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A speck of demonic energy seeps through the barrier between worlds and expands until it's a metre across, the vicious spiral of black shadow carrying dust from the atmosphere of Hell that might be glinting gold or silver or a deep, blood red depending on how you tilt your head. The demon portal grows bigger still and soon a portion of the shadow breaks off and gushes to the floor of the forest, becoming blackish brown tar that steams and shudders.

It rises then, like gravity was pulling it upwards, and takes the vague shape of a human adult. An eye snaps open from within the sludge, near the thing's left shoulder, the eyeball whirling around madly before it closes up. Another eye –or perhaps the same one- opens within the creature's forehead and snaps closed once more.

The demon is struggling with keeping shape, unused to the solid form it needs to be in to handle the human world, completely unlike the ever shifting bodies of shadow in Hell.

This time two eyes open in their natural places within the tar being, but three dozen more also flare wide along the body. The eyes close and the tar melts back to the floor, squelching as the demon scraps the body it was forming in frustration. It rises once more, with the proper eyes, and tar explodes from the newly made being, splattering across the forest floor and against the trees. Where it hits, the sludge hisses and spits, burning into everything it touches like the strongest acid.

The creature steps forward. Behind it, yet another portion of shadow falls from the portal and the next demon solidifies as well, struggling to hold onto its shape instead of features as it crosses worlds and builds itself a new body.

The first demon clenches his hands into fists, the many spelled rings clinking together. The male body is clothed in a dark red button up shirt with the sleeves rolled and black jeans tucked into boots. Metal chains hanging from clothes clink together and the runes burned in flare briefly before settling when the demon turns to its companion, silver hair swaying in the breeze.

The tar seeps off the second demon and the portal squeezes itself into non-existence. This one is also an adult male, with half-lidded eyes and braided black hair. The long coat it has on is patchwork with a fur hood, the material sown from werewolf hide. Black fingerless gloves, the network of belts, and the boots all carry the aura of supernatural creatures as well but the plain white shirt and black pants are of demonic origin.

"We're too late, Lambo," the first demon says in annoyance. "Either someone beat us here and the kitsune bastard refused to talk, or whatever we're chasing got hungry."

"Hungry?" Lambo huffs out a humourless laugh. "Hayato, that's the understatement of the century."

The Alpha kitsune's house is obliterated.

"It couldn't be just one creature. What did this?" Lambo asks as he steps forward cautiously, the man's voice barely louder than a murmur. "An Alpha elemental? A shifter army?"

Hayato shakes his head and slowly moves forward, wary but not sensing anything moving. "It's the thing we're trying to find," he mutters. "It has to be. Byakuran could only be taken down by an unknown, he's too prepared otherwise."

The traditionally Japanese built houses of kitsune look delicate but anything less than an Alpha couldn't even pierce through a rice paper wall. Now, nothing bigger than a meter across is left. There are no signs of wide range attacks like fire, and maybe it could be wind attacks but those cut straight through.

It's rubble and it honestly looks like something crushed each and every part of the mansion.

Hayato can sense pinpoints of life but no one is walking around. He manoeuvres around the broken houses as much as possible but it's hard to find ground without bits and pieces so he inevitably stumbles and staggers on the uneven terrain. They were sent here to find out if the kitsune Alpha knew about whatever thing took down the Varia commanders, but it seems Hayato and Lambo found the creature anyway.

Hayato was chosen for the mission due to his ancestry, half demon and half human. A cambion has the exclusive ability to not be affected by the usual weaknesses of demon kind. Hayato could chug holy water until he drowned but it would simply be water to him. Byakuran might stumble when dealing with a cambion and that's what the Arcobaleno were counting on if the kitsune refused to reveal his information and became violent – well, more blatantly violent.

Lambo is a cerberus, a blood hound who can take the scent of someone who had passed by an area three weeks ago and then track that person half way across the world and even between dimensions. His objective is to find the creature if Byakuran didn't have any idea what it was, or to scent it out if the kitsune already got his paws on it.

Lambo takes in a deep breath and his head snaps to the side. "Hayato," Lambo hisses quietly, standing frozen.

The half demon looks over and stills. Those are Vendice coats that Lambo is pointing at. Hayato makes his way over silently and blinks at what he sees.

The Alpha spirit and his strongest guards are scattered across the ground, most missing coats and top hats, while bandages are torn. There's no blood, because spirits don't bleed, but their bodies are faded instead of solid which means they've been badly injured.

Hayato now links the 'life' he senses to the Vendice, or more specifically the power they hold that mimics a state of living. The man can't sense anyone else, so the Alpha kitsune and his Guardians are gone. Maybe it's not the creature they're after that caused the destruction, but the two Alphas clashing? It's a feeble hope because Hayato can't figure out a possible reason for the two to fight.

"What else do you smell?" Hayato whispers, moving away from the spirits.

Lambo frowns but goes with Hayato until they're standing a safe distance away. That's a lie, there is no safe distance when spirits are involved.

"Spirits, the kitsune and his pack and a few lingering visitors, all kitsune," Lambo lists as he breathes deeply. "There's something… but I'm not too sure I've labelled it correctly."

Hayato waits patiently even as he scans their surroundings constantly for threats.

"Human," Lambo finally says after a moment.

Hayato throws a glance at him. "What's on the human, is it claimed?"

Lambo scents the air again. "Nothing smells strong enough for a claim. A touch of hunter but separate, like the human has been in contact with one. It's strong –no, not strong but… cemented- so the human has been around hunters enough to take on the smell. There's also - wow, it gets around," Lambo mutters.

The cerberus frowns. "Oh, this is going to be bad when we report. Alright, the human has fallen on it as well as kitsune obviously plus fainter vampire and werewolf."

"Fallen," Hayato sounds out, his mind pointing out the Varia as a possible link. "Are you sure it's human?"

Lambo gives Hayato a look, because of course he's certain, he's a cerberus. "Come on," Lambo mutters, tugging nervously at one braid. "There's nothing left here, and I don't want to be around when the spirits wake up after that beat down."

Hayato nods, because he whole heartedly agrees, and he holds out a hand, the shadow vortex of a demon portal opening in front of him. Lambo steps through and disappears before Hayato teleports as well.

...

A bright, blinding light flares into existence, hovering a metre off the ground and quickly growing large enough for an adult to step through. When angels move from Heaven, they solidify from pure light, shedding what they term 'wings' which are akin to a notable sign of power depending on the vibrancy of colour and the amount of wing sets.

The first angel to pass through the portal is pure light for a split second before the particles condense and it forms a human female. Angels don't have curse words so the female steals a few demonic ones and bursts into light once more. When the body is made again it's now male with fluffy brown hair and a neat white suit with a pastel orange shirt and pocket handkerchief.

The next one to come out is a tall male with a cheerful smile, missing an arm but he gets everything else right, the clothing similar to the first but with a pale shade of blue instead. The first plucks sunlight from the surroundings, making the area dim despite the bright sun overhead, and makes an arm for the second.

"Thanks, Tsuna," the second chuckles. "I can never get the limbs right on the first try."

The third comes through then, with a bright yellow colour scheme. It takes one step and pitches over, falling flat on its face. The portal closes then, cutting off any more light and making the Earth look like night time in comparison.

"I think I'm missing something!" the white haired male says loudly, peering up at the other two.

"Your feet," Tsuna deadpans. "It's your feet, Ryohei." He crouches and with one hand on the angel's leg he forms feet for the other man. "I think we need to come to Earth more and get in some practice," Tsuna mutters. "We've gotten rusty at this."

Tsuna turns to face the kitsune mansion and finds destruction waiting for him. Takeshi lets out a low whistle when he sees what used to be the Alpha kitsune's house. Ryohei blinks.

"Is this the thing that took down the Varia?" Takeshi idly comments and then gives a light chuckle. "Well, we're on the right track."

"That's a Vendice coat!" Ryohei points out, far too enthusiastic for Tsuna's liking. "Part of one at least, and that white material is probably bandages! Did it fight Byakuran and the Vendice?!"

"Or maybe the two could have fought each other instead?" Tsuna tries hopefully, because that would make far more sense than a complete unknown stepping in and being more than a match for two Alphas at once. He expands his senses but can't find anything in a kilometre radius.

"So… what do we do?" Takeshi asks.

Tsuna replies by opening a portal and stepping back into the safety of Heaven.

...

Byakuran blinks awake in the forest, the same one surrounding his house so he hasn't been moved too far, but the forest isn't exactly small either. He's just glad he isn't in the Vendice prison because the last thing he remembers is being hit from behind while breaking the chains around Bluebell. Byakuran grimaces at the injuries but sits up and gazes around him. His Guardians are scattered about, heavily injured from the Vendice but breathing evenly.

Zakuro is on fire and the elemental seems to be soaking up the flames, looking only ruffled instead of like he challenged the Vendice. Bluebell is soaked from head to toe and the mermaid is only sleeping and not forcefully unconscious.

Daisy is half buried in a sunlit patch of ground and the nymph looks peaceful, Torikabuto is tucked away beneath some tree roots and covered with a blanket so he could soak up the shadows, while Kikyo who is the only other kitsune is surrounded in dim Will-o'-the-Wisps.

Byakuran has them too, more than triple in fact, but his are all completely used up because his kitsune powers are greater and therefore cost more energy. The balls of light are just batteries for those who know how to use them.

He stands rather shakily and looks around but he can't see Kyouya anywhere. So the boy attracts Vendice, defeats them and then carries Byakuran and his Guardians away from the damage zone so if the spirits wake up earlier they won't hurt the Alpha kitsune. The human even healed them as best he could.

Byakuran huffs in annoyance, but his tails only swing lazily behind him without agitation and he soon smirks in amusement. Apparently, he's going to have to hunt the boy down.

He's looking forward to it.