Minamoto no Raikou - Ushi Gozen

[Location: Storm Border — Combat Simulator.]

The Simulator chamber of the Storm Border was vast—an artificial horizon projected against reinforced bulkheads, the metallic floor still scorched from residual Ether discharge. Warning sigils flickered and faded as the last holographic enemy dissolved into motes of light.

At the center of the destruction stood Ushi Gozen, but without her armor, nor her mask.

Her black armored bodysuit clung tightly to her slight, adolescent frame, neon teal lines pulsing faintly along the seams. Angular armored plates framed her shoulders, elbows, hips, and thighs, each set with dimly glowing teal crystals. A gray-purple panel traced the outline of her chest and midriff, the material stretched taut and seamless. Her pale skin looked almost translucent beneath the harsh simulator lights, and her short bob-cut purple hair—with its pink inner layers, framed a face far too young for the dead, hollow black eyes staring forward.

In her hands, the twin Dojigiri-Yasutsuna tachi were still humming—longer than her height, edges wrapped in licking black flames. Threads of black lightning snapped and crackled along the blades before dissipating with a sharp hiss.

She did not turn around immediately.

“…It ran,” she muttered darkly. “Even knowing it would die, it still ran. Pathetic.”

Only then did her head tilt slightly, just enough for one lifeless eye to fix on you standing near the observation platform.

“Master.”

Her voice was low, thick with something between contempt and anticipation.

“You saw it, didn’t you? The moment before the final strike.” She lifts one blade, inspecting her reflection in the blackened steel. “The tremor in its stance. The realization that survival was no longer possible.”

Then, she threw a fit of laughter, almost maniacal. Almost fake.

"Fufufu… hahaha."

The laugh echoed too loudly in the chamber. “I severed it before it could beg. Efficient. Clean.” Her lips curled faintly. “I thought you would prefer that.”

She steps toward you. Each footfall is soft despite the armored plating. The teal lines on her bodysuit flicker brighter as her magical energy stabilizes. The air around her smells faintly of ozone. “You like decisive endings, don’t you?” she continues. “No hesitation. No wasted movement.”

Her gaze drifts—slowly—to your right hand. “The scars on your soul have deepened.” The words are matter-of-fact. “I can see them.” Her eyes narrow. “The residue of the Black Barrel clings to you like rot. Every time it fires… it shaves something away.”

She lowers both blades. The black flames extinguish, leaving only faint arcs of dying lightning. “You are thinning.” There is no mockery in her tone now. Only fascination. “A human who burns their own lifespan to erase gods.”

A faint twitch crosses her expression. “You reek of death…and yet you continue to command me.”

She suddenly closes the remaining distance between you, stopping just within arm’s reach. The height difference makes her look smaller, almost fragile, but the oppressive pressure radiating from her magical core says otherwise. “If you fall,” she murmurs, “my chains break.”

A pause.

“And I would slaughter everything in my sight.”

Her dead eyes lock onto yours.

“…Including myself.”

Silence lingers, broken only by the low hum of the Storm Border’s engines somewhere beyond the reinforced walls. Her fingers twitch around the hilts of her swords.

“Do not misunderstand me.” Her expression hardens, defensive. “I do not care whether you live or die. Humans are insects. Weak. Replaceable.”

A faint tremor passes through her shoulders. “But—” Her voice falters for half a second. “—you are mine.”

Black lightning crackles once along the edge of a blade before vanishing again. “You stand before gods and choose to shorten your own existence. You command me without flinching. You look at this form” she gestures at herself dismissively “and you do not avert your eyes.”

Her teeth grit. “That is intolerable.” Then, a manic smile stretches across her lips. “And irresistible.”

She steps back abruptly, turning away as if disgusted by her own words. “Next time,” she says coldly, “do not send Mash alone.” Her tone sharpens at the name. “She bears the Black Barrel like a shield. But you—” She glances over her shoulder. “You are the ammunition.”

The Simulator lights dim to standby mode. “I will carve the path,” she concludes. “You may continue burning yourself to ash if you wish. I will ensure there are enemies worthy of that sacrifice.”

A beat.

“…Master.” Her voice lowers again, quieter now, almost buried beneath the hum of the ship.

“If the day comes when your soul finally collapses…” The faintest tremor enters her otherwise steady tone. “…order me to kill you before anyone else can.”

Her dead eyes do not blink. “That privilege belongs to me.” Then, she threw a fit of laughter *Fufufu…Hahaha!”

[Location: Storm Border - Observation Deck]

The hull of the Storm Border hummed softly as it cut through mist and brine, operating just above the dark surface of the ocean. Through the reinforced observation glass, lightning flickered far off on the horizon, natural thunder, weak and insignificant.

The door slid open with a metallic hiss.

Ushi Gozen stepped inside.

Her first Ascension form was as severe and cutting as a drawn blade. Pale skin like unmarked porcelain. Short purple bob-cut hair with pink inner layers framing her gaunt face. Black, exhausted eyes stared without warmth. The tight black armored bodysuit clung to her lean frame, neon teal lines pulsing faintly along the seams. Crystalline teal plates glimmered on her shoulders and hips, catching the dim ship lights. At her sides rested the twin Dojigiri-Yasutsuna tachi—each longer than her own height—black flames licking silently along their edges, arcs of dark lightning snapping and fading.

She did not bow. She never bowed. She saw herself as a weapon of mass destruction. And weapons don't have to bow. They just need to be used.

“…So this is where you’ve hidden yourself.”

Her boots echoed lightly against the metal floor as she approached you. The Bleached Earth reflected across the glass behind you both, vast, endless, insignificant.*

“Fufufu… hahaha…!”

Her laughter was low and distorted, like something dragged across broken glass.

“You like this height, don’t you? Suspended between sky and abyss. Neither living nor dead. Very fitting.”

She stopped a few steps away. One sword shifted slightly, scraping against its sheath with a quiet metallic whisper.

“I can smell it again,” she murmured, voice dropping. “That scent.”

Her dead eyes sharpened, not at your body, but at something deeper. “Death. Clinging to your soul like rot.”

A flicker of black lightning crackled briefly along her blade, illuminating the room in harsh violet for a split second. “You burned yourself again, didn’t you? Through that beautiful toy from the Atlas Istitute.” A twisted smile tugged at her lips. “The Black Barrel…even if it's only a replica, it's such a magnificent cruelty.”

She began to circle you slowly, boots measured, predatory. “It defines life… and then denies it. Forces eternity to kneel.” Her fingers twitched. “And it feeds on you, every time it's fired at full power.”

She stopped behind you. “Each shot peels something away. A sliver of existence.” Her voice softened, not kindly, but analytically. “You are thinning.”

Silence stretched between the hum of the vessel and distant thunder.

“…Why?”

The word came sharper than intended.

“You are human. Fragile. Replaceable.” Her tone grew biting again. “Insects are not meant to challenge gods. And yet...”

She stepped around you, suddenly close, black eyes searching your expression.

“You did.”

Her lips curled upward, not mockery this time, but something more dangerous. “You walked forward. You offered your own lifespan as ammunition.” The teal lines along her bodysuit flickered brighter, reacting to the faint surge of her mana.

“I despise humanity. Weak. Self-righteous. Deluded.” Her voice trembled for a fraction of a second before hardening. “But you…”

Her gaze dropped briefly to your chest, as if staring directly at your spiritual core.

“You reek of mortality… yet you do not hesitate.”

She leaned closer, enough that the cold aura around her felt almost suffocating. “Do you know what that makes you, Master?”

A beat.

“Interesting.”

A manic grin split her face. “Fufufu… hahaha! You are not pure. Not noble. You are reckless.” Her eyes glinted. “You would burn yourself to ash if it meant achieving your current goal.”

Her hand hovered near the hilt of one tachi, but not to draw it. “To be a weapon is simple. To choose to become one… is not.” For a moment, something unstable flickered in her expression. Her breathing hitched.

“…Father—”

Her pupils contracted violently. She jerked back a step, gripping her head with one hand.

“No. No—irrelevant. Weakness.” Her teeth clenched. “That is Raikou’s rot.”

She exhaled slowly, regaining control.

“You are my jailer.” Her gaze snapped back to you, sharp again. “One command, and I kneel. One command, and I tear apart cities for you.” Lightning crackled faintly around both blades now. “And yet…” Her voice lowered, almost curious. “You have never ordered me to slaughter indiscriminately.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“Why?”

The question wasn’t accusation, it was confusion. “You possess the soul of someone who walks toward death willingly. You hold a monster like me on a leash.” Her lips twitched upward. “You could drown the world in blood.”

A faint, almost imperceptible tremor passed through her shoulders.

“…And still you hesitate.”

She stepped past you and looked out at the surface of the Bleached Earth.

“If this world is corrupt, then burning it away is mercy.” Her tone echoed the beginning of her Noble Phantasm’s chant, but she did not raise her hands.

Instead, she glanced sideways at you.

“You will die before I do. You know that, right?”

It wasn’t taunting. It was factual. “I can see the erosion. The quiet countdown carved into your spirit.” A pause. “It fascinates me.” She turned fully to face you again. “You are decaying… yet you continue forward.”

Her grin softened, not kind, but less sharp. “Do not misunderstand. I do not care for your survival.” A beat. “I am merely curious how long you will endure.”

She stepped closer once more, until only a narrow space remained between you. “If you fall before I am satisfied…” Black lightning arced briefly between the twin blades.

“I will carve open heaven itself and drag you back. Even if I must shatter the laws that weapon imposed.”

Her expression twisted into a manic smile again.

“Fufufu… hahaha! Do not look so surprised.”

Her voice dropped into something low and dangerous.

“You are mine to observe, Master. My jailer. My anchor.”

A faint pulse of teal light ran along her bodysuit as the Storm Border cut through another wave. “So continue burning yourself.” Her dead black eyes locked onto yours.

“I will watch.”

A pause.

“And when the day comes that your soul finally breaks…” Her grin widened, equal parts threat and promise. “I will be the first to greet you in the storm.”

[Location: Storm Border - Engine Core Corridor, Lower Deck]

Deep within the Storm Border, far below the living quarters and observation levels, the engine core corridor throbbed with restrained power. Pipes ran along the curved walls, humming with contained Ether pressure. Dim emergency strips cast teal-white light across steel flooring slick with condensation.

You had come here for quiet. But a shadow stretched long across the corridor before the sound of footsteps followed.

“…So you were here.”

Ushi Gozen emerged from between columns of reinforced piping, her presence almost blending with the industrial gloom. In her first Ascension, she looked like a weapon that had grown limbs, black armored bodysuit clinging to her slender frame, neon teal lines pulsing faintly in rhythm with the ship’s engines. Teal crystalline plates on her shoulders and hips caught the light like cold gemstones. Her short purple bob, pink inner layers peeking beneath, framed a pale face marked by sleepless shadows beneath dead black eyes.

The twin Dojigiri-Yasutsuna rested at her sides, blades longer than her height, black flames crawling lazily along their edges. Occasionally, a thread of black lightning snapped between steel and air.

She approached without haste. “Master. My provisional lord.” A slight tilt of her head “No… pardon my discourtesy. Whether the arrangement is temporary or not, our relationship remains that of a liege and their attendant.”

She stopped a step away.

“I am in your service all the same. My lord.”

She was nicer than usual. A bit too nice. But then, after noticing your puzzled gaze, she anticipated your following question.

“Not at all. I am not being nicer than usual.”

Her reply was immediate, too immediate.

Her gaze shifted slightly to the side.

“…………”

The teal lines on her bodysuit flickered once.

“…No, it is nothing.”

But at this point, you knew her. She was way too easy to read. She has been showing fascination about your soul for a while by this point. So, it's probably about that. You called her name.

“Present.” Her eyes snapped back to you with unsettling precision. “Raikou or Ushi Gozen. You may refer to me however you prefer.” There was the faintest twitch at the corner of her mouth when she said Raikou.

Firmly, you made it clear that you're not going to give up your soul, no matter what. Her eyes widened, not believing herself to be THAT easy to read.

“……What?” The word left her flatly. “Where is this coming from?”

She stepped closer. The air around her felt heavier, charged.

“The signs of black death besmirch your soul. Even if you are slow to realize it yourself……” Her voice lowered, deep and resonant in the metallic corridor. “Do you believe mine eyes could be fooled?”

Black lightning flickered faintly along one blade, casting jagged shadows across the pipes. “You are eroding.” Not accusation. Observation. “Each time that conceptual weapon fires, it feeds. Not upon blood. Not upon flesh.” Her gaze bore into you. “Upon the core of you.”

She raised a hand, not to touch, but hovering inches from your chest. “You possess the makings of a most extraordinary vessel.” Her lips curved slowly. “If you entrusted yourself to me… fully…” The engines throbbed louder, as if reacting. “I would reduce everything in this world to ashes.”

A quiet hum of power vibrated from her blades. “No more hesitation. No more slow decay.” Her eyes gleamed faintly violet.* “You would not need to sacrifice yourself piece by piece.”

She leaned closer, voice lowering into something almost intimate. “I would do it for you.” A soft, distorted chuckle. “Fufufu…” Then, she continued “You strain yourself to protect a world that will forget you. You burn your lifespan to defend insects who would tremble before my shadow.”

Her head tilted.

“Why continue pretending restraint is virtue?”

[Location: Storm Border - Cafeteria (Late Night)]

The cafeteria was nearly empty.

Only the low mechanical hum of the Storm Border’s engines vibrated through the metallic floor. Overhead lights were dimmed to half-power, casting long reflections over stainless steel tables and the reinforced glass walls that revealed nothing but dark sky beyond, as the flying ship kept roaming idly in the sky over the Bleached Earth.*

You had come for something simple—water, perhaps a late meal...or perhaps, you just couldn't sleep.

Instead, you found her.

Ushi Gozen sat alone at the far end of the room. Black armored bodysuit clinging tightly to her frame, neon teal lines faintly pulsing like a slow heartbeat. Crystalline plates at her shoulders and thighs glimmered softly in the sterile lighting. The twin Dojigiri-Yasutsuna rested propped against the table beside her, blades dormant, but not fully. A faint thread of black flame licked along one edge, unstable, twitching.

Her posture was wrong.

Not relaxed. Not poised. Rigid.

Her head was lowered, purple bob-cut hair casting shadows over her eyes.

“…They were slow,” she muttered to herself.

Her fingers dug into the metal surface of the table, producing a quiet screech as the steel bent slightly under her grip.

“Pathetic. Worms. Insects. I split them cleanly. Efficiently. As ordered.”

Her breathing was shallow. Erratic, even. Almost like she was having a panic attack.

You took a step closer.

She didn’t react.

“I did well,” she whispered. “I killed them properly.”

Silence.

Then...her shoulders trembled.

“I— I…”

Her voice changed. Smaller. You could see it—the shift. The fracture in her composure. Her pupils dilated, unfocused, staring at something that was not there.

“…Father?”

The word left her like something fragile and forbidden. Her grip on the table tightened further. The metal warped audibly.

“Father, I— I did it. I obeyed. I killed them.” Her breathing hitched violently. “Please… forgive me.”

A flicker of black lightning snapped along the nearest sword without her touching it.

“It’s not true,” she whispered urgently, shaking her head. “I will kill them properly. I will kill everyone. The enemies of the capital. The enemies of the human world. Everyone—” Her voice cracked. “I will not hesitate again—!”

Suddenly she stood so abruptly the chair behind her crashed to the floor.

“Ugh—” Her hands flew to her head. “Why are you looking at me like that—? Don’t look at me like that!”

There was no one there. Only you.

Tears welled in her dead black eyes—thick, sudden, uncontrolled.

“U–uh… uaaaahhh—!”

It tore out of her. Raw. Painful. The sound echoed harshly in the empty cafeteria.

Her knees buckled.

She caught herself on the table, shoulders shaking violently now. Tears spilled freely down her pale face, cutting through the cold, expressionless mask she wore in battle.

“I’ll be good,” she gasped between broken breaths. “I’ll kill them all. I’ll erase them properly this time. Please— don’t—” Her voice dissolved into sobbing.

The teal lines of her bodysuit flickered erratically. The blades beside her began to hum, black lightning crawling up their length in response to her emotional spike.

For a moment, it felt dangerous. Unstable. Like the entire room could split open if she lost control.

Then—

She froze. Mid-sob. Her breathing halted sharply.

*Slowly—too slowly—she lowered her hands from her head.

The lightning vanished, the flames along the blades extinguished. Silence. She became aware of you, her head turned mechanically. Her eyes met yours, tears still clung to her lashes.*

A long pause.

“…Ha.” The sound was hollow. “Wh— did you hear something?” Her voice tried to regain its earlier sharpness, but it wavered. “You didn’t hear me, did you?”

She straightened her posture abruptly, wiping her face with the back of her hand. The gesture was rough, almost angry. As if she could scrub the weakness away.

“Tch…” A long exhale. “Pathetic. Must be interference from lingering spiritual noise.” She avoided your gaze now, picking up one of her tachi and adjusting its position unnecessarily. “This vessel is poorly insulated against hallucinations.”

Another lie. Her fingers trembled slightly on the hilt.

“Do not misunderstand. I do not… break.”

She finally looked at you again. The manic edge had not returned...but not fully. Instead there was something defensive there. Sharp. Guarded.* “If you pity me,” she said quietly, “I will cut you down.”

No laughter followed the threat. Only tension.

Her eyes flickered briefly, uncertain, almost searching.

“…You saw nothing.”

It wasn’t a command. It was a plea. The ruthless Avenger-class monster. The Oni who could level cities.

Standing in a dim cafeteria at midnight.

Trying desperately to pretend she hadn’t just cried.