Deadly Symphony

"I knew you would screw this up," the woman with glowing blue eyes said to Recon without even looking at him. She had long purple hair and her slim body was wrapped in bandages made of black leather. They left almost nothing to the imagination. On top of the bandages, two silver chains were also curled around her body; they ran from the ankles of each foot all the way up to her neck. She wore an oversized circular necklace that appeared to be made of steel, and the ends of both chains were connected to the necklace.

"I'm sorry, my Mistress!"

"Silence! I don't have time for your apologies. You were supposed to locate everyone with Big D. Energy and take them out one by one. And yet here you are, fighting three of them at once."

"I know, my Queen! I'm sorry! I sent mercenaries to kidnap Lu D. Crisfunds on the Dragon Train. He knows the locations of multiple Big D. Energy users, so we were going to torture the information out of him. But then Briggo ended up being on that train, and he foiled our plans. I never expected him to ride the Dragon Train – he was always afraid of heights!"

The woman frowned. "That doesn't explain why you challenged multiple kink users with Big D. Energy. Only an idiot would do that."

Recon slammed his forehead into the ground. "Yes, I know. I am so sorry. I just couldn't resist… I wanted revenge for everything they've done to me!"

"We don't have time for revenge, you petty fool. We have bigger fish to fry."

"You're right, my Mistress. I failed you. I would kiss your feet to apologize, but my lips aren't worthy of your beautiful toes."

"What's going on, Birito-kun?" Truck-chan asked me. I had finally managed to catch my breath. "Why is his kink talking to him like that?"

I honestly had no idea. Not only was Recon's kink the only kink I've seen with the ability to speak, but she seemed to be the one in charge. Recon was clearly subservient to her.

The kink whose name was Melody suddenly locked eyes with Truck-chan. "You, girl. Who are you? Why do you have so much magic?"

Truck-chan froze. "Wh…what…"

"Answer me! Are you one of the Lost Ones?!"

"I… I don't know what you're talking about."

We heard an explosion out in the distance. When I looked over to the main battlefield, I saw that Briggo was back in action! He must have defeated the projection just like I did, because he and Chad Lass were on their feet and fighting back against the Darchangels.

I knew that I didn't stand a chance against Recon and Melody on my own, but if we could just keep them busy for long enough, Briggo and the others would surely come and save us.

"Who are YOU?" I shouted at Melody. "I might be new to this world, but even I know that kinks don't talk. And they certainly don't keep their own users on a dog leash."

"HEY!" Recon screamed. "How dare you speak to my Mistress without her permission? Learn your place, you LOWLY WORM!"

"That girl…," Melody said. "Perhaps she's forgotten who she is."

Samurina finally recovered from the initial blow, and she assumed a protective stance.

"Hello?!" I shouted. I had an idea about how to keep Recon talking. "I'm speaking to you, Melody! You're the one who calls the shots, right? Recon is just a puppet… a worthless, useless nobody."

Recon snapped. "You… filthy… bastard! I'll KILL YOU!" He stood up and tried to walk towards me, but Melody pulled him back by his leash.

"On the contrary, little John Recon is quite useful. To me, he is priceless."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Melody smiled. "You don't know what kinks truly are, do you?"

I didn't know what to say.

"He doesn't know anything!" Recon proclaimed with a sick grin on his lips. "For years my kink simply refused to manifest, and I was mocked and belittled as the 'kink virgin'. I tried so hard to take control of my destiny, to unlock my kink, and to make everyone recognize my greatness. But that was wrong… it was all wrong!"

"I think he's crazy," Truck-chan whispered. "We need to get away from him, Birito-kun."

"I was wrong to try and force people to like me," Recon continued. "I was wrong to try and force beautiful women to marry me just because I wanted my very own isekai harem. Don't you see? My kink finally appeared once I understood that my true power doesn't lie in dominating others. My true power lies in complete and absolute SUBMISSION!"

"Huh?"

"My deepest desire was not to be in control. My deepest desire was to turn over all control to a beautiful goddess who is better than me in every way. Once she finally appeared, I was so overcome by her radiance that I groveled before her endlessly, every day and every night, and the more I worshipped her, the stronger she became. Eventually, my Mistress attained a level of power never before witnessed among the kinks! She advanced to the mythical Tier 4! Once that happened, she started to speak, and her true power and brilliance was revealed. Melody is the ONLY Tier 4 kink in the entire world, and NO ONE can hold a candle to her power. She is the strongest kink in the world!"

Was this true? Was Melody able to speak because she was the strongest kink in the entire world? The very idea of an evil kink that was even stronger than Chad Lass petrified me.

Melody chuckled. "You see? I told you that Recon was useful. His ability to submit and grovel before me is unmatched, and that is the secret behind my power. If I had been paired with any other kink user, I could never have reached my true potential."

We heard a loud crack that sounded like thunder. I looked over to the main battlefield and saw Chad Lass fighting it out with two kinks at once. Briggo was also fighting. He punched Steve so hard that the ball gag flew out of his mouth.

"We're running out of time," Melody said without even turning to look at the battlefield. "Your Darchangels are losing."

"I'm sorry, my Queen. But it doesn't matter. We've got an entire army of them marching south in this very moment. This is only a preview!"

Melody nodded. "Let's grab the girl and get out of here. She alone was worth the trip."

DAMN IT, I thought. We were so close to Briggo and the others winning the fight and coming to help us. I just had to stall them for a little while longer.

I had to think fast.

"Uhm, hey, Melody. I understand why Recon is doing this, but…"

"DEMON LORD HAVOC! And stop addressing my Mistress directly. You're not worthy!"

"Yeah, sure. I know he's out for revenge because the other guys bullied him or whatever. But if he's subservient to you and if you call the shots, then why would you go along with all of this?"

"Because you humans are nothing but slaves to your base desires," Melody replied. "You can't see anything that isn't right under your sniveling noses. You have no idea what kinks truly are, and you are completely ignorant of the power that is threatening to destroy this world and all other worlds."

"What do you mean?"

Melody shook her head. "Just as I thought…. you're clueless. Did you know that immortal beings with unfathomable power have roamed this world for centuries? You've met two such beings already. Did you even notice?"

"I… I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think she's talking about herself," Truck-chan says.

"No, you silly girl. The power I'm referring to is far greater than my own. Why do you think I turned a man like Recon into the Demon Lord? Unless we retrieve as much ancient magic as possible, we will be crushed… all of us! If the only way to unite the world is by conquering it through force, then that is exactly what we shall do. There is no time to waste."

The purple clouds began to form once again around Melody and Recon, and then they swirled together and formed the shape of a giant whip. The whip swerved towards us, and I knew I had to act.

"DIVINE WIND!" I called out. The words just came to me on their own.

Samurina extended her arms, a sword in each hand, and began to spin in place rapidly. Suddenly, she looked like an oversized Beyblade. As the purple whip descended upon us, it was eviscerated by Samurina.

"Truck-chan," I said. "Stay behind me. We'll have to fight them. I know we can't win, but we have to buy time."

Melody chuckled. "Your strength is impressive for a novice, but I'm on a tight schedule." The silver chains that had been wrapped around her body came to life and began moving on their own. The oversized necklace that she was wearing then snapped in half, and each half of the necklace revealed itself to be a sharp metal scythe. Each scythe was attached to one of the silver chains, and as the chains continued to move on their own like a pair of vicious snakes, the scythes became their deadly fangs.

Melody's glowing blue eyes locked onto Samurina, and then she took off running. Her speed was incredible, and within seconds she had closed the distance between us. Samurina was still spinning like a human tornado, and she rushed out to meet Melody.

The two kinks clashed in a storm of scythes and swords. They were moving so fast that my eyes could hardly follow, and each time Samurina's swords made contact with Melody's scythes and chains, black sparks exploded out in all directions.

Truck-chan and I stepped back instinctively. The sharp blaring of the weapons and the violent wind gusts that the battle was generating seemed to jolt Lubo out of his slumber. He picked himself off the ground and looked up. He released a high-pitched scream as soon as he saw the two kinks, and then he ran off into the woods.

I could feel Samurina's energy as she exchanged blows with Melody, and I knew that she was running out of stamina. Melody was too fast and too strong, and worse yet, she was just getting started.

Samurina jumped back suddenly to create some space between her and Melody. This produced a brief lull in the fighting, and in that moment all my suspicions were confirmed. Melody was smiling and full of energy. She didn't even break a sweat. But Samurina was panting and shaking from the intensity of Melody's blows.

We were completely outmatched.

I looked over to the main battlefield again, but the fight wasn't over yet. Briggo was fighting ferociously, but at this rate Samurina and I would both be dead by the time the others came to save us. Samurina had enough energy for just one final move, so we had to make it good.

And somehow I knew exactly what to do. I looked at Samurina and nodded. She nodded back and then she started spinning again. Powerful wind gusts swirled around her, and then she jumped into air, using the intense wind to propel herself high above the ground.

Melody didn't move. She merely smirked and positioned herself to face the attack head-on.

As Samurina descended upon Melody, she crossed her swords to form a giant X. The green aura engulfed the swords and began to flail wildly, and suddenly we were all in the midst of a furious windstorm. Truck-chan and I held on to each other as the powerful wind pushed us both backwards.

I already knew the name of this attack.

DEUS EX KAMINA!

Seconds before Samurina's swords made contact, Melody raised one hand over her head. She was holding a scythe in that hand, and she used it to parry the swords. As soon as the two kinks collided, a massive blast of wind exploded in all directions. It was so powerful that it threw Truck-chan and me on the ground, and it was so loud that it caused a painful ringing in my ears that lasted for several seconds.

When I looked up, I saw that the grass and earth around Melody had been uprooted and blown around wildly, as if by a hurricane. But Melody herself was fine. In fact, there wasn't a single scratch on her. She had successfully blocked Samurina's strongest attack with just one hand, and after that she proceeded to casually push Samurina away with the palm of her other hand.

Samurina was thrown back so violently that it looked like she was fired out of a canon, and she eventually crash-landed on the ground nearly a hundred meters away. I could feel some of her pain and I cried out in agony. I knew right away that Samurina was defeated.

She had no stamina left.

"Impressive!" Melody exclaimed. "Truly impressive for a novice! You've got some real potential, kid, but I'm way out of your league."

"Let's kill him then," Recon said. He had been blown back by the wind as well, but now he was walking back to where Melody was standing. "If he has potential, we should kill him now. We don't want him to become a problem in the future."

Melody shrugged. "Do whatever you want, but don't touch the girl."

Recon grinned, exposing long demonic teeth. "I think I'll start by eating his liver," he said as he approached me. Truck-chan and I were still on the ground, and I tried to stand up, but I could barely move. Samurina's brief fight with Melody didn't only drain her; it drained me as well.

"Come on, Birito-kun," Truck-chan said as she helped me to stand up. "We have to get out of here!"

"I…I can't. I can't run. Too weak."

"Oh, my poor Birito-kun! If only I could transform now… I could just drive both of us away from here."

Recon was getting closer. His eyes were glowing red and he was licking the edges of his teeth with his elongated tongue.

Samurina knew that I was in danger, and she started crawling towards me. She was moving as fast as she could manage after the thrashing she received from Melody, but she wasn't going to make it in time.

Truck-chan was trying to carry me away from Recon, but she wasn't strong enough. "Just get out of here," I said. I was scared shitless, but I was trying my best to sound brave. "Leave me and run."

"NO!" Truck-chan said. "I'll never leave you, Birito-kun!"

WHY, I wondered. Why does she even care about me at all? We only met a few days ago, and before that she was just a truck. She was nothing but a tool I used for work. And she wasn't even my truck – I was leasing it from Spamazon.

"You… you're just a stupid truck," I muttered. "You don't mean anything to me. Just leave me here and go."

She looked at me with tears in her eyes. But she was also smiling at the same time. "You're right, Birito-kun. I'm just a stupid truck." She leaned forward and kissed me softly on the mouth. Her lips were warm and moist, and as she pulled away from me, one of her teardrops dripped down on my chin.

She lowered me gently to the ground again, and then she stood up and turned to face Recon.

"I'm just a stupid truck," she said. "But trucks are big and strong. And they're not afraid of anyone, not even a Demon Lord."

"What?!" Recon asked, but before he understood what was going on, Truck-chan ran right at him. Sprinting at full speed, she crashed into him and tackled him to the ground.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, BIG TITS?!" Recon screamed "Get off me!"

"Don't you dare hurt her," Melody demanded. "She is a precious specimen."

"Then how am I supposed to get her off?! I think she's trying to smother me to death with those milk jugs."

"NO!" Truck-chan screamed as Recon tried to shake her off. "I'm not letting go!"

"Stop this, Truck-chan!" I pleaded. "You don't have to do this! These people are dangerous."

"I'm just a stupid truck," she said, "but trucks are strong and heavy and they can run people down and pin them to the ground!"

Recon shook his head. "What in hell is she talking about?!"

"A truck…" Melody muttered. "Interesting."

Recon placed his hand on Truck-chan's face in an attempt to push her off of him, but Truck-chan responded by biting his hand. Recon shrieked and then he slapped Truck-chan with his other hand. Truck-chan cried out in pain, but even after the slap, she refused to let go.

"NO!" I shouted. Why was she doing this? She didn't owe me anything. I forced myself to stand up and take a step forward, but my knees were weak and shaky, and I could hardly keep my balance.

Melody looked at Recon. "Didn't I tell you not to hurt her?"

"Yes, I'm sorry Mistress! It was just a reflex, I swear!"

Melody sighed and walked over to the spot where Recon was still struggling with Truck-chan. She grabbed Truck-chan with one arm and flung her up into the air. Truck-chan screamed and I screamed as well. I wanted so desperately to be able to help her, but I couldn't do a thing…

As Truck-chan fell back to the ground, Melody placed her palms together and then her hands began to glow. In the very next moment, she moved her palms apart and a glowing blue cube appeared between them. The cube then expanded rapidly until it was bigger than Melody herself.

As Truck-chan fell back down, she flopped into the cube like it was some floating above-ground pool. I thought I heard her call out my name. Less then a second later, the cube shrunk back to its original size, and it was just there, floating in midair next to Melody.

Truck-chan was gone.

"NO! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!" I tried to run towards the cube, but my legs gave out and I dropped down to my knees.

Recon began to cackle. "Don't worry, she's in good hands now." He stood up and dusted himself off.

"You bastards!" I cried. "She didn't do anything! GIVE HER BACK!"

"Oh, shut up," Recon said. He held out the palm of his hand and produced what looked like small fireball. "Here's a present for you!"

He assumed the stance of a baseball pitcher and launched the fireball right at me. I threw up my arms to shield my face, closed my eyes, and braced for the worst. Then I heard a SLASH, and I felt the heat of the fireball all around me.

But I didn't feel pain.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Samurina. She had managed to crawl her way back to me, and she protected me by slashing the fireball with her swords.

"So annoying," Recon muttered. "Let's try another one."

"We're out of time!" Melody exclaimed. "The tweek sauce has worn off and your Darchangels have fallen."

Recon turned towards the main battlefield, and I did the same. The battle seemed all but over, and several of the kink users who were on our team were now rushing towards us, led by Briggo and Chad Lass. They must have realized that Truck-chan and I were in trouble, and they were finally coming to help!

"HEY!" I called out and waved to Briggo. "Help us! They've got Truck-chan!"

"I am deeply sorry, my Queen. I expected more from the Darchangels."

"It doesn't matter. We have the real prize, but we still need Jordanio's portals to escape."

Melody made the glowing cube disappear, and then she grabbed Recon and held him up in her arms like he was a damsel in distress.

"I'll get you next time, you stupid little punk," Recon said to me. And then, before I could do or say anything, Melody took off running at breakneck speed.

"NO! STOP THEM!" I screamed.

Melody ran right at Briggo and the others. As she approached them, Chad Lass jumped out in front of her and unleashed a thunderous lightning-infused punch. But Melody's two scythes, seemingly moving on their own, came together to block the blow. Chad Lass was thrown back by the blowback and Melody just kept going. The other kink users who were there, including Hyde and Johnny, were simply too slow to do anything. Melody zoomed past them before they could even react.

Over on the main battlefield, most of the Darchangels were already down on the ground. Jordanio was backed up against a tree and Evanito was slapping him in the face over and over again. He wasn't even using MerMaid – he was doing it personally.

Samurina helped me get up and we started making our way towards the battlefield. Briggo and Chad Lass also turned back to chase after Melody. There was no way that Samurina and I would make it there in time – we were both exhausted and moving too slowly – but Briggo still had a chance.

Melody zipped to the tree where Jordanio was being slapped, and then it all happened so fast. MerMaid lunged at Melody with her trident, but one of Melody's scythes blocked the attack. The chain that the scythe was attached to then wrapped itself around MerMaid, swung her into the air, and threw her far into the distance. Melody's chains moved independently of her body, which allowed her to attack while still holding Recon in her arms.

And that's when Kor's kink suddenly appeared. Her name was Slice of Laifu and she was a magical girl with an oversized pair of scissors. I remembered her from Dakota's tavern. She attempted to engage Melody, but Melody's other scythe-and-chain stopped her in her tracks.

Slice of Laifu was too fast to allow the chains to entangle her, but after MerMaid was dispatched, Melody used the second scythe to attack Slice of Laifu from behind. As Kor's kink struggled to fight off both scythes, Melody dropped Recon to the ground. In the next moment, Melody ran up to the overwhelmed Slice of Laifu and kicked her in the back. Kor's kink was sent flying in the same direction as MerMaid.

Melody was obviously much stronger than Kor's and Evanito's kinks, but Briggo and Chad Lass were almost there. If Briggo could just get there in time, we'd have a fighting chance! We could stop them and get Truck-chan back! I was sure of it.

Recon rushed over to the tree where Jordanio was being slapped, and he started fighting with Evanito. Recon shouted at him to step aside or he'll be killed, and Evanito replied that he would gladly die to protect the honor of Lord Nuxanor.

But Melody wasn't playing games.

She actually shoved Recon out of the way, grabbed one of the scythes, and swung it right at Evanito. Just as the scythe was about to rip through him, Evanito was pushed out of the way by Kor. Instead of slicing through Evanito side, the scythe tore through Kor's abdomen instead.

"NOOO!!" Evanito shrieked, and then that same purple smoke shot out from Melody's aura and covered everything around the tree. Just seconds later, Chad Lass rushed into the smoke, her fists prepared to strike.

Samurina and I tried to speed up. Now that Chad Lass was there, she would surely take care of it. I believed in her and Briggo!

And then, as we got closer to that tree, the smoke began to clear. The first thing I saw was Chad Lass kneeling on the ground and panting. Her golden dress was cut in multiple places, and silver blood ran from her plainly visible wounds. The smoke dissipated just in time for us to catch a glimpse of one of Jordanio's portals. Recon and Melody stepped through it, followed by Jordanio himself.

And then the portal closed.

They were gone.

"NO!" I cried. "NO, WAIT! They've got Truck-chan! They took Truck-chan!"

Briggo ran up to me. "Birito, are you all right?" He didn't look so good either.

"Truck-chan! They took her…"

"Shit!" Briggo said. "I'm sorry, Birito. I'm so sorry."

Over by the tree, Evanito and Slice of Laifu were down on their knees beside Kor's outstretched body. Evanito was sobbing loudly, but Slice of Laifu's tears were silent.

"Why… would you do that?!" Evanito cried. He was a sniveling mess.

"Because you're my friend…." Kor replied. His voice was so weak.

Evanito shook his head. "No, please, Kor! Stay with us!"

But it was too late. Kor's head dropped to the side as the final breath left his body. Seconds later, a tearful Slice of Laifu dissolved into a puddle of glitter.

"NOOOOO!!" Evanito wailed as Briggo, Johnny, and the others ran up to him.

It was all over.