Touhou: Blitzkrieg Of Ethereal Utopia

by Missheardt

An entity called the Black Moon once attacked the Moriya Shrine in the outside world. Sanae, Kanako, and Suwako's escape from this darkness was their entry into Gensokyo. Now, the same evil comes back to haunt them years later, seeking Gensokyo's destruction, and all of the sacred land's inhabitants must band together to stave off this invasion, but will they?

10. Clash of Dreams

Marisa sped over the tree-covered hills, hunched over her broom, glancing around worriedly. The landscape seemed no different than Gensokyo's, but the witch – who had spent her entire life within the paradise – gazed at all of this with wide eyes. Next to her sped Sanae, the Moriya Shrine maiden, her gohei rod held at the ready, and her beautiful emerald hair waving behind her. Her green eyes watched ahead, keen and attentive. She was back in the outside world, but how this had come to be was not how she had originally imagined. She wished to be reunited with her family, if she were to ever return. Now, she may be reunited with her enemy – indeed, the black fiends who had caused her life to fall to pieces in the first place...

In front of them soared Yukari Yakumo, with her umbrella, at her sides the two shikigami Ran and Chen. The huddled close to their mistress, ready for any threat. Ran's tails trailed behind her like enormous streamers, and and Chen's tiny red dress flapped loudly. Her black ears were perked up. She and Ran sniffed the air constantly.

Yukari looked up at the sky. It was darkening. The storm was coming. Lightning flashed about, silent, overhead.

"Are we close, Ran?" Yukari asked the kitsune.

Ran breathed in the cool air. "Yes," she said. "Very."

"We aren't far behind them," added Chen. Her voice was childlike. "They're flying really fast..."

Marisa gritted her teeth. "Alice..."

"Kochiya-san," called Yukari. "Are you all right?"

Sanae, having been staring intently ahead, snapped back to reality. "Oh? Oh! Yes, I'm...fine..." She did not look it, however.

Yukari eyed her. "It is not too late to turn back," she said.

Sanae shook her head. "I can't," replied the shrine maiden. "Not now. Not ever. I cannot run from my past, so I may as well face it. It's been five years since my life fell apart. Piece by piece, I've put it all back together. I ran from my fear, but I can't run from it forever. That's what Byakuren-sama said, and I believe her. No more running. No more being afraid. The Black moon drove me from my home once, but I won't let it happen again. If they come, I'll face them." She clenched her gohei rod with white knuckles. "I'm not who I was back then."

Yukari smiled. "Indeed."

"There they are!" cried Marisa, pointing.

As they blasted over the treetops, soaring over hills and cliffs, in the far distance could been seen several specks. They flew at dizzying speed, curving around mountains and dipping into valleys – they were difficult to follow.

"I can't tell how many there are," said Chen.

"Alice," muttered Marisa. She tried to follow the specks with her eyes, but they vanished around a cluster of hills. "No!"

"They've increased their speed," said Ran. Her golden eyes narrowed. "They must have seen us..."

"Our time is short," said Yukari. She readied her umbrella. "You must pacify them, as I must prepare in case the Black –"

A whirlwind of icicles flew out of nowhere, pelting the group. Marisa was cut, and she swerved and rolled in midair to dodge them.

"What the...?!" she shouted.

Ran and Chen raised their hands and fired danmaku of their own, shooting down the hail of icicles before they could reach Yukari. Sanae twirled and spun around the projectiles, and continued on, speeding away from the group, towards the conspirators...

"Sanae!" yelled Marisa. She regained her balance, and burst after Sanae.

"Ready yourselves!" commanded Yukari. "Go, now," she said to her shikigami, who followed the witch and shrine maiden at once. Yukari, herself, began lifting high into the sky, her purple eyes keen and watchful. As she rose, she could see the conspirators in the distance. They had slowed. There were four of them...

"Who is this, that they have betrayed my Gensokyo?" seethed Yukari.

---

Marisa narrowly missed a treetop as she dodged yet more icy danmaku. Her eyes darted around. At a cliff in the distance floated Cirno, the ice fairy. She remained still, like a tiny turret, unleashing barrage after barrage of icicles. Her face was full of excitement, grinning widely.

"Take this!" she squealed, firing yet more danmaku.

Sanae and Marisa grazed past this simple attack, bee-lining towards the fairy.

"Cirno!" screamed Marisa angrily. She stood on her broom, as before, and prepared a mass of star hail. As she slowed, Sanae blew past, speeding at the ice fairy like a bullet.

Cirno only laughed, continuing her attack. Soon, Marisa was ready, and shot her hand outwards. From it exploded a stream of rainbow star danmaku, like a machine gun. They tore through the air – around Sanae – and slammed into the cliff-side like artillery, peppering the mountain with craters. Several came very close to Cirno, but she was unfazed. A few of her icicles clipped Sanae, tearing her skirt.

"Kirisame-san!" called Ran in a panic. "Look out behind –"

But Ran was cut off, as a large green danmaku slammed into her stomach, knocking out the kitsune's breath, and launching her into a hillside with a boom. Chen spun around to retaliate, but was hit with a danmaku as well. She was not sent downward, but reeled violently, screaming.

Previously unseen in the forest below, Parsee Mizuhashi shot from the leaves as a blur. She sped at the unbalanced black cat with hatred in her eyes. Quickly she reached Chen, and dug a foot into her back, sending her skyward, choking and spluttering.

Marisa, having seen this event unfold behind her, halted her broom, and turned to fight Parsee, but her vision was obscured by blue fabric...

The forest floor shook as a doll the size of a four foot building landed in the valley below. The mere impact of its feet colliding with the ground were like explosions all their own. Numerous wires and strings glinted in the darkening daylight. Wearing pieces of silver armor, and wielding a hammer the size of an eighteen-wheeler truck, it was a thing to behold. Its fake golden hair flitted down behind it as it landed, like a molten waterfall.

"Goliath Doll!?" shouted Marisa.

The Goliath Doll mustered its strength and swung its hammer at Marisa. It missed, but the blast of air surrounding the swing knocked Marisa from her broom like a rag doll. She screamed. Trees before the Doll had their leaves blown right from them – looking like nothing but overgrown, dead twigs on the valley floor.

Flailing, Marisa reached for her broom, and it came to her. As fast as she could, she mounted it – saving herself from landing in a river below. The Goliath Doll raised its colossal hammer, preparing another great attack. Speeding along, inches from the cool water's surface, Marisa gritted her teeth, trying to gain as much speed as she could. Then, the Doll's hammer smashed down into the river, sending water hundred of feet into the air. The torrent of water engulfed the riverbanks, and tore trees from their roots like playthings.

Marisa spun around. By the Goliath Doll's shoulder floated Alice Margatroid. She wore the same type of armor as her giant doll; about her flitted smaller dolls, each armed to the teeth. Alice gracefully weaved her hands about, controlling the behemoth below her.

"Alice!" yelled Marisa. "I came to save you!"

At her name, Alice's eyes narrowed. "You can't save me," she replied. "You're going to die, here. Today."

"Snap out of it!" shot Marisa. She closed the distance between them a little, but was still wary of the Goliath Doll, which had begun to lift its hammer. "What are you doing?! Is this really what you want?!"

Alice did not reply. She only looked at Marisa condescendingly. "Die." And she waved her hand. The Goliath Doll began to attack.

---

Sanae reached Cirno, amidst the chaos behind her. Cirno's eyes filled with fear, and she dodged to the side as Sanae blew past.

"Get away!" cried the fairy. She raised her hands, and tried to fire yet more danmaku, but Sanae was upon her again.

Sanae, close, swung her gohei rod. It seemed but a simple stick, but it slammed into the fairy with immense force, rocketing her into a tree trunk. Cirno slid to the ground, wailing in pain. Sane, who had previously been expressionless, sighed.

"Fairy," she soothed, gliding over to Cirno. "This isn't what you want." She bent down over Cirno. "You left Gensokyo. It was your home. You left your other fairies behind. Is that truly what you wanted?"

Cirno's lips trembled. "N-no..."

"Why did you do this?"

"I wanted...t-to be the strongest..."

Sanae smiled weakly. "If someone else gives you that power, though," she said, "will you have truly become the strongest?"

Cirno was quiet. Then, "No..."

"Come home," said Sanae. "There's no need to leave Gensokyo – and your friends – behind."

Cirno began to cry. She leaped forward and hugged Sanae tightly. "I want to go home! I'm scared!"

Sanae patted her on the back. "There, there, little one..."

She felt herself to be like Byakuren, on the day that the monk comforted Sanae, herself, and prevented her from leaving Gensokyo...

Sanae was confused then, just as Cirno was, now.

---

On the hillside, Ran got to her feet. But she was instantly forced to dodge, as Parsee came out of nowhere, firing green danmaku nonstop, her eyes burning with loathing. She landed on the gravel next to Ran, and swung her fist. Ran leaped back, avoiding Parsee's attack, and spun like a top. Her nine, massive tails slammed into Parsee like clubs. The hashihime somersaulted backwards onto her feet, fuming, and unleashed a stream of green danmaku from her fingertips, screaming.

"You will not stand in the way of my vengeance!" bellowed the hashihime. The ground shook slightly.

Ran shot into the air, twirling and zigzagging to avoid Parsee's danmaku, returning fire with her own, blue danmaku. Soon, Parsee took flight, and the two girls circled around each other, attacking. Once or twice, Parsee took a hit, choking, but it only served to make her angrier. Ran was hit as well, but made no face – she kept her dutiful composure. The hills around them erupted in explosions from stray danmaku.

"I'll kill you!" yelled Parsee.

---

Soon, Chen came to, still in the air. She looked around worriedly. Marisa was engaged in battle with Alice's Goliath Doll. Sanae had vanished into the forest, having chased Cirno. Parsee and Ran were entangled in a shoot-out.

"It seemed there were more than just three," muttered the cat. "Where's the fourth –"

Then, the world flipped upside-down. Chen yelped, trying to adjust herself, but it was too late. In her confusion, someone had grabbed her by the ankle. She flailed, trying to break free, but she was swung around violently, before she was thrown, and plunged headfirst into the river.

"Stupid cat!" laughed Seija Kijin, hands on her hips. She watched Chen splutter and struggle in the water below. "You fell for the oldest trick in my book." Seija glanced around at the other battles. Her short, black, red-and-white-streaked hair swished. "Let's see here," she said. "Alice is fighting Marisa, Parsee's fighting the kitsune, and I guess Cirno's leading that shrine maiden on a chase through the forest..." Turning back to Chen – who had climbed ashore, looking pathetic – she cackled. "I think I can handle a little black cat. Sheesh, I got the easy one, didn't I?"

Chen looked severely pissed. She shook the water from herself. "It's you...!"

Seija rolled her eyes. "Yes, it's me," she said. "To be honest, we were surprised anyone came after us."

"Yukari-sama's not stupid!" snapped Chen. "We'll make catnip out of all of you traitors!" Chen readied a spell card, hissing.

"A spell card, huh?" said Seija, amused. She pulled out Marisa's grimoire, instantly flipping to Chen's page. "Which one is it gonna be?"

---

"Alice!" yelled Marisa. With difficulty, she weaved in and out of the Goliath Doll's swings as it smashed the landscape to pieces. "Stop this, now!"

Alice was quiet.

"I'm sorry!" screamed Marisa, speeding around on her broom. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you! Just come home, please!" The Doll turned and hurled a fist at the witch, but narrowly missed. Marisa rolled around on her broom from the force of the swing. "Please!" she cried, regaining herself. "I know I'm not the most considerate person," she shouted, as she flew, "and I know that I didn't come to visit you, or gave you the support you needed to create your doll, but...!"

There was her opening. She took her chance, speeding around the slow Goliath Doll, and ended up right in front of Alice.

"But how I felt about you or our friendship never changed!" she said, breathless. "Ever."

Alice's eyes widened.

"Look around!" shot Marisa, pointing to the other fights. Chen had just activated a spell card against Seija. The entire area around them was exploding. "Look at what's happening! Everything's being torn apart!" Marisa's eyes started to fill with tears. "Is this what you wanted...?"

Alice looked down. She seemed like she was struggling with herself. The Goliath Doll's actions became erratic. It stumbled.

"Alice, please," pleaded Marisa.

"You hurt me!" screamed Parsee, from below. She was becoming more and more injured with every carefully planned attack by Ran, but Parsee continued to fight just as ferociously. "You never helped me! I spent every night alone! No one was there for me! EVER!"

Alice glanced down at Parsee, listening.

"We can help you," replied Ran, whirling around Parsee's danmaku. "Yukari-sama can bring you out of this darkness...!"

"NOW you want to help me?!" shouted Parsee. Her eyes were alight with green energy. "You were never there before! And now that we're a threat, suddenly you extend your hand, cowering?!" She shook with anger. "Gensokyo was my PRISON!"

Alice, having heard this tirade, slowly turned back to Marisa. Her face was filled with similar anger. "She's right," muttered Alice. "Gensokyo was my prison, as well. You didn't come until I was gone. Only in desperation...are you here..." Her blue eyes filled with anger. She raised her hand. The Goliath Doll snapped back to life.

Marisa shook her head, crestfallen. "No...Alice...!"

---

In the sky, Yukari floated, watching this battle unfold. Her eyes were but slits. "The ice fairy," she whispered, "who wished to become strong; the puppeteer, who had been abandoned; the hashihime, who had no one to begin with, living a life of hatred; and the amanojaku, who ever seeks misery. You truly were a clever one, Iliasviel, denizen of the Black Moon..."

Then, Yukari's eyes widened. She coughed, and held her chest, slouching over. "What...?" She felt heavy. "What is th-this?" stammered the great youkai. "I feel...a weight..." She took a deep breath, and looked up. Then:

"They've arrived."

From inside the distant storm clouds, flashing with lightning, there was a magnanimous, echoing crack. The air shook. A visible shockwave emanated, miles in width – the clouds were unaffected. With rumbling, the wave collided with the earth below, and rushed through the forest towards the combatants.

Yukari, without hesitation, swung her umbrella like a staff. As she did, a great rune barrier began to form, between the wave and the fighters. Yukari breathed heavily, forming as powerful a shield she could in the time she had!

The shock wave slammed into Yukari's barrier, shattering it with a sound like a million windows breaking at once. The youkai's barrier fell to pieces and was no more. What remained of the shock wave continued, weaker, and collided with Seija and Chen before it dissipated. It sent the amanojaku and the shikigami soaring violently through the air, as if they'd been hit by an enormous force.

Seija started to fall, holding her head, screaming. "What...what the hell...?!" She flailed and panted, before plummeting into the river, where she disappeared. Moments later, Marisa's grimoire splashed into the water with her.

Chen also started to fall, knocked unconscious, but Sanae – with Cirno's help – caught her gently, for the the two had emerged from the nearby forest, having avoided the shock wave.

"Take care of her, Cirno," said Sanae to the ice fairy, who was still crying.

"I'm sorry, Sanae," sniffled Cirno. "I'm really, really, really sorry..." Her tears froze onto her cheeks.

Sanae smiled an angel's smile. "Go," she said.

Cirno struggled to carry Chen away, to the riverbank, where she laid the cat down. Chen was breathing heavily, and sweating.

Sanae turned to Marisa and Alice.

---

Parsee and Ran ceased fighting, turning to look. Ran gaped, having seen Yukari's makeshift barrier destroyed, and Seija and Chen incapacitated.

"How...?" she whispered.

Parsee's eyes were wide with joy. "It's here! Iliasviel-sama's master is here!" she exclaimed, jumping up and down.

Ran looked at Parsee with growing anger. For the first time, she broke composure, baring her kitsune fangs. "You will not escape!"

Parsee, having been distracted, did not see Ran coming. The kitsune somersaulted forward with immense force and speed, bringing her tails down onto Parsee's head, driving her into the rocks of the hillside. Parsee spluttered and screamed as her face was ground into the stone. At point-blank range, Ran fired a mass of blue danmaku, which collided with Parsee's figure, and blasted her backwards, dragging her face across the hill before she flew backwards into a boulder. The hashihime was covered in blood.

She laid against the boulder weakly, but still glaring at Ran. "There's...n-nothing you can...do against them..."

Ran approached. "I will incapacitate you," she said. "I'm sure you're used to that. Afterwards, my mistress and I will deal with your...new friends. Don't worry. When you wake up, you'll be in Eirin-sama's care." She paused. "And with a one-way ticket to Hell."

Parsee smirked.

Ran raised her hand to fire a final danmaku at Parsee's head. "You should have stayed loyal to Gensokyo," said the kitsune. "To Yukari-sama."

But she did not fire. Instead, her eyes widened, in shock. Then, Ran screamed in pain, drawing back.

Her outstretched hand had been cut off.

A girl had materialized out of nowhere, between Parsee and Ran. She was dressed in a small, short, black Victorian dress, with white frills. On her waist was an enormous black bow, trailing almost to the ground below. She had thigh-high black stockings, with white, laced boots. On her hands and arms were gauntlets and armor of sleek, elegant black metal that flowed like oil. This girl's skin was like porcelain; blemishless and beautiful. She appeared around fifteen years old. Around her extremely fair face fell straight, black hair, tipped with red – as if dipped in blood – reaching just below her smooth jaw. Her eyes were slim, and orange, their pupils slits, but white. In her hair was a clip: a rose.

In her hands she twirled a silver scythe. The blade's length was as long as she was tall, herself. It was elegant, curving in and out of itself, like vines, seeming almost like liquid metal. The entire weapon was wrapped in silver fire, seeming like angry mist, emanating a cool sound like wind rushing through leaves...

"Good day," said Beatrice Rose. Her voice was almost emotionless. "How do you do?"

Ran drew back further, holding her bleeding stump. She was terrified.

Beatrice pursed her lips. "How rude," she said.

Ran summoned her strength and took flight, fleeing back towards Yukari.

The vampire watched her go, without pursuing, and then turned around to Parsee. "And you," she said. "Who are you?"

Parsee choked on her own blood a bit. Then, "My name is...P-Parsee...the four of us were sent...by Iliasviel-sama..."

"We know." Beatrice nodded slowly. "We watched you all fight for a while." She turned away. "Get up."

Parsee was confused. She choked again. "But, I can...b-barely move..."

Suddenly, Beatrice whirled around, twirling her scythe, and plunged it into the boulder, right next to Parsee's ear. The stone split deafeningly. The metal of the scythe rung loudly in Parsee's ear.

"What are you? Weak?" said Beatrice smoothly. Her eyes narrowed. "I said: Get up."

Parsee's green eyes widened. Breathing heavily, she pried herself from the boulder. She could hardly stand. She blinked furiously – blood was running into her vision. Then, she yelped in pain, doubling over. Several of her ribs were broken. But, her face was filled with determination...

Beatrice watched, amused. "So," she said, "Luftwaffe...sent you."

"Y-yes," spluttered Parsee. "I am willing...to p-pledge myself...to the Black Moon..."

The vampire girl was silent. Then, "Omen awaits." She started to walk away. "Come. Don't make him impatient."

Parsee was frozen to the spot, watching Beatrice stride away, twirling her silver scythe and slashing down massive trees as if butter. Soon, the hashihime snapped back to reality, and struggled to limp after the vampire...

---

"I'm never going back, Marisa," said Alice to Marisa, as they floated. Alice's blue eyes were hateful. "Never."

"You're a stubborn girl, you know that?" replied Marisa. "If I can't talk you out of it, we'll just have to do things the old-fashioned Gensokyo way!" She stood up on her broom. "Will you come back if I beat you?"

Alice sneered. "You won't beat me, Marisa," she said. "You're going to die, here. Today."

Sanae flew up next to Marisa, her gohei rod raised. "Margatroid-san!" she called. "Come to your senses!"

"It's coming," said Alice. "The Black Moon. Ilia-chan told me of its power. She told of what it can give." She summoned a legion of dolls around herself, as the Goliath Doll dissipated into thousands of rolls of fabric, and funneled back to Alice. The materials from the larger doll served to construct the smaller ones...

"Give you?" asked Sanae. "What can it give you that you didn't already have? The Black Moon is a darkness. It is the most evil omen to have appeared in hundreds of years! It tore my life apart! What can it possibly give you but despair?"

"Stop it," seethed Alice. "You aren't changing my mind! I decided on this path a long time ago!"

"You can change, Alice!" yelled Marisa. "We're here for you! We always were. I always was!"

Alice's face burned with rage. "NO, YOU WEREN'T!"

"You don't have to do this!" continued Marisa. "Think of all the good times we had! All the friends you had! Just because a nasty little coniving hyakume got all inside your head and showed you the bad side of things, doesn't mean the good things weren't –"

"Don't you dare talk about Ilia-chan like that!" snapped Alice forcefully. She was visibly shaking. "She did more for me in two days than you ever did!"

Marisa drew back. Her eyes were wet. "Alice...?"

"I will destroy you," seethed Alice. She waved her arms, and the legion of dolls flew at Marisa and Sanae, bursting with danmaku and clanking with numerous weapons.

---

Ran reached Yukari, whimpering in pain. "Yukari-sama...!"

Yukari's eyes narrowed. "They've begun to appear, haven't they?" she whispered. "The denizens of the Black Moon..." She held out a hand – Ran's limb instantly healed, growing back of its own accord. The nerves and muscles reformed, as if nothing had even happened.

"Y-yes," said Ran. "A vampire..."

"Vampire?" said Yukari.

"She cut my hand from me," said Ran. She flexed her fingers. "Th-thank you..."

Yukari scanned the landscape, before she spotted Beatrice leading a severely bleeding Parsee across a clearing, heading for the stormclouds. Then, she saw Chen lying on the riverbank, with Cirno.

"Ran," said the youkai, "aid your fellow shikigami, and assure the ice fairy is no longer dangerous."

"Yes, mistress."

"If the amanojaku reappears, take her down, without mercy."

"Yes, mistress!"

"It is time," muttered Yukari, "that the denizens of the Black Moon understood the power of the youkai patriarch of Gensokyo." She held her umbrella aloft, gathering energy, before the air behind her was torn open – a dimensional portal. "They will pay dearly for this atrocity..." Yukari floated backwards into it as it closed, and she was gone.

---

Alice weaved her hands about, speeding along the treetops, commanding the legion of dolls she had summoned. They were armed with swords, bows, lances, shields, maces, and other weapons, buzzing around like a swarm of insects, spewing multi-colored danmaku and purple beams like a fountain at Marisa and Sanae.

The witch and the shrine maiden burst into action. Marisa stood on her broom, unleashing a torrent of star hail at Alice and her dolls, while Sanae whirled and spun around, shooting down dolls with violet sealing cards, approaching Alice briskly.

"Margatroid-san!" yelled Sanae. "Cease this madness at once! You do not understand the nature of the Black Moon!"

"You don't understand me!" said Alice, her blue eyes but slits. She redirected a large squard of sword-wielding dolls towards Sanae.

The Moriya shrine maiden held up her gohei rod, and clashed with the dolls, one after the other. She was surrounded by blades. As if her gohei rod were a sword itself, she deflected, parried, and blocked the doll's attacks, knocking them aside one by one. Her leg was cut, and she yelped, but her green eyes were filled with resolve.

Marisa shot straight for Alice, still firing star hail. Dolls with shields gathered in lines to protect the puppeteer, and dolls with bows shot arrows at Marisa, but the witch kept coming. Her teeth grit, and her eyes became sad, as she flew, fighting her friend. The great black hat on her head was torn to shreds by the oncoming arrows, and it fell, flitting to the forest below. An arrow pierced Marisa's arm, bleeding profusely.

"Alice!" screamed Marisa, crying. "I will save you!"

Sanae cut down the last of the sword-wielding dolls, and sped to catch up to Marisa. She fired blue danmaku of her own, to destroy the dolls with bows. They exploded on impact. But Alice was not done. She shot a hand to the side, covered in wires and strings, and a hundred dolls materialized – each with a fuse.

Marisa and Sanae's eyes widened.

"I don't need you!" yelled Alice. She swung her arm, and the kamikaze dolls burst at the witch and shrine maiden.

One flew past Marisa by inches, to explode violently behind her. The back of Marisa's broom caught fire, and Marisa herself was knocked from it. She began to fall, flailing.

"Kirisame-san!" shouted Sanae. She narrowly avoided a bomb doll as well. As it passed, she kicked it away, where it exploded. Sanae shielded her eyes from the blast.

"Don't worry about me!" replied Marisa. "Defeat her!" Her broom came to her, and she struggled to mount it as she fell. Then, the witch disappeared into the forest below, spraying leaves about.

Sanae spun to see the remaining bomb-dolls flying at her. Raising her gohei rod, she unleashed a stream of danmaku from her weapon, shooting down the dolls as they came. With resounding booms, each exploded. Clouds of smoke filled the air. The few that Sanae missed came through, speeding at her ravenously. She kicked the first back, and when it exploded, so did the others. The force of this blast sent her reeling, but she was otherwise unhurt. Quickly, Sanae regained her balance, glancing around for Alice.

"Margatroid-san!" called Sanae, but Alice had vanished.

Then, something grabbed Sanae's leg. It was cold. It pulled Sanae downwards without mercy, yanking painfully on her ankle. The shrine maiden gave a small scream, and tried to resist, but it was powerful. Looking down, her heart stopped.

It was a black chain.

The river was churning like a maelstrom, clanking loudly. It was filled with chains, like a monstrous sea creature of yore. The waves, themselves, were black. Above, the sky lit up with lightning. And, within the flashes of energy, the silhouette could be seen within the storm:

The Black Moon.

Sanae was frozen, as the chain pulled her down towards the writhing river. It was here. Memories flashed in her mind. Suwako spat blood. The Moriya shrine burned. The Mishaguji slithered across the tiles, fighting the demon-angel. Kanako screamed Sanae's name. The great ebony orb emerged from the sky. The gong resounded over the mountaintops. There was fire. There was pain. There was fear. The blue eyes of Omen bored into her soul...

She could feel it.

"It's...here," she muttered. Her eyes did not move from where she had seen the silhouette.

The chain pulled on her leg sharply, jolting her back to reality. She gasped. She was almost in the river. Quickly, she swung her gohei rod, and cut the chain from herself. Panting, panicking, Sanae sped back up into the sky. She glanced at her ankle. It had black marks where the chain had ground into her skin. She winced.

She prepared herself, to face her old foe:

Caliope.

The Undead emerged from the river, standing on a pillar of writhing chains. Her hair had changed from its encompassing, signature white. It was now tipped with green that seeped upwards like veins. She was slimmer, taller, and her white sleeves larger. On her legs she wore tight, black, leather pants. She showed no emotion whatsoever. Her eyes were still but dark abysses, staring ahead disturbingly...

Her beauty was ghastly and pale, lifeless – like a wondrous painting of a dead body.

Sanae watched her rise up, tense. Her emerald eyes were fixated on this nightmare from her past. She took a ready stance, floating in midair. Her gohei rod was ready.

She was ready.

---

"Chen!" said Ran worriedly. "Chen, wake up!" She slapped the cat's cheek forcefully. "Wake up!"

She and Cirno were huddled over the black cat on the riverbank. Behind them, the waters churned like a raging storm. A pillar of chains had risen from its depths, carrying the Undead Goddess, who seemed about to engage Sanae in battle. Ran gazed up at it for a moment. Then, she spun back to Chen.

"Wake up!"

"Ran-sama!" shouted Cirno. Her eyes were wide with fear. "Look out!"

Ran turned to see the chains of the river overflowing onto the bank, coming close. They clanked deafeningly – there must have been thousands of them.

"We must escape," said Ran. "Quickly!"

A single black chain lashed upon the bank and wrapped itself around Ran's waist. The fox yelped. Instantly, she was drug to the ground, and slid along, grasping the dirt and rocks as best she could. But, she was pulled closer and closer to the black waters...

"Ran-sama!" yelled Cirno.

The ice fairy lifted into the air and unleashed a wave of cold energy at the water. Crackling, the riverbank froze solid. The chain that had taken hold of Ran went still, sheathed in solid ice.

Panicking, Ran tried to get to her feet. The chain snapped, rusted and worn. Its broken links dissolved into powder, upon the ice. The kitsune scrambled away from it, holding her chest.

"Are you okay?" asked Cirno.

"I'm...I'm fine," replied Ran. "We must leave...quickly!"

"Right!"

Ran took hold of the limp Chen and took flight, fleeing the area, Cirno following. Behind them, a terrible battle was unfolding.

---

Alice groaned. She was lying on her back, on leaves. There was distant rumbling and rushing of water. There was a massive weight on her chest. She didn't know what had happened. Did Marisa hit her? Did Sanae knock an exploding doll back at her?

Slowly, she opened her eyes, and gasped. Standing above her, with one foot on her chest, was a woman. Her hair was navy, and long. Her eyes were like molten gold – shining with unmatched beauty. Alice couldn't take her eyes from them for many moments...

This woman was an Oni, with three arms. On her forearms and feet were leggings and gauntlets of rusted samurai armor. In one hand she held a kiseru pipe, which she took puffs of every few moments. Upon her head were four silver horns – one was but a stump. Her expression was keen, and bored into Alice like a boulder all its own. Her torso was exposed but for a white clothen wrap about her breasts, and from her waist hung a wondrous kimono, depicting fire, storms, and lightning.

Alice struggled to get up, but couldn't. The woman's foot didn't even budge. Noticing her hands were free, Alice summoned a doll. The doll fired a stream of rainbow danmaku at point blank range into the woman's face, and there were great flashes of light as the attack connected. As the smoke cleared, however, the woman was unfazed. She had not moved at all, or even blinked.

"What?!" shouted Alice. Still, she tried to get up, but to no avail.

Alice then summoned a large lance, which the doll took hold of. It sped at the woman's chest like an angry bee. But, when it collided, the lance shattered into a thousand shards. The woman snatched the doll out of the air with one arm, and crushed it. The bits of fabric fell to the ground, lifeless. The Oni hadn't looked away from Alice.

"How?!" yelled Alice. She grabbed the woman's ankle, and tried to pull it off her. But, it was no use. Her foot did not move, at all. Alice lay there, panicking, struggling. "Get...off me!"

With clanking of rusty armor, the woman bent down. Her long, navy hair fell onto Alice's shoulders. Her face came very close.

"What...?" muttered Alice. Her blue eyes were wide.

Then, the woman reached out a hand and slid it into Alice's pocket. She then withdrew, standing up, having pulled out Iliasviel's transmitter chip. She inspected it for a few moments. Then, her golden eyes shot to Alice, seeming to be severely suspicious.

"That's...!" Alice flailed, trying to stand. Her boots thumped on the forest floor over and over. "Let me up! That's Ilia-chan's!" Her face filled with anger. "That belongs to my precious Ilia-chan!"

The woman raised her eyebrows, surprised.

Alice blushed, embarrassed. "My...Ilia-chan..." She looked away. "Give it back," she muttered. "Ilia-chan gave us...that. She sacrificed herself so that...we could...escape." Her eyes started to fill with tears. "I might...never see her again..."

The Oni sighed. She took her foot off of Alice, and bent down to lift Alice onto her feet with one hand. She took a puff from her pipe. With another hand, she brushed Alice off gently – caringly. Then, she wiped the tears from Alice's eyes, like a mother...

"Who...are you?" asked Alice at length. She stood there, staring at the Oni.

The woman blew her smoke into Alice's face. It smelled very good, but was suffocating. The Oni held out her hand: in it was the microchip.

"You're...giving it back to me?" asked Alice. She was shocked.

The Oni merely smoked her pipe, watching the puppeteer, saying nothing.

Gingerly, Alice picked up the microchip. The light on it blinked faster. "Could you be...one of Ilia-chan's friends...?"

The Oni smiled.

Alice breathed a sigh of relief, and then she smiled, as well. "Th-thank you...I'm sorry I attacked you." She paused. "Can you not speak?"

"I can," said the Oni. Her voice was smooth like a gentle stream. "It is amazing what one can convey without words." Her eyes narrowed.

"What's your name?" asked Alice. "Who are you?"

"I am Kana," said the Oni. She took yet another puff from her pipe. "Odayakana Torakuma-doji." The smoke left her mouth as she spoke.

"Doji?" whispered Alice. "Are you...one of the...?"

"Big Four of the Mountain," finished Kana. She closed her eyes. "Was. It's a long story, and we don't have time. Speak your name, little one."

Alice took a deep breath. "My name is Alice Margatroid," she said, curtsying. "I was the first person Ilia-chan met in Gensokyo. I fed her, I gave her shelter, I guided her around Gensokyo..." She looked down. "She showed me the truth of my bland life, and offered me aid through the Black Moon."

Kana was amused. "I see. That is why you are here."

Alice nodded, melancholy. "I am."

"We have seen you are not alone."

"Yes," said Alice. "A hashihime, an ice fairy, and an amanojaku accompanied me. But, we were pursued..."

Kana laughed quietly. "Do not worry about your pursuers. Come."

Silently, Kana bent down, lowering to her knees, almost. Her navy hair seemed to levitate, and her golden eyes shined with radiance! Then, in an explosion of leaves, Kana burst into the air, shooting through the canopy. The noise of her takeoff echoed over the hills. Alice was thrown back, but quickly got to her feet. Taking flight, she sped after the mysterious Oni...

"She was so kind," said Alice to herself. In her hand, she clutched Iliasviel's chip. "Ilia-chan..."

Then, a star-shaped danmaku clipped her arm.

"What...!?"

---

The pillar underneath Caliope burst into thousands of chains. It seemed like a grainy, black liquid, for there were so many of them. They shot into all directions, snakelike needles piercing the air with a deafening chorus of clanking metal. Caliope merely held her arms out to each side: from each sleeves poured a torrent of chains – innumerable. This wave of darkness and sound wove and curled around, and then came at Sanae like an iron storm.

The Moriya shrine maiden had prepared herself. She flew forward at Caliope, waving her gohei rod furiously, firing masses of blue and green danmaku like a fountain. They soared in many different arcs and directions – some with long arcs, some heading straight for Caliope. As she advanced, the undead's chains came close and there was immense pandemonium as Caliope's torrent of chains collided with Sanae's fount of danmaku...

Broken chain links fell like rain below, falling into the river, turning to powder, transforming the once-beautiful river in a black stream of plague. Caliope lifted higher on her pedestal of death, and began twirling her arms around, commanding the waves of chains. Sanae – that determined Moriya shrine maiden – evaded attack after attack, shooting from side to side. She had become much stronger since their last encounter, on that fateful night five years ago. Summoning her inner power, Sanae called upon the wind itself, and a great gust blew, pushing Caliope back, attempting to push her off balance.

Caliope wobbled and struggled to regain her perch on the pillar of chains. As she dwindled, her chains became somewhat disoriented. An opening appeared, and Sanae, quick and precise, blasted forward, her clothes flapping loudly. She came closer to the leviathan mass of chains, as Caliope gathered herself.

Sanae raised a hand and fired a massive, red, star-shaped danmaku that stood still for a moment, and then launched forward like a sizzling wall. Caliope waved her arm and a large mass of chains wound together, forming a great serpent, and this behemoth worm of writhing metal curled around to shield the undead from this attack. The star danmaku slammed into the shield and exploded, blasting it apart.

The lashing waters of the river churned yet more, and several of these great snakes formed. They came from the water like arms of a Kraken, lifting high into the sky above the forest. Then, more chains shot at Sanae, attempting to snag her arms or legs, to hold in her place as the great snakes swung around like clubs. Sanae whirled and twirled as best she could – once or twice she was caught, but broke herself free, firing danmaku nonstop. She fired at Caliope, she fired at the masses of chains, she fired at individual chains, she fired at the pedestal below Caliope; she even fired randomly, so that a stray length of chain may be hit, or prevent one from appearing in that direction!

As Sanae spun about, panting, unleashing untold amounts of energy, she noticed something: all the chains in the river seemed to come from Caliope's pillar, beneath her. And, all the chains composing the pillar were fed from Caliope's feet. Her original black shoes were not there. Instead, the chains poured forth at dizzying speed, snaking into the pillar below...

A large mass of chains narrowly missed Sanae as she dodged. It scraped her face, causing her to bleed. She yelped, gritting her teeth, and backed away a bit. The sight before her of Caliope – she had now come to realize – was incredibly intimidating. How had she rushed in so fearlessly?

Sanae held her cheek where she had been cut. She breathed heavily, as she caught a small reprieve from attack, having increased her distance greatly. Caliope moved slowly and gracefully, still emotionless, eerie in her movements. The black abysses on her face where her eyes once were stared around. Sanae was reminded, yet again, of that fateful night.

Sanae took a deep breath. "I can do this," she whispered to herself. "I can do this..."

---

Seija spluttered onto the riverbank far downstream, choking. She was soaked. It was quieter here; in the distance, Sanae could be seen, firing danmaku at the great swirling tendrils of Caliope. Eyeing this, Seija struggled to stand. She fell onto her face several times, before she reached a tree and clung to it, coughing.

"What was...that?" she whispered. "What was that wave?"

Marisa's grimoire washed up on the shore several feet away.

"Ah..." Seija tried to walk, but fell down once more. Crawling on all fours, she crept towards the grimoire. She became very dizzy. "What's happened to...me? I have...like, no strength..."

Once to the grimoire, Seija picked it up. Despite having fallen in the water, Marisa's magic was still active: the book had not a drop of water on it, and was completely dry inside. Seija breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good," she said to herself. "I was worried it had been ruined..." She looked up.

The storm clouds were closer than ever. The lightning flashed frequently, revealing the great orb floating inside. It seemed like the enormous pupil of a colossal eye, gazing down at the battles below. Seija watched it for a few moments.

"What have I gotten myself into?" she said. She sat down, cross-legged, relaxing. She sighed. "I don't know if all this is worth it, to be honest..."

Distant rumbles and explosions could be heard, as the amanojaku remained there, laughing to herself.

What was it that she wanted?

---

Parsee struggled to keep up with Beatrice. The vampire showed no consideration in speed; she waltzed along nonchalantly through the tall grass of the enormous field, leaving Parsee lagging behind. The hashihime limped, wincing, and choked on her own blood. Her gaze was fixated on Beatrice's back, and in the distance above.

Across the field was another forest, dotted with hills. Showering this forest with rain was the colossal thunderstorm. Within the flashes of light could be seen the omen: The Black Moon. Parsee stared at it, in awe. It was massive, and beautiful.

"P-please!" spluttered Parsee. She wobbled, but did not fall. "Please...wait!"

Beatrice did not stop, or even turn around. "If you seek the means to achieve your dreams," she said, "struggle for it."

Parsee's green eyes widened, filling with tears. "I'm hurt!"

Beatrice continued on, growing smaller into the distance.

"Wait!" screamed Parsee. She summoned her strength and drug herself onward. The world was beginning to fade. "Wait...!" The tall grass behind her was streaked with blood. She was too weak to regenerate – Ran had damaged her far too much. Outside of Gensokyo, the rules of battle had changed. At this point, it was only a matter of time before she blacked out...perhaps even died.

"No...!" she cried. Her foot caught a stone, and she fell onto her face, yelping. "No..." Gritting her teeth, she slammed her fist onto the dirt, over and over. "Curse this weak body! CURSE IT!" She looked up. Beatrice was vanishing, through the blades of grass, above was the Black Moon. "My freedom..." Parsee, with shaking arms, pushed herself onto her knees, and then staggered onto her feet. She wiped blood from her eyes. "My freedom will not be lost to me!"

Beatrice stopped, expressionless. She did not move. Her white-slitted, orange eyes looked around carefully...

Suddenly, she whirled her weapon around and spun it like a helicopter blade, above her head. It sliced a circle through the field around her, levelling the place. As she twirled it, a hail of purple danmaku came streaming from the sky. With the Cronus, she deflected them all, perfectly, ricocheting them in random directions, each with a clang. The white fire of the scythe burned brighter. The rest of the hail of danmaku slammed into the surrounding area, erupting in countless explosions of supernatural energy. Several hit Parsee, causing her to scream in pain, and she soared through the air, and rolled on the ground, spitting yet more blood.

Once the hail had stopped, Beatrice ceased her defense, and slowly turned around. Parsee was lying on the burnt grass, panting heavily, vomiting. Blood was pouring from her onto the field. Beatrice watched her for a bit, and then – without warning – swung her scythe behind herself. It deflected a danmaku so fast, the danmaku itself was naught but a blur. This danmaku bounced away into the distance, where it exploded on a mountaintop, causing an avalanche.

"Well," said the Beatrice, "I did expect you to come sooner or later." She turned her head, looking behind with one eye...

Yukari stood in the field, having launched a danmaku from her umbrella. Her purple eyes glowed with energy. In the wind from the storm, both girl's Victorian dresses billowed.

"Beatrice Rose," muttered Yukari. "It is you, after all."

"How do you do?"

"Cease this madness at once," commanded Yukari. She held her umbrella aloft. "You cannot hope to defeat me."

The vampire laughed quietly, turning fully to face the youkai. "Defeat you?" said she. "It is not my purpose to defeat you, here. Each of us serves a role. We are not advised to deviate from his plan. It is a wondrous plan, and though we may not understand it, we follow it faithfully. And, through that, he has led us to victory, after victory. After victory. After victory."

Yukari's eyes narrowed. "I see."

The ground beneath Beatrice opened into a dimensional portal, coming up to devour her. Beatrice, still unamused, shot into the air, and swung her scythe, slashing the portal apart. It dissipated instantly.

Yukari's eyes widened. "What...?"

From Beatrice's back exploded skeletal bat wings, which then flapped – crunching – and burst at Yukari. The metal of the Cronus rang loudly. Yukari raised her umbrella like a club, and the two girls clashed against each other. Waves of silver fire shot in all directions like an inferno, and Yukari's own, purple energy swirled around her ferociously.

The two stared into each other's eyes.

"Be gone from this place," ordered Yukari. She had not broken a sweat. She hardly even seemed to be putting forth effort. "I will destroy you..."

Beatrice smirked, leaping back.

Yukari's hand raised, and from it an unbelievable stream of purple and white danmaku of all shapes and sizes poured like a raging torrent from her mere fingertips. Dimensional portals opened around Beatrice, and danmaku poured from them as well. Surrounded, this fount of energy closed in on the vampire. The noise was deafening. The light of a million danmaku was blinding.

Beatrice Rose's legendary scythe began to glow white-hot. A black, vein-like force crept up her arms from mere contact with it. Then, Beatrice raised her weapon into the air with one hand, and it began to spin faster than ever. As if holding a roaring sawblade, Beatrice spun and twirled around, swinging wildly. The torrent of danmaku reached her. Wielding the spinning scythe, coupled with the agility of a vampire, Beatrice was not hit even once. She deflected danmaku after danmaku, jumping and leaping about. She slashed several portals apart as she flew. Danmaku bounced everywhere, colliding with other danmaku, and a great chain-reaction began.

Parsee watched this with wide eyes. "Such power...to face even Yukari unfazed...!"

"Such power, indeed," Yukari said. Then, the great youkai made to prepare another attack. "It matters not, soon you shall regret the day –"

Beatrice was before her. Her orange eyes – as opposed to earlier – were aglow with a raging, fiery energy, filled with psychotic amusement! Her scythe was already raised, and swinging.

"...What?!" muttered Yukari frantically. Behind the vampire it could be seen: multiple instances of Beatrice. "It was a fake?!"

Yukari swung her umbrella as the Cronus came around, and the two magnanimous forces clashed. A shockwave blew out, and a deafening roar. Yukari held Beatrice at bay, pressured. She could not push Beatrice back, but Beatrice could not push Yukari back, either.

"It seems you think too highly of yourself, youkai," said Beatrice. Her voice was as many, and echoed. "You've become old, and withered..."

Yukari grit her teeth. "Cease this madness!" she cried.

Beatrice broke away from Yukari and spun around with the scythe, swinging again. Yukari leaped back, as a dimensional portal opened behind her, and only the front of her dress was cut by the keen metal. As she flew back inside the portal – umbrella raised like a gun – Beatrice swung again, and slashed the portal apart.

However, the pieces of the portal Yukari had leaped into remained. And, through one of these dissipating openings, Yukari fired a powerful, fast danmaku. Unable to react, it slammed into Beatrice with unrelenting force. She was rocketed backwards, flailing. One of her arms had been blasted apart. Her exposed flesh was blackened and burnt.

Beatrice's face was calm. She landed on her fine, white boots – now dirty from the soil of the field – and glanced down at her missing arm.

"Ouch," she said, in monotone.

Then, the white fire of the Cronus flowed like a river, forming onto Beatrice's shoulder like a parasite. Liquid metal grew from the stump. Soon, her arm had regenerated, as if nothing had happened. She turned around, sighing.

Yukari was behind her. "How is this possible?" she asked. "That danmaku was filled with sealing spells to prevent such healing."

Beatrice sneered. "A thousand-year-old youkai thinks she can best the power of a transcendent relic, hundreds of millennia in age." She held up the Cronus. "Think again."

Yukari seethed. "Such power should not be dabbled in! You are a fool!"

Beatrice rolled her eyes. "Sorry," she said. "I do not have time for a lengthy debate." She motioned to Parsee. "You. Get up."

Parsee, still in awe, snapped to her senses. Her eyes had been fixated on Beatrice. She was jealous, yes, but that sort of power was in her grasp, now. She got to her feet, coughing. "I am here."

"Come," said Beatrice. And then, the vampire started to walk away, turning her back on Yukari. Parsee followed her like a puppy, towards the storm.

Yukari trembled with rage. "You...dare...turn your back on me?!" She raised her arm, but stopped.

There was a faint roaring noise, like the wind on a mountaintop.

Yukari looked around. The sound did not come from Beatrice, or the hashihime struggling to follow her. It grew louder, and louder. Something was coming!

Yukari leaped away, and just in time. For not a second later, a being came crashing down onto the earth, plunging their fist into the ground, causing a great explosion. The shock wave blasted Yukari backwards, and a great cloud of dust was thrown into the air.

Gathering herself, Yukari prepared a mass of danmaku. She watched the dust cloud carefully.

It was quiet, for a minute, and tense. Beatrice and Parsee had vanished into the distance, now. The great cloud of dust lay between Yukari and the Black Moon, floating in the sky above, unseen but for the flashes of lightning. The wind became cool. The storm was almost upon them.

A gust blew the cloud away. Rising to her full height in the crater was Odayakana Torakuma-doji. Her navy hair flowed like a waterfall as she stood, smoking her pipe. Slowly, her golden eyes turned to Yukari, who was frozen to the spot, in shock.

"You!" exclaimed Yukari. Her danmaku dissipated. Her face went pale. "It's...you!"

Kana was silent.

"You're supposed to be dead!" declared Yukari.

"Why does everyone think I'm supposed to be dead?" said Kana. She smiled. "That's the...hmm..." She raised her two spare hands, counting. "Ibaraki. Hoshiguma. Hoshiguma. You. Ibaraki. Ibuki. Now, you again. That's seven times I've been thought to have perished." She blew a puff. "And yet here I am. I would have thought by the fourth time your little group would have realized I am...not so easily put down; that assurance of my death would have become a necessity."

Yukari became angry. "You joined the Black Moon?! You have defiled the race of Oni even moreso than your dark escapades of old, Odayakana."

Kana's eyes narrowed. "Why did you even care?" she replied. "You aren't an Oni."

"Suika is my dear friend," snapped Yukari. "That is why."

"Personally," said Kana, "I can't believe you're still around. With all your talk of other worlds and dimensions, I'd have thought you would have left ours for another, by now. Or, with your arrogance, had someone teach you a final lesson."

Yukari's eyes filled with energy. "I have become stronger than you can even imagine since our last battle, Odayakana. I protect Gensokyo. I contend with forces you cannot comprehend."

Kana smirked. "Like THE SULA?"

Yukari was quiet.

"You're fearful of the entity, aren't you...?"

"I am not," said Yukari.

Kana laughed. "You haven't changed a bit, Yuka-chan," said the Oni. She took a deep puff from her kiseru pipe. "Suika and I could always see right through you. You always tried to be so high and mighty, but you were always jealous of the power of the Oni. We – the demons of the old earth – existed long before you were even conceived."

"It matters not," shot Yukari, "for with ease we thwarted your plans of a dark Oni army."

"Perhaps," said Kana, with a slight smile. "But, through that venture of mine, I so gratefully received this," she raised her third arm, "torn from Ibaraki. It's been a precious memento of mine for all these years. Just like my broken horn, from the day Suika defeated me." She stomped her foot, and the earth shook, as she took a ready stance. She licked her teeth. "Just like the day I beat you to a pulp, before you ran away to create your precious retirement home you call Gensokyo."

From the forest burst Alice Margatroid, surrounded by a swarm of dolls. She was cut in many places, fighting ferociously. Behind her, from the leaves, came Marisa Kirisame. She stood on her broom, unleashing a torrent of star hail at her friend. These two girls were locked in a heated battle, as they came towards the Oni and the youkai.

"The puppeteer!" said Yukari.

"She belongs to us, now," said Kana, smirking. She drew another puff, and blew it at Yukari. "She is lost to you."

Yukari's eyes narrowed.

"Gensokyo has had its time," said Kana. "You had your glory. You had your peace. You sealed yourselves away, leaving the outside behind." She waved a hand. "Like a time capsule. Understand? The world has changed. It is no longer yours. This is our world. This is our time. And," Kana seethed, leaning forward, "the future belongs to Omen."

"Kana-sama!" cried Alice. She flew at the Oni. "Help me!" Indeed, it seemed the tides had turned in Marisa's favor. The puppeteer was injured in several places, and one of her arms bled profusely.

On the back of Marisa's broom was an octagonal box: a hakkero. It channeled the witch's energy in immense amounts, spewing light. It was attached to her broom, like a rocket jet.

Kana drew from her kiseru pipe, and made to launch an attack at Marisa. But, Yukari swung her umbrella, launching a wave of strong danmaku at Kana, furious. The Oni merely stomped her foot once more, and a great stone wall erupted from the earth, shooting into the air. Yukari's attack collided with this shield, and was no more. The kimono on Kana's waist churned with images of earth, gaia, and life. Kana stomped her foot again, and the stone wall shattered. Then, the boulder and stones, as they fell, swirled around each other. They formed a torso, and arms. A great fist raised into the air, and slammed into the ground angrily. A head roared as it was generated. Soon, the great stone golem stood up. Its surface was covered in glowing, orange katakana.

"What sort of Oni power is this!?" said Yukari, as the golem came at her.

"Kana-sama!" screamed Alice again. She was hit with several star-hail, yelping in pain. It seemed she was running out of dolls...

As Alice came close, Kana held her pipe in her mouth, breathing in deeply, and caught the puppeteer with her third arm. With her other arm, she swiped at the air. Her kimono's pattern changed to that of storms and wind – and great blasts of air roared at Marisa.

"What the hell!?" yelled Marisa. She hunched over her broom, swerving and rolling to avoid these attacks. One blast of air tore past her into the forest, where twenty or thirty trees were torn from their roots. They crashed back down into the canopy loudly. Having avoided this attack, Marisa raised a hand to fire...

But, she saw that Kana held Alice in her arm. Gritting her teeth, Marisa cursed. "Why you...!"

Kana's eyes narrowed, having seen this.

Behind the Oni, the stone golem blocked Yukari's way. Yukari, floating, her dress swirling, soared about, firing massive streams of danmaku at the golem. They peppered the beast with explosions, but not one made it past. The golem's stone body was chipped away bit by bit, the katakana upon it glowing brightly. It seemed to be enchanted.

"Let her go!" demanded Marisa. She blasted around on her broom, glaring at Kana.

Kana swiped once more, and unleashed yet more gusts of air, and the witch was forced to dodge them, held at bay. Slowly, the Oni turned about, looking up. The lightning flashed, and the Black Moon's silhouette could be seen...

She stared at it for many moments.

"Very well," muttered Kana.

"Wait, what?!" yelped Alice.

Kana spun about and tossed Alice into the air. She flailed, and tried to take flight, but before she could, an arm of the stone golem snatched her.

Yukari ceased her attack. She looked rather peeved, but still held her hand and umbrella at the ready. "What are you doing? Is the puppeteer that expendable?"

Alice's eyes filled with tears.

"Trust me," said Kana to Alice, the pipe still held in her teeth. "Trust me."

Alice nodded. "I do." She gazed into the Oni's golden eyes...

Marisa now leaped onto her broom, raising her hands. "Spell card!" she screamed, aiming at Kana, burning with hate. "I'll pummel you! Master – !"

But Kana's kimono pattern had became fraught with flames. Whirling around, she sucked a deep drought from the kiseru pipe, before yanking it out with her hand. Then, facing Marisa, she opened her mouth, and spewed a massive stream of fire. Though Marisa was a distance away, the heat grew quickly, and the enormous blast of fire came before Marisa could say Spark.

"What the hell!?" Marisa dropped back onto her broom and pulled back. She swerved underneath the fireball. Tips of her long, blonde hair became burnt. She sped at Kana, shooting star hail like a meteor shower.

The flames upon Kana's kimono dissipated and were replaced by blackened earth, from which quickly sprouted plantlife. From the ground before the Oni burst a massive tree. It grew as if in a time lapse. This spire shot up, and Marisa's star hail collided with it. Then, Kana waved one of her free hands, and the stream of fire, disappearing into the distance behind Marisa, turned and curled back, having transformed into a giant, flaming eel.

Marisa heard the crackling of fire, and turned to look. She screamed as the eel snapped at her with sizzling, ethereal teeth. A chase began throughout the sky.

"What have you become?!" demanded Yukari, still held off by the golem.

Kana stood still. She took a puff from her pipe. "Beyond an Oni, Yuka-chan. Beyond you."

The golem swung its arm – the other held Alice tightly – and smashed the ground apart, over and over, trying to crush Yukari, who avoided it effortlessly.

"You've become an abomination to Oni," declared Yukari. "You have forsaken your race, embracing darkness." She tried to position herself to fire at Kana, but the golem moved quickly and blocked her. Yukari opened a portal and quickly disapeared into it, vanishing.

Moments later, she materialized in front of Kana, firing the same danmaku that had blasted Beatrice's arm apart. Kana merely swung an arm and deflected it back at the youkai. Yukari cocked her head to the side, and the redirected projectile flew past her ear, to explode violently in the forest behind.

She glared at Kana.

"I have become more powerful than Suika ever could," said Kana, folding her arms. With her third arm, she continued smoking her pipe. "Omen has broken the boundaries of what the Oni race is capable of. He has done so with all of us. Even her." Kana pointed with her pipe at Caliope, in the distance. The undead and Sanae were engaged in heated battle once more. "Cal is the single most powerful undead to have ever existed. Within Omen's ranks are many such beings."

"Omen is a fiend, and a perversion of this world," snapped Yukari. "Follow his path, and you will crumble under chaos and confusion."

Kana shook a finger. "You don't get it," she said. "You've been living in a fantasy land, Yuka-chan. You shut yourself out from this potential. You closed yourself off. You've been left out of this supernatural revolution." She blew smoke at Yukari's face. "You've been left behind."

"The purity of the old world holds great power that you have forsaken," said Yukari. A tiny portal opened, and sucked the smoke away. "You cannot prevail against it."

Kana laughed. "We shall see."

Crack.

Yukari's eyes darted up at the sky, as the ear-splitting sound echoed over the land. The entire front of the storm cell was blasted apart by this new power. The now exposed Black Moon levitated almost directly above them. It had unleashed another visible shock wave that traveled quickly!

Kana's stone golem swung Alice around and held her at its chest, clutching her tightly, its back to the coming wave. It stood over Kana, shielding her. The Oni merely stood still underneath its shadow, smoking her pipe, watching Yukari, amused.

Yukari opened her umbrella and held it before her, like a blockade. Swirling runes and incantations lit up, forming a small, concentrated barrier.

Then, the wave slammed into them all. Half of the golem disintegrated, shattering loudly. Alice was unhurt, but screamed. Between the golem's legs, part of the wave hit Kana, but she seemed unaffected. Her kimono swirled with darkness and disease...

Yukari's umbrella snapped and was torn apart. Her barrier was blasted into pieces. Only a small portion remained, protecting the youkai. She clenched the still-intact handle tightly, bracing herself against the shock wave. She slid back a few feet. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

Marisa was hit with the wave full-force. Her broom exploded into splinters, destroyed instantly. The witch choked and spat blood, but thankfully she was close to the ground. She landed in the grass and rolled for a bit, then was still. The enraged, flaming eel was obliterated completely, leaving nothing but a cloud of smoke.

Gathering herself, Yukari looked up at Kana.

But both the Oni and the puppeteer had disappeared. The stone shards of the now-abandoned golem crumbled to the ground. The glowing katakana had faded. These boulders fell with thumps, until they lay still.

Yukari grit her teeth, glancing around for Kana and Alice, but they were nowhere to be seen. "No," she muttered. "No!" She threw the last pieces of her umbrella at the ground in anger. With a single hand she unleashed a blinding blast of pure violet energy. With a deafening boom, a quarter-mile tract of land before her disintegrated instantly. After this, Yukari's eyes widened, as she gazed at the obliterated landscape before her...

"No..."

She looked up.

Above her, the Black Moon was descending, growing larger. Rain began to fall. The sky darkened. But, the youkai patriarch held her ground. She knew he would come. She stood still, her purple eyes becoming glowing slits of energy. Her great white dress billowed in the winds from the storm.

"Face me, once more!" declared Yukari Yakumo loudly, at the looming orb. Her voice echoed, and the ground shook. "FACE ME, MONSTER OF HUMANITY!"

---

Sanae, floating high in the air, panted heavily. She was cut, and bruised. She glared fiercely at her foe, the undead, standing upon her pillar of chains within the river. Caliope was damaged, as well, for Sanae's unrelenting tenacity and increased power! Her white sleeves were torn, and burnt from danmaku. She had taken a blast to the neck, and a large chunk of flesh had been torn from it, revealing the rotting, greenish-grey flesh underneath her pristine, white skin. She wobbled on one leg, having taken damage there, too. Her chains were significantly fewer, now. Still expressionless, emotionless, and eyeless, she watched Sanae closely.

Then, there was the crack, in the distance. The clouds were blown apart, and then Sanae could see it:

The Black Moon.

But something was odd. It seemed smaller than she remembered...

The shock wave came quickly, blowing through the forest like a tidal wave. Sanae's emerald eyes went wide. She knew that if the wave reached her, she would be too debilitated to fight! She had already used several spell cards, and had expended much of her energy tangling with her old enemy. Her eyes shot from the wave, to Caliope, and back again, panicking. She breathed heavily, but knew it was useless. She was out of time. Summoning her strength, she turned around, and blasted away from Caliope, trying to outrun the shock wave.

The wave slammed into Caliope and her pillar, destroying it. Caliope herself fell from her perch into the river with a splash. All her suspended chains were broken, and black links fell into the river like a shower of water droplets. The black waters of the river churned and swirled angrily.

Sanae, now far away, turned to look. The wave had mostly dissipated, but the last of it slammed into the shrine maiden. It felt as if a great fist had punched her soul. Her head went dizzy, and she felt as if she might vomit. She struggled to keep in the air.

"Ah...I can't...!"

Slowly, she flitted down to the forest floor as carefully as she could, where she stumbled around. Leaning against a tree, she tried to gather herself. Sanae watched her surroundings carefully: she knew denizens of the Black Moon staged attacks after a shock wave.

Would more denizens come?

"Perhaps they...w-will not pursue us..." She grit her teeth. "No...of course they will..." Sanae staggered feverishly through bushes. "I must find Yukari-sama..."

---

Seija watched the shockwave slam into the denizens of the Black Moon and inhabitants of Gensokyo alike. She was at a safe distance on the bank of the river, sitting on the pebbles with her legs folded, casually flipping through Marisa's grimoire. She gave a giggle as she saw both the shrine maiden and the witch fall out of sight as a result of the attack.

"Glad I'm not over there," she chuckled. "I'd be in an even worse position than I am now..."

Around the bend of the river came Ran. With her was Cirno, struggling to hold Chen, who was still unconscious.

Seija froze. "Nevermind."

As soon as her eyes landed on Seija, Ran blasted forward with full strength. She raised her hands and prepared to fire danmaku.

"Seija Kijin!" yelled the kitsune fiercely. Her nine tails waved behind her as she came. "You have not escaped your fate!" Then, her palms erupted, spewing danmaku like machine guns.

The amanojaku quickly scrambled to her feet, clutching the grimoire. "I was just reading a freakin' book!" she shouted angrily.

Seija tried to take flight, but could not. So, instead, she just ran around the bank, flailing her arms and yelling obscenities, as Ran circled overhead, attacking. The riverbank was peppered with craters.

Cirno landed a distance away, laying Chen down as carefully as she could.

"Wake up!" the fairy cried, into the cat's face. "Wake up!" She raised a tiny hand and slapped her.

Slowly, Chen came to. Her eyes opened slowly. "Eh...wha...?"

Cirno slapped her again anyways, at which Chen jolted awake. "Hey!" she snapped, displaying her fangs. "What was that for!?" She sat up quickly, holding her cheek. The fairy made to slap her again, but Chen backed away, panicking. "Get away from me! I mean it!"

"Are you awake, now?" asked Cirno.

"What does it look like, idiot!?" hissed Chen. "Of course I'm awake!" She pointed a finger at Cirno. "And aren't you s'posed to be a bad person? What are you doing here?"

"Uh," replied Cirno. She became enveloped in thought. "Um." She didn't seem to have an answer.

Chen looked up to see an enraged, airborne Ran chasing after the grounded, fleeing Seija. "Oh!" said the cat. She looked back at Cirno. "Am I supposed to be fighting you?!"

Cirno looked like she had just been asked a difficult question on a game show. "Um..."

Chen leaped to her feet. "So we meet again, my old enemy!" she cried.

"What?!" replied Cirno, jumping in alarm. She put up her hands. "No, wait! You're wrong! The shrine maiden and I saved you!"

Chen's eyes narrowed. "Or so you'd like me to believe!"

"I'll prove it to you, stupid!" shot Cirno. She waved her arms frantically at Ran. "Ran-sama! Isn't it true I saved kitty?!"

Seija was huffing and puffing, dragging herself along as quickly as she could. She was sweating profusely. "I can't...keep...running like...this...!"

Ran looked over at Cirno, on the riverbank. "Yes, that's – " She stopped.

The water of the river was turning black, as the plague from upstream came. Broken links of chains that had not dissolved washed up on the shore, clinking on the rocks. It seemed like a great disease, as the entire river turned opaque, like liquid shadow...

Seija slowed her now-pathetically-paced jog, to look as well. Chen and Cirno watched the blackness seep further through the water.

"Look at that," whispered Ran.

Then, without warning, a single chain blasted out of the water and snagged Ran's leg. The kitsune yelped and was jerked downwards violently. She tried to rise, but the chain was pulling her closer and closer to the dark water.

"Ran-sama!" cried Chen. She dashed for the water, Cirno behind her. "Ran-sama, I'm coming to –"

Another chain shot from the river, straight for Chen. The cat ducked reflexively, and the chain wrapped itself around Cirno instead. The ice fairy screamed, but, seeing as she was small and lightweight, was pulled quickly past the cat. For a brief second, Cirno's terrified face flew past Chen's wide eyes. Then, the ice fairy, panicking, was pulled into the water with a splash, and was gone. Her screaming went quiet.

Chen, stricken with fear, went pale and ground to a halt on the shoreline. Her eyes shot up to Ran, who was firing danmaku at the chain, in attempts to break it, but continued to miss as she struggled against its pull. She turned to Seija.

"Help her!" she screamed.

Seija was still trying to catch her breath. "Why me?"

"Just help her!" cried Chen, yanking on Seija's arm. "If you don't, she'll –"

Suddenly, Seija was yanked to the ground. Her face smashed into the rocks and she was intantly knocked unconscious. A mass of five or six chains were snaking up her leg and around her torso, as she was dragged into the water, dropping Marisa's grimoire. One chain separated from the others, taking hold of the grimoire, and soon both the book and the amanojaku had vanished into the blackness, only ripples remaining.

Chen was horrified. She scrambled away from the bank, as yet more chains shot from the water, coming at her like ravenous snakes! She raised a hand and fired orange, egg-shaped danmaku at them, which exploded on impact, holding off their advance.

Above the water, Ran finally managed to break herself free. She burst high into the air as quickly as possible, her amber eyes wide with fear. "Chen!" she called. "Chen! Come, Chen!" She fired a hail of blue danmaku downwards, knocking as many chains away as she could. An opening appeared. "Chen!"

Chen, noticing this, took off instantly, swirling and swerving through the black links that were growing in number. Once or twice she was nearly caught, but escaped unscathed. She sped up to Ran, and the kitsune and the cat flew high into the sky. Their clothes flapped loudly.

"Are you okay, Ran-sama?" panted Chen, clinging to Ran's arm.

Ran looked at her ankle, where the chain had taken hold. It was bruised and blackened, as if the metal had rubbed off onto her. "I'm...f-fine..." She winced.

"Does it hurt?" asked Chen, worried.

"It's cold," said Ran. She looked down at the river. "Look."

From where Caliope had appeared, to the riverbank where Seija had been sitting, the river had turned completely black. The dark waters continued onwards, into the distance, like an ebony vein coursing through the forest.

In the other direction, the Black Moon hovered above a field. It was massive, and around it were swirling stormclouds, flashing with lightning. It made no noise; it merely floated there, still like a statue. Ran, once her eyes landed on the omen, could not look away.

Chen clutched her. "Ran-sama," she whimpered, "I'm scared..."

Ran patted her gently, but she was terrified, as well. "I know...but...everything will be okay. I...promise..."

Chen's ears drooped, and she trembled. Looking away, she squeezed the folds of Ran's dress tighter. But, then she loosened her grip. Her brown eyes went wide, fixated on the forest below. "Look!" she cried.

Ran tore her gaze away from the Black Moon. "What...is it?"

"It's Sanae-chan!"

Indeed, below, through a clearing in the canopy, Sanae could be seen staggering about, breathing heavily. She was far away, but Chen's shikigami vision was keen, as was Ran's. Much like their pursuit of the conspirators, and how they were able to smell and see them from far off, Ran and Chen could see Sanae quite clearly.

"It is her!" Ran said. "Come, Chen!"

The two shikigami plummeted down to the forest, where they shot through the canopy and landed close to Sanae. Leaves flitted down around them. At their sudden appearance, Sanae yelped and fell backwards, holding her gohei rod up in defense.

"Stop right there!" she cried, panting. Then, "Oh...it's you two..." Sanae held her chest. "I thought...I was done for..."

Ran helped her to her feet. "Are you all right?"

"I was hit by that wave," said Sanae. She brushed herself off. "It weakens the powers of those it connects with..."

"Tell me about it!" said Chen.

Sanae smiled weakly. "Where are the denizens? Where is Alice Margatroid? Where's Cirno?"

Ran looked away. "They were lost," she muttered.

"What...?" Tears began to fill Sanae's eyes. "No...n-no..."

"Alice Margatroid has vanished," said Ran. "I know not where she has gone. She and Marisa Kirisame were locked in battle, the last I saw. It's likely the wave from the Black Moon incapacitated them, and the denizens have taken them." Ran took a deep breath. "As for Cirno...she was with Chen and I when we found Seija Kijin once more, and tried to defeat her...but we were interrupted. Black chains spewed from the river. They took Cirno, and the amanojaku." The kitsune stared at the ground. She appeared very disappointed in herself. "I could do nothing...Yukari-sama, forgive me..."

Sanae covered her face with her hands. "No..."

Chen came up to Sanae and hugged her legs. Slowly, the Moriya shrine maiden looked down at her, and smiled. Chen's embrace felt like Suwako's, to her. She bent down and picked up the cat, returning her hug tightly. Silently, Sanae cried.

Bright flashes caught their attention. It was the lightning. But, then, intermingled within the white flashes were purple flashes. Unlike the lightning, these were not mute. Great explosions resounded over the hills, shaking the earth upon which they stood.

Ran's eyes widened. "That's...!"

"Yukari-sama!" exclaimed Chen.

She broke free of Sanae, and took flight. Ran followed, as did Sanae – as best she could – and came back above the treetops to see an incredible sight, indeed.

---

Yukari, her dress flowing like a regal, white wave of the most glorious ocean, levitated above a tower of swirling purple runes, some hundreds of feet above the field. Her eyes were aglow with pure energy. Her hands outstretched to each side, she had opened dimensional portals all around herself and the rune tower – hundreds, perhaps thousands of them. They were spewing danmaku and spirit beams profusely, creating a torrent of energy that tore through the air at the Black Moon, above. Even against this attack, the Black Moon was still a behemoth. The great youkai patriarch's assault collided with the surface of the ebony orb, and magnanimous explosions ensued. The entire sky lit up with the blinding light. The noise was deafening. It was like she was attacking the night, itself...

"Face me," muttered Yukari, as she remained in place, watching the Black Moon closely. "Face me...once more..."

Sanae, Ran, and Chen arrived. They came close, but stopped – the force of the energy released was too strong. They covered their eyes and backed away.

"Yukari-sama!" cried Ran, squinting. "Yukari-sama!"

"Do not come too close!" commanded Yukari. "Or you shall be destroyed!"

Sanae gazed up at the Black Moon. She had never been this close to one before. On her skin, she could the heat from the ear-splitting explosions. In her mind, the flames and embers of that fateful night five years ago flashed by...

But:

"Something isn't right," whispered Sanae.

Somehow, Yukari heard her. "What did you say?"

"Something is wrong!" shouted Sanae. "This is...this is all wrong!"

"What?!" cried Ran.

"Speak, shrine maiden!" demanded Yukari. "Speak! Now!"

"This isn't the same – " But, she stopped.

The Black Moon began to move. With it, there was a great humming. The very air shifted as the monstrous orb started to retreat. Yukari directed her attacks to follow it, but soon lessened her barrage. Eventually, she stopped completely, watching with glowing eyes. As the last of the explosions dissipated, the surface of the Black Moon could be seen:

It was pockmarked with damage.

Then, it vanished back inside the storm cell. Its shape could then only be seen as a silhouette, through the flashes of lightning. Eerily, it continued to move away, shrinking, like a stone that had been dropped into a deep lake.

Ran, Chen, Sanae, and Yukari were quiet. They gazed up at the storm clouds.

"Did it just...leave?" asked Ran after many moments.

"Sanae-chan?" said Chen.

Yukari was quiet. Then, "Prepare."

Around the disappearing Black Moon, there was a darkness. A shadow crept over the earth. The thunderstorm was pushed away, and the lightning increased in brightness and strength. Many bolts struck the ground violently. This enormous blackness grew in power and foreboding, until finally:

From behind the retreating Black Moon, came another. It was bigger. Within moments it emerged from the clouds. It seemed to engulf the entire sky.

Sanae's emerald eyes widened. She felt the pressure: the weight on her chest.

"That's the one," she muttered. "That's...his."

Yukari glowed with unearthly energy. She rose higher into the air, seeming to emanate anger. "FACE ME, OMEN!" she commanded. The ground shook at her words, as she glared at the Black Moon. She was but a speck before it.

"Yukari-sama!" cried Ran. "Please!"

"We have to go!" screamed Sanae. "We cannot survive another wave!"

Yukari stopped. Slowly, she turned and looked at the field. Within it, a spluttering Marisa could barely breathe. Inside, Marisa's soul had been nearly crushed into nothingness. Her physical pain was naught – her spiritual pain was horrific. If another wave hit Marisa, she would surely die. Yukari looked around at the others. Sanae was cut, bleeding, bruised, and panting. She had been hit by one wave, already. Ran bore dark marks on her ankle – Yukari recognized it immediately as the undead curse. Chen had been knocked unconscious instantaneously from the first, weakened wave, and had nearly fallen into the river. All of them had done battle with the conspirators or the denizens themselves, and had expended tremendous energy.

"Yukari-sama, we have to go back to Gensokyo!" shouted Sanae at the top of her lungs. "We cannot defeat him here!"

Yukari turned back to the Black Moon. It advanced, slowly. Gritting her teeth, she knew Sanae was right. Now was not the time. Yukari sensed Omen had THE SULA with him. If Yukari fell here – somehow – Ran, Chen, Marisa, and Sanae would be doomed. They did not have a way to re-enter Gensokyo. Besides, they were already injured, and the Black Moon surely had yet more denizens to dispatch. Their immense power had been seen firsthand, now. The shikigami, witch, and shrine maiden would not be able to contend with them. Yukari would be locked in battle with Omen – perhaps even THE SULA, if she awoke. Yukari could not aid the girls, if that happened...

It was not time.

Yukari Yakumo glared at the Black Moon with hatred. This omen was her foe. Inside of it, the White Reaper, who surely gazed at her at that very moment. He had surely heard her cry for battle.

Her energy faded. She flitted back down to the other girls, taking a deep breath. "You are right, Moriya shrine maiden," she said. "We are in no condition to do battle with the full strength of the Black Moon, here. I am powerful, but you are injured. The denizens are many, and strong. We must regroup with the others, tend to our wounded, and prepare Gensokyo for invasion." She closed her eyes. "I have failed, this day..."

"What?" said Chen.

"Yukari-sama," said Ran, "whatever do you mean?!"

"I hoped to stave off this threat myself, were it to come," said Yukari. "I did not aid you in bringing in the conspirators, because I hoped the Black Moon would come, and I would challenge it, myself. I saved my strength to do battle with the White Reaper, himself. I put you in danger, all of you..." A tear rolled down her cheek. "I am sorry. It will not happen again, not for my own selfish reasons. To think I am the patriarch of Gensokyo, and to have acted so foolishly. I was entrenched in my own desires..."

"Yukari-sama," muttered Sanae. She had never seen Yukari apologize, or cry, even if it was but a single tear. "Thank you..."

"Ran, Chen!" bellowed Yukari. Her eyes shot open.

"Yes!" replied the shikigami.

"Retrieve Marisa Kirisame!" She pointed into the field, where Marisa lay, struggling with her own existence. "Then, we must depart! Go! Quickly!"

Ran and Chen burst away towards Marisa.

Yukari turned to Sanae. "Moriya shrine maiden, I will send you back, first," she said, raising a hand to create a portal. "Once you have returned to Gensokyo, you must ensure – " Yukari stopped in mid-sentence.

Sanae's eyes went wide. Chills crept down her spine. Her face went pale.

Yukari turned to the field. "RAN! CHEN!" she screamed. She reached out a hand. Her expression was that of horror.

From the flashes of the thunderstorm above them, surrounding the Black Moon, a massive bolt of lightning shot into the field with a deafening crack. The light was blinding. Ran and Chen slowed, covering their eyes. But, when they lowered their hands:

He stood before them.

Dr. Omen.

"NO!" cried Yukari.

Sanae exploded after them, trying to reach the shikigami, to save them!

Omen raised a colossal black claw, his great coat billowing behind him, towering above them, even as they flew. The closest one to him was Chen. His round, glowing blue eyes burned with soul energy. As her vision cleared, Chen laid eyes upon the White Reaper. Her mouth opened in terror.

A dimensional portal – opened by Yukari – appeared next to Chen, attempting to devour her quickly. A weak barrier Yukari had created formed between Omen and the shikigami. Sanae came closer, raising her hand, preparing to fire as big a barrage of danmaku as she could muster. Ran, reflexively, grabbed Chen by the shoulders and pulled her away from Dr. Omen...

Omen swung his raised arm. It traveled so fast, it was but a blur, even for its massive size. Yukari's barrier slowed it only a small amount: the shield shattered like thin glass against him. His claw tore through the air and slammed into Ran. He had backhanded her. A shockwave blew out. Ran spat a huge amount of blood. From her back exploded an array of blue energy, dissipating like mist – it was fragments of her very soul. Then, Ran hung there for a moment, frozen in time, until Omen flung her across the field. She soared like a bullet, then collided with the grass and bounced along, flailing, before she slid to a stop and was still.

Sanae unleashed her barrage of danmaku. It slammed into Dr. Omen with blinding ferocity. Sanae's eyes were filled with tears. How she had sped at the White Reaper himself, with the resolve she had, she did not know. He was the harbinger of her darkness, the weaver of her pain. All of this was his fault! He was the nightmare from her past. How had she done this? How had she rushed at him, like she had rushed at Caliope?

In her emerald eyes was determination. Perhaps, it was not about the fear, any longer. Now, it was about her friends. It was about her new home. She would not let him ruin her life, once again!

Omen merely stood there as the danmaku smashed into him. Sanae was significantly more powerful than she was five years ago. His entire figure burst into explosions. She continued her attack, coming close, danmaku streaming from her fingertips.

Chen fell back onto the grass and rolled. Gathering herself, she watched in horror as Sanae attacked Omen. Behind, Yukari was rising into the air. She was preparing a massive, cataclysmic spell card. Her barrage upon the Black Moon was nothing compared to what she was about to unleash upon Omen.

"No!" screamed Sanae, at Yukari.

Yukari's eyes widened in shock. "What...?"

"Get the others!" ordered Sanae. "I'll keep his attention! DO IT! WE HAVE TO GO!"

"I cannot allow him to – "

"If another shock wave comes, from that giant Black Moon," shouted Sanae over the noise of her attacks, "we'll be done for! GO! NOW!"

Yukari bit her lip. Then, she took a deep breath. "Very well..." She disappeared into a portal, and reappeared next to the incapacitated Ran. A tear rolled down Yukari's cheek, as she picked up the nearly-dead kitsune shikigami.

"She's alive," breathed Yukari. She was immensely relieved. "My dear, dear Ran..." She looked up. "Chen!" she called. "Retrieve Marisa Kirisame!"

"Right!" cried Chen.

Sanae circled around Omen, unleashing torrents of danmaku and energy at him. She knew it had no effect, but she had to keep him occupied!

Then, without warning, Dr. Omen leaped into the air, with a loud boom. Craters remained where he had been standing. Sanae gaped, looking up, following him, but he was incredibly fast. Then, before she could react, he came down again, close to her, slamming into the ground with massive, dark power. Sanae was knocked out of the air, onto the grass of the field. Some of her danmaku were still airborne, peppering the field with explosions.

Gathering herself, Sanae looked up. Dr. Omen stood hunched over, his coat flitting down behind him. Then, he shot forward – sliding along the ground, almost – and swung at Sanae. She somersaulted backwards to avoid it, but the mere force of his swing sent her reeling again, crashing back down. She scrambled to her feet, raising her gohei rod to defend herself. Suddenly towering over the shrine maiden, Dr. Omen swung once more. His claw slammed into Sanae's gohei rod, smashing it to pieces, breaking both of Sanae's arms at once, and launching her away, spewing blood.

Her body and mind were racked with pain. Lights popped into her eyes. Then, she collided with the grass of the field, somewhat numb to the feeling, and found herself suffocating. Weakly, she rolled over, coughing. Then, she vomited a huge amount of blood onto the dirt, hacking and choking. She felt as if all the power had left her. She looked up.

He was coming.

At first, Sanae was terrified. But then, she remembered: she did this so her friends might escape alive. She did it so that they may survive, and fight to save Gensokyo!

"Gen...sokyo," spluttered Sanae. She slowly got to her feet. Though it was terribly painful to move her arms, she assumed a ready stance. "Gensokyo..." Her green eyes were filled with stark conviction. With emotion. With content.

Dr. Omen, gliding along like a monstrous ghost through the field, spoke:

"Shrine maiden...of Moriya," he thundered. His blue goggles glowed brighter. "I commend...that you have...faced me, this day." He came close. "Your resolve...is to be admired..." Soon, Omen stopped. His coat billowed in the wind. "But, you shall perish..."

"My name," muttered Sanae. She summoned the last of her energy, clenching her fists. "My name...IS SANAE KOCHIYA!"

Her physical wounds healed, instantly. Her soul still struggled, but her resolve could not be stopped! As fast as possible, she fired a large danmaku into Omen's face, where it burst into blinding light. Sanae leaped back, calling upon the wind, and it blew ferociously.

Omen burst into the air after her, leaping, as before, but the wind roared with power. Sanae unleashed barrage after barrage of danmaku at him. These impacts, coupled with the wind, pushed him back, and he began to fall back to the earth. This was her plan!

"Spell card!" shouted Sanae. She pulled it from her sleeve. "Sea opening! The Day the Sea Split!"

At Sanae's sides, the ground itself was torn open. Great walls of pure white energy shot skyward. These fissures ripped along the earth with frightening power. It was blinding. There was a noise like an angry ocean. The walls of power surrounded the area where Omen was to land. He had not touched down yet!

Sanae clapped her hands together. "Be gone!" she screamed.

The waves of energy pulled towards each other, slamming together, engulfing Omen. There was a strange, ear-splitting noise, like wailing of metal, and agonizing souls. Sanae watched the sea of energy closely, for many moments...

It was quiet. Yukari was nowhere to be seen, nor Chen, nor Ran, nor Marisa...

She was alone.

Then, Omen's black claw burst from the surface.

"What?!" cried Sanae.

Soon, his arm emerged. The white coat sleeve had been burned away. His limb seemed as if made from many differently-sized bones, all black, mish-mashed together like some freakish skeleton. Throughout these bones pulsated veins of oily liquid, which gathered together at his wrist to create his claws...

They sizzled and screamed, as Dr. Omen began to emerge. The rest of his coat remained, including his collar, but for several patches that had been destroyed – through which similar likeness could be seen. His blue goggles spewed soul energy like fountains, roaring. He pulled himself up, and stood on the waves of the ocean of energy.

Sanae knew it was over. She had used the last of her already-severely-drained energy to heal herself and cast her spell card.

"Impressive," boomed Dr. Omen. His voice was distorted – had he actually been damaged? "But now...you die..."

Sanae's spell card dissipated. The ocean of energy began to vanish. Dr. Omen launched forward, his exposed arm raised to backhand her...

She had done it. She was happy. "I am sorry, Kanako-sama...Suwako-sama," she whispered, watching him come. "I wish I could have said goodbye to you...as well..." She closed her wet eyes. "Mom...Dad..."

Dr. Omen swung, and there was an impact...

But, Sanae did not feel it. She opened her eyes.

From one of Yukari's portals, a girl had appeared. She looked older than Sanae, with long blue hair that fell down her back. She wore a strange black and white dress, with an odd string of cards hanging about the side – each card a different hue of the rainbow. She wore a black hat with a peach clip upon it, and on her feet were tall, brown-laced boots. Her eyes were red, and almond shaped. Her beautiful face gave the impression that she was some sort of royalty. She also seemed extremely excited.

In her hands, she held a long, glowing red sword. It swirled with scarlet energy. She had used it to block Omen's attack!

"Tenshi!" exclaimed Sanae. "Tenshi Hinanawi!"

Tenshi grinned. "How could you all leave me out of so much fun?!" But then, she groaned. Omen was bearing down on her. He slowly raised his free arm. Tenshi trembled, struggling against his black might. "Go! Now!"

"What about you!?" cried Sanae.

"Go!" repeated Tenshi. "NOW!"

"You'll follow me, right?!"

"I SAID GO!" Tenshi raised a boot and kicked Sanae as hard as she could towards the portal. Sanae flew into it, and vanished.

Tenshi then summoned her power. The Sword of Hisou filled with immense might! The tendrils of scarlet energy swirled feverishly, preparing!

Omen swung his other arm, and Tenshi broke away. She lifted her sword to block it, curling her legs up underneath herself. She grit her teeth. Then, with a resounding shock wave, Omen's fist smashed into its blade. With this force, Tenshi was rocketed backwards, away from the portal, which quickly closed.

"Now, Yukari!" shouted Tenshi. "Behind me!"

Another of Yukari's portals instantly opened behind the angel, and Tenshi flew into it.

It closed quickly, and she was gone.

The battle was over.

---

It was evening.

Alice followed Kana through the bushes and trees of the forest, far away from the battlegrounds. Here, it was very dark. A cold drizzle fell from the sky, dampening the puppeteer and the Oni. Kana's footsteps were loud, and Alice could feel them, as they walked. She stared at the Oni's back, and her horns...

"What...what happened to your horn?" asked Alice, shyly. "It's...broken..."

Kana glanced back at her. "Sometimes you must even fight your friends, should you wish to achieve your dreams."

Alice looked at the ground. "I know the feeling."

Kana smoked a puff from her pipe. Soon, she slowed her pace. "Ah."

"What?" asked Alice.

Ahead, Parsee and Beatrice waited. Behind them was a clearing, in the midst of which was a large hill. Parsee looked like she was about die any moment, slouched against a tree, blinking through the blood in her green eyes, holding her stomach. She bled everywhere. Beatrice stood with her arms folded, clutching her scythe, her fiery, orange eyes unamused. She picked at a nail.

"Beatrice," said Kana. She approached them, smiling slightly. "Were it not for your scythe, I wouldn't have recognized you, with your new hair color. I almost thought someone had stolen the Cronus from you."

"Very funny," replied Beatrice.

"Now you've left the white-hair club," said Kana. She came up to Beatrice. She was much taller. "I'm sure Constantine will be happy you've joined the black-hair club."

"Shut it."

Alice gaped at Beatrice. "Your dress is beautiful!" And it was, save for the fact an entire sleeve had been blasted off, in her battle with Yukari. "Did you make that, yourself?"

Beatrice eyed her. "No. Master bought it for me. It costed him a fortune."

"It's torn, there," said Alice. She walked up to Beatrice.

"Yes, it is."

"Would you like me to fix it?"

Beatrice's eyes widened. "Are you kidding? This dress was hand-sewn by artisans of France. There is no way you could replicate it."

"Will you let me try?" asked Alice. "I'm a puppeteer magician. I work with fabric and needles all the time."

Reluctantly, Beatrice nodded. "Sure...just don't ruin it..."

Alice inspected the dress for a bit. Then, she raised her hands, opening her grimoire. Weaving her hands about, she summoned rolls of black fabric, white frills, strings and needles. "Hold still, please," she said. These materials swirled about Beatrice's arm, coming together. Soon, the sleeve had reformed, good as new.

Beatrice gazed at it. "Wow..."

"Do you like it?" said Alice, smiling.

Beatrice glanced at her. She seemed to blush, but only for a split-second. "Yeah. Sure, it's fine." She paused. Then, "Thanks."

"I think you've just made a new friend, Alice," laughed Kana.

"Is that what...y-you asked for?" spluttered Parsee. Despite her condition, she could still talk. She also did not ask for help. She tended to her own wounds, keeping her composure as best she could. She was extremely resilient. It was no doubt due to one fact: she had always been alone, before now.

Alice watched her for a bit. Parsee noticed this.

"What?" said the hashihime.

Alice, sighing, moved over to her, and pulled out a length of white cloth. She began bandaging Parsee's arms and legs where they were bleeding. Alice did it tenderly, caringly.

Kana watched fondly. "Look at that," she whispered.

"Er...um," hesitated Parsee. "Thanks...Alice..."

Alice smiled.

"Beatrice-sama," said Parsee. "Was that dress your wish?"

"Excuse me?" replied the vampire.

"Was that dress...what you wished to receive," said Parsee, "in exchange for your service to the Black Moon...?"

"Of course not," said Beatrice, somewhat offended.

"She's just spoiled," commented Kana, chuckling. "If you perform well for Omen, you are rewarded."

The bushes rustled. Everyone turned to look, as Caliope emerged from them. Her black sockets stared ahead lifelessly. She was missing chunks of flesh and strips of clothing here and there, but she didn't seem to mind. From one of her arms extended a mass of chains – wrapped in these tendrils were an unconscious Cirno and a very uncomfortable Seija Kijin.

"Cal," said Kana. "You made it."

Alice leaned over to Beatrice. "Who's she...?"

"She's our dead body," said the vampire. She pulled out a cloth and began polishing her scythe. "Caliope. A zombie. A super-powerful undead. Get the picture?"

"Undead," muttered Parsee. She watched Caliope closely. "So even they can serve..."

"Parsee," said Alice, "that was a rude comment."

"Not really," said Beatrice. "Cal's just a walking sack of meat and chains."

"How rude!" snapped Alice.

"Don't worry about it," interjected Kana, smoking her pipe. "Cal has no emotions. It's literally impossible for her to get offended." She turned to the undead. "Right, Cal?"

Caliope nodded.

"Can she not speak?" asked Alice. She slowly stood up, and approached Caliope, looking her over...

"No," said Beatrice. "It's rather nice, sometimes."

"You shouldn't say such mean things about her!" shot Alice. She curtsied to Caliope. "How are you? My name is Alice Margatroid. It's nice to meet you."

"So polite," chuckled Kana.

Caliope merely stared at Alice. After a few moments, she seemed to attempt a curtsy, but just bent her knees a little and cocked her head to the side. It was strangely cute. Alice giggled.

Beatrice sighed. "Can we please get going? The rain is picking up. I don't want to get my dress wet."

"Why did you wear your most expensive dress?" said Kana.

"I was hoping Ryuki would be here," said Beatrice, quietly. "But he didn't show." She seemed slightly disappointed.

"He was around, earlier this week," said Kana. "But Omen needed him to help with Sekhmet in Egypt. So, he couldn't come."

Beatrice was quiet. She picked up her scythe and walked out into the clearing. Kana followed her. Alice jumped up next to the Oni.

"Does Beatrice like this...Ryuki-san?"

Kana grinned, smoking her pipe. "It's about the only time you'll get a blush out of her," she said. "But if you bring it up too much, she'll get pissed."

Parsee trailed behind them. "Look!" she said, pointing.

In the sky above them, was the Black Moon. It was lowering, darkening the clearing even more. The blemish-less black surface glinted. Beatrice climbed the hill, and stood at the top, looking up at it. She was like a tiny grain of rice compared to it. Then:

Crack.

The orb split geometrically, mesmerizingly, beautifully. Alice and Parsee cowered, instantly, but no shock wave was emanated.

"It's okay," said Kana smoothly. She beckoned. "Come. Your new home awaits..."

From the bottom of the Black Moon descended a large chunk of floating black metal. It was the size of an ocean liner, by itself. This huge mass lowered, and its end came to the top of the hill. It began to rain profusely. A white, glowing door opened, and Beatrice disappeared inside of it.

Alice and Parsee could not take their eyes off of this sight. It was beyond anything they had ever seen. It seemed as if their very souls were tested in the venture to reach here! Parsee had struggled through a life of pain – never imagining there was a way out. Alice had forsaken all in Gensokyo, for this, dedicated to Iliasviel. At the thought of the hyakume, Alice's eyes widened.

"Ilia-chan," she whispered. "I made it..."

In the white doorway, a massive silhouette appeared. A great billowing coat, two glowing, blue eyes, and huge claws exuding from massive sleeves: Dr. Omen. His long black hair framed his goggles, his collar concealing the rest of his face. He stood at the top of the hill, in the entrance to the Black Moon, like a ghost from a distant future.

Parsee fell to her knees, in respect. She bowed her head. "Omen," she muttered. "I am here...to serve you...please...deliver me from my pain..."

Alice stared at Omen's figure. She could not believe she was here. "Omen," the puppeteer whispered. "Thank you...thank you for sending...Ilia-chan." Her eyes fill with tears, and she began to cry. "Ilia-chan!"

There they stood, in the rain, peering up at the lord of the manse.