Endyr once again marveled at the wondrous application of spatial distortion cast on the Emporium. She had been running for nearly five minutes straight and had yet to reach the storage room. She presumed some sort of security mechanism had been activated to isolate the valuable items, because the distance felt too long to be normal.
Still, she was definitely getting closer, as she had come across several figures hurrying past as she went along. Most were white-robed security and the rest were regular employees, the former possessing a non-insignificant amount of Mana. Things weren't looking good for the Devils, making Endyr slightly uneasy. If they were anything like their kin in the Main Universe, the Devils surely had a better plan than just charging in with four people. They would be exterminated in ten minutes at most at this rate.
'I'll deal with whatever backup they have later, the storage room is just around that corner...'
She turned to see a large steel door with three guards standing in front...or rather, three guards lying crumpled on the ground with their heads several feet away. The steel door has corrosive marks on it, and a conspicuous hole that seemed to have been melted. Someone had gotten here before her, someone with the means to avoid her Mana Sense. Frowning and vigilant, Endyr released another ping with even more Mana this time.
Before her, six blobs of black and red light appeared, swiftly moving about inside the rooms. 'I guess there were more Devils after all' Endyr though, 'And these ones are all peak Grandmasters. Oh, that one is an Epic....'
Under normal circumstances Endyr had the confidence to fight one Tier up, but this was also a higher Bracket. The difference between Grandmaster and Epic was severe enough to warrant caution even from her. After watching Kismet become a vessel for Navruavati's Divinity, she was especially on guard. 'Of course, my biggest fear is still damaging the artefacts the System wants. Going all out I can even fight on equal ground with a Mythic.' Doing so would require tapping into her other side though, and that meant attracting any Divine gazes nearby. When dealing with Cultists, it was best to avoid being too conspicuous.
'Anyways, six Devils inside. Should I take them out one by one or just blast them from out here? Hmm, I can't hide a Mana signature big enough to kill them in one hit, and I don't really have the time to sneak around either. Guns blazing it is then I guess.'
Circulating the Mana around her faster, Endyr psyched herself up for the battle. It wasn't hard, as she found herself reveling at the prospect of a bloodbath. New bod and new world, but her nature never changed Endyr was a destroyer, the Denizen of Endings. Reaping a few pitiful souls was no different from cleaning her nails. And on that note, it was time to get down to business. Endyr thickened the cloak of Soul Mana around her and dashed through the melted hole in the door, entering a large warehouse orderly stacked with boxes big and small. Or at least they were neatly packed, as the Devils had already scattered every pile across the place. Devils and their desire for petty chaos.
The Devils themselves were currently deeper in the warehouse, currently looting the boxes nearest and stuffing whatever they could get their hands on into pouches, which were thick with Spatial Mana. Only two Devils weren't looting, one being the Epic and the other a female Devil-wait no, that was a Succubus. Endyr's lips curled downward in disgust at first sight, barely holding back the urge to just impale her to the ground with a Water Spear.
Succubi (and Incubi) were the result of a union between Eros and Erebus, nasty little creatures that dominated the minds of the opposite gender through sex. They were scorned even amongst other Devils as lowly beings, but that didn't make them weak by any means. Endyr however, disliked them so strongly simply because they were spawn of Erebus, even if incredibly remotely. The Denizen of Domination had declared himself the King of Infinity since before Endyr was born, and she (along with multiple other siblings) never accepted this. But Erebus was the oldest, and thus enforced his will on the other Denizens. What Eros had been thinking making a Race that defied the very nature of "Love" he embodied, Endyr did not know, nor did she particularly care. Her insatiable curiosity did not extend to her kin.
Back to the present, the Succubus appeared deep in conversation with the Epic Devil, who from behind had the appearance of a Human with an average build, unassuming and bland. A disguise no doubt, probably the one he used to infiltrate the Emporium. Endyr tuned the Mana around her, listening in on what was being said, as the Succubi spoke.
"-found no sign of it yet, but we should be getting closer. They marked all the boxes the same, likely to confuse robbers like us, so we have to check them all. We've already lost Ahriman, and Sedit won't last long either. We only have a few minutes."
"We have time" the male Devil spoke softly his voice calm and measured. "Sedit and Bast both have Vices, as do the other two. We're just holding back to see if anyone else has trump cards. Besides, I trust Sakamet."
"We should still hurry up, I have a bad feeling" the Succubi insisted, fidgeting. 'Quite good senses' Endyr noted, deciding to kill her first. While dealing a decisive blow to the Epic at the start would be smarter, Endyr wasn't willing to look at the whore any longer than she had. She gathered as much Mana as she could without alerting anyone, and then swiftly dispersed her cloaking. Six heads snapped towards her in an instant, but Endyr was faster. Looking the Succubi dead in the eyes, she gathered the Mana into the shape of a spear and sent it flying at Mach Speed. The result was the woman flying backwards in an explosion of flesh and blood, her scream swiftly cut off as she hit the wall behind her. While the other Devils froze in shock at the mangled sight of their comrade, who had been blown into several chunks, the one disguised as a Human observed Endyr with an unfazed gaze.
"Kill her" he demanded coldly, releasing his own Nether. The others snapped out of it and all lunged forward at the same time, clearly not afraid of tangling each other up. They must have been teammates for a long time, or were just that skilled. Regardless, it made no difference. With the Epic seemingly standing out for a bit longer, Endyr was confidant she could take out three before he reacted. As she looked at the Devils narrowing in, a ferocious glint appeared in her eyes.
"Bring it on."