Disclaimer:
My Hero Academia was created by Kohei Horikoshi. Shin Megami Tensei was created by Atlus. This story uses plot elements and characters from them.
The Quirk War
By: RB3
Building the Foundation Ch 5: Let Us Cling Together
The four new demon hunters, Izuku, Melissa, Danjuro, and Manami gathered at the arena, seated at desks before a chalkboard to receive a lesson from Abel. "At this point, you should have a basic understanding of your powers, but that will mean nothing if you don't know how to fight demons properly. Demons are different from any human opponents you may have faced so far, so let me explain," began Abel.
"The first and probably most important thing to know about them are their resistances. Demons have traits that reduce damage from certain types of attacks to outright reflecting and turning them against you. You should have seen this while sparring against Girimekhala in particular, who can reflect any physical attack you attempt against him. Every demon has these types of resistances, but they vary with the demon. Stronger demons will have stronger resistances and often to more types of attacks as well," continued Abel.
"Thus, you have to figure out what a demon's vulnerabilities are to properly attack them. There are a few ways to do that. One is to note what types of attacks they use. A demon tends to use attacks that it is resistant to and if a demon is found to be resistant to a type of attack, it's likely it will use that type of attack against you. For example, a fire-resistant demon is likely to use fire against you, and if you see a demon using fire, chances are, it is resistant to fire," finished Abel.
Izuku quickly jotted down this information in his notebook. "Demons use attacks they resist, and resist the types of attacks they use. Seems logical enough, but then again, some demons might break this rule, then you'd have to worry about getting caught by surprise," mumbled Izuku.
"Please listen, Izuku!" scolded Abel.
"Oh sorry! I was mumbling again, wasn't I?" asked Izuku.
"Yeah, let me continue. Atma Avatars and Standing Personas work similarly. Metal Gear both uses and is resistant to physical and projectile attacks, while the same holds true for Dr. Shield's Gear of War. Plant Zombie is immune to negative energy and ailments while using such. Kingdom of Hearts nullifies holy attacks and grants holy powers," said Abel.
Manami raised her hand and Abel prompted her to speak. "What about Altered Beast?" asked Manami.
"Ah, that is a unique Atma. It depends on what form he is in, but the Werewolf is considered a holy form," replied Abel.
"The Werewolf is holy too? That seems odd," remarked Manami.
"It has to do with the moon. The Werewolf's powers are associated with the moon, which is a reflector of sunlight," replied Abel.
"This all sounds like an RPG!" remarked Manami.
"You can think of it that way. Hit your foe's weaknesses to do maximum damage and stagger them," said Abel.
"Okay, that's easy to understand," said Manami.
"The second way of determining a demon's weaknesses is to recall the mythology around it. The third is to use some form of scanning power if you have one. The fourth is to recall what family the demon belongs to. For example, Divine demons are angels, vulnerable to dark powers. If all else fails, use trial and error, or throw almighty attacks if you have them. Those can't be resisted, but they're more taxing to use," said Abel.
Izuku raised his hand, then Abel prompted him to speak. "Which types of resistances are most common?" asked Izuku.
"Ailments. The strongest demons almost always have an immunity to ailments. In contrast, physical attacks generally work fine against most demons, but watch out for those who do have such resistances, like Rangda and Girimekhala, both of whom can reflect physical attacks," replied Abel.
As Abel displayed pictures of Rangda and Girimekhala, Izuku jotted this information down as well. "Almighty attacks ignore resistances, but are more taxing to use than regular elements. You can't use them to take advantage of weaknesses for a damage boost. Elemental attacks can hit weaknesses, but can be resisted if you hit the wrong demon. Physical attacks can hit almost anyone like almighty, but a few demons can resist them. Weigh your options and use them accordingly," muttered Izuku as he jotted notes.
"That's enough!" scolded Abel.
Izuku got startled. "Sorry again!" said Izuku.
"Due to this, being a one-trick pony is a bad idea. Only those who specialize in physical and almighty attacks could get away with it. Combined arms is the order of the day," said Abel. "Right now, all of you are still one-dimensional in your elemental coverage except Izuku, but as you train, you'll develop new abilities that can make up for that."
"Continuing... As mentioned before, we must contend with ailments. These are just like RPGs and include poisoning your foe, causing paralysis, to even charming them into betraying their friends," said Abel. "Plant Zombie has quite a few such moves, having access to sleep, poisoning, and paralysis. Kingdom of Hearts can charm. As you train, you may develop such skills yourself."
"Hear that, Danjuro? You're a master of this stuff!" said Manami.
"I certainly did! I do so abhor unnecessary violence," replied Danjuro.
"You heard what Abel said earlier. Ailments are the most resisted type of attack," said Izuku.
"Yeah, that's right, but only when fighting a boss in RPG terms. Against mobs of weaker demons, ailments are often a fight clincher, turning a losing battle into a curb stomp," said Abel.
"I see. Ailments are good for mob clearing," remarked Izuku, jotting down notes.
"Remember what Abel told us. We have to use different attacks depending on resistances," said Melissa.
"Demons also have enhancement and weakening abilities, called 'buffs' and 'debuffs' in video game lingo. They can enhance or reduce performance in areas such as offence, defence, accuracy, and evasiveness," continued Abel. "Of your group, Kingdom of Hearts has abilities to enhance all of these simultaneously for her whole team, much like her old Quirk did."
Manami smiled. "Yep! I was thrilled to find out that Kingdom of Hearts could emulate my old power! It's not as strong, but it doesn't have its limits either, and I can repeat uses to stack the effects," boasted Manami.
"Good. Today, I'll have you group up and fight a swarm of demons. Use everything I've taught you to defeat them," said Abel. "Head to the centre and we'll begin."
The furniture vanished as the future demon hunters gathered in the centre, while Abel teleported to the bleachers to supervise. The first group to appear were the Mou-Ryos, who looked like red spirits with anguished faces. Manami opened the battle by calling the Kingdom and casting hearts all over her team. Everyone got surrounded in an aura of neon pink and felt lighter and more alert as they were empowered.
As the Mou-Ryo clashed against the Kingdom's walls, Altered Beast jumped the wall and dove at the nearest Mou-Ryu. He sliced through it with Lunar Claws. A split-second later, the Mou-Ryo's halves split apart like ripped paper. "They seem weak to holy power," Beast told his team.
"In that case, have a heart!" said Manami.
She had the card soldiers on the walls fire neon pink, heart-like bullets into the spirits, who were disintegrated one after the other by their holy power. Plant Zombie sprayed the group with a golden pollen. On contact, the spirits suddenly seized up from paralysis with a few becoming sickly green in complexion. One eventually expired from poisoning and vanished in a shower of Magatsuhi motes. Metal Gear repeatedly sprayed bullets into the Mou-Ryo horde, who were mowed down in the wake of the onslaught. None of them remained.
"Good! Let's kick this up a notch," said Abel.
A towering creature resembling a man wreathed in flame appeared in the empty space across the colosseum. It was an Inferno demon and opened the battle by spraying flame at the group. They quickly scattered, but Plant Zombie got singed by the attack. "This isn't good. I can't handle fire," said Plant Zombie upon realizing his vulnerability to it.
"We lack ice, but other attacks can hurt the target," announced Metal Gear.
She unloaded a volley of bullets at the Inferno and although it got perforated, the demon was not about to fall so quickly. It retorted by igniting fires around Metal Gear, forcing her to hop behind the Kingdom's wall for safety. Her body had been slightly melted by the heat, but after some quick bodily restructuring, she was back to normal. Altered Beast charged in and slashed the flaming man with Lunar Claws. His attack seared the demon painfully, prompting a quick snuffing of the Inferno.
The flames of the Inferno had burnt Altered Beast's hands, but those wounds quickly healed. Another Inferno appeared and advanced on the group. "My claws work, but they'll burn me if I try," reported Beast as Metal Gear took his side. "We have to shoot it!"
Beast and Metal Gear hurled Lunar Balls and bullets. Plant Zombie hurled dark blasts with Queen joining with lobbed hearts. The combined attacks bore down on the Inferno and knocked it down to the ground, where its flames extinguished and it perished in a scattering of Magatsuhi motes. "Good! Here comes the last group," said Abel.
Suddenly, a horde of Oni appeared in the arena and had the demon hunters surrounded. They were horned, red-skinned, biped humanoids clad in navy blue Japanese tunics and shorts. They carried various Japanese weapons such as naginatas, katanas, and spiked steel clubs. Queen had the Kingdom of Hearts refresh her enhancing spell in preparation to receive them.
Metal Gear opened the fight by spewing bullets at the Oni. Although they struck true, the Oni seemed unfazed by it. "The Oni appear to be resistant to physical attacks," warned Metal Gear.
"Allow me!" said Plant Zombie.
He formed flowers on his body which sprayed a golden pollen upon the Oni. The demons were immediately stalled by the attack, rendered unable to move by the paralysis it inflicted. The ones sickened by poisoning began to hemorrhage Magatsuhi before collapsing in death, their bodies breaking into motes of Magatsuhi. "So, they're weak against status ailments... Time to turn on the charm!" remarked Queen.
Some of the Oni became surrounded by bright pink hearts. Their eyes glazed over as a vacant expression overtook them. They turned around and started to strike their brothers as though they were a hated enemy. Those Oni had no choice but to retaliate in order to defend themselves. As the Oni ranks were divided by infighting, Beast launched into a Lunar Kick through the ones still hostile to the demon hunters. Those Oni were punctured and destroyed instantly.
Plant Zombie lobbed a pod full of pollen into the fighting ranks of the Oni. Upon bursting, the pod released a golden pollen which paralyzed and poisoned the rest of the Oni. Beast tore through them with Lunar Kicks while Queen pelted the rest with hearts until none remained. "Good work!" remarked Abel.
))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
Between bouts of training, Manami and Atsuro looked over a copy of the footage from the MLA's bombing of the Mustafar Mall. As they reviewed the footage, they took pictures and screen captures of the people who were at the food court that day. They then cross-referenced them with various people on social media and other records to determine their identity. Slowly but surely, they had assembled a list of potential Atma infectees resulting from that attack.
"Look at this one, Atbro," said Manami.
She stopped the footage a few seconds before the bombing, then circled a face to the right of the footage in red. She brought up the picture of a young female teenager, about fourteen years of age. She wore glasses and behind them were grey eyes which resembled faceted gemstones. She had shoulder-length hair of baby blue, almost grey in colour. Her previous Quirk was Sensor, which allowed her to see a holographic map of an area, including the locations of things and individuals.
"So she's Kashiko Sekigai, a student," said Atsuro as he looked over the file.
Some later, Kashiko abruptly awoke in her bed, staring at the ceiling. The light of the sun filtered through her curtained window, heralding the dawn of a new day and the end of her nightmare. As she recalled it, she was moving through the dark alleys of Mustafar. It was a clear night yesterday and the full moon shined brightly over the darkened land. A strange, but deep hunger had taken hold of her, driving her forward, in search of anything which could satisfy this primal urge.
As she passed by a discarded, broken mirror in the trash, it reflected her form. Instead of the petite girl she was used to, she saw what looked like an alien pyramidal being of white light. She floated across the ground in an eerie display of supernatural power as she hunted for prey. Her awareness of the world around her was great, as she even knew that mice were hiding the nooks and crannies of the buildings. She detected prey nearby, a young woman vomiting at the exit of an alley.
The young woman was in her early twenties, but had a pale complexion. From her appearance and attire, she had been out partying at clubs, but had too much to drink and was now paying the price. Driven by hunger, Kashiko somehow used telekinesis on the woman, an ability her Quirk did not provide. A green glow had appeared around the woman's neck, causing her throat to seize up as though someone was strangling her. Trapped like this, the woman was helpless and could not even scream for help as Kashiko drew her closer.
The woman had horror etched on her face, for she knew that her life was just moments from ending. That was when the nightmare ended and Kashiko awoke in her bed, safe and sound. That nightmare was the latest in a series where she dreamed of herself as the monster who chased someone through a dark alley. Moments after she had cornered her prey, the dream would end and she would find herself in bed. She finished up her morning routine and ate breakfast for the day at the dinner table with her mother and father.
For the next week, everything continued as normal with her attending junior high, then returning home without incident after classes. Once that week ended, that unquenchable hunger returned, persisting no matter how much she ate. Despite her hunger, she eventually fell asleep, which brought her back to the world of her nightmares. She found herself in the dark alleys of Mustafar, on the prowl for new prey. He senses told her that such prey could be found at an intersection of alleys to the north of her location.
There, a woman poured out a bucket of dirty water used to clean her home. When "Kashiko" advanced on her, the woman became terrified to see her coming. Suddenly, a giant eagle descended from above! "Stop right there!" it told her.
The woman fled to parts unknown, wanting to be as far from the area as possible. Rather than do as it asked, "Kashiko" responded by expelling lightning at the eagle. Struck, the eagle got grounded as a result. Before she could follow up, vines sprouted from the ground and entwined her body. She ignited fire around her body to incinerate them and free herself. Metal orbs struck her hard in the back, knocking her to the ground. "Securing target Triangular Strategist," reported a biped robot with chicken legs.
The robot bound her to the ground with a mass of metal. She could not get free, no matter how hard she tried to force the metal. Even trying to melt them with intensely hot fire was not enough to weaken them. The eagle suddenly changed into the Werewolf, a towering, especially ferocious specimen of the iconic horror monster. He put some sort of red, gelatinous substance onto her body, as she had no visible mouth. "Kashiko" immediately drew it into her body and found her hunger abating instantly.
When she regained her lucidity, she found herself lying on the intersection of the alley, puzzled at how she got there. She was not dreaming any more. Her situation was very real. "Where am I?" she asked, then saw the Werewolf's face. "AAAH!" she screamed.
"Stay calm. We don't intend to hurt you," assured the Werewolf, Altered Beast.
"What do you want with me?" asked Kashiko, still frightened at her predicament.
"Target Triangular Strategist was hunting for food. We've received orders to subdue her before she terminated someone," replied the robot, Metal Gear.
"What do you mean?" asked Kashiko.
"You've been infected with Atma like we are. It's causing you to change into a monster and venture out to hunt for food at night. By food, I mean people to eat," replied Beast. "We're going to take you home, but we need to speak with your parents about this."
Beast and the other demon hunters reverted to human form and brought Kashiko home. There, they sat down with her parents and introduced themselves. They told them about what has been happening with their daughter, about Atma, and how she was sneaking out to eat people. "That must be why I keep having those nightmares," said Kashiko. "That was me changing and going out hunting, wasn't it?"
"Yeah. You've eaten at least three people already," replied Izuku.
Ms. Sekigai's eyes widened as she covered her mouth. "Oh my God!" she remarked.
Upon hearing that, Kashiko felt her stomach churn and her face became pale. "I'm gonna be sick!" she remarked.
"You said she's this way because of the MLA bombing at Mustafar mall. Did the MLA release this Atma virus through the explosion?" asked Mr. Sekigai.
"That's right. I wasn't there myself, but the one who bit me was," replied Melissa.
"What do we do? She can't continue on like this. Someone's bound to find out. They may want to hurt her!" said Mr. Sekigai.
"We understand. That's why we want her to join us. Our master taught us how to manage our condition. He wishes to teach your daughter, so she may live without fear of losing herself to the demon," said Melissa.
"Who is your master? How may we contact him?" asked Ms. Sekigai.
Izuku presented a map of Mustafar Park. It showed the location of a tree in the northeast forest which was marked with the carving of a spade. "Go to this tree tomorrow and call out to the Immortal Stranger. He will meet you," said Izuku.
"Okay, we'll see him then," said Mr. Sekigai.
When the time arrived, the Sekigai family waited by that tree in Mustafar Park. Suddenly, they were brought into a surreal world with a sky of bloody red with giant birds overflying the area. In the distance, they could see a ziggurat and a colosseum to the left of it. "What is this place?" remarked Ms. Sekigai, looking around in bewilderment.
A Pixie approached the group. "What a cute little fairy!" remarked Kashiko.
"This is my master's home. Come! He's waiting at the colosseum," said the Pixie.
The Pixie led the Sekigai family into the colosseum, where they found Abel waiting for them at the centre of the arena. "Greetings all. This is where we'll train Kashiko in the usage of Atma. I am known as the Immortal Stranger, but you can call me Abel while here," said Abel. "I'll give Kashiko a brief lesson today."
"Okay, what are we going to do?" asked Kashiko.
"Transform into your Atma Avatar, your demonic form. Simply concentrate and will the change into occurring," replied Abel.
When Kashiko did so, she became the pyramidal creature from her nightmares, her Atma Avatar. "I've changed! What is this form, and what can it do?" she asked.
"Your Atma is known as 'Triangular Strategist.' You have extrasensory perception and can acquire information by scanning a target. You can also create and control force, electricity, and fire, but we will practice your ESP today," replied Abel.
Abel had the Domain create a table with a trio of upside down Styrofoam cups and a gold coin. He then placed the coin under one of the cups, then had them shuffle around so rapidly that they were a blur. When they stopped, they were positioned in a straight line, but Triangular Strategist could not tell which cup hid the coin. "Kashiko, use ESP to determine where the coin is. Focus and reach out with your mind. You will see the correct one," said Abel.
When Triangular Strategist did so, the coin glowed with a blue aura from within the cup on the far right. "The one on the right," said Triangular Strategist.
Abel removed the cups and revealed that she was correct. "Good! Let's try this again," said Abel.
Abel had Triangular Strategist repeat these exercises, trying to pick out which cup hid the coin. No matter where the coin hid, she was able to determine its exact location each time. "Great work, Kashiko!" remarked Mr. Sekigai.
"That should be enough for this session," said Abel. "Before you go, let me lay out some ground rules. First, whatever you do, do not reveal what you saw today, or anything about the supernatural. People fear the supernatural and the demons can feed off that fear to grow more powerful."
Triangular Strategist reverted into human form. "Don't worry. I won't say anything," said Kashiko.
"Second, do not pursue training as a pro hero," said Abel.
This second rule was much more harsh than the first. "Why not?" asked Kashiko.
"Yeah, why shouldn't my girl become a pro hero?" asked Ms. Sekigai
"Becoming a pro hero means frequent combat against human villains. That means a risk of infecting your opponent in the heat of battle," replied Abel.
"Your students told me I could infect other people if I bit them as Triangular Strategist," said Kashiko.
"Yes. That's why I made that rule," said Abel. "The third is more of a request than a rule. Do you want to become a demon hunter? Not only are there infectees, but there are normal demons to worry about. We could use someone like you in the fight against these creatures. That would mean killing demons, including people infected with Atma. If you accept, we can train you more intensively, but you'll become a vigilante by your society's laws. Do you accept?"
Kashiko solemnly lowered her head. "I've already spilled blood in becoming what I am. I will do what I can to stop it," said Kashiko.
"Thank you. Though Hero Society may not recognize your efforts, I will," said Abel. "Since Triangular Strategist is a mouthful to say, I'll give you the name of 'Serenoa' while we perform missions."
))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
The next night, Kashiko came for training and entered the locker area to change. While inside, she bumped into Manami and Melissa who were already in the process of changing into sports wear. "Hi! You must be Kashiko Sekigai, our newest member," said Melissa. "I'm Melissa Shield. I was the robot who brought you in."
"Hi! Nice to meet you" said Kashiko with a smile. "What kind of Atma do you have?"
"Metal Gear. I can manipulate metal with it," replied Melissa.
"Mine's Triangular Strategist. According to Abel, it gives me ESP and the ability to command fire, force, and electricity," said Kashiko. "He gave me the code name of 'Serenoa' while I'm working with you."
"I'm Manami Aiba, better known as 'Queen.' I'm not actually infected by Atma. I use a Standing Persona called 'Kingdom of Hearts' which gives me control of a magical castle," said Manami.
"Nice to meet you both!" said Kashiko.
"Everyone is nice here, so you don't have to worry. We're all training hard to be best demon hunter we can be. Good luck!" said Melissa.
"You too!" said Kashiko.
The demon hunter candidates met Abel at the magic range for their next training session. "Hello everyone. I hope that you are well. For today, we're doing joint training to familiarize you with each other's abilities. I will create dummies, some of which have a pellet of ice hidden in them. You won't know which, but Kashiko, our newest member, has ESP and telepathy to reveal which one you should attack."
Abel had the Domain create nearly a hundred target dummies from its matter. He opened the chest compartment of one, then placed a chunk of ice into it. The dummies rose into the air, then spun around rapidly, too fast for anyone to track. Once they returned to the ground, the dummies became active and advanced on the demon hunters to attack. Queen and Plant Zombie summoned the Kingdom and zombies as reinforcements to intercept the dummies.
The two groups met in the middle with the zombies and card soldiers swinging and slashing at dummies. Even as they fought, more dummies continued to spawn from the ground and join the fight. Altered Beast cut down one approaching him with Lunar Claws. "Which one is the leader?" asked Altered Beast.
Serenoa concentrated and saw the chunk of ice glowing blue from within a dummy at the rear of the pack. She beamed the location into the thoughts of the others. "It's that one!" said Metal Gear, taking to the sky to reach it.
Some of the dummies leapt up to attack her, but she responded by sprouting metal spikes all over her body. The dummies impaled themselves on her via their own momentum. She detached the spikes and allowed them to tumble to the ground. She then unloaded a volley of bullets into the dummy with the ice pellet. As soon as it fell, the other dummies went down with it, being deprived of their sustenance.
Abel nodded. "Good! Let's keep practising," said Abel.
On another day, Inko joined the demon hunters for a lesson around a blackboard at the arena. "Today, we'll talk about demonic Domains. They are pocket dimensions created by demons as a home and a trap for prey. You're sitting in a Domain right at this moment," said Abel. "As you can see, Domains can look like anything inside. It all depends on what the demon wants for a home."
Izuku jotted down the notes. "Domains are truly amazing. A demon can make a home no matter where they are and customize it any way they like. Since we're demons as Atma Avatars, that suggests that we can one day make our own Domains. Even if we leave home, we're never really away from home. It's so convenient to be able to live anywhere in the world," mumbled Izuku.
"Izuku, you're mumbling again!" scolded Abel.
"Oh! Sorry Master Abel. I get carried away like that sometimes!" admitted Izuku.
"Izuku also mentioned a key point. Since all of you are demons in Avatar form, you can make your own Domain one day," said Abel. "Anyone who can use Amalan magic can do that, which all of you can. It's not just demons."
"That's incredible. I could build my own lab if I wanted!" said Melissa, her eyes twinkling at the idea.
"Yes. Since a demon can make it any way they want, getting trapped inside a Domain is very dangerous for the victim. You should not go in unless you have back-up or know what you're doing," said Abel.
"How do we escape a Domain if we're ever caught in one?" asked Danjuro.
"There are a few ways," replied Abel. "First is to find the demon sustaining the Domain and eliminate it. Second, you can find an exit deeper inside. A Domain's exits function as anchors which tie the Domain to a location in the physical world. Third, you can try to take control of the Domain by overlapping it with your own. This will result in you contesting the original owner for control. Succeed, and you can just remove the Domain yourself. It's most effective against weaker demons, but isn't an option until you can actually create Domains."
"Is there any way to avoid getting caught in a Domain in the first place? I'd rather not go into one if possible," asked Manami.
"You should have special senses which alert you to disturbances in the fabric of reality. If they are being triggered, it's a sign that a Domain is nearby," replied Abel. "For your next exercise, you'll be navigating a Domain created by our demons for practice. You'll exit through our Domain's 'back door' and enter one created by Mao. All you have to do is find your way to him or an exit. Use whatever means available to locate and reach him. Good luck!" said Abel.
Moments later, the demon hunters made their way to the northern forests of the Spade Mercenary Domain. Upon walking into a fairy ring there, they were brought to its counterpart in the outside world. Mao the Neko Shogun was standing ahead of them in the centre of a second fairy ring. "Purr-fect! I'll create the Domain here. Try to reach me as fast as possible," said Mao.
He vanished into the fairy ring as he formed a Domain using it as an anchor. "Let's go in and see," said Melissa.
Upon entry, Melissa and the other trainees found a town reminiscent of Sengoku Japan, when samurai still existed and the land was ruled by daimyo and shogun. Unlike normal Japan, the space had been formed within roots which channelled motes of Magatsuhi throughout the Domain. Thus, the sky took on a faint red hue. The group transformed into their Avatars and began a search. Space Harrier Hound and Altered Beast Werewolf began to sniff the air to determine where Mao was located via scent.
Serenoa calmed herself and let her senses extend to where Mao might be, then got a lock on his signature. "Mao's to the north of us. We can reach him, no problem! Let's cling together and make it to him safely!" said Serenoa.
Some masses of pixelated light emerged from the ground and took on the form of various cat-like demons. One type, the Nekomata, resembled cat girls with two tails. The other, the Cait Sith, were the same type of demon as Midori's partner, Catsy, and resembled the Puss in Boots. Some of them started to hurl small tornadoes at the group, forcing them to scatter to avoid them. The Nekomata employed dark sorcery to cause Zombies to dig their way out of the ground.
Metal Gear formed arm cannons, then pelted their ranks with bullets. Several of the enemy forces were felled immediately. Nearby, Space Harrier became the hawk and unloaded energy shots into the enemy horde. Cat after cat and Zombie after Zombie fell to her attacks. "Gunfire works against them," reported Space Harrier.
"Keep at it! You're thinning out their numbers," said Serenoa. She called lightning onto the crowd, shocking several and disrupting their advance.
A Nekomata's whirlwind struck Harrier, blowing her to the ground, but she quickly bounced back up in hound form. She hopped to the roof of a wooden house with preternatural speed, then fired shots at her foe. The Nekomata proved just as quick, bounding up to the roof of the house across the street. She sent tornadoes at Space Harrier, who teleported away, right behind the Nekomata, and blasted her with bolts of energy. The Nekomata stumbled forward and fell off the roof, perishing before she hit the ground.
Queen's card soldiers charged a trio of Cait Sith and stabbed one with spears. The others retaliated by hurling wind which dispersed them into nothingness. More card soldiers spawned from within the Kingdom of Hearts to replace the losses and charged back into the fray to meet the Cait Sith in battle. "These guys keep coming. We're not going anywhere if we're bogged down here," said Queen. "Beast, take Metal Gear and Space Harrier with you to find Mao. Plant Zombie, Serenoa, and I will keep these guys busy."
"Okay, let's go," said Beast.
He became the Garuda and followed Metal Gear and Space Harrier as they made their way further north. They soon came upon a Japanese castle adorned with flags, each with a blue emblem resembling a cat paw. Its gate was guarded by a pair of Cait Sith. Space Harrier suddenly teleported beside them and spit energy at them. The Cait Sith fell instantly and the group soon entered the castle and found a door separating them from the central chamber. They could sense a powerful demon waiting beyond, Mao himself.
They entered and found Mao seated on a stool with his cat-like standard raised. "You've reached meow. Congratulations!" said Mao.
The Domain suddenly vanished, leaving the group standing in the fairy ring which once marked its entrance. "It looks like we've passed the test," remarked Melissa upon reverting to human form.
"Purr-fectly!" said Mao. "Now, you know what it's like to handle a Domain. My master will be proud."
END OF CHAPTER