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[X] "What are you going to do with Chen?"
[X] "Why are you doing this?"

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"What are you going to do with Chen?" says Vincent. "She has nothing to do with any of this!"

"Oh, that girl?" she says. "I just needed a vessel of suitable spiritual power and strength. She does not look it, but Chen has immense potential for a youkai. Not unlike myself.."

"A vessel?"

Vincent looks around at the ritual site. He has seen this before in the past. An unholy ceremony that calls upon the darkness. He tightens his grip on his weapons.

"You were going... to sacrifice her!?"

"Sacrifice? That's such a strong word. I was just going to borrow her pure youkai spirit for a little bit~"

The girl smiles innocently.

"Once I have broken the seal on the Saigyou Ayakashi, the Netherworld's most powerful evil spirits would be unleashed upon this world. With those under my control, I would undoubtedly become the strongest in Gensokyo!"

He grits his teeth. He has seen this lust of power in the past. This person, without a doubt, was one of them.

"A necromancer," he whispers. "But why? Why are you doing this?"

"That stupid Okuu isn't the only one who can create an incident! I'll show you surface dwellers why our kind is to be feared! A great darkness shall sweep across this land. Every living soul shall be my servant, and every dead one my slave!"

She pauses solemnly.

"Then maybe, Master will finally praise me and acknowledge my -"

She suddenly covers her mouth, as if she has said too much. But this lasts only a moment. Soon, a malevolent smile forms upon her face.

"Why? What a silly question, little human. Because it's fun, of course~"

Vincent readies his weapons. The time for talk is finished. He does not understand everything, but one thing is clear. He has no interest in saving this person. No longer will he hesitate in drawing his blades. No longer will he strike at the enemy with honor and justice. No longer will he hold back and show mercy.

"..."

He utters no battle cry. He does not scream in anger or hatred. He sheds no tear in sorrow. There are no tears left. Only one coherent thought remains in his mind. Without another word, he rushes at the demon cat, both blades already drawn.

Kill.

"So energetic, fufu~"

She stretches her arm and points at him. In an instant, a dozen of the blazing spirits fly off toward him. He does not waver. With the two swords, he slashes away the evil as it approaches. The girl smiles, as if amused. Another volley of cursed fire comes at him. He carefully avoids the attack without slowing his approach. A few of the shots pass dangerously close, grazing his side painfully. But that doesn't matter. He is close enough now. Vincent lunges at the girl with both weapons. In the next moment, he swings his sword with killing intent. Flesh, bone and darkness, there is nothing that this blade cannot cut down.

However, his sword does not cut anything.

"Naughty human~" says a voice from above.

Without warning, several skeletal arms break out from the ground and grasp at his legs. Their undead grip is strong and relentless. No matter how hard he tries to pull away, he cannot free himself. He slashes away at them, but even more take their place.

"Very fast, this one is. But not for long~"

The girl points at him once more. This time, a single blue spark pops out. Only a little bigger than a candle flame, it flies toward him leisurely. Vincent continues struggling, but it is futile. Before he can react, the little blue fire is already floating in front of his face. He cries out in surprise. Then, his eyes widen in horror as the flame flies straight into his mouth and down his throat.

"AAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!"

Vincent cries out in pain. It burns! It burns! It burns! He can feel the flame tearing him apart from the inside, slowly and painfully. The pain is too much. He drops his weapons and crumples down on the ground, grasping at his throat and stomach. His screams echo throughout the desolate swampland. After a several excruciating moments, he hears the girl sigh loudly.

"Tch! How disappointing!"

The girl snaps her fingers. The skeletal arms release his legs and retreat back into the ground. The burning pain from within slowly vanishes, leaving him coughing and choking as he tries to recover. She lands on the ground and starts walking toward him. He can barely move, much less escape.

"Pretty weak without my power, aren't you? It's a pity. You had a lot of potential as a medium. In fact, you still do~"

She stands right in front of Vincent. The girl ruffles his hair fondly.

"Why don't you accept me as your master?" she says. "I could make you my familiar, if you choose."

"..."

"Now, don't be like that. I'm just trying to give you a second chance. No point in wasting such a talented -"

Before she can finish, Vincent swings at her. Her eyes widen in surprise. His fist unceremoniously connects with her face. Without giving her time to react, he punches her again with his other arm. He screams in anger as he continues pounding the girl's head. Blood splatters on his face, but he pays it no mind. He keeps attacking, smashing his fists upon her head. Sounds of flesh breaking and bones breaking, but he pays them no heed.

"Haa... haa... haaa..."

He doesn't know how long it took. In the end, he only stopped due to sheer exhaustion. She isn't moving anymore. Slowly, he stands himself up and begins walking away from the corpse. It is over. All he needs to do now is get Chen to safety and -

"Weak."

He stops in his tracks and turns around. The corpse stands herself up and wipes the dust and blood off her face. Except that it wasn't a corpse yet. The girl stood before him, her face completely regenerated.

"Humans are so weak. I even let you take a free shot at me, and this is all you can do?"

The girl stands in front of him. She doesn't look amused. Before he can respond, she vanishes. In the next moment, he feels something grab his neck. He blinks. The girl has already lifted him up the ground with one hand, choking him effortlessly.

"I don't even have to use my powers to break you. I can tear you apart with my bare hands, ahaha~"

She tosses him several yards away as if he were a rag doll. He lands painfully on the ground. The girl starts walking closer. He struggles to crawl away. But it's futile. She is already beside him. He cringes in fear. He can't fight back. He can't fight a monster like her. He can feel her running her hands along his left arm. Her sharp nails scratch painfully as she examines him.

"Interesting," she says. "Your joints are just like a doll's. I wonder what happens if I -"

"Pop!"

"AAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!"

She lets go. He hits the ground hard.

"Oops. I guess I might have broken something. How careless, ahahaha~"

The girl's laughter is almost as painful as his body.

"Well, I'm done playing here. I better finish the ritual now. Die quietly, little human~"

She starts walking back toward the sealing circle. Chen lies helplessly, still unconscious. No. No. No! This isn't right. This isn't right! This can't be right. This can't be the end. It can't just end like this! It won't end like this. He won't let it end like this!

"..."

Slowly, Vincent forces himself up. No voices in his head, this time. Only his own. With one single jerking movement, he realigns his dislocated shoulder.

"FFFFFFFF.....!"

The pain is intense. He bites his lip and stays silent. She doesn't realize that he can still move. This is his chance. If only he had a weapon.

"Clang!"

Something lands nearby. He doesn't stop to think. His hands quickly recover the item.

[ ] A warm blade that holds a promise
[ ] A cold blade that holds a grudge