386. The detonating rain.

WARNING!

The story contains graphic depictions of violence, sexuality, strong language, and/or other mature themes.

[The Fiend Lord: Arc 18]

Once upon a time, on Planet Earth, a young girl was born; the story goes that her identity was never adequately clarified, but she was effectively known as the 'Holy Light.'

Her title depicted the real life of one's planet. Humankind did not know the Dimensions that had appeared alongside her birth, only of the Spirits that had been destroyed or disappeared.

The woman... The Holy Light, the heir of all the inhabitants, was not born alone. The arrival of the Demon God, whose name was Rez, caused anarchy, and humanity was on the brink of extinction.

Humans terrified him because of his recklessness and hunger for blood, and Demons started to manifest all over the Earth and The World of Zero, alongside alternate races such as The Inner Fiends, The Shades, Wraiths, and Spirits.

To combat the challenge, a new breed of people has awakened, the 'Spiritual Duelists' and 'Substitute-Duelists,' who have been dubbed the "First Army to Face Evil."

With their Legendary Weapons, the Ginken. This swarm of humans increased the world's cleanliness to the greatest extent possible, overwhelming the Demons of various grades and placing their survival at risk.

But, after several years of waiting, the 'Holy Light' gave birth to a human child, a girl of theoretically greater worth than Zero herself, but unlikely to become the next 'Holy Light,' their Goddess gave the girl to a friendly family, and since her mother needed to participate in protecting the divinity, the girl's memories were wiped.

But there is another royalty trapped within the shadows that have been concealed for millennia, even longer than the birth of a Demon...

The only one who has beaten the 'Holy Light's own is the Fiend Lord. Its lurkers will undoubtedly be wiped out, and the newfound foe will ready the battlefield...

- Yashikami City, Thursday, 8:31 pm -

Tim's chest was hollowed out by the bullet, at which point he seemed to manage to survive but was exhausted, at which point Ayuka immediately went out and rescued him.

"How did this happen?! We need to get inside as soon as possible... Simply keep breathing!" To avoid being emotional, Ayuka immediately started to assist Tim in joining the Guild.

"N-no... W-what are you doing... Ayuka, just... hide... the bullet was aimed right at you..." Tim's voice became weaker when Ayuka quickly snatched a piece of her sleeve and wrapped it around Tim's wound. "Don't start with this heroic nonsense again!" She said she found raining rocks fracturing the earth and almost hollowing her foot.

".... What exactly are these?! "Are those 'exploding' rocks falling from the sky?" It quickly started to target the guild, however, when she heard the glass break when the wind swept forward. " But, just then, Ayuka discovered that the rocks were grenades, which she remembered when she heard it beep. When the bomb burst right through it and forcefully shatter the ice, Ayuka lifted her right arm to cover any incoming damage, but the ice sliced through her wrist as she bled, but to continue preventing the explosives, she continued to support Tim, until Elliot started to slam at the door.

"Come on, let's go! Allow yourself to be seen! No, no! The door is jammed!" The fire alarm went off instantly when a swarm of rockets flew through the walls, which shocked Elliot after many beeps, until a chain blast appeared and forcibly knocked Elliot through the door, at which point he went spinning on the floor, getting cut until the roof above him rattled and fell.

"Elliot!" Ayuka unexpectedly inquired when his suddenly expelled yellow energy and vanished, just in time for the roof to crash.

Elliot emerged in mid-air while front flipping as a result of the impact of being smashed with his back to the wall. "Oh, Ayuka! What went wrong?!" Elliot was in agony, so he asked a question.

"Tim was shot! We have to get him out of here or he'll bleed to death!" She called as Elliot became surprised, at which point he heard a beep behind the wall he was crouched towards, at which point he instinctively jumped forward and escaped just in time, when several bombs exploded all over the guild, crushing it.

The woman who had shot Tim with her sniper stood up and sighed.

"I assumed I'd be able to kill her without incident... Okay, calm down the exploding rain. Let's start with a chat." When the man beside her nodded and handed her the radio, I spoke to her.

"We comprehend..." Claimed the guy, at which point the screens and televisions in Yashikami City started to render static, surprising everyone in the city.

"Hello, Yashikami City residents. We're a Recon Army Team from Hybrid City, and we've come to alert you about the impending attack. We've come to kill the future's Demon God as well as the woman called Kirashito Ayuka. Nobody will be harmed if one condition is met. This message is intended for the Yashikami City Guild, and I would like the woman 'Kirashito Ayuka' to appear and surrender to be killed. This is not a threat to mankind, but it is a threat to the 'Holy Light.' Until the lady we just mentioned shows up for quick execution, we will be compelled to use further bombing." The woman explained.

Ayuka was healing Tim while Elliot was worried. "W-What the heck is going on? I believed people had given up on the 'Holy Light'! Don't even think about confronting them, Ayuka! We can't afford to lose you." Elliot talked while smiling at her, and a sweat beamed down her right side of the brow. "... no, I'm not... Sure, I've done dumb stuff in the past, but this time you can forget it... Only keep an eye on the amount of force that these individuals are employing. It won't be long before his holed body is recovered..." Elliot was stunned, but he affirmed it.

"We'll give you one hour for the girl to show up. And, don't get too enthusiastic, the Guild has been fully surrounded by our Recon Army, so there's no way out unless you want to battle them all... Remember, no less, no longer than 60 minutes!" The woman spoke as she rotated the sniper, transforming it into a standard pistol.

"You're going to give them an hour? Are you insane? If we owe them so much time, I'm sure they'll find a way out..." Looking at the lady, the man spoke. "Well, that's great for them..." The woman crossed her arms and watched while the countdown on her wristwatch began.

Tim, Ayuka, and Elliot were hiding in the completely enclosed space when Elliot secretly looked through the glass.

"She isn't pretending... There's a whole army of people... We won't be able to run from the sides, the gate, or the door..." Elliot sighed and knelt next to Tim and Ayuka.

"... I'm well educated... We don't have much of a say, however. We'll be slaughtered regardless. This place is already in ruins, and an alert has been given... if we attempt to flee from the outside, we'll be targeted, and if we remain hidden for an hour, we'll be trapped in the explosions and inevitably killed..." Elliot managed to examine her wounds as she spoke.

"So, what are we going to do about it? We don't have someone else who could assist us..." Elliot asked, leaning against the wall, tensely. "We'll use this opportunity to devise a strategy as soon as I recover Tim's wound..." Elliot noticed that his skin was steadily healing when she spoke.

- Kakonai City, Thursday, 8:35 pm -

"Eva... What are our plans once we leave this city? Can we try to track down Manami?" Looking at Eva, who was repairing her wrist bracelet, Codey was perplexed.

"The problem is. We've gone in the reverse direction of those ruins... Tsuneo is our top priority, and how can we be certain that the woman you described is still alive?" Eva asked as she undressed and leaned her jacket to the left.

"Well... I'm not sure..." As Kanji turned to face him, Codey sighed. "I'm sure she'd already relocated..." Kanji once claimed to be sitting on a log with a bottle of water in his hand.

"I understand... And we'd have to wait a few days to meet her... But there you have it... I just wish we had some kind of bond with her..." When looking to the right, Codey assumed, Jessica started to cuddle in Kylin's left shoulder in the background. "Do you ever give up...?" When Sakami stared at Codey, Kylin sighed as well.

"We shouldn't be too concerned with Manami's assistance... Unless absolutely necessary." Sakami exclaimed, aroused. "I mean... But she's probably found the answer we've been looking for..."

"So, what's the long-term plan? It's already late, and we can't go anymore unless we want to stay up all night? I propose that we rest until tomorrow." However, Eva got a message on her wristwatch's radio at the very moment.

"In Yashikami City, there is a physical breakdown? W-What exactly do they mean?" When Jessica had calmed down, Kylin questioned her, smiling at Eva.

"... I can't tell for sure... But does it sound good?" Eva wondered although others disagreed. "Though... I'm confident there isn't much of a threat... both Ayuka and Elliot are there, I'm sure they'll be able to configure everything out." When stretching his left shoulder, Kanji said,

"... True, but those two are the only ones... Toyama and his colleagues have been assigned to the 'ASANO CITY'... They were certainly not alerted about it, unless they saw it on the news, in which case. They're almost certainly on their way back to the Guild."

However, everything Kanji had said was a failure, and the city was ready to be dominated.

- Yashikami City, Thursday, 8:45 pm -

"There, you should be fine now..." When Tim's right arm was bandaged, Ayuka exclaimed as she slowly backed away. "W-why did you wrap a bandage around my arm?" After thanking Tim, I questioned him.

"I was able to detect that your right arm was severely wounded. I understand you really don't want to tell me, but the healing was most likely done by the 'Fiend,' right? In any case, the rehabilitation was not completed sufficiently. If you were using the arm for another month, it will most likely be worthless... I had to repair it as well as bandage it to conceal the injury that I discovered..." As Tim glanced at his shoulder, she asserted.

"T-Thank you..." He talked while leaning on his right bent knee. "But... really, you shouldn't be putting pressure on yourself to use medication..." When Ayuka exhaled, Tim said. "Stop being so obstinate... Sure, I'm pregnant, but that doesn't mean I have to stop using my skills..." When Elliot stared at Tim, Ayuka said.

"Tim... Do you think you'll be able to fight if it becomes necessary?" Elliot was perplexed as Tim looked at him puzzledly. "Ayuka must not compete in any situation, no matter how tough. I'm the only one here with you, so if at all possible..." Tim, on the other hand, closed his eyes. "I'm all right... Because of her treatment, and, of course, if it comes to that, I will fight..." Tim said, once Ayuka already felt guilty, but at the same time have thoughts of being useless.

"... What's up with that sorrowful expression...?" Tim looked at her as she spoke, perplexed. "I mean... I'm capable of f-" Yet Tim intervened at the precise moment. "No... You're not going to, we're not putting you in danger... I'm certain that Elliot and I can find a solution... You may help us with that, but I'm not going to let you fight..." Tim followed up after Elliot confirmed.

"Around then, we have another 40 minutes..." Elliot spoke up, referring to his wristwatch, at which point Tim's eyes calmed. "What's going on now?" Elliot looked at him, next to Ayuka, puzzled.

"Well... If it comes to it, I wouldn't mind dying to get you out of here..." Tim said, at which point both of them were taken aback. "Is it possible that you've lost your mind?! What did I say earlier?!" Elliot demanded aggressively, gripping Tim's shoulders.

"We're not going to make you kill yourself just so we can get out of there! Second, I'm sure there's another way to win... You're expecting a kid, and whether it's a boy or a girl, he or she must have a father!" Elliot said, once Ayuka became serious.. "Stop dreaming like that. There's no way, even if it has to happen, I'm not going to let you kill yourself. Your life is precious to me, and I'm not going to let you throw it away from me." Tim felt uneasy and guilty at the same time, according to Ayuka.

"She's right... we'll get out of here alive, even if it takes us a whole night."

Tim, on the other hand, was also unsure... "... yeah... okay..."

To be continued...