I don't own anything. All characters and all rights belong to Ichiei Ishibumi*
M for mature topics. No children allowed. *
The Broken Boosted Gear
By Try Another Time
The Vermillion Bird had disappeared and in its place a single humanoid creature was left. Its skin was completely white with red Shinto symbols and bird features. Its hands and legs were replaced by clawed winged arms. His two eyes had been replaced by those of a bird as well.
The temperature was much higher than before and the trio was able to tell that this wasn't the same old man that they were facing before.
"So, this is the trump card of the Vermillion Bird? Sacrificing one's body to become an avatar of the bird's full power. Tell me something Suou if you can still recognize my voice, who's the monster now? Me who is the wielder of a Longinus or you who has sacrificed his own life to protect a group of stupid ideas?" Tobio asks the figure before them.
The humanoid reacts to his voice. Suou starts to accumulate a hefty number of flames in front of him before he shoots a massive blast towards the trio in a matter of seconds. The blast is so big that it also reaches the spot in which Lavinia and Akeno found themselves before it continues and makes contact with the dome around the residence.
The whole dome shakes after receiving such an attack but even all that power wasn't enough to force Uriel and his troops to back away and lower the dome.
The attack continues for a few more moments until Suou stops. The old exorcist looks around the area of the attack and his eyes widen in surprise. "Impossible!"
Akeno's point of view.
Akeno began to open her eyes after she had seen the attack that was coming her way. "I'm alive?" The girl asks after fully opening them.
"Yes, you are alive, Akeno-chan," Lavinia says.
Akeno looks around and finds that both of them are surrounded by a thick sphere of ice. "But how? That attack was massive."
Lavinia giggles. "Big is not always a sign of power, Akeno-chan. You better keep your eyes on the fight. The true fight has just begun." Lavinia points her finger towards the battlefield.
Akeno turns her eyes towards the fight. "How strong is he?"
Back on the battlefield.
Issei stood in the same place without a single scratch on his entire body. "Using fire against me is a waste of energy, Suou, and even these ones that come from a sacred beast are worthless against me. Are you two alright?" Issei asks his allies without turning his eyes away from Suou.
The Welsh Dragon had decided to spread out his wings even more and used them to protect Tobio and Baraqiel from the flames.
"Thanks for the help. I'm fine but those flames were hot. I'll give it to you; those flames were not a joke." Tobio says after being released from the wing cocoon.
"I'm alright." Baraqiel turns his sight towards Suou. "You had your chance."
The fallen angel moves with an impressive speed before punching Suou face and sending him straight into the dome. "Now it's our turn, bastard."
*Coldrain (Masato Hayakawa)- Remember*
Suou's point of view.
His body made contact with the dome. "Just one punch? How is this possible?" His whole body was consumed by the pain of the transformation and punch. Suou didn't get the time to fully recover from the attack.
His eyes turn towards the direction in which he came from before they widen at the sight of a lighting spear coming his way. Suou was forced to use his wings to fly away and evade the attack but as he got away his instincts went off.
"Fast enough to evade one of his spears but not enough to get away from me." The voice of Tobio was heard right on top of Suou. Suou's eyes widened after he turned his face towards the direction in which he heard the voice.
He found Tobio standing on top of a magic circle alongside Jin. The scythe on his hands was still covered in the blood of its previous victims. Tobio had used the spear as a distraction to approach Suou without being noticed.
The birdman tried to get away after seeing the Slash Dog but he was too late to do that. His body was hit by several strong blows from the scythe and Jin.
"It hurts! This son of a whore is actually hurting me!" Suou's mind screamed as he was attacked without any sign of consideration by Tobio. He tried to block, to counter with his powers but he was unable to do it. He wasn't a young man anymore and Tobio was far from a normal human. His only grace at that moment was the other ability of the whole transformation which was stitching his body up at a fast rate but that didn't stop the pain.
His body was being stabbed and cut so many times that if it wasn't thanks to the Vermillion's bird power he would be dead by now.
Tobio and Jin kept attacking Suou as they descended into the wooded area below. Both hounds complemented each other and left no openings for Suou to attack. "How does it feel? That ability might keep you alive for a while longer but it won't save you from me. You send so many exorcists after me that I was forced to move several times to get away from them. You can't imagine how many nights I had to stay up while hiding from them, the pain I had to suffer because of you!"
"Tobio!" Suou screams his name. The birdman begins to charge his flames once.
"Oh, you're going to try that again. Then it is time for a switch. Ddraig!" Tobio screams.
Suou's ears detect the sound of an approaching enemy. His head twisted around while trying to find it but the Welsh Dragon was much faster than Suou's eyes. His face is grabbed by Issei.
Issei's point of view.
"You want to implode once more? Then let me show you how to do it!" Issei drags Suou alongside him into an area that is separate from the rest of the residence.
Suou's face is driven into the ground by Issei with all of his strength. The old man feels the difference in power and his instincts are telling him to run away from the child that is keeping his head on the ground. "You like blowing things up? Then allow me to show you the difference between you and me."
"Damn it! Let me go, you beast!" Suou screams while trying to get away from Issei's hold. "I'm going to kill you." His powers keep accumulating like a time bomb.
A magic circle appears on top of the pair. Issei starts to release his normal flames which start to accumulate on top of him before they take the shape of a massive dragon's head. "Elsha, thanks for this spell." Issei raises his free hand towards the sky. "Devour everything on your path, let your endless hunger be satiate by the blood of my enemies, Gluttony of the Dragon!"
The angels react very quickly and move their barrier to contain the inevitable explosion that is coming and prevent it from reaching the rest of the residence.
The massive head approaches the ground before it opens its jaws and bites down on the whole area. A few seconds go by before the explosion takes place.
Serafall's Point of View.
Adults and children of the clan keep their eyes glued to the explosion while being held down by the troops of the alliance. The fear in their eyes, the trembling in their bodies, and their survival instincts telling them to run away from this place was proof enough of their despair.
The explosion made it even worse.
"That one was surely our dearest enforcer. I appreciated the fact that he knows how to keep his powers under control or this whole residence would have been ashes by now." Serafall turns her sight towards the adults of the clan. Serafall puts her two index fingers very close to each other. "Your whole clan was this close to being eliminated if it wasn't for the rest of the alliance talking to him down when it came to his initial approach. He is reasonable but even his patience has a limit and your clan actions have been pushing it into dangerous territory."
The members of the clan shake in fear while listening to Serafall.
The howls of a pack of hounds make them even more afraid. The screams of a bird are then heard shortly after.
"And that should be Tobio," Suzaku says. "Do any of you realized how close we were to being eliminated by Tobio on his own? Tobio might not be a dragon but he is the Slash Dog and nobody in this place can match his abilities. Not me, no Suou, and especially not a single exorcist of the other clans. Suou has led a stupid hunt against individuals that had never hurt the clan for far too long. For years Tobio was forced to run and hide from exorcists that the clan sent after him and now he is back for payback. Do any of you has the guts to face him?"
Suzaku looks around and not a single one of the adults has the guts to talk back. They feared the Slash Dog and after seeing what kind of allies he has they had more reasons to leave him alone. "You see how every action has a consequence? How every stupid decision of the clan can put us a risk and our gods won't come to help us in moments such as this? We need to change as a clan or we're going to be eliminated as a result of our own actions."
Suzaku's words are then interrupted by the appearance of several big electric fists in the air that started to descend and punch the same area in which the explosion had taken place before.
The screams of the same bird from before increased in power as each fist made contact with the area.
"And that one should be Baraqiel, a former pure angel who is also a veteran of the great war. Your clan head put a price on the head of his wife and child. For many years he hasn't come to attack this place and only protected them from your agents. He was forced to move away with them but you kept sending exorcists after them. How angry do you think he is?" Serafall approaches one of the adults. "You need to change or face the consequences. Today you only lost a few old heads of your clan but tomorrow it might be the whole clan if you keep these so-called traditions and values."
The adults looked defeated after hearing such arguments. They knew that their actions weren't the right ones on many occasions. They had thrown so many members away for being different, for stepping out of the path of the Shinto exorcist, and for a long time even before Suou, many were killed based on unjustifiable claims. They were the servants of the Shinto gods but like any other human, they had a mind, reason, and feelings.
It was time for the clan to move towards a new path or face certain death at the hands of the alliance.
"We recognize Suzaku Himejima and his group as the new heads of the clan." The adults of the clan said. "Your orders are ours to follow no matter the consequences."
The children and younger members of the clan were surprised, to say the least.
Suzaku and the rest of her group were known for being rebellious. They were known for having unusual ideas within the clan and many rumors surrounded the group activities whenever they were outside the residence. They were progressists within a clan filled with conservationists that fear anything that was different.
And yet they found themselves in the presence of a new council of leaders who were going to have a say on everything that goes on within the clan.
But the surprises didn't end there for all of those present.
A transportation circle appears next to Serafall. The first to come out is Ajuka who is then followed shortly after by Tiamat.
"Did you get her?" Serafall asks.
"Look at her for yourself." Tiamat moves away from the portal.
The air becomes hard for everyone that is not strong enough to stand up. Everyone present feels an indescribable sense of fear as she makes her appearance.
The unavoidable fear of certain death was invading each of them.
"I present to you, the queen of death, Ereshkigal," Tiamat says.
Suzaku and her group quickly get down on their knees after hearing her name. A god is a god no matter the faction but a god of the realm of the death is something that should be respected by all creatures especially humans. The rest of the clan's adults couldn't believe what they were seeing.
"My lady. Is an honor to meet you." Suzaku says while keeping her head down.
"Raise your head, child of the world of Gaea and the god of the bible. I'm here because my powers are needed and the faster we take care of this, the better it is going to be for me. I have things to discuss with other beings." Ereshkigal says.
Her shadow spreads out before a massive table appears with a single piece of paper.
Ereshkigal's appearance changes as well. Her body becomes a black skeleton that lacks any skin or organs. Her eye sockets had golden flames now which acted as eyes for her. "Now, let us discuss this lethal contract. All of the representatives should come up to the table and take a seat. Be mindful that until the contract is not completed, nobody can stand up. So, come and take a seat on my table."
Ereshkigal moves towards the table before sitting down.
Ajuka, Tiamat, and Serafall begin to move while Suzaku has to take a few deep breaths.
"Stay down and leave it to me. All of the adults of the clan should keep their voices down. Be mindful of who is present among us." Suzaku stands up and walks towards the table.
As soon as she takes a seat alongside the others, her body shakes. Suzaku feels how an invisible hand reaches out into the deepest part of her body before grabbing her soul. "Deep breaths Suzaku. Keep your head calm and everything is going to be fine. This is for the sake of the clan."
"Lady Ereshkigal, we are missing a representative from the heaven side and the fallen angel side. Can you give me just a second? So that I can make a call." Tiamat asks.
"I allow this. We have the whole night." Ereshkigal turns her sight towards the site of the fight. "Eyes of mine, show me that which lies beyond." The golden flames that were located inside her eye sockets disappear.
"Ereshkigal, are you still with us?" Ajuka asks after seeing what happened to her eye sockets.
"Yes, child. I'm just taking the liberty of seeing this small altercation with my own eyes." Ereshkigal replies. "So, this is how he looks after getting a body… You have changed but you're still the same no matter the face you take. A life for another life." Ereshkigal goes silent. Her focus now laid on the fight.
"Is she alright?" Suzaku asks.
"Leave her be. Do you want to talk about your concerns regarding the contract?" Ajuka focuses his sight on the young lady.
"I liked that, Lord Beelzebub," Suzuka replies.
The pair begins to discuss the possible points that each side wants within the contract of the death.
Tiamat decides to pay no attention to Ereshkigal or the rest and focuses on getting someone from the angel side. "Gabriel, come to this place right now. Uriel is still taking care of the barrier and we need someone that represents the side of heaven."
"Give me a minute and I'll be there. We're a bit busy with our surveillance over the Shinto gods." Gabriel's voice is heard from within the magic circle.
Back within the site of the fight.
The area was completely burned and demolished after being subjected to many of the attacks that the trio had used against Suou.
Suou wasn't having a good time. This was far from being a fair fight and he knew it but he wasn't about to give up.
His body was being demolished by the trio and even with his regenerative ability, he was having a hard time countering these three opponents at the same time. They held the advantages in many areas of the fight but Suou's determination was bigger than many humans.
His body was kicked into the air by Issei before Tobio closed the distance between them and delivered a series of slashes across his whole body with the help of Jin and the rest of the hounds.
Screamed in pain and tried to use his wings to get away from Tobio.
"You're not getting away, Suou," Baraqiel says before delivering a spinning kick which is covered in holy lighting right into Suou's chest area.
The body of the birdman is driven into the ground once more before being submitted to even more pain. Issei wasted no time approaching Suou as the birdman was getting up.
"All of this is your fault. People like you are the ones that lead to stories like mine. You take the future of children like Akeno because you deemed them as enemies without a justifiable reason." Issei attacks the old man with burning rage in his eyes. "Formless Style, Fake Technique Number 0: Assault of the Beasts."
Issei's body starts to move even faster than before and his moves become more animalistic as they copy the actions of several supernatural beasts. The kicks of Sleipnir, the fast claw attacks of the Nemean Lion, the piercing power of the tail of Midgardsormr, and many more beasts of the supernatural world are replicated in each of his attacks and moves which leaves Suou with no chances of parrying or blocking any of the attacks due to their unpredictable nature.
Suou's bones are broken before being repaired by his ability just to be broken once more. His body is pierced several times. His body is enduring an amount of pain that no other human has ever experienced but his mind keeps it together. "I need to fight back. I can't let them get away with this."
While the assault continues, Issei begins to feel something strange with his body. "Baraqiel!" Issei screams before kicking the body of Suou in his direction. Issei's body starts to release steam after he kicks Suou. "This feeling… finally. My body has finally mastered this technique. This is good."
"Hey, are you alright Ddraig?" Tobio asks after seeing the steam. "You appear to be burning from the inside."
"I'm alright, this is nothing so stop worrying about me. Keep moving or I'm getting the kill tonight. The technique is not over. Suou will die by my hand if you're not fast enough." The blood vessels around Issei's body begin to expand and his hearts begin to increase the circulation of blood around the body. His senses turn sharper and his bloodlust increases to higher levels than before. His tail starts to smack the ground with incredible strength.
Tobio smiles. "Not if I get him first. That old man is mine to kill. Jin, let's go!" The rage was noticeable in his tone. "His head is mine to take."
The hound howls before more blades start to grow out of the rest of his body.
The execution continues.
Baraqiel's point of view.
Suou's body was caught by Baraqiel with a single hand. While holding Suou's head, Baraqiel lifts the body up. "Look into my eyes, Suou." Baraqiel rises the body until his eyes can meet. "I left you alone due to the possibility of war and the lack of support from Azazel but now I'm able to go all out. I won't forgive you for trying to kill my family. My face is the last thing you're going to see and once you get to the land of the dead, you better stay there because I will kill you once more."
Baraqiel releases the body.
Suou sees this opportunity as a chance to fight back but his eyes widen in fear after they see what's happening to Baraqiel.
"This is the end of the road for you. Holy Lighting Emperor." Baraqiel's wings spread out and they begin to change color. They turn lighter and reach a light silver color. His whole body gets covered by holy symbols which emanate pure holy lighting. On top of his head, a crown made out of holy lighting stands as a sign of his technique. "I, an angel that let go of its purity will show you the true consequences of trying to touch my family. No god can save you from me."
Suou smiles and lifts his right hand. "I'm going to kill all of your-"
Suou's words are stopped right there. A fist pierces his chest and before long his body receives a massive electric discharge.
Baraqiel pulls the fist out. Suou's ability starts to repair the damage. "Die." Then the barrages of jaws, hooks, and uppercuts.
Broken teeth and blood start to fly in all directions as the attacks connect with Suou. Boxers are known for having some of the strongest fists around but Baraqiel punches were true weapons of mass destruction. Each fist that connected with Suou's body caused hefty damage to the old man.
"Damn it! I'm not going to let you do whatever you want with me!" Suou envelops his claws with the sacred fire of the Vermilion Bird before he tries to cut Baraqiel down.
Baraqiel evades it with ease and counters once more with a left hook straight into Suou's face. "Your attacks will never reach me."
"Bastard!" Suou screams before attacking once more.
His flames start to go out of control but Baraqiel doesn't back down. The area gets covered by flames once more.
"We are also here. Let us join in." Tobio said as he and Issei joined the fight.
"Let's end this then!" Baraqiel grins before he pushes on to end the fight alongside his allies.
Akeno's point of view.
Her eyes couldn't look away. She knew that this was all for her sake and with this, she wouldn't need to worry about any more attempts on her life, and yet she couldn't stop shaking.
"Don't fear what you're seeing," Lavinia says. "This is the world in which we live. There are times in which we need to become monsters to protect what's important to us. There are always those that won't back away and keep pushing the line. Akeno-chan, you're the daughter of Baraqiel and you can't run away from the supernatural world. The day will come in which you're going to be on your own and nobody is going to be there to protect you. You need to grow strong and get ready to protect yourself."
"Me fighting? I'm too young to fight."
"Yes, yet one day you will have to fight like anyone else. Not now, but one day you will join the fights like everyone else. Be it to protect your family, your life, or to help others you're going to fight one day. Don't let fear take over you and see what you can become one day." Lavinia says before pointing her finger towards Issei. "That child was forced to become what he is today due to the actions of those that betrayed Grigori and now he is one of the most respected and feared beings around. I haven't talked to him that much but I can tell that he is just like Tobio, he fights to protect what is dear to him and for what he deems worthy to protect. He came here for you tonight and I hope that you can become someone capable of paying back the favor. Even the strong need help and the alliance is proof of that."
Akeno goes silent. "Can I ever hope to become someone as strong as Dad?" Her eyes turn towards Issei. Her mind is filled with the many times in which her mom and herself were protected by him when the agents of the Himejima clan came for them. "You have been such a good friend to me and my family since the moment we set foot in Kuoh… I truly hope that I can repay all of your help one day with my two hands."
*Notes of the author: Extremely durable Suou punching bag on sale for the low price of $99.99. He can take a lot of damage but remember there's always a limit on how much he can take. See ya next time.*