Red Wedding Part 3

Gorilla Trixie attacked first.

She roared as she swung her brass knuckles and punched a skeleton warrior's head clean off. Bones burst everywhere when she charged into the horde. Nothing could stop her fury until the armored skeleton swung its axe and forced her to dodge.

"Damn!" she said, surrounded by undead. Cowboy blasted onto the scene.

"Yeehaw! Need help, lass?" He fired flintlock pistols. Each time he needed another gun, he unholstered more from his belt. The whole skeleton army became target practice which was blown away by dynamite.

But just over the horizon, another wave of undead approached.

"Let's all stick together," I said. "Tsukino will give support if we need it."

The trench coat woman had stayed behind guarding the girl and her mom trapped beneath rubble. No matter what, Tsukino kept her wand ready in case trouble arose, even if she knew using magic would cost life force.

"Y'all ready?" Cowboy said. He'd just finished reloading two pistols.

Trixie raised her brass fists. "Born ready."

I couldn't do anything dramatic except clutch my knife. "Good luck, guys."

The skeleton army charged full speed at us. Trixie barreled towards them to create an opening for attack. I slashed at spines, severing necks while Cowboy aimed for skulls. His bullets pierced through bony foreheads and struck more foes behind them. We all held strong until the armored skeleton returned and swung his huge axe.

Tsk. This one is gonna be tough. I leapt away, dodging more swings. Cowboy nearby shielded himself with flintlocks to parry a sword; the clang of steel echoed across our battlefield.

Soon, flames and bones were all that remained. We were tired, exhausted, and I'd crumpled down to one knee to catch my breath.

There was still one foe though.

The armored skeleton clanked with each trudge towards us. He was an unrelenting tank dotted with dents, burns, and holes. Those glowing red eyes gleamed brighter, each prior blow just making him stronger.

"Sh-Shoot!" Cowboy said, digging through his vest. "I'm out o' dynamite!"

"Can we even beat that skeleton?" I said.

Noticing our worry, Trixie charged at the armored foe and grappled him. Plated armor groaned under pressure, almost caving from the gorilla's strength. Trixie tried toppling him but got manhandled and flung away.

"Ack!" She rolled far to a stop, wounded though with vigor burning in her eyes. "Tsukino! Let me transform into a rhino! It's an emergency!"

What, huh? I turned behind towards my partner standing by the stone block. She looked conflicted, troubled, shaking at the thought of giving permission. Unwritten emotions streamed across her face as she finally nodded.

"Okay. Do it."

"RAAAWR!" Storms of purple sparkles flew. Trixie transformed from black ape to a tank on four legs. A rhinoceros with thick skin touched down, huge horn readied for ramming anything standing.

Trixie charged without hesitation. The armored skeleton got rammed with four tons of force, forcing him backwards all the way to a crumbling wall.

"Leave my friends alone!" Trixie yelled. She wedged her horn deeper into his armor and kept pushing. Harder. Harder. Until weakened support columns began tumbling. The already lopsided cathedral couldn't take it when another section of roof collapsed.

Rubble rained down around both combatants. The skeleton's eyes glowed red defiantly one last time as he was buried alive. Trixie morphed back into a pixie, dodging huge stones one after another until dust clouds overtook her.

"T-Trixie!" I shielded my eyes. No one could see anything for a few precious seconds until the dust began clearing. Sunlight above guided me to catch a little pixie that limply flew into my palms.

She coughed up blood and wasn't speaking.

"Hey! Talk to me," I said. "Are you okay? Say something."

No response. Just little breaths like she was having trouble breathing.

This doesn't make sense. Trixie didn't get hurt just now, so why? What's all this blood for? And why is she—

I noticed too late a red lightning bolt forming in the sky. And in another second, it blasted down towards me.

"LOOK OUT!" Cowboy pushed me away as thunderous bolts electrocuted him. Red static sizzled his clothes and sideburns; smoke and the smell of death puffed out from every orifice until he collapsed.

"C-Cowboy!" I rushed over, pressing my ears to his chest to listen for a heartbeat—none at all.

Then a slow clapping of hands rang overhead.

"My, my," White Swamp said. He floated down like a demonic phantom. His white suit had been shredded, his scorpion tail bled, but he was otherwise fine. "I aimed to punish evildoers bullying my skeletons, though snuffing out one evildoer will suffice for now."

I was frozen in place, unable to even speak. Teeth clattering. Though I mustered the strength to spread my arms and shield Cowboy and Trixie's bodies behind me.

"Wh-What do you mean 'evildoers'?" I said to buy time. "You're the demon here!"

"Hmmm? 'Demons' are just what you call us, don't you know?"

What's he talking about? But before I could respond, blue lightning blazed through the air from behind me. White Swamp's face panicked as electricity struck him and he struggled to stay standing. His limbs convulsed, legs shaking. With two fingers raised though, he'd manage to redirect most of the lightning upwards and away.

"W-Woman!" he half laughed at Tsukino pointing her wand from afar. "That was quite an attack!"

Even from here I could see her eyes fighting to stay open. And in another second, the wand slipped out from her hand before she collapsed.

I was the sole person left standing on the battlefield against a cackling White. Just when he reached towards my face, we heard an ominous voice.

"Hey," Count Duval said. He lumbered onto the scene completely doused in blood. Dozens of swords stuck out from his back, and both his arms looked broken. "Wh-When did I say you could go, demon?"

"Oh. It's you," White said. "Just when I'd lost interest, you return. It's really burning my time when I'm running low on that."

"I won't keep you for much longer . . ."

Before White could react, blue energy snakes erupted from the ground and coiled around him. Even his scorpion tail became wrapped, inoperable.

"What's going on?" he said. "Release me!"

No words. Duval summoned blue energy snakes to rotate around his fists, spinning like mad halos. Then he unleashed a fury of punches all at White's face. The demon became a punching bag, unable to move as lightning-fast fists pounded him. Shockwaves burst in all directions after each impact.

Ten seconds—ten seconds was all it lasted. Duval's snakes dissipated when he succumbed to exhaustion and fell to his knees.

White Swamp stayed standing. But now his front teeth were missing, with that once handsome face disfigured beyond recognition.

"D-Damnit!" he coughed blood. "A-Adventurers! Nobles! Y-You all think you're special? Just for being born on this side of our ocean? Huh? You're all nothing! NOTHING! So why don't you just hurry and die!"

When he grabbed Duval by the hair, an immense power from the sky crashed down on the battlefield.

Sparks blitzed out from the crater Nuri created, her blonde hair still billowing. She was letting loose terrifying auras of power I hadn't felt before—almost demonic, as her golden armor clanged with each step out the pit.

Church insignias on her breastplate and sword gleamed bright. But an even brighter anger smoldered across her eyes.

White Swamp nervously giggled. "Heh. Nuri the Hero—you're right on time."

With one glance at my fallen friends, she knew everything she needed to know. She raised her sword.

"Don't talk. Your tongue is unholy."

"Well how about—"

He couldn't finish before his arm was sliced off. Surprised, he watched it zoom away like a frisbee until it thumped against a wall.

There was no time to think. His tail blocked Nuri's blade, immense force shattering tiles beneath him. Sheer speed wasn't enough to dodge her kick as she pinballed him through the cathedral.

Walls exploded, pillars dominoed, and statues vanished—everything happened too fast for me to see. Nuri's wrath didn't let White react before he'd flopped to the floor, crumpled.

"D-Damn Hero!" He hobbled up for one final stand. Red lightning charged in his remaining, bloodied hand until zapping Nuri point-blank. Thunder engulfed her, a rising twister of voltage. No trace of her remained—

Until she reached through the lightning and grabbed White Swamp's face.

"I said don't talk." Then she flung him high into the sky.

White had lost hope, facing his incoming death with a grin as he began falling below.

"Manifest: Ultima Sol." Nuri's blade glowed gold before extending to thrice its size. And with a final slash, she launched a blast upwards and sliced White in half.

I couldn't even see where his bits landed; somewhere far. I was more focused on the golden warrior in front of me sheathing away her sword. This was Sin Nombre's second strongest warrior, someone who'd helped keep demonic forces at bay. But even with that inner ferocity, she still looked towards me and gave her warmest smile.

"It's nice seeing you again, Aizawa!"