A sizable update for once! And I might even wrap this arc up tonight! Please don't hold me to that. ;_;
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I don't know what was worse. The fact that this was happening, or the fact that there was nothing I could do about it.
"Hijiri...what are you doing...?"
I must have looked pathetic, trying with all my might to get to my feet and falling uselessly back onto the floor. My grip kept slipping thanks to a pool of my own blood - a reminder that life's strongest cruelties were in its ironies.
"The hell is wrong with you?"
"Hijiri, it's dangerous out here! We'll...we'll buy you time!"
Unlike me, Ichirin and Murasa were still ready to fight at a moment's notice, even if they were well aware that they were outmatched. Misato ignored them entirely, focusing only on the target she was called upon to take care of.
"Is this a trap? The demonic witch I've been ordered to exterminate would never give herself up so easily."
"Then I'm afraid you've been misled, child. I am not so selfish as to let these innocents die in my name."
No.
No, no, no, no, no.
Don't move.
Don't you dare move.
I just took the beating of a lifetime to protect you. You are not giving yourself up when everyone here is willing to fight to the death to keep you safe.
Don't. Don't-
"H-Hijiri! Stop it!"
Ichirin suddenly found herself turning a 180 - rather than blocking Misato from reaching Byakuren, she was stopping Byakuren from reaching Misato. She stood firm in front of the monk, set to hold her back by force if necessary.
Byakuren simply took her by the shoulder and nudged her out of the way, as if Ichirin was offering no resistance at all.
"Ichirin. What sort of example would I be to save you, then ask you to die in my name? I am no zealot, and I will not flee with your blood on my hands."
"Cut the shit!"
Murasa was next to interpose herself, wielding her usual makeshift weapon. If it was going to take an anchor over the head to get her to see sense, then that was what Murasa was going to give her.
"Are you braindead or something?! Think of all the youkai you could save if you get out of here right now. Their blood is gonna be on your hands instead if you just let things end now!"
She pulled the anchor back, ready to take a full swing. It would hit with enough force to knock a human's head clean off, but Byakuren was no ordinary human. No point in holding back.
But.
"...You're not listening to me. Listen to me, dammit!"
In the crucial moment, the one moment where she had an opening to make her strike, Murasa hesitated. There was a tiny voice in her head reminding her of what Byakuren had done for her - that one night, years ago, on the stormy seas. The night where she finally got a second chance and received what she'd been looking for her entire life.
She couldn't hurt someone like that. Captains have standards, after all.
"Murasa...you act stubborn, but sometimes I wish you would just accept that there's still a little girl in there who needs some attention as well."
Byakuren continued to walk straight towards Murasa, literally phasing through her. By the time Murasa's brain had clicked back on again, it was already over.
"...Shit. SHIIIIIIIT!"
There was no point in trying again. Hell, there had been no point in trying in the first place. Byakuren could have outpowered the three of us with a finger if she felt like it. If she wanted to hand herself over, she would do it whether we liked it or not.
But that wouldn't stop us from trying. Not even if we were battered and bruised. Not even if it was a challenge just to stay conscious. Not even if all we could offer in resistance was a hand clasped around her ankle and a choked plea.
"...Run..."
Byakuren did not jerk to a halt - she had been standing still when I grabbed at her leg. She knew full well I was going to try and stop her, and she looked down at me with a calming smile.
"I hope you aren't too inconvenienced by your new promotion. You should be able to run the temple in my stead, right?"
I wanted to scream, but my body was too battered to managed it. All that came out of my mouth was a choked sob as she effortlessly released herself from my grip, finally meeting Misato face-to-face. The shrine maiden's expression remained firm in face of these events, which was more than could be said of anyone else.
"If this is all some sort of trick, I have to say that you've tought these youkai to act pretty well."
"Don't give them credit where it isn't due. Shou in particular wears her heart on her sleeve."
Why are you kidding around now? Do you realise what she's going to do to you? Even if you can't die, she'll just banish you to some unseen corner of the cosmos forever. At its best, you'll be alone; at its worst, you'll be in agony for the rest of time.
So why? Why are you still smiling?
There was so much I wanted to say, but I didn't have the strength left for any of it. By now she had disregarded us entirely, simply giving the shrine maiden a long hard look. For a minute, everyone gathered watched on in total silence.
Misato clicked her fingers.
"Bring it up from down there."
As the order was given, the crowd behind Misato murmured amongst themselves. They shuffled around, and eventually I could make out a bag being carried from the end of the crowd. It was large, and from the way grown men were struggling with it it was heavy as well, but when the delivery finally reached Misato she took it in one hand without a second thought.
"This sort of ritual is complicated, I'll have you know. I needed to make some special arrangements to set this up, so feel complimented you took up so much of my time."
"Certainly, Lady Hakurei."
I could see a hint of irritation flicker on Misato's face at that comment. I'd have taken a mental note to compliment her like that more often if my body wasn't busy putting itself back together.
Misato dropped the bag, allowing some of its contents to slip out. A single wooden block landed at Byakuren's feet. Her eyes widened.
"I assume I don't need to tell you what these are?"
She looked down at the fallen blocks with an expression of amazement. She reached down and picked one up, pressing it lightly. It was as immaculate as the day it was cut.
"Incredible...I didn't even realise so much of the Tobikura survived."
"Myouren Hijiri was a great monk. Simple preservation magic wouldn't have been a problem for him."
The Tobikura...? That was her brother's ship, wasn't it? The one she was riding when...
"Even in death, it still stays spotless. Gotta admit, that's pretty impressive."
This time, Byakuren had no response. Her smile wavered slightly. Misato had picked a sensitive topic, and I was already primed to see her rub the guilt into Byakuren's face. I was convinced now, more than anything, that Misato wanted to see her foe hurt in every way she could manage.
Except...she didn't. Rather than take her time to give Byakuren the guilttrip from her, to send her away from us a gibbering, self-hating wreck, she simply moved on and gave the topic no further thought.
I was confused. Was that...mercy?
"Anyway. I'm not going to explain this to you in painstaking detail, but these blocks are gonna serve as the catalyst. I don't suppose you have any last words?"
"You have no intention of honouring them, so I see no point in talking."
"Heh. Guess you understand the situation better than I thought."
Misato raised her gohei upwards into the air, murmuring an incantation beneath her breath. A circle of light emerged around Byakuren, and an army of chains sprung out from its edges, wrapping themselves around her. These were chains that no amount of physical strength could break, so the captive made no attempt to even try.
The shrine maiden reached down to the bag of wooden blocks, touching one of them with her gohei. The block began to glow, taking on the same radiance as the circle, and it lifted itself off into the air, hanging in front of Byakuren's face. The rest of the Tobikura blocks followed, until Byakuren was surrounded by dozens of them.
"Byakuren Hijiri. You have been found guilty of black magic and youkai sympathising. There is only one punishment fitting for a criminal like you."
The blocks began to spin around in the air, rotating around Byakuren slowly to start. As Misato continued the ritual, they began to turn faster, growing brighter all the while.
"You will be imprisoned in the deepest, darkest region of Makai for the rest of eternity, never again to show your face amongst humanity. You will live out your immortality in solitude, and spend every waking moment of your existence praying for a death that will never come."
The light was almost blinding now, and I had to squint to make out what was happening. Misato's face remained frighteningly calm in the midst of it all. I couldn't see Byakuren's expression anymore, but she was still making no attempt to escape her prison.
It was now I thanked Vaisravana for being born a youkai. Maybe I wasn't in full fighting shape, but I was strong enough to stand again. Slowly, I trudged to my feet, still feeling like my innards were set to fall out any minute.
"Hi...Hi-"
""HIJIRI!""
Two bodies dashed past mine, still able to give their all. Ichirin and Murasa had finally grown tired of standing around, waiting in silence for their saviour to disappear. Maybe they couldn't do anything, but they could damn well try.
"Yaaah!"
Murasa wielded her anchor like a maniac, aiming straight for Misato. She was distracted, and this was the only opening she was going to get. Ichirin dived towards Byakuren, trying to push her out of the circle. If that meant she was going to be sealed instead, then so be it.
Both plans failed miserably.
"What the-?!"
Murasa didn't have time to react when it appeared in front of her. By the time she had a clue what was going on, she already had one foot in the dark violet gap.
"Aah!"
Behind her, Ichirin faced a similar fate, with a gap emerging between her and the circle. Unzan, bound to his master by principle, followed her into the abyss with a look of fear on his face.
But there was more.
Perhaps the most frightening part was how silent it was - how I had no idea it was happening until Misato's lynch mob began to let out various gasps of amazement. Turning around, I could see the Palanquin being pulled along the ground by the largest of all the gaps. It must have weighed tonnes, but still the purple tear in the sky drew it in in a matter of seconds. I had to blink a few times to believe it, but the ship had...vanished.
And a few seconds later, so had all the gaps.
"...Ku-Kumoi-san? Captain?!"
It had all happened so quickly that my brain was still playing catchup. One minute they had been there, and the next they were gone. And all the while, Misato hadn't so much as looked away from the ritual.
"Now, let the world be purged of this menace. This earth has no place for youkai and its ilk, and as a Hakurei maiden I sentence you to the bowels of Makai for the rest of your neverending, miserable life."
The blocks were spinning around at an insane velocity now, almost creating a whirlwind around their captive. By now they didn't even look like wodden blocks any more - they were rays of light, tracing some ornate patten in the air above the magic circle.
I couldn't stop it. I couldn't even try. It was taking everything I had just to stand. I wanted to curl up into a ball and cry, I felt so powerless. Everything I'd come to care about was being taken from me, and I could only sit and watch.
"Shou."
Amidst the whirring of the spinning blocks, I made out a voice. One that stayed completely calm and relaxed in the face of an unimaginable sentence. Byakuren pulled her head around to give me a final look, smiling.
"Don't hate them, Shou. They're just afraid."
The light began to emanate from her as well, and her features vanished into the sea of white. Misato's eyes widened slightly. The gohei turned, the light roared, the maiden screamed.
"BEGONE."
The flash must have blinded people halfway across the country, as the crowd gave off little yelps of shock. Even when my eyes had come back into focus, I held them shut. I didn't want to look. As long as I didn't look, it was possible I was wrong, and that this was all a trick, and that she wasn't really-
...Oh, who am I kidding? She's gone.
I forced my eyes open. Misato stood in the same place as always, putting her gohei away with a sigh. Byakuren was nowhere to be seen.
Gone.
All of them. Gone. To parts unknown, to never return.
I fell to my knees, clinging to the spear for what little balance I could muster. It took all my will to keep myself from screaming, but the tears poured down my face regardless.
Why? What had we done to deserve this?
"...Alright. Let's go home, everyone. We're done here."
Misato turned to the crowd, ordering them back down the stairway to whatever village they had come from.
No response.
"...What are you doing? I said to get moving."
One of the burlier humans at the front of the crowd raised his hand.
"Woman, you didn't finish the job. There might be more of 'em in that temple."
I couldn't see her face from here, but Misato took a step backwards at that one. Had she not been planning for this?
Wait...that would have meant she was planning for this the whole time. An outcome without anyone having to die. She had been expecting Byakuren to give herself up the whole time.
Don't hate them, Shou. They're just afraid.
"I didn't get hired to deal with servants of Vaisravana. You guys paid me to take out Hijiri, and I did it. I'm going home, and I expect you guys to follow me."
Was that irritation seeping into her voice? This, at least, she must not have planned. The crowd murmured amongst itself, growing louder and louder.
"Bullshit! We can't leave it now, they might come back and attack us again!"
"Yeah! What if they hide some another witch?"
There was aggression building up in the crowd. Misato's gaze shifted between them, trying to pull them away or scare them off, but they were driven by a force that few others could match.
Fear.
"Outta the way, girl! If you're not gonna take care of this, we're gonna do it ourselves!"
The gang grew tired of waiting. They wanted blood, and they were going to quench their thirst whether she liked it or not. They charged forward, madness in their eyes as they turned their fear inside out. They turned it into rage.
Misato was fast enough to avoid the oncoming riot. I, on the other hand, was barely standing after my fight with the shrine maiden. There were dozens of them coming for me, and no-one cared to stop or make their way around me.
So I fell to the floor, and felt a dozen feet slam into me.
No part of my body received mercy. They trod on my face, my chest, my arms, my legs. I was trampled beneath the stampede, feeling muscles tear and bones snap. By the time they had finally made their way past me, I was barely conscious.
Maybe I would die here. When they finished their attack on the temple, they'd come back for me. They were pulling out torches, lighting them at the corners and the walls.
"Smoke 'em out! If they don't come out, let 'em die like rats in there!"
One voice, the newly elected leader of the troupe, issued commands to the crowd. They were burning down the temple. I knew enough of its structure to know it would burn easily - there was enough wood in the roof alone to bring around a collapse. Nothing inside would have a chance of surviving-
Wait.
No.
"N..."
It was a second wind that pulled me to my feet. I had forgotten something.
Someone.
"Na...Nazrin..."
She was still in the temple. She'd been by herself since Byakuren's confession. She had no idea what was going on.
Oh god. Ohgodohgodohgodohgodohgod-
"Hey, what?!"
They'd already taken everything else from me. But not her. Not her.
"Watch out! The tiger's coming through!"
They called out in confusion and fear. They must have expected me to tear them apart. But they weren't worth my time.
I ran into the temple, already being quickly engulfed by the flames. The humans looked on in confusion, murmuring amongst themselves again.
"The hell is wrong with her?"
"Eh, if she wants to go out that painfully, I sure as hell don't mind."
"Yeah, look at this place. It'd be like hell on earth inside there."
They waited around for a short while longer, until they were satisfied that the blaze was too violent for anything to escape. Only then did they turn tail and leave, crying anthems of triumph as the morning sun came into full view.
In their minds, they'd managed a great victory - they'd banished a witch and slaughtered her subjects. It wasn't their job to care about the damage they'd done of who had to pick up the pieces.
After all, history was written by the winners.
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"Nazrin!"
It was even faster than I had thought. The roof was starting to give in, dropping burning planks onto the floor and spreading the flames further still. I could barely make out the structure anymore - I had to rely on my memory alone to guide me.
"Nazrin, where are you?! Nazr-"
My throat burned, and I hacked out a cough. The smoke was spreading. There wasn't much time left.
"Nazrin...come on! Get out of here!"
No response. Was I...? No. No, I couldn't be. Not after everything. They couldn't take everything from me. That was just too cruel, too wrong. It couldn't happen. I had to keep going. I had to save her.
"Naz-kh..."
But adrenaline could only push me so far. The pain was flaring up again, and my burst of speed had worn off. The smoke was coming lower. I couldn't see. I couldn't breathe.
I fell to my knees, grabbing at my chest. I was getting faint, and every inch of my body was aching from something. After everything that had happened, I had finally reached my limit.
Everything's...getting dark...
My vision started to waver. I looked upwards, feeling hazy, ready for the pain to end. The statue of Vaisravana looked back down on me, with the same severe expression that had earned my adoration so long ago.
Vaisravana-sama...I...screwed up...
The last ounces of strength I had left me, and I crumpled to the floor face down. Around me, the temple continued to burn as my mind drifted off into oblivion.
Nazrin...I'm...sorry...