-Midtown

Nanashi rested his arms behind his head. "It's been a while since I've been here. Me and Asahi cleared this place out a while ago, and I always wondered what this rock in the middle of the lobby was for, since it was obviously important." He thought externally as the Peace Corps walked into the building.

"Tenkai looks rather… stony, for a demon, yes?" Navarre pondered, floating above Nori as he scoffed, pulling out Myoko's Disk.

The disk started to shine in Nori's hand. "Okay, everyone let me do the talking, this is sorta my shtick."

Nori held out the disk to the stone. "Tenkai, by the power of the soul bound within this disk by the sacrifice of many, awaken once more, as a divine deity of this nation!"

The disk glowed and a voice started to come from the stone. "Nakano, it is an honor to be once again serving by your side."

Nori bowed to the voice. "It is an honor to speak with you once again, Tenkai."

"I know why you have come, summoner of the divinities. You wish to learn about the Tokugawa Mandala, the Domain blanketing Tokyo." Tenkai's voice replied.

"What knowledge can you reveal about it to us, Honorable Divinity Tenkai." Nori requested as he lifted from his bow.

In a flash of light, Tenkai appeared in his physical form before the group. "The Tokugawa Mandala is a seal I placed on this region over four hundred years ago. I later released the seal, but it seems the Polytheistic Alliance have restored it for their own purposes. The seal draws its strength from special jars placed within each Fudo temple. The jars siphon unlimited amounts of Aether. You might be more familiar with Aether by its other name, Magnetite. It is the essence of human desires. It is a fascinating and dangerous sight to see one of you wielding a blade of Aetherian Metal." Tenkai paused in his explanation as he looked at Nanashi, who only appeared to smile from the knowledge.

"Aether is drawn from the Expanse, then absorbed by the jugs. The jugs weave the seal, preventing summoning." Tenkai continued.

Nozomi had a slight smile grow up her face. "Any other time, this would be a blessing." Nori gave her a knowing yet comforting look, her smile fading to a neutral grin.

"To break the Tokugawa Mandala, you must stop the flow of Aether from each jar. Know, however, that dangerous amounts will be present. Exposure to Aether could ravage your mind." Tenkai finished explaining.

"Then how do you propose we seal the jars!?" Navarre wondered in a panic.

"Yeah, how are we supposed to deal with that!?" Hallelujah asked.

"Most humans are highly susceptible to the influence of Aether. One with a virtuous heart, however might be able to resist it long enough to do what needs to be done." Tenkai suggested.

Nanashi sighed. "Asahi's not around for this, this is going to be difficult…"

Hallelujah scratched his head. "Really, Asahi? I was thinking it would be Nozomi's job."

"Oh really?" Nanashi and Nori gave the silver haired boy an inquisitive look.

Nozomi gave a motherly smile, hiding the fact she jabbed her elbow in her lover's side. "Hey, I'm just a fairy queen. Virtuous wasn't one of the job requirements. And, really, I don't think the word describes any of us—not as he means it."

"Someone's going to need to be sacrificed." Gaston said solemnly.

"Wait, are you serious!?" Hallelujah yelled in shock.

"If the Aether drives a man insane, then our only choice is to simply use one whose sanity won't be missed. It's the only sensible solution, isn't it?"

"We can't just— "

"Mistress, it appears beings with skills such as ours are needed, can't you agree?" Hendrik interrupted the teen, the sound of his ooze like body twisting into humanoid shape echoing into the room as the other planar sound barrier faded away.

The sound of swirling wind and shadows accompanied the previous fading sound of sinews and bones cracking into place. Revealing Toki wearing instead of her Hannya mask, a mask made of pure thick and smooth black material that appeared to gracefully merge at the edges with her flesh, with thin long black veils on the front and back of her mask, covering her already unperceivable face. "Hendrik, you and the acolyte are right. We will be your so-called sacrifice."

Hallelujah sputtered over himself for a moment in honest surprise. "W-W-Where did you come from?"

"We will seal the jars. Is that a problem?" Toki said without hesitation, Hendrik's forty-eight teeth mouth shifted into a slight malicious smile.

Hallelujah hesitated from the general appearance of Hendrik, quickly recomposing himself. "Of course, it is! Asahi and Leader just fought the both of you yesterday! How can we trust you!?"

Hallelujah shot a look of disbelief at Nanashi, who returned with a neutral look. "It's not a problem, this isn't a matter of trust, only them doing what they say they will do."

The silver haired boy gave a look of uncertainty. "If that's what you say…"

"No way. No one sh— "Nozomi cried in an outburst before cutting herself off as Nori placed his hand on her shoulder, an empathetic look on his face. "N-Never mind." She replied, looking the side with a strangely wistful look on her face.

"If you're concerned about our ability to complete this task, I'm trained to handle situations like this. I should have resistance to the Aether." Toki explained robotically.

"I have journeyed within the Expanse to fully grasp control of my own form, it is like my own flesh and blood, and all of you can see how well I can manipulate that…" Hendrik said with a sadistic cockiness in his voice.

Toki looked to Hendrik before looking back to the group. "This is a direct order from the Ring of Gaea. It must be carried out at all costs."

"They can't just order you to die!" Hallelujah showed he was against the idea of suicide in pursuit for a cause.

Hendrik scoffed. "You expect death to be an easily obtainable thing for us, don't you?"

"The old women's orders are absolute. We will seal the jars." Toki answered before Hallelujah could reply.

"Not much of a choice then." Nozomi muttered to herself, Nori crossed his arms with a smirk on his face. "If you ask me, I'd rather have genocide committing assassins on my side then opposing."

"My current primary target is Maitreya. We have no reason to oppose you at the moment." Toki responded, Nanashi felt a warm blistering feeling run up his back, like a blade grazed him.

Nozomi looked to her significant other and shrugged. "If you say so."

"Now that that's settled…" Tenkai said, everyone turning their attention back to the embodiment of the famed priest.

"lifting the Tokugawa Mandala will require you to seal each of the Aether jars. There are five total, each housed within one of the Fudo temples. I will send the locations to your extraordinary wizarding slates."

Nori's smirk grew into a smile as the group's device dinged with the sound of new data.

"I noticed you once again have my medium in my possession, Commander… I hope to fight tirelessly for your cause once more. I look forward to fighting alongside you as well, wielder of the Slayer's blade. The order in which you seal the jars is inconsequential. Just know that the Tokugawa Mandala will not disperse until all five are sealed. Be ever vigilant." In a slow flash of light, Tenkai disappeared, a resounding melodic sound echoed from the disk hanging from Nori's hand.

"Nice to have you by my side once again. Tenkai." Nori muttered in nostalgia to himself. Quickly turning around to face the group. "Okay everyone, we're leaving now, no time to waste!"

-Ryukokuji

The first stop of the Fudo temples was the nearest one, only south of Shibuya. A massive black energy aura surrounding the temple as the Peace Corps entered it.

Nanashi went ahead of the group as he went into the temple. It had only one large room, a black jar sat at the far end of the room, its top open. A large red skinned being with Chinese style hair in golden armor with black accents and a lit Pagoda lantern in his right palm, and a spear in his left hand stood in watch in front of it.

"I am Bishamonten, the Vengeful." The deva announced to Nanashi as he walked to the center of the room.

"This jar draws the essence of Wrath…." Bishamonten paused, his eternally disappointed face, twitching slighty in curiosity. "You carry the scent of a Hitoshura, are you one of similar blood to the powerful slayer that has defeated me in honorable combat before? I have searched for such a challenge for quite a long time. "

A smirk crawled up Nanashi's face. Everything that involved him hearing about the word "Hitoshura" always involved a Magatama or something very close…. This could be an amazing gift for Asahi (in his mind at least.)

"Yes, I am a being of fiendish blood, if I defeat you in combat. I seek a Magatama of great power!" Nanashi cheered as he drew his signature blade.

Bishamonten gave out a hearty laugh. "Prepare yourself for a test of your power, you bloodthirsty dog!"

The godslayer charged at the Heavenly King, flame lacing his blade as he slashed. Impacting with Bishamonten's spear.

The boy was sent flying a meter back onto his back, quickly getting to his feet and running back at him again.

As the two entities of combat continued to exchange blows, the Peace Corps walked into the temple.

Nori pulled his hat over his eyes as he sighed. "Damn, kid just keeps getting himself in shit… I'm starting to wonder if he's just sadomasochistic now or something." Nozomi shrugging in response as she wrapped her right around his shoulders.

"It matters little; he's killing the obstacle that's preventing us from getting to the jar." Toki said in a annoyed monotone.

Hendrik chuckled to himself as he placed a hand on Toki's shoulder, the obvious head height difference between them showing. "Mistress, you need to prepare yourself for going through the Aether, as you are dead set on doing such, but let me ask you this, could I just do this for you, as the Aether barely affects me… for I'm already dominated by my hungers..."

"Hendrik, I was ordered to stop the Mandala, you were ordered to assure my mission's completion. Let us do our assigned tasks. This mask is proof of the Aether I can travel through, it is the embodiment of my soul's affinity with the Expanse." The lean assassin girl replied, Hendrik noticing the 'Toki" style of confident joy that came from her words.

"Mistress, I had an inkling of what that was, but that is truly… fascinating." Hendrik grinned, his many razor sharp teeth showing through the semi-flesh openings in his mouth.

With a war cry and the sound of a large being falling to their knees, Nanashi stood victorious over the Deva, holding a sleeping metallic worm of dark golden crimson color as he walked to the group, saying nothing but proudly showing the smile on his face.

He walked to a corner of the room near the exit and went through his bag, pulling out an empty bottle of thick clear plastic with a rotatable seal cap. Placing the Magatama inside the bottle to keep it from interacting with others. The very thought of having this thing to give as a gift just made him feel tingly.

While Nanashi was dealing with his spoils. The group was looking at the Jar from across the room as the pinkish Aether mist was filling the room more and more since it's specific Deva was murdered in combat.

"It's going to get more difficult the longer we take, but it's all clear. Ready, Toki?" Nozomi explained as she looked to the assassin.

"This is my duty." The girl said without hesitation.

Toki walked towards the black jar, her body phasing seemingly between dimensions as she became was only describable as a misty three-dimensional shadow.

To Toki the mist turned into thick stone like dough she had to push herself through, a small spiraling pillar of black energy emanating from the top of the jar.

A feeling crawled through her… a feeling so potent and pure it was something she hasn't felt in years. Her body gave out a gasp in reaction, she started to do small but deep breaths to keep her mind at ease. She couldn't fall to the temptation of emotion… yet there was a small pinprick of something else within the haze…

Her body started to tremble with fury. "I hate this… Bound into submission all my life…! An eternally devouring entity swore to follow me everywhere… I want to destroy everything! Burn it all down!" She said without even comprehending her words, the Aether mist forcing thoughts she pushed so deep into the dark silent pockets of her subconscious out.

She started to giggle manically in angered anxiety, her sanity seeming to leave her.

Toki clawed herself through the thick stone like fluid clouds of Aether, reaching the jar as she felt her body slowly being crushed from the pressure of the dimensional overlap.

"Now, to seal it…" She lifted the ornate lid next to the jar and gently placed it on top of it, a gentle sound of metal hitting metal signaling the fading of the dimensional overlap of the Aether.

"There, the Expanse overlap should be neutralized." Toki felt residue of Aether that wasn't attuned to her sitting in her chest, slowly moving to her lower body. But she was confident from her previous training that it will naturally pass.

"I'm done." Toki turned around to the group, her shadowy visage fading with the Aether as she walked back to them, Hendrik inconspicuously but quickly making physical contact with her when she was close enough.

Nozomi gave Toki a motherly smile. "That should do it. On to the next temple" She cheered, turning to find her lover arguing with his apprentice over something, walking off to end it in her bodacious Fairy Queen way.

Hallelujah looked to Toki, his hands in his yellow jacket pockets. "Four more to go, you sure you can handle this?"

The female assassin didn't respond, only Hendrik giving a cold hungry glare to the boy.

Hallelujah looked to his sides and decided to walk off as the others already walked out of the temple.

The assassin stayed at the back of the group. Toki was looking at her hands as they shook for a moment, clenching them to regain control of her muscles. "Such strong urge. It was difficult to resist..."

"Mistress, understand surviving ordeals such as this will make you stronger. The Expanse is a vast body of powerful artifacts, bodiless energy, and lost entities of immense power, it is dangerous but once you can become one with it, very little will stand against you." Hendrik advised, trying to comfort his partner.

"In this world, I must resort to violence to survive. But I have to control myself. I'm not a child anymore..." She muttered to herself, stuck in her own thoughts. Hendrik only wrapping his shifting arm around her shoulders to help push her along.

-Kyoseiin

Going through Meguro, crossing the intersection of Ebisu crossing the district bridge to the Shinjuku region to Naka Meguro to then Setagaya, the Peace Corps reached the second Fudo Temple.

Thick blue Aether energy emanated from the temple, the energy solidifying as blue mist the closer and closer the group got to the temple.

As the group entered the temple, they found it to be of similar design to the other Fudo temple. Except for the large pale yellow skinned man in silver armor, a blue steel blade in his hands stood in the center of the temple.

Nori gestured to Nozomi to draw her gun, making a zapping motion with his off hand.

Nozomi nodded as she unslung her shotgun, loading yellow tipped slug rounds into it.

"I am Jikokuten, the Apathetic. This jar draws the essence of Sloth. Tell me… Have you come to seal it? The Deva called out to the group.

The Hunter Champion smirked as she walked to the head of the group. "I guess you could say our answer is yes…"

"Then you'll have to- "The Deva of the east was cut short by the crumbling hole that was now a third of his head, a melodic ring filling the room as Nozomi rushed towards the Heavenly King, shooting a Zeus Slug Round in the knee of Jikokuten.

The Deva fell to his knee, a barrage of rounds impacting and breaking holes into his armor within seconds as Nori lessened the distance between himself, his life partner, and Jikokuten.

Nozomi flourished her left hand over her shotgun, Celtic runes flowing over the metal like spiritual plants growing within it. Green energy built at the barrel of the firearm, releasing its entirety into a single burst of immense ear ringing force.

The Deva fell the ground, a massive opening within the chest of his hole covered body, cracking and fading into ash with barely a sound.

The two veteran hunters high-fived as they admired their kill. Nozomi bringing Nori's head closer to hers, dragging him by his hat until they briefly entered a passionate kiss. Nori's face completely flush as he walked to the entrance of the temple in attempts to recompose himself.

The Vessel of Danu only showed the deep smile on her face, it quickly shifting to a serious look as she faced Toki. "Okay, that's been done with. You got this, Toki?"

Toki gave a slight nod. "Of course."

The assassin shifted back to her shadow visage, traveling through the Expanse to reach the source of the endless generator of Sloth Aether.

Unlike the Aether of Wrath, the overlap was of a watery mist that seemed to sap her strength. As her steps grew smaller and smaller, a weight kept building within her body.

But when she tried to stop resisting the weight and let it push her down, it faded away, only to come back when she tried to move forward.

Toki's masked started to shift as she gripped herself hard and pushed forward, bearing the intense weight. Tapping into the lingering wrath from earlier to focus herself away from what she was doing.

"Why… do I… have to listen… to them? Why am I… a slave…? Why… does he… follow me… everywhere…?"

Toki's mask shifted around the edges, thinning itself to curve around the rim of her face like the borders to the glass of a space helmet. "Forget all this—No…! I… must... complete my mission."

The girl clawed her way through the mist, her lithe body feeling the warm numbness of her flesh bruising…" Now, to seal it…" Toki gave out an audible sigh when she placed the jar cover over the jar, the mist's effect on her lessening but left a lingering feeling in her stomach.

"There, this Opening is closed." The blue mist disappeared to the general sight of the others. Toki turned to the group. "On to the next."

Gaston grew tired of being quiet and standing by. "Why do you continue to put your mission above your life?"

Toki looked towards the crusader before losing interest in eye contact and facing the exit, Hendrik lacing his seemingly gloved finder along her neckline in a strange mix of awe, attraction, and admiration, Toki giving no reaction to the contact. "Isn't that what Samurai do? Don't you live simply to serve the angels' whims?"

"No. I live by the Samurai Code! I do not live for the whims of angels." Gaston says vehemently in response.

Toki's head looked slightly up to Hendrik's face and then started to walk out of the temple. "Interesting that you see it that way."

Gaston had a look of frustration on his face. Nozomi prodding his side with her now slung shotgun. "You two finished? Then let's go."

Nanashi already started walking out of the temple, Nori doing a quick checkup of his gun as he waited for Nozomi, and Gaston walked out, letting out an irritated sigh.

As the group left the temple, Hendrik had to push Toki along as her mind was stuck in her thoughts, muttering to herself. "Sloth… That dullness in my body… it was as if it was forcing me to just embrace doing nothing… I exist only to serve the Ring of Gaea; nothing shall hinder me."

Hendrik gave out a huff as Toki walked after the group, his breath causing a slight fog to form for a brief second. "Mistress, strength comes from self-understanding… and you haven't even taken the first step yet…"

-Hakujoin

Nanashi quickly disappeared when the group made it to Shimo-Kitazawa, northwest to Koenji, North to Nakano, losing sight of the two assassins as they went northeast to Takadono Baba, crossing the district bridge into Ikebukuro, going into Mejiro then east into Ikebukuro proper, going south east into Zoshigaya, then finally reaching Hakujoin temple.

White energy emanated from the temple as the group of four walked into it, the sounds of combat ensuing.

The third Deva was in a melee with Toki and Hendrik. Toki shifting in her shadow form around the heavenly King, deep glowing cuts crossed over Koumokuten's chest, and every joint along his body,

Toki's cleavers had the glowing multi-colored blades sticking out of the tips, she wasn't holding back.

As Toki spiraled around her target, untouchable, Hendrik was facing the Deva straight on, his legs having shifted into have blades the size of shortswords spring lock out of the tips of his now chitinous feet. Digging into Koumokuten's knees and then up his body before spring off in a backflip, the Deva's body falling into bloodless pieces as the force from the blades caused the Expanse blade cuts to fully detach.

"Mission complete." The two muttered in sync, nodding to each other in nuanced mutual respect.

"Mistress, It's clear." Hendrik quickly said, Toki shifting back to her shadow form.

Nori drew Stradivari and spiraled it in his hand, looking towards Hendrik as he blankly stared at Toki's form. "How are you so resistant to unstable Aether?"

Hendrik didn't move. "It is my lifeblood, the material that become one with me, what evolved me into my form when I was born… It doesn't affect me." He muttered in response, slowly starting to gnaw on his own hand due to the high amount of Gluttony Aether… building his own extreme hunger.

Nori just shook his head and sighed. "…Sure."

Toki didn't feel resistance or see anything different in this Aether mist. Only a burning sensation in her stomach, swirling through her like a sphere of flame.

"…. My stomach… it burns…! I'm starving! I need something, now! Is this the feeling… he has to bear constantly?!"

Her mutterings echoed in the room as she slowly moved closer to the white metal jar at the other end.

Gaston tightened his grip on the spear of Michael, the sight of the young girl mumbling to herself and pawing her way towards the jars annoying him to no end. "I can't stand this anymore. Leave it to me!"

Gaston walks to the jar pushing Toki out of the way as he now stood in front of the white metal jar.

"Hey! What are you doing!?" The Expanse bladed assassin asked the Samurai in surprise.

"I am a captain of the Samurai! I will not forfeit my life to such spectral nonsense as— " Gaston gave out a gasp of pain as his body started to cease in immense pain, twitching on the ground.

Navarre popped back into existence. "Gaston!? Hey! Do something! That's my little brother!"

Hendrik stopped gnawing at the slowly bleeding stump of his hand and growled in annoyance. Walking through the Aether as his hand grew back, dragging Gaston to the entrance of the temple without a word.

As soon as his body left the central cloud of Aether, he gasped back to life, still in immeasurable pain. "He'll be fine. It'll wear off soon." Toki says, out of desire to not have Navarre screaming for his brother to not die.

Gaston pushed himself up to a sitting position against the temple wall. "You saved my life… I swear I will one day return the favor."

Hendrik looked to his partner, whose mask shifted yet again. The frontal veil was now shorter, a spike blade-eske pattern along the bottom, the central surface of it now giving an impression of a face behind it, the material of it started to coil in places in her long black hair.

"Why do you act like this?"

Gaston grunted in pain and looked towards the young girl. "How am I acting?"

"You're a prisoner to these ideals that someone else invented."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." The Samurai grunted out through the pain.

"Do your really mean that you're acting this way for yourself, that you aren't living as you were told to? I guess the same could be said for me..." Toki turned around and started to go through the rest of the Aether to the jar. Her resolve reignited.

Gaston took a few deep pained breaths. "…She has quite the tongue for a child."

Hendrik smiled. "She's my mistress, she has to be impressively astute to be such."

The small sound the metal clapping on top of the jar echoed in the room. "There… That should take care of it." The mist and force in the room faded away.

Toki walked back to the group, breathing slowly. Nozomi looked concerned and moved closer to the lithe girl. "Are you okay?"

"I can handle it…" She returned as she continued to take exhausted breaths.

"Well, let's jet. Still another temple to tackle and we're bound to find Slugshot on the way, hopefully." The Fairy queen cheered as she walked out of the temple.

Hallelujah gave a smile to the group. "Hey, we're halfway home. Only two more to go!"

The group started to leave the temple, Hendrik helping Toki walk as she held a hand to her stomach.

"Gluttony… I never thought hunger could be so overwhelming… Hendrik, I'm sorry I never understood what you have to go through…"

"Mistress save me your concern. I live to consume or my hunger will consume me. It's the burden I bear and no one else's, but it doesn't mean I won't let it hinder you. I'm here to serve you, so let faceless devourer be a useful tool for you." Hendrik explained, giving an unnerving toothy smile.

Toki didn't reply. Only gave out a sigh of many signals.

-Nansekiji

Zouchouten started to crumble into glowing Amalan dust as it's limbless torso sunk deeper down the shaft of the Spear of Micheal through the large hole in their chest as Gaston and Nanashi lifted them into the air.

Gaston pulled his weapon from Nanashi's grasp. "I didn't need your assistance. I was handling the final blow perfectly fine."

The cold-blooded magical entity slayer gave a smirk as he gave a huff. "Appreciate the assistance I give. I've been told I'm the leader of this… group so I'm going to act like one. "He started to pull on his fingers, large audible clicks telling him to go to the next.

"Besides I'm not going to just let one of the people I'm in charge die due to over-confidence. And I've heard confidence is a slow and insidious killer. The only form of death I can allow is a regretless one."

Nanashi gave a thumbs up to Nozomi as he walked to the entrance of the chamber.

Toki, in an effortless flourish sheathed her blades on her arms as she intently watched Hendrik devour the limbs of the deva.

Nozomi looked towards the small assassin girl. "Okay… You got this, Toki?"

Toki broke her attention away from subconsciously reaching towards her partner, and looked towards the fairy queen. "I'll seal it."

She phased back into her shadow form, the pinkish mist briefly intensifying as she wandered through it towards red jar at the end of the room.

Toki's mask changed once again as she mumbled in shock and started to make moaning sounds. Her mask shifted to reveal her currently bright red face, the edges now fully curved around the frame of her face, the veil growing vastly darker and even shorter to only covering the uncovered part of her face, embedding itself into the frame along the curve of her jawbone. The back now wrapping her hair into two ponytails wrapped into one.

She took another step in the thick intoxicatingly good mist. Her body starting to feel numb and light… a familiar perspective changing feeling rapidly spreading across her body as she fell to her knees. She could stop herself from giving out muffled moans.

"Wh-What is this…!?" She stumbled to say within her stream of moans, increasingly getting higher pitched as her body hit a peak.

"Hitoshi… wait, please… I haven't done this before…. Oh, please wait… it's fine now… it doesn't hurt… please…don't stop… Hendrik... no, please... not there… I've don't know… what it'd be like…." She mumbled to herself in very clear but hazy remembrance, her body sway back and forth as she struggled to push herself up to her feet.

Nozomi looked at Hendrik, who was just watching Toki attempt to reach the jar. "…Lolicon." She muttered with absolute disgust.

Toki made it to her feet only to fall back to her knees and hands. "No… No! I have to… resist!" She groaned in moan filled desperation.

She forced herself to her feet, only for a similar result to happen again, but she didn't stop trying. Eventually she was able to move in the form of a half standing crawl through the thick mist that made her body start to do unfamiliar bodily reactions, moisture building all over her skin and a cloudy hormone haze bouncing in her head.

She was panting heavily when she reached the jar, shakily lifting the ornate metal lid. "It's sealed now…"

With a simple sound of metal, the mist started to rapidly fade away. A feeling still lingering within the depths of Toki's head.

Hendrik swiftly dashed to his mistress' side as she was taking heavy breaths. Her body going slack into his arms.

Nozomi gave a look of concern as Hendrik carried his partner, her body naturally shifting between shadow and solid. "…Is Toki alright?

Toki stood up in Hendrik's grasp. Unable to say anything past breathy pants. "Mistress is fine, her body is just adjusting to the forced evolution." Hendrik explained off handedly as he held Toki with an increasingly loving grip.

Hallelujah looked with honest worry at the young girl. "I think you need a break."

Toki broke out of her partner's grasp and somewhat limped towards the entrance. "Mind your own business…"

Nozomi sighed. "On to the next, then. "The fairy queen started to walk out, Nori staying by her side.

Hallelujah stood in front of the two young adults, a look of complete disappointed shock. "Seriously! Look at her!"

Nozomi had a look of maternal instinct and concern only for it to fade once she looked at Nori's cold expression. "What does it matter? She's not going to listen to reason. Might as well get this over with as quickly as possible, for all our sakes."

"I guess…" Hallelujah looked to the side in complete dejection, taking a few steps away from the enigma couple (and in his mind, that was truly saying something.)

Nozomi smiled as she wrapped an arm around Nori's shoulders. "Just one more. Let's keep it up and end this. What's the last one Nori?"

Nori lifted his hat up. "It should be Okuji, north of Minowa."

Nanashi walked out of the temple, arms behind his head. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I get to be with Asahi, so let's be quick about this."

Gaston scoffed as he made haste and walked outside ahead of the Godslayer. "The arrogance I would expect from one that would make a pact with a pagan god."

Nanashi gave a malevolent smirk. "That's the kind of elitism I'd expect from one that serves angels."

"Oh, you know nothing."

Nanashi walked into the distance. "I know all I need to know about you." He said smugly as he started to jog away.

Hallelujah ran after the two as Gaston started to chase Nanashi in a fit of rage. "Hey, break it up you two! We don't have time for this!"

Nori exhaled and shook his head. "Well if this is how it feels like having kids… I'd like to wait another decade and half before having them…"

Nozomi pouted. "But, Babe what if wanted Kids in a few years, would... or should I say can you say no to me." Her pout turning into a deep smug grin on her face.

Nori felt his face involuntarily heat up, making him seeing the option of running after his apprentice all the more feasible.

Nozomi's lips scrunched up as she watched her fiancé leave the situation to hide the hole in his titanium will. "Damnit, he always does this when I get close to him admit to it… but it was probably for the best. If he said it, I'd be so turned on we'd be stuck on the temple floor for three days at the least…"

Seeing nothing left to do, Nozomi ran after the rest of the group, leaving Toki and Hendrik.

Toki, now finally recomposed walked after the Peace Corps. Holding herself in her arms. "That's the effect of lust… Those images were so potent… like I was living them over again… I still feel like I'm floating… as if my body isn't my own… "

Hendrik placed a hand on his partner's shoulder. "Mistress, are you alright? I trusted you to see you were fine, but if something is lingering, I request you inform me!"

She looked to the non-constant entity that has seen ever centimeter of her body in many capacities. "Hendrik. I was wonder if we could… actually it's nothing… I'm too young for these kind of things."

Hendrik gave an unnerving smile. "I'd very like to say otherwise Mistress, I'd like to say otherwise."

-Okuji

Within the yellowish mist of the temple's chamber, sat the last open jar, a yellow one.

Between the group and the jar floated a tri-torso lady in a white gown on her lower body with minor levels of metal covering her upper bodies.

"I am Marishiten, the Superior. This vessel draws the essence of Pride. Have you come to shatter its image?"

Nanashi drew Kamikira with a practiced flourish. Looking back to the group behind him, all readying themselves to end this within moments. "What do you think? The ones bathed in the blood of heavenly kings are just here to watch you from a distance?" He replied in a tone of arrogant and sarcastic confidence.

Marishiten readied her weapons. "Only the truly vain would believe vanquishing me is achievable. You will suffer for your arrogance."

The Murderer of the Almighty's right palm started to fill with Arctic magic as he gestured for the Corps to charge at the Deva.

Hendrik and Toki leapt with ungodly speed in unison, slicing off the second and third torsos with surprising ease.

Marishiten was unable to saw words form the intense level of traumatic pain, only screaming in rage.

Nanashi spring himself at the Deva as she was pulling back on her bow, releasing a glowing arrow that burst into a myriad of projectiles upon reaching velocity, tens of small projectiles pierced the Godslayer's body sending him into the ground a significant distance behind the Corps' frontline.

Hallelujah looked in shock as Nanashi push himself up against the wall, bleeding from many small wounds. "Leader! Are you alright?!"

Nanashi dispelled the magic building in his hand and stabbed his Jian style sword into the ground. "I'm fine…" He rubbed his hand over his now dripping wounds, his hand coated in a thin layer of blood. "I just need Asahi to heal me. It's not a problem. These are just petty scrapes…"

Hallelujah went through Nanashi's tactical vest pockets and held a small energy drink bottle towards him. "Just drink it. I'm not letting you fight this full of hole Leader."

An unexpected stubbornness came from Hallelujah's stare at Nanashi. The King's vassal looked away and gave out a groan. "…Fine..." He pushed himself up, taking the Hustle Drink from Hallelujah's hand.

Nanashi glared at the teenager as he quaffed the fluid. "You're not a human, are you?"

Hallelujah fought back the urge to react and deny. "Doesn't matter, and I'd rather not talk about it."

Nanashi just scoffed as he stretched and adjusted his gear back in place. "Whatever works for you. Just stop doing nothing."

Hallelujah looked to the side. "….. I'll think about it."

The Godslayer goes back to the frontline to see Toki already starting to go through the mist. "Hey, Kid. Finish having a heart to heart with Hallelujah?" Nori teased his student.

"I guess… he's sorta annoying… can we get this over with or this going to take a while? I wanna go see Asahi." He muttered with very clear adrenaline filled boredom, sheathing Kamikira with a quiet resounding click.

Nori gave a shrug to Nozomi who gave a look of concern towards him and Nanashi. They're attention refocusing to Hendrik as he very clearly appeared to be on edge.

"Mistress… why do you think you have to do everything on your own… I'm here to be your shadow… support you…" His body started to shift into varies blades, progressing more sick and twisted in design as it went down his body.

Toki started to give out choking grunts as she made it halfway through the mist. Her hair bindings shifted once more, the back veil disappearing entirely and her shoulder long black hair clumped up into a Chinese braid with many ethereal black rings along its length. "Look at me… I'm trying so hard… so please…" she started to mutter to herself.

Her gloved hands tightened in an aggravated grip. "…Damnit, after all I've done for you! Thank me! Praise me! I need more then just him to do so! Why do I need someone to clean up after me! Ngh, no these aren't my own words… I don't need praise from others!"

Toki held her hands to her head in pain as her thoughts started to jumble and pointless things gained meaning, meaningful things became pointless as the the weight in her chest rocketed to her head…

Toki dragged herself to the jar, her body showing no resistance to movement in the Aether. "Just need to…."

She lifted the jar's lid only for more intense pain to burst into her head, her chest, her limbs.. every part of her.

As she slumped in a unconscious heap against the shrine that the jar was within, Hendrik looked ready to bolt to her aid. "Hey! Are you okay!?" Hallelujah yelled.

Hendrik started venture into the mist only for Toki to push herself up to her feet. "No, Hendrik! This is my assignment, my mission! You can't do everything for me and say I did it!"

Hendrik made no noise, only sat before the mist in a meditative position similar to ones in Buddhist practice. Everyone looked towards him as a Toki placed the lid on the final jar.

The mist and presence faded, the ground shaking immediately after as Toki walked back to the group, holding a hand to her head in intense internal pain.

Hallelujah looked to everyone as the ground's shaking started to intensify. "What's going on!?"

Nori holstered Stradivari. "That should be the Mandala dispelling. Everyone should be cleaning up the hordes of Alliance deities with their demons as we speak. Kid, now you can go see your girlfriend!"

Nanashi already started to walk out only to stop when Toki's body collapsed onto the temple floor. Hendrik quickly rushing to her aid, lifting her exhausted body into his arms.

Nozomi's maternal nature kicked in and she rushed to the young girl's side. "Are you okay?"

Toki gave out a tired moan. Hendrik lifted her head to his shoulder as he held her now unconscious body. "Mistress should be fine. Her body is just adjusting to the influx of Aether now circulating in her body. She'll be much stronger now… like me." He explained in an abnormal melancholic tone.

The group felt a sudden of power for a completed quest but didn't give attention to it as Toki was starting to twitch.

"Alright, let's get her someplace safe to-!?" Nozomi leaned in to lift Toki's veil to see if she was going through an overdose like symptom or just exhaustion.

Toki's body started to violently seize. Nozomi getting pulled back to the temple's wall by Nori as mist started to cloud out of the assassin's throat.

The mist coalesced into a shape Nori and Nozomi have feared to ever see again… it's was ethereal and weak but it still had the presence. Two large royal yellow wings, long green strung back hair, a large egg like lower body of smooth white flesh. Many motherly breasts of varying sizes..

Nori redrew Stradivari, going through his vest for the Expanse tipped shotgun slugs. "No... it can't be... did Nozomi. No Danu being around the overlaps lead her here… and she's now inhabiting Toki... Damnit, but the fucking Axiom we can't forget about these two anymore…"

"I am Inanna, Mother of All. My essence has been cast adrift within the Aether. This vessel has given me a way out. Danu, my kin… My resurrection nears… Return to me your power!" The Aetherial remnant screamed in a smooth motherly voice laced with static.

Toki's seizures starting to intensify, Hendrik's body changing density and consistency to prevent her from sustaining permanent trauma. "Your power belongs to me… Give it back… Give it back give it back…" Inanna screamed.

The crest over where Nozomi's womb would be glowed through her clothes, Danu manifesting in a cloud of light. "Inanna… Mother… This power is what protects the fairies from those in the eternal war. I cannot relinquish it."

Nozomi caught the scatter slugs Nori tossed her as he repositioned. Switching the ammo in her shotgun. "You heard the woman. Now fuck off back to your nice cozy plain of nothingness!"

Inanna's image glitched and a massive presence of energy shot around the chamber. "Your reasons mean nothing to me. Your power will be mine once more… "

As Nanashi and Gaston readied themselves to charge, Nori held his arm out. "Stop, Inanna is linked to Toki, if we don't break the link Toki will die with Inanna! So stay back and let me and Nozomi handle this!"

Nanashi sheathed Kamikira and watched silently. Gaston just grumbled to himself as he spun his spear in his hand and into the ground. "Fine. Handle your own issues."

The Queen of Fairies and King of Hunters fired at the remnant of Inanna, creating holes in the misty figure before creating holes in the walls behind each of them.

"Damn it, guns aren't going to work… time to use this for once!" Nori grunted, drawing a thick Kopis from the sheath on the back of his belt.

Nozomi stayed silent, her eyes hidden under the glare of her green shades started to unload her shotgun into Inanna, each blast causing the Mother of all to glitch in pain, Toki seizing intensely for each time Inanna glitched.

Nozomi continued until Inanna was a fading image full of holes large and small. "I said to fuck off, and you don't disobey the damn Queen! Nori end this bitch!"

"Koga! Whirlwind Blade!" Nori commanded, Kota Saburo briefly appeared with his twin blades, immense spirals of wind covering the fang blades as he slashed through the remnant of Inanna, starting to fade into featureless mist.

"I can't last… Not like this… I have to go back… await my resurrection within that vessel... "With an echoing, static filled scream, Inanna shifted into a spiraling cord of fog that covered the two Gaeans.

As Nori went in to finish the job, a wall of spikes erupted from Hendrik. "Let this happen, Mistress is strong enough to bear it!"

As the core spiraled into Toki's open mouth, her seizures started to lessens and she started to open her eyes. Her eyes glazed over with a lifeless whitish gold. A pained scream starting to come out of her.

The scream was cut short as the cord was forcefully divided into two with an abrupt strike of the spear of Micheal. It fading with the ethereal sound of gurgling blood. Toki starting to seize once again before going limp in her partner's arms.

"Nice shot, Gaston!" Hallelujah cheered. Not aware of the situation Toki was enduring.

Gaston huffed. "Manipulating the weak for dark purposes is truly an embodiment of cowardice. I was merely following the Samurai Code. And that's Sir Gaston."

Hallelujah held his left hand to his head. "Uh, sure. Anyway, we've completed the quest. "

Nanashi lost interest in the situation and started to give the once over on his gear, moving around his items to not damaged compartments and other minor details only he'd be concerned with.

Toki groaned, Hendrik helping her get to her feet as she held her head in the lifting haze her mind was in.

"Toki, you okay? Everything in one piece?" Nozomi asked with an immense motherly aura.

Toki looked to Hendrik and smiled (her veil resting on top of her head), the non-constant entity hiding their massive surprise. "I feel better now…"

Nozomi strung her shotgun back over her shoulder, repositioning her flare glasses back into place. "Phew, good. Inanna almost turned you into a vessel."

Toki looked honestly confused. "Inanna…? Vessel? That must be what this feeling inside is… the feeling of something slowly dying deep within me…"

"Fortunately, Nori and me were able to shoot her full of holes… and when Inanna tried to hide herself inside you, Gaston leapt to your rescue."

Gaston turned away from the group as he scoffed to hide his slight embarrassment.

"All of you, Thank you. "Toki said in a natural manner.

Hendrik looked confused for a moment. "Mistress?"

Toki looked to her partner. "Thank you as well, Hendrik. I appreciate you being here for me."

Gaston turned around with surprise written on his face. "What!?"

The majority of the Peace Corps just looked in honest shock towards the slender assassin girl. "What's wrong?" Toki asked in bewilderment towards the group's shock.

"What's wrong? What's wrong with you? Where's the Toki we know? Are you being controlled by that 'Inanna' thing!?" Hallelujah questioned.

Nori sheathed his kopis with a practiced flourish. "Inanna should be dead. All that could remain should be just the lingering energy…"

Toki looked to the King of Hunters and then back to the Ashura-Kai Agent. "I'm not a cold-hearted demon and It's pretty obvious I am not being controlled by some dead thing. All of you contributed to saving my life, so shouldn't I be allowed to thank all of you?"

Hallelujah looked away, now feeling awkward with making assumptions. "Well, yeah, but…"

The group's chatter faded to silence with a resounding thud originating from the temple entrance.

What made it was something Nanashi couldn't help but smile at.

Maitreya, the embodiment of Japanese Buddhism, was staring directly at Toki. "You broke the Tokugawa Mandala…"

"Maitreya!" She uttered in disgust, attempting to dash towards her target only for her body to waver as she tried to take the first step shadow shifting, Hendrik catching her effortlessly.

"Mistress, let your body reorient itself. Power only benefits under the sharpening of control." Her partner scolded her.

"So selfish. Do you understand what you've done? You've given the city back to the demons. I thought the prestigious Peace Corps didn't want to be caught in this war between angels and demons. "Maitreya said in a disappointed monotone.

Nanashi drew Kamikira once again, standing before the Japanese Buddha. "Do you think I honestly care about the way?! I was given a job to break the mandala and that's what I fucking did! Everyone else needs demons to defend themselves and I'm not going to let all those practiced hunters be stricken down by some shitstain foreign gods!"

"How tragic. You've forgotten your place and have chosen to oppose us. I will show you mercy and free you from this cycle of self-made misery. "An immense aura of power burst from Maitreya, the Peace Corps quickly moving back into battle positions.

"Salvation awaits you."

Nanashi ran an immensely empowered Agidyne along his favorite blade, Nori and Nozomi loaded Hephaestus rounds, Hallelujah shifted his posture, and Gaston aimed his spear.

"I return to this world visiting 5 billion, 670 million others, only to find humanity blindly marching along, your actions a mystery even to yourselves. You've only managed to make the angels, demons—even the Creator God—all stronger. I'm sure you did not intend to once more make Tokyo a haven for foreign gods and demons to run rampant. And that is why I will release all from a life of uncertainty and ignorance.

Nanashi leapt at the buddha, his blade sinking into the large red cloth covered body only for him to be sent to the ground as he felt an ascended force slam into him, Maitreya unmoved.

Maitreya stayed unmoving as a statue only repositioning his hands to interlock with each other. Many images of him started to overlap his own body as 5,670,000,000 palms impacted the Peace Corps, sending them back as a thick wave of force slammed the group, blasting the tried group in to farther reaches of the chamber.

Nanashi got to his feet and made some hand signals with his open hand, Nozomi and Nori starting to unload fiery bullets into the motionless Maitreya.

"Damnit. He's in perfect with all his other versions in different worlds… that's a direct cross dimensional violation. It's my duty to stop this kind of shit!" Nori grumbled to himself as he approached the large metal Buddha.

Nori drew his kopis as he pushed past Nanashi, muttering inconceivable words under his breath as a sigil formed on the back of his hand. Slashing six times into the motionless Buddha, forming a seal no average mortal has ever seen on the uncut chest of Maitreya.

An immense blast of dimensional energy burst from the seal, causing the very being of Maitreya to fade for moments, only for seemingly hundreds of Maitreyas to lift the Regulator by his throat, many unperceivable hands restraining him.

Maitreya looked to Nanashi, a smirk growing on his almost inert being. "Wield the light of self, the light of Dharma. Depend not on others, but only on yourself and dharma. Do you not agree that you should leave the dead weight you call 'comrades' behind and fight alone? Unburdened and free to search and reflect upon one's self to achieve enlightenment?"

Nori dropped his kopis and Stradivari, trying to break free of Maitreya's grip. "Kid, just kill the damn Buddha. I'll be fine. I've…. handled…worse…moments!"

Nanashi smirked. "When have I ever listened to you?"

The Godslayer dashed forwards and plunged his blade into Maitreya as he used Nori to shield himself. Going directly through the metallic Buddha's arm, causing Nori to fall to the ground, quickly grabbing his weaponry as he retreated to the back line.

"Kid, this is likely the only time I'm going to say this. So, feel pretty good about yourself right now! You did a decent job not listening to what I was ordering you to do." Nori cheered as Nozomi gave her a concerned look before pushing him to the ground behind her.

Nanashi's smirk just grew deeper. It felt good to be a sadistic asshole every once in a while.

"Dependence, friendship… These will not lead you to enlightenment. I will show how others hold back your training." Maitreya scolded Nanashi, his presence growing to overwhelming levels.

Nanashi started to laugh. He briefly looked to the Peacekeepers with a twisted smirk on his face. "You guys. Let me have this fight. I want to kill this…like really badly. And I don't want any of you intruding upon that, got it!?"

Before he could get a response Nanashi leapt at Maitreya, hundreds of imperceptible hands impacted his body as Kamikira dug into the Japanese Buddha's metallic flesh.

Easily shrugging off the force of the many alternate version of Maitreya, Nanashi continued to slash and stab Maitreya, the Buddha yet unmoving from the blows.

Nanashi built a pure sphere of fire within his palm, concentrating to let it grow to immense levels. "I know how you've been branded a traitor by the people of Tokyo. Why, then, do you persist? What are you fighting for?"

Nanashi closed his hand, feeling the heat of the fire in his palm. "I fight for two reasons. One I only feel good from doing a select few things, getting a good job done, killing powerful things like you, and being able to make Asahi happy. Two Asahi means everything to me, I exist to make her smile, feeling happy, even moan in bliss. I desire to be able to kill anything, and I mean anything with her by my side. I know what I want in life, and I couldn't ever find happiness in a life without her."

"To know oneself is to rid one's self of desire. Only then will find enlightenment. If you truly fight of the affection and happiness of one another, both abandon desire. If you free both your souls, your wishes will come true." Maitreya explained.

Disappointed in no reaction from Nanashi, with a growing smirk on his face, Maitreya attempted to slam his palm into the sociopath's chest, only for it to be skewered on the glowing blade of a familiar assassin. "… Don't interfere with me, girl."

"What I'm fighting for… It never crossed my mind before. I simply followed my orders. But I'm different now! I'm more than powerful enough to carve my own way of existence into this world. "Toki threw Maitreya's hand to the side as Hendrik jumped down from the ceiling and tried to skewer the metallic Buddha, only to fail as he was swung into the wall with a strong swing of Maitreya's right arm.

Toki used the opportunity to trigger her other cleaver's expanse blade and dimensionally cut into the chest of Maitreya, a glowing cut across his chest. "I think I can find what I truly want that way to be through this battle… by defeating you."

Hendrik leapt from the wall and back at Maitreya, attempting to devour his right arm, only for that similar power to compress him into a pile of ooze, that quickly reformed before him. "Lord Maitreya. I know this is a greatly dishonorable act to you and the brothers and sisters that follow your ways. But I couldn't be a part of your order. I can never seek enlightenment, I must persist to feed my hunger, my desire to devour, kill, to hunt. I must never yield to my hunger but I must feed it to survive. I joined the ones that hide in the ideal of a world of no order only strength... a world I could endlessly feed this hunger of mine."

A smirk grew along Maitreya's motionless face. "I will rid the pain and endless desire caused your ignorance. The Polytheistic Alliance will be the light of your wisdom."

Toki nodded and Hendrik and the two battled the Buddha in perfect synchronization. Nanashi just growled bitterly as he unwantingly joined the assassins in their combat with Maitreya. "What your two's fucking deal? I said this was my fight. I didn't need you two ruining it for me! So just fuck off and let me finish this!"

The three continued to exchange blows with the third leader of the Polytheistic Alliance. Hendrik gave a grim smile as he looked at Nanashi. "This is our fight as well, Godslayer. And when did you ever think we actually gave a damn about what your opinion of us is?"

Nanashi laughed as he stabbed into the stomach of Maitreya. "I'll fucking brutally kill the both of you… eventually. As you can see I have some higher priorities as the moment, but just know you'll both perish bleeding out on Kamikira's blade." Nanashi leapt back as he felt Maitreya lace himself with an energy that attuned to his own magic.

"So be it then!" The assassins said at the same time.

Toki shifted into shadows, a string of light appearing within her form. Hendrik was shifted into the same realm as his mistress, the two moving in an immensely complex lotus dance of murder to the highest degree.

Deep cuts started to form along Maitreya's entire form, the two assassins moving in increasing speed their bodies seemingly changing to amorphous non-constants as they slashed and cut and larger into their prey. The cuts starting to form oriental Lotus shapes and varies other seals, each profoundly glowing with the bloodily burn of an expanse cutter.

Nanashi briefly looked in awe before, finding the whole impressive ordeal getting in the way of his enjoyed act of murdering mystical entities. Lunging forward with Kamikira to sink it into the Buddha's chest. Maitreya's being started to waver, cracks forming just before Nanashi sunk his soul cutting blade into his chest.

Nanashi stepped back, pulling his plunged blade out of the dying Buddhist entity's chest with only half the satisfaction of an adrenaline filled earned kill.

The two assassins stopped their dance of death as they watched their prey's demise. "Gaaaaaah… I must not have practiced enough observation and reflection… No matter… I shall reincarnate by the Mother of All's grace. The Polytheistic Alliance's luck yet runs dry. I will bear witness to Mother Inanna's presence with pin that girl… someday…"

Hendrik snarled. "To may you wait an eternity for that impossibility, Lord Maitreya."

The Buddha's cracks grew and intensified until they overcame his entire being, shattering apart in a small flash of light before fading into disappearing ash.

The rest of the Peace Corps rushed towards the three as the battle ended. "Oh, we won! We won! You've certainly taken my training to heart, haven't you?" Navarre cheered.

Nanashi and Hallelujah looked skeptical at the small green ghost. "Wait, when did this training happen?" The silver haired boy asked.

"I don't remember ever doing absolute shit with you. Don't go gloryhounding off my coat tails." Nanashi grumbled in annoyance.

Toki gave a smile. "One more target and— "Toki's knees gave out beneath the weight of her body yet again, Hendrik and Nanashi catching the young girl as she fell.

Nanashi let go of the girl that wasn't Asahi in complete apathy, leaving her in Hendrik's embrace. "Oh…! S-Sorry. "Toki muttered in apology, standing up and separating herself from her partner's grasp.

She quickly spiraled her cleavers to the clips on her elbows, holding a balled hand to her chest. "My heart is pounding… I… I must be tired…" Toki muttered to herself, eyes bleary and face flushed.

Nozomi yawned and stretched, her arm wrapping around Nori's shoulders. "It's been a helluva day. Let's head back to Kinshicho and go let Slugshot check on Asahi."

Toki's veil slipped over her face. "It's time for us to leave, then…." The slender girl awkwardly paused as she saw Hendrik's smile.

She quickly looked to Nanashi with an annoyed yet slightly rose tinted look on her face. "Your Sweetheart hasn't paid me back for what she did… and you swore you'd kill the both of us… So I'll … W-We'll be back to make you regret your words and your choice of attachment."

Toki and Hendrik walked out of the temple, Hendrik hugging Toki from behind before she panicked and shifted the both of them in shadows, disappearing into the eternal dim city light of Tokyo.

"I'm so going to gut the both of them one of these days." Nanashi mused to himself in relaxed teenage joy.

Gaston uncomfortably gave a glance at Nanashi in confusion before refocusing his attention. "Was there something off about her just now?

Nori pulled his cabbie over his eyes. "I don't want to think about it, but I have a potent idea of what's happening later between those two later today." He muttered in response, briefly shivering before recomposing himself and his hat.

Nozomi laid her head on Nori's shoulder. "Let's bounce. Slugshot wants to check in on Asahi."

On the way back to Kinshicho Nanashi received a video call.

Quickly answering the call, Fujiwara appeared on the screen. "Looks like you were able to do it. "

"Words travels quickly down here." Gaston mused as he walked up to Nanashi who stopped walking.

Skins showed up on the screen. "Not so much, it's just the Demon Summoning Program is working again. Looks like you didn't screw us after all."

Nanashi huffed as he started to smirk. "I work to please."

"This is proof enough for me that you and Seike aren't our enemy. Some people have even starting calling you our 'Champion'. Nori if you're around to hear this, my deepest apologies on that front. Anyway, I'd say you've redeemed yourself. "Fujiwara explained with his naturally calm demeanor.

Gaston grumbled. "This is ridiculous, to act like he and the girl did it on their own… the girl wasn't even here doing the work…."

Nanashi glared murderous daggers back at Gaston as he glared at the teenager in bitter annoyance. "To prove our trust, we've decided to grant you access to the New Hunter HQ. You'll be given a key card when you arrive at Kasumigaseki. "Fujiwara explained, not noticing the exchange between the exchange between the two young men.

Nansahi smiled at the symbol of achievement given before him. "Tomorrow's gonna be a pain in the ass, but until then, you should get some rest." Skins said, a growing smirk on his face.

Fujiwara appeared back on the screen. "I look forward to seeing what you and Seike can do." The called ended and Nanashi started to get back to walking to Kinshicho.

"Cool. Now we can go back to Kinshicho without that hanging over our heads." Hallelujah smiled towards Gaston, Nozomi, and Nori.

Nori had a bold smile on his face. "Well my only title now is the 'King of Hunters' not the 'Hunter Champion' anymore. So everyone better start calling me that!"

Nozomi hugged her lover tighter. "Sorry, my kingliness, but as long as you're my precious source of love and amazing sex, you're not much more than a Fairy Queen's consort!"

Nozomi grabbed Nori's cabbie before he could lower it over his eyes, revealing his blushing face. "I-I…can live with that… doesn't sound so bad."

Gaston and Hallelujah face palmed for similar yet very different reasons. "The sooner we kill the Alliance, the sooner I can leave a hero and not have to deal with these eccentric freaks…"

"Humans are so fickle, swinging from one extreme to the other whenever convenient. It's all so much clawing and calculation. Right, kid?" Dagda questioned his vassal.

"It's a system that has led to what I understand to be many wars over petty things or acts of fear mongering and terrorism. It's really a shell to this natural desire to just go higher in the ranks of any group a person is in." Nanashi responded to his contract deity.

"They're selfish and conceited. Can you truly trust anyone like that? Having to trust such unreliable people constantly is so… limiting. It restricts your freedom. Remember Kid we're on the path to righting this worldly wrong, a world of your choosing free from any societal limitation forced upon you for the sake of the weak and fearful's concerns. A world with true freedom." Dagda expressed with practiced vigor as he faded to the back of Nanashi's mind.

"I stopped caring about those world changing desire Dagda, I know we'll never talk about it but we both know why you keep trying to convince me…" Nanashi disclosed to himself, quickly breaking into a sprint as he just remember Asahi was at home waiting for him.

-Kinshicho- Underground District

After Nanashi very intensely convinced the Peace Corps to let him go see Asahi on his own, they all gave their regards (varying from begrudging to outright sexual advice) and left for Nori and Nozomi's place near Kasumigaseki.

Nanashi walked into his room, dropping his pack onto the ground next to his couch, throwing off his Kevlar inlaid jacket and his hole filled shirt onto the ground, jumping onto his couch with a large tired yawn as he got comfortable.

Looking at his very thin lithe build, Nanashi ran his hand over the patchwork web of cuts, bruises and puncture wounds all over his frame. Jolting his hand off his chest as one particularly deep wound started to almost sting worse than a very memorable spear that plunged through his chest. "Damn… Dagda's getting lazy with healing my wounds, or I'm just becoming a whole lot harder to kill... He does only heal my fatal wounds after I technically die to them…"

The Godslayer leaned forward and stared at the ground in the silence of his room, finding the melancholy of the moment... a uniquely bleak moment in his currently short existence.

The moment of philosophical inner searching was cut short by the sound of someone pounding on his door. "You're back. Nanashi, you willing to talk?"

"You know what my answer to that question will always be!" He yelled as he laid into his couch, recoiling as the collection of wounds on his back started to sting like a legion of demonic wasps. "Fuck!"

Asahi opened the door with her key, closing it behind her with a small smile on her face, it fading into a neutral look upon feeling the room's atmosphere.

The two barely talked for minutes as Asahi sat next to Nanashi and lovingly healed every single wound on his battle worn body, Nanashi telling his medic lover what caused each wound as she healed them.

"While you away, I had time to think about something things and to talk to Dad about somethings I never really knew about, so I want to- "Asahi was interrupted as Nanashi got up and went through his bag, lifting out a jar-like shaped wrapped in a decently untouched reddish blue dress.

"I almost forgot… how shitty would it have been if I did. These are for you." Nanashi said sheepishly as he held out his gifts for Asahi.

Asahi held back what she was going to say and took the items, unwrapping the dress from the jar, to see something that lit a feeling of power in her body, but an uncomfortable feeling in her head. "Gundari… well this will make getting my point across a lot easier…"

Nanashi sat back down, listening intently to his lover's words.

Asahi placed the jar on the table. "Nanashi, I'm happy you got me this, but I'm not going to use it right now. I… okay to not give you wrong idea I'm happy you got me another one, but I just don't know if I'm ready to keep swallowing these…"

Nanashi looked to Asahi with a concerned look.

Asahi laid into the couch, bringing her knees up to her chest. "After Dad's surgery, we ended up talking with Kazuko. He knows about what I am now and while he didn't like it, he understood this is the path I'm going down. Kazuko quickly brought up she had no idea what would happen if I kept swallowing these Magatama… so I'm going to wait on taking more of them… but I can't stop myself from collecting them can't I!" Asahi joked at the end to lighten the mood.

Nanashi stayed silent, just wrapped an arm around his beloved's shoulders.

Asahi stared off for a few moments, obviously having practiced this despite the struggle she is currently having with it. "Well… where was I? Oh yeah, I wanna get a few things off my chest. I've done a lot of dumb things over the last few days… I wanted to be something Dad would be proud of, someone that deserved his love and respect. And… I guess it took me punching an Aztec God to death to really get that. I was never a nuisance to him. He's just trying to do his role in the Association, he used to be Hunter, a very good one at that too… until ten years ago… when Mom died."

Nanashi had never heard about Asahi's mother, and he was sure she didn't know about her until now. "As you maybe remember earlier today, Skins mentioned my mom was the one that did most of his famed stitches. She was an amazing doctor, fully willing to risk her own life to save others. An absolutely amazing lady, she inspired strength in others and wouldn't take no for an answer when it came to helping people. I wish she were around; I would have loved to meet her." Asahi seemed to near immediately cheer up upon talking about her mom.

"She had a prosthetic leg, but with the usage of demon power and sealing rituals she was able to make that prosthetic feel like a real leg and also have this epic railgun of sorts inside! It just sounds hella awesome. So as your likely wondering why such a badass lady isn't around anymore… well, eleven years ago. There was this demon going around devouring Hunters and Demons that were in fights, growing stronger with each cluster it killed. Dad would never forget its name. Not sure if I can say it right but I think it's Tezcatlipoca. Mom was a part of a medic team sent to recover a massively wounded strike of hunters in clearing out an overrun district. Tezcatlipoca showed up when Mom was doing emergency treatment to a patient. Dad didn't know much of the incident but all he got was Mom killed it but disappeared afterwards. There was no sign of her, and after a year passed she was determined dead. Around that time, Kazuko showed up to take her place as the Kinshicho medic and you were extracted from the Sky Tower. And that's the story of Seike Setsuko… I wonder if why I'm so close to you because Mom wasn't around..."

"Asahi, come on. I wasn't a replacement for anyone. You know that, and I don't know if you'd be the way you're towards me if I was just a family member." Nanashi quickly returned.

Asahi smiled. "Nanashi, I don't know what I'd do without you…"

She stood up, a determined look on her face. "I want to be like what Mom was! An icon of strength and hope, someone that gives all around her strength!"

Nanashi started to laugh, a wholehearted laugh. Asahi pouted at her boyfriend. "Nanashi! What's so funny?"

"Nothing! I'm just happy that you're smiling again. You have that spark again, that burning passion you had when we became cadets… It's very good on you." Nanashi stood up from the couch and started to get changed into sleepwear.

Asahi walked to the door, taking the jar with her. "Nanashi… thanks for being understanding. I knew I could rely on you."

Nanashi now clothed, sat back on the couch. "Where you going? Don't you want to regale me with more stories?"

Asahi opened the door. "I'll be back, just need to grab some clothes. Don't fall asleep when I'm gone."

Asahi left and Nanashi was alone in the room again. In the silence of the room Nanashi had thoughts he never imagined would surface.

He knew Asahi was too good for him… but she truly loved him. He'd never let anyone know this was something he considered, that he brought Asahi into a world she didn't need to be a part of… but he couldn't image living his way of life without her by his side…

"Nanashi, I'm back!" Asahi beamed, now in spats and a pale blue shirt that hanged off her frame.

Nanashi knew Asahi would love and support him no matter what… doubts about it would be pointless.

The teenager was broken out of his thoughts as he felt Asahi straddle his lap, holding the dress over his shoulder. "Nanashi! You know how dangerous it is to ignore me… and I appreciate the dress a lot, but if you wanted me to wear something special for you, you could have just asked."

Before the blushing Hunter could reply Asahi overtook his mouth with her own. The true symbiotic aspect of their bond shown to the world.

The lovers spent the night content with eachother's warmth. Ready to face any challenge ahead of them.