The Bounty Hunter

April 1st, 2090

Terra’s POV

There was a veritable wall of enemy aircraft between me and Tokyo Tower.  The Chinese had deployed their drones in full force, ranging from large bomber types to the small “swarm” fighter drones that ran on the old supercomputer technology.  It’s to be expected that a Council of Nine member has lost technology, but it means that the JSDF is at a technological disadvantage.  That’s to add to their numbers disadvantage and the fact that they were completely ambushed by the invasion.  There are no ground troops yet, but if Dante is going all in on this then those troops will be coming.  I don’t know how he managed to possess or manipulate an entire country, but it doesn’t matter.

“May the hate between metals surge forth!  Scatter in repulsion!”  I chanted, creating a huge magnetic field that flung the drone armada apart.  They hit their fellow aircraft, causing a series of scattered explosions as their payloads automatically detonated to prevent the technology from being leaked upon crashing.  I shot forward through this clear corridor to arrive before Dante.  He was still balancing on the tip of the spire on top of Tokyo Tower, with the fat imp Jumbo operating the camera.

“Yes, that’s it.  Start off with a wide-angle shot before zooming in for the close-up.”  Dante was directing Jumbo before turning to face me.  “Hello, darling!  What do ya think?”  Dante asked, indicating the chaos surrounding us.  The sky was a complete battlefield, everyone in the downtown area was fleeing for their life, and I could see troop transports on the ground and in the sky approaching the city.  I focused my vision, and saw the rest of Dante’s demon cohort among them.  Looks like this first wave was just Dante, his lieutenants, and the Chinese Air Force.  Fuck, things are already awful and they’re just going to get worse.  Let’s not waste anymore time then.

I launched an invisible hex that screeched through the air towards Jumbo, but before it could connect, Dante punted him away.  “WHYYYYYY!????”  Jumbo screeched as he flew into the distance.  “Go get some action shots around the city!  And lead the second wave once they set-up!”  Dante called after him.  He was seemingly indifferent to my follow-up curse, letting it strike him.  His suit dissipated under the intensity of my curse, falling away to reveal the same strange dark coat he wore the last time we met.

“You like?”  Dante said, doing a pirouette in midair to show off his relic.  “It belonged to Rostam, he was kinda a big thing back in the Middle East.  It has breathtaking defensive properties.”  My response was to bring out my Wristbreakers and start shooting for his head.  Dante twirled his was-sceptre, conjuring a gale that blew away my bullets along with me.  I was sent tumbling in the sky, ramming into a fighter jet as it flew by.  I was unaffected by the subsequent explosion as I tore through the steel construct.

I quickly righted myself after the collision, scanning the sky for Dante.  “Up here, darling!”  Dante cried out as he came down from above, punching right through the illusory copy I had generated while the explosion had obscured Dante’s vision.  I rocketed from my hiding place horizontally through the sky, intercepting Dante on his vertical descent.  My flying side kick sent him careening through a nearby skyscraper and into the barren wasteland he had created during his earlier demonstration.

Dante teleported from his crater on the ground into the sky far above me, and conjured a massive black fireball.  And by massive, I mean it had a diameter the length of a school bus.  I shudder to think what kind of damage that will cause should it hit the city.  The fucker knows I can’t afford to dodge this.  The black fireball fell towards me like a meteor, and I quickly channeled an old standby to counter it.  “The void is eternal.  Lives end, legacies fade and reality decays to nothingness.  But the void will remain.  Vanish now into its infinite depths!”

I finished the incantation just in time, neutralizing the fireball into nothingness right before it consumed me.  I powered up my defensive barrier, waiting for Dante’s follow-up, but nothing happened.  I scanned the area, finally seeing him standing on the top of a skyscraper a few miles away.  I focused my hearing and the words I heard were not reassuring.  “Niner, niner.  This is the Big D.  Come in, Artillery Corps… Roger that, fire-when-ready.”  He then gave me a cheeky wave before mouthing “Go get ‘em, tiger!”

The whistling of income artillery fire and intercontinental ballistic missiles registered in my ear.  Damn it, Dante’s obviously trying to whittle away my mana reserves by targeting the city!  “Come forth, beast of the sky, howl in defiance of your chains, and unleash your fury!”  The wolf made of condensed wind appeared at my command, snarling at the incoming barrage.  It rushed through the sky, destroying all the projectiles before they could hit the ground.  The cost of my defense was a cheap shot from Dante while I was distracted.  The was-sceptre rammed into my gut, breaking my barrier.  I was flung into the pavement, leaving behind a large furrow as I ploughed a notable distance before stopping.  I stood up, dusting off the gravel and dirt, and glared at Dante as he landed onto the sidewalk nearby.  “I can’t wait to break you, darling.  Just imagining the expressions you’ll make, gets me all fired up!”  Dante said while approaching me casually.

The streets were empty, with the majority of the people dead or gone, leaving just me and Dante.  Several fires had broken out nearby, and the street was tinged red with blood flowing from the many corpses around us.  The chaotic dogfights up in the sky were continuing, and the stormfront was pulsating erratically as Sparky was fighting with Irene.  I reloaded my Wristbreakers, firing as quickly as I could while preparing for close-quarters combat.  Dante was forced to defend, allowing me to close the distance without consequence.  I stored my pistols in my dimensional storage as I launched a punch at Dante.  He parried with his was-sceptre, but its length got in the way as I kept close while I attacked.

My goal right now is to stall Dante while preventing him from getting help from the Chinese or his fellow demons.  Eventually the Japanese Self Defense Force will respond properly and tie down the invaders.  I still have my ace prepared from killing all those Pandemonium associates, but I need to wait until Dante’s lieutenants are occupied fighting the others before using it.  I gritted my teeth and continued my assault as Tokyo was burning around me.  At the very least Reiji and my parents have gotten out of harm’s way.