Fate/Closure [IC Thread]

[Airen]

Aya Alayana
Shinto - Streets
Night Phase
MP: 320

---It hurts to breathe.

Exposure to a phenomena that is actively destroying the world's common sense; it's a toxic area that seeks to rip the magical energy from her body, siphoning her life force for some unknown purpose, although if she were forced to guess...

It was using the energy of it's surroundings to propagate itself, in that regard, it was less like a Bounded Field, and more like a form of supernatural cancer, a spreading curse that sought to envelop everything around itself for it's own twisted purposes. It's a natural extension for this sort of magic, the ability for a phenomena to spread itself without active input from the caster was a powerful tool for maintenance, it made destroying the phenomena in question difficult, and gave the caster an 'ally' in the form of the environment, yet another 'system' that will seek to spread and assist the user entirely on it's own...

---It's a twisted enough power, she can feel it even from outside the mall itself, Verde...

But it's not something that frightens her, not really, not like it should frighten a human that sees themselves standing on the edge of absolute oblivion...

The cause is no inherent sense of bravery, just like the fight on the bridge, she is able to stand in the face of this form of 'Death,' simply because a form of 'Death' resides within her own self as well, yes...

Some might call it "Destruction," but in the end it was similar enough she wasn't going to mince words about it.

A self-perpetuating curse, a power that seeks to erode and devour anything and everything around it...

Didn't that power sound familiar?

Yes.

It's quite familiar.

Something just like it burns within her heart, with each beat, a constant reminder of the flames bubbling just beneath the surface of her skin; this too is a curse, a thing that feeds off of the 'World' itself, and thus, this curse holds no fear for her...

No.

She's been around something just like it for far too long to freak out about it, and now...

She will oppose this curse with her own 'curse.'

A number of people might find the idea of a stealthy approach appealing, a manner of entrance that would seek to deflect the attention of the monsters from her as long as possible, but that sort of tactic is not one she can employ, because it will not carry her through to the 'end' of her mission. To start with, the idea that she could even sneak inside was impossible and thus worthless, but even if she could...

She could not fight off a swarm of monsters alone, that is not possible, it would take her too long to sneak to the heart of the phenomena even if she could, and even if that wasn't true, with the environment the way it is, getting too close to the origin might just crush her outright, therefore...

There is only one thing she can do, one method to approach this twisted origin, and that is...

"...Okay."

While the idea of the curse isn't that frightening, there is still a dull feeling of... Something... In her stomach when she considers her own end, but...

This moment is all she gives it.

A single breath and an exclamation, an acknowledgement that this path is what it is, and that she must simply see it through to the end with all she has...

---Toss away the hesitation.

---Toss away the fear of mortality.

---Embrace the flames.

---Embrace oneself.

---Even if it turns you into a demon, see it through until the end, that's the only way to respect everything you left behind on the way here...

Everything lost, in exchange for those inevitable lives, she will take the head of the opponent.

Her tithe, in blood and flames-!

Her foot slams down on the concrete of the parking lot.



-5 HP

Packed with prana, a line of flame explodes out here, at the edge of what just might be her final battle; at first glance one might think that there is no target here, but of course there is a target here, the original target, a certain aspect of the flames that have had them classified as both an enemy of humanity and the enemy of the planet itself, that is...

The World.

---She'll set the World aflame in order to confront the origin seeking to tear it's way through everything...

She had not been joking when she said it would be better for everything to turn to ash than fall under the sway of some sort of false, Alien God; while she would ordinarily never damage her own town so brazenly, things have escalated to the point where she can no longer avoid it.

She needs allies.

The Flames are the strongest ally she has, as begrudging of an ally as they might be-!

Opening her circuits invited the power of the origin to pull at her life force, but these flames were a magic that would persist on their own in just as savage a fashion, a relentless ally that seeks to devour everything in the same fashion of this toxic air, greedily draining whatever sort of energy it could from anything it could, an inhuman curse that shrieks and cackles as it emerges from her form, because the time to devour has come again.

What is with this air?

It is not like the flames care much, it is a buffet of magical energy, no, what sends them into an almost giddy fight, like a demon that has been loosed from the darkest depths of hell...

"Roar, mortal flames! I'll have you escort me until the very end!"

-5 HP

...The wielder is expecting them to devour it all, encouraging it even, the clap of her hands sending a shockwave of prana through the area and setting the line of flames into an explosive wave, one that greedily approaches the front doors of the mall without hesitation, the cackles and shrieks and giggling of that pseudo-sentient curse culminating in an inhuman scream of triumph, as they realize the wielder has loosened their leash...

She expects them to escort her to the 'heart' of this matter, rampage as they like, devour whatever monsters they find, whatever buildings they must, all for the sake of taking off the head of her opponent and putting a stop to the 'phenomena.'

In other words, no mercy.

The land between her and her opponent will become a barren waste, a burning inferno, but just like her namesake, she'll walk through that crimson hell like a demon, following behind her 'power' as it destroys and consumes everything it finds.

Because it's fine to destroy it all, everything destroyed will simply return to the Ignition Complex.

The flames will be her life support at the center of the phenomena, keeping her alive even at the heart of this matter by sharing their stolen power with her, devouring her enemies, and seeing them all reduced to ash, working on their own without relying too much on her, and charging power for the Final Nova...

Yes.

Destruction is where her power hails from, and at times like this...

She can't pretend that's not the case, so...

She revs the engine, flames parting in her wake as she eggs it on slowly, giving the wildfire time to spread out like a sea of living fire because it is now both her shield and her sword, and then those flames...

A dull roar...

A gigantic hand erupting from the flames, like a demon from the darkest pits...

---Slams into the doors of the mall, eating first through glass and then steel before spilling out into the depths of the building with an almost psychotic glee at the behest of their mistress, after all...

Monsters? Humans?

If the flames had a favored target...

It would be those brimming with 'power' themselves-!

---She'd just have to deal with those that were able to survive the Sea of Flames on their way to her-!

Total MP Used: -70

Yes.

Going in quiet had never really been her way...

[Tobias]

Yamashita Hiro
???? - Sacrificial Chamber
Unknown Phase


The smell of smoke and burnt blood. The crackle of flames. The world of burning desires that was the world egg in the mind of the Heroic Spirit. Of course, the binding of fire in Hiro’s hand was just another attribute of the ritual fires. Nothing truly died when she lashed out with her burning whip. Nothing besides cognitive shadows and diffuse ideas were trapped and set afire.

...It was still fun. Maybe she had been with the jungle spirit to long but...there was a thrill that came with the fires. Hiro was afraid of fire. But fire was hers all the same. Maybe it was something similar to the giddy laughter that was often heard by someone who had survived a deadly experience. The rush of adrenaline, sweeter and stronger then any drug.

A high that was tempered further as she watched others burn.

And yet...?

At heart, this was still a nightmare. In nightmares, the true, crystalized manifestation of terror and hopelessness, there serves a malignant id. A director of sorts, who crafted the scenario in such a way that every moment led towards the worst result. There was no such thing as a correct choice. The “exit” Hiro reached was a cheat. A flaw in the system which she could have exploited.

The whip was no such thing finding a weapon, or discovering a new ability in nightmares was not uncommon. It was just something to be adapted into new failures. It was like realizing you could fly in the middle of a bad dream. AT first it seemed as if escape was at hand, but then you realized you were having trouble getting off the ground and wolves were nipping at your heels.

In otherwords...Hiro had certainly already lost.

But she still had to go back for her cat.

A trio of jungle warriors stepped in her was. One blew a spitefully hissing dart at her neck. She twitched to one side, feinted to the left towards an advancing enemy armed with a club made of bone. when he reflexively swung to soon, momentarily taking him out of the fight as he sought to recenter, she lashed towards the one on the opposite side who had looked to drive forward and take advantage of Hiro being occupied with his allies. There was a sharp crack as her whip whirled and coiled around his leg, only to lift his rapidly charring body and hurl him bodily into the warrior armed with poison.

In a few more swings, three more soldiers had been given to the flames.

Pushing aside the fronds of a low hanging tree, Hiro found herself entering a small clearing where her enemy awaited.

...What she saw there, was not the stuff of nightmares. Perhaps that, most of all is what brought her up short.

Clad in simple clothes, but humming with power, an older woman...a more complete woman awaited her. She exuded confidence. Why she did so? Hiro was not sure. In one sense, Hiro could tell that this woman was not the equal of the Demi-Servant. No simple human could be. but all the same...this was someone who had done something Hiro never could.

...Mastered herself.

Somewhere in the back Of Hiro's mind, a part of her was screaming at her to flee. It wasn't that she could not face this specter, its that she absolutely shouldn't. Even knowing her name would tear something inside the girl she would never be able to repair. If she hadn't held the Far Side Cat hostage, Surely in that very moment Hiro would have fled like a coward.

In the next moments, she would regret not doing so.

The dark haired woman raised a hand up, still offering a cheeky, confident grin, and in response to an activated magical circle that must have been preemptively prepared, wind began to course through out the area. This on its own was no trouble. In fact the coursing and hissing air did nothing but spike the heat of the flaming whip to new heights as it greedily sucked in the newfound fuel. Following the air which began to spiral above the older mage's head, the fires of the whip began to grow impossibly long, and bluer, as they consumed the free flowing magic. But then the second magical formulation activated...



And all that wind converted at once to ice. It happened in less then a second. At one moment, Hiro's fire magic had been growing even more powerful, ready to burn and consume her opponent and achieve victory, and the next, her once burning whip was nothing more then a lump of cold ice in her hand. Useless, she had to throw it aside. Almost ruefully she felt a sudden burst of camaraderie with the shadow cat. This must have been how it felt when it had closed to win the battle only to be swarmed under with ritual...circles...

...The enemy...Her enemy. Ritual magic prepared to bind a Servants power. Powers of wind and ice.

There was actually a person Hiro knew for whom these things described. That person's name was...

Yamashita Hiro. Or rather, a possibility that hadn't occurred. There was a term for this that had come up once in her studies.

"Lostbelt...!" Even in dreams the idea stretched credulity, but the proof stood in front of her now, smirking as ice cracked in her hands. A possible future eliminated before it could occur. Yamashita Hiro, accomplished mage, whom never took the fire demon inside her. Who never needed to take in the Jungle spirit. Sure it was more powerful, but she had just snuffed out its flames with nothing but a few circles and a pair of instant count arias.

"You are to greedy." The older mage said, her voice soft and throaty. Seductive, or at least attractive in its poise. "You have a tiger by the tail, barely holding on, and instead of seeking control you chase after another power? Even the masters of the war we studied contented themselves with just one Servant."

"Shut up!" The younger woman said to Lostbelt!Hiro, her right hand splayed out at her side as she tucked herself low to the ground at a dead run. It bight have seemed she was aiming for the element of surprise but in reality she refused to listen anymore. Not one second more or she would go insane. The worst and harshest criticism always came from yourself, after all. Drawing in every last bit of power she could pull through her small body, she channeled an open handed claw strike right at the lostbelt master's face...!

And then they just stood there for a second. looking at each other. For Hiro's hand held no fire. Her body held no otherworldly strength. SO it was almost unsurprising when Hiro found herself back handed several yards back by a hand encased in two inches of solid blue ice.

"I know you are mad," the older dark haired woman said, wind swirling around her, carrying a trio of ice blocks around her which quickly shifted themselves into three rough lances and hurled themselves at chest height towards the dazed magus, concussed and half delirious from the powerful head blow. It was half luck and half instinct that sent the young girl in an ungainly dive out of the way.

"But you should really be thanking me. I don't hate you you know. After I'm finished, you can even take that creature with you. I just want to do do one thing first...freeze out every last ember of that abominable fire...!"

For the first time, the kindness and poise that Hiro's doppelganger cracked. "I can still feel it..." She said, advancing, as even more ice gathered in her hands. "I can still feel what it was liked to be burned out of possibility. When it burned away your magic and converted your elements, it burned away any possibility of me! That miserable creature didn't just kill me, it burned away me before I even existed, I couldn't even be born!" This time when Hiro tried diving out of the way of another set of oncoming ice spears, one of the ice lances followed. Hiro had to catch the earth in a wild one handed round off to shake the spear that tried to arc itself right into her shoulder as she dodged away from the initial attack.

"So...if it burned me from existence, the least I can do is return the favor! I'll freeze every last spark from your body. Only then will I be satisfied! Only then will this nightmare end, for both you and me!"

Hiro rolled behind a tree when her doppelganger's hand came up again. a moment later three WHUMF notes informed her as to the impacts from another ice attack. If there was one thing Hiro had going for her it was that her enemy had clearly used a lot of magical energy crafting the ice barrier that froze the fire inside her. As a result, because most of her magics were chaining down the Heroic Spirit, she had less reserves to assault Hiro the young girl. so the attacks she was using were simple, if no less deadly.

Part of Hiro wanted to just give up. Why not? if she did so, she wouldn't die. The lostbelt would kill the fire demon, and then she could take the Far Side cat and flee. yes she would be weaker, but she would never again have to fear burning to death. And she would be in a grail war. Its not like she wouldn't have options for returning the power that had been frozen. if there was one reason she didn't do so...?

written Hiro, but pronounced Hero.

And Heroes don't quit just because they want to. They don't give up on others. Even if that "other" was a lazy, irritable, greedy spirit of fire that would certainly devour her with pleasure.

...Wait...

https://youtu.be/rCL_EqNKpVA

That's right...the fires would devour her. There was nothing more the demon wished to give to the flames then Hiro Yamashita. The fires were cold now. But the thing about fire...?

It just needs a spark. A spark and something to burn. Gritting her teeth so hard she heard something crack in her mouth, Hiro braced her hands off the cold wood and pushed herself back out into view. Perhaps sensing something new in hiro's expression, the larger mage immediately through several ice lances without stopping for any of the banter she had previously been willing to engage in. This time, Hiro didn't move.

This time...she didn't need to. As all three lances immediately turned to a hissing cloud of steam upon approaching her.

"That's not...possible!"

"You shouldn't have told me this wasn't just my nightmare, it was yours too." Now it was the younger girl's turn to sound composed beneath her burgeoning fury. "Once I knew that, it was just a question of numbers. You are the ice born of a lost future. Your power is that of one entire possibility, and possibilities have enormous power. But of course, if yours is the cold of one frozen path...then all I need is to burn more then that to burn away this shitty ice...!



Then the fires came. Not just over her arm. That no longer did it justice. Her entire body was becoming engulfed in a fire that burned away the surrounding wind and ice. Of course, it was only natural. What else could happen when she was burning 10 million possibilities as fuel...!

When the lost belt Hiro had been burned away, it wasn't as if that left only one possible outcome. Life was more then just one chance for things to go a different direction. A thousand different occurrences, and a million possible choices shaped each and every day, each moment. It was said that in this wide mysterious world, there were those who existed who had eyes that could see through to the end of one's life, observing the True Death that was always fated for them. Were the eyes of Balor to behold her now...they would see nothing but flame, all the way through to that last moment. To beat back the frozen ice, Hiro had turned the fire demon inward, setting it like a match to a line of gunpowder coursing through her future, burning away every possibility of hope.

Hiro was burning, burning, burning, all the way to her end. But because she was burning, there was no possibility for the blessed relief of ice to relieve her.

"Welcome to our nightmare, Lostbelt! these fires will be your funeral pyre. I may not have a future, but my present self wont lose! that's what it means to be a Hero!"

[hero]

Interlude - Calamity Conductor

Spring, 2008.

The newspaper speaks of a man who literally fell down from the sky, in Tokyo. Apparently, the unidentified victim came out of nowhere and crashed through the window glass of an office building. At first, it's branded as a bizarre event of no importance, nothing the crazy modern world has not seen before. However, about two weeks later, the story is brought back by the media when a footage gets leaked, giving the population a visual approximation of what happened. Experts sit on TV show tables, trying to convince the public of whether this is a case of terrorism or an alien abduction. Both sides agree in that, even if the fall ended prematurely, it's without a doubt fatal.

As if to mock those ideas, the man stays the following sixth months resting in a hospital bed, unconscious, but very much alive. By the time his facial features regain their former glory, granting a few others the chance to recognize his former identity, there is no one there to care. Those who initially sent messages and gestures of support or spent their entire afternoon building conspiracy theories surrounding him have long since disappeared, drawn away by other recent, incredible happenings. Maybe that is for the best. Eventually, that would make his escape much more simple.

It takes him another six months for him to finally be able to catch his bearings.

He was lost, unable to make sense of the reality around him, and still injured, in both body and soul. He had no money, little to no clothes and no place to stay. But, since he had a promise he needed to fulfill, he worked his way up against the odds, recovering a little bit of the warmth he had once lost, in record time.

Spring, 2009.

In all that time, the man does not forget.

The second chance he has been given at life is not for him, but for others.

Spoiler:

It's been five years since it all started, inside that classroom at Homurahara School, back in Fuyuki. Five years that he has missed after successfully leaping through time. To be fair, the world 'accidentally' might be a more appropriate word. After all, five years is not what was agreed.

Nevertheless, Sakaki Tetsuro holds no grudge against the one who sent him to this day and age. Never refuse good fortune, as the saying goes.

He grows a little less optimist when he skims the web looking for information of what happened since then.

Several students missing. Not one found.

Families grieving their loss, the police completely giving up the search.

But of course it would turn out that way! Nobody knows what really happened! He has to go there! He has to fix things himself! As his teacher, that is his responsibility!

After internalizing himself in the workings of the mechanical world, he heads to Fuyuki in search for answers, yet he comes back empty-handed. Unwilling to give up, he travels as far as London, to speak with the Second Owner at the time of the tragedy, Tohsaka Rin, and get the truth from her mouth.

The embodiment of the end was sealed.

A much greater tragedy was avoided, but at a cost.

Those caught inside Akasha's Well, Reverse, Mugen, Dark World or whatever nickname is more appropriate for that hellish place, would be trapped in there forever for the sake of humanity survival and left to die, assuming they weren't already dead by the time they were having the conversation.

Those are not the exact words she uses to politely convey an end she is not exactly happy about, but the message is delivered clearly, nonetheless. To make up for her past mistakes, she lets him on a little secret, one that would rise his morale, if only a little bit.

The official story in both the mundane side of the world and the moonlit side of the world is that there were no survivors. And yet, here she was, talking to the second, no, third person who successfully escaped that ill-fate. Granted, it all happened before the lid to that place was sealed, and it didn't erase the enormous loss that the other victims represented, but it is enough to move the adult man to tears.

Autumn, 2010.

He's back to Tokyo, playing the role of a teacher under a new identity.

What he is doing is wrong, and he knows it. But he finds it impossible to drop the promises he made.

He'll become a villain in order to act as someone else's hero, because that is a choice he can live with.

He'll go to the past using the same travel method that brought him to the future. Enacting the ritual alone does not work. The chance of success increases exponentially with each individual who willingly takes part in it. Therefore, he looks for what he is missing. Diving into old philosophies, he seeks the worst among the worse, gathering a number of teenagers who will never find salvation in the putrid modern society they have become a part of.

During the day, he teaches the minds of tomorrow.

During the night, he works to rehabilitate those who have strayed from the path, never to return.

March 21st, 2010.

The night has come. He gathers everyone around a circle drawn with chalk, using a childish pretense to get the young ones to cooperate. Confident in the arrangements he made, he nevertheless makes doubly sure that his little 'class' is the only one allowed into the building.

From today onwards, he will be branded a criminal. Hell, even the Tohsaka Heir is likely to come for his head, even if the deed is done outside of her jurisdiction.

But those thoughts are fleeting, after all, if he is putting all his eggs in one basket, there is no time for hesitation. He'll change the past, and then, none of what happens in this future will represent a problem, because he will be elsewhere. Granted, never making it past a second travel through dimensions is a much more likely outcome, but he still has faith to hold on to.

He begins the ceremony, recalling those lines with dreadful nostalgia.

But then, in the middle of it, he suddenly stops, realizing his one mistake. What brings it all to a halt is not guilt, it's surprise, and the fear of carrying a burden that would be just too much for his shoulders to bear.

For a moment, Sakaki Tetsuro's face goes pale, as if he had seen a ghost.

What stops him is the sight of a beautiful girl, one that should have caught his attention, but didn't, because he was too focused on preventing others from coming in than checking on his actual class. That's right, that day, there is an odd one out, someone who came alongside another member of this class and stayed just to listen to the words of a savior.

Someone who, in fifteen years time, would have long forgotten his face.

And at the same time, someone he would never be able to forget.

He uses whatever words comes to mind to convey urgency. It comes out as violent and it's certainly not polite. Many look at him in bewilderment, wondering if what they've seen is a peek of the wolf that hides underneath sheep's clothing.

He does not care.

He pushes anyone who stands in his way until he finally manages to throw her out of the room.

He utters a thousand curses in a fit of anxiety that does not suit him well.

How could he be so careless, so forgetful?

He was told the date in advance and yet he picked it, the one day he should have forbid himself from doing so.

"No..."

Are the words that leave his mouth when he realizes that interrupting the chant will not stop the ritual and that mere door between them will make no difference.

"I am sorry..."

An all-encompassing darkness swallows the entire floor.

"... Miss Inihara..."

And they are gone.

[hero]

Interlude - Daymare Reaper

It must have felt like a solid twenty minutes, but it certainly has been no more than five. With each passing second, the King of Cats becomes more and more complete, recovering her identity piece by piece, as she struggles to stay alive within the arena that has become of the rudimentary magic circle, or what is left of it. Naturally, this comes with its own set of drawbacks. To take a step towards humanity is to paint vulnerability all over oneself. If the cat remained just a cat, then maybe the experience would have turned out to be considerably less stressful.

Conversely, the one in front of her is being stripped of her humanity at a constant rate, setting aside her curiosity, her desire for power or even the hopes of survival for the sole sake of destruction and inflicting harm. Oh, but it isn't something that comes from a grudge or, if it is, that anger has never been directed at the King Cat, anyways. Yamashita Hiro has become a monster incapable of telling apart friend from foe, slug from butterfly or a rose from a pool of blood. But her mentality is not all that has changed. Clad in a strange, clay-like armor that enhances her feline affinity, her body mass having increased several times in size and armed with the weapon of a death god, a scythe of ice and fire, not a trace of her former self remains in her eyes, which have also become cat-like, the rest of her face hidden underneath a skull-like mask. On paper, one can argue that her physical description can be compared to that of a hero, but the reality isn't as kind.

For one, a hero would never inspire fear in others.

"...!"

The shadow shows great difficulty in dodging the blade coming for its head, and barely manages to escape in one piece. The cat follows nothing but its own instinct in order to anticipate where the attack is going to come from, for its presence cannot be felt and the information relied to her by her other senses usually does not match what happens next. In other words, it's a bizarre weapon that defies the laws of nature, serving as the perfect tool to symbolize 'the fear of the unknown'. Trapped in an area that's both open yet compact, there is no better battlefield for this scythe.

In contrast, here where there is little to nothing to use as footing, the Cat only has the shattered earth under her feet to use to his advantage. With her legion of fairy-folk out of commission, it is a one on one match against the reaper, mano a mano. One again, she unsheathes her claws against Yamashita Hiro.

Except this time it's different.

It's actually the polar opposite.

For each attack she throws, there is an almost flawless, perfectly timed response. A counter that seems to turn the cat's lights off each time it connects. An immediate rebuttal that seeks to hurt her without mercy. It's an one-sided beatdown without purpose. At that, even an animal would have swallowed its pride and admitted surrender, in hopes of being spared.

Yeah, well, the thing Yamashita Hiro has become does not understand that language.

[RacingeR]

Hiyako Tsurara
Homurahara School - Schoolyard
Unknown Phase

She sees it coming before they explode. The moment she notices the shift in the spheres, even without knowing the effect they’ll have, Tsurara abandons her charge and braces herself against the explosion.

It isn’t quite enough.

“Gahh!”

Even though she was expecting it, the impact nearly throws her aside like a leaf. The attack shakes her so badly that she nearly falls to the ground, something that in this kind of battle would prove fatal. Even while using her sword to block the damage coming from the front, the explosion tears through her body.

A cloud of dust, dirt and rain shrouds Tsurara from view momentarily. Otherwise, caked with blood like she was, she would show a very sorry figure. Without a doubt, the attack has caused a lot of damage.

However, most of that damage is superficial. Her skin may be pierced in many places, and she’s bleeding, but her bones remain unbroken and her internal organs remain intact. She can’t make many attacks like these, but she can continue fighting relatively unimpeded.

“Not a bad move, Kuromusi Haruka.” The demon speaks aloud for the first time in the fight. There’s certainly grudging admiration in her voice.

A real fight isn’t like most people think. A complex fight to the death occurs in the span of scant seconds, a few minutes at most. From that point of view, fifteen minutes, the time limit for this duel amidst the rain, is practically an eternity, even for entities steeped into the supernatural.

Haruka’s task of keeping Hiyako Tsurara at bay for fifteen long minutes could be considered nearly impossible.

However, Haruka is a magus. That factor changes everything. While in reality, pound-for-pound, the half-demon might a league or two above one her, in this kind of fight the magus indeed outclasses her, as she had thought.

Magi are too tricky. What they may lack in raw power, they make up for it in sheer variety and guile. From that point of view, a magus is uniquely suited for the task of stalling a combatant that mostly employs raw power and who specializes in close combat.

Even someone as prideful and arrogant as Tsurara has to recognize this fact.

That’s why, it was such a shame.

“But… I was still one step ahead.”

That the environment allows Tsurara a move she would otherwise not be able to employ.

A single drop of rain pierces through the smoke and touches Tsurara’s skin. It is immediately frozen.

Another drop touches the frozen one, and is also instantly frozen in mid-air. A third drop touches the icy construct, and suffers the same fate.

And another. And another.

And another.

In mere instants, the world becomes ice-white.

“Flash-Freeze!”

Hiyako Tsurara’s inherited ability, named Ice Rakshasa, allows her to ‘reject’ the heat of anything she touches. That is the core origin of its freezing ability, as well as its limiting factor. That is the reason why, while she has long range options, most of her abilities are employed in mid and close ranged combat.

But the copious rain tonight allows her to bypass the limitation and use an ‘attack’ she wouldn’t be able to otherwise. Of course, it is still an attack that generates from her position and expands outwards, thus something that even Haruka would be able to react to and defend herself from it.

That was why Tsurara had to close the distance. The only way to employ this move and succeed, to not allow her opponent to guard against this improvised trump card, was to use it the distance was so short she wouldn’t be able to react. That was the real purpose behind her charge.

The explosion did push her slightly away, but the distance had decreased greatly nonetheless. Furthermore, although Haruka’s move was perfect given the scarcity of time and information the magus had available, it had contributed two factors that greatly helped the hybrid’s little scheme.

First, having used her spheres to attack, that left Haruka defenseless at least for this moment, with no other resource to employ to resist the attack. Of course, this had been the main intention that Tsurara had when she had employed herself as a bait, and she had succeeded, although at a high price. Except for an assassination attempt she suffered four years ago when she was still fifteen, this was the most anyone had ever damaged the Kuroitsume’s heir so far.

The second and most important factor was the cloud of dust that had been caused by the explosions, which helped to completely cover what Tsurara was doing. The sheer visual interference would help to delay Haruka’s reaction for a brief but vital moment.

In less than a second, the construct of ice expanded and like the claws of a Rakshasa, closed around the woman in an instant.

It wouldn’t freeze someone like Haruka to death, as that wasn’t Tsurara’s intention, but would put the magus into a stasis of sort if it succeeded. Well, it was hard to say if anything that Haruka had on herself would survive the experience, but she would fulfill her promise of not killing her.

The moment her attack was done, the demon moved silently within the cloud of dust, using the gigantic amount of visual interference in the battlefield to disappear from view, as she moved not forwards but laterally, circling around both to see the result of her attack and to disappear from her opponent’s perception for a moment.

This was check.

Now she had to see if it was mate.

[Tobias]

Yamashita Hiro
???? - Sacrificial Chamber
Unknown Phase

It was hard to see anymore. Burned water and the churned, wet earth turned the surrounding area into a slurry of steam, hail, and half roasted clay. Every time lances made from ice burned sight became weaker and scent became stronger.

Normally Hiro would have been able to see through the obstructions. Or rather, the jungle god would have. While neither possessed the most traditional skill to see past lies, instincts, their predatory hunting ability epitomized by the hunting spirit's great golden eyes would have been more then sufficient.

But maybe even for a hero, for whom the requirement for the title was the ability to do that impossible, it was hard to hunt that which never existed in the first place.

...No...that wasn't it. Hiro...or what was left of Hiro, knew the truth, as her nose clogged with the smell of her own cooking flesh as well as that as the lostbelt master's body, steaming and cooking from hot steam crackling around her.

The problem was her Noble Phantasm.

The Noble phantasm of the Servant Hiro was connected with. It was too powerful for the young mage. She had never been able to fully manifest it. Its flames were the basis of the term, fire demon.

That burning hungry flame that consumed all. The flame's she had called to burn away her future were trying to manifest the heroic legend. In its own way, the ritual fires had been an even more powerful and definite invocation then the standard method of calling the true name and filling the Treasure with magical energy.

But...the problem with fire is that it was never satisfied. Well fed and powerful, despite the feline spirit's relaxed nature, it had no desire to curl up and snooze after a large meal. Instead, fortified by the fires of Hiro Yamashita's future, it now stretched out like a single, giant burning claw to her present, seeking not just the potential but the very life of the young magus.

There were just two people to burn in this world. A young magus fighting for her life, having sacrificed her future for the now, and an older shade fighting for vengeance after having her past, present, and future burned before she could even come to be.

Hiro dived to the side of a colossal pillar made of ice then ducked her head under a snap kick aimed to dislocate her jaw. Her opponent had stopped talking. minor miracles. She was so utterly fixated on the fight. There was no time for words, only action for the young magus as well. She chopped a hand at the passing leg downward at the knee, seeking to dislocate or sever, but had to abort the attack when another spear manifested behind her in her blind spot.

She felt it only due to the fire, turning and seizing the piercing weapon along the shaft. She might have turned and wielded it herself considering her own facility with lances except the entire instrument of death immediately melted to uselessness on contact with her.

She instead turned and opened her palm, calling flame from the air which was blocked by a roughly crescent shaped wall of ice which manifested in front of her older self, which then shattered into small shrapnel shards of ice which hissed spitefully as they flung themselves at her upper body.

They burned. Digging in her left heel, Hiro ducked under a second, larger scythe of ice that was probably designed to be two thick to burn before cutting into her then struck out a straight claw towards her opponent's groin. The larger, dark haired woman responded by raising one of her legs and attempting to stomp down on the attacking arm. Hiro ducked to the side and was able to open a painful but not disabling cut on her opponent's calf.

She might have considered licking away the blood but at first contact with her burning body the red liquid hissed and bubbled into unappetizing rust.

Two warriors. The only ones left, fighting over a dead and burning world. the other jungle warriors, the shades of the demon? Burned. The temple itself? A wreck of smoke and ash. The far side cat? It was...

It was...

...It...was...?

https://youtu.be/3rFCv1t9jz0?t=11

Hiro shook her head, disoriented, and took a bruising impact from a fist covered in ice to her floating rib cage as payment for the moment of distraction. The fires had almost burned away not just her future but her motivations. She had returned to this nightmare for a reason And that reason had not been to fight the shade of that which couldn't be. It was...there!

The small creature, frightened but fiesty had climbed up a half burnt and smoldering tree, and crouched, filthy, muddy, and ugly, its sleek ears pinned to its head as it hissed at the encroaching flames.

...And while they didn't stop, impossible, their path slowed. Flames could not possibly be commanded. Fire was an existence that thought nothing but of itself. It tolerated no rule and broke through bindings, seeking only that which it desired and caring not for anything else.

...But it was exactly that which the cat's Authority had dominion over! King of the kingless and master of that which accepted no master. Authority over that which tolerated no ownership and brooked no reign. Even the fires of the jungle God of death were to a certain extent subject to the king's reign.

Perhaps that was the source of the eternal rivalry. The King never bowed to the God. The God never bent the knee to the King. And yet both were to a certain extent subjects nonetheless. That was why even in this burned world, the fires had not yet burned away the monarch, though it was the warrior heart of the king that they craved the most. The ancient rivalry spun and danced its way long across the Age of Gods, and then into the Age of Man, and even now, in this separate world of dreams, continued unabated.

Simply observing a single clash of the unbroken and unbreakable set of diametrically opposed ideals was such that even Hiro in the midst of fighting for her life couldn't help but admire.

But admiration was swiftly overtaken by fear. Because even with the power of unarguably the most willful and stubborn being in all existence, the King's Authority alone could not save it.

Perhaps it was strange that Hiro cared. But maybe that was the difference between a dog's master and a cat's friend. A good and kind master of a dog accepted the loyal companion's fealty as pack leader. But one who owned a feline understood that they were also owned by that creature.

Even so...

Hiro chopped her hand down, shattering a sword made from ice and vaulted over a snap kick, breaking away from the fight, running headlong towards the Far Side Cat.

In a nightmare, any choice you made was the wrong one. Choosing to abandon the fight and save her cat from the flames was a choice that could only end in death for both her and it.

Even so...



Hiro heard it before she felt it. The thunk sound, the ear jarring scritch of ice over bone as the ice lance exposed herself to her vision on her left hand side having made the journey through her shoulder, lodging itself with about a solid foot of ice extended and exposed blade dancing at the edge of her vision. The unbalanced weight and force of impact nearly sent her legs out from under her. It was hard running with it bouncing around, because a few feet of shaft were behind her and offsetting her running motion, but she couldn't stop for the micro-second it would take to manifest the heat that would melt it away. She would never make it in time. Even if she did, they would die together, burned or riddled with ice born holes.

Even so....

That's still my damn cat!

Her body burned leaping through the fire, and needless to say a proud and angry cat is not the most appreciative of being grabbed by one's outstretched arm, at it immediately whirled and buried its teeth as well as every claw on all four limbs of its tiny body as she snatched it off the tree limb.

Accepting this pain for someone else. Saving at the cost of one's own body. Hiro had never felt so heroic, as she held the small girl by the scruff of her neck, her claws and teeth struggling futily to find purchase on her well armored arm.

Staring into those dark, shining eyes...she knew for the first time those eyes had taken notice of her as well

...Wait, as she what?

No, she was saving the far side cat! Even now, she could feel more spears of ice bury themselves into her back as she gallantly turned away from the attacks, letting them impact her lungs and shred her spine by shielding the small creature with her own life.

Just as she could feel the girl scratching and biting at her arm, holding her aloft as she redied her scythe to lop off its head. The dark skinned girl was not fighting for her life. Not really.

The king didn’t care for its own life. The King’s rule was eternal.

No...with thin knives, with naked claws, with jagged teeth, the much smaller creature with cold fury tore with everything she had at the goliath of clay and bone, ice and fire. Hiro knew instinctively that her foe was fighting with everything she possibly had not out of self preservation...but because the demi-servant, the beast hidden within, was the one creature she absolutely could not admit defeat to.

Hiro stood in two worlds. She had no way to tell them apart. They were both burned and hopeless. One dead, one dying. The only real difference was she herself. Was she the hero, or the villain? Who was she, deep within. She, whom always said that her name itself signified the truth of her existence. written 浩. the Kanji meant "prosperity" an auspicious name for the magus who held a Heroic Spirit, a priceless existence within herself.

But the pronunciation was hero.

Therefore, the truth of the two worlds was obvious. The thing about heroes?

...They weren't fooled by comforting illusions.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRR-----AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" hiro shouted, physically turning her mind's eye and spirit in alignment with the ugly and ungainly avatar of death. Becoming hero meant acknowledging yourself. And this anger, this hatred, and existence that enjoyed causing hurt to others? that too was herself. The grip she had on the Far Side Cat in the fantasy she had created to hide this truth from her own consciousness, she tightened, wrenching the spirit forward and slamming it bodily into the shadow clad girl writhing in her hands with an open handed blow to her bare stomach.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je6Uox4iTwc&feature=youtu.be

"I hope....this is the last time you and I hurt each other, but to be honest, I doubt that it will be. Even so...now is the time our fates intertwine...the ancient rivalry renews this day."

-Let silver and steel be the essence."

Hiro knew somehow where the words were coming from. They were the nightmare. The fantasy her mind had created to reject the world where she was the villain. The essence of delusion where it was better to scream and die pitifully then it was to betray your own ideals. That dream, that bounded field was no crackling through her body, forging a new path over her own feelings and dreams.

"Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation."

In other words...this incantation was a spell she cast with herself as both the aria and the fuel.


"Let ignorance be the sin I pay tribute to.
Let the flames that were never ours be revered.
Let the nine lost virtues reunite with the tenth.
Let it be filled. Again, Again, Again, and again."


The skull faced Assassin had been right. She had been foolish to equate this with what had come before. This wasn’t a ritual of proud magus. It was a cast of clowns willing to thrash pathetically and die like dogs, abandoning everything for nothing in return. The catalyst? One's own ideals sacrificed on the altar of power.

"---I announce.

I am the one who shall bring your body into existence and you are the one whose sword shall seal my doom.

In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, I order you to cast aside the darkness binding you and answer-!

Here is our oath.

We are the ones who will toss away our lives for salvation.

We are the ones who will claim our lives from damnation."

With this binding, you will be my Servant, but even I know that the only master a cat accepts is herself. Hiro thought.

"For two reckless warriors, this is our last regret.

DEVOUR MY FUTURE AND MANIFEST, Assassin of the Distant Kingdom!"

[Bloble]

Yamashita Hiro
Shinto - ​Fuyuki's Central Park
Night Phase

The cries of a young woman echo through the woods...

...and are swallowed up by the mist.

The mist chokes the life from all who enter. Those who survive are set upon by the mist's Servant, a shadowy being bound to the corrupted land.

Tonight, that shadow has been pushed back. It has been forced to retreat, by that desperate girl who allows flames to consume her own body just to push back the darkness one more step.

Why does she fight?

Why does she set herself alight?

What is she reaching for?

The Shadow Servant cannot wonder. It is not able to. Those shadows are the terms of its summoning contract, the chains that bind it to the mist and the park. The girl had tried to replace those chains, to become the Servant's Master in place of the mist, but... the Servant had rejected her approach without consideration. Even though being her Servant would be preferable to its current state.

Simply put, it will accept no Master. Not even a benevolent one. Better to be forcibly enslaved than to willingly bow its head. Better to be killed or eaten than to be content in servitude. Such is the shadow's pride, that it survived even when all other aspects of its personality had been twisted beyond recognition, and was awakened by the girl's words. Yes, it cannot accept being ruled over, even by a benevolent tyrant.

It would not accept Yamashita Hiro as a Master. Nor would it accept her as a savior, or as prey, or even as a rival. It would not accept a single one of the girl's approaches. Even now, that Servant will not allow the girl to approach, nor will it accept a loss against the fire demon.

...so what has changed? It's different. As Yamashita Hiro, pronounced Hero, chants an aria... this time, the one who approaches is none other than the Servant herself.

The shadow in Hiro's grip vanishes into spiritual form. She disappears from the physical plane of existence. She abandons her form completely, becoming a mass of magical energy surrounding a core that flies up into the sky.

Then, the circles light up.

The mist and the clouds above are blown away. No, they are incinerated by fire formed of a hero's soul.

Magical energy swirls, drawing from the earth and from Hiro herself. The flames, too, are sucked in, searing the shadow's essence.

Like this, it appears as if the blue glowing moon has been set aflame.

But what is really being burned... is the shadow that had clung to the Servant and tainted her thoughts.

In an instant, her astral form fuses together once more, appearing as a mass of flame that crashes into the ground in front of Hiro, raising dust and ashes.

Within those ashes...

A figure rises slowly. It opens a set of piercing yellow eyes that look upon the half-dead girl as if for the first time.

She wordlessly strides through the fading mist, past the falling embers and stray particles hanging in the dense air.

"..."

Moments before Yamashita Hiro's strength runs out and she collapses... a hand shoots out and grabs her by the throat, holding her up.

It would be pitifully easy to snap that neck right now. The balance of Hiro's life rests on a knife's edge. It wouldn't take much to push it over.

But instead...

"Servant Assassin has answered your summons."

Perching on a piece of debris, a severed tree trunk embedded in the ground, a catlike grin and a pair of bright yellow eyes stare down Yamashita Hiro. Her facial features are human, yet not. As before, the Servant is nearly invisible in the darkness... but the darkness no longer clings to her. Instead, she wears the black of night as a royal cloak. Her grip around Hiro is gentle, like she's holding something delicate that she does not want to accidentally break.

"Amusing. You'd make a terrible Master. But you're more interesting than that mist. These rotten flames aren't to thank for waking me up; t'was the pleasant scent of your burning soul."

Assassin's voice is smooth and deep and calm, despite having been the source of much yowling and hissing earlier. There is a strange lilting accent to it that can't be recognized. As if the person who speaks it is from nowhere on the surface of the earth.

She shows no gratitude, nor no hatred, despite remembering enough of the pitched battle of before to declare Hiro 'interesting'. Assassin regards the whole thing as if it were a pleasant dream, or an amusing diversion. The anger, the blood, the pain, all of it falls away into the endless past.

Even the memory of a rival is discarded; that rival now sleeps. Before her is only a nearly-dead human who now bears three marks upon the back of one of her hands.

"I ask of you, Pile-of-Ash..."

Assassin leans in, breathes next to Yamashita Hiro's ear, runs her claw-like fingertips down one shattered arm...

"Art thou my subject?"

[hero]

Interlude - Somewhere to Draw Strength From

It is so incredibly cold.

Even with her circuits blazing like a burning pyre, Kuromusi Haruka can no longer feel her legs, let alone command them to move in a proper manner. The weather conditions she has chosen to expose her with, in addition to Hiyako Tsurara's particular affinity towards low temperatures, have drastically dropped the requirements needed for her to reach complete exhaustion. That is it, the nostalgic feeling of being powerless, of facing impossible odds that cannot be overcome. She, who serves as an amulet of bad luck, hates it with passion. How many times has she wished to be someone else or something else, something with at least enough strength to defend what is hers? Countless times.

"Haaah-!"

She has to draw courage from somewhere, so she uses those negative emotions as fuel to make her body move. Unable to see what lies ahead, she reacts instinctively to danger and does not hesitate to bring up the last clay sphere -One which has been kept hidden behind the girl- to shield herself from harm. There is only a small window of time in which she is able to react, so that is pretty much all she can muster before being completely encased in ice. In the end, her efforts make little difference, for the construct is frozen alongside her. Thus, the battle is over in an instant. Though she should be grateful that her opponent did not inflict further harm on her, she despises this sort of ending as well. Why does she always get to live while the others are stripped of their lives...? If there is someone who deserves punishment, if there is someone who deserves death...

... It should be her.

'I am sorry... Fukuda-kun, Sakaki-sensei... Everyone. Once again, I wasn't able to meet the expectations you had of me.'

She laments herself, her consciousness floating amidst an endless, pitch-black abyss. Here, in this infinite psychological torture chamber, she can hear the voice of the past, of the present and of the would-be future. Happy memories are rare to come across the littered memories scattered around the place. Her life has not been exactly devoid of problems and sadness and rejection gather in abundance. But that is fine. If this is divine punishment, then she won't run from it any longer. She is here to accept all the evil she has inflicted, until the world is satisfied. She'll stand headstrong in the face of humanity's greatest foe and accept judgment.

"... Ah."

Something gently taps her back. When that happens, a ripple is created within the empty space. It's a strange sensation, one not exactly unpleasant, yet strange and hard to describe. There is nothing there with her, so whatever pushed her must have come from somewhere else.

Again, it happens. It brings back with it the pain and the cold, but takes them both away just as fast before letting go. What is it...? Even though it's something that makes her uncomfortable, she is curious. She wants it to repeat itself once more.

"Prez... Have you found it yet...?"

A voice speaks, but it does not belong to her.

"Fukuda-kun...?"

Standing there, like the old times, he just shoots back a smile. A smile that tells her that she is mistaken: It's not just him, a whole classroom has assembled in an attempt to cheer up their Class Rep. Of course, some have done so reluctantly, but in the end its their presence that matters. Even though most of them are gone, here their images can manifest.

"No-uh. Guess I'll just keep searching." Strangely enough, she returns the smile. "And you know just how stubborn your Class Rep can be. So just sit tight! I'll be right there with you once I am done."

Yeah.

She cannot give up now. And simply choosing the easy way out is something she no longer can afford. As long as she can breathe, as long as she can still do something, Kuromusi Haruka has not lost. Because... Because... It's just not her will that drives her forward, but those she has inherited from others as well, some willingly, others thrusted upon her. That gentle tap she felt on her back... That is what it was. One of them... Giving her the little push she needed to stand back up again.

Kuromusi Haruka's Awakening! Blood Heat!
All applications unlocked! Arc Drive Finish Available!
Every action has an increased chance of success!

It happens in an instant.

By the time she acknowledges her consciousness has returned, her body has already started its movements. There is no longer ice around it. Ice can be melted easily enough with the right chemical reaction. Some components can melt ice in a matter of seconds, some can do it faster, some don't even care if the ice is even magical or not. Kuromusi Haruka may not have the experience needed to face a veteran fighter, but she certainly has the intelligence and the knowledge to earn a possibility at bridging that gap.

"Ahhh-!"

It's impossible to conceal her presence, the pain of having been frozen solid is too much for the body of a human to handle without at least letting a battle-cry loose. In the middle of this chaotic battlefield, it should have been impossible for her to find her opponent in so little time, especially when the latter is actively trying to hide. And yet, there is no hesitation in her movements. And that's because she can feel exactly where Hiyako Tsurara is, because of her lineage. The presence of a Demon Hybrid can be felt, the presence of one that stands close to the border that separates a human from a complete monster is even easier to perceive. But make no mistake, that sort of aura cannot be properly tracked by the senses of a normal human or even a Magus.

The reason she can do it with no chance of error has to do with a particular affinity she has towards that group, or rather an affinity she has borrowed from a higher power. Yes, the very same energy that fuels Akasha's Well by taking that energy from somewhere else. Due to its nature, it targets Hybrids first, then Magi, Psychics and other types of enhanced humans, and finally normal people. That's how she can tell...! Her own blood which flows to her veins has become a compass that guides her towards her target...!

"Why...?!" She comes out of nowhere, Azoth Sword in hand. "Why are you so set on doing this...?!"

She shouldn't speak, she shouldn't even allow her emotions to get the better of her in the middle of a death-match, but she cannot help it. Hiyako Tsurara has no right to brandish her sword against Kuromusi Haruka and the future she envisions. She should have no reason to. And because she can not comprehend this fact, this desire to let history be as it is and force tragedy into this world, that she must question her opponent.

The Magus weapon glows: It will liberate a large amount of energy during the next exchange it participates in. Enough of it to blast a hole through Hiyako Tsurara's chest if left as is. The girl's movement's are slow, but she has managed to turn the tables and turn the adverse conditions into her ally. Now the swordsman must be decisive in her response, for a single moment of hesitation will cost her life.

"I'll change the future no matter what."

Just a few more minutes, that is all she needs...

If she can stop them that much...

"I won't let you, or anyone stop me...!"

[Tobias]

Yamashita Hiro
Shinto - ​Fuyuki's Central Park
Night Phase

“Nnnnnnghhh....”

The strangled gasp was perhaps not what the monarch was looking for. It couldn’t be helped. Hiro’s body was struggling mightily due to battle exhaustion and deprivation of magical energy. She had been a good three quarters of the way into unconsciousness when a certain ruler had commanded her attention.

You will want to get used to that.

...What?

Her rambling. She spends all her time staring till you want to just scream at her to say something, anything. Then when she starts talking she never shuts up.

Hiro doubted that was an objective description. The jungle spirit had an at best tangential relationship with honesty, and that was before the ancient enemy stood in her true majesty before the Demi-Servant. It was hard controlling the fire demon. The magical energy in the Wrap was spent. To be perfectly blunt, Hiro’s life rested on the mercy of more then one individual.

One hand around her throat. One hand around her heart. Without the Wrap, the jungle demon, much like her nemesis, had only to put power in her hand and that would be that.

But...sleep beckoned. The mental order to slumber had no force behind it, no strength of magic, or indomitable willpower. No more binding then perhaps; the back door that opens and invites the victorious cat, fresh from a successful hunt to come and take advantage of a well worn and delightfully warm bed to snooze.

A cat might choose to enter.

It might slink away.

Even if it did choose to return to the nest, it would only do so after a delay accompanied with a haughty glare, so that its owner might understand who truly held the power in that relationship.

Hiro might have breathed a sigh of relief when the ancient death god retreated to the depths of her mind...had she the ability to push air through her lungs, constricted by black claws.

Yes. To own a cat is to also be owned by them.

This was what cat owners understood that dog owners did not. Dogs respected mankind. Looked up to them. But cats were different. They left dead mice out on the doorstep of those they acknowledged. Why? Because that was the behavior a cat displayed towards idiots.

In other words, when adult cats saw their young had not learned the ways of the hunt, were to stupid to catch their own game, they killed or maimed small creatures and left them where the foolish child could find them and practice the skills the child was to inept to learn.

Cats adopted schedules and demanded food and attention at specific times, forcing their owners awake with a cold nose and a yowl of annoyance, because foolish man and idiotic woman could not be trusted to plan the day.

“M-man...woman...” Hiro squeezed out, her voice half choked away. It was hard to speak, and even harder to try to suckle a trickle of air back into her lungs so that she could continue. But while she didn’t know everything about the King, she was fairly sure the beast would see through anything but the most honest of answers. Which would lead to unpleasantness.

Cats didn’t kill things quickly. They played with their pray.

”Mage...Demi-Servant...remnant of ch-ch-Chaldea...Legendary soul...normal human...” Hiro gasped out a long but incomplete list.

”Am...a lot of things...have many titles..but one of those things is...undeniably...your subject, your majesty...would...happily bow but...you aren’t...letting me...”

Hiro finished, slowly turning blue as she pointed at the arm that continued to hold her a few inches in the air.

[Bloble]

Assassin
Shinto - ​Fuyuki's Central Park
Night Phase

The grip around her neck shifts. Assassin does not acknowledge Yamashita Hiro's words, but she does acknowledge the shortness of breath and difficulty drawing in air. The girl is now held by the scruff of her neck, sharp claws not quite digging in deep enough to draw blood. She is allowed to breathe, but not move, nor to bow as requested.

Assassin draws back and...

Licks Hiro's bloodied cheek with a rough tongue.

"This taste..." the Servant contemplates, piercing eyes never shifting from their target, without blinking nor shaking. "Not the taste of a liar, then."

Yamashita Hiro is released. Assassin shifts two or three paces to the right, depositing the barely-conscious magus against one of the few trees old and strong enough to have survived the battle, letting the girl slide gently down onto grass should her legs inevitably fail. Assassin then steps back, nose upturned, sniffing at the air as she continues to stare at Hiro.

"Bow if you want," Assassin commands, caring little for the magus' various titles. "But first, subject, thy name. Collapse after you've yowled your last for the night, as is ye humans' wont. And after your companions have settled their debt of impudence."

Assassin smells the air. Her whiskers twitch. Her eyes catch the moon's reflection and her sharp senses reach between the trees of the mist-less park as she waits, still and calm, for the situation to change.

Those two will either approach and prove themselves worthy of her subject's favour, or they shall depart from the park and abandon all claims to the ashen magus. Assassin will be satisfied with either conclusion. But first, she shall grant audience to the girl who burned.

[Tobias]

Yamashita Hiro
Shinto - ​Fuyuki's Central Park
Night Phase

Hiro couldn't help going into a brief coughing fit upon release. She couldn't help it, even though she would have preferred not to show any weakness. Not like it mattered. Assassin's understood the weakness of man on an instinctual level. And sure enough, assassin proved she knew that the young mage was hanging onto consciousness with nothing but willpower and sheer cussedness.

"Assassin, I am called Yamashita Hiro. I sought you so that I might see through the this battle. There are..."

Once again the small girl went into a gasping coughing fit. Somewhere in the back of her mind, even she knew what she demanded of herself was absurd.

For God's sake...I am still wearing a training bra... A small, treacherous part of her mind rebelled. It was true. The lostbelt, assuming there had been any truth to its existence, hadn't just been taller, it demonstrated growth in "other" areas as well. But Hiro was barely into puberty. It hadnt been that long that she had to have explained to her the point and use of a tampon. Still, just because she knew it wasn't right, didn't mean she could just quit. That's what it meant to be a mage. And hallucination or not, she had burned away her own future. which meant she had to stride along this path she found herself walking. There was literally no other choice now.

She resolved to steel herself, show her pride to the dark cat...when her right leg buckled, unable to carry her weight. Her mind tried to rally, throwing up images of Luna, and the agent of the church, and Karen, who might be in danger and need a hero. But sometimes the spirit cannot overcome the flesh.

Hiro felt the impact of the ground be slightly eased by the cool mud of the night air. Somehow instead of being a mildly painful fall, it felt soothing, restful. It felt.....

...

.......

..............................

[hero]

Aya Alayana
Shinto - Verde
Night Phase
MP: 250


Spreading fire across a space that does not belong to you might be seen as a serious offense, not just by the local police force but by the Mage's Association as well. For the Second Owner to surrender the town she's supposed to look after to the flames under her control, and not just once but twice in the span of twenty-four hours... One would be lucky to escape from that crime with no more than a Sealing Designation. Fortunately, there is no place for retribution in hell, as those rules have already been turned to ash. With the sky in tatters and the promise of a foretold end, the consequences of your actions become irrelevant and the difference between a saint and a sinner becomes a blur.

Besides, your reasoning is justified. It would be bad for tourism if an alien force decided to stay inside one of Fuyuki's biggest hotspots for too long, so you've come to enforce their right to a violent eviction, effective immediately. See? All accounted for. Just another ordinary day in the life of an actual landlady like yourself. If someone doesn't like your choices, they can voice their discontent. Their mouths will be sewn shut when they see the results. That is, if they live past this so called Apocalypse.

Crash!

The loud noise of a forced entry is all the warning that the inhabitants of the Shopping Mall ever get. The room temperature skyrockets despite the sheer size of the Shopping Mall and, before anyone can comprehend what is happening, the fiery curse has already scattered all throughout the hallway, encouraged by an additional dose of your Magical Energy. A blazing inferno in appearance, its wild flames dance like an untamed sea, conquering inanimate objects and living organisms without prejudice. Screeches of pain ring in unison as you choose to recklessly venture straight into the beasts' lair.

Make no mistake.

It might be true that, in a real confrontation, you would struggle to deal with most of these creatures on your own. But, regardless, they will all be eventually devoured by your flames. There is absolutely no need to wait for their bodies to hit the ground, you'll blast through them at full speed and inflict a lethal malediction upon them...!

"...!"

Even so, the ordeal proves to be even tougher that imagined. Arms, claws and even entire body break through your shield in attempt to grab a hold of you. These things are not human anymore, hence, their frenzy is not something that can be stopped neither pain nor the promise of an eternal sleep. Yes, as your bike takes you through the expansive hallways of the biggest mall in the city, you slowly become more and more aware of the number of presences that choose to relentlessly chase after you. You inadvertently clench your teeth. This game of tag will not last for long, the moment you step away from the gas, you'll be easy prey.

Moreover, the further you advance, the harder it becomes to breath. At this rate, you may even need to fight to keep yourself awake in the near future...

"...!"

Sensing danger, you instinctively look above. There, seemingly suspended in mid air, is an enormous ape like creature, it's fighting stance flawless, yet the distance between the two of you far too wide for it to be crossed in an instant. Given your current speed, you'll be gone by the time its giant fist collides against the ground.

... Yes, that would have been the case if that thing were an actual ape.

"...!"

Your vision flashes red as the creature does the impossible, closing the gap in the blink of an eye in an absurd way. Ah, as time is brought to a halt, you catch a glimpse of them. Those eldritch appendages on the back of its legs... It's using them as energy thrusters? That thing evolved to the point where it can channel and expel energy naturally to enhance its movement...?! That is, Prana Burst!

Crap.

You try to lift one hand in response, in order to guide your flames towards the new target, but you are surprised to find that it moves no more than a centimeter. Your body is not paralyzed... It's just that the difference in speed between the two of you right now is so immense that you simply won't make it in time.

---At that moment.

A loud detonation is heard in the distance, and a projectile traveling at an even more ridiculous speed breaks through the wall, the glass and impacts directly into the chest of the monster, throwing it off balance and sending it straight into a nearby shop. There is no way one could have a clear line of view to make that shot, even from an adjacent building... Only few modern snipers can perform such feat, and none of them become to the mundane side of the world. But if anything takes the prize in being outstanding, it has to be the tough skin of the monster which managed to resist that shot.

You see, that was an anti-tank round, something that would leave a giant hole on any humanoid being without fail. Fired at insane speeds, its penetration power is out of the charts. And yet...

Well, let's look at the bright side... It looks like someone has your back.

"..."

But all things in balance. This is a suicide mission, after all.

As if to enforce this fact into reality, the world decides to shut down your vehicle. It's not due to the sustained damage nor the temperature within the mall. Rather, it looks like its battery has stopped working. This bike will take you no further.

Which is bad, because not even with sniper support you'll be able to take on all of these guys. Winning would simply be out of the realm of possibility. You take a deep breath and prepare a plan on the go.

You'll need it if you want to survive.

[Bloble]

Assassin
Shinto - ​Fuyuki's Central Park
Night Phase

"...such a frail human."

This girl is a fool. Even a blind kitten knows how to land on their feet, but she has chosen to fall asleep whilst falling onto her back. And in such a place, too, where she very nearly died. Now she lies, unconscious, at the mercy of an Assassin who could very easily reach down and tear off the hand holding those wretched Command Seals.

Assassin reaches down, closes her hand around the fallen human's wrist, and...

Feels for a pulse.

Ten seconds pass. Twenty. Thirty. A healthy heartbeat. No danger of bleeding out. Hiro's breathing is laboured, but she does still breathe. Assassin adjusts the fallen human, tilting her neck back and allowing her throat to expel the ash she'd inhaled by accident.

"Yamashita Hiro," Assassin murmurs to herself. "Stay tenacious. It would be rude for someone like you to die after just introducing yourself."

In a flash of leaves and fur, Assassin lands softly on the branch above where Hiro now rests. Only she lands on four feet, not two, and she is much, much smaller.

The cat, identical to the one from Hiro's dream, pitch black save for a shock of white on its chest, curls up atop the branch and fades into the darkness, concealing its presence from the surroundings. It waits. For a decision to be made, either by itself or by the others. In a few moments the sleeping Yamashita Hiro is the only one in the ashen, burnt clearing.

But, if one is observant... they might feel as if they are being watched, by a pair of pale yellow eyes that do not close for an instant.

[RacingeR]

Hiyako Tsurara
Shinto- Streets
Unknown Phase

The moment she detects the outpouring of power coming from Kuromusi Haruka, she understands that her plan had failed. She had checkmated the king, only for it to decide to tear the chessboard asunder and execute an attack beyond the rules.

Yes.

She understands the incoming attack and predicts it. Perhaps understanding that Haruka is being moved by something beyond just her, Tsurara turns to face her, and their eyes meet for the briefest of moments.

Both of their eyes are resolved. Both of them are willing to give up their life in this battle, believing that the other is not allowed to win.

That’s how Tsurara understands that his attack is not something she can deal with as the ‘Hiyako Tsurara’ that she is right now.

So, she lets go of her restraints. Summoning forth everything she has, calling out all the power at her disposal.

It takes less than a fraction of a second. In the instant Haruka starts her final charge, Tsurara’s irises seemingly widen behind her mask, the teal bleeding over the white and taking over, until all that is left is a monstrous, almost eldritch world of azure peering at the woman.

“You who would wish for the end of the world!” The voice that comes out has no traces of anything human left, it is more like a guttural roar, the howl of a demon. “I will not allow the doomed future you wish for to pass!”

One after the other, Tsurara’s veins started popping, clearly visible under her skin as her muscles bulged and swelled, the fabric of the dress straining over her frame. Soon enough, every single vein of her body is plainly visible as they bulge against her skin, that seems to turn into a hue between blue and white.

There is nothing beautiful about this transformation. The monstrous masked figure that greatly resembles an Oni is utterly ugly in appearance, but beautiful in strength. The ground beneath her cracked apart. The air seemingly froze as azure flames poured out of her figure, before an aura of vast power flowed from within Tsurara, shatter apart all the ice in her surroundings.

But. For Haruka, although this form is truly overwhelming and surprising…

By force, it must not be the first time she sees it. Yes, she has definitely seen this at least once before, in another time and another world.

“Hey Prez. These last few years of my life in Fuyuki, in our classroom, and your club… those were the fullest years of my life. I understand now.”

“Although it may not have seemed so, being in your club, and being with you, and all of my classmates and clubmates, that little group that hated each other and themselves so much… was even more than entertaining. It was really the most fun I’ve ever had!”

“There are some people who have to live no matter what, and some people who must live for the sake of what they carry upon their shoulders. And then there are those people with no right to live. I’m sure you must understand now, that I belong to the latter category. That’s why, there’s no need to look at me like that. Doing the right thing for once feels good.”

“See ya, Prez. I… truly had fun!”

An overwhelming transformation, a secret technique passed down an ancient bloodline, later split into various branches. A state that allows those born lesser to briefly transcend the boundary and step ‘beyond’.

“KNOW DESPAIR!”

The name of this ability was-

The flames pouring out of Tsurara suddenly rose up, covering her whole body. At the same time, an overwhelming killing intent rose up, aimed straight at Haruka, the predatorial power of a Half-Demon concentrated straight at her. An intense azure shine came from the flames as they intensified further and further, and finally resulted into a blinding explosion of teal light that overwhelmed it all.

But-

The attack towards Haruka never came.

Instead, after the explosion of light, there was only eerie silence, followed only by the sound of a window being broken.

Yes. Defeating Kuromusi Haruka had only been a secondary objective for Tsurara. She knew very well what the magus was doing, stalling for time so the ritual would finish before any interruption. That’s why… she had no reason to engage Haruka.

That was because while she was fighting against the ice that had trapped her, Tsurara had circled around the battlefield. If she had just been standing in place while waiting to ascertain her opponent’s defeat, this maneuver would have been impossible.

She had used her trump card, but she had only used it as a bait. What she had said had expressed a willingness to fight Haruka to the end, and she had acted in such a flashy manner and ever unleashed her killing intent to act as if she was about to attack… and then had used the flames of her ‘form’ to disguise her retreat.

The absolute difference in speed between Haruka and herself had done the rest. All she’d had to do was pick the shortest possible route to infiltrate the school and crash through a window, making sure she didn’t get cut up in the process. Wouldn’t do to bleed out like a fool.

Against her enemy’s rule-breaking attack, she had simply stood up and walked away from the chessboard. Forfeiting the battle to win the war. Although her blood was boiling, and although she had desired to defeat Haruka in a straight fight, she had a different duty to uphold.

Hence, Haruka’s all-out attack could hit nothing but air, all her efforts spent in vain. The rain and the cold would probably take her down without needing Tsurara to do anything but to fetch her afterwards.

The magus might have been carrying an unknown weight upon herself, but right now, Tsurara was carrying the weight of the whole world upon her shoulders. That was what she thought as she punched through the nearest fire alarm, activating it, and then ran through the hallways in the clubroom’s direction, following the old man’s instructions.

Still in her transformed state, her augmented speed made her practically invisible as she ran, breaking the floor beneath her feet with every step. She had no idea of what to do, so all she could do was create as much of a disturbance as possible and run towards the ritual to try and disrupt it. If there were those supernaturally aware in there, they would already feel her presence nearing.

Gods, this was going to be an absolute mess. And she didn't know how long her 'form' or her sanity would hold.

[hero]

Interlude - Onigokko: Deja Vu

Spring, 2004.

The members of Homurahara's Horror and Occult Club prepare for a one of a kind evening meeting. For a group that was formed fairly recently, they have done an outstanding job at setting the scene to match the club's theme, to the point that even I, a man of science, cannot hide my surprise. Though it is clear as day that they are not a tightly knit group, they have worked in unison towards a common goal and that is something that would make any teacher proud, regardless of the subject at hand. Now, if only some of them would be as diligent during my Chemistry hours...

My name is Sakaki Tetsuro.

I am the teacher that has agreed to look after them since this little experiment of theirs takes place after class. Naturally, occultism and I do not see eye to eye, but it's not like I cannot enjoy a gathering like this one. Even if you know that magic isn't real, you can enjoy a stage magician's show. This is exactly the same and, to be honest, it's in part what I've been looking for. Perhaps I'll be able to find some amusement in my otherwise dull life by hearing my students share a couple of made-up urban legends and horror stories.

"Found it!"

The cheerful response of the club president -and also class representative- Kuromusi Haruka brings me back to my senses. Regretfully, I have been spacing out, my attention constantly drifting towards the window glass, like a metallic object drawn to a magnet. It's only natural, as the storm outside is looking even worse than the newspaper has forecast for this week. I am the responsible adult here, so I have to think in advance exactly how is this group of teenagers going to get home safely with such a heavy downpour getting in their way. Granted, it might just be an intense rain, but it's also getting colder by the second...

I guess that, what I mean is... That I want to make a hundred percent sure that each and everyone of them makes it back okay.

After Miss Mitsusuri's assault incident, things have not been the same. Everyone has been a little on edge after what's happening, and I am no exception.

"Wait, Pres... You said that there were seven warriors, each named after a sin, no? However, I remember you naming nine sins. What's up with that?"

One of the club members points a strange contradiction in Haruka's tale but, to that, the girl only draws a victorious smile. Ah, it's the sort of hook that the audience must bite. Very clever, Miss Kuromusi. After that, the story goes on and multiple theories are thrown around regarding this mysterious urban legend about the "Seven Warriors of Hell". But it won't ever be more than an ordinary meeting is all they do is share some poor story based on weak evidence. That's why the president has drawn a large circle on the floor, claiming that, tonight, the group would see for themselves if one of these warriors can be brought to life, thus proving her story truthful.

I can't put my finger on it, but something about it feels wrong. My mouth opens on its own and I automatically ask about security measures, implying that this experiment might be going a little further than what the faculty originally agreed to. It's a stupid question that no teacher with their feet on earth would ever ask in a serious manner, because obviously, nothing would come out of that circle, no matter what song we chant or how beautifully drawn with chalk it is.

And yet...

I do ask about it, showing genuine concern, as if it was already scripted for me to do so. As if I already knew the answer I would get from the president and the response from the other students as well. With each and every second that goes by, I become more and more aware of the fate that awaits us and that worry becomes visible in my expression. My breathing accelerates as I struggle to understand the meaning behind this sensation of dread, and though I want to draw enough courage to speak up my thoughts, the required willpower slips through my fingers like grains of sand.

"Surely you jest, Sakaki-sensei." A student, Ms. Knox, looks like she's finding the situation entertaining, although I don't think she understands exactly what is going on here. To be fair, neither do I. "Of course our president would not be such an air-head that she would not ensure our safety, even when dealing with possible mysteries and supernatural phenomena. Is it not the duty of the club president to care about the well-being of the members of her club?"

She is simply taking advantage of this conversation to mock and throw dirt in Ms. Kuromusi's direction. That's not doing me any favors...

"..."

I feel like my response should be more mature, but I can't bring myself to do so. No, in realty, I shut my mouth and refuse the words that I should have said, staying in complete silence instead. Like a puppet fighting against its master, I pointlessly attempt to resist destiny based purely on gut feeling. The answers provided by the club president should be more than reassuring and yet...

I am compelled to stop this.

I don't know why, but I know that if I don't I know I'll certainly regret it.

So...

-------

"So this time, I'll stop it."

At the same time.

Rushing up the stairs leading to the second floor of Homurahara Academy is a different version of Sakaki Tetsuro, an older self who does not belong to this era. A human who has learned the truth behind time travel, a man set on saving both the class under his care and the entire world.

The, much older, one-eyed stranger standing in the middle of the hallway that separates Tetsuro from his destination does not belong to this era, either. He's here to preserve the right course of history, dooming the world if necessary.

"Get out of my way. I am afraid I do not have much time left, so I won't issue this warning a second time."
Their thoughts intersect, but their paths will forever run parallel.

As if to acknowledge that fact, the two slowly begin to approach each other with heavy steps.

*Crash*

The sound of glass shattering and the activation of the fire sprinklers system.

"... Already caught up, huh? I must apologize, but I've only got a few seconds to spare, as well."

A clash, imminent-!

[hero]

Interlude - Precipice at the End of the World

Less than a minute before the damage to the flow of time breaks beyond repair.

Inside the classroom, a group of students and a reluctant teacher carry out an ominous ritual following the instructions of a strange book, unaware of the history behind that tome. Even though Sakaki Tetsuro's "instincts" have warned him about the dangers of this experiment, this awareness proves to be ultimately powerless against the hands of fate. The situation is both surreal and despair inducing. Knowing something you shouldn't know, yet being unable to resist destiny in any shape of form and sensing that which awaits can only be called a tragedy... For teacher, there is no worse torture than that.

Crash.

Shattering glass, signs of a struggle... Gunshots and silence.

This should have caught the attention of everyone present and panic should have spread everywhere. Changes such as these are nothing the World cannot disguise. For instance, the humanoid shadow that has materialized in front of them has claimed their complete focus and the rest of their senses has been claimed by the ritual as well. Everything going on outside becomes secondary because everyone can feel death knocking at their doors. It doesn't matter if hell awaits outside, in the face of such a dreadful presence...

Trust me, any man would swallow their pride and run.

But...

"I-I can't move!"

No one is allowed to lift their feet, much less leave the circle they are standing in. It's a paralyzing surge that leaves everyone out of options, if only for an instant. Everyone but the one incorporeal being in the room, that is.

Without mercy, without concern and without meddling a single word, the shadows gives them a parting gift...

... By reminding them of their mortality.

-------

Less than a minute before the damage to the flow of time breaks beyond repair.

The confrontation between light and darkness has to be quick. Both sides acknowledge there is no room for fair play. They're ready to jump at each other's throats in a way that would end the game with a single strike.

Sakaki Tetsuro moves first, the gap in their ages leaving it clear who has the upper hand in terms of physical prowess. No, it's not just that... The teacher has come prepared. He has undergone training that now bears fruit, allowing him to move at speeds that are hard to keep track of for a mundane fighter. Granted, it's nothing out of the extraordinary, for its a feat that still stands within the grasp of what humanity can achieve, close to the peak but not beyond it.

Fast.

Kawamoto Yutaka immediately finds himself pressured for time. His opponent is crossing the distance between the two of them at an alarming pace, so he is left with no choice but to discard whatever little hesitation he kept hidden in his heart and attack with full force. Naturally, he, too, is someone who is bound by human limits.

So he will use a firearm to make up for the difference.

Even if one bullet should be enough to put down the man charging at him, he empties the cartridge without giving it a second thought.

The first bullet misses and the second is unbelievably shoved aside from its real target as Sakaki uses his arm as a disposable shield to block the projectile. Ridiculous... The recoil barely has any effect on his running speed and the pain isn't nearly enough to make him lose his balance. He's a monster, but a monster of a different kind.

He's just a guy determined to see the end of his hardships by any means available.

Even God would have trouble against someone like that.

Sakaki Tetsuro makes a big leap in order to put his enemy within the range of his attacks. He might be barehanded, but Yutaka knows that if those fists were to connect with his body, he wouldn't be able to see the light of day anymore. However, if there is a field where Kawamoto surprisingly has an edge against Sakaki, it has to be in experience. Even with a body that no longer works the way it should, countless scars and the absence of an eye...

Yes, even then, he immediately adjusts his aim and mercilessly guns down his enemy.

Bullet three, four and five all hit vital areas.

"...?!"

... Or would have hit vital areas, if Sakaki Tetsuro was there to begin with.

Instead, all that is there, in the space in front of him is nothing but his chemistry lab coat. The teacher discarded it and used it as a distraction, accounting for Yutaka's uncanny reflexes. In a field of battle where a single decision can cost a life, making a call with haste could very well prove to be fatal. And, as proven, even the most veteran of warriors can be fooled with a cheap trick-!

"Urk-!"

The time window is so slim that Tetsuro has no choice but to turn down the opportunity to land a solid hit, opting to instead go for a tackle. Both fall down to the wet floor as consequence but the younger man retains the advantage. Now all he needs to do is...

Oh no... There is no time.

Though he has been bested, the older man shoots back a weary smile, as if to say 'It is you who is standing at the precipice of defeat'.

He has to move...!

Break through that door...!

Stop the ritual...!

-------

Hiyako Tsurara releases her full power.

It would be wrong to call her a monster, despite the hideous change in her appearance. No, if anything, she resembles a deity, and that's because her sole presence is distorting her surroundings, bending them to her will. Her consciousness is a haze, and she has already gone past her limits in terms of stamina. If one takes into account that this forbidden technique draws energy from her own life force, it's activation alone has been a steep price to pay. But if she is to give this incident the seriousness it deserves, then it's only to be expected that she would undo all restraints.

But it would be a lie to claim that there are no doubts in her heart, no emotions that cloud her judgment. The confrontation between her and Kuromusi Haruka has brought several contradictions to the surface, facts that do not match with the information she was given. For a mage to land a direct hit against her, that alone is worthy of praise, but more importantly, the sheer passion behind her attacks clearly told a much more desperate story than the one she was told.

When they arrived...

Yutaka told her that they had more than enough time to deal wit the enemy and erase the cause of the singularity. However, if that were to be the case, what was the point of the girl stalling a demon for only a few minutes...? There is a difference between using up your life in a meaningful way and tossing it into the fire for no reason at all.

Secondly, the moment you became too focused on the fight, your partner took advantage of it and rushed towards the school. If there was enough time to spare, then what was the reason behind such a reckless move...? He still is a mere human, after all.

You are not one to drift away from your beliefs, but you have to acknowledge that the possibility of being lied to is very real. It may mean you've been betrayed... Or it might just be a necessary white lie to carry out the mission successfully.

Regardless, as you rush towards the second floor at speeds that defy comprehension, you are forced to make a choice too.

Player's Choice

1. Trust Yutaka.
2. Betray Yutaka.
3. Hesitate.

Except you are not.

You are not being forced to do anything. You have the liberty to take a moment and breathe, to ask the questions that you want answered and draw your own conclusions. The sheer power that you possess gives you that right. Because you are the strongest, because nobody can stand up to you in this one battlefield, you don't take orders from anyone.

So it's not as much hesitating as it is taking charge.

Your decision becomes a decree and in the blink of an eye, the hallway enters absolute zero.

There is no window allowed for either fighter to react, much less resist. They are both encased in ice, making any action other than speaking outright impossible. This is just a taste of what this technique can do... No, to be more precise, this is exactly how this technique shouldn't be used. It's not meant to capture your foes, but end them. The only reason why that isn't the case is because your human will still retains it's dominance over your demonic side.

"...?!"

Or does it?

You've crossed the line, and to do so is to earn yourself another enemy: Yourself. Were you to be in perfect condition, such confrontation wouldn't even represent a thorn on your path, but that is not the case, is it? Unable to spell a single understandable world, your perception begins to slowly drift away...

That's when it happens.

Your power goes beyond its usual boundaries.

The space surrounding you immediately loses shape, distorts and even cracks.

It's so out of the chart that even time is frozen.

But not in a minuscule portion of space, no, for a moment, for a fragment of a second, your lineage transcends time.

Everyone can see, everyone can see, but no one can move.

That's the curse that befalls the entirety of the school building.

That's the reason why you've been called here.

Interlude Out

[hero]

Interlude - Those who fight (For Salvation/For Damnation)

"As of a few minutes ago, our team of researchers have found an potential entry point to the Japan Singularity. It looks like someone from within has done us a favor and left us a door unlocked. No, rather, the term 'kicked a door off its hinges' sounds like it would be more appropriate. We do not know how much this entrance will remain open, so we'd like to proceed as soon as possible."

By the time the two of us arrive at the control room, the hologram of a young stoic woman is already there, waiting for us with a mission briefing that has been likely prepared in advance. No matter how many times this scene repeats itself, I cannot find it in me to get used to it. Perhaps it's the simply the fact that the new Director never truly shows herself, despite clearly residing somewhere within this building, or maybe I still cannot accept that someone like me has become a soldier who fights for the salvation of the world as a whole.

It sounds idealistic and childish, I am aware, but I am sure that anyone would have their doubts wiped away with results. The truth is that this is not the first time that we jump onto the battlefield to change the future and protect humanity. So, even though our numbers are scarce, I have confidence that we will overturn fate once more.

"As you know, an ethereal dome we have dubbed 'Darkness', has engulfed the entirety of the Asian country. Judging by its diameter and previous data, its epicenter is Fuyuki City, where you will be transported. We don't know for a fact if there are any survivors at this date, but this is an opportunity we cannot afford to turn down. Darkness continues to expand without pause and if we do not hurry, it might engulf the entire world in a week or two."

Ever since the resolution of the "City in the Sky" incident, evidence has proven that the world's existence is now more feeble than ever. Like a hunter set on going exclusively after a particular prey, death has been lurking ever since, looking to annihilate what we have managed to preserve. Yes, the story was rewritten, and with that feat came the appearance of what we call Singularities. Events spread across time and space that are different from what we once knew them to be, and that must be fixed in order to preserve human history.

That is our mission.

That is our responsibility and our duty.

"Like other trials you've faced, this Singularity takes place in our current era. Unlike the other Singularities, however, this time we are a couple of days late. Darkness has proven more disruptive than our Future's Past Technology managed to predict, and for a good number of hours we were led to believe that we would not be allowed entry. Moreover, we've also lost connection with the agent who infiltrated in advance, leaving us with little to work with... However, now that has changed. It's high time we begin our counter-attack and make up for all the time we've lost."

Future's Past Technology.

A complex method that utilizes ESP alongside Atlas Machinery in order to foresee the specific causes that lead to a certain future.

We know for a fact that this Singularity will become the cause of a great change, and that's usually bad news for humanity. It may or may not mean the end of the world right then and there, but given our past experiences, it will at least be a fatal bullet. Our goal, then, is to preserve the status quo, for that is what it means to prolong the life of our species.

Well, things are always a little bit more complicated than that. But I am more comfortable when I can pretend they are simple like that.

"Shall we go, then, Shizuka-san?"

My friend calls out to me, a hand free for me to take.

Though her heart might be filled with anxiety, she does not let that show in her exterior, a gentle expression always present on her face. That same person has endured so many things in the past, from pain to loss, to emotions I have yet to understand. And yet, that smile of hers has not eroded one bit.

That's why I'll make sure it remains that way. I have made an oath to protect that person to my last breath.

"Yes, Rei-sama."

-------

Fuyuki, present time.

Amidst the flames that surround a famous shopping mall, a figure moves undetected.

Despite the sheer abnormality of the area, it doesn't look like she is having any problem to keep up with the pace that an infiltration mission demands. Oh, this woman, whose identity is preserved by a well-adjusted brown cloak, is both brave and reckless. The absence of one of her arms is probably enough proof of that.

"Yeah, nothing to do here. The situation has become one hell of a mess already." She sights but, in truth, she already expected this result from the bottom of her heart. "You guys had any better luck?"

Through the comms, she gets a negative response from several of her teammates. As expected, in a world devoid of heroes, outcomes like this are common occurrence. Though, to be honest, in her head, the definition of a hero has long since become an erased entry.

"It sucks, but you know what that means."

Her hand is drawn towards the handle of a weapon she has kept under wraps until now.

"This is survival of the fittest, after all."

[hero]

Aya Alayana
Shinto - Streets
Night Phase


They say fortune favors the bold.

Unwilling to let go of your trademark 'set of fire first, deal with the consequences later', you have focused the flame's thirst on your biggest and most elusive target to date, the origin of this giant distortion, something which you can feel but cannot yet find. By turning the Shopping Centre into a literal oven, you have chosen to wage your own life for a chance to take down your target with you. And though there are things humans cannot usually meddle with, as they lack the tools to tamper with fate directly, this does not appear to be something that is beyond the reach of what your power can accomplish. Indeed, the enemy is being burned alive, and that does not just apply to the myriad of evil creatures that stubbornly refuse to 'go to hell' for the sole sake of ending your life in a gruesome way, but also the thing responsible for creating this madness in the first place.

---However.

"...?!"

It would be foolish to expect it to remain quiet after your transgression you have made and the injury you have inflicted. At that moment, which lasts for a second but feels like it could extend for an eternity, you see it... A big thorn, no, something more akin to a giant stinger, dug deep into your chest, a demonic appendage usually invisible to the naked eye. A single glance is all it takes to understand its one and only purpose: To bind your existence to something else, acting as a conduit that transports energy. And, unfortunately for you, it looks like energy flows in only one direction. You dared to venture into its domain with evil intentions, so it will show no hospitality and attack you with all it has. Yes, two could play the game you proposed at the start, a race to see which of you gets fried last. Granted, given the nature of your flames, it might be a game with no clear winner no matter how things go but...

The 'Origin', as the Mayor called it, doesn't know that, so that fact will not stop the torture in the slightest.

If breathing was hard up to this point, then now it becomes a luxury you cannot afford.

If dodging the attacks from creatures brought from the darkest corners of your imagination was nothing short of a miracle before, then it is now a complete impossibility.

You are paralyzed.

Your thoughts have long since become erratic.

The flames in your hand fail to ignite.

The rest of them do not even turn to see your final moments.

A monstrous arm reaches out, not to offer help but rather to be given purpose as a weapon.

With your fragile human constitution, that will be all it takes to leave a giant hole on your chest and declare you a dead person.

...

.......

......... But isn't it a little odd?

Despite the sound of mangled meat being the one thing you should be allowed to hear, all that reaches your ears is the mystical noise of crystal suddenly shattering. What follows is the crashing noise the bodies of your enemies make when collapsing on the floor. Although, perhaps, the correct term to use would be 'body-parts', as a good number of creatures stand there, dumbfounded, after being stripped of their arms, legs or even their heads, in the blink of an eye.

Yes, those creatures, whose skin could take the destructive force and penetration of an anti-tank round, have been cleanly cut in pieces by the swordsman who arrived from above, a guardian angel wearing a pink kimono that has already been heavily stained in blood.

"Enemies spotted. Engaging."

Speed beyond reason.

Even a veteran like you cannot keep up with those movements, which are all clearly meant to kill. Fortunately, it is not you who is in the receiving end. What once were five humanoid monsters with enough firepower to overwhelm a family of mages each, has now become a line of lifeless, mutilated corpses.

"..."

But it's too soon to claim victory... Around three dozen creatures remain, and that's not counting those with a lesser threat level. Even a powerful warrior equipped with a legendary weapon like hers may see her end if she stays here to protect you for too long.

At the very least, her efforts have bought you a little bit of time before the next wave.

"It's really dangerous. You should have really stayed up there."

The girl speaks, but she is not addressing you but another visitor instead.

"That, it is. My sixth sense already feels overwhelmed by simply standing here."

The high temperatures, combined with the overlapping layers of curse magecraft creates an environment that is nothing short of toxic for anyone who dares to step inside its boundaries. And yet, though that person, who does not look like a fighter at all, is making an honest effort to endure this sort of punishment on her own...

"But, you know, Shizuka, it's not like there is anyone else around who can treat this person. You can feel it right? She's been struck with a powerful curse."

Her gentle smile remains as the most prominent feature in her expression. It's also innocent, like that of a child.

"Besides, you still have to improve on your communication skills and I couldn't risk you getting into a fight with her out of a misunderstanding, like you did with the last friend we met..."

Having bested the invincible swordswoman with just a couple of well-placed words, the newcomer turns to face in your general direction.

"Can you hear me...?" She asks, a slight hint of doubt in her voice. "If so, can I ask you to please put those flames out? If this goes on, they'll cause more harm than good."

She must be highly attuned with the supernatural, for her to able to feel the connection between you and your flames with such ease.

"Please believe in us. We're here to fix things."

[Airen]

Aya Alayana
Shinto - Verde
Night Phase

---Dodging death again, always at the last possible moment.

There is a stinger in her flesh, a something in her body, a curse that is siphoning out her life, an awful horrendous thing that won't save this twisted origin from it's destruction; indeed, with her vision swimming in flames, in darkest crimson and agonizing pulses, there is already a part of the red-haired woman that had acknowledged she was simply going to die within the depths of the mall, but she would do so ultimately victorious.

She and the Origin would simply kill each other, that would be that, it was an outcome she could accept if not one that she liked, but...

---Dodging death again, always at the last possible moment.

Her vision swims in crimson flames.

Everything is swaying and spinning, distorting and burning and more enemies remain to be slain; it's at times like these that her nature becomes more instinctual, the flames are an extension of her own self after all, so if her conscious mind fades and she starts acting on instinct, their more destructive impulses could certainly come to light...

Someone speaks to her, swaying as she is in her fugue, thoughts centered only on the task of absolutely burning her opponent to ash and leaving the rest up to fate. They say something foolish of course, putting out the flames means that she can no longer guarantee the death of her opponent, she is no hero, she allows herself to feel more petty and spiteful urges, and indeed, while she is certainly acting in defense of the city, in defense of humanity, her human urges have her wishing to tear her opponent down with her into the flames, because she has absolutely no intention of going to hell alone...

Yes.

Out of spite, she could simply bring it all down, to hell with the consequences; if the origin wanted to eat her she would make sure she was it's last meal, one way or another, but...

---She can't.

More specifically, the situation is no longer just her against the origin... That is a situation where she can be a spiteful witch until the end, cackling along with the flames as she drags her opponent with her into the depths of hell's abyss, but...

---She's not a fan of killing humans.

Of course, she does not know who these humans are; for all she knows, the correct answer is to burn them to death along with everything else in this twisted place, after all, the world is not so convenient a place as to drop unrelated heroes into a mess, the two before her will certainly have some form of agenda, they could even be joined with the origin itself, telling her to put out the flames so that the phenomena is not ultimately destroyed even if she dies...

That would be a shame.

That would mean she breaks her promise to Karen, and fails the human race.

---Yes, speaking from the view point of a magi, it's probably better to ignite everyone and everything around just to be absolutely sure that her opponent dies along with her, one last Nova should more or less finish the building if she can just dredge up the power, but...

...Still can't bring herself to do it.

Yes.

Ultimately she does not succumb to the bloodlust of the flames, even if they are always the most honest force around her; hesitation leads to a moment in which she wants to believe in a better outcome than this, a moment in which she recognizes that even if the flames win, they might just become the new 'curse' trying to devour the planet, and thus...

"I suggest you don't stand too close to me until they're gone."

She clenches her fist hard, and-

"Return."

-fire sweeps backwards, the sea of flames almost seems to groan as a leash is once more cast upon them; they become a swirling force that ceases to directly advance because that privilege has been revoked, that turns to flow back towards their wielder like a blanket of fire, a baptism of flames that does not lead to the horrific scorching of flesh, no...

Power flows one way?

She begged to differ.

Everything those flames had stolen from her enemy, she would take into herself now as flames; they were a bit too suited for each other, two curses that each desperately sought to devour the other one...

But this was inevitable.

Everything must return to the Ignition Complex.

If these two betrayed her, she could always start it back up again before she goes.

She was petty enough for it.

[hero]

Assassin of the Distant Kingdom
Shinto - ​Fuyuki's Central Park
Night Phase


"..."

What thought crosses Hassan's mind when he finally spots the seemingly lifeless body of Yamashita Hiro lying there alone, on the ashen grass? The sight certainly brings his movement to a momentary pause as his mind briefly studies the consequences of a potential failure in the experiment the group set to perform. Now, this Assassin has been told beforehand that the most likely outcome was for the Magus Psyche to be severely damaged by the experience, allowing the mist to possess the body and morph it into something much more abominable, so the fact that Hiro still looks like a fairly common human being, should have been pretty good news for the cause. Far from being such an optimist, however, Assassin chooses to follow the worst case scenario. That is, the black haired demi-servant never managed to get far enough to even establish a connection with the corrupted spirit and was killed by it as a result.

The minuscule shock that his body experiences does not come from the possibility of having lost one of his comrades. Far from it. Instead, it is born out of pure fear. Even though he is no longer bound by chains to a mortal body, he finds the thought of his own death disturbing and, as a coward, he will do anything to avoid it. And, if he has to be absolutely honest, he didn't quite intend for this meeting to happen. Unfortunately, neither luck nor circumstances appear to be on his side today. As it would turn out, the combination of having no other available escape route and the Fire Demon choosing to perform a little too many acrobatic maneuvers during the battle, has led to these two crossing paths earlier than expected.

"... Not good."

The night is still young, and though the mist has been defeated once tonight, it refuses to let go of its territory until the sun rises. In other words, just because the aftermath has allowed a peaceful silence to descend on the woods, it does not exactly mean that the area is safe.

No, if anything, danger should simply begin to escalate from now on.

Over his shoulder rests the body of an unconscious female. His first problem. Naturally, he cannot make use of his full potential while acting as a babysitter for a member of his Master's VIP club. Taking into account that he isn't really strong to begin with, he may be seen as a sitting duck to other threats that lurk the city at night. If he has to add Hiro to that load, fighting back would essentially become impossible.

But that's not the issue.

The thing is not that something dangerous is fast approaching.

The problem is that the blue haired girl easily gives away his actual location. If a normal Magus is a heater, then Luna is like a nuclear reactor unable to be shut down. During the last encounter, something in her changed, and that change is now giving signs of being irreversible. The sheer amount of Magical Energy her body generates is so much that it leaks into the environment and creates a path or residual energy that acts as a bait for creatures that long for a healthy dinner. More importantly, that excess of energy is also poisonous to her body, hence why she is also suffering from a fever.

The best thing that can happen to the Servant now would be his Master calling him back through the use of a Command Seal. Sadly, having previously refused the order to use his Noble Phantasm in combat, it is unthinkable that someone as severe as him would grant him an easy way out.

"..."
For about a minute, he simply stares at the body from a prudent distance. He remains silent, his stance not conveying any sort of intent. Some people learn to bend with the environment, to become one with nature. But it would be mistaken to compare such warriors to this particular Hassan. This is not a skill developed through talent or hard work.

This is a curse one is born with.

The curse of being weak and forgotten.

In the face of someone so mundane and powerless, everything else in the vicinity draws one's attention more than he does.

"...!"

That is what allows his attacks to truly become unexpected, even when no real effort has been made to conceal one's presence!

Several darts are thrown.

Though their speed and penetration force resembles that of bullets, such feat has little to do with the skill of the shooter and more with the physical strength he possesses as someone who has left human limitations behind.

Out of all six projectiles, only one even comes close to you. Most likely, you've never been their intended target.

Assassin body moves.

You understand...! It's a move to hold you back while he retrieves the body of your Master and runs away with it...!

This Servant... Does not know whether you are there or not. Nor does he seem to be aware that you may be closer to an ally that you are of an enemy. But... At the same time, this man will always act in accordance with what he perceives as the worst case scenario. Hence, the very same scene would take place should you not be there as well.

Your instincts warn you not to become lost in thought. Such thing cannot be afforded.

Not when those darts are also small bombs, which would make the whole structure crumble the moment they detonate.

And they do.