"Alright, it should almost be here...but where exactly?", Terna looked around.

"You'd think for a capital of a species it'd show a little more.", Lass leaned forward to take a look.

Behind the sunlit hills laid the capital of Corosta. Unlike their expectations, it seemed more dull and hostile. Not because of its emitting aura as the demon capital, but the sheer amount of destruction that had befell it.

"Wait...what? This is incredibly suspicious...", Yuno stuttered.

"Is there even a capital to go to in the first place? It looks freshly destroyed too. Look at that.", Lass pointed forward.

Lass's finger pointed directly at the collapsing buildings in the capitals suburban area towards the entrance. The two buildings were at friction with each other, having collapsed from their base, and ready to completely drop at any moment, concrete and metal materials falling down bellow from their collision point.

"Is it two late to do a one-eighty and go back?", Anya said.

"We can't...it'll put us back by a huge margin.", Ikarisa frowned.

"Alright. Mission shift. Everyone prepare for a battle and get ready for salvaging. From the looks of it, the only thing we will be getting out of this is scraps, if we are lucky to find any useful ones.", Lass prepared himself.

Terna sighed. "This is quite sad. At least Eterna city wasn't destroyed during its months long civil war..."

"It's alright...that's part of our mission. Undoing the wrongs and doing what's right.", Ikarisa comforted her.

Parking the car behind the now destroyed entrance, everyone got out and started to slowly walk inside the city. The door that was supposed to hold guard was shattered, some unique, glowing and alive like scar imprinted on the robust metal. Through the main street they walked through, they could only see collapsed buildings and broken glass, accompanied by the hollow remains of shattered concrete. Lifeless and alive, the entire city felt as if someone had their eyes on them constantly, without a sight of a breathing being nearby. Their mouths shut, daring not to speak a word and their nerves high in expectation of an attack, they had to all drop their guard as they reached the hell that came to be the main plaza.

"What...what the hell?", Lass stuttered.

"Oh my...god...", Anya paused.

A tall pile of bodies stood before them, bodies also scattered around them. Men, women and even children were clustered around each other, some of them showing signs of fleeing and others of resistance and assault. None were spared, and from the bullets on others heads, those who did rather not have lived to tell the tale.

"Holy shit...", Yuno looked away, "This smells so incredibly bad!"

"Just like Lass said...it's fresh conflict..."

"What even happened here? Eterna was a civil war...this...this looks like-", Terna was interrupted by Lass.

"Genocide.", he sighed. "No matter the place of origin and one's history...this is going far as far can go."

"Hmm?", Anya jolted up.

"What is it Anya?", Terna looked her way.

"I think this giant furry form has more to it...you guys hear that?"

"Hear what?", Lass looked around.

"It's coming from...big guy!", Anya violently grabbed Lass, pulling him to her.

From where Lass was standing, a huge blast had ensued, breaking the concrete ground and unveiling what was bellow.

"Shadowers!", Ikarisa stepped back.

"Thanks mutt.", Lass took out his sword. "On the ready!"

Everyone swiftly took their combat stances.

"Uh-oh god dammit.", Anya tried grabbing her sword, putting it back as her palm was larger than the weapon itself. "Hand to hand it is."

The Shadowers let out their own weapons, ranging from mere swords, to guns to even explosive and laser weapons.

Anya lowered her ears. "Emotional support it is."

"What the hell?! Where did they get provided with this?!", Lass held his ground.

"Nevermind that...how do they know how to use it?!", Yuno merged with Lass.

In the short moment that followed, they were swiftly surrounded by a massive number of enemy forces. Everyone looked around, determined all along the way, not backing down...not like they could if they wished to.

"Lass...", Ikarisa began to stutter.

Lass took a long breath, exhaling right after. "Risa, barrier up!"

Hearing those words Ikarisa, combining her powers with Terna, blasted forward a barrier of impenetrable fortitude. The sudden shout and barrier blast provoked the reaction of the Shadowers, then opening fire with just about every single round of ammunition, explosives included, right on them. The barrier itself showed no signs of failure.

"Hey, that's actually pretty neat!", Anya cheered them on.

"Our powers are going to hold on...but we can't stay here forever!", Terna kept up with Ikarisa.

"I have an idea! Terna, can you do anything to at least knock them back? I can hold the barrier on my own!"

Terna snapped back. "I got it! Risa, can you turn the barrier into a sphere?"

"Huh?"

"Extend the barriers reach bellow ground, making in come full circle, like a hamster ball!"

"A-Alright!", Ikarisa extended her hand downwards. "It should be done!"

"Alright...", Terna stepped back. "This is gonna rock the block!"

Terna pushed her arm back. At the moment of her arm extending backwards, a powerful quake happened, pillars of rocks extending and knocking the surrounding Shadowers down and pushing the hamster like sphere barrier back, repositioning and setting them up for a counter attack.

"Here we go!", Lass dashed forward, morphing his sword into a lance.

"Right behind ya!", Anya followed Lass's lead.

As Terna and Ikarisa caught their breath, Lass and Anya moved forward, pushing back the already distorted Shadower forces.

"Tsk! Hea!", Lass dashed forwards, penetrating a Shadower straight through with his lance and retrieving it, smashing it to bits. "Come on, step it up!", he morphed his sword in his hands, dashing around slashing them down.

Meanwhile, Anya struggled to keep up with her own weapon.

"God...dammit!", she slashed Shadowers down. "This is impossible...". Omni started to shake from the hilt on her waist.

Omni then opened himself and faced Anya.

"Sorry for the trouble master, and breaking the promise, but this will help!", it flipped through its pages.

"Huh?", Anya looked at her glowing weapon.

Anya's chainsaw blade then began to rapidly gain more and more mass, becoming a larger version of its original self.

"Not a bother!", Omni got back into her hilt.

Anya then promptly grabbed her now claymore looking weapon back.

"Finally...hey you!", she provoked a nearby Shadower, it rushing at her. "Haaaya!"

Anya put all her weight behind a powerful slash extending from downwards to over her head, cutting the Shadower clean through the middle.

"Damn! Awesome...but does that mean...hey! You too there! Come at me!", she taunted another Shadower, it following after her taunt.

Lass was at the side, hoarding up Shadowers and preparing them for on fell swoop.

"D-Dammit! I-I think I overdid it!", he held back a pile of Shadowers at a defensive stance.

"Not a worry, big guy! If my suspicion is correct...hea!", she disarmed the Shadower in front of her, grabbing its arm. "Take this!"

Anya hurdled the entire body of the Shadower to such speed, it drove a clean hole through Lass's overwhelming pile of Shadowers, letting him take a breath.

"Hell yeah! Strength is increased as well!", Anya smiled, cutting down Shadowers nearby her. "I love this furry form! Let me at 'em!", she recklessly jumped into a hoard of Shadowers.

"Mutt!", Lass regained his stance. "Wait up!"

Without realizing, a Shadower jumped behind Lass, moments away from driving a sword through his chest...however...

Yuno merged out of Lass, summoning a sword similar to Lass's and following with a clean forward slash. "Seya!"

The monster was neatly cut in half from the waist, swiftly ending its life.

"Shouldn't underestimate the one who has everything you do.", Yuno smugged at Lass. "What the-"

Lass dashed straight at Yuno with hostile intend, forcing Yuno to put his defensive stance up. "Hea!", he dashed behind Yuno, cutting down a Shadower about to hit him. "Touché.", Lass smugged back.

Yet another Shadower popped behind Lass's back, it being pinned to the ground by falling swords, killing it instantly.

Ikarisa raised her eyebrow. "Seriously you two?"

"I mean...sorry.", Yuno said.

"Still a long way to go everyone!", Terna raised everyone's morale by letting out a beautiful aria.

Lass jolted back. "Wait, mutt!"

Anya had found herself into a tight spot, being surrounded by Shadower numbers again when she threw herself in.

"Still hanging fine! Haah!", she spun around, cutting multiple Shadowers down.

A big Shadower then raised his weapon, preparing to descend it on Anya.

"Tight one!", Anya took her defensive stance.

"Mutt!", Lass dashed towards her.

Before Lass was able to get to Anya, the Shadower had descended its weapon onto her, her clenching and preparing for the impact.

"Here it is...eh?", Anya easily blocked the coming slash. "What the hell was that? So weak...eh?!"

Looking up at the Shadowers head, a huge two sided battle axe was driven between its eyes...

"Wait...what?", Lass stuttered.

From the distance, a voice could be heard closing in.

"How many times do I have to teach you pieces of shit to pipe down!", the voice closed in.

A short girl appeared before them, jumping on the Shadowers back and grabbing the axe from its head. She then summersaulted forwards, cutting down multiple enemies along the way.

"Can't take a shit without you bastards getting an interest!", she kept mowing enemies down, each slash more brutal than the last. "Have to do this every day and you won't even f-[REDACTED], coming straight for my ass, you motherf[REDACTED] for the love of [REDACTED] I'm gonna make sure to [REDACTED]."

The girl kept on vulgarly insulting every single one of the Shadowers as she mowed their numbers to a total of zero, crushing their bodies, breaking the ground and destroying everything around her.

She finished the last Shadower off by slamming her axe on its head, creating a crater around it and shaking the ground. "Remember that! And next time you might as well suck my [REDACTED] you piece of shit!", she dusted her arms off.

"Wow...holy shit.", Lass said with a straight face.

"Yea no kidding.", Yuno said with a straight face.

Anya gave the girl a the girl a thumbs up. "Hey, thanks!"

The girl slowly turned around to face the team. She had a bruised looking armor on her body, no horns on her head as it was traditional by demons and having a tail obviously larger than what most would see for. Her weapon, though bruised with the tainting of battle, gave off a simmering glow, as if it was eager for more.

"Hmm? Who the [REDACTED] are you? Wait...how many of you are here?", the girl said.

"Well my name is Ikarisa and-", Ikarisa got stopped by the girl.

"Nah, stop, I just reminded myself of a critical piece of information: I don't give a shit.", She grabbed her axe, striking a sassy pose. "What kind of second hand smoke, suicidal dumbasses are you all, that you decided to come here?"

"Well we ran out of supplies so-", Terna got stopped by the girl.

"You kidding me? Look around you. Does this look like a supply line is up for you? You can see that we're [REDACTED] from the watchtowers in Reingard.", she scoffed. "Tsk. Not that they would give a shit for assisting."

"Hey! Cut the shit! We are obviously trying to be friendly, what's wrong with that?!", Lass approached the girl.

Everyone went dead silent, looking at Lass approaching the girl. As soon as Lass was at striking range, the girl went in for an uppercut. Her little but powerful fist was grabbed by and stopped by Lass, holding her mid air, her still in her striking stance.

"Two words: anger management.", Lass let her go.

"Huh. For an outsider, your balls may actually be bigger than your tiny head. You know I could've been off with your head with you doing that, right?"

"I doubt it.", Lass folded his hands.

"What a senseless meat bag. I'll kick your ass-", the girl was stopped by Ikarisa, before she went in again by raising up her sleeve.

"Hey! We just wanted some food...that's it! When we saw that there was such a huge destruction going on, we still came here, simply because we wanted to help! So please, let him go!"

"'Let me see…ah yeah.”, the girl checked out Ikarisa, “The shy type, I suppose. Fine. Treat your girlfriend nice 'Lass'. She just saved your ass from not being able to sit for a week."

Lass blushed, "She is not, my girlfriend."

"Doubt.", Anya whispered.

"Who's side are you on?!", Lass gave an angry look at Anya.

The girl waved her arm. "Meh, meh. Don't have time to mingle with your teenage drama bullshit. I've got a city to restore."

"And we can help you! We just need to know a little more to do so!", Terna pleaded.

"Why should I tell you a thing then?"

"Because if this is 'your' city, we at least deserve to have some intel as to why we got attacked as soon as we came in?!", Yuno yelled.

"My ass. You knew you were in for a battle from looking at it from a distance."

"Look around you! We were expecting a battle! Not...this!", Lass spread his arms, emphasizing the bodies around him.

The girl had a long sigh. "[REDACTED] it. Tiki. Tiki Dremona. That's my name. And as for what happened in Corosta...it's a long story. For now, follow me back to the safe house. Out here, we are begging for a beating. I'll explain everything along the way. Hurry."

The girl took the lead and walked forward, having everyone follow behind her. Their curiosity kept getting higher and higher, as they were all hanging from her lips for a word as to what had happened to lead to these horrific events...