On the rooftop, Gene was trying to block all of Komo's hits, but several were getting through to him. He had about a seventy-percent rate of blocking all incoming attacks, but he was slowly getting pummelled. Vivian was behind him, letting out a slow trickle of ice in an attempt to slow him down, but she was running out of energy. At this point, if she kept this up, she was gonna die of dehydration. Komo, getting more enraged by the second, gave one last attack, and the punch to the stomach felt like Gene was hit like a bull, rapidly flying into the air, while Komo grabbed Vivian and slammed her headfirst into a wall.
Afterwards, Lainey ran back into the battle, carrying two armfuls of water bottles.
"Vivian! This good enough?"
Vivian nodded, while Lainey poured water into her mouth. While she was trying to get her energy back, Komo once again appeared, raising a first over the two of them. Lainey tried using her free hand to block, hoping that this moment of all moments, her demon would at least try to help her.
But the attack didn't happen.
Lainey looked up, and a girl in a sundress was standing between the two.
"Are you doing okay?" Was all she asked, in a calm voice, with an accent that couldn't really be placed down.
"Y-yeah?" Lainey asked.
"Seems there's more than four people here. Slightly strange, but all the better for this."
She thrust her hands forwards, and Komo was sent back a small amount.
"Vivian, right? You have the ice powers, correct?"
"Yeah, that's me." Vivian responded, slowly getting up to face her.
"Nice, nice. I'll need you to cast an icy wind, while I'm using my powers."
The girl once again thrust her hands forwards, and Vivian followed with a cold wind, just as she asked. And once the icy wind was sent forward, small chunks of ice were sent towards Komo. It started slow, until these two women were making what was essentially a small hailstorm in his direction, and slowly, his arms were being frozen, then his legs. He couldn't even move his body after about half a minute. The girl stopped her blast and took a deep breath. Vivian lowered her hands, taking another sip of water.
And when Komo was frozen, Gene leapt up, and plunged his sword in the back of Komo's neck, and he screamed out in pain.
"B-Boss? Boss!" He screamed out. And on top of that, he seemed to be crying. "Boss, help me!"
Another portal opened up below him, and Gene jumped out of the way. The four of them expected demons, but instead, Komo just fell into it.
"Boss, boss! You gotta take them out, please!"
"Shut up." Was the only response that a woman's voice gave. "Were the demons planted?"
"W-well, yeah. But…"
"Then you succeeded. If anyone on the other side is listening, then let me ask you something. Stop now. The new world I am working towards will be what humanity needs."
But before anything else could be said, the portal closed, and the four were left on the rooftop. Gene passed out, and Lainey almost did, but was cushioned by her demon.
"So, that all?" The girl asked, giving a faint smile at Vivian.
"Pretty much." Vivian responded, carrying Gene on her back. "Thanks for everything."
The three made their way back through the town, where people were slowly stepping outside their houses, looking at each other. With all the people looking at their neighbours, bloody and bruised, they barely stood out. Once they got back to Bartholomew's car. Vivian slowly healed the three boys, and then silently stepped aside to throw up.
"Damn, has it been that long?" She muttered to herself, before going back to the group, where Bartholomew, Gene, and that blonde one were waiting, and talking to Ulrich.
"Well, anything to say to us?" Bartholomew asked, tapping his foot.
"Excuse us?" Dominic responded, chuckling to himself. "We helped you, if anything. You know, doing your job of killing the king and all that. And my higher demon kill count."
For the first time since the killing, Bart was slowly losing his composure. "Not that, you imbecilic…" He buried his head in his right hand, and just gestured to Gene.
"What Bartholomew was trying to say was…he was expecting an apology. You know, for all those little stunts you pulled." Gene said, looking more disappointed, Like Ulrich and Dominic were merely his asshole kids.
"Ulrich, I know that a lot's happened to you, and…I'm sorry about your mom."
"Yeah, it's…I guess I was kind of a dick about it. I mean, you lost everything too, right?"
"Uh, well…my parents are still alive." Gene mumbled, shifting his gaze towards Dominic to avoid Ulrich's look of horror. "They were traveling for work when it happened."
"Oh, of fucking course." Ulrich muttered, accidentally setting a shot of fire on the grass, which Dominic quietly stomped out.
"Look, what I want to say is, we have the same goal, and I think that we could look past everything so far, you know? It's time you stop your whole 'Destiny Destroyer' shtick."
Ulrich glanced over at Lainey.
"Man makes a decent deal." She said to him. "I don't like them either, but our goals are the same."
"I've got nothing against it." Dominic piped in. "It's more power, and we'll eventually overcome them in strength anyway."
"So, is it decided?" Gene gave a soft smile, with a hand stretched out.
And Ulrich shook it, with a half-hearted "Be sure not to die." attached to it.
"I'll do my best, Ulrich." Gene laughed.
"So, what's next?" Ulrich asked, still keeping an unmoving expression.
"Well, we won't be able to fight together for a while, anyway. Vivian and I have to go to Iceland for a while, and you four will be going with Sapphire to Japan, which is where the next gem is."
"Japan?" Dominic yelled out.
"Uh, yes. Should take about a week with Sapphire."
"Cool, cool." Dominic responded, trying to hide his clear excitement.
"Yeah, mind if I go with you?" Bartholomew asked. "Boats don't exactly agree with me, and I still don't trust axe boy over there."
"Woah now, I wasn't gonna do anything messed up, now!" Dominic cried out, before looking down at the ground, with "Maybe a little" mumbled under his breath.
"Uh, sure thing, Bartholomew. "Gene replied. "You, Ulrich? I remember that one boat ride in middle school."
"Yeah, I'll manage" Ulrich blurted out quickly.
"Right then, catch up in a week, then?" Gene asked, while Vivian prepared a light portal, which the three stepped into, then vanishing.
"Right then, as you guys heard, names Sapphire, and I'll be guiding you to Japan!" The new girl piped in bombastically.
"Actually, on that topic, can we delay this by like, half an hour? I gotta do something." Dominic asked.
"Uh, sure?" Sapphire replied.
The three waited, making small talk about nothing in particular. And after about twenty five minutes, Dominic came back, holding a broken anime figure.
"Are you…serious?" Lainey asked.
"Look, it's pretty hard to find and my Japanese isn't that good." Dominic snapped back. "This is important to me, you know? Space commander Hayato is pretty good."
"Well, I hope you find it." Sapphire responded, before leading them to the boat.
On the surface, it seemed like a simple houseboat, albeit with a pretty massive deck.
"Hm, nice place." Lainey mumbled to Ulrich, who nodded.
"Well, I'm glad you like it! But the inside is the best part!"
Once they stepped onto the deck, Sapphire thrust a hand out, stopping them.
"Before we go any further, can I just get changed really quick? Nobody go on the inside."
"Uh, sure?" Ulrich mumbled. "I know his figure gives off bad impressions, but Dominic doesn't seem like kind of guy."
"None of you!" She yelled back. "I'll only be a second, anyway." And with that, she darted into her boat.
"The hell, mate?" Dominic asked. "Any reason you made me seem like somebody on a register?"
"The hair, that anime girl you're holding, the fact we got duped into committing one of the biggest crimes in the last millennia. Trust me, you aren't exactly the most likable of people." Lainey yelled back at him.
"I-well-I…you suck, Lainey. "Dominic spurted out of him.
"If I did, I doubt I'd be spitting as much." Lainey responded.
"Alright guys, how you doing?" Sapphire's voice rang out, and the three looked over at her.
And any arguing was immediately silenced.
The hat and sundress were completely gone, replaced by skinny jeans and a turquoise bikini top, with a Sapphire necklace in the shape of a teardrop over it, with the sun reflecting off her brown skin and black hair going down to her chest, which is…what they were all focused on.
Lainey was completely silent.
Ulrich merely gave a quiet "Oh, damn."
Dominic dropped the anime figure, while also saying something.
"This is gonna be the best week of my life."