Falling Leaves 9??

  Danya stands there looking down at Akuji and his clone, tears continuing to fall. She can't find any words. The sounds of flames fill the air.

  Three pillars of light drop from behind her. Danya shows no reaction, her face blank.

  First, a giant man with golden skin and four arms appears from the first pillar. Then, two others appear from the remaining pillars: a slim woman with green hair and emerald eyes, peach skin, wearing a white skirt adorned with green circular markings. The last is Ariel holding Clyde.

  Clyde rubs his eyes. "Damn… dramatic ass entrance!?" He looks around and sees the flames raging across the village. "Christ! What happened here? It's scorching!"

  He wipes sweat off his forehead, then looks ahead and sees Danya standing there. "Oh no! Not you again!"

  Ariel lets go of his hand. "You know her?" She doesn't take her gaze off Danya.

  "Yeah! That's one of the reapers who brought me here!"

  The man looks down. "A reaper? Well, I've never met one in person before." He turns to Danya. "A shame that one will cause this much destruction in heaven."

  The woman with green hair scoffs. "Hellbeast, that's what they are. Whoever was left in charge of the gate did a terrible job."

  Ariel summons a beam of light as it manifests into a sword. "Haniel, Castiel. Be careful trying to take her on. These flames… the heat emitting from them, it's like nothing I've felt before."

  Castiel's skin starts to glow golden as four maces and chains appear in each hand. "Oh trust me, I can already tell this little lady will be a problem. Just look at the way she's looking at us. Not a hint of fear or respect."

  Haniel's hair starts to flow as green magic surrounds her. "Make sure you don't kill her. We need to bring her back to the high courts for interrogation."

  Clyde looks past Danya and sees two bodies on the ground. "Hey… Ariel, look at that… are they… dead?"

  Ariel turns to the bodies. "Castiel, Haniel, look there." She grits her teeth. "Hey Hell-Beast! You think you can come into Heaven and cause this much destruction? Even commit murders?!" She points her sword at Danya.

  Danya just blinks her eyes devoid of color, a tear falling from her eye.

  "Is she crying?" Clyde whispers to himself. He squints looking closer at the bodies on the ground, noticing white hair. "No way… is that the Akuji guy?! Ariel! The one on the ground is a Grim Reaper too!"

  Ariel looks up at Clyde. "Really? So there are two? She killed her own?"

  Castiel stomps his foot. "Well, she's even worse than we thought. Get ready to attack—she has a lot of explaining to do!"

  Haniel's energy glows brighter. "Take the bodies to be inspected. Ariel, we got this."

  "Hey, I wanted to be part of the fight too!" Ariel leans forward. "You guys will need all the help! This is a level 8 threat here!"

  Danya steps forward, walking towards the four.

  Haniel visibly irritated, "Fine! But brace yourselves—she's coming!"

  Ariel grabs her sword, getting into stance.

  "P-please…" Danya's voice is low.

  "Huh? Please?" Castiel says confused.

  "Help… please…" Danya repeats, looking down at the ground as tears continue to fall.

  Clyde looks at Danya, unable to process what he's seeing. "She's really crying? Is this the same reaper girl I met?"

  "Help with what, hell beast? You destroyed this village, destroyed a sacred foundation. Do you know how many souls were erased just from that? How many angels died in this inferno?" Haniel's voice rises.

  Danya remains quiet as she turns back to Akuji. She knows she's in no position to ask for help for Akuji, but she refuses to throw him under the bus. Having no other options, she mutters, "I'm… sorry…"

  She summons her scythe as red gas emits from it. The flames continue to rage, the white light shining off the white flames making Danya's tears glisten.

  Castiel tightens his grip and steps forward, running towards Danya and swinging his maces.

  "I said don't kill her!" Haniel's voice echoes.

  Ariel quickly follows suit, raising her sword and flapping her wings as she charges at Danya.

  "Ugh… these two don't listen… fine, whatever…" Haniel starts to charge her magic as green orbs appear. "Attack mode!" The orbs chase down Danya.

  Danya watches as attacks fly her way, her blank face unchanging. She sticks out her palm as red energy surrounds it. A wisp appears in her palm, which she releases. It twists and stretches into a bigger being—a giant black humanoid blob, bulky in size and faceless except for a red circle.

  The maces clash against it as it blocks the attack for Danya. Ariel appears at Danya's side, swinging her sword. Danya effortlessly moves her scythe, using the blade to block the slash.

  "Woah! She's good…" Ariel pants.

  Castiel grunts. "Think you're tough, huh? Let's see how you handle this." The maces start to radiate golden lightning as he retracts them and whirls them in a circular motion, causing the surrounding flames to blow back.

  Clyde struggles to keep his balance in the winds. "Hey! If I get blown back, I'll be caught in the flames!!"

  Haniel turns to Clyde. "Hmm, I forgot about you." She points her finger at him, and a green barrier surrounds him.

  The green orbs fire at Danya from above. Danya tilts her head slightly upward and swipes her arms, releasing a wave of shadow magic that destroys the orbs. Her eyes remain blank; she doesn't say a word.

  Castiel swings his maces at the blob,

  striking it multiple times.

  flies into the air, her speed enhanced by green magic. She lands behind Danya and throws a punch. Danya sidesteps, moving her scythe as Ariel's blade swings and Haniel's punch launches forward—they're in each other's way.

  "WATCH OUT!" Ariel screams.

  "ARIEL, STOP!" Haniel's eyes panic as she can't stop her momentum.

  The blade stabs through Haniel's arm. Her arm drops to the ground.

  "AUGGGH!" She screams in agony, dropping to her knees.

  "HANIEL! I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY!" Ariel tries to rush to aid her.

  Danya appears in front of Ariel and slaps her, then bends her knee and sends a kick straight to Ariel's head, sending her rolling back.

  Castiel destroys the blob as goo splats everywhere. He retracts the balls of the mace and chain, then turns and looks at Haniel on the ground, blood pouring from her socket.

  "How dare you… HOW DARE YOU HURT HANIEL!" Thunder roars across the area.

  He whirls his maces faster. Danya narrows her eyes, watching in silence. She sticks her palm out as red energy gathers in it. Her eyes gleam crimson as her hair starts to flow backwards.

  "You'll feel this one!" Castiel's voice booms as lightning surrounds him.

  He throws his maces as thunder roars and they travel.

  Danya doesn't move as she whispers, "Impulso di morte…"

  The sound of screaming souls fills the air as red energy erupts from her palm, turning into a beam. It fires, hitting the balls of the mace and disintegrating them. The blast grows close to Castiel as red light glows off his skin.

  "Oh… my stars…" he mutters as time slows down for him. He watches as the beam is only an inch away. "I'm dead… I was reckless… This is a monster way above level 8. Ariel, Haniel… this is my fault for engaging so wildly…" He closes his eyes. "Damn…"

  An explosion occurs as red energy scatters the limestone below, leaving scorched marks.

  Clyde watches in awe, "HOLY SHIT! She's not even trying! She's murdering them!"

  The smoke clears from Castiel's body. His golden skin is now gray, his muscles drained—he's a withered, decaying husk of what he once was. Small green balls of energy flow towards Danya from Castiel's body as she absorbs them into her skin.

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  She then turns to Ariel, sticking her palm out, her eyes still blank with no thought behind them.

  Ariel shrieks as she grabs her sword, ready to block. Red light radiates from Danya's palm, soul screams echo once more.

  Clyde's eyes widen. "NO! WAIT!"

  Haniel's head is on the ground as she holds her arm socket. She hisses through the pain. "Ariel… Run…"

  Clyde runs towards Danya, trying to stop her. He yelled, "REAPER, PLEASE STOP!"

  The pleas of Clyde reach her. Her eyes regain consciousness as a flashback of her pleading to Akuji to stop and show mercy to his clone flashes through her mind.

  "W-hat—-" Danya's voice is low as she stares into her palm. "What am I doing Impulso di morte for?"

  She looks at Ariel, who's shaking with her eyes closed, holding her sword in front of her for dear life.

  Danya lowers her palm. "Hey... sorry about that..." She looks around—the area is still raging in flames, Haniel is on the ground with a severed limb, Castiel is withered and dried up. "Oh... damn... I got carried away." Her voice is dry. She looks at Clyde.

  "Mortal? You're awake now? I forgot we left you sitting under a tree."

  Ariel opens her eyes and falls back, panting and shaking on the ground. "Y-you, y-you're a monster!"

  Danya turns to her. "I'll be a monster. I'll be whatever you say I am. I just need Akuji awake and back with me, and I promise we'll leave."

  Clyde interrupts as he walks up to her, "Akuji? Can you explain why he's just lying there? And who's the other guy?"

  Danya remains silent as she looks to the ground. "It's... it's none of your concern... just stay out of this. I need the Angels' help, not yours."

  "How can you expect them to help you when you just slaughtered them? Do you or your boyfriend ever use your heads?"

  "I HAD NO CHOICE! THEY WERE TRYING TO KILL ME FIRST! I WAS ASKING FOR HELP!"

  Clyde steps back as fear runs through his body, but he doesn't back down. "THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST NOT KILLED ONE OF THEM! OR LITERALLY MUTILATED ONE?"

  Danya's eye twitches. "Shut up! They weren't willing to listen anyway! I did what I had to do for myself!"

  "And with that, you ruined your only chance to save your little reaper boy! You sure did great there!" Clyde steps forward.

  "Tch..." Danya smacks her lips, looking away from Clyde.

  The area darkens as the golden clouds turn grey. Clyde looks up. "Oh shit..." He realizes he forgot Danya could kill him at any moment.

  "Hey, hey, hey! Okay! I take everything back—don't kill me, please!"

  Danya looks at the sky as well. "That's not my doing?"

  Rain starts to pour down, extinguishing the raging flames. "It rains in heaven?" Danya asks herself.

  Ariel looks up at the sky. "What's going on?" She gets up and points her sword at Danya once more, shaking as she tries to overcome her fear. "Reaper... this is you causing it to rain?"

  Danya sneers. "I just said it wasn't me. What, are you deaf?"

  Thunder begins to roar in the sky as a bolt of lightning crashes in front of everyone. Clyde, Ariel, and Haniel are blown back. Danya stands still as sparks land on her. She sighs. "What now?"

  A woman's voice appears from above. "Well, well, I never thought I'd see the day you two become cosmic terrorists."

  Danya's eyes widen. "No way..."

  The smoke clears, revealing a man with brown skin. His hair resembles a rain cloud with a tip of lightning sticking out at the top like a horn. He has faint black wings and wears black cloth around his waist with black pants underneath. Black armor plates cover his arms and the middle of his chest. His blood red eyes lock with Danya's.

  "I could have sworn I heard Sachi... not this guy."

  Haniel on the ground looks up. "Ariel... an Archangel arrived!"

  Ariel picks herself up and looks over at him. "Amazing... he's majestic."

  Clyde picks himself up. "An archangel? You mean like that Michael dude?"

  Danya continues to give the archangel a blank look. "So what? You're another crossdresser or something?"

  He remains quiet as two figures appear from behind him. A woman with long white curly hair, olive skin, and a white dress.

  "Well, aren't you a funny one, Danya..." she smiles.

  Danya groans. "Of course it's you, Sachi. Just my luck..."

  Kiyoko appears too, still in her feminine form. Danya's eyes dart to her. "And you brought the crossdresser with you too?"

  Kiyoko's eyes scan the ruins, her voice steady but urgent. "It wasn't her. It was the other reaper—the one with violet eyes and white hair."

  Sachi's gaze sharpens, concern flickering across her face. "Akuji?"

  "Yes! That was his name. That girl's boyfriend! He started fighting a version of himself made from the foundation of purity. He destroyed everything, erased souls, killed fellow angels."

  The Archangel scoffs, stepping forward, her voice dripping with disdain. "Disgusting. To commit such crimes in Heaven... it shows just how far some beings are willing to fall."

  The Archangel then turns his head and notices the corpse of Castiel behind him. His eyes widen with horror. "Your majesty, look at this! At this..." Lightning starts to radiate from him. "At this monstrosity!"

  Sachi looks down at Castiel's withered body. "A shame... a perfectly good guardian angel gone to waste like that." She shrugs lightly. "Oh well."

  "Was this the doing of this Akuji as well? Huh?" He raises his voice as sparks continue to fly.

  Danya stares at him unimpressed. "Are you supposed to be intimidating? You think throwing sparks everywhere is supposed to make you big and bad? And no, Akuji's not the one who killed that thing. It was me."

  Kiyoko looks up at the Archangel, seeing the rage building up inside him as veins pop out of his forehead. "Sir Nari..." he whispers.

  Sachi chuckles. "Danya, bold as ever. Even at a time like this, you still don't know how to keep your mouth shut. That's exactly what I can't stand about you." Her eyes glow golden.

  "Mistress, permission to execute this vile demon," Nari requests.

  "Oh, not yet. I have something far more grand for her. A spectacle all of heaven won't forget."

  Nari's veins continue to bulge. "She's a murderer of sacred beings. Whatever fate you have for her, make it worse than hell."

  Danya narrows her eyes. "Oh, give me a break. You must not know this woman you call 'Mistress.' You believe she's pure? She'll kill an angel in a heartbeat if given the chance. Are the people of Heaven really this delusional?"

  Nari steps forward once more as more lightning radiates off him.

  Sachi places her hand in front of him. "No... this isn't the time right now."

  He grunts. "As you wish..."

  Sachi then smiles. "But you can do me one thing though."

  Nari raises an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"

  Sachi floats up to Nari's ear and whispers.

  Danya watches this and picks up her scythe, thinking to herself, I have to stay on guard. Knowing Sachi, she's going to try something...

  Sachi lands back on the ground, her smile unwavering. Danya grips her scythe tightly, ready for any sudden attacks.

  The air starts to turn cold as the raindrops hitting Danya's skin feel like snowflakes. Sachi swipes her hands, creating a barrage of icicle spears and firing them at Danya.

  "I knew it!" Danya uses her scythe to block the incoming spears, slashing and hacking.

  In that moment, Nari rushes towards Danya, currents of electricity coursing through his body. Danya has no time to react. "Shit!"

  Nari lands a punch on Danya's face, sending her straight to the ground. She tries to stand up as Nari looks down at her, his red eyes glowing.

  "Next time we meet, it'll be your end. I swear it." Nari proclaimed.

  Danya scoffs as she spits blood. "What do you mean next time? Come die right now!"

  As she tries to stand, her body begins to shock itself, and she can't move.

  Nari takes this chance to send a current of electricity through the raindrops straight at Danya, electrocuting her. She screams as blue lightning pulses off her.

  Sachi giggles as she swipes her arm once more. Crystals of ice erupt from the ground, encasing Danya in a prison with only her head free. The sharp tips from the crystals are pointed directly at her neck—any sudden movements would lead to impalement.

  Clyde, Ariel, and Haniel watch this all unfold. They're all back on their feet. Ariel holds Haniel as she's still clutching her arm socket. Blood drips and washes away in the puddles below them.

  Ariel then turns to the body of Akuji. "Clyde, grab that reaper on the ground! We're taking him."

  Clyde shakes as memories of what Akuji did flash in his head. "Why... no, I can't do it! If we're saving him, I refuse! He's a tyrant! Literal scum—I'd rather die than help him!"

  Ariel smacks her lips. "Fine! Then hold Haniel! I'll get him."

  Ariel places Haniel against Clyde's chest as she runs to Akuji's body.

  Haniel looks up at Clyde. "Thank... you..."

  Clyde helps her stay balanced. "It's no problem... we just have to make it out of here alive."

  He thinks to himself, I wonder if she knows I'm not an angel... I don't think Ariel had the chance... her and the others weren't even shocked seeing me. I guess they were too focused on killing Danya…

  Ariel makes it to Akuji's body, she watches the blood staining his body wash away, she looks at the other body behind him.

  Dang… that's brutal… She looks at him, a giant slash in his chest as blood continues to leak out, his eyes still open, but completely lifeless.

  She looks at the other man's face, it's the exact same as Akuji's. Did he kill his twin or something? She bends down as she examines the both of them.

  A voice then calls out, "Get back from him now!"

  Ariel turns to see who screamed at her, Sachi is there walking up to her.

  "M-m-mistress! I-I'm sorry…." She instantly stands back up and bows.

  Sachi stands over Akuji's body as she crouches, she places her hand on his cheeks as she rubs it.

  "Fool... look at the things you get yourself into. You had a simple task here…"

  She turns back to look at Clyde, her pupils dilate into slits, as the rain pours down. She thinks to herself, So now he's here playing angel… I haven't heard any reports of a demon being summoned either… so he hasn't been in a situation where it could trigger yet… She then looks at Ariel who's standing stiff, her lips contort into a sadistic grin. Perfect… if he wants to be around these angels I'll let it happen…

  Clyde, moving Haniel away from the battle field, looks back at Sachi. This bitch… I don't trust one thing about her… why's she helping now?

  Sachi flicks her wrist as streams of wind surround Akuji's body, enclosing him in a cocoon.

  Danya, trapped in the prison unable to see what's going on behind her. Her eyes are closed, as electric current starts to run through her body.

  Nari grabs her by the face as he leans in towards her.

  "Be grateful we're letting you still exist, Mistress has plans for both of you reapers."

  He lets her go, as she struggles to open her eyes or to even speak, she feels the tips of crystals on her neck in every direction. The only thing she can think about is Akuji, not how she's going to free herself, not killing Nari or Sachi. But saving Akuji and going back home.

  "Kiyoko, grab the other body. We're leaving!" Sachi commands as she attaches a string of wind to Akuji's cocoon.

  Kiyoko flies over to Akuji's clone's body, "My stars… this is disgusting…" he looks at the slash in his chest.

  Sachi then turns to Ariel as she stands up. "And you, watch over the mortal."

  Ariel bows. "Yes! Mistress!"

  "We're going to the Colosseum, meet me there, when you're all patched up."

  "Mistress Sachi!" Haniel calls out as she's holding onto Clyde.

  Sachi glances at her. "Yes? What is it?"

  "Please… please bring Castiel back to life!" Haniel pushes herself off Clyde as she tries to walk towards Sachi. "I beg… Please grant me this one request, he didn't deserve to die like that."

  Sachi looks at Castiel's body, withering and decayed. Her facial expression blank, no emotion behind it. She says coldly, "He died the way he signed up for. He was a guardian angel, he knew this outcome would be a possibility. So no, I won't bring him back, it'll disregard everything you Guardians stand for."

  Haniel starts to tear up. "PLEASE! CAN WE JUST FORGET ABOUT THE RANKS FOR A MOMENT? I CAN'T LOSE HIM!" She then points to Ariel, "WE CAN'T LOSE HIM!"

  The rain continues to pour down, her tears mixing with drops, her hair drooping in front of her face.

  Ariel, watching Haniel breakdown, begins to tear up as well. "Haniel…"

  A bolt of lightning flashes next to Sachi, as Nari appears next to her.

  "Mistress, are we ready for departure?"

  "Yes, we're done here," She turns her back to Haniel.

  Haniel's voice is low, blood dripping from the open wound where her arm used to be. "Mistress… why?…"

  "Kiyoko! Hurry up!"

  "Coming!!" She flies next to her mistress and Nari.

  Sachi takes one last look at Danya, her crimson hair matted in her face, crystals pointed at her, her breathing ragged, as water vapor comes out her mouth from the cold. Sachi grins as she pulls Akuji's cocoon closer to her, Nari surrounds lightning around the four. As they zap in the air at lightning speed, leaving a roar of thunder in its wake.