The Red Hand

Chapter 273 – Top Men.

"Ugh..." Kanato's eyes flickered as he slowly woke up, the feeling of soft grass tickled his skin, and a light breeze washed over him. "Where..." He slowly sat up, and after looking around his eyes snapped open. "Shiroe! Hitomi! Muichiro!" Kanato looked around the small hill that he was on but saw no one else.

"What the hell happened?!?" Kanato yelped in pain as he screamed. His jaw had mostly healed from its earlier injury due to the healing ability the Gods provided him, but his mind was fuzzy and it was hard to think straight. "We were fighting... something... and Muichiro and Shiroe got hurt but... Bah!" He threw his hands into the air in irritation. "Why can't I remember who we fought?!?” Try as he might the only thing about his opponent was a dark swirling blackness and a cat. Everything else was made blurry and he couldn't even recall Akagi's name or that she was a Demon Lord.

{Were my memories tampered with? But how is that possible? We're protected by the Gods from any illusions or charms so that shouldn't be possible.} (Kanato)

"I guess I'm back in Enoris." Kanato said as he stood up and looked at the remains of the glass crystal that was still stuck to the necklace around his neck, assuming that somebody broke it while he was unconscious. "But where am I?" He took a moment to look around, noticing what looked like a ruined city in the distance and instantly felt a wave of dread wash down his spine.

"I... I know where this is..." Kanato gulped as he started walking down the hill.

{I haven't been here since the final battle. The Spirit Capital, Zanathon, a place where I might get some answers...} (Kanato)

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<Akagi POV>

"I suppose all well that ends well." Akagi said as she returned to her usual form, a bit disappointed that she hadn't gotten to more thoroughly smack the Heroes around. "Though this little interruption will mean a postponing of the final match, so sorry about that." She turned to Halifax and Hishya who were walking over.

"More importantly, I... you chased the four of them off... I honestly wasn't expecting things to be so... easy." Halifax gave a wry smile.

{I guess that I shouldn't be surprised... But still... To defeat those four with so little effort... Can... Can she really defeat the Gods?} (Halifax)

"Those four were strong, but compared to Akagi they never had a chance." Hishya shrugged, estimating them to be at least around the level she was after waking from FWO.

"I must admit that I was hoping for more from a group of Heroes that were blessed by Gods." Akagi said as she unceremoniously kicked Amakusa into her shadow. "Oh well, I suppose they shouldn't be a big deal."

“Why didn't you stop them from getting away?” Hishya asked. “You could've easily stopped them with your insane Demon bullshit.” She had no idea why Akagi just let them leave like that.

“I debated it, but I judged the risk to be far too great to try it.” Akagi crossed her arms in an X.

“What risk? This is you we're talking about.” Hishya tilted her head, not understanding.

“The risk that when I go fucking with those crystals that I get sent to that other world alone or I cause some kind of massive dimensional fissure which damages this world irreparably. I had no idea about how they work, so its not a great idea to start acting without knowledge, especially on this issue.” Akagi explained that being transported away like that would be very bad for her and if this world was damaged like she assumed Enoris was then things would get very bad very quick.

“I guess...” Hishya replied, not fully understanding things.

“Besides, I got one of them, so its not a total loss.” Akagi commented.

"Do I even want to know what you're going to do to that girl?" Hishya asked with a bit of fear in her voice. She figured that Akagi was going to do something bad, and while she felt a bit of pity in the back of her mind it was quickly quashed as she recalled that Amakusa was responsible for mass murder and the death of so many of her friends in FWO.

"You'll find out soon enough." Akagi winked. "What do you think all that testing and experimenting on Black Company was for?"

{Oh god...} (Hishya)

"But what do we do now?" Halifax asked about her plans for the next step. "Those three got away, and they're sure to alert the Gods of your presence." She was worried that any element of surprise they had was now lost and that it was going to be even more difficult to stop the Gods as a result.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that." Akagi laughed, waving away her concern.

"Did you see this coming?" Hishya rolled her eyes, figuring that Akagi probably had some kind of plan.

"Twas just one possible outcome that I calculated." Akagi winked again. "When they first engaged me I used a bit of my power to ensure that if they left this world they wouldn't remember what anything about me other than the fact that I'm some vague evil that's coming to get them.” Her initial wave of power that washed over them had placed a small block in their mind that would only trigger if they fled. Akagi figured that they might have some kind of way back but didn't know how it would work and did this as a precaution.

"I don't really think that helps any." Halifax shook her head. "They'll still just run to the Gods and inform them of their defeat, not to mention the fact that they got sent packing is going to set off alarm bells." She figured that once the Gods were aware that their Heroes failed they'd panic and start taking things seriously.

"Which is fine." Akagi didn't really mind if they figured out what was going on. "I'm not too worried about those Gods, and them knowing that something very bad is on the way makes me smile inside as I imagine the fucking dread on their faces."

{Ah yes, there it is. The fucking sadistic Akagi, back at it again.} (Hishya)

"Well, that's all well and good, but the problem is that we have no way of actually getting to Enoris." Halifax pointed out that their interdimensional transportation needs had not changed and that getting to Enoris was no easier than it had been yesterday. "Elariel explicitly told me that my trip would probably be one way. After all, my goal was to warn this world and drive off the Heroes/Gods. Returning wasn't really in the cards, so unless you can pull something out of your hat, we're not going anywhere."

{Though I suppose that with the Heroes being defeated I have completed my mission, but it still doesn't feel right to leave those Gods to their own devices, especially when they're like to start taking out their wrath on Enoris' population.} (Halifax)

"Not out of a hat, but I can pull something out of my secret lab." Akagi laughed as she showed the crystal that she pulled from Amakusa's neck. "This little thing seems to take have the power to send people between worlds, and that sounds like the perfect little item to get us where we're going!"

"Right, they broke them and then they vanished." Hishya nodded as she recalled what happened. "But wait, don't tell me you're going to crack it and head over alone! That would be a very bad idea!" She figured that a lone Akagi going on to a different world would cause all sorts of issues.

"Hell no!" Akagi yelled as she put the crystal into a special box that kept it safe. "I'm not going on some one-way trip to another world! There's no guarantee that I get back anytime soon! Not to mention that I'd be without Yumi for an extended period of time, and need I remind you that separating the two of us for too long is liable to cause me to go slightly fucking crazy." She sighed.

{Though I suppose that exporting the Demon Lord to become somebody else's problem wouldn't be the worst thing to happen...} (Hishya)

"Oh, trust me, I wouldn't be 'somebody else's problem' for very long, lizard." Akagi glared at Hishya, seeming to read her thoughts.

"Did you read my mind?!?" Hishya protested such a violation of her privacy.

"No, your thoughts were written on your face." Akagi had known Hishya long enough to tell what she was thinking, especially because she was awful at keeping a poker face. "If you think sending me off to some far-flung corner of reality would do anything other than delay your ass-kicking, then you're sorely mistaken." She poked her in the chest, not appreciating the insinuation that the lizard wanted her gone.

"Now, Now." Halifax tried to stop an argument from erupting. "Let's focus on the important part. Do you actually have some kind of way to get back to Enoris using that crystal?" She figured that if Akagi wasn't worried that meant that she'd already thought of a solution to the problem.

"No right this moment, but I've had Imperial and Imp working on a portal to connect the two worlds." Akagi explained as she pulled out her phone and dialed the Madwoman in question. "They've made some progress, and I have a feeling that this crystal will be just what we need to finish things up." The main problem was not knowing where Enoris was as the spell that the Spirits used to get to Earth didn't contain the necessary information.

*RING-RING*

"Yes-Yes!" Imp excitedly answered the phone.

"Get down here, I've got a new toy for you to play with." Akagi said as she looked up at Silfana and motioned for her to cut the feed.

"Toy?!?" Imp replied with a yell. "Will come-appear immediately-instantly!" She hung up the phone and ran as fast as she could from her seat and into the arena.

"Give toy-thing!" Imp held out her hands greedily as Akagi gave her the box with the crystal.

"Use this to generate a stable portal to Enoris, and whatever you do don't break it. Not unless you want a one-way ticket to another world." Akagi said.

"Hmmmm." Imp thought about it for a moment. "Maybe later." She shrugged.

{Definitely later...} (Imp)

"How the hell do Imp and Imperial even know how to do what you're asking?!?" Hishya figured that inter-dimensional transportation was far beyond reasonable even for those two.

{This has gone beyond reasonable! How can they understand any of this?!?} (Hishya)

"I don't know, and I don't ask questions." Akagi shrugged as Hishya glared at Imp.

"Trade secret." Imp winked as she cackled and ran away at high speed, her eyes showing unbelievable excitement.

"Sometimes I think that Imp might be the most powerful out of all of us with the crazy bullshit that she makes." Hishya shook her head in disbelief. "But whatever, thinking about the stupid will not make it any less stupid."

{I suppose that's one thing that never changes no matter where you go...} (Halifax)

"So then, assuming that your little magical maniac creates a portal, what then?" Halifax asked. "You said something about making the Gods and Enoris pay for what they did, and while I approve of punishing the Gods, I will not abide the mindless slaughter of innocent people." She didn't mind Akagi punishing those who deserved it, but returning genocide with genocide was never going to fly with her.

"I will decide what to do with the population at a later point in time. My plan for now would be to set up a base and start getting a feel for the world itself." Akagi explained as the three of them walked off the arena and into the waiting area where many of the others were waiting. "The Spirits demand justice, and I promised Mizumi that her people would be granted vengeance."

{Though my main interest here is handling the Gods. Nobody and I mean NOBODY covets my world and gets away with it!} (Akagi)

"Please don't go all Demon Lord on the population of that world, Akagi." Hishya asked her to restrain her worst tendencies. "Not only would that make Kana sad, but I feel like it would be bad for you as well." She figured that once Akagi went down that road, that it would cause the Demon to become more like her nature in the future.

“I second that request.” Halifax knew that she couldn't stop Akagi if she truly wanted to destroy everything, but that didn't mean that she'd just sit back and allow it to happen.

"Death will certainly be part of what happens next, Hishya." Akagi turned to her. "But my rules still apply, even on Enoris." She chopped Hishya on the head. "I have no interest in mindless slaughter, even if the people of that world deserve it. Though that doesn't mean that I will restrain myself entirely." She shook her head before continuing. "I've already decided that punishment must be meted out, it's just the form which it shall take has not been decided."

"Just... Just don't forget that you have people here who would be upset if you really start going off the deep end." Hishya said as she swatted Akagi's hand away. "Pain in the ass aside, I don't want to see you throw away who you are. You're my goofy idiot Demon cat friend, and I don't want to see you become something else."

"Neither do I, Hish. Neither do I." Akagi smiled.

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