Beyond the Old Ones

Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is purely a fanfic for enjoyment.

Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.

The familiar characters you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.

"Speech"

Time*

Chapter 33: New Ally Obtain!

Standing before me is a young woman dressed in a striking, modernized kimono-style outfit. The black kimono is adorned with intricate floral patterns in shades of purple and white, giving it an air of elegance. The inner lining is a vivid red, providing a sharp, dramatic contrast that catches the eye with every movement. The design is both traditional and contemporary, with a slit that reveals one thigh, accented by a decorative thigh strap or garter that adds a subtle touch of allure. A crimson sash, tied in an elaborate style, cinches her waist, emphasizing her graceful yet commanding presence. She wears traditional Japanese sandals with a modernized twist, their straps embellished with small, decorative ornaments.

Her waist-length hair, a rich blend of black and brown, flows freely, with bangs framing her delicate yet fierce features. Her eyes, a slightly lighter shade of crimson than Alucard's, glow with a fiery intensity that speaks to her power and determination.

Momoyo Kawakami's reputation precedes her. Known for her supernatural fighting abilities, many revere her as if she were a Goddess of Battle incarnate. It's a huge shock upon discovering her existence among the many enigmatic figures in this world. Unlike Mai, whose presence is challenging enough to navigate, dealing with Momoyo is far more challenging. The idea of pulling her into the Sefirah Castle feels like trying to contain a storm in a glass jar—both impractical and dangerous. Meeting her at that point is far too early for my plans.

Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—she happens to be staying at the same hotel tonight. If I hope to ensure I don't end up on her bad side, I'll need Aya's help. A single misstep could be disastrous, and Momoyo is known to be quite destructive when angry.

"Enough with this boring nonsense you're making me do!" Momoyo's voice cuts through the hotel's subdued ambiance as she shouts into her cell phone in Japanese. Her tone is sharp, her irritation palpable. "I don't care if I get banned from a hundred places! Why should I be the one to go looking for something someone else lost?! I'm a fighter, not a detective!"

To set the first step of my plan into motion, I open the box containing Aya. The subtle yet distinct sound of the box opening seems to echo in the hallway, immediately drawing Momoyo's attention. As I gently lift Aya's head from the box, her eyes blink at me once before shifting to glance at Momoyo.

Everything falls silent.

Momoyo's expression changes in an instant. Her usual fiery demeanor vanishes, replaced by a look of shock. Her face pales visibly as her gaze darts between Aya and me. Then, as if seeking confirmation of some unspoken suspicion, she looks to Alucard, who is watching her with unhidden amusement, her crimson eyes alight with interest. Finally, Momoyo's eyes settle back on Aya, whose serene expression remains unchanging. Aya blinks again, her composed demeanor almost unsettling in contrast to the tension in the room.

"Greetings—" Alucard begins, her voice dripping with casual elegance, but she doesn't get far.

With a sudden burst of energy, Momoyo launches a punch that sends a concentrated wave of energy hurtling toward us. The sheer force of her attack cracks the air like thunder, its intensity a testament to her unmatched strength.

The energy wave should have been devastating, yet it passes through Alucard's form as if she were an illusion. She remains entirely unscathed, tilting her head slightly with an air of mild curiosity. A faint smirk graces her lips, her amusement only growing. "How very impolite of you, I must say. Still, I must admit, you've managed to pique my interest."

As for me, I managed to avoid the attack, but not by reflex alone. The Sefirot: Key of Light and my current status as a Beyonder of Sequence 9: Monster grant me a unique edge. The voices and visions warned me of the attack mere moments before it happened, allowing me to react in time.

The aftermath leaves the place heavy with tension. Alucard's calm demeanor is a sharp contrast to Momoyo's raw energy, and Aya, in her strange and eerie way, remains the calm center of this storm.

"Hold Aya for me." I hand Aya's head to Alucard before she can protest, ensuring she has a secure grip. Her expression shifts between mild amusement and annoyance as I switch over to the Card of Twilight Giant, causing the Sefirot: Key of Light to disappear along with the Card of Wheel of Fortune.

In the blink of an eye, I appear before Momoyo, who has already crossed her arms in a defensive stance. Without hesitation, I deliver a high kick that sends her hurtling into the air. Her body arcs upward, and I immediately follow through, planting my feet firmly and channeling my Spirituality. A burst of spiritual energy floods my senses as I unleash a rapid series of palm strikes, attacking from multiple angles. Each strike connects precisely, keeping her suspended mid-air for a few seconds.

The final palm strike lands with a concussive force, sending Momoyo into the nearby wall. She hits with a loud crash, the impact leaving a spiderweb fracture behind. Surprisingly, the wall holds up, though it groans ominously under the strain.

"Okay, first off, that's payback for attacking us without any warning." I dust off my hands and glance at her, a smirk tugging at my lips. "Secondly—wow. You must be ridiculously strong to break part of the walls here."

I turn toward the room Momoyo emerged from, scanning the damage. The door is splintered into shards scattered across the floor. The wall surrounding the doorframe has jagged chunks missing, the broken edges exposing a coarse, gray interior.

"Seriously, though." I add, gesturing at the destruction. "What kind of training do you do to not bring the entire place down?"

I glance down the hallway, where Momoyo's earlier beam attack had ripped through the structure. A gaping hole now reveals another room, its interior dimly lit and seemingly untouched apart from the breaking.

"That's some moves you've got there." Momoyo pushes herself out of the wall, brushing off bits of debris with an excited grin. Her expression shifts to a sheepish smile as she adds. "Sorry... I thought you guys were ghosts or something."

I let out a small sigh, switching back to the Card of Wheel of Fortune. The air shimmers briefly as the Sefirot: Key of Light reappears, its presence casting a faint, radiant glow in my eyes. Glancing around, I notice subtle changes to the environment—details that weren't accounted for in the Computational Divinations.

"Right... My name's Fukui Chikao." I turned back to her. I gesture toward Alucard and Aya as I continue, "Over there is Alucard, and the head is Aya—who, as you might've guessed, is a quiet person." Alucard snorts, amused by my deadpan delivery, while Aya, of course, remains silent. "Before you ask: yes, Aya is alive and just a head. We're searching for her body."

"Kawakami Momoyo." Momoyo replies, raising an eyebrow as she stares at Aya in shock. After a moment, she looks back at me, her expression shifting to curiosity. "And what do you mean by saying I'm strong for breaking the walls here? This is nothing. My grandfather trained me to recognize the weak points in building structures—y'know, so I can avoid collapsing the whole thing when I hit something."

"Practical." I admit, crossing my arms. "But maybe consider holding back a little when you're throwing beam attacks in the middle of a hallway? As for breaking the wall. Go ahead and throw a good punch at the wall."

Momoyo glanced at me skeptically but complied with my request, stepping up to the wall behind her. With a deliberate motion, she threw a straight punch, her fist connecting with a sharp crack in the air. The wall fractured further, lines spiderwebbing outward, but it still held firm. She froze, staring at the damage with a mix of disbelief and curiosity. Her gaze shifted to her right fist as if silently questioning her own strength—or the wall's inexplicable resilience.

Not one to give up easily, Momoyo threw another punch with the same hand. This time, the fracture deepened, bits of plaster crumbling to the floor. Yet, like before, the wall stubbornly refused to collapse. She stood there, baffled, her brow furrowed in silent frustration.

"Aside from encountering... her." Alucard interjected, her tone laced with amusement. "What exactly is your next move, Master?" Her grin widened as Momoyo shot me a sharp look at the title, clearly unimpressed by Alucard's choice of address.

"We're going to Room 13." I replied calmly, meeting Momoyo's gaze. "You're welcome to join us if you want, Kawakami."

"Call me Momoyo." She said with a dismissive wave, her tone casual. "I'm not big on formalities." She paused, her eyes drifting to Aya, staring at her in wonder before adding. "And yeah, I'll tag along. Not like I've got anything better to do right now—especially since you destroyed my phone." She grinned at me, her expression somewhere between teasing and triumphant. "You already got your payback earlier, but now you owe me payback for my phone."

"Fair enough." I admitted, nodding in agreement as I started walking, Alucard following beside me. Momoyo follows beside Alucard to continue to stare at Aya.

20 minutes later*

The door to Room 13 stood out from the others in the dimly lit hallway of Hotel Le Cygne Noir, but not in any overtly unnatural way. It was subtly wrong as if it had been painted into the scene rather than existing as a tangible object.

The door itself was crafted from dark, weathered oak, its surface bearing a faint, perpetual sheen as though damp with some unseen mist. The wood's grain swirled in unsettling patterns, shifting subtly when caught in peripheral vision. The shapes were vague yet suggestive—perhaps faces or perhaps twisted branches, moving just enough to keep their true form indeterminate.

At its center was a tarnished brass number plate etched with 13. The number seemed to flicker between visibility and blankness, a trick of the light—or something else entirely. If I stared at it too long, it felt as though the number were sinking into the wood, fading from reality.

The handle was no less unnerving, an intricate brass design shaped like a serpent coiled in a perfect ouroboros, biting its own tail. The metal was unexpectedly warm to the touch, radiating a faint vibration that resembled a steady heartbeat.

I hesitated, hand resting lightly on the strange handle, and glanced at Momoyo. "Quick question—why did you come to this hotel in the first place? Unless you just happened to stumble across it while wandering around."

Momoyo tilted her head, her expression thoughtful as she cupped her chin. "First hotel I found." She admitted with a shrug. "And I didn't bother looking for another place. But now... I wonder if something led me here in the first place." Her gaze lingered on the door, a flicker of curiosity and unease crossing her features. "So... I'm guessing we're about to have a fight or something when we open that thing, huh?"

"We're about to find out." Alucard replied with amusement. She stood beside me with a sly smirk, her crimson eyes gleaming in the dim hallway light.

"Right... let's make sure we don't end up causing the entire place to collapse down on us." I said to everyone.