/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>46349083
—
Separating from Lady Patchouli was a mistake, but I can't think of this now! Right arm swiftly pulls back and, with a hurrah and a blistering explosion of ai-ki, I slam the incoming meteor back onto Fakechy, imposingly flying atop sigils that layered the sky as if clouds. Debris and pinkish thunderbolts peppered the barren land; only a lone golden pillar far off prevented the scene from resembling the Taiping Rebellion, the final straw that forced me to flee my home country. Fakechy merely moves her hands and a hail of papers accumulates in a giant purple lotus, devouring the massive rock thrown at her and melting it into a red-hot paste that rains down onto Earth.

Amidst the heavy rain and dodging each single droplet, I close the distance, arm pulled back and ready to dispatch the illusion—

—hitting only air, the doppelgänger teleporting away. I tsked, body rapidly straining under the constant assault of different magic elements and spells—

My ki screamed and, with lightning-fast reflexes, I exploded my kime, golden chains deflected as they hit me yet only for a moment, Fakechy now on the ground staring at me with a neutral facade—in the distance, I could see Lady Patchouli fighting my copy, the confusedly aligned ki of the HSE whispering about struggles and blood. My body aches, pleading me to go there and help, do my century-old duty…

Teeth clenched, however, I promptly moved and dodged howling crystal-clear spears of permafrost as chains of gold and sigils in the hundreds sieged me, not sparing me a moment of respite before plunging into attack. Why's Sekai doing this?! What does she gain from harming us, putting us through this hell?

Dodging and deflecting becomes more and more straining as the seconds pass by and blood flows, hands catching chains and pulling them out like tendons; stomping them with force or just ripping them apart with danmaku, yet they always come back in greater number and thickness, restraining my arms and legs for brief moments, biting into flesh—the air whispers, Lady Patchouli needs my help! She needs me…

Doing this alone is impossible.

“Are you sure about that?” My eyes fly to the voice; it's Patchy's, but as if put through a very long and winding tunnel… Eyes of nebula meet mine, Fakechy hovering over a strange, golden sigil, dozens of multicolored spells just ready to be thrown orbiting her as if she's the center of the universe. We’re in the sky just below stormy, dark clouds, stray bolts of lighting randomly whizzing by.

Focusing on my breathing and ignoring the fine line of blood reddening my right vision, I ready an attack…

But Fakechy merely narrowed her eyes and tilted her head; such gestures a perfect imitation of Patchy's usual shows of curiosity. “'Patchy'? Why have you forsaken using 'Lady Patchouli'? You seemed to be very casual until you had to do your job once again.” W-What…? She's reading into my mind! “Yes, I am.”

A wave of anxiety and confusion blooms inside, its soil fertile with doubt. “Why're you doing all this, S-Sekai?!” I try, ignoring her words.

“Terrible habit of yours, ignoring what's important—like doing your job.” Fakechy ponders, and it stings. It shouldn't, not coming from the obvious imitator, but it does anyway… “I asked you a question, Gatekeeper.” Teeth bared, I glance towards Patchy's own war, impossible to see through the chilling mist of blue that covered that area—ice magic. I need to get there fast and do something; unlike Sekai, who's apparently a limitless well of magic, Patchy has limits— “You won't answer, so I'll do it for you; you think things have changed, Mother Meiling.” I froze. W-What…? “But nothing has changed, even after one year locked here. Mother Patchouli is still above you; she'll never be your friend. You're still the lowest possible resident of that mansion: the humble gatekeeper who can't stop Mother Marisa's bad habits. Do you think that Mother Flan sees you as a friend? Mother Remi sees you as irreplaceable? Mother Sakuya as a work comrade?” I turn towards Fakechy, and she looks incredibly sad as those words are spoken…

Why are those words being spoken?

What does Sekai gain from any of this? W-Why hurt like that?

“Alone by that gate, day and night. A mere defense to gauge the power of the invader before they solve the problem.” She moves her hand like a whip and, as commanded, a thunder dome of pink erupts around us, scarlet flames birthing all around me, the flames soon gaining forms and shapes.

All the residents of the Scarlet Devil Mansion encircled me, scowling as if staring at a mosquito.

These are replicas, lies—yet the words, the imagery…

My battle stance shook a little, eyes tried to squint, upper lip trembling if for a moment, blood tightly covering my vision, body tired from a year of isolation, ki tense…

Alone by the gate. When I leave, I'll be all alone by the gate again.

… Nothing has changed—

—eyes widen, a knife lodged in my chest.

The fight commences once again.