Ever since the revelations at the emergency meeting, Tamashi had been forced to take many things into consideration. Bane's leader was a powerful and unnerving individual but above all else she was a notorious strategist.
So that got him thinking what would a good strategist, an evil strategist, with an ability like hers do? Once he started thinking along those lines, one thing became abundantly clear to him.
She would go after those who were the highest in power and find a way to manipulate them to get what she wants... and what better way to do that than by extorting the person at the highest rank in power?
That's when Tamashi began to observe his wife's every move and action. He suspected that the tyrant might have gotten to her somehow. Hive could have easily used his daughter as well but the girl was out on an S class mission.
So it had to be someone closer, at least for the time being. So the most likely suspect was his wife or rather, her body. She might already be dead, at which point he would be unable to do anything to help her. If she was alive however, how could he get the sinister woman out of her body?
If Ceres was alive things would be even more worrying. Seeing as Hive could kill the soul of her vessels if she wanted to, based on the information gathered regarding her abilities over the years.
So the only reason Bane's leader would have to keep the victim's soul alive, would be to use them for blackmail or as a bargaining chip. So if his conjecture was indeed correct, whether Ceres was dead or alive this situation did not bode well.
That's why Tamashi had been extremely reluctant to test his theory ever since it crossed his mind. He had to force himself to face the inevitable truth sooner or later. Today was the day and he wouldn't let another one pass.
The night before, Ceres had initiated intimacy and Tamashi had to go against every single fibre of his being to go through with the act. He may have just slept with his wife's corpse. This charade simply could not be allowed to continue.
Stealing his resolve Tamashi swiftly summoned a vacuum of wind around his wife's head. Then rose from the bed and stopped the entry of any more oxygen to her lungs. Her body immediately spasmed as she jumped up from her slumber, now fully awake and alert.
He paused the spell as she stared at him with a look of outrage written on her face. "Tamashi, why would you do that?" She asked while gasping for air. "Cut this charade, Hive... my wife is dead or an hostage isn't she?" He quipped.
"Ah, so you have both the brawn and the brains for leadership i see!" Seishin replied shortly. Not showing even an ounce of hesitation.
Tamashi closed his eyes momentarily, overcome by grief and wishing that his assumption had been proven wrong. "Is she dead or alive?" He asked around the lump which had now formed in his throat. The woman wearing his wife's body formed a flabbergasted expression on her face.
"Of course she's alive, i prefer not to kill women afterall. Besides what use would she be to me if i killed her?" Hive replied, not a shred of shame apparent in her tone.
Tamashi exhaled releasing a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. "What do you want Shinigami Seishin?" The woman gave him an amused look, then replied. "Such respect, i haven't been addressed by my full name in a long time. I don't think it's time for me to tell you my demands just yet."
Tamashi looked at her genuinely surprised. "Why not?" She raised an eyebrow then shrugged. "Well, taking all the possible variables into account the probability of you declining my demands is very high at the moment." She rose off the bed letting the sheet which had been covering her body fall to the floor.
"You love this woman and this body very much, i'm certain of it. However you seem to be a very logical man. I think you will way the lives of many verses the life of the one and choose to sacrifice your lovely wife, for the greater good. Will you not?"
Tamashi did not answer. "See... i can't have that. It doesn't make any sense yet, i have to make certain that you know there's no chance of you winning before i play my hand."
She picked up a towel and began wrapping it around her body then continued. "So here's what i will do, you can apprehend me and i will go willingly and wait. Once you have come to the realization that your efforts are futile, then we'll talk."
Tamashi watched her walk around with the pocket of air around her head without even an hint of fear. Then the woman said: "Why don't you drop this Charade? I know you're not gonna harm this body. Your wife is still alive in here, you won't kill her with your own two hands. Besides I'll still be alive, her body is but one of many vessels i am inhabiting. So i wouldn't die, i can't say the same for her."
Tamashi dismissed the pocket of air and walked off to retrieve the mana suppression cuffs.
"Oh, so your mentor knew i was coming and informed you about it but didn't make an attempt to hide you. He must not value your life very much." Hive replied from Fade's body.
Float shook her head in resignation. "This is not a build up to your recruitment speech is it? Because so far it is quite underwhelming." Hive simply chuckled.
"Like Sensei like student i guess, not a shred of fear. Is this a trap for him to pop up and catch me off guard or something?" She asked in a manner which sounded as if she was certain, rather than asking a question.
Float smiled at her then replied. "Yeah, something like that." As she uttered those words, a humanoid being slowly rose from within her shadow. It wore a jet black mask and possessed a stifling aura which permeated the entire vicinity.
The humanoid being also looked nothing like Purple Coat, being slightly shorter and sporting taller similarly styled hair... which seemed to be made out of pure shadows. As a matter of fact that entire being seemed to be made out of shadows.
For some reason it gave Seishin the creeps. 'That thing can't be human, can it?' She thought to herself. As she watched the humanoid figure turned it's back to her, walked back towards the two dead bodies which the young girl had been seated on prior to her arrival and bent towards them.
To her surprise, a moment later it grasped the shadows cast by the two bodies and lifted them off the ground. When the shadows were fully off the ground they started to change shape, then reassembled into the form of a sword.
Seishin could only stare at the ongoing spectacle in utter shock. 'What the hell?' She thought internally. This thing gives off a very similar mana signature and soul strength to Purple Coat. In fact she was certain it was him.
But at the same time to her eyes perception it wasn't, however her ability to perceive a beings soul told her it was indeed him. Just somewhat different. 'Is this thing his sibling? It can't be a Permaclone can it? Permaclones don't have the same soul resonance as their creators.'
"You haven't met yet, this guy here is Shadow Spawn." Purple Coat's apprentice said casually. "Shadow Spawn this woman here, masquerading as a young boy is Seishin.... otherwise known as Hive."
The being called Shadow Spawn didn't speak, instead it stared at her as if looking into her very soul. Then Seishin abruptly felt her vessel's body falling. 'Falling!' she thought incredulously. 'How can i be falling isn't this entire place composed of sand... if i were standing in quicksand i would have immediately started falling the moment i stopped at this spot so how?'
When she looked down Fade's body was descending, already waist deep into a inky black abyss. 'No frickin way, she thought.' Then immediately sent out a mental prompt to her subbordinate. 'Vergamont, get inside here now, to my side!'
Not a moment too soon the demon was by her side, then her vessel was back on solid ground and no longer falling. The young girl giggled from some distance away. "So even the all powerful Hive needs back up at times, that's good to see... but i have a feeling my back up is vastly superior to yours!" The girl exclaimed confidently.
If Seishin were to be honest with herself, she couldn't even refute Float's bold claim. She was going to need more back up to handle the girls one man back up.
Sadly not even a moment later she sensed the arrival of yet another being, rising from the girls shadow. Yet again with a similar soul resonance to the previous new arrival. Seishin could only curse inwardly. 'Shit!'
Outside the dimension tower far away inside her guild headquarters, a stunningly beautiful woman in her mid twenties was stroking her pet cat. She was of a mixed ancestry, which accentuated her beauty and she had a strong Spanish accent.
She had found the stray cat only a month prior and chosen to adopt it. Osoi could not very well play with her pet cat's fur while her mana reinforcement was up, seeing as it was imbued with her innate ability and would passively decelerate the approach of most things in existence. If she did that her fingers would take forever to feel the sensation of rubbing the cats fur.
As such the mana reinforcement in the region of that particular hand was deactivated, particularly for this specific activity at the moment.
"Perry Winkle, you're a most curious creature. Caressing your fur feels like being constantly shocked with a very low voltage of electricity. But i like it, it reminds me of someone." Osoi thought out loud, while fantasizing about Fukutsuno.
Inside the cat's body, Hive's main soul fragment in Xaymaca smiled along with her as the cat continued to pur. 'Take your little time Osoi Abajo, soon and very soon you'll be all... mine.'