As much as she was loathing herself for giving up, she knew that it was useless to fight for any kind of freedom at this point. Her body was growing weaker by the second and her mind was causing hallucinations to float in front of her eyes. She groaned as she was pulled closer to him once more, knowing that this really was her time. Well, she hoped that this victory would taste extremely bitter for him because he hadn't won by the means that he had planned to in the beginning. At least she was good for something. As coughed, flecks of blood staining her lips more. Her dark eyes looked at the gun that was completely out of her reach, she wondered if she would have been able to pull the trigger. Given the condition her arms were in, she knew that it would have been a struggle...just like everything else had been at this point.<br/><br/>The feeling of the air wrapping around her leg meant that he was going to bite her once more. She wondered if he would be able to recover by consuming all of her, the thought caused her stomach to roll. It would mean that all her effort to take him down would have been useless. She tensed when his tongue slide across her calf, she really was going to vomit if he continued licking her body. He should have already bitten her but of course he was prideful creature. She knew that he would make her feel every moment of his victory and it pissed her off. He was rubbing salt into her wounds and it stung painfully but she tried not to let it bother her too much. She didnâ€™t want him to think that she was actually afraid of dying; no she had come to terms with that already. She was just waiting for it to happen. She knew how painful it would be, remembering his teeth in her shoulders and the burn of her flesh being ripped off.<br/><br/>She was ready.<br/><br/>The bite never came as she could vaguely here a gun shot through her clogged senses. The Cannibal's hands were pried off of her leg and moved away from her. She let out a sigh of relief, knowing that Zachariah had sent someone to her aid. When she had pressed the button for reinforcements, she hadn't thought that he would send anyone to her aid, it had just been a task done on a whim. She knew that they were extremely tight on soldiers at this crucial moment but it was truly surprising to see a familiar face. She looked up at the woman who knelt beside her. She could vaguely make out that she was relaying a message to their leader. A slight smile came to her lips and she tried to speak but ended up coughing up blood. She closed her eyes in pain though tried not to let on how much it really ached and burned.<br/><br/>She lolled her head to the side, staring blankly over at the captured Cannibal. Her eyes were burning with satisfaction that he had been defeated, but it still sucked that she couldn't have defeated him on her own. But who was she to complain? She had sent the call for reinforcements and she had gotten what she asked for, even it was at a later time than she had hoped. All that mattered was that he would be killed and she would survive. That is...if she could make it through the recovering period. "We....need," she panted out, looking back at her comrade. "We need...to kill.....him." It was painful to speak but that man could regenerate and if they kept him alive for a few days, he would be back at a fighting level. She breathed heavily feeling a wave of dizziness hit her. It would be hard to stay conscious at this point but the thought resounded in her head.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">This is one of God's miracles.</span><br/><br/>---------<br/><br/>Ivan moved through the soldiers, he checked on the condition of many of them. He was surprised to see how many were injured. It might have been wrong of him to think such things, but he was sure that the mortality rate would have been higher. His face was grim as he continued to count the wounded and the dead. It was not his favorite thing to do but if Raziel had any other tricks up his sleeve; he needed to know how many soldiers were able to fight still. He could see some medics frantically running around, trying to aid as many people as possible. It was such a sad sight to behold, the sounds of moaning and groaning. It brought him back to the days of being in the military. He closed his eyes, praying to those that he could not save.<br/><br/>The group around Maverick parted for him and he stared down at his comrade. He looked like he had been thrown through the fiery pits of hell for a few hours, maybe even longer. He stared in awe as the man continued to breathe, not matter how fast or shallow those breaths were; he was still breathing. He should have been dead by now, especially after Ivan assessed the extent of damage that had been done to his body. When he opened his eyes, Ivan was sure that God had rescued his soul from reaching the Gates. Maverick smiled slightly at him and spoke and Ivan couldn't help but smile as well. He shook his head, muttering a Russian curse lowly. "You're one to talk."<br/><br/>Ivan and the others slowly moved Maverick further from the battlefield, where the medics could actively tend to his wounds until the battle was over. He glanced back at the field, a grim looking touching his face once more. Things were not looking good, for either side.<br/><br/>Damn it all to pieces. The damned fool shot her! He knew that his men were aiming for Zachariah but Shizu was still an ally to the enemy. She would protect those that she could and look what happened now! The imbeciles that he called his soldiers had fucked up, greatly. He watched as Zachariah tried to protect Shizu. It would be futile for him to embrace her like that. He would rip his arms off of her and take what was rightfully his. He had waited patiently for five years for this all to happen. Every single thing had been laid out and planned so delicately. Raziel would not see to it that his plan failed. He knew that if he could not have her, then no one would be able to have her. Her power was too much for the enemy to have and he would not allow anyone else to control it. That was his power and only his to control.<br/><br/>Five years ago, he had stumbled across a village stuck in the past. The daimyo had invited him there in order to set up an alliance with him. It seemed rather pointless at the time in order to deal with such trivial matters but the man had offered Raziel a very interesting bargain; one that had made Raziel travel to Japan in order for him to see it for himself. The village had been nothing special, nothing that seemed to hold anything valuable but that was not until he had met her; the valued Oni of the Tsukino compound. It seemed that all the staff even her step-father despised her but he could see the potential that was within her. She had been only sixteen the first time they had met, she had offered him sake once and that was all. The other times he had seen her, she was hidden in the corner during the meetings, and her eyes cast downwards to the floor.<br/><br/>Her step-father had offered him a large sum of money in order to have his men protect the status that he prided. Raziel knew that her step-father had made plenty of enemies through his dealings with the underground market; he could see his need for protection. When Raziel asked to have Shizu instead, there had been a dispute. Raziel had ended the communications he had with the Tsukino household and that was when his plan had begun to formulate. Over the course of the next five years, he had thought of every single plan in order to extract Shizu from that village. They had multiple scenarios played out in his conference room and for the first year, they could not come up with anything. That was until however, the thought struck him while they were building his new facility underneath the Holy Land. It had all come together in that moment as his men were running through all that had went wrong against their first battle with Zachariah.<br/><br/>That was when everything started forming for this moment here.<br/><br/>He had spent that last four years tracking every move that Azrai had made, knowing that this man would be just as a valuable asset to his plans as Shizu was. Raziel and his soldiers had watched every move that the two of them made, picking out things that they had to watch out for. Everything had been monitored and calculated. It was a few weeks before Shizu's twenty-first birthday that he had one of his soldiers send an anonymous package to Azrai's home, detailing the rescue mission for Shizu. He had celebrated when the man decided to take on the mission, knowing that Azrai was not one to do such things, especially if there were hardly any details about the mission. Raziel had set his trap into motion and soon things had fell into place, going accordingly to his plan. Of course, there had been hiccups along the way but still it had all led up to this moment. The feelings of elation lifted him out of this world at the thought of having both of them for this Liberation. So how did all of his careful planning crumble right before his eyes? He had worked on perfecting the serum for the bio-weapons that he had created and he had the injections himself. He had proved to God that his hard work was finally coming to its final form.<br/><br/>So why did it feel like he was losing?<br/><br/>Was it strange that she felt happy? She was happy to find out that Zachariah was still willing to protect her, even after seeing the monster that she had become. Was it strange that she was elated at the fact that he still wished to give her freedom? She knew not of this God that he spoke of but the warmth in her chest made her feel at ease. Maybe it was just the blood dampening her shirt or maybe it was this higher deity that gave her this emotion, she wasn't sure at this point. What she did know was that his words made her happy. The embrace did not last for long as she was pushed away from him and she winced in pain. She knew that he was still trying to protect her from Raziel. She groaned as she lay on the ground, trying to find the strength to move on her own. She knew that she was no longer useful on the battlefield, but she had been proud of herself for holding on this long.<br/><br/>The growl that she had heard earlier had frightened her, it sounded like a noise that only she could have made but alas it had not been from her. Panting heavily, she felt perspiration dot her forehead as her body was working on healing her injuries. She could hear someone moving towards her and she tensed not knowing if Zachariah had let Raziel slip by, but by the sound gunshots she knew that it wasn't the enemy. She flinched when a hand touched her arm; she looked up to see Azrai. Relief flooded her face as she looking into his eyes, seeing that he was truly capable of moving on his own. He was not without injuries and possible in even worse condition than she was. A gentle smile touched her lips as he told her to come with him and she nodded. Mustering up some strength, she slowly moved to stand up on her own. Her legs shook as pain hit her chest, her hand moving to cover her wound. She coughed slightly, blood sliding down the corner of her mouth.<br/><br/>She tried her best to not show that she was in pain, knowing that Azrai was already beating himself up over the fact that she had gotten injured. It was her own fault really; if she had been paying more attention then she would have been fine. If she hadn't jumped to protect Zachariah, she wouldn't have been hit but she couldn't allow their leader to fall. After all he had done for her to get to this point; it would have been selfish of her not to have protected him. She noted that their allies were making sure that they were protected. She was surprised that they still wanted to protect someone like her, a monster. She was surprised that Azrai had yet to shun her, after seeing the damage that she had done and the lives that she had so mercilessly taken.<br/><br/>Her hand clutched Azrai's arm, her scarlet eyes looking up at him. "Do not apologize. You have been protecting me this entire time," she said in a hoarse voice. She knew that he may not accept the words that she had told him. "I am truly grateful...for you." It was the truth; this entire time he had selflessly put himself in danger in order to protect her. His life had meant nothing while he made sure that she was safe and sound. Now, she felt like by having him by her side, her goal had succeeded as well. He was alive because she had reduced the number of weapons that were out to kill them. She had succeeded at protecting him as well, despite the injuries that they had both gained. They continued to move away from the battle between Raziel and Zachariah, moving as fast as their bodies would allow them.<br/><br/>She was getting away! Raziel grimaced as he continued to move towards Zachariah. A grin touched his lips, watching his friend's desperate attempt to be on the same level as he. He almost pitied the fool; he did know the extent of his power. When the two bullets hit him, he did not cringe like the others had. He continued to plow towards them, his eyes set on Shizu, though she had guards around her now. He raised his fist, power and adrenaline flowing through his veins, connecting it with Zachariah's jaw. He grinned at how the blow had him feel more alive. It was a shame that Zachariah had tried to be like him, God did not agree with his choice. It had been too late for him. His cold gaze looked at the group that had Shizu and Azrai as well. He lifted his gun taking aim at the Oni woman. He would capture her and his war would be over soon.<br/><br/>Pain ripped through his shoulder, causing him to drop his gun. He glanced down in disbelief at the pain that practically paralyzed his arm. Yellow ooze leaked from the bullet wound, burning his skin. The same pain radiated in his thigh, where the other bullet had landed. His eyes widened and he looked over at Zachariah. "What have you done," he growled out, ready to advance on the man who used to be his brother. "What is this," he nearly yelled, losing his icy composure. He winced as he moved; it felt as if whatever was in his blood as flowing even more through his system as he continued to move. He grabbed Zachariah by the front of his shirt, lifting him up into the air. "Do you really think that this will spot me? God is on my side, brother," he spat out before head butting him. He tossed him to the ground, ready to finish him off before claiming his prize. He continued to advance towards Zachariah, before taking a knee, his breathing becoming increasingly labored.<br/><br/>What had he done? He could not lose not here...not when he was so close. He focused his energy on the injections that had enhanced his strength and agility. He could feel the power building inside of him; his pupils dilated the outer iris of his eyes lined with red. He could not afford to lose. God had guided him to this point for a reason, for Liberation. His muscles burned as they grew, but it felt as if the liquid inside those bullets were holding back his full potential. He growled angrily, reaching for the gun that he had made for a scenario like this. If he failed now, he would see to it that Shizu would die as well. The bullet was filled with a potent poison that could kill a pureblood Oni. He had found this within another old village during his time in Japan.<br/><br/>Grinning he took aim, before looking at Zachariah. "If I can't have her, no one can." He shot five rounds at the group hoping that God would guide his bullets to its target. He would relish in the sight in Zachariah's failure.