Frame of the Undying Fortitude (finished)

[An Odd Sea Slug]

***

The Seal. Mystia was still standing over it along with a number of Inabas, waiting to know the outcomes of the furious nearby battles.

"What happening?! I can't see the lights anymore..." said Mystia to herself.

A few minutes later, Mystia could hear elated squeals of joy from the Inabas... A horrifying sight caught her eye in the form of the beaten and broken Wriggle being carried toward the cliff side by two Inabas, Kaguya flying calmly behind them with a confident smile, her arms tucked comfortably in her sleeves. Mystia's eyes widened with despair, unable to avert her tearing eyes from the defeated nightbug. Wriggle... ...her best friend, the one who had vowed to save her... ...had been crushed. Along with the nightbug was the last of the night sparrow's hope. All she could feel now was utter despair... And along with that despair... ...came seething rage. How dare this human... How dare she...!

Wriggle was callously tossed to the wall, yelling out in pain upon impact before slumping over, gritting her teeth from the pain. Kaguya landed, her loyal rabbits running up to her, congratulating her excitedly. She petted them while looking over to the fallen Wriggle with a smug look on her face. Mystia watched as Kaguya and her rabbits sung one another's praises, a sight that sickened her even more. Her face contorted with anger, her narrowing eyes thirsting for vengeance, even as tears rolled down her cheeks. Kaguya looked over toward Mystia deviantly.

"Oh, you should not be so sad Ms. Sparrow. She did her best. Indeed she was somewhat bothersome to tame, but she fought well. It is quite too bad you were not able to witness the spectacle, ufufufufu~"

Finally, Kaguya walked over to Wriggle, giving her a swift kick to the left cheek, sending the insect youkai completely to her side.

"Hmm..."

"STOP IT!" shouted the enraged Mystia. "Haven't you tortured us enough?! Look how badly wounded she is!"

Kaguya promptly began walking toward Mystia at a slow pace.

"Ah, but you see Ms. Sparrow, playing with you two is much fun... But even more so, you youkai tend to heal quickly even from the most grievous of wounds right? I merely apply a few 'techniques' to ensure you and her stay tamed." explained Kaguya.

"You call those techniques?! Stop making excuses and admit that you're nothing more than a cowardly sadist!" demanded the enraged Mystia.

"Oh, your words, they hurt me so..." replied Kaguya with an air of insincerity as she placed her right hand below her neck, continuing to smile. "My dear, I would have been quiet happy to show the both of you leniency, but you resisted us at every turn, wasting valuable time when time was of the essence. How tragic..."

"Tragic?!"

"Well I did say it could have all been avoided, did I not?" said Kaguya before a brief giggle. "However..."

Kaguya partially covered her face with her right sleeve, turning slightly to the side as she looked at Mystia with narrow, mischievous eyes.

"...I would be lying quite a bit if I said that I did not enjoy it. Ah, her blood, her tears... And that screaming sensation, yes... Her cries of agony were most... ...elating..."

That was it. For Mystia, the last straw had been drawn.

"I can't believe you...! YOU SICK, SADISTIC B***H!" shouted the nightbird.

Paying no regard to the fact that she was still tied up, Mystia began charging at Kaguya, wanting desperately to end her where she stood, shrieking all the while. The Inabas behind the princess were ready to leap into action, but were stopped by Kaguya, holding up her left arm as a silent command to remain stationary. Instead, Kaguya waited for Mystia to get close, then threw up her right hand, sending an invisible magical force slamming into Mystia! The nightbird yelped as she was thrown backward into the ground. The Inabas surrounded the fallen bird as Kaguya stood over her, admiring her quarry.

"Hm." muttered Kaguya with a sly smile before looking upwards. "We shall waste no more time! The unsealing shall begin this moment!"

Mystia glared at Kaguya, her teeth gritted, almost looking as if she would break them if she did so any harder.

"Pick them up." ordered Kaguya.

"Yes ma'am!"

The Inabas obeyed, lifting Mystia back into a standing position. She could see Wriggle being dragged limply by two Inabas  toward the seal. Mystia herself was turned around and walked back to the edge of the cliff, held by two Inabas. She looked down at the enormous amalgamation of evil, sweat pouring down her face...

"S... So what are we waiting for? Aren't you going to just cast us in already?" said Mystia, her tone now sounding quite defeated.

"What is this? You sounded so angry mere moments ago..." said Kaguya. "Have you lost your edge? Or are you simply fearful of your life?"

"..."

"You really have no need to be. This process will not mean your death, ufufufu~" giggled Kaguya. "My, what a silly bird..."

"I really don't think I can believe that..."

"That does not matter, really. However, by the time your senses return, everything will be done."

"Huh?!" uttered a confused Mystia.

Suddenly, Mystia could feel the back of her head being grabbed quite hard! No doubt it was Kaguya... Mystia gasped and yelped in pain as the princess forced her head down.

"First things first Ms. Sparrow. Look into the seal."

Mystia closed her eyes tightly, gritting her teeth. Her breathing became heavier, sweat forming on her face as she resisted the deviantly smiling Kaguya's forceful manhandling.

"F-forget it! I'll do no such thing for you!" exclaimed the nightbird.

"I said look."

Mystia continued her struggling, refusing to do what Kaguya asked of her.

"N-no!"

"You will do as I tell to do, birdie. I think you are about to find that you haven't any choice on the matter, hm."

Kaguya reached out her left hand, signaling a nearby rabbit girl, who had been holding a small book... She reached up, allowing her mistress to take it and flip through its pages with her thumb.

"You will do everything as I say, as it is written in this precious book. You have no control over yourself whatsoever. Afterall, this book does not lie... Something with such dangerous secrets cannot afford to afterall." said the princess before flipping to a certain point in the book. "Ah, here we are..."

Kaguya spoke with a dark and casual tone that only served to heighten the weariness of both, Mystia, and the injured, but conscious Wriggle. Wriggle herself weakly turned her head to the right at the struggling Mystia and Kaguya, realizing what Kaguya was referring to.

"What the hell does some book have to do with anything?! How can...?!"

Mystia was cut off.

"How silly of you to forget, but birds aren't exactly known for their memory... Silly bird, think back to last night at your old lamprey stand. Specifically, a certain poem that was recited to you..." said Kaguya.

"A certain po-..."

Mystia cut herself off, suddenly remembering the strange poem of the previous night.

"I remember now! You're speaking of that strange book from before!" exclaimed the night bird, opening her eyes with realization.

"Very good! Now you realize that the powerful tome I hold in my hand is none other than the fabled Book of Koro! And you bird shall be bound by its power!" said Kaguya, her evil smile widening.

"M-Mystia...!"

Wriggle gritted her teeth, wanting desperately to save Mystia, but unable to move at all.

"Then I shall resist whatever twisted magics you are to release, you wretched human! I will never become your puppet!" exclaimed Mystia, narrowing her eyes and looking back at the princess.

"I'm glad you're continuing to fight me, even now." said Kaguya sincerely. "However..."

Kaguya began reciting something from the book...

"Sing little night bird, sing.
Sing little night bird, sing.

Sing for your mistress, sing through the night.
Sing little night bird, sing."

Mystia gasped as she perked up, her eyes widening, pupils becoming smaller. She felt something in her mind... Almost as if something was going into her head...

"Sing little night bird, sing.
Sing little night bird, sing.

Sing to the world with beautiful passion, sing little night bird, sing.
Sing for your mistress, sing through the night, sing your song with all your might.
Sing true and obey her whims, sing little night bird, sing."

"Wha... Whats... ...happening... ...to..."

The more Kaguya chanted, the more out of touch with reality Mystia began to feel. Sweat covered her face, and her vision blurred... She felt as if she were losing control of her body. Fearing for her life, she resisted the spell with all her will power, fighting to retain control over her mind. Kaguya's chanting only continued...

N-no... My mind... My mind only belongs to me...! thought Mystia. "My mind... ...is mine...!"

Kaguya's chanting continued for several more minutes, Mystia fighting hard to prevent being taken control of. Wriggle could only watch helpless. In her mind, she was continuously apologizing for her failure to save Mystia and stop Kaguya.

"Let us hear thine voice throughout the hills, sing little night bird, sing.
Sing loudly to your mistress' will, sing little night bird, sing."

[/b]

On the open pages of the book, the text Kaguya was chanting began to glow yellow. Mystia could feel her mind and self-awareness both slip away from her. She felt lightheaded and faint, but still fought hard against Kaguya's control.

"Awaken the power, awaken the might, sing little night bird, sing.
Sing through the night, bring fourth Koro's light, sing little night bird, sing!"

Kaguya finished her passionate chanting, looking down at Mystia, expecting a positive result... But Mystia held sway, collapsing to a kneeling position, but continuing to hold on. She had stated that she would resist Kaguya's control and she was doing just that. Kaguya's smile fainted.

"Well well, it seems this alone will not be sufficient to break you... Surely there is someway to break this stubborn will of yours..." said Kaguya before perking up. "Wait, I know... Bring the insect over here!"

"Yes ma'am!"

Mystia looked on with her now blank and glassy gray eyes as Wriggle was brought closer to her and Kaguya. Kaguya smiled sinisterly as she walked rather slowly behind Wriggle. Mystia -still fighting to prevent the loss of her mind- watched the princess with a tired, yet nervous expression on her sweat covered face.

"Wh... What are you doing...?" she asked weakly.

"Remember my earlier words on the natural healing ability of youkai little bird? I have suddenly become... ...curious. You see, it is said that youkai can heal well. To the point that they can even recover from being sliced apart you see. I have never had the opportunity to see this for myself, so I'd like to take a moment to test this theory..." explained Kaguya.

Mystia was confused.

"Wait... You don't..."

Mystia watched with horror as Kaguya was handed a nice katana by one of the Inabas. She raised it up into the air, ready to bring it down on the weakened Wriggle from behind.

"N-no...! In her state, she'll never heal from something like that!" pleaded Mystia.

Kaguya only widened her smile as she tightened her grip on the sharp sword.

"Didn't you say you needed us?! Stop it!" cried out Mystia in desperation. "I'll obey you, just don't kill Wriggle, please...!"

Despite her pleas, it happened... Mystia was forced to watch helplessly as Kaguya brought down the sword. Wriggle had a shocked expression on her face as she split in two, her blood falling to the ground along with the two halves of her body... Mystia shuddered, taking several steps back before looking up blankly into the sky with her now lifeless and traumatized gray eyes... Overwhelmed with despair, Mystia howled hysterically toward the cold sky above her, tears rolling down her eyes. At this point, all else left Mystia's mind. Everything holding her sanity together had left her. Soon, all that would be left was despair and darkness.

This was perfect.

[An Odd Sea Slug]

Kaguya watched the horrified Mystia with a confident look on her face, even as the Inabas backed away, covering their ears from the incredibly loud screaming. With this, she knew that Mystia would no longer be resistant to her spell.

"Hm. It appears that the book's illusion spell worked perfectly." said the princess.

"W-what? What did you do to her?!" spoke the voice of a familiar insect youkai.

Wriggle -still in one piece and held by two Inabas- looked on at the screaming Mystia in confusion.

"Just a little something right out from the book of Koro. An illusory spell that assists in breaking the will of one who is not easily taken by the controlling powers of the chants." explained Kaguya, looking over at Wriggle as she spoke. "As for what she saw... It was merely something to... ...stimulate her into becoming my puppet. Yes, she believes something horrible has happened to you just now... She thinks you're dead. But of course that is only what she thinks!"

Kaguya laughed for a bit, while Wriggle gritted her teeth in anger. Mystia soon stopped her panicked screaming, tears ceasing to roll down her eyes. Instead she merely stared blankly into the sky, her mouth still wide open. Her eyes were beginning to glow...

"What she thinks happen did not really happen thanks to my illusion. But it did not need to be real. Watch and learn little bug..."

Kaguya calmly walked up to the catatonic Mystia, Wriggle forced to watch helplessly. The nightbug watched as Kaguya stopped in front of Mystia.

"Mystia Lorelei..." began Kaguya. "Look down and gaze upon me."

Kaguya was delighted as Mystia moved head down with a deadpan expression, looking into the princess' smiling face. She and Wriggle could both see that her eyes had turned yellow.

"Hm, very good." said Kaguya.

Mystia...? thought Wriggle.

"Now then Mystia Lorelei... What is your purpose?" asked Kaguya.

"My purpose... ...is to serve my mistress: the one... ...who wishes to break the seal." replied Mystia in a dead sounding tone.

"Who's voice do you listen to?"

"The voice of my mistress."

"Very good... And just who is your mistress?"

"My mistress... ...is you. Ka... Kaguya Houraisan."

Kaguya was more than satisfied; Mystia was now under her full control. There were no further obstacles in breaking the seal and awakening the legendary beast.

"Turn around." instructed Kaguya.

Mystia did as she was told. Kaguya put the index and middle fingers on her left hand together before suddenly shooting them upward. Mystia's ropes were cut, falling to the ground. Wriggle watched, horrified at the mere thought that Kaguya could control her friend like this, turning her into a mindless, blindly obedient slave. She gritted her teeth, as tears welled up in her eyes. It was a hard truth to face...

This was the result of Wriggle's own failure. And the torment of both, herself and Mystia was only starting...

Her friend and her enemy walked side by side to the cliff's edge overlooking the seal of Koro. Kaguya would instigate the final stage with one last foul order. One that would decide the fate...

"Sing little night bird, sing."

With that one order, Mystia stared blankly into space as she held her arms out... She began singing passionately into the night air. The song was the same chant that Kaguya had been using not too long ago. Kaguya didn't look like it, but she could only barely contain her excitement at this moment, having to consciously stop herself from laughing high into the night sky. Wriggle looked on at what was transpiring in front of her a short distance away. She briefly looked down, no longer able to take this anymore...

This... Is this my fate? Have I really been bound to this destiny inescapably from the very beginning?! If so then... What did I live for...? Is this all my life amounted to in the end, to be used as a tool to awaken something that has the power to threaten Gensokyo in its entirety?! How...?! It can't be true... It simply can't be true...! thought Wriggle, shaking her head before looking up, eyes shut. "MYSTIAAAAAAAAAA!!"

As if on cue, the ground began shaking as Mystia sang. The light from the seal suddenly grew more intense, forcing Wriggle and the Inabas to look away. Kaguya looked over to Wriggle, no longer keeping a sane expression.

"She cannot hear you nightbug! The only voice she hears now is my own! Can you not see?! There is nothing you can do other than accepting your fate! DAHAHAHAHA!" shouted Kaguya over the rumbling.

Out of sight of anyone, the seal began cracking, responding to Mystia's song... No, the resonance it created! A giant beam of green light shot out from the hole the Seal was encased in, flying high into the sky! At the apex, the beam spread out, painting the sky a brilliant emerald color! Sparkles of green light rained down from the sky, the ground glowing a similar color as they fell leisurely to the ground.

"Yes, yes, YES! Its here! Its here! Its alive! Its awake! With this, I have fulfilled the prophecy and ended the ultimate creatures slumber! Yes, yes! Now there will be nothing left to stop me from settling things with Mokou once and for all!" shouted Kaguya excitedly before laughing wildly as she stared at the giant beam of light.

Wriggle looked away, a look of despair on her face. Mystia merely stood still, awaiting any further orders.

The beam of light dissipated, clouds of darkness immediately following. Along with that came further violent shaking of the ground... And a dark and dreadful sound... One that could only come from a large and foul beast... The clouds seemed to be forming into a large dragon like creature of pure darkness, complete with eerie green eyes all over its 'head.'

Wriggle looked up at the cloud with great fear.

Wha... What is that?! That unnerving sound...!

Kaguya calmed herself, returning her arms to her sleeves as she floated over to Wriggle.

"That my dear... ...is the beast of Koro."

Kaguya then turned around to have another look at the horrible abomination she had unleashed. It almost had the appearance of staring right back at her... She was its mistress. Kaguya was about to open her mouth to speak again when the beast of darkness suddenly began roaring wildly, turning red in color... ...before exploding in flames! Kaguya's expression turned to one of shock as an enormous wall of flames blasted right through the creature, plowing into a great many of the onlooking Inaba creatures, but leaving Mystia untouched!

"That is one ugly beast. You went through all this trouble for something like that? you've suddenly got me wondering why you even bothered..." spoke and all to familiar voice.

Wriggle's eyes widened while Kaguya took on a bitter smile.

Thats...! thought Wriggle.

"I see... The special guest has finally arrived..."replied Kaguya.

"You're damn right."

Kaguya quickly jumped off to the side, avoid a wall of flames that sprung up right where she was standing! Wriggle and the Inaba soldiers guarding her were all startled, the Inabas dropping her before running away in panic! Wriggle, still too weak to stand fell to a sitting position, watching the apparent battle unfolding near her.

"The time for games has passed. You're gonna pay dearly for everything you've done Kaguya..."

Kaguya zoomed backwards before swinging her arm forward, sending out a large white blast of energy toward an incoming fireball! The blasts collided, exploding in a brilliant flash of white! The light quickly cleared, revealing a crimson eyed girl with long flowing hair... It was none other than Mokou.

Its her! Thats the woman that tried to save Mystia and I, the one Kaguya wants to destroy! thought Wriggle, looking over.

"Hm... I was wondering when you would finally appear Mokou... You came just in time." said Kaguya.

Mokou landed on the ground a short distance away from the ground, hands in her pockets. Her expression was one of silent rage, a look that was perhaps far more frightening than any uncontrolled rage. Kaguya however was undeterred, smiling confidently.

"Let me guess... I came just in time to meet my end?" asked Mokou.

"No." replied Kaguya simply. "You came just in time to witness my beginning."

[Spell Break]

[An Odd Sea Slug]

[Last Word- The meeting of desires, destinies and fates]

Wriggle soon found herself crawling toward the catatonic Mystia, dragging herself with all her might. The Mystia she knew had to still be in there somewhere...

"Mystia...?" said Wriggle, getting no response. "Mystia!"

The frozen bird youkai remained in place, not moving even an inch. Wriggle was soon tugging at Mystia's skirt with her right hand.

"Mystia, its me! I know you can hear me, snap out of it!"

"I only obey my mistress." replied Mystia in a deadpan tone, not even looking down towards Wriggle.

"Mystia...!" said Wriggle in desperation, not knowing what else to do. "Mystia, fight it! Your being controlled by your enemy!"

"I only obey my mistress. The only one I give an ear to is her. I only obey her..." droned Mystia robotically, staring dead off into space.

"Mystia, please...!"

By now, tears were building in Wriggle's eyes. Her bird youkai friend was in Kaguya's full control, the beast of Koro had awakened, her friends were endangered and now Mokou and Kaguya were getting ready to have it out. In all of this, Wriggle was powerless. She closed her eyes tightly, slowly sliding off of the catatonic Mystia, tears streaming down her eyes. She had tried so hard and been through so much... She and her friends all had... But at this critical moment, all she could do was watch. Her fate, Mystia's and perhaps Gensokyo's was now squarely upon Mokou's shoulders.

"I know... I'm powerless aren't I...?" sobbed Wriggle. "No, even now there just has to be something I can do... Something to save Mystia, something to save my friends...!"

"Something in particular you wish to share with us ladybug?" asks Kaguya with a sweet smile.

Wriggle fell silent, no longer sobbing, continuing to look down at the ground, though now her fear and regret were both surging outward once again. She was on her knees, her face not visible to Kaguya.

"Damn you Kaguya, you sadistic woman. Are you satisfied with this result? You awakened a deadly ancient power and brought harm to many while on your way to doing so... You did all this... ...for what purpose?! All of this just for some petty squabble?! Tell me, why are so crazed with her, so obsessed?!" asked Wriggle in a frustrated tone.

Kaguya sighed, but still kept a smile.

"I do not expect you to understand, but this is to end the fighting between Mokou and I. So that me and everyone in Eintei can live quiet, happy lives. I very willing to make a few sacrifices to-"

"Shut the hell up with all your crap Kaguya." interupted Mokou, speaking through gritted teeth with narrowed eyes. "You're nothing but a crazed b***h who wants to cause trouble for everyone who ever pissed you off. But she's got a point though... You were never anywhere near this crazy about destroying me before... Something happened to you. It was only a few weeks ago that you were still treating our rivalry as nothing more than a game. I'm honestly not sure you ever even considered me to be your enemy..."

Mokou raised her eyebrow for a moment before walking slightly forward. Kaguya's smile faded as she looked at Mokou, eyes narrowing a bit.

"That was the you I knew only a few weeks ago. What happened to you?"

"What do you want me to say?" asked Kaguya. "I simply decided that I was not happy fighting with you. With my discovery of Koro's secrets not long after I decided that, I knew I wanted to be rid of you for good, rather than temporarily like it normally is."

"Cut the crap. You can't hide the fact that it isn't as simple as that." responded Mokou while glancing at the beast of Koro. "You sure went through a helluva lot of trouble just to summon that weak piece of s**t over there. And the things you did in doing so... Those are most certainly not the things the Kaguya I know would ever do. Now tell me: who in the world are you?"

Kaguya smiled a small bit again.

"My Mokou, I'm hurt! I am the same Kaguya you've always known... ...just with a... ...slightly different perspective on life."

"Quit lying!" growled Mokou, taking out her right fist and tightening it, now looking irritated. "The Kaguya I knew we be horrified at the mere thought of the things you've done... I don't know if the old Kaguya is still alive somewhere under that disgusting shell, but..."

"W...what are you talking about...?" gasped Wriggle, attempting to stagger up despite bearing pain all over her body. "Is this to say... ...this is... ...a fake Kaguya...?"

Mokou did not turn to face Wriggle, sensing her movements instead.

"This talk of a 'fake Kaguya' is nothing but foolishness." responds Kaguya simple.

Wriggle collapsed down again, cringing in pain.

"I do not... ...understand... What is this talk of...?" breathed Wriggle.

"Lets just say the Kaguya I knew. No, this is a monster. Nothing more than a monster, one born from my own hatred of her." answered Mokou, looking dead into Kaguya's eyes.

"A monster of your own creation...?" asked Wriggle.

"She sent my father down a path that would lead him to Hell. I had hated her for the longest time for that. We ended up fighting each other for a long time as well... But in more recent times, we began fighting less, no longer bothering to meet each other. We both realized that it was all becoming pointless since it had gone on so long. We were gradually forgetting our hatreds and finally moving on after so many centuries of blood... That is why when I saw her attacking you and your friend so callously with such a dark aura, I grew suspicious. In fact, I was even alarmed. Then she did all this... I thought she had been playing me for a fool, doing all this to taunt me and infuriate me, but once I reached the Village of Koro..."

Mokou briefly paused.

"Now I think something else is up."

"Hmmmm? Do tell!" says Kaguya cheerfully.

Mokou looked back at the beast, then at the book of Koro.

"...you seem rather proud of what you did here tonight Kaguya. But..." said Mokou before stopping.

"Oh, but what?" responded Kaguya.

"I'm gonna sound a little cliche here but... ...are you controlling this power Kaguya? Or is it controlling you?" asked Mokou.

Kaguya was visibly taken aback by the question with a dumbfounded look upon her face. After a few moments she burst into hysterical laughter, moving all about as she practically yakked her lungs out. Mokou and Wriggle looked on, unsure of what to make of this reaction.

"You idiots!! How can it be that I'm not in control?! HAHAHAHAHA! Look all around you! The Inabas, the Night sparrow, the monster of Koro... ALL are in my full control! Did you not see that from the start?! Such fools!"

After a few more moments, Kaguya began trying to calm herself, wiping a tear from her eye.

"I'm in full control of this power, it has no chance to control me! The one who breaks the seal shall be given full control of its contents, as it is written in the Koro tome!"

Kaguya then suddenly stopped moving as she took on a decidedly evil expression...

"Allow me to demonstrate..."

She glanced at Mystia...

"Of course... ...Mistress." said the ever robotic Mystia.

Suddenly, Mystia dashed at Wriggle, slapping her away, following it up with a kick to the torso! Wriggle cried out in pain and surprise! Mokou turned to see the events, shocked.

"Mystia, its me! Don't you remember?!" called up Wriggle.

Mystia just walked over and picked up Wriggle by the collar of her shirt, pulling back her left fist for another punch... However, Kaguya whistled to her. Mystia relented, dropping Wriggle without a peep, her expression unchanging.

...with just a glance?! She wasn't enslaved anymore than three minutes ago, yet she can tell what Kaguya wants her to do with a simple glance! thought Mokou.

"Yes, THIS much control Mokou, THIS much! Your talks are foolish banter! Now then..." said Kaguya before looking up at the beast. "Your intro is long over. Be a dear and reveal your true appearance for us my sweet monster. Ufufufufu~"

"True appearance...?" said Mokou, raising an eyebrow.

She, Wriggle and the remaining Inabas were all surprised at the booming, gravelly voice that suddenly spoke to them.

"YE-E-E-ESSSSSSS, MYYYY MISSSSSSSSSSTRISSSSSSSSSSSSS." said the beast of Koro, the hideousness of its voice rivaling that of its appearance.

The creature then shrank into swirl of darkness, complete with purple lightening, the ground rumbling violently as it transformed. Suddenly there was a brief flash, Kaguya closing her eyes right before it came. All others present looked away while covering their eyes. More emerald sparkles fell slowly to the ground, the gigantic beast missing. In its place was a much smaller figure, one shaped like that of a young human girl...

This girl had the appearance of being in her early to mid teens, violet eyes with pail blonde hair made into drill-like swirls on the sides with purple ribbons tied into it. She was clad in an elegant, purple colored Gothic Lolita outfit with white trend, a frilly, ankle long skirt. The sleeves of the shirt were white at the end with frills of their own. She also had on black shoes and long white socks. Around her dress, little golden keys were attached... She floated down to the ground, a giant golden key materializing in her right hand.

"What the...? But who...?" stuttered Mokou, unsure of what to make of this situation.

Wasn't the one sealed in Koro's seal a great beast? But the beast had turned into a young girl...! Something was very strange about this girl however...

"I am the one those on Gensokyo's surface know as 'the beast of Koro.' Ayase Kousugi." said the girl with a smile.

Wriggle's heart pounded as she stared at the transformed beast with a nervous expression.

"Ayase... ...Kousugi...?" repeated the Nightbug.

"Long ago during Koro's war, a young girl was imbued with the power of a great demon, becoming a great beast. She crushed her enemies, but also annihilated those that had forever cursed her. But now she stands in servitude of the one that released her, as it is written in Koro's book of prophecy. I am yours... ...Lady Kaguya." said Ayase with a smile. "What is it you wish for me to do first?"

Mokou gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes a small bit as she looked back at the formerly sealed girl, Wriggle having a similar expression, both having sweat running down their face. Kaguya only smiled, a deep sinister smile at that.

***

Meanwhile, farther away from the seal, the two silver haired women continued battling, even as the seal was unleashed. Knives and arrows were everywhere, clashing sounds continuing to fill the air. Soon, Sakuya and Eirin both stood still in front of each other, panting heavily as blood and sweat ran down their bruised faces. Dirtied and fatigued, it was clear these two were fighting quite hard. But it was not about to end yet...

"Give it up Sakuya..." panted Eirin. "Surely... ...you must realize that... ...the seal is broken. The princess... ...has won."

"Forget it!" responded Sakuya. "I'll take care of you, then pound that thing until it returns to where it came from."

"Pscht..."

Sakuya threw her knives at an incredible speed, Eirin doing the same with her bows. The projectile weapons clashed against each other before falling away from each other to the ground... And before they could even land, the two women were speeding toward each other once more...

[An Odd Sea Slug]

***

"I may have many an order for to do my dear Ayase..." began Kaguya before pointing at Mokou. "But there is only one thing I need for you to do at this moment. This is the most important thing... Seal this girl named Mokou! Banish her from this world forever!"

Mokou gritted her teeth, sweating a small bit.

"Wait a minute, what do you mean by 'banish her forever'? Does this girl have a sealing power of sort?!" asked Mokou.

"Exactly! My purpose in awakening her was to put an end to you once and for all!" replied Kaguya.

"So that is the reason why I have been awakened from my eternal slumber..." said Ayase with her eyes closed. "Its true that I have the capability of sealing someone in the void between dimensions for eternity. Although a sealed beast, I myself have been given the ability to seal."

She now held up her key...

"With this, the Endymion Key. It is my tool, my weapon. But more than that, it is the catalyst for doing away with someone not wanted in this world. All I require is the for the one to be sealed to be in a weakened state. Mistress, we must first do battle with her and defeat her if we are to proceed." explained Ayase.

"That is fine with me. Being able to seal her now would be a tad anti-climactic don't you think? This is exactly how I wanted it, one last battle to the finish!" said Kaguya excitedly.

Mokou closed her eyes.

"Pscht. This is still a game to you? You wanted some sort of theatrical and epic finish? Whatever..." said Mokou before facing Kaguya and opening her eyes, staring boldly at her. "Bring it on. You're gonna pay for everything you've done in full. And trust me, its gonna be pretty damn painful."

Wriggle sweated up a storm, looking nervously at the combatants. It was a two against one situation, Mokou standing to lose everything she may or may not have had left if she lost... Wriggle was in absolutely no shape to help Mokou at this point. She couldn't save anyone... Not even Mystia. She opened her mouth, wanting Mokou to leave her behind and run away. However...

"Don't bother, Nightbug. I know what you're gonna say. You're gonna say 'this isn't worth your freedom here in Gensokyo so just run away from here', is that right? Well, I can't." said Mokou before Wriggle could even utter the words.

Thats when Kaguya threw her hand forward, Mokou jumping diagonally upward just in time to dodge a blue explosion. She countered by lifting her arms into the air before throwing them down, sending two large fireballs at Kaguya who was already on the move to dodge them.

"You see, this whole situation is my fault, no matter how you look at it. Kaguya went psycho simply because didn't stop attacking her when I should have, too obsessed with my own petty and foolish revenge..."

As she flew just above the ground, the smiling Kaguya sent loads and loads of multi-colored bullets speeding toward Mokou, streaking through the sky like a comet as flames surrounded her body.

"Kaguya never would have done this if not for my own foolishness... So I'm gonna be responsible for my actions rather than run away like some shameless coward...!"

Mokou suddenly dropped to the ground with a loud crash, kicking into the air in Kaguya's direction, sending a large and destructive streak of flames at Kaguya. The flames traveled at an incredibly high speed, forcing Kaguya into the sky! To her surprise however, the flames suddenly shot upward in a fantastic explosion of fire, Kaguya instinctively shielding herself from the rising flames. As she did so, Mokou would materialize her flaming wings and sore up to Kaguya at an incredible speed, sending her shoe dead into the forehead of the surprised princess. Kaguya was knocked back with a yelp, Mokou immediately capitalizing by charging forward with a hard right hook to Kaguya's cheek then a left, then another right before forward flipping to drop her heel dead on the top of Kaguya's head, sending the princess dropping like a rock to the hard ground below!

"I created this monster..."

Kaguya barely stopped herself from crashing with a small magical blast from her hands, her face now painted with blood. Gritting her teeth she looked up at Mokou just in time to see the fiery girl forming a giant fireball over her head, holding it with but one finger!

"So its only fair that I'm the one to put an end to it!"

Mokou leaned way back before sending the massive flaming orb down at the reeling Kaguya, the princess using her magic blast to send herself flying out of the way! She avoided having the ball slammed into her, but was sent flying away while being scorched by the subsequent explosion! Mokou calmly returned to the ground, hands in her pockets once again.

"Do you understand now Nightbug?" she asked Wriggle, briefly turning her head to her.

Wriggle merely looked back at Mokou, not saying anything in return.

"And as for you Kaguya... Is that it? If you want to do away with me so bad, then its time you started fighting like it." said Mokou in a serious tone, narrowing her eyes at the staggering Kaguya. "Or perhaps you weren't serious afterall?"

Kaguya merely grinned as she stood up, that grin soon turning into a full smile, then into out right laughter. Her face and dress were both quite dirty from the most recent attack.

"Ha ha ha! Don't get hasty dear Mokou... Have we not merely begun?" she asked in what was now her usual less than sane tone.

"Pscht..."

Mokou charged in again, her right fist flying at Kaguya. Kaguya however continued smiling as she drove her open left palm open to meet Mokou's attack, charging it with blue energy! The limbs never had the chance to actually connected... The sheer magical force concentrated in the girl's limbs kept either attack from connecting, a struggle of power ensuing instead! Wind and dust was created as the ground cracked underneath them. Finally, Kaguya threw out her left hand in an attempt to surprise Mokou with a fast attack. Mokou backed off before quickly grabbing Kaguya's left hand with her own right hand, only to have Kaguya attempt to blow her head off with her now free left hand. Mokou ducked under, changing her grip on Kaguya's hand so that she was holding her wrist before spinning around with her left arm aflame to deck Kaguya on the back of her head. Kaguya blocked with a similar technique with her right arm.

The two struggled like this once more for a few moments, the conflicting magical energies preventing them from moving. Or perhaps that they were afraid of giving up their current stances...? Bolts of energy flew out from them, Wriggle even having to back away and shield herself from a few that came too close. With sweat covering both of their faces and eyes narrowing, one would have to make a move soon, a risky endeavor...

Kaguya was the first one to exhaust her patience, attempting to spin around slam Mokou's face in with her free hand. Mokou was fast to react, kicking out Kaguya's left ankle, sending the princess kneeling to the ground with a yelp before moving and grabbing the arm Kaguya had just tried to attack her with, and tossing her away with a mighty heave!

"Raaaaugh!!"

Kaguya was thrown back, swinging out her arms to firing swarms of bright blue bullets and crescent shaped energy blasts as she did so. Mokou jumped back a bit, throwing her hand forward, unleashing a great many small fireballs along with a large wall of flame! The blinding explosions from the resulting clashes in magic were brightening to say the least, Wriggle, Mystia and Ayase all having to look away! Even before the smoke from that cleared, Mokou and Kaguya could be seen jumping toward each other while dodging one another's projectiles in spectacular fashion! Kaguya however seemed to have the advantage in this ranged combat...

Damn, that wasn't the thing to do... thought Mokou to herself. Kaguya was always better at danmaku rather than at close combat. And vice versa...

The smiling Kaguya span around one last time, sending many more bullets into the sky, not watching as they went toward Mokou. Instead, she created a swirl of energy around her, kicking up a very thick dust cloud that covered Kaguya and blew into Mokou, lowering her vision. As the stinging dirt hit her eyes, Mokou found herself squinting while backing away, barely able to dodge all the projectiles in time. She was soon thrown back by an explosion, sliding backwards on the ground. Upon stopping, she immediately spotted several more bullets falling on her through her blurred vision, putting her arms up to defend...

"Mokou...!" called out Wriggle as several explosions flared up from directly where Mokou was laying.

For a moment, the bullets stopped flying, Kaguya stopping her dust storm... Seconds later, a streak of fire in the shape of bird suddenly launched out from Mokou's location, slamming into Kaguya's slowly withering dust cloud to disperse it! Through the dust, Mokou -now with a mildly tattered shirt and bleeding from the mouth- charged at Kaguya with her left hand held out with fiery energy building in it! The smiling Kaguya threw out her right arm, sending out a bronze chain with a metal bludgeoning weight on the end! Mokou swerved to the side at the last moment, the weapon grazing her waist as she did so before kneeling down quickly grabbing the chain to pull Kaguya closer. However, it vanished on Kaguya's whim, the princess throwing out her right arm with an identical weapon attached to an identical chain... And this time, it hit Mokou square in the torso. The fiery girl grunted in pain as blood trickled down her mouth, falling to her knees with her arms around her stomach as she did so.

"I guess I'm the better one in the end Mokou. Once I finally got some distance from you, all I needed to do was press the attack. Are you ready to vanish from this world for eternity? I hope you are..."

Kaguya held up her left hand, building a bundle of blue energy even while she panted from the battle, covered in sweat and dirt.

"What the hell, Kaguya...? Tell me..." grumbled Mokou as she placed two fingers on the ground.

Suddenly, she sent out incredibly fast moving streaks of flame at Kaguya, the Lunarian princess growling in partial surprise as she was forced to jump back... Suddenly, Mokou followed up with a fast fireball from her left hand, the flaming projectile slamming right into the now genuinely surprised Kaguya! The princess managed to put her bundle in front of herself in the last moment to defend, the resultant explosion sending her plowing right into a large nearby rock! The princess hacked up blood as she impacted!

"...is that the best you can do?! I've been through a helluva lot worse pain than this...!" finished Mokou as she stood up. "Now I'm finally gonna return the favor for everything you've done today! This one's for Keine!!"

Mokou then spread her wings of fire once more, charging at the princess at an incredibly high speed as flame energy built up around her arms!

"...!"

Unable to defend, Kaguya found herself utterly pounded all over her body, as flaming punch after punch slammed into her! Mokou's arms moved at a speed faster than what a normal human should have been capable of, the power of the Phoenix brought forth! The rock Kaguya was up against even began cracking from the sheer force.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!!!"

The beat down went on for almost a full minute before Mokou gritted her teeth and leaned back her right fist... She sent it flying right into Kaguya's cheek with a loud crack, the princess practically flying down to the ground! Mokou's flames then died as she hunched over, panting with fatigue.

"Too weak Kaguya." she said as she looked down at the fallen princess. "You tired yourself out from fighting those other battles did you? That should've been a much more challenging fight..."

Kaguya remained motionless from her position on the ground. However...

"That was... ...merely... ...the first round... ...dear Mokou..." muttered Kaguya with a weak smile.

"What you say?" asks Mokou, raising an eyebrow.

Thats when Mystia suddenly bolted from her stationary position, rushing at Kaguya with her claws bared up.

"Mystia, no!" called out Wriggle, reaching her hand out toward her friend.

The alarmed Mokou turned to the charging nightbird before giving her swift kick with her left leg to the cheek just before she could attack! A stream of youkai blood flew from Mystia's mouth as she flew backwards before crashing back first on the ground.

"Mystia!" cried out Wriggle once more, wanting to crawl over to her friend but too tired to do so.

Ayase was the next one to attack, remaining stationary while swinging her key, green laser beams flying out from its tip! Mokou dashed to the side, dodging the beams as they hit the ground, throwing dust and dirt onto Kaguya. Ayase then began flying toward Mokou.

"So the monster of Koro finally steps in huh?" thinks Mokou out loud rhetorically.

"I was waiting for Lady Kaguya's silent order. If I were to act before being told to do so, Lady Kaguya would have punished me." replied Ayase.

"Really... For something that's been deeply feared all this time, you're pretty damn stupid!" replied Mokou.

[An Odd Sea Slug]

Mokou came to a sudden stop, jump spin kicking in place to throw several whip like flames at Ayase, who blocked them by spinning her key at an incredibly high speed. Either that thing was super light, or her powers gave her physical strength comparable to that of a youkai...

"Well okay..." grumbled Mokou. "Then how 'bout this?!"

Mokou sped fourth, her right fist ablaze with searing flames! Ayase put up her key again, widening her eyes as she was knocked back a small bit thanks to Mokou plunging her flaming fist right into her key!

Using the magic power within herself to increase the speed and force... There isn't anyway that this is her own natural power... thought Ayase.

Mokou immediately pulled back, letting her very much dented and broken hand hang on the side while the effects of her immortality regenerated it.

"Hmph." muttered Ayase.

The formerly sealed girl swung her key upwards, unleashing several green laser rays at Mokou. They at first flew into the air before attempting to come down on Mokou, the fiery girl hopping backwards in avoidance. She ignited her right hand, spinning in a circle to send a load of intense fireballs at Ayase's way. The key wielding girl smiled, spinning her massive weapon in place to ward off the flames. Mokou sprouted her flaming wings once more, rushing at Ayase...

"Not too bad. Alas, you can't really beat me once I get close." said Mokou with a smile as she prepared a hard punch.

"Maybe not... But I do have this!" exclaimed Ayase.

Mokou dropped her smile, raising an eyebrow as Ayase tossed her key straight into the air! The back of the strange object began glowing green as a large orb of the same color suddenly formed around it. The orb then suddenly shot out at the surprised Mokou at an incredible speed, Mokou herself only barely able to dodge it, getting thrown back by the large explosion! She crossed her arms in front of herself in defense as Ayase allowed her key to let out several identical blasts, Mokou employing zig zagging maneuvers to dodge them. Finally, the key fell down again, Ayase catching it and holding it up as a vengeful Mokou angrily rushed toward her, flip jumping forward in an attempt to bring a heal drop down on Ayase's head! Ayase brought up her key in defense, letting Mokou's heel crash on top of it before pushing forward to throw Mokou off! Mokou back flipped away with a yelp, Ayase wasting no time in running forward and slamming the edge of her key dead into Mokou's chin, sending her flying back, landing with a thud right on her back! Next, Ayase changed her grip on her key, as if holding a heavy cannon of some sort... Green energy began building at the tip. Mokou leaped up just in time to see Ayase's action, preparing herself for the next move.

"Ahh great... What comes next then?" asked Mokou mostly to herself.

Ayase took on a confident grimace as many, many blasts of unusually fast green danmaku came flying out of the key like a mini gun! Mokou dashed out of the way, the first few blasts grazing her. Mokou ran from side to side, jumping around raised rocks, and even attempting to take cover, all to no avail. She never approached or shot back, in addition to secretly being amazed with Ayase's physical prowess. To wield something that large and heavy with such ease... Ayase continued chasing Mokou around, guns blazing for almost a full minute...

Okay, f**k this. thought Mokou to herself. I think its time to get a bit creative...

Ayase momentarily stopped firing as Mokou suddenly took to the air and created a bright orange aura around herself.

"Trying to blind me? You'll find such a tactic of little use!" called up Ayase before opening fire once again.

Mokou did not try to dodge this time however, remaining in place as her wings grew larger and brighter than ever before and encircling her, Ayase's projectiles hitting them without any apparent effect.

"Wha?!" yelped Ayase.

"Ha! Hey, it worked! Those blasts are many, but even when fired in such succession, they apparently can't take my phoenix wing barrier down!" said Mokou with a relived grin. "Now have some of this!"

Mokou threw her arms forward, several intense flames launching out at Ayase, who was forced to jump back and weave to avoid them. Gritting her teeth and narrowing her eyes, Ayase aimed her key at Mokou once more, but this time she fired a single, large and intense blast that launched with enough force to send her recoiling backwards! Mokout threw out her right arm, supporting it with her left hand as she formed an equally large and intense fireball, gritting her teeth and sweating as the two orbs clashed. She suddenly back flipped backward and down, some of her hair being disintegrated as the two orbs shot past her, exploding high in the night sky! An irritated looking Ayase, unleashed swarms of smaller green orbs from her key, Mokou weaving around them and getting within physical range. Mokou dived under Ayase's key as she span it around swung the larger end of it in a quick last ditch attempt to ward off the immortal girl's assault in vain. Seizing her opportunity to strike, Mokou sent her right fist careening dead into Ayase's stomach, the unsealed girl gasping out from this... ...and the subsequent punch to her chest from Mokou's left fist! The key wielder was then took an uppercut right in the chin, Mokou finishing off the combo with a jumping spin kick to the gut, sending Ayase to the ground! As Mokou landed, she then poured searing flames down on Ayase for a few moments, causing her to writhe in pain before stopping.

Afterward, Mokou looked down at Ayase, putting her hands back in her pockets. Wriggle looked on silently, visibly astonished at what had just happened.

"Man... What the hell is this...? So weak... Is this really the feared beast of Koro? We were all afraid of this pitiful excuse of a fighter? What a joke..." commented Mokou.

Not far however, Kaguya was staggering up, giggling weakly at Mokou. Mokou turned to face the princess.

"Now whats so funny? You just don't know when you're beat, do you Kaguya?" asked Mokou.

"Oh dear Mokou, this isn't quite over just yet... That was just... ...merely the first round, a way for Ayase to a get a bit of... ...exercise after being trapped of so long..."

Normally, flippant speech like this would get Mokou riled up, but at this point she knew better and remained calm. Instead, she smiled a bit.

"Pscht. Thats your idea of exercise huh? I don't think little Ayase down there quite enjoyed it. Furthermore, look at yourself. You're beat. You've exhausted yourself with all this pointless fighting." Mokou said this, then dropped her smile. "Now enough is enough. I'm leaving here, and taking these other girls with me. Then I'm gonna take this Ayase chick and toss her down the hell hole she came from so you cannot bother us again." said Mokou before turning and reaching down to grab Ayase.

The watching Wriggle's eyes widened with hope, her mind racing with thoughts of being spared a bitter fate...

Can it be...? She did it?!

But Ayase suddenly raised her arm, smacking Mokou's hand out of the way before throwing herself backwards into a standing position and flying at the smiling Kaguya! Mokou gritted her teeth, yelling out as she gave pursuit and sent a blast of terrible flames at her enemies! Ayase however blocked with her key...

"What the hell, I just pounded you...!" called out Mokou.

She then noticed something on Kaguya... She wasn't bleeding anymore... She suddenly seemed more energetic... Mokou's eyes widened in shock open taking a closer look at Kaguya's body.

"Y... Your wounds... What in the world...?! Your injuries have vanished! But this is...!"

Meanwhile, Ayase's own wounds remained the same.

"This is a part of our master and servant bond Mokou. The power of Koro allows us to share one another's power, as it is written. By lending me her power, Ayase can heal me from even the most vicious wounds!"

And as Kaguya spoke, Ayase's own wounds began healing. Mokou narrowed her eyes at the two as sweat built up on her face.

Well this is great, talk about redundancy... thought the flame girl. I maybe immortal, but Kaguya can heal herself from anything now... How am I supposed to win if she can just outlast me...?

"No way..." said the watching Wriggle. "B-but if Ayase is giving power to Kaguya, then who's giving power to Ayase...?"

Mokou gritted her teeth and charged forward, Kaguya and Ayase taking to the air!

"Bah, forget about outlasting me Kaguya! You and that beast girl will be ashes long before then!"

Mokou threw more of her terrible flames at the enemies...

"Dear Ayase... Be my shield." ordered Kaguya calmly.

"Yes, mistress."

Ayase put up her key to block the endless flames, holding her position even as her hands and arms began burning from holding the heated key, along with the sheer heat! Mokou could not believe this...

"Man, you really are stupid! Can't you see you're nothing more than a puppet to her?!" growled Mokou.

"I am a puppet. I have always been one." said Ayase, crnging in pain. "It has... ...been this way. Why... ...change... ...now...?"

"What... ...the... ...f-" was all Mokou could get out as a dumbfounded expression covered her face. "What sort of demented creature...?"

***

Wriggle continued watching the battle, also wondering just what in the world Kaguya and Ayase's big idea was. She also could've sworn that she saw light slowly drifting toward Ayase... At first she thought it nothing more than residual magic, but when it remained for a long time she took a closer look... That light was drifting onto Ayase, healing her injuries upon contact! Wriggle gasped lightly upon realizing this, following the the light back to it's source: the very hole where Ayase had emerged from.

"My goodness... Could it be that they gain power from the site of Koro's seal itself?! This means..."

With her pained and battered body having next to no strength left, Wriggle was forced to collapse to the ground and crawl on it with her body. It was taking everything she had left just to do this, and even then her progress was slow. Sweat built on her face as her breathing became somewhat heavy from the strain. Thankfully, the hole where the seal once was was quite close to her location. She could still hear the battle waging above her as Mokou continued dousing Ayase and Kaguya in flames. Why weren't they fighting back...?

Soon, the nightbug reached the hole, looking down at it to see a large green and white light present deep inside: it was pure magical energy from the seal! Parts of this light was taking to the air, going to Ayase and healing her!

"I... I see... So this is why... I must..."

Wriggle attempted to force herself to stand, soon getting to a kneel.

"I must put an end to this... ...by destroying this...! S-somehow..."

***

Mokou growled as she continued her relentless assault.

"C'mon Kaguya! Is blocking the only thing you intend to do for the rest of this battle?! You're not even fighting back anymore!" yelled Mokou.

Kaguya continued smiling confidently while remaining stationary. Both women noticed how Ayase was managing to hold out for what was now a prolonged period of time against Mokou's flames... Kaguya, apparently knowing what the cause of this was peeked down at the hole where the seal once was, immediately noticing the light emanating from it. To her amusement, a certain insect youkai also happened to be down there, apparently with the intention of stopping the transfer of energy to girl of Koro. She giggled a bit before speaking.

"Enough of this farce Ayase. More than enough time has passed."

"Yes mistress. I leave Mokou to you. I will inform you once I'm ready." replied Ayase.

As Ayase flew off, Kaguya sent a blast of blue energy right into Mokou's flames, causing an explosion that sent Mokou flying back as she covered herself by crossing her arms in front of her.

"Gah, now what?" she said to herself before realizing where Ayase was flying. "Hey, you keep away from that youkai you scum!"

Mokou tried to fly down in pursuit of Ayase, only to have Kaguya fly in her path.

"Outta my way!"

"I apologize Mokou, but I cannot let you interfere with the next ritual. Besides, you wanted to defeat me right? Why waste time with one as weak as Ayase?" said Kaguya before moving backwards, charging magical energy in both hands. "To have any chance at all at saving those youkai girls and stopping this plan, you must stop me first! However, with this power of Koro, I'm confident that you will not be able to accomplish that... No, instead, I will crush you and hide you from this world for eternity!"

"Sorry... But didn't I just say that I was gonna stop your stupid plans? You're going into the dirt Kaguya." replied Mokou while creating a flaming aura around herself. "For my friends... For those you hurt... For the memory of my father, I will not lose to you!"

[An Odd Sea Slug]

***

"Finally..." gasped the panting Wriggle as she staggered up.

Wriggle held her right arm out, steadying it with her left arm as she focused her willpower into forming a faint energy ball, aiming it squarely at Ayase's former seal. She gritted her teeth, trying to ignore the pain in her body while summoning the very last of her strength to form the projectile... Actually, she may have been out of strength now... But that soon wouldn't matter. Ayase was bearing down on the insect youkai...

"Foolish nightbug. You haven't nearly enough power to do that... No one here does." spoke Ayase as she landed slowly and softly behind Wriggle.

Wriggle ignored Ayase, trying to keep her concentration. Ayase's smile faded upon realizing Wriggle wasn't going to give in so easily. She walked up to the insect girl.

"You came here thinking 'I must stop the transfer of power to that strange girl', didn't you? Too bad. It won't happen with such little power. The only thing you can do to stop me is to face me directly."

Wriggle narrowed her eyes while still looking at the power rich seal below. If what Ayase said was true, then her last effort would be useless. But if things went like this, what would the outcome of Mokou's battle be...? There was no choice... Either fire at the seal, or Ayase... Or...

Ayase put up her key.

"You should really make it easy on yourself and come quietly. Or shall I take you by fo-"

Ayase was interrupted, shocked as Wriggle snapped around with a yell, firing out her final energy blast... Not at her... Not at the seal... But in fact...

"Wh-what?!" stammered Ayase as she watched the display.

...right at Mystia!

"...?"

The possessed bird youkai watched without any emotion as the blast flew straight toward her! She let out a weak moan as the blast slammed into her torso, burning a near perfect circle into her clothes as she flew backwards into the ground, tumbling a small distance before coming to rest. In her current state of mind, Mystia could not identify this sudden sensation... An... ...uncomfortable sensation. Even in her possessed state, Mystia found the feeling unpleasant... ...and familiar... She looked down at her damaged clothes as she sat up, peering at the burn mark on her torso...

Meanwhile, Wriggle launched another blast at Ayase, a more potent one at that! Ayase had been distracted with Mystia and was only barely able to put up her key in time to block the blast originally intended for the seal, damaging part of her right arm and pushing her back some! Ayase only barely kept her balance, now visibly angry at Wriggle, realizing she had released a tiny portion of the built up power to shoot Mystia and directed the rest at her.

Upon seeing the smoke clear, Wriggle's eyes widened as she tried to move out of the way! But she had already used the rest of her energy, her body freezing as if totally turning to stone... In other words, her body had finally broke down, leaving her at Ayase's mercy. Disregarding her injured and bleeding right arm, Ayase charged at Wriggle, smashing her giant key right into the insect youkai's head! Upon falling limp to the ground, Wriggle could then a sharp pain at the center of her left leg, accompanied by a sickening snap as Ayase brought the smaller end of her key right down on the back of Wriggle's left knee! Wriggle shrilled violently at the pain in her head and leg, only exacerbated by the prior torturous pain from the earlier fighting and abuse incurred by Kaguya. She now found herself holding back tears and not solely due to the pain... But because Ayase's retribution was also the number one sign that her final plan had failed.

She gritted her teeth as hard as she could, unaware that Ayase was looking down at her resentfully... ...and that she was pulling back her right leg... With neither the mental or physical strength left to fight it off, all the pain in Wriggle's body began hitting her all at once, reducing her to a drooling, writhing creature that had been driven to near madness. She was no longer able to hold back her tears as thoughts of death began entering her mind...

Even as Ayase kicked her in the chest, sending her broken body tumbling across the ground, Wriggle thought of death. What she had previously been trying to avoid had begun to look like a sweet embrace, an end to the pain in her battle-ragged body, an end to the pain of failing her friends... An end to...

Wait... An end to... An end to...

To... ...what?

Her friends... An end to her friends...

An... End...? Yes...

Death would be the end. Of her... ...and her friends. They had been defeated. They were all...

Wait, what...? What were they...?

"...die."

Die?

Die...?

D......I.......E?!

Yes. Die. She and her friends were going to... ...die. In the name of a single crazed woman's vengence, she and her friends were going to... No...

No...

No...

No...

No...

No...!

No!

No!!

NO!!!

NO! NO! NO! ON! NO! NO! NO! NO! NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO!!

***

As Ayase picked up the broken Wriggle by her shirt, the insect youkai suddenly snapped out of her pain induced haze...

"Did you not hear me?" spoke Ayase. "You aren't going to die. Or rather... ...you won't die in a normal way..."

Ayase's smile began to return.

"No... Instead you'll Become the last key to my hidden power... The one who will purify me and free me from my part of Koro's curse forever, as it is written. You should feel proud nightbug. This will be something glorious for you, even in death!"

"R-really...? Y-y-you r-really s-seem to believe that, d-don't you...? Heh... Heh... Heh... Heh... Heh..."

Ayase dropped her smile, raising an eyebrow as she continued to listen to Wriggle, her emotionless face drenched in her own dark green blood...

"Th-thats... ...f-f-fine. You have... ...you and your mistress... ...have done so m-much... ...damage to my body th-that I... ...I no longer really c-care if I die, heh heh... Th-the pain is... ...unbearable... B-but..." stammered the weakened Wriggle, struggling to speak coherently while managing a faint smile. "I-it really... ...does not... ...m-matter much... F-for you sh-shall die... ...along with me... Heh.... Heh..."

Ayase briefly raised an eyebrow at this, both Wriggle and herself unflinching, even as an explosion from the battle between Mokou and Kaguya brought a brief, blinding light to shine where they were.

"An odd thing for someone in your predicament to say... Are you finally going mad? It is best that you accept the truth..." spoke Ayase.

"N-no... The truth is this: I'm... ...going to die. But you will die too. Be-because... ...Mystia... ...Mystia will kill you!"

Dismissing Wriggle's words for deluded babbling, Ayase threw her down to the ground before holding up her key, appearing to be activating some sort of spell...

"I've heard enough. You seem to have forgotten that your friend is under our full control, that you have lost this fight. I'm free, and the immortal girl is doomed. Quiet down now... I will put you out of your misery."

The barely conscious Wriggle's smile only widened. She looked toward Mystia, who was cringing a bit while touching her wound.

"M... M... MYSTIA!" called out Wriggle with something of a cross between a shout and a gasp.

The pained Mystia looked toward Wriggle out of instinct for a brief moment.

"Th-that f-feeling of burning... That... ...foul sensation you feel... Its pain. Its pain Mystia. Its the thing you hate most of all..." said Wriggle before letting out a cough.

Ayase looked down at Wriggle with slight irritation.

"You have gone mad! Reaching her now is useless, for she under our full control. She won't listen to you in such a state..." said the key girl.

Wriggle noticed that Mystia was looking toward her, ignoring Ayase and continuing.

"Mystia, listen to me... You're being controlled by your hated enemy... If you... ...if you don't resist... ...you'll only... ...receive more... ... ...p-pain... She's going to... ... ...hurt you... ...even more... So... ...so..."

Wriggle's body began glowing a green color along with the key. Ayase smiled before beginning to chant an incantation.

"So remember that pain! I shot you earlier... ...as a reminder... ...of what we've gone through since the previous night... Reme... Remember what they have done to you... ...in the name of... ...their twisted and meaningless revenge... Fight back Mystia...! I k-know you're in there somewhere, so... ...p... ...please...!"

Wriggle's vision blurred, her breathing strained. She began to feel light headed, too tired to talk any further. Sadly, it would seem as her last sad and desperate pleas fell on def ears...

Mystia remained expressionless aside from the pain on her stomach's surface as she stood up... But as she did so she suddenly cringed hard, whimpering as a sharp pain shot through her back, causing her to stagger about. What was this pain? And... ...why was it so familiar...? A terrible, shooting pain that coursed through her right wing, making it feel as if it was about to explode...

Mystia... ...remembered this pain. Or rather, she remembered having it for some time. A pain that started not that long back, just a little over twenty-four hours ago... But... ...where did it come from? Thats when an image flashed in her broken mind... Images of her mistress Kaguya. She was fighting her... ...with that green haired insect youkai girl... But she served Lady Kaguya... Why would she be fighting her mistress? Why would her mistress be trying to...

...

...

...hurt her...?

"P... Pain..."

She remembered the pain... That fight... ...was painful... Who caused that pain...? Mystia began trembling...

"Pain... ... ... ... Kaguya...."

Kaguya caused this pain...? But she served Kaguya, never having any... Wait... This pain...

"This pain... This pain..." mumbled Mystia to herself. "This pain was... Was... ...caused by mistress...? N-no, not mistre- Yes.. ...it... ...was...?"

Mystia staggered a bit, sweating as she held her head with her left hand... What were these familiar, frightening thoughts...?

"Silly nightbird, they're trying to confuse you. Why would you listen to lying people such as them?"

Mystia heard a strange voice in her head...

"M... M-miss... ....tress...?" stammered Mystia, beginning to feel emotion once more.

"Now now, I am your mistress. You should know that I wouldn't do anything to hurt you..."

It was Kaguya's voice. A smooth, perhaps even soothing and feminine voice that at first calmed Mystia... But then, something else within her mind came back to life...

"...no..." she said out loud.

***

And in the gold adorned insides of Mystia's mind...

"No. This isn't right... Not at all... You're not..."

The red Mystia -the true Mystia- turned around to the site of an apparently naked Kaguya on top of another girl whom Mystia could not see... T'was a purple Kaguya. They were both upon a large white bed.

"You are not my mistress!" protested the angry looking Mystia.

The Kaguya rose from her position on top of the other girl, turning somewhat to face Mystia while covering herself with her right arm. She wore a familiar smile.

"Silly girl, how am I not your mistress? The curse of Koro is an absolute one. Therefore, you shall be unquestionably loyal to me." she said.

"Gh! Don't you give me that you lying b***h! Release my mind at once!" demanded Mystia.

Kaguya looked away while holding onto her smile. She sighed lightly.

"This is far out of your control. You are hardly in any position to make any demands or threats. For you see, this isn't your realm anymore."

Mystia's eyebrow twitched as she walked closer.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Hmm..."

Kaguya moved, allowing Mystia to see the girl she was on top of... Mystia was disgusted at what she saw. No, that was an understatement. Although her body wasn't physical, she felt utterly sick...

For the girl the nude Kaguya was on was in fact herself.

Yes the girl Mystia saw was Mystia. It was her except for a blue color in addition to bearing that deadpan emotionless face when the curse of Koro had... Wait a minute...

"You are no longer in control. This is your true self now." said Kaguya, looking directly at Mystia again. "In short... You are no longer real. You have been suppressed, removed... I'm tempted to say that you don't exist anymore."

Mystia's eyes widened for a moment before narrowing again. She fidgeted nervously.

"N-no... I'm the true Mystia! You two are nothing more than fakes trying to cloud my mind...!"

The purple Kaguya smiled a bit as she began walking toward Mystia, no longer bothering to cover herself. Mystia caught a glimpse of her 'true self', chained to the bed and naked, drool dribbling out of her mouth as if having a prolonged moment with her lover. This disgusted Mystia even more... At this imagery she felt humiliated, defiled... As the nude Kaguya approached her, her anger seethed forth... She wanted to pounce at Kaguya, forcing control out of her mind away from her... But she couldn't move. No matter how much she willed it, she could not attack Kaguya, but why?!

"Everything here is mine now little bird... I control everything. Your mind and body belong to me. Even your very soul is mine to command..."

Kaguya then raised up her right hand. A clanging sound could be heard as large chains suddenly materialized around the red Mystia's body and limbs, going all the way to the wall behind her! She could not move a muscle... But none the less she strained with all her might, trying to free herself from the strange mental bind...

"...and I control the very chains of fate that bind you."

Finally, Kaguya knelt down and embraced the chained Mystia.

"Now be a good girl and accept your fate." spoke the princess in a soft, soothing voice.

Mystia felt her 'mouth' moving on its own, like she was compelled to speak... She couldn't stop it...

"Y... Y... Y... Yes... ...M-mistress..."

***

Ayase briefly looked over to Mystia even as she continued her strange spell and smiled briefly before looking down at the battered Wriggle in contempt.

"Hmph. I hope you're happy nightbug. You compelled some part of her original self still left inside her mind to try to fight back against the curse. Sadly, in doing so, she will inevitably destroy her own mind. The power of the old curse of Koro is just too great." she said with a hint of anger in her voice.

Why would she be angry now...? She continued speaking, but taking a much softer and somber voice.

"You're not strong enough to break this curse. She isn't either. And if you two aren't strong enough... ...then perhaps no one is..."

The battered Wriggle twitched a bit as she laid on the ground. Had she heard what Ayase had said...

***

[An Odd Sea Slug]

"Thats right." spoke the mental Kaguya again. "I am your mistress. Now say yourself. Who am I?"

The chained Mystia gritted her teeth, trying not say what the curse wanted her to say, desperate not to let this last ounce of her uncorrupted mind to slip away into Kaguya's grasp!

"Y... You... ...are... ...m-m-m... N-no...! No... Y-you... ...are...!"

"Yes, go ahead and say it! Sing little night bird! Say who I am!" goaded Kaguya with a delighted expression.

Mystia shook her 'head' violently, trying not to say it when...

"...my mistress. You are... ...my mistress."

The other Mystia... The one on the bed had spoken. A calmer, almost dead tone in a voice identical to the restrained Mystia before Kaguya. The red Mystia's eyes widened. Those weren't her words... Or where they...? Weren't these two fake...? Yet she felt like she had spoken them all the same... She snapped her eyes shut as she forced herself to shout...

"NO YOUR NOT!"

Kaguya didn't seem all that disturbed by the outburst, the scream not at all appearing to hurt her 'ears'. Instead she sighed mildly while calmly standing up, backing away from Mystia a very slight distance, her smile absent. Meanwhile, Mystia continued her resistance.

"NO! You are not my mistress... You have no control over me! I won't let you... I won't let you...!"

Her eyes suddenly snapped open with thin pupils, Mystia struggling to keep herself from saying what she did not want to say. The two Mystia's spoke at the same time...

"Y-you... ...are... ...my..."

The red Mystia shook her head violently once more.

"SHUT UP! You're not a part of me... You do not speak for me!" yelled Mystia.

Her resistance was unexpectedly powerful... But Kaguya saw it as meaningless... She reared back her right hand before swiping it down to slap the red Mystia dead in the cheek, stopping her loud resistance.

"Hmph. Your resistance only makes me more eager to make you mine you know. I find it delicious." said Kaguya with a small smile before licking her fingers a bit. "Now thats quite enough out of you. Be quiet and become as cursed as the rest of you."

Mystia quieted down and slowly bowed her head. She reminded silent for a few moments until...

"F**k you."

The purple Kaguya's eyebrow twitched.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Didn't you hear me princess...? F**k you!" repeated Mystia with a smile.

Kaguya breifly narrowed her eyes before giving Mystia another slap to the face. Mystia cringed hard, but her smile did not dissipate. Instead she spoke again, looking up at Kaguya.

"I told you before, you cannot control me... I will take over these chains of fate that bind me! I break them before your eyes!" exclaimed Mystia.

"You haven't the power. Useless small youkai like you should not be allowed to speak!" said Kaguya.

The princess raised her right hand once more but this time folding it into a fist. She quickly reared it back before striking at the red Mystia's 'jaw', the sound of it echoing in the 'room.' Mystia however did not drop her smile, immediately reacting by lunging forward and biting right down and hard on Kaguya's hand! Kaguya screamed out, immediately hitting Mystia's head with her free left hand!

"Let go you wretched...!"

Finally, Kaguya forced Mystia to release her hand via harsh backhanded slap. She held her injured hand, no blood visible. Then again, projections didn't have blood... Kaguya growled at her rebellious quarry... Mystia only glared at her.

"...as I thought." she spoke.

"What is it?!" asked Kaguya, now irritated.

"You aren't the real princess... You're just a twisted abomination created by the curse and shaped to look like her. You are not real. And now, you will no longer have power over me." claimed Mystia. "Wriggle gave me the reminder of the pain I needed to remember who I really was... That will be my strength."

The Kaguya laughed nervously.

"Your strength?! She's no friend of yours... She shot you! She hurt you, may have very well killed you! Surely you are delusional...!"

"A funny word to use, curse-girl!" Interrupted Mystia. "The whole lot of you are the deluded ones! Thinking you can just use this power however you please... From this experience, I realized that something like you should not have ever been allowed to set foot upon this Earth!"

The Kaguya look-a-like growled with a scowl... Mystia sensed that more violence would soon be afflicted upon her, yet continuing to smile.

"How dare you... I will make you obedient... ...even if I have to beat your mind, body and soul within an inch of existence!"

Mystia ignored this warning, instead quietly chanting something...

"Flap... Flap... Flap... Flap... Flap... Flap... Flap... Flap..."

"W-what are you doing?!" asked the Kaguya projection.

***

Back in the real world, Mystia, despite the current chaos in her mind -or perhaps because of it- felt a strange urge, one she did not resist. Perhaps unable to resist...? She began trying to flap her wings... Her right wing had done well to heal, but it wasn't ready yet... If she tried to flap it now... But she continued anyway, even as great pain began filling it and consequently, her back as punishment for the attempt.

"Flap... Flap... Flap... Flap... Flap... Flap... Flap... Flap... Flap... Flap..."

Ayase and Wriggle looked over, puzzled at what the nightbird was doing. No, a better description for Ayase's expression would be a mix of horror, fascination and awe...

"...it can't be..." she muttered.

***

The red Mystia spoke louder now, as if trying to force the rest of her mind and body to obey...

"Flap... Flap... Flap... Flap...! Flap...! Flap! Flap! Flap! FLAP! FLAP!"

"Sh-shut up! Are you attempting to irritate me?!" yelled the purple Kaguya. "Enough of this farce... I'm going to..."

Suddenly, the Kaguya felt a sharp pain in her back! A dire and horrendous one as if something in it that should not have been moving was moving. She staggered backwards a bit with a shocked expression, instinctively reaching behind her back! Suddenly she could feel all of the pain Mystia felt!

"I-IMPOSSIBLE! This is the pain that only the physical body should feel, why am I...!"

She then noticed that Mystia had one eye closed, shuddering in her chains as if also feeling the pain, but she did not stop her chant. The purple one's eyes widened before swinging around to look at the blue Mystia on the bed... She was also chanting the command to flap while trying to roll over as if a great pain was also upon her back!

"N-no...! No one can... No can possibly do this! To resist the spell... The curse... The sheer mental strength of will it would take has been too much for even the greatest of beasts, but a small youkai like you...! No... I will not let this happen... Do you hear me?!" said Kaguya in a panicked expression. "There isn't anyway you can break the curse! I will end this right now!!"

Mystia briefly had her eyes tightly shut as she felt the great pain. She managed to hold her smile, elated that her body still obeyed her, this projection, a walking representation of what little of the old Mystia was left. She was also pleased to see this projection of her cursed captor Kaguya in much pain, delighting in this payback for all the agony she had caused. She briefly opened her right eye to see what she was doing...

She did so just in time to see her adversary plow her left hand nails right into said eye.

All three girls hollered out in torturous pain, all three of them sharing it. But why...? Surely this projection know what would happen since they shared the pain... Kaguya immediately staggered back once more before falling to her knees, instinctively covering her right eye while the Mystias thrashed in their bonds violently. All this extra pain served to break the red Mystia's concentration, her body briefly beginning to turn blue... Kaguya stopped her screams and smiled with and expression of great insanity as she dug her left hand's nails into the ground and began a grim cackle.

"Yes! W-with this, I can finally take over the rest of your mind! What the hell was I worried about?! Its impossible for you defeat Koro's curse! Ahahahahahaha!"

But as quickly as she said that, the red Mystia's body began reverting back to its prior color as she chanted something new...

"T-take control... ...of the arm... Move the arm... Move the arm..."

The purple Kaguya, still in great pain and distracted by her own premature relief did not notice this...

***

Wriggle and Ayase were shocked by the sudden loud screaming Mystia did as she fell to her knees, Ayase nearly dropping her spell as a result!

"M... Mystia...?!" uttered Wriggle almost incomprehensibly.

Mystia quickly began staggering back up to a standing position as her right arm stiffly moved back, grabbing her right wing and digging her claws right into it! She screamed madly in pain as blood quickly began dripping from her hand as it twisted with the already injured wing in its grasp... It moved as if the nightbird meant to completely tear it off!

***

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! NO! NO MORE! STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT! HOW CAN THIS BE?! HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY DO THIS?!?!"

The purple Kaguya along with the two Mystia's both writhed in pain! The room around them began to shake violently, cracking and vanishing! The red Mystia spoke one last time...

"Heh... Heh heh heh... I am able to do this... ...because of her... Because of them. Wriggle and the others who came here, putting themselves on the line in order to rescue me... Seeing their bravery... ...gave me hope. When I saw Wriggle's light, I was filled with hope... ...once more. In her own way, she showed me that no matter how terrible the enemy or how great the pain... ...you should fight through it if it means protecting those close to you. That is the courage that gives me this new strength, the power that can resist Koro." explained Mystia weakly, fighting the pain in order to talk.

The fake Kaguya looked at the nightbird with an expression of terror.

"S-so... I will no longer feel the pain, no matter how great it is. I will fight through it for an eternity... ...if it means I can dispose of a devil like you! I... I know Wriggle is still alive out there... ...hurting just as much as we are right now. And I know that you are not her... ...that devil named Kaguya... But even so... ...you should know that... ...we no longer fear you... ...neither you... ...nor her! The only thing for you to do..."

The fake Kaguya's eyes widened in ultimate fear...

"NO, DON'T...!"

"Is to... ...GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE!!"

And with that, everything shattered. The walls, the floor, the chains hold the red Mystia, the blue Mystia in her entirety... ...and the purple Kaguya, who's screams quickly faded into nothingness. As the room became a pitch dark well, the red Mystia stood in place... ...and smiled.

***

[An Odd Sea Slug]

Mystia's eyes widened along with the sound of a horrific tear...

"WRIIIIGGLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEE!!!" shouted Mystia as she throw away her formerly attached right wing. "Wriggle... I'm so sorry... Forgive me for being so weak earlier..."

She panted as Ayase and Wriggle both looked on in utter shock. Ayase nearly dropped her key, her green aura vanishing. There was something different about Mystia's voice... It sounded deeper, more mature...

The nightbird looked at her fallen friend, Wriggle looking back. They both smiled. Wriggle could almost swear that Mystia looked a little taller...

"We wouldn't be like this now if I hadn't fallen for Kaguya's tricks... But what is important now... ...is that we're alive. That, and we're no longer the slaves of that mad princess. And now we're going to beat them and leave here... ...together." finished Mystia before glaring harshly at Ayase.

"We're both in excruciating pain because of you and your mistress... But who cares? I will ignore even the greatest pain if it means besting you two in the end and stopping your idiotic plans... I don't need that damned wing... I don't need anything other than the strength of my friends to beat you!"

Suddenly, Mystia shot forward at a break neck speed head on at Ayase putting up her right hand claws while yelling out in aggression! Ayase was still so shocked that she almost forgot to avoid the attack, a large chunk of her right arm being sheered right off! As Ayase collapses to the ground, she thinks of only one thing:

To break the control spell... These two are... Could they really be the ones capable of breaking the curse?! Is it possible?!

After her attack, Mystia ran over to Wriggle, kneeling to her insect friend and grabbing her hand.

"I... I'm so glad you're okay... ...Mystia." muttered Wriggle with a faint smile.

"Me too Wriggle... Me too." said Mystia, seeming to hold back tears. "Wriggle... Thank you. You really saved me."

Mystia took Wriggle's hand and helped her up, the two seeming to draw strength from one another.

"M-Mystia, I'll only slow you down... Please, just get out of here."

Mystia shook her head.

"No. We're in this together until the end. You risked your life to protect mine. Now its my turn to do the same for you. We're going to leave this vile place together. Don't forget what you said before. You said we could get through this as long as we stayed together right?" asked Mystia.

Wriggle looked at Mystia for a bit before smiling again.

"Y-yeah." she responded. "Lets do it... ...together."

***

[WRATHIE_Beatrice]

yays update!!

POWER OF FRIENDSHIP

[An Odd Sea Slug]

"Look Sakuya!" called over Eirin, pointing toward the events transpiring from farther away even as she dodged Sakuya's knives. "The princess has succeeded. You cannot hope to be of any effect now!"

"Hmph!"

Sakuya threw another wave of knives as Eirin fired another volley of arrows. The weapons clashed against each other in mid-air and fell to the ground. Both women looked as if they had been fighting for awhile, with partially torn clothes

"I will not be intimidated by some little light show. I have the distinct feeling that whatever it is you unsealed isn't really worth much." said Sakuya nonchalantly.

"I will not be talked down to by the dog of the Devil. Your mistake of underestimating Koro's power will be a heavy one..."

Eirin pulled out an arrow, an orange one with a small chain attached to its back. Placing it in her bow, she took aim at Sakuya, letting it go once it was level. The chain stayed with and attached to the bow, growing continuously as the now energized arrow streaked at Sakuya like an orange laser. The maid leaped out of way of the 'beam', flying across the ground as the orange beam of death chased her around, bending as it moved to pursue the maid. Eirin smirked a bit before firing a second arrow of the same type ahead of Sakuya, forcing the maid to dart off to the side as the beams converged on her. Finally, the nurse let out a third. With three lasers coming at her, Sakuya stopped moving for a moment, allowing them to get closer.

"A dog...? Funny..." uttered the maid.

The maid athletically and skillfully leaped between the lasers before pulling out her pocket watch... Around Eirin, the world briefly flashed black and white... Instinctively, Eirin released the chains on her bow, the laser arrows dissipating as several knives came at her from the front, back, left, and right, two on each side! But only two...?

"Tsch..."

Eirin pulled out a purple arrow, one that immediately began glowing purple as a visible swirl of energy began twisting around it. She hurriedly cocked the arrow in place, purple swirls of energy quickly surrounding her. The nurse span in place, deflecting the every last one of the knives before firing the arrow blindly! The weapon split in two upon being launched, homing right in on the approaching Sakuya! The visibly surprised maid only barely managed dodged the first, only to have the second go right through her...

And cause her to vanish? Eirin was alarmed at this... But she wouldn't have time to wonder, for Sakuya -rather, the real Sakuya- had once again stopped time, restoring it just in time to deliver a swift kick straight into Eirin's nose!

"You're following a twisted order regardless of the consequences without a hint of question. The only dog here is you." stated the maid.

The nurse  fell down and backwards, gagging as blood flew out of her nose. But despite this, she realized there were knives coming right at her from all sides! With no time to dodge, Eirin almost instinctively pulled out a bomb and exploded it, annihilating the knives before they could stab into her! She recovered and landed safety on the ground, immediately blocking a slash from a charging Sakuya before pushing the maid back. The two jumped away from each other as they unleashed volley after volley of arrows and knives and one another while attempting to dodge each other's projectiles.

"Hmph!"

Eirin soon pulled out a spellcard, Sakuya following suit.

"Come now Sakuya. We shall see who the dog truly is!"

"Fine by me... ...Eirin Yagokoro."

[NekoInc Likes Birds]

The Kaguya being a fake all along, Mystia managing to break the spell in a pretty dramatic internal battle...

And what's this with Ayase? Suddenly, things seem very, very interesting indeed...

Looking forward to how this transpires in the end.

[An Odd Sea Slug]

***

Ayase was dumbfounded. As she lay on the ground with her right arm bleeding profusely, there was but one thing she could think of right now...

Th-this... This is...! H-how?! Why?! They have done the very thing I had tried for so long and so hard to do but could not... Could... Could Koro's curse be...?!

Ayase tried to calm herself. Her face was drenched in sweat and her body shivered and twitched uncontrollably. Slowly but surely, she staggered up into a stand, using her giant key as a support.

But I could not escape... No one in our family could... Not after how the village sages so coldly used me as the catalyst for the curse...

Now that she had inadvertently reminded herself of her past, Ayase found herself briefly flashing back...

Thats right... The houses burned. The people screamed. The air was thick with the stench of blood. There was no end to those terrible creatures of the abyss, far more vicious than any normal youkai... Death constantly loomed over us like a shadow. Though perhaps it was more like a warm angel to those who were mourning lost loved ones... Even Mama and Papa and big sis... The ones I looked up to, lasted longer than most of the others, the ones I thought invincible even against this terrible enemy were all eventually taken by it. I was left alone. Helpless. How I wish death would have taken me along with them when those old fools came for me...

These thoughts caused simultaneous feelings of anger, regret and despair to well up inside Ayase's mind.

Was that part of this damned curse to?! For my life to be filled with such pain?! My family and friends were taken from me... I'm enslaved to an immortal mad woman... I'm fighting against my wishes...! No...

Ayase then looked up at the slowly fleeing Wriggle and Mystia with great ire. She walked after them, pulling her key with her left arm.

N-no... That was merely a fluke. I was a fool to think I could escape something such as this. This is fate, pure and simple. Those two have not escaped either. And they never will. They should just give in to the curse now. It will dull the suffering they have yet to endure... Even mama, papa and big sis could not escape...

"This... THIS ISN'T OVER!" called out Ayase after Wriggle and Mystia. "What makes you think you can escape this fate...? Koro's curse is still upon you."

Mystia looked back at Ayase, narrowing her eyes.

"Don't underestimate me. My incantation was broken... But it went on for long enough. Now suffer your fate!"

"We already broke free of your power. There is nothing more Koro's curse can do to us." responded Mystia.

"You're wrong."

Ayase looked down for a moment giggling a bit.

"Its actually a bit sad... Neither of us can escape our fates. It does not matter how hard we try. No one can escape their destiny..." spoke Ayase somewhat haggardly.

"No... Y-you're wrong..." gasped Wriggle. "Its true we have little control of our lives... But what happened here on this very night... ...should tell you... ...that you do not have to be bound to some predetermined destiny."

"Was what happened just now not proof enough for you?" added Mystia. "You do not control our destiny. Not you, nor you're mistress. We will defeat both of you if you continue trying."

Ayase smiled a bit.

"What happened just now was mere luck. If father couldn't resist the curse then two little youkai like you certainly shouldn't..." she grumbled.

"W-what...?" muttered Wriggle.

"Ah...! That..." Ayase tightened her fist, momentarily looking away. "That doesn't matter now. My incantation was broken... But it went far enough. The next phase of the spell can proceed without fail."

Mystia narrowed her eyes.

"I won't let you..."

"Tis much too late, night sparrow. Observe..."

Ayase held out her right hand, concentrating heavily as it began glowing green. Wriggle suddenly gasped, grabbing her chest and moaning in pain as a similar green glow appeared from it.

"The nightbug has danced for long enough. Now is the time for her to meet her destiny in Koro's curse." said Ayase, a twisted smile covering her face.

As the glowing stopped, octagon shaped stone objects with a picture of a firefly appeared on the chests of Ayase and Wriggle. Wriggle stared dumbfounded, sweat rolling down her face.

"Wh... What are you... ...doing to me...?!"

Ayase allowed herself a small smile as she raised her key.

"Its simple really. I am opening a door to your pitiful existence's end. You will join me in my darkness. You will know only suffering as you become a permanent part of my soul." said Ayase.

"I don't entirely understand you... But in spite of your vagueness, I can tell that you wish to end Wriggle and I here and now." said Mystia, raising her free right hand, cracking her claw tipped fingers. "I will not permit that. We're tired of the mere site of you..."

Mystia intended to set Wriggle down on the ground, but the nightbug stopped her.

"N-no... We must fight her... ...together." said the weakened nightbug.

Mystia briefly looked over to her friend with concern, questioning if Wriggle even had any strength left. It was a wonder how Wriggle could even speak coherently at this point. But none the less, the night sparrow momentarily closed her eyes, knowing that questioning Wriggle's resolve was futile.

"You're right. Lets combine our remaining strength and overcome this demon, before her spell finishes," nodded Mystia.

"Hmph. I will show you what it means to be under Koro's curse," said Ayase, charging at the two.

"Fine then." said Wriggle, trying to summon more strength into her battered body. "Then we shall..."

"...show you what it means to defy fate!" finishes Mystia.

***

[An Odd Sea Slug]

***

With Wriggle in hand, Mystia took to the sky, Ayase in fierce pursuit.

"Wriggle." spoke Mystia, looking at her friend.

Wriggle smiled, nodding. A peculiar golden glow emanated from the two of them as they combined their remaining strength. Ayase sneered, spinning with her key in hand, vicious energy pulsating from the tip. She formed rings of green energy, firing off barrages of green arrow-head danmaku. Wriggle held to Mystia tightly as the nightbird boldly flew through the attacks, zooming toward Ayase like a speeding bullet. Ayase gritted her teeth, dodging mystia's claw swipes with narrowed eyes.

"So you can still fly?" began Ayase, getting slashed across the cheek. "No matter."

Oh, but it did matter as a well-timed kick to the head sent Ayase reeling backwards. The ever stubborn key girl managed to stay in the air, holding her key like a cannon, energy charging at the tip. Wriggle and Mystia gave no quarter, holding out their hands and throwing multi-colored bullets at their key-wielding opponent. Ayase quickly launched her attack, taking a few hits before raising her key to block. Wriggle and Mystia prepared to dodge the large energy ball, when it suddenly exploded into hundreds of smaller orbs. The duo gritted their teeth, as the hellish bolts charged at them, auras building for a large attack of their own...

A brilliant white explosion filled the sky like a massive firecracker, shaking the Earth violently.

***

"Kaguya!"

The former moon princess turned in time to see a shrieking Mokou zipping towards her, wings aflame. Kaguya used her bronze chains to block terribly hot waves of flames flung at her and smiled.

"Try as you might, dear Mokou."

The battlefield became a well of violent flames as Kaguya jumped backwards, firing blue lasers all about.

"But I possess the powers of Koro, and full immortality. What can anyone do against such a combination?"

"Shut up!" shouted Mokou, gritting her teeth.

The flaming girl gritted her teeth, wings spreading out as she charged again...

***

On one side was Wriggle, laying next to Mystia, Ayase on the other. The three staggered upward slowly to continue their fight.

"Damned fools... Didn't I tell you its futile?"

Ayase went unanswered as she and her opponents resumed a standing position, Wriggle holding onto Mystia once more. Wriggle winced heavily, gripping the talisman in her chest.

"Only one more minute or so. Thats all the time you have left." spoke Ayase, leaning on her key.

Wriggle looked at Mystia with a determined look. Mystia returned an expression of worry. However, the resolve on Wriggle's face silently told her to fight on. She readied her right hand and prepared to pounce.

"I won't lose Wriggle to you." said Mystia, narrowing her eyes. I'll put everything I have left into this.

Wriggle poured what little power she had left into Mystia's soul as the nightbird shot forward like a cannon at Ayase, claws beared. Ayase gritted her teeth, slamming the end of her key into the ground and firing, shooting into the sky like a firecracker before flipping forward and shooting down at the two youkai with green lasers. The surprised Mystia stumbled away from the airborne death, charging energy in her right hand before she heard another boom behind her... Suddenly, her entire backside was riddled with horrific pain as Ayase's key slammed right into the bleeding stump that was once the nightbird's right wing. Feeling like she was just hit with a jet-propelled bulldozer, Mystia lost her grip of Wriggle, both youkai falling to the ground.

Ayase smiled. Using the high-recoil shot of her cannon as a booster had worked. She walked up to her quarry.

"Gah... Mystia...?" uttered Wriggle, looking at her fallen, unmoving friend.

"Did she pass out from the pain? This is good. Now she doesn't have to watch the death of her beloved friend." spoke Ayase with a sigh. "You two fought against my mistress admirably. It was brave of you to resist as you did, but as I have kept saying..."

Ayase suddenly pointed her key right at Wriggle who flinched at the sight.

"...In the end, your resistance is futile."

Suddenly, a green aura overcame Wriggle, but this one was not her own. Against her volition, she rose off the ground, looking around in panic.

"Ah, the spell is complete. Do not worry, little bug. This will end your pain."

Wriggle was wide-eyed as she was pulled toward Ayase like a magnet. She desperately looked back at Mystia, just in time to see the nightbird attempting to pull herself up and around. Mystia looked at the drifting Wriggle, panic in her eyes as they began watering up with tears. Before her eyes, Wriggle's body began vanishing into small, bright-green particles...

"S-stop...! Please...!" gasped Mystia, reaching her hand out to Wriggle.

Wriggle reached out her left arm to grab Mystia's hand, only to have it vanish from her sight. Helpless, the girls could only watch as they were pulled away from each other. The two had only just been reunited, only for this to happen... It was like finding a long lost friend, only to have a massive door between you two slammed shut.

"Mystia, I'm sorry. I know it was not supposed to end like this. But your strength is greater now than ever. I know you can find some way of surviving this horrid night without me."

Wriggle's voice was echoing like that of a distant ghost.

"Don't say that... Don't break our promise! Please fight on, Wriggle!" cried out Mystia, still reaching for her friend.

Wriggle smiled with evident sadness, more of her body scattering into green particles.

"I have fought as long as I was able. Its you're turn to fight with everything you have left. Mystia, listen... You have been my greatest friend for as long as I can possibly remember. You were always there for me, no matter what. I'm immensely grateful to you. Thank you Mystia."

Mystia slowly got up, her face awash with tears of sorrow. Her mouth was silent, but her soul continued shouting at Wriggle not to leave her. By now, the nightbug's body had almost totally vanished.

"I realize that we were supposed to leave out of here together. And we still can."

Mystia looked on in wonder.

"Mystia, even if the Princess wins tonight... Even if my soul vanishes from the Earth... Even if this sealed girl tears our world asunder, you must live on and carry my precious memories. You see, my body may be no more... But I will always live on in your heart and memories. And you can remind others of who I was with that."

Thats when Mystia noticed Wriggle's battered journal on the ground, gasping as she glimpsed it.

"Remember Mystia, I will always be alive within you. So please, take care... ...of that precious item... ...of mine. I will always... ...be with... ...you. Fare... ...well."

And the last of Wriggle's body faded away. Apart from the battles going on elsewhere, there was only silence. Wriggle Nightbug was no more. The green particles once were her were absorbed into the stone on Ayase's chest. Mystia staggered up. The pain of her lost wing was nothing compared to this sort of loss... Wriggle was one of the few friends she ever had; her best friend. Everything that mattered up until now, irrelevant. It was all a blur. They had nursed each other, laughed with each other, shared secrets with each other, rescued each other... And now, all of that was shattered. Wriggle, Mystia's best friend, was gone.

Without realizing it, Mystia had walked over to Wriggle's little book before dropping to her knees and scooping it up in her bloodied hands. More tears made their escape down her face as she cradled the book, bending over and sobbing.

"I can't believe it..." she uttered to herself between sobs. "Wriggle, you're really gone... In an instant... Wriggle... Wriggle..."

Ayase nonchalantly walked up to the grieving nightbird, her face a portrait of contempt.

"Idiot, you were warned. Your friend should've escaped when she had the chance. The two of you are a pathetic lot."

"Give her back."

Ayase raised an eyebrow. Mystia had uttered something faintly...

"What was that?"

"Give her back." repeated the nightbird, clutching her friend's book even tighter.

"What is this 'give her back?' Its too late to revert the process, so..."

"You heard me... Give Wriggle back to me!"

Ayase was suddenly attacked by a one-winged-well of rage and despair, a red bolt of light suddenly slamming dead into her torso with alarming force. Before she even knew what hit her, she found herself writhing on the ground, coughing out blood and struggling to catch her breath. She looked up at the enraged and tearful Mystia in shock.

"How can you be so callous?! Give Wriggle back to me this instant!"

Mystia threw herself at the panicking Ayase, thinking of nothing short of tearing the flesh from her cursed bones...

***

The light slammed into the fire, a massive cackle of force being left in their wake as the two energies clashed and exploded. Mokou was on the ground, her face awash with sweat as she panted heavily. Kaguya on the other hand floated in the sky, looking down upon Mokou smuggly, like a queen looking down upon a peasant. She had a green aura about her...

"Its plain to see, dear Mokou. Although immortal, you're still limited by your own stamina in the end. The power from Koro on the other hand is without limit. Its incredibly soothing..."

Kaguya giggled like a snide cat.

"Surely you can see it, can't you?" asked the princess.

Mokou narrowed her eyes at the green aura. This was completely new for Kaguya. But what was this sense of familiarity...?

Can't be...

Mokou turned around, seeing Mystia and Ayase struggle in the distance.

"Where's the nightbug...?! Damn you, Kaguya!"

The ground around Mokou became a scorching torrent of rage as realization smacked her firmly in the head. Wriggle was gone, defeated and absorbed... Kaguya laughed, her face contorted with madness and bloodlust.

"A pitiful waste. You could've done so much much Mokou, but all you did was try to destroy me. Now its come to this. The prophesy is finished, and the only thing left to do is to silence you once and for all by sending you out of both, Gensokyo and existence!"

Mokou bellowed out like a human volcano, erupting upward at the waiting Kaguya.

"Yes, come at me..."

Kaguya wrapped herself in blue-green energy while darting backwards, away from the angered Mokou. Even so, the flames threw themselves all over her lithe body like sheets thrown down to a bed. She crossed her arms in front of herself, her smile not disappearing, even as her clothes and skin slowly burned away within the flaming torrent.

"Yes, just like this, my dear Mokou! I wanted to feel your invigorating flames one last time before you meet your fate." called out Kaguya from within the unrelenting flames.

Mokou gritted her teeth, her will intensifying the deadly flames as she poured every last bit of energy she had into annihilating Kaguya. The princess smiled through the pain of being knee deep in an airborne, magical furnace. Suddenly, she threw her arms outward, yellow and green energy exploding through the sky, tossing Mokou's flames away from herself, like the sun tossing its solar flares. The sky lit up, alomst as if Kaguya had became the sun itself, streaking at Mokou and enveloping her in her powerful light.

Mokou was in disbelief. Not only did Kaguya have more magical power than ever before, but now Wriggle's power along with her own flames, had both been turned against her. She twisted while plummeting, throwing the excess flames off of her before stopping her fall. Kaguya -her sarashi now exposed- pointed a single finger into the air. Her aura thinned out as a massive ball of magic began growing above her raised finger. Mokou floated just above the ground, panting heavily.

Damn... Between fighting her and that stupid monster, I'm really beginning to lose it. Well, I'm not, but my body sure is... Meanwhile, her body just heals after every injury thanks to that retarded monster girl! I barely have any stamina left, so...

Mokou pulled out a red-glowing spellcard.

"Alright Kaguya, lets see you handle this! Ougi!"

A flaming image of the phoenix appeared at Mokou's back. Kaguya's smile widened with sheer madness.

"Try it! Divine Treasure..." Kaguya spoke as a spellcard briefly appeared within her giant orb. "Hourai Jewel! Dreamlike Paradise!"

"Imperishable Shooting!"

Mokou roared out, her flames appearing as though they would shatter the Earth with their intensity alone. As thousands of red bolds of energy converged on Kaguya, the Princess threw down her orb, just as it shattered into thousands of smaller, multi-colored orbs. The sky lit up as if bombarded with massive firecrackers, everyone in the surrounding area surely being able to notice the rainbow-like light.

Squinting their eyes, the two battling girls flew right into deathly light. Like an angry goddess, Mokou cracked her flames like whips at the deranged princess, avoiding blades of rainbow danmaku at the same time. The smiling Kaguya brandished the legendary jeweled branch, slashing away at Mokou as the sky filled with her projectiles of every imaginable color. The lights spread out in an incredible shockwave as the two girls' magical energies collided.

Damn, what in the world is going on here?! Kaguya was never this good at close combat...! was what Mokou thought.

"Whats the matter, Mokou dear? Losing your edge? Panicking because you lost your close combat advantage against me? My magical prowess isn't the only thing little Ayase is augmenting, you know. Along with that comes an increase in all my battle skills!" gloated Kaguya. "It seems to me you've already had a good enough demonstration."

The projectiles swarmed over Mokou like a hive of angry bees, unable to dodge or deflect all of them, and deal with the fierce slashing from Kaguya's branch at the same time. Bullet wounds and cuts steadily appeared all over her body as she struggled to escape the relentless assault. Kaguya was getting pounded as well, wounds covering her body, but pressing on with her attack, the green aura continuing to increase her strength.

"D... Damn...! That thing...!" uttered Mokou, an image of Ayase flashing in her head.

In an instant, Mokou saw an opportunity; she had managed to grab Kaguya's right arm, the one holding the jeweled branch. Before she knew it, Kaguya a flaming fist plunging dead center into her face. Flames coursed across her body mere moments afterward, damaging her hair and skin. Moments later however, the flames vanished. All of the flaming girl's projectiles disappeared along with them.

"Wh- wha..." stammered Mokou, looking at her hands and suddenly feeling incredibly tired. "No... I put everything I had left into that last spell card... I ain't got anything left... This can't be happening... I'm actually gonna...!"

Mokou slowly sank back to the ground, her wings slow shrinking and flickering away... Suddenly, countless numbers of Kaguya's remaining projectiles came slamming into her, hammering her from every possible direction into the waiting, hard ground. So fast and painful was it, that Mokou didn't have time to scream or even process what had just happened to her; she was back-first on the ground, horrifically wounded and barely conscious with pain and fear coursing through every inch of her broken form.

The only thing she could hear was the cackling of her ruthless enemy. The only thing she could see was the brightened form of her ruthless enemy. She could however recognize that even the worst of Kaguya's wounds were slowly vanishing before her very eyes. And that damned green aura...

"Ahahahahahahaha, AAAAHahahahahahahahahahaha~! I won! I won! Finally, Mokou will meet her end! Ahahahaha!"

Kaguya's entire upper body was exposed, save for the sarashi around her chest. Mokou's eyes did not deceive her; ayase's power was steadily healing her burnt and battered body, the worst of it already ancient history. The princess laughed hysterically, covering her sweat covered face with the palm of her right hand as she slowly returned to the ground.

Bravely, Mokou defiantly staggered up, gritting her teeth. She limped her way forwards, forcing flames to form over her open palms... Kaguya, getting away from her hysterics, merely looked upon Mokou and smiled darkly.

"Wow, what a pitiful sight~ You look no better than a mindless zombie!" laughed Kaguya mockingly. "My my... A centuries long quest for revenge, countless battles to the death, a dirty mouth, and now you're like this. I simply must wonder what your father would think if he were able to see how the mighty daughter of the Fujiwara clan has fallen..."

"Sh- Shut up!!"

Mokou shot out like a bat out of hell at Kaguya, screaming madly with rage. Kaguya dropped to the ground, rearing back her right fist before plunging it, and the legendary jeweled branch down into the dirt. Mokou saw a flash of light, right before something enormous came at her... The next thing she realized was that she could not move at all. She had been stopped dead. And the worst pain she had felt in centuries racked her body...

"Guh...! What...!"

Looking down, she realized that she had become the unwilling ornament of an enormous golden spike almost the width of her body, protruding through the ground at a  diagonal angle. She had been run through the torso, left hanging like an animal at the slaughter. Her blood ran down the spike, giving the gold color a nice shade of red trend.

Kaguya, of course, was quick to marvel at her catch. She casually strolled up to her limp hanging enemy, marveling at how utterly powerless she had rendered Fujiwara no Mokou. Then, she held out her left hand, dipping two of her outstretched fingers into Mokou's flowing blood before slowly and carefully licking it up with her tongue, not spilling a single drop. She dipped her fingers again, this time applying the life blood of her enemy to her lower lips as a the sweet smile on her face turned ever wider... Perhaps the first lipstick Kaguya Houraisan had ever worn in her thousand-plus years of existence.

After this, she turned her back, clasping her hands behind herself before slowly walking off.

"Your father... He wasn't a terrible man you know. In fact, I would say that he was one of the most delightful of my suitors. Ufufufu..."

"K... Ka... gu..." was all Mokou could sputter, blood replacing words as it clumsily fell from her mouth.

"Its too bad..." said Kaguya, turning her head to meet Mokou's weak gaze. "Where you're going, you're going to wish you could join him~"

[An Odd Sea Slug]

***

"Kyaa!"

Sakuya fell back first, wincing from the pain of arrows planted firmly in her left arm and shoulder. The equally exhausted Eirin collapsed directly in front of the injured maid, no longer having enough energy to keep her eyes open.

"T-there... S-Sakuya..." she gasped between breaths. "Its over. Surely, you sense that Lady Kaguya is victorious... Even if you were... to stop me now, there wouldn't be anything you could do. Just... Give up..."

The broken nurse lifted her sweaty, dirt ridden head to look upon the grounded Sakuya. She had expected an exhausted warrior maid writhing helplessly in pain. What she saw was a determined woman, pushing all pain out from her mind as she mightily ripped the sharp arrows out from her body with her free arm. Sakuya allowed a small smile to line her face as she sat up to look at Eirin.

"And here I thought... ...that the great Eirin Yagokoro was a genius. Was I mistaken?" Sakuya sat up further, clutching her injured arm. "I surely will not listen to an order to give up from who has given up."

"What? Just what are you getting at?" asked Eirin, narrowing her open eye.

"What a terrible sight. You've been beaten into the dirt for something doomed to fail from the very start." said Sakuya before her smile vanished. "You are a true dog. The Eirin I met during the endless night incident would not have allowed any of this nonsense. Certainly not if her... Dear princess was involved."

"You speak with mockery to the princess?!"

Eirin raised her voice at Sakuya with a sudden burst of strength.

"I mean to do no such thing. I merely figured that you have learned what I had to learn... After all, you've been with your princess far longer than I have been with my mistress."

By now, the two women were managing to get to kneeling positions, though both were still quite worn out.

"I don't know all the details of all that has happened, but I have a suspicion... To put it simply, all of this happened... No... Rather was allowed to happen merely from the closest servant failing to do the most important duty of all." explained Sakuya.

The only thing that came from Eirin was mere silence. By now, the two women were standing once again, but no longer with the strength and grace they once commanded. Even so, Sakuya continued speaking to Eirin firmly.

"It is of utmost importance for the servant to obey his or her master. But there is one duty that lies above that one. That is, it is the servants duty to know when to disobey, to stop and think about the master's current wish. They must know when to bite the hand that feeds them out of necessity, all in order to protect that master and yourself." explained Sakuya, pointing down to Eirin. "You have failed that duty. You and your mistress have become wretched and cursed as a result, contemptible."

Eirin eyed a silver glint from Sakuya's left hand; a knife was now pointed at her face. She looked up at Sakuya's cold and stern expression, meeting with an oddly humble smile.

"Perhaps you are correct, Ms. Sakuya. Lately, what I have been has been 'for the princesses sake.' That is what I have been telling myself throughout this whole situation." replied Eirin.

"You're a fool." replied Sakuya, glaring at Eirin in disgust.

"But it is too late to turn back now. Seeing this through to its bitter end will be my repentance."

Eirin jumped up, Sakuya suddenly having to deflect several arrows before having to leap backwards.

"No." said Sakuya. "Your repentance shall come through cleansing this accursed soil with your very own blood."

The two traded knives and arrows in a glistening spiral of metal and death.

"Have I not told you that the princess has already won?" said Eirin during the struggle.

"Somehow, I doubt its over yet. Let these knives tell you of what will transpire." answered the determined Sakuya.

Eirin launched another wave of arrows, then a brief moment of nothingness... Sakuya vanished once more. Eirin cursed to herself, swinging her body backwards to the sight of an airborne Sakuya showering knives upon her. The nurse almost instinctively back flipped away from the maid's rain of silver death, launching a single arrow toward the sky. This was yet another surprise- the arrow suddenly went from one, to one-hundred, all forcing a surprised Sakuya to freeze time again. Time resumed once the maid was in a safer location. Or so she thought.

"Die."

Sakuya gasped wide-eyed when she found Eirin directly in front of her upon resuming the flow of time. She was left with no time to ponder how she had accomplished the impossible- the nurse took advantage of her confusing, successfully planting an arrow into the maid's left leg. Sakuya barely dodged another arrow which streaked off her shoulder, taking a good amount of blood with it. Making matters worse, the living rain of arrows continued to trail her without relent. And their number was increasing...

Eirin smiled, the quick reactions of her multiplying arrows rendering Sakuya's time stops useless, in addition to acting as eyes for her- with each resumption of time, Eirin instantly knew where Sakuya was, letting her anticipate her opponents movements and counteract her. Sakuya of course had not yet realized this. No matter how many arrows she had lured into planting themselves in the ground, hundreds more took their place. No matter how many times she used time stop to escape, Eirin was right there to surprise her. She soon had enough. It was either bust out her own trump card, or take a one-way trip to the big maid cafe in the sky.

"I'll admit Eirin Yagokoro, this is a formidable trick, but even this is not invincible." called out Sakuya before vanishing again.

She had vanished again. Eirin's smiled faded, but not her confidence. She simply waited again and...

"...what? Where did...?"

Eirin looked around, alarmed. This maid was a magician. A real Houdini that had completely vanished from the battlefield. None of the homing arrows saw her.

"So this is what you mean. Sadly, this won't help you defeat me in the end, Sakuya!" called out Eirin, looking around quickly.

"Oh, I think you're quite wrong about that honestly."

Sakuya's voice was everywhere.

Eirin began to sweat about, looking around frantically.

"H-how are you doing this? Where are you?!"

Suddenly, the arrows saw their target again.

"There you are. Begone!"

The arrows zipped through the air towards their target... Only to have Sakuya appear elsewhere simultaneously. Then a third... A fourth... A fifth... Six, seven, eight, nine, ten... Eleven Sakuyas?! The arrows didn't have the slightly clue who to target, and neither did Eirin. Surely only one of them was real...

"She's never been capable of anything like this before... To think she could outwit my last weapon like this...!" said Eirin to herself. "Fine then!"

Obeying their owner's silent mental command, the arrows multiplied further, and spread out, attack all eleven Sakuya's, piercing them one by one... Not a single one of them was real. Eirin was astounded, and to complicate things further, two small playing cards fell out of the sky above her...

"Maid Secret Skill!" called out Sakuya from above.

Eirin gasped in shock as she looked to see a confidently smiling Sakuya above her. And there where no more arrows left to defend her...

"Killing Doll!"

Frantic, Eirin threw down her bow, materializing two arrows and slamming them down head first into the ground. A torrent of arrows burst forth from the ground, just in time to defend Eirin against an incredibly massive storm of glowing knives. For Eirin, it would seem like an eternity...

When it was over, the nurse would be left on her knees, deeply panting and surrounded by a floor of arrows and knives. She quickly staggered up.

"Its over Sakuya!" declared the nurse. "After that you shouldn't have anymore strength left!"

The still airborne maid suddenly appeared before Eirin, some distance away with her arms crossed.

"Illusion World!" called out Sakuya.

"W-what?!" gasped a shocked Eirin.

As her eyes began glowing a ghastly crimson, Sakuya allowed herself to bear a devilish and bloodthirsty smile. It was the last thing Eirin saw before she sensed another skip in time...

"The World!"

It was a nightmare, no matter how you put it. When time resumed, Eirin found herself surrounded completely. Not by Sakuya's knives, but by her own arrows. Surrounded with a blue power aura, they rammed themselves right into the helpless and surprised Eirin. The silver haired nurse's body exploded in a shower of blood and gore, arrows penetrating her flesh from nearly every possible direction.

Sakuya set down in front of the shattered Eirin, arms crossed and smiling.

"You're right. I had no strength left to summon anymore knives. So I used your weapons. You provided me with plentiful ammunition after all." explainded Sakuya.

Eirin realized she had been thoroughly tricked by now, but was in too much pain to care. It was a miracle she hadn't died instantly... Sakuya suddenly gasped a bit, cough up some blood as she fell to one knee.

"O-of course that wasn't easy... Stopping time around each arrow, especially when already fatigued was rather taxing. Willing them to move after being stopped wasn't a problem of course... Heh, heh."

Eirin managed a weak smile.

"S-so the fakes... And th-the second to last spellcard..."

"Traps and distractions to get you to use up more energy than you could afford to of course. The 'other' me's you saw where mere illusions created with localized time stops, like the ones that stopped your arrows." said Sakuya as she stood back up.

"I-I s-see..."

Sakuya walked up to the bloody nurse.

"Y-you have bested m-me... ...S-Sakuya... It seems... ...you were right... ...after all..."

Eirin coughed violently as the arrows vanished, the nurse collapsing to the ground. Eirin held a faint smile, even as her eyes glassed over, and the color in her skin faded.

"P-prin... ...cess... F-forgive me. I was a fool... I let you take a destructive path, and now..." she couldn't finish getting the words out before coughing out again, blood gushing from her mouth. "W-well then... I suppose... ...I must... ...accept this fate..."

"No." spoke Sakuya calmly, eyes closed. "I have the feeling it isn't quite over yet."

"B-but... The firefly girl..."

"Strangely, her life force hasn't entirely evaporated yet. You can say things like 'I deserve this cruel fate' after you've returned to life. After all, the dead cannot repent."

Eirin wanted to look up at Sakuya, but her body was too broken to even blink an eye. Instead, with her final few breaths...

"Th... thank you Sakuya. Y-you've awakened me from this nightmare. I only hope... ...that the princess... ...has done the same... ...by th... ...by... ...the... ...t-time I..."

Sakuya looked down at Eirin as she breathed her last. She was admittedly puzzled at herself. The anger and malice she felt before was gone. Right now should could only feel pity towards her enemy. And her only desire now was to never become broken like this dead woman had.

"Perhaps she will have by the time you return. And when you do, protect you mistress with all you power, as I will do with mine..."

With a bold look that had forgotten the injuries and fatigue, Sakuya turned around and looked forward at the battles happening a distance away.

(Holy god, I CANNOT allow myself to go this long between updates again... ~_~ )

[An Odd Sea Slug]

***

Mystia raised her arms, shielding her eyes from the badly clawed up Ayase's blast of light, as the key-wielding girl rushed through, and slammed her weapon's head into Mystia's stomach. The bird youkai gasped as she was pushed back, falling to her knees and grasping her stomach.

"Nuisance!" shouted Ayase.

Ayase then felt a pang in her mind, quickly calming down with a deadpan look covering her face.

"I see. I understand lady Kaguya."

"W-what are you doing?!" demanded Mystia as she staggered up.

"The time has come," said Ayase simply. "You've lost."

Ayase rammed the front end of her key into Mystia's torso, sending the nightbird reeling. She immediately pointed her key in Mokou's direction, particles of green energy flying out toward the impaled girl...

***

The panting Kaguya looked on as Ayase's green particles encircled her impaled rival. In her knackered state, Mokou only barely noticed the evil magic, growling weakly when she did. Green light washed over her as several flat crystal fragments sprang up around her.

"So concludes our eternal spat, Mokou. Begone," sneered Kaguya.

The light suddenly grew brighter, Mokou's widening eyes looking around to find walls of glass-like crystal closing in on her. Somehow, she found the strength to spread her arms out to resist the sealing crystal, but to no avail. She looked down at Kaguya as her body began to disappear into green light.

"K-K-Kaguya...!"

The princess merely stood silently, tilting her head in delight as Mokou struggled.

"Damn you Kaguya, release me you coward!"

Mokou then screamed out as the reality began bending around her- the spell was preparing to take her to a forbidden realm, completing the curse. Kaguya suddenly jumped back, just in time to avoid a blast of white energy from none other than the Were-Hakutaku Keine.

"Mokou!" shouted the teacher with desperation in her eyes.

"K-Keine?!" shouted Mokou back, looking up at her old friend.

Keine zipped over to Mokou, only to be forcefully repulsed by the power of the spell. She shielded her eyes from the blinding light.

"Keine, its too late... Just get outta here."

"Mokou... I..."

"She'll kill you if you stay! Just forget about me and leave!"

Thats when Kaguya joined Keine in the air, floating up directly behind her.

"Ah, how do you do, Miss Keine?" chuckled Kaguya.

Keine snapped around, backing away from the princess.

"I've been wanting to meet with you in person. Have you come here to save this worthless worm? Its rather late for that."

"Kaguya, stop this! This is foolish and meaningless!" pleaded Keine.

"Meaningless? This is my gateway to eternal peace," sneered Kaguya. "Kindly keep your drivel to yourself, while I punish you for attempting to interfere..."

***

Mystia and Ayase looked on, at the rapidly unfolding events as they struggled with one another.

"N-no... There still must be some way of..." uttered Mystia.

Ayase kept silent. Suddenly, the key-wielder found herself kicked away from Mystia, courtesy of a certain red and white miko. Ayase quickly stood up, holding her side as her hateful gaze beared down on Reimu.

"Damn you shrine maiden, how did you escape? Nevermind. The outcome of this conflict is clear."

Ayase took off, zipping over Mystia and Reimu, the two of them wincing at the bright light surrounding Mokou.

"Get back here!" demanded Mystia.

"Wait!" called Reimu, stopping Mystia dead in her tracks. "If you go after her with all that going on, you'll surely be destroyed."

"I refuse to believe Wriggle is dead. I can still sense her soul within that disgusting mass of sealing energy over there. I will not stop fighting for her sake until I'm dead."

Reimu was visibly impressed by Mystia's conviction, sighing after a moment.

"Well aren't you the foolish little youkai? Well, I warned you already... But I shall remain here to erect a counter seal. It maybe our only chance."

Mystia nodded at Reimu before running off on foot in pursuit of Ayase. Meanwhile, Reimu began her chant, a giant, flaming yin-yang symbol appearing where she stood, along with many ofuda materializing and rising into the air. However, Kaguya's remaining rabbit guard was not about to have that. Injured as they were, they charged the chanting miko to stop her, only to be halted by a green energy blast...

"Wazzaaaaap?" greeted the battered, yet widely smiling Marisa whilst saluting with her good arm.

The young witch woman limped in front of the approaching hoard of rabbit troops and mud clones, putting up her one usable arm.

"Ya wanna stop us, eh? Look, I only got one freakin arm, but that ain't gonna stop me from teachin' you all a good lesson, ze!"

"Pitiful witch, how does one human expect to stand against us, injured as you are?" called out an Inaba.

That same rabbit youkai suddenly gasped and fell forward to the shock of her peers. The lance-wielding doll that had stabbed her from the back immediately vanished.

"Who said it would be just one?"

Alice walked up to the group from behind, carrying a heavily breathing Patchouli at her side.

"Having to deal with such... ...pathetic small fry is certainly a waste... ...of time, wouldn't you agree?" asked Patchy rhetorically.

"Hey guys, great timing!" said Marisa with a wink.

"Enough! They're weaker now, so finish them!" called out another Inaba.

***

Keine gasped as she hit the ground, clutching her left shoulder as blood trickled down her lips.

"I've defeated two of your spellcards just like that. Now cease your tomfoolery and watch the show," said the smiling Kaguya before turning around. "Ayase!"

Ayase appeared above Kaguya in just in time.

"Yes, my mistress." Ayase swung around, heading directly for Mokou. This is what must happen, isn't it? If only they had listened...

A large keyhole sprang up on Mokou's side. Speeding forth, Ayase flew forward, throwing her key right into the hole and turning it.

"It's finished." she uttered.

Mokou screamed again as Koro's power washed over her like electricity. The downed Keine desperately reached her hand forward...

"K-Keine...! I-I'm sorry... J-just get outta here, graaaaah!"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, squirm! Vanish!" cackled Kaguya, fanatically bellowing out.

Mokou took one final look at the tearful Keine before fixing a fiery glare upon the wretchedly smiling Kaguya.

"Kaguya, I maybe going away... But you won't be allowed to get away with this! Even if we're defeated here, one day, someone will put an end to the madness you've caused. I swear it."

The crystal walls that now trapped Mokou began shrinking with the fiery immortal still inside- they were disappearing from this world, becoming transparent...

"Oh well~ Farewell Mokou!" said the gleeful Kaguya.

Kaguya watched with great excitement, the climactic moment mere seconds away... Keine laid on the ground in despair. Unable to watch, she looked away in tears. But just as the sealing was complete, a large yin-yang symbol appeared on it, halting the process.

"W-what?! How can this be...? Damn that Shrine maiden, she's the culprit, isn't she?!" yelled Kaguya. "Hasn't anybody stopped her?! No... Ayase, overcome that wretched girl's powers!"

Ayase was sweating and kneeling as she held her key up, the talisman on her chest glowing brighter than ever before.

***

"Ghh...!"

Reimu clearly strained from her attempt at stopping the Koro curse, even staggering and briefly hyperventilating, but didn't give up.

Meanwhile, Marisa jumped back, avoiding a left hook from an inaba before answering with a hard right to the jaw. The young smirked as the rabbit girl hit the ground before looking back at Reimu.

"Don't ya even think about givin' up on me, Reimu!" now she turned back to her attackers. "C'mon, I could do this all night..."

Alice and Patchouli could be seen blasting away at Kaguya's soldiers as well, not faltering despite their fatigue.

***

"Whats wrong?! Reimu should be weak from fighting... Very well, I'll take care of her myself!"

But then, a bullet shaped energy bolt slammed into the angry princesses back, causing her to stagger forward. She angrily shot her head up at the airborne culprit, who was none other than Reisen.

"Princess, stop this, please!" pleaded the moon rabbit.

Kaguya broke into a twisted smile.

"Oh, so my precious Reisen is now betraying me, even when we're so close to our goal?" she asked.

"This is meaningless, Princess. If we allow Koro to win, then it won't be good for anyone, especially not you. I'm sorry but..."

Reisen hesitated a bit.

"Princess... Thank you for taking me in and everything, but... If I must betray you to protect you, then so be it!"

"Ridiculous. The same stupid notions as those others... Are you prepared to give me your miserable life, moon rabbit?!"

Cackling with insane glee, Kaguya charged into the sky at the waiting Reisen...

***

[An Odd Sea Slug]

Mystia had finally arrived, approaching Ayase once more, but didn't attack.

"Why do you not attack, even though I'm vulnerable like this? You could break my concentration easily, not that that would change the outcome..." asked the key wielding girl.

Mystia smirked a bit.

"That is tempting, but I think I can do something a little more decisive than that. Do you remember what I said earlier about my friend?" asked Mystia.

"So you still think she's still alive?"

"Fool, I don't think I know. Because I can still feel her in my heart. And I can still reach her heart with the best way I know how."

Ayase was silent, waiting for Mystia's action. The night bird clasped her hands in front of herself... ...and began to sing.

Come hearth, O'moon. C'mon forth and shine.
Darkness be gone. Darkness be gone.
O'young girl in the night, whose heart hath no taint, be one with the moon.
Let thee know of your heart.

Ayase raised an eyebrow. A mere song? Could that really work...?

Be gone O'clouds, be gone O'clouds.
Lunar majesty beckons this night.
Twinkle oh stars, twinkle oh stars, cry out for the little firefly who hath no flaw.
Hear this song, this song of night, tremble O'evil spirits and shiver.
For this moon's night, and girl of night's heart, who can stop them? Who can stop them?
None certainly, under this azure heaven!

Just then, beams of light shot out from Ayase's talisman as it shook violently. Ayase frantically grabbed it with her free hand in shock.

It can't be... Her song is reaching her?!

***

Now kneeling, Reimu concentrated as hard as she could, but...

"It's more powerful than I imagined...! I don't think I'll be able to hold it much longer..."

It was then that she could faintly hear the beautiful voice of a singing girl... She partially opened her eyes, a strange sensation sweeping through her body, like her very soul was going to be pulled out. But not in a painful way. In fact, it felt oddly pleasent.

"What is that song? Why do I feel this way? Its... Its telling me something..."

The shrine maiden gasped as images of Wriggle, Kaguya, the Koro Seal and Ayase's talisman flashed in her mind, the song growing louder and louder as the last of her energy faded.

Thats it!

Tired from fighting, Marisa weakling staggered over to Reimu just as her ofuda fell to the ground, and the circle under her disappeared.

"R-Reimu...? Hey, don't quit on me now!" exclaimed the young witch

But Reimu merely winked at Marisa and smiled before finally passing out.

"R-Reimu!"

Marisa knelt before her friend, shaking her with her good arm, even as Kaguya's few remaining soldiers surrounded them... Alice and Patchouli were in a similar state, having nothing left themselves.

But something about that was weird. She was so calm, like she was sure she had accomplished something... Hey, why do I hear music all of a sudden?

Sure enough, everyone could soon hear it, stopping and turning their attention to it. Marisa, Alice and Patchouli, Sakuya and of course...

***

Ayase watched with awe. Her talisman, the seal and Mystia all now emitted the same strange, pure light. Mystia continued her passionate song tirelessly, desperately tugging at Wriggle. Ayase lowered her key. She remembered everything up to this moment, from her tragedy, to her sealing, to her reawakening and everything that had happened on this night. She felt nothing but despair that whole time, but she this light's warmth... She had suddenly forgotten her pain.

And then she saw them. Her beloved family, standing at Mystia's side, smiling warmly at her. They all bowed before her before waving goodbye and vanishing.

"..."

Ayase didn't know what to do. She had just seen them again, the loved ones that she had thought long lost to Koro's curse. Had the powers of Wriggle and Mystia allowed her to see them one last time? Up until now, she didn't believe anyone had a soul capable of standing against the curse... A single tear rolled down her cheek...

"This has gone on long enough. Let's be free now," said a familiar voice that only Ayase could hear.

"W-who are you?!" asked Ayase, looking around.

"You know already. Will you not fight her for us? For your own sake?"

"The princess? But this cursed power is so strong..."

The sounded as if whispering right into Ayase's ear. She could almost swear someone was embracing her from behind...

"We're stronger. We've always have been. Now is our time to be rid of this curse," said the voice. "You know what you must do next. Farewell."

"W-wait, w-who are you?!"

The voice giggled.

"Its been too long, hasn't it, my beautiful little sister?"

Ayase dropped her key, tears now flowing freely from her eyes. She dropped to the ground, burying her face in her hands.

"I don't believe it... Its really you... M-my sister... Sister...!"

And thats when the  talisman exploded in a flash of bright and green light...

***

Kaguya had Reisen wrapped in her magical chains, smiling as the moon rabbit struggled helplessly. They both averted their eyes from the sudden, painful light that emanated out of  Ayase's talisman. Mere moments passed before the light cleared, replaced by a large ball of glowing green and white energy next to the pre-sealed Mokou. Kaguya frantically gazed upon the ball of light, then at Mystia, who now stood silently, before looking toward Ayase. The key girl laid on the ground, unmoving, her aura completely gone.

"What is this? Ayase, what happened to you?! Ayase!"

Mystia stood before the light as it slowly dropped to the ground before her, with a smile and tears.

"I just knew that couldn't be the end of you... Was it you that beckoned me to sing?" asked Mystia as she walked up to the ball, wrapping her arms around it. "I'm so glad you're back."

The ball began fading, replaced by a humanoid shape... White arm-sleeved gloves returned Mystia's embrace. The figure wore a shining, pearl white dress with matching crown, translucent azure wings at her back. One could make out two antenna as well...

"I'm home." she said.

The light vanished, revealing the princess-like figure as the resurrected Wriggle herself.

"Thank you for everything Mystia. You saved me again. Now, I will put an end to this curse, once and for all."

Wriggle's voice was almost a whisper. She was indeed Wriggle, but nothing else was the same anymore... Mystia hugged her friend tightly for what felt like an eternity, before reluctantly letting go.

Kaguya watched in disbelief. It should not have been possible to return... Her face was a twisted expression of hatred and rage.

"How can this be?! You were sealed...!"

Speaking of seals, the one holding Mokou suddenly cracked, crystals falling from it and shattering, to Kaguya's horror.

"N-no... No, no, no! Ayase, wake up! Mokou is...!" the princess stopped herself, glaring at Wriggle who stared back calmly. "You! This is your fault... You just couldn't stay dead like a good little bug, could you? Die!"

Suddenly, Kaguya hurled a screaming Reisen at Wriggle. The reborn nightbug calmly raised her two right fingers, stopping the moon rabbit right before impact. The confused Reisen, looked around as she was gently set back on the ground. Kaguya fumed, stomping toward the three youkai herself before...

"Anyone wiser would've ran away by now, Kaguya Houraisan. How foolish of you!" cackled a masculine voice, coming from Ayase's crumbling seal.

"W-what? Who the hell are you?!" shouted Kaguya.

"You have always known who I am. Well, in a certain manner of speaking. This is my moment to appear before you however."

As the voice spoke, flames bellowed out from the dying seal.

"Stop it! You and girl should just disappear!" yelled out Kaguya. "Disappear, like you're supposed to!"

"Alas Kaguya Houraisan, will not be our fate tonight. I sense, activity in the spirit world... You have been warned several times to leave this power and forget your petty revenge. You did not heed those warnings. This is your consequence." said the voice.

"You're the one doing this, aren't you?! I'll kill you...!"

The voice chuckled.

"You will find that is quite impossible... Furthermore, you can no longer hold down the powerful souls standing before you. You have tried and failed to invoke the terrible curse of Koro, potentially at the cost of Gensokyo itself, all in the name of your revenge. And so its come to this."

Mokou exploded out of the seal with a beastly shriek, flaming wings at her back as a great heat briefly spread out around her. The hole in her torso closed as flames brought on renewed skin; Mokou was not only free, but good as new. Wriggle smiled warmly at Mokou, who winked gratefully in return before the both of them along with Mystia and Reisen glared daggers at Kaguya. Sweat ran down Kaguya by the bucket full, the reality of her plans being completely shattered hitting her like a freight train.

"No... No... E... Eirin...? Eirin, where are you...? Th-these fools... Silence these fools..." the princess stammered about, slowly inching away from the group, awash in bucket fulls of sweat. "S-so close... W-we can't fail now..."

"I don't think she's coming back for you anytime soon, Kaguya Houraisan."

Kaguya shot her head backwards, gazing at Sakuya, the owner of the voice. Alice, Patchouli, and the unconscious Reimu were with her.

"D-damn you...! You witch!" growled the increasingly mad Kaguya.

"Funny, I thought I was the witch?" snarked Marisa.

"Don't toy with me...! Eirin! Tewi! Reise-"

Kaguya stopped herself before turning and glaring at Reisen.

"Reisen is over there? N-no, that can't be... My little Reisen... Where is everyone?! Why don't they come?! Curse the lot of you!"

Kaguya grabbed her head with her hands, violently swinging herself around, her eyes beginning to tear up.

"Wow... This is almost sad," commented Alice.

"Unable to to accept the fact you've lost, eh?" asked Patchouli. "Your allies are either incapacitated or no longer on your side. Oh, that includes your precious soldiers."

"I took good care of that," added Sakuya with a slight smile.

Kaguya breathed heavily, spinning around, seeing the angry people surrounding her.

"It's over for ya, Kaguya!" exclaimed Mokou, pointing a finger at her enemy.

"We have defeated you and that wretched curse. Further battle is pointless," said Wriggle, looking dead into Kaguya's ever widening eyes.

Kaguya dropped her arms, leaning over in a hunch. Drool poured from her mouth, and her breathes became heavier and heavier.

"The souls before you, Kaguya, cannot be beaten down, no matter what," Spoke the booming male voice once more. "But of special note are the three who have been most affected by your ambition."

Wriggle, Mystia and Mokou had a strange glow about them. Kaguya stared at them fearfully.

"And so it is observed, that this day was the end of the Koro curse. The night of evil hath passed. And now, the three glowing souls in front of you Kaguya, stand as one, becoming the bane of your darkened heart. Stand and see what they are; they hath become, the Frame of the Undying Fortitude."

Kaguya said nothing, going completely catatonic.

"I am the Phoenix. I dwell within the soul of Fujiwara no Mokou. And should you ever try to cause her harm again, you will be torn asunder. This is the only warning. Heed it well."

The great flames behind Mokou vanished.

"I suggest you leave," said Wriggle, glaring daggers at Kaguya, radiating with awesome power.

Kaguya grit her teeth so hard, they almost threatened to crack. Even a total moron could see how desperate she was at this moment.

"Ayaseeee!" she cried out. "What are you doing?! Seal them... Destroy them!"

Ayase was silent for a few moments before slowly standing up, and looking directly at Kaguya.

"No." she answered.

"W-what?!"

"These people have made me realize how strong they are; what true strength is. That power that allowed me to see my family again. I have no more to fear from Koro's power, nor your own," she then smirked a little. "Go to hell."

Kindly sent over the edge, Kaguya screamed out, charging right at Wriggle while building energy in her right hand.

"She's attacking!" yelled Mystia urgently.

"Worry not." said Wriggle reassuringly.

The powered up nightbug emitted a flash from her eyes... Now there were a thousand of her, or it seemed to Kaguya.

"Wh-what?!"

The thousand Wriggles reappeared and disappeared endlessly as Kaguya frantically shifted her head in every possible direction. Everyone else looked on confused, wondering what was going on.

"What manner of spell...?" asked Keine to no one in particular.

Reisen narrowed her eyes.

"This is almost like... It can't be..." muttered the rabbit girl.

The real Wriggle had been standing before Kaguya the entire time.

"Enough."

Wriggle dropped the illusions, but the time Kaguya saw her, the nightbug was planting her left knee dead into Kaguya's torso, the insane princess rising off the ground from the blow. Wriggle then span around, and sent Kaguya into the air with high kick to the face. The princess hit the ground with a thud, bleeding from the face and frantically trying to catch her breath, writhing on the ground while gripping her torso.

She gave Wriggle a piercing stare before darting straight up into the air. Wriggle followed her, matching her altitude in an instant to Kaguya's shock. Pointing a finger to the sky above, unleashing an unbelievably fast barrage of flashing, candy-like blue bullets at Kaguya, overwhelming her almost instantly.

The princess dropped like a rock, but somehow recovered while still in the air, only to have everything go black around her. She heard the sounds of several objects spinning in the air, and quickly found herself being slashed by spinning, sword wielding dolls. She cried out, only barely able to avoid a few of them as others tore open her flesh. The watchers on the ground observed Wriggle manipulating the Shanghai-like dolls with magical azure strings.

"What th- B-but Shanghai's right here..." uttered Alice.

"It's almost as if..." began Patchouli, watching Kaguya barely dodge fireballs and giant metal blades. "No, she really has taken on all our powers somehow."

Sakuya blinked, sensing a momentary stop in time. Without warning, Kaguya was headbutted and kicked to the ground, rolling out of the way of a barrage of knives, needles and ofuda. She staggered up just in time to take a very Marisa-like green energy ray to the face, getting drilled into the large rock behind her.

"Well well..." said Sakuya.

"Yikes! Hold up, she even got Reimu, Patchy and Sakuya's powers?" asked Marisa.

"Kaguya was acting like she couldn't see anything earlier. Could it be that Wriggle nightblinded her?" added Mystia.

Reisen was no longer watching the battle, unable to watch her former mistresses' beating. But then she realized...

"Hey, where did Mokou get to?"

Keine briefly turned to the moon rabbit before also noticing that Mokou had moved...

"Oh my..."

Kaguya blocked crystals and water blasts with a weak barrier before using her own magic aura to dispel the energy insects feasting on her flesh. She launched large, multicolored blast in retaliation, only to see it dispersed with a single blast of fire from Wriggle's right hand. With that same hand, Wriggle unleashed three arrows, hitting Kaguya's right shoulder, chest and torso. The princess dropped back first to the ground as she coughed up blood.

She ripped out the arrow in her shoulder with a scream before looking up at Wriggle in horror.

"How can this be...? Even Eirin's power..."

"It is because our souls have become connected through the curse. I am able to draw on the power of friend and foe alike in this state!" explained Wriggle.

Kaguya forced herself to stand, despite her injuries and fatigue, holding her damaged shoulder. Her remaining clothes were tattered, and blood dripped from wounds all over her body. But then, she began giggling... Wriggle narrowed her eyes and the others watched nervously. Kaguya broke out into full blown laughter as she forcibly pulled the other two arrows from her body.

"Don't let that increased power go to your head, insect! The power of Koro's seal will heal these injuries swiftly!" she said with a smile.

Wriggle merely sighed. Kaguya waited a few moments, but noticed that her condition wasn't getting any better... She gazed all over her body, finding no sign of the great healing ability or extra strength she had earlier. Her smile slowly faded as fear marched right back into her eyes.

"So blinded are you by your own rage and madness, that you have not been able to see it," began Wriggle. "Its true that I am much stronger now, but at the same time, you've grown far weaker. Koro's power flows no longer through you or Ayase..."

Wriggle put a hand below her neck.

"...but through me. I've borrowed your own power as well."

Kaguya began to shutter at this undeniable truth, taking labored steps backwards.

"This can't be happening... This... ...isn't possible! Everything was perfect... This isn't...!"

And thats when she backed in to someone; Mokou. Kaguya snapped her head around, her eyes meeting her rivals. Mokou looked several heads taller than her now, causing her to back away.

"S-stay ba-"

With a gleam from Mokou's eyes, Kaguya was set aflame. Before she could even have the chance to scream in pain, Kaguya blasted her with an intense blast of flame, sending her flying across the field before making like a tumbleweed and rolling, quickly coming to a stop. She used her magical energy to ward off the flames, but did not move any further.

"That one... ...was for everyone here." said Mokou, blowing out the flames on her fingers.

"S-so is it over?" asked a choked up Reisen, clearly fighting off tears.

The sympathetic Keine gave Reisen a hug. The moon rabbit had basically lost her second home after all. Marisa, Alice, Sakuya and Patchouli stood silently, still amazed at Wriggle's power. Meanwhile, Wriggle herself along with Mystia turned their attention to Ayase.

"I was wrong," began Ayase, looking right at the two. "I was wrong about everything I said about you two. You all showed me how foolish and broken I had become. Thank you."

Ayase grew more emotional as she spoke. Mystia narrowed her eyes.

"A-and... I saw them again... My family is waiting for me. They have been this whole time. And now we're free. Thank you so much!" Ayase then fell to the ground, bowing before Wriggle and Mystia. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, for everything! For hurting you, maiming you, I regret it all! I'll do anything to repay you... Please forgive me..."

Wriggle could see Ayase's genuine tears hitting the ground through the freed light of the moon, showing through the wanning clouds. Ayase looked up as the majestic firefly walked up to her, bowing her head down and cringing as if expecting a brutal punishment. But instead, all she got was a hand on her shoulder, followed by an embrace from a smiling Wriggle.

"Y... You're actually forgiving me? B-but I killed you!"

"Why should any of that matter now? The curse is broken," said Wriggle. "So lets end the hatred and put it all behind us. What of you Mystia?"

Wriggle looked back at Mystia, who glared intently at Ayase, then at Wriggle before sighing with a smile and putting her arms down.

"Wriggle's right. If I were to continue hating you, it would be like letting the curse win. After all, Koro and that woman twisted you right?" said Mystia.

"Right. You were broken by them, doing all that you did against your will. Now you can redeem yourself and live peacefully here in Gensokyo,"

Knowing that she had been forgiven by at least two of the people she had hurt, Ayase sobbed onto Wriggle's shoulder, finally able to let go of her torment. She was truly free now.

Marisa and Alice watched the hugs, looking at each other and smiling. Sakuya and Patchouli on the other hand looked down at the fallen Kaguya.

"I guess now is a good time retrieve the book, assuming it survived that last blast. I wonder where she's been storing it the entire time..." said Patchouli curiously.

Sakuya offered an answer in...

"Hammer space."

"Wh-what?" asked Patchouli, blinking at the maid.

Sakuya chuckled a bit.

"I'll explain later. For now, its best to make sure she is truly dead..."

Sakuya produced a single knife, letting it zip high into the air before dropping like into Kaguya's head... Only to have the book of Koro materialize below it and knock it away. Alarmed, everyone shifted their attention to the book as Mokou jumped away. Kaguya's hair and skin began to take on demonic coloring as wisps of  evil magic seeped out of her wounded body. She instantly lifted her head, wearing a twisted smile, eyes glowing a shining blood red.

"Eh... Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh... Moooooooooooookoooooooouuuuuuuu..."

Harsh waves of darkness blew like wind. Everyone shielded one another, Wriggle grabbing and holding Ayase and Mysita, Marisa protecting Alice, and Sakuya shielding Patchouli. Mokou relied on her flames to shield herself from the storm.

"Foooools! All of you die!"

Kaguya's voice was not human anymore. Actually, this was an understatement... The cursed princess turned to face Mokou as the storm of darkness finally settled down.

"Mokou... Mokou... Mooooooooookoooooooou! Fujiwara no Mokou, revenge!"

Kaguya grabbed the book out of the air, and a spellcard at the same time...

"That's her last word!" shouted Mokou, thinking out loud.

"The final sign!" shouted Kaguya.

The possessed princess slammed her glowing card down into the book, unleashing an astronomical amount of magical power, a pillar of white and black energy shooting into the sky. Ayase suddenly screamed out in pain as a white and black aura surrounded her.

"No... I'm still the vessel?! B-but I thought..." said Ayase through her pain.

"Ayase hold on!" begged Wriggle.

"She's actually combining the book's power with her last word... She'll destroy herself and us all for sure..." said Patchouli.

"So what do we do, dammit?!" yelled Marisa.

Meanwhile, a tearful Reisen tried to run toward her princess.

"Lady Kaguya, no! There isn't any reason for this!"

She struggled, but was held back by Keine.

"No, that energy is too strong! Its... Its too late..." said Keine, feeling absolutely helpless.

Gritting her teeth, Wriggle ran toward Kaguya, building power in her right hand before stopping... She looked at Mokou, who looked back at her, smirking. Wriggle seemed a bit confused at first, but then smiled herself.

"Of course. She's been your enemy longer than she's been mine. You wanted to be the one to do this anyway. I have done what I came here to do afterall."

Wriggle clasped her hands in front of herself before briefly flashing white and returning to her old, torn clothes, the immense power she was earlier radiating with completely vanishing.

"Wriggle, what do you think you're doing?!" cried out Mystia in disbelief.

"It's okay, silly. She has a better chance at stopping her than I could ever hope to," said Wriggle with a wink.

Suddenly, white-hot wings exploded out of Mokou's back, blue flames emerging and flying about, melting the Earth right under her. Mokou screamed as a white and green aura began to surround her.

"Gaaahahahaha, it feels good! I'm lovin' ya for this, nightbug! Alright, all of you stand back and watch closely. I'm gonna put an end to that book and pound Kaguya good!"

Mokou took off high into the air, with Kaguya jumping after her. With insane power swirling at their backs, the two women met fist to fist, clashing with one another in the sky with tremendous force. Keine scooped up Reisen and got out of town, Wriggle and Mystia taking off with the pained Ayase. Patchouli found the strength to erect crystal barriers over herself and her allies to protect them.

***

"Th-the crater... You must take me back to the crater where the seal was..." muttered Ayase weakly.

"But what is the purpose?" asked Wriggle.

"Kaguya's power is too strong now. But if the vessel and the source of power were to both vanish..."

"That is far too dangerous!" interrupted Wriggle.

"There isn't any choice!"

Ayase pushed herself away from Wriggle and flew off, landing in front of the great chasm where she once lay dormant.

"You don't intend to end yourself to save us, do you?" asked an disturbed Mystia. "Whats the point? Mokou is more than strong enough to stop Kaguya now! You're just being paranoid, so calm yourself."

Ayase shook her head.

"You don't understand... Even if Mokou destroys Kaguya, the power of the curse will remain elsewhere. I must ensure that it can never be resurrected again."

"But you've only just won your freedom... Is there no other way?" asked a tearing Wriggle.

"This is alright. I'm a monster, so... A-and I'll finally be able to be with my family again. Its better this way," smiled Ayase sadly. "I feel I can at least partly redeem myself in this way."

The crying Wriggle bowed her head down, hands balled into tight fists. Mystia looked away for a bit before...

"Wait!"

She ran up to Ayase.

"J-just so you know... I'm sorry too. I was angry at you, saw you as another worthless human..."

"Its alright. You had every right to be angry." replied Ayase.

"I... ...will try to do better. So as to not allow another curse born from hatred and fear arise."

Ayase could sense Mystia's sincerity, nodding.

"Thank you."

Mystia backed away as Ayase placed her hands under her neck, magical energy emanating throughout her body. She took one final look at Wriggle and Mystia before taking her last step backwards, falling into the great light...

***

She stood in a field of snow, looking forward at a bright light. The loved ones long lost emerged from that light, reaching their waiting hands forward. With a smile brighter than even the light itself, Ayase reached her hand forward, and ran towards her long-awaited happiness.

[An Odd Sea Slug]

***

Wriggle and Mystia felt the Earth shake all around them as dark magic erupted from the chasm with a beastly roar, the force knocking both of them down. The magical force shot up to the sky, washing away the remaining clouds as it exploded and dissipated in nearly every direction. The two youkai looked up at the sky, watching the Koro seal's power rumble about... ...and vanish.

***

Kaguya looked visibly shocked as her right arm began cracking with white light. Seizing her opportunity, Mokou smiled wildly, pulling back her own fist before sending it down at Kaguya's again, shattering the princesses' arm entirely and sending her barreling to the ground with a crash, awash in blue and white flames. The book of Koro exploded with dark energy, cut off from its life line. Hundreds, if not thousands of dark spirits poured out, shrieking as they evaporated.

With a loud shout of "Its over!", Mokou dropped down at Kaguya fist first, Kaguya only able to looked up and scream inhumanly as the final blow approached. The last thing anyone would see was a massive explosion of light, and a massive torrent of dust consumed all in its path before everything went black...

Wriggle and Mystia held each other tightly.

[Spell Break]

****

[Epilogue]

Day X of X month.

Hello there. I'm writing here today, as I survived the recent night of Hell. Through a quite literal miracle, we all not only survived that night, but bested our enemies and removed the source of the darkness forever from Gensokyo. A week has passed since that time.

Ms. Reimu destroyed the remains of Koro village after she woke up, then had some sort of talk with Ms. Keine. Well, given Keine's ability, the miko maybe asking her to destroy the part of history involving Koro. Or perhaps to preserve it. Rumor has it that she took a giant key into her shrine...

Speaking of the Morichika's, my enemies former servant, a moon rabbit by the name of Reisen is staying with them for a time. I hope she's doing well under their employ. Keine is also looking after Alice and Marisa for a time. They were pretty well covered with bandages and casts the last time I saw them, but they were just as energetic as ever, wrestling and arguing with one another despite their injuries. Keine scolds, but I doubt even she can keep those two down, ha ha~

I took a trip to visit the Scarlet Devil Mansion to check on my friends there. Its a much nicer place than everyone makes it out to be. The red-headed gatekeeper (what was her name again? China? I honestly don't remember...) was practicing her martial arts outside, while Ms. Sakuya walked the gardens with her mistress. They all seemed happy and content. Ms. Patchouli and her familiar, Koakuma, resumed their quite lives of running the viole library. They were bandaged as well, Koakuma even bearing a white eye patch over her left eye. Umm... Is it wrong if me to say I found that cute? <<;

Also, they had this big man in a blue costume walking around, saying things like 'kill all rabbits' and 'you will die, meatsack.' I didn't stick around long after he began saying such things... Ms. Patchouli says a girl named Rika gave him to her, despite having turned into a pumpkin. I have no clue what she meant by that...

I'm not certain of what has become of the Eientei dwellers, nor have I really cared to know. Earth rabbits are still sighted in and around the bamboo forest, but the medicine shop does not open anymore.

And as for me? Well...

***

The sun shown brilliantly through the cloudless sky. A light breeze traveled gently through the forest, with faint sounds of buzzing insects and chirping birds filling the clean, peaceful air. Mystia enjoyed the day, sitting quietly in a tree branch. At some point, she sensed someone approach her. Snapping her eyes open, she jumped down from the tree, landing gracefully. She briefly massaged her still regrowing wing. Still nowhere near strong enough for flight, but at least the pain was gone...

The nightbird briefly narrowed her eyes, raising an eyebrow at the intruder.

"I thought nightbirds didn't like sunlight," spoke the other girl.

"Where did you hear that? Birds are birds and vampires are vampires, but they're not one in the same," replied Mystia with a slight smile.

"Well in that case, shouldn't you be gathering eels and fish for you stand tonight?"

"Oh, we're closed tonight. Did you intend to sample my cooking, Fujiwara no Mokou?" asked Mystia, tilting her head.

Mokou chuckled a bit.

"Perhaps... I guess that's just too bad for me, huh?"

Mokou then walked to Mystia, who instinctively fidgeted nervously.

"Oooh, still nervous around humans huh?" asked Mokou.

"I'm... ...try not to be. There are good humans in this world afterall," said Mystia, her eyes shut tightly.

Thats she felt herself being petting by a smiling Mokou.

"Geh, heh heh heh. You're alright, kid. If you ask me, you and your friend are gonna be just fine,"

"Ah, err... Thank you," blushed Mystia.

A few moments later, Wriggle -now clad in a sleeveless white shirt, shorts and a straw hat- emerged.

"Well speak of the devil," chuckled Mokou.

Wriggle smiled cheerfully at her friends.

"Its good to see again, Ms. Mokou. Sorry for being late, Mystia,"

Mokou frowned.

"Heeeey, whadai tell ya 'bout callin' me that?"

"Ah, s-sorry," said Wriggle with a sweat drop as Mystia giggled.

Wriggle then perked as in remembering something.

"Oh, thats right. Mokou, how did it go with the Yama?"

"Oh, the judge said that Ayase's a complicated case for her. Got sent off while we were all taking a dirt-nap. I'm sure she's been reunited with her family by now though." answered Mokou.

"And what of that woman?" asked Mystia with narrowed eyes.

"She's keepin' an eye on her personally. She hasn't left Eientei, or even exited the mansion since resurrecting, though the nurse and moon rabbits are out and about," answered Mokou with a nervous smile. "I'd... ...stay away from there for good while if I where you two. Actually, I'm staying outta there myself..."

Wriggle and Mokou chuckled to one another, Mystia staying silent.

"Well, worrying is pointless. I don't think she'll do anything fishy again and even if she does, I'll pound the hell outta her for ya, heh heh," said Mokou, gesturing with a confident wink fist-palming. "C'mon, don't worry about it. We won! We should be celebrating!"

Mokou broke into a laugh, Wriggle following suit. To her suprise, Mystia joined in too, after some initial hesitation. Why not? Although all three of them had long lives ahead of them (one of which would never truly end) afterall. After a bit of time, the trio calmed down and Mokou turned to leave.

"Well, I'm outta here. Promised I'd help Reisen out at Keine's shop today. You two try to stay outta trouble, 'kay?"

Mokou winked at the two one more time before taking to the skies toward the human village. Wriggle took in the fresh air before sitting down, Mystia sitting next to her. With no other cares in the world, Wriggle smiled and took a good long look into the flawless sky above her.

"H-hey, Wriggle?" asks a blushing Mystia.

"Oh? What's wrong, Mystia?"

"Let's..." Mystia briefly bites her lip. "Let's stay like this for awhile. B-both of us."

"That's just fine with me," giggles Wriggle. "I'm... ...glad I have you as a friend, Mystia. I truly am."

"A-and I to you, Wriggle... B-but more so than that, I... Uhh..."

Mystia looked down and shut her eyes, her face beet red. She didn't notice Wriggle crawling up to her at all.

"You see Wriggle, I think that I have to tell that I... I... L-lo- ...!"

Mystia snapped her eyes open to find a winking Wriggle's fingers on her lips.

"Silly~ You really don't have to say it at this point," spoke Wriggle before bowing down a and blushing a bit herself. "And to tell the truth, I've felt the same feelings toward you as well."

Wriggle took Mystia in her arms, unable to help but smile further at her cute, shocked face.

"So let's enjoy this time together, the two of us alone."

"But night hasn't fallen yet..." says Mystia.

"Night and day, there isn't too much difference. You can feel happy or sad at either time. And we have this time together," answered Wriggle.

Mystia smiled a bit, continuing to blush.

"Hee hee... Someday, you must tell me how come up with stuff like that, Wriggle," spoke Mystia.

"Only if you sing for me~" replied Wriggle.

"Done."

The nightbird returned Wriggle's embrace as the insect youkai leaned in for a tender kiss.

A fantasy world, untouched by the pains of the outside. A world of peace and wonder. This land is Gensokyo. Any strange and wonderful thing can happen here.

[Next Frame...]

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*

*

*

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Sometime later...

"Wriggle?"

"Yeah, Mystia?"

"I can't help but think we forgot something..."

"Hm?"

***

Elsewhere...

"A-acho!"

Cirno was still hanging upside down miserably from a tree, wrapped in a cocoon.

"Helloooooooooo...? ;_;"

2007-2010 Odda C.
Story based upon the Touhou Project by ZUN. All characters except Ayase Kousugi are copyright of ZUN.
Stay loose, phantasmal friends!

===

Well that was a fun ride. It took 2.5 years (it was NOT supposed to take that long! XD), but we finally reached the end of the dream here folks. Thank you all whoever read for reading! Final draft and alternate ending(s?) are forth coming, but nooooooot anytime soon...

[Alfred F. Jones]

One of the main reasons I was drawn to Shrinemaiden ('bout a year ago, back on the old forums) was because I read this story and thought it was incredibly awesome. And now that it's finished, I am in awe of you, Odda. Holy cow, this has been one long ride. Congratulations on finishing! Can't wait for anything else you have in store :3

EDIT: Actually, you know what? Finishing a fic like this is something rare and to be admired. You win IP for this, Odda. Great job.

[Kasu]

Haha.  Sweet.

I literally found this story after your recent December update. XD

I think you wrapped it up quite nicely. =D

[Firestorm29]

I remember seeing this thing a long time ago around when I first came around, too. That was a pretty awesome story. Really enjoyed it.

[An Odd Sea Slug]

o_o

Wow... My favorite author on the forum not only read my story, but liked it! I... I have no idea what to do or say honestly. *snuggles Ruro extra tightly*

Thanks for the comments everyone. I'm quite glad you all liked it.

[Esifex]

Completion? Congratulations!

Gimme a day or two and I'll have it read - I don't have much spare time lying around, despite what IN says about killing faeries.