[h3][sup][sup][i]More time. Just a little more time.[/i]

The sounds of his thoughts were broken by the clash of blade and hatchet as Ru defended his position with Ana towards his rear. His focus remained sharp as he blocked and evaded hatchet swipes coming from both his left and right. This superior demon was [i]fast[/i], but not fast enough to sidestep his angelic opposition. Even while surprised at his opponents shocking strength, Ru wasn’t one to be trampled over. He’d spent thousands of years fighting in wars for both Earth and Heaven and all of that combat prowess allowed him to maneuver his current battle with some struggle, but without any true hardship. However, his annoyance grew as he searched for openings in the demon’s offensive. There were none to be found. As soon as one opened, it was immediately defended by the second hatchet and Ru’s blade would simply clash once more, metal upon metal. 

[i]Just a little more time.[/i]

He took a quick split-second to glance over his shoulder at Ana as she dispatched her final lesser demon. The lesser’s never posed a problem and they certainly wouldn’t have posed one to a hunter as skilled as she was. But Ru knew what he waited for. He knew exactly why he was holding the superior demon at bay the way he was. He knew why it was almost a dance versus an active offensive to try and slay the monster wielding hatchets. For one, this was their best lead yet. Superior demons possessed higher intelligence and higher intelligence meant they may be able to gain some info in their seemingly never-ending search. Beyond that however, it was a matter of patience. As skilled as Ana was, she needed time to truly shine. To truly unleash the secrets she held within herself. Ru was made aware not long after their first meeting when he inquired about her intricate tattoos. He was made aware when he trusted the woman enough to give her his true name, a move that allowed mortals to hold dominion over celestials should they choose it. He trusted her enough to know she would never do that, but he also trusted her enough to know what she going to do next. And then it came. 

“Angel!” Ana shouted in Ru’s direction.

Ru defended against another flurry of hatchet swipes and beat the demon backwards his own return quartet of heavy slashes. Try as he might, speed would not overcome strength on this day. Hatchets were speedy weapons, but they lacked the weight and backing of a true blade. Even though Ru employed the use of short-swords, they were hefty enough to be able to overpower the hatchets. The problem was the superior demon was skilled in hatchet use and understood how to compensate for his disadvantages with an immaculate defense. And since angels and demons lacked the stamina issues of humankind, Ru couldn’t just wait until the demon grew tired. There was very little chance of that happening. But at Ana’s shout, Ru grinned. 

He didn’t need to turn to know she had sheathed her blade and rolled up her sleeves to reveal the detailed ink work laced upon her skin. He could feel the shift in the atmosphere, the same as when the superior demon stopped masking his own ability. The wind changed and it blew towards Ana, rather it was willed towards the woman as she gathered energies and tapped into the lining of reality itself. To be honest, it was a beautiful ritual. Had he more time and was not currently preoccupied with his own fight, Ru would have watched her intently as she prepared. It reminded him of the rituals the angels held that were enacted just before big battles or just after traumatic situations. He was never one to be held too deep in the ritualistic arts, but he appreciated their beauty all the same. 

“Damn you, angel! Let me past!” The superior demon shouted in a fit of rage. His attacks grew more feral, more wild, more erratic, and Ru could feel his defense begin to show cracks. He blocked another flurry, ducked under a double horizontal swipe, and brought his blades upwards in a fury that only resulted in another clanging of metal bashing metal. Yet it was the closest he’d come to slicing the demon open the whole fight. He thought about his words of anger and realized that the demon also knew what was occurring or at least he knew something of it. That was intriguing. Demons weren’t generally apprised of human traditions and secrets. 

[b]“Te exsecror ad lapide! Non movere, imperio tibi!”[/b] Ana cried out.  

And that was all Ru needed to hear. He suddenly switched his stance from shoulder width to a much wider, much lower horse stance. As the superior demon charged at him once more, Ru pulled his right foot froward from the back and stepped into an “X” shaped cross slash that clanged against the hatchets but also employed his body weight, pushing the superior demon backward and creating a small space between the two. He immediately took a step to the side as a loud clap of thunder roiled the air and boomed across the darkened skies. The invisible static energy shot forth just as Ru expected and missed him to smash straight into the superior demon mid-swing. 

The demon was frozen in place.

“What in the-" The demon said as he let out a noise of frustration and tried desperately the pull himself free. When it failed his searched this way and that for the perpetrator and though he couldn’t see her, he understood his circumstances quickly. “I know you!” He growled, “You’re that bitch’s mother!” 

Ru raised a brow while also turning to examine Ana. With the demon frozen in place he now had time to breathe and collect himself. She was clasping her hands together for dear life, but with the strength of this superior demon it wouldn’t be long until he broke free of her spell. So Ru sheathed his own blades at the small of his waist in the back and stepped closer to the frozen superior demon. Thinking quickly, Ru unsheathed a single blade and held it to the demon’s neck. 

“Tell me, demon. Tell me of J’zir and his charge. A human called Remy,” Ru said, narrowing his eyes. The demon remained quiet. Ru nodded his head in acknowledgement of the insolence and slowly pierced the demon’s gut with his blade. Not deep, he only impaled him with the tip of the short-sword, but it wouldn’t provide another pain. The demon howled. Ru held the blade in place and looked him in the eyes. “Tell me, demon,” he repeated. 

The demon tried in vain to look around, but to no avail. The spell Ana had used was strong and she’d had enough time to gather enough energy to make sure it bound even a superior demon for at least a minute or two. “Alright, alright,” The demon finally relented. Ru withdrew his blade and shook the gore off it with one single motion. He sheathed the blade and folded his arms across his chest. He said nothing. He only stared at the demon with a menacing glare. There were no more words to offer. Only compliance would be accepted. 

“I… J’zir does not talk to me. I am but a lowly foot solider in his clan. I know he cradles a human girl though. They travel together and he keeps her at his side always. Before we split off, I saw them together myself.” 

“Split off?”

“Yes. J’zir’s clan is large and we were ordered to split into smaller cells in order to…” the demon trailed and averted his gaze. 

Ru stood with his arms folded. His very aura lashed out and if felt would convey his message better than words could. 

The demon felt it and met eyes with Ru once more. “We were ordered to split up and fan out in order to confuse you. J’zir knows of your search and he does not intend to allow you to meet with him. He gave me no indication where he was going.” 

Ru thought a moment. Then he saw it. The cracks in the spell beginning to show. The demon would surely feel it soon. Ru unsheathed a single blade before he spoke. “The last place you saw J’zir, demon,” Ru said. 

“I… It was just north of here. Deep in this human city, we had a camp in what they’d call a hospital.”

Ru nodded just as the binding spell broke. And as the spell broke and dissipated, Ru shoved his blade through the demon’s chest and pushed upwards and out through the demon’s head, splitting his body, neck, and face in two. The lifeless body fell to the ground as Ru shook off the gore and sheathed his blade. Then he turned to Ana and made his way over to her. 

“I’m sure you heard that, Anaïs. We must go north and find this hospital.” Ru stared down at the human hunter before folding his arms. “How do you fare?” He asked.[/sup][/sup][/h3]