Faythe could only grit her teeth as her eyes narrowed at the large demon in front of her. The roar that echoed from its mouth was intimidating. Its large form towered over the small human body of Faythe. The demon lowered itself in an attack position as Faythe's Gold and Black hymn gauntlets appeared on her hands.
"
"Bring it on." Faythe growled as the demon quickly obliged with her offer.
It quickly tried to slam its large fist down upon her, but Faythe quickly leaped to her right side, avoiding the oncoming assault. Keeping her balance, her knees bent as she pushed herself off the snowy ground, launching herself forward towards the source of the storm.
"Arrggghhhh!" Faythe shouted as she brought her fist back, attempting her first attempt to strike. She quickly struck, forcing her fist on the side of the jaw of the large beast, but it proved to have little effect as the large creature quickly tried to counter by using its large arm to swat Faythe to the side.
Quickly avoiding the incoming assault, Faythe quickly followed up with a few more jabs and haymakers to the demon's face, but only managed to accomplish the same results. "You got to be kidding me…" She lightly growled, distracted by the durability of the creature's skin, only to be swatted in the back by the large monstrosity.
"AHHHH!" Her body bounced off the ground, but she quickly recovered and dodged the next attack that nearly smashed her into the ground. Rolling out of the way, she quickly leaped towards the monster once
again, bashing its large face in with punches while dodging as much as she could. The two battled for a few moments, only for Faythe to realize that she was only going in a circle. She wasn't dealing enough damage and the demon seemed to be unfazed by her attacks.
"This is getting me nowhere." She bit her lip as the creature roared once again as it didn't give Faythe time to analyze the situation. It quickly reared its long arm back and brought its fists down towards Faythe.
"Come on!" Faythe taunted as she dodged another attack. "Is that all you got?" She asked as she moved out of the way again.
Faythe dodged a few more attacks before she resumed her onslaught again. "Got you!" She shouted as her she reared her fist back. A golden glow surrounded her gauntlets as she was about to pound in the giant creature's face, but she a caught movement out of the corner of her eye. The large arm of the monster had moved faster than what she had anticipated. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw the large fist coming towards her.
Realization set in. She was unable to dodge this time around. The large monstrous skull hand drew closer at miraculous speed. Unable to brace from impact, Faythe could only watch as the large fist was mere seconds away from slamming into her.
Suddenly, a loud sonic scream could be heard as the demon's hand stopped right in its tracks. Faythe quickly landed on the ground, taken back by the turn of events as Ekho quickly landed in front of her. "
"Ekho." Faythe called out, happy to see that her friend was ok.
Ekho, accompanied by Ira, who she held under her arm, quickly dropped him on the ground and leaped back up in the air. She jumped up in front of the large demon's face, and let out a large scream, sending another sonic wave towards the creature, causing it to roar in pain as it shook its head vigorously, trying to shake off the sound wave attack delivered by Ekho.
Faythe quickly balled up her fist and looked down at Ira who was just picking himself. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Stay here…" She instructed as she ran passed Ira to jump back into the fight.
"Hey! What? Wait!" Ira shouted after her, but Faythe was already gone as she leaped into battle to help out her teammate.
Ekho dodged an incoming large arm that tried to smash her into the building, causing only the building to take damage. Ekho quickly made her way towards the gigantic demon, her feet gracefully moving across the side of another building, before she leaped off of it, preparing another sound attack towards her opponent.
But the demon saw it coming and reached out towards her. "Shit…" Ekho simply said as the monstrous hand opened up, trying to grasp her in its palm.
"Oh no, you don't!" Faythe shouted as she came flying across Ekho and crashing her fist into the palm of the giant hand, knocking it away. "Let's go Ekho!" Faythe shouted as Ekho quickly nodded in agreement as the two leaped towards the face of the large snow demon.
Faythe bashed in the side of the monsters face, causing its head to move with every punch she delivered, only for her to fall back and Ekho to take over by sending another sound wave attack from her mouth. The attack pattern continued for a few moments as the demon finally staggered back a bit. Faythe landed on one of its outstretched arms and charged upwards towards its face again.
Her eyes narrowed in determination as her fist began to glow once again. She brought her arm back once again and with force, brought it forward, bashing the large creature in the face hard, causing the monster head to reel back in pain. A loud scream of pain escaped the demon's face.
Faythe quickly moved out of the way as Ekho quickly took her place, holding out her hands that were wrapped around smaller gold and Black gloves, with a gold circle on the palm of it. Clasping both of her hands together, Ekho sent out a loud sound wave from her hands, blasting the large creature back into a few buildings, causing it to collapse on top of them, crushing them completely, and creating a large dust cloud from the impact as a result.
The two teen girls landed on the monster's upper chest, surveying the scene as the dust cleared out completely. Faythe's eyes narrowed as well as Ekho's as they kept their focus on the creature, which remained silent after the fall. "Do you think we killed it?" Faythe asked as Ekho remained silent as she kept her eyes locked onto the giant beast. Faythe took a few steps forward, looking down at the monster's face as it made no movement
Ekho stayed in the exact same spot, behind Faythe as she stayed on her guard. The two continued to look down at the demon, prepared to continue the battle if need be. "It's not moving…" Faythe thought to herself. "Was it really that weak?" She mentally questioned.
Both Faythe and Ekho turned their attentions towards each other after a few moments, realizing that the creature was no longer moving. They both nodded to each other, signaling that their mission was done and they turned their attention towards Ira, who only sat back in amazement, his mouth agape as his eyes settled on both Faythe and Ekho and the memory of them fighting refreshed in his mind.
"That…Was….Amazing." His sentenced dragged as his eyes quickly blinked as he saw something move behind both Faythe and Ekho." Hey!" Ira quickly got up waving his arms in the air, causing Faythe to look at him in confusion.
"Huh?" She tilted her head. "What is he doing?" She asked Ekho, who only shrugged her shoulders at Faythe's question.
"Weirdo…"Ekho remarked as she looked at Ira with a deadpanned uninterested look.
Ira quickly became Frantic as the large demon head slowly lifted off the ground. "It's not dead! It's not dead! Turn around!" Ira screamed.
Faythe was trying her best to make out what Ira was saying, but she heard a low growl coming from behind her, causing her to quickly whirl her body around just in time to see a large fist connect with her body. "AHHHHHHHH!" She screamed in pain as her body was slammed against a frozen solid building wall, the large fist pressing against her body.
"FAYTHE!" Ekho shouted as she gritted her teeth and glared at the monster in frustration. The monster paid no mind to the death glare that Ekho was sending it and proceeded to attack her as well. He tried to use its arm to swipe Ekho away, but she quickly dodged the large limb. Ekho tried to counter, but the beast gave her no opening for an attack.
The large demon whaled in anger as it tried its best to squash Ekho in a berserk fashion, crushing any and everything that was in its way. "Ekho!" Ira shouted as he placed his hand on the hilt of the sword that was given to him by Iva. He hesitated for a bit as a flashback of him fighting Iva appeared in his head.
-Flashback-
He quickly picked up the sword Iva graciously gave to him and managed to block an incoming swipe from her claws, creating sparks as she tried to swipe his head off, but he managed to avoid most of her attacks. Using his newly acquired sword, he was barely able to fend her off; Ducking and dodging her attacks and barely able to block a few that forced him to block.
"Is that all you got!" She shouted as she swung her arm with more force, destroying his guard completely and knocking him against a cement beam back first. A loud gasp came out of Ira's mouth as his body slowly limped down from the wall that he hit as he fell to his knees. Iva couldn't help but laugh a bit at the sorry state Ira was in. "You can't be serious Ira." She made her way towards him, stopping directly in front of him before kneeling down and placing her demonic hand on top of his head again. "I thought I taught you better than this." She sighed as she closed her eyes for a brief second and reopened them with anger.
"Fight back already!" She yelled at him as she tossed him with barely half her strength, but it felt like completely different for Ira as his body slammed against the side of the car, causing him to fall face first to the ground.
-Flashback Ended-
Upon that flashback, Faythe's words entered his mind before they departed for the mission.
-2nd Flashback-
"You can't pair me with him! I won't allow it!" Faythe shouted. "He's just going to get in the way." Faythe argued.
-2nd Flashback ended-
Ira's body froze as his thoughts began to cloud his judgment. "Am I 'm really just going to be in the way?"
His mind questioned as he watched Ekho trade blows with the large creature in front of him. Ekho was getting pressured by her opponent as it continued to try and bash the small girl into the ground in a brutal fashion. "Can I really help out?" His mind continued to pound on the thought of him joining the battle.
"The last time I fought was against Iva and she nearly…." He gulped as he looked back up at Ekho, who was doing her best to hold her own against the massive beast.
Ekho finally managed to create some distance between the two. Her breathing was heavy as she continued to glare towards the demon.
A standoff occurred as the large demon let off a loud roar, displaying its dominance once again as it charged towards Ekho.
"Could I really be any help to them?" The doubts continued to sprout as Ira directed his eyes to the unconscious Faythe. Her body lying face first in the cold winter snow, as blood slowly leaked from her lips.
The sight of Faythe made Ira flashback once again to his last battle with a demon, his older sister.
-3rd Flashback-
"Your life is on the line and everybody you know is dying right now and this is how you fight back!" She screamed at him as Ira didn't budge from his new position.
-3rd flashback ended-
Ira's eyes looked up just in time to see Ekho's body crashing into the ground before him. Her body bouncing off the cold hard cement as blood spat out of her mouth. The fear settled into Ira as his body shivered a bit from the large creature that slowly made its way towards them, stopping in front of Ekho, ready to pound her body into oblivion.
"I can't…I can't move." Ira stuttered. "My body….Won't move." His body frozen in fear as the large creature lifted up both its arms, balling up his fist, ready to deliver the final blow to Ekho.
The young teen gritted her teeth as she sat up, holding her arm as she tried to prepare herself for another onslaught. Her breathing was still heavy as she manages to look up at the face of her destroyer.
Ira's eyes quickly blinked as he saw the large creatures arms began to lower. Time slowed down as Ekho continued to look up at the creature, knowing that she probably wouldn't survive the next assault. Slowly but surely the creatures arms descended, its fist coming closer to Ekho as she got ready for one last attack.
Ira watched in horror as his body still remained frozen in from fear until Iva's demonic angry face appeared in his head. "What happened to you knowing how to swing a sword better than me?" The image of Iva's face was irate as Ira's body started to move on its own.
Ekho could only watch as she couldn't even open her mouth or use her hands to produce another sound attack. Life would be over for her once the attack landed. Her eyes opened in terror as the creature was about to slam it's hands down upon her. She closed her eyes, not wanting to the see the unthinkable approach her. An icy shiver went down her spine. Her heart rate accelerated as the end drew closer.
Darkness surrounded Ekho as her eyes were closed tightly as a loud crash was heard surrounding her. The large creature roared in pain as Ekho quickly opened up her eyes, bewildered at the outcome. She looked up at the creature as it reared its arms back in pain as she could a large slit on the creature's wrist and blood spilling out. Ekho quickly lowered her eyes just in time to see Ira quickly make his way towards her, scooping her up and running towards the unconscious Faythe.
Drained of energy, Ekho couldn't keep her eyes open. She just felt her body move on its own as she was carried on Ira's shoulder. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't find the words that suited the situation. Her eyes slowly began to close once again, exhausted from the previous fight as the last thing she saw was the side of Ira's face before she blacked out completely.
-Dreamworld-
The sound of fire burning could be heard as wood was set on fire. Feet hovered above the fire, mere seconds away from touching it as a group of people gathered around it, smiles and excitement on their faces as they cheered at the sight.
"Burn her!" A loud man shouted. "Burn her for the lord!" The screams and shouts could be heard for a couple of blocks. "God demands a sacrifice!" A female voice screamed, joining in the fray as another one shouted. "Sacrifice her so we can leave in peace!" Another female shouted. "Demon's must burn!" Countless shouts began to echo from the crowd. "Purge her! Purge the demon!" An elderly man joined in, gaining the crowd behind him. "Purge the demon! Purge the demon! Purge the demon! Purge the demon!" Ekho's eyes slowly flickered open, their adjustments took a few seconds, but her vision cleared with the image of people surrounding her. She smelled the flames; saw the expressions on people's faces, the hatred that was being tossed her way.
Her arms were bound together, held over her head as her body dangled over the flames. Her scared expression was solid as her eyes darted from direction to another. "Mom…." She called out only for her to not get an answer. "Mom." She called again. "MOM!" She screamed as she tried to shake herself free, but the ropes around her hands were tight tightly; below her she saw wood being tossed into the flames, causing it to grow.
Ekho's eyes looked downwards towards the culprit responsible for the flames enlarging, only for her face to become horrified at the sight that was placed in front of her.
An older lady stood in front of her, a sick smile on her face as she tossed another plank of wood in the flames. "I'm sorry sweetie, but…It's for the best." Her expression didn't waver as she gave her daughter a sick disgusted look.
"Mom….Mom…MOM! NO!" Ekho yelled towards her. "Let me go! Don't listen to them! Please!" Ekho screamed frantically as she continued her struggles.
"I'm not your mother!" Her mother spat back, instantly shocking Ekho with the amount of malice that surrounded her voice. "I do not claim demons." Her mother said plainly as the stunned Ekho couldn't help but just stare in utter disbelief as the words from her mother set in her mind.
"…No…." Was all Ekho could reply with as Tears streamed down her face as her struggling came to a halt.
With her final words said, her mother through another large piece of wood into the fire and turned her back towards her, but not without giving Ekho a final glance and statement. "Burn in hell." She muttered with pure hate as she walked away as the flames began to rise up and surround Ekho, who went back to struggling as the pain began to eat away at her.
"Mom! Wait! Mom! Don't go! MOM!" Ekho's screams could be heard throughout the cheers of the people that surrounded her as her body continued to struggle with every ounce of will she had.
-Dreamworld ended-
"Ekho." Ira's voice called out to her. "Ekho wake up!" He shook her gently. "Ekho!" He called out to her one final time before her eyes quickly shot open, revealing him leaning over her. Their eyes locked for a moment as Ekho regained our composure as she looked him up and down.
"Why are you hovering?" She bluntly asked as Ira quickly looked down at her and quickly backed away in embarrassed.
"Oh, sorry, I just wanted to make sure you were alright." He took a deep breath as he slightly glanced back at Ekho as she slowly sat up.
She felt a bit light headed as her body nearly crumbled as she placed her hand on her temple. "Don't try to move so fast," Ira told her as he gently laid her back down. "You took a pretty bad hit back there." He told her as Ekho laid back down flat on her back.
Her eyes glanced around a bit as she saw a small fire in the center of a large room that was mostly covered in ice. "It took a minute to get this fire going, but I managed to do it. It won't melt the entire room though, but if we stay right here, for now, we should be fine." Ira told her as he looked over at her.
Ekho glanced around a bit again before she turned around to look over at Ira. "Faythe?" She questioned.
"She's over there." Ira pointed out. "She got hit pretty hard, but she's still alive," Ira told her as Ekho kept silent as she laid back down, looking up at a large hole in the ceiling as a bright sun shined through it, falling upon them, help to keep them warm.
Silence continued to dominate the area. No words were spoken as only the sounds of the flames could be heard as Ira continued to throw something in the fire to keep it going.
Ekho looked over at him as he concentrated on keeping the flames lit. Her memory played back to their previous encounter with the large beast that nearly snuffed her out of existence. At the last second, she remembered Ira coming in and saving her at the very last second. A small smile appeared on her face unknown to him. She looked up at the sun, her body bathing in its light. "Thank you." She simply stated.
Ira's ears perked up, his eyes shocked as he quickly turned his head towards Ekho, who closed her eyes and continued to let the warmth of the sun enveloped her.
"Sure." Ira smiled at her. "No problem." He turned his head back towards the flames and made sure that nothing else needed to be done.
-Cherubim/Same time-
Inside the large structure of the organization seemed busy. People were moving as fast as they could trying to get whatever work that needed to be done, done." The employees were stationed at their post, some taking in requests calls and trying to defuse a situation in other parts of the cities from different scouts and others were trying to find out where Faythe and her team were.
Ether sat in the center of the room, an irritated look plastered on her face as she tapped her fingers on her desk while leaning her head on her other hand. She bit her lower lip lightly as she continued to get the same answer that she has been getting for the last couple of hours.
"I'm sorry, but still no response from the alpha team, chairwoman." A lady spoke up, which earned a slight glare from Ether.
"Keep trying, do not let up until you get a lock on them." Ether instructed as she glanced around the room. "And that goes for the rest of you as well. Your primary mission is to get a lock on Team Alpha's location; nobody else is dying on our watch." She instructed as the lady quickly nodded her head, understanding how dire the situation was as well as the crew mates who were responsible for the job as well.
"Ugh, this is unbelievable." Ether growled as she looked down at her own desk. Her eyes locked onto a black screen in front of her that continued to read "No Signal." In red. "They know they're supposed to contact us as soon as they reached Shinjuku, what the hell is going on?" She questioned to nobody in particular.
Ether tried to get in touch with the team she personally assigned to the mission herself, but still to no avail. Frustrated after a few tries, she let out an exasperated sigh as she leaned forward with both hands rubbing her temple. "Dammit, where the hell are you guys?" She bit her lower lip again as her frustration was replaced with worry.
"You look like you're about to cry or something," Nyx said walking up behind her, catching Ether by surprise, but not by much.
"Huh? Oh, Nyx it's you." Ether stated as she turned her head back around, her eyes facing the computer screen.
"You seem like you're having a hard time, I take it that there hasn't been any word from Faythe and the others," Nyx asked her as Ether finally couldn't take it anymore and slammed both of her hands down on the keyboard in front of her.
"You bet your ass there hasn't been any word from them!" Ether shouted angrily. "I sent them out on a mission yesterday and I still haven't got a call or anything!" Ether was furious. She frantically moved her arms around in the air, similar to a child throwing a temper tantrum as Nyx could only smile down at her with one hand on her hip. "I mean come on, it's not like I'm extremely worried or anything!" She laid her head down on the keyboard, groaning. "Why do you guys do this to me?" She whined. "I swear one day you're going to give me a heart attack and I'm going to die in a floating wheelchair." She lifted her head back up to look at Nyx. "Is that what you want? Me to die in a floating wheelchair, my lifeless body floating around scaring the hell out of people because you gave me a heart attack!" She yelled at Nyx who could only giggle at Ether's childlike reaction.
Placing a hand on the back of her chair, Nyx spoke to her. "At least you won't lose your sense of humor if you do." Smiling down at her as Ether face saddens a bit as she turned her head back to towards the screen.
"…I'm serious Nyx, you know how I get when you guys don't check in." The seriousness in Ether's voice surfaced as Nyx looked down at her. "I'm worried about them, do you think that they got there ok?" She looked back at the chocolate skin vixen.
Nyx nodded her head, giving Ether an assuring smile. "I'm sure everything is fine and don't worry they are…."
"I'm sure they're fine." A masculine voice came from behind Nyx, causing her to quickly direct her glance towards Midas as he walked towards them, pushing his glasses up on his face.
"Yea," Nyx stated, still keeping her eyes on him. "I'm sure they're fine." She repeated as Midas stood beside her.
"Ether, you shouldn't worry so much. Give your angels some credit." He smiled at her as Ether looked up at him for a moment before nodding in approval. "They've been on tough missions before, this one is no different. I'm sure they'll come back in one piece." He continued to smile down at her, his voice smooth as the words left his lips.
"You're right Midas." Ether spoke up, gaining a glance from Nyx. "But, it's not angels just out there. I put a rookie out there with them." She stated, placing her hands over her face. "How could have been so stupid.
"She said in frustration. "I should have known better, I should have sent someone…."
"The boy has experience in fighting demons." Midas interrupted her.
"He's fought one demon, and was nearly killed by her." Nyx quickly interjected.
"Ahh, but the demon that he fought is the same demon that you haven't been able to kill." Midas sent a smirk towards Nyx, who only grunted at his comment. "That makes him more than experience to handle anything that won't come within a fraction of her power," Midas concluded .
"Fighting one demon, regardless of how powerful she is, doesn't make him experienced." Nyx crossed her arms as she glared at Midas.
"You're failing to see the potential in that young man," Midas replied.
"And I think you're overestimating him." Nyx let a light growl escape her lips as Midas continued to smirk at her. "That attitude of yours is going to get us killed one of these days." She pressed on.
"Ahh, but it's not my attitude that is going to be the deciding factor between you and opponents, but the lack of skill and power that either one of you has. The will to su rvive in a world full of ominous creatures is the difference maker on the battlefield." Midas explained as he continued to eye Nyx, his smirk ceasing to fade away. "I'm sure you know of this." He ended as Nyx sent him a slight glare as he turned his attention towards Ether, who looked between the two as they began to mix words with one another.
"Ether, I know how you value everyone here as your children, but as I told you before; have faith." He stated. "The boy has potential, I should know, I studied him." He finished as Ether quickly glanced over towards Nyx, who looked back at her with a glance of her own before she turned her head back towards Midas.
"Trust me, they'll be fine." Midas finished with a bright smile on his face as he turned his attention towards Nyx. "Believe me, they'll come back and I'll be waiting to tell you, "I told you so." He turned his back towards the two women and walked towards the workers, directing them as they continued to work vigorously.
Nyx keeps her arms crossed as Ether continued to look at the scene that unfolded in front of her. "I don't see what you see in him," Nyx spoke, earning Ether's attention. " But I don't like him." She flatly stated as Ether gave Nyx a small smile.
"I know he can be a bit much, but Midas is a good guy." Ether replied. "He did look over you when you and the rest of the girls when you came back from your last mission." Their eyes locked for a moment. "Plus, let's not forget about the time he…."
"Let's not…Talk about that." Nyx turned her head away from Ether. "That's a memory I want to forget." Her cheeks turned red from Embarrassment as Ether's smile remained on her face as she turned her head back to Midas.
"He's a good guy Nyx, a bit overzealous, but a good guy." Ether told her as Nyx looked over at Midas as well.
"Yea." Nyx returned. "We'll see." She said as she turned her back towards the situation and began to walk off, catching Ether's attention again, causing her to turn her head towards Nyx.
"Where are you going?" She asked her.
"To train with Yure." Nyx quickly replied as she stopped at a metal door, which opened automatically. Nyx turned her a bit to get a good look at Ether with a smile appearing on her face again. "She's just as worried as we are." She ended as she stepped the doors, which closed behind her, leaving a smiling Ether behind who turned her attention back to her work.
-Back in Shinjuku-
Time seem to fly back as the sun began to set. Faythe still lay unconscious as Ira and Ekho sat around the fire, silence the victor of the evening.
Ekho sat in front of the flames as Ira continued to throw discarded pieces of wood into the fire. "Hey Ekho," Ira called to her.
"Hmm." She answered as Ira stopped what he was doing and looked up at her with a concerned look on his face.
"Well, when I brought you here." He began nervously. "You looked like you were having a bad dream or something, you kept shouting for your mother." He turned his head away from her as she continued looking at the flames that sparked in front of her.
Her hands were cupped under her knees as her legs were bent upward. Her butt was flat on the ground as she sat close enough to the fire to keep warm. "What about it?" She bluntly asked him.
"Well, you sounded like she was in trouble or something happened to her," Ira spoke slowly as he turned his back towards her. "Is she ok?" He asked her.
Ekho didn't say anything for a few seconds. "My mother…Is dead." Ekho answered in the same plain blunt manner as before.
Instantly, Ira felt bad for asking such a question as his head lowered a bit. "Oh, sorry about that, I didn't mean to ask." He apologized, but Ekho lifted her head upward and slightly tilted it to the side with a small but sick smile on her face.
"Don't feel bad." She said, her grin growing wider by the second. "Because I killed her." She said coldly as Ira's eyes shot up in shock as Ekho continued to stare at him with her sick smirk growing by every second.