Chapter 10: A Spark of Hope
The moment that Siege's group stepped through the sukima, they found themselves in the Forest of Magic, as the atmosphere was dreary, as they could see the flashing lights in the distance, as well as the sound of countless danmaku being released, as Gus winced slightly.
"...I think that the situation is far worse than we thought." Gus remarked. "...This sounds like an incident… but somehow, I feel like it's something more sinister."
"Let's investigate it. Be ready for anything." Siege would say with a narrowed tone, as he pressed forward.
They soon went through the forest, as they found that it was eerily silent for some reason, before they found the run-down house that Richard was in, as there were countless scorch marks, and signs of battle around it, as all of them looked like they have been fought consecutively, or caused that way.
"...What the hell happened here?" Crow remarked. "These marks… It's as if Richard has been expelling anyone who tried to come near him. Just like…"
"I'll get the door." Gus stated. "He should calm down since out of all of us, I'm the one he trusts the most."
"Are you sure you should get the door, or me? Because if he still snaps… I can at least take the hit." Siege asked Gus.
"Someone has to open the door." Nihilister remarked.
Gus then pondered for a moment, before he then sighed. "...Alright, Siege." He stated. "But I'll be the one to knock and greet. If Richard truly lashes out the moment the door is opened… then you'll be there to take it."
"Yeah. Let's do that." Siege nodded as he allowed Gus to knock.
"Richard…? Richard…? It's me, Gus!" Gus exclaimed. "We know that you have went through a lot, and we're finally here to help-"
Siege then noticed a magic build-up, as he shoved Gus away, before tensing his body for the incoming blow, as a beam of thunder and light shot right out of the door, as soon as it opened on Richard's command, as the beam sent Siege skidding across the ground, before he then knocked it aside.
Richard then exited the building, summoning a massive plethora of magic circles, as his right hand was raised and twitching, as if he was barely restraining himself from destroying the entire group, as his head was lowered enough to reveal a single eye, as it was nearly blood-shot from whatever misery he was going through.
"How many times… How many times…!?" Richard seethed. "How MANY times will it take for any of you to understand!? I won't go! I won't go and watch this show of despair before me! All of you hypocrites dug your own graves! I tried… Oh, how I tried to be impartial… how I tried not to be the hero, which you all think that I only desire, but the one who tried to find peace in this world. But that's not what all of you want, do you!? You all want to follow your own damn desires, and damn the rest, don't you all? Right to the top with these crap-sack Celestials, down to the liar of a shrine-maiden, and the worthless black-and-white magician who is a hypocrite to her own oath. You are all disgusting… Every single one of you is unforgivable! UNFORGIVABLE!"
"Richard! It's us!" Sin exclaimed, trying to use her own real voice to snap Richard out of it.
"Calm down! You're being irrational!" Crow shouted.
"Richard! It's me! Gus! Don't you recognise us!" Gus exclaimed. "Richard, whoever hurt you, it's not us!"
"No, he's blinded by his own rage and broken heart." Siege stated as he slowly began to approach.
"S-Siege, don't-!" Nihilister exclaimed as Siege held his hand up, as he walked to Richard.
"You're right about a lot of your words, pal." Siege spoke calmly to Richard. "Especially when it comes to me." Siege spoke. "Yeah. I am a hypocrite. I fight for peace when in the past, I killed a Goddess who fought for peace. I'm a soldier of war, when I've started many wars by my own fury. I'm a protector of all… when in the past my malice and fury ended the lives of many. And yeah, I'm pretty much unforgivable. I believe that in full. But I'm not here to pursue my desires, Richard. I'm here to pursue the desires of peace and harmony, whatever might be left in this world… and Richard… if you can hear me, this is Siege. I can't find the peace and harmony of this world… if I don't have your help, and your calm state of mind." Siege merely spoke, as his very words carved the tense air like butter, as Sin had been transferring her ability of the power of voice to him through a subtle motion the two were sharing with each other, in a hail mary to break through Richard's harsh exterior given by this cruel world.
"Siege…" Richard stated, as his hand loosened slightly, as several magic circle dissipated. "No… No, you can't be real… I don't know how you know so much… but I… I can't tell what's real and what's a lie anymore…!"
Richard then fell onto his knees, clutching his head. "I believed that there was good… I believed that the people here would have found my honesty and my kindness to be virtues…" He continued. "I turned a blind eye to the sins of this world, because I believed that I would not cause them to flare up… but it was my own ignorance, my own naivety that caused this… I let them believe in me, only for it to be torn away when the truth of my past is revealed. Such heights… all gone… all gone because of a single truth… I have no-one to turn to… I committed sin against the one Lunarian who helped me, and not even the one who saved me would come to my aid. And the others… oh, the others assassinated me with false words and promises, and I believed them, because I needed belief in others, as others have believed in me. But nobody came. Nobody came for this wretched human being, who has sent so many to die before him, and moved on as if nothing had happened. Oh gods… is this what my living hell is? Please, no more… No more… No more…!"
Richard then collapsed onto the ground, letting out a wail of despair, before Siege grabbed Richard, and held him close.
He had no words to say to really help Richard's cause… but he knew he needed to say something, or do something in an attempt to bring Richard back to a slightly more sane mind… when a vision of Azura flashed in Siege's mind… he hadn't sung in a long time. The last time was a few days before Sapphire died but… maybe his singing voice was still there… somewhere… he had to give it a shot.
"...You are the ocean's gray waves… Destined to seek, life beyond the shore, just out of reach… yet the waters never change, flowing like time. The path is yours to climb…"
Suddenly, a calming water began surrounding Siege and Richard as Siege sang, yet as Siege tried to sing more, the lyrics were eluding him, but luckily, he felt a presence in his heart, returning the lyrics as he kept going.
"Embrace the dark… You call a home. Gaze upon an empty, white throne… A legacy of lies, a familiar disguise… Sing with me, a song… of conquest and fate, the black pillar cracks beneath its weight… Night Breaks through the day, hard as a stone… Lost in Thoughts All Alone…."
The waters continued swirling, as they began encompassing the entire area, as if the singing was calming the souls of every person around as Siege sang the chorus once again, before beginning the next verse.
"In the white light… a hand reaches through. A double-edge blade cuts your heart in two, waking dreams, fade away, embrace a brand new day… Sing with me a song, of birthrights and love… The light scatters to the sky above… Dawn breaks through the gloom, white as a bone, Lost in Thoughts, all Alone…
The path you walk belongs to destiny, just let it flow… All your joy and pain will fall like the tide, just let it flow…
Life is not filled with just happiness, or sorrow… Even the thorn in your heart, in time it may become a rose…
A burdened heart… sinks into the ground… A veil falls away without a sound, Not day nor night, wrong nor right, For truth and peace you fight…
Sing with me a song, of silence and blood, The rain falls, but can't wash away the mud… Within my ancient heart dwells madness and pride… Can no one hear my cry…
You are the ocean's gray waves… Destined to seek, life beyond the shore, just out of reach, yet the waters never change… flowing like time. The path is yours to climb…
You are the ocean's gray waves…."
The song concluded, as Siege was panting a bit, having expended a good deal of energy to sing the tune, considering he hadn't sung it in a long time… he couldn't help but smile a bit as he closed his eyes.
'Thanks for the help, Azura.' Siege smiled as he thought to himself.
At that moment, Siege let go of Richard, who rose up to his feet, as his eyes were back to normal, and his own condition looked far better, as if the divine song cured him of his own mental agony.
"Siege…" Richard remarked, before he then looked up, and saw Gus, Crow, Nihilister and Sin. "You're here… you're… really here."
"You can't get rid of me if you tried." Crow smirked back, quipping to lighten the mood.
"Don't worry, we won't let you go through any of this again. I promise that you'll only get better things from now on." Sin assured Richard.
"Richard… what happened to make you break down like this… this… this is something that would never happen. You always had an iron-clad will to protect others." Gus stated.
Richard looked at the group, before he then sighed.
"It's a long story. Let's head inside. I'll let you decide whether you want the short version, the abbreviated version, or the long version." Richard told the group. "I'll prepare something to make up for the fright I might have caused."
"To be honest, I expected it. You're not the only one who's been confronting his inner demons as of lately, pal." Siege admitted.
"Of course, I can tell from the look on your face." Richard answered back. "Then the tea I prepare should help you with the after-effects."
As they walked in, Siege took the liberty of using magic to fix up Richard's door, and locking it so no one decided to just barge in, unless they blew the door open.
"By the way Siege, that song…" Nihilister remarked.
"...A song I learned from a fallen friend." Siege remarked. "I used to be a singer back before Sapphire died… had a great voice, I was told. Massive range. Could match the pitch of the highest sopranos or the reverb of the lowest basses." Siege added with a small chuckle. "I could barely hold a tune with that song I just sang, it's been so long."
"But that was great!" Gus argued back. "You still got a lot of your past talent, from the sound of it!"
"I bet if I practiced I could probably be just as melodious as Azura… Hah… Azura was… the only reason I remembered the lyrics in full." Siege admitted.
They soon sat down on a table, as Richard began to brew a pot of jasmine tea with certain herbal extracts, before he then set it down, and poured Siege's and Richard's cup, before then doing the rest, as the group then partook in several cups of it, as Crow noticed something off about the tea.
"This tea… it seems far too herbally strong." Crow remarked. "...Have you been literally doping yourself with tea?"
"It's the only thing that's keeping a thread of me sane." Richard answered back. "Jasmine, Lavender, Rose, Chamomile. You name it, I used most of them. At this point, I should be drugged to high hell. But the mental anguish I've been through has counterbalanced that into keeping me stable."
"Good lord…" Gus stated. "...Then did you end up snapping so badly when we-"
"I thought you were another of Tenshi's cronies…" Richard growled. "...She would do anything to drag me back into the incident. And I know that I will have to face her sometime soon, but I just couldn't muster up the strength to face her. Because my heart has been shattered into a million pieces from what happened to me."
"So, you said, short version, abbreviated version, and long version…" Sin stated, before turning to the others. "...What's your vote, Siege and Crow? I think that you both have the most right to choose on that matter."
"Well, I've got time. How about you?" Siege asked Crow.
"As much as I would like to get the whole story, I have a feeling that Richard will tell it right from the start, and it is going to be a slog to garner everything that went wrong from it." Crow stated, before turning to Richard. "Alright, give me the abbreviated version of it, Richard."
"Right, let me tell you how this entire fiasco started." Richard answered back, before setting his cup down. "It all started when I ended up in Gensokyo without my powers. I met Yukari, she thought I was just a displaced outsider, when in fact, I'm part of the old guard and know most things, even some that are not meant for outsiders to know. But I played along, because of different Gensokyo, different measures, and different personalities. I then left, went to the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, got gutted by Rumia, and saved by Reisen in this variation, patched up by Eirin of the same property. What happened after was just me acquiring my powers, and trying to get a feel of Gensokyo. I met Tenshi Hinanawi, who I will not regale with any description. Know that she's an unrepentant sociopath who intends to write Gensokyo's future in the blood of the innocent, and make everyone but her suffer consequences for it. A far cry from the cocky, but still magnificent Celestial that I know, and actually is a friend, despite us not making it apparent. And did I mention she's part of the reason this shit is happening?"
"You mentioned you thought of us as Tenshi's goons. I guess she's hell bent on breaking you piece by piece." Siege spoke, as subconsciously, the grip on his cup was strengthening.
"Oh, trust me. That was only step one of her plan. She tried at first by telling me that she was going to kill me in an indirect way. Turns out I wasn't the only Outsider who's been to this Gensokyo. The last two were not exactly ones that those here have a good impression of. One was called Victor Chaos, he was just a misguided person who tried to do the right thing, and ended up having to kill the last Outsider who came here, whose name is Arturo Majcher. Majcher was a douche-bag, but people refuse to tell me the truth of what happened to him. But from the accounts? I gathered this much: Arturo murdered children for some promise, which was said to be fucking Yuuka silly, but I don't believe that truly. And then Vic did end up killing Arturo, and because he believed that Yuuka was the reason Arturo killed those children, he ended up beating Yuuka silly with his personal powers, and having Mokou burn his flower-field. And, take a guess what happened? Or just ask."
"Surprise me." Siege spoke in an emotionally neutral tone, despite the grip on his cup getting tighter still.
"Turns out the 'monster', Yuuka knew of what happened with Arturo, and decided to hide her children in the flower-field. And so, Vic unknowingly ordered Mokou to make a sunflower barbeque of human children." Richard answered back with a bitter chuckle. "And much unlike what the others tell you, Mokou was not okay with this. She in fact tried to convince Vic that it wasn't his fault, that the blames solely lies on her, but poor Vic snapped at that point. Like a traditional fairy tale story, Yuuka gets her 'just desserts', Vic is made a hero despite the fact he knew that he was a monster instead, and Mokou had to deal with the fact that she killed human children, and despite her own immortal lifespan, she still has lingering regrets of what happened."
"And Tenshi decided to tell us this tale. That's what made you hate her?" Gus asked.
"Oh, that alone? No no no, that barely tickled my brain. I found the tale tragic. No, what cemented my absolute animosity for her, is what she says right before and after." Richard answered back, as his tone started jolly, before turning murderous. "Let me put in her words, trading the nickname that Outsiders are given here, 'Gappies', with the proper term: 'I believe most Outsiders are good at heart. They just get into bad circumstances. So, to show people the damaging effects of their actions, I developed a plan to ensure nobody aids a Outsider ever again! When a corrupted Outsider dies, it's a reason to celebrate: They deserved it. Yet everyone gets away with corrupting him. But if a good Outsider dies a tragic death thanks to those who aided him, and they all received punishments, and those who tried to stop him were rewarded… The tragedy could end the never-ending cycle of blindly aiding Outsiders and restore the balance for good.'. And that's just before she started on Vic's fabricated story. What she said after? 'It disgusted me! Innocent people were getting framed, and those getting responsible were getting away with it! And this cycle of aiding Outsiders and watching them mentally implode has repeated over and over. But since people liked Vic, I decided to use him as a lesson to show that this world does not belong to the Outsiders. His death would have ensured no Outsider would ever be corrupted again, nor will anyone give an Outsider undue aid: They will struggle like the rest of us! Even when Yukari told them what I'd do, they all believe that the mage shall save them. All I need is the mage's weaknesses, a few weeks and the balance of Gensokyo, will change forever.'"
"That doesn't sound as wrong as it feels." Gus remarked. "Tenshi did sound like she did have a point somewhere."
"On paper…" Siege growled.
"Oh, you'd think that." Richard laughed bitterly. "But did I mention that she lied about Vic? She demonized the story so that I would feel like my presence was detrimental, and my death would fix it. Take it from me: I saw the bodies that died because of her inane plan. Sure, the part after the story makes sense, a tragedy would impart a lesson to everyone. But do remember, things are not always clear-cut. You think that the ones helping you are genuine, but in fact, they've been orchestrating your down-fall for their own uses. They want everyone to suffer, and they don't care how many people die, how many hopes and dreams are shattered. When their plan is done, there WILL be no happy ending for anyone. Tenshi intends to break the very peace of Gensokyo for her own insane goal, no matter what consequences will come from it. That's why I truly despise her: her sociopathy and lies have poisoned this very land."
CRASH!
Siege had exerted so much pressure on his cup that it broke, spilling tea everywhere as Siege sighed.
"Sorry Rich…" Siege apologized in an annoyed tone.
"Oh, trust me. If I were in your shoes, I would have powderized the cup with my powers." Richard answered back. "And yes, that's how things started. She got the newspaper, and it turns out someone leaked the fact that I was a criminal in my past with a long list of my charges. Those who truly know me try to stay by my side, but are distanced upon learning what I have done, and those who never were? Abandoned me, even though they tried to make it look otherwise. I don't blame them, they would literally be at arms if it was your crimes on the list, all to kill you. Either way, I tried my best to cope with what happened. I eventually had to find a place where I could get my bearings together, and that was Makai. Too bad it involved having to go to the Scarlet Devil Mansion to acquire the book. It took me a lot of convincing just to stop Meiling from pounding me into a bloody pulp with what she 'knows'. Turns out she can sense a pure spirit with her chi. I managed to get into Voile, and get things going well, I even had the book in hand. And guess who comes in, Remilia Scarlet, with Gungrir in hand, ready to shank a bitch. And said bitch is me. And unfortunately, unlike Meiling, she doesn't intend to partake in reason. I had to fight her with everything, which was fairly taxing. In fact, I had to hold back so that I wouldn't end up wounding her and angering Flandre, which would seal my doom."
"Instead, you accidentally crushed Flandre…" Siege remarked in a low tone.
"...I killed her. Not just defeated like it would in an incident. I KILLED her, Siege." Richard emphasized, as he looked down into his almost empty cup. "I literally saw the bloodied arm out of the rubble. At that moment, I suffered a very severe episode of PTSD. I went through all of the poor lives I have killed, or ordered to die. From when I was a criminal, from when I fought for Gensokyo in the interdimensional war, even recently, with Soline and Milk. I saw my hands stained with their blood, and I broke down myself, trying to find somewhere that I could be without anyone seeing the wretched person I have become. And with the book, I went to Makai. There, I met Shinki, who managed to give me a reason to continue on. And then I found Okina again, who said that she'll do all she can to help me, for my actions would be able to change Gensokyo for the better… but I don't even know how. Reimu finds me, we argue, but not as badly as what caused me to go into reclusion. And then that's when Yukari decided to drop a truth bomb: Marisa and Reimu knew how to fix things, but they decided to take the benefit of the doubt, because Marisa only wanted to see something fun, and Reimu was just too damn passive. They choose now to fight for the right to keep Gensokyo's balance right."
Siege bitterly laughed. "...That still pales in the face of killing a literal Goddess of Hope…" Siege merely stated dryly.
"You what?" Richard asked with surprise. "...Is that what you have been through?"
"I can confirm." Gus answered back. "Siege went through a past where he was causing indiscriminate killing, because his mind couldn't know any better. It ended up killing both his partner, and the goddess, with the latter actually fixing the problem before it could persist to the modern day. A blessing to counter a curse. Siege was still distraught, but he managed to move on."
"...May I continue?" Richard asked softly, as he digested what he learned about Siege's past.
"Yeah." Siege nodded in sympathy.
"For the sake of Gensokyo, she offers an ultimatum to me personally: merely do not try to save those that I have bonded with, and not only Gensokyo will return to peace, but I get to keep my life." Richard answered back. "I told her that she can hurt those who I sympathize with over my dead body. I go around, trying to rally the hopes of those who would fight alongside me. But at the same time, I was made aware of the enemies that lurk behind the shadows, waiting for a chance to end me. I even learn that I did end up fucking Reisen, and to no surprise, she ended up pregnant. That wore down my mental fortitude a lot, because that was not the right time for me to learn that I ended up procreating by sheer accident in my own period of grief, even though Reisen did initialize the act. But that's not important for now. Turns out Tenshi made her move, caused what I dub the 'Moriya Mist' incident. As a result, certain personal abilities have been sealed so long as the mist remains, and that means no gapping for me, not that I would. As a result, knowing that Kappa Valley is the only area with enough defenses to share around, in order to minimize the casualties that the incident will cause, cashing in favors with Nitori and her gang to pass the arsenal around. And it was when I argued with Reimu a second time, and that's when I truly snapped. I don't remember the argument, and I do not wish to remember it. Too much grief, too much sorrow."
Richard then put his cup down with a soft chinking sound. "And there you have it, everything up until now." Richard answered back. "This Gensokyo is on the path to ruin, and there is nothing that I can do about it. Too many residents distrust me, and those who are loyal to me are already wavering. Tenshi made this incident so that either Gensokyo burns, or I burn. And after learning a certain fact: I learned that I'll be going to Hell the moment I die, good deeds be damned. And this Hell is special in a way that it's not even torment. It's just a reformatting device. Once I go to Hell, I won't exist. My soul will be a blank slate. That's one of the most ultimate punishments, and despite all of my resolve, that is enough to demoralize me into being conflicted on whether I should go or not. And despite you soothing me… I'm still stuck."
"Gosh… I'm a little shocked at the fact of hearing Richard's technically gonna be a father." Nihilister spoke in slight shock.
Crow then looked at Siege for a moment. "...Siege, I'm going to do something to Richard. And I believe that it's the only way to help him right now." Crow stated calmly. "...Do you trust me, Siege?"
"I trusted you the moment Richard won your heart, Crow. Go for it." Siege said with a firm nod. "Anything to get him back to some normalcy." Siege added.
Crow then got off from her chair, before she then walked over to Richard, who then got up. Crow then decided to lean in closely, as Richard inched back, before Crow then slapped him across the face hard, which shocked everyone, especially Richard.
"Crow? What are you-" Richard exclaimed, before she then struck him across the other cheek.
"I'm slapping some sense into that addled head of yours." Crow declared firmly. "Siege has done the soft part of trying to bring you back to your senses with his serenade, but I'm going to make you come to terms with reality. You are not going to fucking waste away here if I can help it."
"Then what can I do!? Nobody believes me!" Richard shouted.
"Fuck belief!" Crow roared. "You didn't need anyone believing in you to do whatever you felt necessary! You can do whatever you wish, and just because some people talk shit about you after you made a mistake, you decide that the best course of action is to wallow away and drink your sorrows away with tea!"
"Sometimes, Richard…" Siege stated as he glared up at Richard, his eyes flashing in a knowing glint. "You gotta play the bad guy, in order to do what's right. So fuck belief. Fuck Tenshi. Fuck Reimu. We're gonna do what this Gensokyo needs to have a future, and I'll be damned if I let you die and get wiped from existence. Hell, if I see Tenshi, I just might walk right up and Falcon Punch her in the face, and then let Nihilister have at her. Point is, we're here to make sure you make it out of here alive and safe." Siege stated harshly.
"We all care for you, Richard. We all want you back." Gus answered back. "Please, think for us. If you don't fight, you will be left with a regret that will eat away on you until the end of time. We'll help you save Gensokyo, together. Because that's what we'll do. No matter who stands in our way, who fights us… we'll defeat them together."
"Ain't no one gonna stop us! Because god damn if I'm gonna let some stuck up bitch dictate to you what you can and can't do! I'll roast their heads off!" Nihilister widely grinned.
"After all, you are someone precious to us." Sin smiled back. "If Hell truly exists here, then I'll gladly dive in after you, if only for a chance to save you, no matter what agony awaits me. You are someone I cannot lose, so please. Trust in me, as I trust in you."
"So whaddya say, Rich." Siege smiled as he stood up. "Wanna go back to being the bad guy for once? Only this time, because it's the right thing to do?"
Richard then looked at Siege, and then at Crow for a moment, before he then began to chuckle, before he then broke into full-borne laughter, which sounded so free and casual, as he then calmed down.
"...Perhaps you're right. I almost forgot for a moment that I still have all of you, even if the world is against me." Richard stated. "...If Tenshi wants someone to vilify, then I'll show her that she picked the wrong villain to make with her two hands. But if we're going to be the bad ones, we're going to do it the Gensokyo way. We'll help the incident resolvers, and make Tenshi and her faction realize that with all of us, and the incident resolvers, she's way over her head. In fact, now that I think of it, I think that there is a way that this will end the way that will save everyone."
"And how is that?" Gus asked.
"Can't tell you, it's an unspoken plan guarantee. But rest assured, because of what I have in mind, Gensokyo will change, like Tenshi predicted." Richard answered back. "But neither she nor Yukari will be at the helm of it. Gensokyo will return to the hands of those who made it what it was: The residents, with a far more unbiased Sage to watch over it."
"Speaking of Sage." Siege remarked. "Okina Matara. Where is she?"
"Right over here." Okina's voice declared, as a hidden door appeared right in the center of the room, as the Sage of Seasons appeared. "I see that you're the hidden cavalry for Richard's side. I can see why they picked you all of all people. How do you feel, Siege? Yukari, the one you both know, says that you have been through a taxing ordeal."
"Okina, it's a… story I don't want to revisit right now." Siege remarked. "Just know I've come to accept my past now more than ever. And I'm fine enough to wring Richard out of this hell."
"Such determination." Okina declared, as she waved a fan in front of her face. "Very well, I will tell Reimu to expect you all. And to make things better… Genji managed to help Reimu cope with her misery after your last meeting, and she wanted to tell me that she apologizes for the terrible things she accused you of."
"Is that so…" Richard answered back.
"Whaddya know. Things are looking up already." Siege remarked.
'You'll all have to fly to the Hakurei Shrine. They managed to do well for the first four stages." Okina told the group. "But I believe that you five will be the ones who will handle the last two, especially the final stage, which I expect will end between Richard and Tenshi."
"Got it. Take care, Okina." Richard stated, as Okina left. "Now that we have our path set, I will need to do something."
Richard then created an orb of purple energy, before it then split into three smaller copies, as they entered the chests of the Nikkes.
"There, with these modifications, you will be able to fight on danmaku standards." Richard answered back. "It's both for the sake of preventing you from literally murdering anyone that doesn't deserve it either accidentally or purposely, as danmaku only kills if too much is taken at once, and to give you a fighting edge, the same one that I, Gus and Siege have."
"So this is the power of this world…" Sin remarked. "...Pretty nice."
"Hohoh. Now I really feel powerful." Nihilister wickedly smiled.
"This feeling… sublime would be the best way to describe it." Crow chuckled darkly.
"Now that it has been settled." Richard answered back. "Let's go. We have an incident to resolve."
They soon flew right towards the Hakurei Shrine, landing right before the torii gate near the top of the long stone stairway, as they slowly walked up, seeing the various incident resolves that have gathered under the leadership of both Reimu and Marisa.
"Get your supplies here! Stage 5 begins in 30 minutes!" Reisen cried, as she was before a table of familiar supplies, ranging from green glowing stars, and pink glowing hearts, as well as red and blue cube-like boxes of energy.
"Say, since when did that reactor thingy run on sake?" Suika asked Marisa, as she took a swig of her own gourd.
"It should be enough energy output to keep me runnin' for two more stages." Marisa remarked. "Or at least until we disable that mist."
"And barely do so, at that." Richard remarked, before Marisa turned around to see Richard and his group. "...Wasn't expecting me, were you?"
"Wow… I thought that you were…" Marisa remarked with surprise, before shaking it off. "No matter. That's perfect timing! You're needed on our push to the Moriya Shrine! Say, you wouldn't happen to know the MJ/L output of sake, would ya?"
"17-20, eye-balling it." Richard answered back. "You're handicapping yourself, Marisa. A max fire-power of 2.0 compared to the theoretical maximum is not optimal."
"Fine by me. I've survived final stages on 1.0, no bombs or lives lost." Marisa boasted.
"Well, I'm not going to let time be wasted." Richard answered back, before gesturing at his group. "By the way, before you even ask, these are my allies. They managed to find me, and also snap the funk out of me. So thank them for the fact that I'm all better now. They'll be as good as you can get. By the way, glad your neck healed. And sorry for getting pissy towards you."
"...Ah, that. Well… I guess maybe I was a bit too blunt with you." Marisa remarked. "I just thought… I wasn't thinking straight. When I saw what you did, I thought that you went off the deep end. But then, after thinking about… I realized that I overreacted. Eirin helped heal the soreness as a favor from you to me. As for your party. Wow, that's one handsome hunk and a lot of dangerous ladies."
"Hunk? Jeez, it seems every powerful girl that seems to be twisted one way or another compliments my looks. I just hope unlike the others, you won't try to murder me on the spot." Siege quipped.
"Huh? What's he talking about?" Marisa asked.
"He's a chick magnet. A dangerous chick magnet." Nihilister answered with a toothed grin.
"Nothing important. He's just surprised that he got a compliment from you." Richard answered back. "By the way, I'll be fighting on the front-lines. If Tenshi wants me, then she'll have to fight me face-to-face. None of her cronies are getting me until then, and with my allies, and all of us… that's a certainty."
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Marisa exclaimed, before she then decided to fiddle with her Hakkero. "You go and talk things out with Reimu."
Richard nodded, before he then gestured for the group to hang back, allowing them to talk with others on their leisure, as those present included Alice, Kasen, Miko, Suika, Reisen and Youmu.
The black-haired magician then found Reimu conversing with Keine, as the two of them were discussing the Human Village.
"Shouldn't we keep at least a few incident resolvers in the human village?" Keine suggested.
"Not a chance. If this attack fails, what makes you think the Human Village is going to survive?" Reimu denied firmly. "The villagers can hold out while we're gone, but unless we stop the Celestials-"
"Lady Hakurei, it seems that young Richard has decided to return." Genji remarked, as Keine and Reimu turned around to face Richard.
"Richard, you're finally here." Reimu stated.
"I am." Richard nodded back, before turning to Keine. "...Keine, I know things are bad, but I can stop this, or at least help in the attempt.'
"I know. You won't let us suffer like this." Keine answered back, as there was a smile on her face. "You have nothing to fear. Celestials or no, we won't let them have you."
"That's right. I don't intend to let a noble soul like his descend into oblivion." Miko declared.
"For the sake of the Netherworld, and Mistress Yuyuko's wishes… I shall fight for your sake, Richard." Youmu declared firmly.
Reimu then looked at Keine. "...Professor, leave us for a minute." Reimu told Keine.
"Please excuse me then." Keine stated, before giving Richard a worried look, as she then walked away from the two of them.
Reimu and Richard looked at each other for a moment, being silent, before he then spoke.
"...Reimu, if you would let me apologize, I'll say that it was wrong for me to-" Richard said.
"No, I should be the one to apologize first." Reimu answered back. "Despite the fact that you have been seeing this entire incident crawling from the horizon, and tried your best to find a way to prevent its build-up, you ended up being lost with no way to help others. And so you were forced to take things into your own hands…. Stopping this from causing a true mess was my responsibility, and i shirked it because I was too busy trying to prove that you never had good intentions in protecting Gensokyo… But I was wrong, you cared for Gensokyo from the bottom of your heart, and I made you give up, because I was too stubborn for my own good, and because I was so complacent that the order would remain if you didn't try anything. Instead, this incident happened because I didn't help you when you needed me most. I'm sorry, Richard. I truly meant that."
Richard was silent for a moment, before he then took a deep sigh, laced with regret.
"...Yes, you really did fuck up, Reimu. You shouldn't have just sat back and let things happen." Richard stated. "But this entire incident is still my fault, for good or for worse. Because I was so obsessed with saving Gensokyo from what was to come, I ended up making terrible mistakes. I tried to do my best for everyone, but I ended up crushing Flandre under rubble, leaving Remilia without her sister. Oh… how she would hate me for that act of sin. I just couldn't stand it, Reimu. I just couldn't stand how everyone is ignorant to the suffering of the down-trodden, that people die for no good reason at all. I saw the dead bodies when EX-Rumia attacked, Reimu. It made me understand that Gensokyo is still a world for youkai, good and bad, underneath its peaceful masquerade. But it shouldn't be paved with blood like this. Gensokyo should be a place of co-existence, where everyone endeavors to live a fulfilling life. I won't say that all of the malice should go away, but it should never have come to this. Never."
"...That's right. That's what we incident resolvers do." Reimu stated, before putting a hand out. "I know that we let what happened get between us, but now that we understand what's been gnawing at each other… We can fix what was between us. Despite everything, there was a part of me that believed you were the best Gappy- no, the best Outsider to have ever graced this land. You were the perfect example of what a good Outsider should be like. So let's show Gensokyo that you can be a hero."
"...Let's." Richard smiled back, before taking Reimu's hand, and shaking it gently, as the shrine maiden smiled back.
Meanwhile, Siege had seen Reisen among the incident resolver group back in the main room. He was concerned, considering Richard told them all that he had given Reisen a child in her womb, so Siege needed to be sure Reisen would be alright with going forward with this, as he approached her.
"Hey there." Siege greeted as he approached Reisen. "Reisen, right? Richard told me about you."
"You… You know Richard?" Reisen remarked. "Wait, you're another Outsider, aren't you? You're one of the friends that Richard mentioned?"
"Yep. His brother in arms, as a matter of fact. Siege Sukui." Siege introduced. "He… pretty much filled me in on everything going on. …And… I mean everything." Siege added, looking at Reisen in concern with a knowing look.
"Siege Sukui, so that was your name…" Reisen answered back, before holding her belly. "...I know that it seems like that I have taken advantage of him… but I couldn't help it… I was in heat, and I was desperate for a way to help calm Richard… I heard that sexual intercourse proves soothing for certain humans… So I did it… I didn't know that he would impregnate me so easily. But I was proud that I bore his own seed… Please don't take it in the wrong way, I know that what I did was wrong, and I swear that I'll care for my own child, with my own life, to take responsibility for what we created."
"I'm not mad or angry about it. I'm grateful you tried to do your own thing to calm him down." Siege answered. "...But I'm more concerned about you losing that child during all of this. It was bad enough for Richard to learn he's going to technically be a soon-to-be father… I don't want to imagine, given his shaky state still, how he would snap if you lost that child." Siege added.
"I understand." Reisen answered back. "But the Spell Card Rules themselves are built to ensure that the pregnant do not suffer the risk of miscarriage from the stress. Unless I lose all of my 'lives', and even then, my own unborn child will be protected from the effects of any attacks that are directed to me. And if I don't fight… I can't face Richard, because I know that this incident is meant to kill him for what he is said to have become… but I won't let that happen. I won't let that tragedy happen to me."
"I'm amazed that the very rules of this place take into account when pregnant women choose to fight." Siege remarked. "In any case… I at least hope I can convince Richard to stay here long enough to see the child. Not out of necessity to be involved in this family… but perhaps, as a reminder of how kind life is to him, even when he believes otherwise. So I must ask you… when are you due?" Siege added.
"In one month." Reisen smiled back. "And from how it is growing so quickly, I think that they'll be a spry one. I can't wait to see the joy between us when they're finally born into this world. Even though he told me that he might not be able to stay for long… but he promised that he'd come back often to take care of his own child, and me as well."
"My, my, so Richard himself seems to be in the process of his own harem at this rate." Siege couldn't help but laugh. "In any case, as the non-biological uncle, I, too, will come by to help raise the child. Again… I want Richard to be able to see and know the kindness life has for him, even in his deepest and darkest moments." Siege added. "Thank you for being open as well… It's helped quell a lot of my fears going forward." Siege said with a soft smile.
"Anything for a friend of Richard's." Reisen stated. "And one more thing, Siege Sukui..."
"Yeah?" Siege asked, before Reisen gave him a kiss on the cheek, which was a surprise to the soldier.
"...Thank you for saving Richard again." Reisen stated. "After Reimu told me that he fell to despair again, after having heard that I was under torment, I was afraid that he has lost all hope to help fight alongside us again."
At that moment Richard walked over, as Reisen turned to him. "Richard, I'm glad that you came back. I thought that you really lost all hope going forward." She said to him.
"My brother here rekindled it." Richard smiled back. "...Reisen, no matter what happens, no matter who comes after you in a round-about way to hurt me… You won't end up returning on a stretcher. I will not allow anyone to hurt you, and my entire group will make sure of that."
"Richard…" Reisen remarked, her tone showing that she was moved by his words. "...Thank you for staying so kind to someone like me… If you need anything, I'll give it to you."
"I just need a Bomb." Richard answered back, taking one of the green stars, as it was absorbed into him with a green glow. "Anything else, save it for the others. They need the firepower and extra lives for what comes next."
Reisen then nodded, before Reimu then walked forward. "Everyone, the field for Stage 5 has been located!" She cried. "It is currently contested, with the entire Tengu force trying to defeat the fairy horde that has come their way. Momoi is confirmed to be leading the force. Make final preparations! We are heading off in a minute!"
Richard then turned to his group. "Alright, game plan: I know how tempting it is to be heroes and try to save the Tengu…" Richard remarked. "But the fairy horde is no joke. Reimu and Marisa drilled into my head that the fairy hordes here are far more dangerous and lethal than the ones that Gus and I are used to. If you see any fairies. Gun them down, and prioritize protecting the incident resolvers. They're the ones carrying this entire incident through. One of them goes down, our chances of resolving this with a clean death toll as possible, plummets severely. And if you encounter any enemy residents, take them down ASAP, but do not try to use lethal force on them. They may be enemies, but they're fighting on misguided and reasonable causes. And they're residents at the end of the day, so let them live. Fairies will just respawn when they die, they're basically nature's gadflies."
"Understood." Gus nodded back.
"So it's going to hell in a hand-basket…" Crow remarked, before she then grinned. "...Couldn't have it any other way. I'll do my best to not cause any friendly fire, but I might get a bit overzealous cleaning the trash in our way."
"Don't worry, I'll make sure that everyone makes it through." Sin stated.
"Richard, if I may?" Siege would ask, as if he was asking for a suggestion.
"Go on." Richard stated.
"Given my recent situation, I need to vent, so does Nihilister." Siege remarked. "And these fairies sound like perfect target practice. Permission for the two of us to lead and take on Stage 5's boss?"
"...I could manage a double team with you, Siege." Richard answered back. "I may not have seen Momoi's spell-card arsenal myself, but I have enough intel to make it clear. Nihilister would be better off taking care of the fodder. No offense, Nihilister. And besides, I rather save her as a trump in case of enemy resident encounters. She'll blow them out of the water if any hostile elements come her way."
"Awww daaaaamn." Nihilister puffed. "But fair."
"We're departing!" Reimu cried, as everyone took to the air, as Richard's group followed after, as the entire force decided to form together, as several more residents joined their flight, as they headed towards Youkai Mountain, as they could see the immense amount of fairies that were flooding the entire landmark, as they could barely tell who's friend or foe from the lightshow of danmaku being thrown around from both sides.
"Do or die, Siege!" Richard cried, as he summoned an octet of magical options, one of each of the eight elements that he had.
"Hoorah!" Siege shouted.
"Approaching Youkai Mountain! You are clear to engage!" Reimu declared. "CHARGE!"
"DECLARE SPELL: SURPRISE SIGN: FIRST IMPRESSION BANGER!" Nihilister yelled as she suddenly whipped out a spell, as Siege smiled.
"Just like I taught you!" He laughed as suddenly, multiple danmaku fiery dragons began carving through the smaller danmaku and slamming into fairies, scorching many of them alive.
"Burn, BURN BURN BURN! HAHAHAHAHA!" Nihilister laughed.
What ensued was a dogfight between both forces, as the incident-resolver forces were cutting a swathe through the enemy forces, as the fairies split right off to engage each individual incident resolver, as some were doing better than others, due to having less on their tails.
"Tch, bunch of pests." Crow remarked, before she then tossed a few modified explosives into the air, before leading the fairies right into it, as they exploded like mid-air mines, disintegrating the fairies that were pursuing her, while she did an 180 and gunned down the surviving pursuers. "I still have a lot of explosives for all of you!"
"Nrh… Hah!" Sin remarked, as she began to weave through the danmaku patterns, as she used her rifle to shoot down several of them, before she then decided to deactivate her converter. "Please halt."
The fairies were immediately struck with Sin's power, as they all became vegetative, before Sin then gunned them down quickly, before she then came to Miko's aid, providing a barrage of fire that shot down a group of fairies that had her locked down.
"Thanks for your aid." Miko thanked Sin.
"No problems! An ally of Richard's is an ally of mine!" Sin remarked.
Gus and Marisa were cutting through an entire group of elite fairies together, as star danmaku and fire bullets provided a fierce enough offense to break through the enemy lines, reaching a group of isolated tengus, who already suffered casualties, given from the bodies they saw.
"...Richard didn't seem to be kidding when he talked about this like it was life-and-death… Gods…" Gus remarked, seeing the bodies, before more fairies began to rush towards him and Marisa. "Marisa, I need your help to clear me. Cover my back, and I'll cover yours!"
"Alright, fire boy, show me what you got!" Marisa remarked, before she then activated her Hakkero, as it began to charge energy.
Gus then began to gather a massive burst of fire into his hands, before the two of them then spun around, as the resulting flamethrower and beam of pure energy swept the entire vicinity clean of any fairies, leaving the tengu squad with a lot more breathing room.
"Damn, you really got some fire. And without your ability too!" Marisa remarked, impressed by Gus's performance.
"My fire magic isn't to be underestimated. I'm glad that you found it to your liking." Gus smiled back, before floating down to the tengus. "It's alright, we managed to clear out the enemies. Go find your comrades, and either find a way out of here, or band together to help us finish this fight."
"We'll… we'll go. We can tell that you all have this in the bag." The acting leader of the squad remarked, as he retreated with his group.
As Richard and Siege began to cleave a path through the fairies, trying to locate Momoi, Richard then noticed at the corner of his eye that Reisen was being attacked by a horde of fairies, as her own shots were barely keeping them at bay.
"Somebody help me!" Reisen cried.
"Reisen! Hang on, I'm coming!" Richard shouted, before turning to Siege. "You go on ahead, I'll catch up to you!"
"If I find Momoi, don't expect anything to be left when I'm done!" Siege said back as he blasted forward, slaying hundreds of fairies in his path.
"I can't shake them!" Reisen cried, as she tried to retreat, as bullets grazed by her body.
"Oh no you don't!" Richard cried, before he then activated the options, as they fired off a large straight barrage of magical bullets that cut down the fairy horde quickly, before he then grabbed Reisen, and accelerated rapidly to get her out of the danger zone, as Nihilister suddenly flew up between them. "You okay, Reisen? That was close. You hurt?"
"I'm alright! I'm alright." Reisen assured Richard. "Don't worry. It was just a few grazes."
"BURN!" The two of them heard, as the pursuing fairies were scorched by Nihilister's hellfire, before Nihilister then summoned constructs of her mecha's missiles. "Declare Spell: Massacre Sign 'Oblivion Omega Rain'!"
She then fired off a massive barrage of missiles that crossed the entire battle-field, taking out large parts of the fairy force, freeing up more of the incident resolvers to help the others, as Siege found Momoi fighting Miko, as the two of them were duking it out, with the former firing spirals of rim bullets, and the latter firing spreads of magical arrows.
"Are… Are you here to help me with the Stage 5 boss?" Miko asked Siege.
"Yeah. Get back. I have a lot of venting to do and with how much power I need to let out in many ways… I can handle her by my lonesome." Siege declared.
"She's no joke! We can work together to defeat her!" Miko shouted, before grazing several bullets in succession. "I promise that whatever you are going to do, I'll try not to get in your way!"
"Good. Because of the malice I feel… I'm gonna not hesitate to slice you if you get in my way." Siege said as he pulled out a dark spell card, and walked between Miko and Momoi. "So. You're the one leading the fairy charge? I'll give you one opportunity. Surrender now, and I'll let you live." Siege said, quoting a very well known pirate captain.
"Live… Wait, that aura… You're… You're with that Outsider, aren't you?" Momoi remarked, before she then began to charge energy to activate a Spell Card. "I won't let you help him to victory! You're going down!"
"I figured you'd say that." Siege darkly laughed, as he already was activating not just the dark spell card, but another spell. "Spell Combo activated. Declare Spell: Self Sign: 'Mirror of the Past.'"
Cue: This Devastation ft. Matt Heafy of Trivium - Metal Hellsinger OST
Suddenly, a sparking blue blade slashed Momoi, stopping her charge, before it buried into the ground, as shadows began to coalesce around the blade, as a hand soon grabbed it, revealing Past Siege as the shadows faded, and with him, the spirits of Mina and Jherzoruya as well, as he pulled his blade from the ground, a wicked smile on his face as he looked at Siege.
"I thought you might like that extra gift." Past Siege darkly chuckled.
"I did. Now, you know the drill." Siege said, showing the other spell card.
"Oh, you bet." Past Siege remarked, as the same spell came out of his own jacket.
"Combination Spell! Duality! Heavenly Sign: Mina's Judgment!" Both iterations of Siege yelled as Mina suddenly gained physical form, before rising up to summon an attack akin to Arceus' Judgment, combined with Rayquaza's Dragon Ascent, but it was much bigger and larger in number of divine spears, as they rained down on Momoi at incredulous rates.
Momoi was forced to dodge the attacks, although they rained down at a rate that was too fast, as the attacks hit her several times. Even when she tried to use her Spell Cards to induce a form of invulnerability that could buy her time to survive the attack, they were broken one by one, as the attack ended, with Momoi looking fairly torn.
"How… How do you have the power to break several gauges at once…!?" Momoi exclaimed with horror. "No being should possibly have this kind of power. Not even a Bomb could deal this much damage. What… What are you-"
"MOMOI!" Richard screamed with hate, as Momoi then turned around, to see Richard hurtling forward, as she paled, seeing the amount of hatred on Richard's face.
Past Siege merely laughed at this. "You should have chosen to surrender when you had the chance, doll." Past Siege chuckled.
"Target him… TARGET RICHARD NOW!" Momoi desperately ordered, as what remained of the fairies tried to bumrush Richard, only for Crow to appear by his side.
"Allow me to make a show of my own. So if the incantation goes this way…" Crow remarked, before she then summoned a Spell Card between her fingers. "Declare Spell: Violence Sign 'The Wick and the Powder Keg'."
Crow then swiped her hand, as several dull white orbs began to surround the entire vicinity of the group, before she then pulled out her twin sub-machine guns, as she fired right into the white orbs themselves, as they began to grow progressively redder and redder with each bullet that they absorbed, before she then snapped her fingers, as they exploded into a massive explosion of danmaku bullets that shredded the last of the fairies.
"No…" Momoi stated, before seeing Richard pull out a Spell Card of his own.
"Declare Spell: Magic Sign 'Magna Breaker'!" Richard exclaimed, before his eight options began to merge together into a prismatic orb, which fired off a massive beam of energy, that was narrow but almost instantaneous, as Momoi didn't even have the chance to speak, before she was hit by it, as it fried her out of the sky, as she plummet towards the ground, beaten unconscious by the attack overwhelming the limits of her body.
End BGM
"As I said. Wasn't much left when you got here." Siege remarked dryly at Richard.
"Anything will do, Siege. Anything will do." Richard answered back with a faint smile, as Miko could only gape in awe at the devastating one-two attack that Richard and Siege pulled off on Momoi to take her out in mere moments, as if they trivialized her.
"The boss is down! Stage 5 clear! Report to the forward-operating shrine for debriefing and tea!" Reimu announced.
"One more stage… One more stage, and this all ends." Richard remarked, clenching a fist in front of him. "And I know who will be the one leading the final attack. And rest assured, this will not end in failure. Gensokyo has gone too far for this incident, they have to win, no matter what."
"Welp, guess I better dip." Past Siege remarked with a chuckle as he heard this. "It was fun for the 30 seconds it lasted."
"Yeah, uhm…" Siege chuckled, looking at Richard then gesturing to his past self. "What a mess I looked like, huh?" Siege quipped.
"Hey! I make this look good, whaddya mean?" Past Siege exclaimed.
"...Heh." Richard chuckled.
"...Oh, Mina, before you guys leave, one more favor." Siege remarked as he pulled out another spell card. "If you don't mind."
"What do you require, Siege?" Mina asked.
"This. For my friend." Siege said. "Declare Spell: Tranquility Sign: 'Clarity's Touch.'" Siege spoke, as Mina was granted physical form again to touch Richard as she did Siege, to hopefully prevent him from emotionally snapping so hard ever again.
"...I feel calmer." Richard answered back. "...This is your way of making sure that I won't end up that far in the dumps? Heh, I never thought that you would go this far for me. But then again… that's just how it is. Thanks, brother."
"It's Mina you need to thank." Siege admitted. "It's her touch that she just gave you that made me who I am today. She may still dwell among us as a spirit but… I'll never forget her dying wish for me. I changed. Because she helped me change. Now I want the same for you. No more dwelling on who you were. No more emotional implosions… I want you to experience Mina's calming touch just as I did." Siege added with a soft smile.
"I merely was able to because of your power, Siege." Mina spoke softly. "But regardless, you both should now walk the ways of the light without fear of returning to the darkest pits of despair."
"Hehe. In any case, if we're not needed, don't expend too much more of your magic keeping us here, future me." Past Siege quipped.
"Right, right." Siege remarked, dispelling the spell card as it returned to his hand and deck.
They soon descended down, as the group landed right before the welcoming committee, which was led by Lord Temna, as she looked at Richard with a grateful expression.
"Richard, for a first-time incident resolver, I commend you for your bravery in the face of certain death." Lord Tenma stated. "I saw what you have done, and the fact that you contributed to an early clearing of the stage has saved countless lives."
"You and your pal were badass! I could literally see you giving Momoi a real bad time from how far I was!" Marisa exclaimed.
"I never thought that you would have been able to handle a Phantasm-level incident so easily… you and your friends." Sakuya admitted. "Your help has managed to get us closer to victory."
"I'm grateful that you all think so highly of me." Richard answered back. "...But the real heroes are not just me and my group… but Reimu, Marisa, and all of the incident resolvers who came over to rescue Youkai Mountain from its plight. I was merely the one to spearhead the end of the boss. Miko found her, Siege wore her down until she was barely standing, and I dealt the finishing blow. Perfect proof that we can all succeed together, rather than trying to win on our own."
"Such motivating words." Hatate remarked, with a smile on her face. "Hope you stick to them, because we're going to need all the help that we can get."
"We'll make preparations for the final stage." Richard answered back. "But first… I got a Celestial to get some damn answers out of."