ShipTeaser

  “Akio-san, several of the Buildings ierritory have just beeroyed, I think?” Saionji-san looked a little puzzled.

  “You think?” I asked, and he nodded.

  “It doesn’t feel like they were destroyed, really, but they’ve definitely vanished. Fortuhey weren’t too important.”

  “Vanished, huh? Well, what matters is that we arrohere that woman has run to. Lead the way.” I said, and Saionji-san took off at superhuman pace, though it still felt rather slow to me. For the first time I had the opportunity to really observe Kinkaku-ji, and it was quite the impressive sight. For a Rank 2 Territory it had a lot of Buildings structed, and quite detly upgraded o that, with some Rank 3 Ether Spires pulling in energy, golden and ornate, ringed with diamond-like crystals that resembled staring eyes.

  “Quite gaudy for such a passionate deity.” I grinned.

  “Well, perhaps it is because the shrine here is Kinkaku-ji, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion. Besides, gold is a symbol of purity. Here it isn’t used for wealth, but as a dispy of piety.”

  “I see. Yood.” I ughed, extending out my senses as far as my brain would allow, feeling the stirrings of a migraine from the stress of processing a massive amount of information. “If I’m going to be dealing with important people all the time, I’ll o learn your way with words.”

  Saionji-san shook his head, a wry chuckle esg him. “I’ve been head of Amaterasu for many years. Of course I speak like a politi. I’ve had to tend with that old fox Kudou, as well as the fierce Uchida… well…” he trailed off, remembering that one of his rivals was now a broken man, even in Kyoto’s time of great need, uo respond, merely shutting himself away with his atose son.

  “I’ll appreciate your help with the Ministry.” I said, ging the subject a little. It was then that I ordered him to stop, and as he ground to a halt, breathing heavily, he looked at me quizzically.

  “There.” I pointed, my expanded senses pig up the near-invisible tripwires that were even harder to see uhe strangely-hued silver light of the Boundary, than they would have been uhe sun ierial world. “Tripwires. Lio… yeah, mines. Nasty”

  “I didn’t see them.” Saionji-san admitted. “It really is strange, having to worry about such trivances here in the spiritual realm.”

  I nodded. With a ssh of air, I cut the threads, and the mines detonated, but they too were ed in air, muffling the bst and preventing damage, leaving them whisper-quiet. “Hopefully this won’t alert our running prey that we’ve been this way.”

  “I have to say, your versatility never fails to impress.” Saionji-san ughed. “Though I tend my Eye of Avalokiteshvara doesn’t lose in terms of power.”

  “Well, sooner or ter the Boundary won’t be an issue and you use it as much as you please then.” I promised, as we picked up the chase again, passing through a gde of trees with golden-yellow blossoms, falling around us in a gilded blizzard. The golden horns of the main temple loomed overhead, s into the sky, casting great shadows, but there were many smaller golden pavilions dotted around the grounds, each with their own golden edifices. Really, it’s all a bit too mue. I like tastefully uated, not this… tacky dispy of wealth. Not that I’d tell Saionji-san that. It’s probably sacrilegious thinking that way too…

  “I still ’t see her.” I muttered, despite haviended my senses. “Wait, something’s different.” I noticed that one of the gaudy decorations had va a nearby shrine. As I watched closely, a rge golden bell vanished as well, a fre of aether all that remained.

  Moments ter, Saionji-san spotted it as well, as more and more preetal aone-encrusted items disappeared. “You think it’s her?” he asked quietly, and I nodded, p power into my Eye, as it glowed a vivid amber, searg for her.

  “It has to be. Is she sending ks of your Territory back to the Material? I don’t get why these hunks of gold though. If she destroyed your structed Buildings that way it makes sense, but these are just, well… oral, right?”

  As he agreed I tio s the area. I couldn’t see her, whatever she was doing was blog even my Eye, which was impressive, but then I noticed a faint haze of what looked like Qi, rather than unrefined aether. It was tiny, nearly entirely obscured by the force of whatever ability was snatg pieces of the Territory, but my Eye erceptive enough to pick it out. Got you.

  “I think I have her. She must be using some sort of art that obscures vision. It’s good, whatever it is. If it wasn’t for a faint leakage through the cracks in it, I’d not have noticed.”

  “Right, well, how do we proceed? I use my abilities to destroy the area…”

  “No, I want to take her alive if I help it.” I said, and Saionji-san shrugged.

  “That seems risky. It isn’t because she’s a woman, is it, Akio-san?” he smirked, and I fought down the urge to snap back.

  “Of course not. I’m not that much of a lecher. No, I have my reasons.” The only issue is, if she tries to flee back to the Material. That could be a problem, although I did watch what Daiyu did before…

  “Well, sidering the number of i dead, I hope you’re not pnning to be le.” Saionji-san warned.

  “No, don’t worry. That ship has long sailed.” I’ve killed plenty this day. I… I don’t regret it exactly, but it still stings. Saionji-san is right. Too mu blood has been shed, and for etty revenge… Ign the treacherous thought that I had made it clear I would seek revenge on anyone if those I cared about were hurt, I at least soled myself by knowing I wouldn’t target is. “Right, here we go. I’ll rush in, as I’m faster.” Without waiting for his agreement, I pushed my Body Enhao the maximum and dashed forwards. Several more traps were strung up, but I powered through, too fast for the explosions to be effective.

  The faint traces of Qi began to move away from me, almost imperceptible, but as they moved I saw faint shimmering in the air, little distortions that were there for a moment, and thehing was normal again. So that’s how she’s doing it… my Intellect allowed me to make the calcutions, so it seemed like the strange ripples were the effect of bending light into a spherical shape, and the Qi leakage must have been ing from the axis where the two halves were joined. Now that I knew what to look for, I elled earth, f a series of rocky barriers, and wind, trying to snare her.

  “How dare you, i wretch!” a booming voice called out in Mandarin, as the illusion proteg her shattered, a talisman in her hands burning away to ashes, the Qi dispersing. She was quite impressive, in one sense, being greatly ht, her body ed in a straining yellow ballgown, which made me giggle, as it reminded me of the dress Takagi-san was wearing. Damn, I’ll have to apologise to her for even paring them. The woman was covered in jewellery, her hands packed with tasteless yet likely expensive rings, sometimes three to a finger, and her neck was hung with a vast number of golden s.

  “Stop now and surrender!” I decred, closing the distance. I had Cutting Twilight sheathed, as I believed I could handle her without too much trouble, and wao appear less threatening.

  “Surrender? Me? Your barbarism is simply s. Not that I should expect much from fners. No css at all!” she decred, pulling out what looked like an assault rifle from her back. “To think…” she sighed, f a sausage-like finger in to pull the trigger, seesawing the gun wildly, bullets arg in all dires. “… that I would have to dirty my own delicate, elegant hands with bloodshed. This whole mess has been most discerting.”

  I snorted, amused. Delicate? I’ve seen more delicate bears at the zoo. Most of the bullets missed me, and those few that strue did little more than sting. On seeing that the anicked, dropping the gun and produg a rocket-propelled grehat definitely hurt me…

  “Such disrespect!” she cried as the projectile discharged, a tail of fme pushing it towards me ihan a sed. I twisted my body in the air, and it sailed past, detonating as it struck a golden wall, and she clicked her tongue, rubbing at her bruised shoulder where the terweight had flung off and struck her.

  “My dress, it is ruined.” She muttered, seeing the dirt mark and torn cloth. She then remembered I was mere moments away and her eyes went wide in panid my Eye could see she urgiher, trying to return to the Material. I won’t allow that. Nie Ling will be there too, and I ’t afford to lose both abilities…

  The woman was saying something about missing out on mold, but I ignored her, tratiher into a series of strikes that hammered into her body, scattering. Ironically, the attack worked much like Chirurgery, the ability to heal also quite capable of inflig targeted damage. She squealed, her s jiggling, ao the floor as through she pet with cut strings. Her chubby hand stretched to grab the bone bde she carried, but blood scattered as sharp threads of wind whirled from my outstretched hand, dragging the bde free, heedless of the damage to her fingers, several rings reduced to cut shards.

  “My hand. My precis!” she cried, sug oumps, rolling around in exaggerated agony. I elled Foehn, and the bone sword burned, a familiar process to me now. As the remaining slime it exuded bed, shrivelling up with a pierg howl of torment, I looked down at the woman in front of me as Saionji-san caught up. Really? She’s a didate? Even… even Kondou Kazuo makes more sehan her… Shaking my head, I spoke coldly. “There’s no escape here. Now, I’d like some information…”

  ********

  “It looks like the situation is under trol.” Haru observed, as the final wave of pitiful zombies were engulfed in the brilliant yellow fmes the ratkin and weaselkin were shooting out of their traptions. “Really, it’s a bit anticlimactic. From what I uood, it was going to be a devastating battle here in Kyoto.” Besides, I feel a little sorry for the dead. Although… they have no sapienot even as much as my poor sisters retain…

  “Well, it isn’t over yet, is it?” Ixitt asked, his whirring eyepieces and monocles the battlefield, making notes on some part. “Carelessness is a great danger.” He grinned. “I learhat when I was so horribly burned when an experime rather… wrong.” He smiled, taking a deep breath. “Well, such matters are in the past. Moira, what do you think?” he asked the rather stern, taciturn elf with the midnight bck hair and pale skin.

  I find her looks rather fasating. Though she has the pale skin and dark hair of an Asian woman, her features are anything but. They don’t even look entirely Western. She let out a giggle, thinking of all the trouble Akio-san was likely to get into iure, though she aying attention, as Moira had more than proved herself a capable tacti and logisti.

  “I think it is still too early to say.” She pursed her lips, examining the smouldering ruins of their enemies. “After the initial skirmishes, where they attempted to breach the Territory with human firepower, only to be repelled by the mortal engineers we have here…” she nodded approvingly, and Ixitt cackled at the praise. “… it seems to me they were merely going through the motions. I do not seriously believe that these dead things were to have any ce of breaking our defences. At best, they were a distra, at worst…” she frowned. “… there must be some other purpose.”

  “Well, on the bright side, I’ve gathered a fair bit of ether.” Haru said happily. I feel a bit bad takiherites from Akio-san to build this Territory, although it’s only here because he wants it to protect Tsukuyomi-jinja. Well, more to the point, he wants to protect Matsumuro-san. He’s so sinful! A real dy-killer. It’s lucky I’m already dead, so I ’t be killed! “I probably rush a cheap Building or two in an emergency.”

  “That should not be necessary.” Moira shook her head. “No. think of what we know. Matsumuro Tsukiko is fated to perish. We know where she is right now. Here.” She stabbed her finger down on the map where her shrine was located. “Sihe situation here was well in hand, we dispatched Ulfurid many of our forces there, to be safe. It is also yered behind our Territory, and tained within this sed one. Just looking at it from a tactical standpoint, there should be no way that shrine would be attacked.”

  “But something says you don’t believe that, yes?” Ixitt shed his tail, pig up on her s.

  “I get it.” Haru agreed. “it’s all going too well. Admittedly, we have Akio-san, Shaeu, Hyath and the others in our er, but we should have e under more pressure.”

  “Yes. When we sider that, I fear we must have overlooked something. After all, if the Wild Hunt bypass the defences of the Seelie Court, theively weak Territories such as these… well, I worry that the defences be suddenly destroyed, or bypassed somehow.”

  Retively weak, is it? For some reason that stings. I surprise myself, sidering how scared I was of all this before. I guess being dead calms a girl down, right? “In that case, shouldn’t we call back Akio-san and the others? I wish we could unicate. If smartphones worked here… well, hey, if modern ons , we could bring phones in tht?”

  “Well, it seems from the information gathered, that is an ability of one of our enemies.” Moira said. “But yes, rapid unication is often more valuable than anything else in battle. He who trols the spread of information trols his enemy.”

  “Well, there is little we do but prepare for battle. The lo goes on, the rger our advantage, as I don’t believe the princess and Akio will be defeated by such foes. Gradually we’ll elimihem.” He shed his tail happily. “Oh, I do so hope we salvage some of the remaining equipment. I have studied some ons in the mortal realm, but here…” he looked down at the table, where several assault rifles had been disassembled, still shining with fadiher. “… making their meical principles work despite the differences in ws, it is quite ingenious.” His tail shed happily.

  “That’s a sedary . All we have to do is protect Kyoto.” Haru warned, and Ixitt nodded, uanding. “Really, I don’t know if all these prophecies are true or not. Destines and defihe difference seems very nebulous to me.” She tinued. “But what I do know is that Akio-san put everything into this. If she does die, he’ll be crushed. And I don’t want that.”

  “No, it would not do to have our leader wallowing in grief. My grandfather and the other Princes have put great faith in him and Princess Shaeu. With the recmation of the Spring of Clear Refles, and the death of an Unseelie Duke, many are daring to dream of the tides turning in our millennia-long war…” Moira paused, notig that Ixitt had stopped moving, his tail frozen mid-twirl.

  “I think we were right.” Ixitt sighed. “Enemies are approag. A great swarm of them.”

  “More zombies?” Haru asked, floating up high so she could see. What she saw made her gasp. It was more dead beings, animated by a pestilent, corrupted aether, but this time the tide was made up of non-humans. Yokai, spirits, animal people, corpses in a burial kimonos, other strahings, most of them were mangled and broken, but they marched forwards in a dread tide, followed by the dull rumbling of maery, as several ese Type 99 tanks crushed the fallen rubble and deg bodies uheir heavy treads. One opened fire, main on ung a heavy 125mm round, which smmed into the Territory barrier, driving it inwards several inches, sparks of silver scattering like fireflies. On top of the tanks were several people, one of them in voluminous bck robes, and when Haru’s gaze met the dark shadows within the cowl, she felt a pierg dread, her heart spasming as if she was still alive.

  What is this? I’ve… I’ve not felt so scared, not sihat day I was murdered…

  More fire from the tanks, and the barrier shuddered again, beginning to fracture, and other ons were being discharged, adding to the weight of destru falling upon the defences.

  “This is bad…” Haru muttered, spping her cheeks t herself back to reality. “It’s a full scale push. It looks like they’ve gathered all of the dead in Kyoto to attack us. But I’m more worried about the tanks… and their riders…”

  “Engineers!” Ixitt called, rushing to a. “Fmecallers, earthcallers, take out the mobs of the dead. Dead flesh burns just as easily as living flesh does, aurning them to the soil is a mercy. Only those as evil as the Unseelie would pervert the bodies of the dead so. Gunners, aim for those riding the tanks.” He paused, chagrined. “A shame we do not have any artillery of our own. An ht. Yes, I io rectify it…”

  Moira was direg the remaining forces they possessed to their positions. Luckily they had prepared a det defensive line iime they had, so it would hold for a while. We just o stand firm until Akio-san or the others return…

  As Haru prepared to retaliate with her own attacks, she caught sight of a bloody weaselkin heading their way… from the west. Dropping down, she surprised the running ally, who ground to a halt, panting. nising her, he quickly barked out his message. “I bring… word from… Master Ulfuriehow… the enemy… have mao breach …the Territory ued. The situation is grave…”

  I hate it when we are right. There was something wrong after all. Moments ter the Territory barrier colpsed entirely, uo bear the weight of attacks from the tanks, as well as the didates riding them.

  “All right. Matsumuro-san be evacuated back to the Material, or even to here? We should be able to hold long enough for the Ring Gate to be used…”

  The weaselkin shook his head. “They have some sort… of prison barrier. She, Master Ulfurid many others are… trapped in it.”

  I see. Prophecy, huh? I don’t like it… flying bato the sky, Haru trated on her light element, unleashing a massive firework-like burst into the sky, red light fring, c the heavens. As she drew all eyes to her, she floated back down to the ground, ready for battle, the first ranks of the undead creatures swarming into her Territory past the shattered barrier. I really hope that Akio-san and the others are watg… else when they get back, there’ll not be much left…

  ********

  “What do you think you are doing?” the fat woman cursed me, as I bound her with air. “Unhand me, you uncouth peasant! Do you not know who I am?”

  “No, so feel free to enlighten me.” I said, starting work on clearing out the slime around her Divine Favour. She squealed again, but her eyes widened when she saw the vile gunk lifting free, only to be burned by my Foehn. Her expression ged then, and though she tried to hide it, I could see calcution and avari her face.

  “I am the noble Yao . I do not expect you to know who I am, as, the days of my family being iionally renowned are gohanks to those boorish fools in the Party. unism. Hah.” She said bitterly. “Just know that my family is very important, and I am their you, most beautiful daughter.”

  Young? Beautiful? Someohinks highly of themselves, don’t they? Though if I was being fair, if she lost some… well, a lot of weight… then she might look all right.

  “Is she for real?” Saionji-san muttered, amazed, and the woman shot him an angry gre.

  “I would not expect fo uand, least of all you barbaric Japanese. My great-aunt was abused by you fn brutes. She was so mortified, she felt the o take her own life, to expuhe disgrace.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” I bowed, apologising, which surprised her, but moments ter her haughty nature reasserted itself.

  “Well I should think so. and look, you are treating a fine dy shly! My poor hand! How will you pensate me, I would like to know!”

  “pensation?” I said, annoyed. I repared to listen to her babble, as it was keeping her busy while I ed out the corruption, preparing to retrieve the Divine Favour, but this was a step too far to take. “You i try, kill our citizens? And you wish pensation?”

  “Your citizens? Oh yes, well, that was that peasant girl. Nie Ling. No breeding, the daughter of a shoemaker, I hear. She was the one responsible, do not bme me for a peasant’s wrongdoings!”

  “I don’t think that’s all there is to it.” Saionji-san said, looking down at her. “After all, why are you in my Territory then?”

  She go the side, where the building of gold had massive ks missing from it. “Well, I ot go back to a. Ugh, exile in a barbaric fn nd. The fools from the Party, they hate us old families, and the Department… just because I was blessed by a Goddess from a fn nd, I was looked down on, even though it is clearly because the Goddess reised my extraordinary value. Why, I do believe that with my fiaste in art and antiquities, there is none more suited…”

  As she rattled on, I finished clearing out the remaining slime, growing faster with each time I tried. Yeah, I’m gettier at using adherence along with my Chirurgery, although what with the Divine Favour I’m holding draining it little by little, I ’t afford to waste much…

  “… so yes.” She fi st. “…I was barely able to flee with the rings on my fingers and the neckces around my throat. Shameful. So I o accumute more wealth. This gold… it will enable me to cim asylum, aablish my family!” she said proudly.

  “You think that’ll work?” I asked. “Surely when the gold runs out of aether it’ll return to the Boundary?”

  She started to sweat, her eyes swimming, and I realised that of course she khat. “So, you’re pnning to use it like fool’s gold, are you? Here today, goomorrow.” I asked.

  “Well… sacrifices are iable. But enough of that, unhand me, brute!”

  “So, how were you going to escape beien?” I asked. “And where did you get that talisman that hid you from sight?”

  “That paper? I do not quite know how it works, but those foolish idiots who called themselves sects…” she snorted. “… needed me t some of their equipment through. It was a simple matter to keep some for myself.” Her smile turned colder. “As for being devoured, that happens to others, to lesser people. Not to Yao , no, not to me! The others will be enough of a feast, but the beast, he surely knows my value! I did my part!”

  Yeah, I think she doesn’t uand how the world works. I doubt very much a creature as monstrous as this golden-eyed devourer cares about her family lineage. “I see. Well, I appreciate your optimism, but now…” I paused as her smile ged.

  “It was not just that one piece of paper I pocketed from those old fools.” She grinned, and out fluttered another paper talisman, with a ese written on it. “I think they called it a Spatial Ste Tag?” she grinned, as the talismao ash, releasing the tents, a number of hand grehe pins already pulled, right in my face. She rolled away, fighting my air bonds, as the grenades detonated.

  Fuck, that hurts. I had shut my eyes and turned away my head, hands c my ears, just before the explosion. Saionji-san had jumped backwards, but even so, he was cut and bruised, shrapnel pierg his body. As for me, my skin was scored and hin trickles of silver and red dribbling down, but other than that I was unharmed, having protected my vulnerable points.

  “Are you okay?” I managed, and Saionji-san nodded.

  “I think so. Well, I hurt all over, but I don’t think I’ve taken any fatal damage. Fat old witch!” he cursed her, looking at the woman who was still trying to squirm away, stuhat a face full of explosives hadn’t finished me. Her legs were shredded, and her body ockmarked with small daggers of twisted metal, but her bulk had prevented major damage.

  “Wait, how… that should… no, this is not fair!” she cried. “Wait, that… that was uional. I just wished to show you what else I had taken. No, let me go!” She must have seen the expression on my face, as she went white, her jowls quivering in fear.

  “Of course it was.” I agreed. “Unfortunately, you aren’t the only thief here…” She’s a snake, she ’t be trusted. Hell, calling her a snake is an insult to Shirohebi and his kin. Besides, she had brought many ons to the Boundary, and they were being used to assail our Territories. As Yao struggled, I tightehe bonds, heedless of the way the streams of wind cut into her corpulent flesh.

  “What are you doing?” Saionji-san asked, curious, and I shrugged.

  “Rendering her harmless.” I advised, w swiftly, cutting away the Divine Favour.

  Your skill, Adherence Manipution has increased from Rank 2 to Rank 3. Your ability to trol and utilise adherence has further strengthened. You more precisely affect the adherence of others, and are slightly more able to perceive and affect ??????????.

  Question marks again. But I think I know what they hide this time… all my efforts retly had borne fruit, and as I worked I noticed I was using less adhereo perform the removal, and that while I still couldn’t identify the third, mysterious po of the Divine Favour, I was finding it noticeably simpler to cut the ties. Moments ter, I had succeeded, and the woman fainted, her body spasming, her chakra work starting to colpse.

  Laverna’s Grasping Hand of Heaveh and the Underworld: Css: [Legendary] Type: [Law]. This divine favour is made of trated adherence, refiher and ??????????. The wielder gains the ability transfer an item betweeerial and Astral realms, and it will endure so long as aether remains, w as it would in the realm it came from. More plicated and rger items require more aether to make funal, so they will endure for noticeably less time. Laverna takes as she pleases, and what is stolen from Earth shall be treasured in Heaven, and what is taken from Heaven shall be uded in the Underworld. What is pilfered from the Underworld shall surely find value ih.

  As I admired the stolen Favour, I rejoiced. Yeah, this is the one I wanted. Now that I was holding two Favours, the drain on my adherence was brutal, and even with the noticeable amount I had gained by destroying the damaged favours, I would run dry in mere days. Worst case, I’ll break the Chimerids, this one is far more useful. Remembering the helicopters that had bee here in the Boundary, I wondered just how much aether the woman had been provided by the golden-eyed devourer. Totalling up how much had been shared across all of the ese didates, the amount was frightening. Orders of magnitude more than I have, that’s for certain. But then, as we’ve seen a lot today, it isn’t the raw power, it’s how you use it…

  “So, what do we do with her?” Saionji-san asked, furious. “We could take her and make her face justice, but…”

  “I know.” I said, preparing myself. It was then that the distant skies were dyed red, a massive surge of firework-style light rippling across the heavens. “Damn, that’s ing from the south. It must be Haru-san. Something bad must be going down… Saionji-san, I’ll leave you here, you look a bit worse for wear.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked. “I still fight if needed…”

  “No.” I shook my head, as behind me a sharp bde of wind decapitated the unscious woman. There was no level-up notification, perhaps because she had lost her Favour, and no longer had the stores of aether provided by the creature that had ensved her. It was unlikely she would survive anyway, just like Yamato-san. It was a mercy, she won’t be devoured at least… telling myself that to soften the blow of something that felt very much like murder, no matter how deserved it was, I gave my orders. “We ’t afford to be careless. Go back to Yasaka-san a what information you out of him. If there’s anything I o know, then you e support us.” With that I was dashing back towards Haru-san’s Territory, my Fht bring warnings. And beyond there… Tsukuyomi-jinja… Tsukiko-san. I guess the reing you’ve dreamed of is here. But… I ched my fist, ready for battle, against the surviving ese forces who invaded so callously, killing so many is, and threatening those I had sworn to protect. And against fate too. Defihere’s no such thing. No, that’s not true. The only defihing here is I’ll fight until the end…

  ShipTeaser