"So, tell me what's going on... Remilia?" I asked.

"I'll cut to the chase, fairy. That familiar of Patchouli had found a book which came from another world, I don't know how she obtained it... But she opened the book, and the next thing we knew is that everyone went ape crazy." Remilia answered.

"And interrupting with our hangout. Us 4 are still having fun, until it happened." Flandre said, pointing to herself, then Koishi, Nue and Seija.

"Wait, where's Meiling? Fairy, don't tell me she's--" Sakuya interrupted.

However I shook my head slowly, and Sakuya's entire body shook heavily. She tries her best to hide her tears, but failed to do so, and knelt down on the floor.

"What is it, Sakuya?" Remilia asked.

"I... I never got the chance to tell Meiling..."

"Tell her what?"

"That I..."

"Let's just cut the drama, and get that little devil, shall we?" Nue interrupted.

"But then again, facing her head on is maybe a bad idea. I needed something, a new element to be exact."

I took a glance at Sakuya's pocket watch, and I took it for a moment.

"May I?"

She nodded. I closed my eyes, as I emptied my thoughts and only reminiscing about my past. How I am reckless, always picking a fight. How I made many friends, starting from Daiyousei to the other fairies. However, I shall not let what I did to them hinder me.

With that, one of my wings glowed, and when the glow dissipated, it gained a new form. It's still ice, but if one is able to look carefully, they can see 12 numbers in roman numerals, forming a clock.

I gave the watch back to Sakuya, before I turned towards Daiyousei.

"Dai-Chan. Get everyone to the main hall of the Mansion, let me deal with the Devil herself.

"What? But Cirno-Chan--"

"I'm sorry. But this is the path I chose, Dai-Chan. And that I had to walk it alone. I'll see you after I win."

Nodding slowly, Daiyousei then led the others as Remilia pointed the direction to the escape route.

As for me, I got the library key which Sakuya had attached to her pocket watch before. Now that I have it, I have to end this once and for all. With one step, I walked towards the opposite direction where I see some steps leading to a double door.

I slid the key inside the keyhole, and turned it. The key worked, and I pushed the doors open as best as I could.

There is no going back now. I haven't frozen any bonfires at all, and I've got only one shot at this.

Conjuring a sword and shield, I marched inside, and I see the devil herself, backfacing me.

"So, the Ice Fairy has finally arrived."

She made a small chuckle, and continued her words.

"I see that you have braved every obstacle that you met. And that you've reached this far... Either way, Gensokyo, and the world will wither away."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Why? I am doing this, in order to create a new world, made by The Soul of Nature herself. And before you ask to what end? That's because Patchouli-Sama, my mistress only needed me and nobody else."

She turned around to face me.

"In that world, there shall be no dust, nothing that will suffocate her as she usually does in these times... Thanks to her asthma."

"And you are planning to achieve this, by causing people to murder each other!?"

"Of course. That's the natural state of sentient beings ever since they were created, always making conflicts. Human, Youkai, and other sentients... They're all but the same."

"I don't get what you are saying, but I think you're clearly out of your mind. Prepare yourself, devil."

"Finishing me won't stop the incident, let me tell you. The Soul of Nature needed a vessel... And it had picked one, A Fairy."

"A Fairy? Who is it?"

"You shall know it, when you see her. You met her everyday, perhaps. Even before the incident. Enough talking, let's just settle this down."

I readied my weapons, as Koakuma readied her grimoire.

She started first, firing ridiculous amounts of danmaku from her palms which I blocked with my shield. Afterwards, I dashed forwards to bash my shield onto her body which she dodged narrowly.

"Your attempts are merely delaying the inevitable, Fairy."

She then shot a laser, which shatters my shield, leaving me with my sword. Using my power, I turned it into a double handed greatsword... A zweihander.

With one strike, Koakuma managed to dodge, but I smirked as she fell for it because the blade extends on my will which knocked the grimoire off from her.

"You think that the grimoire is the only thing helping me!? I have more than you think, Fairy!"

She then activated her spell card "Moon wood sign - Satellite Sunflower!"

Which then 2 balls of light flew above her and start spinning before raining down a hail of it's light towards the ground.

Luckily they were easy to evade by simply rolling away from their path.

"Patchouli-Sama taught me so many things! This is one of many! Fire water sign - Phlogistic Pillar!"

Which then, a surge of blue inferno raises from beneath me. I was still in the middle of recovering from my roll, and was caught in it's hot blasts.

As the inferno fades, I reveal myself in fire element. I held some of the inferno above me.

"Fire sign - Return fire!"

I threw the inferno towards her, who is still off-guard due to surprise. It hit her, which staggered her towards one of the bookshelves.

Returning to ice form, I recreated the zweihander to plunge it into her body, which she caught with her bare hands before kicking me off.

"Not yet, Ice Fairy!"

She then conjured a black sword of her own, and both of us fought across the library. Our blades met each other with each swing, and after I got cornered onto 2 bookshelves, Both of us locked them together.

But I was able to think quickly and kicked her off. Afterwards she tries to thrust the blade towards me, which I dodged, and stepped on it before climbing on her back.

However, she then used the hilt of her sword to hit me in the chin knocking me back down to the floor.

"You think your mere sword counter can make a difference? Our strengths are too far in comparison!"

"No. Nature Sign - Change element, Jikan Cirno!"

In which my entire wings had clock like designs embedded inside them, and I chanted "Time sign - Clock Up"

In which the world then paused for a moment, which I used to go behind her and slit her throat using Roukanken.

"I'm gonna cheat."

Koakuma then knelt down, holding her bleeding neck. "F... Finish it..."

In response, I tapped into my light element, imbued the blade and slashed her in the back.

"Well... Done... Cirno..."

She then fell forward to the floor face first, as she dissipated into cinders.

"Farewell."

Afterwards I feel the ground shaking, and I see that the library is collapsing. Is it because of the incident becoming even worse? No time to think about it.

I sprinted across rows after rows of bookshelves until I find a table where Patchouli, the magician is lying on top of it.

"Hey! Wake up!"

But it was no use, she no longer breathes, and is impossible to save. I shook my head, and ran towards the exit which led to the main hallway's segmented stairs. The library behind me then began to cave in, as the rubble buried the magician inside.

As I ran, I was thrown forward by one of the rubble that fell behind me, and I scrambled myself towards the door behind me. I unlocked it, and opened the door quickly, and what I see first is Daiyousei, with a worried expression gazing at the library door.

However, as I walked out, she made a smile, which I returned with a small grin.

The others were also there, with Koishi holding a parasol for Flandre, and Sakuya holding one for Remilia.

We take our steps outside the Mansion, and after we got far enough, we see that the night began to fade and light once more shined across the land. I thought it was over and that Koakuma is lying, until I looked up.

The sun is covered behind a black sphere. The sunlight it emanates only dimly lit the land, although it is already enough for us to find our way back to the village.

But I was concerned. Who is this fairy the Soul of Nature picked as a vessel? I shall set out again, in due time.

- To Be Continued
Act 2 End