Y/n POV
My heart pounded in my chest as Volatile stalked towards the five of us.
Without hesitation, I drew my sidearm and fired fifteen shots at Volatile, emptying my magazine. Each shot hit its mark, but they did little to slow his advance.
"Fuck!" I cursed, tossing my sidearm to the side, knowing it wouldn't be very effective against his new armor. I could practically feel Volatile's smirk under his helmet. He could have easily teleported right up to us, but instead, he took his time.
"Moxxie, do you have anything with a bigger caliber in there?" I asked, referring to the bag of weapons he carried with him.
"Yeah. What do you want?" He quickly responded.
"Seven six two by thirty-nine," I hastily answered.
With a nod, he reached into the bag and pulled out a rifle with my requested caliber.
After snatching it from his hands, I quickly flicked the firing mode to full auto, aimed, then released a barrage of bullets toward Volatile.
Moxxie tossed the bag of weapons on the ground for everyone. Blitzø pulled out his rifle and joined me in mag dumping into Volatile, with Moxxie doing the same quickly afterward.
Millie held her battle axe, readying herself for the inevitable melee confrontation.
Loona reached into the bag and pulled out an RPG. After aiming, she fired a rocket at Volatile, hitting him head-on and causing a massive explosion.
"Yeah! Take that, fuckwit!" Blitzø sheered, then began reloading his rifle. "Nice fucking shot, Loony!"
I took the opportunity to insert a fresh magazine into my rifle. After which I raised it once more, aiming at the cloud of smoke created by the explosion and ready to fire if Volatile somehow managed to live through that.
"Yeah, good aim Loona," Moxxie complimented as well. I briefly looked back and gave a nod of approval, seeing that Loona had a proud smile on her face. I quickly looked back at the cloud of smoke, waiting for it to dissipate so I could confirm he was dead.
I heard everyone behind me start to put away their weapons and walk away to return to IMP.
"You can relax now Y/n," Loona said, following Blitzø and the others.
I didn't budge. I needed to see his body. I needed confirmation that he was dead. I knew Volatile and had seen what he could do. If I turned my back, it'd be the last thing I did.
"Seriously Y/n, he's dead. No one can survive a hit like that," Loona repeated, further away from me now.
Still, I didn't budge, and as the smoke dissipated I saw that there was no body in the charred crater left by the rocket.
"There's no body. He's not dead" I argued.
"Of course, there's no fuckin body. He got his with a rocket, whatever was left of him was incarcerated by the heat of the explosions, idiot," She argued back, walking back over to me.
She walked back over to me and placed her hand on the barrel of my gun. "Y/n, he's gone. Relax," She repeated, this time with a much more reassuring tone. She knew how much Volatile scared me, she'd seen the terror he caused me firsthand.
Still, I didn't move. I kept my rifle raised, ready to fire at anything that moved.
"Let's go back to IMP and finish our work day, then we can go back to my apartment and get cleaned up. I'll get us some food on the way home and we can watch Voxflix together. Okay?" She pressed, trying her hardest to get me to relax.
I mentally chuckled at how the tables had turned. Not even ten minutes ago, I was the one comforting her, and now she was the one comforting me.
I nodded my head and let out a deep breath, lowering my rifle. "Okay," I replied.
"Good. Now come on," she said, taking my hand in hers and leading me over to a portal leading back to IMP that Blitzø had opened.
Just as we were about to enter the portal, Volatile appeared to our left. Before either of us could react, he grabbed Loona and kicked me in the stomach, knocking me over. After throwing Loona through the portal back to hell, he turned to face me as the portal closed.
I pushed myself to my feet and faced Volatile. For a moment, we stayed facing each other, neither of us making a move of aggression toward the other. I was rather surprised that he threw Loona through the portal, rather than killing her. Furthermore, I was surprised he didn't just kill me while I was down.
Looking to my right, I saw the rifle lying on the ground. After looking back up to Volatile, I dove for the rifle, grabbed it, and landed on my stomach.
I quickly rolled to my back and fired at Volatile. He rushed forward and grabbed the barrel of the rifle, the bullets barely slowing him down. He tore the rifle from my hands, tossed it over his shoulder, and stood over me.
A portal opened above his head and he pulled a jagged curved sword from it, bringing it down for an overhead slash.
I reacted quickly by flicking my wrist activating my hidden blade and deflecting his attack. I then grabbed his leg with my other arm and hooked my leg around his other so he couldn't step back.
After raising my hips, I kicked him in the stomach, knocking him over. As soon as he hit the ground, I got up and backed away to put distance between us while I figured out how to get through his armor and kill him.
I kept a close eye on him while I thought about what I could use to penetrate his armor. Based on the fact that he survived a direct hit with an RPG and multiple bullets of different caliber, it was made from angelic steel. Which meant the only thing that could pierce it would be something made from the same material.
That's when I remembered that I kept three angelic knives in my house at all times.
Remembering this, I turned and sprinted to my front door, trying to get inside before Volatile could fully recover and retaliate. Turning back to Volatile, I took off sprinting for my front door. Those knives were the only fighting chance I had.
I heard the deafening crack of thunder behind me. Ignoring it, I pushed onward. I was nearly there, when a lightning-imbued spear whizzed past my head, nicking my ear, and lodging itself in the exterior of my house.
Just as I was about to take a step onto my front porch, a portal opened in front of me. Volatile's arm reached through and he grabbed me by the neck, dragging me through the portal before effortlessly hurdling me back towards my house.
As I flew through the air, a colossal bolt of scarlet lightning fell from the sky, striking where the spear had embedded itself. The bolt struck the spear and caused a massive explosion.
The subsequent shockwave hit me as I flew through the air, redirecting me back toward Volatile. As I flew toward him, he sidestepped so I flew past him and landed some distance behind him.
My ears rang and my vision blurred as I forced myself to my feet. Once my vision cleared, I saw that Volatile was slowly advancing towards me. Looking past him, I saw what little remained of my house. The bolt had utterly decimated it, leaving much of the surrounding terrain charred black. What little terrain remained was burning.
I looked back at Volatile, rage building inside me. He opened a portal to his left, pulling from it his black and red jagged greatsword. After which, he opened another portal to his right. From this one, he pulled a sheathed katana, my old sword.
Volatile stopped roughly fifteen feet away from me, tossing my sword at my feet. Looking down at the sword, my rage disappeared, replaced with confusion. I was unarmed, an easy kill. Why wouldn't he just kill me now and get it over with?
"Why?" I asked, looking back up at him.
"Father ordered your execution. I figured that you'd want a warrior's death, so I'll give you one. Worst comes to worst, you'll kill me, and I'm fine with that," He explained.
As silly as it may have been, my heart felt warmed by this. Perhaps a shred of the real Volatile, the one who cared for his younger brother and who didn't do everything his father said, remained. Maybe this didn't have to end in death.
I picked the sword up and unsheathed it, examining the blade for a moment. "We don't have to do this, you know," I suggested, looking from the blade to Volatile.
"Yes, we do," He replied and lunged toward me, attempting to impale me.
I stepped to the side, dodging the thrust. Anticipating his next strike, I moved the hilt of my sword up, so the blade was facing down.
As I had guessed, Volatile followed up with a slash to the side, aiming to cleave me in half. I moved my blade upwards, catching his sword with my own and redirecting his strike.
Following through with the upward motion, I brought my blade down on the other side of me, leaving him open for a counter. I turned my blade to face him and slashed outwards at his leg.
Volatile managed to move his leg out of the way and back lunged, dodging my initial strike. After my failed strike to his leg, I drew my blade back and aimed the tip of my sword at him, then exploded into a lunge to stab him.
He sidestepped once again, evading my strike. With me now being too close to use his greatsword, he punched me in the stomach, knocking me backward and creating space between us.
Using the space he created, Volatile brought his sword up for an overhead strike, and we once again engaged in our fight.
I struck at him, then he tried to hit me, then I at him. We went back and forth like this, neither of our blades tasting flesh or metal. It seemed as though we were so equal in skill that our battle would last for eternity.
"Why're we doing this? You know we don't have to," I said, blocking another one of Volatile's strikes, then countering with my strike, only to have the same done to me.
"Yes, we do," He repeated. Slashing at my lead leg, I moved back out of the way and then blocked another powerful strike from him.
"Why? Because our psychopath of a father said so?" I shot back, just barely ducking under a slash meant for my neck.
I countered with an upward slash, only to have my blade blocked. I quickly back lunged to figure out how to win this and to catch my breath. Volatile made no advances, seemingly doing the same.
We stared at each other for a moment, contemplating our next moves. Even though he didn't answer me, I knew it was a yes. "You know, deep down, you don't want to do this," I continued to press.
"Yes, I do," He sharply replied. After flipping his sword in his hand so he held it by the blade, he opened a portal to his left. He stuck his sword through the portal, using the cross guard to hook around my neck and pull me through the portal before I could do anything.
Once he pulled me through the portal, he grabbed hold of the hilt, half-swording. I ducked under another slash at my throat, causing it to miss me. Still half-swording, he attempted to impale me, but I was able to quickly twist my torso, evading the strike.
Following through with the stab, he let go of the hilt and grabbed the blade with both hands once more. He then swung the hilt of his sword at my head.
I ducked under the swing and came out behind him only to watch him let go of his sword, throwing it into a newly opened portal.
Still using the momentum he generated on his swing, he spun around, forming a glaive comprised entirely of scarlet lighting.
Having only seconds before the glaive hit me, I quickly fired the grapple in my metal arm at a nearby tree. The glaive barely missed me as I was pulled towards the tree to safety.
Volatile followed up by forming a bolt of lightning in his hand and throwing it at me like a spear. I dove to the side, just barely dodging it.
I picked my sword back up and stood up, seeing that Volatile had pulled his greatsword out of a portal and was advancing towards me.
"You're going to kill your little brother for a father who has never loved you? Never cared for you?" I continued to press as he advanced towards me.
Still, he remained silent, disregarding what I said entirely.
"A father that killed your mother in front of you?" I added, knowing I would hit a nerve.
He froze in place at the mention of his mother. Even though he wore a helmet, obscuring his eyes, I could tell he had been pushed to an emotional state.
"Don't you dare speak of that," He spat at me, anger lacing his words. With that, he lunged towards me and I lunged towards him, once again locking our blades into a bind.
"Why? Because it makes it easier to do what he says?" I asked, ignoring him.
Volatile answered with action using his cross guard to gain the upper hand by hooking my blade and pushing upward to open me to attack. However, in doing so, he also opened himself up.
Seizing the opportunity, I let go of my sword, which forced his hands even higher from the strength he was putting into the action. I then quickly stabbed him in the stomach with my hidden blade before almost immediately ripping it out and stepping away, expecting to watch him drop to his knees. Much to my dismay, he stood unharmed.
"You fool," He commented, shaking his head as he lowered his arms, my sword still hooked on his cross guard. A small portal dissipated where I had stabbed him. "You thought that would work?" He chuckled.
"Yeah, I did," I replied, shrugging my shoulders.
"Then you've gotten stupider, Y/n," Volatile commented. He grabbed my katana and tossed it at my feet. He then got into his stance, resting the blade of his sword on his bicep, while angling the tip of the sword at me.
I shook my head and laughed, as I bent down to pick up my sword. I held the blade once more, readying myself for our next engagement.
"What?" He asked, not seeing the irony that I saw.
"Irony," I replied. "You call me a fool and claim that I've gotten stupider, but here you are doing the bidding of someone who's taken nearly everything from you and has abused you for years," I explained.
Volatile stayed still, contemplating my words. He still kept a watchful eye on me, ready for any movement I made, but he didn't engage.
Seeing that my words were starting to get through to him, I continued to press. He took your childhood away from you and forced you to train. He executed your mother in front of you. He's taken everything from you."
"I still have him, Y/n," He argued.
"But do you love him or care for him? Or do you just fear him?" I retorted.
Volatile went silent and responded by lunging at me with an overhead strike. I blocked it and redirected it to the side. Having learned from his past attempts, Volatile spun with the redirection, coming around to the other side with a strike to my side.
My blade rattled as I blocked the strike. He spun around the other way and struck at my other side, rattling my sword once more. At this rate, if I continued blocking his strikes, my blade would snap.
I quickly back lunged to create more space, but my heel caught on a root sticking up from the ground, tripping me and causing me to fall. I angled my body so my butt would land first, followed by my lat. Not wanting to break an arm, I forced myself to resist the urge to reach out to catch myself.
Upon hitting the ground, Volatile was instantly on me, giving me a few seconds to block a strike from him. After the first strike, he followed up with another, fully going on the offensive.
My sword rattled over and over again with each block. Volatile's offense was unrelenting, as he brought his sword down over and over again, each strike getting more and more powerful. I could tell he wanted to end this.
On the seventh or eighth strike, I saw an opening to roll to the side. As I did, I held my sword up to block another strike from Volatile. With this final strike, he snapped my sword in half but missed me entirely.
Knowing I had very little time, I quickly got up and faked stabbing him in the stomach with my hidden blade again. Knowing he would open another portal to save himself, I pulled my hand back and punched him in the face while grabbing the hilt of his sword with my other hand.
Even though his helmet protected his face from the brunt of the punch from my metal arm, the blow was still hard enough to daze him a bit and loosen his grip. Then, after prying his sword from his hands, I side-kicked him in the stomach, knocking him to the ground.
I tossed his sword in the air, catching it by the hilt, then lunged for Volatile and brought the sword down over my head, delivering the finishing blow, and killing him. Or so I thought.
My eyes widened in shock as Volatile crossed his arms above his head, blocking the blow, and catching the blade between the jagged spikes of his gauntlets.
In one swift motion, he pulled his arms apart, snapping the blade of the sword, and grabbed me by the neck. My feet were lifted off the ground as he stood up, still holding me by my throat.
I moved my metal arm out towards where the tree I had grappled to prior was, but Volatile acted quicker than I could grapple, grabbing my metal arm and tearing it from its socket.
He tossed my metal arm over his shoulder then raised his free hand, opening a portal to deliver the final blow. However, he hesitated, and while I couldn't see his face, I could tell he was conflicted.
"I-is this r-really what you w-want?" I managed to choke out.
"What other options do I have? There is no fighting him," He replied, slightly loosening his grip.
"Y-yes there is. E-even a sin can b-bleed, and he is n-no sin," I retorted.
"Maybe... but it's still too late for me, Y/n. I've chosen my path," He pushed back.
"N-no. It's n-never too late," I said.
He tightened his grip, fully closing my windpipe and stopping me from breathing. I started to claw harder at his armored hand, doing everything in my power to pry his plated fingers off my neck, but it was pointless.
No, not like this. I couldn't die now. Not when Loona still needed me, I thought, clawing harder and harder, desperate for anything I could do to get free. The world started to go black and I couldn't help but shed a tear at the thought of losing Loona once again.
Just as I was about to fall unconscious though, Volatile let go. Dropping to my hand and knees, I breathed in and out heavily to catch my breath.
I heard Volatile take a few steps back and sit down on the ground. After I caught my breath, I looked up at him, seeing that he had removed his helmet and was staring at it.
Once I caught my breath, I crawled over to where my metal arm had landed and reattached it.
"I don't have anyone... anything left other than him," He said, not taking his gaze off his helmet.
"You're wrong," I replied, pushing myself to my feet and forcing my exhausted body over to him. The adrenaline that flooded my veins and pushed me onwards during our fight had vanished, leaving me without energy and a body that hurt all over. "You have me."
Volatile scoffed. "No. You left me, betrayed me. You chose to oppose me." he pushed back, still not breaking his gaze with the helmet.
"No, I chose to oppose our father, not you. You could have come to my side at any point, but you decided not to," I corrected.
He let out an irritated exhale through his nose in response. Still, though, he didn't look away from the helmet.
"You hunted me and tried to kill me, so I defended myself. Never have I sought you out to kill you," I explained.
"Why then?" He asked, confusing me.
"Why what?" I responded.
"Why speak to me now? Why try to convince me to leave our father's side and take yours? Why not kill me now?" Volatile asked, finally looking away from his helmet over at me. His scarlet eyes were full of hurt and anger.
I went silent for a moment as our eyes locked, while I thought of my response. "Because... Because I could tell that you were conflicted on whether you wanted to go through with killing me or not. In the beginning of our fight, you pushed Loona through the portal back to hell, when you could have easily killed her." I explained, pausing for a moment and replaying our entire battle in my head.
"You also could have killed me then and there, but you didn't. Speaking of, there were several times when you could've killed me in our fight, but you still chose not to. You even went as far as to give me my sword so I could defend myself against you, rather than simply strike me down," I finished.
Once I finished, Volatile went quiet for a moment and broke our gaze. "Maybe... But I still chose our father over you, and I can't go back on that," He said, after the momentary silence.
"Why not?" I asked.
"Because... I just can't," He insisted.
"Because you're afraid of him?" I asked.
He didn't reply, going quiet again.
"You don't have to be afraid of him. Sure, he's powerful, but we could kill him, together. We could avenge our mothers and put an end to his reign. Ensuring that what happened to you and me never happens again to anyone else," I explained, still trying to sway him to my side.
Volatile looked back at me, our gazes locking once more. Tears filled his eyes, as the rage that once filled them was replaced by pain. "How do you know?" He weakly asked.
"Did your mother ever tell you the story of how our father came into power?" I asked.
Volatile shook his head no.
"Oh, that's a shame. It's a cool story. Anyway, to make a very long story short, our father killed a deadly sin on his own, which is why some have called him a sin-slayer before. That means that the most powerful beings in hell, the deadly sins, can be killed. Our father is not a deadly sin, thus he can certainly be killed because he isn't as powerful as one," I explained.
"That's where you're mistaken, Y/n. Father has been preparing to take the ring of wrath for himself. He's become powerful enough that he can rival the power Satan wields," He replied.
"That's fine. I have very powerful demons backing me. Too many for father to kill on his own, plus myself, and if you joined the fight, he would be overrun very quickly. Volatile, you have to understand, we can beat our father," I pressed harder.
He went silent again, clearly hesitant on whether to join me or return to our father.
"We can do this," I added, placing a hand on his shoulder.
He went silent again, taking his time to think before giving me his final decision.
Loona's POV
I landed hard on the carpeted floor of reception after being thrown through the portal by Volatile. Quickly recovering, I whipped around to rush back through the portal, but it had closed.
"Open another portal!" I shouted at Blitzø, who was walking to his office to put the grimore away.
"Why the fuck would I do that?" He replied.
"Because it closed before Y/n could come through!" I shouted again.
"That fuckin' sucks for him. The work day is almost over anyway, so he can just wait until tomorrow," He pushed back, adding fuel to the already growing fire of anger in my core.
"Volatile didn't die! He fucking threw me through the portal and now Y/n is fighting him alone," I continued, trying to convince Blitzø to open the portal.
"Oh well. That shit sounds like a him problem. He did a pretty good job of fucking him up the last time we encountered that bird bitch, so he'll be fine this time," He shot back, not changing his mind. "Worst comes to worst, he dies,"
With that, the anger building in my core turned into red-hot rage. "Fucking fine! If you won't open a portal to help Y/n, then I fucking will," I said and got closer to Blitzø. "Give me the grimoire," I demanded.
"Fuck no. The last time you fought Volatile, he stabbed you in the side. That shit's not happening again so long as I can help it," He replied.
"I'll fucking take it from you, if I have to," I threatened, baring my teeth.
"He'll be fine, Loony. It's Y/n for fucksake. Have you ever encountered something that can stop him?" Blitzø rhetorically asked as he turned around and continued into his office.
However before he could even get through the doorway, I grabbed him and pulled the imp close enough that I could grab hold of the grimoire. But before I could yank the grimoire out of his hands, he tossed it past me so I couldn't get it.
Letting go of Blitzø, I turned around and locked eyes on the grimoire that sat in the middle of the reception room. I dove for it, but Blitzø grabbed onto my leg before I could get far, causing me to land hard on the carpeted floor.
Blitzø rushed past me trying to get to the grimoire before I recovered. Reaching out, I grabbed his foot, tripping him and causing him to faceplant just before he got to the grimoire.
I pushed myself to my feet and dashed for the grimoire. Getting to it before Blitzø got up, I opened the book, looking for the spell I needed. Just as I found it, Blitzø grabbed the grimoire out of my hands and dashed back to his office.
"Ahh! Dammit Blitzø!" I shouted, quickly grabbing him by the tail and pulling him back to me.
He let out a shriek of pain and surprise, then took the book back. Once he recovered, he tackled me and we started to grapple on the ground, both of us trying our hardest to secure the book.
Blitzø managed to get on top of me, but only for a brief moment before I used another one of Y/n's tricks he taught me. I grabbed one of Blitzø's arms, planting one paw in between his legs and one on the outside, then exploded upwards and turned us over, taking a top position.
Still clutching tightly onto the grimoire, he raised it above his head and out of my reach.
"Ugh! God fucking dammit Blitzø. You said you'd give Y/n a chance in the hospital. Did you fucking lie to me?! Or were you being honest?" I angrily asked. Sick of fighting with him over this.
"I was being honest, I just- Moxxie, Millie, help me out here," He said, looking over at the two, who had been watching the whole confrontation unfold.
"Actually, sir, I'm with Loona on this one," Moxxie said.
"Yeah, Y/n is just as much a part of this company as the rest of us, even if he only started working to pay for medical bills that he caused," Millie agreed.
Blitzø looked between the three of us, realizing he was surrounded. "Do none of you remember what happened the last time we fought Volatile?" He asked, giving one final push.
"We weren't prepared last time. We are now," Millie replied, shutting down his argument.
"We were also dazed from the car crash and caught off guard, sir. And during the fight, we didn't fight together, we all did our own thing, which ended poorly for us, sir. We can beat him this time, with far fewer injuries," Moxxie added, killing Blitzø's argument altogether.
Blitzø went silent for a moment, weighing his options. "Fuck you guys," He said and got up. "Open a portal," He added, handing the grimoire to me.
A bright smile spread across my face and my eyes lit up as I took the grimoire from him. "Thank you, Dad," I said, opening the book and finding the spell we needed.
After a few minutes, I found it and opened the portal. "Alright everybody, portals open," I said, looking back to see that everyone was ready for the fight of their lives. Millie had her battle axe at the ready, Moxxie held two SMGs, and Blitzø held his sniper.
"Let's go kill that fucking bird," Blitzø said, chambering a round in his sniper rifle and walking through the portal.
Moxxie and Millie follow behind him. After I put the grimoire in a bag for safekeeping, I walked through as well, joining the others.
When the four of us exited the portal, we were presented with a sight that made our jaws drop. Y/n and Volatile sat side by side, casually talking.
"Y/n!" I called out.
The two of them looked over their shoulder to see the four of us. "Get down Y/n!" Blitzø shouted, as he raised his rifle and shot at Volatile. Moxxie followed suit, raising his SMGs and mag dumping into Volatile.
Reacting quickly, Y/n dove at Volatile, knocking him out of the way of the barrage of bullets flying towards him. Volatile waved his hand, creating a portal between us and them, from which a thick stone wall erupted, serving as cover.
After emptying their magazines, Moxxie and Blitzø reloaded their guns, providing a brief break in the barrage.
"Jesus fucking christ, chill!" Y/n shouted, standing up from behind the wall. "Volatile's cool now," He added.
Volatile stood up next to Y/n. He looked like Y/n when he was in his bird form, but his feathers were all black, rather than black with scarlet tips.
Looking back at the others, they looked very apprehensive with Y/n's words. "The fuck do you mean?" Blitzø said, being the first to talk.
"I am no longer trying to kill my brother," Volatile answered.
Y/n nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah," He added.
"Y/n, how the fuck do you know it's not a trick to get you to let your guard down?" I asked. The others behind me stayed at the ready, prepared for Volatile to attack.
"My brother doesn't kill that way. Sure he's assassinated people, but he doesn't gain their trust and betray them like that. Call him what you will, but it's undeniable that he's an honorable warrior," Y/n explained.
"I still don't buy it," I pushed back. I looked behind me to see that Blitzø, Moxxie, and Millie seemed to share the same sentiment. The three of them still tightly held their weapons at the ready.
Looking back at Y/n, I saw that a saddened expression had spread its way across his face. "Can you please trust me on this?" He asked.
"Y/n, I-" I started, but Blitzø cut me off before I could finish.
"See Y/n? He's not on your fuckin' side!" Blitzø said. I looked back at him to see that he was pointing to our left to the field where Volatile had first appeared, which was now filled with hundreds of imps dressed in plated armor and holding bladed weaponry.
Y/n looked at Volatile, a confused expression wiping away his saddened one.
Volatile sighed and shook his head. "I told Father not to send any reinforcements and that I didn't need help with this, something he clearly disregarded."
"How do we know it's not a fuckin' trap?" Blitzø asked, pointing his gun back at Volatile.
"Still got some fight in you?" Volatile asked, ignoring Blitzø altogether, and turning to face Y/n.
"Little tired, but should be fine once the adrenaline kicks in," He replied.
"Good," Volatile replied with a smirk. He opened another portal and from it, he pulled a long spear. The shaft was created from a dark material that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it, giving it an almost obsidian-like sheen. The spearhead had an asymmetrical design, with barbs and spikes jutting out at irregular angles, the surface of which was etched with arcane symbols and runes that gave off a scarlet hue.
"Hey, I asked a fuckin' question," Blitzø said, speaking a little louder now.
"I'm better with a sword," Y/n commented ignoring Blitzø. He took the spear and examined it, shifting it from hand to metal hand to get a feel for the weapon.
"I don't remember asking," Volatile replied. He gave Y/n a playful smirk, before continuing. "I have a backup, but I'm using that. You get what you get, and you don't bitch about it,"
"Whatever," Y/n replied, rolling his eyes at his brother's comment.
"I asked a goddamn question!!" Blitzø repeated, even louder this time. Still though, Y/n and Volatile ignored him.
"By the way, you can use that spear to control lighting, like I do," Volatile said.
"How do-" Y/n started, but Volatile disappeared into a portal before he could finish his question. "So fuckin' helpful," He muttered, looking at the spear again.
"Y/N!!" Blitzø shouted.
"WHAT?!" Y/n shouted back at him, matching his volume.
"Can you answer my fucking question?!" Blitzø repeated for the third time.
"I already answered it," Y/n replied. "Because Volatile doesn't like to kill people by stabbing them in the back, so if he really wanted to kill me, he would do it head-on in combat."
"I don't fuckin' buy it," Blitzø insisted, still unwilling to accept Y/n's answer.
To be fair to Blitzø, I didn't fully believe Y/n either. In the past, he had proven to be a better fighter than Volatile, so it would make sense if Volatile wanted to get his guard down and then stab him in the back.
"I side with Blitzø on this one, Y/n," I said, agreeing with Blitzø. Unlike him though, my tone had more concern in it.
"You-" Y/n started but was cut off by a loud crack, followed by an explosion.
The five of us turned to face the direction the noise came from. What we saw gave Y/n's claims more credibility, but I still didn't fully believe that Volatile was swayed to his side.
I watched as Volatile stood up from a newly created crater. The soldiers turned to look at him, hesitating on whether to attack him or not. Even though it looked like many of them had been killed by whatever he did to create the crater.
Volatile took advantage of their hesitation and leaped into the air, conjuring a massive glaive comprised entirely of scarlet lightning.
As he swung the glaive, it hit many of the soldiers. After the initial strike, a wave of scarlet lightning was sent forward on the ground, hitting the soldiers that were out of range of the glaive.
Tendrils of scarlet lightning moved throughout the soldiers, overwhelming every cell of their bodies with energy. This caused their bodies to explode into pieces of flesh and blood, covering both Volatile and their comrades.
By now, the soldiers had realized their prince was attacking them and they began to retaliate. Volatile was charged by several of them, but he was able to easily hold his own against multiple opponents.
"See? He's with us now," Y/n said, looking away from the bloody battle to face us.
I shrugged my shoulders, still not fully convinced. Admittedly, I still wanted to get revenge on Volatile not only for the nasty scar I now have on my side but also because he took Y/n from me and is in part guilty for his lost limb.
"Fine. You all can stay over here, but I'm fighting with my brother," He said. With that, he lifted the spear into the air, mimicking what Volatile did to imbue it.
The clouds above the spear parted as a bolt of scarlet lightning was sent down, striking the spear. Tendrils of lightning traveled down from the spearhead to Y/n's arm then all throughout his body. He dropped to his knees, crying out in pain.
I quickly rushed to his side to do whatever I could to help him, but just as I was about to touch him, he held up a hand.
"N-no, it's f-fine," He said through gritted teeth. The lightning started to fade as he pushed himself up to his feet. "I'm fine," he repeated, now standing up straight.
"Are you sure?" I worriedly asked him.
"Certain," He nodded. "If you guys don't want to help me and Volatile, that's fine, but I don't recommend staying here. It's not safe," He suggested, and with that, he threw the spear.
What happened next is hard to describe and even harder to understand. As Y/n threw the spear, it never left his hand, rather it turned into a massive bolt of lightning. He disappeared as the bolt formed and flew forward to where he had thrown it.
When the bolt struck Y/n was left standing in a charred crater, the bolt having disintegrated everything in its radius.
Two soldiers were quick to react to Y/n's appearance, charging at him. I watched him quickly impale one with his spear, causing the soldier to drop to his knees. The second soldier slashed upwards at Y/n with his sword, trying to cleave him in two. Y/n quickly drew his hidden blade, redirecting the attack. He then followed up by side-kicking the soldier's knee, folding it in, and causing the soldier to drop to waist level.
Before the soldier could do anything to defend himself, Y/n slit the soldier's neck with his hidden blade.
Y/n then turned his attention back to the spear, grabbing it and ripping it out of the now-dead other soldier's back.
More soldiers rushed Y/n. Even though he was a very skilled and powerful warrior, he was still very outnumbered. He'd fall eventually. Volatile was in the same boat, but I couldn't care less if he died.
"I know none of us trust Volatile, but we at least have to help Y/n. He's way too outnumbered to stand a chance for long," I said, turning to face the others.
"Yeah Loony, cause four demons will make a massive difference," Blitzø replied, turning to face me. "Plus, it's not like we're getting paid, so who fuckin' cares?" He added.
The rage I felt with Blitzø earlier came back in an instant, with that last comment. "UGH! CAN YOU JUST DO SOMETHING FOR SOMEONE ELSE FOR ONCE IN YOUR GODDAMN LIFE?!?!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, rage once again coursing throughout every vein in my body.
"I'M NOT WRONG!!!!" He shouted back, matching my rage.
"Ugh, fuck you Blitzø!" I said, then looked past him at Moxxie and Millie. "Will either of you help?" I asked the pair.
"A-actually Loona, I'm with Blitzø on this one," Moxxie replied.
"I am too," Millie agreed.
I stared at them with gritted teeth, my eye twitching with rage. I was about ready to pounce on them and tear their throats out with my teeth. Did no one give a fuck about Y/n?
"N-not for the same reason though!" Moxxie said, noticing my rage.
"Oh?! Why then!" I said through gritted teeth.
"Because... well... I mean look at them," Moxxie replied, gesturing back to the battle.
I looked back at the battle to see an impressive sight. Backs pressed together and surrounded, the brothers fought ferociously against their attackers.
Y/n used his spear to sweep a soldier off his legs, then impaled him with it, bending his back a little as he did. Volatile rolled over Y/n's bent back, now on the other side of him. He intercepted a charging soldier, slashing his leg clean off, causing the soldier to fall forward.
Volatile spun through with the attack, shoving his dagger into the face of the soldier, killing him before he even hit the ground.
Y/n pulled the spear out of the dead soldier and lifted it into the air to imbue it with scarlet lightning.
Once imbued, he slammed the blunt end of the spear into the ground, sending out a shockwave of red lightening that disintegrated more soldiers.
A portal opening past the soldiers caught my eye. A massive dark figure emerged from the portal, walking towards the battle. The figure was covered in black steel-plated armor, etched with arcane runes that gave off a scarlet hue almost exactly like Volatile's weapons. The helmet was encircled by sharp spikes, forming a crown-like appearance.
Seeing this figure, caused feelings of dread and anxiety to form in my stomach. Some way, some now, I knew this was Y/n's father; The Scarlet King.
"Oh fuck fuck fuck fuck," I heard Blitzø anxiously say next to me. "We need to leave right fucking now," He added, experiencing the same anxiety and dread I was.
"Enough!" I heard the figure shout. This one shout commanded more power than I had ever seen any being wield, and with it, every single living soldier knelt. Even I had the urge to kneel, though I ignored it.
Y/n and Volatile turned to look at the figure. I could tell that they were talking, but I was too far away to make out what they were saying.
"Blitzø, we need to leave right now," I said, taking out Stolas' grimoire.
"I couldn't agree more. How're you planning to get over to Y/n?" He asked. I noted that he didn't swear at all, knowing he was in serious mode now. Though, I was still surprised that he didn't fight me on getting to Y/n.
"We need to distract the big motherfucker somehow," I replied, thinking about how we could do that.
"There's our distraction," Moxxie informed, pointing to Volatile, Y/n, and their father. The three had begun to fight, and Volatile and Y/n were defending themselves against multiple tentacles that erupted from their father's back.
"Thanks, Mox," Blitzø said. "Alright, Loona, you take the grimoire and move behind Y/n to open a portal for his escape. Millie, you go with Loona to watch her back. Moxxie and I will go around behind that ugly motherfucker and get his attention off Y/n," He explained.
The four of us nodded in understanding and began to execute the plan. As we ran towards the fight, we split into two groups. Millie and I ran one way, while Blitzø and Moxxie ran the other.
Once I had gotten into position, I opened a portal back to IMP for Y/n to retreat into.
The portal was about forty feet from where Y/n and Volatile were fighting. Looking past them, I saw that Moxxie and Blitzø were in position.
When they opened fire on the Scarlet King, he was caught off guard, but it did very little damage. He momentarily stopped his assault on the brothers to see who would dare shoot at him.
"Insolent hellborn!" He cursed, laying eyes on the two imps. "Kill them!" He commanded his soldiers.
Y/n took advantage of his father's distraction, jumping onto his back and cutting off all the tentacles using his brother's sword. The two must have swapped weapons while I wasn't paying attention.
"Run!!" I heard Y/n shout to the duo, as he was thrown off his father's back.
Hearing the command, the soldiers got up and charged the imps, who instantly switched to firing at the soldiers.
At first, it seemed like the gunfire from the imps would repel the soldiers, but there were too many soldiers and they soon were able to press through the gunfire, walking over the bodies of their fallen comrades.
Just as the first soldier was about to reach them, Volatile appeared behind them and grabbed them both. He then fell backward through a portal, taking Moxxie and Blitzø with him.
A portal then opened next to me. Volatile emerged from it, carrying Moxxie and Blitzø, then set them down.
"I got them!" Volatile shouted to Y/n who sidestepped, dodging a tentacle meant to impale him.
"Understood!" Y/n replied as he cut off the tentacle. "Get them through the portal, I'll cover you!" He shouted again, ducking under a tentacle and cutting off another.
Volatile nodded and grabbed Moxxie, who squeaked in surprise as he was tossed through the portal back to IMP.
"No! Not without you!" I shouted back, refusing to leave without Y/n.
"Don't fucki- AH!" I heard Blitzø get tossed through the portal next.
"I'll be right behind you, I promise!" Y/n insisted as he dodged, ducked, and weaved through multiple strikes.
"I'll walk through," I heard Millie say behind me, followed by the sound of her walking through the portal.
I felt a cold steely hand grip my tricep from behind. I yanked my arm out of Volatile's grip, but he quickly grabbed me again, this time with a tighter grip.
"Let fucking go of me!" I shouted at Volatile and struggled against his grip. It was pointless though, he was far stronger than I, and his grip was tighter this time. I was helpless as he tossed me through the portal.
I landed on the carpeted floor of IMP for the second time that day, though this time it hurt more for some reason. I quickly got up and turned around to dash back through the portal to help Y/n, but I ran nose-first into the black steel breastplate of Volatile.
Stumbling backward, I held my nose as it hurt from the impact. Volatile stood in front of the portal, blocking any of us from getting to it.
"Move out of my way, you stupid fucking chicken," I said, rushing towards him. I slammed into him, expecting him to be knocked over, but he wasn't. He didn't even budge an inch.
"Move Loona, I think I have the solution," Blitzø said.
I looked over my shoulder to see he had his rifle raised and aimed directly at Volatile. After I got out of the way, Blitzø fired.
A look of pure shock spread across both mine and Blitzø's faces as the bullet did nothing more than leave a scratch on his armor.
"What the fuck is that armor made of?" Blitzø exclaimed, baffled.
Before Volatile could answer, a metallic clank was heard, followed by Y/n flying through the portal and slamming into Volatile.
The force of the slam knocked Volatile off his feet, causing Y/n to land on top of him.
A tentacle flew through the portal and attached itself to Y/n's leg, then began to drag him back through the portal, but before it could get far, the portal closed, severing the tentacle and causing it to release Y/n.
Everyone collectively let out a sigh of relief, knowing that for the time being, we were safe.
Just as Y/n was getting up, I lunged at him, tightly wrapping my arms around him in a hug. He was momentarily shocked, but quickly hugged me back.
"Are you okay?" I asked, letting go of the hug and looking him up and down for any injuries.
"I'm fine," He chuckled, giving me a smile.
"Good," I returned his warm smile, then swiftly kneed him in the nuts, causing him to drop to his knees with his hands covering his groin.
"Ow, fuck! W-what was that for!?" He asked breathing heavily from the pain.
"Leaving my side when I needed you most and telling your creepy bird brother to force me through a fucking portal while you fought your father," I angrily said, standing over him.
I heard a couple of snickers from Blitzø and Volatile.
"I'm sorry!" he cried up at me from the floor.
"Good," I replied, then leaned down, planting a kiss on his forehead. "And that is for understanding and listening to me," I added.
He let out a few more groans from the knee strike to his groin, before responding. "Mhm, no problem."
After a few more minutes, he stood up to his feet, the pain subsiding.
"Alright," He started, letting out a heavy sigh before continuing. "Now that that's over, preparations can begin."