On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

Daiyu surged into a new combat stance, one that looked strange to my eyes, after my training in the fundamentals with Ulfuric. Her body was quite open, flexible, and looked as if it wouldn’t be well balanced or grounded, hardly able to take an attack.

“You should be paying attention to me!” the ice-wielding, white-haired man shouted, seeing my attention was distracted, and a hail of large blue-white ice spears flew at me.

Oh I am. With Split Thoughts, Body Enhancement and my vision widened by use of aether, something I was doing almost constantly in battle nowadays, my vulnerable back was no longer an issue, and I dodged smoothly, using the opportunity to counterattack, my lure complete. Light formed into a series of shimmering beams, aimed for his vulnerable points, hoping to disarm him.

“Whoa, that was close.” Light reflected from him in a shimmering rainbow of colour, which would have been beautiful, if it wasn’t so frustrating. Holes had been pierced in his icy armour at the knees, wrists, ankles and elbows, but the light had rapidly been attenuated, and had done little than scorch his flesh with its remaining energies.

“You have a few tricks. Fire and light, huh? Well, this works for me!” he grinned. “The bigger the meal, the more satisfied it will be.”

Daiyu was having a similar issue. The first Cultivator hurled a paper talisman at her, making some strange hand-sign, and calling out a Technique. “Five Element Talisman: Earth. Grasping Quagmire!”

Daiyu’s face hardened, but she reacted swiftly as the ground underneath her was infused with a surge of ruby energies from the vanishing talisman, becoming a sudden quicksand bog, hands of stone reaching from them. One grasped her ankle as she leapt, but it shattered, and my Eye picked up her chakra network, such as it was, was emitting the processed aether she was calling Qi from the smaller capillaries around her lower leg.

“Five Element Talisman: Fire. Salamander Breath.”

“Five Element Talisman: Wood. Weeping Thorns.”

Daiyu, still in the air, seemed a little panicked at the third declaration, and as a gust of flame left one talisman, a rolling red and yellow tide, she braced herself, Qi emitted in precise ways within her, and she spun, arms deflecting as much of the fire as she could, while avoiding the more dangerous long thorns. Even so, despite her elegant and practised movements, which I now realised were some sort of combat style, she was burned down the side of her face, the flesh raw, her hair smouldering.

“Hey, just freeze, will you?” the white-haired man was crying, and the temperature around me continued to drop, my underfooting treacherous as the ice spread. Worse, spikes were coming from the icy ground, cones like reverse icicles and as deadly as spears constantly harassing me. He’s not just got a lot of power, he’s got good skills too. He uses an element better than I do. Perhaps it’s because I’m a generalist, while he specialises? Well, it’s giving me some ideas though…

My expanded vision was picking up a greater danger though, and I launched more attacks at the mirror-wielder, blades of jade air and explosions of earth showering her. Blood was running down her cheek, a rock narrowly missing her eyes, and my blades of wind had also gouged her body, one leg hanging limp, barely bearing her weight. Even so, her will hadn’t faltered, and her mirror shone, whatever ritual she was working complete.

Shit. My hand tightened on the hilt of Cutting Twilight. I had considered rushing her, but if I did so, then Daiyu would be killed by the ice-wielder. He was focused mostly on me at the moment, but that was only because I was constantly harassing him, and moving myself into positions to cover Daiyu. Well, we have an idea of the power the mirror wields. It creates clones based on our sins, supposedly, but Yasaka-san couldn’t get much more than that, coughing up blood and complaining of a massive migraine.

“Jade Yang Stance. Light Flowing Blossoms!” Daiyu declared, and the small reserves of a type of elemental light, different to what I or any of the others I knew possessed, were expelled from her, magnified by her Qi, pulling in the surrounding aether. A number of the Sect disciples who were preparing to attack her were caught unawares, and her ruthless petal-like blades pierced heads, throats and hearts, dropping them. She landed, springing into Crushing Palms despite her injuries, and the one who had spoken to her, the Patriarch of the Unconquered Heights, was forced onto the defensive, accumulating injuries by her ferocious, reckless attacks.

“Bitch! This is all your fault, you and those failures from Mountain Fang!” he grinned balefully, before spitting at her, a mist fortified by Qi forcing her to tilt her head to avoid suffering grave injury to her already vulnerable eyes. “Well, you may be a Heaven-sent prodigy, but this old man has many tricks. Now, suffer!” he hefted his bone blade, only to fall into pieces, an invisible sweeping of strings of fine vibrating air slicing him apart, and nicking the blade, which tumbled to the floor, whining.

“My thanks.” Daiyu muttered, ignoring the blood that splattered on her, red and silver dripping down her face and arms as she attacked another Cultivator, who was wielding a long rod with a bell on the end carved from a yellow jade. Hey, that looks a bit like… My thoughts were interrupted by gleeful laughter from the woman, her mirror lowered, two new figures standing in front of her.

“Well, I can hardly keep up.” She wiped blood that was leaking from where I had nearly taken her eye. “You’ve killed most of them already, so much for their boasting…” she watched as Daiyu powered through the rippling tide of spikes that erupted from the ground, ignoring her increasing injuries to crush the skull of the foe in front of her, snatching the bell, and repeating the incantation that her victim had used, “Turn, Earth, respond to your disciple. Huánglóng, hear the plea of those who venerate the land!” The bell rang, a rumbling chime, and most of the remaining Cultivators were pierced, the Brilliant Dawn Shield Sect Elders far enough away from the epicentre of the tide of earthen fangs to avoid death. Daiyu staggered, releasing the bell, her reserves of Qi running low, and then she was thrown backwards, an impact breaking many of her ribs.

“But… the tortoise wins while the hare thinks it has triumphed.” The woman barked. “King Yama has judged your sins. Now you have to face them.” Her dull smile was mocking. “Just know that you’ll never face that great being in person. No. Your fate is to be devoured by these hungry blades.”

“Shit, Daiyu’er!” I cried as she tumbled. Even so, her fluid stance allowed her to get to her feet, and her wounds were healing, the Divine Favour of Chang’e working, though as she suffered more injuries, the rate slowed noticeably, its strength exhausting.

The thing that struck her, it was… I leapt aside as a blade mirroring Cutting Twilight swept past me, the speed of the strike vicious. … the same as this. My feet slid along the ground, digging deep furrows into the frozen soil. My body was starting to slow from the ever-increasing chill, so I let the warmth of flame energy flow through me, counteracting that. Raising my own blade, I parried the strike, muscles aching under the blow.

“Yeah, I do not look like that…” I muttered, disgusted and sickened by what was opposing me. It was me, but different. The figure had a lascivious expression on his face, licking his lips relentlessly, and he was thinner, less muscled, and looked rather foppish, with an open shirt and tight jeans, an attire completely unsuited to battle. The sword he carried was very real though. And though the blade was clean, his arms were red to the elbows, his hands and sleeves covered in gore. Worse, a number of shrunken heads were hanging from his belt, and while I didn’t recognise many of them, I did recognise Yamato-san, Kondou Kazuo, and the Candidate I had recently beheaded.

Yeah, I see. My sins, huh? Daiyu was likewise facing her duplicate, though this one was far more wild and animated, her lips pulled back in a snarl, revealing bony fangs, and her own bloodied hands were wielding an ornate fan. Following behind her was a trail of bleached, dead skeletons, crying and wailing, gnashing their teeth, all dressed in robes of identical colouration. Daiyu shook her head, as if unwilling to look at what confronted her, before letting out a shrill, pained scream and charging her twisted reflection.

“I’m exhausted.” The woman slumped to her knees, still holding her mirror. “He was strong. Without the boost from that other guy, and the energy that greedy beast gives us… no way I could have reflected him. The girl’s hardly weak either. Still, they’re done now. The weight of their sins will crush them. But if you want, feel free to kill them. I’m so over this. The outcome is so boring, and I hurt so much.” She said to the young, white-haired man.

“I think I will.” He agreed sardonically. “Not that I don’t trust you, but I’m not a fool. I kill my enemies.” He let out a bitter sigh. “After all, it was killing that uppity Party boot-kisser that got me into this mess. I mean, fancy making a powerful, blessed Chosen of Tengliu, beautiful goddess of snow, ice and winter, labour for a pathetic clown like that? It’s not just an insult to me, but the very Gods of China, no, the entire World, themselves…”

As he ranted on, I took my opportunity to attack my doppelgänger. He was already a pain to handle by himself, I can’t take on both at once, and Daiyu… she staggered, beset by a talisman cast by one of the few surviving Cultivators. This one was a metal talisman, and her body was pierced by needles, damaging some of her lesser chakra nodes, lowering her speed and strength. The twisted twin didn’t hesitate to use that to her advantage, and she unleashed her own version of Crushing Palms. Daiyu kicked out, and they clashed, but it was Daiyu who was pushed back, and the sound of cracking bone echoed throughout the Boundary.

A dull giggling rang in my ears as our blades clashed, and worse, I could see the train of figures behind my own opponent. These weren’t skeletons, no, but ghostly, transparent women, with shifting features, but I recognised Eri, Shaeula, Hinata, Motoko and even some I wasn’t involved with, like Tsukiko-san, Haru-san, Kana, and many more. They were whispering unintelligibly, but I could vaguely understand them, and they were wailing with sorrow and jealousy, tormented by my faithlessness.

“Fuck!” I roared, understanding why Daiyu was so angry at her own foe. “You don’t think I know my sins, you piece of shit?” My Resilience was struggling, and focussing my mind, I forced myself to remain if not calm, somewhat composed. “Well, no fake me is going to beat me!” Cutting Twilight activated, and Foehn roared. Though not at my foe, no, I need to help…

Hollow-point bullets of earth, filled with Foehn, roared out. The remaining Sect members were helplessly pierced, flames boiling from their bleeding bodies. As they perished, more heads appeared on the belt of my opponent, and the kneeling woman clapped her hands sarcastically. “Smart move there. Add more weight to your sins, why don’t you?”

“Sins? You came here to… you know what, never mind, fuck off.” I snapped, rattled and angry, despite my efforts to calm myself. My Foehn bullets had also hit Daiyu’s opponent, and while I had feared it would have no effect, several of the skeletons following her suffered some damage. Capitalising on this, I dodged a burst of flame from my mirror, and started rushing towards Daiyu to support her. If we can take out hers, then team up on mine… no, that won’t work…

“Forgetting me?” the man laughed, a wall of ice rippling into existence in front of me, protruding spikes ready to pierce my flesh. Not a chance. Switching Might of the Furious Earth to increase my Fortitude, I slammed through the ice. As the wall shattered, glittering spears rained down on me, but I deflected them with air.

“So aggravating.” As the man rushed towards me, sliding over the frozen ground, I ducked aside as threads of wind nearly wrapped around me, my giggling double chasing me down. Shit, the last bastard was so easy, why are we having so much trouble with this pair?

********

“You seem troubled, Tsukiko-sama. Why not speak your thoughts to me over some tea?” Prince Shōtoku, the kami that dwelt within her shrine at Tsukuyomi-jinja offered her a steaming cup, which she took, her hands trembling, just a little.

“Troubled? How can I not be?” she took a sip, calming herself, though she felt naked without her veil. But if today was the day she perished, her duty to Tsukuyomi and Japan finally finished, she wished to face it as herself, Matsumuro Tsukiko, not as the Diviner. Besides, that is what he wished for. As my successor, I can surely grant him one final boon. “Look around us. The Spiritual Realm of Kyoto burns.”

Outside the protective shell of her Territory, such as it was, the power of it greatly diminished when she transferred her Divine Favour, was the Territory of another of the old Tsukuyomi faction, and beyond that, a new one, that of Akio-san’s vassal, the poor dead ghost girl, who she felt a great deal of sympathy with. It must be cruel, death. I have seen many futures, turned aside times of destined ruin, only to weep at the definite that could not be changed. Now the hour is upon me, I find my calm shattered, my fear growing. To… no longer exist. What will it be like?

“Yes, it does.” Prince Shōtoku agreed. “It has before, many times, and it will again. New joys sprout from the ashes, and others take them into the future. Life and worship will continue, so long as those of you who venerate the Divine endure. I do grieve, however. Many will be lost, much destroyed.” He sighed. “But is it not because things are impermanent, fleeting, that they are beautiful?”

Looking around at the defenders who had been arrayed here, she marvelled at them. A giant badger-like man was directing a number of armoured animal-creatures, as well as a force of them in robes, while strange contraptions were being hauled about by others. A group of animal-person musicians were playing a relaxing tune, and with her keen spiritual senses, she could feel the flow of energy within herself and those nearby increase, the surrounding spiritual energy, the ether, stimulated. That wasn’t all, either. There were Kamaitachi too, standing and waiting, and she found it a little comforting to see Yokai, beings she understood. To think I welcome the presence of Yokai, those who traditionally oppose all that I stood for. Here at the end, nothing makes sense. She shivered, taking another sip of the tea, as cherry blossoms fell down around her, perhaps mocking her, telling her that she too would be gone, after living just a mere moment.

“Perhaps so.” she conceded. “Perhaps my beauty is all the more, for it having been seen only by the few, at the end. Even so…” she let out a long sigh, trying not to pity herself. I made my resolve. I will accept the definite, but… I will also pray for a miracle unprecedented, one that can change it. I am such a fool. “…I think that defiance, trying to fight for even a sliver more happiness, that is beautiful too. I see that now. Poor Yukiko. She was my friend. She would have wished to be here at the end, but…”

“She cannot be risked.” Prince Shōtoku soothed her, watching the great badger as he prepared a flawless defensive line. “The Shrine Maiden of Ise, blessed by Amaterasu, she has another purpose. The Princess cannot fall here.”

“I agree. Though my heart aches.” Tsukiko whispered, the barest exhalation of breath. “But…” her rare crimson eyes narrowed. “A Princess… no, two are being risked to save me. It is dangerous folly. Akio-san knows that they must be safeguarded, yet he brings them here?” She was annoyed, outraged even, at the risk, yet also found her lips quirking up into a rare smile, a warm feeling lying heavy in her chest, one she found unfamiliar.

“Of course he does. Tsukiko-chan, noble Prince Shōtoku.” A familiar voice said, and she turned to see Yasuhide, her long-time confidant, former head of the Tsukuyomi faction. The old man was smiling like a child pulling a prank, and for a moment she felt relieved, before her nerves returned. Crossing her arms under her chest, she frowned.

“If you are here to talk to me about returning to the mortal Kyoto again, I shall not. I will not budge on this.” She declared. “Here I will stand, at the shrine of Tsukuyomi, and should the definite future I saw come to pass, as it must, well… I will face it bravely. I wish to end as I have lived. With pride in myself and my gifts.”

“No, I’m done with that.” He flapped his hand dismissively. As the Prince started pouring another cup of tea, Yasuhide sat down beside her. “The situation in the Material is complicated. The Chinese forces have all been neutralised…” he frowned, grin vanishing. “They had zombies! From what we know, from what Akio-kun and the others have told us, to bring forth such in the Material should take an immense amount of effort and aether… well, no matter. Hey, this is good, just like always. That’s another reason Tsukuyomi-jinja can’t fall. How will I get your tea then, Prince?”

As prince Shōtoku inclined his head in amused acknowledgement, Yasuhide continued. “Well, forget the walking dead. The Special Forces and our own Chosen handled them. But… there’s some sort of assassin out there. We’ve managed to avoid deaths so far, but there’s been a lot of injuries. And if you were back in Kyoto… well…” his gaze strayed to the forces Akio-san had provided. “… here at least we have more exotic defenders. To answer my question from before…” his eyes gleamed and his grin returned. “… didn’t Akio-kun declare in front of everyone that he would not let you die? To him, this Princess of the Six Paths matter is simply a nuisance to him. After all, hasn’t he changed the destiny of the so-called Hungry Ghost? Who even now is fighting on your behalf?”

“Yes, many fight for me.” She agreed, pouting. “But only because they are compelled to, and I fear the weight of the needless deaths on my…” she trailed off, her pout growing fiercer, as Yasuhide burst out laughing, stroking his long beard with his free hand.

“Oh my, I needed that. Tonight has been grim. I hope Taishakama-san and the others are still fine. Well…” when his laughter was under control, he teased Tsukiko gently. “… fancy you admitting you wished they fought for love of you, rather than because Akio-kun asked them to. But… why does he fight? I hear…”

No, do not say it, I beg of you. She felt her face heating up, another unusual feeling. Her prayers went unanswered. “… that Akio-kun asked you to marry him. Damn, what a playboy. My Shiori had better watch out. Though I guess as a grandson, he’s acceptable, other than the womanising!”

“That was simply so he could use one of his skills! He assured me of that! He said we would not have to consummate any wedding, and that we could divorce…” Tsukiko trailed off, realising how foolish she sounded, and she covered her face with her hands, wishing for her veil to hide her crimson cheeks and expression of shame.

“Yeah, sure. And knowing the kid, you’re probably right that he meant it. But if you seriously think he’d be happy to let a beauty like you go when he gets his claws into you… well, no man would.” He chuckled like a dirty old man. “Tsukiko-chan… calling you that seems very fresh to me. But today, you’re my granddaughter too, so forgive an old man his informality. Well, that aside… you never asked to be saved, but you suffered. I heard what you said, Prince. I disagree. I think what is more beautiful is that which endures, despite all the slings and arrows of fate and destiny.”

“A novel idea, but one that appeals. Perhaps there are many kinds of beauty in this world.” The Prince agreed. “I confess, Tsukiko-sama, your soul will remain beautiful, whether you vanish like a fallen blossom, or remain, like a growing cherry tree. I would prefer the latter, but…”

“But nothing has changed.” Tsukiko sighed. “I know I am to die here, and I will be devoured, by the golden-eyed monster and his ants. Even now they crawl over Kyoto…” a massive plume of fire erupted in the distance, forming a thin towering tree-like pillar, which spread into branches which rained down like fallen leaves, vanishing, yet the glow remained, visible even at this distance.

“Well, even if you die, you die knowing that at least one person here is fighting purely for your sake. That’s some solace for the journey. But…” he put down his empty mug. “… imagine it. Imagine what it would be like to go beyond this point. What would you do, being free from all this?” his smile was kind, and she paused, seriously considering it.

What would I do? I… I would still serve Tsukuyomi, I know that. Else I would not be myself. Even without the Divine Favour, I still have my gifts. I can guide, save… but… her hands went to her bare face. No longer the Diviner, but plain Matsumuro Tsukiko once more. No, for the first time. And as such a Tsukiko, I can have time for my friend. Yukiko. No, friends. A face came into her mind, surrounded by laughing, smiling people, before their expression changed, becoming stern and powerful, unwilling to back down. Her ruby eyes watered, tears obscuring her vision, yet even so, she could picture that person, declaring to her that she would live. Well… all will be answered soon. I put my faith in you, despite my doubts that you were the one who can save the Princesses, save Yukiko. But… just do not die here, not for me. Whether you are he or not, you matter to so many others. I… do not wish you to throw your life away for mine, at the end. Even so, that strange feeling she felt in her chest wouldn’t go away, even as her cheeks grew damp, Yasuhide and the Prince tactfully looking away, pretending not to see as she sobbed, rising fear of her inevitable demise warring with the flickering embers of hope she had struggled to cultivate, the flaming pillar in the distance a mirror to the ignited coals in her heart…

********

“Five Element Talisman: Water. Fog Serpent!” The exhausted Daiyu, her strength rapidly running out as her injuries accumulated, dived for the talisman dropped by one of the slain Cultivators, and on snatching it, she unleashed the power inside, an orange, misty snake springing into being as the talisman disintegrated. It charged out, flying through the air towards the mirror-wielding woman, who let out a surprised yelp, rolling away. The serpent pursued her, and it was only moments later when it froze solid, falling to the floor to shatter into orange smoke, that she breathed a sigh of relief.

“That was too close. Why do I have to suffer like this? They should just roll over and die. They can’t win.” She drawled, her words languid. “Even if I die, the Mirror of Retribution won’t stop. You think killing the judge eliminates the crime?”

Well, I damn well hope so, but it sems like it’s not to be. The woman was taunting us, but it wasn’t as if we hadn’t tried to take her out, but each time we were stymied by our doppelgängers, and the ice-wielder, who was driving us into a corner. If I didn’t find a way to win soon, Daiyu was finished.

I ducked my twin’s Cutting Twilight, only to dart aside as water cutters and bolts of light flashed down. Blood scattered, another layer of injuries carved into my skin, but I retaliated with my own water, Moonlight Spirit Water bullets hammering into him, throwing the giggling clown back into the spectral arms of the ever-shifting women behind him. They caught him somehow, steadying him, but in the moments of time that bought me I drew on Foehn and hurled it out at the enemy Candidate. Flame met ice once more, and for a moment Foehn had the upper hand, before it was locked within a frozen sphere and tossed aside.

“Don’t you get bored of this?” he laughed, unwilling to come closer to use his bone blade, as last time he tried I managed to use Cutting Twilight to cut through his icy armour, wounding him. He had sealed his own wound with ice, a brave move, but even now, his blue-white ice was turning pink and silver from the seeping blood. I got him deep. Damn, a little to the left and he’d have lost his heart, and that would surely have killed him.

“I did not kill my Sect!” Daiyu screamed, fists and feet smashing skeletons, her body moving by sheer willpower, despite the grinding pain of her broken bones. “I did my best! We were too late! Father, could I have done more? Should I?” Her wailing cries for her father’s forgiveness touched a nerve within me, since I too had a challenging relationship with my own father, though it was much better recently. It seems the more we face our sins, the more it erodes our spirit, preys on our emotions. But…

Blades clashed, and I conjured earth reflexively, a shield of rock forming as icicles hammered into it. They pierced through, but by then had no force to break my skin. Flame, water, earth, multiple elements were coming at me, the severed heads cackling, the ghostly women whispering to me, reaching out with nebulous arms to caress me. My eyes met the face of one, Eri’s, looking at me with sadness, and then it turned into Shaeula’s scowling with pain.

That’s not how it was at all. Not at all! Angry at the desecration of my memories, I staggered as more icy spikes slammed into me. Eri had asked me to accept Shaeula, and she meant it! How is that a sin, making them both happy? Sure, I only accepted Eri at first to please her, stop her pain, I… well, I definitely loved her, but it wasn’t romantic love. But in time, well, no time at all, she won me over. Frozen rain fell, soaking me, trying to immobilise me, but it was weak, unable to match my flames. I’ve noticed something. Your Ice is powerful, versatile, and you seem to have an endless supply of aether… my Eye could see energy leaking through the purple mist the bone blade exuded. … but you do have a flaw. A fatal one. Your League. It’s weak. Borrowed power isn’t power you can wield to its fullest.

My thoughts snapped back to Eri and Shaeula, even as a heavy block of ice slammed into my left leg. It hurt and inflicted some injury, proving that even with my far higher League, I could still be overwhelmed by enough sheer strength. Blood bloomed as my shoulder was laid open to the bone by a slash from my mirrored twin, taking advantage of my momentary lack of balance.

Putting aside Eri, Shaeula… why would my sin be making Shaeula sad? Cheating on her? That’s crap. She’s always pushing new girls on me, though she’s a bit better recently, I admit! No, I can safely say Shaeula isn’t my sin! For a moment the twin staggered, and I found that two ghostly arms had wrapped around its throat, slowing it.

Wait a minute. Is this… a curse? I had noticed that when it used water, it wasn’t my Spirit Water. Likewise, light and darkness were simply ordinary, not my mutated elements. My Spirit Water bullets also seemed to hurt it a lot. I unleashed another round of them, and the doppelgänger stumbled, ghostly arms, now two pairs, trying to choke it.

Eri. Even in my head, you’re yandere. But… I’m grateful. If you hadn’t confessed to me, I’d never have realised I was able to genuinely love someone romantically. And I do… love you all. All of you. I’ll do anything to make you happy. And that’s no sin!

More water bullets, and this time the ice-wielder panicked, freezing them solid, but I still retained a measure of control, and so Spiritual Ice slammed into the doppelgänger, restraining one arm with a coat of glimmering ice. Now!

Cutting Twilight sang, and space shivered. The frozen arm shattered, and now I was the only one holding a blade. Dozens of ghosts were wrapped around my foe, and I surged forwards. “If King Yama… no, this wouldn’t be his doing. The ultimate judge of our sins in death wouldn’t make up these lies…” I slammed my foot into the heads on the belt of my opponent. I heard frantic screams and shouts from both of the candidates, but I paid them no mind as Kondou Kazuo’s shrunken skull shattered. “… Sorry Haru-san, even if you’re a fake, you shouldn’t have to look at that fucker. A sin? His end is justice. If that’s sin…”

I poured Spirit Water into Cutting Twilight, the bluesteel within soaking it up, and the blade glowed orange and silver. A sweeping cut, and all the heads but one shattered, my twin falling in half. As it fell, the ghostly women piled on it, and it shrieked. Bending down, idly using walls of stone and flame to defend myself from the ice coming my way, I bent down to pick up the skull of Yamato-san. “You. The others, they were here to kill, so… those who are willing to kill should be prepared to die. I won’t grieve for them any longer. But you, Yamato-san. My only sin I’ll accept. I have every reason to hate you. Your carelessness and envy got so many killed, crippled Eri. But you never intended such malice. You needed to face up to what you did, and I was too weak to make that happen. But…” I placed the skull down on the face of my pinned opponent. “… I don’t regret taking your Favour from you. My sis needed it. And she’ll never make the mistakes you did. And nor will I. I’ll do what I must…” my blade pierced downwards, and the skull shattered, my blade tearing through the leering face of the copy of me, the fake me, turning my achievements into sins through twisted logic. For a moment there was silence, and then it shattered, breaking apart like a mirror, followed by more splintering sounds, and a hideous shrieking.

“… and what I must do is save Tsukiko-san. And anyone else I can. I’m not a God, hell, even Gods can’t do anything, else Taṇhā would have slain me, and Shiro would still be lonely. But… I won’t stop getting stronger, so I can do more. And… those I care about come first. If it’s you or them…” I didn’t finish, merely watching as a surprised Daiyu saw her mirrored, distorted twin break into a myriad of pieces. As the debris fell to the ground like glittering shards of rain, she fell to her knees, breathing heavily, her body trembling from lack of both Qi and physical strength.

“How… that… I hate this. In the end…” the enemy woman was babbling. Her mirror had cracked down the middle, the bottom half shattering, and both of her legs were impaled by the shards, and her fingers on one hand were gone too. “No, I don’t want to be devoured. I had … so much to… live for…”

“Shit, you useless bitch! I thought you said your mirror was unbeatable? Pathetic!” The white-haired young man roared, but she ignored him, a violet energy starting to rise from her body as she wept. I’ll have to do something about that. But first…

Foehn sparked into life, hungry and greedy. At the same time I called upon my water, forming a barrier of mist around me. Seeing that, the man laughed. “Don’t get cocky, bastard! You may have broken her, but I’m still going strong! You’ll run out of energy sooner or later. You don’t have what it gives out! Besides, water against ice? There’s only going to be a single winner!”

“True.” The battle has been pretty damn tiring, and worse, there’s a lot more fighting left to do. That’s why I need to finish this, now. I was fortunate I had classes and a lunar chakra that allowed me to possess and recover a great deal more elemental energy than my raw skills would allow. Though it’s still far from enough. Well, this bastard with his ice is a bad matchup for me…

As the water around me froze, I could almost see his grin, more and more ice was piled on top of me, sealing me in. Fine. This should work. I called upon earth element, feeding it into the water element I was conjuring, which I then fed to the air, and finally to fire, which I poured into my Foehn. The four primary elements make a circuit, strengthening each other. This way I can create one hell of a fire. Foehn spread inside my frozen tomb, clinging to the ice. It tried to devour it, but the ice fought it, freezing the tongues in place.

“Well, fire doesn’t much like water, does it? And what is ice but another state of water? Well, that’s not the point.” My Foehn had devoured water before, and had also devoured air, the other part of this ice. And with its new strength… Just as I manipulated the frozen Spirit Water bullets, I did the same, preventing the frigid prison from crushing me under its sheer mass. Foehn surged, desperately devouring the ice while being stilled in turn, when suddenly more messages scrolled across my vision in amber letters, just as some had earlier. I’ll take full stock over everything later. Now, the only one that matters right now is…

Your Skill, Foehn, Inextinguishable Blaze has advanced from Rank 5 to Rank 6, having conquered and devoured its one true nemesis, the frozen silence of Ice, the stillness able to stop the ever-burning fires, breaking through the first wall. Your flames burn ever-hotter, and the fire now possesses the ability to draw in heat from the surroundings, effectively becoming a flame of cold if so desired. Foehn finds it easier to flow as a liquid, and can also congeal into structured shapes, becoming a flaming sculpture akin to works of icy wonder.

As soon as the Foehn grew stronger I could feel it. My Flame Manipulation, as well as my other Elemental Manipulations, all combined into a surge of power, and the Foehn explosively devoured the ice above and around me. As it did so, the ice vapourised instantly, my Foehn, fuelled by my superior League, easily outclassing the foe it once struggled with. The explosion carried the torrent of Foehn high into the sky, and I heard a hideous scream, as I looked up inside the hollow cylinder, peering at the silver sky above, the walls around me radiating a fierce heat. Wrapping myself in insulating air and water, I watched as the fire cascaded upwards, spraying out like a fountain, forming a plume that split, almost like branches.

Well, that’s pretty. It’s a shame though… There was no way I was reclaiming the Divine favour of Ice, as the message had scrolled across my vision announcing I had gained more levels, so he must have been entirely incinerated. I guess that’s what happens when you don’t understand your science. Ice can explode if your fire is hot enough to instantly vaporise it, and Foehn just leapt over that hurdle…

The flaming branches drooped, millions of droplets falling like little meteorites, and the walls of flame around me collapsed, gushing out like a tidal wave. For a moment I panicked, worrying that Daiyu would be caught in the deluge, only to relax as I saw her well away from the fires, a maimed and still screaming woman in her grasp. “It burns, it burns!” she was crying incoherently, and I noticed a disgusting, stinking smoke rising from the Foehn near her, and with my Eye, I could see a bone sword beginning to break apart, consumed.

Okay, well now I’m a bit stuck… no, wait… with some concentration, part of the Foehn began to draw in the heat, and moments later a bridge of cool flames was winding through the otherwise searing fires. Crossing it quickly, still nervous as the Foehn licked and lapped at the ground around me, I landed beside the very battered and beaten Daiyu.

“Daiyu’er, are you all right?” I asked, and she gave me quite the complicated look, before shaking her head.

“I fear I am not. My reserves are dry. And I have pushed my body beyond its limits. It will take time to recover.” She looked over at where the corpses of the Cultivators and the treasures they had left behind were being consumed, reduced to slag and ashes. “How wasteful. But we are alive. That must count for something.” She then kicked out, and the bloody, sobbing woman she was holding captive squealed, her words an incoherent stream.

“Well, this one was trying to flee back to the Earthly Realm, your Material.” She sneered. “But after what she has done…” she shivered, her dark eyes filled with pain, anger and regret. “… well, I had enough Qi left for one final act. I have disrupted her meridians. It will take her some time to be able to control herself enough for any escape.” Her sudden slight smile was menacing. “Akio, I thank you for your efforts. That… that shadow of me… it was not…”

Her words were cut off as I placed my hand on her head comfortingly. No more hesitation. Kindness is no sin, and as long as everyone who deserves to be happy is happy in the end… as she looked at me, surprised, I shook my head. “Don’t worry about it. You aren’t to blame, I promise. You simply did what you thought was right, and bad things happened. That’s all. It can happen to anyone.” Yamato-san too, the idiot. I don’t think Daiyu acted for as foolish a reason as he did, even if the end result might have been the same. Even so, mistakes can happen. It’s how we move on from them…

“But…” she muttered, lost.

“Well, then make amends. That’s what you are planning to do, right? Those sins we saw… most of them were just our fears, packaged up with plausible-sounding excuses. We should never forget what mistakes we made, but so long as we do our best to rise above them, make up for them… do better next time…” I looked down at the cracked mirror. “If this is a mirror that reflects us…” I kicked out, sending it flying into the Foehn, where it sank, melting away. “… then it’s a funhouse one. Nothing it shows is true, only distorted fakes. Now then…” I turned to our captive. “… as for you…”

No more hesitation. This woman came here to do us harm. Maybe she has mitigating reasons, but she seemed to enjoy causing pain and distress far too much. I’ll listen, and then… I’ll judge. I’m not King Yama, I have no mirror, but… There was little time. And if I hesitated, others would pay the price. It was a lesson I had learned over and over, little by little. Kondou Kazuo. The yakuza. The US agents. The zombie soldiers here. Now these two… hardening my heart, telling myself I was doing it for those I wanted to protect, I glared down at her. “… I think we need to have a quick talk…” my Eye flared, and she shrieked, shrinking back from me as best she could on legs torn and shredded by glass…