[The End of Osamu Ashikaga]: Banquet Invitation

Carmilla led Osamu and the others into Hima Chinagaregawa’s sprawling castle, passing through the colossal, arched doorway and heading into the entrance hall. Their shoes squeaked against the black, marble flooring as they all stopped in front of a bifurcated staircase adorned with a black rug with gold on the edges.

Wall-mounted sconces with lit candles illuminated the staircase while golden chandeliers with netted, crystal baubles hung from the tall ceiling above. Aside from the streaks of white running like veins through the marble floors and walls, the interior of the castle was dominated by black and highlights of gold.

At the top of the staircase stood what appeared to be a young girl, no older than thirteen. Her scarlet eyes shined like blood moons as she leaned forward on the golden railing of the upstairs landing. Her black, off-shoulder crop top exposed the milky white skin of her lower belly and arms, while her hands were concealed in black, fitted cotton gloves. Her voluminous hair was darker than the distant corners of outer space. Most of it was draped down her back, while some of it was draped over her shoulders.

The corners of her luscious, pink lips curved upward into a pleasant smile as she laid eyes on the man she had been waiting more than seven years to meet, the man who would help her change the world forever; Osamu Ashikaga.

“At long last, we finally meet.” she said, her voice echoing throughout the room. “Welcome to Moonglow Castle, Osamu. I am Hima Chinagaregawa.”

Osamu stepped forth as the girls stood in complete and utter shock. He took his hands out of his pockets and met eyes with Dracula’s heiress. “Thank you for having us, Hima. Carmilla told me that Kagutsuchi made it here safe and sound?”

“Ah yes, of course!” Hima sang. “Kagutsuchi! They’re here!”

A set of rapid footsteps grew louder and louder until Kagutsuchi came rushing down the staircase in a white bathrobe, her hair soaking wet and dripping with water. She leaped into Osamu’s arms with tears of her vibrant, pink eyes.

“Oh my god!” Kagutsuchi cried. “Are you okay, Osa? I was so scared!”

“I’m fine, Kagu. Thank you for worrying about me.” Osamu said, rubbing her back.

Kagutsuchi pulled away and gave a hug to Izanami, Taeko, and Shinju, but then stopped when she noticed something was off.

“Wait, where are the kids?” Kagutsuchi asked.

Met with silence and sorrowful whimpers, Kagutsuchi assumed the worst. She turned to Osamu for answers, taking notice of the dark circles around his eyes.

“What…what happened? Tell me!” Kagutsuchi begged. “Are they okay? Why aren’t they with you?”

“Kagu…” Taeko murmured, unable to break the news to her.

“Go on. Tell her.” Tsukiakari growled, her eyes darkened by sorrow. “Tell her how you killed our daughter, Osamu.”

In seconds, everyones eyes were fixed on Osamu. He answered their grief, anger, and confusion with complete silence. He could tell by their faces that they would refuse to go any further unless they were given a proper explanation. Though he had hoped to keep everything a secret, he couldn’t refuse them after Chiya’s sudden death.

Taeko stepped forward and stood next to him, followed by Akatsuki and Omagatoki.

“If you’re going to blame Osamu, blame us as well.” Taeko said. “He and I planned all of this together. We both knew what would happen to Chiya, and we went ahead with the plan anyway without saying a word to any of you. If you hate us for that, I completely understand.”

“Sis and I agreed to help with their plan.” said Omagatoki, who now stood a bit taller than Osamu. “We were the ones who struck the final two targets. I’m the one that bombed Exorcist HQ and killed your daughter. Her blood is on my hands, not Osamu’s.”

“You can place some of that blame on me as well.” Shinju interjected. “I was excluded from their meetings, but I was aware of the plot to attack Kyoto. I also knew that Chiya would die in the explosion, but I went along with it anyway.”

“The same goes for Carmilla and myself.” Hima said from atop the stairs, taking a seat on one of the steps. “We’ve been in contact with Osamu and Taeko for quite some time now. This plan of ours has been seven years in the making. Carmilla organized some things on our end, and with my blessing, she helped Osamu during the attack today.”

“So…all of you were in on this plan, knowing full well that our child would get killed?” Yoko asked.

“Osamu…you owe us an explanation. If you push me away one more time…I’m gone. I won’t stay with you through whatever it is you have planned.” Tsukiakari threatened.

“Gekko…” Izanami whimpered.

Tsukiakari’s clenched a fist so tight that her nails drew blood from her palms. “How dare you? I vowed to always fight alongside you. I vowed to be a good wife to you. We all did. You forged this insane plan knowing full well that we’d go along with it because we love you that much. Now you’ve lost both our love and our trust. Not just you, but Taeko and the twins too. What was it all for? What did my baby girl die for today?”

The room fell silent as everyone waited for Osamu’s answer. Taeko and the Shoku Twins wanted nothing more than to explain everything in Osamu’s place, but they recognized that Osamu’s family needed to hear it from him.

“All of this really started with Lucrezia.” Osamu began. “You all know that Taeko impersonated her for quite some time after the twins saved her from death in the Warring States era. Lucrezia shared Taeko’s beliefs and philosophy, particularly when it came to the relationship between states and soldiers. 

"Being the highest-ranking exorcist in Kyoto, she was tasked with leading a covert operation to find Inari. That was when she learned about Inari’s Bloodcraft. Lucrezia feared that the reason for their renewed interest in Inari was that they intended to take the power of Bloodcraft for themselves.

“Lucrezia predicted that if the Shinto pantheon acquired this power, the best case scenario would be that they use it to manipulate humans and even fellow gods to shape the world in their vision. As someone who shared Taeko’s philosophy, Lucrezia couldn’t abide by that. The worst case scenario was that a civil war would erupt within the pantheon. The gods would fight to take Inari’s Bloodcraft for themselves, even if it meant killing Amaterasu to do it.

“Around the same time, Lucrezia discovered Carmilla and Hima hiding in Japan. Instead of killing them or turning them in, she helped to keep them hidden. She saw Hima as an opportunity to resurrect the Vampirical Monarchy, the very same one the Shinto pantheon defeated in the Second Great Holy War. 

"Hima was the ace in the hole in case the pantheon decided to betray Taeko’s philosophy. In the end, that was all Lucrezia was able to do about it. She was diagnosed with emphysema and then died in the Great Hanshin Earthquake not too long after that.

“Before her death, she bequeathed the mission to find Inari and the knowledge of Hima’s existence to your mother, Yoko. Carrying on Lucrezia’s mission was Manami’s penance for sending her to Hyōgo before the earthquake. That grief drove her to follow in Lucrezia’s footsteps and see her plan through until the end.

“It’s why she told Inari where to find the twins. It’s why she advised her to force them to initiate a blood moon. It was to give Hima and Carmilla the strength they would need to escape from Japan, while also putting Inari in the perfect place for a final confrontation. It’s also why she staged Taeko’s assassination at the risk of her own life, even going so far as to leak Taeko’s true identity to the exorcists.

“It may sound like a cruel thing to do to both Taeko and Inari, but honestly, I get it. Inari didn’t have many more places to go. A final confrontation would’ve happened regardless. By setting things up so that it would happen in Kyoto, Manami actually gave Inari an advantage. 

"Instead of fighting alone, Inari ended up having Taeko, Shinju, Gekko, Cyanide, and Kagutsuchi on her side. The standoff would be the signal to Taeko and the others that the pantheon had every intent to use Inari’s power for itself, which meant that it would be necessary to act on Lucrezia’s plan to revive the Vampirical Monarchy and start the Third Great Holy War.

“The one thing Manami didn’t foresee was that I would be there too. Had Inari survived the standoff, she’d probably take my place and do everything I’m doing now. Even if she died, Manami trusted that Taeko would keep Inari’s corpse safe from the pantheon and start the war herself. But neither of those scenarios came to pass.

“I was the one who was there. Inari sacrificed herself to save my life, and in doing so, she gave her powers to me. That put my family and the Shinto pantheon in direct odds with each other. They wanted to kill me and take Inari’s power, but they knew that you guys wouldn’t stand for that.

“Neither side won the conflict, so they agreed to Gekko’s proposal to hand the kids over to the Exorcist Program. That bought us seven years to make a plan. Manami got what she wanted, in the end. Taeko was left with no other choice than to start the Third Great Holy War. 

"The plan to initiate this conflict was Taeko’s, to begin with. I was against it at first. I didn’t want to get you all involved in a war I wasn’t sure you’d survive. I didn’t want Gekko and Izanami to have to fight against Amaterasu. But after the pantheon voted on my execution, we didn’t have any other choice.

“I asked the Shoku Twins to show me glimpses of the future. I wanted to know all the different possibilities that were ahead of us. After what I saw, I agreed to help Taeko mastermind this war. We planned every detail together, and we had a lot of help doing it. When we decided we were going to launch an attack on Kyoto, Manami put us in command of Lucrezia’s loyalists hiding within the Exorcist Program. 

"They were the ones who carried out the attack and bombed the targets we specified. As brutal as it was, we needed a way to cut off exorcist reinforcements and wound them greatly enough to buy ourselves some time.”

“Time for what?” Yoko asked.

“To found our new nation.” Osamu answered. “Like I said, Lucrezia’s plan was for us to revive the Vampirical Monarchy. That’s exactly what we’re going to do. Taeko, Hima, Carmilla, myself, and a few others are going to be the founders of a new nation. 

"That nation is what’s going to allow us to fight against Japan and the Shinto pantheon. With the backing of an entire nation, we’ll be able to wage a war destructive enough to set the power balance right, once and for all. This will be a war to end all future Great Holy Wars.

“What happened today was the best scenario that could’ve happened. The twins showed me countless other possibilities. In all of those, a lot more people than just Chiya died on this day. Had we told you of our plan before the kids could spring their attack, you all would’ve taken action to avoid any deaths, but in doing so, you would’ve gotten a lot of us killed. Keeping you in the dark was for your survival. There was nothing we could’ve done for Chiya. Our daughter was fated to become a casualty in this war. I’m sorry.

“I did my best. I bore the burden of knowledge and fought to get as many of us out of Japan alive as I could. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you anything. I didn’t kill Chiya out of malice. I did it because it was the best out of all the bad options available to me. If you want to hate me, that’s fine. I’ll accept it. But this castle is the safest place for us now. By the time Japan heals from that attack, we’ll already be prepared to fight against the pantheon.”

Silence fell upon the room. It was like no one there recognized the man standing before them. Nearly a decade ago, Osamu was an ordinary young man forced to live under the same roof as his ex-girlfriends. 

"He was deeply flawed, but compassionate. Irresponsible, but devoted. Afraid, and equally courageous when he needed to be. A decade later, the girls realized they were staring at the mastermind of the worst terror attack on Japanese soil, and one of the primary instigators of the Third Great Holy War.

He didn’t become who he was by choice, but by circumstance. The clashing wills of countless different people, gods, and philosophies shaped the monster before them. Osamu’s strength and courage had been twisted into a devotion to war, to an unyielding will to protect what was dear to him, at the cost of innocent lives.

Osamu found himself at the same crossroads Amaterasu stood during the dawn of the First Great Holy War. He made the same decision as her, paid the same price as her, and in the process, ruined just as many lives as she did.

(Amaterasu, is this how your fellow gods looked at you after the decision you made? Is this how agonizing it felt? We were both strangers to war. We were both forced into circumstances we didn’t fully understand, and yet, the onus to make a decision was on us. I guess that’s why no one understands you. It’s not something you can comprehend until you’re put in the same position.)

“I see…” Tsukiakari said, wiping her tears away with the sleeve of her red thermal. “It must’ve been really hard for you too, Osamu.”

“We…we didn’t know you were carrying such an enormous burden.” Izanami murmured. “I wish we could’ve helped you. I wish we could’ve saved Chiya…”

“But what’s going to happen to Yuuto and Kiyoko?” Amatsuki asked. “Did you see what would happen to them?”

“Right about now, they’re severely wounded from the blast, but if what I saw ends up happening, they’ll be okay.” Osamu said. “I was counting on those two being wounded. It means they won’t be put on the frontlines.”

“What about the rest of us?” Yoko asked.

“That’s where it gets a bit complicated.” Amatsuki interjected. “When we say that we showed Osamu the future, we don’t mean that we beamed a prophecy into his head. Sis and I didn’t know what would happen either.”

Omagatoki nodded. “In order to see what would happen, we had to travel into the future and try things out ourselves. We relived this day a thousand times over and tried everything we could think of. In the end, most of you ended up dead before you could get here. The fact that Osamu and Taeko managed to keep you all alive is a miracle.”

“So, from here on, we have no idea what’s going to happen next?” Amatsuki asked.

“Today was only the first step of our plan.” Taeko answered. “There’s still a lot of work to do. Though, we’re not sure how it’ll all turn out. At the very least, we can be sure we’ll be safe here. You have to remember that the pantheon still has no idea that Hima even exists. They’ll never suspect that we fled all the way to Wales.”

“Taeko, you owe me an answer as well.” Yoko chided. “Where is my mother? You guys said she helped you pull all of this together. Was she really in on all of this too?”

Osamu exchanged glances with Taeko, giving her an affirmative nod. “I guess it’s okay to tell her now.”

Taeko released an exhausted sigh. “Your mom is doing fine. Some of her followers smuggled her out of Japan and into Italy while she was still in a coma. She lives in a huge, lakeside villa and she has people protecting her 24/7.”

“Oh my god…” Yoko cried, nearly falling to her knees. Izanami caught her by the arm and helped her stay on her feet. “Why didn’t she try to reach me?”

“I’m sure she had her own personal reasons, but I know she also wanted to stay hidden. She had knowledge and tools that were vital to our plan, and she even had teleportation coins that led directly to this castle.” Taeko explained. “Had she reached out, she risked being discovered by the exorcists. This castle wouldn’t have been a safe place to go after the attack, and our plan could’ve gone up in flames. She was protecting you, in her own little way.”

“Well, you all finally have the answers you’ve craved.” Hima said with a satisfied grin. “I won’t force you to stay here if you don’t want to. So, what do you want to do?”

“I’m staying.” Izanami said without any hesitation. “At least now, I understand what Osamu and Taeko were going through. It’s not right or fair, but…I get it. I don’t blame you two for what happened today…”

“…I’ll stay as well.” Yoko agreed. “I’m not abandoning my friends and family.”

“And what about you, Tsukiakari?” Hima asked.

Having been the one to lose her child, the choice was hardest for Tsukiakari. She completely understood where Osamu was coming from, but no explanation could make the pain of losing a child go away. No justification could make Chiya’s life a worthy sacrifice. At the same time, it really wasn’t Osamu’s fault. A thousand different thoughts and emotions swirled in Tsukiakari’s head. She couldn’t keep any of her thoughts straight.

Seeing the agony she was going through, Hima got up and walked towards her. Startled, Tsukiakari jumped back, but Hima took hold of Tsukiakari’s hands and gazed into her eyes.

“Finally…” Hima said, her cheeks turning pink.

“Finally?” Tsukiakari repeated, confused.

“I get to meet the woman who saved my life.” Hima sang, standing on the tips of her toes. “Carmilla told me there was a Shinto goddess that helped my parents in their greatest time of need. You helped them find a safe place to give birth to me. I’m alive because of you. We owe you a great debt, Tsukiakari. Whatever you want, whatever you need, I will do by best to provide it. You are especially welcome here at Moonglow Castle.”

Hima, a queen in her own right, bowed to Tsukiakari. Carmilla made the same gesture, showing that they respected Tsukiakari as an equal, despite the fact their two sides were enemies during the Second Great Holy War.

“Tsukiakari, it would mean the world to us if you stayed.” Carmilla said, her lips pursed.

“…Chiya was named after a comrade of mine from the Warring States era.” Tsukiakari said, rubbing the red prayer bracelet around her wrist with her thumb. “This bracelet belonged to her late sister, Yachi. Right before my clan fell, Chiya passed this bracelet down to me. She and the rest of my clan held Bishamon off and sacrificed their own lives to save mine. Chiya led the entire effort. She looked death in the face and didn’t even flinch.

“I named my daughter after her, because I felt that her birth saved my life in the same way Chiya did, long ago. The kind of love that it takes to sacrifice yourself for someone like that, knowing you won’t make it out alive at the end…it’s overwhelming. I’m alive today because of Chiya and the rest of my clan. Continuing to draw breath from this earth is my way of honoring them.

“Inari loved Osamu in much the same way. She even made the same sacrifice that Chiya did. Both of them were precious to me. My daughter was precious to me. Osamu, Yoko, Izanami, Amatsuki, Shinju, Taeko, the twins, Kagutsuchi, our children, my mother, my father…you all mean the world to me. 

"I don’t want any more of you to die in some war. I don’t want my husband to carry the world all by himself. I vowed to fight alongside you. That’s what I’m always going to do. So…I’ll stay, but on two conditions. One, you have to stop keeping us in the dark. We’re all in this together now, and this war puts me at odds with my mother.”

Osamu nodded. “I agree. I promise, there won’t be anymore surprises like that.”

“My second condition is that Yuuto and Kiyoko make it out alive. We have to prioritize their safety above all else. I get they won’t be able to fight, but if Japan is going to be the battleground for this war, I don’t want them in the country. When we’re ready to go back, I want to get them out of Japan.”

“Okay.” Hima said. “I’ve heard you loud and clear. I promise, we’ll let you guys know everything that’s happening from now on, and we won’t launch any more attacks until your remaining children are out of the country. We can’t go back there right now, but once everything is prepared, we can work on that.”

Tsukiakari sighed as Amatsuki brought her in for a hug. Moved to tears, Yoko rushed to hug both Tsukiakari and Amatsuki, and before they knew it, Kagutsuchi and Izanami joined in as well. 

Surrounded by her friends and family, Tsukiakari sobbed in their collective embrace. Each of them knew this would be their greatest challenge yet. As dark and miserable as it was, they resolved to face the coming war together as a family.

Seeing everyone come together like that was a breath of fresh air for Osamu. The darkness around his eyes lightened, if only a small bit. Watching them, he realized what the key to his family’s strength really was. It wasn’t just that they all loved Osamu. It was that each of them loved each other just as much as they loved him.

“Well then, it looks like we’re all settled!” Carmilla sang. “Hima has already prepared your rooms. I’m sure you must all be exhausted after today. Please, try to get at least a little rest, okay?”

“Is it possible for us all to stay in one room? We all usually sleep together.” Yoko laughed, wiping tears from her blue eyes.

Carmilla bowed her head. “Of course. Will you be coming too, Osamu?”

“Actually, I’d like to get to work right now, if we can.” Osamu answered. “Hima, is that okay with you? I know it’s late.”

“You want to get started now?” Hima asked, her eyes lighting up like Christmas trees. “I’m actually relieved to hear you say that! In that case, come with me. We have much to discuss.”

Osamu turned to his wives and friends. “I’ll catch up with you guys later, okay? Please, get some rest.”

“Okay.” Yoko said with a nod. “We’ll be waiting for you, Osa.”

Carmilla led the girls up the stairs and up into the left wing, the echoes of their footsteps growing quieter as they disappeared down the castle’s long hallways. Only Osamu, Shinju, Hima, the twins, and Taeko were left.

“I think we could all use a nice, stress-relieving bath. Agreed?” Hima asked.

“Huh? I thought we were gonna talk.” Osamu said

Hima stood on the tips of her toes in excitement. “Yep! In the bath!”

(Uhh…does she not the problem with that?)

“Hima…” Osamu groaned.

Omagatoki cracked up as she threw her arm around across Osamu’s shoulder, bringing him in for a hug. “Oh come on, what’s with that face? You didn’t have any issue taking baths with Sis and I when were still in our child forms!”

“That’s different!” Osamu protested. “I’m only just now meeting Hima!”

“Oh don’t be so coy about it.” Hima giggled. “We’re already comrades, aren’t we?”

(Well…I guess she has a point there.)

“Well then, chop chop.” Hima hollered, clapping her hands together twice. “Let’s head upstairs and get undressed, shall we?”

Osamu and Taeko were finally able to let their guard down after seven years of meticulous planning, waiting, and dreading. They agreed to take up Hima’s offer, following her up the stairs into the right wing and down the hall. 

The hallway was lined with massive, round-top, stained glass windows on the left side, drowning the hall in a blueish-purple glow. Each window depicted biblical scenes, such as the birth of Christ, his crucifixion, and his washing of Judas’s feet.

To the right of the hall were queen-sized bedrooms hidden behind round-top doors made of African blackwood and fitted with golden hinges and door knobs. Hima stopped and pointed her index finger at the nearest door.

“You’ll all find a towels and bathrobes in these bedrooms. You can strip in there and meet us in the baths. It’s just down the hall, beyond the black double-door down there.” Hima instructed. “Osamu, you’ll be coming with me to my bedroom. We’ll undress together.”

“You’re very insistent, aren’t you?” Osamu asked.

“I think you’ve requested quite enough, Hima.” Taeko hissed. “You’re asking me to leave Osamu vulnerable.”

Hima giggled, her cheeks turning pink with amusement. “Taeko, you don’t believe I’m plotting to kill Osamu, do you?”

“You’re a vampire and Osamu bears the blood of a goddess.” Taeko responded. “The scent he’s giving off must be irresistible to you.”

Hima closed her eyes and hid her hands behind her back, her raven hair dancing above her blood-red eyes. “You wound me, Taeko. You seem to believe you’re fighting this war alongside a fool. I already know why you two brought the Shoku Twins with you. If Shinju is your protector, than the twins are Osamu’s. They’re your leverage against us. These two women have the power to destroy the entire world all by themselves. I don’t doubt they’d annihilate mankind out of grief for Osamu.”

“You even told them that much about us?” Shinju asked.

“This unholy alliance of ours has to be built on trust.” Hima said. “That’s why I’m allowing you all to stay here, including the twins. There’s no hard feelings about it. You’re doing everything you can to protect Osamu. But since this is supposed to be a relationship built on trust, let me say this. I have no intention of killing Osamu.”

“I know you don’t.” Osamu interjected. “There’s no need to be on your toes, Taeko. This war is to protect me from the Shinto pantheon, but it’s also Hima’s best chance at rebuilding her father’s nation. To do that, she’ll need to reveal herself and her lineage to the Yakutsk Council. 

"She’ll also need to convince them to embark on this war with us, but that won’t happen unless she can assure them that we have the upper hand. Hima needs me alive for that. My death would be the worst thing to happen to all of us.”

“My, my…” Hima gasped. “You’ve put quite a lot of thought into this, haven’t you?”

“I’ll go with you. It’ll be fine.” Osamu said, looking at Taeko.

Taeko rubbed her hand against her forehead, closing her eyes. “My apologies, then. It’s been a wild seven years.”

“It’s okay.” Hima sang. “I promise, one good soak in these baths and all your worries will melt away. Come, Osamu.”

Osamu and Hima marched down the hall, disappearing into the dazzling, purple shade of the moonlight piercing through the stained glass. Shinju turned to take another look at the Shoku Twins. She stared for several seconds before stepping even closer. Shinju’s face was just inches away from Amatsuki’s, who leaned back out of awkward fear.

“Umm, what are you doing?” Amatsuki asked.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this. Turn back into kids this instant!” Shinju demanded.

“We could technically have Izanami re-do the seal, but we’re going to need the twins at full power until the end of the war.” Taeko said, smiling.

“Speaking of that, how did you guys undo Izanami’s seal?” Shinju asked. “Heavenly Burden isn’t just something you can turn off like a light switch. The gods themselves developed that seal. They’ve never shared the hand signs nor the formula for it with the exorcists.”

“I know.” Taeko said. “Yet, despite that, Osamu said he knew the signs to undo it.”

“What?” Shinju recoiled, her brows raised in shock. “But that’s…”

“Not possible.” Taeko finished. “I thought that maybe it was something he learned from his foray into the future.”

Omagatoki shook her head. “We never learned anything like that from the future. We only spent our time figuring out the best way to carry out the attack and escape Japan.”

“If he didn’t learn it from you, where did he learn it from?” Shinju asked. “Izanami wasn’t in on the plan, so it couldn’t have come from her. Gekko spent most of her life at odds with the pantheon. It couldn’t have been her either.”

No one had an answer. The silence terrified Taeko and Shinju as they watched Osamu disappear into the darkness with Hima. The Third Great Holy War was to be waged for Osamu’s sake. The deaths of innocent men, women, and children, the horrific attacks on their motherland, it was all to protect Osamu from his enemies. And yet, none of them could explain how Osamu could’ve possibly possessed knowledge that only the gods had.

Osamu almost couldn’t believe it himself. He had pulled off the worst terror attack in Japanese history. Inari’s heartbeat thundered in his chest as he walked side-by-side with Hima, the soon-to-be queen of their new nation. His own heartbeat echoed in his head louder than his footsteps echoed through the halls of Moonglow Castle.

“Do you know what this means, Osamu?” Hima asked with a sly smile, walking backwards. “You’re about to do what men like Bishamon couldn’t. History has known many great warriors, even greater kings. But very few can call themselves the founders of a nation. Who knew the world’s most ordinary man could grow to be so extraordinary?”

Osamu slipped his hands into the pockets of his black sweatpants, his eyes glimmering with unyielding resolve. Every step he took felt like a step further into hell itself. Osamu was willing to walk further than any man or god had ever done. 

He was going to lodge himself into the very throat of hell and let it spit him right back out. No matter how much blood, life, or carnage it took, Osamu would become the devil himself to carry out his plan.

“I didn’t grow to be this, Hima. I was forced to become this.”

Hima snickered. “Aren’t we all?”

(I’ll do it. Everything that’s about to come next. I don’t care what it will cost me, what it’ll cost Taeko, Yoko, or anyone else. It’s nothing compared to everything we’ll save. It’s our choice. Fight together, die together. Fight together, die together. Fight together, die together. Fight together…)

Amaterasu’s lips whispered the other half of the phrase as she lied in a dark grave of rubble and broken debris, her face caked with ash and soot. “…Die together…”

Ambulance sirens, agonized wails, and frightened screams blared from above, bleeding through the debris and faintly reaching Amaterasu’s ears. She lied there, barely conscious, trapped in the wreckage of Exorcist HQ along with the mangled, lifeless bodies of her comrades and fellow gods. Shielded by the vaulted door guarding the panic room, Amaterasu was spared from the blast.

Once more, she whispered the hallowed phrase. “Fight together, die together…”