- The Inner Sanctum -

“Commander!” a Justiciar calls out to Elaine and Aoi, “Armies approach from our flanks!”

“How far? And how many?” Elaine asks,

“About two hours from now. About 300 strong on each side,” he estimates,

“We’ll pull back in one hour.” the commander states,

“Taro… Akari… please hurry…” Aoi pleads.

……

The pair continues up the tower. From the maps he finds an integral chamber that none of the workers can approach. For Taro this is the dead ringer that Shion resides there.

“Cmon! Let’s go!” Taro urges,

“Mh!” Akari nods,

……

Down in a cell deep within the lower levels. A man does pull ups on the bar in his cell. When he completes his set he flexes his muscles into a mirror.

“Damn looking good~” he flexes again “I must keep in top shape for my boo boo~”

He kisses his bicep.

“Daveee!!” The strange woman shrills in front the man mid pucker,

“Babe!!” David chirps,

“Davee bear!!” She chirps

“Baby Boo!!!”

“Dav-”

“Shut up over there! I’m trying to sleep!” a neighbouring prisoner shouts

“Hahaha!“ David gives a large hearty laugh.

He bends the bars of his cell with his bare hands and walks out. Lyla clings onto his arm.

“No time to sleep my friends!” He grins and flicks his hair, “It’s time to escape!”

All of the prisoners in the cell stood alert and amongst the murmurs they whispered.

Rebellion.

……

Taro and Akari make it to the floor where Shion was being kept. Security was far heavier here than any other floor so far.

Taro was assured that she was here or at the very least something that Orochi desperately wanted to hide.

*Gryuu~

Lil’ Shion pokes his head out of Taro’s backpack.

“Ah lil’ shion?! Get down!” Taro whispers exasperated, “H-hey! Get back here!”

The little slime hops away into a vent just large enough to fit the both of them.

The pair looks at each other.

“Should we go after him?” Akari asks,

“I-It can’t hurt?” He answers non commitally,

The two of them nod to each other and decide to follow the curious little slime. Entering the chasm’s twist and turns they find themselves in an empty room with an altar, not too dis-similar from the one in the atrium at Shion’s dungeon. At the altar itself; there she lies.

Taro and Akari could not believe their eyes, a pale woman with snow white hair and dress lies on the altar. The slime curls up next to the sleeping woman.

“It’s Shion,” Taro says, “It’s really her…”

Her hair was a bit longer and she looked a bit more aged, however she undeniably had her features.

Taro approaches his master.

“Wait! Taro!” Akari yells,

“W-What?” he looks back,

“T-That’s not Shion!”

Taro looks back to find himself being held by the throat by the pale woman.

“Taro!” Akari yells,

“I wouldn’t try it, little oni.” The woman holds a long nail to his throat, drawing blood.

Akari froze in place.

“You…” Taro says in gasped breaths, “You’re not Shion at all…”

“You’re… Orochi or should I say, Lucifer.”

She smiles wryly.

“Oh, she told you about me then… Good to finally meet you… in person.”

“Let him go!” Akari screams,

“You were close. Dangerously so. It was to my benefit that I knew you were coming.” she says yet doesn't take her eyes off him, “Time and time again; I watch this feeble insignificant bug escape and maneuver obstacle that should've crushed him a thousand times over. Even trying to send you 10 years into the future eludes you. I should’ve killed you a long time ago.”

“You know so much?... H-” Taro asks before coming to a realization. “Lil’ Shion?...”

“Hm.. You even figured that out so quickly.” she says impressed,

“W-What are you talking about?!” Akari snaps,

“Lil’ Shion… Are her eyes and ears… She saw.. everything…” he explains

The little slime climbs onto Lucifer's shoulder.

“No…” Akari says lost for words,

“SHIONN!!” Taro yells with what little strength he could muster,

The serpent slams him against the wall causing a fracture in the pale surface! 

“Shut up!” she hisses, “She’s not here you fool!”

“Gack!” Taro spits up some blood.

Lucifer’s eyes narrow in disgust…

“So fragile…” she spits,

“You want to take revenge on the heavens for casting you out?!” Taro shouts, “Fine! They’re a bunch of stuck up angels anyways! But Shion is innocent in this! The people you enslave are innocent!”

“You talk like you know anything.” Lucifer hisses, “I was not cast out… she was… and then they killed her.. They feared what she could produce, they feared Shion. I will protect her, even if I have to slay all of the heavens myself.”

Taro learned he had a misreading of the situation. The name of the angel was Orochi, the serpent before him was her lover whom inherited her divinity.

“So… You’ll kill me.. Like they killed her.” Taro coughs, “Face it. All you want is revenge.”

A white hot flash of anger fills the serpent’s eyes,

“Insolent child! I could squeeze the life from your eyes now and you wouldn’t even know it!”

“Taro!” Akari yells,

..!

Just then the slime on Lucifer’s shoulder bites her.

“Huh?!” Lucifer looked dumbstruck at the slime.

This sliver of time was just enough for Akari to close the gap, she grabs Taro from her claws and slides into a vent.

“W-What?... happened…?” Lucifer stared dagger into the slime. “No matter, it’ll have to wait…”

……

Akari carries Taro on his back. They rush past all of the guards so fast that they could barely register them as people.

*BWOOMM!!

The great white serpent rushes out from the chamber. It crashes into the walls and ceilings chasing after the pair.

Akari sees that there’s no way they could escape on foot the long way, she looks down.

“Taro! Hang on ok!” Akari shouts,

“Huuergg!” he groans.

Akari leaps from the platform into the lower layers.

……..

Meanwhile the lower levels were in a great disarray.

Rebellion was brewing, the prisoners outnumbered the guards 3:1, with the help of David and Lyla they made great strides. Only that a much larger force dwells just outside.

“What should we do, my love?!” David says to Lyla, who was being princess carried in his arms, “How’re we going to make our escape?”

“With love of course!” she replies, “... also Taro and Akari! You remember those kids right?”

“Huh. Yeah?” he says,

“They’re here!” Lyla giggles,

“Oh. You mean like … right there?” David points to the falling couple,

“Ahaha! You're right, that is them!” she laughs,

“...”

“AH!” they yell in unison,

David puts the lovely lady down and rushes to reduce their fall.

“Save them Davveee Boo!!!~”

He bounces off of the walls and catches Akari off the scruff of her jacket, using centrifugal force he rotates the two so they fly upwards reducing the momentum. Akari reaching the peak of height lands safely.

“Taro! Akarii!! That was so scawwyy!!” She runs to hug the both of them.

“Ah! I missed you guys too! But we’ve got problems!” Akari snaps, “Do we have an exit?”

“Hmhm!~” Lyla smugly puffs, “You forget who you’re talking to dear~”

The woman puts both of her hands in front of her to blow a crater into the wall.

“INFERNOOOO -!!”