After treating Miss Patchouli and allowing her to rest, she eventually fell asleep. I carried her to her room and laid her down on her bed. As I left her room, an icicle narrowly missed my face and left a small cut on my cheek. I immediately closed the door and started dodging the incoming icicles.
"Icicles?" I exclaimed, looking down the corridor. I spotted a blue-haired fairy with small wings, wearing a blue and white dress. "It seems that you fired that bullet just now!" I said, trying to keep a level head despite the danger.
The fairy chuckled. "Yes, I did! My name is Cirno, the strongest fairy in all of Gensokyo. Who are you?!"
"I'm Shun, the butler of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, replied, still dodging icicles. The fairy chuckled. 'Well, too bad for you! That maid invited me to defeat you! Now get ready to face the power of ice!'
With that, Cirno continued to barrage me with icicles as I dodged and weaved through the corridor. "Dang looks like my dodging skills are getting better," I muttered to myself as I deftly caught one of the icicles and threw it back at Cirno.
"What?! Don't you have bullets?!" Cirno exclaimed, surprised that her icicles weren't enough to stop me. "I'm just a human, and this is the second time I've fought without bullets!" he shouted.
"Eh? So I'm currently battling a human who can't even shoot?!" she said as she continued to produce more icicles. "Yes, that's right!" he replied. Cirno then stopped producing icicles and lowered her arms. "Oh, I'm just fighting someone weak... and a human, no less." She then flew away.
As he walked down the corridor, he couldn't help but reflect on the close encounter he just had with a fairy. "That's the first time I've ever seen one up close," he thought to himself. Suddenly, a question popped into his head: "I wonder if martial arts are allowed in the Battle of Bullets?" His hands instinctively reached for his spell cards as he pondered the possibilities of combining hand-to-hand combat with projectile attacks.
Shun strode confidently into the main entrance of the mansion, his eyes scanning the room for his next challenge. "You've finally arrived, Shun," a voice called out from above. He looked up to see Miss Sakuya descending the grand staircase, a smile on her face.
"So how was the Battle of Bullets with the opponents you've faced so far?" she asked.
"I managed to defeat Miss Patchouli purely by luck because of her asthma, and Cirno put up a good fight, but I was able to talk my way out of it!" Shun's grip on his spell cards tightened as he spoke.
"Is that so?" Sakuya asked with a hint of skepticism, her hands starting to move toward the knives in her pockets. "Are you enjoying yourself?"
Despite her ominous tone, Shun couldn't help but smile. "Yes! The Battle of Bullets is unlike anything I've ever experienced before. The adrenaline rush from each battle is simply exhilarating!" He takes out a spell card. "I'm ready whenever you are!"
Sakuya's lips curved into a small smile. "As you wish. Let's see if you can keep up with me," she replied as she stepped down the stairs and unsheathed her knives.
She was fast and agile, darting around the room with an effortless grace as she threw her knives with precision. Shun could barely keep up with her movements, but he remained focused.
Sakuya didn't waste any time. With a flick of her wrist, she sent a flurry of knives toward Shun, each one aimed with accuracy. But Shun was quick to dodge, his body twisting and turning as he evaded the knives. he couldn't afford to get hit, so he kept moving, his eyes fixed on Sakuya as he awaited her next move.
The two danced around each other, their movements were fluid and precise. Sakuya continued to throw her knives, but Shun remained unfazed, his dodging skills keeping him safe from harm. It was a battle of wits and reflexes, and both combatants were evenly matched.
As the battle wore on, Sakuya takes out her spell card. <"Spell Card: Conjuring "Misdirection"> unleashing a barrage of sharp knives aimed straight at Shun. The card was a perfect embodiment of an illusionist's craft, with its power based on the art of misdirection. with precision and fluidity, Shun deftly avoided the knives by going in the opposite direction.
Sakuya was taken aback. She had never faced an opponent like Shun before, someone who could dodge her attacks with ease. She takes out another spell card, <Time Sign "Private Square"> Sakuya slows down time in an area around her.
Suddenly, everything around Shun seemed to slow down. The air thickened, and the sound of each movement became muffled. Shun felt a weight on his body. "I'm slowing down...?" he said, struggling to move his body. Sakuya watched with satisfaction as Shun's movements slowed along with everything else within the spell's range. "Let's have some fun," she said, throwing a purple knife that ricocheted off the walls and floor for two seconds before she threw another knife that continually bounced off the frozen knives.
Shun's movements were sluggish, but he remained focused. He knew he had to time his movements perfectly to avoid Sakuya's barrage of knives. He waited for the right moment and then quickly dashed forward, dodging the knives with ease as he made his way toward Sakuya.
Shun picks up the knives on the ground, he felt his movements still heavy. He tried to move toward Sakuya, but she stopped the time before he could even aim the knife at her. "That was close," she said, breathing heavily. Shun was surprised at how she was able to stop time so effortlessly.
Sakuya looks at Shun closely. "Since when did he get so agile?" she thought to herself. "No... even when time is slowed down, he can still dodge my knives." She then slowly steps back. "And he hasn't used one of his spell cards too..." she thought to herself as she sighed and snapped her fingers, resuming time.
As time resumed, Shun stumbled and fell to the floor, hitting his head hard. "Argh! My head..." he groaned in pain. "Pfft~"
Sakuya couldn't help but cover her mouth, trying not to laugh at his misfortune. "Huh? Are we done?" Shun asked as he looked up at her. "Yes... We're done," Sakuya replied with a smile.
"Ah... Really? Then where's Lady Remilia?" Shun asked as he tried to get up from the floor. "Oh? Lady Remilia is on the balcony with Lady Flandre. She's probably entertained by the performance you made today," Sakuya informed him.
"Ahh... Is that so... then I think I'm gonna hit the sack," Shun said, looking tired. He then collapsed on the floor, passing out. "Oh? Well, I guess it can't be helped... After all those dodges you did, I'm sure you're very tired," Sakuya said with a chuckle. She then carried him to his bedroom to rest. Sakuya placed Shun gently on his bed and covered him with a blanket. "I'll wake you up later," she said softly before turning to leave the room. She closed the door behind her and headed back to her duties.
After a while, a gap portal suddenly opens in Shun's bedroom, and a woman appears through it. "That was a good performance, Shun," she says with a smile, placing her hand on his forehead. "I almost forgot about the bullets in Gensokyo, but good thing that vampire reminded me. I guess I owe her for this one." Her hand glows for a moment before she takes it away.
The woman has short blonde hair and nine tails, and her name is Ran Yakumo. "Lady Yukari, I have prepared the dagger that you wanted me to get from the human world," she says, holding out the dagger to another woman who has also appeared beside her. Yukari Yakumo, the master of boundaries, takes the dagger and places it beside Shun. "This may help you in this world. Fufufu~" Yukari slowly descends into the gap portal, which eventually closes behind her, followed by Ran who disappears with her.