Upon the takedown of the two assassins , Yosho moved swiftly out of the house. She circled around in silent, practiced grace, positioning herself behind the line of infiltrators.
Yosho took a few seconds to think about her options, which weren't ideal in the slightest. "Outnumbered..." She thought, but there was something in the back of her mind. She was curious if it would work?
The two Under-hands were patiently awaiting the return of their leader with the Shadow members. Right up until they were alerted by someone, as two of the Shadow members marched Yosho up towards them.
"Hm. Now who is this?" Cag asked loudly, his curiosity piqued. This was the only intriguing person he'd met since he's been here.
Stulte grunted, simply annoyed. "Does it matter? Get her in with the sheep heard."
Yosho smirked, ready to launch her plan into action. "Dear. Just the two of you?" She said, her tone dripping with theatrical disappointment.
"Did I say you could speak, human?" Stulte snapped, his irritation boiling over as he stepped forward.
"Oh, please forgive me. I simply expected the... Under-hands they called you? To be a bit stronger. Such low Perivállon," Yosho replied coolly, her goading deliberate.
[[>Baseline Skill<]]
[[-Analyze and Asses-]]
Upon activation prior to her approach, Yosho had already assessed her opponents and was already highly confident she could handle them on her own.
Stulte's eyes widened in utter fury. What was happening before him was complete blasphemy. Gritting his teeth, he stomped his foot and marched right up to Yosho's face, his breath hot and angry. "Weak... I'll be sure to have you begging."
"I'd imagine you will," Yosho replied, a smug grin curling her lips, her tone utterly dismissive.
Stulte clenched his fists at his sides, glaring up into Yosho's unflinching eyes.
"Come now, Stulte. Calm down," Cag said, his voice a warning.
"You'll let her disrespect us," Stulte replied, his gaze never leaving Yosho's, "but I won't."
"Since no one is hurt and in respect for Great Imuru's compassion, I'll give you both the chance to call off your people and leave," Yosho said, delivering a calm threat to match her elegance.
Stulte went to take a swing up at Yosho's head, only for her to block the blow with her forearm, the impact echoing sharply. Before he could recover, she dropped low, yanked his arm down, and pulled up with a brutal, rising fist straight to his jaw.
The hit connected with a sickening crunch. Stulte was knocked off his feet and sent skidding across the ground until he slammed into the side of a building, coughing up a spray of blood. The surrounding Shadow members flinched in shock and surprise, to see one of their leader leaders being countered so simply.
Stulte's mask clattered to the ground. He managed to stumble to his feet, his hands quivering uncomfortably. "L-lucky..."
"To make this interesting—and fair—why not have your friends join in? The help you certainly need," Yosho said mockingly.
"Help? You think I need help? For someone like you?" Stulte snarled, deep resentment thickening his tone.
Cag was silent, the composed look fallen from his face as he realized just how serious the situation had gotten. He unfolded his arms and proceeded to step toward Yosho.
Stulte noticed this promptly and protested, his voice cracking. "W-What are you doing?! Did I say I need your help?!"
"Quiet. The situation has changed. This is a worthy opponent to face." Cag got into a low, balanced fighting stance, his eyes sharp and assessing. "I am Cag, first appointed Under-hand of Shadow of the Moon. What is your name?"
Yosho pointed at herself, a bit stumped—her various interactions with Arken causing her to have very low standards of outside Dark Deviders. "You want my name? Really?"
"Yes," Cag replied, his tone unflinching.
Yosho cleared her throat, a flicker of professional formality cutting through the tension. "I wouldn't say it's a pleasure to meet you, considering our situation... My name is Yosho Kanugami, secretary of the Great Demon Lord."
Just before they could clash, a roaring vortex of blue-ish purple flames tore through the sky, crashing down among the infiltrators with enough force to shake the village. Every eye snapped toward the inferno—enemy and ally alike—frozen in awe and fear. The flames did not burn; they parted like a curtain, and from their heart, Imuru emerged, cradling dazzled Linira gently in his arms.
As the last embers faded into the wind, Linira stepped free, straightening her hair. But no one was looking at her. All eyes were fixed on Imuru, his presence a sudden, tangible anchor in the chaos.
A choked cry went up from one of the bound Dark Deviders. Then another. A wave of raw, trembling relief swept through them, a soundless release of held breath, of fear dissolving into dissolving joy. Tears welled in Roll's eyes, and grateful cheers began to rise, swelling until it filled the air.
Imuru's face held a look of profound reassurance that seemed to touch each of his people in turn. He raised a hand, and the cheers quieted in a reverent hush.
Faster than anyone could perceive, Imuru appeared in front of his people, spooking them slightly. "Sorry." He cleared his throat. "It's alright," He said, his voice carrying clearly, thick with emotion. "Arken and the others are safe. Linira told me everything." He took a steady breath, his smile trembling at the edges. "Seeing you all here... standing, breathing... that's all that matters now."
Roll stumbled forward, dropping fully to both knees, his voice breaking. "Lord Imuru... This was a mistake."
"Roll, you worry too much. Just leave it all to me, your mistakes... All of it," Imuru said gently, resting a hand on Roll's shoulder. "As for our guests... We'll find a use for this hostility."
His eyes drifted past the crowd, finding Yosho further down in the midst of a tense standoff with Cag and Stulte. The relief on his face deepened into something fiercer—proctective, proud, and utterly unwavering, as he began to walk toward her, his steps deliberate, leaving a path renewed hope in his wake.
Cag and Stulte were completely dumbfounded by Imuru's sudden presence—and worse, he stood with their own second-in-command, the Lent Head-hand.
Linira moved to stand just behind Imuru's shoulder, coming to a poised stop beside him, her expression unreadable but her posture unequivocal.
"Lent Head-hand..." Cag began, his voice strained with confusion. "I-I must ask—why stand with the enemy?"
"Lent Head-hand no longer," Linira replied, her tone crisp and final. "I am the Head-hand."
The words landed with the force of a physical blow. Absolute shock rippled through Cag, Stulte, and the Shadow members. Stulte's face went slack, his earlier fury replaced by stark disbelief.
"What? Head-hand Arg... was defeated?" Stulte asked, the words barely more than a whisper, as if speaking them might make the reality true.
"Lord Arg fell in battle, which makes me the leader of Shadow of the moon," Linira stated modestly, her hands held behind her back in a gesture of calm authority.
"Traitor," Stulte spat, turning his full body and bristling hostility toward Imuru instead. "What would Head-hand Arg think of this?"
Imuru cocked his head slightly, unfazed. "Linira is the new Head-hand. I'm certain Arg would appreciate it if you followed her orders from now on."
"Head-hand Arg wouldn't lose to someone like you," Stulte said, his voice thick with disgust.
"This reminds me..." Imuru mused, hand on his hips as he gazed thoughtfully into the distant sky. "Arken was like this the first time we met... Kinda. Should I be rude about it? You know—holding my people hostage, fighting Yosho, kidnapping Arken, Titani, and a few others..."
"Step away from him, Lent Head-hand," Stulte growled, shifting his stance and clearly preparing to attack Imuru.
"Ohw~... Very threatening," Imuru thought with heavy sarcasm. "Hey..." He turned slightly toward Linira at his side. "There's a power hierarchy here, right? He's below you because you're stronger, yes?"
"That would be the case," Linira replied calmly.
Imuru stepped forward without fear, then paused and turned back to Linira again. "What was his name?" He whispered, before turning to face Stulte with renewed clarity. "Stulte. As you probably figured out by now... Arg was defeated. By me. So, can you give up?"
Stulte didn't have a thought to listen. He lunged at Imuru, only to be intercepted mid-air by Yosho, who swept in with a kick to his side, right to the ground.
Imuru blinked, mildly stunned, as Yosho straightened up. "It's wonderful to have you back, Great Imuru," She said, her voice warm with genuine relief.
Cag, unlike his defiant ally, didn't dare push this any further. He saw the clear shift in power and, with a solemn exhale, rose to his feet and then knelt formally before Linira. "I'm certain our former Head-hand fought honourable to the end," He said, his words heavy with resigned respect.
In the end, the whole situation in the village was turned around completely. All the infiltrators were forcibly gathered in the village square, down on their knees under watchful eyes.
Linira, Imuru, Yosho, and Roll stood side-by-side before them, Imuru's Dark Deviders behind them. To ensure Stulte caused no trouble, he was tightly bound by the arms and legs, his mouth firmly gagged.
"Roll, I'll leave this here to you. I have someone to meet," Imuru said, already turning to walk away. Leaving the gathered assembly behind, he met up with Cag, who led him to where Arken and the few others were being held.
They weren't in a cage or a cell, but trapped inside a green barrier—a spherical prison suspended and sustained by a single, pulsing crystal embedded in the ground.
Titani and the others lit up with hope as their eyes landed on Imuru, but the relief died almost instantly when they spotted Cag behind him. Arken, meanwhile, sat perfectly calm, legs folded, in a state of deep meditation.
Cag stepped forward and took the pulsing crystal in hand. With a twist, it deactivated, and the barrier dissolved, freeing everyone at once.
"Lord Imuru!" Titani rushed over, planting herself firmly between him and Cag, baring her teeth in a protective snarl.
Arken remained still, eyes closed, which deeply perplexed Imuru. "Arken," Imuru said, hurrying over to the meditating Dark Devider.
"If you're here, then it all went to plan," Arken mumbled, not opening his eyes.
"Huh? Excuse me?" Imuru said, utterly baffled.
Arken finally stood to his feet in one smooth motion, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well done. I was not needed for this... minor issue." He turned his head toward the other Dark Deviders. "And you fools doubted me. Hmph."
"Ugh... You're welcome, Arken," Imuru thought, sighing internally, not sure why he expected anything else.