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Mirii was watching the flying girl coming towards her, while holding a N-Zap coloured in grey and an ink tank.
"... is this all you have?" Mirii snorted.
"It's easy to use and the ink lasts for a huge while too!" The girl landed in front of her.
Mirii stepped in front of her, as her hands were reaching for the items.
"What about the other Inklings who were in this room?" She grabbed both items, as she carried the gun in between her legs.
"They respond to my commands, so you shouldn't worry a bit about their presence!" The girl nodded. "Splatting them would make them return inside the liquid..."
Mirii wore the Ink Tank, while retrieving the gun stuck in between her legs and lifting it in front of her face.
"... I can't really trust someone like her..." Her eyes squeezed a little. "But I have no choice... is either having something I can use versus me watching this sea of despair."
Her right forefinger went fast on the trigger, as blue ink projectiles went flying off the muzzle! The shots hit the magenta trail, covering it in its own colour.
"... now I just need to step on it..." Mirii walked even more, passing the floating girl and reaching the beginning of the coloured road.
Her right foot shyly moved towards the blue area... touching it with its tip. The foot was feeling a softy sensation... as she presses it more, the foot wasn't sinking any further.
Mirii smiled a bit.
"It works." She brought her left foot onto the blue ink as well.
"You can do it!" The girl threw her right fist in the air.
"... although..." Mirii turned herself over her right side. "I wonder what happens if I..."
Her gun aimed over the liquid, as she shot without hesitation: ink landed on the liquid, standing on it just like with the other.
She opened her mouth, looking at the results of her work for a little while.
"H-how?!" The floating girl was standing behind her, bending herself forward and throwing her arms down.
"... simple." Mirii snorted, as she turned behind and folded her arms. "By hitting the substance with my own ink... just like with any other liquid I happen to encounter."
The unknown girl moved her arms around.
"Bu-but only the ink of a Shrine citizen can"
"I'm a mere mortal." Mirii's head rose. "Thus, it's enough to contradict your point"
"Or could it be that you yourself are from the Shrine!" Sweat jumped off the lady's head.
...
"... nonsense." Mirii grimaced. "Utter nonsense."
"That's the only solution!" The girl's arms opened widely. "Don't you remember that none of the other Inklings were able to cover this liquid?"
"It means nothing." Mirii's head shook. "For all I care, the liquid itself was in a state of invulnerability during its primordial phase, before growing weaker as it fully expanded."
"There isn't such a thing!" The girl clasped her hands. "The scientist didn't said anything like that..."
"... I have an idea..." Mirii's eyes squeezed a little. "Since you state such affirmation, why don't you try explaining your point with a demonstration...?"
"Huh?" The girl opened her mouth.
Mirii thrusted her right arm, showing her N-Zap right over the flying lady.
"You will wield my weapon and use your own ink against the liquid." Her head rose. "You can use my ink tank for the demonstration."
"... ok..." She flew in front of the girl.
Mirii handed the weapon towards the Demon Squid, then she scrolled the straps away from her shoulders and grabbed the Ink Tank with her hands.
Mirii delivered the tank over the girl, as she wore it while keeping her gun in between her legs. As soon as she had the tank behind her back, orange ink was now filling in place of the previous blue ink.
She flew high in the air, as her right forefinger pressed the trigger: orange ink droplets flew off the muzzle, as some were aimed at the blue ink and others were going for the mentioned target.
Mirii watched with her arms folded: the orange ink managed to cover parts of the blue one... as for the liquid, they sunk right into it.
The girl's eyes grew fast, as her mouth flattened.
"I-I can't do it..." The girl downturned her mouth, while firing more ink shots in the same direction. "It's..."
"... what kind of nonsense I'm assisting?!" Mirii looked upwards, frowning at the girl. "Are you altering the effectiveness of your ink with your own magic?!"
"No! I do not!" Sweat jumped off the girl's head.
"Grrrr..." Smoke came out of Mirii's ears, as her arms threw themselves down. "... yo-you cannot imply that I'm a Shrine citizen...!"
"Uhm..." The girl bended herself forward, while raising her legs and carrying her left hand on her chin. "... now that I think about it, this sounds fishy to me... but there is a sure way to find out the truth!"
"Hmm?" Mirii's head tilted over her right side.
"We Demon Squids can sense a Shrine Squid in certain situations..." The girl nodded twice. "If the Squid prays, for example, their aura surrounds them during the whole process."
"You want me to pray and see if I can emanate an aura?!" Mirii gritted her teeth for a moment. "You wretched spirit! I refuse to let my guard down!"
"You can think about it, while you look at me." The girl flew towards the ceiling. "I will just look at you, I swear!"
"... this is ridiculous..." Mirii lowered her eyebrows. "She can just say that I'm indeed a Shrine citizen, without showing me any proof of such thing..."
Her fists clenched.
"... although..." Her eyebrows went up. "... Hunley... Greta... Carlson..." She sighed silently. "... I hope you are fine... all of you... ... I-I pray for your wellness... ..."
Mirii stared back at the girl for a while...
"... is she...?" Her right foot performed a quick slide forward.
"I don't see anything resembling a Shrine citizen!" The flying girl dived at full speed, as she stopped in front of Mirii.
"You don't...?" Mirii took one step back, as her eyes went on the N-Zap.
"No." The long-fringed girl smiled back at Mirii. "You prayed, right?"
"I did, yes." Mirii nodded, as she sneakily approached towards the weapon.
"Then, you are not a Shrine citizen!" The girl opened her arms widely. "Although, you were still able to cover the liquid with your own ink..."
"Indeed." Mirii's hands went near the weapon. "Hand me over my gun, so I can resume my turf-conquering job."
"Yes!" The girl grinned, as she delivered her weapon back, while her shoulders began scrolling themselves off the tank resting behind her back.
Mirii looked back at the liquid, exactly onto its middle. Her eyes were seeing the vague shapes of a familiar face... Mirii sniffed loudly, before something touched her left shoulders.
"Here." The girl giggled.
Mirii simply shaped her mouth as a small dot, retrieving her loaned stuff and wearing it on her back while keeping her gun up.
"... what is going on, exactly..." Mirii performed a quick dash, as she fired her blue ink projectiles once she stepped as closely as Squidly possible. "Is her magic this powerful to alter reality as we know it...? Or truly she has been honest towards me...?"
Her head went left and right for a bit, seeing nothing but more liquid. Her eyes almost squeezed fully.
"... now, where did she go...?!"