[Heavenly Stormy Descent]

Her eyes darted across the room, seeing as she now found herself in a church. Or at least a very large room modeled after one, with hundreds of long light brown benches inside it and a tall ceiling. And same as the cave that Elleth fought Locolus in, this room seemed to be able to fit two full-sized dragons if need be.

Airi: Where am I? What even is-

???: Are you lost, my child?

She suddenly hears another feminine voice, a soft and almost motherly kind, right behind her. She turned towards where she thought the voice came from, and came face to face with a pale-skinned blonde woman whose hair had white tips. Wearing pure white robes with a golden lantern-sleeve minidress underneath it along with a pair of metal boots. The woman's dark blue eyes contrasting against her mostly white outfit.

The blonde woman then notices Airi's demonic tail, which was wagging to the left. A sign of nervousness and fear for dogs, and apparently Airi as well. Given what kind of place she was currently in and her role, this would obviously intrigue her.

???: Are you perhaps looking for an exorcism?

Airi: E-eh? Exorcism?

???: You're possessed aren't you? I've never seen one that gives a person a demon tail but it should go all the same.

Airi: I just want to leave this place. That's all miss-

Heligt: Heligt, please call me that my child. But still, you seem to be hesitant about the exorcism. Why is that?

Airi was about to say something when she suddenly jumped back and instinctively grabbed her rapier's hilt. Feeling a killing intent from Heligt for some odd reason. Speaking of her, her left arm was now covered in pure white scales, matching with that of her robes.

Airi: No way, she's a dragon too?

She thought, her grip on the hilt of her rapier tightening out of fear. She just wanted to get out of here, and now she might need to fight a literal dragon just to do that. Heligt's killing intent rises as Airi stands there, activating {Hellfire} in case this situation escalates any further. She stood there in silence for a while, keeping her hand on her rapier in preparation, as Heligt stared at her.

Heligt: Oh dear, it seems as though my assumptions were correct. How unfortunate.

Airi: Hold on, I don't mean to do any-

Heligt: Översvämning av Vitt Vin!

A blast of pressurized holy water fires out from her transformed hand, coming straight for Airi. Hitting and sending her flying into the wall behind her, the same way Wirbelsturm did to her dear Haru before she was seemingly teleported to this place.

Heligt carefully observed the scene before making any moves. While Airi stood up, bringing out her rapier as her free hand clutched her stomach. With smoke rising out of almost nothing, which was probably due to her having been burnt by the holy water fired at her.

This proved Heligt's assumptions correct, as only a demon would've been burnt by the holy water. She then fully turns into her hybrid form, her exposed skin gaining the same white scales matching with her left arm, along with six white angelic wings growing from out of her back.

Airi now has no choice but to fight her, Heligt's intentions were as clear as the holy water she had fired from her hands. So she coats her rapier in hellfire before lunging at Heligt and managing to get her in the shoulder, the hellfire doing the same thing as the holy water did to her. Airi then coated herself in hellfire, intending to end this fight right then and there. But she was kicked back by Heligt, her kicking leg empowered by what seemed to be white lightning.

The two then engage in a bit of sword fighting, with Heligt creating a sword out of white fire. She seemed to just be blocking Airi's attacks, watching her carefully as she chooses not to attack her for now. Trying to figure out what her next course of action should be, her goal being to send the demon in front of her back to hell.

Heligt: I have no need to hold back against a demon, now that I think about it...Svallande Himmelska Blixtar....

She then stomps on the floor, sending a surge of white lightning throughout the room, electrocuting Airi and keeping her in place as she begins to turn into her dragon form. Sharp golden talons, a long whip-like tail, pure white scales, six angelic and feathery wings, all making up her dragon form as she gives a hearty roar. Releasing Airi from the lightning she was using to keep her in place as she was transforming, almost causing the girl to collapse.

Heligt: Now behold, the power of the Divine Dragon foul demon.

Spreading her angelic wings, feathers falling from them as Airi attempts to recover from being electrocuted. Her breaths were heavy and pained as she held her rapier, this time without any hellfire coating it. She stared at the dragon in front of her, as a sinister-looking grin slowly made its way upon her face.

Heligt: What's with that grin, demon?

Airi: Hey....you said you weren't holding back, right?

Heligt was about to respond when she suddenly felt an immense amount of demonic power coming from Airi, her skin turning a dark red as curved demon horns came out of her head. And lastly, a pair of demonic blackish purple wings appeared, growing from out of her back in a similar fashion as Heligt's hybrid form.

This was {Demonbane}, another skill that most demons regardless of type, be they a succubus or your classic mischievous demon, have access to. This skill, when activated, boosts a demon's base strength, speed, and resistance to holy powers. Along with that it also boosts {Inferno}, its companion skill, and the wielder's other abilities or magic.

Like Haru's Captain's Orders, Airi had to unlock this one. And in the two months since the raid she worked tirelessly to get it. Now, she had an excuse to finally bring it out. She quickly went to work, seemingly disappearing from Heligt's vision and hitting her with a powerful blood magic and hellfire enhanced punch before disappearing once more.

Airi tries to attack again, this time with a blood and hellfire enhanced kick. But Heligt manages to get her by the leg and slam her into the floor, pinning her down there before opening her dragon jaw, revealing her dragon form's golden teeth. Charging up energy for her pure white Draconian Howl.

She was about to fire when she felt something sharp through her wings. She looked back and saw a dragon made of hellfire and a dragon made of blood chomping down on her wings. This was all Airi needed as she then sicked the dragons onto Heligt herself, allowing her to escape.

Only to be hit by Heligt's Draconian Howl, sending her flying into a couple of the church's benches. Airi struggled to stand but managed to recover enough, turning her rapier into more of a saber using her blood magic, coating it once more in hellfire as she disappeared from sight yet again.

Heligt looked to her sides frantically, trying to figure out where her demonic opponent would be coming from. She spots Airi, having landed? Another sharp pain hits her, seeing one of her wings on the floor as blood drips down from her neck. This leads to her turning back into her hybrid form, realizing how her dragon form made her a big target, not even including the many blindspots she had in comparison to her human and hybrid forms.

Heligt: I'm impressed you managed to cut one off, but I won't let that happen a second time. Himmelska Kläder....

A cloak of white energy surrounds her, as white lightning and fire slowly come in, followed by holy water and earth. Airi took the hint and did the same, cloaking herself in hellfire and blood. Adding onto her already enhanced form as she sheathes her rapier. The two stare each other down for a bit, as they get ready to run towards the other.

The silence between the two broke as they rushed off and began to fight. Leaving a trail of light, light that corresponded to the color of their respective cloak, right behind them.

Meanwhile somewhere else in the temple, in a large wooden dojo to be more specific, a fight was nearing its climax as a heavily wounded Celica, blood dripping from her head and her stance showing that one of her legs was injured, decided to cloak herself in darkness created by her skill {Blackout}. The darkness clung more to her skin and armor, making it look like she had covered herself in black paint rather than a traditional cloak like Airi had.

???: Ráfaga de Cristal!

Shards of clear pink crystals rained down upon her, her cloak defending her from the attack. As she was currently fighting the Crystalline Dragon within this dojo, who as his name would suggest. Was able to manipulate crystals along with the added ability to manipulate light.

The dragon had large and menacing clear pink wings, reminiscent of the crystals that he had just fired at Celica. Though one of the wings, specifically the left one, had a crack. This was likely from one of Celica's attacks, intending to disable the wing altogether by shattering it completely and more or less crippling him.

Aside from that he had scarlet scales and a long clear pink tail, made of the same crystal substance as his wings, ending with a wrecking ball like tip. His teeth and talons were also made of crystal, extremely sharp ones that were much more durable than the crystal wings and tail.

The dragon then began to charge up pink energy for his Draconian Howl, he fired it off with Celica looking ready to take it head on. The blast hits her and she disintegrated? The dragon didn't take any notice of this until he stopped firing. Seeing nothing but the charred and molten ground below.

The dragon was about to approach the spot he had fired at, trying to find out where she went. When suddenly, he was hit by sharp blades of darkness. Celica had come out from behind him, one of her large claws having been charged up with darkness, releasing a slight purple glow. This was another aspect of her skill {Blackout}.

She was able to teleport to any shadowy location, as long as it was within her vantage point. The shadow teleported to being the one the dragon's tail had casted. So she waited until the right moment and got the drop on him. And using the same claw, she created a ball of darkness, generating some black lightning as she continued to charge it up more.

The dragon gave a loud roar, clearly directed at her, turning to look at her as crystals began generating on his wings. Each new shard being generated sharper, rougher, and larger than the last. Intending to launch them at her like he had done earlier.

She then rushed towards the dragon, the ball of darkness having been charged up to the point where it was about to explode. The arm she was using to carry it was sore as well, a combination from using all that power to create it and the damage she had taken in the fight itself.

???: Destello Cristalino!

The dragon then throws the crystals he's created, the way he fired it reminded her of her training to fight against long range fighters, and thanks to said training, Celica was able to dodge most of them as they embedded themselves into the wooden floor of the dojo before exploding out into nearly blinding light, almost like flashbangs.

She used her skill's shadow teleportation ability once more, disappearing from the dragon's sight and reappearing behind him, coming out from a shadow caused by his tail once more. She jumped onto his back, and just in time as the ball reached its critical mass as she detonated it and caused a massive explosion within the room, echoing throughout the mountain and causing the others to think that there was an earthquake.

Her ears rang as she fluttered her eyes open, she looked at her hands to see that the cloak of darkness that once covered her was now gone, having been destroyed since she was directly within the blast. She saw another man standing where the dragon once was, his body mostly charred and burnt.

This was the dragon's human form. A bearded dark brown-haired man with bright pink eyes, wearing a pale magenta long-sleeved shirt with a leather vest on top along with black combat pants. Sporting some dark brown gloves and steel-toed boots as well. Said clothing was mostly burned away as well, especially the vest and shirt.

Celica on the other hand had almost no visible damage, aside from the wounds she already had. Though that wasn't to say she didn't take any damage at all. As she felt her ribs hurting and the arm she used to deliver the devastating blow was borderline unusable. It pained her to even move it slightly.

The man soon fell to his knees, his breath was heavy, almost pained. She was sure that if he wasn't a dragon, then he'd be dead on the ground at this point. She then looked at the broken arm that did all this. This was the most powerful attack she had right now at her disposal, a double edged sword at that.

???: You did good, I haven't experienced this much since I fought the Volcanis Dragon a long time ago. You have Cuarzo's respect as a warrior.

The man now identified himself as Cuarzo, as Celica, who was sitting against the wall, was a bit confused. His tone made it seem like this was all a test, but with the way he fought her it made it seem like he was actually going to kill her.

Cuarzo: Now then, I'll take you to the lower chamber.

He brings up his hand, his palm facing outward as a magic circle projects itself from it. It was the very same magic circle that Wirbelsturm and Locolus used to open their respective hallways. The wall in front of him opens, this time revealing a wooden hallway lit by nice lanterns, a far cry from the hallways those two used.

Celica slowly stood up, turning her claws back into their glove form, her legs wobbling a bit but managed not to fall as Cuarzo calmly led her along the hallway. All the while trying her best to ignore the pain that her arm felt, biting her lips and such.

???: Dyyni Repijä!

A dragon with rough dark tan scales fires off slashes made of heated glass from its golden talons. Its long hooked tail flapping as it floated in the air, the winds generated by its large wings moving the sand ever so slightly. The slashes themselves actually managed to hit their target, piercing through her armor but not going all the way through as the dragon had intended.

So it instead gets ready to dive at her, generating enormous amounts of heat. Turning the sand below him into glass. Luckily for Touka, she was quite far from the dragon. But even then the heat he generated was so intense that the heat that reached her was that of a desert's usual conditions. She'd likely be on the verge of a heatstroke if she was even slightly closer.

The dragon then condensed all of the heat it was generating back into itself, the gaps in between its scales along with its talons were now glowing red hot as it began to dive towards her at an alarming rate. Then, in the middle of its dive the dragon turned into its hybrid form, repositioning himself mid-air, preparing for a heat-enhanced dropkick.

He then landed the kick, the heat did what he expected, burning her through her armor as the sheer force of the kick dragged Touka across the ground. His legs still being in contact with her torso as he was dragging her across the sand, utilizing his wings to keep himself in the air as he did so,

Though Touka wasn't going to let him do this get away without any damage to himself. As she quickly grabbed one of his legs with her unstable right arm. Before activating {Wave}, the arm's usually dormant cracks glowing blue as she then released a powerful shockwave upon his leg, shattering the bone inside it and causing him to wince in pain.

As in yet another part of the temple, a desert themed one at that, Touka was busy fighting the fittingly named Desert Dragon. Who had introduced himself as Lasintekijä to her, before immediately attacking her prior to this moment. The two had already fought for quite some time by this point, like Celica and Cuarzo.

Her claymore was nowhere to be seen, not even in the sheath strapped to her hip. As it was instead in the sand nearby, broken. Meaning she would need to get a new one when she gets back to Kretouvell. She hasn't even had a day with it and it's already broken.

His hybrid form the dark tan scales and the jackal ears of his dragon form covering his skin and sticking out of his head respectively, While he himself, the human side of this hybrid form, had dark skin, messy brown locks of hair, and piercing yellow eyes.

He wore a tan short-sleeve tactical shirt, with a dark brown parka stacked over top of it. He also wore a pair of tan cargo shorts and some black combat boots to finish the outfit off. It was definitely a bit of a contrast to the whole environment of his area of the temple, the top half of his outfit specifically. Who even wears a parka inside a desert?

Regardless of his peculiar choice of clothing, he was still a formidable foe for Touka. If you couldn't already tell from the way he fought. With her barely able to keep up with him in terms of trading blows with their fists. She was only able to block his attacks, but even that was eventually broken. As he managed to break through and get in a powerful right hook.

This knocked Touka back some more, kicking up sand as she felt the spot he hit burning. Which was likely thanks to his punch being heat-enhanced as well. At the same time, he gathered up some sand into the palm of that very same hand. The sand twisting in there as he kept going, gathering more and more.

Lasintekijä: Take this, Poraa Hiekkamyrsky!

He then thrusts that hand forward, launching the accumulated sand at her. The massive sandstorm almost acted like a drill as it moved towards her, gaining even more sand, and therefore more powerful as it was coming closer and closer to her.

Lasintekijä: Hiekka Tornado...

The sandstorm hits her, before being immediately turned into a sand tornado. The sand around it being kicked up and sucked in. Adding on to the tornado. He let this go on for a while, before closing his fist and making it fade away. And to his surprise, Touka wasn't there at all. She'd gone missing.

His eyes widened, pupils darting, as he had no idea where she had gone at all. So he frantically looked around, intense heat emanating off his fists as he slowly became paranoid. Trying to find out where Touka's going to come out of, preparing himself to defend against her.

Sand gets kicked up, as a certain someone finally reappears just behind him. Both of her arms were now dark blue with glowing blue cracks. It was already too late for him as Touka grabs him by his head. Both of her arms were holding on tight as she jammed her thumbs into his eyes while he tried to resist.

Though before he would use his heat-enhanced hands to burn her arms and get her to take them off, she would release the biggest shockwave she's created currently. Both of them struggled to keep their feet on the sandy ground as almost the entire area around them began to shake very violently.

At this point it wasn't even a normal shockwave anymore, but rather a full-on earthquake with the level of shaking that she's caused. It's power equivalent to that of a six on the richter scale. Lasintekijä could feel his bones breaking thanks to the fact that he was dead center of it.

And when the shaking finally stopped, the sand settled down as someone could be heard collapsing to the ground. It was Lasintekijä, succumbing to his injuries and laid in the sand very much unconscious. Courtesy of that massive, almost earthquake-like shockwave Touka had created.

Speaking of Touka, she herself was not immune to the devastating damage her shockwave caused. She felt her ears ringing as she also collapsed to the ground, this time on her knees as opposed to Lasintekijä's. Before deactivating both {Boost} and {Wave}, her left arm returning to normal as the right turned back into its usual dormant state.

A sandstone door soon comes out of the sand by her left, catching her off-guard. With sand falling from the door frame as it raised itself up from the ground like a zombie. It then opened, revealing Cuarzo in his human form. The door-leading-to-hallway magic circle projecting from out of the palm of his hand.

Cuarzo: Why were you takin- Oh, I see. That does explain a lot.

Touka: Who are you?

Cuarzo: Crystalline Dragon, Cuarzo. And you're coming with me, I'll be taking you to the lower chamber. I'll be carrying him too.

Touka: Wait, why exactly do I have to go-

Cuarzo: Because, the storm goddess, lady Drodia will be coming down to this realm personally. I don't know why, but she did sound quite annoyed when she telepathically told us dragons this.

Touka: I-i see.

She then gets up, her legs feeling like jelly but she just has to bear with it for a while. As Cuarzo picks up Lasintekijä's unconscious body, carrying him like a backpack almost, holding his arms over his shoulders as the rest of his body hangs on his back, his legs dragging across the sand as he's being carried out of the room.

Touka followed behind, her nerves flaring up for almost no reason. The nervousness continued throughout their journey through the many long stone brick hallways towards the lower chamber. The two would eventually reach another door, a tall and wide wooden one at that.

Cuarzo opened it up, the wooden door's edges scraping against the stone floor of the hallway. And behind it was a spiral staircase going downwards, lit up by many torches placed in indented areas of the wall, and in the middle was a stream of gold-tinted water flowing down from an opening in the ceiling.

They head down, their footsteps could be heard, echoing even through the sounds of the water falling down as they got closer to the chamber. When they finally got to the bottom, Touka's legs could barely hold on. With her sitting on the stone floor to take a little break as Cuarzo opened the final door.

And behind this one, a large stone-brick room, like the main chamber that the five had entered before being suddenly thrust into fighting these dragons. Though this time the room had a marble floor and a large yellow crystal floating in the center of the room, the inside of which was coursing with lightning, wind, and water.

There, Touka, who now stood up, saw her sister, Elleth, and Celica. Sitting down by a wall, obviously tired just like her. All except for Elleth, who was standing with her arms crossed, as if she was waiting for someone. Though it didn't take her too long to notice that Haru wasn't there.

Cuarzo: I brought them, all we need to do is wait for Wirbelsturm and the one lady Drodia chose.

Locolus: Good work!

Meanwhile Touka walked over to Elleth, almost tripping in the process, who knew immediately to use her Repair Virus on her, a bit too quickly I might add, since Touka reflexibly flinched a little as she was about to "infect" her. Apparently having done the same for Celica and Airi as well.

Elleth: Nice to see you here, Touka.

Touka: Same to you, but what exactly are we doing here? I heard the goddess of this temple will come but that's it.

Elleth: Well...that's all we were told too, sorry. Oh and I'm sure you've figured it out already, but Haru's not here.

Touka: Yeah I noticed that when the door opened. Why, you have any idea?

Elleth: No, but I'm very worried for him. Wirbelsturm definitely didn't go easy on him, I can tell that. I mean you saw what he did while we were in those pillars of light, right?

Touka: In any case, what happened to those two? They look like their souls are about to ascend any moment now.

She referred to her older sister and Celica, who were still leaning up against the wall. Extremely exhausted and completely out of it thanks to their respective fights. Especially Airi, considering she fought someone with powers that were the weakness of the race she's been turned into.

Elleth: Just like you and I, they fought some dragons and....well here they are.

Touka was about to say something but she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She looked back to see...Velia!? Elleth catches her in her arms as she collapses with fear in her eyes, joining her sister and Celica in the whole "Souls about to ascend at any moment" thing.

Elleth: H-hey Locolus, I told you not to do that to her for a reason.

Locolus: A-ah, my bad, my bad. I didn't think this would happen...

Elleth then attempts to bring Touka back as Locolus sends her zombified Velia back into wherever she keeps her zombie army. Before going to help Elleth wake Touka up as a bit of an apology. Their attempt was successful as she slowly came back to her senses, thankfully.

Though, while they were waking Touka up, the giant yellow crystal in the middle of the room, the one with lightning, water, and wind raging within it, began glowing. It was only when the light suddenly got brighter that the two of them finally noticed what was going on.

Nearly everyone in the room closed or covered their eyes to protect themselves from this nearly blinding white light. Except for Locolus of course, her zombie physiology makes her immune to these sorts of things along with being able to withstand toxic or poisonous substances with ease.

A certain gothic lolita-wearing goddess would finally descend upon them. Her navy blue hair flowing as she landed neatly and elegantly onto the marble floor, lightning, water, and wind emanating from her body like that of the crystal in the middle of this room.

Drodia: Is this the harem you were planning to- Ah, it seems that he isn't here yet. Maybe I should head back, ah but I'm here already, it would be a bit of a waste to go back just for that reason.

The storm goddess Drodia was now in the human realm. Her appearance was beautiful and graceful but her words were more akin to that of your best friend, casual and informal. The tone she used initially was a bit teasing as well, before going into her usual speaking voice.

Most of them, namely the dragons who served this temple, were very shocked and surprised at how casual their goddess was. As she talked to them pretty formally whenever she had something important to say or for them to do. All the while Elleth and Touka just sort of stood there with a neutral look on their faces, since they kind of expected this as Haru had told them a little bit about her earlier in the main chamber before all of the fighting happened.

Elleth: So she's as casual as he said, huh.

Touka: Personally I'd rath-

Drodia: You two must be Elleth and Touka, right?

Touka: U-uh yes, that's us. Is there anything wrong?

Drodia: Nothing at all, it's just that I'm quite excited to finally meet you guys in person. You see, I've been keeping an eye on you for a while at this point, mainly Haru but still.

Elleth: What were you about to say earlier, if you don't mind me asking.

Drodia: Ah that, I meant to say "Is this the harem you were planning to add me to". I intended to tease Haru a bit with that but oh well.

Elleth: Eh? Why exactly would you tease him with that of all things? I'm sure that idiot wouldn't really mind.

Touka: Yeah, unless he...Wait, don't tell me he actu-

Drodia: That's correct, he asked me that when I first summoned his consciousness into heaven for a chat.

Heligt: Lady Drodia, you can't be serious about that. Even if you did choose him, that's going a bit too far don't you think.

Drodia: Well.....I did kind of spring the whole mission onto him quite suddenly. Plus, it would be bad if a goddess couldn't keep her end of the deal, wouldn't it?

Elleth: Great....

Touka: I should really give him a talk after this....

Airi: Even though he already has us....

Celica: New rival.....

Drodia: W-wait hold on, what's with this ominous aura I feel. That's not right, I'm a goddess y'know!

Said goddess' legs buckled, her tone of voice had a hint of nervousness, the pressure that the girls brought upon her was a bit much for her to handle despite being a divine existence. With Airi and Celica seemingly having recovered enough to join in on this whole thing.

It was quite the spectacle to say the least, it's not everyday you get to see a goddess get pressured by some obviously annoyed girls. Locolus herself seemed to be enjoying seeing this more, childish I guess, side of the goddess she and the other dragons are contracted to and serve under.

Meanwhile, Heligt seemed to be taking heavy physical and psychological damage from this scene. The perfect and divine image of the goddess she had was being shattered in front of her. Though this wouldn't sway her faith too much however, as she still had the resolve to keep following her regardless.

Drodia: T-that was something...but still, how long are those two going to keep me waiting! Cuarzo, go out and look for them will you?

Cuarzo: Yes Lady Drodia.

He then leaves the room, going out to look for Haru and Wirbelsturm as he did for Touka and Lasintekijä earlier. Heading towards the spiral staircase while another figure finally makes it to the hallway just before this staircase up top. Opening the wooden door as Cuarzo makes his way, slowly but surely, up the stairs.