Ga Rei: Exodus Nine (IC)

[Verg Avesta]

One-Eyed Man
Aoyama, Soba Shop -Gen-
First Floor
Evening, Prior to The Fall

"Quite similar. It's why I attacked you originally."

She attacked him... because of a mistake?

A narrow layer of clouds seemed to arrive into the One-Eyed Man's mind. In the end, it did make sense in some way. After all the dragon had pretty much ambushed him out of nowhere. Still, while it was perhaps only him who thought of it that way, this revelation made him feel almost... accidental. No, not even accidental, but more of a... replacement. It wasn't him that she had desired to fight. It wasn't him she had appeared before, searching for an opponent for her fangs and her fire.

It had been because he looked like someone else.

In other words, it made him the secondary one.

"..."

Something about these thoughts made the One-Eyed Man lose his appetite... as well as the fact that he was still far from finishing the Beef Bowl. He glanced around the restaurant and quickly realized that everybody else had went to do their own things. It left only him and Red in the restaurant proper and right now his murky thoughts made him desire a little distance from the dragon. And since, frankly, Yuka was somewhat scary when she wanted to be... at least in a manner that he was completely defenseless against...

... He might as well go for a cigarette.

Somehow he felt like he needed one.

However, as the One-Eyed Man put aside his utensils, got up and headed for the back door, he couldn't help but to make a small side trip to the bathrooms. The policewoman (Noriko, as he reminded himself) had been acting quite strangely the whole day, talking of things that were quite clearly productions of a concussion. And now, what was it again... reporting to a blue room? It did ring some alarm bells, mostly because it sounded like she had gotten to the point of seeing proper hallucinations.

Therefore, he might as well check if she was fine. Just a knock on the door and a simple question of "... You okay in there?". If she really was thinking that the bathroom was blue (it wasn't, right? And why report there?), Noriko might actually need medical examination. Head injuries were no joke.

And if it turned out to be nothing, well, then he could just beeline to where Kazuya was.

Now that he thought about it, he had been surrounded by nothing but women for few hours. Anybody would have needed a break at this point.

[Airen]

One-Eyed Man
Aoyama, Soba Shop -Gen-
First Floor
Evening, Prior to The Fall

...There was definitely music seeping out from the cracks in the door.

The sound is much like that of an opera, at least, the style of singing that comes forth like a whisper on the wind reminds you of that of an opera singer. It is not Noriko herself singing, indeed, the police-woman's tone of voice was much higher-pitched in comparison, so the sound of someone else singing, especially in such a grand manner, seemed curiously out of place in what was -judging by the size of this shop- likely a one or two toilet restroom at the best.

So was she just listening to music in there?

While you could hear it just fine, there was always the possibility that that was simply your enhanced senses at work, and that the woman was just listening to an mp3 player or playing some sort of game on her phone in there but...

The song feels familiar somehow.

But when you knock on the door to check on her...

It all stops, the music stops, the dim sense of nostalgia stops, and...

"Yeah. I'm fine."

She answers calmly enough, but...

There's also a strange blue glow beneath the bathroom door, like some sort of azure light was shining on the other side.

"Just reading a bit of lousy poetry I found, someone's idea of a joke I guess... Haven't collapsed in here or anything."

...Was this strange?

Police-girl was really...

An odd one...

[Verg Avesta]

One-Eyed Man
Aoyama, Soba Shop -Gen-
First Floor
Evening, Prior to The Fall

Curiouser and curiouser.

No, in all honesty, it was downright weird. First babbling all sorts of weird non-sense about long noses and blue rooms, then reporting to toilet and ending up listening to some vaguely familiar opera. And was she shining around a blacklight in there? Or where did that blue glow come from? He didn't remember Yuka or Kazuya having installed something so strange into the bathroom. For all he knew Noriko could have been in a middle of a hallucinatory episode in there, pretending she was on some grand mystical journey to the middle of collective subconscious. That or seeing demons appear, disappear, merge and separate. Anything was possible with a heavy enough concussion.

Still... it did bother him a bit.

That song.

He had never been much for music, but for something to strike him as faintly familiar... it might've been something from time before he was known only by his physical appearance.

"..."

In any event, there was not much he could do right now if Noriko herself did not come out. For a moment he considered kicking in the door to check her physical condition, but then decided against it. Causing property damage here while Yuka was within earshot was not wi-

Wait a minute.

Bad poetry? In that bathroom? Could it be...?

Suddenly, a shiver ran down the One-Eyed Man's spine.

"Might be Yuka's," he warned Noriko. "Beware."

He did not want to be around if the poem was indeed something written by the older girl. Especially after Noriko called it 'bad.'

[Airen]

One-Eyed Man
Aoyama, Soba Shop -Gen-
First Floor
Evening, Prior to The Fall

"...Yeah, I guess that might be possible. It was on the ground though... I think she'd treat it a bit better. Maybe have it framed on the wall or something?"

Sounding unsure about it, but agreeing that it is in fact a possibility.

"But I dunno..."

The sink runs for a bit, and then she opens the door with a thoughtful expression:

"I'm not an English Major or anything, so maybe I just don't get it, but..."

Shrugging, looking perfectly fine physically, she...

Pushes a blue paper into your hands, and-

"Here. You can have it~!"

-Escapes back into the bathroom with an almost overblown cheerful wave, and, perhaps out of reflex...

You look down at it:

-Eternity-


The fallen angel ascended to eternity
Walking in a circle
The wing that drags the ground...
Covered in needed sin
Is no longer pure

Losing sight of her goal
The heart of the people
She wished to save
The chains that appeared in her hands
Bear an unfamiliar weight

A paradise held together by chains
Binding the enemy
Along with everyone else
Is it worth giving up freedom
For an eternity of peace?

-------No!

No enemy is too great to overcome
The heart of the people
Beats with that strength

We who have a wounded past
Are, learning slowly
Watching over these
Unchanging, ever repeating days

The repetition is endless
The failures just as much
Even so
We who are stuck in the past
Have begun to set our eyes
Accepting the scars
On that distant dream

What we desired
Our Nevereverland

The new world that surpasses
Our destined roles
That damned rule
That we must fight
Until nothing is left

...Yeah.

Okay.

[Verg Avesta]

One-Eyed Man
Aoyama, Soba Shop -Gen-
First Floor
Evening, Prior to The Fall

For a good, long, solid minute the One-Eyed Man simply stared at the piece of blue paper in his hands. His gaze seemed to be sucked into those words that fell across its surface, poetry that talked about everything from heaven to earth. Intricate lines and thoughtful rhymes to some, yet forgotten on the floor of the bathroom like it had been no big deal. Who had written this? It certainly did not seem to be Yuka's voice that could be heard from these words. Kazuya was even more unlikely option. And Red was out of the question. That gluttonous dragon did not seem the type.

But, whoever the author and whatever the reason it had been left where it had been...

The One-Eyed Man had only one thing he could say when confronted with this foreboding poem.

"... Absolute trite," he grunted, stuffing the paper back into his pocket.

... Such harsh criticism, even from a one who knew nothing of poetry.

Then, with a heavy sigh, he moved over to the door leading to backyard. The sunlight hit him in the eye, forcing him to cast his gaze down. He gave Kazuya a quiet nod before lighting up his own cigarette.

As he took his first drag of the day, the One-Eyed Man found himself relaxing ever so slightly. Despite this carefree atmosphere, odd thoughts and strange conversations had begun to weigh on him, not to mention emotions that he wasn't even sure were right for this situation. Here, gazing at the sky, smoke rising from his lips, he could put that all aside for a moment.

Not to mention that inside the restaurant it was quite a hen-house, in a way.

[Airen]

One-Eyed Man
Aoyama, Soba Shop -Gen-
First Floor
Evening, Prior to The Fall

"Ran away for a bit?"

Knowing the reason, and chuckling a bit at it in spite of himself, Kazuya otherwise doesn't respond to your appearance outside of the shop. The sun-streaked skies are a brilliant orange in their accompaniment of the setting sun, and while the skies are clear for now, there's a strong wind coming from the east that seems to be bringing along a number of darker storm clouds in it's wake.

"We're in for some thunderstorms tonight."

Flicking the butt of his cigarette into a nearby trash-can with a casual grace, the man fishes in his pockets for another one even as he makes the easiest and most classical of small talk topics.

"Real bizarre weather lately. Ice-storms one day, windstorms another, all over the world too. Kinda feels strange."

The flick of a lighter.

"Doesn't matter too much though, just gotta deal with it all as it comes. Power goes out, we got a generator; might get some use of the thing for once."

A comfortable silence, then:

"Oh, and I put your clothes in the wash by the way. Took a bit to get going because Yuka wanted to fix all the tears first."

A seeming afterthought, but spoken with an amused grin.

[Airen]

Hitoshira Nagi
Inside of Ananta (?)

The Shadow Vortex is a world without life.

The place where demon-kind was sealed millennia ago when one man's wish had declared that they were no longer 'allowed to exist.' It is a place for those things that have fallen into nothing, a void of the truest sort, and one that they are only allowed to exist in because of their ties to humanity.

Yes.

Humanity and Demon-kind are intrinsically linked.

So long as humans exist, the existence of demons in one form or another is also guaranteed; because humanity continues to 'observe' them even if only subconsciously, there is no way of erasing them for good. Humans keep them on life-support, humans allow them to survive in a world of absolute nothingness where even time itself has stopped, and for that reason and that reason alone, is the Shadow Vortex a place that can be 'reached.'

Without 'something' to contrast it, the 'void' is simply the void after all...

But the voice that goes into the darkness certainly reaches many ears.

Some answer, others do not stir in their ceaseless slumber amongst dreams.

Just because Demons and Humanity are linked at the core, does not mean that Demons necessarily care about humanity either; really, to even begin to believe that Demons hold an innate love for humanity is a sign of foolishness that proves Hitoshira Nagi's naivety.

To be blunt, they don't care about humanity.

However...

That did not mean that Gods and Demons and Angels did not have humans that they loved, the relationship between Summoner and Summon was a complex thing, sometimes it was akin to a worker and his tools with mutual distaste on both sides, at other times it more resembled the relationship between friends or family, precious companions who each just so happened to be a different type of existence from each other.

Those second type might be more rare, indeed, more often than not the relationship was antagonistic, but...

Over all the millennia, all of time since the beginning of creation, over all the worlds that had gathered into this one, the final world of the Sea of Amala, every demon at least...

Had at least single human that they trusted as a companion, so saying 'demons do not care for any humans at all' would also be an untruth.

Personal loyalty over general loyalty.

The ability to watch the masses burn while intervening for the sake of a single human they cared about; demons were ultimately those sorts of beings at their core.

But that knowledge is only useful if one is able to manifest all of humanity. If all the humans are here in this world somewhere, even if only as souls, then there should be 'someone in the world' who could each convince at least one demon to fight on their side by playing on those ancient affections.

A sort of 'do it for my sake' if you will... A compromise that could perhaps forge a pure unity if only for a single moment.

But most of the demons have been eaten by the Devourer, and the voice that reaches for those that remain is but the voice of a single human that they do not know. Those that remain are the cautious sort, those of the void that have recognized the world trap for what it was, and have wisely chosen to remain out of the path of the one destined to erase the Sea of Amala.

They should have no reason to respond, indeed, most ignore the voice.

However...

A rumbling shakes reality.

It shouldn't be a surprise.

After all, if one calls out into the darkness, it's only natural to get an answer. It's by no means everyone, to be frank, it is a minority of what is already a dwindling population, but the sensation of approaching powers is one that cannot be denied.

"Sure hee ho! You're a funny one!"

"Ah... Ruu already has a contract with another human, but Ruu can still be your friend!"

Even the snowman and the fairy seem at least willing to help, the snowman reaches out to you with a cheerful hee-ho to seal the deal...

"...Demon Queen?"

A quiet voice.

Yagami's quiet voice.

Pierces through all the rattling of summonings and eruptions of emotion.

"How foolish. No. There won't be any more of that."

A certain calm passes over him, the internal struggles, even the psychotic haze are different than this; the curse has worked its way through his self, and what remains at the other side of it is an entity that can only be called an "Apostle of Amatsu."

"Begone scum. This is a conflict between humans, your kind have no place here."

His words bring about an absolute change in reality.

Simply put, the moment he speaks, those of demon-kind simply cease to be within this world. Like dust in the wind, their existences are blown straight back into the shadows, the gate into the Shadow Vortex melts closed as if it had never existed at all, and even Mary and Lilith seem to be blown away in spite of their apparent power, thrown back into a void from which there will no longer be any escape.

"Relying on demons? Traitor."

It's a show of power fitting for a "God."

The creation of "Rules."

Laws that must be followed within the world, enforced by the directed power of a growing collective humanity.

Laws such as...

"Demons are not allowed to exist in this place. They cannot maintain their existences within this space, nor can they be summoned by Hitoshira Nagi, this is the decree of the Kyuubi."

This.

A declaration made by a human that has nevertheless become a sort of truth; while he had specialized in illusions before, he had been capable of turning 'images into reality' and lies into truths but...

With Amatsu's power, and thus a way to tap into the Kyuubi's power in a more controlled fashion...

It seems that he had gone quite beyond that sort of force.

Banished by a pulse of crimson power, it seems only the downed Auron remains present with the two of you.

"Oh... I see. That's interesting... So 'Observation' can be used like this, huh...?"

While you can still hear Lilith's voice in your head, only the 'humans' had been allowed to remain 'on this side of the world.'

In other words.

In but a single move he had cut you off from anyone other than a mostly dead Auron that could have helped you here.

"Demons have no place alongside humanity. Allying yourself with them, believing you can trust them... Is pathetically naive. Demon-kind cannot be trusted, our war against them far surpasses your time or my own, they are yet another danger to humanity that must be removed along with the Devourer... As are you."

Snapping his fingers, eight more images of himself, things that would have formally been mere illusions but have now become real bodies, the sheer cold that passes through the area with the passing of the warmer demons is one that almost distracts you...

From the sudden presence at your back.

One of many clones prepped to blow your head from your body with a single crimson fist.

[Frantic Author]

Hitoshira Nagi
Inside of Ananta (?)

"Sure hee ho! You're a funny one!"

"Ah... Ruu already has a contract with another human, but Ruu can still be your friend!"

With a smile, I reach out my hand, feeling more and more essence already coming towards me but --

"...Demon Queen?"

It's not allowed.

It's definitely not acceptable. It's definitely not something that Yagami will allow, after all this time, after his hatred has already grown so much. For someone like me to drag others into this conflict --

"How foolish. No. There won't be any more of that."

It's a certain kind of cruelty, speaking to Yagami like this. It's a certain kind of villainy, to allow him to continue onwards.

"Begone scum. This is a conflict between humans, your kind have no place here."

The Kyuubi at his back, and the power of Amatsu to control it ---

"Relying on demons? Traitor."

Is it any real wonder...

"Demons are not allowed to exist in this place. They cannot maintain their existences within this space, nor can they be summoned by Hitoshira Nagi, this is the decree of the Kyuubi."

Is it any real wonder that this is almost an impossibility for me to win?

"Oh... I see. That's interesting... So 'Observation' can be used like this, huh...?"

Only Nakamura Auron remains at my side.

And there's an impossible existence before me.

"Demons have no place alongside humanity. Allying yourself with them, believing you can trust them... Is pathetically naive. Demon-kind cannot be trusted, our war against them far surpasses your time or my own, they are yet another danger to humanity that must be removed along with the Devourer... As are you."

"Ahhhh.... You really do believe that, don't you?" I twirl a stray strand of hair around my fingers, eyeing him. "Even as the Kyuubi's menace runs through your veins, and as the God of Time stands at your back - two twin existences, both which want nothing more then to see humanity eradicated, you decry demons as the one true villain in your story."

I look at him with a smile. "Isn't that sad? But don't worry, Yagami. Even if you rip away all the stray bonds that I've managed to pick up along the way, there's one you can't tear from my soul. So it's fine."

I twirl my axe with a laugh, resting it on my shoulders as I feel a rush burning through my veins, a flame rising, and rising, until I swirl through a sea of souls and stand before a gate with the mother of mothers beside me.

"It's going to be hard, you know," the words reverberate through my soul as I look at her. "Every minute is a trial. Every second tears me in half."

But I can't possibly compete with Yagami's godlike ability without a little supplement of the curse that I hold within me.

"Do you think it's possible... That you could help me take on this burden? Just this once. There's too much riding against me, not to stack the deck a little, right?"

I smile at her, and the world places me back in a land with clones and a madman.

"You're kind of an idiot, you know?"

I feel it.

The seething, burning rage beneath my skin.

"With all this power you've cheated out of others, with all these skills you've stolen over time... And you're still looking down on everyone around you?"

I slam my ax before me and grin, rolling up my sleeve to reveal a swirling, maddening string of characters on my arm. "Don't you dare underestimate humanity! Every second may be a trial! Every minute may tear me in half, but..."

In my sea of souls, I reach out a hand to a gate that is covered in seven locks, with Lilith standing at my side. She stares at me, and I stare at the gate, reaching out.

"You can take half of it, right? Just for a minute. Just for a second."

"If the Hitoshira before me could withstand the Kyuubi without anyone by her side... And if you can do it with the power of a god on your side... Then there's no problem for me to withstand it with the power of my demon in my soul!"

My eyes go wide, and a bubbling, red-tinged laugh bursts from my lungs, echoing through as eight clones stand before me, and Yagami rants on the power of humans over demons.

"If you're so strong, Yagami, then why are you facing me with the power of a silver-tongued liar letting you use your curse like that?! But don't worry, you bastard, I can use my curse just as well as you!"

My arm goes up, and the red swirls around it faster and faster, bubbling underneath the skin as whispers of humanity's monsters echo through my mind, and in my sea of souls I tear a single lock off of a gate.

"First Lock: Open."

[Kyuubi Ascendant Activated.]

Ahhhh.........

My eyes open, and its with a lazy air I pick my ax back up. "It's no fun when only you can power up, right? Don't worry, I can go farther."

A pause.

I stick my tongue out at him, and throw my ax into the air.

"But I won't."

I rip myself towards my weapon, and smash it towards the ground with a laugh, ripping out blackened flames from my sea of souls, and throwing them into the blow, with a chant imbued in them --

Expand, Expand, Expand! Grow, grow, grow! If he's so strong, then he can withstand it riiiight? And if he thinks he can keep my demons away, that's fine! Because...

[Naraku Activated.]

I don't need demons with all the spirits floating around inside Ananta's gut. All I need is a second. A second, to prove him wrong. A second, to prove that humankind and demons work better together then humankind and gods. It's not so hard, to prove Yagami wrong. He's consistently, irrevocably, and utterly wrong, so focused on the singular he misses the overarching point. His priorities are utterly out of sync with reality, and they can't be forced back together so easily.

"If humanity's so weak, then why is it the two of us fighting, instead of your God, or Kyuubi, Yagami? Where's your God in this time, in this place!? Is he just too lazy to help you, or is he too busy ruining someone else's life for your little games!? Leave other people out of your twisted dreams, and let the world save itself! If there's a hundred thousand stars in the sky, then there's a hundred thousand ways to save everyone! Stop trying to sacrifice others for because of your own fears! Stop breaking others because you don't want to admit your own faults!"

I can see Nakamura Auron's body before me, and my teeth grit.

"You're really unbelievable, you know!? You think that just because one god said that you were right, there's no other gods who disagree!"

I reach into my sea of souls, and search.

I search for a girl on an island, with a story.

I won't find her, I know. She doesn't exist on this plane of existence, and my situation isn't so dire that I need her right now. But...

I want to remember the feeling of her on that island!

I want to remember those precious dreams she held in that book!

I want to understand that ---

"THE DESPAIR OF YESTERDAY CAN ALWAYS BE BLOTTED OUT BY THE HOPE OF TOMORROW! If your so called God is so strong, where is he right now!? Why isn't he fighting for your future, like I am for mine!!"

The lightest tap of my foot on my ax, and the blade flips itself into my hands, cackling all the while. There's a voice inside of it, and it's trying to reach out --

And I have nobody else.

So I let it in. I let the laughter, the whispers, the murder swell, and swell, and grow until it's almost encompassing my entire being, the whispers of my weapon and the bloodlust of Kyuubi intertwining into a murderous rage. But Lilith is still there, weaving away parts of it, taking away the hate and pain, so my eyes can still open, can still see, can still expose Yagami for what he is.

And I tell him what he is, standing with an aura of black and red cultivating at my feet, holding onto a weapon that can only be used for murder as I try to save a hopeless person with it.

"You're a fraud."

[Verg Avesta]

One-Eyed Man
Aoyama, Soba Shop -Gen-
First Floor
Evening, Prior to The Fall

"Ran away for a bit?"

The One-Eyed Man nodded curtly. He took another drag from his cigarette as if to sigh, and after exhaling a trail of smoke towards the windy sky, he directed his single eye towards the older boy.

"... Mm," he answered. "Not good with women."

As Kazuya began talking about the weather, the One-Eyed Man looked at the sky again. While the dark storm clouds were still far away, by night they'd be no doubt here. And then there was what Kazuya spoke of. Freak weather, odd patterns, anomalies in the sky... in all honesty, it sounded quite ominous. When he thought about what he had experienced lately, deities and dragons, espers and vampires, and now someone following him... well, it did almost feel like something was a-coming. A foreboding presence approaching from the east, along with the wind.

Still.

If something did come during the night, if the thunderstorm brought with it a threat against him the people in the restaurant... that threat would have made the wrong choice. For the first time in as long as he remembered, the One-Eyed Man had found a place where he could just... be. Where his presence was accepted. Where he didn't have to keep one hand on the handle of his sword in case an esper hid within the people he saw.

And he'd be damned if he was gonna let anything happen to that place and its people, be the enemy an esper, a vampire, a lurking shadow or even another deity.

Making a mental note to try the whetstone on Big Iron before night arrived (two weapons were always better than one), the One-Eyed Man looked back at Kazuya.

"Oh, and I put your clothes in the wash by the way. Took a bit to get going because Yuka wanted to fix all the tears first."

He gave the older boy a nod of thanks.

"... Heh," he then chuckled, a sound rather surprising coming form him. "... She's quite the busybody."

[Airen]

One-Eyed Man
Aoyama, Soba Shop -Gen-
First Floor
Evening, Prior to The Fall

"Yeah."

A nod of agreement.

"I think she enjoys it. A normal life, I mean."

One hand rising up to mess with his own hair, the youth laughs to himself.

"I mean, I guess she kinda implied it already, but we weren't always so normal. Moved here to get away from the weird stuff actually, figured maybe Japan would be peaceful, worst case scenario is like, Godzilla, you know? That's always the joke they go for, and it's just supposed to be a joke... But this city turned out to be a bit more than we thought it would be eight years ago... Well, can't say I don't love the place anyway, but it's been a definite pain in the ass at times."

Shaking his head again through all the complaints, the smile nevertheless never leaves his face, and-

"So, you said you're bad with women earlier... Problems with the girlfriend?"

-he also seems to segue a bit too directly into a misunderstanding on his part.

...Was this...

Was this the air of an older brother?

[Verg Avesta]

One-Eyed Man
Aoyama, Soba Shop -Gen-
First Floor
Evening, Prior to The Fall

"So, you said you're bad with women earlier... Problems with the girlfriend?"

If there was any word to describe the flat expression that rose to the One-Eyed Man's face, it would have been flat "What" in D-minor.

Honestly, there were simply so many things wrong with what Kazuya had just suggested. Wrong to the point that for a fleeting moment, the younger man had an urge to mimic those Japanese comedians that he had seen in television and deliver an over-the-top retort with a sideways slap. However, he resisted that urge and tried to find some more sensible way to come up with an answer.

First of all, a girlfriend? Just what sort of girls had he met lately that could even vaguely fit the bill?

No, actually, what girls had he even met?

There was Red. She was a dragon. A ten-ton monstrosity of flames and scales, with fangs that could rend apart a man's flesh in seconds. An avatar of destruction like that was more of a nuclear warhead chained to him thanks to a who-knows-what-the-hell deity. That gluttonous vacuum was barely even a 'girl' in the first place, and what was between the two of them was nothing more than a ceasefire that would last exactly as long as the chain between them connected them.

There was Mochizuki Noriko. A policewoman he had ended up saving (was that even right word to describe what had happened?) last night. She had seemed quite normal, if stubborn and in over her head, at first, but after last night and with two of them actually talking, it had been revealed that she was... a bit befuddled in the head. Or just plain crazy. And if seeing hallucinations about long noses and blue toilets wasn't enough, she refused to let the vampire case be. Hardheadedness like that reminded the One-Eyed Man too much of himself.

Then, uh... then there was the vampire, Tsukiko? She did count as a female, right? But in all honesty, other than the rage and the fury he had felt during the battle, the only thing that he could say about last night's fight was the vampire made him feel unsafe. Unsafe as in 'I need an adult' type of unsafe. Those hungry eyes had been scary in all manner of ways and none of them wholesome. She was best left as far away as possible from topics such as this.

"..."

When the One-Eyed Man turned to look back at Kazuya, his expression had become just one big question mark. Mostly it was aimed at the realization of what sort of women he had ran afoul lately.

"... Girlfriend? With this face?" he finally asked, pointing at his missing eye. That was the first obvious thing wrong.

And other than that...

"Plus. They're crazy. All of them," he added sagely, but with a bead of cold sweat dripping down his forehead.

[Airen]

One-Eyed Man
Aoyama, Soba Shop -Gen-
First Floor
Evening, Prior to The Fall

"Eh? Your face? Please."

Clearly unaware of how close he had come to being smacked in a harisen-esque way, the youth defies expectations and shoots down the signs of low self-esteem almost immediately-!

"Scars are cool nowadays."

He says it without irony, completely seriously, with a nod to illustrate his belief in the point.

"Hair is a bit messy sure, but that can be fixed," another nod, and now eyes closed in thought, "Beyond all of that, if you smiled a bit more it probably wouldn't be too much a problem."

An opinion that was decisively clear-!

But...

When the light insanity is noted...

"...Perhaps."

-The answer actually gives way-?!

"But then again, it all seems like harmless quirks to me-! No one is really normal anyway, especially not in this city. Everyone has a quirk or two, so I'm sure they're all entirely rational deep down!"

Another decisive nod.

[Airen]

Makoto Fujioka
Nakamura Residence, Gardens, Fireplace
Night

"Huh? With Sensei...?"

Pausing for a moment, the sudden shift in momentum bringing your body to a jerking halt that almost throws you from her shoulders entirely, the connection between the two of them seems to be something that surprises your old friend, but-

"I see... Yeah, tackling them should be fine..."

-By that same token, she agrees readily enough with your plan.

"But maybe sneaking around and following em might work better? See what they're up too? Nakahara-sensei has always been a do-it-himself kind of guy, proved that on the bridge..."

The last parts are whispered so only you can hear, but...

In the distance, figure outlined by the moon, Usagi's posture shifts ever so slightly as if she's listening to the both of you.

[Verg Avesta]

One-Eyed Man
Aoyama, Soba Shop -Gen-
First Floor
Evening, Prior to The Fall

"But then again, it all seems like harmless quirks to me-! No one is really normal anyway, especially not in this city. Everyone has a quirk or two, so I'm sure they're all entirely rational deep down!"

A firm hand grasped Kazuya on the shoulder, and suddenly he was face-to-face with the One-Eyed Man. The titular red eye was practically swirling in his head and droplets of cold sweat had increased ten-fold. For the first time the youth rued the fact that he wasn't that good at talking, because there was so much he wanted to say in protest at the older boy. However, as things stood, the only thing Kazuya got was the shaking sight of the red-eyed youth and his sputtering protests at downplaying the horrors of what he had experienced.

"One recites poetry in bathroom," he started, counting with the fingers of his left hand. "Other gets excited when I bite her. Third breathes fire."

He brought his face only inches away from Kazuya's to punctuate the point he was trying to make.

"Nothing harmless," he concluded, slight horror in his voice. "Only madness."

It seemed that unraveling the actual events of the past few days during this conversation had made the One-Eyed Man realize just how off-the-rails his usually peaceful life had gotten. If he was honest, he would have taken battling thirty red-skinned war gods as opposed to the proverbial swamp he seemed to find himself in now.

And the less was spoken of his smile the better.

There was no way the One-Eyed Man was about to subject these poor people to the horror that was known as his... civil... smile.

[Airen]

Mikagura Mika
Time: Meaningless
Location: Dark Embrace -Great Seal-

"..."

While her body stiffens for a moment at the sound of your voice, the Nami-that-is-not-Nami does not turn back to face you even as you call out to her, a consequence of a possession that could be thought of as two-fold. The reawakening of memories of a life she should not remember, activated by reentering a place she shouldn't have come back to but was instinctively drawn to pursue, and had consequently made her vulnerable to the 'curse' that humanity had inadvertently created for itself.

How it pierces the mind is different for everyone, but in the case of this woman, the Nami that was not Nami, the cause of it all was a deep sense of sorrow and despair. However, unlike Tamamo, who had been immediately driven to insanity by it, the woman that stands there with her back to you, seems to have maintained a sort of calm that can almost be thought of as impossible, simply because she is 'more suited' to bearing this curse than the Goddess herself had been...

While it was able to manifest itself without a body as various monsters, the curse was actually at it's strongest alongside a vessel of some sort. A suitable vessel could give it a more clear purpose, sharpen it's thoughts and even bend the curse to it's will in a sense...

But only in a sense.

Ultimately, this power, the power of negativity, will always eventually destroy the things it comes across, even if it masquerades itself as making positive actions; while she seems calm, and has in fact failed to become the same sort of Berserker as Tamamo had become, that is only because her grief is her strongest point of negativity, to the point of forcibly suppressing her own reincarnation's will, and so what is attacked and amplified...

Is that grief, rather than the mindless rage.

Puppets can be made in a remarkable number of ways.

"All this time... And nothing's changed... No... It's gotten worse..."

Speaking quietly, not to you, not to those that suffer all around, but simply to her own 'self' and the friends she couldn't save, the woman starts running into the distance and you naturally move to keep up with her even as power flows in from those you had pleaded with for help.

Spoiler:

Yamuna

-Akashic Arts-
The theoretically strongest style of mixed martial arts to ever exist, it utilizes divine speed, power and accuracy to forcefully create and then exploit the weaknesses of the opponent. Utilizing all of humanity's empty hand martial artes and combining them into a single form, it is a variable style that relies on building momentum through a rapid series of strikes from all angles before striking with all of that built-up momentum the moment a weakness in the opponent's guard appears, which due to the relentless assault is but a matter of time.

Just as much a mental state as a martial art, masters of the art have bodies that seemingly fight entirely on their own; reacting to incoming strikes and openings long before the mind can even process that they exist. However, it is naturally limited if one's physical ability is greatly inferior to that of their opponent, and isn't entirely as effective against weapon users due to the difference in strike length.

Genbu
+All of Genbu's spells are usable.

Sora
+Summon - Demon: Spell that recalls one's contracted Demon back to their side through warping space.
+Makajam: Sphere of magic that temporarily seals the supernatural abilities of the target if contact is made.

-Absolute Arts-
A form of spiritual martial art meant to be used with a sword. While it's base nature is Aiki-ken, it is a martial art whose true use lies solely against those who can harness and use magical energy. It is a counter style that revolves around training the body to defeat supernatural beings by sensing the minuscule changes in the flow of their magical energy and reacting accordingly.

As the body of a demon is saturated with spiritual power, even the simple act of moving causes 'changes,' and thus it is a reliable weapon style that grows more effective the more magical energy the opponent possesses, and can even be said to be a style that is meant to be used against those who are stronger than oneself, evading attacks until a decisive opening to strike appears.

However, because attacks are dealt with a blade, it is also a style whose attacks are lacking in mercy.

"The mission failed guys... You can stop trying... We can still go home. Let them feel Death if they want it so much..."

Along with her voice, comes the appearance of nine magical sigils.

Azure in color -yet seemingly part of the twisted shuddering black landscape- they are massive in size, adorned not just with bizarre shapes and decorations, but with singular words in the original language that had been lost along with the Tower of Babel...

No not just words.

Names.

The names of the Knights that had long ago sealed themselves within this beast in a desperate attempt to weaken it by giving themselves up to it. Since the body served as a powerful barrier towards spiritual corruption, they had sealed their physical forms away along with their souls in order to strengthen their resistance to the curse itself, and while you can't make out their features very well through the panes of 'glass' that was their final miracle, their slumped over forms resemble people that are 'asleep.'

Stuck in nightmares.

Speaking to them, not a single one of them moves. They don't twitch, they don't breathe, they don't even seem to acknowledge her at all now that it's become clear that they're the ones she's trying to reach...

And that just makes her voice sadder.

"You can't even answer anymore, huh...? I'm sorry... This is... I forgot... It's my fault..."

Putting her hand up against the 'glass,' her focus on what's ahead of her instead of what's behind her again puts the existence of Mikagura Mika out of her thoughts.

"But don't worry... I'm getting you guys out of here."

And just like that...

A fist coated in black flames shoots through the seal and grasps the body of what lies beyond it.

The truth of all of this is revealed; the 'subtle method' the curse had used to get at her heart was not a complex one, nor was the motivation it had managed to dredge up from her more impulsive side.

Her desire to save her friends.

It was positive in nature, it was honorable in many ways, it wasn't filled with what one would normally call a dark intention, and...

It would absolutely destroy the world if it wasn't stopped, a desire that had been amplified just enough for it to overwhelm her sense of reason; the Kyuubi was only as weak as it was because of these seals, and removing them, removing any of them...

Outside, the beast that had fallen shakes with renewed strength as one of many internal barriers falls.

Gritting their teeth, Sora and Liane both shudder as the 'weight' of the being's existence grows heavier.

...Would result in a much less inhibited monster.

Amatsu himself had seemingly not been able to remove the 'light' from this darkness, but it seemed that, as someone who has once been a 'seal' herself...

This Nami...

Was perfectly capable of breaking all of these open on her own.

A girl -Knight Tsubaki- falls out from behind the seal, unmoving, eyes closed, and...

Satisfied with this, Nami lets her fall -knowing she'll be alright- and moves on to the next, this time at a walking pace.

"Don't worry... I'm getting you all out..."

...She has no intention of stopping until it's all over.

...And trying to stop her.

Likely won't lead to the best reaction.

But if you don't...

[Vritra]

Makoto Fujioka
Nakamura Residence, Gardens, Fireplace
Night

“Uwaaaa!”

Reflexively wrapping my arms around Kyoto’s chest to fight off the whiplash I pout with my head on her shoulder. “Kyoto meanie!”

...Oh! and Kyoto squishy too, ohohoho Kyoto slacking isn’t she ~ someone should learn from me ~!

"I see... Yeah, tackling them should be fine..."

"But maybe sneaking around and following em might work better? See what they're up too? Nakahara-sensei has always been a do-it-himself kind of guy, proved that on the bridge..."

“Mhm!”

Nodding my head vigerously as I tease Kyoto with pokes I relish that Kyoto agrees with the proper punishment for Sensei Sensei’s. “Nyahaha nobody shall stop us not Sensei and Sensei or Ane-san or Megane or Chiaoko-nee or even Usami!”

…Usami?

Tilting me head as a thought tossed up in the kerfuffle gently glides back down I begin to wonder where Usami’s friend went?

“Kyoto do you know where Aiya went? Mmm I wonder if Usami managed to find her after we fell together… mmm, we should sneak into Usami’s bed and grab her I bet she’d know stuff!

Hehehehe secret date where we bring proper punishment on Sensei’s and solver everything Ace detective Makoto on the case ~~~.”

Giggling as I hug Kyoto some more as I think on just what we need to do and the if I need to do anything to finish off surprise gift.

[Airen]

One-Eyed Man
Aoyama, Soba Shop -Gen-
Yard, Facing the Shopping District
Evening, Prior to The Fall

Kazuya was a man of infinite calm.

He had heard many things over the course of his life, and seen things that were weirder than even the wildest of the stories that had reached his ear; he had accepted it all with that same calm smile, after all, he more than anyone should know how 'bizarre' this world actually is in it's entirety, how far the endless ocean of life really stretched on from the shores of this reality.

And...

One hand lands on your outstretched arm in what can only be a form of solidarity.

This is a time where wisdom must pour forth, absolutely, without a doubt, he must tap into the deep knowledge of his many years and find an answer to calm the raging light in the eyes of another human being.

And...

"The first isn't that strange, the second has potential for certain types of people, and the fire breathing..."

Eyes lock with total seriousness.

"...Would make an awesome party trick."

Yes.

The wisdom of the elders was truly embodied in this one, grinning at you in a manner that could be called both sympathetic and amused.

"If it makes you feel better, Yuka's idea of fun is jumping out of airplanes."

A pause.

"The parachute is optional."

[Verg Avesta]

One-Eyed Man
Aoyama, Soba Shop -Gen-
Yard, Facing the Shopping District
Evening, Prior to The Fall

It was useless.

Aah, it was all useless.

Everywhere he looked, the One-Eyed Man found no solace. Only more madness that encroached his once so punctual word. Eat, sleep, kill espers, repeat. That was his idea of normalcy. So why was it that now, after already a pretty weird day all things considered, was he being lectured on the positive sides of dating what were pretty much antithesis of what humans should have seen as everyday? Why was it that this older boy, with what could be only described as sagely and jovial smile on his face, tell him that his own girlfriend was just as insane as the rest of the monsters that haunted the night? Who does that? What sort of head-trauma must have one suffered to consider all these facts of fear as nothing more than endearing character traits?

"...!"

Unable to take it anymore, the One-Eyed Man fell to his knees, defeated in the face of someone who was too far gone to be saved. Alas, poor Kazuya. It was clear his Stockholm Syndrome relating to certain Meat Dimension warping female had gotten the better of him. In his mind the One-Eyed Man offered a silent prayer for a fallen comrade, who was now nothing more than a remnant before him with all

Get a Grip

'Common Sense'

wiped clean off of him.

And then it came.

Unable to take it anymore, the One-Eyed Man felt the edges of his mouth tug at the sheer absurdity and hopelessness.

Thus he smiled.

That smile...

No.

That is not a smile.

It was Satan himself being constipated after three extra-large burritos on a hangover day in the middle of June, stuck in Comiket, and noticing every toilet being occupied.

"+++"

Nothing in human world, or that of the demons, could accurately describe the expression that rose to the One-Eyed Man's face.

He just hoped that it was only in his imagination that he heard a dragon, a madwoman and a vampire laughing at his misery.

[I3uster]

Suzume Oshino
Uraku Aoyama ~ Penthouse
Morning

I furrow my brow. This...is all planned out, as expected. From start to finish, though I guess they did have a few attempts at this already. There was only one question really left to ask before the real meeting starts.

"If she wants a world truly without gods wouldn't the next step for her to get rid of you?"

[Airen]

Suzume Oshino
Uraku Aoyama ~ Penthouse
Morning

"Hmm? A betrayal right at the end?"

Seeming to find the idea amusing, the God in the guise of a human just chuckles to himself at the question, after all...

It was the obvious one to ask.

"I'm certain she would do so if she could, but she needs me to bind the Gods for her. Even beyond that, saying she found a way to do that without my assistance, it would still be an impossible task."

He shakes his head.

"After all, I myself am the Great Devourer. This form is the one you humans gave to me, and so I am able to express myself in a manner similar to humans and empathize with them, but this body is a glorified seal that binds my true self away. You should know it as the cataclysm from your borrowed memories. If I am destroyed, all it does is break the seal on my other self and set it free."

Another laugh.

"And that self cannot be killed, it is the "End Of All Things" personified, sent here by the Creator to erase this place; so by all means, she is free to attempt to betray me all she likes, but it would be counter to her ultimate goal. The most that can be done is simply seal it away."