Halftime Report
Though she pouted and declared she was going to take a nap, there was no way even someone such as Remilia would be so brazen in such a high-tension game. War rages around her, and despite not being directly involved she can't shake the nervousness. Like being surrounded on all sides, it's not much different despite not currently fighting. Even so, she has ways to resist even if she isn't directly confronted.
Inside the Library, deep within the Scarlet Devil Mansion and secure to the point even the rabbits couldn't pierce it's defenses, Remilia joins Patchouli. Quite an entourage has assembled. Aside from the normal library occupants, there's also the Glasses Fairy, Daiyousei, Reisen II (for some reason, Remilia claimed she wanted this particular rabbit with her, despite her already having an owner), and of course Koakuma. Surprise guests include Marisa and Alice, who sought refuge after the Forest of Magic was overrun. They huddle around a long table, on it a crude map of Gensokyo. There's all kinds of figurines placed upon the map: from chess pieces, checkers, dominoes, and apparently they needed so many they've scavenged action figures from Lord knows where. They litter the entire land of Gensokyo. These pieces all indicate Lunarian soldiers.
"It's worse than we expected," Remilia comments.
"Yes," Patchouli concurs. "Especially here," she draws a circle with her finger around- "Youkai Mountain. We didn't expect them to hit the area so heavily. Reports indicate it's 25% larger than the siege on Eientei."
Remilia is in possession of some Moon Rabbits, so all the intel acquired by the immortal and her doctor is also possessed by Remilia. Not to mention she thought to deploy additional scouts to various areas. The map before her is the most detailed account of the war effort within all of Gensokyo. Perhaps the vampire is more prepared for the fight than the actual target Kaguya Houraisan.
"Excuse me," interrupts Reisen II, "it appears we have another refugee." She pauses a moment, speaking telepathically with the rabbits at the front gate. "It's a giant snake. Moriya Suwako's curse god, the Mishaguji. It's brought the injured Kochiya Sanae for medical aid. Do we admit them?"
"Yes," Remilia orders. "Also, question the snake about the situation on the mountain."
"Roger."
Marisa joins the conversation for the first time in a long while, "Wow, it must really be bad if their shrine maiden got taken out, ze."
It's understandable that she would find that amazing. Just like herself, Sanae's a human. Unlike the Hakurei Miko, Maria at least considered Moriya Maiden her near-equal. The magician's caution to leap back into the fray is well warranted.
"Scarlet-san," Reisen II reports, moving some of the figures on the map around, "the Royal Guards have split up. One's advanced pretty far, but the other's heading into the underworld."
Remilia especially considers this.
"The forces he's taken down there are too small. They're being too forceful to make an underestimation like that. I don't think the Lunarians have much information on the underground."
Grabbing a pen, Remilia circles the entrance to the underworld.
"That's their weak point. If we could somehow rile the oni into coming out of their hole they would pincer the group ascending the mountain. That's the best bet to secure Youkai Mountain. The problem is that they're cut off from the rest of Gensokyo and there are no rabbits down there to quickly carry messages. A scout needs to sneak down there and 'enlist' their aid."
Naturally, everyone turns their eyes towards Marisa.
"Ze?"
"Patchy," Remilia tells her, "get that thing you gave to her last time. We won't be able to send a rabbit with her, so she'll need it if we're to keep in contact with her.
"Got it."
Marisa protests, "Wait a minute!"
By "last time" Remilia's speaking of the incident where the Hell Raven was misbehaving. Patchouli gave the magician an artifact that allows her to borrow a portion of the youkai's power, as well as allows the two to speak to each other without interference or delay. It's perfect for relaying orders and information to the underground in this rapidly changing situation.
"Wait a minute!" Marisa repeats, nobody listening to her argument. "I came here to get away from all the fighting! Don't tell me you want me to jump right back out there!"
Taking notice of the magician's moaning, Patchouli and Alice look at her, then at each other, and nod. They approach the human and both place their hands on her shoulder as if it were rehearsed. In unison they say,
"Consider it a repayment for all the books you stole."
However, they weren't without sympathy, even if they wouldn't express it. Marisa is always jumping at the chance to investigate an incident. The fact that she doesn't want to go out there clearly reflect the scope of the danger before her. For once she actually realizes this is too much for her to handle. However, because of this fact they know she'll be extra careful and avoid battle at all costs. This isn't the time to be rushing, but a sneaky thief crawling through the shadows. There's no better a person suited for the role, at least currently at the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
Surrounded on both sides, Marisa reluctantly resigns.
One situation out of the way, Remilia turns back to the map, "How does Eientei fare?"
Reisen II has been busy keeping the figures on the map up to date as possible. At least within the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, the situation is tracked in real-time thanks to the large concentration of rabbits communicating with one another. This portion of the map is up-to-date as it can get.
"The Lunarians are advancing at a steady and untethered pace," Reisen reports. "A member of the Royal Guard is leading the offense, and Lady Saya has advanced behind enemy lines and is engaging the Watatsuki Sisters."
This Remilia knew. Like the Moon Rabbits, Vampires share a telepathic link with their thralls. Knowing Eientei would be harder hit then her own mansion, Remilia sent her Lunarian-Vampire vassal to fight where she would be most needed. This could have been considered a selfless sacrifice on her part, but like with all things related to the Scarlet Senior, this too was calculated. If things got so bad at the mansion, Remilia could execute a Supreme Command, completely overriding Yorihime's will are forcing her to return. Such extremes were dangerous because each time it's used Yorihime loses a piece of her soul. So far it's never been used, so the Lunarian Vampire still possesses the entirety of her self, but if overused she'd eventually forever turn into something like a doll. If the mansion were attacked and in danger of being overrun, Yorihime acting as reinforcements would strike the enemy at the rear. Hopefully that would have been enough to save them, but thankfully it's yet to came to that. Since the mansion is in no danger Yorihime might as well stay and protect the immortal princess.
"Lord Tsukuyomi hasn't made a move?" Remilia asks.
Reisen II seems unsteady, "I'm not certain. Our spies can't get close enough to their main camp to keep a steady eye, but I've heard reports that Hakurei Reimu and Ibuki Suika were heading straight for the heart of his encampment. They might be tackling him directly as we speak."
Remilia frowns. That sounds very much like something Reimu would do. However, Tsukuyomi no Mikoto is the very peak of the mountain top. Perhaps the entirety of Gensokyo couldn't defeat him alone, and such is apparently obvious by the fact that he has yet to make a move himself. Challenging him is nearly the same as the Japanese bombing Pearl Harbor during World War II. Could this act have ensure their own demise?
"What about-" however, Remilia foresaw the eventuality of Gensokyo's destruction and placed her hopes on one individual, perhaps the only person that might match that man's strength, "-Cirno?"
Hero's Comeback
The Mishaguji snaps at the Lunarian, and the Royal Guard catches it by the mandible and jaw. Struggling for only a moment, he steadies himself and overpowers it. Displaying unheard of strength, he lifts it into the air and swings it like a whip. It crashes with great impact, destroying the ground underneath and creating rock slides in various areas of Youkai Mountain. Afterwords he immediately disregards it, instead turning his attention to the incoming iron rings and onbashira. He avoids the rings but takes the large piece of holy wood head-on. Catching through great effort, he swings it like a hammer and hurls it back at the attacker. Likewise does the woman dodge, and grunts at the failure of her maneuver.
"Remind you of something?" the petite goddess next to her poses the question.
"Don't remind me," sneers Kanako.
As the goddess have paused in their attacks, the Royal Guard see the opportunity to go on the offensive. As if he's gathering strength, he takes a stance in which he focuses all his power into the core of his stomach. He roars,
"I am the chief guardsman of Lady Akihito no Saya's security detail, and I shall not be defeated!"
Kanako and Suwako frown, this is about the sixth time he's screamed something to this effect.
"Do you think this 'Lady Saya' has a thing for hot-blooded musclemen?" Suwako snickers.
When compared to other Lunarians, this guard is indeed huge. Rounding near 190cm, he's only slightly taller than Kanako. Add the bulging muscles clearly visible underneath his white armor, and it's obvious he's a fitness freak. Unfortunately that makes him very strong, easily comparable to the oni. At the same time, however, his magic seems just as powerful, displaying a level of danmaku the physically-attributed youkai unfortunately can't match. It's easy to see how he got selected for such a prestigious position.
Yellowish orbs of magic appear behind him. Their growth isn't exactly subtle, as they multiply at an alarming rate. In a matter of seconds there's over a hundred of them, but they lie in wait of their creator's command. All the while the Royal Guard is grunting while charging his attack.
"He's like a shonen manga character," Kanako observes.
"Go!" he emphasizes by pointing.
At once they fire at varying speeds. The goddesses take flight as they know sticking to the ground is a terrible idea. The blasts crash upon earth and explode with an impressive impact, blowing away a chunk of the mountainside several dozen times it's own width. If such an onslaught were to completely fall upon the mountain, it could very well destroy the whole thing. Kanako and Suwako know of this Lunarian's power and the collateral damage could be impossibly high. They limit such a possibility by making this an aerial battle, causing all of the wayward spells to safely fizzle out into the endless expanse of space.
Kanako and Suwako can avoid them easily enough, especially the little frog god. The Royal Guard's magic blasts are little more than a display of brute strength, a direct yet unforgiving danger that is rather inelegant in nature. This isn't the best method of capturing flying prey with high maneuverability. Both feel this man is greatly capable of better, but inexperience in such battles have left him unprepared in terms of strategy. In short he doesn't know how to properly fight those from Gensokyo.
"Stay still and face me!" he roars.
Like that's going to happen, both goddess are probably thinking.
His naive mindset is perhaps his biggest weakness. Despite being bona fide gods, his power is, frankly, frightening. With his bare hands he can probably rip the each of them in half, and magic blow them into a granule of meaty chunks with just a single hit. There's no way in God's Green Earth are they going to fight him directly. All they can hope for is for him to tire; otherwise this is a battle of endurance they're not completely sure they can win.
"That's it!" he screams.
Again he gathers his energy, but this time not for orbs of magic that are used for projectiles. The yellow magic gathers around himself, engulfing him in a glowing aura. He's strengthening himself with magic.
"Aw crap," Kanako curses, realizing where this is going.
The distance between them and him was rather great, but suddenly he disappears. In a moment that was near instantaneous, he flew from that spot to just above Kanako's head.
"Look-" Suwako screamed, but never gets the chance to finish.
A double-handled axe slam hurls the burly goddess to the ground. Before the dust even clears from her rocketing to the earth, the Lunarian forms those magic orbs in his hands and hurls them at Kanako. The entire area is blown away by the force of his magic.
"Kana-" Suwako screams in fright, but realizes quick enough that she's next.
Unable to be taken by surprise, Suwako is small, limber, and quick enough to avoid the oncoming barrage of blows. Such physical combat isn't her specialty, but at least she's vastly stronger in that regard than her partner. She won't be taken down so easily, but she's quickly losing ground. Of the most-powerful being on this mountain, if Suwako falls so too will Youkai Mountain! She can't lose!
Suddenly the Royal Guard advances no further, though not through any will of his own. Even he seems surprised that he no longer pushes forward. Suwako notices only slightly before him. Arms are wrapped around his stomach from behind.
"Huh?" the Royal Guard dimly questions.
"Uuurrraaayyyy!" that person screams.
Using their own body as a pivot, whoever grabbed him from behind pulled him backwards, head over heels. This person than releases, throwing him directly at the ground. To make matters worse, they use their own momentum and stomp on him an additional time with their feet, thus adding to the force of the throw. Speed is greater than that of a bullet, he creates a colossal boom as he breaks the sound barrier. With a much greater impact than even Kanako, the Royal Guard is shot directly into the earth. He drops faster than lightning, blasting into the ground like a cruise missile fired from a battleship. There's something like an explosion, but the cloud is merely dirt broken to the point they're lighter than air. It plumes directly up, almost like ash rising from a volcano. The aforementioned intruder flips a few times in mid-air, victim of their own momentum and testament of exactly how much force they put into their throw.
Finally she comes to a halt and Suwako can identify this interruption, "Cirno?"
The girl in question is about to say, "Yeah," but her voice catches in her throat and she wobbles in flight. Apparently all that flipping has made her dizzy, and the world still circles before her eyes. Too much of this and she could get sick.
"Suwako," Kanako suddenly takes her friend's side.
"Kanako! I thought-"
Cirno covers her face with her hand, anchoring it and trying to keep herself steady. She put up her hand so as to say, "stop" or perhaps "give me a moment." This is largely ignored by the goddess pair.
"She came and caught me before I crashed into the ground," Kanako nods to Cirno. "We flew away before we were hit by that magic."
Suwako returns her focus to the reborn Ancient, the one who so thoroughly defeated the both of them a month back. Cirno looks at her hand for the moment while she gathers herself. Very little does she resemble that unbelievably powerful, refined, and somewhat playful Ancient, but instead simply a taller version of the Ice Fairy who always used to tease Suwako's fellow frogs. It'd be a joke if she didn't just save the two of their hides.
"Okay, I'm better," Cirno announce.
She stands firm and faces the two gods. Leagues different than either of the two remember, before them is a woman who's expression exudes determination and confidence. Her eyes are sharp and focused, posture tall and shoulders firm. Illuminated by hope, her smile eliminates even the goddesses' tensions. For the first time since this night began, the believed everything will work out alright.
"Which way is it to the Bamboo Forest of the Lost?"
Or so they thought. Cirno's elementary question would have made them trip and fall if they were walking, or maybe even standing still. How long has she been in Gensokyo again? It's not like Youkai Mountain or the bamboo forest have moved or something. With all the fighting around this land, the night is lit up like a festival. How could she have gotten lost?
"It's that way," Suwako points, disappointment clear in her lackadaisical tone.
"Thanks," Cirno scratches the back of her head in embarrassment. "I've been trying to ask for a while, but everyone was so busy fighting that I didn't get-"
Suddenly a muffled roar echoes through the night.
Obviously coming from below, they look down to see a pair of legs sticking out of the ground. It's kicking and fighting, trying to drag the rest of him out. Neither goddess had actually ever seen someone so comically planted like that, and they'd laugh if they weren't so disappointed he hadn't kicked the bucket. It seems round three is inevitable, but this time they have Cirno at their side. They should have a much better chance.
"Aaarrrggghhh!" he screams again, this time the ground which buries him inexplicably exploding. Leaping from the pit, he faces the trio above him. "Who dares sneaks up-" and then pauses upon realizing the latest addition's identity. "You! You're the filthy whore who so sullied my pure Lady Saya's honor! It is no surprise such a foul woman would employ such cheap tactics!"
At the clear provocation, there became a chill in the air. It felt like the very air itself shook in fear. Cautiously do the stares of Kanako and Suwako turn to Cirno. Her clenched fists turned white with anger; her entire arms are tense. Just like her hands, the whole of her skin blooms to white, so much so that she's actually glowing. Likewise, so to do her blue eyes and hair, to the point it's difficult to look at them directly. The massive amount of magic she's exhuming is oppressive even to gods. And as if it's an afterthought, six icicle wings form from back. Their span is greater than that of birds.
"You are the one I haven't met," Cirno's voice emits like a growl. "You're unlike the others in white."
"Don't you dare speak of my comrades! I don't care if you are the fiancee of Lord Tsukuyomi, I shall never forgive you!"
Again he channels his magic into his body, radiating with a yellowish glow. Once ready, he displays that monstrous speed and completely disappears from sight.
From the side of the goddess, there's an explosion of air. They have no opportunity to look, but Cirno is gone. Before they can register what's happened, suddenly the Royal Guard is frozen mid-flight, less than half the distance that was between them. He's holding his arms up as if in block, and it appears something has burst right before him. The aftereffects of an attack, it glitters like glass or crystal, something having been broken on top of his arms. It was ice, or precisely one of Cirno's icicle swords. At such high speeds it's unbelievable that he could react and block, but by all means has it interrupted his progress. Cirno has vanished, but that doesn't mean she's gone.
Before he can recover from that attack, or more precisely the shock of the attack, a rain is upon him. Cirno's icicle daggers which can be summoned in near-endless supply. Like a waterfall they fall and crash upon him, breaking apart just as easily as if it were a liquid stream. They confine and hinder him greatly, unable to move or relinquish his guard. Individually their effect is low, but their impossible-to-count numbers have him trapped like in a stampede of bulls. He's completely helpless!
"Arrrrgggghhhhh!" he yells in frustration.
That glow of his intensifies, and it seems his very voice holds power. Giving one finally shout, all the daggers suddenly shatter as if they were hit by a moving wall. Such impossible a feat from merely flexing his magical muscle is to be commended, but he is no less enraged by his success. Free from the onslaught, he seeks the foe who so humiliated his charge.
No trace of Cirno exists, but he does find a present left to him. Completely surrounded, high and low, from all sides, are nothing but icicle swords. Not the flimsy daggers from before, but impressive and defined blades. However, something is odd. Unlike what one would expect, they aren't facing him as if to converge all at once. They are pointed away, their handles exposed to whoever is on the inside. What trickery is this?
Before too much thought could be put into it, something crashes onto his back. His sights slightly shift in the direction from which he was surprised, but something blurs past him just outside of focus. He tries to trail this new objective, but it vanishes before it can be registered.
Suddenly another of those things crashes into him, but this time directly from the front. It happened so quick and in such rapid succession, he still couldn't see it coming. Such speed is impossible! As the third strongest Lunarian, there shouldn't be such movements he cannot trace, especially considering he's the frontal combat specialist behind only Lord Tsukuyomi. No such creature other than his master should be this fast!
Again he's hit from behind, but this time it came from below. Before he could think it crashes before him from on high. Next he's slashed from his side, then again from the opposite. From the chill he can now tell what's hitting him; it's those swords made of ice. They slam on him hard, completely unlike those pin pricks from before. Though the pain is slight, he can't escape the shock of being attacked. His body is essentially paralyzed, hit in such rapid succession he cannot react before being hit an addition several times. It might actually be so fast that his body is registering being attacked three or four strikes back. It's a tornado from which there is no escape.
From the outside it appears as nothing but a blue storm. Each strike flashes like lightning, and the perpetrator is so fast she only leaves a trail. Although it's an illusion, they don't appear simply one at a time, but multiples at once not unlike a Plasma Ball. The lightning radiates almost outward, but such feats are unreliable to sight. Such which has caught the Royal Guard is simply beyond comprehension.
Within, the Lunarian is helpless. The strikes come in an endless flow, the swords which make up the shell disappearing at a rapid pace. With great speed slashes appear across his large and muscular body, his unrivaled white royal armor being stripped away piece by piece. He's being sanded down, smoothed out like a rock in a flowing river. However, this happens not in the span of eons, but seconds. He's being cut down until his very core has disappeared.
Those in witness would say it lasted for hours. Such a spectacular event warrants as much. In truth however, it was over in slightly less than a minute. High and low, surrounded on all sides in every direction, there were a thousand blade. At the end of which, Cirno's form finally become visible after delivering the end strike. Like all the others, the sword shatters upon impact, but unlike the thousand times before, it is the two combatants who are different.
When Cirno initiated this assault, the last time she was seen, she merely had six wings. However, at it's conclusion the ice had grown even larger, creeping past her back and physically attaching to her. It was like some kind of organism. Wrapping around her stomach, from her hips up her spine to her neck, they almost look like claws from some kind of winged beast. Those who know would say she was greater resembling the Ancient with each passing day.
On the opposite side was the Royal Guard. As expecting he's taken considerable damage. Countless cuts and scars have chipped away at his body, but perhaps most noticeable is the great change in complexion. A predictable side effect of being slashed at with icicle swords, his skin has turned blue and hypothermic. Thankfully because of this, bleeding is at a minimal, but that still doesn't bode well considering his situation. There's no focus in his eyes.
Like a tree cut down at it's base, the Royal Guard's fall seems slow and over dramatized. A mountain of a man, the impact he makes on the ground below would match that of an anvil. After the dust settles, he moves no more.
Paying little heed to the goddess who'd been witnesses, Cirno follows him to the ground and checks the status of his opponent. Likewise do the divine pair copy. They meet her at his side while she's checking his pulse; the wings which granted her strength and speed glittering away into dust. By the time they're right next to her Cirno's hair and eyes have too returned to normal, clearly signaling an end to combat. As if it were any doubt this fight is over, but at the same time she doesn't appear eager to jump into the next brawl.
After checking his status, she begins scanning around her. Finding what she wants, she leaves the three of them in hopes of retrieving it. Kanako and Suwako are a bit dismayed. Despite how tremendously bad his defeat appeared, Akihito no Saya's chief guard is still alive.
Cirno displayed great power. A sword which could split a greater werewolf (which had skin nearly as tough as iron, and massive regeneration which supplemented that) in but a single strike. A thousand of such blades do little but scratch the Lunarian Elite. Such an impressive display could only stop short of killing him. Such is the scope of her new found power. And she wishes to leap into the heart of their army and challenge Tsukuyomi? Impossible. Cirno's strength isn't enough.
From the earth Suwako produces an iron ring. This will be more than enough to end a helpless Lunarian.
"Stop!" a plead cries just before the childlike goddess removes his head from his shoulders. "What are you doing?"
"We can't leave him like this," Suwako's voice sounds anything but childlike, "Cirno. We have to put an end to him before he gets up again."
Angrily Cirno protests, "No!"
Though she was a decent distance away, her image flickers and she's again before them. Such displays of speed are taxing, thus the reason Cirno first scooted away at a jogging pace. It's obvious she's trying to conserve strength. The objects which she saw so important she left her defeated foe unattended were bundles of tree branches, each with many leaves still on them.
"Don't kill him!" she repeats.
"Cirno," Kanako steps forward, at least in appearances the more intimidating of the two, "you know what's going on right now, right? This isn't just an invasion or war, it's an extermination. This Lunarian has killed dozens of tengu and kappa before I started fighting him. If we don't kill him he'll just get back up and kill us. We don't have the luxury of naive sentimentality. You couldn't finish him off, so we'll do it."
The blue woman's voice is firm and determined, "You don't have that right. As a matter of fact neither do I, but I was the one who defeated him. His fate is my choice."
"You only beat him into submission," Suwako observes. "A thousand strikes and you only managed to knock him out. Only the strong have the right to say who lives and dies. If you want to save people, you need to be strong enough to kill."
"I won't!" Cirno cries, greatly surprising the gods. "I won't kill anymore!"
Noticing the great regret in her eyes, the pair back away. Controlling herself before she breaks out in tears, Cirno takes several breaths. Once again able, she begins to cover the Royal Guard with the bundle of branches in her arms.
"When I went to the moon and saw what they were doing to the rabbits, I lost control and began slaughtering everyone in sight. I felt that same emotion bubble up within me when he called me that bad name, and I barely kept myself from doing it again. These Lunarians aren't any different than us. They have wives, children, families, dreams and ambitions just like us. In fact I think the only thing different between us is that they live on the Moon and we on the Earth. I've meet Lunarians who want this fight even less than we do, and we need to show them kindness before the bridge between our two races is forever burned. It may not be much, but I'm going to spare as many of them as possible."
Cirno knows the taint of being a killer, the goddesses notice, but that doesn't make her actions any less hazardous.
The God of Wind and War Kanako speaks, "Cirno, as soon as he awakens he's going to start attacking us again."
Finishing covering him in a blanket of leaves, Cirno stands, "He won't."
"How can you be so sure?"
An ice sword forms in her hands, and she begins writing in the dirt, "Lunarians strive to possess no vices or virtues, but because of the social structure of their civilization, the have imprinted, indoctrinated within them an immeasurable amount of Pride. I've been to the moon and I've seen this. Force upon him humility and his willpower will completely shatter. He won't start fighting again, I guarantee it."
Finished, Cirno backs away from her message. Curious, Suwako and Kanako read it.
I kicked your butt. I could have killed you but didn't. I won't demand that you surrender or stop fighting, but at the very least prolong the life I have spared. Your life is yours to do with as you wish. Cirno.
Afterwords they glance at the messenger with a question brow. Cirno looks very proud of herself.
"This will work?" Kanako doubts. "This level of reverse psychology would only work on a five-year-old."
With her hands on her hips, "After beating them black and blue, and then telling them you're giving their life back to them, would be an insult so great they'll probably never raise their fists in anger again."
Suwako releases her iron ring, thus signifying acceptance with Cirno's wishes, "But they make commit seppuku out of shame. There's nothing you can do to stop that."
Cirno's victorious grin fades, "No. If he ends up throwing away his own life, then that's the choice he's made and I have to recognize that. I can make an attempt, but I can't force my morals on him." She looks to the two gods with pain in her eyes, "But that doesn't mean I can't try, right?"
Suwako looks to her companion. While showing mercy to the enemy is generally a terrible idea, it also seems that Cirno has a far greater understanding of Lunarian Psychology, to which they have none. Kanako nods in agreement to Cirno's assessments and sentiments. Psychological warfare is just as, if not more, deadly than actual warfare. If such acts of kindness break their spirit, than it's much better than bloodying their hands. They'd do well to remember this as they retake their mountain.
"We've taken down their queen chess piece," Kanako finally turns away from the Royal Guard, "but they still have a field full of pawns, bishops, knights, and rooks."
Suwako nods.
"Well then," Cirno faces them one final time, "I got a date with the king. I shouldn't keep him waiting after all."
Slightly painfully she waves goodbye just in case this is the last time she'll ever see them. Despite some kind of imaginary rivalry upon the part of the Ice Fairy, Cirno and Suwako were actually close and friendly to one another. Before her emotions overtake her, Crino turns and runs away.
"Wait! Cirno!" Suwako can't let her go like this.
This makes her chest grip tighter, but Cirno stops, fastens her heart, and listens to her friend's final request.
"I told you," and she then points, "Eientei is that way!"