A/N: Naturally, Rettenjou is canonically confirmed to be Bang's nail about one day after I post the last chapter and imply that it's either the gloves or belt. Oh well, fixed that. Or something.

At his daughter's words, Gesshoku stalled up. "What? How is this…?"

"I refuse to stand by and allow the NOL to carry out its crimes any longer; no feeble attempts at mind control will stop me." Cold fire in her eyes, Tsubaki shifted her grip on the strange blade. Its radiant energy brushed over her chest in waves; right away she resolved not to strike her father with its edge unless left with no other option. Izayoi's sentience, now subjugated to her will, fed her information of what it could do, how it could best the man before her.

She nearly trembled at the power she held. "I will, to protect all that I cherish, follow my sense of justice and fight. In my right hand, I hold the sword of justice; in my left, the scales of truth! I am conviction, sent to punish all evil!"

The purple tinge of the light sword flickered and turned green. "Stand down or face judgment, father."

"Such arrogance…" In his mental prison, Gesshoku did not falter in the face of Tsubaki's power and conviction. His lance glowed from the rays of the miniature sun that cast its light onto him from overhead. "You have become far too dangerous, Tsubaki. Regretful though it is, it seems I must be the one to take your life, for the benefit of the Librarium. Phobos!"

"Mirage Thruster!"

Gesshoku launched forward, a stunning light that blinded anyone who witnessed the thrust of his lance. The lunge took him across the chamber, but its point pierced naught but thin air. Before he even attacked, Tsubaki vanished in a whirl of winds and phased back into existence behind her father. Her sword turned purple again and she spun around to cut in the direction of Gesshoku. As expected, the blade came nowhere near him, but a yellow dagger ejected from Izayoi's tip and jettisoned into Gesshoku's back. Izayoi pulsed with energy as it struck. "I repeat, father; you do not stand a chance against me."

"Ungh…" The knife left no wound in his back, composed as it was of light. Still, the shock of witnessing his daughter simply vanish left Gesshoku stunned for a moment. He turned to snarl at her. A second blade hurtled at him, which he just caught on his lance.

It was all the distraction Tsubaki needed to appear before him and lunge in with a high kick. The blow caught his chin and lifted him into the ceiling. He crashed down a moment later, and Tsubaki started forward to continue her assault…

…But why? Why was she even fighting her father anymore? She could just as easily leave him here; he was no threat, and harming him was the last thing she wanted to do. In a swirl of winds, she found herself at the entrance of the chamber. A quick smear of blood from her finger opened the wall up.

And revealed a contingent of NOL soldiers awaiting her. She skidded to a halt and vanished again. Her sudden reappearance in their midst caught them all off guard long enough for her to deliver a quick, straight slash across one's chest. The lavender blade pulsed as it struck and Tsubaki vaulted over the collapsing officer. She raced as fast as she could, although the massive metal plates weighed her down. As she came around a bend in the hall, she stalled again. More soldiers. They were quite insistent on not giving her a choice here, weren't they? No helping it then. "Justice Phorizer!"

Her sword spun twice, creating a wormhole in space right before her. From the rift, a gargantuan steel blade ripped out and cleaved the three foremost officers. Nauseated by the resultant gore, Tsubaki nonetheless continued her charge. She took an overhead cut at the next soldier in line; blades locked and the man's superior physical strength pushed Tsubaki back. So, she summoned the space-rending abilities of Izayoi once more to vanish from existence for a fraction of a second. The sudden lack of resistance unbalanced the guard and sent him stumbling forward, right into Tsubaki's blade as she appeared in the same place. Snarling, she kicked him off her sword, its hard light unmarred by the blood that should have coated it.

A silent, invisible wave cut into Tsubaki from behind, a reminder that the first wave of soldiers remained. As well as her father… Wincing, she shook her head and vanished again. The mirage thruster took her to the rear of the first group, right beside her father. This time, Gesshoku was almost able to react in time, having witnessed the technique twice before. Almost. The hilt of Izayoi came around to clock him under the chin and send him stumbling into the wall. "Apologies, father."

Once the greatest threat was stunned for the moment—not that anyone here held the slightest chance of besting her—Tsubaki loosed a sudden slash to incapacitate a sixth soldier. Four left, but more importantly… With a quick flick of the sword, its blade turned a brilliant green and cast its glow on the hallway. Another straight slash followed; its target caught the vibrant weapon on his saber. However, Tsubaki surged forward with a dashing cut. The trail left by her blade was like a bolt of green lightning rending the hallway in two.

Two breaths later, a pair of soldiers, including the one who'd blocked her initial attack, crumpled over, bisected. Her eyes darted from the two remaining soldiers to her father, who had risen once more. She lowered her blade. "You cannot hope to defeat me. I do not wish to spill any more blood here; not when none of you realize what manner of monsters you truly serve. However… stand in my way, and I will have no choice. I will lift my blade against you only if you lift yours against me."

"Men. Stand down." Rubbing his bruised jaw, Gesshoku staggered back to his feet and readied his lance. As the soldiers, bewildered by the order, nevertheless complied, Gesshoku's red eyes flickered with anger. "Is this your choice, Tsubaki? To fight to destroy the Librarium, to cripple society in pursuit of this mirage called justice? I fail to see how you could come to such a naïve reason to fight. I beg you reconsider."

"I'm not a fool; to reconsider would mean my execution, correct?" Tsubaki shifted her grip on the sword, ready to lash out at any moment. "And no, I do not seek the Librarium's destruction. The Librarium, for all its corruption, is still a necessity. I merely aim to displace the evil that lords over it from above. To destroy the Imperator, Yuuki Terumi and Relius Clover. To return the Novus Orbis Librarium to a just organization devoted to the people. And I will take whatever steps are required to accomplish this."

Her eyes narrowed. "No matter who stands in my way."

"Pure naivety. One girl cannot bring forth such change, even if what you said were true." Gesshoku lifted his lance, light building around him. "I know not how you turned out like this, Tsubaki, but I will correct my mistakes here."

Despite his words, Gesshoku made no move toward his daughter. They stood still, glares locked, weapons tensed to react to the smallest movement. With a grunt, Tsubaki charged forward. The faulds at her hips propelled her, lifting her into the air. Which came as an absolute surprise to her. With a cry of shock, she halted and dropped back to the floor. A kick came at her from above, Gesshoku having jammed the point of his lance into the ground to use as a pole vault. Tsubaki blocked the kick and, as Gesshoku tried to bring the lance down from above as well, drove a fist into his gut. A blow from the flat end of Izayoi swatted him away.

"It's over, father." Tsubaki took off after him, rising through the air as she did so. As he scrambled back to his feet to ward off her attack, she sent another dagger of light, this one green and comparably immense, down at him and vanished again. As the blade struck his lance, four smaller ones appeared around him and stabbed. There was no time to react as Tsubaki appeared behind him and delivered a spinning strike with the hilt of her blade to his skull. He blacked out before even hitting the ground.

After several long moments, Tsubaki's gaze flicked to one of the remaining soldiers. "You two. Bring him and any survivors to a hospital. He shouldn't be wounded too badly."

"On what authority do you order us?" The officer in question raised his sword. There was no hope, he knew, but the Imperator's will was absolute. "I will not listen to a trai…"

The look in Tsubaki's eyes silenced him and Tsubaki lowered her weapon. "There is no point to fighting me. We both know how it would end. Do as I ask, so that you may continue to serve the people. And hopefully, you will come to realize my claims concerning the Library's corruption are true."

Silence followed, nearly half a minute's worth as the officers digested her words. The one addressed gestured to his partner and they trudged over to Gesshoku, wary stares on Tsubaki. With a sigh, Tsubaki strode past them. This power she now held… how could anything stand against it?

Phantom would not be leaving this manor.

Bang stood, basked in the incendiary glow of his gauntlets and belt, grinning as he held his finger in Phantom's direction. At last, he had control of his Nox Nyctores! Nothing could stand in his way now. Nothing! As this evildoer would soon find out… why was the glow dying?

Dumbstruck, Bang gaped at his hands as the fiery aura died. And then snapped his gaze up to Phantom, hovering overhead on raven wings. Some distance away, his giant nail basked in golden light. With a scoff, he smirked and crossed his arms. "Heh. No matter; I do not need a weapon to defeat you! Prepare yourself!"

He sprang into the air and hurled a nail at an angle to the floor. A second nail came from wherever he stored them, but rather than throw it, he left it in place, hovering as circular bumper. As he landed, he flung two more nails to set as bumpers on either side of Phantom while the first nail he had thrown ricocheted up and exploded. However, Phantom vanished long before the blast could hope to singe her. She reappeared further back and gave a mighty flap of her wings. Black winds, razor sharp, buffeted Bang. As his knees wobbled, he nonetheless grinned. "Ha! Wind? Illusions? Fire? Is that all? Mere parlor tricks could never hope to subdue me!"

He leapt up into the hovering nail waiting overhead. The weapon launched him straight forward, a human blur that not even Phantom could track. As he drew near, fire erupted in his gauntlet and he delivered an overhead punch that bounced her off the ground. Upon landing, he delivered a similarly fiery crouching uppercut and followed her into the air. "Begone, monstrosity!"

Before the punch, headed by bestial plume of flame, could land, Phantom vanished yet again. After appearing straight above him, Phantom wasted no time in cascading a cylinder of aqueous light down on him. The beam solidified into gelatinous mire that held Bang hostage in suffocation. A ball of light, solar in its radiance, bloomed at Phantom's chest. It erupted after a breath, a needle-thin wire that ripped and disintegrated the column. Bang's fist, which he fought to raise overhead to guard himself, sparked again. As the beam burned into it, he vanished in a puff of smoke and appeared overhead. "Ha! Take this!"

A two-handed overhead blow followed, dropping Phantom. Well before she hit ground, however, she caught herself. An invisible ball of light enveloped Bang, trapping him in midair. He grunted. Dammit, so close… His heart stopped a beat as a dark something appeared right above him. A tiny ball of mass, so dense that space warped around it, its own laws defied. Bang felt the pull of the black hole and snarled, unable to do anything from within his prison…

"Sonic Saber!"

A green blade ran Phantom through, followed by four smaller blades that stabbed from all directions. The spell dispersed and Bang fell to the ground, unnerved but largely unharmed sans a deep burn on his arm. His eyes snapped up to his savior and he gaped. "M… Miss Tsubaki? Is that you?"

"Bang…" Tsubaki dared to take her eyes off of Phantom for a moment to scan the room. Only Bang and Phantom were fighting… "…Where are Carl and Platinum? Are they okay?"

"…I'm afraid Platinum is not, but they are safe. Master Carl is protecting her as we speak… look out!" Bang's eyes widened as sparks formed over Phantom and began to coalesce into a giant fireball. It never came; purple streaks of lighting sparked around her and the fires simply vanished. "What…?"

"Perhaps that last spell overloaded her; magic still has its limits." Whatever had halted the attack, Tsubaki was not about to allow Phantom another chance. She darted forward, her faulds driving her upward at the specter. Her blade flickered out and passed through the space Phantom had just vanished from. Tsubaki twisted around to eye the sorceress. She, too, vanished and appeared right behind her prey. Phantom didn't process the teleport before Tsubaki spun and drove her higher with a spinning cut. In a blaze of green light, Tsubaki appeared overhead and delivered a dropping slash in the same motion. Tsubaki landed safely; Phantom crashed headfirst into the ground.

As the battered ghost attempted to hover away from her assailant, at least until she had full access to her magic once more, Bang bounced off one of the bumpers and caught her in midair. "Hurricane Bang Kick!"

He tossed her high into the air; electricity crackled as her teleportation spell failed. Bang appeared above her for a kick to the torso and teleported down to meet her at the ground. Rather than kick her again, he delivered another fiery punch. Her voyage through the air was met by a slice of Tsubaki's blade. She followed with a lunging strike, a bolt of green light following in her wake and impaling Phantom against the far wall. Izayoi shifted back to its default lavender hue. Not satisfied, however, Tsubaki raced forward. She had no idea why Phantom's magic was failing, but she would not let this opportunity pass. "Bang! We need to finish her now!"

"Indeed! Shishigami-style ultimate ninjutsu, Furinkazan!" Four seals burned bright around him and Bang surged into the air, releasing all fetters that held his power back. Golden light, akin to what coated his nail, bathed him and he grinned. "Your final hour has come, villain!"

"Platinum… please respond…" Out in the hallway they had fled to, Carl knelt beside the girl, spectacled eyes wide with worry. He reached a trembling hand out to her shoulder. No response. "What's wrong…? Ada…"

I don't know. She is alive, I can tell that much. But… if the damage was mental…

Carl sighed and hung his head. His small hand closed around Platinum's, hoping that wherever she was mentally, the action would inspire comfort. "Platinum… don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you."

Carl… you must help Bang.

"Huh?" Carl looked up at his marionette sister, who cradled Platinum in her arms despite the hole gorged into her chest by Bang's nail. "But Mister Bang told us to get Platinum to safety! We can't just leave her here, sis."

I know. Go ahead; I will stay here and protect her.

"What? But…"

You will do fine. You can fight without me; I know it. Remember Bang's training.

"That's not it! What… what if something happens to you and Platinum while I'm gone?"

A light chuckle met him. Is that your concern, brother mine? Don't worry; I promise nothing will happen to us. However, if Bang loses this fight, we will all be killed by the phantom. Please, Carl. You must do this.

"But… what if… sis..." With a sigh, Carl nodded, although every fiber of his being resisted it. He rose, eyes closed. "Alright. Please stay safe, sis."

Of course, Carl. Now go.

"Okay, squirrel." Ragna paced before a table, at which Makoto, Noel and Nu sat. Rachel reclined in a chair a short distance away, while Taokaka was presumably busy pestering the Vermillions for food. "Explain. Right now. What the hell was Yabiko about?"

"Screwing up the Library's plans. I learned that they were gonna destroy Yabiko and field test some new weapon. So I figured get as many people out of there as possible, destroy the weapon and turn the entire world against the Library." Makoto sighed and looked away. "…Sorry for not telling you what I was up to; didn't think you guys would go for it, and…"

"Tch. Could've at least contacted us during that shitfest and let us know that you hadn't ratted us out. And like hell am I ever letting you plan shit again." With a huff, Ragna threw himself into a seat across from the girls. "So. What was the weapon?"

"Um…" Nu averted her gaze. "Can we… like, not talk about this, please?"

"So Nu was the weapon. Dropping subject now."

His words were a slap to Nu's face, but she nodded. "Yes, please…"

Noel gave a sharp nod, equally eager to cease that particular discussion. And besides, a question burned inside her, far more important than anything else. "Um, Ragna? Where's Tsubaki?"

Ragna froze up. God, why did everyone keep making him think about that? He opened his mouth, mind working to bullshit his way around this… No. Noel and Makoto at the very least deserved to know. Throat dry, he hung his head and sighed. "She… I… I failed to protect her."

"…What." A brief moment of silence fell before Makoto's cold response. She didn't move, although her tail stiffened. "What happened to her?"

"…She was attacked. Alone. I came to help, but the ground gave out and she fell." He closed his eyes, as though it would curb the memories. "Looked for her a bit later; couldn't do it right away because… well, shit happened. Couldn't find her."

Straight across from him, Noel sat in stunned silence, gaze infinitely distant. "Tsubaki…"

"Why was she… no, never mind. Don't answer that." Makoto's tail twitched. "I trusted you with her. Maybe I shouldn't have. Maybe I should've-"

"Yeah, because you would've done an amazing job keeping the ground from spontaneously collapsing, right?" Ragna snarled at the beastkin. How dare she say that? "I tried to protect her, god dammit!"

"Maybe I couldn't have stopped something like that, but I sure as hell wouldn't have left her on her own!" Makoto started to rise, but a small noise to her right stalled her. She turned to Noel, who had buried her face in her hands. The chagrined twitch of Makoto's tail ceased and she sat back down to wrap an arm around Noel's shoulders. However, the glare she threw Ragna informed him she wasn't finished with him. "…Sorry, Noel."

No one spoke for at least a full minute, the only sound an occasional sob from Noel. Finally, Rachel sighed. "It is no doubt tragic what has befallen Miss Yayoi, but we cannot allow this to stall us. Miss Nanaya, could you inform us what you have discovered?"

"Oh, um…" Makoto scrounged in her outfit for a moment and produced the files taken from Azrael. She handed them to Nu, who blinked in confusion. "Give those to Rachel, please. But to summarize…the Librarium's smelting something at Ishana. And, um… according to this, it was someone in Sector Seven that carried out the nuclear attacks, but I don't buy it."

"Nor do I. Kokonoe would not put her arsenal to such a use." She accepted the files from Nu and perused the first page. "You discovered these on your own?"

"Nah, um… Azrael from Sector Seven found them."

Rachel's eyes narrowed. "Azrael, you say."

"Yeah… um, he kinda sorta attacked us. And after we won, we took what he had found…" Makoto rubbed the back of her head, nervous.

"…Consider yourselves lucky. Had he considered you actual threats, I sincerely doubt you would have survived his wrath." Rachel shuddered, a rare display. "And have you not discovered what the Library plans to smelt in Ishana?"

"Er… no. Didn't really get a lot of time to read it. Azrael… uh, he woke up when we were looking over it."

Rachel's eyes snapped up. "I refuse to believe you defeated him a second time."

"No, he just kinda congratulated us for winning. And told us to find out who destroyed Sector Seven for him." Makoto averted her gaze. "…Probably gonna let him know if we find out and meet him again, I'd rather not fight that pyscho again…"

"If you wish. Just do not attempt to bring such a monstrosity into our fold." Rachel turned to Noel, who still sobbed in Makoto's light embrace. "Thank you for the report, Miss Nanaya. I shall allow you and Miss Vermillion time, but do bear in mind, Miss Yayoi may live yet. We shall reconvene tomorrow after I have read through the files."

"Mm… alright. Thanks." Makoto stood up, bringing Noel with her. "Come on, let's…"

"Hey, uh…" Ragna approached them and tapped Noel's shoulder. She turned her tear-stricken face up in time for him to pull her into an embrace. "I'm… really sorry, Noel…"

"Ragna…" She returned the embrace. "…Please don't blame yourself."

"Mm…" Ragna glanced at Rachel. "Uh… where are we supposed to stay until tomorrow, exactly?"

"I shall return to my mansion. You are welcome to join me there." Rachel tilted her head toward Noel. "Or, if Noel's parents feel accommodating, perhaps you could stay here."

"I'm staying here, then." Ragna tightened his grip on Noel. No way was he going to leave her right now. "What about you, Nu? Staying here, too?"

Nu gave a sharp nod. "Nu's staying with Noel."

"Very well then." Rachel rose, the fabric of space ripping around her. "We meet once more tomorrow."

Bang all but flew at Phantom, nigh-impossible to follow. With a roar, he launched a punch clouded by fire. Her teleportation failed and she took the blow head-on. As she ricocheted off the wall, Tsubaki followed with a swift slash. Bang caught the specter, wheeled around in midair and hurled her back across the room. As soon as he touched down, he gave chase with a series of flash steps. "Do you see now? There is no escape for you; you will regret incurring our wrath!"

A fireball stalled his chase and Phantom hovered back into the air. A trio of nails flew after her; the blaze had done precious little to truly dissuade Bang's assault. As he rose up through the air after her, Phantom teleported again. This time when she reappeared, however, an army of illusions in her image popped into existence as well. Snarling, Bang dropped to the ground. "Miss Tsubaki. Have you any way of clearing away these phantasms?"

"En masse? No, I don't believe so." Tsubaki raised her blade, eyes trained for any flicker of movement. "Be patient; we shouldn't-"

"Then allow me to do so!" Bang darted up at the nearest Phantom and punched it. It vanished on impact into suffocating purple smoke. Although he broke into a cough, he shot over to another and delivered a kick. This one exploded and sent him to the floor in a scorched heap.

With a sigh, Tsubaki shook her head. "Even if they didn't act as traps, trying to destroy all of them would take too long and be too draining. Just wait and watch her."

"…Very well." Bang crouched down, hand searching for another nail. Only a few left. But… "Ha! I've got it!"

"What? No, don't-"

It was far too late, however. Bang drew an umbrella from somewhere and hurled it skyward. It floated steadily forward, above even the highest of Phantoms, on unfelt winds and rained a hail of spikes below. Decoy after decoy exploded into smoke, obscuring the air. Tsubaki growled and braced herself for an attack from beyond the spreading smokescreen. A streak of lightning thundered from above and blasted her square in the gut. She crumpled to the ground, wincing and trying to recall where the electricity had come from. Izayoi spat out a small blade of light along her estimation of the bolt's course. The clones all dissipated as it struck the real Phantom.

Magic seals flashed around Phantom, an attempt to cast her victims under a bondage of illusion. In response, Tsubaki shifted her blade back to green and summoned a series of blades to fly up and stab her. Phantom's mental assault ceased and Phantom hovered, stunned, for several moments. With a ferocious grin, Bang launched up and caught her before she could recover. And then flipped upside down and flung himself back to piledrive her into the ground. Tsubaki facepalmed as the two crashed into the tiles and left a crater, dust rising around the impact like smoke. Bang leapt away and spotted his nail lying some distance away. "And now, your end has come! Prepare yourself!"

In an instant, he reached the massive weapon and hefted it, ready to spear her on it. A frosty wave emanated from the crater, catching both him and Tsubaki offguard. It half-froze them, along with the rest of the room, leaving them pinned in place as Phantom hovered forward. The ground cracked below her, embers leaping from whatever hell lurked below. The fissures spread, stretching like fingers to the imprisoned. At the source of the cracks, plumes of magma licked the open air.

A door boomed open behind Phantom. Carl blinked once at the spectacle before charging at Phantom with a cry. He leapt forward, an army of spears jutting from his cape. "Allegretto!"

Trapped in her spellcasting, Phantom couldn't help but take the jabs full-on. The cracks slammed shut, the room inexplicably no worse off for housing lava, even if so briefly. She tried to hover away from the boy, but he kept his charge. "Laetabilis Cantata!"

A giant gear spun into existence and caught her beneath its rapid grind. Aided by the heat from the cracks, Bang shattered his icy prison and again lifted his nail. "Many thanks, Master Carl! Now, stand back!"

To Tsubaki's bewilderment, rather than charge forward and stab Phantom with the weapon, Bang elected to toss it like a javelin. As the gear disappeared, Phantom started creating another ball of mass. The miniature star faded into oblivion as the nail pierced her and drove all the way through. Phantom hovered dead still in midair for several moments. Violet streaks of lightning surrounded her, as with the failed spells from before. A howl of rage rose up from within her and a great multitude of fireballs erupted into existence overhead. More than half of them fizzled out before they could launch. Even the majority of those that blazed forth met the same fate, resulting in only a few blasts of flame for her foes to dodge. One struck Carl, but no more.

Tsubaki turned to the newcomer. "Carl! Where's Platinum?"

"She's out in the hallway; Ada's protecting her." Carl brushed out the flames that ate away at his cape. "Bang, what was that?"

"I… cannot say. But now is not the time!" Although he had no idea why Phantom lost her ability to cast spells, Bang charged nonetheless. And crashed face-first into a wall of fire that whipped him away. As he landed several feet away, he snarled. "So, you are not completely defenseless. Very well then. Our victory is still certain!"

Suppressing a groan of annoyance, Tsubaki warped herself forward, albeit only about halfway to her target. A large blade launched from Izayoi's tip. Phantom attempted to call up a shield to take the blow, but her magic again faltered. The green sword pierced her, broke into four smaller swords and stabbed again. Thick purple mist seeped from the greatest of the wounds. Still, Phantom managed another spell. A giant flint sword rose up above Tsubaki and crashed straight down; she barely managed to roll out of the way, but the shrapnel peppered her.

Acting almost as one, Carl and Bang both launched forward to sandwich Phantom with blows. Bang's fiery punch came first, but right before it could connect, Phantom vanished into thin air. The mechanical knight that extended from within Carl's cape dealt a heavy blow to Bang's gut and the ninja dropped to his knees with a grimace. Carl raced over to his side. "M-Mister Bang! S-sorry, I-"

"Worry… not, Master Carl. It's only a flesh wound." So he could say now, but once Furinkazan ended… Bang patted Carl's shoulder as he rose, hunched over. A trickle of blood streamed down his forehead, no doubt from his ill-thought-out piledriver. "But… if I didn't cut off her magic…"

"If I had to guess, you weakened her connection to the Boundary, but didn't fully sever it." Tsubaki sidestepped a fireball and retaliated with another blade. "Get your nail; another blow might do it. And… don't attack her from both sides again."

"On it, Miss Tsubaki!" Bang flash-stepped forward, but a bolt of lightning left him reeling. "Gah… you dastardly…"

"Miss Tsubaki?" Carl watched Phantom as she hovered high overhead. "What should I do?"

Ceasing her contemplation of teleporting to Phantom's level, Tsubaki chewed her lip. That… was a problem. Carl had no means of reaching Phantom to strike her, and even when she was low enough for him to attack, the lack of Nirvana left him a liability. "Carl… I…"

A swarm of fireballs descended upon her, although most dissipated long before reaching her. Her decision made for her, she vanished into thin air and appeared right behind Phantom. Just as the specter planned, it seemed; a spiral's arm of fire struck before she could attack and spun her into the wall. Before she could even slide down it, Phantom whipped around, summoning a bolt of electricity… Purple lightning swallowed it up and the spell failed, leaving Tsubaki to drop in relative safety.

Grunting through pain, Bang reached his nail. And comprehension dawned on him. A weapon that broke connections with the Boundary… how could he have been so foolish to not realize it earlier? "Heh. So this is Rettenjou… Phantom! Your time has come to an end! Shishigami-style ultimate super move… uh…"

From where she slumped against the wall, Tsubaki turned to him. "Just do it!"

"Hurricane Assault!" Bang vanished entirely and reappeared at Phantom's level. With a dash through the air, he grabbed her and tossed her to the ground. He hurled his nail down after her; the spike bore straight through her back and pinned her to the floor. Fist drawn back and burning, Bang launched himself down after her. "Farewell, evildoer!"

His fist struck the nail and hammered it down as a great corona of fire erupted all around him. Carl braced himself behind his cape while Tsubaki raised her sword to block the heat the best she could. When the prominence cleared, Bang held himself aloft on his out-stretched arm, the nail driven almost all the way into the ground. Phantom did not so much as twitch. The shinobi sprang back to his feet and grinned at his defeated opponent. "Ha! Do you see now? There is not a soul who can escape the justice of Bang Shishigami! If you still live…"

A fireball, minute and pitiful, brushed his cheek and left a light burn. "You still resist? Very well then! I shall… guh…"

The golden glow around him died, and all the exertion spent under Furinkazan struck him at once. With a weak moan, he keeled over, clutching his head. He peered up, expecting Phantom to attack. Instead, in the wake of Tsubaki charging forward, Phantom sparked twice, signifying failed spells, and vanished, leaving opaque smoke to cloud the area around the nail. Sighing, Tsubaki knelt beside Bang. "Mister Bang! What's wrong?"

"Heh… worry not…" Bang fought to bring himself up to his hands and knees. "Just… somewhat exhausted…"

"I… see." Eyeing Carl as he approached, Tsubaki offered a hand to Bang. "Carl, help me get Bang back on his feet."

"R-right." The panic that the heat of battle brought fading, Carl allowed Bang to sling an arm over his shoulder. Nervousness swallowed up the previous fear and he looked over at Tsubaki. "…I'm really sorry about… before, Miss Tsubaki. I didn't mean to…"

"…You helped save me here, Carl. Assuming you promise to change your methods, I can forgive you." Tsubaki grunted as they trudged under Carl's guidance toward a door. "Bang… Carl… thank you so much."

"It is nothing, Miss Tsubaki." Bang grinned at her despite all the pain and exhaustion. "It is my duty, as a protector of justice, to aid my friends in their darkest hour, is it not? I, Bang Shishigami, will not allow harm to befall you."

The bravado, forced as it was, brought a light laugh to Tsubaki. Before she could say anything, Carl opened the door and they gazed upon Platinum, wrapped up in Nirvana's arms. The girl turned her eyes, teary and wide with terror, on them. "…Trinity's gone…"

Jin scowled as he leaned against a wall. Where the hell was that blasted Intelligence outpost? Hazama wanted to meet him here, and all that stood in Jin's way of slaughtering that bastard was simply not knowing where this stupid outpost was. With a growl, he slammed the back of his fist against the brick.

"Something the matter?" A masculine voice sounded from a bench; Jin had to blink twice before he was certain he was viewing the source correctly. A man, purple-haired and clothed in a red and pink kimono, eyed him with a light smirk. "You, ah, seem lost."

"Yes, I am." Deciding the man creeped him out entirely, Jin nonetheless asked, "Could you tell me where the Intelligence outpost is?"

"Mm… I'm afraid not." The man rose and sauntered toward Jin. "But my, are you a fascinating one. That sword… you must perform some sort of martial art, hm? And that uniform… ah, my apologies for my rudeness."

Jin sneered, hand wandering to Yukianesa's hilt. "Who the hell are you?"

"Forgive me. I am Amane Nishiki, just a humble traveling actor." With a theatrical bow, Amane looked up and smirked. "And you are…?"

"…Get lost." With a sniff, Jin turned and walked away.

"Oh my, this won't do." Amane straightened up and ran over to Jin's side. "I simply must have you for my troupe! Leave the Librarium and join me!"

"What part of 'get lost' did you not understand, you bother?" Jin stepped away from Amane and glowered, hand resting on Yukianesa. "Unless you have a death wish."

"Oh, how scary." Amane's smirk took a dark turn. The ribbons of his outfit shifted. "But again… you are quite fascinating. I simply must have you!"

"Feh. Have it your way, then… huh?" Both turned to peer into an alleyway as a tall figure strode through it, form obscured by shadows. Something inside Jin buzzed at the presence, something alien and altogether uncomfortable. With a grunt, he stepped back. "What the… who the hell are you?"

"I am the white void, sent to cleanse the world. I am Hakumen." Hakumen stepped out of the shadows and drew Ookami. His past self. Did he understand the power he held… the path to misery he may walk? Jin Kisaragi could not be allowed to fail again… no matter which one it was. "I am here to test you, Jin Kisaragi."

"…What?" One of the Six Heroes? Here, and wanting to 'test' him? Jin stepped further away, the buzz in his chest all but numbing him. "What the hell do you mean, you bastard?"

"Draw your sword, Kisaragi. And show me your determination."