Kurisutarumajishan Chapter VII: Hellish Encounter

I feel like I've gained nothing from my battle with the general, admittedly my fight was sloppy, but asides from that, the only things I've materialized have been a cannon and a shield. Otherwise, I haven't seen much of my potential, and using them against the General again would be quite dangerous..

Haruko peeked from the door and smiled, she slowly closed the door and signaled for the others to keep cooking the dinner. They were left alone for most of the time, with Natsuki taking care of Anahana's basic needs, she held a deep weight in her chest as she looks back at the battle she had done earlier, making it hard for her to feel in any way shape or form, optimistic for the next battle.

"Two weapons.. I need to do better than that.." Natsuki muttered under her breath as she looked down at the sleeping Anahana. A knocking sounded at the room's door, it was Haruko with their dinner.

"Hello~" Haruko greeted softly "Here's your dinner Natsu-chan~"

"Thanks Haruko.." She replied heavily, still down.

"Why do you look so gloomy? Is because of the fight earlier?" Haruko asked, quickly catching up to Natsuki's thoughts.

"Mmm.. yeah.." She replied, as she ate her dinner. "Is Anahana's-"

"Her dinner will come later, when she wakes up of course" Haruko replied, cutting her off. "Ah- Sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off"

"It's fine.. it's okay" She said, assuring her.

There was a momentary silence between them, before Haruko started to talk again.

"You know, not all of us can use their Aura's that quickly the first time they tried it out" She said, looking at Natsuki as she sat at the foot of the bed. "It's a lengthy process for most people, but there are some who learn to use it rather quickly, I think you're one of them personally."

"What do you mean..?" Natsuki asked, wanting an elaboration.

"You just fought the Demon General, Kalliope Taurturia. She's wildly known as 'The Knight Slayer' because of her mountain of kills from the past battles and incursions" Haruko explained, showing a brightly lit face as she looked at Natsuki. "There have been a lot of those Aura Wielders who had an easier time learning about their Aura's from the first time they were introduced to it, but they would die the moment they met Kalliope-san, even though they had trained harder before their encounter with her"

"The General is that powerful?" Natsuki asked, quite perplexed, Haruko.

"She is yes, that's why in our forces we called her the Butcher, but… There's someone more suited for that moniker.. usually they just called her Hell's Accountant, with how much bodies she's been piling since the war started" Haruko was quite grim with her expression, looking down on the floor with a faint frown.

"I see.." Natsuki said solemnly, looking down as well.

"There's plenty more time, so don't worry about not being able to fight back against Kalliope, okay? We have plenty of time before we go travelling again" Haruko assured, smiling brightly at Natsuki.

"If you say so.. I'll do my best to train at the time being.." Natsuki replied, as she smiled back softly.

"Just go take a rest okay? You need some time before you can train" Haruko said as she walked towards the door. "Go take a rest okay?"

"Mhm.. thanks Haruko" Smiling at her sincerely "Thanks for telling me those.."

"It's nothing Natsu-kun~" She replied, before waving at her and closing the door.

Haruko was flooded by the others who kneeled before her enthusiastically.

"E-Eh?" She stuttered, looking at them.

"So? What kind of Aura does she have?" Asked Junko.

"What's her Flare like?" Asked Reagan.

"What's her crystal like? Asked Tanjirou in order.

They were all excited to know who she is, and what their healer has supposedly gathered from that small conversation.

"Ahh- Ehhh- Uhmmm-" Haruko stuttered.

"SO?!!" They clamored as they followed Haruko downstairs to the living room.

"W-Well.." She stuttered. "Where should I start?"

"FLARE!" They exclaimed as they leaned in their seats.

"W-Well… Natsuki's Flare…" She gulped as she tried to calm herself down.

"You okay Haruko?" Reagan asked, kneeling by her and holding her shoulder. She nodded before gulping down.

"Natsuki's Flare… It's really unstable…" She started "It's like it's consuming her from the inside out.. it just feels like it's corroding her… I can't really point my finger on it other than it's unstable.. unkept.. she wasn't cared for before she had arrived here…"

"What do you mean she wasn't taken cared for?" Junko asked "She seemed to be quite independent"

"Well, did you forget that Flare's are basically a reflection of someone's emotions?" Tanjirou said to Junko, Fretzer had just entered the living room through the front door and locked it.

"Um.. I did hear about those people who have unkept Flare's.. They're mostly just prisoners and emotionally defunct people.." He said shyly towards the group.

"Mhm, it was like that.. but it felt like a void that's sucking everything inside her" Haruko repeated "I can't really say anything else but it's consuming her.. I feel bad for what happened to her in the past before her arrival here"

Everyone was quite down now, looking at different directions, their heads tilted downwards. Flares, as much as they are an indication of someone's inner soul, they're also an indication of power. Stable Flares are common enough, and they come in different hues that match whatever their Aura is, in conjunction, a Flare can be the fuel to the furnace, allowing the person to have a powerful aura under the expense of training for a long time. Or the void that breaks you from the inside, it's rare for people to have an unstable Flare and a powerful yet easy to learn Auras, it's that rare for people like these that they are treated highly as characters of divine origin.

The only times something like these has happened was if a Deity had personally given them their Aura, but for their Flares, they are left to figure out how to tame it themselves. Although the journey is of self-discovery, it doesn't bring the happy ending most people would see in the end of the story. In the world history of Veindeljara, there had only been 5 people who had gotten past the thorns and the barbs that splintered their lives the moment they had their Auras blend into their Flares, although they were successful with the taming of their powers, they were met with death as they grew older, their frail bodies soon collapsing down as they reach the end of their lives. The last of these men was a man named Kalleiedos, who had an Aura of the Sun, he was called the Sirius Alpha, the one who ruled the sun itself.

He had been infamous as he was the first to counter the Demonic Incursions several years before the coming of the Demon Queen, an Era of Veindeljara history where rumors of the coronation of a Demon Queen was circulated around. Kalleiedos was successful with fighting these prior incursions and had lived long enough to see the coronation of the Demon Queen, He saw first-hand the coronation of the Demon Queen as she had materialized in front of her castle that danced in fire, emerging from a blood red vortex, and a tornado that ravaged the Demon Continent's surroundings into ash and magma.

This is unfortunately the end of the last "Demigod" as the Elders had considered, there were hopes and rumors of the Luna Omega emerging but was silenced down by the Demon Queen who ravaged the lower hemisphere of the world itself, claiming the kingdoms that fell in their incursions.

This era had begun roughly 200 years ago, with most of the Demonic forces creeping into the upper half of the planet to conquer the rest of the kingdoms, and now with Natsuki's apparent similarities with the previous Demigods, it wouldn't be highly unlikely she was one, considering she had met a Deity herself without knowing it.

"She seems to have similar Flares with the Sirius Alpha and the Fae Sanae" Haruko remarked. "Or maybe the Juno Crystallum… Whatever she is… Her Flare is eating her inside, and if she doesn't fix it it'll be too late for her.. she might die like them…"

Everyone was quite silent, fearful for Natsuki and whatever role she'll choose to play in this Demonic War.

"Should we keep quiet about this..?" Tanjirou said softly.

"Maybe.. we don't know what'll happen if we ask her now.." Reagan somewhat agreed.

"I think we should for now.. let's not tell this to either of them.." Junko was in it too, they soon looked at Fretzer who was mumbling about his decision."

"Well… We should tell it at some point.. Anahana might scold us for not telling her.. or worse.." He answered. They all agreed to it, saying that it's best to make sure Natsuki was able to understand most of the things about their world. Little did they know however, their distant future, would be sooner or later.

The night passed as the time rolled in the sky, the stars travelling to the east as the sun slowly rose up into the sky, illuminating the village that had been bombarded by the Demon Army, the wreckage of yesterday's battle still smoking in the form of black craters that dotted the lands, embers of burnt house structure and beams, hay and scaffolding and shop signs. It was a broken view of a peaceful town, with the houses reflecting the past lives it once held in its homes, the murmurs of townsfolk whispered among the now desolate streets, the soldiers had resumed the patrols helping those who survived from yesterday's battle.

The adventurers at Glenn's inn, a hotel establishment that barely survived the onslaught, became the headquarters of a group of teenagers, who became the last standing guardians of the Kingdom of the North, Fuhrenheim. The group was comprised of women, most of which stood as mages whilst one held two sword maces, standing in as their frontline defense, a weaponless girl with striking purple eyes, and a frail boy that served as their assassin, a small company, but a company that so chooses to defend nonetheless.

Their Blacksmith, Hanakaze Tanjirou, is well known as one of the big three of the blacksmiths in this small town, which served as the army's forward operating base, she had served the weapons with the two other big men in the industry. Tanjirou herself was widely known for the quality of her blades and armours for a high price, but has volunteered to provide the paraphernalia for free to the soldiers, in exchange of working hard to repel the Demon Army and it's always numerous incursions. She joined this unnamed adventurer cell* once word has gone around that this was the last of the cells that were defending Fuhrenheim.

*Cell is a small group of adventurers, most famous ones have at least 200 men in their administration, with the highest being 700 which belonged to the Adventurer cell, Kaelstrom.

There's these two Mages that followed suite after finding out the cell during one of the harshest incursions enacted by the Demon Army. Rehana Junko, and Reagan Inoue. A Hellfire Witch and a Darkstar Mage respectively. This pair was notorious for being explosive and reckless, taking on demon quests from the Guild that had more than a hundred opponents, to which they test their explosive concoctions with zero care. The pair, dubbed by the townsfolk as the Demolitioners, had expressed concern about the destructive nature of the pair and the fear of that power turning towards the kingdom and its allies.

The Demolitioners were unfavourably needed to defend the southern gate of the Kingdom to which they encountered their soon to be leader, and follow them alongside the healer, and since then, the pair has always been seen with the two others before Tanjirou soon came into contact with the unnamed cell.

Haruko Minase, the cell's exceptional healer was the first to be seen beside the Eclipse Swordswoman, she was known to be an out-of-this world medic, who has saved more lives as much as the opponents have swiped many with their swords. She is, if anything else in this small Cell, the core that had kept the group alive, more literally than figuratively. She is known to be kind hearted, visiting around medical camps to help with healing and teach the doctors themselves more efficient methods of healing their patients. Haruko, was seen as an angel of healing, and victims wherever had looked forward to her visit to be healed and thank their savior.

The Eclipse Swordswoman, known also as Anahana Tatsuriko, was the fiercest sword-fighter that the Kingdom ever bestowed upon its grass and cobblestone. She was a former commander of a large army company, the 43rd Knight's Brigade tasked to spearhead enemy concentrations to break defenses. It was largely known at its time before its ultimatum end in the hands of Kalliope's remote Brigade, The Eisenring Pathfinders. She was left without an army to lead, and would soon fight the remaining war up to this point alone, soon gathering people who wished to be under her leadership, creating the unnamed Adventurer Cell we know today.

Anahana is remarkable with regards to her skills as a swordswoman and as a leader, and the townsfolk had known it's people like a family, they had followed the happenings with Anahana as she went around until she disappeared shortly after the defeat of her army. She had returned however with a Healing Mage in tow just in time for another incursion, this same event was also the same incursion wherein the Demolitioners had joined the defense against the Incursions in the Northern gates, which was two weeks before Tanjirou heard about the last Adventurer Cell and joining shortly after.

Lastly, is a boy named Fretzer Sullivan. He was a foreigner that helped around with the farming and the crops, he wasn't much of an Aura user from the looks of him before everyone started to see him with the unnamed Adventurer Cell, tailing them around in mostly black garments with a shade of green that streaked some of his clothing, matching his hair. It was soon known that Fretzer joined the Cell as an assassin, which surprised and worried most of the farmers that met the boy, though assures them that they will be safe. It is not clear where he had come from, nor is what his family is as the name 'Sullivan' was not a name of a noble family in Fuhrenheim, and neither it in other kingdoms.

This lot of adventurers were notorious and well known for their own rights, In the end creating a group of individuals that were highly respected and feared for their abilities, from the destructive natures of the Demolitioners, to the impeccable perfection of Fretzer's skills as an assassin. They were highly looked up upon as a group of unfavourable saviours, but were also feared as potential persons of interest that may turn their back to the crown.

In the inn they had slept for more than once in their history, Haruko and Reagan began checking their belongings seeing to it that nothing is lost, whilst Fretzer was sent out to scouting patrol and Junko in charge of cooking for the time being. Anahana was slowly recovering from her injuries, which Haruko estimated for about later in the day before Anahana can be of use to the frontlines again, beside her was Natsuki who was aiding her with her recovery, taking her time to explore her abilities to use the crystals, forming multiple objects on her arms at random, they were crumbly, and were not perfect in shape but had produced the result she wanted.

Knocking came from the door, it was Haruko. She entered in bringing food with her on a tray.

"How's Ana-san?" She asked, placing the food on the table.

"She's doing well, she's recovering quickly" Natsuki replied as she held her crystallized left arm.

"Are you okay Natsuki-san? What happened to your arm?" Haruko asked as she glanced at Natsuki's left arm, cautious to hide the concern in her voice.

"I'm fine, I'm testing from where my weapon materializes.. either from me thinking about what to materialize, or something I should say.." She said as she looked at her crystallized arm.

"Ohh? Which is it then? It seems like it's reacting to your thoughts from what I can see" Haruko came close, getting a chair and sitting beside Natsuki, watching as the limb started to shake slightly before growing and reforming the crystals. "Does it hurt when it moves like that?"

"Not really, I feel a bit tickled from it rather" Natsuki replied, concentrating on an object she wishes her arm to transform.

The arm slowly shivered as the crystal reshaped itself into a long cannon. Unlike the previous formation this one was smoother and more refined with more definite angles and details, with the more defining details being the six cylinders that were distributed on either side where the wrist was generally located.

"Woah Natsuki! That's so cool!" Haruko said as her eyes shone, watching her arm as it morphed into shape.

Anahana woke from her slumber, seemingly energetic, she rubbed her eyes and stretched. She looked to her left and saw Haruko and Natsuki, who were in turn staring at her.

"What time is it…" She said in a coarse voice, her hair being a mess as it is slowly fell on her face.

"Anahana!"

"Anahana-san!"

Both Haruko and Natsuki stood up and hugged Anahana.

"Are you okay?? Do you feel okay??" Haruko asked as she inspected her eyes.

"Anahana-san, how do you feel?" Asked Natsuki as she held her cannon behind her.

"Eh.. Ehh..??" Anahana groaned confusingly. "I'm fine Haru-chan, Natsu, no need to worry about me"

"You've been into trouble more before this missy! You need to stop being reckless!" Scolded Haruko like a mother.

"Ehhhhh.. you're not my mom mmphh~" Anahana pouted tomboyishly.

"Well, we'll take care of Anahana more, since I think I've gotten a hang of my… A-Aura?" Natsuki remarked, showing her cannon.

"Woah, she did that?" Anahana asked to Haruko, who nodded proudly.

"WOAHH HAHAHAHAHA~!" Anahana exclaimed as she grabbed Natsuki in an arm lock and ruffled her hair.

"ANAHANA-SANNNN" Whined Natsuki helplessly.

There was loud thumping of wood, followed by the door bursting open, it was Reagan and Junko, who fell on the floor as they lost their balance.

"ANAHANA-SAN!!" They exclaimed together as they rushed to their leader.

"Ah- Eh-" Anahana stuttered as she watched them fix themselves up, glad to see that their leader is alright, they went closer to Anahana getting themselves some head pats and offering her food for her breakfast. Natsuki silently receded her crystals into her arm, returning them to normal, during all of the commotion Haruko noticed Natsuki's awry smile as she mingled with everyone else, managing a small conversation before she changed the topic to Anahana.

After the small recovery celebration, Anahana was exercising outside, making sure she's still able to move her body. Natsuki was also outside, testing different weapon lengths as she used a blade like formation. She was quiet, focusing? Too quiet, you'd at least hear them mutter something. She might be deep in her thoughts concentrating, but she's still too quiet.

She was standing there unfazed with her left arm outstretched, the jacket she produced from her bag to wear had its sleeves tucked upwards as she repeatedly formed, reformed, and crumbled the crystals that formed around her forearm.

'Interesting…' Natsuki thought to herself as she repeated reformed her arm now in a slightly rapid pace, getting the hang of controlling it.

"Natsuki-" Haruko called but stopped abruptly, she backed out slowly shocked as Natsuki raised her left arm towards at Haruko as it was forming into a rapier. Natsuki recoiled back as she realized the motion she'd done, and immediately bowed to apologize.

"Wow.. Natsuki-san… That was a very fast reflex" Haruko remarked, her legs shaking subtly.

"Eh, Natsu-kun? Are you okay?" Asked Anahana.

To Natsuki, this was a corner, she didn't know what to do but say sorry, which only escalated when they asked further.

"Natsuki, hey now are you-" Anahana asked as she got cut off.

"Y-yes… I'm fine… I'm sorry Haruko…" Natsuki apologized, bowing down. The two were avidly curious and confused, looking at each other.

"It's fine Natsuki, I should've stayed a bit farther before I called you" Haruko replied, holding her shoulder. She can feel Natsuki shuddering as she held her.

"No no- I already heard your footsteps- I should've paid attention- I-" Natsuki was now looking to her right, with a burning sensation on her left cheek.

Anahana slapped her, they were silent, Haruko covered her mouth in shock as she watched Anahana shake Natsuki a bit.

"Oi" She called shaking her. "Oi, you okay now?"

Natsuki looked at her slowly, before looking down.

"Oi, look at me" Anahana ordered, Natsuki did so, looking at her leader in the eyes. "I don't know what's the fuss with you being crazy over a little accident, but you need to keep yourself together okay? Do you hear me? Answer"

"I- Mmm… I will.. Anahana-san…" Natsuki replied gloomily.

"Sheesh Natsu-kun" Anahana muttered, patting her head "Don't worry okay? You need to relax sometimes, I notice you're always stiff"

"I-I will…" She replied, looking down.

There was a horse that passed earlier as the two confronted Natsuki. There was rapid clicking of shoes on concrete followed by rapid panting, it was Sir Talius who had ran from the Staglia to Glenn's Inn.

"Sir Talius? Are you okay?" Anahana asked as she walk towards him, followed by Haruko and Natsuki.

"HAHHH… HAAAHHHH… AHHHH" Sir Talius bellowed as he panted, slowly collapsing into the ground.

"Haruko get him some water" Anahana said as she slowly propped the knight into the wall, making him sit a bit properly for him to properly breathe.

"Sir, are you okay..?" Natsuki asked, receiving the water Haruko fetched and giving it to the exhausted Knight.

They let him chug down the drink, and had Haruko fetch for more. Soon, the other four followed Haruko outside to Sir Talius, who had recovered some of his breath from the marathon he ran.

"Message was sent from the reinforcement, Gladius and the SARC Knights… haaaahhhh… Had met up on the captured fortress…. Ahhhh…" He said slowly, breathing heavily. "They're forced into combat right now… They can't hold out much longer"

Anahana nodded, and the others knew what to do. Fretzer, Junko, Reagan and Tanjirou readied their convoy, unwrapping the leashes from the fences beside the inn. Sir Talius drank the rest of the glass of water before sighing.

"If they lose now we don't have anything to defend Fuhrenheim… You need to go save them, if we can't protect our own then we're all doomed" Sir Talius said as she grabbed Anahana by her shirt. "Anahana, Natsuki, your mission is to pave your way through the Demon Army's Generals, the Eisenring Hollentruppe"

"Ironring Hell Troopers…" Natsuki muttered.

"Sir Talius…" Anahana muttered under her breathe as she processed Sir Talius' mission.

"Anahana, you know damn well more than I do that once word got out that Kalliope dies they'd hunt down the bug in their system and crush it to its knees before more damage is dealt"

"But-"

"LISTEN! I hate the idea of sending your Cell out there alone! We can't spare anyone at this point! Not even our own damn men!" Sir Talius said worryingly "There's nothing else we can do, the other countries have their own hands tied and they can't do anything about it!"

Anahana looked worried, she shot a glance at Natsuki, who stood beside her. She nodded, making Anahana more worried.

"If it even means sacrificing myself to save this world… Then I'll accept this mission as the last burden I bear" Natsuki said aloud sternly. Anahana looked at her, frightened of what the outcome might be. Her expression and concern wasn't obvious, but even then, she had quite the trouble to keep her thoughts to herself.

"Natsuki…" Anahana muttered. She was then called out by Reagan, who waving at her by the front of the inn.

"Anahana! We're ready to go!" She shouted, grabbing her attention.

"Let's go Anahana" Natsuki said as she took her arm and stood her up "We need to hurry if we need to save the General"

Anahana, now shoved into a predicament was confused. All of what has happened so far is confusing to everyone, but they proceeded anyways without question. From weird, tangled and confusing prophecies, to the strange appearance of Natsuki. It feels rushed, it feels as if all of this has started in a minute earlier and ended just as it had started before they were shoved into yet another predicament. It's not a good standing to be in, neither is it a recoverable one if they even make the slightest mistake.

"Alright… Let's go" She said, before running ahead of Natsuki, who looked at Sir Talius.

"I'll do the best I can Sir" She said before running off towards her horse.

Anahana and Natsuki were the ones to take the lead from the group, whilst the others waited slightly before proceeding, making a distance between the two. The group was fast on its hooves towards their second battle with the Demon General, galloping towards the fortress of Tangkagare Rouheri, the demonized fortress occupied by General Kalliope Taurtarius.

The Cell created a shroud of dirt as it convoyed away into the forest, following a barely visible trail that led deeper into the forest. They proceeded to travel through towards the structure for two days, rushing their travel towards the structure as best as they can, they were met with no resistance from the enemy, which meant that the forces of the Demon General Kalliope were not deployed for the time being, or if so, were already on their way. The third day came and the cell were getting close to their target. Anahana noticed one of the made shift signs in the distance, warning them of a fortress, she got close and passed it and nodded, she looked at Natsuki who stayed her speed, and addressed the teammates behind them.

"Reagan! Junko! Harriette Flank!" Anahana shouted as the convoy with the mages pulled left, barely disappearing into the brushes as they slowly galloped away from the main trail. "Tanjirou! Lessen your pace, you'll just have to provide support with Haruko and Fretzer!"

"Roger that cap'n!" Tanjirou replied, shouting from her cart as she slowed her steads to provide a large gap between her and Anahana and Natsuki who took the lead.

As the group reached the end of the forest, the other members have already halted their steads, with only Natsuki and Anahana breaking through the tree line.

"Wait… What's that…" Junko asked, her finger pointed at the large structure.

"SHIT! ANAHANA! NATSUKI" Reagan shouted as she acknowledged her find. "GET OUT OF THERE!"

"HARUKO A SHIELD NOW" Tanjirou yelled as Haruko immediately put up a shield, encasing their small encampment.

The two proceeded into the open field towards the structure, Natsuki took notice of Reagan's calls, slamming her horse into Anahana and throwing her behind the horse. She got stuck in between the animals as the strap got caught on her leg, she managed to cut it off before running towards Anahana as fast as she can.

"RUN! NATSUKI RUN!" Reagan and Junko shouted from their post.

"NATSUKI! QUICKLY!" Haruko screamed as she formed the shield around them.

There was a loud rumbling sound of moaning and clanking metal. The structure within the fortress rumbled before it fell down into the ground, the flanking troupe and the support troupe had prepared their necessary protection, with Haruko summoning a dome shield, whilst Reagan and Junko set up steel walls that served as artillery shields for them with the two mages wearing ear muffs as well.

"NATSUKI!" Anahana shouted as she reached her hand out, before she tripped and the structure released a rod that shot through the ground, creating a shockwave that shook the land like a foot stomping onto the floorboards. The ground shook wildly as a strong gust of wind blew past them, the surrounding plains soon turned into cracked grounds with visible red light emanating from them, some spewing out lava out into the surface of the cracks and then some.

From the original length of the land that surrounded the fortress, the hellscape that surrounded it expanded, reaching into the tree lines in all directions. Objects that stuck out from the ground from swords and bloodied shield that littered around them was immediately melted or was in the process of rapidly melting into liquid metal, rendering them useless.

"COUGH! COUGH!" Anahana had finally recovered from the violent vibrations and the shaking of the ground. She sat on a small patch of grass that ended in front of her with its edges meeting at the middle, taking the form of a triangle. "Wha… What…?

She observed her surroundings, noticing the patch of land had expanded behind her in a pie shaped manner. She caught eye of Haruko who was waving her arms and pointing at the structure, she then looked towards the mages, who did the same, with their shields a melted a bit by the heat wave during the violent anomaly.

She heard rustling and found that Anahana had made a shield once more from her arm, it was big enough to protect at least 4 more people behind her, and was thick enough that there was no visible damages done to the crystalline shield. Natsuki, who held it retracted it back into her arm before she unsheathed her weapon.

"Anahana-san, get ready" She said, her left arm crystallizing into a three barreled shotgun.

"She's here.