Date A Re:Live
S3 Chapter 67: Sephira Fury, 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]
Before we begin, time to sound the same warning as in the previous chapter.
WARNING! MINOR TO MAJOR SPOILERS FOR VOLUME 17, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Spoiler warning's up, so time to start our opening notes. We say a big mass of surprises last chapter. Those surprises included the transformation of Shido and Mana becoming full-fledged Spirits, but through a huge gamble since Mukuro was still unsealed and therefore the technique was still unstable, which had nearly caused both to fall into an Inversion.
However, even among all that, Tohka still kept fighting to keep control and protect the others. Despite the odd sneakiness of Chinami during the whole situation, no one seems to have realized her presence... at least, not yet. *gives an evil smirk, shifting eyes a bit* In the end, the biggest surprise came when Tohka managed to quell the rage of her Inverse half and finally managed to Ethereal Shift!
With the power of hope now on her side, Tohka's gonna be fighting everyone else's despair, and Shido's gonna use the chance that Tohka's given him to finally save Mukuro, with the team on Mana's side hopefully doing the same to Mildred, who's still in or out, and anything could happen. The first page of this arc is about to make a major turn here!
Now to reply a guest review.
To Seeker213:
"I was wondering if anyone was gonna bring that up or guess about it, as for your vague idea? While some of the ideas connected to it will probably be different than you expected, I have a good feeling your idea is right on the mark. As for the Persona vibe, you think so? Huh, I didn't even consider that when I made the chapter, I had just been trying to echo Tohka's own arc, so that's a unique coincidence to get such a vibe in there ^^ "
"Ooh... I hate when that kinda thing happens, that's where we have video games that are known as "hidden gems" on occasion, they didn't end up in the right situation to have their sparkle go into the obvious sight that would have gained them a large audience. While I don't know too much about doing a fanfic, I'll at least consider checking the game out. *sees the part about Kaguya's seiyuu doing a few songs for the game* Wait, really!?"
Alright, I think it's time to get this chapter up and show the highlight we've all been waiting for... the Ethereal Tohka vs Inverse Army showdown! Now, let's do this!
-Inverse Mayuri, Code Name: [Grigori]-
Demon King: Abaddon - Kerubiel's Demon King counterpart. It takes the form of its Angel counterpart, but the wings are more like a demon's in appearance. The only difference between it and Kerubiel is that the lightning it creates has a much higher level of voltage, and it can also manipulate the metal on its own form.
- Alternate Form: Indra - The Inverse counterpart of Zeus. In this form, Abaddon assumes a form of what seems to be a trio of drills twisted into the shape of one, and doubles as a form of transportation for Mayuri. Like its counterpart form, it charges up an explosion electromagnetic plasma blast, but with the additional drills, can also shoot regular lightning and melted metal from the other two drills.
- Powers: Due to the nature of her Inverse Form's creation, Mayuri basically has the same powers as before, simply enhanced by the Inversion's use of Dark Reiryoku. In fact, Mayuri's Inverse Form is the only one that doesn't seem to have any true differences aside from more power.
Risk Factors: S
Spacequake: AA
Spirit's Astral Dress: AA
Demon King Rank: AAA
Strength: 178
Consistency: 156
Spiritual Power: 250
Agility: 182
Intelligence: 125
Tohka giggled a bit, causing all of them to look at her oddly.
"Why would I lose control, when..." Tohka asked, beginning her shared response.
"...we're one in the same." Inverse Tohka finished.
Inverse Rinne's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief, recognizing Inverse Tohka's voice.
"What, why are you aiding her!?" Inverse Rinne screamed.
"Because... I want to believe in her, she told me she wouldn't reject me, I can't find it in myself to hate Humanity when its them that's allowed us to live once again!" Inverse Tohka shouted.
"And now, it's time we fight together, Shido... don't worry, your effort wasn't in vain!" Tohka exclaimed.
Tohka raised Nahemah into the air, and within her mind, both halves of Tohka slowly moved into the same spot, soon glowing brightly.
"Our power together, as one!" Both exclaimed.
"Ethereal... SHIFT!"
At that moment, Dark Reiryoku escaped from Tohka's body, before changing from dark purple to a bright purple as it changed into Light Reiryoku, causing everyone who saw it to gasp in shock at the sight.
After a long period of a transformation, the Light Reiryoku swallowed itself into Tohka as she slowly lowered to the ground, once again in her Ethereal Form.
"No, impossible... how can this be!?" Inverse Rinne gasped.
"Come to me, Shekhinah!" Tohka exclaimed.
Soon the more noble and legendary looking version of Nahemah, only in Sandalphon's color scheme with some white added in, manifested in Tohka's hands as she readied herself against Inverse Rinne.
As she looked towards the Inverse Spirit before her, Tohka gave a determined smile.
"Get ready, its time you learn you can never extinguish are hope!" Tohka exclaimed.
"Why... you... little-" Inverse Rinne growled, readying Choronzon.
Then, without any warning whatsoever, Inverse Rinne suddenly freezes as her eyes dilate, and then start shifting back to Rinne's actual color.
"What!? No, no this is... you can't do this me, stop it!" Inverse Rinne screamed.
Everyone looked in shock, and then Inverse Rinne swiped her Demon King, the sound of shattering was heard as the real Rinne appeared, wearing her Limited Astral Dress as she breathes heavily. The other Inverse Forms showed shock at that.
"W-w-what!?" Inverse Marina exclaimed.
"She broke free, but how!?" Inverse Miku gasped.
Rinne cracked her head back into place, and then stretched a bit as she readjusted herself.
"I knew there was something funky about how I ended up inverting, so I've gotta thank you Tohka, escaping your Inverse Form gave me what I needed to escape my own." Rinne smiled.
"Huh, what did I do?" Tohka asked.
"When my Inversion began, it was strange, it didn't feel like my own power had suffered, it was more like you and the other Sephira Spirits' powers did it." Rinne explained.
Both Tohka and Shido looked at each other, not understanding it, until Shido suddenly gasped.
"Of course, it's like how you can't regain your power until I seal Mukuro, when all ten Sephira Spirits inverted... it caused you to enter your Inverse Form because nothing but Dark Reiryoku was connected with you!" Shido realized.
"Yep, that's the theory I came up with too, so the moment Tohka left her Inverse Form, that gave the small opening I needed to break free." Rinne confirmed.
Rinne sighed, looking at the direction of Inverse Mukuro.
"Tohka, think you can handle these jerks controlling our friends?" She asked.
Tohka nods, giving a determined smile.
"Don't worry, I can do it!" Tohka exclaimed.
"Alright, then I'll help Shido with Mukuro, I'd probably just get my butt kicked while I'm lacking my full power." Rinne replied.
Rinne hefted Shido on her back, surprising the latter slightly.
"Come on Shido, you've got a little star in the sky, now make your wish on it come true." Rinne smiled.
"...Yeah, it's time to save her." Shido agreed, nodding slightly.
Rinne took to the sky with Shido, and Tohka turned to the remaining Inverse Spirits, holding her Archangel out.
"Shekhinah, are you ready for this?" Tohka asked, smiling as she knew the answer.
"[I am, let's do this Tohka!]" Shekhinah replied in a new voice.
Tohka rushed ahead, shouting loudly as she did, an angry Inverse Marina growling before she roared, taking the front and holding out Mammon.
"Destroy her Mammon, kill this bastard right now!" Inverse Marina screamed.
[As you command, I'll destroy her!]
Mammon spread a wave of acid and poison gas at Tohka, causing the ethereal Energy Spirit to move her hand to part of her Archangel's frame.
"AEGIS!"
Tohka pulls part of the frame away, her crystal powers combining with it to make a shield as Tohka zoomed through the venom, surprising Inverse Marina, and giving her little time to dodge Tohka's slash at her.
"Hah, you missed-AUGH!" Inverse Marina mocked.
Inverse Marina saw a purple slash mark form on her, causing her eyes to shake as she turned to face Tohka, seeing about ten feet ahead of where she slashed had also been cut in the process despite Tohka had clearly only hit the air.
"What, y-your sword can... it can..." Inverse Marina gasped.
"As long as I wanna hit it, anything within 10-feet of Shekhinah's blade will still feel the slash." Tohka giggled.
Inverse Marina growled at that.
"Why you!" She roared, aiming at her.
Tohka jumped into the sky, dodging her attack, but soon noticing Inverse Kaguya and Inverse Yuzuru preparing to strike her from both sides, each holding Adramelech in their respective chain and lance form.
"We've gotcha now!" Inverse Kaguya cackled.
"There is no escape." Inverse Yuzuru declared.
Tohka thought for a bit, and soon smiled a bit, holding Shekhinah with both hands.
"You're right, how about I give you both a hand, or rather... a sword?" Tohka asked.
The two looked confused as they neared her, only for Tohka to smirk.
"PROMETHEUS!"
The Inverse Yamai twins suddenly widened their eyes as Tohka smiled, a Shekhinah in each of her hands as she blocked both their strikes. With a mighty push, both of the Inverse Yamai sisters were flung into the ground, crashing into building walls.
When the others saw the dust clear, the two tried to get up, but soon they both fell to the ground, a dark orange sphere enveloping both before they became normal orange, and the two were shown unconscious in their normal forms.
"No, their Inversions have been undone!" Inverse Kotori shouted, panicking a bit.
"Why are you panicking, we still have an advantage." Inverse Kurumi smirked.
Tohka looked at Inverse Kurumi confused, only to see her draw Lucifuge near their heads, her eyes widening.
"We don't necessarily need them, as long as there's someone for the Sephira Crystal to bond with, everyone's replaceable in the long run." Inverse Kurumi stated, aiming a dark smile at Tohka.
'Crap, I didn't consider the others could be used as hostages, what do I do!?' Tohka worried.
Inverse Kurumi laughed, soon motioning her hand to the trigger, ready to fire Lucifuge and kill the Yamai twins before her very eyes, and just when it seemed like nothing could save them from death...
"Hey you, Ms. Wisecrack!"
"Huh?" Inverse Kurumi wondered.
Suddenly both Lucifuge guns were shot, knocking them out of Inverse Kurumi's hands to her surprise, and quickly alerting her someone in the area.
"It must be the AST, don't just stand there, kill those two now!" Inverse Kurumi shouted.
The others all turned and fired an attack at them, only for Saya to drop down and form a barrier, taking the attacks before breaking. The Inverse Spirits were all shocked, soon turning as incoming fire from Ryouko smoked the area.
Saya quickly tossed Kaguya up into the sky, causing Ryouko to catch her as Saya grabbed Yuzuru, soon flying near Tohka.
"Ryouko, Saya, and the AST!" Tohka cheered.
"Sorry for being late, we had to break a roof open to get here!" Saya chuckled.
"Don't worry about the others, we'll keep them distracted so you can face them one on one, and make sure they don't kill each other." Ryouko reassured.
"Thanks you guys, that was scary for a moment." Tohka thanked.
She soon turned to look back at the other Inverse Spirits, who all looked at her as the smoke cleared, and soon rushed ahead.
Reine soon found herself outside, heading towards the spot where the light of Tohka's Ethereal Shift had been not too long before, and as she headed there... the sight of a familiar pair of glowing lights neared her.
"Huh, what are these?" Reine thought aloud.
One of the lights stopped.
"...That voice!"
Reine's eyes widened, and she teared up, that was a voice she recognized better than anyone.
"S... S... S-Seigo?" Reine stuttered.
"It is you!" Seigo gasped.
The light hopped a bit towards Reine, and Reine held her hands out, crying as she looked at it.
"Seigo..." Reine cried.
"Ahem?"
Reine turned to the other light, and slowly gasped again, not even needing to hear his voice.
"Isamu!" Reine cried happily.
Isamu felt himself picked up in Reine's other hand, and soon she sniffles.
"I've missed you both... so much... for all these years." Reine cried.
"OK, not to ruin the moment, but... why does the city look like something ate half of it before puking it out on the rest of it?" Seigo asked.
Reine regained her focus and looked towards the city, giving a flat look as she took a moment to find her words.
"Uh... well, a Spirit went under an Inversion and-" Reine explained.
"Is she a golden-blonde, wears a pink qipao dress, and holds a giant staff shaped like a key?" Seigo asked.
Seigo soon noticed both Reine, and Isamu, stare at him in shock... or whatever a glowing light's equivalent to staring was in the latter's case, making Seigo feel a bit nervous.
"What? Before my soul broke apart, I told my son I had visions of the Spirits he'd meet, and that's the only one I didn't see when I helped Tohka save him a few months back." Seigo asked.
"...OK, let's go with this." Reine replied, sweat dropping a bit.
Isamu groaned, shaking his head.
After he regained his focus, Isamu floated in front of Reine, and despite having no face to see his expression... Reine suddenly got very nervous upon looking at him, especially after her various flashes of memories including him saying to head to the battlefield.
"It's time, you must remember who you really are." Isamu stated.
"Huh, but... what are you talking about, I know who I am." Reine questioned confused.
"I'm... I'm Seigo's sister, Shido and Mana's aunt, Rinne's unofficial sister-in-law, and... your wife, right?" She asked.
Isamu just floated in place, his silence filling the air.
"Come on Isamu, stop pulling our leg, I know some of the weird stuff I've gotta share is weird, but saying that is-" Seigo commented.
"You can't say a thing, if you really knew, then you wouldn't be saying that to me." Isamu interrupted.
Seigo went silent at that, surprised his best friend said that to him.
Isamu sighed, already troubled by what he knew needed to be done.
"...The answers won't reveal themselves here, but at the battlefield." He stated.
As Rinne flew towards Mukuro, Shido still hanging on her back, the inverted Dimensional Spirit screamed and aimed at her.
"Huifu - Restore!"
"Cuihui - Destroy!"
Rinne's eyes widened as Mukuro restored most of the town, only to break it and use the debris like a meteor shower.
"Whoa, no wonder you were struggling under that time limit!" Rinne mentioned, taking a deep breath after.
"Hey mom, just to ask, but do you have a plan here?" Shido asked.
"I do, but I'll need to have Mukuro use her strongest attack against us for it to work, and when I give the signal, I'll need you to pour some of everyone's power into me." Rinne explained.
- (*Gurren Lagann - Sorairo Days*) -
Shido gasped, the two dodging more of Mukuro's debris.
"What!?" Shido shouted.
"I need the power of every Spirit to make this work." Rinne stated.
"But wait, I don't have any link to Mayuri, there's no way that'll work!" Shido mentioned.
Rinne giggled, and then tapped a finger on Shido's forehead, causing some electricity to spark through him and make him blink.
"Wait, what did you..." Shido inquired.
"Sorry, but Mayuri kinda expected we'd get a situation like this eventually, so she asked me if I could use a bit of her Reiryoku to link her so she didn't have to kiss you." Rinne answered, covering her mouth to hold back a snicker.
Shido sweat dropped at that.
"...OK, but are you really sure what you're about to do is safe?" Shido panicked.
"Nope!" Rinne smiled.
"What do you mean no!" Shido exclaimed in fear.
Mukuro screamed, aiming Belphegor at the two again.
"Waqui - Distort!"
The spatial warp nears the two, and Shido shouted before releasing a magnetic field, disrupting Mukuro's ability, only causing Rinne to shakily fly for a few moments. Mukuro gasped in shock at the sight.
"Alright, it's just like the passive skill you get from Yoshino, but this one works on Reiryoku instead!" Rinne cheered.
"I interfered with her attack?" Shido gasped.
Shido looked at Mukuro, and smirked a bit.
"Alright, I think I can do this, let's go!" Shido declared.
"Yeah, let's do it!" Rinne exclaimed.
"Jiguang - Laser!"
Mukuro blasts a laser at the two, and Shido holds up her hands, forming the disruption field and a Reiryoku barrier to soften the attack into doing no damage whatsoever. Mukuro stepped back, her whole body shaking at the sight.
"STOP THIS!" Mukuro shrieked.
"Fahui - Unleash!"
Shido looks in horror as Mukuro activated this ability, and Rinne quickly understands why when Mukuro's cries out blood rather than tears like during her first use of it, and soon shakily aims Belphegor at the two.
"Yanmo - Annihilation!"
"Mom, that's it, that's her strongest attack!" Shido warned.
Rinne nodded, and Shido poured all the power he could into her, only to be grabbed by the back of his shirt moments after.
"Mom, what are you doing!?" Shido shouted.
"Sorry, but it's a bit too dangerous for you to stay aboard, just need you to wait up here real quick!" Rinne explained.
Shido screamed as Rinne threw him up into the air, with the First Spirit soon cupping her hands into an "O" shape... all while she stood in place to receive the attack.
Giving a might scream, Mukuro unleashes the wave of decomposed Dark Reiryoku at Rinne.
"...I hope this goes right." Rinne whispered to herself, sweating nervously.
The attack soon struck Rinne, and she screams in pain as it hits her, making Shido gasp in horror.
- (*insert song end*) -
"MOOOOOOM!" Shido screamed.
"Go away... go away... everyone go away... I don't deserve anything, any kindness... I'm a curse that will just hurt everyone... just leave me!" Mukuro screamed, still shedding tears of blood.
Tohka and Inverse Kotori shout as they collide in midair, their flames and energy bursting out of their respective weapons as each tried to overpower the other. However, after a few moments, Kotori saw Asmodeus start cracking.
"No, don't break now Asmodeus, don't-Ah!"
The Demon King shattered, and soon Tohka's Shekhinah continued forward, smashing across Kotori before she was flung through a pile of debris.
Tohka soon did a back flip, avoiding an icy cyclone fired off by Astaroth, surprising Inverse Yoshino.
"Stay still!" Inverse Yoshino demanded.
"So, you want me to attack you, OK!" Tohka joked.
The inverted Water Spirit suddenly paled.
"W-Wait a second, I take it back, you don't have to-" Inverse Yoshino panicked.
"GANDIVA!"
Shekhinah changes into a gun/bazooka-like form, and soon aims at Inverse Yoshino, prompting Inverse Rio, Inverse Miku, and Inverse Nia to act.
"I'll take the attack!" Inverse Rio shouted, holding Belial out.
"Back off!" Inverse Miku screamed.
The inverted Sound Spirit suddenly unleashed a sonic scream towards Tohka, while Inverse Nia opens Beelzebub.
"I'll make sure her changes are-" Inverse Nia stated.
Before she could finish, Inverse Nia felt her hand get shot by Tohka, sending Beelzebub flying before she used her free hand to grab Inverse Miku's attack. The latter's eyes widened in shock, while the former tried to grab Beelzebub before it was too late.
"Sorry, too late." Tohka giggled.
Gandiva fires, and the force slams into Belial, shattering the Demon King before tossing Astaroth, alongside with the two standing on it before Inverse Miku, and Inverse Nia, are both hit by the flying black rabbit mech.
Tohka winced a bit as it fell on top of them, and soon opened her eyes as Reiryoku spheres show their unconscious forms as they reverted back to normal.
"No, I won't let you undo it!" Inverse Kurumi shouted.
Kurumi fires Lucifuge's time rewind bullets... however, because of the nature of their forced Inversions, it doesn't have any effect since they weren't in control.
"Lucifuge, you are completely useless!"
[Shut your trap, you whinny little princess!]
The nearby AST members all sweat drop at the sight.
"Seriously, is she arguing with her Demon King?" Ashley asked.
"Apparently, that's a yes." Cecile answered, sweat dropping slightly.
Leonora shook her head, and motioned to Tohka about the distraction, and the Energy Spirit nods before walking towards her and tapping her shoulder.
Inverse Kurumi turns to angrily look at Tohka, only to see her holding a charged energy sphere on her finger.
"You little cheat, oh no you don't!" Inverse Kurumi shouted.
Inverse Kurumi stomped the ground, her shadow expanding as a whole fleet of clones appeared, and Tohka blinked before readying Shekhinah.
"[Ooh, you gonna show her our special energy wave tricks?]" Shekhinah asked.
'Her... what now!?' Inverse Kurumi thought, sweating a bit.
Tohka gave a toothy grin.
"Yep!" She answered.
Tohka spun around, and after swinging her Archangel, the energy slash spiraled into a saw shape, splitting into three as they cut through some of Inverse Kurumi's clones, making her gasp before she and the surviving clones all take to the air.
"You won't get me from up here, here comes my Omega!" Inverse Kurumi screamed.
Her shadow shifts into the shape of a spiky black sun, and jagged orange arrows for clock hands form inside as the timer began to count, all of Inverse Kurumi's clones heavily guarding her.
Inverse Kurumi laughs at Tohka mockingly, giving her a dark smile after.
"There's no way you'll be able to get me from here now, not fast enough to beat the clock or risk harming your friends that is!" Inverse Kurumi cackled.
"Sorry, but the correct answer was yes." Tohka replied.
"...Huh!?" Inverse Kurumi questioned, sweating a bit.
Tohka rushed forward, soon stopping as she thrust Shekhinah out slightly, and her energy wave comes out as spears, making Inverse Kurumi gasp as her clones were all shot through, leaving her defenseless as Tohka appeared in front of her with another finger blast charge.
She screamed as Tohka blasted her, causing her to fall to the ground, soon collapsing as a black sphere signified Kurumi had returned to normal.
"That annoying little brat, she's treating the whole thing like a damn game!" Inverse Natsumi growled, shaking her fists.
"We need to finish her, take her down girls." Inverse Origami said monotonously.
The remaining Inverse Spirits, which included the two Arusu sisters, Natsumi, Mayuri, and Origami herself, all readied their Demon Kings and prepared to hit Tohka with a sneak attack while she was open.
The AST noticed this, and then...
Mana watches as Artemisia, Mikie, and Katie all tried to take a look at Mildred's possibly fatal injury, the latter three grimacing.
"Oh man, I'm no doctor, but this wound looks really bad!" Miki panicked.
"Worse Mikie, I'm not sure we can help her unless we can try to outright stop her bleeding for a while." Artemisia replied, sweating a bit.
Artemisia noticed the compressed wrapping she had on Mildred was starting to gain a pink tint, showing that Mildred's blood wasn't staying in her.
Mana bit her nails in worry, and then gasped, looking at her hand.
"I think I can help!" Mana offered.
"Really?" Katie questioned.
"Yeah, while my element can work to destroy, I've seen my mom do more than just outright create, so maybe..." Mana answered.
Mana kneels by Mildred, and breathes as she holds her hand out, quickly ripping the wrapping off before making her hand glow, the indigo Reiryoku cackling out before creating a translucent wave.
To Artemisia's surprise, whatever Mana had been doing, it was negating Mildred's blood flow, keeping her remaining blood from seeping out.
"Mana, what did you do!?" Katie asked, surprised.
"I negated her blood flow, as long as I do this, her blood shouldn't leave her body, now do what you have to do." Mana answered.
The three nodded, and begin their efforts to try and save Mildred.
From a distance, Chinami was hiding in a territory barrier she made, apparently typing some things on her CR-Unit's wrist device, using the data for some unknown reason as she waited for things to settle down slightly.
"Just a bit more, and I've got all I need to deal with these weaklings once they're open, not even that whole Ethereal whatever it is will be enough to handle it." Chinami smirked, soon frowning as a thought came to mind.
'Seriously, what was with that oddity from earlier, I know total amount of Spirits... don't I?' She thought.
As she was typing more, she suddenly noticed the sight of someone walking through the battlefield, making her blink as she saw Reine with two lights.
"Wait, what!?" Chinami exclaimed.
Chinami rubbed her eyes and looked again, and saw Reine again as she walked past a building, this time missing Isamu and Seigo's forms as light due their positioning.
The Adeptus 3 wizard laughed at herself worriedly.
"...I think maybe I need a vacation after this, now I'm seeing things." Chinami joked.
Shido landed on the ground, grunting before he looked up, and watching the horror before him.
Rinne continued screaming as Mukuro's attack continued to burn into her body, with her Limited Astral Dress already showing signs of being burnt by the intense waves of Reiryoku, and soon landing on the ground from the force as Shido watched the attack continue to hit her.
"Mom, get out of there, or she'll kill you!" Shido screamed.
"Please, go... don't make me do this... don't make me kill you..." Mukuro subbed, still shedding tears of blood.
At that moment, Rinne's body disappeared from view, and Shido's eyes widened in horror before he closed them, crying as his mother's supposed death... only for a clear flash to go off to his surprise.
- (*Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon - Heroic Desire*) -
"Huh?" Shido wondered.
"Don't you dare cry Shido, because I'm not going anywhere!" Rinne declared, smiling.
Shido, and then Mukuro, noticed a sphere of purple Reiryoku between her hands.
"That's Tohka's power!" Shido gasped.
Then it became white.
"And now it's Origami's power!" He stated.
Next up was blue.
"No, that color is Yoshino's..." Shido breathed.
"Hold on, this is... no way, this is what she was planning!?" He realized.
The blue sphere then changed colors again, changing in the following order into red, black, pink, green, orange, indigo, brown, magenta, violet, silvery-gray, cyan, and then ending with the golden-yellow color of Mukuro's Dark Reiryoku, but purified.
"Shido, from that first day, you were the one that took that first step, and as you did... we couldn't help but follow you." Rinne explained.
Mukuro's attack began pushing off Rinne's body, surprising the inverted Dimensional Spirit.
"And now all our powers, all of our feelings, every element of our past, present and future have converged into a true rainbow... of harmonic energy!" Rinne shouted, smirking a bit.
"The full power of your Harmonic Convergence, that's why you took Mukuro's attack on purpose!" Shido stated, smiling a bit.
Rinne nodded, soon aiming the sphere at Mukuro.
"Shido, grab on, because I've given you the chance for victory!" Rinne exclaimed.
"R-right!" Shido agreed.
Shido grabbed on, and after taking a deep breath, Rinne gives a might shout as she unleashes the combined Reiryoku as a beam that spread into every color of Reiryoku. Mukuro gasped as the attack hit her, blinding her as it struck.
Luckily, due to not casting it through Uriel, the power was unfocused and the worst it did was completely immobilize Mukuro from the force, slightly shredding through her Astral Dress. Seeing this moment, Rinne grabbed Shido and spun before throwing Shido at her.
"GO!" Rinne exclaimed loudly.
Shido began flying at Mukuro, the recoil of the attack throwing him around a bit before managing to hug her, sealing his grip as Mukuro felt it, looking at him.
"No, please... just stay away... don't let yourself get hurt because of me!" Mukuro cried, her tears still of blood.
"You're not alone Mukuro, because we're the same!" Shido screamed.
Mukuro looked at Shido in surprise, and soon Shido summoned Raziel before writing: "Show Mukuro just how similar we are," and at that moment... Mukuro saw it all.
The loss of his father, separation from his mother, the loss of his memories, the pain of Reine, the tears shed by Rinne and Rio, but most of all? His and Mana's shared feelings of emptiness, not knowing who they were, and wanting some form of love to not feel alone... Just. Like. Her.
At the same time, Shido saw all of Mukuro's memories.
"Don't you see Mukuro, we're two sides of the same coin, we both knew what it felt like to have no one to love, and wanting to feel loved." Shido stated.
"The difference was I had Mana with me, but you were so afraid... so afraid, that the fear made you do things you didn't understand were wrong, and most of all, you never saw what could have helped you." He reassured.
Mukuro whimpers, closing her eyes as she looked away.
"Please, stop this, I don't-" Mukuro sobbed.
"Mukuro, you don't have to be afraid, because I'm your family too!" Shido exclaimed.
Mukuro's eyes widened, and then gasped in shock as a memory flashed through her mind.
Mildred suddenly felt worried ran into her room, and soon saw an open window, but what ended up being the most painful thing she saw was a lone note that said: 'Goodbye' on it, nothing more... noting less.
"No... NO... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Mildred cried.
Mildred collapsed onto her knees, screaming as tears of sadness flooded out of her eyes.
'She was... crying, for me?' Mukuro thought, her eyes shaking.
"That's what it means to be a family Mukuro, there are times that the people you love will be with others, and you can't enjoy everything with them... but that doesn't mean they'll leave or forget you, or that you mean any less to them, it means there's people that mean the same to them as they do to you." Shido answered.
Mukuro's lip trembled, her tears of blood still dripping a bit.
"That's why, no matter what, me, Mana, my family, my friends, and all the girls I love..." Shido stated.
"No matter what, we'll never forget you. No matter what you do, we'll never hate you, there's no point in one-way love because we're a family!"
Mukuro's voice began to tremble, and at that moment, Shido saw it... her tears of blood were replaced with real genuine tears.
"S-Shido!" Mukuro cried.
In that one moment, Shido moved his face forward.
The remaining Inverse Spirits, which included the two Arusu sisters, Natsumi, Mayuri, and Origami herself, all readied their Demon Kings and prepared to hit Tohka with a sneak attack while she was open.
The AST noticed this, and then Ryouko whistles.
"Bring it out girls!" Ryouko ordered.
"Right!"
Everyone pulled out some kind of bazooka shaped rifles, firing off some kind of energy nets, and the remaining Inverse Spirits all saw it fall on top of them, trapping them in place as Tohka and the AST all moved away from the random directions their attacks discharged from.
Inverse Origami looks at the net, and glares at the AST members.
"...I hate all of you." Inverse Origami stated.
"Yeah, we love you too." Leonora said sarcastically.
"Now Tohka, knock them out of our friends!" Saya exclaimed.
Tohka nods, and soon she rushed forward, zooming for face forward as she raised Shekhinah into the air as she summoned its throne, shattering it and forming Shekhinah's true form in her hand.
"Take a look at this. souls of the Spirit Dimensions, this is the power born from the Sandalphon region's denizens letting go of their hatred, the power born of Humans and Spirits combined!" Tohka shouted.
"Lahathelev!"
With a mighty scream, Tohka swung the sword down.
Both Tohka and Shido's actions happened simultaneously, with the remaining Inverse Spirits all shrieking as the attack this them, undoing the remaining Inversions trapping their friends' bodies, while Shido kissed Mukuro.
"Mmph!" Mukuro gasped.
Mukuro's eyes shake, soon relaxing as she closed her eyes, no longer just shedding tears of sorrow, but of joy as well. Her Astral Dress slowly faded away, leaving only the ribbons in her hear as Shido slowly lowered them to the ground, quickly removing his coat to cover Mukuro's bare form.
- (*insert song end*) -
Rinne smiled with teary eyes, wiping them away as the fight was finally over, and smiling as it finally happened.
"And then there were none." Rinne stated happily.
Right at that moment, a pink light shined from Rinne's body, and she gasped as she realized what was happening. With Mukuro now sealed, all of the Sephira Spirits had their powers within Shido, and that only meant one thing...
...Her full powers were returning.
"Oh man, I can't believe I nearly forgot about that!" Rinne stated.
At that moment, Shido and Mukuro both turned, seeing a pink pillar of light flash into the sky, alerting everyone of its presence.
"What is that?" Saya asked.
"That's Rinne, her full powers are coming back, which means..." Tohka answered, smiling.
Everyone silently gasped before smiling.
"Shido did it, he sealed Mukuro!" Everyone cheered loudly.
Everyone began heading over, intending to celebrate their success as a team.
Back with Rinne, her son stared in awe as she fully manifested her Astral Dress for the first time in nearly forever, and once it was done, she opened her eyes slowly before looking at Shido, giving a bright smile.
"...This time, I'm truly back." Rinne said happily.
Shido smiled back at her, the wind blowing past him.
"Shido!" Tohka shouted.
Soon the three turned as the others all ran into view, all of them waving and smiling at them, and the other Spirits being carried on the backs of the others, unconscious, but back to normal again.
"Everyone!" Shido called out happily.
"Hey guys, what took you all?" Rinne joked.
Everyone laughs at that, and at the same moment, Kotori was the first to wake up from her little nap, the others soon following.
"My head... what happened?" Kotori asked.
"Kotori, what's the last thing you can remember?" Shido asked.
"Well, I remember us fighting Mukuro, and then she was screaming... then I felt something dark, and that was it." Kotori answered.
Tohka looked at Kotori.
"You guys all went into your Inverse Forms, apparently trying to lock our memories caused Mukuro to accidentally make us all Inverse." Tohka explained.
"Wait a second, Tohka... are you in your Ethereal Form, and did you make it looked better!?" Kaguya shouted in shock.
Tohka giggled a little.
"Yep, and the funny part about it? All I had to do was make my Inverse half drop her hatred towards Humanity." Tohka verified.
"Y-you're kidding me... that's a joke, right?" Marina asked nervously.
Tohka shook her head, holding up Shekhinah in response.
"[She's telling you the truth, against all possibility... she convinced me to believe in her, and I saw it with my own eyes.]" Shekhinah answered.
"Wait... Shekhinah, you mean you're-" Tohka gasped.
The Archangel moved slightly to nod, and manifested as a tiny, translucent version of Tohka's Ethereal Form.
For everyone watching, this was the true form of Sandalphon.
"[Sandalphon, Nahemah, and this form... they were always part of me, as are you, one I couldn't accept before now, but thanks to you I've found myself.]" Shekhinah revealed, a smile on her face.
The Archangel looked at the other Spirits, aiming its next words towards not them, but those within them.
"[To my fellow kin, I know you might not understand why I could just relinquish the hatred I felt towards Humanity for so long, but Tohka... she showed me something, and before I knew it I saw how foolish I was. Even after all that's happened and what we've done to them, these people are still trying to help us, they have no reason to, but they still choose to, and they want us to live. That's why... I will just that, and it's my wish that one day, you have this same realization.]" Shekhinah explained.
Hearing that explanation, some of the group smiled, some were brought to tears, or some shed tears of happiness.
At that moment, Tohka suddenly gasped as she remembered something.
"What happened to Mildred, did Mana get her help, did she make it through?" Tohka asked.
The others soon had their eyes widen, remembering their injured friend fighting between life and death, while Mukuro's eyes widened.
"She's... b-but I saw her, she-" Mukuro stuttered.
"No Mukuro, she didn't die from the wound, but we don't know if she'll make it or not." Shido explained.
Shido looked around.
"Dang it, where are they?" Shido wondered.
At that moment, Shido felt a twinge and looked a certain direction.
"I don't know why, but I think they're over there, come on!" Shido ordered.
Everyone quickly rushed over.
After running for a bit, the group saw Mana with the others, Mildred on the ground... however, no signs of progress. Upon noticing them, Mana turned and gave them all a sad look, trying not to cry.
"We've... we've tried everything, but the damage is too severe, we can't save her." Mana whimpered.
"I'm sorry everyone, she's gonna go any moment now, all we can do is say our goodbyes before she leaves this world." Artemisia apologized.
Mukuro quickly rushed near her, and cried before kneeling down close to her sister.
"Big sis... I... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Mukuro cried.
Everyone gained a sad look in their eyes, but Reine on the other hand? She held one of confidence.
"No, it isn't too late, not by a long shot." She stated.
Everyone looked at her.
"Listen close, we all make mistakes in our lives, and we can't change the past... though if we remember it right, we can at least change her future." Rinne explained.
"Now with my full power, I can save her from death." Rinne stated.
This surprised the group, and no one could find their voice to ask, but then Shido found it and asked on everyone's behalf.
"What do you mean?" He questioned.
"Simple, back when she was struck, I had prepared to do something to help her, but the Inversion cost me my chance. Though at that moment I managed to copy the information on her cell coding." Rinne answered.
Rinne soon held out her hands, and soon her Reiryoku manifests around her aura before she aimed it at Mildred, firing it at her. In only a few moments, everyone noticed the damage slowly start to be undone as new cells made from her Reiryoku began replacing the old.
Needless to say, the sight left everyone nearly speechless.
"I don't believe it!" Origami stated, shocked at the sight.
"I've been practicing this ever since I regained my body, I didn't get a chance to do it for Karen or Elliot due to how they died, but I had intended to never let what happened to Seigo occur ever again." Rinne explained.
As Mildred's wound was nearly close, Rinne looked worried.
"She doesn't have enough blood, and I don't have enough power to restore that too, everyone with blood type B, lend her some blood!" Rinne shouted.
"I've got a transfusion kit, come on!" Katie stated.
Everyone with her blood type was hooked up, and Mildred soon had their blood transferred into her bloodstream until she had enough.
Shortly after that, Mildred's body had its damage fully healed.
"Yes, the wound's closed, now this last part's all that's left." Rinne sighed in relief.
Rinne turned to Mayuri.
"Mayuri, we need to restart her heart, think can you give her a 1100 voltage bolt?" Rinne asked.
"1100 volts... yeah, I think I can do it." Mayuri answered.
Mayuri put her hands over Mildred's heart, and gives her the slight jolt, but no reaction.
"...OK, little more!" Mayuri said, sweating a bit.
She did it again, and still no reaction, she breathes deeply and focuses.
"OK, one more, should I up it Rinne?" Mayuri asked.
"1700 is the highest I think you can safely go, so try that." Rinne suggested.
Mayuri nodded, and soon motioned her hands, everyone waited as she gave her final jolt to Mildred, hoping this time it worked... or that was it for Mildred.
Everyone waited for a few seconds, and then... it happened, Mildred suddenly gasped as her eyes opened up, looking around her.
"Huh, what... where..." Mildred wondered.
She looked at herself, soon remember her wound before looking to see the damage to her clothes, but no hole in her torso.
"...Am I alive?" Mildred asked.
At that moment, she heard everyone's shaking voices, and soon everyone cheered, Mildred had made it out alive!
Mukuro soon tackle hugged her sister, sobbing hysterically in relief.
"Big sis... you're OK, thank you... thank you!" Mukuro cried.
"Wait, you just called me... Mukuro, you actually remember me." Mildred asked, her eyes watering.
"I... I'm so sorry, please... please don't hate me... I beg of you." Mukuro sniffled.
Mildred's mouth quivers before she cries as well, and the two sisters hug, bringing everyone to tears as the long-awaited reunion, as well as the happy ending they deserved.
Unfortunately...
"Hate to ruin the moment, but... oh wait, I don't hate to ruin it!"
Everyone gasped as they saw Chinami rush at them with inhuman speed, preparing to attack them with her weapon charged to swing an explosive slash, and no one was prepared for it!
Knowing she had to act, Tohka swung Shekhinah, only for Chinami to try dodging way before she should have been able to, but still being hit due to Shekhinah's ability to hit slash targets from a distance.
"Guh!" Tohka exclaimed.
"Ah!" Chinami shrieked.
Both were thrown back, with Chinami crashing into part of the ground and forming a huge dust cloud, while Tohka was thrown onto a building wall, becoming a bit dazed as her Ethereal Shift undid itself.
"[I'm sorry Tohka, we're still not used to the Ethereal Form, and I'm exhausted... I'm sorry.]" Sandalphon apologized.
"It's OK, at least we kept it while we needed it most, and we at least managed to land a blow on her before she got us." Tohka panted.
"Ignore that, when did Chinami get here in the first place!?" Natsumi asked worriedly.
Rinne stared at where Chinami has zoomed, furrowing her eyebrows a bit.
"Mom, is something wrong?" Mana asked.
"The way she moved towards us, and the way she partially dodged Tohka's slash... the way she moved isn't something a human should be able to do, and yet that itself doesn't explain why it feels so odd to me." Rinne stated.
"Huh?" Mana questioned.
Rinne looked at everyone else, some sweat trickling down her face.
"This might be just me, but ever since I've seen Chinami in battle, there's been this feeling that I had about her... like something about her was wrong, but I've never understood why that was the case." Rinne explained.
Chinami soon got up, slowly walking through the dust cloud.
"Damn you all!" Chinami growled.
Everyone turned to see Chinami exit the cloud, but soon the sight of what came out surprised all of them, namely what happened to Chinami's arm...
...or rather the lack of it one!
"Huh?" Chinami wondered.
Chinami looked, and soon paled as she it, up to above her elbow, her arm was missing, but the biggest shocker was the face mechanical parts and sparks of electricity were seen from where it was missing.
The rest of her arm was seen where the dust cleared, with the same sparks and machine parts attached to it.
"Her... her arm!" Miku gasped.
"O-Oh my god, that's why her reflexes aren't human, she's a... a... a..." Rinne stuttered.
Chinami grit her teeth, knowing her secret had been exposed, the secret that made her kill Karen was quickly as she had. The secret that she wasn't human at all...
...because she was a machine!
That's right, you read that last line correctly, this entire time we've known Chinami... she's been a machine! When I was thinking on who the new Adeptus 3 should be back before I started Season 2, the big issue I had in considering Chinami being based on Old Timeline Origami was the fact she's a bit difficult for me to keep in character. However, then it hit me, what if I somehow incorporated that difficulty into an idea.
As a result, I made Chinami a machine, because a machine can glitch up and sometimes act a bit odd from it, which is why Chinami's occasional doing weird things or acting odd, yet with the right technology, she could be a machine that acts human. Since this question might come up, does Westcott know that Chinami is a machine? He actually doesn't, and until I explain it next chapter, I can only say the one clue comes from the fact she debuted in Natsumi's arc.
Well, there you have it, Mildred survived! My decision ended up coming down to the fact after having killed five people throughout the three connected arcs, I should have at least one subversion, plus I just couldn't bring myself to do it after everyone worked so hard and Tohka entered her Ethereal Form, which kinda spoke to me as "give her hope!" in my head.
First thing most of you are probably noticing that Ethereal Tohka is a bit more playful than she'd normally be, just know that's not a staple of the Ethereal Forms in general, just hers. I figure since she gets a lot more serious when she Inverts, an Ethereal Shift should get her more cheery and relaxed, so she gets a bit more playful when she fights because of it.
Now, for why Rinne was able to escape her Inversion so easily? Aside from Rinne pretty stating the answer, which is that she can't transform into either type of form unless the 10 Sephira Spirits have all assumed it, there's an even bigger reason that I can't reveal just yet due to spoilers. Though, what I can say is that it relates to the events of 30 years ago, and a bit before that.
As for Shekhinah/Sandalphon now housing Inverse Tohka, I should clarify that a bit here. The wills of each Angel were part of their essence in a sense, so when Tohka and Inverse Tohka became one, it made the latter fully integrate with her Angel. Well, we've gotten past the first leg of this arc now, the Inverse Spirit threat is gone and Mukuro's been sealed, so now... all that's left is a fight with Chinami, and the reveal of a few lingering mysteries.
Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^
-Shido Takamiya (Full Spirit), Code Name: [Harbinger]-
Angel: All - Due to Shido's ability to use the Angels of a Spirit whose power is sealed within him, Shido has no Angel of his own, but the ones belonging to the Spirits he's sealed or linked to are also considered as his.
- Powers: Shido is the only Spirit who doesn't possess an elemental affinity, but due to his power to seal other Spirits and act as a storage of sorts for their powers, he can copy the power of the Spirits that he's sealed or have a link of sorts to him. He can also use multiple Angels at once, but finds it harder to use more than three simultaneously. Due to Spirits being an all-female race, Shido's powers become stronger when he's Shiori.
Risk Factors: SS
Spacequake: A
Spirit's Astral Dress: AAA
Angel Rank: A to SSS
Strength: 150
Consistency: 210
Spiritual Power: 255
Agility: 141
Intelligence: 190
-Spirit Bond Levels & Passive Abilities-
Tohka - 100%, MAX (Form a mana barrier automatically)
Origami - 99% (Teleport Dodging)
Yoshino - 99% (Dampen enemy territories)
Kotori - 99% (Healing from fatal wounds minus losing his head, doesn't work on wounds caused by blunt force)
Kurumi - 99% (Hide in his shadow, and only his)
Rinne - (Summon a second copy of an Angel) *UPDATED*
Natsumi - 99% (Transform into Shiori)
Kaguya - 99% (Flight)
Yuzuru - 99% (Weight Manipulation)
Miku - 99% (Pain Reliever)
Maria - (Restore dying/withered/dead vegetation and plant life)
Marina - (Remove toxins or other harmful substances, either from a living creature or an object)
Rio - (Create a soothing aura of Reiryoku to reduce a sealed Spirit's anger)
Mana - (Share a mental link that can be turned on and off at will) *UPDATED*
Nia - 99% (Photographic Memory)
Mayuri - (Disrupt any Reiryoku near him with a special magnetic field)