?" she yelled out. The group looked to her as marched up to the siren.

"First you kiss my boyfriend, and then you've got dragons here chasing after you! What's your deal?" she shouted out. Sun looked at her worriedly and shook her head, then was grabbed by the collar and lifted up by the young vampire.

"Enough with the silent act, talk!" Kokoa yelled out.

"Kokoa stop, put her down," Gin pleaded. Kokoa growled then looked to him with a glare while holding the siren up still.

"Please Kokoa, she's not doing anything malicious, don't hurt her," Ruby said worriedly.

"Yeah, she was the one that was protecting Com-" Razico started before Ruby elbowed him in the gut.

"Was protecting who?" Moka asked. Razico coughed a bit then smiled nervously as he glanced to Dark and Mizore.

"Um… nobody," the warlock said shakily.

"Again with the staring at us, what aren't you telling us?" Dark asked cautiously. Kokoa growled then looked into Sun's eyes with a deep glare.

"Start talking now, or else I'll beat you into the ground until you're a bloody smear," she said sternly. Gin ran over and pried her hands off of Sun, the siren then quickly running behind him as he shook his head worriedly.

"Stop Kokoa, please, she's just an old friend from the school. Really, I wasn't expecting her to kiss me earlier like that either, honest," he pleaded. Sun looked at him curiously as he turned to face her while Kokoa growled and glared at the siren.

"But what are you doing here Sun? And why were you with… um, those two," he asked, saying the last part quietly.

"I can read lips wolf, what other two?" Dark asked narrowing his eyes. Gin and Sun jumped a bit and looked to him worriedly.

"What's going on, what are you all hiding from us?" Mizore asked looking around at the group. Rason looked around then scratched his head.

"Wait, where are those other two monster children at?" he asked. Apoch and Astreal jumped a bit then waved their hands around nervously.

"What other children? There were no other children with us, really," they said in unison.

"Holy… how did you two say that together like that?" Render asked with surprise. Leon just looked at them with wonder then to Rason as the angel watched the sisters with puzzlement. He blinked then looked up.

"Wait, Ceal said for Gabriel to go up to meet 'those two' earlier, was that them he was talking about?" he asked.

"What two? What are you all talking about?" Yukari asked.

"That's what we want to know," Mizore said looking at Kokoa carefully. The vampire smiled nervously and rubbed the back of her head. Dark growled a bit and shook his head.

"I'm not up for secrets between us right now, there's enough shit going on that I have to deal with already. The humans are trying to execute us, we've got a dragon that came out of nowhere attacking us-" he said, and then looked to Apoch. After a pause he turned back to Kokoa.

"And for some reason Apoch's heart no longer has my mark on it," he finished. Moka and her group looked to Apoch with surprise as the witch smiled nervously. Render glanced to her then looked back to Dark with a bit of worry.

"Um, I can explain that…" Apoch said nervously.

"Your mark is gone?" Yukari asked with disbelief.

"But… how?" Mizore asked looking at the witch with bewilderment.

"Again… we'll explain everything when we get out of here," Ruby said worriedly with a small smile.

From the courtyard the dragon roared as it charged into the building, the group looking to it with surprise as it arched back while its mouth glowed a bright red. Its body was cut up all over while its wings and tail were sliced off. The group jumped back and tensed up before an arc of light and dark energy shot through the dragon from behind, tearing through the dragon's chest causing blood to spray out. The monster stumbled forward and crashed down with its head dropping onto the steel ground with a loud thud. It growled weakly as it looked to Sun, the siren staring at it with wide eyes.

"Holy… shit," Rason said quietly.

From behind the dragon Ceal walked towards the group, holding his sword in his normal hand while his eyes watched the dragon closely. He walked up towards the group and stood in front of the dragon, looking from the beast to Sun with a careful eye.

"Ceal… you did it," Ruby said softly with wonder.

"Holy shit man, you really took it down," Render said with amazement.

"Who are you girl?" Ceal asked coldly. The group looked to Sun as she pointed to herself worriedly.

"A dragon," Ceal stated as he started walking towards her while the dragon groaned a bit on the ground behind him.

"A dragon. A dragon was sent here for you. It tried to take you away girl, and even now when it's on the verge of death it's only looking at you," Ceal said glancing back to the beast. Its large red eyes were fixated on Sun as the girl looked to it with worry.

"An obsidian dragon never comes into the human world girl, never. They remain in their homes near the volcanic region near the dark deserts in the monster world. Yet here one is, in the human world, after you," Ceal said looking into the eyes of the siren. Sun looked around nervously then shook her head.

"I've seen those things before, my old master kept them as pets," Ran said nervously. Ceal glanced to her as the group looked to the siren. Ran looked to the dark monster then to Sun.

"But… how did it get here? And why was it after you?" she asked worriedly. Sun shook her head then looked back to the dragon. Ceal looked at Ran for a moment then over to the dragon, and then walked towards it with a cold glare. He geared back then thrust his blade into the skull of the beast with a slick crunch, twisting it slightly with a focused expression. The group watched with wonder as the dragon twitched slightly then fell limp on the ground as its eyes slowly closed. Ceal yanked the blade out with a carving sound and looked at the downed dragon for a moment, then back over to Sun.

"When we're out of here, you and I are going to have a very long talk," he said coldly. The siren just looked at him with worry then glanced to the dragon. Ceal looked over to Fang Fang then walked up to him while holding his bloodied sword.

"Um… well done. I knew you could do it, bravo," Fang Fang said nervously with a weak smile. Ceal growled as his reptilian hand glowed with a black hue. From the ground multiple dark tentacles came up around the boy as the group watched cautiously.

"What the hell is that?" Ahakon asked shakily. Yukari looked at the tentacles with fearful eyes as she and the mage stepped back a bit.

"Ew, what are those things?" Kurumu said as she backed up behind Rason, the angel looking at them with surprise.

"Again, many things happened you guys. Frankly I'm not even sure where to start at this point," Ruby said as Fang Fang looked around nervously at the limbs then to Ceal.

"So, about what happened with my family… I know it was very wrong of my father to try to go back on the deal, and believe me I'm on your side in the matter completely," Fang Fang said with a worried smile. After a moment of uneasy silence Ceal reached out and yanked off a sleeve from the yasha's outfit with one pull, the group watching as he then used the fabric to wipe the blood off his sword while glaring at Fang Fang still. The yasha gulped and smiled nervously.

"Um… I can pay you whatever the price was on behalf of my father, really. I don't want any trouble with the dragon slayers of course, especially after you did do what you were hired to do. That and how you handled this one as well," he offered shakily.

"I care not for money or gold yasha, I never did," Ceal said as he examined his blade. He tossed the bloody rags off to the side and looked back to Fang Fang with discontent.

"What I want is penance from your family for going back on our deal," he said coldly. Fang Fang gulped and looked down to the dark tentacles that were swaying around him. Ceal looked at him for a moment then glanced down.

"Xarai," he called out. The group watched as a dark limb came from the ground behind him holding the sheath in its grip. Ceal spun the sword around and slid it into the sheath with a click while keeping his eyes on Fang Fang. The limb then lowered the sword down into the dark rift before vanishing completely.

"Now then…" Ceal said coldly as the dark limbs wrapped around Fang Fang's arms and legs. The boy looked at the dark appendages with worry then to Ceal as the catalyst mage narrowed his cold blue eyes at him.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't let Xarai devour you whole," he said as the group watched with worry. The ground under Fang Fang shifted away into a darkness that showed razor sharp teeth below in the void.

"What… what the hell is that thing?" Kurumu cried out shaking her head.

"His pet, Xarai," Ruby said looking at Ceal worriedly.

"A necro demon," Dark cautioned as he and Mizore watched the monster from below groan softly while holding Fang Fang in its grip.

"Wait, please don't do this, he said it wasn't his fault for what his father did. He even offered to pay what you were denied in order to avoid a fight," Moka pleaded. Fang Fang nodded quickly with a nervous expression.

"Yes, that's right. I never harbored any ill will towards you, I was thankful you killed the dragon for my family. Please, let me make this right between us, just name whatever it is you want and I'll make it happen," he said quickly. Ceal glared at him for a moment as the group watched worriedly. Fang Fang trembled a bit and glanced around at the group.

"Somebody help me out here, please," he begged nervously. Mizore looked at him curiously then to Dark, the demon showing no real expression on the matter.

"Sorry, but it sounds like this is a matter between you two. I don't know either of you, I'm not going to get involved in your little quarrel," he said with a shrug. Mizore just looked to Fang Fang with no expression, going with her demon's decision.

"Um… could I suggest not killing him? I mean it sounds like he didn't really have anything to do with his father's choice," Rason said raising his hand. Kurumu looked at the yasha curiously as he was bound by the dark tentacles, shuddering a bit as she saw them coming up from the ground through a dark rift.

"Yes, please listen to the angel, I had nothing to do with how they treated you," Fang Fang pleaded. Ceal narrowed his eyes as the group glanced to each other.

"How about you feed this bitch to your pet instead and call it a day?" Kokoa said looking at Sun, the siren jumping a bit and shaking her head quickly. Gin looked to his girlfriend then to Sun, then over to Ceal with a troubled expression.

"Ceal killed a dragon for us, I'd say let him do what he sees is fair," Razico said simply.

"That does make sense, though I'm not sure I want to see this poor boy be devoured right in front of us," Ruby said with pity. Fang Fang turned pale and trembled as Ceal glanced down to the open mouth of his pet.

"Whatever we say won't make a difference, it's up to Ceal how to deal with those that go back on their word with him," Leon said looking at Fang Fang.

"Yes, but he personally didn't do anything wrong, his dad was the corrupted one," Render reasoned. Apoch and Astreal glanced to each other then looked back to Fang Fang.

"Isn't there some other way you can settle this? Something that wouldn't involve killing him?" Ahakon asked curiously. Fang Fang nodded eagerly as Ceal looked back up to him.

"Couldn't he offer some form of payment to you? He said he would do whatever it took to make things right with you again," Yukari suggested.

"Yes, she's right. Just let me make up for how my father treated you, really. I insist," Fang Fang pleaded. Ceal looked at him for a moment then flexed his reptilian hand slightly.

"I don't have any need for you yasha," he said coldly. The group looked at him worriedly as Fang Fang shook his head with fear.

"Wait, can't we talk about this? I'm sure we could come to some sort of agreement," he pleaded. Ceal narrowed his eyes at him then looked behind quickly. The group turned to see Gabriel standing next to the downed dragon, the angel looking at it with wonder.

"Gabriel? Where did you go?" Rason asked. Gabriel looked over to him then shook his head.

"I… I…" he said shakily. Ceal looked at him for a moment then glanced behind the angel. Complica ran past the redheaded boy and raced up to Ceal, hugging him tightly around the waist and crying.

"Ceal! I couldn't go back, I couldn't go back home!" she cried out.

"Who is that?" Moka asked as she saw the butterfly wings behind the young girl. Ceal looked at the girl with a bit of surprise then to Gabriel.

"What is this, why is she still here?" he demanded loudly. Gabriel looked to him and shook his head, opening his mouth to speak then looking down as words failed him. Ceal growled then walked over to him, his magic fading as the tentacles holding Fang Fang vanished back into the dark rifts. The yasha cried out and thrashed around in the air above the open rift that showed the endless teeth of the necro demon, then fell down onto the ground just as it phased back to normal.

"Why is she still here angel?" Ceal demanded loudly as he walked up to the boy. Gabriel looked to him with remorse and showed a worried expression.

"They… couldn't go back," he said weakly. Ceal looked at him for a moment, then grabbed him by the shoulders, lifted him up, and slammed him against the body of the dragon.

"What do you mean they couldn't go back?" Ceal demanded with a glare. Sun looked at him with surprise then to Complica.

"Who is that? She has butterfly wings just like Luna and Falla," Kurumu asked looking at the young angel. Complica looked at her worriedly then to Gabriel.

"Hey, what are you doing? Put him down," Rason called out, running over to Ceal and grabbing his arm. The mage glanced to him then looked back to Gabriel.

"Why is she still here angel? Explain!" he yelled out. Complica started crying and shaking her head as the group looked to her.

"She couldn't go back?" Ruby said holding a hand over her mouth.

"Who is she?" Yukari asked looking at the girl. She blinked then looked at the butterfly wings closely.

"Those wings, they're just like Luna and Falla's," she said in wonder. Complica looked at her with a nervous expression and nodded.

"Um…" she said softly. Rason looked back to the young chronofly then to Gabriel as he tried to pull Ceal's grip off of him.

"Gabriel what is going on here?" he demanded. Gabriel looked at him with remorse and shook his head.

"I'm sorry friend, I'm sorry. I tried to bring them back, but… they couldn't go through the heavenly barrier. They're trapped in this world. I… I had to bring them back here to you guys," he explained nervously. Ceal looked at him with a slightly surprised expression and dropped the angel down to the ground, then looked to Complica. The girl cried out and ran over to him, hugging him around the waist again as the group looked to her.

"I can't go back home Ceal, I can't go back! I tried and I tried but I couldn't go back home!" she sobbed as she held onto him. He looked down at the girl with a bit of wonder then to Gabriel.

"Heavenly barrier? Gabriel, who… is she?" Rason asked cautiously.

"Uh… well… funny story actually," Render said with a weak smile, looking around at his group with a nervous expression. Ruby bit her lip slightly then looked to Rason with a slight cringe.

"Complica… Cii," she said softly. The group looked to her then to the young angel, and then slowly went wide eyed as they remembered that name.

"Complica… wait, that's… she's…" Kurumu said pointing to the girl with a shaky finger.

"Luna and Falla's… dead sister," Moka said with surprise. Complica looked to her and nodded with a worried expression. Rason looked at the girl with shock then to Gabriel.

"Gabriel... what is this? How… how can she…" he asked slowly. Gabriel looked at him with worry then over to the side, and then jumped a bit as he stared with wide eyes at something. One by one everybody looked over to the side as another figure was seen flying down into the chamber from the opening.

"Who's that?" Moka asked as a girl with frosted wings landed down next to the dead dragon.

"Oh no…" Gabriel said under a whisper as Arial slowly walked towards the group. Her wings fluttered a bit behind her as her eyes were locked onto somebody in the group. Slowly everybody looked over to Dark as he was staring at the girl with wide eyes, showing complete surprise for the first time as he stood there with his mouth opened slightly. Mizore looked at him curiously then to Arial again as the snow angel walked closer to him.

"Dark? You ok?" Ahakon asked as he saw the demon standing there with a stunned expression.

"Dark…" Arial said softly. Everybody looked to her as she walked closer to the group, her wings fluttering a bit as snow gently dropped from her wings.

"Who is that Gabriel?" Rason asked as he glanced to his friend.

"Arial," Dark breathed out. The group looked to him curiously then over to the snow angel as she stared at the boy with loving eyes, tuning the world around her out completely as she felt her heart beating faster.

"Arial?" Rason asked. He blinked then jumped with surprise as everybody made the connection, everybody looking at the snow girl with frosted wings who was named Arial.

"A-A-Arial?" Moka stuttered out with a stunned expression.

"Arial… Kuyumaya?" Kurumu cried out.

"Arial," Mizore breathed out in disbelief. Yukari and Ahakon watched the snow angel with awe as she was smiling at Dark with loving eyes. Gabriel gulped and nodded as the group watched the snow girl with disbelief.

"Who are these two?" Ran asked looking to Moka.

"They're… they…" the vampire said as she looked from one angelic monster to the other, trying to comprehend what she was seeing. Sun was watching Arial with nervous eyes however, fearing what may be coming soon.

"They came here from the heavenly realm… their souls found a way back," Gabriel said worriedly. Mizore stared with wide eyes at Arial, unable to believe that she was seeing the very girl that set Dark free from his old master's command. Arial smiled brightly then lunged forward into the air at Dark, the group watching as she tackled him down to the ground. He landed on his back looking up with surprise at the young snow angel, her wings fluttering behind her as she was smiling with loving eyes.

"Dark… I finally found you again," she said softly.

"Arial… is… is it really you?" Dark asked quietly. Arial slowly reached up and pulled her lollipop out as the group looked at the two monster angels with stunned expressions. Rason blinked then looked to Gabriel with disbelief.

"Gabriel… what are they doing here? Why are they down here in this world? Why?" he yelled out shaking his comrade.

"I searched for you for so long; I waited and waited until we would finally be reunited…" Arial said softly as she caressed Dark's cheek, the demon staring at her with wonder as Mizore was rendered speechless by seeing the snow angel like this. Gabriel showed a worried expression and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I tried to stop her, I really did," he said looking to Arial.

"Stop her? Stop her from doing what?" Rason asked looking to the snow angel. Arial gazed at the shadow demon with loving eyes as her wings fluttered a bit.

"At last I found you again, now we can be together just like we were always destined to…" she said softly. The group all looked to her as she smiled happily at her loved one.

"Now we can finally be together my darling husband," she said lovingly, right before she leaned down and kissed the boy with a loving embrace.