Up atop the increasingly ominous Arkspire, a motion sick Junko was still rifling through Motonubu’s corpse searching for his belongings for the tenth time. The damned Agent bluffed having her Hikiboshi! Who knew where it really disappeared to- it might still be in the tower, or it might have sunk down somewhere far below in those ruins. The pain in her chest from losing a cherished heirloom hurt much more than any injuries sustained in the fight. She almost hurled his body off the tower as well, but thought better of it. Waste not, want not.

It wasn’t until the clouds above began to light up with unexplained energy that Junko made the decision that it was time to go. Staring up again to confirm the size of the swelling storm continued to grow, she spat viciously and looked again back towards the many pillars that decorated the tower’s roof. Some of them she knocked down, but her experience in ancient technology was a tad limited and none of her anger fueled rampages seemed to have slowed down the process.

The rapidly spinning sections of the Arkspire now lay inert after serving their purpose of drilling to the surface. The tower wasn’t inactive just yet, though. From the thick central stone pillar rose a fluorescent, glowing mist, almost like a barely visible flame. When the cannon fire started a little while ago Junko hoped a wayward ball would have smashed into the energized stonework but, alas, it didn’t stand quite tall enough to be a target for the Annitou sailors panicking below.

What a horrible time for their trigger happy, overly aggressive Navy to end up being useless. They sure could hit a small boy asking for help easy enough, but apparently they drew the line at blasting mysterious artifacts that threatened to kill everyone. Junko put a hand on her sword and the other on the hourglass to verify both were still secure. Giving up on corpse rummaging she peered over the side of the tower again just to confirm her concerns. With so much light pouring off the tower now she could see the ruins of where the Arkspire emerged in Camp Monog. So much light poured off the structure now she could just barely make out the sign of the Three Dead Dogs pub just a few blocks away. A strong drink really would have hit the spot right then.

All Junko needed now was some safe way down, some safe way onto a ship, and some safe way to avoid having the Jinchi superweapon from...doing whatever it was Motonubu thought it was going to do. Compared to everything so far, those tasks couldn’t be that much more difficult.

Junko would come back for Hikiboshi. There just wasn’t any other choice. She glanced over at the body of Gekko as well. Maybe, maybe it would be worth bringing him back to Annitou? For a proper burial? Or maybe as a bargaining chip to get on a ship? What an absurd idea. She was just trying to find an excuse to not feel so bad about getting a kid murdered. Maybe Motonubu was right. Moving on had to be the healthy choice here. Convenient, wasn’t it, that she convinced herself herself the best choice also happened to be the easiest?

The rain stopped. It didn’t peter out, or get blown away, or turn into a drizzle. It outright stopped, like someone threw a switch. Junko’s aching muscles fired up again on instinct. Unnatural. Extremely unnatural. Deliberate. There was a shift in the air, the blowing night wind smelled different now- the random swirling forces of nature at once began to feel full of sinister intent. This feeling was not unfamiliar. Junko recalled this exact feeling from what felt like a distant memory. The dreaded moment finally arrived.

From above came crashing down a torrent of fire. It fell in a mighty deluge, just like the rain, splattering onto the stone surface of the tower and spreading out until it ran out of fuel. It ran off the edges as well, soaking the whole structure as if the someone upturned a bucket of liquid flame onto the Arkspire. Unlike the sunlike orange light coming from the unknown power of the structure, this light burned its own distinctive color.

It was green. Not any surprise to Daisuke, of course. He wanted everyone to know who was up here.

The swirling vortex of air above the tower easily kept the rain from reaching the base of the tower, though it was already moist enough that his first wave of flames simply fizzled out after he let off the gas a bit. Daisuke’s fingers bit into the edge of the fragment of the Sixeyes that he had recovered, its metallic edge still more than enough to create sparks as he raked his fingernails across it. From there his Divine Wind could ignite and carry the flame wherever he wished. It wasn’t quite his old mentor’s Hellfire, but that didn’t stop Daisuke from claiming he still used the jutsu. Who was alive to dispute him on it?

Daisuke’s hunch turned out to be correct on top of that! Pushed up by his wind he easily scaled the tower after scouring it with flame, and then he found his prize. The ragged looking Daisuke first noticed Motonubu’s motionless body from the look of Motonubu’s distinctive cloak and a feeling of disgust welled up inside him. What a shame that he wouldn’t be the one to end that rat! So the man’s mercenary, that former Legionnaire Kiku-ichimonji Junko, must now be in possession of the coveted hourglass. In all the commotion she hadn’t noticed Daisuke arrive, and in her weakness she exposed her flanks to the General. The final wisps of flame dissipated from the tower. There were two charred corpses up there now, from what Daisuke could tell. Perfect. Everything lined up.

The hourglass could be retrieved from the corpse without an issue. His fake Hellfire was horribly lethal to humans but wasn’t quite hot enough to melt glass. The artifact would be fine. A container housing the tears of a former god wasn’t so fragile.

Daisuke, though, definitely could still be broken.

The assailant moved so quickly Daisuke only noticed at the last possible moment. Quite literally, in fact, as her existence only became known as she tried to plunge her sword into his back. Daisuke didn’t even have time to process what was occurring. He didn’t need to either. The protective layer of air surrounding him, that armor the Divine Wind surrounded him with that kept up out of paranoia, pushed back against the tip of the woman’s blade. Even so the sword still managed to bite just a fraction into his skin as it had back on their original fight on the docks.

Daisuke’s armor bought him just enough time to rapidly expand his jutsu and blow his attacker completely backwards, nearly sending Junko off the edge of the tower before she could recover. He himself also immediately darted forward to put more space between himself and the death defying Junko, stumbling a bit as he did so. The maneuver was so similar to their first fight that the General at once realized his mistake.

Junko herself seemed as surprised at this development as Daisuke. In one hand she held Sahori. In the other was their prize: the hourglass. As Daisuke spun back around to face her and swung his Sixeyes fragment into place, the obvious fact slapped him in the face. She had the hourglass. It didn’t matter if he burned her- like Motonubu, she could just...undo the damage. In that moment of overwhelming power, the jutsuless woman risked using the artifact to avoid getting engulfed in flame. Motonubu having and using the hourglass was bad enough. Having it be in the hands of the woman who nearly took off his arm was just terrifying.

Junko weaved forward as Daisuke tried blasting her back again, her approach taking her between the many scattered columns on the rooftop and letting her dodge getting pushed back by his wind. As soon as she got too close, Daisuke darted back himself and let out another wave of green fire from his Sixeyes. He didn’t need the full sized weapon to let out a full sized blast! But this too was futile, as Junko simply dodged herself behind a pillar as Daisuke’s thrown flames sputtered out. This cat and mouse went back and forth for a bit; Junko would approach with her one sword and nearly cleave Daisuke apart, and Daisuke would retreat and launch a counter that drove the woman back into cover. He wanted to soak the whole roof in flames again but knowing that she held the hourglass it also wouldn’t be useful- in fact, it might actually be detrimental. If she leapt back in time to somewhere within striking distance then the fight would be over right there. His air armor wasn’t very good at repelling focused, pinpoint attacks like those from the tip of a sword.

If he still had the full Sixeyes, maybe he could have done something. That damned Motonubu, even from the grave the man’s machinations left Daisuke on the backfoot!

After another repelled assault Daisuke skidded to a halt as his wind died down, again shaping itself around him. He held up his arm in preparation to launch another set of fireballs. Right now he just needed to buy time to think of another strategy.

“Leave me the hourglass.” His voice came out steady even as his brain fired off rapidly to try and come up with a plan. “You can’t possibly use it right anyway and you’re guaranteed to lose against me. You’ll get yourself killed either way.”

Junko swept out from behind cover and kept Sahori leveled at Daisuke, and kept glancing at the artifact in her other hand with an odd expression. No doubt jumping back in time was an experience nobody could be prepared for. It was strange, though- why was it in her hand at all? Didn’t she wield two swords?

“This whole tower is going to kill everyone.” Junko’s voice wavered with uncertainty. Although the two had only interacted a bit in their previous fight, Daisuke couldn’t help but notice how strange her tone now felt. Almost like she wasn’t all that concerned with the immediate danger she was in. Like she didn’t view the Garion’s Green Ghost, General Hashimoto Daisuke, as the most pressing threat at the moment. “Or at least, Motonubu activated it because he specifically thought it would kill the island and everyone on it. Fighting me for the hourglass is pointless because you’re going to die too. I’m going to assume I haven’t told you that yet, my memory isn’t great at the moment.”

Daisuke almost felt like laughing, except some of his wounds from his jungle excursion still hurt too much to do so. “Big talk, after all those failed attempts to kill me.”

“Because you’re a massive twat.” Junko cast her cast up at the ever growing hellish sky. “I wouldn’t expect someone whose primary method of interaction with the world is natural disasters to understand the idea of empathy, though.”

“You definitely want me dead.”

“Sure, I’m just proposing you keep your wind in your pants until this Jinchi superweapon isn’t setting the sky on fire anymore.” Junko started moving slowly, her feet shuffling her sideways at what might have been equal to a literal snail’s crawl. Was she moving around to avoid Daisuke’s air explosion technique? That damned Motonubu must have told her about how to avoid it. “That crispy scumbag lying at your feet there spent a lot of time and energy getting this thing working again. I don’t think all these fireworks it’s spewing out are for show.”

Daisuke glanced down at the headless body of Motonubu and let out his own dismissive little snort. “That little gremlin lied about everything. Hard to believe you worked so long for him without understanding at least that.”

Junko’s gaze split from Daisuke only for a moment, towards something Daisuke couldn’t see. “I have it on good authority he wasn’t lying about this thing. You think Annitou marched their forces into the jungle just to look for you out of boredom? I know Garion Agents have a big ego, but-”

“General.” Daisuke stood up a bit taller. “Garion General Hashimoto Daisuke.”

“I know. We’ve met.” Junko stopped moving. She wasn’t any closer to Daisuke, and didn’t seem to be in any better position to launch an attack. That was a costly mistake. “You’ll be the former General Hashimoto whatever if this-” She pointed up with the hourglass, gesturing towards the swell churning about them. “Isn’t dealt with. Help out or bugger off.”

His gaze only lingered on the growing swirling mass of clouds above for half a second before returning to the matter at hand. “I’m not very fond of anyone on this island, though. I’m pretty sure I’ll be gone before whatever nonsense Motonubu was planning comes to fruition. I can tell, by the way you’re breathing-” Daisuke pointed the Sixeyes fragment at Junko, who visibly tensed up as he did so. “And the way you’re moving, Motonubu hurt you, didn’t he? You’re not in any state to fight me.”

“Where’s your weapon, Mister General?” Junko spat and steadied her sword again. “And where’s the other half of your hair? Looks like someone shaved off your manbun since we met last. Neither of us should be fighting.”

“Untrue.” A little sneer tugged at Daisuke’s lips. The longer he waited, the better the reveal would be! “This is a vacation for me. I’ve never been more well rested.”

“How’s the arm?”

The stitches running up alongside the limb that Junko managed to cut him on in their first encounter gave a little itchy feeling just to remind Daisuke they were there. He pursed his lips, then exhaled. “If you think that hourglass is going to protect you, you are mistaken. I can already tell it didn’t do Motonubu any good. This isn’t a negotiation. Give it to me.”

Whatever Junko’s response was didn’t matter. His grip tightened around the shard of the Sixeyes. The building air pressure right behind her was just about to pop, and when it did...!

Daisuke caught only the last fragment of what the woman said. It sounded like ‘Imbecil’. What a very Motonubu-like word to use! He released his jutsu and all the pent up air compressed just behind Junko released all at once. He placed the blast right close to the large central pillar Junko put towards her back, aiming to knock loose as much shrapnel as possible to damage the woman further. There wasn’t much up here apart from those stone columns, but the blast would absolutely knock the Junko over and blow her swords and the hourglass right out of her hands. No big fight needed. He could take what he came for and fly off, leaving her standard on this ruin like a chick left screeching in its nest!

A huge plume of dust erupted from behind as his Divine Wind released. The shockwave of force, as intended, propelled Junko forward in one painful lurch. Rather unexpectedly she relinquished her hold on the hourglass almost as soon as she began to lose balance, so that she could hold her longsword with two hands instead. But the crafty Green Ghost accounted for even this! Already he was moving perpendicular to the direction she was being blown- in effect, the two would never cross paths. Obviously the brutal woman intended to kill him and recover the artifact, but now the two were being blown in opposite directions entirely as his jutsu rolled the coiled glass hourglass right into his fingers. A perfectly executed plan!

Before the ornery Junko could respond he was already dashing for the exit. Truth be told, the cancerous looking fireball swelling overhead did concern him quite a bit. No doubt Motonubu hadn’t been completely wrong about this tower being some kind of weapon. That wasn’t any of Daisuke’s concern, though! With a powerful step he jumped off the lip of the tower and into its shadow, the fresh bandages around his head flapping freely as he descended. In the chaos Annitou wouldn’t notice him slip away, and his jutsu would carry him well away from the island before anyone would notice. All without having to actually fight that woman to the death, or confront the devil Motonubu! It was a shame he didn’t get to do the deed himself but, well, General’s had to keep their eyes on the objectives.

His feet softly touched the ground as a cushion of air slowed his fall, and he immediately set off for the docks. Behind him a low, ominous rumbling, not unlike a stretched out peal of thunder, began to fill the air. Not his problem anymore!