Ken was shocked to see Stacy stand between them,
Her face completely bothered, painted with threat.
She bravely pointed at the demon with a frown,
"This is my fight. Back down, now."
Barbatos laughed. And quickly summoned his four horns.
And his allies quickly appeared, no longer timid as before.
They had their hoods down, making their frigtening faces show,
Which also for a moment, made Stacy stop for how they looked.
She smiled after regaining her senses,
And streched her arms, face now confident.
She was planning to use her manipulation abilities,
But even Satan's powers did not helped her win.
The four demons quickly blew their horns.
Making Stacy unable to focus.
Even Ken was surprised of the volume,
And knew that it was useless to be careful.
Even if he did cover his ears,
He cannot fight properly without using his hands.
He then quickly looked at Stacy who was becoming dizzy and dizzy every passing second,
The wind made by the horns, only made her eyes close.
She yelled in frustration for thre serpents to appear.
And they did, trying to attack Barbatos and the Seer.
Ken quickly blocked the snake, while Barbatos killed it with ease,
And as the two for a moment made eye contact,
Ken couldn't help but feel chills.
Stacy kneeled down to the ground, covering her ears,
As Ken's own, continued to bleed.
Just as when Stacy was about to give in,
She remembered a powerful ability of Satan's, most failed to resist.
She quickly summoned demons to distract the horns for a moment.
As Barbatos quickly ran towards Ken.
Stacy was quickly given the item she requested,
And upon recieving a flute, her protection was quickly slained.
She realized one of Barbatos' allies had snuck behind,
Which made her feel even more shocked,
She quickly played the flute, hoping to make him sleep,
Even if the ability itself, could hinder the user weak.
Even Satan does not use it all the time,
Even with his great tolerance for sleep,
it could eat up too much energy if not used right.
It only works if the user is truly close,
Not wounded, not distracted, enough to focus.
She felt a brim of hope when she saw the horn's steps become closer.
So she quickly released and prepared her sword.
The horn looked droopy, so she tightened her grip,
Eyes shimmering of her victory, about to come swift.
But a firm, wrinkly hand wrapped around her wrist,
As the demon horn smiled, quite pleased.
Stacy's eyes bulged, as she had been fooled,
Feeling pity on herself, as she would be beheaded soon.
Turns out the demon horns were deaf.
And so, her last efforts were all but useless.
Before her head was slained however,
She heard the sound of metal, clashing together.
She opened her frightened eyes to see Ken struggling to block the horn's sword,
His scythe glistening in her serpent's blood.
Ken's ears were evidently messed up,
And Stacy wonders, if he can still hear Barbatos' laugh.
The mentioned demon looked at Ken with even more confusion.
"Why protect a woman that you were fighting before?"
Ken looked at Barbatos, with no hint of fear whatsoever.
Which even to an experienced fighter, felt like a threat of power.
"Unlike you, I can read the future.
Stacy had recieved a new order."
"Order?" Stacy felt herself almost laughing.
"Not because you saved me, I'll be doing your deeds and-"
"Have some brain, do you think your Master really cares?
How unfortunate you are then, having an enemy save you from your mess.
Whoever you are on my friend's body, on your side, you are worthless."
Stacy felt deeply insulted,
And thus, tightened her sword and aimed for his neck.
Barbatos smiled, as he watches the scene.
"Oh Ken, looks like you had the wrong reading."
A head rolled over on the ground,
Making Barbatos' eyes widen in shock.
He quickly looked at Stacy, whose blue eyes stared back.
"I still think this guy's meaner though, so I'll mess you first, bad."
Ken smiles as he quickly used his seer-seeing abilities,
Predicting where Barbatos would first hit.
Ken smiles as he saw how desperate Barbatos had been.
"Give me my eyes! Those were mine! Those powers belongs to me!"
"Stacy! Help out defeat Mammon!
I saw it...I saw you on their side!"
"What? But I wanted to revenge this guys!"
"You can kill me later, but this isn't your fight.
I peered into your future, if it be changed,
Then there's a possibility, you'll die."
Stacy's eyes bulged out in the revelation,
Wondering just what had happened whatsoever.
Somehow, it felt silly to think she's listening to an enemy,
An enemy, who moments ago, was someone she was trying to kill.
She still thought back to the moment he had saved her,
If not, it's not one of the horns that would have their head severed.
She nods quickly and summons one last serpent to aid Ken,
Which quickly had Barbatos, flying in the air.
The serpent quickly disintegrated however,
After having been hit by the demon's fast burning arrows.
Ken felt his attacks were oddly similar to Lucifer,
And wondered just why he was so familiar to the demon.
He doesn't want the brief time wasted though,
So while Barbatos was still in the air,
He quickly blasted some rays.
The attacks were countered by Barbatos' papers,
Which turned to arrows themselves, making Ken shiver.
Barbatos flew towards Ken, ordering the three remaining horns to defeat him.
He knew that Ken's ears were already bleeding,
So having him be distracted by noise,
Would truly be helpful in his bidding.
But before any of the horns blow their own,
They all stopped after hearing the heavenly trumpets sound.
Hanah and her team had brought the celestial items,
That could counter the noise the demons makes.
It eats up the noise the three creatures would create,
Which very much, made Barbatos pissed.
"Most demons are already fighting their own allies,
That the angels of grace could simply do what they want!
Ugh! You three, do anything that could make those angels of grace shut up!
They may be more of you, but they aren't all tough.
Go on. Show them what you got."
The three horns nodded their head and went on.
As Barbatos send telephatic messages, as to where they must go.
Ken laughs as he flaunts his weapon,
"Must be hard. That your allies depend on your directions."
"Shut up. You're no better.
Must be hard, living like a loser."
Ken do not looked affected as he tried to predict his next move.
But upon seeing what Barbatos had made, only froze.
No.
He shouldn't be...doing this.
Demons can shapeshift.
And yet...
Despite being well aware of the fact that it's fake.
Ken still felt uneasy looking at him like this.
He had shifted to look like his mother.
With the softest, sweetest expression ever.
He had rarely seen...or perhaps never saw her like this,
Looking sweetly at him, devoid of hate.
Barbatos really had fun peering into his past,
Learning of his weaknesses, and using them fast.
Ken's eyes quickly watered in tears as he realized that this affectionate look would only come true as an illusion,
Which broke his heart so much,
Wondering if he was truly loved by his mother.
"Ken...put that weapon down,
It's dangerous."
Barbatos said, in a woman's voice.
Ken quickly frowned, and held it even tighter.
"Go away! You are not my mother!"
"Stop yelling at the one who fed you!
Tsk. This is why I prefer your older brother.
You're not even good at following orders.
Seriously, what had come to you?"
Ken grits his teeth as he yelled for Barbatos to stop.
But Barbatos didn't. And shifted to someone else.
In a matter of seconds, Ken was staring at his brother,
Who looked at him with apologetic eyes,
"Are you really leaving the house?"
Ken found his lips involuntarily moving,
As he repeated what he had said back then.
"It'd be better for her if I wasn't there.
I only remind her of father,
I only bring her pain."
Ken quickly wiped his tears as Barbatos laughs at him.
And before Ken knew it, he could hear a thousand arrows aiming for a hit.
He quickly gave out a strong blast that disintegrated most of it,
But one had unfortunately managed to live.
It hit his right shoulder, the one he uses the most,
Which made Barbatos clap his hands while chuckling,
"How truly pitiful."
Ken released his scythe once more,
But felt a stinging pain right after.
"Ah yes, that arrow had a very high concentration of poison.
Sucks to be you I guess,
My only advice is give up and accept I won."
Ken looked at him with ferocity,
And tried to stand up, despite feeling dizzy.
No vision had appeared yet, but he have to be patient,
He needs to remind himself,
That he's not the same Ken.
"Your past still puts you down, huh?
That's quite shocking, considering the task you got.
You're...unbearably weaker than I think.
That it makes me feel curious, of where you pull that hope of,
that you'll ever even win?"
Ken groggily walks towards Barbatos,
Despite the poison messing up with his own vision.
His eyes felt heavy, and his chest felt burning,
Yet despite it, a certain voice in his head, demands him to keep pushing.
"Not the saddest story I've ever peered to,
But tragic nonetheless...
You have always been someone that never mattered.
Even that fact was well reminded by your own household.
No one simply cares about you, huh?
It could be summarized as that.
As if you were just a toy.
Once played with, ready to throw.
Ignored by your Mother,
Just because you look a lot like your father.
Taken advantage off, by your classmates,
Just because you're smart in academics.
And you say nothing of course,
Because you fear you would never have another set of friends.
Ah, you were also a hopeless romantic, right?
Left by the first woman you've ever loved.
Just because you cannot give her all the things she wanted,
You were so in love, you failed to see that she takes you for granted.
Oh, yes. You were also cheated by your superiors.
Because you're way too soft.
You won't tell anyone about the fact they only use your talent,
In exchange of, an undeserved payment.
You're such a doormat Ken,
And you even do nothing about it.
No wonder you took those pills,
And ended up feeling even more depressed.
How funny, right?
That little boy that knows nothing of fighting back.
That boy that hates to be the hero,
Ends up as the one meant to save the world.
Isn't it familiar Ken?
You're being used yet again."
Ken's steps stopped after the last sentence.
And Barbatos anticipates, what would happen next.
Would Ken really be a fun little thing?
Or would he be a worthless opponent?
"But at this state,
It's impossible for you to swing another hit."
"I'll fight you still.
And once I defeat you,
You'd feel embarrassed that...
A doormat was the one who defeated a duke.
And you'll feel even more worthless than I once do."
Barbatos' eyes quickly widened in response to his comeback.
That he gritted his teeth,
And was the first one to attack.