Fate/Kyon's Order: Alter Egos in Chaldea
A Haruhi Suzumiya & Fate/Grand Order Crossover
by Derald Snyder
Part 12: Okita Alter (Part 2)
"Wait, so you're our Nobu, but in your brother's body?" Haruhi reiterated, trying to make sense of things. "How did that happen?"
"Because that damn Caster tried to brainwash me into his loyal servant!" Nobunaga/katsu replied. "I barely managed to split off part of my Spirit Origin and merge it with Nobukatsu! I was planning to lay low until you showed up, Master..."
"I'll admit it's kinda weird," Nobukatsu took back control, "but if it allows me to be useful to Sister for once..."
"Wait a sec, I don't understand," Haruhi cut him off. "Didn't you rebel against your sister in life? Why would you be so loyal to her now?"
"You misunderstand, ma'am," the servant shook his head. "I knew that I was holding Nobunaga back due to my incompetence. For her to truly become the conquerer that could reform Japan, she had to shed all familial ties. That's why I forced her hand!"
"That doesn't mean I liked executing him, mind you!" Nobunaga came forth again.
"So do you have any idea who Caster is?" Ryouma pressed.
"I know exactly who he is!" Nobu asserted. "None other than that backstabbing bastard who ended my conquest just when I was about to unite all Japan under my rule!"
"Akechi Mitsuhide?!" Haruhi, Ritsuka and Ryouma gasped at once.
"That's the one," Nobukatsu retook control. "Admittedly, Sister didn't recognize him at first, until that Kazura-whatever's partner called him by name..."
"Kazuradrop has a partner?" Ritsuka inquired, nonplussed.
"So she WAS manipulating us," Haruhi growled. "Do you know who this partner is?"
"Sorry, she stayed in the shadows all the time," Nobukatsu shrugged. "All I could tell was that she's young and has long hair, and wore a short skirt. That's it."
"Hmmm..." Haruhi put a hand to her chin, staring downward, deep in thought.
"You think that Kazuradrop and this mysterious young girl is manipulating Mitsuhide for their own purposes?" Sakamoto pondered.
"That wouldn't surprise me one bit," Haruhi asserted. "The question is, for what purpose?"
"Does it have something to do with me...?" Okita Alter spoke up. "That Kazuradrop seemed pretty interested in my ascension after I defeated my counterpart..."
"Can Oryou just eat this Kazuradrop?" Oryou suggested.
"NO, we're not doing that," Ritsuka shook his head. "It should be up to BB to handle her punishment..."
"Well, first," Nobunaga took control of her brother's body, "we gotta deal with that fake me Mitsuhide created! Preferably in a way that allows me to regain my body!"
"Right," Ryouma nodded. "Thing is, with Nobunaga's Three Thousand Worlds, it's going to be tough to even get close..."
"But wait, isn't Oryou immune to gunfire?" Haruhi snapped her fingers. "Maybe she could try and serve as a distraction..."
"Oryou isn't sure about this idea..." the orochi spirit frowned.
"Normal gunfire doesn't work on Oryou, but Nobunaga has the innate advantage over anything with mystery, or the supernatural," Ryouma countered.
"But Nobu wouldn't know that right away," Haruhi pointed out. "We'd only need a few seconds for Okita to close the distance and cut her down."
"...Oryou wants jumbo-sized frogs for doing this," Oryou sighed in resignation.
"But how would we get Nobunaga to focus her attention on Oryou?" Ritsuka pondered.
"Oh, I think I know how," Haruhi looked over at Nobukatsu with a knowing smile...
*That night...*
"I'm sorry, General!" the soldier lamented as he kneeled before Nobunaga. "We've looked all over, and no sign of Nobukatsu-" A gunshot rang out, the soldier promptly slumping over dead.
"You seriously came back just to tell me you couldn't find him?!" Nobu raged. "Unacceptable! Did any of you think to check the other territories?!"
"We looked in the Saber and Lancer's territories, and nothing!" Another soldier spoke up. "And no one here wants to risk entering Berserker's territory-" another gunshot, another corpse falling to the ground.
"Idiots! I have no tolerance for cowards in my army!" Nobu yelled. "Now get back out there and find him!"
"General Nobunaga!" another soldier ran up. "Our scouts have reported seeing Nobukatsu being chased by some sort of dragon!"
"A dragon? No match for me, the Demon King of Sixth Heaven! I'll deal with this myself, and show you cowards how it's done!" Nobu declared. "Let's move out!"
"Yessir!" the soldiers stood at attention.
*Several blocks away...*
"Help! Help me!" Nobukatsu wailed as he fled from what appeared to be a black-scaled eastern dragon. Although, a closer look showed that said dragon didn't seem to be serious about pursuing its prey, only occasionally nipping at Nobukatsu's heels. Several human soldiers opened fire on the dragon, only for their shots to bounce off with no effect!
"Alright, step aside, soldiers!" Nobunaga ordered, the men swiftly falling back behind her. "Let's see how you like THIS!" Several muskets materialized around the archer, all firing at once... only for the dragon to suddenly revert to Oryou's human form, who flew upwards, the brunt of the barrage missing her! "What?! A girl? It must be a servant!" She quickly adjusted her muskets' aim...
"NOW!" came Sakamoto's voice. In a flash, Okita Alter was standing before Nobunaga, the latter suddenly coughing up blood as the swordswoman's nodachi pierced through her torso!
"General!" the soldiers cried in shock and dismay, several moving to open fire... only for the ones closest to the two to get shot down courtesy of Ryouma's revolver! Oryou then flew in and bodily knocked down a few more, their bullets having no effect on her.
"Damn you...!" Nobu drew her own sword, only for Okita to withdraw her blade and flash-step away before she could retaliate. Oryou then flew in and knocked the archer flat with a brutal right hook! Nobu managed to summon a few muskets to fire on the orochi, Oryou quickly retreating as Ryouma, Izo and Haruhi rushed in, cutting down more soldiers!
"General! We have to retreat!" a soldier said, helping the wounded Nobu up.
"But Nobukatsu...!"
"We already have him! We need to go!" another soldier yelled, laying down covering fire.
"Ugh... fall back! Fall back!" Nobunaga shouted, materializing a few guns to cover her escape. The soldiers obeyed, a few more laying down covering fire to try and hold back Haruhi and the servants.
"Good thing none of them had automatic rifles," Haruhi noted as she and the others watched the army's retreat. "Let's just hope Nobukatsu and you-know-who know what they're doing..."
"See if you and Ritsuka can't follow them discreetly," Ryouma advised. "We'll follow after you in spirit form..."
"Bah! I'll just use my Presence Concealment!" Izo muttered.
"In that case, you can go ahead and scout out any potential ambushes," Ritsuka suggested.
"Fine by me! My sword still cries for blood!"
*Archer's Redline*
"Sister, are you all right?" Nobukatsu inquired worryingly as he approached his wounded sibling, currently sitting on the ground.
"Please. It takes more than a cheap sneak attack to fell the Demon King of Sixth Heaven," Nobu grumbled. "The redline should heal me in short order..."
"Well... do you mind if I make a request?" Nobukatsu asked as he kneeled beside his sister.
"What request would that be?"
"Give me back what's mine, you pawn of Mitsuhide!" Nobukatsu's voice changed, before suddenly shoving his hand into the archer's stab wound! Nobu cried in agony, as the duo were engulfed in light...
"General?!" a soldier gasped.
"Oh no! Nobukatsu betrayed us!" another one realized. There was a bright flash, and when it faded, Nobunaga was standing with her brother... but her uniform had changed slightly, losing an inch or two in height, her dark eyes now a dull red color.
"...Heh. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAhaaaaa! At last, the TRUE Demon King of Sixth Heaven has returned!" Chaldea's Nobunaga crowed in triumph. "And as for you pawns of Mitsuhide...!" Several muskets materialized, shooting down several of the men in short order! Nobukatsu then drew his blade and charged, cutting down a few more!
*Mitsuhide's Headqaurters*
"...Well, I didn't see that coming," Kazuradrop lamented as she watched the scene via holo-screen. "How are we going to explain this to Akechi-san?"
"It's fine, we can still make the plan work," Drop's partner assured her. "We'll just have to make a few adjustments. In the meantime, let's see how they deal with these..." She waved her hand over the screen, muttering something unintelligible...
*Back with Nobunaga and Nobukatsu...*
Most of the human soldiers had been felled, only a few managing to escape, but before the Oda siblings could relax, several armored humanoids materialized around them! "W-what the heck are these?!" Nobukatsu cried in fear.
"Not human, that much is for sure!" Nobunaga said grimly. "Not on the level of a servant, but with this many..."
"Is this how you felt at Honnoji?" Nobukatsu asked.
"Were I still a mere human, maybe!" Nobu exclaimed, materializing several muskets pointed in all directions except toward her brother, all firing upon the strange humanoids! They staggered from the assault, but kept closing in... but then Oryou flew in from above, punching one in the head hard enough to crush it, the enemy crumpling to the ground! Another one was felled by gunfire from Sakamoto, Izo and Okita Alter rushing in and cutting down a few more! "Ha! You see? Unlike Honnoji, we have a backup unit to flank the enemy!"
"Glad they showed up when they did!" Nobukatsu grunted as he parried an attack, only for Haruhi to stab it from behind!
"Glad to see you back, Nobu!" Haruhi nodded with a smile, before returning her attention to the armored soldier, stabbing it a few more times with her black keys, until it finally slumped over, unmoving. "What the heck are these things, anyway?"
"Heroic Spirit Soldiers!" Ryouma replied. "They must have been created from the prana of the servants who died in the battle royale to become one of the seven!" An HSS shot its rifle at him, only for Oryou to fly in front and deflect the shots.
"I failed to protect Ryouma once," Oryou stated. "Never again." She then punched the HSS in the head, crumpling its helmet and killing it!
"Hah! These jerks are no match for me!" Izo laughed as he chopped down an HSS with ease! However, he was grazed by shots from another one... "Hey, that hurt, dammit!" The assassin promptly charged in and cut the offender to pieces.
"Don't get cocky, Izo!" Haruhi cautioned, staying on the move to keep the Heroic Spirit Soldiers from getting a bead on her with their rifles. She managed to get behind one and stab it through the back of its head with her black keys, while Okita Alter cut down another one before it could fire on the Master.
"...It appears that's all of them," Okita observed, sheathing her nodachi. "Master, you can come out now, it's safe."
"Right," Ritsuka said as he emerged from behind some crates. "Well, good work, everybody. And welcome back, Nobunaga."
"Heh, as if the Demon King of Sixth Heaven could be so easily controlled!" Nobu smirked. "Well, if everyone's still in good health, we should press our advantage and strike at Mitsuhide before he can regroup!"
"I agree with Nobunaga," Okita Alter nodded. "The sooner we end this, the better..."
"But we might run into problems with those Heroic Spirit Soldiers," Ryouma cautioned. "That group we just fought was likely only the vanguard..."
"Yeah, and how did they just appear like that?!" Nobukatsu pointed out. "Did Mitsuhide teleport them in, or something?"
"If he did, then he knows we're coming," Haruhi noted grimly.
"Well, we might as well just hit him head-on, then!" Izo exclaimed.
"Um, we probably shouldn't be hasty, Izo..." Ritsuka spoke up.
"Right, let's not run in like chickens with our heads cut off," Ryouma concurred. "That being said, I do have a plan... but first, let's head for the Caster's redline and see what we're up against."
"All right, you lead the way, Sakamoto-san," Haruhi agreed with a nod.
"Why does he get to take the lead?!" Izo protested.
"Because you're obviously too hot-headed, that's why!" Nobu (figuratively) shot him down. "A good soldier always keeps a cool head on the battlefield! Okita here knows that better than anyone, Alter or not!"
"...Thank you?" Okita Alter said hesitantly.
"...Huh, the original Okita would be reduced to a stammering mess when I gave her a compliment," Nobu observed. "Oh well, it can't be helped."
"If Kyon were here, he'd be snarking the hell out of you two right now," Haruhi sighed. "Aaaaaanyway, let's get moving!"
*Outside Mitsuhide's Headquarters*
"I don't see any guards around," Haruhi observed. "Do you sense anything, Sakamoto-san?"
"Not at the moment..." Ryouma said grimly. "Doesn't mean there isn't an ambush waiting for us..."
"Well, no point in lollygagging," Nobunaga said, before shouting, "MITSUHIDEEEE! Come on out and face us, you backstabbing coward!"
"Geez, no need to shout," a familiar voice was heard, Kazuradrop suddenly appearing before the group. "I can't believe you managed to merge your Spirit Origin with Nobukatsu... very clever, considering he's the lynchpin of our entire plan..."
"Huh? Me?!" Nobukatsu said in disbelief.
"I knew you were up to no good!" Haruhi growled. "BB's gonna hear about this, Drop!"
"Oh no, I'm so scared," Drop's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Lemme guess, next you're gonna demand to know what my endgame is. Well, you'll find out soon enough, but my partner and I need a few minutes to get everything ready. So, in the meantime, you can play with these guys!" At that, several rows of Heroic Spirit Soldiers suddenly materialized! "Have fun!" she taunted, before running inside the building.
"Oh crap... this is way more than the last group!" Nobukatsu whimpered, starting to sweat a bit.
"Okay, this might be a bit much even for me," Izo admitted.
"It can't be helped!" Nobunaga said as she materialized several muskets. "Might be time for that plan of yours, Sakamoto!"
"Go ahead and soften them up first," Ryouma deferred. "After that, Okita can follow up."
"I will do my best," Okita Alter took her stance, one hand on her sword's hilt.
"All right! Three Line Formation: Three Thousand Worlds!" Nobu declared, her muskets all firing on the enemy army at once! A few Heroic Spirit Soldiers at the front of the formation were defeated outright, the rest staggering from the concentrated fire! Okita Alter then flash-stepped forward, cutting down a few more!
"There's still way too many!" Ritsuka pointed out.
"Time for phase two of my plan, then," Ryouma nodded to himself. "Toshizou! Your comrade Okita needs your assistance!"
"And I shall gladly give it!" A tall Japanese man with messy black hair dressed in Western-style clothing suddenly appeared from nowhere! "Prepare to face the wrath of the SHIN! SEN! GUMI!" Drawing his katana, he tore into the Heroic Spirit Soldiers without mercy, also taking a rifle and shooting them point-blank!
"Hijikata Toshizou! Vice-Captain of the Shinsengumi!" Ritsuka gasped in recognition. "He must have been the Berserker!"
"Wait, I thought you said you fought Berserker to a draw!" Haruhi said in mild confusion.
"Well, the moment I mentioned Okita, he stopped attacking and asked if we were her allies," Ryouma admitted. "I went along with it, and asked him to lay low until we needed him."
"Holy shit, look at him go!" Izo gasped. "Hey, save some for me!" He swiftly drew his own sword and leapt into the fray.
"Now's our chance, troops!" Nobu exclaimed. "Let's break through and go confront that Mitsuhide!"
"I go where you go, Sister!" Nobukatsu nodded, the duo promptly charging the enemy.
"Master Ritsuka, stay close to me and Oryou, we'll protect you from any stray shots," Ryouma advised.
"Okay, let's go!" Ritsuka nodded, he and Ryouma following the Oda siblings, Oryou protecting their front while Haruhi watched their backs...
*Inside...*
The double doors were kicked down by Nobunaga, she, Nobukatsu, Haruhi, Ritsuka, Ryouma and Oryou rushing into the large room together. At the other end was some sort of ominous black machine, with Kazuradrop and Mitsuhide standing nearby. "Here I am, Mitsuhide! It's time for you to pay for your betrayal, both in the past and now!"
"Wait, you're back to normal?!" Mitsuhide gasped. "Dammit! How did you...?!"
"You can thank me for that!" Nobukatsu declared. "Like I would allow you to twist my sister into your obedient slave!"
"Did you really think he'd ally with you just because you both rebelled against me, you stupid kumquat-head?!" Nobu taunted. "Clearly, you forgot the old saying, blood runs thicker than water! Hahahahahaha!"
"Wow, no wonder you only lasted 13 days after betraying Nobunaga in life," Kazuradrop deadpanned, "trying to get Nobu's brother as your ally and all..."
"Shut up!" Mitsuhide screeched in anger! "You could never understand, little girl! Nobunaga always preferred Hideyoshi over me! You never even gave me a smile! That was all I ever wanted, was for you to acknowledge me! That's why I betrayed you at Honnoji!"
"...Sounds like his loyalty to you was more than just soldier and commander, at least from his point of view," Haruhi mused.
"Hmph. It's his own fault, for never being able to follow through, whether it was on the battlefield or personally!" Nobunaga asserted. "You didn't lose to Hideyoshi, Mitsuhide! You lost to your own fears."
"So what? You wanted to create a version of Sister that loved you over anyone else?!" Nobukatsu spoke up, a mild expression of disgust on his face. "That's... disturbing, to say the least."
"Pot calling the kettle black!" Mitsuhide shot back. "Argh, how are we supposed to proceed with the plan now?! I suppose you didn't happen to have contingencies, girl?!"
"It's Kazuradrop. And while I don't have a backup plan, my partner does. She says all we need is an equivalent exchange..."
"Equivalent exchange...?" Mitsuhide repeated curiously, only to cry out in pain as a metal spear pierced through his chest from behind!
"It's simple, really," a female voice spoke from behind the caster. "In order to create a new Heroic Spirit, we need a servant's worth of prana. It's basic mathematics."
"You..." Haruhi's eyes went wide in shock- she knew that voice! "Inchyo... Ryoko Asakura?!"
"Asakura?!" Ritsuka cried, taking a step back in fear. Sure enough, as the shadowy figure emerged into the light, her blue hair and eyes with thick brows were unmistakable.
"Hello, Suzumiya-san, Ritsuka-kun. It's so nice to see you again," Ryoko greeted with a smile as she extracted the spear, Mitsuhide sliding to the floor with blood leaking from his mouth. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Suzumiya-san?"
"YOU partnered with Kazuradrop?!" Haruhi said in disbelief. "But why? Why would you do that?"
"Simple, our goals happened to overlap a bit," Ryoko shrugged nonchalantly, watching as Mitsuhide collapsed into golden dust, however, said golden prana suddenly rose up and formed into a rough sphere.
"As if I would pass up an opportunity like this," Drop taunted. "Being an IDSE interface means that I don't have to worry about Mother dearest jumping in and ruining everything at the last second, like she did with Kiara's plan! Because Asakura here can easily shut down anything she tries!"
"Indeed," Ryoko smiled. "Like trying to disguise yourself as a Heroic Spirit Soldier and sneak in while we're chatting."
"WHAT?!" a familiar voice spoke up, the party turning to see a purple-colored HSS standing just past the door. "How did you-?! I thought my disguise was perfect!"
"Not with that color scheme," Ryouma sighed. "All the others are brownish-tan in color..."
"Anyway, we can't have you interfering, so..." Several metal spears materialized around Asakura, shooting at the HSS, impaling it onto the wall behind! "Now then, let's begin the experiment..." the golden prana in her hand flowed into the black machine, which began to glow, shooting out steam, the party taking a defensive stance as some sort of black mud poured out of a hole on the front, which soon formed into a sort of blob monster with a single red eye.
"Is this supposed to be me? Surely you jest!" Nobunaga mocked.
"Don't be so impatient," Asakura gently chastised her. "Kazuradrop-san, your turn."
"Okay then!" Drop nodded. "Bug Space."
"Huh?!" Nobukatsu looked around as he suddenly found himself in a black void. "Sister? Where is everyone?!"
"Sorry, but we need your essence for this, so..." Nobukatsu looked to see a giant Kazuradrop, screaming in horror as her fist came down... The darkness then faded, revealing Drop holding Nobukatsu's hat!
"NOBUKATSUUUU!" Nobunaga cried upon realization of what had occurred. "You little bitch! I thought we were friends!" Several muskets appeared, Drop ably twirling and flipping to dodge the shots.
"We might have been, if you weren't so pathetic," Drop taunted as she retreated to Ryoko's side. "But Nobukatsu's death was the catalyst for your ascension as head of the Oda clan, and thus as the conquerer you would eventually become. And thanks to the data I gathered from Okita Alter's ascension, we can accomplish something similar with this Nobu!"
"So that's why you helped us..." Ritsuka realized.
"So your plan is to create a superior Nobunaga?!" Ryouma cried.
"Exactly! Now let's see what happens, shall we? Awaken, Shin-Dairokuten-Maou!" Drop tossed Nobukatsu's cap at the blob, which was absorbed into it's mass, the blob roaring as it glowed with power, flames erupting around its form...
"Oh, shit!" Haruhi grunted as she felt the heat increasing dramatically, closing her eyes and putting out her hands, protecting the party with a force-field as an intense pillar of flames shot upward, piercing through the ceiling!
*Back outside...*
The flame pillar erupted through the ceiling of Mitsuhide's headquarters, a shockwave shattering the building into rubble! "What the hell?!" Hijikata grunted as several slabs of stone fell, crushing most of the remaining Heroic Spirit Soldiers, using his musket to blast apart said rubble before it crushed him as well!
"This is...!" Okita Alter's eyes went wide, even as she slashed apart some remnants of the building before they could crush her. "This malevolent energy...! This is what I was summoned to this singularity for! We have to go help Master and the others!"
"I go where you go, Captain Okita!" Hijikata agreed, the duo starting to make their way through the fallen rubble, ignoring a pile of stone with Izo's arm sticking out...
*Back with Haruhi and the others...*
"Is everyone okay?!" Haruhi shouted to the others, her eyes still shut from the intensity of the flames before her.
"I can't see anything, but I'm fine!" Ritsuka called back.
"Oryou is okay." "I'm good too!" Oryou and Ryouma concurred.
"As if the Demon King of Sixth Heaven would be felled by a fancy flame show!" Nobunaga said defiantly.
(Music- 'Tenma/Heavenly Demon', Fate/Grand Order)
"Oh, good, you're all still alive," came Ryoko's nonchalant voice. "Well, it seems our experiment was successful. See for yourself..." At this, the flames finally died down, a tall female figure obscured by the lingering smoke... but then a sudden breeze blew the smoke away, the party gasping at what was revealed...
She had flame-red hair, long as she was tall, some hair falling over her left eye... her uncovered eye showing an orange-colored iris surrounding a black pupil, her skin smooth and pale. She wore a blood-red cape over a form-fitting dark brown bodysuit, that left very little to the imagination, several small thin rods jutting out from under one shoulder pauldron, arranged like the rays of the sun peeking through the clouds...
"I am... Avenger-class... the Demon King of Sixth Heaven... Oda Nobunaga." The newly-born Nobunaga focused her gaze on the party before her. "Do you stand in opposition to me? All who raise their weapons against me, be they human, gods or Buddhas, will be purged by my hell fire."
"Uh..." the other Nobu's eyes were wide open as she beheld her other self. "Whoa... this new me is hot! And not just temperature-wise, either!"
"Oh...? Does myself stand against me?" the red-haired Nobu grinned like a hungry animal. "How intriguing... perhaps I will spare you and you alone, if you prove yourself worthy of being my servant."
"YOUR servant?! Watch your tongue, you knock-off!" Archer Nobu growled, summoning two muskets in her hands.
"Exactly what I would expect to hear from myself," Demon Nobunaga retorted, summoning what appeared to an archaic gatling gun, pointing it at her other self. "But as you shall soon see, I am your superior in every way..."
"Yeah, THIS is an Oda Nobunaga worthy of her legend, don't you think?" Kazuradrop said smugly. "Unlike the prankster here!"
"But... why would you help Kazuradrop with this?" Ritsuka asked Ryoko, trying not to let his nerves show.
"Yeah, I thought your bosses kept you on a tight leash!" Haruhi pointed out.
"Oh, I'm under restrictions, to be clear," Asakura nodded. "But haven't you figured it out by now, Suzumiya-san? ...Then again, I suppose I can elaborate for Ritsuka-kun's sake. To keep it short, the ISDE has been unable to collect any significant data from Suzumiya-san since the Seraphix singularity was resolved. You've become too static, playing by the rules, so to speak... so I was granted permission to ally with Kazuradrop-san to create a circumstance where you would have no choice but to use your power to resolve the situation."
"So that's why most of our servants didn't make it here!" Haruhi growled. "YOU denied them access!"
"Precisely. Now then, how shall you deal with this, Suzumiya-san?" Ryoko smiled serenely. "I look forward to collecting the data."
"I see... a Foreigner," Ryouma nodded grimly. "That must be the reason I was summoned to this singularity by the Counter Force..."
"The Counter Force?!" Ritsuka gasped. "So, you're like Emiya-san?!"
"Oh, did our scheming get the Counter Force's attention?" Asakura queried. "Should I feel flattered? Or perhaps insulted? A mere Rider-class servant like you can't hope to change my calculations."
"That remains to be seen!" Ryouma shot back, readying his katana. "Oryou, you ready?"
"Oryou will always be at your side," Oryou nodded, tensing up slightly.
"Hmph, I admire your resolve, as foolish as it is," the avenger Nobu taunted, before suddenly opening fire! Oryou managed to deflect the gunfire with her body, albeit grimacing in pain slightly. Archer Nobu then fired her muskets, only for her other self to deflect them with her sword, Demon Nobu then easily parrying Ryouma's follow-up attack! "Pathetic. Is this really your best?" Before she could retaliate, however, Oryou flew in and body-checked the avenger, knocking her on her rear end! "Damn orochi! Don't get cocky because you knocked me off my feet!" She opened fire with her gun again, Oryou weaving to dodge most of the shots! Avenger Nobu then blocked a sword strike from her other self, then sent her flying with a simple shove!
"Oryou, we'll have to attack at full power to have any hope of victory!" Ryouma cried.
"Understood," Oryou nodded, her form turning fully black before collapsing into a puddle of darkness...
"Orochi of the earth, sealed by Amasakahoko," Ryouma intoned, "I alone know the truth of my deeds..." He leapt into the air, a large creature erupting from the inky blackness, the rider landing on its head... the creature, or rather, Oryou, then revealed her true from- a black-scaled eastern dragon with several strands of hair streaming wildly from her head and neck! "Amakakeru Ryu ga Gotoku!"
"Oooooooohhhh!" Oryou roared as she charged at Demon Nobunaga, nailing her dead-on with a headbutt, before opening her massive jaws, and chomping down the avenger in one bite!
"Whoa!" Ritsuka gasped in awe.
"..Interesting," Ryoko observed, not looking concerned in the slightest. "Your power does seem to slightly surpass my calculations... a fatal blow against a lesser opponent for sure."
"But not against this Nobunaga!" Drop finished for her. Sure enough, Oryou suddenly looked discomforted, before abruptly belching out what appeared to be a fireball, which resolved back into Nobunaga's form!
"I'm sorry, was I a bit too hot for your gullet?" the avenger taunted. "Now then, I believe it's my turn..." She rose into the air, a large skeleton and gigantic sun emblem suddenly rising from behind her... "Papiyas Reborn- Demon King of the Myriad Heavens!" the skeleton roared as the sun emblem suddenly fired several beams that rained down on Ryouma and Oryou like hellfire, the duo screaming in agony as they were engulfed in a pillar of flames!
"Sakamoto! Oryou!" Ritsuka cried out... but when the flames dissipated, there was no trace of the duo remaining!
"Hmph, so much for the Counter Force's lackey," Drop smirked in triumph.
"Argh! No fair!" Archer Nobu grunted as she pulled herself to her feet, having managed to avoid the brunt of the attack. "Why does your Noble Phantasm have to be so much cooler than mine?!"
"That's not what you should be worried about!" Haruhi chastised.
"Oh dear, your situation is quite dire now, isn't it Suzumiya-san?" Ryoko Asakura stated with unnerving serenity. "What will you do now?"
"Not what you want," Haruhi shot back defiantly.
Ryoko's smile was unwavering. "Is that so? Then perhaps this will force your hand... kill Ritsuka Fujimaru."
"As you wish, Master," Demon Nobu obeyed, dashing at the young Master with her sword out, Ritsuka stumbling back in terror-
(-clang!) But in a flash, another sword, much longer than the avenger's, parried the fatal strike! "You will not harm my Master!" vowed said sword's wielder.
"Okita!" Ritsuka gasped in relief.
*To be concluded...*
A/N: I wasn't originally planning to cut it off here, but this was taking a bit long, and I still don't have the final fight completely nailed down yet. Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion!