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The arrow soars through the air. The masked Kaijin laughs-

-then winces as the arrow lands its mark, his laugh cut off as the arrow catches him in the shoulder. Given the gulf in power between him and Masaru, however, it doesn't do very much; he pulls the arrow out, breaking it into two, as if it were nothing.

He glares at Akitsuki.

"So. You can see through my illusions....it's not my only trick, but you just made this more interesting. That smarts."

The illusions, their purpose nulled, vanish, leaving the masked Kaijin alone.

"Fine, you first, Akitsuki."

He leaps towards Saya, only for a red blur to smash into his face, throwing him to the side. The masked Kaijin rubs his cheek - or, at least, where his cheek should be - as Akihiko places himself between Saya and Masaru and their mysterious opponent.

"Kasuga. So it's true. You do have a good punch."

Akihiko doesn't respond, simply charging at him with a roar.

Their masked opponent pulls himself to his feet, barely managing to move back fast enough to avoid Akihiko's leg smashing down on where his head was a moment ago. The unknown Kaijin tries to whip out an icy knife, but the shot Masaru landed not a few seconds ago does delay the attack enough for Akihiko to blast it out of his hands with a fireball. Akihiko tries to lunge at them, to pin them down, only for the masked Kaijin to turn over to his good arm and balancing on it to land a firm, ice-laden kick onto Akihiko's chest, knocking him back into Masaru.

"Demura! Out of the way!"

Saya's helmet glows faintly with the effort.
"Is...that right? Hm. Hang on everyone. This might hurt a bit."

Masaru, Akihiko, Mildred, Yui, Tsukasa and Jin all feel a tiny prick, like a pinch, in the middle of their skulls.

"Okay. You can see what I'm seeing now. I think."

Indeed, the world seems to be exactly the same, except for the outline of the masked Kaijin glowing faintly, as if lit by moonlight.

"You won't catch me so easily, Akitsuki!"

He snaps his fingers, darkness enveloping him, before a horde of masked Kaijin like himself emerge from within the cloud, jumping across the rafters or towards them. However, Akitsuki's power seems to hold true; among the multitude, one still remains visibly lit up by Tsukiyomi's power.

The blow does connect with Jin, not that it does much visible damage - Shiro is very briefly reminded that Jin has been a Kaijin for far longer. It is enough to almost make him lose his grip.
"Dammit, Akari, you're not the only one with a shithead dad! Why do you think I'm tryna' help you not screw up the wrong guy here?"

The moment Shiro lunges towards Mori, Akihiko yells.
"Akari, no!"

Mori, exhausted from his fight and still somewhat rocked from being hit directly by Shinigami, isn't quite able to duck out of the way before Shiro tackles him, pushing him onto the ground. Fortunately for Mori, Otoya is caught by an approaching Tadano, but this doesn't save him from taking a few punches from Shiro, softened though they may be by Yui's timely spell.

The masked Kaijin laughs as Shiro begins her beatdown.
"Yes, good! Haha! Bring on the carnage, Akari! Beautiful...."

As soon as Shiro manages to get Mori on the floor and land a few punches, she finds herself being picked up from behind by not two, but four arms. Jin, being both significantly stronger and larger than she is, tries to wrangle her off of Shiro as Akihiko and Mildred run towards her. Of course, even with his size and strength difference, Shiro is still rather formidable, and she is slowly but surely forcing her way out of Jin's grip.

"Akari. Akari! Hey, that's enough, dammit! Come on, chill!"

He turns towards Mildred, Akihiko and Tsukasa.

"I'll handle Akari and the little guy! Honda, Kasuga, I'm trustin' you to chase that guy down! I don't know the others, but I know I can trust you two! Same with you, Kazami! My other friends are in the Domain but I don't know where!"

[Now Playing: Theme of Andras ~~Penumbra (Variant A)~~]

The masked Kaijin stands up straight as the others turn towards him.

"My, my, you think you can take me with so many of you having to pull Akari off of Sawatari?"

Tsukasa answers not with words, but by drawing his sword, a wave of flames smashing into the top of the Domain, melting the rafters with the sheer intensity of the flames. Their opponent barely manages to dash away, avoiding the burst of flames, a light chuckle as he studies the remains.

"Your anger won't win you this day, Kazami. Majima-chan would HATE to see you like this, wouldn't you agree?"

He almost pirouettes away to avoid another gout of flames from Tsukasa's blade.

Saya nods at Masaru's request.
"I'll try."
The starfield comprising the contents of Saya's helmet begins glowing and rotating faster.
"I....think I have a lock on him. I'll have to concentrate to keep it, though."

"Hoho, bravo, bravo, Kasuga, Sawatari....and Akari. You all played your parts well."

A voice echoes from the top of the rafters within what used to be Otoya's Domain. The masked Kaijin from earlier is sitting in the middle of the rafters, back leaning against a support strut and gazing down towards the others.

"Oh, yes. Sawatari, you really aren't nearly as good a manipulator as you think you are. Without having to say a word, half your allies want nothing to do with you already. Do you think Kasuga will protect you forever? I can't imagine even some hero wannabe like him will tolerate it. Even he has his limits."
"Shut the hell up!"
"Is that all you got? You've been chasing shadows for a whole year and look where it's gotten you, Gawain. Nowhere. All you can do is hurl ineffectual threats in the hopes it'll stop me this time. Majima-chan would be so disappointed to hear that, wouldn't you say?"

He gazes directly at Shiro.

"I'd come down and fight you, but....well..."

He peers over at Mori.

"I don't really have to now, do I? Just watch you rip yourselves apart. Go on, Akari. Tear him to pieces. You want to, don't you? Those words of his were boiling."
"Akari, I know you're mad, but don't listen to him!"
"When has the great Shiro Akari ever listened to what she was being told to do? Hm? The leader of the Myrmidons....shouldn't fear anybody. Even this pretender. Go on. Indulge."

"Good grief, you two. Let's save it for later!"

Shinigami rears up before Mori and Akihiko.

"You two....stop wasting your time on me!"

[Now Playing: Theme of Mori ~~Goya wa Machiawase~~]

Reynart leads the way.

"Save your breath! I don't want you to save me! Save Sakurajima, you fool!"

A dusting of pollen scatters over Shinigami's mask as Mori engages the gigantic Akuma, obscuring his vision. Thorny growths follow Mori's trail, pollen erupting from within them to shower the deathly Akuma. Whatever effect they seem to be having on Shinigami, they seem to be massively irritating, as the Akuma emits a low, pained screeching.

"You...."

Shinigami reaches down, a long spindly hand reaching for Mori, but Mori is too quick, and slinks into a pool of shadows, before erupting out with more thorn-like growths, sprouting bulbs blasting more neon-yellow pollen into the face of the gigantic Akuma. The monster screeches, lashing out with a backhand, as Mori attempts to jump somewhere safe.

He finds no purchase, having dodged somewhere with no shadows. Shinigami's swipe smashes into Mori, sending him flying into a heap of junk, stunning him temporarily.

(Mori doesn't want to get hit in the face...)
(Shinigami's spells will backfire!)

Reynart casts Pollen Curtain!
Reynart loses 6 MP!

Reynart initiates!
Hit Rate: 98 to hit
Hit: 49, hit!
Shinigami takes 11 damage!
Shinigami loses 15 Hit for two turns...

Shinigami retaliates!
Hit Rate: 56 to hit
Hit: 15, hit!
Reynart takes 16 damage!
(Backfire activates!)
Shinigami takes 6 damage!

Reynart Guards Ibaraki-Douji!

As Shinigami reaches for the still-stunned Reynart, the demon perched upon the orb continues to speak, thorn-like shadowy fingers reaching for the half-demon.

"Even your so-called allies are turning against you. You can't save anyone, Sawatari."
"Not all of them! Mori, get to me!"

[Now Playing: Theme of Akihiko ~~Lineage of Clan~~]
Suddenly, a broken piece of junk tears its way through the Akuma's arms, forcing it away from Mori. The Akuma twists its body around to see who had interrupted it, Mori taking the opportunity to retreat as Akihiko approaches, slinking into his shadow.

"Get the hell away from him!"
"Why are you defending him? He just insulted you. None of your other friends like him."
"Don't get me wrong. He's kind of an asshole. In all likelihood, I'm gonna have to break up a fight the moment we get out of here. It might be more trouble than it's worth."
"But I ain't leaving behind one of my own, even if he needs to get his head on straight. And I'm doing to do what's just, which means saving both of you!"

Shinigami screeches at that, and swipes at Akihiko wildly to try to catch him, but the oni slips through his fingers with a deft roll, spinning into position.

"I'm really sorry about this, Miya-no, Otoya. But Sakurajima wouldn't want to see you like this either, and I won't let you down. When I find the bastard that turned you into this...."

He sprints to the left, avoiding another swipe. Shinigami, clearly realising how much quicker Akihiko is than itself, rears up, before emitting a shadowy, black burst of smoke from the space where its face should have been, directed right at Akihiko, only for Mori to appear from within Akihiko's shadow, deflecting the attack into a nearby pile of junk with a single shadowy thorn and vanishing back into the oni's shadow as quickly as he appeared. With a roar, Akihiko leaps into the air with grace unbefitting his demonic appearance.

"KA-SU-GAAAAAAAA!"
"Enough!"

Akihiko's fist bursts into flame as he rears back, before he thrusts his hand forward, as if to punch the Akuma. A spout of flame bursts forth from his hand, almost throwing Akihiko back, as the flame tears through the middle of the Akuma, the sounds of glass shattering and amber liquid oozing forth from the cage where Otoya's body was being suspended.

"No....Sakurajima....I...couldn't..."

(Akihiko's Daunt activates!)
(Mori's Support activates!)
(Akihiko will protect Mori to the end!)
(Ibaraki-Douji's Bloodthirst activates!)
(Ibaraki-Douji's Demonic Constitution is active!)
(Shinigami's spells will backfire!)
(Shinigami is under the effect of Pollen Curtain! -15 Hit)
(Akihiko has Kurmunda... -3 DR)

Ibaraki-Douji casts Flame Shot!
Ibaraki-Douji loses 6 MP!

Ibaraki-Douji initiates!
Hit Rate: 73 to hit
Hit: 2, hit!
Critical: 19, crit!
Shinigami takes 78 damage!

Shinigami is defeated!

Shinigami unleashes a few deep moans as it begins to collapse in on itself, the stained-glass shell where Otoya was being kept first cracking, then shattering, Otoya sliding out. Mori is able to exit Akihiko's shadow as he lands, and catches the unconscious Otoya.

"Please...Sawatari...Kasuga...save...Kanna..."

The deathly Akuma fades into dark wisps, as the remaining Onibi, with the controlling influence over them gone, fade away too. The faint sounds of a cello playing in the distance can still be heard. Tadano turns back around, breathing heavily as he rests on his giant kanabo.

"Woah....is this what you guys do now? Is it over? Did we win?"
"Good job, everyone! Yakiniku and udon, on me! Victory dinner, let's go!"
".....No. The Domain hasn't started to collapse yet. Something's not right. But my senses aren't strong enough to pick up on what that is."
"Uh...what? Isn't that how Domains work? You kick the ass of the Akuma in it and it collapses? Man, plenty of weird shit happenin' today I don't get! First Sawatari here turnin' into some weird fox thing, then some guy pretending to be me....."

A red glimmer flashes across the field of stars on Saya's helmet.
"No. It's not over yet...I still sense an enemy in the Domain, Kazami-senpai, Akkun!"

Theodora practically jumps away from Lin.
"W-wait, not out here!"