"IT'S NOT FAIR! THEY'RE JUST A BUNCH OF NOOB-FARMING, CLUSTER-RATTING SMURF POSERS! WHY ARE WE THE ONES THAT HAVE TO LEAVE?!" Tomura screamed in rage as he regained enough mental clarity to speak instead of blindly rampaging.
Kurogiri restrained a sigh as he patiently answered his master in a way he could understand best. "The recent developments have pushed other 'guilds' into action. Even as we speak, the 'npc' forces of these 'guilds' are doing a 'wide sweep over the entire map' to uncover their 'bases'. If we were to stay, we would be 'party wiped' and 'unable to continue'."
"So what? Those mobs are too low-levelled anyway. I can take 'em!" He punctuates his point by demonstrating his quirk on a steel pipe, the metal cylinder quickly turning to dust.
"No, you cannot." Kurogiri shuts him down. "Our 'party members' are nonexistent and our enemies won't shy away from swarm tactics. Even someone of sufficiently similar strengths as you will be put down in a matter of minutes if they were flooded with attacks, let alone someone with your current medical condition. Young master, at the moment, you are simply not fit for physical therapy, let alone a battlefield. We must, and we will, move to a 'different map' in search of greener pastures and that decision is final."
"KUROGIRI! YOU-"
"I expect you to have your game data backups packed as we shall be leaving by tonight, young master. And do not worry, this is simply a strategic retreat. We will return in due time eventually. Good day."
"KUROGIRI!!!"
~~~
"O' stars, glittering and granular as you hang above, your twinkling radiance has inspired countless generations.
O' moon, pale and dim might your shine glow, her freckled beauty has enthralled many in the long course of history.
O' sun, the light and life of all, thine radiant brilliance has bore witness to the birth of our humble homes, blessing all who comes to being.
O' night, ethereal and true as you are, why are you feared so? Your genuine form instills both fear and awe in equal measure.
O' celestial spheres far and wide, do you hold the same logic and mysteries as our own? Or do you all hold nothing at all?"
I've already made my rounds in the surrounding areas, the name of Reona has already carried it's own weight. Now, no one dares to interrupt me and my musing, not in fear of being pummeled to the ground --though that didn't stop some idiots from pushing their luck-- but rather in fear of earning my ire.
In addition to the my display of personal strength, I've also showcased my flippant regard towards spiritual energy with impromptu charity.
In other words, I took on the role of a Chinese young master that parades around the streets while throwing money on the ground.
Not exactly a good look in my personal opinion but I've been baiting the cult for so along I felt the need to gather more attention in the shortest possible amount of time. Like, how did they not send anyone yet?! I've been putting out my senses every now and then to scan the area every time I go out and whenever I discretely track down anyone suspicious, it's just another get-rich-quick-dreams mugger.
I swear, once I infiltrate those guys, I'm gonna milk them dry and empty their vaults or something.
I get that they might be cautious because of how recklessly I act, being an organisation and all but that's just that, an act.
They don't know it's fake but at the very least, I have every right to complain even if I'm in the wrong and may or may not have any malicious intentions.
"O' how times have changed... Fables have cracked, myths have faded, tall tales have crumbled and folklores disregarded." I continued spouting whatever nonsense I can think up on the spot. Walking around aimlessly can get bland relatively quickly. "Where has innocence go? To wonderland where it's hidden in plain sight. Where do hopes and dreams lie? Buried deep beneath, in the cemetery of yesteryears."
And I guess this is also a good way to make this persona a bit more distinct, something that can help it stand out and feel more genuine.
"The long past hold onto to glory and pride, stubbornly refusing the era of the present. Those of today pay no heed to history, further exasperating the rate it disappears, making mistakes that already have lessons to be learned."
Although, I just noticed.
It is odd that I'm alone right now...
Some beings usually like to stick around and listen for a bit, waiting for me to finish so they can butter up to me in hopes of getting something in return. This usually ends up with me having to disappear from a procession of coat hangers by the end of it.
The fact that there isn't any around at the moment can only mean one thing.
"Many stumble and fall in the race towards the end, knowing full well that patience is a virtue. They ignore that fact. Even when the answer is right in front of them, they are more than willing to charge ahead into the distance, not seeing the deep chasm by their feet." I stopped walking and stood firm and dramatically with an arm raised and a hand to my chest. "The future waits for us patiently, like a mother would her child. In our long lives, many opportunities will arrive and leave as willfully as the wind. And those like us? We have the lofty benefit to pick and choose as we see fit. Don't you think so too, my dear stalkers?"
~~~
"You know, it's quite rude to follow someone for so long. The least you could do is introduce yourselves, don't you think so?"
A pulse of energy swept over them.
It was quick, hardly even passing a single second but the it was dense and thick that it felt as if they were hit with a flying brick wall. They knew that their target scanned over them, their benefit of stealth now gone.
Despite this, they still stood as tall as they could, for even failing their mission and being dishonored among their peers is nothing compared to to the thought of their Kami being disappointed with them.
It was through their faith that allowed them to grit their teeth to bear through the brief spike of intense pain and anguish that allowed one of them to fall from their hiding spot to approach their target.
Covered head to toe in formerly pristine garments, the one that stepped forward steadied their movements as much as they can, masking the slight trembling of their muscles from the pain that shocked their nerves.
"We are but humble priest of the new revival of Shintoism." They spoke measuredly as if reciting from a scroll. "Our great Kami has heard of your exploits and has requested for your presence. Rejoice! You have been granted the honor of meeting them in person. Come with us and we shall lead you to the shrine."
Kizuki was excited. He finally has a chance to infiltrate behind enemy lines and go directly to their base! But of course, if he accepted so readily then it would be suspicious. So first, what he had to do is act like he's been acting so far.
Kizuki turned up his nose with a smirk dancing at the edge of his lips. "Are you making a jokem? 'Humble' he says. Heh, while wearing extravagant cloth? Might as well say you're dirt poor because you only have money." Kizuki chuckled, the sounds of it making them narrow their eyes. "And 'priests'? Come on, you have to come up with a better lie than that! What kind of religious figure has a gaze as sharp as a blade? Wait! Don't tell me! You guys are warrior-monks aren't you?"
Kizuki continued to ramble on and on about more abstinent conjecture, each one more ridiculous than the last.
The priests tried to interrupt and steer the conversation back on course to no avail. Their patience began to grow thin as Kizuki's words became depraved, then scandalous, then even heretical in more ways than one. It was as if he kept obscene topics shut away quietly someplace dark, only to take it out and release it to the world at opportune moments.
Eventually, one of the priests has finally had enough. They felt their patience snap and angrily retrieved an item from their inner pockets, much to the suprise of their allies, who lost their anger in shock of their actions.
"Don't! Our orders-!"
"-Our orders are to retrieve him! They didn't say how!"
He didn't finish his course of action before he was put down. The other priests didn't have time to react as it happened too quickly for them to follow because unlike the ones that attacked U.A., they are regular believers. Priests, yes, but still regular believers of their religion who were allowed allowed the usage of the more simple blessings to aid in the mission.
In more apt terms, they are disposable pawns to test the waters.
Their eyes couldn't follow the movements of what happened. However, what they can see is their fellow comrade lying flat on the road, a spiderweb of cracks on the asphalt told them of how hard their body impacted the ground. They don't even know if he's still alive or dead, because the twitching might very well be postmortem spasms.
Kizuki bent down to retrieve the item that rolled over to his shoes, a small origami frog with a small inscription written in red ink on its back.
"Huh. Never seen one of these before." Kizuki observed the small work between his fingers. The more he looked, the more he is sure why he doesn't recognise the script. "You know, for being 'humble priests' to act as my 'escort', you guys sure have fancy trinkets."
"T-that..."
Kizuki might not know what is written, but as a someone from the modern era, he can Intuit something based on contextual clues and the familiar shapes of the characters in the inscription.
Pointing the one end of the frog towards the downed priest, Kizuki pressed the 'button' on the back of the caricature. A long, folded origami tongue shot out from the frog's mouth and stuck to the poor man before being whisked away into the stomach of the little item.
"Now then... Guide me to your leader. Heh."
~~~
'Did I go too far?' I couldn't help but think to myself as I watch these guys lead me while being scared and anxious. Some of them are eyeing the origami frog that I'm leisurely tossing up and down. 'Nah. These guys are wacko terrorist anyway. They get what's coming to them. Although... At the very least, I can commend these guys for still choosing to follow orders in their state.'
"We're here."
"Hm?" That's can't be right. This is just a regular abandoned building. "Is this a joke to you? What part of this is a shrine?"
I suppose these guys still need a reminder? I raise the pressure a bit more while grabbing one of them by the collar of their clothes.
"P-please be patient for a moment longer! Th-the gate will appear soon!!"
"...Fine." The look in his eyes prove that he isn't lying. I'll wait a bit more.
I began tapping my foot 'impatiently' while carrying the origami frog with my fingers. The sound of my shoe bouncing off of the walls made some of the priests nervous, with one of them staring intently on his watch.
Moments passed tensely, with sweat forming on their faces.
Until the one with the watch lightened up. "It's here!"
The priests look over to the wall and I've done the same. There, a red Torii gate manifested.
Just a Torii gate, no swirling vortex or a darkness cloaking the entrance. By all intents and purposes, it appeared ordinary. But even so, I can tell-
This is the genuine entrance to their shrine.