[September 7, 2418 - Friday, 11:40 AM]
Four days went by since my announcement, the energy within Matsugaya being the highest it's ever been as the Matsugaya Arts and Music Festival was coming up next Wednesday. Banners were strung up along the campus, balloons and various arts and crafts on display for those passing by to see.
I leaned against the balcony of the rooftop of the main building, looking down at the decorations and students wandering through the campus. Beside me was Naomi, her energy relatively low as she stared at the same decorations as I was.
"Everything seems to be going to plan like Tsubami and Lotus wants...this is going to be such a drag. I'd almost rather spend the week in Hojin," Naomi said, leaning against the barrier as well and sighed softly.
I glanced at Naomi, noticing an amber of gold aura flowing around her body and hummed softly. "You don't enjoy festivals like these?"
"I do enjoy festivals, it's just this one...doesn't typically speak to me. All they listen to is J-Pop and J-Rap, plus we have to deal with all the delinquents and annoying students. I'd just rather sit this one out," Naomi said, looking over at me, her rose gold eyes staring back into mine.
I chuckled softly at her then got off the balcony. "Oh, no. I'm not letting you be a Debby downer right now. Not the same woman who would drag me around like I'm her chauffeur."
Naomi rolled her eyes at me and turned her head back down at the ground level. "I don't wanna go to this festival. Can't we just spend time together away from this school for the week?"
"Come on, Nao. Even Ms. Eika is allowing a theater performance and she wants you as a lead. Plus, the bunny garden is far enough from the campus. We could invite the others to come hangout with us afterwards," I suggested, gently shaking Naomi's arm playfully.
Naomi groaned softly and lowered her head with a soft smile. "Fine, fine... I'll go, but only because you're forcing my hand here. Sheesh, I'm supposed to be the royal one here~"
I chuckled softly at Naomi and began walking off with my hands in my pockets. "You are, but you know every princess needs their royal knight. If no one was to keep an eye on you, you'd be dragging Benji all over Hojin."
Naomi scoffed at me playfully, hurrying after me and grabbing my arm while following beside me. "Ha! Don't act like you know everything about me. If anything, I'll be dragging him with us!"
Naomi and I walked back into the building and began making our way to Mr. Hoshido's classroom for our free period. While wandering the halls together, Amon purposely bumped my shoulder then stopped walking and looked back at me.
"Excuse you," Amon said, staring back at me with animosity.
I stopped walking and chuckled to myself, shaking my head. "You're right, you're excused, your highness. I guess I couldn't see you over all ego you wear on your face."
"So, you still got jokes huh? You get some notoriety and think you're the hotshot around here. I guess you feel good with yourself calling out all of Kabetori. You forget that the Burning Bulls know you're Binah. It would be a shame if your secret identity was to be exposed," Amon said, turning around to face me.
I feigned a surprised gasp, my hand finding its way to my chest. "What? Oh no, my identity that you can't prove! Anyone can be Detective Binah, just like anyone could be Inspector Krisis. If you think it's me, prove it. Though, it wouldn't do you any good."
Amon scoffed at me, wondering where my confidence could have come from and tilted his nose up. "Overconfidence much?"
"I'm confident because I have nothing to hide. Ever since reopening the MHI-30 case, all of New Japan knows my face. If I was unmasked, someone else can carry Binah. It's not the end of the world. All Binah means is understanding. It's not that deep," I said, turning away from Amon and walked off.
Naomi stuck her tongue out at Amon then flipped him off, scoffing at him before following after me. Amon sucked his teeth and stared at Naomi, his eyes faintly glowing as he noticed a second shadow following behind Naomi.
{Chapter 35: The Royal Princess}
Naomi sat beside me in her desk, her head resting upon my shoulder as she checked the stocks of the Suzuki Clan dealership on her phone. I glanced down at her phone, noticing the ratings only growing higher and higher, yet the money influx did not make her smile.
"Nao-Nao~! You've been down and gloomy all day! What's wrong?" Aisha asked, crouching down in front of Naomi's desk and rested her arms upon the table.
Naomi glanced up at Aisha, noticing her sweet smile then returned her smile with one of her own. "It's nothing, Aisha. I'm just not feeling it today I suppose."
"Hm, this definitely sounds like you're in a happiness drought. Not enough sunny days?" Aisha asked, tilting her head.
"Naomi doesn't need sunshines and birds, Ai-chan," Emma scoffed, leaning back in her seat and leaning her head back to look at us with a smile. "What she needs is a good fire to bring her spirits back up!"
Naomi sat up straight in her seat and placed a hand upon her chest. "You think I've lost my fire?"
"It would certainly seem so. We've never seen you so down before. You're the main one, other than Emma and Aisha, who's been the most animated. You're even letting Benji hang out with Kaido and Kenji for free period," Otsuki said in her usual graceful tone, looking at Naomi with a soft smile.
Rebecca nodded with agreement. "Obassan Nousagi usually always says a good way to recover your flame is to dance, but no one is really playing anything exciting."
I glanced at my friend group, studying each one and began to realize how similar they were to Kyoto and her friends then hummed softly as I looked back at Naomi. I noticed a spirit of an amber of gold hovering behind Naomi then noticed her quickly vanish shyly as I noticed her.
'You know...I am starting to think you have more in common with Naomi than you do with Rebecca. Let me test something...' I said with a light grin, leaning back in my seat and rested my hands behind my head.
"Ahem... You know, a good song to dance to is one called Bun Bun Bun. I think it goes like, 'Hop Hop Bun Bun, follow the golden roads, Hop Hop Bun Bun," I said, closing my eyes as I hummed the tune.
"Uhm, no. It 100% goes like this, 'Bun Bun Hop Hop Hop, Leap Leap to Heaven Bun Bun Bun!'" Naomi scoffed then gasped, covering her mouth quickly with a bright blush.
"Huh? You like that song, Nao-chan?! That's one of my favorites too! I just don't know the words like you do," Aisha giggled, standing up then looked back at Mr. Hoshido and waved her arms in the air to get his attention.
"It is free period, Aisha. I still don't know why you all choose to hang out here and not bother Tsubami," Mr. Hoshido said, his eyes glued to his book while still seeing Aisha's waving arms from the high view of his sight.
Aisha giggled at our teacher then looked back at the group, gently grabbing Naomi's arm and helping her into her feet. Naomi stared at Aisha as she was assisted onto her feet, a vivid memory of Usagi and Nanako flashing in her head then she grunted, holding her forehead before sitting back down in her seat.
"Whoa! Easy now, you must have low iron or something," Aisha said, letting out a nervous laugh as she helped Naomi back down.
'Hm, yeah, that confirms it. You and Nanako are highly connected. More connected than she is to Rebecca. Aisha does remind you of Usagi. You just couldn't truly see it until you chose Naomi again...' I thought to myself, stroking my chin as I began to draw deeper into my mind.
'That also means Naomi has a reason to not like the festival either based on her reactions earlier. What could it possibly be..?' I thought to myself and closed my eyes to use Insight on the known information I had.
A few moments went by then the sound of the bell rang throughout the entire school, setting the start of the next period. Everyone began gathering their things, the girls all leaving the class together to walk to their next classes together while I lagged behind to stay with Mr. Hoshido.
"Staying behind?" Mr. Hoshido asked, setting down his book and looked up at me in the empty class.
"Yeah, because I'm now curious... You're still a relatively young teacher in your 30s, but I'm sure Granny Hisu has told you something about Nanako right?" I asked, looking up at Mr. Hoshido with a discerning gaze.
Mr. Hoshido chuckled softly to himself then stood up from his desk then walked to the chalk board, flipping it over to show the research of my friend's clans. "Yeah, while you've been busy playing vigilante for us, we've been looking into the clans of your girlfriends."
"The Ayami Clan is a branching clan of the Ono Clan. Of course you know Rebecca and Nousagi are Harunas. And here," Mr. Hoshido said, pointing at Emma's clan with his pointer. "Emma and Kenji are actually distant cousins, the Chisaka and Chiteki Clans."
"Hold on, hold on. Emma and Kenji is related to the Chi-Teck-ii? Does Emma and Kenji know about this? Wait, that means Hanabi is also Chiteki," I said, standing up from my desk and walking to the board.
"Well, there's a difference between the Chiteki Clan and the Yuzuka, but they are very similar to the Nagagami and Nagai Clans. The Chi-Teck-ii are the Nagai Clan in this instance," Mr. Hoshido explained, tapping on Hanabi's picture.
"But the most historical information we've recorded was this," Mr. Hoshido said, sliding the pointer down to the Suzuki and Hashi Clans. "These two clans are business partners. The Suzuki owns the Suzukai Dealership while the Hashi owns a real estate, and the two worked closely together."
"Wait really..? Wait, did you happen to see the amber-rose spirit behind Naomi as well?" I asked, looking at Mr. Hoshido with light confusion.
Mr. Hoshido nodded and crossed his arms. "It's exactly what you've been hypothesizing since Nanako first began influencing the girls. Nanako's spirit is still alive, so it's not just a probability but truth."
"However, I believe Naomi is the best possible choice for Nanako. They are practically the same person, except Naomi is a bit more...I guess Himedere than Nanako was, and she was also a Royal Rich Princess of New Japan, just a tad bit more humble," Mr. Hoshido chuckled, flipping the board back over.
"General Hisu has more information on this than I do, but that's the conclusion of our investigations and why Nanako chose these girls. We just don't know what she's after. She refuses to go to The Border to Leap to Heaven, and something outside is keeping her here on Earth," Mr. Hoshido said then glanced at the door, watching it slide open.
Madam K stepped in the classroom then glanced between us two. "Oh, am I interrupting something here?"
"Nah, we just got done talking. I'm assuming everyone's ready for the meeting?" Mr. Hoshido asked, picking up his suitcase.
Madam K nodded then glanced over at me, pointing her finger at me. "You better know what you're doing in Kabetori, boy. You won't have me in Kabetori on the 20th, so do well in preparing yourself."
I smiled at Madam K and hummed softly at her. "Is that concern in your voice for me? I suppose the Chi-Teck-ii do like me."
"I tolerate you, and only because you're the main one always in my infirmary. Like Jesus, if you're gonna kill yourself, make sure no blood gets on my hands. My Soothing Touch isn't free, so you'll be having interest with me," Madam K scoffed, crossing her arms before walking away.
Mr. Hoshido glanced at Madam K then back at me before clearing his throat and stroking his chin. "I wasn't aware our Strijder Training was getting you in the infirmary that much..."
"It's fine, I'll probably just have Heido pay the interest since he's still hawking her," I chuckled, shrugging my shoulders.
Mr. Hoshido chuckled softly and shrugged his shoulders as well. "See you later, son. Got a meeting to attend."
I nodded at Mr. Hoshido and watched him leave. I looked back at the board and hummed softly, wondering if the Hashi Clan was even still around today. I wanted to know more about Nanako and that required me to know where her clan resides.
[September 7, 2418 - Friday, 12:30 PM]
I sat in the back of Hanma's taxi while he raced down the streets of Matsugaya, headed over to Hajima City while I stared at the GPS on my phone. Hanma swerved through traffic, constantly glancing at his blindsides and rearview as he cut up on the road.
"So, you say the Hashis live in Hajima City? Is this for the MHI-30 case? You sure they would want to talk about Nanako after 30 years?" Hanma asked, glancing at me in the rearview.
I set my phone on my lap and put my cloak's hood over my head while looking out the window then placed my mask over my face. "I'm certain her parents aren't alive anymore, but according to Granny Hisu, she has siblings. If we can find even one, I'd count this as a success."
"Hm, hm," Hamna nodded then glanced at the man sitting beside me. "So, is there a reason why you brought the leader of the White Wolves with you?"
I looked ahead at Hanma then glanced beside me at Heido. "What? You preferred someone else?"
"Heh, he probably owes the Nagai some debts. Man, how many of you all borrowed from my Ojisan?" Heido chuckled softly, crossing his arms and looking at Hanma.
"I didn't borrow anything from the Nagai because I'm not stupid enough to have debts on my head. I'm just more concerned about what you'll do in the city. This is a rich city, y'know. The Yakuza tactics don't work there," Hanma informed, glancing between Heido in the rearview and the road.
"I know, I know. Besides, I'm just going in support of my lil bro. I'm just as curious about the Hashi Clan since I wanna know what happened to Nanako as well," Heido answered.
Hanma moved his eyebrow up and down and continued driving, taking an exit into Hajima City. Entering into the cityscape, we were immediately met with cherry blossoms flowing down from the sakura trees, each tree lining beside one another perfectly.
The city was vibrant with skylines and beautiful lights gleaming from every corner. Multiple neighborhoods surrounded the main city, each one being owned and advertised by the Hashi-Zuki Estate and at massively affordable prices.
"Man, look at this place...I can definitely see a girl like Nanako living here. I have to ask...why did she attend our ol' urban Matsugaya Highschool instead of going to a private one here?" Heido asked, admiring the city around him as Hanma drove slowly through the streets.
I admired the city as well, the same question echoing in my head as I wondered the same. I looked ahead and noticed a woman running in the front of our car to stop us, Hanma immediately stopping before he struck her down.
"Damn, this broad is crazy or something?" Heido asked, leaning forward and noticed she was pointing at something in the distance while yelling. "The freak is she saying?"
I stared at the woman, noticing she had half white and half black hair, her eyes gleaming a familiar magenta hue. I stepped out of the car and adjusted my mask as I began approaching her and looked around, noticing she was causing a traffic jam.
"You all can't go any further! There's been a situation in the city, and we need everyone to return home!" The woman warned then looked at me, noticing that I was approaching her.
Before she could ask a question, I reached into my cloak and showed her my SPA Badge. "Detective Binah. What's the issue here and why can't we progress?"
"Ah, an Inspector! How Good God is! Look!" The woman cried out, pointing in the distance at a ferocious white lion with fiery white eyes and a mane burning as hot as his anger. "It's a Living Stigmata!"
"Oh crap, a wild Living Stigmata..." Hanma said, adjusting his sunglasses and leaned out his window to get a better view.
Heido stepped out of the car as well and rolled his shoulder. "Is that all? Well, I suppose we can deal with this so we can see the Hashis faster."
"Wait what? You're here to see us?" The woman asked, looking at Heido with confusion.
I glanced at the woman, confirming one of my targets then looked ahead at the raging lion ahead. "Yeah, but we have something to deal with first."
I reached behind myself, my fusion sword forming together from white energy particles before I took grip of the handle. "Get everyone to safety! Heido, Nachah, let's rock!"
"Oh yeah!" Heido laughed then let out a howl, his spirit energy rushing around his body before he launched himself forward.
The woman grunted as we both rushed forward, our speed releasing a gust of wind to blow her hair back. She heard Hanma honk his horn then looked at him, noticing he was gesturing for her to get in while Heido and I handled the Living Stigmata. She quickly got in then Hanma drove off to safety.
I dashed toward the white lion while dragging the blade of my sword against the ground to create sparks as Hisumi taught me. I slashed in a circular motion, releasing a flaming cutting wave toward the lion. The lion planted his paws against the ground and let out a powerful roar, the shockwaves of the roar shutting down my initial attack.
The lion locked onto me, growling lowly before charging forward at blazing speeds with a claw swipe. I focused my energy and grunted as I phased by his attack, the lion's claw passing through my light blue silhouette as I rolled forward.
"Haha! Nice moves, Oto! I didn't know you knew how to do Miss Mikoto's Phase!" Heido laughed, striking the lion's head with a Wolf Palm, the open palm strike knocking the Stigmata back.
The lion recovered then charged toward Heido with his Ignis Highswipe, the white lion launching a double overhead claw strike toward Heido. Heido blocked the first strike then grunted as he got burns on his arm, but was forced to Dutch block the second.
Heido grunted as he skidded to the side, looking at the burn marks on his arm and huffed lightly. "I think I know what this Stigmata is."
"What's up, Onii?" I asked, glancing at Heido and readied my sword.
"This is one of Nanako's Stigmatas...White Ø. I read about this one. He's a very confrontational Stigmata with high attack prowess and abilities that make him look like a sorcerer," Heido explained, shaking his arms and sighed heavily.
"Sorcerer...do not put human labels on a Beast King like I," White Ø spoke, catching me and Heido by surprise and making us freeze in place.
I glanced at Heido and he looked back at me, the two of us having the same exact thought. I glanced at White Ø and cleared my throat. "You can talk? Not even my stigmata can speak..."
Nachah stared at White Ø with his scarlet eyes, discerning him the hardest then he closed his eyes and puffed up his fur. Cotton puffs began appearing around me and Heido, the puffs attaching into our bodies and causing us to sneeze.
"Yo! What the hell is your crazy ass rabbit doing? My sense of smell is mad sensiti—ACHOO!!!" Heido groaned, shaking his head to get the puffs from his hair and face.
White Ø stared at us with confusion and caution, wondering what the puffs were as well. He got low in a pouncing position then lunged toward me with a Sunrising Claw. His claw struck the cotton puffs, the puff blasting him away with a repulsive force as if it was an large rubber ball.
"Ooo! That did not look good," I said, wincing and covering the part of my mask where my mouth was with my fist then leaned to the side to get a better angle.
"What the— Did that cotton puffs just blast White Ø away?" The woman asked, leaning out the window for a better view.
"Unfortunately, yeah. And surprisingly, this isn't even the craziest thing they can do..." Hanma said, scratching the back of his head.
White Ø walked forward from the rubble and shook his head with a low growl, his eyes locking onto Nachah upon my shoulder. "The Guiding Rabbit, one of Heaven's favorites. I suppose you have yourself a new master."
I glanced at Nachah on my shoulder then shrugged my shoulders. "I guess it makes sense you'd know each other."
Heido chuckled at White Ø, planning how he should go about handling the lion mentally. "This is definitely a tough one...I'm starting to think Nanako was actually a problem here."
White Ø looked at Heido and growled lowly at him. "My Master was indeed a big name in this city in her youth before her death. You are looking at her legacy, Human Wolf!"
I stared at White Ø, my gaze gradually becoming more analytical then Nachah's tail began wiggling as I began to discern. "Big name? Such as...a Valkyria?"
"Exactly. She was one of the greatest before that pathetic man took her life! Now, this world must pay!" White Ø roared, chains manifesting upon his ears like earrings and golden cuffs forming around his paws.
I grunted heavily as a powerful heatwave struck us like a crashing wave, the intense heat burning Nachah's cotton puffs off our bodies. My cloak flowed wildly in the wind, my hood flying off my head from the powerful winds.
"Have a taste of my wrath!" White Ø roared, generation a massive orb of energy over me and Heido, multiple smaller orbs orbiting the fireball over us.
Heido looked up at White Ø's Helios Memori in awe, goosebumps forming all over his body. I grunted as I immediately took off in the distance then flung my sword forward, my sword sticking into the side of a restaurant for me to Warp to.
Heido took off running as soon as White Ø unleashed his Helios Memori, multiple rays of fire shooting toward Heido while he tried to find cover. Heido circled around White Ø then mounted his back, taking hold of his collar around his neck.
"You brute of a human being! Unmount my back!" White Ø roared, thrashing about to throw Heido off his back as if he was a raging bull.
Heido held onto White Ø's collar then struck his back with a palm strike before releasing a pulse of energy to launch himself into the air, planting White Ø on the ground. As Heido descended with a high side kick, White Ø immediately recovered with his Solar Sentry Stance, a layer of flames making him immune to Heido's attack.
White Ø immediately countered with a Sunrising Claw, landing a direct slash upon Heido's stomach and launching him backwards. He charged forward for another Sunrising Claw, but my sword flew in the way of his attack, forcing him to fall back.
"You are annoying to deal with!" White Ø roared, swiping his claw at me as I warped to my sword.
Quickly detaching my back blade and throwing it upwards, I warped to my back blade then struck White Ø's back with a Brave Cleave then followed with a second Brave Cleave with my core sword. White Ø groaned as he was planted in the ground then grunted as I stuck my sword beside his head.
"Checkmate, Beast King," I said, planting my foot upon the hilt of my sword as I looked down at the white lion.
White Ø growled lowly at me then scoffed with a puff of smoke escaping his nostrils. "I yield, Masked Bunny Man..."
[September 7, 2418 - Friday, 1:00 PM]
The Hashi woman set down a cup of herbal tea in front of me and Heido, the scent of the tea used by Granny Hisu. I thanked the woman and picked up the cup of tea then took a sip, closing my eyes as I appreciated the accuracy of the flavor.
I exhaled softly and opened my eyes. "It tastes exactly like Lady Hisu Fugigami's tea. So...you do know the Fugigami."
The woman smiled at me and sat down in her chair. "Yeah, we're very close to them. She's actually the one who taught Nanako how to be a Valkyria. Lady Hisu was a teacher at Matsugaya..."
Heido looked at the woman with surprise. "Really? Gram Gram used to teach at Matsugaya? Why didn't she tell us this?"
"It's a painful memory for her with all that's happened surrounding Nanako. It was like losing her own daughter. It was actually her...who closed the MHI-30," The woman explained, letting out a slow shaky breath.
"Now, Nanako will never see justice. My Master is forever trapped upon this rock knowing that worthless man got away with everything," White Ø scoffed as he laid at the woman's feet.
The woman made a soft sound and sat up straight in her seat. "My name is Shokyo Hashi, Nanako's younger sister. It's nice to finally meet you, Motosaki Izuna. I heard you were the one to reopen the case."
"So, the Masked Bunny Man is an Izuna. I would have never imagined Erik and Mikoto having a child with the work they did," White Ø said, raising his head to look at me.
"It's nice to meet you as well. I want to be honest with you two...I haven't really made any progress," I said, bowing my head to the two.
"It's alright...I wasn't really expecting for anyone to make any with how long Jeht has had to prepare. I've...just been trying my hardest to move on for my sister, wherever she is," Shokyo said, giving me a pained, yet reassuring smile.
"We shouldn't lose hope! Oto here has gotten leads, and we're going to bring Jeht to justice!" Heido said, giving Shokyo a thumbs up to try to cheer her up.
Shokyo chuckled softly at Heido and looked over at a picture of their family. "You can't...You can't bring Jeht into justice unless you can prove that he's Senkaku."
"Wait, you know he's Senkaku?" I asked, sitting up straight. "Wait, before we get into that...can I ask why Nanako moved to Matsugaya?"
Shokyo looked over at me with a soft smile. "Well...she moved out when she was 15. She had been spoiled her entire life by us and the Suzuki Clan. She was gifted White Ø by our father and Borealis Ł by our mother."
"She told us that she was feeling trapped because she had so many gifts, but no one to give gifts to despite having all the friends here in Hajima. She wanted a normal life where she could show her love to others instead of receiving it," Shokyo continued, closing her eyes as she began to speak quieter.
"Then she met Jeht..." White Ø continued for Shokyo and stood up. "And he drugged her, which gave her Delirium. He knew a Valkyria with Delirium is guaranteed a Guardian Angel from God...but God did not give her one which I am thankful for."
"He allowed Jeht's plan to fail...All Jeht got out of it was knowing Nanako could now enter The Road of the Border freely which produced no fruits for him. Out of spite for God, he continued abusing Nanako," White Ø continued, growing more angry the more he thought about every painful memory.
"Did...Jeht really do all of this? What was his goal? God already stopped his plan, so what did he want from her at that point?" I asked, looking at White Ø.
"Me," White Ø answered, looking up at me. "Me and Borealis Ł. He didn't get us... because Nanako willingly sacrificed her bond with us so we could get away. That left her completely bare and defenseless...I could do nothing but watch because she was no longer my master..."
I looked down at the ground for a moment and closed my eyes, my heart breaking even more for Nanako which only produced a stronger ember upon my chest as conviction struck me like a tsunami. Shokyo glanced at me with curiosity, her eyes slightly widening with a twinkle of light within them.
"Is that a Holy Fire..?" White Ø asked, walking toward me with curiosity.
I opened my eyes, glancing down at my chest and noticed my Holy Fire burning upon my chest with a righteous anger I hadn't felt since seeing the bodies of my late parents. I touched my eyes, noticing tears were falling down my cheeks.
Heido looked at me and placed his hand upon my shoulder. "You okay, Oto?"
I placed my hand upon my chest, taking a deep breath and exhaled softly. "No. The more I learn about Jeht, the angrier I get for how long he's gotten away. I'm sick of thinking in probabilities when I know he killed my parents also..."
Shokyo stared at me with her magenta eyes, sitting up in her seat. "Was there a woman with him?"
I glanced at Shokyo, noticing she had a Holy Fire producing on her chest as well. "... According to all the evidence, I'd say yes."
Shokyo stood up on her feet and clenched her fists tightly, closing her eyes and gritting her teeth. "Tenshi... That's Jeht's scapegoat. She's the reason why Jeht has gotten away with so much. Tenshi is a Fallen Angel type Valkyria with Truth Manipulation."
"Whooaa, hold on. You're saying that fine chick is a Fallen Angel type Valkyria?" Heido asked, standing up and gulping heavily.
Shokyo looked at Heido and nodded, staring at him with pure conviction in her eyes. "She's the reason he's been getting away for the last 30 years... I believe Jeht is preserving my sister's body for access to The Border. Tenshi is not a human from the mainlands..."
"If you didn't know, The Road of the Border is a road connecting this land to Qutsade," White Ø explained, looking up at me into my eyes. "The same place the Izuna Clan came from."
I stared at White Ø, meeting his serious gaze then lowered my forehead into my palm with my arm resting upon my forehead. "So... we're fighting against a Qutsadian Valkyria? So, Nousagi and I were right..?"
"It's only a belief for now, not truth...but knowing they were the ones to kill your parents. That's enough..." Shokyo said, null energy flowing around her body with pure conviction.
[September 7, 2418 - Friday, 2:30 PM]
I got out of Hanma's car and tapped the top of his taxi then gave him a thumbs up. Hanma nodded at me and drove off while I began making my way toward the Kojima Church. I stepped inside the abandoned building and closed the door behind myself.
I looked at the perfectly preserved cross at the back of the church, slipping my hands into my pockets then bowed my head. "Fallen Angel type Valkyria. Just what kind of world do we live in? Truth Manipulation as well? Delirium...it's all too much."
"It is all the works of iniquity..." A calming voice sounded within the church. "I felt every bit of Nanako's pain..."
I looked up slowly after hearing the voice, noticing a white silhouette standing in front of the cross then rose an eyebrow. I began walking forward, my gaze never breaking away from the white silhouette. Nachah hopped my shoulder, happily hopping toward the silhouette.
"I can tell you have become weary. Tired. It's time to rest, my child..." The white silhouette spoke, a sovereign blue twinkle flashing where His eyes should be within the silhouette.
I stopped in front of the pulpit and looked up at the silhouette. "How? There is still too much to do. No one else has the skill sets to carry on this weight. To fight against Tenshi, it's a task for me."
"Who told you that you should carry that weight alone, with your own will? With your own strength? Come to me all who are weary, I will comfort you and give thee rest. This mission was never yours to truly carry alone, you can not row the boat of these seas alone," The silhouette spoke, holding His hand out toward me.
I watched as His hand was extended to me, an invitation to finally receive true rest. I reached out to grab His hand and was pulled up with Nachah, a comforting warmth washing over me as I was brought into a deep sleep.
...
...
...
I opened my eyes, noticing I was in a bed in a familiar room. I sat up slowly, wondering where I was until realizing it was my old bedroom in Kojima Town. I noticed a Sovereign Butterfly fluttering in front of me then fly off, as if it were guiding me somewhere.
I quickly got out of bed then looked at my fusion sword perfectly resting against the wall for me to grab. I grabbed my sword and walked out of the room, following behind the Sovereign Butterfly and wondered what was happening.
"Maybe you have forgotten what the mission was..."
"But I haven't, and I still have a plan for you..."
I stepped outside of my house, noticing a familiar figure standing in front of me. The young woman had long black hair, hair that was similar to Nanako's. The woman turned around after hearing my foot hit against the ground, her magenta eyes meeting mine.
"I want all to come to repentance..."
"I don't want none of my creation to end up in the Lake of Fire..."
"Not even Jeht. Not Amon. None."
"How? Look at what Jeht has done to Nanako, Lord! She's just a spirit now! She can't live her life!" I said, looking at the sky and pointing to Nanako standing in front of me.
"Have you forgotten what I have done for Lazarus?"
"Have you forgotten what I have done for My own Son?"
"30 years to YOU is only 3 seconds for Me."
"Learn to be still, and KNOW I am God."
I lowered my hands slowly, my gaze shifting back down to Nanako, noticing the distance between the two of us. I've been so focused about delivering Jeht to justice, I've only now began to truly remember Nanako.
I closed my eyes and scoffed at myself, covering my face in shame. "So, I have only been playing vigilante..."
"I never called you to be a warrior..."
"I called you to be like little children..."
"You live by the sword, you die by the sword."
"I've called you to be dependent on Me."
"I gave you all the tools you need, but you still need Me."
I felt a hand grab mine and pull my hand from my face. I looked up and noticed the white silhouette standing in front of me then step aside, so I could truly see the distance. I had to see it. I needed to so I could understand that I was truly making no progress the way I've been doing things.
"If you want her to Leap to Heaven, you have to lead her to Me..."
"Stewart her to Me..."
"Or else, she'll only remain on this Earth..."
I noticed Nanako staring at me then closed my eyes, exhaling softly and nodded my head. "Okay...teach me on how to do that, my Lord..."
The Sovereign Butterfly began flying around Nanako then fluttered toward me, hovering up and down in front of me with a peaceful excitement. I looked at the Butterfly then glanced at Nanako, crossing my arms and noticed a dark spirit hovering around her.
"There are things of the Spirit Realm you don't know about..."
"Covenants, contracts, rules, even the very existence of the Spirit Realm..."
I stared at the dark spirit hovering behind Nanako then took hold of the handle of my sword, grunting softly as I stared at it. Suddenly, the dark spirit began taking form into The Illusory, her black wings spreading out ominously.
"If you believe Tenshi is your only problem..."
"You are vastly mistaken..."
"Your battle is not against flesh and blood..."
"But the Principalities...so, The Illusory is a principality. What is she?" I asked, slowly relaxing as I noticed it was only a vision.
"She is the Principality of Deceit. You can not believe a word she says...even if it is a half truth,"
I looked over at the white silhouette and noticed the blue twinkle in his eyes before looking at Nanako once again. "She's in a covenant with The Illusory? Is that why she can not leap to heaven..?"
The White Silhouette did not answer back, only turning toward me and placed His hand upon my head and looked down at me. "Motosaki. Be sure to remember, you can not beat the Womato-gumi nor Daimo-kai alone."
"Your problem isn't a lack of faith. You have an abundance of it...it is your faithfulness that is the problem. If you have faith even the size of a mustard seed, you can command mountains to move and they will," He said, his twinkling blue eyes shifting into an annointed amber glow.
I stared into the eyes of the White Silhouette then nodded my head. Before I could ask another question, the realm around me began to grow dark once again. Opening my eyes, I noticed I was laying within the Kojima Church and looked beside me, an angelic chess piece resting next to me.
"What I have done for Qutsade, what I have done for My people of Isreal, what I have done for All Nations, I will also do for you..."
"When you feel yourself losing faith, I will remain faithful..."
"This is your Chapter 1 in everyone else's Chapter 30..."
I sat up and picked up the angelic chess piece, holding it up in the air and noticed it was a normal pawn piece. "A pawn..?"
I stood up and looked around the church, searching for the white silhouette but He wasn't within the church anymore. Instead, a white eagle watched me from the top of the cross while I tried to process everything that went down.
I clutched the angelic pawn in my hand, closing my eyes and sighing softly. "Maybe I do need some walls...if even Nanako could fall into agreement with someone like The Illusory, what does that mean for me and everyone else?"
"I was waiting for when you would wake up again, Izuna," A voice echoed within the church.
I glanced behind me, noticing a masked man standing behind me. I scoffed at his triangular mask then pivoted around to face him. "Senkaku..."
Senkaku crossed one leg over the other while sitting in one of the seats within the congregation. "So, you've called out Averice in Kabetori. You're doing the same thing as your parents...do you think this will end any differently?"
I looked at the angelic pawn in my hand and smiled at it, chuckling softly at Senkaku's question. "It will end differently. With God on my side, Nanako will finally get the justice she's been seeking."
I held out my angelic pawn in front of me. "This is all for Nanako, no one else! You will not stop her from being with Jesus any longer!"
Senkaku laughed at my declaration then stood up, gesturing for me to approach him. "Then how about a little spar to see if you're even ready for what's to come on the 20th, Motosaki Izuna. Show me how much your God supposedly loves you..."
I noticed I didn't have my sword with me, but I wasn't left without any tools. I clutched the pawn piece in my hand, gold and silver squares shimmering into view before my eyes.
"You know how to play chess, correct?"
"Welcome to My Chess..."
"Surrender to me, and I'll make your paths straight!"
I noticed a massive pawn piece appear upon the square I was in, the pawn piece looking exactly like the one in my hand. I took on my mother's stance, locking onto Senkaku and noticed his black piece within his square.
Dashing forward, I leaped off the pulpit toward Senkaku with a loaded high roundhouse, but Senkaku slipped under then grabbed my leg. He tossed me toward one of the benches, my back slamming into the seat.
I opened my eyes then grunted as I caught Senkaku's fist before his strike could connect to my face. I glanced at my pawn upon God's board and noticed it hadn't moved from the initial square yet. 'What am I supposed to do here..?'
Senkaku pulled his fist back and watched as I rushed out of the seat then ran off in the distance. He chuckled softly at me, holding his hand out toward me. "Running will do you no good!"
Suddenly, my piece was moved to the square to its right with a butterfly ward casted beneath it. I looked back as I noticed Senkaku firing pink-green energy blasts at me, my eyes widening in shock as two orbs of energy rushed toward me.
I looked over at my piece, noticing it had moved adjacently then I warped toward my piece and grunted softly. "Okay...out of there in time."
Senkaku looked back to see me behind him then chuckled softly. "Erik's Warping ability. You've inherited more than their conviction and personality..."
I stared at Senkaku, trying to use my Insight upon him, but it was like a thick veil was casted over him to where I couldn't read him properly. I couldn't formulate a proper plan to deal with him until my angelic pawn pulsed with a warm light.
"Walk by faith, not by sight..." The angelic piece spoke, the eyes of the piece shifting down toward me.
I froze as I heard the angelic voice ministering to me, bestowing wisdom upon me to deal with Senkaku. I looked ahead at him as I attempted to understand what my angel had said to me, wondering what walking by faith could mean in this instance.
"Hesitation is a fool's first mistake!" Senkaku called out, his body vanishing and reappearing in front of me with a jab and straight combination.
I grunted as I staggered backwards then slipped his next jab and tap parried his arm down to follow with a shoulder check, the strike creating distance between us. I continued scanning his body language then a black silhouette formed in front of me in attacking position.
I gasped and barely dodged Senkaku's sweep kick then went for an oblique kick while he was on the ground, but he vanished from view. I looked around for Senkaku then grunted heavily as an ubiquitous straight struck my back, forcing me forward.
Senkaku appeared in front of me like a ghost, striking my cheek with an open palm then followed with a high kick to my head. I staggered and slouched over slightly, but clenched my teeth as I began to grow angry.
"What's the matter, Izuna?! Can't keep up with your abilities and speed anymore? The life of a Strijder is different from your ordinary one isn't it?!" Senkaku laughed, striking my chin with an uppercut and knocked me off my feet.
I grunted with anger as I recovered in the air and came back down with a 420 downward roundhouse kick. Senkaku blocked my attack then grunted at how loaded my kick was, my foot breaking through his guard and striking his face.
I landed on the ground then my eyes flashed golden, my Holy Fire erupting from my chest as I looked up at Senkaku. My Sovereign Butterfly began to flutter in front of me then propelled forward at high speeds toward Senkaku's chest.
'Right there!' I said mentally, my body becoming a light blue silhouette before reappearing with a side kick to his chest.
My Sovereign Butterfly flew forward as Senkaku was knocked backwards then drifted around Senkaku then I ran forward to Senkaku. Senkaku threw a powerful straight punch, but I phased through him and stopped behind him.
Senkaku pivoted around with an attack, but met my elbow to his face to interrupt him then I grabbed his arm and pulled myself between his legs to get behind him. I warped upward to my Sovereign Butterfly, my eyes shining gold as I was in the air.
Senkaku looked up at me, noticing my glowing eyes and smirked behind his mask as he could see my parents within my focused gaze. "Finally...A worthy opponent once again!"
An invisible hand formed above me to act as a platform to place my feet upon then I propelled myself toward Senkaku with a punch. Senkaku parried my attack to the side, punishing my overcommitment with a crushing right hook to my jaw.
I grunted as I crashed through multiple benches and slammed into a wall, a religious painting falling off the wall and landed beside me. Senkaku stared at me and smirked behind his mask, chuckling as he noticed I was out.
"Hmph...you still have much to learn, Izuna," Senkaku said, walking away before vanishing from the church.
My piece was moved back to its initial spot while an ominous chuckle filled the church as Senkaku's piece moved a square closer to mine. Senkaku's black pawn let out a roar toward my angelic pawn, yet my pawn was unmoving as it stood in front of the white eagle perched on the cross.