Chapter 25: The Head Changes Hands
"Tch. They're taking their time," Momiji muttered, growing impatient. He sat cross-legged, waiting in the dark clearing that served as the finish line. Who would be the first to come staggering out of the woods clutching a head? The crow? The mirror-woman? One of the two less impressive ones? Whoever it was, the traps he'd laid would slow them down enough.
Shuichi, meanwhile, observed the chaotic hunt through the shared vision of Onigarasu. For spectator sport, the crow's shadowy, overview perspective was unmatched.
He'd watched Kagemi's brilliant strike—one swift sword slash that severed Dry Arrow's head and several crow clones. The ghost crow hadn't anticipated her sudden, precise appearance. She must have entered her Layered Space first, moved within it to match Dry Arrow's real-world position, then transferred herself back out. Creating the illusion of teleportation.
The head had been snatched by a crow clone, but Kagemi hadn't panicked. What is she planning? Even with her spatial tricks, reaching the airborne crow would be difficult.
Tenmu and the crow clone had tussled in the air. Finally, the head ended up in Tenmu's pale hands. He wanted to coast, but opportunity presented itself. With the prize secured, Tenmu banked sharply, shaking off his immediate pursuers, and shot toward the starting point.
But his speed was inferior. Within seconds, the remaining crow clones swarmed him again. Pecking, clawing—the wounds healed instantly, but the harassment was relentless, disrupting his flight.
Unable to bear the constant nuisance, Tenmu made a decision. He deliberately fumbled, letting the heavy head slip from his grasp. He tossed it—straight toward the waiting Mushiji on the ground!
Freed of the burden, the crows lost interest in him. Tenmu sighed internally. Combat truly isn't for me.
Mushiji watched the head arc toward him, a surge of elation quickening his insectile heart. He reached out to claim it.
A crimson flash. Kagemi materialized in front of him, her hand a blur as she snatched the head mid-air. Then she vanished, retreating into her Layered Space.
Abruptly, the frantic chase ground to a halt. The remaining players—Onigarasu (through a clone), Mushiji, and the now-unburdened Tenmu—stood in a tense, silent triangle in the forest clearing. The crow clone stared at Mushiji, its gaze accusing: You had one job. Mushiji's chitinous face conveyed his own silent retort: You let him throw it that far!
"Ahem." The crow clone cleared its throat, breaking the awkward standoff. "Don't worry. Kagemi's Layered Space has a range limit. She can't just pop out at the finish line. She'll have to reappear somewhere within this general area!"
"And what, precisely, is that 'area'?" Mushiji asked, voice flat with exasperation. Stating the obvious was the crow's specialty.
"I'm not Kagemi," the clone said haughtily. "So the range could be large or small. I don't know the specifics. As I said, I am not her."
A profound silence fell. Tenmu and Mushiji simply stared.
"…It's stalling," Mushiji realized, too late. The speaking clone was a distraction. The other clones had already dispersed into the surrounding woods, setting up a surveillance net. The moment Kagemi emerged, the main body of the ghost crow would know.
They were already critically behind.
Tenmu listened, his expression unchanging. After a moment's thought, he simply beat his wings and flew off—not to search, but toward the finish line. Whoever has the head ends up there. Why not just wait?
Back at the clearing, Momiji, leaning against a tree trunk in boredom, finally spotted movement. Tenmu, descending from the sky. Him? Where's the crow? But Tenmu's hands were empty.
Ah. He's giving up, waiting like me. Momiji's eyes narrowed, considering. Should he eliminate a potential competitor early? Tenmu could fly, complicating things. And if other ghosts were closing in, wasting time on Tenmu might cost him the objective. Better to wait.
Patience was a virtue. Tenmu was back; the others couldn't be far.
Kagemi, however, was far from patient. She was in trouble.
Thinking herself clever, she'd found a secluded corner within her Layered Space, planning to emerge in a corresponding hidden spot in reality. The moment she materialized, she found herself face-to-face with a single, perched crow clone.
Damn surveillance net!
A frantic skirmish ensued. The clone was relentless. More clones, alerted, converged on her location. The sound of battle also drew Mushiji, who'd been searching blindly.
Harassed incessantly, Kagemi couldn't find a moment of peace to re-enter her space. Her transfer ability had limits, especially under pressure. Sending a few clones into her pocket dimension did nothing to thin the overwhelming numbers.
In a moment of desperation, she made a choice. Closing her eyes in concentration, she exerted her will. The head of Dry Arrow vanished from her grasp, transferred back into her Layered Space. Simultaneously, the crow clones she'd previously trapped there were expelled, popping back into reality around her.
The ghost crow (through its nearby clones) squawked in outrage. "You hid it in your little dark room?!"
"Go fetch it yourself," Kagemi spat, breaking into a sprint—not toward the finish line, but directly toward Mushiji.
Mushiji's compound eyes widened in surprise and hope as she barreled toward him… and then past him. In the space of a blink, he vanished, pulled into her Layered Space.
"Damn you! Put me in! Put me in now!" The crow's clones shrieked in fury, redoubling their attacks on Kagemi. But it was useless rage. They were two immortal demons; they could batter each other for hours to no lasting effect.
"What a strange request," Kagemi taunted, dodging a spray of acid. "Instead of wasting time here, why not wonder where the Insect Lord will emerge with your prize?"
She'd chosen Mushiji deliberately. The weaker carrier. And within her Layered Space, she was acutely aware of every movement. She knew exactly where Mushiji was. She alone would decide where and when he was expelled back into reality. Then, it would be a simple matter to take the head back.
Both she and Mushiji knew the planned exit point. Only the ghost crow, blind to the inner workings of her dimension, was left in the dark, flapping and shrieking uselessly in the night. The game had become a layered battle of wits, space, and timing.
(End of Chapter)
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