An oppressive League radiated out from the bear, and Motoko, Natsumi and even Kana and Daiyu were pale, faces twisted unpleasantly. It wasn’t quite as high as mine, so I was able to weather it easily enough, but the Tengu who weren’t part of the Four Dires were likewise suppressed, and they staggered backwards. If it has this League even dead, the was alive… That thought in mind, I watched, alert, as the skeletal bear rose, bones clig, faint threads of aether funing as muscles and tendons, allowing it to move, the Lost Fme spreading over it, ging to the bones of the ribcage and jaw, burning in the empty, staring eye sockets balefully.

  “Great Tarōbō surely never expected this…” Shungbō said, voice crag with fear. “The power of it…”

  “No need for cowardiow, Summer South.” Arangbō boomed reassuringly. “It may be powerful, but we are the defenders of mount Atago. Great Tarōbō is no fool, he surely believes we have the strength to overe all!”

  While the Dires readied themselves, I dropped back. “Motoko, Natsumi, I don’t think you do much here. Na, look after them.” I looked at Kana. “You too.”

  “No, I… I help” Kana said bravely, though her pale fad trembling lips betrayed her unease and fear. “It’s what I came for.”

  “It’s your first battle.” I said the words quickly, as the bear was starting to gather itself, ready to attack, and we couldn’t leave the Tengu to fight alone. “You help most by keeping everyone safe. If you see a ce to attack at range you take it, but only when we’ve established its safe. I’m fident we win.” With that I turned away, as the bear roared, and a surge of Lost Fme, like a yellow, red and bck blizzard gushed out, filling the cavern. ed without my words, throwing up a bubble of energy around us, and the fire was halted, but even though it was blocked, the spirit lights around me, as well as Haru-san, all suffered greatly.

  “Haru-, are you all right?” Kana said, horrified as she fell to her knees, clutg her head, shrieking, while the glowing spirit lights tio obscure my vision, dang around me frantically. I was torween going to Haru-san’s aid or the Dires, as they were beginning to ehe great bear, Haanōbō calling up a wave of water and ice that blocked one boulder-sized paw as it swung down at them.

  “Shit.” I cursed, ahat at the end of the duhere was a boss. Worse, ohat seems able to leverage the effects of the Lost Fme, otherwise this would have been no problem, the girls could have waited outside while the rest of us fi off… My thoughts ed rapidly, and I sidered dismissing my Material body, but the strength of the skeletal bear, while powerful, wasn’t in the realm I thought I couldn’t handle, even if with some difficultly. And the Four Dires are here too… Resolving to recall my other body and start up the Split Thoughts if necessary, it was then that Haru-sa out anreat cry, this one pained and defiant, yet also proud.

  “I… am… not… weak and afraid!” she cried, light element shimmering around her like a halo, the indigo shimmering to blue and back again as it was verted between darkness and light and back to darkness again. “I’ve been through the worst… that … happen.” She groueeth, furious. “I died. I was abused, tortured and died. It was horrible…” As Motoko and Natsumi went to fort her, she waved them aside, eyes locked on me. No, not me… on the spirit light of Tsukiko-san. “…It was terrible. But I am not the only one who suffers. You died too, and…” She raised her hand, and I could see that she ulling in fragments of the Lost Fme from the air, the sparks passing through Na’s barrier now. “…so many others have suffered. This Fme… it is of evil, yet not evil itself. Such a sad fme…” She was burning, her intangible form smoking and smouldering, yet she paid it no heed. “…it lives to e the evil of others, and leave them purified and ashes. In doing so, it bees steeped in that corruption…” She raised her hand, and the Light Of Muted Emotions spread out, though it didn’t enfold her, just the spirit lights around me, who calmed once more.

  Behihe Four Dires were engaging, and I could see Haanōbō looking back, w what was taking me so long. Vines whipped out and battered the bear, but bony cws wreathed in fme sliced them, and then fire struck it as Shungbō pleted his t, and for a moment the bear staggered, Lost Fire dimming, before Shungbō’s fmes were scattered by its mighty roar, the cavern shaking, the girls clutg their ears, expressions pained.

  “I… I uand. I too am what is left after sorrow is created. My spirit, my existence, just a ghostly fme, an Onryo. But… those of us Lost sometimes be found, recover things that make the sadness fade. Slowly, it may take a lifetime.” She paused, a faint smile on her lips. “… or a deathtime. But time is what we have.” She looked at me then, her will shining in her brown eyes. “Go, Akio-kun. I will protect the spirit light of she you tried to save, no, you did save. For who knows better thahat this death is no worse than life. If I do everything I could before, see my daddy, meet my friends again, ugh, cry and live… then it’s the same, it is living. Just be careful. Their spirits are unformed, weak. If it gets too burned, it won’t be good.”

  I see. “Haru-san, you’ve bee strong.” I urning to the battle, reassured.

  “Call me Haru. I don’t he -san. After all, other than daddy, aren’t you the person I owe the most to in this world? Don’t get the wrong idea though.” she wareasingly.

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.” As I made to go, Daiyu stood beside me, and I looked at her, searg her eyes, and her resolve vinced me.

  “I fight. The pressure of the bear is strong, but I too have a strong will. I will not be deterred. Besides, I do heal fast, I am like the fenghuang, that you call a phoenix. After all, I too have been through the shadows of death, adrift in the endless o, betrayed and broke I have e out the other side reborn.”

  “I know.” I said quickly. “I have no doubt of your abilities. But fast healing isn’t always a good thing. I don’t want to see you hurt, Daiyu.”

  At my words Kana ughed, her fear momentarily fotten. Bell had joined us, unlimbering her bow, and she whispered to me that I should say hings to her too, even as she loosed an arrow, striking the bear, though causing little more than a sting to it. Daiyu flushed, her face pink, before she nodded slowly.

  “I have no wish to cause you pain, nor to suffer it. But we are Dao panions. We walk the same road, suffer the same hurts, and advao the heights together.”

  “In that case… I have nothing more to say!” As Bell unleashed more arrows, p in her aether to empower them, we charged, and as the bear swept aside more bō’s vines, before defleg a surge of iron spikes from Fungbō, Haanōbō spoke to us, exasperated.

  “You are quite tardy! This is ival, for you to make merry and try and flirt with others.”

  “Jealous much?” Bell ughed, and Haanōbō gave her a ft look.

  “Do not be such a fool. Why would I have jealousy? No, I simply seek to win, to achieve what my father asked of me. You wish it too, no?” she said to me, and I agreed.

  “Of course. I gave my word I’d se the fme, and I io. Now…” I looked up at the t, bzing skeletal bear, and my Eye shone. I didn’t receive much more information, but I was searg it to see if I could find any weaknesses. As I did so, I drew oh element, the red bricks of the floor shattering, and the bear stumbled, footing shaken.

  “Press the advantage!” Arangbō boomed, his staff growing, the wood expanding, and one blow hammered into the bear’s knee joint, shattering it, though aether and the Lost Fme surged, reag out like tendrils to pull it back together. That’s it… The Lost Fme on the bear’s head and shoulders resisted Shungbō’s fming barrages, only dimming a little, but it gave me an idea.

  “Try and focus on one area and break it!” I shouted, Body Enhahrumming, my mind w. Time seemed to slow a little as I processed it, and though I wasn’t splitting my thoughts, what I was thinking became clearer, and I realised Split Thoughts, while useful in many circumstances, was also a bit of a crutch, limiting the growth of my mind in other ways. It’s not bad to try other forms of training sometimes…

  The ground exploded, and spikes of rock smmed into the bear’s other knee, and bone shuddered, before the socket popped out. It roared, both paws sshing down, and Arangbō blocked one, his staff shuddering, only for vio erupt, binding the arm. The other, I caught, muscles straining. It was like trying to catch a speeding truck, and the impact pushed me back, the differen strength not insurmountable, but the sheer mass of it overing iia. I ground my teeth, muscles g, and Foehn roared into life in my hands. Damn, that’s hot… Foehn is even hungry for me. Luckily, I know how to i…

  The bear roared, kig out with one leg, but Daiyu slid underh the blow. “First Strike. Single Palm!” she called, one blow nding, before moving smoothly into her stance. “Sed Strike. Twin Palms!” Two blows now, striking the same spot, iing Qi, though she was now usih element Qi with one hand, and water element with the other, the resonance causing further damage internally to the bohird Strike. Fer Cws!” Her hands blurred, doubling the hits. “Fourth Strike. Eight Turtle Blows!” Her muscles were screaming as the punches doubled again, and bone was starting to crack. “Fifth… Strike…” she grated, her expression pained, yet her eyes were eted. “Sixteen Phoenix Talons!” Her own bones and muscles cracked and tore, and blood scattered, yet her blessing healed her as the strikes rained down, and the leg-bone split, and uo support the weight, the bear lurched downwards.

  “Shit…” I cursed, and just as Foehn burned away the arm, snapping it off, it looked as if we were going to be crushed. That wasn’t the issue though. Lost Fme surged, and droplets of it were falling like rain, heading towards the spirit lights arou was then a barrage of brilliant bolts of blue and indiged the area, and a bubble of brilliant energy shielded me. Daiyu and Arangbō suddenly sunk into the ground and were swept backwards, out of the colpse, and a greater light burst, shielding Tsukiko-san and Kinneka.

  “Careful, Akio-kun!” Haru called, as her light died down. “I’m not worried about you, but… poor Tsukiko-san might be troubled.”

  “Not worried about me, huh?” I ughed, leaping clear as the skeletal bear shook the ground with its fall. It thehed in, and suddenly bellowed, sending torrents of Lost Fme surging towards me in a rolling wave, even as the corrupted fires spread, holding together the broken limbs. It’s w! “Prominence Dusk!” A halo of darkness surged behind me, surrounded by a bright ring of light. The Lost Fme billowed forth, washing around me like a tide, and Haanōbō let out a choked squeal.

  “Sanzu-no-Kawa!” A bck tide of water struck the fmes, trying to douse them around me, and Prominence Dusk started dev that too, a mixture of fme and water element mixed with my darkness which was flowing out of me, joining the halo, which was now pierg the fmes.

  “He is fine.” Daiyu was saying, leaping out of K?itigarbha’s embrace. “Such a fme him down.” I couldn’t see her, even with my Eye, due to the brilliant gre of the fmes, but I imagined from her tone she roud of me.

  “That’s right.” I called out. “So rex. We have this!” Prominence Dusk unleashed a twin surge of dark inky-bck fmes that somehow had , yet were burning everything around them, and a corrosive tide of disiion that seemed to flow like liquid. The bear skeleton, with fresh makeshift repairs of fme holding together broken bones, let out a mournful, angry cry as the two waves of opposi plementary energies struck it, and explosi out, the bear colpsing once more, ribs snapping off, one arm go the wrist, bck fmes burning even the desiccated marrow.

  “I was not worried. I just had no wish for us to suffer casualties now.” Haanōbō shook her masked head, violet hair dang, her golden eyes wide as she watched the devastation of my trump card, before looking at the shimmering halo of darkness and light as it faded around me, giving off brilliant sparks. “Pretty…” she breathed.

  “The time to strike is now!” Arangbō boomed, staff crashing down, more bones crag. The bear kicked out, and he leapt back, only for fmes to rain down, and this time the bear’s roars were pained rather than furious. Arrows from Bell were hitting it, fog on areas where the bones were already itted and cracked, yet the number was rger than I expected and I turo see Motoko and Natsumi using their own bows from the safety of the back of the cavern, though their expressions were bitter.

  “Wherike, our arrows do almost nothing. Even when we use wind to accelerate them…” Motoko said sadly. “Is this the difference of League? I envy you, Kana.”

  “You do? Why? I hardly help, and at least you are brave. I’m shaking so much I’m surprised you ’t hear my teeth rattle.” Kana fessed.

  “But you didn’t run away.” Natsumi pointed out. Like Motoko, she was determio stand and fight, though even as she loosed another arrow, jade energies scattering, she frowned in disappoi as the arrow struck bone and bounced off, wind elements scattering off it barely causing a scratch. “And you acted to save Daiyu and the Tengu.”

  “That’s because… why would I? Akio’s here, and we have Na’s barrier.” The woman looked surprised at beiioned, and Kana sighed. “It’s not my own bravery, I’m just borrowing it from my belief in others.”

  “Is that not bravery in itself? There is only oime a warrior be brave.” Motoko disagreed. “When they know fear.”

  “That’s right. Fear is the voice of reason. It’s just sometimes it gets the better of you, forces you to bad choices when it gets too bold. But you are still thinking. You’re right. Akio’s here.”

  “Enough chit-chat.” Haru said, her light melting through more bones, ser focussed, while her free hand was stantly bathing me in her Light Of Muted Desires. She looks rather terrible, still burning with Lost Fme… I hope she’s all right. “Relying on Akio-kun is all very well, and I get it. I lean on him too. But Kana… are you good at everything you do the first time? I know when I started work, I made mistakes. Everyone does. Just… do your best, all right?”

  As they tio talk, I drew St Moonlight. The bear had swatted side most of Shungbō’s sing fmes, but it was having an effect. The Lost Fire was too spread out now, having to hold together a number of shattered bones, cracked joints and missing pieces, and now the bear was more fme than bone. Vines ed it, and the ground u rippled, Kana w her Divine Favour hard.

  “We have to deal with the fmes.” I pointed out again. “I have a way, if you trust me.” I said to them all. Though I’ll only have one shot at an instant kill, so I’d like to spread the Lost Fme thinner, first.

  “We have little time fuments.” Arangbō spoke for them all, as he ushed back, his eaff splintering under a mighty paw, the bear somehow growing fiercer and faster. My Eye glowed and I realised why. I was not alone, as Daiyu, who had e up beside me, pointed out. Her arms were covered in blood, and on seeing that she looked slightly apologetic.

  “I am sorry. You did say you hate to see me getting injured. But I hought I could reach the Sixteen Strikes. Even the Eight before pushed me to my limits… no, that is not what is important now.” She shook her head, finishihought. “My Qi Perception has noticed. The brute is drawing in the Sacred Fme as well!”

  “Yes, but it’s clever. Lost Fme has burhrough the bone parts of the hearth, and now there’s a el through the ground…”

  “It’s a problem. But we ha!” I called out to the Tengu, outlining my pn. “We o split up. Some of you have to close the el, and then I finish the bear skeleton off.”

  “I will hold it here. Fungbō, you too!” Arangbō ordered, and with a searg look at me, the Tengu agreed. Fmes cascaded down, and I started unleashih element, strikes of rod heavy bullets of stone barraging the r bear corpse, breaking as much of the bone as possible, spreading the fme thinner. No, that won’t work… behind us, the Sacred Fme flickered, dimming a little, and Fungbō cried out that my attacks were weakening the fmes we were supposed to be proteg.

  “Is that your aim? Destroying what you swore to save?” he spat, insed, his metal body allowing him to pass through the rain of sparks and ashes that were stantly falling from the huge bear.

  “Brother, do not be such a fool…” Haanōbō chastised him, but he merely growled, his anger rising.

  “You would side with him, sister. Or should I not call you that now? You pathetic crow, go flit around your new brother. Perhaps you phis with him, everything a farce? Yes, yes, that makes sense!” At that insult Haanōbō was taken aback, gasping, wings trembling.

  “Are you mad, Fungbō?” Shungbō grasped his shoulder, and then his hand was knocked aside. “We all lost. And Great Tarōbō gave his blessings. Do you think he is easily fooled? We must focus on what matters. The fme, brother, the fme!” he reached out once more.

  Fungbō knocked his hand away again. “Yes, you are correct. I was carried away by the situation for a moment. The fme. Of course. But what we do?”

  “I’ll unch my attack shortly. Buy me some time, and try and cut the el beforehand so I don’t damage the Sacred Fme as much.” I turo Daiyu. “Go with Haanōbō and Shungbō. Show them where the fme is being drained from.” As she nodded, I turo Bell. “You’re with me. Arangbō, Fungbō, you two stall it while I prepare Prominence Dawn.” I then paused. “Nobody get in lih me and the bear, stay out of the direct path. This radiance burns.”

  Haanōbō opened her mouth to ask what I meant, only for her eyes to go wide behind her mask, a shining ring of brilliant light f behind my back mirrored by her golden orbs, and a dark penumbra was around it. I felt Foehn rising within me, eager. You’ll get to feast soon enough, don’t worry. pared to that toad e, this should be fine, but…

  “There is no time for admiration. We must make haste!” Daiyu dragged her away, and Fungbō followed.

  “I am over here!” Bell darted away, firing an arrow, distrag the bear, which turned angrily, swatting towards her with its remaining paw, fmes scattering. As she dodged, blue hair streaming out behind her, Bell ughed. “It is like fighting Fomorans. They are big and surprisingly fast, but our smaller size be used against them.”

  “Annoying woman…” Fungbō hissed. Covered ial, fmes sparkling around him, he created a massive metal bde and swung, staggering the bear. He struck down agaial fragmenting, sending shards over a wide area, causing everyoo duck, and he clicked his tongue.

  “Fragile, brother.” Arangbō ughed. “Is that how low the Autum has fallen?” He created a tide of vines, ing the bear and squeezing, though as it was wreathed ihe vines quickly began to b and char, some snapping and turning to dust and dirt.

  “The Spri seems er.” Fungbō scoffed bitterly.

  “The vein is here!” Daiyu pointed. “But reag it to sever it is difficult. It is several metres below the surface, and the ground is solid.” That close to the fme, her sweat was smoking, a silver mist rising from her.

  “Perhaps…” Haanōbō frowned. “Oh Genbu, Lord Of Winter, Master…” she began her t, and uanding, Shungbō began his to Suzaku. Elemental energies were swirling, but I had no time to cheer them on, as I was kneading Foehn into the shining halo of Prominence Dawal shards were falling around me, boung off my skin, leaving faint cuts which healed instantly, while the ground ed and boiled. Kana was doing her best to she bear, while Haru was sniping it accurately, shattering a boh every focussed bst of shimmering energy. Even Motoko and Natsumi were helping, their arrows joining Bell’s, mere pinpricks, but enough te the mindless, dead bear.

  “Stay down!” As one bony foot sank into the quagmire Kana had caused, Arangbō used his own vio throw himself forwards, and his staff shattered from the impact, as did the leg of the bear. It roared, belg fmes over him, though he mao shield himself with a wall of vines, long enough for Kana to pull him underground.

  “Kana, it is your time to show what you are worth!” Daiyu called suddenly. “erhaps pierce the surface, but with your ability, this battle surely be resolved to our advantage.”

  Uanding, Kana shook her head. “I ’t. it’s too far. I’m already at my limit!”

  “Limits be surpassed. If you wish it. Now I could give you all the encement I …” the burning Haru said warmly. “… but I suspeeone else motivate you better.”

  “That’s right.” I called out. “You’re Izumi Kana, aren’t you? You said it yourself, selfish, shallow and always cute. But that’s not all.” The maelstrom of battle was whirling, and I jumped away from gouts of the Lost Fme, proteg the spirit lights from being inated. Metal down, the ground now a carpet of sharp, broken splinters, and Fungbō was driving the bear back. Arangbō roared like a bull and charged, his bare fists g brittle bone, before the bear kicked him away, the impact making him growl with pain, clutg his chest.

  “No…” I finished, as I had nearly filled the Prominence Dawn. “…you’re also the shrine maiden of Shirohebizumi, holder of the Divine Favour of K?itigarbha, and while all that is awesome, what matters most is, you’re my girlfriend, and I want to see you do something damn cool! Win my heart more, make me fall deeper!”

  Kana blushed, frozen, before nodding. “You are beati my own game. Such a tease. But… I really ’t reach, so…” she seized Na by the arm. “…take me closer!”

  As Kana was ed in a bubble, her footsteps g oal, bone and stone underfoot, she gestured, and the ground ed. It was then that the two ts finished, and suddenly a pair of pilrs, water and fire, wound together, just as I had done earlier.

  “I do it!” Kana was straining, as the fming, parasitical bond of the Lost Fme reached the surface. Water and fme struck it, boiling into a massive steam explosion, the superheated mist buffeting us all, shutting off our vision. Kana squealed, fetting for a moment she was in a barrier, before looking down, embarrassed.

  In the world of hot white moisture, my Eye was able to see clearly. The bitack had cut the flow of Spirit Fire, a tail of Lost Fme twitg restlessly, like a shout a head. The bear had staggered, thrown aside, and I leapt, moving to a safe position. “Everyoand still, I’m going to strike!” I roared, and Prominence Dawn fshed, a beam of light hurtling forward, radiance bearing the power of Foehn bathing the enraged bear. For a moment it held the light back, fmes starting to flicker and die, r and pushing forwards, steps shaking the ground, but then it stumbled, fire holding it together winking out of existence. Bone began to b and char, disiing, and soon it exploded, a surge of ether filling me, more than I would have expected, the oppression of the Territory around us colpsing. Further ether was drawn upwards, likely to Tarōbō’s Territory, but the amount I pulled in was wele, and I immediately started cyg it to aether.

  You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from…

  Your Skill, Foehn, Inexhaustible Bze, has…

  As expected, it took a big oo get me some levels… As I rexed, my Eye dimming, exhaustion hitting me, I heard a g and a scream, a horrible cry of pain, and I felt my Foehn strike something else. As the steam died out, I could see Shungbō, or rather what was left of him, as half of his body was gone, Foehn having burned him away. He blinked, uo speak, throat scorched, and he raised orembling hand, pointing accusatorily… He wasn’t there! He was over by Haanōbō, well outside the line of fire…

  His hand poio where Haanōbō, Daiyu and Fungbō were standing, his firembling, before his arm dropped, limp.

  “It was Haanōbō, I saw her! She attacked her own brother and threw him into the path of that attack. She must have coordinated with that outsider to kill us all! I was nearly done in as well, but I leapt over here in time. But not in time to save Shungbō!” As Fungbō wailed, Haanōbō standing there motionless, Daiyu adopting a defeance, I frowhe rusted knife plunges into the fmes… rusted… I looked down, seeing the carpet of brokeal on the floor around us, already starting to pit and corrode, and everything was clear to me. Of course. You absolute piece of shit…

  “Oh really? sidering we’ve been apart this whole time, and only met each ain now, how could we pn anything? I think you’re full of shit. Fungbō, it was you!” my words echoed, and it was his turn to freeze. What? You think I’m just going to think Haanōbō got pissed off with all your bullying and tried to kill you off? I know I didn’t spire with her. After all, I only taught Shaeraggo a lesson, and he did worse than you to his sister.

  As the injured Arangbō looked between us both, horrified, blood soaking his chest and wings, Haru called out, her tone urgent. “Akio, everyohere’s no time! It’s not over!” The headless snake of Lost Fme squirmed, darting forwards, and it plunged into the corpse of Shungbō, bursting into brilliant fme, a sed half of fire mirr the half of flesh. As the corpse rose, my Eye bzed, and I could see that Shungbō’s dissipating spirit was mostly Lost Fme now, swelling and growing a wing of fme behind it that reached out a dozeres behind it.

  And I thought we’d won… my eyes met Daiyu’s, who nodded. Yes, all we do is defeat Shungbō and secure that kin syer Fungbō. Then it’ll be up to Tarōbō to sort his damn kids out… although… I looked at Haanōbō, who was still frozen, eyes wide in horror at the state of her fallen brother. Damnit, I made this my business by meddling. I have to see it through, no matter what!

  ShipTeaser