Chapter Text
Mystery hears the clanging sound of a sword hitting the ground. He glances towards it to see Jinu swiping at a demon with his hand in a panicked imitation of the demons own moves they had seen many times before. Baby kicks the sword back to him just as another demon teleports into Mystery's periphery.
Another day, another battle. Fighting demons was hard work, but it was worth it, for the fans. They had been chosen for a sacred duty, to keep the world safe from the creatures that crawl out of the depths, seeking human souls for their master. Their music worked almost like a spell, strengthening the Honmoon barrier powered by their fans. Very enthusiastic ones at that. They must ignite the fans' souls, and keep the darkness away.
He flung a shin-kal at the attacker, who instantly exploded into pink sparkles. What an ironically comical death for something that looked so menacing.
Behind him, Abby attempted to thrust his gok-do polearm at a larger demon. His shoes squeaked against the wet floor of the bathhouse as he lost his balance and barely kept from falling over. Romance snickered at the sight, before being crumpled by a hit to the back of his knees. Abby smirked at him as he managed to finally disintegrate his own demon.
The knee-knocking demon lunged at Romance again. Baby smacked it over the head with his pyeongon, resembling an extended nunchuck with spikes on one end, before anyone knew what was happening. “Thanks,” Romance said. Baby simply nodded, still in the zone.
This battle was a particularly long one. They were all slowing down and struggling not to lose focus. The water demons just kept coming, relentless and vicious. They wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer.
Mystery sliced through another demon, knives hovering in rows parallel to his palms like playing cards, then kicked a second one. They had to be careful how they moved on the slick surfaces and smooth tile. He squinted through what remained of his curtain of bangs, most of it having clumped up and stuck to his face in the humidity long ago.
He turned directly into a fresh puff of steam… and that’s when it happened. A fraction of a second too late, he saw a demon coming at him claws out, aiming right for his face. They hit their mark, and Mystery felt a searing heat explode over his eye. He growled in pain, grimacing and clenching his jaw to will himself not to scream, before collapsing to the floor. He caught himself from falling forward with one hand, fingernails digging into the grout between tiles, while he cupped the other over his injured eye. A hot liquid streamed down his cheek.
It didn’t take long for the others to notice that something was very wrong. Red seeped through his fingers and into the lilac purple of his hair. He squeezed his visible eye shut against the reality of the situation, unable to think straight, the unapologetic yellow orbs of the culprit still standing over him. Romance jumped into action.
He signaled Jinu, and with a determined look, launched his chain knife at the demon. The glowing blade streaking through the air left ribbons of multicolored light in its wake. A truly hypnotizing sight to behold, at least the demon thought so. Before its survival instincts had a chance to reboot, Romance had captured it with a perfect graceful strength. The chain attaching the blade to the handle wrapped around its torso and arms, and Romance quickly retracted it back to himself.
He locked eyes with Jinu, then forcefully un-twirled the demon in his direction. Jinu easily took out the disoriented high-speed creature in a single slashing motion. They both immediately ran to check on Mystery. Abby finished the fight for good, slamming the blunt end of his staff against the tiles, causing them to crack, and generating a magical shock wave that destroyed all of the remaining demons.
He joined everyone else around Mystery. Baby stood silently watching the situation, failing to suppress a worried cringe, but giving his support through his presence. Romance and Jinu were kneeling down in front of Mystery, asking him what happened and if he was ok.
He tried to respond, but the words refused to come out. He removed his hand from over his eye, looking at it in a weak hope that maybe it wasn't as bad as he thought. Unfortunately, it was. When he saw the shocking amount of blood dripping down his arm, it trembled uncontrollably. His surroundings quickly faded away. Abby stuck his boot out to catch Mystery's head before it hit the ground, and the last thing he remembered before it was all consumed by black, was a flickering light, blinking out on the ceiling.