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"When Time is spent, Eternity begins."
- Helen Hunt Jackson
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- -3rd POV- -
A scuffle had occurred amidst Higurumas search for answers
A suited man and a shark toothed blonde fought to get ahead of each other
Racing through the hotel like their lives depended on it, they collided against one another shouting obscenities
"HIMENO HAS TRAINED FOR A YEAR!! IM IN HER DEBT!" The man, Arai, cried out with fervour. Sweat cascading down his face as he swatted Denji away, "YOU THINK IM GONNA LET SOME SHITTY SNOT NOSED FIEND LIKE YOU, STEAL HER LIPS AND BODY?!"
Denji was too quick on his feet as he bounced back, ready to break through Arai but the suited man's arms wrapped around him bringing him to a halt
"MOVE IT!!" Denji screamed in harsh disgust, "I DONT WANT SOME GUY HUGGING ME! ITS CREEPY
GO TO HELL!!"
Their exclaims and shouts rang loud in the hallway along with the quiet but awfully irritating jitter of a petite black haired girl as she trembled
"Wow. These new batch of hunters sure are lively!" Himeno laughed innocently to Akis annoyance
"Don't act like you didn't start all this" Akis tone carried his distaste for Himenos weird habits
"Aww c'mon, don't be like that" She attempted to throw her arms over Akis shoulders but promptly missed as he dodged, "As indifferent to my love as ever Aki"
Himeno gave a wide pearl filled smile whilst she paced her footsteps to match Akis
"How've you been?"
"Fine," Aki briefly answered never being one to go into detail unlike the person to his right
"So like you to respond to me like that," obviously not discouraged by Akis blatant lack of communication skills
And with that their one sided continued alongside the already growth in chatter from the two groups brought together by one mission
"…So what do you think of Mr Higuruma"
…
"Strong. Very strong. I haven't been a devil hunter for as long as you have but I've heard the stories, it's no question that he's the top echelon of devil hunters," Aki gave his thoughts with precise bluntness
…
"That's right! The night of the hundred devils - it may be a tad bit exaggerated but it changes nothing that he was able to kill 50 devils in one night!" She said excitedly, "He's lived for so long in this profession but seems so rational and logical
…That's most definitely a facade"
Aki turned to her with a questioning gaze
"Remember the first thing I told you on our first mission ," She spoke allowing the look of realisation to fall across, "Only the insane would continue doing a shitty job like this'.
…And I know for a fact, he's 100% insane!"
Silence permeated the air at Himeno's little remark. All that remained was the hard knock of shoes against the oak floor of the hotel
Except that was all there was at first
It began very silently until gradually the echo of its laughter caught the attention of Denji and Arai, ceasing their bickering throughout the hallway
The group turned to the source of the sound behind them to find their company leader clasping his temple and eyes as he laughed away
Himeno was the first to speak.
"Mr Higuruma? But we just saw you go that way.." Himeno spoke equally as confused as everyone else who watched him turn the corner and disappear
Prying his hand away from the summit of his head, Higurumas gaze grew as cold and hard as a Deadman's body. His fist opened and from thin air, a gavel realised itself
"Starting from now, the threat level of this mission has risen up to anyone can die at a moment's notice. This is the worst possible outcome, " He paced towards the group, towards Denji and Power, "But an outcome, none the less
Denji and Power - to me. I still have an objective to ensure no harm befalls the two of you.
As for the rest of you, I can't promise anything but if you follow orders that will be a help then useless prattle and may boost your odds of survival"
The weight of what was happening was quick and unnerving. The switch from idle chatter and thoughts of a quick and easy mission to this.
They were devil hunters. They should be ready to die at any time fighting against the spawn of hell and yet what was this feeling of ever-growing fear.. and regret
"W-What's happening?!" Kobeni trembled and vibrated on the spot. Her hands grasping her hair whilst sweat poured in buckets down her face
Higuruma turned to her.
"We've been trapped in a Devil's Domain."
Yes.
The very same realisation hit Aki's face as well. The two most experienced hunters behind Higuruma as well as the most knowledgeable of full extent of devil abilities
The pinnacle of devil's powers. The ability to materialise one's own realm into the world of humans outside of hell.
Only the most powerful devils can hope to awaken it and employ it.
A province under the devil's total and utter control...
A Devil's Domain!
"Fuck!" Himeno cried out as from her shadow appeared a singular ghoulish hand that coiled around her body waiting for the next prey to drag back down into purgatory
The group aside from Aki grew even more frantic as the random next to Kobeni burst out in shock
"A Devil's Domain?! Don't fuck with me?! That's just a myth they spread back in the academy," He walked up and grabbed the collared neck of Higuruma.
His eyes peering into that of the former lawyer's
Met with the apathy of the man in front of him.
All he could was crumble under the quiet flame held in his eyes that broke him down piece by piece
"AHAHAH!" He laughed desperately before out of nowhere he broke out into a sprint down the hall to the stairs - the origin of their ascent up and down the hotel.
Confusion.
The hunter rushed out of a nearby storage cupboard with a puzzled expression etched onto his features
"Hu-?"
Hands. Feet. All kinds of deformed never-ending pairs and sets of arms protruded from the walls.
Stretching. Reaching. Clawing their way out to the petrified human who could only stand, blood curdled, as they gripped onto him and twisted his own limbs from here then finally crush his skull.
All of this happened in the span of a second because soon enough before anyone could process such a brutal death, a hammer struck the disfigured body parts - annihilating them
"Damnit." Twirling the hammer in his arms, he crushed the onslaught of arms trying to grab him before facing the oncoming swarm of them that threatened to do the same it had done to the fallen hunter.
He cried out to his shook team, "Retreat!"
They didn't have to be told twice as in an instance they scrambled down the hallway
Pushing. Shoving. Tripping. They did anything to get ahead one another - Kobeni especially
"Tch" Hiromi scoffed a little, loosening his tie as he did so, "How bothersome."
His gavel lengthened at his call and in an instant the surrounding hands were obliterated under the numerous strikes of his hammer
Dodging to his side as another came out to grab him, he acknowledged the relentless of these limbs that seemed to birth even more of themselves at each swing and strike
It was endless. It was eternal.
'Tactical retreat' Higuruma thought to himself, using the walls to platform off of in the direction of his teammates
Give us the Chainsaw Brat and you'll live to see the next day…
A mouth emerged out of the wall right beside as whispers filled his head
With a heave, the suited man skidded across the floor in response to the unknown voice coming to a short halt in his movements
…
"…Can you promise the safety of the company and myself if we fulfill our end of the deal - bringing you the 'chainsaw brat'"
The low echo of laughter reverberated across the corridor
Of course, human. As long as the agreed upon conditions are met…
As if in finality, the body parts that littered the halls receded back down the hallway until their visage disappeared down the stairs
Swing.
Hiromi swung his gavel removing the purple oilish blood that stained its body
"Hm"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"S-So we're stuck on the eighth floor?! With that devil that Mr Higuruma is fighting right now?!" The jittery black haired that quivered under any sort of pressure had gone off the edge
Her already very fragile mental state was at its breaking point. She was slumped on the group kneading her head in tears
"Looks like it," Himeno answered calmly lighting a cigarette to the discomfort of a few others trapped in the room with her
"I need to take a piss." Arai mentioned to no one in particular as he marched towards the only available bathroom in the room they found themselves in
Fear.
The source of a devils power.
It wafted throughout the room and grew ever so sweet and poisonous
So tangible that it was clear for Himeno to see
Aki appeared from a storage closet seemingly done with his escapades to find an exit from this hell hole, "The window leads to the storage closet… there's no mistaking it
Mr Higurumas claims were correct" he confirmed giving way to more panic from Kobeni and Tenko (a random)
…
"…We're all going to die here…either by that devil or by starvation" Kobeni muttered to herself. Her voice loud enough to be carried to the ears of everyone present in the room, "I wanted to go college too but here I am… going to die!!"
A mixture of snot and tears streamed down her face to make a frankly nasty sight to see
Himeno embraced the crying girl not that it did anything to quell the sea of salt and boogey that stained her clothes and face
"GA HA! GAHHAAH!! LOOK AT YOUR FACE!!" Power laughed in deprecation before being slapped by Aki forcing her to stop
.
"Tch. To think that consuming a piece of the gun devils flesh would allow this devil to awaken the famed Devil Domain. What a pain!" Himeno yawned as she stretched across the bed, "Aki any movement from that gun devil piece?"
"About that..it completely stopped moving."
"So we walked straight into the devils trap, as the bait," Himeno concluded with a sleazy smile, "This is the first time I've had to deal with a devil this tricky… I wonder what devil it even is"
"The hotel devil!" Denji declared with absolute certainty lacing his voice
"…Whatever the devil, Mr Higuruma is out there fighting it alone," Aki clenched his fist, "I'm going out the-"
"You're gonna die or at the very least hold Mr Higuruma back." Himeno stated bluntly
Eyes clashed.
Akis gaze met Himenos as the shared history between the two was reflected in their eyes
Silence between them only broken by Powers yawning and Akis sigh
"I'll only go out to confirm Mr Higurumas safety and bring him back here - that's all" Without looking back, Aki moved towards the door only for it to open from the other side
He drew his sword only to be met with confusion as Higuruma entered…unscathed
His dreary tilted eyes scanned the room before falling upon the blonde haired boy who was conversing with the blood fiend in back
"What?" Denji was confused by this piercing gaze that sent cold sweat down his back.
"Denji. Offer yourself to the Devil and I can guarantee everyone in this room will be able to leave this hotel alive"