Outside – What Remains of the Hospital
Junpai ran to Arisa, slicing away the blood binding her.
"Are you okay!?"
Tears streamed down Arisa's cheeks.
"I'm fine… but… we have to save them!"
Junpai stood up, furious.
"Have you lost your mind!? They're demons! You saw how many people they killed!"
"They're still our friends!" Arisa cried. "Especially Ren!"
Junpai growled. "I don't know what's gotten into your head… but I'm taking Souta to Sir Zephyr. He'll decide what to do."
Airi, face cold, summoned glowing restraints to bind Souta. His long hair fell over his unconscious face.
"Let's go," Airi said softly. "Your father will be waiting."
As the holy knights stood tense at the entrance, a massive BOOM echoed not far off shaking the very ground beneath them.
Lorths clenched his fists, knuckles glowing.
"That came from their direction…"
Rylan Torvain narrowed his eyes. "What's that… in the sky?"
They all looked up and saw it.
A towering demon… floating midair. And standing on top of it his hair wild, his cloak torn and blood-soaked was Sir Vandros, now radiating with dark energy.
Zephyr's eyes widened in disbelief. "VANDROS! What the hell are you doing?!"
Vandros leapt off the demon, landing hard in front of them, the ground cracking under his feet.
He smirked. "Sorry boys, I had to switch sides. These demons? They gave me power. They pay better too."
Rylan stepped forward, tightening his grip on his battle axe. "Ren Akagawa… he's inside that thing, isn't he?"
Vandros grinned. "Bingo. But if you want him"
He snapped his fingers and drew his blood-forged sword, "you'll have to get through me."
Rylan didn't wait. With a burst of speed, he charged. Steel clashed. Vandros parried, laughing. "Now THIS is what I call a party!"
Meanwhile, Kairo Mizuno stepped in, raising his spellbook.
"Law of Heaven."
A divine seal activated chains of light tried to bind the demon.
But the beast roared, dodged, then fired a massive fireball.
"GET DOWN!" Zephyr shouted. Everyone leapt aside as the explosion lit up the night.
Itsuki, bruised and battered, crawled to his feet and summoned a magical shield. He wiped blood from his cheek and shouted,
"REN! Are you in there?!"
From deep inside the demon's body, Ren's voice answered:
"Yeah! I'm here! Fighting this lunatic!"
Ren swung his blood blade, clashing again and again with Haruno, who screamed in rage.
"I WON'T STOP! I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF FOR WHAT YOU ARE!"
Lightning surged through the demon, bursting it from the inside.
BOOOOM!!
The force launched everyone down from the skies crashing into buildings and streets below.
Itsuki tried to cast a rescue spell "Exitorum!"but it fizzled.
"Damn it!" he cursed.
With quick thinking, Ren used his blood to form a slide and caught both him and Haruno, guiding them safely down.
Itsuki ran to Ren and shouted, "DODGE !"
Ren turned
Too late.
Zephyr. Valen. Rorik Draeven. Kaien Voss.
And Lorths of the Ivory Cross stood before him.
Ren's legs shook. "I… I know why you're here…"
Lorths cracked his knuckles, the holy aura bursting from his body. "Then DIE, spawn of Shira."
BOOOOOM!!!
A single punch shattered the earth Ren tried to dodge, but the shockwave blasted through his ribs, flinging him like a ragdoll through building after building.
Itsuki shouted, "I'll stop this!!"
He opened his book, hesitated
Then whispered…
"Fiat Infernum. Apparent Angelus. Oppone Hunc Hostem!"
("Let Hell arise. An angel in disguise. Confront this enemy.")
The sky split.
A demon descended its wings glowing, a halo made of fire and blood above its head.
Lorths blinked. "That boy… he summoned that?"
Itsuki stood stunned. "I can't cast anything… but Demonfall still works?"
He reached into his coat, pulled out a vial Ren's blood and drank it in desperation.
His body convulsed.
From a destroyed skyscraper afar, Lucien Veylor watched the chaos with a grin.
"My pain… has already begun," he whispered.
He raised his hand and in the air, a crimson bubble began to expand… larger… larger…
"Let's play a game," he chuckled.
Then
POP.
A tidal wave of blood flooded across Kaigenshiro corrupting, mutating, consuming.
Men, women, children… all twisted into blood-driven vessels of the underworld.
Lucien licked the blood off his hand. "Perfect."
Then
CRASH!
A figure slammed into him Kesshō Kikan, with his staff glowing.
Lucien skidded, laughing. "You showed up! Brother!"
Kesshō stood up. "What the hell are you doing?! This isn't peace. This is madness."
Lucien just smiled. "Peace comes after fire. You of all people should know that."
Kesshō's face hardened. "Don't call me 'brother' unless you're ready for a real war."
His staff melted into blood becoming a long crimson glaive.
Lucien opened his arms. "Then let's fight, together. One last time."
Kesshō's eyes narrowed. "I'll help you for now. But once this ends… I'll bring you down myself."
Lucien's smile widened as blood rained down on Kaigenshiro.
"This… is the beginning."