/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>46465385
—
Confusing didn't start to describe it.

Fakechouli threw at me barrage after barrage of numerous spells, from surges of fire to massive icicles to boulders, all punctuated by falling meteors the size of houses that crashed down onto the earth, quaking the world and lifting veils of debris and dust, pink thunders sprinkling with increasing frequency, the landscape shifting non-stop, the only constant being the golden pillar in the distance—and, amidst all this, Sekai smiled.

Koa's screams echo and suddenly, the copies start to behave differently, their bodies quivering with weird light and ghostly visual artifacts—

—It hardly stops their powers, my arm pistoning forward to destroy the frozen thunderbolts Fakechouli chucks at me, fractal blue fire crystals raining along with ash and rock as I push through. I need to end this quickly and get to Lady Patchouli; we cannot fight alone!

I glance towards said magician, eyes widening when I see the colossal meteor tumble towards her, destroying its falling brothers in the way.

A moment of inattention.

Sakuya's copy points this familiar-looking parasol in my direction; I notice it too late…

Face pales as the massive beam of rainbow energy comes thundering towards me, speed not enough to run away from its sheer girth, the world trembling with the furious propagation of such levels of energy in an already chaotic environment.

… Still, with death itself coming for me, something happens inside: words about love and a tender, albeit fleeting, hug. Why did she do any of that? What does she gain?

Is that part of her plans…?

No.

Body centralizes, mind calms down, a sudden burst of energy from beyond coursing through me like the waters of a mighty waterfall. Is that the meaning of this war, Sekai? You gain nothing by clashing with us. What's a god to gain from fighting mere mortals?

Proclaiming those words, giving me that sweet hug…

You little rascal~

Death arrives, and Hong Meiling takes it front face in her two bare hands…

The beam comes to a full stop.

It's a sight of legends, a mere second feeling like a millennium as, almost following the flow of life, the beam is retorted and redirected, the powerful river meeting a still rock and, with a loud yell that releases Ki in the air powerful enough to stop the descent of meteors and push them back if for a moment, Yuuka's beam is thrown towards that one coming for Lady Patchouli, disintegrating the whole thing in one single swoop.

My hands fume, my chest goes up and down like crazy.

Sights of life.

I look Sekai in the eyes—the three pairs of them—and all I see is genuine joy that nothing could hope to match.

That didn't stop me from advancing, body rejuvenated and mind clear, darting forward as Flandre and Fakechouli throw everything towards me, an aurora of death magic that was masterfully dodged just like the fluffy of knives that came out of Gaps akin to Yukari's, time being constantly stopped barely a nuisance, hair of flames weaving through the barrage of death as if defeat was never a concept to begin with. Why have you healed this body after trying to destroy it? Anyone's guess, but be sure I'll use it to the maximum, Sekai!

Punching knives out of my way, I meet Sakuya head on, her body blurry with those visual artifacts—she still has a chin: good enough—this close quarters fight amidst the continuous rain of crashing meteors and Danmaku lasting much less than our first, her knives transforming into wolf tengu cleavers that suddenly grew massively in size, a smirk as I deflected them or flew through the holes close to the handle embroidering the ricasso. So much effort, but it was one simple punch that destroyed the copy's head, my fist connecting to her chin and causing a ripple effect that busted the top of her head like a coconut and splattered shining blue glass everywhere.

Resuming my fighting stance with a yell, I turn to those remaining copies, their blurring increasing dramatically, yet the eyes of nebula turning much more pronounced… Koakuma and Sakuya didn't return, either.

“Careful, now!” Lady Patchouli utters, her monotone a decibel higher; my Ki explodes and inattention is broken, hands moving and modeling the Ki to stop the raging thunderbolts Fakechouli lobbed in my direction—

—twice as powerful as the pink thunderbolts, teeth clenched as I pumped all this newfound energy into my defense—

Not enough!

The thunderbolt destroyed the Ki barrier, but all it met was a fortress of red brimstone that shuddered and turned against the force before collapsing and dispelling the thunderclap into thin air. Hovering to my side, Lady Patchouli sighed, putting her hands down. “Her attacks grow stronger as we destroy the copies—stay close… Also, excellent work with Kazami’s attack.”

“Heh, anything to keep you safe, Lady Patchouli! Thanks for the save as well; I dozed a little there~”

She raises an eyebrow. “A little?”

I scratch my nape, red. Sekai watches with a shining smile.