Warm. Daylight's rays fell upon her fur, blessing her as they did to all plants. Soft. A hand caressed her face, easing her out of dreamland. She opened her eyes. A smile greeted her. One of loving happiness, opposed to the malicious one that usually rested on Shishima's face. Nobody but her had been beholden to such a sight and she cherished every moment she was privy to it. Nekohana smiled back and reached out a hand, grabbing his.
"Good morning," he greeted, gently helping her get up from the grassy earth.
"You slept a lot, woman! We got bored waiting for you to finish your beauty nap!" Borof loudly complained, but a single glare from his master shut the wolf plushie's mouth.
"What time is it?" she asked, looking up through the tree branches at the dull and gray cloudy sky.
"Still the early hours of the morning. We must make haste and return in the capital palace. Today is a big day."
"How so?"
Shishima's smile grew from one of happiness to one of excitement and ambition. Every time he bore it, trouble was imminent. "Today is the day the oni will do my bidding. Today you will witness a new revolution, one that will shake the Twilight Kingdom's foundation and bring forth a new order!"
"The last time you decided to make history, things did not go our way. Are you sure about this?"
A single nod expressed his certainty. Then, with a stretched wing, he gestured for them to head out of the woods. She complied, following at the same pace, Borof hovering around them no different than a common fly. The surrounding woods seemed more hospitable in the morning light, or had her perception changed after last night's happenings?
"If this uprising of yours is successful, what will happen next?" Nekohana dared ask.
"This uprising will be complemented by a senate upheaval. Once the entire Twilight Kingdom turns against Koushishi, I will step in to deliver the final blow. She will be left powerless and without any allies, just like the mate she chose to betray all those centuries ago!" Shishima declared with a clenched fist.
"So it really is about justice. Do you not seek the throne's power for yourself?"
"Have you already forgotten what we've discussed while I was healing, Nekohana?" Shishima turned to her, looking her straight in the eyes. "I promised you we would return to Earth together and I would put the Twilight Kingdom behind me. I intend to keep that promise, no matter the cost!"
Nekohana felt her cheeks reddening and averted her gaze, still in disbelief at what she was hearing. Her voice shaking, she replied, "B-but y-you've s-spent all these centuries among mortals... craving power. W-why w-would you renounce it?"
"A good question, milord!" Borof intervened. "We seek only the greatest of powers! Why in the world would we-" A pair of claws grabbed the wolf plushie and squeezed him hard until he fell unconscious. Shishima hid him in his mane and approached Nekohana, his palm caressing her face once more. The two locked eyes again, staring deeply into each other.
"I have experienced ultimate power back on Sagakin. But after you made me remember our past, I've become conflicted. What would be left once I have conquered everything that exists? Nothing. I would stand alone upon a pile of corpses, no different from the oni in the Triumph of One painting."
"Please stop, I can't..." Nekohana was overwhelmed by what she was hearing. The one addressing her was a fully conscious Shishima who was questioning his ambitions. It seemed too good to be true.
"I now know why I've been afraid of facing my past. Because the truth is... no godhood would be worth losing you, beloved," he confessed and leaned in, pressing his lips against hers. Nekohana closed her eyes and accepted him, wrapping her arms around his back and unleashing tears that she had long held back. Once he broke the kiss, Shishima wiped the tears off her face and searched his mane, pulling out a pair of cards which he offered to her. "Here, these are my gift to you."
"Tsuruhashi Doji and Assault, Onifuda Kingdom?" she read their names out loud. "But why?"
"They deal with the graveyard, so I believe they might be of use to you as well."
"Thank you, for everything." Nekohana accepted the cards and then her lover walked behind and wrapped his arms around her belly, spreading his wings.
"Hold on tight," Shishima instructed before taking off into the skies with her, entering the dreaded desert storm.
The flight was anything but pleasant due to the wild winds blowing heavily against them and the sand which got in their fur. Yet the feeling of her beloved's body pressing against hers and the warmth of his protective arms surrounding her very being shielded her through the experience. Once the sights ahead became clearer, they could see a large group of oni protesters gathered in the palace gardens. Their riot had set the trees ablaze and caused a platoon of Rufu's inu youkai to tackle them in a pathetic attempt of ending their coup. Nekohana sighed upon witnessing the ensuing chaos - those plants did not deserve such a cruel fate.
"Do you see the beauty of it all, my beloved?" asked a grinning Shishima. "They are all fighting because of me. Every single puzzle piece is slowly falling into place; and once completed, it will spell my mother's downfall!"
"You are still playing a very dangerous game! Is it all necessary? We both know how we feel about each other. Can't we just run away now and forget about the Twilight Kingdom?" Nekohana suggested with a worried tone in her voice.
"If I were the one who died back then because of her machinations, would you not do anything in your power to avenge me? I am no longer doing this simply for the sake of my feud with Koushishi; this is for my father's memory."
"But don't you think your father would have wanted you to be happy?" Her question struck him like lightning, causing him to abruptly land in the garden's depths. "What parent would want to see their child suffering over the past?"
Shishima let go of Nekohana and she turned to face him. He stared at her, a neutral expression on his sharp leonine face which masked the myriad of conflicting thoughts racing in his mind. He had no rebuttal to her comeback, she was right. Akushishi would have never wanted for his only son to go down a twisted path of bloodshed and give in to insanity's mirth while endlessly pursuing power. Compared to the noble prince he was back in the days before Purgatory's fall, Shishima had turned out for the worse. Gone were the codes of honor and the goodwill to lead his people. After the entirety of the Twilight Kingdom had betrayed both king and prince, all that was left of him was a shadow guided by hate and the single-minded ambition of ruling everything. Deep inside he knew that he could have been so much more, but the last thousand years of conquest and slaughter had forever left their mark on him. Until his present goal was achieved, until Koushishi and her cohorts burned like the trees that were being devoured by oni fire right before his eyes in the present moment, he could not run away from the past once more. Shishima turned his back to Nekohana and solemnly declared, "It's too late for me. I will only be happy once I bring those who ruined our lives to justice."
"Shishima..." Nekohana uttered, making no effort to hide the sorrow in her voice while she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "If I helped you today with your ploy and you succeeded, will you please move on from the Twilight Kingdom? I would love nothing more than for the both of us to be happy together back on Earth."
While still facing the spreading fires, Shishima reached out and grabbed his lover's hand, squeezing it tight.
"Go into the lowest level of the palace and spread the news of my return to the general public," he instructed. "Convince them that I am here to bring forth a new era of prosperity. Rally as many as you can to my cause and start a second revolution inside in order to distract the military. I will make use of the ensuing chaos to infiltrate the senate and turn the daiyoukai's general opinion against Koushishi. If we are successful, by the fall of dusk we will see a new Twilight Kingdom."
She squeezed back. "Take care of yourself, my prince," Nekohana whispered and let go, soon disappearing among the wild vegetation.
Left alone, Shishima took a deep breath. For the first time in his eternal life, the thought of conquest felt like a heavy burden on his chest. Then he dashed headfirst into the flames, his horns ending up piercing the back of Rufu's lieutenant and coming out of his chest. A cry of victory echoed from the surrounding oni as the military youkai's body evaporated into thin air.
"Hey guys, doesn't this cat guy look familiar?" asked a confused red oni.
"Dunno, brother. He must've visited the village before," mused a blue oni while scratching his head.
"Shishima, what are you doing here?" Akamaru stepped out of the crowd, his fancy kimono and hakama had been replaced with a dark brown metallic samurai armor decorated with skull shoulder plates, his demonic horns sticking out of the sharp helmet, a long katana and kanabo hung at his back.
"Listen up, oni of the Twilight Kingdom!" Shishima's voice boomed as he stuck his chest forward like a proud leader. "For far too long has your hardworking race been oppressed by the snobbish daiyoukai! After Purgatory's fall your role in the military has been greatly diminished, your labor efforts have gone on largely unnoticed and barely rewarded, and the taxes and tributes imposed on your home have only increased to unreasonable heights!"
"Does anyone get what fancy talk he's saying?" a green oni wondered aloud.
"Not sure, but it sounds important," the confused red oni replied.
"Are you saying that you sympathize with our plight?" Akamaru asked as he walked towards his rival. "After everything that happened between us, you still find it within yourself to listen?"
"This matter is beyond our battle of prides, Akamaru. My father saw your race as honorable warriors most worthy of defending the Twilight Kingdom. I now come to you as someone willing to bring back the days when you were respected by the rest of demonkind! Would you be willing to join me in my quest of dethroning the tyrant known as Koushishi?"
Akamaru took a good long look at him. Then he turned towards his fellow oni, pulled out his kanabo and shouted, "We follow Shishima, my brothers! To freedom!" Battle cheers erupted all around as the other oni raised their fists to the sky.
The commotion outside had created a general state of unease inside the capital palace's lower levels. In order to protect the general populace, a soft curfew had been imposed - no inhabitant was allowed outside of their apartments until the oni riot ceased. General Rufu wandered the mostly empty corridors with both hands behind his back, his polished boots shining in the torch lights, not a speck of dust on his black military uniform. Behind him followed two soldiers acting as bodyguards, both alert and ready for anything. Despite the dangerous situation they were all in, Rufu could not help but admire the state of the populace. Common youkai were only good for maintaining the economy and providing new army recruits. If he were the one writing the laws, he would have allowed them out of their homes only for performing their daily duties towards the kingdom. The commoners had no need for unproductive activities such as public gatherings, parties or shopping. Such luxuries were reserved only for the pure daiyoukai, nobles among nobles and gods among demons.
"General Rufu, sir!" cried a goat youkai as he ran through the opened gates and fell on his knees in front of the wolf daiyoukai. "I bring terrible news - your entire platoon has been eradicated by the oni."
"Impossible! What about Lieutenant Okuri? He is one of my strongest warriors! Surely he would have dealt with those barbaric ogres all by himself!"
"He died along with the rest of his soldiers, sir..."
In his anger, Rufu slapped the goat with his sleeved hand and shouted, "You lie, useless vassal! I have personally overseen Okuri's training since he was still a pup. There is no way any youkai can dispatch him with ease, let alone a brainless oni!"
"I-I apologize if I offended you in any way, sir!" the lower youkai got in his fours, forehead pressed against the brick floor. "I only report what I saw from our watch tower! He was surprise-killed from behind by a someone with purple fur and wings very similar to our queen's."
"A treacherous daiyoukai, you say?" Rufu wondered as he rested his naked hand on the hilt of his katana. "But our glorious Queen Koushishi, the strongest of all monarchs, has no living relative!"
"Whoever it may be, my general, is now lending aid to the oni who are now bringing the riot closer to the palace. We must do something!"
"Of course I know that, you disgusting slime of a soldier!" Rufu spat and turned to his bodyguards. "I will go take my personal platoon to deal with this rebellion. In the meantime, have this trash excuse of a youkai executed. I wish to never lay my eye upon his mere presence again!"
Far across the twisted corridors of the first level, unbeknownst to the palace's authorities, a stranger in a leaf cloak passed by each apartment door and slid beneath letters, trying her best to avoid any passing soldier. Had the curfew not been instated, she would have tried rallying up the crowds; but having in mind the current limitations she was facing, her best option was anonymous letters that would hopefully rile up the commoners against those oppressing them.
Dear reader,
I am deeply sorry for bothering your daily routine. I have set pen to paper merely to let you know that what is happening outside is not an uprising, but a war for the Twilight Kingdom's very heart. For how long have we all been suppressed by the nobles from above who keep demanding we worship the ground they walk on? How are they any different from us? Is it because of their 'pure blood'? Or because some of them claim to be descended from the very founders of our home? Does this make them worthy of living in utter luxury, while we the people struggle day to day for survival?
We are youkai, our demonic ancestors escaped the shackles of Hell in order to live in a better world! And now look at us, their descendants are bowing their heads yet again to another tyrant. While the oni may be among the simplest of our kind, their hearts are in the right place. A brand new visionary has risen to lead them and the rest of us towards a brighter future, one free of the senate's corruption and Queen Koushishi's iron fist. If you wish to help build a better Twilight Kingdom, one for even the smallest of inhabitants, the time for action is now. Come join the war and let the authorities know what you truly think!
Kindest regards,
A friend.
Little did she know that among the receivers were also enemies. For not all commoners sought freedom as long as the daiyoukai promised them comfort. And so a copy of her letter went from the hands of an aspiring theater actor right into the nubby lizard hands of Senator Sazansho. Upon reading its contents, a long scowl grew on his reptilian face, betraying the outrage boiling inside of him.
"Gather the sealing corps immediately! I will personally lead them to the lower levels so we can find whoever is involved with this act of treason!" he raised his voice at his butler, who immediately ran to execute the order.
Thus began their long quest from door to door. By the time of noon, nine of the ten lowest levels had been thoroughly searched with no concrete result whatsoever. Outside, General Rufu and his forces struggled to keep the rioters led by Prince Akamaru from setting foot into the palace. It was a losing battle. The gardens had already been set ablaze, most of his strongest soldiers had been crushed by brute oni strength, and they could no longer hold the line, as they were pushed further and further towards the opened gates. To make matters worse, the commoners from the lowest level had started leaving their apartments and attacking the military. They chanted phrases such as 'We stand with the oni!', 'Down with Koushishi and the senate!' and 'The people are the future!'. Such slogans were nothing but pure nonsense to Sazansho's ears, to whom it was more than obvious that the low class youkai needed to be disciplined, if only to be reminded their place in the world.
"Immobilize the troublemakers," he casually instructed his corps as they all descended the stairs towards the lowest level. Heeding the order, his minions dressed in military tunics and trousers rushed ahead and started creating glowing circles with magical symbols to ensnare the rioters. Upon arrival he was greeted by the all-too-pleasant image of paralyzed common folk while Rufu's surviving soldiers were helped up by the sealing corps. "Oh my, oh my, what do we have here? If it isn't the trashiest of trash that the capital palace has to offer. Off throwing a party, are we? Over what? Fake promises from a treacherous vandal?" Sazansho was quick to produce the letter and flash it to the crowd. "Who is responsible for writing this horrid piece of propaganda? Speak in this instant!" The only answer coming from the bound youkai were hateful glares. If they could move, he was certain they would have spat in his face. "So you wish to shelter the traitor and be complicit in the crime, ey? Very well, have it your way." He crawled on four legs across the corridor and cleared his throat. "I am now speaking towards the one who dared write this letter. If you are here, you have one moment to come out and surrender. Otherwise these disgusting commoners you adore so much will be severely punished for your actions! What's it going to be?"
Nekohana hid around the corner at a crossroads, having heard everything that transpired there. She clenched her fist, unsure of what to do. If she complied with Sazansho's request, she would risk being arrested and endanger Shishima's plans. But if she did not comply, dozens of innocents would have perished for nothing. Her mind immediately recalled the time she had been physically abused by Rufu and Sazansho, then the one green oni who fought against the sealing corps and their leader. In the first case he needed someone else to help him overpower her. In the second case a mere low class youkai could stand up to him once his minions were disposed of. That must have meant that Sazansho was not very physically apt. If she could push him in a spot where his blue flame which sapped away magic was of no use, she could duel her way out and save the hostages.
With no time to waste, she reached into her travel bag and tossed a handful of enchanted seeds on the corridor floor. This caught the attention of a couple of sealing corps, who went to check where the noise came from. Once they came in range, Nekohana clapped her palms once and pairs upon pairs of spiked vines came out of the seeds, piercing the unsuspecting victims through the chest. As they lay dying, their binding circles vanished, freeing the commoners who wasted no time tackling the others who held their friends and family hostage. Angered by the ensuing chaos, Sazansho stretched his arms forward and unleashed a torrent of blue fire from both hands upon all present. When he was done, the magical vines had evaporated and everyone in his presence had fainted. Then he noticed a female covered by a leaf cloak walk from around the corner, approaching him.
"So you must be the one. Identify yourself!" he demanded and fired a single ball of flame which burned away her disguise, revealing her as a tall lioness youkai covered in purple fur and with an odd mane of flowers stretching from her head all over her body. "Wait a minute, you look familiar," he remarked with narrowed eyes. "I don't believe it... weren't you once a gardener?" Nekohana regarded him with cold eyes, not uttering a word. "Yes, you were! I remember you now; Rufu lusted over you to no end! You were Prince Shishima's little personal servant who he kept dragging around like a pet. But how can that be? I heard that you perished on the same night he did!"
"I did die. But now I have returned to right the wrongs you and your ilk did a thousand years ago!" she spoke in a threatening manner and slid her hand inside her mane, her claws dipping into the small travel bag.
"There is no afterlife for youkai or any other spiritual being. Once we die, it is the end of the road for us. We become one with the Abyss," the worried Sazansho commented, not paying attention to her. "At Rufu's behest, we scoured the entirety of the Twilight Kingdom for you. He truly believed that you would've become part of his harem after Prince Shishima's death. But we found no sign of you, no matter how hard we searched. It was more than obvious that you had also perished, perhaps the beating we gave you was fatal," he finished his speech and turned back to face his prey. "If you truly died, then answer me this: How did you manage to avoid the erasure of your existence?"
"Why would I bother answering any questions from a pompous jerk like you?"
"Insolent wench!"
In his indignation, Sazansho opened his palms to fire another torrent of blue flame. But before it could form, Nekohana took out a large dose of sacred salt with the tip of her claws and tossed it right in his palms. Despite his daiyoukai status, it still burned him and rendered him unable to activate his magic. Giving out a pained screech, the senator asked, "What have you done to me?!"
"So many questions. Shouldn't you daiyoukai know everything?" With a confident smirk on her face, Nekohana took out her deck. "Here's the deal - defeat me in a duel and I will gladly give you your answers. But if I win, you will take your clowns and leave the commoners alone!"
Sazansho growled and took out his own deck in response, two dueling tables rising from the floor. They both walked to them, set their shields which materialized as five blue rectangles above each player, then drew their five cards. Thus began their match.
"I summon Dandy Nasuo." An anthropomorphic eggplant wielding a caveman's club appeared and allowed Nekohana to search her deck for a card. "I put Gigandydanos, Big Tree King to my mana zone, then I send him from my mana zone to my graveyard."
"I cast Senbatsu! Bikkuri MAX." Sazansho checked the top two cards of his deck, sending one to bottom and adding the other in his hand.
"I summon Belladoane, Immortal Faerie." A pink-haired Snow Faerie wearing a dark green winter sweater and wielding a pair of ice flowers appeared in the battle zone, allowing Nekohana to check the top two cards of her deck as well. "Brachiodrange goes to my graveyard and Dark Life to my mana zone."
"Vividdraw 3, I summon Skeptic, Fake Supporting Actor." A white and blue bird donning blue robes appeared by Sazansho's side, allowing him to draw three cards, after which he placed one at the top of his deck. "Due to Skeptic's effect, I end my turn here."
"I cast Dark Life and check the top two cards of my deck. Trap Giant goes to my mana zone and Dakliedrange to my graveyard."
"The time has come for you to kneel down to your superior! Vividdraw 4 - I cast Celebrate! The final curtain of this story! With its effect I draw a card and bring out Meteorshower Auroratheater!" A Phoenix modeled after a carnival mask with giant purple feathers for wings, a red and a blue snake for limbs which held fans in their mouths and a wild red and blue flame surrounding its body appeared behind Sazansho. "Aha-ahahaha, tremble before the might of the Bikkuri Kingdom's leader! I draw three cards and attack you with Meteorshower, triple break her shields!" The Phoenix stuck out his snake-like tongue and used it to hack away three shields.
"Shield trigger, I summon Trap Giant!" A horned giant with a small forest growing all over its mountainous body appeared, a mustached face carved on its head, and it used a dual-bladed sword to cut off the carnival Phoenix, making it disappear into the mana zone.
Sazansho frowned, as the shield trigger's cost was 9 and he did not have enough cards in his mana zone to prevent it. "Skeptic, break her shield as well!" he ordered and the Fire Bird flew headfirst through another shield. "I end my turn here."
"Fushigiverse! I send Trap Giant to my mana zone and revive Gigandydanos, Big Tree King by paying 5 mana!" The horned giant got enveloped by a green aura and also disappeared into the mana zone, then in its place arose a four-legged tree creature, its head shaped like that of a moose, a small purple halo floating between its horns, a multitude of small birds flying around its branches, its wooden face shaped like a skull out of which it exhaled an eerie purple smoke. "Witness the power of the Fushigi Kingdom's leader! While Gigandydanos is in the battle zone, your creatures weaker than him cannot attack me. Also, when Gigandydanos is put into the battle zone, all cards in your hand are sent to your mana zone.
"What?!" Sazansho gasped in shock as he lost Brain Storm, Senbatsu! Bikkuri MAX, Onikamas, Strange Flow, Aesthetic Movement is an Explosion!, Celebrate! The final curtain of this story!, Submarine Fortress Lair and Mega Manalock Dragon. "Grr, my turn, I draw! Hmph, I expand Cyberdice Vegas, Gambling Expert of D." Their surroundings changed to those of a futuristic casino with a glowing blue dice floating in the middle. "I end my turn and draw a card from Cyberdice Vegas."
"I summon Tsuruhashi Doji." A small blue oni wielding a scythe also appeared, causing the top three cards of his owner to go into the graveyard, those being Rymer Druid, Domanmodrange and Hayabusamaru, Lightfang Ninja, the latter of which was recovered. "Fushigiverse, I send Tsuruhashi to my mana zone and revive Rymer Druid for 2 mana." The oni was enveloped in a green aura and vanished to the mana zone, its place being taken by a green-skinned humanoid wearing an orange loincloth, a necklace with painted eyes, golden bracelets and earrings and a witch hat, and wielding a wooden staff with a skull on its top. "With his effect I check the top four cards of my deck. Assault, Onifuda Kingdom goes to my mana zone, while Belladoane, Immortal Faerie, Dark Life and Darthshigikei go to my graveyard."
"You use both Fushigi Kingdom and Onifuda Kingdom cards?! Such blasphemy! No wonder you're siding with the oni, you worthless half-breed!"
Nekohana ignored her opponent's jabs and spoke in an authoritative voice, "Gigandydanos, break all of his shields!" Heeding her word, the giant tree creature unleashed a purple smoke from its mouth which eradicated all five opposing shields.
Sazansho quickly took all the cards in his hand and revealed the ones he would use in response. "Shield trigger, I cast Cyber Brain and draw three cards. Then shield trigger, I summon The Clock, Ragnarok and end your turn!" A muscular humanoid with spiky blue hair and two golden clock arms coming out of his chest appeared, causing the opposing creatures to freeze in place. "Now I do believe it's my turn. Vividdraw 4, I cast Celebrate! The final curtain of this story! which allows me to draw a card and bring out Meteorshower Auroratheater again and draw three cards!" The carnival Phoenix reappeared in the battle zone, facing the other king with a smug smile on his face. "I cast Royal Academy Hoele and draw three more cards. Then I cast Senbatsu! Bikkuri MAX and since I have both a Water and Fire creature in the battle zone, I get to do both its effects. First I check my top two cards, this one goes to the bottom of my deck and this one to my hand. Then I destroy one of your creatures which costs less than the number of cards in my hand. I have 13 cards in my hand and your Gigandydanos costs 12 mana!" He relished in his opponent's look of disbelief as her quadrupedal tree dragon vanished in a giant explosion. "Lastly, I summon Onikamas, Strange Flow." A bipedal barracuda wielding two golden tridents appeared as well. "Aha-ahahaha, now that your pesky finisher is gone, I can attack you once again. Meteorshower, break her final shield!" The Phoenix stretched out his tongue and pierced the remaining shield.
"Shield trigger, I cast Assault, Onifuda Kingdom! Since Onitime is activated, I can use both its effects! So I destroy Skeptic and revive Domanmodrange-"
"No, you will not revive anything! Meteorshower will not allow you to put any creatures in the battle zone which cost less than the number of cards in my hand during his attack. Now that you're finished with this foolishness, it's time to end this - The Clock, todomeda!"
"Ninja Strike 4, I summon Hayabusamaru, Lightfang Ninja and block the attack!" A white plane shaped creature descended in the battle zone and pierced the muscular humanoid, both disappearing in a small explosion.
"You're merely delaying the inevitable. I end my turn and draw a card from Cyberdice Vegas."
"I summon Darthshigikei for two mana and discard Tsuruhashi Doji." A bear plushie wearing a skull and wielding a hook and spear appeared in the battle zone. "Fushigiverse, I send Darthshigikei to my mana zone and revive Brachiodrange for 8 mana." The plushie disappeared in a green light and was replaced by a slender bipedal dragon whose limbs and tail were leafed tree branches, its body decorated with precious sapphires. "Dandy Nasuo, todomeda!"
"Denjara Switch - I cast Celebrate! The final curtain of this story! With its effect I draw a card and bring out Skeptic, Fake Supporting Actor who ends your turn!"
"That won't happen!" Nekohana confidently replied. "Brachiodrange won't let you use any enter the battle zone effects!"
"Impossible... then Skeptic blocks the attack!" The Fire Bird flew towards the eggplant and hacked it away with its wings.
"Belladoane, todomeda!" The Snow Faerie tossed an ice flower into Sazansho which threw him right into a wall, knocking him unconscious and sealing her owner's victory.
Nekohana breathed a sigh of relief as she packed her cards. As she considered waking up the commoners, a loud noise coming from ahead startled her. General Rufu and his remaining soldiers backed into the palace as Akamaru marched his oni brethren against them. And above them all, unseen and hanging from the ceiling, Shishima admired his handiwork. The revolution had reached the very heart of the Twilight Kingdom. Any chance of turning back was long gone.