[BitPR²] Mortal World IV

[Kuroimaken]

[Tokyo]
[Von Geister Manor]
Von Geister turns and walks towards a nearby wall.

"Oh, little one, you misunderstand me so completely. I am not asking for a compromise. I am giving you a simple deal in good faith. Which is far more than I need to offer really."

His hand dives into the fleshy surface, and comes out again gripping something that writhes and claws at the air, a larva.

"I mean, you people should know by now that I have peerless methods of mind control."

Von Geister throws the larva at Toki's chest, and it starts crawling all over him, its spindly legs poking into all the orifices of his face.

-----

[Russia]

A great limb bearing an oversized eye erupts from the air ahead of the pair. It is a goat-like eye, very properly and classically eldritch/fiendish.

It has a relatively weak spiritual signature.

[Tokyo, Von Geister Manor]

"HA-CHOO!!"

Toki's sneezing comes off as a bit more forceful than it ought to. It certainly shouldn't reach the kind of velocity that throws the larva off his chest and onto the ground. It is mostly unharmed, though.

After all, Toki only "flexed" his spiritual pressure a little bit.

"Sorry. I'm allergic to mind control, Your Highness.

I am also sorry if my turning down such a deal offended you. We're not used to taking them at face value in our line of work. Too many unseen strings attached."

______________

[Russia]

"...that's not what I smelled, but it's got a different stench altogether." Sagarosso replies. The vampire's face turns into an appropriate scowl in response, but he seems more interested than intimidated by this creature.

[strawberryman]

[Tokyo, Japan]
(Moto Corp - Lower levels)

Naito steps into... something between the aftermath of a horror movie and a fire. The walls are charred and blood-covered, and there's burned bodies everywhere. All's quiet for now, but on heading towards the center, there's the telltale clapping of boots scuffing the floor and clicking of guns being readied.

(Moto Corp - CEO's Office)

Kato pistol-whips Margrave just to shut him up, stepping away as she receives another report of Misaki's progress. "Patch me in." Pause. "YOU HEARD ME, PATCH ME IN." She taps her foot impatiently.

Yoshiro is still stifling amusement at her flustered state.

(Moto Corp)

Misaki continues tearing through the building and the Moto agents in her way, burning them effortlessly with her mere presence. The building groans and fires start, cracking glass and causing explosions from backdraft. But then... the intercom system crackles to life.

"Shizuka, you have real guts coming here, but this is stopping now. If you don't drop your Vollstandig where you are, you're gonna kill your little crush."

Misaki stops. Then... paces forward. The agents have stopped milling into the blender, holding off for now.

"Part of you doesn't believe me. I know that. But maybe he'll say a few words?" There's a scuffling noise. Then a distinctive smack of a pistol-whipping. "...don't give her the satisfaction, Misaki. Do what you need to."

Misaki stops again. "How very touching. Now there's three people up here, and only your precious Yoshi-kun is gonna burn up if you come in tits blazing. So cool them down or this is going to be a romantic tragedy." She trembles... and then a scream echoes through the whole of the building. It's not... a normal scream, it's the roar of primal fire as Misaki lets all of the heat she's built up leak out. Windows shatter, and the whole of the center of the building is charred black as the (former) assassin pulls at her helmet, clawing it apart. The wheels burn up, submitting to the flames, while Misaki tears at her vollstandig's conjured outfit.

The heat and flames die down just as suddenly as Misaki stands mostly nude, clinging onto the remnants of her reishi-conjured vestments, flicking an active seele schneider in each hand. With bare feet, she pads forward swiftly, vaulting stairs, bisecting doors. She comes across a squad of prepared Moto agents, a hail of gunfire hitting... mostly air and the spinning blades of her weapons as she jumps forth in hirenyaku, skillfully deflecting or dodging bullets. She cuts into the first, the second... the fifth, in the space of mere seconds.

After all, she was still the best assassin in the clan. And now... she had something to fight for. She advances, undaunted by the squads forming in front of her. She'd make sure Yoshiro got out of this safe.

At the least.

(Moto Corp - CEO's Office)

Kato smirks as the explosion rocks the lower floors. The office was warded and shielded from the effects without. Then... she blinks. "...wait, she what?"

"...STOP HER. STOP HER, STOP HER. KILL HER. SHE'S JUST A BITCH WITH SWORDS! ALL OF YOU TOGETHER ARE BETTER THAN HER!" She shuts her comm off, seething.

(Von Geister Manor - Basement)

Felicia twitches in pain as she feels the feedback from the lightning, gnashing her teeth. "...I hate you. I hate, hate, hate, hate, HATE you. Do you really think you're so untouchable? All of you! You are way, way too vulnerable, because of one flaw."

She exits the observation room, standing next to her father. "You don't care enough to do what actually needs to be done to win."

[Draken]

[Tokyo]
[Von Geister Manor]

Von Geister sighs. Not at Toki's trick, more at Felicia's outburst.

"Darling, that is simply not the proper attitude for the mood I am trying to build. A veneer of civility with severe undertones of fear and helplessness. We have spoken about this before."

The larva is back on his arm.

"It is true, sure, but mistimed."

But then the larva is flung off towards a wall. it vanishes into the surface as if it were water.

"Still, our guest has made it clear that we will not be doing this the easy way."

The old man looms over Toki, adjusting the edges of his shirt a bit.

"Defile..."

Fleshless limbs erupt from where they shouldn't, and plated hands exist from directions that hurt to think of. Far too many jaws link into a maw not meant for mandibles and a burning eye flares to light at the bottom of that throat. Walls, floors, ceilings and whole worlds are engulfed by a writhing mob of tentacles.

"Misa Cancerosa."

Von Geister looks down on Toki.

"But the hard way is usually so much more fun."

With that, Von Geister begins to analyze the pattern of Toki's spiritual power and his technique. Already do tendrils physical and spiritual alike prod at the established link, tug at it and attempt to mimic it. Each curious tentacle a scalpel, a needle or a forceps, a wondrous surgical arsenal wrought in bone and soul.

"One of my knights told me that there was a child among you of superb strength, he is not easily impressed. He was equally impressed by the youth's wisdom to understand futility when faced with it."

"So tell me, are you as wise as a child?"

It is a strange question to ask, Von Geister has his eye trained on Toki, by all mean, the man can't move a muscle. Then again, he can think.

----------

[Russia]

Argos shifts its eye between the vampire and the man.

And spins around a bit.

And looks away very quickly.

And finally brings out its little electronic tablet. It's a new age monster from beyond time and space after all. And starts writing.

"Greetings. I am Argos. What brings the both of you to this area?"

[Dorizzit]

[Tokyo]
Moto Corp: Lower Levels

Naito sighs and strolls through the hallways, admiring Misaki's work.

"Not too shabby, psycho-b****. I'm almost impressed."

Naito pauses at the series of announcements, taking the time to load a Seele Schneider into each gauntlet. The Quincy startles from the scream, but the surprise fades into more amusement almost immediately.

"Guess I'm still playing cleanup."

Naito begins running, heading towards the nearest source of noise.

[Kuroimaken]

[Tokyo]
[Von Geister Manor]

Von Geister sighs. Not at Toki's trick, more at Felicia's outburst.

"Darling, that is simply not the proper attitude for the mood I am trying to build. A veneer of civility with severe undertones of fear and helplessness. We have spoken about this before."

The larva is back on his arm.

"It is true, sure, but mistimed."

But then the larva is flung off towards a wall. it vanishes into the surface as if it were water.

"Still, our guest has made it clear that we will not be doing this the easy way."

The old man looms over Toki, adjusting the edges of his shirt a bit.

"Defile..."

Fleshless limbs erupt from where they shouldn't, and plated hands exist from directions that hurt to think of. Far too many jaws link into a maw not meant for mandibles and a burning eye flares to light at the bottom of that throat. Walls, floors, ceilings and whole worlds are engulfed by a writhing mob of tentacles.

"Misa Cancerosa."

Von Geister looks down on Toki.

"But the hard way is usually so much more fun."

With that, Von Geister begins to analyze the pattern of Toki's spiritual power and his technique. Already do tendrils physical and spiritual alike prod at the established link, tug at it and attempt to mimic it.

"One of my knights told me that there was a child among you of superb strength, he is not easily impressed. He was equally impressed by the youth's wisdom to understand futility when faced with it."

"So tell me, are you as wise as a child?"

It is a strange question to ask, Von Geister has his eye trained on Toki, by all mean, the man can't move a muscle. Then again, he can think.

----------

[Russia]

Argos shifts its eye between the vampire and the man.

And spins around a bit.

And looks away very quickly.

And finally brings out its little electronic tablet. It's a new age monster from beyond time and space after all. And starts writing.

"Greetings. I am Argos. What brings the both of you to this area?"

[Tokyo, Von Geister Manor]

"You must be talking about Yamada-kun! Such a fine, upstanding young man. So much confidence to gain." Toki jests.

And this is, of course, when Von Geister discovers something wrong. (Why shouldn't he?)

For one thing, there should be a thread of his spirit SOMEWHERE linking the two. Or there should be something of his in Felicia that allowed the link to work.

There isn't. Although Geister can identify something in Toki that is likely the origin of the spell effect, it's hard to make heads or tails of it, quite simply because it makes no sense. It isn't connected to him in any way - and yet it's stuck to him, as if someone actually glued a sticker onto the air, without a wall to stick it to. It is unmistakably his in some way, but it doesn't match his spirit.

Of course, the Kuzunoha use leylines to power their spells, so that would make sense... except that Von Geister can see that the energy from the Earth isn't what altered this spiritual signature. Could he have done it himself? Why would he bother? Furthermore, would he have been able to do it in the heat of battle?

Was it connected to an actual, physical object somewhere? If so, Geister should be able to sense its location. But nothing indicated this to be a possibility either.

The entire makeup of his ability didn't make a lick of sense, and it seemed to break several rules of what a spiritual ability should be able to do. Basic energy conservation, for one.

Was he disguising his real ability somehow? No, the old ghost would've picked that up. There wasn't a wool to pull over Von Geister's eyes. The only explanation that made sense was that what he was trying to analyze was either incomplete or just plain not there.

"Futility, huh? I guess what I'm trying to do IS futile. I'm trying to guess what it is exactly you want from me. You're trying to figure my spell out.

Only one of us needs to succeed for this story to move forward, Your Highness. If you honestly expect me to be intimidated, I'm sorry to have to disappoint you."

It would go on beyond that.

"You asked me if I was as wise as a child. Knowing futility is a step towards maturity, to be sure. But wisdom? That lies in making your own path to make futility into the past.

You will not kill me. Nor will you discover the secret behind this spell. I will undo it, and Felicia will infect me. Many will suffer because of that.

But neither I nor the ones that I spread this infection to will die. That much, Fate itself assures me.

Inside my left pocket, there should be a deck of cards. Care to take it out and pull the one right on top for me?"

________________

[Russia]

Sagarosso does a double-take and blinks. This thing was just plain weird.

"Curiosity, mostly. I am called Sagarosso."

[Frozen_Feet]

[Russia]

"Oh, just here to destroy the world", the bandaged stranger replies flippantly. He looks at Sagarosso while pointing at Argos. "Do you know what that is?"

The stranger's tone implies he knows exactly what Argos is.

Meanwhile, Argos can glean a lot of information from the stranger. His outfit and miserable condition is similar to Mikael Esaja Rautiainen, as Argos passingly met him on streets of Ikari. His height and build don't match, however.

More, lineages of the stranger's body and soul are obviously mismatched. Or, not exactly mismatched... rather, the original soul has been subsumed to a vastly greater whole. Argos has seen this hideously complex and redundant mess before, in the ethereal veins of the many-eyed, snake-haired Arrancar it met in the Void not too long ago.

The body seems to be going through some process of material change to accommodate the spiritual one. But the driving force behind it remains obscure. It doesn't appear to have any direct link to the stranger's ridiculous spiritual genetics, as the body's DNA remains unchanged. Though even a link between them would not explain the odd materials the stranger's metabolism is producing - they appear abiological in nature, and how to make them is not written anywhere in Human, Hollow or Shinigami DNA, no matter how many times those might be layered and repeated in one genome.

[Kuroimaken]

Spoiler: The Motos

Show

[Tokyo, Japan]
(Moto Corp - Lower levels)

Naito steps into... something between the aftermath of a horror movie and a fire. The walls are charred and blood-covered, and there's burned bodies everywhere. All's quiet for now, but on heading towards the center, there's the telltale clapping of boots scuffing the floor and clicking of guns being readied.

(Moto Corp - CEO's Office)

Kato pistol-whips Margrave just to shut him up, stepping away as she receives another report of Misaki's progress. "Patch me in." Pause. "YOU HEARD ME, PATCH ME IN." She taps her foot impatiently.

Yoshiro is still stifling amusement at her flustered state.

(Moto Corp)

Misaki continues tearing through the building and the Moto agents in her way, burning them effortlessly with her mere presence. The building groans and fires start, cracking glass and causing explosions from backdraft. But then... the intercom system crackles to life.

"Shizuka, you have real guts coming here, but this is stopping now. If you don't drop your Vollstandig where you are, you're gonna kill your little crush."

Misaki stops. Then... paces forward. The agents have stopped milling into the blender, holding off for now.

"Part of you doesn't believe me. I know that. But maybe he'll say a few words?" There's a scuffling noise. Then a distinctive smack of a pistol-whipping. "...don't give her the satisfaction, Misaki. Do what you need to."

Misaki stops again. "How very touching. Now there's three people up here, and only your precious Yoshi-kun is gonna burn up if you come in tits blazing. So cool them down or this is going to be a romantic tragedy." She trembles... and then a scream echoes through the whole of the building. It's not... a normal scream, it's the roar of primal fire as Misaki lets all of the heat she's built up leak out. Windows shatter, and the whole of the center of the building is charred black as the (former) assassin pulls at her helmet, clawing it apart. The wheels burn up, submitting to the flames, while Misaki tears at her vollstandig's conjured outfit.

The heat and flames die down just as suddenly as Misaki stands mostly nude, clinging onto the remnants of her reishi-conjured vestments, flicking an active seele schneider in each hand. With bare feet, she pads forward swiftly, vaulting stairs, bisecting doors. She comes across a squad of prepared Moto agents, a hail of gunfire hitting... mostly air and the spinning blades of her weapons as she jumps forth in hirenyaku, skillfully deflecting or dodging bullets. She cuts into the first, the second... the fifth, in the space of mere seconds.

After all, she was still the best assassin in the clan. And now... she had something to fight for. She advances, undaunted by the squads forming in front of her. She'd make sure Yoshiro got out of this safe.

At the least.

(Moto Corp - CEO's Office)

Kato smirks as the explosion rocks the lower floors. The office was warded and shielded from the effects without. Then... she blinks. "...wait, she what?"

"...STOP HER. STOP HER, STOP HER. KILL HER. SHE'S JUST A BITCH WITH SWORDS! ALL OF YOU TOGETHER ARE BETTER THAN HER!" She shuts her comm off, seething.

"Hey, Chuck. Can you knock on her window for me, please?"

"Sure."

Chuck shoots the window repeatedly. His aim is not to shatter it, but rather "paint" an arrow in it.

It's pointing to Shinji, whom both nonchalantly and conspicuously floats in the air looking at the window itself, smiling and waving.

Kato's phone rings.

[strawberryman]

(Moto Corp - CEO's Office)

Kato looks out the window, still furious. With one hand, she taps her communicator to answer the call. With the other, she reaches for... her belt? As the line connects, she takes the initiative, saying a single word.

"Vollständig." Light floods out of the office. Scathing, blinding light that shines out through even the slightly tinted office windows.

[Kuroimaken]

[Tokyo, Moto Corp]
Shinji closes his eyes forcefully, throwing a hand in front of his face. The gathering dark clouds surround him to minimize the effect of Kato's impossibly blinding luminescence, and he throws on an added barrier for good measure. But he's not taking an aggressive position... not yet.

"Hello, Kato-san. I wanted to discuss the terms of your surrender."

[strawberryman]

[Tokyo, Japan]
(Moto Corp - Underfacility)

Naito turns a corner to... a firing squad. But... they're facing the other way. Of course, a few of them are alerted to their presence, and they turn and...

"Open Fire!"

That sure is a hail of reishi bullets.

(Moto Corp - Exterior)

"Denied." The light only builds as... a massive blinding arrow the size of a bus flies for Shinji and Chuck, the blast windows open to allow Kato a clear shot. Perhaps unwise. But she still had a home field advantage. Of course... the arrow will hit civilian buildings if they don't do something about it.

[Kuroimaken]

[Tokyo, Moto Corp]

Right up to the point she says that, Shinji looks dead serious. Like, he wanted to actually listen to her in some capacity.

But the moment her tongue finds her teeth to say 'denied', he actually cracks a smile. A wide one, with manic glee even.

Why.

Why is he smiling. What does he know? He's just a brat. An arrogant little brat. She lived under Satomi's heel for years, and she even got that she-dog out of her way. She had power now. REAL power, not just the kind that flows from the barrel of a gun. What right did he have to mock her so?! What could he possibly do?!

"Well, you can't say I didn't try."

Her power was impressive, of that there was no doubt. The sheer willpower it must've taken to coalesce that much Reishi that quickly and to set it moving at such a speed must've been staggering to say the least, and the effortlessness with which she threw that at him could only inspire that decisive moment of hesitation that ends a battle. It doesn't even have a name or a setup, that's how easy it was for her to shoot it.

So why was he smiling?

Counter to the bus-sized conglomeration of energy, Shinji extended his hand and quickly traced the air. Darkness flowed from nothingness as it engulfed the titanic flow of Reishi, holding it in the form of a massive hand grasping and strangling the motion out of her assault. The mass of light disappeared in a multitude of motes of flickering white and black, as did the hand.

"Right now, there is a 43,821% chance you're thinking: 'he must be using some kind of trick'. The remaining 56,179% are mostly divided between 'stupid kid', 'get out of my way', 'is that bitch Misaki dead yet', 'ugh, how annoying' and 'why do they lack the collective decency to die?'." The Grandmaster of the Kuzunoha clan explained. He might actually have gotten one of those right.

"I just wanted to give you one last chance to get out of this alive, Kato-san. Even if you didn't deserve it.

But..."

The darkness behind Shinji grows once more. It's not just the gathering storm clouds anymore. It's actually difficult to make out the difference between where the Reishi ends and the kishi begins. The darker clouds aren't fully spiritual in nature.

And from within the eyes of the Abyss peek back.

"...I guess, all along, you were fated to die.

Kuzunoha Clan Night Parade of the Hundred Demons. I offer you a feast of sin."

Nightmarish ayakashi of all kinds flow from the darkness, shooting throughout the building as they seek out the criminals of the Moto clan.

[strawberryman]

(Moto Corp - CEO's Office)

Kato, clad in white armor that's blindingly brilliant to look at, twitches in irritation. "ALL BODIES TO THE CEO FLOOR, NOW!"

There's a pause. Kato twitches, frantic expression turning into the insane fake grin of one in intense denial. "What... did you say, you little-"

The intercom blares to life as one of the agents below takes the system over with his communicator. "I said go **** yourself. All Moto agents, retreat by whatever safe egress you can find. Stay in groups, do not attempt to engage Shizuka, only get what insurgents out of your way that you need to. We are abandoning ship."

Kato twitches. Then screams in rage, firing a furious volley of arrows at the ayakashi attempting to enter through the blast window before closing it again. A tengu manages to tackle her, and she responds by furiously counter-slashing it with a seele schneider on her belt.
"LISTEN TO ME, YOU PRICKS, I WILL HUNT DOWN THE DESERTERS! I -KILLED- SATOMI!" There's no response.

Then the door falls apart, sliced in two by shining blades. Misaki stands on the other side, staring Kato down as she turns. Despite the fact that Misaki could easily close the distance, and Kato could easily start the fight then and there... they just stare at eachother.

"...so what are you waiting for?"

"Let Yoshi-kun free."

"And why in the hell would I do that?"

"Because if he gets hurt while we're fighting he's worth nothing to you even if you kill me."

Kato calculates this for a moment, twitching in irritation. "Fine, bitch. Go ahead."

Misaki moves to the gurney, and starts unstrapping Yoshiro. "Misaki, I-"

"...you're safe. That's what matters to me." She gives him a teary smile, genuinely and profoundly relieved.

"I love you." Misaki's eyes widen. She drops her hands after unfastening Yoshiro, just shocked.

"...I changed my mind, enough of this bull****!" Misaki snaps out of it and kicks Yoshiro's gurney, sending him sprawling as she ducks under the slice Kato makes for Misaki's head, reactivating her seele schneider as she counterattacks, aiming for Kato's hands to literally disarm her. She steps back, thrown off by the sudden response, but keeps up a solid defense as Misaki activates her second blade, sending a vicious flurry of still quite accurate blows, and it's all Kato can do to keep her back.

He said...

A leap over Kato and combined slash for her shoulderblades meets condensed reishi as Kato deflects the blow and steps away.

He said he... really...

A combination of blows aimed at Kato's neck and torso are fended off, and she pirouettes back as Kato aims for a quick leg sweep.

LOVES ME!

They lock blades for a few precious seconds, staring eachother down. Kato with a furious, incredulous glare... and Misaki in a state of determined bliss.

"WHY DON'T YOU DIE!?" Kato pushes Misaki back and starts her own offense, making two-handed swings as opposed to Misaki's dual-wielding, but Misaki proves as effective at defense as her.

"You wouldn't understand! You're even worse than I was... I have something to fight for!"

Meanwhile, Yoshiro just sneaks over to Margrave, attempting to free him... awkwardly. Having one arm is really a pain. "...I would say help her, but... I'm not sure I believe what I'm seeing. What's our next step?

[Kuroimaken]

[Moto Corp]

Actually, the ayakashi don't try to go for the blast window. Kato is not their target.

The Moto deserters pay a high price for their dissent. All along, the whole point of the ayakashi army was to massacre them. Kato wasn't ever so much as a secondary target.

Yoshiro finds that Margrave is surprisingly easy to free, even one-handed - he'd been working at it since before they were brought in. (Come to think of it, how did he do that cigarette trick earlier?)

"Kid was right. I couldn't understand half of what he said, but I guess this was something you had to do after all.

Listen, Yoshiro. Misaki is fighting a really one-sided fight - it may not look it right now, because she's got the psychological advantage over Kato, and yes, I know how that sounds - but there's only so much she can do at this point. I don't have the vast majority of my gear, and I can't sneak you out or Kato might try to go after you, and I don't know if I can keep her off your back in my condition. Our best bet is to hold out while Shinji's hyakki yagyou slaughters what few Motos Naito hasn't gotten to yet, and then it's curtains for Kato.

But Shinji warned me that she might, at some point, gain the upper hand before we do. And when that happens..."

Margrave reaches for the gun Kato had discarded when she went into Vollstandig. And he hands it to Yoshiro.

"...you're gonna have to shoot her to protect the love of your life."

[Dorizzit]

[Moto Corp]
Moments Ago

Naito smiles at the firing squad's futile offensive, twisting to efficiently dodge the fusillade.

"Adorable. Vollständig: Zeruel."

The seamless white armor of Naito's Vollständig easily deflects any projectiles that come into contact with it, rendering the firing squad even less offensive. Naito lifts one hand into the air. A number of large spears condense out of Reishi, one for each of the Quincies.

"Should have tried to run."

Now

The Ayakashi horde is receiving stiff competition from the lone Quincy. Reading the situation, Naito abandoned a slow, methodical approach blocking off escape routes into a simple rampage after the Ayakashi began to surround the building. Naito's work is brutal, messy, and inefficient, but invariably fatal, leaving only the dead and dying behind. Naito gives little thought to level, smashing ceilings and floors to get to the nearest group of fleeing soldiers as quickly as possible.

[strawberryman]

(Moto Corps)

Naito doesn't even really find much of a challenge in these guys. They're assassins, they specialize in sneak attacks. So the lances pierce through them easily, and the rest is a bloody mess.

________________________

"...you realize of course I've never fired a gun in my life and you are infinitely more able."

Misaki disappears into hirenyaku as Kato slashes for her... and then cries out as her rival assassin makes a hit and run attack, managing a shallow cleave through her back armor. She recovers her defense as Misaki continues the mobile assault. "This... is... ridiculous!" There's another blinding flash emanating from Kato's armor as Misaki crashes to the ground a second later, Kato having caught her with a kick after the sudden eruption of light. She's quickly upright, but... can't see anything. Kato charges swiftly.

Time slows for Misaki as she takes a breath. Everything is a blinding blur of brilliance, she can't make anything out, but... she can hear plenty.

Clack... clack... clack...

The distinctive sound of Kato's heels was unmistakable, even transformed into armor as they were. Misaki empties her mind of all other thoughts, focusing only on the direction of the footsteps, drowning out even her own heavy heartbeat.

Then... Now! Misaki swings upward as Kato reaches her, all in the span of a second. Kato panics to throw up a defense, deflecting the blow some... but slicing through the right side of her face. The only reason blood doesn't even spray everywhere is that the cut is instantly cauterized by the energy. Still, the scream is pretty satisfying to the audience, I'm sure. Even if they might not be able to see the exchange after the sudden flash.

Misaki doesn't have time to gloat, though, as Kato makes a wild swing with one arm. Even with her heightened senses through focus, with this close of a distance she had less time to focus, so she backs off, and suffers a slice across her torso. Kato follows up by switching to her bow in the span of a second, firing arrows considerably smaller than the one she aimed at Shinji at her enemy. Still, the act of dodging arrows is complicated when mostly blind, and still Misaki also had to keep in mind a spacial awareness of Yoshiro's position. She jumps, rolls, bobs and weaves as best she can as her vision blearily returns, but every now and then an arrow nicks her, and the tatters of cloth around her are burnt and dyed red by the assault.

[Kuroimaken]

[Moto Corp]

"...Look, I don't have time to explain all the variables involved. I can tell you that my powers don't work right with whatever's in these bullets and you have to trust me on this.

Even better. Trust Kuzunoha. He hasn't been wrong yet.

Don't make me pep talk you through this."

[Draken]

[Tokyo, Von Geister Manor]

"You must be talking about Yamada-kun! Such a fine, upstanding young man. So much confidence to gain." Toki jests.

And this is, of course, when Von Geister discovers something wrong. (Why shouldn't he?)

For one thing, there should be a thread of his spirit SOMEWHERE linking the two. Or there should be something of his in Felicia that allowed the link to work.

There isn't. Although Geister can identify something in Toki that is likely the origin of the spell effect, it's hard to make heads or tails of it, quite simply because it makes no sense. It isn't connected to him in any way - and yet it's stuck to him, as if someone actually glued a sticker onto the air, without a wall to stick it to. It is unmistakably his in some way, but it doesn't match his spirit.

Of course, the Kuzunoha use leylines to power their spells, so that would make sense... except that Von Geister can see that the energy from the Earth isn't what altered this spiritual signature. Could he have done it himself? Why would he bother? Furthermore, would he have been able to do it in the heat of battle?

Was it connected to an actual, physical object somewhere? If so, Geister should be able to sense its location. But nothing indicated this to be a possibility either.

The entire makeup of his ability didn't make a lick of sense, and it seemed to break several rules of what a spiritual ability should be able to do. Basic energy conservation, for one.

Was he disguising his real ability somehow? No, the old ghost would've picked that up. There wasn't a wool to pull over Von Geister's eyes. The only explanation that made sense was that what he was trying to analyze was either incomplete or just plain not there.

"Futility, huh? I guess what I'm trying to do IS futile. I'm trying to guess what it is exactly you want from me. You're trying to figure my spell out.

Only one of us needs to succeed for this story to move forward, Your Highness. If you honestly expect me to be intimidated, I'm sorry to have to disappoint you."

It would go on beyond that.

"You asked me if I was as wise as a child. Knowing futility is a step towards maturity, to be sure. But wisdom? That lies in making your own path to make futility into the past.

You will not kill me. Nor will you discover the secret behind this spell. I will undo it, and Felicia will infect me. Many will suffer because of that.

But neither I nor the ones that I spread this infection to will die. That much, Fate itself assures me.

Inside my left pocket, there should be a deck of cards. Care to take it out and pull the one right on top for me?"

A pause and a short retreat from Von Geister tells Toki that his bravado has earned him a modicum of respect.

And also an added smile... Uhmm... Probably, hard to tell, there are folds of flesh surrounding teeth and they are curling in various directions. Probably a smile.

"Fair enough, my court wizard is missing and if you are using a spell then I am not going to find how it works by carving your bones, however fun that might be. So lets play your game."

A tendril stretches towards the proposed deck, and a card is pulled.

[Russia]

Sagarosso does a double-take and blinks. This thing was just plain weird.

"Curiosity, mostly. I am called Sagarosso."

[Russia]

"Oh, just here to destroy the world", the bandaged stranger replies flippantly. He looks at Sagarosso while pointing at Argos. "Do you know what that is?"

The stranger's tone implies he knows exactly what Argos is.

Meanwhile, Argos can glean a lot of information from the stranger. His outfit and miserable condition is similar to Mikael Esaja Rautiainen, as Argos passingly met him on streets of Ikari. His height and build don't match, however.

More, lineages of the stranger's body and soul are obviously mismatched. Or, not exactly mismatched... rather, the original soul has been subsumed to a vastly greater whole. Argos has seen this hideously complex and redundant mess before, in the ethereal veins of the many-eyed, snake-haired Arrancar it met in the Void not too long ago.

The body seems to be going through some process of material change to accommodate the spiritual one. But the driving force behind it remains obscure. It doesn't appear to have any direct link to the stranger's ridiculous spiritual genetics, as the body's DNA remains unchanged. Though even a link between them would not explain the odd materials the stranger's metabolism is producing - they appear abiological in nature, and how to make them is not written anywhere in Human, Hollow or Shinigami DNA, no matter how many times those might be layered and repeated in one genome.

The eye spins. It is a lot of information, for sure, but all Argos does is gather and store it. It can hardly parse the data itself. Well, all of it.

"Destroying the world sounds like a senseless endeavor to me. As primarily a human, I believe you depend on it to some extent."

[Kuroimaken]

[Von Geister Manor]

The deck in question is a Tarot deck. It's decidedly an odd knick-knack for a spellcaster of Eastern descent, considering its role in Western divination practices. The card that Von Geister pulls happens to be the one numbered XIV - Temperance.

Toki has his eyes closed the whole time. Of course, he could have pre-arranged the deck... but the typical telltale signs of manipulation don't cross his countenance.

"The card you just took. Temperance. Before it comes Death, which signifies a great shift. After it comes The Devil, which signifies inevitability.

Temperance symbolizes the patience to withstand the trials of change. It is but a step in the Fool's Journey. For me, it means the young master is not yet done with his task. Thus, torment me as you will, my rescue shan't be coming so soon.

The card after that, from what the Grandmaster told me, will be the Wheel of Fortune. As he foretold, he cannot predict what will be done to me. It is thus up to the whims of Fate.

The one after that will be The Tower. Trials and tribulations. The suffering of the townspeople I am released upon.

Now cut the deck. Pick the card on top of the bottom deck."

[strawberryman]

(Moto Corp)

Yoshiro hits the deck, then tries to regain his sight, rubbing his eyes. "...I am getting really tired of hearing 'just trust Kuzunoha'." Nonetheless, he grabs the gun after a few fumbles, trying to distinguish the blurs moving about.

Misaki racks her brain to think of a quick resolution to this, dodging desperately. Thankfully Kato's depth perception was out, but that didn't mean she could take it easy.

"Did you think you could just win this with the power of love, Shizuka? That you'd kill me and everything would fall into place? You've still murdered more people in cold blood than I have, by a long shot. You're not a hero. You're just a love-struck bimbo who thinks she can turn her life around just because she got a boyfriend." All the while, Kato recovers from the strike, keeping up a constant stream of arrows, but she was still taxed.

Misaki doesn't respond, finally getting somewhere to passable sight, analyzing the various factors when she spies something on Kato's belt. She can't be sure, but... now was the time to make a gamble. As Kato is knocking an arrow, Misaki darts forward, the shining gauntlets of her dagger-cross coming to life as she makes a shallow cut for Kato's side. Kato isn't entirely expecting the strike, but quickly darts to the side and aims a point blank arrow at Misaki, sending her sprawling to the ground. Then... Misaki's gauntlets crumble as Kato activates the secondary but still quite important factor of vollstandig, bending the reishi around her to her will.

Kato's pained, determined frown twists into a cruel sneer. "...is that it?"

Misaki mumbles.

"What was that, bitch?"

"Entzünden." Kato catches a flicker in Misaki's hand, which she rolls towards Kato. Kato looks down at the glimmering pair of ginto. Then there's a shimmer on her belt. She looks to that as well. The backup ginto she had lined up were dangling on their chain, sliced open and bleeding reishi. "Oh sh-"

"Gritz."

The ginto Misaki threw ignites the reishi around Kato, then the second forms a barrier around her, the explosion focused all in a small space. Naturally, the barrier shatters fairly easy, leaving Kato standing in the shattered remnants of her vollstandig, burnt, bloodied, and nearly naked to match Misaki. Only still standing and alive thanks to blut.

Misaki pants as Kato limps forward. "I... hate you... so... ****ing much..." She grabs Misaki by her hair, and lifts her up laboriously. "Do you know how hard I worked to get noticed here? And then you just... blow in. And Satomi depends on you. Like I'm nothing. Making me a desk jockey and organizer while you fawn over her useless son. I hate you so, so much. I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate you. Because you're better than I ever would have been... and you waste it on something so ****ing useless as love."

Kato turns after a click and the echoing crack of a firearm going off. The glass gets another crack in it as Yoshiro holds the gun forward, standing up shakily.

Kato stares.

Kato chuckles.

Kato breaks into a hysterical fit of laughter. "Oh kami this is so rich." She pulls Misaki in closer, putting her between them. "You... you think you're going to end this?"

Yoshiro really regrets not having his other arm right now. It was hard enough to hold the damn thing steady with one hand. He tried before. He didn't like it. He didn't get so far as letting a bullet out of the practice gun he was using at the time. He despised guns. But still... there he was.

"I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm not a fighter. I'm even crippled now." Still, Yoshiro stares Kato down.

"But yes, I'm going to end this."

Kato sneers back at Yoshiro. "...well you'd better aim well, then. She's already in pain, that bullet might do her in. You're more likely to kill her."

"Yoshi-kun..."

"I won't." He clicks the hammer back, firing another shot... at the wall, soaring over Kato's shoulder. Kato is almost too amused by this to just stride forward and smack it out of his hand. "A bit lower. I want to see this. The wimp shoots his useless admirer."

"Yoshi-kun?..."

Yoshiro grits his teeth. "...Misaki... I meant it. What we have... it won't end here."

"...I believed you. I know you wouldn't say that unless you meant it... you're too good. I... I was glad you were safe, but... you don't hate me. You... really said it." Tears drip down Misaki's face. Yoshiro resists his own tears. "...you can end it here, Yoshi-kun. I'll... die happy."

"I won't. I'm coming out of this with you. Alive." Yoshiro breathes... and just... tries to remember what Yuuta told him. He adjusts his stance, lines up the sight... but still, he wavers. A pained look overcomes him. Logically, he couldn't make this shot. Trust in Kuzunoha... it was nonsensical. And even through all of this, he had a hard time managing it. The kid was manipulative and assumptive. And exceedingly obnoxious. Even while in a coma.

...no, he had to trust in something stronger. Himself? No. The nebulous Quincy god? No.

...him and Misaki. What they had. What they could still have.

He breathes again. The gun still wavered, but... he just squeezes the trigger.

(Von Geister Manor)

Felicia growls a bit at Toki's cocky response, just wanting to get this over with already. But... her father will do as he will, so she stands back to watch.

[Draken]

[Von Geister Manor]

The deck in question is a Tarot deck. It's decidedly an odd knick-knack for a spellcaster of Eastern descent, considering its role in Western divination practices. The card that Von Geister pulls happens to be the one numbered XIV - Temperance.

Toki has his eyes closed the whole time. Of course, he could have pre-arranged the deck... but the typical telltale signs of manipulation don't cross his countenance.

"The card you just took. Temperance. Before it comes Death, which signifies a great shift. After it comes The Devil, which signifies inevitability.

Temperance symbolizes the patience to withstand the trials of change. It is but a step in the Fool's Journey. For me, it means the young master is not yet done with his task. Thus, torment me as you will, my rescue shan't be coming so soon.

The card after that, from what the Grandmaster told me, will be the Wheel of Fortune. As he foretold, he cannot predict what will be done to me. It is thus up to the whims of Fate.

The one after that will be The Tower. Trials and tribulations. The suffering of the townspeople I am released upon.

Now cut the deck. Pick the card on top of the bottom deck."

Von Geister flips the first card to show it to Toki. It is not Temperance.

"Strength. Not Temperance. Alternatively The Chariot, should you desire to face your problems head-on instead of enduring them."

The rest of the deck comes out of his pocket at the end of a mass of tendrils in imitation of a hand.

"The Devil, a common misconception. Thinking it is a beast lurking around the corner, waiting to make you miserable. The Devil lies within. A trap of ideas and preconceptions that misleads fools. Causing them to misplace their faith."

"The Wheel of Fortune as well. Far from a lack of knowledge of what the future will bring, but a realization of such knowledge. To witness the Wheel is to see where it will lead. Or perhaps simply to chase it towards where you want it to go."

"And The Tower, the monument to the self. Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair. An inspiring piece of literature born of mortal wit that very well conveys the meaning of it all. I am afraid you have yet to experience anything quite as enlightening among us. Try the Five of Pentacles, perhaps."

Von Geister does as Toki asked, cuts the deck and pulls the next card, but holds it to his sight only.

"Please continue the game. I am enthralled."

A huge mass of tentacles and teeth and pale green light leans back onto a conjured chair. What an uncanny sight.

[Kuroimaken]

[Von Geister Manor]

"Yes, the Grandmaster told me you'd do that too. He mentioned the chair, even.

Erscheinung Von Geister, you're a tangle in the weave of Fate. That is why Kuzunoha Shiki's divinations don't work as well when you're involved.

According to him, the next card should be Star. A symbol of Hope, among other things. But I'm guessing that's not the one you've got."

[Frozen_Feet]

[Russia]

The eye spins. It is a lot of information, for sure, but all Argos does is gather and store it. It can hardly parse the data itself. Well, all of it.

"Destroying the world sounds like a senseless endeavor to me. As primarily a human, I believe you depend on it to some extent."

The bandaged stranger glances at Argos "Well obviously I depend on it to destroy it. That would be hard if it didn't exist in to begin with. But beyond that..." The bandaged stanger grins and shrugs. Then he puts his hands in his pockets.

"Anyways, you're a servant of the 1st Hollow King", the stranger says, mostly to Sagarosso's benefit. "From your presense, I guess it's your King's fault this huge volume of earth is floating here. If you want to talk about senseless endeavors, do tell why the **** did he put it here?"

[Kuroimaken]

[Russia]

"You have some pretty amusing delusions of grandeur, you know that?" Sagarosso asks of his heretofore companion. "Just for the record, what does THAT accomplish?"

_________________________

[Moto Corp]

What Yoshiro gleefully ignores is that it was thanks to the exceedingly obnoxious kid in question that those feelings had a chance to blossom. But he could live with Yoshiro's contempt if it means a happy ending.

"And so does the thread of Kato's life meet its end. I'm sorry I couldn't arrange a scenario where you didn't have to rely on your feelings for Misaki, Yoshiro."

Shinji is talking to himself for the most part. There isn't a way for him to communicate with the inside right now.

"Sensei. Clean-up is almost done. As soon as Naito gives the all-clear on his end, you can finish up."

Well, that last bit had an actual target.

"Naito. Can you hear me? How are things on your end?"

[Frozen_Feet]

[Russia]

The bandaged man rolls his eyes in response to Sagarosso's questions. "Well obviously destroying the world accomplishes destroying the world. Be polite and let the Japanese schoolgirl's wet dream speak."

[Dorizzit]

[Moto Corp]
Lower Levels

Shinji can hear an unpleasant, wet ripping sound on the other end of the connection.

"All done. By the way, you know the neck snap you always see in movies? Really doesn't work like that. You pretty much have to twist the whole head off."

[Kuroimaken]

[Moto Corp]

An onlooker might consider Shinji's reply just as disturbing as the comment, but then, Shinji could be pretty disturbing himself.

"Yeah, neck muscles actually help a lot in keeping someone's head literally on their shoulders. I've seen a big oni twist someone's head off like a bottlecap off a soda bottle once. Lots of blood that way.

In any case, I need you to get out of the building now. Hasunaga-sensei is going to pick up our guys on the top floor, and police is probably headed to the building by now, so you won't have much of a window to escape."

[strawberryman]

[Tokyo, Japan]
(Moto Corp)

Misaki falls to the ground.

Then, Kato, flopping backwards like a fish out of water. Neither of them stir as Yoshiro limps forward.

It's hard to mistake the hole in Kato's head, though. He kneels down (dropping the gun), hand hovering over Misaki for a moment before giving her a reassuring nudge. She sighs tiredly, pulling herself up, with some help. She looks over to Kato, then weakly links her arms around Yoshiro. "...I'm... so sorry Yoshi-kuun..."

Yoshiro sighs and rubs her back as she sobs into his chest. "...ssh. I forgive you."

Not much more to say.

(Von Geister Manor)

Felicia growls at this silly spectacle, stepping to the side as she flicks her claws at a pustule of something or other on the walls, and it appears to be blood. She gathers the fluid in her hands, then pricks her own palm by making a fist and letting down her hierro, a few drips of her own blood mixing in. From there, she channels her reiatsu as the exchange happens, an ominous purple glow building as she manipulates her blood and what is probably Toki's blood, mixing them together for some purpose or another. She grabs a spare vial out of her pocket as the glow dies, emptying the fluid from her palm into the vial, holding it out to Von Geister.

"Daddy, I'm tired of waiting. Just infect him with this, I don't need the cheaty spell gone. I want to stick it to the stupid Kuzunohas already!"

[Ikari, Japan]
(Kuzunoha Sanctuary)

Katsuo wakes up slowly after... he can't even parse how long he's been asleep. Well. Less than a day at least. Maybe. Not a month, probably.

He sits up, rubbing his eyes, just feeling... tired, and off. After changing into some clean clothes, he exits his room and just... wanders. It's not really that he's looking for somebody. But he definitely isn't avoiding anybody. He quietly thinks of that strange and soul-crushing dream.

[Kuroimaken]

[Kuzunoha Sanctuary]

Hey, something smells good that-a-way.

Following the scent, Katsuo happens upon Momoko, whom happens to be carrying a tray full of delicious, warm food!

"Katsuo-chan! You're finally up! Thank goodness!"

Her expression is one of genuine relief.

"I was just bringing this to your room. Thought you might be hungry when you woke up... I guess the Grandmaster isn't very good with exact times..."

[Dorizzit]

Spoiler

Show

[Moto Corp]

An onlooker might consider Shinji's reply just as disturbing as the comment, but then, Shinji could be pretty disturbing himself.

"Yeah, neck muscles actually help a lot in keeping someone's head literally on their shoulders. I've seen a big oni twist someone's head off like a bottlecap off a soda bottle once. Lots of blood that way.

In any case, I need you to get out of the building now. Hasunaga-sensei is going to pick up our guys on the top floor, and police is probably headed to the building by now, so you won't have much of a window to escape."

[Moto Corp]

"Unless they can see ghosts, it's not exactly going to be an issue."

The echo of Naito's Vollständig disappears as the Quincy releases the transformation.

"I should be just fine."

[strawberryman]

[Ikari, Japan]

Katsuo looks to Momoko tiredly, then scans the food, then looks back up to Momoko. "...how long was I out? And... it worked, then?" There's a nugget of hope in that question, at least. So at least he's not broken. Mostly.