On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

Three Hundred And Thirty-Two / Side One Hundred And Twenty-Seven – Matsumuro Tsukiko, The Diviner

As Tsukiko flew through the air, everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The creature that she knew would be responsible for her death, no, not just her death, but her final dissolution, oblivion, was flying at her, a piece of it, at least. Watching it attack the fallen Prince Shōtoku and the brave Kofuku Jizo, inflicting grievous, tainted wounds upon them, made her heart ache. Though it aches enough already. Curse these ants, and the damage they have wrought. But…

She was torn, had been torn, ever since she was a child. Turning aside the destined, trying to minimise and prepare for the definite, it was her whole life, as the Shrine Maiden of Tsukuyomi-jinja, the famed Diviner, she born with the touch of Tsukuyomi himself upon her. And it had been enough. It had to be, else she could not bear the weight of expectations, the guilt at those she could not save, the stress, the loneliness.

Fortunately, she made some acquaintances that she could be closer to than most in her life, though only two stood out. Kudou Yasuhide, the old fox who was the leader of the Tsukuyomi faction, at least until recently, who fortunately had left for the Material world, before the battle escalated and they were trapped there. He had left her with some sad parting words, and she now regretted she had not spoken with him longer, honestly expressing her fears, her desires. 

“Really, it’s breaking this old man’s heart to see you still struggling to accept this fate. Akio-kun was right, there were many things that we could have done, you could have done. A vacation abroad, for example. You don’t have a passport, but I’m sure Takakura-sama would be able to swing it. Or even just staying protected in Tokyo, Akio-kun would have looked after you. Even staying in the Material Kyoto was surely safer. Instead, you chose to be here, almost as if to lure them in. I thought you wished to live, to create a tool to change destiny?”

With those words she had been unable to reply, other than a farewell which she knew was her last. Yes, she wanted to live, to survive the ants scuttling over everything, just as she had foreseen. Worse it seemed that her fate was to go beyond mere death, to be devoured until any trace of her that remained was consigned to history. The ants had been ferocious, and she had stood in almost panicked shock as the enemies attacked with reckless abandon, leading to the deaths of many, good people such as the monk Engetsu, and a girl from the old neutral faction under Bankei. Others too, not human, but alive, nonetheless. All this for me? It is… is it justifiable, especially now I have surrendered the Gift I was tasked to hold onto? I do not know, and that scares me most of all. To have hope is more painful than to accept doom, and my heart aches so.

As the ground came closer moment by moment, she believed perhaps that was why she made a stand here, the doom would surely follow her wherever she fled. Such was inevitability, definitely. But, despite her sheer horror at the sacrifices made for her, she was also happy, in the end. For what she had seen… a brilliant dark moon, shining with an incandescent halo, casting deep shadows everywhere. It was not on his back, but… perhaps… hitting the ground hard, her whole body shuddered, impact bruising her savagely. She remembered her other friend, a similarly lonely existence, if hardly so blessed as she was herself. Face twisted into a grimace of pain, she remembered her words to Yukiko, the princess who carried the burden of Amaterasu, and the weight of Ise Grand Shrine.

I see golden eyes like the sun, staring at your shining silver link to the Sun, and a maw of darkness opens… should it snap shut, your death is certain… even as she gasped out a pained groan at the impact, she could see a dirty golden eye opening on the fragment of this evil creature, and the many mouths forming into one, ringed with savage teeth, tongue lolling mockingly. The eye rolled as it flew, mouth opening wide, looking not at her but… I see it. It is beautiful. How ironic, that I see it at the last, before it is destroyed. The pretty ribbon of silver that trailed from her body, vanishing into the mists, was directly in the path of the beast, and nobody could see it, it seemed. Well, almost nobody. With a smile, she thought of what else she had told her.

He shall be blessed by a God not of this land, yet hold the favour of the kami that dwell here, and the favour of the Moon shall be with him and the only way they can be saved is by one who holds darkness in one hand, light in the other, and twilight within and lastly that he would carry the twilight on his back. All words, with many meanings. Indeed, prophecy was a fickle thing, and it had angered him, as he did not believe in Fate. He declared that he would not let her die, nor Yukiko, that he would save them both, show them a better life. Well, I was most surprised when he asked to marry me. The look of guilt on his face… it was a shock. As the teeth snapped shut, her shining silver link tearing asunder, she shuddered in unbearable agony, a chunk of her simply… falling away.

I suppose that it would be a link to the moon, for me… she thought, her mind starting to fog, vivid sparks of dark violet spatial energy creeping up what remained of her silver cord towards her. At least … perhaps… Yukiko can be saved. Words can be made to fit, after all. I gave the favour of the moon, Tsukuyomi’s gift to him, and that… beautiful yet deadly dark moon…

She shuddered once more, and everything was still, as if time had finally frozen, forever…

********

[Such anger. Where is it? Where is my feast?] the creature called, licking his lips as a surge of darkness moved towards Tsukiko-san’s fallen Astral body, which was already starting to lose lustre. My mind was blank with grief, but I shut it down, forcing my Resilience to its maximum potential, taking a deep breath to steady myself. I’ve seen Shiro dying. Mine-san died in my arms… luckily I didn’t see Eri get torn apart, but… even so… I need to remain calm, search my options. I’ve been through this before, I can deal. Prophecy is dogshit, but… there’s clearly more to the world than what I know, else how the hell would Fortune work? My Foresight too…

The Prominence Dusk was fading, and I let it go, only an afterimage of darkness and light remaining. I could probably manage two, maybe three bursts more with it, but it was too new, too untested for prolonged use. I was so weary, drained, even with my buffed state, but I clutched Cutting Twilight, determined to implement the next plan, every second a precious second I could regain more aether.

[Where did it go? I should not complain, she really was quite tasty, touched by a God, the lingering traces still so… fragrant…] the blob was shifting shape, two stumpy toad legs pushing out from the base, lifting it up, allowing it to start waddling ever closer towards the fallen body of Tsukiko-san. [… a meal as unique as any of those little elemental wielders I munched on. A shame I never did get to eat that Princess, damn Earl…] Suddenly it paused, surprised. [Wait, I still…] the eye rolled across the fleshy body to the back, until it was looking directly at me. [There! The taste of Fate! Wonderful, I had worried this little morsel lost it somewhere…]

He licked his lips at the fallen, immobile Tsukiko-san, his purple spatial element having almost reached her main body, her cord devoured. [What a world. To think I would end up here by chance, while those who call themselves Gods were playing their foolish little games to work out who gets the shiny bauble and all the living beings on it. I guess my Fortune has not deserted me after all. Sha-sha-sha-sha.]

It liked to talk, but I wasn’t listening, instead considering my options. “Shiro, can you change what skill you’re buffing?” I cried, and she raced to my side, nodding.

“I can, Aki, but considering I dropped buffs on Shaeula and Hyacinth, maybe two more. At best. I might go down after one. I’ve been… pushing myself a bit. Tan too.”  She looked down at her ruined arm, which was now in an even more tattered state than before, and a lot of her scars were bleeding.

“Fine. Then swap mine to Chirurgery! If you have any strength left, buff Bintara’s healing. Then leave the rest to me.” I clenched my fist holding Cutting Twilight angrily, until blood was running down the blade. All right then, I’m going to have to break the last Favour to top up…

Before I could, Shaeula was by my side, her expression baleful as she glared at the surviving Cultivators and Renyu. “I shall-shall spare what I can.” She placed her hands on my back, by the lunar chakra, and allowed her Chirurgery to flood me with power. As she did so, Shiro finished her blessing, and I felt noticeably weaker, my Chakra Network dimming, but as a trade-off, I was far more adept at using Chirurgery, what had seemed on the verge of me grasping before, now fresh in my mind, understanding clear.

“If any-any of you continue to fight, I will annihilate you!” Shaeula promised, quickly followed by Hyacinth, who rushed in, spores dancing in the still air around her.

“If yooou have no wish to rot and become food for my mushrooms, stand dooown!” she ordered coldly. More reinforcements were coming, Ixitt and some of his engineers, as well as Grulgor, who raced in, and seeing the state Ulfuric was in, rushed to his side. “Poor badger got all bashed up. Grulgor is disappointed.” And with that he clicked his tongue haughtily.

“Go, Aki. We’ve got this…” Shiro said, as everyone glared at the golden-eyed enemy. “…well, everyone but me, I’m running on fumes here.” She warned, dragging herself towards Bintara as quickly as she could.

“Do what you must-must.” Shaeula said, hurling weasels of flame, wind and water at the blob, which was unable to evade with its stumpy legs, but it lashed its great tongue, eating the attacks. The ground then erupted, vines trying to imprison it, and a haze of spores and toxins enveloped it.

“Goooooo! Hyacinth hates sad endings. If Akiooo hates them too, then dooo it!”

“Thanks.” I murmured, rushing towards the blob. Seeing me coming, it laughed again, setting my mind on edge.

[Ah, food coming right to me. I should have checked again, I suppose, but who would have expected the meal I so longed for to move host? Well, you were here anyway. Once I have devoured you, I shall get the meals from the north as well, and …] a slimy drool stained the floor as it salivated. […another delightful meal of spatial prowess has appeared. Simply wonderful, this place is like a feast.]

Arisu-san, right? I raced at the blob, which was bathing in Hyacinth’s spores calmly, the vines eroding as if they were dipped in acid. “Get back to whatever hell spawned you!” I cried, Cutting Twilight discharging, space crackling as purple sparks met violet, and the clash rippled the air. A tongue sped at me, but rock spikes leapt from the ground, piercing the tongue, doing little damage before being eaten, but knocking it off course.

“Grul says here…” he was hurling a rain of solid metal balls, and though they seemed to cause no damage, merely disappearing, the aftermath causing little more than ripples in the slimy flesh, the beast was knocked away. I channelled earth element into the ground, creating a chasm, and it fell downwards, still laughing. Jumping over that, I landed beside the slowly fading body of Tsukiko-san, my Eye flaring, the aether Shaeula had handed me hopefully enough.

I can’t repair a severed astral cord. Not with my skills. Perhaps, just maybe if it was a fresh, untainted cut, but the dark spatial element of that fucker has completely eroded the cord going both ways. Her… her Material body is dead, that’s for sure…

The damage had spread to her Astral body, and I could see through the spatial element, leaking from her wounds. Some was going to the vile one-eyed blob that even now was struggling to get out of the pit, Shaeula, Hyacinth, Grulgor and more pouring attacks down on it. The fallen blades that hadn’t been destroyed, the slime within the body of some of the Cultivators and the last Candidate… Tsukiko-san’s essence was being slowly stripped away and funnelled through to what was beyond, a vile, bloated main body lying curled somewhere in the Boundary like a Dragon on its hoard. And the rate is accelerating…

“Time to excise this crap…” I psyched myself up, blades of aether forming, as I tried to halt the intrusion. My first blades failed miserably, as the spatial element devoured my aether happily, not being halted as it spread. That gave me an idea though, and apologising to Tsukiko-san in my head, I tore great chunks of her fraying Astral body out of her, before bathing them and the spatial element in Foehn. That still failed to entirely stop the spread though, and her whole body shuddered, becoming more transparent.

I can’t get a hold of her with Kin Bonding, it makes sense, her spirit is under attack by that shitty ball of slime. And if I damage her Astral body too much, or she gets eaten… well, I knew how that ended, as Shaeula was already grieving for some of her fallen kin, who had been killed by the blob or the bone blades, which were a horrible part of it, still sapient. “So I need to act fast…” I said, the sounds of battle behind me intensifying.

[I will eat all of you as well, no need to hurry, sha-sha-sha-sha!] The words from behind me were invading our minds, enraging me further, but I maintained my calm, allowing Shaeula and the others to reply for me, which they did with attacks, not words. Attacks, that’s it…

This time, I held Foehn within my aetheric blades for Chirurgery. It was incredibly complicated to not have the Foehn burn free and start consuming Tsukiko-san, but if I thought of it like chemo- or radiotherapy it made sense. I need to spend more time researching, but… no, I can make it work. The spreading spatial element tainted with what seemed to be incredibly tiny clones, similar to the spores the Myconids used, was a cancer, and using Chirurgery if I delivered precise killing agents, my Foehn, to the source, destroying it… Well, then I have to remove the Foehn safety, and use Ether Healing on her disintegrating body. This makes what I did with Shiro look easy…

Dripping silvery sweat, my focus intense, Split Thoughts running as though to cook my very brain, the first strikes slipped in, Foehn eagerly consuming the tainted spatial element happily. All right, now to remove it safely, with as little damage as possible…

********

In the frozen moment, Tsukiko could see nothing, yet everything was a pure, brilliant white, not a terrifying black. I see. So this is death then. And after that… dissolution. She had regrets, but all those were meaningless now. Sometimes, I dared to dream that I could turn aside the Definite, just once in my life. When Akio-san, or Yukiko, or that spiritual being, Shaeula, told me, I almost believed it. And wanted it. But…

She suddenly felt a presence, one she only ordinarily felt in dreams, visions. It was as clear as when she possessed the Divine Favour of Tsukuyomi, no, even clearer. It was almost as if she could feel the breath of Tsukuyomi, and though she was merely her fading thoughts, she imagined she was speaking.

“So, you’ve come at the end, Tsukuyomi, to say farewell. I hope… I hope I have done well, pleased you.”

Of course you have, my precious chosen one. You have, ever since you were born, a unique, precious existence. You have suffered much, given much, and saved more than you sacrificed. I give you my deepest thanks.

“I wish I’d given less, at the end.” If she had cheeks she would have puffed them out in a pout, a gesture befitting a younger girl. “I wanted… I wanted to do normal things, such as spend time with a friend, or travel the city and merely take in the sights, or watch a movie, or… fall in love. But it was not to be.”

Life is seldom fair. Many Gods believe in justice, equivalent exchange. Sadly, that is merely an illusion, but one worth striving for. Even with all our powers, the Definite, Effect following Cause, these are still immutable. Not even the strongest of us, He Who Sits Upon The Throne, his followers suffer from the slings and arrows of Destiny and Fate as much as any. But in the end… I have come. Perhaps I should not have, your Boundary, it is perilously weak, and this might hasten the collapse, but… in the end, I do not wish you to cease alone.

Alone? I see. “Well, I do not think I am alone. I feel nothing, the end is surely here, but I doubt I am alone.” She imaged the expressions of anguish on the faces of those who had fought so hard to protect her, those who had even died, and despite having no tangible form, she shuddered, feeling sick. “I wish I could see them again. But… I will not miss the visions. I grew numb to them, over the decades, but these newest ones, of the Golden-Eyed Devourer, the Red Dragon and the ants, the White Dragon, the Pillars… and all that comes in their wake, death, destruction, misery. Perhaps death will be a relief, never to see them again. I passed on your blessing, and now… it is his burden to bear.”

Yes, at the last, you have succeeded, as best you could. Despite your gifts and the divinations of the moon, you are merely mortal. If even the Gods cannot comprehend the Mystery that lurks above Fate and Laws, and what perhaps exceeds even that, how can a mortal comprehend it, know it? But rest assured, what you have shaped and directed and averted matters. Small pebbles affecting Fate can create a great avalanche.

“I hope that avalanche can save Yukiko, and many others. Well, while you are here, can you answer me one final thing? Could… could I have saved myself, were I selfish, willing to throw away everything? Akio-san and Yasuhide seem to make a good point, even if I could not quite bring myself to believe it. Surely I could have done something, to evade this Fate?”

A harsh question for the end. Well, let me show you…

Tsukiko gasped as the vision changed to one of Akio-san and Shaeula. It must have been from a while ago, or perhaps the future, as they were in a small room, sitting at a low table, Shaeula’s legs splayed out casually, while Akio-san was sitting more properly. They were looking at a deck of cards, and the hands they had been dealt.

“I don’t get it. I mean, no, I get it mathematically.” He said, sighing, and Tsukiko giggled internally, despite her situation, at his puzzled look. “One point of Fortune is two percent, give or take, in terms of probabilities. But… that begs the question, just what is Fortune? How does it know what cards to draw for me to make a winning hand? Hell, that’s not even the strangest thing. When your winds blow, and I get the feeling I’m going to be lucky, like when I first fought the Jorogumo, or when you won the slots at Vegas… how does it seemingly know the future? And the odds of some of our actions haven’t been improved by a few hundred percent, they’ve been million to one shots.”

“Well, you ask quite-quite the question, and it shames me to say I do not-not know. I never really considered probabilities until I entered the mortal world, and as for how my fortunate winds work, that is another question I can not-not answer. But perhaps… they interfere not-not merely with Fortune, but with Fate as well?”

“I really hate all that Fate crap.” Akio-san snapped, and my giggles died, becoming serene. Yes, he hated my fate a great deal. Quite the fool indeed, as Shaeula might say. But a kind fool. Well, he has changed the Fate of the Hungry Ghost, it seems, so perhaps he has gathered all the ingredients to change Heaven’s Fate too, to save Yukiko.

“It makes everything we do meaningless if it was just meant to be. There’s a film with a very famous line, ‘There’s no fate but what we make.’” As Shaeula muttered that she had not seen that one, he continued. “I don’t mind events being likely to happen, or chance twisting to our favour, but I’ll never just let us be pulled by the puppet strings of destiny. The future isn’t written yet, and even if it is, it’s not set in stone. And if somehow it is set in stone, then we need a hammer and chisel, because I’ll be damned if I’ll let the future be shitty for us. I didn’t save you because of some unknowable destiny I have, I saved you because…”

“… because?” she grinned, and he reddened.

“Well, because I wanted to, all right? You were pretty cute, even back then. But I swear I’m not a furry!”

“Oho, well, did not-not my brother tell you…” the vision faded out, and she was back in the presence of Tsukuyomi, her God, her reason for living.

What do you think? Is Fortune and Fate merely one and the same? If so… then your Fate was sealed.

“If I made other choices, or others did…”

See for yourself.

“… you get in here…” Yasuhide was saying, blood sparkling on his chest, where a bullet had pierced him. As he slumped to the ground, the mist rose up, and a bone sword flashed, and her head parted from her shoulders, her vision fading to white, the last words, ones she shouldn’t have been able to understand, as they were in Chinese, echoing in her mind. “… killed the greatest target. I wish I could have killed more soldiers, but striking her down will ignite a greater conflagration.” He spat, vanishing into the hidden mist. “… fucking Japanese pigs. Now for the others…”

Again.

Akio-san was attacking the blob, supported by all the troops he could muster. It laughed, giggling, many tongues lashing, swallowing up all their attacks. “Shit, nothing works on this fucker!” he cried, watching as light, darkness, wind, flame, water, air, everything was being eaten before it could do more than insignificant damage.

“If we take it down, then we weaken all the others…”  he shouted, though his face was pale. With all their attacks focused on the blob, the Cultivator that carried it long dead, that was allowing the enemy Candidates to run rampant. The badger was down, unmoving, and as she watched from the edge of the barrier, the Candidate from her old faction, Isamu-san, perished, a golden spear piercing his body. As he fell, the Territory surrounding Tsukuyomi-jinja collapsed, the few Emplacements that were providing cover through the dome that prisoned them all falling silent forever.

“Fuck!” Akio-san roared, unleashing Foehn in a tidal wave. For a moment the blob flinched, only for it to start laughing in that hideous, rasping way it did when amused. Foehn streamed towards the body, only for the tongues to start lapping it up, flesh burning, and moments later it too was eaten.

All this death, for me. Prince Shōtoku was dead, and Kofuku Jizo lost one arm, his halo diminishing. Moments later, she felt the ground under her crumble, and an arm protruded from the soil, holding a bone blade, the hideous, pulsating thing pierced through her heart, purple mist rising, and as she fell, all she could hear was ‘sha-sha-sha-sha-sha…’

Again.

She watched as Akio-san used his new halo of darkness and light, resembling an eclipsing moon, to unleash a ray of dust towards the blob. As the same time, it was being attacked by a roaring flame from the being Taṇhā that was possessing the body of a girl. The blob screamed, momentarily pained, before it began to regenerate, tongues sweeping the air. Still, it had halted for a moment, but even as it was pushed back… I see. A fallen bone blade, little more than a hilt, had been thrown into her body via telekinesis, and as she blacked out…

Again.

“Her silver cord has been broken somehow, damnit, she should have been safe here…” someone said, and she thought she recognised the voice. A gentle hand went to her face, auburn hair tickling her nose, and she looked up to see a great tree, a strange structure in the branches, before her fraying cord transmitted the poison to her, and she blacked out.

Again. Wait, no, I have seen enough, please…

“Can’t believe that they’re all dead. Kyoto is a disaster area.” Someone was saying to her, and she couldn’t process it, having heard that Saionji Gin and the entirety of what was once Amaterasu faction had perished.

“What about Akio-san?” she asked, and the speaker sighed.

“He’s alive, but he’s taking it pretty hard. Even with all their forces, taking on more than twenty at once, and that thing…” the man said, resigned. “Well, not even his forces could achieve it without severe casualties.”

Trembling, nails digging into her palms, she shuddered. Walking out of the room, she paused. Make it stop, make it stop, but wait, they still won…? She tried to speak, to ask just how they had killed it, despite the losses, but frustratingly, this was just a vision, so she could do nothing to change it.

Later that night, as she lay in bed, somewhere in Tokyo, under the protection of the Government, she cried, bitter, bitter tears.

The next day, she came face to face with Akio-san, who looked dead inside. “Are… are you well?” she asked, and his expression cracked.

“Well? Well… no, of course I’m not…” he forced his anger down, expression turning soft. “… forgive me. It’s just… I lost someone I loved during the battle. She gave her life to protect us, and … after that I don’t remember much. Hyacinth… I…” his eyes were leaking tears. “Fucking blob, and it was just a clone too, so we achieved nothing. Nothing for her sacrifice. Ulfuric as well… shit.”

Wait, not this. I don’t want to see such grief. Next… next one, please! Her wishes were not granted, however, as due to the large number of deaths in Kyoto, there were calls for war. Days passed, then weeks, all happening in this timeless moment, and she thought she had escaped death, at such a ruinous cost, only to find that no, the creature wasn’t dead after all, it had done something even more horrible, and as the mad-eyed glare of the person wielding the bone knife that was jutting from her chest met hers, she squeezed shut her eyes…

Again. No. No more.

She tried to flee abroad, but it was to no avail. Death still found her, even if it was somewhat delayed.

Again. I cannot… let me go in peace, Tsukuyomi, I am sorry I asked. I beg you.

Instead of waiting at Tsukuyomi-jinja, she had remained with the poor dead ghost at her Territory, only to witness her being captured by a cruel hooded man, and moments later she was lying on the floor, Suzuki-san having turned her Emplacements on Tsukiko, blasting off her limbs while she was unawares…

Again. Again. Again.

Dozens of variants of her choices, of the choices of others, occurred. None averted her death, though the longest choice staved it off for two years, and in that time she had to see the death of Yukiko, as war had broken out in truth. There were many sacrifices, many torments, but through them all, once she became numb to the suffering, she realised there were a few constants. So, Definite clearly is NOT immutable and constant, else I could not have survived varying times, and in one… in one she had killed herself afterwards. She died, but… it was a peaceful passing, and… there were others too, where death… was not the end.

Are you satisfied, knowing the answer in the end, favoured child of mine?

“Satisfied? Hardly. So much sorrow. You are quite cruel, but then, the moon does watch over all, without compassion or favour. Just telling me would have sufficed. So… even Definite is not definite. But it seems that events march me onwards to my death and dissolution without any stopping. I am just glad in this one, the deaths, they are not so severe. Though the battle is not yet won. The battle… how did they defeat it? It happened a couple of times, and they never would tell me…”

A good question. What would you do if you know the answer? Your time is up. This frozen moment is starting to thaw. You are dead, your voice will not reach the living. It is time to cross over…

Cross over? “I thought I was being devoured. Yet I can cross over?”

If you so choose. It seems… this is one of the few where you have been cleansed of the vile taint. I shall show my gratitude to him for this mercy, in time. When I am able. Even sending down my will accelerates the tearing of the Boundary. It frays, like so much cheap cloth.

“If I choose? So, is there an afterlife, Tengoku, the Heavens, like our faith preaches?” she laughed mirthlessly. “Surely after all this, I am not bound for Yomi?”

We cannot tell mortals such things, not from a world so… contested. It is forbidden, even for us.

“I am dead, what does it matter? Well, if there are Gods, it stands to reason that up in the higher Astral there must be the dwellings of the Gods. But how would my spirit get there… perhaps that is why you cannot tell me. Are we too lowly, too cut off, to even know happiness in death?”

There is another choice. You should be able to feel it now.

Feel it? “Wait, I can. I feel… a number of souls. Two strongest of all. One male, one female. It… it is Akio-san.”

He calls to you, asking if you would stay, bound to him, bound to her, where they would nurture you, restore at least your shattered spiritual body. It is not life, but it is not true death. It is a choice.

“I see. This is why he wanted to marry me, was it not? I remember now. To survive, even in death. A second chance. But…”

You hesitate?

“Of course I do. I have seen the variants you showed me. Even if I accept, Akio-san could die here, or be broken. The clone of that creature is monstrous, near unbeatable. Yet… not.” She paused then. “If I accept, can I communicate with them?”

That depends on your will. But… what would you say?

“Tell me how they defeated the clone. They did at least a few times. I can tell them, and…”

No. That does not work. I do not see what you see. For it is not my many destinies. I am a God, but I merely am the reflected moon in the lake now. What I see is from far above, distorted by ripples. However… there were clues, were they not? But… you are dead. The Diviner is dead. I thank you for your service, but… you can rest now.

Clues? Wait, were there? What did I already know? That the Hungry Ghost is the one to face the main body. And I saw it flinch, several times… when… how… why? “The Diviner is dead. I passed on my duty and your Blessing. Fine. But I, Matsumuro Tsukiko, was never really born. Perhaps in death, I shall get my chance. I have made my choice. I am not one to spit on the sacrifices of those that care for me, nor do I wish to leave those friends I have made, those three precious friends with grief. I make my choice. Thank you for everything, I shall always revere you, but I am no longer the Diviner, your Priestess. I am merely me. I know not what my fate will be, whether I will even live again, or I will be devoured in the end through this folly. But… there are many things I want to do yet. Many things.”

Very well. In the end, it is your decision, as it has always been. Definite, Destined, Mystery. All are mere descriptors. You do have free will, as do we all. May your choice bring you what you seek…

********

“It connected. At last.” I let out a long sigh, drained, my mind aflame. Behind me the battle was raging on, my only consolation being that so far we had suffered few casualties, and that the few surviving Renyu seemed hesitant to throw their lives away, after we had chastised them. Likewise, the last Cultivators were watching the battle, while Daiyu sat with the dying, armless Cultivator who had been holding the blob, exchanging words that left a pained, sour smile on his face as his life ebbed away.

The rest of us were engaging the toad-like mass of transparent flesh, and the most wounded were now safely evacuated thanks to the barrier being down, and further reinforcements had arrived to replace them. Even so, the creature was pushing us back, our attacks seemingly useless. It was like trying to break a black hole with sheer force. Grulgor was particularly enraged, as his forte, physical attacks, were utterly useless, it seemed.

As the rapidly fading, transparent Tsukiko-san below me, looking even more ghostly than Haru-san, was fully Bonded to me, a soul-light slowly starting to form, I nearly died from shock as her eyes snapped open. What the hell?

“Tsukiko-san…” I began, but she merely shook her head a little, her hair disintegrating into aether.

“I know. I’m dead. But then, that has not stopped Suzuki-san from enjoying her life, has it? But I was right, I told you. I did die. You should not have argued with me.” She breathed out, and I felt a warm pain in my eyes and chest.

“No, no it hasn’t.” I said. “And I guess you did win our argument, but… I also won, since here you are. Sorry, the situation is tense, I have to…”

“I know.” She whispered again, rapidly dissolving. “I came to help. The Hungry Ghost is destined to destroy it, if she can. What can she do that it would fear? And… your flames. For a moment it takes injury. That… that is the key.”

I see. You came back for that… “Good job. Tsukuyomi would be proud. Rest now. And I’ll finish up. And one day… we’ll see you again. I have this in hand.” I assured her, even though I was far from certain.

She whispered something, so quietly I couldn’t hear, so I bent down next to her mouth, only to feel a faint brush of something against my lips. Surprised, I blinked, to see her fading completely, turning to dust, her last words remaining only heard by me. “… nicer first than my last. At least I did not die… without a kiss. Yukiko, I wonder…”

Standing, feeling the reassuring weight of her spirit light hovering within my bonds, I grabbed Cutting Twilight. Shaeula, Hyacinth, Grulgor and the others were being forced back, their various attacks doing little, being eaten away as soon as they appeared. The golden eye rolled over to observe me, and the creature seemed rather upset.

[Gone, precious God-touched morsel. I am very angry now! I will gobble and crunch you up, filling my belly! Everything in existence is my food!]

Shaeula dropped back to me, her face pale with exhaustion. “Akio, we have tried all-all we can think of. No attack will breach his defences. We could retreat, but leaving this thing here, we would lose-lose Kyoto, surely.”

“Yes, we have to finish it here.” I agreed, watching as a storm of projectiles and flames from various mortal engineers were showered down upon the creature, only for it to consume them all.

[Sha-sha-sha-sha, your strength will soon fail you, and I will devour you. Wait, I can still smell the God-touched… many others too… ah, you keep their spirits! Delectable. Well, when I consume you, I shall have … dessert!]

“See?” Shaeula called to the Renyu, who were watching the savage, one-sided battle. “There is no chance that creature will not-not betray you. It likely already has!”

[Betray? I merely eat when I am hungry. Many treats I sent out here to find me food were taken from me. In my anger, of course I needed snacks!]

“You… you did not?” the green-haired leader cried out, only for laughter to be his only answer. Tearing at his lank, already patchy locks, he screamed, and his surviving kin echoed it.

“If you wish vengeance, aid us.” Shaeula ordered them. “You are likely not-not of much use, but at least try to take revenge with your own hands, pitiful fools.”

Harsh, but fair. “Tan…” I raced over to her, where she was resting, her face pale, her red hair not the brilliant crimson it normally was, but a faded, lifeless colour, her flames flickering faintly. “I have a question. How would you destroy it?”

“I am weary. And the princess, her body cannot handle much more exertion, we are setting back her recovery significantly as it is.”

“Don’t worry about that.” I said, and she glared at me. “Look, no time. I believe we can heal any damage we suffer easily now. What I need is a way to beat that thing. How would you do it? I’ve damaged it with spatial attacks, but it’s far more skilled, all I have is Cutting Twilight, and it comes out worse each time.” I glanced at the chipped and pitted blade.

“Hurry, Hyacinth can nooot hold for too long!” I heard a cry, and desperately sped up.

“My fires, they can even devour other elements, as can yours.” She observed. “But he recovers quickly, we have no time to strike a fatal blow before our own fires are quenched by his returning spatial flows. Worse, his whole body radiates it, we would need to consume it all, while striking with an attack that will completely destroy it. In our weakened, stretched states…”

True. I once more considered breaking down the last Favour I held. I could barely support it with my adherence almost gone, anyway. I wanted to keep it, but… no, wait…

The ground erupted, deadly spikes seeking us, as at least one other enemy was still fighting. The wielder of earth element. If I can get his favour…

“Tan, do you think you can destroy all his spatial element, even for a moment?” I asked, and she shook her head.

“No, my fires, they are dimmed. I have eaten well, but I am limited by the body I am possessing. If there was a way to strengthen them, replenish my fires, then perhaps, for a moment.”

I have come, is everyone all right? Words echoed in all our minds as Haru-san joined the battle, having recovered a little. Light flashed, but it was once again consumed. A barrier formed around the lump of pale flesh, a shimmering sphere.

[What is this? You did not die? Somebody removed me from you? How disappointing, at least…] his tongue lashed, tearing through the barrier […I have not missed the chance to consume you!]

Putting aside the woman with her, who looked very much like one of our enemies, I cheered her arrival. Shaeraggo was here too, his disgust for the vile creature palpable, as was Selensha, who was healing the wounded as best she could. Bintara had stablished Kofuku Jizo and Prince Shōtoku, but nothing would get them back in the fight any time soon. Taishakama-san was also spent, and the horde summoned by Kinkawa-san was gone too, mostly devoured.

Haru-san, can you link me with others, like when we did it with the twins?

I think so, if it’s only one or two at a time.

Great, then… as I relayed my plan, Tan frowned. She offered some amendments, suggesting an alternative, one that wasn’t so wasteful. In mere moments we had rattled through it, as I rushed towards the blob, sword held ready for battle.

[My food comes straight to me. Well, I understand. It must be frightening, just waiting to be eaten!]

“Get fucked!” I declared, unleashing my spatial rending. Again, it clashed in a spray of violet, cutting a slash in his flesh, but a momentary attack could not surpass his regenerating supply. But I needed to keep him busy, so he couldn’t see the preparations, as Haru-san was co-ordinating the efforts. “You want me? Come and get me! I have multiple Divine Favours and spirits to eat, but you won’t get any, you piece of shit!”

I darted past him, narrowly avoiding the tongue, which was becoming faster, as if it was growing hungrier. I used a little of my precious aether to look behind me, where Selensha and Shaeula were pouring out their water energy, fuelling the wind from the Kamaitachi, Shaeraggo and anyone else who could spare it. Ixitt was adding his flames, and it was all being funnelled to Tan, who was drinking it in, showered in the liquid from Bintara to keep her borrowed body as intact as possible.

All right then, I have to keep the attention on me. Hyacinth was working something else, laying a series of roots through the earth and stone below us, humming softly to herself despite her torn clothes and many injuries.

I reckon I can use Prominence Twilight twice… well, I’m going to need once for the main thrust…

I felt the shimmer of fortunate winds around me again, as Shaeula squeezed out the last of her energies, the remaining wind feeding Tan’s growing surge of flames. Her hair was vibrant again, and her whole body was smoking.

She says she is in agony, and you had best make it up to her later. Shiro of course, not Tan. Haru-san connected to me, her thoughts amused.

I will. For now, can you link us for the timing? It might have been possible for us to time our attacks, Tan was pretty skilled and I had Split Thoughts, but with Haru-san connecting us, it should be possible to get a far higher precision. I clashed Cutting Twilight against the rasping tongue again, sparks of violet energy flying. I strengthened the blade with some earth element, but even so it was starting to chip and crack more, and would surely fail soon.

[Sha-sha-sha-sha. Soon you will be mine! Why struggle? Maybe I can even… no, you would not believe me if I promised to spare them, would you?] Its tongue lolled, spittle, tinged with vile purple energies, spraying at me, forcing me to dodge.

“No I damn well wouldn’t.” I agreed, starting to form Prominence Dusk, the darkness behind me like a shield slung over my back. The eye was glaring at me hungrily, and I distracted its attention by weaving Prominence Dawn as well, a glowing orb surrounded by darkness forming in front of me.

[I see. I did so want to eat that. Unique elements are quite a treat. That world I was banished from, it had so many, sha-sha-sha-sha! A shame that those filthy Demons will get to enjoy them all…]

“Oh, eat it? I see. Well, I’m a gracious host…” Eat it, you say? Poor choice of words…

Shaeula, her job done, rushed in from one side, firing off what little elemental energy she had left. The bitter anguish of the Renyu was funnelled into their own attacks, water cascading, striking it from multiple angles. Grulgor was hurling iron balls like a machine gun, and Shaeraggo was firing arrows with the last of his own strength. Even a couple of the Cultivators had unleashed their last Talismans, attacking their erstwhile master.

As the earth spikes came at us again, Hyacinth crowed, and with a flick of her wrist the user was caught, dragged out of the earth, limbs twisted to the breaking point. As he screamed, Daiyu staggered to her feet, exhausted, following the instructions I had passed on to her via Haru-san’s telepathy, and she quickly used her Qi to damage his chakra network, preventing his voluntary retreat. He was then trapped in a shimmering sphere of energy. Another appeared around the blob, stopping it for a moment, as I charged up the twin Prominences.

{Trying the same foolish tricks over and over again? Pathetic…] The barrier disintegrated in a shower of dark violet. [It seems I do not even need my slumbering body to deal with you!]

“Oh really?” I asked, my remaining Foehn sucked into Prominence Dawn. When I did so, I got a surprise, as what it created was not what I expected. But I can work with this… definitely. Haru-san…

What is it?

Change of plans… I’ll make the first strike, Tan the second. The timing’s the same, just swapped a moment.

Got it. It… it will work, right?

If not, we are going to have to flee and destroy the Ring Gate behind us. if we do that, we’ll probably lose Kyoto… but I think it will.

[Die, worthless fish. Seafood is a delicacy, you should be honoured to be consumed!] The tongue lashed out, dragging one of the few Renyu remaining to his death, a look of horror on his face as he vanished in a splash of purple.

“Here goes… hey, slimeball, I have a question for you.” I said, my body blocking his sight, the perfect lance of searing flames from Tan heading towards my back.

[Oh, talkative food. I shall humour you]

“Why here? Aren’t there plenty of good treats in China? This all seems so reckless and wasteful.”

The lance struck, and the Flames of Thirst and Famine were absorbed by the Dusk, and as they were dyed a savage black, taking on a new aspect, one I had suspected, I felt that we had a good chance. Fortunate winds, I’d love some good luck again, though maybe I used it all getting Prominence Twilight.

[Wasteful? Perhaps. In time, all shall be eaten. But here there were many delights, all together… I could risk a meal to eat a better one… huh?]

“Twin Prominence, Light and Darkness as one, casting Twilight!” I called, just as another bubble of force surrounded the beast, holding him for a fraction of a second. Beams from Haru-san struck out, a distraction to disguise the true attack, which was the Prominence Dawn. A brilliant glow erupted, illuminating the battlefield, and for a second the creature looked shocked, his flesh smoking. Shouldn’t be transparent, you piece of shit. If you weren’t, our chances of winning were a lot less…

[This stings, but the light passes and I shall…] his words were drowned by the second attack, the mass of surging black flames, filled with the hunger of Tan, and the hopes, dreams and wishes of all those who contributed their energy, dyed in the darkness, which wished to consume and take in all things.

“You aren’t the only hungry one…” I said, as the flame enveloped him. This time his eye boiled and exploded, his outer layers turning to ash as the flames seared him.

[Wait, what…]

“You think I’ll tell you how I did this? You’re just a fucking clone. Now burn… burn to ashes!”

[My spatial element is gone… argh, I…] it screamed as the flames ate into it, most of the mass just charcoal now. [No. I lose. Frustrating.] the tone changed, the wicked playfulness all gone, now deadly serious. [But…] it crowed even as it burned, faint flickers of purple springing back to life, but too little, too late. [You are correct. This is merely a part of me. Losing it will set back my recovery, as will the loss of my food… but I know… you… now…] Only a few fragments of flesh were left, the bonfire roaring as it melted. [I shall… not … rest until… you…]

You have gained in strength… as a massive amount of ether was discharged, as well as strangely enough, a decent amount of adherence, I fell to my knees, the Prominences dying away. Yeah, it would have been… touch and go… even for a clone, without everyone working together. I don’t… even want to think… about the main body…

The threats it had made were only natural. I had what it wanted now, and had hurt it badly, albeit with a lot of help. Looking around the denuded shrine at Tsukuyomi-jinja, now no longer a Territory after Tsukiko-san’s death, I groaned, my body on the verge of collapse, so hard had I pushed it. Fuck, even Duke Myrcolaxriath wasn’t such a bastard. Spatial element really is too cheaty…

As Hyacinth rushed over, still carrying the broken hostage, who was crying out in agony, starting to dissolve, purple energy poisoning him too, I sighed. Shaeula was at my side, helping me to my feet, followed by Haru-san who took my other arm. I broke down some ether for aether, and prepared to remove the Favour from the last of our enemies, glad I didn’t need to use it up in the end after all.

“I’d totally come help you, Aki…” Shiro said, Tan now dormant, as she lay on the ground, limbs splayed out, blood trickling from her slowly-healing wounds. “… but… I just want to sleep for a week. And maybe drink a bottle of whiskey to numb this pain…”

“Well, I don’t feel like celebrating, considering the losses, the deaths. But…” My Eye flaring orange, despite the fierce headache, I reached out with a complicated series of aetheric probes, the remaining slime within him starting to disintegrate under my rapid ministrations. “… but I sure could use that drink…”

Behind me Shaeula was not the only one to murmur her agreement. We were all shattered, pushed to our limits, but the battle for Kyoto had ended, leaving us the victors, and a number of Cultivators and Renyu our prisoners.

“Shit, there are still some bone swords and fragments left…” I cried as I tore free the Divine Favour. “We have to tidy them up before we go.” The last thing I want is another clone to appear. Not yet, not for a good while, until we are all stronger, as I can’t bank on the combination Tan and I did to work on him a second time. If we can learn, so can it…

“Well, come on.” I dragged myself over towards the Cultivators. “They won’t destroy themselves, will they?”