Micchi Versus the New World - Chapter 124

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Chapter 124

Each time Ririko and I clashed, our blows created quakes in the earth. Pieces of the canyon crumbled down, rockslide after rockslide. Ririko fired massive icicles at me. I jumped out of the way. They plunged into the side of the canyon and froze the length of it into a wall of ice.

"What's the matter, Micchi? Can't fight back from down there? Ahahaha!" Ririko cackled as she created more to shoot at me.

"How about you come down here and fight me toe to toe?" I shouted.

The hail sharpened into blades. One nicked my cheek and drew blood. I swung a wave of fire toward Ririko and melted the hail into steam. She shielded her eyes and flew higher to avoid me. I used that chance to run to Yui, then created a shield of ice around us.

"Anego… Anya's gone," Yui cried, clinging into my sleeves.

"Anya ain't gone. Ririko just sent her somewhere. I know because she just mentioned something about trying to send you away. Anya protected you to make sure that didn't happen. Don't let her sacrifice be for nothing," I said.

Yui wiped the tears from her eyes and sniffled. She nodded with resolve.

"H-Help! Let me in, Master! Everything hurts out here!" Lilim pounded on the barrier as hail cut into her back.

I punched through the barrier, pulled her in by the arm, and repaired the hole with more ice. The succubus dropped to all fours and sighed.

"What are we gonna do? The second you drop this barrier, we're getting shredded!" Yui exclaimed.

"Ririko's helluva lot stronger in psycho mode… but I got an idea. Lilim's got succubus hoodoo that worked on Anya. Maybe it'll work on Ririko," I suggested.

When we both turned to the succubus, she flustered.

"In order to do that, I have to touch her. I don't know what you're all made of, but I'll die if I go anywhere near that monster!" Lilim backed up to the edge of the barrier, trembling like a scared puppy.

I clicked my tongue. Lilim flinched and shut her eyes as I stepped up to her. As soon as I threw my enchanted jacket around her shoulders, the succubus blushed and her eyes snapped open. She clutched the jacket tighter around her body.

"That's gonna protect you from some magic. Yui and I will create an opening. Make it fucking count," I said.

"I won't disappoint you, Master! Ahhh~ Your scent… I love your scent… it reminds me of when you hurt me…" Lilim mumbled deliriously while huffing the jacket.

The hailstorm strengthened and tore through the barrier. I picked Lilim up and chucked her away into the deluge so Ririko wouldn't catch on. A giant icicle crashed down from above, forcing me and Yui to split.

"I don't have any beef with you two!" Ririko's voice echoed loudly in the storm. "It isn't personal either. I just have someone to get back to, and the both of you are in the way."

"So you decided to shack up with Chika? Like that's supposed to make it any better," I fired back.

"You have no idea, do you? That this is just a game to her. There's no big conspiracy or something like that. She wants to play with us because she can. We're just her playthings. I want off this stupid board and back to where I belong!"

Gale winds nearly knocked me off my feet. Without my jacket, the hail was really cutting into my skin. But this was good.

Because the more injured I get…

"Let's turn up the heat, Sacchan!" I raised my bat up with both hands, bringing forth an inferno. The flames snapped back at the hail, melting and evaporating them before they even reached me.

"Micchi, it's time to put you where you belong— in the dirt" Ririko rocketed towards me like a giant icicle herself.

"Nu-uh. You first!"

Yui was faster. The lightning bolt struck Ririko, frying her out of the air. I raced to catch up for the finishing blow. Just like Kaoru taught me, I gathered all the magic to a singular point on Sacchan and swung. Yui appeared behind Ririko and laid into her with a supercharged nunchuck strike.

"We got you now, bitch!" I growled.

"I don't think so—" Ririko recovered and created a shield of ice.

We made contact with an explosive force that shook the canyons, but Ririko was still standing. Chunks of ice were chipping off her armor. When we tried to pull our weapons out but couldn't. They were stuck. Ice was forming on Sacchan and Yui's nunchuck.

A wry smile flashed across Ririko's face.

"Do you know who I am? I'm the Blizzard of Hokkaido! Everywhere I go, everyone bows to Queen Ririko! You two are just good for nothing—"

"Now, Lilim!" I shouted.

Yui and I let go of our weapons to hold Ririko still. She started struggling to escape the moment Lilim flew in, realizing what we were trying to do.

"Uwah… It's sooo c-c-cold, Anego!" Yui cried.

"It ain't nothing compared to winter in Tokyo. Now hang on!" I urged her.

"Let me show you what you want to see." The succubus pinched Ririko's chin and stared deeply into her eyes.

"No, stop!" Ririko screamed.

The struggling came to an abrupt stop. Ririko's armor of ice melted away, freezing us and our weapons. Tears ran down her cheeks.

"Did it work?" I asked.

"It should have," Lilim assured me.

"Eri… is that you?" Ririko muttered as she gazed into the distance behind us.

"Who the fuck is Eri?" Yui searched me for answers, but I was just as lost.

Ririko's shoulders slackened and trembled. Not because she was crying. She was laughing quietly to herself.

"Eri, I did it. I became a queen in Hokkaido. I made those girls pay. Now I'm going to come home and find you, but first… I have one more thing to do," she said.

The canyon was suddenly enveloped in a shadow that grew larger by the second. We didn't realize what it was until turning to the sky. A whole mountain of ice was plummeting down on us.

"It didn't work! This bitch knows she's being controlled! Make her stop!" I shouted at Lilim.

"I-I can't! She's… resisting!" Lilim warned.

It was way too big to outrun. I climbed the rockslide separating us from Breila's army. Some of them were hightailing it, but many were too hurt to even move. They were just going to accept their fate. I locked eyes with Breila who offered me a nod.

"If you can get out of here, I suggest you better start running," Breila said, nursing the injured Drox who was lying unconscious on the ground.

"Tch. Who the fuck do you think I am?"

For some reason, Yui's words about how I started thinking a lot came echoing in my mind. She was right. I had been thinking a lot. Maybe it was just part of growing up.

There had to be a way to get everyone out of this…

"Yui! Charge me up!" I shouted.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Yui flourished her nunchuck until it was a blur of spinning electricity in my eyes.

"Lilim!" I extended a hand to the succubus. "Bring me up to that giant ice cube!"

"You're all insane… but as you wish, Master!" Lilim took my hand and carried me up to the mountain of ice. She let me go so I could hold onto Sacchan with both hands.

I pushed all the magic I had into Sacchan, forcing that energy into a single point on the bat.

"Here it comes, Anego!" Yui planted her feet firmly to the ground and unleashed a powerful bolt of lightning at me.

The crackling energy burned my skin and electrified my entire body. But all that pain became my power.

"Alright, you can fuck right off!" I smashed Sacchan into the enormous block of ice. All of the energy discharged inside. It exploded into countless smaller pieces.

Lilim caught me as I was flying and slowly carried me back down amidst the cheers of the beastling army.

"You crazy, son of a bitch!" Breila whooped.

"Start clearing the rubble! Once you're through, we're heading to Grishant to bring the rest of 'em to heel!" I shouted.

Yui tackled me with a hug the instant Lilim put me down. When she let go, I made my way over to Ririko. The glazed-over look told me she was still under the succubus spell. She was somehow mentally strong enough to recognize what was going on though.

"I lost, didn't I?" Ririko asked. Gone was the gusto in her voice.

"Yeah." I buried a fist into her and sent her flying into the side of the canyon.

Half-buried under the rubble, Ririko didn't so much as try to escape. Her ugly crying had ruined all the makeup. The eyeliner, streaks of black ink, ran down her face.

"Why did you side with Chika?" I asked, grabbing her by her hair.

"So I can get back to Eri…" Ririko muttered.

"You said that name before. Who's Eri?"

"My other half," she began. "I didn't want to come to this world. I don't know how it happened or why. All I know is that Chika can send us back. Send me back to Eri… I just want to be with her again… not in this stupid world…"

Part of me wanted to throw another punch. What good would that even do now? I unclenched my fist and let go.

"That makes one of us. Hell if I wanna go back. So, what was the deal? You bring us to her, and she chucks you back?" I asked.

"Yeah. Well… As you can see, Anya got sent instead of you two," Ririko said.

"Where?"

"Where else?" Her gaze lifted to the giant continent of Sathorayne that could be seen even from here.

Chika. It all came back to you. It always did.

Rocks tumbled down behind us. Breila's army was pushing their way through and clearing a larger path for the rest. We put Ririko in chains and continued our march to Grishant. She was surprisingly docile the rest of the way, but we all kept a close eye on her.

Grishant was ready for us when we arrived. A just as massive army gathered in front of the tall gates to the mountain city. They were armed to the teeth. Siege weapons were at the ready. All in their silly colorful clothing and makeup that Ririko brainwashed them into wearing.

"No funny business." I shoved Ririko towards them.

"Stand down!" Ririko shouted. "We've lost. Put your arms down and… surrender."

They traded uneasy looks with each other. Maybe it was because they saw the succubus and got hesitant about Ririko meaning what she said. Ultimately, Grishant's forces threw their weapons into a pile and surrendered.

"What was that about a surprise you had in store for us?" I asked.

"Oh, curious?" Ririko grinned.

While Breila secured Grishant, Ririko led me and Yui to the very top of the city. I expected a mountain peak, instead it was an entire hangar with a dozen airships at the ready. Workers were melting and sweeping snow off the runways.

The ships were wingless unlike the planes I knew back home. They were shaped like boats. Like the galleon we sailed to Kajar on and even still had their sails. Except there were large crystals at the back of the airships, wrapped with golden bands and weird symbols scratched onto them.

"Wow! What is all this even for?" Yui marveled, spooking a couple of workers by running up to the hull of the ship.

"I was going to lay waste to Scoth with this. You wouldn't have been able to do anything about us all the way up in the air. Those plans of mine have been shot down now. But… you could fly these babies to Sathorayne if you want to take the fight to Chika. You're going to need my help though," Ririko said.

"Absolutely-fucking-not. Especially not after all the shit you pulled." I stormed up to Ririko to size her up, but she was unfazed this time.

"If I couldn't get back home by siding with Chika, then maybe I can by siding with you and beating her into submission. Besides, you need my magic. After all, I'm the Blizzard of Hokkaido."

Ririko's eyes glowed a deep cold blue. A cold wind blew in, but it didn't hurt like before. The airship that Yui had climbed onto the deck of began to lift off the ground.

"What do you say, Micchi? How about we try an alliance this time?" Ririko asked with a smirk.