074 - Trying to Change History

Ibuki Douji

She can only watch, eyes wide with (horror) shock as the eight-headed divine storm looms over her cute little Imouto. It can't be helped, she knows. Before Father's Divine Authority, her (dreams and hopes) whims and fancies mean nothing. At the end of the day, Mochizuki Chiyome is a hero, a force of good raising arms against evil. And Father won't be denied.

B̴͍̒̎u̴̝͚̰̓̈́̆̋͋ẗ̷̳͔̼̙́͌͂̍ ̸̻̉̈́͛͑ṭ̵̢̅̕h̶̫͋̄ā̶̗̈ṱ̷̨́̊̕'̸͖̾̋̀̽̇͜s̴̢͎̳̀͋ ̴̳͖̣́͐̓̉s̷̱̠̎̍ṫ̵̛̛͉̈̂ḯ̶̝̲͜l̶̫͈͈̔͛̕l̴̠̒̂̇̌ ̴̡̬̤́̔ḩ̴̨̥̼̫̽̍͛̔͝e̴͈̻̜̅͜r̴͙͖͇̜͕̾ ̶͇̠̠͔̂͒b̴̨̬́͆̈͘ę̷̥̰̯̙́̈̈́̚l̶̯̙̞̅ơ̵̥̠͑̽̓̎v̴͔̖͆͗̈́̈e̶̪͗͛d̴͖̝̦̐̃͂͠ ̵͙̦̀͐̈́̇͂ĺ̴̢͈̫̝͋̅͝i̷̧̹͉̣̣͋̓͝t̵̛͖̻͇̬̞̃̎t̵̗̪̕l̴̬̱͙̠̜̒̕ę̷̰͉̒ ̷̪̿̽̕͠ṣ̶̪̙̂͑̑̇i̷̡̢͍̞̗͂̋ŝ̶̲͕̳̬t̶͈̝́̒̏͆͠ͅe̴̪̎̐̅̔r̷̲̜̲̞͎̓͒̎̀̕!̴̱̳͆͘!̶̣̦̾̽͋͗͠!̴̨̙̗̣̈͜

Even when consumed by (despair) intense and confusing emotions, Ibuki Douji isn't so far gone that she misses it when a tiny little morsel makes her way in front of the unstoppable attack. Her eyes widen a smidgen as a shield is raised before the serpent of golden lightning she's always been so proud (until now).

It's all in vain, the constructs of men cannot oppose the word of the gods. A mere shield cannot block the lightning, cannot stall the winds, cannot ward off the storm. In the end, the tiny little morsel will become just another victim, another failed hero falling before the Evil Mountain God.

B̷̼͖͇̣̿̈́̓͂͘u̶̻̺̺̇̄͆̓̄͜t̷̖̤̥̄ͅ ̵̲͙̳͓̭̕m̷̧̢͓̩̯̉̐ạ̶͕͇͘ý̴̞͍̻͊͛͗͜͝b̸̛̩̗̱͓̟̎̂́̽ȩ̴̣̄̂,̷̛̮̒ ̵̺̤̯̟͋̾j̴̛̯̀̏̕u̸̻͉̠̦̦͆̂ś̵̪̻͕͚͋̾t̸̰̣̳̳̑̑̋̓̉ ̶̟̗̌̐̂͘m̵̰̜̊̐̀̑a̷̢̛̳̟͊͌̚͠y̷̛̺͂̅b̵͔́͒́͝e̵̛͖̲͔̥͆͘…̸͇̦̗͍͖́

"[Mold Camelot - Even now, A Castle of Frail Visions]"

A castle of hopes and dreams rises to challenge Father's rage. Walls of tomorrow build upon foundations of resolve, bricks of vision glued together with the mortar of hope. Frail, ethereal things that have no mass and carry no weight, yet stand firm to oppose the primal might of nature, the ancient terror of the night, the punishing rage of the storm.

Eight blows of divine might, of nature's wrath, slam against the fragile constructs of humanity's dream. And the wall shakes, it trembles, it cracks under the punishment. Ibuki Douji can feel it, can feel Father's teeth-grinding hatred pulsing again and again, trying to take down the foundations of humanity, to bring things back to how they were, to rekindle a world where the laws of nature reigned supreme, with the Evil Mountain God sitting at the top.

But Father isn't here, and his rage and hatred can only amount to so much before his borrowed Divine Authority fades back into the realm of memories. And the hopes and dreams of humanity still stand. Battered, bruised, the tiny little morsel certainly looks like she's seen better days, panting for breath and wincing like someone whose everything hurts.

And yet, she proudly stands in front of her cute little sister all the same. (Relief) Shock fills Ibuku Douji as she feels her sword hand grip around the handle of her blade, considering her next move. Strictly speaking, her attack just now wasn't the real thing. She faltered at the last moment, she failed to deliver the finishing blow.

She knows it in her bones, that the castle of frail visions would've collapsed like a house of cards under her true power. She could still… But she no longer feels like doing that. Suddenly, she's in the mood for playing around with her food for a bit longer. Suddenly, she's in the mood to (give them a chance to kill her) see what they can truly do, when pushed to the limit.

The smile returns to her lips. "I—"

"Marie, Elizabeth!" A new voice calls from the side, cutting her off before she can let out the cool lines she was about to think up. "Now!"

Before she can voice her displeasure at the rude interruption, the air crystallizes around her, quickly becoming a glass prison. She could shatter it with a twitch, but she feels curious enough about what's supposed to come next to wait and see. She's not disappointed when a sonic blast hits her from above, turning the glass prison into sharp shrapnel while sending her sprawling towards the sea surface

Unfortunately, she's the daughter of the storm, born under rain and lightning. The one who stood at the top of Mount Ibuki while crackling, reverberating thunderclaps made every bone on her body rattle. The insipid roar of a lesser dragon won't be enough to even disorient her.

She hits the waves feet first and ready to brawl, easily defending herself from the ambush of a recovered Yamato Takeru. Her cute little sister tries to take advantage of her hands being tied up with Yamato Takeru to strike her from the back like a good and proper hero, but she simply grows more arms to fight with.

(She might as well show off for her cute little sister.)

That first trade of blows sets the pace of the renewed fight, four heroes ganging up on her with everything they have, never letting up for a moment or allowing her any room to catch her breath. Even when one of them over-commits or does something silly, the tiny little morsel with the huge shield is always there to bail them out before she can punish the mistake.

And there's also the cute little wizard on the back lines, amber eyes narrowed with determination as she oversees the whole battlefield, missing no detail and calling out commands as needed. All in all, this is much more evenly matched than it was before, when she was just toying around with Yamato Takeru.

(Ibuki Douji approves.)

And yet… The storm rages and her heart thrums with glee. She feels better than ever, her sore muscles burning nicely under the strain, her bloodstained smile widened with satisfaction and undiluted happiness. This is how evil lives her life, dancing at the very edge until there's nothing sharper to dance on, until a single mistake spells her doom. This is how evil loses her life, gluttonously and greedily indulging in as much as she can take, until she simply cannot take it anymore.

The heroes are tiring, but so is she. It's only a matter of time until someone makes a mistake, until someone leaves an opening for the other side to exploit. The question is… who will mess up first?

(Will they show her something amazing?)

Soon enough, her question is answered when her cute little sister overextends while the tiny little morsel is out of position to bail her out. Disappointing, but unsurprising. Imouto isn't really suited for the front lines, much less against someone like her. So she forgives her.

Ibuki Douji punches her cute little sister in the chest with (exactly) enough force to shatter ribs and sends her flying towards the annoying glass lady. This catches the glass lady by surprise, so the two of them are knocked down and swallowed by the waves. They'll recover, surely, probably, maybe, but not in time to make it count, because their teamwork is shattered and Ibuki Douji is finishing this fight right here, right now!

The tiny little morsel tries to get in the way, but that's a painful mistake born out of panic. With half the harassment out of the way, Ibuki Douji can simply grab the cool shield and pry it out of the morsel's hands, before using it as a cudgel to brain her with. What a shame, what a shame, they were doing so well!

This big sis is way too strong when she gets serious!

Now, only the lesser dragon and Yamato Takeru remain and… Oh, is the silly godslayer trying to get off another Noble Phantasm? Didn't he learn the lesson the first time? Maybe she should just—

"By the power of my Command Spell…" Distracted from her musings by the voice of the cute little wizard, Ibuki Douji glances in her direction to catch sight of an intense red light shining from the back of her hand. "Elizabeth, exceed your limits and pin Ibuki Douji down at all costs!"

The cute little wizard looks kind of amazing, the pressure of her magical energy making her hair waves ominously and the red light illuminating her features from below like that. Is this some form of trump card? (How delightful!)

"Yes! Watch my true power in awe, little piglets!" The lesser dragon makes a strange pose, holding her spear behind herself with one hand while the other is stretched forward, hand closed on a fist except from the index and middle finger, which are stretched out to form a 'V' shape. How weird, how fresh! "Eli-chan will now show you a nice fantasy, sung into reality! [Leg-Eating Forest: Young Descendant of Tepes!]"

And then the lesser dragon slams the butt on her spear downwards and a forest of spears rises from the sea. They proliferate in the blink of an eye, growing and branching and twisting and turning as they chase after Ibuki Douji. She dodges and weaves with ease, but the numbers only increase, she crushes and shatters with ease, but the numbers only increase.

Strength and skill can be overcome with sheer numbers, where are these spears even coming from? More hopes and dreams surging into existence to challenge the rules of nature, is that the true strength of humanity? Eventually, her skin is marred, the endless spears finding her flesh and piercing through. She's pinned in place by her arms, by her tail, by her guts… Broken and helpless.

A bloody cough escapes her lips, before they slowly twitch up into a smile.

"You did well, heroes… This big sis is feeling very proud right now." It's ironic. Even if this attack had failed, it would've still been enough of a distraction for Yamato Takeru to finish her off with Father's blade. "Unfortunately for you…"

Her hands are empty, the last moments of her struggle was a desperate frenzy as she tore away at the weapons of humanity with her bare claws. One could be excused if they assumed she discarded her blade once the spears got inside her guard and that extra reach became a problem. But this (Big Sister) Evil Mountain God is smart.

Her empty sword arm twitches, slowly forming a pointing finger, and it takes a moment for the heroes to realize what she's even trying to say. Slowly, every gaze follows the direction she's pointing towards, towards the spot where her blade got stuck when she threw it. That is…

"Saber!" The cute little wizard gasps in shock. "Are you alright?"

The handle of [Kusanagi-no-Tachi] is sticking out of Yamato Takeru's chest, after having run its entire length through his heart. He looks up and opens his mouth, as if to say something, but disappears into golden motes before a single word can leave his lips.

Ah… that's it. The hero died, the monster won. How bitter, how satisfying.

(There's no way the story can end like this, right?)

"You think you can stop this Evil Mountain God so easily?" Ibuki Douji flexes her muscles, and the spears pinning her body shatter into splinters. The storm rain falls on her body, washing the blood away and revealing her unscathed body underneath. Her tired smile grows sharper and fiercer once again. "Take up your arms and show me what you got!"

For good to defeat evil in a way this big sister can accept, evil needs to be giving her all!

Elizabeth Bathory

This is it, the moment of truth.

The only thing that stands between the evil monster and total victory… It's Elizabeth herself.

This is what she always wanted, a chance to properly shine under the spotlight, alone and uncontested. For a lead role for her and her alone, (to be loved and cheered on by everyone,) even if it only lasts for a single chapter.

Even if she dies here, she'll die satisfied, having achieved what she set out to do.

Sure, it would still suck and she rather it didn't come to that, but when it does come down to it… She's digressing. Case is, this is her moment, hers alone. Nobody else is here to save the day, nobody else is here to steal the spotlight. She should focus on the here and now. On herself.

So, why…

Why is her stomach churning like this? Why is it that she can't focus on her lines? Why is it that her mind keeps wandering to unimportant things? The idol world is a ruthless one, where every chance needs to be seized, where every advantage needs to be leveraged, even if it means climbing over the corpses of friends and colleagues.

So why is she so worried about everyone else, instead of worrying about herself!?

"Looks like your little toys ran out of juice, little dragon." The monster, the villain, the evil creature taunts. "I hope you have something else to amuse this big sister with!"

"Please, those were just props." Elizabeth rolls her eyes, if only to distract herself from scanning the waters in hopes of seeing someone resurface, healthy and hale( and with a stupidly sparkling smile on her stupidly pretty face). "The real thing is about to start!"

"I don't know…" The villain makes a show of looking around, even as her sword flies back from the disintegrating corpse into her waiting hand. "It sure looks like the real thing just ended."

"A Command Spell was used so I could exceed my limits." Elizabeth points out with a confident smile. "But, you see! Us idols don't have limits in the first place!"

Ibuki Douji arches an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced, clearly interested.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth is just bluffing.

Idols are not wonderful creatures or some sort of living miracles. Idols are just peddlers of lies. Scammers who take advantage of the holes in the hearts of lonely people to make a killing out of vapid smiles and hollow merchandise. Truth is, she's already exerted herself way beyond her limits and she has nothing else she can give. The Command Spell has run out and all that remains is a silly girl with a silly dream, in way over her head.

But, even when pushed on a corner, the show must go on. She got her spotlight and she'll be damned if she doesn't perform until she can perform no more. So, if bluffing is all she can do, she will lie without a hint of shame in her heart, playing her role while hoping beyond hope that some higher power will buy her bullshit!

"And cute girls can do anything!"

(Her friend Marie) that insufferable idiot said so.

Ibuki Douji grins and charges forward.

Not wanting to be upstaged, Elizabeth Bathory narrows her eyes with determination and charges forward.

Spear meets blade right in the middle and… Oh?

Against all expectations, Elizabeth isn't blown away. Their blades lock, her arms burning under the strain as she tries to match the unrelenting monster in a contest of strength. Metal locks against metal and the Ibuki Douji sends a wide grin at her over their crossed blades.

"Evil knows evil." She says, mysteriously, before putting more force into her arms finally pushing Elizabeth away.

The blade lock is broken and they get some distance from each other, but this isn't the end. This is just the beginning. Blow by blow, clash by clash, they dance around each other, not like a monster toying with her prey but as equals trying to overcome each other. Something is very wrong here

Elizabeth would know, she's a professional liar.

'Evil knows evil'.

…What is 'Evil'?

For the girl who was never told 'no' until she was walked into her execution for crimes she never learned were such, Evil is a complicated thing. Evil has as many meanings as there are people capable of conceptualizing the idea. Evil is the stranger, the outsider, the invader, the thief, the one who lies, the one who hurts. In a vacuum, 'Evil' is the Other, for it is different from 'Good'.

*Badump*

… Humanity doesn't live in a vacuum.

Within a group, 'Evil' becomes that which harms the group, that which the group shuns. But the group sometimes hurts itself, and it wouldn't do for the 'Good' to become 'Evil'. And thus, the meaning of 'Evil' needs to be further refined. 'Evil' is that which causes harm without a sufficiently good reason, 'Evil' is that which enjoys causing harm for its own sake.

*Badump*

That's a definition Humanity can live with.

Defined like that, though, all children are born 'Evil'. They inflict suffering without a second thought and often laugh at the results, lacking the very concept of empathy until they are taught better. Innocence can be just as cruel as the most twisted of villains.

But we make allowances for children. It's only when the child grows up without learning better, or when they grow to learn worse, that they are truly considered evil.

*Badump*

Elizabeth knows what it looks like, to grow up without learning better until eventually learning worse. She's stared at that particular nightmare before, straight into her malicious yellow eyes.

Is it any different for an evil god, she wonders?

She remembers the snake child from the Shaped Island. The evil of that Ibuki-douji was born out of excessive innocence, the sort of egocentric perspective belonging to a world built around 'oneself', the naive cruelty of a heart who hasn't yet had a chance to discover empathy.

*Badump!*

What sort of 'Evil' is Elizabeth looking at, right now? Is it the evil of a child who grew up without learning better? Is it the evil of a child who grew up to learn worse? This Ibuki Douji that no longer looks like a child… Did her heart grow to match her new body, is this something she chose for herself, to walk the path of harming others for its own sake? Or maybe…

Maybe evil gods don't get to choose, maybe they don't have a chance to learn better. Gods are different from people, after all.

*Badump!*

That might just be all there's to it.

And yet… Oh.

That's it. She's figured it out.

Why she's still fighting, why she hasn't been crushed like others, stronger and worthier than herself, already have been. Why the battle drags on when, no matter how you look at it, it should've ended a long time ago.

It's because she's the last one standing.

Indeed, evil knows evil.

Truth is, Ibuki Douji doesn't want things to end like this.

Because she's seen the end of her story, because she has seen a glimpse of a different story. Even if she's very rough around the edges, even if she doesn't really know what to do with herself, the heart of Ibuki Douji no longer beats for a world with a single person, the song of her soul is no longer composed with a single note.

And Elizabeth cannot leave things like this.

Because P-san is fighting against fate and common sense, to reject the Incineration of Human History and claim back a future that's already been lost. And that gives her hope, hope for her own impossible dream that she wants to see through, regardless of fate or common sense!

*Ba…DUMP!*

Something breaks inside Elizabeth with that last heartbeat, but it's the good kind of breaking. A glass ceiling, an inherent limit. For a moment, Elizabeth catches a glimpse of what lies beyond. Of what isn't, but can be, of a world where her dreams are fulfilled.

(It was a beautiful place, even if the Cake Queen looked just as guileless as she does now.)

"Even if fate becomes my enemy,
I'll just keep pushing forward and break through!"

"[Báthory Brave Erzsébet - Demon Hero's Blood Tornado]"

She's… not sure what happens next, too overwhelmed by the experience to properly process the world around her. When she comes to again, her spear has become a sword and she's wearing something scandalous. And Ibuki Douji stands before her with a gruesome hole taking up the majority of her torso.

This one isn't healing, and tiny little golden motes have started manifesting around her.

"So this is… the power of dreams, huh?" The evil monster mutters, voice wistful and awed. "Next time… Next time I'd like to try having some dreams of my own, too."

That's as far as she lasts before she vanishes back into the Throne, leaving Elizabeth feeling strangely despondent and very, very tired. Her five minutes on the spotlight don't feel nearly as satisfied as she thought they would.

At least her clothes and weapon seem to return to normal the moment the danger passes. Thank goodness for small mercies.

"What…" The Lady Director's voice trails off, sounding even more flabbergasted than Elizabeth feels. "What was that just now?"

For an instant, she feels the urge to bluff one last time. To pretend she knows exactly what just happened and take all the glory for this victory. But then she realizes all the effort it would take just to keep that lie going once people start asking questions and suddenly she's feeling too exhausted to even consider it anymore.

"…I have no idea."

I'll be on vacation next week, so there won't be an update next Monday.

I have no intention of hiding my work behind a pay wall, but I do welcome patrons and donations.

I have a P-treon thing! A Ko-fi account too!

Just add "/Planeshunter" after the dot com and it should take you straight there.

If you have some spare change and feel my work deserves it, please consider throwing it my way.