As the four of us stood in front of our house, I grabbed the hidden key behind a brick and inserted it into the door, unlocking and opening it; I stepped into the house, expecting to be rushed at by Chloe and Yuki, hell, maybe even Michelle as well.
We'd been gone for more than twice the length of time I expected, so I could only imagine how distressed they were, and I, too, was slightly concerned for them. However, despite loudly stepping into the house and purposely making my presence known, no one came rushing toward the front door. I didn't hear Chloe's light feet quickly hitting the ground, nor did I hear my behemoth of a wife's footsteps; it was weird and a bit unsettling, to be honest.
Furrowing my brows in confusion, I glanced at Lazuli to my left, who seemed to be just as confused as I was, though I suddenly heard crying from upstairs, causing me to frown as I quickly headed upstairs.
"You two make yourselves comfortable; I'll be right back." Said Alexander with a frown as he gestured to Vanye and Vanimo while walking upstairs, Lazuli following right behind.
Approaching Michelle's room, I gave it a few knocks before opening it, only to see Michelle sobbing while holding a picture, causing my heart to beat rapidly as it began warning me of danger, though the threat wasn't for me.
"Michelle! Michelle, what happened!?" Exclaimed Alexander anxiously as he quickly kneeled before Michelle and tenderly held her hand while Lazuli stood off to the side.
"T-They t-took Chloe!" Said Michelle through her sobbing as she glanced at Alexander through her teary eyes, causing his and Lazuli's expressions to harden.
"They took Chloe? Who? Where is Yuki?" Asked Alexander softly as he gently held Michelle's hand while suppressing emotions to ensure she remained calm.
"I-I don't know. T-The D-Damned? Y-Yuki went t-to confront them. S-She's been g-gone for t-twenty minutes." Replied Michelle weakly as she wiped her tears while looking at Alexander, who nodded before standing up and kissing her head.
"Got it. We'll be right back, okay?" Said Alexander softly as he released Michelle's hand, only for her to clutch his shirt.
"B-Bring C-Chloe back, p-please. I-I don't k-know what–" Asked Michelle pleadingly as she looked at Alexander, who closed her mouth before nodding.
"Everyone will return in perfect health, Michelle." Said Alexander confidently with a smile as he patted Michelle's hand before turning around and glancing at Lazuli, whose eyes shone a dangerous red.
Closing the door behind me, the smile on my face vanished and was replaced with nothing but cold fury; I didn't know who 'The Damned' was, nor did I care. They kidnapped not only a family member but also Chloe, a child; furious wasn't enough to describe how angry I was.
I wanted to come home and enjoy the day, spending it with my family, but instead, some fucking idiots ruined today, and dragged a child into this mess.
"Tsk, c'mon, Lazuli." Said Alexander with a hardened gaze as he walked down the stairs while Lazuli quietly followed him.
"Is everything okay, guys?" Asked Vanimo curiously as he and Vanye stood up and glanced at Alexander and Lazuli.
"Vanye, get over here. Vanimo, comfort Michlle." Stated Alexander, his firm voice offering no option for refusal, prompting Vanye to approach him and Lazuli while Vanimo hesitantly walked upstairs.
Grabbing Lazuli and Vanye's hands, I used [Mass Teleport] to teleport outside Cassandra near the front gate before closing my eyes and focusing on my heart, hoping it would lead the way to where Chloe was being held.
"Where are we going?" Asked Vanye with a slight frown as she glanced at Lazuli, who merely pointed at her sword, confusing her.
"To kill people." Said Lazuli emotionlessly as she glanced at Vanye, who raised an eyebrow, though she didn't object.
"Follow me." Said Alexander as he suddenly opened his eyes before sprinting into the distance, prompting Lazuli and Vanye to follow.
"Don't worry about killing anyone; focus on saving Chloe… Though afterward, be my guest." Added Alexander lightly with a hardened gaze as he narrowed his eyes while entering the forest alongside Lazuli and Vanye.
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"COWARDS! Let her go!" Yelled Yuki furiously from behind her helmet as she clenched her two great shields while leaking blood and glaring at a muscular man with black skin, two red horns, and a black tail.
"We'll let her go, just join our party, that's all we ask… Our shield guy died on the last quest, so we're down a member, and you're perfect for filling that gap, Yuki. All I ask is that you join our party, and she'll be free to go." Remarked Azazel lightly with a soft expression as he looked at Yuki while an injured Chloe lay bound by rope beside two men.
"Yo, Leader, she won't join; this is just a waste of our time." Said a large minotaur with a massive sword as he glanced at Azazel before looking at Yuki, who stood tall.
"Hehe, let's just kill them both and move on." Said a short Imp as he repeatedly licked his daggers while standing over Chloe, seemingly eager to kill.
"I'd also not prefer another woman in this group." Said a beautiful succubus as she sat on a tree branch and looked at Yuki in annoyance.
"Oh, shut up, you three; she'll elevate our party; maybe in a decade or so, we could even reach A-rank. That would be a legacy I would be satisfied with." Said Azazel with a slight frown as he eyed his three party members before faintly smiling while eyeing Yuki.
"Then get her to join… If not, let me kill her." Said the Imp in annoyance as he glanced at Azazel before pressing the dagger into Chloe's cheek, drawing blood while causing her to whimper in fear and pain.
Clenching my teeth, I was about to rush the four of them again in hopes I could snatch Chloe away and flee, but just as I began mobilizing my mana, I saw the Imp look to his right, causing me to do the same, only for a highly compressed beam of mana to penetrate his shoulder.
As I saw that, for the first time, I was overjoyed as I knew there was only one person who could do that, and while I disliked her, if she were here, that also meant…
"...You okay, Chloe?" Asked Alexander softly as he landed beside Chloe while cutting the ropes that bound her, causing her to leap into his embrace.
"Ugh, d-dammit!" "I thought you said she's alone, dumbass!?" Said the Imp and Minotaur, respectively, as the former backed away, clutching his smoking shoulder while the latter grabbed his sword with an ugly expression.
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Hugging Chloe, I approached Yuki, who smiled through her mask, though we weren't in the best situation to talk, so we merely greeted each other before shifting our focus to 'The Damned' Michelle had talked about. As I stood beside Yuki, the four we faced came together, yet, when Lazuli and Vanye appeared, they slightly faltered, though they quickly regained themselves.
While the four of us silently stared at each other, I teleported back home with Chloe and dropped her off on the front porch before returning to where I stood beside Yuki.
"You four enjoy kidnapping children?" Asked Alexander with a deep frown as he stepped forward while eyeing Azazel, who stood at the forefront.
"And who the hell are you?" Asked Azazel with a frown as he looked at Alexander, who summoned Trina and Zartha from his body before tightly gripping them.
"Alexander… Leader of the Apostles, and the person who will kill you." Stated Alexander solemnly as he glared at Azazel, who chuckled while Yuki suddenly grabbed his shoulder.
"Can I kill him, Alex? He's been bugging me these past several weeks." Asked Yuki with a muffled and deep voice from behind her helmet as she glared at Alexander, who surprisingly refused her request with a shake of his head.
"Sorry, Yuki… But as the man, I've got to take this fight." Replied Alexander lightly as he approached Azazel, only for the Succubus to block his path.
"Hmm, how about we change the odds? 5 vs 3 sounds much better." Said the Succubus with a faint smile as she outstretched her hand to Alexander, only for another hand to stop her.
"He's mine." Said Lazuli emotionlessly as she stared at the Succubus while her stomach transformed into a weapon, firing a large beam of pure mana.
"Tsk, fine. Since I can't deal with Azazel, I'll pummel you into the ground." Said Yuki in annoyance as she shifted her focus to the Minotaur, who smirked while resting his large sword on his shoulder.
"So, I've got to fight this tiny and ugly creature?" Asked Vanye with a bland expression as she glanced at the Imp, who hissed while unsheathing both daggers.
Azazel didn't unsheath any weapon as he didn't wield a weapon; instead, he raised his hands, causing his nails to grow into deadly sharp claws, prompting me to raise an eyebrow before stabbing Trina and Zartha into the ground while removing my upper body armor and raising my fists.
If he were just a regular enemy, I wouldn't have bothered to limit myself, but Azazel wasn't just an enemy who wanted to kill me; he attacked Chloe and threatened her and Yuki. I wanted him to feel the same fear and terror he made Chloe feel, and I'd make sure he felt that during this fight.