“Tch! You’re always meddling in my affairs! Get out of my way, or else!” Toji was currently fighting with a strange woman who had a mask covering half of her face. She looks like she was an opera singer. She had a smile on her face as she dodge his attacks with ease.
“Or else what? Just what could you possibly do?” The masked woman was moving like she was acting in some type of play. She didn’t seem to feel threatened by Toji at all and was twirling around him with a gentle smile on her face.
“Do you understand what you’re doing?! If no one does anything, that Exception will destroy Tokyo! I must eliminate the Exception. I will sacrifice those kids if I must….!” Toji kept trying to get past the masked woman, but she would always get in his way.
“No, no. That won’t do at all. It would be so boring without them. Didn’t you know? You have no allies left. Your boorish friends and their vain efforts to end the game have been dealt with. You’re the last one standing.” The masked woman tapped on his nose, ignoring Toji's shocked expression.
“What…? It can’t be! There’s no way they could be….!” As Toji tried to process what was just told to him, a light surrounded him and he couldn’t move. “Wh-What?!”
“Now, sit back, enjoy the wonderful performance… at least until the curtain falls. Phantom Embrace.” The masked woman closed her arms and something wrapped around Toji before disappearing from her sight.
“Why hello, Christine baby, dear actress of a thousand faces! How do you do? Your face is as pretty as always, even though this is the first time we’re seeing it!” Nyarlathotep appeared from nowhere and greeted the masked woman with a smile and a silly bow.
“How do you do, Nyarlathotep? You flatter me, dear chaos of a thousand faces. I am having a wonderful time indeed.” The masked woman gave a polite bow back to Nyarlathotep with a soft smile on her face.
“Are you now? Music to my ears, baby! It’s important to live life to its fullest!” Nyarlathotep gave a wink at the masked woman, who politely laughed at that.
“Yes, but we mustn’t forget that the audience’s enjoyment is far more important than our own. I want them to be immersed in the fantasy and enjoy the game to the fullest. Tokyo is our stage, and it must undergo infinite transformations. We cannot allow the same boring story to continue… We cannot allow the strongest to win every time. You see, I wish to gift a kiss of redemption to the outcasts. I wish to sing a song for them that echoes deep underground. An unprecedented exceeding of expectations! Yes… That is the purpose we Entertainers of the Yurakucho Guild live to fulfill. It is our raison d’être.” The masked woman put her hand over her heart as she imagined the scenes in her head.
“That is, without a doubt, the true meaning of fantasy! Oh, excuse us, baby! Our friends at the Aoyama Guild are calling!” Nyarlathotep's ears twitched when he realized he was getting called by the people from the Aoyama Guild.
“Very loyal to your friends, aren’t you? What a lovely quality.” The masked woman let out a small chuckle with a gentle smile still on her face.
“We dedicate this manifestation to the Aoyama Guild, after all! The other 999 of us could care less, though! Such poor company, tsk tsk.” Nyarlathotep shrugged his shoulders with an over-exaggerated frown on his face. It is rather hard to figure out how he is really feeling when his emotions change so quickly in a matter of seconds.
“Heavens! A thousand manifestations, you say? Nyarlathotep, do you mean to say this Entertainer standing before me is merely… One speck in a thousand?” The masked woman dramatically put the back of her hand on her forehead as she asked Nyarlathotep about this.
“Hahaha! Now, my dear thousand-faced actress Christine, if that were the case, would it be a problem?” Nyarlathotep had a teasing smile on his face as he questioned the masked woman.
“No, I’m simply delighted by the surprise, my dear, thousand-faced chaos.” The masked woman let out another chuckle. Nyarlathotep joins in by letting out a pleased chuckle as well.
In Another Area Of The Aoyama Church….
“Yes… I understand. There are no objections here.” Shiro nodded his head at the plan he heard from the Angel Transient, not having any issues with it.
“No objections here? Who’re you tryin’ to impress?” Kengo wasn’t happy with the plan and looked irritated with the fact he had to hang back instead of being more involved.
“Unlike someone, I mind my manners. We’ve been asked to stand down.” Shiro cared little about how Kengo was feeling about the plan, which seemed to piss him off even more. “Stand down?! Shouldn’t we go after that Exception?”
“Of course. We require you to hunt it down. However, first there are preparations to be made.” The Angel Transient join the conversation as well, which scared Kengo, who wasn’t paying attention to them at all. “Whoa, you scared me! Stop poppin’ outta thin air, old man!”
“Old ma…?! Erm, I have to relay our tactical plans. We will announce soon our countermeasures against the Exception. We ask for you and all your allies to be on standby.” The angel transient quickly controlled their first reaction and spoke in their usual serious manner.
“Absolutely. I’ll gather them right now. By the way… does your visit here mean there’s been a change in command?” Shiro asked the angel this since last time the angels were all over the place after Zabaniyya Sacred Artifact went out of control. It seems like the order was back now.
“Indeed, there has. Father Azazel will assume command from here on out.” The angel transient told Shiro and Kengo this with a firm nod.
“What?! That sketchy priest, dude? Is he even qualified?!” Kengo has a doubtful look on his face as he remembers the strange priest from before.
“Father Azazel possesses a Sacred Artifact that has all-seeing power. It is especially effective in times of war, such as now. If the Exception is within the Aoyama Guild’s territory, he will surely find it.” The angel transient went to reassure Kengo about Azazel's ability to lead, but Kengo still had a disbelieving look on his face.
Somewhere Else In Aoyama…
“Shall we begin?” Azazel looked over to the serious-looking Arsalan, who gave a nod in response to Azazel's question. “Yes, please proceed.”
“Role of the Watcher, Rule of Revelation. Engrave mine name of Azazel unto thee. Unveil… Eyes of the Fallen! Reveal before me all there is to see. Leave no stone unturned!” Azazel started to glow, and wings came out of his back. His eyes shine brightly, like he was seeing many things at once.
Back With Masato…
After a moment of going through emotions with Ryota, I felt better about my situation. I mean, I still had a lot of questions and a lot of stress, but I couldn’t focus on myself at the moment. Especially after the angel transient came to us and gave us the current plan. Ryota looked nervous around the angel transient and I had a feeling he still felt guilty about what happened to Zabaniyya.
“I have heard what happened with Lord Zabaniyya. On behalf of all of us, I thank you.” The angel transient bowed his head toward us, but Ryota still had a troubled expression on his face.
“Lord Zabaniyya was smiling, was he not? Then all is well. You should be proud. Now make sure you return to us.” The angel transient put a hand on Ryota's head with a gentle smile on his face, and Ryota's expression finally relaxed into a smile. “Yes, sir!”
After a while, everyone joined back up and the angel transient left to do something else that would be helpful to the plan. Kengo slapped me on the back once he saw me and I tried not to fall to the ground from how hard it was. I was still sore from my fight with Zabaniyya, even if Ryota healed me.
“It sounds like the mission has begun. All factions of the Aoyama Guild are currently on the move. The only ones who can stop the Exception are Ryota and Masato.” Shiro said this as he looked between both Ryota and me.
“We’ll be right behind you. We’ve got your back!” Kengo had an arm around Ryota's shoulder and gave a big smirk to the both of us.
“That’s all fine and dandy, but… What’re we supposed to do, exactly?” Ryota seemed a bit confused on how we would stop the Exception but I wasn’t worried about that at all… Maybe a bit since they are so fucking hard to fight…. But I am confident, totally confident!
“Bring the Exception to a halt, then make contact with it and establish your hierarchy. We made a provisional pact with Zabaniyya post-battle. He is now ranked below Masato. It’s essential that you and Zabaniyya both rank below Masato. Once that is arranged, our guild leader will then have the power to appoint your ranks. By establishing a clear hierarchy, it will eliminate the Exception.” Shiro explained what I knew already, but was new to Ryota. I had assumed when he got told this he wouldn’t have any more questions, but it seems like he is still confused.
“Gahhhh! But how do you establish this hierarchy in the first place?! Can’t anyone tell me that?!” Ryota really wanted to know, but both Shiro and Kengo froze in place. They both look at me with red cheeks before looking away with an awkward cough.
“Uh… W-well… How do I explain…” Shiro was speaking more awkwardly now as he tried to say something but he only seemed to get even more awkward and blushed as he seemed to remember something. I wonder if I am the strange one who didn’t mind the fact we had to kiss to fix this problem. I mean, the kisses I got were so nice…
“Like I’m gonna tell you! It’s too embarrassing!” Kengo was glaring at Ryota, but it wasn't scary because he was blushing. I think I'll have to be the one to tell Ryota what he needs to do. It is not embarrassing at all for me. We save everyone and I get to kiss a cute boy. A win in my book.
“Embarrassing…? And you’ve both done it?! Give me the deets!” Ryota kept on pushing for answers, but Kengo wouldn’t budge at all. “Argh! Just ask Masato!”
“That’s all for now!” Shiro was also done with the conversation as well, and it left Ryota confused with a lot of questions. It seems like both Kengo and Shiro couldn’t handle this situation anymore and just stop answering any of Ryota's questions.
“What’s the deal with them? They left out the most important piece of info… But we’ll be fine, right, Masato?” Ryota was looking at me nervously and I couldn’t help but grab both of his hands in my own.
“Everything will be okay, Ryota. I’ll be gentle.” I gave him a gentle smile and got closer to Ryota. That seemed to have made him nervous as he quickly put space between us with a blush on his face. “What? What do you mean by that? I’m counting on you, y’know!”
“Great! Looks like I made it in time!” The romantic atmosphere was gone when Choji came into the church out of breath. He looked like he was carrying a few things in his arms.
“Choji? You’re going to fight too?!” Shiro looked surprised to see Choji here. It surprised as well me since I didn’t see him as someone who would be the fighting type, I see him more suited as support.
“Nope, I’m here for combat support! I’ll be cooking for everyone! Here’s the deluxe lunch I made, complete with customized menus for every one of you!” Choji then handed out the lunch boxes he had on him.
“Ooh, there’s fried chicken in mine! Can’t go wrong with meat!” Kengo opened his lunchbox right away and when he saw it was fried chicken, he didn’t hesitate to eat right away.
“Seaweed, stewed fish, rice balls… Mine is a traditional Japanese meal. Would you share your recipes with me sometime?” Shiro looked pleased as he looked at the food Choji appeared for him. I had a feeling he would enjoy something like that.
“Mine is… just plain rice! Why, Choji?! That’s just mean!” Ryota looked hurt when he opened his lunchbox to just see rice and nothing else. Choji just gave him a smile as they handed him a thermos. “That’s not all, Ryota. My special curry is in this thermos. I know you missed out when I made it last time, so this is the very same recipe.”
“There’s one for you, too. I wasn’t sure what you like, so I made you a bit of everything, Masato.” Choji had me a rather full looking lunchbox and my stomach couldn’t help but let out a loud growl. “Thank you, Choji!”
“I heard the announcement, so I know how dire the situation is. Please take good care of Ryota. Oh, and let me know what your favorite foods are! I’ll cook anything your heart desires!” Choji gave me a soft smile, and I felt my heart do a bunch of flips… I wonder how he would react to me saying I want to eat him…
“We should get going, then. Take care of yourself, Choji!” Shiro gave a thankful nod towards Choji before he went to leave the church. Kengo was also following behind him as he ate his lunchbox. “There’s so much more I’d like to feed you, so do your best to come home soon!”
“Choji… Thanks! I can’t wait!” Ryota gave his usual bright smile that seemed even brighter at the moment. He then left the church as well, and I followed him.
“He says there’s much more he wants to feed us… If we fail, we’ll never get to eat this food again! We really, really can’t lose, then! Right, Masato?” Ryota gave me a cute smile, and I had to force myself not to pinch his cute face.
“Time to roll our sleeves up and get to work! Let’s blast our way right through to the Exception!” I winked at Ryota as I put my arm around his soft shoulders.
In Aoyama Streets…
“Argh! They won’t stop comin’! Are we even heading in the right direction?” Kengo was fighting off a bunch of zombie enemies easily, but they kept coming. I was also helping by getting rid of the zombies that were trying to attack him in his blind spot.
“Azazel said that this is the way! We just have to trust him!” Shiro told Kengo this as he helped by taking out the enemies who were further ahead of us.
“I guess we’ll have to gun it, just like that time in Ikebukuro! Only difference this time is… Hey, Ryota! Hurry up!” Kengo called out behind him and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Ryota, who was struggling to keep up. “Hold on! I can’t run very fast!”
“Man, if we make it through this, I’m doubling down on your cardio when we get back to school! While Ryota’s been taking his sweet time, the zombies have been catching up to us!” Kengo clicked his tongue once he noticed another group of zombies surrounded us.
“We have no other choice. We’ll just have to…” Shiro was mumbling to himself as he got a serious look in his eyes. But it went away as he glanced around him with a shocked expression on his face. Ryota seemed a bit surprised at the way he was acting. “Whoa! What’s wrong, Shiro?!”
“Was that… a cheer? It’s getting closer!” Once Shiro mentioned a cheer, I realized I could hear it as well. It was getting louder as it got closer to us. I could see a bunch of angel transients appearing to help us out.
“All ranks, charge! Guard our allies from the Shinjuku Guild! Let’s show them what the Aoyama Guild is made of! Here we goooooo!” With a shout, all the members from the Aoyama Guild ran towards the zombies with their weapons ready to attack.
“It’s Aoyama Guild troops! Thanks for helping us out!” Shiro shouted out his thanks as we ran past them as they fought the zombies' enemies.
“If they’re here, we must be heading in the right direction! All right!” Kengo let out a shout as he ran through the enemies, punching a couple of them who got too close.
“Hey you! Over here! This way!” After running for a few minutes, we saw Hati, who was waving us over. I couldn’t help but smile at his appearance and wave towards him. “I owe you guys. Go on ahead, Masato!” After Hati said this, he got in front of some enemies who were getting closer to us.
“Now then. Watch me, my dear moon… Your manly wolf is gonna howl to the heavens! Swirl the clouds, shake the moon! Distort light into illusions! Engrave mine name of Hati unto thee! I won’t let you zombies lay a finger on them! Dance, Moonshine Chaser!” Hati defeated all the enemies easily, and he looked really cool at the moment until he opened his mouth again.
“Were you watching, Gabriel? I’ll do it again, whether or not you’re watching! Keep it comin’! You’re no match for a wolf under the trance of his moon!” I couldn’t help but let out a sigh. Hati was cool, but he gets a bit much whenever it comes to Gabriel. Hopefully, he will show her his cool side one day…
“What happened to him? When’d he become so positive?!” Kengo seemed confused at the way Hati was acting, but it was rather normal to me. Love does things to people…
“Hehe. Mr. Wolf is putting his best foot forward!” Gabriel appeared as well, slowly laying on the ground in front of Kengo, whose expression got really uncomfortable quickly. He really isn’t used to her at all…
“Gabriel?! It’s too dangerous for you to be here!” Ryota seemed worried that Gabriel was here, but I am sure she could handle herself… Yeah, she can handle herself.
“Don’t worry about me. My friends are in need! So I need to step up, too! Isn’t that right, Masato? You’re the rays of hope for Aoyama right now, so I’m gonna cheer you on myself! Off you go! I and everyone else from Aoyama will protect you!” Gabriel soars high into the air.
“Hiiiiii! How’s everyone doing?! Thanks for your hard work! I’m gonna send you all the happiness! All the courage, hope, and last but not least… love! I’ll sing a lovely song for you! Gloria in Excelsis! I dedicate my message to everyone here! My super special cheer!” Gabriel's voice echo all over the place and after she gave a wink, I felt myself get filled with energy and like nothing could stop me at all.
“Ah, how wonderful…! Gabriel… you are incandescent!” I could hear Hati's voice cry out as he heard the beautiful singing of Gabriel, who was floating above us.
“Wow, what a voice! I feel like I just woke up from a power nap!” Ryota looked like he was filled with energy once again as Gabriel's voice surrounded us all.
“Everyone’s morale has significantly increased! Incredible… So this is the power of an idol!” Shiro seemed to really impressed with how Gabriel’s voice was affecting everyone. But it seemed like Kengo really wasn’t enjoying what was happening at all. “Ugh….”
“Seems like it has the opposite effect on a select few, though. Gabriel might be upset if she finds out.” Ryota also noticed that Kengo was not feeling the same positive effect from Gabriel.
“It’s time to make our move! Let’s go, Shir…” Kengo recovered quickly and went to get ready to do something before the appearance of Arsalan stopped him. “Don’t be hasty, young cubs. Your part lies further ahead!”
“Ah, my cubs. I’m sorry to have worried you.” Arsalan noticed everyone's surprised expression at his appearance. He was gone for a while as I went to deal with Zabaniyya.
“Arsalan… Zabaniyya is…” Ryota's expression grew sad once he got ready to tell Arsalan what happened, but Arsalan stopped him by raising a hand. “Tell me everything, but only once all this is behind us. For now, you must hurry! When we have more time, please tell me his last words.”
“Of course! We’ll be back,” Ryota said to Arsalan with a serious expression on his face. Then we ran past Arsalan as they went to deal with the enemies for us.
With Arsalan….
“Forgive me, Zabaniyya… I wasn’t able to give you what you needed… Did you achieve what you desired? Tell me all about it when we next meet. I hope that when that time comes… we can speak with open hearts.” Arsalan had a sad smile on his face as he spoke to himself.
“Now then, old Arsalan, make yourself useful on this battlefield! It’s time to repay some debts! Engrave mine name of Arsalan unto thee. Arise… Anointed Savior! O’ Oil of Blessings, ease all ailments! Cubs! Hurry ahead while I slow them down!” Arsalan oil came off his body as it knocked all the zombies off their feet.
Back With Masato….
After we left Arsalan behind to handle the enemies back there, we ran into Maria, who looked like she was waiting for us. Ryota called out her name, and she looked at us with a serious expression.
“Ryota, from now on, the battle depends on you. You… And Masato. May fortune be with you. When this is over… I’ll treat you to that pudding I promised. With everyone, together.” Maria smiled softly at us and I knew that we would have no trouble with dealing with the Exception at all.
“Deal! I’m looking forward to it! See you soon!” Ryota smiled at Maria before we went past her. I could feel her looking at our backs until we disappeared from her line of sight.
With Maria…
“Ryota… That smile suits you. Well then, it is time for me to do my part. Mark my words… You shall not pass! Thorns of Golgotha! Heed my words! I shall not allow you to have your way!” Maria stood firm in front of the enemies as her Sacred Artifact surrounded her and got ready to attack.
Somewhere else in Aoyama…
“So you’ve hidden yourself amongst the horde of undead… However, you underestimate the reach of my gaze. Though they limited its scope within Tokyo… Here in my territory, it can conceal nothing from my Rule of Revelation.” Azazel was floating high above the ground as he smiled. He finally found where the Exception was hiding.
“There you are. There’s your target, Nyarlathotep.” Azazel spoke out in the empty air, but he just knew that Nyarlathotep could hear him.
Back With Masato…
“Peekaboo!” Nyarlathotep shouted this as he appeared out of nowhere. I really don’t like how he can just do that. It always makes me worried he will just show up when I least expect it.
“Whoa! There you go, appearing out of nowhere again! What is it this time?!” Kengo also didn’t seem pleased that Nyarlathotep just appeared out of nowhere once again. They are just so unpredictable.
“Why so prickly, baby? But it’s sooo cute! What are your feelings on predictable tropes? Like, say, your former enemy becoming an ally?” Nyarlathotep had a mischievous smile on his face as he stared at us.
“An ally, you say? What’s up your sleeve this time, Nyarl?” Shiro suspected Nyarlathotep and that was understandable. He is the main reason all this trouble happened.
“How rude! We have no ulterior motives. We thought our motives were obvious! Hold up… maybe we do. Huh. Perhaps all we have are ulterior motives. Hahahahahaha! Anywho, on to business. I came to relay some very useful info. A certain supercar may be available for your use!” Nyarlathotep had a smirk on his face as he told us this, but I am pretty sure he said something different last time…
“You said it only seats two! Why do you even…?” Ryota was frowning at Nyarlathotep, who didn’t pay any attention to that. Nyarlathotep really never get bother by anything…
“And so it does, baby! One seat for the round cutie over there, and one for you, Masato baby! This sexy beast will carry you straight to your boss battle, even if the big bad’s hidden inside an undead horde! Time to roll the dice and make a gamble with fate! Do you think this mysterious apparition of chaos is an enemy, or an ally?” Nyarlathotep tilted his head as he asked this question.
“Did more zombies just pop up? He must be somewhere up ahead!” Shiro noticed that there were more zombies around us and Kengo got ready to attack if they got too close to us. “Stay focused! Everything we’ve accomplished will be wasted if we fail now!”
“What’s gonna happen? What’ll you do? Do we need to cut to a commercial break?!” Nyarlathotep's tails of hands were moving quickly behind him as he grew excited about what would happen next.
“We’ll, uh… go with your plan, Nyarl. I don’t think we have another option. You’re cool with that, right, Masato?” Ryota looked nervous as he asked me this and I grabbed his hand with a smile on my face. “I trust you, Ryota.”
“Thanks. Okay, let’s go!” Ryota squeezed my hand as he gave me his usual cheerful smile.
“We’ll be here! Call us if anything happens!” Shiro gave us a smile before we headed to the last enemy. Kengo was scowling as he saw us off, but I knew he was concerned in his own way. “Get it over with and hurry back! Got it, Ryota? Partner?”
“Welcome aboard! What a pleasure to have you! Now, you two, say goodbye to your little friends!” With a flash of light, Nyarlathotep sent us where the Exception was currently.
With Shiro And Kengo….
“Thanks for waiting! My dear expendables, are you ready to get this show on the road?!” Nyarlathotep was with Shiro and Kengo as a bunch of zombie enemies surrounded them.
“Yeah, but we don’t need you to tell us what to do! Right, Shiro?” Kengo looked over at Shiro with a serious expression and Shiro nodded his head back at what Kengo had just said. “You got that right! Let’s believe in those two and do our part!”
