"Any large-scale attack will be blown away by the power of my spirit." The griffin stated.
Douma grit his teeth in frustration. I was so close to ending this madness. Why did it have to be this way?! Of all the opponents he could face, it had to be one with a rather unique fighting style that others would rarely come across.
The spores floating in the air rose from the floor and began blinking a few times. The griffin was powering up and raising its defenses.
While that was unfolding, Douma landed in front of the beast with his golden fans out. It wouldn't hurt to try breaking this beast's shield. There has to be some sort of fragility within that barrier. If it was truly powerful the griffin wouldn't need to charge it up again.
The griffin looked at Douma's golden fans with a predatory gaze. The shrine leader got ready as the beast's talons scraped the floor, displaying its careless attitude towards the incoming threat that was about to emerge.
Swiftly, Douma ran towards the giant bird and slashed his fans several times at it but to no avail. Seconds later, the shield still remained intact without any dents or scratches on its shimmering surface of radiant gold.
"It's useless. Your attacks won't do anything to my spiritual dignity." The beast said in a subtle voice.
Here Douma thought he was an unbearable opponent to many because of his proud demeanor, but this giant bird took the cake for being the most insufferable of them all.
"Have some of this!" Letting out a loud screech, the griffin blasted the same soundwaves from before at the shrine leader standing ahead of it.
Nows my chance to deal some damage to this thing without having to unleash any of my attacks directly. Douma got ready as the soundwaves started coming closer to where he stood.
He then reflected the soundwaves back to the griffin, who stood there still like a statue.
To Douma's disappointment, the soundwaves sank into the griffin's skin leaving waves flowing out of the surface.
"Did this giant chicken just absorb that reflected attack?" Douma widened his eyes at the griffin who continued standing in the same spot as though nothing alarming happened.
"An impressive move, but a fiddle compared to what I'm about to do next. Try this." The griffin raised his talons and unleashed the soundwaves from each palm.
The blonde watched as two soundwaves started heading his way.
His attack got stronger after he absorbed it. Without hesitation, Douma flew away just before the soundwaves struck him. An explosion erupted beneath his feet, sending clouds of smoke to the ceiling.
Douma hovered around the top corner behind the ginormous beast. Thinking of his next course of action, but things didn't seem to be going well for the blonde as even the decisions that came to mind had disagreements with each other, almost like Douma was having an internal battle with himself when the enemy was standing right there in front of him.
So he can control any attacks with his spirit, cast himself in an unbreakable forcefield, and absorb anything that hits him. This is a challenge and it's not one that I agreed to. Not that I can't handle it... Douma was uncertain about whether he could even move on to the next part of this which would be a one-on-one talk with Mr Moikawa. As much as he didn't want to admit it, the blonde was beginning to lose hope. This griffin was going to hunt him down no matter where he goes, that was its duty. Mr Moikawa specifically picked this creature because he knew it would slow him down with the spiritual awakening that it conceives. This was a challenge for Douma, one that would determine whether he could stop Mr Moikawa from destroying the Hasu Mountains and everywhere else or suffer with the rest of humanity. These were the only two outcomes.
And Douma hated the fact that he couldn't do anything about it. As long as this beast was still standing, he still had to go through with the battle. This was one that he didn't enjoy or find amusing, it was a game of cat and mouse.
"Dawn of Gold!" A bright shimmer of light emitted from the griffin as it engulfed everything in Douma's direction sending him to the ground from its glare.
The shrine leader clenched his arm and pushed himself up from the decimated ground, but it felt like a chore. The strength he once had prior to this battle was fading away.
"This can't be! I have to save everyone... My friends and the people of Hasu Mountains, they need me. This world can't suffer anymore." Douma tried to get up but he didn't have the strength to even balance himself. He remained on the floor in grief while the griffin eyed him down intently.
"You're an honorable fighter, I'll give you that." The griffin commented. "But being shallow in the hardest times won't get you pass these spiritual boundaries." With the flick of a claw, the large beast stepped away.
Flashbacks of the times Douma had with his friends replayed in his mind. The remaining determination he had to put a stop to the hidden organizations plans seeped through his recollection; His journey with Shinobu to Atami and their discussion about the problems that surfaced during Cryptic Sanctuary's active operations was the first thing that appeared. Douma still remembered Shinobu's concerns, especially about the state of Eiko and Atashi, the reunion that until now hasn't happened yet nor has been foreseen by anyone.
This isn't fair, not even for you Shinobu. Don't ever blame yourself for anything, you got dragged into this, it was supposed to be a vacation. Douma's body was trembling as he knelt on the floor with the aching in his limbs recurring every few minutes when he least expected it.
Moments later, the scene fast forwarded to the time when Shinobu was explaining to Douma about the change in his impression towards humans. How he was becoming a better person and the empty shell that he had grown out of which only came to be because of his grudge. Douma didn't quite understand why she would pay so much attention to this, but as time passed, Douma began to appreciate her presence. Shinobu didn't want to see him being too harsh on himself over the things he had no control over. At the end of the day, he tried his best and that's what mattered.
And the violette did bring out this nobility in him. When she was explaining this to him during their time in Atlas, the blonde could feel the warmth and comfort within him, especially whenever he stared into Shinobu's soothing eyes and that smile on her face that always gave him the motivation to overcome the difficulties that troubled him during that time period.
She cares a lot about me. I couldn't even notice the impact of her kindness, this ice that I surrounded myself with was slowly melting away to make room for the welcoming person that I've always been but couldn't bring myself to after the conflicts I had with those people at the shrine. If it weren't for Shinobu, I'd still be clueless about who I truly am.
Moving on, the conversation Douma had with Shinobu and Reiji came to view. The part where Shinobu realized that Douma was just trying to keep her safe since she was in possession of the power that nobody heard of, except those above. Douma sought to protect her, and he knew the violette could sense it at that very moment.
Last but not least was the arrival of Eiko and her crying out for her brother's return. She had just recovered from a ruthless illness, only to discover Atashi's absence. Both Douma and Shinobu couldn't even bring themselves to tell her all the details about his current motives, Eiko would be devastated.
Why should I let this misery continue if I have the ability to stop it? Douma attempted to get up from the floor again. He remembered the words of advice he gave to those who were in need of them at the shrine, and the acts of kindness that improved the lives of those who searched for the help they were sought for.
Stopping here wasn't going to make things better. Douma had already gone this far. He never backed down no matter how tough the situation got. In fact, his reasons were known to his friends too, Mr Moikawa wasn't getting away with this, as long as Douma was here, humanity would remain stable without any detriments. Shinobu and the others deserve genuine happiness, not grief and remorse that would leave them bitter.
"Turning myself into a pawn isn't going to save Hasu Mountains, that's not who I am." Douma got up and clenched his fists. The griffin raised a brow, curious about this sudden spark of energy that surged through his opponent. He didn't expect the fighting spirit in Douma to remain. This was going to be a long battle for sure.
Or so he thought as the spark of energy turned into a powerful wave of determination and resentment that Douma was now giving off.
"Peace will prevail!"
The griffin panicked as an overwhelming whirlwind of power started taking over, his own slowly vanishing. It appears Douma has regained his power and taken over the flow of the griffin's principles set by his own spiritual stance.
"The forcefield is losing control," The griffin looked around frantically at the change of the forcefield's shade. "No it's being taken over by another spirit!" Glancing at the blonde who had regained his composure, the griffin widened his eyes and unsheathed his claws in preparation for a clash of forces.
In the blink of an eye, the shrine leader appeared in front of the griffin, causing him to be in a state of panic as he soared towards Douma with his arms outstretched, the talons glowing like before. It contained the spiritual energy that was used for defense as well but combat-wise during the current state of things, it was futile.
Douma swiped the claws thrashing at him with his fans. The power emitting off of the griffin's claw might have been lethal before, but not anymore, it was inferior to the power taking over.
Mr Griffin still isn't breaking a sweat. Let's see how long he can keep up with this, I can tell he's getting exhausted. Both the shrine leader and the large beast landed backwards on their feet, getting ready for the next round of clashing.
Observing the ongoing battle on the screens, Mr Moikawa anticipated the aftermath. He waited patiently in his lair, keeping track of every detail and movement displayed by the two contenders of his treacherous scheme.
Douma stayed in his place waiting for the large beast's next attack. It was following suite, getting ready to defend itself again.
It just so happens that every remaining flicker of gold encasing the giant bird began to subside as Douma's power was replacing the forcefield's spiritual concealment. The griffin could feel his powers draining until there was no ounce of energy left in him, he could feel his body giving out as a surge of weakness flooded his stature causing him to tremble in worry and fear.
While the griffin was trying to figure out a way to evoke his spirits again, Douma used the chance to quickly land another strike on the large beast. His golden fans began radiating a shimmer of bright light that engulfed the sharp edges of the weapons, similar to the bright slash that Douma often unleashed. This time, it was forming on the edge of his golden fans.
Douma narrowed his eyes at the griffin who took in the flickering glow on both of his golden fans and then sped towards the large beast that remained stationary in its spot.
This is it! As he got closer, Douma leaped into the air and landed several slashes on the griffin's chest, the remaining shade of gold disappeared leaving the griffin in immense pain from the sudden reign of power overwhelming him at once.
The griffin screeched in pain, loud enough to send the entire building crumbling down. Douma landed behind the large beast and watched as the forcefield and golden encasement around the griffin shattered and lit up the area. A wave of bright light emerged from the surroundings of the griffin causing it to scream loudly in agony as it succumbed to the spiritual power that could no longer be contained within.
As soon as the light stopped, Douma kept his fans and walked towards the fallen beast on the floor.
"Even during battles you can't control your greed." Douma noticed the griffin's ravenous expressions whenever he saw the blonde's golden fans. Since ancient times, griffins were known to have a craving for gold and would sometimes keep treasure and highly valuable ornaments for their own possession. This griffin had displayed this fervor throughout the battle, which left him open to any unsuspecting attacks despite his unwavering techniques.
Charging up the power within his golden fans was a way to distract the griffin into wanting to get a hold of the treasure he sought right in front of him.
Now it's time to deal with the perpetuator of all this, Mr Moikawa who is definitely aware of my presence. He's not a fighter so this should be quick as long as he stops with the surprises. But knowing him, that's unlikely. Douma looked up at the platforms above this part of the building, he also remembered the possible creatures he could be saving for last and maybe even support from Atashi who was with him up there.
"Our guest should be here any second now." Mr Moikawa said to the other person in the room.
Well this is going to be a tedious discussion. There won't be any negotiations and I'll have to give up my plans, but not to worry we can work things out the easy way. Crossing his fingers, Mr Moikawa watched the shrine leader approaching the elevator at the end of the hall.
~~~
Douma got to the last level which was also the tidiest compared to the other levels. Things were more organized here so the shrine leader didn't need to worry about bumping into anything that was misplaced.
Sprinting down the hallways that were of a yellow and orange interior, Douma passed by a few rooms, some of which were empty. The last one he passed looked to be a room that belonged to one of the higher ups. It was messy with boxes and cages scattered on the floor. Whoever must have been here must have rushed out after hearing of the blonde's arrival or perhaps it had been turned into a storage room which was quite peculiar.
The few guards that Douma ran by while he was invisible never came back. Douma found it ridiculous that the security here wasn't uptight about the safety of those within the building. Typical for sketchy organizations that were too complacent about their identities until someone finds out about them.
Douma continued down the halls until he reached a larger open place where he could see the lower from both sides. The path led to another area, in front of the entrance was the figure of a man standing there proudly whilst observing the blonde from a distance. A wicked smile started appearing on his face when Douma took notice of his presence.
Skidding to a halt, Douma narrowed his eyes at the man a few feet away from him. Mr Moikawa slowly stepped closer to the blonde with a grin, he wasn't afraid of Douma unlike the troops he sent who'd back away the minute they found out who Douma really was.
"Well it seems you have arrived." Mr Moikawa stopped in his tracks still keeping his hands behind his back. "How brave of you to even set foot here. Welcome to Cryptic Sanctuary, we certainly weren't expecting you here."
"I'm not here to have a tea party. All the disasters that you've caused have taken away the lives of many, so don't think you're getting away with this." Douma demanded. Just seeing this blot was making him feel disgusted at how such a horrendous person could go about their day while many others continue to suffer under their cruelty. "You're accountable for the causalities and troubles that people were put through. If it means being locked in a cell, so be it. You asked for this so don't try to go undercover again, there's nowhere else for you to go."
Mr Moikawa let out a chuckle which was downright unsettling after what Douma had just stated. "It seems you got it all wrong." He went on. "This isn't about people's lives, this is about the money. Do you think I care about what those people are going through? They're not a part of this and neither are you. So what makes you think you can just barge in and 'correct' me? Do you not understand this felony you're displaying here? It's an act of clownery, so I suggest you get a move on this has nothing to do with your miserable attention-seeking self."
Douma's eyes slowly turned into slits. Who does this guy think he is? This isn't the first time he's done something like this. Numerous people have been living in fear for years since these operations began. The current situations were proven to be the most severe yet during these times, Douma remembered how difficult it was for Shinobu and the others; they couldn't leave their homes, separation from their families for a long period of time, school was closed, and some people had contracted the merciless disease, one of them being Eiko who wanted an end to this tragedy.
"Hmm I can see your getting angry. What happened to the calm founder of Paradise Shrine that those buffoons were talking about?" Mr Moikawa took a few steps closer to where the blonde was standing. "Maybe they truly are buffoons, perhaps this was all a lie. There is no motivational and understanding individual in the Hasu Mountains, you're just a nobody who also happens to be shunned upon by those who fell for your tricks. Kudos to them for figuring out the truth."
There, he's going to be so blinded by rage it'll be easier for him to fall into my trap. I do have spare cages and equipment for one more pesky brat. Mr Moikawa watched as Douma clenched his fists and glared at him.
"I'm not angry." Douma smiled and observed Mr Moikawa's shocked expression. "Just disappointed that the most feared man in Tokyo is still standing in his shackles, not trying to prove himself as this challenge that I the interrogator is supposed to look forward to."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"That this will be a piece of cake. You can talk all you want, I'll just turn a deaf ear and do what I have to."
Mr Moikawa began muttering to himself. He panicked as Douma started walking towards him. This fool needs to be out of here and I'll make sure that happens!
"Well I do have a surprise for you."
Douma stopped in his tracks. He knew what the surprise was.
The plump man snickered and looked behind him, expecting someone to come out of the shadows.
Footsteps could be heard as a figure approached them.
Douma was soon met with the cold and unfazed Atashi that never returned to his family. He didn't seem to acknowledge the fact that he contributed to the suffering of many, including his own sister. Just seeing him standing with Mr Moikawa gave Douma the ick, what was Atashi thinking? How could he still side with this man after everything he's done, with the condition Eiko was in he should know better.
"Alright you two get along now, I'll just-"
Atashi had impaled the end of his spear into the area right in front of Mr Moikawa. "If you coward out of here it's over." He whispered coldly.
"But why?!"
"You'll only bring Douma to where you are and when that happens, this place will turn into ruins."
"Well this place is already in ruins so why should we be-"
Mr Moikawa backed away as Atashi gave him a menacing 'You're such an idiot' look on his face, to which he raised his hands in defeat and pleaded with him to go about the plan as long as he knows what he's doing.
Douma crossed his arms and lifted his brow as both Atashi and Mr Moikawa turned to face him with a clear motive that he didn't even need to ask about.
"I see you're done with the gossips. There seems to be a lack of proper planning here, I can tell."
"Again with the arrogant attitude." Atashi responded. "If you keep up with that, nobody is going to take you seriously anymore, whether you emerge as the hero it won't matter. You're a prick and everybody should know that, even your friends."
What is he talking about? Is Atashi out of his mind, they're our friends! Why is he trying to distance himself from the ones who care about him? The shrine leader was taken aback by Atashi's strange response.
"Atashi do you hear yourself right now because I highly doubt so, 'your friends'? they're our friends what are you talking about buddy."
The teen spun around his spear for a while thinking of what to say next. "Friends don't let each other down. How are you guys my friends if all I've received is humiliation and a lost of motivation in what I aspire to do."
"Are we even talking about the same individuals because I don't remember any of us making fun of you for anything!"
"That's because you probably weren't paying attention, or you must have forgotten what I went through back at school for instance, and even recently at Reiji's place."
Douma was getting confused by Atashi's attitude. He thought about what Atashi was trying to say, and then he remembered the recent incident at Reiji's place. Atashi running away into the storm because of Eiko's teasing and the totem that Douma found out about.
But Eiko is his sister, why would he put her in the same boat. Did he really not want to have anything to do with her just because of a small matter?
"Eiko is your sister Atashi, you should know that she really didn't mean it that way. Like the rest of us, she was just concerned about you."
Silence, as Atashi gripped his spear tightly and narrowed his eyes at the blonde, disapproving what he had just said. "It doesn't matter anymore. I've found my own destiny and it's away from all of you scums. Shinobu's remarks about me being a detriment to Eiko's life is proof that I don't belong in your circle."
"Shinobu wasn't trying to provoke you Atashi, you got it all wrong! She was just mad because you insulted her, and she had every right to be because you didn't seem to feel bad about what you've done. Her pointing out the truth of your actions was necessary and even with that you still haven't forego your grudges and anger." Douma stated while Atashi stood there without any remorse or thinking behind what the blonde was addressing.
"I've never seen you so determined to help others," Atashi continued and this sentence surprised Douma the most. "With that superiority complex of yours, you never cared about the well-being of others, anything that happened outside your shrine was none of your concern. You always felt that humans were never grateful and because of that, they didn't deserve the support and guidance they could've gotten from you. Am I right or am I wrong? Spare me the brags and I'll gladly listen."
Well you're most certainly wrong about me not giving them the help they needed, I always tried my best to bring people up whether it be a friend, stranger, or someone that I know. Douma glanced at the corner reflecting on his words and actions over the years. But there's no doubt I have been a jerk to those who were just trying to be genuinely friendly, I could have had more friends and support but I pushed them away because I looked down on everyone. And then Shinobu came in and cast all that aside so I could go back to being my true self again which wasn't like the person you described.
Atashi crossed his arms and patiently waited for an answer from the blonde. "This shouldn't be a hard question for you to answer. I'm afraid I'll have to end this here." The teen spun his spear and immediately got into a fighting stance.
You're no longer the twerp who dragged his feet here. I'm confident that you can handle this intruder." Mr Moikawa bickered.
Douma glanced at Mr Moikawa with an annoyed look. First he perceived me as some honorable guest, now an intruder? The tables sure have turned.
"Whatever you think of me doesn't matter anymore Atashi, you said it yourself, we don't matter to you as friends. So why should I care about anything you say. After all, most of your words are laced with lies and you know that." Douma could see the grin on Mr Moikawa's face, the man was enjoying this confrontation that he caused. "I always try my best to help others even though they've let me down several times, but I'm not going to disregard them like someone who is standing here right now."
Atashi's spear lit up in flames. "Ignorant fool, who do you think you are!" Swaying his spear back and forth, Atashi held it up firmly and stared at Douma wide eyed with anger. His uncontrollable rage had returned.