Hello, ITalkToSky here.

Ah, the quarantine, I should have some free time to think this time but nope. I am still as busy as ever and with back pain now even. It is still a 10-hour workday, despite the quarantine. All this staying at home business is making me lose focus a little.

I tried to write this part many times, but just kept rewriting it over and over. I even wrote a lot beyond this point, but this knot right here in this chapter just kept getting tangled. This chapter will be quite heavy on the OCs, so I hope you will forgive me. They will be a recurring character that will be fleshed out later, so at least try to remember their names.

Anyway, let's get on to the chapter.

00000

The question needed to be asked. How could a handful change the course of a nation?

A nation that braved the fire of the bloodiest war had grown complacent. Their population, save for the few jaded, indulged in their peace and forgot that – at the very end of the day, they were merely a child, trapped between three titans.

A nation unprepared to handle neither its internal nor external matters of the tumultuous age to come.

But perhaps, a more pertinent question would be…how could the power of few individuals alter the fate of three billion souls forever?


Chino city, Nagano prefecture

Konoe cursed his luck. By the standard of the poor souls selected for combat training, he ranked near the bottom of the pack. Konoe dared admit that without shame because the standard was utterly inhuman. His survival in the program alone spoke volumes of his ability. Though the weaker link was, at the end of the day, the weaker link, so he dedicated himself to strategy. His effort earned him the position to command, at this point, the entire fighting force of the organization apart from the mansion's denizens.

As the highest-ranking member in the field, Konoe usually hung back with his security detail, only joining in a last-ditch effort to take down a troublesome foe. Unfortunately, this was an all-hands-on-deck situation, given the size of Chino city, which led to the current situation.

A thick bead of sweat trailing down his brows into his eyes but Konoe resisted the urge to blink. He dared not, considering that ten or so men in black suits and ties, complete with sunglasses, surrounded his group. If not for the thinly veiled trace of mana, he would have wondered whether he was in Nagano or Area 51.

These men did not even flinch when the three of them leveled their pistols. They merely stood there and stared unfeelingly as if they were golems of sorts, greatly unnerving Konoe and his bodyguards. Whether this was a bluff or show of confidence, he did not know.

Konoe felt the silence and inaction eating at his nerves. His index finger itched terribly as it feathered the trigger. It was much simpler against Youkai, either shoot or don't shoot. A hidden part of him wanted the other party to do something aggressive, so he would have the excuse to bug out.

The much-needed distraction would not arrive until a few minutes later when the men in black parted unceremoniously, revealing an unassuming old man. Unlike the rest, the old man wore nothing to conceal his face.

The facial structure was decidedly Caucasian. His blond hair with streaks of white was swept back formally. Clad in a formal suit, this old man would not look out of place in a corporate headquarters. The old man regarded each of them silently while smiling. When his grey eyes finally landed on Konoe, he felt a chill down his spine, as if he was being analyzed and picked apart to see how he ticked.

The feeling only lasted briefly before the old man resumed his unassuming persona. He cleared his throat and spoke in heavily accented Japanese.

"Good morning, gentleman." He cleared his throat again. "Pardon me, my Japanese got a little rusty."

Konoe kept his gun up but took care to remove his finger from the trigger. If the other party wished to talk, he would not antagonize them. He got the word out. He only needed to hold for a couple more minutes before Reisen and Patchouli arrived.

"Good morning to you too, but might I ask who you are and what your purpose in this…charade?"

The old man waved his hand casually while chuckling. "There is no need to be so tense, young man. We want no trouble in these parts."

Konoe scanned his eyes around exaggeratingly as a gesture. The men stood shoulders to shoulders, clearly meaning to keep them here regardless of their will. "The fact that you surrounded us out of blue spoke otherwise."

Despite standing in the public park, no one else was in sight. That could only be the work of magic. The old man waited for his group, clearing out the witness beforehand. Konoe did not know the reason, but that act alone did not scream friendliness.

"The fact that none of my men raised a hand against you should mean something, yes?"

"Keeping us against our will seems hostile enough," Konoe raised his voice slightly. Since the other party did not intend to go all out, he could start applying pressure. This city was well within the territory of the organization, so he could claim the moral high ground. "I hope you have a good reason to be keeping us like this."

The other party chuckled, unfazed. How could someone who weathered through half a century of experience be intimidated so easily? Nothing could change the current dynamic where one side was at the mercy of the other.

The old man brushed aside any further need to justify himself. "Young man, we are quite new to this area and have a lot of questions. I hope you won't mind answering some of them."

Konoe held his ground. Although he did not show it, his annoyance peaked when this man blatantly ignored the threat. "Pardon my rudeness. Since you are new, shouldn't you have done some basic homework? At the very least, it will be much more subtle, effective and safe than trying to interrogate information from random passerby."

"Haha, that is very true. In any other circumstance, we would have done so. However, it will be much too late for the current situation. Two armies are about to fight, so we need to know left from right in this conflict. It would not do to stumble unwittingly into someone else's fight after all. What is a better way than to ask the participants themselves?"

"And risk offending one side?" Konoe raised his eyebrows. Inwardly, he was elated.

The old man harbored quite a healthy apprehension against the armies of Youkai and Onmyouji on the hills and he assumed Konoe to belong to either group, acting as scout or vanguard. This meant that the old man dared not push the matter too far, lest he be regarded as enemy. This gave him a lot of leeway in the negotiation if only he could deter them from silencing his group altogether.

"I suggest you leave this city with haste. Your presence had been reported to my superior."

The piece was set. Although the old man did not fully buy the story, the stake was far too high for rash decision or so Konoe thought.

"Why do you have to be so difficult?" The old man sighed before his eyes sharpened. The friendly persona peeled off, revealing the face of a stone-cold monster.

Everyone heard a soft ping, followed by a gush brushing past them. The men surrounding them clamored when they saw a curtain of blue light rising from the edge of the park toward the sky. Some of them mumbled incantation, but it was far too late when the light converged above their heads into a dome.

"Difficult? I only see trespassers that are being difficult!"

Konoe swore. He had never exchanged anything beyond pleasantry with the rabbit-eared alchemist of Scarlet Devil Mansion, but he could not be any happier to hear her voice. At that moment, Reisen sounded like divine deliverance to him. It was the same as his comrades.

The old man and his subordinates quickly backed away and coiled up like tensed spring. Their eyes homed in on the source of the voice. The air grew heavy as their clothing stuck to their skin like they were dunked into a vat of honey.

"Acting like you own this territory, trapping my subordinates as you please, do you think I need any more reason to drop the civility at this point?"

Reisen stomped forward. Her being practically radiated mana like a rippling, reddish cloud. The men, who even so much as glanced at her, were quickly assaulted by headache as their vision twisted about them. The old man took a step back but held his ground.

"That is a bold claim, is it not? At most, this is a contested territory. We still don't know which army will win at the end of the day."

"Contested? By whom? Who dares?" Reisen laughed coldly, not bothering to hide her mockery.

A ripple of panic emerged from the old man. Reisen implied that there was no contest. One must be blind not to notice the gathering of mana signatures on the hills. If she made those statements truthfully, the old man felt his back rapidly chilling.

It had to be a bluff, the old man thought. As far as his research into Japanese magical society went, Onmyouji Association and the Youkai mixed like oil and water. The two groups did not need any excuse to rip each other apart the moment they saw each other. The old man grinned as he refocused on Reisen, then it struck him.

Reisen was not a human. There was no mistake about the unnatural mana signature rolling off her. It reminded him off the werewolf he once faced. Though lacking in the feral aggression, he still perceived the unhuman quality. From her Asian feature, she most likely was a native. And, the only non-human native could only be one thing, Youkai.

"…" The children he trapped were humans. By simple deduction, they all appeared to belong to Onmyouji Association. Yet, a Youkai came to rescue them.

"Reisen-sama," Konoe hesitated briefly. Since Reisen already intended to reveal their true position in the pecking order, he felt he could drop the pretense. "These interlopers thought Kyoto Youkai and Onmyouji Association are fighting and wanted to know why. They misunderstood that we are the participant with the motive of securing this area for ourselves."

"Oh, that is so." The rabbit nodded appreciatively for his conciseness. The coldness returned to her eyes when she addressed the old man.

"Then let me enlighten you. The two organizations are not here to fight, but to attend a conference." Reisen dawdled slightly to let her words sink in. "A very important conference in this city we happen to host as the owner of this territory…including the great mana spring to the east of this city."

The old man's eyes widened like a saucer while his jaws slackened. A bead of sweat built upon his brows. What a blunder and such bad luck, he thought.

"The conference is quite important in the eyes of the parties involved and could be quite emotionally charged given the high-value exchange happening. To avoid any accusation of foul play, we are obligated as a good host to keep unwanted elements like you from this city."

Reisen paused as the surveyed their reaction. Her lips curled up slightly seeing their apprehension. Hopefully, they all could avoid unnecessary bloodshed.

"Now that you have your explanation, leave. Or we will be forced to remove you by force." Reisen glared threateningly at the men. "We have kept a tight lid on our activities around the wellspring. I don't think you wish to find out firsthand how."

Emboldened by Reisen's words and their flinching foes, Konoe and men under his command fanned out. At the first sign of action, the merest flicks of their fingers would send rounds downrange. Konoe noticed a grin creeping up his face along with the sense of catharsis. Oh, how the table had turned. And oh, how sweet.

"We…we apologize for our transgression. We are new to this area and do not know of the situation and assumed. Given how well you protected your secrecy, please forgive us?" His eyes lit up as if remembering something. He bowed. "I am Alexander Orlov. I represent the Northern Coalition in the matter regarding the investigation of gigantic mana spring in the Far East. Again, we must apologize for our lack of information. There is only so much we can learn from Russia."

Northern Coalition, Reisen mused. She recognized the name from the discussion with the Onmyouji Association about the important players internationally. The coalition was a collection of Russian magical families and cabal, but she could not recall anything further.

"Noted, Mr. Orlov. But it matters little." Reisen waved. "Leave. I am giving you a chance for you to walk away freely. Despite your mistake, at the very least you did not harm our members, so we are willing to be civil. Stay and you will find the limit of our patience."

"Reisen-sama," Japanese honorific rolled strangely off Orlov's tongue. "The Northern Coalition wishes to establish contact with your organization. I traveled to this city for that very purpose. We will leave promptly, but will it be possible to establish an official route of contact?"

The blanket of aura around Reisen unraveled and she crossed her arms in thought. "That is…"


Residential District, Chino city, Nagano

Rows of two-story residential houses flanked both sides of the road. Each complete with their own little garden. It was the very definition of a middle-class residential district. The time was way past rush hours, so most people were already out working. It was quiet with no one in sight.

"Natsuki, we are turning back."

Natsuki showed only a brief questioning look before steeling himself, no doubt recognizing the severity of her tone. Mibu appreciated that about her subordinates. She did not want blind obedience as it would limit the growth of both herself and her team. But in a situation where every split-second counted, there was seldom time for questions.

"Come on Aoyama, let's go." Natsuki patted another girl on her back, egging her forward gently.

"Al-alright…"

Aoyama blushed slightly from the physical contact. It had been like this for the past few hours already, so she reacted much calmer. For people who suffered together for months, a little contact meant nothing. Modesty was quite the commodity when they were busy simply trying to breathe.

However, Aoyama was one of many who did not make the selection for combat training. Being in the library most of the time, she was not adapted to the high intensity situation like this even if her more advance magical knowledge was very welcomed. If not for their severe lack of manpower, she would not be here.

Aoyama's hands clutched the pouch on her hips with a death grip. Seeing that, Natsuki shook his head softly. "You might want to take whatever you need out. I have a bad feeling about this."

"Oh! R-right!" She trembled as she unlatched the leather satchel and retrieved a few card-shaped crystal plates. The way her eyebrows furrowed in focus almost got a laugh from Natsuki. She needed to get that tremor under control.

"Pick up the," Mibu cut her words short and made a pushing gesture with both her hands. A barrier of coalesced rainbow swirl sparked into existence.

When Meiling performed this spell, a torrent of Ki gathered into a river of rainbow, capable of absorbing tremendous punishment. Mibu's barrier appeared much fainter and flickering, a testament to her poorer control and power. She and her mentor agreed that it would be a while before it would be usable. However, this was the only wide-area defense she had at her disposal.

"Kya!" Aoyama cried softly from the sound similar to a window shattering.

"Gah!" Mibu grunted. The rainbow swirl dispersed violently, while the girl staggered back a step from the feedback. Biting down nausea, Mibu reached under her coat for her folding blade and pistol with Natsuki following suit shortly after.

"Are you…"

"I'm fine. I'm fine. Watch out for Aoyama."

At this mention, Natsuki turned to the girl beside him. Her eyes were closed with both her hands clutched together as in prayers, still holding those crystal cards and all. A trace of dread rushed through his mind, reminded of the time when his team members panic. Losing composure in combat led to disaster. Then, he noticed the peculiarity. Aoyama glowed ever so slightly under the sunlight.

The answer came soon after in the form of a small blue-tinted dome surrounding them, just in time for them to see flashes of silver deflecting off the barrier. Mibu glanced briefly at the ground to see that these projectiles were large tubes with plume sticking out one end and a needle out the other Amber liquid leaked out the crack in the tubing.

Mibu looked up to see a pair walking toward them. The woman in the lead clapped slowly and jeered. "Well done, I think we gave you too little credit. But is it wise to use such powerful spell without any form of glamor in a city like this? Hm?"

Natsuki heard Aoyama's breath hitched. Her face was colored with worry, thinking that she may have broken the rule. Psion detector in the city could detect mana undulation to a limited degree and the organization was quite keen on secrecy. Natsuki was about to say something when Mibu spoke up.

"Keep doing what you are doing. I will take full responsibility."

The woman clicked her tongue. "Guess I tried. Well, straight to the hard way then." She then cracked her knuckles.

Mibu guessed correctly. This woman wanted to restrain the stronger spells in their repertoire. How that benefited her enemies' goal, Mibu did not know but she would not allow it.

"I advise you to come with us quietly and no one will get hurt." The man behind them remarked plainly, but Mibu caught a slight nervous tremor in his voice.

"Then let me advise you as well. Reinforcement is coming and you will not like meeting them."

As if to mock her statement, a dome of energy encased their surroundings. For all intents and purposes, she was trapped. The dome covered a few blocks and went up to just above the roof of the residential housing around them, limited their flight capability. While the bigger monsters on their side would not have any problem busting their way in, Mibu feared they might not last. The doubt lasted only for a second before she squashed it down.

"It will all be over before then," the woman cackled.

The woman flourished her hand, scattering cloud of grew dust in the air. Mibu watched on grimly and slowed her breathing. The organization taught her much these past few months, but countering poison was not one of them. This dirty blond just brought that to the table.

Defying her expectation however, the cloud suspended midair instead. The greyish haze surrounded the woman as she stood there akimbo and sported a cocky smile.

Since she casted her spell, then it was a finger on the trigger, Mibu thought. The act of pointing her gun at a human did not weigh as much as she expected. She fought many monsters looking vaguely like human after all.

Mibu loosened three shots, center mass. The woman did not attempt to dodge, so the bullets flew true. When they struck the grey haze, bright orange spark danced through the air. A barrier, Mibu clicked her tongue. This was going to be very lovely.


Chino city was not among the most populous cities in Japan. It contributed economically to the nation quietly in the background but boasted no outstanding quality. However, it still had many features of modern city, namely the skyscrapers. And as they said, snipers loved their high vantage.

Employing women in the sniper role was nothing strange in a modern battlefield. They were quite rare, given the rigorous standard of marksmanship and survival training needed. Yet, this pairing was still strange.

Cradled within her arm was a beast of a rifle. Full titanium construction, long heavy barrel and angry-looking muzzle brake alluded to the powerful recoil it meant to endure. Chambered with a round, which would be classified as anti-material a century earlier, the rifle augmented the velocity further with a magnetic accelerator to defeat magicians. The package was one step shy of a cannon, which made it even more jarring against its wielder.

Behind its trigger was a girl in her most vibrant year. Fair lips, button nose and pinchable cheeks would make her rather popular with boys. Her slightly messy mob of ash-grey hair complemented her droopy eyes to give her a sleeper look. The girl was on the petite side, which made the rifle dwarf her. Upright, the gun reached up to her shoulders. Prone, one could not distinguish which was the longer of the two.

The person in question cared little about that contrast, however. For her, this gun was the steadfast comrade that she would not trade for anything else. Furthermore, those who called her a midget usually forgot one crucial detail. She was a midget with big guns, in more ways than one.

None of that mattered, since she was more interested in the scene playing out within her scope. Her breath hitched slightly seeing the gruesome scene.

"Is David alright? Of all people… Marion, where is the car?"

"At most three minutes away, milady."

The girl behind the scope ignored the commotion behind her and watched the growing pool of red. She saw David scream while Kyle and Paige held down his wound. David was a grown man, but one could not fault him for such reaction. The girl could not tell precisely, but the handgun that woman shot him with was of unusually high caliber.

Normally a handgun to the gut was not instantly lethal, but she would not dare bet with larger bullet. She prayed silently for David. Her concentration lapsed briefly, but that was enough. When she realigned her scope, she saw a drastically different scene.

Kyle and Paige, who should have on top of David, were no longer there. Instead, the two were sprawled out next to the wall a meter away, completely unconscious. In their place was a redhead, looming over David. Her high magnification scope gave a clear view of the woman's face. She glared down at figures on the ground like looking at filthy vermin.

"Contact! She took down Kyle and Paige," she yelled and in doing so, regained a little composure.

"What?"

She breathed in and felt something clicked in place of her eyes. After a brief pain, the vision brightened up as the world was filled with unnatural color. She focused on the redhead but could not see anything apart from a dim shimmer surrounding her.

After a brief pause, the woman extended her hand to the side. Then, the girl's enhanced eyes saw a wisp of rainbow flew out and yanked the folding sword from the hands of their capture targets. What is she doing with that?

Her ash-grey eyes widened in horror as the woman raised her sword. The razor-sharp blade poised high. Given that stood over David, her intention could not be any clearer. The girl flicked the safety. The range and windage were pre-adjusted, so she centered her crosshair on center of mass.

"Siene, tell me what is going on."

"Milady, perhaps we should pull back."

And Siene feathered the trigger.

Boom, the heavy impact rattled her body, followed by the plume of dust washing over Siene. Unlike her stature would suggest, the petite girl kept her scope on sight, absorbing the recoil with superb control and supernatural strength.

At that range, Siene thought the chance to miss virtually nil. Her enchanted round would not fail her, and it did not, just not in the way she expected. Rather than falling to her shot, the redhead flickered in place. Siene did not register the motion, but the woman posture changed. The sword in her hand was held low rather than up high. Another change she noted was that the blade became severely warped at one point.

Impossible, Siene thought.

"Siene! We must move! She is coming!" Siene heard Marion yelling beside her.

As if by reflex, Siene heaved her rifle up to a crouch, turned around and broke into a sprint. Only a second later did everything fall into place. That woman was baiting her, and she jumped right into it.

Marion and her sister were right at the railing, waiting for her. Siene reviewed their egress plan in her mind as she ran toward them, only to see her hope cruelly dashed. A gleaming white light descended from the sky and left of shimmering curtain in its wake. Siene looked up and saw a dome of light enveloping the entire rooftop.

"Break the barrier!" Marion yelled hurried, more panicked than she had ever seen him in forever.

But there would be no escape. Marion and Lisette could only see the shroud of light, but Siene could see more. Rather than a thin featureless wall, she saw letters and diagrams on its surface. Incomprehensibly complex and zipping around at lightning speed, Siene could not decipher it, let alone break it.

"Leaving so soon? What's the hurry?" A jarringly jovial tone called out to them as if the speaker was commenting on the weather.

Even with her heart gripped with dread, Siene dutifully raised her rifle against the newcomer. Her grey eyes widened slightly. The redhead was fast. Siene saw it once through the scope, but it still took her aback that the woman arrived in less than half a minute.

The redhead stood across them with her hand akimbo. Unlike her tone, she looked not in the least happy. Her aqua-blue eyes, contrasting with her Asian features, glared at them with the promise of torment. The sword she used before was nowhere to be seen, but that brought little comfort for Siene. This woman in Chinese dress would prove to be a menace enough with her bare hands. That fact was made explicitly clear when the redhead dropped into a strange martial art stance.

Siene seldom watched movies, let alone anything related to Asian martial arst. But, given the fact that the redhead could deflect a bullet that could easily disable a Humvee with a flimsy sword, getting into grappling distance would spell certain doom.

"Come now, there is no need to get violent."

"Ha! Your face is certainly quite thick."


"Let's get to our first order of business. I have yet to say thank you for what you did to my disciples."

Meiling fulfilled her obligation and informed the opposition that she was not attacking them unprovoked. That was the biggest grace they would receive from her. When she took her step forward, she heard a resounding bang, reminding her of the guns that her disciples used but much heftier. The bullet was much faster and bigger, but the shooter would do well not to telegraph her aim like that.

With no wasted motion, Meiling sidestepped the line of fire. She felt her aura flickering slightly from the air pressure of the grazing bullet. A few more flew her way but could only caress her skin. Meiling was tempted to take that gunner out first. However, she decided otherwise. The redhaired man and that gunner stood protectively in front of a blond woman, so Meiling dashed forward.

"I won't let you!"

A torrent of flames wrapped around the man like an oversized cloak as the man jumped in. He reminded Meiling slightly of Mokou, but she squashed down that memory firmly. This was neither the time nor the place.

Meiling threw a jab, completely ignoring the hungry flame coiling around the man. To her slight surprise, the redhaired man deflected it. Meiling was not so conceited to believe she could down anyone in one hit however, as the follow up blows were loosed in rapid succession.

The man winced. Meiling's lightning fast jabs were simply too fast to properly deflect, so he had to receive them with static blocks. His arms felt numb. When Meiling started mixing in high kick, his back chilled. He did not want to imagine what would happen if any connected.

He knew that engaging her at close range was suicide, but he had to keep his charge safe. Since the beginning of the exchange, he tried desperately to ward Meiling off. One would think twice before punching what essentially was a human bonfire, but not this woman. Flames could not leave even the slightest blemish on her skin, probably courtesy of the shimmering glow she exuded. Finally, he had enough.

Focusing his mana completely forward, he propelled all the flame forward. Meiling, noticing his maneuver, backpedaled away behind a shimmering vortex of rainbow energy. The wave of fire washed over the shield. The brightness obscured his vision, but the man conjured fireballs behind the position he had last seen Meiling.

A successive bang was heard beyond the roaring flame. Siene hammered away at the vortex as fast as she could pull the trigger. Her special constitution allowed her to see defects in the spellwork. However, this was not an occasion where she could be deliberate with her shots. She emptied whatever was left in her magazine.

The blond beside her was not idle either, closing her eyes in concentration. Unlike the other two, her specialty was not accompanied by any gaudy effect, but was perhaps one of the most fearsome of the three. Her olive-green eyes focused on the woman standing in the middle of the flame. For a moment, the blond paused. Then, she clutched her head, groaning. Siene could see blood dripping from her nose.

"Lisette!"

"F-focus, Siene." The blond waved her hand toward Meiling.

When Siene turned back, Meiling had already moved. Evading the pincer set up by the flame magician, she now held a ball of blue light within her hand. With a vicious grin, Meiling grinned as she threw it. The blue comet rushed at them.

"Milady!" The man yelled, but Meiling intercepted him.

Within that split second, Siene considered the situation. She could see the destabilizing point in the magic projectile. However, she had already emptied the last round in the magazine. There was simply no point trying to cast any spell either. Unhesitatingly, Siene pushed the blond out of the way.

"Siene!"

The bolt impacted and exploded. The angle of the force sent the petite girl sliding on the floor and slamming onto the concrete wall. Both the pain and concussion sent her consciousness to the oblivion. Her rifle clattered a few meters away.

"Lady Siene! Argh" The man yelled and Meiling perfectly exploited the opportunity to land a strike.

That was merely the beginning of his suffering. Meiling was not through with him, following the blinding flurry of jab and kicks. The man staggered but still tried to mitigate the blows. Meiling pulled back slightly and delivered a palm strike to his chest. From her hand, a brilliant gold aura lanced forth, launching the man backward.

Sensing something underneath her, Meiling leapt backward and narrowly avoided an erupting pillar of flame. She felt a pang of respect for the man who, despite being outmatched, still left an interesting parting gift behind.

"Now, it is just you…I guess I need something a bit more special for trying to mess with my mind." Meiling paused when she sensed another presence behind her. "What took you so long?"

The silver-haired magician landed behind the martial artist and sighed. "Just a little complication"

"Did something happen to them?"

"They are all safe now. Though…we would have lost Mibu had we been a moment too late." Lunaire explained grimly. "They pumped her with enough tranquilizer to knock out an elephant. I had to restart her heart."

Meiling listened quietly, while sending death glare at the blond. The target of her ire gasped for breath as the air thickened like syrup. Before she could act on her impulse however, Lunaire barred her path.

"Calm yourself. We can't have them dead before we have our answers. I don't want to test my necromancy knowledge in practice just yet." Lunaire chuckled darkly. His voice was loud enough to reach the ear of the blond.

"Milady, run…away," the man wheezed. His body curled up like a shrimp.

"Surprising, you are still unconscious after that. Meiling?" Lunaire called her jovially.

"Yes, Lunaire-sama?"

"Would you be a dear and sing him a lullaby?"

"Gladly…" Meiling dragged her voice in response and eagerly complied.

"Don't you dare touch my butler." The blond gritted her teeth and muttered lowly, but her words quickly turned into a soft yelp when magical restraint took away her freedom.

"Oh, since when were you in a position to bargain something?" Lunaire exaggerating raised his fingers one by one. "Barging into our territory unannounced, check. Assaulting our men, check. Since Mibu was give or take 6 minutes from brain death, murder, check. Nearly jeopardizing us at critical juncture, check."

The blond paled, both from the agonizing cries of her butler and the charges leveled against her. In magical world, people had died for much less. In fact, it was quite uncommon for the retaliation to end with just them. Of course, this highly depended on the power disparity between two parties involved.

Lunaire knelt to her level and growled. "Pray tell, just who are you to be so audacious like this?"

"…"

"Silence, is it? That's fine." Lunaire fished out his terminal and leveled it at her face for a nice picture of a blond caked in dust. "We have all the time in the world."

Lunaire felt a slight numb headache and kneaded his temple slightly. For a moment, nothing happened until Lunaire sharpened his glare at her. Then, the blond began screaming while clutching her head again. "Out of all things to go for, you chose my mind?"

Lunaire watched on as the blond cradled her head on the ground. Her cries grew increasingly muffled till only heavy breathing remained. The silver-haired muttered menacingly, "I swear. I have always disliked your kind. They always get so conceited, thinking that they will always get away messing with the mind. It seems you have met your match today."

Lunaire flagged this blond as a magician specializing in mental manipulation. It was exactly as it said on the tin, things like mind reading, hypnosis and even mind control. Their magic was as troublesome as it sounded. Unfortunately, her opponent was someone who fearlessly sat before a Satori multiple times. His mental discipline was as ironclad as it could be.

However, Meiling also seemed unaffected, suggesting that this blond was not powerful enough to poke with someone their caliber just yet. Still, it warranted to be careful, keeping the suggestible personnel far from her cell.

"If you had enough struggling, answer my question. Who are you? Who sent you!"

Inwardly, Lunaire grimaced. He took no joy in taking lives but would kill if deemed necessary. However, he had no stomach for torture. Logically, he understood the need for such cruelty. Extracting intelligence from unwilling subject could be vital in many situations. Emotionally, there was something haunting about the scream. He just did not have the heart to personally inflict terrible pain on another being. He also knew this was somewhat contradictory. If done by some stranger to another, completely out of sight out of mind, he might be less squeamish about it.

This brought up the million-dollar question. No one in the mansion had any expertise in interrogation. Remilia, while being a vampire, possessed no hobby of listening to people' screams for her amusement. Reisen was a rabbit soldier of the moon but had no training to break a person. Then there were Alice and Marisa who would die before permitting such a barbarous act.

Lunaire looked to behind the blond and a thought came to him. He winked discreetly and called out with a sing-song tone, "Meiling!"

Meiling caught on quickly and chimed back, "yes, Lunaire-sama."

"Put the rest out of their misery. This woman will be enough." Lunaire sneered for a more convincing performance.

That provoked a reaction. The blond struggled wildly in her restraint. "Don't touch my sister!"

It was working, Lunaire thought as a devious grin came out naturally. "And what exactly are you going to do about it?"

"If anything happens to us, the Di Avini won't spare you," the woman growled.

"Di Avini?" Lunaire tapped his chin thoughtfully.

Finally, a name and it rang a bell. He had ever heard of the family name in two different contexts. One was the name of the middling family of magicians and the other was the name of an influential European conglomerate. When thought of it that way, it was very possible that Di Avini magical family survived the past century and ended up owning quite a sizable asset. Frankly, Lunaire was slightly impressed. Not just anyone had the talent it took to run a successful business.

"You are finally beginning to see reason. We are affiliated with the Di Avini family. They know we are here and if we don't report back…"

"We still have you to report back, no? After we are completely done with you, of course."

"You are insane!" The blond ground her teeth before her confident smile returned. "Sounds more like empty bravado. You underestimate the Di Avini family too much."

"Personally, I find that you underestimate us too much. The Di Avini family would not dare come after someone who owns that giant mana spring over there." Lunaire shrugged. "Meiling, keep the mess to the minimum alright. I don't deal in bits and pieces."

Lunaire thumbed his lips for a second, considering some words to ramp up the menace a little. "Actually, since we are incinerating them anyway, just do whatever you want."

Meiling shrugged in response. "Meh, makes my job easier…Then without further ado."

"Wait! Wait! Just now, you…you said," The blond stammered.

"It is not a secret at this point, so it should not matter if I tell you." Lunaire rolled his eyes. "Yes, we are the one who created that large wellspring to the east of here. Oh, before you say anything else, those two armies are the security for the conference we will be hosting in this city. Congratulation, you just angered just about every major regional power at once. So, instead of mourning your death, I think Di Avini family will more likely spit on your grave for being the cause of this altercation."

A pregnant pause ensued. The look of realization began dawning on her. When Lunaire saw that, he snorted. She finally realized the gravity of the situation. Di Avini may be influential in Europe. But in Japan, they could hardly hold a candle to the combined might of Youkai and Onmyouji. Adding in his organization to the balance, Di Avini could be effectively barred from ever setting a single foot in the Far East.

The blond responded in the most sensible manner and bowed her head low. "We beg you to forgive us for our earlier transgression and my rudeness. We are willing to go to any length to make amend for our actions. I implore that you spare our lives and listen to our explanation."

"Oh, why are you so meek all of sudden? Where has your arrogance gone?"

"…" She looked down, seemingly ashamed for the first time.

Not a shred of sympathy could be seen from Lunaire. This woman gave in to the power, not out of guilt. He only trusted a person like that as far as he could throw them. "Now, speak! Who are you? And why did you attack my men? Know that I have little tolerance for lies."

"Pardon my late introduction…I am Lisette Di Avini, the head of Di Avini family."

"The head herself? Really? Do you think I am…" Lunaire pushed up her chin and peered deep into her eyes. Lisette met his stare without flinching. "Oh lord…you are serious?"

"Yes, I am the sole inheritor of the family." She spoke uncomfortably from how high her chin was held up.

"Ha! I am not sure whether I should commend your bravery or mock your stupidity." Lunaire let go of her. He did not know the situation in the Di Avini family, but sending the head straight to the frontline did not seem sensible to him.

"It is not my original intention to involve myself personally, nor share my identity so candidly." Lisette puffed her cheeks indignantly. That was the plan had Lunaire not intervened.

"And you are not afraid I won't let you go after knowing who you are?"

"Had I lied, I might have gotten away. Though, at the cost of severing any chance for further dialogue with your organization." Lisette answered plainly. Her olive-green eyes bore into the unreadable blues.

Lunaire's lips curled up slightly. "A little too late, we are way past the point of just talking."

"I don't believe so. Or else I would not be alive right now."

Lunaire interrupted. "Hm? What makes you so sure? I left you alive before since I needed answers. Now that I know you to be the principal culprit behind all this, that this entire incident is your idea, what is preventing me from taking your lives as compensation?"

Lisette did not avert her eyes and continued bravely. "Our deaths might appease your anger for the moment and that will be the end of it. On the other hand, I believe the Di Avini family can provide other compensation with better long-term benefits. By no means can we completely erase our mistake, but we are willing to go to great length to remedy the harm we caused. We hope you show mercy."

Lisette made a good point. Killing them all at this point would appease their anger, but it would not yield them any other benefit. Instead, it would be more acceptable for both sides if they agreed. Lisette would get to keep her life and Di Avini family would not suffer internal turmoil from the abrupt death of their leader. In turn, Lunaire would get something more substantial than just feeling good.

"Pray tell, what kind of compensation? What can possibly make up for the fact that you almost murdering someone we consider a dear family?" Lunaire spoke in an eerily flat tone. He said this not as a way to extract more concessions. He truly meant every word. Since Mibu did not die, Lunaire would not go as far as holding grudge till the end of time. Still, he was not about to let Lisette off the hook so easily.

Lisette broke eye contact briefly. "I…I…To come to a satisfying conclusion, we will need your input."

Lisette threw the ball back at him and Lunaire did not blame her. He would be hard pressed to answer in that spot as well. The weight of a life was always difficult to measure. Lunaire cupped his chin in thought.

"While I will be more than happy to continue our discussion, may I ask that my subordinate's injury be tended to. One of them was heavily injured from multiple gunshots and…" Lisette trailed off, not wanting to bring up the point that it was the result of their conflict.

"He is stable for now."

"I thank you for your kindness."

"Now then, I wonder how I should deal with all of you." Lunaire cast his glance around the rooftop.

Siene was doing her best imitation of a caterpillar. Magical seal bound her arms and her legs. The girl was determined enough to disregard that, inching her way closer to her rifle. Meiling pretended not to notice, but Lunaire saw her snickering at the sight. The magician shook his head softly. On the upside, Meiling's ire subsided for now. He reminded himself not to mention the fact that Mibu almost died again.

Lunaire averted his eyes away as a thought came to him. Maybe he was letting Lisette off too easy. In the beginning, he got the aggression on point when she was being all arrogant. He mellowed out after she cooperated, which made the ball tilt away from his court a little. Dammit, he thought. Maybe he was just too soft to be in this questioning people business.


Next day, Chino city, Nagano prefecture

The moment the elevator door opened, Kanzashi felt it. The mana suffused through the air, so thickly it almost felt tangible. Like the gentle spring breeze, it caressed her cheeks. She felt no malignant intent behind its touch. This was purely mana in its raw and untainted form. This location had no connection to the leylines, cut off from nature and high up on the skyscraper. Unthinkably, this entire floor still contained so much mana to surpass the wellspring owned by the Konomiya family.

This was a show of force, Kanzashi knew it. And it was working. Some elders were being sour grape about it, saying that they needed no help from Youkai and their ilk. Kanzashi wanted to hear them after experiencing something like this for themselves. Their dumbstruck and embarrassed expression would be such an interesting sight.

Kanzashi shook her head strongly and, if not for the dignity she maintained, would have slapped her cheeks softly. She needed focus. The purpose of this conference was simple enough, auction for the land lease. Though she knew nothing would ever be so easy, not after her blatant defiance to their strong request.

It was not her idea to refuse the organization's request to withdraw the troops. She was even against the sending an entire army as bodyguards in the first place. But the elders just could not bear the thought of appearing weak both to the Youkai and this mysterious organization named Gensou no Isan. Kanzashi's hands were tied when Reisen arrived a day earlier and could only hope the fallout would be bearable. At the very least, she would not be alone in facing the music.

Lost in her thoughts, Kanzashi heard a small ping behind her and the metal door slid open. Her bodyguards twitched reflexively. She prayed they would not cause any incident from their paranoia. Being vigilant was fine. Looking as if everything around them was ready to gut them was not. No one appreciated distrust expressed so frankly. Though thinking that, the figures exiting the elevator raised her eyebrows.

Japanese magical society was rather reclusive and collectivist. While not overtly hostile like with the Youkai, foreign magicians were regarded with suspicion. This stemmed from various reasons. Magical society in general did not identify strongly with their nation. That said, they were not immune to the effect of World War III, so a little nationalistic tendency was par for the course. Another reason was more pragmatic. Practicing magic required resources like mana-rich land and ingredients. It was barely tolerable to share this small island among themselves, let alone inviting in more competition.

For the reason above, Kanzashi was quite surprised to see a young silver-haired European. He dressed in crisp dress suits that made him look the part of young corporate managers. The fact that he walked nonchalantly on this floor said otherwise.

"Good morning." The silver-haired man greeted, surprising her with perfect Japanese. He bowed slightly without a hint of awkwardness. "The meeting starts shortly. Let's us be on our way."

"Good morning." Kanzashi was searching for what to say when he continued passed her, urging them all to move.

The rest of the way was spent in uncomfortable silence. No one attempted to strike up a conversation. The matter would clear up in time, she assured herself. Thankfully, it ended when the man pushed open the conference room.

"Took you long enough," out came a peppy voice.

"Right on the dot," the man gestured amusedly at his watch. "And all our guests are here. So, let's get started. Time is, after all, money. Please take a seat."

Kanzashi complied while eyeing the figures in the room. Reisen's striking lilac waterfall was recognizable enough. Unlike the first time she saw her, there was a pair of long rabbit ears poking up from her silky head, twitching at every minute disturbance. It was surprising and fitting in a way. Reisen's calmer temperament matched that of typical rabbit, though she packed quite a bit of punch in combat.

Next to Reisen was a black-haired woman, whom Kanzashi immediately identified as a crow Tengu. Her tokin (special box-like hat), small pointy ears and lustrous inky wings marked her as such, which honestly surprised the young representative. As far as Kanzashi knew, there had not been a single report of Tengu sighting in so long. Many considered them extinct.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the woman sitting on the other side of the round table was anything but a common sight. A beauty with voluptuous figures and an alluring heart-shaped face, dressed in a colorful kimono. Her long golden-brown hair was tied up in a bun and held in place with an ornate Kanzashi (hairpin). A pair of fox ears marked her as a Kitsune. Four tails swished idlily against the chair's backrest. Behind her was a pair of bodyguards, standing in vigil.

Then there was the silver-haired man took the seat beside Reisen, so she assumed they belong to this mysterious Gensou no Isan. Kanzashi expected the blond woman to be the same, but she was ushered to a seat a little way apart. This raised her eyebrows as there was supposed to only be three parties, including her organization, present.

"Without further ado, I am Lunaire Vivian Meister. Please refer to me as Lunaire. I, along with these lovely ladies, represent the organization responsible for creating the mana wellspring to the east of Chino city. Each of you already know one of them, so some self-introduction is on order."

"Thank you, Lunaire. I am Reisen Udongein Inaba, an envoy dispatched to Onmyouji Association headquarter. Please to meet your acquaintance."

"Hello there, the name is Shameimaru Aya. I was sent to Kyoto on the merit of my speed," Aya joked. "Please take care of me."

"With that out of the way, please introduce yourselves too. It will be a little awkward not to know how to address each other." Reisen gestured slightly toward Kanzashi.

"My name is Konomiya Kanzashi, a representative for Onmyouji Association." She normally represented the Konomiya family's interest at the highest level of decision making, but she stood for the entire organization in this occasion.

"This one is known as Kayo." The Kitsune dragged her voice coyly, emphasized by her Kyoto dialect (different from Kansai). "This one was chosen from among our mistress's close advisors to be entrusted with full authority in the matter concerning this auction. It is this one's pleasure and honor to be here."

Okay, so far so good, Lunaire thought.

"It is good to have both of you here. So, first order of business. Can you confirm whether you reviewed the land lease information we sent you a few weeks earlier, including the price and the location? A piece of land we reserved for each of your organizations."

"The elders reviewed all the documents and found no objection to the terms and price."

"Likewise, our mistress is more than happy to accept this deal."

"Excellent, though you might want to hold off on accepting all the terms. The one we sent you was only a draft and there have been some additional changes since then. Reisen, if you will."

Reisen retrieved a small packet that could not have been more than a few pages from her briefcase. "These are mostly minor administrative changes. However, there is one important detail that both of you should take note of."

"And that is," Kanzashi asked apprehensively, wondering what further conditions would be forced upon her.

Lunaire cleared his throat softly. "Regarding the exclusion zone in our previous correspondence, we expressed that no conflict would be allowed in our territory. We have known of the long history of hostility between your two organizations. We understand that it may be difficult to operate so close to each other without any friction. But, any conflict at our doorstep is simply unacceptable. This means that any acts of sabotage, espionage against other organization or the movement of large number of personnel in this area are prohibited, save for some exceptional circumstance. Violating this rule means possible termination of the lease and permanent ban from our organization, depending on the degree of infraction."

Lunaire watched their reaction like a hawk and saw no hint of unwillingness. They understood his reasoning and frankly, it was quite a small price to pay. The exclusion zone was rather small, encompassing the mansion, the barrier and a little bit further for future expansion. Outside this area, it was still fair game to take out their quarrel there.

"The previous boundary we have set was the area stretching between mount Tengu and Southern Yatsugatake volcanic group. We wish to expand that to include all of Nagano." Lunaire dropped a bombshell.

The area around the two mountains indicated earlier was around 40 square kilometers, a rather sizable plot of land. Compared to Nagano however, saying that this was a step up in their demand was a gross understatement. 40 square kilometers was comparatively tiny, more than 400 times smaller than the entire prefecture in fact.

Kanzashi stiffened in her seat, almost like a Hina doll. The warning from Elder Sasanomiya came to the forefront of her mind. There was no way that an organization holding the key to create such mana wellspring had no grand ambition in mind. Her job just got a lot more difficult and dangerous.

In contrast, Kayo visibly lost her cool. Both her ears and tails stood up rigidly. She covered her parted lips with her hand, but there was no hiding her slack-jawed expression. As surprise faded, her eyes narrowed, and she smiled cunningly.

"You intend to claim Nagano as your territory as well. That will be most…troubling. While still considered a contested region, us Youkai had already taken roots in the area. It would pain us greatly to relinquish an entire Nagano prefecture given the not insignificant investment we made."

Although Gensou no Isan's motivation was still inscrutable, Kanzashi saw the opportunity presenting itself. Nagano was contested, so no one claimed ultimate authority in the area. Yet, this did not stop both sides from gaining some benefit from the area. There were some minor mana wellsprings and businesses to be had. Having this prefecture taken away would be inconvenient for Kanzashi, but not enough to antagonize Gensou no Isan for the moment. On the other hand, Youkai seemed quite invested in this issue, so she gave it a nudge.

"A contested territory had no indisputable owner. You dared to invest heavily in the area. That is nothing else but a gamble. And as they say, in a gamble, you win and lose. Even if this situation is very much unexpected…"

"…" Kayo's nose twitched in slight annoyance, but she ignored Kanzashi. The reaction from the host was infinitely more interesting and impactful.

Aya answered instead of Lunaire. "You misunderstand us, Kayo-sama. We do not wish to claim Nagano as our territory and only place a few rules on the area."

"My, Aya-sama," Kayo responded politely, but her eyes conveyed her displeasure. "Given the tight restrictions, it is effectively under the administration of your organization. It will be very difficult to continue our operations as we did previously."

"There will be fewer rules compared to our core territory around the barrier. We are only ensuring that no incident may draw eyes of the more, shall we say, mundane folks." Aya giggled.

Kayo eyes were not laughing. While this was not enough to break the deal, it was certainly a tough condition, which she had no choice but to swallow. In this situation, her organization was the one seeking the other party out.

"Perhaps, I should rephrase it in a way more palatable to your organization." Lunaire rubbed his chin. "Kayo-sama, Gensou no Isan is willing to recognize the authority of your organization over Nagano in the same matter as the land you lease from us. What this means is that, the Onmyouji Association may not trespass or conduct any hostile action in this region. If reasonably proven that such a violation occurred, the association will be punished as if they caused conflict within our home territory. You know very well the consequence of that.

"That is." It was Kanzashi's turn to panic.

Kayo cut her off. "So, you are saying that we can treat Nagano as ours?"

"Yes, as a price for keeping everything extra tidy in the area. It sounds like a good deal, yes?" Lunaire chuckled even as the fox scrutinize him for any falsehood.

The reason that the decision to let go of Nagano came so easily was simply because of Honami. According to her, Yotsuba had eyes and ears everywhere in the country, but were exceptionally more zealous guarding their turf. Pursuing any business opportunity there was ill-advised. On the other hand, Kyoto Youkai seemed nonplussed operating in Yotsuba's territory. Aya found they had been active in Gifu, another prefecture under Yotsuba, for decades already. So far, they were not caught.

"For the sake of fairness, we are willing to recognize the authority of Onmyouji Association over Yamanashi prefecture," Aya stated.

"I assume that this is not negotiable."

Aya shrugged. "In terms of territory, we don't see any better option other than Yamanashi. Nagano and Yamanashi prefectures are the only regions close enough that both sides still cannot fully claim. We explain earlier why we entrusted Nagano to the Youkai. Whether your organizations accept is up to you. However, if you feel you cannot accept this condition, feel free to leave this negotiation table."

"Then, we have to accept as well. I assume this is the only major change we need to worry about. I am not sure I can cope with another one."

"Fear not, Kanzashi-sama. The rest of the packet is merely an elaboration on the point we discussed and some minor alteration to the rest. Though, if you want to take some time to read them, then we can spare a few minutes."

"I am sorry to have kept you all waiting. Let's us get to the auction everyone is here for."

Aya let excitement crept into her voice as she made her announcement. Her habit as the news reporter of Gensokyo proved stubborn. While she may only work with media like newspapers, her knack for sensationalized headline translated somewhat into her speech. Both Lunaire and Reisen snorted in amusement, while the representatives pretended, they did not witness such out-of-place cheerfulness.

"I to inform you that there is only one item in our catalog today, but that is good in its own way. Now, you don't have to pace yourself and concentrate solely on this one fight. Please bid to your heart's content."

Her voice really reminded Lunaire of the overly peppy sports announcer. Maybe he should recommend Aya for the Nine School Competition next year. That event could use a little bit more excitement and comedy, after they ensured their competitors were not getting killed left and right, of course.

When Aya ended her sentence, she exaggerated looking at her watch, hemming and hawing. She then leaned toward Lunaire, "hmm, it is time, right?"

"I believe so."

"Then, why hasn't the final participant arrived yet?"

Lunaire merely shrugged.

The reaction was not as subdued for the other two representatives however, as they cried out in unison. "What?"

Then came a soft knock from the heavy wooden door, coaxing out a conspiratorial smile from Aya. "Ah, here they are. I would hate to start the auction with only two people. It won't be as interesting now, will it? Come in!"

The door opened, revealing a blond beauty in business suit. "Please pardon my tardiness. I hope I did not make anyone wait."

00000

And there you go.

It might be confusing because this chapter is mostly setup. The take home message is that the new recruits of the organization found two more factions loitering around Chino city. They were from outside the country, drawn to Japan by the mana wellspring. They panicked because of the armies and got too heavy-handed with the guards.

Do try to remember Lisette and Siene. They will be a constant part in the story from now on. They won't appear every so often. They are like Kirin, but with a little more role to play, especially in the Yokohama disturbance arc.

You might be wondered why I am even introducing two more factions into this story. The answer will be cleared up in time over the next chapter. That said, can you guess who is the blond at the end?

If you have any comment or suggestions or just a word of encouragement, please do leave a review.