Inside of a Hidden Bunker, Belial Territory
Memphis POV
Parts of Memphis' vision almost went black as he stirred into consciousness from beneath the pile of rubble.
As he struggled to get up, slow steps approached him from across the laboratory.
"While my pets are tearing your friends apart, I plan on getting payback for the trouble you caused me."
Slowly he regained his balance, once he did, Memphis remembered the deadly situation he was in, and swiftly pushed himself out of the rubble. Although still disorientated, he clumsily jolted to his feet and threw up his fists into a boxer stance.
Memphis winced as he felt his head pounded from the earlier attack and his stance was noticeably wobbly.
The cloaked man took his time as he got closer, almost relishing the sight.
"All the trouble you brats have caused me…The amount of face I might lose? The amount of tests that will need to be redone?"
Tests?
Was that all this was? Why everyone had suffered?
"You were experimenting on all of us…?"
The cloaked young man came to a stop, with his hands resting casually in his pockets.
"Yes, you idiot. For almost two years you were our little lab rats, we were getting good results too but you brats decided to leave the cage and ruin it." The cloaked man dropped his bemused smile, shifting to a glare as he raised his hand. With it a magic circle came to life.
Demonic Power built up within the magic circle, readying its attack.
Memphis grit his teeth. He heard everything he needed to hear to confirm his vengeance, except for one final thing.
"...Your name?"
"What did you say? I barely could hear you over the sound of me about to turn you into char."
Memphis spoke louder.
"My name is Memphis…What is your name?"
"Hmph. Your name is not even worth sparing a drop of my memory." The cloaked man tilted his head as if not expecting that response. "However, not like it matters anyway if I tell you. Tonight, you and your friends will be dead. I am Zaokras, servant of the True Satans!"
The True Satans?
Did he not mean the current Four Satans?
It appeared this bastard had some warped vision of the world. Memphis did not know why this bastard appeared or why his group was experimenting on their fellow Devils, but Memphis' fury overcame his curiosity.
Memphis reinforced his muscles with Demonic Power, sharpening his senses and coiling his body like a spring. He spoke with conviction. "Zaokras…Now I finally have the name of the face that I'm going to beat to a pulp!"
"Hmph. Let's see you try!"
Memphis lunged forward dodging the demonic bullet that scorched his previous position.
Zaokras followed with a barrage of demonic bullets that arced through the air, barely missing Memphis as he zipped across the laboratory. For any that were too close, Memphis punched the incoming demonic bullets shattering them into motes of magical light.
Without delay, Memphis cleared the gap and threw an aura coated fist towards Zaokras.
"Tch!"
Zaokras quickly waved his hand to block it with a spellshield, causing Memphis' fist to crash into the prepared magical circle.
Separated only by the spinning magic circle, Memphis glared into Zaokras' pink eyes, and ducked just before the rebound force could blow him back.
Memphis crouched and gathered Demonic Power into his fists, then pushed off the ground leading with an uppercut.
However it was quickly blocked by another spellshield, and followed by a point blank demonic bullet.
Memphis just managed to shield himself by crossing his arms but slid back a few feet from the attack's force.
It hurt, demonic bullets really hurt!
Memphis could feel the singed skin on his forearms, but they still worked. There was not much he could do but push through the pain, so he ignored it and jumped forwards once more.
Raised fists versus dual magic circles smashed against each other as they swept through the air in a flurry of attacks.
At first, Memphis clumsily dodged or was forced to block hits that continued to accumulate his wounds, but over time his movements became sharper and faster.
Sparks flew as aura covered fists pounded against spinning magic circles.
Meanwhile, Zaokras had taken little damage, being able to block the bursts of Demonic Power that erupted from Memphis' fists. However, Zaokras grew increasingly annoyed that Memphis was not immediately taken down.
It made Memphis smirk. He would not go down easy without a fight!
"Annoying little pest!"
Memphis moved his head to the side to dodge another demonic bullet, before reciprocating with a slash of his arm. Memphis was just quick enough to get under Zaokras' defence, and sliced a bloody gash across his chest.
Momentarily Memphis smiled at his success, but this moment of carelessness immediately came to bite at him, as he was struck by the back of Zaokras's hand and sent Memphis skidding across the laboratory floor.
Eventually his body crashed into a machine, crumpling the metal frame with a horrid sound.
"Gah!"
Thankfully, Memphis reinforced his body with Demonic Power which made him surprisingly more durable than he thought.
As Memphis pulled himself out of the rubble he noticed that Zaokras' earlier attack had carried more weight than it should have. Was Zaokras' holding back this whole time?
While gathering himself, a shout from across the laboratory grabbed his attention.
"Fuck!"
A couple red droplets fell to the floor as Zaokras stumbled back with a few steps. His fingers clenched as he gingerly tried to pad his wound.
"Fuck! It hurts!"
Zaokras snapped his hateful gaze towards him, but Memphis did not flinch.
Zaokras' pain was tiny compared to the pain that Memphis' Mom must have felt. It honestly made him more annoyed.
Memphis pointed an accusing finger at Zaokras. "You don't deserve pity, not for what you've done!"
Zaokras raised an eyebrow. "You lecture me on morals?"
Following his words, Memphis felt the Demonic Power in the air rise to dangerous heights, it was as if the air began to vibrate.
"From an insignificant lab rat like you? Ridiculous. To end this, I will have to get a bit more serious and put you in your place. In the dirt; where you belong!"
A large magic circle glowed fiercely, and as the demonic power in the air built up, a second and third layered on top forming a small pyramid. A dark pink energy radiated in front as it swirled into a small ball.
The energy continued to be compressed until the swirling sphere reached an apex, looking almost unstable as sparks of energy shot off.
"Try surviving this!"
A beam of destructive energy shot towards Memphis that forced him to jump to the side.
Memphis glanced to the side where he was just standing. The wreckage of the machine that softened his fall, melted into a hot sludge and produced a smoke that smelled awful. If Memphis got hit by that, there was little chance he would be able to survive!
"Damn it!"
Memphis broke into a sprint as another pink beam fired off.
ZOOOM!
The beam was radiating with energy so intensely that it hummed as it followed Memphis through the lab.
"Hahaha! Run! Run! RUN! Spin your wheel little rat!"
Zaokras seemed to find this situation hilarious, even though they were in the middle of battle. This guy was clearly crazy, but at the same time, Memphis also felt an excitable urge within him.
Maybe they were both crazy.
Memphis stopped and jerked to the side to throw off his aim. As Zaokras aimlessly tried to melt the laboratory, Memphis temporarily ducked behind the counter tops as he thought of a plan. Memphis realized a problem of his, he had trouble closing the distance between him and Zaokras. All of his attacks required him to get closer, so he needed a range attack to throw him off.
But what could he do? Memphis was not formally taught any magic or how to use magic circles…
A familiar attack came to his mind. A demonic bullet. That was the spell that Ethel and Zaokras had used plenty of times, and the same one fired out of Sidmen's pistol or his Dad's rifle.
Could he try doing something similar?
By its appearance, it looked simple enough. It used a magic circle normally, but what if he just added some Demonic Power into a ball and threw it? It was worth the try, and like his Dad once said, 'You just need to use your imagination. The rest will work itself out!'.
"Where did you go, you little rat?! Come out, come out, wherever you are!"
The smell of burnt chemicals and tar was fast approaching, and Memphis ran to the end of the alleyway.
Just as he was about to exit, he gathered Demonic Power into his fist like his Burst Punch technique, but instead of expelling his Demonic Power like a wave, he concentrated it into shape, into a 'ball'.
As Memphis cleared the corner, Zaokras met his gaze and shot a new beam at him. However Memphis continued to run forward before ducking, sliding underneath, then swiftly appeared on the other side. Sweat pooled on his forehead just from being near the beam's intense heat.
Just before Zaokras could move the beam, Memphis brought back his hand as if throwing a 'ball'. Within his palm was a glowing blue orb, an orb that Memphis pumped more and more of his Demonic Power into as it grew to a ridiculous size, almost the size of himself before Memphis forcibly compressed the orb back to its original size.
Memphis felt the Demonic Power pulsing against his skin, giving the air an electrifying feeling. Then reaching the maximum of what he could control, Memphis stressed his muscles and hurled the orb.
BOOM!
With a blast wave, the orb rocketed towards Zaokras who had little time to react. Just as the orb was about to reach him, Zaokras tried to hastily cast a spellshield with one hand while controlling his other spell, but it was too late. The orb expanded in size, larger than what he predicted and the orb slammed into the spellshield, hurtling Zaokras back by the sheer weight.
"Gah!"
Zaokras slammed against the wall with a sickening thud.
It hit!
Memphis internally cheered.
However, just before Zaokras had dropped his spell, the beam shot off course and flew past Memphis' left.
At first, Memphis almost ignored it and went to follow up his attack, except the beam shot towards the bags of red powder. It was too late for Memphis to react, as the bags of red powder exploded with such a force that the shockwave knocked Memphis off his feet and shattered the laboratory windows.
A brief moment passed of his vision going black, Memphis found himself laying on the floor and all he could hear was a loud ringing sound painfully blaring against his ears. As the ringing sound died down, Memphis slowly stood, coughing as chemical filled smoke entered his lungs.
It was warm, uncomfortably so.
Memphis looked around to find the laboratory in an absolute mess. Everything was charred as magical flames engulfed the entire room. The strange glass bulbs lighting the lab from above were either shattered or flicking on and off, where the majority of light was now coming from the growing fire. The red powder was completely gone, which made Memphis want to kick himself for not grabbing some earlier for evidence.
On the other side of the laboratory, Zaokras also slowly stood up. It seemed Memphis' attack did more damage than he thought as the young Devil coughed up some blood.
"You…Low Class runt, dare to oppose me, a High Class?!" Zaokras spit out some blood from his mouth.
He was a High Class Devil? The amount of power he was exuding suddenly made sense now, if Ethel's well was like a large pool of water, then Zaokras' felt like a small lake. It also helped Memphis gauge himself for his own power, he was not that good at sensing Demonic Power like Ethel, but he would guess that his own personal well was in between Ethel and Zaokras.
Memphis returned his thoughts to the fight as he gave him a smirk while rotating his stiff arms. "I just did. Now watch me as I continue doing so!"
Before they could renew their fight. A roar echoed from the corridor followed by the sound of magic going off.
"It sounds like my pets have yet to finish off your friends." Zaokras raised his arm, pushing off his sleeve to reveal the device on his forearm. Then he pushed down on one of the many buttons, and as he did an alarm went off from deep within the bunker. "Those brats will enjoy my new gift. Now, where were we?"
With his heightened and reinforced Devil senses, Memphis could make out the sound of many footsteps and roars rushing towards the machine room.
Memphis froze.
More villagers were here, being experimented on. How long had this bastard experimented on those innocent people?
And the sadistic gleam in his eyes too.
The people of Riverton. His Dad. His Mom. The experimented people. Those poor bears. And to finally rub salt in the wound, to threaten the lives of his friends.
"How could you be this cruel…? What did we do to deserve this?"
Zaokras sneered. "Nothing. We simply do what we want and we take what we want. For that, is what makes us True Devils!"
That's it…? All this suffering for this?
Memphis could understand greed, for he also had a dream. He also wanted to become strong, famous, and rich. But not like this…
This was not right!
The bubbling anger within had finally boiled over. A hot rush flooded throughout Memphis' body, as glowing webby red veins grew up his neck and across his face.
It was like a dam had finally bursted open deep inside of him; where a darker power lurked beneath. Memphis was almost overwhelmed by the amount of Demonic Power inside him, suddenly his well had grown into its own lake. He felt stronger, but at the same time he could feel his emotions grow in intensity.
Darker thoughts creeped inside, his vengeance becoming the only thing on his mind as a euphoric feeling made his body feel tingly. From his senses, it felt like Memphis had finally reached the same level as Zaokras.
"Oho, so you are able to maintain your sanity? What an excellent test subject. That is definitely worth taking note." Zaokras commented as he looked at the familiar webbing along Memphis' neck.
Fury washed over Memphis' face as he ignored him and furrowed brow. Yet again, Memphis had no idea what he was talking about. "Zaokras, today you will die."
Zaokras readied a new magic circle, but this time, two more identical layered ones followed it. "No, it's you who will die!"
Three energy beams radiated intense Demonic Power that built up, the glow casting the laboratory with light, even with the flames rapidly consuming the laboratory.
Memphis did not hesitate, and built up his own Demonic Power. At first the blue aura he was used to that surrounded his body slowly began to be corrupted with dark red streaks. The same dark red, as the veins of the infected villagers, or the same dark red of the powder that Zaokras had been poisoning everyone with. Memphis would have curiously looked at it, but now was not the time.
Memphis readied himself by reinforcing his body with magic. His veins began to bulge across his muscles, and Memphis felt immensely stronger.
Yes…this was what he needed to win!
Then like a gun going off, both the young Devils acted.
Zaokras let off the energy beams as all three homed in on Memphis' position, while Memphis did something new again.
He needed to go fast this time. Not only did he need speed, but he needed to carry more weight behind his punches too.
Demonic Power rose at a staggering rate as it fired off in pattering bursts that grew louder and louder.
Within seconds, the floor titles of the laboratory picked up, and dust blew away. From behind Memphis, Demonic Power was expelled in rapidly increasing streaks. The red tainted aura violently flared as the wind began to howl like he was in a mountain tunnel. On top of this, Memphis reinforced his body to the absolute limit. The red veins on Memphis' neck bulged as he pulled on the lake of Demonic Power inside him.
And with a kick, Memphis' vision blurred as he cleared the distance in an instant, faster than his vision could follow. A streak of red and blue howling behind him as he wove between the energy beams that melted wherever they touched.
"What-?!"
It was too late for the dark haired Devil as a fist had already crashed into Zaokras' jaw, and with a sickening crunch was blown back into the nearby wall, cracking the stone from the sheer force. Zaokras grit his teeth as he braced for the impact.
Memphis did not let up, as he kicked off the ground again with another burst of Demonic Power.
With a raised fist, Memphis already was following for the second the attack and jabbed him in the gut, forcing Demonic Power to flow into his fist, Memphis sent a Burst Punch into his innards.
As a High Class Devil with the power to back it, Zaokras' body was more durable than it seemed. Despite this, Memphis had torn through his cloak and the wave burst from Memphis' punch caused him to vomit a glob of blood, further cratering the wall.
"That was for my Mom." Memphis glared daggers at the dark haired young man.
"Y-you brat! I won't be beat that easily!"
The pressure around Zaokras rapidly grew to match Memphis' and he threw up a spellshield to block Memphis' next attack.
A fist rocketed into the magic circle, and from the force visibly cracked it.
"Annoying! So annoying!" Memphis glared at the opposing spellshield.
For this entire fight most of his attacks have been stopped by these shields, which Memphis found incredibly annoying.
Memphis had no experience nor knowledge of how to create magic circles, but if his fist could be physically stopped by them, and he just saw how he could crack them, was it possible to "touch" them? Even if they were not his own?
So Memphis tried something again.
He reached out and tried to grab the magic circle. At first it seemed to not move and was set in place.
Zakora's humourly sneered at him. "What are you doing, you fool? And in the middle of battle too!"
Memphis ignored the jab. He continued to run ideas through his mind.
Demonic Power was the 'fuel' needed to perform Devil Magic, while 'imagination' allowed Devils to skip the complicated stuff to make spells. Memphis had little knowledge in magic, but what he did have was a good imagination. So Memphis pulled on that imagination and formed the image in his mind.
Then he finally got it.
An image popped into his mind's eye.
Memphis then coated his hands in Demonic Power and condensed them into 'gloves', then reached out and 'grabbed' the edge of the spinning magic circle.
Bafflement was apparent on Zaokras' face as if he was watching something abhorrent and unnatural occur.
"How is this possible…?"
Memphis grit his teeth. As he forced his will onto the opposing magic circle, he was finally able to 'grab' the rim, and pulled it away with sheer force.
Once firmly in his hands, and a defenseless gaping Zaokras stood in front of him, Memphis smirked as he tossed the stolen magic circle up and down like a disc. "Neat. Now let's see if you like being 'blocked' by your own magic circle!"
Memphis smirked as he proceeded to smack Zaokras in the face with his own magic circle, sending him hurling across the floor, shattering the magic circle into motes of light. As Zaokras slid back, something small had slipped from his torn cloak, sliding across the smooth titles.
"Fuck!" Zaokras nursed his.swollen jaw as he crudely spat out some blood. "You dare hit me, with my OWN CIRCLE!?"
It appeared Zaokras had given up on using magic circles with too much Demonic Power loaded in them. Especially as Memphis was already standing so close, with blue and red threateningly billowing off of his form.
"You thief! You fucking-!" Zaokras was about to hurl more curses, until his temper stopped and suddenly went silent and pale while looking down at something.
That was strange. What would make this bastard suddenly lose his temper?
Memphis also followed his sight, and saw a small leather bound journal lying in front of him, only a few feet away.
Considering how stiff Zaokras was acting, it seemed this journal must be really important.
Memphis made eye contact and gave a wide and smug grin, Zaokras stiffened like a cat.
Without saying a word both of them lunged for the journal. Memphis was quick enough to grab it first, however Zaokras with a quick demonic bullet aimed at Memphis' hand, was forced to let go of the journal causing it to fly out of his hand.
Zaokras opened his wings and tried to take advantage of the situation as Memphis nursed his bloodied and broken hand. However, Memphis was quick enough, snapping his uninjured hand and pulling Zaokras by the foot, down to the floor.
"Fuck off! I need that back!"
Yep.
This journal must be something definitely important! So Memphis would try his absolute best to make sure he gets it.
"How about, no!"
Memphis tried to toss Zaokras to the side, but with an empowered kick, Memphis was forced to let go and fell back.
The fires continued to rage around them, becoming more intense, less safe spaces to move around in as the flames became uncomfortably warm. Dangerous chemical smoke filled the air, which burnt the inside of Memphis' lungs. Memphis was running out of time, and he still needed to help his friends!
Both of the young Devils grunted as they quickly stood up and faced each other.
Both knew this fight needed to finish soon, they were both running out of time.
Blue and pink eyes glared at each other, before they yelled at the top of their lungs and charged at each other.
Memphis surged forward, stomping on the ground and fracturing the tiles as dark red Demonic Power jetted from behind him and his good arm aimed at his opponent.
Zaokras just barely blocked it with a stronger spellshield this time.
Memphis tried to rip the magical defence away but his good hand was blown back by a hastily and close range demonic bullet. Both of Memphis' hands were bloodied and battered now.
This was not good! He needed to do something quick or he was sitting a duck!
Memphis was starting to feel tired, but he had enough Demonic Power for this next trick. Although he was not sure if it would work or not.
If he can heal small cuts by using "warm and soothing" Demonic Power, or like how a mother would heal their child's scratch, what if he were to drastically increase the usage amount and constantly envelop a large injury?
So Memphis tried it once and pulled on his imagination.
He imagined his bones moving back into place, his blood returning to him, and his skin stitching back together. With this image in mind, he quickly sent an overwhelming amount of Demonic Power into his wounded hands. Normally Devils like Memphis healed either naturally or from skin to skin contact via the transfer of Demonic Power. So this was uncharted territory!
After a frustrating second of nothing happening, Memphis almost felt he was wasting too much of his Demonic Power until suddenly he felt his bones begin to shift. Then after the bones, then the flesh, and eventually after the flesh, the skin on his hands slowly grew over his wounds.
It was only partially healed and it still hurt but it was good enough. Memphis then sent a flurry of punches at Zaokras as he continued to heal himself.
At the same time, Zaokras would either guard with a spellshield, create distance to fire a demonic bullet, or cast multiple magic circles to counter Memphis who would occasionally "grab" and toss away magic circles.
It became a flurry of fast exchange attacks.
Memphis would either dodge his head or sometimes tank the damage and then slowly try to heal the wound. However, he was getting tired, and breathing in the hot smog was beginning to hurt his lungs and make his head feel dizzy.
Meanwhile Zaokras was visibly acquiring more and more wounds as the exchange went on, and his feeting was also getting wobbly.
Zaokras coughed as he baffled at Memphis when dodging a punch. "This is unbelievable…Are you a bastard of the Phenex Clan!? How are you healing yourself? Devils are not supposed to be able to heal themselves so easily!"
Memphis also coughed harshly, hurting his throat as a thick phlegm came out, but he continued his assault. "I don't get it. Why can't Devils use healing magic? Our magic uses imagination to create spells, so why don't Devils use it more often? If anything, I'm annoyed that everyone lacks the imagination to do anything!"
A fist crashed into Zaokras' shoulders staggering his aim, the demonic bullet fired to the side and broke some glass.
"That's exactly it. As Devils, Demonic Power does not easily carry the properties to heal. In a way, you are almost too Human that it disgusts me. You are so strange, it doesn't make sense!" Zaokras forced out in between coughs and attacks.
"Everyone's been saying that lately! But I'm not strange! I just use my imagination!" Memphis pouted as he punched a demonic bullet away and began healing his hand.
"That doesn't make sense! NONE of your techniques make sense! Is it because of the experiment?!" Zaokras had lost his temper so much that he began to lose his focus.
It seemed that whatever Memphis was doing had really struck a nerve in this bastard, and Memphis took advantage of the opening.
Pouring in plenty of his dwindling reserves, Memphis' fist arced in a red streak as it jetted into Zaokras' chest. Smashing against his exposed skin, Memphis pumped more violent Demonic Power into his attack, and in a large burst, Memphis fist overcame Zaokras' defenses and pierced right though his abdomen.
"Guh…" Zaokras' eyes widened as he froze and stumbled back. "I can't lose…Not to someone like you."
Zaokras vomited a huge amount of blood onto his chest and almost fell backwards. As he did Memphis stared him in the eyes with cold anger, and Memphis slid his hand out from the pierced wound.
"I can't die here…not yet…!" Zaokras panicked as he tried to stop the bleeding to no avail.
Memphis walked slowly towards his staggered foe. His fist raised high, charged with Demonic Power for a final strike.
"No! Stop!"
Memphis narrowed his eyes at the sight. Before his opponent had been eagerly waiting to take their lives and cared little for the lives of thousands, but now he was begging on the floor. A part of Memphis was excited that he had won his first real fight, but at the same time, the cowardice he saw disgusted him.
"No. And this for my Mom!"
Zaokras tried to defend himself but was in a too weak of state to properly do so, and surely, Memphis' attack would kill him and here now. However, just as Memphis' fist was about to land, another explosion went off from a nearby machine.
Memphis went to cover himself from the blast but was blown away. As Memphis recovered, Zaokras had already prepared a new magic circle that glowed underneath him.
A teleportation circle!
Memphis forced himself to move forward and charge a ranged orb attack, but it was too late, and the teleportation circle triggered.
"Fuck this! Everything has gone to shit anyway!" Zaokras gave a nasty glare as Memphis prepared his attack. "Next time we meet, I will be the one to win! Just you wait!"
Then in a flash of magical light, Zaokras disappeared.
"NO!"
Memphis had thrown his attack but only an empty wall had met it. Memphis frustratingly clenched his fists and grit his teeth. "Dammit!"
However, just as Memphis was trying to cool off his rising emotions.
Memphis heard a loud bestial roar carried out from within the halls of the bunkers.
His friends! They were still in danger!
Worry overcame Memphis' mind that quenched his frustrations of his failed revenge, and thoughts of saving his friends were at the forefront of his mind. Except, just as he turned to head out the door, in the corner he saw the small notebook buried under a pile of rubble with flames soon to reach it.
So without hesitation, Memphis mentally prepared for the pain as he dove his hand into the magical fire. Hot seething pain shot through his body, and his hand felt oddly cold for a moment, as he pulled out the book just quick enough before the flames had fully burnt the pages.
Any smoldering flames were then smothered by his shirt.
Phew.
That was close!
Memphis took a quick glance at the notebook before putting it away.
The notebook was half-burnt, which Memphis internally kicked himself for not saving it sooner. Although half of it was blackened, Memphis recognized the same symbol that appeared in Zaokras' magic circles.
Memphis shrugged. He would have to ask Ethel about it later, and quickly put the journal into the pocket of his trousers.
Memphis had something more urgent at the moment and dashed out of the lab.
As he was running a second feminine cry echoed out. "MEMPHIS!"
It was Ethel, and she was calling for help!
He might not make it in time!
So Memphis let out his wings, and with the last of his Demonic power, forcibly expelled his Demonic Power in loud bursts jetting him down the halls like a blue and red blur.
He finally entered the machine room, and the sight that awaited him was of a disheveled Ethel, forced against a wall holding Sidmen who looked unconscious, and was about to be eaten by a gross looking bear.
Not on his watch!
Memphis appeared in front of the demonic bear before it could react, and with the last amount of his strength, punched the bear so hard its body forcibly warped. It then shot through the air until smacking against the wall with a meaty splat. Slowly its corpse slid down the smooth stone walls onto the debris filled floor below.
Memphis took a second and looked around the room for a final scan. Dismembered and charred bodies laid about and red ichor was pooling into the various shallow puddles.
It was a gruesome sight, and even Memphis had to turn his gaze away as he felt like vomiting a bit.
On better news, the sound of the weird lightning machine's low hum became the only constant sound that he could hear, and no more horrible looking monsters or corrupted people were trying to eat them.
Instantly, Memphis took a deep and relieved breath and exhaled. Although, as soon as his emotions had calmed down, the earlier euphoric and numb feeling that probably reduced the pain he could feel had retreated. He was still not sure where the dark power came from, but he would look into it later but for now; he and his friends were safe.
Memphis turned to his friends as he let down his guard.
Ethel had tears down her cheek and it was noticeable that it had ruined her expensive makeup. A few strands of hair had also come undone from her elegant upsweep. At first it looked like she wanted to say something as she looked at his neck, but Ethel stilled as she seemed to notice his gaze and soon felt self-conscious of her looks. She pouted as she immediately began fixing her hair and casted some magic to fix her appearance.
Memphis shrugged absent mindedly. He didn't really get why it was so important, and even with her appearance being so messy, Memphis felt she looked so nice regardless. But without a doubt, he would tease her about it later.
In the meantime, Memphis gave her a warm and bright grin as his shoulders relaxed. "Need some help, Princess?"
Memphis offered a hand.
"Hmph. Thank you, but no need." Ethel turned to the side with a pompous attitude. "Sidmen here will need help, he barely can maintain consciousness right now."
Memphis smiled. It felt refreshing seeing her normal attitude return, he felt it was much better than seeing her cry.
Cradled in her arms, Sidmen was spinning his head as he looked barely awake, muttering nonsense under his breath.
"Sure. Any injuries?" Memphis asked as he picked up Sidmen and carried him over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes. At Memphis' feet he saw Mr. Sparky looked at him with its torch-like eyes and nudged at his legs.
Ethel shook her head as she stood up and fixed her poofy dress. "No need, only minor scratches. Sidmen is experiencing severe exhaustion from Demonic Power usage, but I am fully drained so I cannot help him with that."
Memphis nodded as he slowly transferred bits of Demonic Power to his friend. He was also feeling exhausted and if they met any more bad guys, Memphis was not sure if he would be able to stand if he tried doing another attack. But helping Sidmen? He just had enough Demonic Power to spare and help give him a boost.
Patting her dress as she stood, Ethel looked at her shoes grimancingly as they stood in the dirty water. It seemed like she wanted to say something but held back, instead she looked at Memphis with a serious look that carried a grim understanding. "Did you defeat him?"
The meaning was implied, but Memphis understood it. "Yes, but he managed to escape-"
As they were talking, another explosion went off from the laboratory, and thick smoke began filling the machine room.
Ethel and Memphis gave each other a knowing look.
"Let's get out of here first. I will tell you what happened along the way."
[Line Break]
Riverton, Belial Territory
Stepping out of Ethel's teleportation circle, the three young Devils found themselves back at the edge of Riverton.
It had become nightfall as time passed while they were in the bunker. Humidity in the air rose as storm clouds finally arrived bringing with them rain that began to fall from the sky.
They hurried, both needing to find someone important enough to inform them of what they just found but also to see if there were any remaining infected villagers left.
Sidmen had regained self-control by this point and was jogging along next to Sidmen. He looked pale and visibly tired, but at least Mempis didn't need to continue carrying him.
Approaching the town, the thickening rain helped to put out any remaining fires caused by the earlier mayhem. Several lights filled the village, from villagers and soldiers using torches or magical light to help look through the wreckage for any survivors.
Memphis noticed there were many new soldiers running about, they wore a new uniform and symbol different from the Belial Territory that wore white and black. Instead, they wore a tabard with four different coloured quadrants, and a symbol centred in the middle.
It was the symbol of the Government. Which meant the head Army had arrived.
They would surely be saved now!
Even in the tiny mountain village of Riverton, the Military was seen as a stabilizing force and reassuring sight for many Devils that lived across the Underworld. Whenever there was a large incursion of demonic beasts about to enter Devil lands, the Military would usually be there to protect the people.
When they had gotten closer to the Market Square, many people gave them various looks at their roughed up appearance, but Memphis ignored them as he saw an unusual figure standing out from the growing crowd.
He was an older man that was talking with both Belial and Army soldiers who stiffly stood at his attention before saluting.
The man looked older than his parents, which was odd since most Devils lived long lives and usually kept a youthful appearance through most of their long lives. Which meant this Devil was possibly hundreds of years old.
The middle-aged man was tall and maintained an athletic form. He also wore a fancy suit, which Memphis assumed cost more than his family's house. What stood out the most, however, was his light blue hair and pointed ears, which reminded Memphis of Ethel's own.
The crowd made comments and whispers as they approached, and soon the older Devil turned to face the commotion.
His face was stern with a strong jaw, and his red eyes held a sharp glint. His hair was slightly disheveled but still well groomed, but it was noticeable that he looked stressed from a long day just like everyone else in the crowd.
Memphis came to a stop as he looked at the man with confusion. Everything about this man seemed so similar to Ethel, that for sure the two were related somehow.
Sidmen merely stiffened from just his presence alone, and Memphis could not blame him as he also felt the strong presence exuding from the man despite it being repressed. While Ethel continued to run towards the older Devil with a sense of urgency.
"Father!"
Memphis stopped.
This was Ethel's Dad?
That would mean…this was Lord Paimon! But why was he here in a small town like Riverton and not in one of the big cities?
Lord Paimon's eyes widened and for a moment he gave a relieved smile. It was clear he was deeply concerned for Ethel's wellbeing. "Ethel! My dear daughter, where have you been?!"
Ethel began to tear up as she jumped and flew into her Dad's open arms. Everyone in the crowd smiled at the heartfelt daughter and father reunion.
After a moment they parted, Ethel wiped her teary eyes while Lord Paimon stood up and his stern mask returned, his red eyes then turned on Memphis and Sidmen as they were catching up to Paimon Clan Heir.
Both of the Riverton boys had stiffened like deer who were just spotted by a wolf.
"Eep!" Sidmen tried to hide by covering his face, while Memphis nervously cleared his throat.
"Ethel…who are these boys?" Lord Paimon spoke slowly as he chose his words carefully. "Have they been causing you trouble?"
Ethel puffed up her chest as if offended by the comment. "No! They are my friends, Memphis and Sidmen!"
"Your friends? They are…not the type of people who I would expect you to be friends with." Lord Paimon contemplated what was just said as he inspected them over. Lord Paimon made note of their rough appearance, and a sense of alarm reached his eyes. "More importantly, where have you been, young lady?"
It was now Ethel's turn to be under pressure.
"I have always been lenient with your antics…but this trip to the Belial Territory was meant to be a lesson for you. But the moment I took my eyes off you, I heard from the young Diehauser that you ran away!" Lord Paimon stood over Ethel, he was getting increasingly frustrated, but Memphis could tell within his strict aura, there were traces of parental concern too. "Then after spending all day with my men trying to find you, on top of all Nine Hells breaking loose, I find you once more; tattered clothes and covered in scratches with two unknown boys?! Young lady, if I do not hear an explanation right now, then I may need to reconsider taking you on future outings."
Ethel was sweating by this point. She was nervously trying to give a meek smile but it failed to work.
"Yes father! D-during, my investigations of the area. I had stumbled upon Memphis and Sidmen who aided me by acting as local guides." Memphis raised an eyebrow at Sidmen, and he merely shrugged. Ethel was lying somewhat to protect them, but it was not like Memphis was going to stop her.
Ethel then gave a brief recount of the events that occurred in Riverton. The nearby villagers and local Belial soldiers who had yet to learn of the market square battle had looked furious at learning the truth, while the Military men held a professional grim aura about them.
For Lord Paimon, it was hard to say but from slight changes in his expression, he was quiet as he listened but Memphis could tell he was greatly disturbed by the end of the story.
A tense feeling loomed in the air.
…Were they in trouble?
By this point Sidmen's parents, along with his Dad had already come rushing from the crowd.
"Sidmen!"
"Memphis!"
"Ugh!" Sidmen's parents embraced their son into a tight hug as they emotionally reunited, Sidmen could only gulp for air from their tight embrace.
Memphis' Dad also rushed in and swooped Memphis into a tight hug, but then let go as he worriedly looked over Memphis' injured and bloodied form. "Memphis, where did you run off to?! I was looking everywhere for you! Are you okay?"
Sammoth looked over Memphis as he firmly grabbed his shoulders, but as the realization hit him. Memphis' Dad let go as he looked apologetic. "Memphis, about your mother…"
Memphis saw the torn look on his Dad's face, guilt soon washed over Memphis as he recalled their prior meeting. Along with the grime, Memphis noticed his Dad's uniform was dirtied and tattered from the conflict.
Memphis was solemnly quiet as he recalled the image of his dead Mom. "Dad…I was…not able to finish him off in time."
Sammoth worriedly titled his head. "What do you mean, who are you talking about Memphis?"
Memphis was about to speak when he was interrupted by a deep and authoritative voice.
"I will need to report this to the Satans, immediately. However…" Lord Paimon quietly stood up and walked over to Memphis, Ethel tried to grab her father's hand but he ignored her.
Lord Paimon released a bit of his presence and a heavy aura fell on top of Memphis. He may have recently gotten stronger, but this new presence was by bounds higher than what he felt when against Zaokras. Everyone could see the Demonic Power leaking from him, it was barely constrained.
Memphis was not sure, but he could tell that Lord Paimon was well beyond the strength of anything he had ever felt before, and it made his body instinctually tremble and his knees buckle.
He did not say a word as Lord Paimon's huge frame stood over Memphis, then looked to Sidmen who froze.
"You, I heard you two recklessly endangered my one and only daughter. Do you understand the gravity of this situation?"
"Father, they helped uncover the criminal, they bravely helped defend the commonfolk, and they almost foiled the criminal's plan! Please!" Ethel pulled on Lord Paimon's sleeve who pleaded in their defence, but Lord Paimon smacked her hand away.
His Dad and Sidmen's parents were in a worse state than Sidmen and were barely holding up under the pressure from the high ranking Noble.
Lord Paimon intimidatingly waited for a response.
Memphis looked at Sidmen who was beginning to tear up. He knew that his friend would be unable to speak out.
So it was up to him.
Silence permeated the Market Square until Memphis' voice cut through the tension like a knife. "I did it."
Lord Paimon raised an eyebrow. "What did you say?"
Memphis was getting very annoyed. They had tried to stop the bad guy, almost succeeded, they likely found the origin of the disease that has been plaguing everyone, and they also had saved Riverton. Why was Ethel's Dad acting this way? Why were they not being hailed as heroes?
Forcing himself, Memphis defiantly looked Lord Paimon straight in the eyes. "I said, I did it, Sir. After we saved the people of Riverton, it was my idea to chase after the bastard who poisoned everyone's bread and turned people into monsters! Sidmen and Ethel only tagged along because I asked them!"
"Memphis, what are you saying!" Ethel called out but she was ignored yet again.
"Y-yeah, Memphis. What the hell are you saying?" Sidmen managed to speak out.
Lord Paimon was taken aback, it seemed he was not expecting to receive such an attitude. "Hm. So it was your idea, and the reason why you brought my daughter, the heir to my Clan, who barely has finished her studies; into a den of monsters?"
Thinking about it, if Memphis was calmer he would admit that Lord Paimon made a good point, but Memphis was too pissed off by his attitude now.
"We had done a great deed! Why are we being judged so harshly? It is you, who is unreasonable!"
Lord Paimon grew furious. "Not only did you recklessly and needlessly endanger my daughter, you now dare to speak back against me?"
Memphis refused to back down and continued to glare at Lord Paimon, even ignoring the pleas of his friends and his Dad telling him to apologize.
Lord Paimon pursed his lips and furrowed his brow, and slowly with a raised hand, he backhanded Memphis across the face.
The weight carried by just a small slap was so large it felt like being hit by ten of Zaokras' demonic bullets alone, forcing Memphis to fall to the ground.
"You are nothing; but a lowly mutt!"
Pain stung Memphis' sore cheek, but instead of fighting back like normal, this time Memphis did not. He was stunned, like all his fighting spirit had left him, and what remained was a husk that barely could move, only enough to look at Lord Paimon's feet.
What. What was happening?
"Father, please listen! Show mercy!" Lord Paimon went to raise his other hand, but this time it seemed he listened to his daughter.
Lord Paimon coldly lowered his hand and looked down at Memphis with disdain.
"MEMPHIS!" Sammoth cried out and ran over to his son, abandoning his sense of professionalism.
Lord Paimon looked to Sammoth who was desperately trying to shake Memphis out of his stupor. "Please show mercy, General!"
In response, Lord Paimon narrowed his eyes at the recognition of the Belial banner on Sammoth's tabard. "Solider. State your name and rank."
Sammoth then stood at attention, saluting as his military training went into overdrive. "S-sammoth Themos, local guardsman of Riverton, and member of Lord Belial's army!"
"Is this your son?" Lord Paimon looked at Memphis' still form, annoyance riddled on his face.
"Yes, General! This is my son, Memphis Themos. My only son and child of my late wife..." Sammoth swallowed heavy spit as he was forced to recall bitter memories.
No one else in the Market Square said a word, as heavy rain began to pour down from the night skies. Lord Paimon narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment until suddenly an idea struck him.
"I like to think I am both strict, but fair." Lord Paimon looked around the crowd of soldiers and villagers alike who timidly stood under his gaze. It was clear they felt uncomfortable about the situation, perhaps some wanted to speak out, but they did not. "Thus, rewards and punishments will be handled accordingly."
Lord Paimon raised a single finger into the sky, with his other arm rested behind his back. "Rewards for these young Devils' brave actions...but first suitable punishments must be handed out."
Lord Paimon then summoned a heavy whip that fell into his outstretched hand, he then offered it to Memphis' father.
"This boy needs to learn some discipline. Ten lashes."
The words cut like heavy knives. A solemn atmosphere pooled around the Market Square. Villagers muttered, while soldiers knowingly fidgeted in their spots.
"NO! Father, he doesn't deserve it. PLEASE!" Ethel cried, no begged, as she desperately tried to speak reason with her father. She had abandoned all sense of decorum, and looked to be in pain as she looked at Memphis' prone body and empty gaze.
"QUIET!" Lord Paimon scolded with a deep and reverberating shout, causing Ethel to flinch and whimper.
Lord Paimon scowled as he looked at his crying daughter and only shook his head. "I thought better of you…Ethel, your lessons on morals and propriety will be doubled and your private outings restricted. You are henceforth for the seeable future, grounded. Servants take her away."
The servants surrounding Lord Paimon's position, suddenly appeared next to Ethel within a glimpse and firmly grabbed onto her arms.
Ethel tried to resist, pulling at their grasps, but the servants would not budge.
From the side, Sidmen helplessly said not a word, trying his best to make himself appear small. Meanwhile, Sammoth hesitantly looked at the offered item. "General, he is just a boy-"
"You will follow orders, soldier." Lord Paimon said while pulling on his authority.
Sammoth's heart plummeted as he slowly nodded, as he gingerly took the whip. Standing up he stepped a few feet away from Memphis who remained kneeling in the mud.
Memphis remained still, frozen like all the will had left him. Two nearby soldiers had wordlessly taken him by the arm each, then ripped off his shirt, exposing his bare back.
Memphis did not resist.
Why could he not move his body?
He was crestfallen, as a deep sense of shame lingered within his heart, sinking into every crevice. Memphis succumbed to his own despair as realization dawned on him.
At that moment, another precious thing broke inside Memphis' young heart.
An innocence of the world. Today, Memphis would learn another valuable lesson.
One that he cannot help but realize his own powerlessness, no matter how much he trained.
That the world was more complicated than he had thought. That it was not the dream he always imagined it to be. The world was not always a kind place, and that he was just a lowly puppy gnawing at bones.
"MEMPHIS!" Memphis' emotionless gaze met Ethel's teary red eyes for a final time, before his head drooped down. His own dead eyes reflected back at him in the puddle below him.
He was not worthy to be her friend. For she was like a shining gem, and he was but a dog that played in the mud.
Memphis helplessly watched as his dear friend, Ethel, cried precious tears for him. In clear anguish, as she was forcibly taken away and the cries of his friend, who he may never see again echoed out. There was nothing he could do to stop it.
And it made him feel sick.
The heavy rain continued to mercilessly pound against him as he quietly kneeled in surrender.
Sammoth slowly raised the whip and furled it as it plopped into the mud. Holding back his own frustration, a shadow cast over Sammoth's eyes as he spoke. "Memphis. Grit your teeth."
What followed was the crack of the whip, and the searing hot sting on his back.
A/N: So research papers have been kicking my butt. On a better note, I managed to get this chapter out. It's a bit longer as I wanted to end on a solid note as this is the conclusion of Arc For the next chapter, it will be an interlude of different POVs, and then a timeskip. If you liked it, or have any comments feel free to let me know.