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[GreenKnight]

Briar swears and then pulls his board off of his back, slapping it down and hopping on to chase after her as quick as he can. He hasn't gone full Mirager for the speed boost yet but he's definitely thinking of it now that she's trying to escape.

[ctsun]

"You foul insolent little ingrate! No one said you could flee! Get back here! I shall not be satisfied until I have planted my foot solidly up your anus!"

Running in heels probably wouldn't have been her first choice but it seemed like she had no choice. She wasn't going to be satisfied until she has caught up to this masked stranger and delivered her punishment personally.

[LyfeldLesk]

Stunned at both Briar and Arise running off behind the intruder, Abigail stands there in shock, before snapping herself out from it. "I should've listened to myself." Uncertainty fades into shame, then anger, then... the craving came back.

Seizing the chain around her neck, she pulled it, prying off the gem embedded to the makeshift necklace, leaving a small bruise on the back of her neck from the pull.

With the gemstone in her hand, Abigail began to transform herself into Conquest as she circled towards the stranger.

"GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!""

"Oh, hohoho... I'm going to enjoy this hunt... so... much. Abigail rushed through the other side of the backstage to flank her, rather than pursue her. She wanted to crash headfirst into the stranger, craving for her eyes to only gaze her.

[IamanElfCollaborator]

"Hostile waveform detected. Deploying distractions."
The black Mirager doesn't emote to the provocations of the approaching Miragers. Instead, she deploys several jet-black pods behind her, darting to the side to avoid running into Abbie.

The pods shatter upon contact with the floor. For a brief moment, an ill feeling runs through Abbie, Briar and Arisu, a wave washing over them. The black Mirager produces a jet-black knife, silver and purple lines running through it, and slices through the air, a rift into a black void appearing. Before either of them can stop her, she steps through it without a word, disappearing.

Just then, before anything else happens, a loud siren sounds. You know this siren, because you've heard it many, many times. A loud, pealing noise, piercing through you, in three quick bursts.

It is the sound of the Amanojaku siren.

Behind the three of them, the guttural sounds of gurgling creatures can be heard, as rock-like misshapen beings barely taller than the three appear from the ground; Hitobosu, smaller mindless monsters attached to Amanojaku, who fight anything that threatens the Amanojaku, and act to sequester any potential prey for them.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the stadium....

Minako's eyes widen as she stares at her screen.
"Three Amanojaku signatures detected! Multiple Hitobosu on site! Two unknown waveforms detected!"

At that, Freydis looks at her own laptop, where a radar-like screen can be seen with multiple dots. Some of the dots are marked with the familiar designators of known Mirages. AYM-r01. GRA-e815. BGT-e71.

And then two unknown signatures, ontop of the massive amount of Hitobosu and Amanojaku that had just spawned.
"Troubling."

Javier's eyebrows furrow.
"Not good. Not good at all. Shirogane, call Miki. I'll go out and retrieve our equipment and grab our car."
"What about Azusa?"
"Are you really that worried about Kumon? She's going to love this."
In the arena area....
The sound of Azusa's music begins to play to the sound of cheering.

And then the cheering turns to screaming all within a few seconds.

"What...is that?"

A shadowy mass descends in front of the stage. As the stage spotlights shine onto it, its true shape can be made out; a gigantic, lizard-like, crocodilian beast, skin unnaturally smooth and a glossy green. Its eyes are a solid yellow, and it has no mouth to speak of, only markings resembling teeth. Possessing reddish talons, the beast rears up on its hind legs, as the audience members begin to panic, running away to the sounds of the Amanojaku siren. One unfortunate person, however, gets grabbed up in the beast's talons, as the Amanojaku makes a motion akin to breathing in. The person seizes and struggles, their veins becoming more prominent and their eyes bulging in visible agony.

"It's draining their Biorhythm! Kumon-"

Azusa is already leaping into action, cracking her knuckles as she advances towards the beast. She reaches into her pocket to take out a Quartz Fold injector, aiming it at her own neck with a practiced smoothness.
"Way ahead of you."

She pulls the trigger, as the amber fluid enters her bloodstream, disappearing in an instant. She exhales deeply, pocketing the injector.

"I'm gonna show this big lizard what the hell happens when you mess with Azusa Kumon's fans. Ya followin' me, Shirokawa?"
"...I'm with you."
"Then let's kick this thing's ass. You ain't getting a meal today, you bastard!"

Azusa grabs at her cross necklace, clutching it tightly. It begins to pulse and ebb with a mysterious power.

She closes her eyes, and in a melodic voice...

"Croitzall Aymr nav crissa..."

Azusa opens her eyes, and leaps at the reptilian Amanojaku as a burst of orange flames shoots out in all directions from her form, enshrouding her form.

The beast yelps as its claw is singed and scorched, a gigantic club arcing through the air with flames surging through it. The sheer force of what just hit it forces it to unhand its victim as it moves away to face its attacker.

Azusa lands nearby, the audience member in her arms and no longer seizing. In one hand, she holds a club twice her height, wreathed with flames, made of black metal and studded with golden spikes. Her body is clad in a orange, white and black bodysuit, her chest, shoulders, legs and hands protected with white armor and gold highlights.

[Now Playing ~Kimi to iu Oto Kanade Tsukiru Made~]

The reptilian Amanojaku roars at Azusa, as she stands her ground. The civilian she rescued stirs, as Azusa swiftly places them behind her. They quickly get to their feet, the adrenaline hitting them.

"Get the hell out of here, kid! Let us handle it!"

The fan simply nods and sprints away without another word.

"Bilifen Dyrnwyn var zillz..."

Before the beast can move, a silver line whips through the air, slashing at it, and forcing it back. The silvery line solidifies, revealing itself to be segments of a single blade, linked by a chain, as Haruka, clad in a silvery coat with white metal highlights, stands atop a nearby gantry, sweeping her sword to her side as it whips back into normal shape. She places one hand on her hip, studying the Amanojaku.

"Kumon. Do you have this?"
"This little thing? Yeah. You find Mina and get her the hell out of here."

Haruka nods, and runs off towards the backstage towards where she saw Minako and the others last.

All the while, Setsuna is still standing there, completely stunned by what is happening.
"..."
The Amanojaku siren sounds, and Kazuma, Nagisa and Araki are second to react.
"Damn! Alright, let's move! We need to get this civilian out of here before more Amanojaku show up!"

Just then, the gurgling noises of Hitobosu can be heard. Should anyone check outside the room, they see Arisu, Abbie and Briar being cornered by the Hitobosu that have just appeared, with crew members and staff of the arena running away in the opposite direction.
As the Amanojaku siren rings, Hikari looks panicked.

"An Amanojaku attack?! Now?!"

Just then, Tsubasa's phone rings. He quickly grabs it and answers.
"Hello? Shirogane? Yeah? Yeah, they're with me. Yeah. Alright. I'll get them to safety. Stay safe."
He swallows as he hangs up, clearly nervous. He heads over to the other door in the room, unlocking it; it leads to a corridor overlooking the stadium where Azusa can be seen fighting the Amanojaku, but also to a green door marked "Fire Escape".

"Imaeda, Misaki, Minase, you three are coming with me. We're evacuating out of here. Miyuki, Gushiken....Shirogane asked that if you were still with us, you cover our backs and make sure we're safe."
"Eh? O-okay. Lead the way, Miki."

[Twinwolf]

Misaki jumped up to her feet the second the first notes of the siren played.

"Oh come on! Now?" She said - she tried to look mad, but her voice came out worried anyway. She couldn't exactly get away with punching these things! She found herself looking around for the nearest long and solid object she could take as an improvised defense.

"Wait, hold up - Why aren't they coming with us!? I'm not leaving Miyuki here!" She paused, and looked into the stadium and did a double take. "Did Kumon just deck that thing?"

[Chevaleresse]

"No no no no not here, not now. . . !" She looks frantically between the chaos onstage, Tsubasa, and Misaki. This is, more or less, her worst fears some to life. "Keep her safe, Tsubasa." She turns toward the window and draws an injector from her purse - one that Misaki might have caught glimpses of before and politely refused to comment on. "Misaki, this is what I was actually trying to keep you away from. I'm sorry." She took a deep breath, then jabbed the syringe into her neck.

"Imyetus Beagalltach tron. . ."

[LyfeldLesk]

"Elusive, hah. Just how I like them." Conquest clutches for a nearby chair as they aim it towards the fleeing Mirager, but an ill feeling comes through them. Distracted by the sudden grim sensation, they look back towards where the strange Mirager was standing - now gone.

"..." The thought of having let such prey escape makes Abigail toss the chair at the ground, angered at missing such an opportunity, needing to take a breath from the sudden - yet failed - pursuit.

Then the alarm rings... three... dreaded... times.

"Shit." Abigail - rather, Conquest, seizes themselves, as the Amanojaku's underlings crawled their way off from the ground. "Well, well, well! And now here thinking I'd be let out without a fight. Plenty ass to dig your hells at, Siren!"

Conquest smirks as they looked towards Briar and Arisu, taking out an injector from her hoodie's middle pocket. Removing the safety cover from it, Conquest temples their emotions.

"Kono sekai wa. . . utsukushī. . ."
An uneasy melody, one against either of her natures, but one she's always wanted to sing. One she always sings.

[Solymr]

: Dammit all! Araki rushed to the door while he adjusted his spike collar. As three of the spikes began shining in a triangle around his neck, Araki growled a chant as he prepared to burst through.

: Vakna Yggdrasill!

[SirAston]

Amanojaku.

Here.

Seitaro stands up, in a motion that was too straightforward, almost robotic.
"Run. Now."
He barely manages to realize that blueberry is leading them, following him. He didn't dare to look at the scene, but manages to catch a glimpse of the idol transforming and fighting the beast. Still, this is not his fight. Not again.
Then Misaki made some fuzz. He firmly grasps her shoulder.
"You don't know. Run. Now."

Then Miyuki jabs herself and begins chanting something. In that moment, the gleam in his eyes finally returns - albeit still not looking bright - and he lets go of Misaki's shoulder.
"Aaah..."
"AAAAAAAAAH!"
As this revelation unfolds, memories of the fateful day where he encountered an Amanojaku himself flood his brain, flashing before his eyes. He tumbles backwards, falling on his butt, starting to hyperventilate.
"Damn... Damn... Damn..."

But miraculously, just as his panic attack started, it fades away just as swiftly. With a sudden burst of energy, he jumps up and gazes straight at blueberry, fear replaced by anger. Lots of it.

"DAMN y'all, I say! If ya had a hand in deliverin' that backstage pass, just hand me over that damn knife! I'll do it and then y'all can piss off!"

[rustytengo]

Momiji let out a more audible "tsk" as the siren went off. Rolling her eyes as Seitaro started to freak out. "No clue what your going on about and don't care just continue moving." she said gruffly her idol mode definitely off as she walked over to the window. "If you cause problems and get people killed I'll make sure to kill you myself." she said flatly before turning away and injecting herself as Miyuki did and pulling out her relic singing clearly.
"Killter Nemean Tron."

[Twinwolf]

Seitaro's hand on Misaki's shoulder was immediately answered with a sharp and and swift elbow into the gut, which probably didn't help him keep his balance.

"Hands off buddy."

The rest of her words trailed off in stunned silence as the others started to transform.

[SirAston]

Getting gut punched by an elbow and chewed out by one of the idols present might also have helped with getting out of his funk and regaining clarity.

"Cut me some slack, will ya. I have a bit of a loaded history with these pieces of crap."

He dusts off where the elbow connected. Pain definitely can humble someone when that someone starts to calm down and fully feel it now.

"Guess I came at you a bit too strong, Miki-san. Still, someone invited me here tonight and I'm gonna figure who in the idol biz wanted me here!"

Whoever invited him tonight must be connected to the Miragers. Those who fight with song. Probably wanting him to fight with song too, since he "proved" himself on that fateful day. And he will say "no". Don't be a hero. This is his life lesson. He sometimes forgets it when his emotions get the better of him, but in the end, he will always remember. No one cared for him, so why care for others? Plus, this is his song. Not used for others. Not compromised. Not altered. Not faked. "The Seitaro way or the high way, baby". Yeah, sounds like just the right thing to say to throw someone off their high horse, if they think they can make him bend the knee.

"But yeah, priorities. Can't do anything here, let's ditch this joint and leave it to the pros."

The image of the man on that fateful day flashes in front of him.
Seitaro, he was convinced of that much, owed him nothing.
"Run or sing"
He would have lived either way, if he ran away.
"But do it now!"
Other Miragers would have dealt with that one. The outcome was always destined to be the same.
"How... lucky..."
What kinda luck is that, to have to be reminded of an Amanojaku again?!

"... C'mon, Misaki-san, sorry for the grab, but let's go."

Don't be a hero. You owe no one. You would have lived either way. The outcome was always destined to be the same. Why did you want to hold that knife again just now? Stupid Seitaro!

[IamanElfCollaborator]

[Now Playing ~Kimi to iu Oto Kanade Tsukiru Made~]

Azusa cracks her knuckles as she faces down the Amanojaku, shifting to the side and placing herself between the unarmed, unmoving Setsuna and the crocodilian monster. She calmly places down her club, as her fists flare into flames.

"Right, beastie. Ya really want ta pick a damn fight? Do not SCREW with my FANS, you overgrown pond lizard!"

She breathes in, and begins to sing.

"Maboroshi? Yume? Yashashi te ni tsutsumare..."

The Amanojaku swipes down with its claw, as Azusa retaliates with a flaming fist, intercepting the swipe. Despite the size difference, despite the seeming weight of the power behind its blow, Azusa's strike proves stronger, forcing the beast back a few steps. The sheer force of the blow can be heard across the arena, an intense heat expanding out from the point of contact that almost knocks Setsuna off her feet.

"Nemuritsuku you na, yasashi hibi mo ima wa...."

It stops rearing up, pushing itself back onto all fours as it backs away from the flaming Mirager, walking towards it while wreathed with flames. Several misshapen rock creatures emerge from the ground, the Hitoboshi belonging to the Amanojaku, to surround Azusa.

She doesn't even seem all that fazed as she grabs her club from where she left it and swipes it across where the beasts appeared.

"Hakanaku kie marude mahou ga tokare..."

In a single burst of flames, the Hitoboshi are destroyed.

"Subete no nichijou ga kiseki da to shitta..."
....
Hikari is captivated as she watches Azusa fight the beast while singing.
"Azusa..."

Misaki, Seitaro and Tsubasa feel...something deep inside them. Nothing negative; it feels quite the opposite. Energizing. Bracing, even.
...
To Miyuki, of course, the sensation is different.

A Mirager can sense the Biorhythm levels of others. Not always, not constantly; one has to concentrate to feel the Biorhythm of others. It's a feeling, a sense, nothing concrete except at high levels of Biorhythm. Most people to a Mirager don't feel like anything. This didn't mean they didn't have Biorhythm; this just meant their Biorhythm levels weren't anything of note. It's also how a Mirager can tell when someone's Biorhythm is drained to dangerous levels; it feels almost like a gap, where something should be but isn't. Conversely, when someone has high levels of Biorhythm, for instance a Mirager, one can feel that level of Biorhythm, as if it were a faint aura emanating from them.

A moment ago, Misaki wasn't emitting that kind of power; that made sense. Nobody had ever scouted her as a Mirager.

But Miyuki can sense it now in Misaki. Her Biorhythm reaches out to her, matching her wavelength, her own aura.
...
Before anyone can do anything with this information, several things happen.

Firstly, several, beetle-like Hitobosu appear from the door the group walked into the room from; now, they can only go to the exit if they don't wish to run into the Hitobosu.

Secondly, Miyuki and Momiji's transformations activate, the burst of power knocking the Hitobosu back with the sheer power.

Thirdly, Tsubasa tackles Hikari to the ground as a burst of wind slices through where Hikari was a second ago, carving apart stone like butter.
"Damn!"

[Chevaleresse]

Armor plates clamp themselves around Miyuki's arms and legs. A skintight jumpsuit forms underneath them, stretching across her body to her chest, where the disparate parts are bonded by a cuirass. Mechanical wings assemble themselves around her back as the necklace she wears dissolves completely, reaching out from beneath the cloak that drapes itself over them. A blade appears in each of her hands as a helmet settles itself atop her head, a red visor drawing down to protect her eyes as she faces the world as Mirage Edge.

This, she was familiar with. Still overwhelmed by, yes, but familiar with. What she was not familiar with was the feeling of what almost felt like her own Biorhythm resonating from her sister, who was under imminent threat from the Hitobosu appearing around them.

"Misaki!?" she says in shock. "But you're not-" Her eyebrows draw down in determination. "No, there's no time to wonder about it. Momiji, you get their attention and I'll take them out!"

[Twinwolf]

"Holy crap where do I get one?"

"Miyuki that is extremely cool and I want to know everything but that can be later let's go!"

Misaki dived towards Tsubasa and Hikari and grabbed on to yank/help them to their feet. She could feel that wind attack in her bones, it was like her whole body was beginning to vibrate. That could have been the fear though. Or the excitement of seeing Miyuki's transformation...? Anyways...

"Running now!" she shouts as she grabs the nearest bit of debris as an emergency weapon and goes to book it.