Trust and Doubt (Act II)
Ye-san aimed Bājiè at the abysmal colossus attracted to the lake's surface by my negative feelings.
"I-It's a..." I fell to my knees, staring in disbelief at the creature approximately 50 meters ahead.
"A giant toad." My collected partner confirmed with disinterest what we were seeing.
A loud croak echoed across the lake and its surroundings to complement her statement.
Despite the mist, the 45-meter-tall Grimm with bony protrusions and an internal red glow was hard to miss. And by tall, I meant from the tip of the highest horn in its white bone mask to the middle of its belly. Since part of its body was still underwater, I couldn't estimate how huge the black toad would be if it stood on its legs fully stretched.
Its horned mask, reminiscent of a general's kabuto (helmet), had 6 orifices from which big yellow, toad eyes observed us. There were 3 eyes on the left side of its head and another 3 on its right. Its kabuto's maedate (crest) featured a red-colored kami (神) kanji, right in the center. Grimm Liquid constantly fell from Gamagami's body, staining black the water around it.
"T-The legends are true!" I gathered enough courage to stand up.
"You won't flee this time, Gamagami. We're here to end your centuries of lake and river pollution. You will pay for what you did to this village!" A brave Ye-san raised her guandao to threaten the ancient creature.
Big ripples reached the point we stood on with each of its croaks.
Now and then, the titan's eyes rolled in weird ways, probably looking for other humans. I could not see onee-chan, so I assumed she was concealing her presence through the mask or very well hidden.
"Matte, Ye-san. Maybe we could go easy on Gama-san if it agrees to free the villagers from its control." I joined my palms in front of my body, begging her for patience.
"Ó (哦)? Do you think this monster will heal them? Unbelievable!" My partner said vexed, not taking her eyes off the target.
"We won't know till we try! Perhaps we can save every-"
"Shēngxiào..." A loud and deep monstrous voice made me turn ahead. "It's been decades since one of you faced us."
The mighty voice echoing across the lake belonged to the Grimm.
"M-Masaka! He can talk!?" I fell backward on my butt.
"Usagi-san, read your clan's records for once!" Ye-san delivered a soft kick to my ribcage.
I never gave myself time to read history or non-fiction books. Manga and fantasy novels were more my thing.
"How is it possible for a Grimm to speak so coherently!?" I stood up again in panic.
"Gamagami is a knot of mutant Grimm itself. Ones that evolved into a super lifeform after absorbing great quantities of anima mundi from Taiyou's ley lines." My partner answered, still maintaining her eyes and weapon on him.
"There's an unmarked ley line around here?" I walked across the tip of the point in search of an anima mundi stream but failed to find anything.
"Probably as a result of the last ring ceremony. Gamagami always hides in bodies of water near a source of anima mundi to strengthen itself and create Grimm armies by spreading its substance." As she explained I briefly turned around, confirming that a large group of toad mutants were quietly watching us from the village's shoreline and rooftops.
"Naruhodo. Sachiko is a good place to spread Grimm-polluted water. It is connected to other rivers and lakes in Central Taiyou." I turned to the eastern side of the lake, which drained through a series of falls far off in the distance.
"Shēngxiào shoujo, do you admit the crimes of your people?" Gama-san's regal yet ghastly voice regained my attention.
"Crimes? You misunderstand. We are here to cleanse the area. There's no need to fi-" A giant tongue traveling at hypersonic speed destroyed the point's tip and its shrine.
From the perspective of an average person, it must have looked as if the portion of land we stood on randomly exploded. Gamagami retracted its long tongue almost as fast as he fired it.
...
"Ye-san?" I landed on the lake's surface, a few meters southeast of the (former) point's tip.
"I'm fine. If anything, I'm amazed you also dodged it." My partner landed southwest of where the shrine used to be.
"You told me to set up an aura field." I casually walked on the water to approach her.
The whole point of this mission was to test the Aura Skills that onee-chan taught us in real combat. Like me, Ye-san had recently unlocked a second aura layer (the emotional one) to create an Aura Field, which granted us an extra intangible sense to analyze the environment, improve our intuition, and predict attacks more effectively.
We also relied on a miniaturized version of Aura Boost to expel energy from our feet and keep ourselves afloat in the lake. My tabi were covered in violet flames while Ye-san's slippers were burning with blue ones.
All this while keeping our etheric (physical) aura layers activated to manifest a protective energy cloak around our bodies.
"Usagi-san, we need to eliminate it! Don't let that tongue catch you! Its mouth contains acids that can melt the aura of a 4-stars hunter within seconds." Ye-san and I ran across the lake to attack the colossal toad from different angles.
Sounds like the plot of an obscene doujinshi Rai-kun would read.
Using the mythical shinobi running style, I got close to Gamagami's right flank when he turned at me to spit a big red bubble. Predicting it was made of acid, I timed an Aura Boost that covered my entire body to repel its corrosive fluid.
To prevent my partner from approaching his left flank, the Grimm summoned a 40-meter-tall, black water pillar that followed her no matter where she ran. However, she escaped from it by significantly accelerating via Aura Boost.
"You underestimated my top speed!" Ye-san jumped, holding her guandao's blue 'pole' with both hands.
Bājiè featured a golden metallic section adorned with a boar motif at one end, from which a silver crescent blade extended to simulate a tusk. At the opposite end, her guandao boasted a golden mace head shaped like a dragon, containing a rifle barrel and a dust rocket propulsion system.
"First Precept! Abstain from taking life!" She activated Bājiè's rocket propulsion system to fire its golden boar portion at one of Gamagami's left eyes.
Using AAIS technology, Ye-san had set up an Aura Link that connected Bājiè's pole to the blade now embedded in the enemy's yellow eye. Then, as if handling a fishing rod, she pulled the enormous eye from its socket and destroyed it with an aura-charged hook kick.
Gama-san's monstrous shriek sounded throughout Sachiko. The black pillar of water following her collapsed.
"Usagi-san, no matter how much we cut or destroy its black body, Gamagami will regenerate using the water around it. Focus on destroying its eyes!" Explosions of red water forced us to jump away from the Grimm.
"The eyes are his weak spots?" I clapped in midair. "Ah, it's like a videogame boss!"
"... Whatever works for you." My tepid partner said while we landed at Sachiko's center.
"That will be the last eye you destroy!" Gama-san furiously proclaimed before submerging into the dark depths.
Or more like before dissolving into these.
The black stain where the Grimm used to be rapidly spread across the lake with an area of 11 square kilometers.
"Tā mā de (Damn it)! He fused with Sachiko!" Ye-san cursed as we searched for Gama-san's eyes hidden in the blackened waters.
"I sense somethi-" Another violent pillar erupted from the lake, making us run in opposite directions.
A second pillar attempted to hit me as I headed west. I barely jumped in time to avoid it but a third pillar aimed for me when I landed on the surface. Ye-san was also doing her best to evade the 4 black pillars on the eastern side of the lake. We dodged Gama-san's aquatic attacks for a minute, enhancing our running and jumping speed with small aura boosts.
Eventually, the Grimm modified his tactic. Several red bubbles emerged from the depths and exploded to spread acid across the lake.
"Increase the range of your aura field!" Ye-san ordered with an aura-enhanced scream, spinning the guandao's pole to shield herself from the acid rain.
I did as she said, opening Sakura's canopy to stop the acid from reaching me.
Unfortunately, even if the maximum range of my Aura Field was greater than Ye-san's, there was no way it could cover Sachiko's entire area or reach its lake bed, at a depth of 160 meters. Without much choice, I opened the dust scroll on my waist, waiting for the chance to counterattack
The Metal Dust nanomachines stored within it molded themselves into a big kunai. I grabbed the weapon with my right hand, holding Sakura with the other.
"Come on, where is he?" I groaned, still fleeing from 5 water pillars that followed me with supersonic speed.
...
"YATTA!" I detected something 17 meters below me. At last, my running trajectory had coincided with his.
My hypersonic kunai hit the target beneath the surface. Whatever it was, it struggled to swim away but taking advantage of the Aura Link between my projectile and AAIS bracelet, I pulled out the target from the lake.
"Futatsu!" I cut a second yellow eye in half with Sakura's spinning edge.
Another wrathful shriek shook the whole area. The pillars and bubbles ceased to be. Unexpectedly, Sachiko's waters became still and a creepy silence engulfed the region.
•
"Did Gama-san give up?" I joined my mission partner, in the middle of the lake.
"No, there are 4 eyes left. Gamagami usually escapes when it loses most of its eyes..." Little waves coming from Sachiko's western half made her quiet.
At first, the waves were 20 centimeters tall but soon these increased in size, forcing us to jump over them.
"Usagi-san, let's retreat to the shore-" A new series of water pillars erupted from the lake.
"What's going on, why..." I saw a large wave forming on the far west as we dodged the pillars.
This one was 6 meters in size but most frightening...
It carried countless Koi and Kappa Grimm. Level 1 and 2 Grimm, respectively.
The former were black fishes with bony masks and a length of 2.5 meters. These were infamous for swallowing whole unsuspecting humans near bodies of water. Legend was that if a Koi Grimm survived long enough, it could grow into a Sea Feilong.
The latter were black reptiloids with webbed limbs, turtle-like shells on their backs, and a height of 2 meters. What made these amphibious creatures dangerous was their swimming speed, sumo skills, and ability to shoot acid from a hole at the top of their heads.
"Usagi, let's go!" I followed my alarmed partner to the eastern shoreline.
Erupting black pillars and emerging explosive bubbles slowed us down as we ran on the lake's surface to reach the village. At the same time, the deadly tidal wave behind us continued to grow in size and number of Grimm.
Some toad villagers jumped into the waters and swam toward us while we avoided the aquatic obstacles. Ye-san spun her guandao fast to shield herself from enemy tongues, slicing the bodies of mutants along the way. On the other hand, I shielded myself by pushing away enemies with Sakura's canopy and its wind crystals. I protected her right flank. She protected my left flank.
Once we reached the shoreline, Ye-san and I didn't bother dealing with the infected locals. We enhanced our jumps to reach the tiled roof of a traditional 3-story wooden house. One of the highest buildings on the eastern shoreline. But by this point, the Grimm tsunami was 10 meters tall.
No building in the village is big enough to deal with that!
"Follow me!" Ye-san kept running on the rooftops of many traditional buildings, occasionally kicking and cutting toad villagers who attacked us.
We jumped over narrow streets to reach the houses on the eastern end. However, Ye-san headed north instead of jumping over the barrier to land on the outskirts.
Shimatta, I forgot we cannot flee further east. Otherwise...
The black tsunami reached the eastern shoreline, ruthlessly destroying the buildings closest to the lake and dragging debris and mutants. A powerful wave would have moved further inland (eastward) without altering its course just because a small town stood in its path...
"Ye-san, it's chasing us!" But this wasn't the case because we were dealing with a sentient tsunami that wanted to kill us.
The tidal wave of monsters headed northeast, swallowing hundreds of buildings as we ran across several rooftops to the village's northern section.
To our disgrace, the tallest building in this zone, a traditional wooden inn, was just 4 stories tall. We came to a halt as the tidal wave enveloped our bastion of hope. Creatures of Grimm jumped out of the roaring tsunami to land on the inn's rooftop.
"We are surrounded!" I anxiously yelled to my partner, watching our backs.
"Help me reinforce the rooftop!" Listening to her suggestion, I supplied aura to the inn's roof through my legs.
Two Kappa Grimm hunched to shoot at me acid with their heads but I retaliated by unleashing aura-boosted, wind slashes at them. The Kappa were burned with their acid attack and fell into the rushing waters.
Ye-san activated the wind dust crystals within Bājiè and vertically spun its pole before throwing it at a horde of Koi Grimm and mutants. Relying on the AAIS bracelet beneath her right wristband, she controlled the spinning, pale green disk to slice in half some enemies and push the rest back into the black wave.
But more Grimm and infected villagers climbed into the aura-reinforced rooftop. For the next minute, we focused on defending our territory and throwing them into the waters until-
"Watch out!" Ye-san pushed me to the ground with her weapon.
I failed to understand why she did that till I looked up to verify that Bājiè's blade was now stuck on an enormous tongue. I turned south to see that the muscular organ belonged to Gama-san, again in his toad form and around 225 meters from the inn.
If I had been more careful with my aura expenses when strengthening the roof, I wouldn't have reduced the range of my Aura Field!
"Ye-san, gomen nasai! I should have-"
"Baka, don't apologize! This is our chance!" She held her ground, not letting go of Bājiè, but the building below us broke down.
With the village destroyed, and we stuck on a floating rooftop, the tidal wave commenced to pull us back into the lake. Gama-san kept his mouth open to absorb the tsunami. Clearly, he wanted to eat us along with the village's debris.
"I'll keep Gamagami afloat. Go for it!" Ye-san urged me to take action as her blue aura shimmered.
Although she was amazingly strong, the lack of a solid foothold put her at a great disadvantage so I acted fast. After kicking the final Kappa Grimm and mutants into the strong currents, I concentrated aura at my tabi and jumped on Gama-san's tongue. He had inadvertently created a path for me to run on. But I needed to hurry because the organ was covered in red acid that constantly drained the etheric layer protecting my legs.
"Ikuso (Let's go)!" I sprinted on the long tongue as fast as possible.
Koi Grimm jumped out of the waters so I ducked and jumped over them to dodge their tackles. With less than 50 meters left for me to reach their leader, a group of Kappa Grimm landed on his tongue to stop me but I boosted my legs, keeping Sakura's canopy open to push them out of my way.
Once all the threats were removed, I sprung high with my wagasa's wind crystals to stare directly at one of his yellow eyes.
"Mittsu!" I slashed a third eye with my wakizashi, which featured a scabbard and handle crafted from high-quality Sarume bamboo.
Gama-san released another loud shriek and gave up on eating my partner. The colossal monster's body dissolved into the lake after his remaining 3 eyes escaped into the depths again.
Except this time the water didn't immediately calm down. A huge vortex formed in the middle of the lake, sucking in debris, Grimm, and infected villagers. Ye-san and I sprinted on the chaotic tide till the vortex died out.
•
"Sixth precept. Abstain from eating at the wrong time." My satisfied companion swung her guandao to remove the acid enveloping its upper portion. "Well done, Usagi."
We were standing on the northeastern quadrant of Sachiko. A couple of hundred meters away from its center.
"You dropped the -san!" I merrily raised my arms, still holding Taketori and Sakura (closed).
"Ah, well..." She looked away in embarrassment and spun her weapon. "It's easy to forget formalities when a toad throws a tsunami at you."
...
"Usagi?" But my partner kept checking with discomfort something in the distance.
"Hai?" I took a few steps to stand beside her.
"Did the lake shrink?" Ye-san's question made me glance at the shoreline, which appeared closer than before.
"That vortex must have drawn back the water..." A quake spread ripples from Sachiko's center. "Gama-san?"
At first, I thought a big toad or second tsunami was emerging but the shape in the middle of the lake was new.
It was Gama-san, for sure, but his white skull looked different. The kabuto no longer fit a toad's head but rather that of a humpback whale with dragon-like features. The black water titan, approximately 115 meters tall, rose from the depths as his two yellow eyes menacingly observed us. The giant shook for a skeletal dorsal fin and pectoral limbs to emerge from his body—limbs so long and curvaceous they could be mistaken for wings made of water. The titan didn't have legs, as he was still connected to the lake. Like in his toad form, I could see a red glow within his new aquatic body.
But the black lake's tremor didn't stop-
"Move!" Ye-san forced me to react by pushing me forward.
We hopped to evade the emerging head of a Sea Feilong. And it wasn't alone. Another seven aquatic dragons rose to the surface, scattered throughout Sachiko.
Additionally, two Ōmukade Grimm swam out from the base of the giant 'whale.' Black centipedes with white exoskeleton plates, measuring 77 meters in length and 4.5 meters in width. These were creatures with strong, sharp pincers that could dig networks of tunnels inside mounts to create their lairs. They had two heads, one on each end of their bodies.
All of them are level 3 Grimm!
"Shēngxiào shoujo, our wave of Grimm will devastate this nation to punish Zenitheans for their crimes." The looming dragon whale's proclamation resounded over the lake.
"I don't recall this form in the records." My partner dismissed Gamagami's threat, performing a thrust stance to aim her weapon at the two incoming Ōmukade. "Usagi, how much are you boosting your aura?"
"165%?" Overcoming my fear, I prepared my two weapons, facing the Sea Feilong from earlier to protect my partner's back.
"We need to go beyond 200%, or we will die." Ye-san boosted her aura as a blue flame surrounded her body.
"Any plan?" Following my companion's example, I activated my Aura Boost to cover myself with a violet flame.
"Let's first cut down the Sea Feilong. I will handle the Ōmukade." The boar warrior charged Bājiè with aura. "Full Moon!"
She shouted the name of her technique to give me a heads-up. I jumped at the Sea Feilong as she spun the guandao multiple times at a 360-degree angle to create a blue aura disk around her. Its radius grew till it struck with immense force the faces of the two Ōmukade ahead and sliced the Sea Feilong's body behind her.
But that wasn't enough to kill the three, so I increased Taketori's range with aura to cut the falling Sea Feilong's head from the rest of its body. Since the Ōmukade required time to regenerate their smashed heads, both pulled back without counterattacking while the aquatic dragon's corpse melted into Sachiko.
"Ōmukade Grimm die only when both heads are destroyed. We must not give them time to heal their wounds." I warned Ye-san after landing on the surface.
"I know but Gamagami is about to do something. Expand your Aura Field." Before we could chase the pair of centipedes, around 80 black orbs sprouted from the aquatic colossus.
"Kamikaze tadpoles!" Ye-san yelled as the floating Grimm orbs, with a purple glow inside, took the form of the mentioned animal. Tadpoles with a length of 1.5 meters, tail included.
I grabbed once more my dust scroll and stored my other weapons while my boar partner activated Bājiè's sanjiegun (三節棍) mode. This turned her guandao's pole into a three-section staff, increasing its offensive range via the hard-light strings connecting its parts.
"Stay close to me! I'll take down those you miss!" She suggested a plan as the supersonic tadpoles began to fly toward us.
I manipulated with my AAIS bracelets the two clouds of nanomachines next to my sides to mold them into small, flat shuriken. Each time my hands reached for the dust clouds, I pulled out from these multiple star-shaped projectiles to throw them at the approaching creatures.
Tadpole Grimm weren't particularly powerful. I would compare their offensive capabilities to Sulfur Fishes, some of the weakest level 1 Grimm. But like Sulfur Fishes, Tadpole Grimm had a special ability that made them dangerous. These Grimm could self-destruct via an explosion when they came into contact with their targets. A detonation that was destructive enough to kill a Kappa or Merman Grimm. In a way, one could say that Tadpole Grimm were Grimm homing missiles. Hence, people called them Kamikaze, to warn everyone about their explosive ability.
I prioritized dealing with the tadpoles in the 'front lines', or the ones closest to us. My first round of hypersonic shuriken struck 8 tadpoles, making them explode around 55 meters away from our standing location. I swiftly swung my arms to grab more shuriken from the Metal Dust clouds. My second round of projectiles dealt with 9 tadpoles.
I prepared more shuriken rounds, destroying over 50 Tadpole Grimm, but the remaining ones got closer to us.
"Wild Boar Dance!" Holding Bājiè's lower section, Ye-san swung her weapon to turn its upper portions into a long whip.
Her hypersonic guandao-whip intercepted the explosive tadpoles from more than 20 meters away. With each swing, Bājiè's blade, hard-light wires, wind slashes, and upper staff sections struck at least three Tadpole Grimm, triggering an explosive chain reaction that reached even targets she hadn't attacked.
The dancing hurricane eliminated the kamikaze unit's remains but our relief was short-lived.
"Ye-san, watch out!" I warned my partner as Gama-san's mouth shone with a purple light.
Not taking chances, we jumped aside to evade some kind of purple ray that cut through Sachiko's surface. A huge underwater detonation expulsed purple water up to 60 meters in the air. Whatever Gama-san fired, it likely hit the lake bed.
"Usagi, Sea Feilong at 5 o'clock!" My running partner retracted her weapon and encouraged me to follow her.
As much as we wanted to slice the dragon whale's eyes, we needed to deal first with the Sea Feilong charging an electric attack in its mouth, especially since it was less than 100 meters away.
"Sakura can tank it!" I yelled to her as we ran northeast to face the swimming Feilong.
Ye-san positioned herself behind me so the level 3 Grimm prioritized shooting its electric charge at my aura-reinforced wagasa. Since Sakura was also made with the legendary Sarume wood, I didn't need to inject much aura into the canopy for it to resist the Sea Feilong's attack. I continued sprinting toward the enemy as its electric breath refused to give up.
"Crescent Explosion!" Using me as bait and shield, Ye-san jumped and spun several times in midair for Bājiè to win momentum.
Her downward strike resembled a blue crescent moon, which landed with extreme force on the Feilong's bone mask. Because her guandao had been charged with aura, the swimming dragon's head exploded before it recovered. Like the previous one, its corpse dissolved into the lake.
Again, not giving us time to celebrate, many purple glowing orbs sprouted from the colossal dragon whale.
"Gama-san is preparing another kamikaze unit-" I closed my wagasa and hopped southward to escape from an erupting water pillar.
"And two Sea Feilong on your left!" Ye-san alerted me of two dragons flying from the southeastern quadrant.
"Ye-san, let's greet them!" I excitedly urged my partner to follow me for a change.
"Ah, good idea." I heard her satisfied voice behind me.
The Sea Feilong pair prepared electric charges in their mouths as we further accelerated without hesitation, escaping from water pillars and explosive red bubbles. There were less than 30 meters between the four of us when the Grimm fired their charges but with good timing, we hopped aside to avoid them. At the same time, Gama-san ordered his new wave of tadpoles to fly at us.
"Take cover!" I shouted to my partner, waving an open hand to the left.
I ran below the Sea Feilong to my right. Ye-san did the same with the other one. The kamikaze unit landed on both dragons as their long bodies ironically shielded us from their volatile allies. The explosive chain reaction eliminated the water pillars, Tadpole, and Sea Feilong Grimm while we escaped unscathed from the latter's falling bodies.
"Two level 3 Grimm slayed in less than 30 seconds. That's a new personal record!" I gave a victory hand sign to my trustful partner as we slid on the lake's surface.
The fallen pair of Sea Feilong melted into the blackened waters.
"But 4 Feilong and 2 Ōmukade remain. Plus..." We turned to check Gama-san, who stood motionless in the center of Sachiko.
"A, MOU! If only we could use our semblances!" I grabbed the back of my head in despair.
"Shoujo, you are nothing compared to the previous Shēngxiào warriors who fought us. The expansion of our army is inevitable." Ancient Gamagami's echoing and regal voice taunted us.
"I wouldn't call six Grimm an army though." I nonchalantly corrected the water titan.
As if to spite me, an earthquake shook the area once again. Four new Sei Feilong and two Leviathan Grimm rose to the lake's surface.
"Usagi... Keep quiet, please." An exasperated Ye-san made a hush gesture before charging at the enemies ahead.
•
We fought and slayed Grimm of threat level 3, dodging water pillars, acid bubbles, and Kamikaze Tadpoles for the next minutes. But whenever we made advances, Gama-san replaced the fallen Grimm with new ones.
It became obvious that as long as the tyrant controlled the lake, he would regenerate his comrades with its water.
At certain points, we tried going straight for Gamagami's eyes but he cleverly used flying Sea Feilong and Ōmukade as shields to intercept our attacks. Other times, he hid both eyes behind his kabuto-shaped, bone mask. And to further complicate our mission, his third eye remained concealed, underneath Sachiko's surface.
•
"This is impossible!" I complained after landing on the water.
My fifth attempt to reach Gama-san's head failed. An Ōmukade hit me in midair when I was 32 meters away from striking a yellow eye.
"If that arrogant jerk had fought like this since the start, it wouldn't have lost three eyes." Ye-san disdainfully pulled out her guandao from the head of a deceased Leviathan.
Needless to say, the beast's remains fused with the black lake again.
"Human or Grimm, we all have our flaws, Ye-san. Today one learns from yesterday's mistakes to grow wiser tomorrow." She spun her weapon's pole and I opened Sakura's canopy to stop an explosive bubble's acid from landing on us.
Although Gama-san took the growing part literally.
"I heard 3 years ago that Chi... Lóng-sensei and you defeated a Monstra in Shénxià. Could we apply whatever strategy you used on Gama-san?" We casually hopped backward to evade the giant's purple ray and its subsequent water explosion.
"I doubt it. Lóngwáng Shīfu crashed the Monstra into the ground by attacking its unprotected gravity crystals. The team I was in just had to infiltrate its body and... Find the heart's chamber to destroy it." A flying Feilong tried to devour us from behind before we landed.
But I used Taketori to slice its mouth, separating the top of its head from the mandible.
That strategy won't work versus Gama-san. We cannot enter his body to destroy it from within. His red acids will dissolve our physical layers and bodies before we cut both eyes.
"Rabbit, Pig. Your struggle is hopeless. Soon, the vengeance of those Shēngxiào has mur-"
...
...
...
For a second, I thought my eyes were failing me, or that I was going insane, but there was no mistake about it.
A hole with a radius of 13 meters suddenly appeared on Gama-san's 'abdomen', and floating in front of the huge gap was my partner with Bājiè. She was engulfed by an intense, dark blue aura that sent shivers down my spine.
It took me a few more seconds to comprehend what happened.
Apparently, while we were in midair, Ye-san activated a powerful Aura Boost and used the falling Sea Feilong's corpse as a springboard. This improvised move let her quickly close the distance of 110 meters between Gama-san and us so she could destroy his abdomen.
Even the Grimm tyrant strove to process the abrupt disappearance of one-fourth of his titanic body. Gama-san's upper portions refused to fall despite being suspended in midair without any support.
...
After time resumed, Gamagami's body, Ye-san, and I simultaneously landed on the lake. The former was now approximately 90 meters tall.
""NANI!?"" Gama-san and I screamed in stupefaction.
"..." Ye-san remained silent, looking downward and gripping her guandao.
She stood a few meters away from Gama-san's new base.
"Don't..." She was about to say something when a wild Ōmukade Grimm shrieked.
Half of the creature's body jumped out of the water as its head portion with pincers quickly spun. The giant centipede turned into a hypersonic drill, aiming for my partner.
"YE-SAN, JUMP!" I fearfully screamed but it was too late. The fierce drill-
Exploded!?
Once more, I thought my eyes were failing me. I witnessed the Ōmukade's drilling head explode, along its pincers and 10 meters of its body.
"DON'T CALL ME PIG, STUPID FROG!" Ye-san furiously shouted with a raised fist.
She stopped a level 3 Grimm... Bare-handed!
A series of terrifying shrieks made me look around. These belonged to the pack of level 3 Grimm spread across Sachiko. Ye-san's unbelievably intense rage made 2 Leviathan and 5 Sei Feilong go 'haywire'. A very unusual phenomenon I had been told about by onee-chan but never seen myself.
Berserkir Grimm.
This only happened when Grimm creatures were exposed to a surfeit of negative feelings that overloaded their senses within an Aura Field. Since Grimm were good at tracking and hunting humans through negative emotions the latter produced, being flooded with these ironically could make them 'blind' and 'mad'.
Unable to tell apart ally from foe in the wrath-filled lake, the Grimm attacked whatever got in their way. Two swimming Sei Felong bit each other as another one wrapped its body around a Leviathan to strangle it. The second Leviathan fired a powerful plasma attack to shoot down 2 flying Feilong, which attacked it with their lightning breaths.
Ye-san's Aura Field increased, extending her blind rage!
"What have you done!?" The fazed aquatic tyrant complained to the boar warrior, unleashing another wave of Kamikaze Tadpoles.
But as I expected, these couldn't track the human facing Gama-san. The 70-plus explosive tadpoles collided with each other before getting close to my furious partner. A bunch of them even flew and detonated against their creator.
Grimm weaker than my partner went out of control because of her Emotional Layer.
Ye-san took advantage of the chaos to land a series of relentless guandao swings on Gama-san, activating its sanjiegun mode. It was an unrefined and bastardized version of Wild Boar Dance. The implacable 'whipping' sprayed water from his body all over the lake. He shrunk another 30 meters in less than 20 seconds.
"Yurusanai (Unforgivable)!" However, a desperate Gama-san absorbed more water from the lake to grow and regenerate his body. After the whipping was done, his height was approximately 140 meters.
In retaliation, the water giant violently swung downward a 'pectoral fin' as he built up purple energy in his mouth. Ye-san avoided the powerful fin-strike by running southward with hypersonic speed. Even if he wasn't aiming at me, his attack range was so vast, that I had to run northward to escape its explosive impact but the Leviathan and Sea Feilong fighting each other weren't as lucky. Caught in the crossfire, both were crushed to death by the immense pressure of the attack. The rest of the Grimm were pushed away by its strong shockwave.
"Shine (Die)!" Gama-san fired another purple 'beam' with a shout.
He can load that powerful technique while attacking!
Ye-san sprinted over 500 meters westward to flee from the prolonged charge. She ran past the other Leviathan, making Gama-san obliterate it with his long-ranged, purple plasma attack. As a result, the 4-second-lasting charge triggered a large explosion across Sachiko.
Determined to kill my fearsome partner, Gama-san dropped to the surface and swam toward the lake's western half. I ran after them, till both stopped around 400 meters from the shoreline. The towering giant 'stood up' to prepare a diagonal 'fin-swing' at her.
I noticed that Gamagami had absorbed more water during the brief chase, increasing his height to nearly 180 meters, and he was once again charging a purple beam. But Ye-san remained focused on dodging 4 water pillars summoned to distract her.
SHE'S GETTING CRU-
The titanic pectoral fin descended on the black pillars and her, or so it seemed. I looked up to confirm she had instantly jumped over 60 meters.
She teleported!?
Matte... Hers isn't a speed or spatial semblance.
Gama-san didn't waste time and performed another swing while she was in midair... Just to miss again.
"B-Bakana (Foolish)!" The surprised tyrant exclaimed.
Ye-san had safely landed on the surface before his horizontal swing reached her.
Ah! That's how she pulled it off!
The method she used to evade the massive swings was simple. It wasn't that Ye-san was only jumping to escape from danger but rather that she was being pulled out of the fins' reach by something. And that something was Bājiè.
By combining her guandao's wind crystals and dust rocket system, Ye-san could throw her weapon over a vast distance in less than one second. Then, relying on the pre-established Aura Link between Bājiè and her AAIS bracelet, she activated an Aura Boost that 'flew' her toward its location.
Usually, people used AAIS technology to pull Aura-infused objects toward them but in some cases, being pushed toward your weapon was the better battle tactic.
Ye-san was about to launch herself at the enemy when he fired another shiny purple charge from his mouth. Thanks to her active Aura Field, she dodged its initial firing. She ran next to the northwestern shoreline and evaded Gama-san's prolonged attack for the next few seconds. Due to its insane range, the purple ray not only blew up part of the shoreline but even reached a nearby tall mount with dead trees, splitting the elevation in two and detonating it with purple flames.
Once his offensive was done, Ye-san dashed back to the center of the lake's northwestern quadrant but Gama-san invoked various barriers of red bubbles with a radius of 11 meters. These exploded as soon as they emerged, forcing her to rapidly spin the guandao with its wind crystals to shield herself from the acid and withdraw close to the western shoreline. The looming giant seized this opportunity to absorb more black water into his body.
He's going to grow in size furthermore!?
But the shape of his aquatic body changed unexpectedly. The right pectoral fin transformed as he grew to approximately 200 meters, quadrupling the size of a Leviathan Grimm. Due to the mist at the altitude of his head, I couldn't clearly see his horned kabuto and yellow eyes. His right limb had shapeshifted into a black, amorphous mass that no longer resembled a fin or wing.
"Shinjirarenai (Unbelievable)! Being forced to reveal this form. We were saving it to destroy Sarume no Sato but might as well test it here." The chuunibyou Grimm spoke as his disproportionate 'right arm' kept transforming into...
Another head!?
His pectoral limb shapeshifted into a tremendous Grimm head with shark and crocodile features. It looked like the tyrant had another level 4 Grimm for a right arm. The new head counted with a bone mask, sharp teeth, and two red eyes. And like Gama-san's main body, a purple glow built up inside the crocodile-shark.
"KUMAWANI (熊鰐)!" Gama-san roared, throwing a murderous punch in my partner's direction.
"YE, DODGE IT!" Due to being closer to the southern shoreline than the western one, I enhanced my horrified scream with aura.
Even if Gamagami and my teammate were separated by more than 250 meters, I sensed she was in grave danger.
His right arm extended as if a snake, impacting the place where Ye-san stood, the western shoreline, and even the mount behind her. A powerful shockwave, accompanied by a huge purple condensation cloud, spread over Sachiko, forcing me to take cover behind Sakura. It didn't matter I was a kilometer away from the point of impact, the energy released by Kumawani was so much, that it made me skate back some meters.
The shockwave quickly cleared the purple cloud, allowing me to assess the damage in the area. Gama-san's punch had destroyed part of the western shoreline and left a massive smoking crater on the mount... Or what used to be a mount. I estimated that Kumawani's destructive power was comparable to an explosion of a couple of kilotons.
If it weren't for my aura cloak, I would have lost my sense of hearing and suffered from internal hemorrhages and organ ruptures. But where's...
"YE!" I found her standing some meters ahead after closing my wagasa.
There was smoke coming out of Bājiè's golden draconic head.
She must have used its Combustion and Wind Dust combined while performing an Aura Boost and gripping its pole to escape here.
"Running towards your friend, pig?" Gama-san retracted Kumawani's neck and turned southward to face us.
Now he's being rude on purpose.
"..." Ye-san's blue aura and bloodlust intensified, creating ripples and gusts around her.
She threw Bājiè at me so I caught the guandao by its pole. My silent partner walked to the enemy.
"Matte, Ye! Are you-"
"Usagi-chan, let her do as she pleases. Right now, Ye-chan is blinded by her rage. She's not in the mood for teamwork." Tsubaki onee-chan's relaxed voice reached my ears. I looked for its source but couldn't find her.
She is using her semblance.
Ye-san stopped less than 300 meters away from Gama-san. She positioned herself in a splendid 'horse stance' as her aura violently dispersed the water below her, sinking almost one meter below surface level. Just when I thought the blue flame surrounding her body would increase in size, her intense aura vanished.
"Ho, she's going for a thrusting punch." Onee-chan's admiring words made me glance at Ye-san's right arm.
My mission partner had concentrated most of her murderous aura in her hand. Gama-san did the same. A purple glow accumulated on the right 'limb'.
"She will take head-on Kumawani!? That's insane!" I screamed in shock.
Even if her Aura Level is comparable to that of a 4-star hunter-
"Iie. Observe well, Usagi-chan. She will spend most of her Aura, boosted by 233%, in a single move." A reassuring Onee-chan convinced me not to step into the fight.
"Shēngxiào shoujo..." Gama-san leaned back to prepare another Kumawani punch. The ancient tyrant felt so confident in his technique, that he didn't bother reducing the distance between us. "Perish!"
"Fourth Precept..." The formidable boar girl's knuckles crackled. Her visible muscles became more toned and a few veins popped up.
"YE-CHAN, GANBATTE!" Putting my faith and hope in her, I cheered and wished good luck to my mission partner.
"KUMAWANI!" Gamagami threw another hypersonic strike at us.
The massive crocodile shark surged forward, extending its length with breakneck speed (literally). In response, Ye-chan rotated her hips and swung her aura-charged right hand so quickly that I couldn't perceive her subsequent movements.
My educated guess is that she completed the necessary moves to perform a 'bow and arrow' stance and shoot the thrusting punch onee-chan mentioned. Ye-chan was now facing sideways Kumawani, less than 20 meters ahead. Her left hand had been pulled back in my direction for her thrusting punch to gain further acceleration.
For a very brief instant, that even those with aura-enhanced senses could miss, the aura in her right hand enveloped her whole body. Then, the released blue energy charged forward, taking the form of...
A big wild boar with tusks!
It was a third of Gama-san and Kumawani's head in size. Nevertheless, I felt a sensational surge of power emanating from it. And next...
A blinding light covered the entire lake.
Ah, I forgot to open Sakura.
...
A second staggering shockwave and condensation cloud sent me flying over a dozen meters. I lost my grip on the guandao before my body crashed and rolled countless times on the lake's deformed surface. Somehow, I stood again on my legs but the force of their attacks made me slide back on the rushing waters.
My body shimmered violet while the blinding light faded and my skating speed finally diminished. In front of me, the unbelievable had just happened.
•
"BAKEMONO (Monster)!" Gama-san shouted leaning back as a result of the explosion, except-
"Kumawani and the right side of his torso are gone!" I exclaimed in disbelief.
Sachiko's surface returned to normal after the energy that pushed away its waters died out. I suspected Gamagami's domain over the lake was why most polluted water didn't overflow beyond the shoreline. The shockwave from their clash had been so strong, that all the dead trees surrounding Sachiko were blown away or bent out of shape. Whatever mist remained before Ye-chan and Gama-san exchanged blows had entirely disappeared. Only some gray clouds, very far up in the sky, forbade the sunlight from reaching us.
And most important of all...
"Abstain from false speech!" A terrific Ye-chan was still standing ahead of me.
Outside of her aura repeatedly flashing blue, she looked in perfect shape. The mighty clash had just forced her back some meters.
"Sugoii, Ye-chan!" I congratulated her with claps as the black waters were pulled further into the lake under Gama-san's command.
"Who do you think tore down the walls inside Monstra to reach its heart?" Onee-chan's pleased voice explained why she never doubted my partner's skills.
"Ah, he's fleeing!" I yelled at the out-of-shape, water giant heading to the middle of Sachiko
"No, he won't!" Ye-chan called Bājiè out of the dark waters via her AAIS bracelet and ran after the frightened level 4 Grimm.
"Matte, he's loading another purple ray!" The reckless boar warrior ignored my warning.
"We will rely on the whole lake this time!" Gama-san pronounced, restarting his water absorption process and resummoning multiple bubble barriers on Sachiko's surface to stop her.
But she refused to give up on the chase and hopped high into the air. Realizing his purple charge won't be ready in time, the aquatic tyrant called his remaining level 3 Grimm for assistance: A Sea Feilong and an Ōmukade.
The former had gotten rid of a 'fellow' Feilong that was biting it earlier. The latter had regenerated its missing head. And both flying Grimm were in complete control of their senses again.
Ye-chan's last punch consumed her Aura Field! The Grimm aren't longer in a berserk state!
At an altitude of 64 meters, the descending Sea Feilong was about to intercept Ye-chan when she fired the rifle in Bājiè's draconic head to evade the Grimm's electric charge, using the gun's massive recoil to her advantage. She landed on the Feilong's head and sprinted along its long body, commanding Bājiè to spin quickly beside her and cut down the Grimm. The Sea Feilong began to dissolve into black particles as she grabbed her guandao and used its tail as a springboard to leap again.
Ye-chan was 135 meters above the surface level when she threw her guandao at Gama-san's glowing head. Unfortunately, one of the Ōmukade's heads caught the weapon.
Aw, she was so close-
Ye-chan used her AAIS bracelet and an Aura Boost to launch herself higher, toward her weapon stuck in the Ōmukade's mouth.
...
The wild boar didn't even retrieve Bājiè, instead, she gripped the Grimm's head with both hands. The bony mask protecting its head cracked.
...
"Osoi (Too late)!" Foolishly, Gamagami hunched forward to unleash his purple beam at Ye-chan and the flying centipede.
...
Gama-san, you really shouldn't have called her a pig.
"Eight Precept..." Before he could shoot his attack, my fearsome partner swung the Ōmukade with her absurd strength, turning its long body into an improvised whip that hit his glowing mouth. "Abstain from high and luxurious sitting."
A purple explosion at an approximate altitude of 190 meters above water level blew up Gama-san's head and the Grimm centipede.
Ye-chan was knocked and fell to Sachiko's southeastern quadrant, where I stood. I jumped to catch her (bridal-style) 18 meters up in the air, using my physical layer to absorb the impact of our fall.
"Usagi..." An exhausted Ye-san flashed blue in my arms.
We must have looked weird due to my shorter height. With its two yellow eyes blown up, the headless ancient beast fell.
•
"One eye remains." My partner tried to step on the lake but almost fell into the dark waters.
"Ye-san!" I caught her before she sank and carried her in my arms.
"Drop the -san already. I heard you earlier." Ashamed, she lifted her left wristband to show me her second AAIS bracelet.
"I will lend you aura." We set up a link between our left bracelets.
Since she was flickering repeatedly and unable to walk on water, I knew she had no choice but to rely on my energy reserves to keep fighting. After a few seconds, her flashing stopped and she stood on the lake.
"Sorry for being a burden. I couldn't control myself." My partner called her weapon to the surface using her right AAIS bracelet.
The explosion made Ye-chan regain her senses. She seemed aware of her actions and surroundings again. Whatever weird mental state she experienced when insulted, it was over.
"Daijoubu (It's okay). We are a team and you destroyed two eyes at once." I patted her left shoulder as we strolled to Sachiko's central zone. "What's next?"
"Ancient Gamagami is known for its self-preservation tactics..." She explained, searching for him among the unusually peaceful, black waters.
Until giant red bubbles formed across the entire lake.
"And being a slimy coward who relies on poisonous smokescreens when he sees no chance of victory." Ye-chan grabbed my right hand to guide me far from the ominous bubbles.
These were his biggest yet, with a radius of 15-20 meters.
"Usagi, stop breathing, and let's combine our Aura to create a powerful boost!" My courageous friend held tight to my hand, standing beside me. "Fifth precept..."
The bubbles across Sachiko burst, releasing red clouds that enveloped the lake. Our physical aura layers shimmered as we experienced a burning sensation. The clouds seemed not only poisonous but also acidic.
I guess that if we breathe even once, we'll die. The Zodiac masks grant us some protection but better follow her instructions.
Ye-san triggered an Aura Boost so I did the same. We fused our auras via the AAIS bracelets to produce a great indigo flame and stormy winds that dispersed the red clouds around us. I sensed that our intertwined Auras were more powerful than we anticipated. Soon, our gusts blew away the poisonous fog covering more than half of the lake.
Is this the result of two trainees with Astral Semblances synchronizing?
Something tried to swallow us from below while we dispersed the final poisonous clouds. Ye-chan and I stopped holding hands to jump away, extinguishing our indigo flame. On the plus side, I accidentally took a breath and didn't die so the air around Sachiko wasn't longer hazardous. The lack of a burning sensation supported this theory.
Is that a tiny Gama-san?
I analyzed the thing that attempted to eat us. It resembled a Grimm toad. However, its head was only 8 meters in size and had 2 red eyes. The bony mask that protected the upper half of its head was simpler, without horns or the kami kanji.
A level 2 Gama Grimm.
"Abstain from drugs!" A passionate Ye-san completed the phrase as she cut in half the poor toad with her aura-empowered guandao.
Normal-sized, black bubbles and ripples indicated something was about to emerge in the middle of the lake. Ye-san and I hopped in different directions once more to avoid being eaten by a knot of rising toad heads. But my Aura Field detected an object underwater that swam away from the 10 croaking Gama Grimm.
"Ye-chan! The last eye is fleeing!" I ran eastward, guessing it wanted to escape through the falls.
As the eye got closer to the fall area, the lake bed's depth decreased, reducing the space between us.
"Muttsu!" With less than 100 meters left to reach the eastern falls, I swung downward Taketori to create a vertical Aura-slash that cut the yellow eye.
"Did you get it?" My partner caught up with me as the sixth eye's remains dissolved into the dark waters.
A final shriek sounded across the entire area. Black bubbles and ripples formed all over the lake.
Hold on...
Shouldn't Sachiko be back to normal?
Several knots of Gama Grimm's heads sprouted from the lake. These tried to devour us so we sprinted and hopped to the eastern shoreline, where the village used to be. There were too many of them to kill, easily over two hundred. But I discerned these weren't properly summoned Grimm, rather just their translucent heads. So the spontaneous army didn't step out of the lake. Each time a Gama head popped out on the surface, it melted immediately and fused again with the waters, only for another one to pop up and replace it. Sachiko had become a land of endless Grimm birth, dead...
And croaking.
"There were more than 6 eyes this whole time!" My exasperated mission teammate explained why the battle wasn't over. "It's the same dirty tactic Gamagami used to fool the Sarume Clan!"
Gama-san's initial appearance deceived us. The ancient tyrant had concealed the existence of a seventh eye during the entire battle.
"We cannot step into the lake! Those fake Gamas regenerate with crazy speed!" I turned to my partner with concern.
When we thought the situation couldn't worsen, dozens of black pillars- No, spinning water drills erupted from Sachiko.
"What is he doing?" The long vortices grew so long, they exited the lake in all directions.
"It's seeking an escape route but..." Ye-san was cut short by some tornadoes crashing against a green energy shield surrounding Sachiko. One that had remained concealed till now.
"NANDA KORE (What's this)!?" Gama-san's infuriated voice sounded all over the lake.
"The barrier your clan set up with drones will keep it from escaping." Ye-san and I looked up to see how a water drill flew above us and crashed against the Aura-shield near the eastern outskirts.
Regrettably, this resulted in us losing additional points. Onee-chan told us she would decrease our score each time the barrier was activated to prevent enemies from escaping or causing havoc beyond the designated combat zone. Gama-san discovering the barrier was tantamount to a huge penalty.
The hundred tornadoes could not break through my clan's shield. Each time they tried to leave the combat zone, a green energy wall featuring a 'hauchiwakaede leaf' pattern halted them.
"YOU WON'T CONTAIN ME HERE!" A final quake shook the area trapped within the gigantic green barrier.
The drilling waters and Gama heads died out but by now, I knew this meant that Gama-san was preparing his next move. It didn't take a minute to confirm my suspicion.
A new big vortex formed in the center of Sachiko. The tornado easily had a diameter of over 10 meters and showed no signs of stopping its growth.
"Usagi, let's return to the point." Ye-chan urged me to follow her.
The tornado absorbed the lake as we ran through the flattened village. It duplicated its diameter and achieved a height of 160 meters. By the time we reached the point, Sachiko had become the base of the titanic, dark vortex. Its top at last struck the barrier's ceiling, over 250 meters above what used to be the lake's surface.
Gama-san wants to pierce the clan's barrier. If he breaks through it, Central Taiyou will be in danger!
"Let's stop here!" We ceased running at the point's new tip.
Stepping into the black waters wasn't viable, not only because doing so would suck us into the vortex but also because numerous Gama heads emerged now and then to protect it. I also failed to find a pattern among the toads that allowed us to approach the drilling pillar.
"We have only one chance!" A stressed Ye-chan aimed Bājiè at the gargantuan tornado. The green energy barrier was cracking. "Usagi, let's combine our energy to conjure the longest Aura Field possible."
"H-Hai!" I ignored my fright and grabbed the guandao's pole. Our AAIS link still hadn't been severed, so I lent her more Aura.
"Focus the Aura Field on the vortex!" Ye-chan adjusted her aim.
The water drill had a radius of 22 meters.
Creating an Aura Field shaped like a sphere, with a radius that reached the vortex ahead of us, wasn't possible because of our low Aura reserves, so we shaped our fused layers into a long but narrow path that connected the point and the vortex's center. Normally, we shaped our Aura Fields into forms that granted us a 360-degree field of 'vision', for combat purposes, but due to the drilling tornado being far from us, shaping our Aura Field into a 'bridge' was the best course of action.
Countless leaves spread from the point of impact in the barrier.
...
The green shield cracked further under the drill's pressure.
...
The dark vortex went for a final push to exert more force on it.
...
"YE-CHAN, IMA (Now)!" I detected something moving upward inside the water tornado.
"Kāihuǒ (开火, open fire)!" My mission partner fired the guandao's blade at the vortex...
And it hit the target!
"Pull!" Repeating the same tactic to destroy the first eye, we combined our strength and used Bājiè like a fishing rod to pull the object out of the black drill.
After arduous seconds, we fell on our backs but the mysterious catch landed a few meters ahead. The waters became still, making the drill collapse and the Grimm disappear.
The battle was finally over.
•
"Kusogaki (Shitty brats)! What've you done!?" Gama-san's final eye berated us.
...
Ye-chan and I panted on the muddy ground. My violet aura was flickering. Ye-san's shattered into blue particles.
"It's for real his last eye, isn't it?" I readjusted my body into a sitting position to confirm that the lake was back to normal... Minus its blackened waters.
"Finish it off... I can't move right now..." My partner continued taking deep breaths and watching the sky.
She probably wanted to take off her mask. Unfortunately, it was forbidden so we kept them on as we recovered-
A rumbling made me turn ahead.
"AH, HE'S ROLLING AWAY!" I forced myself to stand up and run after the fleeing eye.
I deduced that Gama-san's eyes were powerless when lacking contact with great quantities of water, so he needed to roll into the lake to resume the fight.
"MATTEKUDASAI!" I tripped with the mud and accidentally pushed Gama-san toward Sachiko. He was one meter away from falling off the point when-
"Kusojijii, hisashiburi (It's been a while, old fart)!" Out of nowhere, Tsubaki onee-chan dropped on top of the rolling eye, foiling his getaway.
She stood on Gama-san with her right foot, arms crossed, and black wing fully stretched.
"Onore Tsubaki! You've grown into a Kusobabaa (old hag) yourself!" My sensitive sensei replied to the eye's insult by applying more pressure on it.
I heard a crunch coming from the giant visual organ.
"Haa? I didn't hear you." My sensei said with sadistic sarcasm.
"Onee-chan, have you met before?" I sat in front of them, seiza-style.
"... When I was even younger, this Kusojijii tried to conquer Taiyou with a vast army..." She folded her wing and looked up while recalling her past.
"Four decades ago, the Kusobabaa rushed into fighting us. She was desperate to prove herself in battle-" Tsubaki's heel applied more force into the eye, but he refused to quit his yapping. "Because the Great Saruta didn't consider this failure of a woman a worthy successor!"
"And if you weren't such a sore loser who flees the battlefield, I would have ended your existence back then!" Onee-chan maliciously swiveled the foot she stood on. I heard more crunching from Gama-san.
"Doesn't this mean Ondori-san is over..." Ye-chan walked toward us but our sensei shot her a menacing stare.
"Ah, forget it! You look so young and beautiful as always, onee-chan!" Ye-chan fearfully sat beside me, seiza-style.
"Sadly for you, technology has improved since our battle. Zhang's satellites spotted your pollution pretty fast. And now, our clan counts with enough drones and Aura-repeaters to seal off foul Grimm like you, Kusojijii!" Onee-chan pompously giggled.
"Not fast enough to save this village. Their blood is on your hands and Shēngxiào's, Kusobabaa!" Gama-san's harsh words made her smile go away. She silently landed in front of Ye-chan and me.
"Don't believe we're unaware of your crimes in other worlds left behind by The Brothers. We were born from their anima mundi. That treacherous fox has done the unforgivable by disrupting the equilibrium of the physical realms. Our existence is vital to deliver punishment for the sins committed by Zenitheans. Shēngxiào claims to represent justice, truth, and salvation while stealing lives to fulfill their ambitions. Some of you even attempt to exploit Grimm as instruments of war. What distinguishes us from Shēngxiào is that we aren't pietist hypocri-" Onee-chan's golden fingernails horizontally sliced Gama-san multiple times, cutting short his furious rant, in every sense of the phrase.
She didn't bother looking at the eye that melted into a black puddle.
...
We remained in silence for a minute. Dark particles rose from Sachiko and its surrounding forest, dissolving in the air. With Gama-san deceased, his domain over the lake was no more.
"Onee-chan, did we pass the test?" Ye-chan anxiously asked. She learned why most within our clan didn't address her as Ondori-san.
"The enemy spotted and almost trespassed our barrier. You lost control of your emotions during the battle. Usagi-chan constantly let her guard down. And you forced me to deal with your adversary's remains..." With a scolding tone, Onee-chan crossed her arms and turned away from us.
...
Ye-chan and I stared down in utmost shame.
"Daga, you defeated Ancient Gamagami despite all the imposed restrictions. Of course, you passed, my dear disciples!" She turned toward us with a smile.
""Yay!"" My partner and I excitedly raised our arms to celebrate.
"... Chottomatte (hold on), what was all that about!? Your overreaction to be called... You know." Being careful not to mention the forbidden word, I interrupted our celebration to remind us of something important.
"Ye-chan has daddy issues. Lóng-sensei warned me about this sensitive topic. It's why she decided to live with us for a while. To get away from her father in Shénxià." Onee-chan softly karate-chopped my partner's head.
"And you didn't tell me beforehand!" I raised my voice to complain.
"Why the need? You're a polite kid who never gets into fights or insults others." Onee-chan kneeled to hug me merrily. "Usagi-chan, I love you so much!"
I almost ruined the mission right at the start!
"That filthy womanizer isn't my father." My partner remarked with disdain. Although we knew her hate wasn't directed at us.
"Stay with my clan as much as you like. If that filth dares to enter our village, I will cut him for you." A scary onee-chan raised her golden fingernails right next to my face.
Eek!
"Still, I cannot believe that stupid Grimm called me that. Twice!" Feeling offended, Ye-chan stood up to retrieve her guandao. "Did it not see my weapon or hear the name of my technique!?"
"Your mask likely confused him. It has no tusks." I stood up to readjust her (supposedly) boar mask.
"Argh! I bet that dirty old man pulled strings for them to assign me such a confusing mask!" Ye-san stabbed the muddy ground several times with Bājiè.
"Maybe you can put on-"
"Nee-chan..."
An adorable, unfamiliar voice interrupted me. But I sensed something wrong with it.
"Samui (It's cold)." A bare-foot, black-haired girl slowly walked through the point's torii.
She was around 10 years old and wore a pink yukata. Her skin was grayish-white with red veins. Both eyes had black sclerae and red irises but unlike the previously infected villagers, she remained human-shaped. I could feel she was agonizing.
The small girl lost her balance 8 meters before reaching us.
...
I instinctively ran to catch her before she hit the ground.
"Hold on. We will cure you." I held her in my arms.
Ye-chan tried to approach us but onee-chan extended an arm to stop her. They watched us in silence.
"T-Tsubaki, is there something we can do!? M-Maybe if I use-" I nervously tried suggesting ideas with a broken voice but onee-chan shook her head.
A strange sensation enveloped my arms. I looked down to confirm that the girl had closed both eyes. Her body melted into a black substance till nothing but her yukata was left.
...
The rabbit mask concealed the tears falling down my face.
"Forgive me... Usagi-chan." Onee-chan got close to hug me from behind. Her body was trembling.
...
"B-By the time Zhang detected Gamagami's pollution, the villagers had been turned into Grimm... Their cells were gradually infected with Grimm particles spread throughout the lake and mist... Over weeks, way before our arrival... They were beyond salvation... Don't blame yourself, Usagi-chan." My teammate tactfully explained, gripping her guandao's pole and struggling to keep control of her emotions.
...
"Ye-chan, do you still have your dust scroll?" I tenderly put the yukata on the ground and moved away from onee-chan's arms to stand straight.
My beloved friend nodded and handed it to me without a word. Using what remained of my aura, I molded its Dust Metal into a flute and walked to the edge of the point.
Shēngxiào's actions are well-justified, aren't they? Our goal to unify everyone and end suffering is a noble one.
All I could do for those I failed to save was play a melody in their memory.
Yet I wish...