Moon

Traveling through the city in one of the corporation's cars, Mori looked out into the streets to see people scrambling across. As they passed through Shibuya Crossing, the large screens on the sides of the surrounding buildings displayed the news, where the prime minister called a state of emergency in the nation. A green moon hung high in the sky and to the reaper, it looked like a bad omen for things to come. Jenna's phone rang, receiving a call from Fubuki. The mage notified the manager that the operatives inside the dome covered each ward.

"Anything unusual?"

"The dome's still blocking access to the outside, but other than that, nothing out of the ordinary is happening."

"Where are you now?"

"We're right next to the dome in Ikebukuro."

"Any luck getting it open?"

"We tried my strongest fire magic and Okayu's laser beam, it didn't budge. Koro-chan's beating it with her fists right now."

"And how's that going for her?"

The three could hear violent slams and loud, annoyed grunts from the speaker.

"Take a guess," Fubuki chuckled. "How's it going on your end?"

"It's chaos on the streets, but luckily traffic's been on the lighter side. We're meeting with Kiryu soon."

"Kiryu-san, huh? Haven't seen her in a while, give Kaichou my regards. We'll keep trying to break the barrier here. The sooner we begin evac procedures, the less potential casualties."

"Agreed. Talk to you later."

"Good luck on figuring out what's going on."

Jenna sped down the street. She turned on the radio, a news report playing on the station. The Japanese Self-Defense Forces were mobilized, helicopters circling the dome and military camps erected around its perimeter.

"So the military's already responded..." Kiara commented.

"I'm not surprised, the entire world's watching. I just hope they don't make any brash decisions."

Mori crossed her arms. "This could end badly. Worst case scenario, they launch an attack on the dome or they destroy the city."

"I doubt that it'll come to that. I have a good feeling our boss is already talking with world governments. Pretty soon, we'll have backup on the way."

"What makes you say that?" the reaper asked.

"Because a lot of our operatives are trapped in this dome," Jenna replied. "He wouldn't even have a second thought about making sure we all came out of this alive."

"You put a lot of faith in him, huh?"

The manager smiled. "He'd send us all to hell and back just to rescue one of us. That's just the type of person he is. I'm sure he'll send more operatives down to help us."

"I hope you're right about that. So where're we headed?"

"To a restaurant to meet Coco Kiryu. My friend already notified her that we'll be coming."

"What kind of person is she?" Mori asked.

"I haven't met her myself, but from talking to the other girls, I know she's one bold, crude, fun-loving person."

"What's her relation to the mafia?"

"She's a high-ranking member, near the top. She's got a massive influence over the criminal network and has connections to other big businesses and corporations."

Kiara shook her head. "I can't believe we're going to criminals for help."

"We've got no other choice. We need to know what's going on, pronto."

"But can't we find anybody else to help us?"

"Dunno, you know anybody else who knows every part of this city in and out?"

The phoenix sighed. "Fine, we'll do it your way."

"So we're going to her for information, huh?"

"If anyone knew about any wacky cults in town, it'd be her."

Jenna pulled up next to the curb, parking the car. Mori could see the warm yellow lights beaming out of the windows of a fairly tall building. The three stepped out of the car, watching people run past them. Pushing past a few people, they entered the restaurant, bypassing the front desk and climbing up the stairs. The flight of stairs to the third floor led to a corridor. At the end of the hallway, two imposing, suited men stood side by side at the door.

"State your business," one of the men started.

"Chairman Kiryu is expecting us. We're from the organization."

The two men turned to each other. One of them nodded toward the other. "You may enter."

Stepping into the large, brightly lit room, the smell of food wafting in the air alerted the three. Sitting at a dining table at the middle of the room sat an orange-haired girl with horns. She wore a suit that fit her well, except for some places Mori was embarrassed to say. She looked up at the three girls who came in, swirling a glass of red wine in her hand.

"You must be Emma's friend, Jenna, right? Who're the other two?"

"They're also helping me and Emma out."

"I see. Go on, take a seat."

Mori watched Coco as she sat across from the chairman. She turned to the waiter, asking for another bottle of wine and three glasses. He returned with them, uncorking the bottle and pouring the drinks. The reaper picked up her glass, the sweet smell making her relax. She took a sip, savoring the taste.

"Looks like you're enjoying it," Coco remarked.

"What can I say, I love a good glass of wine."

The chairman turned to Jenna. "I'm guessing you three are here about the situation."

"We're hoping you could help us out by giving us some information."

"Well, what do you need to know?"

"First off, what's the Order of the Crawling Chaos?"

Coco snapped her fingers. From a door behind her, another intimidating man walked in holding a file, dropping it on the table. He stood at the chairman's side, maintaining a stoic face.

"This is a file with all of our info about the organization."

Mori chuckled, surprised. "Well that was fast."

"Some of my men heard that little speech when it happened from the ground. I knew Cover was going to respond quickly and I wasn't disappointed. I started digging up info immediately."

Jenna picked it up, noticing how heavy and thick the file was. The manager flipped it open as the other two scanned its contents. Inside were text documents listing alleged members, photos, newspaper clipping, and even more information pertaining to the cult.

"They worship something called Ny...Nyar-" Kiara struggled to read.

"Nyarlathotep," Jenna spoke.

Mori noticed something off about the manager's tone. The reaper glanced at her, spotting her grim expression as she read through the documents.

"Tongue twister, huh? We talked to some die-hard believers about this guy and they told us the same thing, that he was some god of chaos or something," Coco explained.

"What's the history of this cult?" the manager asked.

"Started out as a small group with only a few followers. Over the years it kept growing from there."

"You've known these people ever since their founding?"

"Of course. Being part of the underworld means knowing who's participating in it. Even the smallest of groups could become something threatening one day. What started out as a little club turned into an organization made up of rich bastards allegedly conducting crazy fucking rituals and sacrifices."

"And you did nothing to stop it?" Kiara asked, giving the chairman a cold look.

"We tried not to interfere in the business of others."

"Even when that business involves the lives of innocents?"

Coco leaned in towards the phoenix. "Wait a second, you're that hero I've seen on the news and online. You've been cleaning up around town, haven't you?"

"I'm just protecting the people from the likes of you."

"Kiara..." Jenna whispered, attempting to stop her.

"The likes of me, huh? What's that supposed to mean?"

"One night I met some yakuza members trying to get a high schooler to smuggle drugs for them. He refused and started to beat him up. I managed to fight them off and I took the boy to the hospital. He was badly beaten and had a broken arm."

The chairman leaned back in her chair, surprised. "Do y'know who did it?"

"The man right next to you."

Coco turned to the guard with a fiery glare. "What did you do?"

The fury in her voice made Mori flinch. Kiara and Jenna continued to watch.

The man trembled. "I-it's bullshit, Kaichou! I-I didn't do anything, I swear!"

The chairman slammed her fist on the table, making the three jump. "Yamato, you son of a bitch. I thought I made myself clear. We have rules here."

"I-I know Kaichou! Please forgive me!"

"Guards!"

Mori snapped around, seeing the two guards stationed outside walking in.

"No, please no!" the man pleaded.

"Grab him," Coco commanded.

The two guards complied, holding the man in place.

"I'm guessing your gang was with you the night you beat up that poor kid. We only have one rule here: don't mess with civvies. We only go after people who've fucked with us."

Coco grabbed the man by the tie. "I already gave you a warning when you tried to steal money from that girl, remember? And this is the thanks I get?"

"P-please, it won't happen again!"

The chairman turned to Kiara. "This bastard broke the kid's arm, right?"

The phoenix slowly nodded. Coco grabbed the man's arm and twisted it with a sickening crack of bone. The man let out an agonized shout, making the three shocked at what the chairman just did.

"...Holy shit..." the reaper muttered.

"Get him out of my sight. Drop him off at the station and find his buddies. There's no place in my organization for thugs like them."

"Y-you won't get away with this!"

The chairman scoffed. "And what are you gonna do about it? Tell them about us? We're already well acquainted with them, you aren't a threat."

The two guards dragged the whimpering man out of the room, leaving the four alone once more.

"You just broke his..." the manager stated in disbelief.

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, an arm for an arm. Karma, I'd say," Coco justified, taking a seat.

Kiara shook her head. "You could've taken him to the police without breaking his arm."

"Maybe, but that isn't justice. We might not see eye to eye on this, but I for one think that kid'll sleep better knowing the bastard that broke his arm got what was coming to him."

"Though I don't agree with your methods, thank you for doing the right thing and taking that thug in," the phoenix sighed, her face softening.

The chairman shook her head. "I should be the one thanking you, if you hadn't told me he'd still be working for me. The prisoners will teach him a thing or two in the slammer. You might be a pain in the ass for my business, hero, but you follow your morals and I like that."

"Thanks, but I don't need the approval of a crime boss to convince me to help others."

Coco chuckled. "Anyways, sorry for going on a tangent. Let's get back to business."

"The person giving that speech addressed the Order of the Crawling Chaos. Any idea who would do this?" Jenna asked.

"There's another big cult in this city, the Church of the Dark Mother. They started near the same time the Order was established, and they've been competing with each other for followers ever since. Worship another creature that we don't know the name of yet, but apparently this creature and Nep-Nep are rival gods from the same religion. There've been a couple of small-scale skirmishes between the two groups on yakuza territory. And about their practices-"

Kiara gasped, covering her mouth as she saw a few photographs of grisly sights. She looked away, grabbing Mori's attention. The phoenix quickly handed over the pictures, and the reaper's stomach dropped when she saw what they showed.

"What the fuck..." Mori muttered.

"Unlike the Order, it's been confirmed the Church conducts human sacrifices. They, however, have a more...painful way of doing it. It's revolting, if you ask me."

"Revolting is one hell of an understatement," the reaper remarked, turning the photos over.

"So everything that's happening right now is all because of another conflict between the two cults?" Jenna asked.

"Pretty much. I'm sure they're responsible for trapping us all under this dome. They're forcing the Order to come out of hiding so they can kill them all. All that speech was was just a declaration of war."

"You've known about these groups, yet you haven't done anything to stop them? What happened to protecting the innocent?" Kiara asked.

"You think we don't want to protect civilians in this city? Of course we want to take them out."

"Then why haven't you done so already?"

"Because the yakuza fucked up. We underestimated how big the cults would get and when we decided to finally take action, it wasn't worth dedicating the time, men, and resources to take them down."

"And look where it got you," Mori remarked.

Coco sighed. "Listen, I want to set things right. I know now that I made a mistake and it's my fault for letting this happen. I want to make up for it, that's why I'm going to use all the power I have to help you and the operatives take those bastards out. They've done too many disgusting things and they need to be stopped."

"Well, that's something we can agree on," the phoenix crossed her arms.

"So where do we start?" the reaper asked.

"Let's decide which group we're going after first." Jenna suggested.

"I say we should go after the Church of the Dark Mother, they're the ones who've started this mess and their practices are also the most vile," Kiara proposed.

"I'm with the hero," Coco concurred.

Mori nodded. "I'm fine with whatever."

"Very well then," Jenna stood up from her seat. "We go after the Church first. So do these guys have a base or anything?"

"None that we know of, but there have been rumors that they've been meeting up in the Asakusa ward late at night at one of the shrines."

"We should go investigate, then."

"Let's go, I'll have my guards escort us there."

-

Traveling through the roads after their meeting went fast, as the streets were deserted. It was hard for Mori to believe that only an hour ago pandemonium was rampant in the city that was now a ghost town. The green rune revolved in the sky, like a record on a player. Jenna's car followed the four black cars the yakuza drove in through the highway. Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at their destination, the world famous Sensō-ji shrine. Stepping out of the car, a strange aura hit Mori and turned to Kiara. Judging by her uneasy expression, the reaper assumed she felt it as well. Along with the suit-clad yakuza members, the four girls walked through Nakamise Street, its various stalls still lit up by lanterns. Trash laid everywhere from the panic and some stores were trashed. The reaper could hear nothing but the howling of the wind and the rustling of trees nearby.

Walking further into the street and approaching the temple, Mori stopped in her tracks, hearing the faint sound of chanting over the wind. She grabbed Kiara's shoulder and put a finger to her lips. The phoenix's eyes widened as she also picked up the noise. As Jenna and Coco watched them, they also heard it. The chairman unsheathed a heavy zatoichi and her men drew their guns, holding them at their sides. Kiara and Mori transformed into their battle gear, the phoenix wielding her sword and shield and the reaper drawing her freshly sharpened scythe.

"Stay behind us, Jenna."

The manager scoffed. "Why, don't think I can handle myself in a fight?"

Two shiny golden daggers materialized in her hand. She twirled them around, smirking towards Mori. "Let's keep moving."

Reaching the gate to the temple, the area became dark. Only the green glow of fire illuminated the area beyond. The chanting was more audible now, men and women reciting incantations in an unknown language. Walking across, the four stopped to see what was going on. A dozen cloaked people were on their knees, circling around a small cage.

Kiara gasped. "Is that...oh god..."

A young boy sat inside the cage in a fetal position. The chairman stepped forward and the phoenix followed behind.

"Oi, listen up!" Coco shouted.

The cultists stopped chanting, seeing that their ritual was interrupted. The boy peered up, looking towards Kiara and Mori, who stood beside her.

"Away from this place, nonbelievers!" one of the men pointed at them. "Your kind do not belong here!"

"What's going on here?" Jenna asked.

"We are making an offering to the Dark Mother."

"Those bastards are going to kill that kid?" Mori muttered.

"Let go of that child!" the phoenix commanded, raising the tip of her blade towards the men and women.

"He is to be sacrificed to our god. Now leave, before you get hurt."

"I said, let him go."

"You heard the lady, you better let the kid go before you find yourself in a world of shit," Mori prepared to attack.

"Have it your way. Release the shamblers!"

Mori and Kiara heard a familiar roar and from the shadows, four of the monsters they fought in Harajuku appeared, snarling at the group. The cultist pulled out knives, running towards the group.

"Fire!" the chairman commanded and all sixteen yakuza members unloaded their handguns.

The bullets struck many of the cult members, knocking them down. One of the shamblers pounced on Mori, who caught its jaws on the handle of her scythe. She spun around, throwing it above the gate and out into the street. She rushed in, seeing the monster standing up. It reached through a portal on the floor and its arm came out from the ground under the reaper's feet. She lost her balance, allowing the creature to pull her through the portal. It slammed her again and again on the floor like she was a toy. The shamble flung her into one of the buildings, where she crashed through the counter. It followed after her to deal the killing blow. It looked around the store, sifting through the rubble. From a pile of debris, Mori's hand shot out, grabbing the monster by the leg. She rose from the pile and dashed out with the shambler's leg in her grip. Once she was in the middle of the street she threw the monster up in the air. Mori pulled out her chain, grabbing the creature in midair. She yanked the chain down, sending it down and slamming it down on the floor headfirst, killing it.

Kiara rammed one of the shamblers with her shield, carrying it into the air. She flew down, crashing the creature into a road. It stood back up and let out a furious snarl. It picked up one of the cars and chucked it at the phoenix. She flew up, avoiding it, only to see another car flying towards her. With a vertical slash, she sliced the car in half. Looking back at where the monster stood, she realized it was gone. Hearing a sound from behind her, she turned around. The shambler dropped from a portal, landing on top of her and sending her crashing down on the pavement. Grabbing her arm, it prepared to sink its teeth into it. Kiara's body glowed bright orange and the monster felt a painful burning sensation. It let her hand go, enabling her to fly out from harms way. She panted, trying to find some way to take it down. She heard dripping to her side and saw gasoline spilling from one of the wrecked cars. She remembered a move she saw in an anime that involved a ranged fire attack and an idea hatched in her mind.

With her super strength, she picked up more cars and threw them at the shambler while it recovered. It was knocked back a fair distance, but Kiara kept up her assault, throwing more vehicles at it. Once a pile accumulated over the creature, she stopped. The monster roared weakly, trying to escape the heavy cars.

"Sayonara."

With a snap of her fingers, a fireball shot from her hand across the road which struck the cars, igniting the gasoline inside and making them explode. The creature was blown to bits, scattered across the street. Kiara had made sure not much collateral damage would be inflicted on the buildings and she was relieved to find nothing too broken.

Jenna rushed towards the third shambler, slashing it with both her blades. Raising her knife to stab down on its head, the monster grabbed her hand. Before she could use her other knife to free herself, the creature swung its other arm into her side, sending the girl flying. Her body collided against the wall of the shrine and when she looked back at the monster she saw it pull a chunk of the concrete below and hoisted it over its head. The manager jumped to her feet and began to run. As she sprinted away, a pair of white, feathery wings sprouted from her back. With one flap, she ascended into the air right as the shambler threw the pavement at her. Rising into the air, the monster roared at her. She flapped her wings once more and a gust of wind knocked the creature to the floor. The feathers on her wings shined golden and the light from them reflected off her blades. She positioned her knives into a cross shape and a bright yellow beam of light burst from her daggers. The beam struck the shambler, obliterating it into ashes instantaneously.

While her men fought the cultists, Coco went toe to toe with the final shambler. It circled around the chairman like a predator intimidating its prey, only Coco was not fazed in the slightest. She attacked first, catching the monster off guard as she swung her blade. It leaped away and charged towards the chairman. Coco brought the sword to her side and drove it through the shambler's chest. It spat blood from its mouth, splattering over the ground behind the chairman. She kicked the monster away, pulling the blade out in the process. She jumped back and ordered her men to open fire. They showered the creature in bullets, finishing it off.

Mori, Kiara, and Jenna reconvened with Coco and her men, who finished off the remaining cultists. The chairman grabbed one of the cult members lying on the floor, still alive.

"Talk, who's your leader?"

The man laughed. "Y-you think you can stop the birth of our mother? Sister Havoc will make an offering out of all of you."

"Sister Havoc? Is she your leader?"

"Long live the Dark Mother," the man said before falling over, succumbing to his wounds.

Kiara and Mori ran over to the cage, breaking it and carrying the boy out. He looked weak, the phoenix noticed how light the boy was in her arms.

"How's the boy doing?" Jenna asked.

"He's in rough shape, but he'll be alright," Mori replied.

"We need to take him to a hospital, ASAP," Kiara turned to the others.

Coco pointed to the north. "There's a hospital near the temple, take him there."

Kiara nodded, flying away with the child. Coco pulled out a cell phone and called more men to travel to the area. Soon, multiple cars arrived at the area, the chairman ordering them to secure the perimeter and let nobody in or out. Mori decided to check on Kiara while the other two handled business there. Transforming out of her reaper attire, she walked inside to find Kiara sitting in the lobby. She watched a TV hanging at the corner of the room, which displayed updates on the situation unfolding in Tokyo. A man on a podium addressed a crowd of waiting reporters.

'Mr. Motoaki Tanigo...' the reaper read the name on the screen to herself.

"We at the Cover Corporation are working closely with the JSDF in order to find a solution to resolve the on-going crisis in Tokyo. Soldiers have surrounded the dome and are providing us with ample information as we speak. We have been working with our operatives inside and outside the dome and they too are informing us of the situation inside the barrier. Rest assured, we will stop at nothing to rescue your loved ones inside and put an end to this crisis."

Mori sat next to Kiara, who was also watching the broadcast.

"How's the kid doing?"

"He's ok. He's sleeping right now in his room."

"Did they tell you anything about his condition?"

"Well, they had to give him IVs as soon as they took him in. Said he didn't look like he'd eaten for a few days. And don't get me started on..." Kiara took a second to take a breath, "...on the bruises."

Mori's eyes widened, her hand balling into fists. "Holy shit, those sick fucks..."

"At least he's safe now. I need to talk to Kiryu about keeping security on the boy in case the cult tries something."

"You sure you're fine working with the chairman? You seemed conflicted earlier."

"I know she's from the yakuza but something about her tells me she's not like other criminals, but I still don't agree with her line of work. What matters is that she also wants to stop the cult and as long as we have a common enemy, I'm willing to accept her help," the phoenix turned to Mori. "How about you? Sorry that you got caught up in this mess."

"I'll admit, I was thinking about leaving and finding a way out of this dome, but learning about these cults and the disgusting things their doing to people made me think twice."

"I thought you reapers try not to get into these sorts of things."

"We don't."

"I dunno, something tells me you don't follow the rules like the others."

Mori crossed her arms and closed her eyes, leaning back into the seat. "Don't be silly. I still have to uphold the rules as the apprentice of the grim reaper. But still, abandoning these people to the mercy of these monsters would never sit right with me."

"Hey, I never said breaking the rules was a bad thing. You put yourself in harm's way without worrying about doing the right thing."

The reaper peered at Kiara to her left, opening one eye. She turned to Mori, tilting her head. A warm smile crossed the phoenix's face.

"And that's what I like about you."

Mori felt her face warm up and looked away. Kiara's giggle only made it even worse. Hearing the sliding doors open, the two saw Jenna on the phone with someone. She promptly finished her conversation and hung up as she approached them.

The manager saw Mori's red face. "Am I interrupting something?"

"N-no, not at all," the reaper answered quickly, hearing the phoenix giggle again. "Anyways, you were talking with someone?"

"I was speaking with Emma. I told her about the cults and what's been going on."

"Where is she? Shouldn't she be helping out the other operatives?" Kiara asked.

"She says she's on the case, she's starting to form a plan to find the Order."

"So she'll be taking care of the other cult?"

"Right."

"She's planning to take on the Order by herself?" Mori asked.

"She told me she's got a friend to help out. She's also thinking about getting another operative to help out. But even if she was alone, I think Emma would be able to handle them."

"Well that's less work for us I guess."

Kiara looked up at Jenna. "What's next?"

The manager crossed her arms. "Not sure, we're still in the dark right now. We need to prepare for the next moves of the cults. We'll need to keep in contact with the outside in case the dome is breached so we can start evacuating the city. We'll need to wait for that boy to wake up so we can ask him what he knows about the cult."

Mori sighed. "So we're just playing the waiting game, huh?"

Jenna nodded. "I wish we could do something, but all we can do is be patient for now."

"Let's head home and rest for now," Kiara suggested.

"I think that would be for the best. We'll need to be ready for the days to come."

The three left the hospital and hopped into Jenna's car. She drove the two back to Kiara's apartment. Before they entered the building, the manager called them both over. Rolling down her window, Jenna reached into her pocket, pulling out a smooth, white card and offering it to Mori. The reaper took it, reading the Cover Corp. logo, Jenna's name, and her phone number on the front.

"A business card?"

"Take it, my number's on it. For now, I'm registering you two as temporary operatives in the Hololive database. I'll be keeping in touch with you girls," she gave the two a welcoming smile. "Welcome to the team."

She drove away, the two watching as she turned the corner.

"Let's head inside," Kiara said, "I'm tired."

Mori nodded and the pair walked to the entrance. As the phoenix entered, the reaper hung back. She looked up at the starless void of the sky. The green moon was far in the sky, but Mori thought it looked closer than it was earlier. Staring up at it, her heartbeat began to slow and she felt an uncomfortable dread as she studied its features. She had no clue whether what she was seeing was her eyes deceiving her, but what she saw floored her, made her entire body cold as the chill of the night breeze.

In the perpetual darkness of the sky the moon pulsated, beating like a living heart.

-

The metal door creaked open, light pouring into the dark room. A girl sat in the corner of the room, her body restrained in a straightjacket. The light from outside revealed that she sat in a white, padded cell. Her frenzied blonde hair and pigtails obscured her face, but she cracked a sinister grin. She looked up, one of her eyes covered by a white eyepatch with a heart. In the doorway stood Emma, whose silhouette could only be seen by the girl. The manager adjusted her glasses, looking down at the girl with her crimson red gaze.

"So you're Cover Corp.'s most dangerous prisoner, huh?"

The girl let out a menacing cackle, intimidating enough for goosebumps to crawl up Emma's arm.

"The name's Haachama, it's a pleasure to meet you."