[Corruption]

Izanami Ishikawa. A powerful villainess that had traversed worlds to try and make them hers. Unfortunately, due to a series of circumstances entirely outside of her control, most of that power was now locked away with her being utterly unable to access it. In some ways, this was a reasonable price to pay for having her own body back, given that she had been trapped within an incredibly powerful young magical girl right up until the moment she traversed into her current world.

But considering she was stuck living with another incredibly positive and notably naive girl that was nearly comparable to the one she had just gotten rid of, it was hard to truly call the loss of her powers worth it. At least she still had the tiniest bit of power available to her.

"Why do you keep looking away, Izanami?" The girl in question, the young sandy-blonde girl named Mikai Fushimi, tilted her head slightly as she pushed a milkshake towards her as they had a nice sit down at a café in one of the malls that dotted her city. "You miss your friends? If I could, I'd help you back, but..."

Izanami blushed and huffed a little as she took the milkshake. "I do not miss THEM, especially not Hikari, I'd rather die than be stuck inside her yet again." The white-haired villainess muttered as she took a long and loud sip from the chilled beverage. For all the power she once had, her emotions was not one of the things she had control over. Making it easy to read her like a book with the right kind of nudging.

"Ehehehe. You know, I'd love to meet her. She sounds like a really nice person!" Mikai chimed as she took a sip of her own, kicking back a bit. "Maybe we could fight together and save people... You could fight with us too, Izanami! I mean, if you could come to my world without getting stuck in somebody, then you could probably go back without the same issue!"

The needless positivity from the young girl was baffling. "Don't even try to joke about that." She muttered. Sure, she had helped Hikari a little when the going got tough or when she had the chance to take advanatage of one of the transformations she was forced to endure... But that didn't mean she actually wanted to fight alongside her. The thought was making her tremble in disgust. "Who'd want to fight alongside two monsters like you two?"

Mikai pouted upon being called a monster. "The same kind of person who keeps calling us monsters, duh!" She huffed and crossed her arms, this time it was her turn to slurp down as much of that milkshake as possible. How rude, she had helped her avoid getting Pawned, and this was the thanks she got? Then again, she always did call herself a villain, so it really didn't go against her role.

As the two unusual companions enjoyed some peace and relaxation, they suddenly heard a scream echo out from deeper within the mall, and a horde of civilians rushed past the café they were sitting at. Great, they were both just having a good time, but somebody had to try and stop it.

Izanami rolled her eyes as she got up from her chair. "Let's just get this over with. I'll give you a hand, just deal with whoever's causing trouble quickly. I want that dessert." She was not in the mood to get interrupted like this. Mikai had dragged her out on the promise of something amazing, and she was going to get that amazing feeling no matter what.

Mikai grinned a bit herself as her belt appeared and started to grow hot with her flaming will. "Glad to know I can count on your when it matters, Izanami!" She cried out, dashing out of the café as the flames from her belt consumed her while she let out a simple yell. "HENSHIN!"

A few seconds later and Izanami found herself standing in the middle of the mall with the city's heroine, Jõtaider Mimoto, ready to face off against whoever had been causing all this trouble. They were in for a world of hurt if they thought they could deal with her and her unnatural ally.

The villian that was now causing trouble was clad from head to toe in a suit of silver ornate-looking armor, the sun shining in through the windows above and reflecting off the shiny surface. All while also illuminating the delicate looking blade in her hands, jagged and encrusted with several jewels that lined the flat side of the sword.

"Ah! The King has arrived!" The armored woman cried out, refusing to expose her face as she bowed ever slightly. And so did the other armored ones around her, who each had a slight black tint to them. They were her Pawns, that much was easy to tell. "Excellent! Then the Coronation can begin! The new King of Mimoto can be crowned, and we will usher in an era of peace and prosperity under her guidance! That is my duty, as the Kingmaker!" At least the villain made her motive easy to understand, especially as she pointed her blade straight towards the lion-armored heroine.

Mikai blinked underneath her helmet. This was a new one. "Do you have villians like this back home, Izanami?" She asked, tilting her head a bit. "I've fought against a lot of Jõtaijin and all, but uhhh... None that want to make me even better than them. Feels really weird when you think about it..."

"Focus, idiot! Otherwise she might actually make you a King!" Izanami said as she put her hands on the heroine's shoulders, pouring a bit of her available magic into her body. Not much, because she didn't have much to give her, but enough to kickstart her flames and make them nearly engulf the area around her.

Mimoto nodded as she was pushed forward by her unlikely ally, letting out a powerful cry as she rushed towards the many armored Pawns and their leader. "King's Flame!" She shouted, jumping for a brief moment before spinning through the air and kicking straight through them, knocking tthem all down!

However, there was a distinct lack of the original armored villain. The Kingmaker seemed to have disappeared... Granted, the only thing that truly made her stand out was her special blade, so it wasn't difficult to assume that it was hard to keep track of her.

"Where'd she go!?" Mimoto cried out, blinking as the other Pawns suddenly got up, without being turned back. That was what made her heart tremble for a moment. These weren't Pawns! And that meant that the villain wasn't a Jõtaijin either, which meant...

Izanami grit her teeth a bit as she saw this unfold. Weird. Every time that she had accompanied the young girl in an attempt to find a way home or just burn a bit of time so she wouldn't get bored or dragged into playing games with the girl's mother, the minions were easily felled with one or two finishers. These minions didn't seem to fall after that. They were more durable, able to take more punishment. What could that mean..?

"Izanami! Look out!"

The villain didn't get a chance to dwell too hard on the fact that they had seemingly been out maneuvered before she felt a sharp sensation pierce through her. A caveat of her lacking abilities meant that she also didn't have a lot of ways to protect herself, leaving her vulnerable to the Kingmaker's sword being pierced straight through her. However, it didn't feel painful exactly. Nor did it feel like there was a wound inside her body.

"A King needs her proper attire. Your power... Your power will serve her nicely!" The Kingmaker laughed as the metal on her blade started to soak off the blade and into the villain's body, gradually turning her flesh to metal as long as that blade remained inside her.

Izanami felt her anger rising as she tried to grab the blade and snap it off. But touching the blade didn't help as it merely just rubbed off on her there as well, turning her slender hands into black and hollow gloves with gentle yet deep red lines accentuating the metal. And yet her pride wouldn't allow her to call for the girl to help her, because she didn't want to be saved by somebody like her.

Unfortunately, it was exactly what ended up happening. Mikai charged straight ahead and swapped from her lion form to her wolf form in the blink of an eye, letting out a howl as she practically sped right past the armored villain and sent her flying deeper into the mall. While it didn't do anything to the sword, at least it kept her friend safe from further tampering by that baddie.

Izanami felt the tiniest tinge of anger rising through her, but she suppressed it. Mostly because she couldn't really do much now that her arms had turned into the same ornate metal as her hands, and her torso had already experienced the same transformation. Really, it was just her legs that were missing out on the fully metallic transformation, and even then it wouldn't take much longer. "Well!? How are you going to fix this, Mikai?!"

"I dunno!" Mikai admitted as she grabbed ahold of the sword's handle, gritting her teeth a bit as she yanked it straight out of her villain friend's torso to try and stop the metal spreading. "But this has to have something to do with it! I'm sure of it!" She let out a satisfied pant as she held that sword in her hands, grinning a bit as she saw her own eyes reflected in the gems on the side.

Both of them could hear the Kingmaker laughing as the blade was drawn from Izanami's body, and the latter's mind quickly started to swirl as she looked at Mimoto, almost as if this had all been in the villain's plans. "You've pulled it, King! You've proven your worth as the King of Mimoto, nay, the King of this whole world!" Kingmaker laughed as she stepped closer, grunting a bit due to the significant dents in her armor.

Izanami was quick to notice that not only did her body not stop transforming, but the more she looked at Her Kin- Mimoto, the more it felt like she was being pulled towards her. What was happening to her, exactly? ...Well, she had a guess, and it was probably correct. That blade had converted her into a suit of armor for Mikai to wear, and now that Mikai had pulled the blade, she was designated as her King. It was an annoying setup, but it was the only way any of this could make sense.

"I don't want to be a King!" Mimoto cried out as she snapped back to her flaming lion form, her body lighting up with the flames that had been enhanced by Izanami's magic. "I just want to protect people! Now go away!" She shouted, on the verge of rushing straight at the villain with the flames covering the blade she still held in her hands.

Right up until she heard the sound of something snapping apart, and she cast a brief glance towards Izanami's body. Only to then be surprised as she had shattered completely, her many parts now swirling around her heroic friend's body. "I-Izanami!? Hey! You're alright, right?! You're not dead or anything, right!?"

"I'm fine!" Izanami shouted within the young girl's mind, her voice having taken on a tint that seemed a bit more respectful of the girl instead of one that could barely be called tolerant. "Just let me do this, My Ki- Mikai! That way you won't have to worry!" She knew how to quell her worries. And it would also accomplish the brand new mission inside her mind. But it would keep them out of the villain's grasp as well. If she had to serve her King, it would be on her terms!

Mikai didn't quite understand what her friend was getting at. And why she was so much more respectful. But... Well, she trusted her. She had trusted her since the moment she arrived in her world. She wasn't about to let up on that trust. "Alright, Izanami!" She shouted, as the flames of her heart burst from several points on her body. Serving as guiding lines for each and every piece of armor!

The black-and-red armor snapped onto her body bit by bit. The greaves, the gauntlets, the shoulders, the breastplate, and the armored pants. Every single piece supplanting Mikai's usual armor and giving her body more room to breathe because of how loose the armor felt compared to her normal armor. But most importantly, the color quickly shifted form a deep and worrying red to the bright flaming oranges that dotted the Flame Lion armor, to make it feel more like her own.

The last part of the armor that ended up covering Mikai was the helmet, which had taken upon the shape of a stylized cat when Izanami's face was transformed. Once it snapped onto the heroine's head, it shifted into a proud and stylized lion's head, more obvious identifable as one compared to the heroine's usual armor. With that, she was fully armored and presentable as a 'King', especially as that power started to spread through the blade that had crowned the King and transformed it into a one-handed great sword with a long black blade engraved with the same kind of colors as the rest of the armor.

Mikai took a deep breath as she felt the power brimming through her. This was... This was Izanami's power! She could tell, there was no other power that smelled so much of corruption. But in the good way. So being locked into Izanami's armor-transformed body allowed her to access her friend's power..? That was... Interesting...

The Kingmaker took a single step back as she looked at the armored heroine. "Why does this feel wrong..? You've been crowned the King of this world, and yet I feel no loyalty towards the Darkness..." The armored villain wasn't too enthused by this development. She hadn't gone through the trouble of crowning a King that the Darkness could use as a pawn just to have her turn on them this quickly. "Who are you?!" She shouted, as she tried to draw a brand new blade from the Darkness... Only to come up empty handed. Because she couldn't make another King until the current one disappeared...

A wicked smile slowly started to creep onto Mikai's smile. Was it her own heart letting her run wild? Was it Izanami's presence as her armor that was driving her down a path of corruption? Or was it simply appropriate retribution against somebody that had hurt her friend? It was hard to tell which considering she was currently wearing a helmet, but she put one hand on the butt of her sword and planted it into the ground. "I am Mikai Fushimi, the King of this world. You said it yourself, silly." She chimed, retaining a bit of her cheerful nature.

"You cannot be! The King of this world will forever be a pawn to the Darkness! The Darkness will claim this world just like every other world before it!" The Kingmaker shouted as she ran straight towards the one that she identified as a direct threat to her plans. Even if she didn't have a real plan in mind to fight against this wrongful King, she'd do anything to stop her from ruining her existing plans!

King Mikai pulled one hand off her new blade, as a bright red blade appeared in the palm of her hand. It was colored like this thanks to Izanami's power, making her tremble a bit. It felt good to tap into them. Was this why Izanami enjoyed being evil so much? It was possible, but she didn't want to dwell on it for much longer.

Instead, the newly crowned King just sent out this flame and let it grow to the size of the Kingmaker, causing it to immediately swallow the villain whole in a matter of moments. "I am the King. I make the rules. Kneel down and accept that, or be burned alive by your own hubris."

Faced with this ultimatum, and the flames burning away at her will, the Kingmaker soon fell to one knee. All while the silver on her armor was burned away until there was only black left. The exact same shade of black as the King's own armor, making it hard to tell the two apart aside from the ornate lines dotting Mikai's armor. "I-I..."

Izanami was happy to see her King indulging in her powers like this. Being used was filling her with a sense of satisfaction that she couldn't really have experienced in the past. The only thing that worried her was... Well, she was still a piece of armor. So she was in the exact opposite situation as before. She was being worn instead of the other way around. But at least she had a front row seat to her King doing what she did best with her powers.

Instead of waiting for the Kingmaker's decision to leave her lips, King Mikai made a decision for her. She gently slid the flame-wielding hand across her blade, lighting it with those very same flames... Before slashing straight through the villain caught within the will-eroding flames.

In that instant, the armor collapsed. The will had been completely draned from her body, and as a result she ceased to exist. Because the Kingmaker was really just a living suit of armor, not unlike what Izanami had been. "Those that hurt my friends... My subjects... They will be shown no mercy." King Mikai declared, the flames dying down as the sound of more armors fell apart behind her. The other civilians had been freed from their binds.

Izanami felt the tiniest shiver inside her heart as she saw this. Had her King gone too far? It was a question that dwelled ever so briefly on her mind, before she suddenly blacked out. And by the time she managed to regain her consciousness, she was now looking straight up at her King, helmetless and smiling down at her like she always did. "My... My King..?"

"Rejoice, Izanami." King Mikai said with a villainous grin on her face, as she helped the taller subject onto her feet. Letting her discover how heavy she was, and how she was clad in the exact same type of armor as her King. Just with the lines lining her armor having taken the red color once more. "That vermin who turned you into armor made for the perfect host for your soul. So we can fight alongside one another once more... As I lay claim to this world." She laughed, as she turned away and tightly grasped her blade. "It sounds too fun to not be the King of the world! And with you by my side, it'll be easy!

Izanami nodded softly. While she had her reservations, she could not go against her King. And... She was truly interested in seeing how far her King could go, now that she was a villain just like she had been.

Thus began the reign of King Mikai, as she staked her claim not only on her own world, but any other world she could get her hands on.