Hikari stared at the faux Marigold before her.
"Hi, Hikari!" She waved merrily, the self-propelled grass cutting device she was steering veering off in a weird direction due to her letting her hand off of it. "I like inventing stuff! Don't you!?"
'This place is weird.' Hikari mentally understated.
Looking around, she proceeded towards another thin, grassy path…
"Wo-woaaa~h!" Marigold wailed as the device sped off the edge of the grassy plain and into the infinite sky.
…
Moments later, the Marigold reformed on the platform.
"...Hi, Hikari!" She waved to Hikari again, on the same path.
'Really weird.'
Yukari sighed. "...I may have been a little testy towards you, earlier. For that, I apologize."
Hikari casually looked at her. "...Does that mean you take back what you said?"
Yukari's face hardened. "No."
'Weirdo.' Hikari decided that Yukari belonged here.
"It's just, I may have come across as flippant when I expressed it. You see, being trapped in this place…"
"Hi, Hikari!" Marigold made herself known again.
"...happens to be more than a little draining." Yukari rubbed her temples. "Especially when it is simply the heart of Gensokyo and myself. With you here, the abstractions at least take physical form. When they're simply cognitive, it truly is a mind-rending experience."
"Sounds like you had fun." Hikari comments idly.
"Indeed." Yukari makes no further comment.
Moving through the curious land, everything suddenly became darker, as if a shadow was cast on the land.
Hikari looked up, and was blinded by the sun.
'Why is it dark, then?'
Yukari snorted.
...Rubbing her eyes, Hikari continued forward.
Hiyori was standing next to a stalagmite. "Hey, Hikari."
'...I wonder if she's normal.' "Hey, Hiyori."
…
Curious towards Hiyori's silence, Hikari spoke. "Hiyori?"
"Robe twelve asset ID seventeen is my dad." Hiyori grins.
…
'Oo~kay. Got my hopes too high, apparently.'
Suddenly, Hiyori pointed at Yukari, furrowing her brows. "Entity asset invalid! Entity asset invalid!"
Yukari finally paid attention to her. "...I'll be darned. She's an oni."
Hikari gave Yukari a smug grin, before turning to her friend.
'Sort of my friend, anyway. Half a friend? She's not entirely Hiyori, so~...'
"PK Starstorm." Hiyori stated. "PP reduced by twenty four. Bright, yellow and white stars barreled down from the midday sky, spiralling into entity asset invalid."
...Hikari blinked. "What?"
"I think she's trying to attack me." Yukari gave her an amused stare. Reaching a hand out, she patted Hiyori on the head. "I'm not entirely certain why."
'Hiyori' batted Yukari's arm away. "Entity asset invalid remaining hit points are nine, nine, nine, nine, nine, nine…"
Her eyes glazed over, as she kept repeating the same numeral.
"She broke." Yukari deduced.
"I don't blame her." Hikari pressed forward, leaving the faux Hiyori to her devices.
Passing by oversized and undersized vegetation, the land slowly turned back to a normal shading. Hikari came up to what looked like a storefront, which was surrounded by random, purposeless pillars.
Old man Kirisame was at the stand, for some reason. "Hehe~y, Hikari!"
The land slowly turned a vibrant yellow, to Hikari's displeasure. 'Woaa~h...'
...Hikari looked at what was for sale.
"For sale, we have…" Kirisame seemed to roll his hands for effect. "Dream Pajamas!"
...Hikari tilted her head.
"They reduce the damage of magical attacks! By a fourth! And I would know!" He grins widely. "No money back guarantee! You buy it, it's yours, absolutely premium!"
'...How much does it even cost?'
"A mere one thousand yen! It's a steal!" Old man Kirisame spread his arms out.
'Clothes for one thousand yen. Wait, how does he…?' Hikari stared at him in dry wonder. Pulling out her yen pouch from her curiously regular miko outfit, she looked inside.
'...Eighty thousand yen!?' Hikari looked at what was just on the top.
Flipping her pouch over, she hung it upside down over the counter.
Fwww~sh…
Coins flowed out over the counter.
Kirisame's jaw dropped.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Hikari obtained Dream Pajamas!
Hikari walked around in her new pajamas.
"We're doomed." Yukari sulked.
"You're doomed." Hikari rebutted.
Walking across a log over a shallow creek, Hikari found herself in front of a house.
'First real structure here in a long time.' Hikari got tired of the abstract geometry of the dreamscape's foliage.
She was now in the center of a crossroads, where the structure also sat at. The roads that lead up to it all had random pillars along the sides of them.
Slowly, the land began to glow neon white.
'My eyes…' Hikari didn't like that at all.
She moved inside the large, gazebo-like structure.
Inside, there was a humanoid, nine-tailed fox.
"Oh, there you are…" Yukari smiled. "Still holding up, Ran?"
Sighing, Ran rubbed her temples. "Hardly. Is the Hakurei dead?"
'Wait, what!?' Hikari was shocked into an offensive stance.
Yukari stuck a hand up. "Oh, do not fret. Hikari is right here. The actual one."
...Ran was skeptical. "Truly?"
Hikari backed up, anticipating an attack. "I'd rather you didn't kill me."
Yukari grinned smugly at her familiar.
Ran realized the implications of what she said. "...O-oh, Hakurei. I do not intend you harm. I was simply curious, was all."
'...Why do they think I was going to die?' Hikari was getting annoyed.
"I was actually assigned here." Ran declared. "...I am to be Hikari's courage, apparently."
Yukari beamed in amusement. "He-her courage? Fufufu~! Gensokyo's mana thinks that of you?"
...Ran nodded. "Considering I routinely did your dirty work regarding the barrier."
"My barrier." Yukari specified.
"My family's barrier." Hikari corrected.
Yukari folded her arms, amusement quickly fading. "Technically."
...Hikari looked around inside the gazebo, as the land's color outside slowly turned red.
"Nya~h!"
A brown-haired catgirl fell from atop the gazebo, landing outside.
Thud!
"Ch-Chen!?" Ran immediately bolted outside.
...Hikari followed Ran outside after a delay.
Outside the gazebo, the pillars of stone were all getting smashed by strange entities. The sky was red, and the sun was dimmer, casting a violent, subtle glow across the dreamscape's plains.
Stone pillars crumbled in the wake of floating, pitch-black mikos holding broad, purple swords. Their chests held a gaping, heart-shaped hole. Red mist flowed from the edges of these particularly edgy beings.
"Fufufu~...!"
Busty, succubus-like entities accompanied by similar red mist attempted to charm the pillars, which wasn't entirely effective.
'That's a lot of enemies…!' Hikari's eyes slowly widened.
"Hakurei." Yukari spoke sternly. "Follow me, and do not lose yourself, or you will die. The time to act is now."
Chen scrappily got back onto her hands and feet, claws scraping the dirt as she darted off insanely fast, long, red-haired succubi slowly trailing after her.
...Ran huffed. "Sh-she'll be alright… I'm sure of it."
Without delay, Hikari started running after Yukari, with Ran following. The enemies around them paid little attention, apparently more intent on destroying the gazebo and the accompanying pillars.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
The maze-like trail of paths she eventually ended up on was dazzling. From the path, little could be made out other than the bright red grass and the oppressive red glow of the infinite sky around the three.
Ran hung behind Hikari a little bit, briskly jogging to keep up with Hikari's sloppy, desperate run.
'Wh-why does Yukari have to move so fast!? What's even going on!?'
...Eventually, the path ahead of them cut off, and the path behind them cut off.
Yukari stopped on a dime, but vanished, having been hovering over the path section that was disjointed.
'...That's probably not good.'
Ran's clawlike nails extended, and she readied herself. "Stay behind me, Hakurei!"
Fwoo~m…
One of the shadow mikos formed in the air from red mist, a gaping, heart-shaped hole in her featureless chest. Two glowing, yellow eyes illuminated the rest of her precisely sculpted, expressionless face.
'Oh, boy…'
Hikari tried Shield ß!
Hikari was protected by the power shield of light!
Running along the floor, Ran leapt up at the creature.
Swish! Swish!
Red mist was torn from the shadow miko's body. It flinched back, but quickly countered with an insanely fast heel spin. Like this, it spun its broadsword around like a twig, smashing Ran aside.
"Guah!?" Ran seemed to fly off the side of the arena, but a barrier prevented her from going off the edge.
With Ran out of the way, the miko floated up to Hikari…
'Woah.' Hikari realized the miko was really tall. 'Eight feet tall. This thing's far from human.'
Hikari guarded against the telegraphed, downward slice.
Bam!
The swing sent her flying. "Wah!"
...A beam shot from her shield, flying into the miko. It lurched from the impact, writhing, before steadying itself again. The hole in its chest got bigger.
"Hrah!"
Spinning through the air, Ran filleted the front of the miko's upper body, a whirlwind of mist being released.
"Grrh…" The shadow miko growled, the hole in its chest beginning to expand to the edges of its torso.
It stabbed its blade into the ground, and vanished. The blade rose from the floor, and began gravitating toward Hikari, blade first.
'Um…' Hikari watched it slowly accelerate towards her. She moved to jump over it, but it veered upward.
Shink!
It sliced through a part of her torso, blood splashed outward and onto the platform. "Gugh!?"
'Aaagh!'
Ran's eyes widened. "Hakurei! No!"
A beam shot from Hikari's power shield. It flew towards the sword and struck it, but didn't visibly do anything.
Ran moved to intercept the blade as it came for Hikari again, only for it to pass straight through her.
Splosh!
"Hrraaa~h!" Ran hollered, the hole in her stomach slowly closing on its own as she hunched over.
Hikari dove out of the way of the blade's thrust, as it shot straight past her.
'Too close…'
Hikari tried Lifeup ß!
Her wound slowly began to heal!
'I-I need to dodge…' Hikari felt her strength return all too slowly, as the blade turned towards her again and accelerated faster than before.
"A-ah!" Hikari blocked on reflex.
Hikari felt wood get carved from her Miracle Gohei as it successfully deflected the thrust, the blade flying past her harmlessly. Then, it began to slow down, before vanishing completely.
"Wo-wow…" Hikari wished she had an attack like that.
"Ha-Hakurei!?" Ran sprinted up to Hikari, and began checking where she was wounded. "Are you hurt!?"
'He-hey!' Hikari gingerly pried Ran's hands from her. "I'm-I'm fine!"
Contrary to popular belief, the attack wasn't over.
Scarlet flames slowly formed a foot away from Hikari, six of them floating in a circular orbit around her form.
Ran's eyes widened. "No…!"
Hikari looked at them, and sighed.
They suddenly moved towards her, and before they connected with her-
Splosh!
Hikari couldn't scream.
'Aaaaaa~h!' Physically, anyway.
Hikari stared down at the tip of a blood-spattered purple broadsword, extending from her stomach.
Eyes wide, Hikari didn't have the chance to cry as her body collapsed upon the blade's removal.
'A-ah…'
Hikari tried Lifeup γ!
'Hu-hurts…'
"Hakurei~!" Ran desperately clung to Hikari's limp body.
Hikari tried Lifeup γ!
'I-I…'
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: THIRD PERSON VIEW ====
...Ran cursed to herself, staring at the Hakurei's slowly regenerating, unconscious form. "H-how could I let this happen…?"
She looked up at the Invincible's form, and growled…
A beam shot from the Hakurei's shield, moving towards it.
"...Y-you…" Ran hatefully glared at the dark entity.
It reeled its blade back, intent on slicing Ran once more.
Swish!
Ran leaped up, and instead onto the torso of the being.
"Rrrgh…!" With a primal growl, she lunged at the creature's neck.
Crunch!
…
Fwooosh…
A mighty blast of wind was unleashed, once the dark miko was purged from reality.
The clearing she stood on shrunk back to the size of a path, rejoining the area where Yukari was.
"...Hakurei!" Yukari's eyes were wide, her impatience replaced with rage. "Ran! I thought I made my instructions clear!"
Terror filled Ran's form. She shrunk back. "Yu-Yu-"
Yukari held up a hand. "Do not speak. Your punishment will be this realm's downfall, when we're-"
"Nngh…"
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: HIKARI'S VIEW ====
Sitting up, Hikari felt her stomach…
'Still hurts…' Hikari gasped. 'S-so much…'
Hikari tried Lifeup ß!
...From there, she looked up at the gaping form of Ran, and the blank stare of Yukari.
…
"What." Yukari was confused.
"Hi…" Hikari got back up, once her discomfort became minimal. "...Maybe we should kill those dark things faster, next time."
Ran kneeled, smiling widely.
"...How are you alive?" Yukari demanded. "With the internal wounds you had, you should have never woken up. Your life should be over."
"Magic." Hikari was never one for magic theory. As far as she knew, healing spells weren't incredibly common, either.
…
Skeptical, Yukari turned away. "...Very well. If you feel well, continue after me, Hikari."
Yukari began accelerating forward, slower this time.
'What I wanna know is how…' Hikari glanced at Ran. 'Ran, that was her name… how Ran recovered so quickly. Does she know healing, too?'
Ran began jogging after Yukari again, motioning for Hikari to follow.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
A short distance later, they came to a four way divide, which Hikari trucked right past.
Ran followed her without question, but Hikari paused to look down each way. All three directions seemed consequenceless, to her…
The path ahead of her vanished, along with Yukari and Ran.
'Uh oh.' Hikari blanched.
Before the left and right paths faded, Hikari was accompanied by help after all.
"Reoo~w!"
Chen scraped onto the scene, her claws tearing up grass as she dashed across the expanding clearing.
A barrier silently formed as the other path she went for was cut off, vanishing. Chen hit her head on the barrier.
Bam!
"Grr~nn…" Chen backed up, her ears tucked back.
"Hehehe~!"
"Cute widdle kitty…!"
Hikari turned to the side of the clearing Chen had came from.
Three succubi hung in the air, staring down upon Hikari lustfully.
Hikari's heart skipped a beat.
Two floated down towards Hikari, while one bolted straight for Chen.
Chen spun into the air, claws flailing.
Swish, swish, swish!
"Hya~h!?" The succubus flinched back, a gash forming in her stomach. "Awwh…"
Hikari brought up her gohei menacingly. "Leave me alone, you lewd things."
'No use in being reserved. Succubi are loud things… or so the books said.'
"O~h, hohoho?" The rightmost one smiled haughtily, her assets jiggling as she laughed. "What a delectable little shrine maiden!"
"Let's make her ours!" The leftmost succubi began to pounce, stepping towards Hikari in a strategically sexy manner.
Hikari planned to disarm her in a strategically sleepy manner.
Hikari tried Hypnosis α!
...The succubus yawned. "Awwh, she wants to get comfy with us…"
'Yeah, that wouldn't work, would it?'
Moving towards Hikari, her arms spread wide for a hug. Hikari countered with a swipe of her gohei to her chest.
Thwack!
"Guyu~n!?" Her eyes widened as she reached for her boobs. "Ow~!"
"Pfft…!" The other succubus laughed. "Let me show you how to fuck a miko."
"Reaow!"
Chen landed on her face, and extended her claws.
"Aaaa~h!" The succubus screamed, extending her own nails to fend off the angry cat.
"He-hey…!" Winded, the third succubus attempted to float after Chen, only to pause, taking a moment to recoup and regain her breath.
Hikari took this opportunity to be violent, running towards the succubus with her gohei ready.
Thwack!
"Ha~!?" She clutched her cheek. "You little shit!"
Hikari backpedalled as the succubus extended her claws, attempting to grapple Hikari.
Woosh!
Hikari got a face full of her sickeningly heavy perfume, as the succubus' hair brushed Hikari's face. 'Yu-yuck…'
Suddenly, Hikari was glomped from the side by the succubus she hit in the boobs. "I got you~!"
"Mmph!?" Hikari's face was squished between two marshmallows.
'Wo-woah…' Perfume flooded her senses.
Hikari thrashed, trying to escape the succubus' grasp, but found her strength eebing away…
"That's right…" The succubus cooed into her ear. "We'll make you feel good."
"Aaaa~h!" The other succubus screamed, desperately stabbing her claws into Chen's shoulders in an attempt to ward her off. "Ge-get her off! Get her o~ff!"
'Wo-wow…' Hikari's head began swimming intensely, her body jittering from a sudden rush of energy.
Drowsy, Hikari nuzzled up against the succubus' pillows. "Hehehe~..." She laughed at the other one's misfortune drunkenly.
"We'll show you a real fantasy." The other succubus slides up behind Hikari's back…
Hikari's mind acted on carnal impulse.
Hikari tried PK Fantasy α!
An unexpected rainbow bombardment ruined the mood.
Fizzle!
Sparks of rainbow energy danced on red grass, blue and yellow colors infecting the succubi and the ground with energy.
"Waaauu~gh!" The succubus Chen was attacking was bested, Chen succeeding in clawing her face off. She evaporated into red smoke.
Fwoo~sh...
Fizzle!
"He~ll!" The succubi clutching Hikari wailed, stumbling back as her body flashed different colorful tones.
"Hya~!" The other one became colorful particles of dust.
…
Hikari longingly gazed at the succubus. "Co-come back…"
Bwaa~sh!
A blast of psychic energy tore the final succubus apart, red mist floating back into the sky.
...Chen lied on the floor, jittering from the colorful energy.
'...Kitty.'
Hikari tried Lifeup ß!
...
Dizzily, Chen stood up. "...Mroo~w…"
Hikari looked around, dissapointed. "Wh-where… where did they go?"
...The paths faded back into existence, the clearing shrinking into a fourway intersection again.
Ran and Yukari instantly closed in on Hikari. The latter was the first to speak. "You must stay close to me at all times!"
"...A-ah…" Hikari slowly strutted towards Yukari.
Yukari blinked.
Hikari grabbed Yukari's chest.
Ran's jaw slowly hung open.
…
"Ran, do you have any Panaceas left?" Yukari sighed.
"Ri-right…" Ran slid a yellow drink from her robe, and brought it to Hikari's mouth.
'O-oh!' Hikari squirmed in excitement, her face burning red.
Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp…
…
'I want to crawl in a hole.' Hikari's face was now burning red from embarrassment, holding her hands to her stomach tensely.
Yukari smirked, despite her burning impatience. "I know you can't keep your hands off me, dear, but our mission is an important one. Gensokyo is at stake."
"M-mmm…" Hikari couldn't bring herself to sass her.
Chen rubbed up against Hikari's leg.
"..." Ran had adopted an immensely wide smile.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
After that, Hikari made sure to hold onto the shoulders of Ran and Chen, so that she'd never get ganked in a pocket dimension again.
Once again, the path broke, but all three Yakumos were with her, this time.
"Let us see the opposition." Yukari folded her arms, half submerged in her gap still.
In the air, another dark miko formed. A succubi swooped in from the aether, spawning abruptly.
A lightning cloud with googly eyes faded in from the aether, as well.
'One of these things is not like the other.'
...The succubus widened her eyes. "Full house tonight, huh?"
...Chen began strafing towards her, wiggling her butt in the air as she readied to pounce.
Noticing, the succubi extended her claws. "...Oh? Kitty wanna pl- oomph!"
Chen was like a bullet.
"There is little I can do but create gaps." Yukari declared. "Side-effect of sealing myself and my shikigami, unfortunately."
Thunder Swoosh tried PK Thunder γ!
Thwaa~sh!
"Two way portals, more like." Yukari grumbled. "How unbecoming."
Yukari prevented Hikari from being stricken, the thunderbolt striking the dark miko instead.
Bam!
It flew back into the barrier that enclosed the arena, sparks running up its rapidly dissolving body.
Thwaa~sh!
Once again, Yukari saved Chen from being stricken by having a gap above herself, Chen, Ran, and Hikari.
Fwooo~sh…
The dark miko was felled by the thunderbolt.
Thwaa~sh!
This time, Yukari directed it towards the succubus, the thunderbolt bombarding it from a conveniently placed gap.
Bam!
Unfortunately, the succubus slid out of the way, a zipping sound heard as she avoided it. "Hehehe~! There's no way- Ow! Dammit!" She was nicked on the nose by a swipe from Chen.
Ran bolted towards the succubus like lightning, making Hikari flinch from the sudden movement. 'Woah…'
Closing in on the succubus, Ran was like a freight train.
Her eyes widened as the nine-tailed fox barreled towards her. "Hey, hey! N-no!"
Bam!
Fwooo~sh…
The succubus was no more.
…
This left the Thunder Swoosh. Somehow, Hikari could tell it was happy, even if it was hostile.
Thunder Swoosh tried PK Thunder γ!
Yukari captured each and every one with one of her gaps, making them blast empty parts of the arena.
…
"Here..." Yukari picked up Hikari, and began twirling her around.
'Hey, hey- woaa~h!' Hikari saw the world spin around…
Yukari tossed Hikari into a gap.
'Eyes!' This was Hikari's first time in gap space.
Exiting the gap, Hikari found herself many feet above the Thunder Swoosh.
"...Raa~h!" Hikari readied her gohei to annihilate it.
She came down from above, and smashed it.
SMAAAA~SH!
Thunder Swoosh was no more.
Hikari was caught in Ran's arms.
"Splendid show!" Yukari giggled. "Simply splendid!"
"...You have too much fun." Ran didn't appreciate how it endangered Hikari.
Yukari snorts. "As if you couldn't use some, Ran?"
...The barrier dissolved, the paths reforming.
...Ran shrugs compromisingly. "Despite how much I would love things to be less pressured, I do not believe we have the time."
Hikari sighs.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
The featureless paths faded again…
This time, Hikari and the three Yakumo stood before…
Some molecule-esque things, a walking work of abstract art, and…
'Wh-what?'
Hikari saw another her, clad in the same pajamas she had on.
…
"This is new." Yukari observed.
...Hikari gingerly walked up to her doppelganger.
"Hey." The doppelganger spoke.
"...Hi." Hikari greeted her equally as plain.
"I found that ribbon you lost." Smiling, the doppelganger lifted up a plain, red ribbon.
Hikari took it. "...Thank you?"
With that, the doppelganger slowly faded out of existence, smiling in a satisfied manner.
…
Hikari stared at the regular ribbon.
'It's not as fancy as my royal ribbon.' She stuffed it in her pocket.
Molecule A tried PK Freeze α!
Molecule B tried PK Flash α!
Molecule C tried PK Fire α!
…
But they failed!
The walking abstraction stepped up to Ran, and waved.
...Ran reluctantly waved back. "He-hello?"
BOOM
Hikari jumped. "Wh-wha…!?"
...When the smoke faded, Ran was covered in soot, and the abstract person was gone. "...Gr-great."
…
Hikari walked up to the molecules, and whacked them with their gohei. When she did, they dispersed into smaller ones, vaporizing.
With that done, the paths out of the clearing reformed…
"Something tells me those weren't Giygas' avatars." Yukari noted aloud. "...Since Hikari and Gensokyo's hearts are interacting, I think the faction those belonged to is pretty clear."
'...Huh.' Hikari tilted her head. 'Me people.'
"Walking bomb person." Ran complained, dusting herself off.
'Good people.' Hikari was strangely proud her mind had bomb people in it.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Eventually, the four came to a corkscrew in the midst of a clearing, no paths leading out of it. It was clear, like glass or a gummy treat might be.
"Here we are." Yukari took a deep breath. "...Your heart."
Hikari blinked. "...Mi-mine?"
"Indeed." Yukari nodded. "Ugly, isn't it?"
...Hikari swung at Yukari, but she ducked into her gap.
'Darn.'
Reappearing behind Hikari, the gap youkai continued. "The reason I brought you here varies. This would allow your mother to track Giygas' coordinates, but since it's you, I'll be doing that fully. My tracking was the backup plan, fortunately."
'I see…'
"The other is that this should also sever Giygas' proper affiliation with Gensokyo as of the present. This will deny any and all brainwashing attempts herein."
'Huh.' Hikari felt better about going through hell to get here.
"Unfortunately, this will not be the end, as Giygas would still live. I will make contact with you shortly after this is all said and done, Hikari. We cannot afford to let this being live any longer." Yukari briefed the miko. "That, and Giygas will likely attempt to coast Gensokyo with a more hands on approach. It's not out of the realm of possibility."
'...Great.' Hikari felt worse about going through hell to get here.
…
"So, for now, touch your heart." Yukari instructed her.
...Taking a deep breath, Hikari put her hand on it.
'Nothing to lose, aside from all of Gensokyo…'
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
...Slowly, Hikari's vision returned to her.
'...Bl-blue…'
The word sent her into a frenzy. 'Wh-what!? No!'
Thrashing her arms, she swam to the surface of the liquid she was in.
Breaking the water's surface, Hikari took a deep breath. "Ha~h!"
'Wh-where…?'
Below her, wood pushed her further out of the water. Stumbling back, she slipped onto the raft that formed beneath her.
"Oof…" She frowned.
…
Standing up and finding her balance, Hikari looked at the ocean before her…
Still, deep water rested before her. Hikari could see no bottom. In the sky, clouds slowly spun in a circular, blue sky.
'...I still don't know where this is…'
Hikari stared down at herself.
'I have a gohei, but no clothes? Okay.'
...Staring up at the sky again, Hikari took in the warmth of the air around her, comfortable air blowing against her skin.
'...I like it here.'
Then, she felt like something was wrong. 'Wh-what…!?'
Frantically looking around, she stood at the edge of the raft and peered into the watery depths.
She felt as if her vision extended deep into the water, as if she was slowly moving down into it…
Spla~sh!
Hikari fell onto her butt, again. 'Really…'
Staring up, she saw a mass of red, hostile mist shoot from the waves.
Splash! Splash!
Mist rose from the water around her, as it slowly turned crimson.
'Yeah, the calm didn't last long…'
...Slowly, more and more mist pillars shot from the water, until Hikari was effectively surrounded.
Looking around, Hikari noticed the mist gradually begin to trap her raft in…
'Probably not good.'
Hikari tried PK Flash ß!
Fwaa~sh!
The mist pillars were reduced in strength greatly. Instead, they became a thin fog, which fumed from the water around Hikari.
Acting quickly, Hikari began trying to paddle the raft with her hands, which went about as well as one might expect.
'Great.' Hikari looked around at the fumes of red mist, which slowly grew stronger…
Feeling she had little other choice, she moved to jump into the water…
...only to find that the raft was under where she jumped.
...Experimenting, Hikari tried to step off of it, before finding another plank forming where she stepped. The other end of the raft lost a plank, however.
'Guess that's how this thing's not flipping over. Magic is weird.'
Fwoom! The pillars rose to full power again, and began encroaching upon Hikari's space once more…
Hikari tried PK Flash ß!
Fwaa~sh!
Once more, the pillars calmed down.
Running forward, Hikari's bare feet slapped against the magically generating wood as she got out of range of the pillars.
Fwoom!
A larger, more divided, circle of pillars formed. The older fumes went out entirely.
'Hmm…' Hikari was hesitant about casting again and using more energy.
She heard wind roaring, and turned.
What looked like two black slips of paper flew through the air. Hikari ran out of the way-
Fwam! Fwam!
They exploded into large balls of light in the area where Hikari used to be.
Quickly, the pillars began to entrap her again, seemingly quickening up…
Hikari tried PK Flash ß!
Fwaa~sh!
The pillars quieted down. Past the fumes, Hikari saw a figure that quickly dove beneath the waves again.
'...I don't like the idea that someone else is poking around in my heart.' Hikari furrowed her brows.
Once again, another set of red, misty pillars formed. This time, they gave great width for Hikari to move around.
"Groaa~h!"
Spla~sh!
From below the water, one of the oversized youkai bears that Hikari and her friends saw days ago leaped up in place.
Hikari felt her balance falter for a moment, the ground beneath her becoming uneven.
Looking down, she realized a hill began rising from beneath the sea, water parting as it rose. The grass underneath was fine because it was freakin' magic.
The hill proceeded to shake once the bear landed upon it.
Thoo~m!
"Grrh…" Growling, the red tinted variant of the bear began turning towards Hikari…
Hikari reached for her ofuda, only to find none because she had no clothes on.
'Oh.'
Hikari tried Shield ß!
Hikari was protected by the power shield of light!
'Oh, boy…' Hikari dreaded the bear's approach.
The twenty foot tall bear began lumbering closer to her… "Go~h…"
Running along the side of the bear, Hikari had an idea…
Hikari tried Hypnosis Ω!
Waves of energy rippled around the bear in numerous places of its body…
"Gro~h…" Lazily, its legs gave way beneath it. It collapsed onto its chest, the hill beneath it quivering from the force.
Steadying her footing, Hikari ran up to the side of the bear.
'Now… what do I do?'
...She ran up to the face of the creature, and began being violent towards it.
Thwack! Thwack! SMAAAA~SH!
"Raoh!" It woke up instantly after the miraculous critical blow, its eyes flaring open.
'Woah, woah, woah…!' Eyes wide, Hikari scrambled back.
It swung a paw at Hikari, who braced for it…
Bam!
Hikari tumbled down the hillside, before landing on the surface of the raft.
Thud. 'Ow.'
...A beam shot from her power shield of light, homing in on the bear.
"Rooaa~h!" The bear was enraged by the magical beam, stomping on the hill hysterically.
Hikari tried PK Fantasy α!
Fizzle!
Hikari discovered how large her rain of technicolor sparks actually was. It was apparently enough to barely encompass a twenty foot tall bear, but only the top of it.
Fizzle!
Most of the bear was painted fruity colors, stumbling around as pain racked its body… "Rrgh…"
Hikari tried Hypnosis Ω!
Once again, the ripples of energy that erupted around the bear began to put it to sleep…
"Rrh…" Thoom. It collapsed on the hill again.
Running up to its face, Hikari gave it hell again.
Thwack! Thwack! SMAAAA~SH!
"Groah!?" The bear threw itself backward, scrambling against the hill and kicking up dirty grass, until it slid right off of it, and into the water.
It didn't come back out, and the pillars of red mist receded into the water, vanishing completely.
'...Well, then.' Hikari brushed herself off.
The water lowered further, more hills and plains being revealed deeper and deeper down. Eventually, it lowered until there was just a simple lake in view. It was between the hills, water flowing in and out of the gaps amidst them.
Curious, Hikari began bounding towards the water, which eventually progressed to sliding down the hill.
'This feels weird…' Hikari didn't like the feeling of flesh-on-grass contact. At least, not when she was sliding down a hill increasingly fast.
She got to the water, and slid into it.
'A-ah!' She had braced herself for the raft, but it wasn't there.
Eventually, however, it did rise, pushing her out of the water.
'Stupid thing…'
Fwoom! More red pillars sealed her in the small lake.
Before Hikari, a figure rose from the waves…
Hikari took a fighting stance.
The pitch-black miko stared back at her, adopting a fighting stance of her own.
'...How come she has clothes, and I don't?' Hikari observed the blue shrine maiden outfit on the shadowy doppelganger.
...Reaching into its pocket, the doppelganger took out two fancy potions. Looking up at Hikari, it tossed one over to her.
...Hikari eyed it. 'What is this?'
"Drink." The dark miko rasped. "Fair fight."
Hikari was instantly skeptical. "Because you'd prefer a fair fight, I'm sure."
With that, Hikari tossed the drink into the water.
...Sighing, the doppelganger reached into her pockets, and drew it again. Hikari could tell it was the same one, because it was dripping. "Fight won't start, you drink. Your heart."
Hikari fumbled to catch it when the doppelganger chucked it at her again. 'What…?'
…
"Why should I believe you?" Hikari slowly began moving towards the dark miko.
The dark miko probably would have rolled its eyes, if they weren't glowing. "Try hit me."
Hikari ran towards it, and tried to strike it…
Fwish. The form of the miko shifted, the strike phasing through it.
The dark miko tried the same, only for the swing to phase through Hikari similarly.
...Hikari stepped back. "Who are you?"
Grinning, the dark miko held up her elixir. "You."
…
'That can't be right.' Hikari tilted her head. "...How?"
"Drink." The miko demanded of her. "...Not good, words. Fight me."
…
Hikari brought her potion up to drink it. The dark miko made the same motions.
Lowering it, Hikari observed the other's movements. The dark miko, too, lowered it.
'Here goes nothing.'
Both mikos abruptly brought the drink to their mouths, and began drinking…
Hikari's magic and stamina were restored to full!
Hikari's Nightmare's magic and stamina were restored to full!
The floor beneath the two became a flat platform of wood, the pillars of mist becoming shrine walls.
Like this, the two stared at one another…
…
Grinning widely, Hikari's Nightmare began stepping towards her, what looked like the Miracle Gohei raised high.
Hikari tried Shield ß!
Hikari was protected by the power shield of light!
'Better safe than sorry.'
"Already?" The dark miko jeered.
Hikari's Nightmare tried Shield ß!
Hikari's Nightmare was protected by the power shield of light!
'...Great.'
"Here!" Leaping back, the dark miko threw two black ofuda forward.
Recognizing them, Hikari leapt away, avoiding them.
Fwam! Fwam!
They exploded into orbs of light, engulfing a small area for a few seconds.
...Hikari heard the clacking of sandals from the direction of the orbs, and squinted her eyes as she brought her gohei up.
Quickly, the dark miko bounded from the fading orbs, intent on surprising Hikari. Instead, Hikari jabbed her in the stomach with her gohei.
SMAAAA~SH!
"Guh…" The miko recoiled.
Hikari went for another thwack. It landed, but the miko disregarded it, floating away and into the air.
'Hey, wait, hold on…!' Hikari didn't remember being able to fly.
She ran after the miko, who landed on the floor before her.
"Cautionary Barrier!"
Hikari was sent flying backwards by the barrier that was cast in her face.
'Wha~t!?'
Leaping into the air, the other miko transformed into a golden yin-yang orb, quickly floating over to where Hikari would land.
'He-hey…!'
Thwack, thwack, SMAAAA~SH!
"Ghu~ah!?"
Hikari was sent soaring after being juggled through the air by a series of powerful smacks.
Thud. 'Ge-geez…'
...Hikari scrambled to her feet, watching her counterpart walking towards her casually.
"Hehehe~..." Her counterpart giggled. "Weak."
Drawing two more ofuda, the clone lobbed them at Hikari again.
With wall behind her, Hikari was forced to desperately dive out of the way of the incoming exploding ofuda-
Fwam! Fwam!
'Close…' Hikari panted heavily, watching as the miko bolted towards her, the clacks of her sandals against the shrine floor like thunder.
Hikari leaped back as the other miko viciously tore at the air with her gohei, putting immense power into a complex combo of gohei swipes that hit nothing at all.
'Is she doing that on purpose? There's no way she wouldn't have noticed she whiffed after the first three swings...'
After the miko finished her combo, Hikari quickly slipped a hit in-
Thwack!
-and retreated back as the miko rose her hand.
"Cautionary Barrier!"
Hikari was dazzled by the golden light of the barrier. She noticed a golden yin-yang orb sweeping around in an attempt to flank her, and turned to be ready for it.
From the orb emerged the doppelganger, who came out swinging.
Clack!
Hikari blocked it, and suckerpunched her.
Bam!
"Guh…?" Stepping back, the dark form was vaguely surprised.
'Hah!' Hikari grinned at it, taking pride in the small victory.
Scowling as best as a shadow clone could scowl, the dark miko shapeshifted. It took the form of that statue Hikari saw earlier in her adventure…
'That gold statue!' Hikari tensed up…
She ran away from it, doing a circle around the arena as the statue floated after her, slamming into the ground like a giant piston as it followed her.
Eventually, it gave up, transforming back into the shadow miko form it had. "Hahaha~!"
Hikari scowled at it. 'She wants to trade cheap attacks, huh?'
Hikari tried Hypnosis α!
Energy rippled around the dark being…
"Hu-hnh…?" The being wobbled around, before sitting down, and hunching over.
…
"Th-that worked?" Hikari asked aloud.
…
Strutting up to it casually, Hikari prepared herself to take a good swing…
…
SMAAAA~SH!
"Groaa~rgh!" A beastly roar came from the form of the shadow miko, which flew back with immense speed after being struck, stabilizing itself many feet in the air.
Hikari had a shit eating grin. "Pffft…!"
Glowering down at her, the dark miko traded a similar attack.
Hikari's Nightmare tried Hypnosis α!
Energy rippled around Hikari…
'Wh-what…?' Hikari felt a yawn come. 'No…'
"Ha~h…" Yawning, Hikari sat down, and flopped onto her back.
...
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
SMAAAA~SH!
"Aauh!?" Hikari wailed, flailing her arms as she spun across the wooden floor. "Hu-wah!?"
"Hehehaha~!" Doubling back with laughter, the hoarse voice of the dark miko echoed across the large shrine-styled battlefield.
'Wh-what's going on!?' Hikari clung to her gohei, her body aching and eyes wide.
...After a moment of staring at the miko, she realized. 'O-oh. I… fell asleep.'
"Now…" The dark miko's mirth wore off. "Go to sleep."
Hikari's Nightmare tried PK Fantasy α!
Hikari was suddenly bombarded by technicolor particles. "Wh-wha-"
Fizzle!
"Aauugh!" Hikari dropped to her knees, magical energy tearing through her muscles.
Fizzle!
Her eyes saw nothing but red, yellow, and blue for a good thirty seconds. Her muscles spasming violently, there was little she could do but try to recover.
Bwaa~sh!
She was sent hurtling into the air by the psychic blast, slamming against the shrine wall. She fell to the floor unceremoniously.
Thud.
'Wh-why…?' Hikari felt like crying, but she had a better idea.
Hikari tried Lifeup ß!
...Her vision slowly returned to normal, and her body gradually turned the pain dial down.
'My spell hurts.' Hikari came to realize.
Then she noticed the dark miko ripping towards her, her legs moving insanely fast despite having none of the wind's guidance.
Hikari noticed her preparing for another broad, exaggerated slash of her gohei. To counter, Hikari crouched, and jabbed.
SMAAAA~SH!
"Oo~gh…!" The miko flew backwards and into the air.
"...None of our shields seem to be doing anything." Hikari noted.
Grinning, the doppelganger responded. "Both shields. Beam no work. Only damage halve."
'Huh.' Hikari blinked. '...Wait, those gohei strikes are half damage!?'
...Noticing Hikari not approaching her, the dark entity decided to attack, running towards her again. "Hehehe~!"
Hikari wasn't having any more of that, though.
Hikari tried PK Fantasy γ!
Throwing her arms forward, Hikari shot two polygons of technicolor energy at her opponent.
FwOwOwOw!
The dark miko ran forward to bait them-
TinkTinkTinkTink!
-then leaped back to avoid the technicolor barrier.
Hikari focused on the miko on the other side…
Bwaa~sh!
"Hroah!?" It forgot about the last part, but quickly recovered midair from the psychic blast. Red mist dissipated from the figure's form, vaporizing.
Hikari ran towards the barrier. 'If some of my attacks can phase through it, can I?'
She ran into it, and rebounded off of it, being forced to sit down.
'Ow.'
...She got back up, noticing the miko come around in yin-yang orb form to try and flank her again.
'Not happening.' Hikari walked along the edge of her barrier…
Leaping from its yin-yang orb form, the miko drew two ofuda…
Hikari realized that it was aiming for the barrier. "He-hey!"
Hikari tried PK Fantasy ß!
Her left arm shot forward, and she unleashed a polygon of colorful, psychic energy.
FwOwOw!
Then, she did the same with her right arm, the fantastic projectile shooting towards the miko.
FwOwOw!
Caught off-guard by the sudden fantastic spam, the miko was struck by only one of the projectiles. "Hkrh!?"
It flew back and into the shrine wall, body lighting up with technicolor energy…
Fizzle!
Dropping like a beam of steel, the miko loudly slammed into the floor, technicolor energy roaring through its body…
Fizzle!
It quivered under the amazing barrage, colors dominating the once pitch black being.
Finally, Hikari focused on the being, her eyes flaring.
Bwaa~sh!
The psychic blast sent the limp miko flying through the air, until it bluntly slammed into the floor again, head first.
'I think that did it…'
The being lied on its back, head bent in a weird direction...
Hikari's Nightmare tried Lifeup ß!
Hikari began stepping towards the miko…
Hikari's Nightmare tried Healing γ!
Krik, krik, krik…
Cracking her neck, the miko sat up, and quickly maneuvered itself to get back on its feet. "Hehehe~... Didn't think, all in…"
'No way…' Hikari felt the weakness from her mana exertion beginning to set in…
"You…" Stumbling towards her, the figure drawled. "Yo~u…"
Hikari readied herself as best she could…
…
"Your heart will be shattered."
The walls became lined with streaks of red mist, which flared up from the floor.
Fwoom!
Arching back, red mist began enveloping the dark miko. "Hahaha~!"
Hikari began running in the opposite direction, pillars of red mist slowly forming behind her as she ran.
Her legs burned as the miko slowly floated behind her, ignoring the pillars of mist that clipped her as she slowly trailed behind Hikari. "Hehahaha~!"
Hikari found that a good strategy was running in circles.
Eventually, this strategy became defunct, when the miko intervened directly to take a whack at Hikari.
SMAAAA~SH!
"Ugh!" Hikari slid to her knees, feeling the wood tear at her bare skin, but she quickly got back up. Her feet were engulfed by the mist behind her as she ran. 'Wo-woah…'
Hikari looked at her barrier again, and sat course for it.
"Hehehe~! Don't you get it, yet!?"
Hikari felt her blood chill as she pressed her back against the barrier. Red mist poured from the shadow miko's being as she shook in the air.
"I am you!"
She rocketed into Hikari, breaking the barrier.
ShatterShatterShatterShatter!
Red and yellow shards homed in on the miko, tearing into her being. "Hooraaoaa~h!"
Hikari realized what was happening, and attempted to push the miko off of her. The force of the shards only pushed it back onto her, however.
'Stupid…' Hikari really didn't want it on her, though.
Rolling it off of her, Hikari scrambled away, getting back onto her feet.
'O-ow…' Hikari felt everything ache uncomfortably after the previous series of events…
Hikari tried Lifeup ß!
'I'm not sure if the mana deprivation is better or worse than being cut and bruised everywhere…'
The shimmering form of the dark miko stood, once more. "H-hgh…"
Hikari's Nightmare tried Lifeup ß!
...Slowly, its posture corrected itself. "You… not needed."
"Says you." Hikari rebutted.
"Giygas made me." It smiled. "Giygas made you." Spreading its arms, it almost formed a warm smile. "Giygas… made all."
'...I feel like I've been talking to a wall this entire time. Then again, walls don't shoot things at you or hit you.'
With that, the miko ran towards Hikari again.
'I have to do this a smart way… especially because it doesn't seem to run out of mana.'
Hikari let it start swinging, back pedaling until the being's combo ended.
Thwack!
After striking it, Hikari braced herself…
Hikari tried PK Fantasy α!
Fizzle!
"Wh-what!?" The shadow being was baffled that Hikari would pull another one again so quickly.
Fizzle!
"Gra~h!" It sat down, jittering from the psychic energy again…
Hikari focused on the clone, letting loose her psychic blast.
Bwaa~sh!
"Huunh…" The miko soared back into the air…
'N-now…!' Hikari dropped onto her knees.
Hikari tried Hypnosis α!
Energy rippled around the dark miko as it fell to the floor…
"Oogh…" It flopped onto the floor, and didn't get back up, unconscious.
...Hikari flopped onto the floor, herself.
…
After a few minutes of nothing, Hikari began to move again. Managing to stand, she slowly and carefully walked towards the sleeping being…
'I-I don't have the mana for this…'
Hikari tried PK Fantasy γ!
Throwing her arms out slowly, two polygons of fantastic energy sprung forth.
FwOwOwOw!
Stopping before the unconscious figure, they formed another red and yellow wall of hexagon panels.
TinkTinkTinkTink!
…
Hikari dropped to the floor, focusing on the miko. 'Ta-take… that…'
Bwaa~sh!
The psychic blast sent the miko hurtling into the air.
"Whoaaha~!?" Its voice wobbled, when it abruptly leapt forward, bringing its gohei down into the barrier. "Surprise!"
Crack…!
...It stared at the barrier blankly.
ShatterShatterShatterShatter!
"Grooaa~h!" Its voice bellowed like that of a grown man, the initial blast of the breaking panels eliciting violent, manic screams from the being.
Then, the shards took to its form, piercing it. "Gugh- Ack! Guhugh! Gahk…"
Thud.
…
Hikari tried Lifeup ß!
…
But it failed!
'I-I have to stop her… from he-healing…'
Hikari tried Hypnosis α!
Energy rippled around the miko's form. "Ah-ack!?"
…
Crawling forward with the last of her strength, Hikari disregarded the immensely uncomfortable feeling of her bare skin against the uneven wooden plank flooring, as she readied herself to inflict violence upon the dark miko.
…
Eventually, she reached her.
Hikari tapped her with her gohei.
…
Drawing her arm back, she noticed that she disregarded the pooling puddle of black, vaguely red tinted blood on the floor beneath it.
'Ew.' She tried to wipe it off of her wrist, only to find that it just got it on her other hand. 'Great.'
...Discarding her gohei, Hikari crawled onto the form of her dark counterpart.
'I-I… have to stop her. She'll kill me.'
Putting on a brave, albeit drowsy face, Hikari began sliding her weak, shaking hands towards the throat of the being.
'I-I could just choke it, right?'
…
Hikari started pressing her fingers into its throat, enough to pierce the skin.
'Oh-oh…' Her stomach churned, black goo pooling around her fingers. The slippery feeling of blood and raw flesh flooded her sense of touch. 'I don't want to do this…'
Light, squishy sounds could be heard on the battlefield.
Hikari closed her eyes, for a moment, before she realized she wanted to be at least slightly precise, if only to make it be over faster.
Red mist began flooding from the black, oozy blood. The slight red tint to the blood was lost, rendering it more like a black paste than like a standard liquid.
Frowning, she continued to tear open the flesh of the dark miko with whatever strength she could muster, making sure to screw up the innards of it as much as she could.
Then, the miko beneath her snapped awake.
"Ghu-hack!?"
Blood splatted from its neck onto Hikari's face.
"A-ah…!" Hikari blanched, quickly and feverishly attacking the neck.
"Gghghgh!" Desperately, the creature fought back, pushing Hikari off easily.
'No!' She rolled into a standing position, but her legs had no strength to them.
Stepping back, the dark creature transformed into its statue form, only to find fragments of itself shattered, or crumbling. It shifted into a yin-yang orb, only to find the gold parts of it cracking and crumbling. Finally, it shifted back into the miko form…
"...Ghkri…"
It fell to its knees, mist flowing softly from its being…
…
'Did… is it-'
FWOOM
The room was instantly filled with red mist.
'Aaaa~h!' Hikari curled into a ball, trying to defend herself from it.
...In moments, however, it was all gone.
…
Looking around, Hikari took in the blue sky around herself. She was sitting in the valley where the water used to be.
Wind softly blew down through the valley, the sun shining down on her tired form…
'...Wow.' Hikari wanted to sleep.
…
"Hey, you."
'Huwhah…?' Hikari slowly panned her heard around the valley, seeing no one.
"Yeah, you." Hikari heard her own voice.
'What…?'
Hikari's voice gave her a warning. "Giygas' goal is to destroy you."
'Wow. Never would have guessed.' If Hikari had the energy, she would have fought her voice then and there.
"...Right, sorry. Seriously, everything in Gensokyo could be destroyed."
'Tell me useful things.' Hikari would really rather be sleeping.
"He and his followers are also in trouble." Her voice stated.
'Good.' Hikari didn't know what she meant.
"The Apple of Enlightenment has foretold, that his attempt will fail."
...Hikari furrowed her brows. 'The what did what?' Now she really didn't know what her voice meant.
She heard her voice sigh. "Listen. Free your mind, and know what you must do! Giygas' hold on you- it's gone!"
…
"Soon, this place will be no more." Her voice was neutral. "There is a ruin outside Fire Spring with an item for one of your friends! And, when you're done, go to-"
…
Her voice faded out as the realm she was in faded to black.
'...Me? Me, are you there?'
…
A gentle breeze rolled through Giant Step, caressing the indent in the hill…
The sanctuary's power was unsealed. Hikari felt strength flood into her ankles, and into her lungs…
It then rolled through the crevice leading to Subconscious Steps, before whirling around and escaping into the sky above...
Hikari felt fortunate and powerful…
Fluttering through the valley, it weaved through bamboo trees before circling around the Milky Well. It circled back around, and flowed right back out through the trees...
Strength flowed up her legs, and down from her head…
Smoothly floating over the crisp air of the Misty Lake, the wind swept past the walls of a western manor, before dipping into the trees just outside the walls to orbit Rainy Circle. It flowed out just as freely...
Once more, she felt lucky as strength filled her rib cage...
Becoming entrapped within the walls around Magnet Hill, the wind anxiously rebounded off the walls before escaping, flowing back over the Human Village...
She felt her confidence grow as her head flowed with a warm sensation once more…
Freely dancing in the clouds, air circulated around a soft, Pink Cloud. The air dispersed, washing over the land, and sweeping against Gensokyo's border...
Her confidence welled even further as the strength in her legs flowed up to her thighs…
Through the crevices of the Earth, wind blew freely through the ragged tunnel systems, before meeting in the air of Old Hell. From there, the wind channeled itself through Lumine Hall, and then escaped, as if a sigh from Gensokyo itself...
As her mind flourished, she felt blessed…
Wrapping around the volcanic base of Fire Spring, the air solemnly caressed the violent, heated mass. Air flowed through the numerous caves, over the cooling lava, and up the side of the volcano, before meeting at the top. Whirling around the centerpiece of the entire molten mound, the air energetically stirred before shooting off into the distance, traveling through even the rocks that entrapped it.
The strength that spread across her entire body connected, filling her with a complete sensation.
'...I-I'm… really powerful…!'
Her mind cleared.
Hikari realized the power of PK Flash γ!
Hikari realized the power of PK Flash Ω!
Hikari realized the power of Lifeup Ω!
Hikari realized the power of Teleport ß!
Hikari realized the power of PK Fantasy Ω!
…
Hikari made these powers her own, and the communication between her and Gensokyo had broken.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Hikari's eyes opened.
She saw the walls of Giant Step. After she blinked, she saw the walls around Subconscious Steps.
Rapidly, her vision cycled between all of the sanctuaries she visited, until the cycling got dizzyingly fast.
She closed her eyes, and kept them shut for a few seconds…
…
Opening them, she saw the dim sky of the underground.
…
She sat up.
Looking around the volcano top, she spotted the party a few feet away, playing cards.
"...Freaking…" Osamu furrowed his brows at his hand. "When I get an ace, dude, I swear I'll-" Looking up from his cards, he was the first to notice Hikari's movement. "Dude!"
Marigold snorted. "What kind of sentence was that…?"
"Hikari's awake!" Osamu debated whether or not to put down his cards on the floor, but decided to set them face down anyway.
"What!?" Marigold beamed. "You're alive!"
Hikari blinked. '...Why wouldn't I be?'
Quickly, the three dropped their game and moved around Hikari…
"Dude, what happened!?" Osamu chuckled, curious. "You were like, dead and gone for a whole day!"
"You were saying things in your sleep, too." Marigold noted. "We couldn't really keep track of most of them, though…"
Hiyori smiled. "...Maybe we should give her some room. She did just wake up, you know…"
Hikari felt warm and welcomed. '...Not because we're sitting atop a volcano, mind you.'
...Hikari quickly leapt from her back and into a standing position.
"She looks okay." Her limberness is acknowledged by Hiyori.
"...I had a good sleep." Hikari beamed, taking a deep breath.
Osamu doubletook. "...Dude, that's like, the happiest face I've ever seen ya wear."
Marigold agreed. "...You're usually a lot more deadpan."
Hikari blinked. "I had a really good dream."
…
"So, what now?" Osamu raises his arms behind his head. "We got the eight sanctuary doohickies. Did we win?"
Hikari shook her head. "No. We're not done yet. We still have to beat up Giygas, and ruin his day."
"O~h, right. He was a thing." Marigold nodded. "...Where is he?"
...Hikari folded her arms. "Good question."
'Where's Yukari? Either something happened to her, or she just feels like taking her time.'
"Aimlessly wandering." Hiyori annotated.
Marigold snorted.
Hikari turned towards the path down the volcano. "There are some ruins on this volcano we need to check out."
Osamu blinked. "...And ya know this how?"
"It was a big dream." Hikari declared. "...We don't have anything better to do, anyway."
...Finding no flaws with that reasoning, Osamu agreed. "Yeah, guess so."
"I don't really want to go back down the mountain." Marigold confessed. "This place wants to kill us."
Hikari felt like there was something incorrect with that statement. "...I don't think so."
Marigold blinked. "Really? After that climb?"
"It's different, now." Hikari stared down the volcano side. "...I can feel it."
...Marigold was skeptical. "Alri~ght. If you say so."
Moving quickly, Hikari moved to the volcano's edge.
'I think I can see the ruins from here…!' Hikari saw a glimmer of purple on the left edge. '...The drop doesn't look too steep. Maybe I can even leap down there!'
Smiling confidently, Hikari readied herself.
Hiyori blinked. "What are you doing?"
Hikari leapt down.
"Hikari!" Hiyori ran towards the edge.
Osamu's jaw dropped. "Dude!"
Hikari wasn't terrified until she realized she was falling for a good three seconds.
'...Uh-uhm, this may have been a mistake…'
She landed on her legs.
Kr-krik!
'Woooaaa~h!'
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Hikari tried Lifeup ß!
Hiyori pushed again-
Click!
Hikari's left knee clicked back into place.
Marigold's voice was dry. "Hikari, that was stupid."
Hikari sighed. "Yes. I know."
Osamu looked back at the ruins they had found. "I mean, she was right about the ruins."
"She didn't have to jump off a cliff for them." Marigold countered. "Seriously."
...Standing up, Hikari tested out her fixed up legs. She quickly ran in place, and gave a thumbs up. "Feels good. Thanks, Hiyori."
Hiyori grinned. "You can thank me by not jumping off cliffs again."
'Yeah, I'm not gonna live this down for awhile.'
Hiyori stepped into the midst of the ruins, which were mostly pillars and blocks. "What's here, anyway?"
"Blocks." Osamu observes, staring at a block. "They got cool runes on 'em, though."
"There's a big one over there." Marigold points at one embedded in the volcano side. "It has a door."
Hiyori perks up. "A~h. This is one of those structural ruins. There should be some interesting things inside, if no one's looted it yet."
Osamu grinned. "I thought ya were against stealin'?"
...Hiyori shrugged. "The last legal owners of this building must have been here over a thousand years ago. I think anything still here is fair game."
Taking the initiative, Hikari walked up to the door, attempting to open it.
The handle jiggled, but didn't cooperate.
"...It's locked." Hikari declared.
Hiyori blinked. "Really?"
Stepping out of the way, Hikari tried to peer in one of the open windows, only to find books obscuring the view.
'What?' Hikari was confused.
Hiyori stepped up to the door, and knocked on it. "Hello~?"
…
She tried again. "Hello~!?"
The door swung open. "What is it!?"
Inside, a woman with long, navy blue hair and large bags under her eyes peered out of her volcanoside abode. "...An oni?"
Hiyori nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I was just checking out these ruins, and curious… as to why you lived here."
...The woman's expression was dry. "While it is admirable someone as stupid as an oni would get this far, I must turn you away. Bye."
The door closed in Hiyori's face.
…
"Wow." Marigold nodded.
Hiyori huffed. "You guys try."
"Please. I'm a lady killer, dude." Osamu adjusted his robe, stepping up to the door…
Marigold grinned, stepping back to allow him space.
'This will end well.'
Osamu knocked.
…
Osamu knocked again. "Hey, baby! It's me!"
The door swung open again. "...Who are you?"
Smiling widely, Osamu spread his arms. "Name's Osamu, baby!"
…
"Lowly human." The door closed in his face.
…
Osamu began throwing his limbs at the door. "Open up! Open the fuck up!"
Unfortunately, the door did not comply.
"Grrh…" Unsatisfied, Osamu stepped away from the door.
"Lemme." Marigold stepped up to the door. "I should be able to talk 'prickly mage'."
Osamu expressed his anger. "More like asshole mage."
Marigold grinned, not disagreeing with his statement.
She knocked. "Hello~...?"
…
She knocked again. "He~y!"
…
Sighing, Marigold reached into her bag. "I should still have that key machine in here somewhere…"
After a few moments of rummaging, she salvaged it from her immense backpack. "Aha~!"
Bending her legs, she positioned it to be inserted into the old, purple lock of the ancient ruin door.
Cli-cli-click!
"Bingo." Marigold smiled at her old invention, before stuffing it back in the super sack that was her backpack.
With that, she turned the handle and opened the door.
Inside the dark, candlelit room, the mage turned to her. "Ah…!? How did you-..."
Trailing off, she realized what species Marigold was. "I desperately need a new door. One that cannot be knocked."
"Hi." Marigold waved casually. "Can I ask you some questions?"
"I'm going to kill you and turn you into a mana potion." The other mage stated simply.
...Marigold smiled as she reached for her bag. "Can you not?"
"The only reason you'd have come here is for my knowledge of the Moon's power. I plan to keep my research mine, even in death. No petty garden mage like you deserves a glance of it." The woman scowled at Marigold. "Only I will live to tell the tale of today… not that I tell tales."
Marigold's expression faltered. "Can you not read my mana pool?"
The woman sneered. "...Heh. It won't matter… once I silence you!"
Casting her arm forward, Marigold suddenly saw three prisms form around her being.
"Silencega!"
Ka-Kli-Kling!
...Marigold pulled out her Spectrum Shotgun. "Please don't-"... She realized she could say words. "...What kind of silencing spell is this?"
The mage paused, surprised by her ease. "...We-well, it's nothing special, really… I-I found some tomes that have arbitrary prism lock functions. While they're usually good for nothing but time and space magic, they're actually really, really good for moon magic. And sun, but… yeah. Sun magic is horrible."
Marigold furrowed her brows at the last statement, but ignored it. "Isn't prism locking really old, though?"
The mage jerked her head back. "Old? It is one of the most recent forms of locking albeit not terribly advanced. It was also the last prism function to be released in the past twelve hundred years."
...Marigold nodded slowly. "Ri~ght."
…
She began stepping away. "Cool, bye!"
"Bye…" The mage waved. "...He-hey! Get back here!"
The mage floated outside, where she found out that the two previous guests and a shrine maiden were also waiting outside, in various states of undress.
...She sighed. "Oh. It is a looting party, is it?"
...Hikari smiled from the window she was trying to peek into. "Well, we're not supposed to be, but…"
"If it's a fight to the death you want, then so it shall be." The mage spread her arms outward. "Silencega!"
Ka-Kli-Kling!
Prisims formed around Hikari, Hiyori, and Osamu, too.
Marigold walked up to the mage, holding out her NF Burst Gun instead, for nonlethality's sake. "Hey."
The mage smirked down at her. "What is that? Are you offering to trade for mercy?"
Marigold nodded. "Yes." Then she began shooting.
PoPoPoPoPop!
"He-ha-wha-aah!" Quickly, the mage began shielding her face. "Sto-stop! What is this!?"
"Bullets." Marigold explained. "It's called modern magic."
"Yo-you ignorant fool…!" The mage girl retreated into her house, and slammed the door.
…
"That went well." Marigold reflected.
"We're still sealed." Hikari noted.
"...Nevermind." Marigold moved towards the door again. "We can't really go anywhere while sealed, can we?"
Hiyori wanted to find an excuse not to commit home invasion, but realized that being silenced was a pretty devastating status ailment. "Probably not."
Hikari stepped towards the door. "Let me have a try."
Marigold smirked. "Sure."
...Hikari reeled her gohei back.
"Again with the door violence." Marigold sighed in a smug way.
Hikari smacked the door.
Bam!
...It fell inward, broken from its hinges.
"Wh-what!?" Marigold's jaw dropped.
'Woah.' Hikari didn't expect her attack to do that much damage.
Inside, the mage was waiting with a dagger. "I-I got you!"
Sluggishly, she tried to jab with it, not even coming close enough to hit Hikari.
Hikari backpedalled. "Uhm…?"
"You're mine!" She pointed at the floor.
...Hikari looked down, and saw a black puddle slowly forming under her.
'Nope nope nope.' Hikari had enough of black ooze for one lifetime. She quickly leapt off of it with great speed.
"Huwoaa~h…" The ooze turned out to be some sort of portal, small dark spirits raising out of it and into the air.
"Blast it." The mage was disappointed by her miss. "I won't miss, next time…"
"Unseal us." Hikari demanded.
Osamu stepped forward. "I need my magic, man!"
"Just go away!" The mage demanded. "Leave! The spell will wear off if you get far enough away- just go!"
...Hiyori stared at Marigold expectantly.
Marigold was reluctant. "...I can't really remember if prism locking is proximity or not." She was not, however, guilty of anything.
…
Hikari walked inside the house proper, and stood there while the mage stared.
…
Uncomfortably, the mage slowly lifted the book she was looking at prior to this fiasco, and began thumbing through it.
…
"We're not gonna leave." Hikari asserted.
"Fi-fine, I get it, I'll just- aha~!"
Thwack!
Hikari whacked her with her gohei, the sudden movement she made towards her scaring her.
"Guah!?" The mage dropped her dagger, clutching her jaw. "Y-you…"
Hikari sighed.
"...Fine. I'll undo it." She lifted her hand, and snapped her fingers.
The prisms vanished, hanging in the air for a moment before fading out.
"You happy? I'm happy. We're all happy." With that, the mage looked back in her tome. "Now go."
...Slowly nodding, Hikari looked around the room. Her eyes eventually rested on a lens that sat propped up by two black, metal wires. "What… is that?"
"Moon lens. I use it to study the moon, even down here. It is the only way, ever since the sky became rock millions of years ago." She disinterestedly monotoned. "What rock did you live under?"
...Hikari grinned. "What if we told you there was a way to see the real moon?"
"Then I'd threaten to stab you for thinking me so stupid. Not that I could." She glared up at Hikari. "Useless humans, with your big mana pools…"
...At that, Hikari turned to her party. She pointed her thumb at the mage, and the a finger at the ceiling.
Osamu nodded enthusiastically. Marigold shrugged, and Hiyori also shrugged.
"...Grab my shoulders." Hikari declared.
"Are you stupid?" The mage deadpanned.
"Yes. Grab my shoulders." Hikari was determined to show her the moon.
...Narrowing her eyes, the mage went and grabbed her moon lens. "I don't doubt there's more than you four. You're not getting this priceless artifact."
Marigold slowly gaped from the absurdity of the other mage.
"Alright. Grab my shoulders…" Hikari couldn't find her name. "What's your name?"
"Murakami." She reluctantly grabs Hikari's shoulders. "Tell me yours."
"Hikari Hakurei." She smiled, not that the moon magician could see it. "...Everyone, form a line behind me!"
Osamu rose a brow, but gladly moved to comply, only to be pushed out of the way by Marigold. "No. You're not looking at her butt."
"Ga- what, as opposed to yours!?" Osamu got indignant.
Hiyori moved to volunteer. "...I could be inbetween, if you want. By the way… Hikari, since when could you teleport like this?"
"It was a really big dream." Hikari restated, to the mystification of her party members.
Once everyone was in place, Hikari began the countdown. "We're going in three… two...!"
Everyone readied, unsure as to how Hikari's going to teleport them.
Hikari tried Teleport ß!
"To the shrine!" Hikari announced their destination, as the party slowly begun spinning around in the midst of the ruins, quickly speeding up as Hikari purposefully ran in a precise circle. Hiyori ran with her in the back to keep the other party members from getting thrown into oblivion.
'I-I can't believe I'm running so fast!' Hikari was stoked.
And then-
KraKoo~m!
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
END OF CHAPTER 27
Protagonist: Hikari Hakurei, Disciple of Paradise
-Inventory-
Weapon: Miracle Gohei - Ability to whack stuff really hard. Amplifies whacking power, too! Able to deal magical damage. Adds an increased chance to deal critical hits. Recreated by the dream realm.
Arms: Iconic Hakurei Arm Sleeves - Keeps arms warm. A Hakurei tradition. How they stay on is a Hakurei family secret.
Body: Devastated Miko Outfit - Her combat miko outfit, except mostly annihilated. It's going to need some serious repairs.
Misc: Royal Red Ribbon - A ribbon made with rich materials, with a floral pattern.
-Skills-
Attack: Quickly! Swing your gohei at them for massive damage!
PK Fantasy α, β, γ, Ω - Bombards the enemy with pain in the form of flashing colors. Deals magical damage. Heavy mental strain that increases with each tier. Third tier forms a barrier, which breaks upon moderate damage. Final tier is a non-elemental nuke of immense magical power.
PK Flash α, ß, γ, Ω - A bright flash that distributes very random status effects to enemies. Usually makes people cry. Higher tiers increase chances, and introduce possibilities of fainting or dispel. Higher tiers can instantly destroy more varieties of foes, and make people feel weird.
Hypnosis α, Ω - Puts weak enemies to sleep for a short time. Works better on tired or exhausted foes. Can also be used in a far more costly form that works on multiple opponents.
Shield α, ß - Halves damage the target takes. Only works against physical attacks, and enough strikes, or powerful strikes, will dispel it. Higher tier turns it into a power-shield that protects even better and even reflects a fraction of protected damage.
Lifeup α, ß, γ, Ω - Heals target a little. Higher tiers heal more grievous wounds, like bone fractures. Highest tier heals everybody in the party.
Healing α, ß, γ - Heals basic status ailments. Higher tiers can cure more dire effects, like burning alive.
Teleport α, ß - Allows instant transport to the general location of an area remembered by oneself or one's party members. Requires a long, fast run-up to execute, however. Higher tier allows a circular motion to control the run-up instead, giving Hikari more control over the teleport.
Ofuda Toss - Throw a holy ofuda that does massive holy elemental damage to youkai and dark elemental foes. Effect lessens the more holy the thing you're attacking is, to the point of healing holy things. Only works if you actually have ofuda, though.
Cautionary Barrier - Summon a barrier that deflects attacks and magical attacks of all elements. Can be broken by stronger attacks, and is holy elemental.
Lightshine Ofuda - Two ofuda which explode into orbs of light. Area denying holy attack.
Summon Koishi - Using the Heart Gem's power, Hikari summons Koishi Komeiji. Casts three random HK spells on enemies, before using a higher tier one that depends on her current mood. Typically can manage two uses before she's out of mana. Costs sizable mana.
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Mage: Osamu Katsumi, the Wannabe Mage
-Inventory-
Weapon: Fisticuffs!
Arms: Nothing
Body: Rugged Robe - A sturdy robe enchanted to resist damage. Made partially with sturdy cloth from deep underground.
Misc: Red Mage Hat - A red colored mage's hat made from cloth in the Human Village. Minor resistance to thunder, ice, and fire magic from its well worn usage in the past. Didn't see much action… until Osamu bought it!
-Skills-
PK Thunder α, ß - Very random thunder attack that deals limited damage. Higher tiers increase number of bolts, and sometimes power.
PK Hydro α, β, γ - Gets everyone wet. Usefulness with PK Thunder and PK Freeze depends on whether you hit yourself or not! Creates whirling water spirals at higher tiers.
PK Freeze α, β, γ, Ω - Generates ice crystals at the target's location. Medium damage and effect; may freeze some targets, especially wet ones. Highest tier has a near-guaranteed freeze chance and immense ice damage, at the cost of being very taxing.
Fireball - Manipulate mana to make a shoddy fireball. Low damage and effect.
Static Hands - Not a real spell. Result of a very undercharged PK Thunder that can accidentally go off.
PSI Telepathy α - Speak to friends you haven't met yet! Unstable connection and only works if they have the skill or are asleep.
PSI Shield α, Σ - Halves damage from magical and psychic attacks. Thunder spells fry it instantly, and harder blows dispel it. Second tier applies basic shield to entire party at higher mana expense.
PSI Magnet α - Costs no mana to use, and steals a very tiny amount of mana from the enemy. Enemy has to have mana in the first place for it to work, though.
Offense Up α - Get pissed! Boosts strength and confidence depending on caster's power and receiver's power.
Defense Down α - Throw the enemy off their game. Makes them slightly more vulnerable to physical attacks.
γ-γ-γ-γ
Inventor: Marigold Knowledge, the Tri-Magi Love Child
-Inventory-
Weapon: Spectrum Shotgun - A Marigold Knowledge invention. Filled with foil chip bags to conduct the mana, and it is transmitted into a wind stone. Upgraded to draw mana from a simple wooden block filled with immense magic reserves, giving it virtually unlimited ammo. The addition of a battery and a prism allow it to fire seven rainbow colored beams at a wide spread, which deal non-elemental damage. Firing long enough allows them to focus and deal incredible damage, at the cost of insane recoil and instability.
Arms: Nothing
Body: Really Custom Adventure Dress - A custom dress made by Alice, burnt into fragments by an inferno. Provides slight defense against magical and psychic attacks. Now allows very free movement, but is worse for the cold.
Misc: Swirly Glasses - Lets Marigold not be blind.
Backpack - Allows extended inventory. Aged relic from the Kourindou.
Unnamed Lock Opening Device - Opens locks very precariously. Made with steel, burnt cloth, packaging peanuts, thumbtacks, string, and wooden wheels. Don't even ask…
Ruler - Lets you measure the world around you!
Protractor - Lets you find the angles of anything ever. Totally overpowered.
Scotch Tape - Transparent adhesive from the outside world. Weak, but handy!
Deck of Cards - Allows Marigold to play Strip Poker with the party. Just kidding… or am I?
Shield Killer - Electrical device used to subdue harassers. Has settings ranging from Tickle Torture to Arse Blaster. Fires electrical projectiles, of unknown power.
NF Burst Gun - A Marigold Knowledge invention. Uses a Pop Gun as the base, but amplifies its power with an array of random batteries jammed into the base with the Pop Gun. The more batteries, the better, but the typical yield is about five bullets per trigger. Spamming the trigger doesn't make it go any faster, unfortunately. Has no foreseeable ammo limit, and the batteries are only there for mana circulation, meaning their power is really inconsequential.
Holmes Brand Designer Hat - Village swag! A retro village hat that ceased production ten years ago. Sells for a pretty penny nowadays, but it's pretty useless otherwise.
Slime Generator - A bulky box that shoots a small splat of slime. Doesn't seem good for much.
Counter-PSI Device - A weird device Marigold found from a flying saucer. Works in strange ways, and seems to disrupt everyone's concentration. Marigold is immune to its effects.
Charm of Sleep - Grants immunity to sleep while equipped, or held. Can be equipped to Arms or Misc.
Microwave Gun - A Marigold Knowledge invention. Constructed with a controlled flame crystal and metal parts, it fires a beam of sustained microwave energy that cooks biological foes alive. Fire-elemental at its core, it's also very inefficient against machines.
Defense Shower - A Marigold Knowledge invention. Made of a broom, a showerhead, some magnets, and uses jars of water as ammo. Slapped together with ofuda, giving it a holy defensive effect. The jars are usually filled with Talcum Powder, for alchemical purposes. The liquid that is dispensed becomes auto-applying lotion.
Heavy Bazooka - An invention developed in part by Kappa Tech and Marigold Knowledge. It shoots heavy fire-based blasts of fire magic, and deals high knockback. It was constructed by stuffing some fire and gravity stones into a tube, adding a cap on one side to direct the fire, and hooking a magical wire to the handle. Nitori did most of the work, though...
-Skills-
Champion of Underwater Basket Weaving - And they said it'd never be useful...
Had A Snorkel That Was Just Like A Snorkel To Her - She lost it, though.
Can Plot X and Y Intercepts - Valuable skill for her current situation.
Protector of the Wikileaks Satellite Link - The leaks, Dahnald! She's gotta protect the leaks!
Appreciates Sugar Cookies - They're good!
γ-γ-γ-γ
Fighter: Hiyori Hashimoto, the Buddhist Oni
-Inventory-
Weapon: Mace of Devas - The last of the four treasures held by the Devas of the Mountain. Ability to whack stuff really hard. Increases critical hit rate by lieu of being a really big, blunt, spiky weapon. Allows partial blocking of magic attacks.
Arms: Shackle of Devas - The first of the four treasures held by the Devas of the Mountain. Grants immunity to sleep-inducing magic. Grants fifty percent resistance to wind and thunder magic.
Body: Kimono of Devas - The second of the four treasures held by the Devas of the Mountain. Grants immunity to paralyzing magic. Grants fifty percent resistance to fire magic. Insanely durable. Has a floral design to it…!
Misc: Bows of Devas - The third of the four treasures held by the Devas of the Mountain. Grants immunity to confusion-inducing magic. Grants fifty percent resistance to ice magic.
-Skills-
PK Starstorm α - Summons forth the stars from the night's sky to rain down upon enemies. Hits all enemies, and deals high magical damage, at the cost of being highly mentally taxing. Can hit allies if they're in the effective area, as the white stars don't have homing properties. Power proportional to amount of enemies, as well.
PK Fire α, ß - Creates an igniting blast of flames at the target's location. More impact comes with higher tiers.
PK Freeze α, β, γ - Generates ice crystals at the target's location. Medium damage and effect; may freeze some targets, especially wet ones.
Shield α, ß, Σ - Halves damage the target takes. Only works against physical attacks, and enough strikes, or powerful strikes, will dispel it. Higher tier turns it into a power-shield that protects even better and even reflects a fraction of protected damage. Highest tier applies a basic shield to the entire party.
Lifeup α, ß - Heals target a little. Higher tiers heal more grievous wounds, like bone fractures.
Healing α, ß - Heals basic status ailments. Higher tiers can cure more dire effects, like burning alive.
Teleport α, ß - Allows instant transport to the general location of an area remembered by oneself or one's party members. Requires a long, fast run-up to execute, however. Higher tier is largely automatic and requires little room to execute.
Martial Arts - Skilled in hand-to-hand combat.
γ-γ-γ-γ
Author's Note:
man i pumped out 7 k words of this chapter in one night but then it took me like two-three more days just to get to write this author's note and marigold's skill puns; college is whack yo
i feel like a LOT GOT DONE THIS CHAPTER
this was a fun chapter to write, too; lots of exciting action bits and vivid description opportunities
that being said, there's not a terrible amount i can say about it; hikari got freakin' buffed though, yo
she also got some hakurei abilities back because those are fun
not sure how i feel about how i did yukari's characterization, but she didn't get much of a chance to be like anything other than "whelp time to kick things into gear" most of the time
as always, see you all next time!