~Hakurei Shrine~ > Kosuzu's Grand Bookstore
Frame of the Undying Fortitude (finished)
An Odd Sea Slug:
***
A few moments earlier?
?Argh, where is that thing? A human certainly couldn?t have thrown it that far?? grumbled Cirno as she searched for the golden coin as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, up in the trees?
?Commander! Possible target spotted!?
?Engage target immediately!?
?Yes ma?am!?
Without warning, a whole bunch of red lights dotted Cirno?s body?
?Huh?? What are these things? Do I have that human disease again? What was it, Pigeon Dots??
***
Soon after that, Cirno found herself hanging upside down from a tree branch, in large and thick, cocoon like wrappings.
?What?s going on here?! Let me down!? demanded the fairy girl, feeling the blood rush to her head.
Just then a large number of Inaba Army members, many of whom wielding wooden swords and sticks jumped out of the bushes, stampeding toward her.
?We got you! Now tell us everything you know!? said an Inaba that was wearing sunglasses.
?I can?t tell you anything if I don?t know what you want!?
?We see past your lies fairy! Now tell us where the human and her three youkai companions are going!?
?I don?t know what they were doing here or even care about them! Now let me down so I can finish the race!? squealed Cirno.
One of the bunnies hit Cirno in the side, sending her swinging.
?Whoa, whoa, whoa, WHOA!?
?What race??
?I have to find the coin before the black does!? explained Cirno.
?The ?black?? You must be talking about the witch!?
?Yes, that?s her! Now let me down!?
?You can?t tell us what to do! We?re the ones that caught you!?
The rabbits began wailing on Cirno again, sending her on dizzying bobs and weaves.
?WAAAAAAAAH!!!? yelled the ice fairy.
?Ma?am! We should find that coin first! If we do, we can ambush the black-white!? suggested another rabbit.
?Good thinking trooper! You three with sticks! Continue pressing the ice fairy for information! Everyone else with me!? ordered the sunglasses clad commander.
?YES MA?AM!?
?Wha??! How dare you! When I get out of this, every last one of you is going on i- OW!
Cirno was interrupted as she was whacked repeatedly by the bunnies.
?OW, OW, OW! You?ll pay for this! You?re all nine-balls!? vowed Cirno.
The bunnies stopped.
?What?s a nine-ball?? asked one.
?Beats me?? shrugged the other.
?Whatever, lets keep beating her with sticks.? said the third.
?Maybe candy will fall out!? exclaimed the first.
?Candy?! I don?t have can- OW, OW, OW, OW, OW, OW, OW!? yelped Cirno.
***
?By now, they think that we?re heading to that stupid coin. Whatever Kaguya is up to, she really shouldn?t have left it to such inept rabbits, ze!? laughed Marisa, mocking the Inaba?s behind their back.
?I must admit that your plan was? ?clever. And? ?interesting.? said Wriggle uneasily. If amoral and primitive? If nothing else?
?Why thank you!? said Marisa.
What an odd human? thought Mystia to herself.
?So typical of you Marisa? You?re prone to doing things like that quite a bit.? said Alice.
?If it keeps us safe, and enemies off our backs, it?s perfectly fine.? explained Marisa happily.
?Fine, just don?t ever think of doing that to me.? sighed Alice, putting a hand to her head.
?Ahh, don?t worry I have a strict policy against doing that to friends.?
?And yet you steal from them, and mooch from them? Just like you intend to do at that mansion.?
?We?re just hangin? out for awhile, don?t worry.? explained Marisa with a thumbs up.
?I?m sure we are?? said Alice, rolling her eyes skeptically.
A few more minutes of walking, and the four girls could see a small black ?cloud? of some sort in the distance?
?Head?s up!? warned Alice, seeing them first.
?What?s that?? thought Mystia out loud.
?Hmm? Wondering when they would show up?? snickered Marisa with a deviant smile.
?Ahh?! Those are in fact?? began Alice.
??the fairy maids of the Scarlet Devil Mansion!? finished Wriggle.
?Complete with that flying devil of Patchouli?s.? added Marisa. Even though I didn?t exactly want them to show up this soon? Then again, it won?t matter too much if we make it quick. Besides, I need a good fight...
They were the fairies of Scarlet Devil Mansion. Clad in French maid uniforms, and varying in size from that of a standard fairy to a full human. They all carried weapons in the form of? ?household cleaning appliances. Hundreds, upon hundreds approached the four heroines who prepared to stay their ground. Leading them was Patchouli?s assistant, Koakuma, flying with her large black wings.
?Mystia get behind me!? said Wriggle as she covered the night bird.
Koakuma halted, the fairies doing the same as they looked at the group.
?Marisa Kirisame! We have come ask you about a certain book you may have stolen from us!? announced Koakuma.
?Wow? Need I remind you I only borrow books from your Mistress? Even with her crappy health, she?ll long outlive me, so she can have them back then. Also, why is she only sending forces against me after all this time?? responded Marisa.
Yeah? That?s a good question? thought Alice, raising an eyebrow.
?There is a particular book! It is imperative that we have it back!? explained Koakuma.
?What is it? Did I steal your Mistresses personal diary or something?? teased Marisa.
?This is no joke, black witch! If you won?t give me a straight answer, then I?ll force if from you!?
Koakuma raised her hand? The maids held their tools at the ready?
?ATTACK!? shouted Koakuma as she brought her hand down at high speed.
The maids began charging the quartet at high speed! Reacting almost instantaneously, Alice held out her left arm at the maids. Several dolls materialized with bows and arrows, firing yellow shots into the maids. Many yelped as they were shot down.
Marisa, smiling evilly as pure usual, summoned several green spherical familiars that floated around her. From these familiars came very thin red energy beams that tore through a good number of the maids, causing some to explode into fairy dust.
Meanwhile, some of the fairy maids fired at Wriggle and Mystia, both of whom dodged. Two flew in at Mystia, but the bird quickly slashed them away with her claws, shattering their weapons. Wriggle flip jumped into the hair, landing on a fairy?s head, and sending her face first into the ground. After that, the two stood back to back.
?I still can?t fly Wriggle.? said Mystia.
?I?ll take care of it then. I know I?m not at full strength, but?? responded Wriggle as she pulled out a spellcard. ?Butterfly Sign!?
Wriggle felt her body surge with power as her bandages disintegrate.
?Butterfly Storm!?
The card flew into the air above the two animal youkai, exploding into a storm of yellow, red, blue, and green danmaku. The magic bullets struck at maids from all sides, bringing many down. Despite still feeling weak from the ordeal with Kaguya, Mystia isn?t about to sit around and not help (her ego depended on it!). She pulled out a card of her own?
I?ll have to use a weaker one for now? she thought to herself. ?Vocal Sign ~ ?Howl of the Horned Owl!??
Mystia threw the card into the air, letting it explode into swarms of red and blue spearhead-like bullets that added to Wriggle?s attack. The energy flowing in her body blew off her bandages as well.
At some point, Alice took to the air, surrounded by dolls. She continued using the dolls to bring down maid after maid, while dodging their own attacks, be they physical or otherwise. One maid managed to slip past Alice?s assault, coming at her from behind. But her attempt ended when a doll came from nowhere, and stuck a sword right through the right side of her head. She promptly fell into dust. Alice dodged magic bullets and kunai thrown by a few more maids before having her archer dolls take care of them.
Marisa annihilated several maids with thin white beams shot from familiars, causing Koakuma to cover her eyes. When she uncovered them, the black dressed devil saw the black dressed witch on her broomstick, zooming toward her with an evil smile on her face at a rather high speed. Koakuma immediately darted backwards while materializing familiars of her own on her sides. The familiars -elaborate white circles- fired thin white laser beams of their own at Marisa while Koakuma herself added in white bullets. The blonde haired girl however zoomed and weaved through the beams and projectiles, lowering her head when necessary. She put a hand to her hat to keep it on as she sped past Koakuma and her assault.
Marisa was clearly faster than Koakuma. She got some distance before swinging around, speeding at Koakuma like a fighter jet. The winged girl?s face began to sweat a bit as she darted away from the green blasts that Marisa fired at her like machine guns. She sped away up into the sky frantically as Marisa continued her pursuit whilst firing green projectiles out of her hands. It wasn?t long until Koakuma had enough. There was only so long she could keep this up due to her inferior speed after all.
She drew a spellcard?
?Clairvoyant Sign!? she shouted, the spellcard beginning to glow.
?Oh??? muttered Marisa, seeming curious.
?Walk of Many Saints!?
As the card vanished, Koakuma began emitting a green colored aura around her body. She briefly held her arms out to the sides and up diagonally before holding them straight up. Thick green and grey clouds formed above her open palms. Finally, she through her arms straight out at Marisa.
The clouds transformed into a devastating number of dark green and light grey bullets that sped at Marisa like sine waves and circles. Additionally, some bullets weaved in with each other, making dodging more difficult. None the less, Marisa found a way through, letting bullets graze her with mild stinging as she just narrowly inched by them.
Koakuma tried to move backwards, but moving quickly wasn?t possible with this card out. A look of near panic came upon her face as Marisa got in closer while summoning two more familiars to join the two already out. The four familiars tailed behind her. As Marisa fired her usual green shots, the familiars fired small white bullets as well.
Unable to defend herself, Koakuma was pelted with numerous magic bullets. This disrupted her spell, the bullets it generated quickly falling apart into yellow energy, and then into nothing. Koakuma backed off, coughing while holding her left shoulder. Her dress was tattered in places.
?All bark and no bite as usual, eh Koakuma? If ya can?t back up what leaves your mouth, then your mouth shouldn?t open.? taunted Marisa. ?Now it?s time I showed you a spellcard attack.?
Marisa pulled out a spellcard of her own.
?Comet??
Oddly enough, Marisa slapped the card to the side of her broom? The card glowed bright blue, filling the broom with energy.
?Blazing Star!?
Suddenly, to Koakuma?s surprise Marisa shot forward at an unbelievable speed whilst surrounded by a magical blue aura that made her look like a shooting star, many blue stars falling behind the witch! Before Koakuma knew it, the tip of the broom was plunged dead into her stomach, knocking her away at a high speed with a gasp! She fell limply as a few drips of blood escaped her mouth. This went on for a few seconds before she recovered and stopped herself, holding her stomach and looking at Marisa.
Blast? I can?t do a thing against a power this much stronger than mine? thought Koakuma to herself. Forgive me Ms. Patchouli. I?ve failed you.
Marisa then flew over to Koakuma, sitting on her broom rather casually.
?Now if it isn?t too much trouble, would you mind telling me about the book you?re after?? she said with a now more pleasant smile.
Koakuma blinked, hesitating, unsure of what to make of Marisa?s casualness.
?C?mon, you lost. The loser has to tell that which the winner wants to hear.? said Marisa.
Koakuma swallowed, then spoke.
?If you say so? The book we search for is one filled with many odd riddles, poems and tales.? explained Koakuma.
?Why didn?t ya say so? Hmm?? Marisa paused to think, putting a hand to her chin. ?Naah, don?t think I?d have something like that. I?m only interested in spells ya know.?
?Nhh? Are you sure?? said Koakuma depressively.
Marisa merely shrugged. Koakuma then took on a more determined expression.
Wait? We still have Eientei left? In fact, the others are position by now? thought Koakuma to herself. ?All maids pull back! Full retreat!?
The remaining maids obeyed, flying away from Wriggle, Mystia, and Alice. Some of the survivors were carrying out injured. It wasn?t long until the SDM servants had retreated, and Marisa along with Alice returned to the ground by Wriggle and Mystia.
?Sheesh, not even a ?goodbye? or ?thank you?? Man, what?s this world coming too?? asked Marisa, looking into the sky.
?Are you two alright?? asks Alice to Mystia and Wriggle.
?I?m okay. They didn?t even lay a finger on me.? said Mystia in a way that was halfway unemotional and halfway boastfully.
?I seem to be doing alright myself. I don?t think I even opened any wounds.? said Wriggle checking herself.
Marisa then walked up to Wriggle, who looked up questioningly. Marisa gave Wriggle a thumbs up and a wink.
?You did good there kid! Nice job!? said Marisa.
Wriggle blinked for a few seconds, then smiled back with a small blush.
?Thanks Marisa.? she replied. And I was even able to protect Mystia?
?Hm? Well thanks to that little fight, we?ve lost some time we couldn?t afford to lose. Let?s hurry up to the mansion already.? said Marisa.
?Huh?! But weren?t we fighting maids from the very mansion mere moments ago?!? asked the shocked Alice.
?I second that!? adds Mystia with a slightly angry expression.
?They?re not heading back there? To the mansion I mean.? said Marisa vaguely.
?What do you mean?? asks Wriggle.
?I noticed they were heading the wrong way?? said Marisa as she turned around? ?and dropped her smile. ?They?re in fact heading somewhere else??
Marisa began to wonder what was going on seriously now. The time for playing may have just ended? Wriggle recognized the direction of where they were going after a few seconds herself.
?!
Those maids and their devil leader were heading straight for Eientei.
An Odd Sea Slug:
***
Leaping from tree branch to tree branch like a ninja, Tewi hurried over to where the other rabbits were. Stopping at a certain tree, she leapt to its top just in time to see defenses prepared and final preparations made in anticipation of the oncoming SDM maid onslaught. The other youkai rabbits were leaping to and fro, hurrying to get their last minute tasks out of the way. Tewi heard a voice above her.
?Ma?am!? called another rabbit girl.
Tewi looked upward just in time to see another rabbit girl falling slowly from the sky, carrying another Message Butterfly in her hand.
?Report, usa!? commanded Tewi.
?Defenses are prepared, and most of the troops are in place! We?re ready to launch operation, usa!? reported the bunny girl.
?Excellent work! Use the butterflies to keep me apprised!?
?Yes ma?am!?
The girl then handed Tewi the butterfly for her first report. Tewi put it to her ear, apparently ?listening? to it?
?Rats, they?re not heading for any of the ambush spots at all! Did something happen???
That?s when the voice of Reisen came from behind?
?Tewi!?
?Oh? Reisen Bunny?? said Tewi, turning around.
?Don?t worry about that. I?ll lure them to the capture zone. You just concentrate on defending the mansion.? said Reisen with a serious look.
?Then I will defend it! Good luck Reisen! Be safe!? called Tewi.
?I will! Thank you!? called Reisen back as she flew off?
***
There were hundreds, seemingly thousands of them? Fairies dressed like French maids closed in on the forest that hid the mansion known as Eientei. As they did, their winged leader pulled back so that she could oversee the inevitable battle.
?Go fourth and strike! Don?t hold anything back! Break through that forest along with everything else! We won?t stop until we?ve searched every last hidden corner of Eientei!? yelled Koakuma.
Many Inabas hid in trees and bushes, watching the oncoming maid army. Many looked scared, others looked determined, while others still looked confident.
?Steady? Be ready on my command. We?ll hit them with every ounce of strength we can muster!? said the apparent leader of these front line rabbits.
The maids picked speed, fully intent of breaking through to Eientei. The rabbits waited?
?Steady??
They drew closer and closer, holding their usual primitive weapons...
?ATTACK!?
At that moment, hundreds upon hundreds of Inabas leapt out of the trees above the maids, surprising them with astonishing speed! They leapt a very great distance away from the trees to reach the maids, indicating use of flight power. Many maids were able to move back, but many more were jumped onto, sent into the ground. Some maids attempted to help each other by coming to the ground themselves.
But this is what the bunny girls wanted?
?Ground forces, attack! Charge!?
More Inabas poured out from the bushes, firing magic bullets, as well as attacking with wooden swords, kendo sticks, and small tree branches! They came charging and yelling toward the maids, running at an incredibly high speed. The maids hesitated for a bit, then charged forward, themselves.
In mere seconds, the meadow became a violent battlefield.
On the ground, maids and humanoid rabbits battled with primitive, makeshift weapons in the form of cleaning appliances and wooden swords. In the air, maids and humanoid rabbits flew around like rabid bees as they fired massive amounts of shots in a full blown danmaku battle made for the clouds. Many maids yelped as they were shot down, but many Inabas were felled as well.
Some maids pulled back, taking to the sky while firing large yellow spheres of energy. Many of the youkai rabbits were forced to scatter and pull back to avoid the spheres. Upon contact with the ground, the spheres exploded violently! Inabas that were too close at the time of the explosions were hurled through the air, crashing hard onto the ground.
Meanwhile, the larger maids took advantage of their size compared to the Inabas, using it to push them back, while smaller sized maids attacked from farther away using yellow danmaku bullets.
The rabbits had superior speed, but the maids were stronger. In addition, Koakuma had turned out to be a great tactician. Even though Tewi had carefully planned the initial defense, Koakuma was quickly adapting.
?Get forty more to the left! Hurry!? she shouted, pointing over to her left instinctively before turning to another maid. ?I want to deploy them. Tell them to attack.?
The maid nodded before flying away from the heated battle. Koakuma then turned her attention to several Inabas flying right toward her. They fired shots, but Koakuma was able to dodge.
?I won?t let you! Lady Patchouli is counting on me!? announced Koakuma.
Koakuma raised her arms straight up into the air, forming a large ball of energy. She pointed her arms, along with the energy ball at the incoming bunnies. The ball shot forward. The bunnies moved to avoid it when suddenly it exploded into a large number of Kunai! Taken by surprise, the rabbits were run through by multiple Kunai, falling to the ground.
?Keep up the attack! We?re getting through!? ordered Koakuma.
And she was right. The Inaba Army was being pushed back?
Twenty more Inabas ran out of the cover of bushes carrying spears. They spent a few moments running toward the battle that drew ever so closer to the forest before throwing off their spears. Thanks to their innate youkai strength, the spears were able to reach the battle?
One maid had just finished blasting two of her rabbit enemies. Seeing a glint, she looked into the air mere seconds before she was impaled by a spear, falling apart into dust before she could even utter the beginnings of a scream. But that wasn?t all? That same spear suddenly exploded into danmaku! Nearly a hundred yellow and silver bullets burst from the spear, ending the lives of many fairy maids around it.
The other spears had the same affect, some even exploding before they even reached the ground! With her warriors suddenly dropping like flies after gaining an advantage, Koakuma grew worried.
Where are they?! she thought to herself as she dodged a spear bullet barrage.
As if on cue, she got her answer in the form of throwing knives finding their way into the flesh of several frontline Inabas, who immediately fell over in pain. It was the work of blonde haired, red dressed versions of the fairy maids who were wielding and throwing knives!
?Finally? Back up the troops. Take out those spear throwers if you can.? ordered Koakuma.
The maids acknowledged the command in the form of swiftly taking down more Inabas. They were also able to knock away spears with their knife throwing, making it much easier for the remaining maids to dodge.
Excellent? These are the mansions best. They were trained by Sakuya herself! thought Koakuma.
Koakuma, needing to rest, lands on the ground just in time to meet several more maids carrying large scrolls. She turned to them.
?Get to work on those right away. We?ll need them to break through the canopy.?
The maids nodded, then opened the scrolls which immediately began charging with energy. The energy didn?t seem to be magic oddly enough?
***
Tewi watched the explosive fighting from afar with a telescope. She closed it as she moaned in frustration.
?Darn! Those new maids are ripping our forces apart! At this rate, we?ll lose for sure!?
Tewi jumped down from the tree she was in, landing on the darkening ground. The slow onset of dark clouds began to block out the sun, casting an eerie shadow upon the forest. After looking around for a few moments, Tewi ran in the direction of the mansion. She didn?t run far before she got to were she was going, finding what she was looking for?
A bright smile lifted her face.
?Great! Hurry up and use them!?
WRATHIE_Beatrice:
whoa man u resurrected this so soon?
An Odd Sea Slug:
***
The battle raged on. Maids and rabbits clashed with each other head on, some resorting to fisticuffs. By now, the battlefield was littered with fairy dust, rabbit girl corpses, dropped weapons, holes from explosions, and fires from ignited grass.
Through the smoke, Koakuma charged into the battle, no longer harboring thoughts of her injuries. Grabbing a staff dropped by one of the Inabas she proceeded to fight her way through their ranks, unwilling to allow Eientei?s forces to hold her own troops back any longer. Two bunny girls, freshly off the kill of a fairy maid charge at her, ramming into her with a team head butt.
Koakuma gasped in pain as she staggered back. Using her wings she prevented herself from falling over, hitting away one Inaba with her right fist, then clasping her hands over her head, and bringing them down like a sledge hammer to knock down the second Inaba. Next, she fired more red energy balls that exploded into Kunai inside the Inaba ranks.
?Incoming! More spears!? a maid suddenly shouted.
Koakuma looked up to find more of the deadly spears. Some exploded into deadly danmaku in mid-air. However, many knives thrown by the elite maids hit the most of the bullets, making it easier to dodge the rest. Further more, thin laser beams hit the remaining spears, disintegrating them.
Koakuma looked back to find that the scrolls from before had taken flight, firing upon the Eientei rabbits from a distance! Patches of dead grass were present where the scrolls rested while still on the ground?
?Keep firing!? ordered Koakuma.
But one would get the feeling that they would do just that, even without orders. The maids manipulating the scrolls didn?t show even the smallest hint of mercy as they fired their thin purple laser beams at targets both on the ground, and in the air. One sword wielding Inaba took to the sky to get away from the ground battle, only to have a laser pierce her thigh. Too surprised to even let out the slightest gasp, she fell ?in severe pain- back to the ground.
Other scrolls began shooting off many yellow spheres as well, further decimating the Inaba forces. One soldier observing the battle from slightly farther away backed away fearfully before turning around and running back into the bushes.
?C-c-commander! We?re getting pushed back! We need reinforcements, usa!? she shouted frantically.
?Hold position! They?ll be here!? assured the commander.
Just then, a large number of yellow and silver bullets zipped towards the commander, she saw them, but was taken by surprise. Unable to dodge, they fell on her? The soldier rabbit had to watch helplessly as her commander disappeared in an explosion of magical energy.
?COMMANDER!?
Panicking, the youkai rabbit ran past where the commander?s remains would be into the forest. She didn?t look back.
?N-no?! I-it?s too much!?
***
Tewi paid no mind to the frightened looking Inaba that just ran past her. She figured that soldier had orders and was frantic to complete them. Shedding her odd helmet, she got to the edge of the forest just in time to see that the battle had drawn closer to the edge. Smoke obscured the view of the combatants.
?Inabas, hurry!? called Tewi, looking behind her.
Now an interesting sight appeared? Wooden carts ?each pulled by three Inabas- began emerging from the forest. They each had four massive wheels, along with odd, metal objects that could only be described as giant Yin Yang half-orbs with odd, thirteen foot long protrusions that faced forward. The Inabas rolled the carts closer to the fight at a surprisingly quick speed.
***
A fairy maid in the air spotted the Inabas emerging from the forest, along with the strange devices they were dragging along. She immediately dropped to the ground, pointing in the general direction of the carts.
?Ma?am!?
Koakuma, who was bandaging another maid, looked ahead?
***
?Hourai Tanks, take aim!? commanded Tewi, instinctively putting her right finger into the air.
The apparent ?Hourai Tanks? raised their protrusions (turrets) into the air while charging up with purple magical energy. An Inaba was on top of each one, charging the tanks with energy?
***
She leapt back as she saw several of her fellow rabbits fall to the ground after the vicious assault of the red maids. Several more of her comrades were thrown to the ground, crumpled to heaps in front of her. Mere seconds after that, one of the knife maids leaped at the girl with a slash, causing her to leap back further. The maid immediately jumped again, slashing once more before even landing. The rabbit girl raised her sword to defend, but it was cut in two as wooden swords are no match for sharp knives.
Once that happened she yelped a bit before falling on her behind. The maid stood over her, smiling evilly as she prepared to put an end to this troublesome rabbit?s life? She raised her hand into the air, the rabbit warrior looking away and putting her hands up in panic?
But death did not come?
Instead of finding her executioner when she looked up, the rabbit found the red maid jumping away from her with a panicked look on her face. Puzzled, the Inaba looked back? ?to see a brilliant purple light. The same light that had scared her would-be killer away. But instead of running away from it like her attacker did, she instead got up and ran toward it!
***
A few moments earlier?
?Fire!? yelled Tewi, bringing her arm down.
From their nozzles, the Hourai Tanks let out thick, purple lasers, firing them high into the air!
***
Koakuma and the maids watched the lasers as they fired into the air, seemingly without threat? They traveled diagonally into the sky for what seemed like an unnaturally long amount of time?
But without warning, the lasers exploded into nearly a hundred smaller ones each! They traveled so fast, that the SDM forces were taken by near-complete surprise!
?LOOK OUT!? shouted Koakuma as she flew backward as fast as she could.
She was forced to watch as a whole barrage of lasers fell on the maids she was with mere seconds ago, causing a very large annihilating explosion complete with thick black clouds of smoke. Looking around her, Koakuma could see what looked to be hundreds of other lasers slamming into her forces, causing more of the jolting explosions!
?What sort of weaponary??!?
Koakuma didn?t finish her sentence for she saw fairy dust falling around her? Looking into the sky, she could see the super-fast moving lasers tearing through her airborne forces as well! Mere seconds after that, she saw more heading her way!
?Gh?!?
She flew to the side, dodging both, the lasers and deadly explosion? ?only to find that several of them did NOT hit the ground and were now following her! They were homing lasers! Koakuma gasped, barely diving out of the way of the lasers that zipped passed her, ripping her already tattered dress. She heard more explosions around her, along with the shrieks of fairy maids that were being vaporized. Not bothering to look around her, Koakuma looked up?
?and leaped forward just in time to dodge them, sent flying by the subsequent explosion. Once she landed in the ground, she slid for a few yards, not moving after that.
More of the lasers slammed into the scrolls, burning them in magical cinders. Despite the relentlessness of these powerful new weapons, some thirty or so maids (including a few knife throwers) managed to break through toward the Hourai Tanks. Several maids opened fire with yellow spheres, smashing into the tanks and exploding them, causing the Inabas to scatter.
Some of the escaping Inabas found themselves hit by lasers and knives as they attacked. It would seem a few scrolls had survived as well. A few maids managed to get into the forest, fighting their way towards the manor.
Tewi was ready however. She picked up and threw a rock (rather than magic bullets) at a maid, hitting her right in the face. As she screamed and reached up to grab her bleeding nose, Tewi leaped forward and introduced the fairy to her best right hook. After Tewi took care of her, she could see other fairies being pounced upon by Inabas that were hiding in trees. After that, the remaining maids were sniped with danmaku and rocks.
?Good job everyone! Hold out a little longer!? ordered Tewi.
***
Ten maids leaped backwards in desperation in an attempted to escape the barrage, but to no avail. The explosion ripped through them, the hand of what was once an elite maid sent flying through the air. Even though several Hourai tanks were destroyed, the remaining ones kept attacking. The Inabas powering them began to look quite fatigued, but kept up their effort. By the same token, the remaining maids continued their assault.
Koakuma slowly stirred? Slowly she left her head up to see the carnage had moved just a little ahead of her now. The casualties of war surrounded her, filling her mind and sight with truly grizzly images. But she knew it could be much worse if she failed to retrieve that book? All this over a small book? That was how important this book was!
Her resolve very quickly returning, she tightened her fists, unwittingly grabbing dirt clumps in her hands. She slowly stood back up again, ready to complete her mission, once and for all!
?Miss Patchouli? I?ll complete this task for you, even if I must die!?
Charging her right arm with magical energy, she charged forward at the Inaba Army, ready to fight with all her remaining strength.
?GYAAAAAAAAH!!!?
***
An Odd Sea Slug:
They heard faint rumbles in the distance behind them, and to the side?
?D-do you guys hear that??? asked Mystia, looking back.
?I do. Sounds like the party got started over there?? commented Marisa.
?It is good that we headed out when we did.? added Alice.
The four girls continued to move ahead, when they heard a larger boom, further raising concern. Turning their heads back, they saw lights ?danmaku- along with faint plumes of smoke.
?Ehh? Don?t tell me that?? began Marisa.
?Did you not expect it? Those maids are attacking Eientei.? said Wriggle.
?I didn?t think it would be quite like that? Attacking me I can understand, but invading that castle??? said Marisa.
?I don?t think we can leave anything up to chance now. We should hurry.? said a concerned Alice.
?She?s right.? added Wriggle in agreement.
?No objections here. The sooner I can get that Patchouli to tell me what the hells so special about this book she?s lookin? for the better!? said Marisa.
Wriggle and Alice flew low to the ground while Marisa sat on her broomstick.
?Hop on!? said Marisa to Mystia with a smile.
Wriggle watched silently as Mystia hesitated for a bit. The bird gulped before slowly and nervously approaching Marisa.
?Oi? You don?t trust me by now??? asked Marisa with a sigh but still smiling if a bit more sadly.
?Um??
Mystia finally walked over after a little more hesitation. Marisa moved further up her broom to allow the nightbird room. Mystia slowly and carefully sat down, making sure she held on tight.
?O-okay?? she said.
?Let?s go!? said Marisa.
The four girls sped toward their destination, only vaguely aware of the danger ahead?
***
?Ow? OW!? yelped the Inaba as Tewi bandaged the wound on her right arm.
?Hold still. I can?t put it on as well if your fidgeting.? said Tewi.
The sounds of the battle could still be heard from behind Tewi, even though she had run back into the bamboo forest. Several Inabas from the mansion soon ran up to her.
?Ma?am, we?ve received a message! Reisen is about to engage the targets!?
?Already? Which tree are we observing that operation in?? asked Tewi.
?The thirty-third? ?no, thirty-fourth observation tree to the south. Hurry!?
?We?ll take over here!? said another Inaba.
?Thank you.? said Tewi as she ran off.
As she ran she could see a number of other Inabas heading to the forest?s edge, each carrying a weapon. Three more Hourai tanks were being dragged to the battlefield as well. A few minutes later, Tewi had reached the tree she was looking for. Rays of sun, impaired by the spring clouds, shone down on the land, casting an eerie gold and grey light. It began to feel humid as well.
Tewi now waited for the next Message Butterfly?
***
Something odd began happening? A forest was up ahead. But this forest was substantially bigger and taller than it should?ve been?
?Marisa?? Was that always there??? asked Alice, unfamiliar with the territory since she didn?t come here often.
?Not sure if it was quite like that? Damn, since I never fly this low, I can?t tell for sure.? replied Marisa.
?Huh? Haven?t we already been here already as well??? asked Wriggle, more to herself.
?Suddenly, I?m not too sure myself?? said Alice.
Despite their uncertainty, the girls flew closer to the forest. As they approached, the forest seemed to? ?move farther and farther away?
?What the hell?? asked Marisa to herself.
?Something isn?t??
Wriggle didn?t get to finish as the ground began cracking? Despite being in the air, the four girls could feel rumbling, and hear something emerging?
?LOOK OUT!? cried Mystia.
A large number of brown, seemingly gelatinous jaws attached to muddy, worm-like creatures broke out of the ground, attempting to chomp the four girls, all of whom barely evaded the attack!
?Oh, geez?? said the shaken Marisa.
Another brown jaw lashed out at Marisa at a frightening speed. The witch shot upward like a rocket, once more just avoiding becoming food for? ?something? Mystia nearly fell off, but held on none the less. Wriggle yelped as she barely avoided becoming food for three more jaws. Finally, one lashed its tongue at Alice, managing to wrap it around her ankle. Not willing to be chomped on, Alice quickly and frantically summons several dolls to cut the worm-like creature to bits.
?What in the world is it?!? asked Alice, fear in her voice.
Marisa swoops in, and blasts two of the heads with green blasts.
?Is it a youkai?? asks Mystia.
?I?ve never seen anything like this?? said Wriggle, also blasting several heads.
With that, some twenty-five new worms emerged from the ground, shooting above the girls in an attempt to come down upon them from above. Alice put her left arm up in surprise, but found herself being pulled out of the way by the combined forces of her dolls and Wriggle.
?Th-thanks?? she muttered.
The four girls dived downward, and away from the creatures. After they were at a relatively safe distance, the worms withdrew back into the ground. After that, more rumbling and shaking could be felt a something even larger emerged from the ground, a single entity? The four girls watched in awe as a huge beast, seemingly made from mud and dirt emerged from the ground!
It had wide, empty holes where eyes would be and an even wider hole farther down for what passed for a mouth. The monster was huge, easily towering over the girls, and having a much intimidating girth. It let out rocky groans as it emerged, and slowly slithered over to the girls.
Returning to the ground, Wriggle, Mystia, Marisa, and Alice backed away from the creature, attacks at the ready.
?Fire into the beast?s mouth!? yelled Marisa as she charged an attack.
Marisa materialized familiars. They fired green, crystal-like objects which could pass for Christmas trees to the untrained eye. They were added on top of Marisa?s powerful hand blasts. Wriggle opened fire with thin green beams. Alice materialized more bow and arrow dolls, having them aim their white and gold arrow shots at the mouth. Finally, Mystia fired red and blue arrow shots that moved in undulating patterns.
The blasts entered the mud beast?s mouth, causing it to cringe violently and rattle. It growled as it stopped moving, making the attack appear to work. Marisa dared to let a smile begin to from on her face, when all of a sudden, the creature formed a massive fist on it?s right side, and brought it down with great force upon the girls, letting out a vicious roar as it did so.
The four all jumped back, but were blown away from the sheer force of impact, ending up on their backs, skidding for a small distance.
?We?re not having an effect! What do we do now?? asked Wriggle as she stood up, clutching her left shoulder.
Alice and Mystia were silent, as they hadn?t any idea of what to do. Marisa stood up next, oddly smiling again. She pulled out a small, wooden, pentagram shaped object with a number of different kinds of crosses on it? She held it out in front of herself with her cupped hands.
?Only one thing to do in a situation like this!? said Marisa, the object she was holding glowing with rainbow colored power.
?What are y-??? asked Wriggle before being cut off.
?MASTE-?
Before Marisa could finish whatever attack she was attempting to use, the beast greatly shrank in size, and split into four faceless blobs!
?Huh?!? said Marisa, canceling her attack.
The blobs moved at an insane speed, circling the girls with an obvious intent to strike at any moment. All four of them stood back to back, waiting to defend themselves. Mystia was breathing somewhat heavy, not wanting to feel pain again? She had not mentally recovered from the torture she had to endure from Kaguya, and had to use all her will power to stop herself from panicking.
Meanwhile, Wriggle racked her brain in an attempt to come up with an escape. Flying was already exhausted as an option, as the beast would likely just use the fast moving worm attack again. Danmaku didn?t appear to have much effect, and physical attacks were out of the question? There had to be a weakness somewhere? Wriggle was sure as shootin? she wasn?t going to let end like this!
Suddenly, one of the blobs stopped for a moment, then rushed the girls!
?JUMP!? warned Alice.
Alice and the other three heeded the warning, Marisa taking flight with a single hand on her upward pointed broomstick, and the three youkai girls jumping with their innate strength, letting the offending blob bounce under them. Another blob leaped into the air after them, forcing them to scatter. Mystia flipped off her right hand as she returned to the ground, spinning around as she landed, just in time to find one of the blobs directly in front of her. Mystia jumped backward as the blob attempted to crush her. She instinctively tried to flap her wings, her still healing broken right one being racked with sharp pain as a result. She yelped as her back filled with sharp pain, looking at the blob again.
?Gah! I won?t let you kill me!? she shouted at the monster.
The blob tried to jump on her again, she leaped backwards, but it wouldn?t be enough?
?Mystia!?
The night bird suddenly found herself being grabbed, and rolled out of the way thanks to Wriggle, who was careful to make sure Mystia didn?t land on her wings. The blob bounced away without doing any damage. The two quickly stood up.
?Mystia, are you alri-?
Mystia suddenly pushed Wriggle out of the way, then leaped to the side herself, saving the both of them from a mud blob that tried to tackle them from behind. Mystia?s superior hearing allowed her to detect the danger. While on her stomach, Mystia spoke.
?Their so fast? Is there no way defeat them??? she said to herself.
?Surely there?s a way?? said Wriggle, unclear as to whether or not she was responding to Mystia.
The youkai insect?s antenna briefly touched each other as Wriggle closed her eyes and concentrated?
Come to me?
Meanwhile, Marisa and Alice continued battling the blobs themselves. Desperate, Alice flicked a hand through hair, materializing dolls that flew at the blob she was fighting. The dolls exploded on contact with the ground, but the blob zipped past them flawlessly! Marisa on the other hand went with the more straightforward approach of firing at the blobs rapidly. But even when she led her shots, she couldn?t hit them.
?Damn it all! They?re too freaking fast!? grumbled Marisa.
This isn?t good? thought Alice.
After a few more seconds of having her eyes closed (and dodging another blob attack), Wriggle snapped them open in realization.
?You can?t see them?! You mean? ?what we see? ?what we?re fighting is nothing at all??? said Wriggle, seemingly to herself.
Wriggle suddenly found herself staring down another blob. She gulped as it lunged toward her, but didn?t move?
?Wriggle, what are you doing?!? yelled the shocked Mystia.
But what was even more shocking? ?is that the blob totally passed through her!
?W? ?what?? stammered Mystia questioningly.
?I see now? Everything up till now? ?hasn?t been real. Someone is fooling our senses!? announces Wriggle.
Marisa looked back at Wriggle, first questioningly, then seeming intrigued? Alice was soon back toward the black witch, with both of them being circled by two blobs.
?Hold on? If she?s saying what I think she?s saying?? began Marisa before smiling. ?Heh? Should?ve known??
Alice began another attack, but Marisa grabbed her right arm.
?Marisa, what are you doing?! Let go!? chided Alice.
Marisa put a finger to her mouth and winked at Alice.
?Just wait?? said the witch.
The two blobs leaped up to attack? Screaming, Alice put up her grimoire holding left hand to defend? ?and nothing happened?
Yes, the two blobs had totally passed harmlessly through the both of them!
?Wh-what?? Just what is??? muttered Alice.
Marisa only smiled.
?Huh? It all makes sense now?? she said with her eyes closed.
?What is it you?re on about?? asked Alice questioningly.
?Don?t tell me you don?t remember? Something like this happened before, during that incident with the moon to be exact. The way we were getting lost just now, this monster? It was all her doing.? explained Marisa. ??Reisen??
?The rabbit girl who protected those immortals? But her illusionary powers weren?t that strong before?? said Alice.
?Apparently she did a goooood bit of training, ze.?
The blobs continued attacking, but there was no urgency from their prey any longer? Wriggle looked at the crater left by the mud beast?s earlier attack as she along with Mystia walked up to Marisa and Alice.
?That fist attack? I think it was actually a bomb of some sort?? said the insect girl. ?And my friends? ?they?re telling me that the illusionist lies that way.?
Wriggle pointed over to her right.
?Using your insect friends to find a weakness, and instead discovered the illusion eh? Pretty good.? said Marisa with a wink. ?Its fortunate that they don?t suffer the effects of her ability like we do. Wave manipulation? Huh??
?She can manipulate light waves and sound waves on top of her ability to induce lunacy in humans?? sighed Alice at the revelation.
Marisa then held out her right hand?
?Time to end this charade??
?and fired a white energy beam into the nearby forest.
***