The Bounty Hunter

April 1st, 2090

Irene’s POV

“Kiss my ass!”  I bellowed as I shot down yet another enemy fighter.  It was pure anarchy up in this stormy sky, with drones everywhere and one annoying storm demon doing its best to shoot me down.  I yanked on the joystick, performing a barrel roll to evade yet another barrage of lightning from Sparky as I chased him amongst the grey clouds.  “Die, die, die, die!”  The twitchy fuck shouted as it blasted away JASDF planes that got in its way.  I quickly optimized the plane’s turning radius, forcing it to flip in midair at an impossible angle.  I then switched the optimization to the missile guidance systems, unleashing my last salvo at Sparky as he approached.  4 missiles flew out, 2 of them being blown apart instantly by Sparky.  He tried to frantically outrun the remaining two missiles, but to no avail.  With an unnatural tenacity the missiles hunted him down, exploding with a large bang.

“Tengu-1, please respond, over.”  The radio in the cockpit went off yet again with hails from my fellow pilots.  Thankfully I was flying a JASDF plane, meaning that I didn’t have to worry about getting shot at by the very people I was trying to help.  They have been trying to get in contact with me ever since I took to the air, but until now I have ignored them.  The losers will just get in my way.

I looked to where Sparky had been hit, noting that the demon was very much alive although injured.  The storm clouds that had been surrounding the area started getting sucked into the lightning based demon, indicating that I had managed to really piss him off.  Good.  I used the 120 mm gatling gun on my plane to decimate the few flying lesser demons who foolishly thought they could contribute in the air.  With my intervention, the JASDF has managed to push back the enemy.  “I, I, I, I hate, hate, hate, hate, you, you, you, you!!!!!!”  Sparky bellowed as a massive surge of electricity danced across the sky.  I barely managed to optimize my plane’s electrical insulation in time to avoid being annihilated like both the Chinese Air Force and the JASDF.  Fuck.  It’s just me and Sparky now in the empty night sky.

Overclocking protocol engaged.  Full optimization initiated.  Warning:  overusage can lead to irreversible damage, would you like to proceed?  Confirmed, loading protocol… loading… loading… Overclocking protocol in effect.  I felt my mana pump go into overdrive as I activated my ace in the hole.  Overclocking allows me to optimize everything at the same time.  It’s a super power up that I can use for a limited time only.  The plane itself was altering under the Overclocking protocol, becoming sleeker and more deadly in an instant.  The engines roared at full strength as I proceeded with my deathmatch with Sparky.  He zigzagged across the sky at full-speed as I tailed him closely.  I endured his occasional potshot as he tried to get behind me.  I banked sharply, getting a chance to shoot at him with my optimized gun.  He hissed in pain as he was hit, the injury leaking out dark grey cloud instead of blood.

An incredible surge of mana drew my attention momentarily to where Minato was fighting with Dante.  The Chinese ground forces had fully entered the city along with the rest of Pandemonium, meaning that Minato was getting besieged on all fronts.  He looks like he could use back-up.  I should finish things up here.

Terra’s POV

“Try to keep up darling, it’s no fun if you don’t resist!”  Dante taunted me as I continued my frantic dive from cover to cover.  The Chinese Ground Forces and the rest of Pandemonium have entered the city, causing the situation to get complicated.  Hikari has indicated that she’s been pinned down by the back-up, while Rin and Veronica are facing heavy mechs in addition to Cerberus and Ibaraki-doji.  Kira has also been put on the back foot by snipers who are trying to take her out while she’s avoiding the berserk Susan.  Were it not for her cat-kin intuition she’d have died already.

Simply put, we’re at a severe number disadvantage.  Irene and Sparky’s battle has cleared the sky of air support, but that means nothing at the moment.  The JSDF has managed to break through the Chinese lines, and they’re inbound to Tokyo.  ETA is unknown however, meaning that it is me and the girls against all of Pandemonium and China.  I myself am currently forced to be on the defensive as the plasma cannon tanks are firing at me.  Dante’s been content to just sit back and remotely possess incoming soldiers to harass me with.

“I call upon the endless hunger of the inferno.  Devour everything, consume all, leave nothing but ash behind!”  My inferno spell destroyed a pair of plasma cannon tanks, causing their ammo to splatter everywhere.  The splash damage destroyed a heavy machine gun encampment as well as a lesser demon that was trying to curse me with blood magic.  Dante’s possessed soldiers charged at me with a feral look on their face, forcing me into close combat as more reinforcements arrived.  I ducked beneath one punch, countering with a kick that sent the man flying through a concrete wall.  I grabbed the outstretched leg of another soldier, using him a club to bludgeon the surrounding attackers.

I barely had the time to throw up a barrier as Dante sent a destruction spell with his was-sceptre my way.  That delayed me long enough to be surrounded by more troops.  “You know, darling, you’re doomed if you keep this up.  There’s no way you can defeat me and the combined might of Pandemonium and a Council of Nine member.”  Dante commented as I finished tearing through the latest batch of cannon fodder.  I flew into the sky to gain a brief reprieve, dodging a large salvo of energy weapon fire and Dante’s was-sceptre.

I looked around to see Tokyo in complete disarray.  There was an inexplicable surge of holy power nearby, but I don’t have the time to investigate.  Given that it was of holy origin I know that it can’t be on Pandemonium’s side.  That’s enough for me at the moment.  Downtown was trashed, bodies were lying everywhere, and death permeated the very air.  Hundreds of thousands of people must have died already, if not a million.  I sighed in regret at the thought. 

I took out the crystal I had made during the time I went berserk and channeled its energy for a ritual that should help turn the tide. 

First though, I unleashed a massive concussive blast that leveled the surroundings and scattered the anti-air emplacements that were shooting at me.  Even Dante was pushed back, giving me the time I needed to do this.  His plan so far was well-thought out and executed perfectly.  The JSDF was caught off-guard, along with myself and the rest of the world.  He knew that I would protect my home no matter what, placing me in a situation where I could be overwhelmed by his army’s might.  And once I’ve been taken care of, it would be a simple matter to conquer the rest of the world.

But he has made a critical mistake, one that will allow me to overcome him.  I placed myself upon an appropriate intersection of leylines, allowing me to channel the mana in the earth.  I crushed the crystal, using its energy to project my voice and my magic across the city and the country itself.  Every Japanese soldier and resident with the will to fight against the invaders heard my words:

“O citizens of Japan, our homeland is burning, beset by the forces of darkness and our ancient foe.  We must stand united to turn the tide.  For the sake of our loved ones, for the sake of vengeance, for the sake of our honor, for the sake of our duty to protect this land.  Darkness shall never reign here, for this is the Land of the Rising Sun.”

And true to my words, a glorious golden sun appeared in the night sky, eclipsing the stars and the moon as it shone across all of Japan.  There was a sarcastic clapping as Dante floated up to my position in the sky.  “Whoopty fucking doo.  That was a lovely speech darling, but there’s no one alive around here to hear it.”  He mocked as he indicated the many corpses surrounding us.  Dante was unprepared when I smiled at his taunt, looking borderline angelic with the golden sun at my back.  “Who said I was talking to the living?”  I replied.

Across Tokyo and the country of Japan, the dead started to rise in the light of the golden sun.