Collecting grass against his soles, Azazel led his accomplices upside an emerald mountaintop. Natalia pushed ever forward alongside her comrades. By the time they reached the hill's summit, her white face was fully enlightened by the sun's golden glow. Smith's brightened brown eyes dissipated upon the sound of her sighing entering the air. Despite this beautifully-sunlit scenery, she couldn't find it within herself to wholeheartedly smile. The price they would have to pay to keep these wondrous sights would be humanity's remaining population.
For someone like Natalia Smith, with what she's seen and done… there was no turning back for her.
"There they are."
Her eyes lowered.
On a flat grass plain, there was the hulking aircraft; surrounded by hundreds of Evolutionary and Hybrid soldiers. Kima stepped past Natalia, interlocking her fingers to create another hand symbol.
Just before she could proceed any further, Natalia's hand grabbed Kim's shoulder.
Glancing back over her shoulder, she irritably asked, "Whatttt?!!"
Following Kima's loudness, her mouth was covered. Natalia rolled her eyes, leading Myers to stand behind her once more.
"Calm down for a second is 'what'. Some of your Beasts are strong but with Ace there, he could probably activate his Territory and beat us all in one fell swoop," Nat reminded Kima.
"She's right. We need to form a strategy if we ever wanna hope to catch up to Katie and Alex," Icarus interjected.
Kim rolled her eyes, glancing up at him before dramatically stomping away. "Who asked you anyway…" she muttered while retreating.
"What's the plan then?" Jeff asked.
They all turned to Azazel. But he was one step ahead; already scratching his chin and contemplating deeply with closed eyes. The clouds above hadn't even separated by the time the Detective had finished thinking.
Snapping once his eyes opened, he smirked and proudly announced, "I got it."
"Are we going to slaughter every last one of those pathetic rats?" The Jester menacingly queried.
"Yes, unfortunately. However, that only goes for the surrounding soldiers. Ace and June are another story," Azazel replied.
"Why, because they're stronger than us?" Kim asked.
"That's one of the reasons. Instead of utilizing our usual strategy, we'll be going about this similar to the way Retly invaded last week."
It was understandable that everyone would assume skeptical faces when presented with that option. Juxtaposing his cowardly accomplices, the Jester couldn't contain his psychotic grin. Blackened strands draped over his features, Icarus peered through his locks with sadistic anticipation. The darkness ingrained into his skull's retinas truly knew no bounds.
"I'm glad we got the Devil on our team. We're definitely gonna win," Kima deadpanned, flashing two thumbs-ups at her accomplices.
"I'm glad you think so. But, we're not gonna win because we have 'the Devil' on our team. We'll win because…"
Azazel removed the grey coat he wore and reached into his back pocket. Now clad in the same attire he wore during the Destructive Advent—all that remained was the finishing touch. Holding the iconic mask in one hand, he glanced over his shoulder and smirked, azure pupils, digging ever deeper into Kima's purple eyes.
"We have me."
At the moment, she was clueless as to what that meant. Then, she was pushed away, courtesy of Natalia's extended left arm.
Peering over the older woman's shoulder with tiny hops, she rapidly asked, "What's happening, what's happening?! Is this part of the plan?!"
Natalia didn't even turn back to answer. All she replied with was: "Shut up… and watch."
Ace, seated against the stationary aircraft, sighed. Pushing up the shades concealing his scarlet pupils, he hummed while rubbing his eyes. Lowering his fingers, his eyelids retracted and Eternal Sight's planetary markings spread over his crimson retinas.
"Step away."
He stood up, throwing the jacket back over his hoodie.
Rizia, still against the vehicle, turned toward him. "Huh?" they hummed.
"Step away," Ace ordered loudly.
Emerging from the shadow the plane cast over his white face, the Scarlet King's red eyes flickered against the blue sky once he extended his arms.
Shifting the summoned bolt's erratic shape, he drew his right arm back and threw his left arm forward; an arrow. Within seconds, the whitened markings surrounding his eyes vanished, and Divergence was shot toward the overhead hill.
Moments before the collision, it was cleaved in two. Wielding the faux Blackened Blade in his left hand, the Crow leaped from behind the hill with bloody ravenous eyes. Despite the unfortunate scenario that forced them to fight, Ace smirked. But he wasn't the only one smiling.
Raising his right arm, the ginger blocked the descending slash with his wrist. The Crow and King momentarily interlocked gazes before the steel sliced clean through his reinforced joint. Azazel then kicked Ace in the chest, sending him skidding against the grassy plain on his soles. The murderous Crow watched as his enemy quickly recovered and regenerated his right hand.
"Life energy techniques are so troublesome to deal with…" rasped the Crow through his mask.
"I think the proper name is 'Rejuvenation'. I guess those are the perks of being related to a hot-shot like Dad—"
"Oh, SHUDDUP ALREADY!!"
Ace was taken aback by Azazel's attitude. Following his silent invocation of Eternal Sight, he quickly realized the ravenous look within the Crow's eyes wasn't for show.
'Did he… turn himself psychotic? Where'd he pull that out from?'
Ever since breaking the chains of an Incarnated Spirit under Naraku's control, Azazel was unable to unlock the rest of his abilities. However, over the last three years, he'd trained and honed his skills to the utmost level. By pushing himself to the limit, he was, fortunately, able to unlock most of his dormant abilities.
Among those was none other than 'Reasoning Abandonment', which he could manually invoke to momentarily extinguish his sanity. A subconscious covenant is formed when this power is used, thus granting the user ENHANCED strength and speed. Having been descended from demonic blood yet being unfortunately incarnated into this dull body was quite the drawback for Azazel.
The Crow realized that 'Reasoning Abandonment' alone wasn't enough to defeat Ace. With his increasing power fooling the ginger into believing the opposite, the Detective would pull him into his trump card and steal the win.
Despite the many irrational thoughts plaguing the Crow's psychotic mind, one sane consideration lingered within.
'Please… let this plan succeed…'
Ace snickered, raising his fists. "Not giving me any time to think, huh?" he asked.
The Crow pounced forward, indiscriminately slashing ahead. Ace retreated while flawlessly dodging, each new movement his feet made moving in tandem with his all-seeing eyes analyzing his enemy's sword. The ginger hummed, simultaneously squinting. He seemed to stop, leaving his neck wide open. Karlo's chaotic movements didn't take any chances; one fist went for the gut and the katana went for his neck. Ace easily caught the blade, breaking it with one squeeze at the tip.
He was unfortunately too slow for the fist, as his knuckles sunk into his chest and blew him away. Ace flipped back in mid-air, digging his soles straight into the grass. Azazel sprinted against the ground, crossing his arms for the mechanical gauntlets to peel over his flesh. While the ginger expected a punch toward his skull, he watched as the Crow spun himself around and connected his leg to Ace's instinctively raised arm.
'He's strong—'
But he was hesitant to get launched three times in a row. Instead of relinquishing his body's weight against the attack, he reinforced his flesh and released a shocking counter. Azazel jolted backward, confusedly stumbling away.
'I should focus on hit-and-run attacks instead of brute-forcing against him. If I continue this way, I'll probably fall—'
Karlo's incoming fist monotonously appeared before his eye. The last split-second before impact left his pupils shrunken, displaying his surprise. The Crow's metallic knuckle stabbed Ace's cheek, effectively launching him through the air. Standing against the flat grass field, the Crow watched from below as his enemy's body soared ever further into the sky and vanished beyond the clouds.
'That's phase one done for now. Now I can send everyone else the signal.'
Azazel removed the Crow mask covering his lips. Turning toward the hill they'd entered from, he watched his accomplices sheepishly peek over. One thumb up was enough for Natalia to immediately nod her head. She looked to her accomplices, throwing her stationary goggles over her brown eyes.
"Y'all ready?" she asked them.
"As we'll ever be," Kim replied.
"I'll SLAUGHTER THEM!!"
Icarus was the second to leap over the hill, branding demonic flaws and bloody fangs. Drool pouring from his hung-open mouth, the Jester pounced from behind the hill and onto his targets. Despite Rizia's orders to prepare themselves for an enemy attack, they were helpless. Gazing ahead at that imminent threat sprinting across the green, there was but certainty coursing through their heads.
'We're all gonna die…'
In the speed in which it took the eye to finish blinking, Chrollo had finished running between every last one of them. By the time he finished sprinting, he now stood atop the aircraft. All of the motionless bodies belonging to the Evolutionary-Hybrid guards would fall—the second Icarus would snap his fingers.
With just one click, their builds collapsed, before splattering across the grass and ground into bloody little cubes.
"Did you see what just happened?" Kim asked.
"No…" Natalia replied.
'That wasn't Ringleader's Supremacy, was it? Since when he could move so fast… and how'd he cut them into little cubes so precisely?' Jefferson contemplated from beside his comrades.
Nevertheless, with the soldiers weeded out, they could move much easier. The three fled the concealing hill and walked toward the plane, Icarus's waving body noticeable from the distance.
Another presence rang out to him—one stronger than the guards he massacred and it was originating from inside the aircraft. He crouched and pressed his ear against the vehicle's roof. But it was too late. By the time he'd backed up, instinctively attempting to invoke those raven-black wings that would soar the heavens, the ceiling had already detonated.
The trio against the grass-covered their eyes when presented with that blinding spectacle. Kima then pointed into the air.
"LOOK!" She cried.
Uncontrollably flailing amid the clouds was the Jester, singed face endlessly steaming into the air around him. Suddenly, he regained consciousness, his widened black eyes searching his unfamiliar whereabouts. Only after mentally recounting what he was doing before the explosion did he manage to compose himself—doing it so in mid-air by summoning angelic black wings that stabilized his descent.
'What… what hit me?'
While Icarus debated who attacked him, he swiftly peered over his shoulder and raised his right arm. The spinning projectile emerged from the clouds, twirling through the air to target its levitating opponent. The Jester had other ideas. Instead of simply catching it with his hand, he lowered his right arm the second it was close enough and caught the projectile between his fangs.
To his surprise, it turned out to be an ax—coursing with Vita, however destructive. The hatchet abruptly vanished from Chrollo's mouth, leaving him to confusedly gasp and analyze his surroundings.
'Above me—!'
But he was too late. The moment he looked overhead, the enemy had already initiated the attack and Icarus had fallen victim to it.
"Kimmmm…" Natalia uttered.
"I got it!!"
Kima summoned her Chimera beast from the shadows behind her, hoping to catch her reluctant accomplice on its back with just the right positioning. Unfortunately, Chrollo had been smashed with such strength that he couldn't land properly. Meaning that… the second Icarus Chrollo's back touched the stationary Chimera Beast levitating, he'd instantly crushed it under the weight of his rear.
"Oh, shit—" Jeff and Nat said.
Kima didn't even have time to react verbally. The second she'd witnessed it, she started sprinting. Just where she expected, Icarus would land right beside the aircraft—and form a crater upon crashing.
"Oi…"
As she turned the corner, there they stood. The hooded perpetrator, holding one ax over their shoulder and the other in their idle right hand. Despite wearing a jacket, she immediately knew this adversary was male.
"Ah!"
She felt something prick her arm, so, she raised her limb. Along her right arm's bottom was a trail of blood originating from a cut. But how? She looked up. The perpetrator had vanished; her instincts drove her to subconsciously step back. What she didn't expect was the perpetrator's chest magically waiting behind her. His hand grasped her shoulder—her face now drenched with sweat.
"My technique is 'Phantom Thief'. I can steal abilities and hold them within my axes after I hit the designated target for it. It takes about 20 minutes for one cut. After five or so… about five minutes. Or maybe I'll kill you before that even happens. You see, little girl, I quarrel with your friend here. Icarus Chrollo, the Jester King of Retly, slaughtered thousands of my people during the Retlyian invasion three years ago. I've come for revenge. If you understand, turn away now and don't look back," he advised her.
Kima bit her quivering lip, shakily inhaling without opening her mouth. What stood behind her, for all she knew, could be the embodiment of death. But even so, she couldn't back down. The blood leaking down her arm drenched the grassy blades into a warm red, all the while her lips began parting.
"I wish I could turn back. But if I did, I'd never be able to forgive myself. So, sorry about this…" Kima interlocked her fingers, summoning one of her many Beasts.
Next Chapter: The battle continues.