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WARNING! |
The Juicy Gyoza Manufactory Dandadan Ambush was orchestrated by a mysterious mastermind to steal Seiko Ayase's powers. Their agents Mika Adachi and the Minotaur however had to face two threats unaccounted for, the cursed object collectors Payase and Kashimoto.
Prelude[]
A depiction of the Orchestrator.
The Orchestrator had built an organization from the ground up, recruiting desperate and easily manipulated humans with the promise of fulfilling their wishes, lending them abilities through the white kozuka knives and giving them the task of stockpiling yokai powers for when the time was right to strike. They spied on the Family, analyzing Momo's relationships with the people around her and acknowledging that Seiko Ayase, her grandmother, was the most suitable target to break the young girl's spirit. When they discovered that Momo was cursed as she exited the Danmara, shrinking her down significantly, the Orchestrator began to move his agents and prepared them to attack.
Specifically for this ambush he mobilized Mika Adachi, a teacher at Kami High who had joined the organization in order to cover her mother's hospital fees, who had been given the power of the Jiangshi, and a salaryman whose wife had been diagnosed with a severe illness which would have killed her in less than one year, so desperate to save her that he even believed the possibility of a magic wish curing her, receiving the power of a Minotaur. The mastermind tracked Seiko to a restaurant in Kamigoe City called Nikujiru Gyoza and sent out messages on the two agents' phones to go ahead and steal her powers by all means necessary. Unbeknownst to them, Seiko was there to meet up with two cursed object collectors, Payase and Kashimoto, who also had powerful abilities.
Event[]
The Breakfast[]
Seiko giving the cursed trunk to Payase.
Inside the restaurant, Seiko noticed Payase's dark spirituality as a result of the many cursed objects he collected, the most recent one being a painting that started little fires around the house. Surprisingly, the cursed objects never set ablaze, which intrigued him a lot and showed his uncanny passion for the paranormal. Kashimoto teasingly wondered why didn't Payase burn up too, enraging him as he loved those cursed objects and they would never do harm to him. Now convinced, Seiko gifted Payase the cursed trunk in which the Fairy-Tale Card was sealed, confident that he would take care of it and it lost most of its mystical power, making it way safer than before. Payase put it away, despite feeling intense pressure from what he could only describe as a motherlode of curses, although Kashimoto was interested in how she got her hands on it. She stated that some idiot left it out in the world and was the cause of the recent Renjaku Apartments Incident, surprising the man.
Kashimoto informing Seiko about the Uchide-no-Kozuchi.
Seiko then inquired to Kashimoto for some information due to his deep research into Tiny Old Men, while Payase kept teasing him and annoying him. She confessed that her granddaughter Momo had entered the cursed trunk but when she got out her body remained little, similarly to a Pygmy, so Seiko was desperately looking for any way to turn her back, even rumors, wondering if Kashimoto had any idea how to. Unexpectedly, he did, shocking her and Payase who angrily wanted him to reveal it already. Kashimoto however said that Seiko would be more familiar with it than him, recalling the legend of the Uchide-no-Kozuchi, a magic hammer which had been used by the famous inch-high samurai Issun-Boshi after retrieving it from a demon which turned him big. The magic mallet was said to be in the possession of the deity Daikokuten, who corresponds to the great god Okuninushi, worshipped at the Izumo Taisha. Seiko was incredibly thankful for the information he gave her and immediately set off to visit it. Kashimoto was shocked at the urgency of the matter and offered to do more research in order to help her granddaughter, but suddenly, Adachi's Jiangshi reached the first floor of the building and threw a devastating kick at the man, launching him and his partner on the floor, taking them out temporarily.
The Ambush[]
The Minotaur entering the battle.
Seiko didn't waste time and made use of her physical prowess to fend off the zombies, parrying kicks, punches and throwing the Jiangshi towards each other to eliminate them one by one. She also exploited the surrounding environment like a cooler which she threw at a zombie, stools to move swiftly under them and also grabbed a plank to smash an enemy in the face, shouting Nessie to gain additional strength through the power of words. Seiko then reached for her purse but it was currently being held by one of the zombies, so she kicked his face and quickly retrieved a disinfectant spray, which she used to sterilize him and then splashed him with a teapot, causing an instant exorcism which disintegrated a big part of his flesh and made him collapse. While she continued to push back every single creature, the Minotaur finally arrives and jumps in like a cannonball, sending the Jiangshi and Seiko flying, the latter smashing a wood pillar.
The bull crushing Seiko, defeating her.
The imposing bull adapted a horse stance and recognized Seiko as a master of movement, although she claimed that she was just a regular old broad. Just then, she launched her teapot at him but he swiftly directed it to the ceiling by using his hoof, all the while being bewildered by her words which only made him more ecstatic to clash with her. He moved his leg downwards to crush her and Seiko barely evades it, counterattacking with a devious kick to his groin. Unexpectedly, the attack proved ineffective since the minotaur's body was incredibly hard, which the enemy took as a compliment. The bull revealed his name to be "Iron" and threw a jab forward, which Seiko crouches under to avoid. She picked up another plank from the floor and smashed it on the enemy's ribs while again shouting Nessie, however this time it's the wood that cracks under the stiffness of the iron forming the minotaur. He reveals that iron gets stronger the more you hit it, which his entire body was made of. Seiko soon realized that it would be nigh impossible to defeat the creature in her conditions, but she couldn't leave in time since the bull began smashing the pavement, moving the floorboards around and causing her to lose her balance. Seeing this, the minotaur swept her legs and now that Seiko was defenseless in the air, he dropkicked her hard against the wall, forming a crater. She tried her best to protect herself but he unleashed another punch while she feel and began pummeling her with a barrage of punches, stating that if he struck her, viceversa or even by himself, he would just get stronger. He then growled and warned her to be careful because if she did hit him, her hands wouldn't be able to handle the temperature of his body, finishing Seiko by jumping on top of her.
Payase and Kashimoto saving Seiko from the Jiangshi and the Minotaur.
Both the Jiangshi and the minotaur stood back and the latter asked for her to admit her defeat due to his unparalleled strength. He pulled a black kozuka from his underwear, claiming that if she did what he told her to, he would atleast spare her life. Out of nowhere, Payase and Kashimoto both charged at their opponents, manifesting a taijitu with two wallops, with the former representing the yin and the latter the yang. The bull and the zombies were struck hard, catapulting them to the end of the hall, relieving Seiko. Kashimoto found it unbelievable that they would ambush them like that, also enraging Payase who feared for the conditions of the cursed trunk Seiko had given him. Kashimoto then manifested his guardian spirit Ice Flame, resembling a blazing phoenix, and Payase transformed into a mysterious form entranced in darkness, declaring that they would need to teach their attackers the true power of curses.
The Brawl[]
Kashimoto's attack when shouting Aphoom-Zhah.
Thanks to them, Seiko could get back on her feet, although she was severely hurt which worried Payase. She warned the two that the bull's body is made of iron and he gets stronger everytime he gets hit, which worried Payase even more. The minotaur was elated to have encountered three powerful opponents and while he remarked that his groin was growing hotter and hotter, the jiangshi burst forward to beat the humans up. Seiko informed the duo that she was going to run for her bag and instructed them to stop the minotaur. Kashimoto had no choice but to summon Ice Flame, his guardian spirit, and charged it up behind his elbow before screaming Aphoom-Zhah, emanating raw energy from his punch which sent the Jiangshi back, disintegrating their flesh. While he continued to deal with the hopping vampires, their sheer quantity forced Seiko to ask for Payase's cover, who pierced them by navigating through their shadows in his darkness form on the floor, claiming that he cloaks himself with it and sweeps it away to eliminate his opponents. Noticing his ability, the bull wished to have it too, however Payase insulted him, informing him that his body is like a curse poison called Kodoku which wasn't compatible with the creature's iron form. While saying this, Payase tried to pierce him in the groin, but just like Seiko previously, his severe hardness was impenetrable. Incredibly, the bull could grab the darkness and launch it in the air, blowing Payase out of the cursed form with an elbow strike.
Payase piercing the Jiangshi in his darkness form.
Kashimoto jumped in to protect Seiko, landing three consecutive uppercuts while still shouting Aphoom-Zhah, lowering their guard seeing the bull struggling, however she warned him too late as the minotaur crushed Kashimoto on the wall, begging to get struck even more. Payase initially wanted to help him but Seiko was adamant on getting her purse and so he protected her from the horde of jiangshi, piercing them and acting as a shield for her. Seiko almost grabbed her bag when she was sent flying to the side due to the minotaur noticing her suspicious movements. Kashimoto charged behind him to deliver another Aphoom-Zhah, although he heard him and blasted him back. The minotaur announced that he had reached a state of ultimate hotness and used his hoof to send the purse flying, but Payase grabbed it while he was in his darkness form. He punched the floor, harming Payase and causing him to lose his grip on the bag, although he managed to direct it in Seiko's direction. She reached for it but the bull rapidly caught up and bear hugged her from behind, demanding to accept defeat or he would have crushed her organs. Despite this, Seiko shouted to Kashimoto who began pummeling the minotaur with his guardian spirit, confusing the bull as not only his attacks would have reverberated through his body and affect her, but they would have made him stronger because of the iron.
Seiko finishing off the Minotaur.
Still, Seiko ordered Kashimoto to continue while in immense pain, but the bull claimed that his attacks did not hurt him and restated that because he's made of iron, he would only get stronger. Suddenly, the minotaur's arms are chipped off his body by Payase, flabbergasting him since he thought he had reached a state of ultimate hotness. While Payase told him that the stronger a light is, the deeper the darkness it creates, Kashimoto inquired if the defeeted opponent knew why humans could feel pain, explaining that it was a mechanism to know how much they can overexert their body before it collapses and kills them, which the bull couldn't feel. Still astonished by what just happened, the creature repeated that if he got hit, he would get hotter and stronger, however Kashimoto revealed that his guardian spirit Ice Flame could reach absolute zero and his punches had lowered the temperature of the iron, allowing hydrogen to slip inside and turn it fragile. Seiko also let him know that it had been a long time since she got beat up so badly and placed a talisman on the bull's head which she picked up from her purse. The minotaur desperately tried to have his life spared by informing her about the person who organized this attack, but before he could do so, Seiko pointed out that if he wanted to fight someone tough, he should have faced a god and finished the creature off with a devastating kick, causing an explosion.
The Interrogation[]
The Minotaur in his human form.
Unexpectedly, the minotaur's body dissolved, revealing a salaryman who immediately told he was sorry and begged for mercy. Payase was already annoyed by his behavior and also Kashimoto due to how many times he got hit by him. Seiko demanded to know why she was attacked and the man informed her that he was contacted by an orchestrator and given the location and the target. Hearing this, she rapidly ran towards the window and caught a glimpse of Mika Adachi, fully covered in a black jacket, fleeing the crime scene. Seiko told the duo that another person was there and Payase theorized that they were the one controlling the Jiangshi. Enraged, Kashimoto ordered the salaryman to call his ally back, but surprisingly he admitted that they had never met before since they were both messaged by the mastermind who they also had never seen in person, claiming that sometimes there are overlaps when attacking targets because orders are sent to everybody. Because of the unclear information, Kashimoto manifested Ice Flame again and threatened to explain more clearly, so the terrified man extracted two black knives and a white knife from his suit, shocking Payase and Seiko. She wondered why he had so many and informed Kashimoto that they were kozuka knives belonging to the Asura, a cursed sword which had been sealed away due to driving mad anyone who tried to wield it, forcing them to kill until their death. It also had the ability to manifest yokai's abilities and for that reason it was sealed away by an organization of magi, until it was stolen five years ago by an unknown person.
The agent's mysterious work colleague.
The man disclosed that their objective was to gather to yokai powers and those who collected the most would have a wish granted. Payase burst out in rage, incredulous that grown-ups would believe a promise like that and attack people for that reason. Kashimoto asked politely for his partner to keep quiet so they could obtain more information but Payase did not back down, insulting the agent who was keeping his mouth shut and demanding for him to speak. The man sadly admitted that his wife only had one year left to live and she was the only girl in fourty years who patiently listened to what he had to say, since he used to get nervous and panicked when talking to the opposite gender. Thanks to her, he felt saved from a lonely life, but because of her illness, he would have done anything to have her survive, even if the chances were abysmal. He broke down in tears but Seiko couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. She asked him how he got in contact with the orchestrator and he recalled that a colleague at work claimed that person would have cured his wife if he did a certain task. He was given the orchestrator's phone number and entered the organization, but when Kashimoto inquired about this work colleague, the man unexpectedly told him that such a person never existed because nobody knew him and his name wasn't present in the company register, although he somehow remembered that he had worked with him for a long time but he couldn't remember a single aspect about his identity.
The huge crowd gathering outside the restaurant while Adachi flees the scene.
Seiko, Payase and Kashimoto later left the agent alone and they headed outside after paying their bill. However when the waiters went upstairs and stumbled onto the fight scene, they immediately called the police. A huge crowd formed outside and officer Masamichi Vega began asking the waiters a couple of questions. They informed him that twenty people had gone upstairs to eat, who unbeknownst to them were the Jiangshi, but when they noticed that it had gone quiet, they checked and only found the middle-aged man, who was now in custody after the severe wreckage in the building. Vega asked if there were people upstairs before they arrived and he could recall a beuatiful woman and two young guys who paid their bill and left the place, although they did not know when. The cop started looking around and spotted the trio in a near side street and made his way towards them. Meanwhile, Seiko stated to the duo that she had to turn her granddaughter back to normal before investigating on the organization that just attacked them and told them to be careful. Kashimoto reassured her that they would start immediately and contact every quarter of their guild to help them. Just then, Vega reaches them and informs them that they match the description of the individuals inside the restaurant, but right when he looked down on his notepad to prepare asking questions, Payase turned in his darkness form and grabbed the two, carrying them on top of a nearby building to escape, leaving Vega shocked.
Aftermath[]
Rin following Koki and her blackmailer.
Seiko contacted Manjiro to come pick her up and together they drove home so they could start preparing for her travel to the Izumo Taisha, although they had to be quick since the ritual could only be performed during a super moon in the hours of the Ox, which just happened to be that night. When school ended, Momo was approached by Unji and Raiya to help them lift the former and Daiki's curse, which had aged him to the point he did not have the strength to stand up. She decided to help them and after an initial confrontation between Unji and Aira and Jiji, who thought that he was another agent sent to harm Momo, they brought them home where Seiko informed them that they had found a way to turn her back and had to depart immediately. Unfortunately, Koki Yukishiro was again approached by her blackmailer Takeshi Murakami so Kinta rapidly flew to the house to alert them. Okarun and Aira decided to remain in Kamigoe and assist Kinta and Rin to save Koki while everybody else drove to the airport. Their flight would prove perilous due to the Kito Family escaping from prison to take revenge against Momo Ayase and the sudden appearance of the Typhoon Human.
Vega confronting the Orchestrator's agent to protect Adachi.
Meanwhile, Adachi had returned to school soon after the ambush, saddened by the failure of her mission. She was approached by Murakami to ask her if she would join the singles mixer he was organizing, however she sensed his strong spiritual powers as he too was an agent of the orchestrator. Unaware of this, she decided to head to the teacher's apartment where he could indulge in his sexual fantasies, although her plan was to steal his powers and provide them to the orchestrator to get the money she failed to obtain in the previous ambush, necessary to pay her sick mother's hospital fees, which she accomplished also thanks to Koki's Lord of the Flies ability. Unbeknownst to her, Vega discovered that she was at the scene of the crime and followed her around the city, eventually saving her from the orchestrator's body double when he fired her for acting without being ordered to. The body double had the powers of the Fairy-Tale Card which he recognized from the incident at the Renjaku Apartments he was involved in, and because of his mental fortitude, the enemy realized he couldn't control him and opted to take over Adachi to attack him, giving him a window of time to escape.
References[]
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| Earth | Tag • Byakuja Village Incident • Kami High Ambushes • Kur Invasion • Nikujiru Gyoza Ambush • Renjaku Apartments Incident | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sumer | Invasion of Sumer | ||||||||