It had been one and a half days since Aizen and Amelia met with Renner, along with having an extensive conversation with Gaius so as to convince the elder that there were good reasons to move anything of worth out of the capital. It wasn't easy, but they managed to convince him, and with the aid of the Espada and numerous duplicates, they moved everything to a safer area outside of the capital.
Late into the evening when this process came to an end, Aizen, Amelia, and Gaius were going through a few remaining details, when an audible and collective gasp, and general sounds of shock and fear spread throughout the manor. Acting quickly, the trio made their way to the source of these sounds. There, one could get a clear view of the economic district in the manor. Upon their arrival, they saw a massive wall of fire between them and the district.
"It seems like it has begun. Whatever 'it' is." Amelia plainly pointed out, as Aizen looked over the crowd of servants, and through the window at the flames.
"It would seem so. Still, it is curious that these flames are illusions." Aizen sagely informed.
"Illusions? Well, whatever the case, it should keep people away from that area for some time. But it shouldn't take too long for people to find out that they're harmless." She thoughtfully remarked as she cupped her chin in her left hand.
"Meaning that whatever is happening will either be fast in execution, or will need time to execute into its initial stages." He stoically added, just as Cthalpi emerged from the crowd.
"I'm familiar with those flames." She informed them in a low tone.
"So, it might be them?" Amelia asked with focused eyes and tone.
"Indeed. Those are the [Flames of Gehenna]. It surrounds a given area with illusionary flames like a girdle, all the while making it so any demon inside benefits with improved attributes." Cthalpi informatively replied.
"We had already concluded they were illusions. Though the fact the spell benefits demons is troubling." Aizen remarked.
"Then, a demonic attack on the district? Well, now. It's a bold move, but that might be their angle." Amelia suggested.
"Bold, yet antagonistic. But no matter. We need to discuss what we will do about it." Aizen added, as he looked through the crowd of servants.
"The Espada and Fracción are here. This could work perfectly to boost our influence, if we were to help against a demon incursion." Amelia quickly said in a cunning tone and smirk.
"Indeed..." Aizen replied, just as Gaius emerged from the crowd.
"Is this what you feared would happen?" He gruffly asked, looking at Amelia.
"Hardly. We feared that something might happen, but never did we expect flames like those, or whatever might have caused them. Still, there is no reason to be too concerned. The flames have not reached here, and we have the guards and the Espada." She confidently replied.
"Still, we would suggest evacuating the manor, and moving on to a safer location." Aizen added as he pushed up his glasses, getting the attention of Gaius.
"And you say this based on, what?"
"The size of the flames. I believe that, much like Amelia said, their size is considerable. Meaning that they were cast by a very powerful magic-caster or item, using an equally powerful spell. While nothing else seems to have happened, at least for the time being, that doesn't mean we are totally free from danger." Aizen calmly replied, causing Gaius to fall silent as he pondered on the situation.
"It's true, sir. [Flames of Gehenna] is a t... very powerful spell. Only the most dangerous and evil magic-casters would use it. Especially when it's related to demons." Cthalpi earnestly added.
"..."
Utter silence fell on the area. Even if people were talking amongst each other, it would seem Cthalpi spoke loud enough for the word "demons" to catch the attention of all those present. Gaius was taken completely aback. Perhaps not as much as one would expect if they weren't familiar with the man.
For some time he was unsure as to what purpose this "Cthalpi" served, since he had seen her do little else than talking with others and overseeing some things. Still, he could see now that, beyond her looks, was some actual knowledge and experience behind those enchanting orange eyes. The way she spoke and her posture told him that much.
Demons? What a troubling turn of events, though it was amusing in a certain way. Gaius looked around at his servants, his house, and his daughter. It would seem they had reached a very important moment in their existence. A moment that even he, with all the power he amassed over the years, was not fit to handle. After all, even children knew the tales of the Demon God and its Evil Deities that wreaked havoc upon the lands, wiping entire countries from existence.
Still, demons or not, he was the master of this house, and even if he was old and weak, it was still his responsibility to set the tone for the situation, and he was not about to make himself look weak. Even in the face of such terrible circumstances. Not to mention a carefully hidden, albeit begrudging respect and appreciation for his daughter's "hobby" slowly arose within him.
"You said evacuation? Was that it, Aizen?" He firmly, yet calmly asked.
"Indeed. I would suggest the same safe-house we moved everything else too."
"Only that far? What will we do when the demons spill out of the capital?" Gaius countered with a narrowed gaze.
"We don't have any evidence to indicate that is what would happen. For all we know, they may be limited to that area. That's why Aizen and I will stay behind to oversee things as the Espada attempt to make something out of our current situation."
"No, you will not stay here! And how do you expect us to get to the safe-house so quickly?"
"Annika can use the 5th-tier [Mass Teleportation] spell..." Amelia informed, motioning to the Espada who right away got all of the attention of those in the room.
"...And as one of those in charge of the Espada, I will be staying here father. It is my role and my responsibility to do so." She added, causing Gaius to raise an eyebrow at her.
"You are my daughter, and you..." Gaius tried to argue, but Amelia spoke over him.
"Father, this is not the time. Please, calm down and think about it."
"..."
"It is true. And to get everyone there will still take some effort on my part." Annika calmly informed while approaching them.
"And as we waste time debating the matter, the Espada could be on their way to examine the flames and the presence of demons." Amelia firmly added with a determined expression.
"..."
Gaius went to speak, but fell silent as his eyes went to Aizen before returning to Amelia.
"Very well. I shall consent to your plan. Now, where shall we cast this [Mass Teleportation] spell?" He asked in carefully veiled reticence.
"Outside. I'll need a large, open space." Annika informed.
"Then lead the way. Everyone, follow her." Gaius commanded.
As the crowd began to leave, being guided in an orderly manner by Guard-Captain Swim and his fellow guards, Amelia, Aizen, and Cthalpi watched on as Jillur, Clementine, Khajiit, Rylen, Jaecar, and Elsa now waited for their superiors' commands. Aizen the spoke in calm, yet commanding tones as Amelia briefly held the left side of her head, as if in discomfort.
"All of you will spread out across the area covered by the flames. I want to know how much of the district is actually inside, and if there are any demons emerging from it. If you do see any demons, attack only if they are hostile. Until then, wait until the rest of the capital goes into action."
'"As you wish."' All of them said in unison, taking a bow as they moved to leave.
"Wait... Rylen come here." Amelia instructed, which he obeyed as he stayed behind.
"Yes?"
"I need you to go inside of the flames, to the house of Countess Ada Stone Victoria." She replied, gaining the attention of Aizen.
"I thought we would wait until we knew what was going on." He pointed out with a perked brow.
"Not in her case. Aizen, I want to make sure she is safe." Amelia declared with a firmness and seriousness to her tone that Aizen had not seen in some time.
"Very well. Do as she says, Rylen. However, make sure that you hide your identity, and the fact you are an Espada. Just in case." Aizen instructed.
"Am I to expect some powerful opposition?" Rylen asked in curiosity.
"We cannot be sure."
"I'll take that as a 'yes'. Then before I leave, I'll need to make some preparations." He informed with a nod.
"Make them quick." Amelia affirmed in a commanding manner.
Sometime before this, almost as soon as the [Flames of Gehenna] spell was activated, Ada and her husband were having a late evening dinner when they saw the flames appear in the horizon beyond the trees of their garden. The dining room was a rectangular-shaped area, with a large window that led to the garden, two doors on each end of the opposite wall, and to the right of the window were double-doors leading to the Count's office. Two sets of armor were on each side, with one holding a sword, and the other a spear.
The floor was covered by a maroon-colored carpet, with a dining-table that could fit up to twelve people, with a large chandelier upon the ceiling. Between the two entrances was a large, finely crafted cabinet with shelves and drawers with cutlery, cups, and the like. Ada and her husband were the only two people sitting at the table. The Count was at the edge of the table near the office, with Ada to his left, while two of his bodyguards stood behind him.
Their attention had gone to the flames when Ada's heightened senses picked up on something happening in the rest of the house, she could make up fighting, cries of pain and inhuman cries, her eyes went to the flames, something was happening.
"I believe we should leave the manor." Ada announced, getting the attention of the Count.
"You say this based on what?" The Count pointedly asked.
"I..."
Ada tried to speak when the door closest to them burst open as one of their guards burst in the room. Panting heavily, his burnt left arm hung from his side, and the now open door allowed for more sounds of battle to be clearly heard within the building.
"We are being attacked by demons, my lord!" The guard frantically announced as he collapsed.
"...We are leaving. The three of you will accompany me" The Count promptly said as he rose from his seat.
"I'll stay. If the enemy truly are demons, then the guards won't hold them back for long." Ada said as she also got to her feet, just as one of the bodyguards opened the door to the office.
"We do need some time to escape via the tunnel..." The Count remarked, motioning one of his bodyguards to close the doors.
"...Very well. But you will come back to me. Do you understand!?" He added in a commanding tone that carefully concealed his worry.
"Of course." She said with an elegant bow.
"Then... let us leave."
With that the Count and both bodyguards hurriedly went into the office, with the doors closing behind. The sounds of something being placed to barricade it could clearly be heard as Ada, now alone, quickly went to work. With seemingly little effort, she flipped the table on its side as she closed the curtains of the window.
Kicking both armors aside, she took the sword, and broke the spear so she could use the sharp end as a sort of dagger. From the armors themselves she took a chest plate and gauntlets to put over her dress, as she tore the side of said dress to increase her mobility and tied her hair into a ponytail. Ada wished that she had better equipment to work with, but the two magical rings given by the Count were all she had of her own panoply. Given the dire situation, it was not ideal, but she could only make do with whatever was at hand.
Feeling something thrown onto the door, Ada retreated to behind the table, silently invoking her [Conceal Presence] ability to evade detection of whatever was about to enter the room. Suddenly both entrances burst open as a sizable group of Gazer Devils and Hellhounds entered, with one of the hounds still chewing on the head of the poor guard that managed to survive that long.
Willing her [Hunter's Knowledge] art, Ada scanned the building for enemies, and from what she could tell there were over twenty of them. All concentrated in the opened doors, with was nothing else alive in the area. As she was planning her next move, she felt something break the moonlight that escaped through curtains. While she wasn't certain of what caused it, Ada safely assumed it wasn't friendly.
Taking a deep breath, she silently prayed to Cthalpi, and went on the offensive as she leapt over the table and threw herself at the first thing in her way. The thin and almost weak looking form of a Gazer Devil met her as she rammed her "dagger" through its neck. The demon let out a gurgled cry as it fell back, but before Ada could follow it up her right arm was seized by the maw of a Hellhound.
Luckily it grabbed onto the gauntlet, but she could feel the heat in its mouth. Her improvised gear probably wouldn't last very long, so pulling the tip of the spear away from the Gazer Devil, she spun it in her hand to position it in a reverse grip that allowed her to stab it in the hound's eye.
The demon released her in an infernal cry, leaving it open for Ada to bring about her sword in a horizontal slash that sliced through the hound's head, killing it. Just as this happened the windows broke inward, with three extra Gazer Devils flying through it and straight at Ada, who was quick to react with a [Martial Art].
"[Hunter's Evasion]."
The art increased her speed, allowing her to more easily dodge the incoming demons as she jumped over them, her now free left hand touching the ceiling as she did. Although, this art also reduced her offensive capabilities, which was why Ada allowed it's effects to fully expire before managing to do a partial spin in mid-air, placing her feet on the ceiling before pushing herself back towards the demonic crowd.
"[Four-Fold Slash of Light]!"
The four slashes of red light sliced through four of the Gazer Devils, just as Ada landed on the carpeted floor. Taking a deep breath, she prepared to continue the battle, but as the remains of the four demons were in the process of falling to the floor and dispersing into nothing, a Gazer Devil pair flew through them, successfully tackling Ada.
The countess was sent flying onto the wall opposite the entrances below the broken window as the demons still on top of her tried to pin her down with their claws. The Countess knew that this was too early in to allow herself to be overwhelmed. Especially with over a dozen other demons beginning to approach.
Gritting her teeth, Ada kicked one demon off, and allowed the other to get close for an attempt at biting her, allowing her to headbutt it with enough force to briefly throw off the fiend. She then grabbed a piece of glass with her left hand and rammed it into the side of its head. Ada followed this with a devastating, bone-crushing cross that incapacitated it. She quickly grabbed its body, using it as a shield as flame-breath from four hellhounds were unleashed upon her.
Pushing through the flames, Ada threw the now burning body at her enemies, jumping to her right whilst using the remaining pieces of the table and flames to hide. Taking her sword in both hands, she swiftly maneuvered around the table, taking her enemies out as she once again called upon [Four-Fold Slash of Light], cutting through a Gazer Devil and three Hellhounds.
However, this left her open to a bite attack on the right leg by a Hellhound. The creature did its best to burn the area it was biting, before Ada sliced through its neck, killing it. Letting out a pain filled hiss, she briefly looked down at her leg, it was bleeding, along with burnt flesh. The smell fully got her the attention of all the remaining demons.
"[Hunter's Reflex], [Hunter's Greater Evasion], [Blessings of Cthalpi: Regeneration]!"
The name of the final art came from her tattoo [Blessings of Cthalpi], which was present in all of the women of her island. It allowed free passage through the island's barrier created by Cthalpi, protected them from most mind affecting spells, and allowed them access to certain abilities. The one she activated was a continual 2nd-tier healing spell that lasted for about 60-seconds, but she could use it only three times a day, with a 10-minute wait between each use.
Having called upon these three, Ada just threw herself at the crowd of enemies, slashing and stabbing at everything that got near her in a bloody flurry. while using her enhanced speed to avoid most of the oncoming attacks, and the healing spell taking care of whatever minor injuries she took. Even in the middle of all this chaos, Ada counted down the seconds remaining for her healing spell as she focused on killing the demons before her, and ignored the pain and damage caused to her armor and dress.
In less than 60-seconds, Ada had killed ten demons, just as four Hellhounds spewed fire on her, hitting her full-force on the back and forcing the Countess to throw herself behind one of the remaining pieces of the table. With her spell coming to an end, Ada ripped off the damaged chest-plate, along with the further damaged right-gauntlet. Her back was exposed, and some cuts covered her, but damage-wise she was fine. However, invoking several arts in succession and the general effort put into slaying so many demons was starting to catch up with her.
With five demons remaining Ada felt confident she could take them, but since four of them could use those flames, she was less sure it could be done easily. Ada was forced back from her thoughts as a hound snapped at her legs. She quickly pulled away, rolling away from it before ramming her blade through its neck and the table. Gritting her teeth, she pulled the blade out and once again jumped over it, coming face-to-face with the three remaining hounds as they prepared to open fire.
Ada threw her sword at one in the middle, hitting its head dead-center, just as the other two unleashed their flames upon her. This ensured she couldn't retrieve her sword, but didn't stop her from rushing the remaining Gazer Devil. She wrapped her arms around it in a lock, and used the demon as a shield. One of the hounds leapt at them, prompting Ada to quickly kick her "shield" at it, resulting in the hound wrapping its jaws around the Gazer Devil's head.
Focusing on the other hound Ada charged, allowing the demon to try preparing its flames as the Countess moved to its side. Allowing it to almost spew fire at her, Ada then brought her foot down on its head with full-force. The creature's jaws forcibly closed shut on the floor, now unable to control its own flames as it imploded in its mouth, engulfing it in its own flames as Ada barely avoided getting burned as well.
Now there was only her and one hound that killed the Gazer Devil in its primal savagery. Right away the creature tried to bathe her in flames, with Ada dodging to its side with expert timing and celerity as she retrieved and rammed her sword into it in three simple moves. The demon cried out in pain with an ear splitting shriek, leaving it open for Ada to grab the fallen tip of the spear and ram it into the hound's head, killing it instantly.
"..."
For a moment there was silence as Ada scanned the area for any more enemies. Then, as she breathed a sigh of relief, she invoked another ability...
"[Blessings of Cthalpi: Rejuvenation]."
This tattoo ability activated a continual 2nd-tier spell which negates fatigue and exhaustion, restoring the stamina of the user for 60-seconds, but with the same restrictions as the previous spell. She did this now, just in case something else showed up before she could leave. Picking up her sword, Ada straightened her posture, took a deep breath, and prepared for whatever else might come next as she turned to leave.
Then suddenly, she was met by a female figure as her gaze fell upon the window. Standing on the ledge, she saw the woman was wearing a white dress, a matching hat with frills, an ornate mask, and possessed long blonde hair and crimson eyes. She was shorter and slimmer than her, but Ada could tell this wasn't just another demon.
"Ara~! So, you're the one that's been killing our demons.~" The newcomer amusingly remarked, looking over the Countess.
"[Survival Sense]. [Prey's Weakness]." Ada mumbled, doing this to determine how much trouble this foe would be.
The disguised Shalltear simply grinned from under her mask, as she could just feel the woman's heart skipping a beat. While she wasn't sure what the skills she called upon did, from the name she was certain that they gave the user the ability to assess their opponent's strength in some way. Whatever the woman planned had just been ripped asunder by whatever she just learned.
"Don't you worry.~ You look quite appealing, so I promise I won't hurt you too bad before I take you back with me.~" Shalltear informed with a salacious timbre, starting to approach Ada with a slow, predatory cadence in her steps.
She wasn't lying. The strange firmness and fitness in her prey's older looking body, garnered some interest from Shalltear. She wanted to explore that body, to see how firm it actually was, and to see how much it could take before it bended and broke under her, before then drowning it in pleasure.
Ada was terrified as she stood in front of an opponent whose chances of her defeating were nonexistent, and nothing short of a miracle could see her win. However, she knew that there was a chance the Count still needed some time to get to a safe distance. That, along with the fact it was nigh impossible for her to escape from this being, resigned her to her fate. Taking a stance, she steeled herself, placing all her senses on Shalltear and called upon more power.
"[Blessings of Cthalpi: Erase Pain]. [Blessings of Cthalpi: Greater Strength]. [Hunter's Evasion]. [Hunter's Greater Evasion]."
The Countess then charged straight at Shalltear, bringing her sword down on her for one mighty blow. The vampire reacted to by simply placing her right hand in the way, and having somewhat expected this, Ada placed all her power into moving the blade to the side at the last possible second.
"[Four-Fold Slash of Light]!"
"Oh?"
Shalltear let out a low and weak sound of surprise as the blade approached her seemingly unguarded right side. All four slashes thunderously struck, echoing throughout the halls of the manor, but did absolutely no damage to her.
"Teeheehee... That tickled.~" Shalltear playfully said in a chuckle, lazily bringing her hand down on Ada.
The Countess kept her blade on Shalltear as she swiped it upwards towards the moving arm, and meeting it with her [Invulnerable Fortress] art. This simply resulted in Shalltear's arm bouncing off slightly upwards as Ada felt the recoil rock her arms. The vampire took a step to the side as she curiously looked at her arm, and then back to Ada.
"I could keep you around to massage me. You're doing quite good.~" Shalltear remarked in a tone that made one think she was licking her lips.
Suddenly her arm moved as if in a blur, moving under the sword and slicing through Ada's dress with her nails in a clear effort to expose more of the Countess' skin. Astonishingly failing to expose her breasts, due to the placement of her prey's arms and a last-minute dodge backward.
"Oh... You have good skin...~" She lustfully added, hitting Ada's chest with her open palm, and sending her flying onto the ground, knocking the wind out of her.
"...Still, let's add some color to it.~"
Extending her claws, Shalltear started to approach Ada, ready to rip through her prey's dress. She would expose and humiliate her to the world. To have some fun with her in a way to work out some of her pent-up frustrations, brought about by the limited role Demiurge gave her in this mission, due to her previous failures.
Letting out a painful cough, Ada forced herself on all fours. Doing her best to keep her eyes on the approaching attacker, she staggered back to her feet and took her stance as mulled on what she could do. It was clear that this being, a possible vampire from what she could tell, wanted to torture her in some way. A fate worse than death to be sure, but whatever the case may be, Ada didn't want to simply give up without a fight.
"[Blessings of Cthalpi: Guardian Spirit's Release]!"
Ada's invoked art released all the power contained in her tattoo, as the depiction of Cthalpi unfolded from its praying position to expand and engulf the Countess' body, covering her in a black and somewhat slimy coating as the sclera of her eyes also became an ink-black color. This release gave her a 30-minute boost to all of her attributes, resulting in a boost of 4 levels.
However, this meant that after the time expired, she would be completely spent, and unable to call upon any of the powers of the tattoo for a full day. Though Ada knew that she most likely wouldn't have any other chances to use it again.
"Oh, ho~! How interesting! Come on then. Give me all you got.~" Shalltear coquettishly declared as Ada charged at her.
Letting out a war cry, Ada lunged forward bringing her blade down on Shalltear, who simply raised her right hand to block with no visible effort. Not wanting to let Ada's hope fade too quickly, Shalltear allowed her arm to be pushed back slightly, since it seemed her prey was going all out. Even noticing the odd jump in her strength.
"[Slash of Light]!" Ada cried out, swiping her blade to the right to slash Shalltear, just for the vampire to block it with her back-hand.
"Not that again." Shalltear lazily pointed out, using her right hand to claw through Ada's dress to fully undress her, with only the black substance now covering her.
"[Slash of Light]!"
The Countess executed the same art, swiping her blade upward, with Shalltear daintily blocking it with the back of her hand. Taking a step back, Ada unleashed an assault on Shalltear with all she had, calling upon [Slash of Light] with almost every strike, leading to an exchange of what seemed to be innumerable clashes between her blade and Shalltear's hand.
Ada honestly could not pin-point how long it was since she started. It felt like an eternity as she executed a series of light slashes in a chain-combination meant to push her opponent into a state where the monotony of the blow exchange would allow her take charge, and change strategies to something she could hopefully use.
That was why she opted with only using [Slash of Light]. While her current state could allow her to do much more, Ada wanted to use as little power as possible in this, so that when that opening, that moment, became clear, she could attack with her strongest blow. As she neared the end of her assault, her blade began to crack, while at the same time, Shalltear retracted her arm, motioning it in a clear attempt to ram her claws through her prey.
"[Four-Fold Slash of Light]!"
Ada brought her blade down with a powerful and definitive swing that stopped once her blade hit the floor, finally braking apart. However, a few pieces belonging to Shalltear's nails from her index and middle fingers also fell. Ada let out an exhausted sigh at this. Even with the spells currently boosting her, her body felt like jelly after executing those continuous attacks. Looking up, she was greeted by a curious head-tilt as Shalltear looked at her hand.
"Ara~! You do good massages and nail work. Now I'm certain I'll be keeping you.~" Shalltear purred, slapping Ada across the face and sending her onto the ground.
The Countess fell onto her side with a loud thud, having no time to get back up as she felt a kick to her gut that sent her onto the office doors. They managed to hold as Ada collapsed onto the floor in front of them. The impact seemingly drained the last vestiges of her strength, as the substance covering her began to retract back into the form of a tattoo. Shalltear was finally looking upon the bare form of her prey, and how it pleased her so as she licked her lips, now imaging the things she would do to the fit, older woman's body...
"I see I arrived just in time." A distorted male voice said from the window.
Shalltear nonchalantly turned to look at the new arrival when a fist made contact with her face, sending her flying through the wall between both entrances and several others after that. With her gone, Ada looked upon her savior. He was a man of considerable build, wearing a black-colored light armor set with heavier gauntlets, shoulder pads, armored boots, and his face hidden by a skull-shaped helmet that covered everything but his eyes, which seemed to glow in a crimson hue.
He was briefly enveloped by a dark aura which faded as his attention went to her, and her eyes focused on the large staff he held in his hand. It seemed to be made out of some unknown, dark-blue crystal-like material, with runes and dragon shapes etched into it. The weapon simply emanated a certain kind of purity, like that of a holy weapon.
"Take this and leave." He promptly said, still with a deep-toned, distorted voice, and presenting her with a small bag.
"Thank you." Ada gratefully replied, taking the bag and leaving through the window with all her might.
"That belonged to me." Shalltear informed with an irritated tone, emerging from the hole in the wall as she fixed her hair.
"Not anymore." Rylen curtly remarked, fully placing himself in her way.
"Oh? And who are you to decide that~?" Shalltear hissed with clear annoyance in her voice.
Not only was this new presence unwanted, but his mask, voice, and presence reminded her so much of Ainz-sama in a way, and it only served to make her want to tear him apart even more. It was because something like that felt like an afront to the Supreme Being, while another small part of her still wanted to release her frustrations over her reduced role in this assignment.
"Keh! No matter. I can get her later... Now, entertain me.~"
Shalltear lunged at the man, easily closing the distance between them as her right hand went for his eyes, which Rylen easily stopped by wrapping his hand around hers. For a moment it was as if time stopped, their eyes meeting for a brief moment, before her pinky-finger gave way under his grip.
"Bast…" Shalltear tried to curse, just for Rylen to headbutt her into silence.
That was followed by him striking her gut with one of the edges of his staff, causing her to bend forwards, followed by him spinning his staff upwards onto her chin, with Rylen ending the sequence with a straight kick to her chest. This sent Shalltear onto the ground a few feet in front of him. Slowly getting back up from the assault, she was more stunned than hurt.
This was surprising. While the punch and her senses had picked up on him being of a superior level to anyone she had seen in this world, and even more than a few in Nazarick, she decided to act on her impulses to gouge out his eyes, and risk the possibility that he was just making himself feel stronger than he was. It would seem she was wrong, and he did indeed have some true power behind him. It was refreshing really. Even exciting. The fact that his presence felt so much like a fellow undead, helped to further increase the appeal of this... diversion.
"An ant got me on my back... That's... not a bad way to start this.~" Shalltear cooed, jumping back to her feet.
"[Force Explosion]." She chanted her spell's invocation, motioning to Rylen with her left hand.
An invisible force hit Rylen head-on, causing the Espada to stumble backwards and into the wall behind him. Taking advantage of this, Shalltear closed the distance between them, hitting Rylen in the chest with her right palm. He retaliated by swinging at her with his staff, to which she deftly avoided by jumping over him, landing a kick on his chin as she did.
"You should feel honored by this.~" Shalltear playfully said as she landed on top of the window ledge, with his head now between her feet, giving him a clear view of what was between them.
"[Smash]."
Calling upon an art that resulted in a single, shattering, blunt force attack. The disguised Espada twisted around, devastating that section of the wall with his staff, just for Shalltear to leap over it, daintily landing on his head, and then back onto the floor behind him. She was playing around with him a bit, wanting to see how he reacted to things, and had not failed to notice how well he was doing to keep up with her. He actually might be a better plaything than that woman.
"[Pace of the Wind]."
Not having much time to react to his words, Shalltear quickly turned around, but when she did he wasn't there. Instead, Rylen was right behind her, striking her across the back with his staff. This caused her to arch backwards, with her eyes once again falling on him. This just in time to place her hands in front of her face as left fist came rushing down on her. While she still was driven into the floor, she managed to block the punch, keeping the damage to a minimum.
"You really like me on my back don't you~?" She purred, releasing his fist and rolling out of his way.
"You talk too much." Rylen stoically remarked, thrusting his staff towards her.
Throwing herself back, Shalltear avoided the blow. It irked her that his weapon was emanating so much holy energy. Possibly enough to actually harm her. She did not recognize it, but she realized that it, much like its wielder, was higher leveled than was normal in this world. She to be careful of taking too many hits from it, and had to be even more careful with any contact it might have with her skin. Meaning she couldn't just outright grab it. How irksome he was.
"Why don't you shut me up~?"
Right away Rylen went on the offensive with a blinding quick flurry of blows. Shalltear managed to either dodge or block them, until he added some spins and wider motions with his staff. This forced her to duck and leap away, and it was during one of her vertical jumps that he caught finally her.
"[Full Throttle]."
Rylen was propelled towards her like a projectile, taking the mid-air Shalltear by surprise as his left hand went around her throat, forcing her onto the floor below them, firmly pinning her down.
"Keh-heh-heh... H-Harder.~" She hissed with a laugh.
"[Focus Battle Aura]."
Rylen said his art's invocation in an almost mechanical tone as he struck her masked face with one of the ends of his staff, which now shined brightly in a mix of silver and crimson light. He brought it down on her face several times, until her mask started to give under his blows.
That was when Shalltear finally reacted, wrapping her left hand around the staff and placing her right on his hand. While she could feel her hand ache and burn as she touched his staff, she had to act quickly to stop him. The operation could not allow her face to be seen, and much to her shock, from what she could tell right now, he had an advantage in terms of raw physical power.
"Look at that... You got me to touch your shaft.~ You could have just asked. There was no need to hit me in the face with it.~ But enough of the foreplay... [Impure Shockwave Shield].~" Shalltear announced with both a mischievous and aggressive tone.
A reddish-black wave of force erupted from her body, quickly overwhelming Rylen as it filled the room, and explosively broke through and took out a large portion of the manor. It made for a rather luminous spectacle before it died down, leaving behind a dust cloud, several pieces of debris, and a crater in their immediate area. Luckily for the Count, not only was he outside of the area affected by [Flames of Gehenna], but the resulting debris and impact collapsed the tunnel, hiding its existence.
Shalltear stood in the center of the crater, her attention on her left hand where his staff left a burn mark that wasn't exactly going away. Letting out a low growl at this damage to her person, Shalltear turned to her prey. The disguised Rylen lay a few feet from her, surrounded by pieces of debris, with his staff was out of his immediate reach, and his armor suffering a few burns, scratches, and minimal cracks.
"That seems to have showed you your place, ant. Of course, you couldn't have possibly expected to overwhelm someone like me for that long a time." Shalltear remarked in a superior and haughty tone while approaching him.
"..."
The man said nothing, causing her to grit her teeth. She wanted him to speak. She wanted to see him lose faith in his abilities. To lose his hope of leaving this place alive. Lowering herself, she placed her hand around his neck and pulled him up, so he was once again looking at her.
"Few are those that can strike me like you have and live..." Shalltear remarked, slapping him across the face with her left hand.
"...But you have provided me with some amusement in the middle of this insignificant place..." She added, hitting him in the stomach.
"...So I will give you the further honor of giving me your name. Especially when it seems that blast ended you."
"Hmph... You... first..." Rylen said, seemingly spent, causing Shalltear to touch her mask with her left hand.
"Is that what you were doing? You were trying to damage my mask to see my face? And here I thought you simply lacked manners.~" Shalltear chuckled, slapping him across his own masked visage.
"Hardly the case. I just thought the best way to deal with a vampire, would be to remove its head." Rylen nonchalantly replied, trying to punch her with his right hand, which she blocked, holding onto his fist and squeezed.
"Lack of manners it is." She concluded, trying to crush his fist, but surprised that she couldn't as he tensed his hand.
"Hmm... But I don't mind it.~ If you decide to give up now, I might take you with me. Then you can see everything you want of me.~ What do you think?" Shalltear asked, pushing his right arm aside.
"I can see you very well, vampire. And I see a waste of speed, agility, raw power, and magic. I see an amateur trying and failing to be something she is not. It sickens me."
"And I see you are not surrendering. Shame." Shalltear said in an icy tone, just as he tried a right-hand cross, which she blocked again.
"Don't waste my time, ant. I know how your [Martial Arts] work. You need a weapon for it to work. Without a weapon, you're just an annoyance." She spat back, pulling him close to give him a headbutt in repayment for his.
"That is the case with most, but... [Ability Boost]. [Greater Ability Boost]. [Strong Assault]."
Shalltear rolled her eyes at his pathetic efforts to bluff himself. However, before she could even finish, his right fist pushed through her hold, escaping her hand as he struck her masked face, sending Shalltear flying into the ground, and several pieces of her mask and her hat flying along with her.
"H-How!?" Shalltear hissed in confusion, her hand going to her mask.
"That is the price of underestimating your opponent, and wasting your own potential." Rylen replied in an admonishing tone, then picking up his staff.
Rylen has lived a long time, and during that time he focused on viewing his body as a weapon. As a tool to be used by him, and through that thinking he transitioned to where he could use [Martial Arts] without having a weapon in hand. His body was more than capable to fulfill that role, and something that very few in the world had managed to achieve without becoming a dedicated hand-to-hand specialist like a [Monk]. In situations like this, it gave him an edge against adversaries who believed that he would be handicapped without a weapon.
"Who do you think you are to say that to me!? Do you even know who I am you miserable maggot!? I'm..."
Shalltear quickly silenced herself before she gave away any information. Her hand went to her mask, now noticing that a portion of the left side of her mask was gone, exposing her eye and a small portion of her face and mouth. She had to keep her face hidden. While it wasn't enough for him to make it out, it was still a step towards that. As things were, she wasn't sure she was able to stop him from doing more damage before seeing her face.
"I am your better. Weaker overall yes, but much more skilled." Rylen replied matter-of-factly.
"Enough! I don't care how much you feel like an undead! You're suffering for that! [Vermilion Nova]!" Shalltear cried out, causing a pillar of fire to descend onto Rylen.
"[Enhanced Magic Resistance]! [Invulnerable Fortress]!"
Using the first art to enhance his resistance to magically produced fire, and the second to block and deflect the flames, Rylen began to spin his staff, which caused the pillar to disperse in every direction. Something that completely stunned Shalltear. However, she had little time to react as the surrounding area, including what was left of the manor, was now destroyed by the flames or simply bathed in them.
"[Wall of Stone]."
Her invoked spell raised a stone wall to more easily protect herself from the flames. What a pain he was! She needed to pin him down again. That seemed to work. After all, she got to punch and slap him around a bit. Still, it was troublesome that she found herself so limited in what she could do, thanks to Demiurge's instructions. Still, as she noticed the flames started to lose strength, she saw that perhaps she should take advantage of her cover. Jumping out from her stone barrier, Shalltear called upon another one of her [Skills].
"[Purifying Javelin]."
Launching the giant lance of holy energy, Shalltear found that her aim perhaps needed some work. Without using some extra MP to perfect its course, she was only able to hit him on his side. Though it still allowed her to down him to his knees.
"Oya~! Look who isn't using their potential now?" Shalltear asked with a mocking tone while approaching him, her eyes on the smoking gash her attack left.
"..."
Rylen was silent as he went to all fours, feeling a considerable amount of searing pain from that attack. Still, he did his best to steel himself and not give away his own weakness to. Looking up, he saw Shalltear was now standing over him, a devilish smile visible from under her broken mask.
Once again she slapped him across his masked face, causing him to stumble to the side. Putting his strength into his arms Rylen tried to attack her with his staff, who managed to duck under it. She responded by punching the right side of his head, sending him onto the floor, but he managed to roll through it and back onto his feet.
"[Dull Pain]." Rylen invoked.
"Good. I have a lot of pain to dish out after the way you behaved.~" Shalltear playfully said in a venomous tone.
"[Shukuchi]."
For Shalltear, it was as if he was pushed towards her at incredible speeds as he retained the same stance. She had little time to analyze this as he thrust his staff upon her, causing her to call upon another spell.
"[Teleportation]!"
Shalltear vanished from Rylen's sight, until he felt her fall on his back, quickly followed by an assault on his mask with her claws. This did little to hide her intentions of clawing his eyes out. Ramming his staff into the ground, his hands swiftly went to hers, and grabbing onto both of them, which only led to the vampire trashing about in rage as she tried to bite his mask.
Her efforts at freedom were brought to a quick end, when she felt his entire body tense. A dark aura erupted from his body, along with gusts of hot air that enveloped her...
"[Gate: Release-5]!"
Pulling her, Rylen smashed Shalltear onto the floor, who taken off-guard by his sudden increase in power. It was absurd! She felt like she was fighting a fellow Floor Guardian! No one in this weak world should be that strong!
Suddenly releasing her right hand, Rylen placed all of his power into his left, causing Shalltear's left hand to give under the pressure. Something that stunned her enough that she failed to notice he retrieved his staff, and now was bringing it down on her.
"[Dragon Fang Thrust]!"
Hearing his art's invocation, Shalltear placed her hand in front of the staff, which again did little as it broke through her palm with searing pain as she placed her fingers around it. She saw no other way around this but to call upon another ability.
"[Mist Form]!"
The staff boomingly struckly the ground, which gave in, cracking under the pressure. Something Shalltear ignored as she stumbled and moved away from him. She distanced herself before returning to her physical form.
"[Greater Lethal]." She called out in an effort to heal herself as she also invoked [Message].
[Demiurge! I need permission to use my gear!]
Again, she had little time to focus as Rylen lunged at her, still under the effects of his [Martial Art]. This prompted her to once again use [Purifying Javelin], now landing a clean hit. However, he did not even flinch as he jumped, bringing his staff down upon her. Reacting quickly, worried what he could do before receiving permission to fight at full capacity, Shalltear used her left arm to guard, which only gave under the blow as it broke with an echoing crunch. This followed by Rylen pressing his left hand onto her chest.
"It's over." Rylen remarked as the effects of his [Martial Art] vanished.
"What..."
Shalltear's words caught in her throat when her eyes went down to his hand, where now a tiny dark-purple cube rested. The "thing" let out a few dark-purplish sparks before they expanded and contorted around her in straps of white and dark purple energy.
"Who are you!?" Shalltear shouted in rage and confusion, as the straps began to take the shape of a cube around her.
"Your better."
"...!"
She didn't have time to retort as the binds took the shape of a cube that eventually collapsed upon itself. Shalltear was gone. Trapped in another dimension by the powers of the Caja Negación Aizen gave each member of the Espada. However, as a level-100, she would be able to break free of it come morning. That was lucky for her. Had she been any weaker, then said imprisonment could be permanent.
Rylen staggered back, before using his staff to keep himself vertical as the pain and exhaustion from the fight starting to settle in. It wasn't important though. He wasn't too far from the wall of fire, so he just needed to get back and get healed, along with reporting his encounter with the being he believed to be Shalltear Bloodfallen. Using one of the teleportation items the Espada were given by Aizen, Rylen quickly vanished from the scene in flash of green light, not wanting to risk coming across anymore "strangers".
A few moments later, Rylen's decision to teleport away was proven the best one, as a masked Demiurge, Yuri Alpha, and CZ2I28 Delta appeared in the area the Espada and Shalltear had just battled in. The trio on alert as they looked around as soon as they arrived.
"It is just as we managed to determine by scrying magic. There is no one here, but it seems like there was a battle." Yuri pointed out.
"The latter isn't even a question. There was a fight here. Between two beings of considerable power. One being Shalltear. That is the only explanation for her [Message]." Demiurge remarked in an analytical tone as he pushed up his glasses, doing his best to conceal how disturbed the situation left him.
"Shall we inform Ainz-sama?" Yuri dutifully asked.
"No. Not yet. Things are moving along as planned, without counting this of course. There is no reason to bother our lord with this matter right away. I will personally inform him when the time comes." Demiurge replied, expertly concealing his worry as he continued to survey the area.
"Is Shalltear dead?" CZ2128 asked in her usual emotionless monotone.
"Again, no. I made contact with Albedo, and she informed me that from what she could tell, she was still alive... We will need to take some extra-precautions. Whatever the case, she interacted with an unknown force, and it cannot be allowed to do affect the plan." He coolly replied.
"Then, how shall we proceed, Demiurge-sama?" Yuri calmly asked.
"I must return to oversee the rest of the mission. However, we need this area examined as best as possible in order to try and ascertain what happened."
"As you wish, Demiurge-sama." Both Pleaides said in unison with a bow.
Demiurge bit his lip in frustration. How was this even possible? He sent Shalltear to look into the matter of some disappearing demons. Not something that would result in a battle of this size, nor her vanishing. No, he was being closeminded about this. He should have taken Ainz-sama's words into account, and not underestimate the inhabitants of this nation, or this world for that matter. Along with him having placed too much faith in Shalltear's ability to handle matters, this situation proved that she was simply too much trouble to be left on her own.
Still, counting how Entoma was recovering from her encounter with Blue Rose, this was the second of Nazarick's he lost in this mission. While he knew when Entoma would be able to return, the same couldn't be said for Shalltear. Demiurge could already imagine his lord's wrath upon hearing of this failure. It was deserved. After all, it was his third this night, since he had failed to keep Entoma protected, along with failing to kill any members of Blue Rose before two of their weakest teleported away.
He was still astonished that they had decided to do so the moment they laid their eyes on him. However, this was not something he should be thinking of right now. The mission was still ongoing, and he needed to make sure everything worked flawlessly from now on. Lest the last of the Supreme Beings abandon them out of disappointment and disgust. A thought that filled the Arch-Devil with pure, unmitigated terror.
"Come. We are leaving. [Greater Teleportation]."
With that, the trio vanished in a flash of blue light...
In the case of Rylen, he had gone back to Gaius' manor where after taking of his mask was given a green and orange potion from those produced in Las Noches to allow him to heal all the while recovering from any fatigue brought about by the fight. However, he had needed some extra help from Aizen's healing Kidõ since the potions were useless against the curse placed on him by Shalltear's [Purifying Javelin]. Rylen had also given a report to Aizen, Amelia and Cthalpi on what had happened and how he met a being he believed to be Shalltear.
"Hm. Indeed. From what you have told us of how she acted and the kind of abilities she used, taking into account what we previously knew of her, and what Cthalpi provided, I agree that the being you faced was Shalltear Bloodfallen of Nazarick." Aizen confidently concluded.
"I must agree." Cthalpi added.
"Still, the fact that she looked different would indicate the use of a disguise." Amelia pointed out.
"Which might mean that this is the work of Ainz Ooal Gown, with the disguise a simple way to alleviate the risk of having the people involved with this event seen, and perhaps recognized at a later date." Aizen suggested.
"Hmph! In that case, they should have done something about their personalities. That aside, you did good work Rylen. Even if I had to be reported that Ada was seen running out of the barrier with nothing but a cloak to cover herself." Amelia said with a sigh.
"She was naked when I got there. It was the least I could do when I gave her the bag." Rylen calmly informed.
"Indeed. Now, how shall we proceed?" She asked, now looking towards Aizen.
"We will wait for those in authority to decide to act. Once that happens, we will see how the Espada will be used in the efforts to fight whatever is happening in that district."
"Well, let's hope we don't end up facing anyone else like Shalltear for the time being. Another fight like that with witnesses wouldn't do us any good right now. Not when we have an image to maintain." Amelia cautiously remarked with a weary sigh.
"Still, from what you told us, Shalltear was fighting in a way that was really limiting for her. And you were also holding back, correct?" Cthalpi thoughtfully asked, looking at Rylen.
"From what I know of her, yes. She wasn't using any of her weapons or gear. But on the other hand, her lack of experience and ability in a fight like ours did give me an advantage. That, and the fact I was wearing proper gear. What she was using, even if it was resilient, didn't seem like the best option for a proper fight. And I was holding back because there is no reason for me to give it my all, and show my hand when the situation didn't call for it. There's also the fact that she was still the stronger adversary between the both of us without my transforming. Killing her might have brought about unwanted attention." Rylen firmly replied, looking towards Aizen.
"And you did very well handling the situation, Rylen." The Shinigami informed in a pleased tone.
"Indeed. That being said, you're dismissed. Go change back to your usual garments, and join the others." Amelia instructed.
"As you wish." Rylen said with a respectful bow as he left.
While for the time being the city was mostly calm, albeit tense, all of those present knew that soon enough something grand would happen. Something that could benefit the Espada greatly. Especially if they had the chance to come face-to-face with actual demons. For Aizen and Amelia there was great interest in this happening when they considered the benefits.
However, having heard of how Rylen had to handle Shalltear, it would be foolish of them to take the upcoming events lightly. After all, while Rylen arguably had the better gear in the situation, there was still a 10 level difference between them, which while significant, wasn't too drastic. Despite neither giving it their all, Shalltear managed to hold her own to a frightening degree, when one took into account all that she was lacking. And already, Amelia could see Aizen spinning plans in his mind as a cunning smile subtly creased his lips...