Chapter 34: Demon Knight Dance

As we all step out of the bunker, we’re greeted by two figures standing in the desolate street. The first is a tall heavily armored demon wielding a crimson trident. By the looks of him, I’d say he’s a demon knight. The sharp, angular suit of platemail he wears is made of glossy onyx steel. His face is obscured by a sallet style helmet with a visor but no mouthguard, revealing his wicked fanged smile.

At his side is a strange, dangerous looking beast. It looks like a tiger but its fur is ashen grey. Small spikes protrude from its face and along its spine. As the knight sees us, he shouts something in a language I’ve never heard before. It sounds harsh and guttural. Whatever it is, gets a reaction from Rina. Her body begins to flicker with flame as her rage rises.

“At least my ancestors smile down on me and await my return, monster! The only thing waiting for you is the abyss!”

The knight clutches his stomach as he laughs raucously, then kneels down next to the demon tiger, stroking its fur. He pulls something from a pouch at his hip, a mana crystal but it looks odd. It's covered in some kind of black slime. The knight feeds it to the beast who crunches it down. In an instant, a reaction starts to take place.

The demon beast growls and roars in pain as its body breaks, shifts and swells. We look on in horror as the tiger doubles, and triples in size continuing to grow. Its spikes turn black and extend, its tail transforms into a razor sharp bladed whip. When the transformation finishes, the beast is absolutely massive! It dwarfs even the taller buildings around us and as it stalks forward, its steps leave deep craters in the ground. The beast roars loudly, sending out shockwaves that shatter windows.

“Well… That’s unexpected.” Kizzik remarks.

Camilla snaps into a fighting pose “This is really bad. Its mana output is insane.”

As we stand in the tiger’s shadow, the knight points the trident at me, grinning widely.

“You. Die. I. Kill.”

[Two extreme threats identified. Demon Knight Gadreel and Augmented Demon Behemoth,

Species: Nimr.

Your best course of action is to separate targets so they cannot synergize their attacks. Proceed with caution, Void Walker.]

Sounds like a plan. I step forward and point at the demon knight. “We. Fight. I. Break. You.” I say slowly, making a snapping motion with my hands.

The demon, Gadreel, laughs deeply again before falling into a low stance. Without warning, they zoom forward, slamming into me at full force. I throw up my guard at the last second, catching the trident across my forearms. The impact rattles me a bit and I can tell he’s at least as strong as Camilla. No, he’s stronger. The demon presses down on me with the trident, pushing me deeper into the ground.

“He wants me! You guys try and hold back the tiger!” I shout.

My allies rush forward at once towards the behemoth. I have to trust they can handle it without me. I have my hands full with my own monster. We speed toward each other into battle.

Gadreel and I are little more than blurry sparks through the broken streets of Utua, crashing through buildings as we do. His movements are insanely fast, precise and deadly. Every strike of the trident is aimed to kill. I’m better hand to hand so I forgo the sword, opting to focus on my Jet Fu. I launch a furious assault on the knight, lighting him up with jet powered punches and kicks. He lunges forward, thrusting his trident at my midsection. I sidestep and follow up with a spin kick as the thrusters on my leg explode with power.

Raptor Roundhouse!

My foot collides with his head, knocking his helmet off and sending him skittering backward. Gadreel catches himself before he can fall. He wipes a bit of blood from his lip, runs his fingers through his crimson hair and looks at me amused.

With a spinning flourish of his polearm, he dashes back at me, faster this time. He’s screaming and laughing maniacally now as he unleashes a series of impossibly fast thrusts and swipes. I’m able to block the first dozen but they just keep coming. I dodge backwards but at the last moment the trident spikes extend, shooting toward me. I leap to the side but they follow me! Chased by the three spikes, I have to dash away through an alleyway. I don't notice that they’ve split off into different paths. As I turn a corner, one of the spikes catches me directly in the chest, piercing through the armor.

It would’ve skewered my heart if I hadn't grabbed it at the last second. Unfortunately, theres two other spikes to worry about. One pierces a hole right through my shoulder and the other through my thigh, pinning me in place. The demon rounds the corner at a leisurely pace, whistling cheerfully. He approaches me, the trident in his hand linked directly to my wounds.

“Sorry. Good. trick?” He chuckles.

I have a pretty good trick of my own though. I crush a mana crystal in my hand

[Your remaining power supply is at (55%).]

[Your remaining power supply is at (66%).]

[Your remaining power supply is at (79%).]

[Your remaining power supply is at (85%).]

[Your remaining power supply is at (99%).]

[You have reached full power.]

The armor transforms once again to its crimson, winged state. The plates elongate to form jagged spikes as horns just from my helmet. With a quick flourish, I snap the three spikes and my wounds close. The power courses through me, amplifying everything. My senses, my power, my rage. Gadreel seems confused by the sudden change, taking a cautious step back.

The flames bursting from my jet thrusters change from blue to red, intensifying. I point at the demon and a bolt of lightning slams into him, sending him reeling backward. I’m on top of him before he can react.

FULL POWER JET INCH PUNCH!

His expression twists in anguish as my fist grinds into his chest. All the stone around us cracks as he’s sent spiraling through the air, smashing through several buildings before coming to a stop. He looks like he’ll be a minute getting back up. As I step back onto the main road, I can see my allies all battling the giant monster tiger. The beast is making an absolute mess of the city, stomping on buildings like they’re a child’s toy blocks. Rina calls down a massive fireball onto its back, casting flames across the whole area. I hope there's a city left after they finish.

My enemy gets to his feet slowly. The trident that was knocked out of his grip returns to him. Blood trickles from his lips, his smile noticeably absent now. Gadreel rushes at me again with a flurry of spear thrusts but its child play to knock them away when I’m like this. He’s moving so slow to me now, it's like he’s underwater. I grab a trident spike with a flick of my wrist, pulling it forward and throwing a lightning quick quick into the demon’s outer thigh. He buckles and falls to one knee, looking up just in time to see me head butt him. Gadreel goes limp and I wrench the trident from his grasp.

“Y-You. How?” He struggles to speak as he lays on the rubble before me.

My response is the trident driven through his chest. The demon knight exhales his final breath. Without skipping a beat, I turn my attention to the demon beast. It looks slightly burned and bloodied but still rampaging. I fly at full speed, thrusters lighting up the whole city block with crimson light as I collide with the behemoth.

FULL POWER LANCER BOMBER!

The impact ripples out from us as I spear punch the tiger in the side of its huge face. The creature and some of its fangs go flying crashing into a tower. I watch as it struggles to get back up but collapses unconscious. Its body begins to shrink back down.

Kizzik and Camilla cheer as I land in front of my friends. The suit vents huge clouds of steam as I fall out of full power mode.

[Your remaining power supply is at 42%.]

“Whew! That guy was tough!” I say, the mask retracting from my face.

“That was amazing! I didn't know you could do that!” Camilla says as picks me up in a big hug, swinging me around.

I look around at Utua and grimace. The damage is pretty severe. It’s a good thing there weren't any citizens around to get caught in the crossfire. “We kind of wrecked the city huh?”

“I’m sure no one will be mad since you took down these suckers.” Kizzik slaps me on the back.

I guess they’re right. Two powerful enemies we don't have to worry about anymore. Anxiety tickles my brain as I count my remaining mana crystals. six left. Who knows how many more knights we’ll come across or worse. My friends look worn out and a little scuffed up from their fight with the beast. Even Camilla is winded.

“Oh!” It's then I remember the orb and fish it out. Camilla and Kizzik ooo and aww at the object.

“So Shiny!” Kizzik slowly reaches for it before their hand is smacked away by Rina.

“Is that from the bunker?” She asks.

I nod. The shiny metal thing begins to pulsate in my grip.

“It's Jazarian.” I say.

Her expression changes to one of concern.

“Careful Kenji. We know nothing about this thing.” Rina warns.

As she says that, Minerva’s voice sounds in my head.

[Integrating Catalyst…]

Before I can react, the suit absorbs the orb. Light patterns trace along the armor, etching strange symbols directly into the metal. The whole suit pulses as the energy begins to swell.

“Get back!” I shout.

The suit erupts in a bright blinding white light! It takes a long while for my eyes to adjust but when they do, I’m no longer wearing the suit. What the hell?

Minerva, what happened?

Nothing.

“MINERVAAA!” I cry out.

Silence.

Rina approaches me slowly. “Kenji. Are you okay?”

I touch my body all over. I don't feel hurt at all but something feels off. The connection. I don't feel it. I try to summon the armor back but...

“No.” panic rises in my chest. “It’s gone. The suit’s gone!”

“What do you mean it's gone?” Rina asks, concerned.

Before I can respond, we’re all blindsided by an immense oppressive aura. I feel myself being compressed, crushed by the sheer pure feeling of despair. It's hard to breathe, hard to think. My hands start to shake. I fight against the feeling with all my might. Camilla is the first to spot her in the distance. There, walking casually down the street is a woman, at least that's what it looks like. The disgusting feeling the being gives off tells me she’s a true monster. It's a sickening sense of dread, like falling backwards into a bottomless pit. The closer she gets, the stronger the feeling grows. I desperately try to summon the armor again but it wont come to me.

Standing before us is a demon, a powerful one. She isn't wearing any clothes but some strange black ooze covers some of her pale blue skin. Her silky vermillion hair flows gently in the breeze. Her eyes glow brightly just above her lascivious smile. She seems to find enjoyment watching us struggle under the weight of her presence.

“The demon lord wants to play too.” Her sultry voice is sickeningly sweet. “Won’t you come have fun with me?”