3rd Pov:
Yuuki's gaze flickered around the dominating structure. A thick, malicious aura radiated from it like a leaking pipe in a sewer.
He swallowed a mouthful of saliva as his shaking hands gripped his master's sword even tighter. Adjusting his attire slightly, he glanced at Kyouka, who stood unfazed by the invisible pressure from the structure.
Kyouka walked forward, with Yuuki hesitantly following behind.
As they reached the foot of the steps leading inside, a woman could be seen leaning against the door, twirling her chief's cap on her finger.
Her orange eyes locked onto Kyouka with a feral grin plastered on her face, mixed with a small amount of amusement.
She has long, dark-yellow hair with three black lightning-bolt lines along the sides. Her hair reaches down her back and curves up into various spikes.
The 2nd Unit Chief, Mira Kamiunten.
"Hey there, Kyouka", she greeted. "I see you're in a more sour mood than usual. Did your little revenge plan get stolen?"
"Mira", Kyouka greeted neutrally as Yuuki's posture straightened slightly.
"Don't let that defeat get to your head now" She stomped over until her chest pressed against Kyouka's until they were face to face.
"I want to defeat you against the Kyouka I know, not a fake," Mira said, her eyes shifting to Yuuki, who was eyeing his attire before landing on his shoe, where one of his bootlaces had come undone.
"Oi, you're gonna die here if you're not careful", she commented.
"Huh!" Yuuki flinched as Mira marched over and, with surprising speed, tied his shoes.
"Straighten up; even just the smallest mistakes would either take a limb or your life!" she said, lifting his chin like an army sergeant.
"Yes, Ma'am!" He yelled as Mira nodded and headed inside with her hair swaying in the soft wind.
Yuuki frantically checked his attire to make sure he hadn't made any mistakes.
Kyouka stared at the doorway Mira had gone through, in thought, before shaking her head and moving forward, with Yuuki close behind.
The halls inside were immaculate. Polished marble floors reflected the warm glow of crystal chandeliers overhead, while elegant paintings framed in gold lined the pristine walls.
Carefully tended plants rested in ornate ceramic pots between decorative statues and antique furnishings; each placement was deliberate, lending the headquarters an air of dignity and authority.
Yuuki's eyes wandered from one end of the corridor to the other like an excited child exploring a museum for the first time.
His gaze wasn't on the pristine decorations that covered the halls.
It was the cleanliness.
His gaze swept across the walls, the corners where dust usually gathers, from experience, not a speck or cobwebs.
They went along the baseboards and even the ceiling; nothing.
'Not a single speck of dust, ' Yuuki thought in quiet awe.
Kyouka kept her pace steady, already used to the cleanliness of the 10th unit compared to her own and the other units she had visited.
"Who cleans this place...?" He wondered silently, unable to hide his amazement.
Kyouka glanced at him once before shifting back ahead, "Top cleaners the president could provide, as the commander is a very powerful person, both in power and politically"
The 10th Unit looked less like the Japanese dorms Yuuki was used to and more like a palace kept clean every passing hour.
As they rounded the final corner leading toward the conference room, both Yuuki and Kyouka slowed.
Standing alone before the towering double doors was a
Young woman with long, pale blue hair that flowed down her back like freshly fallen snow. Facing the door, hiding the rest of her features, she wore the usual Demon Deforce force uniform.
Her slender shoulders trembled noticeably as she hugged herself, her anxious breaths forming small clouds in the cool air.
She stared at the doors before her as though they concealed a terrifying monster rather than a meeting room.
Every few seconds, she'd reach for the handle. Only to hesitate and pull her hand back, quietly shivering in place.
"Bell", Kyouka called out.
The girl visibly flinched at the voice as she turned, revealing her red eyes, with tears at the corners and under her eyes.
The 3rd unit Chief Bell Tsukiyono.
"C-Chief Uzen", she softly spoke, resting a shivering hand over her heart to calm its rapid beating.
"Are you not going into the meeting room?" Kyouka asked, though she could guess why she was hesitant.
"Some of Bell's members were attacked while out sparring, and they're missing", she said as tears slowly flowed down her cheeks before a stream came pouring out.
"The Commander will definitely make fun of me for this!" she cried out as Kyouka placed a hand on her shoulder with quiet support.
"Don't worry, Bell, we'll find them", Kyouka said with a confident smirk. "With your ability, you can make anyone who attacked your unit pay"
Kyouka moved past the bell as she pushed the doors open to reveal a room with a rectangular table and chairs. The room was similar in decorative nature to the halls, but more refined and more detailed.
Several women occupied the room with various appearances, all wearing the Demon Defence Force uniform.
The first was a woman with short black hair with purple highlights and red eyes.
The 5th unit Chief, Yakumo Ezo.
The second was a young girl that looks to be a high school student in age. Her hair was brown and tied up in a spiked bun. Her eyes were reddish-brown and reflected her youthful and energetic personality.
The 1st unit Chief, Konomi Tatara.
Standing next to her was Riu Myouga, the vice-chief of the 1st unit and Kyouka's master.
The third was already known to both Kyouka and Yuuki. Tenka Izumo, the 6th unit chief. She sat in her chair as her eyes were glued to a pad as she tapped and typed at the screen.
Her eyes briefly drifted to the duo before giving a tired smile and wave as she returned to her pad with vacant eyes.
Yuuki's eyes furrowed in concern, but he restrained himself from going over to her to see what was wrong, as he had no place to voice out in a place where he had no rank to speak freely.
The fourth was a tall, voluptuous woman with yellow eyes and long dark blue hair that had a single braid rolled around the back of her head, with some of her hair covering her left eye.
The 9th unit Chief, Fubuki Azuma.
She sat in a seat across from Tenka with her glass of water placed in front of her. She played with the cup, circling it around as she watched the water swirl around in its container.
Her eyes narrowed as she imagined something appearing in the reflection of the water, her lips pressed into a thin line before releasing a steady breath.
Quickly reminding herself that warriors always keep their emotions in check, but her motherly nature is clashing against it furiously.
The last person was a woman with long blonde hair, tied in two braids that rested on her shoulders and green eyes that barely showed any emotion.
The 8th unit Chief, Varvara Pilipenko.
Yuuki's curious gaze swept over each one of them; each of them gave off an overwhelming presence that demanded attention and respect.
But something was different with Tenka's and Fubuki's. Both had that commanding aura the rest did, but there was something murderous inside it, as even just the slightest touch put them in a frenzy.
The other chiefs sensed this and already chose to keep their distance until they calmed down.
He was snapped out of his state by Kyouka firmly patting his shoulder to get his attention, "She's here"
In an instant, the room was enveloped by an overwhelming presence that drew everyone's gaze to the woman with long purple hair that flowed down her back like a steady river and purple eyes.
The 10th unit Chief and the Commander of the Demon Defence Force, Ren Yamashiro.
She sat on a floating chair that came through the open door that Kyouka, Yuuki, and Bell came through. She drifted through the air with deliberate movement, basking in the glow of her authority within the room before grounding herself at the head of the table.
As soon as she took her place, the rest followed suit except for Yuuki, who stood with his arms behind his back, standing behind Kyouka, keeping his gaze forward.
'Do not look at the Commander, at all costs. Kyouka's words before coming here repeatedly echoed in his mind like a never-ending recorder.
But curiosity got the better of his judgment as he stole a glance at the Commander before finding her gaze piercing through his, which made him flinch visibly and look straight again.
A pleasant smile crept onto her lips at the boy before sweeping her gaze over the Chiefs, "I'm glad everyone could make it. Let's begin the meeting, shall we?"
"Let's start with the 1st unit since there appears to be a new face here" Ren started as everyone's gaze shifted to both Konomai and Riu.
Riu raised a hand as she addressed the room, "I have stepped down from my position as Chief; Konomi here will take my place, and I will stay as Vice-Chief"
Konomi stood up straight before bowing, " My name is Konomi Tatara; I'm still in high school and inexperienced. I will do my best to please you all!"
"Let's get to the main topic, as we don't have time for pleasantries", Ren said, cutting off anyone who was about to speak before clicking her fingers as the lights in the room turned off and a hologram on the table came to life.
"This meeting is about our enemy, who call themselves the Eight Gods of Thunder"
The hologram presented four humanoid figures: Shikoku, Jouryuu, Rairen and Xicor. Both Tenka's and Fubuki's eyes immediately narrowed at the sight of the man.
Yakumo's eyes gleamed as she licked her dry lips. "They kinda look cute, especially that black-haired man", she said before shrugging, "Shame, they are against humanity"
Fubuki's hand clenched around the glass cup as cracks started to appear, and Tenka's hands clenched tightly at her lap.
Ren pointed at Shikoku first, "This black-haired one is the one who attacked the 3rd unit members, leaving barely any traces behind"
Her finger shifted to Jouryuu, "The tall woman has been reported using wings to travel around and has devastating force"
Her finger shifted to Rairen, "This one was defeated by Tenka at the 7th unit"
"I am still unsure whether it's still dead, but it appears again; I'll make sure it's truly dead", Tenka said firmly.
"The point is, only a Chief or myself can defeat these gods", Ren said. "If they come, the Chiefs must work together to bring them down", she explained.
"And finally, Him" The hologram shifted around until it showed Xicor solely, his grinning expression and four crimson eyes shown to the people in the room.
Even with a hologram, a tiny, almost primordial fear swept through the room. Some of the Chiefs, such as Bell and Konomi, shivered under it, but the rest merely hardened their expressions.
"He has sent the 7th unit and Tenka to the hospital; not only that, but has killed a member of the 6th unit as well as kidnapped the other", Ren said, her eyes watching both Fubuki's and Tenka's reactions.
Everyone in the room silently waited, but nothing happened.
It wasn't until Kyouka opened her mouth that something happened. The glass cup in Fubuki's hands finally shattered under her increased pressure.
Whatever water was left in the cup splashed on her lap, leaving behind a damp stain. "Forgive me, everyone; it seems my emotions got the better of me", Fubuki said with a sweet smile that carried a deadly promise.
"I would say the same for myself," Tenka said as her chair had parts of it cleanly missing.
Both Tenka and Fubuki looked Ren in the eyes before declaring, "He is ours to defeat"
Ren's expression didn't change. "I'm gonna have to decline that request of yours, ladies"
"And why is that?" Fubuki said, her eyes gleaming dangerously, as if she was gonna attack Ren.
"Because this is a challenge for me," she said before her eyes locked on the hologram's eyes, "This individual has eluded me many times now and has killed many of our members, even going so far as to kill the previous 2nd unit Chief. By this time, he is likely stronger now compared to back then if he's now revealing himself to us"
"Aren't you worried he has the power to overpower you?" Mira asked with a raised brow.
Ren's eyes flashed as Japanese symbols appeared in her pupils, "Nah, I'd Win"