Forewords

Yeah, I guess I made it a bit too late for the girls to realize that all this is Yukari's fault.

So now I'm standing on the peak of Mount Everest, avoiding a massive tsunami of poop, while yelling at the top of my lungs...

"NOT FUNNY, YUKARI!"


Chapter 48: Battle On The Thames

Time: 0745 Hour; 12th of August, 2125. (18 Hours 45 Minutes until death)

Location: Thames River; Canal City, Bevelle.

*Whoosh*

The Daughters Of Liberty managed to evade the missiles. They soon retaliates with a barrage of danmaku at the attack helicopter.

The helicopter did not attempt to evade the attack, and after taking hits for several seconds, got it's rear propeller shot off. The helicopter begins to spin uncontrollably before crashing into the river below.

"Let's go before more of them arrives." Sakuya told everyone.

More helicopters appeared from the north.

"GO!" Reimu shouted at the others, and they all flew off as fast as they can while the helicopters begin firing missiles at them.

The missiles were way off the mark of their intended targets, which makes it easier for the Daughters Of Liberty to get away.

"Wait, are those missiles propelled by water jets?" Sanae noted. The missiles were indeed spewing water instead of burning fuel from their exhausts.

The Magic Codec rang, no points for guessing the caller.

"Like the gags with shady new drugs and Moriya Shrine Conspiracies in Gensokyo, the Outside World has the gag of absolutely nothing in Bevelle explodes, not even actual explosives. Instead, the Bevellan use ultra-high pressure compressed waters in place of pyrotechnics." Yukari explained. "And the water happens to be harvested right from the river you're on right now."

Most of the missiles flew past the Daughters, and exploded in balls of water as they hit the river.

"That means we shouldn't even get near them!" Reimu said, as she turns around and fires danmaku at the helicopters, while still flying westwards.

The other girls also turned around and started firing danmaku at the Bevellan helicopters. The helicopters continued firing missiles at the girls, as well as using their machine guns.

Youmu moves in to intercept the machine gun bullets with her swords, but each bullet she blocks seems to knock her a few feet back. Youmu was practically a centimeter from touching the surface of the river with her foot after the accumulated knockback.

As soon as the helicopter stops firing their weapons (out of ammo, perhaps), the half-ghost retaliated by sending a razor wind at the attack helicopters, which cuts their main propeller off, causing them to fall into the river. "Myon! That was close!" She exclaimed upon seeing her current position.

"I though bullets only apply knockback in movies..." Sanae hung a lamp.

"Those bullets are made of solid Neon, as in the gas, and launched with extra propulsion. They're meant to maintain their velocity even after entering water. It should be no surprise that this type of ammunition can indeed blow someone across a room." Yukari barged in on the Magic Codec. "And since solid Neon is supposed to be hellishly cold, I believe there might be enough frost on Youmu's sword to make them as brittle as low-quality glass." The Youkai Dictator continued.

The Hakurouken and Roukanken falls apart just as soon as the sentence is finished. Youmu stares at the stubs of her swords dumbfounded. "Myon..."

"You sure did your homework, Yukarin, ze..." Marisa made a response.

"Well, I'm the one who caused all these troubles in the first place, and lost a friend (Yuyuko) for it. It should be logical that I help you out as much as I can." Yukari explained.

Reimu appears to frown upon hearing that thought through the Magic Codec.

About the same time, the soldiers from the crashed helicopters emerged from under the river, and took potshots at the Daughters with their machine guns.

The Daughters quickly returned fire, knocking out the soldiers non-fatally. Perhaps due to their gear, the unconscious Bevellan soldiers are not sinking.

"Now let's go before the ABCN sends in reinforcements." Sakuya told everyone.

Just as the girls were about to continue westwards, something fired several shots at them from above.

"Are these... Danmaku?!" Reimu exclaimed.

"Who else would be firing danmaku at us, ze?!" Marisa exclaimed too, while aiming around furiously with the Mini-Hakkero.

"Wait, if the First Fantasy Blitzkrieg Incident is anything to go by..." Sanae thought. "...There's only one Outsider who actually uses danmaku..."

The Daughters Of Liberty all looked up to see a familiar petite figure floating in the air.

"The Shanghai Doll look-a-like!" The Daughters exclaimed in unison.

"That's Shanghai L to you!" replied the living doll.

The Daughters Of Liberty has deadpan hung on their face.

"Hey! It's not like I'm an overconfident fan-girl of Mr Summers or something..." Shanghai L replied. "Did I say that out loud?"

"Uh... Yeah..." Marisa responded with deadpan.

"Well..." Shanghai L said. The doll then takes out her lance. "Enough talk! Let's settle this like magical girls!"

...

Location: CEO's Office; Summers Estate/ STI HQ.

"I hope you've made up your mind, Mr President. After all, it will be embarrassing for the world's most powerful nation to have their military stomped by five young girls." LT said to the hologram of President Snow Valleys.

"The law enforcements and Registan Air Force are on stand-by now." President Snow replied.

"Good. Then god-speed to you..." LT gave the President a salute, before the transmission end.

After that, LT leans against his office chair, both feet slumped on his desk, and arms folded behind his head.

He takes a last puff of the Health Cigarette in his mouth, before extinguishing the cigarette butt in a ceramic ash tray.

He takes a look inside the box of Health Cigarettes, only to find out that it is empty. He calmly puts the box back on the desk.

"Nice try..." LT suddenly spoke. "...Youkai Dictator..."

The STI CEO turns around, to find the person in question, standing right behind him.

"I know what you want, but I guess even you can't find it with your portals..." LT said to Yukari.

"You did a good job hiding the Tome Of Gensokyo, Jack Summers..." The Youkai Dictator complimented. "You do know that having the Tome makes you the target for the Daughters?"

LT remains calm. "Exactly what I'm planning... Win or lose, I'll make sure that not another Gensokyian lay her hands on this Tome. Not even until the end of time."

"Then I shall at least..." Yukari said as she attempts to do something, only to be cut off by LT suddenly pointing the Zantankuto at her face.

"It came all of a sudden...

An abnormally long blade finds it's way through one's body...

That blade is the Zantankuto...

And it's victim the Youkai of Boundaries...

The sun shone, the moon lit...

The wind blew, the streams flowed...

None could compare with the Zantankuto...

As it's bloodied tip shone in the evening sunlight...

Life comes to and end, and so does a ruler's...

As the weapon of Father Science claims the soul of another evil..."

"It never gets old, does it?" LT sarcastically asked her, after reciting the same creepy rhythm from back at Gensokyo, at the end of their fight.

About the same time, Yukari's left sleeve comes off, as though something cut through it.

"You've got reflexes..." The Youkai Dictator complimented.

"Thank you..." LT said, keeping the tip of the Zantankuto pointed at her. "If you have the guts to spy on me, then surely you must know what I can do..." The ceramic ash tray on his desk suddenly pops out on his empty left hand. He then proceeds to crush it into fragments, with just his bare left hand.

"Okay, I get your message..." Yukari responded as she opens a gap behind her. "It's suicide for anyone, human or Youkai, to engage you in CQC, armed or unarmed..."

LT releases his grip on what remains of the ceramic ash tray. The fragments all lands on the floor with a clink. Close inspection reveals that his left hand is completely unscathed.

"...What's with your reflexes that can put even Kirito to shame, as well as some other feats that I don't want to know..." Yukari continued, then back steps into the gap, which closed after her.

LT puts the Zantankuto away. "First time I've heard someone comparing me to a fictional character..." Then turns back toward his desk.

"You've got eyes..."

LT looks forward with eyes above his shades. It's still difficult to tell what the color of his iris is.

"...Merry..."


Afterwords

Took awhile to finish this chapter, because I actually have to do research on the effects of hellishly cold things to metal.

That poem from the end of Mission One does sound creepy, doesn't it?

Is the last paragraph hinting to LT being... something? And did he find out something about Yukari?

Shout-out index:

*Ice-cold sword shatters* - Solid Neon bullets hitting Tamahagane katanas and then causing it to shatter due to the cold is quite similar to that sword-breaking scene in Disney's Frozen. This phenomenon is technically caused by metals becoming very brittle when exposed to extreme cold. Yeah, to solidify an inert gas like Neon might mean making it's surrounding hellishly cold, hence the solid Neon bullets creating frosts over Youmu's swords.

"...reflexes that can put even Kirito to shame..." - Surprised? Yukari and LT actually knows about Sword Art Online...

That is all. "Until then..."