Sachi narrowed her eyes as Seimei slumped into the room.
“We’ve been separated a long time, but I don’t think you’ve ever been this tired even during the tests,” she observed.
He smiled grimly, “One of your furry friends proved very difficult to deal with.”
It took her a while to realize what he meant.
“They are still around? Which one?” she asked sharply.
“I think he was subject K.”
“Ah,” she nodded, “Then it is understandable why you had such a difficult time.”
He grimaced, rubbing his shoulders. Her eyes noticed all the fatigue that riddled him. She wondered if she could use this chance to overcome him…
“Don’t bother, Sachi. I know exactly how to circumvent your gift.”
“I expect as much, or you wouldn’t have defeated KONGOR.”
“Kongor?”
“Subject K, Organic Nullification Genesis Of Resistance. KONGOR, for short.”
“Ah. That’s what Father named THAT department? Then your subject name was SONGOR!”
She tossed her hair back, slightly irate at having Seimei figure that out.
“I highly doubt yours is any better, Seimei.”
For a moment, they glared at each other like they oft did as children.
“Mine was the Energy Interchangeability and Manipulation of Energy Implements, thank you very much, Sachi. Much better than SONGOR.”
She shrugged, but inside she faltered slightly. Talking about the past, something which she had not done for over a decade, felt…strange. She had thought she had given up on it completely.
Seimei interrupted her thinking by pointing at the destroyed portal, commenting, “You destroyed the source of your entertainment.”
She twirled Yasha in her hands, replying, “Wrong. It destroyed itself. Or at least, I am guessing the daemons destroyed the other end.”
“Did they?”
“I doubt the daemons are extremely happy with you for sending their brethren into a fighting pit against me to fight to the death.”
She saw Seimei glance around at the remaining carcasses of daemons.
“Well then, Sachi, I have new entertainment for you. I’d like you to guard a certain place for me, which will soon see MANY interesting adversaries.”
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
His reasoning, was that she, being stuck inside the Gladiatorial Arenas for so long, would not know of much about the Hellbourne aside from rumors that filtered in.
Much less would she really care about which side she fought for. He had been betting on her reckless abandon to prove her own worth in battle, at least to herself.
And he was right. She was instantly interested.
He had told her to go get some rest; she’d been fighting for 2 days nonstop. He promised to alert her when it was time.
And now he found himself staring into the pool, waiting for the telltale signs of demon’s eyes to know the demon was ready to converse.
The wait did not take long.
“How goes the defense?” inquired the demon. Its voice, as usual, a slow drawl that piled itself over the ears and wormed its ways into the mind. He had gotten used to it over time, but he could never resist shuddering the first time he had to hear it again.
“I will need more of your daemons. The army Ophelia has amassed is no small one. Even as we speak, 3 towers have been felled, and the next line of towers are being approached.”
The eyes regarded him, with what he could not tell. “You had more than enough.”
“The Malphai are now…indisposed.”
“And you are faulting me for your use of the resources I allowed you?”
Seimei gritted his teeth with annoyance. He knew that the demon wanted him to expend his own energy at his own expense.
“I put them to good use, procuring an important ally.” He did not mention that the ally was subject to his will, but he knew the demon would find out eventually.
“Then you have enough to defend, if you decided the tradeoff was well worth it.”
Seimei breathed inwardly, and then stated flatly, “And if it fails, you will lose this Shrine.”
The demon’s eyes narrowed.
Seimei knew the demon did not want to expend too much power sending more reinforcements, and so he tried to compromise.
“Then at the very least, allow me to suggest that you bring the dead back to life, the same way you did with that Treant. I am sure it will consume less energy than sending through the Shrine.”
The demon did not speak for a moment, deep in thought.
“Very well. Do you have one in mind?”
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
As Maliken stepped off the daemon that had transported him here, he glimpsed the Summoner heading out, who stopped as soon as he saw him.
“Where were you the past few days?” the Summoner asked of him.
“Hunting,” Maliken replied shortly.
“There’s a new battleground, with many souls for you to harvest,” the Summoner told him, “I thought you’d be interested.”
Indeed, he was.
“Where?”
The Summoner pointed in a specific direction, “There will be a tower; the daemon will take you there. Many of the Legion will attack it. Try to not let the tower fall.”
As the Summoner summoned another transport daemon, Maliken couldn’t help but bring himself to ask, “And what are you going to be doing in the meantime?”
The Summoner paused for a moment, and then replied, “I do not expect the towers to hold forever. We will need…help.”
Before the Summoner stepped onto the daemon’s shoulders, however, he turned to Maliken and said, “Do check on how the prisoner is doing. I am sure seeing you would…lift his spirits.”
Maliken nodded, understanding. As he turned to the compound, he glimpsed a female warrior with twin swords strapped to her waist reclining upon the Shrine.
He frowned, but thought better of it. His goal was to collect souls and fulfill the bargained terms. Nothing else mattered to him.