April 14th, 2012, Kuoh Town's Inari Shrine, Afternoon
Tosen moved with a pained but determined grace, his every sense heightened to avoid detection. He had successfully navigated the urban maze of Kuoh, a feat that spoke volumes of his training, and now stood within the tranquil grounds of the local Inari shrine.
The air here was different—cleaner, quieter, carrying the subtle scent of incense, old stone, and blooming flowers. A profound sense of relief washed over him.
'Luckily, there is no one around,' he thought, grateful for the solitude.
He approached the small, weathered altar nestled under the generous shade of an ancient cherry tree. Its branches were a canopy of delicate pink blossoms, a few petals drifting down like silent pink snow.
He took a deep, steadying breath, inhaling the peace and exhaling the lingering pain and fear. The ritual of purification required absolute calm.
A soft rustle came from the stone komainu guardian statue flanking the altar. A small, bright-eyed fox kit poked its head out from behind it, where it had been napping. It regarded the shisa with curious intelligence, its nose twitching. Tosen offered a gentle, weary smile.
The little creature, likely one of the countless spiritual messengers of the goddess, hopped down and sat primly before him, watching his every move.
"Do you wish to pray to Lady Inari with me?" Tosen asked softly, his voice a low rumble. He shifted slightly, making space for the fox, an invitation to share in the sanctity of the moment.
Closing his eyes, Tosen sank into a deep meditative state. His focus turned inward, toward the vile mark on his palm. He visualized the curse as a knot of writhing, black filth—kegare of the most concentrated and wicked kind.
'I have never felt spiritual pollution this potent,' he mused, his stomach turning. 'Is this the power the Outcasts of Yomi are wielding? Could this corruption truly emanate from Yomi itself?'
The thought was horrifying.
He pushed the nausea down. Inhale. Exhale. He focused on the holy environment, drawing its purity into himself. The tall, steadfast tree offered protection from the sun's heat.
The nearby chōzubachi, the stone water basin filled with clear water, housed plump, lazy koi that symbolized perseverance. The little fox, a direct servant of the goddess, sat in tranquil vigilance.
Here, in the heart of a bustling human town, was an island of pristine nature and profound peace. He channeled that peace, directing it like a scalpel to the spiritual infection on his hand.
'I'm starting to feel better,' he noted with relief. The curse had been a constant drain, a poison sapping his strength even as his body tried to heal. Now, the weight was lifting.
"Thank you, Lady Inari," he whispered aloud, still in a praying position. "Your humble believer is grateful for your gift."
He began to rise, but the peace shattered in an instant. The little fox yipped in alarm and bolted. The koi in the basin began thrashing violently, churning the water.
A shower of cherry blossoms, torn from their branches by no visible wind, fell like a sudden rain. A bone-deep chill, wholly alien to the warm afternoon, raced down Tosen's spine.
He spun around. There, at the edge of the shrine's sacred ground, stood the source of the corruption. It breathed in heavy, wet rasps, the jingling of its countless jewels a grotesque counterpoint to the shrine's former serenity.
"Priiiize," it panted, its distorted voice grating on the air.
Tosen's hand flew to the hilt of his weapon. "You vile creature," he snarled, his teeth gritted against a fresh wave of revulsion.
The shadow seemed not to hear him. "Time to harvest. No one escapes from Mother's greed. Time to harvest. No one escapes from Mother's greed," it intoned in a flat, robotic monotone.
In a flash of movement, Tosen drew his tanto. The blade was a masterpiece of craftsmanship, the handle wrapped in green-lacquered wood, the steel edge gleaming with a distinctive turquoise hue.
He fell into a classic tantojutsu stance, the blade held pointed inwards for close-quarters defense and rapid strikes. As he focused his ki, faint arcs of lightning crackled to life around his arms, dancing across his body and grounding themselves with soft snaps against the earth.
"I won't lose this time," he declared, his voice gaining strength from the sanctified ground. "This is a sacred place. Dispelling your filth is my duty!"
In response, the shadow plunged its clawed hands into its pockets, pulling out a dozen shimmering marbles. With a sickening crunch, it squeezed them together in its fist. The fragments melded and reformed, creating a grotesque mask.
It was oval, but its surface was a nightmare of sixteen distinct, rounded bumps, each crowned with a single, glaring red point like a malevolent eye. The shadow fastened the mask to its face and let out a cacophonous shriek that violated the shrine's silence.
The battle was joined.
April 14th, 2012, Occult Research Club, Late Afternoon
A firm knock sounded on the ORC door. Rias, lost in her anxious thoughts, moved to answer it, but the door slid open before she reached it. Sona Sitri stood there, her expression uncharacteristically urgent.
"Rias, do you know where Yuki is?" Sona demanded, cutting off Rias's greeting. "Tsubasa just called me. She's sighted what I believe may be another Shadow. I've already mobilized Tsubaki to begin drafting evacuation protocols."
Rias's eyes widened in alarm. Before she could form a response, the door burst open again. Koneko stood there, her small frame trembling, her face as pale as her hair.
"Koneko? What's wrong?" Rias asked, her concern for her friend momentarily overriding the larger threat.
The young Rook shook her head slowly, her golden eyes wide with a fear they hadn't held since the fight with Shadow Azazel.
"President," she whispered, her voice shaky. "I felt something... in town. While I was meditating... I perceived something dark. Evil. It's coming from the city center, I think."
"Could it be the Shadow Tsubasa saw?" Sona pressed, her mind already cross-referencing the data.
Koneko was silent for a long moment, internally comparing the sensation to the world-ending dread of their previous encounter. She shook her head again, more firmly this time.
"No," she said softly. "It's... it's not nearly as powerful as that thing." A sliver of the fear remained, but it was now tempered by certainty.
Sona's brow furrowed. 'I was mistaken? For once, I am profoundly relieved to be wrong.'
Her phone rang again. "Tsubasa?"
"President, the creature—it's engaged in combat. The fight is happening at the Inari shrine," Tsubasa reported, her voice tense.
"Combat? With whom?"
"I believe it's the yokai Momo and Tomoe told us about," Tsubasa answered.
"Maintain your position and observe only. Do not, under any circumstances, intervene. We are on our way." Sona ended the call and turned to Rias. "A conflict has erupted at the Inari shrine."
Rias nodded, her leader's instincts taking over. "Let's go. Koneko, contact Akeno. Tell her to bring Irumi as well. This could be a valuable live-combat experience for her."
Koneko nodded, though she still looked unsettled.
"Wait, Rias," Sona interjected, her tone cautionary. "I propose we adopt a containment and observation role only. Our priority should be ensuring no civilians are harmed."
"Why?" Rias asked, confused by the sudden hesitation.
"Consider the location," Sona explained, adjusting her glasses. "A Shinto shrine is the territory of a goddess. If we, as devils, were to barge in and claim a victory on her sacred ground, it could be seen as a profound insult—an act of prideful aggression at best, a deliberate act of hostility at worst. You, of all people, understand the weight a title like 'Red Dragon Empress' carries. Revealing Irumi there could shatter any hope of diplomatic relations and potentially ruin your strategic advantage against Riser."
Rias absorbed this, the political ramifications dawning on her. Sona was right. The last thing she needed was to make an enemy of a major Shinto kami.
"A containment mission, then," she agreed reluctantly.
April 14th, 2012, Inari Shrine, Late Afternoon
The fight was a blur of motion and light against a backdrop of growing shadow. Tosen moved with the speed of a lightning strike, a flash of turquoise and beige, appearing behind the shambling horror to drive his electrified tanto into its back. The strike landed true, but the blade barely penetrated; it felt like stabbing petrified wood.
'Its hide is unnaturally tough,' Tosen noted, instantly flashing back to a safe distance.
The shadow responded with a sluggish, sweeping claw attack that Tosen easily evaded.
'It's slower than before… is it weakening, or is this a trap?' Opting for caution, Tosen went for ranged attacks.
He produced three shuriken from his gear, each one crackling to life with his lightning ki. He let them fly in a spread pattern—head, torso, legs.
The first star ricocheted off the bizarre marble mask with a sharp crack. The other two, however, sank deep into the creature's bandaged torso.
The moment they struck, twin bolts of lightning erupted within it, coursing through its body. The shadow shuddered violently, dark, acrid smoke pouring from the wounds as it let out a guttural shriek.
Seizing the opening, Tosen blitzed to its flank, unleashing another volley of electrified stars from a different angle, forcing the creature to defend.
In response, the shadow plunged its arm into its impossible pocket and withdrew a weapon that defied logic: a massive, double-headed battle-axe made of solid gold, with a handle of polished ebony that gleamed like a mirror.
It was far too large to have ever fit in its pocket. Instead of swinging it, the shadow simply slammed the axe head-first into the ground like a shield, blocking the projectiles.
"Prize, don't fight. Need to harvest," it droned.
Tosen clicked his tongue in frustration. 'A problem indeed. Thankfully, it's too slow to be a real threat offensively.' He resumed his high-speed circling, pelting the creature with his remaining shuriken until his pouches were empty.
Now, only his tanto remained.
The shadow dissolved the giant axe and produced a single, ominous marble. "Soul for mother," it mumbled, lobbing the sphere at Tosen.
The shisa reacted instantly, his body exploding in a burst of turquoise lightning as he propelled himself sideways. The marble detonated mid-air, unleashing a wave of corrosive curse energy.
Tosen avoided the direct blast, but the edges of the magical explosion washed over him, searing his skin and sapping his strength. He landed, panting, but his eyes were sharp.
He noticed it then: the shadow was becoming unstable. tendrils of darkness were leaking from beneath its bandages, its form flickering and wavering like a faulty image.
'The shrine's sanctity is affecting it! Thank you, Lady Inari. I will end this in your name!'
Nearby, hidden from view, Tsubasa Yura watched the battle, her fists clenched in frustration. She was forced to merely observe, her only contribution being the subtle herding of confused civilians away from the area and the laying of weak concealment spells.
'How are we supposed to gain real experience if we're always benched?' she thought bitterly.