Ambush

Haruto, with the device in tow, had taken the fire escape and was now outside behind the building.

He stopped to catch his breath and pulled out his phone, double-checking the route.

The first cell tower they were supposed to hit was about twenty minutes away if he jogged. But with the SSU in pursuit…

“Put your hands in the air.”

The voice came from behind him.

Slowly, he raised his hands.

“Turn around.”

Obediently, Haruto turned around, seeing the person who had held him up. It was Chiaki, perched atop a vending machine. She didn’t seem too menacing, but Haruto knew she already had her demon trained on him.

“Now drop your phone and that device.”

Haruto froze.

Chiaki grew impatient. “Do it!”

Haruto dropped the device, but as for his phone, he hit a button, opening the Demon App, and as it fell out of his hand, his fingers slid across the screen, summoning his demon.

“Raiju!” Haruto called out.

While he couldn’t see Raiju without his phone’s camera, he knew it had appeared beside him. In an instant, Chiaki jumped off the vending machine right before it exploded into bits.

With his opening, Haruto immediately grabbed his phone and the device and dived behind a nearby stone wall.

Haruto pulled up his phone camera. Raiju, who looked like a white wolf cloaked in lightning, appeared beside him.

“Thanks…” Haruto gave him a quick pet that was much appreciated.

Getting to the cell tower was all that mattered. Therefore he should just flee. He knew this neighborhood well, he could certainly juke her.

But before he could take off, Raiju rammed into him, knocking him out of the way of a glowing arrow that pierced through the wall.

Her demon could shoot crazy strong arrows, and that shot was dead on. He had to escape, to get to the cell tower, but it wasn’t going to be easy.

Haruto grit his teeth and scrambled to his feet. He ran out from cover to face his opponent head on.

With his phone, he was finally able to see Chiaki’s demon. It had the appearance of a beautiful female angel, clad in light armor and carrying a regal bow.

“Gabriel!” Chiaki called out.

The angel’s eyes narrowed as readied her bow, aiming a shot at Haruto.

“Raiju!”

As Gabriel’s arrow flew, Raiju barked, sending out a lightning bolt to neutralize the projectile midair.

Gabriel was already preparing her next shot, but Raiju was much faster, sending out another bolt of lightning, nailing Gabriel.

Chiaki and Gabriel screamed in unison as their bodies were electrocuted.

With his opponents collapsed on the ground, their muscles paralyzed, Haruto immediately ran off with Raiju following closely behind. His top priority was getting to that cell tower, everything else was secondary.

***

Naoki braced himself as Yosuke swung his knife down, aiming for Naoki’s neck.

But right before Yosuke could make contact, he saw something out of the corner of his eye and jumped back.

Yoji had entered the room, having sent his demon, Raphael, to attack Yosuke with his spear.

“Yoji!” Naoki looked over.

“Raphael got a read on these two. Although I guess it’s a bit too late.” Yoji stepped through the room carefully to avoid the strange goo.

As Raphael cornered Yosuke, ready to stab him with his spear, Yosuke called out, “Namekujira!”

Just as the spear was to make contact, a massive slug appeared, covering Yosuke, taking the strike itself, the spear burying deep into its flesh.

Yoji recoiled in disgust at the sight of the monster, but he quickly steeled himself. “I’ll handle this one, Naoki!”

“Got it!” Naoki turned his attention back over to Michael who was still in fending off the enemy demon’s projectiles.

They had been led into an ambush and were thus at a disadvantage. Even if Naoki freed himself, he’d still have to dance through the rest of the slime on the floor. So that meant he had to retreat to a more favorable position.

First thing was first, his shoes were still stuck to the floor. He had pulled as hard as he could, but it was like glue. But if the shoes couldn’t leave the floor then he’d just have to leave the shoes.

Naoki loosened his laces and jumped out of his boots, landing on a dry patch of the floor.

“Michael! Let’s go!” Naoki beckoned over his demon and the two escaped into the hallway.

Right on cue, Takeshi had followed him, appearing in the doorway.

“Shinobi!” Takeshi called on his demon to attack again.

The shadowy demon, known as Shinobi, threw out a flurry of shining projectiles that were almost like tiny stars, and as he did before, Michael blocked them.

However, in this narrow hallway, Takeshi wouldn’t be able to dodge nearly as easily.

“Michael! Lux Ferre!”

Immediately, Michael held up his hand, sending out a ball of light that flew through the air.

The ball of light was blinding, but Shinobi jumped to the side, dodging it by inches. Takeshi, however, wasn’t as lucky and got grazed by it.

“Aahh!” He cried out in pain as it passed over his forehead, leaving a searing burn behind.

“Damn it!” Naoki cursed the miss.

Wrapped up in the moment, he didn’t even realize that it hit a towel, creating a small fire.

Trying to use the opening, however, Michael attacked, aiming for Takeshi, but Shinobi had pulled out two short swords, blocking Michael’s attack and defending his master.

***

In the apartment, Yoji was a safe distance from Namekujira, prodding at it with Raphael’s spear.

Such a monster wasn’t very strong, but its slime was a real nuisance, and it could take an obscene amount of damage. Raphael had stabbed right through it several times, yet it still slithered, protecting Yosuke with sheer mass alone.

Yoji was getting frustrated. With Raphael, he could analyze demons as long as he was close enough, and Namekujira was something he couldn’t take down on his own. He needed Naoki to finish up with Takeshi and provide backup.

But his thoughts were interrupted when he started to smell something.

He sniffed a few more times. It smelled like smoke.

He looked over his shoulder and saw a small fire growing.

“What the hell!?”

This was terrible on multiple levels. First, it was a danger to them. Second, it was a danger to everyone else in the building. And third, it meant the fire department would be coming soon.

They had to wrap things up in here fast, but how?

Well, maybe…

“Raphael, come on!” Yoji did a hairpin turn and ran out of the room, careful to avoid the slime.

In the hallway, Shinobi and Michael were locked in a fierce close-quarters battle, leaving Takeshi wide open.

“Raphael!” Yoji commanded Raphael to attack Takeshi.

Realizing what was happening too late, Takeshi turned around and tried to dodge it, but the spear pierced through his stomach.

Takeshi coughed up blood, and Shinobi flinched in pain, but Yoji paid no mind.

“Naoki! There’s a fire!”

“What!?” Naoki still hadn’t noticed, but when he looked into the apartment, it was growing fast.

“What do we do!?” Yoji asked desperately.

Naoki thought it over for a second. Their mission was to defeat the ghosts, but that had to wait now. “We need to evacuate! Protect the civilians!” Naoki ran down the hall a bit further and slammed his hand down on the fire alarm, sounding an ear-splitting bell throughout the building.