CH - 30 [ scramble ] 1

Domian watched helplessly as his god was taken down by a mere mortal. "My lord! No!"

Grey kicked the man writhing on the ground. "Shut up! You lost. Deal with it." Exerting extra energy on shutting up this guy when Grey himself was so messed up already seemed like a waste, but he felt like he had to do it anyway.

Halcen knelt down next to the laying beast and examined him carefully, to make sure that Kumajin really was out. He was bleeding pretty badly. And he seemed to be breathing very heavily. He was definitely unconscious. Kumajin had been taken care of.

So Halcen turned away and ran to the altar where Valentina was chained down. "Valentina, are you okay?" He unlatched the chains and pulled them off. They clanked against the ground.

Valentina could still barley move because of the toxins coursing through her body. "Halcen!" she shouted in glee. "I'm so glad you're here." Tears streamed from her eyes and down the sides of her cheeks.

"It's okay. We took care of these guys. We can go now. We'll get off this island and get out on the sea where you'll be safe. Everything's going to be okay."

"Thank you… so much." She choked on her words. Her face was red and hot from the trauma, but she was still so beautiful.

Halcen could feel himself getting choked up too, but he forced it back down.

The others began to drag themselves from their fights to the table Valentina was rested on. Bo, Kazuki, and Grey all came to meet them. Bo's right shoulder had a pretty bad wound, Kazuki has a minor cut on his chest, and Grey seemed to be barely able to walk straight. But they were all alive. That was all that mattered. Each of them had made it out of the fight in one piece.

Grey picked up the Devil Fruit that was still laying next to Valentina. "All this trouble over this little thing."

"These guys were on some pretty strong god juice," Bo stated.

"Yeah, I didn't get the sense that they were just screwing around." Kazuki responded.

"Let's not just sit around talking. We took take of them, now let' get the fuck out of here." Halcen started to pick up Valentina from the table.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Domian laughed maniacally from the ground. He looked up at them in cringing pain, not even able to stand.

"What the fuck is so funny?"

"You really think you're out of the woods? You think this is it? You think that's all we got?" While still on the ground, Domian took his one index finger and injected a serum into his own neck. "Now you can see what we're really capable of!" And then they watched the man as he slowly rose up on his legs, standing up straight.

"What the fuck?" Bo asked.

"This guy is crazy." Kazuki pointed out.

"What did he just do?" Halcen added.

"I don't want to find out," Grey sighed. I should have killed him.

Domian began to walk awkwardly towards the group. Each step was like a lion stalking towards its prey, eagerly awaiting that first delicious bite.

Halcen was in the back, holding Valentina, so Grey stepped in front. He himself was not so fine looking as it was. Each of the four was completely wiped out from their fights. None of them were ready to take this guy on in his hyped up 'roid rage. He was going to hurt them.

Kazuki lifted his pistol quickly, trying to squeeze off a few shots to hit Domian before he was able to do anything. But it was in vain. This man was all kinds of too fast. He dashed over the area in a second and smashed Kazuki's hand, knocking the gun out of his hand. Then Domian swung his right leg into Kazuki's stomach and he flew through the air, back toward their group. Kazuki dropped to the ground like a fly, groaning in pain.

"Stay down, you punk!" Domian stood back, looking around at his own crew that had been maliciously disposed of by Halcen's group. The bullet fire, beating, and stabbings they had sustained were quite severe. Domian grimaced. There were only handful actually still alive, but they would have to do. He raised his hands over them in the air. And suddenly needles flung about the area, coating his fallen comrades. Multiples hit each and every man that lay there.

"Rise up my army! Rise up and protect your Lord! Kumajin has fallen and he needs your assistance!"

Groans and hateful spews of the men they thought they had defeated echoed throughout the area, mimicking each other like a pack of ravenous beasts themselves.

"I will give no quarter to any who refuses to fight to the death! Take down the infidels!"

"Infidels?" Bo asked, surprised.

That's a bit harsh.

And the Devil's army rose, all except the dead. The cultists stood up from their places of rest. They had been defeated, each of them. And impossibly, they were standing, regardless of broken bones, blood loss, or other injuries. They stood up, an army, amassed in evil, ready to fight.

Grey and the others got ready.

Domian took the moment to rush to Kumajin, who was laid on the ground still, unconscious. "My Lord! Arise! These heathens are trying to escape with your bride!" When the beast did not stir, Domian began to get frustrated. "Surely, you are still alive. Don't tell me this mere man actually got the better of you! GET UP!" Domian again blasted multiple needles, this time into Kumajin's resting body. Whatever it was, worked fast, because the creature began to move.

"Halcen, get Valentina out of here!" Bo shouted as he raised up a knife to fight off the demons. "We'll hold them off!"

"You can't fight! You're the most injured!"

"I'll be fine! Shut up and get out of here!"

Halcen looked to Grey, and then to Kazuki. They both gave him a nod.

Fuck.

He looked down to Valentina, who was lying in his arms. She was scared. She was trying to hold on with all her might, but she had very little strength. She didn't say anything; she was putting her trust in him. That made Halcen uneasy.

Fuck. "Alright, let's go." He gripped her tighter and then turned to run out of the area into the woods.

But Domian was on him in a second. "Oh, no you don't! We searched for her for years! I will not let you take Lord Kumajin's bride from us! SHE WILL BE OURS!" Then he struck Halcen in the legs with his own leg, knocking Halcen to his knees.

"Halcen!" Valentina cried as Domian wrestled her out of Halcen's grip.

Domian then kicked Halcen in the face, knocking him down to the ground.

Kumajin was up, and he was roaring for blood. The great beastly lord stood staring Halcen down. His one eye was in a bloodied clot, but he was still menacing.

Halcen's body clenched in fear. He knew he wasn't going to be able to fight this creature again, but he was going to die trying.

"My Lord! The woman!" Domian shouted as he ran towards him.

Kumajin came to claim his prize from his underling.

"Take her and the God Fruit, and we'll head to my lab!"

Kumajin slung Valentina over his shoulder and grabbed the strawberry from the altar, and then dashed back into the forest, Domian with him.

"HALCEN!" She cried, reaching out for him as they disappeared into the dark of the brush.

"VALENTINA!" Halcen stood back up and began running towards the forest after them. But he was caught by one of the cultists who were pumped up by Domian's needles.

"Not so fast!" the man chuckled. "We're not letting you guys get away!"

Halcen was exhausted. And his Armament Haki had faded. He tried his best to make his body shield up again, but he was losing it quickly. He was barely even able to coat only his hand as he smashed it into the man's face. "Get out of my way!"

The punch didn't do nearly enough. These cultists were physically and mentally apt in the first place. But now that Doctor Domian had given them their vitamins, they were going to be a nightmare. Halcen couldn't hit hard enough to take them down in one shot. And there were at least a dozen of them. This is going to take forever. "VALENTINA!" he shouted in desperation. "I'LL COME FOR YOU!"