† Phase XIII †

 

"Sooyoung, you and the remaining soldiers should escape now. Take Taeyeon and Jessica with you. It'll be dangerous; we'll handle them for now." Taeyang told Sooyoung as they stood back to back against the demons encircling them. Sooyoung turned to Taeyang and scanned the whole area.

 

Jessica, not far from them, summons continuous spells attacking the demons that seemed to never lessen in number and she knows that it won’t be long before she becomes exhausted. Taeyeon had already summoned her familiar, Steam Punk, a creature made alchemically from fire and metal, but the numbers of demons are also overwhelming and strong that it might overwhelm her guardian.

 

YoonA is standing together with the armed soldiers, firing arrows from her contracted demon, Forneus. Though some of their men were slain, others remained fighting. She also still has her strength with her as she knows it "We can hold them." Sooyoung held her resolve firm. "No. With this number of demons, let alone the fact that one of the powerful demon princes is here. No, you mustn't waste your lives. You need to go and protect the people who left earlier." Taeyang reasoned out.

 

Daesung hopped and swiped two flying Wingdams with his clawed hands, ripping their bodies open and kicked them as he hops away shifting to the other one, hooking his elbow on its neck and dragging it to the ground. They fell with a strong crash and Daesung smashed the Wingdam's head along the impact. He stood up calmly eyeing the others that encircled him with his glowing amber eyes. Behind him appeared G-Dragon dashing with his sword sheathed and in few eye-blinks cut five creature's bodies perfectly into two diagonally. He smirked as he stands up and leans to the side evading a scythe swinging from his back and immediately turned around shoving his sword upward, diagonally, and slashing the Se'irim in the chest. "Got twenty down, Daesungie. You?" G-Dragon said. Daesung huffed. "Thirty in ten minutes." He said before crouching to evade a swiping scythe, turned around and impaled his spiked right arm to the Se'irim's chin reaching up to its crown. "Thirty one." He added causing G-dragon to scoff.

 

Seunghyun fell to Taeyang's side and behind Sooyoung with a Wingdam being strangled by his chain. He looked down at the creature and from inside its body emerged five blue ethereal blades shooting away and impaling the other demons surrounding them. He released the demon as it disintegrates to ash. Sooyoung beheaded two Se'irims with one swing of her giant sword and hopped slashing another one vertically cutting it into two. She is now breathing deeply, evident of her exhaustion coming its way.

 

A Se'irim appeared falling towards her with its scythe coming her way. She was surprised and reacted late that the scythe had already reached her... if not for Taeyang's intervening as he dashed to her and fired a blast of powerful heated pressures of winds dissolving the demon and its weapon to ash in seconds. "I told you, you have to regroup now and follow the survivors. You, YoonA and the witches are already exhausted." Taeyang said. Sooyoung turned to Taeyang and is about to refute but was surprised when Seunghyun held her waist and hopped as Taeyang lifted his reddened glowing right hand and punched the ground causing an immense shockwave of wind pressures to spread, a few kilometers wide, wiping out large numbers of land demons to ashes. Taeyang stood up as Seunghyun fell with Sooyoung still in his arms. He dropped Sooyoung to the ground gently before feeling a slap to his cheek. "Don’t you dare do that again!! Do not ever touch me!!" She hissed.

 

"Unnie!!" YoonA approached them followed by Taeyeon, Jessica and the remaining soldiers. They looked towards the entrance where the demon prince's presence is seen as another wave of demons appeared rushing towards them. "You four should go now with the remaining soldiers. You need to minimize casualties because you still have other humans to defend." Seungri appeared in front of them along a wave of golden fire encircling his body. With one swing of his hand, the ground a few feet in front of them blazed into fierce golden flames blocking the Se'irims' path.

 

"Here is your chance. Go now and follow the survivors. Don't try and be all hero and . You damn well know that you cannot keep up with these creatures' powers and number." Seungri said. YoonA and Sooyoung hesitated. They turned to their subordinates and saw some of them wearing exhausted expressions. Jessica seems weakened as she was assisted by Taeyeon. With no other choice, the two Goetian knights sighed. "Ok. I understand." Sooyoung said.

 

Then a large truck appeared and stopped a few feet away from them. From the driver's seat, Daesung came out while G-Dragon fell down from the truck's rooftop. "This is the last vehicle in the hangar. It is enough for all of you." Daesung said. With that, Sooyoung and YoonA urged the others to get inside the truck. Some Se'irims had already passed through the fire, with some burning to ashes while others managed to get through unscathed, and rushed towards their victims.

 

G-Dragon bent his right knee as he stretches out his other leg backwards. Putting his sword back to its sheath, he maintained his stance. He smirked and disappeared as hundreds of gray spheres appeared followed by quick slashing flashes that skewered large numbers of demons. Mutilated limbs, heads, bodies flew in the sky as the barrage of spheres continued.

 

"Woah..." Taeyeon mumbled upon witnessing such occurrence. "Let's go!! Hurry up!!!" YoonA said as Sooyoung rides the driver's seat. "You should go as well, Seungri. We'll handle this. You need to be there to lead the people in your place and in case stronger demons appeared out of nowhere with the others weakened." Taeyang said. Seungri looked at him. "We still need your knowledge for the Gray Matter and your assistance." Seunghyun followed. "Don't try to destroy them all. Don't act to be a hero especially now. You can't fight Asmodius with your power. Just hold them back until we are away and escape ok?" Seungri agreed. "I'll ready the documents at once." He said and rode the truck.

 

Suddenly, the golden flames were eaten by red ones as it takes a shape of a red snake and slithered back towards Dracula. "Looks like your powers diminished abruptly, greedy brother." He commented as he walks towards them. G-Dragon reappeared from where he once was behind Daesung , Taeyang and Seunghyun. "Take care!!! Sol!! Please stay alive!!!" Taeyeon said from the truck. "Stay alive!!!" Jessica followed as the truck left.

 

It was now just the four of them: Taeyang, Seunghyun, Daesung and G-Dragon. Seunghyun's right eye turned blue and his left turned to fiery amber as floating ethereal blades pointing to the ground appeared surrounding him whilst rotating clockwise. G-Dragon smirked as he grabs hold of his sword and assumes a stance. Daesung crouched, ready to attack, as large bone spikes emerged from his back. Taeyang exhaled, deeply, and then turned to eye the incoming presence.

 

"Time for us to play." Dracula said with a grin as his eyes brightened with its crimson color. Taeyang stood straight as his eyes was covered in white light as markings appear on his left and right arm to his hands as they all witness the demons advancing from behind Dracula.

 

Yuri along Seohyun and Tiffany were looking at the site where they came from. Although relieved that they managed to escape the monsters' sudden attack, they are still worried for Taeyang's safety. "Unnie, I hope Taeyang and the others are fine." Seohyun said as she rests her head on Tiffany's shoulder. The older girl nodded as she turns to Yuri. "Yuri... I've been bothered with the way you act recently. You seem to space out always and do things suddenly. Is something wrong? Is there something that you aren't telling us?" She asked. Yuri turned to her, surprised by her sudden question. She knew that Tiffany knows something ever since before they met Taeyang two days ago. "Don’t lie to me Yuri. I can see through you." She said. Yuri sighed knowing that sooner or later she will have to tell the girls about her issues. "Ok... I know this sound absurd but please believe and trust me." She said. Tiffany and Seohyun looked at her, eagerly, as Yuri began to tell them of her unexplainable agony.

 

"I've been dreaming of different things lately since this whole ordeal began. I am always tormented in my sleep of different situations. I've dreamt of our meeting with Taeyang-oppa and the happenings earlier. I don’t know it feels some kind of nostalgia, like a déjà vu." She started. "So you're saying that you have dreamt of things before they happen?" Tiffany asked. Yuri nodded. "I finally knew that it is all true when we met Taeyang-oppa. But before that I always take it as nightmares due to my stresses and anxiety or even trauma." She said. Tiffany and Seohyun were both listening to her intently it was the first time Yuri opened up. They both knew that she is the type to hide her problems and try to solve it herself. 'Apparently I am also someone who can help Taeyang-oppa to pave his path as the one they all call the sacrificial king." Yuri said. Her two companions frowned. "So it is true huh? Taeyang-oppa is destined to die carrying the burdens of our sins and to preserve our life." Tiffany said. Yuri nodded as the three made a group hug. "I've grown closer to Taeyang-oppa who had become like a brother to me." Seohyun said as they look back to the scene.

 

Yuri narrowed her eyes as a light emerged brightly from the ground. "Please be safe." She said.

 

Taeyang slid backwards as Seunghyun appeared in front of him summoning ghostly swords that he fired towards the demons impaling a large number with each sword. "At least the numbers are lessened to half." Taeyang said. 'Oi!! You guys exhausted already!? We haven't even tried the main dish yet!!" G-dragon said from not far.

 

Taeyang eyed the guy as he slices tens of demons in a manner of seconds. Daesung appeared besides Seunghyun. "We aren't to take the demon prince directly correct? Our main objective is to prevent passage until the others are already away, correct?" Daesung said. "You're right. So I don't think I would recommend complete obliteration. They might be lower class demons but number wise, we are at a disadvantage." Seunghyun said.

 

"Let me lessen the number then so that you won't bother wasting your strength in fighting them instead of me." Dracula answered surprising the four as flames began to appear from nowhere swallowing the demons that are in their vicinity. "Tsk!!" Seunghyun grinned; Daesung held his left arm as if fixing a screw or tightening a strap; G-dragon smirked as he sheaths his sword; Taeyang was calmly eyeing the event. The curtains of flames disappeared leaving only the sight of Dracula walking idly towards them. "Now that we have no useless disturbances, should we begin the main attraction?" He said as his left wrist was encircled by a line of red flames increasing in length until it envelopes his whole hand and forms a long whip. "Well then shall we?" He disappeared into gray smokes and reappeared above Taeyang, Seunghyun and Daesung.

 

"!!" G-dragon dashed to them. "I'll rip your heads off one by one and decorate them to my castle!!!" Dracula grinned as he fell mainly towards Taeyang who slowly changes his form.

 

[~†-----TBC----+~] † Ω † [~+-----TBC----†~]

 

A/N:

So yeah hello everyone :) I decided to update Gray Matter since ideas came bouncing happily back to my mind. I decided to update this fic on an irregular basis so it might take a longer or (if lucky) shorter time for me to post the newest chapters. Hope everyone still follows this story ^^ Fighting!!