Re-awakening

The group was gathered around the lifeless Ichiro. Yuki was sobbing uncontrollably as she held the newest member of the guild. Shingo, unsure of what to do and knowing he couldn't help the situation, moved back to the hole in the wall to keep watch.

"What do we do?" Konomi asked as she held Ichiro's hand.

Takamasa slowly placed his hand on Konomi's shoulder, "There's nothing..."

Askua stood, clutching her phone against her chest and backed away from the group before she crouched down against the wall. Shingo could see flashing red lights in the distance as they lit up the buildings nearby.

"I think Haruki is coming." Shingo called out to the others.

Konomi looked back at Shingo, affirming that she heard him, but the sadness overwhelmed her and she couldn't hold her head up for more than a moment. The bustle and adrenaline from when Demon Lord Satsui was there among them had waned and the exhaustion was getting to them all. The group was sitting, worried about what was to come, as four police cars descended on the community center. Shingo waved them over. Seven officers and Haruki left their vehicles.

"I want a perimeter." Haruki ordered as he pointed at one of the officers and continued, "You, come with me."

"It's too late Haruki." Shingo sighed as the police inspected approached.

As Haruki went through the hole in the wall, he caught sight of Ichiro and the group.

"What happened?" Haruki asked as he rushed to Ichiro and felt for a pulse only to realize there wasn't one.

"The woman in the sundress." Takamasa started. "She's a demon lord from another world."

"Yuki." Haruki stated trying to get his sister's attention.

She continued holding onto Ichiro with her eyes closed and tears streaming down her face.

"Yuki." Her big brother tried again as he touched her arm.

Yuki opened her eyes and looked up to see her big brother.

"You have to let him go, Yuki." Haruki consoled.

Yuki looked down at Ichiro's body once more before she moved his head off of her lap and laid him back on the floor. Haruki took Yuki's hand and helped her to her feet.

"Haruki," Konomi said. "She's going to do something horrible. She said she was going to open a portal to her world."

"I'll put the word out." Haruki replied to the girl without taking his eyes off his sister.

"No," Yuki stammered to speak. "There's nothing any of us can do without powers of some sort. She's powerful."

"It's okay, I'll have officers try and.." Haruki tried to calm the situation before Asuka cut him off.

"They'll end up like Ichiro." Asuka said very bluntly. "What happened to Ichiro will happen to anyone you send."

Then, in the distance, high in the sky Shingo noticed a group of purple, swirling clouds start to form. Lightning jumped across the vortex of clouds and the whole thing gave off an eerie blue haze.

"She's started." Shingo stated in awe as he kept his eyes on the phenomena.

The others stepped over to the opening in the wall to see the portal opening.

"How can we stop her?" Haruki asked the group.

"We can't." Konomi replied in a dejected tone. "Not like this."

"Then what do we do?" Haruki continued his line of questioning.

"We die." Asuka stated having resolved and accepted what she said to be truth.

As the group watched the portal being built, a visible shock-wave burst forth from it. As it traveled closer, the group could see it shattering the windows of every building it touched.

"BRACE YOUSELVES!" Haruki yelled out as he crouched down slightly and put his hands up in front of his face.

As the shockwave hit, all the members of the group were knocked from their feet while Haruki stood firm at the blast.

"Is everyone okay?" Haruki turned and called out to the group.

Konomi and Asuka began to scream uncontrollably as they writhed on the ground in excruciating pain. Shingo was nowhere to be seen.

Takamasa, slightly injured, crawled to Konomi to check on her, "Konomi! KONOMI!"

As she shook uncontrollably in pain, her shoes ripped apart and her multitude of rings and bracelets shattered from her as her hands grew into paws. Her head warped and cat ears grew from the top of her head as her human ears melded back into her head. A tail slowly extended from under her skirt as fangs grew in her mouth. At the same time, Asuka's skin changed as computer circuits extended across the entirety of her body. The pain and strife that wracked their bodies only lasted a few moments, but the intensity shook the group to their core.

"Konomi." Takamasa said, stunned at what he was seeing.

Konomi and Asuka had reverted to their selves from their isekais.

"Shingo!" Asuka yelled in a computerized voice unfamiliar to the group while fighting through the pain of her new body. "Where's Shingo!"

The group looked around unable to see him.

"I'm here," Shingo's voice echoed as he climbed out of Asuka's shadow picking her up.

Haruki was wide eyed and shocked at what he was seeing.

"Konomi, you're a demi-human." Takamasa said in shock.

The girl looked down at her paws and tail and whispered lightly to herself, "I'm back. Oh, and you have cute ears Taka."

Takamasa's ears extended slightly to resemble the elfen body he had before.

Yuki climbed to her feet and asked, "What just happened to us."

"There is a 92% probability that when Demon Lord Satsui linked the world using the portal, it in fact connected this world to all other worlds that have existed." Asuka stated with the slightly robotic yet monotone voice. "In doing so, the link has connected all survivors of other worlds to their previous selves reverting us to what we were before."

"Asuka..." Yuki said, shocked at how Asuka sounded like an AI responding.

"There is also a high probability that each of your powers have returned considering the entity Shingo seems to have regained control over shadow." Asuka continued, unblinking and without emotion while still being held in Shingo's arms.

"If you do, then you can stop the Demon Lord!" Haruki blurted out.

"We should at least try." Konomi mewed as she climbed to her feet.

Takamasa wanted to test his power, but was unsure if he should, knowing it's destructive power.

Shingo noticed Asuka's eyes darting around the room as if she was watching something flying around the room to which he asked, "Asuka, are you okay?"

"I'm building." Asuka said in the same robotic voice. "Twenty seven minutes until completion, forty seven minutes until deployment."

"Deployment of what, Asuka?" Shingo wondered calmly.

"My battle armaments." Asuka noted as she looked the young man holding her in the eye.

"So we're doing this then?" Takamasa asked the group.

Yuki, exasperated at the situation, said, "Even if we do go and fight, I won't be able to help. My power is based on how many people have faith in me."

Haruki, upon hearing his sister lamenting her situation, walked over, took her by the hand, and reassured her, "Little sister, I promise you that nobody has more faith in you than I do."

"And we all believe in you too, Yuki." Shingo contributed.

Yuki looked around at her friends. As her eyes met each of theirs, they nodded in confirmation.

"We can't do this without you Yuki." Takamasa said.

Yuki needed to test her power. She closed her eyes and with all her will, remembered what it felt like to have her blanket of light envelop her. Piece by piece, shining golden armor formed on each part of her. The group stood amazed at the sight as their leader slowly gained a full set of golden armor. Once she was covered from head to toe, she held out her hand where a brilliant sword made of golden light formed.

"It worked." Yuki smiled to herself before she brought the sword up and spoke to it directly. "I missed you my friend."

"Taka," Konomi started. "You should try yours too, just to be sure."

"I don't think I should." Takamasa replied. "I couldn't control it there so I shouldn't be able to here. I may be useless when we get there or I may be able to hit really hard. We'll have to wait and see."

The group understood Takamasa's fears.

"So then, you are going to go stop her?" Haruki wondered.

Yuki looked over to Ichiro's still lifeless body on the ground.

"We can't just leave him." Yuki lamented.

"Yuki, if you don't go then everyone ends up like him." Haruki explained. "I'll stay here with him. As Asuka said, I'd just end up getting killed if I go."

"Are you sure?" Yuki asked.

"Yea," Haruki said as he looked around at the group. "I'll try to clear the way for you from here."

Yuki, inundated with emotions, simply stated, "Thanks big brother. I promise, even if I don't make it back, I'll take care of it."

With that, Yuki looked to her adventuring party and said, "Let's go avenge Ichiro and Inori. Let's put an end to this."

The group nodded in agreement. Yuki marched out the of the hole in the destroyed wall followed closely behind by the others. Demon Lord Satsui's powers were serious and not to be taken lightly. The snow had already piled knee deep. The city was in chaos. No building had any windows remaining. Broken glass was scattered everywhere and the power was out as far as they could see. The only light which illuminated the area now was the portal in the sky. Anticipation and distress filled the group, but conviction overshadowed their fear. Finally, the Isekai Support Group began trudging through the snow, together, toward the battlefield.