The Game of Masks and Gates

Reimu Hakurei and the magician Marisa Kirisame finally arrived at the suspected source of this Incident.

"Whoa, why... why are there so many of these here?"

Looking at the long corridor of torii gates stretching before her, Marisa couldn't help but speak in a dazed tone. She had only ever seen these gates at the Moriya Shrine on the mountain or at the Gion Shrine. However, this was the first time she had ever encountered a situation where she couldn't even see the end of them, causing her to freeze in place.

"Is there a shrine up ahead? Does a shrine really need this many torii gates?"

Standing beside Marisa, Reimu looked at the long corridor and murmured to herself. As she spoke, she tightened her grip on the gohei in her hand. "One or two big ones would be fine, but what's the point of putting so many on the sando? Is it to show off? It’s definitely to show off! To do something so wasteful... the mastermind of this Incident can't be anyone good..."

Reimu spoke through gritted teeth. Thinking of the single, lonely, weather-beaten torii gate at her own impoverished shrine and looking at the endless corridor before her, she immediately felt a sense of injustice. At the same time, her heart filled with curiosity about the identity of the culprit behind this Incident.

Flying over the red corridor of gates, the two girls headed upward. Behind her, Marisa followed closely. "Hey, wait for me, Reimu!"

As they flew, the pairs of kitsune statues on either side of the sando seemed to watch the intruders with stone eyes, giving the atmosphere an eerie vibe.

"Speaking of which, Reimu, these are all fox statues. Could the culprit be a kitsune?" Looking at the scenes passing them by, Marisa couldn't help but ask. Reimu gave a brief response.

"Who cares? It's possible she's a fox herself. Anyway, once we see her, everything will be clear."

At that moment, a streak of cold light suddenly shot toward them from above! Reimu swung her gohei, striking the incoming light. With a crisp clang, the cold light was deflected by the spiritual power of her gohei, spinning and receding into the sky. "Who's there? Come out!"

Floating in place, Reimu pointed her gohei toward the sando ahead. A chuckle echoed through the air.

"Oho... you reacted quite quickly. I suppose I shouldn't expect any less from the Hakurei Priestess."

A figure slowly descended from the sky. It was a beautiful woman holding a lantern. She wore light makeup and a faint smile, with two fox tails trailing behind her.

"So pretty..." Looking at the beautiful woman who had suddenly appeared, Marisa, perched on her broom, spoke somewhat blankly. Reimu, however, remained direct.

"Are you the mastermind behind this Incident?"

"The mastermind? No, no... I am but a mere servant. I cannot claim such a title."

As she spoke, Konkiku reached out and caught the cold light that had been spinning in the air. After she swung it twice, the blade shattered into points of light, drifting away. "My name is Konkiku. I am here to test the qualifications of the two of you to meet that Great Being."

Konkiku spoke with a smile. Hearing her words, Reimu narrowed her eyes and grew serious. Marisa also prepared for battle.

"Is that so? Then I'll just have to knock you aside and go see for myself!"

As Reimu spoke, she pulled out a new spell card. It transformed into a burst of light, and the battle between the two sides officially began.

Above the long sando and the endless corridor of torii gates, various colored lights flickered as countless patterns of danmaku intertwined.

"Not bad at all, you two. Even though we are fighting under these specific rules, you are formidable as the protectors of Gensokyo. However, my blades are not so easily handled."

Konkiku spoke with a light smile, her great blade held firmly in her hand. "Then, try this: Time-Crossing: True Moon Heavenly Great Blade!"

Along with the declaration of the spell card, countless purple ripples of demonic power shot toward Reimu and Marisa from the cracks in time. Reimu frowned at the sight.

"Darn it, that girl pulled out another demonic blade!"

"Leave it to me!"

Marisa pointed her Mini-Hakkero forward and unfolded her own spell card. "Take this! Master Spark!"

A thick pillar of white light roared forward, obliterating several ripples of demonic energy. Reimu took the opportunity to charge forward alongside the beam. Hearing Marisa's shout, Konkiku chuckled softly.

"Using the magic cannon to clear the path? In that case, accept my final move!"

Konkiku put away the great blade and instead drew the tachi hanging at her side. Simultaneously, Reimu pulled out her own spell card. In front of her, the Yin-Yang Orb was released, and her figure momentarily split into countless blurred phantoms, each wielding a sharp edge as they swept toward Konkiku.

Under the light, the Yin-Yang Orb in front of Reimu suddenly grew massive, flickering with yellow fluorescence like a giant orb of light crashing forward. Amidst the blinding radiance, the spell card battle came to an end.

Within the deep passage of the Senbon Torii, Konkiku slowly sheathed her demonic blade and praised them. "Truly remarkable. Although this is a limited version with restricted power, I didn't expect a girl of your age to possess such skill. You are worthy of praise."

After passing the battle with Konkiku, Reimu and Marisa didn't stop, continuing their journey.

Under the shining sun, they didn't know how far they had traveled.

"Is there really no end? My head is spinning from looking at all these gates..." Marisa couldn't help but sigh. Reimu, beside her, added through gritted teeth, "And they never stop! With this many torii gates, just how rich is the person living here?!"

Suddenly, the scenery around them changed. In this space, countless massive masks of various kinds were slowly floating. Each mask was inscribed with different symbols and characters. "What is this? Masks?"

Looking at the strange sight, Marisa spoke in a dazed voice, while Reimu whispered under her breath.

Ahead of them, a new abnormality appeared. The long corridor of torii gates seemed to have reached its 'end.' However, to Reimu and Marisa's surprise, what appeared before them was not a shrine, but a massive stage.

At the end of the endless gates was a spacious wooden stage. The stage was square, constructed from polished cypress planks. At the center of the stage, in front of a backdrop of painted pines, stood two petite girls. One had black hair and wore black clothing, a faint smile on her lips. The other had long light pink hair and a white skirt, with a mask resting diagonally on her head. Her gaze toward Reimu and Marisa was devoid of emotion.

"Newcomers?" Reimu spoke with a serious expression. "Demonic power... mask? Could you two be mask yokai?"

"Yes," Menreiki answered with a smile. Beside her, Qin Xin spoke silently. "We are the masks of that Great Being."

"Masks? You mean those things are also servants? Good grief, how many are there..." Marisa shook her head. Reimu simply gripped her gohei, pointing it toward Menreiki and Qin Xin. "I don't care who you are, just get out of the way!"

Hearing Reimu's words, Menreiki nodded with a smile and spoke elegantly. "In that case, let us show you our strength..."

Looking at Reimu and Marisa, Menreiki continued to smile. She and Qin Xin both pulled out their spell cards, beginning a new battle.

Stars and colored lights intertwined. In this two-on-two battle, both sides were locked in fierce combat, their coordination becoming the key to this spell card match. As the battle intensified, time seemed to blur.

"You're quite something..." Menreiki murmured to the panting Reimu and Marisa. She then took the Hannya mask from her head and placed it over her face. On the other side, Qin Xin also put on the fox mask she had been wearing. Their spell cards began to resonate with surging demonic power, and they combined their stored energy to unleash a technique. "Dark Noh Theatre: Dance of the Shattered Soul Mask!"

In an instant, countless masks appeared in the surrounding space, quickly condensing into solid forms. Using these masks as cores, humanoid figures began to manifest. These figures, representing the 'actors' of each mask, stood on the stage holding various weapons, surrounding Reimu and Marisa. Several figures had already flashed behind Reimu.

"Reimu, look out! Dragon Meteor!"

Seeing this, Reimu pulled out one of her own spell cards. "Thanks, Marisa. Leave the rest to me! Eight Directions Dragon Slaughter Array!"

After a fierce clash, the stage was left in silence. Menreiki and Qin Xin looked at the two figures continuing to fly upward from the end of the stage.

"The Hakurei Priestess... perhaps she could reach the level of Midoriko..." Menreiki looked up, thinking of the technique Reimu had just used. Qin Xin responded indifferently to Menreiki's words. "It doesn't matter. It was just a game. We should treat it with a playful mindset. If it wasn't enough, we can play again next time."

Qin Xin nodded, and Menreiki looked toward the clear sky hung with stars and a moon.

After their encounter with Menreiki and Qin Xin, Reimu and Marisa continued to rush up the sando. As they moved forward, the long corridor of torii gates finally fell behind them. What appeared before their eyes was a wide plaza paved with stone slabs. At the end of the plaza stood a grand, luxuriously decorated Haiden. Its sheer volume and the gold foil shimmering under the moonlight were breathtaking. Beneath a massive shimenawa was a worship hall larger than any they had ever seen. Reimu and Marisa were momentarily stunned. After a while, Marisa was the first to speak.

"Wow... this is the shrine? But this shrine is way too big! It's much larger than the one on the mountain. It must be at least ten times the size of yours, Reimu! Is it really necessary to build a shrine this big?"

"Shut up!" Standing beside Marisa, Reimu spoke through gritted teeth. Although she had seen the torii gates below, seeing this massive shrine in person still gave her a bit of a shock.

"I'm going to find the culprit right now!"

However, at that moment, a cool voice drifted down from the sky.

"Oh... so the two of you are colleagues?"

A black-and-white miko outfit was worn with dignity by a beautiful, cold, black-haired woman. Unlike Reimu, she appeared incredibly refined. Reimu and Marisa murmured to themselves, immediately becoming guarded.

"Ah... is it time for the main act to appear? In that case, you must be the one who—"

Looking at the miko in the sky, Reimu continued to mutter. The woman, however, responded calmly. "If you are referring to that Great Being, that is not quite accurate. I am but a miko who serves her."

"What? Another one? Fine, since you're here, I guess you want to go a few rounds too!"

Looking at the miko in the air, Reimu's spell card began to glow. As the light faded, an azusa bow had appeared in her hand.