The blue-haired one holding the grimoire revealed a portal.
"We were really hoping you'd spend your time trying to dismantle the ones above."
The terrorist walked over and took the hands of her partners. With a sudden smile that mirrored Countess Mellissa's, she tilted her head like a devil.
"But now we're going to have to release it to buy time. You could have died an instant but peaceful DEATH!"
Her demonic voice raddled my bones. The other two backed up and disappeared into the void behind them. The factory rumbled like a beast awakening from its slumber.
The grates below broke open, and what appeared was a massive machine rose up to the surface. Shaped like a large sphere, the machine had a clear window, revealing a ticking timer .
"Ten minutes?"
Yuu Yuu yelled, reading the displayed time.
"That's the bomb?!"
I screamed.
"Ahahaha! Oh, the thrill of death staring me in the face."
The demon rubbed her body.
"Oh my… this is too exciting! The impending doom of being killed right here and now. I could die happy right about now."
The blonde ringleader backed up.
"Have fun dying then, demon. Everyone, back to base. We need to report a successful mission to Mother!"
More machines of all shapes and sizes rushed into the portal. There were massive ones like we faced earlier and small ones too. They all seemed to be carrying materials in their arms.
Some were carrying large crates and tubes of flammable ore as they escaped. They all vanished into the portal behind the culprits. The only machine that stayed was the massive bomb as it rolled about.
Yuu Yuu clenched her fist.
"They weren't just here for a distraction. The terrorist stole ore to make more bombs for later."
Annoyed, I turned to the devil.
"Ideas, Mellissa?!"
The demon smiled as she reached her claws out to me, attempting to cut me with them. I kicked back and brought out the rosary.
"Heel! Tell me, what's the best course of action dealing with this bomb!"
I commanded.
"Wouldn't you like to know?! I'm fine seeing this place burn!"
The devil laughed.
"Fine! If you tell me and we survive, I'll let you taste my blood!"
I promised.
Countess eyes lit up.
"Fine! We don't want to destroy the top of the machine's body. That's where the bombing chemicals are located. If we destroy its power box below, we can shut down the entire system."
I looked closer at the machine.
Its sphere-like body was split into three parts. The top was dark black, and the bomb was located up there. The body was bright silver, and the bottom was a darker grey. From what Mellissa was saying, avoid the top, aim to destroy the base.
The devil rose in the air.
The lights turned out as the factory shut down. The sphere machine had its own lights, illuminating the massive device in front of us. The holy spectrum wasn't stopping me from using the shadows any longer.
"Hey pinky, enchant our weapons with the water property! Keep it up as we try to immobilize it."
"P-Pinky?!"
Yuu Yuu shouted in annoyance.
The large machine spun its body and rolled towards the back of the room. As I prepared myself for its strike.
"Eh!"
My pocket shook violently.
Both Mellissa and Yuu Yuu stared at me as I brought out my phone. The devil laughed just like her other half. It was strange, but I saw the strong similarities between them.
"Kind of a bad time."
I answered my phone.
"Feodora, this is Jade. The doors opened, and we're on our way inside right now. Are you three, okay?"
"N-No, Jade! Get everyone as far away from here as soon as you can, Jade!"
The knight snipped her teeth.
"You sound like something dire is going on. I'll take your advice. Explain later. We'll get everyone as far away from here as possible."
The line cut without even a goodbye.
It sounded to me like Jade was going to act immediately.
"Girls, let's stop this!"
The machine moved like marble as it spun around the room. It wildly hit the walls, rolled on steel landings, and was just being destructive.
Yuu Yuu did as she was told and embraced our weapon with the water property. I pointed my blade out, declaring the battle ahead.
"Eight minutes! But we can't trust the countdown!. Immobilize it before it's too late. Yuu Yuu, Mellissa, let's strike it down! Aim for the body and below!"
I commanded.
"R-Right!"
Yuu Yuu responded.
"You don't have to tell me twice!"
Mellissa cackled.
The ball raced around, slamming into the walls, destroying the processing room. The demon took to her dark wings and flew towards it with her halberd behind her back. Thanks to the darkness of the room, I could keep with it as I shadow-walked around.
"Here I go."
Mellissa slammed her halberd into the side, causing the machine to spark and fly towards a wall.
Thanks to Yuu Yuu's spectrum, waves of water were gushing through its bolts. Sparks of electricity scattered about. The demon knew right where to strike, so I followed her lead as we attacked with purpose. I made my few cuts, trying to sever the body from the bomb.
"Keep it up, just like that, Feodora!"
Mellissa cheered like a crazed cheerleader.
It was oddly satisfying as we tossed the machine around like a tennis ball. But it stopped itself from being tossed around and screeched on the iron floor. The machine's body illuminated a horrible red.
"What's it doing?!"
Yuu Yuu asked.
We were all prepared for what was next. As if it became self-aware, the machine grew eight legs from under it. Like a spider, it stopped spinning and crawled on the walls.
When it reached the top where the fake bombs were, its body opened hatches around its sphere-shaped self. Guns with huge red arrows on them pointed our way.
"What the hell is that?!"
I couldn't wrap my head around what I was looking at.
"Those are missiles! They're like bombs you can shoot!"
The demon excitedly cackled. The devil was flying around, clapping her hands in excitement.
"There have to be hundreds of them."
I whispered.
If these arrows were like small bombs aiming at us, then it would be nearly impossible to avoid them.
"Yuu Yuu, come over to me."
At my command, the bunny ran into my arms. I held Yuu Yuu tight as I watched the sphere-like machine start to glow an ominous red.
"W-What are you planning to do, F-Feodora?"
The factory lit up with horrid red lights as the machine shot its missiles. It sounded like screams of people coming from above. With every shot, that ear-piercing noise raddled my bones.
The world shook with every blast from the guns.
"Trust me, okay Yuu Yuu?"
She looked at me, and I could tell she was terrified. I was afraid too, but my will to live overshadowed all the chaos around me.
"O-Okay."
Her warm breath hit my cheek.
It made me clench her tighter.
It was too late to stop the wildcard from flying above us and formulate a plan. Mellissa was spinning in the air, flawlessly dodging the lights coming our way.
Fire erupted as stray missiles hit the walls, but the majority of them descended upon me and the pink bunny. I held Yuu Yuu in my arms, timed it, and melted into the darkness when the missiles got close.
Explosions erupted around us as I skillfully avoided the wave of fire in the shadows. Heat still seared us, but we missed the blast of fire that would have torn us apart.
The ground became hell as it heated up, and warning lights started to shriek. Cooling mechanisms turned on, attempting to stop the factory from overheating as water rained down on the battlefield. It was like being in a warzone.
Yuu Yuu and I reappeared on a platform overlooking the devastation.
"F-Feodora, thank you."
Yuu Yuu said as she embraced me tight.
"Sure thing."
The clock on the machine was ominously staring at us. It was blinking in less than four minutes. The timer could have been a fabrication from the terrorist but the fact that it was there was impending.
"We need to stop this right now!"
I called out to Mellissa, who was still dancing in the sky. The machine moved about chaotically. Evidently, it was programmed only to survive long enough to die and take us with it.
Its primary purpose was to detonate and not allow anyone to deactivate it.
"No matter how many strikes we give the machine, it won't go down!"
I scorned.
Watching it taunt me from below as it crawled about. Mellissa flew over to us.
"The machine's back is exposed, Feodora! Dang thing won't let me get to it, though. If we had a way to hold it down, I could deactivate it with ease."
"Hold it down, hold it in place?"
I thought momentarily as I closed my eyes. What came to mind was Yuu Yuu's abilities. Her enchantments.
"The stalagmites. What if we pierce it with one long enough to hold it down? That way, M-Mellissa can get to the back of it and disarm the bomb?"
It wasn't a solid plan but what I had to work with. Yuu Yuu nodded, and even the devil smirked at me.
"Then I'll distract it for you, Feodora!"
Without awaiting my order, the demon flew off to have more fun with the machine...
"Yuu Yuu, I'm relying on you. Enchant my weapon with the earth's property."
I let go of her and ran to the edge of the railing we were on.
Before I could jump off, Yuu Yuu caught me by calling out.
"O-Oh. F-Feodora!"
She rushed behind me, held my shoulder, and whispered in my ear.
"J-Just b-be safe, Okay? Be safe! Yuu Yuu will cry if you get hurt!"
"O-Oh, yeah. I'll do my best."
Her words only motivated me as I pushed on.
With the battle between Countess and the machine getting crazier, I jumped in to help. My sword shined a deep brown. Like before, I hit the ground next to the machine, earning stalagmites to ascend from below.
One formation struck the bottom of the machine and cut through the side. Its arms all pushed forward and grabbed the demon, shoving her into the wall.
"Mellissa!"
I yelled out to her, but it was in vain. She was wedged into the wall as the machine was captured by my stalagmite. It twisted its metal arms, attempting to crush the demon. With her claws, she forced the arms off her just enough not to destroy her body.
"Dang it! We don't have time."
I murmured.
I ran to cut down the iron, but they wouldn't go down. Mellissa cried in pain as the arms attempted to crush her.
"Let her go! I said, let her go!"
I pulled in the darkness and severed a few of the machine's hands.
"Mellissa! Just hand in there, I'll save you!"
The remaining seven minutes taunted me as the machine slammed into the demon. Despair started to creep in as the timer on its head was getting dangerously low.
"Nnnnaaaahhh."
But then tiny footsteps ran from the side of us. Yuu Yuu was whimpering like a cute puppy as she raced behind the machine. It was Yuu Yuu, and she looked determined to see things through.
"We're going to live today! Yuu Yuu won't let us die!"
Yuu Yuu proclaimed.
The timid girl slid underneath the machine, reaching the panels. The wires were exposed as she took off her backpack, pulled out a tool that looked sharp, and tinkered with the hatch.
Still, on the offensive, the machine shot more missiles my way.
"T-That's right! Over here, look at me!"
I dodged, doing my best to keep the machine focused on me and the demon. As the missiles aimed my way, I melted into the darkness and appeared on one of its many arms.
I raced up to the devil, who had been pulling each arm off the machine's body one by one.
"Piece of shit! Bag of bolts! Let me go!"
Together we began dismantling the arms one by one. But before I could free the demon, the machine flashed.
"Mellissa!"
I reached her, grabbed the devil and prepared for the end. I was sure this was the end for us. We had to be too late, and the bombs inside were going to detonate.
The machine lit up, flashed, and the arms lost power, and its round body fell to the ground with a clunk.
"Feodora?"
I was still holding onto the devil like she was her human counterpart. The demon cackled as she drew closer to me.
"To think you were going to try and shield me from that explosion."
Countess put her nails on my nose.
"It was just instinct that I tried to protect you."
I said.
"No wonder Goody-Good likes you so much."
Mellissa pushed off the arms from around us and rushed over to the seemingly dead bag of bolts. I didn't see Yuu Yuu around though.
"Yuu Yuu?!"
I called out in the darkness.
"Huh?"
Yuu Yuu sat up from the ground like a grease monkey. Her cheeks had oil on them as she smeared her face with her arm.
"D-Did I do it?"
The pink bunny asked.
I walked towards her but found myself running to Yuu Yuu and taking her in my arms. The oil smeared along my face, too, as I screamed with excitement.
"Good job! You did it! You did it, Yuu Yuu!"
"F-Feodora! Oh?!"
In my arms, Yuu Yuu giggled.
I was too excited and maybe that added to my want to hold her. The demon fell beside us and looked at the machine.
"Wow, pinky has skills. How did you find out which wire to cut?"
Countess put her halberd away and approached us.
Yuu Yuu hid behind me as the demon approached eagerly. With her claws out, Countess ran our way.
"Heel!"
I commanded, causing her to stop and back up.
"Shit, that rosary is so annoying. Can't I give you both a victory hug too?"
"I… Yuu doesn't want a hug from you."
Yuu Yuu said.
The timid girl pushed her head into my chest.
Mellissa approached the machine and pulled out a piece of it.
"Is that the power supply?"
I asked.
"No, it's the bomb's trigger. That part ignites first before it detonates the bomb at the top. Think of it as a mini bomb."
I jumped away from the dead object.
"What the hell is your problem, Mellissa?!"
I shouted.
She put her halberd away and approached us. Yuuna ran to the side and stared at the two of us. Excitedly, she bent down on her knees and looked at the bomb closely.
"It would take months to build this thing. You see this, Feodora. That's where all the switches and functions go in. Wow, this thing would cause massive damage. And if it went off in the ore factory, Radiant City would be crippled!"
The demon giggled.
"That would have been so freaking cool to see. It's a shame."
Her eyes shined as she looked at me like a child showing her mother a new toy.
"I really like bombs. They're so powerful and loud. Bombs make me feel stronger just seeing them go off. Like if a bomb can do THAT, I should be able to do more, you know?!"
As crazy as it sounded, Countess was showing me her interest. With tender eyes, she looked up at me.
"Feodora, don't you think bombs are cool?"
To admire something made for the sake of killing, it shouldn't have surprised me that a demon was the one getting all excited over this. I scratched my cheek and admitted how I felt.
"Bombs are scary."
The devil laughed, causing me to retreat just a bit from her.
She stood up, kicked the active bomb to the side, and reached out to me. I attempted to bring out the rosary, but it was too late. Mellissa wrapped her arms around me and held me tight.
She embraced me within her arms and whispered into my ear.
"Thanks for saving me, Feodora. You really are a good person."
The demon looked at my hand.
"Oh, you have a cut on your palm. A promise is a promise, right?"
I closed my eyes and pushed the air from my stomach.
"Fine…"
My blood smeared on her wet tongue. It stung, but I promised her she could. The searing pain made my stomach churn as she licked my palm like a dog.
"Ewww…"
Yuuna's face twisted in disgust.
"Are you done yet?"
I asked. The devil pulled me closer to her and giggled sinisterly.
"Not yet. You promised, right?"
She looked into my eyes and what stared back at me was madness. I was in the clutches of a psychopath, and it would be best just to let her have her fun, and it would end sooner.
She… sounded like her human version, which caught me off guard. Countess rested her head on my shoulder after she had her fill of tasting my blood…
"Amazing."
Mellissa said with a cute giggle before sinking her teeth into my shoulder.
"Ahhh!"
I cried out in pain.
Yuuna watched in horror as I tried to shake her off. But Countess's teeth were too deep in, and it felt like she would pull my shoulder off. Her teeth sunk through my thick jacket like it was butter. I reached for my katana, but she held my hand down. We both fell on the iron floor, tussling around.
"So, good!"
"Oh my gosh! Feodora!"
The timid loner ran over. Fortunately, I broke free from Countess's arm that was me down.
"Heel!"
I reached into my pocket and pushed the rosary into her stomach.
"Ooof!"
Mellissa released her grip and fell to the floor, laughing. My blood was smeared across her face, and my shoulder was throbbing.
"You're fucking insane!"
I regretted saving her. If I'd let her die, then this wouldn't have happened. I needed immediate medical attention, and it wasn't even from the terrorist or the machines that did this to me. It was from my ally!"
Footsteps could be heard in the distance as Jade and a bunch of Radiants rushed in behind her. They surrounded the area and began considering what had happened.
"This place looks like a warzone."
Jade remarked. Eve and Vivian looked around, too, taking note of everything that's happened.
"Feodora, are you hurt?!"
Jade rushed over and looked at my wound. Mellissa smiled, showing the blood on her teeth.
It seemed that Jade came to the correct conclusion and took the rosary out of my hand.
"You've had enough fun outside for today, Mellissa. Go back and lay dormant!"
"Tsk, don't ruin my fun, Jade!"
She shouted, but it was too late. In a daze, she fell over on her side. After a brief moment, the eyes opened, and those vibrant green eyes appeared.
"I-I taste blood…."
Mellissa said as she felt her face.
"Yeah… my blood."
I remarked. Confused, Mellissa looked about, trying to figure out what had happened.
"Yuuna, come over here and give Feodora medical attention. Feodora, explain to me what happened here."
We explained to her all that had happened. How the place lit up and how we faced machines of unknown origin. We continued on about the three culprits and them stealing ore from the factory.
Finally, we told Jade about the sphere-like machine that was a bomb in itself and how we defeated it before it was too late. Jade pondered and took in all the information before she spoke up.
"Then we need to talk with Atom. If she is involved in this, then we need to investigate what happened."
"Where is Atom?"
I asked.
"She should be in her tower. Feodora, Yuu Yuu, Mellissa, I need the three of you to come with me. We need to interrogate Atom about what happened here."