Asgard——
Omariro, Yuka, Hel, and Baldur all landed in Asgard, which was now reduced to a pile of rubble. Within the rubble lay the body of Odin, who was covered in blood. As soon as he saw the group, he lifted his head.
"Father!" Baldur exclaimed. "What happened?"
"She…sent her beasts," Odin coughed. "They were looking…for Nyugawa. But instead…they took the boy…"
Omariro noticed Sōshin was nowhere to be seen. "Boy…"
Emeru pulled herself out of the rubble, shifting to a humanoid form. "Gah! I'm alive! I'm alive!"
"They left slime. Come, girl. We chase Huntress."
Emeru pointed to herself. "You want ME to help you chase that scary woman?"
"Yes."
"Not like we have any choice," Yuka scoffed. "Are you sure you can keep her under control, Omariro?"
"Yes."
"If this keeps up, she'll destroy the entire dungeon and everyone inside of it," Baldur warned. "You must stop her!"
"Woman will be stopped. Woman made foolish choice."
Without hesitation, Omariro crushed the sigil in his hand, and he, Yuka, and Emeru disappeared.
"This has not gone according to plan at all," Hel remarked.
"Have faith in the Mujinsha…" Odin insisted. "They will right this wrong."
Floor 10,000—-
Zaria, Rika, and Shino picked themselves up off the ground as Kohaku stood in the center, sizing them up.
"S—should we wait for Mr. Nyugawa?" Rika suggested.
Zaria formed her spear. "We can't! Han's right here! If we fail our Master and let her keep him, we're nothing!"
Rika took a deep breath. "Right…right!"
Zaria turned to Shino. "Hey, Shino! What moves you got?"
"I can erase things by flicking my fingers! But I'll need a clear shot!"
"Then we'll get you one!"
The Huntress merely turned her head, her very gaze briefly freezing Zaria in place. Zaria gripped her spear.
"You've got this, Z. You've got this."
In the blink of an eye, Kohaku appeared in front of Zaria, slashing at the girl with her claws. Zaria blocked with her spear, but the claws cut through a chunk of her armor and grazed her arm.
Han watched without moving.
Kohaku lifted Zaria by her neck. "What's this I smell in you? Fear? Or something darker?"
"You're not smelling jack but yourself! Let me go, bitch!"
Zaria kicked at Kohaku, but she blocked with her arm. Without missing a beat, Zaria swung her other leg at Kohaku's head, distracting the Huntress long enough to escape.
"Jugen-Metsusha: Yubisaki Mekken!"
Shino fired a vector from her fingers, which Kohaku sidestepped, losing a finger in the process. Rika clasped her hands together, forming a sigil.
〈Sigil Created: Health Boost.〉
She tossed it to Zaria. "Here!"
As Zaria caught it, Kohaku watched with amusement.
"You girls may have a little more fight in you than those puny gods. Three against one? Let's see how long you last!"
Zaria chucked her spear at Kohaku, who grabbed it and snapped it without looking. Her body began to change shape.
"Be careful!" Shino warned. "She can use Jugen!"
"What?"
"Jugen-Henshōsha: Karyūdō no Wazawai!"
Her body took on her chimera form, and with a flap of her wings, she sent fire blazing at Zaria and Rika.
"Shit—-!"
Shino erased the fire blasts with a flick of her fingers, but Kohaku responded by batting her away with her tail.
"Rika, behind you!" Zaria called out.
Kohaku grabbed Rika's arm, bringing the girl face-to-face with her. "And you. Poor child. I saw…potential when I found out about your backstory. But it seems you are just soft at heart."
"W—what? You—-?"
"Disappointing."
She chucked Rika into the wall.
"Rika!" Zaria exclaimed.
She immediately reformed her spear, stabbing repeatedly at Kohaku, who blocked all of the attacks with her tail. Zaria attempted to kick her in the chest, but Kohaku stopped it with one hand.
"Such a waste."
She elbowed Zaria in the face, drawing blood, before backhanding her into a pillar.
Rika rubbed her shoulder, noticing Han nearby, standing as still as a statue. "Han! It's me! Rika! Don't you remember?"
He didn't look at her.
"Save your pleas," Kohaku demanded. "He is no friend of yours. He is my child, and once his strength grows, he will be the heir to the empire that me and his Master shall build."
Rika got up. "No, he won't! He's coming back with us!"
Kohaku flew toward Rika, her stature dwarfing the latter. "Big talk from a tiny girl."
Kohaku raised her hand to strike, and Rika quickly brought her hands together. "Jugen-Kaiseisha: Chiyu no Shirushi!"
〈Sigil Created: Siphon. Charges: *4*〉
"Hey, the charges doubled!" Rika thought. "Is it because of my new level?"
Kohaku punched Rika, who threw up her arms to block. As she did, the force repelled back to Kohaku, severing her arm.
〈Charges Remaining: *3*〉
"Those sigils are a pain," Kohaku muttered. "But they matter not to a Huntress."
Rika tried to punch Kohaku, but the Huntress barely even flinched. Kohaku responded by slashing at Rika, but the attack bounced back and cut out her own eyes.
〈Charges Remaining: *2*〉
Zaria and Shino got up, their bodies beginning to heal. "Nice job, Rika! She's on her back foot!"
"Funny," Kohaku mocked.
The damage to her body quickly healed, and she turned her attention back to Rika. "You may have use yet. But unfortunately for you, I've figured out your weakness."
Her claws extended, and she rapidly slashed at Rika, losing both of her arms.
〈Charges Remaining: *0*〉
"You can't absorb my attacks forever!"
As her arms healed, Rika rolled out of the way before she could attack again, but got kicked away by Kohaku in the process. Shino fired more vectors at Kohaku, but she merely ducked.
"A true hunter has no weaknesses," she taunted. "But unfortunately for you all, that's not the case, no?"
Zaria reformed her spear, crushing the Health Boost Sigil before rushing at Kohaku.
She jabbed at the Huntress with her spear, and Kohaku remained still, allowing the attack to bounce off. "Really? Is that your special move?"
"Nah, this is!"
She jumped into the air. "Tenkai-geri!"
As she performed a cartwheel kick, Kohaku used her wings to shield herself, and the attack bounced off.
"How—-?"
Kohaku's eyes glowed, and her wings shot a blast of fire that blinded Zaria, making her stumble.
"Zaria! Are you okay?" Rika called out. "Shino! Cover me!"
"Got it!"
Shino rapid-fired vectors at Kohaku, who flew into the air and dodged them all. Rika went over to Zaria and helped her up.
"Your eyes…" Rika realized. "They're burnt!"
"How badly…?"
"Like, completely! Please, I have to heal you!"
"But…"
"Look, if I don't, you'll be blind forever!"
Zaria sighed as Rika touched her face. "Jugen-Kaiseisha: Forbidden Healing!"
Zaria's eyes suddenly returned to normal, and she sat up. "Did I…lose a lot of years?"
"I honestly can't say. You can't be reckless with this woman, she's above anything we've faced!"
Just then, Shino got sent flying back, slamming into the wall. Kohaku landed on the ground, flames coating her body. Her tail extended, lunging at the trio.
Zaria chucked her spear at it, but the tail deflected it, piercing her in the shoulder. "Gah!"
She gritted her teeth and kicked it, causing it to pull back, before turning to Han, who was still in place.
"Han! Listen! Remember when I told you about my family? About how I lost them?" Zaria asked.
"Yeah!" Rika added. "And when I vented to you about being abandoned? How Zaria and I were living in run-down houses? No food, no water?"
"And we found you, and you followed us everywhere? Into trouble, into houses, even into that dungeon where we met Mr. Nyugawa!" Zaria continued.
Han didn't move a muscle.
"Basically, what we're saying is, while Rika and I are besties, you're one of our best friends too! Are you gonna just let this woman kill your closest friends, Han? I thought we meant more to you than that!"
"And what about Mr. Nyugawa?" Rika questions. "He's your idol! What would he think of this? Please, Han! Just hear us out!"
Han's fingers moved for a moment…
Right before he fired a wire into the pillar next to them, pulling it atop of them.
"Silence."
Shino quickly blasted it with a vector. "Han! The hell?"
Kohaku chuckled. "Good work, my child. Good work. Shed all those you would call friends. You only have a mother."
Kohaku attempted to slash them with her claws, but Rika pulled the other two out of the way.
Zaria stared back and forth between Han and Kohaku. "Nothing's working…what do I do?"
Suddenly, familiar lines rang through her head.
"It'll draw what strength is already in you…"
"A big jump in power, for a few tiny risks, am I right?"
"Then make sure you're prepared."
Zaria held her head. "No, not supposed to use that…only as a last resort…"
Kohaku stalked closer and closer, and Han watched from his spot.
"But she can't be beaten…not like this…Master Nyugawa promised he wouldn't let it take hold…I trust him…I…"
Zaria stood up, and her body began to shake, becoming heavier in the process.
〈Changing Loadout to *Yami Gorikenjo*〉
Kohaku, Shino, Rika, and even Han watched as a gray glow enveloped Zaria's body, and she flexed her arms. "Oh…HELL yes…!"
〈*Zaria Takeno.* Level: 67,900〉
Kohaku's eyes briefly widened. "By the lion's mane…"
"Zaria…?" Rika stammered.
Zaria cracked her knuckles. "Let's do this, bitch."
As Kohaku charged at her, Zaria held out her hands. "Yami Gorikenjo—Sōjinzan!"
Two katana-like blades formed in either hand, and once Kohaku slashed at Zaria, the latter countered with a slash of her own, before carving a deep gash into Kohaku's arm.
"Whoa," Zaria gasped. "Badass!"
Kohaku kicked her back, but Zaria softened the blow with her blades.
"Impressive," Kohaku complimented. "Very impressive. I see potential. Now, to see if it breaks!"
In a blaze of flames, Kohaku charged at Zaria, sending fire barreling toward her. Zaria put up her blades, and with a surge of dark energy, the flames dispersed.
Kohaku and Zaria began clashing across the room as Rika and Shino began hurrying to catch up.
"She's holding her own!" Shino pointed out.
"Yeah, but not for long!" Rika worried. "The Huntress's attacks are getting stronger! We need to do something!"
Kohaku and Zaria tore through a pillar. As soon as they landed, Shino fired a vector at Kohaku, erasing her wings.
"Now, Zaria!" she called out.
Zaria slashed at Kohaku's arm, the blade drawing blood. Kohaku's wings regrew, and she flew into the air, surveying the girls.
"This has been…enlightening," she remarked. "But I think it's time this experiment ends. Han, would you mind—-?"
"Jugen-Mahōshi: Tsuki no Megenka!"
A blast of moonlight hit Kohaku, causing her to land on the ground. As soon as she looked up, she noticed Sōshin speeding into the room, with Rei and Nonoka on his back.
"We're here, friends!" Sōshin declared.
"Yep!" Rei agreed.
"Rei, Nonoka, Sōshin!" Rika said, relieved. "How did you all get here?"
"The mean Huntress dragged us all down here!" Sōshin replied. "Now we come to help friends, and Friend Han!"
Han narrowed his eyes, a look of annoyance on his face.
"Don't worry, Han!" Rei assured. "We'll get you back to normal!"
"Yeah, usually I wouldn't care," Nonoka admitted. "But he is in the same group as our Master so, screw it, whatever."
"About time we got some backup," Shino sighed.
Kohaku watched as the group assembled, a smirk on her face. "Hmm? Six versus one? This should be a good warm-up, then. Come, children."
Her wings grew larger. "Come!"
As the two sides stared each other down, Han's vision became blurry, and his mind began to fragment.
〈Han…poor little Han…〉
Just as the clash began, Han's vision darkened, and the voice inside his head grew even louder.
???—-
Han reappeared inside a doctor's office, where a strange gray-haired woman was taking care of him.
"How do you feel, Han?"
"Han…?" he questioned. "Who is that?"
She placed a stethoscope to his chest. "No one important. Just remember to let go. No more fighting, no more resistance. You are a gift."
"A gift? A gift to who?"
"For me, my dear vessel. But before that can happen, you must defeat all of your friends."
"Friends…?"
"Yes, Han. Friends."
She gave him a lollipop, and he took it in his hand.
"Every last one."
——