Kaitansha HQ—-
Inside a meeting room, Yuka, Atsushi, Kaoru, Mizuki, Kōichi, and Gakuto were all gathered around a table, while Hayate sat at the head.
"As you all know, the Huntress situation is very complicated right now," Hayate explained.
"Complicated?" Gakuto questioned. "Forgive my directness, sir, but they jacked 3 of my rookies!"
"They took one of mine," Yuka stated.
"Likewise," Atsushi added.
"So, they've snatched a kid from all of us, huh?" Kōichi remarked. "These asshats don't play."
"Their goal seems to be leading Mr. Nyugawa into a trap," Mizuki pointed out. "The Kagoshima Dungeon."
Everyone remained silent for a long while.
"No one has ever adventured inside," Yuka noted. "We can't gauge its danger."
"Yes, but that applies to every dungeon," Atsushi told her. "We take a great risk as Kaitansha."
"I assume you all want to go?" Hayate interrupted.
They all nodded.
"If they've got our kids, it's our duty to rescue 'em!" Gakuto insisted.
"Meathead's got a point," Kōichi shrugged. "We are the bosses."
Marin entered the room, holding a large file. "It was hard to gain access to this, but here is all the information we were able to gather on the Huntress."
She tossed the file on the table.
[Kohaku Kurotsuki. Age: 28. Height: 6 ft 4. Weight: 300 pounds.]
Kōichi held up a hand. "No way she's that big. She's got a slim-thick frame."
"Looks can be deceiving," Mizuki told him.
"The way she mopped us up, she's gotta pack a ton of muscle," Gakuto admitted.
[Birthplace: Unknown. Records indicate she founded the Furōa Kariudo-dan at the age of 12 after murdering her father.]
"Twelve?" Kaoru gasped. "That girl's EVIL!"
Atsushi rubbed his chin. "Any details on her powers? What Jugen does she have?"
"I couldn't find any relevant information," Marin replied.
"Well, we know she's dangerous," Yuka announced. "We should probably handle this ourselves."
"I agree!" Gakuto bellowed. "Let's not endanger our other members!"
"I'll let you gear up, we'll monitor the entire thing," Hayate promised. "I'm sure Nyugawa is already heading there now."
"Tsk," Atsushi scoffed. "Of course he is."
Meanwhile, Kagoshima—-
Omariro stood by the ferry terminal, watching the volcano erupt in smoke. Behind him, Zaria, Rika, Sōshin, and Rei hurried to catch up.
"Phew, sir…" Zaria gasped, out of breath. "Is this it?"
Omariro pointed his cane to the top of the volcano. "Gate."
"In the mouth of the volcano?" Rika questioned. "Isn't that dangerous?"
"Journey perilous. Weak do not live."
Nonoka arrived, fully equipped in her Sigil armor. "Sorry I'm late, sir!"
Zaria looked her up and down. "Did you really have to stop and get that crap?"
"Sure did."
Nonoka looked at the volcano. "What am I looking at?"
"Sakurajima, I think," Rika explained. "Han would probably say some smartass comment, heh…"
Zaria put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll get him back. Promise."
"Friend Han is waiting for us!" Sōshin announced. "Let's go save him!"
Rei noticed a large ship flying in the air, hovering just above the volcano. "Mr. Omariro, what's that?"
Omariro narrowed his eyes. "Baggage."
He tapped his staff on the ground. "Jugen-Sōunsha: Cursed Movement."
Omariro and the kids disappeared before reappearing atop the volcano, the mouth spewing smoke.
As they landed, Omariro saw the other six Kaidanchō getting out of the ship.
"Hmm."
One by one, they landed, with Hayate close behind. As soon as they noticed Omariro, they all stopped.
"Omariro!" Hayate greeted. "Just in time!"
Omariro just stared at him.
"The others are here to join you! A joint mission, if you would."
"Hayate's right," Yuka said. "We need to work together. Your help is crucial to that."
"Yep! With you here, we can kick serious ass!"
"I call dibs on staying next to him!" Kaoru volunteered.
"I'd like to do the same," Mizuki agreed.
"As much as I hate to agree with such weak mindsets…" Atsushi muttered. "They're right."
He looked at Nonoka. "Have you been taking good care of my daughter?"
Omariro turned toward the mouth, so Nonoka gave a thumbs-up in response.
"I believe you should all jump in at once," Hayate suggested. "Here, take those body cameras."
He handed each a body camera before turning toward Omariro. "Would you mind taking this—-?"
Without warning, Omariro simply jumped into the mouth of the volcano, shocking the others.
"Sir—?" Zaria called out.
She quickly jumped in after him, followed by the other kids. As Nonoka ran toward the mouth, she turned back to her dad. "Hurry up, Dad! My new master isn't messing around!"
She dove inside, causing Nonoka to glare behind her. "Come on! No falling behind!"
They all shared a look and jumped inside the mouth.
"Good luck, Kaidanchō," Hayate muttered. "Don't die."
???—-
〈Entry Detected—-Floor Level: 1〉
Everyone hit the ground, where they all saw Omariro waiting. Under their feet was a golden dais, with floating platforms all around them. A large clock sat in the far distance, with the hands moving ever so slightly.
〈Rule: Match the *Clock's* Pace.〉
"Match the clock's pace," Yuka noted.
"What's the tell?" Kaoru asked.
Tick…Tock…Tick…Tock…
DING.
A large shockwave erupted, but it surprisingly left the group unharmed.
"I believe that's it," Yuka stated. "Move at the wrong time, it'll blow us right off the edge."
Omariro analyzed the drop before tapping his staff. In the blink of an eye, he and the kids were at the next platform, just as the clock rang again.
DING.
Once the shockwave passed, Kōichi called out to him. "Hey! You couldn't have given us a lift?"
"No need," Atsushi replied, taking his arm out of its sling.
"But you are fully healed, are you, Atsushi?" Gakuto pointed out.
"It's fine. We have a mission."
He turned his other arm into stone, springing up into the air and landing on the platform. Yuka formed an ice eagle and glided over, while Mizuki quickly got into a running stance and leapt across.
"Damn those movement users," Kōichi scoffed. "Jugen-Kōbisha: Wana-ito no Jūshi!"
He formed a tripwire gun, latching onto the wall and swinging over. Gakuto grabbed Kaoru and charged across, slamming into the platform.
"Phew, thanks, Gakuto!" she said.
DING.
The clock rang again, forcing all of them to stand still. Once the clock rang, they all moved to the next platform, which began slowly drifting toward the clock.
"Is this part of the floor, sir?" Zaria asked.
"Girl stay sharp."
The platform brought them over to the clock, which had a totem.
"Was it really that easy?" Yuka questioned. "No. Couldn't be."
Rika looked at Omariro, who nodded. As soon as she went over to touch the totem, a cold voice rang through the air.
〈What is this…? We'd hoped for only Kohaku and Nyugawa, but it seems we have an entire crowd…〉
Everyone immediately got into fighting stances.
〈Well, no matter. The hands of fate do not move impartially. Let us cut this group down, shall we…?〉
Three UI popped up.
〈Path A: Dark Path〉
〈Path B: Light Path〉
〈Path C: Wayward Path.〉
"What mess is going on here?" Atsushi questioned. "Did you know about this, Nyugawa?"
Omariro simply remained silent.
〈*All* Paths Selected〉
"But we didn't pick a path!" Kaoru insisted.
"This entire thing was a ploy!" Gakuto exclaimed. "Hey, this thing's shaking!"
The platform broke, and all of the group disappeared.
〈Try to land on your feet…hahahaha…〉
〈Entry Detected—-Floor Level: 1,200〉
Sōshin woke up, rubbing his head. "Friends? Friend Rei? Friend Zaria? Big Sis Rika?"
He noticed Omariro standing nearby. "Boy."
"Friend Omariro!"
He immediately jumped on Omariro, who merely remained still. "No trace of others. Boy only one here."
A line of ice approached them, and Omariro noticed Yuka walking over to them. "What? Forgot I existed so soon?"
"Natori," Omariro recognized.
Yuka looked around at the dark room. "Stuck with you. There's worse people to be stuck with."
"Who is this, Friend Omariro?"
Yuka gestured to Sōshin. "Who's this? One of yours?"
Omariro nodded.
"He's merely a child."
"Boy capable."
"I'd hope so," she replied. "I doubt you'd keep weak company around, knowing you."
"You know this new lady friend, Friend Nyugawa?"
"Of course he does," Yuka answered. "Atsushi won't admit it, but he and I learned from Omariro here years back. Until whatever event happened that caused him to cut ties with us."
Omariro didn't respond as Yuka folded her arms. "You never did explain."
"Woman ask wrong question."
"Tsk. Dodging. Fine. We can revisit this later. What are we working with here?"
As Omariro took a step forward, the room suddenly lit up, which was a store-like room with spinning coins everywhere.
〈Rule: Keep *Coins* Spinning.〉
"That's an odd one," Yuka remarked. "I don't believe I've seen something like that before."
Yuka turned to Omariro. "You're the boss. How should we play this?"
A coin began to stop, but Omariro whacked it with his staff, causing it to spin again. "Coins spin. None stop."
Yuka formed an ice eagle, which rested on her arm. "As you wish."
Omariro noticed a totem at the end of the room, which was atop a shelf. He began walking, with the other two following.
"Friend Omariro, what happened to Big Sis Rika and the others?" Sōshin asked.
"Children separated. In other Kaidanchō hands."
"Will they be safe with them, Friend Omariro?"
"Children will. Or stick hit Kaidanchō face."
"I'm sure they'll be fine," Yuka assured. "None of the others would dare piss you off, even if they act like you're no big deal. We whisper of you from time to time, during our meetings."
"Gossip irrelevant."
"So you say."
A coin began to drift to the floor, and Yuka quickly sent an eagle at it, causing it to spin around like a top and realign itself.
"Was that voice inside another friend, sir?" Sōshin wondered.
"Voice hostile."
"Is that voice familiar to you?" Yuka asked. "If the Huntress isn't the only danger amongst this labyrinth, I'd like to be well prepared."
"Time tell soon."
In front of them was a wall of coins, each spinning in place and blocking the path.
〈Find a way across the wall.〉
Omariro teleported across.
"Hmm. Wall only let me cross."
He teleported back.
"This situation is not in our favor," Yuka mused. "Try and break through, we risk breaking the rule, and that wall has no gaps for me to fly over…"
Sōshin raised a hand. "I can keep it moving!"
Yuka turned to him. "How do you plan to do that?"
"My Jugen! It can turn anything into a moving vehicle!"
"Hmm? Really?"
"Demonstrate, boy," Omariro ordered.
"Okay!"
Sōshin put his hands to the coin wall. "Jugen-Sōunsha: Densō—Dai-ni Giyā!"
The coins began spinning even faster, and they began moving forward like wheels. Yuka gave a nod of approval.
"Impressive…" she noted. "A potent ability for one so young."
"Boy not weak. Weak stand not with me," Omariro declared.
"Well, I suppose we should catch up to the wall?"
Omariro teleported them just behind the wall as it kept moving, and it eventually slammed into the shelf, splitting apart and causing the coin to scatter.
"Coins stop spinning soon!"
"I can keep them going!" Sōshin replied.
"Hurry, boy!"
Sōshin quickly threw out his hand. "Jugen-Sōunsha: Densō—Dai-ni Giyā!"
The coins began spinning rapidly once again, starting to slow down ever so slightly. Yuka noticed the totem floating on the shelf above.
She set her ice eagle down. "Climb on!"
Sōshin and Omariro did so, rising into the sky and landing on the shelf just as the coins lulled to a crawl. Omario grabbed the totem.
〈Totem Seal Acquired. Level 1,201 Clearance Enabled.〉
"Not bad for a last-minute group," she remarked. "Reminds me of the old days."
"Woman need to forget."
"Why is that? You're still here, aren't you?"
"Next room awaits."
"You're dodging again."
As they walked into the gate to the next room, a shadowy portal watched them from above, dark energy dripping from it…
"…"
…right before it disappeared without a single trace.
—-