Rui-chan doesn’t care about me? Thinking she didn’t truly care for me made it far harder and a struggle to keep the light of my power from dimming. The blaze of my energy started to gutter and weaken. As before, I could hold it at bay if I focused enough, but it was a protracted fight. I knew that I’d lose in the long run. If Enenra had no end to its energy, it was like fighting a black hole. If it was as timeless and inevitable as death itself, I’d die. If I were to break my way free, I had no plan for how to win. And Mitsuhiko had Rui in his clutches.

The situation was difficult. I couldn’t think my way out of it. I cried silently as I struggled to batter back Enenra from consuming me. To break free might mean he’d snap Rui’s neck or worse. My muscles trembled. Does Rui love me, truly? Maybe she does. Sometimes she smiles at me and acts warmly. And those worried eyes of hers should have convinced me of this already, but no matter what happens, I’m probably not a good match for her. Reiko-chan said to take care of her. Take care of her. Rui-chan had talked about hiring me as a bodyguard. At least I could do that for her until she retired or decided to discard me. Even as a yokai, I could do that.

Do I love her? Yes... I do. She could not... I thought about her cartoony picture of male genitalia on fire. It was quite impossible. I chewed my noh-lip. Don’t think about such things in a crisis situation! I wasn’t sure if it was Reiko-chan admonishing me or me doing so, but I felt a fire deep inside me. Even though the situation was desperate, I would not give up.

It’s all me... Reiko-chan gave up. I gave up on myself, but I found something to fight for. I thought about the last two days. Rickey, Ume, Natalia-sama, Rui-chan, Akuchi. I saw their faces smiling. Well, I’d never actually seen Rickey smile before, but that wasn’t his fault. Thinking about them made me feel as though they were with me and they believed in me. The adventure had been long and grueling, but I wouldn’t trade these days for anything else.

I’ll win, no matter what. “Even if you’re unbeatable, I’ll pulverize you,” I whispered, straining. I looked down and saw a strange object. It was rolled up inside the pot, turning it into a lamp. The way it glowed, I wasn’t sure what it could be, but I thought about the meaningful look Rui-chan had shot in my direction and those puzzling hand signals she’d used.

My noh-eyes narrowed. “This..." I bent to retrieve the object from inside the pot. It pulsed with a dark energy, and yet it was shining as though it was trying to communicate.

Memories burst through my mind like shooting stars.

I reached my hands above my head to try to keep Mitsuhiko from taking his scroll back after I’d stolen it. In my desperation, I connected somehow with the strange scroll he carried with him. I’d always been curious about it, since I’d seen it many times before witnessing his bloody ceremony. Even though I was clueless about spiritual matters, I knew that Rui wasn’t ignorant like me, even though she had no power to act on her knowledge. So I knew that I had to take his scroll to Rui. Surely she would know what to do.

In that moment of desperation when I was desperately hoping for a higher power to intervene, Noh-face was summoned. It was nothing I’d done myself and yet I knew it was connected to me. Rui had mentioned having a scroll artifact she could use to seal yokai.

Had she somehow slipped it into that pot right where I would be when I broke free from Enenra last? Did she want me to seal Enenra, even though I was a novice?

I smiled softly, clenching the scroll. But would one of Rui’s tools glow with such an evil aura? Enenra sensed that something had changed. Its eyes formed before me to glare balefully at me with overpowering hatred. It suddenly increased its efforts to destroy me. That glare intimidated me, causing me to gasp. My determination firmed and my mind stilled. There was no time for idle thought. I had to act.

Clenching my fist around the scroll, I did what I’d done before… No, Reiko-chan had done that, not I. I still remembered how it had felt when Noh-face was summoned.

I thought about my friends. I had to save them! JUST DO IT!

*FOOM*

The milling cloud of darkness wrapped around me to kill me. Uncertainty and remorse froze on her pale face. She wasn’t sure whether I’d understand the signals she gave. Her expression of worry was interrupted by a wince in pain when the man applied more pressure to her neck. She gasped and clenched her fists. All she could do was put her faith in me, hoping things would work out. Hastily leaping into action seldom works out in your favor.

Mitsuhiko watched with a sneer on his face. The fact that Enenra hadn’t completed its work meant that I was struggling inside. Rui watched, crying a little as she waited. She prayed the plan would work.

*FWOOOM*

Enenra imploded. Silver light shone from the center of it. Rui smiled brightly, never having felt so happy to see my silly butt, but then her eyes widened and she cried even harder.

I stood where Enenra had disappeared. I’d sent it back to where it had come from. Perhaps to hell. The scroll seethed with dark energy. It scalded my hand, but that didn’t matter because my friends returned to me!

Natalia-sama stood at my side. Her angry eyes were focused on Mitsuhiko. Ume stood next to me, flashing her toothy-fangy-smile. She winked. Akuchi instantly transformed into a guillotine. Yes, the kind of machine where someone is made to kneel down to have their head cut off. Wow... that’s extreme...

Rui cried with joy on the floor despite the fact that Mitsuhiko’s foot was firmly planted on her back. His eyes had widened. He reached into his suit coat’s pocket to remove a scroll. The scroll looked identical, and yet it had no dark aura. He stared at the scroll I held above my head. Something in me had me charge ahead after tossing the scroll to Natalia-sama to keep it safe. She, out of everyone else, would be able to protect it best. Ume turned and kicked me hard. I flew at Mitsuhiko, my fists balled up. I struck him hard while Natalia-sama leapt forward to rescue Rui-chan.

Mitsuhiko struck the wall with hatred burning in his eyes. “She switched scrolls when I took her hostage!” He gritted his teeth, starting to strongly emanate evil energy.

I noh-smiled. It was down to me and him, just as I’d hoped. A cliche it might have been, but I felt satisfied. Swift as the motion of a whip, he struck me fiercely with both palms, knocking me backwards. He knocked the wind from my lungs. I gasped and stumbled backwards, only to charge at him again. I hammered him with a series of strikes which would have made even Reiko-chan proud. Mitsuhiko seemed as unruffled as ever. But as he countered my blows, his eyes flicked in Natalia-sama’s direction.

I pressed the attack and struck one of his pots to slam it into him. He blocked the pot and deflected it in Natalia-sama’s direction. She ducked and scowled while starting to shine. She morphed into her kitsune form. It was just as large as the last time I saw it. She pounced onto Mitsuhiko with her claws and fangs.

She savaged him, and yet he dodged the worst of her attacks. She moved to hamstring and behead him with her fangs, but he stayed a step ahead of her snapping. He was cool as ever despite the fact that the tides of the fight had turned against him. That self-assuredness pissed me off. He always moved precisely, wasting no energy.

I quickly moved my hands to unleash a wave of energy at his feet. It blew a hole in the floor where he’d stood. Natalia-sama lunged over the hole. The man sidestepped and turned. He wrapped an arm around her neck and slammed a leg down onto her spine. Natalia-sama snapped at him as he choked off her windpipe.

Ume grasped one of Natalia-sama’s fluffy tails to jump onto her back and run along it while her tails slammed wildly behind her. She leapt from the highest point of the arch of her back to slam her legs down on Mitsuhiko in a flurry of motion. As fast as it was, he reached up dismissively and diverted her inertia. She sailed over his head. Akuchi transformed into an anti-tank guided missile launcher. Rui giggled and lifted him up on her shoulder, taking aim. I wondered how explosive Akuchi could be when transformed to be a weapon of mass destruction. A literally screaming rocket shot towards Mitsuhiko.

“FWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” Akuchi screamed.

“N-natalia-sama!” I bellowed. Akuchi might not have taken into consideration the collateral damage. There was a strong chance Natalia-sama would die!

The man smiled coldly, looking into my eyes. “Worry not, this is child’s play.” He laughed as he lifted his other leg using Natalia-sama as leverage.

“DIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!” the missile screamed with Akuchi’s voice. His foot connected with the rocket, causing it to slam into the ceiling, blowing a hole straight through it. It exploded above, causing dust to settle on us.

*KABOOM*

He smirked. “Did you think Enenra is my only weapon? If I can get the scroll back, I have infinite ammunition of my own, but even failing that, my martial skills are enough to handle fools such as you.”