Chapter 9: The Dark Truth Deep Within
As Richard began to traverse towards Youkai Mountain, he was starting to see the hostile fairies begin their invasion all across the realm, having to deal with squad after squad coming his way, as he had to resort to simple danmaku, with his elemental magic crippled by the mist itself, although even that was enough to take down the fairies in his path.
"Tch… it's a good thing that they aren't quick to the draw." Richard told himself, as he shot down another high-class flower fairy into power-ups that he absorbed. "Otherwise, I would have far more problems during my trip across Gensokyo…"
As Richard reached the mountain proper, he noticed that both the Tengu Village and Kappa Valley were up in arms, as Richard saw the abundance of weaponry that the Kappa Valley had, giving him an idea that could help the odds of the defenders a lot more, as he went down to the latter.
"Well, it's nice that we've fortified the valley all nice and good, Kawashiro…" One of the kappa officers remarked. "But since we're in the epicenter of all of this, don't you think that we could be a lot more cautious? Maybe stop giving that human commissioned works?"
"We'll be perfectly fine! With Richard's help, we're on a net gain of metals!" Nitori brightly declared. "Not only is our expenses going to a great cause, but it's paying dividends back to us!"
"Again with giving humans our inventions and weapons." The kappa officer rolled her eyes. "I swear, it's as if you can't help but want to curry favor with them by being so easy for them."
"Exactly!" Nitori grinned back, as the kappa officer dragged a hand down her face with a drawn sigh.
"Nitori!" Richard remarked, before everyone in the vicinity of the two began to turn towards Richard.
"You! Drop your weapons!" The kappa officer declared, as loaded guns were pointed towards Richard.
"As you wish." Richard answered back, before dropping the refined metal sword that he had on his personage before the mist came, and then his throwing knife canisters, and then raising his hands. "And don't worry about any magic attacks. The mist made sure that I couldn't cast most of my usual tricks anyway."
"Hm." The kappa officer answered back with a grunt.
"Richard, you're in serious danger! The Celestials are sending armies down Youkai Mountain!" Nitori exclaimed with urgency in her voice. "It could be the biggest incident yet!"
"I would say it would be the second biggest, before the Vampire Incident." Richard corrected. "Regardless, you're one of the two active factions on Youkai Mountain that are against our common enemy. How's the situation? Is it possible to make an assault on the Moriya Shrine?"
"Not possible." Nitori shook her head. "Just recently, Myouren Temple made the first assault on the shrine directly, and they barely could get past their defences, let alone secure a position. And by the time the incident resolvers get here… the Tengu Village is going to be up to their tokins in fairies. But I believe in the fact that you got some way to save the Moriya Shrine with no problem."
"I'm afraid not." Richard answered back, shaking his head. "Like I said, I've been severely hamstringed on the offensive side. While I could use the spell-cards to clear out the fairy hordes by the thousands… I have to conserve energy dealing with any Celestials or notable allies to Tenshi. Therefore, I can only help to stall the armies… but not before I check on something."
"So, what brings your ass here?" The officer asked Richard. "Going to ask for more weapons from us?"
"No. I have a favor to ask of all of you." Richard stated. "I know that from what I can hear, this idea might sound like a dick move… but I need you all to divert a part of your war assets to other parts of Gensokyo."
"What!?" The officer exclaimed. "Are you crazy!? We're already feeling unconfident about our odds against the horde of fairies, and the Celestials leading them, and you ask us to handicap ourselves for others?"
"It's for the sake of hastening the process of getting the incident resolvers and their allies here. Less fires to put out, less time wasted." Richard reasoned. "And that also means that the Tengu Village and Kappa Valley will not have to hold out as long as they would need to. A slight handicap to benefit the allies, and also shorten the time needed for all of you to make a stand that would prove costly with each second."
"Absolutely not-" The officer growled.
"That's actually a smart idea, Richard!" Nitori exclaimed. "With this, we'll be able to save a lot more people, and it will help us all down in the later stages of the incident! Ensign Umiko, relay the orders for 20% of our defence garrisons to be relocated to other settlements in Gensokyo!"
"Nitori, think for all of us!" Umiko pleaded. "It's bad enough that we're struggling to balance the odds with our lack of magical power with our own technological advancements, but we need all of our garrisons to buy us enough time to secure as much of our own people!"
"And we're outnumbered 10 to 1!" Another of the kappa defenders exclaimed. "We'll be crushed if that attack gets past the Tengu, even with the paltry aid that we offer them on this decision!"
"We'll be saved by everyone!" Nitori exclaimed. "And Richard's going to be the one to lead the way for the incident resolvers to pull off the biggest damn rescue for all of us! Besides, I'm the ranking kappa, and I know that you alone, and the others that will eventually come, are a thousand times better than these armaments that we're carrying! With these custom works of mine, and how well you've been developing your proficiency with them, you'll handle mostly anything thrown at you, right?"
"Right." Richard answered back.
"Nitori, what does this human have that you owe him this much to risk all of us!?" Umiko snapped with a growl.
"Hey! The kappas will always help out the humans! Always!" Nitori exclaimed. "And we also pay back our debts with interest! It's high time that we stop cowering inside our own valley, and start showing everyone that we kappas are no pushovers! We'll get everyone to recognise our efforts in protecting everyone!"
"You really don't change that show-offish nature of yours, don't you, Nitori?" Richard quipped, as his mood lightened, upon hearing Nitori's boast.
"Anything to help a candid friend of mine." Nitori teased back with a wink, before turning back to Umiko. "You got your orders, Ensign! Get them done ASAP, so that we can get everyone in position."
"Richard Liu… Let me make this clear: You better save Gensokyo, or the blood of every single kappa that dies because of your decision will be on your hands, and stain it red forevermore." Umiko growled.
"I would ask for nothing less. For the brave souls who chose to fight for their people… I will not fail, with their hopes and dreams on my shoulders." Richard declared back, as Umiko was taken aback briefly by the conviction in his face and voice. "I must go now, and clear away any scouting forces around the area."
Richard then left, as he began to actively hunt and destroy any small fairy contingents, as the effort took a bit from his own stamina and magic reserves, although it was not serious enough to warrant his concern, as he arrived in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost with little trouble.
"If I can find Mokou or Kaguya… I can ask them to assist me." Richard stated. "...I'll need many allies to be able to even start contributing to this incident, with the diminished powers that I have, and take care of the fairies, and perhaps even take down a Celestial or two together to ease the pressure on the rest of Gensokyo."
Richard would hold that hope deep in his heart… although it was soon crushed when he saw the unmoving bodies of Kaguya and Mokou, as the both of them were fatally wounded, their expressions locked in shock and disbelief, with their eyes lifeless.
Upon seeing the scene, Richard began to examine the situation, looking for any explanation to the situation, only finding a green frog that was hopping away, disappearing into the shrubs nearby.
"A frog… They're not exactly native to this forest." Richard remarked. "...The only person that I know who would bring frogs here would be Suwako. Could it be that she was at the scene during the time when Kaguya and Mokou were alive… If that is true… whether she was a lucky victim… or the…"
Richard then cut the line of thought short, shaking his head strongly.
"No, Suwako wouldn't do anything like this." Richard answered back. "What could she possibly gain from helping this incident… and what does killing Kaguya and Mokou achieve? There has to be a motive to this murder… but I don't have time for that… let's hope that the mist hasn't stripped their immortality from them…"
Richard then moved over to the corpses of the two residents, as he began to use magic to scan their bodies for any trace of supernatural energy, although he could only feel an emptiness within them, as Richard's expression sank.
"...Damn it, my primary plan goes down the drain." Richard stated. "...In that case, I have to tell Eirin about all of this, and ensure that Reisen is-"
"Well, well. Fancy meeting you out here." Komachi remarked, as she was lounging on a large rock beside Mokou's stand, as Richard turned to her. "You are right on the fact that neither of them will be getting up until this incident ends. Every signature ability that the residents have, has been sealed away. Sanae's miracles, my manipulation of distance, Keine's ability to eat history… all that and lots lots more. I wonder what the mist took from you, Richard."
"...The second time we meet, and things aren't exactly nice between us." Richard remarked. "...You weren't the one who killed Mokou and Kaguya, were you? And is this mist the work of Tenshi and the Celestials?"
"I can honestly tell you that this thing is below me." Komachi casually answered back. "And as for your other question, you got it straight in the bulls-eye. Weather manipulation can do many things, as the Scarlet Weather Rhapsody incident can show us."
"But something like this is beyond the scale of what Tenshi can normally do!" Richard exclaimed back, before he then examined his own statement mentally for a moment. "...Unless, she's been piling up power to create this single weather state, which has caused this mass blockage of personal abilities."
"Well, aren't you astute?" Komachi chuckled, before she then lifted herself up to sit properly on the rock. "Now then, I think it's time that we talk about something very important for the both of us. I'm here regarding that seal that stored your powers within, three months ago. So then, think it's nice having those powers, isn't it, Richard Liu?"
"Had I not possessed them, I would have died a lot sooner. So while they're degraded by this mist… it's better than nothing." Richard countered back. "So then, you're here to prophesied about my own death, don't you?"
"Glad we're on the same page." Komachi answered back. "I must say, you're one tenacious person. Being able to survive the worst of odds over and over again, and come out strong and ready for another go. But unfortunately, your actions here have long sealed your demise, which is about to come in the next few hours."
"And why is it that I am to die?" Richard asked firmly, stepping towards Komachi. "Is it because my death is a necessity for the sake of preserving Gensokyo? I will not truly bemoan my fate… but nor will I simply capitulate to it, unless I am certain that my demise brings about the proper change."
"Heh. Guess that makes you different from all the rest of Miss Yakumo's children." Komachi answered back. "You're not afraid to face your fate… but that still doesn't change your course. You're still bound with regrets like the rest of them. After all, while getting the seal open was the right choice… it means that you sprung the same trap that the Gappies did, left out in the open for easy access. More so than the rest of them, you embody this phrase: 'The road to Hell is paved with good intentions'. Everything that you have allowed to pass, and everything that you have done, has led to this very incident. The only reason I managed to find you, is because I knew that like some of the Gappies who were smarter than the norm, you would seek your closest allies to help you. Would have even worked, had someone not seen through that plan straight away, or actually… undone it out of pure coincidence, trying to achieve another purpose entirely."
"So it's true then. This entire incident, was built on the idea of forcing change in Gensokyo through bloodshed and conflict… and for the sake of ending me in a way that will write the period on the long running sentence that is the Gappy Era." Richard remarked, eerily calm, despite his heart burning deeply with resentment at the situation itself. "...Why, Komachi? Why does something like this have to happen… all these lives… are they the sacrifices to the gears of change that need to be oiled with their blood?"
"I almost pity you. You're virtuous and genuinely working for the good of people." Komachi answered back. "But you're still with fatal flaws that have led to this point of time. If you weren't brought here, you could have been one of the greatest heroes for the realm to have ever known. But the dice fall where they may, and nobody can just simply change the result as they like."
"Tell me, Komachi, how did Yukari managed to cultivate all of this?" Richard asked. "...Surely with all that you have seen with each passing iteration of Gappies, you found a pattern to it all, don't you?"
"Of course. There are four criterias for the children she gaps in." Komachi answered, raising four fingers, before folding the first. "First of all, they must have a ridiculous last name, like Chaos, Majcher, Lionheart, or even Suzuki. But that's not exactly a problem with you? Richard Liu, that names rolls off the tongue well, more than names like Alice Margatroid and Patchouli Knowledge."
Komachi then folded her second finger. "Second of all, they must have little to no awareness of the consequences of their actions. When people notice holes in their logic, they go on the attack." She continued, before she then leaned forward. "Now that, I believe that you share with the rest of them, even though you don't realize it."
"I never confronted anyone about my mistakes." Richard denied firmly. "I never denied anyone's beliefs in me. All I sought to do with what happened after the distribution of that damning paper… was to ensure that the full truth is shown, not the censored truth that was meant to condemn me…. However, I cannot deny your statement… I would have bickered with Reimu and Marisa, had I not focused my mind towards better things. But the point remains."
"At least you understand that." Komachi answered back, before she then folded her middle finger. "And most surprisingly of them all, since you're actually trying to avoid this point… Thirdly, they must be shallow and self-centered. Shallow? Not exactly how I would describe you…"
"But self-centered…" Richard remarked, before he then let out a huff. "...What's so self-centered about me?"
"You really can't tell? Or do you not want to face that?" Komachi asked.
"...I don't know which of those it is." Richard admitted honestly, as his expression creased significantly.
"Have you ever heard of the phrase 'be selfish to be selfless'?" Komachi stated. "That's exactly what you're trying to be. Now, I'm not going to say that you should be without selfishness. Everyone has their own degree of selfishness. Problem is, you're trying to brute-force yourself with your own desires in order to commit what you perceive as selflessness. You work yourself to a detriment, much like your previous incarnation. It's almost saddening really, that the sin of guilt remains sternly in your breast. You're like a matryoshka doll, Richard. You surround yourself with layers of emotion that people try to pop open… but when the last doll is cracked open… there is an eerie emptiness within."
Richard's expression tightened upon hearing those words.
"So you're saying that I can only find worth in saving others, is that what you're telling me?" Richard asked back. "That I am solely defined by my own desire to befriend others, to know the feeling of companionship, to know the feeling of gratitude, to know the feeling of love and so much more deep emotions… is that what you call me?"
"Yes, when it comes down the core of all of that… that's who you are." Komachi answered back, as she leaned against her scythe. "Your deepest traumas have shaped you into someone who can't help but respond to every cry of help that you hear, no matter what it is. A obsessive compulsion that you hide deeply from others. Seeing people you know suffer and die leaves scars upon your heart, and leaves you in a state that is detrimental to yourself and everyone around you. A self-destructive cycle, caused by the right people pushing the right blocks into place. A knight of diamond armor, impenetrable from most angles… but weak as paper inside, when the gaps in the armor are exploited, and that's why you're going to die in six hours."
"And how do I die then?" Richard asked. "Do you know what comes after?"
"You die with the Sword of Hisou through your abdomen, scorching many of your organs with its incandescent power." Komachi simply stated, before looking Richard in the eyes. "And I know what you will ask next: Will Gensokyo be saved? Is Tenshi defeated? Well, let's start with what happens after: You're going to be living through the worst of agonies, until your very last moments, when your body slowly gives out from the damage, organ by organ. And Tenshi will just continue on, like nothing has happened. Honestly, I didn't look far enough… but I definitely know that Tenshi will not win her battle… but she will win this 'incident'."
"So if I die the wrong way…" Richard theorized. "...It means that I have failed Gensokyo. My death does not mean the end of Gensokyo… but it will be the start of a dark age that Yukari and Tenshi have been planning for a long time…"
Richard then let out a bitter chuckle. "For once, I feel hollow with the burden of being the 'chosen one', and I would have wished that I could throw that responsibility away as far as I can see… had it not been for the fact that I owe Gensokyo." He stated.
"Too bad for you then. You obsess with the fact that you have to be the one to save them." Komachi stated with a frown. "Again, your trauma compels you… because you don't believe enough in others, to be able to protect themselves, another misguided belief that you share with your past incarnation… and so you are under the conclusion that you have to act to save them… because you have the power to do so. But power alone doesn't change events, and you know that."
"But I can't give up. I can't just simply lie down and give up… I promised everyone that I would fight for them." Richard answered back. "...This isn't just my pride and glory at stake here… it's the livelihoods of the people I have known… people who deserve better than this."
"And if you listen to me enough… you might actually find the answer you're looking for." Komachi stated, before she then bent down her fourth finger. "Now then, the fourth and final trait that Yukari uses to bring her victims in: To ensure that not a single Gappy gets even the slimmest chance to have revenge on her for what she has done to them… Yukari only gaps those who are on their final reincarnation. Ring any bells?"
"...Patchouli… She told me that should I die, Hell awaits me…" Richard answered back, before squeezing his eyes tightly. "...So that is why Yukari picked me out of all of the people… the perfect 'dirty bomb' for Gensokyo, disposable and perfect for the job… Damn it all…"
"Lament your fate as you will… but it's up to you how you make your final moments matter." Komachi stated. "You may be smarter than Chaos and Majcher… and far more socially stable than them, with how much good you have done to Gensokyo, despite being the spark that started this incident… But your weaknesses overshadow your own strengths, and that is why Yukari made the perfect move to cause all of this."
Komachi then leaned back on the rock. "Let me tell you about the Ministry that I work with, so that you know how certain your demise will be: There are ten High Judges who preside over an uncounted number of regular judges. These regular judges are what most people get to see. Most sinners they meet? Not so terrible people, or people who have a clear thread of redemption in their hearts. These judges tend to be very lenient to even mostly black souls, allowing them to move onto Heaven, despite their minor sins… or even given a chance to reincarnate to atone for their mistakes." She stated. "Then you have these High Judges, who deal with the cases that cause a lot of worry, with big amounts of bad karma… I can tell you, a lot of villains have met them, and they were given clear reasons to be a better person in their future lives… so that they will never return here to be judged a deep sinner as they have before. They did hand down verdicts for sending people down to Hell, but their words alone are enough to make these souls see reason and have another chance to be better."
"And then there is Eiki Yamaxanadu." Richard declared seriously.
"Yes, my direct boss." Komachi confirmed. "If you think that the High Judges are meant to be the brimstone and hellfire convictors of the afterlife court, you may as well call Eiki Shiki Yamaxanadu, the court's executioner. No one, and I mean, no one has ever stood before her, and got a second chance. Lady Eiki loves to lecture the living… but only to steer them away from these cruel, ultimate fate. Once you're in her court, you're as good as going to Hell immediately. It's almost morbidly humorous, really… So many Gappies who have been sentenced by her say these phrases: 'I'll change!', 'I'll be different next time!', 'I don't care!', 'Give me one more chance!', 'I'll be different!'. But she has never, never, never, never, never given a second chance to a Gappy."
Richard could only exhale silently in response, as Komachi looked at Richard's despairing expression, as her expression fell slightly.
"Richard, your hours may be numbered, and that leads me to why I'm here." Komachi answered back. "Despite our initial misgivings, I have come to understand you more after hearing how Gensokyo has treated you, and how you treated it back. Your soul, out of every single Gappy I had the displeasure of meeting, you have the highest potential of being able to break free of your fate… even if the odds are the same as finding a spider's thread in an ocean of darkness. Now, my boss does a better job at this, but I know a thing or two about sins. So let me ask you this: If you're willing to lay your life for Gensokyo, to help its peace, then why would you carelessly risk your life over and over again, in order to help others? Why is it you who has to save the others?"
"I… I…" Richard stumbled, as Komachi lifted her head to gesture for Richard to spit it out.
Richard then let out an anguished cry, before clawing his face with both of his hands.
"Fuck…! FUCK!" Richard swore, as he went towards Mokou's stand and smashed his own face against the tabletop of the stand hard enough. "Why does it have to be me who has to do the hard thing time after time!? Why is it that I am always left as the one who lives, when so many others have died!? It's as if the gods are laughing at me! I can't even fucking kill myself, because I'm fucking gaslighting myself on the promises of the people who went before me! Forced to live a life where I have to find ways to bury my damn sorrows over and over! And whenever I start trying to find a way to make things better for everyone, the world just HAS to screw me over!"
Richard then turned around, before throwing his arm aside in a wide arc.
"What's wrong with trying to help others!? Is this world on the fucked-up principle of 'No Good Deed Goes Unpunished'!?" Richard roared. "I tried my best for everyone! I admitted my guilt, and I tried to understand the others, so that they would hope to understand my side! But no, the fucking Celestial bitch had to go about her fucking hypocrisy about what's right and wrong! It's all her damn fault and Yukari's, that I had to go around helping people, just to mitigate the damn damage, because if I didn't, I would be just simply waiting to die, and that's not what people have sacrificed their lives for! They sacrificed it for the cause I fought under… but it always, ALWAYS feels like they do for me! I hate this damn cursed fate of mine! I'm tired of having to lose when it matters the most to me! What good is a damn hero who can't even protect the people that he swore to stand by always!? Tell me, Komachi, TELL ME!"
Komachi looked at Richard, who was panting heavily, before he then crumpled to the ground, sitting down.
"...I just… i only wanted to salvage what remained of this paradise, so that I can feel like I'm not some failure with undeserved power." Richard lamented. "...There, is that what you want from me? To know how I truly feel, Komachi Onozuka?"
"Yes, yes, that's more than enough." Komachi nodded back. "While you share your goals with the incident resolvers, your desire to save as many people as you can basically cripples your determination."
Komachi then sighed, before crossing her legs on the rock.
"It's sad really. You could have been able to forge past your pain… and gained some well needed development to your general character… but cruel fate seems to want you dealt with." Komachi stated. "I can imagine that you'll continue on, believing that you'll be able to triumph over this situation. It's predictable, really, just like that stubborn ice fairy, so stubborn that her mindlessness gets her killed, only that instead of it being comedic, it's something truly tragic for every single party involved. When you get caught in the incident, having to fight a battle on your own, just to save as many people as you know… you will die fighting a hopeless battle that the outcome has been long decided for… with your last moments watching the world fall apart around you. Everyone you know and love will either die or betray you to save Gensokyo, or commit atrocity after atrocity to save you. Villages will burn, the bodies will pile high… and it will simply happen because you were railroaded into this demise, for the sake of a higher cause."
Richard then looked at Komachi, as his eyes betrayed a great amount of internal conflict and sorrow, as Komachi sighed.
"I truly feel bad for you." Komachi answered back. "Born from a human who went mad with power beyond his control, because of his own rage and grief for losing what he held dear, and ending up destroying trillions upon trillions of lives, and given a chance to start anew. And what a new life that was: Orphaned at a tragic age, forced to be evil to continue living, found hope in another Gensokyo… only for that hope to be shattered over and over again with all of the death and loss you have seen with your own two eyes. A tragic soul who started in misery, and ends in misery… So afraid of losing people that you drive yourself to help others, even to your detriment… Who couldn't pity a soul like you? You fought as much as you could, more than anyone else could… but your fate refused to change despite everything you have done. It hurts knowing that damning truth, doesn't it?"
Richard couldn't even answer, as he slowly got up, and turned to leave.
"...Just so that you still have a spark of hope…" Komachi added, as Richard turned to face her. "I would recommend that you think carefully about what I said earlier about Tenshi. Whoever wins, Gensokyo will be forced into a long era of conflict. But there is always a third option… one where neither side can win. Perhaps that might give you enough of a clue on how to end all of this the way that you wanted for everyone."
"...I'll think about that." Richard simply uttered before he then took flight.
"...And there goes the saddest soul in all of Gensokyo's history…" Komachi sighed, before shaking her head. "...Damn it, Eiki… Why him of all people, to be given the verdict to Hell?"
As the incident began to rage in Gensokyo, Okina could only sigh deeply, watching as Richard threw himself towards clearing out the fairy hordes, as the task was quite demanding, and frankly unrewarding, due to the fact that there was no clear sign that he was even helping anyone, save for a simple reprieve that he was buying the nearby people for.
"At this rate… he'll burn himself out." Okina remarked. "...It's a good thing that I managed to seclude myself into my personal realm. It would be unwise to allow the mist to affect me, with everything that is happening."
She then clenched her hand into a fist. "...Damn it all, Yukari. How could you excuse something like this?" Okina answered back. "Even the Gappies wouldn't have been able to create an incident this large to affect the state of Gensokyo itself, to have caused all of this… Even for someone who understand your ways, being a far less lenient goddess than you… I can't condone any of this."
Okina then quickly closed the backdoor observing Richard and Gensokyo.
"I have to hurry… without his friends to support him, Richard will ultimately succumb to his fate in a meaningless death." Okina remarked. "If there is a way to get him out of Gensokyo first… then there might be a way to save what remains of Gensokyo… even if it means that I must find another Yukari."
As Okina began to shift from back-door to back-door, expanding her own search radius, that she had spent a majority of her waking hours upon, due to the fact that Richard's presence alone was causing the destabilization of Gensokyo's status quo, despite his attempts to preserve it with his generosity, she opened her senses out, to see if she could find someone that could help her.
Eventually, Okina did get a response, as she felt a spike of energy that was quite familiar to her, as she maintained the backdoor that she felt it from, as someone crawled out of it.
"This backdoor…" Yukari's voice came out of it, as the Yukari from Richard's own Gensokyo came out. "It came from you, didn't it?"
"And you were the one probing out for Richard." Okina stated, before giving a standard smile. "It's finally nice to meet the Yukari Yakumo of his world. Hopefully, you will not be a cruel one like the one here."
"Hm? What do you mean?" Yukari asked back.
Okina took a deep breath, as she began to recount everything that happened to Richard, as each moment that Richard was suffering, caused Yukari's expression to crease further and further in anger and scorn, as the grip on her parasol reached a point that the tool's handle was beginning to creak under her grip, while her eyes radiated a cold hatred in them.
"...I see." Yukari answered back. "So this alternate self… she has been planning on using Richard to manipulate the general opinion of Gensokyo to her own will, and also shatter the balance of Gensokyo… simply to sustain its existence?"
"That is the basics of it." Okina nodded back. "...You must be very good at bottling your temper, if you are able to handle these slights without an outburst."
"I have learned many lessons in my path of becoming the Sage of Gensokyo." Yukari coolly declared. "Personal ones, emotional ones. But it seems that the one who antagonizes me is someone who has learned far too little to understand the nature of Gensokyo itself. I will deal with her sooner or later."
"You cannot bring Richard back with you?" Okina asked back.
"As much as I wish that I could simply bring him back… he will not leave this place until he sees this incident through." Yukari declared. "...If I were to rip him from this Gensokyo, the guilt of leaving the friends he made there to die would crush him, and he would never forgive me or anyone involved in the decision. Especially since you tell me that he procreated with your Reisen to give birth. A good father never abandons his child."
"Then what will you do then?" Okina asked. "Surely, there must be something that you can do to stop all of this."
"If I did, I would most certainly attract the ire of my alternate self." Yukari answered back. "While I hold confidence that I can simply wipe her out, while this incident remains, the risk of her triggering any kind of hidden contingencies that would render my attempt detrimental, rather than beneficial, is far too high to risk it, especially when Richard is in the middle of the cross-fire."
Okina could not answer back to that, as Yukari turned to leave.
"I will tell Richard's friends where he is… and bring them here. If Richard alone is not enough to have the strength to resolve this incident in the best way possible… with his team, very little is impossible for him." Yukari answered back.
"And you are sure that he would be able to avoid death like this?" Okina asked back.
"...Death? I would not be certain of that, since it is the shinigami who declared his fate…" Yukari answered back. "...But, while Richard may be mortal… I have friends that could easily speak for his side of the events, and spare him his final end… Magina would not let Richard go that easily."
"Who is this Magina that you and he, at times, speak of?" Okina inquired.
"Let's just say that she is a very powerful friend, no less than me." Yukari smirked. "...Take care of Richard while I get the situation relayed to her and Richard's friends. Ensure that this situation doesn't take a big turn for the worse while I'm on the task."
"I suppose that is all that I can do…" Okina sighed, as Yukari entered through the backdoor again, as it disappeared after its use had ended.
As Richard managed to shoot down another horde of fairies, he managed to keep himself flying enough to be able to reach a nearby forest, before he then crumpled against a tree, as he let out a painful hiss, as his entire body was covered with a fair amount of scalded spots and cuts, from the danmaku that he had taken to his body, as well as the exhaustion rendering him unable to be able to recover from them quickly.
"Damn it all…" Richard cursed. "How many hordes of fairies did Tenshi and the Celestials manage to recruit? I already lost count of how many fairies I had to take down, all around the western side of Gensokyo… And not a single trace of an incident resolver to seek aid from. What kind of shit luck am I having… At this rate, I'll drop dead before Tenshi or her allies get a go at me."
He took a moment to take a deep breath to recover as much as he could, before he then saw that there was a massive stack of smoke coming up into the air, as it immediately triggered Richard's own danger sense.
"A fire…!?" Richard exclaimed. "With that much smoke, it must have been a large one… It must be the work of the Celestials… I have to put a stop to this before it can worsen, and drag any more attention off the incident than it is required… I should be able to find a way to combat the flames if I can find the source of it…"
Richard then flew towards the source of the flames, before he was horrified to find that the fire was coming right from his own temporary abode, as it was burning brightly with furious flames, as he could see that the entire structure was being engulfed in fire.
"What… How could they…" Richard remarked with disbelief, as the fact that his own residence was attacked directly, despite the fact that the incident is meant to be widespread, which meant that the perpetrators must have set fire to his residence as a message to him, although Richard had no clue what said message could be… and had no intentions of delving into it.
"Damn it… with the flames this big, there is no way that I can combat the flames without any elemental magic to combat it…" Richard growled. "Damn you, Tenshi… did you plan this from the start? To deprive me of home as a first step to trying to force me into the open… but what else could follow from here? I have so many other places to reside in, even with this house gone… there has to be another reason for this-"
"Is there anyone there!? Someone, help!" A familiar voice cried from within the house, as Richard's heart wrenched with horror, upon recognising the voice in an instant.
"Okami!?" Richard exclaimed, before he then flew up to try and locate Daiyousei through the burning windows, as he managed to find her locked in the upper attic, as she was tightly bound by a black rope that left her unable to move, barely seen in the smoke of the room. "Officer! Hang in there, I'll get you out!"
"Richard? Is that… Is that you!?" Hiraku exclaimed, as hope sparked in his eyes. "I don't know how I ended up here… All I remember is driving the Celestials off and their fairies, before something struck me from behind upon my return… and when I woke up, I found myself surrounded in this burning house… I can't get out of these ropes… they're too tightly bound for me to move at all!"
Richard racked his head, as he found the situation to be suspicious, although his own fear of losing a friend made him set that aside for the time being, as memories of watching his own parents die in the flames of arson caused him to act before he could think.
He immediately tried to open the door, as he tried to touch the door handle, only to find that it had been locked, causing him to curse. With no other feasible options, Richard began to adopt a shoulder tackle pose, before he then began to drive his shoulder onto the door, over and over, gaining more momentum with each attempt, before he smashed the door off the hinges, although he collapsed onto the ground for a moment, scrambling to his feet.
He began to carefully navigate through the burning house, as the flames were strong enough to swelter through the entire room, causing him to lay low, as he tried to find a way into the attic, as he had to avoid several bursts of fire, as the flames were eating everything flammable in the house, especially the gas outlets in the building itself, which made Richard worried that the entire house could go up in any moment.
Eventually, he managed to find the attic hatch, as he took a deep breath, before manipulating the burning metal latches in order to open it, stifling his own cries of pain as the heat seared into his palms and fingers, as he was able to do so before the burns could turn severe.
However, by the time Richard got there, Hiraku was unconscious from the lack of oxygen in the room, as Richard rushed over to break a window to allow for some air to come in and prevent him from falling to the same fate.
Richard then quickly hoisted Hiraku in a fireman's carry, using every single fiber of strength within him, as the average-sized wolf tengu was no simple load to carry, as he managed to descend down back into the house proper, although the house infrastructure was already begin to break down, as pieces of scaffolding and roofing began to crash onto the ground ahead, forcing Richard's exit.
Making a mad sprint for the exit, while holding his own breath deeply to avoid being choked out by the smoke, he managed to rush out in time, before the front of the house began to collapse, as the wreckage of the house began to burn behind him.
Richard then fell to the ground, before panting heavily, having made it through the close call. He then looked towards Hiraku, who was unconscious, although his breathing was labored, likely due to the smoke that he had inhaled for prolonged amounts of time.
"If the condition is severe enough… even for a hardy youkai like him…" Richard remarked, as he slowly got up to look over her. "...He might be in serious danger if I don't treat him. Hopefully, CPR should work the same against youkai with human-like forms, as it does with actual humans…"
Richard then began to perform routine CPR on the downed wolf tengu officer, as he began to compress Hiraku's chest with the right amount of pressure at a steady pulse, before using mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to push air into his own respiratory system, and then returning back to compressions.
"Come on… come on…!" Richard exclaimed, as his actions were not showing any notable results. "...If you die here, how can I have the face to say that I'm protecting the people here…!"
Richard did not stop, although he could sense danger coming around him, as he steeled his nerves, intent on finishing the procedure before he could even act on the danger, although not letting his eyes to solely just focus on the unresponsive tengu underneath him.
Eventually, he managed to get a life-sign from Hiraku, who began to violently cough, as if his body finally expelled the smoke that was choking the breath from him. He then began to groan for a moment, as he weakly rose up.
"...Am I…" Hiraku stated, as Richard helped her up to her feet.
"You're alright now." Richard remarked, before looking towards his burning house. "...My house, however…"
"Richard… I'm sorry to see this all happen to you." Hiraku answered back. "...You are a far more decent person than most others in Gensokyo… and I mean that sincerely."
"I'm grateful for your words…" Richard answered back. "...But it doesn't change the fact that I've lost another thing. But it's better the house than your life along with it… You are someone who deserves better than an undignified death in there."
Richard then turned back to Hiraku. "Are you sure that you cannot remember how you ended up here?" Richard asked back. "You said that you were ambushed on your way back… after repelling several Celestials. They must have gotten a lucky hit on your hit-box… to have knocked you out long enough to throw you in here."
"That sounds likely…" Hiraku nodded. "But why… Why would they endanger my life in your own home?"
"Likely to frame me as the murderer and madman that they paint me as." Richard scoffed. "...Even at this point, all they care about is trying to slander me as much as possible so that my death would go smoothly as possible in Gensokyo."
"Then you have to-" Hiraku remarked, before a massive horde of fairies came out from the surrounding foliage, causing both him and Richard to freeze up. "...Fairies here…!? Did they anticipate all of this!?"
"...Of course." Richard answered back. "...Damn it, I should have known."
Suddenly, a pair of Celestials came out of the horde of fairies, as Dokeshi and Koshaku made themselves known, causing Richard to scowl, and Hiraku's eyes to widen.
"You two!?" Hiraku exclaimed. "But Lord Tenma made sure that you were both locked up! How did you manage to-"
"Tenshi was kind enough to send some fairies to take advantage of the initial chaos to break us out." Dokeshi declared, before smirking. "Seems that your own conviction isn't enough in this situation, isn't it?"
"And we have our chance to finish what we started." Koshaku declared, as her tone was serious. "While we couldn't implicate you with the death of a wolf tengu officer… it won't matter when the both of you are dead."
"I fucking knew it…" Richard scowled. "You Celestials really have no low that you wouldn't sink to, to see your goals through."
"Spare me your words." Dokeshi answered back with a scoff, crossing her arms. "Had you just simply waited for your end, none of this would have been necessary."
"This is for the best of Gensokyo, even if you don't want to believe that." Koshaku answered back. "Do you even understand what Gappies have done to this realm?"
"And what does that have to do with me? I did nothing to scorn the likes of any resident here." Richard growled. "You were the one who cast forth the stones to condemn me, and you were the ones who green-lighted all of the attacks on the villages… So thank you for showing me all of those dead people who tried to defend the vulnerable… because it really makes me want to listen to you."
"That was sarcasm, wasn't it?" Dokeshi remarked, regarding Richard's last statement. "...It doesn't matter. You're surrounded this time, and there is no shrine maiden to bail you out. You may have beaten Koshaku under the Spell Card Rules… but we aren't playing around anymore. You must die, and we will not let up the slightest."
"You will not take his-" Hiraku stated, drawing his army-issue scimitar to prepare for battle, only to be stopped by Richard's hand.
"Don't get yourself involved, Officer Okami." Richard stated. "...You cannot die. You have to inform the Tengu that the Celestials are breaching the conduct of the Spell Card Rules. If word gets out to the incident resolvers… Reimu will spare no effort in punishing the guilty party for it, along with any potent allies."
"Which is another reason that he will join you in an early grave." Koshaku stated.
"You Celestials are despicable! Killing innocent lives for the sake of ending another!" Hiraku decried. "What gives you the right to commit such crimes to us?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Dokeshi remarked, before she then drew her light rod out, before it then coalesced into a large blade of light. "The fact that you won't be saying anything, nor will you ever have the chance to."
Dokeshi then darted forth, as Hiraku was taken aback at how fast Dokeshi was, as he was unable to guard in time, as he tried to brace for the incoming attack.
However, much to her surprise, Richard rushed forward, as he took the attack to his own side, parrying it with his own blade to prevent it from outright skewering through him, although it left a deep nasty cut that made Richard flinch.
"Richard!" Hiraku exclaimed with horror, as Richard limped to the side slightly.
"You won't get her… not as long as I stand." Richard growled, as he then slowly rose up. "Okami, get running, I'll cover you!"
"But you'll-" Hiraku remarked, before Richard immediately fired a blast of magic that sent Hiraku flying into the air fast, with him left only slightly damaged, due to the damage being converted into kinetic force to get him out of the encirclement.
"GO!" Richard roared, as Hiraku saw the conviction in his eyes, as he took off quickly, muttering apologies under his breath.
"Even now, you're helping others to your own detriment." Koshaku answered back. "Why bother? You're still going to die all the same, and Gensokyo won't change for anything because of it. Even if we were going to spare her after all of this, your actions change nothing."
"That's what you think… but do you think that this incident will end just because you've got me!?" Richard roared. "There are many in Gensokyo who will stand for all of this!"
"And they will be labeled the villains." Dokeshi scoffed. "They will get their just desserts in time. Especially your Moon Rabbit play-toy."
"Play-toy? Did you just call Reisen a play-toy?" Richard remarked, as his anger grew. "You know nothing about her! She is more than just a fling for me! She is a tried and true lover to me! And she feels the same back to me! Don't slander her as if you're any better than her!"
"Regardless of what she is, I can tell you that she's been captured by our people." Dokeshi answered back. "So you can perish the hope that she'll be coming to your help. As we speak, they're going to pry every single secret from her, no matter what it takes."
"What… Did you just say?" Richard remarked, as his expression froze.
"With her being with you for so long, she must know much more about your weaknesses than the rest of us do." Dokeshi declared. "And when we do… even if you survive all of this… you're going to a dead man walking. And as for her? Well, I hope you haven't gotten too attached to her…"
"The fuck are you trying to imply?" Richard stated, as he began to tremble.
"The Celestials who caught her? Not the nicest bunch." Dokeshi shrugged. "They're not above using physical force to force the knowledge out of her. If she's not feeling talkative, she's going to end up a bloodied mess by the end of it. And if she's too far gone… Well, mortals tend to put down pets in suffering. So it would… what do they call it, a 'mercy kill'?"
At the moment that Dokeshi finished the words, Richard's entire world began to freeze, as the horrible implications dawned upon him, as his entire thought process stopped for a moment, as his mind began to play through a nightmarish scenario, imagining what would happen as a result, as Reisen's cries in his head caused him to feel a massive amount of horror and despair.
The Celestials, who were both watching this, had mixed reactions. Dokeshi, who was oblivious to what was going on, realised that she managed to find a chink in Richard's armor of fortitude, leaving him catatonic enough for an opportunity to finish this quickly, while Koshaku was far more cautious, felt like something was wrong, especially with the fact that she could tell something about Richard was changing.
"Well, it won't matter how it ends. Either way, nothing good is going to come to any allies of yours." Dokeshi answered back, as she began to coil her own blade, aiming for Richard. "And when we're done, Gensokyo is going to be grateful that they've learned the biggest lesson of their lives, even if it means a few thousand deaths to achieve it, so spare everyone the misery of a hopeless fight and die!"
As soon as Dokeshi rushed forward, time began to slow for Richard, as his mind began to struggle with the fact that Reisen was going to die, because of the fact that the Celestials were going to use her as an info well… even if meant subjecting her to immense tortures, that could well end up making her beg for death… and even granted it. And his child.
His child…
HIS CHILD…!
Suddenly, as if something had flipped inside Richard, an immense aura of animosity began to flow from Richard, as Koshaku noticed it first, while the rest of the fairies were too bewildered by the sudden change in pressure.
"Dokeshi, get back-!" Koshaku tried to shout, only for Dokeshi's attack to be stopped bare inches from Richard's heart…
…By Richard's own hand, that clenched the blade of light hard enough to cut itself against the edges of the blade, as blood spilled onto it.
Dokeshi looked at Richard with shock, before then at her blade, as she tried to budge it free, only for it to not budge at all in the slightest, while she then took a look at Richard's face and came to regret it.
For Richard's face was one of pure animosity, as all other emotions died off from his expression, leaving eyes that had no spirit in them, and lips locked in an eternal frown.
"...I see. I see now." Richard spoke softly. "...So this is how far you would go to spite me. Even after everything that I have done. Even after everything that I have gone through… it was always going to be like this… all of this cruelty… it was unavoidable, wasn't it?"
"Let… go!" Dokeshi shouted, as she tried to wrench her weapon free, although Richard didn't seem to heed her words at all.
"...I should have known. I should have known that this facade wouldn't have lasted long enough." Richard continued, his voice continuing to be gentle, although there was no warmth in it. "...I tried to fool myself into believing that there would still be peace for this world… there would have been a way to settle this without allowing others to suffer harm in my stead… but there are always people who do not care about that… no, there are people who would drive the stake deeper by doing such things… because they can, and because it furthers their sick causes."
Both the Celestials began to feel an unknown sense of dread well from within their hearts, as they were easily able to identify that it was coming from Richard himself… although they couldn't tell why.
"But who am I kidding? I suppose that I can't truly shake off what I am. I tried to be a hero… I tried to be a good person. But now… Now?" Richard stated.
He then immediately lowered his head, before his expression creased with anger, before dark sparks began to emanate from him, as his eyes glowed purple.
Cue BGM: Martyr/Junkyousha (Naruto Shippuden)
"I'm done with all of this." Richard remarked, as his voice was filled to the brim with vitriol. "If you want to see how far you can push this tortured soul… then you deserve to see what your attempts have wrought."
Before Dokeshi could even react, she suddenly felt his pull dragging her forward, as the sudden tug forced her forward, right into Richard's hay-maler, as the punch grinded across her face at full force, as she could feel her bones creaking from the attack, despite her enhanced physique protecting her.
As soon as Richard let go of the blade, Dokeshi went sailing forward, right into Koshaku, as the two Celestials were knocked down, while the fairies took several steps back, as if they were intimidated by the massive pressure that Richard was giving from himself, as if it was refined killing intent.
As soon as Richard took one look at the fairies, he then began to draw his own blade, before then rushing forward at a speed faster than he ever had before, as the fairies didn't even have a chance to even process the action, before several of them were bisected by a charging blow that caused him to explode into power-ups, as the rest of the fairies were horrified at the sudden execution.
Without another word, Richard then raised his hand, as dark energy began to spark from his hands, before it then formed a dark purple magic circle that began to pulsate with dark energy, as it began to do so faster and faster, while it began to swell in size as well.
Dokeshi and Koshaku managed to get up, only to watch as the magic circle began to swell large enough to cover the entire group entirely. Both of them realized what the magic circle was, as they scrambled to escape, barely able to let out a cry of horror, before Richard then immediately snapped his hand closed, as the magic circle began to shatter apart with a massive blast of energy.
Elsewhere, Reimu and Marisa managed to defeat a green-haired celestial, who was the third one that they have managed to deal with, as they were backed up by Kasen, Miko and Youmu, with the cloud storms that said Celestia was creating, finally dissipating.
"Damn… you… humans…" The Celestial growled, before falling unconscious, her head falling to the ground at last.
"That makes it stage three of the standard six." Marisa remarked, as she lowered her Hakkero. "...Whew, that damn Celestial was really out for blood, giving us all those wide-range attacks that were almost indiscriminate in targeting. I swear that she must have been hired by Tenshi to cause a lot of havoc against us all."
"We shouldn't waste time. At this rate, we'll never make it to Youkai Mountain before more casualties heap up…" Miko remarked. "Already, there has been news that even the Myouren Temple is struggling to keep the invading fairy hordes from dealing severe destruction to multiple villages at once."
"Why does this have to be so complicated… I thought that this would be a far less dangerous affair…" Reimu growled, pinching her nose. "Why would Tenshi risk her good name to cause all of this… this is far beyond the actual scale of a normal incident, more like an incident that some ambitious and heartless Gappy would make."
"Only she herself knows…" Kasen remarked.
Suddenly, Marisa felt something off about the aura sphere that she was carrying, as she quickly brought it out, before she then was shocked to see that there was something different about it.
While the elemental array of eight was heavily damped, as a result of the mist's influence, it seemed to have formed something in the middle, as there was a dark purple orb in the center of it, as it was burning furiously, as if something had agitated it.
"Hey, Reimu, I think something happened to Richard." Marisa remarked, as Reimu turned to her. "I think you need to take a look at this."
Reimu then hovered over, before taking a look at the aura sphere, and seeing the change in it, as her brows creased, as she could sense something malicious from it.
"Whatever this 'something' is, it's not good at all." Reimu answered back. "...We'll need to check on Richard. Speaking of which… Miko, are there any news of Richard?"
"Several villages stated that they had seen him fighting the hordes in defense of them, on his own." Miko stated. "They also say that he was looking for all of us… I think that he is trying to do two jobs at once: Securing the villages, and seeking allies."
"What could that boy be doing right now?" Kasen asked, as her eyes were filled with concern.
Kasen would soon find an answer, as there was a massive pillar of darkness that exploded forth from nearby the Misty Lake, as the roaring sound, accompanied by the sound of billowing winds, caused everyone to turn their attention to the pillar, as it faded away.
"Guess that's your answer… Wanna bet that could have been Richard?" Marisa remarked. "...Because holy damn, I never seen a blast this big before from someone like him."
"...We're going to find him." Reimu declared.
"I'm coming along. If something has caused him to end up fighting this destructively… there has to be a reason for it." Miko stated. "I may not be able to use my ability to listen to his desires… but I can use my intuition to figure it out."
"I'm coming along as well." Kasen stated. "Hopefully, there is still reason within him to listen to kindness."
"Well, have fun with that. I'll keep the momentum on the incident." Marisa told the three of them, before turning to Youmu. "Hey, gardener, you wouldn't mind tagging along with me?"
"I have no issues with that, but do not call me gardener, my name is Youmu, as I must repeat once again for your sake." Youmu sighed.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's get moving before another Celestial decides to terrorize some more folks." Marisa remarked with a roll of her eyes.
The group then split off in two, each heading to their destination, all while Reimu began to try and deduce what could have possibly happened with Richard, while he was out of her watch.
Koshaku was knocked by a massive blast of magic, as she bounced on the ground several times, before coming to a stop. She slowly tried to rise up, while several elder fairies tried to rush Richard, only to get skewered by a blockade of blades from Richard's sukimas, dissipating into more energy for Richard to fight with.
Dokeshi tried to fire a light beam from one of Richard's blind spots, only to get kicked right in the face, causing her to tumble backwards, when Richard throttled towards her in a matter of split-seconds, as the beam merely grazed his cheek, leaving a thin gash on it.
Koshaku took the chance to summon a mass of vines from under the ground, as they all wrapped around Richard's limbs, as well as his neck, before she flexed her fingers, causing them to crush down on Richard, although the latter didn't react at all, as if his sense of pain had been dulled after whatever come over him.
Any attempt to further tighten the vines was interrupted by Richard slipping a throwing knife through a sukima with his fingers, as it was teleported to impale itself right into Koshaku's arm, causing her to instinctively loosen her grip, as Richard smacked the vines away on his arms, before then ripping the thick vine around his neck to shreds.
"What are you… The mist should have sealed any innate powers that you have!" Koshaku exclaimed.
"I need not explain myself to you." Richard declared, before he then seized Koshaku by her arm, before then maneuvering her in front of him by twisting her arm around, and then using the momentum to dislocate Koshaku's shoulder, as she cried in pain. "It won't matter since you're not going to get the chance to tattle about it."
"Wha-" Koshaku stated, before Richard then axe-kicked her head right into the ground hard enough to make her heavily dazed. As if his assault wasn't enough, Richard then immediately placed his foot against the back of her head, and smashed it over and over again into the ground, until her face was flat on the ground, as her broken nose created a dribble of blood on the ground, while the Celestial herself was completely knocked out.
Richard then turned towards Dokeshi, who began to scramble back, clutching her wounded face, as the last kick gave her a bruised eye.
"You can't be human… no human can possibly be this dangerous…!" Dokeshi exclaimed with fear in her voice, before she then saw Richard walk towards her slowly. "Stay back… STAY BACK!"
Dokeshi frantically threw attacks out, as summons of light began to fire danmaku towards him, while she fired rapid beams of light from her rod, only for Richard to dodge the un-aimed attacks with little ease, until he seized Dokeshi by the throat, as the force of his grapple left her barely able to breathe, and unable to speak.
"That look in your eyes… your fear…" Richard stated, as he scoffed. "...Typical… When someone arrogant is shown the depth of their folly, only then do they start feeling regret for what they have started. But I'm not a merciful person. Not anymore."
Richard then immediately went for a crotch shot, as his knee smashed into her pelvic region hard enough to hit the right spots, leaving Dokeshi gasping for breath, and unable to act from the immense pain that she felt upon being hit right where the most nerve endings in her pelvic region was, left a gasping mess as she fell onto her knees.
However, Richard did not spare any chance, as he immediately mounted Dokeshi, before then smashing her with punch after punch, which was filled with a significant amount of force, enough to knock her head bouncing side-to-side, as each punch began to cause her face to bruise up, with them getting deeper and deeper with each blow, as Richard made sure that each hit did not deviate from the initial striking area.
After a while, Richard slowly let his arms fall, as Dokeshi was bleeding profusely, as her glasses were already knocked off her face, shattered to many pieces, while one of her eyes were closed from the swelling of her face, and she was bleeding from her gums from the damage that they have received from Richard's merciless striking.
"Please… Mercy…" Dokeshi pleaded weakly, as her only open eye was beginning to leak tears of fear.
"Mercy… MERCY!?" Richard growled, before he then latched onto Dokeshi's neck with both hands, forcing her head down. "You speak of mercy after all that you have done to me!? You think that I'll just simply mellow out after all of the pain and grief that you have caused me!?"
Dokeshi tried to speak, only for words to fail her, as Richard snarled audibly for a moment.
"You don't get to choose mercy or not. You violated the Spell Card Rules… and tried to kill me… and you dared to harm Reisen…" Richard spoke with hatred in his voice. "You're barely lucky that as angry as I am… I can't breach the Spell Card Rules in my own conscious… but that doesn't mean that I can't make you suffer… And oh, I WILL make you suffer indeed."
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" Dokeshi pleaded, as she was too scared to feel a single iota of defiance towards Richard, who crushed her without a single shred of mercy, despite the Spell Card Rules not restricting, as it left her with a lasting fear of the man who had pinned her down. "Don't hurt me any more… I'll… I'll be-"
"SHUT UP!" Richard roared, before then smashing Dokeshi's head on the ground, as she croaked in response from the pain of the back of her head smashing against the ground. "Don't talk to me! Don't you dare fucking start trying to justify everything you have done! Nothing will absolve you… NOTHING!"
Richard then took several deep breaths, before he then pulled out a throwing knife, before then creeping it close over Dokeshi's eye, as his expression was blank.
"...Say, wouldn't it be ironic, if I gouged your eyes out?" Richard remarked, as his voice was emotionless. "...You preach so much about that precious light of yours… but I wonder what you'll do when the world you see is an eternal darkness of red and black… what would you do then? You will never see the light again… trapped to never interact with again."
"Stop… Stop…!" Dokeshi screamed, as she flailed under Richard's grip. "Please, don't do this! I take back everything that I said about you! I promise that I'll tell Tenshi to stop going after you! Please, let me go! I don't want to end up blind! I don't want it! You can't do this! You can't!"
"Watch me." Richard remarked, before he then raised the knife, ready to drive it through her eye. "I hope you have a good doctor… oh wait, you won't have one by the end of this incident. Well then, enjoy the rest of your life without any eyes-"
"NOOOO!" Dokeshi bellowed with pure fear, as the knife began to come down, as Richard made sure to aim for her eye, despite her attempts to get it away from the descending knife, as it was about to puncture it…
…Only to be shot away by a white needle, that was powerful enough to knock the knife away, as it clattered onto the ground, as Richard paused for a few seconds, before he realized what happened, as he lowered his hand, while Dokeshi was catatonic, after the scare that she received from the near-successful attempt.
End BGM
"So… you come at this very moment…" Richard remarked, before turning to face Reimu, who had her hand raised, likely the source of the Persuasion Needle that knocked his knife out of his hand. "...Reimu Hakurei."
"What… What did you do, Richard?" Reimu asked with horror, upon seeing the scarred ground, as well as the downed Koshaku and Dokeshi. "...What have you done…?"
"Something you'll never have the balls to do, Hakurei maiden." Richard seethed, before he then stood up, as Miko and Kasen arrived at the scene, as they were all horrified at what they were seeing. "What are you going to do? Implicate me for hurting these Celestials?"
"You… You tormented them." Kasen breathed, saying the fact as if it was some taboo.
"So what?" Richard asked back. "So what if I did? This fight was my own. I won against them, what I do with them, save for killing them, or forcing them into a state where they wish they were dead… is none of your concern."
"You… you have gone mad." Reimu answered back, as anger crossed her face, as she raised her gohei.
"Well then, here's a chance to fix that." Richard remarked with a dry scoff, before looking Reimu in the eyes. "Where is Reisen? Where is she?"
"What's that got to do with any of this!?" Reimu exclaimed.
"Everything." Richard stated back. "Answer the question, or admit that you have no answer. I don't care which, but you're not getting answers from me until you give me an answer first."
Reimu closed her eyes, as she quickly meditated on the spot to calm herself down.
"I don't know." Reimu answered back. "We have seen her two stages ago… but after that, she disappeared off the map, and Eirin was not around to help us find her."
Richard's expression relaxed slightly in response, while Reimu glared back at Richard.
"Now tell me, what does this have to do with all of this?" Reimu asked.
"Do you know what the Celestials did?" Richard remarked, before pointing at the burning ruins of his own house. "Tell me, what do you think this place was?"
Miko took a look at the place, before she then recognised the ruins themselves, having seen the house while it was standing, with her own eyes.
"Your home…" Miko remarked. "...They burned your home down to the ground… but that wasn't all, wasn't it?"
"That's right. Guess why I actually had to deal with the fire itself." Richard stated. "Turns out that the Celestials were trying to kill Officer Hiraku Okami inside of it, in order to frame me against the Tengu Village, thus losing allies to the cause of ending the incident. But that wasn't all, oh no no no. They told me that they captured Reisen. And they said that they were torturing her. Now does my animosity make sense at all?"
"Richard…" Kasen started, before she then took a moment of silence to compose her words. "I don't know what drove you to this degree-"
Cue BGM: Night Falls Gently (Eternal Shrine Maiden Remix by RD-Sounds) [Start at 1:27]
"EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING DROVE ME TO THIS!" Richard roared back, as Kasen was taken aback by the raw fury in his voice. "From the start of ending up in this place, right to this very moment, there is always something that keeps on dragging my mental stability apart! It's only because I was able to find some good that I was able to stay restrained this long! But enough is enough! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! I am DONE trying to hold back my own contempt for every single bastard that contributed to this!"
"You think blowing up like this is going to solve problems?" Reimu asked harshly. "Well, do you!?"
"And what do you suggest, Hakurei? What do you suggest?" Richard asked, as his expression twisted with anger.
"Ending the incident is a priority." Reimu answered back evenly. "Once this incident is over, this will-"
"Oh, you don't fucking get it at all." Richard laughed bitterly. "...This will not stop. This will never stop. No matter how many times I try to make things right, they always, ALWAYS find some damn way to undermine me… I try to do good, and they drag my name into the mud. I try to help people, and they turn the people against me. Everything good that I have done, they have twisted away. And now everyone that I care about is suffering because of this. So what do you say to that, Hakurei!? WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT!?"
"That you're wrong." Reimu stated, as Richard fell silent in response. "This is not about you or your grudge against whoever wronged you. If you continue this, you'll end up hurting people in your blind rampage. You have done good… but the fact that you have committed all of this… and intent to do more… it makes you no better than the Celestials that you're trying to hurt."
"No better… NO BETTER!?" Richard roared, before he then stepped forward. "How dare you!? I am NOTHING like them! I don't go around ruining people's lives for shits and giggles, nor do I instigate incidents that end with mass death and suffering! You dare compare me to the likes of them!? Who do you think you are!?"
"Richard, calm down-" Miko tried to calm Richard.
"I WILL NOT!" Richard bellowed, as his anger peaked to a point that his own head felt hot, and his mouth was burning with the rage seething through him. "You have no fucking right to judge me! After all of your promises to help me, you did not lift a single finger to help me when it mattered the most! Where were you when my name was being slandered!? Where were you when Flandre fought with Remilia!? Where were you then!? SITTING IN YOUR FUCKING SHRINE, SIPPING TEA AS ALWAYS!"
"That's an unfair judgment!" Kasen shouted to Richard, as Richard turned his vitriol towards the oni deva. "...You're truly angry, Richard… I know that this isn't like you. You must have been through so much pain and agony, both from your wounds… physical and deeply emotional… But Reimu never stood idle. She would have done something to help you… had she known that there was a way to help you…"
"Oh, and that makes it any better, doesn't it, Ibaraki?" Richard spat out with disdain, before then turning back to Reimu. "You're a fucking hypocrite, Reimu Hakurei. You say that you work for the balance of Gensokyo… but you did nothing to stop this incident. I did everything, EVERYTHING to stop it. I tried to convince others, I tried to find a way to disappear from Gensokyo until the chaos stopped… and when the incident was looming… I made sure that everyone was prepared… The only fucking thing you did was beat a few warm-up bosses. But that's standard progress for the incident isn't it? Finish the fight, damn the consequences, isn't it?"
"That's not… That's not true!" Miko argued. "We have tried to help everyone along the way. We've saved lives too, as you did when you were fighting alone… We understand your plight, Richard… But please.. Tell me why your hatred for all of this runs deep…"
"...I hate everything." Richard stated, before he then took a deep shuddering breath. "I hate this world, I hate Reimu, I hate everyone who turned their back on me when I needed help… I hate Tenshi even more, and I fucking hate Yukari from the bottom of my heart… but all of it… doesn't compare to the fact that I hate myself for being too weak and powerless to stop all of this… too weak to save Flandre… as I saw the consequences of my actions, holding only her severed arm and wing… the only things that I could dig from the destroyed Scarlet Devil Mansion."
Reimu's expression shifted into shock, upon hearing about the fact that Richard killed Flandre, while Kasen gasped with horror, hands over her mouth, as Miko's expression twisted with genuine sympathy for Richard, while Richard himself let his hand fall.
"...No-one helped me, Miko, when I was alone in the depths of despair…" Richard started, as tears began to drip down his eyes, as if his emotions were leaking out through them. "...Only Reisen. Only Reisen was there to convince me to carry on, in this dark bleak world filled with only hatred and suffering towards me and those I knew and cared for. Why did no-one help me… am I really just nothing but another statistic for Gensokyo, doomed to be forgotten?"
"Richard, that's not-" Miko tried to convince Richard.
"Stop, Miko. Nothing you can say can heal this wound in my heart." Richard remarked, before he then took several shuddering breaths, as if trying to not break down, while his eyes closed. "I wanted it to be right… Damn it all… I wanted it to be right… I wished for every single moment that this was just some twisted nightmare that poked at my emotional wounds… that I would just wake up, and things would go back as they are… but this is cruel reality. It does not care about the personal wishes of a single person."
Neither of the three Gensokyo residents could even say anything, as Reimu felt her own anger dissipate, as it was replaced with conflicting feelings of doubt and sympathy.
"No-one ever gets a happy ending here, don't they? Not for the Gappies, hasn't it?" Richard remarked. "...Komachi told me everything. Every single Gappy would either leave, realising their faults, or they would all die here. No ending where they can stay with their friends, and live a fulfilling life… And I am no different. Gensokyo exists on and on and on. Life and death in a perfect cycle. Gappies coming and going in their own ways… and I am no different. I believed I was different… but all of this… proved that I was wrong. I am just a Gappy in the end… selfish, self-motivated, and sociopathic…"
"Richard…" Kasen stated. "...Richard, you're not a terrible person,. I know that you tried your best to be strong. If you would just stay strong once more, I'm sure that we can-"
"It will never work. No matter what I do… I will eventually die hated by the majority of Gensokyo… and everyone who stayed by my side… they will all suffer." Richard shook his head. "...That's just the status quo of Gensokyo… I should have just told myself it wasn't worth it… that nothing here would matter… My life and death… changes nothing here… all I did was spark this incident in my arrival… and no-one will remember me what I have done right."
Reimu then watched as Richard's eyes snapped open, as they were filled with rage again, while he bared his own teeth, gnashing them with all of the force he could muster.
"...So why bother doing good? It's not like that anyone would care about me… If Reisen is dead… along with the child in her stomach… I have no more reason to believe in Gensokyo." Richard seethed. "...Even if it meant eternal damnation… I would see that Heaven would burn to the last Celestial… and that Tenshi would die screaming in Hell, as I dragged her with me into it… And anyone who got in my way… they would all pay the price in pain and agony. I didn't care anymore… all that fuels me is the same dark hatred that birthed this wretched creature that I was… but there is no person to save me from all of this…"
Reimu was about to try and intercept Richard, only to see that the hatred disappeared from Richard's face.
"...But after saying all of this… It just all leaves me… Your pity for me douse the flames of my hatred… And now I realise... I didn't save a single person... all I did was condemn them to more suffering... like all the rest before me, except that I am the worst by giving them falso hope." Richard answered back. "I can't even bring myself to continue through… but make no mistake, the embers remain… and as my final hour approaches… I will die cursing this sick status quo that created my despair… and I will curse Yukari Yakumo and Tenshi Hinanawi a thousand times over, so that as many of them will plague them for the rest of their long-lived lives…"
Richard then slowly walked away, as Kasen was about to rush towards Richard, only to be stopped by Miko.
"Miko, what are you doing, we have to-" Kasen stated.
"...There's no point." Miko shook her head. "...I can see it in his eyes… he knows that he will never have the chance to carry his vengeance through… He may burn with hatred for the Celestials… but there is that shred of humanity in him that stops him from trying to hurt any of us, who at least tried for him… With no path forward… I believe that he will wait the incident out… and if what he says is true… he will die alone. And there is nothing that any of us can do to save his heart from sinking so deep that no-one but those so close to him can save him from his despair now."
Reimu then looked at Richard, before then raising a hand to her heart, as she felt a flood of regret welling up in her heart, as she silently wept.
Richard then managed to find a small house, as he slammed the door open, before falling onto a nearby table, as he let himself slump against the seat.
As he looked forward, he began to think about Reisen, and then every single person that would end up being casualties in the war.
"...Shinki… what did you even see in me?" Richard asked himself. "...What did you even see in this wretched creature…?"
When silence was his only answer, Richard let his head rest against the table, as he let his emotions finally flow, as began to sob pathetically into the table, realizing how much he had failed everyone, by letting his own enemies be proven right in making him realize that he had changed nothing at all.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" Richard repeated weakly between sobs. "I'm so sorry…"