Rei snarled as she saw the demon pull Kalinka into her flames meant only for their unholy target, though the evil being seemed to take the blow himself, shrugging it off as if simply to prove that he could.
"The Demon-slaying Prince is one of the best allies I could hope for," Sailor Mars shouted back at the man, showing nothing but confidence and determination despite her failed attack. "And she's damn good at what she does. Utena's the last person on this rooftop that needs to worry about whether she'll be alive or not come the morning light." Mars took a dramatic pose to emphasize her next words. "She can more than take care of herself. And take care of evil beings like you as well."
Her eyes followed the demon as he leaped onto the awning above the door. They widened briefly in fear as she saw the arm-mounted blade come crashing down towards her. In desperation, not thinking the demon would be as agile as it proved to be, Sailor Mars threw her body backwards into a handspring, tumbling out of the way with the grace of a gymnast.
It was then that she heard the crash of thunder, and turned to watch in horror as the bolt struck the girl she was hoping to protect. Sailor Mars cried out her name, the world seeming to pass by in slow-motion as the green-haired girl was flung upward by the electrical blast and fell back to the ground once again. Damn him, she cursed at the fiend in her mind, thinking at first that he was the one that struck her with the elemental blast. Just as she was torn whether to press the assault or rush to Kalinka's side, to her amazement she saw the Mage alive and well, though her eyes were understandably full of tears. Even more amazingly, she had managed to arm herself with a weapon...
Kalinka seemed unharmed, and now could help to defend herself should their unholy adversary try to lay a hand on her again. That was good enough for Sailor Mars at the moment. Not daring to take her attention away from her enemy for any longer than needed to ensure Kalinka's safety, Rei's eyes turned once again to her demonic foe, quickly exchanging glances with Utena to try and coordinate their next move.
Glancing back at Rei, Utena gestured with her sword as subtly as she could, trying to indicate to her friend that she would be attacking the demon head on, as soon as she figured out the best way to charge him from her current position.
Strategy lessons from Tenou-sensei scrolled through her mind at lightning speed, as she evaulated the best way to disarm him first.
Rei's an exorcist, would it be best to just slow him down and let her handle it? Or should I...kill him?
With an equally subtle grin, Sailor Mars nodded her head back at the swordfighter. Thoughts as to what her strategy should be raced through her mind at random, Rei not having the luxury of being taught battle tactics like the Slayers had been as part of their curriculum. There's no way she'll even get close, no matter how skilled she is. That...thing has dozens of blades coming out of its back and its arms. I need to stop it somehow...
As Utena prepared her head-on assault, the miko once again reached for her warding scrolls. Grabbing a handful of the ofuda, Mars concentrated spiritual energy into the slips of paper, her violet eyes closing briefly as she began her chant. "Rin, pyou, tou, sha, kai, jin, retsu, sai, zen..."
Her eyes shot open with the final word of the Kuji-in, the channeled energy causing the paper scrolls to stand firm as a flash of energy surrounded them. Hearing these words of protection and banishment, the demon once again lashed its blades at the young priestess, hoping to disrupt her incantation. Several of the prehensile blades came crashing into the ground just in front of her, missing her by inches.
With a powerful leap, Sailor Mars launched herself into the air. "AKURYO TAISAN!" Eyes focused on her fiendish foe, she threw her charms through the rest of the oncoming blades before they could reach her or her demon-slaying counterpart.
Even without the whispers of the demonic tongues, the man knew more than enough about plans of battle and fighting demons on his own. It was part of the reason the Demon of Fury had stayed with him for so long. Utena was met with only enough stopping power to prevent her getting in range to do any real harm, which proved easier to accomplish from higher ground. However, they had perhaps misjudged the agility of the priestess in turn.
Kalinka had darted forward after flashes of the demon's hatred faded away, removing the thoughts of harming the other two girls that would never have been her own. What she said had been true, however, but she had no plans of allowing anyone to be hurt any more than she could help. Astrape fought away two of the blades meant for Utena, a third gripping at the hilt in the space between Kalinka's already bleeding hands.
Against the unnatural blades and acid covered limbs, the minor holy magic channeled by ofuda did very little. Those that landed were quickly eaten away, only serving to grant the creature more of its driving anger through pain. It was a somewhat different matter, however, as one passed through them onto the guarding hand of the man, and then a second found its way to his brow. After all, he was the center of their connection to the human world.
"If either of you, hurts the other, I won't, forgive you. St-stop," the green girl weakly threatened in a hushed tone, tears standing in her eyes as she struggled between blades and attempted to keep her weapon. "Stop, fighting..." As if it had obeyed, the demonic limb fell away, but when Kalinka's eyes went to her childhood friend again, she became worried at the newly erratic behavior of the demon itself.
Stumbling, Makoto's other hand went for the charm on his forehead, but either could not or did not choose to remove it. Diminishing, those demonic limbs not sunk into the roof retracted partly into flailing confusion, silencing their screams only once they had fallen limp for a time. In all this, he lost his balance, falling himself the short distance into Kalinka's arms that rushed to protect him what little they could.
The green-clothed girl fell to her weakened knees from the weight, silver and golden Astrape abandoned with a clatter but a foot away. Red hair on his head had become black again, and black blood covering his body had become red again. The man was simply a pathetically wounded little boy, dwarfed by his father's coat, both in Kalinka's mind and her eyes. When her fingers reached for the charm, his own guided them away, so she simply wiped some of the blood from his dulling eyes. "Makoto."
Makoto worried first for the pain his friend seemed to be in. "Did I hurt you?"
"No." Shaking her head, Kalinka ducked over him, holding him closer and glancing over his body. Besides the damage and exhaustion of a furious demon bursting out of him, Makoto was uninjured. "I think, everyone is okay. You're still short, though."
"And I doubt they're enjoying my company." He whispered.
"Mine, either." Kalinka gathered the boy up even closer. "But they'd have to kill me."
An incongruously gentle breeze blew Kalinka's words to Utena's ears, and her mouth firmed in a grim expression. Rising painfully from the tangle of limbs she'd fallen in to when the demon deflected her attack, she stood firm, feet planted far apart in a confident stance. Even as she did so, however, Utena lowered the Sword of Dios to her side, brushing dirt and blood away from her cheek.
"I'm not going to kill a classmate to slay a demon. This is obviously a stalemate, so I think it's time for a tactical retreat."
She looked over at Rei, hoping her fiery friend would acquiesce. For her own good, she would drag her down the stairs if she had to.
Sailor Mars stood up slowly, taking one knee first to gingerly place most of her body weight on her right leg. She had succeeded in the desperate attempt to get her charms past the demon's defenses, but at the price of a nasty stab wound to her left thigh and a few assorted scratches from glancing blows on her arms. Her uniform was ripped along one side, a gash that narrowly missed her ribs, but despite looking beaten and bruised the Sailor Soldier stood confidently, violet eyes turning to her foe to see if it had been paralyzed by her holy magic.
Not again...
She looked at the scene with horror, seeing how this "demon of fury" had reverted into a normal looking human, one that Kalinka was trying to protect as if she and Utena were the true enemy. Rei's mind immediately flashed back to the other child that Utena was forced to kill because it too had bonded with a demon. Her desire to vanquish her fiendish foe was softened only because of her vivid memory of just how badly it had pained Utena the previous time, though she eventually overcame that trauma and accepted it as a necessity.
Shock gave way to anger as she thought about how her and her best friend were risking their lives for a girl who ended up being on the demon's side in the end. She clenched her fists tightly as she heard Utena's words, fire still burning in her eyes as she watched Kalinka and Makoto standing there. Mars grumbled something unintelligible under her breath, muttering to herself that she'd just have to have a talk with that girl a little later on.
Reluctantly, she nodded in agreement with Utena, thinking for a demon this powerful she may have to also speak with Laurian or any of the other students that knew holy magic and that could help ward off and seal that demonic presence within the boy. In case the demon were to manifest itself once more, or if Kalinka were to suddenly decide to attack, Sailor Mars cautiously walked backwards as to not take her eyes off of her opponents. Once she stepped beyond the frame of the door and closed it between them, a muffled "Fire Soul" could be heard echoing through the stairwell as flames licked the heavy steel door, melting it closed around the edges such that they would not be followed.
"The Demon-slaying Prince is one of the best allies I could hope for," Sailor Mars shouted back at the man, showing nothing but confidence and determination despite her failed attack. "And she's damn good at what she does. Utena's the last person on this rooftop that needs to worry about whether she'll be alive or not come the morning light." Mars took a dramatic pose to emphasize her next words. "She can more than take care of herself. And take care of evil beings like you as well."
Her eyes followed the demon as he leaped onto the awning above the door. They widened briefly in fear as she saw the arm-mounted blade come crashing down towards her. In desperation, not thinking the demon would be as agile as it proved to be, Sailor Mars threw her body backwards into a handspring, tumbling out of the way with the grace of a gymnast.
It was then that she heard the crash of thunder, and turned to watch in horror as the bolt struck the girl she was hoping to protect. Sailor Mars cried out her name, the world seeming to pass by in slow-motion as the green-haired girl was flung upward by the electrical blast and fell back to the ground once again. Damn him, she cursed at the fiend in her mind, thinking at first that he was the one that struck her with the elemental blast. Just as she was torn whether to press the assault or rush to Kalinka's side, to her amazement she saw the Mage alive and well, though her eyes were understandably full of tears. Even more amazingly, she had managed to arm herself with a weapon...
Kalinka seemed unharmed, and now could help to defend herself should their unholy adversary try to lay a hand on her again. That was good enough for Sailor Mars at the moment. Not daring to take her attention away from her enemy for any longer than needed to ensure Kalinka's safety, Rei's eyes turned once again to her demonic foe, quickly exchanging glances with Utena to try and coordinate their next move.
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Strategy lessons from Tenou-sensei scrolled through her mind at lightning speed, as she evaulated the best way to disarm him first.
Rei's an exorcist, would it be best to just slow him down and let her handle it? Or should I...kill him?
Reply
As Utena prepared her head-on assault, the miko once again reached for her warding scrolls. Grabbing a handful of the ofuda, Mars concentrated spiritual energy into the slips of paper, her violet eyes closing briefly as she began her chant. "Rin, pyou, tou, sha, kai, jin, retsu, sai, zen..."
Her eyes shot open with the final word of the Kuji-in, the channeled energy causing the paper scrolls to stand firm as a flash of energy surrounded them. Hearing these words of protection and banishment, the demon once again lashed its blades at the young priestess, hoping to disrupt her incantation. Several of the prehensile blades came crashing into the ground just in front of her, missing her by inches.
With a powerful leap, Sailor Mars launched herself into the air. "AKURYO TAISAN!" Eyes focused on her fiendish foe, she threw her charms through the rest of the oncoming blades before they could reach her or her demon-slaying counterpart.
Reply
Kalinka had darted forward after flashes of the demon's hatred faded away, removing the thoughts of harming the other two girls that would never have been her own. What she said had been true, however, but she had no plans of allowing anyone to be hurt any more than she could help. Astrape fought away two of the blades meant for Utena, a third gripping at the hilt in the space between Kalinka's already bleeding hands.
Against the unnatural blades and acid covered limbs, the minor holy magic channeled by ofuda did very little. Those that landed were quickly eaten away, only serving to grant the creature more of its driving anger through pain. It was a somewhat different matter, however, as one passed through them onto the guarding hand of the man, and then a second found its way to his brow. After all, he was the center of their connection to the human world.
"If either of you, hurts the other, I won't, forgive you. St-stop," the green girl weakly threatened in a hushed tone, tears standing in her eyes as she struggled between blades and attempted to keep her weapon. "Stop, fighting..." As if it had obeyed, the demonic limb fell away, but when Kalinka's eyes went to her childhood friend again, she became worried at the newly erratic behavior of the demon itself.
Stumbling, Makoto's other hand went for the charm on his forehead, but either could not or did not choose to remove it. Diminishing, those demonic limbs not sunk into the roof retracted partly into flailing confusion, silencing their screams only once they had fallen limp for a time. In all this, he lost his balance, falling himself the short distance into Kalinka's arms that rushed to protect him what little they could.
The green-clothed girl fell to her weakened knees from the weight, silver and golden Astrape abandoned with a clatter but a foot away. Red hair on his head had become black again, and black blood covering his body had become red again. The man was simply a pathetically wounded little boy, dwarfed by his father's coat, both in Kalinka's mind and her eyes. When her fingers reached for the charm, his own guided them away, so she simply wiped some of the blood from his dulling eyes. "Makoto."
Makoto worried first for the pain his friend seemed to be in. "Did I hurt you?"
"No." Shaking her head, Kalinka ducked over him, holding him closer and glancing over his body. Besides the damage and exhaustion of a furious demon bursting out of him, Makoto was uninjured. "I think, everyone is okay. You're still short, though."
"And I doubt they're enjoying my company." He whispered.
"Mine, either." Kalinka gathered the boy up even closer. "But they'd have to kill me."
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"I'm not going to kill a classmate to slay a demon. This is obviously a stalemate, so I think it's time for a tactical retreat."
She looked over at Rei, hoping her fiery friend would acquiesce. For her own good, she would drag her down the stairs if she had to.
Reply
Not again...
She looked at the scene with horror, seeing how this "demon of fury" had reverted into a normal looking human, one that Kalinka was trying to protect as if she and Utena were the true enemy. Rei's mind immediately flashed back to the other child that Utena was forced to kill because it too had bonded with a demon. Her desire to vanquish her fiendish foe was softened only because of her vivid memory of just how badly it had pained Utena the previous time, though she eventually overcame that trauma and accepted it as a necessity.
Shock gave way to anger as she thought about how her and her best friend were risking their lives for a girl who ended up being on the demon's side in the end. She clenched her fists tightly as she heard Utena's words, fire still burning in her eyes as she watched Kalinka and Makoto standing there. Mars grumbled something unintelligible under her breath, muttering to herself that she'd just have to have a talk with that girl a little later on.
Reluctantly, she nodded in agreement with Utena, thinking for a demon this powerful she may have to also speak with Laurian or any of the other students that knew holy magic and that could help ward off and seal that demonic presence within the boy. In case the demon were to manifest itself once more, or if Kalinka were to suddenly decide to attack, Sailor Mars cautiously walked backwards as to not take her eyes off of her opponents. Once she stepped beyond the frame of the door and closed it between them, a muffled "Fire Soul" could be heard echoing through the stairwell as flames licked the heavy steel door, melting it closed around the edges such that they would not be followed.
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