"THE SECRET TO LIVING A HAPPY LIFE IN A WORLD LIKE THIS..."
"...IS THAT IGNORANCE IS BLISS."
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'Then show me, just how much you love your fiends.'
'Live.'
CHAPTER: 24- WINGS OF A DEVIL
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"Honestly, I feel a betrayed." Frost said as she took her stance, this time fully determined to deal a lethal blow. "You'll pay for hurting my comrades."
"Quanxi."
The voice of Kishibe forced her to stop as she saw the old man restraining Long and Pingsti in his arms. Hostages, which Quanxi couldn't bear to see. She stopped that very instant and seated herself on one of the chairs, quietly. "Denji, restrain those two, if they try anything, kill 'em." Kishibe said as Denji and Power stood up.
But what struck Frost was, Quanxi's actions. Such a fierce and ruthless person stopped right at the sight of the two women being held hostage. 'I have my women waiting for me back home.' as Quanxi had said. Kishibe sat in the chair in front of Quanxi, without a word, pulling a notepad from his pocket.
"Where are the other two fiends?" Quanxi asked.
"They got away from me, public safety and police have the entire area locked down... they'll get caught any moment now."
"This isn't like mad dog Kishibe, you've gotten crafty. Did being collared turn you into a real dog." Quanxi said as Kishibe pulled out a pen.
"I'm past 50 now, you mellow at my age."
He pulled out the paper in front of Quanxi, the words written widened Frost's eyes as she watched from behind Quanxi.
'Makima is listening.'
"I lost my fangs a long time ago." He continued.
"Devil hunters die before they reach old age." Quanxi said, looking at the note. "You should retire now."
"And live on a pension? No way..."
'Do what I say and I'll let you go, I can guarantee your safety.'
"Keep experiencing new things and you might not go senile." Quanxi said.
'Going to kill Makima, will tell you everything if you help'
"...The news... there was a reporter I liked, I used to watch the show everyday, but one day, she got framed and I lost interest. You know, it wasn't as if she has changed... it was my mind."
Kishibe placed the notepad aside as Quanxi let out a faint grin, giving Frost a warning. "The secret to living a good life... is that ignorance is bliss." She continued as a gun appeared behind Denji, "Kishibe, be a good dog and keep your collar on, some advice from your former buddy."
There was a swift gust of wind, the places changed, Denji was on the floor as Long gripped him. She shouted at Quanxi as both Kishibe and Quanxi stood up with punches at each other. Quanxi quickly tossed Kishibe outside through the window as he landed atop Kobeni's car.
"Shit!"
Frost cursed, she drew her polearm and engaged in direct combat with Quanxi. "Unhand Denji!" Power shouted at Long as she held Pingsti. "Frost devil, come with me quietly and I'll make your death swift." Quanxi said as Frost kept showering her with blows. On the other side, Beam appeared to Denji's rescue, "Stay away from lord chainsaw! Filthy monsters!"
Frost tossed Quanxi away where she stood face-to-face with Yoshida.
"Mind if I get a rematch?" He said with his usual sly grin.
This time, Yoshida landed a direct blow on her face, "Your strength isn't human huh?" He chuckled as Frost kept attacking Quanxi from behind, right until Quanxi tossed Frost aside and picked Yoshida up.
"H-hey!" He gasped as Quanxi threw her outside the same window. Luckily for him, his octopus devil stopped him from crashing to death.
"Aw shit! I got separated from Snow!" Yoshida looked up as Kishibe approached him, "Why is she going to be in trouble?"
"No, I needed to stay there to make sure she didn't go overboard... That menace might even kill her own teammates if she's not controlling her power."
Frost stood behind Quanxi in pure rage, "So you've chosen death." She spun her spear and charged at her with an unmatched speed, 'What the- did her speed increase?' Quanxi grunted as she barely managed to keep the polearm from cutting off her head.
"Monster..." Aki mumbled at Quanxi for throwing Yoshida off like that. Just then, Aki saw a glimpse of the future, Santa Claus, Michiko, the woman controlling Santa Claus. Something stirred up and in a sudden moment, everything changed.
"Bye-bye grandpa." Michiko said to Santa Claus as he stabbed his heart, "My heart... and my beloved children... I pledge to you... In return... Hell devil..."
"...Invite every living being in this mall to hell." Michiko completed.
"What is this?" Kishibe said as Yoshida and the other stared in shock. A huge hand appeared above the mall, grasping it into it's fist.
Yoshida gulped in horror, "...Snow!!"
--A TRIP TO HELL--
The place looked like flowers spread open on corpses. Ugly doors that covered the sky and an unnatural separation of flora and fauna. Aki quickly came to Denji and Power, yet Power seemed off, rather, all the fiends seemed traumatized.
"Temporary truce, there's something wrong with the fiends."
Power was awfully quiet, unmoving and the other fiends were shouting, Violence, Beam, Long and Angel. A sense of horror took over them, "We're finished... This is hell..." Quanxi was trying to assist her fiends as Frost watched, such a cold hearted assassin, being so soft towards her women.
"L-lady Quanxi... I'm going to lose my mind..." Pingsti said, "L-lady Quanxi... p-permission to k-kill myself?" Quanxi gasped and quickly held the trembling woman, "Idiot! I'll get us out of here! Don't you dare say that..."
"Aah! We're doomed! We're dead- it's on it's way... it's on it's way... it's here-"
"Ah, feels nostalgic to be back home." Frost said as the Darkness devil descended from above. "It's been a while since I came here. Though, I can't say I really like the folks here." She said as Aki looked at her in shock.
"...home?" Aki asked.
"I was kept here for a good 100 years. That darkness devil calls himself my uncle at this point."
Frost looked furious, as if a past grudge was eating her up. The horrible sight of the Darkness devil showed in front of her as she walked closer to Aki and the others.
"Ribbit."
The darkness devil rushed past the group as Angel and a few more saw their arms cut, but there was another shine that protected Quanxi and Aki's group, along with Denji and Power.
"Wings of a devil."
Frost said as fog emerged form her mouth, the group was embraced by a huge pair of frost wings, protected and unscratched. It grew increasingly cold as Frost's blood froze little by little. The darkness devil looked a bit shocked, "I thought Frost died." It said as Frost swiftly turned around to face it, "Well you forgot he had a daughter."
"I've practically raised you, then why must you turn on me." The Devil tried persuading her yet she stood firm, "Liar."
"Oh well." It said as Frost raised above the ground taking flight from her enormous wings, yet she alone couldn't attack. The fiends assisted her, yet it was a massacre. The devil sliced Long and Pingsti like they were nothing, which raged Quanxi to engage too, "Stay back!" Frost shouted as Aki tried approaching, only to have his hands cut off. The sight was too overwhelming. Quanxi too, was killed. So were Beam and Violence when they tried to engage. "Beam!" Denji shouted as the fiend collapsed down in pieces, "Lord... chain... saw..."
Denji was down, Aki was hurt, Power won't move. And here on the other side, Michiko received a piece of Darkness devil's flesh, the power to kill Makima.
Frost emerged from behinds the Devil, totally covered in mist that would instantly freeze one on touch. "You won't be forgiven... devil." She said as she used her razor sharp wings to rip off the devil's hands, completely. She then flew above, along with the devil, engaging in battle, brutally tearing it into pieces. All that ran through her mind was, 'You hurt my family. You don't get to live.' She didn't look human anymore. Her face was covered in frost, her fists and arms covered in blood-stained deadly claws and her crystal-blue wings of ice, showing no mercy to the devil. Her eyes had gone white, her blood was going blue from the cold, and yet, she pushed on.
"S-she's actually killing a devil from hell!?" Angel looked in disbelief. Aki looked at Denji and Power, he looked at Frost killing herself by going berserk. The sight of them being half dead, drove him vulnerable, they were his only family, "No... not again... I-"
Frost's eyes had gone white, it was as if she was unconscious and driven by pure rage. There was no contract restricting her and she knew her only objective was to finish the darkness devil. It only took her a few more attacks from Frost to fully finish off the Darkness Devil. The devil froze and crumbled down to the ground as Frost collapsed too. "You're... not my uncle-"
She said as her wings disappeared and she fell to the ground, freezing to death by her own cold. "Snow!" Aki tried crawling towards her, trying to embrace her quivering body. "S-she actually killed it..." Angel said in disbelief before collapsing himself.
Moments later, Makima dragged the group out of hell, embracing Frost's freezing, unconscious body. She blushed and held her closer to herself, offering futile warmth to the freezing heart. "This is why you're my favorite~" She smiled and cut her hand open to draw blood. Makima then motioned her bleeding hand near Frost's mouth. A chance she never had.
'Making the frost devil drink her blood even once, would allow Makima to assert control over her, in addition to healing her. But, since Frost was a devil stronger than Makima herself, she would only be able to give her one command. And only one command will be fulfilled.'
"If not forever, my blood will make you my slave for one command."
TO BE CONTINUED---
Next Time:
- Yoshida helps Frost, "It's... freezing... Yoshida." She leans closer to him as he wraps her up.
- "Mr. Kishibe, who was Lady Quanxi to you?"
- "She was... the woman I loved."
- Bitter words weighed her throat that night, "You broke our promise, Quanxi." She said as Kishibe stood blindfolded.
'I don't want to see a thing.'
Chapter secrets:
- Denji kept wishing his chainsaws could help Frost.
- Aki realized how much Frost, Denji and Power meant to him when he saw them covered in blood.
- Quanxi thinks you're her type ;)