Ch.44 Shadows
Akane, Tohka, and Ellen are now on the deck area of the Oa and are surrounded by scientists wearing black coats and hoods that obscure their faces and there is even an elevated throne in the center with the captain seated in what appears to be a throne of some kind. Akane then shouts.
"Hey, Face Ache, get down here so I can kick your ass!"
The captain of the Oa jumps from his throne and is a colossus of a man with a long cape, but he otherwise looks just like the transmission, cloaked in shadow. He raises his fists as he prepares to fight and a bunch of robots appear from out of nowhere. The three get ready to fight, but then, everyone backs down. In fact, every member of the Oa crew, including the captain kneels down. The three wonder about this until they see Miya sitting on the ledge of the elevated area as she has annoyed look on her face as she proclaims.
"I guess my design was flawed. My plan was to infiltrate your group, but the idea was unoriginal as my peers suggested that I directly confront you. Seeing as how we were figured out by a certain wizard."
Miya then points over to another part of the room as they see Origami tied up and covered in cuts and bruises as she appears to have breathing problems. Kotori and Mana hear this as Kotori puts on a transmission through the Oa's screen and proclaims.
"So this is what DEM has come to? Now they're letting Spirits sign their paychecks?"
Miya looks at the screen with disbelief as she asks.
"Signing their paychecks? You mean me?"
Miya laughs a little as she then tells everyone.
"Oh, this is more than that!"
The entire crew of the Oa then seemingly turn into mass of blackness and then they gather into a single area behind Miya as she assumes a spirit form where she looks exactly like Nia, but then her Astral dress turns dark and tears a bit and takes on the form of a dark cloth that adorns her chest and waist as it almost resembles web exposing her midriff and a dark veil covers her eyes that can be seen through and her hair and her arms are adorned with this same dark cloth. She gives a little monologue as she states.
"I am Miya Itsuka, the seer of the Akashic, and lord-sovereign of the Oa. Mankind was given light by the angels, and they feared the darkness of the devils. When the angels reappeared, they cowered and hid, and now devils walk the earth, so what will they do? Worship that same darkness? Such hypocrisy…I will correct this transgression!"
The Oa's roof area then disappears and creates a giant platform as the giant mass of Shadow takes the form of a mechanical angel of darkness with nine wings and stands on all fours. Miya then floats as she rides on this creature's back with a smile as she commands it. It is then that Kotori sees the readouts of negative energy. Everyone is shocked by this revelation, as they are in the presence of a Spirit Child who has mastered her inverse form. Her presence is terrifying and gives a feeling of hatred. To prepare further, Akane assumes her own Spirit form as she is getting nervous. Ellen isn't any better as she recalls when she fought inverse Tohka years ago and it didn't end very well. Miya doesn't take any of them seriously as she simply smiles casually and then says something to each of them.
"You, Akane Itsuka, age 16, daughter of the Spirit Kotori Itsuka otherwise known as Efreet. Your codename is Ifrit, but you detest it and prefer the much more cringe-worthy title Flame Empress. Right now, you're wondering if you could control an Inverse form, and you can if you manage to obtain it. Ellen, you're thinking about how you can leave here alive. Tohka Yatogami, you're only concerned with finding Shido and your would-be son Akihiko."
The three are mad because Miya hit it on the mark. She can read them like a book and she continues.
"But if you three think that I'm anything like Saori, you're sadly or happily mistaken. I detest that girl and wish that Shinra would cut ties with her. I'm also not interested in finding any your missing companions."
Miya is just mocking them and they know it. She just sits and looks at them as they wait for her to make the first move. Back at the Bifrost, Kotori and Mana want to help but Mana can't stand up to Miya, and Kotori's powers are with Shido who isn't here anymore. They only have two people they could ask, but don't want to.
However, Shiori and Miyuki walk to the bridge as Shiori is feeling a lot better after her emotional roller coaster. They immediately see the scene from the monitor and the massive ship in front of them. Shiori immediately asks.
"What has happened while I was sulking?"
Kotori and Mana don't know how to tell her what has happened, but she does notice her friends on the ship confronting a massive shadow monster. Miyuki doesn't waste any time despite her young age as she thinks she's some kind of superhero and runs into the green entranceway that the others used to get there. She even manages to elude the others as they don't notice this. It isn't until Shiori turns around and notices that Miyuki is missing that Shiori runs through the warp to look for her.
In the Oa, Shiori arrives in the same dark area that the group first arrived in, but she takes caution by entering her Spirit Form and thinks.
"I may not understand how my powers work yet, but I'll be sure to try."
She equips her guitar and then manages to summon her two guardians as they float behind her. Seeing their faces makes her smile as they remind her that her real mother is perfectly fine. She then starts running towards the direction of the deck to find Miyuki.
The group fighting against Miya isn't doing well as Tohka is already pinned to a well while Akane is taking damage that she just heals and Ellen is trying to think of a strategy. Miya's shadow mech is using its wings like a series of spears that move fast and it has a face that has crackles of dark energy from it. Miya is unfazed by any attempts as she actually pulls out her comic book and starts reading it again. Tohka attempts to make another move despite being pinned to the wall, but Miya tells her while her nose in her book.
"I wouldn't move from there, Tohka. If you attempt to attack me, I'll simply attack you with my spears and I'll aim for your uterus."
Tohka doesn't fully understand what that means, but Ellen tells her.
"She's going to make it so you can't have children, Tohka!"
This causes Tohka to immediately back off. Akane then jumps and attempts to do a dashing punch, but the mech opens its mouth and unleashes a wave of dark energy from its mouth than shoots Akane into the sky but she manages to aim enough to stay on the ship as she falls to the ground. She is, however, exhausted as her mana feels diminished after healing this much. Miya then explains.
"I specifically chose to have bladed weapons on my ship to deplete your reserves. With a little more push, you'll die from exhaustion."
Ellen can't think of a countermeasure since Miya is predicting her moves. Miya also something to explain to Ellen.
"Even with Alexander, you won't be able to harm me. I know how to beat you, Mathers or Itsuka. It really makes no difference to me, I'm just here to do my mission, and before anyone asks, no it's not to kidnap a Spirit Child."
As Miya is ready to explain something more, she feels her left hand getting colder. She inspects it and she has frost around her hands, which she scraps off with her shadows. She wonders and then says.
"So, we have more party members joining the fray."
Everone looks towards the entrance of the deck and sees Miyuki in her Astral Dress with an icy aura around her body as she proclaims with Yoshinon.
"Leave them alone, you cur!"
Yoshinon looks at Miyuki and asks.
"Uh, what is a cur?"
Miyuki shakes her head as she answers.
"I don't know. I just heard it on TV a couple of times."
During their confusion, Miya attempts to swipe at Miyuki, but her ice suddenly appears to block the attack from the shadow creature. Miyuki doesn't even pay any attention as she is talking with Yoshinon during this. Miya tries to read her powers, but can't find anything even with her powers. Miya grits her teeth at this and thinks.
"I can read Akane's power, but I can't read this child's?"
Miya then prepares for a rather ruthless assault as she has several sharp prongs form on her monster's back as it takes on a vicious look. Miyuki looks at this as she starts tearing up from the monstrous image before her as she starts to cry from fear. The aura surrounding her becomes more intense as Miya and the others feel a drastic drop in temperature as the others can suddenly see their breaths. Just like Yoshino, Miyuki can lose control of her ice when she becomes upset. Akane then notices the ground begin to freeze up and Origami is in the middle of this area. Akane then rushes to Origami and Miya allows it. Akane uses what little mana she has left to create a heated area to avoid letting Origami freeze to death.
Miyuki's ice then begins following up the walls. Miya's beast then has its feet frozen to the ground as she doesn't react fast enough to make a counter. Ellen notices Miya getting distracted from the ice and uses this opportunity to get Tohka unpinned from the wall as she slices through the mech's spike to get her down. Miya tries to make a counter, but her Mech's arms are now frozen. Miya becomes irritated at this turn of events and sets her sights on Miyuki in full as she gathers more shadows and creates a single long spear and stabs it at Miyuki. However, just as the spears are ready to launch, two figures appear and let out sonic shouts as a third figure appears and grabs Miyuki.
With everyone now in relative safety, the tide has officially turned. The figure reveals herself as Shiori as she holds a crying Miyuki with one arm while her guitar in the other. Shiori then nuzzles Miyuki's face and gently says.
"Don't cry, Miyuki. I'm here with you."
Miyuki sees Shiori and calms down as she says.
"I was so scared, Miss Shiori. That monster is big and scary."
Shiori manages to comfort Miyuki and this in turn causes the icy room to gradually return to normal. Shiori then set Miyuki down and then thinks for a second and wonders.
"People do say my music inspires them, so I wonder…"
Shiori then begins playing her guitar rapidly and makes a heroic sounding melody and that is when something really amazing happens. Shiroi's body begins glowing gold as her mana seeps from her body and then disperses and flows into Ellen, Akane, and Tohka as they have renewed confidence, vigor, and strength. Miya senses this as Akane appears next to her as the latter states.
"I've been waiting for this."
She punches Miya and knocks her off of the mech and Tohka uses her Sandalphon along with Ellen's saber to dash past the mech and slice it into four sections. Miya hits the ground and declares.
"They can't be this strong!"
She stands up again and notices that she has a bloody nose. Miya realizes she can't win as things are now and states.
"I know when I'm beaten. I won't even try at this point."
Miya then summons a portal of darkness as she walks into it while Akane makes a vain attempt to punch her again. She states.
"Damn it! And I was so close to learning how that works."
Before anything can get too emotional, the ship begins to shake. Without Miya to maintain it, the Oa is disappearing, so the group grabs Origami and attempts to run to the entrance point, but the ship disappears before anyone can get to it. They fall through the skies over the city with the wind against their bodies. Normally, Spirits can fly, but everyone is mostly exhausted. Ellen still has her flight capabilities as she holds onto Tohka and attempts to go for the others , but can't. Luckily, Mana is here to save the day as she manages to get the teleporter to get everyone back into the ship unharmed. Mana sighs with relief as she succeeds in saving everyone.
They lost Shido, Aki, and Kurumi in this time, but found and saved Origami. Tohka looks at Ellen with a faint smile and says.
"Thank you for saving back there, Ellen."
Ellen smiles back and replies.
"Anything for a friend, Tohka."
Tohka nods a bit, but still doesn't completely trust Ellen. Origami is still out, so she is brought to the sick bay by Ellen. They need to get Hiro back since he is still with Yuzuru and Kaguya. Shiori is comforting Miyuki still after her scare.
Prime Timeline
Miya appears in a dark room in Tengu city in an unknown building and has tissue in her nose. She sits down in a chair as she is tired from her battle. She is then greeted by an ally who she at times regrets her alliance with, Saori. She laughs a little at Miya's bloody nose as she asks.
"Did the flame bitch punch you, Ms. Marvel?"
Miya looks at Saori with an irritated expression as she retorts.
"I told you not to call me that. Besides, it's your fault I had to reveal myself instead of going into their group."
Saori shrugs as she tells her.
"You're just jealous because I did what you were supposed to do, but better and faster."
Miya smiles and asks.
"Did you really? I quickly thought of another plan while you were stealing my objective."
Saori wonders what her cohort is talking about, but will have to wait.