[The End of Osamu Ashikaga]: Terror

Shocked and confused, Yoko, Izanami, Tsukiakari, and Amatsuki couldn’t muster up any words. They stood with their mouths agape, they eyes unblinking, and their hearts racing in their chests.

“Executioners?” Izanami gasped, her hand over her mouth. “But…that can’t be true! It just can’t!”

“They’re just kids! You can’t be serious right now!” Amatsuki cried.

“You want to know why Taeko and I couldn’t tell you anything?” Osamu asked. “This was why. We knew my children had been tasked with killing me. Had we told you anything, we wouldn’t have been able to trap them like this.”

“I’m sorry, everyone.” Taeko said, aiming her black feather at Yuuto.

Tsukiakari slowly stepped forward. “Everyone. Please…just put your weapons down. No one has to get hurt here. Let’s talk about this.”

“There’s no talking.” Kiyoko rebuked. “Didn’t it ever occur to you that Osamu was possessed by Inari? Don’t you understand how dangerous this is? That thing over there is not our father!”

“Come on, Mom!” Yuuto shouted. “Think for yourself! Why do you think Osamu was drawn to Inari? Why do you think he got attached to her so quickly? Why do think he fought alongside her, even sacrificed himself for her? It’s because that’s what she commanded! Anything is possible with Bloodcraft. It could’ve been a flick of the wrist, or even a simple phrase. Whatever it was, Osamu was manipulated into fighting alongside her during the standoff.”

“You don’t know that, damn it!” Taeko roared.

“Look at what’s happening!” Kiyoko screamed, pointing to the news broadcast. “Does this really look like something Osamu Ashikaga would do? Is this the man you all know, a murderous monster? Or does that sound like a certain, late fox goddess? Her will is twisting his mind! Her influence didn’t go away just because she died!”

Right on cue, everyone heard more explosions in the far distance. The sound was like a massive, booming pop, as if the air itself had been torn apart.

“What was that?” Amatsuki asked, frightened.

“The second target.” Osamu said. “The hospital in the Red Circle, the very same hospital where Gekko and Taeko held Amaterasu hostage. The exorcists rely on it heavily, especially during emergencies. They wouldn’t have been prepared for an attack of this scale even with that hospital still standing. I can only imagine how many more people will die from their injuries now that it’s gone.”

The tone of the news broadcasts all changed the moment they received word of the hospital bombing. Still reeling from what had just happened at Kyoto Station, no one knew if the incident was some sort of tragic accident or an act of terror. With the hospital bombing, Kyoto and all of Japan came to the realization that this was no accident. The country was under attack.

The streets became a mess of police cars and ambulances racing across the city. The authorities now had to divide their resources between Kyoto Station and the Red Circle. Just as Osamu hoped, without that hospital, many of the wounded in these attacks had to be diverted to smaller, farther hospitals across the city. Unable to get the critical help they need when they’d need it, the men, women, and children caught in those blasts would die. The death toll of Osamu’s coordinated attack was certain to rise dramatically.

“Everyone…” Yuuto grumbled. “Pick your sides right now, because Osamu is dying today. He has to be stopped! Kiyoko, Chiya, now!”

Their hands already clasped together, Yuuto, Kiyoko and Chiya slapped their left fists into their open, right hands, producing the Zen kuji-in sign. Taeko’s eyes flung wide open as she recognized the Zen seal. A thick plume of raven smoke exploded from beneath the children’s feet, blinding and choking everyone in the kitchen.

Sensing an imminent attack, Osamu rolled across the kitchen floor, narrowly dodging three Yuuto’s throwing knives. The moment he got back onto his feet, Kiyoko came crashing down from above, ready to dropkick Osamu in the back of his neck. Before she could land, a blast of concussive air knocked her out of the kitchen and right through the front door of the house. The blast not only saved Osamu, but it parted the black smoke clouding the kitchen.

“Good save, Shinju!” Taeko complimented, sprinting towards Osamu.

Chiya leaped out of the fading smoke, bolts of electricity dancing between her fingers. Taeko threw herself around Osamu as she aimed her black feather at Chiya, but to her surprise, Tsukiakari leaped to their rescue. Tsukiakari wielded her sword in its leather sheathe, slamming it right into Chiya’s palm. The leather material acted as an insulator and stopped the flow of electricity in Chiya’s hand, all without seriously hurting her.

Chiya landed on her feet and gripped her mother’s sheathe tight, pushing against her with all her strength. Tsukiakari had to push back hard just to resist Chiya’s physical strength. She couldn’t believe her daughter possessed such herculean strength.

“You really meant to kill him, Chiya!” Tsukiakari grunted, continuing to push against her. “You have to stop this! That’s your father, Chiya!”

“We already told you! It’s too late for him!” Chiya screamed.

The throwing knives Yuuto threw earlier suddenly glowed orange with fiery heat, burning the wooden pantry door they were lodged in. The metal of the blades hissed like snakes, alerting Osamu and Taeko to them. Chiya flipped backwards and smashed one of the kitchen windows with her elbow.

“Yuuto!” Chiya shouted.

Yuuto jumped out of the window after her while Izanami jumped off the top of the stairs and landed by Osamu’s side. She quickly summoned her scythe into her right hand and slammed the handle into the kitchen floor. Osamu, Taeko, Tsukiakari, and the others found themselves enveloped in a transparent, pink aura right before the knives exploded, shredding the kitchen apart.

The pantry was blown apart along with the wall connecting to the platform atop the stairs, causing the second floor of the house to partially collapse into the ruined kitchen. Terrified screams filled the house as rubble, flames, and smoke swirled around Izanami’s shield.

“Is everyone okay?” Izanami cried, looking behind her to see no one had been hurt.

“My god, it’s true…” Amatsuki whimpered, her teeth chattering. “What do we do?”

“Kiyoko!” Yoko shouted. “Is Kiyoko okay?”

“I doubt that shot earlier hurt her that much.” Shinju said.

“Please, whatever happens, we can’t hurt them!” Yoko begged.

“They’re not exactly giving us a choice, Yoko!” Shinju responded. “They’ll stop at nothing to kill Osamu!”

“Osamu…did you know this was going to happen?” Yoko asked.

While the girls dealt with the shock and horror of the situation, Osamu’s mind was somewhere else entirely. Their cries of fear and confusion were little more than background noise and ambience to him. He wasted no time in analyzing the situation and thinking of what was going to happen next.

(A quick succession of diversionary attacks and advanced kuji-in techniques…Yuuto, Kiyoko, and Chiya are already used to real combat, it seems. Everything is exactly as the Shoku Twins showed me. Our best bet now is to confront them outside. Shinju and Taeko are great mid-range fighters. Izanami can run defense, and Gekko’s versatile enough to excel at both close and long range fighting. Anne’s men will be hitting the third target in just a minute, which means our reinforcements will be here soon too.)

“Taeko, Shinju, we need to keep them at bay.” Osamu commanded. “They won’t stand a chance out in the open.”

“Got it!” Taeko responded, chasing after the kids alongside Shinju.

Osamu stood as Izanami’s shield faded. He looked around at the destruction his children had caused to the interior of the house. His once happy home had instantly turned into a battleground. It only hammered home that his life as a normal citizen in Japan was over. But while Osamu knew exactly what would happen ahead of time, his wives were completely taken by surprise. 

For them, their lives had come crashing down so quickly they couldn’t even comprehend it. Though they knew Taeko and Osamu had been keeping secrets from them, finally witnessing their plan in action left chills all over their bodies. The fine hairs on their arms stood erect in shock and horror.

If these were just the first few steps of their plan, what on earth were Osamu and Taeko hoping to achieve?

“Osamu! Are you okay?” Yoko asked.

“Yeah.” Osamu answered. “Yoko, you need to call Kagutsuchi here. We’ll need to get out of here soon and we can’t leave her here in Japan.”

“What?” Amatsuki recoiled. “You make it sound like we’re leaving the country!”

“We are. We’re not safe here . If we go to Hokkaido, they’ll only hunt us down there. Taeko and I have already made arrangements to leave the country.”

Tsukiakari pulled Osamu towards her by the collar, shouting into his face. “Just what the hell did you two plan? How much danger did you knowingly put us in?”

“Gekko, we’ll talk about it later!” Izanami said, pushing her and Osamu apart from each other. “Right now, we need to subdue the kids before they hurt Taeko and Shinju!”

“It’s useless.” Osamu said. “I already know what’s going to happen to them today. In the visions I saw, not even you two could stop it.”

“…Osamu, what’s going to happen to them?” Izanami gasped, her eyes wide with fear.

In that moment, Amatsuki noticed the television had suddenly cut out. She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and noticed she wasn’t getting any reception. Several faint booms in the distance shook the house like a jolting earthquake. Now that the front door and kitchen windows were wide open, the distant echoes of whirling helicopter blades and police sirens crept into the house.

“What was that?” Yoko cried.

“Looks like they hit their third target.” Osamu said. “We’ve destroyed the Keage Hydro-Electro Power Plant, including six other major power plants across Kyoto. Which means…it’s about time.”

Osamu marched past Tsukiakari and stepped out the front door into the blinding light of the rising sun. Kiyoko, Yuuto, and Chiya stood together, their hands clasped and ready to weave kuji-in signs. 

Taeko stood off to the right with her black feather aimed at them, and Shinju off to the left pointing her finger gun at Yuuto. Izanami and Tsukiakari tried to approach their children very slowly, as if they were trudging through a minefield.

The deafening hum of helicopter blades slicing through the air caught Osamu’s attention. He turned his gaze directly upwards, spotting six white Chinook helicopters flying overhead. They were flying in the direction of the towers of black smoke billowing from Kyoto’s inner city.

“The Japanese Self Defense Force is here already, huh? They’re fast.” Osamu remarked. “Guess that means the government has realized the nation is under attack.”

Yuuto’s eyes darted across the roads, rooftops, and alleyways of the neighborhood. Seeing no one around, sweat began to roll down the side of his head. “Damn it, we’re supposed to have reinforcements! They should be here already!”

“Somehow, he managed to pull off such a wide-scale attack against the country.” Kiyoko said. “If I had to guess, the exorcists are responding to the bombing sites and trying to stop the perpetrators before they can hit more targets. Not to mention he took down the electrical grid.”

“Guys?” Chiya called out nervously. “What should we do?”

“I wanted to avoid spilling Osamu’s blood, but…I don’t think we have much of a choice.” Yuuto said. “It should be alright if we manage to kill him with most of his blood volume in tact. And of course, we don’t want to damage Inari’s heart either.”

“Are you insane? We didn’t expect Taeko and Shinju to be here as well!” Kiyoko argued. “We can’t take on those two, plus our mothers, plus Osamu.”

“Yes we can.” Yuuto said. “We just need to stop holding back. Chiya, use your full power. If our mothers want to stand in our way, they’re our enemies too. For all we know, Osamu’s controlling them the same way Inari controlled him.”

“What? Hold on, we can’t hurt them! Osamu’s our only target!” Chiya cried. “Besides, Izaanami is immortal! We have no way of stopping her!”

“We don’t need to kill Izanami, just stun her long enough for us to get to Osamu!” Kiyoko responded.

Izanami’s thunderous roar broke their conversation. “That’s enough!”

The children gave Izanami a cold, loveless gaze. Just looking into their eyes broke Izanami’s heart and filled her eyes with tears. “Please…just stop this. You’re children. You’re not killers. Just…stop.”

“No.” Yuuto responded. “Look at what he’s done. The people he killed during the Inari Standoff, the people that are dead and dying right this second because of him! Look around you! Japan is under attack and you’re defending the man responsible! He’s motivated by nothing but his hatred of the pantheon! Inari is living on through him!”

“Is that what those sick bastards drilled into you?” Tsukiakari recoiled. “Inari was our friend! Osamu loved her, so of course he hates them for what they did! I do too!”

“I admit, I also bear hatred for the pantheon and the exorcists for what happened.” Izanami added. “Inari didn’t deserve to die like that. She didn’t deserve to spend the rest of her life on the run. The Exorcist Program drilled it into your head that Inari was a flesh-eating demon, that she was nothing more than a mass murderer.

“But what choice was she given when exorcists came to her shrine to assassinate her? What choice was she given when they hunted her down and killed her family, when they chased her to the ends of the earth? The pantheon made her into something to fear. That was entirely their own fault.”

“And that gave Osamu the right to kill scores of exorcists who were just doing their duty?” Kiyoko asked. “Does he even know any of their names? We do. Their names are written on a memorial slab at HQ. We tended to heir graves every day. What justifies how many lives he took?”

“Cécile Gonçalves” Osamu said. “Is her name written anywhere on that memorial slab?”

The kids wore puzzled expressions on their faces. It was clear from their confusion that they had no idea who that was.

“Didn’t think so.” Osamu sighed. “She was an extremely powerful exorcist. Inari and I fought against her during the standoff. Cécile was different from all the others. It was clear from the start that she really didn’t want to fight us. The whole time we fought, she seemed so…sad. She lost the fight, but in the end, Inari and I showed her mercy. 

"We were there for her in her final moments. Did they memorialize that poor girl? Or did they omit her name because she was a disgraced exorcist who’d been punished for simply having a sensitive heart? You may have forgotten her, but Inari and I mourned her death together. There isn’t a day where I don’t think about Cécile, but the exorcists won’t even keep her memory alive.

“You three might be talented exorcists, but you’re still children. You still believe this world is ruled by right or wrong. It isn’t. It’s ruled by circumstance and necessity. Inari became the violent outcast she was because the circumstances you forced onto her didn’t give her a choice.

“The violence and loss of life that ensued during the Inari Standoff happened because neither of us were given a choice but to fight. And now, all of this is happening because the pantheon will not give us a choice. Nothing has changed. No one has learned anything.”

“None of that changes the fact that everything you’ve done up until this point is evil, Osamu.” Yuuto snarled. “As such, we have no choice but to stop you.”

“See what I mean? Good and evil.” Osamu sighed. “It’s nothing that dramatic. You’ll do what you have to, and I’ll do the same. Our circumstances require it. It’s really just as simple as that. If none of you are willing to end this cycle of kin killing kin, then there’s nothing I can do to save you.

“This cycle will never end unless one side gives up their wants for power and revenge. And yet, both of us rely on this cycle to survive. I finally understand how much Amaterasu suffered trying to stop this exact cycle. It really does seem impossible. But…I have the power to end it, and that’s what I’m going to do. Nothing can stop it now.”

“If this is what ‘ending the cycle’ looks like to you…this death and destruction…” Yuuto began. “Then we’ll have no regrets killing you, Osamu.”

Just as another battle was about to kick off, Chiya suddenly turned her gaze skyward. She gasped in shock, her eyes widening in terror.

“Chiya? What’s wrong?” Kiyoko asked.

“This presence…” Chiya chattered. “Someone really strong is coming!”

Osamu shoved his hands in his pockets. “So she’s finally here.”

Taeko exchanged glances with Osamu, the two of them clearly thinking the same thing. “Yeah, it’s her.”

Something came crashing down upon the street at blinding speed, impacting the road with as much force and speed as a fighter jet. Everyone aside from Osamu and Taeko ducked and covered their heads to protect themselves from the scattershot chunks of concrete and tar flying around from the impact.

A wispy cloud of gray floated upwards until it was whisked away by the breeze, revealing a woman in a skin-tight, black cloak in the crater in the middle of the road. She stood tall in her black, leather boots, but her face was obscured by a lace, raven veil over her head. Even her hands were covered with black, cotton cloves that clung tightly to her slender fingers.

This mysterious woman leaped over the kids’ heads, landing right beside Osamu. He wasn’t at all shocked by her presence. Yoko noticed how calm he remained, as if he completely expected her to show up.

“You sure took your sweet time getting here.” Osamu said.

“You have my humblest apologies, Osamu.” The woman snickered in a deep, haughty voice. “All the smoke in the air made it difficult to track your scent. Am I too late?”

“No, it’s fine. You’re actually just in the nick of time.” Osamu said.

Yuuto and Kiyoko aimed their palms at Osamu and the woman. Heat gathered around their hands and formed into massive, green fireballs. Yuuto and Kiyoko propelled them towards Osamu, the large fireballs suddenly breaking apart into a swarm of smaller projectiles. The shower of fireballs raced towards Osamu like a cluster bomb.

Unperturbed, Osamu gazed at the fireballs diving towards him. “It’s all you.”

The woman in black nodded and lifted her index finger skyward. “Gladly.”

A massive wave of water sprung forth from the tip of her finger, forming a disc over above everyone’s heads. The fireballs slammed into the disc of water, instantly evaporating into steam upon impact.

“She negated the attack so effortlessly?” Kiyoko gasped.

“Who the hell are you?” Yoko shouted.

“Relax! She’s with us!” Taeko said, putting herself between Yoko and the woman in black.

“This is bad, Yuuto!” Chiya warned. “Whoever she is, she’s even stronger than Tsukiakari! We can’t win this fight!”

“Where the hell is he getting all of this backup from? Who’s helping him?” Kiyoko recoiled.

Though he wanted nothing more than to kill Osamu, he knew it would’ve been a difficult battle just dealing with Tsukiakari, Izanami, Taeko, and Shinju. It seemed possible because he knew each of their abilities very well. But this mystery woman was not only powerful, but a complete stranger. She had already demonstrated superhuman strength and speed, and she was clearly capable of powerful, effortless magic. Yuuto couldn’t tell if she was an exorcist or something else entirely.

“Everyone…fall back to HQ. Osamu cut off our reinforcements and outnumbered us. Fighting is hopeless.” Yuuto said. “Osamu! This isn’t over. Japan will recover from this, and when it does, the whole world will want you dead. We’ll be the ones to kill you and save this world. It’s just like you said. This means war.”

Osamu sighed. “Kill me, huh? With just the two of you?”

“Two?” Chiya repeated, confused.

“Let’s go!” Yuuto commanded, tossing a smoke bomb on the ground. The smoke obscured them as they teleported away from the neighborhood, vanishing in an instant.

“No, wait!” Yoko cried, running into the remnants of smoke. Seeing they were gone, she fell to her knees and bowed her forehead into the concrete. “No! Please!”

Tsukiakari and Izanami rushed to Yoko’s side. The realization sunk in for everyone that their own children would stop at nothing to kill Osamu. Even worse, with the terror attack he unleashed upon Japan, it was possible the entire nation would try to kill him. It was clear that there was no going back. What Osamu and Taeko had done was an act of war.

“Are we done? We need to get you out of here, Osamu.” said the woman in black.

“Not yet.” Osamu responded.

“There’s still two more targets we need to hit before we leave.” Taeko explained. “It should be done any minute now. We’ll be able to see it from here.”

(Akatsuki…Omagatoki…it’s all you now…)

The scene at exorcist HQ was just as chaotic as anyone expected. Once it became apparent the country was under attack, Amaterasu, Uzume, and several high-ranking exorcists were moved to an underground panic room. 

It was a metal, grey, blast-proof box fitted with a long table, white, leather chairs, and several large television screens. Though the power grid had been knocked out, the room had its own series of backup generators, allowing for them to keep the lights on.

In a situation like this, everyone in the room would have their eyes glued to the news, but the attack on the city’s power grid meant that no one could broadcast what was happening. Relying on walkie-talkies for communication, Amaterasu gripped one in her right hand as she frantically bit the nails on her left.

“Ma’am, are you listening?” Uzume asked, snapping Amaterasu out of her terrified trance. “The JSDF is ordering a city-wide evacuation. They think there’s more targets. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.”

“Whoever did this, they chose their targets carefully.” Said one of the officials in a white veil. “They knew exactly how to tangle law enforcement up. Even with our help and the JSDF assisting, we still can’t get this situation under control.”

Yuuto, Kiyoko, and Chiya suddenly appeared in the room, startling everyone. Amaterasu shot up from her seat, her voice raspy and worn out. “Were you three really sent to kill him?”

“We need to report to Lord Amatsu.” Yuuto said. “We failed. Osamu had a lot of help. I think whoever’s helping him is also responsible for the ongoing attacks.”

“What do you mean you failed?” Asked one of the veiled officials.

“Osamu knew we’d be the ones to kill him, and he knew when.” Kiyoko explained. “I think someone within the Exorcist Program is helping him. Where’s Lord Amatsu? Is he here?”

“You might’ve just missed him.” Uzume said. “He said he was heading out to assist in finding the attackers and ending this mess.”

“Damn it!” Yuuto growled. “Come on, let’s see if we can catch him before he leaves!”

The kids rushed up the stairs, teleporting through the heavy, vault door sealing the room off from the rest of the facility. They may not have said much, but for Amaterasu, they said more than enough.

“So Amatsu’s responsible for the operation to kill Osamu.” Amaterasu said.

“You must understand, Lady Amaterasu.” chimed one of the veiled officials. “We know that Osamu is family to you. For that reason, we couldn’t entrust the mission to assassinate him with you.

“…Of course. I understand.” Amaterasu said, closing her eyes, her fingers curling inwards towards her palms.

Uzume knew Amaterasu better than anyone. It only took a single glance for her to realize that Amaterasu was as equally relieved that the assassination failed as she was deathly worried. She couldn’t swallow the fact that Osamu had helped mastermind the attack that was unfolding across the city. Knowing how much destruction had been caused, how many deaths were still being reported, it was clear that there was no going back from this. Osamu had made himself an enemy of the nation.

Yuuto, Kiyoko, and Chiya marched through the white, marble halls of Exorcist HQ. The halls were filled with frantic shrine maidens racing back and forth, relaying news updates they heard over their radios with their respective branches and supervisors. The kids were surprised to see JSDF personnel donned in gray, urban camouflage around every turn and corner.

“It’s a joint operation now…” Chiya remarked as they continued walking through the absolute chaos in the halls. They waded through the sea of shrine maidens and soldiers and turned left down the hall, where it was far less crowded. The hall was lined with wooden, double doors on the left and right sides, each door bearing a name placard. The offices belonged to the exorcist officials, as well as a few gods.

“Look at all of this.” Kiyoko said. “There hasn’t been a response this big since that sarin attack in 1995.”

“Yuuto, we have to avoid getting our mothers caught up in this.” Chiya urged. “Killing them isn’t an option.”

“That’ll be hard to do, Chiya.” Yuuto responded. “They’re with him all the time. It’s not like they’re going to just surrender him to us. And like I said, he’s probably controlling them too. They just don’t realize it.”

“I don’t want to kill them!” Chiya shouted, clutching her own shivering arms in her hands. “I thought we’d only have to kill Osamu…”

Kiyoko placed a gentle hand on Chiya’s shoulder. “I know. I didn’t want this either. Maybe we can find another way.”

Yuuto sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Let’s just report to Amatsu. After that, we’ll think about how we can get to Osamu without harming our mothers. Okay, Chiya?”

Chiya nodded and Kiyoko pulled her in for a hug. Everything had become messier than any of them hoped. It was just as Osamu told them. Circumstance, not morality, created the situation they were in. Tsukiakari and Izanami had no choice but to defend Osamu against his killers, even if those killers were their own children. It wasn’t about good or evil. It was just circumstance.

Suddenly, the entire HQ jolted back and forth. The sound of glass shattering and startled screams filled the halls as the crowds flocked to the windows.

“Holy shit, they blew up the prison!” someone in the crowd shouted.

Judging by the direction of the blast, Yuuto knew they meant the Exorcist Program’s prison facility, the very same one where Taeko and Shinju were nearly executed. Chills shot down the children’s spines. The color left their faces and their pupils dilated. The prison was only a few kilometers away from Exorcist HQ. It occurred to them that Osamu and Taeko were saving the most personal targets for last.

There was no tactical reason for blowing up the prison like there was for Kyoto Station or the hospital in the Red Circle. Attacking the prison was vengeance for Cyanide and Black Maria.

“Why is it all blue?” asked a JSDF soldier.

“Yeah, it looks nothing like the other explosions.” an exorcist added. “Is it some sort of radiation?”

“Blue?” Yuuto repeated, confused.

Yuuto, Kiyoko, and Chiya turned as they heard footsteps behind them. To their surprise, Omagatoki stood before them. Normally, Omagatoki’s cute face would be a sweet sight for sore eyes, but her expression was anything but jovial and adorably curious as it usually was. Omagatoki bore a stern glare that no one had ever seen before, the glare of someone who was about to do something horrific. Even more terrifying than her expression was Akatsuki’s absence.

“Omagatoki? Where’s your sister?” Chiya asked. “You two can’t be separated for long, right?”

Omagatoki didn’t say a word. She clasped her hands and produced the Rin, Tō, Kai, Sha, and Pyō kuji-in signs.

“Seal of Heavenly Burden, release.” Omagatoki murmured.

Omagatoki’s entire body began to glow a blinding, blue light. In an instant, Yuuto realized what was happening. Akatsuki was the one who attacked the prison, and Omagatoki was there to blow up HQ. He threw himself over Kiyoko and Chiya right as the blue light turned into a massive explosion, gutting HQ from the inside out.

Osamu and the girls saw the two pillars of blue light shoot into the sky all the way from their suburban neighborhood. There weren’t any words or horrified screams. It was muted terror. Taeko stood next to Osamu and glanced at his face. It was like he was made of stone. He didn’t flinch or cry. He hardly even blinked.

“They did it.” Osamu said. “The twins will return here shortly.”

“With this, we’ve crushed the head of the Exorcist Program.” snickered the woman in black, tapping her knuckles against the side of her head. “Simple, but effective strategy.”

“We still need to grab Kagutsuchi, though.” Taeko said.

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” the woman in black said. “I’ve already brought her back to the castle. When she saw the explosions, the poor girl tried rushing to your house. You already expressed how important she was, so I went ahead and took her back to Wales.”

“Good thinking.” Osamu complimented.

“Osamu…” Yoko murmured. “Yuuto and the others…didn’t they fall back to HQ?”

“…Yeah.” Osamu answered.

“You carried out an attack on HQ, knowing our children would get caught in the blast?” Tsukiakari cried.

“Yes.” Osamu said.

Tsukiakari threw the sheathe off her blade and lunged towards Osamu. Taeko threw herself over him while the woman in black stood in front of both Osamu and Taeko.

“Wait! Gekko, don’t!” Izanami screamed.

Suddenly, two pale, raven-haired women appeared in front of the woman in black. One wore a skin-tight, black bodysuit, while the other was dressed in a white bodysuit. The one in white deflected Tsukiakari’s sword with her arms while the other held her arms behind her back, as if she was arresting Tsukiakari.

“Gekko, stop it!” said the woman in the black body suit. Looking at the woman’s face, Tsukiakari realized she was staring right at Omagatoki. The one in white was Akatsuki.

The Shoku Twins were no longer confined by their childlike forms. With Izanami’s seal of Heavenly Burden undone, they twins were able to access their full power, and in doing so, matured into the age they were when they became deities.

Izanami immediately put the pieces together in her head. “That’s what caused the last two explosions? It was you two? How did you undo your seals?”

“We’re sorry, Izanami.” Akatsuki said, her unbound, raven hair flowing in the breeze. “Sis and I decided to take Osamu’s side in all of this. We agreed to take part in his plan to attack Kyoto, and we blew up two major exorcist facilities. Your children were caught in the blast.”

“If what we saw of the future is true, two of them will survive. But one of them…” Omagatoki said, unable to finish her sentence.

“No…no, no, no!” Yoko sobbed. “We have to get over there! We have to save them!”

“If you set foot anywhere near Exorcist HQ, they’ll probably kill you on sight.” Akatsuki warned.

“I don’t care!” Yoko screamed.

Akatsuki teleported in front of Yoko, throwing her arms around her to both restrain and comfort her. “I’m sorry, Yoko. This had to be done. We can explain everything to you a little later, but right now, we need to get out of here!”

“Those are our children, you bastard!” Tsukiakari roared. “What part of you thinks it’s okay to hurt your own child?”

“Osamu, why?” Izanami wept. “How could you do something so horrible?”

“I wish all three of them had died in the blast.” Osamu said, his words silencing everyone. “Compared to what I saw happen to them in the future, it would be a mercy.”

“How is murder mercy?” Tsukiakari screamed.

“If we had done nothing, those three would’ve been forced to fight on the frontlines of the Third Great Holy War.” Osamu announced. “The twins and I looked into the future. We saw them get killed in a battle against us. We saw them have second thoughts and betray the Exorcist Program, only to be punished by Amatsu the same way Cécile was. Their eyes sewn shut, tortured for weeks on end. By the time they slipped away, you couldn’t even tell they were human anymore. In both scenarios, they die alone, scared, and in hellish pain. At least this way, it’s over in an instant.”

“That’s what you saw?” Tsukiakari asked. “That can’t be true…”

“If you don’t believe me, I’m sure the twins can show you themselves.” Osamu said. “If that’s not enough for you, ask the shinigami what possible ways our children are fated to die. You’ll only get the same answer.”

Izanami fell to her knees, slapping her hand over her mouth. She felt sick enough to vomit. Just imagining her children suffering such horrible fates, and for a swift death in an explosion to be the only way out of it all, it was too much of a revelation to bear.

This was information Osamu had been living with for months. He already knew everything that would transpire on this day. Now the girls truly understood why he had transformed into a completely different person.

“If we had worked together, couldn’t we have saved them?” Yoko asked. “If you and Taeko had told us what was going on, we could’ve taken them alive!”

“I saw a future where we tired that as well.” Osamu said. “At first, it worked. They were on our side in the war. But in the end, they end up captured by the exorcists and tortured for months until they died. We tried desperately to find them, but we were too late. Finding their bodies in pieces like that…it drove Yoko to become a Mu-Onna, and it drove Tsukiakari to suicide. Izanami ends up killing Kagutsuchi in order to kill herself. Having lost all of you, I end up killing myself as well. Because of my death, we lose the war, and the Shoku Twins end up destroying the world out of grief.”

Osamu hung his head in sorrow. He bore the burden of future knowledge, of knowing that every measure he could’ve taken to save Yuuto, Kiyoko, and Chiya would’ve only resulted in their prolonged suffering and deaths. Hearing all of it now, the girls couldn’t imagine what agony he was going through all by himself for all that time. None of them could understand the pain and resolve of choosing to kill your own child to spare them a future of hellish torture.

“This was the best solution.” Osamu said. “Whichever one of them died, I know it was quick and painless. They hardly felt a thing.”

Suddenly, Izanami received a familiar shiver down her spine. Osamu noticed her reaction right away, knowing already what it meant.

“Which one, Izanami?” Osamu asked.

Izanami’s eyes widened in horror. “Not her…Please, not Chiya…”

“So it was Chiya that died.” Akatsuki murmured.

Tsukiakari let out a terrible scream as she tried to break out of Omagatoki’s grip. “Chiya! Chiya! Why? Why her? Izanami, bring her back! Bring her back right now! Just like you did with Aika! Bring her back! Hurry! Before it’s too late!”

Knowing she couldn’t do anything to save Chiya, Izanami broke down and sobbed. “I’m sorry, Gekko. I’m so sorry…”

Yoko ran over to Tsukiakari and threw her arms around her, squeezing her tightly. Tsukiakari completely melted in Yoko’s embrace, her screams turning into heartbroken wails. In just one day, everyone’s world was flipped upside-down. Osamu and Taeko dragged them into a war they might not survive, Chiya was dead, and Japan had suffered the worst terror attack in its history. It was all too much for their hearts to bear.

“Everyone…” the woman in black called out. “I’m sorry, but we need to leave right now. We can’t stay here.”

The girls didn’t hear a word she said. The grief of losing Chiya made all other sights and sounds fade to silence and black. Still, they needed to get out of Japan.

“We’re ready. Take us.” Taeko said.

“Very well then.” the woman in black replied.

With the snap of her finger, everyone vanished from the neighborhood. Kyoto was no longer their home, and Japan was no longer their country. That day marked the beginning of the Third Great Holy War, though it would take some time for the Shinto Pantheon and Japan at large to recover from such a vicious attack on its soil. For now, Osamu and Taeko had time to continue with the next few steps of their plan.

Everyone suddenly found themselves in a grassy plain in the middle of a foreign countryside, moonlight beaming down from a clear, night sky. There were small hillocks and fields of colorful lilies for as far as the eye could see. In the far distance were tall, menacing mountains that sealed the grassy plain in a protective bowl, making it difficult for outsiders to come in.

Directly ahead of them, standing like a titan beneath the full, blue moon, was a grand castle. Complete with a gate and crenellated walls, its four towers reached for the stars above. Braziers around the property illuminated the castle walls and served to lead the woman in black home with their strong scent of burning applewood.

“Where are we?” Izanami asked.

“You can take that off now. It’s not like there’s any exorcists around here.” Osamu said.

“Ah, of course.” said the woman in black, removing her raven veil.

Izanami and Tsukiakari couldn’t believe their eyes. The woman’s long, black hair fluttered in the wind like wicked tendrils of darkness. She turned to face the girls, her emerald eyes shining like stars in the darkness.

“Izanami, Gekko, it’s been a long time. Do you remember me at all?” the woman asked.

“No way…” Tsukiakari gasped. “You’re…Carmilla the Baneful. You’re the vampire I met back then.”

Carmilla smiled and curtsied before Osamu’s family, the moon casting her oppressive shadow upon their faces. “It’s so good to see you again. We’re in Wales right now. I’m here to help Osamu and Taeko fight against the Shinto pantheon. I know you’ve all just suffered a horrible loss, but please come inside. Osamu, Taeko, and I have quite a lot of work to do.”

“Is this…your castle, Carmilla?” Izanami questioned.

Carmilla shook her head. “It used to be, but these days, it belongs to someone else.”

“Who?” Tsukiakari asked.

Carmilla’s seductive smile all but gave them the answer before she even uttered the name. “Hima Chinagaregawa. You haven’t seen her since she was a newborn, Gekko. She’s waiting in the castle. Let’s go.”