[IC] - All the World's a Game

[Koishi]

Edge of Ancient City

---

The two started heading around the Ancient City, where smoke and fire was rising from a part of it.

"To put it simply, Gensokyo is being invaded by two armies. One is controlled by some fella called the Devourer, the other, well, the Higher Power said that was a personal vendetta, and didn't want me telling anyone. Ancient City is being attacked by the second army right now, and they're winning. I even saw a couple of Oni get ripped in half as I came down here." Lily Black explained.

---

Somewhere in Nevada

---

"HP. It's short for Higher Power." Hank said.

---

Human Village

---

The kamikaze horde was pushing forward, and the group back.

"I know that fella from earlier helped with the ammo and all, but i'm starting to run out." Foster said.

"Same here." Sam said.

"And i'm getting exhausted from all this magic usage." Koishi said, looking like she was about to collapse.

The Heavy was still out there, seemingly not having the same issues as the others as streams of bullets kept pouring out of the minigun he called Sasha, while Marisa kept making strafing runs on her broomstick.

[WriggleRid3r]

Hakurei Shrine

---

"Take an hour break. Then gather everyone and go to Scarlet Devil Mansion. Patchouli will fill you in."

---

Ancient City

---

"Must be one of the children, then." A booming voice said from above: Yuugi, on top of a heap of corpses of the enemies. "Hello, Lily. Black as usual?"

[wonderweiss]

"Damn. Must be tough. So, Devourer, huh? Lemme guess, devourer of worlds? Feels like I'm in a freakin movie... so all you want me to do is beat these 'devourers' bloody?"

---

The Higher... that's the one who took Hank!

"Hank, where did the Higher Power take you after he captured you on Youkai mountain?"

---

Good. I think I got through to her.

I heard an explosion.

"What the hell was that?!"

I stood up.

"Tell me, how powerful are you? If you are determined, you can come along. maybe they can tell you where your friend is. You coming with?"

But I saw her fall to the floor.

"Hey, are you alright?"

I gave her my hand to lift her up.

[NeoFox]

Hakurei Shrine
_______________

In the Hakurei Shrine Axl laid in the corner of the room still unconscious. However suddenly he woke up as though he woke up from a bad dream. "Huh? Wait where am I!?" Said Axl as he jumps up. He then notices his armor is a different color than before. It was white with purple stripes. "What happened to my armor!?" He yelled.

Meanwhile Wily and his robots were outside. His Robot Masters were messing around. Napalm Man was barking random orders to the Sniper Joes, Elec Man was creating a sort of light show with his electricity, and Heat Man was petting a Metool... before melting it for no reason.

[S121]

Hakurei Shrine

"Very well, thank you.", John said as he got up from the table.

John walked out of the shrine and looked up at the sky.

(If I'm going on a suicide mission, then I better tie up some loose ends...), John thought as he pulled out the gap crystal Yukari had given him.

For the longest time, he never had to do anything like this. While various marines and ODSTs said their farewells to those they cared about, John was there simply tending to his gun, ready for the next suicide mission.

He never had anyone close to him, he never had anybody that would miss him if he died.

John walked to a secluded part of the shrine and spoke to the crystal.

"Yukari, we need to talk. This is important."

[Kristia]

Hakurei Shrine

Thr fox cleaned her wounds and cleaned her bandages, she was followed by the jackal "How are you feeling?" she asked

"Just preparing for the suicide mission, how about you?" the vixen countered calmly

Nera leaned on the wall "I think it will be like fighting hordes of geodudes, what they lack in quality compensate it with quantity, it will be a matter of endurance"

Our best odd is to take out the problem directly from the root, then the followers will fall without a leader to follow" Renamon said stretching her limbs

"Well then, lets do our best" the jackal smiled

[wonderweiss]

I was standing there at the counter, looking at all the magnificent flavors! Oh, there's rocky road, moose tracks, superman, cheese cake, key lime,-

Oh... my... god... it is the ultimate of flavors...

I put my finger on the glass pointing at the flavor I desired.

"ONE STRAWBERRY VANILLA AND CHOCOLATE SWIRL, PLEASE!!!"

I saw Chris outside looking rather down. I poked my head out the window.

"Hey, Chris, come on in, have a scoop!"

---

Hakurei Shrine; Yuyuko

---

I heard Axl from the room close-by.

"Axl are you alri-"

I saw him change colors.

"Axl... what happened to your armor?"

[NeoFox]

Simulated London
________________

Chris just turns to Gerard and shakes his head before walking off deeper into the city. "I'm not in the mood for ice cream..." He said as he walks off.



Hakurei Shrine
_______________

Axl was literally freaking out. The last time something similar to this was when some of his fellow Maverick Hunters decided to paint him a bright yellow one day when he was "sleeping."

"I DON'T KNOW! I WOKE UP AND MY ARMOR IS A DIFFERENT COLOR!" Yelled a panicking Axl.

[Koishi]

Ancient City

---

"Wasn't a child, I saw full grown Oni being ripped apart by a ram looking fella." Lily said.

"And no, I ain't black, more of a dark gray today." Lily retorted to Yuugi. "Otori, meet Yuugi. Yuugi, meet Otori. Done with introductions, now can we go before we're ripped from limb from limb like those Oni?"

---

The Consumer

---

THe Auditor was now in control of over 60 km of the Consumer, and the number was growing as he went alone down the halls, humming a tune, killing all of the Nucleoids who got in his way.

[WriggleRid3r]

Gap Realm

---

Yukari was... Well she was in her house, sobbing over something. Ran was besides her, with biscuits and tea to calm Yukari down.
"Please, Yukari-sama, calm yourself and tell me what's wrong." Ran pleaded.
"Go away, Ran. I want to be alone right now." Yukari barked. Ran did not flinch.
"I brought your favorites." Ran announced. "Sweet Korean cracker and oolong."
"Oolong?" Yukari looked up to find the aroma of her favorite tea. "Fine, what do you want."
"What happened, Yukari-sama? You were so happy when you saw John. Now you're so crestfallen."
"I... I just don't feel like I can love, Ran." Yukari sighed. "John's so sweet, and I want to never let go of him like I did 700 years ago-"

"Yukari, we need to talk. This is important."

"Will you answer that, Yukari-sama?" Ran asked.
"...no." Yukari replied. "Tell hin that I'm sleeping."
"...very well."

As soon as Ran left the gap realm and entered the forest around Hakurei Shrine, she was knocked unconscious, and she was taken... To somewhere.

---

"Then it must be an elderly." Yuugi laughed as the same ram creature bellowed and dashed towards Yuugi, full force. "Oh is that the creature you were talking about?"
Yuugi jabbed her index and middle finger right though the ram's nose. The momentum stopped automatically.
"This is it?" Yuugi laughed. "I worried for nothing."

---

The Consumer

---

"Reduction."
The pace of the Auditor's expansion slowed to almost a halt by a lone Nucleoid.
"Wow you came through the ship quite fast." The Nucleoid shouted back at the Auditor. "I'll have you know you conquered about 0.001% of our entire ship. That's really something, it really is."

[Kristia]

Hakurei shrine

Nera was preparing her stuff and heard something strange from the forest close to the shrine "Hey there is something wrong outside" she said to Renamon

the fox got up and looked at the source of the strange sound "Lets check it out" she said as they both ran to the source

[wonderweiss]

What the hell is with that... ya know what forget it. Let's go before all hell breaks loose.

"I'm just waiting on your call. I want to stay around as much as you do."

---

Oh? Something's wrong...

"Uh, I'll be back! Make sure that ice cream is safe!"

I ran to Chris.

"Chris, what's the matter? You can tell me."

---

"Now, calm down, Axl! Um, ah... well, it can't be that bad... right? I mean, it's not like you're any different!"

[NeoFox]

Simulated London
___________________

Chris stops and turns to Gerard. "More innocent lives were lost and it's all my fault! I should have disabled that missile when we were back at the labs! Because of me thousands of people died... it's like China all over again..." He said as he turns away, punching a wall out of anger.

This happened to him before. Back in his world millions of lives were lost. He remembers it exactly, a missile containing the C-Virus was about to be launched and Chris and his partner Piers at the time had a chance to destroy it, but they were too late. The missile was launched and the entire city was infected within hours.

[S121]

Hakurei Shrine

John's words went unanswered, but he talked anyway.

"Yukari,... If your listening to this then know that I'm sorry if I made you cry. It wasn't my intention.. I'm speaking to you now because there's a chance that I won't make it back. My team and I are to go into the very center of the Nucleoid army at the Youkai Mountain. This is a suicide mission... I.. I'm not very good at this, but I wanted you to know, so that you wouldn't be too shocked if I don't make it out alive....."

"You gave me something that I never had before,.. and I thank you for that. You showed me that perhaps I do have some sort of humanity, even after all I've been through. You gave me something I never had, the capacity to feel love... Don't think of this as a final farewell, but a goodbye for now."

John felt tears form in his eyes and his voice cracked ever so slightly.

John let out a slightly shuddering sigh and continued.

"I want you to know that in the end, I.. I love you, and I promise to come back, even if I have to rise back up from the dead as a ghost.... I love you.. Bye."


John put away the crystal and quickly regained his composure.

He had no idea how hard it was to say goodbye until now.

Now he knew why even the most battle-hardened ODSTs and Marines felt so emotional and cried when it was time to say goodbye to their loved ones.

John prepped his weapons, cleared his throat, and began to look for his teammates.

Of course first, he needed to get his Biofoam from Eirin.

[Kristia]

Forest near Hakurei shrine

"I hear footsteps, they are close" Nera said as they ran through the forest

"We must act quickly, they could be scouts or spies" Renamon said focusing on their targets