Forewords

The SA Arc is officially over, and now we move on to the final part of the story.

Some should tell the 17-year-old Gap Hag that everything she's done here isn't funny.

...

Alright, let's begin...


Chapter 53: Bad Omen Of Redundancy

Time: 1800 Hour; 24th of July, 2125.

Location: Unknown.

"Gap Hag has requested us to ambush the Outsiders..."

"I'm staying out of this, I'm not a Superpower anymore."

"Reisen will be leading the Second Lunar Battalion to the designated location."

"The Chireiden Assault Squad is preparing for the skirmish..."

*Together* "All just to satisfy the Gap Hag and her amusement!"

...

Location: Kourindou, Forest of Magic.

"Oh, it's you, Akyuu. How can I help you?"

"I was looking for something that went missing yesterday, just here to see if you've seen it."

"What was it?"

"It's a book. More specifically, the book that contains information on every inhabitants of Gensokyo..."

"Now that you mention it, I did recall seeing Yukari-san with that book..."

"Where did she take it to?"

"She didn't say, other than having something to do with Outsiders..."

"With all that's been happening lately, it's pretty obvious what she intends to do..."

"You don't mean... THAT Outsider?!"

"Maybe I should've hid it somewhere not a single soul would ever find..."

...

Location: Path to Hakugyokurou, towards Landing Site.

"This path will be faster..." said LT as he emerges from under the same tree where two of Alice Margatroid's doll was impaled with Sakuya's knife.

A familiar chill made it's presence known to the STI CEO.

"Hey, you!" Cirno shouted at LT as she jumps out of a shrubbery. "Icicle Sign: Icicle Shot..."

With a quick swing, LT knocked the ice fairy out of the way with the Zantankuto still in it's sheathe.

"Get out of the way, Irnoveski. I'm in a hurry!"

And LT kept running toward the direction of the GA-Raider without looking back...

...Until something jumped out from a nearby tree and grabbed LT by the head.

It took him awhile to shake the attacker off. LT looked at the attacker to see what she was.

She's a two-tailed catgirl in a red dress.

"I know everyone looks like teenagers here, but she looked like a kindergartener! This is overblown!" LT hung a lamp and exclaimed at the same time.

Another voice yelled from a distance. LT frowned on the numbers of enemies he had fought within the last two days.

"CHEEEEEEEEEEN!"

A black-and-white orb suddenly appeared and slammed LT square in the face, knocking him over his feet.

"Oh, dammit!" LT cursed as he pick himself up from the ground.

The second new arrival acted fast enough to cast a Spell Card before LT got up.

"Shikigami's Shot: Unilateral Contact"

Upon casting that Spell Card, more black-and-white orbs materialized and charged straight at LT.

LT pulled out the Zantankuto and deflected all the orbs as he gets himself up. "You must be another Communist." LT spoke to the new arrival.

"More specifically the dictator's Shikigami..." replied the new arrival. "I am known by the name Ran Yakumo..."

LT held the Zantankuto right in front of him, preparing for another attack. "And that catgirl...?"

"She is my Shikigami, Chen." replied Ran once more.

"Wait a minute..." LT was surprised by what he heard. "For the miniscule information I know about Youkai, a Shikigami is technically a summoned soul, so catgirl here being a Shikigami of a Shikigami is rather... redundant." LT then puts the Zantankuto down. "So what orders did you receive from Youkai Dictator?"

"Quite simple. She only said three words, and those words are..." Ran replies, still with her arms folded. "'Kill Jack Summers', which would be you..."

Hearing those three words made LT raise his guard again. "A stalker, damn!"

Ran pulls out another Spell Card from under her sleeves. "And she wants you dead under any circumstances."

The catgirl, Chen took a few steps forward.

"But first..." Ran holds off casting her Spell Card. "Do your job, Chen."

"Yes, Ran-shama..." Chen responds to her master. She then charges toward LT on all-fours.

LT quickly sheathed the Zantankuto, but kept holding it in a defensive pose. "Dammit, old hag. Don't make me behead a kindergartener!"

...

Location: Nitori's Lab, Kawashiro Electronics HQ, Youkai Mountain.

"So, Nitori, how's your work progress on that plane from the Outside World?"

"Still not getting any heads or tails on how they actually work, but the dismantling is already complete. And may I add that there's enough advanced technology to turn the Hisoutensoku into 2500 Tons of awesome?"

"..."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just getting excited for what coming up next in my life..."

"Let me guess: killing him?"

"Don't say it like that, I'm just..."

"I know what you're gonna say. If it has to be that way, then I can ask my girls to stop supplying you right this instance."

"Have it your way then. I'm going now..."

"I'm not done yet, Gap Hag!"

...

Location: Path to Hakugyokurou, towards Landing Site.

"Like I said, don't make me behead a kindergartener..."

LT was lifting Chen by her tails, leaving the catgirl struggling and dangling.

"But I said nothing about using her as ransom, right?" LT then place the Zantankuto, unsheathed, at Chen's neck.

"Ran-shama..." Chen looked at her master with her eyes tearing in fear.

"Put her down, now!" Ran demanded as she prepares her Spell Card. "Shikigami's Radiance: Charming Siege From All Sides"

Rainbow-colored energy orbs materialized from all over the place, and they're all headed for LT's feet.

"You wouldn't!" LT exclaimed as he jumps up high and aside as the energy orbs impact where he was earlier, setting off a heatless explosion.

Upon landing next to the path (exactly on the carpet of blood caused by the death of Letty and Cirno), LT slammed Chen on the ground, with one feet on her back, and then points the sharp tip of the Zantankuto at her. That made Ran stop.

"There is a saying by my family..." LT said, keeping the blade pointed at the catgirl. "'A pacifist pushed to his limits can become a serial killer', do you really want to make another move that prompts me to behead her?"

Ran let that sink in for awhile, then raises both her hands up, empty.

"You got me, I surrender..." Ran responded to LT's threat with no choice.

"Good girl..." LT said as he withdrew the Zantankuto away from Chen and sheathes it.

He then turns toward the catgirl, letting his feet off her back. "I don't need to say it, do I?"

"Chen, you go to Hakugyokurou first, I'll settle this..." Ran told her Shikigami.

"But..." Chen responded worriedly.

"I'll be alright, Chen. Do it before he changes his mind." Ran said.

Chen looked down with a long face, her cat ears also dropped down. "Yes, Ran-shama..." She then leaves for the direction of the ghostly mansion.

LT walked up to Ran and puts the Zantankuto over her neck. "Now, take me to your leader..."


Afterwords

Alright, that settles Versus Chen and Ran. Now it's time to move on to the final boss: Yukari Yakumo!

"A pacifist pushed to his limits can become a serial killer", that was one of my personal lines for the world of fictions, and might as well be quotable, too.

Shout-out index:

"...2500 Tons of awesome?" - Hm... the Hisoutensoku as a Pacific Rim Jaeger, not a bad idea, actually. Against the Kaijus, anyway...

That is all. "Until then..."