As the Matriarch tio devour the remains of her sisters’ spirits, the darkness around her grew, thid oily, shimmering with bruised tones of purple, green and blue. More of the serpents of fire were growing from the veil of her darkness, in a disgusting parody of Shaeu’s wind weasels, only prised of shadowy fmes. Still, Hyath was uerred, and she was determi the Kijo who threatened us down. Even with the curses afflig her, she is much faster than usual. Well, she has certainly gained enough levels during this battle. It’s a glut of the sort I had genog the Myids… In fact, she had likely gained more strength in one go, though perhaps that was because most of the Myids died at a distand ily. No, there’s no time to pohe intricacies of the levelling system now…

  “First Woe!” Hyath called, the energy she had received frrowing the spores (which was a fasating use, as the weal had been turned into an attack as well by that method) being verted into a shimmering cloud of polluted nature energy. “Cruelsug Vines!” The already burning and furrowed ground exploded upwards, sh us with dirt, and a number of waist-thick, thorny tendrils snaked out, growing rapidly, until they twisted and crawled around the barrier the Kijo was hiding in.

  “Uh, Hyath…” I asked. “If the Woe doesn’t hurt her, then won’t you face backsh?” I asked, remembering the Raven Knight and the sorry state he was in after the Jaws of the Questi missed me.

  “I am busy right nooow Akio.” Hyath said, surprising me, her face twisted into an expression of tration. “But even if I fail, I will endure, as the Woe… I pay the backsh. But it…” her expression turned cruel once more. “Will nooot e to that. I do not wish to worry you. Nooor let her escape just punishment!” Her hand tightened, and the thorns of the vines dug into the barrier. It flexed, groaning, and the Matriarch cried out in her own madness, jeering and mog her seemingly futile efforts.

  “Useless! My barrier is strong! And fuelled by my sisters’ sufferings! Wait there, vile pests, and be ed by the curses of my sin sisters!” she slurped up another spirit-light, the fmes growing in iy, seeming to draw in the faint light around her.

  “We will see whooo is useless, arroga!” Hyath shot back, a surge of deep blue darkness element ied into the vihey shone brilliantly for a moment, before the light was trated withihorns, which suddenly started pulsing, as though they were alive. Well, more… animal than pnt, I mean. It looks like the beating of a heart… the barrier began to crumble, the thorns sug the energy from the ward, darkness ing it. Hyath was starting to look unwell, perhaps early signs of a backsh, but then a thorn pierced the shoulder of the Matriarch, her ethereal body wounded by the darkness element.

  “Sed Weal. Dark Moon Blossoming.” She ihe mihe thorn strue. The vines sprouted pale white flowers, though they were threaded with veins of blue, pulsing simirly to the thorns. As the flowers opened, looking somewhat like strange, distorted full moons, a shining light was radiated from the flowers, surrounding us and the Matriarch, looking eerily pretty yet somehow baleful at the same time.

  Pandemonium Curse Flowers – This light is shed by the wicked flowers that grow around Pandemonium, the Dark Court of the Unseelie. These flowers feed upon darkness and light element, especially energies profane and cursed, as well as beings without physical forms. They then radiate a light that mitigates the effect of such curses, weakening beings that use them, allowing them to feed unopposed.

  Immediately as the light fell on me, I could feel the remaining dregs of spirt water within my body react, and my Spiritually Pure Physique was temporarily strengthened. My pores ejected drips of remnant curse energy that had built up during the battle, and with renewed vigred up at the h Matriarch, who seemed to be struggling, her translut faehow seeming paler than before. The spirit-lights of her dead sisters were suffering more though, starting to smoke and shrink uhe light, and as one drifted too close to a thorn it ierced, the flreedily drinking it away to nothing as the Matriarch screeched.

  “Great job, Hyath!” I approved, turning to her, only to see she was b, the light obviously having some effe her, though her smile was reassuring. “I am fine, I assure yooou, Akio.” She huffed, drawing in a shuddering breath. “I am a Grey Fae now, the flowers shall nooot hurt me much.” She shuddered then, and not from pain. “I remember…” she whispered, silver-violet eyes distant. “The pretty flowers, yet cruel. Sometimes they threw me intooo the vines, and the thorns dug deep. I thrashed and wailed, I did cry ooout for mercy, but all they did was ugh at me, and…” she was cut off by my sudden hug, enfolding her, heedless of the Matriarch above.

  “... don’t worry. Those days are over. Now, we o finish this, so we all go home. Eri, Shaeu, they’re waiting for us to finish this.” I whispered, and she managed a smile.

  “Yes. In yooour arms, I dooo not feel so scared. Not anymore.” She looked at the Matriarch as she gathered up her fme-snakes which began to fall towards us, their numbers and strength many times greater than her previous barrages, although vines and thorns snaked out, dragging some in to be absorbed.

  “Sed Woe!” Hyath decred proudly. “Poison unto poison!” as the snakes fell on us, I blocked what I could, shielding Hyath and defleg strikes at our heads and vitals. Even so, we couldn’t escape injury, dark fmes searing into us. Even so, the fmes were… weaker… than I anticipated, and they appeared. My skin charred painfully, but then the fmes went out, bck ooze running down my burnt skin and dripping to the ground, the curse energy withied. I see. The flowers… Hyath was wreathed ioo, suffering more than I was, but her newfound strength and toughness, coupled with her resistao such curses and darkness, as well as the weakening light of the Curse Flowers, enabled her to push through. It was theriarch screamed, as her own snakes rebou her. She dodged and weaved, only to be attacked by more ever-hungry thorny vihe light disiing her slowly. She turned her attacks on the flowers rather than us, and some vines fell, but others merely smouldered fitfully under her barrage.

  “Damn you, this should not be possible…” the Matriarch whined as she was struck by her own attacks. Dark light burst around her, and she stumbled, screaming. “No, this… I must…” with that she started to clothe herself in flesh once more, a disgusting sight as aether was sucked into her, f innards, before yers of muscles, fat and flesh grew over it. When she was done, she was breathing heavily, covered in deep burns and fitfully burning indigo and bck fmes, yet now she was smiling bitterly, only a handful of lights remaining arouwo of which she grabbed and bit into like foul apples. “You shall surely suffer endlessly.” She ched through her sisters. “But your ploys have failed.” The radiance of the Curse Flowers had little effe her now she had regained flesh, and Hyath was weakening.

  “Nooow, attad I will prepare an opening!” Hyath decred. “Third Weal. From Darkness… Grow Strong.” She fell to her knees, nearly spent, as a surge of aether she had accumuted from the many sin Kijo poured into me, along with a cloud of her remaining darkness energy. Wait, what about the Third Woe? Will you be all right?

  Before I could speak, she shook her head. “I will be fitaooow!”

  “This curse is the most powerful I cast.” The Matriarch said coldly, her rage having exceeded her limits and dousiemper. The remaining soul-lights were ed, and she stood alone, her eyes being inly bck pits that seemed to su the light around her, even the flowers starting to tremble and shy away from her, the vines shifting warily, petals curling inwards. “Taste all the rese, hatred and rage of my sin sisters, and the boili freezing fury I feel within!” A sialisman, heavy with blood and curses, roduced from her ragged sleeve and burst, dyeing the skies bck, so that all I could see was her.

  Her eyes seemed to draw me in, but even as my sciousness was swallowed, pulled down into a sea of darkness, I had diverted some of my thoughts using Split Mind to calcute my own attack. Aether was pressed and verted, f a shining spear of glowing energies, jade, citrine and other brilliant colours casg from the wicked hat my will fed from the prismatic aether…

  “Such a sight. Don’t you enjoy it?” The whisper of the Matriarch was running through most of my mind, trying to break me. I was shown visions, terrible, cruel ones of Eri, her limbs pared away, her flesh stripped with cruel hooks and bdes. She was tossed squealing and limbless into a pack of howling Yokai, who paihemselves with her gore as she screamed, cursing me for being pathetic, failing her, bringio this. No, that didn’t happen. Eri… Eri was hurt badly, and until she is pletely healed, and strohan ever before, I ’t five myself. Nor should I. But… she’s with Shaeu now, and thanks to Ginneka, she lived. Though it was a miracle she did. I nearly lost everything…

  “Shaeu? That bratty daughter of the foolish Kamaitachi? You think she is safe?” More visions rocked me, pulling me under. Shaeu’s sightless head was staring at me, as the Red Oni cheerfully hollowed out her skull, her beautiful amber hair removed, her eyes gouged out, and I could hear her whispers on the breeze, ning me for putting her life at risk for others. Her mother watched on, ughing, as Grulgor inned down by the Blue Oni, thick spears driven through his joints as they poured some sort of burning acid onto him.

  No. that won’t happeher. I tried to force away the deepening gloom withihat was starting to seep into the Split Thoughts I was using to craft my attack. I could feel my body rejeg it, my mind too, but even so, it knew just where to poke at me, as all I could see in my vision now was darkness ahe Matriarch. She pointed, and I looked down, to see that only a solitary pale arm was holding onto me, Hyath’s body now hung on one of her own Flowers, pierced by a legion of thorns, blood seeping. I thought she was dead, but her eyes snapped open, revealiy, dark sockets filled with hatred. “You failed me, master!” she decred, her tone so cold, so g love, so uhe usual Hyath. “I gave everything for your victory, and you failed. I hate you! Everything you touch turns to ashes! We are all suffering, dying, because of you!”

  Wait. No. Her words were strahere were no elongated vowels, and the di was all wrong. Blinking away tears which burned my face, I realised I was weeping a mixture of darkness element and spirit water. The darkness receded for just a sed, and I could see Hyath, clutg my leg, her eyes trusting. Even so, this curse was ierribly strong, voices and images swirlilessly through my mind, half-seen ghosts of Aiko, Hinata, Motoko, Natsumi, Shiro and more flickering in and out of existence, acg me of failures, wailing in pain and sorrow. My Resilience was high, yes, but even so, even knowing it was not real, I could feel my mind quaking, so realistic it was, and so close to what I feared, especially after… Today was terrible. People died. People I’d chosen to protect. Mine-san too. She died there in my arms, and I could do nothing. This has been the worst. Then Eri… she…

  The darkness closed in again, the whispers increasing in volume to harrowing screams and shouts. I nearly relinquished the attack I had been building up, only feug on my leg to break the illusion momentarily. I looked down, uo see, but I could hear, evehe accusations and iive the shades of my loved ones were hurling at me.

  “Hurry, Akiooo. It is not too te. Strike nooow, so we go home. Eri, Shaeu, they are waiting for yooou. Now, I shall wring myself dry if I must, to proootect yooou!”

  My hand gripped the spear I had created from the aether I had been bequeathed, the darkness element surging within it dyeing the whirling wind and fmes that pressed it in shades of blue. No, Hyath, they are waiting for us. With a roar, all my League, aether, elemental essend skills in sync, I forced aside the darkness, several more Split Thoughts sug in the harrowing curse, freeing most of my mind for a brief moment. I could see the Matriarch desding, now only a few metres from us, her arms outstretched, cws seeking my throat, a grin of great mali her face.

  “…Grow, my cage of thorns!” Hyath decred, her nature energy surging, draio the dregs, and the ground exploded, vines with thorns even longer and crueller than befleaming like poisonous swords, f a hedgehog-like dome around us. The Matriarch flew into the spikes, uo halt her charge, screaming in pain as she was tangled and pierced, though her cws were now wreathed in cursed fme, and she was quickly tearing through them, burning fragments of pnt-matter falling to the ground like inky rain. Though there is no way I will miss the ce Hyath has given me.

  I thrust, the spear leaving my hand, pierg through the dome. Even so, the Matriarch evaded, rolling clear even though the thorns and viore at her, her flesh shredding. “You missed.” She cackled, spittle spraying through the shield Hyath had created for me.

  “Did I?” I said, shaking my head as the spear twisted like a living creature, bending ba itself at right angles. “No, I was just copying your curse-snakes.” the Matriarch howled as the spear pierced her, and as soon as it eing her flesh, the wind and fme energy withionated, a brilliant burst of heat and light searing my clouded eyes. Darkness rippled out too, the energy Hyath had bequeathed me, and it cshed with the Matriarch’s own energies, preventing her from shielding herself once more.

  “I wao call it something impressive like Gae Bolg, but this would only be a terribly pale imitation.” I coughed, feeling viscous, wet liquid on my face. I wiped it off to see it was silvery blood, the Matriarch haviorn in two, her stinking guts spilling out of her body, tangled ohorny briar barricade like some sort of medieval torture. “But as a delivery system for an explosive attack, it worked fine.”

  “Ha. Ha. Hahahahahahaha!” the Matriarch broke out in mad, howling ughter, the pain and hate driving her into insanity. “You think you have won? Not while the energy my poor sisters provided still roars within me. Five me, for I have ed you all, but with your spirits queng my parched energies, I shall restore myself and…”

  “Akiooo, leave it to Hyath now.” She whispered. “Third Woe. Walking Pgue!” With that she grabbed the tangled briar walls, which immediately started to sprout more fungus, a tide of pestilent greens, reds and browns rag along all of the thorns towards the Matriarch. The Curse Flowers were blooming again around her, preventing her form returning to a spiritual one easily, and as she tried to tear herself free, I relished the pani her face as the st of her insidious curse left me, purified by my Physique.

  “No, I ot, this… my sisters, I…” she began to cough, hag and damp, as the spores invaded her body as the vegetation rotted, colpsing into a dark soup. Her flesh was corrupting, and soon her cries were unintelligible, and a few mier all that remained was a vile patushrooms, and some pretty yet ominous flowers blooming around it. A surge of ether was released, most of it replenishing Hyath, whose level increased noticeably once more, and I gained some of the remaining bounty.

  You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from One Hundred And Two to One Hundred And Three. Your…

  One level huh? Well, Hyath did most of the work. I was weary, so weary, but even so, I hauled up Hyath and used my Eye to assess her. Damn. Level Sixty-Four. She’s nearly capped for now, just a couple of levels to go. But that’s some insane power-levelling. Well, I guess she was responsible for killing a lot of rather elite Kijo, plus the Matriarch, who was a terrifying and powerful oppo. I guess Shaeu and Eri will be jealous, to say nothing of Aiko. Oh well…

  Having Hyath stronger would be a boon for us all in the loerm. As I brushed off the rags that remained of her uniform, trig in a little Ether Healing with my fading reserves to alleviate the pain from her many cursed burns, I noticed she was looking at me, her expression tense.

  “What’s up?” I asked, and she looked down, nervous. “Akiooo. Does… does it nooot worry you, frighten you, that I wreak such havoc, that where I walk, peooople die? Now the battle is ooover, I ot help but worry. I wooould hate it if you feared me, but if you… ouch!” she looked at me, teary-eyed, as I poked her in the forehead, annoyed.

  “Do you really think that? Hyath, I was the one who led you down this path. It is a terrible power…” as we talked early, the wind dome isoting the battleground beginning to crumble, I held her close. “… which is why we o use it sparingly. If everyoarts fighting this way, all that will remain is death. It’s like mutually assured destru. But when we must, we will. Today… has been just awful. I could never have imagihe deaths. Though I should have. I’ve been na?ve, foolish.” I was starting to see through the fading barrier of wind, and I could make out Shaeu and Eri peering through at me, Eri still with those ridiculous yet cute cat ears, and I felt relief. I khat curse was full of shit, even so, it was so painfully real. Well, I guess it wouldn’t be much of a deadly curse if it wasn’t. If my League or Resilience was a bit lower, or I wasn’t buffered by the light from those pnts, my mind could well have shattered, crippling or killi was luck. Again. First against the Kitsune, now the Matriarch. “We’ve been relying too mu things going our way. And we’ve suffered for it. Eri is grievously hurt, and… people are dead. Even iermath, we’ve had to ride our luck again and again. But no more. This… was a hard lesson, and one I have to bear the sorrow of for as long as I live. But…” I said, reassuring her. “You no longer have to fear being thrown into the thorns, I assure you, you’re mine, Hyath, and so long as you want, I’ll never abandon you. How could I?” I sighed. “If losing people I didn’t know well like Mine-san and the trainees hurts this much, I could never bear to lose you. Though after I nearly lost Shiro, I should have realised I was weak to this sort of loss.”

  “Akio, Hyath!” Eri called, rushing over, though her gait was unsteady, her legs looking as though she was an awkwardly put-together puppet. “How are you, did you win?”

  “Calm down, Eri.” Shaeu followed, looking equally anxious. “I could tell-tell they were fine, as the Emerald Wind Prison was receiving wind energy from Akio the whole time. Well…” she grinned. “You two look awful. But…” her amber gaze took in Hyath. “Hmph. Your strength has increased signifitly. I am quite-quite impressed. You have done well, Hyath.”

  “Thank you, mistress Shaeu!” she said, eyes glimmering. “It was hard, but I cooould not allow her to live, if she wished to kill mistress Eri!”

  “Oh, Hyath.” Eri joined in the hug I was sharing with Hyath, though her ski cold, cmmy, which worried me. “You got so hurt… Akio, just what were you doing?”

  I exged a wry look with Grulgor, who was staying back. It was amazing how tactful he had bee retly. Shrugging, I spoke to Eri. “Sorry. Seriously, without Hyath, I don’t think I would have won. The Matriarch was terribly strong. Though like Duke Myrcoxriath, the matchup was bad for her. Hyath held nothing back for you, so… sider her wounds badges of honour, marks of pride. I’m sure she sees them that way.”

  “I dooo!” she nodded frantically, as the leaders of the Hyakki Yagyō approached. “Besides, you are hurt far wooorse than I, mistress Eri! How are you?”

  “She is… well, not-not fine, not-not at all. But she will live. Her Material body is likely in a terrible state. We must-must attend to that soon. And the curse is almost broken, so…” exhaustion was writ on Shaeu’s face from her efforts iher Healing and curse-expelling.

  “Well, I thought you might win.” The Kitsune chuckled, looking at the disgusting mushroom-field that was the remains of the Matriarch. “She never did know when to withdraw from a losing battle.” She sucked on her pipe, blowing out smoke, a sultry sigh on her lips. “I see you are still Seventy-First.” She told Shaeu. “I guess your man didn’t kill her himself, so Lord Nurarihyon didn’t accept it as your victory. A pity, but better for you, perhaps. Rising too far, too fast… well, look at my poor young foxling and his fate.” She grinned, biting the decorated system of her pipe pyfully.

  “Indeed. You should be cautious-careful, to rise is to make many foes-enemies.” Urakaze observed. She looked at Hyath and me, her expression tense, before her golden-amber eyes turned softer. “Well, I hardly disapprove of you as a husband for my Shaeu now, I? You are strong-powerful, and you care for each other. And my carelessness-iiveness nearly cost Shaeu her life. I am most angry-furious.”

  Wait? What’s this about? Before I could answer, a frantic Yamato-san called out to me. “Oshiro-san. You survived. Well, I had no doubt you would!” he was huddling within a ring of his Golden Warriors, his face terribly pale and haggard. Numerous Yokai were surrounding him, watg, mog smiles on their faces. “You ’t let this happen! I’m the heir to Kiyomizu-dera, and my father heads Susanoo! You came to Kyoto at our invitation!”

  Damn, what did I miss? It seemed that whatever had passed between Shaeu and Urakaze wasn’t all that had happened while we fought. It was then that an eveer otion occurred, as the great house-shrihat was the tre of the Night Parade suddenly groahe great door on one side opening, steam hissing out, densing as it hit the still, cold air of the Kyoto Boundary. Out walked a single figure, who at first resembled a very tall human, a priest, wearing rich red robes and much jewellery. His robes trailed behind him, and dozens of smaller humanoid Yokai were holding them off the ground. A priest, here? No, he… he only has one eye!

  “It’s the Grand Hitotsume Nyūdō!” Red decred, surprised.

  “Ya, been a long time siny of the old-timers have left Lord Nurarihyon’s side.” Blue agreed. “Not a good time for it, though. The Parade has been shamed. Pretty badly, don’t ya think?”

  As the cyclopean priest strode forwards, he grew in size with every step, until he was t teres tall, impossibly rge, the ground shaking with his steps. His train had grown too, and it was now like an army of one-eyed Grulgors. The presehe League, owerful too, matg, no likely even surpassing that of the Kitsune and Urakaze. I felt tense, my breath ing in hot gasps, and I exged a look with Shaeu, to which she shook one hand a little. Shit, Eri still needs a little more time. Even if I was fresh, full of energy, I doubt I could take him on alone. Spores? No, if we use it here, then the whole Parade will attack, and we’ll be wiped out.

  No, my only option was to stall, as we had been doing up until now. Meeting his pierg gaze, I waited, until he finally spoke. With one massive hand he gestured, back towards the huge house. “e. Lord Nurarihyon wishes to verse with you. He has wisdom and warnings to impart, and… reparations to cim.”

  Wait, what? My thoughts were drowned out by the incredulous shouts and bellows of the Hyakki Yagyō, that Lord Nurarihyon would deign to ask for a mortal. Seriously? My thoughts went to Eri, who needed just a little more time, and all I could do was nod slowly. Shit, ever since Yamato-san foolishly caused this mess, we’ve been having to e up with pns on the fly to get out of trouble, the only problem is, eae succeeds, but not fully, and just nds us in a worse situation. If… whe back to the Material, we have to take stock, and ge how we do things. Holding in a sigh, I followed the one-eyed giant, while Eri, Shaeu, Hyath and Grulgor looked on, their grim expressions showily what they thought of this turn of events…

  ShipTeaser