Kazuki and Yukihito stared up at the three gods towering above them. "This isn't good," Kazuki said. "Yukihito, go." "What about you, Mister Ogami?" asked Kazuki. "Don't worry about me," said the priest. "Just go." The university student just stood there, looking at Kazuki for a moment. After a moment of worry and doubt, he obeyed his mentor's wishes and ran away from the shrine. "He's a smart one," Korona's voice came from Ooube no Senazuchi. "But that priest isn't leaving," said Miyako from Yatsu no Koshizuchi. "Of course," Tsubasa explained from Take no Yasukunazuchi, "he knows that Ame no Murakumo cannot be revived without the shrine." Tsubasa turned to Kazuki and said, "This is your final warning, Kazuki. Leave or be destroyed along with your precious shrine." "I will never back down," Kazuki shot back at the giant mech piloted by Tsubasa. "I will not abandon my duty as the priest of the Ogami Shrine." 'Father,' Kazuki thought, 'give me the strength to fend off these followers of Orochi.' ---------- "Long time no see, Hime," said the voice of the person piloting Hi no Ashinazuchi. "Girochi," said Himeko. "I see you remembered my name," Girochi said. "That shows you like me. I knew it!" A blue fist fell and hit Hi no Ashinazuchi on the head. "Ow!" Girochi growled. "What the hell did you do that for?" "You know that you are not the one that Himeko belongs to," said another male voice from the mech that the fist belonged to. Himeko and Chikane saw that Take no Yamikazuchi was standing beside Hi no Ashinazuchi. And they recognized the voice that had come from it. "Ogami, it's you," Chikane scoffed. "This is not the time to fight over the Solar Priestess," a quiet, female voice came from above the two mechs. Everyone looked up to see a turquoise mech in the form of a piece of Jomon-style fired pottery falling toward them. "We have to concentrate on our mission," said Rehko as the mech landed in front of Girochi and Souma. "What are you talking about now?" said Girochi, "Isn't our mission to--?" "Shut up, you fool," Rehko interrupted Girochi, her voice still surprisingly emotionless. "It doesn't matter what your mission is..." said Chikane. Suddenly, Tsukuyomi no Mikoto came to life, its stone body transforming into its purple, metallic form in all its glory. It jumped from its kneeling position in front of the house to a fighter stance in front of the tree, looking angrily at the three Orochi bodies. Chikane finished, "...I will still carry out my mission as the Lunar Priestess...and protect Himeko." "Oh, I'm so scared of your other self," Girochi mocked Chikane. "Be careful, you idiot," said Souma. "Remember, this is not some lower-level god like Hi no Ashinazuchi or Take no Yamikazuchi." "I know, I know," Girochi said, brushing off Souma's statement, "It's the God of the Moon, with the powers of Susami, or something like that." "It's 'Susanou'," Rehko corrected. "Whatever," barked Girochi. He then looked at the purple mech before him with a confident grin and said, "I'll still take you on, Lunar Priestess!" The rockets on the back of Hi no Ashinazuchi's right arm fired and the gold mech flew toward Tsukuyomi no Mikoto. ---------- Take no Yasukunazuchi swung its sword at the Ogami Shrine, colliding with the protective barrier that Kazuki had erected with the power of the o-fuda that he held in his hands. On the o-fuda was written the words "Ogami" and "Susanou no Mikoto". Tsubasa kept swinging at the shrine and his sword kept colliding against the barrier. "My, my," said Tsubasa. "I didn't give you enough credit, Kazuki. That charm of yours if powerful." "This talisman has been passed down through the Ogami family for generations," said Kazuki. "It invokes the power of this shrine and of the god, Susanou no Mikoto, and I will use it to protect the Ogami Shrine." "You seem awfully confident that that scrawny piece of paper will protect this shrine," Korona said confidently as Ooube no Senazuchi transformed from it's wheel-shape into the form of a centipede and fired a beam of green light from its insect-like pincers. "We will not stop until there is no possibility of reviving Ame no Murakumo," said Miyako, Yatsu no Onokoshizuchi's tentacles extending from its halo, shooting bolts of lightening at the shrine. Kazuki struggled to hold off the three-pronged assault on the shrine. It was difficult to maintain the barrier that his o-fuda produced around it. 'Father,' Kazuki pleaded with the heavens, 'please. Give me your strength. I can't let the Orochi prevail.' ---------- Tsukuyomi no Mikoto fought with the three Orochi that had attacked the Priestesses. After Chikane and Himeko had retreated inside the giant mech and Tsukuyomi no Mikoto dodged Hi no Ashinazuchi's punch, Take no Yamikazuchi came at Chikane, firing bolts of blue light from its wrists. Tsukuyomi no Mikoto quickly unsheathed its blade and countered Take no Yamikazuchi's attacks. The blade opened up into the bow and Chikane fired her other self's arrows at the Orochi. Arms and legs extended from Ho no Shuraizuchi's body and Rehko's other self blew an ice storm at Tsukuyomi no Mikoto. Chikane struggled to keep Girochi, Rehko, AND Souma at bay. "Chikane," Himeko cried, worried about Chikane's safety at seeing her discomfort. "Don't worry, Himeko," Chikane said. "No matter what it takes, no matter what I must do..." Tsukuyomi jumped into the air and struck at Ho no Shuraizuchi with its blade and Chikane proclaimed, "...I will protect you!" The blade hit Ho no Shuraizuchi's left shoulder, slicing its arm off. "Now you've done it," said Rehko, the slightest hint of anger in her voice. "You've pissed me off." Rehko fired a storm of fire at Tsukuyomi no Mikoto. However, at the moment the flame hit Chikane's other self, she opened up her bow and summoned an arrow from the fire! Rehko's eyes widened a bit as she watched Tsukuyomi no Mikoto transform her fire attack into a burning arrow. Chikane fired the arrow at Ho no Shuraizuchi, hitting the turquoise mech in the chest, causing it to burst into flames. "No way!" Girochi cried. "Rehko was killed?" "I don't die so easily," a voice said beside him. Girochi looked to see that Rehko had appeared beside him. "Oh, man," Giroshi said. "Why the hell did you have to come in here? This is MY very own Gungal!" "Be quiet and attack," said Rehko. "Right." Girochi looked at Tsukuyomi no Mikoto and called out, "Megatone Nuckle Two!" Hi no Ashinazuchi tucked itself into its right arm and its rockets fired it toward Chikane. Tsukuyomi no Mikoto's bow again transformed into a blade and Chikane thrust the blade into Hi no Ashinazuchi's fist and there was an explosion where the arm was. "Wow, Chikane," Himeko beamed. "You're amazing! You defeated another one." "Not yet," said Chikane. As the dust cleared, it was revealed that Chikane had not destroyed Hi no Ashinazuchi. The blade had pierced its right fist, but had missed the main body. Even though the right arm had been cut off, the body was still standing in front of Tsukuyomi no Mikoto. "That's it," Girochi growled. "It's revenge time!" Girochi aimed his other self's left arm toward Chikane and several chains shot out of it, wrapping themselves around Tsukuyomi no Mikoto's body. "Damn! I can't move!" Chikane groaned. "Now it's my turn!" yelled Souma, jumping up into the air, throwing a kick at Chikane. Take no Yamikazuchi's foot hit Tsukuyomi no Mikoto in the back knocking Chikane on her face. "Chikane!" cried Himeko. Chikane looked up and saw the house in front of her. Her eyes widened in horror when she saw Takeshi, Rika, and Otoha standing in behind a window, watching the fight. They had not left the house! "All of you, get out of here!" Chikane cried. "Right," said Otoha. The maid started running toward the back door of the house. "Otoha?" Takeshi said, surprised that the maid had just ran off. "Mother, Father, go too!" Takeshi and Rika turned back to the window, their expressions overflowing with bewilderment, fear, and shock. 'Mother?' Rika thought to herself. 'Father?' thought Takeshi. The voice that had spoken was Chikane's! Chikane had just called them "Mother" and "Father"! Again, Chikane said, "Go!" "Come on, Takeshi," said Rika, putting her hand on her husband's shoulder. "Right," Takeshi said. Takeshi took Rika's hand in his and they both fled toward where Otoha had run off to. Souma let out a battle cry as he dashed toward Chikane again. However, before Souma could attack, Chikane jumped to her feet and grabbed a hold of Girochi's chains. "Take this!" she cried. Tsukuyomi no Mikoto used Hi no Ashinazuchi's chains to throw the Third Neck at Take no Yamikazuchi, the two Orochi bodies knocking one another to the ground. Tsukuyomi no Mikoto's blade started glowing blue as it gathered power. "Go!" called Chikane. "Blade of the Lunar Spiral!" Chikane rushed at Take no Yamikazuchi and Hi no Ashinazuchi, the glow of its blade growing brighter and brighter. "Blade of the Lunar Spiral?" said Girochi. "What the hell is that?" "You won't destroy us that easily," said Souma. Take no Yamikazuchi pressed its fists together and cyan crystals came out of its wrists. The crystals started glowing and a green ball of energy formed between them. "Sparkling Solar Attack!" Souma cried as he fired his ultimate attack at Tsukuyomi no Mikoto. "That'll get her," said Girochi with a grin. Himeko stared in horror at the green ball of energy that was flying toward Chikane. "Ah! Chikane! NOOO!!!" The Solar Mark on Himeko's chest lit up. The power of the Lunar Priestess reacted to the activation of the Solar Priestess' power and the Lunar Mark on Chikane's back lit up as well. As Himeko and Chikane's powers combined, Tsukuyomi no Mikoto started glowing the same blue as its blade and a fiery, orange halo appeared behind it. "Wait," said Rehko, remembering what happened last year when she, Nekoko, and Korona had attacked Souma and Himeko the year before, "if the Solar Priestess' power could increase the power of the Seventh Neck, what would happen if she used that power to increase the power of the Lunar Priestess?" Girochi and Souma looked at Tsukuyomi no Mikoto and suddenly realized that if Rehko's reasoning was correct, they could be in very big trouble. Souma's Sparkling Solar Attack hit Tsukuyomi no Mikoto's body, but it simply dissipated. The three Orochi gasped in horror and disappeared in a flash of purple light as Tsukuyomi no Mikoto's blade pierced Hi no Ashinazuchi's body, went straight through it, and impaled Take no Yamikazuchi as well. The two Orochi bodies were swallowed by the blue glow of Tsukuyomi no Mikoto's blade and broke up, bits and pieces of white-hot metal flying in all directions. Himeko and Chikane watched as sparks of blue light rained down from the sky as the orange halo behind Tsukuyomi no Mikoto disappeared and the blue glow around the purple mech died down. The Solar Mark on Himeko's chest and the Lunar Mark on Chikane's back stopped glowing as well. "Phew," said Chikane, wiping her brow. "That was a close one." "Chikane," said Himeko. Chikane looked at Himeko and was surprised to see that Himeko's expression was not one of admiration or relief, but of concern. Himeko continued, "Something seemed different about the Orochi this time." "What is it, Himeko?" Chikane asked. "Their attacks seemed coordinated, organized," Himeko explained. "I don't think the Orochi are fighting on their own any more. They're working together, joining forces, coordinating their attacks against us." "You're right," Chikane agreed. "They did seem to be working together." "Chikane, there are three other Orochi, right? After defeating Izuhara no Tamazuchi, and after defeating Hi no Ashinazuchi, Ho no Shuraizuchi, and Take no Yamikazuchi, aren't there three more Orochi bodies besides the Eighth Neck?" Chikane and Himeko looked up into the sky to see Yokusemi no Mizuchi flying off across the valley, transporting Girochi, Rehko, and Souma back to the dark realm of the Orochi. As they watched the bird-like mech disappear beyond the horizon, they saw the village below them. And now that the battle was over, they were not distracted from the flashes of light that were coming from the left side of the valley. "What is that?" Chikane wondered. "Wait..." Himeko said, remembering the first date she had had with Souma the year before. She remembered being on the other side of the valley on that day. She and Souma were pointing out the places of the village from that vantage point, like the school and Chikane's house. Himeko could not remember where Souma's house was, and Souma had pointed toward the right side of the valley. Now, Himeko and Chikane were on the opposite side of the valley and those flashes of light were coming form the left. Then, Himeko realized. "That's Souma's house!" "The Shrine!" cried Chikane. Tsukuyomi no Mikoto jumped to its feet and rushed toward the flashes of light. As Chikane's other self rushed toward the Ogami Shrine, Takeshi, Rika, and Otoha emerged from behind the house and watched the mech run off. "Good luck, Miss Chikane," said Otoha. "Good luck, Chikane..." said Rika. "Good luck Chikane..." Takeshi said behind his wife. They bother finished, "...our daughter." ---------- Take no Yasukunazuchi, Yatsu no Koshizuchi, and Ooube no Senazuchi continued attacking the barrier that Kazuki had erected around the Ogami Shrine. Tsubasa continued attacking with his sword, Miyako with her lightening, and Korona with her mysterious beam. As the Orochi continued their attack, the light of the barrier started fluctuating. "The barrier is weakening," Kazuki could feel the power of the o-fuda diminishing. "A little longer. Just a little longer." "It's over, Kazuki!" Tsubasa exclaimed as he swung at the barrier one last time. His sword collided again, but not against the barrier. It had collided against another blade! He looked in surprise at the purple mech that had jumped in front of him, protecting the Shrine. "Tsukuyomi no Mikoto," he realized. "So that's the Lunar Priestess' other self," said Miyako. "It seems that our diversion team failed," Korona said, Ooube no Senazuchi shooting a pale-green, liquid solution at Chikane's mech. Tsukuyomi pushed Take no Yasukunazuchi out of the way and then dodged Korona's attack, the green solution disolving the ground in front of the Shrine. "So it WAS a diversion," said Chikane. "The Third Neck and Seventh Neck probably got into an argument and got distracted from their mission," sighed Korona. "What morons!" "Do you really think our diversion team failed?" said Miyako with an undaunted smile. Suddenly, Yatsu no Koshizuchi's arms shot out from its hips and it grabbed Tsukuyomi no Mikoto by the shoulders. "What?" cried Chikane. Wings sprouted from Take no Yasukunazuchi and the black mech took to the sky, raising its sword. Orochi's First Neck dove toward the shrine and said, "They gave us barely enough time to finish our task!" With Tsukuyomi no Mikoto trapped by Yastu no Koshizuchi, Chikane could not stop Take no Yasukunazuchi from striking the barrier with its sword one more time. With that last blow from the First Neck's sword, the barrier shattered. "Master Tsubasa..." said Miyako, her cheeks turning red with admiration. "We completed our mission!" cried Korona as she shot her solution at the Shrine, dissolving the roof. Yatsu no Koshizuchi threw Tsukuyomi no Mikoto aside and made a dash toward the cave that the Six Holy Swords were kept and Miyako cried out, "Ame no Murakumo will never be revived. Never again!" Bolts of lightening shot from the mech's tentacles and hit the entrance to the ceremonial ground. Himeko and Chikane watched in horror as the side of the mountain started collapsing. The entrance caved in and everything inside the cave was crushed under the weight of the mountain. Tears formed in the corners of the girls' eyes as they watched the only hope to save the world crashing down with the mountain. Tsubasa, Miyako, and Korona stood in front of Chikane and Himeko, their mechs towering over Tsukuyomi no Mikoto. "You fought well, Lunar Priestess," said Tsubasa. "You get an 'A' for effort. But unfortunately for you, Souma's diversion worked. The Ogami Shrine has been destroyed and you have no hope of reviving Ame no Murakumo now." Take no Yasukunazuchi's wings extended and Orochi's first body rose up into the air. "Perhaps you can seek refuge in the Lunar Shrine so that you don't have to be around when the world is destroyed by Orochi." "See you in hell, losers!" said Korona as the three Orochi bodies disappeared back to their realm. Chikane and Himeko emerged from Tsukuyomi no Mikoto's body and looked at the destruction that the Orochi had caused. All the girls could do was watch helplessly as the Ogami Shrine continued dissolving due to Ooube no Senazuchi's solution. "It's over," Chikane said softly. "It's all over." "The shrine is destroyed," Himeko sobbed. "We failed." "The power of Tsukuyomi no Mikoto and we still failed!" "You have not failed," a female voice said. Chikane and Himeko were surprised for a moment and then looked in the direction that the voice came from. It was Tsukuyomi! The purple mech suddenly stood up, went to the remains of the shrine, reached inside and grabbed Kazuki! Himeko and Chikane ran toward Tsukuyomi no Mikoto as the god set the Shinto priest down in front of them. "Mister Ogami," said Chikane. "Are you all right?" Himeko asked. Kazuki looked at the two girls kneeling over him. "Miss Kurusugawa, Miss Himemiya," Kazuki said sitting up. Himeko and Chikane were surprised by what Kazuki had said. "'Himemiya'?" Chikane asked. "I seem to be remembering more and more of that alternate reality," said Kazuki. He and the two priestesses got to their feet. The three of them watched as the last of the shrine disappeared. As if speaking to himself, Kazuki said, "We have a long journey ahead of us." He then turned to Himeko and Chikane and said to them, "Go home and gather your belongings. We're leaving." "Leaving?" said Himeko. "Leaving to where?" Kazuki turned to the girls and replied, "To the one remaining place where Ame no Murakumo can be revived." To be continued... ---------- TRANSLATION NOTES: Jomon-style refers to a straw-rope pattern. And an o-fuda is a Japanese charm, commonly a strip of paper inscribed with the name of a god or a Shinto shrine. If you watch Inuyasha, think about Miroku's sacred sutras. ---------- OMAKE: Tsubasa, Miyako, Girochi, Korona, Rehko, and Souma returned to the Orochi realm, feeling satisfied at succeeding in their mission to destroy the ceremonial ground where Ame no Murakumo was to be revived. "We're back," said Tsubasa. "This is the first time you've been here all alone, isn't it, Nekoko? How have you been holding up without us?" Nekoko jumped as she heard Tsubasa's voice. She stood at attention and said, "I wasn't looking at your dirty magazines! Honest I wasn't!" The other Orochi looked at the Sixth Neck in surprise. "We never said anything about dirty magazines," Tsubasa said, approaching the catgirl. "Nya-a-a-a-a..." Nekoko cowered as Tsubasa towered over her.
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