Chapter 522 – To Save a Friend.

"I guess it's started." Kana said as she, Mika, Naomi, and a large group of others watched a variety of streams from across Kyoto that caught the battle between the returnees and the invading forces. They'd been ushered into a bunker below the Estate not long before Akagi engaged the Gods and were tensely watching the magical broadcast alongside civilian streams. On screen was a scene of absolute chaos as people fled in all directions, bewildered by the sudden attack.

There'd been some discussion amongst the Returnees about evacuating the City, but such an idea required moving tens of millions of people in a short period of time. This was unrealistic and, combined with the fact that there was no guarantee that the Demi-Gods would emerge in Kansai, it was quickly shelved given that even if they did move everyone Rehael could've just appeared somewhere else. This did mean that the civilian population would be placed in a warzone when conflict erupted, and that ended up being something they just decided to live with, though not unanimously. With less than one hundred defenders, if you counted Kira and a few others who'd joined from spare Dumetorian and Omarin forces, it left their ranks quite thin when compared to the monster deluge pouring from the wound in the sky. Thus, it was decided that they try to protect the population as best as possible, but with the understanding that sacrifices would be made. Kana, Mika, and Naomi had forewarned their friends and family about the impending battle so none of them would be caught in the crossfire, and most were brought to the estate since it would be the safest place under the circumstances.

Naturally, this meant that Shima and Taichi were at the estate, which did not please any of the remaining Dumetorian staff or forces, but luckily, neither seemed keen on causing any issues, especially Taichi, which was odd given that he almost always made a scene.

"I can't believe I'm actually watching an army of monsters attack Kyoto." Shima watched in horror as the creatures descended upon the City. The Returnees were to make short work of many of them, but it was immediately evident that this would not be a battle with zero casualties. How many would die was unknown but those watching knew the number would dwarf anything else seen in Japan since the Second World War. "It's like a nightmare. I don't want to watch."

"I... I hate to ask this question... But can they actually win?" Naomi said, uncharacteristically nervous. "That's... That's so many monsters..." She'd been prepared for this attack, but actually seeing it was something else entirely.

{And what if they come here?!?} (Naomi)

"Calm down, it will be alright." Mika said as she squeezed Naomi's hand. "If it comes down to it, I'll take 'em all out in a single blast!" She winked. Her jovial attitude hadn't seemed to falter one bit, though Kana could tell that her blue-haired friend was just as scared as the others. “So don't worry about it.”

"Those three Demi-Gods are honestly the real problem here." Kana said as her eyes remained glued to the stream of Hishya's battle with Meldor and Lira. She'd seen Hishya and Reheal duke it out and concluded that Hishya might be able to win, but not without putting her life at serious risk. "Hishya is far more powerful than either of them, but she's going to struggle in a fight like this. Those two are clearly stalling her so that the monsters can ransack the City. If not for them, she could just transform and vaporize these things easily. Well, as long as she didn't care about blowing up part of Kyoto..."

{Hence why she's not going full Dragon mode now. I'd bet her body and mind are out of sync since she wants to go all out but worries that doing so may cause huge collateral damage. Not like I blame her since I'd rather not see huge parts of the City reduced to ash either.} (Kana)

"W-Where is your Sister in all this?" Airi asked. She'd more or less kept out of Kana and Akagi's life after the school festival and was not eager to meet her cousins again in this lifetime if at all possible. The only reason she'd come to the estate in the first place was because Kana forced her, and while shew as happy not to be in the middle of the chaos she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. "Can't she just handle this?"

"Onee-chan is battling the Gods that started this whole thing." Kana explained without turning to face her, the term God being thrown around completely stunning the others. "This whole invasion force is part of their plan to escape to this world, and they need to sacrifice the Spirits that fled to Omara to do so. They've intentionally faced her in the open to buy time for this invasion, so she'll be busy with them. That's why she gathered up all the Returnees that were still alive, even going so far as to get the ex-Libra members temporarily released." She said as her eyes continued to follow the battle as they seemed to flash between the floating screens without skipping a beat.

{Though for some reason...} (Kana)

"O-Oh..." Airi stammered. The others in the room hadn't been told the exact circumstances of this attack, only that a large number of monsters would arrive and that they needed to shelter. Though at this point they'd mostly gone numb from the insanity that was this situation. "Your sister really is always getting herself involved in the craziest things, huh?"

"That's Akagi's specialty!" Mika laughed, knowing that Airi's comment was basically just her brain's way of processing what was happening. "It wouldn't be a normal day if she didn't do something crazy."

"Yeah, you get used to it pretty quickly." Naomi agreed. “We just go with the flow at this point.”

"If you didn't, you'd be driven into a mental hospital within days." Kana commented as she watched Hishya deliver a devastating kick to Lira's stomach, only to follow it up with a spin kick to the side of Meldor's head.

{Nice!} (Kana)

"So... I guess all we can do is wait?" Kaori asked. She'd wanted to help the others but was told that the best thing she could do was to stay out of their way given that she had no combat ability. In the days leading up to the battle, she, Mimi, Yuzu, and Suzu had gone into overdrive to create potions for the Returnees, and the fruit of their labor was a massive war chest of recovery and restorative drinks that would prove invaluable in such a large-scale engagement. When combined with stocks already on hand they were confident that there would be no shortage of potions. However, potions only worked on the living and even then only where wounds could actually be healed quickly enough by their magic.

"All we need to do is believe in Lady Akagi." Misha said as she clasped her hands in prayer, her parents not showing the same level of faith as their Daughter. "I am sure that she has foreseen this danger and through her grace we shall persevere. I shall say a prayer that this battle is over swiftly."

{That might be closer to reality than your ramblings usually are, Misha...} (Kana)

"Kana..." Taichi called out to his daughter, the look on his face showing that he really didn't know how to speak with her anymore. "You seem so..."

"Calm?" Kana finished for him. "I suppose so." She said as her eyes continued to follow the battle. Kana's calmness unnerved the others in the room, even Naomi and Mika thought that she was uncharacteristically composed given what was happening. She hadn't shown even the slightest hint of worry or panic. "I just decided that I wouldn't let emotions get the better of me. If I can do nothing but stand here and watch, there's no reason to get worked up about it." She said as she briefly turned to face her Father, her eyes giving him the sense that while he was talking to his daughter, she was not the same person she used to be.

{That's not how this works!} (Everyone in the room.)

"Did you let Scary Kana out of the box again?" Mika joked, deciding that it was best to break a bit of the tension in the room.

"Sometimes it's not a bad idea." Kana sighed at her comment. "If nothing else, it helps with things like this."

"Point taken." Mika replied with a wry smile. “Just don't do anything crazy.”

"Bah! Don't let Kana fool you, she's worried sick on the inside!" Himari chuckled as she and Momo leaped out of their respective contractors. "She might be acting tough, but as much as she tries, she can't completely squash those emotions of hers. The little Demon Princess here is concerned that her Dragon girlfriend is in danger."

"It's best that she can't completely remove those feelings." Momo said. "They're an important part of being Human, after all. Those who try to remove them often go down a well worn path of destruction. Keeping that Human heart is far more valuable than some people believe it is." She said, clearly referring to someone she'd met in the past.

"It's okay. Even if Kana loses all her feelings, then I'll just have to hit her with a miracle beam to break through the walls around her heart!" Mika laughed.

"Am I a fallen Magical Girl or the villain in your little story? At least keep it consistent." Kana said as she let out a small laugh. "But don't worry, unlike Onee-chan, I have no interest in abandoning my Humanity... I..." She paused as she quietly balled her fist. "I... Want to-" Her attempted declaration was interrupted by an incoming call from Miyako. "Hey, Miyako, what's-"

"Kana! Please! Help!" Miyako screamed over the call.

"Calm down! What's going on, what's happening?!?" Kana replied, and everyone in the room grew tense since they knew that whatever was happening was not good even if they couldn't hear her voice.

"There's a woman at the Shrine! Lady Kukurihime is dealing with her now, but she's too strong!" Miyako shrieked as what sounded like a large crash could be heard in the background of the call.

"The Shrine?!? What are you doing there?!? I thought you'd left Kyoto!" Kana's heart rate began to skyrocket as the calmness she'd exhibited moments prior fell apart. “Miyako!”

"Please help! I don't think that Lady Kukurihime can beat her! Oh, she's coming into-" Miyako's plea ended abruptly as the call was terminated.

"Miyako! Miyako! Miyako!" Kana screamed as she tried to call her friend back, only getting a dead line.

"What's going on, Kana?" Mika asked as she ran over. "Is Miyako being attacked? Is she okay?!?”

"I don't know!" Kana growled as she threw her hands up. "She said she was being attacked at the Shrine and that Kukurihime was trying to fight them off, but was losing. I can't get her to answer, and she said something about someone coming and then the line went down!”

"A Local Diety is losing?" Naomi's eyes went wide in suprise, as did Momo and Himari's. "Didn't she recently recover all her power too?!?" After the creation of the Kingdom of Dumetor, Kukurihime's status as the loan Kami in Japan was brought to light. Given that she was now the sole representative of a huge part of the Shinto religion, her Shrine drew massive crowds, and she'd become overwhelmed with prayers and offerings. Since her power was tied to faith and prayer, this meant that not only had she recovered all of her former strength, but that she was also more powerful than she'd ever been. The fact that she as losing meant then it was no normal monster attacking the shrine.

"What do we do? We can't exactly contact anyone during the battle to go and help her." Mika said, shaking. Her bravado and joking attitude quickly gave way to fear, especially as she knew that these creatures would rip their friend to shreds if given the chance.

"I know... I know..." Kana bit her lip in frustration. There wasn't anyone at the estate that they could send, at least no one more powerful than the Local Diety. "It's so busy out there that even if we did ask someone for help, they'd probably decline..." She paused before taking a deep breath and allowing her magic to flow through her body, her eye transforming. "We have only one choice. Mika-"

"And I'm going with you." Mika cut her off, knowing exactly what Kana was about to say. "And don't try to tell me no. I won't listen."

"I'd honestly appreciate the help." Kana smiled.

"Kana! You can't be seriously considering going out there?!?" Shima screamed as she placed her hands on her Daughter's shoulders. "You see how dangerous those things are! I know that Miyako is your friend, but..."

"Mom, I have to do this." Kana shook her head as she shook off her Mother's grip. "I won't be able to live with myself if I just sit back and do nothing while my friend is killed." She continued before turning to the door that led back to the surface. "And just because Onee-chan can revive people ala Misha, I don't want to rely on that. I won't just sit here and doing nothing."

{Not anymore. Not when I CAN do something! Onee-chan believed in me. She said I was stronger than I thought, and I refuse to just stand here in safety while people I care about die!} (Kana)

"Not to mention that Miyako will probably pass on before Akagi comes back to Earth anyway." Himari said as her form vanished. "Sometimes we gotta do what we gotta do! Let's go kick some monster butt!"

"Ken, Shinobu. Say something! Your Daughter is going to get herself killed!" Taichi turned to Mika's parents, who simply shrugged.

"There's no point in trying to stop her, Taichi. She's a strong-headed girl. If this is what she wants to do, then all we can do is give her our support." Ken laughed. They weren't thrilled with Mika going out there to fight but knew that standing in her way wasn't possible when she was this determined.

"Just promise me that you'll run away if things get dangerous, Mika." Shinobu said as she hugged Mika. "I know you're stronger now, but I don't want anything to happen to you, okay?"

"I promise." Mika smiled, happy to have their approval. “Don't worry, I'll come back safe! I promise!”

"And I promise to keep her safe." Kana nodded as the two headed toward the exit.

"Kana... Please... Just be safe..." Shima shook her head, the strength in her body giving out as she slumped to the floor. "And remember, you don't need to be like your Sister. Just... Be yourself..." She smiled. "If you're doing this because you really want to, then that's fine."

"Shima!" Taichi couldn't believe his wife's words. “What are you saying?!? Kana is going to get herself killed out there!”

"If there is something I've learned over this past year, its that our Daughters are far stronger than we are, Taichi. And I don't just mean in their ability to punch things." Shima said as she turned to him. "They're not afraid to follow their hearts, and they aren't the kind of girls to back down just because something seems hard. We... We could learn a thing or two from them..."

"I..." Taichi paused before turning to Kana. He'd changed recently, no longer filled with irrational anger toward Akagi. Kana wasn't sure what'd happened though presumed that whatever brainwashing he'd been placed under was finally wearing off. That or he'd managed to break though it like Shima did. "Kana... Please... Just... Promise me that you'll come back safely... I don't... I don't want to lose you too."

"Don't worry, Dad, this won't be our last meeting." Kana ran over and hugged him. “And I'm still not giving up on fixing everything.” She smiled before she and Mika took off up the emergency stairs.

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"Miyako's house is a lot closer than that time we flew across Kyoto. It should take less than a minute if we go at full speed." Mika said as she transformed, her body slightly trembling in a mixture of fear and adrenaline.

"Okay, but let me go grab one thing first." Kana said as she made a detour to her room. "Onee-chan left me this. She said that I'd one day need it." She said as she threw open her closet, revealing a large black outfit that reminded Mika of a mixture between a trench coat and a black leather jacket. It was filled with magical power, and Mika figured that Imp and Akagi must've poured a great deal of time and energy into it. "I just didn't think it would be so soon." She said as she channeled magic into the outfit, which seemed to disassemble before reappearing on her in an instant. "Alright, we don't have a second to waste."