His armor sang, causing every member of the strike team to grimace. Every moment that passed, their odds of survival decreased dramatically. One of their comrades spoke up as the squad prepared their next assault.
"We must end this with the next strike. If he boosts again, we will lose."
The others nodded in acknowledgment.
"I will take the hit," he continued. "Strike him down the moment the opening presents itself." Another round of nods followed as the group spread out, the crimson dragon, Sekiryuutei, floated seemingly unconcerned as he watched his attackers prepare themselves.
Their initial ambush failed, only managing to transport him to a desolate section of the underworld, the first strike having been avoided. The following combat had been devastating, the wasteland below now covered in craters, canyons, and glass.
The next assault was over within less than a blink of an eye. The forms of the seven blurred, a crimson gauntlet pierced through the stomach of their ally, golden blood dripped from the tips of the claws, falling to the earth in the same instant nine ultimate attacks landed on the red scale armor.
The combination of energies briefly mixed together, trapping the pair within a vortex of color that slowly collapsed, imploding in the next instant. The shockwave from their combined assault shook the underworld one final time.
A single blackened figure fell from the air, swiftly caught by one of their fellows. A dose of Phoenix tears, true tears of the mythological beast, was administered to what was essentially a corpse. Their gambit paid off, the only remains of their enemy being a gauntlet of red, a green gem set within the dorsal side of the gear. The item itself was slowly dissipating into the ether, returning to the system set in place by a dead god. The previously destroyed figure grunted in thanks to their companion.
"Let us all hope the next Red Dragon Emperor requires less of a sacrifice should the worst come to pass." A crimson haired devil spoke. Nods of agreement passed around the group as they collectively sighed.
"Thank you, Inari. All of us are in your debt for pulling out your trump card. We would have suffered much heavier losses had we delayed any longer." Sirzechs Lucifer spoke once more. Inari sighed in displeasure.
"I can only pull that stunt off once a millennia. The favors I'll be calling in down the line will not be cheap." His characteristic fox tail swished behind him to punctuate the statement. The group smiled as a whole, part in relief and part in chagrin.
As the group spoke, watching the gauntlet of their enemy fade, a separate event was occurring just below them. It was an insignificant thing after the clash that had just taken place, but nevertheless drew the attention of the one at the center of the group.
"It appears I have some additional business to attend to," Inari spoke as he peered at the earth beneath them. A somewhat surprised and contemplative look passed over his face. The group floated down as a whole, stepping upon shards of obsidian glass as they witnessed a somewhat unusual sight for the current day and age.
A golden drop of blood seemed to congeal briefly before flowing into a single shard of polished black glass. A reaction occurred, the glass undulating in an uncharacteristic fashion until it expanded rapidly into the shape of a small kit curled in on itself as though asleep. Its fur was the deepest shade of black, glossy and fine, reminiscent of the material from which it spawned.
"It appears you're a father once more, Inari," a man with an eyepatch chuckled in good humor. "I can already tell with the shade of his fur, he'll be rolling in gloriously big tits in his future." The others rolled their eyes at his words, though an unnoticed smirk passed the man's lips as a flash of power flitted behind his sole eye. Inari snorted in response.
"Indeed. I will be staying until my new spawn awakens. The rest of you are more than welcome to accompany me, though I understand if other matters require your attention."
The group as a whole exchanged glances before bursting into laughter.
"Inari, this is the perfect excuse to extend our stay, away from all of our normal duties and paperwork. Come, come, I happen to have a bottle of Atlantian whiskey that I've been holding onto for a special occasion. Let's all have a drink while we wait for the new little fox to awaken." A bottle of ancient history popped into existence within the hands of Odin followed by seven glasses that quickly found themselves filled.
"A toast," one of the angels, Michael, stated. "To victory, and the future."
He woke to the clink of glasses, eyes blinking rapidly as he witnessed Sirzechs Lucifer, Serafall Leviathan, Inari Okami, Odin Borson, the seraphs Michael and Gabriel, and fallen angel Azazel toasting and taking a sip of something.
His first emotion was complete and utter confusion, quickly matched in intensity by sheer terror as he cowered beneath the gazes of some of this world's strongest entities, all standing around and watching him as they enjoyed their spirits.
It hadn't even been a conscious interpretation of the situation. His mind simply matched faces to names in his memory and instantly triggered his fight or flight response as scenes of destruction played out in his mind's eye. The man with the aspects of a fox leaned over and gently picked him up, staring into his eyes the whole time.
"There, there, child. You're a rather interesting spawn, aren't you?" He asked rhetorically. It was a curiosity to find a newly born Yokai with the level of intelligence and understanding that this one had. His hands gently stroked soft fur in a soothing manner, only confusing the young canid further as his head whipped around trying to keep everyone in his sight at once. The man hummed in contemplation.