Back at the tea shop, several minutes before the commotion…

Anubis never thought there was a ritual involved in making tea when Anarim told him about it. The blind Jackal started to learn how to differentiate the spices and herbs of each different tea mixes, along with pure tea leaves Anarim had in the store. Anarim taught him how to prepare a tea using tea strainer for the basics, but then, as per Anubis’s request, the old Hunter hellhound taught him the traditional method of preparing tea. It involved putting the tea leaves directly into a clay pot and pour the hot water into the kettle until it overflowed, during which the pot would be soaked by the hot water. After doing so, Anarim closed the pot, explaining that the tea would need a while to brew. While waiting, the clay teacups, each with no handle as Anubis noticed, were also similarly soaked, but this time with the water from the tea pot. The tea that came out was not completely brewed yet, but Anarim explained that it was done to enhance the flavor of the roasted rice tea when it was finally brewed. Anubis, using only his hearing, then surmised that the process was repeated two to three times. He thought that he needed to understand about it as demonstrated.

“(Well, if you really want to understand why this tea ceremony is important for the people of An’ah, I can give you a book explaining it. But, uh…I guess I’ll buy you the Brille edition),” he said.

“(Brille?)” asked Anubis.

“(A system for visually impaired people to read. Basically, you read by touching the nodes. I’ll buy you a guide. It isn’t that expensive).”

“(Thanks, but…is it alright?)”

“(It is alright. Don’t think about it too much, young Caropus).”

Anubis had already trusted Anarim enough to believe what he said, especially considering how kind he was. He did not sense anything malicious in his voice, just like his saviors. It was such a nice change of pace, and Anubis clearly appreciated it. In the three days since his freedom, he felt he could have a break from the tensions.

After finishing their tea and desserts, Anubis and Anarim walked into the town. The sun was already setting, and the electric lights were turned on. As the two walked out of the shop, however, there was a commotion and a roar that shook both hellhounds to their cores. It was so unnatural and so unearthly.

Anarim knew what this was about and quickly declared an emergency on the spot while those who were capable started evacuating the townsfolks into sturdy buildings. As Anarim coordinated his efforts, Anubis felt a presence and quickly turned towards it. While he couldn’t see anything due to his blindness, he could somehow ‘see’ the outline of several beasts that started to attack the people. They came out as red.

“(Anarim! The attackers came from there!)” exclaimed Anubis as he pointed towards where he saw the aura. Anarim turned and saw people running towards the town square, with demonic beasts following them. Anarim was not ready to fight, but Anubis was. He stood in front of Anarim and swiftly jammed his claws into a lunging demon. He promptly pulled the still-beating heart of the demon, black and corrupted with demonic essence. Anubis could see the red aura around it as the aura on the demon he just killed dissipated. He promptly threw the heart to the pavement and stomped on it.

Anarim, surprised by this, could only say, “(I don’t know you can fight).”

“(No, not really),” said Anubis as he wiped the black blood off his hand. “(All I did was rip its heart out).”

“(A kill’s a kill).” Anarim then turned towards one of the guards and said, “I need your gun.”

“Certainly, Anarim,” said the human guard as he tossed his revolver along with a pouch of bullets.

“What the hell happened?” asked the old hound. “How did they even get through the town gates?”

“They rammed through it,” said the human. “We managed to stop the hellhounds and the corrupted, but the demons were too much of a problem. We were forced to retreat.”

“Are we out of demon cleansing bullets?”

“No. The thing is…one of the demons is armored. The cleansing bullets and weapons has no effect on it.”

Anubis soon sensed another demon, this time different from the one that lunged at him. Unlike the other flesh and bones demons, this one had armor all over its body. It wasn’t an armor of steel, however, but a natural carapace all over the rhinoceros-like demon, which rammed through many unfortunate people on its path, with their lifeless bodies being momentarily impaled on its horn before it tossed them away. Anubis could even hear a woman screaming as she witnessed the horrible events in front of her. All he could ‘see’ were demons doing things to something in the darkness, but judging by how vicious they were, Anubis could only imagine what the bodies looked like. The thought of it made him shudder.

But as he started to become overwhelmed by the horrific actions of the demons, he noticed that the armored demon wasn’t going to be rampaging through the town without any meaningful oppositions. He could see a demon the size of a dog jumped towards the armored, stocky demon and tried to bite it. The demon did not react to the attack but noticed the demon and started twisting around trying to get the demon off. Then, there was a gunshot. The shot was loud and strong. It was directed towards the armored demon.

Anubis’s more sensitive ears could pinpoint where the shot came from. He turned towards one of the brick buildings, then another, but he could not pinpoint the source of the shot. The noise echoed around him, and without any visual reference, he couldn’t find the shooter.

“That doesn’t look like any rifles I’ve seen,” said Anarim as he looked towards the shooter. “That bat must have procured a new toy since I saw him last.”

Anubis, who couldn’t understand Tragorian, could only say, “(What)?” to the old hellhound. Anarim had no time to explain it in Hordo when Anubis saw a demon leaping towards him and he prepare himself to do the heart-ripping technique again, only for Arnulfe to distract the demon with a flying kick. Before Anubis realized it, Arnulfe approached him and said, “(We need to get you to safety! Come on, Anubis!)”

Meanwhile, on the rooftop, Rhynsa reloaded his sniper and was ready for another shot at the rampaging armored demon. The armor-piercing rifle was developed by the Dusdolfian for use against armored cars, which had become part of the Dusdolfian and Adaline armies’ arsenal against the hellish incursions. The rifle, however, was developed before the first incursion against a possible regional war, which hopefully did not happen for some time.

The rifle was unwieldy and heavy. It wasn’t designed to be carried around like a regular sniper as its targets were usually slow-moving. The armored demon was one of many exceptions. Fortunately for Rhynsa, his unique echolocation ability made him able to predict where the demon would be based on its speed and the vibration caused by its stomps. He was as unique as he went.

Rhynsa kept sniper support from the top of the building’s roof while keeping the playfield even by shooting the other demons using his own reliable sniper rifle. His priority was to reduce as many of the invaders as possible while the civilians were being evacuated. Through his scope, he could see Arnulfe guiding Anubis and Anarim to safety while demons were attacking them. Both Rhynsa’s sniping and Arnulfe’s protection ensured that the two got to safety.

But as he dispatched the attackers, he soon saw the dreaded winged demons that had become the bane of his sniping. The winged demons were fast and agile, much like a Fuzandre, but with none of the self-control. The last time Rhynsa shot one down was when the demons did not notice him, and he shot them from a blind spot. This time, he was in the open and the demons could clearly see him. He gained an advantage by having a pair of leathery wings to fly, but if the enemy evened it out, it would pose a great problem for him.

One of the demons screeched as it noticed Rhynsa and quickly dived towards the roof where the Fuzandre was. The chiropteran managed to dodge aside as the demon readied itself to attack him again. This time, Rhynsa was prepared. He pulled out his combat knife and went into a combat stance.

“Bring it on, asshole,” he taunted.

Down on the streets, Ifrit and Sammael kept grabbing on the ramming demon and tried their best to steer it away from the civilians still running away. After the death of the woman gored by the demon’s horn, the civilians panicked as they scampered to safety. However, this served only to make them easy targets. Ifrit had a degree of control over the demon after he jammed the remains of a sharp iron fence through one of its eyes, one of several places not covered by the natural carapace. That attack, along with Rhynsa’s armor piercing bullet, were the only ones that could damage the demon, and it wasn’t enough.

Just as Ifrit managed to divert the demon away from a group of terrified civilians, the demon’s struggle intensified. It flailed its head vigorously to the point Ifrit’s grip started to loosen. Then, after a surprise buck, Ifrit lost his grip completely and was thrown a couple of meters towards a store front, shattering its shop window as he crashed through and only stopped by a sturdy brick wall.

The force of the attack wasn’t enough to knock Ifrit out completely, but it certainly concussed him. He was too dazed to even notice the beast started charging towards him. Fortunately, Sammael saw this and dashed towards Ifrit. The Barghest pushed Ifrit away while he also cleared himself from the dangerous charge. It crashed through the wall of the store, which happened to be a restaurant.

“(You alright?)” said Sammael as Ifrit recovered.

“(Not really. I think I broke something),” said Ifrit as he rubbed his bruised side, causing him to wince. “(That thing’s tough).”

“(Demonic creatures don’t feel any pain unless anti-demonic weapons are involved. Oh, and demons, too. Not physical attacks, but something more like hellfire).”

“(But can it be killed?)”

“(Killed and banished back to hell, yes. No demons can die permanently. It can be re-summoned after a recovery period).”

Sammael saw Ifrit’s stare. The hellhound wondered if Sammael would be like that and the Barghest understood.

“(But the recovery period can last for several years, maybe even centuries),” said Sammael. “(In short…I’m not that expendable).”

“(What? I didn’t say anything about that!)”

“(But you wondered about it).”

The demon let out another roar and this time was ready to kill them. The police officers were shooting at it using rifles and guns, but it did not face the creature. While it clearly damaged it and slowed it down, it was fixated to Ifrit, who was the one who had the biggest chance of killing it.

But even the biggest chance meant nothing to a rampaging demonic beast with no pain receptors. Ifrit, broken and injured to the point of being incapacitated, was unable to move or even fight back when he noticed the open fire in the kitchen. He slowly walked towards the fire, hoping that it would heal him. He sat near the fire as it started invigorating him. However, unlike when he did this before, this time, there was something very peculiar happening to him.

As he healed his injured body, the landscape abruptly changed from the damaged kitchen to a landscape of rust and blood with a similar layout, only this time it was ablaze with fire all around him. The abrupt change of scenery surprised him, but he tried not to be overwhelmed.

He walked out of the kitchen towards a hellish landscape that apparently took the same layout as the town of Summinat. The civilians and guards all around him stopped but were also covered in dust and ash. Only the demons maintained their appearances, and they also stopped. Sammael was still in his last position looking at Ifrit trying to heal himself with the open fire from the stove.

“(Impressive, is it not?)” said a familiar voice.

Ifrit turned towards the voice to find the same cross-bound demon with similar appearance as him. Like before, this demon seemed different than any other demons Ifrit had faced before. Even when he was bound, he was still terrifying and intimidating.

“(I know you),” said Ifrit. “(You were there, when I…).”

“(Died?),” said the demon with a chuckle. “(You did. I felt it, too. But no matter. Death is but a moment of lapse. You called me out, and I heeded your call).”

“(Okay…right. So, I’m back here. What’s next?)”

“(You healed yourself with open fire. I could’ve said it’s a bad move, considering you have no idea of what you just did),” said the demon. “(Then again, maybe it wasn’t that bad of an idea, either).”

In a blink, Ifrit found himself unable to move and stretched on a cross. He looked around and saw that he was tied to the cross that the goat-hellhound was just on a moment ago. He tried to struggle, but it was too tight and secure. Meanwhile, he saw the demon standing in front of him with his smug face.

“(Hey!)” exclaimed Ifrit. “(What the hell is this!)”

“(You called on me, and I will heed it. Of course, that means you’ll be taking my place),” said the demon. “(Don’t worry. I’ll let you see the power hidden within you. Too bad, you can only witness, not act).”

The demon started laughing as Ifrit struggled on the cross. Then, the scenery slowly changed back to the kitchen, but he was still unable to move. All he could do was witness as his body moved on its own.

***

“(I…frit?)” asked Sammael as Ifrit stood up, teeth bared with a menacing aura. The Barghest noticed that the hellhound seemed different somehow. He was more menacing and acted completely different from what Sammael knew Ifrit would do. Then, to top it all off, when Sammael asked him, Ifrit turned and said, “(Stand back, Sammael. This one’s mine).”

“(What? Ifrit, what’s wrong? You sound so…demonic).”

Ifrit simply licked his lips. “(Alive, more like. I feel so free).”

Ifrit saw the armored demon readied to charge towards him, so Ifrit walked out of the destroyed restaurant towards the demon, fearless and with a smug face Sammael had never seen his master had before. Then, as the demon charged, Ifrit ran towards it. Sammael realized that the timing was off and Ifrit would only land on the horns, but a loud gunshot noise and the demon reacting in pain was enough to stop the demon as Ifrit jumped higher than the hellhound could. He then landed on the demon’s head and grabbed the part of the fence lodged inside one of its eyes.

“(Burn),” said Ifrit as the iron fence started to become red, then white as it became hotter and hotter. The demon started to flail around, roaring in pain as the hellhound’s face turned to a sadistic glee, as seen by his grin. Sammael now realized that the thing that he felt off was not because of Ifrit being undead. It was something more sinister. He already knew this fact when Lilac told him about it, but he could not believe it at first.

Now that he saw what Ifrit was capable of, he knew it. Ifrit was a demon.

The armored demon’s head started sizzling, then lit up before suddenly, it exploded, spraying brain matter everywhere. The armored demon’s now lifeless body stopped struggling, then fell on the brick pavement. The other demons reacted to this, as did the hellhounds that supported them. Their expressions were that of terror.

“(No, not him!)” shouted one of them in panic. “(This can’t be happening again!)”

The other, less panicked and angrier, shot at ‘Ifrit’ while shouting, “(Just die, already!)”

“(No, you idiot! Don’t…).”

But it was too late. Ifrit climbed down the demon and quickly rushed to the two hellhounds. The one shooting at him could do nothing as his neck was snapped, causing the other one to become scared as Ifrit loomed over him.

Rhynsa, who by this point had flown down the building and witnessed Ifrit killing the first hellhound, realized something odd on him. He looked so different and acted different, too. He had that toothy grin that only a sadistic person could show, especially when it looked like he was tormenting the hellhound he had not killed. He quickly became convinced that it wasn’t the Ifrit he knew when he taunted the begging hellhound.

“(You shouldn’t play with fire if you know you’re going to be burned),” said Ifrit, his voice deep and menacing. “(Then again, you didn’t think this through, did you?)”

Ifrit then stomped the hellhound with one of his legs, which was the one that was a cloven hoof. The hellhound kept begging, but then he started screaming as he started burning from the inside out until his body became nothing more than a charred body.

The non-demonic Ifrit, witnessing everything with his eyes, became horrified as what the demon did with his body. He started struggling even harder, trying to assert control. The demon, or his demonic personality, apparently realized what he did and said, “(Well, playtime’s over. Don’t worry. They’re not that stupid).”

Then, Ifrit felt his control returned to his body and he slumped over the charred remains of the hellhound just as Rhynsa ran towards him. Sammael, stunned by what he just witnessed, could only saw as Rhynsa helped Ifrit up as Anubis and Arnulfe reached the Barghest.

“(Sammael!)” said Arnulfe. “(What happened? Was that…Ifrit?)”

“(It was not),” said Sammael. “(It’s something far worse).”

“(Worse enough to have an aura that looks like fire?)” said Anubis. “(Your aura does not compare).”

Sammael saw Anubis and said, “(A Jackal? You’re a little far from home, aren’t you).”

“(I know),” said Anubis.

As the battle raged on with the remaining attackers being dispatched, Ifrit, dazed and stunned by what he just did, could only stay silent as Rhynsa tried to talk to him. He looked at everyone who looked at him, and he thought he was being judged by what he did. For the first time in his life, he felt bad about killing the two hellhounds. It was as if he did something wrong. He previously killed to survive, but this time, his demonic personality killed for the excitement. The way the demon executed that hellhound made him…disgusted.

“(What… what have I done?)” said Ifrit in disbelief.

No one could answer him except himself, who said, “(You survived. Isn’t that what you want, Ifrit Schelkz? To survive?)”

As Ifrit contemplated on the words his other self said, Sammael saw the result of Ifrit’s gratuitous violence. All he could do was sympathize with him, for as a demon, he knew how binding a demon contract would be, especially one that was literally himself.

All he could say was, “(Oh, Ifrit. What happened to you?)”