Loading User Commands:
[X] Head down immediately. Try to talk to Vincent.

---

The wind blows against the man, and some of the bandages around his head fly off. Youmu gasps in horror as she recognizes the attacker.

It's Vincent.

The half-ghost swoops down immediately. She lands between the unconscious Komachi and the strangely dressed Vincent. A pause to catch her breath - she looks at his face and confirms that this person is definitely their ghost hunter guest. But what is he doing here? Why is he wrapped in those bandages? And why did he attack Komachi?

"Vincent!" cries Youmu. "I-Is that really you? What are you doing out here?"

The man stops walking and looks at her blankly. Slowly, he cocks his head to the side, as if inspecting something he has never seen before. His eyes are empty and lifeless. However, his grip on his weapon is tight.

"It's me! It's Youmu! D-d-don't you recognize me?"

The man only continues staring. He hesitates. His face twitches a little. Then suddenly, his lips form a very small smile.

"Vincent?" she whispers hopefully.

In that moment, she remembers his gentle smile from yesterday. That was a mistake. By the time she realizes it, the man already has his weapon raised high above her head. Youmu closes her eyes in reflex. With one swift motion, he brings it down upon the defenseless half-ghost, and in a split-second, it -

"..."

Slowly, the half-ghost opens her eyes. She gasps silently when she sees it. The longsword glints brightly through the morning fog, only an inch from her head. The man stopped his blade at the last second. She glances at his face. There is something different in his eyes. Something familiar.

"It's alright," she whispers softly. "It will be alright, so just -"

He lowers his weapon. Then, without warning, he grabs her shoulder and shoves her roughly to the side. She loses her balance and falls on her behind, painfully. After a moment of shock, the half-ghost sits up, rubbing her back.

"W-what are you -"

"Divine Spear, 「Spear the Gungnir」"

A bright flash of red fills her vision. In the next moment, the vampire's destructive weapon flies through the air toward Vincent. She watches in horror as it impales him right through the chest. It must have been only an instant, but it felt like an eternity. The cold steel, embraced closely with the Scarlet Devil's power, pierced right through him. It skewered his soft flesh. It shattered his bones as it drove its way through. And it continued flying into the distance as his body slowly fell.

"Vin... cent..?" she whispers hollowly.

Then, her eyes widen in shock. The body vanishes into thin air. An... after-image?

"Damn it! I can't believe I missed! Fast-moving bastard!"

Her eyes follow the loud shouts. Lady Remilia is already high in the air. Her spear is already back in her hands as she complains angrily. As she follows the vampire's gaze, she spots someone standing a good distance to her left. Vincent seems to be standing beside a broken tree stump. He looks unharmed.

"..."

He turns to her for just a single moment. Then, he runs off into the fog behind him. With his weapon in hand, the ghost hunter disappears in the direction of the Saigyou Ayakashi. Shortly after, Grey steps out from nearby. He seems to be panting heavily. The vampire lands right beside him.

"What happened?" she demands. "Are you really that useless?"

He shakes his head.

"It's different," says Grey. "It felt like I was straining to pull him away from something else."

He has a spell card in his hand. It seems to be different from the one he used earlier.

"Who cares about that?" cries Remilia. "I'm not letting my prey get away that easily! Now hurry up! We're going after him!"

"W-wait, what about -"

The vampire grabs him roughly by the arm and drags him with her as she takes off into the air. They immediately head after Vincent. As the half-ghost watches them leave, her gaze turns toward the Saigyou Ayakashi in the distance. The purple glow seems to be getting brighter, and even more spirits are gathering around the tree.

"Lady Yuyuko," she whispers.

She stands herself up and looks around. Komachi is still lying unconscious. Her scythe is several feet away from her. However, the shinigami seems to be moaning softly in her sleep.

"..."

[ ] Hurry after Lady Remilia and Grey. You can't waste time.
[ ] Examine Komachi for injuries. Try to wake her up.
[ ] Custom