The Amakusa Chuch's Chosen Plan


[ACMI: Omen]

He was the last to get away and meet up at escape route two. While it was called an escape route, really this was just the next part of the plan.

"Seems like we'll have to rely on the 'origin'." The Substatute Supreme Pontif noted, surrounded by his allies in the center of the small plaza "We'll re-enact the death of the son of god to stop him. Itsuwa at the center."

He looked around at everyone "You all have nothing to regret, gather your resolve."

They all used some sort of hidden passage in the floor of the plaza to enter a maintenance area. Below was just metal and concrete, much like many of the bases GV had infiltrated over his life. This one was a hydroelectric power plant, both somewhere where he'd have a sort of advantage and one they'd be able to lure Acqua into.

After all, it was a place filled with water, he'd think he held the advantage.

"Was that passage always there?" GV asked as he droppd down after everyone else. He'd felt the passage when he'd got here but something about it felt off.

Tatemiya glanced over as he was attaching some cable to the tunnel's walls "There was already an entrance here, I just sent someone over here earlier to modify it to our purposes."

The other members of the chuch were setting up similar cables and other magical traps. They wouldn't be placing the main section of the trap here, nowhere near enough space in these tight corridors. However putting defenses up would help them get a grasp on the timing for their trap. Apparently.

For GV's part, he felt something strange, like someone was tugging on his braid.

Looking back, he didn't see anyone. Maybe it was something more mystical with the cuttings of hair he'd given out earlier. Not that he could understand why they'd try to do something magical with his hair. The feeling stopped after a minute or so, during whuch time he asked about what Acqua had been saying.

"What was he saying before? About the ritual of the divine mother?"

Some of the Amakusa members glanced at each other, Tatemiya did think it worth mentioning though.

"The Divine Mother Mary, I don't know which ritual he's using but it would probably be another sort of spell. Given the context... probably something that absolves him of sin."

"Would that damage the plan at all?" GV asked and Tatemiya shook his head.

"No, at least it shouldn't in any major way."

All of them kept working, with one exception. Itsuwa was already in position behind a pipe.

GV headed over to speak with her but she just shook her head "Go down to the next area ahead of us."

Wasn't she the centerpiece of the entire plan though?

"Why aren't you going?" GV asked.

"I don't need to be there while it's getting set up." She noted quickly before nodding down a tunnel "Now, go along, tell the others it'll be soon."

"Soon" was the right word for it as while GV sighed and started heading down to the main place the entire plan was based around, one of the water pipes in the entryway exploded.

Acqua's voice echoed through the halls.

"Since you prepared something nice for me, I should give something back in response. As I am one with an attribute of god, you should know well what I can do."

More pipes burst open and water flowed free. GV cursed as a rushing steam flooded his shoes.

All of the rest of the chuch members began running to the second location as Acqua continued "Water is something that can change easily;" Another pipe exploded and he continued "You can even make it a bomb if you use it well."

He was doing something to the water pressure in the pipes, some sort of blockage maybe? The building pressure caused the pipes to burst and spray everywhere. No, there was more to it than that, some sort of rune shimmered into existance on a pipe's surface as GV ran past, a moment later the pipe burst.

GV didn't really know how those runes worked, if Acqua had to draw them in person, was he already here- invisible? No, something about that sounded wrong. The water was a medium somehow, like GV's own hair was for electricity.

Acqua's voice continued as GV found one of the vents that led down to the large area the trap was set up in. As he slid down it, he heard Acqua's voice explaining that it was his divine mother's mercy that allowed a member of the Right seat of god to use human magic, such as these runes.

So he was cheating? Hopefully that opened up some other kind of weakness if the trap failed.

The location the trap was prepared was below most of the equipment of the hydroelectric power station. There was a room sitting above the planetarium screen of the next level down.

As GV got down there, a member of the Chuch pulled him into their hiding place. When this fight started it was important that Itsuwa were the only one in easy view. The hatch above opened soon after GV hid but it wasn't Itsuwa that jumped down. It was Acqua.

"Don't you put me on the same level as the other members of god's right seat." He said, his voice echoing in a strange way that would allow it to carry and yet wouldn't help you locate him if you weren't already looking at him. GV waited, and his fear spiked as Acqua took a position off to the side as Itsuwa dropped down. She didn't see him as he prepared to swing his mace.

"Where is Acqua?"

"Right here."

As Acqua spoke, his mace swung into her. The wind pressure alone was enough to knock her off her feat and over to another platform. This wasn't exactly the plan but it was near enough. All the pieces were in place now. And...

Wait...? How had they?

Acqua was tagged, GV could feel it. One of his hairs was in contact with Acqua's skin. When had someone been able to do that? He hadn't been tagged when he dropped- No, it had been in the moment when he dropped. A thin cable had been attached below the hole. Acqua breaking through it had given it a chance to wrap around him. He'd torn it away but hadn't apparently noticed that it had attached a small hair to him.

GV smiled. Now he just needed the proper timing.


End of chapter.

I almost fell asleep part-way through writing this chapter. Writing one long running fight isn't the most interesting part of this entire story so far. Not by a mile. Even so, we're coming up to the moment.