Epilogue V Sacrifices for tomorrow

"Captain we are ready to open fire." Aya came out of her blockade, the rest of the hunters were all aiming at the strange devil near the entrance.

"Stop, all of you keep your distance I will handle this!"Auro screamed at them as she raised her sword, the devil that used to deputy Evan was just stumbling slowly as if blind, but the tentacles on her head kept going larger, their size seemed to change with ease, it almost looked like they were moving of their own will while the body simply stumbled.

"You think if we behead it...this thing will die? Aurora asked out loud.

"Worth a try, but it may be safer to aim for the heart...im not sure she even has a head now,"Amii answered as they prepared, The unknown devil was slow but she was walking towards her for sure.

"I...need to go home...so tired," Eva said again to no one in particular, it seemed to Aurora she had no control at all in her transformation, but that didn't make her any less dangerous...it didn't help that those tentacles seems to cut throught the walls like butter...if it keep going the room may just collapse.

"Alright, Amii...we are gonna stab her heart, deal."

"Yeah...the faster we do it the better, I dont like that thing, it just feels wrong." Aurora smiled bitterly as she rushed forward, She could still see it just a few moments into the future, those tentacles were dangerous but they moved predictable as if by instinct. She ran to the side as three tentacles tried to pierce her breaking the ground Instead, it was hard to measure their range they simply grew as if their mass could expand endlessly. Amii blocked another tentacle at her face with her claw but one of her nair was cut clean, Blocking was impossible she could not allow it to hit her, and that would be the same as losing her limbs.

"You are in the way...let me go home!" She raised her hand towards Aurora and it twisted into a tentacle and flew by stretching towards her, Aurora couldn't evade the attack fast enough and it ripped off half of her right arm. Both of Evas hands were now tentacles that fell to the ground but the swirling tentacles in her head only turned more violent, Amii took over their body to bear the pain and dodged more and more of those attacks, they were striking all over the room breaking the wall, the floor and the ceiling. The rest of the hunters realized the danger they were in and began to back away, it felt like the Debry alone could kill them, except for Aya who remained stuck in that corner of the room, hiding behind some boxes.

"I won't lose to someone that couldn't even keep her humanity...fine have it your way!" Aurora took over bearing the pain, Amii was far too wild for this she needed to move with precision, this was a fight that could only end in a single minute. Eva twisted her body slashing with both arms like massive whips Aurora docked below one of them as it crashed into a pillar breaking it, The whole room started shaking and Debrie fell over the two of them, but Aurora did stop she reached Eva who moved her other arm cutting Aurora's right leg but she had reached her and stroke Eva right in the chest throwing her off, the both crashed on the ground.

"Hahaha, you sure are wil for a human..."Amii gritted her teeth but she could bare the pain of losing a leg, she couldn't stand still not when the ceiling was breaking down, she tried to stand up but as she did the column in front collapsed on top of her, she barely managed to raise her claw over her head. Finally, there was silence.

"Hah...damn, whatever that thing was it...was scary....hehe... I've never seen anything like that..." Amii could only but laugh, to her eye that was not a demon at all, but something else something more uncanny, but it mattered not if it could still die. Still even when she tried to use all of her strength neither her legs nor arms could move, the ceiling had caved over the pillar crashing with all of its weight, on her arm.

"Alright, I got you there." A tall man crouched near her, it was Boar who used all of his strength to try and move the collapsed pillar, but we still lacking.

"Captain I'll get ya out This is nothing for a man of the wastes argg!" He ducked below the pillar and started raising it above his shoulders, if only he could help her move her arm she could do the rest, but Amii was instantly distracted as she saw that Eva was standing up from the ground again, her face covered by falling tentacles almost like hair, she was standing still most of her coat tainted in a black liquid rather than blood.

"Guess I didn't land the heart damn it...this is bad, get out of here boar!"

"No way, a man of the wastes never runs away captain!" He ignored her as he tried to raise the small space between the pillars even a little, Ami could see that the devil was walking. Slowly towards them again, the black blood dripping from her chest.

"Get her out of there!" Aya ran between them noticing the upcoming devil, she quickly raised her gun and shot Eva in the chest, reloaded her rifle, and shot again, the devil didn't evade her but stumbled back her movements like a broken puppet.

"Damn it...you stupid leg just healed back already!"Amii screamed as she tried to raise the pillar with her hand, the creature that was once Eva didn't stop her from walking as the tentacles on her head began to rise in all directions again. Aya looked back, Boar almost had the the captain out of there, but there was no time.

"Damn...damn so this is how you felt..." Aya closed her eyes for a moment as her body shook..."Captain I just dont want you to die...im sorry."Aya rushed forward the devil was still barely able to act it was that moment alone, where she could do something, she reached Eva's chest and shot her point blank in the heart, as she did a tentacle pierced her from behind as the gunshot rang out. Ami finally moved her arm to raise the column above her as she did Deborah reached out to help her out of there while Boar held the pillar.

Ami screamed raising everything with her claw and slowly getting on her knee even so she couldn't quite move her leg so after throwing the pillar aside, Deborah helped her out even as she groaned in pain and then Boar let go of it and grabbed her over his shoulder, the three of them stared ahead, the ceiling was collapsing all around them, letting the natural light outside to illuminate both Aya and Eva who both seemed to have passed away.

"I guess, I ended up needing you guys to save me...talk about a shame."Aurora had taken control of her body again, It was painful but she wanted to be there in that moment.

"Aya...what do we do is it death..."Deborah looked at Ayas back, but they were too afraid to get any closer.

"I can't fight anymore We are moving to the shelter... let's hope the rest can finish it, Aya guess you and Luis had a sore heart after all..this is all my fault, it was just my weakness." They both dragged Aurora as her leg was destroyed.

Still, they had to keep moving Their fight was not over they had no time but to leave that room behind.

***

Cao rushed forwards with blades in hand, the massive devil and vice chief of the police swung his claw-like hands towards the much smaller man, the reach of his long limbs put him on a clear advantage as Cao was forced to retreat but his composure remained even if just being close to miles claws send and intensely heated air towards him, the devil's hands were visibly surrounded by flames now. Cao was still more skilled as he perfectly measured his movements and evaded his claws as he slowly made him follow him away from the border of the stis Finally he saw an opening and rushed cutting Miles on the back of his knees and making him kneel forward, but before Cao could reach his neck he stood up, he was so tall there was no way for Cao to cut his head and aimed for his chest instead.

He cut his skin but before he could pierce any deeper Miles grabbed the blade, the intense heat making it turn orange till it finally snapped in two and then he lowered his head and rushed forward with his horns. He raised Cao from the ground and threw him through the air, he was surrounded by the phoenix as he crashed, but his body was already burned severely, still, he slowly got up with his remaining sword.

"I see...I may not have what it takes to take you down...not alone anyway."

"Too bad, now im gonna burn you to a crisp and get moving, im not letting the chief have all the glory!" Miles rushed forward swinging his hands, Cao knew he couldn't possibly cut that neck with a single blade so instead ,he rushed and ducked below its arms again and with all of its strength he cut the back of his knee making it fall to one knee. Immediately Cao had his hands involved by the wings of a fiery phoenix as he grabbed the tip of his blade with one hand around Miles and pushed it back, trying to use the blade as a makeshift guillotine and by grabbing him by the neck with his whole body, but by doing so Cao was hit by the intense hit as if putting his whole body against a grill.

"Fine, you can just burn, so hold on with your petty life." He tried to shake Cao off but he held it to his blade. Miles was going to grab the blade to break it but Cao noticed and with all of his lower body strength he crouched to force Miles's spine to arch the blade finally reached his neck, but Cao's entire body was burning now.

"It's useless you won't be able to cut me...."

"I know...so I will leave it all to him..." His blade broke as Miles finally grabbed it but Cao immediately grabbed his neck on a chokehold to keep him in place. Still, it was in the van, just by holding Miles his entire body was being burned to a crisp. Miles was furious as he slowly tried to stand up, but Cao kicked him on the wound of his knee with all of his strength forcing him down. Cao closed his eyes he had done all he could be he knew he was about to have his body break down completely Not even Phoenix could protect him from the heat any longer but then. Miles stopped as blood spurt from his head.

"Thank you, Mr.Vlad..." Cao let go as he fell on his back and Miles fell forward, he had been shot right in the brain, Cao had risked everything to give his sniper one clear shot and it had paid off but now, he was lying on the ground with flames burning his suit and his elegant blades both broken beyond repair. The phoenix slowly fell upon his chest trying to heal him while Miles was now burning with a green flame.

The battle at the staircase ended with only Cao remaining there, holding on to dear life.

Away Vlad looked through his telescope as he stood up...

"So I killed a demon...me, just a human killed a demon...you better be alive when I get to you, captain!" He put his sniper rifle in its case and ran off.