Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
Bella POV.
I followed Riveria as we walked through the woods, and when she moved her staff, a torrent of words, like a poem, poured from her mouth. I could feel the space, the entire forest, isolating itself from the rest of the underworld, creating a defined space.
I simply lifted Casull, sacrificing my spleen to create a bullet before firing in a specific direction. The bullet shot out at terrifying speed and in a fraction of a second had reached its target. A loud 'Bang' echoed throughout the forest as my bullet struck something uselessly, shaking the entire forest with the force of the impact. I clicked my tongue. Immediately, two figures appeared before us.
"What a welcome," said the monkey Yokai, Bikou, as he shook his staff, before a flattened bullet fell to the ground. The bullet had hit his staff, but it didn't have enough force to destroy it.
"It was just a small greeting," I said, shrugging.
"Leave, we don't want to fight your group," Riveria said beside me. I just smiled shamelessly.
"Or you can stay, and we'll have some fun together." I said with a wide grin before sacrificing my kidneys; I didn't even hesitate to fire. The bullet I fired scattered into countless projectiles that swirled and ravaged the entire area of the forest in front of me. I could hear Riveria's sigh, but I just kept staring at the two of them in front of me. I could see their surprise before they jumped and dodged the attack.
"You crazy bitch. You're worse than Vali." Bikou growled, looking down, then landing to one side.
"You guys!" Kuroka exclaimed while hissing. "You're part of Serena Prince's group! The succubus who defeated Vali-nya! " Kuroka exclaimed, looking equally annoyed and excited.
"We are. Once again, stand down; we don't need to fight," Riveria said once more. I just hummed softly.
"Tell her that," Bikou mocked, looking at me derisively before Kuroka growled.
"No!" Kuroka exclaimed as she prepared to attack. "I'll have my revenge for the humiliation I suffered!" she bristled like someone had stepped on her tail. I blinked slightly before glancing sideways at Riveria; she seemed just as confused. Bikou just sighed to the side.
"Just... ignore her." Bikou said, slapping her face. "She tried to sneak onto your mansion's island, but ended up trapped by some tentacles and-"
"Shut up, Bikou!" Kuroka snapped, and I smiled broadly.
"Did the Devil Snare catch you?" I asked playfully. Kuroka's eye twitched slightly. "They're really weak; you couldn't break free from them?" I asked, chuckling. Kuroka glared at me.
"Weak!? I was trying not to use senjutsu, magic, or demonic power so as not to attract attention; that's called stealth! But those damned tentacle plants were physically indestructible! And when I finally gave up on using magic, they were resistant to it too! " Kuroka snapped, glaring at me. I stopped before Riveria could snort.
"Remember that Serena modified them to be resistant to physical and magical attacks. I think she wanted to use them as defenses for the island and then as a test for the Arena," Riveria said calmly. I shrugged.
"Are they still sensitive to light?" I asked casually. Riveria nodded.
"Yes, they were simply an obstacle, and from what I recall, they were the first obstacle on the island," Riveria said easily, and I smiled.
"The first one?" I asked playfully before glancing at Kuroka, whose eye was twitching slightly. "Couldn't you get past the first one?" I asked with a broad grin. As far as I could remember, Serena had simply enjoyed setting up much of the island we were on.
The important areas were so heavily defended that it was impossible to find them or breach their defenses by normal means. Everything else was just something Serena used for fun; in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she placed compulsions all over the island to prevent people from noticing certain places or to guide them to others.
And apparently, the Devil Snare was one of those obstacles. A nearly indestructible Devil Snare. Oh, they were definitely an abomination, and I had to make sure they never left the island's forest, but for the moment, it was fun.
"Shut up, nya!" Kuroka snapped, embarrassed. "It took me two hours to discover its weakness to light! Only when dawn broke was I freed-nya!" Kuroka retorted, and I chuckled. Even Riveria smiled slightly. Kuroka glared at us.
"So, since you couldn't sneak onto the island, you decided to come here?" I asked dryly. Kuroka finally snorted before simply laughing, almost proudly.
"I heard the devils were having a party, so I got curious, and by chance, both of my targets were here—Nya!" Kuroka said easily before a look of annoyance crossed her face. "But you guys showed up even before I could make my move—nya." She pouted before her gaze hardened and she glared at us. "So get out of my way— nya." She growled.
"Now, just when it was about to get fun?" I said playfully before turning deadly serious. I picked up Casull and Jackal. "But I still have one question… why were you trying to break into our house? What do you want with Serena? " I hissed dangerously. I sacrificed; I used all my internal organs to create two bullets; I barely felt a twinge of pain as they regenerated with ease.
"To mate with Serena, Prince, and have her children!" Kuroka said proudly. I stopped short of raising Casull and casually firing. The bullet came out even faster and much harder than before; Kuroka barely managed to dodge it. It grazed her arm, leaving a wound. She groaned in disbelief as she clutched the wound with her other hand.
"I'll be the first to have her children," I retorted. I could hear Riveria sigh, and I rolled my eyes. It was important to establish the hierarchy in these matters. I was the first and foremost wife. I would have Serena's children first, no discussion. Some random cat couldn't just come along and decide that.
"Enough! You'll pay for this! Don't think that just because your Serena Prince's servant I'll hold back with you— nya! " Kuroka hissed dangerously. A poisonous mist exploded beneath her feet. Bikou reacted immediately and leaped away from the mist, almost panicking, without waiting for Kuroka's attack. We moved at the same time. I launched myself at Bikou, reaching him just as he landed on the branch.
I tried to hit him with the butt of Casull's grip, and he moved to take my attack, stopping my arm with his staff. I just smiled as I aimed at Jackal from below with my other hand and fired. The greatly enhanced bullet shot out at almost point-blank range.
Bikou's eyes widened. I could feel his entire body tense; he reinforced his body with senjutsu and Touki to the fullest. My bullet struck the side of his stomach squarely. Bikou's defenses were strong enough to withstand it, yet his armor was shredded as he was thrown backward.
A huge bruise was beginning to form where my bullet had struck. I just smirked at Bikou before aiming Casull in his direction once more.
"Damn it," Bikou growled furiously as he clutched his wound.
"Is that all you've got, monkey?" I asked mockingly. Bikou growled, this time serious, before launching himself at me with terrifying speed. I kept pace, lifting Casull and Jackal above my head and crossing them to take Bikou's downward strike. I reinforced both weapons with Armament Haki just as the extremely heavy and powerful staff struck them.
I gritted my teeth when I heard my bones crack from Bikou's powerful blow. His immense strength, combined with his staff that weighed tons, was simply ridiculous.
Even so, I smiled broadly before feeling my organs being torn apart from the inside. I coughed up a mouthful of blood and looked at Bikou; he had used senjutsu inside me to destroy my organs.
I sacrificed those organs and began creating bullets one after another. Unlike Simoh Hayha, for whom every shot counted, since he couldn't regenerate his organs after sacrificing them, I wasn't so limited. He really needed to think and conserve his shots, creating only one bullet precisely when he needed it, and after nearly half a dozen bullets, it was practically useless, as he was on the verge of death. I had other options.
Casull and Jackal had empty magazines, holding 7 and 6 rounds respectively. My organs were constantly regenerating, so I could keep creating bullets and continuously accumulate them in the magazines, keeping both magazines full as I continued firing and regenerating them at the same rate.
That allowed me to fire bullet after bullet. Super-strong bullets, area-of-effect bullets, explosive bullets, armor-piercing bullets, rapid-fire bullets, homing bullets, and many more. All of them in a haphazard way, trying to catch Bikou off guard. A sinister smile split my face as he continued to attack me.
I let Bikou's blow hit me; he thrust his staff forward and extended it at great speed, trying to strike my chest. I remained still and let the staff pierce my chest. I could see Bikou's shock; I just smiled wider.
The wound turned into a dark mist before a dozen hands emerged from it and grasped Bikou's staff. Without hesitation, they lifted Casull and Jackal and began firing in rapid succession.
Bikou tried to free his staff but could barely move it. He clicked his tongue, raised one of his hands, and another identical staff appeared in his hand. He spun it with one hand and intercepted the bullets I had fired at him, making a face as his staff trembled slightly.
I smiled sadistically; my bullets were made to kill gods, definitely not something Bikou could easily and repeatedly block. Bikou just growled, planting the replica of his staff in the ground in front of him for momentary protection.
I kept firing before I saw Bikou grab his staff with both hands. To my surprise, with a powerful shout, he lifted me onto his back, then spun me around and tried to slam me to the ground. I burst out laughing, kept firing, and before I hit the ground, I turned into mist, rendering the blow useless.
Then I adjusted Jackal, created a special bullet, and fired it toward Bikou. He merely growled before receiving it head-on with his staff. When the bullet struck Bikou's staff, it seemed as if it shattered the very sky as the Gura Gura no Mi I had infused into the bullet activated.
The bullet began to shake and vibrate violently at high speed, a vibration designed to travel through his weapon and attack Bikou's internal organs. Bikou's eyes opened before he spat blood; he growled before gritting his teeth. I could see his Senjutu and Toki growing powerfully before he deflected the vibrating bullet away from him.
" Alright, let's get serious." Bikou growled furiously as he wiped the blood from the corner of his lip. I just grinned sadistically.
"You should have started there, monkey." I mocked, maintaining the madness-induced smile on my face; I could feel my fangs growing with excitement.
" Both of you, stop right there! " I froze as a third person appeared. All I could do was click my tongue. I guess the game was over.
---------------
Riveria POV.
I just sighed as I watched Bella launch herself at Bikou without hesitation. I simply flicked my upgraded Magna Alf, and the words tumbled from my mouth in a split second. A massive gust of wind exploded in front of me, dispelling Kuroka's poisonous mist.
"Oh, you dispelled my fog-nya. What a shame." Kuroka pouted as she stood lazily. I simply raised my staff before aiming to the right and casting a slashing spell; a panicked meow came from that direction.
"Hiding is useless; illusion magic is even more worthless," I said softly to Kuroka as she approached me. This real Kuroka didn't have the 'wound' Bella had inflicted on her, yet she still wore a sullen expression upon being discovered.
"Wow, you can see through my illusions? I expected nothing less from an elf-nya." Kuroka said with a dangerous smile. I just stared at Kuroka. There were very few things that could be hidden from my eyes, or my clairvoyance, and Kuroka was no exception.
I raised my staff the instant I saw the Youki gather in Kuroka's hand. A small seal emerged from her fingers, and the ground around me trembled as pillars and rock spikes grew in my direction.
I murmured the next spell before casting a shield. When the pillars and peaks touched the defense, they instantly transformed into flower petals. Kuroka's eyebrow lifted slightly before she frowned. She gathered her Youki again to perform more Youjutsu. The trees began to tremble as they started to change shape.
An enormous hand, several times my size, emerged from the roots and rose into the sky before a dozen more followed. Then they descended forcefully in my direction. The words poured from my mouth in an instant. Rea Laevateinn.
Only this time I placed the circles in front of my staff and stacked them on top of each other before fusing them. A small sphere of fire was created in front of my staff before growing exponentially in a second, large enough to make Kuroka's plant hands look small, and then the torrent of fire shot out.
The fire destroyed all the plants in the sky before making the spell disappear. Then I raised a shield and saw several clones of Kuroka appear, each holding Senjutsu spheres.
"I've got you— nya!" Kuroka shouted before a dozen Senjutsu spheres slammed into my shield. The resulting explosion wasn't strong enough to shatter it. I used the resulting dust to unleash Caelus Hildr. Dozens of lightning arrows flew toward Kuroka, taking her by surprise. One struck her cheek before she leaped and dodged the rest. "Don't underestimate me!" she exclaimed as a massive stone wall grew between us.
I simply created thousands more lightning arrows and focused the attack on a single point; the hundreds of arrows finally destroyed Kuroka's makeshift wall. Kuroka opened her eyes before quickly leaping to the side.
"Damn it—" Kuroka growled before having to dodge once again as my lightning arrows began relentlessly pursuing her. Kuroka leaped between trees and rocks, bouncing rapidly as hundreds of arrows tried to pierce her. "Enough!" Kuroka growled, looking furious.
A massive amount of cursed energy—not demonic power, but malevolent energy, like a cluster of negative emotions—surrounded Kuroka. I could see black fire erupting on her back. I narrowed my eyes, bracing myself for the worst, before stopping when I saw something pierce through the same space. It was impressive, since the barrier I had erected should have separated us from the underworld. Being able to cut through space this far shouldn't have been so easy.
"Both of you, stop right there!" Kuroka and I stopped at the sound of the new voice coming from the place where space had been cut. A young, blond man with glasses, a sword in one hand and another at his waist, emerged from the split space. I recognized Arthur Pendragon immediately. "Kuroka, Bikou. I noticed you were taking too long. Incredible..."
"Were they even about to fight with all their might?" Arthur said, narrowing his eyes. At that moment, Bikou appeared beside Kuroka, while Kuroka herself only grunted, seemingly losing her will to fight.
"You're being too calm for this situation," Kuroka growled.
"That's true. Besides, why are you here anyway?" Bikou growled, almost annoyed. I could see he had several wounds on his body, huge bruises, while his armor was shredded. Bella had really beaten him badly.
None of the four of us had fought with all our strength, but neither pair of us was really weak or holding back enough for Bella to hit us so easily.
"I've come to pick you both up. So enough of your—" The three members of Vali's group tensed before a gunshot echoed through the forest. Arthur raised his sword and cut off Bella's shot as a cloud of mist, almost black miasma, rose from the woods before reforming into Bella. She swung her pistols lazily as she approached.
"Are we going to fight or not?" Bella mocked as she looked at the three members in front of her.
"Bellatrix, the Impaler Queen. Serena Prince's queen. I thought you used a spear," Arthur said curiously as he looked at Bella, who shrugged.
"The monkey wasn't important enough to use it," Bella said easily.
"What did you say, you damned girl?!" Bikou growled at Bella, his eyes trembling. Bella just sneered.
"It doesn't matter," Arthur said, shaking his head before smiling broadly. "Give my regards to your King, Queen Impaler. I'd like to fight Serena Prince, as fellow swordsmen," Arthur said, sounding excited. Bella and I both snorted at that. Arthur didn't seem to notice because of his excitement. "And now we'll withdraw. We don't need to fight at full strength right now. It's a pointless effort," Arthur said simply as he stepped into the dimensional rift.
Both Bikou and Kuroka seemed not too eager to follow those orders, but a single glance from Arthur made them sigh before obeying. Bella just pouted boredly before turning away.
"Come on, the fun's over," Bella said listlessly as she turned and started walking toward the party. I just shook my head playfully before following her. I quickly contacted Serena and began transmitting all the memories to her.
I think she'll appreciate the memories of Caliburn and Excalibur Ruler more than the fight against Bikou and Kuroka.
A/N: If you liked the story, join my patreon, patreon.com/Camellya_Addams, there are up to 10 chapters in advance, thank you. Or you can also visit my Ko-Fi, ko-fi.com/camellya_addams.