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Enroute to Dragon God's Palace, Dragon's Valley, DesuMachi world..
Mei, Sora riding Wan-Chan Mark V, and the lizard soldier were running at full speed to reach the palace. The ground trembled from Hachiman's battle raging at the rear. Mei's grip on her katana tightened with worry, even though she knew Hachiman could handle himself.
'Hmph! Why waste your thoughts on that Monarch? He'll be fine. You should focus on yourself, the child, and that lizard instead.'
Mei's eyes widened briefly before settling again. She hadn't expected her other self to speak up now of all times.
'…Is it wrong that I want to worry about him?' Mei asked quietly in her mind.
The Herrscher within her gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes. 'Do you even know the real reason why you're so concerned about him?'
'Because he is my friend and partner,' Mei answered firmly. 'A precious someone who saved me from myself.'
'Tsk! This is why I hate you,' the Herrscher snapped. 'Lying even to yourself.'
Mei's brows furrowed, her tone hardening. 'Just what are you trying to imply?'
The Herrscher snorted as she continued. 'You keep calling it friendship, but you hang onto his words more than anyone else's. You notice his presence, his sighs, the way he carries himself. If that is "just a partner," then what do you call the Captain's bond with the Herrscher of Fire, Void, and Origin? Even that Herrscher of Reason doing the same to his companions.'
Mei gritted her teeth. 'You're twisting the meaning of those things.'
'Really? Am I? Then why does your heart race every time he stands beside you? Why do your eyes keep glancing back, hoping to see him safe?' The Herrscher's voice cut deep, even sounding sarcastic. 'You fear losing him more than you'd ever admit. That's not just friendship. That's something else.'
Mei's grip on her katana tightened, her expression firm. 'You are awfully chatty today… throwing these kinds of words at me. But I won't let you shake me with cheap taunts.'
The Herrscher inside her mind twitched, cheeks twisting with frustration. 'You… you… tch! Fine, keep running from it. Believe your sweet little lies. But know this, coward sooner or later, you'll choke on the truth you keep denying.'
"Mei-dono! We are almost there! Once we pass this trail we'll be on the road directly to the palace," the lizardkin soldier interrupted, pulling her attention back to the real world before their mental quarrel could continue.
Mei blinked and scanned their surroundings, spotting the exit of the valley just a few meters away.
"Sora-chan, how do you feel? Not overwhelmed?" Mei asked gently.
Sora looked up at her with a bright, excited smile. "Yes, I'm okay! I'm beaming with energy! Our first trip turned out way more exciting than I ever imagined!!"
Mei gave her a wry smile. "Well, as long as you're fine, that's what matters."
Just as they were about to step out of the valley, Mei suddenly tensed, instincts screaming. She drew power from her emblem, coating her body in crackling lightning, and in the next instant moved at light speed, intercepting massive claws that slashed down at them.
"Kuh!" Mei groaned, bracing against the pressure, but held firm.
"Mei-nee!!" Sora shouted in shock.
"!!!" Even the lizardkin froze, stunned by the sudden ambush.
"Survivors!! The great I, is impressed!" A towering figure sneered as it pressed harder, trying to crush Mei under its strength.
Mei's glare sharpened. With a fierce shout, she condensed Electro energy along her katana, the blade glowing sharper than steel. With one decisive strike, she severed the figure's arms cleanly.
"Kuh!!!" The figure howled, leaping back to create distance between them.
Mei huffed, electricity fading slowly around her. Unknown to her, her eyes glowed faintly with a hot pink hue, unexpectedly tapping the Herrscher power within her.
Seeing that the enemy stepped back for now, Sora rushed closer to Mei. "Mei-nee! Are you okay?!"
"Stay back, Sora-chan." Mei kept her eyes locked on the demon-like figure ahead of them, blade at her hands read to move.
"Mei-dono! Please be careful—that is a Greater Demon! They are beings just below the Demon Lords!" the lizardkin warned, spear raised as he moved in front of Sora to shield her.
"To think you could injure me. The Great I wonder… are you perhaps a hero?" the Greater Demon rumbled, glaring at its severed arm.
Mei's eyes narrowed, analyzing the monstrous figure. A twenty-foot giant with twisted ram-like horns, dark-red glowing eyes, and skin black as obsidian. At the end of each of its four arms gleamed metal claws, while black bat-like wings veined with red stretched from its back. A forked tail lashed violently behind it.
Before Mei could respond, two more figures landed heavily beside the Greater Demon.
One was a hulking demon with two heads, yellow skin, and massive water buffalo-like horns sprouting from its shoulders—towering nearly five meters tall. The other, bizarrely, looked like a pink dango with stubby limbs, but its eyes shone with unsettling malice.
"Wagahai(the Great I) is injured? Such a shock, desu," the yellow demon hissed, both heads speaking in eerie unison.
"Humans truly can surprise us, poyo," the pink demon added with a bounce.
Mei's brow twitched, the Herrscher within her felt a pang of irritation at the demons' sing-song voices.
'Oi, coward,' the Herrscher's voice rang sharply in her mind.
'What do you want?! Can't we do this later?!' Mei snapped back. 'If you can't see, I'm a little busy dealing with three possible high-level enemies!'
'Tsk, and that's exactly why I'm calling you Coward!' the Herrscher shot back. 'I'll lend you my power, just make sure those disgusting creatures disappear and never open their mouths in that ridiculous tone again!'
Mei's mouth fell open in disbelief. 'You will… what?!'
"You demons! What are you all doing in the sacred palace of Akon kagura-sama?!" The lizardkin asked.
"Hehehe! Of course what we demons always wished! Freedom against the control of the Gods! Desu." The yellow demon answered.
"Since the Dragon God is in the way we must get rid of it, poyo." The pink demon added.
"So we cannot let you pass from here!! The Great I, will stop you!" The black demon's aura flared as the arm Mei had severed regenerated before their eyes.
Sora paled slightly at the oppressive wave of power, her grip tightening on Wan-chan's leash. "M-Mei-nee…" she whispered nervously.
"Kuh!" The lizardkin's body trembled under the crushing pressure radiating from the black demon.
But Mei, strangely, felt calm in the storm. She took a one deep breath, lightning dance around her as she stepped forward to face the three greater demons.
"Lizardman-san, please stay beside Sora-chan. I'll deal with them as quickly as I can," Mei said firmly.
Inside her, the Herrscher of Thunder let out a low whistle, impressed. 'Hoo… so you do have courage after all. Bold move for a coward like you.'
"…Mei-dono, I understand. Forgive me for not being able to fight at your side," the lizardkin said through gritted teeth.
Mei glanced back at him and gave a reassuring smile. "Knowing Sora-chan is in safe hands is the greatest help I could ask for."
The lizardkin's eyes went wide, then softened as Sora nodded at him with a smile. "Thank you! I will stake my life to protect her. As long as I live, nothing shall touch Sora-dono!!"
Mei smiled wryly. "You don't need to go that far… but I appreciate it."
She took a stance, sliding her left leg forward and raising her katana parallel to her body, the blade leveled toward the three demons. "Yahata… release!"
At her command, her katana—Yahata no Kami, or simply Yahata — blade expanded, its exposed lines glowing with a fierce pinkish red hue. Like Hachiman's Midnight Horizon, Mei's weapon was one of Hajime's creations. After studying the mechanics of the Divine Keys from the Hyperion and Void Archive's databases and the data from Azazel's research about the Artificial Sacred Gears along with Noah's personal notes about the Keys, Astral Emblems and the Sacred Gears from God's system, he created a lightweight version that could rival their strength but remain far safer and user-friendly. Though still a prototype, the Gen-0 Astral Gear was already being distributed along the crew to test.
—--
Going back that time when Hajime first introduced the weapon, he did so with his usual confidence, standing proudly in front of everyone.
"I designed this after studying the Divine Keys, combining Hyperion's records and Void Archive's data, plus with notes from Azazel's research about Sacred Gears and some from Noah's notes. Unlike the real Divine Keys, these are built to be safer since our captain is a weird one that shrugs off the side effects of the divine keys, but the rest of us aren't that lucky."
"Oi!"
He continued ignoring a certain captain. "Each one has a 'Release' Mode, similar to a Zeroth Form, where its most destructive or strongest abilities can be activated. More importantly, they synchronize with our Astral Emblems but also, for Herrschers like me, Mei, Kiana, Sirin and Elysia, with our cores directly. These are still prototypes, so treat them with care… but they represent what I call the Gen-0 Astral Gears!"
The crew murmured in surprise. After giving the others their own Astral Gears, Hajime gave Mei a katana type Astral Gear she accepted with careful hands. Then she stood and took a few experimental swings. "This is incredible, Nagumo-kun… it feels like it's part of me."
"Of course! I designed it with your Herrscher core in mind," Hajime said, smirking smugly.
Mei tilted her head, curiosity in her voice. "Does it have a name?"
Hajime's grin widened innocently (mischievously). "Naturally. Its name is… Yahata no Kami."
"Yahata no Kami…" Mei repeated softly. For some reason her heart skipped a beat as she spoke the name aloud.
The room went silent, Noah, Kiana, Elysia, Lumine, Sirin, Gabriel, Alice, Anisphia, Ingvild, Ophis, Villhaze, Sagiri, Euphyllia, Illia, Lainie, and Patricia, those who are currently present in the Express all blinked and slowly turned their heads toward Hachiman, whose cheek twitched violently, as he looked at Hajime with disbelief.
Bewildered by everyone's reaction, Mei looked around, confused as to why they were looking at Hachiman. Then her mind slowly pieced it together. The words repeated in her head until the realization struck like lightning: Hachiman = God of Eight Banners = Yahata no Kami.
Her cheeks flared crimson, arcs of lightning dance around her as she snapped her eyes toward Hajime. "W-what kind of name is that?!"
Hajime puffed his chest proudly, grinning ear to ear. "Fitting, isn't it? You'll never forget who is fighting beside you when you use it!"
The rest of the crew burst out laughing, teasing Mei mercilessly. Anisphia and Elysia leaned forward together with sing-song voices, "How romantic~!"
That day, Hachiman had "trained" with Hajime (beating the crap out of him) making the crew in their minds declare him the Strongest among them.
"I regret nothing!!" Hajime had declared with a triumphant thumbs up, right before being dragged off to the medical bay pampered by the amused and proud Alice and Anisphia.
—--
Yahata no Kami, as the Astral Gear created based on the 3rd Divine Key—the Seven Thunders of Retribution— it synchronized perfectly with Mei's Herrscher core and Electro Astral Emblem. Arcs of pinkish-red lightning curled violently around her body as two black horns with crimson tips sprouted from her head.
"Hoo…" the black demon's eyes narrowed, feeling the immense power Mei was releasing.
Even the Yellow and Pink demons tensed, their mocking tones gone as the electrifying pressure bore down on them.
In a flash, Mei's figure blurred—Yahata's blade slicing clean through the pink demon in a single arc. The Black and Yellow demons recoiled in shock as their companion was cut in half instantly.
"!!" The black demon froze in disbelief.
"?!" The yellow demon trembled, both heads wide-eyed.
Mei exhaled softly, her eyes sharp. "…It seems Hikigaya-kun was right. We won't have any problems facing enemies in this world."
She vanished again, reappearing before the Yellow Demon, Yahata moving to deliver the finishing strike. But before the blade could connect, a translucent shield appeared before the demon.
"Don't… count… me out yet!! Poyo!" the pink demon shouted as its body rapidly regenerated, reforming from the carnage.
Despite the interference, Mei's strike shattered the shield instantly, though the delay gave the Yellow Demon just enough time to retreat. Even so, Mei's blade still cut through its limbs, severing its arms and legs.
"Kaaa!!" the yellow demon howled in agony, collapsing to its knees.
Mei's gaze hardened as she turned toward the pink demon's body newly regenerated body,
"Geez! Attacking before even giving your name? Heroes these days are such cowards, poyo~!" the pink demon jeered, bouncing mockingly.
Mei blinked at that unexpected comment, and before she could retort, her instincts screamed—she twisted aside just in time to evade the black demon's claws crushing through the ground where she had stood. Dust and stone flew up from the force. She barely had time to catch her breath before more enemies closed in. A wave of corrupted lizardkin soldiers surround her, spears thrusting forward in unison. With light-speed footwork, Mei slipped between every strike, their weapons weren't able to touch even a strand of her hair.
Looking up, she caught sight of arrows raining down from above. She swung Yahata in a wide arc, releasing a slash of pure electro energy that cut through the air like lightning, disintegrating the lizardkin archers in a single flash.
The black demon lunged at her again, unleashing a barrage of claws, its massive tail whipping toward her with lethal force. It fired magic wave after wave of different elements, fire, wind, acid, dark magic, and lightning, all in an effort to hit her. Mei's body became a blur of light, dodging every strike, every spell, her expression focused and calm. Sparks crackled along her blade as she slip between the attacks.
Her gaze went toward the Yellow Demon, catching sight of as it finishes its chant, summoning another horde of corrupted lizardkin to the battlefield.
'So the pink demon deploys shields and has high level regeneration strong enough to keep itself alive even after half of its body is destroyed.' Mei thought as she analyzed the enemies she was facing. 'The black one is the main fighter. Not only capable of magic but also good at close combat. And Lastly, the Yellow one.'
Her eyes narrowed coldly at the yellow demon as she dodged the black demon's attacks and the corrupted lizardkins 'A summoning type. Keeping at the distance while having its summons do the fighting.'
"Hehehe, go and crush the so-called hero, desu~!" the yellow demon commanded, its two heads laughing in eerie sync as more corrupted lizardkin marched forward with spears raised.
Suddenly, Mei's back collided with something hard. She spun and found herself blocked by a conjured barrier, cutting off her retreat. Above, volleys of arrows and magic rained down like a storm, while spears from the lizardkins aimed to pierce her at once. And directly in front of her loomed the massive claws of the black demon, descending with murderous intent.
"Good fight Hero, but this is The Great I's victory!" the black demon declared, its eyes blazing with triumph.
For Mei, however, the world seems to slow down. The air. the claws, the spears, the spells, even the arrows all hung motionless around her. Lightning wrapped around her body in crackling waves, accelerating her mind and reflexes until she moved faster than thought itself.
Her grip tightened on Yahata.
With a single step, her body vanished in a flash, leaving only trails of pinkish red light. Time snapped back into motion only now, Mei was gone from where she had stood.
The black demon's eyes widened in horror. His descending claws were no longer there, it was severed cleanly at the joints. His wings, other arm, both legs, and torso followed, split apart before he even registered the strike. As his upper body began to fall, the corrupted lizardkin surrounding him met a far worse fate, their bodies sliced apart and instantly disintegrated by the plasma-level slash that tore through everything in its path, leaving behind nothing. Not even ash.
The pink demon didn't even have time to shriek, as its body completely annihilated, leaving no trace behind.
The moment the Black Demon severed upper body touched the ground, it finally found Mei standing where the yellow demon had been moments before. Its upper body was gone entirely, only the lower half collapsing uselessly onto the ground.
The black demon's mind reeled, confusion and terror overtaking him as his gaze locked onto Mei's eyes—glowing with an electrifying hot pink light. For the first time, he felt it: fear, dread, and utter helplessness.
"!!" The black demon's remaining body shuddered. Its instincts screamed at it to flee, to escape, to simply vanish from Mei's sight. "Y-you are n-not a h-hero!! The Great I… was deceived!!!"
Mei slowly walked toward it, Yahata glowing faintly at her side. "...I never said I was one. That was you and your fellow demons' misunderstanding."
Desperate, the black demon flung spell after spell, waves of fire, shadow, and acid clawing through the air. But Mei didn't even bother to dodge. The protective shields Hachiman had asked Kikuri-Hime to place around her absorbed every blast harmlessly. She continued to walk in a calm and unshaken demure, until she reached directly before the crippled demon.
She raised Yahata. Electro energy condensed along the blade, drawing power from her Herrscher core until the weapon blazed with a massive crimson beam of lightning. Wordlessly, with one decisive swing, brought it down.
The valley lit up and once the blinding light faded, the black demon was gone and erased completely. The ground split open in a massive cleave that stretched across the valley walls, stone and earth split apart as if they were paper.
"...Hachiman, rest." Mei murmured softly, cheeks coloring as she said the deactivation words. With a hiss and a swoosh, Yahata folded back into its normal form, glowing red lines lit before she slid back into its sheath. The horns on her head faded away, leaving her looking once more like herself.
She winched, glancing at the devastation she'd caused. "...I may have overdone it a little."
—--
"MEI-NEEE!!!!" Mei turned just in time to catch Sora, who leapt straight into her arms as the fight ended. "You were sooo amazing!!! First the kaacha!! Then burrrr!! After that, buruburu!! That was the coolest thing ever!!"
"Ahahaha, breathe, Sora-chan," Mei said, hugging the excited girl tightly.
The lizardkin soldier finally approached, his face still frozen in shock. "...I didn't understand a word of what Sora-dono said, but I do know this—what you just did is something beyond my comprehension."
'Hmph! Half of that was thanks to me!' the Herrscher inside Mei grumbled.
Mei let out a wry smile at both their reactions. Before she could say more, a suffocating leve of miasma erupted from the direction of the palace. Both she and the lizardkin snapped their heads toward it, while Sora clung tightly to Mei's arm.
Moments later, a terrifying cry and an earth-shaking roar resound from the distance added with a very thick miasma coming from the same direction.
"...What was that?" Mei asked, her voice low.
"No… no way!!" the lizardkin gasped in disbelief before falling to his knees. "Those vile demons didn't… they couldn't…!"
Mei turned to him, her gaze firm. "Do you have any idea what just happened?"
The lizardkin's voice quivered, hollow and fearful. "Those demons just said earlier the Dragon God was the only one standing in the way of their freedom from the gods' rule. If they could not defeat her…" He trailed off, his expression breaking. "With this amount of miasma… then perhaps they have attempted to corrupt her.. forcing her to turn to their side."
"!!" Mei's eyes widened in horror.
"...Does that mean they are turning the Dragon God into a demon?" Sora asked innocently, her voice trembling.
Mei bit her lip, sweat forming at her temples, her brows furrowed tightly. The lizardkin didn't even have the strength to answer; he only stared blankly in the direction of the palace, where the dragon's roar continued to resound.
Gathering her courage, Sora grabbed Mei and the lizardkin's hands. "T-then… Then let's go!!! We have to save the Dragon God from those bad guys!!"
Mei looked at the determined child, surprise softening her gaze. "...Sora-chan."
"Lizardo-san!!! Come on, stand up!! It'll be okay!! We have Mei-nee here, and Hachi-nii is coming too!!! Together they'll save your Dragon God!" Sora shouted with conviction.
The lizardkin still knelt frozen, but at least managed to turn his head toward Sora. "...Sora-dono…"
"You saw it yourself!!! Mei-nee defeated three of those bad guys all by herself!! She can save Dragon God-san too!! And… and Hachi-nii is the Strongest Nameless!!! He's a hero who saves worlds, you know!!! He's so strong that two gods(Aeons) have blessed him!!" Sora insisted, her voice unwavering.
Mei smiled faintly at Sora's spirit and placed her hand gently on the lizardkin's shoulder. "I may not be able to fight the Dragon God head-on… but I can buy time until Hikigaya-kun arrives. Like Sora-chan said, our Hikigaya-kun is the strongest. If it's him, he can help save the Dragon God."
Sora nodded enthusiastically. "Come on, Lizardo-san!!! The Dragon God is waiting to be saved, so you can't stop here and do nothing!!"
"Sora-dono… Mei-dono…" Feeling their determination, the lizardkin clenched his fists and stood with renewed resolve. "You're right!! Akon Kagura-sama needs our help right now!! We can't stop here!!"
Mei's lips curved in relief as Sora clapped her hands in cheer.
"Mei-dono, Sora-dono, follow me quickly!! We must reach the palace fast!!" the lizardkin urged, already breaking into a run.
"Let's go!!! Come on, Wan-chan, follow Lizardo-san!!" Sora commanded, and with a bark, Wan-chan charged after the lizardkin.
I think…. I now understand why the Captain wanted Sora-chan to come with us on this expedition, Mei thought as she ran to follow. With her here, we have the strength to keep moving—and a light to follow us.
"Thank you, Sora-chan… for giving us the reason to move forward," Mei murmured softly, watching the figure of Sora sitting on top of Wan-chan.
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