Into The Caves

Like raindrops, they plummetted down in the caves. Mazoku's eyes mirrored the doom below them as he gazed at the pool of blood underneath. Dead birds looked at him with their life-less eyes; waiting for him to join them.

They would have to wait longer. Daichi made sure of it.

She finally let go of her arrow, which was growing in power. As it shot down, in mid-air, it transformed into a net of leaves and branches to prevent them from falling.

Mazoku's terrors were extinguished at that moment as he smiled at her. The tree mesh was a fulls globe so it protected them from the manticore's assault for some time.

"Well, I guess that was smart. I guess..." He specified, walking to her. He picked her up as she laid drained of power.

"Yeah, thanks..." She yawned sleepily as she smiled back in his arms.

"Spare us, please. You and your darling will die along with Akio, Mazoku". Hissed Akari as he grabbed his katana.

"Darling!?" He said dropping her down as he readied himself to transform into his demonic form.

"Darling!? Ack!" She responded annoyed, trying to get up and gritted her teeth at Akari. "I am the reason you are alive you know? I do not think you would be threatening us like that if you were splatted on the floor to that beast."

"You merely chose to save yourselves while I and my group were saved coincidentally. I have not needed that as well and could have stopped my fall..." He replied uncaringly.

Aldrif went in the middle of them and proclaimed, "You have survived but we wouldn't have. Remember how we helped you Akari when you were broken and then my brother healed you? We owe her our lives".

Akari looked back at her and replied with anger, "Everything I have worked and need can be finished if I kill that demon! Now we let him go!? What about my honour?!"

"How would you feel knowing that your honour was built by dishonour," Aldrif responded crossing her arms. "Also do you think you shall survive without other allies against this opponent?"

"From my view, it's another manticore. We killed one on our own".

"That was a child manticore. This seemed to be an adult one by its size. You'll need them."

He sighed and looked away, walking to the walls of the tree, thinking.

Elliot took off the amulet on Akio, "Sorry about that. Maybe we can be friends and we can laugh it off one day? It is going to-"

"You want me to help you against the manticore". Akio interrupted him standing up and walked to Mazoku. "We must work as a team this time to fight something like this."

"I was working as a team. Same can't be said about you though. Not consulting any of us with any of your plans". Mazoku replied harshly.

"We shouldn't be arguing right now. There are other people at stake and if we act irrationally they can perish to the beast above us." Advised Akio to him.

"Fine. But answer to me. Why do you try giving me a hard time?"

"Same could be told here..." He said walking off and transformed into his demonic form.

"So much for a team..." Daichi said to herself.

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Alutzumal perched over the tree mesh staring down at it. Rage filled his blood as he thought to himself, 'How could those beings dare to think that they can protect themselves from him? The pinnacle of beasts and the king of the lowly birds! The conquerer of the caves!'

His anger became laughter as he looked at their pitiful shield. This will be an obstacle that once he defeats he will return greater than before. This will be Akari's swan song but sadly it would be cut late as he wouldn't be able to dance at his end with his legs ripped apart in the jaws of Alutzumal! The pinnacle of beasts! The king of lowly birds! The conquerer of caves!

He dashed down slashing at the globe protecting them, breaking a cut through with his immense power. "You won't survive Akari. Revenge shall be mine!"

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Akari stood looking at the wall of branches. What was he doing helping demons? Especially one that nearly killed him?! The other was a hunt by his father who survived. It just cannot be. He'll deal with the manticore himself. He'll kill the demons and protect Kamisugawa, his kingdom, from those damned beasts-

Akio leapt in to grab Akari as a colossal paw came, crushing everything that was in Akari's place. He threw Akari away from the doom that was coming to get him.

"We need to get out of here immediately!" Cried Akio going to the other edge. "We can't rely on a shield currently so we'll have to run off."

Aldrif tried breaking the globe, saying, "I see! Well, I'm far ahead of you!" However, she couldn't break through it.

"I guess I'm far ahead of you," Akio stated as he jabbed onto the wall with raid speeds and formed a hole enough for them to leave from. "One at a time..." He sighed, his hands steaming.

Daichi then saw an opening for them to run into. She shot another arrow forging a bridge between them and the smaller cave.

"We've got an escape over there. We can try to move out quickly!" She explained as Mazoku nodded taking her hand, making her a faint shade of red.

Mazoku took Daichi with him as they made their way through and Aldrif dragged Elliot through. Akio looked at Akari and said, "Well then?"

"Fine let it be then..." He said running into the opening as the Manticore began breaking the globe.

Akio then ran through last. Before he left, he broke any evidence of the bridge and gateway, leaving it like a chaotic mess for the manticore to think he destroyed it himself accidentally.

Mazoku then placed rocks from the roof above them to block the cave way and ran across it with everyone.

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A man walked across the forest which Mazoku and Akari's teams fought in. He smelt burning grass far from him as he entered into it staring at the destroyed trees, the fallen logs and the aflame plants.

He continued to make his way through unfazed of the war field around him. He then looked up in the sky to see the manticore fly off and roar.

"Alutzumal..." He muttered his face not changing, "What a bother..."

He then unsheathed his katana slowly and as he took it out an electrifying force awakened as an implosion occurred destroying the landscape and leaving it uncladded rock.

"No obstacles now... No trees or logs or grass..." He said to himself as he sheathed his katana back in. A faint spirit left as he sheathed it in. "Let's see how Rei does against that thing... Let's see if he can actually be better than me and do what I failed to do."

Haruto Akari continued to walk without a care in the world as the world underneath his feet trembled in fear. Fear of a monster who only one man can defeat.