Beginning of the End

Lilin literally flew towards Annie's room. She wasn't supposed to fly indoors, but it's not like the ceiling was too low and it wasn't like she was going to be punished for it right now. She didn't bother knocking, instead forcing the door open. "Come on, old lady! Game time!"

Annie didn't have to be told twice. She pocketed her note and ran with Lilin towards the throne room. As they went, they heard an explosion coming from the library. Hopefully, that was Deuce's distraction. They made it to the throne room, and Lilin stood in front of the doors.

"OPEN, DAMMIT!" Lilin shouted as she extended both arms. With a pulse of Mana, the doors flung open. She quickly ducked down, as did Annie, avoiding the attack that came with the door opening. Annie was a bit shocked to see that the attack was automated, she had always figured it was the Demon King demanding respect. Either way, as they rushed into the throne room, they saw a familiar, long-haired figure standing before them.

"Ahhh, I see you two have finally awoken," Tristan said with a smug face. "We've already got the throne room taken care of, why don't you investigate what was happening in the library, you two?"

Behind Tristan was a dozen well-armed men. Each one of them looked weathered and carried a shield, longswords adorning their hips and spears in their main hands. Their armor shimmered brilliantly, both high quality and well-maintained. Each one of them clearly meant business, and Tristan stood in front of them with his absurd sword already unsheathed. His youthful appearance clashed with the rugged men behind him, making it rather obvious that he was the leader.

"Tristan," Lilin growled, "I've always hated your damn guts. Now, this is a real threat and your last warning. If you don't get out of my DAMN way, I'm going to kill you. Make your decision."

Tristan let out a bellowing laugh, clutching his stomach with one hand. "My, my! Doing your best imitation of your father's voice, aren't you? Goodness, us darkbloods truly are all the same, aren't we? Bloodthirsty creatures lusting for battle! If you truly intend to do fight me, then very well! Don't expect my men to spare your companion, though."

Lilin gasped, her eyes glowing as she stood at the ready. It was absurd, seeing Lilin ready to fight in a skimpy maid's uniform and staring down more than 10 fully armored men. Annie could see just how prepared Tristan was as well, how he never took his eyes off of the threat in front of him even as he laughed, and how he always kept a hand high on the hilt of his sword even as he held it loosely at his side. Even with her utter lack of combat experience, she knew he was dangerous. 

Lilin looked around, then scanned the room for who was there. She recognized that this was almost the full squad of Tristan's, sans two men. Probably killed on the way here. Whatever, just made her job easier. However, she felt the presence of another person behind them, closer to the throne. She grinned, relaxing now as she shouted at Tristan.

"You know what? You're right. Us demons love fighting, and I'm gonna enjoy the HELL out of this!"

Lilin lunged forward, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. She slashed for his throat, but he blocked it with his weapon. Tristan's eyes started to glow just like Lilin's, the grin on his face spreading until it was unsettling to look at. He leaned in close, butting his forehead against Lilin's.

"Very well, Second! Men, take care of Tenth!"

The men behind Tristan surged forward, charging towards Annie. She turned to start running, only to be met with somebody directly behind her. She fell back, landing on her butt as she looked up. It was Six, who was smiling with a disturbing glee as she held a hand out to help Annie up.

"Forgive me, Annie. I wanted to make a more dramatic entrance, I didn't mean to scare you. Now, stand behind me. I will keep you safe."

Annie took Six's hand, then yelped as her arm was nearly yanked out. Six's strength wasn't just surprising, it exceeded what Annie could have possibly imagined. Her form shimmered as she changed her appearance once more, now having pale, blue skin and horns that curled like a ram's. Her muscles were intense, not massive but toned like a bodybuilder's. Her uniform was straining to contain her frame now even though nothing had changed about her body's size aside from her musculature.

"I rarely get to use this form," she said in a far deeper voice than usual. "I hope that your opinion of me has not changed."

"I-Is this... What you really look like?" Annie asked with shock and exasperation in her voice.

"No," Six replied. "My true form is... Lost, for lack of better words. Think of me as you always knew me, that is the form I most often take and therefore consider my 'truest' form."

Their conversation was cut short as the men regained their wits. One of them charged forward, and the others followed suit. A dozen men charged forward, all trying to get around Six and attack Annie. However, Six wasn't going to let a single one past her. With an intense glint in her eyes, she created a glowing, transparent barrier around Annie. It encircled Annie, who poked at it curiously. It didn't allow her finger to pass through.

Six stood ready, taking a wide stance befitting a grappler. "That barrier is designed to withstand a single blow of the King's full might. Unless you can rival the King in strength, your target will be me!"

The men changed their attention, charging at Six with their spears. The first man to stab at her found his weapon difficult to pull back, as Six had grabbed it just underneath the head of the spear. She grinned as she squeezed, the wood splintering until it cracked and the spearhead fell to the ground. Six caught it with a spaded tail, flinging it right back at the man. He managed to raise his shield in time, but the spearhead left a serious dent in it. The other men tried to attack, but their attempts were met with about the same effectiveness. Swords were being drawn as the knights were forced to rely on their sidearms, the sharpened steel something Six couldn't simply catch to disarm them. Now, metal rang as Six danced around their blades. Her claws intercepted every blade, no matter how many of them attacked at once, no matter how quickly they swung or stabbed. Every attack either missed its mark or was knocked off course by her claws, even as they surrounded her.

"I tire," Six said suddenly. With a flap of her wings, she soared into the air and knocked most of the men off of their feet. "Come now, if you're not willing to use your magic to fight me, then how do you expect to defeat a demon?!"

The men began to panic, some frantically pulling out crossbows as others started to focus their efforts on trying to use the Mana in the air within the throne room. Annie watched as Six's grin grew, her eyes glowing brighter and brighter until it made the rest of the room feel dark by comparison. This battle was clearly far above her pay grade, and she was VERY thankful for the barrier around her.