The Falling Action & The Denouement

Totosai and the Flying Reiki

Out of the fog, over a swamp. Cypress stumps reaching out of the water like distressed fingers were harboring many glassy pairs of eyes. The logs and disfigured stumps almost seemed alive, watching the boat cloaked by fog passing over the murky depths below. Caressing the hell traveler's medallion, Meioshi looked up when she heard a noise unlike a fish or a bird moving nearby and narrowed her eyes. Water striders were zipping over the waters. Croaking sounded; crickets sang. Kiyonobu's boat dove its nose downward. She was headed for dark bristles shaped like eerie woods. The boat sailed straight through it. Curious, the doctor reached out to touch a tree only to shoot her hand back and observe her fingers. She touched it again with a furrowed brow and caressed the texture of the tree before lowering her hand slowly. The trees were made of fur? Feeling a soft breeze pass over her skin, she looked up to see the boat sailing upward into a very small opening except the opening was a dock with other large boats tied to some arbitrary anchor in the darkness. Kiyonobu's boat stopped at the opening, and she thought she heard a chime sound somewhere. She looked to her left and then her right but saw nothing. It wasn't until she heard a cough and then a sneeze before her attention went above her. Fire lit the top. She had to climb up somehow. Spotting a bridge made from various mollusk shells, Meioshi climbed off the boat with caution and ran through the furry forest to reach it.

Totosai had just barely escaped his cell in the dungeon after an ogre lost sight of him. Whatever caught the dungeon warden's attention was just enough for him to burn his ropes and flee. He didn't bother looking back to see what the ogres wanted. He just ran. Catching the scent of flowers, the old man sniffed loudly and turned his head to see a beautiful woman running towards him. Ah, so he hadn't really escaped then. Death was sending their finest angels to retrieve him at last. Well, whatever god sent this angel must've appreciated him because damn.

"'Scuse me, gent. Are you alright?" the woman asked in a pleasant, accented voice.

Totosai wasn't sure what to think as the woman kept coming to him, but he replied, "I'm a little cold, to be honest."

"Oh, my goodness!" the woman said, snatching off her lovely manto. She kneeled before him and covered him in her cloak so that he could warm up. Feeling his cold skin, she said, "You're shivering and wet! What happened to you, elder?"

"What a kind angel," Totosai complimented, looking into the woman's hazel eyes. Her manto had a tremendous amount of heat within its confines, and it smelled of a perfumed oil. The rest of her garb was interesting. She almost looked like one of Inuyasha's friends. She wore something similar in design, but... this woman was a bit different. She seemed more regal. He then said, "I suppose I don't have to worry about retiring anymore."

"Oh, you're not dead, elder," the woman said, checking his vitals and external signs of abuse. "But you do have some mild bruising on your wrists and ankles. That looks like a nasty, little knot at the base of her head as well. We'll have to steam that to loosen things and reduce the swelling. Judging from the age of these scars, you must've just been attacked or harmed. Were you a captive here for longer than fourteen days?"

"Ah, no, I wasn't," Totosai replied. Something then clicked in his mind and he started scratching his dome before saying, "At least... I don't think so. It felt like a long time with the way those beasts run things."

"What beasts?" the woman asked sweetly.

"Those oni that kidnapped me and dragged me here! I don't see how I'm part of this unholy ploy to test one of their young," Totosai complained, folding his arms and frowning. "You don't look like one of them either. You have a human scent. What is my angel's name?"

"Oh, I'm no angel, elder!" the woman said, waving a hand swiftly. "But I am a doctor. My name is Jigoku Meioshi. I'm looking for Lord Numa-o. He's supposedly the commander of the waters from Ogre Island. He's been trailing me and sending other ogres to follow me as well. I don't suppose you know him, do you?"

"Actually, I met him many years ago," Totosai replied, fascinated by Meioshi's wild features. Those eyes were enchanting! He then said, "Not the nicest of fellows either. He demanded I make armor for him and did something to my foundry when I didn't immediately comply to his requests. Tried to kill me even!"

"That's dreadful!" Meioshi said with genuine shock in her voice. "Why on Earth would he attack an old man? The audacity of some folk! What armor could be so important for him to have?"

"He didn't say exactly," Totosai replied. "But he placed some kind of coal in my foundry that wouldn't take to fire or lava. Only a special flame from another could break it down. Should the coal ever be removed, the gateway to a cursed place would open as that would be the key."

Meioshi hummed with thought before saying, "I guess I'll be meeting you again in the future. You must be Totosai, the blacksmith that Homugi was telling me about. I made a bit of a mess of your foundry in your absence. I do apologize for my actions sincerely and will do everything in my power to restore your workshop. I might be able to harbor you if you require safety from the riff raff of these onery demons."

"Should I ask what you did to my foundry, angel doctor?" Totosai questioned, tilting his head with worry.

Meioshi cutely scratched her cheek before looking down at her feet and saying, "Well, I have this sword that controls ice, you see. And it sort of... well... froze your lava..."

"... WHAT!?" Totosai screamed, startling Meioshi a bit.

"I - I - I - I can reverse it, I swear! At least, I think so," Meioshi tried, waving her hands frantically.

"My beautiful foundry... ruined..." Totosai cried, twitching his fingers. "Is there truly no rest for the weary?"

"Please, Lord Totosai, let me make it up to you!" Meioshi said, bowing apologetically. "I'm so sorry for the inconvenience! Once I get you out of here, I'll do all I can to get you up and running again. Promise!"

"What could a pretty little thing like yourself do, angel doctor?" Totosai asked, shedding monstrous-sized tears.

Smiling shrewdly, the doctor replied with some seriousness in her voice, "You'd be surprised, blacksmith. I can't do anything by just standing here, though. I don't want you harmed any further. You simply must be freed. Have you a safe haven to go to? Perhaps a friend's house?"

"My oldest friend passed away some time ago, I'm afraid," Totosai replied, looking into Meioshi's eyes to say this. "I would say my apprentice's shop, but his clientele is even scarier than mine. I dare not ever go there. Perhaps Okakura will do. He's another craftsman like myself. He makes containers and treasure chests from arbitrary items like gemstones or glass upon request. One would have to pay a high price for one of his finest works."

"Ah, unfortunately, my oath of medicine doesn't permit me to carry money on my person. Every ichibuban must have a function," Meioshi clarified, placing a finger to her lips to think. "But I wonder if he has a container that could hold the chaotic waters of an island. I'll have to think of that later. Let's get you out of here first. Perhaps this forest will lead you to your friend's crafting place."

"Forest? What forest?" Totosai questioned, tugging Meioshi's manto snugly on his shoulders. It was much warmer than he thought!

"That one there with the furry trees," Meioshi replied, pointing to the bristles and swampy waters.

"That's no forest, my dear. That's a tail," Totosai corrected, merely turning as the tail moved slowly to its left and the surroundings started shaking with movement.

The doctor braced herself for more movement as the tail moved to its right just as slowly as it did its left. Hearing a waterfall, she turned to her right and saw fresh water pouring down from what looked like cliffs. Within a few moments, everything was shaking until all motion became smooth as the earth rose. A large stomp sounded and made the ground below quake. Another sounded and a blast of sound raced across the ground. The waters of the swamp then lifted before Meioshi and Totosai and rushed behind them to surround where they were starting from the front and to the end of the tail. Hearing waves crash and feeling the air thin, the two could feel themselves being lifted into the air. The doctor looked behind her to see the moonbeams hitting the sides of the cliffs behind them only to see a large castle surrounded by streams of continuously flowing water. The higher up the creature they were on went, the clearer Meioshi was able to see the details of the castle and the sides of the creature's face.

"It's... it's a turtle!" Meioshi said with an astounded gasp.

"A reiki, specifically. Or spirit turtle," Totosai added, smiling at Meioshi's wistful expression. She was so full of youth and curiosity. It was actually quite cute.

"Lord Numa-o and Kiyonobu live on this reiki?" she questioned.

"I suppose they do now," Totosai answered, blinking a few times. "It's honestly too good for them. I suppose we can't fly our way out of here. Should we call for help?"

"There must be some other way to get to your friend. What is his species, Master Totosai?" Meioshi asked, turning to him.

"He's a nautilus demon who lives on Rose Water Beach. He has a watch tower that holds up his supposed all-seeing eye, the most ancient of containers able to locate vassals of power for any demon at any stage of the demon's life. A demon's ever-changing and ever-growing limit of power can be bottled into a single item 1000 years before the demon is even born. The eye was granted to him by an ancient force he knew in the past. Only a single servant lives with him, the sightless glassblower, and he is tasked with making synthesizing items for my armor and weapons. I wanted to teach my apprentice about him, but he works with a different partner," Totosai explained.

"That must've been disappointing when he left to pursue his career," Meioshi said quietly. She lowered a fist into her palm with determination in her voice and said, "Well, I'll make certain you get to safety first. If at all possible, might I trouble him with a container. I've the strangest premonition that I may need it."

Horns sounded, interrupting her thoughts. She nodded and was about to walk forward until she spotted something in the streams of water going in and out of the castle. It looked like people or rather... ogres! Each stream had something different within it. The stream filled with ogres and people were going higher into the castle near a drawbridge of some kind. Another stream had large cargo boxes going through it. One stream in particular, however, was going out to the side. It didn't seem to be connected to any endpoint. Grabbing Totosai's hand, she pulled him to follow her and they ran to the side of the castle.

Rounding a corner, Meioshi took her hand to press Totosai against the wall as armored guards patrolled the outside of the back gates. Being summoned elsewhere, the guards entered the gates and sealed them before going to some mysterious place. Meioshi looked up at the endless stream and had a thought. Searching for something that could help her climb up to the stream, she found an old drum that had some resistance to it still. She picked up a pebble and dropped it lightly to watch the pebble double its height in dropping distance. Catching the pebble to stop it from making too much noise, she checked her surroundings for any guards. No one seemed to be around. Whatever was going on in the castle must have been wildly entertaining because cheering sounded, and someone was making a speech. Meioshi took that as her cue to get Totosai off the castle turtle and hopped on the drum herself. She was sent high enough to start flailing about before flipping in the air and landing next to Totosai.

"Looks like you're with me, Master Totosai," Meioshi said, grabbing the old man before he could run off or find a better alternative. She made him stand next to her and held his back and hand to steady him. She then instructed, "Right then, we're going to hop one good time and make it to that stream above us. I need you to focus on your friend and his beach, Master Totosai. Make your brain hurt and heart thump loudly!"

"I'm too old to be doing this!" Totosai complained, feeling the doctor bend her knees to hop lightly.

They ascended up only a few inches at first before they hopped a good two feet off the drum's surface. The last hop sent them into the stream to be taken by the current. The doctor was calm as they shot through the stream cannon, but Totosai was panicking and screaming... until a water bug got into his mouth. The next thing he knew a bright light engulfed him, he was clenching his eyes shut, and the doctor was shielding him as she braced for impact. It wasn't until the two stopped rolling around that he felt sand on his face. He pried his eyes open to see Okakura and his servant waiting for them.

"My old friend, Totosai! How've you been, you old coot?" Okakura asked.

"Okakura? Where'd the angel go?" Totosai asked, looking around for Meioshi. Apparently, she was hugging a very large glass sphere and groaning from the pain of her face mushing against the surface. Hurrying to his feet, he said, "Angel doctor!"

"Uwa..." Meioshi ground out, flopping onto her back with spirals in her eyes. "Ouch..."

"Who's the girl, Totosai?" Okakura asked with a deepened voice.

"This is Meioshi, I think," Totosai answered, scratching his chest. "She's a doctor."

"Interesting," the Nautilus said, touching the sphere that Meioshi collided with. It glowed under his touch before changing its size to a smaller form and bouncing over to Meioshi's bosom like a ball. Whatever the doctor needed to contain, the sphere was willing to accommodate for it. Okakura then remarked, "This pearl is a very stubborn item. It won't bow to any other form or be molded to any other shape. Not just anyone can capture its attention like that. It knows that it's needed. Your doctor will have to be careful, old friend. A pearl that size in her hands means a tight-lipped prison awaits her."

"Does that mean she can't go back to Numa-o's palace?" Totosai asked, folding his arms.

Okakura shook his head and said, "If the pearl has chosen to go with her, she has to go back. She must be the reason why the oni have begun to move. Why do they want this human, though?"

______________________________________

Cheering and chanting could be heard from every corner and wall of the Aqualiseum. Ogres and every other aquatic variation of demon and halfling servant combined were basking in the presence of Numa-o after he gave his opening speech. He was a towering oni with pale blue skin and wearing armor in the design of a blue dragon sea snail. His kanabo was of greater intrigue as it was made from coral and had a rusted chain at the end of the hilt. The blunt end of his kanabo looked like the front legs of a deep-sea shrimp. As fluorescent and colorful as his weapon and armor were, nothing compared to his boastful confidence and personality.

"Ha! Kiyonobu, you superstitious dolt!" Numa-o barked, laughing aloud. "You told me the Kachan Oni was worthy of my teachings. He fled the moment we let an old man get away!"

Kiyonobu remained quiet at the insult but paid his ruler no mind. He had watched Meioshi for some time now. She had potential. Although she chose a peaceful path, she very well could have fought those four inu on her own. Her natural power was impressive. His lord was the fool. Hearing the crowd's laughter reduce in volume and gasps sound gained his attention. The Kachan Oni came back, and she returned with a gorgeous rainbow pearl in her arms. He just didn't understand her need to remain in that human form.

"That's her, my lord," Kiyonobu finally said, softening his eyes subconsciously.

"Her? The Kachan is a little girl?" Numa-o asked, looking down at Meioshi's small form.

"For now. She will grow," Kiyonobu said cryptically and reassuringly.

"Hmph! Perhaps," Numa-o said, rising from his throne.

He called waters to his hands to make a set of stairs and walked down each one until he made it to the ground floor. When he touched the colorful sands under his feet, he called the waters to his body and transformed. Instead of blue skin, he had lovely, tanned skin. His eyes were no longer a reflective purple but instead a bewitching magenta color. His hair was short but it was the very color of the sea, a hypnotic blue-green to turquoise color. With the body of a gladiator, Numa-o walked over to Meioshi and stood before as a 6'2" man.

Meioshi, playing pleasantries, decided to compliment the lord by saying, "What a handsome man! Are you Lord Numa-o? The one who sent those ogres to watch over me?"

With a smooth, silky voice rivaling a skilled bard, Numa-o simply replied, "Perhaps. You are the Kachan Oni my guard is taken with?"

"Well, I wouldn't say oni, but I suppose I am younger than most demons," Meioshi replied. She bowed politely then said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, my lord."

Numa-o was silent at her gesture. He circled around her to measure her form and figure, sniffed her hair and admired the scent, gazed into her hazel eyes to nod at their tempting color, and then looked at the pearl in her arms. He then asked, "Kiyonobu might be onto something. Your beauty in that form has potential. Are you betrothed, Kachan?"

"Not that I know of," Meioshi replied. "I took a vow of chastity, however, when I renewed my oath to medicine."

"What?" Numa-o questioned with annoyance evident in his voice.

"Well, being a doctor is my life's dream," Meioshi replied, smiling brightly. "I know a lot of healing techniques now."

Numa-o broke out in laughter before saying, "What a dolt! I reserved this arena to fight a warrior, not a virgin healer! Kachan is worthless to us. Why should I waste my time on her?"

Meioshi opened her eyes and smiled shrewdly before saying, "Because King Shanwang sent me here to accept your challenge."

"What?"

"King Shanwang survived?"

"Nonsense. Shanwang is dead. He's been rotting in hell for the past three centuries. You've no proof he's here," Numa-o said with violently narrowed eyes.

"Very well. Would this do?" Meioshi asked with an almost seductive tone to her voice.

Within an instant, she was holding the pearl in one hand and calling out to a power that Numa-o somewhat recognized. When dark hair turned to red and hazel eyes to gold above black, the resemblance became uncanny. It wasn't until the iron kanabo materialized into the doctor's hands that Numa-o grit his teeth in fury.

"Impossible! Shanwang would never side with the likes of you!" Numa-o growled, eyes shifting to black.

"Correction. He never sided with the likes of you," Meioshi said with a confident smirk that belonged to no creature other than Shanwang.

___________________________________________

Battle of the Seven Maelstroms

"Enough!" Numa-o barked, summoning power into his coral kanabo. "I don't know how you found Shanwang, Kachan Oni, but let your death be a message to him. A tyrant is only as invincible as the height of his pedestal. Once it falls, so shall he. His collapsed centuries ago! I will not let him rebuild it!"

"A tyrant?" Meioshi questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Explain."

"Your precious king's ambition and thirst for blood is what drove the commanders to destroy our homeland in the first place," Numa-o growled. "Because he only cared for battle and being the strongest, his gluttony disrupted the balance of our world and sent all of the elements into chaos. Each of the commanders had to find unique and powerful ways to regain control. Even our status as oni had fallen low enough to make us servants to other species when we were the highest level of demon strength! I refuse to let that foolish tyrant reclaim his title so some opportunist can further lower our race to nothing and have us be controlled by just anyone who believes they can!"

Meioshi said nothing as Numa-o expressed his concern, rage-filled as it was, and lowered her kanabo to where the blunt end was on the ground and only the hilt was in her hands. The audience grew silent at her actions, watching their leader express his feelings towards Shanwang's reign and disappearance, and grew more curious about the young girl before their leader. Numa-o more than likely was telling the truth about his experience with Shanwang in this brief outburst, but Meioshi couldn't bring herself to think the same thing when the king ogre helped her so much. He could've easily left her to die in hell as was intended but he didn't. Remembering how much she was willing to grovel at his feet for a way out and how Shanwang stopped her to ask what happened was really the turning point in their relationship as unusual as it was. Yes, the green pheasant was right in that they were meant to be sworn enemies, but Bichisutomu didn't see Shanwang as an enemy and Shanwang spoke favorably about Bichisutomu whenever she asked if the hell travelers had ever tried to bond with him during her childhood. The king ogre did enjoy spending time with her family at certain times. He made it clear that he didn't like humans but didn't seem to mind her family as much as he used to. Reminiscing about all the times she'd been around Shanwang, she had to defend him. If not for her sense of justice, then certainly because she was grateful for his help against her enemy.

She then said, "I understand. I only knew Shanwang to be as destructive as you say once. My family had always seen him as hateful and aggressive towards us with exception to one man. That exchange between the two is what showed me a piece of his true self. His gluttonous behavior has not changed but has been redirected. I did not know him as king the way you have. But... I have been bold enough and perhaps daft enough to call him both creature and friend. Yes, the smelly, old bugger could destroy a village by just sneezing on it, and, yes, I've seen him walk around completely naked after manhandling a woman more times than I'd like, but... he was the only one who could and would help me out of hell itself. He never pitied me, never even questioned my reasoning to seek his help, but he challenged me at every turn to ensure I could embark on the path he set before me. He has no problems telling me I'm too weak to handle certain enemies, I assure you. I may have lost my fair share of battles, but I'd like to think that his wisdom and forethought was truly my saving grace. No, I do not know him as intimately as the ruler of the oni, but I do know him as the fallen titan who is mighty, unique, intelligent, architecturally gifted, and loves learning. My ancestor could see it in him, and I chose to see the good in him, too. Long before I was trapped in that awful place. If we could take the time to get to know this being with a wicked sense of humor, pride in his own heritage no matter how far from grace he has fallen, and who has the capacity to show appreciation for gifts given to him just because we want to give them to him, why the hell can't you?"

"Friend? You?" Numa-o questioned, summoning more power. "Shanwang has shown me long ago that he's not capable of such sentiment. Gifting him with your pacifiers and toys is more insulting to our oni race than his presumed death in the Netherworld! I will not stand for more insults to our kind!"

Charging at Meioshi with full force, Numa-o struck at her and blasted her at the coliseum wall. Flipping to land on the wall feet first, Meioshi performed an acrobatic recovery and called her fiery Netherworld armor to form on her body for protection. Returning to oni form, Numa-o went for another strike before Meioshi went on the defense and blocked the attack with her kanabo. She grit her teeth from the impact of their clubs vibrating up her arms before being shot out of the castle walls altogether. He was too strong! Recovering again, she performed a hand sign midair as she descended to the ground. Unleashing all of her combined strength, she let out a scream as her powers flowed through her body and gave the kanabo extra strength. Numa-o didn't hesitate in his chase of her and let loose another crushing blow, but Meioshi was able to retaliate and slammed her kanabo against his. The impact was enough to dismantle the streams of flowing water surrounding the castle and make the reiki go somewhat berserk at the lack of water. She gasped at this. The chaotic waters of Ogre Island seemed to be connected to the reiki somehow. Maybe the vault Kiyonobu was talking about was on the reiki!

Meioshi tried to use her martial arts skills as a combination of attack, but Numa-o's armor was practically indestructible. He snatched Meioshi by the collar and flung her into the swamp where the reiki disembarked. Slowed by the moss and muck, Meioshi was barely able to block Numa-o's next blow. The impact of their kanabos colliding created a whirlpool swift enough to take breathing air away from the creatures that inhabited the swamp. Only the birds were able to truly escape. The doctor had a hard time thinking of some way to defeat the aquatic gladiator. His blows were enough to shatter bone, and the blue dragon armor was stopping her Oni Eye from analyzing her opponent. There had to be a better way to battle him! Seeing him go for hand-to-hand moves, Meioshi defended herself from his slower attack patterns and was able to hit him a couple of times, but she didn't have enough force to knock him back a few feet. She had to get rid of his armor somehow. That's the only thing stopping her right now.

Reeling his fist back for a mid-punch, Numa-o went for a good swing before using the muddy waters of the swamp to swiftly teleport and slam his kanabo into Meioshi's back to hurtle her to some other place. Chasing behind her at full speed, he swung his kanabo again with hyper-yoki energy backing him and unleashed a devastating attack. Luckily, Meioshi was able to recover and retaliate in time to block him, but, when the energy burst, she was practically teleported to another body of water with the sheer amount of recoil speed sending her off. Feeling her back slam against new waters like she was being thrown against a stone wall, she recovered acrobatically before shoving a knife hand into the new waters to slow herself down and regain footing. Her hand and arm could feel the water's resistance pulling at her to threaten tearing her arm off, and the tense force of her hand cutting the water was enough to split the water apart and form a raging wave and a pair of walls that disturbed all fish and aquatic mammals nearby. Seeing his prey, Numa-o dashed through the waters and performed a double strike and finisher. Meioshi was able to guard each hit while the power colliding between the two formed another maelstrom from the bottom of the sea floor to the top of sea's surface.

"Hmph!" Numa-o huffed through his nose. "You actually are worth training, Kachan Oni. Your potential is wasted on that hack of a tyrant. Are you so loyal to Shanwang that you cannot be convinced to join sides with me?"

"He may not be a favorite to many, but Shanwang has helped me greatly," Meioshi replied, struggling to resist Numa-o's unbearable strength. "I will not stand for him to be dishonored so grossly!"

Leaping back to ready an attack, Meioshi manages to summon a burst of power and fires it at Numa-o from her hand before following up with two strikes of her kanabo and dismissing it to summon her Dai Fubuki blade to launch Numa-o a good nautical mile away. He recovers quickly and readies a blow powered by the sea and his own yoki energy. Meioshi dismisses the blade to summon her kanabo in defense and collides with the coral kanabo. The impact splits open a dimension into a plane of existence and Meioshi uses that to her advantage to pull out her boat oar from the open plane. Intercepting these changes in weaponry, Numa-o pulls out a weapon that looks like half of an anchor but handles like a longsword. He chooses then to transform into his more human appearance and use slash attacks to disarm the doctor. He doesn't account for Meioshi's ability to grab him with the boat oar by hooking it under his armor and using her Netherworld fire to rocket him through the in-between realm. She reeled back and delivered a punch that rushed Numa-o at a speed equivalent to what he used to teleport her.

Sesshomaru had just reunited with Okakura and Totosai at Rose Water Beach when he sensed a disturbance nearby. Before he could get a word out, a large splash had erupted in the water and a man growled in frustration before someone collided swords with him. The impact was enough to create another maelstrom. When the western lord caught sight of long red hair and a familiar boat oar, his eyes widened at his rival battling the man. She was in that same form that threw him over the cliff!

A part of Numa-o's armor crumbled from the oar's use and made him gasp before roaring out, "You witch!"

Transforming back into ogre form, Numa-o unlocked more power, which made Meioshi's eyes widen and her body tense, before he rushed at her and unleashed a hyper-yoki attack that sent her hurtling through the beach water. She slammed against one of Okakura's stone walls and felt her breath leave her body from impact. Before she had time to recover, Numa-o had already punched into her stomach and sent her through it. Sesshomaru was about to aid her until she recovered from that and barely dodged another crushing blow. Calling a small bolt of lightning to her oar and more Netherworld firepower, Meioshi threw her oar and released a blast to send Numa-o flying another nautical mile away. This time, with his armor breaking away some more, she summoned Baohu qi Voluptatis and performed a barrage attack. She completed the attack with the iron kanabo and sent Numa-o hurtling again at teleportation speed. Surprisingly, the ogre's rage stopped him from tumbling to another place and instead he punched the beach water hard enough to stop altogether and split the waters in a bigger half than Meioshi was able to do with her knife-hand. Rushing at each other, Numa-o and Meioshi collided kanabos again only to enter another broken dimension that sent them to a new body of water.

This went on until seven maelstroms had formed and the two returned to the berserk reiki now roaring and thrashing about in pain. With a crazy idea popping into her mind, Meioshi decided to pull her Kyonshi Mask from the open plane and look closely at the reiki. On its side was an accumulation of body heat in one centralized location. Summoning her Netherworld firepower into the kanabo, she threw it at the point and watched as Numa-o tried to reach out to stop her. The reiki roared as its shell was breaking and was making its descent into a maelstrom.

"Genso ShuShu-Sen!" Meioshi called, rushing to the reiki to retrieve her pearl.

The chaotic waters from Numa-o's hidden vault all rushed out and entered the maelstroms and broken dimensions. Meioshi wasted no time running through Numa-o's castle with the inhabitants rushing to get out of the falling castle. Returning to the coliseum, Meioshi located her pearl on the floor and ran over to grab it. A guard tried to stop her, but she evaded the attack smoothly and called her boat again to rush out of the window of the castle. Numa-o was rocketing behind her from around a corner of the castle and reeled back to swing his kanabo at her. Meioshi just barely caught him out of the corner of her eye and dismissed her boat to descend through the air before calling the boat back to land on it and continue sailing. She had to find the endless stream again. That's the only way the waters could be joined long enough for her to trap them in the pearl. If Totosai and Okakura were right, then it should contain the waters without fail. Hearing the cries of his people, Numa-o turned to them with worry in his features and ran to help them. He had to get them out of the palace.

"I will destroy you both for this, Kachan Oni!" Numa-o hissed.

The pearl began to glow in her arms. Meioshi looked down at it and pointed it in front of her to test the brilliance of it. She brought it over to her right. Its glow reduced. Then, to her left, the pearl sprung to life. It was telling her where to go! She nodded and guided her boat to the endless stream.