Operation: DESCENDANT, Part 5

Demon Archives: Trigon. A Demon Lord who was acquainted with the ancient Umbra Witches of Avalar. Trigon mated with an Umbran named Arella and would give birth to Raven. He held no love for them and merely wanted to develop Raven as a tool of destruction. However, Arella rebelled against Trigon and used her beloved daughter against him, sealing Trigon inside of Raven's subconscious. But Arella feared the seal wouldn't last, especially if Raven died during the Witch Hunts at that time. She took a gamble and pled to the gods, and the Time Ghost, Clockwork decided to help. He sent Raven far to the future, and to a different planet where she would find friends she could trust. Trigon's return was still inevitable, but Raven, with the help of those new friends, would end the demon once and for all.

Part 5: Back to the Future

Though Isabelle's harmonic harp could soften the air rippled by Alastor's radio waves, her own Song Beams did little damage to the Demon Lord. Alastor twirled his cane at every necessary interval to block her attacks, poofing behind Isabelle in an attempt to whack her. Isabelle listened for the puffs and would trust her fleet feet to save her from the demon. But she didn't account for Alastor muting his own poof, surprising her from above and stamping her in the head upon landing. "ISABELLE!" Nora lashed Water Slices at Alastor, who evaded and rebutted with soundwaves.

"Your little angel here put on quite the performance, but she's a few decades behind to measure up to the master."

"Maybe I am, but…" Isabelle pushed herself up, head aching. "But we're not gonna let you have your way. Where's that shadow demon taking Christina?!"

"I have a nifty feeling I know where. And it's not because Niffty's up there." He pointed up at his cyclops assistant. "And if I'm right, there's nothing you can do to-?" His walky-talky rang. Alastor answered, "Yello? Aku, how do ya do? Don't tell me you already lost her. …Huh? Oh, dear, that's quite the pickle. Welp, I'll be sure to come to your funeral! Alright, alright, I'll do ya this one favor. Duriel, I need to step out, you got this covered, right?" Alastor leapt off the tower and stretched his tux like a glider.

"Where are you going, you imbecile?!"

"Come on, you're not scared of no mortals, are ya? A demon knows no banes, something, something! Niffty, start my dinner!"

"He's leaving?" Mack questioned.

"Did Lyserg catch up with that other demon?" Nora wondered.

"Then we'll need to punish BOTH of them later." Duriel hissed. "After I'm through with you morsels!" (Play "King Coal" from Banjo-Tooie!)

Boss fight: Duriel

The Maggot King charged at Mack's Shellhead, the mech dodging as its left crab claw grabbed Duriel's left claw. The salt-laced pincers drew a cry out of Duriel, but Mack's action would come with a drawback as the claw began to freeze. "You're an icebender?!"

"I'll stop it!" Erin focused her bending through the glass and unfroze the claw, but Duriel was ready to shove them off the platform. Mack used the claws to grab the edge, clambering sideways and away from Duriel's spreading ice. Mack was able to climb back up, aiming the tail cannon at Duriel and blasting a stream of water—Duriel froze it in midair and thwacked the ice chunk at them, Mack defending. "Erin, focus bending over our water and make it heat up! That should mitigate his ice!" The Shellhead clutched the ice chunk and clashed it with Duriel's claws, the ice shattering after meeting its limit. Erin focused her chi over their water and willed it to heat, so amidst dodging Duriel's frosted slashes, Mack whipped the Shellhead's tail in a diagonal slash and sprayed a thin, forceful jut of water. If the saltwater wasn't painful enough, the added heat wasn't healthy for the Ice-type demon.

"Icebending isn't the only thing I can do!" Duriel faced his rump toward them, an eye budding on its tip. As Mack and Erin gazed disgustedly at the eye, the boy's vision began to distort.

"W-what the?!" Mack gasped, feeling himself shrink and morph. "I-I-I'm…" The realization of who he became disgusted him. "I'M LARUTA?! HULP!" A bottle of milk was shoved into his mouth. He was dwarfed by a clone of himself, smirking wryly. Though he was still confused, Mack was hit with déjà vu. He remembered forcing Laruta to drink milk… and what happened was-

His stomach churned horrendously; he could feel his insides swelling like a balloon. He wanted desperately to find a bathroom, but he could never reach one in time. An explosion of gas and digested matter erupted from his rear. "Mack!" Erin screamed, seeing her friend become sickened and gripping his behind. "Mack, what's happening?! Are you o-" Duriel began to freeze their Shellhead.

"Durororororo! My Zanpakutō, Innocent Blood, lets you feel the pain of those you've wronged! The innocents you've hurt will have their vengeance!"

"You should eat your own medicine!" Nora spun and lashed a Water Whip at Duriel's eye, shutting it as Mack recovered from his trance. Nora's strong Fanalis leg stamped and bent one of Duriel's legs, the girl leaping away when the demon tried to freeze her. She then ran to unfreeze the Shellhead. "I need to keep Madeleine safe," she noted the child strapped to her back, "but I'll try my best to help! You two okay?"

Mack could still feel the sloppy, disgusting mess in his pants, but wasn't sure if it was real or a residual illusion. "Th-thanks, Nora." Mack divided the merman tail in half, becoming smaller cannons that rotated and shot Duriel from random angles. Duriel emitted ice armor to withstand the water, but Nora ran near him to melt it. The demon flashed his rear eye at Nora, who shut her eyes from its gaze. Mack stretched the left claw to clench Duriel's rump, afterwards reeling their mech toward the maggot and gouging the other claw into the rump. He let go before Duriel's ice could take effect, afterwards shooting a quick gush at his head. Duriel roared and charged the mech, their claws linking in struggle as the Shellhead's began to freeze. As Mack readied to shoot him once more, the eyeball suddenly sprouted in Duriel's mouth, Mack too late to close his eyes before the power overtook him.

Mack transformed into Perry, looking at his own body holding the shrink ray. "Oh, no…" He knew exactly what he was in for as he was reduced to an ant's size. Right then, he was forced to live through the fear, humiliation, and pain Mack had put Perry through all over again, suffering at the hands of his unaware fellow operatives. Mack's trance left him helpless to Duriel puncturing the windshield with his claws, Nora slashing Water Slices at them while Erin took hold of the wheel and tried to pull the mech back.

"Mack, snap out of it!" Erin pled, shaking him in hope it would help. "Nora, hit the eye in his mouth!"

"Go ahead and try!" Duriel shot his face down to Nora, flashing his eye. Nora felt herself transform into Erin, holding onto Nora as the Adabatian swam with motorboat speed. Nora often carried Erin on her back during swimming ventures, but she didn't know why—"Erin" lost her grip and fell back to Nora's ankles, but in trying to hold onto them, the speedy swimmer was left unawarely kicking her best friend's face. Nora immediately remembered this innocent accident and the felt the pain Erin had to endure. Duriel thrusted his claw at Nora, but Erin had climbed out of the Shellhead and ran to shove her away. "Durororo! You left the safety of your shell, eh?!"

"At least the Underworld's curse doesn't work on me!" Erin's mom had reminded her that, as the Ocean King's descendants, they were also immune to the draining air.

Mack, however, had fallen helpless on the floor of his mech, struggling to escape the nightmare he put Perry through. Why did he have to be reminded of this… he'd already been punished for what he did to Perry, and Mack still felt bad for it. He only wanted to show Perry how Mack always felt as his own mother's guinea pig, how it felt to be so powerless. …And it was on that same day Mack opened up to his fellow operatives. The people who always seemed to hate him opened their ears and offered their hands. On that day, Mack felt new trusts with everyone…

Duriel erected icicles toward the girls, Erin hastening to pull Nora and Madeleine away, but their weight as too much greater than hers and they were cut in several places. Duriel leapt in attempt to crush them, but the Shellhead leapt and tackled the demon midair, forcing him to the floor. Duriel glared at Mack, the spectacled boy's expression grown fiercer. "Let me ask you something, Bug Man: you ever felt bad for the people you've hurt?!"

"Durororo! Why would I feel bad? I love to hear the music of their screams! To quench on their agony! Sometimes, even the very anticipation of pain is more exquisite than its fruits." Duriel forced Mack off, stretching icicles from the tips of his claws and slashing the Shellhead, while Mack blasted saltwater. "Don't you feel delight in seeing your bullies suffer? Don't you wish to see ME suffer?!"

"Maybe I do. Maybe I like bringing down people I don't like."

"And that is how you will SUFFER." Duriel flashed the eye in his mouth once more.

Mack threw up a mirror. "But if there's one thing I learned, it ain't so fun when it happens to you."

"DURO!!" Gazing into his own eye, Duriel fell into a trance. He morphed into many different mortals, suffering the piercing of his own claws, the freezing of his own ice, and smaller maggots crawling through his innards.

"M-Mack!" Erin exclaimed, Nora recovering from her spell. "You used his own power against him?!"

"Yeah, most eye monsters tend to have that weakness. Now this should be-"

Duriel slammed his mech with greater force, the Shellhead crashing into the radio tower and losing its right claw. "I've gone for LONG periods unable to inflict pain on others!" The demon charged Mack with greater ferocity, the boy hurriedly dodging the mech and swiping the other claw. "That I would subject MYSELF to excruciating pain to be sated!" The Shellhead's left claw was sliced off.

"It's some kind of Fury Mode!" Nora exclaimed, running to slash water at him. Duriel grew rampant icicles backward, Nora snapping them off and redirecting them back into Duriel. Erin jumped toward Nora, who grabbed and threw her onto Duriel's back. The demon had frozen the Shellhead's legs in place, furiously dicing Mack's mech from all directions, but before he could destroy Mack's controls, the boy set the cannon to spray whatever water was left into Duriel's face. Erin's feet were frozen to the back, but she used this in her favor to stay steady and bend the saltwater around to Duriel's throat. The ice was freezing up her body, but Nora worked to counter it.

Choking on saltwater was never a method Duriel considered to torture himself, but he was slowly warming up to it. The pain was relishing… he loved to see others hurt and hurt himself. After a moment, he forsook all notion of defeating the mortals and wanted only to enjoy the torture. The saltwater searing his throat, swishing inside like a buzzsaw. Even as Nora willed the water inside to stretch out like blades and spin like a fan, completely slicing off his head, the pain was refreshing… (End song.)

Duriel's body exploded into darkness. The L-operatives were thankful for this moment of rest, Mack climbing out of the ruined mech. "Huff…now I'm feeling the Under-heat." Mack sighed, the air beginning to take effect.

"Erin, can you heal Isabelle?" Nora asked, leading her to the Shandian resting against the tower.

"I'll be fine. Save that healing for you guys." Isabelle smiled. "We have to get out of here."

"What about Christina?" Mack asked.

"We're too tired to chase them. We need to go back, tell the others, and hope Lyserg can save her. Still, if Aku called Alastor for backup… Lyserg can't be that strong, can he?"

With Aku

Aku reverted back to his main form, grabbing Christina's cage and stuffing it into his shadowy stomach. Marco's car Zanpakutō, Michael, morphed into an angelic robot with a sword, ascending to the demon's head. Aku shortened himself to dodge the first slash and fired Heat Vision at the robot, blowing Michael several yards skyward. Aku stretched his arms toward Michael and morphed them into hammers, smashing the angel, but Michael pushed them back and flapped out of their grasp. Michael whooshed down and diced Aku from multiple directions, striking the demon's arms when Aku tried to swat him down. Aku flattened himself into a puddle, casting a glare at the Zanpakutō's master, who was mimicking its actions. Aku stretched shadowy spikes at Marco, who had to break his control and fly backward.

Aku smirked at the defenseless iron maiden and directed spikes into it, rampantly bouncing the sealed container around. Blood leaked from the eyes and gaps. "MASTER MARCO!" Aku twisted, seeing a green-haired boy approaching. "And… Lady Jeanne?!"

"Lyserg… why is the Uno princess here? Why did you let this demon escape with her?"

"I kept telling her not to jump into the Gaps, but she doesn't listen! She's so reckless and careless!"

"Her disobedience is sinful… but blaming her for your irresponsibility is also sinful."

"I-I…I'm sorry…" Lyserg bowed his head sheepishly.

"Man, you are the worst type of angel." Aku remarked. "Iron Maiden Jeanne… just what are you doing inside that thing?"

"She's powering up, of course." A radio voice replied. Lyserg gasped, dodging a soundwave cast by Alastor. "It's part of your ability, isn't it, Iron Maiden? The longer you torture yourself inside that thing, the more power you give yourself. It's sorta like Duriel's power."

"Spirituality is death… and death is channeled through pain. Subjecting oneself to pain heightens their soul. But now that you're here, it is time to deliver judgment. Judge them… Shamash!"

The iron maiden opened, the demons averting their eyes from the divine light within. When it died down, they cautiously reopened them.

At first, Jeanne's body was wrapped in majestic angelic wings. As she opened her soft pink eyes, the large wings spread. She had long and flowing silver hair that complimented her spiritual grace as she lifted off the ground. On her head was a purplish, metallic hat shaped like the iron maiden's top, a leotard of the same material, rectangular wristbands, and tall, boot-size sandals divided into ringed segments. She wore a silver belt with a lock buckle. Her arms and upper legs were otherwise bare.

She was almost as majestic as the demons pictured, except for the heavy articles of clothing. "Ha…ha ha ha!" Aku laughed. "You're the Iron Maiden? You're only a child!"

"Yes, I am." Jeanne replied. "I was born in France during the Victorian era, raised as an Arceist… but after I turned 11, we were attacked by radicals, who sealed me in an iron maiden. That was how I met my demise."

"You spirit kids sure like to talk sophisticated!" Alastor joked. "Those modern brats back there oughta learn a thing from you!"

"But I did not lose my faith. I believed this was what Arceus had planned for me… so, I continued to pray to him. And I know now… my duty is to punish you evil souls of the Spirit World."

"Uh, hey, Aku." Alastor perked up. "You might wanna look up."

Aku glanced up and metaphorically paled. A massive white and gold spirit, with a long tail, infant-like proportions, and a gold spellbook, loomed above them. "My Zanpakutō, Shamash will now judge you!"

Shamash shot beams of light from his tail, Aku becoming a snake and slithering in evasion. One of the beams struck Aku, materializing a spiked chair and trapping the demon within it. "AAAAAAK…kukukuku!" Three more Akus rose around the chair. "You've punished one of me!" The clone faded away. "But which is the real me!"

"Shadow Clones!" Lyserg bent Morphine to pierce the Akus' heads, but two more clones flapped up in batlike forms, slashing claws. "Which one of you is the real one?!"

The real Aku had become a beetle, skittering quickly underneath Jeanne before flying up to her toes. He then grew a scorpion tail and stabbed them, Jeanne gasping in pain and striking Spirit Thunder at the bug. Aku grew to adult size and slashed a black sword, Jeanne blocking it with her aura as Shamash zapped him again. The demon was put under a guillotine, which dropped and beheaded him. Aku's head became a spider and tried to gnash Jeanne while the body became a cannon, shooting energy balls at the maiden. Lyserg stabbed the spider with Morphine, Aku grunting in pain before morphing into a slime and slithering up the chain. Before Lyserg could lash him off, Aku leapt and became a gun, shooting him in the stomach.

As Alastor clashed his staff with Michael's sword, the demon wondered, "Say, you were a car just now, weren't you? Then I bet you have a radio!" He stabbed Michael with the butt of the staff and forced his stereos to screech wildly. Michael's insides rumbled and distorted, and Marco felt the results full force as his innards churned, barfing spiritual blood. Shamash zapped Alastor and propped him up on a platform with a noose around his neck, hanging and squeezing him intensely. Shamash then granted Jeanne an axe, the child clashing with Aku's self-made sword. Aku bent his stomach inward to evade one of her swings before slicing downward, but Jeanne's hat defended her. The angel flapped upward, bouncing Aku's sword back before chopping her axe and splitting Aku's head like a banana.

Christina could see the battle transpire from Aku's stomach, still furiously trying to punch herself free from the glass. Sadly, her lack of oxygen barely enabled her one punch every 10 seconds. It really pissed her off… gasping helplessly in this jarred prison like a bug, doomed to die pathetically and forced to depend on these strangers. Imagine Laruta finding out about this and being like, "I told you so, I told you so!" Chris was out of breath, but she had to keep punching. It was hot in here… she was angry… she just wanted to kill these monsters… she really wanted to… kill…kill…kill… "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOOOOUU!"

Aku merely morphed his split head into the mouth of Molgera, chomping Jeanne inside and chewing the angel before she could slice herself out. Shamash struck him once more and trapped Aku in an electric chair, lighting him up so great, one could almost see a skeleton. He released Shadow Clones from his being that jumped and tried to smother Jeanne in darkness. "Hey, Aku, sorry to interrupt your little strobe light party," Alastor said, "but I've noticed something: whenever that big baby shoots its lights, it gets a little bit smaller. I reckon we just need to hold out it goes all the way down!"

"That time would be better spent repenting your crimes." Jeanne lit herself with Spirit Flames and burned the mass of clones away. After Aku broke free of the chair, Jeanne trapped Aky in a Black Coffin, which was then punctured by spears.

"Hakukukuku!" Aku laughed, regenerating black flesh over the holes in his body. "You are powerful, Jeanne, but there are few things that can destroy me! And I've already disposed of one in…?!" Aku caught a case of heartburn… or should he say stomach-burn. A spot of bright red was welling up there. "What's this?! She shouldn't be able to use firebending—OOOOWW!"

Christina smashed out of her prison and out of Aku's stomach. Lyserg fell agape in both surprise and relief. "Huff…huff…" A light-red aura surrounded Chris, her eyes glowing as she snarled at Aku with sharpened teeth.

"Such a… malicious aura." Jeanne whispered.

"RAAAAAHHHHG!" Christina swarmed Aku with a tsunami of fire, the accursed heat steadily burning away his shadowy cells. She shot into the base of Aku's cloak and sank her teeth, the demon crying and growing a leg for the simple sake of shaking her off. He shook off Christina at the cost of a chunk of "flesh," but flew backward as Christina charged like a wild beast.

"CHRISTINA!" Lyserg wrapped her in his chain. "Stop! Let's go back to the Gap entrance, your friends are worried!"

"NOT UNTIL I BURN THIS SHIT!" She melted Morphine off and rocketed toward Aku as a flaming torpedo, but spiritual chains entrapped the Uno.

"Quell your rage and desist." Jeanne requested. "Do not give in to your wrath. We shall punish these demons duly."

"Hakukuku!" Aku clutched Christina in his claws, withstanding her searing touch. "Perhaps you will… but not any time soon!"

"This power! No! Lyserg, catch her!"

"Okay!" Lyserg cast Morphine.

"We interrupt this order to bring you a dramatic development!" Alastor cast Sound Slices to sever both Morphine and Jeanne's chains.

"BACK TO THE FUTURE!" Aku reeled back his clasped hands before throwing Christina with vigor. The force punctured a rift in space and time, Christina swirling through a hypnotic, monochrome portal.

"CHRISTINAAAA!"

"Aku…" Marco grunted, his insides still ruptured by the radio attack. "You… threw her to the future…"

"Hakukukuku. I'm sure Diablo can wait another hundred years. Now, we have plenty of time to… sort things out."

"Lyserg, return to the Mortal World and inform her comrades at once." Jeanne ordered. "I'm certain they have a way to rescue her… until then, I will fell this demon here."

"Y-Yes, My Lady!" Lyserg took flight.

"Try as you may… I will ensure that my future is not disrupted." Aku sneered.

Iceland; Oil Ice Mountain

The mountain was always Juki's favorite place to play in the snow, but tensions rose across town when a towering red light suddenly emerged from it. The mountain was split open like a volcano, and everyone feared their days of playing in snow were fleeting. But Sector IC feared worse. The team of five set off to investigate.

An army of demons marched down the mountain. Their leader wore a wide, red cape over his pitch-black body, skull armor over his torso. A sapphire flame sprouted from his head, highlighting his jack-o-lantern smirk. "MONGOGOGOGO!" the demon laughed. "Kids Next Door Sector IC… my mastah orders your destruction."

"Well, look at that, chums!" Loki smiled. "We're famous!"

"Who's your master?" Hiyuki glared, scythe drawn. "Why are you here for us?!"

"It won't matter to answer you… You need only fear the might of Demongo the Soul Collector! Your souls will be a great gift to Mastah Aku! Akuma… HARVEST THEM!"

The Future

Christina was almost losing herself in the constant spiraling. The flashing monochrome was bound to leave a bad effect on her vision. Christina eventually felt herself crash on solid ground, but it took a moment for her eyes to reprocess the world. "Huff…huff…huff…" Consumed with rage, the demonic child searched for Aku. She desired so desperately to rip him to shreds, rip out his guts and saw them into a bloody mess. "Where the fuck are you, you son of a…?"

The sky was blotted by bleak, poison clouds. The land was desolate and lifeless, and the average homes were in ruins. …But what Christina saw next threw her into complete horror: Sector V Treehouse. Pale and decayed, like a withered tombstone… and yet, she recognized it. She recognized this neighborhood. This was Cleveland. But what… "What did those fucking demons DO to this place?!"

It was the most logical explanation, but it was hard to believe the demons completely devastated her hometown in the short time they were gone. Weirder still was there were no demons in the aftermath. Christina stomped about, searching for any demons to punish… or at least any survivors. She thought their parents would be able to fight off an invasion, but what about all the normal civilians?

Her aura dwindling, Chris rushed to find her house. It seemed to be in just as worse shape as every other. "MOM! Hey, Mom!" Chris crunched the remains of her door going in. All their furniture and possessions were a crumbled mess. "Is she out shopping or something?! No way she'd let demons make a mess of her house! Seriously, what the hell-?"

Looking out to the backyard, she saw a wooden gravestone. Chris approached and read it. Maddy Ocelot Uno-Murphy – January 11, 2021 – October 4, 2140

"M-Mom's… grave? HOLD UP, HOLD UP, it ain't 2140, it's 2061! And I'm pretty sure she was still alive in October! I bet you this WHOLE thing is a big Max joke. I'll give that prankster a piece of my mind!"

Chris marched her way to Max's house next and was less considerate in kicking the door down. "MAX! Uncle Zach! Where are ya?! Aunt Mako's a cop, don't make me call her and arrest your butts!"

"Ehhhhh? Whoooo's theeeeere…"

"Huh?!" Relieved to hear a voice, Christina searched up the hall and into Max's room. …A withered old man was sitting on a rocking chair, knitting a sweater. She had no idea who he was.

"Oh…hello, young lady… Here to buy one of my sweaters? They're a hit with the chicks, heh heh…" A chicken leapt into the window, pecked the sweater in its beak, and made off with it. "Heheh…get it? Chick…sssssss…"

"Er…just who the heck are you?! What're you doing in Max's house?!"

"Max? How do you know…" The old man looked her over as best as his blurry vision could. "Say… you remind me of my cousin. She wore a pretty ribbon… and had a rude tongue… but she disappeared a loooong time ago…"

"Just tell me who you are!"

"Call me Max…Max the Kidder…Max the Fool… I ain't got much joke left in me though…"

"MAX?! What the FRICK happened to you?! What happened to this town?!"

"Oh, just sorta became this way… after the demons took over. What's your name, little lady?"

"It's Christina, you dolt!"

"…Well, I'll be." Max reached and gently stroked the girl's cheek, Chris cringing. "If I weren't a fool… I'd think you're really my cousin… Maybe you're a spirit… 'guess that means you died back then…"

"I'm not dead! That Aku prick threw me through a portal and I wound up here! Where's my team, where's Sector V?!"

"Oh…they fell apart a couple years… after you vanished. I don't remember where they are, but… I often hear sounds comin' from the treehouse…"

"That must be where they are, dummy! Better show them I'm okay. You just keep being old and stay here."

Christina raced for the decaying treehouse and rocketed into the open hanger. Tripping over piles of scrapped ships and inventions, she reached the hallway… as a horrible smell poisoned her nostrils. "UUUUUHH! What the FRICK is that… Who's responsible for cleaning up in here?!"

She heard noises coming from the living room. The TV was on, and there appeared to be a black, bloated mass in front of it. There were mountains of empty pizza boxes, soda bottles, and chip bags. Christina could only think of one person who would produce such a scent in these conditions. "Silica!" Chris marched directly in front of the black mass. It was an obese old lady wearing a hood over her melted face, eyes squinted into slits as she mashed the buttons of a controller.

"Mmmmgg…" The TV was the only visible thing to the elder… but some kind of short, thinnish blur was blocking it. She didn't have the strength to lean and see around it.

Chris turned, seeing she was playing Pirate Wars. "Yo, this ain't the time to be playing! Open your eyes, it's me!" She lit a flame in her hand.

The extra light provided a bit more depth to the blurry thing. Even the fire itself was familiar. "Hmmmmmggg…" Silica moaned like an old boar. "Get out of my waaaay… Christinaaa…"

"Man, it really is you. Girl, what the heck happened? Is this some kinda demon curse?"

Luckily, Silica could still perceive words based on the dialogue in her games. "Mur…get out of my way… you're not Christina… she's gone…she was gone a long time ago…"

"Why is everyone saying that?! Me, Isabelle, and Ralph only left for a night!"

"BUUUUUURP." Her best friend's breath was more noxious than ever. "Isabelle… Ralph…murg… You three left… to go beat up Mack… and I never… saw you again. After I almost got killed by a demon… to save you… you went and left… you were such a pain…"

Only then did Christina process the words Aku announced. She was too enraged at the time to listen, but he yelled, 'Back to the Future!' "Silica… what year is it right now? How long has it been?"

"Nya…I don't know…"

"Where are the others?! What happened to Sector V?!"

"Beh…I dunno… I think Laruta stuffed herself and had a heart attack… Jason's drunk on an island somewhere…meh, who gives a fuck. You don't…"

"SHUT UP! I know what this is, it's some kind of illusion! Demons are always pulling these upsetting visions, he's trying to get to me! WELL, I WON'T FRICKING…" Christina wanted to burn Silica to prove her point… yet a part of her restrained the urge. A part that feared this was reality and this is all that remained of her best friend. "Grrrr…PERRY! No way Perry would give up the fight, would he?!"

"Nyeh…no, he didn't. He was so stupid… full of stupid courage and wantin' to keep fighting… 'til he was murdered."

"WHAT?!"

"Tried to fight Diablo all on his own… He was pretty pissed after you left. Got all angry and wanted to take it all out on him… but that was the end of him."

"YOU'RE LYING! No way Perry would die to these fuckers!" Determined to prove herself, Christina charged down the treehouse and into what used to be the Uno Household. Aside from its withered state, Perry's room was virtually the same… except there was a table with a memorial photo of the brave, young leader. Chris then broke into the underground treehouse. There was a coffin set on a platform, next to a casket with a purple gem. With fear, Christina cracked the coffin open… inside was a skeleton, the same size and proportions as her little cousin.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" Christina exploded out of the house in a flaming rage. "WHERE ARE THEY?! WHERE ARE THOSE FUCKING BASTARDS?!"

Christina didn't expect to find her answer quite so soon. The moment she stepped outside, she was greeted by an army of demons. There were common types like Bokoblin, Fatblin, or Moblin, but the leading platoon consisted of Akuma, the minions of Aku, who wore red and black ninja-like outfits with horns and spiked shoulder pads. "Lord Aku was right… the princess has returned. Demons… SEIZE HER!"

Christina needed no other reason to rampage. She stormed through the horde and burned every demon to ashes. Many of them managed to cut her before being vanquished, but those little cuts slowly accumulated. By the time there were only 50 demons left, she could feel her strength faltering, even as her rage kept growing. Four demons wrapped black whips around her wrists and legs, bringing her down on all fours. "We came prepared with weapons to minimize your chi!" a Mighty Darknut said. "Even so, you're as strong as we feared, destroying this many of our soldiers. But you're still weak from that battle 100 years. Your agelessness certainly shows—uack?!"

What seemed like a katana pierced through the Darknut's back and out the front of his armor. It sliced upward and ended the demon. The katana was a glistening white, wielded by a man with a thick black beard and old white robe. Only his grit teeth and sharp, bluish eyes were visible through the curtain of hair. "It's…it's him!" an Akuma gasped.

The man's katana slashed like strips of light, slaying the last 49 demons with ease. Christina watched in her knelt position with confusion… but with no demons holding her restraints, she was able to unwrap them. "Overwhelming a single little girl… despicable cowards." The man sheathed the sword and turned a rugged hand to her. "You are hurt. I'm sorry I was not here sooner."

"Tch!" Chris jumped up without taking his hand. "I could've taken them myself!"

"You seem to have a strong will… but it is far too dangerous for a child to be out here alone. Do you have a family? Do you live around here?"

"That's none of your business! Who the hell are you?!"

"…" The man turned away. "I've long lost my original name… Even my purpose is fleeting. For 50 years, I've been roaming… ageless, lost in an endless journey. Yet, still I try to search for a way. Got to get back… back to the past…" He faced her with a committed stare. "Samurai Jack."

W-WATCH OUT!!