Vol 1 Chapter 4 (1/2)

Chapter 4 - Haunted Holiday

“Ah, what fine thing did I find ♡?”

Pus.h.i.+ng her way, almost sprinting, through the crowd of people, who at the eastern entrance of the s.h.i.+njuku Station doesn't die out even during working days, the lady muttered so with a delightful expression.

This particular day, after practically no free time since the beginning of the new school term, Kannagi Ayano was in an extremely good mood. That figure, lightly stepping forward, showed a soft smile so lovely that it was inconceivable that such a body contains tremendous combat ability.

The season was light spring. The sunlight felt warm, the people lightly dressed, that sort of day.

Ayano put on a bolero on top of her dress, her outfit excluding a novel, high-cla.s.s lady appearance. Her figure – lovely because of her cleanliness and tidiness – just by standing there resembles a painting, drawing hot glances from the mesmerized men.

However, those glances, always unpleasant, didn’t damage Ayano’s mood. If it’s now, even if player-wannabes called out to her in an over familiar manner, maybe she wouldn't show those men the depths of h.e.l.l. I repeat again, Ayano is in a very good mood.

-At the very least, for a few more seconds.

“………Ua!?”

Before 10 minutes had pa.s.sed since leaving, Alta (Alter?) Ayano received a strong hit from the side. She immediately retreated a few steps in order to subdue the impact. Although she somehow avoided falling down, the paper bags she was holding hit the ground.

“What are you doing – uh!?”

The instant she started shouting at the aggressor, her face became stiff. Before her eyes was a smiling, beautiful woman in the middle of her twenties she had met a few times before. Her thoughts stopped by an ominous premonition, Ayano could only stare dumbly at the woman.

“Y – You…”

“Good day to you, Ayano-chan!”

Facing a petrified Ayano the woman greeted her with an out of place cheerful salute.

“This may be sudden, but I’m leaving it to you.”

The white finger indicated something behind Ayano. The three running men she saw instinctively turned her head around – every one of them were two meters tall.

“W-Wait….what is happ…”

With exquisite timing, a bewildered Ayano was pushed forward by the shoulders. Almost like falling forward she comes forth and realizes, standing in front of these men to protect another woman, that she has fallen to a new low.

“Just stop it alr…”

While Ayano was flaring up in a rage, shouting, her eyes fell at the feet of the three men. The change of her complexion was absolute.

“Ah…w-wait a minute!”

Naturally they didn’t stop.

The feet of the men stepped on the paper bags spread on the road almost as if taking careful aim to do so. The shoes, probably thirty centimeters long, tore through the paper bags, trampling on the wrapping paper. The white skirt hidden inside was smudged with distinct black shoe marks. The silk blouse a total loss. The sounds of accessories being transformed into junk could be heard. With a strange sound, something snapped inside her head.

“Y ...You...”

In front of the young lady’s anger, even the animosity towards the woman was forgotten. Towards the men who ruined the shopping’s results, the power of Ayano’s retort was similar to a hurricane. A charge full of force was placed on the fist driven into the stomach of the man in the middle.

Critical hit.

You could tell the shock pierced through the stomach, penetrating as far as the back. Ayano drew near to the remaining two, interposing between them. With no hesitation, she approached the left one first.

Evading the large strike she used his arm for a judo shoulder throw. Even if he was an amateur, the man’s defense wasn’t breached even as he was falling down. This much damage should be fine – he should walk again – in a week or so.

While she was turned the other way, the last man attacked. Without even turning back she jumped toward him and just before touching him she moved her leg, twisting her body ninety degrees while pus.h.i.+ng out her elbow. By kicking her hind foot, her speed was increased to its maximum and concentrating all her kinetic energy she thrust her left fist into the pit of the man's stomach. There was a strong backlash.

It was practically a certain kill. The large built man flew ten centimeters and collapsed like a doll, whose threads have been cut.

“Well – ”

With a sidelong glance at the fallen men, Ayano slowly turned back. That glance, no matter how you look at it, was more cold than what a hoodlum deserves.

“Will you explain?”

“I don’t mind but...”

However the woman wasn’t perturbed. Receiving the villainous glare without hesitation, with a smiling face, she points her finger forward a second time.

“It’s not over yet”

Simultaneously, the sound of the defeated men getting up can be heard.

“...............Hm!?”

Astonished, Ayano looks over her shoulder. It was an impossible thing. The degree of damage can’t be compensated by something like durability or will-power.

Judging from a biological point of view, for humans the result is absolute immobilization if such a powerful strike in such a place is applied.

However, in reality sure enough the men were resurrected. Trying to grasp the reason Ayano stares at them. The men’s bodies call to mind the transparency of dead bodies. One was only bones. Another one was a pitch-black corpse. And the last one – was a warrior dressed in armor.

Starring at the decomposing body clad in worn-out armor, Ayano mutters in blank amazement.

“These guys they’re possessed......you!!”

Unintentionally forgetting about the crisis right in front of her, she turns around. She shouts, letting anger take its natural course:

“A public servant using a civilian to do her work!”

“Well – don’t say that. Look look! They’re coming from behind.”

Certainly this was not the place for carefree quarrels. The men, possessed by the spirits of the dead, drew near for a second time. A bothersome opponent. Because spirits don’t feel pain and so on, hitting them or kicking them has no effect. If you don’t inflict enough damage to kill and then destroy their joints it seems you cannot permanently immobilize them.

Through physical means, that is.

“...........”

A deep inhale and then exhale.

Stimulating the entire body’s power by this one sequence, flexibly concentrating all consciousness in both palms, the contours of her wrists warp.

The pale gold heat haze enveloping the girl’s wrists disturbs the course of light.

Before her eyes is the skeleton corpse possessed man. Staring at Ayano with stagnant pupils, like those of rotten fish, he raises both arms overhead, rejecting the nuisance.

“Haa!”

Ayano hit with both palms at full power that virtually empty body. It was a double palm strike. Via those palms, a golden brightness was pumped into the man’s body. While his entire body was glowing in the golden light, the man bent backwards, as if suffering from electric shock.

“Giiiii.................”

During the soundless scream, the spirit of the dead was separated from the man’s body.

“I’m not letting you escape!”

From Ayano’s palms the golden light gushed out, changing to a violently rus.h.i.+ng stream. The light that hit him increased by far its density and radiance , transforming and manifesting itself as a golden flame, thoroughly burning the departed soul, without allowing resistance.

She repeated the process twice again.

“............Fuuuu”

After cleansing the three spirits through fire, Ayano took a light breath.

From behind indifferent applause can be heard.

“<well done!=””>> it’s what I’d like to say now but you really took your time. Weren’t purification flames supposed to destroy only evil?”

“I’m sorry for being so inexperienced.”

Turning her body the other way, Ayano replied with a very threatening tone.

The wicked spirits called Youma – because the devilishness that holds resentment towards the world of men exists – it can be said it was inevitable that in order to resist, men have obtained power.

The girl’s name is “Kannagi” Ayano. Manipulating purification flames able to destroy evil – she is the daughter of the En-jutsu family known as the strongest. But then Ayano herself, can’t be helped but be called very inexperienced. Even if she possesses mighty power, she has yet to learn the art of perfect control.

Not to hurt the people depending on them and to purify only the possessing spirits – such a deed is possible only for the girl’s father – Juugo and her uncle Genma.

As for Ayano, one can say with confidence such high-cla.s.s techniques are outside her reach.

Therefore, her plan consisted of the following: before materializing her power as flames she is releasing it as a “heat” that won’t damage the human body, continually knocking out the departed souls that try to escape.

As a matter of course, this is a reckless and difficult operation. Taking as much time for the likes of departed souls, it can’t be helped that the famous Kannagi name could be distrusted, on account of such rumors.

However, Ayano has no intention of taking such criticism obediently. She thought so from the bottom of her heart: “this woman” has no right to complain.

“Will I receive some sort of explanation, I wonder...”

She started cross-examining, including enough drive for the other party to understand that depending on the answer, this isn’t over.

“...Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Special Data Arrangement, Miss Police Officer Tachibana Kirika?”

Calling her especially by the overlong job t.i.tle, as a matter of course this is a form of hara.s.sment. The Chief of the country’s one and only government organization for vanquis.h.i.+ng evil, the person on the position of protecting the nation from spiritual disasters, isn’t it absurd to drag civilians in her troubles? This is why.

“Well – don’t say that. You’re not someone unrelated.”

But the woman, Kirika was very composed. Being spoken to by this beautiful woman so over familiarly, Ayano answers in a freezing tone:

“What are you saying? To the likes of you, what else could I be except for an unrelated person? I’m fed up with your impertinent talk. Give me an explanation.”

“Well, that’s fine...”

Being questionably evasive, Kirika s.h.i.+fts her focus forward, behind Ayano.

“If I were to tell you that’s not all, would you get angry?”

“........Tch!”

Forcefully turning around, Ayano observes. Drawing near unnoticed, a crowd of men and women of all ages undoubtedly possessed by the spirits of the dead. There were roughly thirty of them. In the middle of this bizarre atmosphere the pedestrians that happened to be present by chance become noisy.

But one man among them – what was he thinking – stood in front of the a.s.sailants.

“Stop it! You guys – ”

Seeing a beautiful woman and a beautiful girl being attacked, it seems he thought to make himself to look better. It seems he has some sort of knowledge. But –

Bokyatsu!

The character manipulating the departed souls removed the limits of the bodies and some mediocre martial arts can’t win any sort of battle. Both his arms standing on guard broke his own chin, and the man flew through the air, thoughtlessly screaming.

Watching the convulsing man vomiting blood, pedestrians started to shriek. By mixing people who wanted to run away and people who, on the contrary had burning curiosity, chaos occurred.

The only calm people were those involved – the a.s.sailants and the a.s.saulted.

Staring at the attackers getting close, in spite of mowing down the people who got in their way, Kirika asks:

“Can you exorcise them all like you did earlier?”

“Absolutely impossible,” stated Ayano without hesitating for a moment.

“The sensitivity required for tuning the necessary caloric value is preposterous and for so many opponents gathered, I should burn half of them.”

“That’s dreadful.”

Imagining the gruesome spectacle, Kirika murmured in a monotonous tone.

“Well then, should we run away?”

“Do your best then.”

Kirika is suspiciously watching over Ayano’s “this is none of my business” reply.

“Will you not help me?”

“I didn’t receive such a commission. If you live through it, call me later and explain the situation.”

With those words Ayano tries to leave but watching the crowd blocking her path, she scowls.

“Hey! The one you’re aiming at is right there.”

Of course the spirits don’t answer. The possessed flesh moves with a somewhat supernatural ability, wiggling, and with no hesitation and killing intent faces Ayano.

“.........What is this?” a doubtful Ayano. The answer comes from the back.

“Ah, as I thought”

“What exactly is

To the enquiring Ayano, her glace fixed on the spirits of the dead, Kirika answers with a smiling face.

“Don’t you thing it must be difficult to control so many spirits of the dead at once from a distance? So, beside the comments given I thought that maybe they can move autonomously. For example, <unconditionally execute=”” anyone=”” who=”” is=”” standing=”” in=”” your=”” way=””>> or something”

“............Y – O – Uuuuuuuu!!”

Showing the vein on her temple, Ayano started screaming: “You planned on forcefully dragging me into this from the start, right? You stinking official!!”

For this reason, before explaining the circ.u.mstances, she involved Ayano in battle – for the sake of the enemy recognizing Ayano as an obstacle, so that she wouldn’t be able to run away.

“Don’t get so angry. In troubled times we are of equal status don’t you agree?”

But without showing any timidity, Kirika winked at the angry Ayano.

“Y...You...”

Although glaring at the very annoying woman, it was all too late. She was already dragged unknowingly in the turmoil’s upheaval or more likely at the core of it all.

“I’ll remember this!”

Replacing the boiling anger with flames, Ayano swung downward her right hand. The blaze slapped into the ground changes in a wall of fire, blocking the way before these two.

“DAAAAAAAA!?”

Being scared of the purifying flames, the attackers back off. Ignoring the screams of the ordinary people unfortunately involved, Ayano turns back and run.

“We’re running away!”

“I thank you for your cooperation. As I thought the voluntary cooperation of civilians is the secret for early settlements.”

“Be silent for a little bit, you public servant failure!”

Leaving behind boos somewhat filled with anguish, both of them managed a speedy flight.

“Ha...ha...for the time being we’ve done it right?”

“So it seems...”

Hiding themselves in a deserted, empty building, Ayano and Kirika muttered so, greedily devouring oxygen. As one would expect, a thirty minute sprint at full power was very demanding. Both of them were short of breath.

“By the way, I think it’s time you start explaining these circ.u.mstances.”

“Ah that’s right. I forgot.”

Seeing Kirika clap her hands, truly having forgotten to explain, Ayano sends her way a somewhat cynical, bitter smile.

“Even so, there’s not much explaining to do. If I were to say it in a few words, it’s only a matter of settling scores.”

“Settling scores?”

“Yes. In this business, it’s only natural to incur various people’s enmity. Particularly some puny organization like the Special Data Arrangement who does whatever it wants with the power of the State. The criticism can be severe, in various ways.”

“Hmmm...well, that may be true...” Ayano nodded vaguely.

The girl’s family can be considered the industry’s leader so she doesn’t really get the sorrows of this type of puny organization.

“I know, right? I got used to it but this time we came across a big-shot, sort of.”

“Big-shot?”

“Yes. Do you know Ghost Tamer?”

“.....I heard that name somewhere”

Ayano tried to remember, but it didn’t come out easily.

“If it’s Ayano-chan I’m sure that you heard about him before. He’s a celebrity.”

“That so? ... well it’s impossible for a necromancer who can simultaneously manipulate thirty spirits of the dead to be nameless.”

This doesn’t apply just for necromancers, increasing the number of techniques controlled at the same time, the degree of difficulty jumps through the window. As for necromancers, they are considered first cla.s.s when they can control ten bodies at the same time.

But Kirika revealed an even more frightful fact:

“That is just the beginning. Regarding the validation made to the best of our abilities, the maximum number he can control is one hundred and twenty.”

“One hundred and twenty!?” Ayano screamed with bulging eyes.

But at the same time, that absurd number made her remember that abominable incident.

“Say...you don’t say Ghost Tamer is... the one three years before in San Francisco...”

The desire to be wrong that fills Ayano’s question is heartlessly destroyed by Kirika.

“Yeah, that’s the one...”

“Uaa....” with an unpleasant feeling, from the bottom of her heart Ayano groans.

Ghost Tamer – despite being a necromancer he uses killing curses, possessing suitable humans and using them, its forte is a technique consisting of using physical means to kill its targets, different from a shaman, different from an a.s.sa.s.sin – a “curse a.s.sa.s.sin”

The incident that made him world-wide famous happened three years ago. For the sake of killing a certain mafia boss he made one hundred and twenty people, possessed by the spirits o the dead, to hold bombs and attack the target in a very special way. The casualties exceeded three hundred. It is said that the body fragments of the manipulated people, after being gathered in plastic bags, didn’t amount to 3% of the total.

“Another troublesome one appeared...”

With all her strength, Ayano unpleasantly puzzles over it. It’s as if an unrelated person all of a sudden turns into an a.s.sa.s.sin – that element of surprise and the almost infinite amount of supplies is the Ghost Tamer’s forte.

Because this is a metropolis, there is abundance of departed souls but also of human hosts. There is also the problem of the possessed humans who have been killed. The deceased can be captured by Ghost Tamer and turned into a new departed soul, possessing other humans in order to attack the target. In order to stop the domino effect there is no choice but use a high ranking white magic that can exorcize all of them in one go. Only if such a thing was possible, though.

“What do we do next?”

Needless to say, Ayano is not capable of such things. The girl’s power is not suited for such sensitive operations.

“There is that....”

To Ayano, demanding for a counter plan, Kirika tilted her head to the side, with a troubled appearance.

“The moment I found Ayano-chan, I thought all my troubles are gone...”

She is fleetingly looking at Ayano and then a deep sigh. At this “I can’t use her att.i.tude” Ayano is p.i.s.sed.

“What about you? You can’t perform spirit exorcism is spite of being an Onmyoji?”

“Of course I can. I’ve done it for thirty bodies or so but then I ran out of charms.”

“That so...”

Onmyoji is based on the general principle of the cosmic dual forces, Yin and Yiang, and they can use a mighty power. But the restriction is that in order to put the technique in operation, charms must absolutely be used. In this industry there is a well known verse, sang from ancient times.

“Charmless Onmyoji, ordinary man, right?” Ayano hums spontaneously, Kirika retorts with coolness:

“It doesn’t rhyme.”

“You’re noisy!”

“Well, anyway.”

Unusually restraining herself before exploding, Ayano makes the conversation advance.

“This is a stalemate. Can you think of something?”