Being at the forefront, Lionel was one of the first officers to get a look of the room, a makeshift lab with what looked like a blown out chemistry set filled with black oozing liquids giving out billows of smoke that carried a faint smell of sulfur past the headgear's filters. Like the reports have estimated, the unit's scout has immediately identified four demons - two of them were Oriens, third-class female exiles that are most often recognized by their golden eyes, small wavy horns and thin tail with a spade-like tip; another one was an Ariton, a male exile and a third-class as well, Aritons tended to look more reptilian-like, with several smaller horns usually framing their hairline, much thicker and prehensile tails and a slight tint of green or blue to their skin.

The last one, however, was a surprise to the unit, as they were so rarely involved that it was easier to regard any hints of their involvement as misinformation, and that perhaps was their informant's biggest mistake – a mistake that could doom an entire unit.

Towering over the other three, the last of the adversaries was a Leviathan, a first-class exile, considered the most dangerous due to how much magic power this class of demons retain even after they were sealed and exiled. These demons weren't identified by distinct features, but by their sheer strength, which usually translated to their imposing stature. This one had eyes as black as the void and forward-facing horns that looked like they were made to impale. Even his wings, while tattered and were no longer capable of lift, were still strong enough to swat an adult human clear off their feet.

Despite the oversight, it was abundantly clear to the entire unit what they must do, and that they could not lose their cool while doing so.

First to snap back to their senses, the battering officers were quick to chuck the weighted ram at the Leviathan, and while hoping to topple him, no one was taken aback when he caught it with what seemed to be like no effort at all, only drawing an annoyed, guttural growl, his clawed fingers digging into the metal.

Knowing full well the range of physical prowess Leviathans possess, the unit had to focus their efforts on isolating the bigger threat from the Oriens and the Ariton, and making sure none of them become an even bigger threat by getting a hit of the Tar.

Seeing that the demons noticed they were outnumbered, the third-class exiles lunged at the forces in a frenzied attempt to attack and distract them, only to be countered by the forefront officers – Sofia and Lionel among them – using neutralizing ammunition to avoid the backlash that killing weaker exiles might cause. Lethal force was typically allowed only in the matter of life and death, and while third-class demons could get violent, as a physical threat they are far removed from what a Leviathan is capable of even with its power sealed.

Six rounds fired, six precise hits to the limbs, and the lower class demons all fell to the ground, barely even able to crawl, allowing all the attention to be directed to the Leviathan, who wasn't about to just stand there and get shot at. Belting out a mighty roar that exceeded what one might expect from something so human looking, so strong that it sent tremors through the walls, claws digging throw the metal cylinder in his hands as he spun to hurdle it towards Sofia, recognizing she was the team's leader, but thanks to the time he took to gather momentum both her and Lionel managed to roll away as the battering ram got lodged through the floor.

Recovering from the roll and having his weapon in the ready, Lionel heard the first line officers starting to open fire in a first, humane attempt to neutralize the Leviathan, who turned his back to them to use his wings as a shield to delay the paralyzing effect of the ammunition, just enough for him to reach for the refined Tar.

"Code Black!" Someone barked from the back, as it became apparent to everyone that they'll have to make a small mess to prevent a much bigger mess. Officers redirected their attention at the makeshift refinery set as bullets started whizzing past the Leviathan, immediately shattering everything and engulfing the room with a sharp, toxic stench of near-decaying blood, alerting the unit that this had to be dealt with fast to clean up the scene.

While the team went back to the neutralizing ammunition, attempting to break through the wings and remain out of range, Lionel felt cold sweat running down his back as he noticed the Leviathan had managed to snag a half-filled vial before the refinery shattered. For a first-class exile, even half a vial would be—

Before his train of thought came to an end, Lionel balanced his rifle against his shoulder and moved one hand close to his face. With a swift twist and flick of the wrist the vial embedded in his glove snapped and released the Shrapnel vapor to seep through his mask's filter, inhaling deep. It was a strange feeling the first time he did that in training, extremely disorienting as everything around slows down and all other senses kick into overdrive. Colors became more vibrant, every sound was sharp and crisp, some even in a range beyond what humans are capable of perceiving. It was overwhelming at first, but that’s what training was for.

Now, as soon as time slowed down, Lionel has regained a stable hold of his weapon and got to his feet, aiming down the sight in an attempt to break the last vial, but even with every muscle fiber in his body being electrified and ready for action, even with his impeccable reaction time, the Leviathan still knew what the officer was trying to do, and without any sort of grace he threw the vial into his mouth, mercilessly chewing on the glass as the liquid flowed through.

"Amped!" Lionel called, alerting the rest of the unit of the elevated threat.

The deep guttural growl turned into a raspy shriek as Lionel's heightened senses picked up on the snappy sound of cracking bones and tearing fabric and skin. Black smoke and thick dark blood seeped from the Leviathan's mouth as his wings snapped open to their restored glory, growing in size along with the rest of the body as his posture hunched, lending him a feral visage. His entire skin darkened and patterned with white spotted patterns like constellations in a moonless sky, glowing ever so slightly in a sort of meaningless warning, as if the beast's mere presence wasn't enough.

'Now is not the time to panic, Private,' Lionel steeled himself, glancing at his magazine to check how many neutralizing bullets he had left, firearm constantly aimed at the beast as he turned sharply, creating a gust that forced the unit to brace against the walls and each other to stay on their feet.

Perfect.

With the Leviathan's body now unshielded by the wings, Lionel had a direct line of fire. Knowing that he first had to make sure the demon couldn't leave the room and go outside to where he can take flight, Lionel lowered his aim and switched his weapon to burst fire, emptying his remaining ammo in a line going down the Leviathan's leg from his thigh through his shin, and down to his ankle, causing him to stagger already with a pained roar, although it was clear that the paralyzing effect remained local, doing little to really diminish the threat.

Seeing his intent as he took initiative in reloading the lethal ADA ammunition, the rest of the unit followed Lionel's example, instinctively guided by their knowledge of the Rosso Chart to know exactly where to aim to further incapacitate the demon. Muzzles flashed across the dimly lit room as clusters of bullets struck the thick-skinned demon, slowly inhibiting his movement while still doing nothing to dampen his blood lust. Lionel could hear more vials breaking as other officers reloaded their weapons as well, while the forgotten lesser demon tried their best to scramble back for cover. What looked like them making sure they don't get caught in the cross-fire at first took on a new meaning as Lionel took notice of a change in the Leviathan's patterns, as the white specks on his skin glowed more intensely one by one from the torso and up to the head.

Lionel heard Sofia calling for the unit to take cover, knowing all too well that an unsealed Leviathan was capable of producing an incredibly powerful blast of energy that would do even more damage in a confined space. But it is also powerful enough to cause damage outside, especially if it doesn't go through anyone first, drawing all the wrong kinds of attention to their operation.

"No! We have to stop it first! Permission to use lethal force," he asked sternly without looking at his commander, gun loaded and finger resting on the trigger.

"What- Private Young, you can't stop a Leviathan's-!"

"We can if we take him down first!" Lionel insisted, but in doing so he drew the demon's attention to him, seeing the flare of scathing white energy building at the back of his throat. "Sergeant-!"

"Fire!" she barked back, and almost instantly Lionel squeezed the trigger.

With his rifle still set to burst, a chain of bullets shot at the beast's neck, hitting close to the glowing spots with enough recoil to turn the deadly maw away from him, and just like before the rest of the unit that's been on Shrapnel managed to process the course of action and rushed in to strategic points that were safe from the maw while it was still turned away from them, moving fast enough before the demon reorients himself and aiming a new barrage of bullets to the now exposed neck and torso.

The Leviathan roared and sputtered, the white-hot energy spilling from his mouth in flames, still concentrated enough to scorch the floor and the walls, but didn't have enough force to project forward with enough intensity to reach anyone in the unit.

Moving back to avoid any possible hiccups, the officers moved back with their rifles still trained on the demon as his body slowly gave in with the Tar burning through their life force, making it increasingly harder for him to resist the ADA paralytics already surging through him. After another intense moment that felt like forever to those under the effect of Shrapnel, the Leviathan finally fell to the ground, unmoving.

Taking one more moment to make sure it stays down, Sofia then split the team to take care of the Oriens and the Ariton cowering in the back, with the rest tasked with the clean up, both of the Leviathan's body and what's left of the refinery.

"Private Young," Sofia called to Lionel after he finished aiding the arrest and processing of the third-class demon.

"Sergeant?" he approached her, standing at attention once in front of her.

She pursed her lips behind her mask and remained silent, starting to notice his body language change as the Shrapnel's effect slowly started to wear off. "Good job, Young. Your quick thinking prevented a whole lot of damage, both in casualties and to the area," she nodded. "You are truly a credit to the force."

Feeling pride swell in his chest and being thankful not only for the compliment and acknowledgment but also for the fact that his face was completely hidden to hide his growing grin, Lionel nodded back at his commander and saluted.

She saluted back to dismiss him, turning to address the small crowd that began to form, dispersing them while briefly explaining what happened and ensuring the unit would be gone soon. Even after a successful take-down, no one in the unit wished to stick around more than it was necessary.

Staying in place for a moment, Lionel looked down and turned his wrist up, looking at the broken and empty vial, as he started to feel the imminent crash that'll follow soon. That was the part he disliked most, but at least he wouldn't be alone in that, with other Shrapnel users still feeling its effect, meaning they'll crash for longer, eventually.

He wanted to tell himself that things are sure to get quiet now.

But whether it was his own gut feeling or the over-thinking caused by the enhancing drug, he had the small, nagging feeling that it's not a one-time thing.

He really hoped he was wrong.

But it seemed like the winds of change were blowing from the depth of Hell itself.