Wow, this chapter turned out longer than I thought it would (around 6,000 words). I had a decent bit I wanted to fit in this chapter. And there is a lot of information that's going to be dumped on your really quickly. Sorry about that.
The next two chapters will be the real "climax" of the story, so stay tuned!
I hope you guys enjoy.
Nozomi held onto her seat for dear life, hoping to whatever god or gods that were out there that she would remain strapped in and not fly from the helicopter. She looked outside one more time and regretted it instantly. Everything was passing by in a blur, it was impossible to even tell what kind of landscape they were over. This wasn't what she had in mind when Seira told her their location was, with Sound's help, just a "short helicopter ride away."
"R-Really, what is this!? I'm pretty sure helicopters aren't meant to go this fast!" She screamed while turning to face the blonde pilot.
Mari just shrugged. "We're moving at the speed of sound, so yeah, helicopters definitely aren't meant to travel this fast. But it's fine. Sound won't tear this thing apart. We'll be fine."
"Fine!?"
"Oh, come on. Just think of it like a rollercoaster." Tsubasa, who was standing behind Nozomi without anything to strap her in, laughed and put what she thought was a reassuring hand on the purplenette's shoulder.
Just as Nozomi was sure she was going to barf, everything suddenly slowed, and they were moving at a normal speed once again. She looked out the window. A large hilly forest was spread underneath them, stretching out for as far as she could see from her window.
"Are we really already there?" Nozomi asked in astonishment. She had been given the location by Seira but… "Is this really South Korea?"
"That's right. Bukhansan National Park, to be exact. Assuming Seira told you the correct coordinates, we should be coming up on the place shortly. Tsubasa, if you will."
"Yes, Master." Tsubasa slid open the side door, the inside instantly being filled with the shrill sounds of the wind.
"W-What is she…?"
"Shh. Just let my heir work."
Tsubasa summoned her Demonbrand and smirked confidently as she held it straight up. She took a deep breath and gently tapped the bottom of the sheath against the floor of the helicopter, the sound of metal hitting metal briefly ringing out. Tsubasa closed her eyes and concentrated on the sound, following it as far as she could. Nozomi stared at her with curiosity.
"I found it." She confirmed a few seconds later. "There's a place where no sound reaches. It's not large, a clearing with maybe… a thirty meter diameter?" Tsubasa moved back up to the seats, leaning over and pointing out an area to Mari. "It's not possible to see while we're outside of it, but I'm sure it's there."
"Are you going to land this thing there?" Nozomi asked incredulously. "Aren't there people down there probably wondering what the hell a helicopter is doing up here? And we're just going to land in the middle of a national park? Won't this cause some kind of incident?" Even Nozomi thought she was being overly cautious and unlike herself, but she still felt so shook from the entire situation that she couldn't help it.
"Listen, Oracle. When you come and tell me that Seira's trying to prevent some potentially world-ending disaster, I'm going to do whatever I can to help. If that means a few people might see me land this helicopter, I think it's worth it."
Tsubasa giggled as Nozomi's defeated sigh. They flew closer to the area the heir of Sound pointed out and she gave them a quick warning right before the helicopter passed through something. It was hard for Nozomi to explain how it felt. It was like a light pressure on her chest for just a moment, but it left her feeling… wrong, like she shouldn't be there. Luckily, the landing went a lot smoother than the rough trip there and, sure enough, they were in the middle of clearing that they couldn't see before.
Nozomi tensed as soon as she stepped foot into the grass. Something was wrong. Something felt absolutely dreadful about being there. A cold feeling sank in her stomach and the urge to vomit almost resurfaced. But something else stirred in her. A warm feeling that quickly spread throughout her entire body. But it felt wrong, unnatural. She swallowed as she watched Mari and Tsubasa looking around.
"Hm. I can definitely feel the irregular mana here." Mari commented, summoning her Demonbrand to her side. "It feels like this place is off. Fitting for the birthplace of a Demon Lord, I suppose." She turned her attention back to Nozomi. "Well? Contact her again, Oracle. You said she would explain the rest when we got here, right?" She was tapping her foot impatiently and the anger that had been present when Nozomi first mentioned Seira was back. "I have a few choice words for that girl anyways."
Nozomi nodded and took out her cellphone, scrolling to Kotori's contact and pressing call. Tsubasa stared at her with confusion at the fact that she was trying to use a cellphone to connect with someone in the Underworld, but when she saw her master just watching with a serious look, she decided that not saying anything was probably better.
"Nozomi-chan? Are you there already?"
"Mm. And Ohara-san and Tsubasa are with me too."
"Put it on speaker." Mari demanded and Nozomi sighed before doing as she was told. "Seira, when I see you again, we're going to have a nice lo―"
"Silence, Sound." Kotori's voice changed tone so quickly it sent a shiver down the spines of all three present. "I don't care about your lovers' quarrel. Do as your told or I'll have to handle you myself."
After Mari recovered from the initial shock of the girl's voice, she stood straight. "You must be Minami Kotori, correct? Just who the hell are you?"
"That's none of your concern. All you need to know are the instructions you are to follow."
"I don't―"
"Shut up!" Kotori's voice boomed through the phone and it did its job of stopping Mari mid-sentence. "I'm not dealing with your shit, Ohara Mari! If you want to let all of humanity die because you want to act like a spoiled child, then I'll let your heir handle this!"
"Let's try and stay calm, Kotori-chan." Nozomi said, managing to keep her voice steady after the near heart attack the girl's voice almost induced on her.
Kotori cleared her throat. "I'm sorry you had to hear that, Nozomi-chan. Regardless, answer me now, Sound. Are you willing to work with us or not? We don't have the luxury of time at the moment."
Mari still looked pissed but shook her head. Her first duty was as a demon slayer, after all. "Fine. Tell me the situation properly."
"Good. First of all, Second is confronting the heir to the Four Seasons and the Witness as we speak. By now, Void has probably already betrayed Four Seasons."
"Betrayed?"
"Mm. The Void itself has merged with Second making him pretty much unstoppable. Though I expected that the heir to Void would stand by Honoka-chan's side, I believe Second is threatening her with something. Either way, the point is that the heir to Void and the Void itself are not on our side, but rather Second's. Next, what is Second after? I've known for a while but was unable to do anything about it. But that can wait. Let's just leave it at 'world-ending' status. He already has one piece to his puzzle. If he gets the Witness' eyes, it's basically over."
"And how am I supposed to help with that?"
"You're helping with something much more important. I believe that Second will get those eyes, one way or another, and begin what he intends to do. We have our own plan to stop him, but we'll need your help. Also, in case anything goes poorly, we'll need the power of Sound to prevent the world from tearing apart."
Mari cringed at the thought. "Alright. What do we need to do then?"
"Mm. Seira and I are almost at the right coordinates in the Underworld to be directly parallel to the Hallowed Ground of the First Demon Lord on the surface. Once we arrive, we'll need you to transfer the essence of Second from his Hallowed Ground through the Oracle to us."
"Wha―? What are you planning to do exactly!?"
She could practically hear the smirk in Kotori's voice. "We have but one advantage right now: Second truly believes that the First Demon Lord is dead. In fact, everybody does."
"I don't―"
"And I don't have time to explain it to you. This is our only chance at saving this world. Hmph. That's right. It's time to bring back the First Demon Lord."
Riko had to do her best not to flinch every time their blades clashed. Despite using her eyes and despite Nico's previous confidence, her swings were consistently being blocked or deflected by Yo. The Master of Stars had lost her playful smile and now wore a serious expression with every swing. Nico's face was contorted in anger but Riko didn't feel that the twintailed girl was truly in danger. After all, even though she failing to land a hit on Yo, the Master of Stars hadn't landed a hit on her either. It was a vicious back and forth.
The pillars hadn't been lucky enough to survive the struggle. Neither had the dais. Every time steel hit steel, the force cracked the ground underneath them and threatened to collapse the pocket dimension they resided in. It vaguely reminded Riko of watching Chika fight Yoshiko except on a whole different level. Unlike Chika more… wild style, Nico used a controlled style, her hits precise and quick but not lacking in power. Yo was much the same, every hit seeming calculated, perfectly performed even though it was blocked. They were trapped in a battle of equal skill.
Even the use of Yo's eyes weren't enough to turn the tide of the battle. Every time she stopped Nico's sword, Nico was either dodging or moving in for a strike in a different manner. She would twist around one blade only to dodge another that Riko could see from a completely different angle. The occasional strike would be thrown Riko's way, but she could easily block it with a highly concentrated tiny barrier. As long as Nico could keep Yo's focus on her, there was no chance Riko wouldn't be able to block whatever came her way.
She debated on trying to help Maki who she could hear groaning in pain, but it would be impossible to do that while keeping her eyes on the fight. And in that moment, Nico needed her eyes. Nico may be the Prince of Blades, but her lack of actual practice was showing. Even if she claimed that she lost no skill, it was obvious that she hadn't been in a particularly challenging battle in a long time. Her movements weren't quite as sharp as Yo's but she could make up for that in power. And with Riko's eyes, it made it an even match.
Something caught her attention from the corner of her sight. There was a slight movement, but she was too busy focusing her sight on the battle to shift her attention towards it. That was, until she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't turn around… ugh… keep your eyes on the battle."
"D-Devour?" When had Setsuna moved? How had she even moved with her wound? Riko was surprised she hadn't lost consciousness given the amount of blood she must have lost by then.
"Quiet. Don't speak. My blade may hide me, but it can't hide your voice. If you're worried about me, don't be." She said as if reading the redhead's mind. "I have an idea… But I'll need you to stay focused for it to work." Her voice picked up a bit and even though Riko didn't look back to confirm, she felt like there was a genuine smile on Setsuna's face. "Now, don't flinch."
"Eh? What are you going to do?"
"Quiet."
A hand slid over her neck making her shiver, but she kept her eyes focused. Setsuna must have leaned close because she could feel the girl's hot breath on her neck. "I'm going to devour your wounds." Something sharp stuck her in the neck and it took everything Riko had not to scream in surprise and then even more to not scream in pain. It hurt, really bad. It felt like fire was burning through her body and tears started falling from her eyes, but she kept them open, kept them on Nico and Yo. The pain was intense, but it was also brief. The next moment, she felt fine, even better than before. Once again, she didn't check, but she no longer felt pain from her wounds.
"Now…" She heard labored breathing behind her, and it sounded like Setsuna grunted in pain when she moved. "I'm going to save… Moon… And that bastard, Sixth… Just… hang on a bit…"
Maki was only half-conscious in a pool of blood around her. Setsuna had to get to work quick. The redhead only groaned as Devour leaned down to get her teeth on her neck. She covered the girl's mouth and she was glad she did when the redhead's eyes shot open wide and she struggled to scream. The pain was probably nothing like what she had ever felt or would ever feel again. But it was necessary.
After just seconds, Setsuna lifted her hand and turned her head to the side coughing an ugly stain of blood onto the floor.
"Tch."
"Who…?" Maki started to speak but Setsuna quickly covered her mouth again.
"Listen closely, Moon. Move to the partners of Sun's side. Don't speak. Don't do anything unnecessary. Got it?"
Maki nodded and Setsuna removed her hand before trudging off, staggering with every step as she approached the final victim of the fight.
Umi was writhing in pain herself as Sixth tried to use what little power he could to heal her wounds faster. It wasn't doing much. The fact that he was inside of her instead of giving her his blood meant he couldn't exactly give her better regeneration. She practically jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand on her shoulder and almost again when she turned her head and saw no one there.
"W-What…?"
"Quiet. We… don't have time for this. Don't speak. Don't react. Just stay calm." Setsuna wasted no time sinking her teeth into Umi's neck, the bluenette gasping but keeping from screaming. The pain was so intense she thought she might blackout, but it was gone as soon as it started. "Listen, Sixth. Don't speak. My blade only keeps me hidden. Your eyes, do you still have them? Tell your host and let her nod or shake her head."
There was a pause before Umi shook her head.
"Tch. I should have figured…" Setsuna flinched in pain, grateful that the bluenette couldn't see her. "Speak. Where are they?"
"You well know where they are, Devour."
Setsuna wanted so bad to punch him but punching the innocent bluenette didn't sit well with her. Then something hit her. "Ugh. I was hoping I was wrong, but…" She looked Umi in the eyes. "So, you then? Even though you haven't fused with his body, you have his eyes?" Umi half-shrugged. "I guess we just have to activate them now then." A wide smirk spread across her face.
"Impossible. Sonoda Umi does not have demon blood."
"Ha. You should know well that you don't need to receive demon blood that way, Sixth. We have plenty of it right here. But first…"
Setsuna reached forward, her blade faltering and revealing her to the room once again as blood burst from her hand. Umi blinked once and looked towards the girl's bloody hand which now hung limp. And now that she could see her, Setsuna looked far worse than she had when she had been struck before. Wounds covered her body, wounds that weren't there before. Her chest rose and fell rapidly and heavily. Blood leaked from her mouth which she wiped away with her uninjured hand. All eyes fell to the centre of the room where Nico and Yo stood, neither attacking, Yo's eyes staring them down. Riko, and therefore Nico, also looked over to the girl.
"Hmph, I knew something was up when you vanished. I didn't think one of your blades would even be able to hide you from Second's eyes. But in the end, you're going to fail because you wish to protect these girls. I thought the way of the Devouring Sword was to look out for oneself?"
"Heh. I'm not an idiot, Star. Even the Devouring Sword knows what I can and can't do alone. After all, we're merely a tool."
"A tool?"
"A sword is naught but a tool. Our Demonbrand and the Devouring Sword are no exception. They are but tools to be used to kill the Demon Lords. Our sole purpose as demon slayers is to put an end to you."
Yo gave the girl a quizzical look and sighed, bringing her katana up to rest on her shoulder. "You are aware that killing the Demon Lords won't make demons magically disappear, right? We didn't create them. We were simply born to rule over them. Well, more or less rule." Yo coughed and laughed. "Damn, I'm really getting used to being part of Second if I'm referring to myself like that. Geez. I guess it had been a while."
Setsuna raised her hand and examined the bleeding before gently licking at it. "You are nothing more than that, Star. Though I call you so, you have lost the right to call yourself the Master of Stars. That time is far behind you now. You are just a piece of the Second Demon Lord who has lost its right to be considered an individual."
Nico tensed as if Yo would jump at the girl but instead she just laughed again. "I guess you're right in a sense." She shrugged. "Once this is all over, I'll be separated from him anyways. He'll no longer have a use for me, and I won't for him." She covered her mouth. "Ah, maybe I shouldn't have said that. Well, it doesn't much matter now. Let's show a little individuality then. I'll tell you Second's real plan, his goal." Everybody's eyes opened wide at that. "Taking over the overworld? Fusing the Underworld with it? Nonsense. His wish is simple." She pointed above her. "He's going to go beyond this world."
Silence followed and Yo soaked in it as if happy that she was able to shock everybody. But Setsuna burst out laughing. "Ahaha! B-Beyond? Ah, I can't breathe. I never thought Second was that stupid."
"You think it's that stupid, Devour? I assure you it's very possible."
Setsuna shook her head. "I'm not questioning if it's possible or not. I'm telling you that the method is stupid. Fourth really fucked up his plans, didn't he? Hiding the keys within Four Seasons and Koizumi Hanayo. To think he left parts of his grand plan in the hands of someone who would betray him. Sad, really."
Yo could only give her a shrug. "Does it matter? Second is going to kill Four Seasons and the Witness anyways. After that, there will be no chance of stopping us. You can kill me, but it won't really make a difference. It's impossible for Four Seasons to kill him."
"Well, I suppose that's probably true…" Setsuna flinched. The pain was starting to get to her. She wouldn't last too long. Their only choice was to put this to an end as quickly as possible. The smirk came back and she lifted her bloody hand up once again. "Sonoda Umi, I hope you can forgive me for this." Setsuna placed her lips on the wound and sucked blood straight out, filling her mouth. Even Yo visibly cringed at that but she wasn't waiting to find out what was going to happen.
A blade struck a barrier right next to Setsuna's head who didn't even flinch.
"So you still get in my way, partner of Sun."
Nico jumped in front of the redhead and held her sword up. "You'll have to get through me first."
Their eyes all turned back to Setsuna as she gargled a laugh through the blood in her mouth, the red liquid dripping down her chin as she turned to the bluenette.
"W-What are you?" Setsuna got down on one knee and roughly pressed her lips into Umi's, forcing her own blood into the girl's mouth. Umi looked like she was going to be sick and faint at the same time. She tried to push the girl off but Setsuna held her strong and she had no choice but to swallow the blood. It felt like an eternity to Umi before Devour finally pulled away
"Y-You…" Umi's breath came in labored gasps and her stomach churned. But she also felt a burning in her head, a fuzziness that prevented coherent thought.
Setsuna stood and smiled down at her. "Sorry. You wouldn't have swallowed it otherwise, right? Now…" Her fingers gently caressed Umi's chin, tilting her head to look up at her. And Setsuna stared directly into glowing red orbs. "Now it's time for us to go on the offensive."
It hurts. I don't stand a chance, do I? But if I give up now, if I die now… everything will be for naught. I have to fight. No matter how many times she strikes me down, I have to keep getting back up. Honoka's thoughts ran at a million miles a second as she swallowed the umpteenth elixir before picking her sword back up and standing. The wounds from the last hit she took slowly healed but they healed noticeably slower than the last few times she had downed one of the potions.
"Four seasons, winter style, 1st blade." Honoka dashed in, turning around where she thought the sword of her opponent would strike from, but she couldn't have been more wrong. Kanan simply vanished from her sight and a sharp pain erupted in her side as she was sent flying. "Ugh!" She rolled several feet before coming to a stop. A massive gash had opened her side up. She dropped her sword to reach for another elixir and downed it, the gash beginning to close.
Kanan sighed. "Do you intend to simply destroy your body with elixirs? I am more than willing to watch you die a miserable death by overdosing on those, but that would be no fun. Come. Bring Autumn in its fullest force. You became hesitant after I stopped your first blade. Is that all it takes to destroy Kousaka Honoka's confidence? Pitiful. Tell me. Because if you intend to kill yourself, I will end you right now instead."
"I'm not―!" Honoka moved to stand but staggered as a pain went through her stomach. "Guh!" The need to puke her guts out suddenly filled her but when she let it go, only blood came out of her mouth.
"Hmph. You're already overdosing then. Ha… This fight won't last much longer then. What a disappointment."
"No!" Honoka pushed down the urge to vomit, shakily getting to her feet. "I won't… I won't back down! Four seasons, autumn style, 2nd blade, dancing under the red leaves." There was no need to rush in. her body would collapse on her if she kept that up. She could take things lowly while still delivering powerful blows. Her first swing was met with an effortless parry by Kanan who seemed less than entertained.
"Void style, 3rd blade, last words."
"Four seasons, spring style, 5th blade, Spring breeze." Despite the force of the blow, Honoka was still able to lead that blade away even though she had no hope of counterattacking. "Four seasons, summer style, 1st blade, Lammas." Kanan held out her hand, the darkness of the Void coalescing around her and shooting out from behind her in droves, a wave of darkness that threatened to crash over the ginger. Yoshiko had told her not to use it and, if she thought she had a choice, she might agree. But now wasn't the time to be heeding the words of somebody who had betrayed her. She changed her grip on the sword ever so slightly. "Four seasons, autumn style, 5th blade." The darkness washed over her, but it was gone in a flash. "Tsukimi."
However, this time Honoka felt it, felt what Yoshiko and the Void were likely worried about. A shift, just slightly. But she definitely felt it. Everything around them felt like it shifted ever so slightly, like it was moving so slowly that she couldn't see it, but she was still aware of the movement somehow. It felt wrong. She noted Kanan's eyebrows raised at the sight of the blade, but a frown quickly settled on her face.
"Are you an idiot? Did we not already warn you about using that blade?"
"What… was that?" Honoka looked around, still not quite sure what exactly had happened.
"You're splitting the veil between the worlds, you imbecile. Tch. That blade was originally meant to temporarily open a way into the Underworld, but it became something much different. A blade that is capable to cutting through space and time. Of course that would come with repercussions. Perhaps it is safe to use in the overworld, but here… Well, feel free to use it if you don't mind possibly opening a giant gaping hole for demons to flow into your world through."
Honoka remembered the words of her master from long ago. "To cut and sever…" She mumbled slowly, mulling over the words. So the blade had the ability to sever the veil between the worlds? Was that even possible? She had never heard of anything like it before. And Seira had apparently forgotten to tell her that very important detail. Honoka thought she understood Autumn, but far from it. Despite being chosen by the season, there was still so much she didn't know. But there was one thing she knew: this blade could bring her victory. "Heh…" She pointed her sword forward. "Sometimes we have to take risks. If I don't kill you now, everybody will die."
Kanan frowned and shook her head. "Well, it's possible, I won't deny it. But killing humanity is not my intention."
"Huh? Don't give me that bullshit!"
"If my plans were as small as that, I well could have killed every human without even bothering with something this grand. You idiots really are out of your league if you couldn't even figure something like that out. Well, I had long planted false information all around. Ever since Fourth betrayed me, I knew that I would be on my own. It was only a matter of time before First did as well. And now look at where I am. I alone stand at the top. Those fools. In the end, they favoured humanity instead of reaching farther."
Kanan smirked and held up Honoka's severed arm. "In the end, you are nothing but a fool either. Fourth hid it right inside of you and yet you had no idea. Do you even know what lies within this arm? The truth, Four Seasons, the truth lies within this arm. Proof of the Outside."
"The… what?"
"The key to leaving this world. The key to reaching the space beyond this world, the origin of the styles, the origin of the Void itself. This world, both the overworld and the Underworld have grown… tiresome. These worlds are full of nothing but savages and fools. And I was once a fool that was satisfied with that. But the Void showed me more, it showed me possibilities. The Void gave me glimpses of what lies beyond this world, what lies right at our fingertips, but we are too afraid to grasp. No longer, Four Seasons. I will destroy the very wall that keep this world closed and open it to all that may lie beyond."
Honoka wasn't exactly sure what to say. What could she say? Beyond this world? The origin of the styles? What did any of that mean? That there was a world outside of their own? She shook her head. It didn't matter. It never did. All she knew is that if it meant sacrificing this world, she wouldn't let it happen.
"I won't let you sacrifice humanity for something so stupid. I don't care if you want to escape this world, but I love it! I love my family and my friends and everybody else who lives in this world! So I'm not going to let you take it from us!"
"And what will you do to stop me, Kousaka Honoka? Your only weapon capable of scratching me is Autumn and now you realize that even that is useless against me. And look at you. Between the injuries and overdosing on elixirs, you're as good as dead already. Or perhaps…" Kanan chuckled and motioned to her left. "You led me quite far from my heir. Did you not think I would notice that the Witness stayed behind while you fought? You are both fools for saving my heir. And even more so for believing that she might be able to assist you. I am the Void, Honoka. Yoshiko will not injure me."
Kanan audibly cracked her neck and brought her sword to bare once again. "Now then, I've spent enough time talking. I was more just curious if you would collapse before we even got the chance to fight again but it looks like you still have a few hits left in you. Come, Honoka, Four Seasons, Autumn. See if you can cut me."
Honoka tightened her grip on her sword but didn't move. There was no way she could defeat Kanan. She knew that now. Even if she managed to get one hit in, it would be meaningless. Kanan, the Void, Second, they were too powerful. By herself there wasn't much she could do. But…
"We'll see about that. Let's see if your words really hold true! Four seasons, winter style, 1st blade." Honoka dashed in but she could see the disappointed look on Kanan's face.
"So you even don't recognize that Autumn is your only choice now. Die then, Daughter of Autumn. Void style, 2nd blade."
"Void style, 1st blade." A strong wind, something that shouldn't exist in the Underworld, blew past them, tossing Kanan's hair out as her eyes drifted to the side. For just a brief second, she saw the smirk of Yoshiko's face before her blade was countered perfectly. "Null."
The girl was gone in an instant, replaced by Honoka whose blade easily penetrated Kanan's stomach. "Whiteout." She knew better than to push her luck and quickly pulled it out, jumping back before Kanan could strike her, but the dark-haired girl hadn't even attempted to. She merely looked down at the wound in her stomach, leaking darkness instead of blood, a dark fog that pooled onto the ground before simply vanishing. The wound sealed up quickly with no problem and Kanan's eyes slowly moved up to stare at the two girls who now stood side by side.
"Is Hanayo-chan fine?"
"Your partner is safe. She is just too slow for me to take care of while attacking."
"That's fine then."
"… Why did you save me, Four Seasons?"
Honoka felt a smile spreading on her face and sighed. "I don't think you're a bad person, Yoshiko-chan. I don't think you attacked me because you hate me. You were just following the Void's orders, right? Besides… you attacked her to save me just now, right?"
"Ha. Don't get me wrong, Four Seasons. I did not attack her to save you. I'm merely pissed off with her walking around like she owns the place." Yoshiko raised her voice while pointing her sword forward. "Sorry to break it to you, Second. But I am the heir to Void. I inherit the Void. I am not its servant, nor will I bend to it any longer. If I did, I would no longer be worthy of this title. So, come, Void, Second, Matsuura Kanan. I will show you why you are and will remain the past."
Kanan glanced between the two before sighing. "I suppose I can't be afforded time to have fun then, can I? Well, no matter. I suppose I'll just start now then."
"Honoka-chan!" Before either had time to decipher what that meant, they saw Hanayo running to them from the direction Yoshiko had come from. The brunette smiled when she saw both of them were fine but quickly stopped in her tracks as if she hit a brick wall.
"Admittedly, destroying the seal on your arm while fighting was quite annoying." Their eyes drifted back to Kanan who ran a finger over the black appendage which started to ooze that same darkness that they had come to know as the Void.
"That's…" Yoshiko's eyes widened. "The key was…"
"Haha, that's right."
"AHHH!" Hanayo screamed and dropped to her knees, her eyes glowing brightly, the light seeming to shine in a pillar above her. It twisted and turned as if it was a living creature, the light bending until it touched arm.
Kanan nodded and reached into the arm, her fingers moving through it as if it was a liquid. She rummaged around for a second before drawing her hand out, a small black orb between two fingers. "Ah, it's so good to hold it once again."
"What do you think you're doing to Hanayo-chan!?" Honoka tried to rush forward, but Yoshiko's hand on her shoulder stopped her.
"If you run in recklessly, you'll die."
"But…!"
"Like I said, you still prove yourselves to be nothing but fools. Coming to the Underworld… haha. Coming to my territory was your mistake. I needed Fourth's eyes, but I do not need to hold them myself. I simply needed them to be in the Underworld once again. Do you not remember your time in the Void? Activating Fourth's eyes… to think that the Yazawa thought she was helping the girl! It's laughable, isn't it?" Kanan shook her head. "Well, let us begin, our journey beyond this world."
Strands of the red light took hold of the black orb and lifted it high into the sky, right above Hanayo, a bright light flashing as a bright beacon for all in the Underworld to see.
Honoka turned to the girl next to her. "What is that, Yoshiko-chan? You know, right? How do we stop it?"
Yoshiko flinched. "Yes… I do know what it is… there's no way that my position would allow me the ignorance of that object."
"And!?"
"The Heart of the Void, the very essence of the Void itself manifested as a physical object. I had no idea that's what was stored in your arm…"
Honoka shook her to snap her out of the far off look she had. "Now's not the time! It doesn't matter if that thing is the Heart of the Void or whatever! We just need to stop it!"
"Stop it… Well, there may be one way, but you will never agree to it."
"Just tell me! We don't have a choice."
Yoshiko sighed before looking her in the eyes, a sympathetic, almost apologetic look in her own eyes. She looked back over to the girl whose eyes shined a bright red and spoke in as level and monotone a voice as she could manage.
"Kill Koizumi Hanayo with your own hands."
Yeah, like I said, a lot of stuff.
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed.
Till next time. Be seeing you.
