~ Purgatory

Saint Nicholas Academy, Romania, - The Year 2177

 Standing inside the courtyard of the Academy, were thousands of soldiers, ready to bet their lives on the war that was currently unfolding in the capital of religion, The Vatican.

 Showing himself in front of the army, was one man unknown to them, next to the principal and Dumitru. 

 "My name is Bastion... I am the official transporter of the Vatican, known to have the best Transport-Type Regulator Soul Type discovered yet. I will be the vehicle that will take you to probably the harshest battlefield you'll ever experience, in just a matter of seconds. I am presenting myself to you all, so you can put all the blame on me for taking you there, and not on the Church itself... I am sorry to you all!" the man held his humble speech, trying to take all of the hate of the soldiers, but instead, he gained their respect. Raising his head after bowing, he looked at the soldiers with astonishment, hearing their cheers and applauses.

 "As you might know, I am Dumitru Forester... I will take part in this war as well, as it is also my duty as one of the Chouten, and as a soldier! I promise you all, that I will lead you to victory and that we will free the capital of religion from the demonic embrace!" 

 A wave of cheers and applauses was heard yet again after Dumitru openly admitted that he will lead them to victory. After the principal presented the army with his encouraging words as well, the sky shone with a blue light that fell upon the soldiers, and in the next moment, they realised that they were not in Romania any longer.

 The smell of blood hit them instantly, and the atmosphere was way hotter than a few moments ago. This was a battlefield, and shortly after arriving, they felt its embrace. It didn't take long for the demons to surround them, with their obviously larger numbers.

 However, one man made himself stand out in this huge crowd in an instant... Chroma rose up into the sky on his snow platform with a cold look in his eyes like never before he said:

"Feel it... Grief, anger, sorrow. I don't care anymore! Neverending - Winter!!!" The scenery changed at once. Everyone was engulfed in an immaculate white. After the small cages where his allies stood went down, the heat of the battlefield they felt when they arrived became just a passing dream. The cold struck the soldiers instantly, and around them, the landscape looked like they were transported to Antarctica instead of the Vatican.

 "Did he just-?" asked Claude in the middle of the dumbfounded soldiers.

 "Wonderful, Chroma Kosetsu!" shouted Dumitru, unveiling his current thoughts to the entire army: "May this be the first signal of our victory! Thousands of enemies were annihilated in front of your eyes! Now go, separate and bring help to our allies!" 

 Hearing him, every soldier got a large morale boost, shouting at once just before charging in different directions on the battlefield, on the hunt for their enemies.

 Chroma, now tired undone his snow platform and went back to the group that was waiting for him quietly. 

"Let's go, everyone... We have a country to save," said Chroma, with a forced smile on his face.

"I-I'll heal you first!" said Rebecca, to the now fatigued Chroma. Neverending Winter used a ton of energy and the amount was larger depending on the number of enemies. 

"Claude..." muttered Samira

"Any problem?" he answered.

"I was wrong. After all, I can't compete with that..." she said in a low tone.

"I'm glad that you understand... One of Chroma's Soul Factors is the Energy. Seeing him this tired can show you how much this would affect a regular person..."

"I always considered that we were the ones dragging Chroma down, ever since I first worked together with him... That's why I won't let anyone say whatever they want about him..." said Fabio who intruded in Claude and Samira's conversation.

"I see... I am sorry, I was foolish to speak about this without knowing anything," said Samira.

"I'm fine, but am I truly the one you should apologize to?" said Fabio.

"You're right... I will apologize to him too after this war's over." 

"What are you guys doing back there? Let's go... We have to meet with a certain person," said Chroma after Rebecca finished healing him. 

 Camp in the Vatican - The Year 2177

 "Mister Stephan Tryphon, the forces from Romania just arrived," said one soldier who came inside a medical tent to deliver this message to Stephan who was currently getting treatment alongside Dena. 

 Then without letting Stephan voice his mind, another messenger came and said: "One soldier from the Romanian group annihilated over 8 thousand High-Ranked Demons in one blow. He turned the entire environment of territory F-3 into a snowy area."

"Oh, so they're here..." said Stephan while rising from his bed.

"Mister Stephan? You have to rest properly!" shouted Dena, but her words didn't reach him one bit.

"How could I rest, when those newbies are getting all the spotlight? If Snowfall is here, that means that little brat is doing his thing here as well... It's my job as the older brother to babysit that reckless kid," and saying so, he left the medical tent and headed to the territory where Chroma was last seen.

1.

   Vatican - The Year 2177 

 Running towards the base camp from territory B-2, Chroma's squad had to pass through 5 different territories, that being the shortest route possible. The goal known by the team is that Chroma had to meet up with Stephan, but the reasons were unclear to everyone else... Or almost everyone.

 "Are you alright, Rebecca?" asked Fabio who slowed down a bit to match her pace. He then continued: "You didn't say anything after you've healed Chroma."

"You didn't think about it...? Why are we going to meet up with Tryphon Stephan? Chroma just said that we have to, but no other reason was listed..."

"Tryphon Stephan... He is Theodor's older brother, right?" muttered Fabio

"For Claude and Samira, it might look like the need to help their group as reinforcements, but I feel like Chroma's reason to wanna meet up with him goes way deeper than this..." explained Rebecca with a troubled expression on her face, while staring intently at Chroma, who was running silently in front of them, leading the way.

 Then, interrupting their chit-chat, Claude shouted at once: "Chroma! Left side!" Without even looking, Chroma created a snow wall right next to him, blocking a High-Ranked demon's attack that was targeting him. Following up on his defensive action, Samira launched herself at the demon with two swords in her hands, slashing the demon. It was not enough to finish it though, so she let go of her swords, and quickly created a long bow and arrows, and jumping back a few metres, she shot countless arrows at the demon's vital points, killing it on the spot.

 "Wonderful work, Samira!" Claude congratulated her, but she had her stare stuck on Chroma, who was still running forward towards B-2. Not wanting to be left behind, they took up the pace and followed after him.

 "How exactly does Samira's Soul Type work?" asked Fabio who was now running right next to Claude.

"Well, it's actually pretty interesting... It's a Soul Type that looks like an Artillery Type but is actually a Regulator. It's also really dependent on the user's skill. She can create any weapon she wants, but the thing that keeps it from being an Artillery Type is that those weapons are just ordinary weapons. No special abilities are involved... She uses her Holy Medium as a power source, so she fuels those weapons with Holy Power, making them able to hurt even High-Ranked demons," explained Claude.

"I see how it is. It must be pretty hard to use... After all, you'd need one hell of a Weapon Mastery to make good use of such an ability," said Fabio

"Hey, you two! You are being left behind! Pick up the pace!" shouted Samira from way up ahead of them.

 The team encountered a multitude of demons on their way towards B-2, but the difficulty of the challenges they faced didn't improve at all. Chrome protected his group from even the slightest scratches, while Claude and Samira finished off the demons. It didn't take them more than 2 hours to arrive at territory C-2, where they met with someone they didn't expect to see so soon.

 "Isn't that guy...?" asked Claude, getting instant approval from Fabio who said: "Yes, Stephan Tryphon..." 

 He was surrounded by a dozen of Medium and High ranked demons, and looked like he was already pretty beaten up while having a ton of bandages covering his body.

 However, this much of a threat didn't budge him, and he just aimed his bow at the sky, letting a rain of light arrows fall down upon his aggressors.

 He instantly eliminated them, but many more seemed to be approaching the scene, perhaps because of the quantity of holy energy Stephan's attack emitted. 

 "It's only one... Get him!" shouted one High-Ranked Demon from the middle of the approaching army.

"Tch, I don't have enough energy left..." muttered Stephan.

"Rebecca, go!" shouted Chroma while running, creating a snow platform and using it to "deliver" Rebecca to Stephan's place, so she could instantly start treating him.

"Fabio, is this range good?" asked Chroma.

"You know well enough it is!" and shouting this, Fabio created his holy sniper.

"Claude, stay here and keep attackers at bay, I'll have Stephan and Rebecca here soon," said Chroma.

"Roger that!" 

 Seconds after that, the snow platform came back to Fabio's camping spot, bringing with it both Stephan and Rebecca. After that, Chroma and Samira embarked on the snow platform and rushed into the middle of the fight. The opponents' numbers were pretty high, and Chroma couldn't use Neverending Winter at the time, but he was pretty confident that he could take them on.

 He jumped from the platform that was flying just a few metres above the ground and then rushed towards the enemy army. Countless projectiles were already flying towards him, but he just brushed them off with his snow. 

 "It is him... Change the strategy!" shouted the enemy leader.

 Following the call, the demons instantly started using fire-based attacks, perhaps understanding who their opponent was. It was pretty successful. Blocking fire attacks was pretty complicated for Chroma, even with all the control he had over his Soul Type. This indeed slowed him down, having to dodge those fire attacks.

 "I am ready..." said Samira from behind Chroma, still standing on the snow platform. Two swords in hand, and a dozen other weapons laying around her on the platform. 

"Good, now... Let's go!" shouted Chroma. At once, he started running once more towards the enemy army. His snow platform holding Samira was flying next to him, at high speeds.

 They charged in the middle of the enemy army, Samira fighting the demons from the snow platform, involuntarily dodging all of their attacks.

"How is he...?" she thought.

"So this is how much he's grown... Kids these days," muttered Stephan while getting treatment.

"What do you mean?" asked Claude.

"He is fighting the demons, while continuously controlling that snow platform to dodge the enemy attacks from reaching that girl, and positioning her so she could fight the best. He is basically controlling the movements of two different people at once," explained Stephan. He then added while trying to get up from the ground: "I can't let those kids steal the spotlight..." but he was dragged down by Rebecca who looked at him menacingly and said: "Your treatment is not done yet..."

 She was usually a soft-hearted person, but if you didn't let her do her job, and overexerted yourself, she could be really scary.

 Chroma was hardly avoiding all of the fire-based attacks directed at him while also launching attacks of his own. However, paying more attention to Samira's battle than his, lead to some mistakes on his part.

"Snowfall! Behind you!" shouted Samira after taking a glance at Chroma's side. One demon holding a huge greatsword imbued with demonic fire was ready to slash through him. 

"This is bad-" muttered Chroma, trying his best to dodge the incoming attack. However, the very same sword that was aimed at his head now, was used for protecting the demon from a deadly attack that was targeted at him.

 "Got it, attack it, Chroma!" shouted Fabio, whose attack forced the demon to go into defence.

"Thank you, Fabio!" and so, Chroma launched another attack towards the demon. However, it just brushed the snow attack with one hand and faced Chroma with a huge smile on his demonic face, saying:

"Is this all the great Bringer of Snowfall has to offer? I can't see why the seven have their eyes fixated on you..." and then he swung his greatsword towards Chroma, who hardly avoided the attack that made a great crater in the earth upon impact. 

"If that hits me, I'm done for..." thought Chroma.

"Here comes, another one!" shouted Fabio, as he launched another light bullet at Chroma's opponent.

 The demon didn't take into consideration Fabio's Soul Type, so he tried to brush off the attack with his bare hand. Little did he know Fabio's Soul Type was light-based while being boosted considerably boosted by the Holy Medium. The light bullet pierced the demon's hand, leaving a hole in it, followed up by a scream of pain.

"YOU LITTLE SH-" the demon was infuriated, but he didn't have any time to voice his thoughts, as Chroma grasped the occasion and launched one of his most potent attacks at him.

 "Snow Compression! Icicle- Blade!" this was the attack that hurt Anton, who was a Special Rank. Highly compressed snow, up to the point where it became an ice blade.

 The icicle pierced the demon's abdomen, leaving a huge hole after the ice vanished.

 "Tch, be cursed... Snowfall..." and with one last effort, the demon swung his greatsword at Chroma, who wasn't at all prepared for this, but there was one person on the battlefield who was always prepared to cover his teammates.

"Begone..." muttered Fabio, just before pressing the trigger.

 The light bullet pierced the demon's arm, severing it. The greatsword fell to the ground, and then turned to ash, just like the demon itself...

"T-Thanks, Fabio..." said Chroma, who then shifted his attention towards Samira who has finished dealing with most of the attackers. Perhaps, because their leader was gone, the demons became disoriented and started to retreat from the scene, but one last attack managed to stop them from doing so.

"Rain of Light!" Stephan who has now regained enough energy for an attack launched his rain of holy arrows upon the retreating demons, leaving no survivors.

 Going back to the rest of their team, Chroma and Rebecca instantly received treatment from Rebecca. They were not hurt at all, but it was better to be safe. Samira was protected by Chroma's control, while Chroma couldn't be hurt unless he was destroyed completely by an attack that he was weak against, such as Fire.

 Rising from the ground, Chroma walked towards Stephan who was looking at them from a small distance, and after bowing once he said:

"I am sorry!"

"What for?" asked Stephan with a serious expression on his face.

"From not being able to protect Theodor... I-It's only my fault! It was my job to protect everyone, but I failed... And as a result, even Paul left us..."

 Everyone was astonished at Chroma's declaration and watched with widened eyes. It was for this particular reason that he wanted so desperately to meet up with Stephan.

"Raise your head, idiot..." muttered Stephan.

 Looking into Stephan's eyes, he saw that his expression didn't change. He looked at Chroma and said: "It's not always the defender's fault for not being able to protect his comrades... After all, being a defender is the hardest task you could take in a team. Knowing my brother, he did some dumb, reckless thing again..."

"You shouldn't be so harsh on yourself Chroma... You protected the entire city, and couldn't do anything at the time. More than that, you weren't even at the scene..." said Fabio.

"It's true... If anything, it is my fault for not being a good support. Theodor and Paul came to my rescue when everything happened, and that's what led to that situation..." said Rebecca, her voice full of sorrow.

"From the reports, I've heard that Theodor Tryphon disappeared after fighting alone against The Deadly Sin of Lust: Asmodeus..." quietly said Samira who was still grasping the situation.

"Hah... That sounds like a thing he'd do..." said Stephan who then added: "But the reports said he disappeared, right?"

Everyone agreed at once, staring at Stephan who had something to add to the previous comment.

"It means, that we can't be certain that he is dead... Knowing that kid, he is still clinging to life. He'll be back..."

 After hearing this statement from the mouth of someone who has known Theodor for many more years than they did, the light seemed to have returned to Chroma's eyes who then said quietly: "Yes... You might be right..."

 "But what bugs me... Is what that other idiot is doing right now..." thought Stephan, without pressing the matter any further.

 Being just one territory away from one of the main base camps, at point B-2, it didn't take the team too much to arrive at their destination. Considering the fact that they decided to fly towards there on Chroma's snow, it took them just a bit less than 30 minutes.

 Arriving there, they understood that what they saw before couldn't even compare. This part of the battlefield seemed to be a representation of Hell on Earth. The smell of blood filled their noses, while the multitude of human corpses laying around forced them to look away at every step.

 "This is truly gruesome..." muttered Samira, while slowly walking towards the main tent, where the one leading the forces from this area was situated. 

 "It's even worse than it was when I left a while ago," said Stephan.

 "I'm starting to wonder how you've been able to repel any attackers here..." said Chroma.

 Entering the main tent, the group faced several unknown figures who welcomed them happily, as if they weren't in the middle of a war.

"We have visitors!" said one girl cheerfully. She was a really short, slender girl with long hair that was a few inches away from reaching the ground.

"Oh, our leader is back..." said one tall, highly muscular man upon seeing Stephan enter the tent.

"You are back already, mister Stephan?" asked Dena who was also present.

"Good work everyone, I see you're still holding well..." said Stephan, walking forward to meet eyes with the one who seemed to be in charge of this area.

 One man, seemingly in his fifties, rose from his chair and shook Stephan's hand. The first impression the man gave was that of a scary war veteran, displaying a muscular body, with numerous tattoos, and one deep scar that traversed his left eye. However, this doubt was soon shaken by his display of personality which changed everyone's initial opinion.

"Stephan boy, I am really glad you are fine... I've just got a report that you were in quite a pinch in C-2 a while ago and were prepared to send a rescuing squad your way," said the man.

"Well, I was in quite a tight situation, mister Olson, but Snowfall's team appeared to my aid," explained Stephan, who was frantically looking around, searching for a certain person with his gaze. He then asked: "Where is Jai?"

 Everyone fell silent upon hearing this name. Stephan grasped the situation quickly, and then muttered sadly: "I see..."

 To try and appease the situation, Dena stood up and said: "W-We don't actually know his situation... He drove a squad of demons away, but he disappeared in the process!" 

"I see... He might have been taken hostage, though I don't think we can bet on that," said Stephan who then continued: "First of all, let me introduce you. This is Snowfall's squad, who will be aiding point B-2 for now, coming as reinforcements from Romania."

"Snowfall, huh? The Japanese exorcist..." said Olson, perhaps hearing about Chroma. It was no wonder since Chroma had a reputation as an exorcist in Japan, where he got his title. He was also one of the best special agents of the Japanese branch at the time, but it wasn't considered that big of a deal, since Japan's exorcist branch was on the weaker side.

"I'd like a summary of everyone's abilities and strengths if possible. We'll need these if we want to work together," said the tall guy that was watching the situation unfold from the sidelines.

"Augur is right, we'd like to know some things about you, so we can cooperate. Of course, we'll let you know about our abilities as well..." explained Dena.

 "Understood," said Chroma, listing his abilities, being soon after followed up by his teammates.

 After they finished their explanation, Augur let out his opinion: "The snow-bender and the healer might be useful, but the other ones are quite ordinary. I don't want to let my life in the hands of a morphing type or a weak regulator. More than that, we already have one competent sniper in mister Stephan."

"Augur, you are being mean!" shouted the small girl who seemed to have been annoyed by Augur's prickly comments. It wasn't only her though... Claude was really discouraged, since his morphing type was indeed an ordinary power, while Samira was angrier than anything since only she knew how much she's trained to put her Soul Type to good use. But the one who stood up for them was able to vouch for their powers: "Yona is right, Augur. They are skilled fighters, and I've witnessed their powers beforehand... Also, Fabio's style is way different from mine, but a thing is certain... His firepower is higher than mine," the one who stood up for the group was none other than Stephan who was just recently saved by the ones Augur considered weak.

"May it be as you say, but I refuse to work on the front with anyone other than Yona or Snowfall," reluctantly said Augur.

"Well, It doesn't really matter who I'm paired with... Mister Augur, would you please explain your Soul Type to me?" said Chroma in a low tone, his expression very serious and casting a different feeling from the usual Chroma.

"As you wish... I am an Artillery Type, and my weapons are gauntlets that amplify my power by 100... I also use my Holy Medium as an amplifier, so I can deliver holy blows that instantly destroy High-Rank Demons," he explained.

"I don't understand your frustration then... You only have raw strength and your ability seems to also rely on your particular skill, just like miss Samira's, so, please..." Chroma's arguments made everyone freeze, just before he voiced his last request: "Don't drag me down in the front lines..."

 Through all the silence, one giggle could be heard out of nowhere.

"Chroma can be so serious when his friends are looked down upon," said Rebecca with a smile on her face, making even Olson burst into laughter.

"I like you Snowfall! You have your words with you! Now then, everyone else, continue explaining your powers so we can prepare in advance for future attacks," said Olson.

 Seemingly frustrated, Augur returned to his seat, without saying anything more, the discomfort being able to be read on his face.

 Dena also explained her barrier Saint-Type and how it works, and then, so did Yona. She had a Regulator-Type, that allowed her to infuse her attacks with lightning, and even her own body, boosting her speed. She was using a pair of holy daggers to fight, created with her Holy Medium. 

 The Roles in Stephan's team were as followed:

Close Damage: Yona

Range Damage: Stephan

Defender: Augur

Support 1: Jai

Support 2: Dena

 After the roles were made clear, the two groups strategised for a little bit more, before going out, preparing for the battle. Dragging Rebecca's sleeve a bit just to get her attention, Samira asked: "Does Snowfall consider me a friend?"

"Ah, it's about what I said before. Don't worry, I don't think Chroma's ever thought anything bad of you, and he gets that angry only for his friends, so you don't have to worry," explained Rebecca.

 Looking at Chroma's back while he was walking ahead, Samira muttered quietly: "If you say so..."

2.

 The Vatican, Territory B-2 - The Year 2177

 The battle was growing fiercer each second, and the forces of the demonic army were advancing slowly but surely towards the main camp in territory B-2.

 Chroma's team was working together with Stephan's team for a few hours now, and the improvement in their teamwork could be seen with the naked eye. 

 "Go, miss Yona!" shouted Chroma, clearing a path for the melee fighter of their allied team. She rushed towards the high-ranked demon easily, daggers in hand, putting an end to his life. Afterwards, the rest of the demons nearby became disoriented by the loss of their leader, making them easy prey for the other soldiers around.

 "We are advancing, everyone! Hurry up!" shouted Stephan, running forward from his spot in the backlines, together with Fabio, Rebecca, Dena and Claude.

 "Wait a bit, Chroma, I'll heal you!" said Rebecca who just passed by Chroma.

"It's alright, I didn't suffer any injuries... Perhaps, we gotta hurry, the others are going further onto the battlefield," said Chroma.

"O-oh, understood..." 

"Also, don't overexert yourself..." quietly said Chroma, who then created a snow platform, embarking on it together with Rebecca. It is true for a fact that Rebecca had way more to do now than she had before, since Jai, the healer of Stephan's team was now missing. Chroma gave his advice knowingly of this fact...

 It didn't take them much time to come face-to-face with another group of demons. Their forces, like always were on the fewer side, with a report of 3 to 1. The standing in the current group was that of 2000 soldiers, led by Stephan and Chroma's groups who were put in charge of the forces from B-2. Meanwhile, the demons they came upon were roughly counting up to 6000. 

"Be cautious, something's off about these guys..." said Chroma.

"Can you tell?" asked Stephan who seemed to have the same idea. "I feel like I've felt this pressure before," he added.

"M-Mister Stephan! Those forces are the ones we fought this morning!" said Dena, with a scared look on her face.

"So that's what it was... This will be tough," said Stephan.

 Chroma turned towards him and asked for an explanation, which made Stephan point his finger towards one figure who looked like was levitating in the sky, glowing with a radiant aura.

"You see that guy over there?" asked Stephan.

"Barely, but yeah," answered Chroma.

"He is one of the Chouten, the 'Ally of God' Hamon Arzath, 'The Strongest Morphing Type'," explained Stephan, and then added: "I fought against him earlier today together with Dena, and we barely escaped alive," 

"A Chouten? I feel like I've heard mister Forester say that he was one too when we came here, but honestly... I have no idea what that is," said Chroma with a bitter smile on his face, making everyone look at him, dumbfounded.

"Alright, then before we embark on this dangerous journey, I'll explain it to you, leader..." said Samira who then explained the term Chouten: "The term 'Chouten' doesn't refer to a person, but mainly the Soul Type of that person. The Soul Types in this category are very dangerous and are treated as threats for all races, with immeasurable potential and power. There are some Soul Types that are just downright strong, like yours, but Choutens are even more than that... They destroy the entire concept of balance..."

"And you're telling me you've fought such a guy, mister Stephan? You are scary..." said Chroma.

"Don't think I've even put up a fight against him... He destroyed me, and I didn't land a single hit on him," explained Stephan.

"Wait, if we can't fight him, why don't we retreat for now?" asked Fabio

"It's too late, they should have sensed our presence by now, and even if we don't attack them, they are still on the move and are heading towards the main camp. We have to stop them here..." explained Augur.

"Why is such a guy even fighting for the demons to begin with?" asked Claude.

"He is... Also a Special-Rank, that's what makes him even more dangerous than a regular Chouten," explained Dena.

"A Special-Rank is a human that gained demonic powers by absorbing a High-Rank demon. It's a Human-Demon hybrid..." explained Stephan, realising that Chroma was a bit puzzled by the term 'Special-Rank'.

 Then, remembering Anton's arm when he stopped his attack a few days ago, Chroma understood that this is not the first time he's come into contact with a Special Rank.

 "How do we take him on?" asked Chroma with a serious expression on his face.

"Our chances are very slim, and more than that, only a few of us will be able to fight against him, since he's flying at all times. We'll need to make use of Dena's barrier and Chroma's snow," explained Stephan.

"I have an idea then..." said Fabio while pointing towards a short cliff a few hundred metres away. "Chroma can take one person, and Dena can take one person up there, that's a given. So I and Stephan can make use of our long-range from that spot, and try to land a hit on him while he's distracted," he explained.

"It might be the optimal play here, but we have to take into account that taking Support 1 would be too dangerous since protecting her would be a nuisance. So the ones fighting up there will have to be extra careful, not having a healer with them," explained Stephan, who after giving it some thought voiced his idea: "We'll send Yona together with Dena, and Augur together with Chroma. Chroma and Dena have the best coverage for defence, while Yona and Augur can try holding Hamon in place. However, this plan comes down to the chance that either I or Fabio can take him down when he's off-guard,"

"I take it that the three of us will stay down with you," said Claude.

"It would be a reassurance since we will need someone to defend the healer, but also the two of us who'll be immobile for this mission," meanwhile in the background, the shouts of war and screams of pain started, being heard throughout the battlefield. Their army intercepted the demons and was now fighting relentlessly.

 "Let's do it!" accepting the plan, everyone assumed their positions. Chroma flew his group right above the enemy army, where a seemingly bored youth whose white wings were tainted by a bright red was sighing continuously while watching the fights unfold.

"Yo, mister Chouten, nice to meet you!" greeted Chroma upon arriving into contact with Hamon. Dena created a barrier a few metres behind taking her supporting role, while Augur and Yone prepared their Holy Mediums and Soul Types.

"You back there... You are the Eagle's woman, aren't you?" 

"I am nobody's woman!" Dena shouted, her face flushed a bright red.

"Well, anyway, did he survive? He was the funniest rat I've fought for quite a while."

"Unfortunately for you, he is just fine," said Augur with a smug smile on his face.

"Well, that's great... I am wondering. If I take that woman as a hostage, will he show his tail arou-" but before finishing his sentence, one lightning-fast attack flew right by his face.

"Don't you dare touch our cute Dena, you pigeon..." said Yona who was now face to face with the enemy.

"You little..." muttered Hamon.

3.

 --- "It's dark, and the smell is really unpleasant. What is this? Blood? Somebody gotta turn down the heat in here, or else the bill is going to raise up to the ceiling."

 "Hah, even now, you are still just joking around. You, humans, are truly pathetic..." A deep voice resounded, creating an echo that filled the entire space.

"Who are you, mister high and mighty?"

"The fact that YOU are asking me this is indeed hurtful. After all... I am always by your side, and I know you better than everyone else."

"I doubt it, anyway, can you please turn on the light, and maybe turn on the AC? I am boiling in here."

"Still joking around I see, but there's no time for your little games, boy. After all, I have to make sure that you can defend your ass, so I don't die alongside you."

 --- A flash of bright red... Fire and the scent of death and blood. This place can be mistaken to be Hell, but it has a deeper meaning than that...

"Welcome to my home... The Purgatory..."