Fate DxD Vol.13
Chapter 70
After walking for several minutes, Minori finally arrived at the camp, set up in the harbor's few remaining buildings, seeing everyone moving around. She sees Gen, equipped with binoculars, observing the crater, now completely filled with water. She turns her head to recognize Aki's bluish hair, running towards her.
"Minori! Thank you you're fine, come on, I'll give you first aid." She said with relief.
"You too, are the captured Eighth members gone?" Minori asks.
"Yes, they've disappeared, leaving only cubic shapes of their silhouette on the ground." Aki confirms.
"Ok... what's the situation? How are the kids?" asks Minori, sitting down opposite Aki.
"All the kids are here. They're all tired, confused and scared, even I still get goose bumps. The heroes are trying to evacuate them, but they refuse and won't leave until they get answers to what just happened." Explains Aki, starting to heal Minori with energy.
"I see... And Gen? It's rare to see him so confused." Minori asks, looking at her friend who continues to observe the crater, making faces.
"I didn't follow everything, but Senji is acting strangely..." Aki explains.
"What do you mean?"
"He'll explain it to you himself. Gen!" Aki calls out to him, standing up. "I've given you first aid, I'm sorry but there are seriously injured people who have priority."
"Oh yes no problem, go ahead, we'll take care of the rest." Minori gives a thumbs up.
"Ah Minori!" Gen calls to her, beckoning her over. "You've got to come and see this!"
Minori gets up and approaches her friend. He hands her the binoculars, which she takes and looks towards the crater, to see Senji who has emerged. His left hand glows with a bright white light and he strikes his torso, sending all the energy through his body, then slams his head to the ground.
"What's he doing?" Minori asks, confused.
"This is the Overblow. It's been repeating the same thing since it came out of the crater." Explains Gen.
"The fox demon is using the maken you gave to Senji? Is he trying to overload himself to increase his power?"
" It's impossible, it's like trying to charge a battery with its own energy. It just doesn't work, and even worse, it damages and exhausts the battery."
"Are you telling me he's trying to overload to weaken himself?" Minori is even more confused.
"Yes." He nods. "There are several things that make me say it. First, we're safe, at least for now. If he'd wanted to, he'd have attacked us long ago. Secondly..." He looks at his watch. "It'll soon be twenty minutes since the fox demon took control, and nothing's changed."
"What do you mean? Now you don't recognize Senji at all under this pile of raw energy." Minori looks through the binoculars again.
"I'm talking about the tails, idiot, he's still on four tails, normally he'd have been on five, or even six by now."
"Are you telling me that... Senji is resisting the control of the fox demon?" Minori asks, not quite believing it.
"It looks like it. This kid's got a will of his own, if not too much. I'd bet on it." Gen smiles, proud of his pupil. "But there's more, follow me."
Gen takes him to a large tent. He opens it, inside is Kakashi, who nod to their presence, three children and an adult she doesn't recognize.
"Kakashi-san, can you give Minori the rundown?" Gen asks, walking over to a desk with papers on it.
"Minori-san, you probably recognize two of our middle-schoolers. Kashiwagi-chan and Inukai-san." Minori nodded, greeting them. The children respond shyly. "This is Sui-chan." He points to the youngest. "And Ryuji-san." He points to the adult. "They were with Senji when we arrived to help him and Ryuji-san has important news, which explains the current situation."
"I'm listening." Minori sat down on the chair next to Kakashi.
"I entered the warehouse with Senji." Ryuji begins. "One had set a trap for him..." Ryuji scratches his head, still disgusted. "He... he'd already killed his friend... and he'd put part of his corpse in a box and... Senji saw it."
Hearing this, Minori puts her hands to her face, swallowing the information without cracking or breaking anything.
"Okay... that explains Senji's loss of control... Damn it..." Minori rubs her forehead.
"Ah... I didn't expect you to believe me so easily." Ryuji is surprised.
"To tell you the truth, I was expecting it. Senji has such a strong sense of duty and sacrifice, it's almost suicidal. So to see a friend in pieces in a box, especially after all he's been through... it was the only possible outcome." Minori lets out a long sigh.
"Precisely." Gen approaches them. "Senji must be blaming himself to death, he must have cracked psycologically and the fox demon only had to get into his mind to break him for good. But you know as well as I do, this kid doesn't give up. What little willpower he has left, he must use it to resist the fox demon. That explains his use of Overblow on himself, the fact that he stays on his four tails, and above all that he hasn't attacked us."
"How is this possible? I've never heard of a Jinchûriki able to withstand the overwhelming power of the tailed demon living inside him..." Said Kakashi, perplexed.
"The red dragon emperor." Rain raises her hand. "The dragon living inside him must surely be helping him."
"But yes!" Gen exclaims, "Senji's Longinus, the Boosted Gear! But wait, how do you know that? And above all, you talk about it as if Senji and the dragon were getting along."
"Well, I learn a minimum about the people I work with. And then, as you say sensei, it's a Longinus, there's nothing more unique so it's easily recognizable. And everything suggests that Senji and the Red Dragon Emperor are indeed good friends. I caught Senji talking to him one day, and at first I thought he was talking to himself and was crazy, but when I saw the green orb on the back of his hand, I understood right away."
"Hmm, I see. That would explain Senji's resistance, if the red dragon is indeed helping him, then ..." Gen pondered.
"By the way, can I ask what you were doing with Senji?" Minori asks.
"We all take part in Darwin's Game. We decided to form a clan all together and Senji was supposed to be the leader." Rain explains.
"I see..." Minori murmured.
"Apart from me, I'm part of a clan allied with them." Inukai adds.
"Um... Excuse me..." Sui raises her hand shyly. "Is there any way to save Senji?"
"It's hyper risky, but yes there is one." Announces Gen. All eyes turn to him at once.
"How? By hitting him hard enough until he stops? I don't think so." Minori asks.
"We'll have no choice but to fight the fox demon, but we can help Senji, we can talk to him. If he's fighting alone... well, technically two, we can help him by indirectly supporting him."
"Sounds super cliché." Said Kakashi, not really believing it.
"I know, but think about it. Senji's been through hell all his childhood, he's a withdrawn kid and for very good reason. And you know what was going on during that first year at school? He started to open up to other people, to trust them, to build new friendships. Senji started to change, very slightly I agree, but it's a start. Talking to him, telling him we're there for him, that's the solution. He's in complete darkness right now, but our words and actions can be a light that can guide him out, I'm sure of it." Explains Gen.
"It's a risky bet indeed, I find it hard to believe he'll be able to listen to us." Kakashi retorts.
"I believe it." Minori stands up. "It may not work, but I refuse to watch a student suffer without doing anything, it's our only chance."
"You can count on us!" The Sunsets Dragons and Inukai stand up, ready for battle.
"Hmm, you're right, it's always better than trying nothing." Kakashi stands up.
Satisfied, Minori moves towards the exit and steps out, only to be challenged by shinobis advancing towards her.
"Minori Rokujou!" A shinobi approaches her, looking threatening. "As soon as this situation is over, you'll have some explaining to do, and good ones I hope."
"What are you talking about?" Minori asks, sensing the stupidity coming.
"Don't play dumb, why did you hide the identity of the fox demon?"
"Senji is the Jinchūriki, not the demon itself first of all..." Minori begins.
"It doesn't make any difference." She is interrupted by the shinobi.
"Second!" Minori clenched her fists, feeling the anger rising. "It wasn't me who changed his family name, it was the man who adopted him who gave him his name, you idiot."
"It doesn't matter, you knew who you were accepting into your school, didn't you?"
"Yes, and Senji deserved to be in Kuoh just as much as everyone else." Minori crosses her arms.
"He's a monster you let into your establishment and help become more powerful!" Exclaims the shinobi, losing patience.
"Keep insulting my student and I'll knock your teeth out one by one, shithead." Minori grabs the shinobi by the collar.
"Minori, calm down!" Gen arrives and pushes the shinobi and Minori away. "Don't listen to him, they're lost and looking for a scapegoat."
"This kid you call a monster is suffering! So instead of blaming him for adult mistakes, try to save him!" Minori snarls, held back by Gen.
"Saving him? There's nothing left to save, so we regroup and prepare to seal the demon into someone else." Said the shinobi in a serious tone.
"What?" Minori froze on hearing this.
"Hey! You can't do that! Everything suggests there's hope of saving him!" exclaims Gen.
"Listen to me blacksmith, we don't care. Time is on our side, we need to hurry before he's back in shape." Explained the shinobi.
"You think he stopped because he's tired? After fighting for only a few minutes? You weren't here ten years ago, were you?" Kakashi asks.
"You can't... I won't let you!" Minori exclaims.
"This order comes from me, Minori-san." The third Hokage stepped forward, closely followed by a defeated Iruka.
"Hiruzen-sama... Do you realize your order? Sealing the fox demon into someone else means Senji's death!" Gen let go of Minori.
"Because you think it pleases me to give this order. I failed to protect him, and now I must order his death. I failed this child and the promise I made to his uncle. I see only this solution..." He turns his gaze towards the crater. "Senji would hate himself if he saw himself like this... so it's time to put an end to it."
"Wait Hokage-sama, we have a solution. Gen, talk to him about it." Kakashi calls out to him.
"Yes let us try something to save Senji, please!" Asks Gen.
"...All right, I'm listening." Accepted the Hokage, approaching them.
After several minutes of explanation and questioning from the Hokage, he massaged his jaw, turning towards the crater, thinking, but when he saw Senji shine and stop, he closed his eyes and turned towards them.
"We don't have any more time to waste, or we're really going to lose him." Said the Hokage.
"You see? There's nothing left to save!" Said the shinobi from behind.
"You have my permission." Accepted the Hokage.
"What?!" The shinobi couldn't believe it.
"Oh thank you Hiruzen-sama!" Minori regained hope.
"But on one condition. If your attempt turns tragic, we will step in immediately and do what we have to do to save the state of Konoha... and Senji himself."
"We'll do everything we can to make sure that doesn't happen." Said Hiruka, stepping forward towards Minori's team.
"...Yes." The Hokage smiled, "I'm counting on you."
"Okay, we've got permission, that's all well and good, but we'll never make it with such a small group, especially in the face of such a mountain of energy." Rain remarks.
"What do you propose Kashiwagi-chan?" Minori asks.
"All his friends who came to fight to help him." Rain replies.
"...But... that would be having to reveal the truth to them, we can't send them to fight something that's just terrified them..." Said Hiruka.
"You have my permission."
"Hokage-sama? Are you sure? It's a great risk for Senji's safety..." Kakashi asks.
"We have nothing more to lose, and as you say yourself, we must do everything to save him, we'll see the risks later, that's what Senji would say too I think." Smiles the Hokage.
"All right, then let's go. Hiruka if you can warn the few heroes still wanting to fight." Minori asks.
"Count me in!" Hiruka said, before running off.
"Okay, here we go." Minori said, striding forward, followed by the rest of the group.
The students huddled together, comforting each other with encouragement and reassurance. But two separate groups formed. The first was the Occult Research Club. They sit in a corner, heads bowed. Tohsaka, who is with Rias, looks at them accusingly, suspecting them of knowing something.
"Well, are you going to tell me what's going on? Seeing you so depressed, we can clearly tell that you know what just happened." Tohsaka asks.
"Sorry Rin, but there's nothing we can say... I'd love to tell you what the source of this energy is, but we can't..." Rias replies, massaging her temples.
Tohsaka remains doubtful, but accepts anyway, turning to the second group aside. Sasuke and Sakura with Demitra, Shiria and Yan Min. Having been the furthest away in the battlefield, along with Haruko, their discussion seems complicated.
"So to sum up... Senji has a demon sealed inside him, and those long before we met him?" Yan Min asks, listening to Shiria and Demitra's explanations.
"Everything we just told you, Kakashi-sensei told us. You can ask him for confirmation when he returns." Demitra said.
"Nah, nah, I believe you, it's just... it's just that I find it hard to believe that this monster is Senji... and you both knew?" Yan Min asks Sakura and Sasuke.
"No sorry, we discover it with you." Sakura replied.
"No." Sasuke replied.
"I see... I can't believe this so-called secret could be kept from the young, especially with a book having divulged everything." Yan Min said.
"I think people mostly preferred to forget, with Senji's disappearance. If I remember correctly, Kiritsugu said he had saved Senji from a fire? He also saved him from a life as an outcast, locked up who knows where or avoiding being the target of kidnapping or murder..." Shiria adds.
"And certainly not on purpose, since he didn't know it at first..." Demitra concludes.
"It's unfair... Senji sacrificed himself to save the state of Konoha and instead of rewarding him, applauding him and supporting him, people would rather reject him, hate him and spit in his face for becoming the Jinchūriki, it disgusts me!" She exclaims, destroying a piece of debris with her foot.
"Senji-kun... is going to die isn't he?" Shiria asks, starting to cry.
"In view of the situation, I see only one way out..." Demitra places a supportive hand on Shiria's shoulder.
"Please! All apprentices present! Come closer! We're going to evacuate! Please follow us and stay together!" A policeman announces.
"Wait! Can someone finally tell us what's going on?!" Tohsaka asks, approaching, followed by the devils.
"Yes please! We still have no news of our two schoolmates!" Garrett adds.
"Sorry, but this is confidential information, we can't tell you anything." The policeman replies.
"What do you mean?! It seems to me we helped in that battle, we have every right to know what destroyed the warehouse!" Haruko exclaims.
"Is it the same thing that caused that powerful energy earlier?!" Chacha asks.
"Once again, I won't answer any of your questions, everything is confidential and you'll also be asked to keep silent about the events that took place." The policeman added.
"Oh my... that's not very fair game from you..." Yuuka said.
"You've got to be kidding me!?" Tohsaka gets angry.
"You leave us in the dark and expect us to say nothing! You can't be serious!" Usui raises his voice.
Kuoh's students grow angry and impatient, attracting the attention of the heroes and shinobi present. Seeing this, Minori approaches them, looking for a way to calm and reassure them.
"Okay kids! Calm down please!" Minori arrives and pushes the policeman. "Change of plan."
"Minori-sensei, please tell us something!" Azuki asks.
"What does that mean?!" Asked the policeman, confused as he saw the Hokage following the teacher at a distance.
"Even the Hokage is here... What's going on?" Sho asks, juggling his gaze between Minori and the Hokage.
"Is it as bad as that? No wonder, it was terrifying..." Amio said.
"Well okay, everybody calm down, I need you all to focus on what I'm about to say, okay?" Minori settles on some debris to get some height. "First I'm going to ask that everything you see and hear here be kept secret! Can I count on you?"
"Yes!" The students say in unison, with a slight fear in their voices and eyes.
"Very good, we don't have time, so I'll be straight to the point. The creature that caused this outpouring of energy and powerful explosion is none other than Senji Emiya." She pauses, watching the children's jaws drop. "Senji Emiya is the Jinchūriki of the nine-tailed fox demon, and all signs point to him losing control when he saw the corpse of his friend Shinozuka Youta."
Hearing this, Asia fell to her knees, followed by Inaho, bursting into tears. Most don't believe it, and those who already know lower their heads, hoping deep down that it's all a lie.
"You probably don't remember the attack by the fox demon nearly 10 years ago now. I won't go into details, but Senji devoted himself to having the tail demon sealed inside him, saving the state of Konoha. It's a choice that was made in a panic and in great haste, and one that is still a huge regret for the Hokage." Explained Minori.
"If you're telling us that, then you're going to try something, aren't you?" Usui asks.
"The logical course of action would be to kill Senji to seal the fox demon into someone else..." Minori begins to explain.
"What? Is that all there is to do?!" Kodama exclaims, supporting Inaho, who bursts into tears.
"But we've seen several signs that Senji is fighting the fox demon right now. He refuses to let him possess his body and is trying to hold him back. That's where our role comes in: we're going to fight the fox demon, while helping Senji. Talk to him, support him, remind him that he's not alone, and above all, force him to come back to us." Minori explains in a solemn tone.
A dead calm settled over the students, broken by the intense, insistent rain. Seeing this, Minori climbs down from the debris and heads for her team.
"I'd understand if some refused, because all this betting on Senji being willing to listen to us, but... that's all there is to do." Minori finishes, before heading for the crater.
The children watch Minori leave, along with Kakashi, Gen and four others. They look at each other, not knowing what to think. But for everyone else, there's only one thing left to do.
"So that's what it is... The power grab of a tailed beast..." Azuki observes, looking at Senji, who contorts and slams his face to the ground.
"No wonder the third Hokage wanted to hide the Jinchûriki's identity, if someone managed to get their hands on Senji and use him as a weapon..." Said Demitra, gripping her trident tightly.
"Senji-chan..." Hot tears still roll down Haruko's cheeks, looking at her childhood friend.
"The aura he gives off sends shivers down my spine..." Kiba murmured, making a sword appear in his hand.
"..." Fujimura looks at Senji intently.
"Senji is a strong and intelligent young man, but sometimes even the best can go through a difficult time. That's why we're here!" Garrett proudly announces.
"He could kill us all in one explosion..." Yan Min murmurs, warming up.
"Don't worry Haruko, this is Senji we're talking about, he'll come back to the right path." Kodama reassures.
"Okay everyone, get ready!" Present mic exclaims.
"And don't forget! Attack to kill! If he survived a suicide attack, then he won't die with our attacks!" Warns Minori.
The entire team that came together to rescue Senji are about ten meters from him, all facing him, ready for battle, some uncertain, some scared, but most of them have a stern, determined look on their faces.
"Senji! We're here!" Shuka exclaims to Senji, who turns his head towards them.
"Here we go! The mission begins!" exclaims Gen.
"Senji-san! Come back to us, please!" Asia begs.
"Senji!" Minori landed opposite Senji. "We know you're there, so don't lose hope, we'll help you."
Senji raises his hand and sweeps in front of him, creating a huge gust of wind. Minori dodges by leaping into the air, launching a wave of flame towards him.
"Senji! We're a team, remember that?! So let us help you carry this burden, this failure!" Sakura exclaims, slightly terrified as Senji stares at her.
Several swords fall, impaling Senji's four tails to the ground, he tries to free them when a sword falls close to his face, then he is suddenly pushed to the ground, as if gravity had increased around him.
"You're our comrade Emiya-kun, we won't abandon you!" Kiba said, landing a few feet away from him.
As Senji slowly rises to his feet, Kimi begins to write in the air, sending it to the ground where Senji stands, which suddenly sinks, as if the ground has become quicksand.
"I don't know you very well yet, but you're still a Maken-ki member, Emiya-kun! And as a senpai, it's my duty to help you!" Kimi exclaims.
Senji struggles but is completely blocked, inevitably sinking into the ground. Suddenly, he plunges into the concrete, freeing himself from gravity. The ground rises in a straight line, hurtling towards the group. Seeing this, everyone fled, except All Might, who were waiting for him. Senji rises from the ground, claws out to slice All Might, but the latter moves quickly and throws his fist straight into Senji's face, sending him flying.
All Might leaps up and catches Senji in mid-air, overpowering him and tackling him to the ground, preventing him from moving, even though All Might realizes he won't last long.
"Young Emiya, do you remember what you told me when we first met? You want to save people and see them happy. And you showed me that you could do it... But a hero also knows failure, however serious it may be. But that's no reason to give up!" All Might is pushed back.
Senji hits All Might, whom he parries with his forearms, then All Might, reciprocates with a blow to the face, which confuses him, he grabs his arm and throws him to the ground.
"Just the opposite! A hero must learn and grow from this mistake! But you won't do it alone, we're all at fault here, young Emiya! Look around you!" All Might points to his comrades.
Senji opens his mouth wide, starting to charge energy, but uses his hand to stop himself. He frees himself from All Might's grip and steps back, as if caught in an internal conflict.
"Look! He's backing up! It seems to be working! He can hear us!" exclaims Chacha.
"Senji my darling! I'm so sorry! I haven't been able to fulfill my role as big sister, but I'll keep you from getting lost!" Fujimura exclaims, igniting her staff.
Senji bangs his head against the ground, fracturing it, and becomes completely immobile, before raising his head and screaming at the sky with a threatening cry, freezing everyone's blood.
"Stay on your guard, it's far from over!" Warns All Might.
"Hey man! I know we haven't talked much, but you saved me from that brat, I hope you remember because I do, especially my arm! So I owe you, and I intend to repay you!" Sho exclaims.
"Let's all go back to school together, Senji Emiya, let's become stronger together to avoid this kind of catastrophe again, and especially to honor the death of your friend, who would have wanted you to continue!" Garrett exclaims.
Senji looks down at All Might and runs towards him on all fours. He passes close to the crater, whose water suddenly rises up and sweeps Senji away.
"I've got him!" Says Sui, who freezes all the water, trapping Senji inside.
A few seconds passed before the ice began to melt, creating steam all around Senji. Then the ice shatters, releasing Senji who charges energy in front of his mouth. Seeing this, and especially feeling the energy building up, everyone panics. A piece of debris falls next to Senji, who is suddenly changed by Usui, who punches him in the face, sending his head to the left, then Usui throws the debris back into the air towards the sea. He uses his power to change Senji's position with the debris. Finding himself in the air, Senji shoots towards the ocean, breaking the barrier and creating an explosion in the water, which lifts tons of water into the air. A huge wave passes over the harbour, pushing everyone back as they run to avoid being swept away.
"Have we lost Senji? Where is he?" Chacha asks, looking to the horizon.
Suddenly, several fireballs burst out of the water, hurtling towards them. Sasuke and Kakashi stepped forward and in turn spat out fireballs, which made contact in the air and exploded. They sees Senji emerge from the water and move towards them slowly, as if reluctantly.
"Senji, none of them are lying! They're all here to help you! We know you can resist the fox demon! Go for it!" Ryuji exclaims.
"Senji Emiya." Uruchi stepped forward a few feet from him, showing no sign of fighting spirit. "You'd better come back, because I have to apologize to you solemnly. I'm terribly sorry I said that to you during our cleaning mission. None of this would have happened if we'd all been a bit more careful. Normally I don't think much of you, but I know when I've done something wrong, especially when I go too far. Besides, have you seen the state Haruko-senpai is in? She's in deep grief, look at her!" She points at her senpai. "So if you want everyone around you to be happy, then fight! Don't let it get to you!"
Senji looks at Haruko, who trembles as she meets his gaze. He suddenly twitches, sending his tails towards Uruchi. But a wall of water sweeps him away, causing him to miss his attack. Uruchi takes advantage of the situation to launch arrows of energy, striking at the joints.
After being swept away by the water, he barely had time to pull himself together before he received a kick in the face, sending him waltzing into a wall.
"Senji! Like Kimi-san said, you're a member of the Maken-ki team, focus on that, think of us!" Azuki exclaims, seeing that her Maken foot has overheated on contact with Senji.
"..." Further on Rain tries to use her Sigil to find a solution to save Senji, but nothing goes, all she can see is either the complete transformation of the fox demon, or sealing the tailed beast into someone else, necessarily killing the previous Jinchûriki, or something else. " Dammit, if we don't do anything, Senji's body will simply exhaust itself against the unstable energy of the tailed beast, and will just die, releasing the monster directly, we have to hurry..."
Senji emerges from the smoke and runs towards them, but a scream is heard, followed by a shockwave that destabilizes Senji. It's Present mic, shouting at Senji to slow him down.
Kakashi approached Senji, staring him down. Seeing this, Senji remained on his guard, staring mainly at his left eye.
"...Strange, what's so dangerous about the sharigan that you're so on guard, fox demon?" Kakashi asks.
Iruka jumps up and creates two clones, followed by Kakashi who does the same. The six of them surround Senji and deploy concrete pillars, with a scroll attached to each of them. Suddenly, lines of energy are created, joining each of the scrolls together, before creating a barrier around Senji, who shakes his head, still disturbed by Present Mic's power.
"Listen up everyone, it shouldn't be long before Senji's body gives out, we need to find a solution quickly before he dies from the pressure of the fox demon." Warn Akaya through all the walkie-talkies.
"Kakashi, Iruka, anytime!" Minori exclaimed, placing her hands on the barrier.
The other two sensei do the same, and start sucking up the fox demon's energy, spreading it throughout the barrier. Kamui wood lands on the barrier, transforms his arm into a branch and reaches through to grab Senji, who is struggling inside.
Seeing that the senseis' technique is working, the students regained hope and calmed down. But Inaho is still on her guard, not even understanding why. Suddenly, the back of her hand glows, dazzling her.
"It won't be enough..." She hears a voice.
"What?" Inaho asks, not understanding what's going on. "Who are you?"
"Use Kamudo..." The voice chokes to disappear with the light from her hand, returning to normal.
She remains frozen for a few seconds, then clenches her fists, before starting to move forward.
Senji begins to stir inside again, breaking the branches holding him down one by one. Sensing the discomfort and, above all, the heat, Kamui wood frees himself, allowing Senji to throw his tails against the walls, which he pierces.
"He's coming through!" Kakashi exclaimed.
"Continue! He's definitely weaker, which means it's working! Keep draining his energy!" Minori exclaims.
Senji doesn't wait and charges towards Minori, his raised fists glowing with a multitude of colors. He strikes the barrier, shattering it directly and forcing Minori to retreat. She ignites her gloves to prepare for battle. Senji dives towards her, but a green gem lands on Minori's foot and explodes, becoming a great green shield, which is instantly shattered, but gives Minori time to retreat. A violet stone falls on Senji's foot, who finds himself under an increased gravity field, forcing him to the ground.
"I'll be honest with you Emiya-kun, at first I didn't believe for a moment that you were still here. But I have to admit that you're holding back rather well, otherwise you'd have killed someone a long time ago." Tohsaka approaches. "So now I'm going to save you, isn't that what heroes do? Your friend is dead, but you won't follow him, is that clear?" She pulls out a short sword from her back scabbard. "Then let it be, okay?"
The blade is violet, with a bronze handle covered in brown leather, and a red gem at the end of the handle. Tohsaka throws it and lodges it between his shoulder and neck. At the same time, the gem glows with a bright green light and begins to absorb Senji's energy, creating a light green pulse.
"Raaaaaah!" Senji let out a violent scream, creating a gust of wind and a burst of energy.
He grabs the handle and pulls the blade from his body, throwing it further away. He opens his mouth wide, but immediately stops, stepping back. He's interrupted by a powerful bolt of lightning falling on him, followed by a huge root emerging from the ground and grabbing him.
"Kodama-senpai..." Tohsaka turns to the little blonde.
"Go and get your dagger Rin-chan, it would be a shame to lose so much power." She said.
"Yes, I'm going, I think we're going to need to use it quickly, although I'd prefer to avoid..." Tohsaka turns to where the dagger was thrown, turns her gaze one last time to Senji, who is struggling against roots coming out continuously, before leaving.
"Listen up, everyone." Akaya's voice is heard over all the walkie-talkies. "The shinobi are preparing to attack, they've had enough of waiting, hurry up and find a solution. Over."
"..." Sasuke looked at the scene, a certain incomprehension on his face. "How does he manage to hold on so long...?"
"...President, it's too dangerous... I can't even go near him..." Said Koneko, looking on in horror.
"...I know, but I have a promise to keep, and so does he." Rias said in a resolute tone. "Kiba, stay with Koneko and Asia, Akeno and I will go and give them a hand."
"Roger that and please be careful." Said Kiba.
The two young women nod before using their devil's wings and heading towards Senji.
"Senji-san!" Shuka calls, landing on the roots. "Have you forgotten? You're the leader of the Sunset Dragons! The clan whose goal is to finish the game! Think of how many people we'll be able to save by doing this! The collateral damage caused by the game will simply cease! And tragedies like today will be a thing of the past!"
Senji continues to struggle, his body heat starting to set fire to the woods around him, allowing him to escape, but a large quantity of water extinguishes the fire. Senji turns towards the source to see Demitra with her trident in hand.
"I refuse to let you become the monster you don't want to be." Demitra said calmly, pointing her trident at him.
Senji runs towards her, but is greeted by a powerful jet of water that lashes him. He continues and fires a ball of raw energy at her, who deflects it with her water-covered trident, exploding the orb in the air.
"Kai..." Iruka turned to his pupil, trembling with fear.
"I... I can't do anything... If I come any closer... I'll die..." Kai clenches his fists and lowers his head in regret.
Demitra continues to hold Senji back, threads of water with great pressure surrounding them, she throws the water towards Senji who receives them head-on as if nothing had happened and grows back the tails that have been cut off. He's about to run towards her, but is drawn towards Shiria, who uses her power to draw him towards her. Then Azuki and Yan Min jumps and hit him with their feet, sending him crashing to the ground, burying him.
"I didn't expect you to do what I did, Azuki Shinatsu." Yan Min wonders.
"I saw an opening, so I took it, but it worked out pretty well." Azuki nods towards Senji, who is still in the ground.
"Chacha-senpai." A familiar voice calls behind her.
"Hm? Inaho-chan? What is it?" Chacha asks.
"I must approach Senji-sama." She said, handing Chacha an almost-intact plank.
"...I see, but are you sure? It's really dangerous there..."
"Please Chacha-senpai, it's something I have to do." Assures Inaho, clenching her right fist, creating a vibrant light.
"Very well." Chacha picks up the board and pulls out her maken. "Let's wait for the right moment."
Senji suddenly emerges from the ground, and arrows of light rush towards him and attack him, but he easily fends them off with a flick of his tail, which annoyed Uruchi.
"Amio-san!" Gen calls to her. "Do you think your maken can work on Senji?"
"Unfortunately not, he's far too strong for me to block, and then it's Senji Emiya and the fox demon, no way my maken works on two people in one." Amio explains.
"I wasn't expecting that..." All Might lands next to Senji, who stares at him. "The fox demon is able to use the One for All..." He murmurs.
In the distance, Furan stretches her Habaya bow, forming a powerful arrow of raw energy. She stretches to the maximum, aiming perfectly, then releases, sending the arrow off at great speed. It pierces Senji and explodes. The attack is closely followed by Minori, who hits him in the face with a fiery punch, sending a column of flame into the air.
Haruko runs, with Murakumo out and strikes Senji, but the latter catches the blade, stopping Haruko dead in her tracks, who is surprised, but keeps the contact.
"Senji-chan!" Haruko exclaimed, her voice broken by crying. "So that's why you disappeared... why you're so... sad... and changed your name... because you carry such a burden... But now that we've found each other again, I refuse to let you go through this alone, let me be a shoulder you can rest on! Senji-chan! Hear my voice! I know you're there!" She puts a lot of energy into Murakumo, pushing Senji away and cutting off his arm.
His severed arm is directly replaced and launches an attack towards her. She thrusts her sword forward to brace herself for the impact, but All Might arrives and strikes Senji, sending him tumbling and holding Haruko back from being blown away.
"All Might..? Is everything okay?" Haruko asks.
"Everything's fine young Amaya, you're all doing a great job, Senji is getting more and more hesitant." All Might gives a thumbs-up, trying to hide the smoke coming out of his body.
Senji gets up and runs towards the nearest student, Sho Tachimani, but a wave of black and red destruction interrupts Senji, ravaging half his body, which immediately regenerates.
"Senji. We have a contract to keep, you and I. I promised to make you stronger and that's what I intend to do! And you must be my servant for all your years in Kuoh! Do you remember that? It's out of the question for you to die today. After all... You're my lovely servant, aren't you?" Rias smiles at Senji, who suddenly freezes.
A powerful bolt of lightning followed, striking Senji full force, who twisted under the strain.
"Fufufu... you're a lovely servant and that's why we need to shake you up a bit Senji-kun." Adds Akeno, holding herself in the air.
Senji suddenly stands up, causing a pulse of energy, pushing everyone around him away.
"Senji-chan!" Haruko calls.
"It'll never end... Young Emiya..." All Might grits his teeth.
Suddenly, a lengthening plank passes swiftly over them, with a brunette girl on it.
"Senji-sama!" Inaho exclaimed, making Kamudo appear on her right hand.
Seeing this, Senji prepares to attack, but he holds himself back, grabbing his head. Shots of black energy hit him, and he felt a violent shock run through his body. He turns to see Tohsaka pointing her finger at him.
"Hold on Emiya-kun!" She said.
"Stand back, everyone!" Inaho jumps off the board, charging Kamudo with energy, shining brightly. "Hiken Hitotsuka!"
She hits Senji full force, pouring out all the energy. Contact between the energy of the Maken and the fox demon causes an explosion, destroying the ground and blowing everyone several meters away.
"Ha... Ha... Gaah!"
In a large, dark, ankle-deep room, Senji is covered in a thick layer of transparent, boiling orange energy. Replacing his skin with raw red-black energy, yet he resists his guest's grip with the help of Ddraig, his sacred gear on his arm.
"Why do you resist? Don't you understand? Despite all your efforts, human beings will always remain parasites, spending their time killing each other over trifles! You can't change anything." The voice of the fox demon echoes across the room
"I'm going to repeat myself, but..." Senji turns his gaze with difficulty to the two brilliant red eyes in the dark behind the bars. "Not all humans are like that... Just look at all the people who've come to help us... Gaah!"
"They're just poor kids who feel responsible for your own mistakes, pure foolishness."
"You're right... It's my responsibility... if Youta is dead... but I wouldn't let you make it worse by killing my other comrades... I can hear their voices, they're helping me, they're holding you back... I won't let them down!"
"You can't go back! So let yourself go, you'll suffer a lot less."
"I won't let you!"
Suddenly, a bright light emerges from the darkness, forcing the fox demon to close his eyes in surprise. The light stops, revealing a white figure with a masculine body and long hair. He approaches Senji and raises his left hand, pushing back the energy covering the young man, allowing him at last to breathe and be free.
"Who are you?!" The fox demon snarls. "How can you do this?!"
"You... I recognize you..." Senji painfully opens his eyes.
"It's been a long time Senji. But rest, you're at the end of your rope. I'll take care of the rest, we'll have plenty of time to talk much later." Said the figure.
"I've always wondered who you are, but now it's clear." Speaks Ddraig through the gauntlet.
"You... yes there's no doubt about it, you're an ancestor of the kid... how?" The fox demon is surprised.
The figure moves towards the cage, drawing the beast's energy back inside, then with a wave of his hand, the broken bar reforms, completely enclosing it once more.
"It seems to me we don't know each other, that means I must be older than you. But hey, it's not time to answer that yet. I just hope this situation doesn't repeat itself, because I might not be able to come back." He turns to the gauntlet.
"I'll let Senji know." Assures Ddraig.
"Thank you dragon emperor. Well, I must go, or I'll use up all my energy." The figure begins to disappear, he turns one last time to Senji, prepares to say something but stops, and leaves, closing the access to the cage.
Inaho is propelled into the air and is caught by Kakashi, who lands gently, so as not to shock the exhausted girl.
"RAAAAAAHHH!" Senji screams at the top of his lungs, but his energy is fading.
"What have you done?" Kakashi asked.
"I don't know... I just felt something come out of my Maken and go into Senji..." She explained weakly.
Kakashi frowned and turned his gaze to Senji, who was trembling, feeling his energy gradually weaken. Suddenly, the layer of raw energy on him is gradually stripped away, revealing a reddened skin. Seeing this, Kakashi takes off his jacket and uses it as a pillow for Inaho. He stands up and strikes the ground, raising a long concrete wall to shield Senji from view.
"Well?!" Chacha runs to them. "Did Inaho-chan's idea work?"
"At any rate, he stopped emitting that suffocating aura." Sasuke remarked.
"Is Senji-san okay? Did you manage to save him?" Asia asks, followed closely by Koneko and Kiba.
"Senji is no longer in the grip of the fox demon, but he no longer has any clothing on him, so I'd ask you to wait before seeing him, for an obvious reason. We'll take care of the rest with All Might." Kakashi explained, motioning for All Might to come and hide behind the wall.
Seeing the students sigh and shout with joy, Kakashi relaxes in turn, turning to Senji who is unconscious on the ground, steam all around him.
"I thank you Kakashi-san, I was coming to the end..." All Might sighed, returning to his normal form.
"No problem, I could tell it was hard for you." Kakashi stood up and walked towards Senji, touching his forehead but immediately stepping back. "His body is boiling!" He picks up his walkie-talkie and turns it on. "Ayaka-san, the mission is a success, Senji is back to normal, we need something to cover him, otherwise the cold and driving rain will freeze his body, over."
"Ayaka here, roger Kakashi-san, we're on our way with the necessary supplies, he'll be taken directly to the hospital, direct request from the Third Hokage, over."
"You kids did amazing, you can be proud of yourselves, fighting a fox demon, even if Senji was able to hold him back as much as possible. We owe you a debt of gratitude, that's for sure." Minori exclaims, a reassured look on her face.
"Minori-sensei, what's going to happen to Senji-sama?" Inaho asks, helped by Haruko and Kodama.
"None of this is his fault, he's another victim of these events, so he'll be under the protection of the third Hokage, despite what some people think. He'll be fine, don't worry, okay?" Minori reassured.
"Come on kids, the mission is over, we're evacuating!" Calls Gen.
"Fujimura-san, if you want to go with him, go ahead." Minori nodded.
"Ah... Thank you Minori-san!" She quickly bows and runs to her little brother.
"You're putting on a serious face, Rin-san." Rias remarked.
"...How else to do it. It's a complete failure. You know, we're always told that there are disasters, wars, attacks all over the world on TV. And today we were victims, caused by humans, and the consequence is even worse, we couldn't save a schoolmate, and we couldn't save a friend in despair. If I hate myself for being powerless, then I can't imagine how Emiya-kun feels..." Tohsaka bows her head, and join the others for evacuation, closely followed by the occult research members.
The rain continues to fall violently on Fuyuki, followed by lightning bolts ripping through the sky. One by one, students board buses, their faces tired and weary. They turn their gaze to see an ambulance quickly pulling out of the harbor, lights and siren on. As the tension eases, and they sit down on the comfortable seats of the bus, some break down and cry, others fall into a deep silence. Furan looks around, frowning.
"It's a defeat we're not ready to forget, is it?" She said, toweling off her hair.
"Yes... It's a real nightmare." Yuuka said quietly.
Furan turns to her friend, surprised by her stern face, which normally retains a jovial glow.
With the children finally out of the rain, the buses set off, leaving behind the little that remains of the port, but the terror and violence they saw today remains with them, tattooed on their faces.