Elfen High 2: Skin to Bone, Steel to Rust

[Ende]

I'm not actually going to describe the process of labour to you. Look, seriously speaking, I grew up in Indian slums, I have been shot a few times over, I have had a heart attack, I have watched best friends die before my eyes. A woman giving birth is the single most horrific thing I have ever seen in my life.

Calliel was incredibly terrified by this whole event, though the doctors and Megan seemed to have a grasp of the situation at hand. Of course, with the first angel baby in centuries and one that was being born after a good dosing of magic (which had previously been proven to not be overly healthy in early child development) led to complications. To deal with these, they had moved to Elfen High's infirmary bay, in an attempt to use the school's magic to help them. So like fighting fire with a thermonuclear warhead.

"HOLY FUCKING SHIT!" one British doctor cried, trying to rip one of the internal organs off him*.

"Stick through it." another doctor snapped. He tried feverishly to remember the Hippocratic Oath now. "I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person's family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick." he recited mentally to himself, though Ivy's human-ness was arguable right now.

"We'll have the baby out soon, Mrs. Michaelson!" the doctor tried to say. "Don't worry, just keep pushing!"

Calliel, for his part, sat outside quietly and waited. He was not sure what to do now, but an Indian man had pulled him out of the room and gave him a cigar out of pity. It was a dark moment for the angel. Could he defend Ivy? Could he protect her?

This is when Azazel, Demon King, turned visible and smashed through the window, standing now just outside the infirmary bay and right next to a very surprised Calliel, who was nearly thrilled by the Demon King's appearance.**
*It had bitten him, you see.
**Azazel was less scary than childbirth.

Ivy was a bit busy, well, giving birth, to notice Azazel's presence. Her face was blotchy and red - the usual pale noticeably gone. Her eyes were scrunched tightly shut, and she clutched at the sides of the hospital bed, tightly gripping at the metal bars, shaking violently, convulsing in agony. It felt like she was being ripped in half - it was too large, she could feel it ripping out of her, she'd explode and burst into a bloody mess - no, that wouldn't happen, that kind of thing didn't happen, she'd be fine, she just needed to stay calm - but why did it hurt so fucking much? This wasn't right. Calliel had used magic and he'd done something and whatever it was wasn't good - maybe not, maybe it was just the fact that he was an angel - or maybe this was normal? Maybe it always felt like this. She didn't know. She wished she knew.

"I'm pushing!" she screeched frantically and rather incoherently, breathing heavily, her legs splayed out in front of her. Suddenly, out of nowhere the sound of gunfire filled the room. She stopped pushing for an instant, fearfully and quickly turning to look at whatever it was. The sound was coming from directly outside the infirmary bay - outside of the room. Calliel and Megan were both out there. In an instant, a jolt of searing pain ran through between her legs, and she cried out in pain, and then tried to focus back on giving birth. Whatever was out there wasn't as important right now. Calliel and Megan could handle themselves. It was probably just a few demon soldiers. Not a big deal. Calliel was protecting her. Calliel always protected her. He never failed, she'd be fine, there was nothing to worry about - well, no, there was everything to worry about - that wasn't really important now. She could worry about that later. She just needed to keep pushing - and so she did.

[Nightkill the Emperor]

I'm not actually going to describe the process of labour to you. Look, seriously speaking, I grew up in Indian slums, I have been shot a few times over, I have had a heart attack, I have watched best friends die before my eyes. A woman giving birth is the single most horrific thing I have ever seen in my life.

Calliel was incredibly terrified by this whole event, though the doctors and Megan seemed to have a grasp of the situation at hand. Of course, with the first angel baby in centuries and one that was being born after a good dosing of magic (which had previously been proven to not be overly healthy in early child development) led to complications. To deal with these, they had moved to Elfen High's infirmary bay, in an attempt to use the school's magic to help them. So like fighting fire with a thermonuclear warhead.

"HOLY FUCKING SHIT!" one British doctor cried, trying to rip one of the internal organs off him*.

"Stick through it." another doctor snapped. He tried feverishly to remember the Hippocratic Oath now. "I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person's family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick." he recited mentally to himself, though Ivy's human-ness was arguable right now.

"We'll have the baby out soon, Mrs. Michaelson!" the doctor tried to say. "Don't worry, just keep pushing!"

Calliel, for his part, sat outside quietly and waited. He was not sure what to do now, but an Indian man had pulled him out of the room and gave him a cigar out of pity. It was a dark moment for the angel. Could he defend Ivy? Could he protect her?

This is when Azazel, Demon King, turned visible and smashed through the window, standing now just outside the infirmary bay and right next to a very surprised Calliel, who was nearly thrilled by the Demon King's appearance.**
*It had bitten him, you see.
**Azazel was less scary than childbirth.

"NOT AGAIN, MOTHERFUCKER!" Megan howled, opening fire on Azazel.

Behind the demon, a shadow flitted by. He suddenly felt another life form in the room, but in an instant, it was gone.

Azazel deflected the bullets with his arm, growling at Megan and throwing a hand forward to punch her-

But then Richard blocked him, appearing very suddenly when sensing danger. The janitor put his hand up and grabbed on Azazel's charging hand, then he made to grab the demon's other hand, but Azazel whisked a wrist blade out, making to stab Richard- who grabbed the blade and threw it away in a minute.

Then, of course, Ivy's screech of "I'M PUSHING!" was heard, distracting Richard- then Azazel kneed the janitor in the crotch and pulled out his own pistol, firing repeatedly at the janitor.

[Nationstatelandsville]

"NOT AGAIN, MOTHERFUCKER!" Megan howled, opening fire on Azazel.

Behind the demon, a shadow flitted by. He suddenly felt another life form in the room, but in an instant, it was gone.

Azazel deflected the bullets with his arm, growling at Megan and throwing a hand forward to punch her-

But then Richard blocked him, appearing very suddenly when sensing danger. The janitor put his hand up and grabbed on Azazel's charging hand, then he made to grab the demon's other hand, but Azazel whisked a wrist blade out, making to stab Richard- who grabbed the blade and threw it away in a minute.

Then, of course, Ivy's screech of "I'M PUSHING!" was heard, distracting Richard- then Azazel kneed the janitor in the crotch and pulled out his own pistol, firing repeatedly at the janitor.

This was, very firmly, the worst idea Azazel had ever had.

You see, D pays attention. In case I haven't made it clear, he has a very good knowledge of what can be useful in battle and even better timing in deploying it.

For now, though, let's focus on the HAL-bot, who collided into Azazel, wrapped his arm around the demon, and filled him with enough voltage to power the entirety of Western Europe for three hours.

Meanwhile, in the heart of the school, there was a roar.

[Hardened Pyrokinetics]

I saw the robot fly off and scowled. "Alright mates, change of plans." I informed the others. "Wreck shit."

That when I proceeded to charge straight into the heart of the enemy formation. Using the head of the first demon as a springboard, I launched myself up and into the very center. The demon I landed on got quite the surprise as I flipped forwards, wrapped my arms around her neck, and delivered a sickening neckbreaker. She had maybe a second to realize what was happening before the move broke her neck.

Before any could get a hit on me while I was on the ground, I rolled and got to my feet, cracking my knuckles. "Let's dance."

[Nightkill the Emperor]

Azazel deflected the bullets with his arm, growling at Megan and throwing a hand forward to punch her-

But then Richard blocked him, appearing very suddenly when sensing danger. The janitor put his hand up and grabbed on Azazel's charging hand, then he made to grab the demon's other hand, but Azazel whisked a wrist blade out, making to stab Richard- who grabbed the blade and threw it away in a minute.

Then, of course, Ivy's screech of "I'M PUSHING!" was heard, distracting Richard- then Azazel kneed the janitor in the crotch and pulled out his own pistol, firing repeatedly at the janitor.

This was, very firmly, the worst idea Azazel had ever had.

You see, D pays attention. In case I haven't made it clear, he has a very good knowledge of what can be useful in battle and even better timing in deploying it.

For now, though, let's focus on the HAL-bot, who collided into Azazel, wrapped his arm around the demon, and filled him with enough voltage to power the entirety of Western Europe for three hours.

Meanwhile, in the heart of the school, there was a roar.

It was now 9:34 PM. If one focused carefully, they would see that time was actually warping and twisting meaninglessly around them as the clock moved in erratic jerks, but continued to move forward.

"Reality is weakening!" Crowley barked, landing on top of the school at last. "Something big is going to happen soon!"

Richard took a few tired gasps, beginning to stand up slowly. "I was fucking right..." he sighed. "I knew I would be right...why the fuck was I right?"

Hope can drown lost in thunderous sound...Fear can claim what little faith remains...

Azazel snarled in pain, throwing the robot off him. He was covered in what was obviously serious burns, but was healing quickly...he also grabbed the HAL robot and proceeded to repeatedly stomp on it before blasting it with a small, but incredibly powerful and dense fireball, breaking it into shreds.

Azazel laughed. "Now we have a fight! Who's up for some mo-"

Then Richard tackled the demon, knocking him to the floor. "No." he growled. "Just you and me now, Azazel. Fight me like a man, not a bitch. Or are you too scared?"

Azazel raised an eyebrow. "Scared? What is there to be scared of?" he chuckled. He pulled out the knife off his other wrist, knocking it to the side. "You and me now, one on one. Let's see how it goes."

Then Richard punched Azazel in the face, sending the demon flying into the wall. Azazel stood up slowly, spitting out a tooth from his bloody mouth. He grinned wildly. "Not bad at all, old man. Not bad at all." he laughed, a fireball in his hand. He threw the ball of flame at Richard, who held out his right hand and felt a broom enter his grasp. He started to spin his broom wildly, creating enough air to render the fireball useless as it hit him.

"You think you're worthy, Richard? You may have been once, but what are you now? Just a cleaner, you stupid fool! Well, there will be nothing left to clean once this ends!" Azazel gloated, the earth bursting from underneath Richard- a spike smashed out of the school's grounds and nearly impaled the janitor in the chest.

Instead, Richard dodged the attack, moving directly at Azazel, who was not prepared for the sudden speed of the old man, who punched him in the face four times and then kneed him in the crotch in the space of three seconds. Then spat on his face. Somehow, that last one hurt the most.

Richard felt his body weakening by the second. "Well..." he muttered quietly in an old and ancient language spoken by only a handful of humans today. "Let's make it last." He suddenly grabbed Azazel's right wrist with his left hand, smashing it against the school's walls. A knife fell out and landed on the floor, making a clinking noise. Richard took his broom and proceeded to stab Azazel in the chest with the handle, pulled the handle out and then impaled the demon lord once more.

"You think I wouldn't know about the other knife?" Richard demanded. "A creature like you would never give up his knife unless he had a second knife, Azazel. Do not take me for a fool." he kept the demon lord standing upright, both of Azazel's arms limping almost uselessly, the lord clearly weakened. "Now, you pathetic excuse for a sentient being, I am going to give your weakened and useless body to Megan Jameson. Let's see what she does with it then, you imbelic maggot-"

There was a sudden pause as Richard felt something cold in his chest.

"You are a smart man, Richard." Azazel gasped out, his wounds slowly healing. "You are a smart man. You're right. A man like me...a man like me would have a second knife. But...I have three knives, Richard." Azazel breathed out with a chuckle, his left hand pulling itself out of Richard's chest.

Richard fell over onto the floor, gasping for breath. "No..."

"I'm not done with you yet." Azazel promised with a hearty laugh. "Oh no, not at all."

He put a hand on Richard's chest and viewers would see black smoke rising out of Richard's body, collecting in the air around them. This is when Crowley smashed a hole in the ceiling and saw the current events.

"BASTARD!" he thundered.

[Nightkill the Emperor]

While Azazel was busy taking the black smoke, something else happened.

The doctors treating Ivy managed to pull a baby out at last, but...the baby wouldn't breathe. It wouldn't cry or breathe or anything, really. It was dead, dead before it had even really begun. Stillbirth.

The head doctor had tried his genuine best despite everything, but...he spoke to Ivy slowly, placing the lifeless child on a nearby stretcher, just out of hope. "I'm sorry." he said simply. "But..." he just sighed. "I did my best. We all did. But your son...your son is dead." The doctor struggled through those words.

Calliel appeared, his head through the doorway. His hearing was remarkably sharp. And unfortunately, he had heard every last word. "What do you mean?" he asked, walking slowly forward. "What in God's name do you mean?" he demanded, but with a soft and tired tone of his own.

"Your son is dead. Stillborn." The doctor tried to explain.

Calliel stared at the doctor incomprehensibly, then turned around. "That can't be possible." Calliel spoke to himself, his world collapsing around him. He had had hope for a while...for some time he had finally had hope. No matter what there was a part of Calliel that always hoped things would work out and be good...that part did not exist anymore.

That child did not exist anymore.

Hope can drown lost in thunderous sound...Fear can claim what little faith remains.

Calliel looked up hopelessly at the sky and spoke privately. He had received an answer only once in his life, but this was the first time he didn't expect an answer at all. What was he going to ask for now? Whatever he would ask for would be impossible. Meaningless.

"God." he said simply, collapsing onto his back onto the floor of the infirmary, staring uncomprehendingly at the sky. Nobody in the medical team tried to pick him up.

[Nationstatelandsville]

This was, very firmly, the worst idea Azazel had ever had.

You see, D pays attention. In case I haven't made it clear, he has a very good knowledge of what can be useful in battle and even better timing in deploying it.

For now, though, let's focus on the HAL-bot, who collided into Azazel, wrapped his arm around the demon, and filled him with enough voltage to power the entirety of Western Europe for three hours.

Meanwhile, in the heart of the school, there was a roar.

It was now 9:34 PM. If one focused carefully, they would see that time was actually warping and twisting meaninglessly around them as the clock moved in erratic jerks, but continued to move forward.

"Reality is weakening!" Crowley barked, landing on top of the school at last. "Something big is going to happen soon!"

Richard took a few tired gasps, beginning to stand up slowly. "I was fucking right..." he sighed. "I knew I would be right...why the fuck was I right?"

Hope can drown lost in thunderous sound...Fear can claim what little faith remains...

Azazel snarled in pain, throwing the robot off him. He was covered in what was obviously serious burns, but was healing quickly...he also grabbed the HAL robot and proceeded to repeatedly stomp on it before blasting it with a small, but incredibly powerful and dense fireball, breaking it into shreds.

Azazel laughed. "Now we have a fight! Who's up for some mo-"

Then Richard tackled the demon, knocking him to the floor. "No." he growled. "Just you and me now, Azazel. Fight me like a man, not a bitch. Or are you too scared?"

Azazel raised an eyebrow. "Scared? What is there to be scared of?" he chuckled. He pulled out the knife off his other wrist, knocking it to the side. "You and me now, one on one. Let's see how it goes."

Then Richard punched Azazel in the face, sending the demon flying into the wall. Azazel stood up slowly, spitting out a tooth from his bloody mouth. He grinned wildly. "Not bad at all, old man. Not bad at all." he laughed, a fireball in his hand. He threw the ball of flame at Richard, who held out his right hand and felt a broom enter his grasp. He started to spin his broom wildly, creating enough air to render the fireball useless as it hit him.

"You think you're worthy, Richard? You may have been once, but what are you now? Just a cleaner, you stupid fool! Well, there will be nothing left to clean once this ends!" Azazel gloated, the earth bursting from underneath Richard- a spike smashed out of the school's grounds and nearly impaled the janitor in the chest.

Instead, Richard dodged the attack, moving directly at Azazel, who was not prepared for the sudden speed of the old man, who punched him in the face four times and then kneed him in the crotch in the space of three seconds. Then spat on his face. Somehow, that last one hurt the most.

Richard felt his body weakening by the second. "Well..." he muttered quietly in an old and ancient language spoken by only a handful of humans today. "Let's make it last." He suddenly grabbed Azazel's right wrist with his left hand, smashing it against the school's walls. A knife fell out and landed on the floor, making a clinking noise. Richard took his broom and proceeded to stab Azazel in the chest with the handle, pulled the handle out and then impaled the demon lord once more.

"You think I wouldn't know about the other knife?" Richard demanded. "A creature like you would never give up his knife unless he had a second knife, Azazel. Do not take me for a fool." he kept the demon lord standing upright, both of Azazel's arms limping almost uselessly, the lord clearly weakened. "Now, you pathetic excuse for a sentient being, I am going to give your weakened and useless body to Megan Jameson. Let's see what she does with it then, you imbelic maggot-"

There was a sudden pause as Richard felt something cold in his chest.

"You are a smart man, Richard." Azazel gasped out, his wounds slowly healing. "You are a smart man. You're right. A man like me...a man like me would have a second knife. But...I have three knives, Richard." Azazel breathed out with a chuckle, his left hand pulling itself out of Richard's chest.

Richard fell over onto the floor, gasping for breath. "No..."

"I'm not done with you yet." Azazel promised with a hearty laugh. "Oh no, not at all."

He put a hand on Richard's chest and viewers would see black smoke rising out of Richard's body, collecting in the air around them. This is when Crowley smashed a hole in the ceiling and saw the current events.

"BASTARD!" he thundered.

There was a tremor.

The roar grew.

And grew.

And grew.

And then exploded through the wall next to Azazel.

Standing there was a little number named Brian - you probably didn't want to fuck with him, especially given the twenty tentacles extending from each thigh and the little boy sitting on a saddle on his neck.

"You killed my father and raped my sister," D said with a cool Jameson fury, "You are a dead man."

Brian let out an ungodly roar and pounced at Azazel.

While Azazel was busy taking the black smoke, something else happened.

The doctors treating Ivy managed to pull a baby out at last, but...the baby wouldn't breathe. It wouldn't cry or breathe or anything, really. It was dead, dead before it had even really begun. Stillbirth.

The head doctor had tried his genuine best despite everything, but...he spoke to Ivy slowly, placing the lifeless child on a nearby stretcher, just out of hope. "I'm sorry." he said simply. "But..." he just sighed. "I did my best. We all did. But your son...your son is dead." The doctor struggled through those words.

Calliel appeared, his head through the doorway. His hearing was remarkably sharp. And unfortunately, he had heard every last word. "What do you mean?" he asked, walking slowly forward. "What in God's name do you mean?" he demanded, but with a soft and tired tone of his own.

"Your son is dead. Stillborn." The doctor tried to explain.

Calliel stared at the doctor incomprehensibly, then turned around. "That can't be possible." Calliel spoke to himself, his world collapsing around him. He had had hope for a while...for some time he had finally had hope. No matter what there was a part of Calliel that always hoped things would work out and be good...that part did not exist anymore.

That child did not exist anymore.

Hope can drown lost in thunderous sound...Fear can claim what little faith remains.

Calliel looked up hopelessly at the sky and spoke privately. He had received an answer only once in his life, but this was the first time he didn't expect an answer at all. What was he going to ask for now? Whatever he would ask for would be impossible. Meaningless.

"God." he said simply, collapsing onto his back onto the floor of the infirmary, staring uncomprehendingly at the sky. Nobody in the medical team tried to pick him up.

Megan immediately wrapped her hands around Ivy.

"Oh God, Ivy," she said quietly, "Just... oh God. Oh God. Oh God. Oh God."

[Ende]

Ivy stared blankly off into space for a few moments, her eyes glazing over slightly.

"No." she said firmly, looking in the doctor's direction. "You're wrong. You're lying. That can't happen."

Shaking her head, her white hair in a tangled mess, she stared over to the side of the hospital bed, gazing at the lifeless body of her newborn son - and then reality clicked. In that moment, her heart broke. It snapped like a twig.

"No. No no no no no no no. That - no - it can't - my child...no." she whispered frantically and breathlessly, her voice cracking, eyes swelling to the brim with tears. She continued to stare for a few moments, before forcing herself to look away. "No." she repeated faintly again to herself, her voice quietly dying away.

She stared off into space for a few moments. After all this time, it was worthless. Over six months of carrying Calliel's child, all the confusion and pain and everything - and her child was dead. He never even had a chance to live. She had carried him through so much - through Heaven and through Hell - and it was all pointless. Calliel had - no, it wasn't his fault, it was her fault, she had miscarried it because she hadn't stayed away from the battle like she was supposed to, and she hadn't listened to what he had said, or maybe it was just that she wasn't strong enough to carry it through and her child was dead. It was her fault.

Nothing compared to this. Being pressed against a burning wall was nothing - being forced to murder a helpless girl was nothing - being split nearly in half by lightning was nothing - the loneliness of two years in Heavensgate was nothing - dying itself was nothing compared to the agony she felt now. Looking down at the blood-stained sheets beneath her legs, she stared blankly for a few moments, sobbing brokenly.

Suddenly, her hand shaking violently, she extended it out towards Megan.

"G-give me your gun." she choked, her voice quavering violently, the words barely audible. "J-just hand it to me. I...I c-can't take this any more. P-please." she begged, tears streaming from her eyes.

[Nationstatelandsville]

Ivy stared blankly off into space for a few moments, her eyes glazing over slightly.

"No." she said firmly, looking in the doctor's direction. "You're wrong. You're lying. That can't happen."

Shaking her head, her white hair in a tangled mess, she stared over to the side of the hospital bed, gazing at the lifeless body of her newborn son - and then reality clicked. In that moment, her heart broke. It snapped like a twig.

"No. No no no no no no no. That - no - it can't - my child...no." she whispered frantically and breathlessly, her voice cracking, eyes swelling to the brim with tears. She continued to stare for a few moments, before forcing herself to look away. "No." she repeated faintly again to herself, her voice quietly dying away.

She stared off into space for a few moments. After all this time, it was worthless. Over six months of carrying Calliel's child, all the confusion and pain and everything - and her child was dead. He never even had a chance to live. She had carried him through so much - through Heaven and through Hell - and it was all pointless. Calliel had - no, it wasn't his fault, it was her fault, she had miscarried it because she hadn't stayed away from the battle like she was supposed to, and she hadn't listened to what he had said, or maybe it was just that she wasn't strong enough to carry it through and her child was dead. It was her fault.

Nothing compared to this. Being pressed against a burning wall was nothing - being forced to murder a helpless girl was nothing - being split nearly in half by lightning was nothing - the loneliness of two years in Heavensgate was nothing - dying itself was nothing compared to the agony she felt now. Looking down at the blood-stained sheets beneath her legs, she stared blankly for a few moments, sobbing brokenly.

Suddenly, her hand shaking violently, she extended it out towards Megan.

"G-give me your gun." she choked, her voice quavering violently, the words barely audible. "J-just hand it to me. I...I c-can't take this any more. P-please." she begged, tears streaming from her eyes.

"Like hell I will!" Megan snapped, pulling away from Ivy, "No more. No more. Not today, at least. I've seen far too many people die. You're in it for the long haul, kid. You can't just.. give up. For Christ's sake, you can't do that to us."

There was the sound of a gentle breeze. What made that sound is up to you to decide.

For a second, there was another man in the room, a man only Ivy could see. He was a terribly familar man, even if he had a bit of an ethereal quality to him nowadays.

"I keep goin'," Lewis Jameson said, "and everyone else stops, no matter how hard they try."

He looked down at Ivy and smiled. If the smiles was real or a vision, this is up to you to decide.

"Things are goin' to stop making sense, but it doesn't matter," Lewis said - or perhaps he didn't, "This school... is all we have."

And he was gone. Or perhaps he had never been there. Perhaps he was a vision, perhaps the beginnings of madness, perhaps an illusion created by a calculated amount of drug gas, or perhaps he was real.

Who am I to say?

"Ivy..." Megan insisted weakly, taking the girl's hand in hers, "Please. We can... we have to... make it through this."

[Nightkill the Emperor]

The towers around the city of Dys slowly started to break due to the singing of the Ciels. But some other things were happening.

For one, Azazel was holding his hand up in the air as the black smoke from Richard started to break free and surround him. Then Azazel began to ride on the smoke, which was slowly becoming a solid and changing colour...

The Demon Lord jumped off as they flew out through the hole in the roof that Crowley had made and stood on the ceiling. He looked out at the smoke cloud which had now collected in the centre of the city. Around the city of Dys London, smoke arose from many of the other corpses, collecting around the Richard cloud.

Then a creature was formed, wings, tail, blue eyes, claws...The creature made a sniffing noise, puffs of smoke bursting out of the nostrils. The creature stretched forty feet from head to toe, with a wingspan of about the same. The black scaled monster slammed a massive claw on the top of the clock tower of London, roaring down at the crowd below.

Then it specifically glared at the Ciels, flapping the wings toward them and drowning out their sound with a roar of RUKJA. What that phrase meant was an unknown for now, but what the Ciels did know was that a massive dragon was now flapping toward them. From the ground, dozens of bazookas fired up toward the creature helplessly, not even coming close to injuring it.

As it approached the Ciels, it opened its massive mouth. Inside that mouth, they saw stars. They saw galaxies explode and stars die, stars birth and planets spin. They saw the universe linked to the other worlds, changing and twisting and shifting as it would. It was shining light and shining darkness mixed together, nearly impossible to explain. But they only saw it for a few moments as a black fire burst from the monster's mouth, ripping apart the very air that it touched, so one could see, for only a second, blank white space in the parts of the universe the fire touched.

Crowley held up his two hands as the swords of Gram and Narayanastra in his hands now, the swords flying out of the office to join him. They did not try to possess him right now, not at all. The swords were older than this very universe and feared nothing. But right now...Crowley's rage worried them.

He spoke calmly and carefully. "D. Find me Callahan. Ediliam? You still have Excalibur? Good. Let's finish this."

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Ciel and Celes were pleased that their efforts, however slowly, were managing to tear apart the massive, pulsing towers that populated Dys London bit by bit.

And then the dragon appeared.

They were scared, that much was obvious. How could they not be? But they had already seen dragons before. Once upon a time they thought one had touched their minds, even if that was a lie. So, despite their fear, knowing that they needed to be brave in this battle that decided everything, they continued with their song even as the dragon's roar drowned it out for as long as it lasted. They had to take down those towers, didn't they?

When the dragon opened its mouth, what they saw... Well, it left them in awe, in enough awe for them to stop their song for a moment, but not quite enough for them not to realize what happened afterwards and immediately move out of the way of the black flame.

And so as they moved away they resumed their song in an attempt to finish ripping apart the towers.

[Nationstatelandsville]

The towers around the city of Dys slowly started to break due to the singing of the Ciels. But some other things were happening.

For one, Azazel was holding his hand up in the air as the black smoke from Richard started to break free and surround him. Then Azazel began to ride on the smoke, which was slowly becoming a solid and changing colour...

The Demon Lord jumped off as they flew out through the hole in the roof that Crowley had made and stood on the ceiling. He looked out at the smoke cloud which had now collected in the centre of the city. Around the city of Dys London, smoke arose from many of the other corpses, collecting around the Richard cloud.

Then a creature was formed, wings, tail, blue eyes, claws...The creature made a sniffing noise, puffs of smoke bursting out of the nostrils. The creature stretched forty feet from head to toe, with a wingspan of about the same. The black scaled monster slammed a massive claw on the top of the clock tower of London, roaring down at the crowd below.

Then it specifically glared at the Ciels, flapping the wings toward them and drowning out their sound with a roar of RUKJA. What that phrase meant was an unknown for now, but what the Ciels did know was that a massive dragon was now flapping toward them. From the ground, dozens of bazookas fired up toward the creature helplessly, not even coming close to injuring it.

As it approached the Ciels, it opened its massive mouth. Inside that mouth, they saw stars. They saw galaxies explode and stars die, stars birth and planets spin. They saw the universe linked to the other worlds, changing and twisting and shifting as it would. It was shining light and shining darkness mixed together, nearly impossible to explain. But they only saw it for a few moments as a black fire burst from the monster's mouth, ripping apart the very air that it touched, so one could see, for only a second, blank white space in the parts of the universe the fire touched.

Crowley held up his two hands as the swords of Gram and Narayanastra in his hands now, the swords flying out of the office to join him. They did not try to possess him right now, not at all. The swords were older than this very universe and feared nothing. But right now...Crowley's rage worried them.

He spoke calmly and carefully. "D. Find me Callahan. Ediliam? You still have Excalibur? Good. Let's finish this."

"OK," D said with a shrug.

And then Brian spoke in a voice that made Clint Eastwood seriously reconsider sleep.

[CALLAHAN, YOUR PRESENCE IS REQUIRED IN THE SCHOOL INFIRMARY. REPEAT, IN THE SCHOOL INFIRMARY.]

"God, Brian, you're such a bitch," D sighed with exasperation, "So. Now what, Al?"

[Nightkill the Emperor]

Michael glanced up at the sky, his eyes widening. "Fuck." the archangel said simply. "All right then...priorities have changed a bit." This is also when James would hear Brian calling out for him. Michael nodded to himself and then his wings burst out of his back. "Time to fly and get some backup. I'll see you...hopefully in a bit. Hopefully." He flew off east.

It was now 10:10 PM.

[Hardened Pyrokinetics]

I'd describe punching several hundred demons to death, but that would be very boring.

Instead I untangled myself out of the demonic horde, leaving Alastor and Yuzuki to deal with them. "MICHAEL, YOU'RE A CUNT!" I hollered at the archangel. "How the bloody fuck am I supposed to get to the fucking school no-"

That's when I saw the gigantic fucking dragon. "Well then." I reached up for the sword.

Nope. James suddenly cut in, taking control of our right hand and lowering it. That's reserved for someone else, same with the black bullets. Just switch 'em out with the normal ones - Crowley will probably give us Gram or something anyway.

"Fine..." I muttered, drawing the revolver and replacing the black bullets with three normal ones. "You'd best be right, or this is going to be a one-way trip." I took aim and fired all six shots at the dragon, quickly reloading and getting myself behind cover, heading towards the school.

[Nightkill the Emperor]

The bullets didn't even much bother the dragon, who smashed a massive claw onto the ground around the Ciels. Time has come. it growled out as the two Ciels suddenly felt something dark smashing into their minds. Hundreds of ISSR soldiers and British civilians around them fell down to the ground, screaming in pain. Then their brains began to melt away in their skull, followed by the rest of their muscles and skin. There was a vague smell of something rotting as all life within a twenty foot radius from the dragon was extinguished, aside from the Ciels and the Richard dragon.

Then something else happened, distracting the dragon briefly and getting the feeling of something ripping apart their minds out of the heads of the Ciels, who would feel weak but no else yet.

Thor sat there in a wheelchair, glaring directly at the dragon and standing on a twenty five foot tall tower created by one of the earthbending mages. "Alright boys." he said calmly. "Dai, D? This better have worked."

Then Thor pushed his wheelchair off the tower, falling out...then a metallic piece of armour latched onto his wrist. Then his whole arm. Then his back, his legs, his chest, his face...when he slammed down on the ground, Thor wore Daisuke's Iron Man armour, adjusted for his size. Holding out a hand, Mjnolnir burst out of nowhere and slammed itself into his grasp.

"Alright big boy." Thor barked. "Let's go."

The Ciels would also feel metal pieces suddenly slam onto their bodies from a distance, creating Iron Man suits for them as well, but adjusted for their figure. Well adjusted. Daisuke was an Elfen Higher in spirit, even if he attended only for a short time.

He spoke in their ears through communicators in the armour. "Alright ladies. I got sound amplifiers in this armour as well as some arm cannons, flight, so on. You've seen the films. Now, let's roll."

[Constaniana]

"Yeah, I still have it. I went to all the trouble of killing King Arthur for it, it's not like I'd go and drop it down the side of the couch or something like that," Eldliam responded, drawing Excalibur from its sheath and saluting Daniel with two fingers. The polite way, or course, not the original way to flick someone off before the silly Yanks messed it up by being too lazy to raise their index finger. "Well, let's get this over with," he said.

[Nationstatelandsville]

The bullets didn't even much bother the dragon, who smashed a massive claw onto the ground around the Ciels. Time has come. it growled out as the two Ciels suddenly felt something dark smashing into their minds. Hundreds of ISSR soldiers and British civilians around them fell down to the ground, screaming in pain. Then their brains began to melt away in their skull, followed by the rest of their muscles and skin. There was a vague smell of something rotting as all life within a twenty foot radius from the dragon was extinguished, aside from the Ciels and the Richard dragon.

Then something else happened, distracting the dragon briefly and getting the feeling of something ripping apart their minds out of the heads of the Ciels, who would feel weak but no else yet.

Thor sat there in a wheelchair, glaring directly at the dragon and standing on a twenty five foot tall tower created by one of the earthbending mages. "Alright boys." he said calmly. "Dai, D? This better have worked."

Then Thor pushed his wheelchair off the tower, falling out...then a metallic piece of armour latched onto his wrist. Then his whole arm. Then his back, his legs, his chest, his face...when he slammed down on the ground, Thor wore Daisuke's Iron Man armour, adjusted for his size. Holding out a hand, Mjnolnir burst out of nowhere and slammed itself into his grasp.

"Alright big boy." Thor barked. "Let's go."

The Ciels would also feel metal pieces suddenly slam onto their bodies from a distance, creating Iron Man suits for them as well, but adjusted for their figure. Well adjusted. Daisuke was an Elfen Higher in spirit, even if he attended only for a short time.

He spoke in their ears through communicators in the armour. "Alright ladies. I got sound amplifiers in this armour as well as some arm cannons, flight, so on. You've seen the films. Now, let's roll."

"Brian," D said, "stop being a bitch for five seconds and activate Stratagem 4."

[STRATAGEM 4?]

"Fuck you, Brian. Do the thing where you fly at him at super-sonic speeds."

D jumped off Brian and fell towards the ground, putting in earplugs.

And then Brian flew at Azazel at super-sonic speeds.

D, meanwhile, feell for about five feet, before he himself felt a hard piece of metal slam into his back. In a moment, he was clad in the coolest looking armor of all, one that proceeded to beat literally everything else invented ever by sprouting a fucking lightsaber.

"Avengers, assemble," he snarked, hovering over the air, before firing a small antimatter missile at Azazel from his shoulder.

"How did we get these things hollow enough to fit a human inside?"

[Nightkill the Emperor]

This is also when Porter Rockwell came bursting out wearing Iron Man armour, because holy freaking poop yes. Following him, of course, was his relative AVERY JOHNSON, flying off into the sky together and heading toward the main party of Ciel, D, Thor and the dragon.

You may now orgasm.

[Ende]

Ivy stared blankly off into space for a few moments, her eyes glazing over slightly.

"No." she said firmly, looking in the doctor's direction. "You're wrong. You're lying. That can't happen."

Shaking her head, her white hair in a tangled mess, she stared over to the side of the hospital bed, gazing at the lifeless body of her newborn son - and then reality clicked. In that moment, her heart broke. It snapped like a twig.

"No. No no no no no no no. That - no - it can't - my child...no." she whispered frantically and breathlessly, her voice cracking, eyes swelling to the brim with tears. She continued to stare for a few moments, before forcing herself to look away. "No." she repeated faintly again to herself, her voice quietly dying away.

She stared off into space for a few moments. After all this time, it was worthless. Over six months of carrying Calliel's child, all the confusion and pain and everything - and her child was dead. He never even had a chance to live. She had carried him through so much - through Heaven and through Hell - and it was all pointless. Calliel had - no, it wasn't his fault, it was her fault, she had miscarried it because she hadn't stayed away from the battle like she was supposed to, and she hadn't listened to what he had said, or maybe it was just that she wasn't strong enough to carry it through and her child was dead. It was her fault.

Nothing compared to this. Being pressed against a burning wall was nothing - being forced to murder a helpless girl was nothing - being split nearly in half by lightning was nothing - the loneliness of two years in Heavensgate was nothing - dying itself was nothing compared to the agony she felt now. Looking down at the blood-stained sheets beneath her legs, she stared blankly for a few moments, sobbing brokenly.

Suddenly, her hand shaking violently, she extended it out towards Megan.

"G-give me your gun." she choked, her voice quavering violently, the words barely audible. "J-just hand it to me. I...I c-can't take this any more. P-please." she begged, tears streaming from her eyes.

"Like hell I will!" Megan snapped, pulling away from Ivy, "No more. No more. Not today, at least. I've seen far too many people die. You're in it for the long haul, kid. You can't just.. give up. For Christ's sake, you can't do that to us."

There was the sound of a gentle breeze. What made that sound is up to you to decide.

For a second, there was another man in the room, a man only Ivy could see. He was a terribly familar man, even if he had a bit of an ethereal quality to him nowadays.

"I keep goin'," Lewis Jameson said, "and everyone else stops, no matter how hard they try."

He looked down at Ivy and smiled. If the smiles was real or a vision, this is up to you to decide.

"Things are goin' to stop making sense, but it doesn't matter," Lewis said - or perhaps he didn't, "This school... is all we have."

And he was gone. Or perhaps he had never been there. Perhaps he was a vision, perhaps the beginnings of madness, perhaps an illusion created by a calculated amount of drug gas, or perhaps he was real.

Who am I to say?

"Ivy..." Megan insisted weakly, taking the girl's hand in hers, "Please. We can... we have to... make it through this."

"Why?" she sobbed in reply, pulling her away from Megan's. "I-I know t-that's what Lewis would want, but why? Why should I s-stay alive? What do I have left? What else is there? T-the s-school isn't enough, Lewis. I...I can't live for that. I-I j-just...I'm done."

Turning away from Megan, she looked down at the ground, opening her clenched fist.

"P-please g-give me your gun." she stuttered again, wiping tears out of her eyes with her elbow. "I-it's the kindest thing you could possibly do for me right now. I-I'll p-probably do it anyway if y-you don't. Y-you'll just make it faster. It won't hurt that much if I do it right. Maybe...maybe there's a real Heaven. Or maybe there's just nothing. I don't care."

She paused.

"I'll say hi to Lewis for you." she whispered under her breath, and then she closed her eyes, praying for Megan to be kind. She knew it would never really happen, but maybe - there was a chance - no, there wasn't.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

The Ciels continued trying to bring down the towers, but then, the dragon slammed its claw around them and then a dark, powerful presence entered their mind, something trying to rip them apart from within, trying to get rid of that fundamental property that made them be them. Or something like that. Their minds screamed, while they stood there helplessly, not able to even acknowledge the life that faded all around them.

Fortunately, soon enough Thor distracted the dragon, who released them from the mental hold. They fell to their knees, breathing heavily as they tried to recover from the dragon's presence breaking into their minds. As they did this, they watched Thor jump off of the enormous tower and turn into what was basically Iron Man.

Then, armors slammed into them, and they suddenly were armored as well. Surprised by this development, they looked themselves and each other over, and nodded in approval, before hearing out what Thor said through the communicators.

"Sound amplifiers? That will be useful." Ciel commented. Celes looked over at her. "Given the nature of our situation, you know what to do, right?" She asked. Ciel smiled beneath the helmet and nodded.

The two of them then took their instruments, lifted off the ground and began flying around the dragon. As they did so, they began playing a certain song that alluded to a certain something, taking over when the other took a pause to fire a blast at the dragon, making the interpretation seamless.

---

"...One corplosion... Two corplosions... Three corplosions..." Alastor said as he methodically chucked black-magic-energy-filled demon corpses at the demon horde before him, which promptly exploded and took out a good number of them. He still had a few corpses on a pile next to him, but in all honesty, he was growing tired of this and Michael and Callahan had left. So, bored, he took all of the bodies, charged them, and kicked them towards the horde before strolling away from the place.

As he did, he saw the enormous dragon.

"Now that looks like an interesting battle." He commented as he casually walked up to Crowley.

[Nationstatelandsville]

"Like hell I will!" Megan snapped, pulling away from Ivy, "No more. No more. Not today, at least. I've seen far too many people die. You're in it for the long haul, kid. You can't just.. give up. For Christ's sake, you can't do that to us."

There was the sound of a gentle breeze. What made that sound is up to you to decide.

For a second, there was another man in the room, a man only Ivy could see. He was a terribly familar man, even if he had a bit of an ethereal quality to him nowadays.

"I keep goin'," Lewis Jameson said, "and everyone else stops, no matter how hard they try."

He looked down at Ivy and smiled. If the smiles was real or a vision, this is up to you to decide.

"Things are goin' to stop making sense, but it doesn't matter," Lewis said - or perhaps he didn't, "This school... is all we have."

And he was gone. Or perhaps he had never been there. Perhaps he was a vision, perhaps the beginnings of madness, perhaps an illusion created by a calculated amount of drug gas, or perhaps he was real.

Who am I to say?

"Ivy..." Megan insisted weakly, taking the girl's hand in hers, "Please. We can... we have to... make it through this."

"Why?" she sobbed in reply, pulling her away from Megan's. "I-I know t-that's what Lewis would want, but why? Why should I s-stay alive? What do I have left? What else is there? T-the s-school isn't enough, Lewis. I...I can't live for that. I-I j-just...I'm done."

Turning away from Megan, she looked down at the ground, opening her clenched fist.

"P-please g-give me your gun." she stuttered again, wiping tears out of her eyes with her elbow. "I-it's the kindest thing you could possibly do for me right now. I-I'll p-probably do it anyway if y-you don't. Y-you'll just make it faster. It won't hurt that much if I do it right. Maybe...maybe there's a real Heaven. Or maybe there's just nothing. I don't care."

She paused.

"I'll say hi to Lewis for you." she whispered under her breath, and then she closed her eyes, praying for Megan to be kind. She knew it would never really happen, but maybe - there was a chance - no, there wasn't.

It's probably considered rude to hit a suicidal woman who just lost her baby.

Megan, if you haven't noticed, is extremely rude.

"Because we need you!" she said, punching Ivy in the arm, "We need you. What about me and D? What will we do if you kill yourself? What about Calliel? My God, Ivy, what about Calliel?"

"So, ye' know, maybe Ivy's not really ready for battle. But ye' know what? I love her, but she doesn't matter. We need her. We need a girl who can control plants. We don't need Lewis Jameson's friend who loves a little rat more than she's willin' to admit. If one has to get hurt to get the other, that's war. That's life."

"He can't go on without you, Ivy," Megan continued, beginning to cry, "Don't make him. He'll kill himself, too. Don't do that to him when he's just starting to love."

[Nightkill the Emperor]

Calliel looked up for the first time and spoke quietly. "It is true, Ivy. We had this loss and I feel like...I don't know how to explain. But I love you. If you go, I will follow you to wherever we head. But people need us here and they need us now. Personally, I feel broken. But..." he sighed. "Personal isn't the same as important."

He sat down in front of Ivy. "Ivy Green, I love you more than I have loved anything, even God himself. If you die, there is no world left to live in."

[Nationstatelandsville]

Calliel looked up for the first time and spoke quietly. "It is true, Ivy. We had this loss and I feel like...I don't know how to explain. But I love you. If you go, I will follow you to wherever we head. But people need us here and they need us now. Personally, I feel broken. But..." he sighed. "Personal isn't the same as important."

He sat down in front of Ivy. "Ivy Green, I love you more than I have loved anything, even God himself. If you die, there is no world left to live in."

Rosalind suddenly appeared next to Ivy and hugged her.

Because she's still in the adorable phase where that's OK.

[Ende]

Calliel looked up for the first time and spoke quietly. "It is true, Ivy. We had this loss and I feel like...I don't know how to explain. But I love you. If you go, I will follow you to wherever we head. But people need us here and they need us now. Personally, I feel broken. But..." he sighed. "Personal isn't the same as important."

He sat down in front of Ivy. "Ivy Green, I love you more than I have loved anything, even God himself. If you die, there is no world left to live in."

Ivy slumped backwards against the bed, pulling the bloodied sheets over her still-exposed legs and crotch as she clutched Rosalind weakly in her arms. In a way, it helped. Rosy was young, and innocent, and happy, and for a minute, it tore her mind away from the awful reality of her world. Rosy was still innocent, and - and then she realized that the only reason for this was that she hadn't been crushed and ripped apart by the world yet. Then, a worse realization struck her - she'd never be able to hold her child in her arms - never be able to watch as he grew up - never be able to see him alive at all. She stared at the floor, desperately trying not to look over to the side, where his lifeless body laid. Tears welling up in her eyes, she gently put Rosalind on the floor, pushing her away, towards Megan.

"Why?" she whispered weakly to Calliel, closing her eyes. "W-why do you care so much? C-calliel...god, just...we barely even know each other. D-don't say that. P-please don't say that." she stuttered, her voice cracking. "T-there's so much more for you to live for. T-there are so many other girls out there. J-just...I don't want to hurt you. I-I don't want to hurt anybody. I-I'm not...I don't hurt people. I-I just want for it to be over." she choked, holding back a rush of tears from behind her closed eyes.

"I...people don't need me, Calliel. T-they don't need me here, they don't need me now, hell, I've never been needed. I-I'm just a useless girl and I always need to be saved a-and I c-can't even do anything for myself. Y-you don't need me. I'm not important - just let it be over for me, please, I..." she continued, her voice quavering, breathing heavily, her voice trailing away.

She stopped mid-sentence, choking over her own words.

"Fine." she sobbed brokenly, feeling defeat and resignation sweeping over her, any chance of rest or respite fading away, putting her head in her hands. "I-I'll give it another shot. N-now can you all leave? P-please? I...I-I just want to be alone."

[Nightkill the Emperor]

Crowley nodded to Alastor. "Agreed. I don't want to fight the dragon now. Azazel needs to be destroyed-"

He suddenly paused, the sword of Gram in his left hand, trying to drive him to attack, to destroy, to murder...but he held it in with a sigh. "Personal is not the same as important." he admitted in a tired voice. "But...Azazel must be stopped. Alastor, Ediliam? Go fight the dragon. I can take on Azazel on my own now. Take down the towers so I can defeat him. This is personal now."

This is also when James would run up to Crowley in some useful and easy manner. Crowley nodded at the lad, throwing Narayanastra toward him. The sword would land magically and easily in the Callahan's hand. "Now, you-" he said, gesturing toward the Canadian with Gram. "You get the choice of fighting Azazel with me or fighting the dragon. Your skills could be useful in either situation."