ShipTeaser

  “Do something about what?” I asked urgently. Around us the crowd was in turmoil, so I asked Eri, Shaeu and my sis to clear a path.

  “It’s all right, we’ll take him to a hospital.” Eri said, gring at the panicked, yet inquisitive crowd.

  “Yeah, back off, back off.” Aiko agreed. “Look, we’ll take care of this, so you might as well finish your show. I’d hate for this to end on a sour ’s bee, no, not great, incredible!.”

  “Be reasoamami-san decred, a troubled expression on her face as she saw me pulling the ravaged Ren-san into a princess-carry. There was no time for him to be worried about being shamed, we o act fast. “You think we carry on now?” she spotted her fellow shrine maidens in roup. “Hey, Ito-? Do you know what’s going on?”

  “Sorry folks, I guess the encore is finished.” Kanako-san said. “Give them some room. e on, fans of Red and White wouldn’t be troublemakers, would they?” she struck a cutesy pose.

  “I don’t know…” Itou-san was saying, as Tamami-san hopped down off the stage and hurried over. Ordinarily mingling with the crowd would be unthinkable for an idol, but the situation was grim. “… uh, anyway, these… well, these are the girls from that training school Susanoo fa was boasting about, and…”

  I was barely listening to what was around me, as I raced through the crowd, Ren-san gasping out pained words in my arms.

  “This… it’s bad. We… all went to the Boundary.” He managed. “All of the Susanoo students from your school. Well… other than those with you.” he coughed, groaning, as I was w Ether Healing quickly, not g that it ainful, only that it was effective. Yeah, these wounds are sharp and cruel, but worse, they seem to be tainted with some sort of darkness element. It’s making repairing the wounds difficult…

  “Why would you do that?” I was angry, and worse, the premonition wasn’t decreasing. It was as if the danger reading. “This isn’t my Territory at Shirohebizumi! Kyoto is dangerous, you should know that!”

  “Do not-not shout at the fool.” Shaeu said sharply, a hand on my arm, knowing I was furious and worried. “I dare say he had little choice. Do tinue.”

  Ren-san managed a limp nod, thanking her. “Yes, we should… ugh, it’s your fault anyway! Yours and your sister and Mori-san!” he decred, shog me.

  How that be true? I’ve not done anything. “Yamato-sama… he thinks we are all as strong as Mori-san or your sister, so that we’d be useful. My sisters did try to tell him, but…” his eyes slid shut, still leaking tears. “I’m... I’m sorry. I wao boast a bit. After all, I’m the son of Hikawa-Kawagoe, and I have a special gift, you said so yourself!” he wailed, mortified, filled with self-loathing at his part in this, whatever it was. “So I said I was strong too. Besides, Yamato-sama wahe mirror.”

  “The mirror?” At Shaeu’s grim tone, he flinched, and it was a good thing his eyes were shut as her expression was cold enough to freeze one’s spirit. “That was lent to you, it is not-not yours to give away…”

  “I know!” he gasped. The crowd was thinning now, and there was an ambuanding by. As I leapt into the back to have some privacy, Shaeu unleashed her befuddling winds, causing the paramedics to ignore us a in the front.

  “I told Yamato-sama that, and he said he just wao borrow it. He wathen his own light element.” As more and more of the darkness element was ejected from his body, his boured breathing grew quieter. I’m actually impressed, Ren-san is quite weak to pain, but he’s barely pining at all, despite his injuries.

  Shaeu pulled the doors of the ambunce shut, Kana hopping in with us, Eri and Aiko guarding the outside. As it shut I could see the worried faces of our friends, as well as the pale Tamami-san, and also… that fner, she seems to have followed along. Perhaps she’s curious. I know Westerend to be less polite and more inquisitive than us Japahough, just to be safe… my Eye fred amber, and her blue eyes went wide as she was looking directly at me. The door shut, but it was little barrier to my vision, and I could see that she was brimming with aether. Another didate? Is she reted to this?

  “Shaeu, I’ll handle Ren-san. You go catch her, she might be ued, but that might be a ce toht now.”

  “I shall brio you, have no fear. And she shall tell us what she knows-knows.” Shaeu crashed through the doors, kig them shut behind her.

  “Okay, Ren-saalking. Where is everyone? We don’t have much time.”

  “Yes, you said that dumb girl, right?” Kana inquired desperately, worried for her cousin. “You mean Keomi-, right? She’s been missing all day.”

  “She’s not missing. She was with my sisters and some girls from Hoeruokami shrine, and then Yamato-sama scooped them all up. He wanted everyone for the Boundary, he… no, there’s no time!” he suddenly remembered. “You have to go to the Boundary now!” his face twisted into a bitter mask of despair. “I’ve seen them die…” he muttered. “A severed head, right in front of me, and… Chiaki, she was hurt badly…” more tears fell. “They were toying with us, and we couldn’t escape, they had some sort of luminous barrier, even when we emptied out our aether like you taught us, we were stuck.”

  “Who? Who was?” Kana asked, terrified by the talk of dead people, her voice rising in pitch as she panicked.

  “Calm down.” I pulled her into a hug. “Just… I’ll do something.” I handed her my phone. “Call everyone. Get them here to the Imperial Pace. I’ll find out where to go. That’s the real question. Ren-san, where did Yamato-san go with you all?”

  “We dived into the Boundary from the Imperial Pace, Yamato-sama borrowed a room. It was while Uchida-sama was meeting with dad and the others…” he coughed up blood which was leaking deep blue darkness uhe glow of my Eye. Still, I’ve extracted most of it now. Soon it’ll be safe to leave him to the paramedics. “… at first it went fine. Yamato-sama borrowed the mirror and I showed him how to fill it. There was that girl, the punk one, she was there too, as well as a couple of others like you. So we didn’t…” he coughed more, speckled with fading darkness. “… struggle to start with. Apparently you told Yamato-sama that aory cimed would be his forever, so he thought… that he could capture the Amaterasu shrines above Kiyomizu-dera, and Saionji-sama wouldn’t be able to do anything but… rage.”

  “So that’s where they are now?” I asked. “Kana, you look after him. I’ve done enough so that you’ll live, Ren-san. I’ll fix you properly ter.” Shit, Yamato-san is being so petty? He did look ied when that roposed, but still, how is he doing it? His Territory won’t reach that far. Wait, Mine-san and the other didates… I mentioned relinquishing Anchors. Did they….? Did he make them do it?

  As I opehe door, Kana tossed me my phone back. “I’ll go with Ren-san. I’ve spoken to my dad and yours, as well as Grulgor and that crazy bck dy. They’ll all be here soon. Just… just save Keomi- and the others, all right? I believe in you!”

  “I’ve got this. Keep pumping Ren-san for info a it to me as soon as you get it. I don’t have much time to waste so any scrap of information help.”

  “They… they are toying with us.” Ren-san’s parting words were grim, yet offered a fragment of hope. “They enjoy it, taking their time.” He sobbed. “They want us to feel fear, terror. But… it means some of them might still be alive… Chiaki, Chiasa… I’m sorry…”

  I nded outside to see Shaeu had grabbed the fn didate by the arm, and during the scuffle it seemed that she had suffered some bruising, as the cheek of the blonde woman was swelling, and her dress was a bit scuffed and dirty. Even so, she seemed cheerful, and was trying to talk to Tamami-san, who was attempting to calm the situation. Shaeu was unleashing her befuddling winds to support her, but doing it on so many in so public a setting while restraining a potentially hostile oppo was taxing her greatly, and her already pale skin was even whiter from effort.

  “… look, it’s just a special cert surprise, all right? A, yeah, that’s it.” Tamami-san lied, striking a pose. “… it wasn’t our idea, but… well, we’re professionals, you know! Red and White do anything if it’s for the fans! So… uh, the show’s over.”

  “This is such a good day!” the blonde girl said i Japanese, only her at giving away she wasn’t a native speaker. Ign the vice-grip Shaeu had on her arm, she was giggling with happiness. “To think I’d get to meet the Tamami from Red and White up close like this! I’m a little bit scared, but… I have your autograph? And a handshake? Maybe a hug? Oh no, too forward. I’m going to be an idol myself, you know, so I should know better! Idols have to be pure after all! No hugging! A chaste handshake only! Although, we’re both girls, beautiful young shoujo…” she giggled.

  As the idiotic words tumbled from her lips, I spoke to Shaeu. “You heard, right?”

  She nodded, her hearing good enough to pick up our versation from through the ambunce door. “The situation is most grave. And my winds will not-not calm the situation here indefinitely, though I am encing everyoet, which is the easiest of tasks.”

  “Mio-san, Asami-sa in the ambund go with Kana and Ren-sa Kana to call for backup. Get her father t Shirohebi, he should deter most threats. The rest of you, stay ihe Imperial Patil everyone else arrives. Uh, Tamami-san, thanks for your help.” I said, before Shaeu and I sprinted across the park towards the pace, where Hyath would be waiting, Shaeu dragging the protesting blonde behind her.

  “No, no, I want to talk to Tamami!” she protested. “Oh, well, at least you’re quite cute too. Are you an idol as well?” she turned her attention to Shaeu ily, taking out a lollipop with her free hand. “Want one?” at Shaeu’s flinty scowl, she merely giggled again, before popping it in her mouth, sug at it.

  “Well, you are with my juniors, Ito- and Tamura-, so I don’t mind. Besides, I’ve heard about you.” she called after us. “Still, I want to know just what this is all about, ter. You owe me for ruining the encore!”

  “No time for that now.” Eri said, rag after us, able to keep us as we were keeping our speed to merely Olympic level due to the numerous witnesses. “Later. This is an emergency!”

  “Wow, yeah wow.” My sister said, waving at the rest of the group as she ran alongside us. “If you want to know, I’ll take you and your idol group out for dessert, Tamami-sama! My treat, promise!” Her overexuberant mood then dissipated, and just like in petition, Aiko had switched to a disciplined, calm state. “I need something to look forward to. Keomi-, Chiasa-, Chiaki-… I hope they are all still alive…” her face was grave, and her eyes glittered with tears, but she was holding them in so as not to worry us, not now.

  I hope so too, but Ren-san said Chiaki-san was already badly hurt… As we reached the pace my phone was beeping, and I quickly read the data Kana was sending me.

  It went fi first, and they pushed up towards Heian-jingu shrihere were some enemies, but that Yamato guy called his Golden Warriors, whatever they are, and the others like you helped out. Then one of them started trying to take the Territory. Ren-san and the others from the school didn’t have to really do anything, and at that point everyone was enjoying themselves, finding it fun and amazing…

  Some priests were guarding the entrao the Imperial Pace, but they reised us and moved aside, shooting the fn girl with us some curious gnces. She was babbling some nonsense about Red and White, and I wondered if it was a cover for her part in this. My phone beeped again, Kana sending me more of Ren-san’s story.

  Ohey cleared the area of the mohat lurked in Kyoto, they pushed on further tinkaku-ji. That was the one Yamato really wanted, and apparently putting down an Anchor there would have allowed Susanoo to trol a broad, unbroken stretch of Kyoto from Shisendo temple down to Chishaku-in.

  I had to will myself not to crush the phone in my hand. From a tactical standpoint, yes, a move like that would definitely have bes, but Yamato-sahe dangers of Kyoto better than a was why he had been pinned in Kiyomizu-dera for so long. Was it a mistake, helping him aing that Kodoku Pot…

  “It’ll be all right.” Eri said, breathing heavily. “And if not… it isn’t your fault.” She said, her dark eyes serious. “You’re strong, and you take on a lot of burdens but…”

  “Yeah, you aren’t a god, bro. You’re still only human. Well, mostly, I guess?” Aiko sighed. “Shaeu, this is where you y bro too. You know how hard he takes things like this.”

  “So, I don’t know what’s going on…” the blonde girl said suddenly, not even seeming to care at the bruises Shaeu’s small hand was leaving on her arm. “… but it sounds like something bad is happening? You’re all like me, right? Amazing!” she grinned around the stick of her lollipop, blue eyes bright with excitement, inappropriate for the grim circumstances.

  “Yes.” I agreed, fag her, my expression cold. “And just what are you doing here? Do you think I’ll believe it’s a ce that all this shit goes down just as you turned up?”

  The girl tilted her head, looking fused. “Me? When I heard that Red and White were doing a guerril cert where you didn’t need a ticket, there was no way I could stay away, so I hopped on the Bullet Train. I’m not here for a fight, if I get in trouble, the boss won’t be happy, especially after what happeo poor Daizen and…” she paused suddenly, her expression ging. “Oh wow, a maid! She’s better than the ones in Akihabara, though they are awesome too! Hey, hey, over here!” she waved her free hand, nearly hitting my sis with her parasol. Seriously, what’s up with this girl? Is she all right in the head?

  “Master, I have nooot been able to find the girl. Though there are pces they will nooot let me search, and though I could quite easily have crushed and strahem, I did nooot think you would wao cause trouble.”

  “Oh, those long vowels. It’s like she’s a character from a manga!” the blonde girl gushed. “Hey, what’s your name? Awesome, awesome! You know the Tamami, and this beauty who is crushing my arm right now. It hurts by the way, you’re being kind of mean.” She pouted. “And now this maid! I wao work as a maid while I audition, I’m going to be an idol, just like Red and White, you know! I’ve seen them all, AKB048, Babymetal, all of the groups from Love Live!, and more. But…” her face fell, and her rapidly ging moods were fusing. “… well, let’s just say nobody would employ me.”

  Enough with this. It seems impusible, but I doubt this idiot has anything to do with the mess in the Boundary. After all, if she was involved, she wouldn’t be here talking to us, I guess… As if to answer my question, my phone pinged again, with more information.

  They ran into trouble. A group of powerful monsters. Oni, maybe. At first Yamato and the others mao take down a few, but they quickly found themselves outmatched. Yamato ordered the traio help, and then it all went to hell. One… one died, beheaded, and Chiaki- was caught and tortured. They tried to flee, return to the Material, but… one of them created some sort of barrier using talismans, and all emptying out their aether did was leave them weak and powerless. More died, and… Ren-san was knocked he barrier, breaking his arms. He pyed dead, and when attention was off him, he mao crawl out aurn…

  “Fuck.” I cursed, reading the message. Assuming Ren-san had ran as fast as he could and found us immediately, time had still passed, and it went quicker in the Boundary as well, even now that a calm seemed to be approag. I ’t do anything about the dead, but…

  “There’s no time.” I opened a door into a room, and inside was a group of Amaterasu priests, holding some sort of meeting. “Out. Now!” I growled, and my face must have been terrifying, as they quickly fled from the room.

  “I’m going in. Shaeu, you e too, I don’t think I do it alone. As for you…” I gred at the fn girl, whose name I still didn’t know, who met my gaze boldly, unintimidated. “… shit, I ’t just let you go until this situation is resolved. Hyath, Eri, Aiko, stay here and watch her. When Grulgor and the et here, send Grulgor in after us.”

  “No.” Eri said, shaking her head. “I’m ing too!”

  We don’t have time for this. “No you aren’t. Ren-san says they have some sort of barrier that you ’t retreat from. You’ve worked hard, Eri, but…”

  “But nothing!” her face screwed up as if she was going to cry. “I’m not letting you go off alone, when you might die! Not you, not Shaeu! Why else do you think I’ve been pushing myself? Do you think I want to fight? I just want to be useful, to be with you!”

  There was the sound of g, and I turo see the blonde puding, her eyes sparkling. “That sounds like a love fession! Amazing! First a wonderful cert, now this! It was worth the scolding I’ll get from the boss when I get back to Tokyo! There’s no way you deny her after that heartfelt plea, right? Right?”

  Damn, she’s annoying, and every sed ts. “I don’t know if rotect you in there…”

  “She knows that.” My sis said, fed up. “Shit bro, you don’t think I want to e along? Of course I do. Keomi-, the twins, the irls. I’ve not spend much time with them, but I don’t want them to die! I’m not strong enough, even with my new csses. I know that. I’d only hold you back…” she bit her lip, troubled. “Even so, Eri, she’s not weak. Sure, she’s not anywhere near as strong as you bro, but… she’s right. If Ren-san got out, Eri at least help evacuate the survivors while you fight.”

  “Hyath wishes she cooould go too, I should be with you, Akiooo, mistress Eri, mistress Shaeu. But… Hyath knows she o protect you here, and watch this ooone.” Hyath gred at her, her violet eyes glowing silver. “Cause trouble and I will wring yooour neck. Uand?”

  “Hey, I don’t know why you are pig on me! Is it just because I’m blonde and blue eyed? That girl, she has blue eyes too!” she talked more nonsense. “I’ll stay here and wait quietly. You promised to tell Tamami about this ter, I was there, right? Introduce me!” she paused then. “Or… I mean, I suppose…” she tossed her head. “… I could e with you? I don’t mind.”

  “No way. I don’t know you, I don’t trust you.” I de. “Shit, there’s no damn time. e on.” With that I closed my eyes, heedless of the fact I was going to end up in a heap on the ground, and as my sciousness faded I could hear some st words.

  “… so, I ask you something, uh… I never caught your name?”

  “Aiko.”

  “Oh, Aikht, did… did he say her name was…”

  ********

  The Imperial Pa the Boundary was a riotous sight. The roof en to the heavens, silvery lightning flickering in the skies overhead. The walls around us were draped with s of coloured paper nterns, which burned with uhly colours. The floors were tiled in stunning mosaics, and unlike many pces in the Boundary that looked strange and hideous, the Pace had a beauty all of its own.

  Beside me Shaeu and Eri had appeared. I still had grave misgivings about allowio e along, but she was so adamant aermihat I had been uo refuse, especially as my sis and Hyath had supported her. “Eri…” I said, my tone serious, and she looked at me, a trace of guilt warring with resolve in her onyx eyes.

  “I know. I won’t take any unnecessary risks. But… do you think I could be happy if I stayed behind and more people died?” She hefted her axe. “Sure, I’m not a good person, I’m selfish, I don’t really care about other people, except those I like, but… I care about you, Akio. I know how hard you must be taking this.”

  “Indeed. Well said, Eri.” Shaeu approved, admiring the sery. Numerous balls of fme were drifting around the skies, and my Eye identified them as an assortment of Yokai, such as Hitodama, the souls of the deceased. Around each of them clustered hundreds of lesser spirits, foggy, milky orbs, fragments of animal and human appearances jumbled together in haphazard steltions. “We should not tarry here. I sense a powerful presence deeper in the pace, it would not-not do to provoke it.” she raised her voice. “Ruler of this pce, five our intrusion. We shall be leaving!”

  Yes, this is definitely a Territory trolled by something. It felt strong, perhaps as strong as my own, although there wasn’t the oppressive resistane felt when pressing through an Anchored one. Even so, faint wisps of aether and elemental essence were leaving us, drifting into the air to be absorbed, and Eri was finding it especially hard, her face pale and her movements slow. I think the Pace is a duoo, it seems noticeably bigger than it should. My Eye glowed, and I could see a faint violet tinge in the air, the space around us distorted.

  “There’s no time. We have to run.” I snatched Eri up in my arms, in the same manner I had carried Ren-san. Eri blushed, despite the seriousness of the situation.

  “That looks quite-quite fun. I should like that iure, Akio.” Shaeu said, her pinwheels ready on hand. “But for now, we should make haste-haste. Grulgor, I would find his presence reassuring now, but he is not-not the fool he once was, he should be able to uand when Aiko expins the situation.”

  Rag out of the magnifit pace, the Hitodama and other Yokai making a path for us, the ruler of the pce obviously unwilling to fight, we bounded out into the streets of Kyoto, the riot of colours and lights feeling quite different to the suburbs of Tokyo or the mountains of my hometown. There were groups of Yokai, though most scattered when we passed, perhaps sensing our power, unwilling to engage us. One foolish group did try, a gaggle of wizened humanoids with bird legs instead of human ones, as well as gaping mouths filled with mprey-like teeth, but Shaeu quickly swept her pinwheels across them, the thrumming wires wreathed in jade energies slig them to ribbons. We didn’t even pause for the ether, tinuing to head for the area Ren-san had told us of, Ginkaku-ji. Noere in the Boundary there was no more o hide our abilities, so we were running at a speed only top sportscars could reach. Eri was ging tightly to me, her face pale, but we crossed the three kilometres like lightning, the massive silver edifice of Ginkaku-ji t overhead, a massive silver pagoda-style tower shimmering with rainbow refles, mirr the skies overhead.

  I hear that oerial Ginkaku-ji isn’t actually silver, unlike Kinkaku-ji, which is covered in gold. Now, where… where are they? I trated aether into my Eye, as well as expanding and strengthening my already impressive vision. The riotous lights and sea of lesser spirits and Yokai that flooded Kyoto was distrag, but I quickly located something out-of-pce, a faceted dome-shaped barrier of glowing reddish-violet energy, prised of hexagons anchored by what looked like paper talismans, strange kanji-like symbols daubed on them in a reddish ink that looked like dried blood.

  Kijo Occultist Restraint Talisman Barrier – This barrier uses Yokai arts, a modified form of Onmyōdō, to create an area where the spiritual body and the material body are separated. Those trapped within may not return to their material bodies, instead being sustained by the teher and energy within the Barrier.

  That’s it! There! “Are you two ready?” I asked, ging course towards the glowing prison. “Eri, onside, you ’t just flee the Boundary until you leave the barrier, so… be careful, all right? I know you want to help them, but I ’t lose you, not even for them!”

  “I want to fight.” She said stoutly. “I wao be your strength, like Shaeu and Hyath. I ’t bring you noble es or money like the irls, but… I fight!”

  “Well said!” Shaeu approved as roached the barrier. It seemed to mute sound as well, all we could hear from within dull noises, as though it was deep uhe o, a different realm. “I shall be sure to keep an eye on you, Eri. After all, you would not-not want to die, leaving Akio to us?” Her smile was mischievous, and I could see she was trying to calm the tense Eri down, as this fight would likely be more brutal and intehan any she had faced before.

  The barrier offered little physical resistao us, and I could see how Ren-san had mao escape. Onside, my eyes instantly adjusted to the ruddy light within, and I lowered Eri to the ground, drawing my bdes, Shaeu beside me, her eyes two brilliant stars of amber in the gloom. And what greeted us was a vision of hell… fug hell! This is… I felt my stomach sink, bile rising, and Eri did ihrow up, a mess of silver and grey spttering the floor. …a vision of hell indeed…

  The first thing was the smell. Just like the fact we seemed to o breathe in the Boundary, the fact that we could smell was strange, but then, thinking about it, was there any reason to be surprised? We could see, why was that different? My mind was trying to shy away from the se with these useless, scattered ruminations, but since I had Split Thoughts, the other half of my mind was clear, taking iuation, calg.

  The stench of blood, terror, sweat, and the cloying smell of fermented rice wi all mixed together into a hellish musk that dulled the senses. My feet were wet with smeared ruby blood, and silver vapours were rising from it, streamers of metallic mist drifting upwards. And there was… what once erson, leakiher. That’s Shiba-san, from… Kashima shrihe woman was only a few years youhan me, a uy student, quite fashionable and flirty, but now… now she’s nothing. Just… meat and whatever our astral body is made of… the body that had been torn in half was cradling a severed head, her young brother, who was only just in middle school. His eyes were frozen open, staring sightlessly, and the skin was already turning transparent, beginning to fade away…

  “Oh… oh… uh…” Eri cried, lost for words, seeing another severed head, one of the dark-skinned girls from Hoeruokami shrine lying in a puddle blood. There were several other bodies too, the sisters who were shrine maidens of Benten lying mangled and broken, a hideous foot pressed down on top of one of them, the possessor of such a monstrous humanoid nearly eight feet tall, with ruddy, leathery skin, piggish, dark eyes and a pair of impressive horns jutting from his brow. There were others too, perhaps two dozen more Oni, and als-wearing female creature, with long talons and bzing crimson eyes. She was holding a staff in one hand, the long wooden stake hung with talismans aishes. On seeing us, she gave us a toothy grin, even as she unleashed a shimmering bolt of energy, which hammered into a cracked Golden Warrior which was fighting her desperately, wielding a long fil. The Golden Warrior staggered, crumbling, golden dust casg as it dissolved.

  “Bastard creatures!” Shaeu roared, her pinwheels darting out, f a barrier ahead of a group of huddled people. It’s Keomi-, and the twins… the irl from Hoeruokami shrioo. As the shimmering barrier of wires drove back several Oni, I moved, darting forwards. I could see that there was a dead man I didn’t reise too, surrounded by several dead and dying Oni, but in a final indignity, his broken corpse had been stuffed into a barrel filled with sake, an expression of terror on his lifeless face, his limbs squashed and crushed.

  “Yamato, you mother fucker!” I roared, insed. So… so horrible, siine Golden Warriors were cirg him and Naruhito-san, the priest didate who had apanied us on our first foray to the Boundary. They were battling the Oni, but even as I watched, several Golden Warriors were shattered by brutal clubs and long cleavers, only for the fallen warriors to reappear, though to my Eye Yamato was drained of aether, his reserves bottoming out. So he lied abut being able to call on six, the fug rat… no, that’s unfair to Ixitt. “You… you…” my Resilience suddenly calmed me, dousing my rage as if it lunged into icy water. Even so, I was still furious. “As for you…” I gred at the Oni that staggered back from the pinwheels, bright blood dripping from its cut arms. “… killing is ohing, my hands aren’t , but you fuckers are enjoying it!”

  Brandishing the Twin Fangs, I struck out at the callous, monstrous Oni, his mouth twisted into a joyful grin. I was faster, massively so, as I was running Body Enha, but even so, it was like striking a wall. Skin tore and bones cracked, but the Oni did not fall. Pulling my earth element into Might rather than my usual Fortitude, I flooded my body with strength. “Stop grinning, you bastard!” I snapped, my blows biting through the armoured flesh, severing his arms. The Oni gaped at me, only for my fist to sm into the open mouth, shattering his teeth. “Foehn.”

  “Behind you!” Eri cried, but I was already turning, even as the Oni’s head behind me exploded into fmes. Shaeu’s pinwheels darted around me expertly, tangling the charging Oni, biting deep into warty flesh. Eri, her face still soiled with her vomit, was rag towards another survivor, one of the girls from Aoikaeru shrine. One of her arms was gone, and the stump was fountaining blood, her life draining away, and several of the smaller Oni were dang around her, poking at her with bloody spears. “You get away from her, monsters!” she shouted, her voice rising into a scream.

  “Save me, save me!” the girl wailed. “I don’t want to die!”

  “Shaeu, help her!” I said, space shredding around me as the Fangs discharged, slig the Oni into three pieces, ks of meat smming into the reg cage of wires. Rag past, I heard a cry of “Growth!” and suddenly the Oni Eri were fronting were caught by growing vines, rippling free of the ground. “Decay!” Mine-san called, and the Oni started tle, their flesh bing, rot starting to sprout from them, reminding me of Hyath’s abilities.

  “I’ve got you!” Eri grabbed the screaming girl, throwing her over her shoulder, before using her axe to fend off the Oni, though her blows were too weak to do much more than stagger them.

  “Keomi, are you…” I paused, my expression grave. Keomi- was so pale with fright she resembled Haru-, and one of her legs was twisted at a brutal angle, and she had several gashes iorso, leaking dark light like Ren-san was afflicted with. Chiaki-san was unscious, and was as gravely wounded as Ren-san had said, so much blood staining her clothes crimson and silver, to match the red and white of her hakama. Her sister was horribly scarred, her flesh scored deep enough to see bone, yet the blows were not enough to kill, clearly torture, and the st girl, her dark skin was likewise marred, and her eyes were open but empty, a savage cut having robbed her of sight, and she was lying there, mumbling to herself, her mind shattered.

  “… oh, Akio-kun…” Keomi- managed meically. “… are…” and with that she fainted, leaving Chiasa-san as the only one able to speak.

  “… you came. Did Ren-sama mao…” she croaked, her face wracked with pain. “… reach you?”

  “He’ll be fine.” I assured her. “Now, you just… hold on. I’ll heal you all as soon as we’ve dealt with this. It’ll be all right, it will!”

  “Dealt with? How… amusing!” the Kijo cackled, her staff waving, another flurry of talismans s out from it like ami birds. This time they headed towards the Golden Warriors, pasting themselves to their bodies, only to detonate, shards of goldeal flying like shrapnel, cutting into Yamato as he tried to shield himself. “Well, letting that otle mouse scarper seemed to have borne fruit, and sweet fruit at that.” She chuckled, her voice sounding dry and desiccated, as though she had barely spoken for years. “I would not have allowed him to flee our fun, but the look in his eyes, the fool was trying t help. And help he brought. Troublesome help at that…” an Oni fell headless, Shaeu’s pihrumming with wind, the bluesteel wires stressed to their limits, now able to cut the tough foes. “… well, we were getting tired of toying with these ythings, anyway.”

  “Die! Die! Die! Die!” Eri was g, tears streaking her pale face, her axe raining blow after blow on an Oni that had tried to snatch the wounded girl from her. Even so, all she could achieve was to bruise the iron skin that was a match for. A sed Oni rushed her from behind, and I called upon light element, shaping it into a powerful beam. The Oni staggered, face smoking and burning, flesh melting from his skull where it burned him, and my attack, a volley of droplets of infused moonlight spirit water, pierced the exposed bone, exploding within the skull, popping the head like a balloon. Even so, it was too te, as the sed struck at Eri with the darkness-infused bde it carried. Her armoured dress tore, slowing the blow, but even so her flesh was cleaved, a cut from her chest down to her waist deep enough to expose her ribs. The wounded girl was thrown from her back, and as a foot from another Oni was raised to stamp on her, Shaeu and I both reacted, wind and fme barraging the brute, driving it back.

  “Eri!” I called, panig, drawing oh to shape a series of hollow-point rounds filled with Foehn, which I peppered the Oni around her with. As they were engulfed in fme, I heard Yamato calling to me, as he was bei by many foes.

  “Do something!” he cried. Naruhito-san had fallen, a long staff one Oni was wielding having shattered his legs, redug them to a broken mess, and two more were closing in on him. Vines burst out from the ground as Mine-san tried to stop them, but then she groaned in pain, and I could see an er than all the rest had seized her by both arms, hauling her up, her shoulders dislog with an audible pop.

  Pinwheels danced and more bullets scattered from me, only for paper talismans to fly from the Kijo’s hands, f several shining barriers that deflected them. Pushing my mind to the absolute limits, using light element to hasten my reflexes and thought speeds, an idea I had thought of but not attempted due to the risk, it was as if time had stopped. No, not stopped. Just.. slowed.

  Eri was being menaced by the Oni with the cruel, cursed bde. I could see her face twisted to an expression of pain, but she was looking at me, her mouth f words saying she was all right, even as blood spattered the ground and her skirt was turning red. Behihe wounded shrine maiden was about to be crushed by another Oni. Three more were ready to kill Naruhito-san and that fool Yamato, another one heading towards Keomi- and the girls, while the remainder were rushing towards me and Shaeu to block our progress, apart from the Kijo, who was ughing at us, and the biggest brute, holding the limp Mine-san.

  How… how does everyo out of this alive? The situation was worse than even I had feared, and if the Oni were not so io toy with and torture their victims, this would have been all over before we even arrived. Even so, so many dead, so much suffering already…

  “Fuck!” I roared, my grasp on the light element slipping, a blinding pain searing through my body as my nerves burned.

  “Decay…” Mine-san called, the Oni holding her screaming in pain as his hands started to corrode. At the same moment, Shaeu unleashed a beam of trated water, focused by her wind, and the Kijo was forced to call upon more talisman barriers to block it. Her pinwheels swept out in two dires, and the Oni that was menag the victim Eri had tried to save was cut at the waist, steaming guts falling out as his surprised face gaped in wohe wire couldn’t take the huge amount of wind Shaeu umping into it, and it she piself whirring like a shuriken, flying into the distance. Her sed pinwheel fared better, and one of the Oni attag Yamato, the other target she could reach, perished, but it was too te for Naruhito-san, as one Oni stamped down, shattering his head.

  “Die!” I roared, Spatial Rending activating as I flung myself at the oag Eri, heedless of the others around me. I warded off one blow, verting my earth energy back to Fortitude, and spikes rose from the ground, filled with boiling Foehn, and it ierced through the chest. Fmes fred, springing from its eyes and mouth, and it fell. The one fag Eri also died, tough skin and bone uo resist as space distorted in a sshing wave, cutting one arm free and shattering its skull. The amber letters within my vision I dismissed as irrelevant.

  That just leaves… I ighe Oni closing in on me. One Fang was shattered, a massive, spiked club breaking it and boung off my ribs, driving the breath from me, while a spear gouged at my thigh. Shaeu was likewise taking injuries, but even so she made sure that the Oni targeting the dying girls perished, wires of wind energy ing around its neck, digging into bone and slig through until the head popped free. Blood ttering, her kimono ripped and torn, but she fought back, wind weasels, fme weasels, water weasels and light weasels snaking around her, dozens of them, givihe look of a sort of strange hydra…

  Earth element exploded in a wave, the grouonating spectacurly, and it surged towards the Kijo as a distra, while I focussed my Foehn down to a single, heated orb, densing it harder than I ever had before. It fought me, so I pressed it with air, and it began to ge, the yellow fme first turning e, then finally shining a baleful blue, the air arouurning to psma, my exposed flesh hot and starting to smoulder. The Oni attag me shied back, proteg their eyes, and I swung my fist, the searing orb melting through the Oni, Foehn burning the life from them. I then hurled it, aiming at the Oni holding Mine-san. She was looking at me, her eyes wide, and the expression on her face was free of pain, and… I don’t like it. It’s… no, she ’t give up!

  The Oni grinned, face twisted in torment from his rotting hands, swinging Mine-san into the path of the glowing orb of densed Foehn. Mine-san squeezed shut her eyes, giving me a small smirk, as if to say at least I’ll die quickly and painlessly, but I had other ideas. Wind threads, so fine as to be essentially invisible, which I was stantly replenishing as Foehn ed them using half of my Split Thoughts, twisted, and the orb spun, darting to the side before smming bato the Oni, detonating soundlessly. For a moment shining blue fmes bloomed, and then…

  “My sister is going to be very angry with me.” The Kijo ughed. “Losing all these Oni, when this should have been nothing but some fun sport, hunting fools who trespass on our Parade. The Red bastard will be furious too, and the Blue bitch. After all, you’ve just killed his brother. Although…” the Kijo had mostly shielded herself from my earthen distra, but some of the surprises inside had hurt her, and blood was running down her fad side. “… at least I’ll have your despair to enjoy. Give him a present.” She sneered.

  What happened was horrific, seared into my mind. There was a siing tearing noise, and a bubbling scream, as the giant Oni, half of him abze, Foehn burning deep into his body, ing his innards and bones alike, had pulled, ripping the arms from Mine-san with his rotting hands. Eri was screaming too, and Shaeu looked ashen, her face twisted into a scowl of hatred. The Oni gurgled a ugh, flecks of blue Foehn expelled from his burning throat, drifting down onto the now armless Mine-saing her short hair and clothes alight. As one arm disied, he used it to punch through her guts, bsting a hole through her, and as Mine-san coughed blood to join the spray fountaining from her missing limbs, the Oni tossed her at me, before he colpsed, Foehn greedily ending his life.

  My remaining Fang dropping from my hand, I didn’t evehe blow to my side one O me, staggering me, and as a spear stabbed me again, pierg my flesh, I caught the light, oh so terribly light body of Mine-san, heedless of her gore mingling with mine, and as more e letters entered my vision, I could barely see, so misted were my eyes with tears…

  ShipTeaser