บท 13: Reckoning Day (Part 2)

"There it is," Irene whispered as she pointed to the building in front of us.

"Alright. Scar and I will sneak inside the back rooms. I used to play in this thetear when I was a kid, so I know a secret way in that I don't think the others will notice. Paul, Alaster, you two break in the front entrance. Cause as much damage as you can while Irene will hang back up here and pounce on anyone who makes a break for it out the side doors." Dan commanded.

I raised my eyebrow at Dan when he announced his plan and he looked back at me with a confused look. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing it's just- your acting like an actual leader here," I said sarcastically.

"I am the leader!" He yelled quietly.

"Right~ anyway, we'll go with your plan since Paul and I need to have a heart-to-heart and can bond over the battle situation!" I said, giving a thumbs up and a smile to Paul, who looked mortified by my proposal.

Irene chuckled for a bit before giving me a kiss on the cheek. "Good luck master!" She said as she ran to take a position on a rooftop nearby. Paul ground his teeth in obvious jealousy while he watched this before taking out two long knives he used as his main weapons.

"Alright, I've got some steam to blow off now so I'm going to rampage!" He growled as he ran towards the entrance.

"I'm pretty sure Irene knows Paul likes her and is doing that on purpose," I said to Dan.

"Maybe..." Dan said with a contemplative look.

I smirked as I unsheathed my old sword and took off after Paul. It had been a long time since I had just let loose, so it would be a fun change of pace. As I caught up with Paul, the two of us took a sharp turn onto the main road leading directly to the theater's front entrance. It seems we tripped an alarm or were spotted because as we approached at top speed, we saw about a dozen guards rush out from the front entrance to support the guards that were stationed there.

"Ready to go Paul!?!" I shouted.

"Yeah... all I need to do is imagine they're you and I get fired up!" He shouted and ran a bit faster, pouring his fighting spirit into his weapons. "|X-Blade|!!!" He yelled as a sword beam in the shape of an 'X' shot forth from his two long knives towards the knights.

*BOOM!* A small explosion occurred where the sword beam struck the formation of guards, scattering them.

"Eeehhhh!?!?!" I yelled out. "I thought you couldn't use |Aura Blade| though! How can you use two at the same time to increase its power?"

"I don't know. Something told me I could do it when I started seeing their faces as your face." Paul quipped with a smirk.

"Oy! Don't use attacking me as an excuse to make crazy improvements!" I yelled as I dove into the fray.

(Dan POV)

I heard the explosion ring out into the night and saw some dust kicked up from the front of the building and smiled. The entrance I mentioned was a wooden window leading to a room in the attic.

"There! It looks like it's closed from the outside but it's actually unlocked!" I said, pointing the entrance out to Scar.

He nodded at me before strengthening his legs and leaping onto the little overhanding roof piece directly below the entrance and opening the window. I quickly followed suit, pouring fighting spirit into my legs to enhance my physical attributes before leaping myself.

Once we got inside, I opened a latch leading into a backstage area. The entire attic had actually been closed off as the stairs leading up the attic had long since rotted away in the old building, but now was the perfect angle to get the drop on the people inside. We ducked behind some curtains as a few guards rushed by, likely running to their deaths were Paul and Alaster were attacking from. We made our way to the backroom where all of the old props were stored.

"This place used to give me the creeps when it was filled with all those old and rotting props but now it gives me the creeps for a different reason..." I said, looking at all the cages in place. People in rags stood, obscured by shadow as Scar approached to open the cages.

Just then, they all burst open and the rags of the slaves fell away to reveal men and women in light armor. They all at the same time held up an orb in their hands which began to glow and, in an instant, they were all covered in new glowing armor and were armed to the teeth with some weapons they pulled out of the rags on the floor. Scar jumped back and pulled out his own short blade, landing next to me in a defensive stance.

"Suprised?" A voice came from behind us as we both turned towards it. An absolutely gorgeous woman with long blonde hair tied up in an elaborate bun with sky blue eyes stared back at us. She wore a dark red dress and held a folding fan with elaborate feathers and a bluish-steel guard hat shone rainbow-colored, even in the dark of the theatre stood opposite us.

"Your-!" Scar shouted but was suddenly cut off by a blade going through his gut.

He slowly turned to look at me with a shocked and mortified expression but I was having none of it.

"Don't look at me like that. You're escaped merchandise. Isn't it the responsibility of any sane High Human to return their property to another High Human?" I told him casually as I removed my blade from his back and he fell to his knees.

"He was one of my favorites so don't kill him, ok?" The woman said.

"Of course, Lady Prosipina," I responded with a bow.

"W-why?" Scar let out a tear-filled cough while spitting up blood.

"Hmm? How do you think Dagon was able to kill everyone so efficiently and only you were spared? It's because of me that you get to live, you should thank me." I said as I put my arms up in surrender.

"Are the two of you done gloating? My power won't work on a corpse." Another woman stated as she walked into the room. She was another gorgeous beauty, this time with firey red hair and amber eyes. She wore all black and even wore a choker with spikes on them, giving her an almost goth look.

"Ah, Lady Sadi. It's an honor to see you again! Have you been well?" I said as I bowed again.

"Oh stop with the formalities, Ezekiel. No one is buying them. As one of the Six Powers of the Super Magic Empire, our status is equal." Sadi stated as she approached Scar, who had rolled over onto his back and was slowly trying to scoot away.

"Oh dear, your crawling away is making my blood boil." She said as she licked her lips and held out a hand. "It's a shame Prosipina wants you, I'd love to have been the one to break you personally. [Dominate]!"

Scar grit his teeth as a violet light began to shine from Sadi's hand, however, it was over the instant he saw the light in such a weakened state, to begin with. His eyes glazed over for just a second before popping back to normal, however, now they had a renewed fire in them. A fire to serve his master.

I smirked seeing this before remembering something important. "Oh yes. Did you get my prize?" I asked.

"Of course, you've had to live in squalor for so long on your extended mission, you deserve a trifling thing such as that." She said, waving her hand and revealing Irene, standing just behind everyone.

"Sweet. I can't wait to defile her in front of that imbecile Paul and scumbag Alaster. I'm undecided on whether I fool them into thinking Irene is into it or to release her domination and let them powerlessly weep together," I replied with glee.

"I'm afraid you'll have to settle for just that Paul guy. I've got to avenge that idiot Dagon after all." Another man said. He walked out of one of the shadows, the spitting image of Dagon, as one would expect from his twin brother.

"Now now. Dagon may have been a battle maniac but he wasn't a bad commander, Merodach." I replied coyly.

"Whatever. It still pisses me off that he is going to be replaced by an Arch Demon of all things!" Merodach complained.

"Thats Merodach for you, always finding a way to complain. Have you sent forces to Marry's place? We need her alive to give us names if we are to dismantle the Liberator's network." I asked him.

"Don't worry about it. Cecil is going personally. That old lady was once a pretty powerful adventurer, after all, so she might have some tricks up her sleeve to outwit regular soldiers, even with the experimental Spirit Armaments we stole from that Ancestor's favorite Daughter." He replied.

"Good. Make sure to take care when facing Alaster. He is pretty strong so if you attack with half-hearted resolve, you'll lose." I gave a serious warning without any hint of joviality the first time in the entire conversation.

Merodach nodded his head as he marched off, making sure to bring his staff with him. It was the improved version of the one Dagon had received and it was reinforced with magic after I had warned him that Alaster had apparently cut through the one Dagon had used which was made.

"Ahh. It'll be so good to go home again. I'm sure Lord Jahil will throw me a feast now that his supply of test subjects will be unhindered for a while." I said with a bit of joy in my voice.

I felt a ping in my chest at the thought of leaving this trash heap behind. 'I didn't realize I'd be so moved but I guess Lord Jahil's orders take priority over my complaints.' I thought.

.~.~.~.

A/N: What do you think of the twist that Dan was a traitor? I've had this idea stuck in my head for a while now but I didn't know whether or not to go through with the idea or keep him as a normal kinda one-dimensional character.