1.3 Up Is Down

The bloated demon with a rusty axe let out a gurgling roar before crumbling to the ground, a massive, smoking hole blown clean through its chest. Its flesh bubbled and oozed as it deflated, leaking foul, dark fluid onto the cracked asphalt beneath it. Saba stood tall behind her plasma rifle, the barrel still glowing hot from the shot. She watched the creature collapse with her usual stoic calm, her dry voice crackling through the comms.

"Target neutralized," she stated matter-of-factly, but there was no time to celebrate.

A rumbling echoed from down the street.

Ten more demons, just like the first, trudged toward them in the distance, their bloated, grotesque forms swaying with every heavy step. Their weapons—rusty axes, clubs, and jagged shards of metal—glinted in the dim light, dripping with dark energy.

Lem scanned the area quickly. "Hold your ground!" he ordered, his voice commanding but tinged with tension. "We can't let them overwhelm us here."

But it was not just the demons on the street. Beyond them, the street opened into a large plaza, and what awaited them there was far worse. The mall, once a symbol of normal life, now loomed like a fortress of darkness. From its broken doors and shattered windows, an army of horrors began pouring out.

Dark mages in black robes, their twisted hands crackling with sinister energy, floated ominously near the entrance, while hordes of imps swarmed through the air above them like locusts. Massive, hulking monsters with spiked limbs and molten eyes lumbered behind the foot soldiers, ready to charge.

"We've got flyers and heavies coming from the mall!" Isamu shouted from behind cover as he fired a volley of rounds into the distance. His normally carefree demeanor had shifted to something more serious. "We’re gonna need more than luck to get through this!"

Daphnis stood behind the group, clutching her staff, her face set in determination as she worked to bolster her allies. "Stay focused, everyone! We've got this!" She summoned golden bees from her palms, sending them to weave around the team, providing bursts of energy and healing to those who were flagging.

But the enemy kept coming.

The ten bloated demons advanced, their rotting flesh reeking of decay and death. One let out a sickening wail before raising its rusty axe high, ready to bring it down on Lem, who stood at the forefront of the team.

Lem raised his rifle and fired, the bullets tearing into the demon's chest, but the creature barely slowed. "Saba, I need another big hit!" he called out, his voice urgent.

Saba, ever calm under pressure, readied her plasma rifle once again, taking aim at the largest of the bloated demons. She fired another shot, the glowing projectile searing through the air before slamming into the demon's body. The creature exploded in a burst of dark liquid and flesh, its death rattle echoing through the street.

But more kept coming.

Imps descended from the skies, screeching as they clawed at the team, their leathery wings flapping wildly. Lem gritted his teeth and swung his rifle around, using it as a bludgeon to knock one out of the air before taking aim at another.

"We can't keep holding this position!" Daphnis yelled over the din of battle. Her bees danced frantically around the group, but even their healing powers had their limits.

As the team fought desperately to push forward, the air around them seemed to vibrate with an unfamiliar, primal energy. 

"Lem, you bastard!" Selena roared, "What now? We're completely surrounded!"

The boy with the beanie kept firing, ignoring her complaints.

"You took us here to die! SEVENDEE CHESS PLAYER MY ASS! I SWEAR I'LL HUNT YOU DOWN WHEN WE'RE THROU—"

From the distance, a low, rumbling roar echoed through the ruined city, cutting through the chaos of the battlefield. The team glanced up just in time to see a figure moving at incredible speed, barreling toward the plaza where they stood.

A dragon, covered in thick, obsidian scales, glinting in the faint light of the battle, propelled herself forward with terrifying force, her claws tearing into the asphalt as she charged. Fire rumbled deep within her chest, and her molten eyes were locked onto the horde of demons that stood between her and the team.

"Raena!" Isamu called, "Lem, she came!"

Lem smiled as he kept firing at the demons.

With a mighty roar, Raena crashed into the demons like a living battering ram. Her massive form plowed through their ranks, sending smaller creatures flying in every direction as they were trampled beneath her claws. Her tail lashed out, sweeping through a group of goat-like warriors, breaking their bones with sickening cracks. The demons, momentarily caught off guard, scrambled to defend themselves, but Raena was a force of nature.

She crushed a bloated demon beneath her, the creature's body exploding in a grotesque spray of dark liquid as her claws raked across its chest. Imps tried to dive at her from above, but with a quick, lethal snap of her jaws, Raena caught them in midair, ripping them apart with ease.

In the middle of the carnage, she glanced up, her molten eyes locking onto the team as she cleared a path through the demonic horde.

"Lem! Isamu! I'm here!" Raena's voice boomed across the battlefield, though it retained a strange, almost playful edge despite the destruction she was wreaking. "Don't fall behind!"

Lem, half-covered in dust and still catching his breath, couldn’t help but grin as Raena's devastating charge cleared the way. "You heard her!" he called out to the team. "Let’s push through while she's got them distracted!"

"Unbelievable, he knew the dragon girl would come if we pushed the demons too much, I don't know what a SEVENDEE SHESS player is, but I like it," Daphnis said, giving Lem a special smile.

"Gambling is by no means a stable pragmatic approach to this kind of situation, but I'm glad it paid off," Saba remarked as she aimed another plasma round at a heavy.

Selena could barely believe her eyes as she bit her lips in confusion and shook her head, simply deciding to follow through.

Saba fired off another plasma round, taking out a mage that had been attempting to flank them. "Effective backup," she commented dryly, watching Raena obliterate another group of charging demons.

Isamu couldn't help but cheer as Raena sent another heavy demon flying with a powerful swipe of her tail. "That's what I'm talking about! Raena, get them! Wreck them! Burn them!!"

The team's spirits lifted as they moved quickly behind Raena's destructive path. With her leading the charge, their progress toward the mall became almost unstoppable. Raena's fire breath ignited several demons that tried to rally, and her sheer presence sent smaller creatures fleeing in terror.

As they reached the plaza’s edge, Raena came to a halt, her heavy breathing sending plumes of smoke rising from her nostrils. She turned back to face the team, her eyes still glowing with intensity, though a faint smirk played on her dragon-like features.

"Hope I didn't steal too much of the glory," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm but filled with warmth.

Lem shook his head, chuckling as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "No complaints here. Thanks for the assist."

Isamu grinned widely. "You saved us again! I owe you one, Raena!"

Daphnis patted Raena’s massive flank, her optimism shining through despite the carnage.

Raena snorted, a puff of smoke escaping her nose. "Don't get too comfortable yet. We've still got a lot more of these pests to deal wi—"

In a massive puff, Raena's dragon form disappeared, leaving instead her green-haired human form.

"Oops, maybe I overdid a bit back there," she said, shrugging.

"WHAT?!"

"Calm down, Selena!" Isamu asked, "Raena-chan! But you can still use your powers?"

"Keep firing guys!" Lem demanded, "They're still coming from all sides!"

Saba switched barrels again to a more repetitive fire, same as Daphnis, but the others were thunderstruck by Raena's sudden shrinking as if their sudden hope had evaporated in that puff.

"Only moderately, like... I'm still strong but I can't breathe fire for a while."

"Guys! The demons, shoot them!" Lem said.

"Assistance needed," Saba confirmed as she shot another heavy in the head.

"WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS GODFORSAKEN PLAZA!" Selena cried.

Isamu gritted his teeth, "But can you get us out of here with your transporter?"

"Only if I can rest for a couple of hours!" Raena said confidently, "Maybe 

Selena’s usually sharp, calculated expression had turned into one of despair. Her gun and magic felt weak against the never-ending tide of enemies, and the growing snowball of despair within was now catching up to smash her to bits.

She fell back slightly, her movements sluggish as doubt crept into her heart. Her breaths were shallow, her eyes wide as she took in the horrifying sight of demons closing in from every direction. The screams of the fallen echoed in her mind, and the weight of the battle seemed too heavy to bear. She clenched her fists, her eyes stinging with unshed tears.

"We… we’re not going to make it," Selena whispered to herself, barely audible over the chaos. Her magic flickered, the shadows around her wavering. "It’s… it’s too much…"

Before she could completely lose herself in her panic, a sudden warmth enveloped her. Strong arms wrapped tightly around her, pulling her into an unexpected embrace. Selena blinked in surprise, finding herself pressed against Isamu’s chest. His grip was firm but gentle, and his warmth cut through the coldness that had gripped her heart.

"Selena," Isamu’s voice came from above her, calm but filled with a determination she hadn’t expected. He held her tightly as if shielding her from everything around them. "Don’t give up. We’re getting out of this together."

Selena’s breath caught in her throat. She could feel his heartbeat, steady and sure, and despite the overwhelming danger, there was something about Isamu’s ridiculous optimism that made her want to believe him. She looked up at him, her tears threatening to spill over, but Isamu simply grinned down at her, his usual, cornball charm shining through even in the darkest of moments.

"I promise," he said, his voice filled with sincerity and warmth. "We’ve got each other’s backs, right? No way am I letting anything happen to you. We’ll fight our way through this, side by side."

For a moment, Selena couldn’t respond, her mind torn between disbelief and the strange comfort Isamu’s words brought her. The demons raged around them, but in that brief instant, the chaos seemed to fade as Selena clung to his words. A tiny flicker of hope sparked within her once more, rekindled by his unwavering belief.

"Oh, for the love of—could you two save the sappy moments for after we’re not getting overrun?" Lem called out, his voice dripping with annoyance as he took cover behind a piece of rubble. He fired off a few precise shots at the approaching demons, shaking his head as he rolled his eyes at the display, "Daphnis, focus!" he cried.

Daphnis, who had been right next to Lem, had momentarily stopped firing. She blinked at the sight of Isamu embracing Selena, her rifle lowered as she tilted her head with a soft smile. 

"T-that... that's kinda sweet…" she muttered, her ever-optimistic nature refusing to dampen, even in the midst of battle.

Meanwhile, Saba shrugged as she blasted another demon apart with a plasma bolt. 

"Humans and their emotional displays…" she commented dryly, though there was no judgment in her tone. She simply kept shooting, her mechanical precision unbroken.

However, Raena was having an entirely different reaction. Standing nearby, her draconic eyes had frozen in place as she witnessed the embrace. Her heart skipped a beat, her face heating up with an embarrassed flush. She felt her jealousy surge, though she tried to hide it, her gaze shifting nervously between Selena and Isamu.

"Pffft… what… what are you two doing?!" Raena stammered, her voice unusually high-pitched as she whipped her head away, trying to focus on the battle. Her reptilian ears flicked anxiously, and she clenched her fists tighter than necessary around a demon she had just swiped out of the air. "We’re in the middle of a fight, for crying out loud! Pay attention!"

Isamu just laughed, not the least bit embarrassed as he released Selena and gave Raena a thumbs-up. "Hey, don’t worry! We’re all good now! Just had to make sure she knew we’re gonna make it through this."

Selena, still flustered from the hug, nodded slightly, her cheeks tinged pink. She quickly turned away to hide her face, but her magic surged back with renewed vigor. Isamu’s ridiculous pep talk had worked.

"Let’s… let’s keep moving," Selena said quietly, her voice steadying. "We’ve got a Spire to destroy."

Lem made a split-second decision. "Alright, everyone! Push forward, take down anything in your way, and don't stop until we're inside that mall!"

The team surged forward together. Saba took point, firing precise plasma shots to clear the path ahead while Daphnis covered their rear, keeping them shielded and ready with her healing magic, while Lem and Isamu focused on taking down the larger threats with well-placed shots and bursts of fire. Whenever a demon got into melee range, Raena's strength and Selena's skill with the energy sword would finish them off.

As they neared the mall's entrance, the heavy monsters lumbered closer, their eyes glowing with malevolent energy. A particularly massive beast, its body covered in jagged armor and spikes, roared as it charged toward them.

"Take it down!" Lem ordered, his voice filled with urgency.

Isamu grinned, his enthusiasm coming through. "You got it, boss!" He rushed forward, firing at the beast's head, forcing it to cover its eyes. At the same time, Selena rushed and sliced its feet, slowing the creature just enough for Saba to land another explosive shot straight into its chest. The monster let out a deep, guttural groan before toppling over, dead.

But the team had no time to rest. More demons were coming, flooding out of the mall with a hunger for blood.

"We're almost there!" Lem shouted, his voice filled with both determination and exhaustion. "Keep moving!"

The team finally pushed through to the entrance of the mall, their breathing heavy and limbs aching after fending off wave after wave of demons. The automatic glass doors had long been shattered, jagged shards scattered across the bloodstained tiles. The once bustling shopping center had become a grotesque mockery of what it used to be—where bustling crowds and bright neon lights once filled the air with life, now only the eerie glow of cursed energy hummed through the air.

Cursed vines had twisted their way through the modern architecture, curling around metal beams and glass displays, turning them into sinister, darkened versions of their former selves. The plants had a life of their own, pulsating faintly with demonic energy, and from time to time, thick tendrils would shift, coiling like serpents as if searching for prey. What was once a polished marble floor was now cracked and covered in a sickly, crimson moss that squished underfoot with each step they took. In the distance, the occasional distant scream of trapped souls echoed, a haunting reminder of the lives taken by the demonic forces that had overrun this place.

"How… did we even get this far?" Daphnis asked breathlessly, her voice tinged with disbelief as she stared up at the ruined ceiling above them, where parts of the roof had caved in, casting long shadows across the vast interior.

"L-luck!" Selena muttered, wiping sweat from beneath her bandana as she surveyed the sprawling mall entrance. "Maybe we’re just the universe’s favorite fools."

Isamu chuckled, a grin on his face as he shook his head. "Nah, we’re just that good."

"Hmph!" Selena said, still flustered.

"They are not following us," Lem said, "Why? Saba, track movement around us now!"

Saba, her cold, analytical eyes scanning the surroundings, gave a curt nod. "Their coordination has been erratic at best, they should've followed us here as per their recent behavior patterns... yet my sensors detect they are just surrounding the spire."

"That's just normal guys, whenever we reach a spire, they stop following," Raena assured them as she spotted some snacks and proceeded to devour them, wrapping and all, "At long last!"

The team moved cautiously through the mall’s deserted halls, their eyes constantly darting between the shadows as they searched for the Spire. Broken mannequins and abandoned displays added an eerie, almost apocalyptic atmosphere to the mall as if time itself had stopped the moment the demons had taken over. Occasionally, they spotted distant shapes moving through the vines—twisted, shadowy forms that slithered or skulked through the darkness, but they didn't approach. Not yet, at least.

They reached the food court, the once bustling heart of the mall, where dozens of restaurants and food stalls now sat in ruins. The smell of rot and decay permeated the air, mixing with the metallic tang of blood and sulfur. Tables and chairs had been overturned or crushed, and the once-bright neon signs advertising fast food now flickered dimly, some barely holding onto life as cursed vines spread across them like a parasitic infection.

"Where’s the spire?" Lem grunted, frustrated, as he surveyed the wreckage. "We should be seeing some kind of tower, right? Are they maybe laying the foundation?"

"But if it is the spire, shouldn't it be working by teleporting demons to Earth?" Isamu asked.

Selena looked around, "There is no mistake that the demons fought really hard to keep us out."

"Guys, believe me, you're gonna love it," Raena said.

"But why did they stop following us," Daphnis said.

"Maybe... maybe they took so many losses right now that they are having second thoughts about attacking us?" Isamu said, grinning.

"Or maybe we risked our lives for nothing..." Selena commented.

"Come on! Give us some credit, Selena," Isamu said patting her back, "I'm so glad we were able to pull this through, and—"

"Shut up," Selena said, looking away.

"Eh?" Isamu reacted, confused.

"You pulled me through some panic attack, yes, but that does not mean you can just change my mood whenever you feel like it," she argued.

"R-right!" Isamu said.

Selena kept her guard, but she let out a small remark in the end, "Idiot."

They walked deeper into the food court until they reached its center, where an open circular plaza sat. At first glance, it appeared to be just another ruined section of the mall, but as they neared it, a deep, foreboding energy washed over them. There, in the center of the plaza, was no tower—but rather, a massive pit that stretched downward, its edges lined with swirling dark magic. The cursed vines spiraled down into the depths of the pit, and the pulsing red glow from below cast eerie shadows on the surrounding walls.

Lem stared at the pit, dumbfounded. "This… this is the spire? A hole in the ground?"

Raena shrugged, "Well, now that you mention it, it does look more like a pit."

Daphnis, ever the optimist, tried to find the silver lining. "Well, maybe it's like an inverted spire? Going down instead of up?"

Lem rubbed his temples, clearly irritated. "What kind of idiotic naming convention is that? Spires are supposed to go up, not down."

Selena nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's confusing as hell. Who named this thing anyway?"

"According to our briefings, the General assigned the name," Saba said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah... I was gonna say that too," Raena said, "The General can be quite eccentric sometimes.

Lem immediately straightened up, his tone shifting completely. "Hehe, I see it now... freaking genius."

"Lem?" Isamu said.

"Shut up," Lem said, reverting to his usual self.

Lem gave him a half-hearted glare before turning his attention back to the pit.

"So, Raena, how do we destroy this?" Lem asked, "You were IRA before any of us..."

"Oh yes! How could've I forgotten," Raena said, jumping in her spot, "Now we need to kill the Arch sorcerers powering the spire..."

Lem's eyes widened, "Arch... you said Arch sorcerers?"

"Yep! Very tough guys!" Raena said, lively, as she ate the last of a chocolate bar she found.

Lem's mind spiraled as he realized he could've prepared in advance if Raena had spit that information—no... it had been his fault for not considering the UDR might use top-tier guardians to care for such a strategic target.

Suddenly, the ground beneath them cracked open, and from the dark goo seeping up through the fissures, twisted hands began to emerge—twenty or more. Each hand had a purple eye in its palm, blinking with malevolent intelligence as they reached for the team. Saba immediately opened fire, blasting them apart with pinpoint accuracy, while Raena slashed at those that came too close. Lem barked orders, firing off rounds at the hands and the approaching demons, but the sheer number of enemies seemed endless.

From above, a swarm of hellish ravens exploded through the shattered ceiling, screeching as they formed a spinning vortex of black feathers and burning eyes. The hands seemingly stopped attacking the group and the eerie mass that formed them retreated next to the vortex, where they began to morph into a humanoid figure. 

The vortex of ravens condensed faster and faster until it suddenly stopped, and all that dark energy coalesced into two demonic figures. A male sorcerer stood tall and skeletal, his cracked skin oozing black goo, while a female sorcerer hovered with dark, tattered wings and pale gray skin covered in pulsing black tattoos. Both exuded a chilling aura of dark magic.

“I assume those are the sorcerers sustaining the spire?” Lem’s eyes narrowed as he reloaded his rifle, his voice tense but steady. 

 Raena shifted into a defensive stance, her hands morphing into draconic claws, burning hot with emerald energy, while Saba adjusted her cannon. Isamu shook his head and aimed his rifle, followed by Selena and Daphnis. 

The male sorcerer sneered, his fiery eyes glowing. “You’ve come far, but your souls belong to the abyss now.” 

"Earth's domination is inevitable, the age of heroes is crumbling on its feet!" The female sorcerer cackled like a typical witch, her voice a combination of bird shrieks and elderly tones.

The two sorcerers posed dramatically as they relished their power. Lem turned to Isamu and they exchanged glances. The two immediately thought about what the other was thinking, They smiled with an expression of disbelief.

"This looks like a freaking boss battle!" The two said, shaking their heads at how predictable it was for them, much to the confusion of the girls, minus Raena, who smiled at the comment as if she too, at one point had thought about it.