[Corruption, Tokusatsu Themes]
"Damnit! Why can't I get back out?!"
Deep within the recesses of Mikai's very soul, Chimera was trying her hardest to climb back out. She had tried to find out why the girl had been so empty, which required her to go as deep as possible. And while she had found the answer, the trek to get back to her...
It was impossible. The darkness within her, the empty void that she had lit up in the past, she couldn't get back out. No matter how much she tried to climb up, she'd just end up going around in endless circles. There was no up, no down, no right, no left. Just infinite darkness...
Honestly, it wasn't that she was stuck down here that bothered her. It was the fact that she couldn't get back to Mikai. That girl needed her. She needed to hear why she felt so empty. Otherwise, there was no telling what she might do. Especially-
Just as she saw a light blink in the distance, a cage formed around her. A cage that started to sink deeper into the darkness, as an eerie laugh echoed around her.
"Mikai! MIKAI!" Chimera shouted as she tried to reach out towards the light. "MIKAAAAAAAAIIIII!" Only to fall back into the depths she had tried to explore...
Mikai didn't need somebody like her to interfere...
---
"This doesn't bode well..."
Seiryu muttered as she looked upon the massive screen in front of her, displaying the individuals that had their Jõtai Factors pulled from them. At least the ones they were able to confirm thanks to the encounters with the JõtaiKillers. Cheer Champ, Mudbath, Kolorful Inkster, Glory Chaser, Head Teacher, Mother and Tithoth were the ones that had lost their factors, with each looking just like they did before they had the chance to accept the Jõtai's powers...
"You're hard at work, Lady Seiryu. If you asked me, THAT is what doesn't bode well." Qilin, having joined her blue-haired coworker in furthering this research, teased her ever so slightly as she looked upon the same results. "I have to admit, I don't see anything particularly wrong with them on the surface. But that's where you'll pull out the real facts and tell me exactly what I'm missing."
"How Hiro tolerates your presence, I have no idea." Seiryu muttered, before zooming in on Tithoth and Mudbath. "My original hypothesis regarding the Jõtai Factor was that suppressing it would result in the changes that the Jõtai inflicted reverting to normal. So tell me, Qilin. Do they look normal?"
Qilin adjusted her glasses slightly, before blinking as she immediately noticed the difference. For Tithoth, she had practically deflated which reduced her to looking like an ordinary plain girl without anything to really speak of. Her pride and joy was no longer there... And neither was the leaf that usually kept her braid in check. And for Mudbath, she was completely pale... And she was missing her catty features, the ones that had identified her as a Monster. "...You're not going to tell me that the Jõtai Factor has an extra adverse effect when removed from Monsters, are you?"
"No, because each of these victims have shown a drastic reduction in ambition and drive. Regardless if they had been Monsters or not, they now have no reason to truly carry on their original lifestyle." Seiryu explained, before putting a single claw up to her lip. "But the fact that these traits have disappeared, making them seem like any other Human... If I'm not mistaken, that would mean that Monsters are much more closely related to the Jõtai Factor than one could ever have imagined. That, or it just attaches to their Monster Gene and rewrites it permanently."
"Either way, it's not good." Qilin summed it up, before sighing a little. "Great, so we have another massive problem on our hands. Not only do we have to deal with Golden Freedom, The Darkness, and the independent Jõtaiders... But now we also gotta deal with those two? Can't we get a break?" Keeping track of everything, and how the PAWN System managed to hold up in comparison to its many different opponents, really was giving her a bit of a headache. Why couldn't things be a bit easier? Not to mention, it was Christmas Eve. This was the gift she ended up getting?
The door to Seiryu's lab shot open as Hiro walked inside, a grave look in her eyes. "Any news regarding Suikumo? I can't believe somebody actually managed to break in and set her free." She had seen better days as well. Between the continued pressure put on her arm thanks to how she had used it, as well as everything she was forced to face off against, she was having terrible nights. And it wasn't going to get any better, what with her track record.
"Merry Christmas to you too, Hiro." Qilin smirked, before sighing a little. "Unfortunately, we can't track her. Whoever broke her out also found a way to suppress the signature she gave off. No matter the strength of her Jõtai Factor, we just won't be able to find her. Sorry, Hiro. Wish I could be of more help."
Seiryu gazed at her skunk-striped patient, before softly nodding. "At the moment, I would recommend resting. Your arm may grow a mind of its own if you don't do everything to try and keep it in check. And as much as a living arm would be fascinating to study, this is hardly the time." Her scientific curiosity was suppressed by the matter at hand. That, and she had started to see Hiro in a different light. Perhaps it was due to the young girl rubbing off on her.
"I can't stay down. Not when we're this close to something going horribly wrong." Hiro said, one hand tightly gripping her arm. "Just keep looking for her. And keep an eye out for any presence from The Darkness as well, we can't allow them to get a foothold!" She had already seen the city fall into chaos once before. She wasn't about to let it happen again. Not when she had a chance to change things!
And as the adults all discussed the matters at hand, somebody was quietly listening in. A certain sandy-blonde, peeking into the lab while remaining as difficult to notice as possible. Not that it was too difficult, considering how much she had started to regress from last week's news...
The last month or so had been difficult for Mikai. She had put on a brave face, but the knowledge that she had been empty, the fact that two of her friends had betrayed her and been her enemies all along, and the fact that one enemy didn't even want to take her hand and liked the monster she had become... Capping it all off with those two 'Killers' and the knowledge that her Dad was even more gone than normal...
Was it any wonder that she had managed to recede into being a quiet girl who just walked through life? She was paying attention, but right now her heroic spirit was at its absolute lowest. Even knowing that Saeko had escaped wasn't enough to make her feel any sort of excitement or need to try and help. All she felt was... empty.
"Saeko..." Mikai muttered as she let her head rest against the wall. All those friends of hers had lost a part of them thanks to those two... And if she didn't do something, there was a very real chance that her former friend could lose something too. But she had betrayed her, so why did she care..? Why couldn't she stop caring about somebody that had actively been the cause of many of her problems..?
A few tears ran down her face, right as she heard her phone ringing. It took her a few seconds to answer, quietly muttering 'hello' into the receiver. It was like her spark had vanished completely...
"Mikai."
Right up until the moment she heard her one light speak to her... Yumeko had called her. She was always there for her. Always. Her best and first friend. The one that always looked out for her. No matter how far she fell, Yumeko was able to pull her out. Not to the point where she completely regained all of her light and joy, but enough to hear her squeal a little in joy.
"Ahaha... I'm glad you sound like you're a little better. But you don't need to try and sound okay for my sake, Mikai. You just need to do what you can." Yumeko's sweet voice echoed through the phone, before she cleared her throat a little. "I found Saeko, Mikai. And no matter what she says, you're the only one that can help her. And you need to be quick, otherwise she might run into Minami again, and then..."
"I'm on it." Mikai didn't hesitate. When Yumeko asked her to do something, she was on it. "I'll get her back, Yumeko! I promise!" She shouted, a grin forming on her face. Once again bringing the kind of positivity that she was supposed to radiate back onto her expression...
"I know you will. Just be careful, Mikai. I don't want to lose you."
With that, the phone call came to an end. Mikai didn't dwell too much on what Yumeko said. Because she knew that she wasn't going to end up leaving her. No matter how bad it got, she would be there for her. Just like Yumeko had been there for her.
For now, she had to head out. She had to find Saeko, and bring her back. As a real friend would do!
"Henshin!"
---
"What's this feeling...? What's this horrid, yet familiar feeling..?"
A voice echoed inside Minami's mind as she slowly wheeled down the well lit streets of Mimoto, her warm breath visible due to how cold it was. Strange. The creature inside her, Ouroboros, sounded... Afraid. It was an emotion that she hadn't come to hear from it...
"What's the matter..?" Minami asked, her own world filling with darkness as she entered her mindscape, gazing upon the creature that looked like her Mother. "Is something going on? Something that might get in the way..?"
"Get in the way..." Ouroboros mused, before shaking her head. "That's the least of what it's going to do. I don't know what it is, but it smells like trouble. We should stay clear. There's no telling what might happen. And hey, if it takes out some of the people we need to deal with, then that'd make our job easier."
Minami softly nodded... Only to shake her head, sighing as she stood up inside the darkness. "I can't let them take away what I want. We're going to find out what's making you feel this way."
"You don't understand." Ouroboros glared into the girl's eyes, her voice emphasized by a subtle growl. "This thing... It's going to tear us apart! It's worse than-"
Minami grabbed Ouroboros' wrist, smiling softly. "We'll deal with it. Don't you remember what you said? All I had to do was to rely on your power. So you just sit tight. I'll deal with it."
A bead of sweat ran down Ouroboros' brow, before she tore her arm away from her host. "...Don't say I didn't warn you." She muttered, as the darkness around the two vanished, revealing Minami to be sitting in her wheelchair once again, with nothing having changed besides the snow quietly drifting down beside her.
Slowly but surely, she let her smile widen. And as she wheeled into an alleyway to hide away from prying eyes, a single word left her lips.
"Shinka."
Jõtaider Ouroboros would find out why her partner felt this way. And once she had found out why, she was going to destroy it...
And from there, maybe feast upon it as well... It could always make her stronger...
---
"Minami..."
Saeko muttered to herself, looking up at the big tree that stood in the middle of Mimoto Park, a single hand across her chest. Her heart was pounding, but more importantly it was hurting. She had been freed a week ago, and even now she wasn't able to find her...
It was her fault that the girl ended up becoming the monster she now was. And unlike a certain snake that kept on teasing her, she was determined to take responsibility. She just had to find her, which was easier said than done.
Not to mention the fact that she couldn't actually go back to Golden Freedom for help. She was still supposed to be under house arrest. Which meant that Bat and D'Or would no doubt just try to take away her Jõtai for the time being if she went to them.
It was hopeless. It was so damn hopeless. And she knew that it was all her fault that everything had gotten this bad. But at the same time, was she going to give up?
No, of course not. No matter how many times she failed, Saeko Suikumo would stand up. It didn't matter if her Jõtaijin ended up blowing up in her face. It didn't matter if she ended up making a mortal enemy. It didn't even matter that she ended up causing her friend to become a monster even worse than herself.
She would stand back up and fight once more. Because if there was one thing that was true about her, it was that she was stubborn enough to be so damn persistent!
"Saeko!"
Saeko's eyes widened as she heard that cheery voice, and whipping around forced her to come face to face with Mikai. The girl that served as her greatest failure... And the girl that she had betrayed without a moment's hesitation. Yet despite that betrayal, the girl had managed to keep her from being gored by Minami when the opportunity arose...
"What are you doing here..." The bespectacled girl muttered as she slowly reached into her pocket, grasping her personal ring tight. "I'm not your friend, Mikai! You're my enemy!" There was no need to keep up a facade any longer. They were enemies. And nothing would change that.
"I might not be your friend, Saeko! But you're my friend! That's why Yumeko asked me to help you!" Mikai said, as the flames poured forth from her body. "And that's why I'm going to reach out and save you! You're just going to hurt yourself if you keep doing this, Saeko! HENSHIN!"
The flames coalesced into the usual Flame Lion armor, Mimoto assuming her proper stance. She could attack her friend right now, but she gave her the chance to transform. A courtesy that only friends should give.
Saeko paused. Before gritting her teeth, her eyes hidden behind her glasses. "Don't keep acting like you're my friend, it was all a lie!" Saying it was all a lie was so much easier than admitting that there were any genuine feelings between them. Especially as she slipped on the ring that let her unleash her powers.
In the blink of an eye, the weak Saeko Suikumo vanished. And in her place, the confident General Spider took the stage. Glaring at the girl that had gotten in her way so many times before. Glaring at her most intimate enemy, as she clenched both of her fists to the point where the fabric of her gloves were starting to tear.
"MIMOTO!" General Spider screamed as she whipped her hands out, letting thin webbing spew all across the park. "YOU WILL FALL! AND THEN I WILL CORRECT ALL MY MISTAKES!" Seeing the girl like this made her more than furious, and she wasn't about to let her win. Not this time!
Mimoto's body flames kept her from getting covered in any of this webbing, though it did not stop the General's assault. As soon as she put her arms down to resume a proper combat stance, Spider had already leapt from the ground onto one of the thin strands, using it as a springboard to try and kick her to the ground.
Her kick was met by one from Mimoto, whipping her foot to the side to deflect Spider... Which only served to launch the General at another piece of webbing, which let her launch right back into another attack. One that tore a piece of Mimoto's armor straight off, prompting a scream from the heroine underneath.
"Your armor represents your will. It represents everything that you stand for." Spider commented, before crushing that piece and letting the smoldering embers float into the distance. "So I'll crush that armor and leave you unable to stand! SO YOU CAN STOP THINKING OF ME AS YOUR FRIEND!" Burying herself deeper in her own lies, the General continued her assault...
"Chou Henshin."
Only to feel the pain of claws dragging across her body. And the chill of winter grew stronger, as each of her strands immediately froze solid thanks to Mimoto's form changing in the blink of an eye.
"I won't stop." Mimoto said, turning towards her friend with a determined flash in her lupine helmet's eye. All while she let the claws of Frost Wolf stretch out, ready to strike once again. "There's no way that I'm going to stop, Saeko! Yumeko told me to help you, and this is the only way I can!"
Spider grit her teeth as she grabbed a hold of the claw wound on her shoulder. That girl had gotten a lot faster. A lot stronger too. Normally, her strikes wouldn't be able to wound her like this. And yet here she was, hurting from a single exchange. "Yumeko this, Yumeko that..! Are you telling me you do this just because she said you should!?"
That made Mimoto pause. Was she really just doing this because Yumeko told her to? Was she really just fighting Saeko and thinking that she could save her... Because Yumeko told her that she should try to? Was there no real weight to what she was doing..?
That's right... That wasn't her own motivation. That was somebody else's. She just followed what people told her to do. She wasn't like Saki, who had a defined reason for why she fought... She wasn't even Minami, who just did all that bad stuff because she wanted to eat and enjoy herself...
She was just...
"I've got you!"
Spider took advantage of her current state, using her webbing to grab ahold of the frozen webbing and shatter it, launching the shattered ice towards the heroine in the form of shards that should be strong enough to cut into her armor.
Only for powerful gusts of wind to rise from Mimoto's armor, tossing the shards in every possible direction as she wordlessly transformed from Frost Wolf to Blast Eagle. Her enthusiasm and her happiness was gone...
And as Mimoto turned towards Spider once more, part of her helmet had crumpled. Revealing a golden eye filled with silent fury. By stripping away her motivation, the only thing that remained in her heart was the feeling of betrayal. And she still nurtured that grudge. She wasn't about to let the General go after what she had done...
Spider felt a slight tinge of sorrow as she looked upon that eye. It really did seem like she had come here just because Yumeko had told her. Why she had that power over Mikai, she didn't know. But right now, she was going to finish what she had started. "Somebody who can't fight for their own sake won't be able to win against me!" She shouted, webbing emerging from the palms of her hands as she forged two sets of blades. Double ended whipswords, perfect for somebody like her!
Mimoto stared at Spider's new trump card, as her feathered armor shattered to reveal Earth Ursa underneath. And with a single grunt, she let her foot stomp down with such force that the ground underneath them began to shake violently...
Only for a set of spires to emerge from the ground, called upon by her powers and locking them away from the rest of the world. This would be their arena, each spire decorated with the snow that had been launched into the air before it drifted back down. All while her eyes were focused on the enemy in front of her...
"Is she getting stronger..!?" Spider couldn't believe what she was seeing. Because the girl was so focused on her angry feelings, she was able to do something that shouldn't be possible with her current power. No matter, even with this smaller arena she could still beat her. She swung her blades, sending both the top and bottom halves at her enemy, ensuring they couldn't be deflected due to the spread nature of those whips...
At least, that's what she thought. But the girl with the anger-filled eye grabbed ahold of each tip within a single moment, the sound of metal shattering as she held those blades echoing out. She didn't waste a moment either, using her overwhelming strength to yank Spider towards her...
With her fist meeting Spider's face once she had been launched towards her. Just as quickly as Spider had been launched towards her, she was launched straight through one of the spires. The arena didn't last long, though it didn't need to last either.
Spider found herself on the ground after that, having slid across the grass and straight into a tree. Her body was hurting. Her pride was wounded. But as she stood back up, she just dusted herself off and glared at the enemy that now seemed so insurmountable. Was this what she was like at the core? Once you peeled away all the positivity, Mikai was nothing more than an instinctual creature of rage..?
No matter. There was nothing that she could do to keep her on the ground. There was nothing that would stop her from winning. Not this time! So she launched herself into combat once again. Against the girl that had proven to be her greatest mistake, who let her flames consume her as she transformed back into Flame Lion.
All while Mikai's single exposed eye continued to gaze upon the one that had betrayed her. Singlemindedly letting it drive her as she continued their fight...
---
"My my. Looks like everything's going well. Maybe I should go over and have a little peek? Ehehehe... There might be lots of fun that I could be missing out on!"
Kimiko was giggling to herself, all slowly stretching a little as she looked up at the night sky. Ahh... So many stars trying to blot out the black fabric of the night. How dull. But at the same time, the snow that drifted down... The white that dotted the earth before its final hours, it was such a nice thing to see compared to all those crummy stars.
Now, all she had to do was get to Mikai, and then-
"Monster!"
Kimiko raised an eyebrow as she turned towards the source of the voice, before giggling a little. "Oh? You two? Aren't you supposed to be claiming Jõtaijins right about now? Aren't those Jõtai Factors more important? Or am I another target for you two to kill?"
"Sorry, Kimiko. But Mama said that this couldn't go on any longer." Ero said, spinning her scythe as the lenses of her helmet started to glow gold. "What Mama says goes. And if Mama thinks you're a threat, then I'm going to make her proud and get rid of you."
"You're worse than they are." Hayato commented, spinning his pistols for a moment before trailing them on the muddy-haired girl. "And if I let you go, then things are just going to get worse. Those Monsters are nothing compared to what happened back then!" He had to put his hatred on standby. Because if that happened again, then..!
Kimiko giggled as she faced off against the two, before slowly brushing her hand through her hair. Ah, they were going to be a real pain...
But it's not like she couldn't have a little fun before the main event, ehehehehe...
---
"You again? Don't you ever learn? I thought being destroyed by me two times over would've taught something like you a lesson."
"I do learn. I learn what I did wrong, and improve from my mistakes, Jõtaider! Now, let us resume where we left off last time!"
Saki narrowed her eyes as she gazed upon the oversized heap of scrap. Overlord Helheim, the thing that had made her join forces with Mikai once before. This time, he seemed a little sleeker than before, though he compensated for the fact by having a serpentine unit wrapped around him, like a form of partner.
"You truly think you can win, with such meager upgrades?" Saki muttered as she called upon her staff, her eyes gleaming gold. "You claim to have learned, yet you fail to recognize the gap between our abilities."
"As I told you, I have learned. Gone is The End, now you face Overlord Helheim The Great!" Overlord Helheim The Great introduced his new moniker, before his partner unit unfurled from his body. "And this... This is Neohelm. An extension of my virus, not unlike you would be if you became part of my forces, Jõtaider. Now behold!"
The serpent cracked all over, as it cast aside its bulky shell. All to reveal a robotic duplicate of Saki underneath, just with a draconic head instead. Essentially a mere copy of the Jõtaider, but it was clear that it was powerful. Otherwise it wouldn't radiate the same kind of energy that she did when she was transformed.
"Henshin." Saki was not impressed, especially as she transformed into the real deal through the darkness she commanded. "So, two on one. It seems less like you've learned, and more like you're compensating for your own inability through nothing more than an ally."
"Your attempts at mockery fall flat." Overlord Helheim said, before turning his non-bladed hand into another blade. "Neohelm and I will put a swift end to you, through the legion of our power! Now, may you burn eternally, Jõtaider!"
The two cybernetic combatants both let loose the flames of their virus, the blue flames billowing forth from their snouts as Kanzei assumed a defensive stance, her own power starting to bubble forth....
"You guys really don't know when to quit!"
Right until a familiar voice echoed out, and those flames froze in place. And though Kanzei didn't turn to face her, she was more than pleased to have the girl on her side for the time being.
"You... You are no Jõtaider! And yet you still stand, despite the virus! Impressive! Most impressive! Your name, I want to hear it!" Overlord Helheim The Great cried out in delight, with Neohelm mimicking its master's enthusiastic body language, complete with wagging tail slapping against the ground...
The white-haired savior grinned as she brushed one hand away from her scarf. "Yuuki Shimo! I'm the hall monitor at Mimoto Highschool, and proud member of the Student Council!" She was brimming with confidence. Even though the dragon had once tried to overpower her with his virus before, it couldn't even try to claim her this time.
"I thought you said you didn't approve of what I did, Yuuki." Kanzei said, letting her defensive stance falter as she clenched her hand around her staff. "Are you having second thoughts, now that you come to aid me?"
"No way. You're still going down a terrible path." Yuuki remained vigilant in that regard, though she still had that grin on her face. "But right now, the only way you get to be the only hero is by helping Mikai. And so I'm here to help you get rid of this bucket of bolts, just so you can get there faster."
"And what makes you think I'll help her, when she's one of my sworn enemies?" Kanzei pointed her staff at her white-haired friend. "You really think I would just do that? Or did you wake up thinking words could solve everything?"
"A hero would do that." Was all that Yuuki needed to say, as she punched her fist against the palm of her hand. "Now then! You, Great guy or whatever you said your name was! Let's see how long you last against Mimoto Highschool's finest!"
Kanzei lowered her staff, just sighing. Very well. They'd deal with the threat at hand, and then she'd return to that terrible argument. "You will fall once more, Overlord. Now, prepare yourself!"
Helheim's grin widened as he faced off against an impressive set of girls. Though one was not a Jõtaider, his battle hungry heart still beat strong against his chest. This would be a bout worth his time.
Though as he launched himself into this battle, a single thought drifted through his mind. One that his partner had adamantly refused to answer.
Why exactly had this world become a target not once, but twice over..?
---
"You... Won't... Win..!"
Spider slowly got up onto her feet. The pain rushing through her was unbearable. It was far too much for her to handle. And yet she still stood tall. Because she was too stubborn to surrender. No matter how much punishment she endured, she would keep fighting. If she gave up now, then there was no point in anything she did!
Mimoto, meanwhile, didn't seem to slow down at all. She had lost a small amount of armor from some successful hits that Spider had inflicted, but she hadn't lost any of her will to fight. All she did was step ominously towards her in her Flame Lion form, flames already coalescing in the palm of her hand. All while that golden eye kept focus on the girl that had betrayed her.
She was an enemy. She was the one that needed to be defeated. Those were thoughts that swirled around inside of her head. It was why she was keeping up this assault. So that the girl understood exactly how much pain she had inflicted upon her. And then she'd keep on experiencing that pain. Over... and over... and over...
So this was what Mikai was like when she harbored a grudge. She should've finished her the day she gave her that Jõtai. But her mistakes allowed her to grow. And she would never back down, no matter how many mistakes she made. It was why she let her will flare up, causing her arm to be covered in the same golden gauntlet that she had used the first time she truly won against Mikai!
"DESIRE! RELEASE!" Spider shouted, slamming the gauntlet against her chest as she pulled out the orb that served as the crystallization of her own self. And from there, she slammed that orb into the back of the gauntlet, letting her voice roar forth. "INSERTION! SPIDER!"
The golden hues of her will and the gauntlet consumed her, with her armor forming from that gold. The eight-armed combat form that served as her full power. Even against somebody as unfathomably aggressive as this grudge-driven Mikai... She wouldn't be able to defeat this version of her!
Mimoto stared at the gold-armored woman in front of her, responding in kind by reaching towards her chest. She tugged on a light that grew from within, before drawing the Unicorn Blade from her own being and transforming herself into Light Unicorn in the process. Not a single word left her lips. She just readied her blade when faced with the enemy, and focused all of her energy on her and her alone.
"Even after all that, you still don't speak." Spider muttered, as her golden armor started to shine. "Very well! Then be bound by my web! No matter how strong you are, you won't be able to tear yourself free!" She shouted, as her eight arms moved faster than the eye could see...
Mimoto ended up stuck within these golden strings, unable to swing her blade. How she could pull off something that blindingly fast was still something that she needed an answer to. But right now, she just tried to struggle against the threads. She needed to get free. She needed to get free so she could strike down the one that had betrayed her.
"Now... Finally..." Spider gasped, the pain of keeping this transformation stable after being beaten so much finally taking its toll. No, she wouldn't give up. She wouldn't. She needed to take out this heroine... This false friend of hers!
Her needle formed within her hand as she took aim, making sure that the needle was aimed squarely at Mimoto's chest. "Even that will of yours... It doesn't stand a chance, now that I've bound you! TAKE THIS!" She screamed, dashing forward as she aimed to pierce straight through and eliminate her enemy's vulnerable heart..!
Only for her eyes to widen as she was cut short. Literally cut, in fact, as the threads all burst apart. All while Mimoto slowly raised her blade back up with her golden eye gleaming forth from the hole in her helmet.
"H-How..?! Those threads can't be cut by anybody..! They shouldn't be able to be cut! They're my webs! MINE!" Spider was losing control, as she sent out more webbing in the span of barely a second. She needed to win! SHE NEEDED TO DEFEAT HER!
Mimoto was unphased, slashing the web apart. All while the whiter parts of her armor started to take on a crimson hue. A deep, hateful crimson, which started to accompany the gold in her eye as well...
"There she is... The enemy... You know what to do, don't you, Mikai..?"
Her best friend's words echoed through her mind, and she agreed. Thus she galloped forth, letting out a violent yell as her blade grew massive mid-swing so it was almost impossible to avoid.
Spider was quick on her feet, making it hard to hit her. But even she had to admit that what she was looking at was far beyond her expectations. How was she able to do this!? She shouldn't be able to overpower her in this form. And why was she turning red!? What was happening to her!?
"Mika-"
Her eyes widened underneath her armor, as she barely dodged out of the way of another slash. Why was she concerned for her!? She had been trying to force her away, and now that she saw her in a different kind of pain, an emotional kind of pain, she wanted to help her!? What kind of idiot was she..!?
Spider took a deep breath, before standing back up as she faced off against this enraged Jõtaider, all eight of her arms ready to spin her another web. The tables had turned, and now...
"...Maybe this was what she wanted. Maybe this is why she freed me." She muttered, thinking about how Yumeko had helped her. And Yumeko had been the one to force Mikai here too. Was this all a way to try and force them to reconcile?
No matter the reason why, she wasn't going to go down. Even now that she was the one trying to stop Mimoto instead of the other way around. She hated being in this situation, but if she was going to get her off her back, she needed to stop her from rampaging.
Both Mimoto and Spider roared as they dashed at one another, neither willing to back down..!
---
"What in the world is going on out there!?"
Hiro shouted, returning to Seiryu's lab after having gone off to grab a coffee. She left for five minutes, and alarms were ringing all over the place! What in the world went wrong!?
"We found our little spider. One problem though, and she's not the cause." Qilin replied, as she motioned towards the readings displayed on the screen. Two golden signatures, one about three times as large as the other one. "Her opponent is. And if this continues, then we're going to hit critical thresholds."
"Who's fighting her, t-" Hiro paused, before immediately pinching the bridge of her nose. "It's Mikai. You don't even need to say it, there's nobody else that could output that much energy."
"Indeed. But this is on a completely new level." Seiryu explained, before pulling up another signature. One that was a bit more familiar to Hiro, prompting the latter to flinch in shock. "...It's exactly what it looks like."
It was the energy that, after constant hypothesizing and experimentation that then led to the Prime Resonance experiment being greenlit, was widely agreed upon as the reason why The Darkness had chosen to attack their world. In short, Mikai's energy output... It was comparable to the same kind of chaos that was caused ten years ago.
"I'm leaving. NOW." Hiro didn't think twice, turning around as her heart slammed against her chest. She had to stop her. She didn't want to lose somebody important to her again. Not after losing Haruhi and Tsukiko!
At least, that's what she was going to do. But a rip in space decided to impede her path, as the terrible magician stepped out and tipped his hat in their direction. "I'm afraid you aren't allowed to join the main act, Jõtaider. You would ruin all the fun that's been building for so long."
"You've got some nerve coming here." Qilin said, her own golden eyes gleaming. "And your stench... It's even worse than that woman's. So what, you're above her in the hierarchy?"
He was just about to answer, before he narrowly dodged a fist thrown by PAWN, prompting him to laugh. "We of The Darkness, the ones chosen as Prime, are all on equal standing. I just prefer to take things slow and steady, so that everything may come to a wonderful climax. And it seems like a few of the seeds that I've planted have started to bear fruit."
"OUT OF MY WAY!" PAWN screamed, her darkened arm glowing bright green as she channeled her energy through it. "DESPERADO!" She let her power roar out, her arm serving to stabilize her body despite the dangers of her overclocking.
Seiryu narrowed her eyes as she spread her wings, baring her claws towards the enemy. "Then, Prime Darkness... No, Lumiel. You're going to stay here and answer our questions." Even she would enter combat. Because letting him escape... It was not something she could allow.
"My my. You did your research." Lumiel smirked, before tossing his hat aside. "Then how about we begin an interlude? Something to tide you over before the main event!" He laughed...
"And you too are invited, Baroness."
Right before that hat of his carved through the shadows in the lab, revealing a bundle of bats that flew out and coalesced in the form of Golden Freedom's second-in-command. She was none too pleased with being discovered, nor was she in a good mood. All she could do was clear her throat as she glared down upon him and the Atlas Corp trio...
"Dogs of Atlas, I propose the tiniest truce. We cannot allow that to happen again. And for that reason, I will lend you my strength to stop this man." She would have to explain all of this to D'Or later. But for now, dealing with him and stopping this problem was more important.
Four against one. Lumiel couldn't help but laugh at this unbalanced matchup. They truly thought they could take him with just four?
Well, he had to buy that girl a little more time, so he would play his part. What happened from there, that was up to her...
---
"Haah... Haaah... I can't... let you win..!"
Spider's armor had cracked all over. Her multiple arms, the ones that had been supporting her and allowed her to carry out such fast movements, were all shattered. She could barely even stand. And yet she refused to back down. Even now, she wouldn't allow herself to falter...!
Mimoto just let her golden eye guide her towards the enemy. She did not see Spider. She did not see Saeko. All she saw was a traitor. A betrayer. An enemy that she had to strike down. She had to do it. It's what she deserved. Only then would she know peace.
She had suffered no true wounds. Especially not when compared to Spider. Her armor had cracked in places, but it was able to easily protect her. And thanks to the hatred that bubbled around inside her and kept her focused, plus the words of her best friend reminding her of what she had to do... She would not stop.
"You want... to make me surrender..? Then..! You'll have to end it..!" Spider remained steadfast. Even if she couldn't bind Mikai and lock her down, she still had her needle. That was all that she needed. She just needed to strike her heart, and then it would all be over.
As Mimoto came into range, Spider took a strong step forward and thrust that needle straight towards her chest. At this range, there's no way that she could outspeed her. She would find her target, and she would pierce through it...
And she did. Spider's needle struck through Mimoto's chest. But...
"W-Why..."
Even though it pierced her enemy's heart... It didn't do anything. The needle, which was supposed to be able to weave new will into its victims... It practically just phased through. Like there was nothing it was able to weave into.
And in her haste to try and strike Mimoto, she left herself open. Her helmet shattered as Mimoto returned the favor, shoving her hand through her chest. Just as one of her Jõtaijin had done to her in the past. And just like back then, something important now rested within the palm of the aggressor's hand.
Mimoto gazed upon the orb she held. An orb filled with Spider's very essence. Her Jõtai Factor. yanked out of her body in its purest form. Even the gauntlet that she held at the moment wouldn't be able to harness it in the same way that Mimoto did.
She gazed upon the betrayer, whose expression was one of pure shock. She couldn't say a thing. She couldn't do anything. All she could do was gaze upon her former friend in horror, as she felt her hand squeeze down on that orb. It was clear that she wanted to scream. She wanted to tell her to stop.
But Mimoto would not listen, even if she could speak. She crushed the Jõtai Factor, and let the ashes of it all slowly drift to the ground like the snowflakes around them...
As soon as that orb shattered, Spider's transformation shattered in turn. And Saeko was left to collapse onto the ground below, her wound thankfully healed. But her pride, everything else... All of it destroyed by the hand of the girl that she had betrayed...
Mimoto stood there. Looking down upon the girl that had betrayed her. And she felt nothing. Even crushing her and making her unable to ever transform again didn't make her feel anything. But that, in and of itself, made her armor shatter bit by bit...
"W...What... What have I..?" It was like she snapped out of stupor as it all settled in. The fact that she had so callously gone on the offensive, all to rip away Saeko's ability like that. It was enough to make Mikai stumble back once she was freed from her transformation...
Right before she heard a giggle. And she threw her head towards the source of that giggle, with her eyes widening as she laid her eyes upon a devastating sight...
"Theeere you are, Mikai! I see you got real busy with that traitor! Good, good! I had a bit of fun myself, you know?"
Kimiko was there. And she was dragging... The JõtaiKillers behind her. Both of them bloodied. The sight of which made her heart crack ever slightly. This brutality... It was almost as bad as what she did...
"Ehehehe... You look like you've seen a ghost, Mikai! But it's fine, you did the right thing! You severed your friendship with that traitor! That's what you're supposed to do!" Kimiko praised her best friend, letting go of the two useless training dummies and skipping over to her. "Now you just have to do that to everyone else too! It's going to be easy!"
"E-Everyone... else..." Mikai muttered, her expression growing dimmer as Kimiko's words took hold. "Sever... friendships... Is... Is that right..?" The tiniest bit of her sensible self was still trying to resist. But at the same time, it was growing more and more quiet. All because of the thought that had made her shut down earlier.
They were all the cause of why she was like this. They had used her. They had made her do what they wanted. Never thinking of what she wanted. So naturally, dealing with them and then choosing her own path... That would finally make her valid...
Kimiko giggled as she watched Mikai's expression shift from a worried one to a compliant one. Good, good... Now-
"You! GET AWAY FROM HER!"
Mikai and Kimiko turned to the sound of another sudden arrival, with Mikai barely reacting to the sight of her. It was Ouroboros... Minami... Why was she here..? Ah... She was probably worried about Saeko...
Ouroboros cracked her neck as her tail reached over her shoulder. All while her eyes focused on the two girls that stood over Saeko. Just looking at them was enough to make her body tremble all over. Was this what that thing inside her mind told her about..? Either way, she was going to deal with it. Just as she said she would.
"You hurt her... NOW IT'S YOUR TURN!" Driven by her violent emotions, the purple-hued Jõtaider rushed forward. She would harm one or the other... Or both, if she got the chance! They had hurt Saeko, and right now she wanted vengeance for that!
As Mikai wordlessly watched the enemy run at the two of them, she noticed something drifting right past her vision. A... black and silver feather. A feather that made her head immediately try to tear itself apart. W-What was... Why did that thing make her feel like this..?
She'd get her answer as soon as she heard a scream ring out. And as she managed to focus her gaze, she couldn't believe her eyes. Because as soon as she saw that figure, the pain went away, replaced with a flood of memories pouring into her mind.
Ouroboros was on the ground. Blade embedded in her back. And on top of her was a woman in blackened silver armor. Armor that immediately reminded her of the one that had saved her in the past. But that armor was two-colored. So why was she such a dark shade of silver now..?!
"Little one. You know better than to play with your food."
Ouroboros tried to reach towards Saeko, only for the armored woman to stab her blade into her hand as well, sending her screams echoing out. All while she just casually turned towards Kimiko, her helmet vanishing and revealing a face that nobody in Mimoto ever expected to see again.
It was Tsukiko Tsurugi's face. But her skin was purple, just like a Luna's. And her silver hair had been turned black and wriggly, just like the tentacular hair of a Luna. And the stoic expression on her face betrayed her original self. It was such a perversion of her original self...
Merely the sight of her made Mikai collapse onto her knees, her hands on her head as her heart kept on cracking. H-her... Her savior... C-Corrupted into... Into the same thing that... T-That... That..!
"Ehehehe. Sorry, Luna." Kimiko giggled and winked at the older woman. "I just wanted to have a bit of fun. But I guess all good things must come to an end." She chimed, before turning her head towards her best friend, the one that had collapsed onto her knees. All while smiling as she kneeled down to look her in the eye. "Oh, and by the way?"
Mikai looked at her for a moment. Watching her best friend reach for her scarf. The same scarf that Yumeko had given her. The same scarf that felt just like Tsukiko's, the one that had fallen on her back on that fateful day...
"This is mine."
Kimiko took it from Mikai, smiling all the while as she wrapped it around her instead. By taking that scarf, she took the single thing that kept Mikai held together. Her most important friendship, severed just like that.
"A... Aa.... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Mikai screamed, as her whole world shattered just like that. And her burdened emotions filled her void, as a violent burst of darkness flooded forth from her. The void within her inverted, forming around her and practically trapping her within. All fueled by the despair she felt in the moment.
This armor was just like her other ones. But it was black, with green hues like the despair rushing through her. Unlike her prior forms, it was themed after one of the most destructive creatures. The Dragon. No longer would she save. No longer would she protect. Now she would rampage and destroy. All because of her heart shattering and her emotions finally boiling over.
The darkness flooding from her had converted her from a protector to a destroyer, and this Dark Dragon served as her emotional prison. Even as she stood back up and the wings sprouted from her back, her anguished wailing continued. She couldn't stop screaming. She wouldn't stop screaming. All would hear her despair...
Kimiko laughed. What a wonderful Christmas gift. With her shut away inside her own emotional cage, and with Luna finally showing up, it was finally time. Everything she had worked towards, finally coming to a head.
She raised her arms to the sky, and the snow stopped. The gentle sky was blotted out by a dark hole, the fabric between this world and The Darkness finally giving way, as she laughed from the depths of her heart.
"Merry Christmas, humanity! I bring you one gift, the greatest gift of all! THE DARKNESS!"
Kimiko laughed, before slowly letting that laugh turn into a giggle as many eyes were now upon her. All thanks to her powers manifesting many small holes around her, hijacking all the screens in the entire city. All so they could look upon her. Ah, she really did love the attention.
"Ehehe... I hope you all enjoy, we've been working really hard on breaking into this world again. But now we're finally done! And you can all meet Mama again! It'll be so much fun!" The look in her eyes was nowhere near crazed or maniacal. It was just happy. Pleasant as it could be. But she noticed that some of the eyes that she had made started to gaze upon her, as if they didn't know who she was. "Oh, ehehe, my mistake. You don't know who I am, do you? Well then, please look closely!"
In a flash, Kimiko's humanity faded away. Replaced with the same purple hues as Luna's. Replaced with the same black tentacles for hair that all the other Lunas had. But the smile on her face... It was distinct. It was so familiar to the many that had been saved so many times over the last few months.
"My name is Mikai! Mikai Fushimi! And I'm going to enjoy making you all belong to Mama!"
—
Hiro gazed upon the screen that displayed Kimiko’s wicked declaration, and a bunch of emotions rushed through her. It distracted her from the fight at hand, all because of what suddenly hit her.
Not only did she get to see Kimiko shed her true form, but she could see Tsukiko barely out of frame. And if she was there, then… then..!
All along, Mikai had been saved by Tsukiko. She was the girl Hiro had found when everything was said and done. That empty-eyed girl that was left behind! She never realized it, but they had met all that time ago… And she had done absolutely nothing to try and help her then!
The sight of Tsukiko’s return, and realizing that her first meeting with Mikai had taken place so long ago, made Hiro’s heart shatter. As a single sound left her lips…
A single scream, carrying her despair…
—
“So that’s who she was all this time..! Saki, we have to-”
Yuuki tried to turn to her friend, but all she earned for her trouble was a swift strike to the neck. She collapsed in a second, knocked out completely. And the golden-armored girl turned towards the shadows…
“Cobra. Take care of her. I’m going to save Mikai.”
With that, Kanzei took off running. And the green-haired twink that had been keeping a secret eye on her quietly stepped out of the shadows with a sigh.
“I know I told her to take responsibility, but this is beyond reckless…” Cobra muttered, looking down upon the white-haired girl as he quietly helped her up while gazing into the distance.
All he could do was hope that she could keep it up. Otherwise, there’s no telling what those Darkness bastards were going to do to her…
—
"No... No, this isn't supposed to be this way..!"
Yumeko watched the sky above, and the 'broadcast' put on. And all she could do was cry, as everything she had done to try and stop this had failed.
"Mikai... I'm so, so sorry..! I failed you again..!"