"Go go go!"
The sounds of snarls and growls could be heard behind them. Heavy footfalls were followed by the rough sounds of paws and claws hitting the ground. A howling noise sent a shiver down their spines as they ran for their lives. Their surroundings warped and twisted, becoming horrific caricatures of themselves.
Issei carried Lily in his arms as he kept pace with the group. He felt Lily's grip tighten on his shoulder.
"Don't look at them, Lily!" Issei said.
The girl buried her face into his shoulder, trembling as he ran. He looked over and saw their piercing red eyes glaring into his.
Their attempts to leave Centralia had ended in utter failure. Rather than exit the town, they had ended up right back where they started. And they were met with the fangs and claws of the Black Dogs, or as Mastema had called them, Hellhounds. These ferocious beasts had wasted no time in trying to maul them.
But it was Mark's quick thinking that had saved them all.
"Come on! I… I see a house!" Lance said, pointing to a house that wasn't boarded up.
"Keep running!" Ijin urged.
Yozora swerved left, grabbing a stick from the ground.
"Yozora-senpai? What are you?" Issei asked.
"Just keep running!" she shouted.
Yozora slid to a stop and turned around. Her blue eyes turned yellow and glowed with a poisonous light.
One of the hounds leaped from the ground, claws splayed and fangs bared. It was ready to crush her jaw in its throat. Or it would have.
With one powerful swing, Yozora slammed a stick infused with the Power of Destruction into the oncoming beast. The stick sliced through it like a hot knife through butter. The beast fell apart, roaring in agony. Yozora's face was sprayed with black blood which she wiped off with her sleeve.
Violet destructive flames gathered in the palm of her hands. She raised her hand into the air before slamming it into the ground, creating a disorienting shockwave that tripped the rest of the pack.
Seeing that they were down, she wasted no time and took off in a mad dash to catch up with the others.
"Over here!" Issei yelled, holding the door open.
Yozora increased her efforts, running even faster than before. The sound of the hellhound pack was not too far behind.
"Jump!" Issei yelled.
Yozora complied and jumped into the air, landing with a roll past the door.
"Close it!" Mark yelled.
Issei closed his fist and created a ball of black and red flames. He saw the dogs coming at the door.
"Eat shit!" he roared before firing the orb at them.
The orb flew at the leader of the pack, slamming into him and knocking him into the air. After a few seconds, the orb rapidly expanded, erasing everything within its range before collapsing with ferocious speed inwardly.
Issei slammed the door shut as the resulting blast wave slammed into the house, shaking it violently.
He panted and slid down to the floor, leaning his back against the door.
"What the hell was that?" Mark asked.
"What? We've seen those things. What do you mean by-" Jennifer's sentence was interrupted by Mark.
"No, what the hell just happened? Why are we still in Centralia? That exit should have taken us out at least on the path to the highway but we're still here in town," Mark said.
"No, no, we should have gotten out. We saw the now Leaving Centralia sign, right? Why are we still here?" Lance asked.
"I…" Yozora placed a hand on her chin, furrowing her brow. "I don't know."
"Are we sure that was the way out?" Ijin asked.
"Yeah, it was. There are welcome and goodbye signs at every exit point in a town. There's no possible way we walked in a circle," Yozora said.
"So what the fuck is going on!? Someone answer me! Why are we still in this goddamned town!?" Jennifer asked.
Lily flinched and hid behind Issei's leg. Her entire body trembled in fear.
"Alright. First off, calm the fuck down. You're scaring the child-"
"I could give two shits about the child! Why are we worried about her when we could all die at any moment!?" Jennifer yelled, cutting off Lance mid-sentence.
Issei sat in silence, watching the group argue amongst themselves about their current situation. He walked over and picked up Lily, keeping her close to him just in case any of them tried anything. In a volatile situation like this, Issei had learned from Mitsuki that people tended to not act rationally. He needed to be prepared for anything that came.
"Issei, are you okay?" Yozora asked, looking over at him.
"Yeah. We're fine," Issei said.
"Just rest for now. We still need to find a way out of this town," Yozora said.
"Yeah…" Issei slumped down on the floor, laying his back down and staring at the aged ceiling. Lily sat down next to him, staying close and far away from the adults who were all yelling over each other. Seeing her fear, Issei held his arm out and held the little girl protectively, keeping his senses trained in case one of them decided to snap.
I wonder if Beelzebub also visited their dreams, Issei thought.
"Still thinking of a way out?" Mastema asked.
Is there even a way out? If we try to leave, then we'll just come back the way we came and we're going to get shredded by those hellhounds, Issei replied.
"Did you already forget what I told you back at the town's entrance? There is a space-time barrier around this town. It's warped the very dimensional fabric and folded it so that where you exit is where you'll end up," Mastema said.
Right and you mentioned that a barrier like this needs some sort of anchor to sustain itself without the caster's magic, Issei replied.
"Bingo~! I also recall me saying that I can help you find the barrier's anchor if you need me to. All you need to do is give me half an hour and I'll have that barrier anchor found in no time~!" Mastema said.
Should I tell them? Issei asked.
"Now? No. Look at them. They're on the verge of ripping each other apart out of fear. If you tell them now, they'll only see it as suspicious," Mastema said.
Still, I have to tell them. I have to tell them who brought them here, Issei said.
"What I said was merely a suggestion. Ultimately, it is your choice in the end to tell them about what's really going on. Though, I would suggest doing it during a time when everyone's not so aggressive," Mastema said.
You're right. For now… Issei stiffened when he heard the sound of howling in the distance.
"Hellhounds," Mastema said.
The howling was enough to make everyone go silent.
"We need to block the doors," Mark said.
"Agreed," Lance replied.
Issei got up and began looking for anything that was large enough to prop up against the door. He saw the couch covered in plastic and ran over to it. Issei began to move it, quickly moving across the hall and using his devil strength to bar the door with the couch.
"Go bar the other doors!" Issei yelled.
"We should board up the windows," Jennifer said.
"With what?" Lance asked.
"I can board up the windows. I can use my powers to make some sort of wall that'll keep them out," Mark said.
"Why didn't you do that earlier?" Ijin demanded.
"Well, sorry! We were being chased by demon dogs and trying to rip each other's throats out!" Mark spat.
"Enough!" Yozora said, clapping her hands together. "Mark. Go make some walls to board the windows up with but leave enough of an opening for us to see through. Ijin, Jennifer, make sure everything is okay on the second floor. Issei, Lance, go bar the remaining doors. I'll stay here with Mark to keep a lookout."
"Why are we-"
"Just shut up and do it!" Mark said.
Ijin's mouth snapped shut and he and Jennifer left the living room to head up the stairs.
Issei knelt before Lily and ruffled her hair. "Be a good girl and stay with Yozora-senpai, okay?" Issei asked.
Lily nodded and walked over to Yozora.
"Let's go," Lance said.
Issei nodded and the two left the living room to go perform their tasks.
"We're here."
A green vortex opened in the middle of the forests of Pennsylvania. A slight gust of wind disturbed the peace of the trees, causing them to sway ever so slightly. It was a vast sea of green that stretched for miles on end. Their arrival had also disturbed the local wildlife, causing the deer and small critters to flee. The sound of crickets chirping and evening birds singing was present throughout the woods.
Mitsuki closed her eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh evening breeze.
They were three minutes behind schedule. Vali had gone out to retrieve one more person from his team and the delay almost made them late.
Le Fay Pendragon. The younger sister of Arthur Pendragon. The petite blonde was the final addition to their little merry band of misfits. The Issei Hyoudou Rescue Squad as Azazel had called them.
Mitsuki took a step forward before pulling out her AS.
"Dad's camp is located 300 meters west of our current location. If we walk quickly, we should be able to make it within a few minutes," Mitsuki said.
Her black coat billowed in the breeze.
"The coat looks good on you," Vali said.
"Yeah, he's right. That coat really looks good on you, Mii-chan," Irina commented.
"Not now guys. Let's go," Mitsuki said.
The group walked for a few minutes before stumbling upon a camp. The camp was modest in size, possessing at least one large tent and six smaller ones. The tents were all white in color with a black sun logo located on the left side. A small campfire sat in the center of the camp with two people sitting around it. The others were moving about, coming in and out of the large tent. For an important operation, Mitsuki and Ingvild thought it was rather small.
Mitsuki stepped out of the brush, snapping a twig in half along the way.
In an instant, she found herself standing in the clearing with multiple weapons aimed at her.
"H- Hey! Wait, don't shoot! I am Operative Moon Halo from the Japanese Branch!" Mitsuki said.
One of the agents lowered their weapons before walking over.
"Moon Halo?" she asked.
Mitsuki nodded. "My father is expecting me and my entourage. Do you know where he is?"
The female agent nodded and beckoned for her to follow.
"Guys," Mitsuki said.
The others came out of the brush. Their wary gazes were trained on the Blacklight Agents that had pulled their weapons on Mitsuki. Yet, they did not make a move. Instead, they followed after Mitsuki, who was being led to the large tent by the female agent.
"Are you sure we won't get shot?" Irina asked, glancing at one Blacklight agent, who was eyeing them warily.
"We won't. My dad's in charge of this operation so they risk making him and Mom mad if they so much as lay a finger on us," Mitsuki said.
"I have to say. I kind of feel bad bothering your dad about all this. This was his operation after all," Ingvild said.
"Don't feel bad. We're here to rescue Lily and Aniki. Nothing more. After we get back, we'll be out of Dad's hair," Mitsuki replied.
The female agent opened the tent flap. Mitsuki nodded in thanks and walked inside with the others.
The interior of the large tent, which was used as the headquarters for the operation, was filled with various devices, some of which they weren't familiar with. However, Mitsuki and Ingvild recognized most of them. A miniaturized RAT sat in the back of the tent, projecting several holographic screens at once. There was a large table at the center with a rather tall man standing behind it.
He wore a grey button-up, long-sleeved shirt with a black vest over it. He had black pants and brown combat boots. His hair was black and messy like a bird's nest. He had one bang covering his right eye, leaving only his left eye exposed. On his hip, there was a sheathed odachi strapped to his belt. However, the difference between his sword and Mitsuki's Yorihime was the presence of a trigger mechanism.
The man sifted through a pile of reports while smoking a cigarette. After flipping through a few pages, he blew smoke out of his mouth.
Mitsuki let out a cough and waved the smoke away. "Dad."
"Huh?" The man looked up from his work and his face immediately brightened.
"Mii-chan! You decided to visit!" he said, walking around the table to hug his daughter.
Mitsuki reciprocated the hug, wrapping her arms tightly around her father's torso.
"Mmm?" he looked down and saw that his daughter's body was trembling in his arms. He kissed the top of her head and rubbed soothing circles on her back.
"Umm… Division Head Katsuki," Ingvild said.
Katsuki looked up and saw Ingvild standing alongside the others.
Ingvild is here too. And… the White Dragon Emperor and his crew. And that girl is…
"Ahhh! Irina! Irina Shidou!" Katsuki greeted.
"Er… hello, Uncle Katsuki," Irina said, forcing a smile to her face.
Katsuki Adashino, the father of Mitsuki Adashino, was the head of the Japanese Blacklight Chapter's Hunting Division. A genius swordsman of ill repute and known for being brash, rude, and quite perverted, though that was only in regard to his wife. While his younger sister was known as the Sword Saint, even Sae would admit that she was no match for her older brother if he ever got serious. And like his younger sister, this man wielded the power of one of the Three Noble Children as the slightly silver glint in his eye showed.
"Man, you got big. And I mean big! In all the right area-"
"Dad!" Mitsuki jumped, headbutting her father in the jaw.
Though, for all his status as a powerful swordsman, Katsuki was weak to the actions of his only child, who he loved and spoiled very much.
"Oww! Damnit! Mii-chan, you could have warned me!" Katsuki scolded. "I almost bit off my own tongue!"
"Dad now's not the time. We can have a reunion later. Didn't Mom tell you we were coming here?" Mitsuki asked.
Katsuki rubbed his jaw and spit out a small amount of blood. "Elaina did mention it. I didn't think you'd show up this fast. I heard that you, Issei, and Rin were involved in the Khaos Brigade attack on the Gremory Rating Game," he said, walking over to one of the monitors.
He began typing on the holographic keyboard.
"Yeah. But it turns out it was all part of Beelzebub's plan. He had some bugs planted in Khaos Brigade and used their attack as a smokescreen to take Aniki because of his-"
"Fallen status," Katsuki said. "I've heard. Even Russia got hit and it's the most secure of all the Chapters, considering their highly intensive surveillance methods. I imagine that Anastasia is still fuming over the fact that a couple of devils managed to get into her country without her knowing about it."
Katsuki let out a hearty laugh.
He hit enter on his keyboard and turned to Ingvild. "That's all the data we've compiled for the last… 72 or so hours along with a summary of what's been happening here for the past couple of weeks."
Ingvild nodded and pulled out her own AS to analyze the data. "This is…"
Katsuki nodded. "A space-time anomaly. I'm sure Elaina might have briefly explained it to you but the space here is distorted."
"Have you guys been able to move in?" Mitsuki asked.
"No. We have yet to locate a suitable entryway into the distortion. We've had several of our eggheads scanning the entire area. The barrier's massive. Massive enough to encapsulate an entire town," Katsuki said.
"We only have the outside it seems. No interior data means we don't know what's going on inside," Ingvild said, looking through the data, "or how to break into it."
"Can't we just brute force our way in? That's how I broke Kuroka's barrier the last time we encountered one," Irina said.
"Or I can use Caliburn to cut us a way in," Arthur said.
"It's not as simple as you think it is," Ingvild said. "If you can let me explain…"
She swiped her finger and projected an enlarged screen before them. "The barrier is divided into three complex geometrical layers. There is no one spot we can exploit nor is a straightforward barrier we can cut through like how you can travel through to the gap with Caliburn or how Irina can shatter a spatial barrier with Malkuth. Any attack we make on the barrier itself will be projected along the barrier's surface before being shot out on the opposite side. Not to mention that it will more likely get lost within the barrier itself."
"So you're saying that if I tried to cut it…" Arthur asked.
"That's right. Caliburn's space-cutting properties will travel along the curvature of the dimensional barrier and dissipate due to its nature. Whoever made this barrier knew what they were doing," Ingvild said.
"Then, how the hell do we get in?" Mitsuki asked.
"She's right. We can't cut it. We can't break it. How are we supposed to get in and rescue Hyoudou?" Vali asked.
"A White Dragon rescuing the Red One? Weird. But I can answer this. A barrier this complex cannot remain without its caster constantly feeding it power. There are ways to circumvent this like-"
"An anchor," Le Fay said, interrupting Katsuki.
"That's right. A stave. A spring. Or even a stuffed animal. A barrier of this complexity has to be maintained by an anchor if its caster intends to be away from it," he finished.
"And where do we find this anchor?" Mitsuki asked.
"That's what we're looking for. Good thing you all arrived and brought a witch with you. This will make finding it a lot easier," Katsuki said.
"You don't know, do you?" Irina said.
"No, and with the time we have left, it's best you get moving. I already have boots on the ground scouring the area for anything with magical power massive enough to sustain a barrier that is this complex. With you kids helping, it'll make this much easier," he replied.
"Okay, we'll head out then, Dad," Mitsuki said.
"Be careful out there. We detected two massive energy signatures coming from within the barrier," Katsuki warned.
Mitsuki nodded before turning to the others.
"Let's go," she ordered.
Issei sat in the parlor, peeking out onto the streets. His eyes counted three, no four hellhounds roaming the neighborhood. He slowly sat back down and held four fingers up to Mark.
Mark nodded before laying back on the floor. "We can't stay here forever," he said.
"I know but what can we even do? The only thing keeping us from being a chew toy is that door," Yozora said.
"Yeah," Mark replied.
Issei nodded wearily in response. Lily lay beside him, sleeping soundly. It amazed him how soundly a child can sleep in this sort of situation. If he wasn't currently fighting for his life, Issei would have envied the little girl.
Mastema, did you find it? Issei asked, sensing her presence in the room.
"I did. And what a way to greet me when I just came back," Mastema said.
Sorry. I'm just… kind of on edge because we have literal hounds of hell waiting outside our front door, Issei replied.
"Fair point. It's in a church," she said.
A church? Issei asked.
"A church on the northern end of town. You can't miss it. It has a fresh coating of white paint and is the only building in this town that is receiving any sort of maintenance," she replied.
I have to tell the others, Issei said.
Mastema nodded before fading away.
"Guys," Issei said.
"Mmm?" Yozora turned to face him.
Mark lifted his head slightly to make eye contact with the seated boy across from him.
"I have something to tell you-"
Before he could get the words out of his mouth, a bloodcurdling scream ripped through the otherwise silent household. The three immediately got to their feet. Issei picked Lily up off the ground and held her close to him.
Yozora and Mark grabbed whatever objects they could find and held them defensively in front of them.
"Did you guys hear that?" Ijin asked, walking in from the next room.
"Yeah, it sounded like Jennifer," Issei replied.
"It's coming from the second floor. Everyone be ready," Mark said, walking towards the stairs.
The others followed quickly behind him with Ijin in the back and Issei, Yozora, and Lily in the middle. Upon making it to the second floor, the house became eerily quiet save for the ravenous barking of the hellhounds coming from the outside.
Mark made a few hand signals before pressing forward.
The others followed closely behind him.
Mark reached out and grabbed a door knob. "On three," he mouthed. "One."
Issei channeled demonic power into his right arm, prepared for anything that might be waiting behind the door.
"Two."
Mark twisted the doorknob slowly and silently.
"Three."
He threw the door open to reveal nothing but an empty room. The others looked inside and saw nothing of interest nor any clues that may have given them some sort of idea of what might be happening.
"H- Help…"
The sound of someone speaking in a gurgling tone was heard suddenly.
"It's coming from down the hall," Yozora said.
"Come on," Mark said.
The group slowly made their way to the second upstairs bedroom. This time, Mark wasted no time and threw the door open, and rushed into the room. The group followed him, powers charged and ready to attack whatever was on the other side only to see an empty room.
"Empty too," Ijin said, dispelling the draconic features on his arm.
"No, it's not," Mark said, walking over to the window.
"The window's open," Yozora remarked.
"And there's blood here too," he said.
"You don't think that Jennifer is-"
Another scream was heard. This time, the scream was not one of horror but of agony. The sheer intensity of the scream made Issei's blood run cold as if someone had injected his veins with liquid nitrogen.
"It's coming from outside," Issei said, rushing out the door.
"Issei! Damnit!" Yozora chased after him but only made it a few steps when she saw Issei looking out the window.
His skin had grown uncharacteristically pale and he was holding a hand on his mouth. There was a look of horror and revulsion in his eyes as if he had seen some revolting scene. Issei slowly backed away from the window.
"I… uh… found her," Issei said.
Yozora walked past him and peeked out. The sight she saw made her turn green with nausea.
Jennifer, or rather what remained of her, was strewn across the street. She had been ripped apart limb from limb. Her torso had been torn open with her rib cage cracked and broken. Her sternum had been broken and stabbed into her throat. Her glassy eyes looked lifelessly into the sky.
The hellhounds had gathered around her, feasting on her corpse. One of them was gnawing on an arm that it had clearly ripped off. The other two were snout deep in her torso, feasting on her internal organs. One of them lifted its head and looked towards the window with a portion of Jennifer's large intestine still in its jaw.
The other and final hellhound was ripping its way through her legs.
The street ran red with her blood, staining the pavement and seeping into every crack and crevice.
And even from the window, Yozora could clearly see the final expression that Jennifer had on her face. The girl's face was contorted in fear. There were tear streaks running down her cheek and her lifeless eyes had captured the final emotion of despair and betrayal.
"Well?"
Yozora snapped out of her trance and turned to see the others standing behind her.
"Well, I found her," she replied. "Issei and I did…"
"Where is she?" Ijin asked.
"She's… dead," Issei said. "Just dead. Ripped apart being eaten by the hellhounds."
Ijin and Mark pushed past them and looked through the window.
Ijin stumbled back, tripping and landing on his butt. He began to hyperventilate before getting up and running to puke in one of the bedrooms.
Mark merely clenched his fists and tightened his jaw. "Damn."
"How did she even get out there?" Issei asked.
"The window was open up here," Yozora said.
"Do you think someone could have dragged her out?" Issei asked.
"Maybe," Mark said.
"We're on the second floor. How is that even possible?" Ijin asked.
"Come to think of it. Where's Lance?" Issei asked.
"Here. What's going on?"
The group turned to see Lance going up the stairs with a yawn.
"Look for yourself," Mark replied. He stepped out of the way to allow Lance to look through the window sill.
Lance immediately paled before backing away as fast as he could. Unlike Ijin, who had tripped, Lance stopped after a few steps. He looked down at his now-trembling hands before turning to face Yozora and Issei.
"What the fuck? What the actual fuck?" he yelled. "How in the… How in the hell did she make it out there?"
"We don't know. The window was open and-"
"And what? She just made her way out there?" Ijin said.
"What the hell are you saying?" Yozora asked.
"There's no way any of us, least of all her, would go out there willingly. Someone had to have made her go out there," he said.
"And who would that be? Yozora, Issei, and I were all downstairs. You were in the other living room with Lance," Mark argued.
"One of you must have used your power things to make her do it just so you can escape like that yellow-eyed man said!" Ijin said.
Issei froze when he heard Ijin's words.
"Are you blaming one of us?" Lance asked.
"Yeah, who else could have done it?" Ijin said.
"You! The hell? You have powers too. How do we know if you weren't the one using your abilities to…"
Their argument began to fade into the background as Ijin's words replayed over and over in his head. How did Ijin know about the yellow-eyed man? There was no possible way for him to know who Beelzebub was unless-
His eyes widened slightly.
Did… Beelzebub visit the others in their dreams too? he wondered.
Issei shook his head and coughed loudly. The conversations quieted down as they all turned to look at him.
"When you say Yellow-Eyed Man, did this man come to you while you were sleeping?" Issei asked.
Ijin took a step back and nodded.
"Did this man also promise you that if you wanted to live and escape this town, you needed to kill the others before they killed you?" Issei asked.
"Tch! What about it? He was right after all. Jennifer's dead because of one of you!" Ijin said.
"I'm assuming everyone here had the same dream then?" Issei continued.
Mark bit his cheek before letting out a sigh. "I did have the same dream. A man with white hair and yellow eyes came to me in my dream asking me if I wanted to live and be free. That if I was able to kill all of you, I'd be granted a single wish."
"Same here," Lance said.
Yozora nodded.
"Don't you see? This is what he wants. He wants us to rip each other apart for his own sick amusement. We can't let him divide us. We need to find a way out of here before he and those dogs kill us," Issei said.
"We tried getting out of here and we ended right back where we started! How the fuck are we supposed to get out now?" Ijin asked.
"I know a way. You're going to have to bear with me because this is a long story. Essentially, I'm familiar with things like this. The supernatural I mean. I've never been kidnapped before," Issei said.
"The supernatural?" Yozora asked.
"Out there in this world. Gods, Demons, Angels, Monsters, and Magic. It's all real. It's all happening beneath our noses, away from the eyes of humans. That man that kidnapped us and gave us these powers. He's a Devil by the name of Beelzebub. I don't… exactly know what he wants. I only know that he wants us for something and that us killing each other or all of us surviving plays into that," Issei said.
"This can't be real. Are you saying that the Devil himself is out there toying with us?" Mark asked.
"It's hard to believe but given everything we saw, I wouldn't be surprised if what you said was actually true," Yozora said.
"So what now? How does this help us all get out?" Lance asked.
"The barrier around town is probably anchored down by something. No way something as big as that can be a single cast and it's done. That thing is being sustained by something and we need to find it," Issei said.
"So…" Mark glanced out the window. "We need to go out there and find this… anchor."
Issei nodded.
"You do realize we all might get killed," Yozora said.
"I know but this is the only plan we got. Unless someone else has a better idea," Issei said.
"I don't buy it. How the fuck do you know all of this? What if this is just a ruse for you to send us all out there to get mauled by those dogs?" Ijin asked.
A vein popped in Issei's head. "I've been doing nothing but help you all so far! And now that there's a plan, you think I'm going to send you out there to die?"
"Think about it. You know this thing that trapped us in this town. How the fuck do we know that you're not working for it!?" Ijin said.
His hand morphed into a dragon's arm and he leveled it at Issei.
Issei glared at him, manifesting Opposition on his right arm, and was about to subdue Ijin when Yozora got in between them. She held her hand out, forming a violet ball of flames.
"Put your arm down," she said.
"Get the fuck out of the way bitch! Can't you see that asshole is playing us!? He wants us to head outside to where those freaks are just to be killed!" Ijin said, sending spittle flying into her face.
"I said put your arm down," Yozora repeated.
Ijin clenched his jaw before rushing in, hoping to bypass Yozora.
However, he had underestimated the speed at which she could move.
The girl quickly grabbed his draconic arm and drove her elbow into his face. A sickening crunch echoed through the empty house as Ijin fell to the floor, grabbing his face in agony. Blood surged from his nose while he writhed on the floor in tears.
The air quickly escaped his lungs when he felt Yozora's foot dig into his abdomen.
"What the fuck about me telling you to put your arm down did you not understand?" Yozora's eyes flashed yellow as she brought her foot up before slamming it back down on his gut.
Ijin groaned in pain.
"Yozora-senpai," Issei said, "That's enough."
Yozora sighed and brushed her hair out of her face before taking her boot off Ijin.
"What now, Issei?" she asked.
"We need to go. We need to get to the anchor and break it. The barrier will come down and we can all get out of here," Issei said.
"And where would the anchor be?" Mark asked.
"The only place in town where it can be. The church," Issei said.
Issei looked through the peephole, scanning the street to see if there were any hellhounds still prowling the neighborhood. He removed his eye and glanced at Mark, who nodded. Their plan was simple. Make their way across town as quietly as possible and keep to the shadows to keep from being spotted. To this extent, the group had armed themselves with whatever they could get their hands on.
Issei, of course, chose to carry nothing, relying on Opposition in order to defend himself.
His senior, Yozora, broke a wall in one of the bathrooms and ripped a pipe out. Mark did the same. Ijin chose to grab a table leg from the dinner table. Lance grabbed the leg of a chair and held it up in defense. The only one without a weapon was Lily, who clung to Issei's leg.
Issei nodded and slowly opened the door, stepping out first.
"To your left," Mastema said.
Issei nodded and turned his head to the left. After making sure that the coast was clear, Issei crept out to the front lawn, making sure to keep his footprints silent. He stopped after reaching the sidewalk and motioned for the others to follow. As he waited for the others to arrive, he gazed at Jennifer's mauled corpse for a few seconds before turning his head away.
Poor girl, Issei thought.
Once the others caught up, they began to move out once more.
So far so good, Issei thought.
The group continued down the street without much issue. They stuck to the shadows and kept their footsteps as light and quick as they possibly could. There were no signs of the demonic hounds that had stalked the streets prior to their leaving. And this was going much too smoothly for Issei's comfort.
"I have to say this is going quite smoothly~!" Mastema chirped.
Don't jinx us. How far are we from the church? Issei asked.
"Oh dear, you just left. You're still quite a considerable distance away, Ise-chan. Though I would be wary of the others in your group. That little argument has strained things within the dynamic," Mastema informed.
I know. Ijin is a bit on edge. I'm worried about what's going to happen, Issei thought.
Wait…
Issei froze and immediately placed himself against a wall. The others followed suit and did the same. Issei peeked out from around the corner and noticed a large black hound sitting in the middle of the street. It was surrounded by a few smaller hounds. A black wisp wafted off their bodies and his vision began to swim and distort for a few seconds.
However, the distortion faded instantly when he heard Mastema's voice echo through his mind.
"Don't stare for too long. Hellhounds radiate a potent hallucinogenic aura that they usually use to debilitate their prey. Fortunately for you, I'm here to negate the aura," Mastema said.
"Guys, I see some," he whispered, taking note of Mastema's warning.
"How many?" Mark asked.
"About…" Issei peeked around the corner "Five. There's a big one."
"What do we do? We need to cross that street," Yozora hissed.
"Can't we just backtrack and go around?" Ijin asked.
"No. In towns like these, multiple streets can lead back to the same main road. Assuming that the path we're following is the main road, we can just take another turn up here and end up past these things," Mark said.
"Thing is, we'll need a way past this," Issei said.
"You said north right?" Mark asked. "Just follow after me. I've spent enough time in the military to be able to head north without the use of a compass."
Issei nodded and Mark walked past him, taking a left turn into an alleyway. The group walked silently, pausing every so often when they heard the occasional howl from the hellhounds down the street.
After several minutes of walking, the group ended up on the main road once more.
"God that was nerve-wracking," Lance said, wiping his brow.
"Tell me about it," Issei said, letting out a sigh.
"Come on. We shouldn't be that far," Mark said.
Mastema, how far? Issei asked.
"You still have a half-hour walk until you reach the church. Not to mention, there are hellhounds patrolling the streets ahead of you. Best be careful and get ready for a fight," she said.
Isn't there anything you can teach me while we're heading there? Since you're more familiar with this than I am, Issei asked.
"I'd rather do it in a controlled environment. I don't want you to misfire and accidentally kill someone you know," Mastema said.
It would be really useful in this situation too, Issei said.
"Do you want me to carry Lily? You've been carrying her since we left the house."
Issei almost jumped at the sound of Yozora's voice. He had been so engrossed in his short conversation with Mastema that he had not realized that Yozora was next to him. Now that he thought about it, Issei never really noticed Yozora's presence whenever she approached him. However, he filed that thought away and just responded with a smile.
"It's not a big deal. She's really light," Issei said, patting the little girl's back.
Lily turned around to face Yozora.
Yozora gave her a warm smile before focusing back on the road ahead.
"I was thinking. Since you said Devils are real and all that, does that mean that the Occult Research Club isn't just a bunch of quacks?" Yozora asked.
Issei nearly choked on his own spit when he heard her bring up the Occult Research Club. Though, Issei shouldn't be surprised. For all their popularity, there were bound to be a few students in the school that found the ORC and its president, Rias Gremory, weird. Yozora being one of them should have been obvious. A girl whose dream profession was based entirely on facts and logic was going to be skeptical.
"Did… Did you really have to call us all quacks?" Issei asked.
"Had you told me that this was all real a few days ago, I would have recommended getting a therapist," Yozora said.
"But… that would make me highly hypocritical and in denial, no?" she said, holding her hand out.
Her eyes shifted to the color yellow for a brief moment before returning to their natural blue shade.
"I was thinking. How about I come to visit the ORC every so often-"
Yozora's sentence was cut off by an all too familiar sound.
The sound of a howling dog. The mere notion of it sent a chill down their spines.
"Come on. We have to go," Mark said.
"Go where! We're out in the open! And we barely outran them last time-"
Ijin never got to finish his sentence. A black blur slammed into him, grabbing his throat with its jaw.
Yozora's hands flew to her mouth. Mark and Lance took a step back while Issei held Lily close to him.
"He-" he never got the words out. The hellhound began swinging him around like a dog with a chew toy in its mouth. His body was swung like a ragdoll. The sickening sounds of bone crunching and flesh tearing echoed down the street and the fresh rustic stench of blood filled the air. With a nauseating squelch, the hound ripped Ijin's head clean off his neck and threw the head right in front of them.
The final expression on Ijin's face was a look of abject terror and agony.
"Go," Issei said. He turned around and looked at them. "GO!"
They all took off running down the street, increasing their pace when they heard the howl, followed by several more sounds of howling dogs.
"Senpai, take Lily!" Issei said, handing off Lily to Yozora.
Yozora grabbed her and Issei slid to a stop. He raised his hand into the air, summoning a massive orb of black and violet energy.
The dogs were rapidly approaching. Their fangs were bared and they were frothing at the mouth. A hungry glint was in their eyes and their nostrils flared at the mere notion of smelling Issei's fresh blood.
"Haah!" Issei swung his hand forward, sending the massive energy orb toward them.
The orb made contact and detonated violently, vaporizing the entire block. As the light faded, what remained of the street was a perfectly circular crater. All signs of human activity had been thoroughly erased down to its very foundation.
Hearing more howling, Issei took off and ran down the street, quickly catching up to the others.
Damn! Damn! Issei thought.
"Why don't you promote to Knight Piece and just run all the way to the Church?" Mastema asked.
I'm not leaving them behind, Issei replied.
"True. If we practiced telekinetic abilities, then this wouldn't be a problem. Would you like me to help you?" Mastema asked.
What? Now you decide to help? he asked.
"How rude. After I found the anchor point for you too… anyway. All I need is for you to promote to Knight right this instant and I'll take care of the rest!" Mastema said.
I… I… fine! I don't have permission from Rias though! Issei said.
"Er… fine. I don't want to mess with your pieces more than I already have so I guess you'll just have to trust me," Mastema said.
Trust you? What are you going to-
"Now now. That would ruin the surprise. Be sure to thank me by surviving this, kay~?" Mastema said.
Wait, what do you mean by that…
Issei suddenly felt all control over his body leave. Instead, he became an observer within his own flesh. He was still running but he was doing so with greater speed. If he were to look at his own face, Issei would have noticed that his hazel eyes had changed color to red and blue.
Issei saw his arms move without his control. Mark, Yozora, Lance, and Lily were suddenly lifted into the air. With them off the ground, Issei's speed increased to incredible heights. His surroundings became a blur through which everything merged into one.
After merely a second of sprinting, Issei arrived at the church with the others in tow. He, or rather it was Mastema, gently lowered them to the ground.
"It's all yours," Mastema said, relinquishing control of Issei's body back to him.
Okay, we need to talk about that little thing you just did later, Issei said before proceeding to dry heave onto the floor.
"The hell was that?" Lance asked.
"Something…" Issei vomited this time. After a few seconds, he stopped and wiped his mouth. "I learned. It does this to me though."
"We're at the church now?" Mark asked.
Mastema? Issei asked.
"This is the place. Now get inside, those hounds aren't exactly slow you know," she answered.
"Come on, let's get inside," Issei said, walking up to the door.
Surprisingly, the door wasn't locked. Though, it was to be expected. He figured that there were people here coming often before the town had been abandoned. The group walked inside, taking note of the eerie atmosphere that the empty church exuded.
"What exactly are we looking for?" Yozora asked.
"An object of sorts. Something inconspicuous so that no one would ever suspect it but alarmingly different when looked at," Mastema said.
"An object. It has to be inconspicuous yet you'll know it when you see it," Issei said.
The others nodded and fanned out, searching the church for anything that fit the criteria. Lily stuck close to Issei as he searched the pews.
"Did you guys find anything-"
A howl ripped through the silence. The hairs on the back of Issei's arms and neck stood on end.
"Shit!" Issei ran towards the church doors and quickly closed them. No sooner had he done that, he felt a weight slam against the door, causing his knees to almost buckle at the sudden force that hit him.
"Find it! GO! I'll hold the door"! Issei yelled, using every ounce of his devil strength to keep the door shut.
The others began searching with greater desperation. Lily ran up to Issei and held her back against the door.
"L- Lily! Go hide! I'm okay!" Issei said.
"NO!"
Issei's eyes widened. "L- Lily…"
"No… like Big Brother. I… I don't want you to go away too!" Lily said, tears streaming down her face. Her voice was hoarse after having not used it for weeks. She gave Issei a teary look before using every bit of strength her young body could muster.
"Tch… damn! I hate this Promotion restriction!" Issei said, holding the door back.
"I think I found it!" Mark said, grabbing the bible off the altar.
Upon making contact with Mark's hand, a soft violet light began to emanate from it.
"BREAK IT!" Issei yelled.
Mark nodded and opened the Bible. "Please… since you are real, God, please forgive me for what I'm about to do," he said.
As Mark was about to rip the Bible in half, a tendril made of pure shadows pierced through his chest.
"Why haven't you broken it…" Issei's eyes widened when he saw it.
Yozora's face filled with horror at the sight of what just happened.
Mark looked down and saw the shadowy tentacle protruding from his chest. He dropped the Bible onto the ground and coughed up blood. The tendril faded, leaving a gaping hole in his chest. His heart, which was now visible, was mangled beyond recognition and by some stroke of horrific fate, still beat erratically within his chest.
He fell to the ground, face first in a pool of his own blood.
"Wha… How…?" Issei said.
The door almost gave way due to his shock and he redoubled his efforts to keep the hounds out.
"I'm sorry."
"You… but why?" Yozora said.
Lance picked up the bloodied Bible and placed it back on the altar.
"Because he promised me. It's the only way she can live," Lance said.
Dark tendrils began to rise up from his shadow, snaking their way into the air before pointing toward them.
"Who?" Yozora asked.
"In order for my sister to live, all of you have to die. So please, forgive what I'm about to do," he said.
And without any warning, the tendrils darted toward them.
Katsuki Adashino
The father of Mitsuki Adashino, husband of Elaina Adashino nee Dantalion, and older brother of Sae Adashino.
A master of the Oborozuki Ryu and the head of the Japanese Chapter's Hunting Division. He is responsible for overseeing the success of many operations including hunting down those who would threaten the existence of humans and the supernatural.
A baudy and perverted man who loves his wife and daughter very much.
Despite his sister being known as the Sword Saint, even the famous Mikazuki would dare to say that his sword skills surpass hers.
[]
Blacklight Dossier: Personnel File #1847
Personnel Name: Katsuki Adashino
Code Name: Blood Moon
Bio: Head of the Hunting Division within the Japanese Chapter. He is the son of ████ ████████. A skilled practitioner of the Oborozuki-Ryu. Like his sister, he is contracted to one of the Three Noble Children of the Shinto Pantheon. He is connected to █████████.
Height: 6'2
Weight: 220 lbs
Relations:
██████ ████████ (Wife)
███████ ███████ (Daughter)
Brother is a very dangerous swordsman with a flee-on-sight warning in many places across the World. - Blooming Orchid
Someone, please edit in "Gives his wife mountains of paperwork" into his bio please! - Twilight Corvidae
We're almost done with the second arc of the story. After this, I'll take a short break in writing this so I don't experience burnout. You know how that went for the last two versions of this hahahaaa. Anyway, I don't really have much to say regarding this aside from, the fight with Beelzebub will be very different. If anyone remembers the previous iterations, the battle with Beelzebub involved a giant demonic horse... thing. But none of that here. Remember to like, follow, and most importantly, review if you want more content or if you just want to say hi.