A/N: I'M FINALLY BACK! AND I'M REAL SORRY FOR LEAVING YOU GUYS ALONE FOR NEARLY ALL OF SUMMER!
But wow was NTR22 a wild ride. I can't even begin to appropriately describe the insanity of it and my reactions beyond losing my shit in certain scenes. I've also fixed certain details in my fic in correspondence to the revelations provided by the novel. The general plot of the story will remain largely the same, but certain details have been altered and new ones will be inserted into certain stages.
If any of you are worried for what the current state of this fic and my state of procrastination, I'm mostly mingling around in the Kamachiland discord alongside fellow To Aru fanfic authors. Drop by to yell at me to hurry up and update the next chapter, I'll need it.
Review Responses:
Mrcrazyman94: Yo, I'm back now for this new chapter. I've already provided the answer to your question in the PMs anyway.
awardell: haha, I'll try my best.
Guest: Thank you for that correction. I'm proud that you found Alien's debut to give you that high of an opinion.
KRKing: Indeed, how will Touma ever subdue these dragons.
UltraReader: Touhou's natural espers will follow none of the rules for the espers in To Aru. Espers like Sumireko will be categorized as high-level gemstones while moon rabbits belong to a different definition of espers as they can use magic. The Lunar Capital is a country far removed from Aleister's Archetype Controller and they don't have the Power Curriculum Program to create espers as they follow a completely different method. It's canon in To Aru that countries have been trying to create their own versions of espers so the same logic follows here, except the Lunar Capital has been making espers way earlier than Academy City.
: Thank you for the strong review. I've already made some talks with you on discord and had plans to remodel the prologues.
WilliamZO: Touma vs the four devas... I'm actually itching to write something like that down the line. At this point, his powers are as confusing as Ichigo's not gonna lie. The shocking pink dragon definitely left a big impression on me what with his opinions on his user and IB respectively that will be reflected in this story. As for Sky blue and Lemon yellow... I really want to bring that out someday in this!
Guest: Frankly Touma has survived quite a number of things worse than having his arm cut off for any extended amount of time. This is the same guy who can still have a full conversation with Othinus despite having his lower half blown off.
Guest: Othinus had implied that Invisible Thing wasn't as powerful back then at WW3. Wolrd Rejector also has other conditions that can be used to send someone. For what worked on Touma was that he had conflicting desires in his heart when he proclaimed that he would cut off Kamisato despite his true strength lies in connecting with his enemies and listening to them out. I can't give out any important information concerning the goals of the dragons other than to stick around and find out.
Guest: You're right about the prologues and that they need to be remodeled. Back then in the early phase of the story, those prologues were a way to keep up interest while I worked out the larger plot lines. Now though I wish to fix them since five prologues are too long. I already have plans to shorten them into three and call them chapters instead. Some parts will be shortened and maybe even one will be entirely removed from how redundant it is.
Sad Panda: Sorry about the wait, I had to adapt the new information of NTR22 into my fic during this time.
Chapter 7: First night in Gensokyo VII
The moment Touma took his step, he tripped, face-faulted right into the mud with the grace of a swan who molted all their feathers.
"Pfft-hahahahaha, you dumbass!" Rumia mercilessly laughed at his plight. Using her finger to point at him on the ground to express the sheer mockery she held for him.
Blowing the mud off his face, Touma had trouble shifting his weight to get back up.
Not missing this chance rarely passed, Rumia spread her arms and summoned a hundred bullets to her side. Red and blue crossed the distance to rain on his body without mercy.
And in perfect response, Touma's body clicked into auto-pilot. His body positions rapidly changed in sequence to avoid the bullets. In mere seconds, holes sprouted around his body, but not a single one landed on him. The final pose he struck wouldn't be out of place in Jack Dawson's painting.
Rumia twitched an eyebrow, and her crooked smile only added to her amazed confusion. Getting her bearings back, she switched it up by firing her next set of bullets at different angles and directions instead of the straightforward approach.
Left, right, and diagonal right. The bullets flew with purpose. They curved with precise accuracy, but even a novice would notice their predisposed path with a single glance. Touma's arm planted itself in the ground to carry all his weight, and with it as a pole, he lifted his body upward to front flip in the air and land on his feet to dodge every bullet.
"I appreciate you waiting for me; you're a nice person." Touma commented with heartfelt honesty.
With a frown, Rumia's blood boiled and veins pumped all over her face. Wordlessly, she levitated higher in the air and overshadowed his position in her vantage point.
"Woah, nobody told me about flying in this." Touma looked in slight horror yet awestricken by her simple flight magic. This bout would turn out to be even more troublesome.
"This idiot really knows nothing about being secretive..." Rumia plainly said with a flat tone though she wasn't someone to say anything about keeping secrets either.
With one hand pointed at him, she directed dozens of bullies to fly at their target without class or coordination. The volley of raining bullets neared at him. Noticing this setup, Touma stood still impassively, and not a single one grazed him. He watched as the bullets surrounded him without a worry, allowing his clothes to billow from the force.
Frustrated by his casual posture and viewing the bullets as mere light shows up close, Rumia concentrated a generous amount of mana to her other raised arm. In her palm, a big sphere expanded until it was thrice the size of her head.
Before launching the sphere in her hand, the corners of her eye noticed something flying towards her. It was a pebble that pierced through the gaps in her volley. Reacting in time, she swerved her head to the side, but the true aim of the pebble was centered at the sphere hovering above her hand. The collision produced a small explosion point-blank with a resounding boom.
The effect landed true. Rumia looked no worse for wear save for her singed hair and irritation marred into her childish face. What she didn't notice was that she was back on the ground, lying there with her butt flat.
Taking his chances, Touma ran full force towards the helpless girl on the ground, left fist raised menacingly. Each step of his endangered him to another kiss with the ground, but he struggled and grounded them to keep him running barely. Touma reared back his arm and barreled his fist at her with a fierce look. Not willing to take this down, the downed girl swayed to the side with an updraft.
Having put every inch of effort into that swing, Touma spun around like crazy. His legs responded with fever to return his posture.
Rumia then swarmed his spinning body with black bullets launched with the speed of a jaguar. When the revolving blurs finished, all Touma could see incoming was a tree trunk where he rammed his forehead against it. He fell over and avoided every ensuing bullet that carved themselves into the tree.
"Take this seriously! Your life is on the line!" Rumia shouted vociferously, not understanding why she would do such a thing.
Without lending any thought to her words, Rumia shot towards his limp body on the ground and summoned a scattershot of bullets running simultaneously.
Again, Touma consented control over to his body and in return, his body rolled over to the side, repeatedly avoiding every consecutive barrage on the ground. With a kick, Touma spun in the air to his side and with a skid of his feet in a circular motion, he stood back up.
"Alright! Now I'm really ready to get this started!" Touma proclaimed loudly across no one. It turns out the skidding of his feet had drawn his back facing the incoming youkai.
The youkai basked in the darkness reached up, settled her arms below his armpits and lifted him. Smirking in self-satisfaction, Rumia launched both of them deeper into the woods.
"You can't fly, you're not even using the most basic of bullets to fight, and you really are too ignorant of everything in Gensokyo. Even the most pathetic, untrained individual can fire off one bullet." Rumia spelled out the simple truth in hungry anticipation for the chance to chow down on some human meat in a long time. And as a preview to her victory, the youkai of Dusk stuck her tongue out and trailed it down his cheek to the nape of his neck.
Shivering from the touch of her tongue, the spiky-haired boy sprung his legs forward to grab a tree branch. Locking his legs, he then motioned his body forward for Rumia to headbutt into the tree trunk with the inertia from her flight.
The helm-splitting pain at the moment got to her, and the arms wrapped around the boy's armpit loosened. The youkai fell to the bottom and stayed there, reeling from the pain.
"So, I take it that counts, right?" Peeking on top of the branch, Touma peered down to see Rumia curled with her legs nestled against her chest. She glared up above defiantly. "Guess not."
With a snarl, the youkai of darkness launched up and summoned bullets to her side. Not being surprised by her reaction, Touma dived out of the way and latched onto another tree branch, swinging between branches deeper into the forest.
He heard the wind behind him fast approaching, so Touma halted and using the momentum to spin around the branch he held. Rumia passed through and he let go after one more spin to whip his body above the forest.
From his vantage point in the air, he viewed the distance while the rain pelted his cloak. A light caught his eye. From his peripheral vision, he saw a crowd of old-fashion Japanese-styled houses. But that wasn't what alerted him the most. It was the trees rustling off to the side. Something was happening over where he couldn't reach.
Back to Rumia, she looked around her area wearing a mask of seething irritation. The resentment she held for the human was rising the more the danmaku stretched.
She had no plans to ruin her clothes in the rain and fly above. And she was assured of herself that the human will fall back down eventually with his apparent lack of means to fly.
She was nocturnal; thus, she could see well in the dark unless it was her own magic. But the human was certainly crafty, and she couldn't find a hint of him in the trees. His dark cloak certainly aided him well. Far too well.
She tried tracking his scent and sniffed the air a few times. A failure with the absence of that human's signature odor.
"How did I lose his scent!?" Rumia held her arms up in frustration. The rain aided him from above to remove any lingering tracks for her to follow.
Not even a shadow of movement was seen. Nor was there a hint of rustling leaves sounded in the air.
Then, a thud came from a tree.
"There you are!"
A bullet traveled fast and dented the tree where the noise came from. More bombarded it until the tree lumbered over.
There was no one behind it.
Then came even more thuds around the trees surrounding her. The noise continued to reverberate as if mocking her. Fed up and annoyed by the cacophony, she growled out loud and fired multitudes of bullets around herself.
The consequence of such rashness bore fruit. The attacks landed on the bases of the trees, and the heads tumbled over to her as the center.
Paling, Rumia weaved around the falling trees but failed to avoid them all. The tumbling trees forced her down beneath them where only her head and arm poked out.
"That was easy." The boy held responsible for this turn of events walked out from the shade and in front of the downed youkai. Casually, he juggled pebbles and tree branches in one arm. "I wasn't sure how I could fool a nocturnal being but being able to see in the dark isn't enough when you can't see me, to begin with."
He crouched down to where his knees were at the level of her head. Looking up, the youkai wore a sneer and growled in his face.
"You're not a very bright person, are you? Since environmental hazards don't count as pinchus, that means they must come from my own power. Hai! Number one!" Touma raised his left arm and chopped down on her forehead. She yelped cutely.
"Hai! Number two!" Sending down the second chop and finisher, the distance was closing so very soon with the curtains of this match drawing to a close.
"Kuh!" Not willing to leave everything to such an anticlimactic ending, Rumia defiantly tried to figure out a path out of this.
She was to pull out her own signature ability — the power to manipulate darkness.
Gripping the mud between her fingers, blackness spread out and spikes jutted at the normal boy's direction. He jumped in time and lamented his misjudgment for the attack to actually be a defense. The darkness did not seek out to harm him, but to surround the youkai in a sphere.
Or better yet, he refused to rely on his right hand during that moment in case of an accident where he would touch the youkai. The repercussions could not be predicted, and there may be irreversible damage.
"So what? Nothing's changed at all!" With one swipe of his right hand, the darkness dispersed cleanly from the air.
What came out of the sphere was the youkai of darkness, Rumia hovering above the ground free from her woodpile encasement.
"Puny and annoying human! I'm really angry right now!" With a face morphed into childish rage, Rumia constructed bullets swirling around her body. They cycled around in a vortex like fireflies in the night.
In due response, Touma backflipped away from the ensuing maelstrom. With sudden poise and grace, his body flowed from the air pressure and resistance to spin and skid on the ground, avoiding every bullet in the process.
Had he always been able to do certain stunts like this?
Under normal circumstances, he could not maneuver his body with such fine control and grace.
That is if he weren't doing so subconsciously.
With an enormous amount of experience and reflexes hones through trials of fire and combat, his body memorized and can move for the most optimizable movement without any of his conscious input.
But was that boy himself aware of any of this?
Turning around to find two side by side trees, he jumped and kicked them like springs to reach higher ground. Making his way by wall-jumping he stood triumphant.
Bringing his body upright to stand on the jungle of trees, he skipped across a path he discerned for himself. The wind tickled his skin and felt Rumia closing in on him. She was faster than him for sure, but her movements were straightforward. Turning was difficult and he exploited that gap in skill.
Touma strafed to the side, timing just the right moment before she would ram into him. The duo played out this game of tag. Rumia continued to try her hardest at ramming at the boy while he maneuvered out of the way. In a battle of attrition, the youkai was certainly tiring out far quicker the human boy.
(This is bad…)
Rumia wiped a trail of sweat from her forehead. That human would continue to prance and dodge all of her efforts. Then why not remove his only terrain advantage. Smirking with full of intention, she basked herself in bullets and burst them in all directions. Ascending in time before the collapse could begin, the youkai above in the rain watched her work bear fruit.
"Woah!" Touma cried out in surprise when he lost his balance. The trees surrounding him began to lean and descent. With no ledge to grab hold onto, he could only pray nothing vital would be crushed.
A series of rumbles later and a cloud dust dissipated away, the youkai dropped down on the solid ground and looked at a garden of logs piled on top of each other. She had her doubts the human would've survived all that, which was an inconvenience since the rules prohibited death.
She could blast all of this away and find a defenseless human with no support from the environment to aid him. But that victory was far too simple for her tastes at this point. That fearless human charging into the challenge with full of bravery was unforgivable.
She would make quick work of him and break his heart. To strike the fear of youkai down to the deepest depths in his heart before consuming him.
"Ahhh… what to start with? Maybe I'll start slow and nip away at his fingers? No, no, perhaps a chow down on his legs so then he can't escape? Oh, but I should be gentle as possible, I wouldn't want him passing out too quickly." Rumia reviewed her choices and licked her lips in anticipation.
A gap within the pile was found and the youkai dived in. Crawling her way inside the logs, she was prepared enough to season her meal before dining in.
"Oh, Kamijou~ I'm so lonely without you playing with me. And I'm really hungry right now, so could you stay still while I try to find you?" Gnawing her teeth to send the boy lost in the darkness some noise to start tendering his heart with some flavor.
She crawled and crawled, careful to use her body weight to produce creaking sounds in multiple areas of the pile to confuse her prey from pinpointing where exactly she was.
"I really need your help Kamijou…Won't you please save me from this aching? I'm starving… starving for you."
Then, a light flashed from an open spot. Rumia did not rush at it and was prudent enough to inch herself closer without alerting the prey. Soundlessly, she approached with caution and an insatiable hunger coursing through her veins. Why the light appeared, she did not know. She thought the human was capable of magic, after all. But why hide it until now?
When she got close enough, Rumia pounced at it and lounged an arm at the source of the light. In her hands were some weird rectangular boxes connected by a cylinder. Her fingers were blocking the top screen where the light pierced through her thin skin and the bottom portion had squares with numbers on them.
(Isn't this an outsider invention?)
Carefully, her fingers were undone, and she shut her eyes half-lidded from the sudden light that struck her face. Out of the corners of her eye, a shadow twitched from the light and figured the source came from behind.
Abruptly, a whip-like motion swooshed at her, leaving her to back off with her back against a wall of logs from pure surprise. Startled, Rumia raised her head and Kamijou Touma's outline shook itself in the dark.
"Heh, so you were expecting me to come to you. What if instead, I actually did collapse this forest again on you?" Biding time to consider the options of escape, she threw that question at him.
"You'd still be missing one more point."
Rumia widened her eyes and cursed under her breath. His answer brought her mind to how precarious the situation became. If she were to use her bullets in such a tight space like this, a single stray one can remove the entire foundation of this pile. He could freely rush and attack her in a kamikaze if he wished. Under such circumstances, both would score a point in a clash and she'll still lose.
Touma lunged at her hard with a branch wielded in his right hand. She ducked and saw an incoming clenched left fist coming at her in an uppercut. Putting weight into her legs, she jumped to avoid it and rammed into the sturdy ceiling, dropping back down with a knee and grunt.
She scooted until she was inside a tight and narrow corridor from a leg jabbing at her face. With no way out, she just had to make sure the spiky-haired boy couldn't approach any closer. With a growl, bullets manifested from the refined mana in her hand and trailed the air leaving behind blurs.
(He only has so much room to work with! Not to mention we're in a straight passageway!)
But her hopes were dashed. That human cloaked in black casually stride forward and avoided everything thrown at him.
Rumia camouflaged with her darkness in a sphere. Undeterred by this, Touma raised his right hand wielding a branch forward to make sure there was a distance between the hand and her. Because of the range, he had no more to fear with her last defense stripped away.
"Ten, no, twelve inches, huh?" Touma calculated the distance of the branch jammed beneath her armpit. She avoided that strike by a marginal inch. "That's enough for me to reach you before you bring the entire thing down on us."
Rumia wore a nervous smile. Despite all the ridicule she had given him, it was time to admit that this human was clever indeed. He used everything at his disposal and around him to seize even the most insignificant chance to survive his first encounter with an experienced youkai.
"You'll definitely score a point if you do that. However," Touma raised his left hand and clenched it. "This difference in pinchus can't be fixed." With his final word, a straight punch drove with bare knuckles.
What to do?
With so little room, even if she swerved her head to the side, that fist will still curve and land on her anyway.
What other options were there?
Suddenly, pain spread all across Touma's body. He gritted his teeth and tried to bear it. The coursing fire caused his fist to hesitate.
Noticing and before that fist reached her nose, an insightful idea crossed her mind at that moment.
Rumia opened her mouth wide and clamped down on that fist.
"Ow!?" Touma grimaced from the touch of her teeth digging into his flesh. Her jagged teeth were no joke as their tearing power on his flesh drew blood coming in little blotches.
The bite was not acted upon by just instinct alone. She had noticed this human's wariness in touching her with his right hand and the sudden deceleration of that flying fist.
The force behind that punch was unexpectedly strong. So strong that she had to weigh down her feet just to make sure she didn't fall over by the staying force.
She felt proud and smug inwardly. But then she noticed his leg rising to launch a swift knee. She had completely ignored that he had more than two limbs.
An idiot will remain as an idiot.
That leg did not contain enough force to push her body away, but it was enough to win.
Just before that knee to her chin could end this game, that distant hum he had heard earlier felt much closer than before. In fact, he could sense it was closing in on them, fast. His opponent noticed the great change in the air as well.
"Whuf?" By her own surprise and admission, Rumia turned her head slowly to a patch of lights piercing through small gaps in the jumble of logs.
Touma could sense the undiluted power compressed into that ray of light. Bright and powerful enough to turn their bodies to dust.
This unexpected radiant power destroyed any time for both to avoid this on their own.
Touma held his gaze at the youkai in front of him. He had a power he could rely on, but not even he was sure it could fully dispel this radiant light. It will also not cover her portion of the blast radius. Worst case, both of them won't survive.
Time was running out, and his train of thought hadn't been the most rational for the occasion. But the risks he needed to make to ensure the safety of his enemy were thrown out along with the caution into the wind.
Not even the fact that his enemy sought to kill him - even worse, eat him - would be enough to convince him of abandoning them to an unexpected death by an unknowing third-party.
Right now, his legs did not offer him enough power to push her body away as the pain coursing through short-circuited their nerves.
There was also the fact her mouth was firmly biting his fingers. Detaching them came a priority.
And there was a move that could provide both ends to his goal of saving this youkai.
Within a split-decision, Touma finally wielded the power to slowly heal or to coldly destroy inside his right hand and jammed it hard in her direction.
Time seemed to painfully slow down. The natural enemy of all supernatural entities snarled at the unsuspected girl.
The endangered girl turned back, noticing the approaching disaster.
That right hand - granter of wishes and destroyer of illusions - made contact at the youkai's ofuda and a patch of her blond hair.
Time finally halted its steps.
A quake rampaged inside her body. Eyes wide-open, Rumia, as her body fell, opened her mouth to scream, yet nothing came forth.
The spiritual body of a youkai was being damned, and her ofuda seemed to melt and tear itself apart.
Not having time to assess the youkai's condition, Touma directed his right hand towards the light. Immediately, a surge of blinding radiance slammed into that small hand frail in comparison.
"Grrr!"
Everywhere was engulfed in yellow with his hand cutting the light in half to protect his body. He could not see beyond the walls, so he did know whether that youkai named Rumia survived. But he was confident that she narrowly escaped having touched by this.
His hand was lodged still by the left holding it in place, but it was not enough to prevent the rumbling left behind by the attack. Soon, his hand will be forced out of position.
Which will last longer?
His hand?
Or the overwhelming force?
The answer had destroyed his illusion of grasping victory.
His hand was bent to an awkward angle; thus, his body was lifted from the ground. The force carried him out of the garden of trees with neck-breaking speed.
His senses disoriented alongside his vision of spurring madly in the air. When he came back down, he was a far distance away and crashed hard into a bunch of sturdy branches, putting him to sleep.
"That's seven. Are you finally willing to show yourself, worm?"
Green hair alongside red and white plaids - Yuuka inspected the dust cloud in front of her.
Notified by the shikigami of Yukari, she made her way to the forest and followed the trail left behind by demolisher of her home.
"I had plans to stop by the antique store for a commission, but that won't be necessary now that I've found the one responsible." Yuuka pleasantly said. A serene smile was in contrast with the quiet fury behind her glare. She patted her parasol that was still closed.
The movement of shadow behind that dust was evident. And with a spurt of wind, the lurker beneath the darkness showed itself to the audience.
"It's not the first time I had a woman chase after me. But I hardly find this a joyous occasion." A voice so perverse and sinister rung in the air. There was a dry tone that spelled out its reluctance to engage.
There was an ominous creaking of doors coming from the twitching of their claws. A body so huge and serpentine in form, it was a wonder how this thing managed to hide behind the trees with its body slithering on top of them.
A dragon without any color. The body was neither fully black nor white since the colorful spectrum of light failed to deliver its true beauty.
Another fact that came equally shocking to the view was a lone girl being hung between the gripping claws.
Blonde hair wearing a red band, light blue dress with long white sleeves and black boots covering white socks. Her eyes stayed closed with her head hung low, indicating she was less than conscious as of right now.
"... What are you planning on doing with her? A meal, or a maiden for your perverted tastes since you're a dragon?" Yuuka jabbed at the dragon after recomposing herself from the shocking reveal of a dragon this huge being in Gensokyo.
"She was on my priority list, but now I have to scrap it... since a new wish has been made, I must follow through it. A shift in priority must be met; the others are not to interfere as their roles cannot be interrupted." The dragon said with a twitch of its mouth. There was a hint of dwelling excitement behind its distorted voice.
"Wish? So, someone ordered you to kidnap her. I'm also interested that you mentioned others. Is the goal of this group of yours to kidnap maidens as your treasures?" Yuuka regarded the dragon contemptuously.
The shake of their head denied her assumption. "Though entertaining in thought, my master has nothing to do with my concurrent aim in this girl; she was someone of convenience that I found. And she was quite easy to capture. With a single conjuring of her weakness for hypnosis, she'll do anything I want." The colorless dragon grinned maliciously.
Yuuka did not miss the subtle lewd remark. "Regardless of your relation to that girl, I'll be having your head should you refuse to pay compensation for my abode." She warned threateningly having swung her parasol leisurely.
"Oh? But see, I'm only an innocent dragon trying to protect what's most important to me. I couldn't have possibly done anything to displease a stranger like you." They claimed with mock courteously.
Yuuka narrowed her eyes at that, feeling not an ounce convinced by it.
Dragon.
Guardian of treasures and dweller of the abyss. Its proclaimed purpose fulfilled that stereotype, but she felt there was more to it.
She pulled a cheery face with a closed-eye smile and directed her retort cleanly. "That's too bad. And yet, I can't help but want to remedy this irritation for this injustice upon my estate and me. Would you be so willing to care for this lady for one night?"
"Hmph." That rough grunt was enough to tell that all pretenses were going to be dropped. "What a sharp intuition you possess. Must have come from the old age."
That smiling face did not flicker in the slightest. Only the tightening of her grip on her parasol was enough to turn the air still with fright.
"As for your proposal, it will be a swift no." The claws twitched in amusement and derision. "We won't "play" danmaku, but something a bit more…primitive. Tell me... do I look like a cute girl wearing a silly hat?" It sported a toothy grin, not withholding any of its bloodlust.
Danmaku made it possible for all participants to be equal under the clashing of mind and art of the soul.
This dragon knew full well of the rules working in tandem with the land. And by its words, it did not see her as equals, nor would it lower itself to her level.
Though having been rejected, Yuuka was not discouraged. On the contrary, she was delighted. A handful of giggles came from her lips. She brought a hand to her mouth when they became soft laughs.
"Ah, how long has it been since someone had taken me this seriously with such unswerving will? I can feel the intent in your eye behind those claws." She opened her gleaming eyes to gaze at the colorless dragon with the craving for a bloodbath.
"Should it be wise to release that much bloodlust, Youkai Moe?[1]" The dragon mocked in quiet amusement. "If you want to spark that long lost thrill and pump that shriveled and decrepit body of yours, be my guest. The first move is all yours." They offered pretentiously.
And the youkai smirked. "It's already been done."
A moment too late in realization, the dragon dropped Alice from its hold and squirmed in pain.
"AAAAARGH!?"
A bloodcurdling shriek burst from the throat of the dragon. But that wasn't the only thing. A garden of flowers flew out of its mouth.
"The air!? Spores!"
Yuuka had her mouth lightly open in a cruel smile. She watched sadistically as the dragon writhed its body in agony.
What she had done was to spread and implant spores in the oxygen that all living organisms breathe. With the intake of the seeds, flowers that were once thought harmless will accelerate their growth from the inside and shred the body from tiny gaps and holes that couldn't be reached.
The twisted body expanded in size; vines leaked out from under the scales with blood crudely spilling from the wounds. Thousands of saplings shoved the dragon's jaw and teeth from the gums, bringing untold pain. And the base of the claws - where the eye sockets should be had malignant petals slipping from the small gaps with tears of blood flowing down.
"Is this all that you can offer me? I appreciate how well you're lasting against my trap, so please, become another of my fine works of art." Yuuka's face turned neutral in slight disappoint that struggling was the only resistance coming from the dragon.
Their face became disfigured as the unending stream of greenery took over and swallowed them up from the inside. The trembling stopped and repeatedly resumed in reoccurrence. The claws gripped against each other and threatened to tear off from the base with how forceful they were pressed.
Some of the scales had fallen off with a pop, giving an opportunity to study the insides. Yuuka casually walked closer until she was beneath the chin of the dragon. She kicked away the fragile body of Alice and examined the contents.
"What?" Was her surprised murmur.
From within, she found nothing but a hollow shell. There did not exist any innards or flesh beneath the armor of scales. What was eerie came the question of what the source for the blood was leaking out from.
Yuuka made a small jump and grabbed one of the claws hanging above. She then gripped it with tremendous strength bordering on the level of an oni's and brought it down to the ground alongside the dragon's head.
"Haa…haa…haa…haa…"
The whizzing and raspy voice were all that was heard in the aftermath of such horrific torture. Their face lost all spirit and had their tongue sticking out on the ground.
"Explain this to me. What type of dragon are you supposed to be?" Yuuka asked coldly.
Too weak. This dragon was too weak in her opinion. It's believed that dragons were two magnitudes above youkai in the land of Gensokyo. But the performance of this one, especially of its grand size, was a complete wash.
"I…am Tanin'iver, the accompaniment of Lilith and Samael, that is to say, it is my role to bring two forces as one." The previously tired body was no more. The fakement promptly ended, and Yuuka wisely backed off. "Connect and disconnect." Head lifted, the now named Tanin'iver shook its head to remove any unnecessary accessories. "I am an invisible serpent manifested into the material world by residing and claiming the Sephirah – Netzach - to grant a long dead wish."
Yuuka gained distance between them and held her tongue from interrupting the dragon.
"As of now, I'm only working within the world of Yezirah – the World of Formation. But in truth, I'm actually a dragon dwelling in Atziluth – the World of Emanation." Tanin'iver breathed out a small gust of air and sneezed a bundle of flowers.
The body bulked up and from every orifice, flowers and spores poured out dyed in crimson blood. The next to come was the regurgitation of its innards composed of nothing but vegetation that had lost all beauty from their previous color in red.
To Yuuka, a large portion of the forest was now stained over in the color of hell. Lying dead center of it all was a crimson dragon. The holes in its armor had new scales grow to patch up that material form.
"What a good ability. Or what I should be saying is a lucky ability to be born together with an exceptional user." The dragon praised in an honest voice. "Nobody would usually think of using an ability that derives from manipulating flowers towards such a hideous application. Truly, it is the user who defines ability and not reverse. I'm almost jealous." They said bitterly. The face held an ugly grimace as if something distasteful propped itself in its mouth.
"You're… an ability?" A blink, together with her surprised face spoke volumes of her perplexed emotions.
"Indeed, or… what I should have always been." A deep growl was all it took to control back the trembling anger and disgust. "We've wasted enough time; let's begin the real battle."
Yuuka brandished her parasol and poured magic power into the cannon at the tip.
"BAREEEeeeEEEAAAAAAARRRRUUURRRNN!"
What should have been launched next was a brilliant swarm of light. Yuuka's eyes trailed down to see the tip of her parasol was cleanly cut straight before her spell could be ushered.
"Thousand-fold katana made of disgusting Japanese pig iron. Worthless, yet it will cut anything."
The sight was almost comical. Between the very tips of its claws was a normal katana you can find anywhere held by the handle. The very fact the dragon was completely capable of swinging it told of its mastery.
"You say that can cut through anything? Hmm… I know of a certain half-phantom that would be interested." Yuuka gripped the parasol with both hands and measured an appropriate stance to exchange blows.
"I know of the half-phantom, a slave to the Ghost Princess. Not a bad occupation. Although many would disagree."
The katana flashed forward in a right-diagonal swing downward. Yuuka's instincts told her that if she were to block it using her parasol, she would be bisected in half from the shoulder to her other side.
With one hand released, Yuuka grabbed the handle of the katana from a free space unoccupied by the claws. Her feet dug deep into the dirt from the force pushing her and was sent flying across trees.
With a flip in the air, she settled back on the ground on her two feet and detected an incoming object behind her. She whipped the parasol behind and blocked a thin and long white object lancing at her. She spun on her heel and shifted to deflect the lance every time it rapidly lunged at her.
"What could this be now?" She directed that question to the dragon far and hiding inside the canopy of trees.
"Ah, sorry, you have no idea about modern slang, so we'll use an appropriate term for a sophisticated and behind the times maiden such as you. We'll dub it as a sodomy stick." Tanin'iver commented ruefully from somewhere hidden in the dark.
Yuuka's glare deepened with a wave of harsh and fierce anger, freezing all movement. The height of her bloodlust staggered into a vortex that sprang and cursed the land. Concentrated to the tip of the sliced parasol was a substitute spear of flora which she stabbed the sodomy stick and infested it by having more flora spread and ground it to the earth.
"Found you." From the corners of her peripheral vision, a small glint of steel was all she needed to find the dragon wielding a katana in the forest.
Bands of light converged and compressed to the tip of parasol once more. The concentration of raw power magnified with each second. When she took aim at the dragon, the light radiated and revealed his form hanging above the branches.
"[Master Spark]"
A cold declaration, a final decree to obliterate the dragon. A bright and massive beam of light erupted and flew.
Then a clash occurred. Yuuka's vision was obstructed by her spell that she couldn't have noticed a power matching hers. When a rectangular shadow closed in on her from the front and within her beam, she sidestepped away and watched a metal monster having passed through.
"Is that not a human construct?" Yuuka said.
"Truck-kun here is a hard worker relieving himself of his break to assist me. His admirable form may be common, but everything that comes in contact with his gallant front will be thrown to another world." Tanin'iver explained.
"And Humanity has invented such a destructive weapon!? The world must be far too removed from the last I've seen of it." Yuuka analyzed the full enormity of such a weapon to be thought of as common.
"Fortunately, they haven't capitalized on him yet. His work is only limited to sending unsuspecting bystanders. He kills not because of pride, nor is he duty-bound. The only belief he follows is to cull and remove the unnecessary."
Yuuka's thoughts spurn to action. The ability of this dragon must come from materializing objects as weapons. But what exactly did all of them have in common escaped from her grasp. What she knew is that each of them had a unique and devastating power of some form.
Suddenly, she was surrounded by an innumerable number of headlights coming from dozens of trucks waiting within the trees on all sides.
"A shame you didn't accept the invitation earlier. Everyone else here didn't give this much resistance as you do. Bear with it since it's going to be a lot rougher than what they all felt."
"I see. So that's how you removed every living thing here."
The startup of the trucks burned to life. They simultaneously dashed forward to crush and throw her to another world. Their acceleration had been steady, but no sooner did they halted, and the wheels struggled to break free from some constraint. With the power Yuuka possessed in controlling flowers, the seeds living beneath the earth sprung open and sprouts clung and chained the wheels.
Not allowing for the dragon to make his next nonsensical move, Yuuka crossed the distance beneath its chin and slammed the parasol in an uppercut. She next jumped above the head and brought down her parasol with extreme force and crushed the dragon's head, creating a crater with the outlines of its head. She came back down and grabbed the claws, kneeing hard in-between the dragons eye sockets from above and digging deeper into the crater.
"That makes it twice that you've touched my claws." The dragon's mouth flapped widely despite being dug deep into the earth.
Yuuka, having felt her instincts warning her to back off, left her floating position and made some distance in front of the dragon currently resting inside the crater.
"Time is up. I'm a busy person and my free time has been wasted in entertaining your obsession with combat." Tanin'iver propped its head up and stared at Yuuka with pristine claws having not lost their edge.
"Ara? Giving up so early? We haven't traded enough blows to say for certain if my irritation has been appeased." Yuuka smiled softly, her unfulfilled craving for violence did not dissipate in the slightest.
"And that's why I'm making it certain, right now." The dragon finished sternly without allowing for any refusal.
Something had been done without Yuuka's awareness. She rapidly darted her eyes to scan for what was done, but nothing was out of place.
"Ahh, what have I been doing lately!? Earlier I had been enjoying idle time in my home before some ruffian grazed it to the ground, and because of that, I lost my temper. I feel so ashamed…" Yuuka had her eyes downcast with a sad frown.
Yes, she felt absolutely nothing was out place.
"Ah, you don't have to worry about anything, great dragon. I no longer wish to carry out my tantrum and take up any more of your time." Yuuka smiled close-eyed.
Gone was the noblewomen seeking violence, and what took her shoes was an all-loving pacifist.
"Acceptable. I won't hold your actions against you too severely. It's quite understandable that you'd be pushed to the edge under such circumstances where your thoughts and emotions turn cloudy from how you'd normally act." The dragon nodded sympathetically, understanding the very human reaction that spired inside of her.
"Oh no, I can't possibly handle such humbleness. Why I need to compensate you for my unsightly behavior and actions." Yuuka cupped her cheek and cast a worried and guilty expression.
"I do not require something from you, nor do I possess a power to relieve that tension upon your shoulders. However, I do have a suggestion for you. Should you comply, then I'll write off every debt between us." It offered.
"Then allow this one to hear it out." Yuuka bowed lowly with grace and finesse.
"I suggest you cool your head off by seeking new sceneries. It works wonders as your mind lightens from taking in new surroundings. I know someone who can show you somewhere you've never been before. Take this chance to reflect."
"Wonderful, I am in appreciation for your generosity." Yuuka lifted her head with a broad smile. Her countenance held no more danger lurking within and reflected nothing but a flower garden inside her head.
"And with that, take her away, Nidhogg."
It was a blur for Yuuka as she experienced an instant change within her vision.
The power of another dragon manifested itself upon her. It was a power that once filled the great youkai, Yukari with dread.
The first thing Yuuka experienced was the bursting change in temperature. Her brows creased with sweat instantly, and her clothes clenched tightly to her delicate skin, leaving almost no imagination to her curves.
What she saw in front of her now was an entirely different dragon taking the place of the Blind One — a Spear-headed dragon resting its head on a platform of solid magma with its body submerged in lava.
"Yooooo! Over here! Hey, aren't cha Yuuka Kazami!? I'd never expected you to find yourself in the Underworld, Gahahahaha!"
With a sweaty, glistening face, Yuuka turned her head sideways and glanced to the oni, Yuugi Hoshiguma sitting on solid magma. From what she saw, the oni was in rags with a gaping hole to her abdomen, yet she smiled brightly in her way of welcoming the newest arrival.
"UNYUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAH!"
To the other side of her head, Yuuka turned to see the hell raven, Utsuho Reiuji was standing in front of a giant sword lodged rigidly in the magma. She could feel a cold aura belonging to the sword and from what she saw of its surroundings seemingly cooling off even the lava into obsidian. The hell raven was desperately pouring her magic refined as nuclear heat to the challenge of melting that thing.
"You ain't got nothing to worry about if you want to turn your back against Nidhogg. They have the look of picking a fight with you, but if you don't do anything then it won't start anything." Yuugi attentively pointed out to the newcomer. "But damn, it'd be good to have some sake after a riveting fight like that."
Just as she finished saying those words, her missing sake dish appeared before her silently.
"Thanks!" Yuugi expressed her gratitude to the dragon with a toothy grin. She grabbed the dish and downed the contents immediately.
"Can someone please explain to me what's going on? I found myself in this dreadful heat after listening to a dragon, but I don't think they knew what it really means to cool off." Yuuka arched her eyebrows and waved to herself to relieve some heat. She pulled against her collar, showing off some skin.
"You too eh? Seems we're some of the lucky ones to encounter dragons ourselves." Yuugi said smiling. "I was picking a fight with that one over there and made the raven join midway. When things got a little too hectic, the raven surrendered while I continued alone. After a while, Nidhogg lost all interest and soon decided to bathe in the lava."
"They quit? They seem to be of the outstanding warrior type to me." Yuuka looked around awkwardly, trying to find somewhere to rest.
She was completely out of her element being in an environment unsuitable for her in every way. She tended a massive sunflower field under the brightness of the sun and gentle breezes. To be unfit in the boiling area of the underworld was an understatement.
"Hmm, while you're not wrong, they're not someone who concerns themselves with results and only care about the fight itself. It was the same back when I was in a bandit group where my comrades had a chance. Eventually, the dragon squeezed out every bit of fun that could be taken from us and moved on. My turn was interrupted so we couldn't settle things back then." Yuugi continued to pour the endless sake down her throat and steam wafted off her wounds, mending them back to unblemished skin.
Meanwhile, Utsuho was sweating from the amount of effort she was pushing to melt the sword. The only visible progress was the guard having its casting broken to reveal giant bull horns.
"As for how you got here, that's Nidhogg's power. They said it was something along the lines of forcing their opposition to be in front of the horn if they weren't already. They also mentioned that they were a dragon forcing themselves onto Chokhmah – the sephirah beyond boundaries. Whatever that is."
"I see… this is another one among their group the Blind One mentioned." Yuuka made her way over to Yuugi sand sat down across from her.
Yuugi squinted at her and took note of Yuuka's posture, mannerism, and expressions.
"Hmm… you're acting somewhat differently than how the rumors portrayed you to be. You look and act like someone who's lived in a flower garden their whole life."
"Ara, I feel so embarrassed being looked at so intensely." Yuuka wore a flustered smile. "It has always been my dream to take care of my own flower field one day. I'm merely a self-centered woman doing what she can to satisfy herself."
"…Putting that aside, for now, we're just about done with this place, so we'll be moving on to the Hakurei Shrine. Want to follow along with us?"
"It'd be my pleasure." Was Yuuka's soft reply.
"Note to self, never destroy property that doesn't concern you. For karma will always bite down on you. It's been ages since I had to interact with someone other than my kin." Tanin'iver slithered its way to find someone who's always found themselves into trouble more than other people could tolerate.
The pace had slowed to crawl when a telepathic transmission line was established.
"Tanin'iver, what are you doing? You've taken way too much time. My patience in running thing unless you explain yourself."
It was a completely new voice put to bare now. The words chosen had been spoken like they were from a script. Mechanical, as if it was pre-programmed and out of touch from any emotion. The recipient on the other end of the line scoffed.
"Who the hell do you think I am? What you really need to be worried about is if someone's going to interfere with my work. I'll be the first one to give him a piece of my mind. The rest of you can grind your teeth in envy for all I care." The dragon washed in blood declared in a completely disdainful tone.
The voice on the other end stayed silent. Tanin'iver, on the other hand, could picture their countenance marred with jealousy and wistfulness. The two understood immediately that there was nothing too done about budging the crimson dragon's stubbornness.
After a moment to contemplate, the voice retorted back. "A new wish has been issued with higher precedence than the previous one we did not fulfill yet. I myself shall back off since I have a much higher resistance by virtue of being older than you all, but to say of how the others will react I cannot adequately predict."
It was not an order or a request for the dragon to not go solo, but a warning that their voice will not convince everyone to agree.
"I can already tell who you mean." Tanin'iver arrogantly laughed, already up for dispatching some indiscriminate discipline for its fellow kin. "That devilish and angelic duo may try to help because they're a bit younger, but it's just their own selfishness. They'll only be a nuisance. Besides, since when were we a group that focused on efficiency?"
"I do." The cold voice objected.
"Nobody cares." And the crimson dragon denied. "If you're so adamant about me going solo, then I'll make my own subordinates to do the work for me."
The voice chose to end the current topic, knowing that anymore spoken about it will be a waste of time.
"As of now the occupants at the Hakurei Shrine have started to become restless. We do not need any more unpredictable factors to be in play on the table. The most troubling cards such as the Lunar Capital have been neutralized while the sages backed off as they understood that they are unnecessary."
"Uh huh. So, why are you telling me all this useless information that I already know?" Tanin'iver said sardonically. "Who exactly was to be on surveillance around that place again? Certainly not you."
"The one surrounding Malkuth has their hands full trying to convert the land under their domain. I have sent soldiers to the shrine to calm the biggest cards and defang them to prevent any sort of agency. That is why I am in need of information for what I consider to the most troubling individuals."
"I thought you already knew enough at this point?" Tanin'iver remarked scathingly. "Your skill to scout information is second to mine and Wadjet [2]. This should be no trouble for you. Have you forgotten to update your hardware? Not that I fault you. Microsoft doesn't quite understand their Windows either."
"Are you by any chance saying you do not know? Or are you simply incapable of scrying information from the heart of Gensokyo?" The bland voice inquired with no emotion.
Tanin'iver slowly curled its head to cast a burning expression at the voice's direction.
"Of course, I know everything about this land, you moron. I may not have stepped into it until recently, but I already learnt every notable person that requires the attention." Tanin'iver replied aggressively.
"Then there is no issue present. Sitting within the Tengu-Kappa camp is the white tengu, Momiji. I have determined their goal is to mainly protect their territory."
"Stop, you were doing so well up to this point and you had me until you mentioned Captain America, or more accurately, Captain Canada. What's to be worried about someone who's trademark is Telegnosis?" Tanin'iver reproached, being a little more than irked.
"It may not be much at first sight, but she's one of the few who can track us down from 4,000 kilometers proximately afar. Our comrades need to lay hidden, so she must be the first to be disposed of." The voice expressed its evaluation coldly.
Tanin'iver stretched its claws leisurely, having already known about the thorn beforehand.
"So what? That's what the storm and rain was for. As deterrent from all seeing eyes. And if you're so cautious about keeping us hidden, just tell the rest to turn invisible."
The voice paused a bit to muse. Tanin'iver held off its smirk after realizing its blunder. Turning invisible was no longer a viable option. Not because it wouldn't work, but because they no longer had the luxury.
"I feel that you comprehend now. The world recognizes us after such a long time."
The statement caused Tanin'iver to sigh.
"I get it, I get it. Basically, you're scared and insecure now that the ascension is closing in. I'll humor you about what I know of these girls. But even if you did know everything about them beforehand, that alone will not slow down their resolve." The dragon claiming Netzach smiled derisively.
"Their characters are that strong enough for you to acknowledge them?"
The question did not hold genuine curiosity but acted like that of a program seeking out every form of information there was.
"Quite so. They're a prideful people, always seeking challenge and deriving pleasure and pain from the incidents marking history on this land. To them, we aren't that much different from the previous disasters that plagued Gensokyo. That's why you must take drastic measures to even begin persuading them. Not with words, but brutal and unrestrained violence."
Just the thought alone of crushing those players and their willpower sent shivers down to Tanin'iver's spine. The voice remained silent to contemplate their words and taken them to heart.
"So be it. I will make an example by impaling one of them to an inch of their life." The voice concluded, making no hint of flickers in its resolve.
"Ooh. It's been so long since I've seen you devour data in such a large and colorful a crowd. How regretful." Dolefully did Tanin'iver hung its head.
"To continue from earlier discussions, the next highest level threat evaluated should be that blue-haired celestial, Tenshi Hinawani. It would appear she attended for the purpose of revenge." The voice changed the topic smoothly.
"The super masochist." Tanin'iver scowled. "Knowledgeable in Qimen Dunji and wields a sword that accumulates spirit to attack the opponent's weakness alongside it. The other is to bend earth. I'm a bit flabbergasted that you rated her so highly. Have you forgotten about her sword being proven useless by Tenryuu?"
"I do not recall from my database." Answered almost immediately by the voice.
Tanin'iver shook its head. "Never mind."
The voice felt the urge to ask what the problem was, but held off since time did not allow them the luxury as there were more pressing matters.
"Moving down the list of prospective threats is the pink-haired ghost in a kimono eating dangos alongside her retainer, a half-phantom samurai. They act as a neutral party, but the former's observation skill is extraordinary."
Tanin'iver blew air from its nose. "So it's Mr. Luggs this time. The ability to manipulate the death of others. How frightening. If we weren't pillars of the world that is. Her dorky retainer is a seasoned warrior, yet far too gullible. Make of what you will with this."
The voice hummed in acceptance.
"A noble prince with owl ears and her two retainers. She has ambition. Seeking to tame one of us to acquire power and luxury. Her admission has garnered quite a few reactions and dissensions, particularly from the Buddhist party."
The mention of this individual caused Tanin'iver to become quite amused. "Gee, what on Earth will you do to the woman – who eligibly was a man, but secretly a woman the entire time – who's revival was more splendid and glamorous than that of Jesus himself?" Tanin'iver's sarcasm and distaste was so obvious, it almost wanted to implode its head having heard of this trope far too many times than it wanted to count. That, and the ridiculous wank for the hermit made it despise her. "Just take away her real body – the sword – and her entourage's too. The Shakespearian's is a dirty plate while the green Biribiri has none."
Translation note: Biribiri is a japanese onomatopoeia. It's the sound effect that electricity causes. English alternatives available are: Shocker, Sparky, Zappy, Zappy Dan the Magnet Man, Thorfinna, The Shock Locker, Static Shock, Buzzer, Zap 'n' fap, Zapette, Bzzt, Pikachu, Microwave, Bug Zapper, Spark Plug, The Other Thor, 2.1 GIGAWATTS, 1.21 JIGGAWATTS, Buzzy, Buzz Buzz, Zipadeedoodah Zipadeeay, Zapdos, Bill Cosby, Thunder King Thunder King, Power Supply Unit, Waifu, Zeus, and many more ~ Tanin'iver
"You mentioned the Buddhists. What do they have in stake for all this?"
"They desire peace between us and the land. How foolish. We cannot live under the same sky as the humans and youkai."
"Then forget about them. The naïve hag will realize the folly of clinging to such sentimentality in the face of forces of nature." Tanin'iver supplied a simple solution.
The voice couldn't agree any more with a nod.
"The Hakurei Maiden. The current generation goes by Reimu Hakurei. She bears no allegiance to any side, remaining neutral as to observe the area of power." The voice paused for a moment before continuing. "Correction. She does not harbor any intent to take the matter seriously, having done nothing but complain and devour every food in sight." The voice clarified.
Tanin'iver softly clapped its claws in contemplation.
"A destitute miko [3]. Her personality generally isn't very likeable."
"Such a description feels awfully familiar to me. I cannot reach an answer to quite a predicament I feel." The voice abruptly interrupted.
"Quiet." Tanin'iver sternly warned. "In terms of power, she does not reach a celestial's or oni's. Her ability, however, is an annoyance of the highest degree. The power to float from reality. The flaw to exploit is to set off her wild emotions."
"I have noted. I am familiar with such an ability. If she has such a weakness, then she hasn't mastered it. She will prove no problem, for I have that ability as well."
Tanin'iver snorted. "That's a little too cruel don't you think?" A half-hearted suggestion from the dragon.
"On the contrary, this is the minimal in keeping a tight leash on the Hakurei Maiden. She would do well to know her place, as she has done the whole time by keeping still under one spot. She may not know consciousness, but deep down, her ability knew it was futile to face us."
"Sheesh, lay off the coldness. I'm feeling chills over here." Tanin'iver chuckled slightly.
The voice made no hurry to move to the next faction. There was a sound of sharp metal grinding each other over the other side of the telepathic line.
"The Moriya shrine, though we are already aware of them, your opinion is imperative. They are smart to desire an alliance with us. But we aren't interested. I don't believe master would be too harsh on me if I overstep my boundary, considering he has lost his memories of them."
"Meh. Do as you wish. The Millennium maiden and the Queen of sodomy sticks? Just don't hurt their pride too much. I vaguely remember Tenryuu being acquainted with them. As for Sanae…" Tanin'iver stopped speaking, indicating that it did not wish to continue the topic.
Respectfully, the voice chose not to pry further the matter.
"The Eintei residents: Ame no Yagokoro Omoikane no Mikoto, Kaguya, and a moon rabbit. They are the last and most harmless faction. They do not feel it within them to fight."
Tanin'iver laughed loudly. That was to be expected after learning the fate of their homeland. Ironic considering the Earth was their true homeland.
"Those bunch of neets and cowards had this coming to them for a long time!"
Anytime the voice would ask for elaboration, Tanin'iver would attentively point them out and expand their knowledge. The two continued to rabble on until the voice was left with no more questions needed to be answered.
"Regarding your position in the Bamboo Forest, did you see a certain phoenix at one point?" Tanin'iver asked the voice after having completed the quota of questions.
"There was indeed an immortal human with the power of a phoenix who rushed at me. She thought it proper to kamikaze me after finding all her previous efforts to be fruitless in harming my skin. I waved her dust and left the wind to carry her to the shrine. I even lodged a piece of myself inside her thigh to watch the ongoing festivities at the shrine. Do you perhaps have something to say for her?"
"No not really."
The two oddities will soon disband from the transmission line.
"This is farewell for now, Tanin'iver. Expect me to call you again should I need your power." The voice said its farewell.
"Don't go invading people's minds as you please, Kur![4]" Tanin'iver exclaimed mirthlessly.
Once the dragon finally felt the disconnection between them, they resumed their path deeper into the forest. They would make sure to keep in mind of a devilish and angelic duo doing as they please while heightening its field of vision for every unknown factor.
The dragon could feel that the night was still young despite having until morning in around five hours. A dry expression crawled up their face knowing that for the residence of this world it was only a few hours since it and the rest of the dragons arrived. But for Tanin'iver it had been seven months.
When following the trail left behind by the seventh [Master Spark] used by Yuuka, what it led to was an area for which tree logs were hazardously placed, as if they were chopped down with irregular timing and an irregular tool.
"What the hell happened here?" Tanin'iver voiced its surprise.
When the blind dragon spotted a clearing, in the center was an organically shaped blob of darkness that was continually breaking down and trying to reform back into an aesthetically pleasing shape. Sticking out of the blob was a limp and thin hand reaching out to the sky.
"So, it was you, the only youkai I left behind for master to experience his first trial in Gensokyo. But what a turn of events. For the Master of the Four Seasons to interrupt, I take full responsibility. I had planned from the start to save you should the worst occur, and that's been enforced thanks to master's wish."
The real reason why the dragon left a youkai like her to Kamijou Touma was that it didn't want to go anywhere near a drunk Kamijou Touma.
"Relax now; your agony will soon cease. All I need you to do is stay breathing until I've confirmed master's whereabouts. He must've been taken by surprise from the beam and was sent flying to the same direction where it was aimed." The dragon did not speak up, nor did it send a telepathic message to the blob of darkness. They remained still behind the trees and conjured a mass following.
Rising from the earth were humanoid shapes. The physique turned muscular with a tanned skin tone. The only measure used to hide their nether regions was a giant rose. Sporting and covering their heads were white silken bags with the character of sin written at the front.
"Go. Find me Kamijou Touma."
"""""SHAMEIMARU!"""""
[1]: ZUN at one point has referred to Yuuka in this name.
[2]: Wadjet: The cobra goddess of Egypt and the most important serpent-deity in the pantheon. Her name means "papyru-colored one" as wadj is an ancient Egyptian name for the color green. The first papyrus plant came from Wadjet's body. She had many titles such as Eye of the Moon, Eye of Ra, and Eye of Horus
One legend of Wadjet's origins in the mythic where Ra-Atum, the creator deity, lost his children in the darkness of the primeval waters, so he sent his Sole Eye to find them. By the time the Sole Eye returned with the lost children, Ra-Atum had grown a new eye. The Sole Eye became enraged that her tears became the first humans. So Ra-Atum transformed her into a serpent with power over all other deities - The Uraeus. Her fiery poison destroys anyone who challenged the sun god and rightful heirs. It was this moment when the Sole Eye( also called the Eye of Ra) is treated as a separate entity from Ra. She even battled Apophis together with Ra.
Her sacred animal is that of the Uraeus which denoted pharoahship and a protector of the throne. The Uraeus means "one who rears up" and is in the sacred form of a cobra on top of a pharaoh's crown. The crown of the pharaohs differ from time to time as they were mainly blue and at times red, which was interchangeable with the color green. The Uraeus snake sat on every one of them. The Uraeus was usually crafted commonly of gold and other rare minerals.
Wadjet was also the nurse of the infant god Horus. She played a role in his protection as the earth god Geb and his divine followers tried to dispose of the baby Horus, he lifted the blanket from his casket and Wadjet hidden inside spat poison or fire that killed Geb's followers and mortally wounded the deity into retreating.
Wadjet also played a role in Isis claiming the throne for her son(Horus) by tricking her father, Ra into using his own power the Uraeus against him.
[3]: The infamous title of Reimu used in the infamous SHAMEIMARU video.
[4]: Kur: The dragon of Sumerian mythology and quite possibly the prototype of all existing dragons. His name can mean many different things such as 'mountain' which later became 'foreign land,' and later to simply be 'land.' The cosmic concept for the word Kur, which can be identified with ki-gal, or 'great below,' which roughly translates to 'nether world.' Thus, the cosmic meaning of Kur is the empty space between the primal sea and the earth's crust. It is likely that this is the namesake for the monstrous dragon that dwelled at the bottom of this 'great below.'
One story involving Kur was the abduction of the goddess Erishkigal into the nether world after the formation of the world. The water god Enki adventured forward to retrieve back the goddess and battled Kur on his boat. Kur fought back savagely by hurling stones of all sizes. It controlled the primeval waters and attacked Enki's boat from the front and rear. Eventually, Enki was victorious and slew Kur.
The second story, this time has the hero to be the warrior god Ninurta. Sharur spurred Ninurta, his personified weapon to slay Kur. In his first battle, he was outmatched and fled. With the encouragement of his weapon, Ninurta went to bought with Kur a second time and came out victorious. However, a severe calamity overtakes the land. The primeval waters which Kur had held in check rise to the surface and as a result of their violence, no freshwater can reach the fields and gardens. To remedy this, Ninurta went back to Kur's corpse and set a heap of stones over it. Later, he carried the body and heaps it up like a wall in front of the land. These stones hold back the waters, and they no longer rise to the surface anymore.
A/N: Tanin'iver was fun to write. They are a perverted person and quite tricky to deal with if you don't know them well enough. What wasn't shown here was their trickster side that exploited people's insecurities that I want to expand later on. And of course, he knows the Touhou crew well enough in their most flanderized versions of the fandom.
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