Chapter 31: Night Falls ~ The Evening Star
Meanwhile, back in the Netherworld
The battle between Ran and Shina has shown no signs of ceasing. Both combatants have made the whole deathly realm their arena, and the scars of conflict litter the trees and ground. There were even a couple cherry blossoms trees cleaved straight down the middle in a single stroke, certainly proving to be Shina's work.
Shina's aura could passively defend her from Ran's claws, leaving little in the way of blood on her skin. But the kitsune's speed was not to be trifled with. She was one of the quickest Youkai in all of Gensokyo. Some would say she could match a tengu or the Scarlet sisters if motivated properly.
And her claws, capable of slicing through diamonds with the greatest of ease, complimented her speed to make for a truly deadly assassin. It was for the benefit of Gensokyo, and perhaps the world as a whole, that Ran be kept on such a tight leash.
Shina leapt to the front of the wilted Ayakashi and slanted her sword down in one hand, fending off a few of Ran's slashes. She dug the tip of her claws in deep, chipping the steel from the blade and leaving the dust embedded under her nails.
Shina pounded her free hand to the back of her sword and sent out a shockwave to repel Ran, who spun and landed gracefully upon her feet. She then waved her arms out and created several ghostly embers, all of whom sent dozens of bullets flying across the sky.
She flung them about in multiple directions, zigzagging their patterns for the purpose of confusing where they'd wind up. Shina forgoed waiting and charged straight forward, wrapped in a bubble of aura as she rammed Ran with the bottom of her sword's hilt. Then while rising to stand she cut the blade across the ground and swung it in a perfect arc, forcing the kitsune to retreat with her legs cobbling weakly from the winding strike to her gut.
The only thing that was wounded was her pride for letting a 'human' have the chance to touch her, a mistake she hadn't intended to repeat. Ran spun around, concealing most of her body in the velvety veil of her nine tails before lunging forth as though they were a bush she hid within.
She reached for Shina's neck with her right hand, only to meet defiance from her blade. But without losing her stride Ran twirled her body clockwise, using the edge of the blade to maintain balance, and from there used all nine of her tails to trip Shina up.
As Shina fell on her gut Ran leapt while continuing to twirl, positioning herself upside-down over Shina's back. She went for the plunge with both her claws, a decisive blow if there ever could be. But through no lack of effort on the kitsune's part, Shina refused to stay down for long and rolled right out of the way. Some bits of dirt flew into her eyes when Ran smashed the ground, but not enough to rob her of sight.
She got right back up and slashed forward once, twice, then three times in quick succession, assailing Ran with waves of aura. The kitsune leapt away atop the closest tree and crossed her arms within her sleeves, observing her opponent with a lowly sneer of arrogance.
"Why do you fight so desperately against your fate?" She inquired with a sincerity of interest.
Shina held her blade tight before her waist and carefully watched the kitsune as she yelled with all her spirit, "Cause what you're doing ain't right!"
"What's not right, Aurian, is that 'thing's' entire existence."
"Alex isn't a thing! He's a person!"
"Will you still claim that when it is his blade that burrows into your heart? You could have been spared this fate had you not been so stubborn."
"How many times do I gotta say it? Alex ain't that kinda person!" Her passionate cries fell on deaf ears as Ran merely shook her head in a dismissive manner.
"You're a fool. He'll do what's in his nature, devoid of either choice or thought of his own."
"And I say he'll prove ya both wrong! Then who'll be the fool?!"
"The fool who responds by calling someone else a fool is the greatest fool of all," Ran raised her claws out and dialed back on her cruelty just a notch, "But as I have said, I shall save you the trouble of feeling the scorch of a broken heart...By breaking it myself!"
Ran charged back down at Shina, resuming a desperate battle without end.
...At least, that's how I imagine that is how the whole thing is unfolding. I'm too busy occupying the boy's time to even entertain the idea of seeing how Ran is faring. Not that I have faith that she'll be victorious. I maaaay have purposefully given her the impression that the girl would be easy to handle.
Not that there's anything wrong with a pet learning a little humility every now and then. At least there's no fear of her dying. I should have this matter wrapped up tidily before their little scuffle is through.
Now on the subject of humility, I already know the kind of Spell Cards I shall use in my duel with the boy. In contrast to everyone else he has faced, I shall be reusing some of my old cards instead of coming up with anything new.
Give him something familiar, build up that sense of confidence that he might be able to win...And then crush it all under foot with my latter cards. Perhaps it is a little silly to be revealing my methodology right away? Personally, I believe that it will leave you drooling with anticipation over just what kind of mischief I have up my dainty little sleeves.
"Grrr..."
Hmmm? Oh, sorry, it appears I'm dawdling. But I've waited nearly as long as the universe has been alive six times over. So really, what is a few more seconds of drawing things out?
I look down at the glowing card that's been levitating in a blank slate for the last minute, and close my eyes tight. The card's appearance covers up the pearly light in seconds, and upon whisking my hand back by the hip the card breaks and I say its name with enthusiasm.
"Barrier 'Boundary of Life and Death'!"
One of my personal favorites, if I am to be honest. Yuyuko was the inspiration for the name, if you couldn't tell. So how fitting that I start with this with the boy off the hoof of a battle with her...I promise I'll make things up to you later, Yuyuko. But this couldn't have been possible without your contribution, regardless of how minor you felt it may have been.
"KABOOM!"
...Of course, it doesn't even take a millisecond for an explosion of fire to find its way to my face. I really ought to rework the Spell Card system, cause I shouldn't be feeling even a beesting's worth of pain...Oh well! There'll be time for him to pay his dues for that later.
I start off with a simple bombardment of Danmaku. A pinwheel of crystal white, diamond shaped bullets blossoming clockwise around me, connecting roughly seven of them close together at the time. It takes a second for a full rotation, and then I simply send out some more.
Whether through an overhead perspective or in a three-dimensional environment, this attack could be avoided by a fly without a brain. But this is merely the first out of I believe...six variants of Danmaku I shall be utilizing? It has been quite some time since I had to use this one, so it must have slipped my mind. My apologies. Any discrepencies on my part is completely unwarranted.
Alex has stopped talking to me. Not that he was talkative to begin with, but I'd much rather he voiced his rage than hear a constant stream of 'Kabooms' and 'Krackows' from his fire and lightning. A rare glimpse past his attacks showed to me a scared child desperate to prove his identity.
His face was scrunched up, making his eyes difficult to see were it not for his irises burning red. His teeth were stuck in this permanent, gritty scowl. And his body was completely consumed with fire. A shiver went down my spine as I was reminded of that monster that took my world away in an instant.
But this was a rage that was all his own. A rage to dwarf the sun and stars in the night sky, and leave the world cold with darkness. I shall be the lone receptor of all this rage. I shall burn as many times as it takes so my world would be spared. He may call my devotion a farce, a facade to hide malicious intent towards all those around me...But if that was the case, then why would we even be here?
I'm rambling on too much. It has already been a few seconds, so time to add another wave of Danmaku to the mix. This time they shall be little violet orbs that come out counterclockwise, strung together in groups of three. They'll be more tightly packed than the diamonds, and cover a broader area.
Its become a little trickier to navigate my Danmaku, but it doesn't phase Alex much. He just sticks in place and lets it touch him, preferring offense to defense. Is it a matter of pride? Of course so. But he shall change his tune once the third Danmaku shows itself.
Returning to a clockwise pattern, I sent out large orbs with red insides and a pure white border. They started out in a somewhat zigzaggy formation before breaking off in pairs of two. Alex started moving the moment some of these bullets touched him, begrudgingly weaving around the bullets while throwing his strongest fireballs into my face.
His scowl tightened up on the left side, and I could hear a bear-like growl coming from behind it. At least he has the decency to differentiate the noises, even just a bit.
After a few more seconds I go for Danmaku number four. But what's this? This one shall also be going clockwise? How devious of me, wouldn't you agree? This wave consists of tiny dark blue orbs spraying out in a thickly condensed rain.
And then I immediately send out the fifth wave to throw my opponent for a loop! This time its a counterclockwise wave of thick yellow spheres, which curve outward as they spread apart. I could sense the irritation he's having trying to dodge all this, it riddles my arms with goosebumps.
Just because I'm playing around doesn't mean I'm taking it easy. You don't earn the title of Phantasm by having an easily exploited gap in your Danmaku directly in front of you, after all.
Yet he doesn't give up. Good on him. He should be proud of that much when he finally has to say goodbye to this world. His fire may burn with the intensity of the sun, but his passion and strength burned just as bright.
So now is the time for the final Danmaku to be added to this Spell Card. Its nothing spectacular. I'm simply using a mint-green version of the prior wave, but throwing it out clockwise. This has certainly become a smorgasbord of Danmaku, hasn't it? Were it not for his fire, the boy would be almost invisible to me.
But alas, having been pushed to this point in my Spell Card meant that my time with it is almost through. I'll take whatever licks I can get in and try a little harder with the next one.
As my Danmaku breaks apart, Alex restrained his rampant behavior just for a little while. His eyes were focused on me, burning deep into my soul...Well, if I still had one to burn at this point. I raised my hand up and twirled it around, revealing a second Spell Card above the palm.
Might as well give him a little praise while I'm at it, "Not a bad start, Phoenix of Destruction. Your time on this world has taught you well."
"Hmph, guess all those distractions were worth something..." He admitted with a low-pitched 'Hmph!' before squeezing his fist tightly before his face, "If I get to see you humiliated at the thing you're best at! Now activate your Last Word so I can end this!"
...Last Word? Oh me oh my, everyone's made him so complacent. One Spell Card and then a Last Word with nothing else in-between? It really makes me wonder how sincere any of them were about trying to stop him and the girl.
Me? I won't even require a Last Word.
"Be patient little one," I taunt him with a honeyed giggle while the Spell Card manifests its true form, "The fun has only just begun."
"Evil Spirits 'Yukari Yakumo's Spiriting Away'!" I say with a decibel higher enthusiasm.
Now this one is a little trickier to explain than the last, but after handling what, thirty or so other Spell Cards? I think this one shall be a breeze in comparison. So I start out not by firing Danmaku, but by vanishing completely from sight. I'm not slipping into my gap, or making myself invisible. I'm disappearing from the mortal plain for a little bit...A 'spiriting away' if you would.
In my place is where the Danmaku comes in. There are four rings of violet tinted orbs that spread out in circles. Then there are three of those red orbs from before that fire off downward, northeast, and northwest of where I was. Each of those orbs drops a cache of bright lilac tinted orbs that head wherever they please.
Finally there are six thinly lasers that fire out in a symmetrical form from the exact center of where I was. Alex evades all these Danmaku. That's fine, the initial wave is always the easiest to deal with. But afterwards? That is when I can truly mess around with him.
Coming off the heels of my first wave, I slip through the sky undetected until I'm right behind him. The hairs on his neck prickle up on end, and the rest of his body quivers. But by the time he realizes I'm there, I have already emerged into view firing off a second wave of the very same Danmaku.
He's swept up by most of them and pushed back as he turns around, desperate to get one attack in. He succeeds in hitting me with a single fireball as I phase out of sight, ready to creep up behind him once again.
This card operates on a similar principle to Reimu's Fantasy Heaven. The key difference being that I let myself be open to attack on occasion, rather than remain out of reach the whole time. The look of surprise on a person's face isn't quite nearly as enjoyable unless they are seeing a reflection of it in your eyes.
When I slip behind him this time, he turns right around to greet me with a point-blank fireball and the usual scowl. Disappointingly, I'll have to settle for firing my Danmaku and leaving him be for now. He flies away from my bullets and charges electricity in his hands. He'll be trying to perform a radial burst around his body this time, that much I'm positive of.
...Not a bad idea if I do say so myself. Removes the need of having to waste time turning around, while also hampering me with a multitude of lightning bolts. But nothing says I have to appear right where he is. That's just for the fun of the sport.
With his body brimming with goosebumps and eyes dashing around with paranoia, just the simple act of reappearing regardless of location would get him jumping. So I position myself ten feet in front of him, gently waving my parasol out to prod him with a paranormal chill prematurely.
He jolted in place, and the bolts jolted out of him right as I reappeared to fire my Danmaku. I disappeared right before he could retaliate, leaving him with a face as red as a pickled beet.
I could replay these actions over and over for your perusal, but there's little point. You know how my Spell Card works, you understand how the boy feels at this point. So you're welcome to fill in the blanks, if that tickles your fancy. Me personally, I'm ready to skip along to the good part.
So after our little back and forth dance goes on for a minute, Alex manages to get in the few lucky hits he needs to defeat this Spell Card. It was never the sturdiest of cards to begin with, so I don't mind. The boy's ego has been sufficiently fed by now, so it has accomplished its meager task.
Now I position myself back where I started our little duel, knowing that to be true due to perfectly memorizing the position of the stars. The boy stares right at me once more, his face lit up with a smile while his eyes still burned with fire.
He scoffed, his voice as rough as a grain of sand, "I thought you would've been tougher than this, you damn witch."
All this time being silent and he couldn't come up with a better insult? I guess I put too much faith in him. Or perhaps...not enough? How ironic that the hardest thing an "Original Character" would have trouble with would be...being original.
"Fufufu..." I chuckle quietly to myself, smiling with the radiance of a young woman. He takes it the wrong way, as he does, and as I bridge my hands under my chin and lean forth he yells at me, "Why you acting so cocky?!"
"Why are you?" I grin slyly while brushing a pointer finger beside my face, "Need I remind you that I once used eleven Spell Cards to face Reimu, Marisa and Sakuya?"
His eyes bulged, their fright independent of the fury the rest of his body display. But that was not an honest attempt to strike fear into his heart.
"But for you...I will only need four in total." This was, and it achieved the desired results almost instantaneously. His fists began trembling, and he attempted to call my bluff.
"Four cards? You're out of your mind. If you keep throwing out the same trash you have so far, then I'll easily crush them!"
Boasting is both his way of showing his pride and denying his fear. He couldn't separate his voice from his body no matter how hard he wanted to. Every scream, every laugh, every scoff...It was accompanied by a trembling frame, and his skin feeling as cold as sleet and snow.
He was fighting on the edge of sanity. If he dove a second longer into despair, there'd be no coming back. That's why he put on his strongest brave face. He didn't want to lose that last bit of himself to the darkness. Unfortunately for him, victory is only possible if I break him.
It is without malice that I raise my right hand to summon the third Spell Card, and stare and speak with a suitably ominous air surrounding me, "There's no chance of you 'crushing' this next card. I shall tell you now that it will be a Timed Card, but it shall be like nothing you've ever seen before."
"Border of Body and Soul." This name I speak delicately. It is also a new Spell Card, one that I can only perform against this particular foe. Why, you may ask? You'll find out in just a moment.
Alex raised his hands to try and attack me, but fails to even spark an ember. Then he notices that he no longer has any hands, nor arms nor legs or any kind of body at all. He's been dissolved of his physical shape and left as little more than a ghastly red wisp floating in place.
"What...what's happened to me?!" He cries out, bellowing with a gurgly echo.
This isn't an illusion, or some mere parlor trick.
"I have shifted the Boundaries of Body and Soul, and have temporarily turned you into a soul. When the Spell Card has resolved, you shall be turned back to normal."
Its doubtful that he believes me, but he doesn't make demands for me to change him back either. Acceptance is an important step when facing denial, Phoenix of Destruction.
But my trickery doesn't end there. You may have recalled that there is something a little...different about Alex when compared to his fellow 'Blanks'. He's not harboring just one soul inside of his body.
I close my eyes as seven figures descend around me in a circle, acting as the sentinels of my Spell Card. Alex's shock is easily imagined, even without a face to attribute it to. He was seeing people that had been dead inside of him for years, now brimming with newfound, if not temporary, life.
The were the Genesis Samurais, the seven proud warriors that served the Elemental Overlord when he was alive, and guarded his resting place when he had passed on. Often forgotten were their contributions to his mission of bringing peace to all the worlds, especially nowadays, but this is neither the time nor place to tell their tale.
They drew their unique weapons and pointed them straight towards Alex, filling him with an air of fright. I could sense his ethereal form staggering, as their weapons drawn were admonishing him for how poorly he had fared in his duty as the Elemental Overlord.
"G-Guys? Don't you...recognize me?" He had reverted to a child as he begged for their acknowledgment. But they turned their heads away and felt nothing but scorn for him. I couldn't bear to open my eyes and see such cruelty for myself, even if I was responsible for it.
"You did this...?! You bastard...YOU DID THIS TO THEM!" He yelled at me something that was only a partial truth.
"I only gave them their brief return to life. Their animosity towards you is something that bloomed all on its own." I explained as the seven warriors spread out with their weapons.
He went silent.
The Genesis Samurais looked to me and I gave them a nod in return. They spun around me in perfect sync, sending out their unique elements as Danmaku to swarm the battlefield.
Vines were strewn to and fro, blossoming with flowers that spew large clods of pollen to drift through the air. Water geysers gushed forward and then curved around back, splashing its hot raindrops against the boy's ethereal body. Gusts of wind cleaved the air and sent miniature crescents hurtling his way. Balls of electricity were sent from a sniper rifle, exploding into a web of high voltage as it neared the center of the other elements.
Large chunks of rock were torn up from nothingness, slamming together like a pair of giant, clapping hands to break them apart and send the smaller rocks flying towards him. Massive icicles were summoned above us and thrown down one at a time. Lastly there were the flames, which manifested as dark meteors that exploded upon contact with anything else.
Alex could still move, but the motivation to do so was fleeting. He's long since surpassed the vanguards of the Overlord's legacy, but their power was especially overwhelming now. He had briefly revered their strength, their determination, and their courage. Now he feared it, because it wasn't working for his benefit.
No, it was more than that. Even I would have to admit it. I didn't just see the world through the boy's eyes as I narrated his tale. I felt what he felt, all the anxities and doubts. He wanted to do right by the Overlord's name. He struggled desperately against his very nature to be a better person.
...But he never had a chance to begin with. Kind of like a certain girl who just wanted to spend the rest of her life with her best friend, having adventures in a land of dreams.
...But I cannot waver in my goals. Failure means not just the end of Gensokyo, it means repeating this awful, awful cycle again. So as the boy's soul cries in agony, I do not tremble. But I do not open my eyes either. The seven warriors attack with everything they've got, and he struggles to survive.
Then a light appears, a bright and terrible light that frightens even me.
"Oh? So even you have something to say? My my, you really are a troublesome child..."
I grace the warm presence with a smile as they hover in place above me. Unlike the other souls, this is one whose true form I cannot force to be whole. Even unconscious, pushed to rest by the 'higher-ups', his soul overflowed with power, forcing the other seven souls to yield. And then their physical bodies dissolve, with all eight of them returning to their proper place inside the boy's body, which returned to its original state without my approval.
I peer my eyes open slightly and sigh, "You'll still have faith in people like him until the very end, huh, Sarajin?"
Alex floated before me a broken shell of a man. He was gasping for air, staggering from the sudden shift between life and death. His body rattled like a set of keys. That rage in his eyes was cold, dead almost.
He hadn't lost yet though. The Overlord's timely intervention ensured his safety. Unfortunately...
"It is time for my last Spell Card." I raised my hand with eyes closed and half a smile creased across my face. The last Spell Card looked the same as the rest, but would prove to be the deadliest.
"Border of Fiction and Reality."
The same power that allowed me to start this game, shall be the one to finish it. As my Spell Card disappeared, the dimension I had created to serve as this battlefield turned blank as the pitch black depths of space. Cracks spread across like broken glass on a windshield, revealing the scattered remnants of visions of other worlds.
Not just worlds he had visited either. Hundreds of other worlds he knew of but never even dreamt were possible to visit were scattered amongst the sky. But slipping in between all of them were visions of a world where humans, animals and places looked 'real'. There was no bounciness to their movements, no exaggerations in their expressions. They walked and talked normally, much like those of you reading.
Each portrait of the worlds had their own Danmaku to bring to the table, but there was simply far, far too many to describe. Fill in the blanks with your imagination if you must, but your focus should really be on the Phoenix of Destruction.
He stood there and took every bullet head-on without fighting back. I wasn't making any particular effort to target him, that was simple how things unfolded. The painful show lasted but a mere few seconds, yet for him would scar for a lifetime. Now he knew what it was like to realize how insignificant his own world was compared to all the rest, and as the dimension returned to normal and he collapsed on his back in utter defeat I breathed a heavy sigh and put my parasol to rest.
I stepped off the gap and trodded the empty air a couple steps forward, pointing the tip of my parasol at the ground as I overlooked the boy's shaking body. I didn't feel pity, but rather shame. He could have been so much more, had he not been born with strings on his back.
But as I close my eyes I feel something inside of him stir. A fire, not unlike the spark of an inferno, rose from his heart. He dug his fingertips into the fabric of reality and pulled himself up with a scowl. His heart was violently pumping blood, and he looked set to burst. When he got to his feet he immediately drew his sword and attacked me, cutting through the cloth of my dress at the skirt as I leapt back.
The fire stormed around his body like a tornado, and he clenched his hands tightly around the handle of his sword. Hunched over, he faced me head-on and growled. I could sense his head was throbbing in pain. It was astonishing that he wasn't dead...Not that that has ever stopped him.
"I won't...stop..." He whispered daftly in my ears as I smiled.
He staggered, appearing ready to fall to his knees. He clung on to a thin strand and raised his head up high, his irises blood red and having a texture like amber. He quietly yelled at me, "I-I swear I'll kill you...And take the Cosmos Drive back to Shina!"
...Oh, dear.
I closed my eyes to the sight of his building rage and rest my hands atop my parasol, remarking with no trace of hesitation, "I do not have the Cosmos Drive."
"W-What...?" I could feel the hopelessness in his voice. A part of me hungered for it even.
"Remembered how I said I was stalling for time so your journey would match up with the Phoenix of Balance's? Well there was a second purpose to that. See, it is impossible for me to enter the place the Cosmos Drive actually is," I take a brief pause to catch my breath, smiling a little at the brilliance of my plan, "So instead I made it so by the time you were on your way to it, this planet and thus Gensokyo would be right in the way of the artifact's trail. So you and the girl would be led to believe that you'd find the Cosmos Drive here."
"Gnnghh...! Grrrnnnghh...! NNNNRRRGHHH!" Alex squeezed his blade tight, the handle contorting slightly under the pressure. He snagged all seven triggers in the blink of an eye and tugged them so hard it was a wonder they weren't pulled out.
He swung his arms out, reared his head back, and screamed, leaving me temporarily deafened. The dimension showed signs of cracking, every one burning red with flames. His body was consumed with golden flames, and his Phoenix wings spread from the mold bright with fury.
The game was over.
He stared at me with his burning eyes and terrifying scowl and forced the flames to wash over me, making me break into a gentle sweat. I smiled at him and raised my parasol in one hand, summoning half a dozen gaps to my aid. This was how this battle would be settled. Not with banter, not with bullets, but with blood. But shall it be mine or his that is spilled? I am antsy to see the answer to that...
"Time to die...YOU SON OF A BITCH!" He roared, paving the road towards our truly final battle...
Next Time: Necrofantasia