"This is quite worrying..." Ran thought to herself as she was followed by the two demon summoners. "Yukari-sama rarely gets serious like this. Something is definitely wrong here..."
"...Are you scheming something?" Hiroki noticed the tribulations going inside Ran's mind. "If I find out that..."
"That's enough of that." Alexia tried to calm him. "She escorting us. For now, just try controlling yourself."
"..."
Even though Alexia was easing the situation, the overall atmosphere was outright heavy. And since the sky turned red all of the sudden, they were hasting their pace, making them more unnerved, although you couldn't notice if you looked at Hiroki directly in the face.
Finally, they reached the trunk of Yggdrasil, formely the foundations of the SDM. Near there, they found out that Cirno and the norns were still tied up...
"And eye fought a frog like this...big! But eye beat him up really good! After all, I am the..."
"WE KNOW ALREADY!" the three shouted in unison. "You have repeated that story like nine times already!"
"...Eh~? But I was just getting started!"
The group ignored the idiocy occuring and walked towards Yggdrasil without they noticing. The large burn from before had already dissappeared and Yggdrasil looked as good as new.
"Tch. Siegfried." he muttered, as Siegfried materialized behind him.
Siegfried nodded silently. Not after he appeared, the outline of a slash was marked over the surface of Yggdrasil. Then, Hiroki slashed with his own sword again, reopening Yggdrasil.
The entrance remained the same as before, this time with no valkyries around...Or the proper term is...there are no valkyries around that are alive.
"What the...?" Alexia gasped as she forced herself not to vomit.
Not only the valkyries were dead. That little bitch killed some of them via dismembering. No shit. There's an arm right there, in the middle of the greenish (now with red) room! Some of them were impaled with their own spears and there were traces of swordfight too...but it was obviously one sided.
The stench of blood filled the air as the others were quite worried about this scene. However, Kyoji just remained stoic and started walking forwards, not caring about the massacre around him.
"Don't you have any respect for them?" Ran chasticized him.
"...Why? I don't know them, so why care for them?"
"Look, Hiroki, I understand your point of view...but..." Alexia agreeded with Ran on this one. There's stoicism and there's just being an asshole. "I know our mision is important but at least try to respect the dead."
"...Hmm. What do I gain with that? We only waste time."
And he said nothing more as he continued walking...
"Can I ask you something?" Ran tried to change the subject as they followed him.
"Yes?"
"Are humans from the outside...like this?"
"He's...a special case."
"How so?"
"This is not the time nor the place." Alexia finished, now out of the room. "Anyways...are you going to follow us?"
"My orders were to escort you to the insides of the World Tree." Ran answered. "From this point on, I..."
*brir*
...Ran. Since when do you have a cellphone?
"? Excuse me for a second..." Ran opened the indigo cellphone she had. "Yukari-sama?"
"... ... ..."
"Well, not that I noticed. However, both humans are now inside Yggdrasil.
"..."
"Snowing? What are you talking ab-?"
She stopped and turned around, looking at the sky. She opened her mouth as she recently noticed that the sky was red and it was snowing.
"...I...It's snowing! But I didn't notice!"
"...?"
"...W-Well..."
"... ... ..."
"Huh? But you said that I was only allowed to guide them here. Besides, since these...cellphones get signal because of you extending the border of waves, shouldn't they get negated when you come to the top?"
"... ..."
Ran blinked. Yukari miscalculated? That's not like the Yukari-sama she knows...
"...Are you okay, Yukari-sama?"
"... ..."
"No, it isn't like you at all!" Ran raised her voice, genuiely surprising Yukari (if I heard right). "What's with you? Sure, I cannot understand what you're planning, but you normally have a cool thinking about it. What happened to you?"
Ran doesn't know who Louis is, so this can be forgiven.
"I don't understand the details, but please, you must snap out of it. If you're acting like this...I really can't have enough confidence to go on like this..."
"... ...? ..."
"That's good."
Then Ran remembered how bad of a boss Yukari truly was...
"...Oh."
"...?" Yukari now sounded as her sly self. "...?"
"I was reminding on how good of a...master are."
"... ..."
Ran facepalmed.
"... ... ...? ..."
Ran raised an eyebrow as Yukari stopped mid-sentence.
"..."
"Wha-? Hey, wait!"
*beep* *beep*
...The line was cut.
"What just happened? Did Yukari-sama found trouble...?"
Episode 37: Drag me upstairs
"Hey, China, answer!" Patchouli, having seen the big freaking bird via China's hat, was quite reasonably freaked out. "What is going on?"
...No response. Well, what did you expect? She wass knocked out cold.
"Tsk. I should've known that they might find Ratatoskr while climbing from outside"
Patchouli doesn't have total view of all the events. She just cannot see what Marisa is doing while looking where China is. We all cannot have such nice things, can we?
"Calm down." Eirin said, also browsing through the books, since she doesn't possess too much knowledge about other mythology. "Even if she's out of commision, the other two will protect her. As groups, they are supposed to support each other."
Patchouli calmed down a bit after hearing that. After a small pause, she opened back her book.
"...There's nothing here..." Patchouli groaned as she closed another book. Her search was not giving any fruits of success and the recent hail wasn't helping. "Koa, pass me the next book."
"Y-Yes."
Since the Voile Library was being wrecked when they teleported it, it had one of its walls missing, making snow come in. Patchouli asked the others to safeguard the books of those areas while she could figure how to improve their current situation.
"Have you found anything?" Eirin asked.
"Sure. I'm switching books constantly because I found something." Patchouli said in sarcasm mode.
The hail was not helping. People started to turn edgy and the tension was high. They had a lot to risk if the worst case scenario happened.
"Say, everyone..." Kaguya interrupted. "Why can't I just try to extend the time around the World Tree? That way..."
"I'm against that!" Eirin said. "I really don't know how that tree is protected, but to use your ability on something of that size."
"I think I can handle it. There's no way I'll let her to have all the glory." Kaguya said, obviously referring to Mokou. "How big is that tree anyways?"
"Well..." Patchouli started. "If you do as you think, you're going to use your power over a 900,000 feet tall tree that may or may not continue expanding, and, if there's an Asgard over it, then it would be useless. Oh, sure, go ahead, give yourself a headache." she finished giving her analysis with a drop of delicious snark.
Kaguya shook her fists as she noticed Patchouli was right. Before she could give a counter argument...
"Um...hello?" a voice broke through the half-library. "Is someone here?"
The group and the rest of rabbits that were in that moment on the library turned towards the new figure in the library. Her thin, gray body was clutching her arm as she walked nervously through the library.
"Who are you?" Patchouli asked, obviously concerned that she didn't damage the quality of her salvaged books.
Shin, you need to learn how to knock the...oh, there's no door.
"I...I think I met you guys before...no, it was that red shinigami and the miko...and the witch and the other one. Ugh, forget about it. As for my name, it's..."
"Yeah, fun facts, now please, would you kindly leave?" Patchouli said, focusing on her books while monitoring Marisa's movements. "We are trying to..."
"Read?" Shin, not knowing what they were doing, said the sane thing."I really don't think that's too important for having your whole attention."
"...Look." Patchouli closed her book. "We are trying to save my friend that is up there. We do not have the time for any of your problems."
"So that tree is the cause of this sudden blizzard?" she blinked. "Why does everything is crazy in this place?"
"You're an undead. You're practically calling yourself crazy." Eirin pointed out.
"...Oh." that depressed her. "You...you really didn't have to say it like that."
If you ask me, she's still coming into terms with her...undeadness.
Curse you, Joss Whedon! (1)
"A-Anyways...do you need any help?" Shin tried to change the subject.
"…" Patchouli sighed. "...Do you have any knowledge about Norse Mythology?"
"Norse? What is that?"
Eirin facepalmed.
"Okay, get out."
"But...!" Shin tried to protest.
And she looked almost like was about to cry.
"Don't you know how scared I was when that thing came out of the ground?" Shin shouted. "It felt like an earthquake...and...and then the hail started. Sure, I was glad that it was cold enough for me not to rot with ease but..."
Patchouli looked at Shin's gray skin, seeing all details. Her back, right shoulder and right side of the abdomen were covered with tiny bits of hail...that seems to have pierced through the skin itself. Jesus! You walked with those things piercing your skin? Can't you feel pain?
Patchouli bit her lip. She felt ashamed that she tried to kick her out if she was on those conditions. Even if she seemed that she can't die, doing that was amoral.
"...Fine. You can stay until this incident is over. But I warn you not to touch my books with those hands...or else." she said while opening her book back, looking for more details in how to deal with the dangers of Yggdrasil.
Before Shin could say thanks, Eirin ran up to her and started looking around her, somewhat fascinated that she was an undead.
This is bad.
"Amazing...I thought you were like that ghost, but your body is still semi decayed...except the head, for some reason." Eirin circled around her as she grabbed Shin's hair gently. "The keratin forming your hair is normal...how? Interesting..."
"Um..."
"Hmm..."
Eirin...why are you grabbing Shin's stomach?
"H-Hey! What are you doing?" Shin was flustered. Her face would be red if...well...she had the enough blood for it to concentrate on her cheeks.
"...The organs have ceased to function." she moved her hand to Shin's chest. " The heart too...*clutch* And apparently, there are no nerves. You can't feel pain, can you?"
"N-No. But what doe- H-Hey! Where are you touching?"
"Interesting. Say, after all of this is over, may I examinate y-"
"Okay, that's enough." Patchouli was creeped out by Eirin's...excitement.
"Eirin..." Kaguya was also unnerved. "Is this some kind of hobby of yours? Desecrating dead bodies?"
Well, if you ask me...
"But I really want to know what is making her keep her rationality with a dead body. Is it a device, a spell? That was makes it thrilling."
"No...um, you're just coming out as a really creepy person." Shin, while still left uncomfortable by Eirin, said the sanest thing to say.
Eirin blinked and looked around her. From all bookshelves and corridors possible, the maids and rabbits alike, Tewi, Koakuma and also Kaguya were looking at her as if she was some sort of mad scientist.
...Wait.
"*sigh* Fine."
"Good. Now pick a book from the pile and let me know when you find something useful. We really don't have much time."
"It's a wonder nobody noticed the change." Kyoji whispered as he ran near both Aya and Alice, keeping the pace of the small troop they were currently following.
"Shh! Keep it quiet!" Alice hissed, resisting the urge to punch him as he risked blowing up their cover.
Kyoji apologized as the whole troop started scalling up another stairway.
"Hey, have you heard about the inturders?" one of the einhenjar started gossiping with his colleages.
"Hmm...from what I heard, they are not frost giants...nor dark elves. Just what is going on? On Ragnarok, the giants are supposed to break free..."
That comment really unnerved Aya and Alice. Kyoji just frowned, knowing exactly what happens or is implied that will happen on Ragnarok.
"But, according to what I heard...our opponents are human and demon. What an awful combination."
Aya really didn't like the term 'demon'. Youkai was acceptable, but 'demon' was a bit offensive. Kyoji calmed her before something went wrong...but still resented that sort of comment.
"But still, as long as they can fight, I have no problem. We just live again to fight..."
"I know. But...I wonder where is Freya-sama?"
Again with the -sama... Good god, what's wrong with you?
"Also...isn't Yggdrasil acting...weird?"
Huh?
"From the reports I just heard, some of the troops have arrived from Midgard to Muspellheim by going upwards."
"But Muspellheim should be under Midgard!"
"Precisely." the einhenjar said. "Even some of the watchers said that the jotun were fighting a female demon with horns in Jotunheim. This would be normal, if Jotunheim wasn't located in the trunk of Yggdrasil."
"What?" Kyoji thought. "It isn't normal?...Now that I think of it, why didn't I ask myself that when we arrived to Vanaheimr so quickly? Man, I feel so stupid."
"You think it is because of this place?" one of the valkyries suggested.
"...You think so? Well, there are a lot of weird humans and demons here. Has the world really changed like this? It really creeps me out how fast the world is changing."
Alice started thinking. From what she heard, Yggdrasil's structure is inconsistent, perhaps due to Gensokyo's barrier or another external factor. She really didn't know.
But if it wasn't the former...is something else manipulating all of this?
Apparently, the laws of gravity are still in effect inside Yggdrasil since the oxygen density became lower the higher they went. Even Aya was having problems keeping up. She might live in a mountain, alright, but Yggdrasil is far much higher than a mountain.
To put it in simple words, they have problems breathing.
"*pant* Why is it this tall? !" Aya ranted...silently, of course. "Wait...how much stamina does these guys have?"
No shit. The valkyries and einhenjar did not take a rest during the whole ascention!
"...Better just keep up with them. If we get left behind, they'll start suspecting...*pant* " Alice commented.
"...Hey." Reimu started getting annoyed. "Are we there yet?"
"Do I look that I have the answer?" Mokou also was on the edge. "Shit...it never gets easier, does it?"
"Aw, come on! Being negative all the time isn't good for your health, ze!"
"...I'm immortal, you know..."
"Whatever." Reimu sighed. "Hmm...I think we should go...there." she pointed at one of the inner tunnels of Yggdrasil.
"You sure? After we walked in circles for quite a while, I'm not so sure to just go to the first place I think it's the exit. You need to be more realist, Reimu." Mokou said.
"You forget that my intuition is always right. Besides, do you have a better idea?"
"Egh..."
"That's what I thought." Reimu smiled. "Let's hurry up, okay? My clothes are all dirty now..."
Well, you passed through Muspellheim, which its pure fire and rage and...fire. I need to get better and finishing sentences.
"Hmph! Thankfully, I had my fireproof amulets with me." Mokou said.
"Well, my intuition tells me that we should go there." she pointed towards another tunnel to the left. "After all, my intuition has never failed me."
"That's some intuition you got there..." Marisa commented, her broom over her shoulder. "Still, it would be useful now. So, lead the way!" she winked.
"Easier said than done." Reimu sighed, but nevertheless, moved forward.
Eventually, without much effort needed, they managed to reach an exit, with natural light coming from outside. The girls quickly ran towards the light...
They emerged on a quite dense forest, the sky over them seemingly genuine. Not so far from there, a really large rainbow bridge stood magnificent, going towards the floating piece of land that was Asgard...
...And found the complete valkyrie troop just next to them, in which our three disguised friends were, which just stood there wide eyed.
…*sigh*
But still, seeing people like this is as funny as hell.
"The intruders!"
"...Well, this is a bad turn of events..." Really, Reimu?
Alice almost freaked out when she saw the others. She immediately begged to something in the sky that Marisa doesn't say something stup-
"Yo, Alice! How's it going?"
Well, shit.
"You idiot!" No, you're the idiot for making an outburst, Alice. See, both Kyoji and Aya are facepalming now. "You ruined it!"
"Ruined what?"
Alice wished that she had a small thread around Marisa's neck and be able to pull...when several spears and swords were aimed towards the three of them.
"We've being deceived! You're no comrades of us!" one of the valkyries said.
"How surprising." Kyoji snarked. "But why such cuties are holding such dangerous weapons is beyond me." And you have the nerve to flirt with the enemy while they are threatening to slash your neck. I don't know if to admire you...or slap you for you stupidity.
"Perfect. Just freaking perfect."
Reimu didn't skip a beat and unleashed several Yin Yang Orbs towards the platoon, distracting them enough for Alice and the rest to evade them, releasing a storm of bullets, wind and shots. The surprise attack was enough to incapacite several of their forces, but since we've already established that valkyries are as hard as hell, they shrugged off the attacks with ease.
Oh boy, this doesn't look good at all.
"Well...this is quite a problem." Alice said as she stepped back, her dolls floating near her. The group started feeling queasy the more they tried to move. Well, there's only air without oxygen up there. Seems that even natural laws affect Gensokyo and even a realm filled with gods.
"This is *pant* troublesome." Reimu said, using her gohei to block several attacks while retaliating with cards, but these didn't seem to have any effect at all.
Marisa was having the same problems too. Her normal lasers just managed to send some einherjar back, along with several valkyries, not even managing to damage them harshly. She shifted tactics to melee combat by using her broom to attack.
(CLASH!)
Holy crap! What the hell is that broom made from?
(PARRY!)
And she won the power struggle! What the hell?
"Heh. Don't think I'm that easy to beat, ze!" Marisa grinned as she twirled her broom around her. Show off. "Bring it on."
"~ You say that...but you're also panting due to the atmosphere...~"
"Shh! They don't know that." Marisa whispered.
A facepalm and a sigh could be head through the feed.
Mokou tried to fry them altogether, but since they are averting normal mook stupidity, they either jumped out of the way or drove away the flames by swinging their weapons ridiculously fast.
"Oh, come on!"
These guys sure can block. After deciding that this was pointless, the small legion split up in two and rushed towards the two groups at once. Rush tactics...impressive.
"Oh man." Kyoji sighed as he summoned Cerberus using the usual way. "Attacking from long range is useless and in close quarters combat, these guys are also good. Hey, Alice, do you have any of your brilliant plans?" he said, as Marisa shoot some more lasers, refusing to give up.
"...Their defense in flawless. I cannot find a single weak spot!"
"~ Hold on. I'll try to find a weakness in one of these books. ~"
"~ What? ~" The voice of Eirin burst out of the Hakkero. "~ Look, I see what you try to do, but I don't think your books are a complete encyclopedia about them. ~"
"Patchouli, even I think that's stupid!" Marisa countered.
"There's always some sort of flaw on any plan." Cerberus commented, biting and slashing several einhenjar down, supported by Kyoji.
Some einhenjar jumped towards Reimu, but she slammed the ground once and several wards with
the Hakurei symbol on it shielded her. Not even spear blows managed to weaken it.
"I'm not a fan of going into physical combat..." Reimu said. "But I can still shoot you down!"
With that said, the wards shielding Reimu dispersed towards the einherjar that tried to attack her, attaching on contact. Reimu snapped her fingers and...
...Have you watched Fullmetal Alchemist by now?
(BOOM!)
"Holy s...!" Kyoji was about to say, but the force of the explosion forced him to stand his ground, along with Cerberus.
"To think such a girl has this power! What is she?" Cerberus said shocked.
"A newtype (2)?"
"This is no time for that!"
(BOOM!)
"Oh god!" Kyoji had to duck as three bodies were sent flying. And did I mention they are currently in the treetop? Reimu, what the hell?
"Oi, Reimu..." Marisa sweat-dropped. "Was that really necessary?"
"They're fine. Look."
Wait...seriously?
… … Oh shit, they're okay. They're conscious, but ensnared in...some sort of magical bind with a Yin Yang Orb over it.
"That was...fancy." Aya commented, while dodging spear blows. "But still, we can't keep fighting like this much longer." she kicked away an incoming spear. "I mean, how resilient are these guys?"
It depends on how much you believe in Norse Mythology.
…
...Now that I think of it, gods and mythological beings' power levels are relative. A variable depending on how much strong people believe they are. Like in Fate/Stay Night.
Huh...but nobody here's an agnostic or an atheist or a god hater. Where can we...?
…
...Oh crap, he's not here.
(SLASH!)
"…!" Reimu was surprised as her gohei was cut in two. She retaliated by throwing a big amulet towards her attacker. The valkyrie blocked, but Reimu crashed against her while surrounded by wards.
So much for not too physical, eh, Reimu?
Meanwhile...
"Oh? Look, my friend, they are already here." Veðrfölnir said, managing to see the ensuing battle from atop his giant friend. "My, this is getting quite dangerous. Surely the All-Father will act sometime later...But it's odd."
The hawk blinked as he looked up to Asgard.
"Why Ragnarok now? Why in this circumstances that are completely silly? May my soul be forgiven but...is the All-Father going senile?"
Okay, that was hilarious.
"Ngh...eh...wha?"
"Ah, the white one is waking up. Hello, white one?"
"Huh?" Youmu blinked, still getting using to the low oxygen on the air.
Then she saw the ridiculously big bird, with the hawk in the middle of its eyes. Naturally, Youmu freaked out.
"S-Stay back!" she brandished her sword at it.
"Relax! We are not going to hurt you...probably...I don't know, are you hungry, partner?"
"…" the bird said nothing.
"Really? *sigh*" the smaller feathered being titled its head. "What a shame..."
"Who are you...What are you?" Youmu held her blades towards the birds, but she's still recovering her breath.
"Just an informant for this big guy. Bit hungry if you ask me, but I'll deal with it." Veðrfölnir ruffled his feathers. "And, to make sure I'm not against you, I know about you and your friends' intrusion way before you arrived here."
"...How could...?"
"I'm a hawk. My eyes are really good."
Point taken.
"...Ugh...what?" both of China and Reisen were waking up in that same moment.
And of course, they too shat bricks when they saw the two birds.
"AAAAAH!"
"Oh, come on!" Veðrfölnir was annoyed. "I didn't even speak to you yet!"
"Y-Youmu, what is going on? What is that?" Reisen asked, obviously unnerved by the whole situation.
(BOOM!)
The group instantly turned around to see a massive explosion coming not so far from there.
"Ah, that red-white and her group sure are strong. But the strength of that shrine maiden..."
"What, Reimu and the others are there?" Youmu was surprised. "How did they got here so fast?"
"Sheer luck, perhaps. The insides of Yggdrasil are like a complex and confusing maze. I'm sure you've experienced this beforehand."
"...Sadly, yes." China grimaced as she remembered how hard the trek was. "So...both of you are not going to stop us?"
"Heavens, no! That takes work. And I'm just a watcher."
"…" The eagle squawked something.
"...Okay, that one time was an accident, I told you already!"
The girls were really confused by all the situation. Nevertheless, they decided they should rush towards the battle, in order to get back Remilia as soon as possible...or perhaps China was the only one thinking that.
"So...you are not going to stop us?" Youmu raised an eyebrow as she asked Veðrfölnir. "Aren't they your comrades?"
"Comrades? Oh no no no no, you're wrong. My duty isn't at all "cooperate". It's something else...but I think telling that to you is pointless... Well, there's the other unofficial role I have to control this big guy when that annoying squirrel shows up.
The eagle looked furious solely by the mention of Ratatoskr.
"Oh...Okay, calm down. You should really know by now that the rodent just wants you and Níðhöggr to go all out."
Youmu really didn't know what those two were talking about. Still shaken up by the strange encounter, she started flying, along with the others, slowly since they aren't quite well adjusted to the air yet.
"See? You need to calm down your temper."
(SLASH!)
Mokou jumped back as she nearly avoided being cut in two and countered by shooting back flames. She tried rushing down towards them, but having too many opponents was a bit of a problem for her.
It was in that moment that Marisa shot several stars at them, which detonated spectacularly, blinding them. Even without the Hakkero functional, Marisa is still a force to be afraid of.
"What is this? ...Why can't be beat them?"
"Well...that's actually a good question. You outnumber us for a ridiculous amount. However, we have something you don't." Marisa said.
"Which is?"
"Fantasy Orb!"
As several orbs of light started homing towards the group of valkyries and einhenjar, Marisa grinned as if she was a cat in another life.
"We have Reimu."
BOOM!
Indeed you have.
The troop was blown away towards the main trunk of Yggdrasil, some of them knocked out in the blast. While the rest of the girls were cheering, Reimu had to land in order to catch up her breath. Using spellcards at full strength and in an unfavorable atmosphere was really taking its toll.
"*pant* *pant*"
"Oi, Reimu." Marisa asked, flying towards her. "You okay?"
"*pant* I'll be. Thanks."
"~ It surprises me how well you're handling this. ~"
"Geez, these guys were really a pain to deal with. And the air here doesn't help..." Marisa groaned.
"Stay alert!" Alice warned. "They are standing again!"
Indeed, some of the einhenjar were helping the valkyries to stand up and viceversa. Even after seeing what kind of firepower Reimu was, they still want to fight. I have to give it to them, they are recklessly determined.
"How troublesome..." Reimu muttered, picking up her cut-in-half gohei. "Oh well...shall we continue?"
"I wouldn't strain myself more than you are..." Kyoji commented as Cerberus growled towards the Asgardian group. "Besides, I..."
BOOM!
"AAAH!"
"What the shit...?"
...W-Where did that spear come from? It's twice the size of a regular spear!
"...I missed." a harsh, yet feminine voice, came from the cloud.
The small cloud of dust that the impact caused revealed a woman with the same uniform, however, her hair was completely blond like Marisa...except it was straighter and not wavy and she was wearing a really nice necklace and a cloak made of falcon feathers.
"F-Freya-sama!" one of the valkyries said in relief. "Thank goodness you're here."
"...Hmm...Am I to believe you were getting beaten by these humans and demons?"
"…! B-But..."
"*sigh* You're getting too noisy. You, take the squad, go to Asgard and protect the All-Father while he's transferring the eye."
Transferring the eye? I really don't like the sound of that...
"Yes, ma'am!" the rest of the squad started picking up the unconscious men and started running over the rainbow bridge.
...I'm still uncomfortable by just looking at the rainbow bridge. I mean, there are so many jokes I could say...but I digress.
"Ehh? Just one this time?" Marisa grinned. "Heh, this'll be easy."
"Er...no." Kyoji shook his head, knowing too well who Freya was. "No, it won't."
"Oh come on! How hard can one b-?"
Her speech was cut of short as an impulse of air passed dangerously close to Marisa and shattered the tree bark behind her.
"Don't think lightly of me. But also, don't disappoint me."
"A vanir...This just got worse." Cerberus commented as he carefully analyzed Freya's movements, preparing himself for any attack.
"W-What is she?" Marisa, still recovering from the shock, said.
"Whoever she is, she seems like a boss or something." Mokou said.
"More than that..." Kyoji said, still glaring at Freya. "As far as I know, she's like the Ares counterpart of Norse Mythology. I may be wrong, but basically, she's likes fighting a lot."
"She likes fighting? She seems more bored than..."
(STAB!)
Alice nearly got screwed by the spear if she didn't brought one of her dolls in front of her as a shield, even if she disliked it. But just looking at how near was the spear towards her torso made her really scared.
"...I take it back." Marisa said, dashing towards Alice. Freya quickly switched her attention towards the black witch and tried to swat her away with her spear. Marisa blocked just in time with her broom, but was stunned. Freya released the grip of her spear and ran towards Marisa during that time frame, punching through the broom and directly into her face.
"...Ah..." The whole group was left speechless about how fast Freya was. Alice recovered from the shock and tried snaring the goddess with her threads. Freya anticipated this and grabbed the threads. The next thing Alice felt was her body being swinged around at high speeds, until Freya thought that was enough and threw her towards the trees, the force of the throw enough to break down the trees. Kyoji (albeit grudgingly) started shooting towards Freya with quick shots, assisted by Mokou and Aya.
Freya deflected the incoming shots by spinning her spear as fast as she could, making it practically a reflector shield that started returning the fire. Reimu quickly conjured her Fantasy Orbs once again, trying to flank her. But she countered by spinning the spear faster while holding it over her head. This resulted in her being surrounded in a small whirlwind of her own control.
Just by swinging her spear incredibly fast...Damn.
"Ah crap." Kyoji said while bracing himself for the counterattack.
Freya swinged her spear, making the array of bullets to head towards the group.
"I got it!" Aya said as she swinged her leaf fan, creating a whirlwind that not only stopped the bullets, but also managed to send them back to her.
Freya retaliated by swinging the spear faster and sending them back once again. But this time, she relaxed her muscles, aimed at Aya and threw the massive spear with glaring precision.
And no calling the attack. Ha! That's for idiots only!
…
...Oh.
"Watch out!" Kyoji shouted as he tackled Aya out of the way.
The whirlwind subsided as the spear crossed dangerously close to Kyoji's abdomen. Said spear did not stop there. In fact, it tore several wide trees by half and, somehow, make the final tree which it landed explode.
"...*gulp* Okay...Now I'm pretty terrified of you." Kyoji said while sweatdropping.
Mokou ran towards Freya, her fists on fire. She tried punching her in the face, but she dodged to the left and kicked her on the abdomen. She spat air, but recovered quickly as she released a small flare that managed to burn a bit of Freya's hair. She retailated by axe-kicking her to the ground, making a medium sized crater. Mokou yelled in pain as Freya raised her by her head.
"...That blow on your spine should've killed you...What are you?"
"T-Tch, like I have to answer that."
Mokou grabbed Freya's head as started heating it. Noticing this, Freya kneed her, canceling her attack. She then noticed the incoming hurricane that was coming towards her and jumped away. Mokou tried attack her again, but she elbowed her and kicked her in the face, sending her flying towards the trees.
"Hmph. Even if humans have somehow attained some sort of immortality, they are still weak. The past of time didn't fix that problem. You demons too..."
"Enough with that word! We are youkai. You. Kai." Alice said.
"Weren't you a magician?"
"I am a magician too, Marisa!"
Their thoughts were interrupted as Freya dashed and stood in front of Alice, punched her in the gut and kicked her towards a nearby tree.
"Alice!" Marisa shouted. Trying to take revenge, she aimed at her at shot lasers. However, Freya was sidestepping with ease and even deflected one with her bare hands.
Marisa tried to use Stardust Reverie while Cerberus roared and jumped towards Freya from the other side in other to slice her with his claws.
"A pincer attack. Not bad, but not enough!"
As fast as she could, Freya did a back flip, landing on the back of Marisa's broom, as she hit Cerberus with full force. Before Marisa could react, Freya kicked her, making her tumble against the floor...tree bark...whatever.
"Cerberus!"
"Marisa!"
"~ Marisa...Marisa! Are you okay? ~" Patchouli's voice buzzed from the semi-broken Hakkero.
"Ugh...damn...She's really strong..." Marisa grunted, struggling to stand up, her right arm injured.
"~ Well, she's the war goddess...or so it says in this book. ~"
Are you sure you have trustworthy sources?
"What really ticks me off is that I can't use the Master Spark..." Marisa said, taking out the battered Hakkero. "Do you think I can fire once?"
"~ Hmm... ~"
While she was recovering, Reimu tried intercepting Freya while surrounded by Yin Yang orbs. Since she was weaponless at the moment, she had to dodge them or parry when she had no other choice.
"Oh? You possess quite a potential, young girl." Freya smiled as she dodged the flurry of orbs and kicks. "Shall I kill you to make you a worthy einhenjar?"
"I really have no idea what are you talking about..." Reimu said, her face stoic. "What I want is for you to get rid of this tree!"
"Really? And you think you can do that?" Freya said, punching one of the orbs away through the forest.
"I just have to beat up the one responsible. Now, who's the culprit? I know you know!"
"How do you know?" Freya raised an eyebrow.
"My instincts are always correct."
"Hah! Interesting!" Freya laughed at how ridiculous Reimu's words sounded. "You really believe in yourself that much? Don't screw with me!"
Freya tried an uppercut, but her arm was blocked by several amulets that just won't fade by her attacks. Reimu really is some sort of story breaker, isn't she?
(PARRY!)
"Tsk." the barrier surrounding Reimu blinked as Freya tried punching her. Reimu then shot several needles at her.
She caught them and held them like these were Wolverine claws. Talk about using everything as a weapon...
"Okay...that backfired..." Reimu sweat-dropped.
While this fray was going on, Kyoji and Aya went up to help both Marisa and Alice, which were understandably injured. Mokou was limping as she drew near them too.
"Hey, can you stand?" Aya said, while lending Alice a hand in order to walk.
"Yeah..." Marisa said, clutching her arm, holding a battered Hakkero. "Still, I feel really annoyed that I can't fire the Master Spark with it like this..."
"Hmm?" Kyoji blinked. "May I see that for a second?"
Marisa shrugged as she handed the Hakkero. Kyoji looked at it as fast as he could, since having a vanir that were trying to kill them is enough reason to hurry up.
And he grinned.
"...Oh no...You have that face." Cerberus sighed. "Alright, spill it. What are you going to d-?"
Kyoji called back Cerberus to a bullet before he could finish speaking. Then, he loaded another bullet and...
"Link."
The revolver shone as it turned into...
…
...Is that a miniature Buster Rifle (3)? No, seriously, LOOK AT THAT THING!
"...What do we crush now, boy?" the voice of Take-Mikazuchi rumbled.
"~ …! H-Hey! What are you going to...?"
"Just a second..." he turned now to Marisa as he put the Hakkero on the tip of it. "Could you try firing that laser when I tell you?"
Marisa blinked. But when she figured out what he was trying to do, she grinned like a cat.
"You can count on that, ze!"
"~ Marisa, I'm beginning to question your sanity here! ~" Patchouli said.
"~ Did she had any to begin with? ~" Kaguya commented.
...Good point.
"And please...everyone hold me. This...won't be a normal laser."
If he had said this with a smile, this would be treated like a joke...But he was dead serious. That unnerved some of the girls.
Reimu was still fighting Freya into a standstill. The latter trying to cut down the barrier of amulets around Reimu as the former at least trying to land a hit with her broken gohei and by kicking, with little to no success. Reimu can block well, be it with her gohei or her arms. Isn't there anything she can't do, for crying out loud?
"Not bad...*chuckle* In fact, it is exciting! Can you feel the joy of the battle? The thrills of it must be affecting you too."
"…? I really have no idea what you (BLOCK!) are talking about..."
Freya was really smiling as she tried to punch and kick Reimu. However, Reimu got bored of this situation and instead tried to fight from a distance. She flew over Freya, her Yin Yang orbs circling around her, and declared the Omnidirectional Dragon Slaying Circle. Freya smiled and started sidestepping and rolling forward towards Reimu with ease. Reimu, noticing this, increased the distance between them.
The cards and bullets started chipping the tree bark severely. Even Kyoji and the girls had to cover their eyes as the splinters flew through the area. Freya increased her speed and started slashing the bullets and cards like Wolverine in a killing frenzy.
Then she noticed that three Yin Yang orbs were around her.
"Shi-!"
A big cloud of smoke and splinters rose after a loud explosion razed the area. The group that were still aiming the mini-Buster Rifle had to close their eyes and stand their ground as the sphere of light grew on side.
"AAAHH!" the rest of the group were almost blown away by the explosion.
Reimu watched from above, searching signs of Freya, but...
"Where is she? Did I get her?"
(SLASH!)
Reimu froze as Freya managed to open a small wound in her left arm, removing the sleeve with her spear, the same one that she threw. She gasped because Freya did not have any sort of burn or wound on her. What kind of resistance the vanir has?
"That was fun." Freya said as Reimu tried to strike her with her gohei, but Freya swatted it away with her recovered spear, leaving her wide open. "But, oh well, things end, don't they?"
(SLASH!)
*rattle* *rattle*
Flandre continued accending through Yggdrasil, her blood still drenched in blood. However, the fact that she was still smiling really scares the crap outta me.
"Eh~...somebody is having fun up there." Flandre sensed the battle from below...somehow. "How fantastic! I really wish to see them...and their blood around these halls."
Hey Flandre, I can understand your Laevaetaiin going red when you're are in this state...but wasn't it always curvy and not straight? Also, your hands seem to generate heat, but the effects are kind of visible now...
What kind of present that was? Those runes...what kind of power those runes have on you?
"Now...*giggle*, let's see if I can reach you before this all turns into a sea of blood."
...What do you mean by that?
(1) Since Joss Whedon created Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the term Buffy Speak appeared...and then, the whole world started using it. It consist on saying stuff like "Timey Wimey...stuff" or "That machine...thingy". It always makes use of the ellipsis.
(2) Newtypes are what they call the psychics in the Gundam Universe, originating in the UC (Universal Century) timeline. Their powers range from telepathy and the control of Funnels via telekinesis.
(3) The Buster Rifle is one of the equipment the original Wing Gundam had in Gundam Wing. Hell, if you're Americans, you really should know what power the Buster Rifle has.