A/N: Hello everybody, again. Today I have the next chapter prologue for you.
Review responses:
Masterx01: The Kami-yan disease has already infected Gensokyo; there is no possible cure. Not even Eirin can concoct one even with her vast knowledge. As for Imagine Breaker and its effect on fortune, taking what Index said from OT1, Imagine Breaker negates the red strings of fate just by contact with the air alone. Who knows what could really be affecting Sanae's lousy luck.
WiliamZ0: Thank you for putting the time to review! The timeline is subject to change since nothing significant has been played to warrant its use. But some elements and events have passed in Toaru that I want to use further down as a backdrop and world building. Otherwise, yeah, it can be dropped entirely when I need more days for Touma to be in Gensokyo. There will be major changes from how events were perceived during that time than in canon. Kasen herself will play a key role somewhere down the line, as a-you-know-what. The damages caused by the dragons... ouch, they might not stop so soon after this. For Blind Dragon, yeah, I hesitate to make some sort of defined personality of his this soon so I changed that up. And as for Morichika, he has a lot of mystery behind him and I've gone over the details and fabrications to making a backstory for him to reveal at some point or gradually do so.
elenwescott123: Now wouldn't that be something worth exploring.
Masterx01: This is the first time I've heard of Imagine Breaker doing that kind of thing. I must have skimmed it somewhere in my reading.
Disclaimer: To Aru Majutsu No Index belongs to Kazuma Kamachi, and Touhou Project belongs to ZUN. I don't own either of these properties.
Arriving in Gensokyo with a BANG III
This person could not think or feel.
She cannot nor can be observed in return.
Outcasted and subjected to a life of the hated, this person had closed their heart from reality.
The possibility of a person remembering her face or existence was nigh impossible unless one knew of her beforehand.
She was the little rock on the side of the asphalt, the minute instant no one gave thought to.
She denied all hatred and rejection that was directed to her, but in return was prohibited from receiving love and affection.
Is it not a tragedy?
Even if such a problem was a commonality that occurred everywhere across the world, the bitterness and hardship did not lessen.
However, even that feeling of sadness and heartache was forbidden to her.
She was walking, not by some rational or by a simple thought process, she just was. She had no destination in mind, freely allowing her subconscious to do the job for her.
Unknown to the world and unaware of it in response.
She was drenched under the chill of the rain. Despite it being night, the ideal time of day for activity, no youkai wanted to be out in the rain.
There was no acknowledgment of the rain on her face. Continuing the aimless trek under the oppressing clouds above, she left the foot of Yokai Mountain.
The rattling of rain pounding the earth and trees were blaring and an annoyance. The wet air and chilling temperature were unbearable.
The girl's subconscious told her to return home, to the land of the hated. It was past her curfew, after all.
This was a lasting impression of hers from before, a remnant attachment during the time she could feel. But she ignored it for tonight. It was what her subconscious wanted.
"HHRAAG-gaAaaAAAaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHK!"
The roar of an almighty beast in the heavens resounded out. The rain obeying it had furthered its efforts to drown the earth.
Youkai all over the nearby forests and trees jumped. They scrambled in turmoil; the earth-piercing sound surprised them that their thoughts wouldn't obey their commands. Blood pressure hastened, eyes wide, and skin crawled. They had no clue on how to react with the might of the enigmatic owner of this roar.
To the small girl, it was another sound produced by an animal, so it was of no importance to-
(-!)
The vibrations of this roar shook her subconscious.
How? Can it affect both the conscious and subconscious?
A feeling pricked inside her heart, one that she couldn't remember nor wish to.
No.
No, no, no!
This couldn't be allowed!
But her body was affected just like the rest of everyone in the vicinity. Her subconscious was vibrating madly; it didn't have a response to brush off the unsettling invasion of a foreign element distorting that very subconscious.
Glancing up to view the torrential sky in the midst of a freezing atmosphere, she saw a glimpse of madness. Several shadows semi-hidden in the clouds. There was one in particular to her that seemed to stare at her.
Its singular eye petrified her. Rooted on the spot and involuntarily shuddering from being forced to stare into its opaque eye.
She could do nothing but stare with a spacey face at the cobra-like-serpent whose total body was still behind the clouds.
The shadows dispersed into nowhere and the one with a single eye removed its hold on her. She knew nothing of what the reasoning was behind it, nor did she had any desire to know.
*KSSSSSSSSH-!*
A giant shadow encased the whole of Gensokyo; its size threatened to dismantle it by a slight movement.
There were no stars in the sky. Gensokyo was utterly removed from the world in every sense right now.
When the girl scrutinized the body from her vantage point, she found nothing, not an outline of where the body begins. Where were its edges?
Dissipating and dispersing out of thin air, the colossus was nowhere in sight. How did a giant of that magnitude appear and disappear in such a short time interval was incomprehensible to the mind.
There it was, her subconscious had free reign again. It told her to look back into the sky to see one more anomaly, just in time too to witness a humanoid figure and dragon facing each other.
Her body moved on its own again. It wanted to go near the humanoid for some inane reason. It could feel it; it had an unconscious mind she could interact with unlike the rest of the anomalies in the sky earlier. It desired knowledge to be found inside that humanoid.
Not a moment too soon, the dragon clasped the humanoid in its mouth and flew off to somewhere in Gensokyo. And for her, she could trace the position of the humanoid it carried. The imprint of it was vague and incomplete to her considering there wasn't enough time to examine it but caught the general feedback she received to track down that unconscious mind down.
And off she goes once more. The body taking her somewhere to someone who was at the center of it all.
"And that checks off chapter twelve." A mysterious voice pronounced to no one in a dim-lighted room.
The room was mostly empty but was spruced up charmingly with its homely environment. An office desk and a few bookshelves provided some identity with a lit lantern provided the barest minimum of illumination inside the room on the desk.
The individual seated next to the desk is a reclusive woman, pen in hand and wearing glasses.
"Yosh, if I keep up the pace, I might finish up to chapter fifteen." The tidy woman said, stretching her arms behind her head.
The reticent woman with the body of a young teen in 148cm is Satori Komejii. The most glaring feature on her body is a red eye linked to red string-like cord appendages connected to yellow heart accessories running to her wrist and black headband. Messy, short pink hair that hadn't been cleaned for days spoke of her personal hygiene. A blue shirt that's sloppily put together with yellow buttons, a pink collar, a pink skirt with a flowery pattern plus pink slippers made up her whole person.
It was her break time after another long day of work maintaining the Hell of Blazing Fire. It was a simple hobby she enjoyed in handwriting novels under an unknown pen name.
"After this, I have to put out dinner and finish all the accounting. Ugh, so annoying." She complained, rubbing her head and nose.
Her pets were under break as well and waited patiently for dinner to come.
Picking up the lantern, she forced herself up and walked out the door to the hallways leading to the kitchen. The interior architecture was well orientated but barren for the most part consisting of marbled walls and chequered floors with stained glass on the floors and walls on certain hallways to view the outside.
"Let's see... for Okuu; I got some eggs in stock. There's leftover rockfish for Orin. For the shoebill and everybody else... eh, eggs will suffice too." She listed off during her stroll down the lonely halls in a laid-back manner.
"HEEEEYAAAA~!"
A loud voice came from behind the double door in front of her. The double door was blown away, kicking up dust from the entrance. Shielding her eyes, she considered the boisterous voice in front of her, covered by the dust.
"What are you doing trespassing into my home, oni? No wait, I can just hear it from your mind." Satori grumbled, dusting off the dust on her person and checking her lantern for functionality.
"It's not trespassing if I was invited." The mysterious voice corrected, grinning without a hint of losing her rambunctious spirit.
"Orin..." Satori murmured faintly, pinching her forehead in annoyance. "Whatever, just pay upfront for your vandalism then."
"O~kay! It'll be two jars of sake from my dish." The voice chuckled, waving two fingers in front of her. Deciding on her own punishment, she ignored the exasperation coming from the tiny girl in front of her.
"Sigh... I don't want your alcohol. Answer my question, Yuugi." Satori grudgingly huffed, bringing back the real subject.
The mysterious voice belonged to a very tall woman with a body that radiated power who eclipsed Satori comically at the height of 175cm. Long, straight long blond hair to her back, red eyes that gave off a wild desire to party, and a single, menacing red horn on her forehead completed her head. Her taste in attire... was unique. Her white short-sleeved shirt that had red trims on the cuffs, necks, and bottom looked very much like a gym uniform. But the strangest article on her had to be the dark blue skirt with red highlights and trim that was also semi-transparent. If all of that wasn't enough to inspire a delinquent image, then the manacles with short chains that were attached to the wrists and ankles will. She came in, walking in common wooden getas [1].
Yuugi Hoshiguma, a residential oni of Former Hell who's constantly in a partying mood for companionship; her boisterous mood carried on with a sake dish extended forward to Satori.
"I came here to finally invite you and the animals to one of the festivals being held in town! Because-"
"-I'm always stuck here drying up in isolation and smelling like wet seaweed. And no, I will not be attending. Do not come near me when you stink of foul booze. The smell will deteriorate my brain, and my eyes will droop from your lack of delicacy." Satori interjected her sentence with a no-nonsense tone and sneer.
"Shee~sh! How stuck-up do you have to be sitting in here all year without the toxication and rapture of good booze? No wonder you have no taste looking freaky with the eyebags and no smile." The oni lightly mocked her, her grin staying in place.
"If you're done, then get out of my house. I have to feed my pets and myself." Satori dismissed her with a wave to leave the mansion
"Oh come on! Don't be such a grouch and let loose once in a while!" Yuugi insisted, taking the rejection from Satori in strides.
"Sigh... move out of the way, please. I have to go." Moving to the side of Yuugi, Satori went on to the main hall and down the stairs. "Why are you following me?"
Just like she said, Yuugi is walking alongside her with the chains clanking on the marble floor. "Look, I thought it would be nice for you to wind down considering you work all day. Join me for a drink sometimes, the hangover might help you sleep better." She remarked in a friendly voice. Her intentions to loosen up Satori comfortably enough to attempt another invitation was obvious.
"That's not how hangovers work..." The little girl finished in light irritation. She wasn't angry with Yuugi as much as before, having been calmed down. Not feeling up for debating further, she allowed Yuugi to accompany her.
The rest of the way was taken in silence. Reaching the kitchen, Satori took off the glasses and picked up a pan over the stove. The oni had offered to help with the dishes, giving the girl something to be surprised about.
"You can cook?" Satori blurted out a lot more loudly then she intended from learning that Yuugi was capable of cooking. THE Yuugi.
"Of course I can. I enjoy a good dish alongside my booze all the time, and let me tell you, eggs alone aren't going to fill anyone's stomach for dinner." Yuugi chided Satori for the meager selection of dishes to work with. "Where do you keep your stock? Show them to me."
Satori then led her to where she keeps the fresh ingredients stored. After much deliberation, Yuugi decided they were to have chawanmushi for the pets and for Satori it was tonkatsu.
After making her decision, she set down her sake dish on a nearby counter and inspected one of Satori's knives. "It's decent." She appraised it without further thought spent into it. They spent the time working on and finally produced something decent for the residents in the mansion. Placing them on the plates, the two walked out the kitchen.
"Thanks for the help." Satori commented. Looking at Yuugi with some appreciation.
"No problem." Accepting her gratitude, the two walked down to the zoo where the pets are kept. The two set down the plates and stuck around, playing with the animals. Satori being pounced by a tiger, dogs, and some parrots. Yuugi was bending down to pet some animals, noticing one staring at her.
"That's a shoebill duck. Don't worry about its stare, it's not gonna bite." Satori answered with a tease, having read her mind.
"Huh, well alright then. So what's been going on with you today?" Yuugi changed the subject, trying to stir a conversation to keep down the light annoyance prior to having her thoughts spoken out loud.
"The usual. Okuu has been maintaining the Blazing fires by keeping the temperatures cooled so the mansion has electricity. Orin was out collecting corpses and I'm stuck in here managing everyone else's work." Satori replied back plainly, accounting for how her days work.
Humming in response, Yuugi continued to pet the animals crowding them. "Must be a bit lonely despite having pets, you don't get a-"
"Hardly, pets are a far more sophisticated choice for companions. They don't lie to themselves and are completely open with their desires. That's why they're easy to get along with, unlike those with too much intelligence." Satori fired back with complete certainty. "What need is there for me to go outside the mansion other than the parties held at the Hakurei Shrine? Isn't that enough?"
Feeling a bit miffed by the Satori's interruption Yuugi didn't answer right away. "It's just good once in a while to go outside for the sake of it." The oni finally advised her in a lame voice.
"In other words, you don't have any arguments." Satori revealed while Yuugi rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Sigh... though I guess being stuck in this dingy mansion is going to affect my health."
"Really!? Alright! A new drinking partner for me tonight!" Yuugi cried out with a cheer.
"Who said I would ever be an oni's drinking partner?" The short girl could only shake her head in amusement by the oni's excitement, taking a bite out of her tonkatsu. Yuugi fumed silently as her cheeriness fell quietly.
"HHRAAG-gaAaaAAAaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHK!"
The advent of the Almighty silenced the room. Satori dropped her plate involuntarily with the pets rushing to her to huddle up. Yuugi, however, stayed still in surprise.
"Couldn't be..."
Nothing had happened for a while. Yuugi slowly stood up and walked up to the door. Satori ordered the pets off her and reached up to Yuugi to stop her.
"Woah hold on, where do you plan to go?"
"To the world upstairs. Don't tell me... you got scared and want to stick around with me now?" Yuugi shot a cheeky grin at the small one. Satori eyed her with suspicion and a huff.
"After all these years, you want to go back to the surface? I thought you made a pact to never interfere with the world above, save for the parties at the Hakurei Shrine." Satori eyed the oni with suspicion. What was going on that warranted her to forego promises and return to those uneventful days above that made her come here in the first place?
"... In that case, you can just get it from my mind then as we walk." Sullenly waving off her revealed intentions to break promises, the oni told her with a step out and down the hall with stained glass windows — Satori following an eye on her and looking into her mind for answers.
"A dragon!? Could it be Dragon God!?" Satori cried out in shock.
"Hmm... it's definitely a dragon's voice... but Dragon God's? Probably not considering nobody knows what he looks like." Yuugi trailed off with a hand on her chin, her pace staying the same.
"And you want to fight him!?" Shouting at her, Satori could only gawk at the sheer level of stupidity she was oozing.
"Not him exactly. One of his lackeys. Specifically, another dragon with a spearhead." she corrected her intentions to Satori.
"That still isn't enough for you to go against what you live by. An oni prides herself with staying steadfast and faithful to their unbroken promises. You disappoint every oni elsewhere." Satori mercilessly criticized Yuugi. Dragon or not, she wouldn't overlook the oni's oversight just because of special circumstances.
Yuugi didn't have anything to say to that. "Geh... you're right, it would be more convenient if he-"
"If he shows up here because you jinxed it, I will torment you within your traumas. That I promise you." Satori's spoke darkly in a sharp voice and narrowed eyes. Then Yuugi stopped in place, having Satori crashing onto her back.
"Hey! what gives!?" Satori exclaimed with irritation.
"Look." Yuugi turned around and showed Satori a white origami paper. "It's a shikigami."
"A shikigami? How did it find itself here?"
"Its owner must have sent it for a message."
"Give it to me." And Yuugi handed it over to her. Reading it, Satori had a quizzical face. "Emergency meetup at the Hakurei Shrine, RIGHT NOW?"
However, the two didn't have time to contemplate who or why they sent this shikigami. Yuugi instinctively sensed something; an old feeling resurfaced to her body. Her eyes sharpened with crimson slits and she turned her head halfway to the window.
"Don't move a muscle, and don't turn your back to the window." Yuugi's commanded with a heavy voice so deadly serious; the temperature dropped astronomically. Satori looked perplexed and did what she was told. "It's rude to not hand out a greeting face to face, you know."
Satori became even more confused when there were only two of them inside the halls. Who was she directing those words to?
An unseen force fired out of nowhere. The stained glass beside them was broken into pieces, flying down on the floor. They turned slightly to glance outside at the corner of their eyes.
What greeted them was a head having a giant spear protruding from its forehead. It's completely white, and pupiless eyes surveyed them, lowly growling at them.
Satori's breath hitched while Yuugi stared down the dragon. The atmosphere turned deadly, and the small one paled while the tall one measured the intruder.
"Satori, back away slowly and get your pets outta here, right now. And remember, DO NOT expose your back to him!" Yuugi roared out to Satori, shaking her out of her brief stupor.
Complying readily, she backed away in small steps while keeping her eyes locked on the Spear Head. The Spear Head having not once acknowledging her. The only thing left in her mind was how she couldn't detect the dragon despite having the power to read minds.
"Once this is over, I will uproot that horn out of that head of yours Yuugi!"
Having finished her last words, Satori backed away entirely in the dark.
Once Yuugi made sure Satori was out of the hall, she brought her sake dish to her mouth and downed on it. Gulping sounds echoed in the halls. There were no interruptions coming from the dragon.
"Puha~, thanks for the wait."
Yuugi wiped her mouth with an arm and threw her empty sake dish to the side. She cracked her knuckles and neck with veins pulsing from her arms and face.
"qqqsIT'SallBEENafssaAWHILEIwevONIqlsaas"
The first conflict echoed out in the halls of the Palace of the Earth Spirits. Sonic booms traveled in and out of the building. The floors were shaken and leveled down by the collision of the Wise and a gleeful oni. Nobody in Former Hell slept that night.
The girl with no mind had traveled quite far into an area of red. The rain being a bit lighter than before.
Earlier she had witnessed the moon turning blue, another mystery being attributed since the dragons arrived.
The mice around here were in search of something. They marched in the same direction Koishi was, so she followed behind them.
Rubble and weird, broken machinery and items covered a field deeper inside the redwoods. There was junk everywhere you looked and no greenery to be found under this junkyard.
While the mice worked hard to scavenge the junk laying on the ground, she pinpointed the unfamiliar subconscious she printed. It was hiding under a refrigerator and some microwaves.
Skipping to it, she ignored the mice crawling everywhere, closing the gap between her and the mysterious figure.
...
She halted her steps out of instinct, and so has the mice.
...
Her body floating for itself by raw instinct, she lay hidden behind a tree apprehensive and shivering with a tremble.
...
She didn't dare to poke her head and take a peek right now.
...
The atmosphere turned stifling, suffocating, and still.
...
A crawling terror was awakened from a slumber as the night croaked and silenced without so much a whimper.
...
An overwhelming and overpowering presence flared her senses into overdrive.
...
There was something right next to the thing she was looking for. Its aura to alien to make heads or tails out of it.
...
It frightened her, knowing that if she were to peer into its subconscious if it had one, she would break.
...
The malevolent and violent aura wafting off it spelled death with each instant it swells.
...
She heard the mice finally scrambling away into the woods from fear after shuddering away their rigidness.
...
From her blocked view behind the tree, reality itself seemed to bleed as cracks spread throughout the air with iridescence colors beneath them.
...
She watched them severing the air from the corners of her eyes, covering the gaps between the trees and beyond.
...
The network of human arteries stretched like the roots of Pando, pulsating in an appalling rhythm.
...
They closed in on the trunks of the trees in an almost perceptively tender hug.
...
Her body crouched down on the solid, wet grounds as her hands pulled her hat down vigorously to cover her head.
...
The iridescent human arteries inflated into plumes of obsidian with bubbles foaming out into the air.
...
The environment surrounding those plumes were more sinister than the colors of fresh blood intersected each other.
...
Bubbles in the air shaped and morphed into polygons, some smaller than an atom to ones larger than her.
...
With a creak, the trees were gouged out and severed from their trunks by the cracks.
...
Whatever happened to the head of those trees could not be spoken lightly.
...
Every tree in a certain radius was without certainty executed to oblivion with their heads lopped off.
...
Not having enough, the cracks elongated once more with her pale body tensing as her pupils swerved and bounced all across her eyes in a blur.
...
Her death will be guaranteed once the veins of obsidian reach her.
...
...
...
"...I know you're agitated because of what that angel did to you, but you need to stop. There's no one here, so back off."
She heard a masculine voice under that thing, and a new, extreme power came out of nowhere who opened its jaw and chewed on the thing she had yet to witness.
What was that thing?
Who did that voice belong to?
And that power that came afterward.
There were so many unanswered questions since the dragons appeared over the sky. It was mind-boggling such a terror was chained to a leash and followed the orders of whoever that brave man belonged to.
The masculine voice struggled and lifted the refrigerator on him. He was finally freed and dusted himself of rust, dirt, and water. The first thing she noticed was the spiky black hair and strange clothing the boy had.
"Ugh, where am I? Aiwass told me he flung me into a Fantasy Land, but there's nothing fantastic about this place." He said, surveying his surroundings to find nothing but modern junk on where he stood. "I'm more fantastic than this."
The boy continued to move around his area, looking over it in the rain.
"Now that's a nice massage chair... no wait, where are my shoes!?" He yelled out in a hurry, digging a nearby pile in a search for his shoes.
Thinking it was finally a good time to approach, she uprighted herself, turned herself invisible from the eyes of others and their consciousness to take a step away from the tree.
The moment she landed her step on the ground-
"Who's there!?" The boy shouted, snapping his eyes right where she is.
'That's impossible' she would've thought.
'How can he see me' is what she would say.
She tilted left to right, and the boy's eyes never left from where her body should be. It didn't seem like he could really see her unless she allowed it. He can most definitely sense her position and movements, though.
The boy felt creeped out and took a small step backward. It unnerved him, the presence of something he couldn't see. The rain smacking on his hoodie and hair with the smell of rust and metal in the dampness.
"Ah, there you are." A new voice spoke up right behind the boy, and with a U-turn, he faced it. The voice belonged to a giant of a man wearing a rain cloak.
From her position, she couldn't hear them very well. It wouldn't do to reveal her existence to the boy so soon.
Not until they were alone.
She brought her hands to her cheeks and felt the giant grin plastered on her face.
The boy was very interesting. Every few moments, he would turn his head sideways to glance at where she stood. She couldn't keep her eyes off him now, being drawn more and more into him with the more mysteries surrounding him.
He looked at her one more time before walking off together with the giant man to somewhere. Naturally, she followed them. There was no way something this interesting could ever escape her.
Extreme blows sounded out in the halls of the Palace of the Earth Spirits.
The battle arena with no breaks was in jeopardy of collapsing without any objection from the master. Everywhere they exchanged blows; property was destroyed.
Yuugi had embattled herself with marble pillars thirty meters long in each of her hands. Falling and skidding to a halt, she eyed the dust clouds in front of her where a former wall used to be.
Out came a pristine dragon with a most magnificent spear looming across the room.
She gripped her choice of weaponry, making cracks from where her fingers are. Huffing out smoke from her mouth, she tensed her muscles, pulsing with visible veins running across her arms and thighs.
Kicking the floor and bursting forth, she closed the distance and brought down both pillars to Spear Head's horn. And while the force behind her attack was powerful, it was nothing but a bludgeon in the face of a master spearman. Spear Head parried and stabbed the two columns away from him and off her hands.
Not being deterred by this, Yuugi clasped both hands and smashed them down on his head. A loud echo kicked up dust everywhere, and the cracks on the walls and ceilings worsened. Spear Head, however, didn't feel the pressure as he smacked her away using the top of his horn.
Yuugi was sent flying into the ceiling and up to several floors.
Rubble fell on the floor, and Spear Head looked up above the hole to see where she was. What met him was several pillars being thrown at him.
Parrying them again with his head like a rapier, all of them smashed to the floor or sent flying into more walls. Looking back on top, he followed his sight to where Yuugi was plummeting down on the floor, and the Palace shook again as her feet embedded themselves into the marble.
"It's been a while... Wise one." She perked up eagerly, curling her fingers, which put out cracking noises. Her face giddy in excitement with her body emanating bloodlust.
The Spear Head dragon didn't respond, staying silent during their exchanges.
"But damn! It still hurts like hell!" With a grimace, she lifted her shirt above her stomach and saw a tiny hole punctured right through it. It wasn't anything serious, especially to an oni, but how it came to be there without ripping through her clothes was eerie. Taking her hands off her shirt, she eyed the dragon who refused to take the opportunity for an open attack.
That drew a barbaric and savage smile on her lips. Her hair defied gravity as it wafted in the air with flair. Next thing that happened was her head being brought up as far as they can and sending out a hearty laugh.
"AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! OH MAN! THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN MISSING FOR SO LONG! SO LET ME ENJOY THIS BABY!"
Her boisterous voice could split-apart an average person's ears. The gaps within the checkered slabs of marble burst open before crumbling under the vibrations.
The seconds flew by as the two stared down until Yuugi ended it with a stomp, closed the distance yet again, meeting the dragon head-on. She clenched her fists and drove them forward in rapid-fire. Spear Head lanced his spear to meet Yuugi's fists every time. After enough time for bare knuckles and the tips of a spear engaging in sonic speeds threatening enough to splatter any who dares to get in between, Spear Head used more force to launch Yuugi through a wall and into a new room.
Coming into the vacant area, she rushed to a nearby pillar and uprooted it. Spear Head came overhead to swipe at her side. Just in time, Yuugi shifted the pillar to her left and was blown away to an adjacent room. She uprighted herself against another pillar and threw the one on hand. Spear Head reappeared impassively and rushed to ram her once again. She uprooted the pillar behind and shielded herself with it.
This was how the battle flowed. Spear Head would toss Yuugi into room after room while she defended herself with pillars and threw them back. As the battle continued, they stopped at a room with no pillars to support her. The ceiling was absent with it turning into rubble beneath them during the aftereffects of their clashes. More debris was falling around them.
Not once did Yuugi ever turned her back against the dragon. She was at the center of the room with Spear Head sticking its head out of a hole she made when she crashed into it.
With a stomp, the slabs of darkened red marble hung in the air, and Yuugi thrust her palms as the tiles flew with the sonic booms acting as propellers towards Spear Head. She then kicked a slab on the ground by its edges as an added aesthetic together with the rest.
In swiftness and elegance, Spear Head caught all them under their jaws and crunched them to pieces from the pressure with ease you'd expect from chewing bubble gum.
"Shackles Sign [Shackles a Criminal Can't Take Off]."
Mystique purple light glared from her manacles and green orbs of mana formed on her open palms, swiping them in an X formation. Arcane manacles from her wrists and ankles shot out straightforwardly with green bullets spreading out to the side accompanying them. But unlike its regular use in danmaku, this spellcard was used to its utmost limit and had foregone its nonlethal inhibitions.
The dragon stayed put, its horn glinting.
Another strange phenomenon intercepted the manacles and bullets in every direction, producing explosions the moment those manacles had been destroyed. These unforeseen and unavoidable forces were shaped like the tips of the dragon's horn.
Light sizzled the air within the blast radius as the surroundings melted.
After the explosions cleared out of view, Spear Head righted its position straight, elongating and flashing forward in stabbing motions. He stabbed and retracted to send stab after stab and more consecutively.
Yuugi had brought her fists up like a boxer before he moved as a measure to react. She parried and deflected the spear coming at her using the manacles on her wrist. Sparks flew from the clashes with his dominating spear brushing against steel.
The muscles were in agony and screamed in pain. She was forced back slowly, step after step. She couldn't move to the side at all with Spear Head blocking her escapes to do so.
(Shit...! This can't go on anymore!)
The attacks accelerated knowing she can't parry all of them, she covered herself behind her arms and sunk her feet into the ground as leverage. They were relentless, taking opportunities to puncture more holes on her body.
Having enough, Yuugi sucked in air, swung her arms out to end the barrages and sent a mighty roar. Not willing to be left outdone, the Spear Head gave out its own roar.
"KREEEEEE-EEEEEEEEEEEEEHK!"
Their two shockwaves collided as the walls and pavement were blown far away from them with no more barriers to hinder them. The Palace could tumble down on top of them at any given moment. Every window was shattered into thousands of pieces apart with dust and debris flying out of them. The shock waves settled down between them and the two stopped momentarily.
The dragon was pushed back slightly thanks to the effects of the shockwaves. Yuugi suffered the same as she was forced out into the courtyard with her feet creating two trenches away from where they were originally planted.
"Man, that was one hell of a warm-up." Yuugi spat out some blood on the ground. "But now, how 'bout we take this downstairs?"
Lifting one leg above her straight, she stomped it down. The Palace trembled again. Yuugi fell into a make-shift hole she created, turning the battlefield towards the Blazes of Hell.
Free falling inside a dark hole full of crags and cliffs that slowly morphed into a burning one with walls of magma, she looked up and saw the shadow of Spear Head following her to the pits of hell. The next thing she heard was a chirpy voice calling out to her below.
"Intruder! Intruder alert! Halt immediately!" Came a warning to her ears. She recognized it belonging to a certain hell raven. She half-turned her head to eye the girl residing in here.
A girl of 163cm tall with long, jet black hair tied with a green ribbon on top falling down past her waist and chocolate brown eyes entered her peripheral vision. Her giant raven wings the same color as her hair had a cape hung over it. The outer layer being spotless white with the inside looking like the cosmos themselves. She wore a white button up blouse with a short green skirt. A demonic red eye decorated itself on her chest. Her right arm was encased in some cylindrical machinery, her right foot covered in some cement-like material and her left foot had rotating electrons.
"Hold it Utsuho. I'm not the one you need to worry about; it's him that's the culprit." Yuugi with a point of her finger at Spear Head. The now named Utsuho trailed her eyes to see the dragon.
"Unyuu!? Warning; foreign signature has entered the designated area under protection. Threat level estimated... power is immeasurable beyond scope. No appropriate measure to be found. Methods of deterrence are inadequate." The once chirpy voice of the hell raven turned robotic and intelligent. With a single glance at the dragon, she knew of the unlikely chance of victory against it.
"That's no reason not to try fighting it out ya know." Yuugi tried to convince her of teaming up and hoping that with the assistance of the hell raven, they can even out the gap in power.
"Inquiry; The dragon is the culprit for having caused the damages above? Yes or No?" Utsuho interrogated with a robotic voice.
"Sort of. I'm the one who did the most damage to your master's house." She admitted in a chuckle without an ounce of shame.
"Shifting target of removal to oni. The dragon appears to be targeting the oni. Removal of oni might lead the dragon to leave the premise." Utsuho stated blankly with a point of her cylinder aimed at Yuugi.
"Oi, oi, oi! I was protecting your home ya see!? Collateral was unavoidable!" Yuugi tried to defend herself, shifting most of the blame over to Spear Head.
"Inquiry; had it not been for you picking a fight with it, the battle wouldn't have happened. Yes or No?" Utsuho asked with an expressionless face.
"Urk... yeeeeah." Yuugi admitted nervously with a gulp. Having her back turned to Utsuho the entire conversation.
"Defendant has been proven guilty. Extermination phase has been granted." The hell raven charged up light to enter her cylindrical arm.
Being aware of their conversation the whole time, Spear Head smacked a nearby cliff with his tail and clutters of platforms floated alongside the combatants. Its spear gleaned menacingly and an unseen, unavoidable force impacted the hell raven's arm, dislocating its aim away from the oni. It would appear to have readily accepted the role of the villain in order to avoid the two fighting between themselves to death. An action that didn't go unnoticed by her.
"...switching targets to dragon. Executing all internal and external generators for full power. Nuclear fusion processing speed to the maximum. Engaging in combat with the intruder." Utsuho taking the aggression as an unavoidable invitation to the fight, she opted to join forces with Yuugi for a higher chance of survival.
And so, the battle raged on with the new addition of the hell raven who possessed the power of the sun. Yuugi setting foot on a falling platform with Utsuho right beside her as the dragon hanging above them allowed them time to group up.
The Blazing Fires of Hell spent the night drowning in chaos.
The biting cold and chill of rain and night harmonized into a dreadful world. The warmth and protection of the sun was gone, and, in its absence, people rushed into their homes, and yokai wished to avoid their spoiled hunting hours. There was nothing to be gained when only the brave and foolish would stay under this torrent.
Inside a warm temple for the devoted, the practitioners were prostrating towards an idol, chanting and muttering their sutras using this ideal time. From its atmosphere by the lit candles and incense sticks, it allowed for all to tread their journeys to enlightenment without the presence of worldly distractions.
Posing in the center of the altar where all the devotees directed their faith to an avatar of Bishamonten.
Thus, the hourly affairs of the Myouren Temple proceeded.
"Hijiri-san, dinner is almost approaching now."
"Why thank you Ichirin, I'll be right there in a moment."
A subordinate of the Head Priest came into a room, sliding open the shutters to announce that dinner is being prepared.
The one named Ichirin was the one to have entered, Ichirin Kumoi. As tall as 155cm, cyan hair fell to her shoulders, and dark purple eyes decorated her pretty face. On her head is headdress very similar to a nun's headdress. The white button-up blouse over her white dress with blue trims at the bottom of the skirt and sleeves and black and gold Japanese-style kesa hung over her shoulder, accented her status as a devout Buddhist.
The one to have responded in a voice filled with warmth and patience to the brim in a small smile is the Hijiri-san prior to being beckoned for dinner. Byakuren Hijiri, the Head Priest of Myouren Temple. Her kind and motherly demeanor appropriate for a priest were elevated from her towering 170cm height. Her wavy hair was purple to the roots that faded into light brown at the ends, the same color as her eyes. Her black and white dress had long strips of black fabric from the black portion being hung together across her well-endowed chest in a zig-zag pattern with another set of white strips her arms and black boots. Her clothes radiated piety and holiness that befitted a Buddhist minus the hair.
"Hijiri-san, just in, Mamizou has returned from the Outside World and has already situated herself to a seat at the dinner table." The navy haired girl reported.
"How splendid." That put her small smile to rise a bit. "I've always looked forward to hearing what the Outside World is up to."
"Murasa, unfortunately, can't attend this night. She's gone missing within the rain, and I sent Unzan to look for her. B-but don't worry! It's Murasa; she can handle herself in the rain!" Ichirin quickly switched tones so as not to bring Hijiri's mood down. She waved a hand of hers rapidly to dispel any concern for the missing person.
"I see... the best we could do now is to hope she hasn't gotten herself into any trouble." She ended on a somber tone, clearly disheartened by a single member of their group being absent for the night.
"Yeah... Hijiri-san, I'll wait for you at the usual place. Shou-chan should be finishing up her work with our attendees leaving soon."
"Thank you again Ichirin, be sure to keep my seat empty when I get there." Not wanting to leave their conversation in a somber note, she sent her a bright smile.
Idling away time as soon as Ichirin closed the shutters from her exit, Hijiri looked back to a scroll on her hands.
Enough time passed for her to stand upright and exit her private study and down the hall. She came to witness the empty rooms where prayers were meant to be taken and the symbol of their idol of worship nowhere to be seen. She went to a room with various yokai of different backgrounds and species seating themselves before the rectangular dinner table. Hijiri seated herself to the front and took in the ones present.
Ichirin was absent having been delegated to cooking duty this time.
From her right was a well-mannered and kindhearted woman reading newspaper with her head leaning on bare knuckles held by an elbow on the table. You'd know right away her status as a yokai by her tanuki ears and large striped tail. The woman who most likely had an old man's accent is Mamizou Futatsuiwa. Her height, if she weren't sitting, would be 155cm. Light-brown hair falling to her shoulders and brown eyes didn't leave much of an impression besides the mischievous face she was sporting. Her glasses and green leaf on her head gave others both a wise and wild impression. She mostly consisted of an ecru shirt and a red patterned-skirt.
Right next to Mamizou is a loli-esque girl full of energy and excitement contained inside that 145cm body. She is the infamous and feared Nue Houjuu. The young face was made up of short black hair and deep red eyes. The most extraordinary features had to be her wings that comprised of her right side being composed of three red and metallic-like wings shaped like one-half of a scissor, the other side came together in three blue arrow-shaped tails. The garments on her person comprised of a dress in full black with blue and white trims on her chest and a red bow on the front of the collar. The bottom corners of her skirt had yin-yang-like tomoes designed on it. Moving on to her legs, they were covered in thigh high black stockings and her red shoes had bows on them.
To the left of Hijiri was the temple's idol of worship, Shou Toramaru, the Avatar of Bishamonten. Her divinity showed from her large height of 165cm and yellow-golden eyes and orange-yellow hair with black stripes. There was a lotus-shaped circle cloth attached to her back and hanging over her head. She wears a burgundy, orange, and white dress with a tiger pattern around the abdomen along with white, frilly pants under her dress and black shoes on her feet.
"Welcome Hijiri-san."
"Nice of ya ta drop by."
"Hijiri-san listen! Mamizou-san has brought back the newspaper outside; another world crisis had been diverted!"
A courteous greeting, a casual one, and an excited Shou were what she received.
"Fufufu, settle down now Shou, I'll hear all about it soon enough. But oh dear... another world crisis cropping up is troubling." She paused for a moment in thought until turning her attention away from Shou and directing them to Mamizou." It's a pleasure to see you again, Mamizou-san. how was the trip to the Outside World?"
"Just how it always was recently, things were gettin' interestin' as usual." The Tanuki shot a grin with her fang poking out.
"Oh dear... I hope it wasn't something like the Third World War this time." Hijiri put a hand to her cheek, having a face full of worry.
"Keh heh heh, get this, a war god was making waves outside and had the world's attention." Nue was the one to answer, giggling while sitting cross-legged.
"A war goddess!? And so soon from the world war..." The complexion on her face turned a little bit paler with a hand placed to her cheek. Things have been going out of hand outside that it wouldn't be farfetched if the world were to end very soon, it could only last for so many world disasters in such a short time.
"She's already been done in by the world, so don't go actin' all tense before dinner." Mamizou confirmed it by passing a newspaper to Hijiri to see for herself. She took it off her hands gratefully and skimmed through it to see the headlines of the goddess's defeat.
Feeling relieved, Hijiri gave out an audible sigh and visibly relaxing her muscles. "I'm glad... It's already difficult enough to manage ourselves in Gensokyo. It would be preferable for the world to remain peaceful enough that it doesn't arrive at our front doors."
"That ain't the most shocking thing in the news ya know. It's proof of something even bigger than that." Nue's laced her voice with temptation that drew Hijri into wanting to find out the mystery behind it. What could be even more special than a war goddess planning to destroy the world?
"That's the thing! Hear this Hijiri-san, Kamijou-san stood up again and put a stop to her! Look, that's him on the newspaper!" Shou interjected with stars in her eye. She guided Hijiri to look at a certain photo that was taken at the scene of the goddess's defeat. What was taken was a young boy with eye-catching spiky hair holding the goddess in some sort of hug with a mysterious green glow behind her back.
"Really!? That's him?" A gasp escaped her mouth. She double-checked her eyes to scan the picture of the boy in a fervor. The group learned of him prior to being told by Mamizou from a rumor she had heard in passing. He had something to do with the rise of a new faction that gained infamy around the world. The residents in the temple had taken to a discussion about him in the past month, speculating all sorts of things about this rumored person who potentially had a hand in ending WWIII. "I can't imagine how on earth he could achieve so much yet remain a complete mystery to the public. And so young too."
"And 'twas only a single month 'tween late October and November since he stopped World War Three to boot." Mamizou reported the impressive efforts this boy had taken under the span of a single month.
"Kamijou-san is quite a hard worker then." Hijiri had to smile by the busybody that was this Kamijou-san. "I'm a bit worried about his health though; it would be undesirable for him to collapse."
Oh if only he was actually here to hear about this, he would undoubtedly cry. He can be proud of the fact that beautiful women he has never met before were talking about him.
Back in October, the world was experiencing the waves of a Third World War where the Allies versus Academy City had begun, only to be ended by the Proclamation of Armistice by Russia and its allies with Academy City. Behind the background, there was a mysterious figure and his faction who played a part in ending the war. He was presumed dead until he later reappeared again in the battle against the War God Othinus on national TV.
"Hah! If ya ask me, there's no way that guy is human! Going from one world war to a world terrorist attack isn't something a human has the stamina for! He's got both espers and magicians to be working together in his faction without killing each other! A mere human couldn't possibly achieve that; he's gotta be some yokai. His real name is 'Invisible Demon' [2] after all!" Nue gotten more pumped up as the discussion continued. She was visibly jumping on her seat with her body refusing to stay still.
"But the fact that he was able to bring two mortal enemies together under his banner is admirable! He's the same as Hijiri-san! Also, his real name has to be 'The One Who Purifies God and Slays Demons' [3]!" Shou slammed her hands in the table lightly, getting more fired up that Hijiri had to tell her to sit down again.
"Really? Rumor has it that he's an esper from Academy City. I'm also more of a fan of 'The One Above God' [4] kinda deal." Mamizou gave out her own report and opinion.
"Whether or not he's human doesn't play a huge factor that he was able to make espers and magicians to coincide and end a world war to stopping a world-class terrorist. Whatever his intentions are, his actions are something to look up too. However, Mamizou-san, how accurate is all of this?" Hijiri questioned the authenticity of the information with one eyebrow gestured inquisitively.
"Dear me, I'm hurt that ye would ever doubt my network. I'm quite a big deal at Sado ye know. All of it may be urban legends, but even they have roots of truth for 'em to come to be in the first place." Mamizou didn't sound hurt at all with her grin remaining unaffected.
"My deepest apologies." She sent a small bow at her. "I'm starting to want to meet this person. Maybe we could trade some ideas." Hijiri spoke out her personal fascination with the mystery man, feeling a little optimistic with the prospects of future relations with the boy.
"I'd say he hasn't done enough work to being more famous or exercising that power of his. As his senior, it's my duty as fellow yokai to teach them how to be real big shots." Nue kick backed with her hands behind her on the floor and a grin to match.
"I want to ask him of his heroic deeds!"
"Now that's gonna' be real difficult. If he's really from Academy City, the city that rejects everything superstitious and embraces modern technology to produce espers, then it's gonna' be impossible for him to ever reach Gensokyo. Not to mention this information I've got had almost cost my subordinates' lives before escaping the city."
Hijiri frowned and narrowed her eyes whenever Academy City was mentioned. It was a city that defined everything using the confines of pure logic and statistics, foregoing any mysticism. It was a poisonous land to her, a death chamber for all yokai in her opinion. Not to mention it being a potential world power could threaten the balance of all yokai in the world, endangering them.
"That's a real shame." Hijiri sounded a lot more disappointed than expected from the group. "I had looked forward to seeing what kind of person this Kamijou-san is if he can unite science and magic together."
"Dinners ready!"
Ichirin Called out to the occupants in the room the second she opened the door with plates of food in hand.
"About time! C'mon, give 'em to me." Nue stood upright from her seat and grabbed some of the trays from Ichirin. They both set down the food in time and took their seats.
"So, what was it that I missed?" Ichirin looked over at everyone.
"Kamijou-san was in action again! His faction stopped a war god from destroying the world!" Shou eagerly told her.
"Now now, dinner is here, so the time for Ichirin to catch up has to wait." Admonished Hijiri while Ichirin pouted in indignant from missing out on it.
"Itadakimasu!"
Everyone put their palms together in prayer and set their chopsticks at the food-
"HHRAAG-gaAaaAAAaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHK!"
-Only to promptly drop them on their plates.
Color had faded from their faces. They stammered themselves out of their funk, stood upright, and ran to the front gate outside.
What they witnessed was the rain had turned into a storm. The rampaging rain was threatening to flood Gensokyo at this rate.
"A-artificial rain!? Is someone causing an incident?" Shou had studied the weather in clattered teeth.
Visible thunderclouds were away in the distance from Yokai Mountain's direction.
Something had shot out from it and was heading their way.
When it became visible to them, they saw a body of dazzling opal. Its body structure belonged to a serpent.
The group gathered that it was a dragon and turned blue from its speed rushing towards them. They didn't have enough time to react in their current distressed states.
Its fast approach caught their breaths when they can feel the air pressure crawling on their skins. They're going to turn into blood paste on their temple steps if that thing so much as brute force its way through them, which they can imagine it so vividly in a disconcerting amount of detail — something quite like having flashbacks of your life before it's reaped away.
Hijiri stomped the ground to secure herself with a guarded stance. Shou and Nue summoned a spear and trident respectively, stabbing them to the ground and anchoring themselves. Mamizou transformed into a Jizo statue [5] with her tail remaining animated. Ichirin... grabbed a nearby pillar and hugged it with a mighty grip.
They were in luck as it ultimately passed by them overhead to the direction of the Bamboo forest. The air carried away the roof tiles of their temple and blown away some parts of the ceiling belonging to a certain amount of rooms. Concrete blocks and brick were in for the ride as well into smashing the front of the temple and over it into the cemetery, the unfortunate gravestones met the same fate.
All of them experienced the immense air pressure all over their front bodies as their hair and clothes blew away and clutched their bodies, revealing their alluring figures and proportions for the whole world to see, save for Mamizou. Hijiri shielded her eyes using her arms while the rest covered them.
During the time it was above them, the sky had turned stifling black and rain had ceased activity.
Moments after it disappeared, the rain returned to its original state, and all was peaceful for now.
The entire time everything had taken place spanned for several minutes, but for them, everything was a blur. Only one of them had a response they all could relate to.
"What. The Fuck. Just Happened?"
Hijiri smacked Nue as they regained their composures. Color had returned to their bodies with their held breaths released.
"I wouldn't relax so soon. Look, it's a shikigami." Mamizou pointed out to everyone the approaching origami paper.
"How many people in Gensokyo uses shikigami would you say?" Ichirin whispered to Mamizou with her hands grasping the hems of her skirt.
"Well, the most obvious person had to be that gap yokai."
It landed itself on the palm of Hijiri as she unwrapped it to read what was written. Her eyes turned wide from scanning the contents
"We'll continue this inside. We have an important discussion to make."
The question was how are they going to do that with their temple in such a rundown quality.
At the same time the Myouren group was contemplating their course of actions with regards to the invitation, another group outside of Gensokyo witnessed the biting rain and sunder of the gods from their home using some of the cracks leading to their miniature world to view the ongoing events proceeding in Gensokyo. They too had received a shikigami after the veil of darkness on Gensokyo had dissipated.
"Crown Prince! What does thou think of thee situation?"
"Emergency gathering at the Hakurei Shrine? Bring sake and sweets for the party? The Conference begins at daylight hmm? Not bad."
"What do you mean your highness?
The very archaic way of speaking belonged to Mononobe no Futo, a short girl barely above 143cm. Her grey eyes and short hair tied in a ponytail and a black eboshi hat with white crossing patterns expressed a small image of royalty. It was certainly certified by her clothing consisting of kariginu or suikan, Heian era clothing for those of the Imperial Court modified together by a purple skirt. She positioned herself to the left of her supposed leader
The charming and steadfast voice belonged to the Crown Prince mentioned above, Toyosatomimi no Miko. She was a woman complete in royal backgrounds. Her platinum blond hair was stylized to look like horns. She also had grey eyes. A visible accessory on her is a headpiece that looks like headphones and acts as earmuffs. Under her white vest is a purple dress and beside it is a sword she carries. On her hand in front of her is a shaku, a bamboo ritual baton used in a courtroom. In the colors of royalty, her cape is purple and red on the outer and back side respectively. She was in the front seat of her table inside her personal room.
The direct and frank tone of voice belonged to Soga no Tojiko. She was 160cm together with her two ghost tails substituting her legs. Other than the kanmuri-styled hat on her, she was without anything remarkable to say. A single color overpowered her image, and it was green. Green hair, green eyes, and a green dress with ofudas along the hem. She is by the right side in front of Miko.
This group of supernaturals had seen the ruin the dragons composed. Mainly the one who flew over the Myouren group as they spent a great deal of time laughing their asses off from the misery befallen upon their business rival.
"This certainly looks like a natural and inconspicuous invitation during this time of chaos, no, it's very effective because of the chaos surrounding Gensokyo right now." She identified the nature of this invitation in a heartbeat, eyeing it with suspicion. "But this isn't just a simple invitation for a party to unwind from this state of distress, it's a method of gauging our reactions. How sly of you, gap hag." Miko had made a quick evaluation the moment she read the contents of the shikigami with her eyes narrowed in concentration.
The two servants remained silent for the Prince to continue her explanation. They waited patiently as they visibly loosened up from the charisma she was radiating. In such a time of turmoil, people look towards a leader to guide them. The two wouldn't admit it, but they were terrified by what they had witnessed in Gensokyo. Dragons were infiltrating it and spreading themselves to areas unknown. And the total darkness that had happened which prevented them from witnessing anything more sent a cold chill down their metaphorical spines.
"We're not the only ones to be invited. Most likely, anybody right now who has any semblance of tact is weighing their decisions." Miko had remained calm the entire time compared to the other two. Her voice was unwavering without any impurities to hamper her tongue.
"They're hesitating?" The two subordinates tilted their heads in confusion.
"Correct, if a group were to arrive there immediately, then they can be judged to lack information and are in need of guidance. In other words, they aren't a threat if they show weakness. On the other hand, if a group arrives late, then everybody will assume they know something or had an agenda they carried out, making their own investigations before everybody else. They'll become the one to be most apprehensive of."
Tojiko and Futo became speechless by Miko's quick discernment of the trap laying under that shikigami. This was well within the range of expectation they had for her, but that didn't mean they could prevent themselves from being amazed all the same. She addressed both in a powerful tone befitting a leader. Her voice was neither too loud nor too weak to be taken lightly. And that royal stature and awe-inspiring demeanor broke their anxiety and cleared away the veil of fog behind their minds.
"What would happen if we made a convenient excuse not to be there?" Tojiko suggested a harmless question.
"This is also something we can't refuse to attend to. An absence would lead everybody to be more wary of us and strain trust relations in handling this incident. Even under all of this, we are still naturally competing against one another."
"As expected of Crown Prince's foresight, to be able to remind thyself of all competition even under 'tis situation is most impressive." Futo had nodded in a compliment to Miko and her observations.
"If I let my guard down for a second, then I have no right to even think of making future conquests against the world if I can't conquer this small piece land. Outside of this small world, there are many more rivals to come, especially that one which spans the whole world." In Miko's eyes reflected grand desires and ambitions for the future.
"Art thou perhaps speak of thee Kamijou Faction?"
"That is correct. I had realized something recently, that Gensokyo was too small for me. To think there exists a modern human who has surpassed me in terms of influencing the world in such a short time when it didn't pay the deserved attention I require during my whole life. Before I even dream of facing this man as equals, I must rule over Gensokyo. My world of Senkai [6] is inefficient in terms of a primary base of operations." There was an edge and excitement for a challenge in her voice behind the smile charming enough to silence crying babies. The deep respect for this man was obvious behind her smirk.
"You've been quite diligent lately the day that newspaper drifted into Senkai."
"There is only one goal I aspire to, and that is to be at the top as befitting my grand title of the one who rules the cosmos. And the one who guards the very doors and throne for which I shall claim is none other than my rival! The One who Purifies God and Slays Demons!" Miko proclaimed her objective to best the one with the highest power in the world with a strike of her shaku on the table.
"Not to sound rude or anything your highness, but what do you see in this man besides his impressive feats as of late that may or may not exist?"
"'Tis vexing for thy to be in agreement with thee vulgar spirit, but what doth see within thee man beside thee impressive anecdotes to thou name?"
"Hmm-hmm, I had already read your desires before you spoke of them." She nodded with her eyes closed and arms crossed. "And to answer, it is because of the day the Third World War ended and during late August. Can you remember what happened during those days? Your next lines are 'The stars vanished from the sky' and 'Thee world turned day to night' by the way [7]."
"The stars vanished from the sky. Eh-!?"
"The world turned day to night. Geh-!?"
"Correct, and from that day when the war had ended, so too did the night sky vanished, and the stars returned to their proper positions. A related event had occurred before that in August, and my intuition tells me that Kamijou had been a central element in both cases. Now you see? My admiration is not misplaced. That man is just like myself; the world is too small for people like us! It is necessary for me to face the one who can triumph against the stars themselves!" Miko made a clenched fist to crush something as she stood from her seat so suddenly. The purple cape behind her defied gravity as it swayed from the sheer absence of air to do so.
Both of her subordinates stopped questioning the Princess's determination. They were now aware of the vastness outside their world. For Miko to comprehend this just by the newspaper alone had impressed them once again.
"Enough of future projects that can be waited, what is the time available?" Miko ordered one of them to speak up after bringing back the main topic right as she sat back down.
"The night shall turn midnight in two hours and becomes daybreak six and a half hours after."
"What is your decision, Crown Prince?"
The Princess did not answer right away, visibly stuck in concentration with her hands clasped and fingers crossed before her face. Both shut their mouths with the intensity of the air vibrating near Miko.
"It wouldn't do to skip out on the ceremony; we don't want to offend everybody lest we sour relations with the gap hag who went out of her ways to invite us in the first place. But we can't be a part of the early groups to show any signs of weakness."
Miko shut her eyes slowly before drawing in a breath. Her two followers inched closer to her in anticipation for her answer. After a split second, she finally reached a conclusion they can act upon and opened her eyes with a fierce glow.
"Hence we wait until midnight for departure. This way we will neither be early or late."
With her imperious announcement finished, a sound agreement rung all over the room by the two subordinates.
"Then there really is nothing to worry over, as long as your highness will lead, as if I ever doubted that." Tojiko lightly smiled with Futo nodding away fervently.
"Yes, yes, with Crown Prince's guidance, we will prosper beyond thee Dragon's scheme. Though 'tis an insignificant worry of thine, if thee dragons-"
Futo was cut off short by Miko who controlled the conversation the entire time, waving her concerns aside."There is no need for concern, our world is apart from Gensokyo, their claws will never reach-"
She stopped herself with her ears detecting a small rumbling. Her superhuman senses aided her in seeing dust bouncing very lightly, undetectable to the normal eye. Shortly after, Tojiko and Futo looked around in confusion. Where was that sound coming from?
Suddenly, without warning, the room rumbled with exquisite and antique jars and plates kissing the floor and shattered. An earthquake broke out around and below their tiny abode. A giant geyser burst right under them, leaving nothing of value to be found from this barren terrain.
"Dragon God has finally returned to Gensokyo..."
A mutter softly flowed out into the air.
Somewhere in Yokai Mountain, a certain individual had witnessed the entire series of events the first moment that Dragon God appeared in the sky, all the way to the end when the mass of energy that belonged to Dragon God dissipated.
She was standing in front of her fancy, Japanese mansion, or what she would call a dojo.
"To think that only a mere century and more would pass for this day to finally come. I don't know why or how he returned to this land, only one thing is for certain. Heaven is smiling upon me."
That woman who spoke of ominous words and had the impression of being knowledgeable of the finer workings to come was in a position of knowing in the first place.
"It was that day... that day they imparted to me the knowledge and granted us this secret world. It was always a matter of time for the North Star to be devoured whole. Thus, Heaven and Earth shall be sundered, and the true rulers of heaven will take the throne in this fragile world."
She reached out to from where Dragon God was once before in an attempt to grasp something unfathomable with her bandaged arm.
"Not even Yukari is in the know of all that is to come. I pity her. She spoke of her ideal Gensokyo, but how will that turn out to be in the end?"
She retracted her hand from the air and broke out an indecipherable smile, whatever was behind that smile will remain known only to herself and the dragons.
"After all, only I was able to communicate with their words. I had the aptitude for that purpose."
Turning around, she walked back to her dojo through the porch and front gate, she staggered inside in an uneven pace, pressing the bandaged arm against the wall.
"He-heh heh heh heh heh heh heh..."
Her whole body was trembling to force back her jubilations. She finally reached her private room, a desk and scrolls laid all over the floor.
"Eh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh...!"
"Yo Hermit, I'm bargin' inside so I can reap your life."
"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-oh it's just you."
"What's with that sudden transition of voice pitch? Saw you had cold feet coming in just now. You alright?"
Sitting cross-legged on an exposed circular window in the owner's main room and leaning back on it casually was a pinkish redhead wielding a scythe in the night. The one asking the questions and trespassing the owner's home is one of the ferrymen of the Sanzu River, Komachi Onozuka. Her two ponytails reflected her laid-back personality very well. Adding to her wrinkled white dress and blue vest tied together using a large obi with a large in the dead center, it transmitted her body language perfectly.
The person who jumped up from the voice entering and yelped in response was the hermit, Kasen Ibaraki. She wasn't feeling very keen right now from the rude jumpscare earlier. What with her bandaged arm and shackled left arm was crossed with utilizing her 166cm height to appear intimidating. Her red eyes were crossed with her shoulder-length pink hair and two Chinese-styled buns wavering from the air coming inside from the window. Her white shirt and green skirt beneath the brown tabard designed with vines of thorns and rose ornament quivered alongside her.
"What's with that creepy laughter you just had? I guess you're really are out of it because of those dragons outside. Don't worry, I can totally relate, I almost pissed my pants earlier." Komachi nodded to herself sagely in closed eyes.
"Y-yeah! Totally! It was really scary outside just now, w-who wouldn't be!? In fact, you scared me half to death just now!" In a stammering attempt to cover herself, she waved her arms rapidly to have some semblance of being convincing.
"Rrright, right, right, right. Anywho, me and the boss are in official business currently and sent me to look for you." Komachi waved at her with a single eye open.
"Who me?" Kasen pointed to herself in bewilderment. What would the Yama want with her?
"We caught a shikigami. I don't have to say it to spell out who this belongs to yeah?" As Komachi pulled out a shinigami from her breast pocket as proof, she made a knowingly disgusted face.
"Ugh, so did I." The two shared disgusted faces with their voices leaking in disdain. She pulled her shikigami out and clasped it tightly, putting her hands to her hip and stared straight at Komachi. "That still doesn't answer what the Yama wants with me."
"Honestly, she just wanted someone knowledgeable about the state of Gensokyo intimately as a safe measure among her group to the Hakurei Shrine." Komachi shrugged her shoulders with a bored expression. "If we have a guide among us to fix this incident, it's a good lift on our shoulders."
"Well sorry to disappoint, but I don't have any idea on what's going on either. It displeases me but we might as well get there immediately." Wearing an annoyed face, Kasen relayed her answer to Komachi immediately. "If we try and act like we know something when we're not, that means no ones going to bother trusting us as a result."
"Sounds good to me. Let me on my way to pick up the boss and give her your answer." Stretching her arms without tilting her scythe carried a lot of professionalism behind that deceiving attitude. She was on her way before Kasen stopped her.
"Hey... Why is the night light outside...kinda blue?" She brought the shinigami's attention outside by following her line of sight.
Komachi turned away to the side and noticed it too. The night had a blue spell cast all over it. She picked herself up and jumped from the roof tile to a higher level, Kasen following her steps. They turned their necks upward and found the moon had turned blue. The shinigami beside the hermit gave a loud shout from witnessing the sheer absurdity the current events had progressed to.
"HOLY SHIT! THEY FUCKED UP THE MOON SO HARD, IT TURNED BLUE!" The shinigami smacked a hand to her forehead in horrification and amusement. The visual was so incredibly unbelievable, it was in turn completely acceptable in Gensokyo. She turned to look over her current companion and saw her clutching her stomach and shivering with her eyes downcast and lips wobbling. It was a natural response in her opinion, but the truth behind Kasen's reaction was something else.
(N...no, I mustn't laugh now... I'm a hermit, therefore, I must practice patience... b... but...!)
[1]: Traditional Japanese footwear, a sandal with a wooden sole raised off the ground.
[2]: Touma's given name (当麻) is homophonous to Invisible Demon (透魔) that's pronounced like Tōru ma.
[3]: Instead of how his usual name is spelled out (上条当麻), it can be rewritten into One who Purifies God and Slays Demons (神浄討魔).
[4]: And his family name 'Kamijou' (上条) is homophonous to One Above God (神上).
[5]: Jizo statues represents Jizo Bosatsu, a form of divinity in Japanese Buddhism as protectors of dead children.
[6]: A secret, sealed world for hermits accessible anywhere in Genoskyo via cracks that contain endless space.
[7]: The famous line used by Joseph Joestar in Battle Tendency. Miko had used it before in her debut game, Ten Desires.
Please call out any grammar errors in my fic. They are very much appreciated.