Just like she’d been when I first entered her Mindspace, Futakuchi-Onna was unusually calm. She wore her black and gold robes with the conical black hat once again and slowly made her way in front of the stage at the far end of the Mindspace. Hana and I, meanwhile, were both panting and sweating as Futakuchi-Onna had been mere moments earlier. I wasn’t sure whether this was a blessing or a curse just yet, but Futakuchi-Onna hadn’t attacked either of us. Instead, she stopped before her stage and just… stood there, staring down at her scowling Granddaughter with an unusually satisfied smile.
“You aren’t finished, girl,” Futakuchi-Onna declared. She sheathed her sword and spread her arms wide. “Your anger. Your fears. Your loves. Your hopes. Your dreams. Show them all to me. Prove to me that my blood flows through you, Okita Hana.”
Hana stood to her feet and gathered aura, urging me to do the same. We didn’t need to plan our next attack. No, all we did was nod and we knew. If we wanted a shot at taking her down, we’d need to attack simultaneously just as we had earlier. The fact that Futakuchi-Onna was inviting us to do that was worrying, however. It said that she was confident in her ability to withstand whatever we threw at her, and considering how little energy Hana and I had…
We didn’t let that stop us. Hana and I kicked off at the same time, flanking Futakuchi-Onna in opposite directions before landing a Wind-Attuned Aura Punch and a [WRAITH STRIKE] on Futakuchi-Onna’s back and midsection respectively.
She didn’t budge.
The two of us shared a look before continuing the assault, pelting her with our strongest attacks as the Myth was physically unphased by any of them. We attacked until we’d depleted our aura reserves, at which point Futakuchi-Onna bowed and took the stage.
“I see,” She said softly.
Futakuchi-Onna clapped her hands and a wave of green wind flowed through the Mindspace. I braced for poison but was surprised to find it slowly restoring my [VITALITY]. Soon after, a wave of gray wind flowed through to restore my aura as well. Given how surprised Hana looked, I assumed it worked the same way for her as well.
“Okita Hana. Rui Payne. You two have displayed a tenacity and a determination that I don’t often find in this world. Far too often the strongest fighters pursue the most trivial goals. Fame. Fortune. Avarice. You two fight for goals far beyond yourselves.” She turned to Hana. “Granddaughter, you have achieved every goal I have dreamt of you and more. Should you survive this battle, I would be able to rest peacefully knowing you lead my kingdom.” She turned to me. “Rui Payne, you have shown a strength of will that I have never seen from a Curse in all my years.” She smiled. “I fear for your enemies, for they truly created the tool of their very destruction.”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Thank you for indulging me, and thank you for making me proud. Granddaughter, you have proven that you are indeed a worthy heir to my throne. Curse, you have proven that you are more than what you were made to be.”
The room darkened as black and purple aura cascaded around Futakuchi-Onna in an unreal display of force I’d never seen in my life. This… this was the power of a Level 317.
I can’t dodge this…!
“Now, it is my turn. To show you my anger. My fears. My loves. My hopes. My dreams. I am Futakuchi-Onna. First daughter to a traveler and his alchemist wife. Sister of Yuki-Onna and Honne-Onna. Wife of Okuninushi. I am Saikou, and you will know me eternally.”
With a single sword slash, Futakuchi-Onna unleashed a wave of black and purple aura large enough to envelop the whole room. It simultaneously felt like a million swords cutting my body and a dozen of those mini-explosions from those arrow-bombs from earlier all at once. As if she could read my mind, she blasted us with those very arrows. Just like before, they exploded after puncturing the skin, leaving behind clouds of poison.
The barrage was more than we could handle. We were both laid flat on our backs, forced to focus on breathing to stay alive. If Futakuchi-Onna truly wanted to, she could kill us right now. In a single attack, my mission would be over. I wouldn’t be able to kill the Horsemen. I wouldn’t be able to return to Averyl or the Perrows. I wouldn’t even return to the Seekers again. I’d just… die. In the middle of Hana’s Mindspace.
No. I’m not dying here.
“SHE IS ONE PERSON. WE HAVE KILLED SCORES.”
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I recalled my escape from the Fallen Star Facility. I’d killed hundreds of those cultists, some of them just as strong as Futakuchi-Onna. They didn’t fight back, but they didn’t need to. It was like Somnia had said: Everything has an “insta-kill” condition. I didn’t have my sword, but my aura was full-up. Futakuchi-Onna made sure of that herself. A decision I’d make sure she regretted.
Hana erupted with aura at the same time I did. I turned to find her standing with a hand clenched over a newly-summoned sword with a few of those purple bombs orbiting her. She turned to me, fixing me with an intense gaze like she’d had when we’d fought.
Futakuchi-Onna laughed before she could say anything. For the second time, she looked at Hana with an expression similar to one I’d find on Averyl or my mother. It vanished quickly once again, but her smile hadn’t faded. “I would’ve been disappointed if that was it! Come, show me who you are!”
And with that, the real battle started. Honestly, “battle” was the wrong word. “Exchange” perhaps? Hana and I would attack her with absolutely everything we had, Futakuchi-Onna would fully heal us, and then she’d blast us with everything she had. It was an endurance game; one that would end in the deaths of Hana and I, or the death of Futakuchi-Onna.
As the exchange went on, the atmosphere slowly began to change. Hana and I were progressively getting angrier with our combined inability to cause lasting damage to her, while Futakuchi-Onna continued to laugh at our attempts. Not out of cockiness, though, but out of elation. She was enjoying this, and in her “enjoyment” she found a way to hit us even harder. It dawned on me then, that Leveling wasn’t exclusive to Hana and me. We needed to end this battle fast before she got strong to the point we couldn’t take any of those full-power barrages of hers.
Thankfully, Hana had a suggestion. The same one she’d been banking on to beat Futakuchi-Onna: Elemental Affinities. Because this battle was happening in her Mindspace, she was able to conjure Elemental Aura and simple items like swords and knives. It was also how Futakuchi-Onna was able to heal us; this place was like a lucid dream for her in that she could manipulate it to her liking. Because the space was shared, though, Futakuchi-Onna was able to undo all of Hana’s elemental workings, rendering that ability moot. She couldn’t, however, manipulate my aura and how I used it.
I’d mentioned to Fallen Star that I couldn’t [SACRIFICE] anything because the opening to do so was slim and I needed every part of me to function properly. That was still the case. Hell, it was doubly true now with how strong Futakuchi-Onna was. It was also the case that we needed to do whatever we could to take her down or we’d both die. So, I started thinking of things I could do without.
“YOU HAVE GROWN MUCH SINCE YOUR LAST [SACRIFICE]. THE OFFERINGS REQUIRED HAVE CHANGED.”
Good to know.
I mentally ran down the list as I endured another barrage from Futakuchi-Onna. I couldn’t afford to give up my arm again. I’d likely get a pretty strong Skill out of it, but I’d also be put at a significant physical disadvantage. By that logic, my legs and toes were also ruled out due to the significant hit I’d be taking on my mobility. [SACRIFICING] my sense of taste would be the easiest, but it was also the cheapest since it had no relevance to my combat ability. My other senses would likely net me something good, but I had to be reasonable with what I got rid of.
Futakuchi-Onna wasn’t the last strong opponent I’d be facing. On the contrary, she was likely the first truly strong opponent I’d be facing in a life-or-death battle like this now that I was a Seeker. What I’m trying to say is I can’t afford to do a temporary [SACRIFICE]. What I got rid of was going to be permanent, and I needed to get rid of something that would affect the way I fought while also not being debilitating to the point I’d be out of commission.
An idea had been floating in my head, and it’d escalated as I watched Hana clash swords with her Grandmother. I’d grown up fighting with swords, but lately, they weren’t exactly useful. The ones I used broke under scrutiny, and the fighting style Yugo had leaned me toward relied on my fists more than anything. With that, I finally made up my mind. I was surprised to find a hint of apprehension in my body, paired with thoughts of Ares and the face I knew he’d be making at me using Fallen Star so freely. I pushed it all down, though. I wasn’t his monster anymore. I wasn’t the cult’s monster anymore. I was above what they said I was. I didn’t need to concern myself with his “prophecies” for me. This power was mine and mine alone.
I want to permanently [SACRIFICE] my right pinky and ring fingers.
“IN EXCHANGE FOR WHAT?”
The ability to manipulate Elemental Aura.”
As I awaited Fallen Star’s response, Hana clashed with Futakuchi-Onna once again. The collision of their swords formed a shockwave that sent the younger woman flying back. Futakuchi-Onna turned to me but thankfully didn’t pursue. Instead, she smiled, waiting for me to attack. Finally, before her patience had a chance to run out, Fallen Star responded to my request.
“SUFFICIENT.”