KraKoo~m!
It was evening outside the Hakurei Shrine.
Hikari skidded to a halt. She could feel her friends scrunch up behind her- "Woah..."
Unfortunately, Hikari was not as rigid in her stopping posture as Hiyori could be, so she was pushed along for a good distance, before the conga line fell apart, the various members collapsing onto the path's side. Except Hiyori and Osamu, the latter of whom was pressed against Hiyori's back.
"Mmph." Osamu protested from Hiyori's backside.
"Go-gods…" The dark mage, who tagged along, grumbled… "What kind of inept teleportation…"
'Hey…' Dusting herself off, Hikari got up.
Marigold actually vocalized her defense, though. "Hey, I'd like to see you teleport, miss doom and gloom."
The mage scoffed. "...Pftah."
Looking up, the mage saw the moon.
…
Osamu sneezed. "You smell like rocks, dude…"
Hiyori idly glanced at him, before turning away again to watch the dark mage's reaction.
…
"Th-that…" Her cynical eyes were wide. "...Th-the moon…!?"
Hikari nodded. "Yeah. We're on the surface."
She turned to Hikari, for only a moment. "Th-that existed!?"
Then, the mage whipped her head around, taking in the unfamiliar scenery. "Trees…" She kneeled, and dug her hands into the grass on the side of the path. "Gr-grass…"
'Someone's never been upside, before.' Hikari watched quietly. '...She just said her name was Murakami, right? I can't believe that almost just slipped my mind…'
Osamu grinned. "Yeah, dude. They're plants."
"Th-they're extinct!" Murakami grinned widely. "Do you know how useful this used to be!?"
Marigold sighed. "...Yeah. Used to be. Wait- when was grass ever useful?"
"...I mean the flowers associated with vegetation, amatuer." She scowled at Marigold.
Unable to leave this sitting down, Marigold jabbed back. "Even after this huge revelation, you're still somehow able to be prickly."
Standing up, Murakami pointed at Marigold. "And you're a child. How old are you, twenty? Thirty?"
...Marigold blinked. "Seventeen, thank you very-"
"Seventeen!?" Murakami gawked. "You were just born yesterday!"
"We-well, how old are you?" Marigold fluffs up, slightly offended.
"A proud three hundred." She smirked. "Well over your senior. I had even learned all of the underground's available magic within my fiftieth year. Aren't I simply amazing?"
...Relaxing, Marigold sighs. "...Sure. For someone from down under, anyway."
Murakami fluffs up, in turn.
'This is never going to end.' Hikari realized.
"Hey…" Hiyori spoke up.
The mage tried to talk over her. "What's that supposed to-"
"Hey." Hiyori asserted herself into the conversation.
...The two magi turned to her, brows raised.
"...If you take this path that way," She points in the way of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, "you'll come across a lake. If you cross it- or go around it- you'll be at a mansion. Say you're there to visit the library. You'll meet someone you like there."
…
Murakami smiled. "You think me simple? I am off to study the moon, and refine my masterful magical prowess. And none of you may come along."
'Gee…' Hikari was offset by her ungratefulness. 'Actually…' "Can we have that lens?" Hikari pointed to the moon lens she held.
...Shrugging, the mage stepped up to Hikari, and handed it to her. "Fine. That is your payment for bringing me here. I will hear no further complaints when I, one day, conquer this manor you spoke of. It is no doubt your headquarters, is it not? Expect me."
With that, she floats off into the woods.
'Good luck.' Hikari thought back to Remilia and Flandre. '...You'll need it.'
...
"What a bitch." Osamu neutrally jabbed at the absent magi. "With a capital B, dude."
"What she does is her business." Hiyori resolved. "...Unless she hurts people. Then it'd be our business."
'Not like we'd ever really know unless she was really public about it.' ...Hikari thought on that. 'She probably would be.'
Looking up at the shrine, Hikari considered popping in for a snooze…
'I'm not really tired right now. But if I don't sleep, I'll be tired during the day…' Hikari was faced with a tough decision.
It was answered for her, a gap opening in the air before Hikari and her party.
'Oh, boy…'
...Osamu furrowed his brows at it, as it expanded to block the stairway up. "...So, 're we just gettin' attacked by holes with eyes in them now?"
'Apparently.' Hikari anticipated Yukari's appearance…
Marigold lifted her NF Burst Gun. "We're gonna find out, I guess…"
Hikari turned to her, but didn't move to stop her.
PoPoPoPoPop!
The danmaku bolts flew into the purple-eyed abyss.
…
"Hu-huah!?" Marigold flinched violently, the very same rainbow colored bullets slamming into her backside.
Turning, the party saw a gap slowly close behind her.
"Now, is that any way to treat one of your friends…?"
Yukari's playful voice came from all directions around the party, to the mystification of Hiyori and Osamu. Marigold was busy being disgruntled over the bullets, rubbing where they struck. "One of our 'friends', huh…?"
From the path-obstructing gap before them, the figure of Yukari floated up to sit on the rim.
Osamu's jaw dropped. "Ho~ly… dude!"
...Hikari and Marigold turned to him expectantly.
Noticing their stares, he hastily looked back and forth between Yukari and the party, before hovering his hands over his chest area and thrusting them outward.
...Marigold slowly rose her gun, pointing it at him.
"I'm glad we're on the same page, here." Yukari gave the two a dry stare.
Hiyori decided to press for information. "Who are you?"
Smiling, Yukari leaned back. "Let us just say that I'm an old friend of Hikari's… Isn't that right?" She slowly pans her gaze to Hikari.
Hikari sighed. "Begrudgingly."
At that, Yukari smirks. "Oh, come, now. I know I may've been a little testy before, but you'll forgive me…" Reaching her hand forward, a gap opened to envelop it. The outbound gap opened before Hikari, the hand attempting to stroke her chin. "Ri~ght, Hikari…?"
...Hikari stepped back, and rose her gohei.
Thwack!
Yukari pouted. "...Fi~ne." The hand was retracted, and the gaps sealed.
...Hiyori tried again. "Who, exactly, are you?"
Yukari doesn't reply, instead taking the moment to fix her posture.
"A creep." Hikari fills in the blank, instead.
Osamu grinned at her. "Good lookin'!"
Marigold facepalms.
"Fufufu~!" Unfurling a fan, Yukari obscures her face. "I'm flattered!"
"...You're being rather sociable for someone who was making fun of how supposedly weak my party was earlier." Hikari noticed an inconsistency.
"Oh, I'm just trying to be polite. This battle is in our favor, now." Yukari looks to the side, glancing at the darkness of the night. "Even if I'm… less than convinced by your overall power."
At that, Osamu began objecting as normal. "...Hey, what's that supposed ta mean?"
"It means you four are weak." Yukari raises her hands in a faux-defensive manner. "It is a simple fact."
Hiyori slowly hefted up her mace.
…
"I mean in a combat sense, oni." Yukari grinned, focusing on her. "What good is your brute strength if you cannot hit anything?"
Hiyori moved to prove her wrong. As she neared, and swung down, a gap opened to envelop her attack. Slowly, it expanded to envelop her. "Ah- hey!"
She fell down into it.
…
Bam!
Seconds later, she fell from the sky, landing halfway into the floor on her legs.
'Good.' Hikari mentally noted how cheap Yukari's power could be.
"Let this not be a time for battle." Yukari held her arms out. "Let this be a time for cooperation… because we both have a common foe, here."
At that, Hiyori perks up.
"I'm sure you all want a piece of this Giygas fellow…" At that, Yukari smirked. "As do I."
The party's overall attitude went from vaguely distrustful to vaguely interested and distrustful.
"What's the catch, here?" Marigold spoke up, face skeptical. "I've heard about-"
"Yes, yes, I'm sure you've been told all sorts of tales about me." Yukari rolled her eyes. "I am an individual people simply love to talk about. Who can blame them?"
...Marigold gave her a dry stare.
Hikari had had enough of Yukari's sass. "Can we get to the point, already?"
At that, Yukari nods. "Alri~ght… Now, as I'm sure you all know, Giygas has been spreading his influence across all of Gensokyo."
The party nods in general agreement. Osamu blinks. "...So that's what's been happening."
While this does not instill confidence in Yukari, she continues. "...After Hikari had sealed his ability to spread his influence, Giygas' position was easily ascertainable in relation to Gensokyo's barrier. As it turns out, he is trapped in here with us."
Hikari puts the pieces together… "So, we just go beat him up, right?"
"Precisely." Yukari smirks again. "...Though, you four do not seem… qualified."
"Dude!" Osamu objected, more objectionably this time. "Smashin' stuff's what we do best! Who the hell else're you gonna get to beat up this red gas... fog thing?"
"The elder Hakurei. The witch. Any number of more well-equipped people." Yukari monotoned names. "...Unfortunately, Hikari is a key component of this party, as she is now immune to Giygas' influence, and by extension, she grants immunity to those around her."
Hikari folded her arms. "...So I am, huh?"
"Mmm." Yukari confirmed. "...Can I not convince you to take more able people?"
"You went off on a tangent about how I always look to others for help." Hikari countered. "...And now you're telling me to look to others for help."
Yukari huffed, folding her own arms. "Oh, pedantics. Besides, this is more important than whatever little personal squabble you have with me, Hakurei."
…
"So, where is he?" Marigold broke the staring contest the two had started. "Not to interrupt you two, but uhm…"
"...There is no helping it, I suppose." Yukari sighed. "...I'll have to ring up a friend of mine to properly show you to the place. Let me see if…" Furrowing her brows, Yukari opened a gap before the party. "Enter here. In the meantime, I'll see what I can do about getting that friend of mine."
...The party stares at the gap, unmoving.
Yukari gazed back blankly. Gaps opened beneath the four of them.
"Hey- fuck!" Osamu flailed at the air. "Du~de!"
"A-ah…!?" Marigold fell like a rock.
Hiyori tried to flail her way out of it, which went about as well as expected.
Hikari let herself fall.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
They didn't fall far, landing on their feet quickly on the stone floor.
Hikari took a look around in the darkness…
'This is… the underground?'
They were at a very far end along the wall of the underground. From here, Hikari could see the dim sky of the large cavern, the corner they sat in very dark in comparison to the glow that constantly illuminated the rest of the underground's plains.
Turning to the wall, the party had a large cave opening before them. From it, a blaring sound was audible.
'Uhm…?'
Osamu snorted. "That a trumpet?"
"...Maybe." Hiyori guessed. "It's an unfamiliar sound…"
Moving forward, the party slowly entered the cave. Inside, it wasn't dark, interestingly, but the lighting seemed to have an unnaturally constant value to it.
Green grass curiously sat on the edge of the ledge the party stood upon. The path quickly trailed off before them, ending.
'...What is this place?'
A dim flash of yellow light illuminated large ledges in the distances of the cave's walls. Brown walls that resembled more dirt than stone rigidly formed a pattern of perfectly vertical walls, with odd slips into them here and there.
Before them was an immense, seemingly bottomless abyss. In the midst of it were tiny platforms, with flat toned, green grass sitting atop them, in an almost uniform manner.
Hikari looked up, seeing orbs of darkness hang from the ceiling, whirling violently with hostile red and purple glows, but not making any noise.
A yellow orb of light, to the left and forward a bit, continually fell from the obscurity of the infinite ceiling, and downward into the infinite floor, before reappearing after a good minute or so.
"...What the fuck." Osamu gaped at the cave.
"...Where are we?" Marigold questioned, turning to Hikari.
"I have no idea." Hikari backed away from the ledge.
'I don't trust this weird grass…'
Suddenly, the blaring sound of the cave erupted next to them.
"A-ah…!?" Marigold tensed up. "...Ge-geez…"
…
"I don't think there's anything we can do, here." Hiyori looked around. "This place is kinda…"
'Yeah…'
Before the four, a gap opened, Yukari popping out again. "Hello, hello! I got my friend on the line!"
A different gap opened. From it floated a barefooted woman, who was wearing a basic grey t-shirt with English type on it, a plaid skirt, and a large hat.
'What…?' Hikari furrowed her brows at the giant red orb on her hat. Two other blue and yellow orbs were held in her hands, attached to her hat by chains.
'I can't imagine that being good for her neck…'
"He~y, he~y!" The woman smiled widely, kicking her legs in the air as she drifted from the gap. "How's it goin'!?"
Osamu's jaw dropped.
...The red-haired girl eventually glanced at him, and then realized what caused his reaction. Lowering her legs, and her skirt, she pivoted in the air towards Yukari, glaring. "...You didn't tell me there was gonna be a dude!"
"I didn't tell you there was not going to be a 'dude'." Yukari grinned back.
"U~gh…" The woman groaned. "You're annoying, Yukari."
From there, Yukari introduced her. "Hikari and others, meet-"
"He-hey! Hey!"
A different, green-haired girl darted from the slowly closing gap, just before it closed. Twirling through the air, she glared down at Yukari. "When I say 'wait', that means I want you to wait!"
"Oh. How careless of me." Yukari monotoned.
"Are you not forgetting that I'm overseeing this transgression?"
The irate girl had formal blue attire on, and a poofy blue hat. Shiny yellow metal pads on her hat and shoulders made her look important.
'Are those some kind of metal, or gold?' Hikari was unsure. '...I think they're just metal.'
...Looking over at Hikari's party, Eiki scanned their figures, before resting on Hikari's.
"...For what reason are you proposing we send a Hakurei to Hell, again?" The blue-clad girl turned to Yukari.
'Wait, what?'
Yukari sighed. "We'll get there."
"...Eiki Shiki, Yamaxanadu." Floating down towards Hikari, Eiki held out her hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Hakurei disciple."
Hikari was taken aback, for a moment. '...I think this is the first time anyone actually respected my title. Aside from maybe Hiyori...'
She shook Eiki's hand.
Osamu had a question, though. "Eiki Shiki- what? Like, yabbadabbadoo? That part 'a your name?"
...Eiki sighed, giving him a dry stare.
Before she could speak, Yukari pushed things along. "Hikari and friends, meet my friend Hecatia!"
Hecatia waves. "Hi~! I'm gonna be sending you to Hell!"
…
"I have doubts." Hiyori slowly reached for her mace…
"Me, too." Eiki expressed disdain. "I see no reason that these four should be exposed to Hell. None."
"It is an important personal matter." Yukari folds her arms. "You see, it is only partly my idea. They wish to trek there."
...Blinking, Eiki turns to the party. Behind her, Yukari mouths 'say yes'.
'Oh, boy.'
Osamu speaks. "Ye-yeah!"
Hiyori speaks at the same time. "Not at all."
Marigold also speaks at the same time. "We-well- uhm…"
…
'That went about as well as I expected.'
Yukari facepalmed. "You…"
Eiki slowly turned to her. "...I believe you have some explaining to do."
From there, Yukari proceeds to explain. "You see, recently, Gensokyo has been invaded by a foreign power that goes by the name 'Giygas'. It had instilled itself into our-"
"Giygas…?" Eiki spoke up. "...I know that name."
Yukari sighed in relief, thankful that she didn't have to explain everything to Eiki. "Good, good…"
"He is vastly wanted across the administration, as he has cheated death, and has been cheating death… for quite some time, now." She pauses. "I cannot recall how long. I don't particularly know how, either, but all the shinigami the administration's sent after him either have been unable to find him, or have died."
...Yukari furrowed her brows. "Shinigami can die?"
"Well- yeah…" Eiki trailed off. "It's… a curious process."
At that, Yukari continues. "...This is basically Gensokyo's attempt at ridding the world of Giygas."
Eiki nodded. "I… see…" Slowly, she turned to Osamu. "With… fairly average people."
"We know what we're doing." Hikari declared.
'Vaguely.'
"...If you say so." Eiki didn't look pleased. "...Are you certain you know what you're getting yourself into?"
Hikari further justifies their involvement. "That's why we're the ones for the job. No one else has had the experience we've had."
"We've fought possessed people." Marigold contributed. "They weren't so bad."
"We kicked some serious ass!" Osamu flexed, his nonexistent muscles obscured by his robes. "Dude, we made a giant bear explode!"
...Eiki furrows her brows.
"We've been witness to Giygas' antagonism." Hiyori spoke quickly, grinning as she spoke over Osamu's detail. "...We believe him to be quite malevolent."
'...I don't think we actually know anything about Giygas, other than that he likes red mist.' Hikari reflected.
"...I don't know." Eiki was still on the fence.
Hecatia spoke up. "C'mo~n, Eiki~! I mean, look: this place is, like, the same on every plane."
Eiki furrows her brows. "What?"
"Seriously!" Giggling, Hecatia spread her arms out. "This cave's like, kinda sorta the same on all the worlds. Not the geographical bits, just the bit where Giygas should be, I think."
...Eiki nods. "That means?"
"It means they won't even really be in Hell." Hecatia stated. "They'll just be in that cave place."
...After a moment, Eiki's eyes subtly widened. "Oo~h. I follow, yes. In that case, there should be no problem, as long as they return in adequate time."
"Splendid!" Yukari re-engaged herself. "Hecatia, can you teleport them, or do I need to gap you back so you can mark it down?"
"I'm'onna hafta mark it, Yukari." Hecatia floated towards the gap youkai. "Hell's big. Also, this body's not supposed to be on Earth, so~..."
"Mmm." A gap opened. "Make haste, Hecatia. We count on you."
"Yeah, yeah." Hecatia hovered into the gap Yukari opened, and it closed behind her.
…
Standing on the grassy platform, Eiki turned to the party. "So… you brought up the possession problem, right?"
Hiyori nodded. "Mmm."
"It's good that you four have been working to prevent that. The past week, or so… let's just say things have been a little busier than usual. It doesn't help that the souls come with remnants of his influence. I have to beat up some of them myself." Eiki explained some details about her job.
"What do you do, again?" Hikari was curious.
"She's a Yamaxanadu." Marigold answered for her.
Hikari didn't know what that was. Osamu spoke up. also not knowing. "Seriously, that the hell's a yamayamadoodah?"
Eiki opens her mouth to speak…
"She judges dead people." Marigold summarizes.
...Eiki seems slightly disappointed. "Well, in summary, yes…"
...After a moment of blank acceptance, Osamu double-took. "Wait, another after-life thing!? Dude, are there like, ten different places you go when you die!?"
At that, Eiki snorts. "There are at least ten pages of paperwork involved."
Osamu put his hands up. "Whelp, that's it. I ain't dyin."
'Good luck.'
"Easier said than done." Marigold smiles ironically.
...After a moment of idle silence, Hikari looks over the ledge again, cautiously.
'Is it me, or is the darkness below churning?' She focused her gaze, unable to tell if it was an optical illusion of some kind or not.
There was a little ringtone.
Yukari perked up. "Oh? That was fast…" She flipped out a rectangular device, which folded open. "Hello~. Found the place? Okay, they'll be right over."
'What?' Hikari stared at her, mystified.
Clapping her hands, and shutting the rectangle, Yukari shooed them. "Alright. Away you four go."
Gaps opened under them.
"Not again!" Osamu flapped his arms like a bird. "Fuuuu-"
Hiyori begrudgingly let herself fall in, while Marigold didn't have an immense choice due to her luggage.
Hikari knew she didn't really have a choice, at that point.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Landing in front of her friends, Hikari looked around…
"Hell welcomes you!" Hecatia beamed ahead of them. "...Well, this portion of Hell, anyway. The rest, uhh… yeah. I don't think you wanna see that stuff."
'Already filling us with confidence.'
"Hrr-r-r-r-o-o-o…!" There was an unnatural hissing sound nearby, which slowly grew in volume.
Hecatia frowned. "U~gh… Just, no!" With a flick of her fingers, a column of flames erupted in the general vicinity of the hissing, rising from behind a large rock. "Stupid mantis things…"
...The party warily eyed the wall of flames.
"Good times." Marigold monotoned. "...Goo~d times."
'I sort of share Marigold's fear of fire, now.' Hikari rubbed her skin idly… 'It always felt horrible, but being lit on fire multiple times in rapid succession's not something I want to do ever again.'
"Just- just go in there…!" Hecatia whined, pointing at the similar cave opening repeatedly with both arms.
Before she was able to take a good look around at the red landscape of Hell, Hikari stepped inside the cave indifferently…
Like the previous cave, the grass was green, and the lighting was constant. The walls were weirdly rigid, purple orbs hung in the air, and there was that one little light orb that fell.
Hikari proceeded onto the wider, more fleshed out ledge. It stretched out slightly into the abyss, but didn't allow more progress.
There was a figure in a gi, sitting cross legged on one of the outstretching portions of the ledge. She had a large, red horn, and black hair...
'Some oni, I guess.'
On the other side of the abyss, however, she could make out somebody…
'...Is that Yukari?' She furrowed her brows, unable to quite make her out from the waves of yellow light that transmitted through the walls in sync with the blaring trumpet sounds. It was also as if a grey fog obscured specific details of the distance, rendering it a blur.
...Hikari turned to Marigold. "Shoot over there."
"A-ah? Okay…?" Marigold complied. "What gun?"
"Any." Hikari didn't care.
...Taking her Microwave Gun from her backpack, Marigold shot it at the wall on the other side of the abyss. The amber beam stretched across the length of the abyss, although the latter portion of it was obscured by the curiously transparent grey haze.
…
Yukari began drifting over, her form slowly becoming more and more visible.
'Yeah, that's definitely her.'
...Yukari's brow was risen as she neared the party. "So that's how this place works…"
Hiyori's gaze was on the oni. "...What are you doing here?"
Everyone turned to Hiyori, before acknowledging the meditating oni.
…
Moving next to her, Hiyori sat down in a similar position.
…
Yukari turned to Hikari. "Is this a normal thing, o~r…?"
"Are you a normal thing?" Hikari didn't feel like being buddy buddy with the gap youkai.
Yukari scoffed. "Why, I'm seventeen years old, I'll have you know."
Marigold snapped her head towards her. "No. You're not. Don't."
"Fufufu~..." Adequately amused, Yukari relented. "Alright, I might be fibbing a little. But, do I not look seventeen?" To emphasize her point, Yukari props her arms under her breasts.
"You look seventeen." Osamu grinned.
"...Well, aside from her actual age, she looks at least thirty." Marigold got into the pedantics of things.
'This is the important discussion we must be having, right now.'
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: HIYORI'S VIEW ====
Tuning out the bickering of the girls behind her, Hiyori began focusing on mediating…
'The last time I really meditated…' She shuddered at the feeling of getting her limbs and senses removed.
Even so, she continued to drown out the voices behind her, sinking deeper into her meditative state.
…
When all was quiet, she felt a presence before herself.
…
'Who is there!?' Konngara's voice blares in Hiyori's mind. 'Name yourself!'
'...Hiyori!' It took her a moment, as she was surprised by the other oni's sudden aggression.
…
Konngara's question was simple. 'How?'
'My friends and I came here to find the source of Gensokyo's disruption.'
'Hiyori…' Konngara was confused. 'This is New Hell. What reason would it be here?'
'A cave across from this abyss leads to the underground.' Hiyori informed her. 'This place appears to exist on multiple levels.'
…
'That is very curious.' Konngara was indifferent.
'...I'd like to know what you're doing in New Hell, though.' Hiyori was equally bemused by the other oni's supposed location.
'I come here to sharpen my skills and train my mind.' Konngara reveals. 'The foes here are plentiful and powerful, and the work the administration of right and wrong imposes on the oni here is… not necessarily grueling, but some might deem them 'morally daunting'. The oni here aren't quite like the oni outside.'
...Hiyori would've nodded, were they not communicating with their minds. 'I'll have to keep that in mind. How do you get here, anyway?'
Konngara describes the path, 'There are two ways. The first is to go down an immense distance until you wind up upon the ceiling of New Hell. The other is to summon a portal. This is… a task of insane difficulty normally, but many ruins throughout Old Hell contain partially finished or simply deactivated gates. It's not difficult to rebuild, reactivate, and otherwise refurbish gates to get down here.'
'...I see.' Hiyori took a moment to absorb the information.
…
'Has the power of the stars been of use to you?' Konngara asked.
Hiyori didn't catch it at first… 'The power of…' Then, it clicked. 'Yes, it has been immensely useful.'
'I'm glad.'
…
Konngara questioned Hiyori again. 'You felt it, right?'
This time, Hiyori had no leads. 'Felt what?'
'Moments ago. That pulse.'
'...What?' She was lost.
…
'I see. You must not be as sensitive to the world's flow as I am.' Konngara audibly sighed, as audible as thoughts could be. '...Even so, I'll teach what I felt, to you, if you so desire.'
...Hiyori agrees with her offer. 'Okay, sure.'
Dizziness struck her for a moment, and then-
Fwoa~om…
Before her, a wooden floor spread out. Eventually, it formed a hexagonal platform, with a small rim around it to mark the boundaries. Beyond this platform was the darkness of mind Hiyori was familiar with.
'Wh-what…?' Despite still being in a meditative state, she felt floor beneath her. 'This is…'
In her mind's eye, Konngara rose into a standing position.
'Can you move?' Stepping towards her, she reached out her hand.
'...Let me~...' Hiyori focused on attempting to mobilize herself, but nothing happened.
'Don't think about moving.' Konngara instructed her. 'Just move.'
…
Hiyori's arm raised, almost involuntarily, and her hand took Konngara's.
Like this, the standing oni pulled her up, her legs moving to support a standing position.
'I see…' Hiyori let her movements flow. 'This feels new.'
'I'd imagine.' Stoic, Konngara steps back, clapping her hands together. 'I shall now demonstrate the technique's power to you.'
…
Hiyori rose a brow not entirely voluntarily. 'There's not really anything here to hit.'
Konngara tried PK Starstorm Ω!
Looking up, Hiyori saw giant, pale blue, star-shaped masses whirling down from above, glowing brilliantly in the darkness of the mental space.
They quickly spiralled towards Hiyori, who gaped at the projectiles, which easily trumped the size of the previous incarnation quadfold…
'Uh-uhm…!?' Unsure what to do to defend herself in her mind, Hiyori guarded with her arms.
The thick stars slammed down onto the wooden platform.
Boom! Boom- Boom! Boom, boom- bwaa~sh!
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: HIKARI'S VIEW ====
Yukari reclined in her gap, staring at the two motionless oni impatiently.
"A~ny second now." Marigold smugly tried to reinforce a previous estimate of hers, regarding when they'd wake up.
Osamu had a dissenting opinion. "I say it takes her a day, too. It took Hikari like, a day."
'I wasn't simply meditating, though…'
"Are you su~re we can't leave her behind?" Yukari lazily stretched her arm out, and poked Hiyori's forehead.
...Slowly, Hiyori tipped backwards, onto her back, before she began softly convulsing.
...
'The gap youkai gets the gohei again.' Hikari rose her gohei, and casually progressed towards Yukari.
Grinning, Yukari held up a hand. "I had nothing to do with that. Honest."
"Which means you did." Hikari wasn't taking no for an answer.
"A-ah…" Hiyori's eyes shot open, her arms instantly propping themselves against the ground around herself.
Hiyori realized the power of PK Starstorm Ω!
...The other oni's eyes opened. "That should be all."
With that, she stood up. "I'll be off, now. Please, refrain from following me, for the time being."
Yukari pouted. "Aren't you gonna tell these ladies who you are?"
Osamu turned towards her, brows furrowed.
"It doesn't matter." Turning to look over the party, her gaze lingering on Hikari for a moment, it eventually rested on Hiyori. "...The flow of this world is no longer inhibited. Times will be interesting."
...Then, her eyes briefly glanced down at the mace Hiyori held.
Standing up, Hiyori stared at her, unsure what to make of the unclear information. As the oni turned to leave, Hiyori thanked her. "Thanks."
"...You're welcome."
After a few moments, the oni left the cave.
…
Marigold tilted her head. "So, who was that?"
She eventually focused on Hiyori. Noticing her gaze, Hiyori focused on Yukari, hoping for her to make things convenient.
Smirking, Yukari shrugged. "I haven't the faintest idea. Enlighten us… oni."
...After a moment of staring down the gap youkai, Hiyori gave a brief rundown. "Her name is Konngara. She's one of the devas of the mountain, and I had to face off with her… for this." Hiyori rose her mace.
"We found that in the mansion, though." Hikari noted, curious.
"...She didn't necessarily have it to give me, after we tied." Hiyori revealed. "She didn't even know where it ended up."
"You tied? And she allowed it to you?" Yukari was vaguely surprised. "My, how times have changed…!"
'I thought she didn't know who she was…'
Marigold looked at Yukari, skeptical herself.
Osamu folded his arms behind his head. "So? People can tie in fights."
Hikari snorted. 'He missed the inconsistency completely.'
Hiyori didn't dignify Yukari's prodding with a response. Instead, she tried to push things along. "...Shouldn't we be getting around to fighting Giygas?"
Yukari perked up. "Oh, right! Aa~h… well, from what I can tell…" Turning around, she pensively examined the statically lit room before her.
Another trumpet sound blared next to the party.
"U~gh…" Marigold was not enjoying them.
Yukari turned back to them. "I cannot detect a trace of Giygas' presence here, in spite of the fact he was, without a doubt, here the moment Hikari had awoken... and when I had gone here directly. I couldn't find him, though I could feel him."
Hikari nodded idly. "That means…?"
"Giygas isn't here." Yukari's face fell. "...I cannot detect him with Gensokyo's barrier."
'...Oh, boy.'
"Wait, so…" Osamu's mouth slowly opens. "Dude, did he fuckin' run!? Ha~haha!"
"It seems very possible." Yukari brought a gloved hand to her chin. "...If so, I'll simply see what I can do to track him outside of Gensokyo. Such a being couldn't have gone far, I'm sure. Until I determine the best way to engage him-"
A ringing noise came from Yukari's dress.
...Reaching her hand inside, Yukari took out a rectangular device, and flipped it open. "Hello~? Yes, yes, you'll get your payment- look, I'm busy. Yes, genuinely. No. No. Why? For what reason…? No." With that, she clicked the phone shut.
'I have no idea what that was-'
It rang again.
Yukari rolled her eyes, flipping it open. "Yes? I know, I know- no, I didn't forget. Look…"
A gap opened before her. Eiki fell from above, sitting on a plain brown chair, holding a black, corded object.
"Happy?" Yukari spoke into her rectangle, before flipping it shut.
Eiki sighed. She let go of the corded object, and it flew back up into the gap, before it closed. "I suppose so."
...Then, Eiki looked around. "We'll need Hecatia here for a formal transfer back to Earth."
...Yukari stared at her dryly. "Genuinely."
"Mmm. Policy." Eiki folded her arms. "As she is the goddess of Hell and all, she is to be the one who oversees transfers of living or dead beings to and from the premises. The sending of souls to hell is strictly a court matter that has been pre-established-"
Yukari began clapping a hand open and closed to simulate her talking.
"-by the Administration of Right and Wrong. To this end, the exceptions to this rule are listed under article A-seventeen, G-seven hundred sixty seven, and X-three hundred sixty five, in light of recent events. Now, the subsection A represents-"
Yukari's finger emerges from a gap, lightly touching Eiki's lips. Pausing, she looks up at Yukari…
"In about a sentence or less, please." Yukari requests. "Not for my sake, but for theirs." She gestures to the party, as her finger slips back into the gap it emerged from.
'I didn't get a single thing she said.' Hikari completely phased out any and all boring details.
"I got some of it." Marigold was defensive. "Kinda."
"Bringing souls back from hell is not in my jurisdiction, and neither is it supposed to be yours." Eiki summarized, directing her statement towards the gap youkai.
...Reluctantly, Yukari flipped the rectangular object open again, and started dialing numbers.
"Okay, what the fuck is that thing?" Osamu was tired of being in the dark about it. "And why does it beep?"
His last comment made Yukari grin. "...Why wouldn't it beep? Or, rather… why shouldn't it?"
The answer didn't help him. He resolved to fold his arms.
After a moment, she held it to her ears…
"Hey, Hecatia… No, I need you here. Not like that. I know I just told you… I know. If you do not come, I will regard this job as incomplete. That means no payment. Which means- okay, alright." She flipped the rectangle shut, and proceeded to toss it into the abyss behind herself.
Eiki chuckled.
Quickly, a gap opened before Yukari, and she plunged her arms in. After a moment of rummaging, she pulled out Hecatia.
"He-he~y! Lemme go!" Hecatia half-heartedly struggled, more annoyed than concerned.
"You are needed to transport them back." Yukari coldly instructed her.
"Gee~z…" Hecatia rubbed her arm, as if the manhandling actually bothered her. "Ran forgot to make ya pancakes this morning, or what?"
Yukari sighed.
"Hehehe!" With that, Hecatia turned to the party. "...Y'want me to bring 'em back to Earth?"
"Yes." Yukari nodded exaggeratedly. "I would very much appreciate that."
"Enough to get that girl with the dolls to sew me another awesome shirt…?" Hecatia bartered her services.
Yukari had little choice. "Sure. Fine."
Marigold perked up at the not-so-veiled mention of her mother, but didn't obstruct the clearly precarious diplomacy any further.
"Awesome!" Hecatia clapped her hands. "You want Earth-me to go find where to plop 'em down?"
"No." Yukari shook her head. "Carry them one by one over there." She pointed to a ledge across the abyss.
...Hecatia double-took. "I'm sorry what?"
"Weren't you the one who said this place was multi-planular?" Yukari sardonically smiled at her surprise.
"...Oo~h! So that's, like…" Hecatia nodded. "Go~tcha."
With that, she casually drifted towards Hikari, and picked her up by the waist. Then, she carried her across...
...Hikari made the smart decision of looking down midway across, and felt herself freeze up.
At the other side, Hecatia plopped her down. Hikari eagerly and awkwardly stepped forward, away from the ledge.
Hecatia snorted, going back to get her friends.
'Bottomless pits are scary.' Hikari thought back to the time she was cloud hopping. '...They only get less scary if you're forced to jump them all the time… which is a scary retrospect.'
…
Osamu was dragged over next. "Hohoho~ly… That's a big fucking hole, dude!"
"Yeah, if only." Hecatia idly commented, before moving to take another over.
…
"Gee…" Hecatia's face was obscured by Marigold's stuff. "You have enough things, there?"
"No." Marigold grinned.
After plopping her down on the ledge unceremoniously, Hecatia goes to retrieve the final girl.
…
…
Bam!
Hiyori falls from a gap before the party, instead. Hecatia's holding onto her horns, making a strained face.
'Pffft.'
"Ge-geez…" Hecatia huffs. "Oni are stupid heavy."
"Aren't you a Hell goddess?" Hiyori countered.
"I'd have to do stretches, first." Hecatia excused herself. "It's not every day I decide to lift oni, you know."
'I don't think either of those are good excuses…'
Yukari and Eiki drifted over, taking their time as they did so. "There. Back on Earth, and by the Hell goddess' hands."
...Eiki turned to her. "You do realize we never left Hell, right?"
Yukari grinned. "Go through that tunnel with them."
...Hikari looked forward at the familiar tunnel. Stepping towards it, her party followed behind her…
Hecatia got close to Yukari. "So~, was that a~ll?"
"...Indeed." A gap opened behind Hecatia, and Yukari pushed her, sending her flying in. "Woa~h!"
"I'll pay you soon!" Yukari called into the gap, before it quickly zipped shut.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Outside the cave, the amber glow of the underground's sky greeted the party.
"...Huh." Eiki nodded. "...Wait, that cave…!?"
"Finally." Osamu huffed. "That cave was freakin' weird, dude."
Yukari drifted out behind them. "I apologize for leading you all around like so, but do understand that our opponent is very slippery. We'd do well to remember this."
Eiki flipped out a blue rectangle of her own, and began rapidly pressing buttons that beeped.
Marigold stepped over to look over her shoulder. "Okay, now I'm curious…"
Before she could take a good look at it, Eiki put it near her ear. "Hello? This is Eiki Shiki, Yamaxanadu of Gensokyo. I'll hold."
...Marigold blinked. "Who are you-"
Eiki talked over her. "Yeah, Anenokoji? I know- this is important. We've got another X-three hundred sixty situation on our hands. No- it's not another goddess. It's a cave."
Yukari slowly drifted towards her…
"We'll need some monitor teams down here right- Woah!" She fell into a gap, which promptly closed over her.
...Yukari sighed. "What a day."
'You're telling me.'
"...I believe I'll be sending you all back to the shrine." Yukari decided. "Be ready at all times, however. I aim to work quickly on finding our adversary."
"Sure." Hikari knew she couldn't necessarily say no. 'If we're asleep, though, you're gonna be out of luck.'
Opening a gap under the party members, Yukari didn't so much as warn them.
"Huwoa~h!" Osamu flailed his arms.
Marigold and Hikari simply froze up at the falling sensation. Hiyori flinched as she fell.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Hikari stumbled a bit after she landed. 'Stupid gaps…'
"Can she, like, warn us next time!?" Osamu dusted off his robe, climbing up from the floor.
...Marigold was lying back on her backpack, unable to maneuver her legs to get up. "Help."
...Hiyori grabbed her, and repositioned her onto her legs again.
"Thanks…" She brushed herself off.
Woosh!
'Wh-what!?' Hikari's eyes widened, a dark purple blade barely missing her face.
Hiyori goggled. "Hi-Hikari!"
Scrambling backwards, Hikari retreated from the Invincible. 'Nope! Hiyori can deal with you! I've had enough of you things!'
Unfortunately, as Hiyori neared it, the miko-esque being did a rising slash, closing the distance between itself and Hikari. However, it didn't come close enough to make contact, even if it did escape Hiyori's mace mania.
Hikari decided to go on the offense, seeing as she had little other choice. Leaping into the air, she brought her gohei down onto the shadowy being's forehead.
SMAAAA~SH!
Twirling back, the creature raised its blade to block, as if Hikari would somehow instantly follow up.
An orange beam from Marigold's Microwave Gun stretched out to meet the being. It cringed back from the collision, but it didn't seem to do much other than make the dark, smooth texture of the creature sizzle.
"S'that supposed to be, like, evil Hikari?" Osamu grinned at it. "Dude, look at those eyes! This thing looks like it came outta one of those, what're they called…"
"I'd appreciate it if you attacked the thing." Marigold spoke over the hum of her Microwave Gun.
He grinned. "Alri~ght, alri~ght, easy peasy, lemon- Woa~h!" He ducked, the tall shadow miko quickly hovering towards him and attempting a broad horizontal slash.
'She moves quick.' Hikari had to give it that.
"Stupid…!" Osamu clenched his fists.
Osamu tried PK Thunder ß!
Thwaa~sh!
Bam!
One of the stone stairs down a ways was stricken.
Thwaa~sh!
Bam!
Fwoo~sh…
The Invincible was no more, a whirling vortex of wind expanding from where it once was.
Hikari held her still damaged clothing to prevent the wind from whipping it around. "...Well. I don't think that's a good sign."
"No shit." Osamu chuckled. "Dude. Evil Hikari was out to get us."
"Good thing 'Evil Hikari' didn't use her flashy sparkle attack." Marigold spoke 'Evil Hikari' like it were a foreign word. "We would've been blown away, then."
Fwoo~aam…
Rings of purple flames surrounded the party, before convening to form four Invincibles. As they rose to the air, their swords twirled out from the shadows behind them.
Hikari's jaw dropped. 'You're kidding me…!'
Marigold reached for her Heavy Bazooka. "That's, uhm, a lot of Hikaris…!"
"Oh, fuck." Osamu backed towards the party a bit…
Hiyori glared at the two she was facing, her mace held ready.
The Invincibles attacked, quickly floating towards the party at a constant rate.
Invincible A twirled through the air, pale blue orbs generating and fluttering down around it aimlessly.
Invincible B stabbed its sword into the stone path below it. From there, it broke down into a circle of purple flames again, seemingly abandoning the sword.
Invincible C swung for Hiyori, who blocked it with her already prone mace.
Cli~ng!
Invincible D arched its hand back in the air, a pale blue fireball forming…
'We're going to have to do something, and quick…!' Hikari was pretty sure they couldn't afford to dabble against four of these things.
One of the pale blue orbs floated into her, forcing her to flinch back. "Ahk…" 'Stings a bit…'
"Fuck this, du~de!" Osamu's jaw slowly lowered at the assault.
Osamu tried PK Thunder ß!
Thwaa~sh!
Bam!
Invincible D lurched over, the fireball it was generating falling to the floor and fizzling out.
Thwaa~sh!
Bam!
It struck the unwielded sword of Invincible B, doing nothing.
Hiyori leaped after Invincible C, who tried to engage her, and cleaved her mace directly into its upper torso.
Fwo-wash!
Red mist dispersed, but drifted into the floor, the Invincible sent tumbling away.
Marigold fired her bazooka at it.
Fwoo~sh… Boom!
The form of Invincible C was no more, the gust of resulting wind immediately dispersing the smoke.
Invincible A went to swing for Osamu, this time swinging very, very low.
"Hughk!?" Osamu was sent flying from the awkwardly slanted blow, though a noticeable trail of blood was left in the air after the collision.
'That… can't be good.' Hikari winced.
Hikari tried Lifeup γ!
…"I-I'm okay…!" Osamu gave a thumbs up from the distance. "Ju-just… a paper cut…"
"Hraa~gh!" Hiyori threw her mace. It flew through the air, towards the Invincible-
Cli~ng!
-which raised its blade to deflect it, allowing it to clatter to the floor. Immediately following up, it went for a mighty overhead slash, intent on striking Hiyori with it. She shielded her head with her arms, the blade falling too fast for any other measure.
Thwa~m!
It seemed like the blade tried to become partially magic, but her arms blocked the impact regardless. From there, Hiyori leapt, and attempted to wrestle the dark blade from the psuedo-miko. "Hrgh…!"
...Hikari looked around idly, a circle of purple flames slowly encroaching upon her.
'This won't be fun.' She sighed.
Boom!
Fwoo~sh…
Invincible D was no more, its second attempt at generating a giant fireball failing it, having been blown apart by a bazooka shot.
Shink!
Hikari tried to dodge, but felt a blade inside herself anyway.
"Hi-Hio~!" She got her cry for help out with the last breath her lungs could manage before blood filled them.
'Aaaa~h!' Hikari was again reminded what immense pain felt like.
Hiyori turned while still wrestling with the Invincible. She suckerpunched it in the stomach, claiming the blade from it and darting towards Hikari's position. "Hikari~!"
Collapsing to the floor, Hikari felt the blade slide from herself.
Her mind went numb from the sensation, an almost iron twinge of indescribable dread and agony flourishing from her torso across her entire body.
Hiyori tried Lifeup γ!
Hikari collapsed on the floor.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: HIYORI'S VIEW ====
'No!' She tossed the blade at the offending Invincible, knocking it back as the broadside smacked it in the torso.
Kneeling next to Hikari, she watch the stab wound slowly heal…
...Moments later, Hikari groaned. "O-oowh…"
Hiyori sighed in relief. 'Good… It worked quickly.'
"Spirit Sign! Fantasy Orb!"
Hikari and Hiyori both perked up at the exclamation, surprised.
From the shrine's interior, five more Invincibles flew out, retreating from a barrage of rainbow colored orbs. Unfortunately for them, however, the orbs moved faster.
Fwam! Boom! Bam! Blam!
Wind violently howled, four of the five orbs wiping out the entire group of Invincibles.
The last orb went for Invincible B.
Fwam!
Fwooo~sh…
Hikari tried Lifeup ß!
...Slowly rising to her feet, Hikari felt her stomach for further complications.
Reimu rocketed towards her. Upon reaching her, her hands clamped onto her shoulders as she rapidly scanned her daughter's form. "Hikari! Are you hurt!? Where is it!?"
"A-ah!?" Hikari was put on the spot. "Uhm… not anymore?"
Hiyori smiled at the display.
...The unarmed form of Invincible A was terrorizing Osamu, running after him as he ran away from it.
Osamu tried Offense Up α!
"Fuck you…!" Turning around, he tried to grapple with it, only for it to lift him entirely and throw him towards the party. "Oof…"
Reimu drew a needle from her sleeves, and tossed it towards it.
The Hakurei needle stuck in the side of the dark miko. It turned to face Reimu, and started sprinting towards her-
Boom!
Fwooo~sh...
The group of enemies was finally cleared. The dark blade Hiyori had stolen earlier vaporized along with the form of Invincible C.
"What's going o~n…!?" Reimu yelled, frustrated. "The past hour's just been nothing but these stupid things…"
A yellow-clad Starman suddenly teleported in front of them. "Target_mass_identified. Plan_final_engaged."
"Plan 'final'!" Osamu yelled at it. "Oo~h, boy! Real scary!"
Reimu ran straight towards it.
Starman Super folded its arms, guarding against the incoming assault.
Leaping into the air, Reimu swung her gohei at it.
Thwa-thwack! Thwa-thwa-thwack!
The arms of the Starman Super buckled under the gohei strikes. Then, Reimu vanished.
...SMAAAA~SH!
Reimu descended from behind, knocking it forward with a downward kick to the back of the head with her sandal.
Glaring down at it, Reimu drew her arm back, four needles erecting between her five fingers.
Starman Super tried Teleport Ω!
Reimu's eyes tracked the stream of light as it teleported into an upright position to her left.
Then, she tossed the needles.
Starman Super tried Healing Ω!
Purple flames danced in the air, as one of the Invincibles came back to life, only to catch all five of the Hakurei needles to the torso.
'Revived just to die.' Hiyori shook her head.
Boo~m!
The Invincible was vaporized.
Reimu huffed. "Alright, that's it. Persuasion Needle!"
Seven Yin-yang orbs whirled around her form, materializing from holy light. Then, they glowed bright, rainbow colors, similar to her fantasy orbs.
Then, they began shooting quick, huge yellow Hakurei needles.
The Starman Super didn't have time to react as it was pelted by the oversized danmaku needles, sizzling under the heat of the danmaku-
Boom!
It exploded, the parts raining the nearby vicinity.
Clank!
...A sword landed on the stone pathway, next to Hiyori.
Curiously grabbing it, she held it up…
'...Huh. What would that need with a sword?'
...She swung it a few times with her unoccupied hand.
'Not particularly strong. It seems to be made of some kind of mythril. I think, anyway.'
...Unsure what to do with it, she carefully tossed it near the porch of the shrine.
Reimu floated slightly closer to the party, her orbs still active. "Do you guys know what's going on here? Because I don't, and it's driving me up the wall!"
Hikari shrugged.
"Ooo~uuhh…"
...The party slowly turned to face the giant form of what looked like an oversized Invincible. It held no sword, and beared no faux clothing. The hair no longer resembled Hikari's instead being a frayed and tangled mess, tendrils of darkness composing its deformed body rather than the smooth form the others took.
The only resemblance it shared was the gaping, heart-shaped hole in its chest and the glowing, yellow eyes. Although, on this creature, they were more like industrial grade night lights.
Hiyori snorted at the thought of industrial grade night lights.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: HIKARI'S VIEW ====
'That one doesn't even look anything like me.' Hikari felt vaguely offended at the sight of it.
"Another one of these things…!?" Reimu focused on the tall, shadowy adversary.
Osamu distanced himself towards the shrine. "You're gonna need a bigger stick thing, du~de…!"
'...I don't think hitting that thing up close would be a good idea. At all.' Hikari warily eyed the giant.
Hikari tried Shield ß!
Hikari was protected by the power shield of light!
…
The giant, dark foe slowly, gingerly stepped up the staircase, having trouble articulating its legs independently from its torso.
Taking further into the sky, Reimu aimed her glowing orbs at the foe. Immense, translucent danmaku needles rained down from above, piling onto the creature's face.
It wiggled its head around, expressing some form of agony from the rapid impacts. Stumbling forward, it proceeded to plunge a hand into the stone floor before the party.
Fwoa~m…
Red, gooey liquid spread outward from its hands, slowly flowing across the surface of the shrine courtyard.
From the goo, the tall, unnaturally slender figures of the Invincibles began emerging, unarmed and bearing only their clawed hands.
"Again…?" Marigold furrowed her brows. "What are these things…?"
'This time I've gotta just clean house.' Hikari decided, focusing on the four new Invincibles rising from the goo…
Hikari tried PK Fantasy ß!
Casting an her left arm forward, she sent out a technicolor, glowing polygon of psychic energy.
FwOwOw!
It pierced the form of one of the Invincibles, knocking it back into the goo.
Then, Hikari threw her right arm outward, another polygon of energy rocketing outward.
FwOwOw!
A different Invincible was blown back into the goo. The two writhed in it, before repositioning themselves to get back onto their feet…
They weren't particularly given the chance, however.
Fizzle!
The dark evening was lit alive with the amazing, technicolor particles. The dark figures of the psuedo-miko beings took on curiously chaotic neon color schemes, the sharp edges of their beings better visible.
Fizzle!
The two stricken Invincibles from before collapsed back into dust and goo, while the other two curled up into balls, shielding themselves from the unrelenting onslaught.
Hikari focused her final psychic blast on the grander figure, intent on trying to assist her mother.
Bwaa~sh!
The psychic blast roared outward from the dark figure's head. It didn't seem to acknowledge it outright, and any damage that could have been seen was being obscured by the bright glow of her mother's giant danmaku needles.
Hiyori ran towards the two remaining Invincibles. When she stepped into the goo, she felt her legs sink in, prompting her to backtrack. "U~hm…"
"How about this?" Osamu smirked, snapping his fingers.
Osamu tried Defense Down α!
The Darkside's defense dropped! It did nothing to outwardly signify this.
Reaching its hands into the dark puddle it created, it began digging around for something inside…
Reimu's orbs broke from her figure, and slammed the creature in the back.
Fwam! Boom, bam, blam!
'Are we winning?' When the creature's natural movements were all slow and sluggish, Hikari really couldn't tell.
"I've got it!" Osamu was confident that he was going to critically damage the giant monster that refused to be critically damaged.
Osamu tried PK Thunder ß!
Thwaa~sh!
Even though the thunder struck it directly on its head, no one could tell if any damage was done, aside from the crackling electricity it left.
Thwaa~sh!
Boom!
A chunk was blown off of the donation box, nearby.
'...Good thing Mom's busy.' Hikari grinned.
An immense heave from the tall creature yielded results. Pulling its arms back with force, a large ball of whirling red and black energy was extracted from the ground. The red puddle in the shrine's courtyard began shrinking…
As it rose its arms, it accidentally tore apart the Shinto style arch that hung over the top of the stairway.
Reimu was angry. "No! That was- u~gh…!"
'We're gonna have to get that rebuilt.' Hikari knew her mother wasn't a fan of things getting destroyed.
Navigating to avoid colliding with the giant ball, Reimu descended upon the creature's face, and began giving it hell.
Thwa-thwa-thwack!
Marigold tried firing her bazooka at the chest of the creature, as it rose into a standing position again…
Boom!
The blast yielded no results.
"What is this thing made out of?" Exasperated, Marigold gaped at the big slow figure.
Hiyori shook a foot, watching the black goo drip and leave her form. "...Something bad."
'Are you sure it's not just made out of chocolate?' Hikari dryly jabbed at her statement mentally. Then, it clicked for her… 'Wait, if this thing's so big and dark…!'
Hikari tried PK Flash Ω!
Fwaaa~sh!
A blinding light covered the entire shrine grounds.
"Woah…!" Marigold's vision was filled.
"Holy-...! Who turned on the sun…?" Osamu covered his eyes.
"Ah…!?" Reimu leaped away from the Darkside's face, surprised.
In that one moment, it was as bright as day in Gensokyo, again.
As the light faded, the pseudo-sunny shrine grounds were clearly visible
The dark figure's form became incredibly misty and foggy, and the resulting fog quickly seemed to taper off and vaporize the further it went from its diminishing form.
From there, the staggering, shrinking form of the Darkside pumped its arms into the air, sending the dark ball soaring into the blue sky.
From there, it expanded, and it became dark as night, again.
'Wow.' Hikari blinked. 'Did it… did it intend to do that?'
"My e~yes!" Osamu protested to the rapid shifting in lighting. "It's gonna take years to adjust! Seriously…!"
Marigold vainly looked in his vague direction. "Yeah. Years. If only eyes were so fragile."
...Hikari looked up, and saw smaller, similarly colored orbs floating down. They descended at constant, gradual ways, almost casually descending upon where the party members were standing.
"Hey, guys." Hikari got their attention. "Move."
Hiyori, Osamu, and Marigold began moving aimlessly.
"Mari- oh." Hikari began moving to stop her from walking onto the steep part of the hillside, but she turned around on her own.
Marigold looked towards her. "Yeah?"
The slowly falling orbs began colliding with the ground, producing dark splotches where they land.
Hiyori accidentally retread ground, and ended up walking into one. "Hnh…?" She flinched back as it violently flared on contact, leaving blue flames on her kimono that slowly died out…
"Yeeoo~wch!" Osamu ran by Hikari, similar blue flames falling from his robes.
Marigold snorted. "Good job."
Then, as Hikari and Marigold were idle, more shadowy orbs slowly floated down, colliding with them.
'Ugh…' Hikari felt the flames spread across her figure. They didn't create a burning sensation, however. Instead, they made her feel… 'Tired…'
Marigold hugged herself. "Wh-what is…!? N-no!"
"I'm on fi~re here!" Osamu danced around. "Fucking…!"
Osamu tried PK Hydro γ!
An immense shuriken of water formed over the battlefield, raining water down onto the party.
All it helped do was make things darker, and wetter.
"It-it's darke~r!" Marigold wailed. "Where is everyone!?"
'Aa~h…' Hikari held a hand to her chest, watching the pale flames dance. '...N-no.'
Hikari tried Lifeup Ω!
It was in that moment, that the flames licking every party member died out, as if blown out like a candle.
...Marigold sighed. "Alright, I hate falling orbs of evil now."
'Because there was so much to like about them before.'
Osamu began running erratically. "Nope! Not gonna hit me again! Fuck that!"
Hiyori looked around at the other party members. "...I assume those orbs are being problems?"
"Yeah." Hikari simplified it. "They make us feel weird."
Hikari and Marigold began using brisk power walks to evade the slow falling orbs that continued to rain down from above.
Thwa-thwa-thwack! Thwack, thwack, thwack!
Mist violently dispersed, as Reimu leaped away from the face of the Darkside again.
'My light spell was so powerful…' Hikari considered trying it again. '...But, what about the other spell? Did that get more powerful, too?'
She decided to find out.
Hikari tried PK Fantasy Ω!
Throwing both of her arms outward, Hikari sent two technicolor polygons out at once.
FwOwOw, FwOwOw…
They stopped before the Darkside, and rotated. Quickly, they began whirling around, focusing towards the face of the creature like a reticle. Hikari felt something surge from within herself…
FwOwOw…
The polygons stopped right before the face of the dark not-miko, to Reimu's curiosity.
Hikari's eyes were almost painfully forced onto the point they stopped at. Involuntarily, her attack continued, and for a moment, her mind went blank.
BABOOM, boom, boom…!
Yellow energy engulfed the top of the Darkside. The incredibly loud explosion forced Osamu and Marigold to instantly cover their ears, the latter dropping her weapon to do so. The light produced by the explosion was so immense, so bright, that they couldn't stare at it directly, as it was painful to do so.
Boomboomboomboom!
The shrine's grounds were thrown into disarray, a gridwork pattern of round, red yellow and blue particles whirling around. Pure, unfiltered technicolor energy echoed out from the blast, washing over the landscape and lighting up the night.
Bambambambambam!
As the blast spread out, the Darkside was nowhere to be found, at first. The colors took to the skies themselves, forcing it to flash neon shades of blue, red, and yellow. The surrounding mountains were alive with color, along with the trees. If anyone in Gensokyo was outside that evening and had epilepsy, Hikari probably just killed them.
Boo~m…
A final explosion echoed from the distance, somewhere.
…
'Wo-...wow…' Hikari was half numb, stumbling around as a newfound lightheadedness suddenly attacked her.
Hiyori eventually opened her eyes, darting them around the shrine's courtyard as the fruity technicolor tent to the land eventually gave way to the darkness of night.
"...What happened." Osamu rubbed his eyes. "Man, like… like what the hell do I even say about that? Was that a nuke!?"
Marigold rubbed her ears, instead.
"Like, dude!" He turned to Marigold, incredulously gesturing to the place where the Darkside used to be. "You see that!?"
Marigold stared at him gingerly, rubbing her ears. "...Wha~t!?"
...Hiyori realized what probably happened.
Hiyori tried Healing ß!
...
Marigold's eyes widened. "...Getting your hearing back is a weird feeling." She continued to rub her ears curiously…
Osamu grinned. "Freakin', Hikari set off a nuke and you're just gonna rub yer ears about it. Alright."
'I... sure feel nuked.' Hikari stumbled back onto her bum.
"Well, yeah. That happened." Marigold had little else to say about it. "Even with all that flash, it seems to only really affect whoever Hikari targets at the moment.
...Reimu lazily drifted down, to meet with the party. "...So."
Hikari looked up from the stone floor. "...Hi."
"Hi." Reimu grinned. "What was that?"
"Fun…" Hikari yawned.
A gap opened next to them. Yukari poked her head out, looking alarmed. "What, exactly, is going on here!?"
"Fun." Hikari and Reimu replied simultaneously, smiling at her.
Fwawoo~m…
More Invincibles generated in the darkness around the shrine, their presence made visible by the dull yellow glow of their eyes.
Osamu rushed up next to the two mikos. "Get us the hell outta here!"
...Yukari relaxed, noting no one critical was dead. "...Very well."
Gaps opened under everyone. Reimu and Hikari fell in without contest.
"Wha- woah!" Osamu was caught off-guard.
Hiyori had her mace up, ready to engage more foes, when she fell. "Hu-huh!?"
Marigold dropped, her backpack clipping the gap's edge on the way down, giving her an awkward spin. "Wha-wha~!?"
The gaps all closed.
…
The Invincibles hovered to where the five used to be, drifting aimlessly.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
"Can this, like stop happening!?" Osamu rubbed his butt. "Fucking…"
The five were inside a rather comfy house, placed before a coffee table. The room had various appliances of unknown design and intent, but Hikari was able to make out the familiar, albeit high-tech, shapes.
'...This is different.' Hikari welcomed the warmth of the house. She stared at the fancy stove, that seemed to be made of pristine steel. There was a large, white box with a oddly grainy pattern, and various other steel appliances that Hikari didn't know.
Reimu sat at one of the chairs around it. "Did you still not get a kotatsu?"
"Shhh~..." Yukari shushed her, a playful grin on her face. "In due ti-"
Bam!
Marigold fell from her gap, falling things-first onto the table, breaking it in half.
...Yukari put her thumb into her mouth involuntarily, gently biting it. "...Oh, dear."
Reimu chuckled at her expense.
"Hnn~..." Marigold lugged herself from the table's ruins. "I cannot stress how much I hate falling."
...Turning around, her large backpack nearly knocking Reimu from her chair, she examined the ruined table…
"Oh." She stared at it blankly.
"Mmm." Yukari bitterly hummed. "Oh, well…"
With a sweep of her arms, she brushed aside the table parts, the books and broken teacups that sat upon it cast aside by an invisible force. The clatter they produced woke everyone up a bit…
A gap opened, and a new table of similar bland design dropped down.
"Now…" Yukari huffed…
Another gap opened above it. Hiyori dropped, and Yukari made sure to intercept her with a gap before she broke the new table. Redirecting her-
Bam!
-Hiyori found herself half-embedded in the floor again.
Yukari wasn't sure if she made the right choice. "...Regardless, what happened?"
Reimu perked up. "That's what I should be asking you. My shrine was attacked by what I can only assume were beings from the shadow realm. And we both know Gensokyo has a lot of 'shadow realms'."
"Was there any red mist?" Yukari probed, intently gazing at the miko.
"Mmm." Reimu nodded. "It-..." She paused, and thought back to the last time she saw it. "...Mima?"
Yukari jerked her head back. "What? No, no… You heard the name Giygas, right?"
Reimu scrunches her face. "...Maybe."
...Yukari sighed. "Well, Gensokyo is under attack."
…
"When did this happen?" Reimu looked around at the party, genuinely confused.
"I think it was the night of the New Years party." Hikari recalled.
Reimu blinked. "...That was weeks ago."
Leaning forward onto the table, propping her elbows on it, Yukari smirked. "Well, Hakurei, if your daughter had been a proper child, she'd've ran to you like a child should."
'Sorry for being my own person.' HIkari was ready to rumble.
Reimu slightly furrowed her brows. "Hey, hey. Now's not really the time to be condescending."
...Yukari sighed. "Very well, Hakurei. I know you've not the mind to listen to me."
"And you're writing checks your thousand year old bones can't cash. What's going on?" Reimu interrogated the gap youkai.
Resisting the urge to glare at the miko, Yukari composed herself. "...Well, while I brief you on these recent events, I have some poor news for the four elephants in the room."
Osamu instantly took offense. "Hey! If anyone's an elephant in here, it's you!"
A gap opened under him. "You- fuck! Noo~!"
...Hikari glanced in his vague direction, before the gap closed. 'I kinda expected that.'
"Your shrine is not the only place being inconvenienced right now." Yukari revealed. "It is immensely hard for me to focus on the source, when these beings are completely running amok of the place."
'Wait...' Hikari's eyes widened. "You want me to- mmph!?"
Yukari's disembodied hands shoved an Elixir into Hikari's mouth, tilting it forward.
Reimu got up. "Hey, hey! What are you doing!?"
'Yu-yuck…!' Hikari discovered Elixirs did not taste very good, after all.
Reimu leaped onto the table, but Yukari quickly slid back, her chair rushing down the room's length, which also shifted to accommodate Yukari's sliding.
"You, stupid…!" Reimu reeled her arm back, and tossed her gohei at Yukari. As it spun through the air, it became a disc of light, homing in on her.
The empty Elixir was plucked from Hikari's mouth. A gap opened underneath her and the remaining party members, too.
"Give them hell." Yukari's voice was heard from below, as Hikari and company dropped in unceremoniously.
This time, Marigold made sure not to clip the gap's edge, thrusting forward to do so.
Hiyori sighed, falling straight down with her arms folded.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Thud. Thud thud, thud.
…
"Fucking…!" Osamu's anger was heard in the darkness.
"It's dark." Hikari stated aloud.
'Too dark to see...'
"I can't see~..." Marigold walked around aimlessly.
Thud, thud!
Marigold protested. "Ow."
Osamu protested louder. "Owch!"
"...It didn't hurt that bad, you." Marigold grinned, but no one could see it.
"Maybe somebody could try to create some light?" Hiyori gave a suggestion to push things along.
…
Vzzt…
Marigold's Shield Killer lit alive, the harmless electric arrows giving the hall a dim glow.
In the darkness, they were able to make out the Scarlet Devil Mansion halls as their new location.
The faint light reflected off of the eyes of the Invincibles that hung still in the dark air. Slowly, their eyes began to glow, collecting the light.
…
"U-uhm…" Marigold felt her hair gradually fluff up as she took in the dazzling array of yellow dots down both directions of the hallway.
"Oo~h…" Osamu grins ironically. "We just can't get a break, dude…"
'...We technically just had one.' Hikari debated whether or not ten seconds of warmth and drowning in Elixir was worthy of being called a 'break'.
Hiyori ran towards the manor wall with her mace ready-
Bam!
She cleaved a hole in it, tearing the wall down with one powerful strike.
Inside, fairies screamed. "Aaaa~h!"
Slowly, the Invincibles began twitching to life, recovering from their stasis they had seemingly been entranced by in the dark, lightless hall.
The fairy's room was also dark, but the shifting of feminine forms betrayed the life inside.
Also, there weren't a horde of angry Invincibles in there, so Hikari would take whatever was in there any day over what was likely soon to be a blade maelstrom.
"Go, go!" Hiyori yelled for them to get in. Quickly, the four piled inside the hole in the wall, and into the fairy's bedroom…
"He-he~lp…" A fairy's voice weakly drawled.
"Fufufu~... it seems we have visitors, honey bun."
'Nevermind, this might be worse than blade mayhem.' Hikari's expression was vain.
Marigold rolled her eyes at the sultry tone. "...It's come to this, hasn't it? I always knew one day we'd be raped by succubi in a dark bedroom."
'That's pretty specific…!'
Osamu beamed. "What!? Succubi!?"
"Fufufu~!" A chorus of haughty laughs came from across the room. The intense scent of perfume flared up, causing Hikari's head to swim.
'Wo-woah…'
"Ho~h, shit…!" Osamu realized how many there were.
Hiyori rose her mace. "Show yourselves!"
Fluorescent candles lit up across the room, dim amber light washing over the party.
Succubi, all of identical appearance, with long, red hair, mirthfully floated in the room's airspace.
"I wanna fuck the tall one…"
"Dibs on the adorable little lewd shrine maiden!"
"I'll lick that magi clean…"
'There's probably only one way out of this…' Hikari braced herself- 'Woah!'
She suddenly found herself glomped from the side. "Hehehe~!" The succubus put her lips to Hikari's cheek. "Mwah…"
The red lipstick marked her cheek, and her mind instantly dulled…
'Wo-wow…'
...Hiyori grimaced as the succubi surrounded her.
"Why don't you put down that big mace of yours…?" The succubi directly to her front posed, making sure to allow the maximum bounce in her breasts. "I'm sure someone like you is full of passion…"
Hiyori felt a hand grab her shoulder.
Acting quickly, she spun on her heel, twirling the mace around like a stick as she spun rapidly.
Bam! Bam!
Two succubi were blown away by the action, soaring into the walls.
Fwo-Fwoo~sh...
They exploded into red mist akin to the Invincibles, annihilated by the force they were stricken with.
The succubus from before rushed up to Hiyori. "Got you, baby!"
Her claw went for Hiyori's neck.
Her nails snapped against Hiyori's thick skin.
"...Oh."
Hiyori hastily uppercutted her.
Bam!
...The succubus ended up half-embedded in the ceiling, before she exploded into mist.
Nearby, the others winced. "Oo~h…"
Marigold had her Microwave Gun out, as it was the easiest to pull out at the moment. "St-stay back! I know your game…!"
"Hyah!" A succubus grabbed a part of her already scorched and depleted adventure dress.
Ri~p!
"My- my dress…" Marigold whined, mourning the further damage to her blown away dress.
"Strip for me." The succubus demanded of her. "I just wanna make you feel goo~d…"
Aiming her Microwave Gun at her, Marigold unleashed its amber ray.
The hum of the gun, and the bright glow of the beam flowed brilliantly throughout the room.
The succubus gapes, caught in the copper beam's path. "O-oh! A-aa~h, turn it off! Turn it o~ff…!"
After a few moments, she bubbled, her skin boiling, until-
Plop!
Red mist floated into the air, and molten latex splotched the carpet, permanently staining it.
Hikari weakly fought the succubus' grasp, as she dotted Hikari's neck with kisses…
"Chu…chu...chu~, fufufu~..."
"Ye-yes…" Hikari submitted, hugging her succubus closer to her.
And then Osamu leaped onto the Succubus' back. "He~y, baby!"
"Wh-what…!?" The succubus froze up, before grinning. "Hello~ the- ere!?"
"Hey, s'it okay if I just, like…?" He gives her breasts a squeeze. "Like that?"
"Nn- I-..." Letting go of Hikari, the succubus moaned. "No~..."
Hikari stumbled back, wistfully gazing at the succubus, before her knees gave in. From the floor, she continued to be in trance…
Whirling around, the succubus knocked Osamu from herself. "I'm after the miko, boy. Wait your turn."
He flew back, landing in the arms of a different succubus. She grinned, "Here. Let me-"
Bam!
She was blown to mist by a wave of Hiyori's mace. Osamu slid across the floor, somewhat offset by the power of her swing.
"Wooa~h!" He proceeded to slide under the bed.
...Under it, fairies were trying to keep themselves scarce. They shrunk back as he slowed to a halt under the mattress.
Raising his face from the dust, he stares at them. "...'Sup?"
They began scooping up dust, and throwing it at his face.
"Whe~re was I…?" The last succubus leered down at Hikari. "Oh, yes. Bonding with my pet."
'Pe-pet…' Hikari shuddered, smiling up at the succubus drunkenly.
A low hum was emitted from Marigold's Microwave Gun. Hikari stared up at the succubus, whose form began glowing…
"Wh-whaa~... N-no! Please! Do-"
Plop!
She was but mist and latex.
Marigold switched off her beam.
It was at that moment, that there were no more succubi left jumping on the bed.
"Fu- ack! Get- oof!" Osamu fought with the cuddly fairies under the bed, pushing them out as he crawled out.
A brown-haired fairy girl pouted. "No~! I don't wanna eat cool whip!"
"I ain't gonna make ya eat cool-" Boof. A pile of dust met his face. "...Alright, s'time for the fuckin' cool whip!"
"I knew it!" She raised her fists. "Fight me!"
Osamu grinned. "Hell yeah!"
Osamu tried Offense Up α!
Feeling strength well up in his muscles, he moved to engage the fairy…
'...I-I need to…' Hikari's hand slowly drifted south, her face flushed…
Marigold walked up to her. "Hikari? Everything alright?"
Hikari glanced at her. "Ma-Marigold… I…"
Hiyori stepped up, as well. "...Looks like someone got smooched."
Hikari shuddered. "Y-ye… yeah…"
…
Hikari began touching herself somewhere not entirely fit for description in a T-rated fic.
"You know…" Marigold sighed. "I don't think she's fine."
"...Status effect, o~r…?" Hiyori looked away out of respect.
Marigold smirked. "Heal her, and find out."
…
Hiyori tried Healing ß!
…
Hikari gasped, taking her hand away from her south enclave. "A-ah!"
'Oh my god oh my god oh my god…!'
Hiyori was vaguely relieved. "...Status effect, I guess."
Hikari stared at the wet, clear substance on her hand, before shaking it rapidly. "Yu-yuck…"
Marigold moved up to her side, and patted her on the back. "Don't worry, Hikari. We all have our urges."
...Hikari glared at her. "Sh-shut up…"
'I-I almost… in front of them.'
Suddenly, Hikari had the sense to look around for Osamu…
Whack!
Osamu gritted his teeth, the fairy pushing him back.
Wha-whack!
"U~rgh…!" He stumbled back further. He went for a hook, but the fairy uppercutted abruptly.
Whack!... Thud.
"I win!" She held her arm up, beaming. "We did it, girls! We beat the horny bus station people!"
"Yea~h!" The fairies under the bed cheered.
'...Well, at least the witnesses are limited to the girls.' Hikari relaxed. Somewhat.
Marigold grinned. "...Maple-chan, leave him alone."
Maple turned to her. "Wha~t? But why?"
"He's dead enough as it is." Marigold moved towards the closet. "You guys still have the muskets in the closet?"
Maple stuck out her hand. "Uhm, Mari-chan, I wouldn't…"
Marigold swings the closet door open.
"Fu-fuhck mee~..."
Komi's arms were wrapped inside of warped coat hangers, her form naked and covered in kiss marks.
"Fu-fu~uuh…" She writhed, eyes darting around feverishly, her body flushed.
...Marigold closed the closet.
"...No muskets, either." She frowned. "Darn."
'...I'm not gonna ask what was in there.'
...Hiyori turned to the hole in the wall, where multiple invincibles were stuck, only their blades managing to fit as they all got in eachother's ways.
'Good to see that they're as tactically talented as we are.'
The dark, candlelit room suddenly had a very entrapping atmosphere. With little way in or out other than through the hallway of horrors, Hikari was forced to brainstorm...
"...How do we fix this?" Hikari looked around, at a loss.
Hiyori took her mace, and mauled the wall.
Bam!
...Another empty fairy room sat on the other side.
"Fufufu~!" Not so empty, as it turns out.
"We don't." Hiyori grinned.
'Oh, boy…'
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
END OF CHAPTER 28
Protagonist: Hikari Hakurei, Disciple of Paradise
-Inventory-
Weapon: Miracle Gohei - Ability to whack stuff really hard. Amplifies whacking power, too! Able to deal magical damage. Adds an increased chance to deal critical hits. Recreated by the dream realm.
Arms: Iconic Hakurei Arm Sleeves - Keeps arms warm. A Hakurei tradition. How they stay on is a Hakurei family secret.
Body: Devastated Miko Outfit - Her combat miko outfit, except mostly annihilated. It's going to need some serious repairs.
Misc: Royal Red Ribbon - A ribbon made with rich materials, with a floral pattern.
-Skills-
Attack: Quickly! Swing your gohei at them for massive damage!
PK Fantasy α, β, γ, Ω - Bombards the enemy with pain in the form of flashing colors. Deals magical damage. Heavy mental strain that increases with each tier. Third tier forms a barrier, which breaks upon moderate damage. Final tier is a non-elemental nuke of immense magical power.
PK Flash α, ß, γ, Ω - A bright flash that distributes very random status effects to enemies. Usually makes people cry. Higher tiers increase chances, and introduce possibilities of fainting or dispel. Higher tiers can instantly destroy more varieties of foes, and make people feel weird.
Hypnosis α, Ω - Puts weak enemies to sleep for a short time. Works better on tired or exhausted foes. Can also be used in a far more costly form that works on multiple opponents.
Shield α, ß - Halves damage the target takes. Only works against physical attacks, and enough strikes, or powerful strikes, will dispel it. Higher tier turns it into a power-shield that protects even better and even reflects a fraction of protected damage.
Lifeup α, ß, γ, Ω - Heals target a little. Higher tiers heal more grievous wounds, like bone fractures. Highest tier heals everybody in the party.
Healing α, ß, γ - Heals basic status ailments. Higher tiers can cure more dire effects, like burning alive.
Teleport α, ß - Allows instant transport to the general location of an area remembered by oneself or one's party members. Requires a long, fast run-up to execute, however. Higher tier allows a circular motion to control the run-up instead, giving Hikari more control over the teleport.
Ofuda Toss - Throw a holy ofuda that does massive holy elemental damage to youkai and dark elemental foes. Effect lessens the more holy the thing you're attacking is, to the point of healing holy things. Only works if you actually have ofuda, though.
Cautionary Barrier - Summon a barrier that deflects attacks and magical attacks of all elements. Can be broken by stronger attacks, and is holy elemental.
Lightshine Ofuda - Two ofuda which explode into orbs of light. Area denying holy attack.
Summon Koishi - Using the Heart Gem's power, Hikari summons Koishi Komeiji. Casts three random HK spells on enemies, before using a higher tier one that depends on her current mood. Typically can manage two uses before she's out of mana. Costs sizable mana.
γ-γ-γ-γ
Mage: Osamu Katsumi, the Wannabe Mage
-Inventory-
Weapon: Fisticuffs!
Arms: Nothing
Body: Rugged Robe - A sturdy robe enchanted to resist damage. Made partially with sturdy cloth from deep underground.
Misc: Red Mage Hat - A red colored mage's hat made from cloth in the Human Village. Minor resistance to thunder, ice, and fire magic from its well worn usage in the past. Didn't see much action… until Osamu bought it!
-Skills-
PK Thunder α, ß - Very random thunder attack that deals limited damage. Higher tiers increase number of bolts, and sometimes power.
PK Hydro α, β, γ - Gets everyone wet. Usefulness with PK Thunder and PK Freeze depends on whether you hit yourself or not! Creates whirling water spirals at higher tiers.
PK Freeze α, β, γ, Ω - Generates ice crystals at the target's location. Medium damage and effect; may freeze some targets, especially wet ones. Highest tier has a near-guaranteed freeze chance and immense ice damage, at the cost of being very taxing.
Fireball - Manipulate mana to make a shoddy fireball. Low damage and effect.
Static Hands - Not a real spell. Result of a very undercharged PK Thunder that can accidentally go off.
PSI Telepathy α - Speak to friends you haven't met yet! Unstable connection and only works if they have the skill or are asleep.
PSI Shield α, Σ - Halves damage from magical and psychic attacks. Thunder spells fry it instantly, and harder blows dispel it. Second tier applies basic shield to entire party at higher mana expense.
PSI Magnet α - Costs no mana to use, and steals a very tiny amount of mana from the enemy. Enemy has to have mana in the first place for it to work, though.
Offense Up α - Get pissed! Boosts strength and confidence depending on caster's power and receiver's power.
Defense Down α - Throw the enemy off their game. Makes them slightly more vulnerable to physical attacks.
γ-γ-γ-γ
Inventor: Marigold Knowledge, the Tri-Magi Love Child
-Inventory-
Weapon: Spectrum Shotgun - A Marigold Knowledge invention. Filled with foil chip bags to conduct the mana, and it is transmitted into a wind stone. Upgraded to draw mana from a simple wooden block filled with immense magic reserves, giving it virtually unlimited ammo. The addition of a battery and a prism allow it to fire seven rainbow colored beams at a wide spread, which deal non-elemental damage. Firing long enough allows them to focus and deal incredible damage, at the cost of insane recoil and instability.
Arms: Nothing
Body: Really Custom Adventure Dress - A custom dress made by Alice, burnt into fragments by an inferno. Provides slight defense against magical and psychic attacks. Now allows very free movement, but is worse for the cold.
Misc: Swirly Glasses - Lets Marigold not be blind.
Backpack - Allows extended inventory. Aged relic from the Kourindou.
Unnamed Lock Opening Device - Opens locks very precariously. Made with steel, burnt cloth, packaging peanuts, thumbtacks, string, and wooden wheels. Don't even ask…
Ruler - Lets you measure the world around you!
Protractor - Lets you find the angles of anything ever. Totally overpowered.
Scotch Tape - Transparent adhesive from the outside world. Weak, but handy!
Deck of Cards - Allows Marigold to play Strip Poker with the party. Just kidding… or am I?
Shield Killer - Electrical device used to subdue harassers. Has settings ranging from Tickle Torture to Arse Blaster. Fires electrical projectiles, of unknown power.
NF Burst Gun - A Marigold Knowledge invention. Uses a Pop Gun as the base, but amplifies its power with an array of random batteries jammed into the base with the Pop Gun. The more batteries, the better, but the typical yield is about five bullets per trigger. Spamming the trigger doesn't make it go any faster, unfortunately. Has no foreseeable ammo limit, and the batteries are only there for mana circulation, meaning their power is really inconsequential.
Holmes Brand Designer Hat - Village swag! A retro village hat that ceased production ten years ago. Sells for a pretty penny nowadays, but it's pretty useless otherwise.
Slime Generator - A bulky box that shoots a small splat of slime. Doesn't seem good for much.
Counter-PSI Device - A weird device Marigold found from a flying saucer. Works in strange ways, and seems to disrupt everyone's concentration. Marigold is immune to its effects.
Charm of Sleep - Grants immunity to sleep while equipped, or held. Can be equipped to Arms or Misc.
Microwave Gun - A Marigold Knowledge invention. Constructed with a controlled flame crystal and metal parts, it fires a beam of sustained microwave energy that cooks biological foes alive. Fire-elemental at its core, it's also very inefficient against machines.
Defense Shower - A Marigold Knowledge invention. Made of a broom, a showerhead, some magnets, and uses jars of water as ammo. Slapped together with ofuda, giving it a holy defensive effect. The jars are usually filled with Talcum Powder, for alchemical purposes. The liquid that is dispensed becomes auto-applying lotion.
Heavy Bazooka - An invention developed in part by Kappa Tech and Marigold Knowledge. It shoots heavy fire-based blasts of fire magic, and deals high knockback. It was constructed by stuffing some fire and gravity stones into a tube, adding a cap on one side to direct the fire, and hooking a magical wire to the handle. Nitori did most of the work, though...
-Skills-
Can Open Forth the Gates to Hell - She's got the keys to the bus, du~de!
Knows How To Do the Scarlet Tango - Only in theory, though…
Good Natured towards Fluffy People - Although, some say she isn't.
Likes To Ship Characters in Fiction - As do many inclined teenage girls!
Is The CEO of Mann. Co. - And she's gonna burn this place to the ground!
γ-γ-γ-γ
Fighter: Hiyori Hashimoto, the Buddhist Oni
-Inventory-
Weapon: Mace of Devas - The last of the four treasures held by the Devas of the Mountain. Ability to whack stuff really hard. Increases critical hit rate by lieu of being a really big, blunt, spiky weapon. Allows partial blocking of magic attacks.
Arms: Shackle of Devas - The first of the four treasures held by the Devas of the Mountain. Grants immunity to sleep-inducing magic. Grants fifty percent resistance to wind and thunder magic.
Body: Kimono of Devas - The second of the four treasures held by the Devas of the Mountain. Grants immunity to paralyzing magic. Grants fifty percent resistance to fire magic. Insanely durable. Has a floral design to it…!
Misc: Bows of Devas - The third of the four treasures held by the Devas of the Mountain. Grants immunity to confusion-inducing magic. Grants fifty percent resistance to ice magic.
-Skills-
PK Starstorm α - Summons forth the stars from the night's sky to rain down upon enemies. Hits all enemies, and deals high magical damage, at the cost of being highly mentally taxing. Can hit allies if they're in the effective area, as the white stars don't have homing properties. Power proportional to amount of enemies, as well.
PK Fire α, ß - Creates an igniting blast of flames at the target's location. More impact comes with higher tiers.
PK Freeze α, β, γ - Generates ice crystals at the target's location. Medium damage and effect; may freeze some targets, especially wet ones.
Shield α, ß, Σ - Halves damage the target takes. Only works against physical attacks, and enough strikes, or powerful strikes, will dispel it. Higher tier turns it into a power-shield that protects even better and even reflects a fraction of protected damage. Highest tier applies a basic shield to the entire party.
Lifeup α, ß - Heals target a little. Higher tiers heal more grievous wounds, like bone fractures.
Healing α, ß - Heals basic status ailments. Higher tiers can cure more dire effects, like burning alive.
Teleport α, ß - Allows instant transport to the general location of an area remembered by oneself or one's party members. Requires a long, fast run-up to execute, however. Higher tier is largely automatic and requires little room to execute.
Martial Arts - Skilled in hand-to-hand combat.
γ-γ-γ-γ
Author's Note:
oof, forgot to write this author's note and upload this for like a week after the chapter was finished
made this chapter a bit longer, mostly to make more things happen between all the action scenes that were happening; the whole "shit hits the fan" series of scenes is a bit longer than i expected it was gonna pan out but i feel it necessary in a few ways
namely being level ups for the people who are not hikari, showing how powerful hikari's become (if she's not getting seduced by succubi), and showing just how wide giygas' final shitstorm on the land really is
rest assured next chapter'll probably have actual progression and things in terms of EB's plot points
as always, see you all next time!
