It was so sudden that they didn't even have time to react. Not one jutsu, no chakra disturbance, no signals.
They just witnessed a head roll and blood splatter everywhere, coating the sea in blood. The swimming sharks dissolved. Kizame had been holding his sword and Azrael's sealed body. Both plunged into the sea, together with his body... never to be recovered.
Only the noise of the water splattering everywhere woke them up from their stupor, and they saw - as the blood coated the world - a pitch-black silhouette standing with a bloodied halberd in her hands.
Albedo had her pitch-black armour, a pair of wings and white hair that stretched out of the helm, reaching her back.
Kunai and Shuriken popped up, but they didn't make a move. They analysed Albedo. She had wings as well, just like Azrael, but they were just two wings; they were black and tiny compared to Azrael's. They didn't know what to make of it.
"There is another one of them?" Tobi frowned, thinking about their next stratagem. Azrael alone had been a pain to deal with; now they had another one whose abilities they didn't even know and whose movements they couldn't detect.
Itachi looked at the blood-stained water where Kizame's corpse was sinking, his sight muffled. His eyes darted to Albedo, and he got ready to fight too.
But even in guard, the reluctance was palpable. His sharingan darted back and forth between both sides, and he found himself wondering if victory was possible.
Their priority was to recover Azrael, but Albedo was already working on that. The succubus stretched her hand, and Azrael's sinking body stopped still in space before it was pulled to her.
Seeing this, Pain frowned and also stretched his hand forward.
If the death angel were brought back to the fight, there would be no hope.
*RUMBLE!*
Two spatial wills collided, Azrael's body stopped, and Albedo frowned. The world around them trembled, the water shook in disarray, and the atmosphere tensed. Two layers of space fighting one another for domination.
Seeing the deadlock, the second Pain, and the last remaining one, decided to act.
An explosion of smoke took over the world. Albedo retreated, making some distance but still grabbing a tight lock on Azrael with space. When it began to dissipate, there was a massive hound in front of the frowning Albedo.
Tobi disappeared in a whirlpool, preparing an Ambush.
"Annoying..."
The hund growled, salivated and chased after her with the intention of devouring and not leaving bones.
Albedo didn't let go of the strand of space that was holding Azrael; instead, she used her other hand to stop the hound that was howling towards her.
*BOOOOOMMMMM!!!*
Her silhouette didn't even move one centimetre. The hound tried to push and bite her as she held its nose... but soon, its movements began to turn slow and erratic. In front of their eyes, the hound's skin began to wither and dissipate like it was getting dehydrated at ridiculous speeds, considering its size.
The hound, no, the dog... howled a last purring noise of pity before it stopped moving... but even then, Albedo didn't stop. The corpse of the hound continued to wither until the bones popped up, then the bones scattered like dust... and the dust entered her hand.
"A pitiful amount of energy, compared to Ray-sama... as expected".
Not only was she disappointed, but she was even disgusted. Low amount of energy and low quality that didn't even so much as cause a ripple in her overflowing reserves.
"That power is–" Pain said, only to feel like his whole body was getting pulled.
!!!
Albedo smirked and pulled harshly. Control of space demanded huge reserves of energy... reserves that she wasn't lacking, and she was even looking forward to using. Her control of space went beyond
With the pull of her arm, she pulled the sea, the trees, the rocks... and also Pain himself.
The whole world shifted with the pull of her palm. Pain, who was in the midst of flying hopelessly, couldn't believe what he was seeing. When peeking at Albedo, there was no Rinnegan.
Only eyes that showed depths of seduction that he couldn't even comprehend.
'Where is this power coming from? These people... what are they?!'.
Whether it be Azrael or Albedo, he couldn't understand the origin and nature of their powers.
Albedo let go of her Halberd and kicked it.
"Die in silence, human".
*WHOOSH!*
The halberd went beyond Sonic, slicing the second pain in half as she gasped, unable to even comprehend what had just happened. The upper half of her body slid down into the depths of the waters.
With her now free hand, Albedo caught Azrael's body.
As for her other free hand...
"Ugh!".
Pain struggled, feeling his neck get gripped by a vice that wouldn't let go. The man engaged in Taijutsu, but it was all for nothing. His bones cracked; his strength could not overcome that armour.
Albedo, for her part, merely stared at him in disgust... feeling particularly disgruntled to deal with men or at least what she called 'fakes' after having dealt with a real man such as her master after so long.
She tightened her grasp to crush his neck, but a whirlpool of space formed in Albedo's forearm, the compressed space exploded and bisected Albedo's arm in half, allowing Pain to skip on the water and flee the demon's grasp.
"This is... surprising".
Her blood was blacker than the abyss
Albedo stared at her bleeding arm and shattered armour. If there was anything capable of injuring her, space was certainly one of those things.
Her eyes focused on Tobi, who was not too far away, having re-materialised and staring with attention. He shifted his eye to the right and saw that Itachi was not yet making any move. Understandably, considering the information they had on their enemy was minimal.
'Space is somehow effective against her...'
"You're the most troublesome one for sure, one-eyed-clown", Albedo said, extending her shattered arm forth and from the blood, another arm reformed with such ease that it could bring despair to her enemies.
How long would it take for them to deliver a decisive blow... only for it to regenerate like that.
"I am Tobi, sweetheart. Would you grace me with your name?" Always a jester, Tobi kept his composure and tried to make some banter while Pain remained distant, spitting blood and feeling the shattered bones of his neck.
"You are not worthy of my name".
"... no sense of humour"
With a swift move, Albedo removed the seals, and Azrael's body was once again free.
Her wings sprawled out and flapped a few times, her eyes opened, and she regained lucidity, becoming conscious of her defeat. She first saw Albedo.
"Lady Azrael, are you okay?" The succubus held her in place. Azrael rubbed her head, and her eyes regained focus.
"Albedo..."
Her brain processed everything that happened, and lastly, she glared at Itachi in the distance... he had managed to place her in a genjutsu twice.
With Azrael back in the game. There was no possibility of victory. Tobi looked at Pain, and they nodded at each other, agreeing on a strategic retreat.
"Lady Azrael, we should retreat".
Much to their surprise, Albedo, who currently held the absolute advantage, suggested retreat as well.
"Master has strictly ordered me to retrieve you safely".
Azrael released herself from Albedo's grasp and groaned.
"I can't retreat... give me the Ember, bastard!".
Her countenance was half skin, half skeleton; she looked hideous. But nevertheless, it didn't seem like her skin was peeling off. It seemed as if she was becoming her true self.
Azrael's wings flapped in white and black flames. Albedo frowned and kicked back on the water, making some distance when she felt the ferocity of those flames in her very soul.
"Give me back the Ember, miserables!".
"Ember?" Albedo wondered what she was talking about. She didn't know what the Ember was, but it was clear they took something from her.
"I am going to advise you now. You don't know who you're dealing with, give her back what she's asking for and leave... or I will make sure none of you live. Even if I was not ordered to exterminate you, one of Lady Azrael's wings is missing... that's enough reason for me to massacre you all. Master won't be happy".
"Tobi, give it to her..." Pain said with a hoarse tone, his neck struggled.
A spatial whirlpool rippled, the gigantic magnifying glass appeared and Azrael finally sighed in relief as she took it and hugged it in her arms.
She didn't know with what face she would look at her master and Galadriel if she confessed she had lost this treasure.
"We don't have to be enemies", Pain mumbled, but his words were cut short... neither of the ladies was interested in whatever bullshit diplomacy he wanted to engage in.
"Who was it?" Albedo asked.
"..."
"Who took her wing?" The second time she spoke, her voice sounded way more devoid of life and demonic. The consequences to whoever had done it were clear.
"You have already killed him".
Even when pain said that, referring to Kizame, but Azrael was already fiercely glaring at Itachi, who in response also stared at her with a rather peaceful countenance.
As if his death was not imminent. Itachi jumped forward and landed not too far away from Azrael in a move that shocked many.
"Itachi–" Tobi frowned.
"You go, there is no point in continuing with this farce. She wants me... and until she gets me, it will just be a pointless massacre".
With his Sharingan, he couldn't see a reality in which he survived. Regardless of whether he fought or not.
Even when he was told, Tobi was reluctant to let Itachi stay.
"Must you insist on making us your enemy?! We may have interests in common" The mockery and jester-ish tone of his voice changed to a more serious one. Itachi was too good of a resource for Akatsuki to let go.
"What is there in common between you and an ant?" Albedo mocked him, slanting feelings of rage and outrage.
From the moment she arrived, this woman hadn't taken them seriously even once. What's worse... the strength she had showcased justified it. It was obvious if she wanted them dead, they wouldn't be standing.
Which led him to wonder why she wasn't acting.
"You are all members of Akatsuki, aren't you?" Albedo smirked.
"You know about us?".
"Of course I know. I recognise those coats. What was the name of those two... Hidan and Kakuzu...? Those two were quite boring and died too quickly".