No Death Walkers or Walking Corpses in sight. But...
Blood splattered and drenched very surface, tainting the walls and forming pools and puddles across the floor. It was a gruesome and gut-wrenching sight.
Nothing but evidence of an absolute, brutal massacre; the crushed and dismembered bodies and remains of both the prisoners and Angels- who were adorned in white uniforms, now scarlet, lay everywhere.
Dolffie held back a hiss as he felt his crimson marks sting at the sight. He did nothing as he felt them 'fill', get redder, heavier and feel hotter. There was a small flicker of silver in his eyes, but that's all it remained- a mere flicker, before he advanced further into the structure.
Both he and Carrot said nothing as they felt the sticky sensation of blood on their boots, remained silent as the foul stench of death had them resisting the urge to gag and vomit all over the place.
The creatures of nightmare had stayed true to their many horrifying names and had done a massive number on the place... and an even greater one on its residents. That meant the duo had to move even quicker before the monsters decided they too deserved to join the blood and flesh-pile.
So, Dolffie closed his eyes and recollected:
The plan was simple:
Step 1. Break Atom T. Bellium out of Heaven.
Step 2. Make it look like the Death Walkers took to their instincts, brought with them the Corpses and went crazy, destroying and murdering everyone.
He paused and opened his eyes to find Carrot, who appeared a little paler and unwell, in front of him.
"You know where to go, but we don't have much time," he exclaimed, " I'll go and personally see to it that all the security footage is destroyed. You just go... Make him yours... Dolffie."
Dolffie felt a calm yet chilling breeze gently caress his back as he stood frozen, appearing a little surprised before he simply smiled, "Thank you, truly... Carrot."
Carrot smiled back- a beautiful, kind smile, then quickly and quietly stalked off, disappearing into the hallway at the far-left end of the floor. Dolffie's stare lingered for a moment before he finally turned and faced the remaining looming hall on the right.
He looked at the gruesome massacre remains one last time and felt a slight tinge in his heart.
"I'm sorry that I exist... and want so much. Forgive me."
***
Walking down the gruelling stairs because the elevators were not operating was exclusively not a part of Dolffie's vision for a dramatic entrance.
So, he decided to fly.
His power, Alabasta, was a complex and intriguing ability that allowed him to achieve a multitude of feats many would consider impossible, even with their own Virtue Gifts.
But, at its core, it was one thing, and one thing only...
Pure destruction incarnate.
A loud explosion shook the volcanic mountain as Dolffie, like a missile enveloped in the Crimson Flames of Sin Marker, descended toward his treasure.
Even Carrot, all the way above ground and near the top floor of the detention, felt the vibrations and shockwaves of Dolffie's advancement deeper into the Heaven. Sweat dripped down his face as the prison trembled and groaned. He had known from their journey and the young man's earlier display of easily shattering the enchanted gate, that Dolffie's power, Alabasta, was a powerful and hungry force to be reckoned with, but not to this extent.
As Carrot stood in a room surrounded by flashing screens, multiple controls and intercoms, his crimson eyes darkened as he looked at the SOS message that awaited to be deliver to every Angel Network:
[Alabasta is the one behind it all.]
He thought carefully on the matter before erasing both the message and the entirety of the Heaven's footage and data.
The silver-haired young man grinned as he spoke, "Dolly B. Dolffie. What a jackpot you've turned out to be."
***
Roofs collapsed inward, crushing all in his wake as his flames left behind, not ashes, but a powerful rust that spread like a virus.
Though he was descending at the same speed as a rocket, if not faster, Dolffie still managed to note the expressions of terror on the residents' faces as he blasted through, one floor after another. It was the same expression: their eyes wide in shock and horror as they witnessed him.
In their eyes, he appeared as nothing more than what he truly was; a demon bathed in bright, crimson flame.
He progressed in his dive, with the occasional annoyingly relentless and futile firing from the guards he passed.
Try as they might, but he was untouchable.
Because his flames were different...special; they did not burn anything or anyone else except for him, instead, they created a virus-like rust that utterly destroyed the Heaven as it devoured any and all metallic material it came into contact with- which was a large portion of the heaven.
Dolffie knew well that the rust his flames created did not disappear or stop, knew it wasn't going to cease and had already begun crumbling the floors of the prison, causing many to fall to their deaths. And he didn't care, his target was on the last and deepest floor, and he had no time to waste.
[Emergency Evacuation]
A malfunctioning loudspeaker blared incessantly, but it was hopeless; how could they evacuate when the very ground beneath their feet was crumbling?
As he progressed deeper into the Heaven, Dolffie suddenly felt something cold and stiff slither around his waist before he was abruptly slammed into the wall across the floor. He groaned in pain as he lay wedged in the dented wall. He hissed as he tried to rise, but before he could react, a solid, burning hook was landed straight on the side of his jaw, unwedging him whilst sending him falling. He was disoriented for a moment but quickly stabilised his failing flames before he almost crashed into another wall.
He frantically searched for his attacker, but they were nowhere to be found. All he could see were rusting and collapsing floors and walls, not even a glimpse of his enemy. Whoever this person was, they were fast- faster than him.
Dolffie had his guard up and hunted furiously, but to no avail. He damned himself for getting too comfortable and being unprepared for such an enemy after coming so far down.
'Merit user?!' he frenziedly pondered. He couldn't tell, but he was certain of one thing: he was close to his target; for the most treacherous prisoner required the most dangerous guards.
He decided to ignore it for the time being and quickly get to his target, departing in a particularly massive blast as he didn't want whatever that thing was to catch up to him.
He kept going and going until finally, he reached... a chained floor.
'Huh?'
There were massive chains surrounding and slithering across the entire floor.
'Is this the work of the same or another Merit user?' Dolffie wondered as he observed the chains. They were huge, almost his full height in length and the span of his thigh in width.
'Doesn't matter what it is. I'll just destroy it.' He clenched his fist, drew his arm back and struck.
The resulting shockwaves made the entire floor tremble, but it was not from his punch destroying the chains, but the... chains, or at least their master, blocking his attack. The embodiment of the chains- a Persona, stood before Dolffie, easily gripping his fist with its hand and defusing his flames.
'Arg!'
He groaned in pain as it squeezed his fist. He tried to pull his hand out of its grasp, but the Persona merely tilted its head and released its grip before it, without even leaving him room to react, slapped him hard and sent him flying and crushing into the chains that enveloped the walls.
It was as if they were in a separate realm, a different dimension created and controlled by this Persona. Everything around them had slowly disappeared, the steel walls and crumbling floors were all engulfed by the slithering, tightly compressed chains.
Dolffie's limp body slipped from the chain-wall to the floor, and he groaned in pain as he stretched to look up, his vision blurred.
The Persona stood in the centre of the realm, not even deigning to look at him. It had the body of a tall, slender man roughly the same height as Dolffie, just tightly wrapped in old, white bandages from head to toe, with two red sashes running across its chest to form an 'X'. When it finally turned to face him, his vision a little clearer as he stood back on his feet, he noticed that on its chest was a piece of paper with the incantation [Hand of Judgement] written on it in fine, bold red ink.
'Red ink- Magnia Ink,' Dolffie realised. That meant this personified incantation... was the true Guardian Angel of Stone Heaven, the fabled Steel Judgement.
Sweat dripped down Dolffie's face as he clenched his fist and channelled all his anger. It didn't matter if the Guardian was a Persona, he'd worked so hard to get here, done so much, seen so much; no way was he letting a walking piece of paper stop him now.
'I am Dolly B. Dolffie. And I fear nothing.'
Alabasta's flames rekindled in a furious burst which he quickly gathered onto his fists and feet, leaving the rest of his body bare, revealing his crimson marks that had now spread from his feet and forearms to his entire body, scarcely stopping at his chin. His eyes were no longer dark emerald nor were they silver-grey, instead they were a burning, deep red.
The Persona, now facing Dolffie, seemed to understand and accept the challenge as some of the chains surrounding the realm began to rise and slither toward it, wrapping around its fists to form massive balls and coiling around its chest to cover the incanted paper.
'Smartass bastard!' Dolffie gritted his teeth and cursed at the sight.
He couldn't do the same with Alabasta, not yet at least; the damned thing was a demanding power and ability that took a lot of mental strength... which he was quickly running out of.
He fisted his hands and lifted one leg in a walking motion before, in a split second, he appeared behind the Persona, ready to deliver a powerful blow to the back of its head. But the Persona had already sensed his movement. In the blink of an eye, the slender figure looked over its shoulder and seemed to stare Dolffie down, catching him off guard with its speed.
'How did-'
The Persona swiftly and effortlessly stepped to the side while simultaneously coiling its chains around his arms before leaning back and spinning him around.
"Arr!" Dolffie exclaimed before the chains released his arms and sent him flying and slamming into the chain-covered walls once more.
He spat out thick black blood and sluggishly began sliding off the wall, but the Persona reacted quickly with its incredible speed and appeared beside him, reared its bandaged arm and struck him with yet another furious, burning hook, this time more powerful as it was fused with the chains.
He was sent crashing to the ground with more broken bones than he could count as Alabasta gave up on him. He did his best to hold onto it, but Alabasta pushed him away, for though Dolffie was 'desperate' to reach his goal, he had no hatred for the incantation, at least not enough for Alabasta's liking.
Dolffie didn't see much of a difference between himself and the Persona. It was protecting its only purpose for existing: the prisoners held within its chains; their confinement was the sole reason for its creation and existence. It didn't and could not have a life, it was just a being that simply... existed.
But Dolffie was the same; his only purpose, only reason for existing was to become the Crown. He had nothing and no one left to live for, and unfortunately, he needed that accursed power with a mind of its own to do so, and right now, that bastard was rejecting him; he wasn't angry enough, he didn't have enough hatred, and he wasn't showing as much malice as he did back then.
He had gone soft.
Though he tried, there was simply not enough venom in his heart, at least not enough for Alabasta's approval and cooperation.
Dolffie felt annoyed as he lay on the chain-floor.
First the world, and now his own flames were forsaking him.
He knew well that death was the only future weakness and those who harboured it deserved. For those who are pathetic and hopeless, death was mercy. His vision was blurred and his breathing laboured as the Persona hovered over his battered and bruised body, which had reverted back to its natural state.
With all the strength he had left in his poisoned heart, Dolffie cursed Alabasta as the Persona's chains slowly slithered toward him, reaching for his throat.