Deacon
Mercury stood up for me…
…he stood up for me.
He got the boss to trust me, and let me into his organisation.
That's why I must never let you meet the boss!
I must absolutely avenge Mercury, and honour my duties to the boss!
James
D-did you say you received your Manifesto?
Was it given to you!?
And if your boss sent Mercury to kill you, then he mustn't have given you the Manifesto!
Deacon
Hm?
Have you met him?
You seem to already have an understanding of his power…
…and yet, you don't seem grateful.
Based on what I read and what I observed, you can use your Manifesto like a gun.
And your parents both had wounds consistent with a pistol.
So does that mean you gained your Manifesto as a child?
Most likely.
So it must've been someone else you heard about him from then.
I mustn't have done a good enough job vetting the possible candidates as I thought.
James
Huh?
What's with the way you're speaking about him?
Vetting candidates?
Are you helping him create these Manifesto users!?
Deacon
I'd be honoured if he would; however, he hasn't come to see me again.
And so I've taken it upon myself to cull the amount of candidates to receive a Manifesto.
This, angelic power.
This gift, given to me by a god amongst men.
That's why it angers me to see people like you and Taylor who take your Manifestos for granted…
…you don't even attempt to understand these beings beyond our comprehension.
James
(Understand them?)
(Is this guy serious?)
(He's talking about befriending demons…)
(Why should I lower myself to its level, if it helps me in fights, then shouldn't that be all that matters?)
(Right?)
(I mean, these have to be evil…)
(…right?)
Deacon
Hm?
It seems my speech was too much for you to understand.
Allow me to dumb it down, so even someone like you can understand it.
These Manifestos are gifts.
Gifts that should be valued.
And you, James Spectre, have no right to wield such a power.
Thus, it will be our pleasure to eliminate you in the name of Paradise.
Taylor
Yawn. Boring.
Do you have to be a buzzkill anytime we get to fight?
Almost no one ever gets this close to the boss, so we normally don't get much action!
Just let me have a little bit of fun, won't you?
Deacon
No, our goal should be the swift execution of trespassers.
Taylor
C'~mon Deacon!
Live a little!
Deacon
How many times do we need to discuss this?
James
(W-what is this?)
(This…this isn't a well oiled machine!)
(This isn't a smooth operation!)
(No, this is nothing like those two brothers I fought on my way here…)
(…those two were in sync, using misdirection to land attacks!)
(But these two…)
(…these two are anything but well organised!)
(I can't even sense any semblance of a strategy between the two of them!)
(They're just arguing, if this is part of their plan, they've got me.)
(How am I supposed to predict my enemy if they don't even know what their plan is?)
Deacon
Enough of this foolishness!
Taylor, even if we don't agree on the process…
We do still agree that the detective must die.
Taylor
Hehehe, I guess you're right!
Now, let's have some fun with this!
Apus takes flight from off of Deacon's shoulder, while Taylor keeps marching towards James
James
(Shit! I wasted my time to think, I guess before I can do any—)
!
James moves out of the way as a bomb gets dropped by apus
Taylor jumps back
Taylor
Hey! Deacon!
Mind where your dumb bird drops those things!
You almost hit me with that one!
Deacon
Would you be quiet already!
This would be so much simpler if you would just stay still and get out of my way!
James
(I have to take this chance to pull off a shot!)
(Now, quietly, quickly!)
(Raise your arm!)
(Lacerta, Ready, aim…)
(No!)
(His bird keeps moving around even when he's distracted!)
!
Fuck!
James brings his arm back down, getting the attention of Deacon and Taylor
James
(This damn arm!)
(If I could just get a steady arm, I could aim and shoot down that bird!)
(And what can I do against Aries?)
(If I even try to attack it, the attack will just bounce back at me!)
Deacon
Were you trying to shoot Apus while we were distracted?
Very clever of you, taking advantage of the time we were distracted.
I applaud you for noticing our lack of organisation.
Truth be told, we're not used to actually having to work together.
James
What do you mean by that?
Is this a special occasion?
Deacon
In a way, yes.
Typically, no one makes it this close to the boss, and when they do, one of us is more than enough.
However, you're the exception.
You've defeated six of our teams so far.
And so, to prevent you from potentially reaching the boss, he sent the two of us here to ensure the two of you will never meet face-to-face.
James
I'm flattered that I get special treatment.
However, I must apologise in advance, cause in ten minutes, I'll have shot that bird out of the sky, and your Aries will be crumbled up on the floor.
Taylor
Heh, that's rich!
Big talk coming from someone who can't even aim right now!
How do you expect to do any of that? Let alone in ten minutes?
You couldn't even shoot me if you tried.
James
(As much as I hate to admit it, he's right!)
(I don't know if I could hold my arm up long enough to even try!)
Taylor
Well, I guess it doesn't matter now!
Aries!
Aries winds up for a punch
James
Lacerta!
Protect me!
Lacerta blocks the punch
James
(Huh?)
(That…that didn't hurt…)
(…at all!)
(I was prepared to be thrown off my feet, but instead I feel fine.)
(That hurt way less than when I flicked him!)
Deacon
Taylor!
Call back Aries!
Taylor
Eh?
Why should I?
What are you gonna do?
Deacon
I don't feel like experiencing the effects of your Aries for myself
James
(Wait, does that mean he can't control it!?)
(Maybe his Manifesto couldn't hurt me because I didn't attack him!)
(He might've gone in for a punch hoping I would shoot him so he could bounce the bullet back at me!)
(And if it reflects all attacks, then Deacon and Apus can't attack me as long as I stay near Taylor!)
(If I don't attack Taylor, he shouldn't have a way to attack me with Aries!)
Deacon
Taylor!
Move already!
I need a clear shot!
James
(Shot? Is that what that attack was?)
(He's dropping something on me, and given he said "shot" I'm willing to wager it's a bomb his bird's dropping)
(But what is it making these bombs out of?)
As James looks up to observe Apus, something begins to fall towards him
James
!
James jumps out of the way
The bomb explodes
Deacon
(Damn! I missed again!)
(If only that idiot Taylor would deactivate his Manifesto, I could get a clear hit!)
James
(What was it that just dropped!?)
(I couldn't see it!)
Deacon
Apus!
Drop another one!
Taylor!
Move! Watch out for Apus' attack!
Taylor
No, y'know what? Fuck you!
I'm not moving for you, or anyone else!
You're not my boss!
We're ranked the exact same in the Casa Dei Re, we are kings among kings!
And you have no authority to make me move!
I'll just end this right now with Aries!
C'mon detective!
Defend yourself!
James
(Where's Apus' next attack gonna come from?!)
(I lost track of it when it went in front of the sun!)
(But there's gotta be something to watch out for, something I'm missing!)
!!!
James sees something falling towards him, and prepares to jump out ot the way
The bomb goes off
Taylor
Aaaagggghhhh!!!
Deacon! You asshole!
How dare you attack me!!!
Aries will make you pay!
The camera pans over to Deacon
Deacon
Yes, I suppose I will…
However, unfortunately for you…
The camera shows Deacon's mask, shattered in half
Deacon
…it looks like you didn't get Aries out of Apus' bomb range. And it appears as though you also weren't able to defend all your vitals with Aries.
Taylor coughs up blood
Deacon
Taylor, I'm afraid this is the end of our professional relationship. May hell be more beneficial for you.
In the meantime detective, I believe you managed to avoid the blast.
James heaves heavily, his breaths inconsistent and abnormal
Deacon
James Spectre…
You are undeserving to wield such an ability…
the only thing you deserve is a death more painful than you could have thought possible