A cavalcade of faces charged ahead of me to support their master. They stopped to hover over its prone form. And they started to circle over it. Suddenly, they shone and began to attach themselves to its body. When I’d first turned completely, I’d gained greater Noh-face powers than it had, but now it was growing even larger. The menacing aura around it thickened and increased.

When I reached it, I jumped into the air to drive an elbow hard into its head. I flipped up and brought my feet down onto its shadowy mass. And still it grew. I continued to deliver savage blows which would end most fights, but my attacks became less and less effective and finally it showed me that it was far from finished. With a dark surge, it was back upright and it seized the last face hovering above it. This last face was less willing to join its fused monstrosity. Its feet moved more lightly than I’d have expected as it moved away from me. And then it seethed and shook.

It flew at me and screamed. “RAAAAAAAAAHHHH!” it yelled and attached this final face against its noh-face. It surged anew with dark energy and strength when it completed its fusion. The energy swirling around it exploded. Pure dark energy poured off its dark form like a deathly mist and even more of it surged around it.

It had become a monstrosity comprised of human faces. They had fastened all over its body, and clearly it had gained a great deal of strength. What terrified me the most was that the last face to join this harmony of dissonance was my own.

“Ahahahahaha! My PRIZE! I’m BEAUTIFUL!” it yelled exuberantly.

It surged with even more spiritual intensity. I attacked it quickly by tearing at the many faces all over its massive body using my claws. Despite how hard it was to think, I realized that there was a link between them and Noh-face’s new powered-up form.

“RAAAAAAAAHHHH!” it yelled. “YOU... DIE!!!” Despite losing a couple of faces, it grew larger. Then it seized me, looming over me. It was already twice my size. It lifted me and crushed me between its two colossal shadowy hands. My feet scrabbled for a foothold. I struggled fiercely while my claws raked at its dark substance. I was glad I could still do some damage, but even though I opened wounds, no blood welled out from them no matter how many trenches I gouged. It increased the pressure as it glared at me with my own face while it gritted its teeth pugnaciously. My glare was truly effective. I was truly stunned at how effectively my face could intimidate an opponent in a fight.

I screamed loudly, “AHHHHHHHHH!” My claws continued to rip at the hands holding me. Soon it grew tired of my clawing at it like a trapped cat, then it slammed me into the nearest wall repeatedly, knocking me silly.

*SLAM* *SLAM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BAM*

The wall cracked more and more under this prolonged assault. My noh-skull felt near to breaking and my torso tortured. I could barely think while it ground me more and more into the wall. Jagged pavement dug into my flesh. All I could do was to weakly pry its hands away, but it was overpoweringly strong. Nothing was working. There was no hidden cache of power deep inside me. There wasn’t anything else to give. I understood that I would die.

*SLAMMMMM*

Everything blacked out, but then a headlight barreled at us, which I barely was able to see via my blurred noh-vision. I recognized this new danger. We were directly on the train tracks. But what is a train? That word is really scary somehow. Unlike myself, it didn’t seem to be capable of recognizing the danger. The Noh-face hadn’t even noticed the oncoming beam of light, possibly because it was so focused on turning me into a dark stain on the damaged wall. I knew that a train was on the way, but what was it? It gleefully rammed me into the wall.

A horn echoed loudly and at that moment the Noh-face finally acknowledged the presence of the train. Its own fragmented mind also realized the danger. “AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!” My eyes which were on its face widened enormously as it gaped with my lips. It had no time to move away, and I was trapped.

My luck saved me. Since I was pressed against the wall, the train didn’t hit me. It hit Noh-face at one hundred and twenty kilometers per hour. And the train struck my enemy extremely hard, knocking it far along the tunnel. For some strange reason, the train stopped instantly after impacting. It literally ceased to move as though it was an easy thing to dismiss all that speed. The train exploded the moment it hit Noh-face.

A certain loli fell from above to land on her butt on the tracks. Behind, Akuchi was sprawled across the tracks. My noh-heart leapt into my throat. The core of who I am deep inside was overjoyed.

“Mast... SUSUMU!” Akuchi exclaimed as he scrambled up. He threw far too powerful arms around me. I ached all over.

That fracture of my mind which still retained a faint sense of identity recoiled violently. “AKUUUCHIIII!!” My instincts screamed to send him flying too, but I couldn’t because I dimly remembered how much he’d done for me even though he creeped me out a little. I was glad he was safe and sound after collapsing.

He sighed and slumped. “That hug drained the last of my energy…” He collapsed with a laugh. “Susumu, I used a lot of what I regained to transform into a train. Seeing you in such danger, I could not stand by idly. Use this opportunity to attack it, again! Being hit by a train will hurt even a yokai like it.”

I nodded dumbly and Rui was rubbing her butt as she climbed up and threw her own arms around me. “Ru... iiii..." I moaned softly, still hurting. She gently stroked my head.

Rui smiled, releasing me. “I’m so sorry that we failed you. No, that I’ve failed you. You’ve lost your humanity tonight, but please hold onto your sense of self. You can do this! You’re a gentle and wonderful person! You need to finish this!” She clenched her fists in front of her and did a little hop and then threw her fists into the air and grinned. “Get Noh-face for Reiko-chan and everyone else it killed!”

I growled and nodded. My resolve was restored as I practically tore up the tracks with my renewed force.

Akuchi and Rui watched me stampede away full throttle back into the fray. When my noh-eyes fell upon the body of Noh-face, I was further psyched. Even many of the faces it stole were torn and ruined by the impact. It jumped up, stunning me. It screamed and charged at me anew. It was still larger than me, but smaller than previously.

We spun around each other, probing for openings. When one of us lost focus, the other was catapulted into the nearest wall. I broke away after a time and started punching it, and it responded by fighting back.

*SLAM*, *BAM*, *THUD*, *CRASH*, *BAM*, *CRACK*, *CRUMBLE*, *CLACK!*

One after another, we landed fierce blows on each other’s faces and torsos. “SUSUMU!!! YOU CAN DO IT!” Rui and Akuchi cried in unison.

Their cheers coaxed out some of my memories, giving me a moment of lucidity. Rui yelled again alone. “Do it for Reiko-chan!” Speaking her name helped to further reinforce my ability to think.

“R-Reiko..." Noh-face spoke, having lost all its strength. I wondered whether the name meant something to it. My attacks didn’t cease, I continuously ran it against the steel rail. Finally, I lifted it and threw it into the pavement and punched it wildly.

If speaking one name had weakened Noh-face, I thought perhaps naming a few more people might affect it again. I spoke all the names I remembered. “RUIIIIII!!! SUSUMUUU!!! REIKOOOOO! AKUUUUCHII!”

“URRAAAAAAA!” it yelled, enraged and as insane as always. My idea didn’t work at all. “I won’t SHARE! DIEEEE!”

We continued to tussle, and this time I took the brunt of the damage. We threw each other around as we hurled one another. I grabbed its arm and launched it headfirst into the tracks. And then I ground its head onto one of the rails. Seizing one of its shadowy legs, I lifted it off the ground to slam it down face first into the rail one time after another.

*DING* *BING* *TING* *DING!!!*

“Ouch!!!” It finally cried for mercy. But this time it spoke with my voice. “Don’t hurt me anymore! We can’t go back!”

I froze.

It turned, and I saw my eyes were full of tears again. “Uwaaaaah! We can’t! No return!” Its eyes narrowed and it seized me again, reversing the situation again. Its fake tears had shaken my resolve. It treated me to the same punishment I’d delivered to it. When I was on the ground, collapsed, it started stomping repeatedly on me. I screamed. It grabbed my legs and did something different.

Instead of mindlessly punching and throwing me around, it actually put me into a wrestling lock while it sat on my back. My back arched as the tension began to build in my spine. The pain only got worse. This was a pain I was very familiar with. Memories were flowing through my mind. It applied yet more force. I felt like I would break in half.

“YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!” I bellowed.

Visions of Reiko-chan flew through my mind. What a beautiful girl. Those dazzling green eyes. The beautiful glistening brown hair. She was the most striking girl I’d ever seen. No other girl had captivated me as much as she, yet oddly enough another face appeared to take her place. Rui’s face. Those chocolate-brown eyes framed by her cute short hair.

Suddenly, I realized the loli was here! She was slamming her already trashed umbrella repeatedly over Noh-face’s head. It looked back at her, snarling as it raised a clawed fist to strike her.

I snarled and seized its fist. “RRRRRRUIIII!!!” Its face, mine, froze instantly.

“That’s enough! I’ll simply have to seal you!” Rui reached into her purse for a strange looking scroll. It had eldritch symbols on it which I couldn’t recognize with my scrambled brain. She held the scroll and it started to glow. I’d thought she had no spiritual powers. The Noh-face screamed and charged at Rui.

I surged up and grabbed its feet. It fell down, knocking Rui firmly against the nearest wall. She stumbled and collapsed. “R-RUIIIIII!!!” I screamed.

I leapt on top of Noh-face and started to claw at it. My fists and claws struck repeatedly, destroying one face after another, targeting them each individually. I remembered that it was fueled by the faces it had stolen. Without them, it would lose its power. I yelled and ravaged it, raining blows down on it. When I was done, the last face it had was the one it wore on its head. Mine. It glared at me in anger. I winced, facing my glare again. It was a very potent weapon. I always thought people were ridiculous for being so afraid of me, but I truly understood.

My frustration and anger flared up. I hated that face, a face which had brought me nothing but agony and pain all throughout my life! If it meant defeating Noh-face, I’d destroy it too. It was already too late, and recovering it would only mean more pain. I drew my fists back, focusing on the face. I started to pummel my face fiercely.

It struggled to protect my face. “NOOOOOOOOOO! YOU FOOL,” it shrieked loudly. “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

I leapt and drove my legs down onto its arms while driving it down. Jumping, I piled down onto it again as forcefully as possible. My arms drew up in a claw-filled haymaker attack. It was stunned and pitiful. I didn’t hesitate this time, despite the tears in its pleading eyes, mine.

I scrambled up and seized its face. And then I drove my knee fiercely into its final face, impacting it with my knee over and over. My face ripped under the siege of these hits. I finished it off by bringing my clawed hands down to tear apart the remnants.

Noh-face went limp. For good measure, I beat its face a few more times with haymakers and rammed my noh-head against its own.

*WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA*

Suddenly, a train horn sounded up along the tunnel. Another headlight barreled down on us. This time we were both locked down on the tracks. I was tempted to allow us both to die. I held it firmly in place, prepared to meet my end.

“SUSUMU! RUN!” Rui yelled. I barely recognized her voice at this point. My noh-eyes started to ooze tears.

.....

.......

*CRASH!*

.......

......

In the last moment possible, I seized Noh-face and catapulted us both sidewards, to safety. The train rushed instantly past us. The air pressure slammed us against the wall with incredible force. We slid to the ground.

Neither of us moved for a long moment as the train clattered along its rail off into the distance. “Uuuuuuu..." I heard someone crying. I looked around blankly. My mind was almost entirely gone. I slumped in defeat, sobbing.

Can’t… b... a... sen... tai... no... her... o...

“Her... o... oooooooo.” I cried. At least the idea of being a warrior of justice comforted me a bit, but I knew my time had ended.

“Y-you... win..." Noh-face grinned. “I lose... for the first time." Then it broke into a maniac laughter.

It got into my face and pressed its face against mine, almost like a kiss. D-D... is... gust... ing!!! SO GROSS! DAMN IT YOU CREEPY BASTARD! DON’T KISS ME OUT OF THE BLUE LIKE THAT! DIE!

It drew back with a broad grin. “I give it to you my final treasure... You win... Thank you... Susumu... take back... your humanity... I’m sorry.”

Noh-face was staring at me. Rui stood there with her scroll. “I won't let you get away!”

I suddenly felt incredibly weak. Lights came charging up the tunnel. A flood of flashlights.

“N-noooooooo!” Rui gasped, dashing to my side.

“HALT!” the policemen yelled aloud together. From the opposite direction came an army of flashlights. We were trapped.