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Button House has succumbed to the endless waves of Abnormal. Wuyan herself was forced to leave, abandoning all of her work in the process …
As for the Confetti Factory, it's hard to say. Demetria has yet to hear from Aelios and Zipp, and it's been a while since their last meeting. In that period of time, anything could've happened.
But right now, she can't afford to think about those … She's injured. She needed to tourniquet herself before she collapsed from blood loss. There was no death in Confettia, but the way things stand now, it seems unlikely that it's still the case.
So Demetria crawled, leaving behind a trail of red in her wake.
Her breath hitched when the pain became too great to bear. She had to pause for her lungs to catch up with the exertion. Blood still gushed from the cut on her left leg, and the makeshift tourniquet she made out of a spare handkerchief proved to be unreliable as it began to loosen.
“Kmmfh— !” She collapsed to one knee, her vision splitting in two. When she managed to raise her head to see the path ahead, a figure in a white suit instead greeted her. Four arms and a trail of dust; moth wings that slightly resembled that of Deliriini, the woman stood there. Unmoving.
“You must be Paper’s friend.” The woman beamed an ethereal smile.
“D- Do I … know you?” Demetria sputtered up a mouthful of blood, staining the colorful floor.
The moth shook her head. “No, of course not. I don't exist yet, do I?” She approached closer. “But you don't have to worry about that. Don't worry about whether or not you've met me.”
Illusia stepped closer to Demetria’s heaving form. Her hands, all four of them, reached forward to crane the young girl's head to meet her eyes. “It's time to wake up.”
This woman wouldn't be here to help, Demetria thought to herself. Paper hasn't told her anything about … this woman yet, but she shook her head instead. She can't blame her friend for keeping her lips sealed.
After all, we all keep our own secrets.
“布瑠部 … ”
“ 由良由良 … ”
Demetria assumed a stance — crouched onto one knee, hands curled in fists and extended over each other as if holding a wheel — and began to chant.
“Sacred treasures, swing and ring — Eight-Fold Paint, Divergent Sila, Divine Abnormal … ”
A burst— no, a wave of energy began to push against Illusia. It was enough to knock her back a good couple of feet backwards; enough distance for Demetria to summon—
It.
“ … Confettiaraga. ”
A tall, hulking beast encased in a fragile cocoon. It quickly fell away as it began to awaken and manifest fully, its eyeless face bearing a heavy gaze upon Illusia.
Demetria herself seemed bothered, but the worry in her face quickly dissolved into smugness as she raised her head to meet Illusia again. “Hey, moth-lady. I'll be dying firs—"
SLAM! Confettiaraga’s massive arm swung down and struck Demetria's side, sending her flying against a toy train. Illusia stared in understandable horror — that girl was surely dead, no matter what clause Illusia imposed upon the visitors of Confettia.
" Hoooh…?” She raised her eyebrow as she turned her attention back towards this newly-awakened beast. “Now what's this all about?”
The beast didn't seem to be capable of thought nor speech as it trudged towards Illusia in heavy steps. No interest in diplomacy, huh?
But before Illusia could make a safe distance between herself and the beast, Confettiaraga immediately swung down with the blade tied to its right arm. Illusia managed to duck her way out of it, but something felt…off about it.
“Huh. The Orikerd’s energy…” Illusia mused, staring at the crater left behind. “If I were an Abnormal, that strike would've eviscerated me already. Such strong concentratio—”
And just like Demetria, Illusia was sent flying as well. This time, towards a wall. The folded wallpapers crunched and folded into itself with a satisfying (and painful) crunch as Illusia slammed violently into it. But of course, she didn't seem to be harmed too much. “Hey, rude! I was talking.”
But that concentration of energy… How could anyone else have access to the Orikerd's power that is not Paper or herself?
“Keheh… That's new.” Illusia snickered, wiping a smear of blood from her cheek. “Let’s see what other surprises you have!”
Confettia is in flames.
Button House, Confetti Factory, all gone. Reduced to ashes of paper and paint. And above the watercolor skies of the dead Confettia was a moth and a demon.
“Kuff— Z- Zipp!? Zipp!!” From the rubble climbed out Aelios, coughing and covered in dust. “Is- Is everyone okay!? Where's Zipp!?”
Then, from a few paces away, the warden lifted herself up from the debris. “All fine." She replied, as if ALL of Confettia wasn't destroyed in the span of 50 minutes.
“How can you be so calm right now!? Come on, we have to get out of here!” Aelios shouted, pushing Zipp out of the way of a falling pillar. “Where’s Deliriini!? What about that other girl!?”
Like a meteor falling from the sky, Illusia was sent flying across the skies and slammed back down into the rubble, splitting a column of pipes in two. But she was quick to peel herself off the crater left behind, hauling up the broken pipes and sending it flying like missiles towards Confettiaraga.
Cackling, she shouts. “I SEE IT NOW, CONFETTIARAGA! You can split the fabric of Confettia itself, and cleave through the illusion!” Laughing maniacally, she took herself to the skies again. “The ability to adapt to the nature of Confettia… How thrilling!”
Confettiaraga itself seems to be grinning at her, as if the two were enjoying the fight and the destruction it leaves behind.
But Illusia didn't attack again. Instead, she brought her hands together, her fingers forming a sign. “If it takes all of Confettia to destroy you … Then I will be more than willing to sacrifice it.”
Enma-Ten — 阎魔天.
“Domain Expansion … ”
“ 伏魔御廚子. ”