The Red Hand

Chapter 272 – The Hero Party v The Demon Lord.

Akagi's words echoed in Kanato's ears, confirming what he'd long suspected in the back of his mind. While he'd expected that the Gods were hiding something, and he'd even begun to suspect that the Spirits were some kind of scapegoat, hearing it confirmed to him was no less devastating to his psyche.

"T-Then that means..." Kanato paled as his stomach swirled. The thought that he'd been part of the slaughter and enslavement of innocent people was too much for him, and Hitomi could tell that he was moments from a total collapse.

{We... We...} (Kanato)

"Don't listen to her, Kanato!" Hitomi grabbed his shoulder, shaking him to snap him out of his internal spiral. "Remember what the Gods told us! That there would be those who seek to trick us, and Demons are notorious for playing mind games." She completely believed the Gods' words, largely because her entire livelihood and power base was built upon those same Gods.

"Believe what you want, fools." Akagi shrugged as she stood up, dismissing Black Company who moved away, slowly. "I honestly don't care if you believe what I have to say, for that is not important." She glanced over the rubble around where Muichiro was launched and watched as it slowly shook and shivered. "It would seem like he finally woke up. What a shame. I would've been much happier had that idiot stayed down." It was taking quite a bit of restraint on her part not to end that specific Hero outright, and the Demon figured that her ability to hold back wouldn't last indefinately.

"YOU BITCH!" Muichiro blasted out from under the rubble, landing next to Amakusa, absolutely seething with rage. "I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY FOR THAT!" His face had several deep cuts and bruises on it.

{HOW FUCKING DARE YOU!} (Muichiro)

"Go ahead and try." Akagi laughed. "You are little more than a paper tiger in front of a storm." That he couldn't understand that she'd held back only made the many onlookers believe that Muichiro was even more foolish than they'd initially believed.

"We... What have we done..." Kanato was still reeling from Akagi's revelation, and was barely able to concentrate on anything else.

{Did... Did we really kill innocent people? Were we really-} (Kanato)

"Snap the fuck out of it, Kanato!" Seeing that Kanato wasn't going to be of any help if he kept thinking about what Akagi said, Amakusa smacked him across the face. "Focus! We can deal with the Spirit problem LATER. Right now, we've got a bigger issue at hand." She bit her lip as she glared at Akagi. "I won't let you take over this world! Not while I draw breath!"

"It's far too late for that." Akagi chuckled. "This world is already mine, little girl."

"What?" Kanato gasped, the smack to his face finally knocking him out of his stupor. “You've already destroyed everyone?!?” The thought that humanity had been exterminated weighed heavily on his mind.

"Not destroyed. Rather, I've already established dominance over mankind." Akagi corrected his misunderstanding. "While it would be entirely possible for me to exterminate them, I've yet do do so and at present I have no intention to change from enslavement to annihilation.” She laughed. “Besides, its much more fun to terrify a population than it is to exterminate it.”

{Akagi...} (Hishya)

"You monster!" Hitomi growled. "You would kill innocent people for your own entertainment?!? You sicken me!" She began casting buffs on the other Heroes in preparation for an inevitable conflict.

"And why shouldn't I enjoy myself?" Akagi asked. "After all, this world is my little sandbox, filled with all sorts of toys for me to break." Her lips curved into a wicked smile. "And I do so loooove breaking my toys." Naturally, Akagi wouldn't go as far as the Heroes were imagining Though, pretending to do so in order to rile up these four was more than fair game.

{She really is awful, isn't she? Though I suppose it is funny to watch these four get all worked up when they've done far worse than her at this point.} (Halifax)

"You sick bastard!" Amakusa screamed, her eyes showing utter contempt. "Kanato, we need to work together and kill her! So get your head out of your ass and focus!" She noticed that he was still flustered and could tell that he was hesitating.

{WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU IDIOT?!? IF WE DON'T KILL THIS THING THEN EVERYONE IS GOING TO DIE!} (Amakusa)

"But we... What we did..." Kanato replied weakly.

"Don't worry about any of that, boy." Akagi called out to him. "Now listen, since I'm such a kind Demon Lord I'll give you all one chance to drop your weapons and come quietly. You'll be taken before the very Spirits you sought to murder, where justice will be administered and you will be punished for your crimes against them." She figured that there was no chance that they'd agree, but decided to offer nonetheless.

"As if I'd do that!" Muichiro scoffed at her offer. "I don't give a damn what you say, bitch, and even if the Gods were yanking our chain, who cares?" He laughed, seeing all the destruction as nothing more than a game that he'd had fun with. "I know I sure don't. I just want to enjoy myself and do whatever I want, so I'm not about to tuck my tail and beg for some kind of forgiveness from a people that I couldn't give a fuck about."

"You speak of justice like you have the right to get it out, but you are nothing more than a monster." Hitomi didn't agree with Muichiro's words but had no intention of surrendering herself to Akagi. "I would never allow myself to be taken by something like you, nor will I ask forgiveness for my actions!"

{You might be able to deceive that idiot Kanato, but I know far to well what kind of lies your kind tell! I am a Hero and I will never be tricked by anyone, especially those with malice in their hearts!} (Hitomi)

"Oh well. I suppose that this was to be expected, but at least now nobody can say I didn't offer you a peaceful resolution to this conflict." Akagi sighed, but was not exactly displeased that she now had carte blanche to hand them their assess.. "Fine, but don't worry, I'll be sure to tell the people of Enoris that YOU are the ones to blame when I'm slaughtering them all."

"What?!?" Kanato yelled in suprise. "You're going to-"

"Did you really think that I'd be satisfied with just bringing you four in? That I'd just leave that other world alone?" Akagi interrupted his prattle,m annoyed with his naivety. "Listen kid, whether or not those idiot Gods knew it, by sending you four here, they've declared WAR on me." She gave a low Demonic laugh that sent chills down everyone's spine. "And if it's a war they want, then it's a war they'll get!"

{At the end of the day, that's what matters the most. The lives of the Spirit and my obligation to them is one thing, but I will not stand for others disrespecting me! This world is mine, and I will allow NOBODY to dare stake claim to it!} (Akagi)

Done with her theatrics and convinced that there was no talking with these four, Akagi slowly stood up, transforming into her Demon Lord Form, dark power washing over each of them and causing a tingling sensation on their skin.

{My head... Why do I feel woozy?} (Hitomi)

Each of the four Heroes was hit with a sudden and brief headache that each brushed off as merely a bodily reaction to such power, and once they'd recovered and saw Akagi's new appearnce, the four Heroes were surprised by how radically different she looked from what they'd seen before.

"I guess the cat form was just a facade." Amakusa said, sweat slowly running down the side of her face.

"Still not better than a 6/10." Muichiro shrugged, thinking that it was no big deal.

"The Demon has revealed her true form." Hitomi pointed her staff at Akagi. "Come! Together we shall banish her evil from this world and save both Earth and Enoris from her tyranny!"

"Do... Do we really need to fight?" Kanato asked. "Is this really needed?"

{Is there no other way?} (Kanato)

"Surrender yourselves to me and fighting will not be necessary. Though it matters little to me whether you give up or not." Akagi shrugged. "Enoris will pay for this invasion, and for what its Gods did to the others." Her latter words were so quiet that only Hishya and Halifax heard her.

{Does she really resent the Gods that much for FWO? She came out on top thanks to that whole disaster, so why would she care? In fact, why DOES she care so much any of the other players actually? Is sympathy enough of a reason for her to take in as many of us as possible? There's no way its that simple. She killed other players all the time, so why the hell has she always had a soft spot for other players since things ended?!?} (Hishya)

"If... If we surrender, would you spare the people of Enoris?" Kanato asked, his question causing his fellow Heroes to scream in anger.

"No." Akagi answered flatly, dashing his hopes of finding a way out. "The Spirits demand vengeance, not to mention that my own personal pride is on the line here. If I allow those who dared to invade my world to get away with no consequences, then I would be seen as a fool."

{Not to mention that I'm genuinely annoyed with people constantly fucking with me and my world. I'd like this to be the final massive fucking problem that I need to deal with, at least for now.} (Akagi)

"Kanato, you're a nice guy and all, but if you don't shut your fucking mouth, I'll knock your teeth out." Muichrio growled as he readied himself for battle. "Hey!Demon bitch or whatever your name is." He pointed his blade at Akagi. "So let me tell you how this is really going to. First Ima kick your ass. Then I'm going to enjoy killing all those Spirits you protecting, and finally once I've handled that nuisance I'm going to break you like I've done to countless other women who ran their mouths." It was no idle threat as he'd actually done that to a few others in the past, usually Spirits that he'd captured.

"While I don't support that last part, I agree with taking you down." Amakusa commented, trying to avoid the nasty implications behind Muichiro's words. "Don't underestimate us! The four of us have never lost when fighting together, and I'm confident that you'll go down like the rest!" Despite some of their internal disagreements the four Heroes had superb coordination and teamwork, and even against some of Enoris' most vile Demons they'd come out on top.

"Kanato." Hitomi put her hand on his shoulder as she looked him in the eyes. "Listen, I know that you're torn up on the inside right now, but we need you at full power for this. So... Just for now, put all your feelings and concerns about the Gods aside and focus solely on saving the Earth. Everything else can come after." She cast a small buff on him to calm his emotions, but at the same time infused it with a tiny amount suggestion magic that. Ordinarily that shouldn't have worked due to the Gods' Divine protection, but she'd managed to find a small loophole in those rules.

"I... Yeah..." Kanato shook off his reluctance, in part because of her spell, but also because he knew that she was right. "But we will find out the truth about the Spirits once we're done with her, okay?" He was adamant that they get to the bottom of things once Akagi was defeated and Earth was safe.

"Fine." Muichiro clicked his tongue, not wanting to argue at the moment.

"Then, let's go! Blade Dance!" Deciding to start the battle before Akagi could make a move, Amakusa took off at high speed, activating one of her sword skills that buffed her speed and agility, with Muichiro following along right behind her.

"Steel Heart!" Muichiro said as he activated a skill that buffed his offense and defense. "Time to die!" Both he and Amakusa reached Akagi in a flash, swinging their blades down at both sides of the stationary Demon.

"I feel like I've seen this before." Akagi laughed as she effortlessly knocked their attacks away.

*CLANG* *CLANG*

"Bitch." Muichiro clicked his tongue. "Then how bout this? Heart of the Hill Giant!" His muscles bulged as power flowed into his body and Akagi could tell that his ability had caused a multiplication of his physical abilities several times over. "Can you stop this?!?" Muichiro yelled as he brought his massive blade down again.

"Easily, but I don't really need to." Akagi laughed as she sidestepped his blade before knocking it out of his hand and sending it flying across the arena, barely missing Hishya.

{Oi!} (Hishya)

"What?!?" Muichrio didn't have much time to process what happened as Akagi's knee slammed into his stomach, sending him flying past an approaching Kanato.

"Hero's Heart!" Kanato activated his special magic as he approached. "I won't let you hurt more innocent people!" He roared as he and Amakusa chased Akagi around the arena, never managing to get a clean hit in with their flurry of blows.

*CLINK* *CLINK* *CLINK* *CLINK* *CLINK* *CLINK* *CLINK* *CLINK* *CLINK* *CLINK* *CLINK* *CLINK* *CLINK* *CLINK* *CLINK* *CLINK* *CLINK* *CLINK*

"Dammit!" Amakusa cursed as Akagi easily deflected another one of her blows with her hand. "Why is she so fast?!?"

{I've never struggled to keep up with somebody, but this damn monster is just too fast! Its as if she's toying with me!} (Amakusa)

"She can't keep this up forever, Shiroe! If all she can do is dodge, then we've got the upper hand!" Kanato said moments before Akagi delivered a punch square to his gut, knocking the wind out of him.

“Puha!” Kanato gasped for air.

“Kanato!” Hitomi called out to him as she finished applying a group buff.

"Why did you think that evasion was all I could do?" Akagi asked as she punched him in the face.

"Ack!" Kanato keeled over slightly, looking up just in time to catch the sight of the Demon's foot slamming into his jaw and sending him flying into the air

"Kanato! Don't worry, I'll heal you right away!" Hitomi used her magic to catch the flying Hero and gently place him on the ground. His injuries were far worse than she'd initially expected, and Hitomi grew nervous as she realized that even her most powerful buffs weren't reducing any incoming damage.

{Muichiro is struggling to stand and Kanato's jaw was shattered from just one blow! What kind of power does this monster have?!? I've used my most powerful Divine and magical enhancements and protections on everyone and its as if NONE of it matters to this thing!} (Hitomi)

"Dammit, Kanato! I guess this means that I'll have to kill you myself!" Amakusa began a quick series of chanting and sutras that Akagi thought sounded like something out of a Shonen Anime she'd watched once. "Secret Technique of the Amakusa School! Dancing Petals of One Thousand Cherry Blossoms!" Once her incantations were completed, time seemed to flow slower from Amakusa's point of view. Dancing Petals was a technique that she'd never fully mastered before being sent to Enoris, and the only other time she'd used it in actual battle was to show Shinlua the difference between them. As she slowly approached Akagi, her steps felt as light as air and all of her senses had been heightened to an unbelievable degree, all while Akagi was completely stationary.

{There's no way that even this Demon can deal with Dancing Petals ! I'll be on top of her before she'll even process the fact that I've moved and each of my blows with hit with the force of a thousand blades!} {Amakusa)

In less than a second Amakusa was on top of Akagi, swinging her blade in what would be the first of countless attacks. However, just as her sword was about to reach the Demon, Akagi's arm quickly moved, slicing Amakusa's blade in two, her fingers running through the sword like a hot knife through butter.

"Eh?" Amakusa squeaked out a strange noise as the top half of her blade flew into the air, clinking on the arena floor as it landed.

{Inori?} (Amakusa)

"Not bad, kid, but far too slow to work against me." Akagi, seeing the utter bewilderment on Amakusa's face, reached out and grabbed the stunned girl by the throat, noticing a small crystal that hung around her neck. "Oh? What's this?" She pulled on the necklace that held the crystal, snapping it, so as to allow her to get a closer look.

{It has some kind of transport magic incorporated into it. How interesting. I wonder if this is how they intended to return to Enoris.} (Akagi)

"Shiroe!" Kanato said as he wobbled to his feet, barely able to speak with his broken jaw. "Let her go!" He couldn't stand without Hitomi's help, and she figured that Akagi's kick had left him with a concussion.

"Ok." Akagi gave a nasty smile as she allowed Amakusa to drop to the ground before kicking her in the face and placing her foot on her chest, crushing the female Hero beneath her foot.

"AHH!" Amakusa screamed as she felt her ribs begin to snap under Akagi's pressure.

"You bastard!" Kanato tried to move forward but found his shoulder grabbed by Muichiro who'd stumbled over in the meantime.

"Nope. We're leaving." Muichiro's face was badly bruised and there was blood leaking from his mouth as he willed his blade to return to him.

"What?!? We can't just leave Shiroe!" Kanato tried to resist further but before he could do anything else, Hitomi whacked him on the back of his head with her staff, knocking him out.

"My apologies, Kanato. But this battle cannot be won right now." Hitomi looked to Muichrio who nodded. His two times being tossed by Akagi told him that winning wasn't possible, and Hitomi wasn't foolish enough to try and fight a losing battle.

"Leaving your ally? I can't say I don't agree with saving your own asses, but what makes you think I'm going to let you flee?" Akagi asked as she continued to crush Amakusa's ribs.

"Because you can't do shit about it." Muichiro laughed as he crushed the crystal around his and Kanato's chest, followed by Hitomi doing the same with her own crystal. In a flash of light, the three of them vanished, and Akagi noted that she was unable to detect their energy anywhere on Earth.

"Well I wasn't exactly expecting scenario 83729A to be the one that played out, but I guess a few surprises are nice every once and a while." The Demon chuckled as Amakusa squeaked out a few words between screams.

"You... will... die!" Amakusa said right before Akagi kicked her across the face, knocking her out.

"No, my child, I will not. But you, you will become a fine little plaything for me." Akagi then proceeded to give the most spine-chilling laugh that Hishya had ever heard as she plotted to do something absolutely horrific to this girl.

{What the fuck is she going to do to her, and why am I so interested in knowing?!?} (Hishya)