Chapter 21
Truth

"She's here."

"I'll go in first," Mokou said.

"Oh, no," Kaguya said. "We're doing this together, remember?"

"Yeah, but if it's just me, she won't attack immediately. I can stall her, keep her attention on me while you circle around and come in from behind., begin the fight with a sneak attack. Then we'll fight her together."

"Ah. Yes, that sounds like a good idea.. Very well, then. Let's do this."

The unusual gathering of Shades had drawn Shizuha Aki down to the base of the mountain, but it seemed their target was the human village. Still, there had been some near the mountain, so she'd taken the time to eliminate them. But she had no intention of approaching the village. Even if she saved them, the people there would reject her as they always had. And besides, they seemed to be doing just fine without her.

Shizuha turned to start back up the mountain, then stopped. Very few could have sensed it from such a distance, but Shizuha's sensitivity to this particular aspect was high even for a god. This feeling. It's...

There was no mistaking that sensation; she knew it all too well. It was her enemy. Her one chance at gaining the respect of the people, and she had failed. Nothing could stop it. But this... this was different. Localized. Within a single person.

She had failed before, failed to stop the taint of this person's power. And she had no doubt that whoever it was, this individual's power far exceeded hers. But... I failed to stop your power's taint, whoever you are, but even if your power is beyond mine, you can still be killed. There was no guarantee this person's death would stop the taint, but there was a chance. And even if Shizuha knew she would probably fail to kill this person in the first place, she also knew that she was going to try. I'm not going to lay down and die. If the world's going out anyways, I, at least, will do so fighting.

Mokou intercepted Utsuho as the hell crow neared the battle. "Utsuho."

"Mokou," Utsuho said, coming to a halt in midair. "Are you going to fight me again?"

"You know I can't let you do what you want to do."

"Why can't you understand, Mokou? If anyone should, it's you."

"Because I only hunted the one who wronged me," Mokou said. "I attacked only her. Only the one who was guilty. You want to kill people who are innocent."

"Satori was innocent, and Kaguya killed her! And you think I should just leave her be?"

"I fought her for centuries because she got my father killed. If all you wanted was to kill her, then fine. We could have fought her together. But you're not satisfied with that, weren't even satisfied with keeping her trapped in a star. You've taken this far enough, Utsuho. Please don't take it any farther. Please. Don't do this."

"I can't stop. Satori wouldn't want me to stop."

"Do you really think that? You knew Satori far longer than I did, and even I know she would never want something like this. Are you really going to forget that just because you saw some vengeful spirit? Even if it was Satori's spirit, it wouldn't have been Satori. It would've been a twisted remnant of one part of her, capable only of hatred. The real Satori would never want you to listen to it, even if it did come from her."

"...Are you going to fight me again, Mokou?"

Mokou readied her sword. "If you won't stop this? Yes. I want the old you back, and if the only way to make that happen is to use force, then so be it."

"You know you won't win. I still don't want to hurt you, Mokou. Please don't make me."

"I'm not making you do anything, Utsuho. Okuu. What happens now is your choice."

"You know what I choose. I'm not backing down, Mokou. I'm not-"

[BGM=/watch?v=qrxg4ohQQN0&index=60&list=PLA9933EA052CBD53C]

Kaguya struck.

Kaguya came in unseen from behind Utsuho, smacking the hell raven upside the head with the flat of her blade. Mokou immediately charged in, but her strike was blocked by Utsuho's control rod. Utsuho threw a condensed ball of nuclear energy at Mokou, but Mokou raised her arm, taking the hit on her off-hand. The attack mangled the hand, left it useless, but Mokou didn't need it right now, and it was already healing anyways.

Utsuho shot upwards, leaving balls of energy in her wake. The two immortals pursued, weaving skillfully around the spheres of energy. Utsuho spun around and fired a beam at them, but they dodged to opposite sides and came in at Utsuho. Mokou flew in foot-first, aiming a kick at Utsuho's head. Utsuho caught the kick, but Mokou kept coming, wrenching around in a move that bent her led at an impossible angle, tearing muscle and bone apart as she flung her other foot into Utsuho's head. Then Kaguya came in, and Utsuho released Mokou's foot and ducked underneath the attack.

Utsuho fired a blast at Kaguya, but Kaguya evaded to the side and came in with a swing at Utsuho's head. Utsuho moved to block, but Kaguya adjusted her strike in anticipation of this, slashing into Utsuho's arm just below the control rod. She paid for the hit with a blast from point-blank range, but she survived it.

Mokou struck, Utsuho dodged, Kaguya struck, Utsuho evaded and struck, Mokou took the hit as a distraction while Kaguya struck, Utsuho pulled away and fired the the two of them, they charged right through the blasts and attacked, strike, block, strike, evade, counter, take the hit, strike, block, strike, dodge, counter, strike, take the hit, strike, evade and counter, block, Mokou and Kaguya giving it everything they had, desperately trying to beat Utsuho down before she could overwhelm them.

Mokou and Kaguya came in at the same time. Utsuho blasted Mokou, but Mokou just took the hit and kept coming. Utsuho blocked Kaguya's strike, but Mokou slammed into her, and Kaguya took the opportunity for another strike. And then something slammed into all three of them, sending them all crashing to the ground.

[end BGM]

Sechs saw the flashes of the battle with Utsuho out of the corner of her eye, but she knew she couldn't worry about that. Aim... fire. Aim... fire. Aim... fire. And... "Backup team, Shade forces threatening to break through at Horaka and Takeru's position. Move to assist."

"Moving now." The reply came as the reserve force moved to assist.

"Acknowledged," Sechs said, and returned her attention to her targets. Aim... fire. Aim... fire. Aim... fire.

An oni named Ekira slammed two Shades together, threw them to the ground, and slammed a third Shade down on top of them. She picked her next target and punched it as hard as she could, knocking it through several other Shades. The next one she carried into the air and smashed into the ground.

A kappa soldier named Artai cut down the Shade in front of her with her twin blades. She turned quickly to the fallen kappa beside her, killed by the Shade she'd just taken out. "This is Artai. My partner's down. Requesting reinforcement from nearest available backup unit."

"Confirmed," Kotoro's voice came in reply. "Ineki, move to reinforce."

"Acknowledged," Ineki said. "Moving to new position."

Artai moved between several Shades, doing everything she could to hold them back by herself. But this left her little time to actually finish them off, and as more kept coming, she knew she could only hold them for so long. Fortunately, Ineki got there quickly, tearing through the weakened Shades with a bizarre multi-bladed weapon she controlled through a combination of electronic and magical means. "In position."

"Good to see you," Artai said. "Heads up! More on the way!"

"Of course there are. Let's do this."

Mokou picked herself up off the ground and found herself facing one of the last people she'd expected to see here. "Shizuha?"

"Mokou," Shizuha said. "I must apologize. I did not know others were locked in battle with her. I assure you that I am no enemy of yours; our goals are the same."

Mokou looked around quickly, spotting Kaguya and Utsuho on the ground a ways behind her, then returned her attention to Shizuha. "What do you mean?"

"The raven that is your opponent. I felt her presence. It is a presence I had never felt before, but I nonetheless knew it immediately. Perhaps you cannot sense it, but she is the one responsible for the taint killing the land."

That one caught Mokou off-guard. "She's- what?"

"I failed to remove the taint, but I know its sense. It comes from the raven's power."

Is she saying Utsuho's the one killing the land? Is she crazy? There's no way- wait. Kaguya lost awareness briefly at the moment the Radiance happened. That's when she killed Satori. If something similar happened to Utsuho, and she lost control while unaware... "Radiation. Nuclear radiation. That's what's killing the land?"

"There is no doubt."

"It's... nuclear radiation... but..." That's not quite how radiation works, I don't think, is it? Although I guess everything else's been screwed up since the Radiance, so why couldn't it be, too? Wait, but if Utsuho's the source, then is Shizuha here to... "Why are you here, Shizuha?"

"I failed to stop the taint. Now I have another chance. It is the raven's power; killing her may stop it."

Mokou called her sword to her. "You mean to kill Utsuho."

"Of course. Are you not attempting the same?"

"Why the hell would I kill her. I'm doing everything I can to stop her without killing her."

"Killing her is the only chance to stop the taint."

"Keeping her alive is the only chance to stop it. If it's her power, she may be able to undo it."

"It cannot be removed, cannot be undone. All that can be done is to stop its spread. Are you choosing, then, not to aid me in this?"

"Help you kill Utsuho? Hell no!"

Shizuha sighed. "Unfortunate. However, your battle with her has worn her down considerably. I was expecting to find myself completely outmatched, but in her current state, defeating her should be simple."

"And you think I'm just going to let you kill her?"

"You, too, are weakened. You will not emerge victorious against me. If you try to fight me, I will have to kill you as well."

"You think that'll stop me? I'm immortal; I'll resurrect."

"But not quickly enough. Killing you will give me the time I need."

"Then I'll just have to make sure I don't die."

"Why do you defend the raven? Her power is what's killing the land. She is a danger to the world, and clearly she is your enemy, so why do you defend her?"

"Because I love her," Mokou said. "What she's been trying to do is wrong, but I still love her. And I'm not going to let you kill her."

[BGM=/watch?v=RS6FPBwR58Q&list=PLF3sECcU-eWy1gxwlz8XyO2Q7MdLyiK6d&index=37]

A scythe appeared in Shizuha's hands as she assumed a ready stance. "Very well, then. You leave me no choice."

"It's you who leaves me no choice," Mokou said.

They charged. Mokou came in from the side, but Shizuha blocked her strike and swung her scythe down vertically. Mokou sidestepped and retaliated, but Shizuha righted her weapon quickly and blocked the strike. Mokou leapt over Shizuha's next attack and cut down from above, but again, Shizuha got her scythe into position quickly.

A scythe wasn't nearly as suited to this type of fight as a sword, and yet Shizuha matched Mokou blow-for-blow. Strike, block, strike, parry, strike, evade, counter, block, strike. Mokou was more skilled, but Shizuha had the advantage of strength and power. Strike, strike, parry, counter, evade, counter, strike, block, strike. And more importantly, Shizuha was fresh, whereas Mokou had just finished a punishing battle with Utsuho, before which she was fighting Shades. Strike evade, strike, block, strike, parry, strike, counter, strike; Mokou was tiring, and Shizuha was not. Strike, block, strike, block, strike, evade, strike, counter, parry, strike, block, strike. And Shizuha pressed her advantages, leaving Mokou on the defensive.

Utsuho was awakened by the sounds of battle. She pushed herself up to a kneeling position and looked up to see Mokou fighting... someone she'd never seen before. "Unyu?"

"Shizuha Aki, a god of autumn."

Utsuho knew that voice and immediately aimed the Third Leg at the speaker... and then lowered it upon realizing that Kaguya wasn't even sparing a glance, her gaze fixed on the battle. "A scythe, hmm? A tool of the harvest, but also a symbol of death. An appropriate weapon for her."

Utsuho turned her attention to the battle as well, her confusion and curiosity giving pause to her hatred. "Why's a god here? And why's she fighting Mokou?"

"She's here for you. I came to in time to hear the end of their conversation. Shizuha thinks you're the reason the land is becoming barren, that your power is what's doing it, and she's here to kill you."

"But then why is Mokou fighting her?"

"Because Mokou never wanted to kill you, only to stop you."

"Unyu?"

"She's fighting Shizuha to protect you, Utsuho, because she still loves you. She doesn't want anyone else to die, and that includes you. And you know something?" Kaguya called her sword, which flew into her hand. "I agree with her."

Mokou ducked under the next strike and retaliated with a blast of fire, but Shizuha easily deflected the blast. She fired back, her energy taking the form of a whirlwind of leaves that slammed into Mokou, knocking the immortal to the ground. Mokou sprung back up before Shizuha could capitalize on this and launched a stream of fire, but Shizuha countered with a stream of her own energy, and hers was stronger, pushing Mokou's energy back. So Mokou stepped aside, avoiding Shizuha's beam and charging in to strike with her sword, but Shizuha brought her scythe up in time. And then Kaguya blasted her from behind, sending her flying into the side of a boulder.

Shizuha recovered quickly and faced the pair. "So you're united in this."

"Utsuho is our problem," Kaguya said. "You can just stay out of it."

"She is all of Gensokyo's problem."

"No. She's not. And if you insist on attacking her, then you'll have to get by me as well as Mokou."

"Then I shall." Shizuha swung her scythe, creating an arc of energy that flew at the two immortals. They leapt over it, and Mokou sent a blast of fire at Shizuha. Shizuha deflected the flames, but then Kaguya landed a direct hit with a blast of her own. Shizuha recovered quickly and charged, Kaguya blocking her strike. Mokou came in with her own strike, but Shizuha moved quickly enough to block it as well. Shizua leapt away, sending a blast of energy at the pair, which they evaded.

Utsuho watched, confused, trying to make sense of Mokou's actions. Part of her wanted to take advantage of Mokou and Kaguya's distraction and continue on her way, but the rest of her objected. Mokou had gone from fighting her to protecting her. Did that mean Mokou actually did still care about her? And if so, why was Mokou trying to stop her? Didn't Mokou care about what Satori wanted? Or... was Mokou right? Had it just been a remnant of anger she'd seen that day, a vengeful spirit that was merely a distortion of one aspect of Satori's emotions? But no, she was sure it had been Satori. Mokou might think it wasn't, though. Or was she right? And what if...

Utsuho gave her head a shake. Only one thing mattered right now. She had a choice to make. And it didn't take her long to make it.

Shizuha struck, and Mokou blocked, but Shizuha's attack had been a feint. Mokou acted quickly enough to block the real strike, but that, too, turned out to be a feint, as Shizuha simply hit her in the chest with an energy blast, knocking her back and to the ground. Shizuha moved in quickly to take advantage of this, only to take a direct hit from a massive blast of energy, knocking her down and sending her skidding across the ground.

Utsuho pointed the Third Leg at Shizuha as the goddess picked herself up. "You leave her alone."

"You," Shizuha said. "You are the one killing this world. Your life ends here."

"Oh, really?" Mokou said as she and Kaguya came up on either side of Utsuho. "Do you really think you can take all three of us?"

"I will do whatever I must," Shizuha said, but she made no move to attack.

"Or you can stand down," Kaguya said, "and save us all some trouble."

"You can't win this," Mokou said. "Which is good, since Utsuho may be the only one who can reverse the contamination. So how about you just head back to the mountain, and we'll consider this little dispute over?"

The standoff continued for another minute or two, and then Shizuha turned and left without a word.

Mokou turned to face Utsuho. "Utsuho, I... thank you."

"You fought her to protect me, right?" Utsuho said. "I should be the one saying 'thank you.'

"I'll leave you two alone for a bit," Kaguya said. "I'll go check on how the battle with the Shades is going."

Kaguya flew off, leaving Mokou and Utsuho by themselves. "Utsuho," Mokou said, "I... are you still going to... am I still going to have to..."

"I don't want you to," Utsuho said. "I never wanted to hurt you. Mokou, I... I'm sorry."

They embraced. "It's okay," Mokou said. "It's okay."

[end BGM]

It didn't take Kaguya long to determine the state of the battle. The Shades were still coming, but their numbers were starting to thin. Looks like we're making progress. It's not over yet, though, and they'd probably appreciate it if we could get back in there and give them a hand.

She returned to Mokou and Utsuho, who seemed to have reconciled at least somewhat. If nothing else, they at least weren't fighting, and they didn't seem to be angry with each other. Although it remained to be seen how Utsuho would react to her.

Utsuho stepped forward as Kaguya landed, but Mokou stuck out an arm to hold her back. "Easy, Okuu. I know how you feel, trust me, but this isn't the time or the place. Kaguya what's the situation?"

"We're winning," Kaguya said, "but I'm sure they'd appreciate it if we could rejoin the fight."

"Yeah," Mokou said. She turned to Utsuho. "Utsuho, those Shades are attacking the human village. Kaguya and I were helping to protect it, and I, at least, mean to return to the battle. Will... will you come with me?"

"Is she coming?" Utsuho said.

Kaguya nodded. "Is that... going to be a problem?" Mokou asked.

There was silence for a few seconds, but then... "I won't attack her. For now."

"All right, then. Let's do this."

Sechs was the first to notice. "Three individuals joining the battle. Mokou and Kaguya are returning to the fight, and they have another with them."

"Is it Utsuho?" Keine asked.

"I believe that is correct. Note that she is not acting hostile towards Mokou and Kaguya."

"They pulled it off, then." Keine sighed in relief. "Okay, keep watch on them."

"They just landed amidst the Shades, away from any others. Mokou and Kaguya are acting as defense for Utsuho, who appears to be preparing somethi-what the-?!"

The blast was massive, an enormous beam that Utsuho swept slowly in an arc in front of her, cutting a swath through the Shade horde. "Holy shit," someone said, "what was that? It just wiped those Shades out."

"Despite their resistance to magic, too," Tenshi said. "I'd heard Utsuho was powerful, but damn."

Kotoro was just as shocked as most of the others, but she pushed this aside. "Okay, change of plans. No need to signal Suika-she should keep fighting that big one-but everyone else, fall back to the defensive line. If this 'Utsuho' can wipe Shades out so easily, clear out and let her do exactly that. We'll hold the line and pick off stragglers."

"Sounds good," Tenshi said. "All right, then, let's finish this."