(A New Distortion and A new series of events that have been laid in front of us. Let us see where things go next.)

Bold = English Conversations

Bold + Italics = Japanese Conversations

Distortion 51

The 6th hierarchical city of Yabiko, the hierarchical city that was hosting the Battle of Ragna The Bloodedge, was currently under great buzz. The crowd was originally watching a series of boring battles, various competitors struggling to give the crowd a show that they would be interested in as for some reason, the displays of Ars Magus were much weaker than normal. Nobody really cared for the battles they were watching, only for the next set of battles to be much more interesting than they were.

But with the appearance of the Mad Dog Azrael, the crowd began to rile up in excitement. They were unaware that their lives were in danger, the years of being kept in the dark about the Ikaruga war only told them that they were looking at one of the legends of the Ikaruga war, despite the crimes he committed. Some of the crowd were noticeably nervous seeing this in front of them and wanted to leave as higher up in the arena, in the boxes, a couple of individuals watched this happen in front of them.

"The son of bitch finally showed up, about damn time too." A Black haired man, the black knight, Kagura Mutsuki said as his arms were crossed at that moment, a small furrow of his brow was present as he and a couple of his associates had orchestrated this whole event as nothing but a way to ensnare their targets and the mad dog was one of them. "Hey get some medical staff down to the changing rooms, something tells me that Azrael didn't just go for Bob." Kagura continued as a brown haired girl approached Kagura at that moment.

"Should I go down there and help them out?" the brown haired girl questioned as another pair of footsteps could be heard. "It would be wise to not do so Celica. Magic is a rarity even in this age so you may cause more of a commotion than anything." A blond haired little girl, Rachel Alucard said as Celica sighed before nodding her head. "Regardless of what is going on, it's clear that Azrael's here right now. Should we go and help her out?" A white haired man questioned, his red coat with it's many belt buckles jingling as a result.

"As much as I would like to go and help a bombshell beauty like her out, We have got to wait for a bit. You okay with that Ragna?" Kagura said as Ragna looked a bit visibly annoyed upon hearing this. "You better have good reason for this." Ragna simply said, deciding to hold back his tongue at that moment, keeping his composure. "I do, Kokonoe how are things coming along your end." Kagura questioned.

"Just need more time. Getting fixed coordinates is proving to be a bit of a bitch here." Kokonoe said as Ragna couldn't help but look at Kagura in confusion upon hearing that. "We both know that fighting someone like the mad dog is hard enough, let alone defeat him. Even for me that's difficult." Kagura explained as he made sure Ragna was following. "So instead of doing that, we are going to send him to a special jail created for him, a jail that is sandwiched between dimensions." Kagura further explained as Ragna now understood the plan.

"So if that's the plan, how long do you think Bullet over there is going to last?" Ragna questioned as everyone suddenly became quiet upon hearing that. Their eyes were fixed upon the sight of this lone mercenary staring down one of the biggest calamities known to mankind. The silence was brief but someone had to break it as the communicator clicked, allowing Professor Kokonoe to give her honest opinion about the current situation in front of her.

"...With the way things are… It will take a miracle for her to survive…"

As those above discussed things that were only for themselves, Bullet was simply cursing her bad luck at that moment. Her leads about Sector Seven, Kokonoe and the Red Devil were drying up and she was also running low on funds. So when this tournament was announced, she couldn't help but think about how lucky she was. She had the chance to talk directly to Kagura Mutsuki, a man who inner circles say knows things about Kokonoe and also collect the bounty of Ragna The Bloodedge which will allow her to secure her funds for life.

What she did not expect was for her chances to be spoiled in such a grand manner with Azrael of all people showing up in the arena. "So. You're Azrael huh…" Bullet questioned as the blue haired, tan skinned muscled freak simply yawned in front of her. "Yeah… that's me. Sorry about that. It's just that when I heard that there was a tournament being held here I thought I would get to taste some good quality prey, what I got was simply appalling." Azrael explained.

"Prey? You mean Bob and the other contestants?" Bullet questioned as Azrael simply nodded his head. "Bob's back broke with me just tapping it lightly with my hand and the other contestants… well I had then folded up nicely and placed at the corner. They are breathing but man they bore me." Azrael explained as Bullet couldn't help but feel a sense of disgust upon hearing what she had just heard.

"I mean. Both Ragna The Bloodedge and Kagura Mutsuki went through all of this trouble to invite me and while I am flattered to be as recognizable as I am right now, it also makes things annoying." Azrael explained as Bullet couldn't help but growl underneath her breath upon hearing that. "To think that the man whose name is the kind listed in history books as one of the biggest scum in the world is concerned with his own reputation…!?" her own sentence was stopped when she realized the intentions of the Mad Dog.

Bullet: Wait a damn minute there, Ragna Tbe Bloodedge and Kagura Mutsuki? Fuck off! I need those two!

Azrael: And that matters why? You're nothing but a pest that is currently spoiling my entree.

Bullet: Hmph...Fine. You can have Ragna The Bloodedge then. But leave Kagura Mutsuki until I am done with him. I need the information he has regarding both the Grimalkin and the Red Devil.

Azrael: Oh? You too huh. Well that's too bad. I am also after the damn cat and her red manservant too.

Bullet: Once again, Fuck off! Those two are my targets! Back off!

"Back off hmmm? It seems you are misunderstanding something here." Azrael said before extending out his arm. "In this world only the strong are my prey! Only the strong can satiate the hunger that lingers inside me! But lord behold someone has decided to stand in my way." Azrael explained as his eyes glared right at Bullet at that moment. "So what am I to do? Why it's obvious! I will do as all predators do and simply devour anything and everything that stands in my way to my feast!" Azrael shouted, gesturing with his hand for her to come for him.

"Tch, You really are a monster. So it's a fight you want huh? Fine. I'll give it to you." Bullet said as she slowly assumed her normal fighting stance. As she did so, a detail on the jacket she wore caught Azrael's eye at that moment. "Hey wait a minute...That badge. Have we...met somewhere before?" Azrael questioned as Bullet's eyes widened upon hearing his question. How did Azrael, the mad dog of all people know about the badge of her former mercenary group?

"Hmmm… it has been quite a long time but that badge belonged to a mercenary group I met in Naobi...no?" Azrael said, closing his eyes and trying to stimulate his own memory as he was unaware of the reaction that Bullet's face was making upon hearing the name of her old group being uttered by a monster like him. "This is the first time we are meeting...but if you are talking about my badge then you must be…" Before she could finish her sentence, Azrael glared at her direction, a small smile forming underneath his face as he put two and two together.

"Ahhh. So you are part of that group… Oh now things have become much more interesting." Azrael said as Bullet's eyes told him that he was right on the money. "Explain...Now…" Bullet sternly asked as if she was asking questions the way she was then that told him he could potentially get a more exciting fight out of her. "Hmmm… it had been a few years, probably just before I was tossed into that freezer of a prison." Azrael said as he placed his finger on his chin, thinking greatly.

"I forgot the job I was doing at the time that made me face them in the first place. But they were quite the resilient bunch. I even let one of them get away that day." Azrael explained as Bullet trembled a bit hearing that. Just knowing that one of her squad mates was enough to let her know there was still hope in finding out the truth. "But the sounds they made that day, their cries of pain and suffering as they called out for their commander while they waved their broken arms and legs helplessly in the air."

The words Azrael spoke were carefully chosen to not only entice Bullet into fighting him but also to express the feelings he had on that fateful day as Bullet saw a small smile grow on his face as the anger in her heart continued to grow. "Even now, whenever I think about that day, what I saw and the fight they gave. I cannot help but laugh thinking about the despair they felt that day." Azrael said, the smile becoming a full out grin as Bullet's blood boiled at that moment.

"...When did this happen… Give me a proper damn date you dog." Bullet said, her voice struggling to not shout in anger as Azrael understood that it just took a little bit more for her to snap and attack him. "Well… about that. You see, I don't really bother trying to remember when and where I tear up my prey. All I care is if they were even worth remembering or not. Be glad that your little mercenary group was strong enough to make me laugh." Azrael said, his last words acting more as a taunt as Bullet grew sick of what she was hearing at that moment and snapped.

"Then I guess I will just have to jog that memory of yours, MAD DOG!" Bullet yelled as she charged right for him, her fists clenched as hard as they could as Azrael grinned at the fighting spirit he felt. "Hmph, you will make for a fine snack." Azrael said as per the conditions placed upon him by the higher ups of Sector Seven, he had to allow Bullet the first strike as she threw a rather careless punch in front of the mad dog, one that was briefly consumed by the emotions she felt deep inside as Azrael retaliated by throwing his own punch aimed right for Bullet's own head to sever it.

Bullet was able to dodge such a predictable attack as the mad dog purposely swung his punch with the quality a drunk would do so. He could have fought her in a much more serious stance, narrowed his punch and even feinted his blows but what was the point of doing so if it would mean his opponent would easily keel over and die in one hit. He wanted battle, not wasteful slaughter… slaughter in this case meaning his opponents dying before he can see what they truly do.

Bullet herself felt disgusted that the Mad Dog was lowering himself to that level, as if saying that she was not capable of fighting him. To prove her point and try to force the man to fight a bit harder, she slipped past his sloppy punch to then grab him by his arm and toss him right at the ground. Azrael, feeling the sand touch his back barely felt any pain as Bullet followed this with a stomp to his face.

A normal combination like this would have been enough to incapacitate a normal person but Azrael was not fazed by the blow he had just taken. He calmly stood up, Bullet still holding him in a restraining manner to try and break his arm. He answered this attempt by slowly raising his arm before attempting to smash Bullet on the ground by swinging his arm violently towards the ground. Bullet herself was able to react by letting go of her grip on Azrael's arm, rolling in the process as she reacted instinctively

"FLINT SHOOTER!" Bullet shouted as she released flames on the ground. Normally these flames would be quite big and dance around towards their target. But much to Bullet's shock, the flames that emerged for her flint shooter were much weaker than normal. 'Dammit! Did those NOL sponsors not even fix the current ars magus problem everyone is having right now?!' Bullet questioned as Azrael felt the fire touch his feet

"What was that? A matchstick?" Azrael said, unfazed by the flames that danced around his foot as he raised and stomped on it, easily extinguishing it. The force needed to do so in one strike is truly astounding but that was nothing to be impressed with at the moment. But this was no time for Bullet to be impressed as she shook her head feverishly. She had to be careful with the kind of Ars Magus she used, especially against a monster like Azrael who due to not using Ars Magus as much is unable to tell the difference between strong and weak ars magus, especially under interfering forces.

'If the Ars Magus is still weakened, then the only way to combat this mad dog is at close range!' Bullet thought as she rushed right for Azrael, him noticing her gauntlets open up as she did so. In an instant, she lunged towards him and immediately had her hands on his face, tossing him high into the air. Azrael whistled as his eyes gazed upon Bullet once again, seeing a ring emerge out of her body as the ring soon surrounded him.

As soon as this ring touched him, Bullet immediately was in front of him slamming her foot down his stomach as he went flying towards the ground. Once again his body made impact and once again he stood up as if he suffered no damage, yet a grin began to form on his face. "Oh… you're capable of this much. Good good. At least you don't disgrace the good name of the mercenary group that badge belongs to." Azrael commented as Bullet gritted her teeth.

"As if I need to hear such hollow words from you!" Bullet shouted as she once again formed the ring around Azrael as he grinned. He purposely waited a bit for the ring to grow, almost to the point it could touch him before vanishing in front of her eyes. This caused Bullet's technique to fail as she descended down to the ground, landing on her two feet as she looked around to see that Azrael had only just moved a few steps back from her ring's radius.

"A fancy trick. But unfortunately once you know the secret it's nothing big." Azrael said as Bullet couldn't believe what she had just heard. 'The Mad Dog? Able to understand how Smash Hail works?! From just me using it in a series of attacks? Damn him!' Bullet thought as she did not want to think that the Mad Dog was capable of deeper thought but then again, it makes sense a man that looks like a brute would be capable of stuff like this.

"But dodging will only make things more boring. So come on. Entertain me already." Azrael shouted, waving his hands in a taunting gesture as Bullet gritted her teeth upon seeing such a gesture and immediately activated her Smash Hail once again, the ring forming around Azrael and allowing her to dash towards him, this time her going for a sweep via her gauntlets. Azrael did not bother trying to move, instead taking a step back to prevent the move from actually hitting him as Bullet was not done yet.

She began to throw a series of combination blows that were aimed at several of Azrael's vitals. The Mad Dog, unfazed by such attacks merely took the blows, his muscles acting like armor in the face of such feeble blows. 'Hmmm… her technique is great and her power is there… but at the same time it all feels a bit...lacking?' Azrael thought as Bullet managed to land a blow that gave him some hope.

"Oh I actually felt that one." Azrael said, looking at his right arm as he could see that Bullet had struck him at that point, a slight bruise having formed there. "But that can't be it. More. Give me more!" Azrael taunted, Bullet gritting her teeth as she couldn't believe such a monster could enjoy the beating that he was current receiving. "YOU GOD DAMN MONSTER!" Bullet shouted as she even went with a low blow, striking him at his genitals as that would normally be a critical hit for most men.

Azrael however merely leapt a bit in the air, the force nothing more than just a gust of wind at that moment. "Hmmmm… Oi Oi is that really it? Come on now, a low blow is supposed to hurt even more than just that." Azrael explained as his grin began to sour. Bullet herself couldn't believe what she was facing, a low blow like that would have felt like being struck by a truck or a 1000 needles raining down someone's back. Yet all the Mad Dog felt was nothing but just discomfort as he merely did a few stretches to relax his body.

Bullet made a loud war cry, raising her fist to try and strike Azrael once again but Azrael, growing a bit sick of playing with his food decides to actually put in some effort. As Bullet's fist rushed towards him, his Aura briefly flared up before fully engulfing him, becoming a shield to protect him from the blow he was supposed to receive as he simply applied more of his aura to easily repel Bullet completely, sending her tumbling to the ground as he scratched his head upon defending such an easy attack.

"Is that really it? I have allowed you to wail at me for quite a while now but is that truly it?" Azrael questioned as Bullet cannot help but feel offended by such a statement. "How...How dare you look down on me!" Bullet yelled, her anger taking over as she charged right for Azrael, her gauntlets spurting out flames as Azrael's eyes raised at that moment. Azrael kept his aura up, weakening it slightly so that Bullet's next attack won't just repel itself off it as Bullet screamed, putting everything she had into that one strike as the Smash Hail transformed into what looked to be a pile bunker to try and dump as much power into this next attack possible to offset the weakening of the Ars Magus.

"EAT THIS!" Bullet yelled as she dumped all of her power into that next strike, causing a massive explosion that blew throughout the arena as everyone watching had to shield their eyes from the massive burst of light to avoid becoming temporarily blind. As the dust cleared, Bullet herself was sure that her attack had some effect as she released her grip on Azrael's head at that moment. Her eyes then widened in both shock and a growing sense of horror as when the dust settled, she was greeted with a horrifying sight.

"...All of that pizaz for what amounts to hot air… are you trying to play with me?" Azrael questioned as Bullet could only feel the color in her face drain as Azrael sighed and cracked his neck. "Right… since I have been so kind to let you wail on me. I am going to give you a bit of a taste of what I can do…" Azrael said as while she was not worthy of his strength, he could at least show her the gulf that exists between their strengths.

He raised his arm in the air and tensed his fist. He then swung with technique only present to most boxers as it was both tight and powerful. Bullet raised her hand to guard, even forming a barrier no matter how weak it was to defend herself from fatal damage. Azrael's haymaker crashed and smashed Bullet's barrier with ease, striking Bullet's arm at that moment as the metal gauntlet helped in preventing her arm from being severed completely.

It did not however prevent her arm from breaking as Bullet could feel the bones on both her upper and lower arm crack and break, screaming in pain as Azrael was not done yet, raising his foot to stomp on Bullet's left foot, the foot she had been using and leaning onto, shattering it badly to the point Bullet tumbled back in pain, panting heavily as her mind struggled to not faint at that moment. "Come on now, those mercenaries never stopped coming at me even with broken arms and legs. Don't tell me that's all you got."

Bullet, unable to focus on speaking as the pain was starting to get to her simply yelled from the top of her lungs and charged at Azrael with her other functioning arm. She felt unstable losing her lead food to throw more of her strength with so her punch was much weaker than normal. Azrael able to see the writing on the wall did not even bother trying to defend himself, only raising his hand to catch Bullet's fist as it was coming towards him.

As soon as his hand caught Bullet's fist, he grinned a bit as he suddenly gripped tightly on it. This single action was enough to make Bullet scream out in pain as he crushed with enough force to easily break Bullet's hand before tossing it to the side and with a karate chop, smashed his it on the hand while it still dangled, ensuring that her other arm was completely broken in the process and sending her flying towards the wall.

Bullet could not do a thing to reduce the next blow she was going to feel as she soon slammed herself right upon the wall, blood coming out of her mouth as she slowly slid down and crumpled herself to one knee. Her arms simply dangled in the air as she attempted to forcibly tighten them to a fist. Tears began to emerge from her eyes from the excruciating pain she was feeling at that moment. Was this… Was this what her squad mates had to face fighting against such a monster?

"Stand up! Don't tell me that this is the extent of what you got!?" Azrael screamed as Bullet refused to let her honor as a mercenary, her pride in her squad be tarnished like this as she screamed as loud as she could to stand up, her form completely ruined at this point. "I...I am… Not done yet…" Bullet said, gritting through her teeth and bearing the pain she felt throughout her body as Azrael was at least impressed by the tenacity she displayed.

"In that case… If you can survive this next blow, You get to have one more strike on me. So try to dodge would you." Azrael said as energy began to grow in Azrael's foot that he raised. He then lunged forward, covering a great distance as Bullet tried to find the energy to dodge but was unable to. Instead, finding all of the strength in her body, she weakly raised her hands up to defend herself, forming a barrier in a last ditch attempt to survive as Azrael could feel her desperation at that moment and simply grinned to himself, pleased to see such fight remaining in that broken shell of a woman.

"For...For my teammates...I cannot…" Before Bullet could finish her sentence, Azrael's foot already crashed itself on her barrier. She tried to hang on for as long as she could but it was no use as the barrier easily shattered and her arms were met with his foot. She felt a brief sensation of pain before nothing as her arms were completely broken at that point, the nerves that held them up were severed as they helplessly dangled as Azrael's foot met contact with her ribs at that moment.

Time seemed to slow down for Bullet at that moment as she felt every single inch of Azrael's fist slowly and painfully grind itself upon her body. She wanted to scream desperately but the pain was simply unbearable. Blood didn't just emerge from her mouth this time but also her nose and eyes, the pain simply too much to bear. The remaining leg she was using to stand on barely contained the blow as she soon felt reality come rushing back in as she collapsed to the ground, coughing out blood heavily.

Azrael simply stepped back at that moment. He was sure that he gave her the lightest strike he could muster. Then again, holding back was never his strong suit, that was why he gave himself a series of restrictions in the first place, ranging from level 1 to level 8. if it wasn't for Enchant Dragunov, Bullet would have been turned to paste instead of the crumbled mess that she was right now in front of Azrael's eyes.

"Hmph… nothing but a snack after all." Azrael said as he turned his back on the mercenary, ready to go and make his challenge for the Grim Reaper and Black Knight. At that moment, he could feel the fighting spirit behind him linger as he turned around to see Bullet, despite the fatal injuries she had just sustain stand up, her remaining leg struggling to hold her upright as her arms dangled uselessly, unable to even make a fist at that moment.

"I...Am...Not...Giving up…" Bullet said with labored breath. While she was able to stand up it was clear she was burning the flickers of her already fragile life to do so. "Oh? Is that so?" Azrael said, not even sounding interested for the woman that his back was faced at that moment. "I did promise you one free shot if you survived...so go ahead. Give me your best shot." Azrael said as he turned to face Bullet at that moment, ready to meet her final show of resistance with everything he had.

It was a painful sight to behold, The audience watching had long ceased their cheers and cries. The sight in front of them was just too painful to bear witness to as some even turned away to not see what they saw any further. Bullet dragged herself closer to Azrael, blood spilling from any opening it could find, creating a trail of blood as she was soon face to face with the Mad Dog. People respected the woman in front of them for trying to stand up against such a monster but enough had to be enough at this point.

To Bullet however, the crowd did not matter to her one single bit. All she wanted to do at that moment was just one strike. If she could just land one strike on that man, maybe...just maybe that will be the strike that will be the one to finish it. Maybe she can make her squad mates watching her from where they are currently proud as she could feel her life fading from her body. She could feel all of her life and regrets flash before her eyes as she wished she could do so much more. But at the very least, with the last inch of life that was in her body.

...She would at least try to be remembered as a somebody rather than just a foot note…

Kagura Mutsuki gritted underneath his teeth. Ragna and Celica both had just run off to save Bullet while he contemplated doing the same thing. "Why the hesitation to do so Mr Black Knight?" Rachel behind him questioned as Kagura chuckled upon hearing that. "Why I don't want to look not cool in front of the ladies in live television you know." Kagura joked as Rachel could easily see through his true intentions as he sighed at that.

"Don't get me wrong here Miss Rachel. I would love to go down there and fight but something tells me not to just yet." Kagura explained as Rachel could understand his intentions with the way he phrased things. "In the mean time, I can only hope that Ragna is able to buy Kokonoe enough time to get the coordinates we need to lock up that monster for good." Kagura said as he felt his communicator act up at that moment.

"Of all times…" Kagura grumbled as he already had his hands tied with the whole situation that was in front of him. If the imperator and her goons were to start their own plans now… "Kagura here, what is it now?" Kagura questioned as he could hear labored breathing come from the communicator at that moment. "W-We have bad news!" The soldier said at that moment as Kagura thought that the worst case scenario had just happened.

Before he could question any further what had just happened, everyone could suddenly hear the sounds of what seemed to be a vehicle coming their way. But that shouldn't be possible, the arena itself was not designed to have any way for vehicles to enter. Their thoughts would then be answered when from behind one of the massive doors used to let people in the arena, a loud crashing sound could be heard, dust and heat immediately rushing from that point.

A motorcycle, a motorcycle was responsible for the noise but that wasn't all. That motorcycle was being driven recklessly by someone as they did not hesitate to drive down the stairs that are used to escort people to their seats. This caused some people to rightfully panic as some pushed away to avoid being crushed as due to the uneven nature of the stairs, they acted as small bumps, causing the front of the motorcycle to lift and occasionally slam on an empty seat that an audience member had managed to evacuate from.

The ridiculous sight in front of them did not stop however as the driver found a ramp that had been created when Bullet slammed on the wall, giving them a chance to use it as a ramp to drive up and launch the motorcycle right towards the mad dog, jumping off at the same time as Azrael didn't need to feel any kind of fighting intent from a motorcycle to defend himself as he raised his hand to catch the now empty motorcycle as the rubber screeched on his hand, causing what should be rubber burn mild discomfort instead.

But that was not all he felt at that moment as suddenly he felt something wet touch his face. He used his free hand to touch what it was and saw a black substance. Soon the smell confirmed what he needed as he immediately formed an aura around himself as suddenly the bike exploded via the sound of a gun shot ringing in the air. Guns at this age, while not extinct were rare so the sound of gunfire was enough to make most of the audience evacuate at that moment as panic had settled among the crowd.

"An individual on a motorcycle was recklessly driving towards the Arena!" The soldier finally said, Probably too late as Kagura simply hung up at that moment, his mind struggling to process the ridiculousness of the scene he was just witnessing. "I need to go down and make sure things are alright down there." Kagura said, immediately running as he wanted to assess the situation immediately, leaving Rachel to be by her lonesome at that moment.

"My… to think that such an event would happen in this time…!" before Rachel could finish her sentence, her eyes caught a glimpse of the person that was responsible for what had just happened. Though it was just for a brief moment and she did not see their face completely. She saw enough features to know who that person was. Rachel couldn't help but muse to herself as even with her fading memory of the individual in front of them, if they made such a dramatic entrance like that.

...Then there was no way, even with the use of Phenomena Intervention she could forget the man in front of her..

Bullet's awareness of her surroundings was weak at best. The last thing she had felt was her body being pushed to the side, not by a punch but instead by a blast of hot air that wasn't her gauntlets. "Are...Alright…" A voice called out as she wondered who could it be, was it an angel? Or a devil? Were they bringing her back to her squad mates in whatever hell they were in at that moment? Regardless, she needed to open her eyes and see for herself where she was.

When she did, she realized that somehow, in some miracle, she was still alive and breathing at that moment. She then looked up to see her savior, dragging her away from the battlefield towards an open gate. She tried to push the man away but the man simply tightened his grip on the woman. "Don't resist… You...Rest" The voice said as her hearing was slowly coming back to her at that moment. "Don't...Ahgh...get in...my way…" Bullet weakly said, the man simply tightening his grip on her as she tried to push him away even more.

"I refuse… let you...hurt…" The voice explained as the voice sounded more and more clear to her. Yet at the same time she cannot afford to give up now. "If I don't...Do this...then my squad mates...their deaths…" Bullet moaned as this was the reason why she fought. She was not fighting for herself but because someone had the gall to insult the honor of her teammates, treating their deaths as nothing but empty boasts and their suffering and pain as mere entertainment.

"If you value your team mates then you must live for them." The voice spoke, his voice now clear for her ears to hear as her vision at the same time cleared up for her to see who it was that was carrying her away. His white hair matched with his yellow left eye and blind right eye. The arm that had been carrying her away was not a normal human arm or even an expertly made prosthetic but a series of metal parts laid on top of each other. His clothes were rather simple, just a series of black and white clothes as she could tell from just looking at him, he was a mercenary like she was.

"You wear that badge with pride don't you? Then show some damn pride and continue to live. You are their living legacy after all. You must live until the truth is revealed to your eyes." The voice explained as Bullet felt a sense of peace in her heart at that moment. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, maybe she had been blinded by Azrael's taunts but hearing someone speak well of her old mercenary group gave her a sense of peace at that moment.

"So come on. Don't be stubborn and just accept this help for you." The man said as Bullet, feeling her mind calm down, finally agreed without much resistance. As her consciousness finally faded at that moment, the person dragging her to safety focused on the gate in front of him. He heard two pairs of footsteps approaching his way as he took a deep breath, thinking about what he was going to do next at that very moment.

Meanwhile, those pair of footsteps belonging to Ragna and Celica approached the gate. They had heard the explosion that occurred in the arena and had no idea that someone had just drove a motorcycle into the arena and shot it's gas tank to cause a massive explosion. They were worried that the worst had happened to the woman and they decided to hurry. Soon they arrived at the gate and saw the woman being carried by another individual.

"Bullet!" Celica shouted, going to assist the stranger in front of her as Ragna slowed back. He looked at the individual in front of him as he held his head at that moment. He felt something akin to a haze in his mind as he tried to focus his gaze on the person in front of him. "She's not going to survive without any kind of healing." The man said as he laid Bullet in front of Celica. "Don't worry about her, I got things from here." Celica said as she began to place her focus on healing Bullet, especially at her arms to save them from being amputated.

As Celica focused on saving the mercenary, The man stood up and approached the gate. "Hey you! Where are you going?" Ragna questioned as the man did not reply immediately. He stayed quiet for a bit while approaching the gate. "I said, Where are you going." Ragna asked again as when the man greeted him with more silence, Ragna simply walked faster to catch up to the man before he could step back into the arena.

"You are aware who is out there right?" Ragna questioned as the man simply nodded his head at that. "I do. And Trust me when I say this. This is for everyone's good." The man said, pushing Ragna back as his white hair, yellow left eye and blind right eye looked at him with a look of pain before walking past the gate. Ragna stumbled upon his ass as before he could stand up to catch up to the man, he heard a loud bang in the air, causing him to cover his ears due to how close it was.

As soon as he heard the sound of gunfire, he heard another series of sounds. First it was the sound of chains snapping followed by metal slamming hard on the ground. Dust kicked up at that moment and caked Ragna's face as his vision soon cleared, allowing him to see that the massive metal barrier that normally was raised was now slammed shut as another gun shot was heard at that moment and it was followed by another set of chains and metal crashing to the ground.

"OH...OH MY! A surprise contender has made their way to the arena! Was this planned by the NOL!?" The announcer, still shot calling despite the majority of the crowd having left at this point, said as he was determined to do his job until it was too dangerous to do so. That threshold was reached when he saw the white haired man raise his gun towards his way and fire a bullet right his way. He ducked at that moment but the fact he had been shot at told him that the NOL definitely did not hire this man as a surprise contender.

"O-OH SHIT! ALRIGHT FOLKS SHOW'S OVER! WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" The announcer shouted as he pressed the panic button at that moment, bringing down several ars magus barriers that surrounded the arena to ensure that the audience could escape safely and the contestants inside cannot escape and cause harm to the people that were running. This was what the person was hoping for as the rubble began to move before Azrael made his appearance to the man.

Without even hesitating, he reloaded the bullets he had fired from his revolver before holstering it away from Azrael as the Mad Dog approached him, dusting off the dirt that had come on top of him as miraculously, even his clothes remained intact as Azrael sighed. "You know how hard it is to get these clothes dry cleaned?" Azrael questioned as the man simply looked at him, not caring for what he has to say at that moment as he cracked his neck before taking a deep breath.

"As if I care about your dry cleaning." The man replied as Ragna punched on the barricades as Kagura and even Rachel approached the group. Celica did not say a word as she focused on healing the woman in front of her at that moment. "Hey Kagura! Get this damn barricade and barrier down now! The guy's going to die if we don't do something!" Ragna shouted as Kagura scratched his head at what he was looking at.

"Damn, Hey Kokonoe, can you get the barrier and barricade down anytime soon?" Kagura questioned as the group could hear the sounds of frustration coming out of the woman. "Fuck of all… The barrier and barricade's open so I got to factor that in for the fixed coordinates and not to mention that I need to work on everything on my end over here to ensure things go well. Even Tager's fucking busy right now." Kokonoe explained as Kagura sighed upon hearing that.

"Looks like we got no choice, Get Hunter to come to the Colosseum. We can use Draco to melt through the metal barricade and barrier." Kagura ordered as Kokonoe sighed upon hearing that. "Fine...Fine! But don't blame me when That mad dog gets excited at the idea of fighting the long dead dragon!" Kokonoe said, ending her communications as Ragna continued to wail on the barricade before finally stopping, feeling frustrated as currently for whatever reason, the Blazblue was not responding to him.

'Dammit...if only the Blazblue would work right now. Then I can just break this stupid thing down.' Ragna thought as Rachel walked towards the barricade, able to see through the slits as she observed the man that was now coming face to face with the Mad Dog. "Tell me Ragna… What do you see right now?" Rachel questioned, for once not speaking in her high and mighty manner but speaking to him frankly. Ragna found this weird but at the same time understood what she was trying to convey.

"A guy who is about to get fucking killed for picking a fight with the Mad Dog of all things." Ragna said as Rachel noticed the look on his face, a look of confusion that had more questions that his answer failed to answer. "It's just...I cannot help but feel like… I actually met him before." Ragna said as Rachel Alucard at that moment chuckled. "So you noticed… even for a mongrel like you that is very impressive." Rachel commented as Ragna wanted to retort against what he had just heard but sighed, holding back his tongue.

"Yes… indeed, You have met that person before." Rachel explained as Ragna was about to say something like, 'What do you mean by that rabbit?' At first but then stopped himself from doing so when he applied some critical thought to that. It was then he realized what that actually meant at that moment as he took a deep breath. "Phenomena Intervention had something to do with it?" Ragna said, stating the most obvious answer that was possible at that moment.

"Indeed… but here is something to think about in this case, if it was truly phenomena intervention you forgot the individual in front of you right now, how can you have that faint feeling of seeing him before." Rachel explained as Ragna's eyes widened upon hearing that, holding back the urge to blurt something out at that moment. Normally, when someone experiences something they felt they had experience before, they usually conclude that it is just a sense of Deja vu, but is it really the case this time?

"Hmph, I don't expect you to answer me immediately mongrel. But do watch carefully what happens next. It may help you through whatever is going through that empty head of yours." Rachel said as Ragna simply scoffed upon hearing that as he decided to ignore her words for now and just focus on the fight that was in front of him. Meanwhile Rachel Alucard herself cannot help but wonder what this fight would mean for those involved, especially a certain Squirrel beastkin that remains dormant as they spoke.

...Now that her dearly beloved, the source of her rebellion against the world had returned to the world be belonged..

SORA POV

Why did I have to make an entrance the way I did? Why couldn't I just think to run through the door and jump into the arena like a normal person? But then again, maybe this was the fastest way possible. Regardless, here I am, in a fight pit with the world's deadliest man staring me down and eager to rip me to shreds if I show any semblance of wanting to fight him. All I have to do is just stare him down and he would get bored and decide to leave, not that the barriers placed around us will do a single thing.

So if my goal is to stall him out, why even seal myself in with him in the first place? I could have easily just allowed Ragna and the Black Knight to show themselves and we could have handled him as a trio if needed. Maybe it's just me or not wanting anyone else to get hurt in this battle but thinking about letting anybody else fight the Mad Dog… it makes me not feel a sense of confidence at all. "Well this is interesting… What kind of look is that?" Azrael questioned as I could tell he wanted to attack me so badly but couldn't as he raised his chin to make himself look bigger to me.

"It's a look to keep you locked up. You can't fight without the person in front of you showing their fighting spirit no?" I said as Azrael's eyes narrowed upon hearing that. "Are you someone from Sector Seven?.. One of Kokonoe's goons maybe?" Azrael questioned as I knew that if I didn't at least try to entertain him in some manner, he will eventually become bored and just break his way through the barrier and barricade where he could potentially rampage all over again.

"Nope… Just a nobody over here." I said as Azrael scoffed upon hearing such a thing. "A nobody who made such a flashy entrance. Got to say, you got balls for trying something like that." Azrael explained as I simply nodded upon hearing that, deciding against speaking any further. "Regardless, it seems like you are content with just staring at me instead of giving me the battle I crave. I in turn, am starting to wonder if that entrance was just for show." Azrael said as he shook his head.

"In fact, I don't even know you. You are starting to remind me of the competitors I folded earlier. Tell me, Are you better than the Grim Reaper and Black Knight? Or are you here to just waste my time." Azrael questioned as I remained quiet upon hearing that. I thought about what he had just said as I knew he was trying to rile me up at that moment. "So tell me, do you just insult people if you cannot get what you want like a child?" I questioned as Azrael scoffed upon hearing my statement.

"And you are starting to annoy me." Azrael retorted, almost with a child like response as I sighed upon hearing that. "But you knew that when you locked the both of us in here. My restriction merely restricts me from being able to fight as I please but not in regards to the environment around me. So there's only two real choices for you. Bore me and let me walk or face me and give me a good fight." Azrael explained. Damn, he may be a monster but there's something to be said about the fact he has an actual brain in that skull of his.

"Though… walk may not be the best word to describe what I would like to do next." Azrael continued, figuring that I was remaining quiet and by talking to me, he could potentially sway me into giving him the combat he seeks. "The Grim Reaper and The Black Knight. They set up this whole farce to lure me into whatever elaborate trap they have for me. Regardless, the chance to face off against them is truly something I cannot ever let go!" Azrael explained as my mind began to think about what another version of him said to me in what felt like a while ago.

"I can smell it in you… the urge to fight." The words of the Azrael of an other timeline ringed in my mind as I closed my eyes for a bit. "That rational of yours says you cannot afford to leave me unintended." The voice continued as I placed my hand on my chest, considering the words that came back to my mind. Was the situation I have just placed myself in a true mirror to that situation in this case?

"Hmph, so you are going to leave me dry. Very well then." Azrael said as he began to stretch his legs, ready to bust down the barricade to leave me. "But just know this, I will keep devouring everything in my way. That may include people you care for. Hopefully they will give me a challenge instead of whatever you are doing to me right now." Azrael said as I opened my eyes at that moment, my mind going to just one question.

"If you want me to fight, then all you have to do is answer a question or two." I asked as Azrael at first scoffed upon hearing that before glaring at me. "What? You some shrink? The last guy who tried to do that was the reason why I have this damn restriction in the first place." Azrael said as without hesitating, I glared at him, allowing him to feel a brief presence of my fighting spirit as that was enough to make him stop from walking off completely as he remained quiet before turning to face me again.

"Two questions… I'll give you two questions. If you still refuse to fight me even after that I will go." Azrael answered as I took a deep breath upon hearing that, not in relief but in preparation for the answers I was going to hear next. "Well firstly, tell me honestly. What does it mean to be strong to you?" I asked as Azrael looked at me for a second before he cracked a bit of a smirk on his face. "You cannot be serious? You are going to waste a question on something as trivial as that? ARE YOU JOKING?" Azrael said, holding back a laugh from what I can see.

I merely remained quiet for him to understand what I was asking him about. He composed himself, holding back a few laughs as he looked at me with serious eyes afterwards. I then saw him actually think about what to say next as he then grinned. "For this question, I will humor you just once. Don't make me repeat myself." Azrael said as I nodded my head upon hearing this. To be honest, I expect something like to prove he is the strongest in the universe or he wants to crush the world's best to prove he is the superior species. I have always thought of him as that kind of person.

"It's dead simple really. Other than doing whatever I want, I fight because it's my existence!" Azrael shouted as he raised his hand to the sky, his eyes looking towards the sky. "I seek constant challenge! I wish to be pushed to my limits and be the one on top! The animal world follows the simple rule of survival of the fittest, so why can't I do the same with those who are strong!" Azrael further shouted as for some reason, while the answer was sort of predictable, I could feel a sincerity in that goal.

"Come on now, that's one answer already. Hurry up and give me your next question already." Azrael demanded as I could feel his eye glance towards me and the Rev Arm. I couldn't help but instinctively try to hide it away from his view but his eyes simply continued to glare at that direction, not wanting to let it out of his sight for any reason. "What will you do once you devour everything the world has to offer you?" I asked simply, as even he had to be aware of what the world has to offer in terms of power.

"Hmph. The world is vast and endless. When I devour the Black Knight and Grim Reaper, I will devour the Six Heroes. When the Six heroes are devoured I will devour the next strongest being and when that being is devoured, I will go even further." The way he spoke, the way he explained how he will just keep eating what is in front of him without stopping. There's something both admirable… and sad about his choice of words.

"Shallow…" Shallow was my first choice of word. I did not know why I decided to say that, maybe it's because I found his way of life overly simplistic… or maybe it's because it reminded me of how I tried to push people away in my life, how it took someone like Makoto to finally realize that not everything in life had to be about the fight and that peace can bring it's own set of satisfaction. Sure I wasn't going around fighting people to prove I am stronger than them nor I was fighting people to seek some higher food chain.

No those things are fine on their own, it's just how self centered they felt. It was clear that he was doing all of this for himself and only himself. They were selfish in nature. And I cannot accept that because by accepting that people like him exist, it meant that people did not need the bonds that are created to become people. All he wanted to do was just fight and fight until his heart was satiated. All he wanted was a one sided slaughterfest.

"Excuse me?" Azrael said as I began to approach him. I couldn't help but find a little bit of pity inside me for this mythical mad man of nature. "Your singular pursuit to prove you are the strongest is one thing, but not having a clear goal at the end, that just makes you look like a fish in a lake. And unless you can prove it to me, that makes you as bland as the weaklings you find normally." I said as I closed my eyes upon saying that.

"And who are you to judge and talk all of the philosophical bullshit to my face? You really one of those people who believe in the power of friendship and talking bullshit out of your ass?" Azrael replied, his glare focused on me at that moment as I shook my head in reply. "Nah… I just think that your way of thinking and living… is frankly a lonely existence." I replied as I kept on thinking about the times I was alone. Especially the past few days...or weeks at this point, where I felt like I was being delivered world ending revelations without warning and had little time to process, little time to think.

Maybe I am rushing things here and there are things that are beyond my understanding, At this point, my ability to care has degraded to the point I do not wish to think about everything that has happened around me. Maybe I also wish to vent and I don't really care how I do so whether it's by talking or fighting. Sure I am aware I am fighting a dangerous foe like Azrael but the fact he said the words he did with the strength he has? I cannot help but find myself a bit pissed off deep inside.

"So? What are you going to do about it?" Azrael questioned as he must have noticed that I was moving closer to his range at that moment. He must have been thinking about what I was going to do next as I stepped close enough for my eyes to meet his. There was a tense moment where we remained quiet and watched each other before I quickly grabbed the handle of this prototype Rev Blade and slashed at him.

This action forced Azrael to block my attack, doing so by raising his hand to catch the Rev Blade as I could already feel the blade creak at his grip strength. "Ohhhh… OHHH HOOO." Azrael cried as I tried to push the Rev Blade deeper to cut the man but he was holding it back with such ease I swear I was going to break the blade before I could even cut him. "Now this...this is more of my liking." Azrael said as he released his grip on the Rev Blade, causing me to step back as he looked at me up and down.

"Ahhhh, I knew I could smell the warrior hidden underneath all of that talk." Azrael said as he then stared at my stump of an arm intrigued. "You don't have a prosthetic? Why hamper yourself by using something as cumbersome as your current choice of weapon?" Azrael questioned as I couldn't help but be the one to scoff this time. "What? You afraid that your meal will be tainted by the fact you are fighting a crippled?" I questioned as Azrael broke out to a full laugh upon hearing that.

"You really think I give a shit about such nonsense!? If you have chosen to fight the way you are it is obvious that you are ready for whatever is to come next!" Azrael shouted as he clenched his fists, cracking them for me to hear as he raised his hands up. "So come already! I gave you the answers to the questions you seek! Now give me a fight actually worth a damn!" Azrael demanded, raising his hands up to the side as I sighed seeing that in front of me.

I did not hesitate the moment he gestured with his hands to go for another attack right at his neck. He once again blocked it but this time I applied a bit more force, enough to cause him to slide on the ground a bit as his grin grew to a smile. "You know what… I may be just wrong about you after all." Azrael said as he cracked his neck. "YOU MAY BE ABLE TO PROVIDE ME SOME ENTERTAINMENT AFTER ALL!" Azrael shouted as I looked away before pointing my blade towards him.

I knew better than anybody else there was no reason to fight against the Mad Dog. Nobody's ever strong enough to actually take the dog down. Not even when it was 3 versus 1 with me, Bullet and Amy, the most we managed to do was just a dent. Now here I was, facing off against him alone yet again. I cannot help but feel like at this point, I am connected to him in one sick twisted chain of fate. But now is not the time to think about everything that is happening in front of me and what my heart feels like.

...Now it's time for me to fight…

GREETINGS LOST SHEEP OF FANFICTION!? HOW IS EVERYONE DOING ON THIS FINE DAY!? As for me? I am doing very well if you guys are wondering how I am doing. With things finally starting to seem normal again, it's good to finally be able to relax and not have to worry about 100 things happening all over the world that may result in our demise. I mean, don't me wrong those bad things are still happening but at least they are not to a heavy degree.

SO WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT TO SORA MINAKAZE!? HOW WILL HE HANDLE THE MAD DOG!? COULD THIS FIGHT POTENTIALLY GIVE HIM SOME CLOSURE TO HIS LIFE OR IS THE MAD DOG TOO MUCH OF A MOUNTAIN EVEN FOR A MAN LIKE SORA MINAKAZE TO OVERCOME!? Well, to see if he will survive or not, you will need to read the next chapter as soon as it comes up so stay tuned for that.