- Lina and Sig -
The large group of yokai surrounding Shiri and Susano'o's previous battlefield were in chaos as a massive cloud of smoke started to spread. Lina would tear her claws deep into a yokai's throat as she swiftly, invisibly, moved through the smoke cloud. Sig's focus was on keeping the flying yokai out of the air.
"WHERE IS IT?!" One yokai yelled in terror.
"Forty-three left," Lina's voice spoke into Sig's ear.
- Mido -
(Sometime before Susano'o's battle with Shiri)
A woman with long jade-green hair, white-scaled skin, and serpent eyes hummed to herself. She sat in a room with other yokai that had similar serpent-like features.
"How many times must I repeat myself?" The woman said with fatigue.
"But Lord Mido," A man pleaded.
Mido looked out the window of her room, her eyes tracing the fall of the snowflakes. "The Hebi clan doesn't need the honors, nor do we owe Lord Susano'o our assistance. I will not make Death and Lucifer my enemy unless they make the first move."
One man stomped across the room. "YOU DOOM OUR CLAN FOR YOUR OWN SELFISHNESS!"
Mido looked at the man with casual apathy. She got out of her chair, towering over the man as she stood. She tilted her head to the side slightly.
"Why is it that the Enenra clan has prospered?" she scanned her eyes across the faces of the other yokai in the room before looking at the man in front of her. "Because they picked the right battles," she put her hand on the man's shoulder and squeezed tight. "Besides, let us not forget that what you're arguing for, is betrayal of the [Hunter]."
"Angelic beliefs..." The man mocked under his breath.
Mido sighed as she released the man's shoulder. "By all means, join the combat, maybe Lord Izanami and Izanagi will reward you with power," She sat back down. "Of course, such rewards will only be given to those that live, and only if the attempt on Lucifer and Death's life should succeed."
The yokai in the room looked at each other nervously. Mido went back to her humming and staring out the window as a slight grin formed. A memory of Michael played in her mind.
'I lost my temper when he insulted Lucifer. Please, never tell anyone else that I said that. I just want a better life for him. It would be great if he could meet someone as wonderful as you.'
Mido ignored the arguing that was going on in the room. 'This is all the help I can offer your brother.'
- Izanami, Lucifer, Peter, Yvere -
Izanami rushed toward Peter. Peter and Lucifer went for a pincer attack on the left and right of Izanami. Lucifer's arms ignited with blue flames as he went to grab Izanami while Peter aimed for Izanami's legs.
'What does this new form do?' Lucifer questioned.
Izanami grabbed one of Lucifer's arms. Lucifer was surprised that Izanami's hand wasn't burning as she flung him into Peter. Lucifer turned off his flames and used his wings to correct himself and Peter as the two skidded. Lucifer noticed Izanami releasing a puff of blue fire out of her back.
"She can absorb with both hands," Lucifer quickly warned Peter.
Yvere was moving to make sure she was closer to Peter and Lucifer than Izanami. She wanted to join the fight but knew that she wasn't a match for Izanami and that if she got caught again she would be a detriment.
"Phosphorous, three-to-five minutes," Lucifer planned with Peter.
Peter nodded. Lucifer unsheathed his dagger while creating a smoke cloud in his other hand. Orange flames started to feed into the smoke from the sides of Lucifer's palm.
'No you don't,' Izanami shot toward Lucifer.
Peter swiped his sword downward at Izanami's legs while Lucifer aimed his dagger at Izanami's good eye. Lucifer and Peter's blades stopped as they made contact with Izanami's rotting body due to the inertia from the attacks disappearing. Before the two could drag their weapons to cut, Izanami knocked the two's blades away.
"Whole body absorption!" Lucifer shouted to inform Yvere.
One of Izanami's hands shot for Peter's neck. Peter ducked his chin down into his chest just in time to absorb the blow. Peter was thrown backward and his chin was cut open. A trail of blood followed Peter's movement as Yvere ran to assist. Izanami turned to face Lucifer.
"You want me?" Lucifer's tone unnerved Izanami.
Lucifer took a step forward and wrapped his wings around him and Izanami. Blue explosive orbs formed all around the inside of the wings. Izanami threw a corkscrewing punch at Lucifer's chest, clearly aiming for his heart. Izanami powerfully slapped her chest with her left hand right before her fist connected with Lucifer.
"Partially close the wound," Peter asked Yvere.
"I can see the bone!" Yvere angrily informed as she closed the massive cut on Peter's chin.
Peter and Yvere looked on in horror as they saw Lucifer, now with an open hole in his chest, launch backward from an explosion. Lucifer hit the ground and rolled into a slump.
"No," Yvere denied.
"YOU!" Peter shouted with fury at Izanami.
Izanami wasn't moving. Izanami let out a sharp breath as an explosion shot out from the center of her back, burning the cloth and exposing the fetid skin on her back along with the damaged tattoo of a large tree with bare branches.
'Just leave,' Izanami thought as she looked over at Peter and Yvere.
Lucifer dragged himself up. "LEAVE THEM!"
"How?" Izanami couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Lucifer's chest cavity was exposed. His heart, which was now visible, wasn't beating. The heart looked as if it had been partially crushed.
"How?" Izanami repeated.
"LORD IZANAMI!" Shiri shouted from behind Izanami.
- Izanami, Shiri, Lucifer, Yvere, Peter -
While time seemed to slow for Yvere, she was remembering a conversation she had with Lucifer back when she had originally joined the team.
'Don't tell anyone else what I'm about to tell you; archangels can live with a destroyed heart. I know as a healer you've been taught to prioritize those who appear to have been struck in the heart, I'm telling you now, don't do that with me. I should always be your last priority.'
Yvere shook her head in disbelief. "I thought he was lying when he said that."
"HOW?!" Izanami repeated in anger.
Peter shouted over to Shiri, "HER ENTIRE BODY CAN ABSORB AND RELEASE DAMAGE!"
Shiri's body began to ice over as he spoke to Izanami. "Don't do this! There's still time to go back on this decision!"
"The fuck there is!" Lucifer disagreed.
Izanami turned so that she could get everyone in her line of sight. 'Lucifer being alive doesn't mean he isn't severely weakened.'
"Lord Susano'o is still alive," Shiri revealed.
'The vampire's not a threat,' Izanami continued to think.
"Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi must not agree with what you're doing since they're not here or with Lord Izanagi," Shiri continued to plead.
Izanami took shallow breaths. 'Whatever I do, I must not kill the yuki. Fighting Satan after all of this would be too much.'
"SHIRI, GIVE UP ON THIS!" Lucifer demanded.
Peter whispered to Yvere, "Izanami will be tryin' her best not to kill Shiri, so don't waste yer mana on him."
Izanami took a deep breath and launched herself in Lucifer's direction. A wall of ice formed between Lucifer and Izanami. Izanami shattered the ice with one hand, not losing any momentum as she got closer to Lucifer. Shiri skated toward Izanami, releasing a trailing white mist as he went.
"Izanagi will miss you," Lucifer insulted Izanami.
Lucifer covered the hole in his chest with one of his wings. Izanami slammed her foot down onto Lucifer's, shattering Lucifer's foot as the ground cracked beneath the two.
"Not that he'll have much time to mourn," Lucifer said through his teeth.
"QUIET!" Izanami yelled as her kick on Lucifer's right side sent Lucifer toward Peter and Yvere.
Izanami readied herself to counter Shiri as she felt the cold wind behind her. To Izanami's surprise, Shiri had moved to meet up with Lucifer.
"I'll owe you a favor if you can spare her life," Shiri quickly negotiated while trying not to stare at Lucifer's chest.
"IF she lives, you owe me your life," Lucifer responded.
"Deal," Shiri said without hesitation.
Yvere and moved her hands near Lucifer.
"Don't," Lucifer said as he moved away from Yvere. "Archangels don't succumb to wounds and you have limited mana."
Izanami was letting the four talk as she tried to plan out how she could fight them without killing Shiri in the process.
"Buy me six minutes," Lucifer said to Shiri. "I have an attack that should be able to shut her down, even with her absorption abilities. I'm sure she doesn't want to kill you if she can avoid it, so use that to stall."
"I'll do what I can," Shiri hoisted his maul over his shoulders.
"I'll try to cover ya," Peter said.
As Shiri and Peter slowly moved closer to Izanami, Yvere was asking Lucifer what he was doing. Lucifer once again formed the smoke cloud in his palm, feeding fire into the cloud as he took agonized breaths.
"It's..." Lucifer was doing his best to focus on the attack. "...an attack my master taught me. I renamed it "Phosphorous"."
- Izanagi and Death -
Izanagi was leading Death. "Finding your echo will take too much time, it'll be quicker to head straight for Lucifer."
Death, having now left his hunter form, was concerned for Izanagi. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Izanagi faked a smile. "I'll be fine f-friend. I know a shortcut to Enma's part of the territory."
Death's eyes looked at the shattered gems on Izanagi's spear. He couldn't help staring at the blood soaking into Izanagi's clothes.
"We should get you healed first," Death argued.
"The vampire with Lucifer can do it," Izanagi refuted. "I'm not in any danger, now come on!"
Izanagi used his magic and gained control of a large amount of water. He jumped onto a slab of rock and motioned for Death to join him. Once Death joined Izanagi on the slab, Izanagi used the water to propel the rock.
"The vampire's name is Yvere," Death said with slight irritation.
Izanagi nearly flinched at Death's tone. "Of course, sorry."