The arrival of the Noah, part 3

[Yu Kanda]

Continuation from : The arrival of the Noah, Part 2 Extra info for this post about Akuma : Akuma

The portal on the moor's end showed a rumple in its liquid-like centre, two passing by townspeople glanced at it right before the exorcist Yu Kanda came flying out with high speed. The swordsman had to react quick, the grey cobblestone came close very quick as he was descending towards a what would appear hard landing. With his sword in one hand he used his free left hand to regain balance, placing it on the ground to steer him through the air. The hand touched the stone ground, unfortunately he did not anticipate how slippery the stones were covered in moss and his landing was anything but graceful.

Falling down and rolling to a stop the exorcist cursed loudly and angry. The folks that were passing by quickly moved along, as if they didn't see anything. "That damned green haired excuse for a swordsman. If I didn't get distracted he would've been cut to pieces. What was general Klaud doing here anyway ?"

Kanda turned around and looked towards the gate, " I was sure I was the only exorcist here in the Omniverse, how did she get here and why?" The swordsman calmed down slowly, going through several scenario's in his mind before deciding to go back and see why the general was here. He sheathed his anti akuma weapon and headed back to the gate. After a few steps a with fear filled scream pierced Kanda's thoughts and quickly turned around. A girl appeared between two buildings running through the street. "IT killed them ! It killed both of them." The redheaded girl screamed. " They turned to dust after the black stars covered their skin." She cried out with tears flowing over her cheeks. Immediately Kanda turned around, he knew what this was. It's the curse akuma carry with them. Anyone without innocence is subjected to the curse by a simple touch, before turning to dust and leave the world of the living. With haste he made his way to the girl, forgetting all about what he was planning to do. " where are they ?" He asked the girl in his cold voice.

The girl was still sniffing and crying, " in the forest just outside of town." She pointed towards the direction the attack took place. "Alright stay here" Kanda said before taking off, following the girl's direction. He walked in between two buildings, the girl standing behind him, her eyes covered by a shadow as she raises her left arm, aiming towards the exorcist back. The arm started to change shape, the pale skin turned into metal and her hand took the shape of a gun barrel. An evil grin appeared on the, what was first assumed, girl. "Goodnight exorcist-sama". She took aim and had the exorcist's black cloak in sight, but was disturbed by an unknown second voice.

"Well well, isn't this an interesting sight to behold." Dante said while leaning over his vehicle. The disguised akuma turned it's attention towards the grey haired demon-hunter, aiming it's single weapon towards him. "I must admit, this is new to me. You must be one of those demons he told me about." The akuma responded by transforming to his original form, ripping the skin of his host and expanding from within until the body splattered in all directions. The being was floating in front of Dante, no arms, no legs, just a face from which agony and suffering could be seen and a whole lot of gun barrels. The sight was gruesome, but Dante was used to these kind of horrors. Even though this was his first akuma encounter he kept his cool, he was in the demon killing business after all. He got off of his bike " So, let's go ! " He shouted towards the demon.

Kanda made his way to the edge of town. The grim dead like forest greeted him with a cold wind touching his skin. A shiver tan down his spine, he could sense something wasn't right. He slowed his pace, slowly took out his innocence weapon and held it at the ready. Making his way through the forest he noticed a mist setting in, the few noises that he heard just moments ago started to slowly fade away into nothing. His eyes were alert and scanning his surroundings for anything out of the ordinary. The eerie silence was broken by the cracking of twigs not far from him.

Whatever it was, it was closing in. From the mist an entity was making its appearance. " Welcome Mr. Exorcist, so glad you could make it." The man who approached him on the coliseum stand emerged from the mist.

"You ? What are you doing here ?" Kanda asked, but he immediately knew, this was a trap, set for him. Raising his weapon towards the man, Kanda prepared for whatever would come next.

"Ow, why ask me things to which you already know the answer to ? I told you, the Noah are here." The man replied calmly with a dark yet twisted smile on his face and started to reveal himself. Tearing off the skin from his arms, showing a grey skin underneath. Before the exorcist's eyes one of his old enemies appeared, the Noah Tyki Mikkhas made his appearance. Without a moment's hesitation Kanda activated Mugen, showing the silver glow over his sword, followed by the Double Illusion Sword. The blue innocence energy coated his sword and created a second one in his empty hand. The silence of the forest was now broken by the cracking noise the energy was producing. Kanda had no intention of messing around.

"Getting excited I see, well I guess, seeing as you are the guest of honor, i could introduce you to some of tonight's entertainment. As your host, may i introduce to you, your impending death." The Noah put on his top hat, raised his arms to the sides. He threw his head backwards and shouted " He is all yours."

Out of the mist many shades started to appear. Floating in the air Kanda counted at least ten level-1 Akuma. Between the forest trees a few more silhouettes appeared. At first glance Kanda guessed they must be level-2. But he couldn't be to careful. He was surrounded. " Let's begin." As the message the dark voice of the Noah carried.

An overhead barrage of shots were fired down towards Kanda, who sped towards one of the grounded demons. The jester like figure laughed as he parried Kanda's first attack. Loud explosions were heard behind him. The exorcist stayed calm and applied pressure behind his attack, slowly pushing the demon back. His second sword was trusted through the Akuma's chest and he crumbled to the floor, turning to dust.

Looking up he noticed the Level-1 akuma were lowering altitude, with a leap he aimed towards the closest one. But before he was even a few meters above ground his ankle was caught. " Where are you going, Exorcist?! " A shrieking voice said. Looking down Kanda saw it, a level-3 akuma grabbed hold of him. The powerful demon pulled his prey down and threw him across the small open field. Kanda's body was thrown into large tree and like a ragdoll he bounced off of it, landing in the dirt.

The swordsman groaned as he got up, he saw the small army of demons closing in. Tyki Mikk was nowhere to be seen. With the level-3 akuma smiling, Kanda saw them all approaching. Weapons at the ready. Time to fight back, time to show this world what exorcist exist for.

[Simon]

With a horrifying wail, the demon reciprocated Dante's call to action, and the many cannons jutting from its body morphed and twisted to take aim as best as it could. A coy smile curled up the devil hunter's face, however, as he simply stood there, without drawing his weapons. The Akuma obviously knew no better in order to not possibly suspect something up with the target before it; the beast only having a mind for destruction.

Maybe that was what made Dante such an avid and capable devil hunter: not just his unflappable courage, but his unorthodox and unexpected tactics.

Without breaking eye contact, the Son of Sparda lifted a foot and stamped on the motorcycle's pedal. The engine immediately geared up and roared to life, and as Dante removed his foot, his ride quickly began to accelerate of it's own accord. The uncontrolled machine reared up and smashed its front wheel into the Akuma's body, leaving the creature reeling back while it fell over and spun out in place. In the same moment, the devil hunter sprung to action, drawing his sword and performing a gigantic leap into the air.

The gun-toting menace didn't have much time to react before it registered the shape of the red-coat devil hunter plummeting from above. Again it took aim, but Rebellion was planted into the grisly being's torso before it could let loose its payload. Pinned to the ground, screaming in pain from the blade driven two feet into its black heart, the monster could only writhe in furious, futile agony at the white-haired person upon it.

To the tune of demonic cries and a bellowing motor, the half-blood reached behind him and pulled out Terminator, spinning the shotgun around his finger several times. As he finally caught the boomstick in his hand, Dante leaned over the demon mockingly and spoke, "For your sake, there better be more of you around, because you're not gonna last long."

One more wail escaped the Akuma before Dante straightened up and flicked his own gun barrel into the demon's face. He pulled the trigger, and an explosion of buckshot tore violent holes into the evil visage, turning the wicked voice into a tortured gurgle. In the midst of the fatal blow, a sphere of energy materializing in in opening under the Akuma's head fizzed out vainly, leaving Dante to escape the confrontation untouched.

"Small-time," the devil hunter declared of the Akuma as he yanked Rebellion free of the monster's body. "Wonder why the guy was so nervous?" The Son of Sparda threw Terminator's lever in a circle to chamber the next shell, and set the shotgun on his should after returning the broadsword to his back. Casually, he turned and hopped back off the spherical demon, landing past his bike and starting to pace away. After several steps of listening to the combined cacophony, Dante turned back and leveled Terminator to the ground, firing a heavy slug into his struggling bike.

The vehicle exploded, and both the bike and the Akuma were engulfed in a surge of fire and shrapnel. As their remains began to disintegrate into wispy, ash-black clouds, a voice erupted behind Dante, "What have you done?!"

His mop of white hair flipped as he turned around, Dante's eyes meeting the two figures of Zoro and Klaud. "What?" he shrugged, shotgun still dangling from his fingers, "Didn't I say I liked to make a bang? Okay, sure, maybe I didn't have to blow up my ride for it, but you gotta admit-"

"No, you fool!" The general interjected, obviously up to her neck already with his poor opinion of the devil hunter. "Destroying an Akuma without Innocence will not purify it! You just damned a human soul to oblivion!"

Zoro's look of confusion turned to mild alarm as he realized part of what the woman was talking about, while Dante's confusion simply faded away into scoff. The red-coat turned back to look at the remains, and found that they were not just smoldering into wisps of black; the fiery pile was actually completely coming apart into faint swirls of prismatic... stuff. Even the Akuma, now having burst into a miasma of shadowy matter, too eventually gained that same rainbow sheen and trailed away into nothingness.

Following Dante's vision, Klaud and the pirate hunter too witnessed this passing on, so to speak, and the general anger-filled outlook seemed to disperse somewhat. "Er... well, perhaps Akuma function differently here in the Omniverse," Klaud reconciled after a moment, remembering the fact of where exactly in existence she was.

Dante simply hummed in a dismissive agreement as he pocketed his shotgun and fully turned to leave. The monkey on Klaud's shoulder alerted her of this, and she looked back to the devil hunter and cried after him, "Wait! You were traveling with Kanda, right? Where did he go?"

Dante stopped, looked back over his shoulder at the woman, then looked around at their surroundings. The small town they were in was almost deathly silent now, only having the soft blow of the wind as any noise whatsoever. It looked like this place was once a small hub of activity within the Pale Moors, based on the circumference of dark-age houses erected around the gate. Obviously, whatever had brought the Verse to its current state had turned his location into a ghost town. "Beats me," Dante finally answered to Klaud, unable to produce a satisfactory answer.

While Dante had noticed the deformed little girl that had been the Akuma in disguise, he was unaware that said girl had been attempting to snipe the exorcist from behind. And, while it was apparent he wasn't immediately nearby, where Kanda could've gone remained quite vague. "He can't have gone far," Zoro reasoned, finally speaking up. "We saw him only a minute ago, after all. Where could he have run to in that time?"

Was he still in town? Had he already left? Did he fall to a large trap of Akuma? That last question rung up in Klaud's head, and she immediately began to set out, becoming somewhat concerned. "Kanda? Kanda!?" She cried out to the open air, trying to get his attention, wherever he was. While she failed, she brought attention to another creature nearby...

"Hey!" The green-haired swordsman snapped at the general for her attention, "You wanna bring everything in this place right to us?" As if to accentuate his point, a crash sounded in a nearby alley, and all three hunters snapped up in alertness.

Uneven clopping sounded from the dark space, and moments later a jet-black war horse burst out of the opening, braying and beating its hooves. Lau Jimin panicked, and Dante had to dive out of the way to avoid getting trampled as the beast gracelessly careened into the next alley.

"Wait a minute-" Klaud looked to the two others, a spark of realization in her eyes, "Was that- Kanda's horse?"

Seeming to catch on to her observation, Zoro chimed in, "Why don't we follow it? Maybe he's looking for his master." No sooner had he relayed the suggestion than did a trio of ball-shaped demons burst out from the alley the horse came from, cannons twisting to aim at the three humanoids. "Or running from the demons-!"

"Look out!" Someone cried, and the Akuma all opened fire with a spray of blood bullets.

[Roronoa Zoro]

“Look out!” the unseen speakers voice rang past the trio, no sooner than a hail of bloody bullets screamed past the hunters. Given the lack of the Pirate Hunter’s somewhat recently awakened and ,even more recently, lost Kenbunshoku Haki, Zoro’s reaction lagged a little behind the other two, his former dependence on the mystical ability coming to light in a rather clumsy fashion; something Marimo would later put down to his abilities being dragged out of him. It would take some doing, a large sprinkling of dumb luck and a helping of clunky rolling, but Zoro managed to reach the group of floating balls of destruction nigh on unscathed, a pair of Katana drawn and poised to strike. Another split second later, the pair of Hunters left dancing around the bloody assault witnessed the third winding his body around slightly and unleashing an almighty blue twister of compressed air and sheer energy from the aforementioned Katana.

A few of the Akuma ceased floating, colliding with the ground with a rather satisfying thud, the same strange shadowy miasma oozing and evaporating from the wounds left behind by the Pirate Hunter’s blades. “Take care of the rest of ‘em, eh?!” Zoro called out as he darted away from the pack of Akuma, following the trail of which Kanda’s horse had emerged from.

With a crack of her whip, Klaud sent Lau Jimmin into beast mode, the beast lurched forwards throwing attack after attack, sending another good portion of the pack reeling and collapsing to the ground, bursting into small clouds of shadowy miasma. A few seconds after the initial crack of the whip and Lau Jimmin springing into action, another crack echoed through, apparently lengthening the Beast’s ability to continue it’s assault.

With the Akuma’s focus centered of the rapidly disappearing Pirate Hunter, it turned to the Half-Blood to make a move. He spun beneath a stray bloody bullet, coat tails flailing outwards as the mop haired Hunter drew his twin pistols, Ebony and Ivory. Dante straightened up, pistols extended towards the floating pack of Akuma.

A coy grin spread across Dante’s features as he leveled the weapons, “Nothin’ more than target practice.” he drawled, squeezing the triggers of his pistols in quick succession, unleashing a blistering haze of bullets, tearing through the sick mass of Akuma.


Some way down the path, the Pirate Hunter ground to a halt. A figure, drowned in shadows, stepped out from behind its cover. Its malleable form twisting and distorting with sickening crunches until, a few moments later, a carbon copy of the Pirate Hunter stood before the original, all aside from the pair of twisted, demonic looking swords, jutting from where it’s hands should be.

“Finally, a real challenge.” Zoro goaded his doppleganger, grinning sinisterly as the pair circled around each other. The Akuma’s unbridled rage set it into motion first, shambling towards the Pirate Hunter with about as much grace as the doppelganger could muster. It took all of a moment to find it’s footing before, within the blink of an eye, the Akuma managed to steady itself and launch into a near enough exact copy of Zoro’s own fighting style. The beast crossed its blades across its chest and launched forwards, covering the gap between them near enough instantly. Upon reaching it’s mark, the Akuma swung its blades outwards, each following a diagonal arc, aiming to tear a gash out of the Pirate Hunter’s chest. And it may have been successful, had it have been a different opponent. The Pirate recognised the pattern quickly enough to bring one of his own Katana crashing downwards to meet the Akuma’s twisted blades, ceasing their momentum before they could come close to touching skin. Roronoa struggled against the Akuma’s strength, putting all his effort on simply keeping it’s blades away from him. The pair struggled against each other for a few moments before Zoro took the next move, lashing out with his free blade and forcing an opening to bound backwards a few paces.

The Pirate Hunter sneered at his doppelganger as he drew his third Katana and clamping it between his teeth. He lurched forwards a few paces before hurling himself forwards at a pace the Akuma could barely follow. “Oni-” Roronoa crossed his blades across his chest, the third blade held horizontally behind the others. The Pirate’s form was perfect, after all he created the technique. As he reached the Akuma’s position, he threw his blades upwards, his third blade careening off horizontally. ”GIRI!”

[Yu Kanda]

The black sleeve of Kanda's coat wiped off the blood beneath his mouth. Kanda did not look amused, he ran into this trap with open eyes. He should've know better, if the Noah are involved there is always a surprise. The swordsman eyes looked at the enemies before him. The level three Akuma was laughing loudly after giving Kanda a good beating. Tyki mykk was leaning casually against a tree behind his small army of akuma, observing as his lackey akuma did his dirty work. "You fucking coward" Kanda spoke towards Tyki who in turn waved his index finger at him," now now, watch your language. It's only natural I'd want to deal with the Earl's enemies as efficiently as possible. You cannot really blame me for that. With you, the only exorcist prime, out of the way things will go much more smoothly. Now be a good little disciple of god and let them rip your heart out." Tyki's face showed psychopathic features as he finished that sentence, sending off his akuma once more.

The level 3 akuma looked up as all the canons once more took aim at the grounded exorcist. "Tsh, try me" Kanda responded to the non-verbal thread. The blasts of the gunfire echoed through the near dead forest. An enormous dust cloud emerged, the grim trees at the location either got blasted away or were blown over by the explosions. From the brownish ball that was dust emerged one of Kanda's hell worms, screeching it's high pitch noise while rocketing towards floating akuma above.

Like a bullet shot from a rifle, Kanda emerged from the dust, almost flying over the ground. The high speed swordsman was pushing his body to the limit, fast wasn't fast enough when it comes to a surprise attack. The level 3 akuma did not have time to blink, Mugen was already in striking distance. A flash of blue light emerged in front of the demon, instinctively it jumped back a few meters, but not quick enough. A cutting pain in his chest made the Akuma scream out in pain. The exorcist prepared for the finishing, thrusting his katana towards the Akuma face, but before mugen split the creature's head in two Kanda got blindsided by yet another foe and was send flying against one of the few sturdy trees around. The massive structure created by nature snapped like a twig when Kanda collided with it. Seems like his one on one fight wasn't so one on one after all, his akuma opponent wasn't alone. Not the weak ass canon wielding akuma, but two more level 3's had his back.

"There is no victory for you here, only death." The red colored akuma spoke with a grin, quickly followed by the green one next to him, " There are more of us then there are of you. The innocence will die with you." They duo helped their fallen ally up, it was a scary sight, three level 3 akuma's standing next to each other with a Noah in the back. Kanda knew he was in trouble, but he is was an exorcist, this was what he was chosen to do. Getting up from the dirt he took a stance, both swords vibrating with innocence energy, grabbing his swords tight and his game face was on. With a loud battle shout he charged the three powerful opponents, knowing full well, he could meet his end.

****

Klaud was still silenced by the fact Dante was able to cleanse the demon's soul. The Omniverse had its own way of dealing with these kind of things. No longer was it in the hands of God to decide who was chosen and who wasn't. Or was it ? This world was Omni's world , Omni was a God here. A fact she was made abundantly clear on. She met the grinning white deity and witnessed his powers personally. Maybe the chosen ones, the primes, are compatible with innocence, perhaps they wield the energy without them knowing it themselves. It was something she will have to find out soon enough. She watched Dante finish off the last of the small fry. "Man, this was barely a warm-up."

" These are nothing, the lowest of filth under the control of the Noah. Where there are Noah there are Akuma. There are more out there, we must follow the swordsman and find both him and Kanda before things end badly." The general spoke with a concerned tone in her voice.

"The one eyed swordsman went into the woods, from where the horse came." Dante said as he nudged his head towards the direction. "I suggest we go the same direction."

Klaud whistled towards Lau Jimin, who was sniffing near the piles of dust that were akuma before, he chirped once and ran towards his partner. The animal climbed upon Klaud's shoulder and held on. Both demon hunters moved towards the ominous forest, not knowing what evil was awaiting them.

***

The duo was making their way through the forest, dead twigs cracking underneath them while they were running in the same direction. They started to hear noises of battle up ahead, against better judgment Klaud was rushing over. A noise coming from her right made her stop and warn Dante, " Stop ! Over there ! " Dante immediately drew his gun and aimed towards the direction the General pointed. "Don't shoot damnit, it's me." Zoro emerged from the forest, he looked pretty beat up, a trail of blood made its way down on the left side of his face, his clothes were dirty and torn.
"What happened to you ?" Dante asked with a certain mocking tone in his voice, he wasn't impressed at all, up until now he only met with some small fry.

Zoro replied with a grunt, "Something i didn't expect, these bastards are tricky."

"Did you see Kanda somewhere? "Klaud asked hastily.

"No, no sign of him down there" Zoro said while trying to catch his breath. He was breathing loudly, but even through his heavy breathing Klaud heard a child's laughter in the distance. With a scared look in her eyes she turned around, looking for wherever it came from. Her attention was drawn by an explosion nearby, all three turned towards the sound. The general didn't hesitate a moment and moved towards it, Dante and Zoro close behind her. She stopped at a tree and witnessed the fresh battlefield, two large piles of dust, many holes in the ground, trees that have been destroyed, either cut or burned. "what happened here ?" Dante asked.

" It seems we just missed him, and he wasn't alone. This was more than just a few Akuma. This was a trap." Klaud deducted as she observed the scene of the fight.

six eyes slowly opened up behind the group, a slimy tongue followed. A green level 3 akuma got closer to the trio. He moved silently, raising his arm and ready to strike. It didn't expect Dante to react so quickly. The demon hunter noticed their attacker and had Ebony at the ready, shooting twice towards the powerful akuma. Both bullets pierced the demon skin, but the akuma didn't go down. It looked at the wounds Dante inflicted and moved in to attack again. Zoro and Klaud turned as soon as the shots were fired. The demon hunter took aim, but never got a chance to finish the fiend off. The Akuma's head got split into three pieces when the two innocence coated katanas pushed through the skull. Kanda emerged from the sky, seemingly out of nowhere. The Akuma turned to dust, not given the chance to let out a single scream.

Behind the pile of dust there was a battle torn Kanda, his hair loose and bewildered. His exorcist coat was torn, burnt and blood-filled. The blue haired swordsman could barely stand on his legs, struggling to catch his breath.

"Kanda ! What happened ? " Klaud asked while rushing over to support him.

"The Noah, they are here. And they brought friends, many of them." Kanda replied in between his heavy breathing.

A slow clap was heard behind them, Zoro drew his swords. In front of the pirate hunter Tyki mikk was applauding slowly." Very good show indeed, I see you brought some friends, young exorcist. Perhaps it's only fair, considering I brought so many of mine." He raised his arms, as if he was Jesus himself. Behind him his army rallied, several level 3 appeared and even more level 1 started to fill the sky, blocking out the light. The scene unfolded in front of the strange group, Dante and Zoro were ready for battle. Klaud was still supporting her fellow exorcist, but she saw it, before anyone else she saw it. The white skinned demon, the nightmare that was level 4 followed them here, in the Omniverse. Her eyes were shaking with fear, "Run." She whispered. Attempting to raise the volume of her voice she tried to reach the duo in front of her again, "Run". Neither Zoro nor Dante responded. Klaud knew she had no choice, "RUN !" She managed to shout out. Dante turned towards the, what he thought, hysterical woman. But when he saw her eyes he knew, he has seen those eyes before, but never before in someone that fought demons like himself. Whatever was wrong it was serious. Dante pulled Zoro with him as they started their retreat.

"Where are you going ? We are going to have so much more fun together ! Soon the Moors shall be overrun and you have nowhere left to hide !" The Noah shouted as the four hunters retreated into the dead forest. The brainless akuma still aimed their canons and started shooting blindly into the forest where the group was retreating.

***

The group got split up during the retreat, but both Klaud and Kanda managed to escape. The general placed Kanda against a tree while she summoned a campfire. "It seems the Noah will be a big problem here." Kanda spoke. General Nine did not respond, she started to stare into the flames that were starting to grow. The others should be able to find them, or at least that was what Klaud was hoping for, because for her plan to work, she would need all the help she could get.

[Simon]

"Damn."

That word was Dante's only real reaction to having been separated from the Exorcists in the chaos that stemmed from their retreat. The other two had disappeared somewhere in the maze of trees, with the only solace being that they were all probably far enough from the horde of Akuma to not be immediately jumped. Zoro, having shrugged free from the devil hunter's grip less than a minute prior, swiped his gaze about in alert. "What's the big deal?" The pirate hunter half-asked and half-demanded to Dante, not relenting his vigil to even look at him.

The truth was, the encounter was too dangerous for some reason. The Son of Sparda was not particularly sure why, being unfamiliar with the nature of these kinds of demons. However, having looked in Klaud's eyes for that one instant, he could tell that the battle might've gone poorly for the hunters if they had lingered there. That, much he understood, and was willing to reciprocate. Which, then, left one question:

What was strong enough to make that hardly, powerful woman turn tail and flee? Could it have something to do with that strange man fronting the charge, bleeding that aura of darkness? That was probably it.

"It was a trap," Dante replied simply, after a brief moment of silence.

The green-haired man spat out a glob of phlegm that has amassed in his otherwise burning throat. "I got that much. Something about demons," Zoro retorted, regaining some of his cool, "I don't see how we couldn't have taken 'em all."

"Neither do I, honestly," came Dante's rebuttal, "But they did, somehow. Whatever it was, we couldn't have lived through that if we stuck around."

Another moment of silence followed, longer than the last. Zoro sheathed his katana, but his hands did not leave their handles. "Alright, I'll buy that. At least we lost them."

The half-blood took a step forward, then another, trying to gain a sense of direction. "We lost the other two, also. Let's catch up with them- clearly, they know more about this than we do," Dante not so much insisted as he suggested, giving a sort of shrug that implied half-assing. Rather than reply, this time, Zoro simply moved to follow the mop-headed man, lifting one of his hands from his weapons. He was a strange character, without a doubt, but when it came down to the nitty-gritty, it seemed like the red-coat was capable of doing what was right.

---

The twosome moved at a faster-than-walking pace, careful in their treading but hasty enough not be caught. Pushing aside decaying foliage and weaving around deathly trees, both hunters went on for a couple of minutes until they emerged from the forest's border into a new scene. A runway of moderately clear ground separated the towering trees of the dark forest behind them, and a large field of dreary tall plant-life, dotted with trees that wore drapes of sinister green.

"Oh, yeah, that looks welcoming," the Son of Sparda again broke the tension with a sarcastic jab at the scenario ahead. Looking both ways down the expanse of ground that marked the transition of environments, he continued, "So, what do you think? Left, or right?"

Oh, great, we have to make a choice, Zoro thought with some annoyance, countering the devil hunter's expression of disinterest with genuine disdain. He took a glance in both directions, not immediately seeing any discernible difference. The obvious route would be in the direction that the other two had vaguely gone in, but the swordsman had gotten too turned around to recall which way that would be.

Maybe he was still just a little bit too drunk for this. Or hell, not drunk enough. On a whim, Zoro solidified the grip of his right hand and turned that direction. "I say this way."

"Well, when you put it like that, then my gut says the other way," Dante smartly responded, curtly turning opposite to the macabre samurai and starting to walk to their left. He stopped and looked back over his shoulder after a moment, to be greeted by Zoro's single narrowed eye looking back in disapproval. "Alright, fine, we'll try your direction. Smartass."

"Look who's talking," the pirate hunter retorted, turning around to resume his walk forward. With a brazen sigh, Dante started to step after him, skipping a few steps to catch up.

Found you.

The Son of Sparda screeched to dead halt, as if he had suddenly been turned to stone. A couple of seconds passed, and Zoro took note of no sound following him, sparing another glance at the red-coat. "What?"

"I... don't suppose you heard something just now?" Dante struggled to say in his usual, blown-off voice. Zoro couldn't give a positive response, but like the devil hunter had noticed Klaud's panic, the pirate hunter sensed his companion's apparent disturbance. He quickly turned back, scanning the immediate horizon for-

What is that?!

From where Zoro had been heading moments before, a figure now approached. The only aspect of the man that was not wreathed in darkness was his head- a wave of swept-back pearl hair atop a twisted pace face that looked like it had just recently risen from the dead. The glowing red specks that were the figure's eyes confirmed that it was not human, and the katana sheathed in his left hand confirmed that he was a swordsman.

Immediately, fueled by instinct from the Akuma encounter prior, the pirate hunter's hands went to his own swords, but managed to resist drawing them just yet. The last time he had preemptively attacked a new opponent, he had nearly been overwhelmed with raw speed and skill. Who was to say that this new demonic figure was no different, and perhaps far stronger?

"Who-?!"

"Out of my way, weakling," the black-clad warrior commanded, stealing the breath from Zoro's lips. That aura of shadow even permeated how he spoke, a sinister reverb echoing in the swordsman's ears. For just a bare moment, the grass-haired man shot a glance back to Dante- the hunter was already steeling for a fight, it seemed, determination alighting in his face. That was all the cue he needed, as Zoro turned back-

"Wha-?!"

The demonic figure hadn't been that close moments before. In the next instant, a horizontal hand chop into the samurai's temple sent him reeling aside and tumbling to the chilled earth. Strong, very strong, Zoro lamented as he clutched the side of his throbbing head, and cursed himself for falling to the same trick Kanda had.

"Is something the matter?" The dark-shrouded man spoke to a twitching and teeth-gritting Dante, his demonic reverb betraying his sarcasm and revealing spite. In a split-second, the Son of Sparda drew his twin handguns and hammered down on the triggers with previously unseen ferocity, unleashing a storm of bullets. Yet, in the next split second, they were all deflected by a spinning rotor in front of Vergil- when it slowed back down, it was revealed to be none other than his personal Devil Arm, Yamato.

In the last dredges of the move's momentum, Vergil's body shifted, and he swung the blade at Dante with inhuman speed; only a wicked backflip from Dante was able to narrowly avoid the threat of Yamato's edge. The red-coat landed, and the dark-coat swiftly re-sheathed his blade- and, suddenly, a line of the taller grass towards the swamp was suddenly trimmed to half their size. Zoro, for his part, was understandably frightened by even this demonstration of swordplay, even if his face didn't show it. That sword had moved blindingly fast, so quick he hadn't even seen it drawn.

Again, the shadowy devil spoke, with that same wicked tone, "Are you not happy to see your brother?"

Dante was certain that he could've ground his teeth into in a fine power if he grimaced any harder. "My brother died a long time ago," Dante returned fire with barely-restrained fury in his throat. His eyes staring daggers into what was once possibly Vergil, "And from the looks of it, so did you! Go back to hell where you belong!"

Who the hell was this guy, Zoro questioned, and just how did he and Dante know each other? God forbid, were they actually brothers? He tried to stand up, hoped to interfere, but he could not - every instinct, every nerve in his body screamed at him to stay out of this. The pirate hunter seemed to have little choice but to respect that; for as much as he wanted to confront this monster, this conflict appeared to be for them alone.

"I made my name in hell just so I could return here," the corrupted half-blood declared, his voice dark and business-like once more as if it had always been. "I've no time for your games. You'll give me your pendant," Vergil demanded, his right hand crushing the air like the fist of a dictator.

"Over my dead body," the true Son of Sparda spat back, returning his guns to his side. His knees bent, and a flash of metal revealed Dante having drawn the skull-faced broadsword Rebellion, to be poised at the ready.

Unfettered, the dark slayer loosed his right fist and returned it to Yamato's hilt. "I would have it no other way," he spoke maliciously, the dark echoes of his tone intensifying with his flaring aura. The Sons of Sparda stood off for mere moments, before Dante took initiative and burst forward, looking to plant Rebellion right into his dear brother's chest.

"Look out!" It was all the samurai could do to just attempt to warn his mop-haired accomplice.

The next moment was an indiscernible whirlwind of slashes that seemed to shake the very world with their intensity. Following that, the twin sons stood opposite each other, facing away, their swords frozen in the follow-up of their attacks. Vergil moved first, deftly twirling Yamato back to slowly return it to it's scabbard, like a true samurai. Dante was next, weakly turning his heard upon his stunned body, and choking out to Zoro, "He got me, didn't he-?"

The tachi clicked into the sheath, and the Son of Sparda turned into a fountain of blood as the numerous cuts on his form opened up. Overcome with agony, Dante collapsed in a defeated groan, his wounds leaking trails of harsh red. Straightening himself from his ready stance, the demonic figure observed his new prize swiped during the split-second encounter: a bronze-colored pendant inset with a large red jewel, dangling from a snapped chain necklace.

Stereotypical as it seemed, it was also far too real, and Zoro found himself doubting his eyes. The pirate hunter could no longer deny his fear- this was more than just some common demon, like the Akuma before. This being, he was a dangerous opponent, a threat to everyone in his path. Inhuman speed, unreal power, and incredible skill...

But Zoro himself was no samurai if he remained a coward, if he did not stand up for what was right. Fighting back logic, Roronoa Zoro wrenched himself back to his feet and tore his two Meito blades from their sheathes. "Hey, punk!" he yelled to Vergil, eliciting no initial response from the demonic man. Leveling the swords with the horizon, he continued, "I dunno who you think you are or just what you're doing, but hell if I'm gonna let you get away with this! Tatsu Maki-!"

Zoro heaved with all his might, spinning about to throw a massive wind slash with his two swords. The small tornado of sharp air twisted, coiled, and then sprung forth like a vicious dragon to swallow the devil-man before it. Not even sparing a glance, Vergil swung the amulet into his hand and then leaped into the air, impossibly higher than any human could.

"Eh-?!" Zoro looked up, following the demon's flight path with a mix of frustration and wonder. In the last moments, he remembered to prepare a follow-up attack, and quickly shoved the hilt of one sword between his teeth to draw his third sword. As the dark-coat landed past Dante, his back faced to his victim, the pirate hunter cried out, "Face me, demon! Oni-!"

A second passed, then another, and yet another. Vergil finally turned to look aside at his challenger, his shining ruby eyes nearly making Zoro falter. "-Giri!" he finished, rushing forward to assault his previous assailant.

Two diagonal slashes and a horizontal cut were thrown, and not a single one of them connected. All three swords found themselves snagged on the dark-infused tachi, Vergil holding fast against the onslaught- just barely so, to Zoro's credit. The swordsman's eyes widened again, staring at the demonic pupils up close. "Calling out your attacks?" the corrupt Son of Sparda scoffed, "Amateur."

The Devil Arm pushed back, and continued into a full vertical swipe that sent the macabre samurai doubling back next to Dante's fallen body. Maintaining eye contact, as if looking upon a disobedient student, Vergil announced, "Consider yourself fortunate- I already have what I came for. Next time you challenge me-" the demon turned away with a dismissive flick of his longcoat, "-offer a real challenge." With that, the shadow-shrouded man paced away into the darkness beyond.

"Dammit," Zoro cursed again, sword still in his teeth. This enemy really was powerful, and even if he could muster the will to continue in such grave odds, his honor forbade him from striking a opponent with his back turned. Tenacious as he was, Zoro realistically stood little chance against this menace. Then, it meant he could only train, in honor of his fallen comrade- only a brief ally, but slain nonetheless...

A groan sounded from below, muffed by the dirt floor. The pirate hunter looked down, sufficiently surprised to hear any other voice still. "Huh- you're alive?" Zoro questioned the bloodied, non-moving body.

Another groan, this time more strained. "Sorta. It's awfully tough - ow - to kill me," Dante coughed up, lifting his head and attempting to push himself up with his arms. "...stings like hell, though." The shredded hunter managed to get a bit of relief when Zoro returned his swords and helped pull him up. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," the swordsman brushed off, holding onto his bloodied ally to ensure he was standing stable. "You're sure you're alright?"

"No." An awkward moment fluttered by, Dante still bleeding.

"But I'm not dead yet, so..." The devil hunter bent over and retrieved Rebellion from where it had been dropped earlier, heaving the thing onto his back. "Let's go, I guess."

"About that," Zoro interjected, a tiny hint of admittance in his tone, "You were right after all. Let's go the other way."

And so they did. With a billowing pillar of smoke off in the distance, a harshly-wounded Dante and yet-determined Zoro pushed onward into the Moors, desperate to keep their headway on the Akuma and reunite with the Exorcists.

[Simon]

"So," the grass-haired pirate hunter began, trying to break up the monotony of steps and grunts that constituted their journey, "Who was that guy, anyway? How'd he know you like that?" Dante made a noise somewhere between a groan and a growl, his frustration newly apparent as he trudged along weakly. Zoro made an innocent shrug, as if he were being accused. "What? I'm just asking."

"Can it wait? This isn't exactly the best time for backstories," the half-blood gritted out with a hint of strained humor about him. As if to emphasize his point, a wicked cackle echoed in from somewhere off in the forest, followed by a modest flock of crows taking off.

Zoro looked at the sight with some grim anticipation, and merely nodded in acceptance. They had probably lost some time on the Akuma with the encounter against the corrupt Vergil, and with Dante wounded now, their effort was best spent reuniting with the Exorcists. Those two seemed to have handled these kinds of demons before, so whatever they could provide to help take them out would be invaluable. If they couldn't reach Kanda and Klaud first, however, then there was going to be trouble.

"I don't think I even caught your name," the pirate hunter redoubled his brief conversation, "How about that, at least?"

The Son of Sparda gave a sidelong glance at Zoro, maintaining eye contact for a couple of seconds. The swordsman was a difficult person to scrutinize, considering his neutral expressions and almost conflicting dispositions at times. He seemed straightforward and determined, yet disinterested and narrow-minded. But, perhaps most importantly, he at least knew when to absolutely stand up for something.

Finally, he said, "Just call me Dante."

"Right, then, Dante," Zoro quickly picked up, taking the wounded man's right arm and draping it over his shoulders, "Let's hurry. It'd be a shame for you to die so soon after we've met." They two of them began to limp forwards together, and collectively faster. The devil hunter gave Zoro another look, with a somewhat kind yet incredulous expression.

"Really? How about your name, then?" Dante asked in kind. The pirate hunter said nothing, giving no response whatsoever to his inquiry. "No? Guess you want that 'mysterious swordsman' guise, eh?"

This time, Zoro didn't get an opportunity to respond, as a grotesque ball of wrath tore free from the treeline and twisted about to meet the two interlopers. Both hunters immediately wrenched free from one another, Dante opening up with a quick-draw pistol shot as the ronin drew his swords. Ebony & Ivory quickly made swiss cheese of the first Akume, but several more followed it, spearheaded by a demonic armored humanoid and two lesser accomplices. "Perish!" the Level-3 cried out with the fury of banshee, and the inferior creatures behind him rushed forward to attack their enemy. The pair of men pushed their bodies hard as they dashed away from the charge.

Dante side-winded one of the Level-2 beings with a flurry of pistol shots, only for another to burst out from behind. Spider-like limbs creaked out to surround and entangle the hunter, dripping a disgusting black fluid, but the Son of Sparda was more agile and narrowly jumped out of the trap. A cry of mixed pain and exertion marked Dante's spinning hailstorm of bullets, turning the demon into a bloody hole-filled mess. The demon-killer's momentum carried him into the canopy of dark trees, where a line of Level-1 Akuma formed a firing squad at the general area. Zoro did his part to interject in their plan, leaping off of another sliced-up Level-1 and performing a violent twirling attack at one of the abominations in the firing squad. The creature let out a shrill scream as it was hacked apart, it and the pirate hunter landing on the ground with rough slams.

Before he could do anything more, however, the twisted dark-spawns aimed and opened fire with a cacophony of blood projectiles. "Dante!" The green-haired samurai looked up at the tree with a concerned, yet furious expression. As the leafy canopy was shredded into fragments of green and red, the devil hunter exploded out of the top of the giant plant. The drab grey sky provided a backdrop for the man as he sailed through the air, trailing wisps of crimson life.

A field of floating ball Akuma quickly surrounded the Son of Sparda, but he took no caution from it. A large scarlet glyph began to materialize behind him, and he somersaulted forward to kick off of it, diving to meet the closest enemy with pistols in hand. Filling the Akuma with bullets, Dante kicked off of the monster's corpse to elevate himself further. Letting loose a battle kiai, he unloaded more rounds into the demons surround him, confident that with so many foes at hand, he couldn't possibly miss. The cacophony of pained hell cries bellowed around him, and the Son of Sparda clenched his teeth as gravity began to claim him again.

Several evolved Akuma, looking like various mutated humanoids, roared up from below his feet to corner the man in hangtime. Rebellion came out one again, clashing with the fierce demons. In direct spite of his injuries, Dante fought and maneuvered with all his capacity, his quick and mighty swipes of the sword parrying and riposting each fang and claw sent for him. He bit through the pain as he had done countless times before- physical injuries meant nothing to his body.

Zoro, meanwhile, pulled one blade free from the remains of a weak Akuma and returned the weapon to its sheath. It was difficult to not pay some attention to the devil hunter's fantastic maneuvers, as he himself could only barely keep up with even a single Level-2 Akuma. Said demon roared again, in the shape of a skull-faced gorilla, and charged forward to crush the swordsman in his mighty arms. With as much precision as he could muster, the samurai focused his senses and listened to the intake of breath...

In a single movement, Zoro drew, swiped, and sheathed the blade, catching the beast off-guard. A fine diagonal line draw itself upon the monster, while it stammered out in wonder- and then the swordsman repeated the movement, roughly and violently bisecting the Akuma. Able to breathe freely again, the pirate hunter hissed in dissatisfaction. It had taken one of his strongest maneuvers just to stop what seemed to be only a glorified mook. Compared to Dante, who was wiping the floor with these fiends even with his terrible wounds, Zoro found himself falling far behind. To prove his point, a peach-colored Level-3 careened into the swordsman dead on, easily bowling the man over.

"You will die, human," the captain-grade Akuma seethed, "And your remains shall become us."

"Yeah? Well, you gotta kill me, first!" Zoro retorted, performing a drawing slash that attempted to push the demon away. He draw another sword to follow it, swiping rapidly at the Akuma, who deftly deflected or glanced away each blow. Determined and otherwise unfazed, Zoro clenched his teeth as he spun like a tornado, summoning another Tatsu Maki that whirled and blew the demonic enforcer away. Another Level-1 crunched into a messy heap under the force as the Level-3 was smashed into a sturdy hemlock, which bent under the combined impact.

Several more black-streaming Akuma corpses rained into the ground, and Dante finally followed them with a harsh landing on the earth. "Dante!" The pirate hunter bellowed out to his associate, his voice revealing a tinge of desperation, "We need to get out of here! We can't take them all!"

Almost seeming to not pay attention, the Son of Sparda burst forward again, thrusting out with his sword. The fierce stabbing attack sent flying a Level-1 trying to get the jump on Zoro, leaking a stream of putrid demon blood in consequence. "You sure?" Dante smartly replied, twirling Rebellion once to rest the weapon on his shoulder. "Seems like I'm doing just-" Cut off by a sinister demon blade piercing through his gut, the devil hunter still managed to spit out, "-fine."

Red claws belonging to a certain Level-3 fastened themselves around the devil hunter's neck, well and truly cutting off Dante's stolen breath. The Akuma shoved the blade further through the half-blood's body, its head craning over aside his victim's own. "A mighty nuisance," it seethed with a perverted malice, "-but only human, in the end."

Don't let them gloat over you. You're stronger than all of them! Prove it!

The Son of Sparda's eyes suddenly snapped wide open, pupils dilating into shining red circles, and his body began to tense and twitch heavily, veins popping out along Dante's squeezed neck. Staring intently and cautiously at the sight, Zoro risked a step back, having a strange overcoming of deja vu. Confirming his suspicion, the injured hunter growled out with a familiar devilish reverb, "I take offense to that-!" A crimson aura flared around the half-blood, and only the samurai had the good sense to dash away from the inevitable surge of wrath.

With a cry of released dark anger, a burst of raw energy erupted from the red-coat. The pirate hunter rolled away enough to look back into the bright surge of bloody magic, the area rendered in a pure red that left each figure as a vague silhouette. Within the epicenter, the evolved Akuma found itself knocked away by the burst of demonic power, and then very violently hacked apart by a reinforced Rebellion. His main opponent gone, the feral devil that stood in Dante's place quickly turned to the other foes in the vicinity. One by one, the lesser Akuma were obliterated by the Son of Sparda, every extreme burst of movement and swipe of the broadsword spelling annihilation for another one of them.

Finally, the surge of energy faded as quickly as it came, the shining blaze of demonic power dissipating into nothing and leaving only Dante remaining alive in the remains of the scorched carnage. He crumbled to his knees from the exertion, still feeling some of the pain of being impaled yet again. Damn, and he remembered why he started investing in body armor more in his later days.

Zoro, for his part, was thoroughly amazed. His own experiences with Armament Haki had mostly revolved around the act of strengthening one's own form to perform devastating physical feats. This seemed almost something else entirely- a brief, insane pulse of energy that held unreal amounts of power. He was even willing to overlook that he had most certainly witnessed the red-coat transform into a monster for a short time. It seemed to truly set in stone how far behind the swordsman found himself set back in this world.

"I'll ask later," he said, and a moment later realized he had said it out loud. Quickly salvaging the comment, Zoro moved to continue, "Let's go, before more of them show up-"

"I'm afraid it's a bit late for that, gentlemen." The two hunters, still barely recovering from their respective efforts, stood their guard and looked for the source of the voice. That shadowy man from before, the apparent master of this army of Akuma, lay idly before them on an exposed tree branch several meters off the ground. A single purple-lit butterfly perched on his outstretched index finger, and with each flutter of its winds a new Akuma seemed to emerge from the shadows abound the area. "You efforts are most commendable, though; such fine entertainment even in the face of certain doom."

"Big talk, for someone that hasn't killed us yet," Dante mouthed off rather casually, ever defiant to his enemies as he stepped forward with Rebellion in hand. Though he seemed awfully determined for someone who had turned tail and fled minutes ago, the Son of Sparda remained wary, watching closely for whatever this villain's ace in the hole was. "If you wanna make your big bad monologues, save it for when you've actually beaten us- and I mean personally, not with your dumb servants."

"Oh?" Tyki perked up, reading Dante's words carefully. "Is that a challenge? You truly want to die by my hand?" He seemed to mull over the idea for a second, then simply stopped to erupt into small fit of laughter. Zoro held his swords tight- what was Dante planning? Was this figure truly as strong as his creations- or god forbid, even more so?

A gunshot rang out over the otherwise thick atmosphere, and a butterfly in front of Tyki was popped in a burst of black and purple. The Noah's laughing ended instantly, his grim visage again pointed towards the devil hunter that held the smoking gun. A vain effort, but worth the attempt.

"Very well." The master of the Akuma let his legs slip off of the branch, and he hopped away from the tree, gently hovering down to the ground. "For being such amusing victims, you may have the reward of a grand death granted by my own powers," Tyki announced to the pair of men, boasting with the power of a judgmental nobleman. Side-by-side, flanked by the swarms of demon-kind, both hunters witnessed the stage being set for what could easily be their demise.

Unwilling to have it, Zoro leaned over to Dante. "You need to get out of here," he whispered hastily to the red-coat.

"Yeah?" The Son of Sparda replied, as quietly as he could manage with a sardonic tone, "And why's that?"

Zoro could quite hold back the tiny sigh that emitted through his teeth. "You're the stronger one of us. Like I said- It'd be a shame for you to die so soon."

A brief moment passed, as if Dante was making and effort to understand what the swordsman was saying. He chuckled lightly afterwards, quipping, "You won't last longer, you know."

"Does it matter?"

Tyki's feet pressed into the ground, his arms spread as if this demon mastermind was a herald of God himself. "Are you prepared, gentlemen, for the end?"

Zoro hissed, "Go. Now. With any luck, I'll keep him busy." The Son of Sparda furrowed his brow in mild displeasure of what he was about to do, but he prepared to go about it nonetheless. As the samurai and the Noah stepped forward to encounter the other, Dante suddenly entered his devil form again, and with a burst of speed broke through the perimeter of Akuma to sprint away, farther into the Moors.

With a glance and a gesture from Tyki, a fraction of the demon horde separated and began to pursue the devil. Meanwhile, Zoro remained standing his ground, placing his third katana between his teeth in anticipation of the battle. "It seems your friend has abandoned you," the Noah taunted his victim, a swarm of dark butterflies starting to materialize around him, "A pointless effort, ultimately; I can track his every movements. There is nowhere in this world he can hide."

"I wouldn't worry about him, right now," Zoro retorted through his third blade, brandishing the other two in challenge. Tyki simply let out a mere chuckle in response.

"You are right. After all, it is you who is about to die."

---

Panting, bleeding, and caught in a chilled sweat, Dante continued to run. He had cut off his reserve of demon energy a while back, determined to save those last drops of energy for a last resort. Of course, he had also been smart by darting back into the woods and weaving around a bit, hoping to get the Akuma confused and off his tail for a limited time.

At last, eventually, he caught sight of the pillar of smoke from a campfire- on a hunch, one that the Exorcists set up. The devil hunter pressed on, and finally emerged in the small clearing where, indeed, Kanda and Klaud were resting and ruminating on the situation.

"Dante?!" Kanda exclaimed, his twinge of relief turning into alarm at seeing his short-time accomplice in such bad shape. "What happened? Did he-!?"

"I'm fine," Dante insisted, still looking quite the opposite with his shredded, dirty and bloody clothes. Starting to regulate his breathing again, the devil hunter stepped over to the campfire and sat down heavily, visibly rather exhausted. "I think I lost 'em around the third bend- out of like, seven."

The situation still lay heavy, but there was some relief in that at least the three of them were still alive- even if two of them had just weathered a full encounter with the Noah. General Nine quickly piped up, however, "Where's the swordsman? Wasn't he with you?"

A moment of silence. Dante looked into the flames, sighed, and shook his head. "As long as he interests Omni, he'll be reborn... hopefully." The exorcists realized the impact, and became rather disheartened at that- even though the man had been a rough, crude warrior, he still didn't deserve a death at the hands of the Akuma. It was made worse by the fact that they hadn't even known his name, with which they could mourn him by.

Maybe that had been his intent all along.

"This sucks," Dante said bluntly, after a far longer moment of silence. Solemnly, wordlessly, the other two agreed.

[Yu Kanda]

The three warriors stared into the yellow-red flames flickering in the night, as they mourned for their lost companion. Kanda did not know him that well, he didn't like him that much seeing as the swordsman kicked him through the gate, but no one deserved to meet his end that way, by the hands of the Noah and their akuma. Another soul lost, damned, because of the Noah clan and those wretched creatures from hell. Kanda's eyes reflected the strong flame in front of him, the anger within the exorcist was starting to taking over, not only did the akuma follow him to the Omniverse, he wasn't there to stop them. He walked into a trap with open eyes and it had cost a life. This is not what being an exorcist means. The task that had been entrusted to him was becoming nothing more than a long forgotten request. Because he neglected his duty as an exorcist did he allow the Noah to form this army, and what did he have ? A demon hunter that has never faced akuma before today and a single general, who was nowhere near as powerful as she was back in their own world.

"Don't" a soft voice interrupted Kanda's grim thoughts. His eyes seemed to snap out of his long stare and looked up towards Klaud. "Don't do this to yourself Kanda, I can see what you are thinking of. None of this is your fault, nor is it mine for that matter. The Noah are here, god knows how long he has been here before either of us set foot in the nexus." Kanda sighed as he threw another log onto the fire, sparks danced through the air as the log landed onto the pile. She was right though, he doesn't know whether the Noah were here before him or just how powerful he had become with omnilium. Kanda observed Klaud for a moment, the general was different than how he remembered her , she spoke differently than back home and she seemed more emotional. He still knows her as the man hating she-devil that didn't take crap from anyone, a true leader and powerful exorcist. But this, this was just a shade of her former self.

Kanda scraped his throat before addressing her," How long have you been here General?"

"I have been around here for a while. But,...I only recently became a prime. Before that i was wondering the verses as a secondary, searching for Lau Jimin." The capuchin tjirped as he heard his name and pressed his head against Klaud's.

"That's bullshit, secondaries cannot simply become primes. They walk around, die and stay dead. Well maybe they get resummoned, if they are lucky." Dante rudely interrupted. The demon hunter was laying against a tree, his weapons close by and letting his wounds heal. Casually eating an apple whilst continuing the conversation with a mouth half filled with apple, " There is just no way a secondary can become a prime just like that. Not even a pretty blonde one like yourself." Dante smiled as he entertained himself.

" Just like that ? -JUST- like that ? Myself and a very large group of secondaries traveled through hell to get this way. We faced horrors beyond your imagination and finally after long months of suffering, fighting, death and pushing forward we found him, we found Omni. And HE made us primes." The general said passionately. It clearly was a sensitive subject. Both Kanda and Dante looked shocked when Klaud revealed the origin of her prime hood.

"You met Omni ? That white bastard that brought us here ?" Kanda snapped back.

"Well that makes it easy, why don't you give your little white pal a call and help us out here ? Would be mighty handy to have that kind of cavalry with us." Dante jokingly said. He still didn't believe a word of it all, it just sounded to ridiculous.

"It doesn't work that way, it was a onetime meeting. If I never had to see his that grinning again it would be too soon. There is no cavalry out there to just help us. If we want backup we-.." Klaud stopped mid sentence.

"Weeeee ?" Dante followed up on her sentence, clearly curious what she was going to say next.

Klaud looked at Kanda," If we want backup we need to create it ourselves, we must establish the black order here in the Omniverse." She said with a spark of hope in her voice.

" Establish the order ? Here ? " Kanda seemed to be thinking for a moment, "It would not be such a bad idea. Find more exorcists to synchronize with innocence and fight these bastards, getting rid of them before they grow."

"Soo, what is a black order ?" Dante asked semi curious.

"The black order is where exorcist come from, it's a order that is dedicated to vanquish the akuma from this world and save their souls. They hunt the demons and their masters and by doing so protecting the living, who serve as nothing more than puppets for them to slaughter and fill their ranks with. The actual building was a safe haven, Akuma didn't dare to even come close to it. Well besides that one attack." Klaud turned Kanda for confirmation.

The swordsman immediately continued the general's train of thoughts, "I doubt they have the ark here as well, if they would want to attack the order again they would have to march to the front gate. Even they wouldn't be stupid enough to do such a thing."

"So it's a cult of crazy ass demon fighters in a big place that can fend off akuma ? That's about right ? Just one question, how are you going to summon such a massive structure without getting gutted like our green haired friend back there ? Surely as soon as they catch wind of this they will attack, full force." Dante pointed out Klaud's concerns. If someone was to summon the black order, that would mean that person can't fight, at all. That person would be a sitting duck, just waiting to get shot down by one of the noah's minions.

"Tyki may be powerful, but even he cannot escape the laws of this world. He is bound to the world of omnilium just as much as we are. By now we must have taken out a big part of his army, don't you agree ?" Klaud's rational logic reached Dante, Tyki was just another prime. Yet there was still one thing that was on Dante's mind, "Alright, so you may have a point that he has to obey the same laws of physics as we primes do, but, what was that thing that scared you back there? What was it you were running from?"

Both exorcists glanced at each other with a certain look. It was Kanda that broke the uncomfortable silence and enlightened Dante about the horror they witnessed, "That was a Level 4 akuma, a creature born from pure despair and agony. It is the most powerful and destructive Akuma known to us Exorcists, surpassing even the strength of the Noahs. Despite its immense strength, like all other levels of Akuma, the Level 4 still has to obey the Noah clan. It's like they are programmed that way. It is their strongest weapon, and even with four generals and multiple exorcists we had difficulty defeating it. The akuma sole purpose is to destroy whatever they are told to by either the Earl or the Noah. It's power is incomparable from anything I've seen here so far."

The dark words provided by Kanda made Dante quiet, no smart comments, no wise cracking jokes, no sarcasm. Even he realized the danger that is a level 4 akuma.

"So you think, no, you hope that this Noah character doesn't have another army stashed somewhere and we will only have to face him and whatever was left of his demon army, while you summon your order here ? Including this level 4 ? Not even mentioning that one of you won't be able to fight until the summoning is complete."

Klaud nodded and with a single powerful word she confirmed Dante's attempt to pointing out the insanity of this plan, "Yes"

Even though Dante let out a single sigh and shook his head he still agreed to it," I know i will regret this, but I'll help you guys out. These things have to be stopped and you two seem to be the only one with some knowledge about these things. Besides, what kind of demon hunter would I be if I let you two have all the fun. Question is, who out of the two of you will be the sitting duck ?"

Again the exorcists looked at each other, even though it would have been smarter to let Klaud summon the enormous building, she wouldn't have enough strength to pull it off. She realized that her being a prime this short wouldn't allow her to summon something of this magnitude. Kanda however, had been a prime for a while longer. " We both you know it has to be you Kanda, you must revive our order here within the Omniverse." The swordsman did not seem too pleased to hear the words, but he knew she was right. A long silenced followed, Kanda was just about to agree with the General when Dante lightened the mood a bit, "Alright it's settled, pretty boy here will summon your order, and the two of us will make sure those creatures won't stab him in the back. You're in safe hands boy." The demon hunter laid back against a tree, "Now if you excuse me I will rest for the rest of this horrible night, hopefully my body won't hurt as much in the morning."

"It might not be a bad idea to catch some rest, tomorrow will be a difficult day ahead of us. You two rest, Me and Jimi will take the first watch" Klaud said.

It wasn't long before the two men were sleeping as Klaud kept the fire going. Keeping a sharp eye out for anything suspicious out there. Every now and then she would hear some eerie noises coming from deep within the forest, but nothing to be alarmed about. Tomorrow would be an important day for the side of the living.

***

Kanda felt someone shaking his shoulder, "Wake up Kanda it is time." It was the General's voice waking him. His eyes felt heavy, but managed to force the open. Both Dante and Klaud were standing over him. " Get up man, you're wasting time." Dante quickly followed the more gentle voice. Immediately Kanda got up, noticed the sun was already up," Its morning already ?"

"Yes, you needed your rest. Now we best get a move and look for the best location to establish the order." The General sounded allot more strict, she was sounding more like the Klaud Nine he knew from his own world. To be honest, she seemed a bit annoyed. Kanda wondered what happened between the two while he was sleeping, but now wasn't the time for unimportant quarrels. He got rid of the mud and twig that were stuck on his coat, picked up mugen, " Alright, let's get going"

The trio walked for about two hours when they reached a forest outskirt. Behind the tree line they saw a cliff, it went uphill for a while, a large open hill with a cliff at the end of it. "Perfect" Klaud said. Both Dante and Kanda looked at the grim scene Klaud described as 'perfect', they weren't impressed. They looked at the creepy hill like piece of earth, covered in dead trees, an animal carcass and just a dead like atmosphere all around.

Dante couldn't keep it to himself, "Really ? This is the place you're going for? It is kind off, grim. But hey, it's your home."

"General I am inclined to agree with Dante on this one. Is this really the place we want our order to be revived ?"

"From a strategic point of view this is the best place we can find in the amount of time we have. Now stop complaining and get to work. You move up the hill and start molding your omnilium into a base. Both Dante and myself will be stationed at the foot of the hill, keeping anything that might come out of the forest away from you.

"Very well General, I'll be counting on you two." With that the swordsman started walking uphill, searching for the least ominous place to sit down. There wasn't much choice but halfway up the hill Kanda found his spot. Kanda sat down in a meditating position, getting ready for the difficult task at hand. Summoning a horse, coat or even weapons didn't prove all that difficult. It may have taken him a while back then but it was doable. This time however it wasn't just a single item, he was to summon the entire black order here. Every brick, piece of lumber, nail, door had to be summoned in order for it to be effective. The exorcist laid his sword over is legs, rested his arms on the mighty weapon, took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He was focused on the task at hand.


Sensing the omnilium within himself and surrounding him Kanda started the same technique which he used to summon the other items. He cleared his mind of everything except the black order, the tall ancient building which had been used to train exorcists for centuries. He saw the picture clear as day, but the intense feeling of omnilium molding around him didn't occur. The aggravation of potential failing started to grow within him. It wasn't long before his attention got misdirected towards the duo close to him.


"Man, seems like our boy Kanda doesn't have it in him after all. A bit of an anticlimactic letdown after hearing so much about this famous black order" Dante spoke in the distance.


The summoner's temper got the better of him and snapped back at the gunslinger," Shut the hell up before i gut you! This isn't as easy as you think it is!" Once more Kanda started to breathe slowly, feeling the omnilium within himself. Slowly starting to mold the energy with larger quantities. The image of the building clear in his mind. He started to focus harder and harder, until suddenly his eyes shot open, in front of him was the order in all its glory. Kanda's eyes opened widely and felt he had succeeded, immediately turning around to see the other's reaction, yet, they were not there. Something was feeling off.

"They are not here young exorcist" An old familiar voice spoke. Yu turned around and saw the gatekeeper addressing him, "This is not the Omniverse, this is your subconscious, you are remembering the order, how it was, and how it shall be. Enter once more, exorcist, enter and create with your memory." Kanda looked down at his hands, both of them had the rainbow like glow he saw when he first came to this place, when Omni showed him the orb of Omnilium.

Kanda quickly realized this was the omnilium's way of helping him to create his old home. He walked towards the exorcist gate and touched it. The omnilium immediately reacted to the touch, shining brightly as the large wooden gate opened before him, allowing him to enter the tall tower.

***

The, at one point sharp Dante was sitting down casually chewing a piece of dried up grass, as he let out a sigh of boredom, "Man, I pictured something more exciting than this. We've been waiting here for about an hour, nothing is happening with Kanda nor with the Noah. You sure he didn't just fall asleep over there?" He bend over backwards, saw Kanda sitting upside down in the exact same position as he was an hour ago. Dante flipped his head back when Klaud addressed him.

" Be grateful we haven't encountered the Noah yet. I am sure Kanda is alright, if it wasn't working he would have shouted by now, he has a temper problem. Besides, don't you sense it ? The omnilium surrounding him?"

Dante turned around and for once he didn't make a sarcastic comment, " Something is happening alright, but I can't say whether it is working or not." The words hadn't parted from his lips or a beacon like bright light shined upwards towards the sky from where Kanda was sitting, enveloping him within the warm light. The rainbow like colors we're flowing within the beacon as if it was liquid, each color streaming through another. It was a beautiful sight to behold. Both Klaud and Dante looked at it with awe, and it was Dante who said what they both were thinking, "We best get ready, if the Noah didn't know where we were, they sure do now."

***

Kanda stepped through the great entry hall, waving his hands slowly through the air, leaving a trail of the omnilium in his path. The strange energy seemed to be attaching itself against the walls, floors, ceiling, even the furniture and paintings, everything Kanda got near slowly got coated with the energy he was releasing. When arriving at the large stairs in the center of the great hall he looked up, someone was standing on top of it. Making his way up the steps he started to recognize the person, it was Lenalee, another exorcist, who started to talk to him. " Keep going Kanda, you can do this. We need you to do this, don't let them win." Yu knew this wasn't the real Lenalee, but her words were still a motivation to keep going. The more energy he was releasing the more difficult it was getting, already he started to feel tired, and there was still a long path to go.

Entering the dining hall he immediately saw Alan Walker sitting at one of the tables, alone and stuffing his face. He was in full crowned clown attire, "Beansprout?". The shim that was representing his annoying rival turned around, facing Kanda with his mouth stuffed with food. immediately he got on Kanda's first, second and last nerve by speaking with his mouth full. Barely understanding a word he was saying Kanda shouted towards the shim, "Damn you Beansprout ! Why the fuck aren't you here helping us out, I will cut you as soon as i am done here!" With fresh aggravation he stormed out of the dining hall, once more coating the room with the energy that is omnilium.

The sleeping quarters seemed empty without all the people, normally there were people coming and going here. He stood still in front of what was his old quarters, placing his hand against the wooden door. Even though this was just his subconscious he could feel the wood against his fingers. "YU !" He heard behind him. Not being too fond of being called that he wanted to ignore it at first, but the voice was too familiar, he knew exactly who it was. With a murderous look in his eyes he turned around, on the other side of the sleeping quarters he saw Lavi waving with his stupid grin.

"Hey Yu ! Don't forget Hevlaska, you will need her help on this one !"

'Hevlaska ? I didn't even think of that. Is Lavi right ? Could that be possible ?'Kanda thought. His body was feeling heavy, tired, the omnilium was draining him. He had to hurry if he wanted to make it to Hevlaska's chambers before he would collapse. Kanda made his way down towards the elevator that would lead him to the chamber of innocence. Sitting down on the cold floor while the machine made its way down Kanda felt like passing out, as if he has been running for days at an end. Breathing heavily he started to close his eyes. If it wasn't for General Tiedol's words he would've lost consciousness at that moment.

"You make me proud Kanda, not only did you manage to make it here, but you are giving the people out there a fighting chance." The soothing voice said. Kanda managed to briefly open his eyes. He saw them all, all of his friends, everyone from the order was there, gathered in front of Hevlaska. Their stupid smiles, Kanda knew they were trying to show him that they were proud but damn that. They weren't real. And even if they were, Kanda kept lying to himself he didn't care.

"See you on the other side." Were the last words the summoner heard Hevlaska speak before closing his eyes, the omnilium shining brightly in his eyes, he himself got engulfed with the energy.

***

"Well, if this isn't an invitation I don't know what is. How kind of you to show us where you were hiding." Tyki spoke as he walked from the tree line towards the duo that were standing between the Noah and the large beam of light behind them. A single level 3 Akuma and a handful of Level 1's gathered near him. The level 4 was nowhere in sight, yet.

" About time you showed up, i was getting bored." Dante shot right back at him. "This time you're all mine." On that signal he drew his guns and took aim. Klaud glanced over her shoulder one last time, not seeing Kanda within the beacon of omnilium. "Stay safe" She whispered underneath her breath.

She unleashed her whip coated with blue innocence energy, " Get them Lau Jimin !". The whip lashed her ally, transferring the power, Lau jimin needed to enter battle mode. The beast grew large and let out a war cry, before charging in together with his master. The final battle for the black order had begun

[Yu Kanda]

The cold coming from the stone floor was slowly making its way across Kanda's cheek as he started to regain consciousness. He quickly noticed that the room he was in wasn't that well lit, the flickering of a small flame was noticeable on the wall that Kanda was facing. The grey stones looked familiar to the exorcist. After blinking several times his vision started to come back to him and he noticed an old painting against the wall. The piece of art was slightly torn but the image was still very clear, a lonely soldier of god standing in fiery red environment surrounded by black demons. Representing light in a dark world, the lonely fighter was standing proud and firm, showing not a shred of fear in the face of evil. It's an image that inspires fresh exorcist, to never face away from their duty, no matter what. Kanda remembered when he first laid eyes upon this masterpiece, many years ago. It wasn't until now, after all the hardships he endured, that he understood the full meaning behind it. He knew why the person in the painting was portrayed so strong, what kept this individual from losing hope in such a harsh environments with all odds stacked against him. It was the unknown man's pride, proud to be chosen as a soldier of god, an exorcist. It was this emotion that kept Kanda going through the darkest hours of his life. The young exorcist pushed himself up from the cold stone floor and stood in front of the painting. After all this time he finally got it, the meaning behind this artwork that was in the main hall within the black order.

Kanda's tired eyes suddenly shot open when he realized he was in the black order. He remembered his quest, to summon their branch of the Black order here in the Omniverse. Omniverse, that's where he was. Images flashed through his head, remembering everything that happened with the akuma, the Noah, General Klaud nine and Dante. Kanda took a few steps backwards, placing his feet on the velvet red carpet that was rolled out. To his left he saw the gate that led to the outside world, to his right he saw the wooden staircase which was paved with the same red carpet that led outside. At the top of the steps a large round window allowed the light to enter the sacred haven. Kanda gazed upon the multiple colored glass, as the light shimmered upon his skin. The window consisted out of several smaller pieces of glass, all put together they created the image of an angel with glorious wings that were spread wide. The holy sword of Gabriel in the holy creature's hand was shining bright. It was truly a sight to behold. It was as if time stood still for just a moment as Kanda admired the beauty of his home, that finally made its way to the under verse. He finally had a home again, now , he had to deliver it from evil.

Kanda turned around filled with new hope and strength, he stepped towards the gate, to help his allies. "Kanda." A soft voice echoed through the hallways, "Kanda, you succeeded in assembling the order once more. Come to me quickly, you cannot help them this way. If you go out now, you will perish and everything you and your allies fought for would have been in vain. The death of your ally will have meant nothing. Come see me once more and I can provide you with the tools to vanquish this evil. He has bigger plans for you." Kanda knew who it was, it was Hevlaska, one of the oldest and exorcist that was chosen to be the keeper and guardian of innocence. She was able to sense which innocence was compatible to which user.

Through the dark hallways of the order Kanda was making his way to Hevlaska's chamber. It worked, it actually worked, he managed to not only rebuild the order, he also found a way to bring some of its valuable members right here to the Omniverse. It seemed Kanda's knowledge was shared with them as well, how else did Hevlaska know about the battle that was raging on outside the black order's gate. The elevator was making its way downwards, towards the chamber. The slow speed of the device got on the exorcist nerves in his home world and it still does so here. Why the hell didn't he change this?

Finally, after an annoyingly slow trip down, he reached the lower level that was Hevlaska's chamber. He stepped off the open platform that was the elevator and followed the path in front of him. A small bridge, hanging over a large round hole, led him to the platform ahead. Kanda's footsteps echoed through the large space as he walked onto the stone platform. The stones had been there since the beginning of the order, it was like a sacred altar. The ground was covered in biblical text and runes. In the center of the platform Kanda stopped, "Hevlaska, i'm here". His voice was repeated throughout the large space several times before it died in the depth. It was followed by a moment of silence before in front of him the ancient exorcist Hevlaska appeared.

Hevlaska's Innocence had enveloped her entire body and changed it dramatically, leaving it currently cemented in the form it has held for the many years. She was extremely tall, and her body seemed to be made up what initially appeared to be tendrils but later become more refined, wispy hair-like strands. Her eyes were not visible, and the only parts of her face that were bare are her nose, lips and chin, all of which were humanoid but are far larger in comparison to normal humans. She has bared the title 'holder of the cube' for many years.

"You have done well young exorcist. This world is filled with evil, even more evil than you are used to in our home world. Demons, monsters and akuma dwell here, looking to harm the innocent and wreak havoc wherever they go. The title of exorcist just become a much heavier burden. Your power as it is now, even though it is impressive, will no longer suffice to aid you in these tasks." Hevlaska slowly explained. Kanda obviously was not amused hearing that his strength was taken into doubt, but out of respect for the ancient being he suppressed his negative emotion.

"Even in this world God will provide you with the power that is needed to fight back, to push evil back into the darkness where it belongs. I can sense you are compatible with another innocence power."

Kanda's attention sharpened when he heard what the being was implying, "What are you saying ? That I am able to synchronize with another innocence ? Like General Cross ?"

Hevlaska took her time responding to him, making Kanda even more impatient than he already was, " Yes, both you and General Cross are unique in this matter. Yet I must inform you, the synchronization process of a second innocence cube will be anything but pleasant. Even General Cross admitted it was one of the most horrible experiences he ever had, it nearly cost him his life." Hevlaska ended her warning.

"But, thanks to that he has been able to tip the scales of power back in our favor many times. He has become one of the strongest exorcist in the history of the order. Now i am given the same chance ? I would be a fool to not accept this gift."

"Kanda, are you-.."

"Damnit, i'm sure, just get it over with." Kanda snarled at Hevlaska. The swordsman undid the top of his uniform, revealing his bare chest and arms. The tattoo on his chest was still the same as it was before he got to this place, however, he no longer felt the curse that was placed upon it. He noticed it before, but ignored the fact that there was no power in it anymore. He watched as the whisks of hevlaska's body revealed a cube of innocence, it had been many years since he witnessed one of these cubes being implanted within a exorcist.

Kanda's limbs were held in place by more of hevlaska's tentacle like limbs, yet he did not resist and awaited the touch of the innocence cube. His eyes were fixated on it as it started to glow dark red as it came closer. For some reason Kanda felt the urge to move back, as if his body knew how dangerous it was, but Hevlaska kept him in place with a firm grip. The cube touched his skin and engulfed Kanda with a dark red glow, a burning sensation went through is body and the instant pain was something unlike the exorcist felt before.

"Be strong Kanda."

The words reached his ears but not his heart, his mouth opened to the sky in order to scream but not a single sound came out. His eyes were showing his true emotion, despair. Feeling the divine energy rushing through his veins. Every nerve within his body stung as if it was stung by a bee. It felt as if his soul was being ripped out and divided in two, one half was a dark blue color, the other a deep red. Two pieces of the same soul, split apart and were being molded into something new. To Kanda it looked and felt like the Devil and God were ripping him apart. Before his eyes he saw both pieces being forced together, the closer they were forced the more painful it got for Kanda.

"We have to stop, this will kill you." The worried voice of Hevlaska said.

Kanda's shrieking voice cried out, "NO! No keep going, we're almost there. General Cross did it, so can I !"

Hevlaska hesitated no longer, it was his own choice to make. With one final push she forced the innocence cube inside his body. With a mixture of blue and red light shining brightly for a single second combined with a blood curled scream it was all over. Silence once more took over the chamber. Hevlaska moved her whisks away from Kanda and slowly moved back and observed. Watched over the body of Kanda that was laying lifeless on the platform. No words were spoken, just her white eyes staring down at the young man. A twitch in the man's arm was the first sign of life she witnessed.

"Stand up Kanda, you did it. You synchronized with another innocent cube, you have been given another gift to use against the Noah. Go now, and help your fellow exorcist."

Kanda opened his eyes and gazed upwards towards the large white, grayish creature. He did not have a pleasant look in his eyes, if it wasn't Hevlaska in front of him the scene would've taken a whole different course. He pushed himself off from the floor, his body not feeling any different from before. Analyzing his own body he stood still, it was strange, all of that and he didn't feel any different. He looked at his hands and noticed a strange symbol on both of his wrists, a cross made out of dried up blood.

"It's stigmata... Your innocence needs a way to find its way out, and this is the price you pay for a gift from God." Hevlaska explained to the exorcist.
His hand balled into fists, without speaking a word he turned back to the elevator and started walking back the way he came. "The black order is going to make its mark in the Omniverse. Thank you Hevlaska." The divine being did not respond, she did the job expected of her and returned to a slumber. Kanda got on the elevator and closed his eyes, concentrating on the omnilium as the machine moved upwards. The mystical energy created the traditional exorcist outfit once more. Closing in on the top he moved his sleeves a bit upwards and looked at marking on his wrist. 'This better be worth it.' He thought as he moved for the gate, time to deal with these demons.

As Kanda got closer towards the gate, it started to slowly open, revealing the light hiding behind it. Underneath his breath he started to speak as he slowly unsheathed his sword,"

And shepherds we shall be
For Thee, my Lord, for Thee
Power hath descended from Thy hand
That our feet may swiftly carry out Thy command
So we shall flow a river forth to Thee
And teeming with souls shall it ever be
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti "

[Simon]

Dante had wanted to assure himself that this was no time to be messing around, but it honestly hadn't been that since since he and the Exorcists had stepped foot in this Verse. As it stood now, however, Kanda needed as much diversion as he could handle, and if any amount of wit might suffice, then why waste it? Ultimately, however, the Noah was a powerful enemy, and if Dante wanted to beat them out then he was going to have to fight with all his capability.

And yet, something didn't set right with the devil hunter. It seemed like only a fraction of the Akuma he had seen before were currently here- the sight didn't quite sit well with the devil hunter. This couldn't be anywhere close to the full extent of Tyki's forces, so then why was he holding back? Why not fight with all his might to ensure a victory from the get-go?

He's toying with us, it occurred to Dante and perhaps General Nine as well. He thinks he can win no matter what, because he has a trump card. For a moment, the Son of Sparda reflected this notion upon himself and his own methods; in that moment, he realized his unease wasn't entirely with the Akuma. Dante's hollowness remained, unconsciously driving his less-desirable words and actions- but he had not become aware of this again until now.

The Son of Sparda would have to ruminate upon all this later, however. "You get rid of the trash," Dante referred Klaud to the small crowd of Akuma, still pointing with his twin handguns, "I'll take care of their leader." She acknowledged the devil hunter's words, convinced by the distinct, certain fire in his eyes. With another crack of the whip, the animalistic innocence let forth a cry of war and thundered forward to meet their adversary.

The Noah merely smirked coolly in return, sending forth his handful of lesser Akuma with a flick of the wrist. Before they could even open fire, Lau Jimin plunged a glowing fist into one of the twisted spawns, popping it like a vile balloon. The next one received several new holes from Dante's pistols as he ran up and vaulted off of his ally's pet, then planted a boot in the Akuma's face to hike off of it. What remained of the ball-shaped demons may as well have been using pea-shooters, for all they could do to stop the red-coat and his firearms. Using one poor clod as a platform, Dante sent two streams of bullets into a pair of Akuma on either side, before flipping forward and unleashing the report of his shotgun on the third.

Impressed with the display, Tyki wordlessly pointed the Level 3 towards the devil hunter, stepping backward to witness the view of the battlefield. He suspected that even such a stronger demon wouldn't be much more than a distraction to Dante, based on what the Noah has seen of the white-haired one. General Nine and Lau Jimin were making short work of the ugly Level 1 Akuma, as expected, smashing the twisted creatures one by one, punch by vicious punch.

That, of course, left his finest subject yet for the climax: an Akuma with such power as to absolutely obliterate these two. It was a shame to see a graceful (if blunt) fighter like the red-coat simply perish, but as it were, that man simply resolved to get in his way at this point- Tyki couldn't have that, of course.

"Where do you think you're going, huh!?" Dante shouted to the idle noble, having to bite down the urge to cuss the villain out. There was no way he could afford to lose his own cool just yet, the Son of Sparda resolved. The blue-armored fiend yet in his way seemed to make some noise akin to laugh, yet far more grating. "You cut that out," the hunter shot back verbally at the Akuma, pumping his shotgun and leveling it to the demon's head. That scraping chortle continued for a moment more, then abruptly ended.

"Nothing but a pest," it replied proper, the voice ghostly and gritty as if a foul wind could speak, "Trying to slay the exterminator." A tar-like substance began to seep from the monster's seams, leaking dark essence unto itself.

Dante managed to smirk back, recovering his groove. "Well, you're not wrong," he began, the smile spreading his face open like an infection of humor, "But you really shouldn't put yourself down like that, you know?"

Whether it recognized the retort or simply intended to attack anyways, the third-stage Akuma lunged for the devil hunter. A wicked set of claws, dripping shadowy ichor like a rabid dog's spittle, went straight for Dante's neck. They never connected, as the 10-gauge firearm spat a cluster of buckshot straight into the demon's face. Another clicking pump of Terminator's lever rang out as the Akuma buckled back in shock, and then it was fully toppled by the ensuing blast to the chest.

Dante seemed to scoff at these results, stowing his shotgun back under his coat. "A pest would try harder than that, though," he spoke with what sounded like restrained disgust at the paralyzed dark-spawn.

The limp limbs twitched, tensed up, and the monster they were attached to sprung from its resting place. This time, Dante was pretty sure that the Akuma was actually reacting to that insult. "Do you know who I am?" It wheezed out again, the dark matter pooling on his form beginning to bubble like hot tar.

Without waiting for any response, the blue-armored fiend thrust its palms out forward, firing two jet-streams of that sick black fluid. In the moment, Dante managed only to duck and reel away from the sudden attack, allowing most of the black stuff to spatter all over his crimson coat. A shame, but better that than him- whatever this retched crap was, it probably wasn't healthy for him or his clothes, if that burning smell was any indication. In the meantime, the Son of Sparda drew his blade and readied his riposte...

Then, that damn giant monkey appeared again, tailed by Klaud and her light-swathed whip. Leaping right over Dante, Lau Jimin cracked down upon the Akuma, throwing heavy flying blows at the dark-spawn. Ever one to seize the moment, the Son of Sparda quipped back to the struggling demon, "Right now, I'm pretty sure you're toast!"

As the two polar-opposed juggernauts exchanged fisticuffs, General Nine took the fleeting opportunity to reprimand her ally; "What happened to going after Tyki?" The half-blood sneered, primarily at the mocking words and partially at the realization that the Akuma wasn't entirely aiming for him.

"I'm getting to it, lady, sheesh," Dante blew the Exorcist off, perhaps a bit more snidely than he had meant, and refocused his attention on the Noah. Before he could leave, however, Klaud whipped Lau Jimin once more and hailed the devil hunter again.

"He may not seem like it, but he's quite powerful-" another whip interrupted the advice, "-and just as gruesome. Be careful." Yet, Dante was already on his way, deftly dodging past the fierce melee and towards Tyki. Klaud sighed with some resignation.

In the end, neither of them had chosen to acknowledge the fact that his red coat was dissolving and tattering from the dark matter. Maybe that was somehow fitting, through, as Dante found himself struggling to retain himself fully. That hollowness was eager to take control and violently abuse every ounce of lethal power in his half-blood body. He simply couldn't allow that, no matter the circumstances. It hit too close to home, just thinking about it.

The sight of Tyki Mikk's smugly suave figure began to fill his vision, and the Son of Sparda returned to reality as fully as he could manage. "Now, that's a bit disappointing-" the Noah shook his head once, still wearing his nobleman's smile, "And here I was was, hoping you'd try and have a bit more fun." Tyki unfolded his arms to either side, as if to shrug but more like to present some display. "Aren't you supposed to be stalling for your 'friend' to finish his ritual?"

"Well," Dante started, still bearing the same frown from his earlier introspection, "Maybe I'd just rather take care of a problem from the source, if you see what I mean." A fleshy, explosive crunch resounded from behind the devil hunter, and he didn't even have to glance back to be sure that the Level 3 Akuma was, in fact, quite dead. "And right now, you're looking awfully outgunned," Dante finished, his frown twisting into a vague, coy grin to match Tyki's own.

"Is that so?" The Noah's lips stretched farther, as if his smile were contesting Dante's. "I believe you've forgotten something-..." He raised a white-gloved hand, pressing his thumb and middle finger together. For a single instant, Dante swore he recognized the devilish flash in Tyki's irises - in that same instant, General Nine froze where she approached, her heart seizing at the realization of what was to come. Those fingers pressed together, resulting in that telltale snapping noise. All at once, a sheer glaring light generated from behind the dark-dressed noble, threatening to blind Dante and Klaud had it not all surged forward in a ray of destruction. In a blink of the eye, the light was gone and so was the red-coat, both blazing away from the group, towards the summoning site; Lau Jimin found himself nearly blown away just from being too close to the brilliant charge, and his master couldn't even bring herself to move or to even think properly.

One moment, they had the man cornered- no, this was no man. This was a Noah, with command over the most cruel and devastating creatures of ever exist. What she had just witnessed was the strongest one known in existence. General Nine's poor mind cycled through a flurry of emotions; shock, fear, dread, despair, absolution. She thought to curl up into a ball and cry, or to pray for some unseen god's favor. But she knew she couldn't - yet, she knew she could not do anything else. A Level 4 Akuma was too powerful. Klaud Nine found it nigh-impossible to fathom a living thing that could face such a demon alone- and win.

"Oh, miss?"

It took a reverted and frightful Lau Jimin frantically tugging at Klaud's leg for her to dismiss her paralysis. Simply, she and Dante could not stop the Level 4. Their only hope was that Yu Kanda might finish the Black Order's resurrection soon, that the entire academy might be able to ward away this incredible force of destruction.

"Come now, miss..."

General Nine, steeling her resolve, faced Tyki with a grim-faced determination. He still bore that same shit-eating grin, but now beckoned to her a gentleman courtier might. "You seem so troubled. Could I ease your mind with a dance...?"

Klaud narrowly held back the grimace that was determined to take over her face at that suggestion. She vented the emotion instead into her whip, lashing the ground so ferociously as to tear up chunks of the mottled earth. Lau Jimin jumped at the outburst. "Go to hell, Noah," the Exorcist General seethed at Tyki, wishing her furious glare could make the bastard drop dead.

"Ah, well..." A violet butterfly appeared, seemingly from nowhere, fluttering out of the same gloved hand that had summoned the Akuma. Then another, and yet another, the numbers rising exponentially until Tyki had produced a backdrop of Teez. "After you."

-----

It was times like this, when every physical part of his body was in aching pain, that Dante wished he couldn't feel. Only those times. It would be awfully easier to think of a counterattack when his entire body wasn't screaming at him that it was damaged- like, he knew that already, couldn't he just focus on the guy who started it?

So, here he was, slammed into the side of a hill at somewhere just below Mach 1, and this creepy, overweight man-baby with angelic semblance was to blame. Oh yeah, hang on, have we seen this before? Sometimes, it was kind of tricky to remember demons could also look angelic - angels only existed in heaven, after all. Maybe this was supposed to be that Level 4 Akuma that Kanda was talking about. How was Kanda even doing? Dante craned his head backwards, looking at the pillar of prismatic light still churning atop the outlook-

The ugly angel baby thing seized Dante's exposed neck roughly, lifting the battered man into the air as if he were some mottled ragdoll. Red eyes with no pupils judged the half-blood's cyan eyes, its expression blank and pale as the rest of its complexion. Getting impatient after a a few seconds of this, Dante wrestled Ebony from her sheath and tried raising the gun to the Akuma's head.

"Ponder this, you ugly-"

Then it screamed; more accurately, it let loose an impossibly loud shriek right into the sly face of the devil hunter. His whole body seemed to cringe and retract, as he felt his eardrums literally burst and his skull ripple with the force of that scream- but still, somewhere, Dante yet hand the mind to pull the trigger. He heard no click, no telltale blast or impact blow, but he felt the recoil of the handgun. Eyelids reflexively shut tight in the pain, Dante simply forced the weapon forward again and squeezed down on that trigger, and then again. This repeated several times, until the man no longer recognized any reverb in his head, and instead felt a sense of being forced, thrown into a solid surface.

There, back in his perfectly Dante-sized hole, the hunter patted the ground with the empty left hand until he could close his fingers around the hilt of his sword, Rebellion. Only then did he open his eyes, his brain fighting a battle to reclaim clear vision. Technically, it lost.

The edges of Dante's vision remained blurred, only telescoping in on his enemy and the five new, black-dripping holes making a trail up its torso. He was giving in, seeing only an enemy, an adversary to be slaughtered- in that moment, nothing else mattered. Deafened ears still ringing, Dante registered his lips moving but didn't hear himself call the Akuma a "god-damned asshole;" nor, indeed, could he see that his own eyes had dilated into dark, vein-filled marbles.

He leaped up from the small crater, injured but far from broken, and swung Rebellion with deathly intent. The demon offered little more countenance than a slighter more stern-eyed poker face. It parried the attack with it's bare arms, ducked away through the follow-up, and countered with a sharp punch to the ribs that sent Dante to the ground.

Kanda hadn't been kidding. The Level 4 was deceptively strong, in addition to its raw destructive potential. A hollow Dante wouldn't recognize that, though, being only pure killer instinct.

As an orb of darkness swirled into existence in the Akuma's grasp, the primal devil hunter merely recognized to get out of the way of the attack, and did only that. The fact that the blast had completely erased a spherical chunk of the hillside was no concern; Dante just opened fire with Ebony again, not quite registering that the bullets were not as effective as they might've seemed before. Driven in this raw, carnage-filled stage, the hollow half-blood believed the only thing that mattered was seeing the end of this creature.

He ran forward and lashed out with his sword again, tracing new black scratches down the demon's forearms. It smacked the weapon aside to try and decimate Dante with a point-blank surge of dark matter, but he dashed aside and planted another bullet in the Akuma's head. The hollowed man followed with a rushing thrust of his blade, but he couldn't so much as stagger the demon before it pushed back. With a dark-infused blow to the head, Dante was sent flying back again, now trailing blood from a new head wound. Yet, the fighter preserved, quickly bouncing back to keep chipping away at the monster.

It all became a fast-paced blur, where he found himself pierced with stinging beams, raked with shadowy claws, and nearly concussed with a destructive blast - but he always repaid in kind, as best as he could in spite of the Akuma's mighty durability.

---

After he was sent to the ground for about the fourteenth time, Dante attempted to get up. The muscles tensed and worked as they had so many times earlier- but nothing happened. He tried again, volt after volt of pain beginning to amount up from his battered form. Even those best efforts to move were for naught. Dante found his senses dulling, his muscles giving no response but agony. His body simply refused to move.

He was aware of someone screaming out to him.

The beacon of color from before had disappeared. The world appeared to grow darker, more muted. Dante became fully aware of the pastel-white figure above him, marred by numerous black scars.

Someone was screaming out something repeatedly. Did he recognize that voice?

Desperation set in, somewhat abruptly. Dante urged, hounded, begged for his body to move. It would not. The last remnants of color fleeted from his vision. Above him, a white, clawed hand reached out from the shadows surrounding the hand's owner.

A crescendo of voices began to accumulate, and simultaneously blend into incomprehension.

A forlorn memory poked through the hybrid's failing mind - his entrance to the Omniverse. That pure white figure, announcing his intent. This seemed ironic in that hindsight, but Dante couldn't recognize that in the moment. He wasn't sure what to feel. Angry? Sad? Regretful?

The voices were fading, and the white figure, too.

No, he recalled. Death is cheap.

He felt a sense of falling...

[Yu Kanda]

"Dante!" Klaud shouted at the top of her voice when she saw him disappear into the ground. Little did she know he was taken elsewhere by a much higher power. Herself and Lau Jimin rushed over towards the pale akuma who was looking down into the crater he caused, where only moments ago his opponent was. The white monster turned around and with a shrieking voice questioned it's master, "Where did he go?" Tiki was looking around with a surprised look on his face "I honestly don't know." He turned his attention towards the General, "And then there was one. Tell me General, after everything that's happened, after everything you have seen, why do you still try ? We both know what will happen next."

Klaud took a step back, both a Noah and a level 4 Akuma was too much for her in this state. She didn't nearly posses the strength as she did back home. Right now Klaud wouldn't last a minute. The demonic creature shouted and charged right at her, it's rage fueling it's actions. Lau Jimin responded to the threat and charged the monster head-on. Flying low over the ground the Akuma left a dust cloud behind it, it's speed was terrifying but not nearly as scary as its appearance. As if throwing a rag doll, the demon grabbed the -in battle mode- prime ape by its head and pushed it into the ground while laughing carelessly.

"LAU !!" Klaud yelled as she ran to her wounded friend, tears filling her eyes, her emotions taking over. She just had him back, she couldn't lose him again. Tiki however, intervened and got in between her and Lau, "Now now, You had a good run, your time is up. Your monkey will die, you will die and that kid inside of that beacon will die. Just like your little friend over there." The Noah nudged over towards where Dante disappeared into the ground, "It's all over." The Teez gathered around their master, their black ominous wings did not allow any light to penetrate and darkened the surroundings. The light coming off from the beacon slowly got blocked out and darkness started to surround her. Failure was the sensation that was overcoming her, in the distant she could hear the screams coming from Lau Jimin, who by now would have lost his battle mode. The last of the openings started to get covered by the Teez.

From the last opening a beam of light appeared, becoming brighter , warmer. The Teez around her started to flutter away and revealing more and more beams of light. The beacon started to shine brighter. "What the hell is going on ?" Tyki cursed. The akuma was enchanted by it and couldn't get his eyes off of the multicolored beacon of light. Klaud wiped off a tear rolling from her cheek and underneath her breath she whispered, "Kanda.." The beacon emitted a light so bright it became difficult to look at, forcing the eyes gazing upon its beauty shut. With a large silent explosion of light the beacon erupted, and the light dispersed over the pale moors. Throughout the entire verse a flash of light was visible, it was a sign, a sign that there was hope. Light in the darkness, good to face the evil in this world. When the light disappeared Klaud was able to open her eyes once more, and there it was, the tower of the black order in all its glory, "He did it." She whispered with a smile on her face.

Tyki was less amused, seeing that retched tower once more, "He may have succeeded summoning a few bricks and beams but it can be destroyed just as easily, after I am done with you." He raised his hand and the Teez formed a purple colored energy sword around it, "Time to say farewell, General." But before he could even start his attack a bloodred arrow crossed the battlefield striking the Noah straight in the chest, forcing him backwards, falling flat on his back. Klaud searched for the source of the arrow and saw a man, holding a bloodred bow standing in front of the gate of the new found black order. It was Kanda, and he did not look amused. The level 4 Akuma screeched out in joy and took off, flying low over the ground once more the halo wearing freak charged Kanda head on. But he had enough time to counter it, once more Kanda took aim with his new weapon, this time taking his time to conjure an arrow. As the Akuma sped closer towards him the energy arrow grew larger and larger. "I have had it with your kind, fucking die already."Kanda shouted before releasing the much larger arrow. The projectile soared through the air meeting the Akuma head on, causing a large explosion on Impact.

Kanda didn't wait to see if the demon survived, the crystallized bow shattered and he reached for Mugen, activating it immediately. Rushing towards the wounded Noah he activates his second sword as well, this time he wouldn't take any chance. Tyki started to get up, pulling the arrow from his chest with a groan. His face changed from moments ago, the calm Noah that was making mocking comments just moments ago suddenly showed his other side, "You think you can just interrupt a conversation like that punk ? Do you know who you are messing with?!" Both hands were now covered in Teez energy to form his swords. In a threatening manner he stepped towards the charging exorcist. His advance was stopped by Klaud's whip that was suddenly wrapped around his waist.

"You fucking pests, why do you keep coming back like cockroaches?!" He responded to Klaud's attack with his own, the bottom of his boot found its way into the general's face, kicking her down to the ground. But he didn't stop there, kicking her repeatedly he shouted to let go. The female exorcist could do nothing but cough up blood. Kanda was closing in fast, he was nearly at the Noah when in the corner of his eyes the white halo of the akuma appeared, adjusting his course he met the monster head on. The brave young exorcist was struggling to keep up with the monstrosity, how could it possibly posses this much strength. Kanda had no choice but to release his third illusion, three dots appeared in his eye and his body went into overdrive. Moving faster than he did before he was able to keep up with the akuma a bit better. Barely dodging the punches the fiend was throwing Kanda was in a tight spot. Without warning he activated the hurricane illusion, spinning his swords around at such high speed it forced the Akuma back, giving Kanda enough room to break free towards the Noah, "Eight flower mantis." He spoke underneath his heavy breathing, as his swords slashed through the air, collectively resembling a flower. Tyki immediately turned his attention towards the new threat and striked with his Teez sword, only to be blocked by Mugen's double illusion swords. But the damage was done, the flower like symbol caused a massive explosion, throwing the Noah across the battlefield.

The holy warrior was too tired to maintain his current form of power and released it as he went to help Klaud up. " Don't worry General, the others are on their way. Tiedol, Cross, they are coming." Kanda spoke loud enough for the Noah to hear. Tyki who was getting up from the up and close explosion glanced over to the tower of the order, with a hint of doubt in his eyes.

"The Generals are here ? She asked Kanda hopeful." Her partner nodded, "Yes they are, I'm sorry it took so long but reinforcements have arrived. We mustn't let the Noah escape.

Tyki heard it all, the information wasn't expected, he was in no way ready to face the other generals, not in the state he is now. He motioned the Akuma to retreat before the others arrived. Summoning a level 4 wasn't an easy task, he could not risk losing it now, not when he lost so many before. The Noah held his shoulder in pain and started to walk towards the forest, edge. The Akuma took off into the air.

"Where do you think you're going ?" Kanda shouted towards the mysterious man, both swords at the ready.

Tyki returned to his calm self and turned around with his old slick smile, "Ow my dear boy, I think we both have had enough for today. It was fun toying with the likes of you but for now, we shall retreat. Enjoy this moment while it lasts, for soon everything will turn to ash."

From the sky a purple orb descended, a parting gift from the flying akuma. Creating an explosion right in front of Kanda, taking away his vision. When the dust settled the Noah was gone.

"Why didn't you stop him?!" Klaud shouted towards Kanda. "We had him, we could've taken him out once and for all!"
"No, we couldn't." Kanda replied cold.

"what are you talking about ? With the others we could've stopped the Noah before he becomes stronger.

"There are no others coming, it was a bluff. Hoping to achieve exactly what it did. There are no other generals or exorcists, we are still alone." The words stabbed Klaud like a stab through the heart. The hope she felt just a moment ago was ripped from her the same way as it came. Silently thinking about it she knew he did the right thing. They wouldn't have overcome this trial with just the two of them. Slowly the disappointed warrior got up, "You did well Kanda." She looked at the tall tower, "Very well."Lau Jimin slowly made his way towards Klaud, the poor creature was wounded but alive. Klaud picked up her friend and held him close, moving her fingers through his light fur, "Let's go home, you two."

Kanda looked towards the dark forest a moment longer before returning Mugen back in its sheath. Its time to rebuild the order.

***

The inside looked just as how Klaud remembered. Every stone, every painting was there exactly the way she remembered. Walking through the hallways she moved her fingers across the stones, making her way to Komui's old office. The desk and all the books were there, except the man himself. He used to run this branch of the order right from that very desk. It actually looked empty without him, allot quieter. Klaud reminisced in silent as she walked through the room.
"This is yours now." Kanda spoke, standing in the door. Klaud, who wasn't expecting him to be there quickly turned to him, "What do you mean ?"
"The order needs strong leadership, it needs someone to give it purpose. A wise person who knows both this world and ours. I can think of no one better than you General. You were send here for a reason, this, this is that reason."

Klaud listened to Kanda, he was right, who else was to sit behind this desk and take charge. No one else besides her and Kanda knew anything about innocence or the Noah. She sat down behind her desk, looking a bit uneasy. "It doesn't look half bad General, or should I say, Commander ?"

The new Commander looked up at him and proudly spoke towards the exorcist warrior, " And you, General Kanda, I will need your support in this venture as well. We need to recruit more exorcist to fight the good cause. Not only the Akuma, but this world has many threats, monsters, demons and even primes. Many are running lose, causing death and mayhem as they please. Something we, as warriors of god cannot abide. We will find our ally, Dante, without him we couldn't have achieved this, wherever he may be we owe him our gratitude. The Black order has been born, the -new- Black Order has been born. Let it be known to all that is evil out there. We are coming for them.