Battle of a Hundred Men (2)

Nozomu stood silently beneath the ethereal glow of the moon. His gaze fixed upon the grotesque scene unfolding before him. He observed, with a mixture of fascination and suspicion, as the Devils' acidic saliva seeped through the grass and soil, leaving behind a trail of destruction.

"I suppose mentioning their acid-drooling wasn't high on your list of priorities, huh?" Nozomu asked, nitpicking the situation, while the Devils inched closer to him and Pop.

"Yeah, well, they're in cahoots with the Section Commander you let get away," Pop argued, his voice tinged with urgency as the Devils continued their stealthy advance.

"He claimed there were a hundred of these things with him. Devils, that's what he called them," Pop cautioned Nozomu, who appeared lost in thought again.

"Hmm, I only counted seventy on my way here. If the information is correct, the remaining thirty are likely heading toward..."

"The Iron Fortress," Pop finished Nozomu's sentence, a hint of concern creeping into his voice.

"They're strong, far stronger than anything we've encountered before, and oddly enough, they don't seem to feel pain," Pop added, mopping a bead of sweat from his forehead. 

The acrid scent of burning lumber overwhelmed the forest air as the wildfire's fiery hues of red and orange danced amidst the star-studded sky. Suddenly, Sedgwick, Branch, and a group of soldiers emerged from the darkness. Like a beacon throughout the night, Sedgwick led the way as the sea of Devils parted to yield to his presence.

"You! Yes, you there!" Sedgwick bellowed, his finger pointed accusingly at Nozomu. "I am Sedgwick Fullerman, the esteemed Section Commander of Sector Five of the Wastelands, and I command you to relinquish the Iritheum Core immediately!"

A small draft of wind and a stifled chuckle escaped Nozomu's lips. Carried away by a gentle breeze and lost among the stars.

"Quite a mouthful, wasn't it?" Nozomu whispered to himself, a mischievous grin playing upon his face as he concealed his amusement.

"Who are you talking to?" Pop inquired, but Nozomu ignored the question, redirecting his focus to Sedgwick.

Nozomu and Sedgwick locked eyes, a silent confrontation taking place. Nozomu gently patted his chest, a gesture loaded with unspoken defiance.

"I think I'll hold onto it a while longer," Nozomu calmly informed Sedgwick, setting off a tumultuous storm of emotions within the Section Commander.

"Go! Attack! Kill them!" Sedgwick commanded the Devils as they closed in on Nozomu and Pop. 

In a synchronized motion, the Devils unleashed a menacing growl, their feral voices echoing through the air as they lunged forward with unrestrained ferocity.

Within the fortified walls of the Iron Fortress, Benny nestled Mimi protectively in his arms as he dashed down the hall. He was determined to alert everyone to the imminent danger, activating the alarm system. It triggered a cacophony of urgent sounds that thundered throughout the structure. 

Meanwhile, the recruits swiftly sprang into action. They hurriedly navigated the maze-like corridors, evacuating Benny's workers towards the safety of the fortress's main hall. The squads comprised pairs of Aeda and Aida, Arthur and Bryce, Clarissa and Curtis, Isabella and David, and Theo with Dawn. 

"Hey! Everyone! Wake up!" Theo's urgent cry pierced the corridor as he and Dawn raced forward. The blaring alarms provided an intense soundtrack as they pounded on each door, relentlessly urging the disoriented workers to join the growing stream of people in the hallways.

"It's okay, everyone! Remain calm! Benny sent us! We're here to help!" Dawn reassured the bewildered workers, pacifying their apprehension amidst the chaotic circumstances. "Benny and the others are waiting for us in the main hall!" 

While Dawn led the bewildered crowd toward the safety of the main hall, Theo's attention drifted, becoming captured by a faint yet persistent banging that somehow penetrated through the clamor of sirens and voices. Compelled by curiosity, he cautiously advanced towards the opposite corner, distancing himself from the crowd.

The rhythmic banging grew increasingly louder as Theo continued trailing the sound. As he got closer, the sound was unmistakably that of hammering upon steel.

"What are you doing, Theo?" Dawn's concerned voice interjected as she approached him.

"Hush..." Theo gestured, peering around the corner. The door at the end of the hall was violently thrust open, and a group of Devils staggered in through the busted entrance.

"Theo..." Dawn whispered, her voice laced with fear, as he firmly grasped her hand and sprinted away. 

The grotesque grin on the Devils' faces, accompanied by foamy drool cascading from their mouths, was unnerving. Astonishingly, their acidic composition did not affect them. Glancing back hastily, Theo noticed the charred and scarred hides of the Devils rapidly closing in on them. The lead Devil unleashed a burst of fire down the corridor.

"Run!" Theo roared, urgently instructing the confused crowd as he swiftly turned the corner with Dawn, narrowly evading the scorching blaze. Glancing over his shoulder, he discovered that the Devils had rounded the corner, their outstretched hands reaching menacingly toward Theo and the mass.

"Clear the path!" Theo's voice thundered through the corridor, reverberating with haste. In response, the Devils unleashed a torrential gust that barreled down the hallway. Reacting swiftly, Theo instinctively yanked Dawn into the sanctuary of an open room, narrowly averting the destructive force.

As the wind subsided, anguished screams pierced the air, their echoes saturating the hall. Theo peered cautiously beyond the room's threshold, and his eyes widened in sheer horror. The ferocious gust had mercilessly cleaved through the hapless workers who could not react fast enough and make it into a room. 

Rooted to the spot, Theo felt an immobilizing grip seize his limbs. No matter how he strained against its grasp, his body refused to obey. Sinister growls reverberated through the hall. A shiver sprung down Theo's spine as the Devils ominously closed in as the remaining survivors peered out of the rooms.

What in the world are these things? What can I do? Damn it! Who am I kidding? I don't stand a chance. But, if I don't do something, everyone here will die. 

Theo's thoughts bombarded him, colliding with the weight of his promise to reshape the world. Discouraged by his thoughts, Theo froze until Dawn grasped his trembling hand, intertwining her fingers with his and gazing into his eyes.

"It's okay, Theo. We'll save them together."

"No, Dawn. Stay here. I'll—"

"I said together."

Dawn's visage hardened her resolve as unyielding as steel. Theo's plea did not reach her. He knew regardless of his request to stay behind, Dawn would do what she wanted. "Fine. Let's do it."

With time too precious for an argument, they readied themselves as the Devils trudged past the room. Concealed until the final moment, Theo and Dawn burst forth, toppling the fiends with whatever moveable furnishings they could find inside the room.

"Head for the main hall!" Dawn's cry rang out, spurring the remaining workers into a frenzy to escape, stumbling and clamoring down the corridor.

"Run!" Theo's urgent command to Dawn pierced the air, his voice trembling with fear before abruptly tumbling to the ground.

"But, Theo..." Dawn's anguished plea escaped her lips, a desperate melody laced with concern and a profound desire to help him.

"Go ahead! I'll catch up!" Theo's voice resounded with unwavering resolve, resonating through the air. His eyes swiftly darted downward, only to discover an obstacle in the form of a sinister creature lurking beneath the furniture, preventing him from moving forward.

Dawn sprinted toward Theo, but the Devils proved overpowering as they surged to their feet, effortlessly hurling them and the furnishings aside with an unsettling gust of wind.

"...That hurt..." Theo muttered under his breath, wincing as he rebounded off the cold, unforgiving ground of the dimly lit corridor. But out of the corner of his eye, Theo caught sight of an ominous Devil zooming past him, its sights set on Dawn, who had been propelled even farther down the hallway.

"Dawn..."

Summoning every ounce of energy left within him, Theo was fueled by a surge of adrenaline as he sprinted after the two. Dawn managed to rise to her feet, oblivious to the impending danger quickly creeping up behind her. Unseen and lethal, the Devil lurked, its talon-like claws poised to tear through her defenseless form.

"Dawn! Look out!" Theo yelled, propelling himself forward with all his might, forcefully pushing her out of harm's way. In a selfless act of protection, Theo willingly accepted the savage blow intended for her as the Devil slashed down.

Meanwhile, the relentless horde of Devils rapidly closed in, launching yet another devastating barrage of fiery projectiles. Thankfully, Theo and Dawn reached the stairwell just in time. Their gazes transfixed on the fire blast obliterating the Devil that had struck Theo as it stood at the stairwell door.

"Theo! You're bleeding! Are you okay?" Dawn's voice trembled with concern as she observed a pool of crimson liquid gushing from the wound on his back.

"I'll be fine. We can't stay here. We need to keep moving before they catch up with us," Theo urged, perseverance etched across his face as they resumed their descent down the staircase.

Meanwhile, outside the Iron Fortress, Nozomu and Pop fought valiantly, warding off the unrelenting swarm of Devils that encircled them. The once serene woodland area now lay engulfed in a fierce wildfire, casting billowing clouds of smoke into the air.

"They just keep pouring in!" Pop exclaimed, his blade poised to strike back against the seemingly endless onslaught of Devils. Nozomu mirrored his comrade's actions, creating a brief opening in their relentless aggressors' formation.

"Don't mess this up," Nozomu cautioned, his words tinged with confidence and expectation. A sly grin crept across Pop's face as he propelled himself skyward, defying gravity itself.

"What do you take me for?" Pop retorted, effortlessly evading the elemental attacks launched by the Devil from below.

"Smoke Manipulation... Catastrophic Wave!"

Extending his palm toward the rising smoke billowing from the raging inferno, Pop called upon his ability to manipulate smoke. A dense concentration of smoke began to converge, forming an ominous, pitch-black wave suspended high above the forest. With a thunderous crash, the wave smashed down, releasing a torrent of inky darkness that swept through the woodland. 

Startled by the flood of black smoke, the Devils scattered, their ranks disarrayed, and found themselves drawn towards the opening where Nozomu lay in wait. In the distance, Sedgwick, Branch, and their men observed the unfolding chaos, their eyes glued to the battle.

"Sir, wouldn't it be more cautious to preserve a few?" Branch proposed to Sedgwick.

"Branch, what exactly are you insinuating? Are you suggesting that these Wasteland scum will triumph over the Devils?" Sedgwick questioned with a mix of skepticism and irritation.

"Of course not, sir. My concerns lie more with our inventory of Devils," Branch clarified.

"I bet," Sedgwick remarked dryly, and they remained fixated on the ongoing battle, engrossed in the horror that unfolded before them.

As thunder roared and lightning crackled across the night sky, storm clouds ominously gathered above them. The wind intensified, unleashing a furious howl. Nozomu deftly spun his blade in a circular motion, causing a whirlwind to envelop it. Emerging from the forest, the Devils stumbled into Nozomu's line of sight, their disarray evident due to the billowing black smoke.

"Storm Manipulation... Tornado Road!" Nozomu announced, and a colossal tornado surged from the storm clouds, spiraling down before Nozomu and the advancing Devils.

"What in the world do you think you're doing!? Attack! Every single last one of you! I order you to attack!" Sedgwick howled at the Devils, urging them onward without hesitation.

Hovering above the blazing forest, Pop skillfully manipulated the swirling black smoke from his previous attack, aligning it perfectly with the tornado's rotation. Pop's entire focus centered on maintaining the synchronization of the smoke.

"Oxygen Manipulation!" Nozomu exclaimed, realizing the tornado and the black smoke had achieved perfect harmony. Undeterred by the ferocious black vortex, the Devils charged straight at Nozomu. Pop deftly guided the wildfire flames into the tornado.

"Duo Manipulation! Firenado!" both Pop and Nozomu cried out simultaneously, and the wildfire flames ignited, engulfing the smoke and transforming the tornado into a blazing inferno.

Violently propelled through the air, the Devils crashed down to the ground. The fire consumed their bodies with searing flames as they lay motionless and engulfed in the crimson blaze of the firenado. Nozomu soared high into the sky, distancing himself from the relentless assault and drawing closer to Pop, who erupted into boisterous laughter.

"So, how was that?" Pop asked Nozomu, sporting a confident grin. They marveled at the destructive power of the fire tornado as it tore through the land, decimating both the terrain and the unfortunate Devils.

"Not bad," Nozomu replied as Pop reveled in his triumph. The fire tornado mercilessly consumed additional Devils, intensifying Sedgwick's rage with each destructive blaze.

Observing the phenomenon, Branch couldn't help but express his astonishment. "They deliberately heightened the oxygen content within the smoke and ignited the flammable compound using the wildfire... Truly impressive," he murmured, his voice laced with awe.

Consumed by a torrent of emotions, Sedgwick unleashed his fury with a resounding outcry. "Why are they able to use Dyna!? Why are they so proficient with Dyna!? Why!? Why!? Why!?" 

Sedgwick's vehement screams pierced the air, echoing his deep-seated frustrations.