The fog of dust slowly dissipated.
The balcony that held Kafka and the people pursuing her was no more; all that was left was a bundle of logs mixed with fragments of slate.
Kafka, who now stood by the neighboring building, hooked her finger through the trigger guard of her gun and patiently waited for her beloved 'guests' to finally make their move in their little game of chase.
Knowing full well that something as small as this wasn't enough to stop them. And her feeling was right on the dot since she suddenly felt an arrow brush just a few inches from her face.
"Ew. I feel like some dirt went in my mouth."
"My hair is also messed up…."
Stelle stuck her tongue out, trying to remove the earthy taste from her mouth, while March grumbled, feeling the ends of her hair curl up.
Lowering her bow seeing as her shot failed to land she looked around to see if the others were fine.
"Yuuto, are you doing alright?"
"No worries, something like this is nothing."
Welt felt his worries subside seeing Yuuto brush off the dust off his clothes while holding a tiny foxian over his shoulder.
Huohuo was still in a state of shock seeing as she hadn't moved an inch since the explosion occurred and it looked like a piece of her soul was already bidding it's time to leave.
Welt also didn't forget to check Tingyun for any injuries but he was assured after she waved it off and told him she was fine.
"Has everyone settled themselves already?"
Kafka acted clueless as if she wasn't the one who blew the balcony up in the first place and the others looked at her with varying thoughts.
The person who was the center of attention didn't seem to mind as she just smiled sweetly while waving her hands.
"Chop chop~ Our little game of chase may end sooner than you think so you better act quickly~~!"
Still relaxed and waving her hand one last time, she jumped from the roof, and out of nowhere, a series of burgundy strings intertwined outwards.
It left her fingers so seamlessly and precisely that it felt like she just knew the perfect moment to use it. The location, time, and even the single pull of her finger.
She already crafted her ploy to the tee.
Like a web trying to keep its prey trapped it quickly grew and if they didn't act in time, Kafka would slip right through their fingers.
"[Illumine]"
"Stay."
Yuuto's palm grew brighter as a sword manifested and Welt's cane emitted a dangerous purple hue which caused the surrounding air to tremble.
A display of countless sword strikes and space compressing onto itself filled the area.
In a flash, the strings were destroyed and all that was left was the aftershock created through both Yuuto's and Welt's joint attack.
"I'll go after her first."
Yuuto's eyes glanced at the direction Kafka ran off to and he instantly ran to catch her.
"W-Wait! don't forget that…"
"Don't run so fast!!"
Before March could say anything she noticed Stelle run after him while Welt patted her on the shoulder.
"Let's hurry."
March could only nod at this point and followed along but she still had a lingering worry on her mind.
'Will Huohuo be alright hanging off his shoulder like that…?'
At that moment, a single tear flowed out of Huohuo's eyes.
The person in question who March was worried about was also thinking something along the same lines as she couldn't bear to open her eyes.
[Squirt, look. Have you ever seen something so cool?]
"St-Stop…. I don't want to think right now…"
Huohuo had already surrendered herself to fate seeing the ground beneath her be so far away from what she's used to.
While she tried to recover from the explosion that scared her half to death, the next moment she was now in the air flying while Yuuto carried her.
She didn't know exactly how he now had wings but the past hour or so was already too much for her brain to make a proper thought.
So instead of thinking about all the new things around her, she decided to just accept them just the way they were. Without question.
Without a single question.
"Wuu…. Yuuto…"
"I know…" Yuuto, who felt Huohuo resign her fate, felt a bit bad. "She's so light in the first place that I forgot I was holding her."
Adjusting her position so he wasn't holding her like a sack of potatoes, Yuuto promised that he would make up to her but for now, he needed to focus on Kafka.
"Wow~! I didn't know an angel would come after me."
Kafka covered her mouth seeing Yuuto flap his wings unfazed and jump backwards. A long string wrapped around her wrist and attached to a fence where she pulled.
The string caused her to take a sharp left and in her other hand was a gun aimed directly at Yuuto.
–BANG BANG
A few bullets fired and flew rapidly. Bullets going at any speed would prove fatal at any point and Yuuto thought the same thing.
Not to mention that fateful date when he was ambushed after leaving the library. He knew exactly how a bullet would feel.
But after experiencing events he couldn't even dream of. That tiny piece of lead didn't feel all that scary anymore.
The bullets coming just inches away from his shoulder abruptly stopped as it hit a wall of pure white feathers and glided past its smooth exterior.
His large [Wings] folded inwards and created a cocoon shape which continued to block the bullets Kafka sent and his pursuit didn't stop.
"Care to open those pretty wings up?"
"Sure. Only if you stop shooting me."
Kafka just silently smiled after hearing his offer but didn't follow and pulled her left hand down. Yuuto who peeked through a gap noticed her move and saw how her attention was now directed elsewhere.
Specifically, near his feet.
"If that's what you want~"
Click.
—-BOOOOOOOM
The pin of a hidden grenade was pulled and Yuuto was once again in the center of an explosion.
Debris brushed by Kafka's face as she stared at the cloud formed by the grenade before turning around.
She hopped down from the roof and continued to run away as her intuition sensed that Welt and the others were just about to arrive.
Leaving Yuuto and Huohuo on their own.
Continuing her escape, Yuuto on the other hand felt like a vein was about to rupture as he gritted his teeth, annoyed.
"What's with her and using so many grenades this time..? I know that the scenario would change a bit but this is too…"
Flickers of blue and gold faded indicated by [Mother's Embrace] and Yuuto thought back to the scenario.
Looking at the light peeking through the giant hole in the ceiling, he now found himself inside some sort of home that appeared abandoned judging by the layers of dust in the air.
The interior was simplistic, bordering the image of a newly moved-out home.
"Are you alright?"
"Oh!? Ah, I-I'm fine. Thank you again…."
Checking himself, Yuuto asked Huohuo who was clinging onto him and after judging that she was the same as before, he lowered his balance to jump out.
However before he could do so, Huohuo turned her head so fast that it felt out of place.
"Out…Help…Stuck….Out…"
"Hey! What's wrong?"
"Dark… Life…"
Her pupils gradually faded and out of nowhere, her words began to turn more jumbled that it was bordering the description of someone being possessed.
Clearly, something was wrong and he immediately used [Clarity] to help figure out what this issue was.
At first, there was nothing but after pouring more energy, he noticed a thin green-like miasma siphoning into her head. Her distinctive tail also began flickering and the screams of a person different from her started to become heard.
'That sounds like Tail is getting affected as well.'
Knowing the entity sealed within her tail, Yuuto raised his hand and a transparent sword made out of moonlight gradually formed.
With a blade similar to the one he used on Cocolia, he mixed a substantial amount of [Clarity] to the edge of the blade and without hesitation. He swung down.
The blade, with a bit of resistance, severed the connection formed between Huohuo and the unknown entity and the sanity within her eyes started to return.
"What was…that..?"
"I'm not sure myself but you should let me know if you notice anything odd with your mind."
Still absently staring at the ceiling, Yuuto tried to help ease her mind by transferring some energy to her [Nexus] just in case.
As he was doing so, he also remembered the talisman that he was given and decided to use one.
After taking it out of his library, he placed it onto her face and the talisman immediately showed its effects as the scriptures written within it began to burn up.
From the bottom to the top, the paper turned into ash but Yuuto was able to see the effects it had.
Huohuo looked better than before but the miasma that took hold of her before was still reaching its fingers towards her. Yuuto continued to sever the connection but still, the energy was seemingly endless.
Deciding to do something, he took two more of the talismans before slapping them right on her face and took out his empty hand.
A banner manifested and immediately he used [Banner of Command] to help stabilize her mind so he could confront the source of this miasma directly.
Underneath her a snowflake sigil appeared and a faint white light rose from beneath. It wrapped around her body but most importantly around her [Nexus] where a barrier quickly formed.
"Now to find that thing…."
Yuuto left the banner and taking his sword he cautiously walked towards a door where the supposed miasma was leaking through the gaps.
His body glowing a bright shade of silver, he rushed through the door and what he was met by was a room filled with a dense black fog.
A fog that was so potent it seemed like he walked into another world. A world devoid of any light.
"This energy." Feeling the slimy feeling creep up onto his skin, he knew this energy all too well. "[Mythus] is here again, huh."
Yuuto opened his right palm and closed his eyes for a bit, a prismatic hue took hold as [Clarity] began to gather.
A small light turned into a simmer of colors, he closed his fist and the ball of light grew even brighter.
Tendrils of fog noticed the change and seeing the target, they didn't hold back. Countless spikes rose from the ground and attempted to pierce Yuuto.
He narrowly dodged each one but being in a room filled with darkness, they have a large advantage.
Currently, he felt like he should retaliate but now wasn't the right time. This fog was much denser in quantity so even if he attacked a small portion, it would just seal back up.
So for now he needed to be on the defense. Waiting until his attack had enough power to wipe it all in one go.
He continued to fend off the spikes aimed at his body using both his mist alongside his sword where he sliced any tricky attacks that moved past his mist.
Gradually and after a few minutes, the light in his right fist had grown to the size of a basketball.
The potent fog began to retreat, sensing danger from the bright light but it was already too late.
[Propulsion] + [Clarity]
Feeling his fist shake, the light exploded and the fog dissipated alongside the flash.
The dark room devoid of any light now appeared to be a standard living room. With the exception of a few stacks of paper scattered across the floor.
Lingering bits of fog were still roaming around but currently, they didn't pose any harm. Looking back he saw the line connecting Huohuo to the room dwindled and he felt relieved.
"Can't believe I had to make a detour during that whole chase…"
Yuuto mumbled as he thought about Kafka and the others. He wondered if they already caught her but seeing as Huohuo was currently out of commission, Yuuto felt the need to regroup.
But seeing a situation similar to the one he discovered back in Jarilo-VI with Cyrilla, Yuuto wanted to investigate.
Curious he picked up one of the papers laid on the ground but what he read was not something he expected.
"[Medical experiment #290: Starfire poison….
Using isolated heliobus of varying maturity alongside the essence of an abomination slayed by a famed swordmaster inside an enclosed container. The formation of Starfire Poison will undergo development…..]"
The more he read the more he felt the need to rub his eyes before he had to put the paper down.
"These damn Medicus… what the hell are they doing developing this…?"
The more he read into the document the more he felt like the Medicus were doing more harm than benefit with all the medical knowledge they hold.
With his limited knowledge of heliobus, he knew that they were a shapeless species made of pure energy that appeared as flames capable of cognizant speech.
Feeding off the intense emotions of individuals, they can grow pretty powerful. Sometimes to the point where they could cause a person to spontaneously combust after feeding off them.
Being a form of energy, they cannot die and the only way to permanently deal with them is to seal them indefinitely.
This can be seen with the Creation Furnace being used as an energy source but the documents gave an interesting view on heliobus.
With enough emotions consumed, they would mature and if 'negative' ones were the ones being consumed, they would become something akin to poison.
If he remembered correctly, there was an ancient Chinese preparation where several highly toxic creatures would be sealed in a jar and feast on each other until one was left.
After devouring each other, the toxin would concentrate into the lone survivor and be extracted thus being called Gu. A sort of poison.
And this Starfire Poison is made in the same way.
"There's apparently a jar here…."
Yuuto continued to pick up the papers and after noting a few pages as part of a diary he looked through the cabinets within the room.
Opening every drawer and box he finally made his way towards a dresser where a singular talisman was taped to the very side.
"I swear I'm not afraid to punch a ghost if it pops out."
Seeing as this was probably the location, Yuuto cautiously opened the food, and inside was a singular wine jar that had a light blue ribbon tassel tied by the neck of the jar.
At first, it seemed harmless but a sense of danger was palpable when he came closer.
"Hmm? This…."
Wanting to just place it into his library, Yuuto noticed a faint black mark near the back and after turning it, he saw a small crack.
[Kyu.]
"Huh."
[Kyu…]
Through the small crack, a tiny nose popped through and like a small flame, it fluttered out.
The flame was formless but as it finally escaped, it rose towards his hand and a small light blue fox appeared.
[Kyu Kyu….]
Feeling his silence, the fox rubbed its head against his palm and Yuuto's face twitched.
"Is this the Starfire Poison…?"
He rubbed his finger against the chin of the fox who seemed to enjoy his touch but a sense of unease slowly took hold.
"I won't get killed by this right…?"
Yuuto looked into the small fox's eyes and saw tilting its head, an arrow pierced through his heart.
"Gray Bean Paste is going to have competition…"
Feeling like he was a bit too weak for cute animals, Yuuto picked up all the papers scattered across the ground and scooped up the unconscious Huohuo.
Taking one last look to see if he missed anything, Yuuto jumped out of the hole he came from.
"Now then, let's try and see if they caught Kafka—-"
"The stars have spun and this moment has been foreseen."
"What?"
Before he could say another word, a petite woman with pink hair landed on his shoulder and immediately used him as a foothold.
With his body being stronger than ever, a light push off his shoulder didn't do much but he still didn't appreciate being stepped on.
Yuuto dusted off the dirt on his shoulder and glared at the woman but she didn't pay him any attention as she had her eyes closed.
Her hands turned a shade purple with sparkles floating off the fingers and like placing a chess piece on a board, she moved his fingers delicately.
–WHOOOOSH
Ripping through the air was a barrage of bullets that she skillfully deflected and pushed to the side.
"How unfortunate."
Just a few steps down, Kafka smiled as raised her hand and dropped her guns while Welt and the others pointed their weapons behind her back.
"Greetings, Astral Express. An encounter seen through the stars, while being the first of many I am Fu Xuan, master diviner at the Divination Commission and one of the Six Charioteers."
Fu Xuan's pinkish-gold eyes scanned the three and Kafka who silently had her hands up.
"Far-flung friends, although this occasion marks the beginning of many paths willing to be crossed, it is unfortunate that we are unable to indulge in fine wine."
Her words being a bit special, made March awkwardly look at Stelle who gave a dumbfounded expression.
Maybe noticing the cumbersome silence she created, Fu Xuan awkwardly coughed and brought their attention back to her.
"It may have been my poor choice of words but I must say something. Detaining and questioning of the criminal seen in front of you shall fall under the Divination Commission."
"I'm not sure if you know but—-"
"If you're asking about the interrogation of the Stellaron Hunter, I have already received orders from the General to have you as spectators if you so wish."
"Perfect." Welt who asked for confirmation, sighed in relief after hearing her words.
"If that is all, I wish that we—!!"
Feeling a presence behind her she swung her hand to the side but her wrist was immediately grabbed.
"What are you doing?" Yuuto asked while looking a bit confused.
Fu Xuan had her eyebrows in a furrow and asked him a question in a deep tone.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?"
"What?"
"Only authorized individuals—"
"Hey, wait a minute! I'm with them!?"
Yuuto pointed towards the Welt, Stelle, and March who also felt confused by her attitude and wondered what was wrong.
"You. I don't know you."
"Damn, right you don't. I just met you today."
"No, not like that…" The frown on her face grew as she looked at Yuuto.
"How come I've never seen you…."
Fu Xuan narrowed her eyes and was about to take a step towards him but abruptly stopped when Kafka surprisingly spoke up.
"Now, now miss diviner. If you wish to flirt with him then do so but not in front of me. I'm getting pretty bored standing here that I might just run off again~." Kafka closed one of her eyes to feint a yawn.
Fu Xuan, taking her words in, decided that she was surprisingly correct and dropped her thoughts on Yuuto for now.
That is until after the interrogation.
Yuuto stared at Kafka sensing that her intervention was way more than just a coincidence and had the urge to ask why.
Noticing his stare, all she did was smile sweetly before sending him a tiny wink.
"Ahem, even with a few hiccups, the time has arrived. Let us depart, urgently."
Taking one last look at Yuuto, Fu Xuan jumped from the roof and tied Kafka while leading the crew towards the pier where they could take a ship to the Divination Commission.
Yuuto left alone, adjusted Huohuo who was still sleeping and quickly grouped up with the others. Stelle immediately approached him and patted his shoulder.
"Don't worry, I still find you handsome so don't worry if that lady hurt your feelings."
"So I'm pretty much the same as garbage in your eyes, huh…"
***
Honestly that ZZZ story was pretty amazing especially with Miyabi. Btw got her and her weapon so now I'm able to clear almost everything haha. Tempted to write a story for it but I feel like i won't be able to keep up with it consistently.
Been playing vampire survivors as HSR is in its dry patch and all ive been doing is farming mats for herta.