Spirit Pulse : Mugen No Sekai [IC]

**hero** · June 17th, 2019, 10:30 PM

Amamiya Sho
Combat Simulator - Old Combat School
Monday - Morning

"... Uh, you could at least tell me your name."

So he did, in fact, want a duel... Honestly, I would have just played along, but it looks like things here are beyond my control. With a fierce personality like Nadia's around, and with the villain of the day being rather immature, there is no way to avoid the all-out confrontation that is about to unfold. I really hope that one fairy is taking good care of my food, if it goes to waste it will hurt me more than a stab through the heart.

"Thanks, but I kinda feel like stretching my feet a little."

With that said, I hop off the bike, doing my best to keep my poker face despite the deadly surge of black lightning moving towards our position at a deceivingly fast speed. It's a little tempting to be honest, Nadia's offer, I mean. I might not be fond of the way she drives, but it's a fact that my running speed leaves a lot to be desired. In a real battle, it might be completely understandable to follow through with her plan, as reckless as it might sound. In a real battle, the would be no point in facing the enemy's attack head on... For even I, who has invested heavily into defense and support, can't say for sure that I can take a strong and live long enough to tell the tale. It's only because I understand that this is not a real battle that my actions gain meaning.

"Besides, I'd just slow you down. Let's each handle this in our own unique ways."

This guy doesn't want us dead. This guy just wants to see us groveling at his feet; he demands respect, he's not here for a blood offering. I am here to get my breakfast and my friend back. Let's see which of us has the strongest resolve.

"Kioka-!"

The COMP reacts to my calling, gears shifting and allowing it to change form. In no more than an instant, it's done transforming into the the oval shaped shield that has accompanied me for several adventures now. At first sight, its appearance might give the impression of being frail, an object absolutely incapable of stopping a torrent of destruction this large. From a certain perspective, it wouldn't be a lie to call it the 'weakest shield'. However, my trust in it is just as absolute. Even though I will be fried on the spot if this fails, I take not a single step back.

I remain steadfast and challenge darkness to pierce through me if it can.

Wise Up!

**Airen** · June 18th, 2019, 08:11 PM

Amamiya Sho
Combat Simulator - Old Combat School
Monday - Morning

"Got it."

Perfectly content in the face of the approaching black-lightning, the only response the crimson-haired racer gives to you is those words and a nod before she's off, the roar of her bike's engine becoming the only sound that contests the lightning's storm of a thousand chirping birds. As one attack with two targets, the moment you had gotten off Nadia's bike was the same moment you had accepted the possibility of becoming the sole target of something you had no way to evade without her help, but...

That's fine, no... That's expected...

Perhaps you could say it was what you wanted?

While there is normally no way to tell who the target of this sort of attack would be this early on, especially since it's movements do not follow traditional straight-line paths and instead swerve around like an indecisive snake... But you have never once doubted you were the target, and seeing it swerve halfheartedly towards Nadia as she passes it before doubling it's speed as it comes at you...

That assumption becomes the truth.

A simple shield against a torrent of crackling energy. Even in terms of sight it's a mismatch, a foolish boy believing in a minuscule shield that cannot possible save him, yes...

To those who watch it from afar, it is the act of a boy removing himself entirely from the upcoming battle in it's first few seconds.

"Hahahaha, you just let it hit you?! Moron-!"

Fitting, for one who brandished the name of the SDCD's "Weakest One."

Or at least it would be, if...

Kioka: Heat + 3

"What the hell...?"

The boy wasn't still standing, completely fine at the main entrance to the park. Certainly the attack had held a certain effect, it had managed to push him all the way here in spite of his defenses, but... That's all it was, a push against a barrier that had refused to shatter or even crack in the face of an overwhelming demonic storm, yes, in some ways, an attack that blatantly telegraphed could never hope to brute-force it's way through Kioka's defenses-!

"That damn smug smile of his... I'll take care of him, handle Nadia, Agiel-!"

Of course, while emerging unharmed from a cloud of smoke and dust was the expected result for you, the flicker that comes with your opponent teleporting into the area is something you don't expect quite as much... He had seemed like the type that liked to delegate tasks to others, so to come down here himself to fight duel you personally seemed a little bizarre, but...

"Yoshino Takigawa! Are you seriously telling me you don't know who I am?!"

...Maybe he's still stuck on this particular aspect of your former conversation?

---

When it comes to Kyp however, it is questionable if the demon has even realized it has been kidnapped by someone... While it certainly senses that it's Master is not nearby, the aura of the red-haired demon that has picked it up isn't a bad one... Of course, a slime is not a true demon at all, it is what happens when a demon fails to manifest properly for one reason or another, and so it's intelligence isn't quite up to where it would be if the ritual hadn't gone wrong, but it's still emotionally intelligent, and can thus tell the difference between "hostile" and "friendly" intent, and this demon...

It's just... Resigned mostly, taking orders from someone who isn't really her "type of human."

Of course, like many demons, her blood gets pumping when a fight starts, so-

"Alright, hand both Jackie and Kyp over to me, or-!"

-when Nadia Starr comes storming off the roller coaster track on her motorcycle, going so far as to even bring it with her to absurd places, the demon finally feels a bit more of a positive emotion, a spark of interest, and...

"Sure, catch."

A spark of light mischief, as she lightly tosses the slime over the side of the Ferris Wheel -away from the bike and towards the pool- as her opening move.

"Kyp?!"

---It's a good test for the heroic types, to see if they'll jump out to save someone or something without thinking about the consequences, and indeed, while Nadia is aware of Kyp's durability as a Demon, previous interactions haven't made it clear whether or not it would dissolve due to being dropped into a large body of water, so she had leapt out to try to catch it reflexively, knowing that the bike would turn to slow even if she was the one at the controls, but-

"Wow, you were talking all cool and tough before, but that worried voice was surprisingly cute~"

-that leap has not only removed her from her bike, but also placed her directly into the air with her back to her opponent-!

Naturally, a spirit-power filled fist extends that flight for the girl, who instinctively hugs Kyp close to her to ensure she doesn't drop it by accident.

"Guh, damn it, seriously-?!"

Wind howling in her ears as she is forced to fly towards the distant pool, the girl shrugs off the pain of the attack with simple determination as she balls her right hand into a fist, aware that to allow herself to be stunned by such a thing was just asking to get clobbered in the aftermath, and indeed, leaping after the two of them in an explosion of force, a tied-up Jack Frost still held in one hand...

That demon -Agiel- holds a chilling sphere in her hand, and...

While this situation is certainly strange, to Kyp...

It could vaguely recall that this person -Nadia- doesn't do particularly well when it comes to being struck with ice magic.

**hero** · June 22nd, 2019, 04:59 PM

Amamiya Sho
Combat Simulator - Old Combat School
Monday - Morning

"... Seriously."

The kidnapper's bratty attitude gave me a pretty good clue of what would happen if I simply stepped in and challenged the black lightning instead of running away from it, that's why I chose to do exactly that. Since his beef is clearly with me, my intent was to further draw the attention to myself so Nadia would have an easier time rescuing our demons. What I did not expect was for this so called 'Takigawa Yoshino' to come down and face me himself. He honestly looks more like the kind of noble who hides behind his servants. I guess that's somewhat problematic, as it means Nadia will have to deal with Agiel and her elemental attacks. On the other hand, it presents the opportunity to quickly end the struggle: If I take care of this guy, his demons will go down with him.

"... Uh, have we met before?"

Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though. Solo fights are not exactly my forte and he decided to close the distance even though his previous position held some strategic advantages. If he turns out to be a physical fighter, I could be in a real pickle. Fortunately, this is just a sparring simulation. I do not really mind taking a beating if it results in our success in the end.

"Umm, Do you think it would be possible to postpone this to a later date? Monday's schedule is reeeaally tight."

Got to keep my cool and focus. Figure out his fighting style before he completely finds out my own. Throw him off his game.

"Actually, shouldn't you be getting ready for class, too? Or are you one of those rich kids that gets to be home-schooled?"

I maintain a prudent distance between me and the enemy, aware that he is going to be the first to unleash an attack.

Then, it will be my turn to react at whatever he throws at me...

Wise Up!

------

Being a slime blessed with supernatural endurance, Kyp does not register a two-hundred feet fall as a threat to its existence, much less does it stop to think what would happen to it if it lands on a liquid surface as opposed to a solid one. You can even argue that it has no idea why it is being tossed around freely by people who aren't as close to it as its master and Akiko are. This morning certainly beats most others given how fast-paced it has been. By now, Kyp is used to being dragged out of its comfortable resting area all of a sudden, as some times its master oversleeps or simply has somewhere he must be and will not make it unless he runs all the way there. However, this must be by far the most extreme morning it has experienced. So when Nadia seemingly becomes the target of a ice-based attack, there are two main thoughts that linger in its instinct-driven mind:

1. It's around the time I usually eat, hence I'm hungry.
2. What I eat is mine, hence I must not let someone else have it (Especially Jack Frost)

There is honestly little that Nadia can do to stop Kyp. After all, no matter how tight she holds to the slime, it can simply slide through the gaps left in her stance. The racer's hold never felt oppressive and so, before anyone can connect the dots behind the pseudo-demon actions, it reaches out to its former guardian, Agiel, extending in such way that it initially looks as if its trying to connect Nadia to its attacker. Its real intent soon becomes clear as, in the blink of an eye, it opens its 'mouth' and swallows the chilling sphere whole. It doesn't even take a moment to adapt its composition to prevent potential side-effects, most likely because it never feels the need to. After all, Kyp is used to eating all sorts of things, not just what humans consider edible.

Like a hungry animal, it just saw an opportunity for a treat and, as soon as it got close enough, simply took a bite before anyone else could.

Wise Up!

**Airen** · June 22nd, 2019, 06:41 PM

Interlude
Akarana Lloyd
'Overwhelmed'

If one were to ask why Lloyd had allowed his opponent to escape, it would simply be that his current reaction times weren't quite on par with those of his opponent. It's not his lack of experience as a combatant that's the problem, while he had lacked training as a Tamer, his body was still a couple of times superior to that of a normal person due to his heritage, no...

What was the problem, was the myriad colors that seemed to be slowly stripping away at his physical senses, the consequence of utilizing a power that is far beyond one's capabilities, of grasping a star with one's bare hands while being more than aware that it would burn them. It was an expected outcome, something he could fight back for now with a combination of grit and enhanced safety features on his device, but one that was a ticking clock to his defeat at best, and a particularly messy death at worst, even so...

He does not turn it off, because he knows that if he does... He will also collapse on the spot.

It was a desperate move made from being backed into a corner, one that had driven him to use a stone that he had yet to completely understand as a power source, but one that he was sure would allow him to succeed in his goals... At least if he was clever enough for it, still...

The facade of strength gives way to buckling knees, a brief moment of weakness he will allow himself now that his opponent is no longer here to witness it. While he doesn't bother limping over to one of the terminals to ensure a system wipe, the systems themselves have already been commanded to wipe their own memory boards from a separate location, the action of one of his 'allies,' one who has been lingering inside of the system from the very first moment a breach in the mansion grounds had been detected, wiping away memories of those things that involved itself, and itself alone, due to having to fight off the attack of a certain other hacker at the same time...

---In some ways it's a betrayal to prioritize oneself over one's allies, but he doesn't blame his "accomplice."

It's the pragmatic move, if the positions were swapped he would have done the same, and in that regard he respects it.

Still...

It's a rough feeling, to have your life crumble out from underneath you due to the actions of someone else.

---Irony.

The world's karmic balance will always shift eventually after all, still...

He can still escape if he hurries...

That thought puts power into lifeless legs, and a glance at the television set invites him to move even faster as he spies a Knight -the same one from this morning- crouching next to the one person he needed to protect above all others.

If she gets captured, then his own escape becomes pointless, and while he is certain he can beat a single Tamer -even a horrendously powerful one- those sorts of people tended to arrive in waves, so he needed to get down there and crush her before more of them show up...

No...

No he didn't have to physically go there himself... While there was certainly a sort of hostile magic around this residence that made the ability to use traditional teleportation formulas close to impossible and had driven them down into the basement to escape their initial attacker, the power he had now changes that equation to something more manageable for his side... Yes, as long as he has this particular COMP he should be able to brute force his way past those sorts of barriers, rather than move on limbs that were already aflame with the tell-tale agony of nerve damage, he simply raises his eyes to the screen, and-

-the world whites out.

For Lloyd Akarana, the sudden flow of Reiki generated by the stone at his request is so much more than he expected that he almost passes out.

But there's a hand on his shoulder that keeps him doing so, a hand that belongs to an entity that he couldn't see before, one without distinct features that he could see... One whose form was "full of light."

"Is this... Despair? You are in trouble... I see. Do not worry, child. I am here with you."

Yes.

A kind almost fatherly voice, one that restores the world to his eyes and life to his limbs.

One that echoes in his head.

One that makes it difficult to think, to wonder, to question, to suspect the nature of the voice that has a a point of origin he can no longer recognize, as a power he had underestimated flows through his veins without a single care for the user's body.

"Yes. Lean on me... If you need it, I will certainly become your strength."

He believes it.

Of course he does.

From the very moment he had activated that COMP...

He no longer had a choice in the matter.

---

Ayra Lilygrove
Akarana Estate ~ Laboratory
Monday - Afternoon/Evening

---Having put on a basic show of sound and sight to explain your presence in this manor, you choose to avoid what might have become an unwinnable scenario, deciding to rely on the power of "Ayra Lilygrove" and her fellow Tamers instead of simply "Joker's" power of course...

There is nothing wrong with that, each version of 'you' has their own role to play, and...

There are some things each of you can do that the other can't, in this instance, with reinforcements on the way, it's wise to exist here in a manner that they'll support, rather than as someone that they'll attack on sight due to their deference to the law. Of course, coming up with a cover story and audio for yourself takes a bit of time, but you make sure to keep your senses trained on the distant door, ready to intercept if your opponent decides to come out to pursue you, but...

He never does.

There's simply a warm unmoving glow at the end of the hallway, one that doesn't budge even when you physically touch Levy, who remains silent at the contact, the feel of her beating heart the only sign that she was actually still alive...

---You've only interacted with him in bursts, but even you know that not coming after you for that sort of silent threat would be uncharacteristic of him; if he wants to escape here with her, then he has to come out here and rescue her at some point, but he has yet to do so...

It's worrying enough that a part of you wants to just sprint back ahead and deal with him now, but before you can-

"Ayra? Are you down here? Is your condition stable?"

She appears.

Or rather her voice does, from the other end of the twisted corridor of metal and flame.

You can't see her body, but...

It can't be anyone else.

Although it seems she is having trouble picking up on your signal here in the underground base...

**Bloble** · June 22nd, 2019, 07:02 PM

Mokujima Chris
Aoyama, Brewed Awakenings
Monday - Morning

"...hah..."

It is a heavy sigh that Mokujima Chris lets loose. The sort of sigh that one might produce after letting down an extremely heavy load.

She stops, turns, and furrows her brows, eyes blinking between Lexie and Shuichi. Her first instinct had been to handle this herself. Rather, it was something she hadn't even needed to think about. But the child hanging onto her leg (whose head she pats as reassurance) is another weight, a reminder that she is not allowed to follow her instincts anymore. The SDCD is not the sort of place that encourages its Tamers to act alone, without friends.

And, if Chris is to be brutally honest with herself, she has not grown enough as a person to be confident in handling this situation on her own.

"...shy," she begins. "But also... unknown."

Evidently frustrated by her own slowness, Chris kneels down and whispers into Daisuke's ear. The boy's face does not quite pale over the course of those thirty seconds, as he lacks the functionality for it, but his eyes widen and fists clench. When Chris stands and steps away, he turns to speak in her place:

"Basically, this is probably someone Chris hasn't talked to in almost forever! They used to be good friends, but that person was saying some really spooky stuff about 'abandoning their humanity' in their last conversation, and Chris isn't sure whether it's safe or not. She really appreciates the help because she's not sure what might happen, but she's also worried that if she brings anyone else, they might call the meeting off, so..."

He folds his arms.

"It's probably a good idea to follow at a distance!"

Chris nods, cementing his words as her viewpoint. The girl looks both taller and gloomier than usual, as if her normal limitations are being pushed back by force, which is sure to tire her out in no time at all. But there is no hesitation and no fear.

After all... she's been waiting for this.

**Katie** · June 22nd, 2019, 09:41 PM

Ayra Lilygrove
Akarana Estate ~ Laboratory
Monday - Afternoon/Evening

This situation is all wrong.

He should be here, right here, right now. There’s no point in giving a speech about how the only thing that matters is the girl and then not act on it. It makes no sense. Every second he wastes is more and more time that COMP eats at his life. Akarana should be here, but the fact that he isn’t is even more unsettling than if he rushed me with all that strength moments before.

I don’t get it. I might be socially inept at times, but love is an emotion I think I’m an expert in. He should be here. What they have is something genuine. It can’t be thrown away that easily, not like this.

But if he won’t move, there’s nothing left but to go and see the cause for this inexplicable moment. There is no world where this is a sign of something good.

I get up from Levy’s fallen form and take a step forward—

"Ayra? Are you down here? Is your condition stable?"

—but I’m halted in my tracks.

…I wonder why, that even now, her voice still gets my entire attention. I’ve heard it so often, everyday often, that it should be something I’m used to, but my mind still latches onto every syllable like it’s important. My brain blanks out at responding properly because the cadence of her words is enough to make it malfunction.

A frustrated sigh escapes my lips.

Fuck, Ayra, you’re at work, focus. Doesn’t matter if you don’t want to see her. Or if you do. You’re supposed to serve justice, and right now serving justice means cleaning up loose ends.

“I’m a bit worse off for the wear,” I say, relying on a not-so-manufactured bitterness in my voice to sell the upcoming lie. “Joker managed to escape after doing a number to me… and Akarana’s head maid. Can’t find Mr. Akarana, either.”

I’m glad, at least, that today, everything going wrong has become helpful somehow.

“As for the current situation… I think it’s best if you come here and see for yourself.”

**Airen** · June 23rd, 2019, 09:17 PM

Amamiya Sho
Combat Simulator - Old Combat School
Monday - Morning

"We go to the same school! Your parents are the reason mine are still in a coma!"

With this particular battle clearly not going the way he had envisioned it would, the youth that was clearly trying to come across as an imposing figure instead comes off as simply exasperated... Almost to the point of being desperate for you to recognize him, to the point where he seems intent on only talking about things that affirm his 'identity' to you, while doing his best to disregard those bits he sees as 'taunts'...

"I'm near the top of our class, and you wear the title of "Weakest One" with some bizarre pride-! You've got a comically weak Harmonizer, a comical demon, come from a family of traitors, and somehow haven't flunked out of class yet-! I thought I could just leave you alone and let the system weed you out, but you're resilient, I'll give you that much!"

Although at this point he's really just ranting at you, having lost the majority of his composure due to repeated incidents of "disrespect" from someone he clearly saw as 'beneath him.'

"But Shuichi isn't around to protect you this time, so I'll remind you what your place is supposed to be here-!"

This time...?

...One of those, huh?

A surge of spiritual power puts those thoughts to rest, as your opponent does what you had expected him to do and attacks first out of anger. When the opponent is a Tamer, the first thing one is trained to do is locate their COMP; identifying it early is always ideal, as even a visual inspection can give a rough idea of it's type and functions, and in this case...

---The COMP appears to be a sort of metallic cross.

With one metal bar lying atop the other one, there are no extravagant markings that would indicate it as a treasured religious object, but the shape is certainly akin to that of a cross... If you had to make a guess, the fact that he was making a point of holding it in his hands indicated it was a Weapon-Type, there is little point to wielding an 'auxiliary' type directly due to them not being built for direct combat, and armor-types were always far more blatant in their existence...

Yes... If it's a weapon, then it's safe to say that his style will revolve around it's use in some way.

Because you believe that you are weaker than others in certain ways, there is a calmness to your movements that your opponent lacks. If you can figure out how he's going to fight, then you can better figure out how best to employ your own abilities in order to take him down, but...

While the sudden surge of spiritual power into the air indicates a spell was cast, there is no obvious effect in the world, at least not immediately... Having been pushed back towards the main gate of the park, the looming structure of the main gate has cast a shadow over both you and your opponent, thus your sixth sense picks up on it before your eyes do...

---A sound like static.

---Figures that first exist in the corners of your vision, before becoming a dozen flickering 'entities' that encircle both you and Yoshino... In concept it seemed to be similar to the idea of a "Shadow Person," humanoid featureless shapes without a clear identity of their own, but rather than the manifestation of some sort of human ghost, it's clear previous experiences with human ghosts -as well as the fact that they all feel the same- that they are simply lumps of Yoshino's spiritual power given physical form as a sort of familiar...

Yes, this fit his former image of a commanding noble better, but...

---In comparison to a Tamer, these shadows shouldn't be anything special; while Yoshino keeps his COMP raised slightly, his stance is not that of someone who intends to attack alongside his familiars, rather, he is simply watching them encircle you from afar, as if eager to see the moment when you lose, but...

Even in comparison to you, these things weren't that fast, there was a lot of them, but a brief glance at their movements -and a casual repel of one of their swings- was enough to see that you'd probably come out on top even if they all came at you at once, but...

Even as they do that, becoming uneven masses of eyeless shadows that come running in from all angles...

---Something inside of you finds all of it strange.

---

Meanwhile...

"What-?"

It's not hard to say who is more surprised at the actions of the slime. While Nadia had assumed Kyp had at least basic self-preservation when it came to this sort of thing, the brazen manner in which it had simply decided to 'eat' a spell had clearly put a momentary stop to Agiel's normal thought process, yes... While it's not exactly strange for slimes to do bizarre things from time to time, this sort of action should absolutely have the effect of blowing it up from the inside; in comparison to the Slime she is a high-ranking Demon, someone who had once served Solomon himself, and thus while a Tamer could be expected to endure her blows with their strength, a Slime should be more or less disintegrated simply by coming into contact with it due to their incomplete form as a Demon, but-

"-the hell...?"

-rather than that, Kyp simply becomes akin to an ice-statue as the spell detonates inside of it's body.

Of course, it would be incorrect to say that it hurts even though it did do some damage to it's stability as a manifestation, if anything... It likely just feels strange to a slime, somewhat encumbersome, a mark that the spell in question had been particularly potent indeed as...

---In most cases, it wouldn't have even changed it's form by being struck with that magic at all...

Yes.

Ordinarily, the only response one would get from Kyp would be it's body rolling back from the force of the blow.

---A bizarre slime that is far more sturdy than it should be by all accounts, but-

"Eyes forward-!"

-also one that, in the face of a sudden barrage of fists, it has little time to really examine-!

While Nadia Starr's COMP does not allow natural flight, the brief distraction that Kyp has proven to be against her opponent was more than enough for her to grasp her shoulder in mid-air, before hurling a series of strikes at the demon's face and stomach with her other hand as they plummet downwards together, ultimately meaning to 'stun' her opponent just long enough for her to take Jack from her arms, but-

"You hit pretty hard, I like you-!"

-in the face of pain, a demon simply stops her own momentum in mid-air with a smile that could almost be described as masochistic. It's a sudden stop in her movement, one that forces Nadia's grip to be tested as her body jerks against the sudden unexpected stop, but the heroic grasp is defied a moment after it seems like it will succeed, as a demon's fist comes crashing into her wrist with all the force of a freight train-!

"But is that all you got?"

A smug smirk as the taller of the two red-heads watches her opponent fall, having taken ownership of the -currently slushie-like- slime once more in the aftermath of their clash, due to the demon leaving the girl's protective grasp-!

Once Nadia has fallen completely into the pool, it can likely finish the fight in but a moment by freezing over the entirety of the clear blue waters. Tamer strength or not, someone who has been plunged into the depths of a complete ice-prison is going to have some trouble generating the necessary power or momentum to break themselves out, and while it's a bit of a shame to beat her this fast it has the feeling it will have to come protect it's Master soon, so-

"Cuz you'll have to do way better than that-"

-her taunting words are interrupted by a a streak of what seems like light, as a forgotten factor in this fight zips past her to catch it's falling user, the roaring green flames erupting from it's engine so bright that the demon instinctively shields her eyes as it washes over her.

The culprit?

A bike that should lack an operator, but that has not only seemed to reveal it's hidden wings of it's own accord, but also been guided back to Nadia by her A.I Aurora.

---It's an absurd move, but ultimately, Nadia uses this bike so much that it's almost like an extension of her body. She can use it in a number of ways most people would find outright insane, and it's a display of this skill that shocks the demon now, as the sight she sees upon opening her eyes again...

Is a barrage of bullets, coming from a girl that was not sitting in the seat of her now reclaimed bike, but rather....

"Kick the engines up to max Aurora, I'll take her out-!"

Was standing atop it like it was some sort of sonic-speed hoverboard, her drill-like COMP having changed into a gun in her hands as she fires both spirit-based shells and bufu spells at the demon in a manner akin to two pistols, steering the bike through the sky as it darts about like a jet with just her feet and some A.I assistance-!

And grinning wildly in the face of this, both captive demons now held together under one arm...

Something like a dogfight between a Demon and a jet bike seems destined to ensure, myriad colors and explosions from errant spells rocking the sky as a Jack Frost looks down at his -once again captured- fellow demon and...

"You seem spiky now, hee ho! Mind cutting these ropes, hee? She's having a hard time grabbing me, it'd be easier to get away if we're both a bit more mobile, hee ho!"

Does it's best to whisper into what it assumes is the slime's 'ear.'

Wise Up "Yoshino"

Wise Up "Agiel"

Wise Up "Nadia"

**Airen** · June 24th, 2019, 12:54 PM

Mokujima Chris
Aoyama, Starlight Aquarium
Monday - Afternoon

Ultimately, it seems that your friends have no problem with following that sort of request.

While asking one's friends to follow behind at a distance might ordinarily come across as being ashamed of them, your reasoning for doing so seems sound to all three, and thus the journey to reunite with a certain disappeared friend begins in earnest with a team that seems surprisingly excited for the experience, even though there are a number of ways it could absolutely go bad, namely...

Lexie seems to be having so much fun with being in disguise, that she has already encased herself inside of a large yellow poncho that she was apparently keeping for "an unexpected stealth mission!" Of course, while it certainly hides most parts of her body from view flawlessly, the fact that she is wearing it indoors is one that keeps drawing attention to her from outsiders, attention that probably wouldn't have existed if she had just run on ahead in her usual jacket and jeans but...

When Lexie got an idea in her head, it was pretty hard to get her to budge from it...

She had made sure to go a few minutes before you of course, so it wasn't like she was drawing any attention to the fact that she was there as a sort of emergency bodyguard, but...

A less obvious disguise... You can't help but think such a thing would work better...

Then again, perhaps her goal was to become less suspicious by becoming the most blatantly suspicious?

With her it was hard to tell... Still...

Where Lexie was going the blatant route, it seemed Shuichi was much more competent when it came to effectively erasing his existence from an area, judging by the way he had seemingly disappeared the moment he had entered the aquarium after you... It made sense, seeing as how he was so multi-talented, the fact that he possessed the necessary skill to function as an infiltration agent alongside his other more straightforward skills isn't surprising in the least... If you had to make a guess as to his actual location, it would be that he was near the ceiling somewhere, but there's no decisive proof for it...

Either way, everyone is around even if you can't see some of them, so when you finally enter the aquarium itself...

---It's not quite as explosively overwhelming as it would usually be when you stride into a room with a couple dozen people inside of it.

Yes.

Ultimately an aquarium is a public place, an attraction, something that generates income by having people come to visit it repeatedly. Aoyama is ultimately an entertainment district after all, so those people that come here tend to do so with the idea of being entertained in mind, so it goes without saying that when compared to the cafe you had just left...

This place is a storm of sound, of people and demons alike wandering around, sometimes intermingled, sometimes by themselves, always in a manner that asserts their existence on the world.

---Putting aside the fact that you don't really like these sorts of public places, the one you had come here with was supposed to like them even less...

Sakurako.

That was 'her' name, or at least that was what she had told you her name was online, with her username being a more cliche "Blackrose93."

It goes without saying that you had never actually seen each other in person, but in the modern age, bonds can still be formed with others even through the confines of a computer screen. 'She' was the usual extremely introverted type, someone who seemed determined to drown herself in online games and social media, the sort of person that locks themselves in their room because they are afraid of the world that exists outside of it.

---Of course, she had left that room eventually, but...

If there was one hobby she had that you couldn't say you shared quite as extremely, it would be her fondness for the occult. Of course such an interest should be silly in the modern day, seeing as both magic and demons were concepts that society itself had structured itself around, in many ways the supernatural had become the "natural," and the "abnormal" had become the "normal."

But she wasn't interested in the more scientific approach to magic most of the world took, and had slowly begun making remarks about other sorts of magic, and ways in which one could "Transcend" their "humanity."

---In her case, it might be more akin to running from her humanity, but the point remains the same.

There are a number of ways to turn into a "Demon," and Demons themselves are not necessarily bad, this is a truth that society is structured around now.

Hell, while it hadn't been proven yet, there was a possibility that extraordinarily powerful Tamers might just transcend into "Hero" Class Demons after they die, so it is not quite as dark a topic as the old world vernacular would have one believe, but...

---The kind of abandonment she was talking about hadn't felt like it was connected to heroic spirits.

From the start, she was not someone that could really transform into one of those anyway, a nameless person without fame, someone who was no different from any common person, yes...

Coming from someone like that... Those words could certainly come across as spooky... Especially after her disappearance, but...

A letter had been sent, and now you were here...

Problem was... She hadn't specified 'where' she would be waiting for you...

---If you had to make a guess, it would be somewhere that wasn't quite so noisy as this first room. The lighting of the building was designed to be dim, as evidenced by the way things turned to darkness in the offshoot rooms, illuminated only by the azure light of fish-tanks, and...

An inspection reveals... That the hallway leading to the jellyfish exhibit seems to be mostly devoid of people, unlike the path to the gift-shop, which Lexie seems to have been drawn to in her bright yellow raincoat...

---In some ways being here makes it more spooky, and you are sure that removing yourself from the presence of other people might magnify this different sense of unease, but your friends should follow along after you right? And Sakurako had never seemed like the violent type so this might just be paranoia...

How to move forward, and whether to move forward at all...

Those were things that were up to you now.

**Bloble** · June 24th, 2019, 06:54 PM

Mokujima Chris
Aoyama, Starlight Aquarium
Monday - Afternoon

In the crowded aquarium, full of excited children, contented adults, varied demons, and lovey-dovey couples...

One woman is just slightly out of place.

It's not that there aren't others alone. In fact, a passing glance wouldn't reveal anything strange. But, if one were to take a second look at Mokujima Chris, several things would become apparent:

First, she is staring almost exclusively at her phone screen. A good 80% of her attention is fixed on it, despite the severity of the situation. The remaining time is split between scanning the crowd and watching the aquatic organisms swimming just past the glass. It is, after all, the first time Chris has ever been to an aquarium. She had always known such places existed, of course, usually topping lists of best date locations, but she had never had a reason to visit one until now. She is surprised to realize that it's quite fun being here. That isn't to say she is unaware; Chris' has learned the valuable art of looking at her phone and also looking at her surroundings simultaneously, so she can safely grind for that SR even in such a precarious situation. Or rather, grinding for an SR in a precarious situation is the only ritual keeping her calm enough to function.

Second, she is visibly uncomfortable, shifting from one foot to another, not quite able to appear as normal. Not quite at the cold sweat level; it's pleasantly dark and nobody is really paying much attention to her, so even someone like her that stands out can be comfortably isolated among the crowd. But still, this many people, without Daisuke at her side... despite her earlier rush, Chris is glad for the distant presence of Lexie. She glimpses the conspicuous yellow raincoat peeking around a corner and her heart relaxes, just a bit, at the sight.

Finally, her other hand is occupied, carrying a neat paper bag with "Brewed Awakenings" printed on the side. Within it is a sampling of the delicacies they had ordered and been unable to finish; Chris couldn't bear to leave behind something that delicious, and had haltingly asked to take it home. Of course, home is quite a detour away.

The end result: Someone that, in a less friendly and quiet place, might appear to be a perfect target for a pack of good-for-nothings intent on stealing a purse or wallet. Here, though, she is just another shadow on the wall.

What would Sakurako do in this situation, Chris wonders. They hadn't talked much about IRL; doing so would almost defeat the point. But if she had to guess, then it would be somewhere even darker still, spookier.

Yeah, she decides. If there's one thing Sakurako had always liked, it was places and things that made one's hair stand on end. Edgy character designs, dark plots, and weird art games about girls wandering strange and scary dream worlds. In an aquarium, it could be the shark and predatory animal exhibit, or...

She steps out of the crowd, down the dim hall lined with jellyfish. She is immediately surrounded on both sides. Jellyfish are colourful, colourless, bright, dark, and come in all shapes and sizes. They're strange creatures that Chris never really bothered to think about before this very moment. She puts her phone down for a moment and watches with interest as a particularly large and brown specimen floats past, wide enough to swallow up a person like a particularly painful blanket.

Neat...

Chris snaps a photo. With the flash off, of course. Wouldn't want to spook anything.

Some distance away, a third pair of eyes hides among the crowd. If Chris shows her interest in a muted fashion, then Daisuke is the opposite. This aquarium is a treasure trove of things to see and admire, weird creatures that bring to mind just how amazing the biodiversity of life is. He would spend all day here if he could, staring at the fish and eels and sea urchins, but there is a job to do.

Normally, he would need to look at Chris occasionally to make sure she is still doing fine. In their case, that's completely unnecessary. Instead, he places his eyes where hers aren't, covering other angles and halls that Chris herself might miss.

Still, in the end, initiative is not theirs.

Where? The question rings through the air and reverberates in the Harmonizer field.

When will Sakurako appear?

How?

And... will she even be the same person Chris had once called her best and only friend?

**Airen** · June 24th, 2019, 07:53 PM

Blaise Pendragon
(Fleeing from) Aoyama Gakuen
Monday - Morning

---It was almost like trying to run away from a serial killer in a horror movie.

While the woman's aura isn't quite as horrifying as that of your typical horror movie slasher -being more akin to an overbearing noble instead- the manner in which she moves to follow your trail and block your paths remains horrifying in it's own right. While diving into the side alleys had allowed you to put some distance between her and you at first, every attempt you make to escape from those alleys after that is blocked by her cheerful voice echoing out from "just behind," the nearest corner, always giving you just enough time to dive back into the alleys, wracking your brains for an alternative escape strategy-!

You had lived here your whole life, so your movements lack hesitation, and it is that lack of hesitation that has kept her from catching you so far... But it's a situation that slowly seems to be getting worse, as her voice gets closer and closer with each failed escape from the web of alleys-!

---Of course, the option of confronting her remains.

While it would be akin to punching a teacher, she was a teacher at a Magic Academy; it wasn't unheard of for mock battles against the staff to happen, but by that same token those battles were of the mock variety, and were usually set up beforehand...

Still, at this rate she's not leaving you much of a choice-!

"Huh, teachers are pretty determined nowadays, I would've thought she'd have given up by now."

While the situation hasn't been explained to her, it seems Tsukiko has put bits of it together on her own due to the nurse's various remarks and your muttered grumblings. While she is more or less being dragged around now, she treats the whole thing as a somewhat amusing occurrence, not particularly afraid of the silver-haired woman that seemed to be pursuing you, but also making sure to run just fast enough that she neither passes you or falls behind, deciding to trust in your reaction to the situation even though she herself doesn't see it as anything particularly "dramatic."

She'd offer to carry you to make your escape easier, but even a glance at you is enough to know how you'd respond, so she keeps that particular offer to herself as the chase continues...

Still...

Who would've thought you'd wind up back here today?

Whether by fate or mere chance, the alleyway that finally becomes something akin to a dead end is the one you were in just a few hours before; it was once again spotless, the sort of clean that made it clear someone had come by to pick up the scattered trashcans and clean the asphalt, and there were no unconscious delinquents around anymore, but...

With a spiritually reinforced door and three brick walls it's just like a dead end... While you could probably go through the walls again, it would be a bit harder to justify doing it in a place that wasn't the school building, and while scaling the wall was also pretty feasible, your own mental projections tell you you'll take a few seconds too long to really get over the top of it, but even as your panic subsides, a fiery resolve appearing in it's place as all options but "fight" appear to exhaust themselves...

---The door swings open of it's own accord as a somewhat familiar young man steps outside of it, completely oblivious to the fact that a nightmare he had escaped earlier had somehow made it's way back to his doorstep, instead...

"..."

He just stares silently for a moment, eyes widening slightly in recognition, until-

"Students these days have so much energy, but you can't run from your responsibilities forever!"

-the color drains from his face at the sound of that voice, and...

"...Hurry up and get in."

An offer is made out of a sense of lingering obligation to one who had bested him.

**Verg Avesta** · June 24th, 2019, 08:23 PM

Blaise Pendragon
(Fleeing from) Aoyama Gakuen
Monday - Morning

Originally Posted by This Guy

"...Hurry up and get in."

It was a surprising reunion.

But thanks to the words of the silver-haired nurse echoing close-by, it was not a happy reunion. Judging from how the color of the boy's face changed, Blaise could see that he had experienced the horror that was Dr. Bern and didn't want to go through it again. Therefore, his own initial reaction had been justified. Whatever the silver-haired woman wanted to do, it was nothing he wanted to be a part of. And he couldn't very well leave this girl alone here either, considering that mad doctor might have taken her as his accomplice or something equally ridiculous.

After all, Dr. Bern was ridiculous.

She couldn't be expected to act according to normal logic.

Therefore...

"... Thanks."

Without hesitation, Blaise pushed inside - or rather, hurried Tsukiko Aido inside first and then followed, trying to make sure that they weren't spotted entering the building. It was a rush against time, and the window of escape was growing shorter by every breath. And that was why, only once the two of them were inside, did he turn again towards the boy that had appeared as a saving angel to both of them...

... And flashed a somewhat sarcastic grin.

"I bought that Shizouka Cola you asked."

Despite the situation, his first positive expression of the day.

Well, even Blaise Pendragon couldn't help but to be amused by the sheer absurdity of what was going on.

**Airen** · June 25th, 2019, 06:51 AM

Eva Ellet
Rose Cross ~ Command Chambers
Monday – Morning

Of course, it goes without saying that there are subtle implications behind any answer you might give here, simply due to your status as an employee of the organization.

To say no to this sort of assignment implies either a lack of motivation and aspiration on your part, or a disagreement with the idea that the Big Four should strengthen the connections they have with each other; certainly there are members of at least the church that believe that sort of sentiment to be true, due to Tamers of the other three organizations being a bit more willing to fraternize with demons of most types, but that is also the sort of sentiment that cannot be casually stated aloud, it is something that is best kept to oneself if one can possibly help it.

---Of course, having answered in an affirmative manner in spite of some light misgivings about having to leave home for awhile, you don't have to worry about any unspoken implications behind your words.

It's a safe answer.

This sort of thing could only help your career in the long run anyways, if she was choosing you for it, it meant she had high expectations for your ability as a representative of the Rose Cross.

...Probably because you were the sort that doesn't really get into trouble if you can possibly avoid it.

"I'm assuming this is about the distortion in the North Pole correct?" Having been given the unspoken okay to speak, Catherine's voice remains respectful even as she inquires for a bit more information, bringing up the data the two of you had seen on the way here, "Will lodging be provided, or are we expected to take care of ourselves for the duration?"

A decent question.

"Yes, the distortion in the North lies outside of everyone's jurisdiction, so it was decided to be handled as a joint case. As of now, we have been given permission by the Rothschild to use their base for the duration of the assignment. Rooms will have to be shared of course, but it shouldn't be anything as inconvenient as a camping trip."

---Well if the Rothschild were willing to do it, now it would really look bad if you changed your mind on all of this, they were rather famous for their agents being somewhat detached from those of the other organizations.

...Of course, that also might be why their Commander is willing to do this...

"You will have free use of their training facilities as well, so there's no threat in falling behind in your studies. Everyone is working to make it as convenient an experience as possible... We don't have many opportunities to strengthen global cooperation after all, so it's important that this goes well."

Explaining it calmly, and with her trademark firm kindness, it seems that the Commander has gotten the both of you to agree, as for Alyx, who maintains her delinquent-esque stance in the corner...

"...You're staying here to watch Auntie right? If so, I have no complaints."

...She ultimately agrees to it as well after her mother nods in response, without any undue interaction with either you or Charlotte.

But that was just how that particular girl normally was...

"Excellent. If you don't have any other questions, I'll need you all to report to the medical ward for health clearance. Specifics such as deployment date, further members and team leader haven't been decided yet, but I'll have the information transferred to your COMPs when available."

Yep...

Nursing her glass of milk now, the Commander keeps things clear and concise in her usual way, but...

Any other questions huh?

**Airen** · June 27th, 2019, 07:02 AM

Logan Starbright (& Ludwig at the end)
SLEIPNIR ~ Flight Deck (South)
Monday ~ Morning

Deriding yourself for your carelessness, the sting of plasma against the side of your stomach serves as a grim reminder that your foe had seemingly managed to turn the tables on you. It's but a grazing blow from it's sword, something that appears as a brief flash of pain in your side as you come out of your desperate roll, black fire erupting from your palm as you calmly take steps to correct this scenario.

---A blast of black fire to force a movement from your opponent, and then a mimicry of the technique it had just used on you, an attempt at both rearming yourself and attacking in the same instant, taking advantage of the fact that your opponent's movement options were somewhat more limited in the air-!

---But surpassing your wildest expectations -or perhaps meeting them completely- the reality that your eyes show you is not the assassin dodging the black flames -that much is easily expected- but that it has once again turned your own strike into an opportunity for it, namely-

"Haaaaaah-!"

-it has grabbed Amelia on her way back, using her as a means to close the distance between the two of you.

---Ah.

Again, it proves itself as both a clever tactician and a gambler; to somehow manage to catch Amelia on her return flight was a feat of either powerful perception and speed or sheer luck... Was it also using a perception type formula? Or was this simply how skilled it was as a fighter, that it is able to grasp the still sparking spear as it passes it, and turn that movement into it's own strike.

Like this... You have no choice but to face it head on, and it knows that...

It is akin to disarming your opponent and standing atop their weapon, if they want it back, they have to face you for it... Ordinarily this might not be impossible, as being this close to Amelia meant that magic was still available to you, but...

You had pushed your COMP right up to the line of overheating, while you might be able to force one more spell out of it in this moment, if you do so... It's going to break to the point of being unable to manifest spells, and at that point, you might as well call this match a loss on your part-!

No...

No you'll have to get her back with your hands, or at least defend yourself with simply physical force until she is able to vent herself-! It's not ideal by any means, but to think that even a Tamer can walk into a battle and expect not to get hurt is foolhardy, that was simply the reality of battle-!

---It's a clash that's not in your favor, but-

"...Don't beat yourself up quite yet."

-one that changes in a heartbeat as a certain someone finally reveals herself once more, or rather-

"I think you distracted it just fine."

-reveals the dozens of ice-based mines she has placed on the battlefield while she had hidden herself away, waiting for an opportune time to strike, and one that had manifested itself in the enemy's arrogant charge to your disarmed and weakened position on the battlefield. While the enemy's general attributes are unknown, the spell formula she had used didn't care about such things, and her auto skill "Blasting Zone," made the existence of her mobile mines invisible to most general forms of perception, in other words-!

---The moment the opponent had approached you in a manner that didn't allow them to dodge, she had detonated everything she had planted all at once inside of it's path, the result-

"Looks like all it needed to do was chill out a bit."

-is your friend making bad puns as she appears at your side, an icy wind blowing past you both as the frozen form of the android reveals itself to your gaze.

While it is possible for Tamer class fighters to break free of this sort of thing with their spiritual pressure alone, the fragility that the robot seemed to possessed made it seem unlikely that it will actually be able to do so... Yes, while it's body still seems to be mostly intact, the damage it had taken before being frozen over seems to have momentarily shut down it's systems, in other words...

She had managed to more or less knock it out.

As a Tamer, that was almost always the better option... While Demons would always 'reincarnate' eventually as themselves and thus more extreme force wasn't really looked down upon, it was always better to capture humans or androids if possible, as their deaths were typically of a more final sort... Of course, capturing this android was the more pragmatic move as well, as information about who sent it and why might be able to be obtained from it, but having been put into a situation where your friend had seemingly felt fit to rescue you, the usual self-deprecation is probably playing through your head again in spite of your own role in it's defeat, but...

But...

But...

Even though her joke is a clear intent at heading those feelings of yours off at the pass, there's no need for something like that, as a certain 'occurrence' you spot in the distance pushes all other thoughts aside and forces your body to move reflexively, throwing yourself into Astra with all the strength this body can muster and-

-avoiding the stream of energy that had just threatened to slam into you both.

The culprit is not the android -who remains frozen- rather-

"..."

-It's someone else, someone who has come striving into this particular battlefield to save one of her allies.

---Just as Ludwig had predicted, there was a certain part of Lara Karlfeldt that was hesitant when it came to taking certain actions... But those actions were much more limited than one would first assume, yes, while she didn't want to attack her brother and had thus turned her back on him after doing her best to remove him from the battlefield...

She felt no guilt when it came to protecting her own comrades.

---That much hadn't changed about her. It was bizarre, and her reasons for doing so didn't seem to make any sense at all, but when it came to feelings of guilt...

She didn't feel any when it came to attacking this ship, she was a warrior with a mission, someone who had been sent here to accomplish a task, and thus the only 'guilt' she felt was what came when attacking her little brother, and upon having that guilt magnified... She had simply put her all into other aspects of her mission, deciding to focus on rescuing her allies rather than attacking him herself, and-

"...Stay away from him."

-that had ultimately manifested in her attacking Logan and Astra from afar, a full-power Aura Blast erupting from her fist even as she made a flash-truth induced dash to get between them and her robotic ally.

And even as Ludwig draws near...

"..."

She keeps her gaze on her two new opponent's instead, seemingly doing her best to avoid even acknowledging his presence, while going so far as to challenge two other Tamers while being completely alone, and...

As for Astra...

"...Well, guess we saved each other then huh?"

She takes the diving save -and the fact that you had landed on her- with good grace.

"But they never make it easy..."

It's not two on one... But rather three on one...

Even so...

The dark-haired Karlfeldt... Doesn't seem to believe this is a problem for her...

**Airen** · June 27th, 2019, 07:35 PM

Raz Stone
Forest, Treetops
Monday - Morning

"Oh?"

Was it insanity? Foolishness? Or simple resolve?

When faced with an opponent of overwhelming skill, you continue to bolster it's powers alongside your own, even if the only thing it will do is cement your own loss... It's an action that to most does not make sense, that screams of either pride or foolishness beyond measure, but...

---The insanity of it all, the choice to keep doing something like that even if you know it won't help you win, it's that sort of bizarre thinking, that prideful foolishness...

That continues to draw the Matador's interest in you.

---Perhaps it understands?

While it lacks the muscles to do so, that skeletal face has been smiling right along with you the whole time, as the joy of battle lights a spark in two different souls. In the Matador's eyes, a human that challenges their fate to the very end is an ideal one, one who does not allow themselves to be constrained by reality, who will push forward until they find their miracle or expire in search of it, yes...

As one who seeks strong opponents...

It has no complaints about facing you.

Whatever drives you to continue facing it, so long as your spirit roared in rebellion against it, it would gladly acknowledge you as someone worthy of defeat by it's blade. The friction of two clashing souls strengthens both after all, thus, if you wish to simply crash against it with all of your power it will gladly do the same-! Would you manifest a miracle to defeat it in it's own area of expertise, hinder it's abilities through some other tactic, or would you fall in the pursuit of your impossible 'goals'-?!

It wanted to know.

For that reason, yes...

For that reason...

It charged right back at you, body exploding with spiritual power as it sought the answer to that particular question in one fell swoop, deciding that the only way to keep pushing you forward was to attack with all it had-!

---While you are searching for a single decisive opening, it seems intent on not allowing you enough time to find it, or at least, it is pushing you to find it faster rather than simply stalling in search of it-!

Even so...

Recognizing the tell-tale signs of Phantasm Step, your body that was already struggling to keep up with the skeleton continues to oppose it with everything you have; the future it always full of possibilities, so long as you do not lose, a moment where you can win might just appear... It's a human philosophy that has served them well over the years, and one you cling to even in the face of an attack you cannot perceive with your eyes any longer-!

---Because it doesn't matter.

Keep calm, even if you can't see it, this body that has already fought it off dozens of times should understand where it will strike; it will be an impossible parry, one that will have to be followed by another until it ceases to be a miracle, but...

You have no intention of losing-!

The ability to defeat fate, that was part of what it meant to be a Spirit Tamer-!

Two clashing souls charge, each seeking to defeat the other in their own way, laughing as they each challenge someone that they consider to be strong, but-

-before fate can be decided or rejected, a storm of blades falls upon both parties simultaneously.

Heavy. A rain of metallic projectiles that thunder across the entire length of the stage in a manner akin to a carpet bombing, as someone who was not a part of the duel seemingly sees fit to interfere with it's outcome. At first, one might be tempted to think that one of the squires lost faith in your power, and had stepped in to ensure that the Matador wasn't able to defeat you in this next exchange, but even a cursory amount of thought makes that impossible, because...

The attacker had gone after both targets, or rather, didn't seem to care about who they hit at all, meaning...

It was a different third party, but...

"Well well... I didn't manage to get him, and I waited so damn long too... What a shame."

---Rather than being skewered by the countless rain of blades, the two fighters had turned from each other at the final moment, repelling the blades enough as a unit that only scratches have appeared across the surface of their clothes and bodies, and...

"How dishonorable... To interrupt a duel..."

Voice cold, but aflame with true killing intent for the first time, the Matador turns to face the intruder -a humanoid shape cloaked in black- with obvious disgust in it's voice, but in response:

"Well, he broke my robot earlier. I'm thinking of it as a bit of revenge myself."

**Rafflesiac** · June 27th, 2019, 10:24 PM

Logan Starbright
SLEIPNIR ~ Flight Deck (South)
Monday ~ Morning

"Looks like all it needed to do was chill out a bit."

In a single moment, Astra had defeated an enemy whose overwhelming strength had been all too clear. She really was strong. Unlike him. He was still the same old weakling who needed to be saved, who needed constant focus and vigilance to keep up lest he fail yet again. No longer encumbered by the Suppression Weapon, Amelia flew back into Logan’s hands, and he twirled her experimentally as his auto skill did its work on the nick in his side.

: Long time no see, Logan. Miss me?

: Yeah. I’m sorry; you were scared, weren’t you?

: Don’t scare me again, then.

: I’ll do my best.

: You always do.

He turned away from the frozen enemy toward Astra. “Thanks for saving me. And thanks for the other time too.” And for trying to cheer me up, even though I don’t deserve it. How were the other Tamers faring? If he’d had to face an unexpected enemy, it stood to reason that some of the others had to be as well; there was no chance that the Suppression Weapon was the only assailant. Logan turned toward the northern deck to assess the situation - and immediately tackled Astra to the side as an Aura Blast roared past. He pushed himself off the deck to roll into a crouch, rising to see a woman now standing between him and the frozen android.

"...Stay away from him."

That was a surprise. With how the drones had ignored the SLEIPNIR’s defenses, Logan had assumed they and the android had been possible prior inhabitants, akin to white blood cells trying to eliminate pathogens. But if there were humans involved, then that implied the presence of an organization. Just who was it that was willing to challenge the leaders of the current era?

"...Well, guess we saved each other then huh?"

“I still owe you one, though. Not that I’m trying to collect or anything, though obviously I wouldn’t not help you.” It was time to stop talking.

As Ludwig - this woman’s prior opponent? - approached, Logan kept his focus on the rogue Tamer, who seemed content to return the favor. The number one priority was to prevent her from rescuing her compatriot, but - Logan’s grip tightened on Amelia - attacking hastily, especially when a source of information was close at hand, was foolhardy.

“Ludwig, what did you discern about her?”

"She's well versed in close combat, and her agility is remarkably high even for a Tamer. She's currently focusing fully on her mission to save her ally, so you two are her more direct threat."

A high-speed close combat type, huh? That wasn’t the best matchup for Logan, but it wasn’t the worst either. Attacking her from range until he gained a definite advantage would be ideal, but given her mobility could be difficult. Then there was her obvious aim of recovering the Suppression Weapon. Moving too far from her or it would leave her open to escape, which was unacceptable. Perhaps the same strategy he’d used at the start against her comrade would suffice.

She's also my former combat teacher, and my sister. She currently is trying her best not to face me since her guilt may consume her. I can drain either her or her ally of their energy, assuming you two can keep her busy. Alternatively I can shield this hunk of ice from magical attacks and provide support while keeping her from releasing her companion. I'll leave the choice to you two.

His sister, now returning as an enemy?

That’s one hell of a farce.

“I prefer the latter.”

Logan engaged Eye of the Fates, scanning the future to craft the optimal response.

Heat: 3/10
Spells Used: Eye of the Fates

**Satehi** · June 30th, 2019, 09:44 PM

Eva Ellet
Rose Cross ~ Command Chambers
Monday – Morning

Catherine asks about our lodging arrangements. It’s not something I’d given much thought to.

The answer is… a little unpleasant.

Rothschild is pretty well known for an emphasis on personal power and success – things that have made demons fond of some of their members. Conversely, I’m not very fond of them. If my opinion on other organizations is somewhat positive, then they’d be a little closer to neutral than the rest. Therefore, spending the duration of this assignment on their base is… less than ideal.

But it’s not all that bad. It’s a rare opportunity, and I’m lucky, I suppose, to have it.

And more importantly, the idea of this mission is to foster cooperation- thinking negative thoughts like before isn’t exactly going to help. The Commander is expecting us to do a good job on this, and I will not let down those expectations- that’s the kind of attitude I should be having.

As for any other questions…

…There isn’t really anything important that comes to mind.

Anything I could think of to ask is pretty irrelevant- they wouldn’t change the fact that I’ll be going, nor what I’ll be doing. And I’m sure if there’s any details available we should know about, then we’ll be informed in due time. I can wait.

“In that case, I’ll be off to the medical ward.”

With that in mind, I begin to make my leave.

**Spinach** · July 1st, 2019, 05:01 PM

Hyakka Onjouji
Neo Aoyama, Aoyama Gakuen
Monday ~ Morning

Eyes that literally sparkled bore into Nakahara. Mesmerized by someone ripped straight out of a heroic shounen manga, Hyakka could only stare, fists balled together in excitement as the others settled on the rules.

As the ‘enemy’ team disappeared in a flash, she turned to the Class President.

“An auto-skill of my choice… that is difficult to decide upon.”

The girl crossed her arms as the rules were laid out for her. Five rounds, in other words, first to three. Each participant is given the ability to decide the conditions of one round, and the potential fifth and final round is arbitrated by the observer. In this case, Ryuumonbuchi.

“Hana. For now, use Dark Cocoon. This isn’t a race, it’s a marathon. Don’t play all your cards in the opening hand. Instead, focus on supporting your precious Class President in the dark, and go all out in the later rounds.”

“You think so, Camelia?”

“I know so.”

“Okay… Senpai, you’re a hero in training, just like me. That means you’re not afraid of the dark. Nanaya-senpai, Nakahara-senpai, they’ll be the same too. Even in the darkest night, heroes are always holding light inside of them, so they don’t have to fear the dark.” The girl turned from her brooch to her teammate. “But we’ll fight without any light. Because heroes can emerge from anywhere, even where light can’t reach. Because the dark isn’t all bad, and the light isn’t all good.”

Hyakka nodded twice.

Just like she had rehearsed it the night before, and the night before the night before.

“It might be difficult to see, but I’ve decided on the perfect stage, and I'll make sure we win. Together! Ready when you are.”

Round Order

Spell Slots

**Zurvan** · July 3rd, 2019, 08:12 PM

Originally Posted by Airen

---Just as Ludwig had predicted, there was a certain part of Lara Karlfeldt that was hesitant when it came to taking certain actions... But those actions were much more limited than one would first assume, yes, while she didn't want to attack her brother and had thus turned her back on him after doing her best to remove him from the battlefield...

She felt no guilt when it came to protecting her own comrades.

---That much hadn't changed about her. It was bizarre, and her reasons for doing so didn't seem to make any sense at all, but when it came to feelings of guilt...

She didn't feel any when it came to attacking this ship, she was a warrior with a mission, someone who had been sent here to accomplish a task, and thus the only 'guilt' she felt was what came when attacking her little brother, and upon having that guilt magnified... She had simply put her all into other aspects of her mission, deciding to focus on rescuing her allies rather than attacking him herself, and-

-that had ultimately manifested in her attacking Logan and Astra from afar, a full-power Aura Blast erupting from her fist even as she made a flash-truth induced dash to get between them and her robotic ally.

Ludwig Karlfeldt
SLEIPNIR ~ Flight Deck (North)
Monday ~ Morning

Having her guilt amplified she stood before a pivotal decision. Continue onward to the ship, attack her little brother in earnest, perhaps she even briefly considered stopping to fight.

Or at least, that's what Ludwig had hoped for.

Instead she chose none of the options Ludwig had thought of, and prepared an Aura Blast as she bolted with great speed towards the southern flight deck.

So that's her choice, running away from confronting her feelings huh.

We're going after her. Get ready.

Ready, here we go.

Go.

And so the pair blasted away in pursuit. The little brother trailing behind his big sister's visage. It might've felt nostalgic if it weren't for the current circumstances surrounding this situation.

Our top priority is to keep her from recovering her ally. Luckily we'll have allies there to help, though I suppose it's rather unfortunate for them.

I'm sure they'll manage, but what's the game plan now that she's made her choice?

She's too stubborn, focusing purely on something else won't change the situation she's in, I can't understand why she wouldn't just face me head on.

...No, I suppose you wouldn't understand.

Still, this is what she chose, it was naive to think she'd give up just because of our bond. We are both Karlfeldts after all, far too persistent, determined on carrying out our missions even if the task is impossible.

However her avoidance could be helpful too, standing between her and her objective could hinder her, perhaps enough to land Shared Burden.

I...I must apologize in advance, I know casting such spells hurts you.

I can take it, but are you sure? You seem hesitant to make use of your stronger arsenal.

I'm unsure what kind of response it'll have, considering how she disappeared in the first place. Evoking this kind of magic , it could be a mistake.

Or it could shift the power-balance, isn't that what you're thinking?

Guilty as charged, will you help me out?

The presence of a smile appeared in his head, and accompanying it--

Always.

--were the words of his trusted companion.

Ludwig Karlfeldt
SLEIPNIR ~ Flight Deck (South)
Monday ~ Morning

The two Karlfeldts arrive close behind another, traversing the huge flight deck in a matter of seconds.

The dark haired older sibling followed by the light haired younger sibling, both perhaps a tad too calm for their surroundings.

Lara took her place with her frozen ally, and Ludwig took place on the side between her and his fellow Rothshild members Logan and Astra.

The older sibling keeps her eyes on them, choosing not to look at the other opponent to her side.

Originally Posted by Rafflesiac

As Ludwig - this woman’s prior opponent? - approached, Logan kept his focus on the rogue Tamer, who seemed content to return the favor. The number one priority was to prevent her from rescuing her compatriot, but - Logan’s grip tightened on Amelia - attacking hastily, especially when a source of information was close at hand, was foolhardy.

“Ludwig, what did you discern about her?”

"She's well versed in close combat, and her agility is remarkably high even for a Tamer. She's currently focusing fully on her mission to save her ally, so you two are her more direct threat. "

Adding onto the spoken information both Logan and Astra internally hear Ludwig's voice.

She's also my former combat teacher, and my sister. She currently is trying her best not to face since her guilt may consume her. I can drain either her or her ally of their energy, assuming you two can keep her busy. Alternatively I can shield this hunk of ice from magical attacks and provide support while keeping her from releasing her companion. I'll leave the choice to you two.

Lara has thrown herself into a situation where I can no longer let my allies pull their punches, whatever their choice will be now, she'll be ready to take all three of us on.

--But did it really have to go this way?

**Tobias** · July 3rd, 2019, 08:14 PM

Raz Stone
Forest, Treetops
Monday - Morning

Even though Raz had charged Matador as if to strike him, that really wasn't how exchanges between the two went. This was something Raz knew, and his opponent certainly did as well. It seemed obvious, but one of the most significant differences between the two warriors had nothing to do with The skeletal fencer's far superior weapon skill. Nor did it have to do with the fact that one's weapon was, well, an actual weapon, vs the other who was swinging a microphone.

No, what may have actually been the most crippling factor that was causing Raz the most problems with exploiting Matador's relatively frail defenses was the approximately 1.5 feet or so of extra reach the rapier gave against Raz's own weapon. The difference between their own equipment meant Raz would always have to deal with at least one attack before having the opportunity to return a strike. In some cases this would not have presented a significant problem. After all, the inherent limitations of his fighting style were things that he had dealt with before and he had years of experience managing such. there was no knight who could be called a novice when it came to using his own COMP, that was, after all what squire training was for.

The problem was, while there certainly were a few knights with the right specialization and skill set to engage this swordsman head on...

...in particular, Raz recalled a sword wielding maiden who had been engaged in some recent PR on behalf of the knights, who reportedly favored speed and precision, who plausibly could have defeated this opponent with sword and spell craft. However, the shades wearing warrior was ill suited for this task.

What that boiled down to...

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A constant exchange of blows. It may not have been absolutely one sided except for the distance difference. Matador's attacks may not have been intended to kill, but that was only as an abstract. Each blow was undoubtedly lethal, aimed at creating mortal wounds. They were only not lethal in the sense that Matador assumed Raz was always going to be able to defend himself. practically speaking, the attacks were no different from that of a blood crazed assassin putting his life on the line to kill his enemy. Therefor Raz couldn't just take a blow and close. It would lose his life before such a strategy would be successful.

A weapon user might have been able to batter his or her way through, relying on skill at arms and thatamurgy at the level of the sword saint. A defensive COMP user would have options as well, skills and spells of defense potency significant enough to drive through the undead combatant's assault. Raz was neither. He battled with information, with support. and so he had to wait for the right moment to demonstrate the power of a support COMP.

...However when that moment came, it was in no way shape or form the "critical hit" that Raz had been attempting to prepare. Instead...

Look out, its a drive by!

Raz might have died right then in there, so focused as he was on trying to power through Matador's phantasm step enhanced strike had not his COMP registered and tracked the projectiles that blasted holes in the Hermes stage. Even then, one of the more frustrating parts about being a support COMP user was the difference between knowing what was about to happen and being able to stop it. For many of those who specialized in information, the trade off in more direct skill brought about a situation like being on a sinking ship. You could understand what was about to happen, but not possess the means to avert your fate, leaving instead someone bereft of even the hope that something you didn't predict could save you.

The surprise attack and skill set of Raz might well have yielded such a scenario...

...yes, this well might have occurred, were it not for the wealth of magic Raz had imbued himself with. At the absolute last moment, magical energy shot up each of Raz's arms, lighting up the Heat microphone and his free hand. Raz had 2 magical enhancements bolstering his speed, and one more for defense. The combination of heavier green and lighter purple gave birth to a sharp teal color as for a split second all of his magical powers were concentrated onto his arms.

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"NGHHHhhhhhhhh!"

It felt like the breath was being slowly ripped out of his lungs. There was a very uncharacteristic moment of silence in the fight as even Raz's ability to sing and play music were sidelined in favor of a total defense action.

He had to take an awful risk. By moving the entirety of the power surge to his arms for enhanced blocking skill, Raz was removing the layers of swirling armor that had been assisting in warding the Matador's rapier strikes. If one of the blades assaulting him got through, he would not have any of his magical defenses to prevent significant, even lethal injury. To make matters worse, the white boned warrior currently in the midst of dealing with the assault on his own end, intentionally or not, was repressing Raz's usual ability to magically heal himself.

When the brief storm of blades past, Raz found himself near the edge of the stage. He didn't remember moving, but suspected some combination of the flying stage being knocked around and him retreating against attacks to buy a microsecond longer to defend had been the cause. It wasn't till Raz shakily drew a breath that he felt an almost crippling pain from his left arm. He had removed the pain reducing curse and then almost immediately forced it to move several times faster then it naturally could. The combination effect felt less then pleasant. Neither was a myriad of bleeding cuts that had sprouted all around his body, which he did not bother to individually catalogue. He had avoided any lethal or crippling damage, but part of that had required him allowing several superficial slices to get through as the cost of doing business.

You OK kid? With that black cloud, I cant do anything about all the blood loss.

I have more, Raz grunted inwardly.

There was an audible crack sound as Raz popped his neck, looking at the new combatant.

"I was enjoying that fight..." It was right around this point that Raz demonstrated something likely none but Erika Winters knew about him prior to this point.

...When he got angry, Raz Stone had a tendency to smile. When he began to move his hand across the HEAT system, the melody that began to drip from the damaged but still functioning Hermes stage was imple, even pleasant. "Baby..." Raz began to sing. "Your breaking my heart..."

It was at this time unclear if the sound system was still working due to the repair protocols not being effected by Matador's anti-regeneration aura or simply due to having not taken enough damage to shut down, but either way, as was standard, music again began to fill the area. Related so such, there was breathy secondary focus during a lyric about having his glasses broken. The stage after all was the Hermes Shades he was known for. Naturally at many concerts, he opted to have the stage create a hologram of his shades around his eyes for effect, but it was the Hermes Stage and the Hermes Shades that gave him his vehicle and platform for songcraft.

"All right buddy," Raz said, allowing the vocals to fade to instrumentals. "Dunno if you know this, but any COMP user, before we are knights...hell, before we are idols or priests or anything else really..." Raz narrowed his eyes, all traces of humor gone from his face. "We are cops. Its our job to stop magical assholes from doing magical asshole things. And right now I have got you for reckless endangerment, attempted murder, fucking up my stage, terrible cliche villainy fashion sense, and I'm assuming resisting arrest in just a minute."

Matador, despite his presentation and constant attacks, hadn't actually killed anybody. Hell, there was even a school of thought which noted that the skeletal fencer had not had any trouble adjusting to the upgrades bequeathed by Raz's spell work. In theory, even though they were being raised equally, raz should have actually developed a natural benefit. The reason for such is that Raz was well used to fighting under a multitude of enhancement buffs. Such was expected due to his fighting style. Just as the sword saint skill was far superior to Raz's own talents, the dark haired bard should have been far more capable of making use to the increased stats to fight, in theory closing the gap between the two.

Hell, one of two main reasons Raz had been doing so was to test his theory about Matador as part of his duties of protection. Raz speculated that Matador in fact was far stronger and more physically powerful then he presented himself. By the speculation of the singer and the DTG, Matador was conciously limiting himself to an ability level just low enough that it could be plausibly fought. That the death aura he could have been using was adapted to a non lethal skill reinforced that theory. Further evidence had been gained now. The fact that Matador had been able to make use of Raz's upgrades suggested that the dead fencer was well used to fighting at such skills and speeds, leading credence to the idea this was not his final form...or, rather, ability level.

To put that another way, there was pretty good reason to think it was not needed for Raz to engage in his primary duties as a Spirit Taimer and could simply lose himself in a fine duel. Some might have been worried that had he lost, he might have suffered a loss to his reputation, but honestly the dark haired boy didn't really care. If some fans turned away then he would just sing harder until they all came back.

But some asshole who just fired into the crowd? That was different. That was the kind of person who had to be brought to heel by any means necessary.

"Squires!" Raz said, for the first time in a long while directly addressing the audience. Raz emphasized the word 'Squire' by letting a bright white light emanate from his microphone, reinforcing and replenishing the natural degradation of his musical spell craft. "It's time to take the stage my lovelies! And Ryan my sweet, if you do your job well when I am writing my report...ill even forget to mention how you just took a loss then go to afternoon classes, hah!"

At that, The DTG appeared human sized next to the three observers, tipping the hat of his fedora. "Hear that kiddos? Y'all have all been deputized!"

The apparition turned to face the newcomer who had assaulted his wielder. There was an evil glint to the eyes of the old detective as his duster swirled dramatically around him.

"I'll say this in place of the flatfoot asshole, the Broderick is coming, and you are under arrest!"

**Airen** · July 6th, 2019, 01:27 PM

Cosmos "Fairchild"
???
???

"Think nothing of it, the one who was rude in our initial encounter was myself. Names can change over time, so it was my rudeness that put you in that position in the first place."

Where you can't help but apologize for your earlier actions, the man again responds to them with words so calming and pure that even your own sense of shame -or rather, 'that body's' sense of shame almost seems to evaporate in the face of it.

Yes...

The longer you interact with him, the more he reminds you of Mary... While you can't quite place what your 'relationship' with this person was, his earlier referrals to you as a disciple of his seem to imply some things...

"Still, I am glad you agree. The world was not always this serene; a long time ago it was a place of war and strife, but working together with everyone, I was able to drive all enemies from the land, calm the people's hearts, and change it into a more true utopia."

While his words imply a certain greatness to his actions, the way he speaks casts them as somewhat "inconsequential," as if rather than bragging about it to you, he was simply stating a factual answer to your questions.

And just like that first question, when he gets around to the last...

"As for the locations of the others... I am not entirely sure myself I'm afraid; when we found our old land again after thinking it destroyed, they went ahead and departed for it. I am unable to leave here of my own volition at the moment, so I was unable to join them in their sabbatical," while you still can't see his face past the light, his next words carry the briefest hints of humor, "It is somewhat lonely I suppose, but I will be able to leave here and go find the others eventually. It's something I'm looking forward to quite a bit, although I am still happy you came to see me of course."

Thread: Spirit Pulse : Mugen No Sekai [IC]

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