https://youtu.be/ItxWMuW3jQg

The chase was on. The streets of Arc were very familiar to Inigo, so he knew them like the back of his hand. As he leapt on top of a building to surveil the area, he kept an eye out for any members of Libera. That was to say, anyone holding a bomb was fair game. With a cane in his hand and a hood over his head, he searched relentlessly for anyone endangering the lives of others.

These were not difficult to find. While he didn't intrude on any of the fights because not every member of Libera seemed to wear a suit, he did see some people about to throw bombs at buildings. Not liking the reminder of Galileo, he used every means at his disposal to defeat them before anyone could be harmed. Aiming his cane like a rifle, he fired a jet of water at one such man, drawing his attention before gunning him down with a stronger stream and seizing his bomb in his psychic grip.

Rinse and repeat with many others he came across, though some of them threw quicker than he could stop them. Initially, being too late to save the few buildings that were demolished this way was devastating, especially given how impersonal most of Libera seemed to be about this, simply moving onto the next house without caring to know if their victims were even still breathing. And unlike them, he had checked, and not all of them were. Seeing such apathy to the lives of their fellow man...it incensed him.

So, as he saw one such mobster gearing up to toss a shell at a house, Inigo acted quickly, carefully taking one of the bombs he'd gathered out of his jacket and tossing it as hard as he could, beaning the man in the head right before transforming into a blaze of crimson flames, energy and smoke. Seeing he was downed almost immediately, Inigo took a deep breath, noting the size of the explosion and reminding himself to use those sparingly, lest someone get hurt.

He continued leaping from house to house, continuing this until he reached a clearing - presumably a place where one of his teammates had been prior. There were people lying on the ground, too weak to properly move, but as he jumped down to inspect their bodies, he found they were weakened, but alive. This couldn't have been Iago's doing, then, and Silas was focused on evacuation. Must've been Azurine, then.

He sighed, standing up straight as he examined his surroundings. It was a dark night, and Inigo stood in the middle of a street, surrounded by houses and rubble with a few lampposts around - one of which was lit up, but the rest of which seemed to be broken. He looked around, beginning to walk down the street, which seemed much quieter than usual. Which made sense, after all. For every house still standing, two more had been reduced to insignificant piles of brick and ash.

It had been a struggle saving everyone up to here, and he hadn't always been successful, but he'd still saved a few lives. Now his agenda was clear - find Iago, save everyone he came across, and find a way to accomplish that second one without being branded a 'hero of Arc'.

https://youtu.be/wj9jkVQS-No

As he continued searching, he heard a most unusual sound - the soft hooting of an owl. He raised an eyebrow, beginning to slow down as he noticed how barren the area ahead was. Wondering whether or not to turn back, he looked around, only to see a bright red owl flying towards him, talons primed to attack. Sharp as ever, he moved out of the way, allowing its attack to go wide as it landed safely on the ground.

He turned around, watching as it seemed to take a bow with its wings before its body began to glow with a bright red light. Its shape changed completely - from a bird to a muscular man dressed in casual, trendy clothes, still taking that same bow by the time his transformation finished before standing up straight and turning around to face Inigo. On his face was the same toothy grin that he'd worn during their first meeting, which Inigo observed while studying him carefully.

"Yo, Red Joker!" he exclaimed cheerfully. "We meet again!"

"So we do." Inigo murmured in response, tightly gripping his cane by the handle. "You guys really fucking love explosions, huh?"

"Hehe..." Creed - or Coyote, as Inigo knew him, chuckled sheepishly, running a hand through his own hair. "For what it's worth-"

"Which is nothing."

"I did try to talk her out of it." Coyote continued, sighing. "But once the Mikado has an idea of what to do, well...good luck convincing her otherwise."

"Forgive me, but I don't feel like hearing dogs bark their excuses right now." Inigo shook his head, holding his cane up. "As far as I'm concerned, you're just as guilty as her. Unless you'd like to tell me otherwise?"

"...nah, I get you." Coyote sighed, stepping back and stretching his arms over his head. "I didn't really come here to justify myself, anyway. I've got a job to do, so..."

"Hunting me down, right?" Inigo raised an eyebrow, preparing himself to fight. "Then get on with it. I've got my own things to do."

"You're looking for the Devil's Spawn, right?" Coyote replied. "If so, you're going the wrong way."

"...I suspected as much." Inigo put his free hand on his hip. "I don't suppose you'd be so kind to point me in the right direction, would you?"

"I actually would! On one condition!" Coyote raised a single finger, piquing Inigo's interest and getting him to listen closely. "We never did get to finish that fight of ours. You know, back in Furvus? And I hear you've been busy since then."

"No thanks to your boss."

"Point is, you've faced off against the asshole and the serial killer-"

"Spree killer."

"-so I don't wanna feel left out of the party." Coyote finished, smiling slightly as he held a hand out towards Inigo - as though he was offering a handshake, even though the distance between them was too great for that. "So, whaddya say? Wanna put your dukes up?"

"...alright, I'll indulge you." Inigo took a deep breath, stepping back once again and taking aim with his cane. Something about Creed reminded him of the Ravener, only actually somewhat bearable. And that, in addition to what was at stake, made him really not want to lose.

https://youtu.be/QnhM_6yl0TM

As for Creed, the tattoos on his arms began glowing as he cracked his knuckles, grinning widely while baring every single tooth in his jaw. "That's what I'm talking about! Let's sing a glorious song of battle, in a canis major key!"

As he said that, his arms changed shape, taking the form of a full set of an octopus' tentacles, brown in colour, with four on each side. Sprouting blades of wind on each tentacle tip, he swung each limb wildly in Inigo's direction, keeping a fair distance between them.

Not that that mattered much to Inigo, who was content to keep his distance. He weaved between Creed's attacks, dodging each blade while trying to widen the gap between them. But it was no use, for Creed seemed all too comfortable at this range, and he was quick enough to maintain it. So it looked like he'd have to play his game.

He brandished his cane, using it to deflect the bladed strikes, but every now and then he'd feel a windy dagger cut into his side. Still, he kept a close eye on Creed's blows. It seemed that like Galileo, he wanted to keep him on the defence, but using fast attacks as opposed to large ones. Much easier for him, then. As the tentacles swarmed him all at once, he raised his cane in one hand to block them, only for Creed's foot to come under his, hooking around him and tripping him up.

He felt himself plummeting to the ground, and just as quickly, he unsummoned his cane and flipped himself just enough to land on his hand. Despite the unstable grip, it was enough for him to know he was touching the ground. From his fingertips, he called forth a mighty gale of wind, hastily pushing the Natura out to propel himself away from the mobster.

Creed watched as Inigo was sent flying, using further aerokinetic abilities to right himself, and grinned widely as his arms went back to normal, while his legs were replaced with those of kangaroos. Imbuing himself with his own wind magic, he leapt towards Inigo right as the latter had corrected his posture. Reaching him almost instantly, he performed a diving kick that Inigo couldn't successfully block in time, slamming him into the pavement.

Creed landed near him, and he stood up, leaping to his feet. He felt as though his ribs would be shattered if not for his shield, and found himself thanking Deus Luctus for creating Natura in the first place before remembering that was why he was in this situation in the first place. Now that they were up close, Inigo summoned his cane again, taking aim and firing multiple blasts of water at him, halting his pursuit while slowly stepping back.

This distracted Creed for a little while, but he eventually shook his head quickly and powered through the blasts, approaching Inigo with a leap followed by a falling kick. Inigo prepared himself for melee, his feet moving in rhythmic triangles on the ground before he turned around and came back round with a wind-powered kick, meeting Creed's leg with his own.

The hound grinned, jumping off and landing a few feet away from him, eyeing Inigo's moves as he crouched down, forming a disc of bubbling water beneath his feet. His blue eyes met Creed's golden ones before he looked up to the night sky. "Let's dance."

He hydro-springed up to the sky, far above any houses, the geyser swirling beneath him like a whirlpool as owl feathers trailed in his wake. Creed, hoping to intercept this, transformed into a majestic falcon and took flight, meeting Inigo as the latter began to descend. From there, he began harassing him, pecking and clawing at him and beating his wings in his direction, forming moderately strong gales with each wingflap.

Inigo was on a steady path downwards, though as his own wind touched him, he was able to slow down enough to engage him. He kept his eyes on the falcon, trying to bat him away with his cane, but Creed proved too swift for that. So he put his cane away, crossing his arms as a rapid gust of wind began to surround his body. Being as light as he was, Creed found it hard not to get blown away by the gale, and transformed into a coyote, prepared to take the fall.

He lunged at Inigo, using a platform of wind to propel himself, and snagged his leg in his sharp jaws, biting down hard. As he opened his mouth for another bite, however, Inigo snapped his fingers, catching him in his psychic grip and tossing him into the ground. While he fell, Inigo allowed himself to fall at a faster speed, transmuting the active form of Natura as the wind surrounding him was replaced with mist.

And so, he landed, the shroud of mist around him dispersing into a wide, thick fog cloud, obscuring Creed's vision as he reassumed his human form and stood up, rolling his neck. He'd have to think of an animal with good enough eyesight to withstand this.

But Inigo wasn't going to wait for him. Already having decided that winning was imperative and the public peace was secondary, he kept his eyes on Creed, pulling out three bombs and having them float around him as he pulled the pins, tossing them directly at Creed. Before Kotoba's hound could fully parse what was going on, he felt the metal spheres slam right into his body, unleashing Galileo's flames as they exploded in a gruesome cacophony.

An intense heat filled the area, and Inigo could feel a scorching shockwave blowing against him, forcing his hood off and threatening to uproot him from his spot. Creed, who had faced the full brunt of the hits, didn't get the option, and as the sound of glass shattering rang through the air, he was sent flying.

Inigo, both hearing and seeing this as the fog was forcibly cleared out, immediately extended both hands towards Creed, bathing him in a pale purple glow as he psychically held onto him. There was silence between them as he lowered him safely to the pavement, slowly walking up to him as the hound looked up at him, confused.

"Did you just...save me?"

"That a problem?" Inigo asked, shaking his head and reaching out towards him. "Get up."

"Well, shit, didn't expect this..." Creed murmured, taking Inigo's hand and helping himself up.

"No need to thank me. I'm just making sure you honour our deal." Inigo said coolly, causing Creed to chuckle.

"You say that, but..." he said, before shaking his head and smiling. "Nah, it's nothing. I'll let you know where he is, from one warrior to another."

Inigo nodded at that, allowing himself to exit combat mode fully as he noticed Creed seemed genuine about this. He eyed the man closely, listening to him giving his directions, and once he was done, gave him a quick nod before preparing to go his way.

"Thank you...Creed, was it?" Inigo said, earning a nod and an affirmative grunt. "Maybe you're not beyond help just yet."

"I'm honoured to hear it." Creed grinned, offering his fist in an attempt at a fist-bump that ultimately went unrecognised. "I'll let the Mikado know that we're dealing with a worthy opponent."

Inigo nodded at that, before turning away in the direction indicated to him. And so, he disappeared into the night, zeroing in on his goal once again.

.........

https://youtu.be/tdoH5ysPdKw

The streets of Arc were dark, and darker still was this poor soul running around frantically, dressed in an all-black suit. As Iago paced the streets, he couldn't help but keep thinking of Solar's message to him - a threat from Libera. And he wasn't sure what they had planned, but tonight, the streets had been rather densely populated with their grunts.

Keyword here was 'had'. He'd seen the way they lurked about, looking for him, and had briefly considered blasting everyone who looked at him strangely enough. But once the Libera members came at him, he realised that wasn't necessary. With a look of desperation in his eye, he waved his arms without his usual dramatic flair, ending their lives in a flurry of darkness-infused claw strikes.

Each attack only fed his paranoia as he looked around frantically, wondering where the next strike was going to come from, and if his adversaries had something bigger planned. Surely they knew such a strategy would prove ineffective on him! But the Mikado was smarter than this, surely! So what could that devilish woman be planning?

"I ask only one thing of you, Iago. Stay with me. I won't let the Mikado catch you."

He would have loved to heed Inigo's solitary request. But the Joker seemed intent on taking a passive position and allowing Libera's attack to happen. He wished to react, and Iago was nothing if not active. He had to meet her challenge head-on, and eliminate the threat. His enemies had to know that he wasn't just playing around, and if that meant slaughtering every single member of that mob to step foot in this town, then so be it!

So, sorry, Inigo, but he knew best. He had to be aggressive. He had to spill blood so that his own remained intact.

As he traversed the grey streets of Arc, he eventually made it into the marketplace. It was too dark out for any of the stalls or the buildings they leaned against to be open, so while the lampposts shone with their Light Natura, it only exposed how empty each stall was; every single product had been packed away for the night, leaving the vibrantly-coloured stands and the numerous people standing casually inside the stalls, as if they owned them. But they didn't own them, did they?

Libera. It was obvious. Who else would it be? Was this their attempt at an ambush? If so, it was a painfully obvious one, which meant it couldn't be all they had. So what else? He knew Libera had something else up their sleeves - but what? Masking his fear with a performatively sadistic smile, he clapped his hands above his head, standing in the middle of the market as dark energies crackled around his body like a chaotic, sinister surge of lightning.

"My Liberan friends, it is ever so pleasant to see you all again!" He declared, his aura growing thicker and darker as he spotted a few of them taking aim with guns and other weaponry, but one thing that was evident was their shaking. Trembling, with hitched breaths and eyes wide. His presence had struck fear into their very hearts. So at least he wasn't the only one. "Now, then, let us dance a glorious finale!"

At that, the ranged fighters began firing their weapons, elemental bullets and arrows flying towards Iago, while those holding close-ranged weaponry stepped out from behind their stalls. Iago's magic didn't care for their level of bravery, though. With a hearty cackle, he unleashed a formless orb of darkness from his body, it crackling with shadowy tendrils that lashed out at everything that touched it as the marketplace was bathed in a gloom that ate all light around, rendering the street lights useless.

Iago's magic lashed out violently at his surroundings, swatting the various arrows and elemental spells fired out of the way while slamming the fighters onto the ground. With a dramatic wave of his arms, he conjured up a parade of giant, shadowy hands, floating above him before he sent them out to disperse. Under his command, they went to further ravage his foes. Some slashed at their faces and bodies before they could properly react, others slammed them into the ground and dragged them across the rocky road. A serenade of screams and shattered glass filled the air, and it was music to Iago's ears - a reminder that no matter how many tricks his foes had up their sleeves, it was he who was superior in the end.

.........

From behind one of the marketplace's walls, Valerie stood in wait, taking a deep, deep breath as she faced the wall in question. She was out of sight from the fight, so she couldn't see what was going on, but she could certainly hear it. From that opening line to the constant crackling of dark Natura, it was plain to see that the Devil's Spawn had made his entrance.

She listened to the war raging on, closing her eyes and looking back on the mission, her objective, and everything that was at stake. Just like Silas had told her to do, because frankly, that was the only way she was making it out of this with her conscience intact. Even if it was Iago's life in danger, it was that life against so many others. Needs of the many, needs of the few. It was just a little equation, and while she was no mathematician, the answer was pretty easy, right?

"Keep listening, Golgo."

Crouching a few feet to her right was the Mikado, dressed in an ash-grey hoodie that Creed had gotten her with the hood up. Hearing her voice, Valerie shoved her hands into her own hoodie, listening out for what her boss had to say.

"The battle has begun." the monochrome woman continued, summoning to hand a longbow and a quiver of arrows in a flash of silver light. "If you want to save your allies, then listen out for the sound of broken shields. The moment you hear it, you strike."

"Got it." Valerie nodded, closing her eyes and focusing entirely on the sounds of battle. She didn't think there was any glass in the area to mistake for what she was looking for, but there was still cause to listen closely. To the untrained ear, Natura and glass sounded the same when they broke, but as someone educated in this field, Valerie knew good and well that there was a subtle difference - a mild dissonance inherent to the breaking of one's defences, that was simply lacking in the sound of mere glass.

And, with how much attention she was paying, and how fine-tuned her senses were, she picked it up en masse. Her people's shields were breaking, and if she wasn't quick, Iago would claim more than that. Turning around, she clenched her fist, looking at the wall and pumping formless Natura into her body as it took the shape of swirling green, elementally-indistinct energy wrapped around her hand like a glove.

And with this reinforcement, she opened her eyes widely, throwing a punch at the wall and smashing a giant hole into it, exposing the violent scene of the battle to her wholly as she stepped out into the night. As the sound of a wall demolishing struck everyone's attention, Iago turned his head to identify the interruption, and as he laid eyes on a Valerie who was primed to attack, he stopped instantly, his eyes wide as he stared at her in shock.

And for a short time, there was complete and utter silence, with nobody ever daring to speak up.