Chapter Text
Glass shards dug their jagged claws right on the edge of Nagumo’s face. His teeth grinded and his tongue pressed against it as a sharp hiss escaped through. His whole body was slammed into the thin walls of the average office building. Making him uncomfortably fall onto the border of his shoulder blades, as the top of his head bashed into the cheap carpet tiles.
Nagumo could only squeeze his mouth together from all the groaning and hissing he could let himself make. He twisted his hips and let the flow of his body to get him right back up on his feet. His leg muscle tensed up, compressing himself down to launch himself right back into the fight. His hand was squeezed tightly onto the handle of what remained in his Swiss Army knife. Fortunately, most of it stayed intact. Nothing but a little repair can’t fix.
Osaragi and Shishiba already managed to recover from their fallbacks too, countering and combining with Nagumo to attack in all directions. Osaragi’s buzzsaw carving through of what was left of the enemy's compacted weapon. Shishiba hammered hard, leaving indented holes everywhere. And Nagumo already pierced through the flesh of the thick hand. While also slicing the left ear and multiple fingers off.
The tattooed cherry smile man grunted, his hand twisting as roughly as he could. Nagumo didn’t lack raw physical strength. He had plenty of it, even when his abilities shone in his agility and wits. But the muscle and tissue of the pulpy sapless sear being wasn’t something to ignore. Liked all the cells were forced to be concentrated too tightly together, forced to be united by the hands of mankind. The head of whatever the hell the three were fighting at this point snapped back to bite his own poultry meat. Black hollowing warm hues from red to yellow started to spill out of its holes. Its eyes were covered in that inky texture while it seemed to start choking on itself.
Nagumo, Shishiba, and Osaragi all immediately drawed back their respective weapons all at once. Osaragi's eyes started to dialed back into thin small pupils as she stared at the creature now far above them.
The thing was translucent and ghastly, colored black with red and yellow accents, reminiscent to dark magma. The appearance was shaggy and it carried itself with a slump. Like its own weight for too much for it. Their eyes were dropping down low, as its mouth hung open and wide. The large body was littered from grenades, amateur knives, dull shiftless guns, a raggedy sniper gun as its arm, bats and batons sewn in the back, and even a bow and arrow as a belt.
“What the hell even is that thing.” Shishiba gaped open his mouth for a bit in slight shock, immediately feeling dizzy when Osaragi shook him a little. “Mr. Shishiba, it’s a swamp monster. Let’s go.” His voice was straight-laced with annoyance.
“Pft—no way! Maybe some low-end set for some movie. My money is on Godzilla~!”
But what “low-end set” could have a monster so real that it crashed buildings in its own steps, and could he grow like your own DIY chia pet in real time?
“Too real.” Osaragi stared blankly, clutching onto her buzzsaw. Too spooked to move a finger.
“Nagumo’s I just saw it get bigger. This ain’t no damn movie.” Shishiba looked like he wanted to jab his hammer right through Nagumo.
“I am the ghost of all Rank One and Two assassins in the JAA! No one ever took me seriously, and they pay for it. You’ll all feel the anger and wrath I’ve kept hidden-“
“What kind of bullshit is he saying..”
“No clue!”
“Weirdo..”
The haze of the sun setting seemed to glimmer white instead. The harsh pale rays of the sun burned all their eyes. Making all of them shut it tight.
Gales and gusts of wind blew all of their hair out of their faces, leaving only the pressure of nature against their faces. Nagumo guarded himself with his arms, peeking through his fingers to see highlights of bright blonde radiating. The luminous figure that stood in front had bright white puffy angel wings. A luminous halo shone right above the blonde angel. A white dress with baby blue horizontal stripes, featuring a layered, ruffled skirt trimmed with lace that gives it a soft, floaty look. The bodice has a corset-like design made of silver metallic fabric, detailed with light blue frill trim, and a white bow is tied at the back. A blue heart sits at the centre of his chest, surrounded by two silver straps that cross over his shoulders. Silver strap is wrapped around his upper chest, and his waist adorned with two more blue hearts, each accented with ribbon bows.
“O’ pitiful shadow lost in the darkness, O evil spirit born of those drifting between Heaven and Earth. May the thunderous power from the garments of these holy, delicate youths strike down upon you with great vengeance and furious anger, shattering your loathsome impurity and returning you from whence you came! REPENT, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" A brilliant aura was illuminating from the spiritual gun in the glittering blonde’s hands. Practically blinding Nagumo, sobering him up from his bloody haze.
He couldn’t ignore the tight clench in his chest. Reasoning it to be the stab wound, which was nowhere in his chest but in his shoulder.
Neon blue bullets started to fly everywhere from all directions. A couple directly from the Angel that was now sliding on the side of the building, his gun pointed right at the pathetic ghost. A couple ricocheting between the buildings. Seemingly from the figure way above. Accompanied by a bright yellow bird with a target tattoo on one side of its face.
“Aye Piisuke! Where next?” A booming voice reached the trio’s ears.
“Heisuke? Where the hell is Lu? She should be here by now!”
“Uh—actually dunno Shin! Maybe an alcohol store?”
“That fucking alcoholic!”
“Shin” started to blast bullets, unfocused and more emotion than control. Shishiba swore some passed right through his head and chest but yet he seemed unharmed. Keeping his and Osaragi’s body low to the ground, but he couldn’t keep Osaragi’s gleaming eyes off of the blonde angel.
And Nagumo was in his own damn world.
The ghost already made his moves, a guttural scream could be heard miles away, as the popping sounds of firearms and grenades started to ring in people’s ears. As the humanoid ghost started to pull the end of his gun, its head was blasted into bits and pieces. Smoke was flying all over the place, like it had a mind of its own and consumed everything in its path.
Standing amidst the haze as it cleared was a red-haired angel. Wearing a Greek-like outfit. Her top is a fitted white crop with a light red heart at the center of her chest, held in place by slim gold straps that wrap over her shoulders with feather-like frills. The skirt is short and loose, layered with ruffles and edged in pale blue lace, with thin golden straps at the hips, and long white ribbons adorned. Two light red hearts are on her waist. On her feet are gold, open-toe heels with crisscrossing straps that wind up to her knees, hovering just above delicate, glowing cherub wings. A golden choker wraps snugly around her neck.
But her face was anything but angelic. Hiccuping as her eyes carried a sense of drowsiness. “Hah..made it in time.”
“My ass!”
“Lu!”
Heisuke and Shin yelled at the same time.
And like clockwork, the church bell high up in the city churned and chirped like a blue jaybird. The clouds cleared, a shine of a piece of metal dropped right from the gates of heaven as it landed perfectly in Shin’s hand.
“ONE ANGEL COIN? This whole redemption shit is a scam!”
“Dudes—we’re never making it back into heaven!”
“Never? But the alcohol here is so mediocre!”
The tall angel, Heisuke, with spiked up hair, looked like he used too much hair gel on the regular, along with a target face marking, like the bird from earlier started to weep. He covered his face, tugging on the edges of his suit, adorned with ribbons that were matching with the other two.
Shin sighed, tucking the coin god knows where with his outfit. While Lu, who seemed sobered up now, patted Heisuke’s back.
“Don’t worry! Boss man says any moment we’ll go back!”
“Cheer up Heisuke.” Shin inhaled lightly, joining in with Lu.
“Is this the God's blessing?”
The monotone airy voice caught all three angels’ attention. Snapping back their faces in different manners.
“Just what are you guys..” Shishiba cleared his throat, helping Osaragi stand up. Trying not to stare at Nagumo as well, who was too uncharacteristically quiet.
“Angels.”
“We’re Angels!”
“We’re Angels, dude!”
All three angels answered once.
“Seriously?”
“More serious than ever!” Lu gleamed brightly.
“What’s with that thing?”
“That was a ghost.” Shin pointed to the black, smoky mess that was now all over the city. Shishiba and Osaragi tilted their heads. Thank god they weren’t the ones who cleaned up the messes after battles.
“What’s with him?” The blonde angel pointed to the blankly gawking Nagumo, his stare directly at him.
“Don’t mind him.” Shishiba shrugged. Internally hoping he wouldn’t have to be partnered up with Nagumo for a good while.
Just as Shin gave a weird glare to Nagumo, he shrugged, clicking his heels as he started to walk off.
Just for something, or someone, to gripped his wrist a little too tightly for an average mortal's grip.
“When can I see you again-?” A breathy hast uttered right out of Nagumo’s lungs.
.
.
.
“Huh.”