"Lines up with data Dr Makaria's analysis of Eva. Organ damage, muscular wasting, cellular damage that would mirror exposure to high levels of radiation. Their bodies, though highly adaptive, cannot safely handle this volume of Herrscher energy. I'm going to discontinue further field trials."
The hologram of Amarant nodded in agreement
"What's your return ETA?" Mei asked
"While I'm in the city I want to do my own reconnaissance and information gathering. There's something else going on and I can't quite put my finger on it. The last time I ignored that feeling people started dying gruesomely."
"Keep the two Kijo squads and the Raitaro with you. I don't need my number one employee being injured."
Amarant made a face at Mei's smug expression.
"Feel free to enjoy having your wings clipped, dear Customer. I look forward to hearing all about those business reports Hanakawa piles up on your desk."
Mei sniffed. By now the two knew each other well. Nothing need be said. The teasing looks in their eyes was enough. The holographic communication ended. Hanakawa finished her minutes of the meeting. Mei sighed and paced about her office.
'If it is the Herrscher of Legion why have none of the observed pseudo-Herrscher's manifested any elemental abilities? There is a variable that we are all overlooking.'
"May I offer a suggestion, Raiden-sama?" Hanakawa interrupted.
The pensive woman stopped her pacing and looked up.
"I would always heed your council."
"Our issue is a large enough volume of field data. With a single Herrscher we were quickly able to determine its domain of influence and from there extrapolate likely capabilities. They lack subtlety. According to historical records the Herrscher of Legion was a danger due to it being able to possess seemingly anybody and wield an unknown suit of abilities. Each was unique to in its singular ability and therefore uniquely unpredictable.
Hanakawa taped several commands into her tablet. The lights dimmed, a hologram of the planet filling the centre of the room. Numerous indicators flickered into being. Markers of where Yurei had located and captured pseudo-Herrscher were marked in purple. Blue markers, for AE, were confirmed contact sites, yellow the same for Schicksal. Everyone knew World Serpent were hunting the Herrscher in secret. A single red marker, courtesy of Amarant's contact, appeared in Iran.
'All across the globe they are stirring up trouble. Truly our foe is Legion. Nothing flashy. No great plan. No impossible or improbable force that puts our backs against the wall. In many ways an overwhelming foe is easier to defeat. They are predictable. Our new foe is cunning, intelligent and resourceful. The planet is bleeding from a thousand cuts. Domestic flare ups. Organisation, businesses, religions, governments turned against themselves or one another. It's anarchy on a coordinate scale that cannot be infiltrated.'
"We face the same issue as the Previous Era," Hanakawa observed. "This new Herrscher takes control of select individuals and uses them to conduct all manner of sabotage and disruption. That it does not demonstrate any manifest Herrscher ability is immaterial, Raiden-sama. It is the psychology of our enemy that matters.
If I determine the enemy's disposition of forces while I have no perceptible form, I can concentre my forces while the enemy is fragmented. The pinnacle of military deployment approaches the formless: if it is formless, then even the deepest spy cannot discern nor the wise make plans against it. Sun Tzu"
Mei considered Hanakawa's words. There was truth and insight contained within them. She could feel the edges of a plan. A way forward that would give Yurei an edge. What was needed was time and patience.
"We have at least confirmed that the Raitaro can partially seal cores if necessary. They require a Raikiri katana to augment their Herrscher energy control."
"The Raitaro sealing research is being shelved. Redirect all resources towards Selene. We are falling behind. Yurei needs more data on the Selene's model mechanics and novel energy conversion processes."
'Our ambiguous ace in the deck. Amano-Iwato Lab needs more data. Though I am loath to rely on the past, this is a knowledge gap that needs to be filled. Oto-sama's drive to purge any and all information on the Previous Era has proven to be frustrating.'
A curious thought bubbled to the surface.
"Hanakawa, did you ever know Oto-sama to commit to anything without good cause?"
"Raiden Ryoma-sama was a man who thought and saw into the future his goals. He always remained a man fixed in logic and rationality." Hanakawa's eyes went distant. "Only once did I not agree with his logic and only once did I ever speak up."
'So why would Oto-sama destroy valuable data? Especially when he left me a trove of knowledge in the Project-MEI labs?'
Nervous energy tickled through impatient limbs.
"Come, Hanakawa. We are due in Sheol."
The electronic security measures within the office switched to passive mode. Mei strode out and made for the elevator. Her secretary was as always, her shadow. The elevator doors opened, revealing Kurikawa. The pseudo-Herrsccher had been unconsciously summoned to her liege. Mei and Hanakawa stepped in, Kurikawa pressing the floor button without being asked. As the elevator descended the smell of ozone filled the enclosed space. A crackle of lightning washed over Mei, business attire replaced with the Orochi Cuirass battlesuit.
"What are we to do with five Herrscher of Legion we have located thus far?" Hanakawa asked.
"Once we have extracted their Cores, that is not our responsibility."
The secretary said nothing. Mei could still feel her look from behind.
"We are not a charity like Anti-Entropy or Schicksal. These people put themselves in such a vulnerable situation. It is up to them to…"
Insight. A glimmer. The edges of the plan were now pieces of a puzzle. Mei started shifting around the tiles, trying to see what edges lined up. The trio exited the elevator and made for Sheol. Staff moved aside, recognising them immediately, not wanting to interfere in whatever business they were up to. The heavy doors to Sheol were already open. Within waited a squad of Raitaro, five women already exchanging blows, sparring unarmed and warming up for what was to come. Mei-sama had firmly established the reputation for being firm but merciless in her battles. She would not coddle her people. Either they survived or they fell. She watched the women and made her logical assessment. Hanakawa waited outside, typing in the commands to seal the room. At the shuddering of the doors all the Raitaro stood to attention. Kurikawa peeled away, giving her Lady the room she needed. Mei stopped in the absolute middle of the room. She turned to face the squad, lifted a black gloved hand and shifted her gaze between all five. Her brief observation of them sparring had given the Herrscher all she needed to know. The order was implicit. They would attack as one.
"Koi."
Lightning limbed Mei's body, electric blue arcs licking across the metal floor, sparkles of hissing purple Herrscher energy dancing about fingers. Mei was not in a merciful mood. The raw Honkai and Herrscher energy she emanated suffused the Raitaro, bathing them in power they rarely had the chance to wield in totality. As one the Kijo squad attacked. Flanked from the sides, two from the front, one hounding the blind spot at her back. Mei closed her eyes and felt the EM fields projected by her foes. She backflipped, sailing over the surprised Raitaro, landing behind the woman and kicking her with enough force to send her flying into the two making for a frontal assault. The women making for the pincer changed orientation. Mei shifted to a side profile, one arm tucked behind her back, the other held out straight in a knife-hand. The first woman to make and attack found her punch turned aside and right into her ally's own attack. With a single hand Mei continued to redirect blow after blow. A series of coordinated punches and kicks were turned against one another. The allies became their own worst enemies. Mei made them doubt one another, cohesion falling apart as they continued to unintentionally injure one another. It ended with Mei grabbing the forearm of one, shifting position and knocking out her legs before kicking her hard into her squadmate. The two tumbled into a rough heap. One unmoving and the other, pinned beneath the body, barely twitching.
"Hey!"
The three from before had made their way back. Mei opened her eyes and observed the anger and frustration of her foes. This was not a fight they had anticipated. It was nothing like the sparring and training sessions they would have observed other Kijo squads experiencing. Mei was changing things up because familiarity bred complacency.
One blow. One woman down. Mei slipped under the woman's punch, a heel-palm strike as she stood back up, hand meeting jaw and knocking the woman out. Mei grabbed the unconscious body and used it as a shield. Her allies would not risk harming their squadmate. Mei tsked and dropped the woman to the ground. Shook her head.
"If you do not repel your foe then your squadmate is already dead," she lectured the remaining two. "Concern for her safety must come second to your own. She is already compromised. You have a chance to turn the tide."
The two women frowned. They knew what Mei was trying to teach them. It was a lesson they didn't like. But a necessary one. Mei slipped a foot under the unconscious Raitaro and kicked her into the air, grabbing her by the collar and using her as a shield again.
"The other two couldn't coordinate themselves sufficiently. Do better."
The lesson was learnt. They attacked as one. Mei used the fallen Raitaro as a shield. Her squadmate did not hold back, striking at Mei, accept that some of the blows would hit her friend in the process of fighting her enemy. The other moved behind Mei. Reading the flow of battle was a natural process for Mei. She felt the flow and anticipated what would follow. As the woman behind got into position for a flank Mei disrupted the flow of battle again. The two would strike as one. Mei let the one in front launch a forward kick. At the last second she stepped aside, letting go of her human shield. The unconscious ally took the kick, launching into the Raitaro behind. In one smooth motion Mei spun and was beside her opponent, lightning limned knife-hand striking the back of her head. Another unconscious woman. The air crackled loudly once. Mei stood overtop her foe struggling with the body. Lifted a leg and dropped and axe kick.
Sheol was still. Twenty seconds had passed. Everyone in the fight had moved at inhuman speeds. Blurs of motion, crackles of lightning and the meaty sound of each attack. Herrscher and Raitaro had unmatched perception and reaction speeds. Even then Mei overpowered her enemies, not through sheer might as a Herrscher, but with speed, tactics and battlefield awareness. It was more psychology than anything else.
Kurikawa walked over to the slumped woman and roused them. She wasn't rough. She was not gentle either. All five rubbed bruises and bruised egos. They knew that defeating Raiden-sama was likely impossible. But to have been so easily taken apart was a wound they were unlikely to forget. It was exactly what these women had needed to learn.
"Do not look so despondent," Mei admonished the women, "The other squads I've drawn out the fights to help them understand where they need to focus their strengths. For you that was not necessary. You have the strength and skills they work towards. Your weaknesses lie elsewhere. You should be proud. I had to take things seriously there for a moment."
The whisper of a smile crossed Mei's lips. That lethal edge that had the Raitaro wondering just what was going through their leader's mind.
"If I may be frank, you have been of assistance to me too. I've solved an important puzzle."
All five women rose, some with more groans that others, giving deep bows. Mei lifted a gloved hand, a thunderclap preceding the instantaneous absorption of all ambient Herrscher and Honkai energy in the area. Arm still raised; Mei made an approach gesture with a single finger. The heavy doors of Sheol ground open, Hanakawa striding over with tablet ready. Mei pointed to one of the Raitaro and posed a question.
"The five of you had a common goal: defeat me. You worked together as best you could. But you each had your deviations and methods of trying to accomplish that goal. There is always an issue of cohesion in a group."
Mei turned to Hanakawa.
"Take all the information we have on the Herrscher of Legion. The psychological profiles, social standing, subversive actions and motives. Construct a template. Limit the search parameters to Japan. Easier to sift through."
"You intend to try locate where the next one will appear."
"In a group of five there was a small lack of cohesion. If we assume there are 1000 Herrscher as per the Previous Era there is going to be a much broader collective. And amidst such a large group there will be statistical outliers. Ones that do not fit the profile. Ones that do not work alongside the Herrscher of Legion or its goals."
One of the Raitaro spoke up.
"Raiden-sama, you are saying that there are Herrschers that would actively work against their own?"
"Just who do you think you answer to?"
A few second silence. Let it all sink in.
"I shall begin the search for a rebel," Hanakawa said. "May I ask what your intent is, Raiden-sama?"
"The best way to get information on your foe is from a traitor."
Hanakawa gave a deep bow and left Sheol, the heavy doors shuddering close. Kurikawa approached Mei and stood opposite.
"It will take an hour or two for Hanakawa to complete my request. Amano-Iwato Lab will develop a deep learning algorithm to search through various national incidents."
Mei took a deep breath, held it and slowly exhaled, centring herself. She looked to Kurikawa, who took an aggressive stance.
"Whilst I wait, I will demonstrate to the five of you what a fight between Herrscher looks like."
The Raitaro scrambled back. Lightning haloed Mei's body, arcs flickering between hand and the floor, the air smelling of a storm. Kurikawa mirrored her Lady, dark skin a contrast with the blue-white lightning.
"Ten percent," Mei ordered.
The Raitaro were left in awe.
A quiet, quaint village far from the urban hubs of Japan. Aged homes with tall thatched roof buildings to shrug off the snow of winter. Waterwheels driven by water channels that moved the precious resource between long rows of rice paddy fields. A grey hatchback with tinted windows trundled along dirt road in the cool morning mist. It pulled up outside the only inn the village boasted. A woman in a fashionable business suit, pencil skirt and pumps stepped out, eyes hidden behind sunglasses. She closed the door but did not bother to lock the vehicle. This was the sort of area where theft or vandalism was not a concern. The new arrival attracted attention from the curious and cautious. Farmers in the fields stood up, shaded their eyes and wondered. Men and women tending their houses gazed out windows or opened doors cautiously. A gaggle of children, free on the weekend, came screaming up one of the dirt paths and clustered around the stranger. They peppered her with all sorts of questions. She humoured their questions, amused by their courage which was found lacking in the adults. The stranger asked more than their own fair share of questions in turn.
"I am looking for a talented craftsman by the name of Furude-san," the woman finally admitted.
"Old Furude-san lives on the hill," one of the children offered. "I can take you there, Oyashiro-san."
The woman smiled. It wasn't one that quite reached her eyes. The children did not understand. The few adults that were close enough were unnerved. They approached and drew their kids away, fixing the stranger with disapproving looks or glares. This bothered the woman not. She had the information. What happened next was at her own leisure. A small red-wrapped package was retrieved from the passenger-side of the vehicle. The stranger took the long way up the road, making her way toward the house at the distant edge of the village. It gave her enough time to soak in the beauty of nature. And to let her prey know she was coming. It was a pleasant surprise when a wizened man standing on the wooden veranda of his house greeted her wordlessly. He gestured with his chin, the woman slipping off her shoes and entering the old building. Furude guided her to the rear lounge and prepared tea and biscuits wordlessly. The stranger set the red wrapped temiyage gift on the table, sat seiza and waited patiently for her gracious host to complete his preparation. The green tea she was presented with was perfectly steeped and soft on the tongue. It contrasted with the surprisingly sweet but not overwhelming biscuits.
"I thank you for your hospitality," the stranger greeted the man.
Furude opened the red-wrapped gift. A box with four mochi. His pinched expression shifted for a moment. A flicker of a smile. The two drank their tea in silence. Furude-san picked up one of the mochi and enjoyed the sweet.
"Oyashiro-san," the man finally spoke, his voice deceptively rich, "You have a sick sense of humour."
"When I learned your name was Furude how could I resist?"
"What do you want, demon?"
"I have some questions. I was hoping you could answer them."
The old man sniffed.
"Why should I answer?"
"I can make this easy or painful. The children's answer to my questions would imply that, whilst you are a hermit and retired teacher, you are not completely ostracised. I expect turning your house into a smoking crater will destroy what little legacy you have left."
The old man sighed, picked up his cup of tea and inhaled the aroma.
"Ask."
"You aren't like the others. If I wanted your Herrscher core I would have claimed it already. You however. Yes, your actions were destructive. At least on the surface level. The destruction of the planned site for the solar farm is certainly an action any Herrscher of Legion terrorist would approve of…"
Furude-san took a sip of his tea.
"… if you are a fool and don't look beneath the surface. The farm's location would have led to a number of vital waterways being redirected. The rice cultivation in this area would have suffered greatly. Your actions, though they hurt the prefectural government and big business, protected the local civilians and their way of life. I looked into matters personally. Nobody was consulted. Nobody was interviewed or case studies conducted. The government just barged ahead."
Oyashiro breathed in the steam of her tea.
"Typical," she muttered.
"You may. Or may not. Be correct," Furude said in a clipped tone. "You did not answer my first question, demon."
The woman nodded.
"No. I did not."
Time ticked by. Finally Oyashiro spoke again.
"You are not like your siblings. They have not been forthcoming. I seek answers and I think you can give them."
"Why should I?"
"I'm a smart woman. But not as smart those from World Serpent, Anti-Entropy or Schicksal. I just moved faster. I give you a week at most before they come here."
There was an implicit threat in her voice. Oyashiro put down her cup of tea and dragged a finger across the small table. Lightning trailed in its wake.
"They will not be gentle. They will not be pleasant. They will hurt you. They may even drag the village into the struggle. I have no quarrel with you or the people you care about. In fact…"
The woman withdrew a sheaf of slip of paper from her jacket's inner pocket. Set it on the table. Slid it to Furude. The old man looked disdainfully at the paper. Oyashiro said nothing more. Just picked up a mochi and enjoyed its subtle sweetness. Curiosity won over. Furude picked up the sheaf and leafed through it. He knew what this document meant. The man sighed and put down the unwanted gift. Oyashiro needed no prompting. She spoke with a wicked tone in her voice.
"The solar farm was bought by ME Corp. We will move it to an appropriate site after proper consultation with surveyors, engineers and local town councils. The originally allocated land we have signed over to you, Furude-san, to do with as you please. I cannot use it to any way blackmail you. You have a week to decide what you would like done with it. Transfer ownership to the local council, a friend you trust or a business you believe will do right by the village. It doesn't matter to me."
Furude let out a bark of laughter.
"You are using chains of kindness to bind me. Just as bad as they always were."
Oyashiro nodded in agreement. Faced the old-man head on.
"I look you in the eye and am honest in my intentions and actions."
Devious. That's how best to describe the old man's reaction. Mei could see everything he did above the table. But him reaching out with one leg under the table and tapping her leg. Devious. The sensation was curious. Like a hook reaching into Mei's stomach, curling around an intestine before pulling her forward. Reality blurred and stretched, light warping as it passed across the impression of a Penrose diagram. Mei landed on one knee, Domain of Sanction katana summoned in hand, eyes glittering the dangerous hues of a Herrscher. She stood slowly and took in her surroundings. Baroque architecture. Almost religious. Pale off-white walls of an unknown stone. Gold adornments used to enhance the atmosphere further. Rich plush carpets across the main walkways. Mei stood on a balcony above what looked to be a greeting hall. Pieces of the fractured balcony hung in the air against the pull of a gravity. It circled around a giant stylised porcelain grey doll, its body fixed to the roof via large cables. More uncomfortably still, the puppet slowly twitched and danced, even though the puppet cables did not move.
"We're here. What do you want?"
The voice was unfamiliar. Mei turned to greet Furude. Instead what stood before was an androgynous figure dressed in a black sleeveless corset, tights and boots. Bicep length black gloves with coppery fingers covered its arms. The things eyes were hidden behind a black blindfold, blond hair done up in two buns.
"Am I to assume you are Furude?" Mei asked, getting to her feet and eyeing off the enemy.
"Welcome to the Theatre of Domination," the creature greeted Mei with an ironic lilt, "I am the Herrscher of Domination."
The smirk on the Herrscher of Thunder wasn't unnoticed.
"Domination. Curious."
An odd clacking sound, wood, metal and porcelain colliding. Things spilled out from the shadows. Creatures crafted from dull brassy arms and legs, a brighter brass sphere forming the creatures' core. An AE Mech made of black lacquered wood, the strings of a puppet guiding its movement, another odd bright brass core hovering overhead. Mei shifted to her Orochi Cuirass battlesuit. Even that expenditure of power left a curious sensation in her chest. Like a thousand fingers scrabbling for purchase across the slick surface of her core.
'This story twists and turns with each passing second. The Honkai evolving again. But into what?'
Flicking the blade to one side, Mei charged her welcoming committee with relish. The Mech was her first target. She slipped under a haymaker and slashed once, severing one of its heavy limbs. Coming back to her feet Mei swept her blade in a diagonal, tearing into the constructs main body. The wooden simulacra collapsed into a heap, the brass orb clanging to the ground. Mei ignored the bauble, dodging as a beam of crackling energy was projected by a construct formed from several arms around a core. She dashed forward, feinting around further beams before slashing twice, cutting rents into the arms and sending the pieces of the twisted puppet in all directions.
A heavy fist slammed into Mei's back. Tumbling forward, she rolled several times before slamming hard into a stone wall. Upside down on her back, Mei looked at the immaculate form of the black lacquer Mech. Mei rolled to her feet, standing up and trying to pick up the pieces of her dignity too.
'That was unexpected. The puppet is made of a poor substitute for metal. Yet somehow it has regenerated completely. There were no signs of Honkai energy be utilised to recover its physical form like an Evolved Zombie or some Honkai beasts can. Another evolution of the Honkai. Or something else?'
Mei studied her foe. The Mech charged, flanked by the vaguely humanoid puppets, their limbs the same dull brass as the things that had fired on her earlier, again arranged around a bright brass core. Honkai energy crackled around Mei. She channelled that power and forged two crimson tinged Danzai spectres. The three crashed into their foe. Mei leapt over the Mech this time, landing on its back and severing both limbs at the shoulder in clean slashes. The final blow she delivered with a downward thrust, blade going up to the hilt. The Spectres kept the other puppets busy, quick efficient moves and precise counter-thrusts pushing them slowly back.
"Do you have time to waste, Oyashiro?" the Furude puppet asked.
Mei looked up to see more puppets dropping from the darkness of the vaulted ceiling, strings connected to their limbs, all a collection, a mockery, of a humanoid. Mei's footing started to slip. The Mech she crouched upon shuddering back to life. The puppet strings drew the severed limbs back to the body, unfamiliar energy dancing around the damage, restoring the damaged wood.
"If you keep holding back you will be overwhelmed," the Furude puppet taunted. "Thank you for the deed and the warning. I will run long before the others come looking."
Mei pulled her blade from the body. The damage to the internal structure began to repair. Eyes dancing around, Mei spotted the polished brass core of the construct glimmering brightly.
'Huh.'
The Key of Domination swung at the puppet string and cut nothing. Changing plans Mei leapt at the core where it hung and lashed out. This time the blade found purchase, a resonant metallic ping when it bit deep. Landing on light feet, Mei spun and charged the Mech again, feinting where it punched at her, jumping onto the limb and severing it underfoot as she charged up the body. At its zenith, Mei leapt again and targeted the brass core. Lightning ran along the edge of her katana. A quick test. A confirmed test. Something tried to grasp at the faintest threads of power. The thunderstorm was quelled, Mei slicing through the core with sheer physical force. She landed on the ground, the two halves of the core crashing either side before exploding in a flash of light. The puppet Mech crumbled into a heap as though entropy consumed the rotting wood in seconds.
The two Danzai spectres kept the crowd of strange puppets away. Those at least were not something that needed Mei's raw Herrscher talent to maintain. Mei turned back to the Furude puppet and levelled her katana at it.
"That is a cute trick you have."
The puppet shrugged.
"All Herrschers are the same. Children playing with power from [God]. And then they turn from [God]. What happens when the traitors fight someone smarter than they are? World chaos. You cannot try to crush us like you do anything else. We are more than Legion. We will Dominate the stage. You will destroy yourselves because we understand better than anyone else. Because we are you."
'So that confirms their motives. No wonder the other idiots are having so much trouble. I owe you, Furude-san. As a final act you have taught me much.'
What followed was the last thing Mei expected. She would honestly admit that. The Herrscher of Domination puppet held it's hand out to one side. Herrscher energy crackled about it, rolling down an arm before coalescing in hand. The self-same energy then extended from the hand and formed a katana. In a second the energy turned to matter. It's resonance, it's kinship Mei knew at an instinctive level. Without having ever seen it before Mei knew this to be the power of the Herrscher of Reason. The Herrscher able to flawlessly create anything is understood in totality.
'What the fuck is going on?'
"What have you gotten yourself into, Bronya?" Mei cursed.
The puppet was fast. Faster than a human. But not into the realm of a Herrscher. Mei drew up and deflected the blow. It happened before she could react. The puppet flicked their katana about and left a deep gash in Mei's arm. Mei tried to withdraw, only to be harassed by her foe, blades clashing rapidly, Mei purely defensive as her opponent began taking her apart.
"All Herrschers are the same. You have your power and nothing else. When you don't have that power, you are weaker than a human. How long will you last, Oyashiro?"
The taunting was not empty. Mei could feel the gulf between herself and her foe.
'This man is a student of one of the Itto-ryu schools. No. Not a student. A mastery. A prodigy.'
Two spears were conjured in Mei's blind spots. They flew toward her, only to be noticed at the last moment. Mei prepared to use her body reinforcing technique, only to recognise she was being baited. With little choice, she shifted side on, one spear gouging a deep rent along her stomach, the other just missing her head. The puppet continued its attack, pressing Mei back and toward the wall. She could imagine what would happen if it launched a stream of spears at her when pinned with nowhere to go.
'It's baiting me. Taunting me. Trying to force my hand and have me use my Herrscher power. Even my Honkai power is dangerous around it. As impossible as it seems, the Furude puppet can use some permutation of the Herrscher of Reason power. Whether this is simple mimicry, theft or perhaps an exact duplication ala a Sharingan matters not. Utilising any of my Herrscher or Honkai abilities is dangerous in this place when I do not know the full consequences of that action.'
A cold chuckle filled the gothic cathedral. The puppet was mildly surprised by Mei's lack of concern. Mei finished the chuckle with a wide sweep before dancing back and giving herself some distance. She assessed that her Danzai spectres had enough Honkai energy to last another minute at most. The woman breathed in, centred herself and slowly breathed out.
"You know nothing about me, Herrscher of Domination. I spent nigh my entire life avoiding my destiny as a Herrscher. I've fought with nothing but my own talent for so long it's like slipping into a comfortable pair of shoes."
Mei settled into an iado stance, hand hovering over hilt, purple eyes locked with the puppets masked face.
"Let me show you what one weak little human girl can do against a Herrscher."
Conjured daggers appear in a halo and flew inward. Mei drew her katana, shifting and flowing about the one spot, blade edge knocking each projectile aside. Several she deflected in such a way to send them toward the puppet. It struck back, closing distance and attack yet again. Now with a measure of her opponent, Mei was better able to attack and defend. She was still bloodied, several nastier scrapes and slashes covering arm and leg. Even through it Mei persevered. Each attack she made was turned softly away. Not so much as an extra breath wasted. The puppet read Mei and turned away everything she managed. Going hard on the offensive, Mei swung her katana with little heed for self-preservation. The brutal blow was enough to shatter her opponent's blade. A second later the puppet had conjured another katana into hand.
The puppet rained down a quick barrage of overhead strikes, Mei redirecting each away, the force of the blows leaving her arms shaking. She rolled under a horizontal sweep and countered with a reverse thrust. The puppet was no fool and shifted away. Spinning up on heel Mei sheathed her blade, committing to an iajutsu. On quick feet Mei sprinted at the puppet. It reacted faster still, going for a killing thrust.
It is all about being surprising. When you enemy knows everything about you, is better than you and can outlast you, do exactly what they would not expect. Be the chaos in the equation. Mei caught the blade in one hand, holding it tight and pulling it to one side. Blood slicked metal. Mei refused to let go even as her fingers were savage. With her other hand Mei launched a heel-palm thrust. The blow caught her foe in the chest, the puppet flying backward and slamming into the stone wall. A second later its own katana pierced a shoulder. Mei stood looming above the puppet. Blood dribbled from her wounded hand.
"The Herrscher of Domination. Cute. However, I do not have time to waste with you. Thank you for the tea, Furude-san."
The air smelt like a rainstorm. This was something the Herrscher of Domination could not steal. For to try to touch such power was to grasp the antithesis of itself. Mei levelled her Key of Castigation, wove the Herrscher Sealing technique through it and thrust forward. The blade went through the puppet's open mouth.
Space-time warped and shifted. The spatial fissure dumped Mei hard on the floor of Furude's small lounge. She groaned and got to her feet. The old man was slumped unconscious on the table. Mei checked. A pulse. Uneven but present.
'Nobody died this time.'
Clutched in Mei's bloodied hand was a gem the colour of rutile.
'They will come here in a week. Realise that the man has no core. The locals will tell them about my early visit. Hopefully that is enough to leave the man in peace.'
Mei bowed deeply to Furude. She knew he had been holding back. All that he had done in the Theatre of Domination was an act to give her as much knowledge as he could without raising suspicions. She had to earn the knowledge. The injuries across her body were testimony to that.
'And let us be honest here. If you had been truly fighting to your potential as a kensei then I doubt I would be having this conversation. Clearly there is much I have yet to learn of the fundamentals.'
The air crackled, Mei returned to her original business suit. The Core of Domination was stored in her jacket inner pocket. It was night outside. Mei looked at the wall clock.
'Past 6 pm. Shit. Either the shift between realities involves a temporal warping. Or time moves faster within the Theatre.'
Finally managing to get a weak mobile signal, Mei's phone started to ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping.
PING.
PING.
Rolling her eyes at the sheer absurdity, Mei took out her mobile and started scrolling through the messages.
"Shit."