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
Days before the mission.
"Now, slowly spin the apple while holding the knife," Ddraig said as he watched as Tosca tried to peel an apple with a small knife.
The young girl tried her best to be as delicate and not make any mistakes.
"You almost got it, Sweetheart," Tiamat said as she smiled at the sight of her daughter giving her all for such a simple task.
Little by little, the apple peel was coming off until, finally, Tosca achieved her intended goal. Tosca's eyes shined with pride as she held the jewel of her effort before her parents.
"See, I have a talent for cooking," Tosca claims as she shows her apple.
"Sure, you can totally open a restaurant now." Ddraig jokes as he looks at the previous failed apples that sat on a plate that rested on top of a small table near his bed. "Just continue to practice for a bit longer before you try to show off your talent to others."
"One day, you will be able to show off your cooking skills to a certain blonde boy who keeps practicing his skills with swords." Tiamat jokes as Tosca blushes at the obvious reference.
"Mom! Stop it. Is nothing like that." Tosca said as she turned her eyes away.
Tiamat laughs as she sees the reaction of her daughter.
"Tia, stop teasing her, or I might never get to eat the apple," Ddraig says as he enjoys the company of his family.
He was finally waking up regularly, although he still felt unconscious after moving too much. There were also many visitors daily, but that didn't detract from his weakened status. Even if he smiled and enjoyed the visits, he wanted to improve. Not being bound to the bed was his goal, but until then, he was glad to have these moments with his family, friends, and acquaintances.
"Right, Tosca, please give the apple here. Your father needs to eat something, or he will pass out from hunger." Tiamat said as she extended her hand to her daughter.
Tosca turns around in resignation since she knows that her mother is right about this. "Here, but let it be known that I did most of the work."
"Nobody will deny it." Tiamat grabs the apple, and with her tail, she grabs the plate with the other "failed" apples. Once she has all of them, With a quick movement of her claws, Tiamat cuts each apple into small cubes that she starts to give to Ddraig. "Open wide."
"Tia, I'm not a child." Ddraig jokes.
"No, but you're my dearest mate, and I want to feed you, so allow me this small wish. Please?" Tiamat pleads with a puppy face.
Ddraig smiles before he opens his mouth and allows Tiamat to feed him.
Tosca watches the small interaction with a sense of indescribable joy. "It should always be this peaceful. I wish for our days to be always like this. For a future in which we're all safe from danger."
"Come and sit with us, sweetheart. There's no need to stand around." Tiamat tells her as she invites her to come closer with a smile.
Tosca couldn't fight against that smile—the smile of her only maternal figure since her birth as a human and now as a dragon.
The peaceful days she had enjoyed alongside them were practically most of her happiest. Days that any child would pray to make last a lifetime.
But fate had other plans for them.
Plans that would put all of them on the path that led to conflict against enemies in all shapes and forms.
"War is never the right option, but sometimes one must fight to protect those one cares about." -Somebody once said.
Back to the present. Le Fay's POV.
The young magician watched Mount Fuji in the distance. Alongside her master, Yasaka, and many others, they were tasked with creating a barrier strong enough to contain whatever came out from the cursed land.
Her face was luckily hidden behind a mask, but she imagined what the news would say the following day.
"Alliance uses kids to fight supernatural monsters."
People could say whatever they wanted because she would never give them a minute of her day. None of them understood how much was at stake and how little a few newspapers or comments on the internet affected them when they had world-ending problems on a silver plate.
"Eyes on the target, Le Fay. We're detecting movement." Elaine said.
"Right." Le Fay watched as several space breaches appeared all around Mount Fuji before monsters and gigantic apparitions tried to make their way outside.
The gigantic arm of a skeleton tried to escape Mount Fuji, but the barrier kept it inside long enough for the chains of Tiamat to pull it back into the breach.
"Don't lose your focus, Le Fay. This is barely the beginning. We must keep the barrier for as long as possible." Elaine said as she held her staff and strengthened the barrier alongside all the other members of the alliance.
"I understand." Le Fay takes a deep breath and follows suit. "I have to do my best. If he could, he would have been here fighting alongside us. My dragon, are you as stressed as all of us right now?"
If only she knew how stressed Ddraig was as he had to stay put as Tosca and the others made their way into the beast's jaws.
At that same time, Tosca's POV.
The team continued to advance as a single unit through the forest. Instead of flying above the tree line, the group did it within the density of the woods. It was tricky, but the group made it work to avoid drawing any attention to their position.
Phantoms and monsters were on-demand as every tree they passed was like hiding at least one of the millions of accursed creatures of this land, from Akateko's to grotesque Jorogumo's and Onihitokuchis which were seeking to slay anything that attracted their attention.
If the initial fear didn't give a human a heart attack, the massive jaws or claws of any of these creatures would likely finish the job as they offered no mercy.
"Stop!" Athena screamed as she detected a new presence.
The entire team came to a halt as they waited for their leader's orders.
Not even a second went by before a large humanoid centipede beast appeared as it jumped from one tree to another. What could have led to a fierce battle was easily avoided as Yukime's power continued hiding their presence.
The monster stops a few meters away from them, and its horrendous eyes look around but cannot detect them.
"Lord, may your grace protect us from these monsters." Asia tried to remain calm as the monster's eyes looked around for its targets.
Other monsters approached the area, but neither could see, smell, or detect them in any shape.
Athena analyzes the situation and looks for a path forward. After a few moments, she sees a path forward and signals the rest of the team to follow her.
"Yukime, how long can thou keep the ability activated?" Athena asks as she dashes around the enemy forces while closely monitoring each team member.
"5 or 6 minutes at most. If I pushed even longer, I might be unable to move." Yukime replies.
"I see. Kids maintain the formation and remain together. The team shall advance as a single force. Nobody will stay behind. The goal is reaching the core; no funny business or heroic sacrifices will cut it. Understood?" Athena asks the children.
"Yes, team leader." The children reply as they advance while evading the monsters and apparitions that continue to appear around them.
"Old man, what should we expect at the core of this cursed land? I imagine it will not be just a walk through the park." Tosca asks her father while she focuses on the path ahead.
"... A fight against something old and dangerous. Think about the many monsters and apparitions that are surrounding each of you. Why do they take such shapes? It is all based on human regrets, fear, old memories, and attachments to the many lives that ended in Mount Fuji's immediate area. Expect a creature that can't be reasoned with." Ddraig explains as he thinks about what the group might find deep inside the inverted mount.
"We also need to trust our instincts when we get there. The core might try to hide behind illusions. Like a creature that feels threatened by a predator." Asia adds as she remembers her own experiences with her training alongside Gabriel.
"Like a creature? So, we need to see this core as a living creature?" Rias joins in.
"Is not a completely accurate definition, but it works. Just remember that this "thing" needs to be exorcised, or it will consume the humans of Japan and maybe the rest of the world if left alone." Michael said as he remained at the rearguard of the group.
"Don't get distracted. Soon, we're going to be surrounded by all these things." Liv says as she covers the left side of the formation.
"Right." Isaiah counted the seconds as their formation advanced through the dense forest.
Tense minutes went by as the team counted the seconds of their limited grace period as they were bound to be targeted by thousands, if not millions, of horrendous apparitions and monsters.
"10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1,0." Isaiah's senses went into full overdrive as he felt endless eyes watching him and everyone else from all directions.
"The time is up. Continue forward and don't break formation." Yukime alerted the group as the growling sounds of approaching enemies reached their eyes.
Asia barely looked back from the corner of her eye, just to see thousands of creatures rushing after them with a bloodlust she recognized from her training.
"They aren't human, nor creatures that will see reason, Asia. As an exorcist, you must close your heart to whatever trap they can place to make you drop your guard. Eliminate them, but be smart about your actions." The lessons of Gabriel repeated themselves within her mind as Asia pulled three small golden spheres and pulled the pins before throwing them toward the direction of the approaching enemy forces. "I'm using three Holy grenades. Don't turn around."
The young exorcist said as the small items impacted several of the monsters before they imploded into a blinding display of holy energy, which took many out while disorienting their senses.
"How many more do you have?" Rias asks as she looks forward instead of checking the site of the explosions.
"12. They won't be enough for the whole trip, and the grenades won't eliminate the stronger enemies. Is just a way of creating space between them and us." Asia explains. "I'll make sure not to use it around you, Kuroka, Vali, or Isaiah. It would be bad if any of you receive the impact of these."
"Thank you for your consideration," Isaiah adds as he imagines the damage he could receive from such an item.
The other devils in the group nod as they understand the possibility of getting injured by friendly fire.
Athena listens to the conversations between the children and nods approvingly about the sharp thinking of Asia.
"Enemies are coming in hot from our left side," Isaiah informs the teams as he senses a fast-approaching target.
"Good senses," Liv says as she lifts her shield and blocks a tall, pale woman who holds a rusted knife. The apparition repeatedly attacks the shield with its knife, but Liv doesn't allow any of her attacks to cut her.
Many other creatures were approaching from the same direction.
Its slithered mouth giggled as it began to ask Liv questions. "Am I beautiful? Do you want to be as beautiful as me? Let me help you with that mouth of yours."
Liv remains silent as she blocks the attacks and prevents the apparition from breaking into their formation.
Kuroka shakes its head as she lifts her left hand and shoots a small purple fireball, which blows the head of the pale woman. She then shoots down the other creatures before they can get close to the team. "This is a parade of myths. I hope Tia and the rest aren't having a hard time with
"They will be fine," Rias says as she extends the destructive aura that dwells inside her before it takes the shape of a sizeable spike-chained ball. A devilish atmosphere surrounds the chained ball floats around her as it awaits her orders. "This cursed land won't defeat Tiamat and the rest."
"Below us," Isaiah informs the group.
"Thanks. That one is mine. Chompy time to feast." Rias gives orders to the chained ball before the weapon opens its jaws as if it were a demonic beast before digging underground.
The group watches as several explosions take place below them, which surprise some group members. 'Chompy' is seen swallowing apparitions and growing in size as if it were a sand shark.
"When did you learn such an ability?" Vali asks Rias as she admires the destruction Rias's summon is causing.
"Nii-sama has been training me, and he taught me a valuable lesson about our power. Our power's nature involves destroying our opponent, but we can give it forms and shapes that suit our needs. As long as I can imagine it and control it, anything is possible." Rias explains as she pulls the chain and brings her summoned back to her.
The chainball decreases in size as it gets closer. It even burps as if it were some kind of beast.
"Someone's been playing PAC-MAN for far too long." Tosca thinks as she sees the small summon.
"Good job." Rias pets the small summon as if it were her pet.
Isaiah only smirked as he saw the potential that his "king" exuded. "One day, he will acknowledge you as his equal. I know you can get to that point."
Then suddenly, his senses alerted him to the incoming danger. "Incoming attack!" His hand moved as he unsheathed his sword before he parried one of many chained claws that had suddenly broken through their defenses.
The rest of the group dodges or is protected by Tosca, who activates several barriers blocking most attacks.
Isaiah's eyes glared at a group of ghostly samurai warriors on the floor below, who seemed to be trying to stop their advance. "7 enemies. Let's see if you like this." Isaiah summons a second sword, which is engulfed in red sparks. He then aims before he shoots it toward one of the ghostly enemies, which is an impressive strength that no human could match.
The sword is buried deep into the armor of one of the enemies before its red sparks grow in strength, and like a bomb that has run out of time, the sword explodes, sending destructive red lighting in all directions.
The enemies are left unable to continue after receiving the attack.
"So that was what you wanted to keep hidden from me. Why didn't you tell me your sacred gear could do that?" Tosca questions Isaiah as they continue to move forward.
Isaiah scratches his head. "Is still incomplete. Master said I should refine my swords and only use them as projectiles to close in the distance once I can master the different elements. It is not viable against strong opponents, and my swords are still too brittle to match real swords."
"But it is still cool. You basically can't run out of weapons to use in a fight. Just think about the possibilities!" Tosca exclaimed as she was very excited to see how much her friend had grown and how effective he was on an actual battlefield.
"Tosca, leave the cheering for later. We are still far from our target." Michael said.
"Sorry, sir." Tosca apologizes, although she is still beaming with excitement inside.
Athena and the remaining adults silently nod as they admire the diverse abilities of the new generation. It had only been less than an hour, and they had shown good reflexes while demonstrating their potential as future agents within the Alliance.
It was still the beginning of the mission, but the results they had obtained were to the adults' liking.
Hopefully, the mission would offer more chances for them to demonstrate that they had what it takes to join the adults as full agents in the future.
Meanwhile, Tiamat and the rest. General POV.
Her claws clashed against the massive chipped blade of her opponent. Its hollow eye sockets shinned with malicious intent as its goal, and all other aberrations born within this accursed land remained the same.
"Join us in this eternal misery. BECOME ONE WITH US."
The phantasms and apparitions saw no difference between devils, angels, or even gods as they sought to consume everything on their path.
Tiamat pushed back against the massive skeleton and its blade. She tackled her opponent into the ground before she used the chains that covered her arms to bind the skeleton—the giant struggled to escape the bindings.
Tiamat wastes no time as she holds onto the chains before spinning around; blue flames ignite along the length of the chains before spreading into her opponent's body.
Once her flames covered the skeleton entirely, she released the chains and let him fly away toward the direction of a large group of approaching enemies.
The area of the impact ignites in seconds until every enemy within its immediate surroundings is set ablaze by the all-consuming flames of Tiamat.
The screams of the "victims" are heard for miles, but nobody feels a drop of sympathy for the apparitions as mere moments after, more arise from the darkness to replace the fallen enemies.
"There's no end to these aberrations of nature. Are we sure that this land has only claimed human victims?" Thor asks as he lifts his hammer.
Large black clouds spread through the area before white electric discharges descend upon the battlefield to take even more enemies down.
"Most should be human, but there is a chance that a few Youkai could also fall victim to the curse. Those who are in the worst of mental states can be easily drawn to end their lives prematurely within this place." Shiva joins in as he charges a small dark blue sphere within his right palm.
The small sphere is then shot toward a different group of enemies before some kind of black hole sucks everything in before it consumes itself and implodes into an impressive explosion that reshapes a large area of the battlefield.
"My holy thunder!" Thrud, who's standing nearby, can barely hold her amazement as she sees the impressive display of the destructive power of the so-called strongest god.
"As to be expected from the all-powerful primordial god of destruction." Sekhmeth thought as she witnessed the display of her ally's power.
Similar attacks and displays of strength took place all around the battlefield as the members of the Alliance held nothing back against the army of apparitions. Slashes that cut large groups into pieces, beams of destructive energy that incinerated enemy forces into dust, and blunt attacks that could reshape large regions in seconds.
It was indeed an event to behold as the Alliances forces' true potential was displayed.
But even such displays of destructive powers were not enough to defeat and put an end to the enemy forces.
For every apparition taken down, another thousand arise with renewed strength. It was a fight against ever-respawning enemies, and it was just about to take a turn for the worst.
The ground began to shake as several gigantic flesh fingers arose from beneath the land.
"What in Lilith's name is that?" A devil asked.
"The beginning of a breakout. Stop the fingers and prevent any apparitions from climbing them. They are direct bridges to the real world." Shiva told his allies as he dashed at full speed to try to destroy one of the fingers.
As his fist met the gigantic structure, he noticed its thickness. Although a single punch had created millions of cracks along the finger, it could not bring it down with just a single attack.
"That wasn't enough? Then take this." His aura increases as several glowing tattoos cover his body. As he attacks the finger again, the damage is far more effective, as, after a few well-placed punches and kicks, the structure starts to crumble toward the ground within the cursed land.
"Move out and don't fall behind. Shiva won't do everything for us." Tiamat orders the troops as she flies towards another finger.
"Tiamat? Can you hear me?" A voice called out to her through the device attached to her "ear."
"Gabriel? I heard you loud and clear." Tiamat replies.
"What's happening over there? We have visuals of what appear to be bloody fingers popping out from within the red clouds." Gabriel informs.
"A breakout. The curse is trying to invade the other side. We're preventing these things from reaching the other side, but don't drop your guard. Some might escape our grasp. Keep humans away from dangerous zones." Tiamat says as she charges her flames while also concentrating them into a devastating attack before firing against the base of a finger.
Her flames cut right through the finger as clean as a knife cutting through butter. The intensity of the fire was nowhere near the level of Ddraig, but it was enough to raise the area's temperature by several degrees, proving that she wasn't the same dragon from before.
"One of the fingers has fallen. Be careful, and we'll take care of the rest out here." Gabriel says as she ends the call.
Tiamat grins as she puts her sights on the next target. "You can be here to support us, but we will continue to fight and make up for you, dear." Tiamat roars as she rushes after another finger."Don't let them get out!"
"Yes!" Several of her allies scream as they charge forward to prevent the curse from escaping.
It was a royal mess, but none was willing to back down and let the curse run wild within the human world.
Gabriel's POV.
The Seraph had to remain calm as she witnessed the massive structures poking out from the crimson clouds that kept expanding across Japan.
Her new eye remained covered under an eye patch that her siblings had prepared for her, as not everyone was used to seeing her with the eye of a dragon. She felt a bit angry at the reaction of her siblings, but Gabriel understood that there had to be some compromises until her siblings embraced entirely the changes that were bound to continue to happen.
Around her and her allies, the streets of Tokyo lay empty of humans as the evacuation efforts successfully mobilized all humans away from the immediate area of the crisis.
Few dared to argue against the orders of the Alliance, especially after sensing the impending doom right at their doorstep.
"Houses, buildings, all of that can be rebuilt, but lives can't be brought back from the death."
That was the answer that she offered a few news teams that approached her as they were departing for safety.
Humans needed to come to terms with many things, and one was that even if the supernatural was real, reviving the dead was not possible under normal circumstances. No amount of prayers to any deity within the Alliance was capable of bringing them back once they were gone, and in this situation, death was the least of their fears as the curse was going to trap their very souls if it got to them.
"Lady Gabriel? Can we really overcome this crisis?" A young exorcist asks her as he stands beside her alongside many others.
"..." Gabriel says nothing momentarily as she stares at the multiple fingers that disappear, only to be replaced by new ones in different parts of the ever-expanding crimson clouds. "Even in the face of a dire situation, none should lose hope." Gabriel raises her finger and points at the clouds. "Inside that accursed land is my young student, a child not older than you, but I can assure you that even if she is afraid, she won't back away. Stand proud as an exorcist young boy. We shall achieve victory."
Her golem appears behind her as it detects incoming enemies. Hundreds of phantasms appear as they use one of the fingers to invade the human world.
"We shall overcome this and any other challenge together. Stand proud as members of the Alliance. If a young human girl can depart into an accursed land, why should any of you experienced exorcists protect a nation from danger." Gabriel smiled proudly as she summoned two light chakrams and flew to engage the incoming enemies.
Seeing her fly toward the incoming apparitions with an unmatched determination ignited the brave fires within each of them.
The Welsh Dragon might not be present, but others were there to pick up the pieces and guide them to victory.
Together as a unit, they engaged the enemy forces while following the seraphs and other prominent members present.
That night, no cowardice would be allowed as victory was within their grasp, although the enemy they faced was formidable and restless.
It was a night for humans to record within their minds as they witnessed the determination of the few who proudly fought to protect the future of others, not for money or glory but for the sake of the greater good.
Back to Asia and the others.
As their path brought them closer to the core of the curse, their bodies felt an indescribable sense of fear as the miasma and apparitions grew in strength, although their numbers decreased.
As the forest gave up to give way into the rising mountain, the path became far more dangerous as they got closer to their goal.
Asia prepared several of her holy grenades for the foes that still chased after them, but before she was able to use them, Athena's voice stopped her.
"Save thy strength, children of the Alliance. The core is close, and thy true test will be within the beast's jaws. Allow mine soldiers to give us a path forward." As Athena said this, several purple soldiers arose and blocked any phantasm from getting any closer to them.
Asia gulped as she understood the words of the goddess. As she held her rifle, her memories of the haunted hospital returned. The fear that she had to endure lacked words to describe, yet she endured it because this was the path she wished to follow.
Not the path that others chose for her but the one that she wished to pursue alongside her "family."
She was no dragon. No devil. No angel. She could only heal, but the tools she had gained and her training were helping to make up for her lack of a supernatural body.
"Ddraig, I promise I won't fail. I will fight tooth and nail like everybody else. I will eliminate this curse and return home with everybody else." Asia told herself as she pushed forward toward the point of no return.
Although unknown to any of them, a few surprises awaited them within the jaws of this beast.