Demon Archives: Chernabog. Created using Meloetta's Music Chi, Chernabog was a powerful Song Demon. He was originally sent to terrorize Planet Symphonia, but was put to sleep inside a volcano. He would awaken every year during La Melody Extravaganza and would need to be put to sleep again. During his slumber, Chernabog is only a baby. Waking him prematurely will result in more than deafened ears.
Part 3: Back to the Future
Los Angeles suburbs
The twilight wasn't as pretty that evening. The sky was a bloody shade of red, a shade that cast fear and doubt over those beneath it. Almost everyone, at least. "Check it out, Madeleine!" Nora Asahina pointed at the faint, red spires around the valley. "I think those are all Gaps to the Underworld. On one hand, they look kinda pretty from far away… but it's way creepier when you know what they are."
The child in question, a black-haired girl in a white dress, frowned somberly. "But it'll be alright!" Nora startled her with her upbeat shift in tone. "We'll beat up any old demon that pops up! But no reason to let a few holes interrupt our evening jog! So, let's keep thinning!"
As the tan-skinned Adabatian resumed running, the mute child followed the best that she could. Knowing how athletic and strong-legged Nora was, catching up was a foregone dream. Madeleine would only see Nora's back during their jogs. The suburbs were open and peaceful, a great place to go out and run. Madeleine's gaze was drawn up the radio tower, watching the towering structure slowly scroll by as they passed it. "!" Madeleine tripped. Looking back, her foot was arched over a fish lain on the ground. Mentally questioning this, Madeleine tried to push back up… only to realize her foot was glued to the fish. Furthermore, a string was tied around it.
Nora glanced backward, knowing her friend had trouble keeping up. "Huh?!" She stopped, fully turning. "Madeleine, you okay?"
Naturally, the child couldn't answer, but—the string began to drag the fish and her along with it. "MADELEINE!" Nora dashed, Madeleine frantically trying to grab the grass. She was being dragged to the base of the radio tower, where the ground was split and bent up into mounds, exposing a hole with a red light. Nora was a second too late, watching horrifically as Madeleine fell into the chasm. Nora knew she had to dive after her, or else Madeleine might be eaten by demons… but going alone could be reckless, too. She decided to run home to her teammates.
Sector V
Towering flames surrounded Christina in every direction. She started to wonder if she died in her sleep and wound up in the Underworld… but another part of her knew differently. "Welcome back, my young descendant." The horned silhouette loomed above her once more. "Pity that first meeting had to end so abruptly. But that's what you get with cheap magic."
"Hey, it's good old Bullface. Heh, did you see me? I totally scared off that demon pup."
"But it sounded like that battle was mostly a feint."
"Yeah, don't remind me."
"That doesn't mean the other Lords will let you pass easily. If you hope to survive, you'll need to-"
"Yeah, so give me some power already!"
"How rude. I like it. But you'll still have to take it for yourself!" Malladus hammered his fist, but Christina dodged and hammered her own atop it. It wasn't enough to force Malladus's down, the demon swiping her away. Christina woke with a gasp and ran from a ray he was burning along the ground. However, remembering what she did with those Heat Vision beams, and knowing what this trial entailed, Christina tried to grab the beam in her own bending. She winced under the intense heat, but was able to clasp the beam and try to shoot it back. The Demon King blocked with both claws and slammed them into the ground, sending a great wave of fire. Christina thrusted hands forward and split an opening through the wave, but Malladus's massive claws seized her in a clap.
"GAH! Son of a…" Christina's instinct was to struggle… but the grasp of the Demon King felt weirdly gentler than it should be. They were soft, fleshy, and kind of smelled like a child's palms. In fact, they smelled like…
She found herself between two pairs of giant fingers, light poking between them as they swayed softly. Chris looked between them and saw the underside of a familiar, oversized head. "Mali?!"
"Hm?" The child opened her upper hand. "Chris-chan! You're awake!"
Christina remembered agreeing to settle down for a nap. At some point, Mali must have picked her up, wanting to rock her like a baby doll. The giant sat in the middle of the living room, the others immersed in their own activities. A song was playing through the radio; she recognized the voice of Serena from Sector SG, and the song was apparently called "Affection" based on the repetition of the word. "So, we're just hangin' out, doin' nothin', huh?"
"Nuh-uh! We were in Laruta's room, exercising. We gots to be ready to beat up the demons!"
"Heh, you're the last one that should be talking about that. If you saw that spider dude we just fought, you'd pee your pants."
"Nuh-uh! …Well, maybe 'uh-huh.' The demons sound really scary… but I gots to help, too. I know I'm not strong like you, but big girls have to protect their friends from bullies. Even if I gots to hurt the bullies… I can't be scared."
Christina smirked. For a big baby, Mali could sound pretty brave sometimes. "AHOY!" Shimmy exclaimed, bursting through the balcony door with a wide, almost-flat box. "The pizza's here! Let's dig in!"
"YAY!" Mali cheered. "Christina's awake, too! She can eat with us!"
"Good evening, Chris!" Jason grinned. "Hope you don't mind a pizza dinner!"
"Dinner?" Chris climbed off Mali. "Is it already nighttime?"
"Yep." Isabelle answered. "You were out like a light. You and Silica." The Shandian approached the gamer on the couch, her snores audible against the radio. "Sill! Wake up!" Isabelle kicked her.
"Snort, hmt, whuh?" Silica cracked awake.
"You up for pizza, girl?"
"Pizza? I just had fries…"
"Yes, we could smell them the whole time you were asleep." Laruta retorted. "Brush your teeth after this."
"Hey, Trella, is that Lyserg guy still around?" Isabelle asked.
Yeah! He's up there.
"Well, tell him to get in his Gigai and eat with us. I'm sure he has it laying around somewhere."
"I don't really need to eat." Lyserg said.
"If you're gonna spy on us, you should eat with us!" Trella yelled. "Now, get your ghostly butt down here!"
"It'll be a waste of food if my Gigai eats it. But fine, I'll get in it, anyway."
The friends sat around the table, sharing a super-sized pizza. Granted, half was for each of the others and the other half was for Mali. But since Laruta couldn't eat cheese, she settled for some vegetable soup. "We're really thankful to you for helping Chris and Silica, Lyserg." Laruta smiled.
"It's part of my job, after all. No thanks are necessary."
"You heard him, Lar." Chris remarked.
"You said you work for the Divine Angels." Isabelle said. "Who are they?"
"The law enforcement of the Spirit World. They're separate from the Spirit KND that work up there, but we enact the same purpose of subduing evil spirits or demons."
"How long have you been with them?"
"Just two years… though I actually died six years ago."
"That recent?"
"Don't get the wrong idea. When you die, you're not allowed to speak to friends or loved ones you knew in life. I'd rather not talk about my original life, anyway… After I began to train under my master, I developed my Zanpakutō, Morphine. That's the chain thing you two saw. Morphine is able to dowse for targets, and it can home in on close by enemies. I can also strike projectiles and make them home in on enemies."
"And a Zanpako is…?" Christina asked.
"A Zanpakutō is a sword that all spirits gain. It allows them to use special abilities."
"Cool!" Ralph perked up. "What other kinds of Zanpakutō are there?"
"Too many to talk about. Anyway, I've informed my fellow Angels about Diablo's pillars. Now that they know to search for his brethren, I'm sure they'll be able to breach his lair soon."
"That don't mean I'm fine with letting some divine nobodies fight my battles. Frankly, after that rest, I'm ready to take on another Demon Lord."
"Just because we lucked out today, it doesn't mean the case will be the same for the others."
"Maybe, but we've already decided to help Christina through this." Laruta said. "The problem is we don't really have a way to get to the other demons' territories…"
"By the way, dope job takin' out that demon, Sill." Chris smirked. "You're a real demon yourself! I knew there was a reason I liked you."
"Yeah, someone's gotta pay for your meals."
"Yeah, yeah… but seriously, thanks for the help back there." She lightly kicked Silica's leg, the gamer hiding her smile.
"And that was 'Affection' feat. Sector SG!" the voice of Mack Strongarm announced through the radio. "Everyone likes some good old affection in the evening! And what gives affection like good friends to rest with! Unless of course you're Christina, haha!"
"WHAT?!" Chris immediately shot up to the radio. "You got a lotta nerve dissin' me on live radio, Face-mat!"
"I mean, I'd hate to live in the same treehouse as HER! I bet she stays up playing loud rock-and-roll, pranks her friends in their sleep, and she prob'ly steals most of the dinner, too! Talk about a monster to live with, amirite?"
"OH, I SHOULDA SQUISHED YOU WHEN I HAD THE CHANCE! I ain't gonna put up with that, I'm gonna put you in your place!" The Uno grabbed Ralph by the collar and dragged him. "We're goin' to Sector L, Ralph!"
"Christina!" Laruta shouted. "You can't go on a revenge flight in the middle of pizza dinner!"
"She's going, anyway." Isabelle sighed. "Well, I guess I'll go with them. Just to keep her out of trouble."
"That's my job." Lyserg said, rushing to join them.
"I did my best friend work for the day, so I'm just gonna chill." Silica decided.
"Yeah, me too." Shimmy agreed. "Good luck, Ralph!"
"It was pretty rude of Mack to do that." Laruta said. "'Guess he hasn't lost his habits…"
Underworld
Clawthorne's return to his lair was accompanied by an anxious, multi-way call. The other Demon Lords projected from their respective devices… along with another demon from a crystal ball. He was thin with a proportionately small, skull-like head with long horns and four arms. "CLAWTHORNE! You stupid dog! I can no longer feel Azmodan's presence. Explain yourself immediately!"
"Uh, hehehehe. Funny story, actually. So, I had this plan to try and catch the Uno princess, and I thought me and Azmodan could take her, but this other mortal girl a spirit boy came with her, and the two of them sorta… killed Azmodan?"
"WHAT?! You expect me to believe he was done in by two whelps?! Diablo didn't even sap that much of his chi! And what of the princess?!"
"I had her on the ropes, but more of her friends showed up and I didn't have enough strength to fight them. So, I had to make a strategic-"
"COWARDLY!"
"-retreat. Hey!"
"Hakukukuku!" Aku laughed. "I expected nothing more from a newbie Lord! You were as FOOLISH as I thought!"
"I'm surprised you care so dearly, Mephisto." HIM echoed. "You and Azmodan were always arguing. And to lose to two children is simply disgraceful."
"Says the guy who used to get his butt kicked by kindergartners!" Alastor retorted.
"I was only PLAYING with them. They never truly defeated me." HIM hissed in his darker tone.
"That's not what I'm hearing, crabby! Either way, these kids sound like a wallop! I think I'll try my hand at trapping them. This cute little fish I caught should help with that."
"See to it that Duriel stays protected." Mephisto ordered. "There's a chance those children know what our purpose is."
"Now, Mephy, don't you know your friends at all? They wouldn't hear the end of it if they hid from a pack of children. Besides, the challenge wouldn't be as fun if I didn't invite him!"
"Well, you have fun with that." Aku said. "In the meantime, I think I'll stage my own attack. There's another sector I've got my eye on…" The shadow demon disappeared.
"Diablo was foolish to trust any of you." Mephisto growled. "Clawthorne… once my brother is finished, don't expect to go unpunished for your failure! If you'd like to lessen the burden, you'd best start crushing some kids! Same goes to the rest of you."
Mephisto disappeared. "Fuck you, too, Mephy!" Alastor teased before cutting transmission.
Sector L
"Even though it's daytime for treehouses in the eastern hemisphere." Mack said with a slurp of kid-friendly coffee. "But who cares about time zones?"
"Not Nora, that's for sure." Erin yawned, drinking some milk.
"MAAAAACK!" The door to the hangar seemed to combust into flame, scaring the two into spewing out their drinks. Mack had no time to face the intruder before Christina grabbed and slammed him to the floor. "Were you trying to start a fight with me, you little prick?!"
"OW! The heck do you mean?! I haven't seen you for a week!"
"You dissed me on the radio, smartass!"
"WHAT?! I didn't say anything about you!"
"It's true." Erin replied. "I was here the whole time…"
"Yeah, so get the frick off me!"
"Nuh-uh, I'm pretty sure that was your voice! I dunno who you're tryin' to fool, but I ain't in the mood for this. Didn't you hear what happened to my dad?"
"Yeah, Perry told us." Erin replied, using waterbending to douse the burning passage. "Uncle Chris was captured by a dangerous demon…"
"Yeah, and I'd feel bad for you if you weren't taking it out on me!" Mack argued.
"Then say you're sorry for that little broadcast!"
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
"ERIIIIIN!" They were hit with immediate déjà vu, except instead of fire, the living room entrance was blown through by a cyclone of water, and Erin Horvitz was tackled by Nora Asahina. "ERIN! Madeleine fell in a hole! She tripped on a ground fishy and fell! Oh, hi, Sector V."
"Who's Madeleine?" Isabelle asked. "And what do you mean she fell in a hole?"
"She's that girl we adopted last month." Erin answered.
"Yeah!" Nora continued. "So, we were jogging by the radio tower when she got her foot stuck to a little fishy on the ground. It was being pulled on a string, so Madeleine went with it, and she wound up falling into a hole under the tower! And not just any hole… it was one of those Underworld Gaps!"
"Where is it?!" Christina asked, finally getting off Mack.
"Don't even THINK about going!" Lyserg marched in. "This was obviously an elaborate trap designed to lure you here! I have a feeling the Radio Demon, Alastor is behind this. That message must've been fabricated by him. I'll contact the Divine Angels and ask them to rescue your friend."
"The divine who?" Nora cocked a brow. "And who is this guy?"
"It's too late for that, Lysy!" Christina fist-palmed. "We have our next mission now!"
"You seriously wanna fight through another demon's lair?" Isabelle asked. "After you just did one?"
"I took a nap, didn't I? Either way, I'm going. The sooner we trash these demons, the sooner we can save Dad."
"And I wanna go down there ASAP!" Nora insisted. "I don't want Madeleine to be demon food! She's too sweet!"
"But you guys don't have Seastone Rings!" Isabelle said. "Uncle Raymond gave each one in our sector rings. We need to call the others here."
"If you guys wanna get started, one of you can borrow my ring." Ralph offered. "It ain't that I'm scared or anything, I'd just feel safer going in with everyone, hehe."
"I wouldn't wanna go with her on a mission either, man." Mack shrugged, smiling wryly.
"I guess I'll reserve a pounding for both of you later." Chris stated. "But fine, you might as well give your ring to Nora. Waterbending's effective against demons, right?"
"I swear, you're all so frustrating." Lyserg pinched his temples. "I have no choice but to accompany this little venture regardless… man, Lady Jeanne is going to kill me."
"So, one quick question." Mack requested. "What're those rings for, exactly?"
"To keep the Underworld's air from draining our stamina." Isabelle answered. "Dr. Facilier gave them to us. They're embedded with Water Crystals."
"Fascinating… Erin, you think your mom is up for taking us on a quick trip to Oceana? I'd like to know if the Merman KND has any technology we could borrow."
"Why that all of a sudden?"
"I mean, it should be pretty obvious when you think about what we just learned."
"What a prick." Chris huffed. "C'mon, let's get going."
Radio tower
Nora led the volunteers to the very Gap she described. With one last courageous breath, Christina, Nora, Isabelle, and Lyserg dove in. (Play "Alastor's Game Instrumental" from Hazbin Hotel.)
The red sky was murky through the dense fog. The silhouettes of dozens of radio towers loomed beyond the fog, and a retro song resounded across the air. "Yick. This place is way dingier than the owl place." Isabelle said.
"'Guess the Radio Demon don't take good care of his crib." Chris shrugged. "We got nothin' to be scared of."
"As soon as we have Madeleine, I'm grabbing you all in my Morphine and carrying us out." Lyserg stated. "Fighting Alastor is too risky. We aren't even sure if one of the Pillars is in this region."
"We might not get a choice. Honestly, I kind of wish Laruta were here now. She makes a good cannon."
"Is that the only thing you like about her?" Isabelle asked.
"That's what teamwork is, right?"
"Boy, Mack was right about you…" Nora said half-lowly.
"'SCUSE ME?!" Chris spun to her with flaming eyes.
"Uh, I think I hear Madeleine crying! Let's hurry!" Nora pointed forth in fright.
"I thought she was mute-" Isabelle said.
"LET'S HURRY!!"
Stage 3: Tombstone Radio
Mission: Save the gullible fish girl~
The friends traveled along an alley-like path, Nora leading the charge with a jog. Unfortunately, electric fences would spring up from random spots, the first one zapping the spritely Adabatian. Enraged, Nora used Water Slices to dice the fences up. One such fence blocked a secret room to the left, containing a Caged Soul. When they reached the radio studio's pavilion, a Merenguy ambushed them; a purple, dancing demon with eyeball pom-poms. The kids were forced to look at the hypnotic monster while Earjack demons blasted them from behind. An angered Christina burned the Merenguy to ashes, allowing them to face the earphone demons and snap them in half. The entrance to the studio was a pitch-black corridor, but as they walked deep into it, static flashed around them, and the grinning, white visage of a demon with red eyes and hair loomed before them.
"Tonight's special broadcast, four gutsy children charge steadfast into a studio of death to save a sweet little fish! How will their venture go? Well, if they were dumb enough to jump down here, I don't have much faith!" The illusion vanished as a misty red hallway splayed before them. They could only progress forward as Monoeyes burst out of doors along the sides, the four dodging their energy balls and destroying the eyeball beasts. They traveled the hallway for a long while until Monoeyes got tired of appearing.
"Okay, we're obviously in an endless loop." Lyserg said. "Maybe we're supposed to go through these doors."
"Let's try this one!" Nora kicked open a door and charged through, the others following. However, they wound up in another, similar hallway.
"I think we're missing something." Isabelle reasoned. "You know, this place is mostly prominent with Sound Chi. Maybe that's the secret…" The Shandian sidled by the doors and listened for any discrepancies. She heard some radio gargling behind one of them and opened it. They discovered a studio room with Miniblin operating it, but Isabelle easily took them out with Song Beams.
"Oh my gosh, what are you doing?!" A short, cyclops demon with bright red hair and a pink skirt with a poodle silhouette came in, rushing to sweep up the debris resulted by the attack. "Barging into Alastor's studio, killing his hard-working Miniblin! Where are your parents, you children are crazy!"
"For your information, my dad's being killed by Alastor's boss!" Christina stomped over the cyclops imposingly. "And you better take us to him if you don't want that eye of yours jabbed out."
"EEEK!" Niffty zipped through the next door in a blink. "I guess that way." Isabelle said.
"So, Alastor's a Radio Demon?" Nora asked. "I've never heard of that."
"He was born in 1933." Lyserg answered. "He has the power to hijack radio waves in the Mortal World and broadcast horrible and traumatic events. Afterwards, he feeds off the misery of those listening."
"And I guess he can mimic voices like he did Mack." Christina figured.
"As you can expect, his main power relies on Sound Chi. But he uses other energybending techniques, too."
"Hold on, what's energybending?" Nora asked. "Do we know anyone with that?"
"It's an art that all spirits can use. You mortals are born with single elements, sometimes two, but energybending involves controlling the pure chi of the Spirit World. We use techniques that involve projecting different element forms or just the energy in its raw form. The mages of the Mortal World are similar."
"Sounds harder to learn than waterbending. Multiple elements and all."
"Well, benders with single elements can use those elements to greater potential than we could."
"'kay, lecture over, on with the stage." Chris ushered. They headed through the new door, overlooking an abyss where they were required to jump satellite-topped radio towers. The other platforms were too far to jump, but Isabelle could strum Song Roads to carry them. Christina also had to punch the satellites to turn them flat, making them standable. Amidst their flight, floating mouth demons, called Mik, levitated around them, microphones attached to their chin. "NO YA WOOOON'T~" They all repeated this phrase with rockstar voices, spewing soundwaves, but Lyserg easily pierced them down by bending Morphine at precise angles.
They landed safely on a platform guarded by Moblin wielding microphone spears. Chris and Nora destroyed them with their elements; the former's fire was already deadly to them, but Nora's water seemed to dehydrate the muscular demons. The pure water of the Mortal World truly was effective against them. The group proceeded rightward, where several Alastor squares were lodged into the wall above the abyss. The squares laughed and popped out as platforms, which would slowly retract. The friends jumped them, but when other squares threatened to push them off, Christina socked them back with her fist. "Looks like our valiant rascals are crossing the Laughing Wall! It doesn't sound like they have quite the sense of humor as those delightful platforms."
The platforms escalated vertically, the friends cautious in their jumps until they reached a safe ledge. From there, Isabelle would strum a Song Road to carry them down an abyss passage, Christina punching back whatever Laughing Walls tried to ruin their rhythm. They landed on a platform before a misty passage, and it was there they reunited with Niffty. "AAH! How'd you jerks cross all that?! Leave me alone!" She raced into the fog. Lyserg insisted everyone link up using Morphine so they wouldn't get lost. Isabelle's keen eyesight could make out Niffty's shadow, so they thought it best to follow her path to navigate the fog. Shadowed demons ambush them in the meantime, but Chris scared them away with some fire.
"Slow down, you!" Lyserg lashed Morphine to prick Niffty, the cyclops yelping and squirming to free herself. She was able to, dashing away from her pursuers. Thankfully, they made it out of the fog, finding a half-circle of doors around them. "This again." Isabelle sighed. "'Guess I'll just have to listen for-" But when she approached a random door, a cage sprung out on a spring and trapped her. Nora quickly sliced it open before it could reel her back.
"The same trick might not work again." Lyserg said. "But I have a new trick. Now that I've struck her, my Morphine can dowse for her." The spear head aimed at a certain door. He approached it himself and opened, Niffty yelping upon being caught and running up the passage. The crew used this cue to continue. The door led them outside above a chasm, the four aghast at a massive radio that seemed to fade up the foggy sky. "I feel a couple strong presences up there…"
"This place does feel like a boss setup!" Chris shrugged. "Up we go!"
The group stepped onto a large, horizontal stereo, a group of spiked notes with wicked smirks hanging in the air above. The stereo burst a strong soundwave that propelled them to the air; only then did they realize they had to be in a position that wouldn't put them in the Bad Notes' way. Christina quickly blasted fire up before she could hit them while Isabelle bent herself to avoid the spikes. They tried again with better awareness to reach the next stereo. They repeated the action for two more stereos, dodging the Bad Notes as they landed on a safe platform.
A group of Miniblin were piloting flying boomboxes, surrounding the group and shooting soundwaves mixed with bullets. Isabelle used her bending to counter the waves while Lyserg used Morphine to shoot them down, the Boomships nimbly evading him. "That reminds me, there's a new trick I wanted to try." Christina pulled out some gum and began to chew. She puffed and blew gum bubbles that would explode, damaging the Boomships. Once the crafts took the plunge into the chasm, the team searched for a way to climb the tower. They saw a rolled-up ladder further up, so Lyserg shot Morphine to drag it down. They climbed the ladder to a winding walkway, where Armos were bouncing down. Lyserg knew the statue monsters were weak in the back, so he angled Morphine to stab their backs and shatter the Armos, allowing for a safe passage up.
The walkway ended at a bridge leading away from the tower. Their gazes were forced downward at a Merenguy underneath the grated bridge. The underside was blockaded on the sides, preventing Lyserg's Morphine from getting in, and a platform carried the Merenguy forward. As they were forced to look at the hypnotic demon, Boomships flew overhead and dropped bombs. Chris and Nora raised "umbrellas" with their elements and blocked the bombs. At one point in the bridge, Lyserg saw an opening in the blockade, so he angled Morphine inside and guided it into the Merenguy, killing it.
With the hypnosis dispelled, they were able to face up at some large satellite platforms. They jumped to the first one and felt it tilt under their weight. "How do we reach the other ones?" Nora asked, seeing how high the other satellites were.
"Isabelle, Lice, stand on this side." Christina requested. "Nora, I need your help on this side. Lice, wrap that chain thing around us."
Not sure whether he liked that nickname, Lyserg wrapped Morphine around Chris and Nora. Both girls leapt above their side of the platform and dealt a double Ground Pound, Chris's fists and Nora's Fanalis legs dealing enough force to fling the other two toward the next satellite. Lyserg pulled them with using Morphine. The second satellite had two Plungelos marching around it; they were ball-shaped, red birds with plunger feet and sprout antennas. The Plungelos were pushed back by Nora's water, trying to balance on the edge of the platform, but were ultimately kicked off by the Adabatian. Before repeating the Ground Pound combo, Isabelle noticed the floating Cage Soul above the previous satellite. They flung Isabelle to break the cage, the Shandian gliding back to the platform.
They flung to the third satellite where four Plungelos marched about, along with two Boomships surrounding them. Nora took care of the Plungelos while the others dealt with the annoying ships. Their destination seemed to be a platform with a stairway leading up the tower, so Chris and Nora flung everyone toward it. The stairs led to a grated bridge. (End song.)
A thin demon in a red pinstripe coat and the same head as the Radio Demon sat on a throne at the end of the bridge. He held a cane with a vintage-style microphone attached. Above him, Nora gasped, recognizing Madeleine as she hung upside-down via a rope around her ankle, the other leg hanging out. She was miserable as blood flowed to her head. "Say, Niffty, how long's a demon gotta wait for his guests to arrive? I don't wanna start a meal without 'em, but I'm dying of hunger here!"
"That's him! The Radio Demon!" Lyserg gasped.
"So, he actually sounds like that?" Chris asked. "That muffly voice wasn't just through the radio?"
"And that's Madeleine…" Nora said hoarsely.
"I'll grab her!" Lyserg bent Morphine at rampant angles and tried to cut Madeleine's rope, but she was reeled higher up the tower and through the fog. Alastor sliced through the air with a thin soundwave and cut Morphine in its tracks, Madeleine lowering back down.
"Crud! We have to get closer!" Isabelle grit her teeth. "But he might have other-"
"I'M COMING, MADELEINE!" Nora bolted forth against the other's protests; except Christina found it admirable.
Several stereos rose from the abyss, surrounding the bridge. "SAY—KIDS—COULD—I—TREAT—YOU—TO—SOME—OF—MY—MOM'S—COOKING? SHE—MAKES—A—MEAN—HINOX—GUT—CASEROLE…"
His voice reverberated through the stereos in a loud, distorted fashion. The friends clamped ears shut, but even this wasn't enough as the ripples of sound diced their skin and clothes. Nora was determined to dash forth regardless, but Alastor blocked the kick of her strong Fanalis leg with his cane. He conjured a Spirit Fireball and blasted her backward, but Christina came rocketing over her fallen form. "PERSONAL—SPACE—KID—I—DON'T—LIKE—BEING—TOUCHED…" He bent the soundwaves in a way that created a barrier, blocking Chris's fiery wrath.
"You could do with a sound editor!" Isabelle began to strum her harp with intense finesse. The notes swirled around her and spread out, becoming a field of relaxing harmony that mitigated the noise.
"That's my girl!" Chris smirked in relief, blasting a wave of fire at Alastor. The demon leapt partway up the tower, using his mike to shoot thin, condensed soundwaves. Christina chewed some more gum and blew bubble bombs, the first few damaging Alastor. The aggravated demon poofed into smoke, respawning behind Chris and thwacking her off the platform.
"CHRISTINA!" Nora screamed. Lyserg looked up in worry after using Morphine to destroy the stereos.
"Hold your tears!" Chris replied, regaining herself with a Rocket Boost. "It'll take more than that to-"
A pair of giant pitch-black claws SNAPPED Christina trapped inside a skull-shaped, glass container. "The frick?!" she yelled in a muffled voice. She tried to punch and melt through the glass, but no fire sparked.
"WOWIE!" Alastor exclaimed. "I didn't see that coming! Who designed THIS brilliant trap? …Seriously, who? This wasn't in the script."
"I hope you don't mind, Alastor." The kids were horrified as the owner of the claws, a towering shadowy demon with a flaming beard and eyebrows, rose from the fog. "I was just in the neighborhood and thought you might be needing some help."
"AKU?! What're you doing here, glory hound, I thought you were going to attack a different sector?"
"I had Demongo start on that. And, on my way here, I couldn't help but think of what Mephisto said… about how it was foolish to trust us. If Diablo absorbs both halves of Malladus and becomes powerful, how do we know he won't betray us later?"
"That's quite the proclamation, Treetop. Where ya goin' with this?"
"Who is this guy?!" Nora asked.
"One of the allied Demon Lords! Let Christina go!" Lyserg directed Morphine at the arm holding Chris's cage.
Aku swiftly morphed himself as necessary to evade his attacks, casually resuming the conversation. "I was just thinking we should hold onto this child for a while. Put her someplace safe until we know what we're bargaining for."
"YOU DARE betray Lord Diablo's orders?!" a new voice roared from the heavens.
Isabelle squinted her eyes through the fog. "There's another demon up there! And it's got Madeleine on a fishing pole!"
A huge, maggot-like demon crawled down the tower, dangling the child. "Do you think he'll forgive you for this treachery?! Bring the princess to him now or we'll show you true pain!"
"Duriel the Maggot King!" Lyserg exclaimed. "He's one of Diablo's pillars!"
"Grah! Let, me, out of here!" Christina's efforts to punch her prison resulted in fatigue. "I… can't breathe…"
"What's wrong, little one?" Aku teased. "Can't mold your firebending in my airtight prison? Perhaps you need to stretch your wings for a change." The demon condensed himself and morphed into a winged form, using a single claw on his bottom to carry Christina away.
"I can't let him take her!" Lyserg took flight after them.
"HEY! WHAT ABOUT US?!" Nora screamed.
"Tch…" The spirit stopped himself. His job was to protect Christina, but he couldn't just leave these two to fight for themselves…
"A moral dilemma! A dramatic classic!" Alastor beamed, flicking Sound Slices at Isabelle, who swiftly dodged while countering with her own notes. "What'll be his answer? Will he choose the relevant chosen child or the irrelevant tag-alongs?"
"Mr. Alastor! Mister!" The cyclops, Niffty came scrambling onto the bridge. "There's trouble! We have more intruders!"
"Will the surprises never stop? I can't keep making so many schedule adjustments!"
What seemed like a large mech leapt onto the grated bridge. Its feet were like fish fins, its head was a conch-shell, and it had a merman tail with a cannon embedded, along with water pumps. "Did I hear that right? Christina got captured? That doesn't sound like her at all!"
"MACK?!" Nora recognized the voice.
The Sector L scientist, along with Erin, were seen inside the mech's cockpit. "We borrowed some technology from the merpeople and flew here quick as we could! Hey, Madeleine, how about a taste of home?!" Mack aimed the tail cannon up at Duriel and fired a waterball, singing the Maggot King as he dropped Madeleine's fishing pole. Nora leapt to catch the sick child in her arms.
"AAAAGH! Infidels! This is saltwater!"
"Bingo!" Mack tapped his brain. "It hurts way more than normal water for you guys! As a bonus, this cockpit is saltwater-scented, so we don't gotta worry about this Underworld air!"
"You made it just in time!" Isabelle smiled. "Lyserg, go help Christina! We got this covered!"
"Alright!" The spirit resumed his flight.
Aku descended to an open valley and morphed into "Akar"; a black car with his face at the front and Chris's cage in the trunk. "This reminds me of a classic song!" Aku said. "Hit the road, Jack! And don't you come back no more, no more, no more! It touches me on a personal level, you—SOOOOW!"
The demon was suddenly rammed by a 92 Red Ferrari Testarossa, causing Akar to flip over and Chris to bounce out of his trunk. The wild sensation worsened the dehydrated girl's condition. "That's the Uno child." said Marco, the blonde, spectacled Angel driving the car. "What is she doing here?"
"It seems this task was beyond Lyserg's power…" An iron maiden in the trunk spoke with a girl's voice.
"A Divine Angel?" Aku glared. "Wait…" Seeing the iron maiden in the back, the demon tensed up in worry. He knew of a certain spirit among the Divine Angels, one that called herself the Iron Maiden. She was among the strongest Angels… "Who are you?!"
"I am Jeanne… Leader of Angel Division X. You, Aku, are guilty of crimes against the samurai of Feudal Japan, for breaching your prison, and the kidnapping of the Uno princess. You shall be thoroughly…" Tears of blood leaked from the maiden's eyes, "punished."
"Yes, yes, ahem…" Akar grew an arm with a phone. "Hey, Alastor, it's me. Can I ask you to come out here? I might need some help…"
…
Though Isabelle's harmonic harp could soften the air rippled by Alastor's radio waves, her own Song Beams did little damage to the Demon Lord. Alastor twirled his cane at every necessary interval to block her attacks, poofing behind Isabelle in an attempt to whack her. Isabelle listened for the puffs and would trust her fleet feet to save her from the demon. But she didn't account for Alastor muting his own poof, surprising her from above and stamping her in the head upon landing. "ISABELLE!" Nora lashed Water Slices at Alastor, who evaded and rebutted with soundwaves.
"Your little angel here put on quite the performance, but she's a few decades behind to measure up to the master."
"Maybe I am, but…" Isabelle pushed herself up, head aching. "But we're not gonna let you have your way. Where's that shadow demon taking Christina?!"
"I have a nifty feeling I know where. And it's not because Niffty's up there." He pointed up at his cyclops assistant. "And if I'm right, there's nothing you can do to-?" His walky-talky rang. Alastor answered, "Yello? Aku, how do ya do? Don't tell me you already lost her. …Huh? Oh, dear, that's quite the pickle. Welp, I'll be sure to come to your funeral! Alright, alright, I'll do ya this one favor. Duriel, I need to step out, you got this covered, right?" Alastor leapt off the tower and stretched his tux like a glider.
"Where are you going, you imbecile?!"
"Come on, you're not scared of no mortals, are ya? A demon knows no banes, something, something! Niffty, start my dinner!"
"He's leaving?" Mack questioned.
"Did Lyserg catch up with that other demon?" Nora wondered.
"Then we'll need to punish BOTH of them later." Duriel hissed. "After I'm through with you morsels!" (Play "King Coal" from Banjo-Tooie!)
Boss fight: Duriel
The Maggot King charged at Mack's Shellhead, the mech dodging as its left crab claw grabbed Duriel's left claw. The salt-laced pincers drew a cry out of Duriel, but Mack's action would come with a drawback as the claw began to freeze. "You're an icebender?!"
"I'll stop it!" Erin focused her bending through the glass and unfroze the claw, but Duriel was ready to shove them off the platform. Mack used the claws to grab the edge, clambering sideways and away from Duriel's spreading ice. Mack was able to climb back up, aiming the tail cannon at Duriel and blasting a stream of water—Duriel froze it in midair and thwacked the ice chunk at them, Mack defending. "Erin, focus bending over our water and make it heat up! That should mitigate his ice!" The Shellhead clutched the ice chunk and clashed it with Duriel's claws, the ice shattering after meeting its limit. Erin focused her chi over their water and willed it to heat, so amidst dodging Duriel's frosted slashes, Mack whipped the Shellhead's tail in a diagonal slash and sprayed a thin, forceful jut of water. If the saltwater wasn't painful enough, the added heat wasn't healthy for the Ice-type demon.
"Icebending isn't the only thing I can do!" Duriel faced his rump toward them, an eye budding on its tip. As Mack and Erin gazed disgustedly at the eye, the boy's vision began to distort.
"W-what the?!" Mack gasped, feeling himself shrink and morph. "I-I-I'm…" The realization of who he became disgusted him. "I'M LARUTA?! HULP!" A bottle of milk was shoved into his mouth. He was dwarfed by a clone of himself, smirking wryly. Though he was still confused, Mack was hit with déjà vu. He remembered forcing Laruta to drink milk… and what happened was-
His stomach churned horrendously; he could feel his insides swelling like a balloon. He wanted desperately to find a bathroom, but he could never reach one in time. An explosion of gas and digested matter erupted from his rear. "Mack!" Erin screamed, seeing her friend become sickened and gripping his behind. "Mack, what's happening?! Are you o-" Duriel began to freeze their Shellhead.
"Durororororo! My Zanpakutō, Innocent Blood, lets you feel the pain of those you've wronged! The innocents you've hurt will have their vengeance!"
"You should eat your own medicine!" Nora spun and lashed a Water Whip at Duriel's eye, shutting it as Mack recovered from his trance. Nora's strong Fanalis leg stamped and bent one of Duriel's legs, the girl leaping away when the demon tried to freeze her. She then ran to unfreeze the Shellhead. "I need to keep Madeleine safe," she noted the child strapped to her back, "but I'll try my best to help! You two okay?"
Mack could still feel the sloppy, disgusting mess in his pants, but wasn't sure if it was real or a residual illusion. "Th-thanks, Nora." Mack divided the merman tail in half, becoming smaller cannons that rotated and shot Duriel from random angles. Duriel emitted ice armor to withstand the water, but Nora ran near him to melt it. The demon flashed his rear eye at Nora, who shut her eyes from its gaze. Mack stretched the left claw to clench Duriel's rump, afterwards reeling their mech toward the maggot and gouging the other claw into the rump. He let go before Duriel's ice could take effect, afterwards shooting a quick gush at his head. Duriel roared and charged the mech, their claws linking in struggle as the Shellhead's began to freeze. As Mack readied to shoot him once more, the eyeball suddenly sprouted in Duriel's mouth, Mack too late to close his eyes before the power overtook him.
Mack transformed into Perry, looking at his own body holding the shrink ray. "Oh, no…" He knew exactly what he was in for as he was reduced to an ant's size. Right then, he was forced to live through the fear, humiliation, and pain Mack had put Perry through all over again, suffering at the hands of his unaware fellow operatives. Mack's trance left him helpless to Duriel puncturing the windshield with his claws, Nora slashing Water Slices at them while Erin took hold of the wheel and tried to pull the mech back.
"Mack, snap out of it!" Erin pled, shaking him in hope it would help. "Nora, hit the eye in his mouth!"
"Go ahead and try!" Duriel shot his face down to Nora, flashing his eye. Nora felt herself transform into Erin, holding onto Nora as the Adabatian swam with motorboat speed. Nora often carried Erin on her back during swimming ventures, but she didn't know why—"Erin" lost her grip and fell back to Nora's ankles, but in trying to hold onto them, the speedy swimmer was left unawarely kicking her best friend's face. Nora immediately remembered this innocent accident and the felt the pain Erin had to endure. Duriel thrusted his claw at Nora, but Erin had climbed out of the Shellhead and ran to shove her away. "Durororo! You left the safety of your shell, eh?!"
"At least the Underworld's curse doesn't work on me!" Erin's mom had reminded her that, as the Ocean King's descendants, they were also immune to the draining air.
Mack, however, had fallen helpless on the floor of his mech, struggling to escape the nightmare he put Perry through. Why did he have to be reminded of this… he'd already been punished for what he did to Perry, and Mack still felt bad for it. He only wanted to show Perry how Mack always felt as his own mother's guinea pig, how it felt to be so powerless. …And it was on that same day Mack opened up to his fellow operatives. The people who always seemed to hate him opened their ears and offered their hands. On that day, Mack felt new trusts with everyone…
Duriel erected icicles toward the girls, Erin hastening to pull Nora and Madeleine away, but their weight as too much greater than hers and they were cut in several places. Duriel leapt in attempt to crush them, but the Shellhead leapt and tackled the demon midair, forcing him to the floor. Duriel glared at Mack, the spectacled boy's expression grown fiercer. "Let me ask you something, Bug Man: you ever felt bad for the people you've hurt?!"
"Durororo! Why would I feel bad? I love to hear the music of their screams! To quench on their agony! Sometimes, even the very anticipation of pain is more exquisite than its fruits." Duriel forced Mack off, stretching icicles from the tips of his claws and slashing the Shellhead, while Mack blasted saltwater. "Don't you feel delight in seeing your bullies suffer? Don't you wish to see ME suffer?!"
"Maybe I do. Maybe I like bringing down people I don't like."
"And that is how you will SUFFER." Duriel flashed the eye in his mouth once more.
Mack threw up a mirror. "But if there's one thing I learned, it ain't so fun when it happens to you."
"DURO!!" Gazing into his own eye, Duriel fell into a trance. He morphed into many different mortals, suffering the piercing of his own claws, the freezing of his own ice, and smaller maggots crawling through his innards.
"M-Mack!" Erin exclaimed, Nora recovering from her spell. "You used his own power against him?!"
"Yeah, most eye monsters tend to have that weakness. Now this should be-"
Duriel slammed his mech with greater force, the Shellhead crashing into the radio tower and losing its right claw. "I've gone for LONG periods unable to inflict pain on others!" The demon charged Mack with greater ferocity, the boy hurriedly dodging the mech and swiping the other claw. "That I would subject MYSELF to excruciating pain to be sated!" The Shellhead's left claw was sliced off.
"It's some kind of Fury Mode!" Nora exclaimed, running to slash water at him. Duriel grew rampant icicles backward, Nora snapping them off and redirecting them back into Duriel. Erin jumped toward Nora, who grabbed and threw her onto Duriel's back. The demon had frozen the Shellhead's legs in place, furiously dicing Mack's mech from all directions, but before he could destroy Mack's controls, the boy set the cannon to spray whatever water was left into Duriel's face. Erin's feet were frozen to the back, but she used this in her favor to stay steady and bend the saltwater around to Duriel's throat. The ice was freezing up her body, but Nora worked to counter it.
Choking on saltwater was never a method Duriel considered to torture himself, but he was slowly warming up to it. The pain was relishing… he loved to see others hurt and hurt himself. After a moment, he forsook all notion of defeating the mortals and wanted only to enjoy the torture. The saltwater searing his throat, swishing inside like a buzzsaw. Even as Nora willed the water inside to stretch out like blades and spin like a fan, completely slicing off his head, the pain was refreshing… (End song.)
Duriel's body exploded into darkness. The L-operatives were thankful for this moment of rest, Mack climbing out of the ruined mech. "Huff…now I'm feeling the Under-heat." Mack sighed, the air beginning to take effect.
"Erin, can you heal Isabelle?" Nora asked, leading her to the Shandian resting against the tower.
"I'll be fine. Save that healing for you guys." Isabelle smiled. "We have to get out of here."
"What about Christina?" Mack asked.
"We're too tired to chase them. We need to go back, tell the others, and hope Lyserg can save her. Still, if Aku called Alastor for backup… Lyserg can't be that strong, can he?"
With Aku
Aku reverted back to his main form, grabbing Christina's cage and stuffing it into his shadowy stomach. Marco's car Zanpakutō, Michael, morphed into an angelic robot with a sword, ascending to the demon's head. Aku shortened himself to dodge the first slash and fired Heat Vision at the robot, blowing Michael several yards skyward. Aku stretched his arms toward Michael and morphed them into hammers, smashing the angel, but Michael pushed them back and flapped out of their grasp. Michael whooshed down and diced Aku from multiple directions, striking the demon's arms when Aku tried to swat him down. Aku flattened himself into a puddle, casting a glare at the Zanpakutō's master, who was mimicking its actions. Aku stretched shadowy spikes at Marco, who had to break his control and fly backward.
Aku smirked at the defenseless iron maiden and directed spikes into it, rampantly bouncing the sealed container around. Blood leaked from the eyes and gaps. "MASTER MARCO!" Aku twisted, seeing a green-haired boy approaching. "And… Lady Jeanne?!"
"Lyserg… why is the Uno princess here? Why did you let this demon escape with her?"
"I kept telling her not to jump into the Gaps, but she doesn't listen! She's so reckless and careless!"
"Her disobedience is sinful… but blaming her for your irresponsibility is also sinful."
"I-I…I'm sorry…" Lyserg bowed his head sheepishly.
"Man, you are the worst type of angel." Aku remarked. "Iron Maiden Jeanne… just what are you doing inside that thing?"
"She's powering up, of course." A radio voice replied. Lyserg gasped, dodging a soundwave cast by Alastor. "It's part of your ability, isn't it, Iron Maiden? The longer you torture yourself inside that thing, the more power you give yourself. It's sorta like Duriel's power."
"Spirituality is death… and death is channeled through pain. Subjecting oneself to pain heightens their soul. But now that you're here, it is time to deliver judgment. Judge them… Shamash!"
The iron maiden opened, the demons averting their eyes from the divine light within. When it died down, they cautiously reopened them.
At first, Jeanne's body was wrapped in majestic angelic wings. As she opened her soft pink eyes, the large wings spread. She had long and flowing silver hair that complimented her spiritual grace as she lifted off the ground. On her head was a purplish, metallic hat shaped like the iron maiden's top, a leotard of the same material, rectangular wristbands, and tall, boot-size sandals divided into ringed segments. She wore a silver belt with a lock buckle. Her arms and upper legs were otherwise bare.
She was almost as majestic as the demons pictured, except for the heavy articles of clothing. "Ha…ha ha ha!" Aku laughed. "You're the Iron Maiden? You're only a child!"
"Yes, I am." Jeanne replied. "I was born in France during the Victorian era, raised as an Arceist… but after I turned 11, we were attacked by radicals, who sealed me in an iron maiden. That was how I met my demise."
"You spirit kids sure like to talk sophisticated!" Alastor joked. "Those modern brats back there oughta learn a thing from you!"
"But I did not lose my faith. I believed this was what Arceus had planned for me… so, I continued to pray to him. And I know now… my duty is to punish you evil souls of the Spirit World."
"Uh, hey, Aku." Alastor perked up. "You might wanna look up."
Aku glanced up and metaphorically paled. A massive white and gold spirit, with a long tail, infant-like proportions, and a gold spellbook, loomed above them. "My Zanpakutō, Shamash will now judge you!"
Shamash shot beams of light from his tail, Aku becoming a snake and slithering in evasion. One of the beams struck Aku, materializing a spiked chair and trapping the demon within it. "AAAAAAK…kukukuku!" Three more Akus rose around the chair. "You've punished one of me!" The clone faded away. "But which is the real me!"
"Shadow Clones!" Lyserg bent Morphine to pierce the Akus' heads, but two more clones flapped up in batlike forms, slashing claws. "Which one of you is the real one?!"
The real Aku had become a beetle, skittering quickly underneath Jeanne before flying up to her toes. He then grew a scorpion tail and stabbed them, Jeanne gasping in pain and striking Spirit Thunder at the bug. Aku grew to adult size and slashed a black sword, Jeanne blocking it with her aura as Shamash zapped him again. The demon was put under a guillotine, which dropped and beheaded him. Aku's head became a spider and tried to gnash Jeanne while the body became a cannon, shooting energy balls at the maiden. Lyserg stabbed the spider with Morphine, Aku grunting in pain before morphing into a slime and slithering up the chain. Before Lyserg could lash him off, Aku leapt and became a gun, shooting him in the stomach.
As Alastor clashed his staff with Michael's sword, the demon wondered, "Say, you were a car just now, weren't you? Then I bet you have a radio!" He stabbed Michael with the butt of the staff and forced his stereos to screech wildly. Michael's insides rumbled and distorted, and Marco felt the results full force as his innards churned, barfing spiritual blood. Shamash zapped Alastor and propped him up on a platform with a noose around his neck, hanging and squeezing him intensely. Shamash then granted Jeanne an axe, the child clashing with Aku's self-made sword. Aku bent his stomach inward to evade one of her swings before slicing downward, but Jeanne's hat defended her. The angel flapped upward, bouncing Aku's sword back before chopping her axe and splitting Aku's head like a banana.
Christina could see the battle transpire from Aku's stomach, still furiously trying to punch herself free from the glass. Sadly, her lack of oxygen barely enabled her one punch every 10 seconds. It really pissed her off… gasping helplessly in this jarred prison like a bug, doomed to die pathetically and forced to depend on these strangers. Imagine Laruta finding out about this and being like, "I told you so, I told you so!" Chris was out of breath, but she had to keep punching. It was hot in here… she was angry… she just wanted to kill these monsters… she really wanted to… kill…kill…kill… "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOOOOUU!"
Aku merely morphed his split head into the mouth of Molgera, chomping Jeanne inside and chewing the angel before she could slice herself out. Shamash struck him once more and trapped Aku in an electric chair, lighting him up so great, one could almost see a skeleton. He released Shadow Clones from his being that jumped and tried to smother Jeanne in darkness. "Hey, Aku, sorry to interrupt your little strobe light party," Alastor said, "but I've noticed something: whenever that big baby shoots its lights, it gets a little bit smaller. I reckon we just need to hold out it goes all the way down!"
"That time would be better spent repenting your crimes." Jeanne lit herself with Spirit Flames and burned the mass of clones away. After Aku broke free of the chair, Jeanne trapped Aky in a Black Coffin, which was then punctured by spears.
"Hakukukuku!" Aku laughed, regenerating black flesh over the holes in his body. "You are powerful, Jeanne, but there are few things that can destroy me! And I've already disposed of one in…?!" Aku caught a case of heartburn… or should he say stomach-burn. A spot of bright red was welling up there. "What's this?! She shouldn't be able to use firebending—OOOOWW!"
Christina smashed out of her prison and out of Aku's stomach. Lyserg fell agape in both surprise and relief. "Huff…huff…" A light-red aura surrounded Chris, her eyes glowing as she snarled at Aku with sharpened teeth.
"Such a… malicious aura." Jeanne whispered.
"RAAAAAHHHHG!" Christina swarmed Aku with a tsunami of fire, the accursed heat steadily burning away his shadowy cells. She shot into the base of Aku's cloak and sank her teeth, the demon crying and growing a leg for the simple sake of shaking her off. He shook off Christina at the cost of a chunk of "flesh," but flew backward as Christina charged like a wild beast.
"CHRISTINA!" Lyserg wrapped her in his chain. "Stop! Let's go back to the Gap entrance, your friends are worried!"
"NOT UNTIL I BURN THIS SHIT!" She melted Morphine off and rocketed toward Aku as a flaming torpedo, but spiritual chains entrapped the Uno.
"Quell your rage and desist." Jeanne requested. "Do not give in to your wrath. We shall punish these demons duly."
"Hakukuku!" Aku clutched Christina in his claws, withstanding her searing touch. "Perhaps you will… but not any time soon!"
"This power! No! Lyserg, catch her!"
"Okay!" Lyserg cast Morphine.
"We interrupt this order to bring you a dramatic development!" Alastor cast Sound Slices to sever both Morphine and Jeanne's chains.
"BACK TO THE FUTURE!" Aku reeled back his clasped hands before throwing Christina with vigor. The force punctured a rift in space and time, Christina swirling through a hypnotic, monochrome portal.
"CHRISTINAAAA!"
"Aku…" Marco grunted, his insides still ruptured by the radio attack. "You… threw her to the future…"
"Hakukukuku. I'm sure Diablo can wait another hundred years. Now, we have plenty of time to… sort things out."
"Lyserg, return to the Mortal World and inform her comrades at once." Jeanne ordered. "I'm certain they have a way to rescue her… until then, I will fell this demon here."
"Y-Yes, My Lady!" Lyserg took flight.
"Try as you may… I will ensure that my future is not disrupted." Aku sneered.
Iceland; Oil Ice Mountain
The mountain was always Juki's favorite place to play in the snow, but tensions rose across town when a towering red light suddenly emerged from it. The mountain was split open like a volcano, and everyone feared their days of playing in snow were fleeting. But Sector IC feared worse. The team of five set off to investigate.
An army of demons marched down the mountain. Their leader wore a wide, red cape over his pitch-black body, skull armor over his torso. A sapphire flame sprouted from his head, highlighting his jack-o-lantern smirk. "MONGOGOGOGO!" the demon laughed. "Kids Next Door Sector IC… my mastah orders your destruction."
"Well, look at that, chums!" Loki smiled. "We're famous!"
"Who's your master?" Hiyuki glared, scythe drawn. "Why are you here for us?!"
"It won't matter to answer you… You need only fear the might of Demongo the Soul Collector! Your souls will be a great gift to Mastah Aku! Akuma… HARVEST THEM!"
The Future
Christina was almost losing herself in the constant spiraling. The flashing monochrome was bound to leave a bad effect on her vision. Christina eventually felt herself crash on solid ground, but it took a moment for her eyes to reprocess the world. "Huff…huff…huff…" Consumed with rage, the demonic child searched for Aku. She desired so desperately to rip him to shreds, rip out his guts and saw them into a bloody mess. "Where the fuck are you, you son of a…?"
The sky was blotted by bleak, poison clouds. The land was desolate and lifeless, and the average homes were in ruins. …But what Christina saw next threw her into complete horror: Sector V Treehouse. Pale and decayed, like a withered tombstone… and yet, she recognized it. She recognized this neighborhood. This was Cleveland. But what… "What did those fucking demons DO to this place?!"
It was the most logical explanation, but it was hard to believe the demons completely devastated her hometown in the short time they were gone. Weirder still was there were no demons in the aftermath. Christina stomped about, searching for any demons to punish… or at least any survivors. She thought their parents would be able to fight off an invasion, but what about all the normal civilians?
Her aura dwindling, Chris rushed to find her house. It seemed to be in just as worse shape as every other. "MOM! Hey, Mom!" Chris crunched the remains of her door going in. All their furniture and possessions were a crumbled mess. "Is she out shopping or something?! No way she'd let demons make a mess of her house! Seriously, what the hell-?"
Looking out to the backyard, she saw a wooden gravestone. Chris approached and read it. Maddy Ocelot Uno-Murphy – January 11, 2021 – October 4, 2140
"M-Mom's… grave? HOLD UP, HOLD UP, it ain't 2140, it's 2061! And I'm pretty sure she was still alive in October! I bet you this WHOLE thing is a big Max joke. I'll give that prankster a piece of my mind!"
Chris marched her way to Max's house next and was less considerate in kicking the door down. "MAX! Uncle Zach! Where are ya?! Aunt Mako's a cop, don't make me call her and arrest your butts!"
"Ehhhhh? Whoooo's theeeeere…"
"Huh?!" Relieved to hear a voice, Christina searched up the hall and into Max's room. …A withered old man was sitting on a rocking chair, knitting a sweater. She had no idea who he was.
"Oh…hello, young lady… Here to buy one of my sweaters? They're a hit with the chicks, heh heh…" A chicken leapt into the window, pecked the sweater in its beak, and made off with it. "Heheh…get it? Chick…sssssss…"
"Er…just who the heck are you?! What're you doing in Max's house?!"
"Max? How do you know…" The old man looked her over as best as his blurry vision could. "Say… you remind me of my cousin. She wore a pretty ribbon… and had a rude tongue… but she disappeared a loooong time ago…"
"Just tell me who you are!"
"Call me Max…Max the Kidder…Max the Fool… I ain't got much joke left in me though…"
"MAX?! What the FRICK happened to you?! What happened to this town?!"
"Oh, just sorta became this way… after the demons took over. What's your name, little lady?"
"It's Christina, you dolt!"
"…Well, I'll be." Max reached and gently stroked the girl's cheek, Chris cringing. "If I weren't a fool… I'd think you're really my cousin… Maybe you're a spirit… 'guess that means you died back then…"
"I'm not dead! That Aku prick threw me through a portal and I wound up here! Where's my team, where's Sector V?!"
"Oh…they fell apart a couple years… after you vanished. I don't remember where they are, but… I often hear sounds comin' from the treehouse…"
"That must be where they are, dummy! Better show them I'm okay. You just keep being old and stay here."
Christina raced for the decaying treehouse and rocketed into the open hanger. Tripping over piles of scrapped ships and inventions, she reached the hallway… as a horrible smell poisoned her nostrils. "UUUUUHH! What the FRICK is that… Who's responsible for cleaning up in here?!"
She heard noises coming from the living room. The TV was on, and there appeared to be a black, bloated mass in front of it. There were mountains of empty pizza boxes, soda bottles, and chip bags. Christina could only think of one person who would produce such a scent in these conditions. "Silica!" Chris marched directly in front of the black mass. It was an obese old lady wearing a hood over her melted face, eyes squinted into slits as she mashed the buttons of a controller.
"Mmmmgg…" The TV was the only visible thing to the elder… but some kind of short, thinnish blur was blocking it. She didn't have the strength to lean and see around it.
Chris turned, seeing she was playing Pirate Wars. "Yo, this ain't the time to be playing! Open your eyes, it's me!" She lit a flame in her hand.
The extra light provided a bit more depth to the blurry thing. Even the fire itself was familiar. "Hmmmmmggg…" Silica moaned like an old boar. "Get out of my waaaay… Christinaaa…"
"Man, it really is you. Girl, what the heck happened? Is this some kinda demon curse?"
Luckily, Silica could still perceive words based on the dialogue in her games. "Mur…get out of my way… you're not Christina… she's gone…she was gone a long time ago…"
"Why is everyone saying that?! Me, Isabelle, and Ralph only left for a night!"
"BUUUUUURP." Her best friend's breath was more noxious than ever. "Isabelle… Ralph…murg… You three left… to go beat up Mack… and I never… saw you again. After I almost got killed by a demon… to save you… you went and left… you were such a pain…"
Only then did Christina process the words Aku announced. She was too enraged at the time to listen, but he yelled, 'Back to the Future!' "Silica… what year is it right now? How long has it been?"
"Nya…I don't know…"
"Where are the others?! What happened to Sector V?!"
"Beh…I dunno… I think Laruta stuffed herself and had a heart attack… Jason's drunk on an island somewhere…meh, who gives a fuck. You don't…"
"SHUT UP! I know what this is, it's some kind of illusion! Demons are always pulling these upsetting visions, he's trying to get to me! WELL, I WON'T FRICKING…" Christina wanted to burn Silica to prove her point… yet a part of her restrained the urge. A part that feared this was reality and this is all that remained of her best friend. "Grrrr…PERRY! No way Perry would give up the fight, would he?!"
"Nyeh…no, he didn't. He was so stupid… full of stupid courage and wantin' to keep fighting… 'til he was murdered."
"WHAT?!"
"Tried to fight Diablo all on his own… He was pretty pissed after you left. Got all angry and wanted to take it all out on him… but that was the end of him."
"YOU'RE LYING! No way Perry would die to these fuckers!" Determined to prove herself, Christina charged down the treehouse and into what used to be the Uno Household. Aside from its withered state, Perry's room was virtually the same… except there was a table with a memorial photo of the brave, young leader. Chris then broke into the underground treehouse. There was a coffin set on a platform, next to a casket with a purple gem. With fear, Christina cracked the coffin open… inside was a skeleton, the same size and proportions as her little cousin.
"AAAAAHHHHHH!" Christina exploded out of the house in a flaming rage. "WHERE ARE THEY?! WHERE ARE THOSE FUCKING BASTARDS?!"
Christina didn't expect to find her answer quite so soon. The moment she stepped outside, she was greeted by an army of demons. There were common types like Bokoblin, Fatblin, or Moblin, but the leading platoon consisted of Akuma, the minions of Aku, who wore red and black ninja-like outfits with horns and spiked shoulder pads. "Lord Aku was right… the princess has returned. Demons… SEIZE HER!"
Christina needed no other reason to rampage. She stormed through the horde and burned every demon to ashes. Many of them managed to cut her before being vanquished, but those little cuts slowly accumulated. By the time there were only 50 demons left, she could feel her strength faltering, even as her rage kept growing. Four demons wrapped black whips around her wrists and legs, bringing her down on all fours. "We came prepared with weapons to minimize your chi!" a Mighty Darknut said. "Even so, you're as strong as we feared, destroying this many of our soldiers. But you're still weak from that battle 100 years. Your agelessness certainly shows—uack?!"
What seemed like a katana pierced through the Darknut's back and out the front of his armor. It sliced upward and ended the demon. The katana was a glistening white, wielded by a man with a thick black beard and old white robe. Only his grit teeth and sharp, bluish eyes were visible through the curtain of hair. "It's…it's him!" an Akuma gasped.
The man's katana slashed like strips of light, slaying the last 49 demons with ease. Christina watched in her knelt position with confusion… but with no demons holding her restraints, she was able to unwrap them. "Overwhelming a single little girl… despicable cowards." The man sheathed the sword and turned a rugged hand to her. "You are hurt. I'm sorry I was not here sooner."
"Tch!" Chris jumped up without taking his hand. "I could've taken them myself!"
"You seem to have a strong will… but it is far too dangerous for a child to be out here alone. Do you have a family? Do you live around here?"
"That's none of your business! Who the hell are you?!"
"…" The man turned away. "I've long lost my original name… Even my purpose is fleeting. For 50 years, I've been roaming… ageless, lost in an endless journey. Yet, still I try to search for a way. Got to get back… back to the past…" He faced her with a committed stare. "Samurai Jack."
W-WATCH OUT!!
Demon Archives: Trigon. A Demon Lord who was acquainted with the ancient Umbra Witches of Avalar. Trigon mated with an Umbran named Arella and would give birth to Raven. He held no love for them and merely wanted to develop Raven as a tool of destruction. However, Arella rebelled against Trigon and used her beloved daughter against him, sealing Trigon inside of Raven's subconscious. But Arella feared the seal wouldn't last, especially if Raven died during the Witch Hunts at that time. She took a gamble and pled to the gods, and the Time Ghost, Clockwork decided to help. He sent Raven far to the future, and to a different planet where she would find friends she could trust. Trigon's return was still inevitable, but Raven, with the help of those new friends, would end the demon once and for all.