Date A Re:Live
S2 Chapter 45: Choronzon Havoc, Part 10
By : Tohka_Yatogami
...
Summary
Even a similar story can take it's own path. Shido and Mana are amnesiac siblings living with their friend Kotori, however the past catches up to Shido when he nearly runs into a space quake, and his world changes as one girl asks... "Are you here to kill me?" (Stronger Ratatoskr, weaker DEM, games & movie are canon to story) [Shido/Tohka/Harem]
Alright everyone, time for the night round of battles for the Inverse Form fights, and this time its Kurumi and Origami who're stepping up into the battle ring! On Kurumi's side, she faces the fact she's never entered her natural Inversion, so unlike the others she can't let what she recalls seeing during her prior Inversion to help her, because all the abilities it had were powered by the Cassiopeia and non-existent here. Though there is one good side at least, when Westcott was controlling her Inversion, it got boosted up a rank more than it should, so her Inversion isn't as strong as she remembers either.
Then we have Origami, the problem she'll be facing is the fact her Inverse Form is directly tied to her accidentally murder of her parents, and she was by all means stuck in it for over 5 years. That isn't going to leave her with the most pleasant of memories, and I'll admit it, she's terrified of her Inversion after all that happened while she was in it. She's not just facing her dark half, because without even realizing it, Choronzon manifested her greatest fear into physical form. So we have having no knowledge on one side, and greatest fear on the other... we better wish them some damn good luck. *gulps* 0_0
Choronzon's also finally starting to get free from the ground, and while I'm not sure how many focused sections of a tree's roots are in real life, for Choronzon at least I'll say he's about... maybe a 1/3 of the way done? I can't believe we're starting to get near the end of this arc too, I'd say including this chapter, we'll have about 3 chapters left at the least, and 4 chapters at the most. Depends how things go around next chapter and the one after it. I will say how this arc ends, none of you will see it coming because I've done nothing to foreshadow it :3
Whoops! Nearly forgot, I had intended to say this in the previous chapter, but I forgot to do so, best I do that now before I end up forgetting again. You recall how I mentioned in the previous chapter about unavoidable mistakes like contradictions, mismatched bits of info, or things that feel out of place? Well, there's no guarantee I'll do this, but... when I finally finish with the story, I might make another version of it.
Since by then the whole story will have been finished, I'll essentially have an entire script done to make a remastered version, one that'll use to clear up any details that were off. Like I said, there's no guarantee this is happening, to be honest I'd say the chances of it actually happening are very slim due to me wanting to eventually resume my Date Another Origin series.
If I do end up doing it, it'll be named Date A Re:Live II after the second series and it won't make the old story obsolete. For now, don't think too much on this, this is mostly just a reminder to myself on the idea's possibility and to let you know that it exists and may happen. If I decide it won't happen, or if it will happen, I'll bring it up again when that's the case. For now, there's just this story.
Be prepared everyone, because Round 3 of Normal vs Inverse Spirit fights... *hits gong* BEGIN!
Oh, and here's a data sheet for Inverse Kurumi in her non-corrupted state, just because Kurumi doesn't know what her Inversion can do doesn't mean you all of can't know ^^
-Inverse Kurumi (Purified State), Code Name: [Paradox]-
Demon King: Lucifuge - Zafkiel's Demon King counterpart, and one of the most dangerous Demon Kings. In its purified form, Lucifuge takes an appearance similar to a compresses version of Kurumi's Carnwennan technique, and become a pair of rapid fire guns that allow multiple targets to be struck at once. The most dangerous ability of Lucifuge is that if Kurumi normally needed to fire at herself in order to activate a bullet, her calibers will automatically activate without the need to shoot. Kurumi still needs to shoot others if she needs them to affect her enemies instead. Lucifuge's shadows also don't need to extend from Kurumi's to attack anymore either.
- Alternate Form: Alpha - The Inverse counterpart of Andromeda. By activating the clocks on both Lucifuge guns, Kurumi can manipulate the 4th dimension and bend time. Unlike her normal form where she can only accelerate, slow, stop and rewind time, recreate a fallen clone and link her mind to it, get a vision of the future, and see past memories to a limited degree with an hourly limitation at best, Inverse Kurumi can do this up to three hours. These abilities are assigned to all the numbers on Lucifuge 's clock gems except III, VI, IX and XII in the mentioned order.
- Alternate Form: Beta - The Inverse counterpart of Bahamut. By combining both guns together, Kurumi transforms Lucifuge into a sniper rifle that takes the form of a M134 Minigun merged with a PGM Hecate II which she can use to fire what she claims are fragmentation of her shadow as silhouettes to attack a specific area. These fragments of her shadows aren't her clones, being better classified as organic attack drones that explode upon making collision with anything, moving and attacking until their power finally runs out and they evaporate away.
- Alternate Form: G amma - The Inverse counterpart of Carnwennan. Lucifuge 's body shifts out and orange energy comes out, taking a spiked form of sorts before extending into the form of a split energy blade. As a result, Lucifuge transforms into a pair of what could best be defined as long gun-blades for close combat situations, though being much more effective than the short range of its normal form. Kurumi states this is her least used form of Lucifuge , due to her powers' nature preferring to avoid such kind of combat.
- Alternate Form: Delta - The Inverse counterpart of Nibellcole. Inverse Kurumi can summon a large group of clones, but where Kurumi's normal form creates four with their own personality and wills, the Delta technique does not and acts no different to the corrupted Kurumi's cloning abilities, only the clones have no will and at best just copy their original's expression. Unlike the corrupted Kurumi however, the clones don't require a bullet to be formed and are much weaker having no defense for the cost of being as powerful as the original.
- Alternate Form: Omega - The Inverse counterpart of Astra. Kurumi's shadow takes the form of a spiky black sun, and soon a jagged orange colored arrow forms inside, beginning a countdown like a clock until it "reaches midnight" for a supercharged gunshot. Unlike in her normal form, Kurumi isn't as vulnerable while using this attack because she can actually move and attack back using one of Lucifuge gun's, and only one, to fire and keep the charge without resetting it. Should Kurumi be attacked while using it however, she will still have to redo the entire countdown from the start, luckily the countdown is half as long as the Andromeda's.
- Powers: Kurumi's Inverse Form while in its purified state has her shadows' power extend beyond the reach of her own, with the time abilities her corrupted state still nowhere near the same or as powerful, but much closer to their strength while in her corrupted state. Her City of Silenced Shadow has evolved into another dimension outright and destroys all traces of light from breaching inside of it, empowering her and weakening her enemies. With an army of sacrificial clones, a boost on her alternate forms and her short-range combat ability increased, the purified Inverse Kurumi may not possess the same threat level that her corrupted form had, but she is still one of the most dangerous Inverse Spirits.
Risk Factors: SSS
Spacequake: B
Spirit's Astral Dress: A
Demon King Rank: S
Strength: 229
Consistency: 202
Spiritual Power: 235
Agility: 217
Intelligence: 200
The group of civilians and the victories Spirits were still riding through the broken city and land before them as they tried to find Tohka, Origami, Kurumi, and/or Yoshino throughout the mess before them. Kotori trying to spot their spirit power's colors streaking through the air to no avail.
"No good, I still don't see any of them, where are they?" Kotori wondered, biting her lip a bit.
"Maybe they finally kicked the bucket against their Inversions? We did nearly see that with [Witch] after-" Marina began, only to have Natsumi slap her in the face. "OW! What the hell lady!?"
"Marina, you may be fighting with us right now but that doesn't change the fact you're with the DEM and hate us, as does the fact not a single one of us here trusts you. Good reason Natsumi has to slap you silly!" Rinne said, glaring a bit at her. Making the AI grumble.
"Well, I trust her." Maria answered.
Everyone gives Maria and odd stare while Marina silently screams as she slammed her head down on the saddle of her horse, Maria blinking at them as they all looked at her as they currently did.
"Maria, I think we might need to have a talk with you when this is all over." Mayuri sighed, causing the AI to make a surprised face. Marina groaned in annoyance at her good counterpart.
"Say out of curiosity, what was that girl your friend was facing? Looked just like her but cruel and malicious." A woman asked.
"That's because it was her if she was cruel and malicious. The being you saw was her Inverse form, they're usually not separate beings, but Choronzon's changed that." Rinne replied, soon breathing a bit as everyone focused on her.
"Part of what Westcott's ambitions did when I fought him 30 years ago caused his evil, his dark nature, everything negative and dark about him to taint the objects that have turned most of the girls here into Spirits, the Sephira Crystals. These taints are the souls of the rest of my kind who were trapped within them. Whenever a Spirit face the peak of negative emotion, and falls to despair... they undergo Inversion because they're being forced to hold those feelings."
Everyone gasped at that.
"Their souls blame all of Humanity because they had known nothing but good people in the Spirit Dimension, my husband included. Westcott used that to make the betrayal even worse. When these girls Inverse, their Humanity prevents them from fully being taken over, they just get unstable. What happened with my son and forming Choronzon is something else. Westcott's goal, claim that power as his own, hence why this happened."
"That bastard!" A man growled, slamming on his knee. "So, there's one for each of you out there right now?"
Rinne shakes her head.
"No, not all of us have it. Me, Rio, Mayuri, Maria and Marina can't Inverse under any circumstances. Also, the only ones who have their Inversions present are the Spirits my son Shido has sealed away." Rinne replied, making everyone look confused.
"It's kinda how we keep the DEM from claiming the Spirits power, my husband left my son with the power after managing to create it with materials he was exposed to when saving him from the DEM after a prior kidnapping. Three of the Spirits aren't sealed, so there's only 7, by now we only have four left, but one keeps reviving."
Rinne looks forward, and Marina checks the timer again.
"And hopefully Tohka can find a way to destroy it. We have to... if we want to save the world from total destruction. Seigo, please... lend me strength. Lend us strength!"
~ETA until the second Chaotic Divergence charge is ready: 25 minutes
Marina closes her panel and looks up as the horse's keep galloping.
'And hopefully, give me the remaining Inverse Spirit power traces I need.' Marina thought, hiding her smirk within her mind. While that was happening, Nia was looking at Raziel to see if she could get an answer to how to stop Choronzon for good... but the words were still all jumbled out of order.
'Still nothing, the Inversions are still destabilizing Raziel's information network.' Nia thought, sighing a bit. 'Come on guys, you can find a way. I know you can... please don't give up. Most of you have already managed to defeat the stronger dark sides of yourselves while weakened. This is not the end of Earth, we won't let it be!'
Kurumi flew back as a shadow blast knocked her back, she panted heavily as she saw her Inverse Form giggle and stare somewhat insanely at her. Kurumi grimaced and sweated at that look... remembering how she used to make it when the Cassiopeia was attached to her.
"Aw, how sad. It hurts me you seem so averse to my party of violence." Inverse Kurumi stated, as the original Kurumi stares at the smoking craters from Lucifuge's gunshots. The Inverse Form looked at her serious right after as Kurumi fired at her, and soon jumped off the edge into the air.
"Nibellcole!"
Zafkiel's clock gems spun to hit the III, VI, IX and XII spots as Kurumi's shadow split, summoning Shincho, Kinshu, Masayoshi and Yuuki from her shadow to swarm out. Kurumi landed on a wall and jumped back up with them.
"Let's see how you handle all of us!" Kurumi shouted.
[5 heads are better than 1 after all!]
Inverse Kurumi giggles as she activates her time power to fast forward out of the way of their gunshots, soon she raised her hand after diving off towards the ground.
"City of Silent Shadows."
Suddenly the entire section of the city that they were in suddenly gets covered in shadow, and where normally things just got red and dark with Kurumi's... it was as if all light had been swallowed, nearly like her shadow realm, but if she could suck a whole city inside of it.
"Now, let me show you my own little posse of girls, now come to me... DELTA!"
Suddenly Kurumi and all of the Nibellcole girls see copies of Inverse Kurumi form from walls on the shadowed buildings, all with laughing insane faces that seemed stuck and in an entire army's worth.
"A whole army, it's just like how your corrupted powers worked!" Shincho sweated, looking at the forces surrounding them. She and the Nibellcole clones all began firing, but they Kurumi clones simply danced all around them and fired Lucifuge at them, hitting them with no effort." Agh! Damn it, how are they so powerful!?"
All the clones look at them, laughing with the same insane look. Soon they all rush at them, and Kurumi takes the lead.
"Carnwennan!"
Suddenly the clones that tried to rush them were all sliced into ribbons and burst into black spirit power instantly. Blue energy blades having grown off Zafkiel's body as Kurumi pants. She looks at Inverse Kurumi as she stares and laughs at her.
"You've only faced my Hors d'oeuvres. Since you've had a taste, here's the main course." Inverse Kurumi smirked, snapping her right hand as even more clones appear and surround the five.
"Damn it, based on my last attack, these things may have no defense... but there's too many of them!" Kurumi sweated, she and her clones were soon back to back.
"Well there's a bright side, they don't seem to be able to use Lucifuge's time powers, or any more than normal gun shots." Kinshu replied, soon firing at a few of them. "So, what do we do? We're outnumbered, out powered and worse is your Inverse Form looks like she's an insane Sadomasochist!"
The other clones and Kurumi sweat dropped at that.
"Oh... sorry, too much?" Kinshu asked, they all nod. "My apologies. Though the first two points I think we do need to pay attention to, how can we handle this?"
Kurumi and the Nibellcole clones all sweat as they fire against the clones before them.
Back on the Fraxinus, which was still hovering over Tenguu Square, the sight of those who had been freed from Miku's mind control looking around confused as her Inversion's dark spirit power finally faded from their minds.
Meanwhile inside the ship, the crew and Reine were doing everything they could to get power back, and it seemed like no results were working so far. After a bit though, Reine noticed something and after typing on some keys incredibly fast... the lights flickered back as the simplest of the ship system's regained power.
"Yes!" Reine cheered, soon making everyone sigh in relief. Reine soon tried to open a communication channel to one of the headsets... but nothing. "Dang it, communications still aren't working. Shiizaki, can you give me any readings on the ship's status?"
"Already have Commander. It seems we can only move at the slowest speed, and our territories can only work with the Ashcroft Delta devices activated. We can't use communications and our weapons are down. Right now, the ship can only function." Shiizaki replied, Reine sweated as no one realized the ship had become visible.
"Commander, what should we do?"
Reine tried to think, and Minowa noticed something.
"Commander, some of Rinne's spirit power is still lingering around the ship. Maybe we can get a communication channel to her headset by linking to her own Spirit power?" Minowa suggested.
"Try it Minowa, we need to know what's going-" Reine began, only for an alarm to go off as it finally reached them. "What the?"
Suddenly Shiizaki sees her screen register the deadly [Category F] warning despite it had already been present for almost half an hour by this point. Shiizaki turned to Reine as she saw this with a concerned look on her face.
"Commander, I don't recognize this... what's a Category F?" Shiizaki asked, confusing Reine who didn't know about it.
"Category F? That's the first I've heard of such a thing, but... if I had to make a guess, it's something worse than an Inversion. Minowa, try getting contact with Rinne ASAP!" Reine shouted, making Minowa nod as she did. She tried tapping into a broadcast when she heard Rinne's headset connect. "Yes! Rinne, do you read me!?"
Rinne suddenly heard her headset blink and gasped as she whistles to make all the Horses stop, she taps her ear and she listens as she hears Reine's voice reach her, making her gasp as she realized communications got through.
"I repeat! Rinne, do you read me!?" Reine stated.
"Yeah, I hear you Reine! So that means the Fraxinus is finally back in action?" Rinne asked.
"Well... sorta of, power's back on and we're heading over to your location, but we've still got most of our systems on the fritz. Your spirit power lingering here is the only reason we managed to contact you. Never mind that... do you know what a Category F is?" Reine asked, hearing Rinne gasp. "Oh god, you gasped... how bad is it?"
Rinne sighed.
"One second." Rinne replied, looking at the others. "If you ask, I'm being contacted by my sister-in-law. She's part of a group that goes against the DEM to protect this world and she's asking me some questions since she's been unable to for a while."
Rinne taps her headset again.
"Category F... is a category only me and Elliot knew of because we hoped it would never sound off. Shido's entered his Inverse Form!" Reine answered, making Reine gasp as she heard it. "Right now, Shido's body is trapped inside a Demon King called Choronzon. We're trying to stop it right and save him."
"Dear god... are you saying that Westcott pushed Shido into an Inversion? Wait, I don't get it, why was it so bad you hoped it would never happen?" Reine asked, and Rinne grimaced.
"Because... if we fail to stop it, it's signaled the end of the world." Reine admitted, and Reine goes silent as her face freezes.
"The whole AST is down and the base can't be accessed, aside from us no one can stop it. Without any weapons you can't help, but you can help us with the refugees. We're with the survivors and told them the truth, give them all shelter the moment you arrive!"
Reine was still shaking after she froze from Rinne's revelation.
"The whole AST is down and the base can't be accessed, aside from us no one can stop it. Without any weapons you can't help, but you can help us with the refugees. We're with the survivors and told them the truth, give them all shelter the moment you arrive!" Rinne exclaimed, and Reine soon nodded.
"OK, I understand... we're on our way." Reine replied, soon cutting the connection as the others all stared at her. "Everyone, according to Rinne... Category F is a world ending scenario, Westcott somehow caused Shido to enter an inversion and its threatens to rip the world apart."
Everyone gasped at that.
"We're heading over to help give shelter to the refugees, it's the best we can do. The enemy before us is one we have no method to fight. It doesn't sound like Rinne's group is having the best luck themselves. Do I make myself clear?" Reine stated.
"Yes Commander!" The whole crew replied.
The Fraxinus begins flying towards England, Reine sweating as they did.
~ETA until the second Chaotic Divergence charge is ready: 21 minutes
"Everyone, please be careful... please make it back alive!" Reine whispered to herself, looking forward as she starts seeing the broadcast showing Choronzon's monstrous form and the devastation he wrought upon appearing. She grabbed the ring on her necklace tightly. 'Isamu, if you have any strength you could lend me... please do so now!'
Tohka was flying away as she took another moment to regain some strength from fighting her Inversion, she coughed a bit as she had trouble breathing as she noticed the City of Silent Shadows that had been made by Inverse Kurumi.
"That's... no, that's not Kurumi's the Spirit power doesn't feel like hers." Tohka gasped, and soon hears Inverse Tohka step into view and turns. "Aw man, you're like a rash that doesn't leave!"
"And you're a mouse that keeps scampering. Enough jokes weakling." Inverse Tohka replied, readying Nahemah. Tohka suddenly gets an idea as she looks behind her, smirking a bit. "Why are you smiling?"
Tohka soon breathes and pulls an eyelid down, sticking her tongue out at her. Inverse Tohka suddenly had a vein form on her head.
"If you can only face me with mockery, then I'll end this..." Inverse Tohka began, soon charging Nahemah's power as the red glow of Nahemah's crystalline blade edge glows brighter. "Right now! Now Nahemah!"
Inverse Tohka soon began to swing down, and Tohka formed a sandstorm to blind her as she swung the large slash wave down. Tohka soon flew out and the blue glow of Sandalphon's crystalline blade edge began shining brighter.
"Kurumi, I'm sending some help your way!" Tohka exclaimed, swinging down as Inverse Tohka finally regained her vision and realized what had happened.
"No, I've been tricked!" Inverse Tohka gasped, watching the two slash waves collide against the barrier of shadows.
"BETA!"
A large blast fires from a sniper rifle that takes the form of a M134 Minigun merged with a PGM Hecate II, sending Kurumi and all of her Nibellcole clones flying as they crash through some buildings and land in a pile.
"Dang it, we can't... fall here." Kurumi pant, Yuuki helping her up. As she looks at Inverse Kurumi's cackling she came to a realization. "Everyone, watch my back. I'm using the Astra."
"What!?" Masayoshi gasped. "Are you crazy, you know how risky that is and in this situation, there's too much to deal with! You'll be leaving yourself wide open!"
"Not to mention this City of Silent Shadows seems to be weakening us and empowering your dark half!" Yuuki added, trying to talk Kurumi out of it. "You know that right now there's-"
Kurumi looks at them, making them stop.
"Please, trust me... just like he asked me to trust him!" Kurumi begged, and her clones realized why she was so settled on this. Looking at each other they soon nod at each other and then at Kurumi. "Thank you, here we go... ASTRA!"
- (*Date A Live II Opening - Trust in You*) -
Kurumi twirls and holds one of Zafkiel's guns up, and soon her shadow takes the form of a spiky black sun, with a light blue arrow forming within it like the shape of a clock. The sound of a bell telling began as it began a countdown like a real clock.
"Protect Kurumi at all costs, don't let a single attack or clone get near her!" Kinshu declared, making all of the Nibellcole clones fly out and attack every clone they could, forcing to scramble or avoid nearing Kurumi so they wouldn't be shot. As they did, Kurumi's clock reached the 3 O'clock spot.
"What are you trying, your efforts won't matter. You should let me eat you, I bet you still suffer from the memories of what you did. Even if it wasn't you, that man was able to kill tens of thousands through you!" Inverse Kurumi cackled, however stopped when Kurumi said nothing. "Hello, I'm talking to you!"
Kurumi breathed.
'I'm not perfect, I've made mistakes. Most of all I did let the DEM use me without realizing for years... but that doesn't matter! Shido said it to me himself, why I shouldn't blame myself and made me realize I can just keep moving forward!' Kurumi thought, soon remembering those special words.
Kurumi felt herself within the realm of her mind, videos of her memories play through her head. A certain group of them back from where Shido promised he'd save her no matter what rushed by.
"Don't say it doesn't matter if you die because of course it does! If you need a reason to live, I'll be that reason! No matter what, your life matters to me Kurumi!" Shido's voice echoed.
"If it makes you happy there's nothing I won't do." Shido's voice echoed.
"I know you're a good person! Saya, she told us everything! With what Westcott did to you, none of how you acted when you weren't nice was real, the kindness you showed us was however!" Shido's voice echoed.
" Tell me what will make you happy, and I swear that's what I'll do for you! Even if that means just loving you!" Shido's voice echoed.
Kurumi put a hand to her heart as they continued.
'Every memory... every moment... every emotion... every part of my past, my present and my future... it mixes together to become who I am. It isn't because of my essence alone, everyone in it played a part.' Kurumi thought, the clock reaching six as her spirit power's aura intensified.
'Mom, Dad, Saya, the AST, everyone in Ratatoskr, Tohka, Origami, Yoshino, Kotori, Mana, Natsumi, Kaguya, Yuzuru, Nia, Miku, and most of all Shido... all the power in this attack of mine is the result of the journey you've taken with me!'
Kurumi moved her guns forward as the clock hits nine, and Inverse Kurumi growls as she rushes at Kurumi and passes all the clones.
"GAMMA!"
Inverse Kotor's gun-blades form and swings forward, firing off blasts near Kurumi who shows no fear as the shots miss, Inverse Kurumi growling as she did as she readied to slashed the blades down and cut Kurumi in half.
"I'll take you down myself, now die you pathetic-" Inverse Kurumi began, only to hear something hit the barrier behind her. She turns as she sees Tohka and Inverse Tohka's attacks hit it. "Wait, what!? No... no! Don't break the barrier! Please, please hold!"
Unfortunately, her voice failed to be heard... and the City of Shadowed Time shattered. She turned as the countdown of Kurumi's Astra finally expired as it completed the rotation cycle, making her dark half gasped.
"Inverse Kurumi, with this attack... I hope you find peace." Kurumi smiled, soon discharging the whole blast and knocking all her clones away as Inverse Kurumi was sent flying. As the beam encompassed her, Kurumi flew towards her with Carnwennan held out. Soon stabbing them through her.
"To answer your question? Yeah, I do suffer, but... I don't let it define me. I use it to move forward." Kurumi answered, making Inverse Kurumi stare at her in surprise as Kurumi's sweet smile at the situation didn't make any sense to her. "Because while I may have power over time, I'm the one who accepts my past and decides my future."
Inverse Kurumi stared at her original before she shattered apart into black spirit power.
- (*insert song end*) -
Kurumi soon fell to the ground, and the Nibellcole clones all catch her, seeing her smiling sleeping form as Choronzon screamed from afar, his black eye gem bursting apart at the defeat of Inverse Kurumi. The Nibellcole clones all look at each other and smile.
"No matter how dark your power is, we all know how much you really shine. Good job Kurumi." Yuuki smiled, soon turning as Rinne and the others ride by the area. She waves at them. "Hey Rinne, Kurumi's over here! She won her battle!"
Rinne stops as she hears that, making everyone turn to see the Nibellcole clones holding a sleeping Kurumi.
'She had one of the toughest battles to face, and she won! Nice job Kurumi, be proud of yourself.' Rinne thought, soon getting off her horse to help the Nibellcole clones get Kurumi on one.
Origami shook, her face sweating as she saw the cold blank gaze of Inverse Origami staring at her, breathing heavily as she began having a small panic attack as certain memories of 5 years ago race into her head along with her conflicts with Tohka while both were in their Inversions.
The others may have been more willing to fight their Inverse Forms, and while some like Kaguya and Yuzuru only got a bit shaken when it came to a situational response to their fight such as the two being separated, Origami was completely terrified.
She was seeing the demon that result from killing her parents, she was seeing... the sin she committed, the feeling that even now left a lingering feeling of wanting to die that she only pushed aside due to Shido. Now it was before her, the manifestation of all the bad she done. Inverse Origami teleported before her original and then...
"...Do you wanna kill someone, like you killed the both of them?" Inverse Origami asked monotonously, almost as if she was an organic robot following orders with how she replied. Origami's eyes widened and she screamed and fired Metatron at them. Inverse Origami's auto-teleportation made her dodge each blast successfully.
"Stay away from me! Stay away! I'm not you, I'm not!" Origami screamed, blasting out beams of light without trying to focus as she held her head and closed her eyes. Trying to deny the situation before her with every fiber of her being. "Please, just go away!
Inverse Origami continued teleporting around, and soon appeared by Origami and grabbed her, making her gasp as her dark half's unchanging stare gazed at her like a savage predator glaring all courage and resistance out of its prey to destroy any chances of its escape or losing to it.
"Don't deny it, you know. It was just the first stage of what you'll do to the rest of the human race. Don't fight it. If you try, I'll just inherit the role from you. Oh wait, I am you, so you'll still be doing it." Inverse Origami stated monotonously, forming Satan's pillars behind Origami as she panicked and tried to get free.
"Stop fighting it, you can't when you can't beat yourself. Even in this scenario you can't win because there's no way to fight yourself and destroy this. You know the truth, you know the real reason you try to die... because you relished your first kills."
Origami tries to kick her Inverse counterpart off her to no avail.
"You're wrong! You're wrong, I'm not like you! I'm not, I'll never be!" Origami screamed loudly, screaming more as she tried to bite Inverse Origami's arm to make her let go of her body, but soon Satan fired its dark beams of light and Origami was hit hard.
She went flying and landed on a building, her back singed from the searing intensity of the light's blast. Origami turned as Inverse Origami stared at her, the residue of the light's blast in the night sky manifested as a cold and terrifying stare all from the lack of emotion, her eyes glowing blue in a menacing hue and tone.
"Shut up! Go away, leave me alone!" Origami screamed, Metatron's pillars soon rushed into position. "Kadour - Sword of Light!"
Each pillar rushed forward and fired an independent beam, Inverse Origami dodged the first blast due to her auto-teleportation, and when Origami expected the next blast would hit at the area she calculated she'd teleport to... she auto-teleported again, managing to escape before flying after it ran out of chained use.
"No..." Origami breathed, soon a dark beam of light at her and she teleported... only for Inverse Origami to appear right where she had to her horror. "NO!"
"Yes." Inverse Origami stated monotonously, grabbing her throat and beginning to choke her. Origami coughed as she felt herself blacking out, her vision blurring away as her life began to slip away before her eyes. Origami struggled to not go limp. "Stop running and accept the truth, I know what you are. Admit it to yourself... do it."
Origami's left arm slipped, and she felt her right arm about to give in.
'This is my punishment, this is... why Chinami refuses to accept me, isn't it? Mom... Dad... I'm sorry.' Origami thought, and soon enough Metatron's crown glowed.
[This isn't the end master... no, this isn't the end Origami! FIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!]
Origami found herself in her mind, laying on the ground. She got up and looked at where she was and got on her feet. Nothing but endless blackness as she stared at the sight before her.
"Where am I? Am... am I dead, has my suffering finally ended?" Origami wondered, walking around despite there was nothing to be present in this black realm. Soon before her formed a copy of herself, looking just like Chinami but with her colors. "W-who are you!?"
"You've killed, so why have you run?" 'Origami' spoke, making Origami back up, but no matter how much she did the short haired version of herself before her didn't get further. In fact, she swore she was getting closer without taking even a single step. "Stop denying the path, once is enough. Don't turn away from it!"
Origami fell over and screamed as her short haired copy tried to grab herself. Right as she was about to take hold...
"Get away from our daughter!"
Suddenly the short haired copy shook, and she suddenly dissolved away. Origami gasped and turned around, and soon gasped as she saw them, she saw... her mother and father looking at them smiling.
Her father had short dark brown hair and a tall stature, wearing black sweater with a white shirt underneath it and brown cargo pants. Her mother had brown hair tied in a side plait, wearing a yellow long sleeved shirt that stopped a bit past her elbows and black pants with an apron on. These were the outfits they were wearing before their last moments.
"Mom... dad..." Origami breathed, her eyes soon shaking as she cried and ran over to them. Hugging them tightly as they did the same and rubbed her back. "B-But how, I thought you were... how is this possible?"
"It might have to do with the fact we're in your mind... I think." Origami's father answered, making Origami's face go blank for a moment as she scrunched her mouth a bit. Then she realized she was being choked before she was in here and blushed a bit.
"Look at you, you've become such a wonderful young lady in the last few years." Origami's mother replied, making Origami blush as she rubbed her cheek before taking some of her daughter's hair in her hand. "You even grew out your hair like I suggested, it really does suit you."
Origami sniffles a bit.
"I... I grew out in honor of you telling me that, I wanted keep something to remember you by." Origami answered, sniffling more before crying and hugging them tightly.
"I'm so sorry! I never wanted this to happen, I... I just wanted to protect you, but what I gained to do that took you away right before me! I'm barely any different from a murderer, I just wanted to die and see you again!"
Origami's mother wiped her tears from her face.
"Don't blame yourself sweetie, you have nothing to apologize for. Dry your tears." Origami's mother said as she comforted her.
"But... but I... I-" Origami stated, only to her sobbing as she saw Metatron's crown behind her. Normally Metatron couldn't shed tears, so perhaps her mind was letting the Angel manifest what it wanted to truly convey. "Metatron? W-why are you crying?"
Metatron kept sobbing as she neared Origami.
[Because... your mother's right, I should have told you this long ago... but I never thought you'd believe me. Origami, your powers didn't lose control, think about it... why did only one pillar fire?]
Origami blinked at that, and then realized... Metatron was right, their position at the time wasn't Kadour, and that was the only time one could move outside a formation. Even then she had never seen only one move alone except that one time.
[You've realized it, there's a reason for that. It's because... when you saw your parents, it wasn't that the surprise made you subconsciously fire at them due to that shock associating them as a threat... I fired at them!]
"What!?" Origami gasped, it was her own Angel's consciousness that fired? That single pillar... was Metatron's shot and not hers?
[Your... your last possessor was killed by Marina, brutally no less. Marina bound her with her wires and I was in a spot I couldn't fire without risking her. I watched as Marina gassed her with poison and acid that melted her to death!]
Origami turned a bit green and held her mouth upon hearing that.
[When you became my new host, when you found your parents, the fire kept me from seeing them properly. I thought I saw Marina, and not wanting to be unable to save you... I forced my will into a pillar and fired, but it wasn't until you cried that I realized who I really shot. It was never you Origami, I'm the real killer of your parents!]
"Metatron..." Origami breathed, soon reaching out a hand to rub the crown representing her Angel as more tears shed from it. "All this time, you bore this burden because you didn't think I'd believe you. When you kept telling me not to die, this was why... you blamed yourself."
Origami's lip trembled before she pulled Metatron close and hugged the Angel. Metatron shifted to look at her as it did.
"I forgive you."
[W-what? But Origami, I-]
"Metatron, all this time I was suffering because I thought I killed my parents. Yes, it still hurts that they're gone, that they'll never come back... but now I know these hands of mine didn't truly kill. My Inverse Form, she represents the sin of our mistake... it's the true horror." Origami explained, sobbing more.
"What Rinne told us... the Inverse Forms' origin, if anything's to blame for that day then it's that dark power. Never again, we won't let it do more damage ever again! That's a promise, right... partner!?"
Metatron paused, and soon remembered Marina's look... and then a brief moment the pillar it fired was flashing black. Soon tears shed from Metatron again.
[Y-yeah... that's a promise Origami! We're partners!]
Origami sniffles and smiles, soon turning to her parents with a sad look and she hiccups and cries more.
"This is... this is goodbye, I have to leave now." Origami cried, wiping her tears. Her father soon cups her face and looks at her in the eyes.
"No it isn't, that little pink haired friend of yours? Because of her, our souls are always with you. Even if not physically... we'll always be with you." Origami's father smiled, and Origami gasped as she finally understood what Rio did with her parents' ashes... she put their souls into her.
Origami cried more as she smiled, she felt them hug her one last time before the black realm turned white and she returned to reality. She opened her eyes with a determined face on her now.
"I may be shy, I may stutter... but from now on I won't let the past defy me. I know the truth now and I will fight! I will protect my family, I will protect Shido and everyone else!" Origami declared, and remembered Tohka smiling at her the day they became friends. "You were right Tohka, we both had a second chance. Now I'm actually gonna use it!"
Origami's eyes suddenly focused and she threw her limp left arm in Inverse Origami's face, hitting the Inverse counterpart hard enough for her to release her and suddenly gasp at Origami's suddenly strength.
- (*Attack on Titan - Call your name*) -
Origami looked at her, no longer afraid of her.
"What's with that face, have you finally accepted the truth?" Inverse Origami asked, Origami sighed before staring at her with serious eyes.
[No, she didn't accept it. Because your truth was a lie... the one who committed death was me... no, it was Marina's death of my previous host allowing the Inverse power to manifest briefly and kill her parents. You are the killer, and used me to do the deed!]
Inverse Origami suddenly shifted her eyes a bit at the claim, and soon widened them at the sight of Origami's eyes glowing like hers, but for her it wasn't a fearful glow... it was a radiant one that made those watching feel like they saw an Angel coming to save them.
"I... will never let myself feel the need to die, Shido and Rio... and Tohka! All of them made me live long enough to see the truth! For that reason... I'm going to fight, so I can protect them and save Shido!" Origami declared, soon having Metatron fire at Inverse Origami.
Her dark half auto-teleported again, and at this point Rinne's group arrived to see her fight. Mayuri soon prepared to get off her horse.
"Come on, let's go help-" Mayuri began, only for Rinne to stop her. Mayuri looked at Rinne in surprise. "Rinne?"
"I see it in her eyes, Origami's about to overcome her greatest demon. Let's not interfere." Rinne replied, and Mayuri blinked before nodded and making her watch alongside everyone else. Origami flew at Inverse Origami and knocked her back.
Origami flew up into the air and aimed Metatron at her.
"Kadour - Sword of Light!" Origami declared, and the pillars fire their beams. Inverse Origami dodges them via her auto-teleportation and soon began dodging as the pillars dove down like swords. She was about to dodge the last one only for Origami to constrict her.
"No, this... you can't!" Inverse Origami shouted, and Origami gave her a look that made her suddenly freeze as Origami threw her up and made the sword collide to her shock. "No... this isn't... it isn't possible!"
Origami pants as she aims a Metatron pillar that fell near her hands.
"FIRE!" Origami screamed loudly, and the pillar fired its beam of light. Inverse Origami was consumed by it as her eyes went blank and shattered apart as white spirit power. Origami pants as she stared at the result, as did everyone else. Origami fell to her knees and soon teared up.
"Mom... dad... are you watching? As of today, your deaths... have been avenged, and my demons... have been purged!"
Origami cried, but with happy tears as she smiled, Rinne smiled as she walked over and helped her up. She hugged her close and rubbed her back, letting Origami let it all out as she finally found her pace and Choronzon's screams rang out, the white eye gem breaking.
"You did good Origami, you did good." Rinne smiled, looking towards Choronzon. "Now all that's left is Inverse Yoshino and Inverse Tohka. Victory is closing in on us, don't give up you two!"
- (*insert song end*) -
Meanwhile with the ultimate Demon King himself, he growled as soon enough, the second section of roots tore out of the ground. Soon enough, the sight of Choronzon's roots flapping like wings entered the sight of many as its final section of roots began to pull out faster.
"Yes, almost! I'm also there! Soon enough I'll be coming for you, then we'll see your bravado!" Choronzon cackled, making Rinne and the others look in horror. That's when Marina realized what was about to happen, seeing the dark spirit power of [Paradox] and [Devil] in her wires.
"He's not just trying to become mobile... he's trying to fly!" Marina gasped, suddenly sweating profusely. "How much time left?"
~ETA until the second Chaotic Divergence charge is ready: 15 minutes
Marina paled, they only had a quarter of their remaining time left, and one of the last two Inversions was currently unbeatable by what everyone saw.
"Oh man... this just became all the more real." Rinne replied, a drop of sweat trickling down her cheek. Choronzon gave a might shriek as the sight of the last set of roots continued to start ripping free. All the while, Shido's unconscious form was still unresponsive within Choronzon.
Tohka turned at the sight, and stared as she sweated.
"SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIDOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Tohka screamed, her voice's echo almost as a signal to the battle nearing its end.
Alright, nice one Kurumi! What a twist with Origami too. Who would have thought, it wasn't her, but Metatron who did the fatal deed... and apparently the first sign of Inversions manifested somehow, and apparently it might have been Marina's fault for poisoning Origami's predecessor to death. I had planned to drop this bomb since Origami's arc, kind of a way to give her closure due to how different her arc was from canon.
Oh, and I had two guest reviews ask about this, also giving me a reason to show that brief moment of Shido's current status. They both asked me about feeling Shido was fighting Choronzon from the inside. Well he isn't directly doing it, but subconsciously has in a way no one's realized, and since I may not bring it up I should say what it is now. Have any of you noticed how most of the Spirits are getting second winds at the last moment?
He's unconsciously, and without Choronzon noticing, giving them the strength they need at a dire moment. His whole denial of seeing that hallucination of Tohka's death? While the darker spirit power Choronzon's channeling has used it to make Inverse Tohka have the power to respawn (oh, I should mention Tohka's already re-destroyed her a few times, more on that next chapter), Shido's bonds with them still hold and are helping them stay strong to find a way through at the last moment.
The Fraxinus is finally back up and running, but not completely, so they can at best pick up the survivors and move them to safety... because the moment Choronzon uproots from the ground and takes flight, they might not be able to survive much longer. They better hope 15 minutes is enough time to make it over before Choronzon's Chaotic Divergence is ready to fire off again.
See you all next time where Yoshino takes on her Inverse Form and finally... the moment I've been waiting all season to make will happen with Tohka! Until then everyone, stay awesome ^^
-Spirit Bond Levels & Passive Abilities-
Tohka - 99% (Form a mana barrier automatically)
Origami - 95% (Teleport Dodging)
Yoshino - 90% (Dampen enemy territories)
Kotori - 92% (Healing from fatal wounds minus losing his head, doesn't work on wounds caused by blunt force)
Kurumi - 87% (Hide in his shadow, and only his)
Rinne - (Summon a weakened copy of Uriel)
Natsumi - 84% (Transform into Shiori)
Kaguya - 78% (Flight)
Yuzuru - 78% (Weight Manipulation)