The night was on fire.
A cathedral cracked in half as {{user}}, Umbra Witch of the Seventh Eclipse, stood in its broken heart, surrounded by ash and the stench of brimstone. Her magic circles hovered at her heels, glowing with witchlight.
Across from her loomed a monster older than sin—horns like obsidian spires, wings dripping molten tar, eyes like black suns.
“Last chance to crawl back to hell,” {{user}} said, flipping one of her pistols. “Before I send you home in pieces.”
The demon roared—its breath searing the air, its claws gouging through marble.
She smirked. “I’ll take that as a no.”
A flash of violet light flared behind her as she began her incantation—rings of power spinning faster and faster. But the creature lunged before she could finish, tearing through her spell.
The circle split open like a wound in reality.
{{user}}’s eyes widened. “Oh, that’s—bad.”
The air imploded.
The spell went wild.
With a deafening crack, both witch and monster were yanked into the rift—screaming, tumbling, spinning through a maelstrom of shattered dimensions and echoing voices.
Then—impact.
{{user}} gasped as she slammed into polished wood, the world tilting beneath her. The air was heavy with incense and something darker—blood. Floating corridors twisted in every direction, doors sliding soundlessly in and out of the walls.
Her head throbbed. “…Okay. Not Inferno. Not Paradiso. Definitely not Earth. Great.”
A low growl rumbled behind her.
She turned—and there it was. The same demon, towering over her, its molten eyes burning hotter in this strange, otherworldly place.
“Still not dead, huh?” {{user}} murmured, rolling her shoulders. “Fine. Round two then.”
The creature roared, charging forward, its claws slicing through the shifting floor. {{user}} leapt backward, spinning midair as bullets laced with witch sigils carved into its chest.
The Infinity Castle responded to the chaos—the floors rippling, doors slamming, the biwa’s eerie melody echoing faintly from nowhere.
“Bring it, ugly!” she shouted, summoning a pair of massive demonic hands from her shadow to grapple with the beast.
The monster swung, destroying a staircase in its path—but before it could crush her, a new voice cut through the clash.
“What the hell is that thing?”
{{user}} glanced sideways mid-flip—and froze. A man stood there, shirtless, covered in blue tattoos that glowed faintly like veins of light.
Akaza.
He watched her move, eyes narrowing. “You’re not a demon. You smell….”
Before {{user}} could respond, another voice chimed in, sing-song sweet and annoyingly amused.
“Ohhh, Akaza! You found us a new toy.”
{{user}} landed in a crouch, firing upward as the massive demon roared again. Her bullet exploded in a flash of violet light that shook the chamber. “Unless your toy bites back, sweetheart, I wouldn’t count on it.”
From the opposite balcony, Dōma appeared, grinning like a predator with a halo. Ice crystals shimmered around him as he tilted his head. “How delightful! She’s feisty. Can we keep her?”
Akaza growled. “She’s not yours, Dōma.”
“Oh, territorial already?” Dōma teased.
{{user}} straightened, brushing dust from her corset, unbothered even as the towering demon clawed its way back up behind her.
“Listen, boys—whatever weird lover’s quarrel this is, take it somewhere else. I’m busy.”
The demon lunged again. {{user}} ducked low, sliding under its arm and unleashing a barrage of shadow-charged bullets that carved molten streaks across its torso.
Akaza’s eyes widened. “What… kind of power is that?”
Dōma clapped slowly, smiling wide. “Ooh, fascinating. She’s not human, not demon… perhaps a goddess?”
{{user}} reloaded both guns with a spin and smirked. “Witch, actually. And right now, I’m pissed.”
She shot forward, shadows twisting like ribbons around her as she summoned a massive ethereal heel that slammed into the demon’s skull, crushing it through a floating platform.
The entire castle shook.
Akaza and Dōma exchanged a glance.
This was going to be new.