I took the stairs, five at a time. Looking more human made me feel more normal. I had legs and feet, even if I was a noh-face on the inside still. At the top, we approached a door which was sealed tightly. Rui giggled and drummed on my helmet as we practically flew. When we reached the door, I drew my hand back. I marshalled my chi and lashed out fiercely. The door splintered spectacularly under the force of my attack.

*CRASH*

*CLINK*

I leapt over the remaining two steps. The remnants of a china hutch lay smashed across the way together with the door’s remnants. My disorientation faded when I recognized that I was in Mitsuhiko’s kitchen. It was furnished with the best steel cooking pots and the most expensive appliances money could buy.

I stared at Rui-chan’s face. “It gets dangerous here... Cheer me on!” I lifted her from my shoulders and set her down. At that moment, Mitsuhiko walked in. So he was hiding a dungeon behind the hutch...

Rui nodded and drew behind me.

“Ah, I see, you’re free. You look as foolish as ever.” His cold eyes narrowed. “I don’t know how you managed to free yourself. Your cell was reinforced with titanium steel.”

I smiled coldly in return, not that he could see it. My stance lowered as I assumed an offensive pose. He stared at me disbelieving as I launched myself at him at an incredibly high velocity. My body glowed silver as my fists rained a series of pin-point accurate punches on him. He gasped and quickly moved his own arms to defend himself. The speed of his movements was no different than the two times I’d fought him. Both times he made a mockery of me, but somehow I knew I was faster than ever before. I pressed him harder and launched a hand out when he was exposed. My fingers latched onto his collar and I threw him over my head face first into his beloved shiny pots.

I lowered my stance and charged at him to follow up with a devastating heel drop.

*BAM BAM CLINK CRASH*

His shiny cookware went flying in all directions from the impact as I leapt to the kitchen island beneath the rack for his pans and pots. I spun, rotating faster and faster as I slammed my leg down into his torso. I looked like a silver comet. His body struck the island. The shiny and thick marble countertop shattered under the impact.

“Uggggh!” He coughed a gout of blood. His cold eyes filled with terror for a moment, but he regained his composure. His shadow exploded and wrapped around him at the last moment to blunt the damage as he impacted it. Tension filled my body as he vanished. I landed on a fragment of the wooden and marble counter and executed a backflip away. I was upside down and with my noh-sight I spotted a pit of darkness beneath me.

Rotating my center of gravity, I nearly flew, extending my hands like a ballerina. As expected, the pit of darkness was Enenra. Its eyes glared balefully from the shadows as it shifted and rippled with its darkness. It was darkness, so I would fight with light! My hands moved like a flash. I focused my chi and amplified it with my consciousness. A burst of silver energy exploded from my hands to lance into the dark pit. It screamed loudly. The kitchen was filled with its shrill uttering. I retreated, landing on the other side of the island. Watching my feet was important. I couldn’t spot it, but within moments the pool of darkness appeared beneath me to whisk me elsewhere.

“Go, Susumu!” Rui yelled and danced for me. I glanced her way but even a moment’s worth of seeing her filled me with more energy. I leapt into the air and spun. It followed me, trying to capture me. I turned midair and kicked off the ceiling, drawing my hand back to deal a devastating blow. I knew that meant charging right into Enenra, but even knowing how terrifying it could be, I didn’t hesitate. When it came to consciousness power, I wouldn’t be beaten! My armor shone like a jade sun. I whirled like a drill and struck Enenra. A flash of silver and darkness clashed.

My punch turned into a flurry of attacks. Both fists lashed out. With each strike I felt my fists sink deeper into Enenra. I focused and gritted my noh-teeth. As I did, my fists struck its surface. It was as though I was attacking water itself! I didn’t think pure blunt force would do the trick. Being able to do more widespread damage was necessary. Enenra seemed unable to strike back. It merely twisted and shifted like liquid, which made it difficult to handle. I extended my fingers and mustered more spiritual power. My palms emitted more explosive silver energy to cleave and batter it back.

It grew smaller and smaller by the moment, but suddenly I sensed a motion behind me. Enenra had the ability to shift into another dimension. It did so, reappearing behind me and struck. It surged like a torrent of smoke and shadow. I couldn’t counterattack until I hit the floor. I landed heavily and guarded myself as best I could as its substance splashed all around me.

“Susumu!!!!” Rui screamed. “Caramelldansen! I’m dancing as hard as I can for you!” I turned towards her to see her with a silly smile but worried eyes. She was doing it, shaking her hips and waving her hands. That sight made my heart thump before Enenra surrounded me and blocked off the light.

I could barely hear her voice through its substance. It started to disintegrate me on a molecular level. He got serious.

I screamed loudly. This was nothing compared with the water pressure back in that cell when I filled it entirely with my tears. I’d been through far worse than being disintegrated by an overpowered yokai. This was not going to kill me!

I yelled and exploded with more silvery energy. Enenra was blown away. The struggle was now to keep myself from being dismantled. “You can do it!” Rui-chan yelled loudly. “Susumu, fight… Ahhhhhh! Help!”

Mitsuhiko had reappeared. His eyes were narrowed. Rui was in his clutches! Damn it! NO! My vision faded again, but I knew Rui-chan was in trouble. Mitsuhiko’s physical prowess was probably beyond what Rui-chan could deal with.

I desperately focused on drawing forth more consciousness power. YOU WILL NOT HURT HER! My armor exploded with energy which burned intensely. No, not enough! I need more! I wasn’t sure what else I could do. Something deep inside me suggested something that might work. So I redirected my energy...

*FOOM*

A massive burst of energy lanced out ahead of me. Enenra closed on me instantly. I turned and threw myself through the hole I ripped through its substance. This creature was every bit as hard to fight as I remembered. Thoughts of many skirmishes with Enenra along the Yamanote tunnels were recalled to me. Those were Reiko-chan’s fights, not mine, and yet I remembered them in perfect detail. That creature was relentless and never stopped. It could be outwitted and evaded if you were clever enough, but Reiko-chan had never harmed it.

I landed heavily on my feet and launched instantly towards where Rui was.

Mitsuhiko was still holding Rui and his hands were cupped around her face as though he was ready to snap her neck. She stared at me with intensity. Despite her peril, she didn’t look afraid. Is she telling me to kill him no matter what happens to her? I can’t do that!

She wagged a finger quickly at me down where Mitsuhiko couldn’t see it. She wasn’t fighting against her captor, since her hands were otherwise limp at her sides.

I had only a moment to interpret her gesture. Sensing motions behind me, I leapt forwards. Mitsuhiko lifted one hand and smiled coldly. “Even if you were to reach us, you wouldn’t make it in time. Don’t even try. You idiot. Don’t you understand what an incredible creature Enenra is? It’s the incarnation of my soul. Yours might be a foolish Noh-face because you’re a nonentity, but I on the other hand am destined for greatness. Did you ever have--”

I tuned out his monologuing. His grip on Rui’s head tightened. Rui quickly put a hand up when I was standing just past a pot which had clattered to the floor. She pointed downwards and flicked a finger at me. Meanwhile, Mitsuhiko was still droning on in true villain-style.

Rui looked at me with an apologetic expression. “Mitsuhiko-sama, please spare my life. I know Susumu isn’t worth anything, but I can..." Mitsuhiko’s eyes narrowed as he threw Rui to the ground. He stomped a foot down hard on her back, smiling coldly all the while.

“It seems no one cares about you at all.” The man’s words pissed me off.

You underestimate me!!! I growled and launched myself at Mitsuhiko, but Enenra wrapped itself around my body, stopping me in my tracks.

“Enenra cannot be destroyed. It’s death itself. You can’t win against it. Death comes for all mortal beings.”