My main concern is that the grenades act similarly (I think...?) to EMPs.

I'll have to look up more on that later, then. (Had thought they were more like a pulse/wave...and that ground would be a good insulator/shield from it.)
*Going off of a more primitive form of the shields they use in nuclear facilities to reduce radiation exposure*
I may be completely wrong - Last time I read about that stuff was when I was 13 reading my dad's manuals on nuclear power plants.

They are essentially NNEMPs, yes. The electromagnetic discharge just happens to sever the connection between possessing spirits and their hosts in this verse.

And as far as I'm aware, EMPs work to neutralize to the electronics in underground fallout bunkers, so a wall of earth wouldn't be particularly effective.

On the contrary, the stairs underground lead to a separate dimension of this hellscape, so passing that threshold will certainly provide the simplest available means of immunity.

(grenades like that are very much a last resort in situations like this thanks to the consequences on allied electronic equipment. Thomas' electro tentacles are fried and his synthetic hearts are all messed up at the moment, if any of our mechanical geniuses want to take a look at him... :P)

Oh...umm...
*Will rewrite when I get the chance*

...Good thing Rurik made it downstairs before shit happened.

Also, i think Dante and Rurik might be fast friends. Unless Kadia has an issue with that.

I might also mention Diogenes is suffering, at the least, traumatic shock and is practically comatose. Brilliant strategy, in all. :X

Wouldn't a better idea have been to gotten everyone downstairs and then have the two toss the grenades and duck for cover?

Well, Tarja won't be much help here apart from mentally toting around said nearly comatose individuals, and maybe cauterizing bleeding things.

Will be away for most of the day so move me along if I'm holding things up.

The grenades were to keep the way to the stairs open considering how we were getting overrun.

Kadia may be able to help Diogenes...when she comes to. *Currently passed out on the correct side of the portal after using the earth to throw away the half-gone Dybuuk between her and the opening*
As a note: she has some very revitalizing/rejuvinating mixtures on her person *hint*

I mentioned this to Quiet last night, but I'll mention it to everyone here since both my characters are inoperable at the moment in case anyone wants to post before things get moving again:

Next area is an a poorly-lit asylum. No enemies in sight, but a figure sitting with his back to us in a wheelchair across the room. Can't see him too well. He's... gray, to Dante.

Moving to a new location already? o3o

No. We're still inside the monastery at Smyrna, things are just... a little ways past strange. I'll probably explain what's actually going on in my next post. Or at least hint at it.

How big is the monastery? What building in the world today is closest in size to it?

Ari. The local reality around the monastery has intermixed with Hell. I guess I might as well explain this at this point:

The Crown of Eternity that the prelate here had was a divine artifact that cast him into an unending sleep, however, it is also a powerful psychic focus and create entire illusory worlds by channeling the wearer's dreams.

The prelate, is possessed by a devil. :|