Chapter 521 – The Battle for Kyoto Begins.

Not long after Akagi's battle with the Gods began.

"Ugh, I feel kinda sick after that..." Meldor's stomach churned as the three Demi-Gods emerged from the Gate; swiftly finding themselves in the skies above Kyoto as they slowly descended. They'd all transferred across dimensions before, but something of this was something else entirely. The transition had left an unpleasant sensation in their bodies, as though their very existence had been pulled through a space too small to accommodate them.

"I never liked teleportation magic, but that. Urp..."

"Quit crying and pull yourself together. We don't have time for your childishness, look." Rehael pointed toward Kyoto below them as the three stopped their descent with magic, hovering high above the roof tops.

"My word. To have so many Humans gathered in one place." Lira said, momentarily surprised by the size of the city. "I think even the largest Cities of Fhoulun pale in comparison."

"Yes, it's truly a severe infestation." Rehael's expression remained completely indifferent as she summoned her scythe. The weapon took slightly longer than usual to materialize, its form gradually emerging from the darkness surrounding her hand. The lack of ambient magic on Earth was already proving inconvenient. They could still use their abilities, of course, but without the natural replenishment they were accustomed to, they would have to rely almost entirely on their internal reserves. It was an inconvenience, but hardly a serious obstacle. "But, they are not what we're here for."

"Hmmm... I don't sense the Spirits." Meldor closed his eyes and extended his magical perception across the city. The sheer number of Humans made identifying individual signatures difficult, but Spirits possessed a distinctive energy that should have made them stand out "Wait... There. Well, at least I think so. I'm seeing a small signature... It's not quite Spirit energy, but it's similar. Over there..." He said, pointing toward a small shrine deep within the heart of Kyoto. “

"Yes..." Rehael furrowed her brow as she locked onto the same energy signature. "I've never sensed something quite like that. Its Spirit, but also not..."

{Its similar but not quite the same. Almost like its been smothered by a Human's power.} (Rehael)

"Wait, I'm also detecting something over there as well." Lira interrupted them, directing their attention beyond the outskirts of the city. There, somewhere among the nearby mountains, was an extremely faint energy signature.

"Now that is a Spirit." Meldor nodded. "But it's pretty far away, and also..."

"Weak." Rehael said with a nod as she continued to scan the area, her attention continuously returning to the energy she'd felt within Kyoto. It was rather substantial but what drew the Angel's attention was the odd reading it gave off. "If I had to guess the Spirits are in hiding. Masking energy is a basic skill that even their young excelled at. They most likely took precautions due to the Heroes' incursion, and on top of that our arrival was probably been expected."

{Which means the Spirits won't be easy to find.} (Rehael)

"But if they expected us, then where are their forces? Did the Demon Lord leave no forces to fight us?" Meldor found it strange. They had arrived in the middle of a massive city, yet there was no obvious sign of an army or any significant concentration of hostile forces to repel their attack.

{There is also another odd energy. Its almost entirely Human, but why do I sense Demon Lord power? I'll have to investigate that one, though its probably nothing.} (Rehael)

"I suppose we won't have a choice." Rehael said as she quickly spun around and slashed open a massive gash into the sky, creating a dark, writhing wound of darkness that ran from one side of the city to the other The darkness within began to spill out like the dark sap of an injured tree and as it slowly poured out of the wound the world itself shuddered with as a sense of wrongness filled the air. "If the Spirits and their defenders are in hiding, then we just need to burn this entire city to the ground. They'll have no choice but to show themselves since I know how these goody-two-shoes types are. Standing by while the helpless are slaughtered isn't their style.”

"Yes, but we'll need to be careful. I can't imagine that there are no forces to oppose-" Lira paused as a massive energy signature erupted from the City below, the three Demi-Gods instinctively turning towards it.

"Ah, so there was someone to greet us." Rehael laughed as she faced Hishya, the Dragon stopping just before them. "And for it to be a Greater Dragon! Good! Good! I was thinking that this mission would turn out a little boring. So at least I know they have some entertainment for me!"

"I take it that you're Rehael?" Hishya said, her eyes locked firmly onto the Angel. She'd been well briefed on the Angel and her abilities as well as that of the other two Demi-Gods, but that'd done nothing to calm her nerves especially given that she was expected to do the bulk of the fighting.

{Looks like there aren't any more enemies. Good. These three are powerful but I think I might be able to handle them if I'm cautious.} (Hishya)

"Oh? You know of me? It would appear that my reputation precedes me even in an entirely different world, how cute." Rehael smiled coldly. “Indeed, my name is Rehael. But you, may refer to me as the Reaper. And if you would be so kind as to point me toward the Spirits I've come for, I might be inclined to preserve you as I've done with other members of your kind." She grinned as her two undead Dragons emerged from the dark gash behind her, their very presence serving to unnerve Hishya. "I think you'd made a lovely addition to my collection."

"You..." Hishya growled as an anger far deeper and more intense than she'd ever felt welled up from deep within. The site of not one but two Dragons enslaved to the Angel sent her blood pressure through the roof, the power within her screaming out to make Rehael pay for daring to do something so disgusting. "How dare you..."

"Quite easily! They they didn't really prove much a challenge." Rehael replied with a bored shrug that only made Hishya angrier. "Dragons really aren't all they're cracked up to be. Mortals tend to revere them as such great and powerful beings, but they stand no chance against divinity. Though, they do make great puppets. Dragons are quite a bit stronger than your average mortal, so theyhave their uses. Alibet, only in destroying things like the beasts they are"

"You are definitely not making this any better. I'm pretty sure every word you just said has made the Dragon here violently angry." Meldor sighed. He figured that Hishya, as a fellow Dragon, didn't take too kindly to seeing members of her race turned into undead puppets.

"It won't be alive for much longer anyway, so I don't think it matters what the Dragon thinks." Lira said as the two Demi-Gods summoned their weapons.

"Heh..." Hishya's small laugh caught the Demi-Gods' attention. "You know, part of me was kind of hoping that we could talk this out..." The Dragon said Amyethst flames began to flicker around her body. At first, they were little more than wisps, dancing across her shoulders and arms. But with every passing moment, they grew brighter and more intense, until a thin layer of flame-like energy enveloped her entire form. "That naive part of me thought that we could avoid this whole thing by using our words. That maybe you could be reasoned with..." Hishya continued as she summoned Sun Strike, her cold gaze fixed on the Angel as her flames glistened and reflected off the blade. "But you know? Right now... I'm finding myself glad that Akagi was right... You three are just disgusting monsters... AND I WILL NOT LET YOU HAVE YOUR WAY WITH MY HOME!" She screamed as the energy building within erupted from her body. A tremendous explosion of amethyst power expanded outward, forcing the surrounding clouds apart. The shock wave spread across the sky, sweeping away the cloud cover for thousands of miles. Even from the surface, the sudden clearing would have been visible across an enormous portion of the planet, and even the three Demi-Gods were caught off guard.

Lira and Meldor instinctively pulled back as the pressure washed over them. Even Rehael's expression shifted, her eyes narrowing as she assessed the power radiating from the Dragon. It was considerably more than they had expected and Hishya wasn't done yet, allowing the energy to continue pouring from her body, her aura rising like an endless torrent of water that seemed to have no end

"Hear me, Demi-Gods from another world!” Hishya roared, her words echoing across the sky. I am the Amethyst Dragon Empress, Hishya!" She continued as she allowed her power to surge forth like an unending torrent of water that washed the Demi-Gods in an Amythest flame. "If you wish to deliver this world into the hands of your accursed Masters, then you will have to get past me first!"

{What a dramatic line...} (Meldor)

"Well, if you insist!" Rehael's cold smile turned into a nasty smirk as hundreds of thousands of her undead servants poured from the wound in the sky. There were countless different types of monsters, ranging from simple things like Ogres to more complex Chimeras and Wyrms. They poured from the open wound in the sky, descending in a vast, writhing mass, that filled the sky above Kyoto.

Hishya hadn't seen such a quantity of monsters since her time on the Assault Team, but even then she was undeterred. "Do you think this will be enough? I can bring out a few more if needed."

"You really are as disgusting as Halifax said you were." Hishya said as she and the Angel locked eyes. She knew what was happening below. The monsters would reach Kyoto in a matter of moments, and the city would be overwhelmed if nobody stopped them. But that was precisely why they had prepared for this. The other Returnees were already in position, alongside the forces Akagi had assembled. They knew their roles, and Hishya trusted them to handle the horde. Her responsibility was the three Demi-Gods, and, more specifically, the Angel standing in front of her.

"Ah, so that little blade really did blab about us." Reheal shook her head. "I think I'll have to teach that little tool her place once I deal with you!" She raised her scythe then brought it down. A massive crescent of dark energy tore through the sky, racing toward Hishya with enough force to split apart the clouds in its path, but the Dragon didn't flinch She raised Sun Strike and met the attack head-on.

*WOOSH*

The crescent collided with her blade and a burst of amethyst energy erupted from the point of contact, swallowing the dark attack before it could reach her. The remaining force dispersed around Hishya, sending a shock wave across the sky.

"Ooh!" Rehael smiled in surprise, not expecting the Dragon to stop her attack with such ease. "So there is a bit more to you than expected. How wonderful! You really will make a good addition to my collection!"

"Before the day is out, one of us will be dead." Hishya said as she disbursed Rehael's follow up attack. "And I have a feeling that it will be you." She said as she pointed her blade at the Angel, her words filled with a level of certainty that irritated the Demi-God given the difference in their status.

"Is that so..." Rehael said coldly. For a brief moment, her humanoid appearance seemed to falter. Something far more sinister showed through the cracks, an underlying presence that made the air around her feel heavier. It was a feeling that Hishya recognized, but she chose to put it out of her mind for now. "Then I suppose I'll just have to show you what it means to face the Angel of Death." In a flash she vanished.

The Angel's movement was almost instantaneous. One moment Rehael was hovering in front of Hishya the next, she was gone, leaving behind a series of overlapping afterimages that appeared around the Dragon.

Above.

Below.

Behind.

Each one carried a scythe, and each one seemed to be preparing a strike, and once they were in position they attacked together.

“Too bad for you, I've seen a similar trick before.” Hishya said as she shifted around, taking a swing at the copy behind her, the Dragon's blade meeting the Angel's scythe and forcing her away. The sudden shock wave from their collision dissipated the other copies, revealing that this was the real Rehael. Rather than trying to track every copy, she focused on the energy signatures behind them. The afterimages were convincing, but they lacked the same depth of presence as the real Rehael. “You're nowhere near as good at hiding your energy as that idiot, so petty tricks like that won't work on me.” She said before blasting the Angel at point black with her breath.

*WOOSH*

{A breath attack while in humanoid form?!? I knew it was possible but I was under the impression that it was significantly weaker!} (Meldor)

The flames expanded, briefly obscuring both combatants until a series of smaller explosions erupted from within the fire followed swiftly by the Angel, a barrier of dark energy flickering around her body.

“I would've been disappointed if something so simple killed you.” Rehael said before snapping her fingers, forming dozens of flaming projectiles around her before shooting them toward the Dragon.

*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*

Explosions filled the sky, each impact sending another wave of fire and smoke outward, but Hishya didn't waver. With ease she slipped between the first few attacks, then accelerated through the small gaps in the barrage. A projectile passed close enough to scorch her shoulder, but she didn't slow down. Rehael's eyes widened slightly, only just now realizing her mistake, but by then it was too late. The Dragon emerged from the smoke directly in front of her and caught the Angel by the wrist.

“Try something else.” Hishya said as said locked her grip on Rehael's wrist; Sun Strike poised to run the Angel through.

“Gladly!” Rehael yelled as she yanked Hishya toward her, headbutting the Dragon and shaking off her grip before bringing her scythe down. The Dragon managed to avoid being sliced in two, but took a nasty slash across her left arm, the Angel's blade sinking straight through her armor as if it was made of tissue paper. “I'll take that arm sooner or later, so why not just just accept defeat?!?” She yelled as dozens of massive scythes formed around the stunned Hishya, circling around her and preventing escape; lets see how you fair against this! Nemesis Blade!”

{Oh hell...} (Hishya)

As the scythes fell toward Hishya like deadly pendulums the Dragon saw both danger and an opening. The scythe's positions covered nearly every angle, and the blades were closing in too quickly for her to simply dodge between them. But she also noticed something else; Rehael was completely stationary. The Angel had committed herself to the technique, and for the brief moment it took the blades to converge, she appeared unable to do anything else. It was an opening, albeit a very small one. And taking advantage of it would mean accepting that at least one of those blades was going to hit her; though Hishya had made her decision.

She gripped Sun Strike with both hands and raised it above her head and the weapon began to glow as power flowed into the blade, gathering along its length. It was the same technique she'd used before, but this time the energy accumulating within Sun Strike was on an entirely different level. Imp's modifications had increased the amount of power the weapon could store, and Hishya herself had grown considerably stronger since the last time she'd used it, thus the resulting attack would be far more powerful. But she wouldn't have another opportunity to charge it.

In that moment the first scythe reached her. Hishya twisted her body, allowing its edge to pass just beside her shoulder. The second came from the opposite direction and Hishya shifted her stance, keeping Sun Strike raised as the remaining blades were almost upon her.

Rehael's eyes narrowed in confusion as she watched Hishya.

{What is she doing?} (Rehael)

Thoug before she had any time to analyze the situation Hishya brought her sword down and the accumulated energy erupted in a massive beam of amethyst power tore through the air, expanding as it traveled. The first few scythes were obliterated instantly, their blades breaking apart before the attack could even reach Rehael and it was then that Angel's expression changed.

She tried to move out of the way but there simply wasn't enough time and the blast swallowed her.

*WOOSH!*

The attack continued beyond her position, tearing through the sky and climbing toward the heavens. It passed through the atmosphere and disappeared into space, leaving behind a brilliant trail of energy that made the air crackle with lightning just as the last of the summoned scythes completed their descent. As expected one managed to reach Hishya, its blade tearing across her back before the others were swept away by the blast.The Dragon dropped slightly, her body jolting from the pain but she remained airborne.

Sun Strike's special ability was limited and it required time to accumulate power, and once discharged, it couldn't simply be used again. But the opportunity Rehael had given her too good to pass up. While weaker than a full power breath attack in Dragon form it was still by far and away one of the most potent weapons in her arsenal, and it showed.

“Did... That didn't kill her, right?” Meldor said, stunned by what he'd just witnessed. From their first engagement to the massive blast just a moment prior barely a minute had passed yet in that time Hishya had been wounded and Rehael was struck with an attack that both Demi-Gods feared would've reduced them to ash had they taken it head on.

“You can sense energy, fool. Why are you asking.” Lira said, her usual stoicism had weakened somewhat and her eyes remained fixed on the smoke-filled sky where Rehael had disappeared.

“Ow... That fucking hurts...” Hishya grimaced as blood poured from the wound on her back. She quickly applied healing magic but noted that it wasn't as effective as it should've been.

{She's probably got some kind of anti-magic property on her weapon. Luckily for me my own draconic healing factor seems to be combating it so I should be able to close this wound up fully.} (Hishya)

“Truly... You are a bit more annoying... Than I expected.” Rehael said as she hovered in the air, her expression caught somewhere between genuine surprise and irritation. One arm was trembling, and a fading barrier surrounded her body. She had managed to raise it at the last possible moment but not before the attack struck. While the barrier had absorbed most of the blast, the strain Hishya's attack placed on her was obvious. Her arm shook as she lowered her hand, and the energy surrounding her flickered as just the tiniest amount of black blood flowed from her lip. “I suppose I shouldn't play around with you...” She said codly before lowering the shield and glaring at her trembling arm.

{She's barely hurt, dammit... I thought she wouldn't have enough time to put up a barrier, but I guess she is a bullshit Demi-God. I'm sure that idiot would make some smart ass comment right about now.} (Hishya)

As Hishya waited for the assault to continue, the two other Demi-Gods moved to encircle her. The Dragon was wary of them but nowhere near as much as the Angel, and thus she kept most of her focus locked on Rehael as she braced for the battle to come. However, Rehael's next move completely caught her off guard.

"You two, handle the Dragon. I've better things to do than play with her." Rehael said after a brief pause before quickly descending toward Kyoto.

{THE FUCK YOU MEAN?!?} (Hishya)

"Wait, what?!?" Meldor exclaimed as Hishya tried to chase the Angel, only to be blocked by Lira's blade.

*CLANG*

"Get out of my way." Hishya said, the venom in her words momentarily causing Lira's entire body to tense. “My beef is with the Angel. So unless you want me to turn you into cold cuts, I'd back off!”

"I'm sorry, but we've got orders." Lira said as she pushed forward, forcing Hishya to give ground and noting that the Dragon was far more powerful than the other mortals she'd clashed. "And given that these have come from Rehael, it would be unwise for us to disobey them."

"Fine, if you won't move, then I'll carve my way right through you!" Hishya yelled as she channeled a massive burst of flame from her mouth that engulfed Lira and sent her flying. Unfortunately, this didn't give her the opening to chase Rehael that she'd wanted as Meldor quickly took his Sister's place, using his spear to keep the Dragon at bay as he bombarded her with magic from just outside her blade's range.

"Hey now, I know I'm not as strong as Reheal but don't forget about me." Meldor said as Hishya swung her blade to dissipate his numerous magic circles via a magical shock wave.

"Your death won't be a painless one, fool." Hishya said as the two rocketed through the sky at high speeds, quickly joined by Lira, who teamed up with her companion as they unleashed a well-coordinated and practiced series of combination attacks. The two Demi-Gods had fought alongside one another for centuries and knew each other's combat styles intimately. While Hishya may have been stronger than each individually, fighting two seasoned warriors who had ample experience fighting as a duo wasn't going to be easy. Add to that the fact that she knew that every wasted moment put the people of Kyoto at risk, and this battle was going to be the most stressful and intense conflict of the Dragon's life up till this point.

_____________________________________________________________________________

<Eris POV>

"Well, it looks like Hishya's got her hands full." Eris said as she tossed a small rock between her hands. "So I guess we should do our job and handle the mobs, huh?" She said, turning to face the other Returnees who'd gathered on top of the skyscraper with her.

"This will be the last ride of the Assault Team, I think I'll go all out for such a special occasion!" Ayame laughed as she leaped off the building, followed closely by Eris as the other Returnees scattered throughout the city.