"S-Stay back, you monsters!" A priest who had at first been taking the lead in defending against the attack stammered aloud as he took a step back. Rather than valkyries the figures in front of him were akin to masked demons. The cold utterance of the golden-haired one was enough to scare him to the point of nearly running away.
"...M-May our lord guide us, O' Ehit, give us strength!" Some of the more devout priests and nuns sent out prayers, if they were going into a battle they'd likely meet their end in it was better to do whatever they could to gain even the slightest advantage. Even if their leader ran away they already set their minds to dying here if it meant defending their holy mountain.
"So you have chosen death…" Felis muttered those words aloud with faint excitement, her tone sent numerous of the defenders into disarray. Their breathing was irregular, sweat pouring down their face, the gulping of their throats as the unconscious pile of saliva that had piled up made it difficult to keep one mind track.
Aside from the ones in front of them, they also had to deal with the two other invaders. One being a dragon and another an imposingly dressed, what they assumed to be male, a figure that stood atop with his arms crossed as if to observe their encounter.
For now, it'd be best that he stood there just to observe. In due time all they had to do was await aid from the other disciples of the mountain. The shattering of the first barrier should have been enough to wake everyone up and set them on high alert. It was their misfortune that they happened to be the first group to run into the invaders.
"Kiss-shot, go ahead and set up the barrier." Speaking briefly, Claire addressed Yue using the codename he had assigned her. At first, they were a bit confused about why he had given her such an odd name, only getting that it was the name of a character he adored after asking. It was brief and easy to pronounce so Yue herself had no qualms.
"Roger." In accordance with Ivan's instructions, they resorted to speaking only briefly. She turned her back to the disciples and faced the tower. Sending what seemed to be like a flare into the air before staring at Ivan, who sat atop Tio.
"Are you ready, Maidness?" The one who spoke this time was Ari, who had a grin on her face as she announced Claire's name. If not for the mask Claire wore one would notice the blush that had adorned her face. Compared to Yue's name she couldn't help but feel her's was more embarrassing. However, her protests had led to nothing and the others became accustomed to it so she gave up on having it changed.
"I was just waiting on you, Silver Bondage~!" Now, this was a name Ivan had unabashedly announced to the group. It seemed at that point his horrible naming sense had worsened to the point of giving Ari such a shameful name. His defense was that her main method of attack was her silver chains.
Ari flinched hearing her code name, all she wanted to do right now was gouge out the eyes of the disciples who had looked over at her with pity.
"What are ya complaining about, Silver Bondage? I think ya name is great~!" Felis pointed out with an abundance of excitement. It should be noted that her codename for this operation was simply Nine Lives.
"...I don't think she wants to hear that from you…" Canis followed along with faux exasperation. Boredom in her voice as she kept an eye on the disciples that were slowly inching away as if to run away.
"Don't be like that, Meowpunch. I was just trying to encourage her!" Yes, Meowpunch. That was her codename. Just the utterance of that name sent Canis into shock, her fists reflexively propelling forward and hitting a disciple who had charged in with a crazed expression.
CRACK!
The rest of the disciples could only wince as their foolish comrade who had charged in alone had his head caved in with a single blow. Canis swore to herself that one day she was going to get her Father back for giving her such an embarrassing codename. She sent a glare toward the dragon-riding asshole before taking steps toward the cowering disciples. She really needed to vent out her frustrations right now.
"Hallowed Ground!" Yue shouted with vigor, the barrier that was erected around the tower rose seconds after Maidness and Silver Bondage charged in. Faint sounds of heads being battered and bodies exploding erupted from within. Kiss-shot sent out a sigh of relief as she was glad they proceeded inwards without much resistance.
Nine Lives and Meowpunch on the other hand took care of things on the outside. After the time they wasted playing around hundreds of disciples had surrounded them. Normally this wouldn't be much of a hassle with their nigh immortal bodies and near inexhaustive mana capacity, however, things became a bit difficult when taking into account that they had someone to defend.
Nine Lives' arms were coated in a metal-like substance as she stood behind Kiss-shot to receive the fireball that had been launched her way. Seconds later the coat had vanished and she launched a fireball back at the offender. Knocking the nun right in the head before she was burnt to a crisp from head to toe.
She snickered a bit much to the disgust of the other disciples.
BANG! CRACK!
Meowpunch ran through the crowd of priests and nuns with reckless abandon. While her father had told her to keep their immortality a well-kept secret he also advised that they use it to their advantage whenever possible. A rare smile formed on her body as she sent heads flying with just a single kick.
The scars on her body immediately vanished as she sent out a beast-like howl. Seconds later she went on the prowl again, protruding her claws and cutting open the innards of several disciples with each slash. It didn't take long for her to be completely covered in blood and guts.
Her speed increased severalfold as her feet transformed into that of a lion's.
In the meantime, Maidness and Silver Bondage were ascending the steps of the tower at a rapid pace. The disciples within had heard a crash and boom at the top of it and were rushing up to see what was the cause of the disturbance. Unfortunately for them, turning their backs to ascend the staircase meant leaving them exposed to the daggers and chains that assaulted them from behind.
Surprisingly there was a large number of disciples holding up in the tower. So much so that Maidness opted to erase the stairs behind her and Silver Bondage using her air vacuum blades. And disciples brave enough to jump the gap were immediately bonded and pushed off into the gap of the staircase to fall to their deaths.
Along the way, Silver Bondage didn't ignore some of the more flammable objects within the tower. Her chains were set ablaze and trailed many rooms on the way up to create chaos and death. While they were currently stuck on the staircase with enemies both in front and behind them their only hope was that they eased some of the burdens Ivan might have found at the top of the tower.
'We're counting on you, Paracelsus!'
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Let's turn the clock back to five minutes ago. The barrier Yue had formed hadn't existed yet and the group was in the middle of making fun of each other 's names. It depressed Ivan a bit that some of them weren't fond of the names he had given them but that wasn't important enough right now.
He'd take a few moments to observe them before entering the tower, for now, he wanted to be certain that they'd be safe even if he vanished for a few moments. A concern less rooted in sanity than paranoia as he was aware the needless worry was just a by-product of his love for his newfound family.
Seconds went by and the operation commenced. Ivan grinned widely looking at the swiftness and collectiveness of their moves. The training had paid off, each of his group members was strong enough to hold out on their own. An overwhelming sense of pride filled his heart looking at Felis and Canis tear through hundreds of disciples with ease.
'To think that only a few months ago they barely possessed the capacity to speak…' Right now was not the appropriate moment to release tears. Ivan reminded himself before turning his eye to the tower.
Tio released multiple draconic breath attacks at nearby structures, particularly targeting the chapel. It seemed to have a barrier of its own but that was not of concern. What she was concerned about was the people within the chapel.
From the rooftops stood Ishtar and a plethora of other disciples, each of them standing unaffected as they sang a song. The song was by no means pleasurable to Ivan and his group, as along with it was a flurry of magical attacks.
The song itself seemed to power the golden barrier that defended the chapel, once Tio was done obliterating the area then it'd be the next target of her ire. She roared aloud as if affirming Ivan's instructions.
All that being said he still had a task to complete as well. He stared at the tower before descending from Tio's back, unlike the others he floated down. Softly, he invaded Yue's portal with her permission and landed on the roof. He bent down a bit to peer over the sides as he remembered seeing bars in place of windows near the peak.
"There you are~!" He spoke aloud as he peeked through the bars only to find the target that he had been searching for. There sat Aiko, in a plain white room with nothing but a toilet and a bed. Each of which looked particularly uncomfortable, as if it was forged by crystals.
Rather than taking a seat on the bed or resting, she sat on the floor with her head buried in her knees. It seemed more like a symbol of unruliness rather than a decision made on a whim. As if to tell her captors she wouldn't relent to them.
Ivan stared at the blood staining her palms and surrounding area before sighing. He inferred that she was so desperate to escape that she continuously attempted to break out by forming a magic circle with her blood. On her wrists were cuffs that, if he guessed correctly, limited the flow of mana to her hands, making her unable to form her magic circle in the air.
"Psst, over here…" Playfully, he called out to her. She only shook for a moment before sighing, likely concluding the voice to an illusion her mind was playing on her from hunger, blood loss, and sleep deprivation.
Playing onto that thought, Ivan continued. "No, I'm really here. Just look outside your window~!"
"Hm?" Deciding the voice was weird she peered up. Her eyes froze for a moment before shining and expanding rapidly. She hurriedly pointed a finger to his figure before stammering, numerous times she nearly bit off her tongue.
"Y-Y-You… Hwat!? Paracelsus!"
"Huhuhuhu~! That's right! Tis' I, the great—~!"
BANG!
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Ivan ga shinda! Find out next time, on Drag- Or well, you know... Sorry for the cliffhanger I suppose. Though for it to be a cliffhanger it must inspire anticipation in you which I doubt this succeeded in. The outcome is quite predictable after all. Maaa~ In any case, I'm starving.
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