The Red Hand

Chapter 374 – Knock Yourself Out!

"Already going back?" Hishya asked Akagi and as small group stood in front of the portal to Enoris. "I suppose that just means I'll get to enjoy not having my fucking socks stolen!" She hissed as she seethed over the sock shenanigans.

{Stupid Cat! I know you only do that because it pisses me off, but I can't help but get mad and chase you!} (Hishya)

"Don't worry! I borrowed some to chew on while I'm relaxing at base." Akagi snickered as she play bit toward her. “Your sockies are the best!”

"The sad part is, Onee-chan would definitely do that." Kana sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

"Great, now I need to count all my socks..." Hishya grumbled about her fluffy socks being stolen.

"They make great toys." Akagi said as she continued laugh.

"Do I need to go sock shopping for you this Christmas?" Yumi asked playfully. “Maybe a few packs would be welcome under the tree?”

“I'd be down for a few socks, but what I really want is a fluffy little bed and blankey.” Akagi nodded.

"Mpf!" Amakusa interrupted their back and forth as she wiggled on the ground while gagged and tied up. “Mpf!”

{Stop talking about stupid things and untie my you stupid cat idiot!} (Amakusa)

"Quite pet!" Akagi said as she bopped her on the head before picking her up by the scruff of her kimono. "No interrupting our important discussion!"

"Mpf! Mpf!" Amakusa continued to wiggle and resist, to no avail. Contrary to her wishes, Akagi was bringing the Heroine back with her to Enoris, without Alm, something that greatly upset the doting Amakusa.

{NO! DO NOT TAKE ME FROM HER! I NEED TO SHARE MY LOVE WITH ALM MORE!} (Amakusa)

"You know, she's basically just a reverse Miji..." Hishya said as she rolled her eyes.

{Perhaps even worse since she's supposed to be a rational adult...} (Hishya)

"Ha! You're right, she is kind of like her! Though Miji's cute so its fine!" Akagi laughed as she threw Amakusa over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Oh well, we'll be going. Hishya, don't burn things down while I'm gone and no making messes in the house."

"I still think it's bullshit that you've allowed some of the others to go over there, but I'm stuck here." Hishya commented.

{Especially since I still think that letting you roam around on your own is a poor idea.} (Hishya)

"Like I said, I need you here in case something stupid happens while I'm away. I can't be in both places at once... Well, I suppose I can, but that gets complicated." Akagi thought for a moment before shrugging. "So yeah. Be a good lizard and guard your tank."

"I'd like to retort and say that nothing is going to happen, but I know how this works..." Hishya sighed, unable to deny that she and Akagi were crazy magnets. "Something stupid's going to happen and I'll have to deal with it, aren't I?"

{I like how she just ignored the tank comment.} (Yumi)

"I hope not, but I'm just adding extra layers of precautions just to be sure. Best guess is those nutty Gods try invasion round two electric boogaloo while I'm gone." Akagi figured that such a thing was possible, though had no idea how or where they'd arrive.

"You do realize if a God comes over here, I'm screwed, right?" Hishya deadpanned. “I'm strong, but lest you forget that Serval lost to Gods in his backstory and I'm not exactly leagues more powerful than he was.”

"I'm fully aware of that!" Akagi nodded. "But while you won't win, you'll make an excellent speed bump!" She laughed.

{Well, more like a plaything but same difference.} (Akagi)

"I can tell what that twisted mind of yours is thinking, Akagi." Hishya sighed. "You may keep a good poker face, but I know you too well..."

{She's imagining me tossed about and beaten to a pulp...} (Akagi)

"Meh, don't worry about it too much. As far as my testing has shown, the Gods can't cross between worlds anyway so they shouldn't be coming here themselves." Akagi replied.

"Testing?" Hishya asked with a raised eyebrow. “What kind?”

"I made Elariel try to go into the portal to Earth, and it caused her scream in pain when she tried forcing her way though." Akagi laughed.

"It was an absolutely bloodcurdling scream." Yumi said with a wry smile as she recalled the event n question. "It scared some of the children pretty bad..."

"Wait, so that was why I heard some woman scream bloody murder?!?" Superbia said as she entered the room with Munechika. "I thought I was going crazy when I heard some woman screaming bloody murder."

“It was definitely spooky...” Munechika said with a nervous chuckle.

"Yeah, it seems that even their Avatars can't cross. It looks like their very life force is tied to their originating world, and attempting to leave would be akin to peeling your own skin off." Akagi's comment made Kana's face contort in discomfort as she imagined it.

"That's a great picture, thanks Akagi. I'll now be thinking about that horrible image all day." Hishya said.

{And people wonder why I don't appreciate the de-scaling jokes.} (Hishya)

"Anyway, enough messing about." Akagi said as she turned to leave. "Superbia, keep up the good work, and Kana work on your power situation more with Hishya. Like I said the other night its best to get it under control before it's too late." She said as as she entered the portal, disappearing from view before long.

"I like how she just casually adds that in at the end." Kana sighed. “Just get good as she vanished to another dimension.”

"And I like how she dumped your training on me." Hishya agreed.

"Oh don't act like I'm some kind of bother. You get your sick kicks out of tossing me about like a rag doll!" Kana said as she glared at the Dragon.

{Don't try and deny it either!} (Kana)

"I'm merely teaching you and in no way shape or form see this as payback for you blurting out my secrets or otherwise embarrassing me." Hishya said with a fake smile.

{Any other claims are slander!} (Hishya)

_____________________________________________________________________________

“They've arrived not far from here, and it shouldn't be long now.” Silfana said as she and Halifax stood in the courtyard of the base. They'd been discussing the Demon Army now that it drew close.

"I still can't believe they marched an entire army down here to-" Halifax's discussion with Silfana was interrupted as black clouds began to form overhead. "Another magical storm? That's pretty rare. Usually they don't pop up in the same place that quickly."

"No... It's not a magical disaster..." Elariel commented as she walked over from a nearby building. "It's... her."

“???” Halifax tiled her head, but before she could ask for clarification a voice came from above.

"That's Her with a capital H." Akagi's booming voice sounded from above as she slowly floated down with the bound Amakusa and Yumi in toe.

“And she's back...” Elariel sighed.

"Did... Did you really come out of the portal and then go up into the air just to make a dramatic fly-down?" Halifax rolled her eyes as Akagi landed. "You know what? Don't answer that question, since that's exactly what you did."

{You are literally drama incarnate, Akagi...} (Halifax)

"I mean, my original plan was to do it as kitty, but I felt that was too predictable." Akagi laughed as she dropped Amakusa like a sack of laundry.

“Mpf!” Amakusa cried out as she was dropped to the ground.

"At this point, I don't think anything is predictable with you." Elariel commented.

{At least the cat wouldn't be as menacing, or well, maybe it would...} (Elariel)

"That's not entirely bad, is it?" Akagi smirked. "After all, Gale got quite flustered when I told him to shove his little peace treaty where his divine power don't shine."

"What?!?You talked with Gale?!?" Elariel exclaimed in shock. "When and how?!?"

{And why isn't he dead?!?} (Elariel)

"He sent me a VR chat request and we spoke while playing a game." Akagi's comment confused everyone, including Yumi.

"And you were going to tell me of this little discussion, when exactly?" Yumi poked Akagi in the cheek.

{Why must you hide things...} (Yumi)

"I just did now, didn't I?" Akagi smiled as her cheek was pushed in. “So all is well!”

{It is not...} (Yumi)

"So, let me get this straight he contacted you, offered peace, and you just told him off?" Elariel pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. “Does that surmise your interaction with him?”

"Hey, his peace

"In fairness to Akagi, do you really think he'd hold up his end of that bargain, Elariel?" Halifax asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Not in a billion years. Gale's a snake, and he'll stab you in the back once he's ready." Elariel said with complete certainty. “Trusting him is stupid.”

"Hence why I told him to take his deal and shove it where the Sun don't shine." Akagi said as she snapped her fingers and removed Amakusa's binding and gag.

"You bitch! Let me go back to Alm! She needs me!" Amakusa hissed as she stood up.

{I DIDN'T GET TO HUG HER ENOUGH! GIVE HER BACK TO ME!} (Amakusa)

"Is see the pet came down with a case of obsession." Silfana snickered. “Its cute.”

"Poor Alm. Destined to be hunted down and have Shiroe's love forced upon her." Halifax joined in on the laughter. “The horror.”

"Shut up!" Amakusa yelled at them. "And I'm not that bad! I just want to protect her!"

"Yes, you are." (Akagi x Yumi x Elariel x Silfana)

{When you get the four of us agreeing on something that tells you a lot.} (Akagi)

"Lies!" Amakusa didn't want to admit that she was slightly overprotective and attached to the girl. “I'm perfectly normal! There's nothing wrong with my love for Alm!”

"You are as obsessed with your little Oni sister as Miji is with me, and that's saying a lot." Akagi said as she chopped her on the head. "Though I can appreciate it since Yumi isn't much better."

"Oi! Don't compare me to her! I at least give you space!" Yumi protested being compared to the pet.

"Only because I, unlike Alm, can easily slip away from your grasp. You'd probably tie me up in the basement and snuggle me to death if you had the opportunity." Akagi laughed before being hit in the back of the head with a paper fan.

"Stop making me out to be crazy! Well, I am, but that's not the point!" Yumi hissed as she kept hitting Akagi with the fan.

*SMACK* *SMACK* *SMACK* *SMACK* *SMACK* *SMACK*@@novelbin@@

{CAT! FEEL MY UNHOLY SMITE!} (Yumi)

"Yeah! Get her Yumi! Go all domestic abuser on her!" Amakusa cheered Yumi on. “Give her what for!”

"Hey, pet. Do me a solid and knock yourself out with a punch to the head." Akagi asked as she was hit with the paper fan.

"Of course, master!" Amakusa said as she happily punched herself in the head, knocking herself out in a single blow and falling to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

"Pfff." Halifax and Silfana barely contained their laughter as they watched Amakusa quite literally knock herself out.

"I know that I shouldn't laugh, but that was great." Halifax said while giggling.”I... pff...”

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with laughing at an idiot being stupid and getting punished for it." Silfana said as she tried to hold back her own laughter.

"She really went lights out, didn't she?" Elariel bent over and poked Amakusa in the cheek, noting that she was out cold. “That was quite the punch.”

{She didn't hold back at all.} (Elariel)

"My orders are absolute and the pet has no choice but to obey them." Akagi laughed as Yumi grumbled about her paper fan falling apart and the lack of effect it had on the Demon. "But enough picking on her." She said as her eyes snapped back to being serious. "Tell me, where's the army?"