Reviews:
Tenzalucard123: Yes, Shem-Ha is suspecting Loki is plotting against her. Jades says a final goodbye, even after death, so his siblings know this is what he wanted to do.
nickseverino8: I'm glad you liked it. We'll see how they can convince Beelzebub to help them. Also, probably not. I'm in his Discord server but he has too many stories right now to be thinking of a crossover chapter. Also, I like the voice actors you're giving me. Damian and Zeke don't have a dance style, since they are Bragard's Autoscorers, not Carol. They are meant to be knights while the girls are the dancers.
primenidus: That about sums up everyone's reactions.
SoutaAmetsuchi: Don't drop your guard. At least not too much. You don't want to get any nasty surprises along the way.
Lord Ri The Husbu King: I guess they're a match made in...hell? Nah, the Second can't possess him since the Second is alive in the form of Nightmare. I mean...Angelo and Millaarc are a couple. Maybe she rubbed off on him.
Ryugen: Hopefully he can help our heroes since they are at a disadvantage. Yes, Jades conveyed the words he couldn't say directly. To let his family know that they have to be better than him. To overcome the vicious cycle of hatred. Let's just say that if Ragnarok does go off, everyone will be running like headless chickens. But you're right. Odin seems confident since he hasn't made a move to interfere with the DDV's plans. So maybe he has something up his sleeve. He's too relaxed. Maybe he's just that powerful. We'll see.
Alex: Ya veremos. La verdad, me caen bien xd. Aun que en el final se remidieron ya que dieron sus vidas para que las chicas puedan volver a la tierra. Ya me vi esa pelea. Y la verdad, que peleen alrededor de la tierra estaria de locos.
Tigracho: Yes, Elsa is the one who suffers it the most. Since she has such a close attachment to Allister. Vanessa, while liking Terunosuke, doesn't have that connection. And Millaarc and Angelo are already a couple, so they go where the other goes. Kind of like the Joker and Harley Quinn. But you're right, Allister wouldn't care what she looks like. It's not like he's in any room to complain anyway.
But yeah, Jades...He wasn't suicidal, but in his mind, it was just the best course of action. He didn't want the others to kill another sibling in cold blood. Sure, he did some terrible things and killed a lot of people, and was a jerk to most of them in the past, but their bond is still there. They are all a family. But Jades still thought that Terunosuke had to be stopped. It's pretty much confirmed, but Jades went into that fight willing to kill Terunosuke but didn't go through with it. He threw the fight for him. It's noticeable if you read the beginning portions of the fight. Jades couldn't have killed him plenty of times but didn't. Until Terunosuke started using his Unite Vent, then it got too complicated. But his logic was, in the beginning, to kill Terunosuke so the others wouldn't go through that and stain their hands, but then kill himself since he wouldn't be able to live with the guilt. In the end, he decided he couldn't bring himself to do it, so he let Terunosuke kill him.
While similar, Jades and Hajime's cases are also different. Hajime's case was completely an outside thing, courtesy of Bragard. While Jades inadvertently made Terunosuke become the way he is. He started this journey with the DDV because he wanted to feel appreciated and have his efforts recognized since he thought that since he didn't get a Deck, nothing he ever did was for anything. Whether Jades was right or wrong...that's another topic that I'll leave to you guys to decide. But it goes with Jades' character journey, in which he constantly made bad decisions, until the very end, where he decided to make up for that by taking a gamble with his life and giving Terunosuke what he wanted. His death.
Oh, yeah. I guess Hamaguchi and Bragi don't have too much emotional baggage. I mean, Hamaguchi had to defend his town while Bragi had to suffer through constant abuse from others who considered him a monster, but it's not as big as the rest since they didn't lose people they loved.
Chapter 134
The Monster Within
Wei leaned against the wall, staring at the door of the room where they were keeping Yomi. His body had been badly burnt after his fight with Hajime. His body was covered in third-degree burns, and most of his hair had been turned to ashe. One of his eyes had melted so they had to take whatever was left out and one of his lungs had collapsed. Under normal circumstances, Yomi might as well be dead. However, he was a Custodian. Or at least, partially one. And they were able to wrap his body with Nightmare's Dark Matter, securing his injuries. While he couldn't regrow his limbs, he should at least be able to recover in due time to at least wake up from his coma and not bleed out. Despite that, he was out of the fight. His runes were destroyed along with his arms, and more than likely, he wouldn't be able to move on his own, even if he woke up.
The last full-blooded Liang watched as Despia emerged from the room, speechless. More so than usual. Wei had been persistent in not letting her in, but alas, she won. And judging by the expression on her face, she was already regretting it.
"Sorry..." Wei said, not really knowing what to say.
Despia raised her head, tears in her eyes. She manifested her Divine Power, allowing her the ability to speak properly."It's not your fault. He...he wanted this to happen. He wanted to be beaten. But...he also wanted to die in combat. So I don't know if he'll be happy we're keeping him stable."
"Well, he'll live to fight another battle."
"With no arms and legs?" Despia spat, almost bitterly.
"I'm sorry..."
"No, I-" She sighed."I apologize... I've been on edge these past few days."
"I get it." Wei nodded."But...it's too late for us to back down, isn't it?"
"It became too late the moment that bastard nearly killed my brother." Despia hissed."I'm going to kill him...Hajime Adachi..."
"That's the idea." Wei grimaced, thinking of Shirabe. He shook his head.'No point in thinking about her. She must hate me by now.'
"By the way...I want to ask you...When you described Yomi to me before...Is there really a big difference between now and how he was back then?"
"There is..." Despia nodded with a sad smile."Like I said, back then, he was bright and full of life. He was...sometimes a little too reckless. His need for adrenaline and action has always been there. You see, back then, he was infatuated with one of the acrobats. Her name was Nozomi Sudo. She was our senior, about 4 years older. But she never treated us like we were little kids. Rather, she guided us and shaped us into great performers. After the news of our Mother dying came to our ears, she comforted us. I think Yomi might have been in love. But I'm not sure. He was always unpredictable in that regard and could never tell what he was thinking. But...that changed."
"Changed how?"
"Before our adoptive father became Ringmaster, there was one before him. He was old but had a lot of influence. Apparently, he had been seeing Nozomi behind the scenes. At first, he said it was to give her some pointers. But...after everything happened, I knew that was not the truth."
"Did...something happen to her?"
"She was raped. Consistently so." Despia covered her eyes."Until one day, she...took her own life. She couldn't handle it anymore."
"What?!" Wei looked horrified."B-but why didn't she say anything?!"
"She couldn't...She had no one in her life. No family. No friends. The circus was everything for her." Despia shook her head."So he threatened her. If she said anything, he would get rid of her in an instant. Not only her...but us as well...So...she ended her own life. Eventually, it was found out that he had abused her. And when we confronted her...do you want to know what he said?"
"It was because I wanted to do it. Nothing more."
"T-that's..." Wei's face was drained of all color."That sounds like what Yomi says..."
"After that, he ran away to escape from the police. There was a manhunt for him, where the whole circus was involved. But the one who found him...was Yomi. However, he...wasn't alive. According to the autopsy, his body had been fried from the inside. As if he had been electrocuted."
"Yomi..."
"Yes...Of course, no one knew it was him. But from that day forth...he changed. I guess something must have caused Narfi to invade his mind. I think...Nozomi dying was the trigger that allowed Narfi to take over." Despia clenched her fists."At first, I thought he...he had gone insane. So I joined up with Hazuki to get my brother back to his senses. But now I know the truth. I know he's a reincarnation of the Custodian Narfi. And now, I want to get rid of Narfi's influence over him. I want to return my brother to how he used to be. And for that, I'm ready to do anything."
"Despia...I'm sorry to say, but this isn't as simple as you think it is." Wei said, causing her to perk up."Yomi is Narfi's reincarnation...But that doesn't mean it's a relationship like Loki and Hazuki. Or like Odin and Uncle Hazama."
"So since he's a Custodian, maybe it's like that Kohinata girl and Shem-Ha, right?" Despia asked, her eyes begging for a good answer."Yomi has to be inside there somewhere, right-"
"He's not." Wei cut her off, making her heart sink to her stomach."It's a reincarnation. Narfi died, so what's passed down is his essence. Meaning that...their souls are not separate. He didn't take over his own. They are...one and the same. They merged. So, at the very least, Yomi has to want whatever it is he's doing and-"
"I refuse to believe that!" Despia shouted, catching Wei by surprise."He said he loves me! He's in there! I know he is! Sometimes when we talk, I can hear him in his voice! He has to be in there and I will get him back!"
With that, Despia stood up and grabbed him by the shoulders."Humanity doesn't matter anymore. Are we in the wrong for not caring about billions of unknown people over our families? It's just logical for us to want to get what we lost back! So stop thinking about the little things. We're getting what we lost again! You'll see!"
Despia rushed out of the room, leaving Wei to his own devices.
"Maybe she's right..." He stared down at his hand."This is...what we have to do...And we need monsters like Yomi to win."
"Where am I...?" Setsuna slowly opened up her eyes, yawning. She sat up from the bed she was on, immediately realizing she didn't recognize the room she was in."W-what...? Where am I?"
"You slept a lot. 5 days, to be exact."
Setsuna gasped when she noticed Hazuki standing by the door."Y-you..."
"Good morning, sleeping beauty." Hazuki smiled at his sister, who wasted no time grabbing the pillow she had been sleeping on at him."So full of energy. I'm surprised."
"Why are you here?! D-did you...did you kidnap me?!" She barked in fury."Why am I here?! I want to go home right now!"
"Do you not remember what happened?"
"What happened..." Her eyes shot wide open."Despia-san! Where...where is she-"
She then remembered Yomi slamming her head against the wall and electrocuting her. She shivered at the thought and began to cry."No...Did she...did she lie to me...? So she could bring me here...? Why...? I trusted her...I trusted her..."
"She did it for your own good, Setsuna." Hazuki cooed."Like you, she's suffered. She did not lie about anything she told you. Her suffering is genuine. And so is yours."
"W-what do you mean...?"
"Setsuna..." Hazuki made his way closer to her, but the girl scooted away until she was touching the wall, so he stopped."Despia told me how you never talked to Hajime about how you felt. How scared, terrified, and hurt you were. After the whole Bragard incident. May I ask why?"
"What? Why would you-"
"Because I care." Hazuki cut her off."Believe it or not, I love you, Setsuna. You're my dear sister. And I'd like for you to accept my offer. I want to offer you a spot in saving the world. In cleansing its people and getting rid of all evil. So that no more tragedies may occur."
"Are you fucking kidding me...?" Setsuna muttered in disdain, swearing for the first time in her life."You are the one who caused so many deaths...You teamed up with Bragard and are planning to kill all of humanity...You're also the reason why so many of our friends are dead..." She took a deep breath before exploding in his face."YOU KILLED THE BOY THAT I LOVED! YOU KILLED ANDREAS! YOU STABBED YOUR SWORD THROUGH HIS HEAD WITH NO MERCY! SO STOP TALKING LIKE YOU CARE ABOUT ME! BECAUSE YOU'RE MINDLESS, SENSELESS MURDERER!"
"Is that truly what you think?"
"I want to go home." She said in an emotionless home."Please, let me go home. Back to my friends. And away from you."
"You blame me for all of these things...but Setsuna, if I didn't kill Andreas, someone else would have done it."
"You're just excusing yourself!"
"Then...how about the people the Noise killed? You are a big Tsubasa fan, right? Do you know how many people lost their lives 3 years ago during that concert?"
"W-what does that have to do with anything?!"
"I mean that the world continues to suffer. Has suffered. Even without our intervention." Hazuki reasoned with her."Such is the way of life. A life that's been slowly losing its meaning...because humans are the most evil of creatures. All because of the so-called gift of Free Will. Humans have the option to be evil, Setsuna. And most humans, take it. How about we take a little trip somewhere? I have something to show you."
"And why would I go with you?" Setsuna frowned."I want to go back with MY real brother."
"Because...I want you to understand me." Hazuki started."You, Hajime, and I...we're in the same situation. I lost my mother at a young age when I was stranded on that island. After Bragard...destroyed the boat we were in."
"You...you lost your Mom to Bragard...?"
"I did. And...well, you know what happened to our Dad." Hazuki sighed, staring at the girl."After that, I was tossed around from orphanage to orphanage, until eventually, I went to one where they treated me like a human being. But...such is the cruel way of life...The orphanage was burnt down by the Yakuza after the orphanage refused their forced protection. Evil has been part of my life since I was very young, Setsuna. Younger than you. And...it's been part of your lives as well. Please...let me show you what I want you to see. If you still don't want to accept my offer to save the world, I'll take you back to Hajime. All I ask if you to give me a chance."
"Well...I...Okay..." Setsuna slowly nodded, feeling bad upon hearing his story. She didn't know any of that. No one had told her anything."I'll...give you a chance. I want you to tell me what exactly it is you have in mind. Because...otherwise...I could never forgive you for what you did to our friends and Andreas."
"A chance is all I ask." Hazuki extended his arm toward her as a portal appeared behind him."Now...shall we get going?"
Allister sat on his bed, staring at his Deck with a complicated expression. He had been there for a while, thinking about how the hell he had gotten in this situation. He wasn't a naive fool. He knew he had accepted Hazuki's deal to see what biggest emotion aimed toward the biggest goal. But that was before he recuperated his will to live after meeting Mona and seeing Elsa again. The two sparks that ignited his cold, dead heart. And now, he had run away like a coward, leaving Elsa behind. He had the power, but he wasn't sure he could take on a God.
An image of Elsa flashed through his mind. The pain in her face was more than evident when he saw her.'Was she...hiding something...?'
"Father?"
The dark-haired assassin noticed the pink-haired girl standing by the door."I'm sorry. I knocked on the door, and you weren't answering..."
"Ah...Sorry." Allister chuckled, beckoning her over."What's wrong, doll? Did you need something?"
"Father...I wanted to ask you...When can I see Mother again?"
Allister froze, forcing a small smile."You miss her?"
"I do." She nodded."Is that bad?"
"Of course not, darling." Allister wrapped an arm around her small frame."I'm glad you warmed up to her."
"She treats me very well...And is very gentle...like she's afraid she'll hurt me."
"Yeah...I get it." Allister sighed. It wasn't a surprise Elsa would be afraid to get Mona involved in all of this."She's...she's okay. I hope. She's just...It's complicated."
"Do you... want to save her?"
"Huh?"
"If she's away, maybe we can bring her back, right?"
"I'm not a hero, Mona. I'm...I'm a villain. It's not like I can just be full of optimism and praddle about how I want to save Elsa. I-"
"You saved me. And you didn't even know me." Mona cut him off."You also said...that it depended on who I asked. But to me...you're the greatest hero of them all. Ah, I'm sorry." The girl shook her head."Maybe I am being too presumptuous...But...I want to...You know..."
"What?"
"I...want us to be a family..." Mona blushed, covering her face."I want to...continue being happy. Ever since you rescued me and Strike, I've been dreaming of experiencing these feelings...And now that I have a mother that cares about me...It makes me wish for a better tomorrow. To be honest, back then, I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life as a toy and die...But you helped me get a second chance. And I want Mother to have the same chance I did."
Allister was in awe upon hearing the meek Mona speak out her feelings like that. He glanced down at this brand on his hand, clenching his fist.
"Protect your beloved and that little girl you have." Terunosuke's voice echoed in his mind."You still have them. Cherish them. While you can."
"Mona..." Allister shook his head, focusing his attention on the girl."Let's do it."
"Huh?"
"I say let's do it." He reiterated, grabbing her hand."Let's go get your Mother back. Together."
"But...what about Hazuki-san? Do you think he would approve? I mean-"
"Don't worry." He engulfed her in a hug, rubbing a hand through her hair."It's okay. Leave it all to me. I'm done lying to myself. And I will not lose sight...of who I am. Not anymore. So...let's get out of here. Together."
"This way!" Garie guided all of SONG as they rushed toward the laboratory.
"Fuck! Why the hell is this happening now of all times?!" Hamaguchi cried out, pushing Hajime's wheelchair along.
"Seriously, everything was going well too-desu!" Kirika joined in on the whining.
"Not time to complain!" Maria yelled, spotting the door and kicking it down."Bragi-kun!"
However, the scene before them was the complete opposite of what they were expecting.
"Thank God! Help me! She's insane!" Beelzebub shouted. He was constrained by several wires and hanging on the wall with a wire wrapped around his neck. The culprit was none other than Carol herself, clad in her Dur Da Bla.
"C-Carol-chan?!" Hibiki blinked, puzzled.
"Oh. It's you guys." Carol acknowledged the group by the door."Give me a minute. I'm almost done getting rid of this annoying devil. Get out of my child. This is your last chance."
"W-what?! You're going to keep hurting this body?! B-but he's your son!"
"Bragi can take this much pain." Carol said with a firm tone, tightening the wires."But...I doubt you can."
"Okay! Okay! Just stop!"
Carol released him and he landed on his knees, panting for him.
"Sheez..." Bragi rubbed his neck, his eyes back to being dichromatic upon reclaiming control of his body."You don't hold back, do you, Mama?"
"It was necessary."Carol folded her arms."Plus, you took it like a champ. I didn't expect anything less from you."
"Dienheim, are you okay?" Tsubasa walked up to him, helping him up."What happened?"
"I was working on my Deck since I had finished working on the guys' Decks." Bragi began to explain, healing his neck."Mama had suggested to install the last Relic I had into my Deck, since it's completely artificial, and Psycho-Rogue can assimilate with any Relic."
"I imagine that the rest is simple." Maria hummed."That Relic...it has a monster inside of it."
"Hey, calling me a monster is rather dude, lady." A mouth appeared on Bragi's cheek, sending everyone into a frenzy."Ta-da-daa!"
"HE HAS ANOTHER MOUTH!"
"W-w-w-w-what is this?!" Bragi covered his cheek with his hand, but another mouth appeared on his hand.
"Let me talk!" Beelzebub shouted."I can explain myself!"
"Screw you!" Bragi covered his hand."You said you were going to devour Auntie Elfnein and Garie!"
"It was a joke! Are all humans this dense?! Have a little sense of humor!" Another mouth appeared over his hand."You're not very popular with the girls, are you?"
"This is so freaky..." Shirabe shuddered.
"Tell me about it..." Hajime muttered."I mean...why does the mouth have teeth?"
"Look, if you don't like me talking to you like this, then maybe you can give me something." Beelzebub suggested."Something I can use as a medium to communicate with you guys."
"Something, huh?" Garie beamed."I know! I have the perfect idea!"
A few minutes later, everyone returned to the command center and placed a stuffed black bunny with a red vest on a stool.
"Woah! That's a cute bunny!" Kirika gushed."Where did you get it-desu?"
"The Prince made it." Garie responded."He said he wanted to give it to Miku Kohinata since he didn't get to give her a gift for New Year's Eve."
"Yeah, so why would you get it for this demon to use?!" Bragi groaned at the Autoscorer.
"Oi, oi. No need to be rude, kid! The lady did all she could." Beelzebub, inside of the plushie, jumped to his feet."Ta-da-daa! Here I was, little old me, trying to have a nice conversation with some very nice and lovely people. I love the atmosphere here. Feels pretty cozy."
"I can't believe this..." Aoi muttered in disbelief."Can relics...talk like that?"
"I'm not just some ordinary Relic, missy." Beelzebub scoffed."My name is Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies! But, since I like this lively group, you can call me Beel! Or...wait, what's the word you guys say? You know, the honorific...Beel-chan! You can call me Beel-chan!"
"This...has to be some kind of dream." Chris stared on with an emotionless expression."I must still be asleep."
"Unfortunately, it appears to be reality." Yosuke rubbed the bridge of his nose."And a weird one at that."
"Alright, Beelzebub, was it?" Thor walked up to the plushy."What are you, if not a Relic?"
"Wow...Some lungs you have in there, kid." Beelzebub chuckled."Your voice doesn't match your tiny appearance at all! Then again, I am one to talk."
"That's Thor. He's controlling Tobias' body at the moment." Elfnein explained.
"Wait, Thor?" Beelzebub froze in place."As in...THAT Thor?"
"Indeed." Thor nodded with a friendly smile."Nice to meet you."
"What the hell is an Aesir God doing in this realm?!"
"Same thing as you, I suppose. I was summoned here." Thor responded calmly."So, if I understand correctly, you are...a devil that was residing in Helheim, correct?"
"Residing? More like...trapped!" Beelzebub exclaimed."If you haven't noticed, mighty God of Thunder, I was turned into a Relic by that wicked God, Hel!"
"What?!" Everyone gasped in shock.
"You see, originally, we were part of a group called the Seven Princes of Hell. We each ruled over a particular region in Helheim to make sure things ran smoothly and there wasn't utter chaos every five minutes. Back then, it was me, my best friend forever Mammon, Asmodeus, Leviathan, the useless Belphegor, and the pompous Satan. We planned to take over Helheim since Satan said he wanted us to rule over all. Of course, we couldn't say no to that so we amassed the most loyal demons we could find and started a war. We had the perfect weapon...the Qlipoth Tree."
"The Qlipoth...Tree...?" Bragi repeated, baffled.
"That's right. The Qliphoth Tree represents life but also death. It's a tree that grew in Helheim and was said to be as old as the place itself. It could harness a tremendous amount of power and be used as a weapon. However, due to Helheim's properties, the tree was not able to grow more than it did and remained dead. However, there are two things that can revive the Qliphoth Tree. One is a fresh and alive world. The Second...is a God."
"A God..." Thor's eyes widened in realization."So your objective was..."
"The Goddess of Death, Hel. Daughter of Loki. The opponents were formidable. She was surrounded by insanely powerful high-ranking demons. And above all, that...thing. That serpent that lurks in the depths of Helheim..."
"Jormungandr" Thor grumbled.
"Who is that?" Shirabe inquired.
"The monster that killed me. The World Serpent." Thor closed his eyes."I was not aware that such a beast...was now inside of Helheim. If so..."
"Then that just makes matters worse, right?" Hibiki frowned."Then..."
"Ahem! I am in the middle of my story! Let me finish!" Beelzebub crossed his arms.
"O-oh..." Elfnein smiled."Go on please."
"Thank you! Anyway, Mammon and I were cutting down the enemy forces led by that big ass scorpion. Nidhogg, I think that was his name. But suddenly, we received orders to retreat. For some reason, Satan was calling us back. But we couldn't The enemy was nearly defeated, so we asked Satan to help us. Had we won, we would have had a clear path toward enemy territory, making it easier to get to Hel. However, this son of a bitch didn't show up! He left us to die! After a while, Nidhogg received backup, and we were overwhelmed. Mammon's dead. And I was turned into a Relic and stuck to the tree. We lost the war. And we were all turned to Relics. From what I know, some of us were taken from the tree which made everyone in Helheim wary of outsiders."
'The Second...I guess that explains why they found me as soon as I got there.' Bragi pursed his lips.
"Anyway, that's my story in a nutshell." Beelzebub said."Now, it's your turn! It's only fair, right?"
"Very well." Genjuro said."It's a long story, so we'll just tell you what we've been dealing with recently."
After a summary of the events around Shem-Ha, Loki, and Noble Red, the Sin of Gluttony nodded in understanding.
"Shit...Aesir Gods, Ragnarok, Custodians, beings with Divine Powers, the Divine Beast Ventara...And fucking Satan is alive..." Beelzebub whistled."Man, I just met you guys, and I can already tell there's not a single dull moment with you."
"So, knowing all of this, and taking into account that you're in the human realm now..." Maria crossed her arms under her chest."What are you going to do? It'd be a bother if you were to interfere with us. So how can we-"
"I'll help."
"Huh?"
"I said I'll help you guys. You've convinced me the moment you said that bastard Satan was roaming around." Beelzebub stood up on the stool, dancing."And I owe you guys for giving me a chance to get out of that depressing place. The human realm sure is nice. So I don't see why I shouldn't help you. I tend to like the side of the underdog."
"And what does that mean?" Chris scowled.
"It means that you guys aren't doing too well. But not to worry! I can help you get the upper hand! Just leave it to me and I'll see to it that we win this war and drive that Custodian out of my good friend Bragigi's body!"
"Friend? Bragigi?" Bragi arched a brow.
"Sure! We're partners now!" Beelzebub placed his pawns on his hips."We're both Princes. A Prince for a Prince. Let's kick Satan's ass, eh, Bragigi?"
"Stop calling me that." Bragi groaned in dismay."Fine. But not taking over my body like you just did."
"Meh, don't worry about that. Unlike Satan and his host, our souls are not intertwined nor do we require a contract. Because I'm connected to your Deck. More specifically, that monster of yours. Psycho-Rogue. The only reason I was able to momentarily use your body was because you were wearing your belt. But under normal circumstances, I can't."
"Oh. Well..." Bragi pondered on his answer for a bit."Why not? We need all the help we can get. And having a demon might help."
"But..." Elfnein glared at Beelzebub, sending shivers down his spine."No pulling any funny tricks on my boy. Got it?"
"O-okay! I promise!" Beelzebub leaned closer to Bragi."Fucking hell...Mama Carol is scarier than most demons I know."
"That's my Aunt, Elfnein."
"Oh. Cool." He sat back down on the stool."Mama Elfnein it is."
"By the way, I've been wondering this since you told us your story." Hamaguchi said, earning their attention."But you said Seven Princes of Hell. You only mentioned six. What happened to the other one?"
"Huh? Who?"
"The last Prince of Hell." He reiterated."What happened to him?"
"Don't know what you're talking about, Bob. I think you must be mistaken or something." Beelzebub shrugged, obviously refusing to answer the question."Anyway, I'm going back inside!"
Bragi felt Beelzebub's essence entering his body, leaving the plushy back to normal.
"Are you okay, Bragi-kun?" Hibiki grabbed his hand.
"Yeah. I feel okay." Bragi grimaced, grabbing his head."He's annoying, though. He's not shutting up."
"Can we really trust him, old man?" Chris asked the red-haired.
"I'm not sure. But like he said, we're at a disadvantage." Genjuro took a deep breath."But he seems to want to help us for his own reason. I say let's trust him. If this works out...he might be able to help us turn the tides."
And with that, the three days went by in a flash. The girls were dispatched to different areas, while the boys remained in HQ in medical supervision. Bragi was the only Rider allowed to participate, but he was on standby. His mission was to intervene only if Angelo showed up since his regenerative abilities proved useful against an opponent that could cut through anything.
"Focus the rocket properly, Kirika. I can't see it." Hamaguchi requested. Kirika was currently aiming one of the Akumas at the giant rocket. After Bragi had worked on them, they were now able to communicate with them as if they were phones with cameras.
"Is this okay?" Kirika asked, tilting the bear.
"Yup. Damn, I didn't know rockets were that big."
"Yeah, it's huge." Kirika nodded, marbling at the giant object.
"Wanna know what else is huge?" Hamaguchi wagged his eyebrows suggestively.
"P-pervert!" Kirika screamed, blushing madly at the remark.
"You didn't deny it, Little Reaper. You know you love me."
"Give me that." Shirabe took the bear away from Kirika."Put Raiden on screen."
"Already here." Raiden grunted, pushing Hamaguchi's face away from view."God, I can't spend another minute in the same room with Hamaguchi. Even Hajime is getting tired of him. It's like one big horrible sleepover with this guy."
"Is it that bad?"
"All he's been babbling about is his flat earth theory and how the planet is flat. Not a sphere."
"Because it's true!"
"Shut up already!" Hajime screamed, throwing a pillow at him."Nobody cares!"
"Yeah, I hear them." Shirabe giggled."Everything's okay on our end. It's kind of boring. I wanted to go to the moon and see what it was like."
"Ask Hajime. Pretty sure he nearly went outer spacer in one of his fights." Raiden shrugged."Or Bragi. Maybe he can make like...an air bubble for us to breathe."
"Maybe...But I don't want to pressure him. I'm worried about him."
"Yeah...Me too." Raiden admitted."Yosuke-san said how it was for him when he was possessed by Psykos. It...wasn't pleasant. So, naturally, we're all worried. Especially Hibiki-san and Bragi. Still, I can't complain. I'm not reckless enough to pretend I'm in the best shape to fight. So all I can do is leave it to my friend."
"Raiden..."
"Shirabe! We got trouble!" Kirika cried out, pointing at a large Noise in the sky that began to airdrop smaller Noise.
"We have to go!" Shirabe cut the call, touching a button on the bear's back and causing it to shrink to the size of a key, stuffing it in her breast pocket."Let's do it, Kiri-chan!"
"Various Shul Shagana Tron..."
"Zeios Igalima Raizen Tron..."
In a flash of light, both Symphogear were clad in their respective armors, rushing toward the incoming Noise. Shirabe jumped toward a group of Noise as her skirt began to spin at high speeds, cutting through them.
Delta Style: Charming Axel Killer
She landed on the ground, doing a spin as her yo-yos grew in size, slicing at any Noise near her with ease. Meanwhile, Kirika was driving the Noise away from Shirabe to avoid getting in each other's ways. However, she noticed a huge ball coming toward Shirabe without her noticing. Quickly, she lunged toward her sister, pushing her out of the way before the ball could collide with her.
"What was that just now?!" Shirabe wondered.
The black dome opened up, revealing none other than Elsa."Impressive, Symphogear. You anticipated our moves. However..."
"We are all beyond human comprehension now." Vanessa declared as she landed on the ground.
"All of the weaknesses we had before are gone." Millaarc flapped her wings, descending where her friends were."All because we submitted to Shem-Ha."
"Vanessa-san!" Hibiki and the others joined into the scene."Didn't you say you wanted to be friends?"
"Of course!" Vanessa laughed, almost maniacally."But monsters and humans can't be friends! You all know that by now! The world rejected us, so we'll reject that very same world! We'll turn everyone into monsters and make them feel what we felt!"
"What?! That's insane!" Chris cried out.
"You really think so, you fake heroes?" Millaarc snickered."You haven't saved anyone."
"But we wanted to! I'm...I'm really sorry about Amy-chan!" Hibiki confessed."I wanted to talk to her! To let her know she's not alone! She...was there that day...That day when the concert was attacked...I could have easily been in her position...So I wanted to reach out to her and help her!"
"Nothing but empty words." Elsa shook her head."You have no idea what it feels like to have your happiness taken away-de-arimasu! We'll prevent your investigators from reaching the moon! We settle this right here and now, I say!"
From her suitcase, multiple attachments emerged and connected to her tailbone, now wielding two claw tails and two jaw tails. She lunged toward the duo, but they were able to jump out of the way, shooting a barrage of scythes and buzzsaws, creating an explosion.
"Did we get her?" Kirika wondered, squinting her eyes to try to see through the smoke.
"Not sure..."
"Oh, my." Vanessa laughed, using her rockets at her feet to move rapidly around Hibiki, punching her with two extra mechanical limbs."I believe we're being understimated here, huh? Elsa has already gone all out for this little fight of ours."
On cue, Elsa had finished attaching all of her attachments, combining them to form a giant metallic wolf.
"She dug underground?!" Shirabe looked behind her, noticing a hole that connected to where Elsa was now.
"We are Noble Red. Not some vile rust color-de-arimasu!" Elsa proclaimed, jumping out of the way. The two girls gasped in horror, turning around to see Angelo in the air with his left arm shining.
"Stop him!" Tsubasa screamed."If he fires that attack, we won't be able to stop it and he'll destroy the rocket!"
"Go for it, love!" Millaarc shouted at her boyfriend.
"I won't keep you waiting! Dissect-"
However, as soon as he was about to shoot the attack, his arm was forced to aim upward. The slash narrowly missed the tip of the rocket, continuing its path to the sky.
"Of course. You were here too." Angelo mused, watching as Bragi flew toward the sky."Welcome, devil."
"So that's Satan's host, huh?" Beelzebub chuckled."Fucking prick. Of course, he goes for the red hairs. Let's kick his ass!"
"Angelo, this ends here."
"Really? No. Everything begins here. All we have to do is take you guys down in one fell swoop. I'm going to make you pay in blood for what you did to my friends and my sister."
"It wasn't us, you bastard!"
"Your Father started this!" He pointed at Bragi."Now, you'll pay the ultimate price for his sins!"
"Tch. Fine. If that's how you want to do things..." Bragi raised his hand, lifting several rocks in the air before shooting them toward Angelo."Then we'll do it your way!"
"Sever!" Angelo stretched out his right arm, shooting several slashes toward the rocks and destroying them. However, one of them impaired his vision, and Bragi punched through the rock and socked Angelo in the cheek, nearly knocking him out. He followed up but a quick jab to the side, causing him to ground but continued by delivering swift punches to his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He spun around, delivering a powerful backkick to Angelo's face, sending him flying away as he chased after him.
Winding his fist back, Bragi went in for a punch, but Angelo grabbed his wrists and held him in place."No one disgraces our Famiglia and lives to tell about it!" Both of them continued wrestling in the air, flying away from the others.
"Good." Tsubasa sighed in relief."Dienheim is taking him away. As long as we don't have to worry about that slash, we'll be able to protect the rocket."
"Is that what you think?" Millaarc smirked.
"What does that mean?" Maria narrowed her gaze.
"We knew you'd be extra careful about Angel's attack. So we decided to make him a distraction for the real attack."
"What?!" Maria gasped in horror.
"Tsukuyomi! Akatsuki!" Tsubasa screamed toward them, but it was too late. Elsa's beast was rushing toward the rocket, curling up into a dome and cutting through it as it climbed upwards, jumping away before it exploded.
"No way!" Kirika gasped.
"It was way too fast!" Shirabe remarked, astonished by Elsa's sheer speed. She landed in front of them, opening up the head of the beast to reveal herself.
"And with that, we're one step closer to victory," Elsa stated.
"Why go this far? I don't understand!" Shirabe asked, gritting her teeth."Why are you embracing the fact that you're monsters? Weren't you against that?!"
"I learned one thing. Monsters are not born. They are created. All of my life, I've been walled off from people. Subjected to horrible things, even by my own family. Treated as nothing more than a beast. Used...betrayed..." Elsa closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face."But...my friends gave me the courage to fight on. And Allister...was the sole reason I kept going back then. When everything seemed too hopeless...and I just wanted to end it all...I knew we would see each other again...But now..."
Allister and Mona flashed in her mind momentarily, causing her to start sobbing.
"I won't even get that life! So why should I stop now?! All I can do is keep going until the flame of my life extinguishes! I wish...I wish I didn't know what happiness even was! If this was going to happen...then I WISH I HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED HOPE!" Closing the compartment, Elsa lunged once more toward the Symphogear and attempted to strike them down with her giant claws.
"Tsubasa-san!" Hibiki kicked Millaarc away, allowing Tsubasa some room to breathe."We have to go help them! They're in trouble!"
"We have our own battles to deal with!" Tsubasa grunted, pushing Hibiki away to block an incoming barrage of bullets from Vanessa."Just like you trusted me and Yosuke. We have to trust them!"
Meanwhile, Kirika and Shirabe were barely blocking Elsa's attacks that were not picking up in speed. Her metallic beast started to glow red, now moving so fast it looked like there were multiple of them.
"Kiri-chan!"
"I know-desu!"
Both girls raised their arms, a gold sphere covering them and blocking Elsa's attack, bouncing her away."T-those Gears!"
"We'll stop you with our freshly unleashed Amalgam/-desu!" Both girls declared, wielding their respective weapons.
(Play Cutting Edge×2 Ready go!)
"This changes nothing-de-arimasu!" Elsa shouted, picking up her speed and rushing toward them once more. But this time, they were more than prepared. Kirika swung her scythe, slamming it against Elsa's side despite her insane speed.
"Impossible! She was able to stop me in full acceleration?!"
Shirabe hurled her new shield-yoyo, but Elsa caught her with her claws. To her shock, the shield turned into a robotic version of Kirika, kicking the beast away.
"What the fuck is that?!" Elsa found herself yelling, shaking her."Doesn't matter! I will cut you down!"
Elsa curled up into ball form once more, spinning toward the Zababa duo. The girls leaped out of the way to avoid the attack, but Elsa circled around for another attack. The girls nodded at each other. Shirabe maneuvered her strings, turning her robot to change form. Kirika threw her scythe at it as it split up into different blames. The blades and the robot combined, forming a large dual-color bear trap. Now both girls had strings attached to their combined attack, throwing it toward Elsa as she collided against the middle. Like any bear trap, it sprung shut, trapping her inside as it began to spin around, cutting away at her armor. With a roar, both girls swung the bear cage down to the ground.
Polyfilm Scissor Love Dreams
Advent: Genocider
An amalgamation of Venosnaker, Volcancer, and Magnugiga emerged from the ground, opening a large hole in its belly as it began to suck in parts of the bear trap."
"What the fuck?!" Chris cursed, stopping her attacks on Vanessa.
"He's here?!" Tsubasa bit her lower lip.
However, the bear trap fell on top of Genocider. Although it had absorbed parts of it, it hadn't been fast enough to do it in time and it created an explosion. Shirabe and Kirika rushed to the scene, staring in shock upon noticing Ouja on top of Elsa. Her attachments had been destroyed after the impact, and Ouja's left arm was bleeding profusely after jumping in and getting Elsa out before impact, cutting himself in the process.
"A-Allie...?! Why are you here...?!" Elsa's heart sank when she noticed the gash on his arm."You're bleeding!"
"I'm sorry, Ellie..." Ouja muttered, disregarding his wound."I'm sorry for...looking away..."
"Allister, what...? What are you saying...?" Elsa cupped the side of his helmet.
"You're my whole reason to live...I know that sounds rather childish and perhaps a bit possessive, but...All this time, I've been looking for my own emotion. To feel what others feel. To remind myself that I am human too. But...all that time in the House of Grey...all those experiments done on my brain...and all the people I've killed...It made me twist that idea...and I thought that the only way I could ever be satisfied was by seeing someone else's emotion shine through...Something so pure and powerful, directed toward the greatest objective. But it was all an excuse...Because that's what I wanted...and I was reminded of that when I met Mona and I met you again."
Allister removed his helmet, clasping her hands with his own."Ever since we were kids, we were together, remember? We survived in that harsh town...but we were happy. I was so happy...I...I'm sorry...if I hadn't left...If I hadn't taken part in the Assassin Program...I wouldn't have left you alone...You wouldn't have suffered alone..."
"Allister, it's okay." Elsa whispered, staring at him lovingly."It's fine...Everything...it worked out somehow. I'm the one who should apologize, Allie. I'm...I'm a monster now-de-arimasu...A complete and utter monster...I didn't tell you before because I was afraid of what you would think of me, but-"
"I don't care what you are." Allister cut her off, surprising her."I don't care if you're a human, a monster, an alien, a demon, or whatever. I fell in love with the person right here. Elsa Bete" He poked at her chest."The person inside her. Besides...If you think you're a monster, then I must be the biggest monster humanity has ever seen. But...regardless of that...I still love you. And I hope you love me too-"
"Of course I love you! Of course, I do!" She shouted, her emotions finally being let out."I love you...I don't want you to leave me..."
"I will never. And I know another person that wouldn't either."
"Huh?"
"Mother!" Mona climbed down the crater as fast as she could.
"Wait, what?!" Kirika's eyes widened in shock."Where did that little girl come from-desu?!"
"She must have been accompanied by Cypher..." Shirabe guessed, perplexed.
"Mother!" Mona jogged toward the older pink-haired girl, throwing her arms around her frame."I missed you so much, Mother...Come back with us please..."
"Mona-chan..." Elsa covered her mouth."But I'm..."
"I want you to be happy, Mother...I want you to smile! And...and I want Father to be happy too! I want to be happy!" The girl grabbed Elsa's hand then Allister's."Could...could we be a family? I know it sounds like I'm rushing things, but...My parents sold me away when I was very young...so I'm not sure what it's like to have a loving family...I want to...at least try. Is that okay?"
"Can...can I really dream of that...? Can I dream of being happy?" Elsa pondered aloud but got the answer in the form of a kiss from Allister.
"It doesn't have to be a dream. We can make it a reality." He smiled gently."Let's make a paradise together...the three of us..."
'That's right.' Allister closed his eyes.'I don't need to keep fighting for the Disasters of Valhalla. I already have...all I ever needed.'
"I love you..." Allister leaned in for a kiss, which Elsa more than happily accepted. Mona beamed, squeezing in between them as they both hugged her.
"I love you too..." She muttered in his embrace.
Allister's eyes suddenly shot wide open, pushing Mona and Elsa away, blocking an incoming barrage of arrows from Chris with his good arm.
"Allister/Father!" Both girls yelled.
"I hope you enjoyed that little talk!" Chris smirked savagely, aiming her sniper rifle at Ouja."Because now it's time I get rid of the problem! Straight from the root!"
"Yukine! Stop!" Tsubasa shouted.
However, Vanessa shot several missiles at Chris, forcing the girl to back away.
"Elsa!" Millaarc descended to where the two girls were."Are you okay?!"
"WE HAVE TO KILL HIM! HE'S RIGHT THERE!" Chris ran toward where everyone was gathering, anger fueling her."OR I'LL HAVE TO KILL THAT BITCH SO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW I FEEL!"
"We've done our part and destroyed the rocket. Now they won't be able to reach the moon." Vanessa declared, pulling out a golden vial. However, as soon as she was about to break it, Tsubasa slashed at the vial, causing Vanessa dro drop it.
"Tsubasa-senpai! I'm not letting you go alone!" Chris leaped in their direction. Ouja clicked his tongue, realizing Chris' intention of endangering Elsa, and ran after her. Hibiki, Shirabe, Kirika, and Maria all came into range as they were all teleported away, leaving not a sign of them behind.
Bragi and Angelo crashed into the ocean, submerging deep inside as they continued to fight. The hybrid shot several dark matter projectiles from his magic circles, forcing Angelo to parry them with his demonic claws.
"Partial transformation, huh? Interesting. He must be conserving his powers." Beelzebub remarked.
'So are we!' Bragi stretched out his arm.'Attract!'
Angelo grimaced, feeling his body being pulled into Bragi, who created a Dark Matter blade in his hand. However, this was part of Angelo's plan, who had intentionally kept his left hand hiding behind him.
"BRAGIGI! STOP HIM!"
On instinct, Bragi kicked Angelo's left arm away as soon as he aimed, watching the Dissect cut through the water and create a large gash on the crust. Angelo went in for a jab, but Bragi dodged and positioned himself below Angelo, conjuring wires and tying them around his leg before using them to throw the demon boy back out of the water. Angelo sprouted out two fire wings from his back, using them to keep himself in the air while Bragi used his gravity.
"Seems you've gotten way better from before." Angelo remarked, wiping some blood off his lip."It was a good idea to separate you from the others. You're dangerous."
"Right back to you. I'm impressed." Bragi smirked."Guess that new power of yours is coming in handy. All you had to do was become the slave of someone else."
"You call it being a slave, I call it using every opportunity to rise from the ground." Angelo clicked his tongue."I learned that the hard way. My life was taken from me and I was given a power I never even asked for. However, I accepted that power. Because this power turned from a curse into a blessing. I need this power if I want to get rid of all the waste of space like you in this world. And give birth to a world where everyone is a monster. How ironic. Your father originally gave me my power to experiment, but I will use it to kill you and finally put an end to that cursed family."
"First comes you, then Shem-Ha." Bragi declared."I'm not going to wait any longer. I'm going to save Miku-san."
"Then let's cut to the chase and stop the warm-up." Angelo splayed his arms."We both don't have time to lose and have lots of reasons to end this fight. But let it be known, this is going to be the last round."
"Fine with me." Bragi took out his Deck as his V Buckle appeared around his waist."Henshin!"
The red-haired transformed into his demon form, opening his mouth and revealing his sharp set of teeth.
Alternative stared down at the demon with confidence, ready to engage in combat.'Don't worry, Miku-san. I'm coming to save you.'
'Hang in there, girls. Millaarc...After today, we can finally put that chapter of our lives to a close.' Angelo growled as flames surrounded his body."After all these years...justice will finally be served, Bragard."
Meanwhile, Beelzebub smirked inside of Bragi deviously.'Satan...How lucky of me to have found this kid. I'm going to do what I should have done ages ago and break your stupid face, asshole!'
And finally, we're entering the final battle. You may ask: Final battle? But Noble Red still hasn't been beaten except for Elsa. Well, that's because from here on out, we're diving into what leads to the final fights. Also, everything happens in a single day. We're starting strong. And the battle of the two demon wielders is heating up. A fight on Earth and a fight on the moon.