Before I start, I just want to say that this chapter will be the last that contains any dark themes. After this chapter, you can be rest assured there wont be any dark themes as there were in the last couple of chapters. And yeah, another disclaimer before you read is that all these things that Ruby is going through happens for a reason. You could even say its part of a plan. All of it will make sense later parts of the story, so yeah just keep reading!
Chapter 12: Sin
3rd layer of Hell
Sea of Sinners
(Quincy and Shinigami Abilities weakened, Hollow and Togabito Abilities amplified)
Falling.
She was falling yet again. The fatigue and tension from her battle with the Kaiserdemon was still fresh on her mind and body. Her head throbbed with even more vigor than it did when she was in the previous layer. The effects of the 3rd layer's reishi were noticeable, but not large enough to pose a threat. The whispers and cries of the damned that were ever just that, whispers, turned into nagging voices in her head that invaded her thoughts like a periodic rhythm. But even so, she knew she had it much easier than she would've had she arrived here without Reiji's training.
The first thing that Reiji prioritized on was increasing Ruby's resistance to the Reishi atmosphere. It was a passive skill that she needed to develop without letting it become a burden on her future battles in hell. She recollected Reiji mentioning something about his reaitsu being large enough to be comparable to the final layer of hell, so for her training, subjecting her to his titanic levels of reishi and then forcing her to fight the demons of the 1st layer as she was left nearly helpless and immobile was how most of her initial deaths in Hell came to be. Though that was the short version of how arduous her reishi resistance training had actually been, the end result was something she had no complaints about. Even now, at the 3rd layer, she was falling through just fine, being able to think, move her limbs without being crushed by the titanic spiritual pressure that would've rendered even arrancar level beings immobile. Reishi resistance was one thing, but there was nothing she or Reiji could do to silence the constant echoes of the togabito's suffering and torment.
But there were only real scumbags from this layer on and below, who deserved what they were getting. So really, the only thing she felt was irritation from having to constantly hear their moans and screams in her head, no matter how faint they were. The fact that the reishi in this layer was aggravating her didn't help either. Slow, deep breath in. Slow, deep breath out. 1, 2, 3 and 4. Rinse and repeat. She focused her thoughts on her objective, her resolve to get out of this place, this nightmare and of seeing her family once more. The moment she found herself picturing their faces, in that rocky, barren desert, she already found herself becoming composed.
Red, red and red. As far as her eyes could see in the dimly lit backdrop as she fell. In that vast field of red, she could make out greyish specks at first, which were becoming larger and larger as she fell closer to the ground. They were what appeared to be structures….? These structures were irregular, arranged like tiny islands in an endless ocean of blood, sweat, tears and other bodily fluids. She could make out movement, like tiny dots moving across both land and sea alike. As she fell closer still, she could see a group of tiny isles in the north of her, a bigger group of islands right in front of her, and an island to the south of her that was connected to a large landmass which connected to a what appeared to be a volcano spewing out bubbling blood and lava, literally oozing out in 8 directions, one of the streams connecting back to the group of islands she saw earlier. Blood and lava mixing together? How did that even work? But then again, this was Hell. There were other things she needed to focus on.
Her first thought had been to land at the island just below her, because the guardian was at a cavern inside the volcano beyond which lay the exit to the 4th layer. The island to the south was connected to the mountain without passing over the ocean of blood. But she wasn't high enough to steer herself to the southern island. She'd considered just landing on the island below her, but there was no direct way connecting that one to the landmass to the south. She would have to cross the ocean somehow. The island on the north, on the other hand, was connected directly to the southern island via a bony bridge made up of a long spinal column and enormous, spiky ribs. Sure, there was the risk of getting attacked midway, but that was still a better option than figuring out a way to cross the ocean from the middle Island.
She got to work, firing off balas as she always did when performing acrobatics.
"Woah!" she exclaimed, as the boost she got from her bala exceeded her expectations. She knew that her abilities would be enhanced but still, she didn't expect it would be by nearly 1.5 times her base abilities at the 1st layer. A few carefully placed balas, and she could already see the structures with much clearer detail. Rather than rock, the topography was stony and fleshy in texture, with throbbing veins running across the surface. They could almost be the severed remains of a gigantic titan for all she knew, for that is how she could best describe what she saw. Body parts, both human and animalistic in origin, as large as city blocks were what made up the 'land' in the ocean of blood. She could make out human hands, part of a face sticking out of the blood, some leg sections of a crustacean species similar to a crab, an island off to her right shaped similar to a hoof and so on. The island she planned to land on was shaped like the paws of a cat, facing towards the sky.
*TSSSSSSSSSSCHHHHHHHHH!*
A bright flash covered her eyes, 2 bright indigo white beams piercing dangerously close to her. Her right arm nearly till her shoulder had been vaporized, a burnt stump remaining instead.
"Damn!"
She quickly fired off another bala behind her, diving towards the cliffs of the paw island. Another pair of beams followed, but this time missing her narrowly. As soon as she was level with the cliffs, she fired off a cero, propelling herself blindly towards solid ground. Rolling and sloshing against the slippery and hard rubbery surface. She checked her arm. Almost perfectly regenerated.
Good.
She then looked around. The enemy that pulverized her arm off must've been firing off that beam from the ocean of blood for sure, based on the angle in which it had hit her. What was problematic about it was the fact that unlike a cero beam that travelled with a certain speed, this one had been like a light beam. There was no avoiding it, unless you could take cover before it fired off. It also gave off no sound or warning either. She looked around the ragged 'surface' where she had landed. Her maps had burned up during the battle with the Kaiserdemon, but luckily, she'd memorized the route to take.
Then, she saw movement. Ack, here they come, she thought to herself. She took a closer look at the enemies.
She gasped. Her eyes almost looking away in disbelief.
These were the most bizarre 'demons' she'd ever seen, and that was saying something. She could make out four different types. The first one was 3 meters tall, green skinned with the body and torso of a wingless housefly with large, round glass like eyes and the legs of a human being with no arms or mouth but instead, its body was covered with hairy cilia.
The second one was just slightly shorter than the fly demon, red skinned and a head like the spore of a mushroom with many black spots covering its head. It had the body of a horse and spider combined. It had three sets of appendages, a set of horse hooves, a set of camel hooves and a set of human hands that functioned more like arms than legs. At its underbelly, there was a huge, human like mouth.
The third one was white skinned, around 2.5 meters tall, and 1.5 meters wide. Legs of a bird, thighs of a human male, body of a….frog? A huge, elephantine trunk for a head, with the end of the trunk shaped like a three fingered hand. The trunk also had several red growths that were like eyes.
Lastly, there was yet another white skinned demon similar in size to the red spore head demon. This one had a face like that of a hammer head shark, with two black dots for eyes but with human like mouth. This one also had two large, muscular human hands, a human like torso but the lower body of a….fruit sac? The 'sac' had three tiny feet on either side.
What. The. Hell.
And that wasn't all. These things were everywhere. There was no path she could take where she could avoid fighting a big group of them all at once. The only thing that was different was the split up of the different types of demons. Considering she'd have to fight them anyways, she decided to simply take the shortest path to her destination, fighting or breaking through whatever came her way.
She started sprinting across the ragged surface of the 'paw', moving towards the middle finger section where she remembered seeing the enormous spine bridge connecting to the middle finger section. Two of the trunk demons noticed her, and…!
Fast! A speed that belied their appearance! She was faster but they were not lagging behind by much. She quickly fired two shots from Crescent Rose. One missed, the other hit the demon through its body, piercing through.
"Huh, they aren't as tough skinned as I thought they would be! But…"
Yes. When she'd fired, the other demon had moved about with inhuman agility. She focused on running ahead.
*FLASH!*
A pair of bright indigo white beams shot just a few feet ahead of her. She skid to a hasty halt, sliding under the beams. Then, from her right, a red spore demon rampaged towards her, its hooves digging softly as it moved. She rolled to her left, using the movement to gain her stance and pick herself up. The two white trunk demons had caught up with her. One grabbed her head, beginning to crush it.
"Oh….no….you…..dont…!" she said struggling, using her arm to fire a bala at its face and loosening its grip. Then, she sliced the thing in two using a quick stroke with her scythe. The other one struck down on her with its inhuman agility but she was more dexterous than the demon.
*FLASH!*
The pair of beams went straight through her tail this time, throwing her off balance.
"Damn, this is getting really annoying!"
She charged a cero blast, aiming it towards the trunk demon. The crimson beam was much larger than it was in the last two layers, blowing off the top of the trunk demon. She then avoided a couple of hits from the arms of the red spore demon, as it rampaged around her. She backflipped twice, firing Crescent Rose as she did. The shots went through the spore head, making it explode.
"Now for that annoying….!" Her back hit something solid, the body of a white hammerhead demon this time. It chomped down on her with its massive teeth, which she avoided but not before it got a good chunk off her left shoulder.
"AAARRRRGHH! Its just one thing after another!" she cussed, firing off yet another flurry of rounds a couple of balas. Then she ran ahead, scouting for the demon firing off those beams as her left hand hung limply, slowly regenerating.
*FLASH!*
This time, the flash filled her whole vision, and she remembered seeing only a pair of big round glass like eyes before it hit her.
"Aah!" she awoke with the same familiar sensation of respawning after death in hell that she'd experienced countless times in her training. She looked around. As expected, she was back at the place where she landed as she fell. She facepalmed herself, sighing with annoyance. She knew that from the 3rd layer on, things wouldn't go that smoothly and she expected to die a few times. But at the very least, she'd hoped to be able to make some progress atleast, instead of dying right at the beginning.
"Sigh, alright, here we go again" she told herself.
And that's how it was. Unlike the previous layers, she couldn't just break through as she'd done before. Instead, she had a different strategy. The first few times, she would not retaliate much, instead opting to learn the enemies' placement, behavior, movement, attack patterns and numbers rather than focusing on making progress. What attacks worked on them, which of them were fast, which were tough to hit and so on. It took her a few deaths and honestly, she was nearly ready to just forget the whole thing and just make a break for it. But she persevered until she was familiar with them all.
Boy was she glad she did that. Because this time, she went at it for real, using all of her skills and completely intending to reach the guardian. The initial bits went by like a breeze.
Cero Granada. Strafing. Bala flurries. Cero blasts. Her extreme agility and dexterity with Crescent Rose. Occasional Sonidos. Infighting. And more importantly, her complete familiarity with the different demons of this layer.
None of them stood a chance in stopping her in her path after that. She completely breezed through the paw island, reaching the bridge with no difficulty. The bridge was the hardest part of her path. Narrow and allowing little room for manoeuvring, it took away the advantages her petite and agile build gave her. But, with some luck, she managed to avoid the near relentless blasts of incinerating lasers coming off the green housefly demons from the shores and the islands as well as the occasional ground demon that would chase her along the way. The bridge was really lengthy as well, but luckily, there were points along the way where the bridge touched down upon solid ground. She would use them as vantage points to catch her breath and then finally made it to the southern island that connected to the volcano.
Once again, the demons here were no different than the ones back at paw island and she could easily find her way around towards the lone solitary path spiralling up to the top of the volcano. Luckily for her, this layer had no flying demons otherwise, her trek up the volcano would've been infinitely harder.
But before she knew it, she was starting at the entrance to the giant cavern midway up the volcano. The cavern itself was atleast 20 storeys tall, and 100 meters in diameter. On the other side of the cavern she could make out an exit.
And in front of the exit opening was what was no doubt the guardian. The thing had two giant human brains with spikes conjoined side by side, with a masculine face on one and a feminine face on the other stitched over the front for a head. This 'head' was connected to a scorpion like armoured body. The body, standing 15 meters tall, two armoured pincers that were only big enough to cover its face and 10 really long, spike like legs, 5 on each side. On its back, was a giant stinger curving below its underbelly and also a giant spore like tail, with human teeth and horizontal folds over its skin.
Level 3 Guardian
Aranea Sollertis
BGM: Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood OST 2 - Versus Homunculus
There it is, thought Ruby to herself. One of the worst ones of a bad lot, she recollected her master describing this guardian. A stinger that can pierce anything AND inject whatever it pierces with corrosive acid. The 10 legs could skewer anything that it runs over. The front head could fire countless, fast pellets of piercing energy from its spikes. The head was also worked as a neural center for the abomination that it was. But the worst part was the head on the back. That one, could spit out and create demons from this layer.
"!tnemrot lanrete reffus ro emac uoy ecnehw morf nruteR" said both the faces of the guardian in unison.
"And again, I have no idea what you just said!" retorted Ruby, maintaining her distance and firing off a bala as she strafed right. The guardian put up its pincer, blocking the attack. Ok, so spikey there took lessons from the Kaiserdemon and doesn't like it if I go for the face….faces, which means that's where I should go, thought the rose huntress to herself. She moved about, left, left, right, jump back, side step, forward and dash right, avoiding the barrage of near invisible….pellets? Bullets? Who knows. She decided to call them bullets. She could hear the ground behind, to her sides and in front of her crackle as the bullets shattered off small pieces of fleshy rock as they made contact. But she didn't simply dodge either. While moving, she was also constantly either firing balas or Crescent Rose, trying to find an opening to get in close. The armoured body and pincers were impossible to pierce through. The thing moved quite fast for its size as well, and she was also constantly trying to avoid the stick like legs as she moved around. A couple of times it even went at her with the stingers, which she'd avoided once and the other time parried with Crescent Rose. The force alone had sent her flying backwards but she was worried if the corrosive acid had damaged Crescent Rose. Luckily, she saw that where was no permanent damage on the blade save for a light singe mark.
The head at the back, which appeared to be quite inactive throughout the battle, was now suddenly wiggling and bulging in size, something massive coming up from its base to the mouth.
"Urgh, gross!" growled Ruby.
In one motion, the back head literally puked out a couple of white trunks, two laser fly demons, a red spore demon and a white hammerhead demon.
"Damn, this guy was already enough, and now those things as well….cra-!" The 6 immediately began their assault, not even giving her a chance to strategize. She shot off two balas at the laser demons, those would be the most troublesome of the whole lot. The recoil from the balas was useful in evading a spray of bullets from the guardian. She then swung her chain sideways, causing the trunk demons that were near her to tumble. The red spore, though, grabbed her chain, tossing her to the other end of the room.
"Gaaaah!" coughed Ruby violently, blood spraying out of her mouth as she collided with the wall. Her ears were ringing, and her body was shaking. Damn, those things aren't too bright or fast, but have raw power…! I wont last much longer here…! She knew she wasn't really strong defensively, but for one hit to do her in this much? She was disappointed in herself. The red spore was already charging at her. But from the corner of her eyes, she noticed something. The back head of the guardian puked up some more demons.
"Ah…come….on…..! That's not even fair….!"
She fired off a cero granada, the smaller cero streams striking the Red Spore and the white hammerhead demons. The hammerhead was done in, but the red spore was still standing. She picked herself up somehow, dodged, barely got in a hit, whizzed around many more times before she could get in a hit again, avoided a new flurry of bullets and stinger attacks from the guardian, and by the time all this happened, the back head would spit out some more demons.
She wanted to rip off that head but the other smaller demons were always in her way. She would try fighting those off, but then the guardian would keep her at her tail. Avoiding the two together, and more demons would come by again. It was a never-ending cycle, and the fight just dragged on. She was getting really tired at this point, the battle not taking a decisive turn.
It was then she noticed something. Something so very subtle, that she cursed herself for not paying enough attention. For had she known that earlier, she could've ended this battle so much earlier. The guardian never fired off its bullets when the other smaller demons were in its way. It would only fire its bullets when it had a clear shot at her. Unlike the other demons she'd faced before, this one was avoiding causing an infight. It knew. But that, will be its undoing. And there was also…..
The exit. It was an open exit, unlike the previous layers where she needed to kill the guardian and use something from their bodies to proceed. But this time, the guardian was a physical barrier more than anything. She knew that of course, but that's what led her astray. She figured she would just need to defeat the guardian somehow and just get past it. But she couldn't be more wrong. The answer was much simpler than that. She never needed to kill this thing in the first place.
She scanned her eyes across the room. There were now around 20 demons that the guardian had spit out and the guardian itself. Might just work, she thought to herself.
"Please just hang on for me!" she pleaded, rubbing her legs.
*BZZT!*
She was in front of one of the laser fly demons.
*BZZT!*
Just by the side of the Guardian's right side, just a bit away from its range.
*BZZT!*
*FLASH!*
The moment she disappeared, the laser demon had fired its twin beams, going right through the 6 of the 10 legs of the Guardian. The gargantuan groaned in pain, falling over forward. As it did, it bruised along several of the smaller demons in its way.
"Oye! Over here!" taunted Ruby. Pissed, the guardian rained another spray of bullets.
*BZZT!*
The shots missed, hitting the 4 white trunk demons behind her instead. Now those being agile had already moved in response to Ruby appearing in front of them, which caused the bullets sprayed by the guardian to only graze them. But that was exactly what Ruby wanted. The white trunks now had a new target and started rushing at the guardian instead. The demons that the guardian fell upon did the same.
"Missed me, ugly!" called out Ruby from yet another side.
*BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!*
*BZZT!*
This time a couple of laser fly demons. With this, around 15 of the original 20 demons were pissed at the guardian instead, moving in towards it. It was now that the guardian noticed what she'd done. Fallen over and vulnerable to the ground demons attacking it, the gargantuan could only roar in rage.
Ruby checked her situation. Her legs…were twisted and sprained. She could barely manage to limp. It would heal up, but she had an opening now which she couldn't manage to pass up. Plus, there were 5 other demons still focused on her.
*BZZT!*
Blood spurted out from her legs and she was down on her knees. Damn, I'm almost at the exit! Come on legs…..move…! Just a little bit….!
She gasped as a white hammerhead made its way to her. It chomped down and she rolled, slashing at its face. Then another white trunk was approaching her.
Damn not one of those, I won't be able to avoid that one in my condition….!
*WHAAAAAM!*
A massive stinger swung backwards, striking the white trunk as it did and saving her.
"Nice! Thanks, ugly!" Her legs had healed enough to stand. She used Crescent Rose as a crutch, inching her way fast towards the exit.
The guardian had just about finished cleaning up the demons attacking it. It looked around for the demented wench, finding her standing by the exit portal.
"!EPACSE TON LLIW UOY" it roared, rushing at her with its body flopping about, but the vasto lorde was simply waving her other hand before disappearing with a flash.
That moment, the entirety of the 3rd layer trembled with the guardian's rage.
End BGM
Heh heh, that felt good, thought Ruby to herself. She WAS disappointed that she couldn't fight the guardian fair and square, but then again, neither was the guardian. If only she didn't need to deal with all those spawning demons, she'd have atleast considered it. In this case though, the way to win the fight was to slip past the guardian without killing it. However, she needed to actually fight it for a long time before she could slip past it. Quite ironic, she thought. As Reiji had always said, killing was not the only way to win a fight. It had proven true during her dual with the Kaiserdemon and it had worked now too.
The penultimate layer. So far, she had vague ideas about what to expect at each layer because her master had deemed it part of her training to figure things out as she went. But for this layer, Reiji made an exception. She gulped when she recollected his words.
"Nothing compares to what you'll see in that demented place" she remembered him saying with an uneasy expression. "Suffering and struggling there wont help you in any way, training or otherwise. So, I don't see a point in keeping anything hidden, because honestly, its not even worth it. I mean, that place is meant for the worst of the worst scum of the Earth. You and I are far, FAR from that. I still can't give you specifics because that place changes for each person. Each individual sees something that would break them in the worst ways possible. So, what I saw when I was there, would be vastly different than what you'd see. Even so, the trick there is to remember this" he said, putting his hands on her shoulders.
"No matter what you think you're looking at, remember. Remember that you're the only one at hell, and whatever you're looking at…..whomever you're looking at is NOT. You'll see things that you don't even want to picture or could never ever picture in your mind. But remember, its all just a mind game. An illusion as real as reality. Use your reaitsu. That is the only thing that will give you assurance that what you're seeing isn't really there"
Light filled her vision once again.
And, she saw something she never thought she would see.
4th Layer of Hell
Qliphoth Womb
(Quincy and Shinigami Abilities weakened, Hollow and Togabito Abilities amplified)
OST: Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni OST – Hyoui
A familiar room. A familiar cupboard lined with tools, notes, a few basic cosmetics, pictures and magazines. A familiar mirror in front of her that reflected the shocked expression on her face. Gentle light poured out from the window adjacent to her.
"Wh….wha….?!" breathed out Ruby, utterly dazed.
What is this? She asked herself. Is this really…..home….? So many questions were buzzing around her head. How did she get here? What day and time was it? Was this really happening? Why was she still a vasto lorde? More importantly….was Yang….?
"Ruuubbeeess~~!" called out a familiar voice, footsteps approaching the door to her right. Still in utter shock, there was nothing that came to her mind as her 'sister' approached closer and closer, moving towards the door. Somehow, somewhere, she knew she it would bode badly for her if that door opened.
"Rubes! Why are you….!" Ruby watched as the expression on her sister's face turned from a cheerful smile to a twisted snarl.
"A grimm…!" growled Yang, looking around. She hadn't noticed it before, but behind her, was blood. The bed, sheets and walls were splashed with blood.
"YOU…..YOU BASTARD! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY SISTER?! YOU'LL PAY!" Roared the yellow huntress, pinning her down with an expression of pure hatred.
"No…Yang….no listen…! It's me…Ruby!" she cried out desperately. But her voice wouldn't come out. All that came out were inaudible growls.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" roared Yang, pounding down on her mask, again, and again, and again, and again, with fury, with hatred, with rage, with malice. All of it, towards her. All of it, from her beloved elder sister. All of it, from her family.
*SMACK* *SMASH* *SMACK* *SLICK*
"No…stop….please…!" cried out Ruby, but to no avail. A single tear flew down from her eyes, as she desperately struggled to defend herself from the assault. She could feel the burning emotions of Yang, boring into her head like a drill. Her vision became bloodier and bloodier, the floor becoming redder and redder, wetter and slick with her blood.
"AARRRRGHHH! UWWWWAAAAAHHH! YAAANNNNGGG IT HURRRRTTSSS! PLEASSSEEE! SSSSTOOOOPPPP IT PLEASSSEEE!" cried out Ruby, slashing and flailing about with her claws. She could feel her claws sliding through flesh and bone, her claws becoming lathered with red crimson liquid. Shrieks and pitiful moans could be heard before they became silent, along with the drill of emotions that was boring into her. Ruby slowly crawled along the ground, her eyes and body still bloodied and beaten. She rubbed her eyes, taking the blood off them and slowly opened her eyes.
"Yang…..?" she called out. She saw the familiar looking yellow blonde lying lifelessly, her eyes staring blankly elsewhere. Two giant claw marks could be seen running across her belly, something unpleasant spilling out.
"Yang…!" she called out with a bit more urgency in her voice, shaking her sister. "Yang! Yang! YANG!" she called out again and again, desperately. But her lifeless body continued to stare elsewhere with that blank, empty look.
"YAANN-!"
The scene in front of her shifted. Distorted almost. Like the static of a television screen. The room slowly twisted, and disappeared. Her sister too, distorted, twisted and morphed. The whole place did.
End BGM
Fleshy, meaty walls, floors and ceilings of squirming entrails, guts and organs. Sometimes the walls were made up of many different faces of different types and expressions literally conjoined together like a fabric stitched together. The place…..seemed alive. She could see fleshy eyes, staring down at her, looking at her, following her. The 'ground' itself squirmed and moved, as if it was ready to devour her at any given chance. Everything squeaked or squelched as it moved about. Her head throbbed with even more fervor than it did in the previous layer, the whispers even more vivid. She immediately looked at the corpse in front of her.
"!"
A fleshy, humanoid being with a chain coming off its chest, with a face resembling her sister's. She could still make out some skin here and there, as well as places where the bones stuck out. This was the state of half of the body, while the other half still resembled her sister from her memories. It was as if a human being was being taken over/was morphing into this fleshy abomination.
It was too much to take in. Her sister, that twisted expression, lying down looking like that. She could feel the bile rising up her throat.
"U.,…URRRWAAAAGHH!"
She threw up, putting as much distance from that thing as she could, her breaths hard and difficult. Tears were flowing down her face.
"Deep breaths…deep breaths….." she repeated to herself, forcing her thoughts on the task. 1,2,3,4. Breathe in, breathe out. 1,2,3,4.
"Calm down….calm down…its not real…..its not real…..its not her….." she said, over and over. Her master had told her they were illusions. Just illusions. This, was not what she expected. And the chain on the chest reminded her of something else too.
"Unlike the other layers, there aren't any demons in the 4th layer. Instead, it's the togabito themselves who act like one. You could say, that the real 'demon' of the 4th layer is a curse. Or a rule of sorts. Basically, it forces you to see in others, your worst nightmares. People, things, whatever haunts your dreams and makes you sleepless. You get my point. And when you get near one, you'll see things that feel so real, but its all just an illusion. It can read your mind and memories like an open book and that is what it uses against you. The togabito you're next too experiences the same thing, seeing their worst nightmares in you. The two of you suffer, adding to each other's trauma because of the reaitsu. It affects all your senses. That's why, I can't repeat this enough. Always, ALWAYS, track your surroundings and sense your surroundings with your reaitsu. That is the 1 thing you can trust and it is what will save you out there and break that illusion"
"DAMN!" she roared, punching the ground. Despite all those warnings, she still got herself nearly killed. No, if anything, what she just went through was worse than death itself. Utterly foolish, utterly careless. She couldn't curse herself enough. She pounded the fleshy ground again and again in bitterness.
"And remember kiddo. The 4th layer is all about mental fortitude. Physical suffering is one thing but that is something that can be tolerated with willpower. Mental trauma on the other hand, is on a whole different level. So, make sure you don't lose yourself out there"
Her hands slowly halted to a stop. Right. Don't lose myself out there. She continued her breathing technique, calming herself. Less than a few minutes in and she was already a mess. She picked up Crescent Rose that had fallen next to her. She gave one final look at the togabito looking like her sister. It was slowly stirring. She gripped her scythe tighter, gritting her teeth.
How dare this place, she thought to herself. How dare this place invoke an image so ugly, so unforgivable, of her family. She already knew. There was but one truth. She closed her eyes, sensing her surroundings with her reaitsu.
Bright shapes, that all looked identical, giving off the feel of togabito reaitsu. And of course, the reaitsu of this layer manifested itself to her senses, presenting itself as if she was underwater in an ocean of ever present reishi. That reassured her. All of these, the togabito, were just that. They were not her sister, her big-sis, Nel, Grimmjow or whoever it is they appeared to be to her 5 senses.
That was the truth. None of her loved ones were here. She….was by herself. Despite that, Hell would dare irk her by procuring false images and visages of her family and friends?
"…Aaaahh….Ruuubbyy…" rasped the Yang lookalike togabito next to her, one of its arms reaching out for her.
Unforgivable.
*SPLAAAT!*
The togabito's head exploded as Ruby's bala went straight through. Ruby only had a piercing indifferent look on her face as she witnessed it.
Time to go.
End BGM
BGM: The House in Fata Morgana OST - Mogera
And so, her trip across the 4th layer, walking through the unsettling fleshy paths continued in a similar manner. She would see one of her family or friends approaching, she would quickly sense its reaitsu, and then blast it and moved on.
"…..Ruuuby….it hurrrts….!" Said a moaning voice of a Nel lookalike.
*SPLAT!*
"Aaaah…..I loovvvee you….." said the voice of a Grimmjow lookalike.
"No" she said, slicing off its head and then blasting it to smithereens, along with that impossible look that Grimmjow face had.
"….Why did you leaaaveeeee….?" Cried out a Weiss lookalike.
*BLASSST!*
"…I wiisshh I never foouuunnd yoouuu….!" Cried out a Tier lookalike.
"Tch!" she growled, vaporizing it with a cero.
"…aaah…." Said the voice of Yang, lips touching the lips of-
*SPLAT!* *SLIICE!*
"….Sweeetieee…." called out another voice, this time looking so identical to herself, albeit a bit older with a white cloak.
"Futile" she said simply, blasting the image of what she presumed was her mother.
"….I'm in pain….comforrt meee….pleeeassse….!" cried out Blake's voice.
"Sure" replied Ruby, slicing the Blake lookalike's head off with Crescent Rose.
And on, and on and one she went. Indulging in the carnage. Calm yet ruthless. Her bloodlust controlled yet loose. Watching. Looking. Hearing. Her friends and family doing things they would never do.
And she blasted them the same.
Watching them engage in acts so ludicrous, she couldn't even picture them in her mind.
And she slashed them to ribbons faster than her brain could register the scene.
Talking to her, pushing her down, with words sharper than any sword or blade could cut.
And she pulverized them before her brain could register what she heard.
Making expressions that she would probably never imagine them making.
And she would eradicate them before their expressions could be burned in her memory.
In so many different forms. So many different shapes. They approached her. They tried to break her. They tired to ridicule her. They tried to trod upon her. They wished to drown her in agony. In pain. In suffering. In eternal torment.
And yet, she alone stood. Triumphant. Determined. Unbroken. Unyielding. Cold. Ruthless. A light in the madness. A survivor. Leaving a trail of carnage, blood and guts behind, along with her own doubts and hesitation. As she traversed the many twists and turns the path to her destination took her on.
And yet…
She saw herself reflected in the puddle of blood she created. Her normally confident and upbeat expression morphed and twisted into a bloodlusted, cold, piercing and uncaring glare. Her hands, body and legs caked with blood and viscera. The contrast between the face she remembered seeing in the mirror in her dreams and her current one was staggering. Disturbing. Unsettling. She wondered what her people back home would say if they looked at her like this.
She turned away, unable to look any further.
She was almost there. Just a little further, and she would leave this godforsaken place. And then, she was sure, this nightmare would end. She couldn't let her brooding thoughts disrupt her journey, not when she was this close.
End BGM
This was it. She stood, staring at a large, open area with no other paths leading further. This was the place then. The large area, as big as a big house, was merely a rounded, flesh covered room with many eyes, mouths and faces looking down on her. There were no others present save for herself and…
Red flaming hair, tied in a ponytail. Emerald green eyes. A brown circlet. Armed with shield and spear. A brown overbust corset and red bottoms. Black gloves.
"Pyrrha" acknowledged Ruby, narrowing her eyes.
No.
This was NOT Pyrrha, she said to herself, correcting her slip up. A Pyrrha lookalike. Out of all the ones that she had seen before, hers was the only one that didn't appear. But there was no chain on her chest. This one, was a genuine copy of Pyrrha. But finding her here could only mean that this was….
Level 4 Guardian
The Self that Hates
BGM: The House in Fata Morgana OST - The Maid (Effected)
"Greetings, Ruby" said the Pyrrha lookalike, with her voice and a fond expression matching those from her deepest memories.
"Really? That's the best you can do?" asked Ruby, almost disappointed. "You think I wouldn't blast you because you took on the appearance of my friend?" asked Ruby, charging up a cero.
"I thought surely you would reconsider after seeing this!" said the guardian, following which the surroundings distorted with a bright flash.
A starry night sky. Broken concrete, metal, glass and indoor décor scattered about. Steel beams poking out of the half broken pillars supporting what was once the roof of a tower. And in front of her, a woman in heels, with dark maroon clothing, a black choker and black hair. Her eyes glowing amber. In front of the woman was the familiar figure in red ponytail, kneeling, defenseless.
The scene from her dreams, nay, her nightmares. The same scene. Except, she almost felt like she was there physically, watching the two play out a scene from a script she knew the ending to. The woman raised her hand, a crackling glowing spike materializing in her hand.
*BLAST!*
The entire scenery shattered, like glass shattering. Ruby found herself back at the ovoid room, with the guardian glaring at her with an expression of bitterness and rage. Still maintaining the form of Pyrrha, it was holding its right arm which now only had a stump, a singed, burning smell coming off it. Courtesy of Ruby's cero.
"You seem surprised" asked Ruby. "Shocked even I'd say. Did you really think that you'd make me give up, after coming this far? And besides, did you forget what I did to those minions of yours? I blasted them, I sliced them, I vaporized them while they wore the faces of my family. What makes you think I'd hesitate to do the same to you, when I know you're just an imposter? I already fell for it once when I came here, I won't again!"
"Heh…hehehehhehehe! Is that what you really think? Can you really continue to maintain your arrogance, even against this…..?!" asked the guardian, morphing once more.
Shoulder length pink hair with bangs on the right side. Hollow bones shaped squarely like glasses. Amber eyes and a white lab coat. And that ever present sadistic and self-satisfied grin.
"…..my dear little kitten!"
Ruby's eyes grew wide. Her body shuddered and her face darkened as she looked down, putting her arms around herself.
"Ha…ha…ahahahaha!" laughed Ruby heartily. She then gripped Crescent Rose, charging at the Guardian.
"And I thought you couldn't give me a better face to hit!" she said, swinging her scythe at the scientist lookalike.
*CLANNNG!*
Ruby watched in confusion as the guardian blocked her swing with her bare hand, catching her Scythe by its blade, that grin ever present in his face.
"Wh….what…?"
He then lifted her with her blade, and flung her aside, sending her crashing into the slimy wall. The scientist continued to grin at her unfazed.
"Oh, come now, surely you must have realized" came a voice from her side. Szayel's face grew out of the wall next to her.
"Tch!" Ruby fired a bala, splattering the face that appeared.
"Nothing you do will work against me" said a face the came out from the ceiling.
"We'll see about that!" said Ruby, blasting him again.
"Tell me Ruby" said Szayel, this time popping out of the ground. She swung Crescent Rose which the scientist caught again. He lifted her to his face level.
"Do I…..scare you" he said, bringing his face closer.
"Go away!" she said, slashing at his face.
"Do you…..fear me?" said a face from behind.
"Stay back!" she said, backhanding him. Her arm passed through as if passing through mist.
"It's futile" explained Szayel, appearing from the ground.
"You will never be able to defeat me as I am now" said another from the wall next to her.
"You will never reach me, for even if your mind is strong, your body cowers at my mere sight!" said another, zooming in front of her. Ruby flinched, taking a step back and blasted him with a cero.
"Even if your mind has forgotten, even if you have faced horrors far worse, your body still remembers the terror this face inflicted on your mind body and soul. Let me show you what I mean!" said Szayel and the scene shifted once more.
The same cold table. The same cold chains cuffing her being. The same shelf with its collection of documents and tools. The same jars filled with her parts and…the same scientist looking down on her as he played around with his tools with that grin on his face.
No, she told herself, frantically convincing herself to believe that she wasn't really here. Of course not, she was in Hell! She even sensed the reaitsu around her, and all she saw was the form of an ovoid room with a single reaitsu reading in front of here where the scientist stood. And it was not the reaitsu of szayelaporro.
But….it was futile. No matter how much she tried convincing herself otherwise, her body wouldn't allow it. Subconsciously, this was where it had all gone wrong, and this would be a scar on her being, probably for the rest of her life.
"That's right Ruby!" screamed Szayel, and she felt pain, both on her mind and body. "Just give in!" and she was struck again, exactly where she would always feel the most pain during Szayel's experiments.
"Just give up, I'll take gooood care of you!" he said again, striking her. And again and again and again. She could no longer tell, if the assault was mental or physical anymore. She could only turn her head away helplessly.
"Oh, and you won't have to worry about a thing!" he said, stopping. Szayel then brought in another table, where she could see Nel strapped in the same as she was, her eyes blank. Ruby's entire body shook, her eyes becoming wide.
"I'll make sure you aren't stuck here alone!" he said, eyes gleaming with delight. He then took one of his tools, approaching the 'Nel' on the table next to her. "You'll be stuck here, watching the man who scarred your mind for life doing the same to the ones you love!"
Just then, just at that moment, something in her snapped. Something primal, hidden within her deepest feelings.
*CRAAAACK!*
The scenery cracked and shattered again, this time Ruby holding the guardian by its face.
The 4th layer guardian, said to be the second strongest being in all of hell, that destroyed and tormented sinners by using their worse nightmares and experiences for all eternity. The same guardian, who had no form and took on the shape of those that its opponent feared the most, was instead the one with a scared expression on its face. For the first time since its creation, it felt fear. All from looking at this vasto lorde's face. And those sharp, piercing eyes.
"Don't touch them" rasped Ruby in a voice barely more than a whisper. And yet, that voice sent shivers down the guardian's entire being. And with one swing, she slammed the guardian into the floor. The guardian's face convulsed, twisting into a snarl at first and then slowly a smile before it faded away.
She could feel light enveloping her body, and the familiar sensation of being teleported when she exited a layer. She gave one final look at where the guardian last looked at her, before fading away completely.
End BGM
Final layer of Hell
The Eden of Earthly Desires
(Quincy and Shinigami Abilities weakened, Hollow and Togabito Abilities amplified)
BGM: Doom 64 Soundtrack - Map 20 - Breakdown
The final layer. She was finally here. Even her master had never been here. This was completely new territory. The entire scenery around her was…surreal.
Black, charred ground. Cracks running through the ground that were glowing bright red. She appeared to be in a floating rock of sorts, about as big as a small field. The floating rock was in the shape of an inverted mountain. All around her was black, black and black. As if she was floating in the void of space. And surrounding her, in that darkness, were star pupiled eyes and mouths. Black tendrils in the shape of legs rising from the gaps between different floating rocks. There was an eye at each of the tendrils.
But that wasn't all. Surrounding her, in the rocks were the beings that had the most random shapes she could ever imagine. A pair of ears stuck side by side with a kitchen knife coming out from between. The ear lobes had a leg each allowing it to 'walk'. And then the most noticeable one was a giant walking….thing? This one had two tree trunks for legs, a gigantic broken egg shell lying flat for a body and the face of a man with wavy, shoulder length hair wearing a pointy witch's hat. And inside the broken egg shell body was a table with vague figures sitting and drinking. On top of the pointy hat was a bagpipe playing one of its own pipes.
It only got worse as she continued looking further. A key with a pair of legs walking around, a cloaked plague doctor with the bird mask replaced by a long spoon…? Rabbit men, Mice men, bird men and all other types of humanoids with animal faces could also be seen. Tiny goblin men with only a head and two short legs wearing different types of helmets were also present. Some of the rocks had upside down trees with no leaves. Some of them had black murky water flowing upwards from the bottom to the top of the rock, with something rowing upstream on a boat.
She rubbed her eyes in disbelief. Whatever frustration and anger she'd felt from the last layer had dimmed considerably simply because of the bizarre scene in front of her. She could make no sense of what she was looking at, nor did she feel like it.
"Welcome, Ruby Rose, spawn of Summer Rose" called out a booming voice that seemed to be coming from all directions. She looked around to find its source, but none of the demons (if they were even demons in the first place) were even looking at her. They continued on doing whatever it was they were doing without batting an eye at the voice.
"Who are you?" she asked, looking around.
A black shifting mist swirled around her. No, it would be wrong to say that it was mist. It was more corporeal than that. If anything, it felt like a black, moving fabric., torn from the blackness of this layer's space itself.
"I am the will of the left leg of the spirit king that became the dimension of Hell after I was severed from him eons ago. I serve as the final guardian of the realm, as an overseer of souls and the deliver that which is due for the deeds committed in one's life. All souls must pay for their transgressions and be cleansed of their sins before they are re-introduced into the cycle of reincarnation and rebirth. And the depth of the transgressions of your family run deeper than you know" said the voice coming from the black swirling mass.
Final Level Guardian
Left Leg of the Spirit King
"Transgression?! What do you mean?! What have I ever done to deserve all this?!" retorted Ruby, swinging her Scythe at the mist. But her blade simply passed through it harmlessly. "And what do you mean by family?!"
"All will be made clear soon" said the voice in the mist, swirling and covering her throughout. Ruby covered her eyes, with the sensation of being teleported somewhere. The mist soon cleared and she found herself in a different place. The black mist still swirled about her. She was standing on yet another floating rock.
And in front of her was what appeared to be a woman wearing a soul reaper uniform with a white cloak. She was chained by multiple chains, kneeling down with her head facing down. Her arms were shackled by two restraints. Black hair with red highlights, similar to her own.
"Do you recognize her, child?" asked the mist, a mouth materializing on its surface. A clawed hand with an eye on it lifted the woman's head up, showing her face to Ruby. Her eyes were missing, instead blood dripping from where her eyes were supposed to be.
"!" Ruby flinched, narrowing her eyes. Of course, she knew that face, even if she didn't have memories of her. Her mother, Summer Rose.
"Mom…" said Ruby slowly. "What does showing me an illusion of my mom supposed to tell me" she demanded. But somewhere, she felt an uneasy twitch.
"This is no illusion. This, is the final layer of Hell, where all is exposed. There is nothing here save for the truth. Lies and illusions only serve their purpose here as a means to punish those for the equivalent sin one commits. All souls that enter this place must learn the true depth of their sins and repent for it. The undeserving can never enter this place. That is why, you are still here. I did not expect a spawn of Summer Rose to arrive at this place of its own volition. However, that matters not. The depth of Summer Rose's sacrilege is unprecedented and must be paid by all those bear her blood and those accursed silver eyes" said the voice.
"You lie! That can't possibly be my mom! I can't even…!" when she reached out and felt the reaitsu of the woman in front of her, she could feel the same kind of reaitsu she felt from her master. That of a Soul Reaper mixed in with the reaitsu of a togabito. "…is this really…Mom…?" she asked herself, moving forward to the woman, kneeling by her. Summer was murmuring to herself, her words indescribable.
"….Why…?!" asked Ruby, looking at that mist.
"Like you, this Shinigami appeared on this realm in the 4th layer from the outside. Finding herself in peril, she used the power of her eyes. But in doing so, she destroyed the chains of one of the damned. Committing a sin is one thing but to release those destined for eternal punishment and torment to the outside world, breaking the cycle of reincarnation and rebirth is a grievous and unforgivable act far worse than any sin committed by mankind. Her actions have threatened the very laws of this place and those accursed eyes pose a threat to the very existence of Hell itself! Here, let me show you, the depth of her actions!" said the mist, a hand emerging from it, grabbing her face.
As the master of Hell's hand grabbed her, many brief visions and memories began to flow directly to her. Memories of her Summer Rose.
Memories of her days when she initially found herself lost in the Soul Society, roaming endlessly until she came across…Reiji. Memories of her days at the Soul Society, training and becoming a soul reaper. Memories of fighting in the war. Being overwhelmed and using her silver eyes to defend herself. Finding herself at the 4th layer. Her panicked and scared expression as she tried to make sense of things. Struggling and fighting but ultimately, using her eyes again. Ruby saw the very layer warp and quiver, like space itself was bending and tearing apart. The chains on the togabito she was fighting disintegrating but not before she was stabbed in the back causing her to stop using the power of her eyes. Many chains appearing and confining her, transporting her to a layer created just to confine her for all eternity, the one Ruby was standing.
And then…
"No…stop….!" Pleaded Ruby, but the images and memories flowed into her still showing her the events that transpired on this layer after her mother was confined here.
"No…..no…..nooo….please….stop…..oh god..!"
"You will bear witness, you must know!" said the master, not taking off the hand from her mask.
"Stop…! No moreee! STOOOOPPPPPPPPPP!"
"!"
*FLAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHH!*
A bright white light filled the entirety of the 5th layer, purging the hand holding her, purging the chain connected to her and purging the chains holding her mother. The light continued to pour from her eyes, as she hugged the figure of her mother.
"ACCURSED HEATHEN! YOU AND YOUR EYES WILL NOT LEAVE THIS PLACE!" said a distorted and pained voice of the master of hell, many hundreds of chains appearing from the blindspots on the shower of light created by Ruby's eyes. The many demons of that layer also started charging at her, weapons pointed at the ready.
And then, nothing remained. The light was gone as suddenly as it had come, with no trace remaining of the vasto lorde or her mother. Even the rock that they were had vanished with no trace. Nothing remained at all.
End BGM
World of the Living
(All abilities neutral)
It was a day like any other. A woman with brown eyes, long, wavy brown hair tied in a knot in the back and two bangs down to her chin was walking home along with her young son with spiky orange hair and a bright smile on his face as he held onto his mother's hand. They were talking the same route as usual, the one that went by the river's edge after the young boy had finished his karate classes. This was one of the things he loved doing the most, walking aside his mother as the two of them returned home. Their walk back home along the river as he observed people and things around him was especially pleasant to the young lad.
Today however, his life would change forever.
As usual, he was walking along the river road, watching it as they passed by holding his mother hands. Just then, his eyes picked up something. Nay, it would be more accurate to say someone. The woman had noticed as well before her son had.
"Mom look there! There's a someone lying down" said Ichigo, pointing to the figure of a teenage girl lying down in the mud.
"Wait Ichigo!" called out Masaki, running along to her son who went ahead to check on the girl.
"!"
The two arrived to find a teenage girl, with a white, broken mask attached to her head. The girl had dark short hair with red highlights at the tips. Blank, almost lifeless silver eyes. The girl looked like she had been crying. But the most noticeable thing of all were the scars covering her body and her face. Reddish marks like burn marks covered almost all of her body. There was also a hole through her belly. Next to the girl was a katana with a maroon red sheath and a rose shaped guard.
"…Mom….what happened to her…?" asked Ichigo slowly, clutching her Mother's clothes tighter.
"Sweetie, why don't you go back home? This girl looks hurt, I'll take her somewhere for help. Can you ask dad to come to uncle Kisuke's place?" said Masaki to Ichigo, smiling.
"But..mom…I want to come with you!" protested Ichigo.
"Now now sweetie, I'll be right behind you. You want to help this girl, right?" asked Masaki, to which Ichigo nodded. "Then be a good boy and ask dad to come to Uncle Kisuke's place. Can you do that for me?" Ichigo nodded again.
"Good boy" said Masaki, rubbing his head. "Off you go then!" she said in a soft voice, waving him off. Ichigo gave one final look at the girl and went back home without his mother for the first time in ages.
Masaki looked at the girl.
"An arrancar" she thought to herself. Even though she was an arrancar, all Masaki could see was a little girl who was suffering and hurt. Just by looking at the girl's expression and the horrible scars, she could tell that the poor soul had been through a lot. Pity and sadness welled up inside her. She stroked her chin with her hand, covering her with the shawl she was wearing. She picked her up over her shoulders, carrying her like she would a baby, holding her katana in the other hand.
"Everything will be fine sweetie" she said in a soft comforting voice, stroking her head as she carried the girl to Kisuke Urahara's place.
Well, that finally concludes the Hellverse arc and pretty much all dark themes in this entire fic. Next up, Ruby gets some much-needed help and consolation from Masaki and family as she slowly recovers from her mental trauma. The inspiration for how I defined Hellverse came from various things, notably Doom, Muv-Luv alternative, The SCP foundation and the final layer was inspired by the painting The Garden of Earthly Delights.
I've made an artwork of how Ruby looks like as an arrancar. You can see it in the cover image of this fic, or just look for 'Arrancar Ruby Rose RWBY by Sreshtiyer'. If you want to see a version with the scars, you can find it here, just replace the _ with .
sta_sh/0ckg1bqryw9
Alright, something I wanted to address. I know quite a few have told me that the story is too grimderp. But I politely and respectfully digress. I know it SEEMS like the dark bits are present for no reason whatsoever, but trust me, all of this WILL make sense once the whole picture is clear. There IS a reason why Ruby was in Hell, and there IS a reason why Summer was there, same as why there IS a reason why Ruby is going through all this. But I agree that its not clearly visible now. It something that turns up at the end of Aizen arc. If you dont mind a minor spoiler, let's just say that it's connected to the Soul King. And besides, this is the LAST of all themes dark. From now on, it will be a lot lighter in tone. If you ask me, I haven't even touched any sexual themes or heavily violent themes. If this is grimderp, then certainly something like Berserk or Re:Zero or even Fate/Stay Night would easily fit in as well and my story isn't even as dark as those. But I understand that each person has their own preference and I respect that. I am writing this in the style of a VN. So, a lot of things will remain a bit vague and may SEEM to be there for no reason but in reality, it IS all made clear in the end. So, all I ask is to give it a chance.
Response to reviews:
fightingchampion: Well, your wish has been granted!
The N0b0dy: As I said, I would like to politely disagree. I feel it only appears that way because it seems out of place but why she went through all this was partially revealed now and will all make sense much much later. As for her being overpowered, once more, I think given her background so far, its not the case. She has defeated her enemies purely by fighting smart and not by sheer power. And the cameo thing was just that, a cameo. It's not like doomguy will appear again, and I don't plan to introduce any other characters either.
dovah117: Thanks a lot! So yeah, she's finally out. I hope you liked it! And regarding the time, now you know which era she landed in!
David Alejandro Gmez Fernandez: Thanks and yes! Aizen's mentor was Reiji. Ruby is experienced but not a powerhouse. She simply knows how to fight smart.
Just a Reader: Well, that's exactly what happened. And regarding the time, you're actually pretty close! A lot of time in Hell is only a mere instant in the real world. But, the reason why she ended up in the present day from 100 years ago was because she fell in the garganta. Space time warping in the garganta and what not. This will pop up in the next chapter when Kisuke explains it.
Momentei: Thanks a lot! Yes I actually do have a mask, in fact I even made fanart for her current appearance! It's the cover art. If you want to see a version without the scars, you can check the link I mentioned earlier.
Robbie2413: Its Kaiserdemon, I made a mistake in the flashback section! Thanks for pointing it out! Hope you liked this chapter!
ultima-owner: Thanks! Hope you liked this chapter!
Firewyrm2: Of course. Canonical events will take place but with changes that you'd expect because of Ruby's presence.
Astral chronicles: Well, you saw more of her fighting in this chapter. As you saw, what she learnt was how to fight rather than getting a powerup. I think that's the right way to go.
Cun: Thank you so much! Really glad you liked it! Hope you continue reading it!
Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: Thank you so much for all the reviews! I'm really glad you liked it and hope you'll continue reading it. And yeah, regarding the time, you saw a bit of it now, but it will be explained by Kisuke in the next regarding dante's inferno, I'd have to say that I'm not familiar with it! Except perhaps the fact that Hell has levels and each level gets worse and worse as one progresses by. Most of my inspiration comes from Doom, Muv-Luv Alternative, SCP Foundation and finally The Garden of Earthly Delights.
Guest: Glad you liked it. But as mentioned, I would like to politely disagree that its grimderp as I wrote above. You only felt that way because things seem to be there for no reason at the moment. I can assure you that whatever Ruby goes through, there is a reason for it to happen. For example, getting certain skills that she needs later on or certain immunities lets say. I am sorry to see you leave, but I understand if you find it too dark. I hope you'll pick it up again once the story progresses further and more of the happenings in he background are revealed.