Chapter 11; A 4-legged breed

...29/07/2009 Wednesday; Dark Hour ...

The strength in Hiro's hands increases, and Mitsuru feels the air in her lungs quickly slipping away.

Her vision starts to darken, and desperation sets in. In Hiro's mind, voices echo, repeating dark words:

"Kill her... She's an enemy... She will betray you..."

Mitsuru, struggling to stay conscious, notices Hiro's eyes glowing red, a clear sign that the Shadow is trying to control his mind.

Desperate, she reaches for a small red crystal attached to her belt.

With effort, she presses the crystal against Hiro's chest, and an intense glow envelops him, beginning to purify his mind.

The glow gradually fades, and Hiro's pupils return to normal.

He blinks a few times, confused, before releasing Mitsuru, alarmed.

"Damn, I'm sorry, Mitsuru. Are you okay?" Hiro asks, his voice heavy with guilt.

Mitsuru massages her neck, catching her breath. "I'm... fine. The Shadow brainwashed you. Good thing I had a Homunculus. It's a crystal that grows in an area of Tartarus, capable of cleansing the body of any mind control."

Hiro sighs in relief. "Thank you. I owe you one."

He looks at the bell, now visible, and picks up his scimitar from the ground. "I think this bell is creating this illusion."

Mitsuru draws her Evoker, ready to act. "I think so too. I'll freeze it, and you destroy it."

Hiro nods, stepping back from the bell as Mitsuru prepares. She points the Evoker to her head, her voice firm:

"Penthesilea."

She pulls the trigger, and the Evoker activates. Penthesilea appears behind her, gracefully spinning her swords, and a powerful ice spell, Bufu, is cast, instantly freezing the bell.

Hiro raises his scimitar and, with a powerful strike, shatters the bell into pieces, scattering shards of ice across the ground.

The atmosphere around them distorts for a moment, and the green sky of the Dark Hour reappears, bathing the shrine in its sinister light.

Mitsuru puts away the Evoker, observing the surroundings. "You were right. That bell was creating this illusion."

Hiro spins the scimitar in his hand, still cautious. "Yes, but why do I still feel like something's wrong?"

At that moment, a dog’s whimper echoes through the shrine, cutting through the silence.

Hiro and Mitsuru look around, searching for the source of the sound.

When they look toward the altar, they spot a small gray dog lying on the ground, injured.

It’s a Shiba Inu, with gray fur and white markings, and a pair of red eyes.

"Hey boy. Are you okay?" Hiro runs to the dog, kneeling to check on it.

Mitsuru watches, incredulous. "A dog? Here? In the Dark Hour?"

Hiro touches the dog's torso, and his hand is stained with blood. "Yeah, it’s strange. All normal people should turn into coffins. Damn... Looks like the Shadow got to him."

Suddenly, a ghostly hand emerges from a dark veil, reaching toward Mitsuru, who doesn’t notice the danger.

But before the hand reaches Mitsuru, an arrow flies through the air, striking the ghostly hand, which recoils with an eerie whinny, disappearing into the veil.

Mitsuru and Hiro quickly turn, drawing their weapons, ready to face the new enemy.

But to their surprise, they see the rest of the group running toward them.

"Mitsuru-senpai, Hiro, are you okay?" Yukari asks, putting her bow on her back.

"Are you hurt?" Minato adds, concerned.

Hiro points to the injured dog. "No, but he is."

The group looks where Hiro pointed and sees the dog lying on the ground.

"Koro-chan?" Fuuka exclaims, surprised.

Minato, for the first time showing panic, runs to the dog. "Koromaru!"

Hiro, confused, asks, "You guys know this dog?"

Yukari kneels near the dog, carefully petting him. "Yes, he’s the dog that lived with the monk here."

Minato strokes Koromaru's fur, noticing that the blood is minimal, but enough to worry him. "Looks like it’s not serious. We need to get him out of here."

Junpei, alert, whispers, "Guys, there’s something here."

Everyone tenses, looking around for the Shadow.

Aigis tries to use her scanners, but her systems detect only a repetitive message: "Shadow in the area."

Aigis shakes her head, frustrated. "I can't locate it. It seems to be everywhere."

Koromaru, still weak, looks at Hiro, noticing the silhouette of the Shadow raising its arm to strike.

He growls and starts barking furiously, trying to warn Hiro of the danger.

"What is it, Koromaru?" Yukari asks, worried.

Minato, looking at Hiro, finally sees the Shadow's silhouette ready to attack.

"Hiro! Behind you!" he shouts.

Hiro dives to the side at the last second, avoiding a deadly strike.

Akihiko quickly moves in, landing an uppercut that hits the Shadow, forcing it out of invisibility.

The creature reveals its horrific form: slender, with long, thin limbs resembling an insect, and dark metallic skin.

Its head resembles a horse's skull, with a prominent jaw and sharp, exposed teeth.

Its eyes glow a sinister yellow, and it wears a large, mushroom-shaped red hat decorated with red ribbons.

Akihiko assumes his fighting stance, his knuckles shining under the greenish light. "We’ve got you now, freak. Hiro, Minato, Junpei! With me!"

Minato draws his sword, casting one last look at the girls. "Take care of Koromaru. Aigis, cover us!"

Aigis activates her machine guns, taking position. "Understood."

Hiro charged toward the Shadow, delivering a downward strike with his scimitar, but the creature blocked the attack with its curved blade.

Then it kicked him hard, throwing him against a tree. Aigis fired continuously, hitting several parts of the creature.

Minato, spinning his sword, performed a three-hit combo before pulling out his Evoker and pointing it to his head. “Orpheus!”

The trigger was pulled, and a flash gleamed from the other side of his head.

Orpheus appeared, his red eyes glowing as he strummed his harp.

The fire spell, Agi, launched at the Shadow’s face, but the creature resisted and countered with its blade, which was blocked by Orpheus’ harp.

Orpheus retaliated, striking the Shadow’s head with the harp, causing it to stumble back.

The Shadow shrieked, enraged, spinning its weapon to aim it in Junpei’s direction.

Dark lightning shot from the blade, draining Junpei's energy and replenishing the Shadow’s vitality.

Junpei, leaning on his greatsword, growled, "You little..." irritated, and pulled out his Evoker, pressing it to his head. “Hermes!"

The Evoker activated, and Hermes appeared, beating his wings before launching a series of spinning kicks at the Shadow.

Junpei followed up with a series of heavy blows with his greatsword, shattering part of the creature’s hat.

Hermes continued attacking, but the Shadow countered, trapping him with ghostly hands and delivering a punch that cracked his visor.

Junpei felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, and a cut appeared on his forehead, blood dripping over his eye.

“Hermes... get out of there!” Junpei shouted, but Hermes was trapped, and the Shadow raised its fist for a final blow.

Hiro, in a burst of frustration, pulled out his Evoker. “Lucifer!”

The sound of the Evoker echoed, resonating across the battlefield.

Lucifer flew straight at the Shadow, his sharp claws slashing the creature's face as a manic laugh escaped his mouth.

The attack was swift and brutal; Lucifer's claws tore through the Shadow’s left eye, blinding it.

A scream of pain and fury erupted from the creature, echoing through the night.

Hermes managed to free himself from the Shadow’s grip, vanishing into the air in a shimmering flash.

While the Shadow was still writhing in agony, Lucifer wasted no time.

He grabbed the creature's mouth with both hands, his demonic expression twisted in focused exertion.

With a scream of pure strength, he tore the Shadow’s mouth apart, splitting it in two as if it were nothing more than a cork.

The sound of the tear was horrifying, and the Shadow, now without a mouth or nose, gushed an endless stream of black liquid.

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