The Second Archon War: Imperatrix Umberosa 21 (Patreon)

Imperatrix Umberosa 21: ███████ Jun, Honor and █████████

Alarms blared, and Jun pounded down the hallway of Shiretoko Command Base in Northern Hokkaido, which was lit now only by red emergency lights. He reached the launch bay for the Kairagi MK III, and two attendants helped him into his mecha. The Kairagi MK III was a brand new production model, larger than the Kairagi MK II, but built along the same lines in the style of a 2.5-meter-tall samurai in kabuto helm and lacquered armor, though in truth the materials were far more exotic and sturdy. 

He stood, flexing his mecha’s left hand. It never felt right when he wasn’t in his suit, even with his prosthetic. In the mecha, he felt as though he had his left arm back, instead of feeling like he had a ghost mounted on his shoulder. His right hand went to the hilt of his blade, the same that he had carried in the Third Sino-Japanese War.

Still, there was no time to waste, and Jun sprinted for the assembly point, his mecha carrying him at over 80 kph as his body's enhanced strength and reflexes from his cybernetic augmentations melded with the mecha to produce truly superhuman feats. 

“Captain Mikazuki!” Jun was not the first to the assembly area, to his chagrin: he was beaten there by his young 2nd Lieutenant, Shiramine Hitomei. She’d just graduated from the Officer’s Academy, and to Jun’s mind, wasn’t much older than his son Keizo, who was just starting high school. 

“Lieutenant,” Jun said, returning Hitomei’s bow.

“Sir, do you know what this is about? Is it the Russians? Are the Fatui invading?” Hitomei asked breathlessly as the rest of their company assembled. 

“You know as much as I do, Lieutenant. But I do not think this is another drill,” Jun said grimly. In the distance, the base’s Sacred Sakura Tree suddenly blossomed, lightning streaking into the sky. Other bolts could be seen across the horizon, all of them forming a great purple shield dome over Hokkaido. 

“Narukami protect us,” Hitomei gasped, and made the sign of lightning with her hands to ward off evil. 

“My mother protects us all, Lieutenant,” a voice said as a portal snapped open beside Hitomei.

Jun and the rest of his company were instantly on their knees as the Inazuma no Hime and her three bodyguards appeared in their midst: a short young woman in a tanuki costume with a massive blade and an Anemo Vision, and a young blonde gaijin with what looked like several adorable stuffed animals and a large slingshot, as well as the noble kirin that heralded the Princess, Murasaki-domo. 

With the princess were half a dozen Shinto priests and priestesses, bearing nine-ringed shakujō and incense burners, along with paper seals and scrolls. Whatever this was, it apparently called for the highest-ranking clergy, because Jun recognized the High Miko of Hokkaido, as well as the Chief Priest of the Grand Narukami Shrine in Tokyo. 

“Princess, we live to serve!” Jun gasped.

“Rise, Captain. We do not have time for ceremony,” Princess Ami said grimly. “We face the most dire threat to humanity that has yet emerged. Even now, my mother and sister go to do battle with the evil that threatens us. For my part, I must perform the purification ceremony. You and your men will escort me to Etorofu Island, where I must plant a Sacred Sakura Tree to absorb the evil that has befallen that land.”

“Etorofu? Then we are at war with Russia?” Jun asked, only to establish mission parameters.

Ami’s face took on a mournful cast, and she shook her head. “No, Captain. In this war, all of humanity must unite against the demons we face, or we shall one and all perish. The Tsaritsa and the Fatui are our allies. We must act as one people under the gods.”

Ami turned to face the company and rose in the air, a nimbus of power forming about her, and her mother’s distinctive halo appearing behind her. 

Warriors of Japan! We go now to save as many residents of the Chishima Rettō as we can. This is a suicide mission. What we face is an evil so great, so polluting, that even knowledge of its existence can drive men and gods alike to madness and death. You will be checked for corruption upon our return, as will any living we find. If corruption is found…you may be given the Embrace of Eternity.

The Princess’s speech made Jun’s blood run cold. He knew perfectly well what a suicide mission was, but even in the Third Sino-Japanese War, no mission had been described as such to the JBF, but now…

Should any of you be afraid, or unwilling to take up this burden, you may be excused from it, for your immortal souls are what you risk in this battle, Princess Ami continued. 

Jun instantly knelt again, despite the Princess’s earlier words, and he heard the echoing thud of his troops doing the same. “Highness! We live to serve. Company K-08, Shinden Unit, will gladly give our lives in service to our Shogun! To die in your service is an honor; to flee, a disgrace.”

“BANZAI!” Lieutenant Hitomei cried, and the rest of the company echoed it, surging to their feet and raising their katanas in salute.

…Your sacrifice will be remembered every time lightning strikes, even should your names be erased from bark of Irminsul, the Princess said, bowing her head and tears trickling down her cheek. Then she turned and drew her mother’s blade from her chest. Jun was awed to see the sacred Musou Isshin with his own eyes, but he did not lose focus.  Now prepare yourselves! We venture now into the Abyss, to face all the demons of the void!

With a cry, the Princess sliced open a hole in the world, and Jun led his troops into damnation itself. 

In the war, Jun had seen great slaughter, and had even participated in the execution of unarmed members of the CUI military. He had fought Yangban, losing his left arm in the process. He had thought he knew what slaughter and horror was. 

He was not prepared for the Abyss.

Flayed corpses were hung on trees that had been twisted and mutilated into dark, horrible things that had the faces of demons on them. Monsters that ranged in size from rats to elephants, but with the twisted forms of horrific demons attacked them instantly, emerging from the blighted soil, appearing out of the swirling mists, or were the corpses of the civilians animated by baleful power. 

Some of the monsters took on the faces of Jun’s loved ones. He had to cut down his son, his daughter, his wife, even himself. Some of the clones screamed blasphemies, others wept and begged. He made himself destroy each one, though it broke his heart. 

He did not think they would find any survivors, but to his shock, in a Chapel of the Frozen Heart, they found a Russian Priest, a dozen Fatui, and a squad of Protectorate Capes, barely holding back all the legions of hell. Within the walls, a few dozen civilians sheltered, all trembling with fear. The chapel must have been holy ground, for the dark haze was repelled by a shimmering barrier that was maintained by the priest’s fervent prayers to the Tsaritsa and her daughter. Even so, the barrier had been shrinking and cracking, even as Shinden Company battled their way to them. 

“Thank the gods,” the American leader, a young woman no older than Lieutenant Hitomei, gasped, slumping against the church’s splintered gates. Her armor was battered and showed claw and tooth marks, but she didn’t appear to be harmed. “We thought all was lost…” 

My Mother does not forget any of her children, even wayward Yankees, The Princess stated as the Shinto priests hurried up the path, guarded by Shinden company. 

Check the survivors for corruption, the Princess directed, and the priests quickly began doing so as Jun directed his company to establish a perimeter. The survivors were few: a few dozen elderly and children, with all the ablebodied men and women having taken up arms alongside the Fatui and Protectorate capes. Of the fighters, there were barely a dozen left among the living, most of them wounded. 

There was no break in the onslaught, with two giant demons with black masks emerging and slaying three of Jun’s men. Lieutenant Hitomei struck down one of the giants, while the blonde gaijin that had to be Clara Klein fired off two of her stuffed animals that ripped apart the giant and a dozen more smaller demons in a massive fireball in the shape of an adorable little jumpty dumpty. 

For himself, Jun stuck close to the Princess, as protecting her was the foremost objective in their mission. 

I will plant the Sakura Tree here, in the only unblighted ground, the Princess declared. 

“This land is sacred to the Tsaritsa!” the Russian Priest protested. He was a middle-aged man with his light brown beard going grey, but the light of zealotry burned hot in his eyes. 

Then she will rejoice that it will be used to save her people, the Princess declared. Even now, she works to save New Moscow from a similar threat. All the gods have joined the battle, for this is a threat to all living things upon this world. We will need your help in the purification ceremony, Priest of Dantalion. Without it, this land and all its people are doomed. We are not enemies in the face of the Empty Dark.

“I…” the Priest hesitated, then nodded. “Of course, Lady Raiden. If such is the will of Our Beloved Mother.”

Captain, see to it that the ceremony is not disrupted. Sayu will stay by my side: you must see to the defense, the Princess commanded. 

Jun bowed in response, then raced back to the perimeter. More of his men were down, and the waves of monsters were endless. Even as Jun took his place in the line, one man began to scream in horror. He ripped off his helmet, black smoke rising from his eyes as he babbled nonsense. 

Jun didn’t ask questions: he immediately took Private Takahashi’s head off, then incinerated the body with his suit’s flamethrower. 

“Good move,” the American cape leader said, coming up to launch her projectiles into the oncoming horde. “Capsaicin, one of my capes, started screaming about the bugs in his mind, then killed two Fatui who were helping us. I had to kill him myself. If you start hearing voices…tell me so I can kill you before you go crazy.”

“My men would not take kindly to that,” Jun grunted as he and the American slew two demon wolves that appeared out of a portal to hell. “We are not friends, Yankee.”

“I’m friends with anyone who’s on the side of humanity against…whatever these are,” the Yankee officer said firmly, killing one of the masking things that had tried to flang Jun.

After a moment’s consideration, Jun nodded. “Agreed. Against these demons, our squabbles are nothing but petty bickering. This…this is worse even than Maou the Golden.”

“Yes, I-” the Yankee cut off, as the heavens themselves suddenly opened up, and the voices of the Gods of Eternity were heard in every mind as the full moon appeared in the sky above Jun.

PERISH. 

For only the second time, the Musou no Hitotachi was unleashed upon Earth Bet, as Raiden Ei and Raiden Dalnim performed the technique as one. The island known as Sakhalin to the Russians and Karafuto to the Japanese was utterly erased from existence. So powerful was the command and blow that the Shogun and the Moon God unleashed that Jun, more than 20km away, was nearly killed just by the Authority that imbued the attack. Many of the demons attacking them were banished outright, and for a few blessed minutes, they had a respite. 

“Holy gods,” the American coughed, wiping blood that she'd started to sweat from her brow. “That…that was…I almost died…”

“Better to die to the word of our Lord than perish to these…things,” Jun said, then raised his blade. There was the baying of wolves, and dozens of the demonic creatures emerged from the mists and charged the chapel. “They are coming! Shinden Unit! Prepare yourselves!” 

“Protectorate! Hold the line! Remember Riga!” the American officer shouted, though she had only two other of her men alive still. How many had she come with? Jun had perhaps seventy of his Kairagi still on their feet, and he had arrived with 100 less than half an hour ago. The Americans had been here much longer. The fact that they were still fighting was a testament to their warrior spirit. 

Behind Jun, he could hear the chanting of the priests, and the voice of Raiden Ami as she grew the Sacred Sakura tree. Roots began to grow and spread under Jun’s feet, pulsing with power. He fought endless waves of monsters, including more of those horrific mimics. Two more of his men began to go mad, one sprouting spikes and tentacles from his arm, the other laughing madly when she had been forced to kill her younger brother. Her armor had begun to blacken, and black oil began to leak from her helmet. Jun hadn’t hesitated: He’d struck both their heads off before the corruption spread. 

After what felt like days and years, but was less than an hour, the Sacred Sakura tree finally bloomed. The black mist receded, and the corruption in the soil slowly vanished. The waves of monsters lessened, and the portals began to shrink. Her first duty complete, Raiden Ami took the field mounted upon Murasaki.

Captain! We must reach those portals and shut the way! Otherwise, these monsters will continue to pour forth, the Princess cried. 

“Lieutenant! Take Aki and Tenko platoons, and hold this chapel against all comers!” Jun ordered. 

“Yes, sir!” Hitomei agreed instantly, though she was panting for breath. Aki and Tenko were both at half strength, but they were still the strongest of the four platoons that Shinden Unit had arrived with.

“Raijin and Suzume Platoons, with me!” Jun roared, raising his sword on high. “With her Highness! FOR THE SHOGUN!”

“FOR ETERNITY!” his men echoed, and Clara Klein launched a barrage of her bombs to clear their path before the Lightning Princess led the twenty-eight remaining members of Raijin and Suzume Platoons in a desperate charge through the remains of the town. 

Thankfully, the monsters really were thinning out, with the spreading roots of the Sakura Tree absorbing most of the corruption. Still, the Lightning Princess was out front to Jun’s horror, lightning blasting from the horn of her kirin mount, and her mother’s blade carving entire buildings in half. The only one who could remain at her side was the diminutive shuumatsuban ninja, who rolled about like a hurricane, swirling the lightning and bringing healing to Jun’s flagging troops at the same time. 

At last, they reached the site of the main portal, which was anchored on a black purple stone where various animals and humans had been slaughtered, their entrails strewn in blasphemous patterns. 

Y̸o̸u̷ ̴c̷a̴n̷ ̴h̵a̵v̷e̵ ̶t̶h̷e̵ ̴p̴o̸w̷e̴r̸ ̷t̷o̵ ̷s̷a̷v̴e̷ ̷y̵o̴u̵r̷ ̵m̶e̵n̶.̷ ̸

The voices in Jun’s mind had been whispering for some time, but now he could discern words. He ignored them, forcing himself to keep fighting. He began to see images of his parents out of the corner of his eye, or bright shining lights that seemed to offer safety when he blinked. Gritting his teeth, he fought on, even as he felt his blood begin to freeze and boil. 

He swung at what he thought was a monster, only for his vision to blur at the last moment. To his horror, he realized he had struck at the Princess. Who caught his blade with her own. Terrified, Jun stumbled back, falling to his knees.

“Keep the princess safe at all costs!” Jun coughed and felt black bile come out of his throat. “You are in command now, Sergeant Chikage!” 

Then, Jun turned his blade towards himself and rammed it into his own chest, straight into his own heart. 

He expected pain, but instead, he blinked as his hurts vanished. He found himself lying on a soft pillow, and then started. Looking down on him was the teary-eyed face of the Raiden Shogun, and it was her lap he was lying on. 

“Excellency!” Jun gasped, and struggled to rise, only for the Shogun to gently put a hand on his chest. He was tired. So tired. His arms and legs felt like lead weights. 

“Stay, Captain Mikazuki. It is time for you to rest, Jun,” the Shogun said, and her voice was tender. 

“I…Excellency, I am not worthy,” Jun gasped, but he couldn’t get a full breath of air. He didn’t hurt, but he was so, so weary…

“You are more worthy than I, Jun. In this single moment, know that I have seen you, and your sacrifice. I regret what must come next, but I will take this moment to treasure you,” the Shogun said, and then, to Jun’s astonishment, she bent over and gently pressed her lips to his forehead, like a mother would do. 

“Excellency,” Jun rasped, and tears filled his eyes. 

“You fought well, Captain. Against a foe greater than even I, you proved once more that it is humanity and the spirit of mankind that truly shines into Eternity. Though your life was but a moment, you touched many and proved yourself a mighty warrior.”

“But, Excellency, I failed! My men…” tears filled Jun’s eyes, and he thought of his own troops he had been forced to slay, and the others who had been ripped to shreds by the monsters. “It was worse than Taiwan…and then..then I betrayed…” sobs wracked Jun’s body as he recalled turning his own blade on the Princess as the madness overcame him. 

“No, Captain. You did your duty, taking your life with your own hand rather than fail in your task. Thanks to you and your brave warriors’ sacrifices, my daughter will live. As will Japan. As will this world. That is why I so regret what will happen when this moment fades, for even I cannot make a moment last forever.”

“It was my honor and privilege to die in your service, Excellency. I regret nothing,” Jun whispered, no longer having the strength to speak up.

“It is not your death that I most regret, Jun. Come. I will help you stand. It is a god’s duty to take her children into death,” the Shogun said, and Jun found himself lifted in her arms, cradled like a child, for he had not the strength to stand. 

He was standing in a Shinto shrine, under a torii gate. Lightning flickered overhead, but a garden had begun to bloom, a white glowing branch at the center.

“Buer. I bring another of my children to you,” the Shogun called to the branch, pain filling her voice and choking her words. 

That perfect, lovely branch shivered, then took on the form of the Hopebringer. Jun gasped and tried to pay her homage, but his eyes couldn’t even do more than flutter open slightly. 

Gently, Nahida Saeed reached up, taking Jun from the Electro Archon. “I am sorry. He is too corrupted. I can purify his soul, but it will take at least 2,176 years,” the Hopebringer’s distant voice said. “Even now, his soul is warping into a demon’s. I must act quickly.”

“I know. Merely let me say his name, one last time. Captain Mikazuki Jun. The man who saved Ami’s life,” the Shogun said, and there were tears in her voice. Who was she crying for? 

“Then let his name be erased, and the world forget him, until such a time as this soul is pure once more.”

With those words, the name of ████████ ███ was stripped from the Tree of Life. The soul that had once been ████████ ███ was absorbed by the Sacred Sakura tree, where the network would slowly cleanse it of corruption before it could pass into the leylines, and into the afterlife. 

Looking around at the devastation, Hitomei felt sick. How had she led only twenty-six men and women into this hell and survived?

She put a hand to her head. Yes. She was the commander of Shinden Unit. They had three platoons, all understrength. Barely squads, really. When she had woken this morning, she had spoken to….

███████ ███ lead us ████ ███████ I was ████ ███ ██████ Lieutenant. 

Hitomei ripped her helmet off and collapsed to her hands and knees, vomiting heavily. She looked at her vomit in horror, then at her trembling hands. Was she corrupted too?

“First time in combat?” a voice said in English, though Hitomei could understand it, here under the Sacred Sakura. 

A hand rubbed the back of Hitomei’s armor, and she glanced over to see the Yankee officer giving her a sad smile. 

“...yes,” Hitomei said in a small voice. The American looked so tired, just like Hitomei felt. “I...I need a smoke. I haven’t had one since middle school, but…but I could use…”

The American produced a pack of cigarettes and used her power to ignite one. She handed it to Hitomei, before taking another for herself. They sat there on the ground in front of the Chapel of the Frozen Heart in the shade of the Sakura tree and smoked. 

“I…I can’t believe I led this expedition. That you did. You look…you look like you’re my age. I…I’m 19,” Hitomei said, her voice trembling. 

“I’m Lieutenant Marisa Romano, Cape Name Grenadine, 1st New York Protectorate Battalion. I too, am 19 years old. I came…I came when General Eidolon called with…with…no…it was just me…I can’t…” Tears appeared on Lt. Romano’s cheeks, and Hitomei put an arm around her former enemy. 

“Yeah. I think…I think we can’t remember the fallen,” Hitomei hiccuped. “But…there’s no way they let a green 2nd Lieutenant lead a single platoon into battle and call it a company.”

“I am sorry. But the names of the fallen have been erased. Even I cannot remember them now.”

Hitomei and Marisa tried to get to their feet, but Princess Raiden Ami just flopped down next to them. “I don’t suppose you’d give me one of those, would you?” 

“”Not a chance,”” Hitomei and Marisa said in concert. Hysterical giggles escaped both of them, and the Princess smiled tiredly.

“I figured. Well, I know a little more than both of you: there were ten Americans who came here, and there was a company of 120 Fatui stationed here. I came…I came with a full company of 100 Kairagi.”

“But…but there are only twenty-six members of Shinden company. I couldn’t…I would never forget…” Hitomei was vomiting again, and so was Marisa. Was it the cigarette? She hadn’t had one since she’d stolen them with Yuki six years ago, when they’d found those slimes near the old power plant. 

“They are the Forgotten. Their names erased from the Tree of Life,” Ami said sadly, and she touched Hitomei, her divine powers healing the shakes that were wracking her body. “You cannot remember them. No one can. Their actions remain, but your mind will fill in the gaps with a new reality where they never existed.”

“But…but my squad…I had a squad?” Marisa asked, tears in her eyes. “I…I can’t remember…I was alone, since Riga. Just…just me and General Eidolon… Just…just me and David…”

“There,” Ami said, and pointed to a great electro Crystal at the center of the ruined town. It was in the shape of three people, their faces blank, though they wore clear uniforms. Each had their arms crossed one over the other, and was holding the hands of the other two figures. One was in the uniform of a JBF soldier, the other in a United States Protectorate dress uniform, and the last in a Faanus’ greatcoat. It was impossible to tell if they were male or female, young or old, but they stood together, clasping hands in friendship. 

“I erected the monument. There are nine blanks for the Americans, one hundred twenty for the Fatui, and seventy-four for Shinden Unit. I am sorry. It’s all I can do. I thought…I thought I could protect them…but I couldn’t.”

“It is beautiful,” Hitomei gasped, and she struggled to her feet. Silently, she, Hitomei, and Raiden Ami approached the monument. She found the listing for Shinden Unit, and there in the crystal, blank lines. 

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

Seventy-six of them. She ran her fingers over each, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. 

“...I am sorry I can’t remember you. But we will always honor you,” Hitomei whispered. 

They will be remembered one day. It will take 2,000 years, but that is but a moment of Eternity. One day, when their souls have been cleansed, this monument will bear their names. 

Hitomei and Marisa spun as the Raiden Shogun and her daughter Dalnim descended, both women falling to their knees. 

“Rise,” the Shogun commanded. “You are my sisters in battle. You need not ever kneel before me.”

“Even…even me, Lord Beezelbul?” Marisa asked timidly as she trembled, still bowing before the god.

The Shogun reached down and gently helped the American officer to her feet. “You fought beside my own warriors this day, fought alongside my precious daughter. You shall always be honored in Japan, Romero Marisa.”

“Thank you, Excellency,” Marisa whispered, managing to meet the Shogun’s eyes. Then, her shoulder’s straightened. “But the battle is not over, is it?”

“No. The threat of the Abyss remains.” The Shogun’s expression darkened, and anger entered into her voice. And it is the Yankees who have brought this Doom upon us. 

“What?! No, I-”

“Not you,” Dalnim said, shaking her head and coming up beside her mother. “You are innocent, Romero Marisa. Whatever sins you had, they were expunged when you shed your blood against the Abyss.”

“But America, we’re the good guys! We, we would never…” Marisa trailed off, trembling and pale. 

“I send you now to your people. Tell them what you have seen. What has happened. Tell them that the Abyss is a poison and a threat that cannot be tolerated. Tell them if they do not turn back…then I will destroy them. I have seen a nation fall to the Abyss before. I will not countenance it again,” the Shogun declared.

“I…yes. I will, Lord Beezelbul,” Marisa swore, clutching at a seven-pointed star on a chain about her neck. “I…I serve the Archons. I was at Riga. I saw…I saw what you are. You are what Asset Tyche said you were: the gods, come back to save us.”

“Then you are wise. Depart. Warn your people. For once I have cleansed mine and Dalnim’s lands…I will cleanse the lands of the Yankees,” the Shogun decreed. 

“I…yes. I will help you. I won’t…this can’t happen in America,” Marisa muttered.

The Shogun gestured, and a portal for Marisa opened. She hurried through, the gate snapping shut behind her. Then, the Shogun and her daughters turned to Hitomei, who reflexively fell to her knees. 

“Excellencies, I live to serve,” Hitomei gasped.

“Rise, Captain,” the Shogun ordered.

Trembling, Hitomei got up, not having the words to correct her god: She was just a 2nd Lieutenant. 

“I did not make a mistake, Captain Shiramine Hitomei,” the Shogun said, a faint smile turning up the corners of her lips. “Your promotion is effective immediately. I regret this, but you are now the officer with the most experience in fighting the Abyss. There are more islands to cleanse. Shinden Unit will be reinforced immediately, and you will have field command. You know the signs of corruption and how to fight our foe. Will you take up your sword once again?”

Hitomei reached for her katana, but it had broken and been discarded. “I…I have no sword, Shogun. But I will fight with my bare hands if I must.”

“Then take up this blade,” the Shogun said, and drew a shintan-ken crafted by her own hands from the Divine Realm, and handed it to Hitomei. “Come. There is work to be done.”

“At once, Excellency!” Hitomei gasped, and surged to her feet, new strength filing her as the power of the blade filled her. She paused, then turned, proffering the blade to the blank monument. 

“Though I have forgotten you, I will never cease to honor you, ███████ ███,” she whispered. She couldn’t remember the name, but she mouthed silently anyway. 

Then, sheathing her sword at her side, she ran off to face all the horrors of hell once more.