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Chapter Text

Seishi Moribe anticipated his life would come to an end. He hoped to pass down his teachings, and that desire had come true.

But his departure from the mortal realm did not go as calmly as anticipated. Murdered by Odie O’Bright… he prayed that the young man, his prior opponent, would not suffer the same fate.

So when he woke up as a phantom in another realm, things were quite a shock. How could Moribe not have moved on to the heavens? Did he not do enough during his life to achieve peace?

The feudal land of fantasy, better known as Gensokyo. The ghost found himself settling in a small village populated by humans. His kind demeanor and lack of dangerous abilities made Moribe easy to approach. With his mastery of powerful secret abilities, he defeated many kinds of willing challengers.

But of all the challengers that came to the village, Moribe did not expect one of them to be a child.

“I’m on a journey to stand on top of all of Gensokyo!” She declares.

A little fairy girl, with icicles for wings. Her stature is so small but her voice is as loud as can be. Matching her icy wings are the striking blue colors of her hair and dress.

“My name is Cirno, and I challenge you! If I win, I become your pupil!”

Moribe initially wants to turn her down. It’s not that he doesn’t think girls can fight, but someone of her size and innocence shouldn’t be learning his bare-handed techniques.

Right?

But she keeps persisting, coming to his door every day, boasting about how she defeated powerful youkai. First, it was a yuki-onna, then it was the goddess of misfortune, then a cursed doll living in the hills.

Perhaps that man who surpassed me has led others onto the path of becoming the strongest…?

One day though, Cirno returned to him with something different.

The shackles of an oni. There were very few of them in the land of Gensokyo.

“I defeated Suika Ibuki’s sheer might, now you must teach me!”

Moribe caved in and challenged her, extremely impressed by the fairy’s resolve.

Part of him wondered if it was a fluke and that the girl just got lucky, but he was quickly proven otherwise. Cirno wipes the floor with him. She’s far more agile than she lets on.

“Youth in the pursuit of power,” he coughs. “I see that the fighting spirit burns on. I shall accept you as my disciple.”

Her face is beaming. Cirno’s eyes sparkle like snowflakes.

“You won’t regret it, grandpa!” Cirno stops and corrects herself. “I mean, master! Master Moribe!”

Moribe pauses for thought.

He never got to see his grandchildren before passing away…

“There is no need for apologies,” he says. “You may call me whatever you wish, child.”

“Oh, okay. Then 'grandpa' it is!” Cirno cheers. “I live by myself anyway. Fairies like us don’t really have family members!”

Maybe that’s something that would change for this youthful sprite.

After a decent amount of training, Cirno departs, expressing the desire to challenge a powerful youkai.

Moribe gets peace for a while, but he admits the isolation isn’t something he favors after living in it for quite a while. Having a rather noisy, but optimistic disciple was just the thing he needed, even if he didn’t initially realize it.

He decides to take a walk through the Human Village while Cirno is away. She would want to eat when she returns, wouldn’t she? Did fairies even eat?

“How come nobody recognizes me around these parts?”

“You’re an American wrestler, you dumb-dumb!” Someone laughs. “Not to mention, this is like one of those 'isekais'! We all got sent to a place where nobody knows us, and we need to adjust to their culture.”

Moribe keeps a reasonable distance, his form hidden from the familiar voices.

It couldn’t be, could it?

“Are you saying that you have adjusted to this new world swiftly?” A Russian accent sticks out like a sore thumb.

“Oh, no, it took me weeks to figure out the rules of this place. Too many youkai have tried to eat me.”

Peeking from behind a building, Moribe confirms his suspicions. Fellow martial artists. Moribe recalled that the youth who challenged him moments before his death said something about challenging every master of the martial arts, so he could learn all possible techniques.

Yes, Moribe remembers them now. Max Morgan, Jackie Iaukea, and Tula Han. Master of professional wrestling, sumo, and sambo respectively. There was a year when Moribe went on a world tour, and all of the best martial artists had been brought to greet each other.

“Seishi Moribe? Is that you?”

Jackie notices him and doesn’t have time to react, the larger man approaches him and bows. “Moribe! It’s wonderful to see you again!”

“Da,” Tula Han adds. “Although, perhaps not under these circumstances.”

The implication hits Moribe like a train.

“Han, were you, Iaukea, and Morgan all killed in a fight as well?”

“Yeah!” Max Morgan interrupts the elderly fighter. “This jackass named Odie O’Bright strut on into my locker room and bragged about killing you and Aja! I was so pissed, I didn’t think to call security, the bastard ambushed me!”

Moribe closes his eyes.

“Max, chill out, dude!” Jackie yells. “That Odie guy beat me until I seriously couldn’t get up. I thought I never would either until some kiddies in this world prodded me awake.”

“I had a similar experience. A pharmacist found me in the forest, Odie had twisted my limbs in places I could not have imagined.” Tula Han shuddered. “As a trained soldier, I am always prepared for death, but it is just as Morgan put it. Our killer acted like an assassin rather than a fighter.”

Moribe takes a deep breath.

“Are you alright, Seishi?” Jackie asks.

He clenches his fist.

“Apologies for my silence, but I am devastated to find this out,” Moribe confesses. “I had hoped I was merely unlucky. At my age, I knew I did not have much longer to live and was willing to accept an accident would happen in battle. But you three? You are youths all in your prime, and he snuffed you out like an animal.”

“Seishi…”

Jackie wipes a tear from his eye. Max Morgan slaps his back, getting the sumo to stop.

“We might have all died, but that guy, Masaru Takahara! He’s the one who inspired me to get back into fighting in the first place, brother!” He pumps a fist. “I have no doubt that the kid avenged us and kicked Odie’s ass on our behalf! If I gotta die young, then I want him to carry the torch!”

Tula Han nods in agreement. “I concur. As a soldier, there are many who can take my place. But in combat, that willful young man will use my techniques honorably.”

“Actually, now that Max mentioned it,” Jackie says. “Did Aja seriously get killed too? I overheard Odie saying he hoped I was a bigger challenge than Namkiat—”

“That son of a bitch got Namkiat too?” Tula Han spits.

So, that would mean that they were here also. But Moribe had never seen either of those two during his time in the Human Village. It didn’t sound like the other three had seen them and merely knew of their demises.

Perhaps Cirno had seen them? She had been traveling around Gensokyo to find challengers. Although, Cirno didn’t have the sharpest memory. She’s determined and strong for a fairy, but not exactly the brightest.

Still, it wouldn’t hurt to ask once she came back. Moribe decides to invite the other three inside.

“Come. My disciple shall return from her quest soon.”

“Disciple?” Jackie gives a surprised smile. “You managed to snag a student while you were staying here? You know, all the girls here are really strong! Right guys?”

Max Morgan and Tula Han didn’t want to confess to getting their asses handed to them by some of the random youkai here, one of which included a cat girl.

Cirno returned with a sunflower pinned on her dress as a trophy.

“Grandpa, I’m back! I have overcome all of my challenges!” She flashes the sunflower around. “Miss Yuuka says I have lots of courage to go up against her. She gave me a medal for my bravery, to show everyone that I really am the strongest!”

She soon realizes the crowd that had been invited over.

“What’s this? More challengers who have heard of my accomplishments!?” Cirno strikes a fighting stance. “I’ll deep-freeze you with some English beef!”

They all stare at her.

“This is your disciple?” Tula Han asks. “A snowflake? Furthermore, that is not a medal of bravery.”

“Hey, no so fast, Han!” Jackie points at the sunflower. “She got that from the wicked scary youkai living up in those flower fields! I hear from the locals that you don’t mess around with that one!”

Moribe rises from where he sits to introduce her. “This is Cirno, a fairy who had arrived to challenge me. She brought me the shackles belonging to an oni—”

“Oni? There are only a few of them around here!”

“… That is correct, Iaukea.”

Jackie gets a closer look at Cirno. “So this one here beat you, the flower youkai, and an oni?” Cirno puts up her fists as he kneels down. “You got a lot of spunk for someone your size, I like that! Don’t worry, I won’t give you a fight unless it’s what you want.”

She lowers her guard a bit. “Grandpa, who are all these strange men?”

“They are fellow martial artists who passed away around the same time as I did,” Moribe sighs. “Max Morgan, professional wrestler, and Hollywood star. Jackie Iaukea, a sumo wrestler from Hawaii. And Tula Han, a military soldier skilled in sambo.”

Cirno blinks in confusion. “What’s Hollywood?”

Out of all the things, it’s a bit surprising that’s the only thing Cirno questioned. Perhaps she’s smarter than Moribe gave her credit for.

“This world is too strange!” Max Morgan groans. “They’ve never seen a movie, I swear!”

“I don’t think video players exist here,” Tula Han adds. “Moribe, why does this one refer to you as her grandparent?”

Moribe bites the inside of his cheek. “Well, why not?” Jackie retorts. “She’s just a little fairy, isn’t she?”

“Fair folk are usually older than they appear. She could be much older than Moribe despite the innocent appearance.”

“Aw come on!”

The two start bickering. It gives room for Moribe to ask Cirno a question. “Apologies for this, my pupil, but have you seen any peculiar characters besides these three?” He inquires. “Apparently two others had passed around the same time as us as well. A luchador and a kickboxer, by the names of Great Aja and Namkiat. Do they sound familiar?”

Cirno pauses for thought, it takes almost a minute for her to come to a conclusion. “No,” she mutters. “Well, I dunno! I personally never have, but when I fought Miss Suika, she mentioned her oni friend had been preoccupied with a wrestler, so they hadn’t been hanging out as much.”

Max Morgan is the only other one paying attention to her. “Sounds like Aja to me!”

“Where exactly could we find this other oni?” Moribe asks.

She stops and smiles.

“I can’t remember!”

This could take a while.

Chapter Text

A couple of days passed. Cirno said that a strange man challenged her out of nowhere, Gungrey Jibalt was his name, and he had been searching by someone the name of Masaru Takahara.

She claims to have seen Masaru himself, but there was never any sign of him in Gensokyo. Cirno even bragged about being snatched up into another version of Gensokyo that fell apart and fighting an evil, fire-based clone of herself.

It’s not that Moribe didn’t believe her, but the other three figured Cirno just had the wild imagination of a child. Moribe’s only conclusion was that his own request and Cirno’s constant training were maybe depriving her of sleep.

He would hate to think that mentioning what Odie O’Bright did was giving her lucid nightmares.

Cirno got so frustrated with no one believing her that she left.

The ice fairy wandered far off away from the Human Village, so much so she actually didn’t know where she was anymore. For all she knew, Cirno probably wandered into a hole that was in the ground.

“Well, I’m lost,” she says to herself, surrounded by lanterns. “But I guess being lost is better than being around people who just don’t listen!” Cirno pouts, looking at the gemstone she got from defeating her doppelgänger.

In the midst of touching all the smooth edges of the gem, it slips out of Cirno’s fingers, falling into the cracks of the stone path. She tries to dig it out with her fingers, later resorting to an icicle when that’s unsuccessfully, but the gemstone ultimately becomes wedged in.

She panics. “What do I do? That’s the only thing I have left from my quest that no one seems to believe!” Cirno tries with all her might, but even with the strength she had gained on her adventures, she can’t simply rip apart a stone floor.

Right, Cirno just needed to ask for help. If she learned anything from her trip to that other version of Gensokyo, it was that she couldn’t do everything by herself.

There’s a large man standing around close to an oni, yelling at each other over drinks. In most circumstances, Cirno would just ask the oni, but something about this man covered in a cape made of feathers and his striking, purple hair stood out to Cirno.

His face doesn’t do anything to deter Cirno either, as the design of his mask makes it look like part of his brain is exposed. She just flies over to him, surprising the other festival goers.

“Hey, mister—”

“What the hell do you want!?” He shouts. “Who do you think you’re talking to, pipsqueak? You better watch yourself or I’ll beat your ass, kid!”

Again, Cirno isn’t the slightest bit bothered by this. “Can you help me get my jewel back? It fell between the rocks, and I can’t get it out.” She points over to the set of stone tiles, baffling the strange man.

“God, you fairies are so small and weak! It’s pathetic!”

“Nuh-uh, I’m the strongest fairy! I fought an oni before, you know!”

He scoffs. “I should melt you right here, you little freak!” Despite these threats, he follows through with the request, pulling up one of the stone tiles from the path and digging the gemstone out. “There, now leave me alone, brat!”

“Hurrah! Thanks, big brother guy!”

A smile tugs at the corner of the man’s lips.

“Aw, now what’s this?” A large oni woman coos, holding a sake dish in her hands. “Does the Great Aja suddenly have a soft spot for kiddos?”

“Shut it, Yuugi!” He snaps.

Great Aja? Where did Cirno hear that name before?

Cirno brought up to the others how Suika’s friend was preoccupied, so Suika was bored. Suika’s friend was also an oni. She was currently hanging out with a wrestler. That’s when Max Morgan blurted out…

“Oh, you’re Aja?” Cirno says, absentmindedly.

He spins back around. “It’s the Great Aja, you twerp! I’m the Angel of Death! You got a problem with that?”

Cirno flies around him, cheerful. “Okay, so it is you! The others were wondering where you went!”

“Others?” He cracks his knuckles. “Oh, I get it, other challengers want an ass whooping? Well, lead the way, ice cube! Where are they?”

“In the Human Village,” Cirno then realizes just how lost she is. “Speaking of which, can you help me get out of here? I kind of just wandered in a hole.”

“The hell? You think I know how to get there!?” Aja snaps.

“I know the way out of here and over to the village. I usually go there for more festivities.” Yuugi, the oni stumbles forward. “Come on, you two, I’ll distract the bridge princess. It’s impressive how a fairy got by her in the first place!”

“Bridge princess?” Cirno did not recall running into her.

“Yeah, more like you just wanna chat up your girlfriend!” Aja spits.

“Oi, now slow it down,” Yuugi laughs. “Okay, maybe that’s half of it, but we’re gonna be passing her anyway and I gotta do something to manage her manipulation jealousy, don’t I?”

Yuugi Hoshiguma is apparently one of the Big Four of the Mountain, along with Suika and somebody else. She ended up distracting the bridge guardian long enough for Cirno and Aja to escape to the surface.

The only problem was, without Yuugi, they were just lost from here on out. Cirno never usually ventured that far, nor could she really remember her tracks other than the lake by the mansion. Aja meanwhile, hadn’t stepped outside of the underground since his arrival.

So the two of them just ended up bumbling around for a bit.

“My, my. Is that the Great Aja? Here? Lost with a child?”

Aja grits his teeth on reflex, recognizing that obnoxious voice. Hopping down from the mountainside is a young man, wearing jewelry and his face done with makeup.

“Namkiat,” Aja growls. “The hell are you doing out here?”

“I could say the same to you,” Namkiat chuckles. “I have been honing my skills at a temple and aiding a Buddhist monk who has her hands full with youkai. I saw this as a chance to redeem myself after being defeated. What about you? Are you in this strange land for the same reason?”

The bad blood seems extremely evident between the two of them. Even someone like Cirno can pick up on it. The other champions she had met were all friendly with each other as well as Moribe, but these two just did not seem to vibe with one another.

“Wait, did you seriously get killed by that chump Odie also?” Aja cackles with laughter. “I admit, maybe it was karma for me for my rule-bending to end up in the Former Hell down over there, but you got wrapped up in it?”

“Of course, a brute like you gets sent down to where the worst, irredeemable youkai live! Even the head of the temple wants nothing to do with them.”

“Up yours, pretty boy! I wish your face stayed decomposed—”

“Guys!” Cirno finally snaps. Turns out that even the loud ice fairy had her limits. “Moribe and the others were wondering if you were here at all! Can we save the fighting for when we get back to the Human Village? Maybe reunite with everybody else first?”

They stop to look at her.

“Dear me, Seishi Moribe is here too?” Namkiat almost looks sorry. “I am more than happy to grace him with my presence, child. Thank you for letting me know. But I must say, you two are long way off from the Human Village.”

“Why don’t you show us the way back then, you ass!?” Aja spits. “And kid, why didn’t you mention that old coot Moribe earlier?”

“I won’t help you if you’re going to insult me—”

“Guys! Save this for later!”

For once, Cirno had to be the babysitter of two grown men.

The two of them were shocked to see that Cirno had been telling the truth. There stood Moribe, looking frantic along with the other three.

“Cirno, where were you?” Moribe asked with a worried expression, paying more attention to her than his fellow fallen warriors. “Tula Han had been searching all outside the village and could not find you, not even by the lake you live near!”

His concern took everyone, including Cirno, by surprise.

“You and the others didn’t believe me about the cool adventure I went on, so I went to chill out elsewhere.”

“Cirno, you can’t just run away like that!” His tone becomes stern.

“But grandpa, I found Aja and Namkiat, those two guys you mentioned!” Cirno pouts. “And speaking of which, they’re total pains in the butt! They kept fighting on the way here, so I had to be the responsible adult and get them to stop!”

Namkiat scoffs. “Silly child, it was you who got lost in the first place.”

“Yeah, and you dropped your stupid rock!” Aja adds. The two share a glance, finally agreeing on something.

“It’s not a stupid rock! It’s the Titania Gemstone!” She shows off the stone once again.

Moribe pauses.

The last time he had fought Cirno, she only carried icicle splinters on her hands, mainly to improve hand-to-hand combat. She had never made mention of this jewel until now.

Namkiat is absolutely enamored with it. “Such luster,” he giggles. “You wouldn’t be up for trading that gemstone away in exchange for my necklace, would you?”

“No way!” Cirno pulls the gemstone up to her chest. “I won the Titania Gemstone and it makes my fists hit harder than before. Unless that necklace is magic, I wouldn’t give up my stone for the world!” Her pride simply makes Namkiat laugh even more.

“Cirno,” Moribe starts again, “where did you get that stone?”

She furrows her brow.

“From my dreams,” she answers sarcastically.

Chapter Text

Moribe felt horrible right now. He’s a ghost and it still felt like there was a pit growing in his stomach.

“I apologize for the previous assumptions, my disciple. Thank you for finding them.” Moribe tries to smile at her but it’s forced. “Why don’t you rest for a while? I’m sure you are weary from traveling to find them.”

As expected, Cirno doesn’t question it, retreating to the room that Moribe had given her. Unsurprisingly, Cirno had frozen the whole thing over, there were some frogs frozen in the corners too for some reason.

“Hey, Moribe? You alright?” Aja breaks his usual rude character. “You weren’t acting like yourself just then. Did being killed by that dick Odie really hurt or something?”

He sighs. “It’s alright, I thank you two for finding her.”

“Oh, stop that!” Namkiat furrows a brow. “Something is definitely not alright with you, and I can tell. That fairy is calling ‘grandpa’ for one thing and almost no one has ever called you that. Apparently, she mentioned being your trainee, which is also unusual. Now you’re acting wildly out of character. You’re not as calm and stoic as you normally are!”

“He’s right,” Aja adds. “Look, I know I prop myself up as the heel, but it doesn’t mean I don’t worry. I walked in and suddenly you freak out over that kid.”

It’s at this point that the other three can’t ignore it either.

“He’s been acting like this all week,” Max Morgan adds. “Brother, are you ready to tell us what’s up?”

The elderly martial artist finally cracks.

“I don’t want her to go through the same thing.”

They all stare at him, the realization slowly seeping in.

“I never got the chance to meet my actual grandchildren before I died. Cirno says she ran into a man that threatened to kill her and melt her down. She won, but then went to another world.”

“She’s just a child making up stories—”

“She’s not,” Moribe cuts Tula Han’s speech. “She did not have that gemstone before when we first fought. The entire time I trained her, and introduced her to you three, she did not have that gemstone on her. Suddenly she has it and claims she fought her mirror image and a Dark Lord that was known as Rage.”

He struggles to look at everyone. “It’s fine if it’s me,” Moribe mumbles. “But I don’t want a child like her going through the same things you all did, dying at a young age. I cannot take it. I have only known her for a short while, but she has brought me so much joy. I don’t know if I can be there to protect her and prevent that from happening.”

Silence falls in the room.

Namkiat and Aja take a moment to look at each other, shocked at what they just heard. Tula Han ends up swigging an entire drink bottle after listening to Moribe. Max Morgan forces himself to look the other way, hiding the tears that were welling up.

“Moribe,” Jackie reaches over to comfort him. “It won’t happen. Cirno isn’t going to end up as we did. She’s a strong kid, you aren’t going to lose her.”

He hopes that Jackie is telling the truth.

Cirno had gained some new opponents as time passed. As such, the other champions got disciples of their own.

First was a fairy from Hell, Clownpiece. She was prone to setting things on fire and treating both Cirno and Moribe with disrespect, managing to lose to the ice fairy thanks to her new skills. However, the moment she saw Max Morgan, the hell fairy decided she wanted to be trained also.

Her reasoning was that ‘people who dress like the American flag hate Lunarians’. At least now Max Morgan understood why his leotard had gotten him funny looks from some people. Still, it was nice to have a sparring partner whose fashion sense matched his own.

Another fairy by the name of Eternity Larva eventually came to play also. While Cirno resembled a snowflake and Clownpiece resembled a jester, Eternity’s appearance reflected that of a Swallowtail butterfly. Namkiat was absolutely enamored with this fairy and demanded that she become his own pupil. Perhaps he was just acting out of pride, but Cirno repeatedly had to tell Namkiat that Eternity was a bit more gentle than her and Clownpiece.

Either way, because of Cirno spreading the word about being the strongest thanks to Moribe, most of Gensokyo’s fairies started flocking over to the Human Village to play.

Other than Aja feigning anger, all seemed peaceful, until…

“Hey, you know Hikariko?” Clownpiece asks, now wearing a bandana, courtesy of Max Morgan. “The little snitch ran off back to Makai to talk about that Angel of Death you’re hanging out with. Thinks that her Angel of Death can beat your Angel of Death.”

“What?” Cirno blinks in confusion. “Makai? Isn’t that the remains of that old kingdom? Loocreesh or whatever?”

Before Clownpiece can answer, a silhouette can be seen from the horizon. Several humans begin to retreat back into their homes, under the false impression of a youkai attack. The village guardian and teacher came out to try to protect the village but soon realizes she can do nothing.

Because the approaching threat is not a youkai, but a fallen angel.

Jackie opens the sliding screen door, sees the tall, menacing silhouette of a seraph, and immediately closes it.

“I think we have a visitor,” he says.

Before Moribe can even ask, the sliding doors open without anyone even touching them. The twisted silhouette doesn’t even need to move, using its own sheer existence to rip apart Moribe’s home, leaving nothing but the floorboards in its wake.

“Who are you!?” Moribe demands to know.

The silhouette fades and the wings retract. A soft, pale face with closed eyes, long hair, and a gown. The angel wears earrings and carries a staff, creating this aura that mixes grace with the fear of the unknown.

“Dammit, more overpowered ladies with god powers?” Aja groans.

The angel’s feet don’t even touch the ground, eyes remaining closed as a violet glow surrounds them. “Salutations,” it speaks with a masculine tone. “I am Sariel, the Angel of Death. Which one of you mortals has taken my title and sullied it?”

There’s a pause amongst the group.

“Okay, time out brother,” Max Morgan pipes in. “So far, every ethereal overpowered being in this world has been a babe, right?”

Sariel pauses to hear his rant.

“All the brothers here are useless and weak, and usually have to compensate as we do. But here you stand, an angel dude that just ripped apart Moribe’s house!”

“Hey, he’s right,” Jackie adds. “All of the men in Gensokyo can’t fly, they can’t use danmaku, so guys like us are virtually useless and only good at digging holes. You’re a guy, right? Sariel is the name of a Judaic archangel and stuff.”

The angel blinks in confusion, realizing what he set himself up in. In the midst of it, Aja is attempting to hide from the scene. Namkiat seems none too happy about seeing a man with a softer face than his own.

“Oh, I understand the confusion. My apologies. You see, I am not native to Gensokyo. I, Sariel, originated from the Kingdom of Lucrece.” He bows. “I was a figure of worship amongst magic users, but when the land fell to the Dark Lord and became Makai, I too, became a fallen angel.” He chuckles. “Furthermore, I do participate in the harmless danmaku battles like most,” Sariel raises his staff. “I prefer to eliminate on sight. Now, where is the impersonator who has sullied my title?”

Moribe put his foot down.

Not again. This was not about to happen again.

“Why does a mere title matter so much to you?” Moribe asks. “Do you wish to boast your status as the Angel of Death so badly that you are willing to strike down innocent people?”

Sariel smirks. “And you spirits of former humans, forgotten and lost to your era, care about that sort of thing? Nothing is eternal but me. Everything is merely a fleeting moment, from now, until the moment you die.”

Summoning spheres to his side, Sariel prepares to fire projectiles at not just Moribe, but the entire group of champions.

The magical spheres are quickly eradicated by icicles.

“What? What is this now?” Sariel questions. “Who has silenced my judgment?”

“I did!”

The angel turns to see a mere fairy, proudly gaining height over him in the air.

“Nobody hurts grandpa and his friends, you hear me!? Go back to Makai, or I’ll crush you!”

“You must be the child that Hikariko mentioned. I suppose I can humor this.” He fires several lights that curve past Cirno. The projectiles transform into flying creatures, which all shoot lasers in Cirno’s direction. She narrowly evades them, using the Celestial Palm to weaken Sariel’s defenses.

His body turns to a bright orange color and the area surrounding them is set aflame. Cirno swallows hard, knowing she cannot handle the heat so easily.

“Absolute Zero!” Cirno yells, covering the entire field with a blizzard. The flames are destroyed and Sariel’s body is forcefully cooled down.

Images of the fallen kingdom appear through Sariel’s magic before he is surrounded by spheres once more. With images of angels inside, they start aimlessly firing. Cirno manages to dodge it, striking him with a Spin Drive. Sariel is knocked further away from Moribe, the spheres are shattered in the process.

“Impressive. You use skills that are not your own,” Sariel says. “It reminds me of a devout follower in magic I once had. Shall I show you what I have taught him?”

Once again, Sariel turns to a silhouette, extending his wings and revealing rings from his form, resembling that of an ophanim.

“Black Abyss!”

A dark sphere surrounds Cirno, enveloping her body before dealing an explosive strike.

She falls to the ground.

She doesn’t move, she starts to dissolve, much to Moribe’s horror.

“Cirno!”

Moribe runs over to her along with the others.

“Hey, pipsqueak, you aren’t going to take that, are you!?” Aja calls out, trying to hide his worry.

“Snowflake, you must get up and fight!” Tula Han begs.

“She’s melting! It’s no good!” Max Morgan cries.

Sariel merely laughs at this.

“It’s just as I say. A fleeting moment for now, until the moment you die—”

His speech is interrupted by Moribe decking him right where his gut would be.

“You monster,” Moribe hisses. “You are no angel! You are a murderer! That girl was merely a child! I pity the men who have worshipped someone as cruel as you!” He delivers another slam to lower Sariel’s stamina.

“That son of a bitch!” Aja adds. “Screw playing fair, this asshole deserves it!” He takes a bite out of Sariel’s wings, ripping one of them off.

“For once, I concur!” Namkiat screams. “Spiral Knee!”

Once again, Sariel is stricken. “You think you former champions stand a chance? Did you forget the rules here are that the men are weak, save for one such as I?”

Max Morgan grabs ahold of Sariel, even with his silhouette being impossible to comprehend, performing a German Suplex. “There’s where you’re wrong, brother! It’s six of us against you, and you pissed us off!”

Sariel is too dazed to notice Tula Han approaching from behind. “If you intend to hurt the small one, we shall pay you in kind!” The Cross Heel Hold leaves Sariel completely immobile.

And to make matters worse, Jackie comes in last, with the Worldbreaker’s Wrath crashing down.

“Whew, that was a close one! Angels sure are strong.” Cirno sighs, coming back as if nothing had happened. “Oh, that’s right!” She realizes. “I have to protect grandpa and the others!”

Upon returning to the scene of Moribe’s destroyed house…

Cirno saw all six of the fighters pummeling Sariel, while a puddle of ice water lay nearby.

“Grandpa?”

“Cirno!” Moribe whips around, bewildered but hurrying to embrace her. “How? How are you back? We saw this monster kill you with our own eyes! I thought you were gone, just as I was!”

Cirno pauses.

“You do know that we fairies regenerate upon dying, right?”

They all stare at her blankly, stupefied.

Wanting actual mercy and feeling actual guilt for what he had done, Sariel agreed to rebuild Moribe’s home. Things settled down rather quickly after that.

“I guess I’m still not as strong on my own as I think I am,” Cirno sighs. “I’m sorry you had to see that, grandpa. I had never encountered a foe like him on my journeys, so I wasn’t wholly prepared.”

“My disciple, you should not be apologizing.” Moribe replies with a smile. “Your presence has brought me and the others much joy. It would be painful to see you or anyone else hurt.” He reaches over to pat her on the head. “I think you have given us a purpose in this world.”

“Really?”

“I discussed it with the others. We want to protect everyone in Gensokyo as best we can.” Moribe explains. “Not just for your sake, but so nothing like Odie O’Bright ever occurs again, even out here. It was your dedication to defending us from Sariel that made us realize what we wanted.”

Cirno pauses for thought, emotions bubbling in her body.

“I really did that? For you guys?”

The two of them watch the former champions actively helping out the villagers and Sariel reconstruct Moribe’s home.

“Yes,” Moribe chuckles. “Even though you are my disciple, it is you who ended up teaching me things, my grandchild.”

Cirno perks up, flying around. “Grandchild? Me? Really?”

“Jackie suggested that I find papers to sign. It will be a bit strange for most of the humans, but yes.”

Her eyes start welling up. Little droplets of ice cascade from her cheeks.

“My name is going to be, Seishi Cirno? For real reals? You want some dumb fairy like me?”

He nods. In turn, she embraces him.

Perhaps things were a fleeting moment just as Sariel said. This is why Moribe would make sure that they lasted.