[This chapter will be exclusively combat. You are allowed to skip this chapter if you are not interested in combat sections.]

"If one's life should not exist, must they be given the privileges of a living being like the ones who should?"

???: Intruders detected inside the library. Presence unknown, proceed with caution.

The hours went by and the bells rang along with the mysterious voice who has yet to reveal itself to the librarian. It was simply there to warn them, like a spirit watching from beyond the grave. He knew deep inside that there was no physical body attached to said voice and so he did not question its existence.

Koishi: ...

Standing behind him, she held the book that he gave her and felt like time was going slower than it should. The librarian walked to the entrance to greet the guest and she was left behind. Unable to follow and assist him, she opened the book that she was holding and checked his current status.

3 passives were added to the list, added along with his change of suit.

Fragments of Fumes: If this characters is affected by Smoke, increases their own Strength by 40% and deals additional 3-6 Stun damage per hits.

Lion's Fist: Increases Physical damage dealt by 35%.

Speed I: Can perform 1 additional attack per turn.

Koishi: ...

Remembering the words he told her and the performance he did in front of her eyes, she understood what his trick was now that she had a good look at it from another perspective. He did say that he was intending to finish the battle as fast as possible.

Koishi: He can do this, I'm sure.

...

...

Greeting the guest, he was surprised to meet a rather small girl wearing something close to what he was wearing himself, the outfit of a clown with one side blue with white stars and the second side red with white stripes. The right side of the top was the stripes and so her left leg followed the same design, the same done with the other parts of her outfit when it comes to the blue design.

Y/N: Greeting guest... I suppose you came here due to an invitation.

The one that should be Clownpiece observed the man standing in front of him, noticing his 'odd' style of clothings. She was not expecting someone to copy her style and it left her with a small moment of silence.

Clownpiece: I didn't know they were making costumes out of me, where did you get it?!

Y/N: ...What?

Raising his left eyebrow, the man replied with bewilderement.

Y/N: Well... It-

Fortunately, that's where the conversation ended. The guest, uninterested to hear the answer, shot a star-shaped projectile at him while he was trying to come up with an answer that would be believable enough. His expression shifting, he swung one of his sleeves and a loud metallic noise echoed, something that the man did not seem to possess on him with his current outfit.

Y/N: Well, I suppose the both of us aren't here for a talk, as expected. Fine, may the best one take the life of the other.

Pulling out the smoking pipe that he was carrying, he took a puff out of it and then the first turn began. One ready for the onslaught of the opposite force, said enemy was simply smiling and raised her torch above her head. The glow emanating from it was not much to fuss about but its properties and the one holding it was the real danger.

Clownpiece: Come on, I'm sure this will help a little~!

Its power already active, the librarian was taken under its control, losing the chance of avoiding its effect. Around him, the place that he learned to understand was fading away, the ground turning into dark water and the walls becoming one with the night sky. He was not standing inside a library but above an endless lake.

Y/N: ...

On the opposite side, the fairy who induced this nightmare grinned, knowing that he was under her effect. From the water under them, hands emerged from it and bodies began to climb out of their coffins.

...Those people with familiar faces to him, all turning to greet him with rotting skin and hollow eyes, nothing more than phantoms. Those were the ones who helped him fight against the shrine maiden and the witch.

Clara: Take that glare of yours off your face, a coward doesn't deserve the spotlight.

Jenna: Do the world a favor and slash that neck of yours open, it won't be a lost and never will.

Maria: Try to amend? You just want to see us die again, you deranged animal.

Facing his doubts, he tightened his fists and exhaled the smoke in his lungs. Punching through the small cloud, his sleeves began to emanate gray vapors in response to his action. Ready physically, his mind was still screaming at him to not proceed with the plan, unable to accept that it will be responsible for the death of those who did not deserve it yet again.

Y/N's mind: Just avoid them Y/N, they're not real.

The attacks begun. The Danmaku fighter tossed many stars in his direction while the corpses charged ahead. Those projectiles too reminded him of yet another person, the witch that has lost her ally and fled with sorrow and a broken body. He was fighting against his own doubts, a duel which was one-sided.

Jenna: I'll guess we'll do it ourselves, stubborn parasite.

Rushing across the field, Y/N calmly estimated a path to reach the cause of this hallucination without stumbling into them. First, he performed a swift dash to the right and rolled on the ground to avoid the rapier aimed at him. Still on the floor, he swung his left arm and parried a kick coming from Jenna, the melee expert.

...However, it made him realize that the hit that he barely blocked was much more real than he anticipated. He came out of the clash with no bruises but a lot of questions. Nonetheless, he jumped back on his feet and pushed further, deflecting the bright stars raining from above. Unlike him, the ghosts of his mind phased through them and desperately attempted to reach him.

Clownpiece: H-Hey, that's cheating, you can't just block it!

Y/N: Taste your own medecine before complaining.

Lowering his head, he grazed the sword that Clara was carrying with her. Finally emerging from the barrage of lights, the fumes that he was carrying with his outfit remained strong and ready to be used by their owner.

Clownpiece: You can't even reach me, this is too easy.

Y/N: Then 'surprise'.

He raised of his arms in her direction and a loud 'pop' echoed around. The reason of said noise were the confetti flying everywhere in the air around the girl floating above him. At first glance, it seemed like a joke of low quality but none of the participants were smiling. The culprit of the surprise spun around to confront his own nightmares and the clown slowly looked down at her body.

...There, inside her outfit, many cuts were made by the confetti like they were sharp as razor blades. From the wounds, blood was slowly seeping out of them, taking away her energy by doing so but not at a fast enough rate to actually matter. It made her acknowledge that he was not playing around, unlike her.

Y/N: ...

Facing the embodiment of his guilt, his mind wandered and many thoughts resurfaced along with its search.

'No one to blame but myself.'

'Not like the monsters outside of the library will spare me anyway.'

'Give up, you don't deserve to win.'

All were shunning him, wishing for his end. Bracing himself, he endured the hits but refused to retaliate in return. He couldn't bring himself to do so and that's where that wave of attacks ended. All taking their distances, the man lowered his stress with the smoking pipe that he was carrying.

...The illusion faded away and the endless river returned to the warm library that he accepted a long time. Fate fell on his side and the 50% chance worked this turn, cancelling the madness induced by the clown flying in front of his eyes. Realizing that her trick wasn't working on him anymore, she prepared herself and charged a few Danmakus

Y/N's mind: I need to find a way to force her down on the floor.

Unfortunately, he was not equipped to deal with this type of problem, his smoke only able to reach a certain distance before dispersing into the air around them. If he REALLY wanted to damage her, he would have to rely on something that did not belong to him. To his disposal, he had the small device that he obtained from the witch of sorrow, a device of mass destruction in the right hands, which were not his own.

...But he refrained himself from using it. Remembering that Koishi was still somewhere watching the fight, he could not reveal the grim truth or else he might have to face a second fight in a row. He allowed himself to trust her but even he knew that trust would not remain afterwards if he used the Master Spark, probably.

'Trust is not the issue, you just don't want to disappoint someone else.'

Or maybe he was just harsh against himself, he couldn't tell. From his point of view, everything around him was harsh, to be awakened like a prisoner and told that he was going to die no matter what, he was hoping for a change but in the end, nothing but pain.

Y/N's mind: Screw this, I don't have time to waste.

Finally, he decided that the opponent standing in his way was not worth the trouble and went for the appropriate route: beat the crap out of her with smoke. He didn't want to stall for time or else he would be at a big disadvantage, meaning that he had to focus his firepower into bursts.

If worst comes to worst, he'll use it. He wasn't going to let himself die because of a friendship with someone he met a few days ago.

Clownpiece: ...Aaaand, gone!

Swinging her torch down, many red lasers appeared out of the corner of his eyes and aimed at him. Time ticking down, he swiftly moved forward and exhaled the smoke contained within his lungs. Once done, his fists went through it effortlessly, the old smoke starting to vanish after not being used.

With enough speed, none of the attacks were a problem, leaving only the problem of the girl flying in the air. Turning to a bookshelf, he hurriedly climbed to the top of it and grabbed a book on the way, deciding to repeat the trick he did against Koishi when they first met.

Clownpiece: Pff, what are you going to do with a simple book?

She laughed at his strategy, remark ignored by him. She changed her aim and colorful stars were created as a way to create a wall between him and her. He solemnly tossed the book in the air like a frisbee before jumping after it. Repeating what he did once, he carefully landed his right foot onto the cover and placed his strength in it to perform a second jump. Launching to the target, he moved one of his sleeves backward like he was planning to give it a push and endured the damage received from the stars that he couldn't avoid.

Clownpiece: H-Hey, that's-!

Y/N: Shut up.

He swung the arm that he moved and large blade came out of it, the size of regular swords with the sharpness of a simple knife. Facing something that could definitely not be able to be hidden under a regular sleeve, Clownpiece dodged to the side the attack and saw the man answer with a quick stab with his second sleeve, also equipped with deadly blades.

Clownpiece: ...!

Enduring the attack, it was not much for her, she felt much worse than just simple cuts. Due to the nature of youkais in general, regular weapons had a harder time against them but it didn't mean that they couldn't feel them.

Y/N: Not much of a talker now huh?

Just to rub salt in the wound, the librarian flashed her a grin of confidence, showing her that he was aware of his prowess. It was something that left her with a bitter taste for some reason, seeing that man in front of her smile was making her mad.

Gravity finally taking a hold of him, Y/N fell back down and rolled on the ground to minimize the bruises. Letting the pain subside, he stood up and turned around to confront the girl that he was fighting. Covering her body, many bleeding wounds were visible, all of them piling up to his advantage like gunpowder and soon... they would all explode.

Y/N: ...

'She wants your death, like everyone else.'

'Give yourself a favor and stop struggling.'

'Your friends are the true saviors, you are nothing more than their shadows.'

Y/N: ...

The voices in his head grew stronger and more frequent. They were mocking him, judging him for his cowardice. All united under a single cause, all screamed and laughed at his misery, wishing to see more of this sadistic sight.

...

Their voices were drowning those that he would normally hear, the voices of encouragement. Now, only hatred could be said and heard, blind antipathy against him that made his hands shake, feeling an invisible weight around him.

Those feelings were like a sea pushing him to the edge, forcing him into a corner before finishing him for good. However, those emotions were the strength of this prison, for they were the only blessing that this place had to offer to its librarians.

Y/N: My body is turning into ashes, I can feel it. If I have to die then I must take you down with me.

Just like what he said, the right sleeve of his outfit began to combust into flames, arming a walking dynamite with the fire needed to set it off. The flames grew stronger, much stronger, stronger until it finally died, leaving the only part of him that was consumed by it into dark ashes but it did not mean that he was safe, far from it.

...It just meant that the bomb was ready to be activated.

Clownpiece: ...?

Unaware of what it meant, the fairy tilted her head to the side but did not mind his words. After all, as far as her knowledge goes, she already saw all his tricks, a little flame wouldn't make her lose.

So, she prepared a third wave of attacks, trying her best to finish the pointless encounter to her eyes. It might have been a surprise for her to see that not only he could reflect the projectiles but also snap out of her magic... However, it was becoming more of a nuisance than anything else.

Clownpiece: I just want the book of that shrine maiden, can't you just give it to me?

Y/N: ...The shrine maiden?

In the distance, the youkai hiding wondered the same question. Which shrine maiden was she talking about? Counting those that she knew, there wasn't much choices but a choice remained nonetheless.

Koishi: Reimu?

Curious, she peeked out of her hiding spot and witnessed the guest and the librarian facing each other. On one side, the girl was observing her opponent and not taking him seriously, not like she should, he looked just as pathetic as any regular human out there, he just had more experience.

Second side, the man was in a bad posture, one of his arm turned into ashes but still attached to him and moving around. His suit was a little dirtied but except that, it looked in a good condition, unlike the rest of his body. To her eyes, he seemed much more blurrer than before, she couldn't see his face and felt like he was disappearing in front of her.

Koishi: ...

'Are you really going to listen what he told you?'

'You said you were his friend and you abandon him? No wonder you don't have any.'

Holding her head with her hands, she cursed the intrusive thoughts and wanted to chase them away, unable to do so. They were taunting her, whispering her to ignore the words he said.

Koishi: He did say that I could help him.

A solution was found and she began her part, creating heart-shaped projectiles and aiming them at the girl near the entrance. Only involving herself from a distance, that was her only way to assist him while still following his instruction of not fighting to the front. Smiling at her idea, she took aim and finally shot.

...

...

Y/N: You ain't getting it.

He calmly answered back, also prepared for the next round. He took a puff of his smoking pipe once more but did not use it to power up his weapons and instead kept it inside, having another idea in mind. Both ready, they attacked.

Multiple lasers flew past the girl at an incredibly fast speed, the usual in Danmaku fights but it wasn't one in this case, meaning they were weapons that could potentially kill someone. Y/N was aware of it but still charged ahead, trying to plan ahead a possible safe spot to dodge everything. Everything going quickly, he moved his body to the side and grazed one of them, followed by a second one, third one... it kept going until there was no more of them, leaving only burn marks on his suit.

Y/N's mind: She's not even flying away, does she think I can't reach her?

It would be the truth, someone like him would not be able to catch up to her, a person with the ability to float in the air. He was powerless against that ability but it did not mean that his tools couldn't do what he couldn't.

...Finally, he released all the smoke that he was containing and it went perfect onto the girl, attaching itself on her like glue and not letting go. Displeased by it, she swung her arms around to remove this undesirable element circling her. Just mentioned before, it was stuck to her, fused with her and leaving her with not only a bad smeel to breath but a terrible disadvantage

Clownpiece: Puh-ah, what is this?!

Y/N: ...You'll get used to it.

He mumbled back, taking a deep breath of fresh air after removing the filth that he was accumulating in his lungs. It only further damaged his body but if it allowed him to win then he would just endure it, knowing that he won't die from it but something else.

Then, suddenly, a flurry of projectiles flew past him and landed perfectly on the girl he was facing. With the smoke covering her, she couldn't avoid the attack in time and received it at full force. Something that would only leave bruises heavily damaged her, almost like she was struck by a sledgehammer.

Y/N: The hell-

He turned around and saw the youkai assisting him with a single arm raised, pointed at the guest. Behind her, even more attacks were ready, a fierce gaze that he doesn't remember seeing before on her face.

Y/N's mind: I told her to stay back, she really doesn't listen.

Sighing, he took a look at the target of her attack and saw her standing on the ground, raising her flaming torch above her head while coughing out the smoke. With no time to waste, he drew out of his suit the many blades that he was hiding and performed a downward slash, not to kill but to bleed. He knew that there was no point going for the kill with how resistant she was so it was better to leave her with injuries that would handicap her.

Clownpiece: What was that?!

She exclaimed, not hiding her surprise. Koishi observed the scene but did not step forward, following his words of staying behind. The man, who needed to catch his breath, stepped away and hid his swords back into their respective slots. Finally recovering enough energy, he frowned slightly and witnessed the battlefield melt and distort into a new sight.

Clownpiece: Aww, I liked this suit, you ruined it!

She yelled her discontentment but the man was focused on his surroundings, changed by the fire that the girl was holding in her hand. The library was once more gone and replaced by yet another mysterious place.

Around, space was the only thing he could see due to his madness. However, that void was not empty, many eyes were staring at him silently, analyzing his every actions. Red eyes observing him like watching a statue at a museum, not even blinking.

???: You're the culprit.

Turning his attention behind the clown, he witnessed a headless body standing, facing him. The person was wearing a purple dress and holding an umbrella in their hands. It did not have a head, for he did not know what the person looked like... the one that would kill him the moment they meet for ending the shrine maiden's life.

'That shrine maiden had much more worth, why did she have to die to the hands of an incapable?'

Y/N: I...

???: You knew what was coming, face it.

Y/N: ...

Clownpiece, starting to get used to the smoke stuck around her, fired a large laser in his direction and the headless woman moved along, reaching for him with her umbrella. Barely dodging the projectile, he soon felt his body being impaled by the parasol, leaving a dark wound while a scream echoed in the distance. It wasn't his but it felt familiar for some reason.

Y/N: Tch!

He retaliated with a swung but it went through the hallucination, unable to hurt it due to its incorporeal nature. Just like how his death was inevitable like the flow of time, he couldn't fight against his executioner.

...Maybe accepting it now was a better solution? After all, what would be the point of even bother doing anything?

Koishi: You can do it mister Y/N!

In distance, the girl encouraging him formed more projectiles and attacked the enemy that he was facing, distracting her for a moment. However, she could not assist him with the guilt that was pulled out of his mind, he had to face it on his own and that was what scared him the most, to confront his own mistakes with nobody to support him.

???: You'll never get rid of what you've done, those people will never let you live after causing this atrocity.

The headless woman spoke to him, still holding the umbrella that she was carrying. The librarian's eyes shook for a moment but quickly lost their life, used to the sight of death. After witnessing so many times, his mind couldn't muster the energy to be traumatized.

'Or maybe you want to close your ears and pretend to ignore the outcome?'

Y/N: ...

'Let those eyes perish so that they may never commit evil.'

???: You'll never win.

'Close your mouth, may the devil never slip out of those wicked lips and harm those around you.'

Y/N: It's my fault, I won't deny the truth. No, I can't deny it, that's why it hurts.

Clownpiece: Huh? What are you even talking about?

In the surroundings, many floating hands belonging to those pulling the strings laughed at the man in the center of it all, the main puppet on display. They all seemed so happy, enjoying humor that he couldn't understand, truly the emotion of schadenfreude, his pain was their happiness.

???: See? Nobody is supporting you, even that girl will leave you in the end.

He turned to the satori and saw her preparing another wave of Danmakus, not playing around. Shaking his head, he focused his attention on the main target and rushed ahead, running past the illusion.

???: Can't you see that you're only killing yourself by doing this?!

Completely ignoring her, he impaled the source of this madness with the many weapons in his sleeves. Clownpiece's body jerked and the blades were piercing the smoke covering her before resting inside her skin. It was not enough to kill and he knew that, he would have to keep attacking to finish her off.

Y/N: Deep drag!

Taking a puff of the smoke, he exhaled it back directly into the wounds and retracted the blade, performing an uppercut with his suit. Attacked by the blunt side of the weapons, the guest stepped away and felt her vision stop for a moment. It took a second for her brain to process what just happened and it was enough for the man to leave a large wound in her left side.

Swiftly moving across the floor, a small gust of wind followed the man while he was distancing himself from the target, allowing him to see the illusion approaching him, clearly attempting to attack. Frowning slightly, he moved the blades and swung them in a diagonal pattern, parrying the weapon that did not look like one. Sparkles flew into the air but no sign of fatigue was shown between them.

'If nobody can smile out of happiness when I'm around then I must be the problem. Everyone would be much happier if I never existed.'

???: You caused the death of everyone around you, yet you still act on their 'behalf', your excuse is pitiful.

Y/N's mind: I should've just ended my life when I had the chance. That way, they wouldn't have died.

Finally cracking under the hateful words, he spat venom at himself. The words were shot right through his heart, his body feeling much weaker than it used to be. No, his body wasn't weak, his will was, he was losing the will to fight. Under the constant attacks of the opponent, he was also pointing at himself, accusing him for everything that ever happened.

That witch who lost her friend, she would have been much happier if he was never born... The people that stood by his side, they too would have been happier and even alive right now if he never existed. Everyone who entered the library... they had friends, family and he took them away, they would have been happier without him, they would all still be alive.

Koishi? ...She probably would have found someone better than a simple coward, he should have just never existed and she would have found that person. With him around, nobody is truly happy, all are bearing smiles to forget but he didn't, he doesn't want to forget how much of a disgrace he was compared to other people who fought valiantly.

Y/N: Bringing them back will be enough for me. If I can give them a second chance then I can forgive myself.

He whispered to himself, clenching his fists under the elongated sleeves. Completely disregarding his words, the apparition rapidly entered his peripheral space, set on making sure that the librarian became someone of the past. With no energy left, he endured the hits and waited for the opponent to calm down.

...

End of the turn once more.

Clownpiece: ...

The wounded guest, enduring the burning sensation of her skin being exposed to the air around her, shot a single glare at the man and the girl assisting him. Even though she faintly remembered seeing her in the Underworld, being attacked by 2 people while she was on her own was unfair to her eyes, nothing about this place screamed 'fair'.

She only came here on a whim because she was told that she could obtain everything little bit of information about the Hakurei shrine maiden, a perfect plan to create the best prank to ever exist. It seemed like fantasy, completely fake but she lives for that uncertainty, the illusion and the faint spark of hope.

Y/N: ...

Facing her, the librarian had his gaze fixated on her body like a monster watching its next target. From his movements, she could tell that he was ruthless, she wouldn't have any mercy from him, exactly like the shrine maiden she fought. Both acting cold, the difference was the aura surrounding them.

Whereas the girl would carry with her an air of confidence in her abilities, the man lacked that motivation and even seemed to not believe his talent. With a better glance, her lips moved on their own and formed a grin at the sight of what she wanted to see. In him, a weakness emerged like smoke out of a volcano, the single thing that she needed to latch onto to make him break.

Clownpiece: Time to use this thing more appropriately!

Raising her hand, the fire that she was holding turned the atmosphere into white vapors, evaporating the oxygen and consuming it. Growing wider, its flames began to spread and she repeatedly performed wide circles with it, trying to catch the man's attention. After seeing how he would snap out of her grasp, she needed to keep him chained in order to properly attack him.

She herself won't know what he will see or how he will react but she knew that whatever the case, it would be a large advantage for her and so, she launched her attack without letting her enemy do a single action. The great inferno of madness was still growing and gaining power, plunging the librarian into a deep hole of mental scars.

...

...

That was it, the signal that he was fearing. Witnessing her utilize the tool that she was carrying, he knew that he was halfway through the battle of will, the bad part is starting from this point on. Bracing himself, he witnessed the headless entity dissipate into the air, knowing that something even worse was coming to do its job.

Clownpiece: I'll make you regret this!

She proudly exclaimed, ignoring the wounds on her body. The fire amplified, turning the whole entrance into a large circle of flames, blocking all possible exits. The bookshelves around began to burn and smoke was rising to the endless ceiling above their heads. Ignoring everything happening around, he remained focused on his enemy and felt a chill down his spine.

...Behind the girl, a shadow was moving around, growing in size at an alarming rate. What seemed like an animal exceeded a normal size and reached a minimum of 35 meters of height. Its body was completely covering the entrance, allowing nobody to enter nor escape and a pair of white eyes pierced the darkness to stare back at him. Standing in front of that threat, the librarian was nothing.

Y/N: ...What the...

Clownpiece: Got you!

She quickly shot a laser in Y/N's direction and smiled at her 'sneak' attack. Still preoccupied by the creature standing behind her, he took a full blow from it. Snapping out of his shock, he readied himself for another wave of attacks and then the darkness covering the opposite side of the library made its move.

To begin, it raised a massive claw in the air, at least 10 meters of diameter, and brought it down onto the man with a powerful motion. Not knowing how to prevent such attack, he braced himself another time and protected his head from the hit. Colliding with the moving hand felt like being struck by a ballista, making the bones in his bone dangerously creak.

Not done, it swung its second claw and the target still remained on the defensive. Afterwards, a large hole formed itself into the shapeless entity, ressembling a massive mouth. A single second was needed for it to finalize its attack by creating a massive laser of pure light accompanied by loud screams, thousands of screams at once, easily shattering the sound barrier.

The screams were coming from the light, which was not a light now that Y/N was trapped inside it. In reality, that blinding color surrounding him was made of millions of souls screaming in agony in unison. The simple sensation of being near them was like being turned into a large fire, his temperature rising at an alarming rate. Gritting his teeth, he could feel his eardrums rupturing, blood flowing down.

...

It calmed down after a few seconds and the receiver of that attack was still standing before the immortal beast. His whole body was burning and gray lines of smoke was leaving his suit, still in a remarkable shape surprisingly with the exception of his sleeve that suddenly combusted into flames, now sturdy ashes.

Y/N: ...

Even more surprising, the man was able to move after that massive attack and aimed for the girl. Knowing that he might not have a second chance, he needed to take her out as fast as possible to assure his victory.

Remaining steady in his movements, he made a beeline for the true opponent of this confrontation and silently prayed that the abomination watching him would let him do so. Of course, witnessing his movement, she flew at a reasonable distance to shoot the man with a flux of stars. She knew what he was capable of and she wasn't planning on letting him approach her another time.

Y/N's mind: She didn't learn her lesson yet?

Raising his hand in the air, another pocket of confetti exploded and its content flew at the girl, passing through the Danmaku projectiles like it was water. However, it did not counter them, leaving the man to defend against it.

With no hesitation, he went with the safest decision and decided to simply flee from his spot, avoiding the attacks entirely with only wasted energy as a downside. The moment afterwards was filled with a single question: How was he supposed to attack her at this distance? Sure, he had a few bombs with him but not an endless supply, he couldn't keep wasting them.

Y/N: That little brat knows that, that's why she keeps going back there.

'A leech like you doesn't deserve to reach the skies, let the angels smile.'

Held down by the laws of gravity, he could only contemplate on the current problem. Squinting his eyes a little, he tried to think of a solution while dodging the projectiles aimed at him. He needed to find a way to permanently force her down.

'It's not that she is flying, it's only you sinking further into the bottomless abyss.'

He could nail her in place with his swords but something told him that it would be easier said than done.

'Unlike those with actual talents, you don't have anything going for you. Pitiful to watch.'

He silently brushed off the voices in his heads and resumed his thoughts. Somehow, he needed to keep her down to the ground so that he could freely attack her without restraints. To do that, he would need to make sure to cover the space above their heads with something to block her easy escape.

'Shouldn't you know the answer already?', a clear voice called him. Widening his eyes, he glanced behind himself and saw a person standing by his side. Taking the shape of a girl, she looked at him with an annoyed glare.

|-|-|-|: If you can't defeat her in the air then give her a reason to not escape there.

Y/N: ...

Nodding slightly, he turned his attention back to Clownpiece, occupied with the sharp confetti that were thrown at her. After seeing the extend of her abilities, he acknowledged that he was outpowered and needed to extract the energy from a source that didn't belong to him.

Just one more turn. He needed one more turn to use it.

'An animal do not understand the concept of love, that's why you can't wield it unlike that witch.'

Y/N: That witch must have truly cared for her friend if her love could become that powerful.

He mumbled to himself, thinking back at the strength of that laser that she created. Remembering that moment made him admit that his own power was much weaker than hers, one who only knows the concept love compared to one who received love. The both of them were living in separate worlds, yet only a single door standing between them.

|-|-|-|: She's also a pain in the ass to deal with.

The girl behind the man sighed in response, dropping her shoulders. Her response made the librarian return her attitude with a bitter smile.

Y/N: Speaking from experience... I wish I had that sort of experience as well.

Instead, he would close his eyes. Nothing mattered until they were all freed, that was his own mistake that took everyone with it. Standing alone on a field of bodies, he had to shamelessly rob their graves to gather what was necessary to perform what would be called necromancy. In that sense, he envied the one behind him.

|-|-|-|: Just get this over with, this is gonna be embarrassing if the one who killed me can't deal with something like her.

Y/N: ...

Moving his legs, he took a dash to the target, still suspended in the air. However, he didn't mind that problem, thinking of something to counter her decision. Leaving the girl that he reaped from life behind, the illusion faded away, too far away to remain.

Reimu: Not like you'll live at the end of this journey.

Those were her parting words to the mad librarian. Hearing them without a single problem, he sighed in acceptance.

'If I have to die to make everyone happy then so be it.'

Y/N: There-

Swinging his left sleeve up, he revealed the blades inside his clothes but instead of simply stopping there. Y/N wildly moved his arm and tossed the weapons that emerged, all launching at the girl.

Clownpiece: Woah!

Swift as ever, she flew to the side and watched the blades go past her. When she turned around, a second set of sharp swords stabbed her in the legs, the second set hidden in his second sleeve. Shocked by the pain, she dropped down to the floor and the swords fell to the ground, lifeless.

Y/N's mind: Now's the time.

She was stunned from the pain, he had an opportunity to finally fight back for real. It may be cheating but a single look at the gigantic monster looming above them made him reconsider, what he did was completely fair against that.

A new turn began there. Still recovering, Clownpiece hissed a groan of pain through her teeth, glaring at the culprit behind this. Shrugging back at her, he rushed at the guest with no hesitation. Desperate, she protected herself with stars and lasers aimed at the attacker. In possession of no weapons with the exception of a few confetti bombs, he could only dodge everything and hope for the best.

He wasn't a Danmaku fighter, he was not trained for this sort of attacks. Trying his best to find a safe spot, he couldn't discover such a thing and had to tank a few hits during his ascension to the girl. Using all her powers to keep him at bay, the creature coming from Y/N's mind reacted and swung down one of its clawed hands.

Y/N: ...

Clenching his fists, he marched forward and covered his face with the sleeves of his outfit. He completely ignored the hazards in the way and ran through the barrage of projectiles, reaching for the girl who observed the librarian with wide eyes, not expecting him to just brute force his way through everything.

Y/N: The time of stars is over jester, it's time for you to go back to your circus!

With no weapon, he lowered back to the most primitive way to harm someone. Raising his right fist, he swung a good jab in her face before grabbing her arms. The monster protecting the girl lost its opacity while the librarian was mercilessly shoving his knee inside the girl's stomach. Forced to attack the opponent with his own body, he did so with no rest, knowing that he won't have a second chance at this rate.

Planting her fingernails in his suit, she kicked him in the legs and headbutted him, forced to struggle her way out of his grasp to continue the fight and keep her advantage. Moving his head to the right, he retaliated with a punch in the solar plexus, cutting her oxygen reserves short and also stopping her in her movements.

Y/N's mind: That torch's the reason of this nightmare.

A new goal in mind, he snatched it from the blond jester but not before kicking her in the left hip. In possession of the reason that the library combusted into flames, he retreated to catch his breath, his fists screaming for a moment of rest after those relentless hits.

He looked down and his joints were completely red, burning when in contact with the air. Keeping the pain to himself, he swung his arms around to calm down the burning sensation in his hands. Holding onto the torch of insanity, he faced the girl without her trusty weapon.

Clownpiece: Give... give that back!

No longer its owner, the monster vanished and so did the flames, both of them mysteriously dissipating and the regular library returning to its original state. It was all an illusion to make him unable to run away but without its power on him, he was freed from her control. Well, not like she had much control over what would appear in front of him either way.

Y/N: ...

Looking at his feet, a single blade was resting nearby, kicked back by his feet when he retreated. Crouching, he grabbed it and held it far from the torch that he was holding, digging into his suit for his bombs. With a cold stare, he faced his enemy, his worries gone at this point.

'Kill the guest, that's all you can do after all.'

Y/N: Who's smiling in confidence now?

He asked a simple question while covering the surface of the sword with confetti. Completely colored, He leaned the flame closer to the weapon and it caught fire, turning the weapon into an even deadlier choice.

Y/N: ...

He stepped forward and aimed for the girl, still wounded. With not much time for her, she grabbed a sword by her own side and held it with timidity, not used to this. Both dropping any trick, they relied on their speed to fight until the end.

Y/N: I guess my smoke was useless in the end.

He laughed at that realization and attacked first, going for a stab with the blazing weapon. Clownpiece responded with a quick riposte, using every ounche of her body to not lose her balance while swinging her only protection. Failed to reach her, he stopped himself and waited for the girl's attack to reach him, blocking it effortlessly once it finally arrived.

During that short period of time, he glanced behind himself and witnessed the youkai assisting him before jump in place, cheering him on. She knew that the tides have turned and decided to let him enjoy the end, it was his battle after all, not hers.

Clownpiece: H-Hey, we don't have fight like that!

She begged for her own life, even knowing that the librarian would not give her that mercy. In that cold stare, she could see once more the eyes of the shrine maiden that defeated her before, ruthless against people like her.

Y/N: Backing off?

He calmly answered her statement with a question, taking that moment to complete a full horizontal slash, countered nervously by the jester standing in front of him. Used to combats like this, he was returning into his area of expertise. Not much to say anymore, he feinted a stab and then did a full rotation to attack her on the shoulder.

She shrieked in shock and the wound left behind began to burn, affected by the flaming sword held by Y/N. Knowing that she was going to lose, she attempted an attack but the man moved aside before piercing her chest, between the ribs and right in the lungs.

Y/N: Done.

Clownpiece: Hrg... h...

She opened her mouth but the librarian attacked her once more, making sure that she was 100% gone. Not wishing for another incident like the witch from last time, he repeatedly attacked her to the point of mutilation until her body combusted into pages, a single book falling down on the floor.

Y/N: Phew... about time.

Swiping his sweats off, the fire consuming the blade finally ate the confetti and died. He tossed the sword to the ground and sat down on the floor, taking a deep breath while Koishi ran to him with a wide smile.

Koishi: That was amazing! It looked so cool!

Y/N: *Sigh* Yea but now I'm exhausted.

Remembering everything he went through, his fatigue grew stronger. Noticing that change, the girl held his back while placing her hand on the sleeve that combusted into flames. Touching it, it was like touching gravel.

Koishi: Your arm-

Y/N: It's fine.

Immediately after he said those words, the color of the suit returned, regaining its original appearance. However, that didn't calm down the girl. Taking a long stare at the man, she tried her best to observe his face.

Y/N: What's wrong?

Koishi: N-Nothing!

She exclaimed with a wide smile, lying her way out of the question. Too tired to question it at this point, he stood up, grabbed the book and turned around, seeing the flaming torch still on the ground.

Y/N: ...

Averting his eyes to not directly look at it, he took it with him and returned into the depths of the library.

Y/N: I'm taking a break, you should rest during that time.

Just like that, he was gone from her sight. When she was sure that he wasn't turning back, her smile lowered and her eyebrows did the same. She remembered the last seconds that she saw him from behind.

Koishi: Why can I not see you anymore?

She asked to herself. Ever since that battle began, her eyes were unable to see his face at all, his whole body was becoming blurrier for her, like something was blocking her vision. Holding her head with her right hand, she followed after him in silence.

The man, to the girl, seemed like he was about to vanish. Vanish... vanish... vanish... 

She had a feeling, an unconscious thought telling her that the moment he fully vanishes, something terrible will happen. She wanted to do something to solve this problem but she was stuck in a corner, unable to do anything about the situation.

Koishi: Mister Y/N... are you going to leave me like everyone else?

She softly whispered to herself, stepping into the depths of the endless room filled with bookshelves, joining the man.

(Liking the combat scenes?)