Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 2

[Oldmansour]

>Accept the handshake
>"To you as well."

>At least she sounds willing to take up this power should the need become dire. I take some comfort in that.

>"How'd you pull off that last shot? You Braid your powers?"

>True, that is something. Maybe I should leave the issue alone. I would hate dissuade her entirely by pressing too hard.

[DracoOmega]

>"That was all 3 of us working in concord, yes. When we are able to join our powers together, the result is much greater than the sum of its parts."

[Oldmansour]

>"That was all 3 of us working in concord, yes. When we are able to join our powers together, the result is much greater than the sum of its parts."

>"Is that something Blood can do as well?" Chrysamthemum asks him.
>"Yup. But the effect's a bit more linear when we do it. More like addition than multiplication." Kenyu grins. "Throw a few of those shots at those Champions of yours, and they won't know what him 'em."

[DracoOmega]

>"That was, in fact, what happened last time - when we drove Fire and Ice away from Mayoiga High. And we should be able to do even better now. Though, of course, so can they - with at least 3 of their Avatars now in play."

[Oldmansour]

>"That was, in fact, what happened last time - when we drove Fire and Ice away from Mayoiga High. And we should be able to do even better now. Though, of course, so can they - with at least 3 of their Avatars now in play."

>"They can braid their powers, too?" Wataru asks you.

[DracoOmega]

>"I... don't actually know. It's very possible they may be able to, now that you mention it, though at the very least they're significantly powerful and not liable to stand idly by while their Champion fights."

[Oldmansour]

>"I... don't actually know. It's very possible they may be able to, now that you mention it, though at the very least they're significantly powerful and not liable to stand idly by while their Champion fights."

>"Even if they can't, two of them together would probably be dangerous enough." Wataru says. "Answer me this, Lotus, you've seen us and our Jewels, you've got a taste of how strong we are. How do we stack up against one of these Champions?"

[DracoOmega]

>"I have not seen the full extent of what all of them can do, but judging from the last time we fought, I would say that Air is significantly stronger than Kenyu and I have no reason to suspect Fire and Ice are much, if any, weaker."

[Oldmansour]

>"I have not seen the full extent of what all of them can do, but judging from the last time we fought, I would say that Air is significantly stronger than Kenyu and I have no reason to suspect Fire and Ice are much, if any, weaker."

>"No problem, we'll just gang up 'em." says Cynthia nonchalantly.
>"If we can hurt them in the first place." Kenyu points out. "Which we don't know yet."
>"Yeah, but come on, how many things you know are immune to Blood magic?"
>"How many things you know from Makai?" the firefighter counters. "And don't forget, we did just lose to the flower girls here."
>"THIS time." the tengu retorts hotly before jabbing a finger in your direction. "And don't think we don't want a rematch. We'll be ready for that sledgehammer you took to our heads next time!"

[DracoOmega]

>How convenient, given that I'd greatly prefer not to have to do that again myself, if we can help it.
>"I have no objections to a rematch. After all, we both benefit from the others' skills being sharper, lest you forget."

[Oldmansour]

>How convenient, given that I'd greatly prefer not to have to do that again myself, if we can help it.
>"I have no objections to a rematch. After all, we both benefit from the others' skills being sharper, lest you forget."

>We'd be ready for the consequences this time, too. Kiku points out. And the overall result was more beneficial to us than harmful.
>"Oh I'll be sharper all right." Cynthia assures you. "That cat of yours isn't gonna catch me in the can next time." There is a moment's silence after Cynthia makes that declaration, and then Kenyu and Wataru both start to laugh at their tengu companion. Cynthia's cry of "Shut it!" just makes the two men laugh harder. Even the normally stoic Kiku cracks a smile.
>And then there is a stirring from somewhere behind you, from the direction of Haruka's group. A turn of the head shows you two things; that Hiyori has joined the group, and that the large lion youkai Razorclaw has made his presence known. "Razorclaw!" Kenyu exclaims, and you sense Cynthia and Wataru's gems snap into an active state. The two weaker Protectors are firing their Jewels at the lion, just as Razorclaw predicted they might.

[DracoOmega]

>Let's at least be on our guard, in case we need to help break up a fight

[Oldmansour]

>Let's at least be on our guard, in case we need to help break up a fight

>The two beams of Sapphire and Amethyst energy rocket past you on either side as Kiku draws in a hissed breath. "Razorclaw. How can he be here?"
>To your extreme surprise, White Rose steps around Razorclaw and casts her Guarding Ring, intercepting Cynthia's shot as Razorclaw uses his Red Jewel to handle Wataru's Amethyst blast.
>"What the hell are you doing?!" Cynthia screams at Rin while Wataru swears and calls in a blaster carbine.
>Razorclaw's quiet voice drifts across the floor to your ears, "I warned you, Lotus."

[DracoOmega]

>As commandingly as we can muster: "Stand down! Everyone! Fighting here is pointless."

[Oldmansour]

>As commandingly as we can muster: "Stand down! Everyone! Fighting here is pointless."

>"You don't give me orders!" Cynthia snarls.
>"But I do." Kenyu rumbles. "Now put your Jewels away."
>"Kenyu!" "You gotta be kidding me!" the other two Protectors exclaim.
>"Do I look like I'm kidding? Blasters down, Jewels down, now." the firefighter commands. "Or do you want him to start killing people?"
>"He'd never get the chance!" Cynthia protests.
>"Ignoring where we are, he'd have two or three kills before we could put him down. Accounting for where we are, we shoot him up, he walks out, and anyone outside this room is a potential victim."

>As the Protectors argue, Kiku's attention is focused on you. "You knew he was here."

[DracoOmega]

>Only coincidentally. He said he was here to deliver a message to Haruka about business that concerns all of us. Given that the present environment should render him relatively harmless, I felt it worth hearing him out.

[Oldmansour]

>Only coincidentally. He said he was here to deliver a message to Haruka about business that concerns all of us. Given that the present environment should render him relatively harmless, I felt it worth hearing him out.

>Do you have any who he is? WHAT he is?

[DracoOmega]

>If you mean, 'a blackblood', then yes. And I was left with the distinct impression that he has done some awful things, but if he truly has information that's relevant to our own interests, then I think we should hear him out.

[Oldmansour]

>If you mean, 'a blackblood', then yes. And I was left with the distinct impression that he has done some awful things, but if he truly has information that's relevant to our own interests, then I think we should hear him out.

>What kind of 'information'?

[DracoOmega]

>I don't know; something important that concerns us. He wanted to wait until we were all assembled.

[Oldmansour]

>I don't know; something important that concerns us. He wanted to wait until we were all assembled.

>Didn't it occur to you that that just makes it easier to hit everyone here in one shot? That he might be gathering his prey together?

>"I'm happy to see you can still keep a cool head, Hot Spot." Razorclaw calls out to Kenyu. "I was half expecting you to shoot me, too."
>"If I'm going to shoot you, Razorclaw, it's not going to be here." the big firefighter shoots back. "And how in Trion's name did you get in here?"
>"That's hardly relevant right now."
>"I think it is." Haruka disagrees. "I demand to know how you circumvented our security."
>The lion gives Haruka a look with little mirth. "You demand?"
>A frosty silence hangs in the air for a long moment. At last, Haruka is the one to back down. "Your reputation for bypassing defenses is known to me. But it still surprised me to see you here."
>The lion inclines his head. "If it is any comfort, it was not easy. But I felt it was important."
>"You must have, or you never would have come here in person."
>Razorclaw nods. "Very true. Kenyu, Lotus, come here, please, I dislike raising my voice if I don't have to."

[DracoOmega]

>His offensive potential should be just as nullified by this environment as anyone else's, no? I certainly am not prepared to allow him to harm anyone here.
>Approach, but cautiously

[Oldmansour]

>His offensive potential should be just as nullified by this environment as anyone else's, no? I certainly am not prepared to allow him to harm anyone here.
>Approach, but cautiously

>I would not have given him the chance to even be here. Kiku protests. He's too dangerous, even in this place.

>"Stay here, you two." Kenyu says to his comrades.
>"Has your brain shorted out?" Cynthia blurts.
>"If he's here then he's here for something important. If he wanted to kill us, Ioana and Camille would already be dead, he'd be stalking me, and we wouldn't know it. Now stay here." Neither of the two Protectors are at all happy about it, but they do obey their leader's command as Kenyu strides towards Razorclaw, you and Kiku following behind him.

>"How did you know he was here?" Kenyu asks en route. "He's one of the best in the world at hiding himself."

[DracoOmega]

>"I sensed his jewel while looking for you. Though it was subtle enough that I assumed he was a Brightblood at first - a fact that does not sit well with me either."

[Oldmansour]

>"I sensed his jewel while looking for you. Though it was subtle enough that I assumed he was a Brightblood at first - a fact that does not sit well with me either."

>Kenyu seems perplexed. "How could you sense his Jewel at all? He's one of the best at... Wait a second, was this after you broke up our jamming field?"
>"It was indeed." Razorclaw confirms. "That disruption affected me, too. Otherwise she would never have seen me or sensed me."
>That returns a grin to the firefighter's face. "Well, I am impressed."

[DracoOmega]

>Politely, yet firmly: "In any event, what did you want to tell us?"

[Oldmansour]

>Politely, yet firmly: "In any event, what did you want to tell us?"

>The lion chuckles, a friendly chuckle. "Straight down to business, Haruka?" he asks.
>"It would probably be for the best." says Haruka. "Neither the Protectors nor my girls want you here for longer than you have to be. Speak your peace, Artiglio."
>He growls. "I've told you not to use that name."
>"I'm sorry, I thought we were being casual with each other." she replies tartly.
>Razorclaw growls again, but seems to back down from the point. "In just over two hours, a plane carrying the pop star Flandre Scarlet will land at Mayoiga Airport."
>Kenyu snorts. "Flandre Scarlet is hardly a threat to all four of our groups. Or anyone else."
>The lion nods patiently. "No she isn't. But her fellow passenger Semitur is."
>That makes Kenyu blanch. "Semitur. The succubus?"
>"The very same."
>"Succubi are real?" White Rose asks. "I thought they were just stories."
>"Or believed to be extinct." Razorclaw replies. "Those stories have been somewhat exaggerated with time. Succubi are still very real, and one of them is coming to Mayoiga. And she is among the last of the Succubi any of us want in this city."

[DracoOmega]

>Look to our allies: "I take it you are more familiar with this name than I am?"

[Oldmansour]

>Look to our allies: "I take it you are more familiar with this name than I am?"

>"So it would appear." says Haruka. "For that matter, how familiar are you with Succubi in general?"

[DracoOmega]

>Do we know much of anything on the subject?
>If not, ask for more details