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Third Gen: Operation: DESCENDANT, Part 13

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Demon Archives: Dracula. One of the favorite Nightmares of Darkrai, he is the Lord of Vampires, given his own castle in the Underworld and granted as much status as a high-ranked Demon Lord. He is noteworthy for falling in love with multiple women and having children or descendants with each of them. He spends lots of time in Underworld Prison for crimes against the Mortal and Spirit Worlds.

Part 13: Rango of the Dead


Yesterday


Because there was little demon activity in Singapore, Sector SG had flown to Miracle City, Mexico to help with an overabundance of demons. It was the town where their teammate, Rango was born after all, even though his parents spent most of their time in the North American deserts. The four friends divided to cover different parts of town, but it was only then they realized the trap. Kirika was trapped in a mass of black tar, which dragged her all the way to a large Gap that enveloped the town square. Shirabe was determined to rescue her friend, but she also wound up dragged into the abyss.

Rango and Serena dove into the Gap and landed in a realm of black and gray inhabited by sombrero-wearing skeletons. They blended into the environment well except for their green facial features and macabre designs. Rango’s poisonbending and Serena’s Music worked in tandem to cross the desolate valley, fighting skeletal bulls and other Mexican monsters. They suspected their friends had been dragged to the decrepit castle in the center of the valley.

“You know, this place looks like a fairytale my papá showed me once: the Land of the Forgotten.” Rango explained. “It’s where souls come to after they’ve been forgotten by everyone in life.”

“Well, that’s not entirely true.” A voice spoke. The two looked up at a skinny, stone throne, a pair of black wings stretched from behind it. “First, this is Mexico’s Underworld, ergo only Mexicans wind up here.” The owner of the wings molded through the throne. “After which, they receive the same judgment as every other fallen soul: either they’ll pass to the Spirit World or have to remain here. And if it’s the latter, I transform them into these Blanks.” They studied the indistinct skeletons around them.

“Then I guess you’re the boss of this place.” Serena said. “Are you one of Diablo’s minions?”

“Absolutely not! I am Saint Xibalba and I’ve got my own plans for this Day of Demons.” He dove to their lower floor and splashed into a black puddle before reforming himself. “I organized that attack up above specifically to lure you here… my great-great grandson.”

“Grandson?!” Rango gasped. “I… Dad never told me we were related to someone like you!”

“Xibibibibi!” the demon laughed. “I guess his grandmother never told him. A shame, really… but it matters not. I’ve lured you here for a little test.”

“Where are Shirabe and Kirika?!” Serena demanded.

Xibalba lunged at the kids, who tried to split up in evasion, but he stretched his tar to bring them back together before slapping them both. Afterwards, he flapped away. “W-Where…whuh…wait, Rango, what are we doing here?”

“I-I feel like… we’re getting something important. …But whatever it is, I bet this creep is behind it!”

“Xibibibi! The test has begun.” Xibalba’s red-pupiled eyes, and the green features of the Blanks, glimmered eerily in the darkness. “I’ve captured some friends of yours and hid them amongst these Blanks. Can you find the correct ones?”

“What?! Which friends did you capture?!” Serena demanded.

“That’s up to you to remember. Even they don’t remember their selves… and soon, neither will you.”

Xibalba could melt into a puddle that enveloped the whole room, limiting their movement to platforms while attempting to splash them off. He could also mold arrows and whips, but Rango could redirect his attacks with his own poisonbending. “So, you and I share an element.” But this knowledge wouldn’t be enough to promise a victory: Xibalba was a Logia. A Logia bender could transform into their element and be invincible to most attacks. Unfortunately, neither of them had Haki or an opposing element, so all they could do was evade the demon’s attacks.

“Hey, do any of you recognize us?!” Serena yelled at the skeletons. “Give us a sign or something!”

“Maybe the ones we’re looking for have something different!” Rango said.

“Their minds have been wiped!” Xibalba contradicted. “And there’s no way to tell them apart! Is this really the limit of your friendship?!” He morphed into a wave of tar and washed at them, the two running as Rango tried to bend the poison away from them.

“Serena, I have one more idea! There’s a song the Riveras always sing at Día
de los Muertos! Remember meeee! Though I have to say goodbye, Remember meeee! Don’t let it make you cry!”

Once Serena got the hang of the lyrics, she sang them in unison, conjuring a Song Road to keep them elevated above the tar. “For even if I’m far away, I hold you in my heart… I sing a secret to you each night we are apart…!” And as the song kicked into gear, the notes swimming in the air, it came back to them: “SHIRABE! KIRIKA!”

“Huh?! I-I remember now! Shirabe, Kirika, where are you?!”

“Impressive.” Xibalba knew musicbending could nullify supernatural ailments, but this song would be especially effective against his Forgetful power. The eyes of his Blanks seemed to turn neon from the Music Chi. “But it won’t save you from this!” Xibalba turned into a cannon and fired explosive bubbles around the air, forcing the two to drop to the ground. Xibalba landed, reshaped back to normal, and threw another slap across both kids.

“Ow! …Rango, were we singing something? What’re all these notes doing?” The notes faded when the song stopped.

“I don’t remember… Serena, I think this guy can wipe memories! OW!” Xibalba punched him. “Did I say something?”

“So, you really CAN wipe memories!” Serena deduced. “OW!” Xibalba slapped her.

“What?! He can wipe memories—ow!”

“He can wipe memories—ow!”

“He can wipe memories—ow!”

“Xibibibi! I love doing that! Alright then.” The demon ensnared the two in his tar and began to drag them in. Even Rango couldn’t bend the demon’s poison tar directly, and Serena’s mouth was muffled, both helpless as they drowned in his being. “AGH!” A scythe sliced him in half, followed by two large yo-yos flying and whacking the two out of his tar. Xibalba reformed and glared at the Blanks responsible.

“L…leave our…” The scythe-wielding Blank weakly reached to grab its skull, “friends alone!” ripping it off as Kirika’s visage regained form.

“S…Serena…Rango!” The other Blank used its yo-yos to break its skull, exposing Shirabe’s face. “Uck! Disgusting!”

“You’re okay…” Serena sighed in relief.

“Just in time for this guy to kill us.” Rango remarked.

“I don’t think we’ll be having that.” A feminine voice replied. “This battle is already over. Don’t you agree, Xibalba?”

“Yes, I suppose so, La Muerte.”

The four were awed as a trail of orange petals drifted down, adding color and life to the bleak domain. The flowers shaped and became a gorgeous white woman in a red dress and sombrero with candles around the edges. “Have some pieces of me, children.” Muerte ripped off parts of her skin. “They’ll restore any missing memories.”

“Ew, no way!” Shirabe cringed. “…KIRIKA?!” Her friend ate the skin piece without hesitation.

“Mmmmm! It tastes like sugar candy!”

“Wow, it does!” Serena smiled. “It tastes amazing!”

“Come on, Shirabe, eat some!” Kirika offered her a piece. Shirabe puffed her cheeks and ate it.

“Sooooo… what’s all this about?” Rango asked.

“La Muerte here is my wife.” Xibalba answered. “And we made a bet to test the strength of your bonds. I said you wouldn’t be able to find your friends, but she said you would remember each other even if you forgot.”

“Memories of the mind may be lost,” Muerte said, “but the heart always remembers.”

“Pretty sure the musicbending played a part though.” Serena figured.

“And you just decided to pick us for this little bet?” Shirabe asked angrily.

“You picked us because… I’m your great-great grandson?” Rango wondered.

“Not by blood.” Muerte answered. “We found your great-grandma, Sartana abandoned and decided to raise her as our own.”

“Sartana? Does that mean you’re the ones who gave her and Dad their undead powers?”

“No, that was Lucifer.” Xibalba answered. “He knew about her relationship with us and made that deal with them out of spite for us. But we thought it was about time to reconnect with the family.”

“It does our hearts well that Sartana could bring such great children to the world. And what wonderful friends you have…”

“Hehe, you’re not so bad, Sugar Granny!” Kirika smiled.

“Wait, you said you made a bet on us.” Serena remembered. “What were you wagering?”

“The wager wasn’t for us, per se.” Xibalba said. “It was for you.” The demon scooped up some green ooze from his body, while Muerte pulled out an apple from her dress. Xibalba coated the apple with his green, shaping into a skull. The kids were in curiosity and disgust as they presented it to Rango. “We know of the invasion taking place in the Land of Living. Perhaps this gift will give you an edge over those demons. It will awaken the best of your bending… and most importantly, it won’t stain your clothes. Only use it when you need to.”

Rango took the apple, repulsed by its rotting smell. Regardless, he stashed it in his pocket. “Alright… I’ll consider it!”

Present; Chaos Sanctuary

Sector V entered a wide, circular chamber where large stereos lined the walls. “Oh, I know where THIS is goin’!” Christina said, already throwing fireballs to burn some stereos. “Hurry and destroy these things!”

“Aye-aye!” Jason rushed the opposite direction and began destroying his own stereos-

“Talk about poopin’ a party before it starts!” Alastor dropped from the ceiling, nearly stabbing Christina before Isabelle dashed and pulled her aside. “Or maybe you just wanna cut to the GOOD part!” The kids clamped their ears as the stereos ruptured with soundwaves. The kids quickly popped in earplugs and resumed destroying the stereos, all while Rango bombarded Alastor with Gas Bombs and Isabelle with Music Notes.

“We came ready for you this time!” Isabelle declared. “And we’re not gonna let you run away!”

“Won’t you really though?” Alastor shrugged, poofing away from their onslaught. “’Cause what I predict is only a couple of you are gonna stay to fight while the rest go off to challenge the big man. I mean, you seem to be missing a few numbers, so that’s just my guess.”

“He isn’t wrong…” Silica replied.

“You should know you’re already too late. Diablo already finished absorbing your father’s power just 10 minutes ago. He’s dead as a mummy now! And if I kill you, Chrissie-poo, the rest of Malladus’s essence will go straight to him! …Or would it go to one of the other Unos? That’s something we didn’t consider. Ah ha, oh well, that shouldn’t be a problem! I’d bet my cane your cousins are in this palace right now. We’ll wipe them out in time!”

“Over our figurative dead bodies!” Christina stomped.

“What is your deal, anyway?” Isabelle asked. “What did you do to become one of Diablo’s friends, anyway?”

“Friends? Now, that’s a word not many demons abide by. All Diablo wanted were subjects. Good ones, at least. He sent the memo to every evil Demon Lord, hoping to boost the numbers and do everything possible to hold back the Angels, as well as you Kids Next Door. We learned about Dracula’s little plan way before Halloween and wanted to see how he’d perform. If he did a good job cuttin’ you kids down to size, we would’ve invited him to our entourage… but all we learned was that you kids weren’t to be trifled with. That’s why Diablo was desperate for allies, hiring cheap spirits like Ernesto or that Gerudo chick, even trusting a newbie like King. Every other Demon Lord but us doubted Diablo’s potential and declined his summons, but now that half of Malladus was in his grasp, some have had a change in heart. Not because they really respect Diablo, but because they wanna crush the Unos, AND you brats, as much as he does.”

“So, he’s going all-out on resources to make sure he succeeds.” Rango said. “Sure gonna be sad when we tear up his party.”

“But we’ll tear up your party first.” Isabelle decided, standing firmly beside the Spanish cowboy. “You up for a team-up, Cous?”

“Gladly! Only fair I get to tango with a fellow Rivera.”

“Huh? You two are cousins?” Christina asked.

“Uh…yeah?” Isabelle cocked a brow. “Our fathers are cousins, so we’re cousins. I’m sure I told you at least a couple times…”

“Her attention span is about as vast as Silica’s sometimes.” Laruta remarked.

“Hmmmnn.” Silica snorted.

“Haha!” Jason snickered. “Orright, this battle’s on you two! I’m countin’ on ya, first mate!”

“You got it, Captain!”

“I don’t know about this…” Laruta said.

“Hey, didja see that stuff she was doin’ in training?” Ralph asked. “I think she’s got this.”

“Besides, we really gotta get movin’.” Christina said, rushing ahead. “Good luck, Bella!”

The Shandian shared one last nod as her teammates hurried down the next path. “Leaving you all alone with a vicious Demon Lord, such confidence!” Alastor chortled. “Alright then! Let’s see if Diablo was right to be afraid of you kids…” (Play “Chasing a Dream” from Rayman Origins!)


Boss fight: Alastor

With Isabelle’s music to give him protection and adrenaline, Rango popped an array of bullets at the demon. Alastor poofed after the first few rounds, Isabelle listening for his positions. She thought she heard him appear behind, but she trusted her sixth sense and dashed leftward, dodging Alastor’s aerial ambush and strumming a Song Beam at him. Alastor resumed rapid teleports and shouted soundwaves from random directions. “I am one with the colors of the wiiiiind!” Isabelle dashed around the room in evasion, her vocals conjuring colorful copies of herself.

Looks like someone’s been fine tuning her musicbending!” Rango joked. Isabelle smirked at him in acknowledgement: a most noteworthy aspect of musicbending was conjuring illusions. Just as how Disney musicals used a lot of surreal imagery, musicbenders could do the same. Of course, since Isabelle had no good idea for a musical or lyrics, she couldn’t produce substantial illusions, but one after the other, her clones would jump Alastor from behind, kick him off his feet, and the last would shove him into the air so Rango could land shots off him. Upon landing, Alastor pierced a claw through the ground, erecting shadows with stereos in their chests and matching his maniacal grin. Repeating her “colors of the wind” vocals, Isabelle produced more illusions to combat the Shadastors, but they were easily dispersed by the demon’s clones. Two of them grabbed Isabelle by her neck and wings, but Rango slid by on his skateboard and popped them both in the nose with gaseous bullets. He grabbed Isabelle on his board and glid from their grasp.

The chamber filled with smoke as Alastor hid amongst his clones, silhouetted in the mist. Rango stirred and spread out a spiral of gas, much to Isabelle’s disgust, but it helped clear the smoke away. Once the real Alastor was made clear, Isabelle cast the notes she had built up from her graceful dancing and pummeled him. Rango followed up by cupping hands around his mouth and belching a focused, condensed Gas Bomb. Alastor willed numerous stereos to poof around the room, Isabelle quickly strumming up some sound defense against the deafening soundwaves. “SQUASH your enemies!” Isabelle sang, stomping her foot as a giant energy foot smashed one of the stereos. “SQUASH your enemies! Trample all over them, cha! Cha! Cha! My mom taught me that one!”

“I’ll bet she did!” Once Alastor revealed himself and tried to whack the duo, Rango pulled Bella onto his skateboard, shooting back at the demon. In this position, Isabelle used her hands to perform the smashing motion. Alastor surprised by slashing a soundwave along their course, Rango immediately halting the board as both jumped back—Alastor poofed behind and bashed them away with his scepter. Both recovered and fled from another round of Shadow Clones. “Arrows, fly swift and truuuue!” Isabelle loaded single arrows on her bow, but her vocals took the shape of colorful arrows, allowing her to pierce the fakes with ease.

“Don’t think I can’t do that, tooooo!” Alastor pulled a string on his scepter, loading with Bad Notes bearing his grin. Though Isabelle dodged some, she was bit by some of the notes, quickly strumming up her own notes to destroy them. Rango, meanwhile, drew a 4x4 missile launcher loaded with soda bottles. He applied bending to the sodas and made them corrosive, launching them at Alastor with intense bursts. The outbursts were not only somewhat painful, but the sticky sodas soiled Alastor’s sleek attire, halting his teleporting as both kids riddled him with their projectiles. Knowing he needed a change in wardrobe, Alastor poofed and swapped his uniform with a black color scheme, including a top-hat.

Isabelle tried to crush him with giant illusory hands and feet, but though the first few were effective, he applied a similar technique with his own vocals, intercepting the body parts with his own. “You may have some nifty new tricks, but we’re still the same element. You only seem just a little more strong than last time. Anything you can do, I can do better.”

“Then it’s time to step up my game, too.” Rango declared, drawing the poison apple. “Time to find out what you do!” Isabelle with anxious and Alastor curious as the cowboy munched the ooze-coated fruit. “UUUUUCK!” No sooner did Rango collapse, his organs failing as he lay dead on the floor.

“IT WAS REALLY JUST A POISON APPLE?!” Isabelle screamed. “DID YOU GET TOTALLY SCAMMED?!”

“Don’t count down to your doom just yet, angel.” Alastor smirked. “I smell something rotten and it ain’t dying kid.”

A cloud of smog surrounded Rango as the flesh seemed to melt off him. The boy rose with the decorative skull of a skeleton, his guns assuming a more boney aesthetic. The blackish-green, gaseous aura burned around him as he cast a rotten wave of gas at Alastor. The demon poofed several yards to the left, shooting soundwaves, but Isabelle would negate them as Rango shot Gas Bullets, stinging Alastor with an acidic sensation. The wave of gas flowed toward him and became toxic skulls, gnashing him with horrific pain. Growling, Alastor tried to poof out of the smog, but Isabelle, listening for his sound, would guide Rango in quickly redirecting the gas. She herself dashed and sang up clones, her “Colors of the Wind” dashing to ram Alastor with either kicks or headbutts.

“Rango, I think you’re in some kind of Fury Mode!” Isabelle said. “That means you’re the second operative to do it!”

“Is this what… happened to my parents?” Rango wondered. “Am I… undead now?”

“Is it me or am I catching a whiff of Saint Xibalba?” Alastor mustered a large sum of Sound Chi, a giant piano rising from the ground as they were lifted onto the keys. The Radio Demon projected enormous arms with clawed fingers, beginning to play a melody with ease across the keys. Though the duo managed to dodge his fingers, spiked notes would erect across the keys that he tapped. Isabelle just barely survived on an untouched key, while Rango wasn’t even harmed as a note punctured his undead chest. They couldn’t even safely jump off the piano as Bad Notes littered the floor.

“There’s an aspect of musicbending you’re forgetting, Alastor!” Isabelle began to tap-dance along the keys, her bending creating a pair of giant legs that mimicked her motion. “Your notes can be turned against you!” Her toes tapped the same keys as Alastor, negating the Bad Notes within them.

“I guess your mom also taught you this dance?” Rango asked, wanting to dodge the toes just as much as the claws.

“What’s your point?” Isabelle danced enough to convert all the keys into a rainbow alignment, with the help of Rango bending gas to distract Alastor’s performance. Afterwards, the keys opened to unleashed a storm of notes, encircling and pummeling Alastor from every direction. Rango took advantage of his weakness and belched Gas Bombs in the shape of skulls, much more toxic and painful than from his living body.

Despite this volley of attacks, Alastor endured and built up power for his next super-sized instrument! The kids were uplifted on a giant, classic record player, Alastor’s finger acting as the needle. Isabelle dashed from the needle as the record spun, while Rango relied on his gas-powered skateboard. Bad Notes flowed out of the horn above them, the two needing to sidestep as they landed along the spinning record. “Hey, Bella, think I can be part of your performance?”

“Why?”

“Just think this party could use a little rap!” Isabelle jumped on his board bent her notes around Rango’s arms. A giant, illusory, skeletal hand began to play the record like a DJ, converting the Bad Notes into colorful ones as the hand brushed them. The other hand would brush the open air as a second record appeared, but Alastor projected another claw to fight for control of it. The two engaged in an on-the-spot rap battle; Isabelle had a hard time keeping up her rhythm under the cringey lyrics. Regardless, the battle seemed to end with Alastor’s illusory arms being wrapped up like a bow, allowing Isabelle to finally turn a storm of his converted notes back against him.

By the time the notes were clear, terror filled them as Alastor’s limbs compressed into skinny forms while his fingers extended. Pitch-black antlers grew from his head and his eyes turned into radio dials. A more horrific storm of Bad Notes swarmed the kids, and Isabelle was unable to counter them as they shredded her dress and skin. “SorRY, kidDOS, but THESE notes COME in ALL kinds OF frequencies!” Alastor hinted at his eyes, the dials constantly changing. “You NEED some MORE variety IN THAT LITtle HARP!”

“Bella!” Rango swept the girl up on his skateboard and evaded the notes. “You alright?!”

“The harp’s still okay.” Isabelle cracked a smile. “So long as my fingers still work, I can fight…”

“I don’t feel too tired either! Let’s hit him with everything we have left!” Rango spun a cloud of gas around them and Isabelle mixed her notes into it. The gas took the shape of a skull-headed rockstar with a cape and sombrero, the gaps in its being shimmering rainbow. The Rotten Rockstar strummed and sung with vigor, sending out a stream of skull-shaped notes. The notes reached Alastor and burned him, but his shadowy antlers stretched into fractals that became Shadow Clones. The clones blocked their notes from reaching, but Rotten Rockstar opened his cloak and released a troupe of skeletal Isabelles: this combined technique was called Colors of the Gas! The skeletons gangpiled on Alastor’s antlers, which couldn’t even puncture the already-undead illusions. With enough weight, the Isabelles snapped the antlers and destroyed the shadows. Rango rolled them forth along with their Rockstar as the creation raised a boot above the Radio Demon. Isabelle and Rango stomped their feet at the same time, silencing the demon’s song at last. (End song.)

Rango kept Isabelle propped as she gasped for breath, backing away from the gas. As it slowly cleared, Alastor, reverted to his base form but with melted clothes, panted, using his cane as a prop. “Friends, I think I can say, with absolute certainty… you kids are real stinkers, ha ha!”

“We’re happy to please.” Rango smirked. “But don’t worry. We’ll make sure Diablo doesn’t have a chance to fire you.”

“Ah, don’t worry about me, kids. Thinkin’ of takin’ the next train outta here, heh… but before I vamoose, I’ll let you in on a little secret. Beneath this castle, there’s a strange, yellow needle lodged into the ground. Diablo has no idea what it is and no one can move it. And one of our cohorts is worried about Christina putting her hands on it.”

“What? Why?” Isabelle asked.

“I’m not sure… She just says not to let Christina get to that needle. Apparently, Aku was pretty worried about it, too. That’s about all I know, really… just thought I’d share it.”

“That’s the problem with demons.” Rango smiled. “Their loyalty is shallow. You oughta learn a thing or two about family… right, Cous?”

“Heh, guess so.” With that, Isabelle cast a few more notes and Rango some bullets. The Radio Demon collapsed, knocked out at last.

“Urk!” Rango felt another odd sensation: flesh and blood returned to his body, the noxious aura subsiding. The feeling of nerves and life came rushing back so suddenly that he collapsed as well, both cousins falling over.

“ISABELLE!” Shimmy screamed, she and Trella riding King into the room. “And that’s the guy from Sector SG!”

“Holy smoke…” King said in awe. “They beat Alastor? All on their own?”

“Y-y…yep.” Isabelle weakly raised a thumbs-up. “Bath, please…”

King hauled them onto his back. “I need to get one of the Angels to get you kids outta here.”

“Not until we make it to Chrissie first!” Shimmy kicked him.

“Your safety’s what should come first. I’m sure the rest of them can hold their own until I get there.”

Mr. King, you told HIM that you were a Titan earlier. What’s that mean? Isabelle translated Trella’s question.

“It’s a little hard to explain, but…” King began as he proceeded down the corridor. “Do you kids know about Planet Mira?”

Outside

Torrelasell forced Elizabeth to re-experienced one of her other deaths: bit by a poisonous snake, the venom spreading to her heart as she struggled to heal herself. Torry crafted a shotgun and aimed it at Lizzy’s head, but just as she pulled the trigger, a mass of black shoved her out of the way and took the shot himself. The bullet blew off a chunk of Xibalba’s right waist. “It’s rude to interrupt someone else’s battle.” Torry scolded.

“You’re the only one interrupting here.” Xibalba molded a bow from his tar body, tipped with black apples of green ooze. A Torry evaded a string of arrows, she saw Elizabeth’s poison vanish.

“Xibalba, you healed me!”

“Eh?” Xibalba noticed it just then. “But I can’t make other people ‘forget’ their wounds. AGH!” Torry threw a cluster of vials over him, wounding Xibalba in several areas, but slapping his hands over the wounds could negate them.

“Xibalba, this demon attacks using her opponent’s or other people’s past wounds!” Lizzy explained. “I think your forgetful power negates it!”

“Then I’ll have to rely on normal attacks.” Torry crafted two miniguns and unloaded them at the two. Xibalba endured the rounds and flew to slash her in the chest. Enraged, Torry grabbed another vial and smashed it against Xibalba, causing his left arm to snap off, but he negated the amputation memory and repaired it. “So, your forgetful power negates my ability.”

“But you just learned that.” Lizzy replied, confused as she rained Light Beams unto the Daemonis.

“When I strike my foes, they forget whatever it is they’re thinking at the time.” Xibalba smirked.

“What annoying trickery!” Torry sneered.

Dabura had abandoned his blue outfit, so the only color he had to worry about was his skin tone, pink. His crown of rainbow flowers helped deter Shunsui’s color wheel from that tone, while Shunsui’s body was nearly transformed into a mass of mud from Dabura’s spitwad power. The Sakura Butterfly groaned in dismay as the wheel was about to land on white. “Dab-dab-dab! Just the white of my underpants?” Dabura chortled. “I can survive this without-?!” But a firework struck the Demon Lord, covering his whole body in white powder. “WHAT?!”

“WHOOPS! Sorry, big guy!” Kodachi taunted. He and Sector JP stood victoriously around Dabura’s defeated minions. “Saw that color trick you were doing and thought I’d pitch in!”

The arrow stopped on white as planned. “DAAAAAB!” The pain grew much worse than Dabura expected.

“Heh heh heh.” Shunsui laughed. “That’s the Shiba Clan for ya… Made messes with their fireworks for centuries. It’s been fun, Dabura. Sayonara.” One last slash reduced the white-coated demon into dark mist. The mud parts of his body returned to normal.

A small weakness with Mictlan’s power is that he couldn’t make multiple gold or red hearts in a row: he was forced to interchange them. After Maya and Zatz KO’ed some of their brainwashed comrades, Mictlan was in need of new slaves, but he first needed to implant his current gold heart into a victim. “’hoy there, cobbers!” All three saw an oblivious raccoon woman in sloppy pirate clothes walk up, carrying a rum bottle. “Mind tellin’ me what all the fuss is about?”

“MA’AM, GET AWAY FROM HIM!” Maya yelled. “He’ll-”

“AGH!” Mictlan shoved the heart into Marine the Raccoon, turning her into a gold statue. “Now, who shall I use this on?” The Warmonger withdrew a red heart. “Perhaps La Muerte. Then she can help me sort things out with Micte. Ah?” He felt a pair of gold hands grab his heads. “AGH!!” Marine swung him overhead and slammed him into the ground.

“She can still move?!” Zatz gasped.

“Ye he he he!” Marine snickered, morphing her body back to normal as she drew a cutlass. “Me Zanpakutō lets me turn things to gold, too! I can turn meself and still move around!”

Mictlan growled and tried to shove the red heart into her, but Marine clasped it along with his hand, morphing the heart to gold as she swung and threw him several meters away. “Maya, that’s Marine the Golden Fist!” Zatz exclaimed. “The pirate who raids Demon Lords’ towns!”

“What are you doing here?”

“Ah just wanted to see what the commotion was, blimey! Although…” She stroked her chin as she faced the palace’s direction. “I’m catchin’ a whiff of familiarity in the air. There wouldn’t be anyone I know nearby, eh?”

“Meddling rodent…” Mictlan stood, charging at the pirate. “I won’t let a mere thief toss me around!”

“Woohoo! Oi loike me a good tussle!” Marine balled her fists with excitement. “Why don’t you blokes stay back and let me take a few swings at this drongo?”

Though the Angels had their concerns, they would soon see that Marine’s fists met Mictlan’s with near-equal impact, in spite of the pirate’s skinner frame. Both Mictlan’s heads gnashed over Marine’s, only for her to barf her ingested gold wine into his throats, disgusting the demon. Mictlan released, allowing Marine to kick him in the stomach, but Mictlan quickly retaliated by bashing her in the head. “I say we give Mictlan a break from us.” Zatz shrugged. “Still have a few of those drugged beasts to take out.”

“I guess you’re right.” Maya spared a smirk of acknowledgement at Marine. It was her first time seeing the known pirate in action, and her strength was both commendable and relatable.

Inner Sanctum

Christina and her remaining teammates followed a candlelit stairwell into the basement of the palace. Her fire and Jason’s light provided extra insurance in a calm descent down the passage. They could feel Diablo’s presence nearing, the epicenter and mastermind of the demon invasion merely a few steps down. Christina wouldn’t even stop for a final breather by the time they reached the ominous doors baring Diablo’s visage. She kicked the chamber open without hesitation… and there, her worst fear was realized.

Her father lay directly past the door, a gaping hole in his chest where dry blood had seeped from. Deep down, the kids anticipated a horrific outcome, but they hadn’t expected it right then. The scent of his decaying form was intoxicating, especially to Laruta’s more sensitive nostrils. “Dad…” Christina was afraid to get closer, afraid to confirm the truth any further. Even if she was already expecting this truth, she realized she wasn’t prepared at all. They were far too late… as if Chris had actually been dead for a week, just as she perceived. The fire in her eyes paled like a dying torch.

“This doesn’t make any sense.”

Christina glanced at Laruta, wondering what she could possibly mean. “Alastor said Diablo finished absorbing him just 10 minutes ago… well, 17 minutes now. His blood couldn’t have dried this quickly. And he wouldn’t have killed him earlier…”

“So…?” Ralph drawled.

“This is a fake! This isn’t your father, Chris!”

“He… b-but…” Normally, that would be a conclusion Christina would blindly try to follow. Laruta wouldn’t be the type to, knowing how smart and snotty she acted…! “Are you serious?!”

“Yes! This can’t be your dad! It’s gotta be a duplicate body or something to mess with us!”

“THAT’S a dirty trick, Diablo!” Jason yelled into the otherwise empty chamber, stomping forth in a rage. “Where are ya?! Show yourself, you-!” He crashed into an invisible wall… actually, it was a cardboard backdrop, falling backward to reveal the backstage of a movie studio.

“UUUuuuhhh…” The kids could do little but gawk.

“OH. CUT. Awful. Bad shot, babe.” A three-eyed, ghoulish demon with a ghostly tail sat up from his director’s chair. “Your makeup didn’t sell at all. ’Guess this Redead is about to be… REDEAD.”

“YAAAAAWWWWNNN…” The Redead disguised as Chris moaned loudly as his jeans caught fire.

“You BASTARD!” Christina growled, flare returning to her irises. “Who are you to pull a trick like that?!”

“Call me the Sixth Pillar, kiddo. I’m Belial-lial, Pants on Fial.”

“That rhyme doesn’t make sense!” Laruta yelled.

“My tongue gets twisted, babe. Around me, any liar gets their pants on fire. ’Course, we gotta call them out on it first, but if the other party believes in a lie, they become liars their selves, and it gets reversed. That’s the truth of it, babe.”

“What did you mean you were the Sixth Pillar?” Ralph wondered. “If you’re a Pillar, then Diablo’s barrier should still be up.”

“’Cause Diablo had me locked away for ‘controversial’ viewpoints. His barrier spell don’t work when his Pillars are inside the barrier, so I couldn’t be part of the spell, babe. Luckily, Diablo decided to bust me loose for this special occasion! Now that this castle is out in the open, he used me to set up a smaller barrier spell! His real chamber is just past that door over there.” He pointed backstage. “But you’ll never get in until you crack me first.”

“Man, how many cronies is he going to hide behind?!” Christina asked in frustration. “Fine. Let’s take him down nice and quick.”

“SECTOR VEEEE!”

“Hey, that sounded like Lyserg!” Laruta exclaimed, facing the stairwell.

“Unscripted extras?!” Belial gasped. “I don’t do improv, babe!”

“SECTOR V, LOOK OUT!” Lyserg came riding on a small train, the crew hurriedly dodging as it rolled to ram Belial. At first, they thought Shimmy had brought him… until they realized the front car bore the gawking face of Christina’s cousin, Max Murphy.

“L-Lyserg?!” Christina gaped. “What the frick is that?!”

“I met him on my way to find you… and he made me dress like a hula girl!” Lyserg climbed out of the train, revealing his grass skirt.

“Ah ha ha ha.” The Uno laughed. “Lyserg, meet my crazy cousin.”

“I was trying to take a shortcut to the Floof Farm!” Max kicked his face open against Belial, stomping out of the train. “Now we’re gonna be late! ’Guess we’ll just have to set up a new farm here in Retroville.”

“Eh? Retroville?” Belial questioned.

“C’mon out, kittens!”

A herd of round, monochrome cats came scampering out of the train, and the very environment turned into the neighborhood of Retroville from Jimmy Neutron. The Kittentias grazed in every yard, street, and roof. No one could go to work or school. Carl Wheezer began throwing food pellets out, adored by the floofs. “What is… happening here?” Lyserg asked.

“The Murphy boys and girls exist on separate sides of a coin.” Christina answered. “The girls are strong and the boys are clowns.”

“HUGH NEUTRON!” Jimmy’s mom yelled. “Get rid of these cats this INSTANCE!”

“Right away, Hon!” The big-nosed father jogged out in a silly fashion, holding a bucket of lava. “A-hyuck-huck! Hot lava!” Hugh sloshed the lava everywhere, the kittens fleeing in fright! “Hyuck-huck! Hoo hoo! Hot lava!”

“AAAAHHH!” Belial and Lyserg were splashed by the lava, crying and running as their skulls melted. “WHAT’VE YOU DONE?! I’M MELTING, I’M-” Christina clasped Lyserg’s head and dispersed the fire. “I…” Lyserg felt his charred head. “It still hurts, but that should’ve been much worse…”

“This whole place is a crazy illusion Max conjured. Because, something-something, he can bend reality by shutting his mind from the Law of the Universe…something.”

“Oh…” Lyserg heard about people with such abilities, but it seemed a lot crazier when seen in practice.

“The damage might only be illusory, but the pain is real enough to eventually knock you out. Problem is, Max doesn’t discriminate friend or foe when he ropes people into his gags.”

“You’re right about that, Tina-rina.” Max acknowledged. “And if we’re to clean all this lava up, we better pray for some air conditioners. Get ready ’cause they’ll fall indiscriminately.” The Kittentias all folded their paws in prayer. The kids faced up, worried as a hundred AC’s rained down.

“AAAAAAHH!” Piling on top of Belial. “THEY ALL FELL ON ME?!”

“They even come with a free hockey table.” Max said.

“PORP!!” The table fell on Ralph.

“Um, anyway…” Lyserg was unsure how to process all this. “I’ve got news. Lord Balder, the leader of the Angels, has just engaged Diablo!”

“Really?” Ralph asked, Jason lifting the table off him. “But Belial just said there was a barrier blocking his chamber, and we had to beat him to get in.”

“That was another lie, wasn’t it?!” Laruta glared.

“W-what?!” Belial panicked, springing out of the AC’s. “Uh, well, I—AAAAHH!” His tail caught fire.

“You mean that was actually pants?!” Jason questioned.

“Yes, they were! Now I need to switch to my Elvis Presley legs, baby!” A pair of white pants and shoes split out from the burning table, Belial giving a little dance upon landing.

“Where’d you get THOSE?!” Christina gawked.

“Ernesto brought ’em as a sign of good faith! You caught me once, but I’m decked out with 50 pairs of pants, babe! Good luck lying ME into a corner!”

“I bet Diablo’s room isn’t even past that door.” Laruta said. “But where else could we look…”

“We’ll use Morphine.” Lyserg extracted his speared chain as it angled down and toward the stairs. “Jeanne kept one of Balder’s feathers so I could mark Morphine with its chi. Just in case we needed to find him.”

“So, he’s somewhere under these stairs?” Christina rushed back up the stairs, noticing they had been chipped when Max drove his train down. “…!” Some of the chipped areas were bigger in a certain set of stairs. Christina stomped and broke them open, revealing a hidden stairwell that led the opposite way. “HAH! There’s a secret passage!”

“NOOOO!” Belial screamed as his Presley pants caught fire. They burned off and turned into Mirabel’s legs from Encanto, complete with the dress.

“Belial, look!” Max pointed. “The Miracle Candle is going out!”

Belial gasped, looking up at a window as the magical candle from said movie died into a puff of smoke. It was then that a cloaked, shadowy spirit called Black Sabbath emerged behind Belial. “Did you see the candle go out?”

“Uh…y-y-yes?” Belial stuttered.

“Then here is your Gift.” Sabbath gave him a present.

“Oh, goodie!” Belial happily opened it.

Luisa Madrigal burst out and SOCKED Belial in the center of the eyes. “CHRISTINA WAS SUPPOSED TO SING MY SONG!”

Only when writing this did I realize JoJo and Encanto used similar concepts.

“He’s surprisingly effective, but are you sure we should leave him by himself?” Lyserg asked.

“Do YOU wanna be part of his gags, Hula Boy?” Ralph remarked.

“I wasn’t just gonna goof around with everything Christina was going through.” Max stated. “If I can make things easier for you, even if it means burning this clown’s pants a million times over, I’ll goof around as much as you need!”

“Would’ve hated to finish this without ya, Max.” Chris thumbed up. “C’mon, gang, we got a demon to bust!”

“Thanks, buddy!” Ralph said to his friend, the ops racing in Chris’s direction.

“But don’t you know, baby?” Belial smirked. “Jokes are lies, too! Obvious lies that’ll set your pants a-blazin’!”

“AAAAHHH!” Max’s blue jeans caught fire.

“Liealalalalala! Huh?”

When they burned off, a construction site was revealed in place of Max’s legs. All the workers were hamsters. “Hey, Mark! Someone burned our curtain-squeak!”

“Crud! We can’t finish this new Shower Palace without a curtain! That’s it, tear it all down, we’re starting again!”

“NOOOOO!” Max cried as his scaffolding legs came crumbling down.

“Liealala! This worked out better than I planned!” Belial chortled.

Knowing their true goal was just in reach, Sector V raced down the stairs with greater resolve. They could feel two clashes of great energy just ahead, rumbling the corridor. Christina’s real father would be there as well… and she could only hope Belial’s trick wouldn’t come true.
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sarstar98's avatar

Quite a predicament there, on whether the rest of Malladus' power would go to Diablo or to anyone else in her family tree. But thats just the thing about gambles like these, you either score or end up sore.


Well, maybe if Diablo had campaigned a little more before launching his plan, he could've convinced more of the other Demon Lords to his side (those that were either evil or neutral aligned). But maybe he had been planning for quite a while, in which case its just bad luck with how fickle an alliance can be with other demons.


Dang, thats gotta be quite the power up for Rango, and making for another record in achieving Fury Modes. I wonder if this'll really stick it to Spike since the second one to get to this stage wasn't him? XD


'Saint Xibalba'? Well, I understand its cause of his position as a Demon Saint, but still, that title's gotta hold some kind of irony on its own! XDDD


I'm glad Alastor didn't get wiped out, mostly cause I feel like he'd be pretty cool in any villain/demon parties, and cause he's a favourite of mine! X3


Looks like Torry's facing another difficult opponent to deal with, and one that might be more of a counter for her than she realises. A nice match up, with Sector JP working together with Shunsui. Same with Marine coming in for her fight with Mictlan. I doubt she'd be seeing Dimentia for this little event, but maybe she might see Astere, though I don't know if she'd have as close of a relationship as Marine does with her brothers.


Poor Chris, he's just spent this entire story either fighting (verbally with Christina and physically with Diablo) or being drained like a battery. Anyways, I see we've finally got our crazy reality-bending fight scene as expected with someone like Max getting involved. AWWW, LITTLE FLOOFIES!!! I hope they'll be able to get some yummy nibbles afterwards, maybe during the after party they usually have after events like these. 8333