JohnPeacekeeper: Of course, it just wouldn't be Yuji without his ability to attract girls without even moving a muscle. As for the fight scenes, those are probably going to be the most challenging. Shana tends to plunge head-first into every fight. Yuji's more of a methodical fighter, so all of the fights will most likely need to be completely re-written from the ground-up. Keisaku and Margery go so well together, don't they? XD
ColinatorGX: Thanks. I hope I don't disappoint with future chapters.
HeroGuardian: Thank you. I wonder how Kazumi as the Supreme Throne will turn out... Hmm...
"So the last portion of the first arc's finally here, eh?"
The Writer of Questionable Stories raised an eyebrow.
"And just what is THAT supposed to mean?"
"Oh, nothing. I must say, though, you've been busy. Who would have thought that you would actually be able to complete six chapters for this sorry convoluted mess? You have more dedication to this than I initially surmised."
"Somebody's gotta fix this mess. And since I started this, I have to finish it."
"Right. Let's just hope you don't make any more world-altering catastrophes in the near future."
"Stop rubbing it in."
SHAKUGAN NO YUJI?
Chapter 666: Simplification, Deactivation, Evasion
Everything's coming to an unavoidable apex, it seems. Leanan-sidhe the Corpse Collector has told me that the entire city's going to disappear, thanks to that doll-fetish pervert Crimson Denizen, the Huntress Marianne.
It's true I don't like Misaki City. As I said before, the only thing that keeps me here is the melon bread. And yet... to see it all come crashing down like this... to see everyone that I'm so used to seeing just up and disappear... Margery, Sydonay, Khamsin, Hecate... Heck, even those two incesting sickos Sorath and Tiriel...
...And Yuji. Even though he drives me up the wall with his clueless idiocy... I don't want him to disappear. I can't bear or stand the thought.
So here I go. Even though I hate Misaki City, I have to save it. Somehow.
Shana, upon hearing Leanan-sidhe's words, stood dead in her tracks, frozen in shock and astonishment.
"...Everything... will disappear? Everything?"
The purple-haired Denizen gravely nodded.
"Everything. So tell me, Mystes Shana, companion of Yuji, Flame Haze of the Crimson-Hair and Blazing-Eyes, what are you going to do? Are you going to act as a human being... or are you going to act as a Torch?"
Shana had a conflicted look in her eyes.
"I... I'm just a Torch. A Mystes. How can I be a human being when-"
Leanan-sidhe smiled mysteriously.
"...Didn't you mention that Yuji seems to consider you one, in spite of the fact that the 'real you' has long since vanished?"
Shana looked up at the Denizen for a long moment. The look of conflict in her eyes slowly changed to one of self-determination.
"All right. I'll be off then. Thank you, Leanan-sidhe."
Leanan-sidhe nodded in return.
"Do not thank me yet, child. Thank me when you've succeeded in saving this city."
Bowing quickly, Shana raced away to find Yuji.
Yuji gasped in horror.
"What!? Kill her!? Alastor, are you crazy!? How could I-"
Alastor's voice was grim.
"My suggestion is not one springing from mental incapacitation or delusion. It is simply a remark based upon simple practicality. Her presence is becoming a hindrance to you, thus the simplest course of action would be to remove her entirely. Deep down inside... you are still wounded. Wounded from your unexpected loss to the Chanter of Elegies."
Yuji gritted his teeth.
"..."
Alastor continued.
"Your pride was wounded that day. Your pride as a Flame Haze. And, despite the fact that you no doubt care for that Mystes on a certain level, you cannot help but feel a certain wellspring of annoyance and vexation when you now look at it. After all, was not the Mystes indirectly responsible for your defeat?"
Yuji's voice became angry.
"That's not true! It... it's not her fault! She... she was only worried!"
Alastor was silent for a long moment before he resumed speaking in a more gentle tone.
"...Then why are you avoiding her?"
Yuji clenched his eyes in pain.
"I... I don't want to put her into any more dangerous situations."
"Isn't that just an excuse? An excuse, since you cannot bear to think of her in such an ill fashion? That you cannot bear the idea of blaming her?"
"..."
"Face the truth: You are avoiding her because deep down, you are indirectly blaming her for your defeat, not because you want her to avoid danger. The Chanter of Elegies, even with his insatiable bloodthirst, does not care to directly endanger humans. You were simply latching onto the first convenient pretext that came to hand."
Yuji gave no reply. Alastor finished.
"So... in the end, what are you going to do, Flame Haze? Although I have suggested the Mystes' destruction since it is the most efficient course of action, it ultimately comes down to your decision. After all, you are the one I have chosen, trusted, and empowered to carry out my immortal will."
Yuji opened his mouth.
"I..."
His coming statement, however, was quickly cut off as a familiar voice broke in.
"Yuji."
Looking up in some startled surprise, Yuji looked up to see Shana. The Flame Haze blinked.
"...Shana? What are you doing here?"
"I need to tell you something. Something urgent."
Even as Shana spoke, however, Hecate arrived. Shana cursed under her breath before turning up the sarcasm to maximum magnitude.
"Hmph. Miss Convent. How pleasant to see you."
Hecate simply nodded quietly, then turned to Yuji.
"Well, shall we be off?"
Yuji looked up at Shana. He then looked up at Hecate. As if he'd suddenly come to a conclusion, the Flame Haze quickly got to his feet, turned to Hecate, and bowed deeply.
"Sorry! I just remembered that I have to take care of something. Please forgive me, Hecate-san. Let me make it up to you another day."
A slight look of disappointment entered Hecate's eyes, but it quickly dissipated as she briefly nodded.
"Go then. It must be awfully important if you need to go now. Just be sure to repay me later. Take me... out to somewhere nice to eat, or something like that."
Shana lifted an eyebrow at Hecate's words, but said nothing.
"Thank you, Hecate. Shana!"
Yuji quickly ran off towards the exit with Shana in tow. Hecate stared at the two departing figures for a long moment before finally murmuring a small whisper.
"...A rival."
Margery unlocked the door, granting admittance to herself and the Chanter of Elegies. The Flame Haze winced as the scent of strong booze hit his nostrils.
"Ugh..."
Marcosius guffawed.
"Hah! Quite the pad! Welcome to the Palace of Piss-Drunk Pleasures!"
The English teacher grinned, half in mischief and half in embarrassment, after which she promptly reached over and decked the gigantic book again.
"Shut it, stupid Marco. I know the place needs some tending to... which is partly why I invited the both of you here."
Keisaku blinked.
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
Margery grinned.
"Well, here's what I'm suggesting. Since you don't have a place to stay, this house should be perfect, right? I've got an empty guest room on the ground floor, so you can use it to crash. In return, I'm not going to charge you any rent, but I would like you to help me by cleaning the place up whenever it gets too messy."
Keisaku looked about the front hall, and further up ahead, the living room. He shuddered as he noticed numerous piles of alcoholic beverage bottles scattered helter-skelter all over the floor. Marcosius laughed again.
"Hah! It seems the Lady of Liquor's firmly gotten her claws into you, my hapless hormonal hero, Keisaku Satou!"
Keisaku groaned as he turned to Margery.
"...Ergh... I should've just cut and run the moment you showed up."
However, the Flame Haze made no effort to leave. Instead, he quietly pulled an extra-large trash bag from out of the depths of the Grimoire's pages and began to pick up the refuse scattered all over the floor.
Marianne looked over the Crystal Altar and frowned.
"So... two Flame Hazes and the Corpse Collector herself. This isn't turning out well."
Friagne had a tone of anxiety in his voice.
"M-mistress... What's going to happen now?"
The Huntress smiled lovingly at her little doll.
"Well... it's a little earlier than I would've liked, but it seems that we'll have to simply go ahead with the ceremony now. And once we do so... eternity will be ours, and our dearest wish will be finally granted... So sing for me, my Treasure, my 'Dance Party'...!"
In her hand, a bell of glass began to ring...
"...So, that's what's about to happen, eh? Alastor, can we trust this statement?"
"If the information is truly coming from the Corpse Collector herself, then yes. But for the Huntress to plan on eradicating an entire city and convert it to Power of Existence..."
Yuji's eyes narrowed.
"The resulting imbalance would be catastrophic. We've got to find the Huntress and permanently deal with her."
Yuji then turned to Shana.
"When the time comes, Shana, you should find a safe place to stay until this is over."
Even as he started to quicken his pace, however, Shana dashed ahead of him and planted herself in front, blocking his way. Yuji blinked.
"...Shana?"
The young female Mystes trembled, but steeled herself to speak.
"Yuji... Why?"
"...Huh?"
Yuji blinked in some astonishment. Shana appeared as if she was barely holding herself back from the verge of tears.
"Why, Yuji? Why have you been staying away from me lately? Aren't you supposed to be some sort of perverted idiotic stalker? You're a Flame Haze, aren't you? You've been staying close to me all this time, in the name of some crazy 'duty' to the balance of this world... Then why have you been avoiding me lately?"
Yuji looked down at the ground beneath his feet. The Flame Haze didn't speak for a long moment. When he finally did open his mouth to speak, his voice was hoarse.
"...To be bluntly honest, I blamed you."
Shana's eyes widened.
"Yuji..."
The Flame Haze didn't pause in his words.
"I blamed you for my defeat at the hands of the Chanter of Elegies. I couldn't help but feel an ugly sense of anguish at the fact that had you not appeared at that moment, I might not have lost."
Yuji sharply looked Shana in the eye.
"And yet... I couldn't bear the idea that I could stoop so low as to blame someone else for my own responsibilities. So I latched onto the most convenient excuse instead. I convinced myself that by staying away, I was protecting you."
The Flame Haze smiled sadly.
"...I'm sorry, Shana."
Shana's eyes suddenly held a look of desperate pleading within them.
"You... Yuji, you IDIOT! Of course it was my fault! You didn't do anything wrong! I should've... I... You didn't do anything wrong! Never once!"
Yuji's expression turned grave.
"...Would you have kept saying that had you known that Alastor and I were seriously considering your destruction at one point?"
Shana turned silent, a look of shock in her eyes. Yuji looked away.
"...I didn't think so. Shana, I'm not as kind as I should be. I'm not as good as I wish I was. In truth... I'm just a Flame Haze. A slave to my own duty, my own mission, my-"
"SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UUUUP...!!"
Yuji halted in mid-sentence, taken aback by the vehemence of Shana's words. Shana's face was hidden by her hair, but her clenched hands trembled.
"Damn you, Yuji! Damn you! You're not 'just a Flame Haze'! You... even though I'm 'just a Mystes', a replacement pile of existential scum that will soon vanish, you saw me as a human being! You treated me like one!"
Shana looked up and locked gazes with the Flame Haze in front of her.
"So stop calling yourself 'just a Flame Haze'! You're Yuji Hirai! You're... you're a damned idiotic pervert stalker of a human being! You're you! Nobody else!"
"Shana..."
"So stop avoiding me! Stop acting as if you need to stay away from me all the time! And if that doll-loving bitch is really putting this city in danger, let me fight too!"
Shana pulled out her katana and swung it up in a flying arc to emphasize the last point.
"I may not be able to do much as you at the moment... But let me be more than just some 'Mystes' that needs to be protected like a stupid strongbox! I'm Shana! A human being that wants to fight to protect the things that are precious to her, and to prove her own existence, no matter how short it may be!"
Even as she finished speaking, however, a dome of dark crimson suddenly issued forth from the city's center, catching everyone's attention as it consumed the entire city in a shroud of shades of red. Alastor's voice broke in.
"...So, it appears that the Huntress has finally decided to act."
Shana turned back to Yuji, a note of pleading in her eyes.
"Yuji, please..."
The Flame Haze smiled as he slowly nodded.
"If that's the case, then..."
Shana nodded back and was turning in the direction of the Seal's center when...
THWOP!
With a motion of his hand that was quicker than the eye, the Flame Haze struck. There was a blurred strike to the back of Shana's neck. The female Mystes' eyes widened...
"Yu... ji..."
...and Shana collapsed to the street unconscious. Yuji slowly picked her up and propped her against a nearby utility pole.
"Sorry, Shana. Please forgive me."
Without wasting a further moment, Yuji quickly leaped onto a nearby rooftop as he began to dash off in the direction of the Seal's center. Alastor's voice broke in.
"Are you sure about this course of action? She seemed awfully determined to follow."
Yuji smiled sadly.
"This time, it really is for the best. She has the Midnight Lost Child, so she has a future to live. I don't want to see her lose that future, or that spirit of hers."
Alastor murmured contemplatively.
"Mmm."
The last of the trash had finally been cleared, and the entire house had been given a good dusting from top to bottom. With that finished, Keisaku finally sighed in relief and slumped onto the couch. Margery sat on a barstool and appraised the Flame Haze's housekeeping with an appreciative eye.
"Mmm... that's... not bad. You've certainly earned your keep, kid. I think that'll do it. Did somebody teach you how to do this?"
Marcosius laughed in uncontrolled mirth.
"Hah! All the better for my hormonally-unbalanced womanizer to hook a fine lady someday! Perhaps a tall blonde with glasses and fine assets 'up there'! Hahahahaha- Ooof!"
The Chanter of Elegies smirked as he watched Margery deck Marcosius with a clenched fist.
"I taught myself. In any case, now that those unpleasantries are finished, time to get to my real order of business..."
Flicking out a bookmark from the Grimoire, Keisaku traced a circle on the wooden floor with his finger, causing a purple grid of lines and squares to materialize within the boundary he'd drawn.
Margery blinked.
"A map? Just like that? That's pretty convenient..."
"It's not so much a map as it is a tracking spell. I'm using it to assist in my search for that Denizen bitch."
Margery wagged a finger.
"Language, language, kid."
Keisaku shrugged.
"Psh... I don't care. I haven't gone to school in... well, I've lost count by now."
After a moment or two of staring at the eldritch diagram, however, Keisaku sighed as he realized that no significant activity was showing up.
"Well, seems to be quiet for now. Geez... you'd think that somebody like that Denizen would kick up a fuss wherever she'd go... but noooo, she has to do things the boring way..."
Leaning back on the couch, Keisaku yawned and closed his eyes. Margery watched him for a moment before she turned to her bar and poured herself a drink. She then turned back in the direction of the Flame Haze, a question on her lips.
"Hey kid, want something to dr-"
Margery blinked again, as she found herself staring at a snoring Keisaku. Marcosius seemed to be giving his Flame Haze partner a contemplative glance before speaking with a resigned sigh.
"Well, that's the way this kid is. Pushes himself around like some sort of Japanese salaryman for days without rest, then finally hits the sack without warning. He's always had a tough time pacing himself."
Margery gave the sleeping form on her couch a long look, then downed her drink in a single gulp and walked over to a nearby closet. Pulling out an old blanket, she draped it over Keisaku's slumbering form before she gave him one last glance and whispered something inaudible as she headed up the stairs.
"...Good night."
It was a full five minutes before Shana finally came to. It took her a groggy moment to realize that she'd been left behind. Then, as her senses fully re-asserted themselves, she roundly, furiously cursed.
"...DAMN IT! YUJI, YOU IDIOT...!!"
Even as the last words left her mouth, Shana felt her eyes water up. Angrily wiping away the tears that threatened to spill, the young girl quickly ran off as fast as she could, intent upon catching up with an infuriating Flame Haze.
The two figures silently regarded each other across the small expanse of public playground. Yuji smiled as he saw the Denizen floating in the air in front of him, but the smile he gave held no warmth, unlike the ones he'd often given Shana.
"So, you're here. I must thank you... it saved me the trouble of looking everywhere for you."
The Huntress Marianne gave a similar smile as she offered reply, all the while caressing Friagne within the crook of her arm.
"My, how well-mannered. I never would have expected a Flame Haze to actually remember basic courtesies."
Yuji simply nodded, before raising a hand.
"The time for talk, however, is now over."
With a simple gesture, a pillar of scorching fire suddenly issued forth from the ground. Marianne simply floated in an effortless mid-air sidestep. Yuji gestured again, as several more pillars of fire erupted from the depths of the sandbox. The Huntress smirked.
"My, my, don't tell me that's ALL you can do..."
The Denizen suddenly lifted a hand, revealing a glass bell with its elegantly tapered handle nestled within her fingers. With a simple chime, several spheres of blue flame materialized and rocketed towards Yuji. The Flame Haze cartwheeled with a gigantic leap, carrying him over a nearby whirligig as he countered with a wave of his hand.
The pillars of fire that had been stationary up until now suddenly began to move, carving furrows into the dirt and sand of the playground as they began to whirl around the Huntress, closing in upon her in a deadly cyclone of fire.
Even as the flaming maelstrom closed in upon her, however, there was another tinkle of singing glass as the flames abruptly dissipated, giving way to a series of golden chains that shot forth and wrapped themselves around Yuji. Marianne laughed as she watched the Flame Haze vainly struggle to free himself from his bonds.
"Don't bother. My Treasure, 'Bubble Root', has chains that cannot be broken by mere force, nor can they be cut or sliced. So what are you going to do now, 'Crimson-Haired Blazing-Eyed Hunter'?"
However, there was no sign of distress upon the Flame Haze's countenance. Instead, Yuji simply smiled... before his form suddenly disintegrated into a collapsing pile of cinders. Marianne's eyes widened.
"What...!?"
Another pillar of flame suddenly rocketed upwards from directly underneath Marianne's position. The Huntress barely dodged the attack in time as the gout of flame faded away to reveal the Flame Haze standing within. Marianne scowled.
"So... a fake decoy made of flames. How clever."
Before Yuji could make any sort of reply or an additional assault, however, an all-too-familiar voice broke in.
"YUJI! YOU IDIOT!"
Yuji barely spared a glance from the corner of his eye. It was enough, however, to send a chill through his heart. Shana was racing towards them, her katana raised.
"Shana, I told you to stay out of this!"
The Huntress Marianne, however, smiled with glee upon seeing the rapidly-approaching Mystes.
"So, the flat-chested little kitten of a Mystes decided to come to me, it seems. How flattering."
Shana lunged towards the female Denizen, her katana swirling in a shining arc. Yuji, however, immediately saw the inherent danger as he raised a hand in an attempt to stop her.
"No, Shana! GET BACK...!!"
Too late. There was a chime from the bell of glass. Golden chains from Bubble Root burst forth from Marianne's outstretched fingers, wrapping themselves tightly around Shana and her weapon. Yuji quickly sprang forwards, his hand upraised to launch a volley of fire...
...but then froze as the Denizen yanked Shana in front of her to serve as an improvised shield. Marianne laughed as she watched the look of indecisive horror on Yuji's face.
"My, my... A Flame Haze, hesitating to attack a Denizen because of a mere Mystes? How precious. It looks like I win this round."
The bell of glass chimed again. Another volley of blue flames spattered the spot where Yuji stood, forcing him to take cover. As the Huntress began to float off with a captive Shana in tow, she laughed mockingly.
"If you wish to have any hope of regaining this little snippet of a Mystes, then come to me at the central intersection of this city. I'll be waiting."
Shana, still struggling against the chains that had her bound, had a look of intermingled desperation and regret.
"YUJI...!!"
In another moment, the Denizen and Mystes vanished in a swirl of blue fire. Yuji slumped to his knees and cursed.
"Damn it... SHANA...!!"
Keisaku had been roused from his slumbering by a flurry of strange readings coming from the tracker he'd traced into the floor of Margery's house. The Chanter of Elegies stared at the eldritch display as it continued to wildly react.
"Man... this is just great. As if trying to actually find the Corpse Collector wasn't bad enough, now that stupid Huntress is running amok with something across the entire city! There's Power of Existence being drawn up all over the place. I can't find that damned Corpse Collector as long as that doll-fetish pervert's going wild like this."
Marcosius laughed.
"Hah! 'Denizens Gone Wild'! It'd be great! Think of all the cash we'd be able to rake in!"
"What's all this ruckus about?! I thought you two were counting sheep..."
Margery slowly descended the stairs, clothed in a dressing gown. There was a drowsy look on her face as she came down the steps. Keisaku shot her an apologetic glance.
"Sorry, Ms. Margery. We've got a problem here. A pretty big problem."
He turned his gaze back to the display on the floor.
"Hmph... this isn't looking good at all."
Marcosius scooted up closer to the Chanter of Elegies and gave a conspiring whisper.
"Hey, hey... you want to crash that bitch's buffet?"
Keisaku grinned.
"...Sounds like fun."
Marianne looked out over the city, the glass bell in her hand tinkling and giving off chimes for all it was worth.
"Look, look, my darling Friagne. Soon, this entire city will become one gigantic mass of Power of Existence... enough for you to have an existence of your very own. Then... eternity will be ours."
"M-Mistress..."
Shana, still tightly bound up in the chains of Bubble Root, shot the Huntress a contemptuous glare.
"It won't happen. Yuji will come. And he'll stop you."
The Huntress stared down at Shana mockingly.
"My... Is that what you call him? 'Yuji'? What a strange nickname to give to a Flame Haze. After all, what would they know of the value of names such as that? Such pitiful existences Flame Hazes lead. All they know about is being tools for their Crimson Lords, pathetic tools only suited to destroying things. Look at me... I, on the other hand, will be creating something. I will be creating an entire existence for my precious Friagne."
Shana gritted her teeth.
"That's wrong! Yuji... He's not simply a mindless killer!"
Marianne snorted with disdain.
"And what would a mere flat-chested Mystes, capable of disappearing at any moment, know?"
Shana looked down at her shoes, then back up at the Huntress.
"I know this much: It's true, I might disappear at any time. I'm a Torch and a Mystes, after all. But... that aggravating Flame Haze, Yuji, he chose to treat me like a human being from the very first moment we met. He would always be there to greet me at the start of every day... and he would always be there when we would part ways at the end of the day. He's been thinking of me and my welfare so much... So I know, even if I were to disappear, I'll always exist! Inside Yuji, I'll always exist!"
Shana smiled up confidently at Marianne as she continued.
"Creating an existence... what would a doll-loving fetish pervert like you know? My existence has already been created! It has already been proven! By Yuji and me! We've already proven each other's existence!"
The Denizen's face took on a twisted expression, marred by hatred and anger.
"You... you have no right to talk! How dare you talk to me that way, Mystes!"
Suddenly, another voice broke in upon the conversation.
"Don't call her a Mystes! Her name... is Shana!"
Shana spun around, her eyes alight with fierce joy as the Crimson-Haired Blazing-Eyed Hunter walked into the intersection.
"Yuji!"
The Flame Haze nodded in her direction as he then looked up at the Huntress floating up above.
"Enough games! Let's end it here!"
Marianne smirked.
"Agreed!"
As the Denizen rang the bell of glass once more, a volley of blue fire descended upon the Flame Haze and exploded in a brilliant eldritch display of pyrotechnics. However, Yuji was no longer there, having somersaulted away just moments before the azure flames had descended. Yuji countered with a gesture, as several bolts of crimson fire descended from the sky.
Marianne dodged all of them, and the bell of glass chimed once more. Yuji began to stare at the bell suspiciously.
Why in the world is she ringing that bell? Wait... can it be...?
"Alastor! Can you sense it?"
"Mmm! Now that you mention it... The entire city's flow seems to be gradually distorting! It's as if... No! This is...!"
Yuji quickly jumped into the air, firing several blasts of flame at the Hunter as he landed in the opposite direction. Marianne dodged again. Yuji then snapped his fingers, causing a huge pillar of flame to burst out of the ground below. This time, the fire struck home...
...only to vanish as the Huntress continued to float in mid-air, unscathed. Alastor called out to Yuji in warning as Marianne laughed again.
"That Treasure on her finger... it must be Azure, The Fire-Repelling Ring!"
The Huntress giggled.
"Indeed... and now do you see how closely you stare defeat in the face? There is no way for you to win... No way at all..."
Defiantly, Yuji raised a hand and fired off a blast of flame. The blast dissipated and broke off into a number of smaller firebolts that flew off in various directions as the attack made impact with the protective field generated by Azure. The Huntress sighed in mocking exasperation.
"You just don't learn, do you? Now, then..."
Reaching into the depths of her evening dress, Marianne pulled out an ornately-decorated handgun. The Huntress smiled at it fondly and idly fingered the trigger.
"It would be so fitting, wouldn't it? My ultimate weapon, the 'Trigger Happy'. A perfectly ironic way to destroy you. Six shots, fueled by Power of Existence. 'Death by Existence'. Now then, I should-"
SHHHHTHUNK!
There was a scream from Friagne.
"M-Mistress...!!!"
Eyes wide in sudden, agonizingly painful shock, the Huntress slowly looked down at the dissipating ball of flame that had once been the Rinne doll Friagne, and the katana blade that was now sticking out of her stomach. The razor-sharp edge had also sliced through the Denizen's fingers, sending Azure flying as the Denizen's dismembered fingers flew off in various directions. Marianne, her eyes wide in disbelief, looked over her shoulder at the female Mystes that stood behind her, both hands tightly gripping the hilt of the Nietono no Shana.
Shana had pierced straight through Marianne and Friagne simultaneously in a single thrust, and had effectively incapacitated Azure's effects for good measure as well.
The Huntress looked back down at Yuji.
"H-how...!?"
The Flame Haze just smiled.
"I wasn't aiming for you. My flames were aiming for Bubble Root's chains that were holding Shana captive. You've been so focused on fighting and killing Flame Hazes all this time... that you had no real innate defense ready to deal with a simple, albeit well-crafted katana once Bubble Root was out of the picture."
Marianne's face was twisted with pain and rage.
"No... NOOO!!! I CAN'T... I WON'T... I WON'T BE ROBBED OF OUR ETERNITY!! FRIAAAAGNE...!!"
Without warning, the Huntress reached backwards with the crook of her arm, grabbing up Shana by the neck in a brutal headlock. Shana gasped in shocked surprise as she struggled to fight free of the Denizen's elbow.
"Ahh...!!"
"Shana...!"
Yuji took an instinctive step forwards, but halted dead in his tracks as Marianne brought up the Trigger Happy and levelled the Treasure gun in the Flame Haze's direction.
"You... you blasted Flame Haze, you've taken everything from me... My precious Friagne, our eternity together... The only thing I can think of now is to take the both of you with me! First, I'll start with this little Mystes...!"
Suddenly, Shana began to scream painfully as the Huntress began to leech a massive quantity of Power of Existence from her and focused it into the Trigger Happy.
"Aaaaaaaaagh...!!"
Just as Shana was about to fade, however, the Huntress stopped and turned to her.
"Not yet. I'm not going to let you disappear just yet. Not until you've seen your precious Flame Haze die right in front of you...!!"
Even as she cocked the hammer and started to pull the trigger, however, a bolt of purple flame rocketed out of nowhere, blasting off the hand that held Trigger Happy. Marianne screamed once again in agonizing pain.
"GAAAGH! WHAT IN THE...!?"
Up above, the Chanter of Elegies, laughed as he rode in on Grimoire.
"Seriously... I hate corny battles that drag on like this. Isn't that right, Marcosius?"
The Crimson Lord that resided within the Grimoire laughed maniacally.
"Hahahahaw! Only too true, my berserk battle brawler, Keisaku Satou...!!"
The Huntress spat angrily as she looked about herself in powerless fury.
"No! CURSE YOU! CURSE YOU FLAME HAZES! BOTH OF YOU! AND THAT FLAT-CHESTED-"
SHHHHINK!
Shana, using the last of her strength, had shifted her weight on the hilt of her katana and had swung upwards in a shining vertical arc, cleaving the upper torso of the Huntress in two.
"Don't... call me... flat-chested...!!"
Even as Marianne's body fell apart into a crumbling mass of blue fire, a final thought crossed her mind.
Friagne... I... We... Our eternity...
The blue flames faded out and crumbled away into nothingness. The Huntress Marianne was gone.
It was over.
Yuji sat next to Shana, who was lying on the pavement of the intersection. Her right hand still clutched her katana. Most of her form was already starting to fade away.
"...So, I guess this is it, huh, Yuji?"
The Flame Haze smiled sadly.
"At this stage... probably so. That Denizen took a lot out of you."
"...I see. Still... I'm glad I got to meet an idiotic pervert stalker like you."
"Same here."
"Did I do okay?"
Yuji was vehement in his reply.
"Of course! You did great! We wouldn't have stopped Marianne if it weren't for you..."
Shana smiled faintly.
"I'm glad. Also, Yuji...?"
"Hmm?"
"You'll remember me, right? Even when I'm long gone?"
Yuji nodded.
"I will."
"Mmm. Thanks. Goodbye..."
The last of her form crumbled into glittering fragments of azure flame as they began to float upwards into the starry sky.
"Shana..."
And then... the bells of a nearby clocktower began to toll.
Even as the toll of the bells rang out, Shana suddenly blinked, her form abruptly restored to full normalcy as her dissipating flame roared back to life, blazing brightly anew. The female Mystes quickly sat up, staring at her hands and the rest of her body in astonishment.
"Huh!? But... HOW!? I thought... I thought I was going to..."
Yuji smiled, this time with such warmth that Shana blushed.
"I'd say that clinches it."
Alastor spoke up as well.
"Indeed. Truly, it is the 'Midnight Lost Child'."
Shana looked from Yuji to Alastor's Cocytus in dumbfounded puzzlement.
"Eh? The 'Midnight Lost Child'?"
Yuji pointed to Shana's chest, still smiling.
"It's the Treasure that you're holding inside you. At precisely the stroke of midnight, whatever Power of Existence you've expended during the day is completely restored."
Shana blinked, her mouth ajar, not daring to believe what her ears were hearing.
"Y-you mean..."
Yuji nodded. The warm smile was still there on his face.
"That's right. It means you still have a future to look forward to!"
Shana looked down at the flame of azure that burned brightly within her in wonderment.
"A... future. I still have a future... Hey, wait a minute!"
A furious look suddenly sprang up on Shana's face as her cheeks blushed crimson. Yuji blinked in puzzlement.
"Huh?"
"You sounded like you already knew I had such a thing inside me! Why didn't you tell me!?"
Yuji frantically waved his arms in desperate gesticulation, attempting to placate the now-angry Mystes.
"H-hey, Alastor and I weren't exactly sure ourselves! Besides, we-"
"That's no excuse! You should've told me! If I had known that I wouldn't just up and disappear, I wouldn't have said such embarrassing things to that stupid Denizen-"
"B-but didn't everything turn out fine in the end...?"
"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!"
Keisaku's voice suddenly interrupted them as the Chanter of Elegies swooped in to join them.
"My, my, my... what an endearing little scene. Stop it, the both of you are going to make me have the heaves."
Yuji looked up at Keisaku with a strange half-smile on his face.
"I... suppose I should be thanking you."
The Chanter of Elegies dismissed it with a wave of his hand.
"Don't bother. Besides, we didn't really do it to help you. We just did it because that damned Huntress was interfering with our search for the Corpse Collector."
Yuji nodded as he gave reply of his own.
"Regardless... Thank you. But we will be settling accounts for our previous battle soon. You can count on that."
Keisaku grinned wolfishly.
"And I'll be looking forward to it. Don't disappoint me, kid."
And with that, the Chanter of Elegies sped off. Yuji looked over to Shana and smiled.
"So... shall we go home?"
Shana blushed and quickly looked away.
"S-sure."
Even as she started off, however, Yuji halted her in mid-stride.
"...Shana."
"Hmm?"
"Next time something comes up... want to come along?"
Shana seemed to contemplate upon it for a second... then quickly stuck her tongue out at Yuji and raced off as she yelled back her reply.
"...I'll think about it!"
Yuji quickly ran after her.
"H-hey, Shana! Wait up for me!"
Even though she didn't dare let the young Flame Haze see, there was an exuberantly happy smile on Shana's face as she raced off for home.
So, Misaki's safe for now. That doll-loving Denizen Huntress Marianne been put on ice and that idiot pervert stalker Yuji is finally hanging around me again. And... I now have a future to look forward to. Everything... is back to the way it should be. Simply in chaos.
I wouldn't have it any other way.
The only problem now left is: What to do about that stupid book-riding battle-freak?
"Well, I must say... this is the longest chapter you've done yet."
The Writer of Questionable Stories shrugged.
"Wasn't that bad. Everything seemed to flow pretty well. Friagne kinda died uselessly this time around, though."
"Hmm. Now you'll just have to handle the next fight between Yuji and Keisaku."
The Writer of Questionable Stories groaned as he reached for a nearby carton of guava juice and took a hasty swig.
"...Don't remind me."
To Be Continued...?