Issei grabbed Lily and began to run. The tendrils chased him with surprising speed. If Lance had had any further training, he would have caught Issei rather easily. Issei glanced over his shoulder, watching the tendrils that sought to impale him and the child in his arms increasing their speed.
He jumped into the air and raised his hand. A ball of black and violet flames appeared in his palm and he threw it at the tendrils, eradicating them completely.
"Yozora-senpai!" Issei called out.
"I got it!" she responded.
Yozora lowered her body, seeing the tendrils coming for her. As the tendrils converged on her body, she vanished in a burst of speed.
She darted from spot to spot, narrowly dodging the tentacles. Yozora grabbed a leftover Bible from one of the pews and imbued it with her Power of Destruction.
Without warning, she threw it at Lance.
Lance's eyes widened as he rolled out of the way, causing all of the tendrils to disperse.
The Bible cut through the altar, embedding itself into the wall behind with a violent crack.
Seeing that Lance had been distracted, she dashed towards the Anchor Point. However, as she neared it, the windows of the Church shattered. The howls of dogs pierced through the air as one by one, the Black Hounds that had been relentlessly rapping against the door began to crawl in.
A Black Hound lunged at Yozora, fangs bared and claws splayed, ready to rip her into pieces.
Yozora back-stepped, gaining distance from the dog. She clenched her jaw, eyeing it carefully.
"Senpai!"
Yozora turned around and saw a dog pouncing on her unprotected back.
A beam of black and violet energy pierced through it, killing it.
Issei ran up to her, Lily in tow.
"Thanks. But… now what?" Yozora asked, eyeing the glowing red bible behind the pack of hounds.
"Ahaha, I have to admit. Even if we are trying to kill each other, I never thought that someone would have the idea of trying to use a Bible to kill me," Lance said, slowly getting up. He stretched his neck, eliciting a satisfying pop.
"Lance, why are you doing this?" Issei asked. "What did he promise you? And what do you mean by her?"
Lance sighed and picked up the Red Bible, placing on the remains of the ruined altar. He glanced momentarily at the worn crucifix. The image of Jesus on it had been worn down by time. His eyes gazed upon Issei, possessing a similar worn down look.
"Tell me, Issei. Do you believe the phrase 'It was all a part of God's plan?' Because believe me, I've heard it one too many times," he said.
"The hell are you on about?" Issei asked.
"Like you, I have a sister. Love her to bits. She was born a year after I was. Played on the loch a lot that child. But one day, she was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Not a bad thing. It was a condition that could be controlled with medication after all," Lance said.
"However." Lance smiled bitterly before closing his fists. His body shook in anger. "The treatment began to… no longer take effect. Her psychiatrist told us that she had Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia and that her symptoms would persist even if she took medicine. Eventually, after years of fighting through episodes, her mind finally withered away. Frequent psychotic episodes and visual and auditory hallucinations can do that to a person. So we had to put her away in a behavioral institute," Lance said.
Issei and Yozora slowly backed away as the hounds approached but showed no signs of attacking.
"You see, in the very beginning of all of this, we were all promised that a wish of ours would be granted if we managed to get through this. The man, or Beelzebub, as you call him, told us that the only way to attain that wish was to prove ourselves. Fight for that freedom or die like a dog. Of course, there were people like you, who wanted to flee altogether. I was one of them… but in the end…"
"Wait, beginning?" Yozora asked.
"I've been here since the start of it all. I've seen multiple batches come and go. Of course, that's also the reason why I didn't eat the meat. I think he told you after all," Lance said.
Issei felt a nauseating feeling well up inside him. So his gut was correct. Beelzebub. Beelzebub had used the corpses of the previous competitors and served them up as food. He placed a hand on his mouth, fighting to suppress the vomit.
"It was just… self-defense at first but as more passed, I began to really wonder if that could happen. And now that Issei told me what he is, well, if God won't answer my prayers, then maybe the Devil can," Lance said.
"That's why… I ask that you forgive me. I promise I won't hurt Lily. If you two can just keel over and die, then we can finally end this long nightmare," Lance said.
He gazed at them with a worn-down expression on his face.
Issei's body trembled. All of Lance's words. They angered him. How could he just slaughter dozens of people, children, even, for a wish he wasn't even sure was going to be granted? "Do you really think your sister will be happy once she finds out what her brother did in order to cure her!?" Issei roared, glaring at Lance.
"I don't care if she gets mad at me. Curses me. Or even no longer wants to see me. Just the thought of her being able to live a normal life is enough for me. Tell me… Issei. Are you willing to do the same if you were in my shoes?" Lance asked.
"Wha…?"
Lance took a deep breath, closing his eyes and letting out a sigh. He opened them, revealing a pair of glowing, piercing violet eyes. A torrent of whispers assaulted Issei's brain, nearly causing him to double over at the sheer volume of them.
However, the whispers subsided after a few seconds. But the feeling remained. An all-too-familiar feeling coupled with an all-too-familiar pair of violet eyes.
Mastema… is it? Issei asked.
"Yes. That boy's power is Luxuria."Mastema flickered into existence next to him, eyeing Lance carefully.
"Tell me, Issei." His eyes grew with greater intensity. The Black Dogs all howled, their once blood-red eyes turning into a bright shade of violet. The black mist that wafted off their bodies intensified. They began foaming at the mouth and their bodies trembled in excitement.
"Tell me just how far you're willing to go for her if you were in my position!" Lance said.
"Any luck on your end?" Mitsuki asked.
Leaves crunched underneath her boots as she walked through the forest. Yorihime rested at her side, attached to a clip on her belt. Her AS hovered in front of her with Ingvild's picture projected on a screen.
"No. Nothing. Le Fay's not finding anything close to an anchor point. One thing too. If you tried to cut it with the Divine Key, it will take a considerable while to get through it. Not really the outcome we want," Ingvild said.
Irina listened in on the conversation. Vali walked with his hands behind his head, yawning absentmindedly.
"I see. We'll see what we can do on our end. I have my eyes looking for things already so, there's that," Mitsuki said.
"Don't worry. We'll get to him. Just keep going. And Mitsuki," Ingvild said.
"Yeah?" she asked.
"Don't push yourself. Irina, make sure she doesn't-"
"I got it. Don't worry. I know how to handle Mii-chan when she gets like this," Irina said, reassuring the girl.
"Come on… I'm not that bad," said girl mumbled.
"Listen. I got to go. I'm going to analyze the barrier for any exploitable weaknesses… if there even is any. The AKASHA is showing that this thing is complex via analysis of its dimensional topography so I'll get back to you on that," Ingvild said.
Mitsuki nodded.
"I got you. Moon Halo out," she said, cutting the call.
"Mii-chan, she's right. You need to calm down. We've lapped the entire barrier on air and ground three times already in two hours," Irina said.
"We can't… Aniki is still out there," she said, continuing on.
"Oi, Adashino. Hyoudou will be fine. He can hold his own against me and that counts for something," Vali said.
"I know. I watched the footage." She glanced over her shoulder and gave Vali a dry look.
"Mitsuki, I want to rescue Ise as much as you do but there's no point in overdoing it. On the chance that Ise is hurt or in trouble, we need to have all the energy to help him. Do you remember what happened last time?" Irina asked.
Mitsuki clenched her fists, remembering the capture of Issei and the humiliating defeat they suffered at that masked Devil's hands.
"I… I guess you're right," Mitsuki said.
"That aside, why are you so obsessed with rescuing Hyoudou? You don't happen to be one of his lovers are you?" Vali asked.
"That's gross. But no, it's just. Aniki and I are childhood friends. We've known each other since we could walk. Same goes for Irina. After Irina moved away, it was just me and Aniki. We suffered through everything together and in middle school." She looked down at the ground.
"Middle school was the hardest time of my life. Do you know what it's like to come to school and be cast out? I wasn't like Aniki. Aniki was bright. He got along with everyone and everyone loved him, even if he was a pervert. Not like how it is now in Kuoh where Aniki is public enemy #1 for the women. It was different back in Chiba.
"I… however, wasn't. I was the gloomy kid in the corner. The one who had her nose buried in books all day. The creepy glasses girl that no one talks to. The one you see in manga that gets turned into a gofer by all the popular kids. I was… the victim of everything. Almost every cruel joke and prank short of… you know and sending dead animals to my house, I was subjected to it. Even if Aniki tried to protect me, in the end, they still got to me. Kids have no shortage when it comes to cruelty. They can't help it. It's in the nature of living things to single out the one that never fits."
"I can't believe you really fell for that! Did you really believe that I would go out with a girl like you? Stop crying and get over yourself."
She closed her eyes and let out a sigh.
"Mii-chan…" Irina placed a hand on her shoulder.
If it weren't for Aniki, I would have stopped going to school altogether. If I am the Moon, then Aniki is the Sun," Mitsuki said. "I owe him everything for sticking by me and for being my only light during that dark time. And we kept that promise. I'm sure you remember it too, Irina."
Vali raised an eyebrow.
"Of course. No matter what, we'll always have each other's backs. No matter distance nor hardship," Irina said.
"Hyoudou is lucky."
Irina and Mitsuki turned around to see Vali. A small smile adorned his face and the moonlight caused his hair to shine brighter than usual.
"He's lucky to have friends like you," he said. "Especially a sister like you, Adashino." His smile grew wider, causing Mitsuki to look away.
Her cheeks flushed and her heart rate increased. It was in embarrassment, of course, as she would tell herself. There was no way that the annoying descendant of Satan would be able to cause her heart to skip a beat with just a smile.
"Mmm? Mii-chan? Your cheeks are a little red. Are you dehydrated?" Irina asked.
"H-Huh? N-No, I'm fine. Come on. There might be an area over here we haven't covered yet," Mitsuki said.
Yozora kicked a pew onto an oncoming hound, knocking it out of the air. She sidestepped a bite from another, allowing for Issei to sucker-punch it with his gauntlet.
The impact reverberated through its body, shattering its organs and killing it instantly. He panted. There was no end to them. Lance was manipulating and controlling these things as if they were puppets.
"What do we do now?" Issei asked, keeping Lily between him and Yozora.
"Can she do anything?" Yozora asked, glancing down at Lily.
"She's just a kid. She can't fight," Issei said.
"I know but if we go down, she's going to be puppy chow," Yozora said. She ripped the leg off one of the pews and imbued it with the Power of Destruction.
With one mighty swing, Yozora erased the head of one of the hounds.
Issei grimaced. He eyed the glowing red bible carefully.
"We need to get that book and destroy it," he said.
"No shit, Sherlock. The question is how," Yozora said.
The dogs had given them a moment of respite. But the two knew that it was only a matter of time. The dogs had been slowly pushing forward, gaining an inch of ground with every attempted attack. Sooner or later, the two would have their backs against the wall with nowhere to run except forward right into their jaws.
Issei gulped, a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead.
I really wish Buchou was here right now, Issei thought.
He felt a tug on his shirt, causing him to turn to face Lily.
She had a frightened yet determined expression on her face.
"That's right. I'm all she has…" Issei mumbled.
"What was that?" Yozora asked.
"I can buy you time. You need to get up there and get that Bible from Lance. Lily, when I say go, I need you to do something for me okay?" Issei asked.
This was a gamble. Azazel had told Issei that this girl was of Lucifuge. If that was true, then she had whatever power Grayfia had. Not that Issei knew what power Grayfia had but it was better than sitting here, waiting for their throats to be torn off by the Black Hounds.
Lily nodded.
"I need you to feel right now inside yourself. Don't ask. Just look for a feeling. Any feeling and tell me how it feels," Issei said.
"What are you doing?" Yozora hissed.
"Have you finally conceded, Issei?" Lance asked. The shadows around him grew more pronounced and tendrils began to snake their way out of the ground.
"Not a chance in hell. We're all getting out of this and no one has to die. I will get back to Buchou's oppai!" Issei yelled.
Yozora rolled her eyes. "Might as well help you with that." Her yellow eyes began to glow brightly.
"Lily, tell me how you feel?" Issei asked.
"Cold." Issei glanced over his shoulder and saw a shimmering red light within Lily's irises.
"Good. Now grab that feeling. Grab it as tight as you can and throw it at those dogs!" Issei said.
Lily nodded, scrunching her face up in concentration. The sensation of "cold" that she had described began to flow through her body. It was not frigid nor did it burn like a deep freeze. It was soothing. A feeling that could only be described as similar to the cool side of a pillow at night or a fresh breeze during a hot summer's day. The sensation invaded every cell in her body, causing a shimmering blue and black aura to appear around her body. Her blue eyes began to glow brightly and her sclera bled black.
And as Issei had instructed, she took a hold of that cold and threw it at all the dogs in front of her.
What happened next can be described as nothing short of a miracle.
Lily had thrown something. She had balled her hand as if she were grasping something and threw it at the pack. What came out was a ball of black and blue energy.
The moment it hit the ground, Issei had grabbed her and Yozora, pulling them back.
A blinding flash of light engulfed the church, stunning everyone momentarily. But in that next instant, the light rapidly contracted, leaving nothing behind but a distortion in reality.
The dimensions of this world where the bomb had hit had been completely shattered. It was like looking at a glass orb that had been fractured internally. The hounds had been frozen completely as if someone had paused them in time. Their forms flickering like a glitched model within a game.
"W- What…?" Lance said, taken aback by the sudden turn of events.
"What the hell?" Issei glanced down at Lily, who was panting heavily.
"The Lucifuge Power. Moon Dial. It allows them to control time and space to a limited extent similar to the Agares Power of Time. However, whereas Agares only controls time, Lucifuge controls Space as well as Time. Two sides of the same coin. Shaping space and controlling time. That is the power of Lucifuge and what made them the strongest of the Six Houses of Lucifer," Mastema explained.
Well.. that's a gamble I'm never taking again, Issei thought.
Yozora, despite her shock, managed to compose herself. She took off in a sprint past the distorted space.
She grabbed one of the wooden fragments along the way, channeling the Power of Destruction into it.
Lance, having sensed her rapid approached, snapped out of his stupor and jumped back in the nick of time to avoid Yozora's attack.
The girl began to relentlessly slash him with her destruction-imbued stick, leaving several cuts on his person.
"Goddamnit!" Lance threw his hand forward.
The tendrils swarmed Yozora, attempting to stab her.
She jumped back, flipping into the air, and jumped from tendril to tendril.
"Just die already!" Lance yelled.
His eyes glowed.
A swarm of whispers suddenly flooded Yozora's mind, temporarily overloading her brain with a myriad of unnecessary thoughts and information. She missed her next step, falling to the ground. Yozora got to her feet slowly, feeling dizzy from what had just happened.
"Tch-"
"Watch out!" Issei grabbed the tendril that was about to impale her and erased it.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Psychic powers bullshit," Yozora groaned, rubbing her temples.
Lance glared at them. He moved in between them and the Bible, holding his ground.
"Why can't you people just lay down and die?" Lance asked.
"It doesn't have to be this way," Yozora reasoned. "We can find other ways to save her. Resorting to murder is not the only way!"
"You think I haven't found other ways? THERE IS NO OTHER WAY! This damage is mental, not physical. Damage that works on their psyche. Do you think drugs are going to work now after we tried years and years of treatment! Countless hours of therapy! Every medication. Every antipsychotic! Antischizophrenic! In and out of psychiatric wards. Numerous doctors. But now… there's an opportunity. An opportunity for her to live in a world with clarity of mind! And if God won't give it to me, then the Devil will and I'll gladly give him all the blood he needs for it!" Lance roared.
"There's no reasoning with you," Yozora said.
Issei nodded, preparing himself to beat down Lance.
Issei and Yozora briefly made eye contact.
Without warning, Yozora darted towards Lance, raising her wooden stick. She slashed, aiming for his throat.
The tendrils moved, seemingly having a mind of their own to defend their master. The tendrils parried her attack.
But she never let up. Left, right, up, diagonal. Slash after slash was met with tendril upon tendril. A never-ending dance of cuts that severed everything around it.
As the fight between the two raged, Issei ran past Lance and reached out for the glowing Bible.
"As if that would work on me!" Lance threw his arm out towards Issei, grabbing his leg with a shadow tendril.
The tendril gripped Issei's leg tightly and threw him across the Church.
Issei slammed into the Church Wall, sliding down and having the wind knocked out of him.
"Damn… he doesn't hit as hard as Tannin, Mii-chan, or Vali but… those tentacles are annoying as shit," Issei cursed, getting up.
"Agreed. Can't get anything done with those in the way. From what I can see, those react unconsciously, meaning that they can move extremely fast and have very little in the way of openings," Mastema said.
Explain that to me the way you would explain it to a kid, Issei said.
"It means that all you need to do is avoid it. Or get someone to aggro it. It's not impossible to get through all of them but with Lance using the shadows of the Church to his advantage, it means that…"
Fucking hell, Issei said.
"All you need to do is wait for the right opportunity," Mastema said.
Issei watched as Yozora missed a landing and was knocked away by one of Lance's tendrils.
She landed with a thud next to Issei.
"Okay. Fuck," Yozora cursed. "Those tentacles are annoying."
"I know but…" Mastema, you got anything? Issei asked.
"Yes. Though, it will require the two of you working together to pull off," Mastema said.
What is it? Issei asked.
"One of you needs to take all the attention away from the other-"
We already tried that, Issei replied.
"Let me finish. The one distracting needs to put their all into trying to kill him. In order to do this, Issei, I want you to run towards the Bible and allow yourself to get knocked away," Mastema said.
What? Isn't that-
"Wait for me to finish. After you get knocked away, preferably through a window or something, Yozora needs to focus on completely trying to kill Lance. She needs to be aggressive and have his complete focus. This is a more aggressive style of what you two tried to do earlier. Yozora just served as a distraction but you still let your presence be known to Lance. That is why he caught you."
And then what?
"That's when Phase 2 comes in…"
Issei nodded.
"Yozora-senpai. I need to tell you something," Issei said.
Yozora's eyes narrowed and she glanced at her junior. "Are you sure?" she asked.
"As long as his attention stays on one of us, then… we can do this." Issei clenched his fists tightly.
Lance eyed Issei, who had suddenly gotten up from his spot. Without warning, Issei vanished in a burst of speed and reappeared above Lance. He dove towards the Bible but his efforts were thwarted by a shadow tendril.
"I said that isn't going to work!" Lance said.
He closed his fist, causing the tendril to constrict tighter.
"G- Graaah!" Issei howled in pain, feeling the tendril actually beginning to put a strain on his bones.
He opened his right hand, unleashing a blast of violet energy at Lance.
Lance's eyes widened and he raised a barrier made of shadows to defend himself. "You-!" he swung his arm and threw Issei with tremendous force.
Issei crashed through the wall of the Church and landed outside, slamming into a car.
"Useless-"
"Did you forget that I'm also here?"
Lance's animal brain went into overdrive, flooding his body with adrenaline and newfound strength. He jumped, barely avoiding Yozora's wooden stick. Lance winced in pain, feeling the shard cut through his shirt and into his flesh.
He gripped his bleeding side, feeling the warm sensation of blood on his hands.
The tendrils coiled up, pointing at Yozora like venomous snakes.
She dug her heel into the ground and shot toward Lance.
The tendrils sprang forward, looking to meet her halfway.
She channeled the Power of Destruction into her stick, bathing it in black and violet flames. The flames extended outward, taking the form of a blade. Her eyes glowed a bright yellow as she swung furiously.
A series of slashes reduced the tendrils to nothing. She bridged the gap between her and Lance with tremendous speed.
The look in her eyes unnerved Lance greatly. Such malice. It was not something humans or anyone born human was capable of. Staring into her yellow eyes was akin to staring into the abyss itself.
His mind and body reconnected as Yozora's wooden stick filled his vision. He ducked, barely managing to dodge her thrust attack.
Lance roared and slammed his palm into her torso, sending a wave of telekinetic power through her.
Yozora flew at tremendous speed, crashing into a pillar violently.
Lance panted. These people. The ground suddenly shook violently. A violet aura exploded from the rubble, causing them to levitate into the sky.
Yozora stood underneath the floating pile of wood, holding her hand up. She moved her wrist slightly, causing the pieces of wood to rotate until the jagged edges all pointed at Lance.
She threw her hand forward, launching all of the pieces at him.
Lance threw his arms out, erecting a barrier made of pure darkness around himself.
The pieces battered uselessly against the barrier until…
Yozora's yellow eyes glowed brightly.
"!?"
A piece of rubble pierced through the barrier like a balloon, halting mere millimeters from Lance's eye
"H- How did she…?" Lance stuttered momentarily. This barrier was built to withstand the destructive energy from the last batch that leveled an entire street. How did she…?
Lance froze when he felt an overbearing aura slam down onto his barrier. He fell to one knee, holding his hands up in order to maintain his barrier's integrity.
However, the pressure suddenly vanished. A loud noise slammed into his barrier.
That crazy woman! Is she actually trying to- His thought was cut off when Yozora's hand pierced through his barrier. He saw the yellow eyes of the woman. Those same, now eerily familiar toxic yellow eyes stared into his soul.
She pulled her hand out and prepared to punch through it.
However, Lance glared at her and held his hand out. His eyes glowed purple and she froze in her spot momentarily. But a moment was all he needed. A mass of darkness shot forth from the barrier, slamming into her midsection.
The sickening crunch of ribs echoed through the church.
Yozora let out a silent scream and blood was expelled from her mouth. She was launched from her spot, flying through several pews before slamming into the wall of the Church. Her body slid down the wall, landing on the ground. She curled up, clutching her midsection in pain. Blood trickled down her mouth.
"Y- You…" she saw a shadow standing over her. Her yellow eyes flickered back to blue as she saw Lance standing over her with a dagger made of shadows in his hand.
A look of guilt and remorse was written all over his face.
"I never wanted to do this. But if it's for my sister, then…" Lance stopped talking. He knew that no amount of apologizing or speaking would erase what he had done. It was just an excuse for him to justify his actions. He tightened his grip around the dagger and raised it into the air.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"I am too…," Yozora coughed.
"What?" Lance hesitated momentarily.
"I'm sorry that you fell for such an obvious trick… twice," she whispered.
Her whisper was audible enough for him to hear. It took a split second for the words to register in his brain. Lance quickly whirled around and saw Issei holding the Bible in his hand.
"NO!" He threw the dagger at Issei.
Issei saw the dagger coming out of the corner of his gaze. He quickly used the Bible as a shield, allowing the dagger to pierce it. The blade pierced through the entire book, shredding through the paper and cover.
"N- No!" Lance yelled.
The Bible in Issei's hands began to jitter and wrenched itself free from his grip. The dagger dissipated underneath the immense energy exuded by the Bible. It opened violently, pages flipping rapidly until it landed on one spot.
Joshua 6:5
A blast of violet energy exploded from the Bible, destroying the roof of the Church and piercing the sky above. The sky was lit up, as if a million fireworks had detonated at the same time. Cracks spread across the atmosphere as if the mythical crystal dome of heaven had been shattered. Fragments fell upon the town, dissipating harmlessly as they landed on the ground.
The Earth trembled violently and the sky roared in response as the cracks gave way to an unending shimmering void. The void flickered and groaned before the sky returned to normal. The light of the Moon shone through the clouds and into the Church.
"W- What did you do? What have you done!?" Lance yelled.
Issei grabbed a hold of the opportunity, taking a hold of Lance.
"SENPAI! RUN! TAKE LILY AND RUN!" Issei roared.
Yozora shakily got to her feet and nodded. She picked up the girl, who they had hidden behind one of the pews, and ran out of the Church.
"N- NO! Let… Let me go!" Lance drove his elbow into Issei's gut, knocking the wind out of him.
"You… You ruined everything!" Lance yelled. He coated his fist in darkness and threw a high-speed haymaker at Issei.
But his fist was caught by Issei's hand. Issei's hand began to glow brightly. A familiar red light spread across his forearm, taking the same of a gauntlet. The light faded away in a shower of sparks, revealing a red gauntlet with segmented scales and a green gem resting on the back of the hand. Golden spikes extended from the end furthest from the fingers.
Welcome back, Ddraig, Issei said.
[Keh! We can finally stop holding back! Show this foolish boy what it means to mess with the Red Dragon Emperor, Partner!] Ddraig said.
Issei grinned and headbutted Lance without any warning.
"Gahk!" Lance stumbled back, gripping his forehead. "What…?"
"Don't just stand there. Let me help you a little. Just know I can't just flood your brain with information otherwise, you'll have a stroke," Mastema said.
A series of high-speed images flew through Issei's mind. Images that he could not grasp but his body instinctively settled into a peculiar stance. His left foot was placed forward and his right foot was shifted back and off to the side. His left hand was raised up before him with his right hand bent to the side with the fist facing forward.
[Partner. Let's go.] Ddraig said.
Issei nodded. Let's do this, Ddraig! Mastema!
Mitsuki sighed as she returned to Base Camp. Another fruitless lap around the barrier. The three had tried to enter via brute force but it ended up as a useless endeavor. The only result they received as Vali receiving the full brunt of his own attack. Luckily, he divided his attack in time to prevent any injuries from occurring.
"Mii-chan, don't worry. Issei will be fine. We just need to take a quick break and go back into-"
The ground suddenly shook.
"Earthquake!" one of the Agents yelled.
Mitsuki stumbled as the tremors continued for a few more minutes before dying down.
"Oi, Adashino. Look."
Vali looked at the sky with his hands in his pockets.
A brilliant violet barrier appeared, towering into the air and eclipsing the size of the surrounding hillside. The barrier shimmered and flickered. The various runes made of a language long lost to civilization were etched across various parts of it. She clenched her fist and watched as the barrier flickered a few more times before fading.
"Do you think that-"
"Mitsuki!"
Mitsuki's question was interrupted by the sound of Ingvild running towards them.
"We've… We've got a clear signal! Issei is in the town and-"
A red light shot into the sky, alerting everyone in the camp.
Albion, was that…? Vali asked.
(There is no doubt about it. That energy was no one other than Ddraig.) Albion said.
"Aniki…" Mitsuki's wings popped out of her back.
"Eh? Mii-chan, wait—!" Irina reached out to stop Mitsuki.
Mitsuki shot into the sky, kicking up a cloud of dust in the process. Demonic power and touki mixed together, flowing through her body and granting her newfound strength. With a mighty beat of her wings, she shot forth with a loud resounding boom and flew in the direction of the red light.
"Aniki…wait for me!" Mitsuki prayed.
"Damn it, Mii-chan," Irina cursed. She spread her wings and shot into the sky, flying after her friend as fast as she could.
Mitsuki glanced over her shoulder. Irina was right behind her. She took a hard right and dove towards the town.
"Mii-chan, wait!" Irina flew faster, catching up to her. "Slow down!"
"I can't… Irina, Aniki, he's-"
"I know. But you can't go alone. Ingvild is probably gathering up the others so at least take me with you for now," Irina said, flashing her a smile.
Mitsuki's eyes widened slightly. She smiled before nodding. "Come on. Let's-!" Her eyes widened when she felt a familiar demonic signature. Without warning, she divebombed towards the location.
L- LILY!
Her eyes turned red as she focused on Lily's form. She was being carried by a woman she faintly recognized. The two were being chased by a pack of black dogs.
Hellhounds… she thought.
Mitsuki's hands flew to Yorihime's sheath. Her finger rested on the trigger and she moved to press it.
Mikazuki!
She pressed the trigger, unsheathing her blade. Her body spun in a crescent, slashing the first dog on the left before darting forward. Her speed increased, leaving a series of afterimages in her wake. Mitsuki reappeared behind the pack and sheathed Yorihime.
A storm of crescent slashes reduced the entire pack of hellhounds to pieces and tore up her surroundings.
"Lily!" Mitsuki yelled.
She heard the light sound of children's footsteps and a weight slam into her.
Mitsuki's eyes softened when she heard light sobs coming from her torso. She smiled and bent down to hug the young girl.
"Lily-"
Mitsuki looked up, her blazing red eyes locking with the blue eyes of Yozora.
"You're…"
Yozora stopped when she felt a blade on her neck.
Irina stood behind her with Malkuth held out.
"Wait, Irina. Stop. She saved Lily," Mitsuki said.
Irina glanced between her and nodded before removing Malkuth from Yozora's neck.
"Where's Issei?" Mitsuki asked.
"H- Huh? Where is…"
"Issei. Now."
Seeing that she couldn't get anything out of this, Yozora nodded and complied. "He's by the Church a couple of hundred feet north of here. He should still be there-"
An explosion rang through the town and a plume of smoke rose into the air from the direction of the Church.
"I need to go but…"
"Go."
Mitsuki glanced at Irina.
"I'll handle this. Go save Issei," Irina said.
Mitsuki bit her lip before nodding. Lightning coated her body and she took off in a sprint down the street.
Lance jumped back, narrowly avoiding Issei's punch. The feeling of Issei's gauntlet grazing against his cheek caused his heart to beat even faster. His face contorted in desperation and rage. His eyes glowed violet, pouring all of his efforts into assailing Issei's mind.
Issei's eyes widened when the whispers assailed his brain.
"Ignore them and keep fighting."
[Mastema and I will support you from here on, Partner.]
The whispers immediately died.
"W- What-"
Lance never finished his sentence as Issei's fist slammed into the side of his face. His vision turned white momentarily as he was sent careening into a wall. He slammed violently against it and he stumbled. His head span. The impact from Issei's fist had been enough to disorient him.
"Y- You…" Lance dizzily walked his way toward Issei. "Why can't you just…"
Violet particles began to appear around Lance. The particles condensed into a sphere. "Just let it go already and let me kill you!" he yelled.
A beam of violet energy fired forth from his hand.
Issei said nothing and dodged it, avoiding the beam by a mere breadth of a strand of hair. The beam leveled the wall of the Church and traveled into the town. A massive explosion was seen in the distance and a shockwave traveled over them.
"Because like you… I have someone to go back to! And I won't let you take that…" Issei drove his fist into Lance's gut, "TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME!"
With one final roar, Issei delivered a brutal uppercut to Lance's chin, sending the boy into the air.
Lance crashed into one of the remaining pews. He groaned in pain and tried to get up. However, his strength was rapidly leaving him. His arms shakily tried to support him as he tried to stand. But no matter what he did, he fell back down.
"Just stay down, Lance." Issei looked down at him.
He weakly closed his fists. Tears streamed down his cheeks.
N- No! I can't… I can't fall here… I…
Issei watched as Lance tried to get up once more but fell. This time, the boy did not get up. Instead, he lay there with half-lidded eyes. Issei walked over and crouched in front of him. He saw signs of light breathing coming from Lance. He was only unconscious.
Issei let out a sigh. "It's over…" he said.
"ANIKI!"
Issei turned around at the sound of his name being called.
Mitsuki burst through the broken church doors. Her worried expression turned into one of happiness and relief. Tears began to pool at the corners of her eyes as she took a step towards Issei.
Mitsuki sprinted toward Issei, jumping onto him and wrapping him in a hug. Tears began to stain his shirt as she cried onto his shoulder.
Issei's eyes widened and he smiled softly, wrapping his arms around her.
"You're safe. I'm glad," she whispered.
"You have no idea how happy I am to see you, Mii-chan," Issei whispered.
"I… I was so scared. When Beelzebub kidnapped you, I was so scared that I would never see you again." Her eyes watered and her tone began to warble.
"Shh. It's okay. I'll always be here. I'm not going to leave you by yourself. You'd just turn back into a crybaby without me," Issei joked.
Mitsuki sounded so vulnerable. He tightened the hug and rubbed soothing circles on his sister's back.
"S- Shut up," she replied in a watery voice.
He pulled away from the hug, keeping his hands on her shoulders. He frowned when he saw bags under her eyes.
"Mii-chan, when was the last time you slept?" Issei asked.
"O- Oh, this? Um… I haven't been able to sleep since you got abducted," she confessed. Mitsuki brought her hands up and wiped the tears from her eyes.
He grabbed her cheeks and squeezed them. "You have to get some rest. I don't want you to pass out because of me."
"Y- You. Barely two minutes into being rescued and you're already scolding me!" she said incredulously.
Issei's chest puffed up. "Of course. It's my job as the oldest," he replied.
"Three minutes, Aniki. Three minutes," Mitsuki barked.
As the two siblings argued, Lance began to stir. He had only passed out for a moment. His eyes traveled and saw Issei's unprotected back facing him. He lost. No. Wait. He had not. There was still a chance. A chance to make things right. Or as right as they can be. There was no going back for him. But if it was for her sake, Lance would gladly stain his hands once more.
Weakly raising his hand, Lance began to gather and condense demonic power into the palm of his hand. He pulled every last ounce of power from every corner of his body. From his brain down to his cells, Lance condensed and pooled all of his remaining power together.
"...and I saw Yozora-senpai. Man, let me tell you. She is badass. She has the Power of Destruction you know…"
Mitsuki nodded as Issei told her everything that had happened. As she listened, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. But it was too late.
Her eyes widened when she saw the light flash. An attack from near point-blank range. There would be no time for Issei to properly defend nor would she have enough time to properly deflect the blast. So with the mere instant that she had, Mitsuki rushed toward Issei.
I need to…
Issei became surprised as Mitsuki grabbed his shoulder and pushed him out of the way.
"Mii-chan, wha—!" his eyes widened in pure horror when he saw a beam of black and violet energy pierce through Mitsuki's chest.
She had been a split second too late. Her hand had failed to grab Yorihime in time to slice the blast in half. The beam pierced clean through, leaving a large hole in her chest.
"M- Mii-chan…" he stuttered. He quickly ran and caught her, supporting her as she fell to the ground. Blood flowed from the hole in her chest, quickly staining her white button-up shirt and black coat with her crimson essence. Her eyes were fluttering but she managed to stay conscious. She turned to face Issei, attempting to speak but only managing to cough blood from her mouth.
"M- Mii-chan! Hang in there!" Issei yelled, anguish lacing his voice.
"No… that wasn't supposed to happen."
Issei turned to face a stupefied Lance. Rage and grief overtook his entire being as his eyes glowed brightly. Rather than the usual green, Issei's eyes turned blue and red.
"Y- You! RAAAGGGHHHH!" Issei roared and fired a beam of red energy at Lance.
A voice echoed through the church. "Game. Set. Match." Beelzebub, who had been watching all the events transpire, snapped his fingers.
Before the blast could hit Lance, he faded away into nothing, spirited away by Beelzebub. The blast eradicated the back half of the church, traveling through the town at great speed before detonating at the edge. An explosion that could be seen even from the base camp leveled a large portion of Centralia and ignited the remaining coal reserves beneath the town.
Issei's eyes began to glow brightly. Red aura surged forth from his body and the green gem on the Boosted Gear began to pulsate brightly. As the beginning chant of the Juggernaut Drive was about to begin, the sound of soft gasping snapped him out of his rage.
"..A-Ani…ki…"
Issei looked down, desperately placing his hand on her chest. He applied as much pressure as he could in a futile manner to keep her from bleeding out.
"Mii-chan! Hang in there!" Issei begged. Her blood began to stain his uniform. He turned around and looked for anyone or anything that could help.
"Aniki… I…," she said softly.
"Don't talk. Save your energy. Someone's going to be here soon I-"
"It's going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay, Mii-chan." Issei cupped her face gently and mustered up a smile. Tears began to cloud his vision and fell onto her face.
Mitsuki weakly reached out and gripped Issei's hand. She gave him a soft smile. Mitsuki began to softly hum as she nuzzled Issei's hand. The two stayed like that for a few seconds before Mitsuki's grip slackened and her hand fell to her side.
"O- Oi! Mii-chan? Mitsuki?" Issei shook her gently.
Her serene gaze looked up into the night sky. Her eyes were beginning to cloud over. Issei could no longer feel her chest moving underneath his hand.
"N- No… Mii-chan, wake up. You're gonna be okay. You're going to be fine…" Issei whispered, still holding her and looking into her cloudy hazel eyes. "It's not even that bad. It's not even that bad. When the others get here, we're going to patch you up and you can go back to annoying me and picking fights with Irina, right?" his voice began to break.
His body trembled as he felt her growing cold in his arms.
"You're going to be fine. I'm going to make everything better because that's my job, right? Taking care of my pain in the ass…sister, right? Mii-chan?"
Mitsuki still offered no response.
Issei stroked her hair and continued to speak. "I think you need to stop playing. It's not funny anymore. Mii-chan? MIi-chan, wake up please…" he whispered.
The light of the Moon seeped through the clouds, casting a dull glow on Mitsuki's peaceful face.
Issei hugged her tightly. "No… Mii-chan, please don't leave me… MITSUKI!"
Issei's anguished screams shattered the silence of the night sky.
Yozora Izayoi
The ever-reliable senpai of Issei Hyoudou and a 3rd year of Kuoh Academy. She is one of the Fallen Humanity created by Serpent's Seed in order to find the Lamb.
She was infused with the Blood of Origin and granted the Power of Destruction from the Bael Family.
Yet, much of her past remains unknown.
[]
Lance McArthy
One of the Fallen Humanity created by Serpent's Seed in order to find the Lamb.
He was infused with the Blood of Origin and granted the Luxuria of the Naamah Family.
He fights for the sister who has fallen into her madness due to an assault of her own psyche. To that end, he will shed the blood of others in order to ensure she lives a normal life.
[]
Elaina Adashino
The Mother of Mitsuki Adashino and Wife of Katsuki Adashino. She is the youngest daughter of Iris Dantalion, the First Dantalion, and the former heiress.
A master of magic and the Head of the Japanese Blacklight Chapter's Intelligence Division. She is responsible for compiling and analyzing data from all over the world and archiving it within the AKASHA Terminal.
A cool and strict woman who loves her husband and daughter very much.
Though, she does not work out in the field, her mastery of magic far surpasses that of her daughter's and husband's.
[]
Blacklight Dossier: Personnel File #1873
Personnel Name: Elaina Adashino
Code Name: Twilight Corvidae
Bio: Head of the Intelligence Division of the Blacklight Japanese Chapter. She is the wife of ███████ ████████ and the mother of ███████ ████████. A skilled magician. She is the daughter of the Original █████████. Like her daughter, she evolved her Scan into a higher form. Has access to her Qliphoth Form.
Height: 5'5
Weight: 127 lbs
Relations:
███████ ████████ (Husband)
███████ ████████ (Daughter)
Twilight Corvidae still owes me for getting Amaterasu to give her that Hihi'irokane to forge Moon Halo's Yorihime - Divine Smith
Mom, you never answer your texts because you're too busy. Dad left the stove on and set the entire kitchen on fire. - Moon Halo
A translation in case people don't know:
Mikazuki: Crescent Moon
Yes, I know what you're thinking but bear with me. This is a plot point. I'm sure if there are any... people who have stuck with me for a while (Thank you for that, truly)... well, I'll let it play out. Also, I am aware that I am overplaying Schizophrenia. I know it doesn't drive people insane and can be managed with treatments and that Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia can also be managed so don't read this and go to Mayo Clinic then come back into the reviews and saying that's not how schizophrenia works. Trust me, I've read and watched Bocchi the Rock. I know the Nijika Pledge. That's why I'm saying this disclaimer now. We're almost finished with this volume and as I've said before, there will be a break after this.
See ya'll in the next one.