"There's too many of them we have to retreat!" Tigreal suggested as he repelled the talons of a really large bird with his shield.

"I think we should hold this line. They're still manageable but if we let them continue living the villages outside the empire could be in jeopardy. I don't want any child to go through the same thing I did." Ruby replied calmly as she used his shield as a foothold to jump high and propel herself upward to hook a nevermore down by its neck.

"She's right Tigreal. At least we should chip out a number of their forces before leaving to ensure the safety of the people." Alucard agreed as he slammed his sword to decapitate the head of the nevermore Ruby brought down.

"Stop trying to show off to your little girl crush and think rationally for our own well being. We've been fighting for hours but these things kept coming and coming. Perhaps it's best to step back a moment and take time to make a new strategy." The tank added solemnly.

"I see your perspective but we might not be able to find their nest anytime soon. If we don't press further they might change their nest and then we're back to square one." Granger added as he shot the eyes of a nevermore about to attack Ruby from behind.

"Perhaps Tigreal is right. These birds keep on pouring and pouring like an open faucet and we don't even know where they are coming from. My mana is nearly depleted, Fanny is out of commission, Granger is nearly out of his cannon ammo, Tigreal is panting, and Alucard is distracted by Miss Ruby's swaying skirt and we still haven't found the mother or the nest." Harith suggested dashing away from being gobbled up by a nevermore.

"Wait what?" Ruby exclaimed in shock.

"Guys I think I found the nest." they heard Natalia inform them through their earpiece.

"What's the exact location?" Granger asked while firing.

"Southwest, 2 km from your location on top of the castle ruins but be careful of the stone bridge because the mother bird is guarding it. It's quite huge, about 40ft long with a wingspan of up to 50ft. Sharp talons and can shoot its feathers like a barrage of arrows."

"Copy that. Let's move out." Granger ordered as they all made their way to Natalia's indicated location while fighting murderous gigantic crows.

🌹

"Bomb planted. Ruby, what's your status?" Granger asked as he and Alucard planted bombs on the birds' nest.

"Single. But we're surrounded by nevermore and the mama bird doesn't seem to like me that much." Ruby answered as she evaded the barrage of feathers the giant crow aimed at her.

"Maybe because you're wearing red." Alucard suggested jokingly.

"Just hurry up and get out of there!!" protested the little red who was doing her best to escape from the giant birds chasing her. "These are not the type of giant birds that I want to eat me!"

"You can eat my giant bird instead if you want." Alucard offered as he and Granger made their escape from the ruins. The marksman running beside him unexpectedly punched his face and it is surely going to leave a nasty bruise.

"Respect women!" Granger reprimanded as they burst through the entrance

"Thank you! Hiiiiiiiiiiiiggggck" They saw Ruby stuck in place as one gigantic feather impale the end of her hood to the ground. She tried pulling it away but it won't budge. The two made their way to her location faster when they saw the giant bird sweeping down to swallow her in its large beak.

Granger prepared his violin case and loaded it with his super cannon ammo seeing that they won't make it in time to her side but he can still try to take that bird down to save her.

The nevermore was only a few meters away from Ruby when she finally freed her cloak, leaving a huge tear in its seams. She jumped up just in time to evade certain death but frustratingly landed on the back of the mother bird.

It was too late for Granger to cancel the deployment of his Death Sonata, the bullet hit the nevermore on its side making it release a loud screech in pain, but not enough to cause fatal wounds. Ruby was forced to grip the crow's feathers tighter as the bird gained altitude. Falling down is not an option for the girl since she will face certain death from this distance. There was nothing more anyone could do as the bird took flight to escape and spirited Ruby away from her friends.

"RRRRUUUUUBBBBBYYYY!!!" screamed the marksman in frustration.

Granger landed on his knees blaming himself for the misfortune that had befallen on his comrade. Alucard was crestfallen as he can only follow them with his gaze because he was completely unable to do anything at all to save the girl. Tigreal placed his hand on their shoulders to at least console them but it did nothing to lighten even a fraction of their burden.

"We'll get her back." Tigreal said, trying to console them.

"I will get her back." Granger reassured himself as he stared at the fleeting form of the nevermore.

🌹

Ruby was doing the best that she can to restrain her tears but more so her hold on the back of the bird. She greatly wished with all her heart for the feather to stick harder on the bird's back so she wouldn't fall to her demise. The bird was heading a steady flight south from the empire at an unbelievable speed. In mere minutes they will surely reach the end of the continent where the odds of her survival will be thinner than the strands of her hair therefore now is the perfect time to land.

"R-Ru-by c-can you hear me?" she heard Granger say through her earpiece. She was barely able to understand him due to the loud roaring of the wind combined with the rather choppy connection but she was able to grasp his words.

"Yes! Yes. I can hear you." she replied as momentary relief bubbled in her chest.

"What's your location?"

"Uggh... Sky? But down below I can see trees and a barren land up ahead with a very long glowing chasm. Granger I have to land very soon or I'll reach the end of the continent to the sea of monsters!!"

"WHAT?! That's the--kssssshh-- whatever you do, don't -- kssssssshh-- land in the forest."

"Granger I'm losing connection but I think I figured it out. I'll avoid the forest and land on the barren soil. I can still summon my scythe and use it to force the bird to land." Ruby slowly moved her legs and balanced herself to stand since the bird was flying at a more steady pace as it only glides calmly on the gentle wind.

"Ruby don't do anything reckless!! I don't want ksssssshhhh you ksssssssssssssshhhh."

Ruby took a deep breath as she mustered her courage and summoned her scythe. She hooked the crescent blade under the nevermore's neck to keep herself from falling. She took out the gun holstered on her leg that Granger had given to her as additional defense and pulled the safety before shooting all its rounds to the bird's head. The crow released a loud dying screech as the bullets penetrate its skull and pierced through its brain.

The nevermore fell on a steady descent towards the barren ground in a diagonal line inching closer towards the chasm but Ruby had calculated that if the wind speed and direction remain as it is she will land only a few meters near it so all is up to fate at this point. But really. Since when has destiny been good to her in these situations?

The wind picked up speed heading south, pushing her further towards the chasm. The wind had caused the bird's wings to fold slowly and throw her left and right due to imbalance but she gripped on her scythe tighter to keep her in place. She closed her eyes tighter and braced herself for impact as her ride became more turbulent when she slipped inside the chasm.

Dread bubbled up inside her chest when she finally noticed the shadows lurking in the darkness and recognized them as demons. Suddenly her probability of survival decreased drastically from fifty-fifty to zero when she finally realized that she's falling in the Abyss, the land of grief and suffering and home to the most vicious and murderous creatures of the Land of Dawn.

"Granger? Still there?" she asked in confirmation but all she heard was static before a beep of communication came in.

"Kssshhhh-- Miss Ruby!! What's happening? Your tracker is saying that you just slipped inside the Abyss! Please tell me that this is just a malfunction." She heard Harith say instead of the marksman.

"It's not. I'm really falling into the Abyss and I'm going deeper and deeper as we speak."

"WHAAAT?!! That's ksssshhh we need to get you out of there immediately. Ksssssshhhhhh!!" This time it was Alucard who came through.

"Guys we're losing connection!!" she yelled frantically.

"We'll figure something out! But Ruby I just wanna tell you that I lov-- kkkksssshhhhhh" Granger's line finally got cut off as dread rose into every fiber of her being. There was only empty static after that as she fell deeper into the Abyss.

She allowed herself to have a momentary time to grieve her fate before mustering up all her courage and wiping her tears away. Now is not the time to cry. If she's going to survive, she needs to be braver and tougher than anyone else.

She nodded to herself once her mind had stabilized. She looked all around her and inspected her probable landing spot which is still not visible yet she can conclude won't be that far down any further. She kept in mind the three laws of motion and the concept of air drag and gravity. The gears of her head started turning as she calculated every factor affecting her descent, predicting what she will land on, and the adversaries she will meet. Once she gets a clearer view of her landing spot she can formulate a more solid landing strategy. She just hopes that there won't be any spikes or else she'll probably lose all hope already.

She felt a sudden bolt of lightning surge through her body as excitement started to circulate her bloodstream. She must be going insane because excitement and anticipation are starting to replace her fear of the unknown. The power of the wolf is coursing through her whole body as the danger of her situation escalates. Her eyes had turned as vibrantly red as her cloak while a wide smile stretched across her lips.

This will surely be fun.

🌹

Dyrroth walked through the humid and dimly lit pathways of the Abyssal mines inspecting their work and his legions that had relatively grown smaller after their latest attack on the Moniyan a few months ago. Currently, they are forging new weapons and armors for their next plan of invasion. Those Imperial Knights might have pushed them back this time but that battle is only a small fraction of the war he is waging against them.

The larger demons passing him by all bowed and paid their respects to his higher rank as they pushed carts filled with ore and weapons. Even the most vicious and brutal fiends trembled by merely feeling his overpowering presence as he confidently made his way through the mine.

"What are you looking at? Wanna pick a fight?" he snarled to a pitiful low-class demon just passing by. The creature only yelped and ran faster even with his heavy load.

He noticed something glinting on the wall through his peripheral vision and went near it in curiosity. With an effortless pull, he freed the shining stone from the earth and brushed the dirt off of its surface. Now free of filth, the shining red surface of a beautiful gem greeted him. The stone is in fact a ruby and a very pretty one at that. Although it's not great in size, it's luster and radiance are really admirable so he decided to keep it and maybe have someone craft it for him once he finally thought of something to do with it.

Dyrroth continued with his perambulation but truth be told, other than a small stroll in his home, he's basically just bored and in search of something interesting to do. There's nothing intriguing to do and no one worthy to fight since their forces are barely in any condition to engage in combat. Selena is a worthy opponent in her Demonic form but she's too busy flirting with Leomord to care for a brief spar. Helcurt is severely injured and Thamuz has more pressing matters to attend to while Alice is not even an option.

He huffed in annoyance. He swears that if those Moniyan bastards don't kill him boredom will. He just hopes that something, even a little bit interesting, happens right now or he's going to step on Alice's dress just to mess around. And luckily a shooting star just passed by to make his wish come true. Or is that a mysterious fighter riding a giant dead bird?

His attention was captured by the gigantic black object descending from the sky about to land ungracefully on his precious territory however another thing had caught his interest. A red-cloaked figure with a long crescent weapon harnessed themself to the bird and Dyrroth ran towards that direction to pick up a fight.

A smirk formed on his lips as he kept his eyes glued to the target.

"This will surely be fun."

🌹

Demons are diligently working in the mines of the Abyss when they are suddenly rudely interrupted by a gigantic dead bird that fell over their heads, causing a puff of red dust to rise up. A mysterious figure gracefully landed on top of the nevermore, her face and identity completely hidden by her crimson cloak.

For a time the demons only stood in their posts stupefied of their unexpected visitor and her grand entrance until she lifted her head and directed them a sultry smirk.

"Hello, bad guys." she greeted as she loaded her gun with a new magazine and that's when the demons collected their bearings and attacked her simultaneously.

She accurately shot her first attacker between his eyeballs as she stood her ground on top of the nevermore which temporarily gave her the advantage of the high ground. These demons proved to be something else because it took more than one bullet to bring them down resulting in the early exhaustion of her ammunition but it still helped her chip a number of her assailants.

She retrieved her scythe from the nevermore and did a few tricks to taunt her enemy as she confidently smirked at them. They replied positively by growling and pouncing at her with their large and heavy weapons making the girl even more excited as she took them all heads on.

🌹

Dyrroth finally arrived at the scene and was not disappointed to find a luminous female fighter battling his demons fearlessly even though she's surrounded and outnumbered. He watched her carefully and assessed her every move, every breath that she takes, and every smile that graces her pink lips.

Her movements are governed with elegance and good calculations. She exerts the right amount of force at the perfect timing and her dashes are adequate to evade the swift blows of her opponents. She may not be able to deal immense damage but she is very fast which gives her enough time to deal the killing blow.

Her Lifesteal is incredible and might even be on par with his and although her techniques and fighting style needs improvement, she has the energy of a bullet and the lightness of a feather which almost made it seem like she was dancing in a deadly waltz making her appear like the Goddess of Death. She's a scarlet red hot, vengeful Death that conquers all beings with life in her Dance Macabre and he can't help but be enamored by her.

"Is that all you've got? A pity, I was actually expecting more." She boasted when the last of her opponents fell dead on the ground while others hesitate to approach her in fear of facing the same fate as their comrades who were split in half or decapitated brutally.

"Such a shame but if you would kindly point me to the exit I would gladly show myself out and relieve you of my presence." she ordered looking around her.

"No one? I guess I'll have to find it myself." she whispered under her breath.

"Are you lost, little girl?" A sultry voice asked from behind her, surprising the maiden who tried keeping her cool. She faced her opponent and dashed away to put distance between them.

She wasn't surprised to find a very distinct looking demon and figured that he's of higher rank than her previous opponents. The demon had a lavender skin tone and a well built young and healthy body. Curling horns protrude from the sides of his head while an ominously gem glowed in his chest. His facial features are harsh and cruel but there's a certain charisma to his physiognomy that almost made him handsome in her eyes. He really wasn't that tall, only two inches taller than her but he carried himself proudly like a titan, high and mighty. Even with their distance, Ruby was able to feel the imposing power that he emits, tickling her skin and making her blood tingle with excitement.

"I am Dyrroth, Prince of the Abyss. Tell me, human girl, what is the name of my opponent so I can properly prepare your eulogy?" The Prince asked with an amused smirk.

"My name is Ruby, Huntress of the Dark Forest. And you don't have to bother yourself because I will be the one to sing your funeral hymn. If you must know I have quite a lovely voice." Contrary to her confident reply the girl is actually panicking in her head about his identity.

Dyrroth had built quite a terrifying reputation in his debut when he attacked Moniyan Empire. He breached the barrier of justice with ease, infiltrated the palace without even lifting a single finger, and nearly killed the empire's best knights. Meeting him face to face has guaranteed her survival from zero to negative infinity.

"I can tell. Perhaps it's fate that has brought us together to face each other in combat, my cute little prey." Ruby felt quite offended by his nickname but she did her best to maintain her composure.

"No, I'm pretty sure it's this bird but whatever. Would you please lead me to the exit or do I have to fight my way out?" she asked already knowing the answer as she directed him a challenging smile.

"Little prey, it's going to be the latter." By the end of his sentence, Dyrroth was already charging towards the female human. He slammed his weapon over her head but she blocked it with the handle of her scythe instead of dodging. She held her scythe firmly pushing back against him which impressed the prince with her strength. However, she forgot to guard her nether allowing him to find an opening and kick her in the stomach sending her flying.

Her collision with the wall made dust rise up obscuring her from his view and Dyrroth walked confidently towards her location. Five consecutive slashes and shockwaves greeted the prince taking him off guard but he luckily evaded most of them with the exception of the last one. Ruby burst out from the dust flying towards him, taking advantage of his brief disoriented state to try and cut him down. The world slowed down when she was mere inches away from him and Dyrroth noticed the sultry smile on her pink lips before bringing her scythe down to decapitate him which he avoided by taking a small sidestep.

Their battle raged on as they fought in equal footing. Powerful blows and lethal strikes were exchanged. Ruby was a very annoying fighter because her insane stuns are neutralizing his abilities effectively especially since his skill casts are slow and allows for brief openings to present themselves which his opponent took advantage of.

Okay, fighting a chick with a really long and sharp scythe might not be very advantageous since he is a close-quarter combatant. But, he noticed that due to the size and weight of her weapon, there's a brief lag between her offense and defense. He decided to put this discovery to the test.

He waited for her to strike before faking an offense of his own resulting for her to suddenly change to defensive and there her opening presented itself. Dyrroth grabbed her scythe and stole it from her hand leaving her weaponless however Ruby unexpectedly slugged him in the face taking him off guard.

"You're not half bad, human girl. I might consider keeping you as a pet."

"We'll see about that." The girl smirked and suddenly she was already behind him kicking him on the spine and sending him toppling towards the precipice. Dyrroth maneuvered his body so he could land on his feet on a floating rock moving along a stream of many other magnetic boulders.

The huntress followed after him landing gracefully on one of the rocks and was already charging to slash him in a horizontal angle but he swiftly evaded and kicked her on the stomach. Ruby fell into a flatter ground and swiftly rolled over to avoid his circular weapon flying towards her. She got back on her feet and hooked the Demon Prince towards her before elbowing his stomach.

She spun her scythe and threw it in his direction as a distraction while she jumped at him to land a kick aimed at his face which he blocked by crossing his arms. Ruby pulled back after that and retrieved her scythe. She looked around her and noticed a number of demons starting to gather all around them. If she still wants to escape, now would be the best time for her to do it before anyone else formidable arrives.

Time to get serious.

An ominous crimson aura started emanating from her body as her scythe glowed like the molten lava down below. Her scarlet eyes became more luminous as she allowed the power of the wolf to course through her whole body.

"I call upon the power of Fenrir, destined to devour the sun and swallow the god of war Odin. Lend me your strength in this battle for I am the Harbinger of Wolf!!" Ruby chanted as crimson runes burned in the air all around her. Her scythe increased in size as the blade turned red as blood.

Ruby lifted her scythe and released a vertical slash ten times bigger than her previous one and much more terrifying as it glowed crimson and black. Dyrroth jumped out of its path of destruction and watched as the crescent blade effortlessly sliced through a large portion of the cliff making it crumble and collapse into oblivion.

"So you really are something else, huh? "

"I've got more where that came from." Ruby smirked proudly but it was suddenly replaced by an astonished scream as she felt an unknown power bound her in place. She noticed a snake-like demonic entity wrapping around her body and looked at Dyrroth with a betrayed look.

A pained moan escaped her lips when the snake sank its fangs on her neck and injected an unknown substance into her bloodstream making her weak and drowsy. The glowing runes around her disappeared as her power started returning to normal. This was supposed to be a fair fight but his friends suddenly ambushed her. She no longer had any time to think when she noticed a dark spear heading towards her. She closed her eyes tightly shut and waited for her inevitable end.

"It's an awful time for you two to interrupt. Our guest and I are just starting to have fun." she heard Dyrroth say when the spear aiming to kill her failed to strike. Ruby opened her eyes and saw the Demon Prince standing in front of her.

Dyrroth crumbled the spear in his hand and glared at his comrades.

"She was causing a commotion and we only acted accordingly to neutralize the threat." Moscov replied as he and Selena emerged from the shadows.

"Apologies your highness but she's becoming quite a nuisance. Bring her in and make sure she doesn't come out of her cage." Selena instructed the demons who had watched their showdown. By this time Ruby's mind was barely able to cling to consciousness as the snake's venom invaded her system. She noticed the dark elf looking at her and cringed when she directed her a poisonously sweet smile.

"Don't worry, human girl. That venom is harmless. It's only to sedate you."

"Put her safely in the most decent cell we have and if we don't, I want you to clean it spotless. And don't you dare try to do anything stupid with her or else I'll have your heads. Am I making myself perfectly clear?" Dyrroth ordered menacingly intimidating his subordinates who nodded in fear and went on their way to execute their boss' will.

"Have you gone soft, my lord?" Selena asked teasingly as she approached him.

"No, I'm just taking care of my new toy."

🌹

Ruby opened her eyes only to see darkness once more. Her mind is foggy due to the poison while her muscles are still sore after her escapade with the demons and their prince. Her throat is parched and her stomach is growling. She lifted herself from the floor where she lay and went straight to the cell bars blocking her exit.

She recollected the events that transpired before she passed out and slumped in dejection due to the fact that she's trapped in this miserable place. She has no way of escape and rescue is impossible. No one would risk their lives to save a single girl with no land, family, or wealth in her name so she can only sit still in the darkness while taking in all the information registering in her brain.

"Excuse me. Can you please tell me what time it is? How long have I been here?" Ruby asked the fully armored female demon guarding her cell while carrying a very sharp spear. The demoness only ignored her question and stared blankly on the wall.

"So much for company." Ruby muttered sitting back on her cell.

She seems to be in an isolated cell carved in an Abyssal cave. Torches lit the dark and surprisingly cold walls of this blasted chasm. The cave had a second gate locking her with this silent corpse-like demoness. Yelling and screaming to be freed are clearly futile so she chose to sit back in her dry cell.

She decided to take a little nap to help her body recover and when she finally regains some energy and lessen her body stress, she'll plan her escape or at least plan how she'll survive for a while in this God-forsaken place. For now, she'll just close her eyes and take a little rest.