Haze & Chaos - The Hunt Part 12
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“So who’s this asshole?” Dustin asked as he put his hands on his hips and scowled at the joke of a demon presented to him. It was grotesque with the head of a crow, and looked like it had been dead for centuries. It glared at him with murderous intent for that comment in a way that would have scared any mere mortal to death, but Dustin was not phased in the slightest. “Why can’t I get Rick Dirrt? Instead I get Satan’s sloppy seconds and some random-ass, no-name nephilim?”
The Earl Profane scowled as the giant snarled at Dustin, but it was difficult to tell who his ire was actually directed at. “Mr. Dirrt died from his own stupidity–Ultinn failed to train a worthy successor, being arrogant enough to assume his old familiar would happily go along with whatever passed for intelligence in Rick’s pathetic excuse for a mind.”
“Maybe I should quit while I’m ahead…” Dustin grunted in a muttering tone as the demon and nephilim growled at each other. “And you’ve got no one else? Shit, it’s like I’m going out there with a pair of wild animals…”
“Jokko Skumm is proving to be an even greater failure than we could have possibly–”
“NO NO NO NO, you can keep that moron!” Dustin shot back, trying to not cringe at the mere idea of working with such a hypocrite–Jokko was infamous for his opinions over the internet that were widely regarded as ‘grifting’ to the utmost degree, and even Nobu (when he was alive) knew that internet personality was a laughing stock. “Seriously, where the hell is Hecate and Demeter? They’re not much better, but at least they have guns and thugs…”
“You wanted to help and now you have it,” The Earl snapped back. “I have other things to tend to, and I do not appreciate having my time wasted.”
“Ah quit your bellyaching, gramps,” Dustin rudely dismissed with a hand wave as he started to open up a portal back to Red River City from his hideout in Inferno. “Alright, bird brain–first screw up and you’re chicken dinner. No-name–get in my way and Satan will have one less soldier to command…” Suffice it to say Dustin received some angry noises from his less-than-willing minions.
Dustin had no plans to overthrow or meaningfully harm Red River City, as he could not care less about it. In truth he just wanted to cause some trouble for The League, and he made his opening play by bringing out the undead demon to wreak havoc across the city. The Earl Profane had provided the corpse of the demon Andras, someone The Profane Alliance had been planning to resurrect to join their cause given that he had been vanquished at the hands of Zasiel… or so they mistakenly assumed. Either way, the demon had created a panic throughout the city, but Bethany was quick to respond in her manticore form. What caught everyone off guard and triggered the red alert surprisingly was not just Andras, but the fact that The Earl Profane had also brought the nephilim along. Bethany was caught off guard by this, but thankfully Ernust was there to fend it off until support arrived. And atop a nearby building of the city square where these battles took place was Perkele accompanied by Mephistopheles and an angel named Semyaza–both were in disguise and quietly observing the battle…
Susanoo was waiting for just the right moment, cackling with anticipation, as he did not want the villains running away the minute he showed up. With Jackson’s MRAP pulling up to the scene accompanied by M.A.I.G. soldiers, Susanoo leapt down from a building and drew his sword, heading straight for The Earl Profane. The whole squad filed out of the vehicle, magic and weapons ready to go, but Will felt a surge of adrenaline so intense that he could have sworn a vein had burst in his head and neck. Jun was stunned when Will shot forward with a surge of blue fire, punching Andras straight in the beak so hard that it sent the demon flying back. The nephilim–which resembled a mix of a lion and a troll–charged at Will and Bethany, only for Aoife to come in with a flying kick that sent it tumbling back with a massive thud. Morrigan, Adrien, Satsuki, Jun, and Ryota quickly launched into battle–each of them taking roles from support to making sure no bystanders were present.
“WHAT WAS ALL THAT ABOUT?” Bethany questioned Will as he readied more fire while Aoife dealt with the nephilim.
Will felt a stabbing sensation in his mind, like old memories were trying to come back to him as quickly as possible. “Argh–Andras, a demon I dealt with back in my hunter angel days with Anarel and Bellephaas…”
“SHIT, HE’S COMING BACK!” Morrigan pointed out as she ran at the screaming, raven-headed demon–the cacophonous screeching would have driven anyone mad. Her swords slammed against the monster’s razor-sharp talons, with a barrage of clashing blades ensuing as Morrigan did her best to push Andras back.
“TAKE THIS, DEMONIO MALVADO!” Adrien roared as he began slamming his kanabō into Andras, fully in his oni form and radiating sheer strength.
Jun looked incredibly nervous as he fidgeted around, crackling with electrical noises as the melee raged on. “Will, WHAT DO WE DO?”
“Jun, Ryota, Satsuki–go find Dustin! We’ll keep these monsters busy,” he instructed as Bethany went to help Aoife with the nephilim, firing explosive, magical spears at it.
“Alright, our turn, Noguchi!” Ryota said as he took off as a fireball into the sky, with Haze around him like a cape. Jun quickly got the hint and followed after him as a ball of lightning.
As Satsuki radioed back to Jackson while he followed Jun and Ryota, Will tossed a fireball that exploded into a torrent of flames at Andras so Morrigan could have a reprieve. “Alright, Sam?”
“Yeah–Jeez, I heard Andras bit the bullet, but that goes above and beyond!”
“STAY DOWN!” Adrien shouted as he slammed Andras’ head with a swing of his club like he was wielding a baseball bat. The demon gave a horrid, screeching caw, only to get trampled by the nephilim–it was trying to get away from Aoife and Bethany with no regards for its allies. “What, no shadow constructs?”
Morrigan thought about the lack of reinforcements as she used her star magic to incapacitate Andras, shooting him away from them. “I doubt Sebastian is letting Dustin have any–assuming he’s even working with him in the first place...”
“WATCH OUT, KIDS!” Aoife called out as the nephilim attempted to bring down a pair of rumbling fists on them. She raced forward with her arms turning as black as charcoal and knocked it off balance, grabbing its one arm and dislocating it from the shoulder. It screamed and swung its loose arm into Andras, causing the demon to attack it.
“AND NOW THEY’RE FIGHTING EACH OTHER!” Mayhem pointed out from the pocket watch in disbelief, even if it was not all that surprising. “Shall we use this to our advantage?”
“Careful, Amigo,” Adrien warned as he kept his weapon ready. “They’re still after us, and a cornered rat is always dangerous…”
“That’s just lovely–as if this day couldn’t get anymore annoying…” Bethany groaned as she flicked her tail. “Any advice, Will? Or did we just keep whaling into the bird?” she inquired with a chuckle.
Ernust had joined Susanoo in the fight against The Earl Profane, but The Earl was not up to his usual tactics. “What’s the matter, your grace?!” Susanoo laughed as he swung his sword in graceful, yet powerful slashes at the barriers of gross magic energy that were summoned–each one shattering as the nodachi grew more and more fervent for the battle, rumbling with rising fury. To witness Susanoo swing his weapon with such ferocious discipline was a sight to behold as he dominated The Earl Profane in strength and tempo. “IS MY MIGHT TOO GREAT FOR YOUR MISFORTUNE MAGIC?”
“You’d assume I’d repeat my past mistakes?” The Earl rebuked as he held something in his hand that he threw on the ground. This caused a giant, undead snake of rotting fire to emerge from the ground and try to bite at Susanoo. “How foolish of such a god!” He then snapped his fingers and summoned what could have easily been a meteor storm of similar fireballs from the sky. Susanoo laughed at this and launched up to meet the attack, running along an invisible path and slashing each fireball that came at him.
“Acting like you’ve been slighted again, your grace?” Ernust groaned as he readied his whistle. “How annoying–REEUF STRM TRNT!” His whistle screeched with a wretched, ear-piercing noise, and from the ground emerged a series of giant, white serpents that lunged towards the Earl’s serpent and tore it to shreds. Ernust then raced in to punch the Earl. He got in several good hits that would crippled a normal man, but the Earl used his magic to shed off his old body with a storm of dust and ash, and created a new one in a cacophony of screaming electricity.
“CONSARNIT!” Babe complained from near the MRAP, noticing commotion coming for them. “GUYS, HERE COMES THE BIG BOY!”
The Nephilim barreled towards Ernust and Susanoo, with the two jumping out of the way just in time. Susanoo used the opportunity to get in a good attack, slicing off the giant’s limp arm… only for it to pick it up and start using it like a club. Ernust blew into his whistle to direct his snakes towards the giant, and it tried to beat them away. The snakes were relentless, but The Earl snapped his fingers and gave the nephilim a replacement arm of more rotting fire. This would not tip the battle in his favor, however, as Susanoo would run his fingers along the side of his blade to charge it with lightning as thunder cracked around him. He then took a good swing at the nephilim, cleaving it in half as its upper body fell to the ground with a loud thud. The god of storms laughed triumphantly, especially given the foul look he was receiving from the Earl.
“SATAN, YOU BLITHERING IDIOT!” The Earl roared as he repeatedly stamped his foot. “SOME BETTER HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED NEXT TIME!”
“I’ll never understand people like you, your grace,” Susanoo mocked as he started to approach, his blade still crackling with electricity. “You know The Lost Darkness God is nothing but trouble, and you’ve been through the ringer, but you still go along with his schemes…”
The Earl felt those words penetrate his being as Susanoo loomed over him, the air of The Lost Era making him feel truly insignificant as he failed to produce a rebuttal. He backed up as Susanoo’s presence started to overwhelm him, but then noticed Andras being flung towards them. “OH FOR THE LOVE OF–”
Aoife then raced forward screaming and began beating the demon into the ground. Her skin was pitch black like coal, and fiery veins were visible all over her body as sparks and embers erupted from her mouth. “DON’T. TOUCH. MY. BOY. EVER. AGAIN!!!” she roared as he kept punching the demon, making sure it did not get up.
“Argh, enough of this!” The Earl declared as he cast a spell that knocked Aoife away by catching her off balance. “I have more important things to take care of…” He then noticed a cloud of dust fly overhead being chased by a surge of lightning and a ball of fire. “YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN, DUSTIN! YOU WASTED ENOUGH OF MY TIME!” And with a snap of his fingers, he vanished in a cloud of smog with Andras in tow.
“Scheiße, and I was just getting warmed up,” Ernust complained as his snakes retreated into the portal from whence they came.
“Aoife, what happened to the others?!” Babe asked as he and Jackson hurried over to help her.
Her teeth were still gritted from the fury of the battle, but she began to calm down. “Oh, they’re fine–just found out that that PIECE OF SHIT DEMON HURT MY BOY A LONG TIME AGO–so I did what every mother would naturally do.”
“Well shoot, my hat’s off to you, Aoife,” Babe complimented.
Jackson looked at the corpse of the nephilim and became a bit antsy. “Dang it dang it dang it…” he then turned to M.A.I.G. troops. “Quick, get the clean-up squads here, on the double!”
“SIR YES SIR!” they replied as they went to their radios.
The battle with Dustin was tricky, as he was using his magic to disperse his body into dust. Attacks were rendered ineffective, but that was not going to stop the group. Ryota attempted to heat Dustin into glass, but the devil saw that coming and scattered himself each time. Bethany and Morrigan had an idea for the former to sting Dustin, with Morrigan using her star magic to hold enough of Dustin in place for Bethany’s stinger to make contact. While it was a good attempt, Dustin outwitted the two, causing Bethany to accidentally sting Morrigan and completely turn her into glass. Fortunately Mayhem had learned from Sirius Fractal how to reverse the transformation, but it required Will to leave the action. Dustin tried to take advantage of this, but Jun held him back by electrifying any dust that came near. Ryota then used this distraction to breathe fire at their enemy, allowing Satsuki to get in a good hit while Dustin was distracted.
Satsuki’s blade slashed the dust barrier that had been erected, and Dustin thought he could just shrug it off, but the glowing magic caused it to explode, disrupting any further attempts to reform. Dustin kept trying to use magic, only for the dust to keep exploding. Feeling his anger rise, he went after Will while he was tending to Morrigan and enveloped him in his dust. Pulling him away, Will was entombed in a way that made him look like a mummy made of sand, and large spears appeared from his prison that were going to skewer him. Fortunately Mayhem dispelled the dust with ease, finding the attempt on Will’s life laughable, and took on the form of Chaos Incarnate for a brief moment to overpower their foe. Chaos Incarnate was just as fearsome and terrifying as the last time Mayhem had invoked it, and even Nobu’s corpse (as lifeless as it was) felt primal fear deep within its being. With Dustin attempting to recover from the assault, Jun went in for a surge of electricity that disoriented him further.
Morrigan had fully recovered, and Bethany elected to stay back so as not to cause another accident. Having paid attention to how Dustin’s magic worked, Morrigan held her hand out and used her magic grab onto every piece of Dustin. She had fun swinging him around like a ragdoll, paying him back for the trick he pulled on her and Bethany. Eventually Dustin broke free, scattered, and reconstituted himself away from the group so he could flee. “OH SCREW THIS! YOU CHUMPS CAN HAVE YOUR DUMB CITY!” And with that he vanished into seeming nothingness, leaving for good this time.
Ryota then crossed his arms and spat sparks and embers on the road. “Rude–he didn’t even say goodbye…” This warranted some weary chuckles as the group made sure they were all okay.
From atop their building, Perkele and his guests were nodding and making a note of the battle. “How fascinating,” Mephistopheles said as he stroked the beard of his goatee. “Zasiel’s strength now comes from his friends, but some of those friends just so happen to be ‘higher powers…’ how very…” he paused to savor the satisfaction. “Faustian of him…”
“That’s Azazel’s student for you,” Semyaza noted, cracking his neck. “Could The Profane Alliance be any more of a joke? Do we have to keep pretending to be a part of them?”
“A joke they were here, but remember that they’ve propagated all over the multiverse,” Perkele pointed out.
“Don’t remind me–no wonder Volf’s been so gungho about cleaning things up…”
“Either way, gentlemen, I’d say everything’s falling into place for the Mezsdeon plan,” Mephistopheles said with contentment in his voice. “Is it a bit early to tell how things will play out? Yes, but I think we have enough to go on at the moment.”
Semyaza nodded as he watched the group reconvene at the MRAP. “So why are we so fixated on Will? I know Perkele is obsessed with him, but–”
“Obsessed?” he questioned. “He and his friends are my purpose, which I have no control over!”
“Again, obsessed–what do we need him for exactly?” Semyaza continued as they started to walk away from the ledge.
Mephistopheles checked his fancy pocket watch, then put it back in his coat. “Firstly we need a new god to stand with all of us against The Lost Darkness God and Surtr–Zasiel is destined to become The Rubber God, and he will give us an advantage no matter how he turns out. Furthermore I see potential in him…”
“If you want to strike a deal with him, why don’t you just ask then?” Semyaza groaned.
“As if you don’t know the answer to that…” he replied with a slight glare. “Zasiel will also set into motion so many other events that will pay us back in spades. Will is working with Mads, Crimson, and The Goolubber God; and soon The Star Eater and The Zombie God–this investment is too good to pass up. His chaotic, refused to be tied-down nature is ideal for our plans. And as an aside, it is a shame that we could not have been there to push Blood-Wraith in the right direction, but he wound up where he was supposed to be.”
“I don’t like where all of this is going though…” Perkele said with an anxious exhale. “This is a massive gamble, and there’s a good chance that there will be those who try to interfere with Sebastian’s plans. The Virus God is preparing Olov Herbertsson, Vittore and Rustik are making their way back to Earth, and Volf is struggling to keep Raguel pacified… Plus I don’t like Sebastian’s plan in the slightest–and it’s not just because of what will happen to Will.” Perkele glanced towards the horizon and shuddered. “The apocalypse has never been peaceful in any universe it has occurred, and we don’t need this universe turning out like Universe-0X…”
“You’re worrying too much, jester…” Semyaza pointed out, with Perkele lightly growling at him.
“No no, it is a valid concern,” Mephistopheles argued. “As skilled as I am at purveying deals and bargains, there is always that outside factor–that element of chaos. Hatanathos is certainly a wildcard I don’t appreciate… For now we shall keep an eye on Will, and make sure everything falls into place to the best of our abilities. And if things don’t go our way, it’s like what Will and his friends always say; It’s how you respond to the issue that matters.”
Perkele crossed his arms and sighed, letting the breeze caress his face for a moment. “I suppose all of you are right…”
“Speaking of Zasiel’s friends, where is Valentin at the moment, Perkele?”
He glanced up and saw Ensio circling overhead. “Probably speaking to Sylvia at the moment–let’s get moving before they show up…”
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“So who’s this asshole?” Dustin asked as he put his hands on his hips and scowled at the joke of a demon presented to him. It was grotesque with the head of a crow, and looked like it had been dead for centuries. It glared at him with murderous intent for that comment in a way that would have scared any mere mortal to death, but Dustin was not phased in the slightest. “Why can’t I get Rick Dirrt? Instead I get Satan’s sloppy seconds and some random-ass, no-name nephilim?”
The Earl Profane scowled as the giant snarled at Dustin, but it was difficult to tell who his ire was actually directed at. “Mr. Dirrt died from his own stupidity–Ultinn failed to train a worthy successor, being arrogant enough to assume his old familiar would happily go along with whatever passed for intelligence in Rick’s pathetic excuse for a mind.”
“Maybe I should quit while I’m ahead…” Dustin grunted in a muttering tone as the demon and nephilim growled at each other. “And you’ve got no one else? Shit, it’s like I’m going out there with a pair of wild animals…”
“Jokko Skumm is proving to be an even greater failure than we could have possibly–”
“NO NO NO NO, you can keep that moron!” Dustin shot back, trying to not cringe at the mere idea of working with such a hypocrite–Jokko was infamous for his opinions over the internet that were widely regarded as ‘grifting’ to the utmost degree, and even Nobu (when he was alive) knew that internet personality was a laughing stock. “Seriously, where the hell is Hecate and Demeter? They’re not much better, but at least they have guns and thugs…”
“You wanted to help and now you have it,” The Earl snapped back. “I have other things to tend to, and I do not appreciate having my time wasted.”
“Ah quit your bellyaching, gramps,” Dustin rudely dismissed with a hand wave as he started to open up a portal back to Red River City from his hideout in Inferno. “Alright, bird brain–first screw up and you’re chicken dinner. No-name–get in my way and Satan will have one less soldier to command…” Suffice it to say Dustin received some angry noises from his less-than-willing minions.
Dustin had no plans to overthrow or meaningfully harm Red River City, as he could not care less about it. In truth he just wanted to cause some trouble for The League, and he made his opening play by bringing out the undead demon to wreak havoc across the city. The Earl Profane had provided the corpse of the demon Andras, someone The Profane Alliance had been planning to resurrect to join their cause given that he had been vanquished at the hands of Zasiel… or so they mistakenly assumed. Either way, the demon had created a panic throughout the city, but Bethany was quick to respond in her manticore form. What caught everyone off guard and triggered the red alert surprisingly was not just Andras, but the fact that The Earl Profane had also brought the nephilim along. Bethany was caught off guard by this, but thankfully Ernust was there to fend it off until support arrived. And atop a nearby building of the city square where these battles took place was Perkele accompanied by Mephistopheles and an angel named Semyaza–both were in disguise and quietly observing the battle…
Susanoo was waiting for just the right moment, cackling with anticipation, as he did not want the villains running away the minute he showed up. With Jackson’s MRAP pulling up to the scene accompanied by M.A.I.G. soldiers, Susanoo leapt down from a building and drew his sword, heading straight for The Earl Profane. The whole squad filed out of the vehicle, magic and weapons ready to go, but Will felt a surge of adrenaline so intense that he could have sworn a vein had burst in his head and neck. Jun was stunned when Will shot forward with a surge of blue fire, punching Andras straight in the beak so hard that it sent the demon flying back. The nephilim–which resembled a mix of a lion and a troll–charged at Will and Bethany, only for Aoife to come in with a flying kick that sent it tumbling back with a massive thud. Morrigan, Adrien, Satsuki, Jun, and Ryota quickly launched into battle–each of them taking roles from support to making sure no bystanders were present.
“WHAT WAS ALL THAT ABOUT?” Bethany questioned Will as he readied more fire while Aoife dealt with the nephilim.
Will felt a stabbing sensation in his mind, like old memories were trying to come back to him as quickly as possible. “Argh–Andras, a demon I dealt with back in my hunter angel days with Anarel and Bellephaas…”
“SHIT, HE’S COMING BACK!” Morrigan pointed out as she ran at the screaming, raven-headed demon–the cacophonous screeching would have driven anyone mad. Her swords slammed against the monster’s razor-sharp talons, with a barrage of clashing blades ensuing as Morrigan did her best to push Andras back.
“TAKE THIS, DEMONIO MALVADO!” Adrien roared as he began slamming his kanabō into Andras, fully in his oni form and radiating sheer strength.
Jun looked incredibly nervous as he fidgeted around, crackling with electrical noises as the melee raged on. “Will, WHAT DO WE DO?”
“Jun, Ryota, Satsuki–go find Dustin! We’ll keep these monsters busy,” he instructed as Bethany went to help Aoife with the nephilim, firing explosive, magical spears at it.
“Alright, our turn, Noguchi!” Ryota said as he took off as a fireball into the sky, with Haze around him like a cape. Jun quickly got the hint and followed after him as a ball of lightning.
As Satsuki radioed back to Jackson while he followed Jun and Ryota, Will tossed a fireball that exploded into a torrent of flames at Andras so Morrigan could have a reprieve. “Alright, Sam?”
“Yeah–Jeez, I heard Andras bit the bullet, but that goes above and beyond!”
“STAY DOWN!” Adrien shouted as he slammed Andras’ head with a swing of his club like he was wielding a baseball bat. The demon gave a horrid, screeching caw, only to get trampled by the nephilim–it was trying to get away from Aoife and Bethany with no regards for its allies. “What, no shadow constructs?”
Morrigan thought about the lack of reinforcements as she used her star magic to incapacitate Andras, shooting him away from them. “I doubt Sebastian is letting Dustin have any–assuming he’s even working with him in the first place...”
“WATCH OUT, KIDS!” Aoife called out as the nephilim attempted to bring down a pair of rumbling fists on them. She raced forward with her arms turning as black as charcoal and knocked it off balance, grabbing its one arm and dislocating it from the shoulder. It screamed and swung its loose arm into Andras, causing the demon to attack it.
“AND NOW THEY’RE FIGHTING EACH OTHER!” Mayhem pointed out from the pocket watch in disbelief, even if it was not all that surprising. “Shall we use this to our advantage?”
“Careful, Amigo,” Adrien warned as he kept his weapon ready. “They’re still after us, and a cornered rat is always dangerous…”
“That’s just lovely–as if this day couldn’t get anymore annoying…” Bethany groaned as she flicked her tail. “Any advice, Will? Or did we just keep whaling into the bird?” she inquired with a chuckle.
Ernust had joined Susanoo in the fight against The Earl Profane, but The Earl was not up to his usual tactics. “What’s the matter, your grace?!” Susanoo laughed as he swung his sword in graceful, yet powerful slashes at the barriers of gross magic energy that were summoned–each one shattering as the nodachi grew more and more fervent for the battle, rumbling with rising fury. To witness Susanoo swing his weapon with such ferocious discipline was a sight to behold as he dominated The Earl Profane in strength and tempo. “IS MY MIGHT TOO GREAT FOR YOUR MISFORTUNE MAGIC?”
“You’d assume I’d repeat my past mistakes?” The Earl rebuked as he held something in his hand that he threw on the ground. This caused a giant, undead snake of rotting fire to emerge from the ground and try to bite at Susanoo. “How foolish of such a god!” He then snapped his fingers and summoned what could have easily been a meteor storm of similar fireballs from the sky. Susanoo laughed at this and launched up to meet the attack, running along an invisible path and slashing each fireball that came at him.
“Acting like you’ve been slighted again, your grace?” Ernust groaned as he readied his whistle. “How annoying–REEUF STRM TRNT!” His whistle screeched with a wretched, ear-piercing noise, and from the ground emerged a series of giant, white serpents that lunged towards the Earl’s serpent and tore it to shreds. Ernust then raced in to punch the Earl. He got in several good hits that would crippled a normal man, but the Earl used his magic to shed off his old body with a storm of dust and ash, and created a new one in a cacophony of screaming electricity.
“CONSARNIT!” Babe complained from near the MRAP, noticing commotion coming for them. “GUYS, HERE COMES THE BIG BOY!”
The Nephilim barreled towards Ernust and Susanoo, with the two jumping out of the way just in time. Susanoo used the opportunity to get in a good attack, slicing off the giant’s limp arm… only for it to pick it up and start using it like a club. Ernust blew into his whistle to direct his snakes towards the giant, and it tried to beat them away. The snakes were relentless, but The Earl snapped his fingers and gave the nephilim a replacement arm of more rotting fire. This would not tip the battle in his favor, however, as Susanoo would run his fingers along the side of his blade to charge it with lightning as thunder cracked around him. He then took a good swing at the nephilim, cleaving it in half as its upper body fell to the ground with a loud thud. The god of storms laughed triumphantly, especially given the foul look he was receiving from the Earl.
“SATAN, YOU BLITHERING IDIOT!” The Earl roared as he repeatedly stamped his foot. “SOME BETTER HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED NEXT TIME!”
“I’ll never understand people like you, your grace,” Susanoo mocked as he started to approach, his blade still crackling with electricity. “You know The Lost Darkness God is nothing but trouble, and you’ve been through the ringer, but you still go along with his schemes…”
The Earl felt those words penetrate his being as Susanoo loomed over him, the air of The Lost Era making him feel truly insignificant as he failed to produce a rebuttal. He backed up as Susanoo’s presence started to overwhelm him, but then noticed Andras being flung towards them. “OH FOR THE LOVE OF–”
Aoife then raced forward screaming and began beating the demon into the ground. Her skin was pitch black like coal, and fiery veins were visible all over her body as sparks and embers erupted from her mouth. “DON’T. TOUCH. MY. BOY. EVER. AGAIN!!!” she roared as he kept punching the demon, making sure it did not get up.
“Argh, enough of this!” The Earl declared as he cast a spell that knocked Aoife away by catching her off balance. “I have more important things to take care of…” He then noticed a cloud of dust fly overhead being chased by a surge of lightning and a ball of fire. “YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN, DUSTIN! YOU WASTED ENOUGH OF MY TIME!” And with a snap of his fingers, he vanished in a cloud of smog with Andras in tow.
“Scheiße, and I was just getting warmed up,” Ernust complained as his snakes retreated into the portal from whence they came.
“Aoife, what happened to the others?!” Babe asked as he and Jackson hurried over to help her.
Her teeth were still gritted from the fury of the battle, but she began to calm down. “Oh, they’re fine–just found out that that PIECE OF SHIT DEMON HURT MY BOY A LONG TIME AGO–so I did what every mother would naturally do.”
“Well shoot, my hat’s off to you, Aoife,” Babe complimented.
Jackson looked at the corpse of the nephilim and became a bit antsy. “Dang it dang it dang it…” he then turned to M.A.I.G. troops. “Quick, get the clean-up squads here, on the double!”
“SIR YES SIR!” they replied as they went to their radios.
The battle with Dustin was tricky, as he was using his magic to disperse his body into dust. Attacks were rendered ineffective, but that was not going to stop the group. Ryota attempted to heat Dustin into glass, but the devil saw that coming and scattered himself each time. Bethany and Morrigan had an idea for the former to sting Dustin, with Morrigan using her star magic to hold enough of Dustin in place for Bethany’s stinger to make contact. While it was a good attempt, Dustin outwitted the two, causing Bethany to accidentally sting Morrigan and completely turn her into glass. Fortunately Mayhem had learned from Sirius Fractal how to reverse the transformation, but it required Will to leave the action. Dustin tried to take advantage of this, but Jun held him back by electrifying any dust that came near. Ryota then used this distraction to breathe fire at their enemy, allowing Satsuki to get in a good hit while Dustin was distracted.
Satsuki’s blade slashed the dust barrier that had been erected, and Dustin thought he could just shrug it off, but the glowing magic caused it to explode, disrupting any further attempts to reform. Dustin kept trying to use magic, only for the dust to keep exploding. Feeling his anger rise, he went after Will while he was tending to Morrigan and enveloped him in his dust. Pulling him away, Will was entombed in a way that made him look like a mummy made of sand, and large spears appeared from his prison that were going to skewer him. Fortunately Mayhem dispelled the dust with ease, finding the attempt on Will’s life laughable, and took on the form of Chaos Incarnate for a brief moment to overpower their foe. Chaos Incarnate was just as fearsome and terrifying as the last time Mayhem had invoked it, and even Nobu’s corpse (as lifeless as it was) felt primal fear deep within its being. With Dustin attempting to recover from the assault, Jun went in for a surge of electricity that disoriented him further.
Morrigan had fully recovered, and Bethany elected to stay back so as not to cause another accident. Having paid attention to how Dustin’s magic worked, Morrigan held her hand out and used her magic grab onto every piece of Dustin. She had fun swinging him around like a ragdoll, paying him back for the trick he pulled on her and Bethany. Eventually Dustin broke free, scattered, and reconstituted himself away from the group so he could flee. “OH SCREW THIS! YOU CHUMPS CAN HAVE YOUR DUMB CITY!” And with that he vanished into seeming nothingness, leaving for good this time.
Ryota then crossed his arms and spat sparks and embers on the road. “Rude–he didn’t even say goodbye…” This warranted some weary chuckles as the group made sure they were all okay.
From atop their building, Perkele and his guests were nodding and making a note of the battle. “How fascinating,” Mephistopheles said as he stroked the beard of his goatee. “Zasiel’s strength now comes from his friends, but some of those friends just so happen to be ‘higher powers…’ how very…” he paused to savor the satisfaction. “Faustian of him…”
“That’s Azazel’s student for you,” Semyaza noted, cracking his neck. “Could The Profane Alliance be any more of a joke? Do we have to keep pretending to be a part of them?”
“A joke they were here, but remember that they’ve propagated all over the multiverse,” Perkele pointed out.
“Don’t remind me–no wonder Volf’s been so gungho about cleaning things up…”
“Either way, gentlemen, I’d say everything’s falling into place for the Mezsdeon plan,” Mephistopheles said with contentment in his voice. “Is it a bit early to tell how things will play out? Yes, but I think we have enough to go on at the moment.”
Semyaza nodded as he watched the group reconvene at the MRAP. “So why are we so fixated on Will? I know Perkele is obsessed with him, but–”
“Obsessed?” he questioned. “He and his friends are my purpose, which I have no control over!”
“Again, obsessed–what do we need him for exactly?” Semyaza continued as they started to walk away from the ledge.
Mephistopheles checked his fancy pocket watch, then put it back in his coat. “Firstly we need a new god to stand with all of us against The Lost Darkness God and Surtr–Zasiel is destined to become The Rubber God, and he will give us an advantage no matter how he turns out. Furthermore I see potential in him…”
“If you want to strike a deal with him, why don’t you just ask then?” Semyaza groaned.
“As if you don’t know the answer to that…” he replied with a slight glare. “Zasiel will also set into motion so many other events that will pay us back in spades. Will is working with Mads, Crimson, and The Goolubber God; and soon The Star Eater and The Zombie God–this investment is too good to pass up. His chaotic, refused to be tied-down nature is ideal for our plans. And as an aside, it is a shame that we could not have been there to push Blood-Wraith in the right direction, but he wound up where he was supposed to be.”
“I don’t like where all of this is going though…” Perkele said with an anxious exhale. “This is a massive gamble, and there’s a good chance that there will be those who try to interfere with Sebastian’s plans. The Virus God is preparing Olov Herbertsson, Vittore and Rustik are making their way back to Earth, and Volf is struggling to keep Raguel pacified… Plus I don’t like Sebastian’s plan in the slightest–and it’s not just because of what will happen to Will.” Perkele glanced towards the horizon and shuddered. “The apocalypse has never been peaceful in any universe it has occurred, and we don’t need this universe turning out like Universe-0X…”
“You’re worrying too much, jester…” Semyaza pointed out, with Perkele lightly growling at him.
“No no, it is a valid concern,” Mephistopheles argued. “As skilled as I am at purveying deals and bargains, there is always that outside factor–that element of chaos. Hatanathos is certainly a wildcard I don’t appreciate… For now we shall keep an eye on Will, and make sure everything falls into place to the best of our abilities. And if things don’t go our way, it’s like what Will and his friends always say; It’s how you respond to the issue that matters.”
Perkele crossed his arms and sighed, letting the breeze caress his face for a moment. “I suppose all of you are right…”
“Speaking of Zasiel’s friends, where is Valentin at the moment, Perkele?”
He glanced up and saw Ensio circling overhead. “Probably speaking to Sylvia at the moment–let’s get moving before they show up…”
Next:
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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