(SLASH!)
"…!"
Freya was astonished. She was sure nobody was going to interrupt her fight as it was. Sure, the others were still out there, but she believed that they weren't at her level, so she ignored them. However, someone blocking her attack at that moment was uncalled for. Her spear was clashing with a pristine katana, her holder looking straight into her eyes.
Youmu Konpaku arrived just in time.
"Y-You..." Reimu recovered from the shock. "Where did..."
She was interrupted by an array of red bullets that were heading towards Freya. Noticing the danger, she ended the stalemate and kicked off from Youmu's Roukanken, dodging the bullets in mid-air.
China, coming out of nowhere, tried punching her in the gut in mid-air, but Freya brought her knee up. Then she followed up with a roundhouse kick, which was blocked by the spear...which shattered by the impact. Freya grabbed the two halves as she landed.
Remember that she can't fly. She just kicked off from a sword, dodged bullets while falling backwards, fended off the brawler of the group and landed perfectly... Talk about being overpowered, don't you think?
"There were more of them? Heh, don't think your comrades will be able to change anything, red one." Freya sighed. "It's fine by me if you all fight me at once. I don't care. In fact...it'll be interesting to see if you humans and demons are on the same level as us gods!"
"Geez..." Reimu shook her head. "You really like fighting, don't you? Sorry, but I'm not a fighter. I'm just a shrine maiden, you know. Now...would you just leave and let us go there to stop this madness?"
I don't think that's going to work on a race of gods that live for fighting, you know?
Predictably, Freya started laughing.
"Hehehe...you're a funny one. If I didn't respect your power, I would have stabbed you just for the sheer stupidity of your words."
"Hey!"
"Reimu, you should focus." Youmu started. "She's not like the others."
"Gee, thanks. I didn't notice." Reimu rolled her eyes.
"Well then...shall we continue?" Freya taunted. "Come!"
Freya reached Reimu and Youmu in the sky in a single leap. Youmu tried slashing her, but Freya reacted first and threw one of the halves of her spear, forcing her to cut that first. Freya used that time frame to grab her from her head and knee her. Reimu tried kicking her with her legs protected by amulets, but Freya used the other part of the spear to block, the spear completely shattered this time. Reimu then tried to shoot her with cards as China tried to attack Freya from behind. Noticing this, Freya threw Youmu at China, launching them towards a tree and free-fell towards the ground, dodging the cards.
"Can't you just shoot?" Aya, very far away from the fight, asked a focused Kyoji that was clearly trying to aim the mini-Buster Rifle well. "I mean, at this rate, she's beat us!"
"Sure. Shoot now and lose our only way to deal massive damage to a god. Good plan."
Good lord. Kyoji, you too are a snarker?
"Err..."
"Dammit! Why can't she just stay still?" Mokou ranted, following the battle with her eyes.
"Well, it is kind of a relief that she cannot fly. Imagine how hard would it be to hit her if she could!" Alice commented, trying to calculate where would Freya be next, but calculations like that in a small time frame of barely seconds was goddamn hard.
"Please, let me concentrate! I really need to aim this thing!"
"~ I can see your plan...but I'm really worried about the... ~"
"Save it for later, Patchouli." Marisa said. "The only solution I have for this situation is to blast her with all of my..."
"Our." Kyoji corrected.
"Our might."
Aya facepalmed.
"~ *sigh* Suit yourselves... ~"
Episode 38: Insane on arrival
Freya was prancing around incredibly fast while dodging Reimu's assault. Kicking off one of the trees, she tried punching Reimu in the stomach. She missed her mark, but she held on from Reimu's feet.
"Hey! Get off me!" Reimu demanded, trying to shake her off.
But this not only represented a problem for Reimu. If Freya is holding onto Reimu, the others cannot shoot the Buster Rifle, if that means harming Reimu too.
"That bitch!" Marisa said. "Did she notice?"
"I don't know, but this situation just went from bad to worse." Alice said, also cursing this turn of events.
Reimu tried throwing amulets at Freya, but she managed to dodge by swinging herself to the safe side, making Reimu slowly lose her balance too.
"Guess I have to drag you down after all!" Freya said, grinning all the way, as if enjoying the fight.
"Fantasy Orb!"
The orbs grazed Freya...except one which hit her on the head. This managed to stun her enough to let Reimu go.
"FIRE NOW!" Marisa shouted.
"I know!" Kyoji answered back, pulling the trigger on the process.
Their bodies trembled due to the massive shockwave of firing the Buster Rifle. This ungodly massive beam of death started heading towards Freya and Reimu, the latter which noticed how bad this was going to get and moved aside.
"...Oh." That's all that Freya managed to say. "That's new. But...!"
Freya, still falling in mid-air, removed her cloak and put it in front of her.
"What is she...?" Alice, confused, looked at the madness of her actions.
The cloak extended in mid-air, exactly at the same diameter as the beam.
"S-She isn't going to stop the attack with just that, isn't she?" Kyoji panicked.
The beam was still heading towards Freya, but she was confident that the cloak would stop it. Marisa just ignored that fact and poured more magic into the Hakkero, making the laser even bigger.
"Yes! That's what I want! Do it again!" Freya shouted, the laser just meters away.
"…! It's a reflector!" Alice gasped in horror as she noticed her plan. "She is going to send it back to us!"
No word was spoken...maybe perhaps they were paralyzed in horror as the realization dawned on them. Reimu also heard those words and rushed towards the group, preparing a barrier almost instantly.
"Brace yourselves!" Reimu warned.
However, before the laser could touch the cloak...this one inexplicably was cut in two. Not only that, her arms went punctured by several knives that appeared out of...oh...
Oh, she's here.
"What the h-?" Freya was about to say, but...
(BOOM!)
The beam swallowed Freya completely. The group was unable to hear or see Freya for a while...until the beam stopped in mid-air when it was about to reach the floating continent that was Asgard. A thin, but strong green barrier stood firmly, the beam not even weakening it one bit. The group was mesmerized by this. Sure, they were able to knock out Freya, as proven by the way her body fell unconscious onto the rainbow after the beam faded...but if they cannot enter Asgard, what was the point?
"...That is going to be a problem." Reimu commented.
"Her cloak was just cut in two...wait, then..."
China started looking around as she figured out what just happened. In the distance, not far from them, a slender figure walked towards them.
"Well, that was problematic." Sakuya said, coming out of her hiding spot.
"Sakuya-san!"
"Oh, it's the maid." Marisa said, but nonetheless, relieved. "What are you doing here? Weren't you injured?"
"Do I look injured to you?"
Well, her clothes are devoid of wounds and blood...and she looks fine... But something about this doesn't seem alright...
"~ Sakuya! You're in no conditions to move! Come back! ~" Patchouli said, reasonably worried.
"Patchouli-sama, I can assure you-"
"~ No, Sakuya! Think this carefully! What would Remilia think if she saw you exert yourself? ~"
That made Sakuya remain silent for some seconds...but then answered...
"If I do not worry about my mistress, what kind of maid I am?"
"~ But...~"
"Besides, I'm fine. See?" Sakuya said by extending her arms, also devoid of wounds.
"You know...she's right." Marisa said.
"...But I still doubt this is a good idea." Alice commented.
"Seconded. I don't think you should force yourself too much." Kyoji said. "Besides, I don't believe that someone can recover so easily with just a few hours. It's illogical."
Sakuya sighed.
"Well, you cannot prove I'm not injured, so you have no choice but to-"
"~ Um, Reimu-san? ~" This time, it was Shin who spoke. "~ Could I ask you to poke the left side of Sakuya's body, near the abdomen, please? ~"
"Er...sure, why not?"
And Reimu complied.
Sakuya instantly winced as she almost fell to her knees, but she quickly recovered. However, everyone saw enough.
"H-How did you-?" Sakuya, bewildered, asked Shin.
"~ W-Well, if your upper body and legs were unharmed, I had the feeling that your abdominal area was the one still hurt. Guess I was...right... That and perhaps, because it is the only area I know you can hide wounds. ~"
...And knowing is half the battle.
"Ngh...I screwed up..." Sakuya gritted her teeth.
"Hey, don't do harsh movements!" Youmu warned.
The whole group quickly subdued a panting Sakuya. Reimu sighed, thinking this was getting a lot troublesome.
"Oh, you're here already." a female voice was heard on the distance.
The whole group turned around to see Ran, followed by Kyoji's partners, Alexia and Hiroki, the latter ignoring their presence.
"You guys!" Kyoji was really happy to see them. "What took you so long?"
"If you had contacted us earlier, we wouldn't have arrived this late, you idiot." Alexia grumbled.
"Hey! Don't blame me for that!"
"But I can." Aya answered. "You should have called them earlier, you know?"
"Whose side are you on?"
"Okay, that's enough." Reimu was getting tired of their banter. "So...what's Yukari up to?"
"Well... I haven't heard of Yukari-sama for a while. In fact, I think she isn't in Gensokyo at the moment."
That raised many eyebrows.
"Huh? What do you mean "she isn't here"?"
"I knew it. Your kind can't be trusted..." Hiroki said, reaching for the orbs holding his demons.
"H-Hold on!" Kyoji interrupted. "I think there's a really good reason for this...right?"
A lot of eyes focused on Ran now, which made her slightly uncomfortable.
"W-Well, Yukari-sama said something about an "ace on the hole" or something." Ran said. "If she had to say anything of importance, she would use her phone to contact me."
"Would she?" Reimu asked with an amused look.
"…"
Ran stopped to think while Hiroki tried to brandish his sword on impatience, but Kyoji and Alexia stopped him before he did something reckless.
"...No, she wouldn't." Ran sighed. Poor Ran...
The group stayed there for a while, recovering from the battles that happened before. Kyoji withdrew Cerberus back, since...
"If I keep him summoned like that, I'll run out of magnetite."
...Which raised many eyebrows. He said he would explain later.
After they were rested, they continued.
However...
"Well, who's going to say to keep watch on Sakuya-san?" Kyoji asked. "We cannot just leave her like that."
"I agree." Alexia said. "She would become a liability if she came with us."
"No. I'll come. I cannot leave Remilia-sama like-!"
"*sigh* Don't push yourself." Reimu shaked her head. "Oi, China, can you take care of her?"
"No problem!"
"...! H-Hey, wait!" Sakuya said, but the group started walking.
"Sakuya-san! Please, don't move!"
"So...now what?" Reimu said as she looked at the barrier covering the entrance to the Bifrost Bridge.
Hiroki tried slashing the barrier, but he was sent flying backwards.
"...Well, I'm not going to shoot then." Kyoji said, holstering his revolver back.
"Looks like a Tetrakarn spell...no, this is far stronger." Cerberus said, poking the barrier too. "Guess these guys aren't playing around."
"Well, we could try shooting that big laser again." Marisa said. "Hey, you, can you use that thing to shoot the laser again?"
"...Err...first of all, my name is Kyoji. But you can call me Kyoji-kun if you like..."
"Get to the point." Aya said.
"...Right. And second..."
He took out Orion again.
"Do you see the barrel? It's red now, meaning that it overheated when we fired that beam. I doubt it would stand to fire another one like that."
"Huh...well, that goes that idea." Marisa sighed.
In that moment, Ran's cellphone rang.
"Hello?"
"..."
"Duck? Wh-?"
A blinding light appeared out of nowhere from below, along with a deafening noise. Everyone ducked as the beam of destruction collided with the barrier. Slowly, the beam started piercing the barrier. Truth to be told, it took a few seconds, but it did its job.
(CRASH!)
Huh. Who knew barriers broke with the same sound as glass?
Reimu stood up quickly and grabbed Ran's cellphone.
"At least warn us beforehand!"
"She did. Almost two seconds beforehand." Ran said.
"Very funny." Oh good, more snark coming from you, Reimu.
"Hey, guys. I think it is better we go now." Kyoji pointed out as the barrier was reforming itself. Also, there was the sound of footsteps coming from below.
Well, guess some places are governed by Murphy's Law.
"What are you waiting for? ! RUN!"
The Gensokyo girls started flying towards the hole in the barrier while the summoners ran forward.
"These guys just won't give up, do they?" Kyoji remarked.
"Well, they are serving their god." Alexia said. "Their purpose is obvious."
"You guys are too slow!" Aya said, being the first to cross the hole. "Here, I'll help."
Hiroki instantly refused the hand and continued sprinting towards the barrier. The other two grabbed Aya's hands and arrived faster to the other side.
"Well, now that we are here, where to?" Marisa said, sitting on her broom.
"Where else? Up."
"~ Can someone explain to me what was that light just now? ~" Patchouli asked with both worry and intrigue.
"Eh, it seems Yukari threw a giant laser at us to destroy the barrier." Marisa stated. "No biggie. Still, that makes me wonder why a laser instead of ripping the barrier by its borders. Ahh...is she drunk?"
"~ That's highly inaccurate. ~" Patchouli sighed.
"~ Whatever the case, have you reached the top? ~" Eirin said.
"Define the top, please." Kyoji said, while sprinting along with the others. "Besides, this is ridiculous. I know of Bifrost...but I still cannot digest the fact we are running over a rainbow. A rainbow is only light. It is not tangible!"
"Will you shut up already?" Hiroki yelled at him, not wanting to deal with him. "Focus on the job at hand. Later, we'll deal with your rants."
"Hey!"
"Also, if you think really about it, things like these only exist in Gensokyo." Mokou said. "It is inside for a while, but you get used to it."
The sound of running reached their ears. In a mix of incredulity and annoyance, they saw a full battalion of einhenjar and valkyries passed through the barrier without any effort, along with battle wolves and horses.
"Well, that's just unfair!" Kyoji shouted.
"*sigh* Dammit." Hiroki frowned. "I'll get rid of these..."
"Are you insane? !" Alexia and Kyoji grabbed from his shoulders, restraining him. "Do you have a death wish or what?"
"~ To the impatient man there... I recommend you to listen to your partners...if you don't want to die, that is. ~"
Patchouli, that was mean.
"...Tch!" Hiroki relented.
A spear whistled through the air and almost pierced Aya's head. And it wasn't the only spear on the air now. A hail of spears started descending on them, but Reimu erected a barrier just in time.
"~ Can you move while you are casting it, Reimu-san?" Patchouli inquired.
"Yeah. Don't worry about that!" Reimu said while sustaining the barrier. "You guys focus on running!"
"Oi, are you sure that you can handle this, Reimu?" Marisa was worried. And with good reasons. The spears did not stop coming.
Aya tried creating a whirlwind in order to protect them all from the attacks. However, doing so would disrupt the barrier and that was risky.
"Ah, forget it! Run!" Aya said, as the group moved, but slowly.
That barrier seemed to withstand several blows quite well. I'm beginning to think that it could resist a Master Spark directly...but perhaps I'm wrong.
"~ Is there any way that... ~"
Patchouli stopped as the sound of something falling was heard in the broken Library.
"~ Huh? W-What?"
"Hey, Patchy. What was that?"
No response. Only spears were falling.
"Forget it. Look, we're on the middle of Bifrost now."
And they were. Actually, Kyoji had a slight sense of vertigo right now, but quickly shook it off. Can't blame him. Below them, there's absolutely nothing. Meaning, if one of the normals fall, they are dead.
No saving graces here. That's how life works in real life.
"Oh, that's looks nasty." Kyoji gulped.
"It's amazing how humans react to unfavorable situations. Perhaps I should make an article about this." Aya, that was a really cruel joke. Sure, you really don't like him, but come on!
"...You say that because you can fly." Kyoji sighed. "Also, I miss your white shirt. It was easier to see throu-
(CRACK!)
"I GIVE I GIVE I GIVE...!"
"Aya, please let go of his hand. You're crushing it. And you, stop acting like a child."
Both of them were separated. However, everyone started to worry when one spear created a crack on Reimu's barrier.
"Ah..."
"Oh no! It's going to break!" Marisa said.
Really?
"I can't...hold it..." Reimu panted.
But then, the bridge shook, along with Yggdrasil. The shocks were severe, as if something fell with great force to the ground. Using this distraction, Reisen ran in front of the group and look at them directly in the eyes.
You can pretty much guess what happened next.
"They'll stay like that for a while." Reisen said, as the einhenjar started waving their weapons around like crazy people. "Let's run while it lasts!"
The group quickly reached Asgard. They stopped to see the giant gate, apparently made of an unidentified material resembling stone. There was a fortress, reaching to the sky
"~ Everyone...what happened? I felt something fall to the ground. Sorry if I took too much time re-establishing the connection, but I had...issues to resolve. ~"
"Oh, hey Patchy!" Marisa said. "Well, there was some sort of earthquake, I guess. We managed to lost that squad, but I don't think the rabbit's eyes will last for long."
"...I have a name, you know." Reisen said.
"Anyways," Reimu interrupted. "what happened back there?"
"~ Well...Yukari showed up..."
"What? !" That was Reimu's reaction. "What did she do now?"
"~ I'm really not sure, but she seemed to have mentioned that she brought...a reinforcement. But whatever is the case, Yukari is here. I really don't know if this is good or bad, but at least, you're finally at Asgard, am I right? ~"
"Yes." Reimu said, looking at the structure. "How could we miss something this big in the sky?"
"~ It was not there in the beginning. When Yggdrasil emerged, Asgard materialized over it. There was no way that it could be there before. ~"
"I think the celestials live in a place like that." Aya commented. "Weird that they are not doing anything about it."
"How troublesome."
"So...now what? We knock the door and expect them to answer?" Kyoji asked.
(SLASH!)
"...Or we could do that." He said as Youmu did some quick slashes in front of the stone gate, creating an opening big enough for them to pass.
Sadly...and quite hilariously, from a reader's perspective, there was thousands of Asgardians ready to intercept them.
"...Err...any plans, guys? ...Guys?" Kyoji nervously asked.
Everyone looked pale.
"...Guess there's no plan then."
One of the warriors walked forward. He was dressed as the rest of the warriors, but his clothes had more red and silver on it, especially on the arms.
"To believe you beat Freya...humans have become a fierce threat with the passing of time..."
"Who are you?"
"And where's your hand?" Mokou asked.
There was an uncomfortable silence, more awkward in the Asgardian side, since they knew how sensitive he was about his arm.
By the way, the man's name is Tyr. Now you know why he doesn't have a hand...arm, depending on how much did that wolf ate.
"...I wish if you refrain to ask that, you really don't want to ignite my anger."
"What? It's just an arm."
A spear quickly zoomed through the air and lodged itself in Mokou's head.
The Asgardians expected a reaction to this, but since it was Mokou, only Alexia and, surprisingly, Hiroki, reacted...
"You know...that was highly unnecessary." Marisa said, looking at her body.
"~ But it was sooo satisfying. Would you mind doing it again? ~" Kaguya said from the Hakkero.
"What is this? !" Tyr reasonably freaked out. "Have you no camaraderie? Your comrade just got pierced by the head."
"No, seriously!" Alexia also flipped out. "What is wrong with you? !"
"Well..you see..." Reimu tried to explain, but before that happened, two things occurred in succession.
One, Mokou revived once again...once to fall down and die since the spear was still lodged in her head, freaking out every Asgardian.
And two, during that small frame of time, Hiroki tried slashing Tyr. However, the latter dodged just in time.
"...! You...!"
"..." Hiroki didn't talk as he summoned something. A black, human-sized figure with long horns and long hair, holding two swords, stood...no, more like floated in front of him.
"Rakshasa, take care of them."
The demon nodded as it lunged towards an einhenjar without saying nothing.
"...If you want me to trust you, I suggest you help." Hiroki stated as he walked forward towards the army.
But still, you do not ask for trust. You build it.
He will have problems in his life, I'm sure.
"Geez...you really don't have to say it like that..." Kyoji sighed as he walked forward too. "You girls can go on forward. We'll take care of this and you go rescue the ojou, alright?"
"Oi, don't leave me out of this." Alexia answered, moving forward while taking out a whip. "If I don't stay, you two are going to kill each other."
"No, we won't."
"...Whatever. I'll stay too." Alexia said.
"...Are you sure you'll be okay by yourselves?" Marisa said. "I can stay to help too."
"No, Marisa." Alice interrupted. "I think it is better with the number we have now. We do not know what we'll face up there. And splitting up in more might be dangerous."
If you're wondering how the hell are they still speaking while not fighting, it is because Rakshasa is creating a lot of problems for the valkyries, along with Aya's speed. Reimu was also helping with her Yin Yang Orbs.
You see, the normal Asgard denizen was used to fighting several groups of people in physical, mortal combat. This, however, are a bunch of girls with magical powers that shoot lasers and bullets like crazy, along with people that can summon demons at will.
Face it. You are not prepared for that in real life. But they seem to be enjoying it...even if they are losing...
(SLASH!)
Rakshasa showed no mercy at all. He just did as commanded. Quite polarizing, considering the girls are more used to non-lethal combat. I mean, blowing someone up with a laser is good. Butchering the person in half is other.
"How...sickening." Youmu answered, completely disgusted by Rakshasa's methods. Well, he IS a demon, what did you expect?
"Leave them be." Reimu suggested. "I really wish I could end this incident as soon as possible."
The group moved forward as Kyoji summoned Cerberus again, along with Alexia, who summoned Sarasvati, the goddess that Hindi people believe is the patron of knowledge, music and arts. Fittingly, she was holding a...err...how do you call those small guitars nowadays?
"Go!" Alexia shouted, as Cerberus lunged at the group and breathed fire.
The group complied as Youmu removed (quite uncomfortably) the spear from Mokou's head, this time her resurrection complete. Reimu released more orbs to create a distraction, which worked as they moved forward into the fortress.
However, Tyr reached them in time...or more precisely, his sword did. Somehow, he threw it far enough to land almost on Reimu's foot.
"What a problem you lot are." Tyr said, his eyebrow was twitching. "More importantly, it seems that we are messing with a bunch of freaks!"
"Hey! I resent that!" Mokou said, clutching his head. "Besides, you're a freak too, what's with the lack of a hand, anyways?" Mokou countered.
Tyr really seemed to be ticked off by the lack of limb.
"I wonder how that happened." Aya pondered, while taking out her notepad. "Mind telling me?"
"...You know that there's something called privacy, don't you?" Reimu sighed.
"Enough!" Tyr smashed his sword in the ground.
There was a brief aftershock, almost like if coming from below. Nobody moved during that moment,
"How odd. Nobody should be down there by now." Tyr mumbled.
(BOOM!)
A figure was forced out from Yggdrasil, just from the middle. It gained speed after a while and landed with a loud sound to the ground.
Suika groaned. The alcohol in her system was asking as a pain placebo for a while, so she looked more annoyed than in pain.
"Aaangh..." Suika shook her head as she returned to normal size.
"You oni! You almost crushed us!" The worried voice of Kaguya shrieked, as Suika almost crushed the teleported library. I mean, really, her arm was blocking its exit!
"Eeh~? But I was fighting so good up there..."
"Anyways, what happened up there?" Eirin asked.
"Well, there was this awesome fight with these giant things...or was it giant things of rock...I dunno. Well, the case was that there was this huge explosion out of nowhere and flames were covering the field and then...I think I landed here."
"What an original way of retelling events." Patchouli said, nice touch of snark there, I might add. "Anyways, that doesn't matter right n-"
A second shock occurred, this time coming from far above. Flames started going up the trunk, almost near ground level...and the heat was felt even from far away.
"What is going on?" Kaguya asked.
"...That tree is connected to Muspellheim, right?" Patchouli said, not taking her eyes of her book. "If this information is accurate...then it is beginning."
The trunk blew up again, this time, giant bodies of ice and fire emerging from the trunk. Lo and behold, as jotuun rise from their respective worlds and muster their unmatched strength as they started climbing over Yggdrasil, without losing any moment.
The group below didn't move, not wanting to gain their attention. It worked, perhaps due to fate foretelling that they were going up to Asgard, no matter what else happens, until they reach the field of Vígríðr.
However, the jotuun stopped when they reached the area in which lightning started to appear. Several fell down, with a deafening crash, while others endured and kept going up. One of the giants was holding a bright red sword, almost as it was made of fire.
"Surtr." Patchouli mumbled. "It's just like this book says. Guess everything here is bound by fate."
"Eeeh... well, that's just sounds depressing." Suika said.
"I'll try having a normal conversation with you if you're sober, oni." Patchouli said, but worry was noticable in her voice.
They continued ascending, as fast as they could. However, once they reached the middle, a halo of thunderbolt and lightning stopped their advance, some of them even falling down by the sheer force of it.
"Oh, here comes a big one." Suika said with a tone of seriousness, even if her voice was slurred.
(SLAM!)
The equivalent of a earthquake occurred in Gensokyo in that instant. Not long after that, more jotuun started falling, while only the strongest managing to past by. Needless to say, everyone below was highly curious about who was causing those lightning attacks.
...But for our case, it's a no brainer.
"The Norse God of Thunder, Thor, it seems." Patchouli, thanks for the exposition! "It is interesting to see his power in display."
However, her interest lasted barely some seconds as she tried contacting the group once more, if they had managed to find Remilia.
"Nngh..."
Darkness was around Remilia, which had her eyes closed. For some reason, her body was bound and she could not even open her eyes.
She tried forcing her body to move, but it was worthless.
"What is this? !"
"Fear not, young child."
"...! Who's there? !"
"I'm here, yet I'm not. As I declared, fear not."
"Well, your vagueness doesn't help." Remilia said, trying to calm down. "Who are you? What are you?"
"I'm the All-father..."
"Old-father?" You speak English, Remilia?
"...You may call me Odin." He dodged the pun. Not bad. "I currently ask that you don't panic. As Ragnarok is happening, I require full concentration to devise a counter-measure, so I'll kindly ask you to cease talking."
"You cannot order me like that!" Remilia protested, trying to move her arms, but with no avail. "And what kind of trick is this? !"
"This is no trick. I'm merely using your power. It is needed to my fight against them...even if I'm fated to fail."
"So you're bound by fate? Truly a miserable future you have."
"But alas, this was foretold. We just are pieces in the great board played by fate's hands."
"You sound awfully fatalistic."
"I'm impressed that a child such as you doesn't think the same, since you have the power to change fate. I hoped it would help our situation, but I noticed your...limitations."
"Eh?
Odin's voice stopped. Then continued.
"Have you ever stop to think that, after having that kind of power, you think that every event you see you could change as easily as you could? I apologize if this sounds off topic...but you can't. I've tried. I believe that there are some things that cannot be changed nor stopped no matter what."
Remilia didn't know what to think. She was somewhat confident on her ability. And to have some stranger belittling that was, well, insulting.
"Who do you think you are, telling me my ability is useless?"
"I am Odin."
"Yeah yeah, well..."
Remilia stopped as that name made her remember something Patchouli told her.
"...You mean the Odin? That Norse God that Patchouli says I based an item from its mythos?"
"You're referring to Gungnir? Ha! What you currently hold it's just a replica. It does not have the same power as the original."
"...I don't think so."
"How arrogant. You think you're high on the chain of power. You really do not know anything about what is happening outside."
"What are you talking about?" Remilia was indeed confused. And so do I.
"Nevertheless, I find...troubling that Loki hasn't acted yet. It was foretold he would be freed during Ragnarok. He cannot evade fate."
"I noticed you talk and talk about fate too much. What's with you, taking it for granted?"
"...We cannot fight fate. No...nobody cannot fight their fate either."
"What was that? !"
"Think about it. What if you had a normal routine and decided to break it? Perhaps you did it on your own volition...or it was already meant for you to choose that decision that precise moment. One cannot know for certain. If we cannot know that, then how can we fight fate?"
"Shut up! Enough about fate!"
"...Then let me ask you." Odin said. "Are you sure you're not alive right here now because of said ability?"
"...!"
Remilia didn't say anything. True, what he said had substance and all of that because of Remilia's own ability. But she really didn't think too much about it.
"...Ngh, you're just trying to confuse me!"
"I'm not. I'm just making a valid question. Now...answer me."
"...I really didn't think about that. But...that doesn't matter in the long term, right? I can still live like this, you know? It doesn't matter..."
"...*sigh* Do you think you can believe your own words, vampire?"
"I...I think I can. Argh! Stop talking! You're just lying!"
"Take for example your servant."
"Sakuya...?"
"The human, yes." Odin said. "Be honest. Did she appear on your mansion by herself...or was it you who wished to have a maid that was perfect to be ordered around?"
"What? !" Remilia felt like she was doused in cold water. "How dare you?"
"Or perhaps even more. After that girl in red managed to beat you, you realized that Sakuya was not enough to ease your loneliness. So you threaded your fate with those girls..."
"That's enough! ...And how do you know all of this?"
"My feathered friends are my eyes and ears below."
"The tengu?"
"...I do not know who are you talking about. The point is...you are not even sure that your powers are taking control of your life? That you have no freedom?"
She wanted him to stop speaking. But she couldn't move. Nor she could cover her eyes with her hands.
The truth was that she always believed Sakuya came to her mansion out of luck...but what if Odin says it's true? What if Sakuya was brought here by manipulating her own fate? If she didn't have that...won't she ever have met Sakuya at all?
...And what if she was using this ability without realizing it? What if she was constantly changing fate without even noticing?
"...You really asked yourself. But you were afraid to know more, so you repressed those thoughts, didn't you?"
She really freaked out when she realized that. Being an involuntary slave of your own powers can terrify people. She shook her head to ease her doubts.
"That's why I sought you before. Fate cannot be escaped by any means...but you...you can mend it to your will...to some extend. But...I'm not sure if it can avoid Ragnarok."
"You're not sure yourself?" Remilia asked. "Look, just let me go already! I don't give a damn about what this Ragnarok is!"
"..."
"Just let me go already..." She was mentally exhausted.
"I'm afraid I can't do that." Odin stated. "I still need you...even if it fails."
She could then hear the flap of wings and a "caw!" from afar. For some reason, she sensed something landing on her shoulder, but she noticed she only felt the sensation.
There was nothing there. Also, she felt someone whispering to her ear, but at the same time, she didn't hear anything.
"I see...Freya has been defeated. And Tyr in engaging the intruders." Odin pondered.
Another flap of wings was heard.
"And my son is driving back the jotuun with all his might. Aah, it fills me with sadness that he should fall to that monstrous snake. How did Loki create a being like that is beyond me."
Remilia's head hurt. She really did not understand what the hell was he talking about.
"...So Freya was defeated by humans? Hmm... And Tyr is currently engaged in combat in the entrance of Asgard?"
"...Reimu and the others..."
"Odin-sama!"
A worried voice echoed through a hall, according to Remilia's ears. She couldn't move to see, but her thoughts were interrupted as her vision was filled with light.
She could see a man clad in armor, without a helmet, kneeling in front of...her? Also, she noticed two oversized crows flying away, as they descended.
Something was not right.
"Odin-sama! Our forces...!"
"I know. Huginn and Muginn just told me."
"Then...!"
"Rest, young warrior." Odin said, standing from his quite simple throne, only adorned with bronze and silver. The wood used looked polished and strong, almost like using wood taken from Yggdrasil itself.
"Hey, what's going on?" Remilia was confused.
And that when she noticed something that she really should've noticed before. Whenever Odin moved, Remilia's body reacted the same way.
He stepped forward with his left foot, Remilia used her left foot to "move" forward. She was still stuck in place. She also knew that there was something in her eye, but she couldn't...
…
...Oh. Oh god. I just figured out what is happening here.
"...W-What is going on?"
It was when Odin reached a mirror when her fears were realized. You see, normally Odin lacks an eye in his left socket. However, what Remilia saw was a contradiction.
Odin clearly had two eyes, the left one glowing blue...and inside...
...Inside there was a small person with her same pajamas and her same face, with her left eye also glowing.
She really did became his eye.
"...H-How...?"
Another quake occurred. The soldier lost his footing, but Odin remained unflinched.
"Hm? Another one? That is quite odd. There was no record of the earth splitting during Ragnarok." Odin pondered.
Ignoring that, with a motion of his hand, he summoned a long, red spear, which tip was designed in a spiral fashion and, in a quite striking difference with the rest of weapons, the handle was solely made of wood, while the tip was made from a strange metal.
Thankfully, he did not wear a winged helmet. That would only make him look silly.
"Let us go. Towards the incoming inferno that might or might not swallow us all. But I will not fear. Dying in battle is satisfaction enough for us Asgardians."
"You are all insane! You're not even sure if you'll survive! And why here? Why not anywhere in the world?"
"I needed power. Power which I found in you. At first, I hoped I could avert Ragnarok entirely, but alas, that isn't possible. I just materialized Yggdrasil here for convenience."
"You are dooming Gensokyo...just because you needed my power in your reach? !"
Wow, Odin. You're an asshole.
"It had to be done."
"I really wonder how they managed to build giant fortress on the clouds." Kyoji muttered, blocking and dodging several spears.
"Don't talk while fighting!" Alexia said, using her whip both as a deflector and a way to inflict harm at mid-range. "It does not help at all!"
A bit far away from them, Cerberus was slashing an einhenjar in half while Hiroki did the same, but diagonally. Since einhenjar and valkyries have a harder consistence than humans, the gore was minimized. Sarasvati was left in support, healing everyone which needed healing and dishing out blasts of frigid air and ice.
And Rakshasa did the thing he was best at. Slashing down his foes with his two blades. And yes, his swords were strong enough to decapitate people.
"Oi." Kyoji referred to Hiroki. "You really need to tell him to stop that."
"..." He didn't answer back.
Kyoji continued dodging the attacks, shooting the einhenjar on the back with great precision. And Alexia was giving more support with her whip and Sarasvati's ice. And...
(SPLATTER!)
HOLY HELL! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? !
A-A goddamn torrent of unholy fire just tore through the air and vaporized several einhenjar with ease. Just what in...
"...Tee hee..."
...No.
"Aw, they broke too easily."
Oh shit...
"W-What in the..." Kyoji muttered as he looked in fear...and the small, red-dressed blonde vampire, who was smiling a bit too eagerly...and what's with the glowing tattoos?
"Oh well. Onee-san is still up there, right?" Flandre looked up, as she walked over the pool of blood she caused. "Hey, mister, mister, is my onee-san up there?"
"I...I don't know..." Kyoji pretended to shrug while trying to keep himself calm.
Hiroki, however, just tried cleaving her head off, along with Rakshasa. However, not only did Flandre not block, but she was left unharmed.
"What the...? !"
Aaand she easily swatted him away, making him crash towards Alexia and another pile of einhenjar.
"Oh, this is gonna suck, isn't it?" Kyoji sweatdropped as Flandre grabbed him from his shirt. Before she could even say anything, Cerberus attacked Flandre immediately, making her release Kyoji. The worst Flandre received as damage was a simple cut on her cheek.
And, quite disturbingly, she was licking her own blood. Vampires shouldn't do that!
"That was bad. You're not playing by the rules, hehe..." Flandre smiled, Laevaetaiin in hand...but its shape was constantly in change. Sometimes it stayed like normal, a torn sword...but sometimes, it straightened, somehow inflicting a feeling on unease on the demon summoners.
"What is wrong with her?" Alexia staggered, the increasing heat clouding her vision.
"I have to play with her. That's what the good man said!" Flandre said.
"Good man?" Hiroki mumbled. "That demon is speaking nonsense!"
"Oh really?" A voice rang. "I think she speaking quite the truth, if I might add."
The three were in alert. Flandre was also confused by the voice, but she ignored it, more focused on the summoners.
"Also, do yourselves a favor and just leave. Even if you have demons in your command, this is no place for you."
The three wondered where the voice was coming from, but they had no time to ask themselves since Flandre was charging something with Laevaetaiin.
"...That's not good."
"Laevaetaiin Logi!"
And sea of flames rose from the ground, burning away any dead body instantly. Flandre wasn't able to see the group, but was satisfied by the flames so she decided to just advance.
"Hmm...So her power increased with time. Sure, it suppressed her normal abilities, but the trade off of power was quite satisfactory. *chuckle* This will be fun to watch."
However, the ground decided to shake in that moment. The red haired man looked below...with unnatural interest.
"So his little pet project has returned, it seems." He muttered to himself. "And he is the one in his way...heh, I have to see this!"
And...he jumped off...wait what? ! Hey, that fall will kill you!
(BOOM!)
A body flew high in the air as it crashed into the wall of the fortress.
"...Dammit..." Tyr muttered as he fainted due to the blast that Marisa shot.
"Wasn't that a bit excessive?" Reisen asked, a bit concerned.
"Eh, these guys are as tough as bricks. He'll be fine."
The female group flew inside the fortress. Inside, vast halls made out of wood and something akin to silver and gold spread in front of them. The halls split in two also, but they were already tired of all this crap and decided to stick together this time.
"Hey, you think these walls can be..."
"Don't even think about it." The group said, knowing too well Marisa's "borrowing" complex.
"Why are these halls so large?" Reimu thought aloud, as they were still pursued by valkyries riding on horses and wolves. Yes, you heard that right.
Marisa tried slowing them down by releasing a stream of stars, which did take out some of them, but the sheer quantity of valkyries was staggering.
"Geez, these won't give up so easily!" Marisa groaned as she released the barrage once again, but she was quickly getting exhausted, due to the thin air and constant attacking.
"Don't strain yourself!" Alice said, trying to think ahead in order to prepare herself for what was coming.
Aya sped up and reached the end of the hallway first. She tried opening it, but it was too heavy to open.
"Move!" Reimu shouted as started chanting something, holding some sort of charm in her hand.
She threw the charm, which flew towards the door, as the group also dodged the incoming storm of spears. Reisen and Alice managed to block them with their bullets, while Mokou lit part of the hallway on fire in order to slow them down. It didn't work.
"These guys are unfazed by fire? !" Mokou blurted out in shock.
Well, the valkyries themselves weren't on fire. Their mounts...well, let's just say that Mokou just turned them deadlier.
"~ Nice going, idiot. ~"
"SHUT UP, KAGUYA!"
Her bickering was interrupted by a wolf's tackle, so massive that it, get this, hit the charm that Reimu threw in mid-flight, turning herself into a body projectile, and finally, crashing into the massive door, blowing it to bits.
Oh, and perhaps one arm or two flew off Mokou. Just saying. Eh, she'll be fine.
"That...that wasn't my idea from the start..." Reimu was dumbfounded by the events. "But I guess it works too."
"...My back..." Mokou groaned in pain, as a small pool of blood formed under her. She may be immortal, but her body is as fragile as hell.
Whatever the case, they made it through the halls and arrived into a massive garden. The fauna here looked more exaggerated than alien. The trees were big and, even through the flowers around looked exotic, they just looked exaggeratedly big. However, they couldn't deny that it smelled nice.
"Well, it's just up from here on." Aya pointed out, as she looked at the rising tower.
"About time, too. Ow, my back." Mokou groaned.
"...Sorry." And Reimu still felt a bit guilty about that.
The ground shook once more. Honestly, what's happening down there?
(BOOM!)
And apparently, something exploded down there too!
"...Let's just go up already, alright?"
Everyone nodded in nervousness.
"How much longer does this tower go? I mean, really!" Marisa said.
Even though they weren't walking anymore, as they constantly went higher, the air started feeling a lot more stagnant and they started having problems breathing.
The trek itself wasn't so bad...if you ignore the change of pressure and other air factors. After a while, they managed to reach an exit, leading right in front of a pair of wooden doors, adorned in gold and silver.
"I really hope this is it. Because I am really tired of all of this." Reimu sighed, panting as she wasn't used to the air.
"Eeh? Is onee-san here?"
…! Holy crap, that was fast! Flandre! How in hell did you get up here so quickly? !
"The little sister..." Reimu muttered.
"Oi, Flandre! How's it going?" Marisa said cheerfully, not knowing the current state of the vampire.
"~ No...something's wrong. ~" Patchouli said. "~ Marisa, get away from her! ~"
"But I'm fiiiiine!" Flandre said, smiling quite happily. "See? My hands are okay!"
Her hands were fine...while covered in blood, which started dripping to the ground. In that moment, Marisa really jumped back.
"She's going to kill us... she's going to kill us!" Reisen gulped as she stepped back, her finger aimed at her.
"...Okay, something's up." Oh really, Marisa?
"*sniff* Hey. Do you smell something burning?" Mokou noticed, as smoke started rising.
The group gave a quick glance below...
It was a burning hell all over around. The heat was strong enough to make them uncomfortable. Not only that, there was a horrible smell on the air...like charred metal with flesh.
"...What..."
"~ Oh my god... Flandre! What did you do? ! ~"
"Me? I had fun." Flandre said, a visible glint in her eyes.
Reimu quickly erected a barrier between themselves and Flandre, not trying to take any risks.
"*sigh* I knew one of these days you'd snap, but I didn't think it would be this soon..."
"Ayayaya... How can you be so calm in a situation like this?"
"...? Is something wrong with me being calm?"
Reimu, there is something wrong with your thoughts.
"Flandre! Don't you recognize me? It's me, Marisa! Come back to your senses, already!"
"But Marisa, I am okay!"
If I beg to differ, having your irises filled with runes does not help your argument.
"~ You're definitely not right! Wake up, Flandre! ~"
"How many times do I have to tell you, Patchy, I am FINE!" Flandre's eyes lit in that moment.
"Just shoot her already. That always works, right?" Reimu shrugged, cards in hand.
Before anyone could counter that statement, the door shattered as something red flew at high speeds towards Flandre. She easily caught it with her left hand. It was then revealed that the red thing was a quite large and elegant spear.
"So you finally decided to show up, nee-san!" Flandre smiled as she threw the spear back towards the door."
"I'm afraid your sibling is out of commission momentarily, pawn of Scarlip." A voice said, from inside the room."
"~ Where's Remilia? ! ~" Patchouli said in a panic.
However, when Odin came out of the room, the thing that caught their attention was not his size, but the fact that there was something in his eye...
"...Ah. Well, that answers that." Mokou said in complete deadpan.
"It seems his influence has overcome you." Odin said, referring to Flandre. "How unfortunate of you. But still, no matter what changes occur, Ragnarok cannot be averted."
"How can you say that if you don't try?" Marisa said. "And who the heck are you?"
"~ The All-father of the Aesir... ~" Patchouli whispered.
"~ So, he's the one who caused this tree to appear? ~" Eirin's voice said.
"~ Aaah! Why is he giant? ! Everyone, just get out of there! Forget about it! ~" Shin whimpered as she was terrified by the current situation the girls were in.
"So, he's the ringleader here?" Reimu said. "Well then, let's..."
She was interrupted by Flandre, who rushed towards Odin, fury in her eyes, as she tried slashing his head off. He calmly parried with his spear, which is the original Gungnir.
"You're not her! You're not her! I want to see her!" She hissed as she attacked once again.
Everyone flew to the left as Flandre's attack created a massive wave of fire that tore through the sky. From below, it would look like a red line was being drawn over the red sky, and it would still be noticed.
"O-Oi, was Flandre this strong?" Marisa asked. "I know she's way stronger than us, but this is ridiculous!"
You said it.
"It's his influence, no doubt about it." Odin sighed. "What a fearsome girl she managed to control."
"Wait, who are you talking about?" Reimu raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you the one controlling her?"
"No. Just by looking at the runes themselves, I know Loki is controlling this girl."
"Control? I think you're wrong, stupid old man." Flandre said, frowning. "I'm not being controlled. I just want to play with my sister! What that man said was that I just go and play with her!"
...That's the same as being manipulated. Can't you see the similarity?
"...She doesn't play with me anymore... Why lock me up when I want to play with her? ...Even though after you arrived, nee-san doesn't talk with me." She was referring to Reimu and Marisa. "Only Marisa plays with me...but I want to play with nee-san! Why can't she understand? !"
She was grabbing her head in frustration, as the ground shook around her. I think I understand...Loki did not manipulate Flandre. He just gave her something that released her inner repressed feelings.
And, don't get me wrong, that's even worse to be controlled. That means Flandre means her actions...only that her feelings are on overdrive.
Poor girl.
"So now...where's my sister, you old geezer? ! Tell me, or I'll kill you!"
Flandre apparently decided to forget everything about patience and assaulted Odin directly. He blocked her dash with Gungnir, but Flandre started running over it while making her way to the head.
"Foolish."
He countered by...laser-eye? ! Whatever the case, the laser managed to hit Flandre and OH COME ON!
"This is nothing!" Flandre...tell me how you're holding a beam of pure light with just one of your small hands. Well, the hand is somewhat tattooed right now with strange runes...so yeah...
Also, did I mention her irises where expanding, overriding the red in her eyes with a disturbing black color as the earth trembled?
"~ What is going on? ! ~" Eirin was noticeably afraid of the current events.
"NEE-SAAAAN!"
Oh crap.
"Hey, what should we do?" Youmu asked. "I know we should be defeating the old man over there...but the vampire has also become a quite frightening threat. I don't think we should just trust her like usual."
"...But...this is Flandre we are talking about! She was always like this!" Marisa, you're being too optimistic. Stop it. It might kill you one of these days.
"I'm not sure anymore..." Youmu was right. This situation is one of the worst I've even seen. Choosing between siding with the god who is wrecking your home or siding with a friend which mental sanity is questionable, which just got worse, is a tough one.
What are you going to do?
"Reimu...what now?"
"..."
Reimu really wasn't strong at taking decisions. After all, the normal situation was that one troublemaker appears and she usually goes to find her and punish her. Simple as that.
...But this situation was a lot trickier.
"I...I don't know." Reimu said.
"We don't have all time of the day, you know?" Alice said. "This is a really tough decision, I understand, but if we keep this any longer, who knows what will happen to Gensokyo?"
"~ Watch out! ~" Shin shouted.
Her warning came out on time as the group jumped out of the way of a wave of fire, courtesy of Flandre with Lavaetainn. The flames immolated the ground, while tearing down the walls and everything.
At last, Asgard was in flames.
"Dear god..."
"Everything's burning down..."
Really? I didn't notice!
"~ So, what are you going to do, Reimu? ~"
"Why ask me? I'm not the leader here, am I?" Reimu said.
A laser from Odin's eye split the ground in two, making all of them fly higher, also, while dodging the heat from the flames.
Reimu really didn't know what to do.
"I...I think we should deal with the incident first. Flandre can wait."
"What? !" Youmu was shocked. "Look at her! She isn't...!"
"We can deal with her later." She answered. "Besides, I don't think she'll hurt Marisa, since she respects her."
"Yeah, but she's kinda scary now." Marisa said.
Reimu quickly raised a barrier around everyone as a laser almost grazed them. You know, I could say something about how unrealistic giant lasers are due to the lack of greater sound when fired, since the released energy should at least generate lots of noise, but hey, it's fun, right?
"...Alright. We'll do as you say." Youmu said, but she was still doubting.
"I still don't know if we can match her in raw power..." Marisa said. "Eh, we'll deal with it somehow!"
"I'm really impressed on how optimistic you are, Marisa." Alice raised an eyebrow. "But bear in mind that power isn't everything."
"~ Got a plan? ~" Patchouli asked.
"...I'm working on it." Alice said.
But before that could happen, a laser pushed her back towards the stone wall, knocking her out in an instant.
"~ ...Oh. ~"
"This can't get any worse, can't i-"
"Lavaetainn Logi!"
A pillar of flames split the group in two. It spiraled out of control, tearing everything around its radius.
"Don't say that. Ever." Reimu sighed.
"It's amazing how powerful beings exist in this land." Odin said, as he looked up to the sky, watching Flandre smiling in a fiery sky.
"Aah...I see. You're holding my sister there!" Flandre said, looking at Odin's eye. "Don't worry, nee-san, I'll put you out of there!"
I'm not sure if pulling her out with your hand on fire will be nice for her health.
"After that, we can finally play together!" She said while she flew directly at Odin's face. "Right, nee-san? !"
She was interrupted by a face laser. Followed by a thrown Gungnir at her.
"~ Flandre! ~" Patchouli shouted in fear.
I wouldn't worry about her. See? The laser just made her angry and Gungnir just punctured her hand. Well, pierced is the correct word here. I'll say, this might not end well.
For everyone.
"Oi, are you okay?" Marisa asked, worried about her well-being.
"...Ehehehe..."
Oh.
"What do you think you're doing, old man?" Flandre asked, looking at her hand with Gungnir lodged. "Do you think this will be enough to separate me from...? !"
The ground shook in that moment. Some of them raised eyebrows as a second shock happened. And almost like that...
(CRACK!)
"HEEEEEEEERRREE'S JOHNNY!"
Let's just say that tree-made floors are really fragile, as they break when a big ass wolf slashes his way through it. It howled in both triumph and rage, setting his furious eyes at Odin.
"Good god! Stop doing that, goddammit!" Wait, I know that voice... "Seriously, do you want to break my ears? !"
There was a...flea over Fenrir's head, berating and shouting at him, while looking extremely livid. He looked the same as before...only his blue clothes were dyed red...by blood of sources unknown, as with his face, part of his arms and legs.
What the hell were you doing? Is that your blood...or did you go killing someone...and how MANY? !
"WE ARE HERE..."
"About time!" Raim said, shouting to the sky.