A jet of flame howled by and Asayuki moved clear of its path—and then she watched as another head crossed the distance, furiously clamping down on Darius and dragging him across its back. He was out of reach before the flames faded.

  "Darius!" said Asayuki. Her blade flashed and the head attacking her careened over her, the severed stump crashing down before her spewing blood.

  "Don't—" His voice crackled, grainy over the connection between the impacts. Several heads banded together and encircled him, trapping and crushing him amidst their coils. "Don't worry about me! Focus on the mission!"

  "But you're—"

  "I'll be okay!" The connection broke up as a terrible clamor echoed over, and then Darius' pained voice came back into focus. "I know what I'm getting into—just hurry! I'm counting on you, so go!"

  Asayuki hesitated. The plan wouldn't conclude for several more hours. Until the critical time arrived, Darius was stating he was ready to fight Orochi in this weakened state for that entire time? At the same time, it was true that her odds just went down sharply. If this was her first fight with Orochi, she'd have no problem cutting it down, but now it had an idea of her abilities. That meant it would fight back with counterplay in mind.

  …If Darius truly understood what his words meant, she would have to trust him.

  "I'm holding you to that," said Asayuki. She used some of her remaining talismans to cover the chunk of metal torn from the beast, one length of ofuda acting as a strap to hoist it over her back. "This is Asayuki. Returning to base."

  A bright green light, a high-pitched whine, and Asayuki leapt back as a railgun blast sent a plume of dirt erupting where she stood. She leapt back further still as a spear struck at her feet. The branches of lightning met her blade, Asayuki launched up and away even as she parried the spreading bolts aside.

  She landed on the back of the dragon, looking around under her visor for her opponent. Erina arrived in an accelerated blur, green katana drawn mimicking Asayuki's explosive draw and meeting its precise equal as she rushed past. Steel clanged off steel, and Erina spun to a stop with her blade at the ready and an array of interlaid seals at her feet.

  "Where do you think you're going?" said Erina.

  "That's not your concern," said Asayuki coolly.

  Erina's eyes moved to the sealed chunk of metal over the swordmaster's back. "That's what you came here for? What are you going to do with it?"

  "Weapons like these don't belong in the hands of youkai." Asayuki flourished her red blade. "I'll put it to better use than anything your precious patriarch could come up with."

  "Don't talk about her like that," snapped Erina.

  "I don't have time for this," said Asayuki. "Get out of my way."

  Erina readied her blade. The glowing butterflies fluttered behind her.

  Space distorted as Asayuki stepped forward. Her blade fell short and then she had to block, deflecting the barrage of lasers as Erina leapt up and away to a floating spell circle. Asayuki was left on the back of the dragon to dodge the barrage from above.

  Her sword flashed and cut away the incessant butterflies, but Erina only formed more higher up and resumed the bombardment. Glaring up through her visor, Asayuki dodged another beam with a lean to the side and stabbed her blade into Orochi's back. Then, she ran, cutting a deep gash across it before Erina's thrown spear forced her to turn back.

  Asayuki deflected the next laser headed her way and then the sword returned to its sheath. Her next quick draw tore at the very air, and Erina's distortion field broke. The girl extended one arm behind her, ready to motion and restore the warped space—

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Orochi's huge head smashed her down through her platform and onto its back. She rolled over to see the huge maw unhinging over her, and then she ran as a jet of flame spewed from its jaws. When attacking Erina in the air seemed too daunting, Asayuki provoked Orochi into doing it for her.

  The spear flashed into her grip and Erina launched an accelerated toss into Orochi's jaws, blasting it from the inside out. Two more heads turned back, tongues flicking out as they rounded on her.

  A glimpse of red in her peripheral and Erina barely blocked in the nick of time. As it was, her barrier shattered on impact and the crimson blade gashed her shoulder nonetheless. The following slash met green metal and Erina disengaged, Asayuki stalking after her as she backed up.

  "You're not in the lab anymore," said Asayuki. Orochi's heads towered over her in the background as she matched Erina for every step she took. "You've lost access to your Attuned Realm."

  Erina gripped her katana tighter. Orochi reared up behind Asayuki, its two heads striking as one at her back—

  Twin crescent arcs sang, and Asayuki sheathed her blade as both heads crashed by on either side, entrapping the two of them in a tight corridor between their necks.

  Asayuki redoubled her assault and Erina retreated in full earnest, backing across the back of the beast every time their blades crossed.

  "You might have access to my techniques," said Asayuki, "but you don't know how to use them!"

  Erina overextended and Asayuki smacked her katana back against the wall of scales beside them. Only a tiny last second barrier saved Erina from the slash that followed, delaying it just long enough to backpedal out of range.

  "I spent my life honing those techniques!" Asayuki's assault was unrelenting, every sentence punctuated with another ringing strike. "You think your ability lends you my skill in the sword? All I see is a child waving a stick in her backyard!"

  Erina made for her butterfly clip and was forced to put both hands on her katana to defend herself. Asayuki gave her as little breathing room as possible. Finally, Erina disengaged completely, turning her back and running for just the split second she needed to manifest her spear. She whirled back, driving it into the floor and letting it erupt upwards into the branches of lightning—

  Asayuki's blade exploded out in a flurry of slashes that assaulted every direction. The walls of scales on either side were hacked to pieces. The tree of light crumbled and was blown away. Erina gasped as hot pain burst across her front at the very edge of the sword's range, numerous tiny cuts and lacerations forming as she stumbled back.

  The fallen necks of Orochi slid off its back as the beast railed against its restraints. The floor jostled under them. Asayuki sheathed her blade, but a deep boom and a blast of wind gave her pause. She looked over her shoulder.

  The overcast city was in shambles. Houses lay demolished or in splinters. Thick black smoke filled the air—noxious gasses from the pouring rivers of fiery blood, the fire consuming the buildings around them. Trees and plants withered and died everywhere Orochi's blood spilled.

  In the distance, Akira and Lazarus were still fighting several of Orochi's heads. Its necks twisted, soulless eyes searching for every new angle to come in from. A few heads continued to try for the crack frustratingly out of reach, straining for it. The massive body rocked under them constantly, immense chains rattling as it tried to break free.

  A bright light flashed and three heads collapsed, their necks filled with fading swords of light. Darius hit the ground roughly and leaned on one for support, only for another head to swoop down and pull him into a mass of tangled heads again. Focus torn and battered as he was, he alone still took up nearly half of Orochi's attention. The fallen heads stirred and rose as their wounds closed and joined in on thrashing the gunslinger.

  "We need to fight Orochi," said Erina. "Not run! You can't want this monster to run rampant any more than I do. We need to stop it."

  "There's no 'we' in this situation," said Asayuki.

  "Darius is fighting too. I thought you cared about him. Don't you want to help him at all?"

  Asayuki was completely unmoved. "I trust him."

  Erina watched the battle in the distance. She started as she spotted a tiny figure thrown high into the air, gravity slashes forming around it as it fended for itself before being pinballed from one headbutt to the next.

  "Akira!" Erina made to move before forcing herself to stop, green eyes fixing themselves on the enemy in front of her.

  "Do you want to go?" said Asayuki. "I won't stop you. What matters more, Emisane? Convincing me to join your cause? Stopping my escape? Or helping them?" She sheathed her blade and adjusted her scarf, a trace of a smile under her visor. "You could stand to find a better waste of your time."

  Erina scowled and brushed past Asayuki, launching through an accelerator to return to the front line. Asayuki jumped off the back of the dragon, running through the city streets before she found what she was looking for. One quick slash to sever the chain and then Asayuki mounted her motorcycle once more. The engine revved to life, tires squealed against the asphalt, and she was off with the burning city and the raging dragon at her back.