Falling Leaves 14 ??

  Back inside the Colosseum, Ariel and Clyde run through the dark corridors, trying to stay hidden from the outside battle. Rubble continues to fall as the roofs cave in. They can't afford to stop running or they'll be crushed. As they're running, Clyde notices a staircase.

  "Ariel, look! Hurry up there!"

  Ariel nods without question as she follows Clyde up the stairs. They continue to run as it winds with twists and turns.

  "God damn! Why is it like this?" Clyde mutters to himself.

  Ariel passes him up.

  He calls out, "Hey, slow down! Wait for me!"

  "Sorry! I'm not trying to be crushed!" Ariel calls back.

  They reach the end as they see a metal door. Clyde grabs the handle as he tries to open it.

  "Fuck, this thing is heavy!"

  Ariel shoves Clyde out of the way, "I got it!" She grips the handle and yanks the door open.

  Clyde looks in awe. "Well—- expected. She's a guardian angel after all—-"

  They both run into the room and see a giant hole blasted in the wall, leading directly to the battlefield. The arena is just below it.

  "Oh, give me a break! If a stray blast hits us here, we're done for!" Clyde complains.

  "Wait, are you two the ones I saw back in my village?" a voice calls out.

  They both turn around and see in a corner a short girl with black hair. Her robe is tight as it wraps around her thighs, revealing her figure. Her chest is flat, and her hair is long.

  "Who are you, and why—" Before Clyde could finish, he spots something. He gasps, "IS THAT AKUJI BEHIND YOU?!"

  Ariel looks shocked as well. "Miss, first—why are you still here?! Do you know there's a cosmic battle happening outside?! Why are you risking erasure?"

  The girl sighs. "So many questions. First, yes, I know there's a realm-ending battle happening outside. I just so happen to be lucky I'm not a part of it. And second, this was where Mistress Sachi was sitting during the games. I figured it'd be safe here."

  Clyde pinches his nose. "You didn't answer my question. Why is the Grim Reaper behind you? Why do you have his body?"

  The girl sneers. "Why do I have to tell you about my husband!"

  Ariel and Clyde both exclaim, "HUSBAND?!"

  The girl nods. "Yeah, just look at him. He's so gorgeous! Even unconscious, he's just breathtaking! I was honestly so jealous when Mistress had him to herself, cuddling with his unconscious body. How weird is that?"

  "What the hell is wrong with this chick?" Clyde asks Ariel.

  "I don't know—- umm," Ariel responds awkwardly as she puts her hands behind her back. She continues to question the girl, "Can we at least know your name?"

  "Well, people call me Yoko, but you guys can call me Kiyoko since you're strangers."

  Ariel tilts her head. "Kiyoko, I recognize that name—"

  Instantly a loud strike of thunder makes everyone in the room duck.

  "AUGH!" Clyde cries out.

  "NO, NO, NOPE! THAT'S NARI! I'M GOING BACK TO MY CORNER!" Kiyoko screams.

  Kiyoko runs back to Akuji's body and moves his hand, putting it over her shoulder.

  She sighed in relief, "I feel so much safer already—-"

  The Colosseum starts to shake more from the battle between Danya and Tenko. The sheer force of it sends shockwaves.

  Clyde loses his balance as Ariel grabs him, supporting him.

  "Thank you—-" Clyde murmurs, holding onto Ariel's shoulder.

  Ariel nods and smiles. "No need to thank me."

  Clyde blushes a bit as he turns to Kiyoko, "Okay, so we need a way out of here—- Kiyoko, can you bring Akuji's body with us?"

  "Hm?" Kiyoko hums. "How are we going to get out? The exits are probably the most dangerous places to be right now—- we'll have to go through the arena or fly in the air—-" she looks up, then shakes her head,

  "And I am NOT dealing with Nari and Mistress battling in the air, or that damn reaper down there."

  "What other options do we have?!" Ariel demands, "If we stay here, we'll die! At least if we try to escape, we'll have a higher chance of survival!"

  Kiyoko holds onto Akuji. "I-I—- I can't—- I'm too scared—- Beings close to the gods themselves are battling out there—- I don't want to be erased being caught in the crossfire—-"

  Ariel walks up to Kiyoko and offers her hand. "Listen, I get that you're scared. I am too. I've never dealt with something of this magnitude ever—-" she forces a smile, "But we can't just sit here and let them kill us.”

  “You have to survive to live to tell the story. That's what makes life worth living, right? Surviving to see a new day, new opportunities arise, new beings to meet, some bad and—-"

  She then turns to Clyde and smiles, "Some good too."

  Clyde's chest tightens. "Damn—- she really knows how to make someone feel good."

  Kiyoko continues to shake as she hesitates to grab Ariel's hand, "F-fine—- what the hell—- it's not like I have any better options here—-" She grabs her hand, and Ariel helps her up.

  "There we go. We're all in this together!" Ariel announces with a smile.

  Kiyoko picks up Akuji. "Well, I'm not leaving here without him—- so yeah, let's go."

  Ariel chuckles awkwardly. "Um—- sure! He can come along too—-"

  Clyde then speaks up. "The question is, how do we exactly get out of here? I'm sure the tunnels are filled with rocks covering them—-"

  Ariel points out the hole in the wall leading outside. "Well, there's always this option. Haha, just rushing to the exit hoping we survive—-"

  "Well—- what did I expect—- well, it's now or never—-" Clyde sighs.

  Kiyoko, Ariel, and Clyde all stand in front of the hole as they prepare to jump out of it and run. Clyde holds Ariel's hand.

  Ariel counts, "Three—- Two—-"

  Ariel and Clyde finish, "ONE! JUMP!"

  All three jump down as Ariel flaps her wings to soften Clyde's landing. They all begin to rush towards the gate on the other side of the arena.

  In the sky, Nari and Sachi continue their battle. Nari moves beyond lightning speeds, flashing around Sachi. She creates a mini tree with a large crown in her palm.

  As it acts like a lightning rod, Nari is forced in front of Sachi. She grabs him and blasts a beam of light to his chest, sending him flying towards the stands of the Colosseum. He crashes into the stands and instantly gets up, refusing to stay down.

  His mind races, "Aoi—- I'm sorry—-"

  Sachi lands in front of him and aggressively swipes her wrist, creating a scythe of wind and firing it at Nari. The slash cuts through the limestone architecture.

  He uses his speed to dodge it, flashing in front of her and creating an orb of lightning in his palm. He lands a blow to Sachi's face, sending her flying off the stands.

  "Tch—- JUST DIE ALREADY!" she screams as she wipes blood off her face.

  "Mistress—- No, I mean—-" Nari's thoughts continue to race as he doesn't know how to see Sachi anymore. He doesn't have it in him to call her a demon, even after everything she's done.

  Sachi then summons orbs of golden light and fires them at Nari.

  Nari runs across the stands, dodging them. When he finds a broken pillar, he stomps his feet on the ground, picking it up. He infuses it with lightning and hurls it at Sachi.

  Sachi slices the pillar into pieces as residue scratches her face. She then covers herself with golden light and begins to chase down Nari.

  Nari surrounds himself inside an orb of lightning and charges back at Sachi.

  "I'll fight until I draw my last breath—-" he mutters to himself.

  He clashes with Sachi as the sky shakes from the shockwaves, his and her elbows clashing like swords. His lightning mixes with her golden light.

  "I'll fight until—- my body gives out."

  Sachi grits her teeth. "GET OFF ME!" Flames start to erupt from her pores.

  Nari quickly flashes away as Sachi creates a barrier of flames around her.

  She then channels the flames into a condensed orb. Swiping her arm down, she fires it.

  Nari flashes out of the way as the orb collides with the stands, causing an explosion that shakes the entire area beyond the Colosseum.

  On the ground, Kiyoko, Clyde, and Ariel run, trying to avoid the flames on the ground. The quake from Sachi's last blast causes Clyde to fall, almost making contact with the flames.

  Ariel quickly grabs him by the cloth of his robe and pulls him up.

  "Be careful! Come on!"

  Back in the sky, Nari instantly appears in front of Sachi, coating both of his fists with orbs.

  Sachi's eyes widen as she tries to cover herself with her arm, but Nari's speed is too much.

  He starts to attack her with a barrage of punches, each punch getting faster as he adds more electricity to each blow.

  This isn't enough! I need to add more energy! he thinks to himself, pushing himself further. His punches now cause thunder to roar with each blow. Lightning seeps from his mouth, his eyes, his hair, as he continues his barrage.

  MORE! I NEED TO PUT MORE!

  Sachi screams continuously, interrupted by each blow, as lightning radiates off her, scattering in the sky.

  The entire arena flashes as lightning strikes everywhere.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  On the ground, Danya and Tenko continue their battle. As their scythes clash, Tenko surrounds his fist with white flames and takes an opportunity to throw it at Danya. Danya quickly counters, infusing dark energy into her fist.

  They both throw punches of energy. The punches clash as they both fly back from the explosion and impact.

  Danya doesn't let up as she charges at Tenko, swinging her scythe. Tenko ducks and quickly aims his palm at Danya, white flames erupting from it.

  "Tch!" Danya clicks her tongue as she quickly disperses into red gas, avoiding the blast.

  She then reappears, stabbing the end of her scythe into the ground. Using it as a pole, she grips the middle of the scythe with both hands and spins around it, landing a kick to Tenko's head.

  Tenko rolls on the ground and uses his palms to fire a mini blast of flames, propelling himself back to his feet. He then surrounds his fist with white flames once more and punches the ground, pouring energy into the hole. White pillars of flames rise from the ground, aiming towards Danya.

  Before she could react, the pillars reach and surround her. Her hair and eyes flicker once more—her Sanguine is running out, the crimson glow dimming.

  "Aku—-" she whispers as the pillars close in on her, causing an explosion.

  Tenko pants as he drops to one knee, sweat and blood dripping from him.

  Suddenly the hue of the arena turns to stark red, as Danya bursts out of the smoke, using the last bit of Sanguine she has left.

  Her hair and eyes glow brighter, as they continue to flicker on and off. Her face is burned, her skin is charred, her cloak of shadow energy returning to normal as white flames surround her cloak.

  Tenko watches. "So, this is it? You're unleashing everything right here—-" his voice laced with sorrow.

  He grabs his chest as he stands back to his feet, his eyes glowing violet, as flames burst from his body. He raises his scythe, as the blade burns with white light.

  Danya prepares to charge at Tenko, as black energy radiates off her. Inside, her heart breaks as her sanity slowly returns.

  "It's—- too late to back down—-" she whispers to herself as she raises her scythe.

  In the air, Nari continues to strike Sachi, as lightning flies off her, striking everything around.

  Ariel, Clyde, and Kiyoko continue to run.

  Kiyoko starts to panic, as whimpers can be heard from her.

  "CAN WE EVEN SURVIVE ALL THIS?!" Clyde bellows.

  Ariel looks back at them. "JUST A LITTLE MORE! WE CAN—" Before she could finish, a bolt of lightning strikes her down.

  Clyde and Kiyoko watch in horror, as her pupils are gone, burn marks now covering her skin, her robe burnt. She falls face first to the ground, as thunder, fire, and wind are the only things that can be heard.

  Clyde's mind goes blank, as the noise cancels out, seeing Ariel fried on the ground. He doesn't know what to think, what to feel—everything shuts down.

  "Hey! Don't stop moving! We'll be next! Come on!" Kiyoko's voice is muffled.

  Tears form in Clyde's eyes, as black marks surround his body.

  In hell, in a room full of purple torches, a man with grey skin, yellow eyes, and black hair, wearing a robe, suddenly grabs his chest. A sharp pain hits him as his body starts to shake. He drops to the ground and starts to cough.

  "This—-" he whispers, "Clyde—- it's the mortal—-"

  He starts to laugh, "FINALLY! HE'S ABOUT TO SUMMON! Oh, I knew banking on his emotional state was a good idea. I wonder what happened now."

  Another demon walks into the room. "Master Amon, is everything okay?"

  "Peachy! Hey, tell everyone outside to prepare for battle."

  The servant bows. "Yes sir!" as he runs out of the room.

  Amon continues to laugh to himself. "Oh—- to return home—- to walk that sacred soil once more."

  Back in Heaven, the black marks continue to grow worse around Clyde. His pupils dilate.

  Kiyoko shakes him. "Hey! Hey! Come on!"

  Lightning continues to strike, the sky flashing. Ariel's body lies on the ground, limp. Wind blows Clyde's dreads away as he opens his mouth.

  "Can you say something?! I'm trying to help you here! At least for Ariel's sake! She died trying to protect us! So COME ON!" Kiyoko pleads.

  In that moment, Clyde begins to scream, the black marks taking over his entire body, his pupils disappearing.

  Kiyoko covers her ears as the screaming turns to screeching.

  A black orb appears in front of Clyde, as it starts to twist and turn. A figure appears.

  Amon now stands in the Colosseum, laughing to himself, "Yes—- YES!" He inhales air and exhales it. "Oh, I haven't felt the air here in eons."

  Clyde continues to screech as Kiyoko, still covering her ears, looks up at Amon.

  "W-what—- what is this?! This is no angel!" she thinks to herself.

  Amon looks up at the sky and sees Nari attacking Sachi.

  He calls out, "Brother, it's been a while since I've seen you, hasn't it?"

  Back with Danya and Tenko, they charge at each other, ready to kill one another. Before they clash, Clyde's screeches reach them. They both jump back.

  "What the hell is that?" Danya demands, anger in her voice.

  Tenko looks in the direction as he senses something—a presence that irks his entire being.

  "No—-" he whispers as he leaves his battle with Danya to go see what's happening.

  "HEY! WE WERE FIGHTING HERE!"

  Danya screams as her Sanguine runs out. Her eyes and hair are back to normal. She drops to the ground, exhausted. "Damn—-"

  Back with Amon, he notices Kiyoko carrying Akuji's body.

  "Funny, he looks nothing like he did in the astral realm. His physical body really is beat up," he thinks to himself, "It wouldn't feel right to get rid of him now. I have to savor everything when he wakes up."

  Amon snaps his finger as a dark blast appears in his palm. He looks up at Nari and fires it at him.

  Nari, still beating down Sachi, feels the wave of dark energy aiming for him. He quickly flashes out of the way as the blast hits Sachi. Sachi's hair turns back to white from golden, as she's left falling out of the sky, her body bruised and leaking blood. Her pupils are gone. She lands on the ground and rolls, leaving her arched on the ground, unconscious.

  Kiyoko looks in horror. "MISTRESS!"

  Amon smirks. "That should have gotten his attenti—" Before he could finish, Nari appears in front of him, landing a clean punch with the same force he was attacking Sachi with.

  "AUGH!" Amon cries out as he's sent flying back.

  Clyde continues to screech. Nari turns to him, clenching his fist. "SHUT UP!" He punches a hole in his chest. Clyde's screaming continues as more orbs appear, forming more demons.

  Kiyoko steps back as she starts to tremble, "What's going on?!" She trips over Ariel's body and drops Akuji.

  Tenko arrives as he looks down at everything. Akuji's memories still replay in his head, seeing Clyde in this state.

  "Demon—- Damn! He's summoning more!"

  Tenko lands in front of Nari and Kiyoko, "You two, tread carefully! These are demons! Rabid ones at that!"

  Amon walks back up to them, rubbing his face. "Nari, always the one with the temper. Seems you've never changed."

  Nari grunts as lightning continues to leak from his mouth. "And—- who might you be?"

  "Oh right, you wouldn't recognize me like this. It's not exactly my body," Amon chuckles, "But brother, it's me—Nazshi. Hopefully you didn't forget me."

  Nari's eyes widen. "Nazshi? Impossible. He was banished years ago. Impossible that you're him."

  "Oh, it's very possible." Amon then points to Clyde on the ground, "All possible because of a certain somebody."

  "You're joking? This isn't the time for that! I have to save heaven! Nazshi is gone!"

  "Yes, yes, 'Nazshi is gone.' Whatever. You don't have to believe me. But certainly this day will show you the truth." he grins, "Let's call this the Sorrowful Day of Heaven, part two."

  "N-azshi—-" Kiyoko mutters, "I've heard stories of that name—- he's the guy who led the rebellion against the gods eons ago—-He's a legend!"

  Tenko summons his scythe out of white flames, "Enough with this! Demons are about to invade Heaven."

  Red gas appears behind Kiyoko as Danya materializes. She asks, "What's so important over here that all this screaming is necessary?!"

  She then looks down by Kiyoko and sees Akuji's body lying next to her.

  "AMORE!" she exclaims as she runs to him, grabbing him. She exclaims, "Finally! We can go home—-"

  "Oh great, it's you! Trying to take my husband away from me?!" Kiyoko scoffs.

  Danya looks at Kiyoko. "Oh, you're still alive? Aren't you the little gender-bender angel?"

  Nari whirls to face Danya, "No!" He then turns to Tenko, "YOU! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO KILL THE TERRORIST! NOW THE TWO ARE BACK TOGETHER! WHAT ELSE CAN I EXPECT FROM A CLONE OF A HELL BEAST!"

  Tenko remains focused on the demons being summoned. "Nari, I apologize—- but this, this right here is more important than killing the two reapers."

  Amon whistles. "Seems like you lot triggered Nari. He does get intense when he's angry,” he eyes Tenko, "You there, with the scythe, so you're the clone he was talking about in the Astral Realm?"

  Tenko locks his eyes onto Amon. "Who? And what's the Astral Realm?"

  Amon chuckles. "Why, Akuji himself, of course. His consciousness is currently astral projecting at the moment."

  Danya turns to Amon as she holds onto Akuji's body. "Astral Realm? What the hell is that?"

  "What did he say? What did he say about me?!" Tenko demands, stepping forward.

  "Oh? So it seems like his words matter to you quite a bit. The validation of someone who's killed you before means that much to you?" Amon taunts.

  Tenko grits his teeth. "You—-"

  Amon then turns to Danya. "Yet here sits another Reaper. Perfect. I get to kill you and make sure your lover sees you mutilated when he awakes. I have a bone to pick with that bastard—- so let's make this quick."

  Black orbs continue to surround everyone as more demons start to spawn.

  Tenko gets in a battle stance, as blood drops from his head. He's still damaged from his battle with Danya.

  Nari stumbles as he coughs blood. He's pushed himself too far fighting Sachi.

  Danya, on the ground holding Akuji, barely has the energy to even summon her scythe.

  Amon laughs to himself and snaps his fingers.

  A black vortex appears before him as Sachi's unconscious body emerges from it.

  He grips her head and squeezes it. "Nari, look at what you've done to a Daughter of a Star."

  Her back is arched as her knees are on the ground. Amon holds her head up, facing her towards the four.

  His mocks, "You're just like me now, aren't you? Look at where that temper got you. You truly believe when she wakes up, you won't be an enemy of heaven?" He tosses Sachi's body towards Nari as she lands at his feet, "Here, finish the job."

  "NARI, DON'T DO IT!" Tenko protests, "DON'T LISTEN TO HIM! HE'S TRYING TO GET IN YOUR HEAD!"

  "She's—- she's a terrorist. She's just like the hell beast—-" Nari mutters as he looks down at Sachi. An orb of lightning surrounds his fist.

  "NARI, IF YOU KILL HER! IF YOU GO THROUGH WITH THIS! I'LL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO END YOU! YOU'LL BE THE VERY THING YOU HATE—SOMEONE WHO'S AGAINST HEAVEN!"

  Nari grits his teeth as the orb shines brighter, "You know nothing—- YOU KNOW NOTHING! YOU DON'T KNOW THE DESTRUCTION SHE WAS WILLING TO CAUSE OVER—- OVER—-"

  He points to Akuji's body. "OVER THAT DAMNED HELL BEAST! I'VE ALWAYS LOVED SERVING MISTRESS! ALWAYS! BUT SHE'S SHOWN ME WHO SHE REALLY IS! A TYRANT!"

  Tenko clenches his scythe. "OKAY, YES, I UNDERSTAND—SACHI IS FAR GONE! BUT BE SMART! IF YOU KILL HER, YOU'RE SIDING WITH DEMONS! WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE THAT?"

  Nari shakes as he grabs his hair. "AUGHHH!" he roars. Tears stream down his face as he goes for the punch, his fist crashing down.

  "NARI, NO!" Tenko screams.

  Just before he punches Sachi, he pauses. He drops to his knees as the orb of lightning vanishes.

  "M-mistress—- why—- just why—-" His tears fall on Sachi's face, mixing with her blood.

  "Tears? I never thought I'd see the day you'd shed tears. Yes, go on and shed them. We share that trait," Amon sighs, "My tears being trapped in hell, my tears watching injustice of souls. My tears watching the pure getting tormented. Most importantly, my weeping all those years ago, when none of you listened to me about this sick system."

  More demons start to appear as different kinds of hell beasts spawn. They all begin to howl, some begin to laugh, some speak perfectly, while others speak gibberish.

  Danya gently lays Akuji's head down, kisses him on the cheek, and gently rubs his face.

  "Hey—- Angel Boy or, uh, girl?" she addresses Kiyoko.

  Kiyoko looks back at Danya, terrified. "Y-y-yeah?!"

  Danya uses her last bit of energy to summon her scythe, "Take Akuji somewhere safe—- please." She wobbles as she tries to walk to stand by Tenko and Nari.

  "I—fine! Just don't die! I don't want to deal with his rampage when he wakes up!"

  "I'll try not to—- knowing my luck, it might just happen." Danya smiles, "Just please take care of him."

  Kiyoko stands up with Akuji's body and begins to fly away.

  Amon watches as Kiyoko takes Akuji. "Oh? Someone dares to take the main event away?"

  He then turns his head to two beast demons—

  One a giant black snake with a blade as a tail, the other a demonic black hound, skeletons around it like plate armor.

  "Both of you, fetch that angel," he commands. The beasts howl and hiss as they leap towards Kiyoko.

  "Shit!" Danya curses as she jumps in the air, trying to stop the beasts. Her vision blurs as she swings her scythe at the hound. The hound flicks its paw, sending her crashing back down.

  "Everyone, it's time for an attack. Make the name 8th Circle proud today, as WE are the ones who took over heaven."

  Grunts and cheers roar from the crowd of demons as they charge at Nari, Tenko, and Danya.

  Tenko grabs Sachi off the ground and hurls her away from the charging demons. Some goat-headed demons run after her body as she's in the air.

  "I want her body!" one declares.

  "She's mine, pal! She'll sell for a good price in the second circle! The devil there would love her!" another argues.

  "Fools, she's not for sexual exploitation. She can be a nice slave too!"

  "Damn! I can't save her like this!" Tenko laments as demons surround him.

  Suddenly blue flames hit the demons, disintegrating them instantly. Tenko looks at where the flames came from and sees Aoi standing there, huffing, blood still dripping from her body.

  Aoi then floats in the air, rushing towards Sachi to grab her.

  "FOCUS ON THE DEMONS! I'LL TAKE CARE OF HER!"

  Amon looks over at her. "So sister was here the whole time too?"

  Nari arises as lightning surrounds him, lightning leaking from his mouth and eyes once more.

  As Amon turns back to Nari, Nari is already in front of him.

  "Oh—- why, hell—" before Amon could finish his remark, Nari lands a devastating blow on his face instantly. The impact of the lightning courses through him, making the skin of his face flake off. Blood flies from his mouth as he's sent flying sideways.

  Nari stomps his foot on the ground as multiple bolts of lightning strike him from the violet sky.

  "IF I HAVE TO PUSH MYSELF ONCE MORE, SO BE IT!"

  Demons charge at Nari as he runs through them, the sound of thunder roaring with every strike and kill he lands.

  Tenko looks back at Danya, who's on the ground.

  "Danya—-" he mutters. He reaches out his hand.

  Danya looks up at him, narrowing her eyes.

  Tenko's eyes lock with hers as he speaks, "I know you're not a fan of me. To you, I'm not Akuji. I'm not a real Death Spirit. Look at you—right now you have an opportunity to defend Heaven, no longer seen as a terrorist, not as a demon, but as a savior. So I have to ask—- please join me."

  "A savior? You want me to be a savior of Heaven? The same realm that caused all this mess for me?" Danya replies, "The same realm that sees me as one of those demons over there? You want me to defend that heaven?"

  Tenko begins to plead more. "Please—- I can't promise you that your actions will affect how Heaven treats us Death Spirits. But even you have people you care for who rest eternally here."

  Danya's eyes widen. "What do you know about anyone I care for!"

  Demons begin to charge at Tenko and Danya.

  He continues to stare at Danya, holding his hand out, "I hold Akuji's memories—everything he knows, I know. You may reject it, but I am still him. And I know you. I know your pain. I know the people you cared for. Think about Aiko."

  "Ai—" Danya stutters, as the demons continue to charge. She makes a fist, before ultimately agreeing. She grabs Tenko's hand as he helps her up.

  She bends down to pick up her scythe as she and Tenko stare down the demons charging at them.

  "We no longer fight as enemies. Right now we fight as two death spirits," Tenko declares, raising his scythe.

  Danya looks at him as she thinks to herself, This really is what Akuji could have become—- I guess I wasn't wrong calling him hope. She grins. Oh, what the hell. Don't tell me I'm kinda falling for this goody-two-shoes version of him.

  She raises her scythe as the blade of it glows red.

  They prepare to battle the horde of demons heading their way with a newfound union—Danya finally accepting Tenko as an individual other than just a clone, and Tenko finding an identity beyond being Akuji.