Touma had to admit, being flown off by a literal Devil named Lucifer outside a city dedicated to advanced science was surreal enough. That wasn’t even the weirdest part. No, that came with the mention of hypnosis breasts—apparently, a significant enough problem to attract the attention of Very Important People.
If you put it that way, it made Issei feel like these Very Important People were more interested in the breasts than the obvious threat they posed. But no, that was probably just his own interpretation. It didn’t mean—
"Ah! My ideal thighs!"
As they landed, Touma sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. Some guy nearby, with an intense look on his face, knelt before a rather beautiful woman in a sailor fuku. She was tall, with slightly tanned skin, long emerald hair flowing down her back, and a short skirt that matched her dark green hair. Sure, she was attractive, but—
"Tsk, this guy's worse than you, Issei," Vali said, smirking at another boy who had just arrived. The boy grinned cheekily and extended his hand, but Vali stopped him. "Watch it. This guy has the Imagine Breaker. Be careful who you're trying to shake hands with."
"Ah… Right," Issei said sheepishly. "Hello! Nice to meet you. Touma, right?"
It felt like this moment should have been more… momentous. Touma glanced around. People from all sorts of factions were gathered. A Devil, obviously. That girl from before. The intense guy was still kneeling. Then there was another girl with unnervingly alluring eyes, trying to pull him away from the first girl.
It would be really helpful if he knew who any of these people were. Were they all Angels, Devils, or some other supernatural entities? It might be dangerous for him to touch any of them with his right hand. He’d need to be cautious.
"So, Issei Hyoudou and Touma Kamijou," said a stern man whose face seemed set in a permanent scowl. "I've heard of both of you. I imagined we would meet in combat one day, as enemies of the Church. A Devil with the Boosted Gear, and the man who breaks miracles. And yet, here we are, in the same alliance."
"Really? You never thought you'd fight me?" Vali asked, squaring up to the man. The tension between them was palpable, and Touma honestly wasn’t sure who would win.
"Oh, I have no doubt a Saint would oppose Lucifer with all their might," said Aqua, speaking calmly. "But that battle wouldn't be as interesting as one involving these two. More destructive? Certainly. But not as interesting."
Aqua phrased it carefully, not wanting to aggravate the Devil. Actually, looking around, Touma was realising just how strong everyone here seemed. There was a blonde girl in gothic attire, standing by… was that a cyborg maid? She was sipping tea as though this entire gathering was no big deal—
"My perfect earlobes!"
"Hachibei!" shouted the girl with the sparkling eyes, grabbing the ear of the guy kneeling earlier and twisting it away. "Leave Evangeline alone, you parts-pervert! We’re here because something weird happened to our friend. Again. Now apologise to the lady!"
"No need for an apology," Evangeline said coolly. "There are three perverts here today, but he’s by far the least powerful. Frankly, you seem a bit out of place, Hachibei."
"If he's worried about his friends, that's reason enough to be here," Touma interjected. "One of my friends is caught up in this mess, too."
Index… Just thinking of her with that dazed look was unsettling. Touma noticed Issei was staring at the ground, and he thought he heard him mutter the name "Koneko."
The woman with the emerald hair, who had been silent for a moment, tapped her staff against the floor and cleared her throat. “I am Sailor Pluto, Guardian of the Gate of Time. I’ve come to help contain this sinister threat… of Titnosis.”
She paused, grimacing as though she’d bitten into something sour.
"There’s no way to make that sound dignified, is there?" she asked, her voice flat. Everyone shook their heads. "Very well, let's get to business. Now that Touma is here, we can start strategizing."
"My apprentice is already investigating," Evangeline said. "That boy may be younger than anyone here, but he’s no slouch. I assure you, this obscene ability won’t get the better of him."
"I wouldn’t be so sure," Aqua interrupted. "I’ve seen firsthand what this power can do to a Saint, not to mention two trained Holy Sword wielders. It’s even taken hold of the Sailor Scouts themselves."
"Why did they kidnap our friends, though?" Issei demanded, frustration clear in his voice. "What does that have to do with—"
"They didn’t," Vali cut in. "None of those girls were anywhere near Kuoh when your air headed whore disappeared."
Issei’s expression darkened as a red, scaly gauntlet appeared on his arm. It was obvious Vali had said that to provoke him, and from the look in Issei's eyes, it was working—but not quite enough.
The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. Issei’s gauntlet glowed with a faint red hue as he clenched his fist tighter. His teeth were bared, eyes locked on Vali, who was leaning against the wall with a smug grin. It felt like, at any moment, the two of them might kick off.
"You think you can just insult my friends and get away with it?" Issei growled, stepping forward. "Koneko's in danger, and you—"
"You’re predictable, Issei," Vali interrupted, his smirk widening. "Always rushing into things without thinking. Do you think charging in with your fists is going to solve everything? That's exactly why you're stuck in Kuoh, playing at being a 'hero.'"
The air rippled with tension, the magic and energy of both fighters building up, threatening to escalate into an all-out clash.
Before anyone could move, a loud thud echoed through the room as Sailor Pluto slammed the butt of her Garnet Rod onto the ground, sending a wave of temporal magic that halted the air itself for a brief moment. Both boys were frozen in their tracks, though the energy swirling around them still hummed dangerously.
"Enough," Sailor Pluto said, her voice commanding and calm. "This is not the time for personal grievances. There is something far greater at stake here."
Issei glared at Vali, his jaw still clenched, but he didn’t move further. Vali, though visibly irritated by the interruption, crossed his arms and kept his eyes on Issei, clearly enjoying the tension.
Aqua, standing to the side with his arms crossed, sighed dramatically. "Devils, always so fast to pick a fight. If you start here, it won't be just your friends who are in danger. Everything could fall apart." He stepped forward, placing himself between Issei and Vali. "This isn’t some playground brawl. Keep your heads, or I’ll have to knock some sense into both of you."
Sailor Pluto gave Aqua a nod of thanks before turning her full attention back to the group. "As I was saying," she continued, "the situation is dire. The Titnosis ability seems to have already affected the Inner Senshi. I fear they have fallen under its influence."
The revelation sent a murmur through the group, with even Vali raising an eyebrow, though he kept quiet.
Pluto’s expression was grim as she continued, "However, the Outer Senshi—my comrades, Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn—should still be beyond its reach. They’ve always operated more independently, away from the inner workings of our usual battles. If we can reach them, they may be able to help us mount a counterattack."
"That’s... if they’re still in control of themselves," Aqua added cautiously. "No one is safe from this if it spreads."
Sailor Pluto nodded in agreement. "True. But the Outers are strong-willed and vigilant. They are our best chance."
Hachibei, who had been uncharacteristically quiet up to this point, suddenly raised a hand. "Uh… If I may?"
Everyone turned toward him, surprised. Even Evangeline, who had been lounging casually off to the side with a bored look on her face, glanced over with mild curiosity.
"If the Inner Senshi are already under this... 'Titnosis,' and it’s as powerful as we’re being led to believe," Hachibei said, scratching his head, "then why haven’t they come after us already? I mean, shouldn’t they be trying to expand their control by now, especially with someone like you, Sailor Pluto, running around free?"
The room fell silent for a moment, everyone considering his point.
Sailor Pluto’s eyes narrowed in thought, and her grip on the Garnet Rod tightened. "That... is an excellent observation," she admitted. "If the Inner Senshi were fully compromised, they would have acted more aggressively by now. It's possible that they’re still... resisting, at least subconsciously."
"Or," Hachibei continued, "maybe they’re being held back by something. Titnosis could be more about subtle control than immediate conquest. They might be waiting for the right moment."
Evangeline let out a quiet laugh from her spot. "Well, colour me impressed. The pervert has a brain." She leaned forward, her interest piqued. "It’s a plausible theory. Maybe this Titnosis isn’t as complete or instantaneous as we thought. It could be strategic, biding its time... which makes things far more interesting."
Sailor Pluto nodded, deep in thought. "If the Inner Senshi are being influenced, but not yet fully turned, it gives us a window. A small one, but a window nonetheless."
Vali rolled his eyes. "So, we rush in before that window closes. Got it. Simple enough."
"Simple," Sailor Pluto echoed. "But not without risk. We’ll need to move fast and carefully. The Outers won’t trust just anyone, especially not outsiders."
Evangeline chuckled again, standing up. "Well, this might actually be fun after all. Watching all of you scramble around like mice in a maze, trying to figure this out. Count me in."
Issei, still calming down from the earlier confrontation, finally spoke up. "Alright... If the Outer Senshi are still free, then we’ll find them. We’ll figure this out."
Vali snorted. "Just try not to get in the way, Hyoudou."
Aqua stepped forward, placing a firm hand on both their shoulders. "If either of you mess this up, I swear I’ll dunk you both in holy water myself."
The two boys glared at each other, but Sailor Pluto’s commanding presence—and Aqua’s not-so-idle threat—kept them from reigniting their quarrel.
"Then it’s decided," Pluto said, her voice brokering no argument. "We head for the Outers. Time is short, and if Hachibei is right... we don’t have much of it."
Evangeline sipped her tea with a wry smile. “Hypnosis through… certain physical features? Ridiculous, yes, but at least it’s amusing. This whole mess is absurd. Still, there’s something intriguing about it—enough to keep me interested, at least.”
Before anyone could respond, the room darkened briefly, and a faint shimmer of light formed at the centre of the group. A figure appeared—an illusion of a young woman with an eyepatch, her presence radiating a quiet, oppressive power.
“Othinus…” Touma breathed, his eyes narrowing.
But the illusion was accompanied by two very real figures—Marian Slingeneyer and Thor. Marian smirked, her hands on her hips as she surveyed the room. “What an interesting little gathering you’ve got here,” she remarked, her tone playful but with an edge of malice. “So, this Titnosis thing has even attracted our attention. Must be quite the mess.”
Thor stepped forward, his arms crossed over his chest. “I heard something about a fight,” he said, cracking his knuckles. “I hope you’ve got a challenge in store.”
Pluto’s eyes narrowed as she faced the new arrivals. “GREMLIN. What are you doing here?”
Marian waved her hand nonchalantly. “Oh, don’t worry, we’re not here to stop you. We’re just curious about how this will play out. Besides, we wouldn’t want someone else’s mess to end the world before we get our turn at it.”
The room crackled with uneasy tension. Sailor Pluto stood tall, her garnet staff held firmly in one hand, and Aqua of the Back remained as solid as a stone pillar, his gaze never leaving the two GREMLIN members.
Pluto’s eyes narrowed. “What does GREMLIN want with this situation?”
Marian grinned and waved her hand dismissively. “We’re not here to stop you. Think of us as… curious observers. This Titnosis thing caught Othinus’ attention, and we don’t like anyone else playing around with world-altering powers. If it messes with our plans, we’re going to get involved.”
Touma, ever the peacekeeper, stepped forward. “So you’re saying you’ll help us? What’s the catch?”
Thor chuckled. “No catch, really. We just don’t want anyone else wrecking the world before we get our shot at it. But if you want my help, I expect something in return. Like a good fight.” His eyes gleamed as he glanced toward Issei and Vali. “Maybe one of these two could entertain me.”
“Not the time, Thor,” Marian said, rolling her eyes. “Focus on the task at hand.”
Issei, still on edge from his earlier scuffle with Vali, clenched his fist. “So you’re not here to make things worse? Could’ve fooled me.”
Marian flashed him a devilish grin. “Depends on how things play out. We can be reasonable… if it’s in our interest.”
Aqua of the Back's voice cut through the conversation, low and dangerous. “If you get in our way, there will be no reason. We’ll crush you like any other enemy of the Church.”
“Easy there, Saint,” Thor said, raising his hands. “I’m not looking for a fight with you… yet.”
Evangeline, sipping her tea in the background, smiled to herself. “How many factions do we have mixed in this now? It’s almost amusing enough to be worth sticking around for.”
Touma took a deep breath and turned to Sailor Pluto. “So, you said the Outer Senshi haven’t been affected yet. Where do we start?”
Pluto considered it for a moment. “The Outer Senshi maintain distance from the Inner group, but they always remain watchful. If we can locate Uranus and Neptune, they’ll know where the others are.”
“And they haven’t come into contact with anyone under the influence of Titnosis?” Touma asked, confirming the critical detail.
“No,” Pluto said with confidence. “Not yet.”
Marian, still toying with the conversation, chimed in. “We could help speed things up, you know. Find your Senshi friends before they do something stupid like fall into that… What did you call it? Titnosis?”
Touma frowned. “And what’s in it for you?”
Marian shrugged. “Let’s just say we’ve got a vested interest in seeing how this whole thing plays out. Maybe Othinus wants to watch from a safe distance, or maybe we just don’t like competition.” Her smile widened. “Either way, you’re running out of time.”
Vali scoffed. “If you think we’re trusting you to act out of the goodness of your heart, you’re even crazier than you look.”
Thor chuckled. “Then don’t trust us. Just try to keep up.”
Issei’s eyes narrowed, but before he could respond, Hachibei spoke up, his voice cutting through the tension. “Wait a minute. If Titnosis works through visual or physical contact, then we just need to isolate the Outer Senshi, right? Maybe we can use that to set a trap for whoever’s behind this.”
Everyone turned to look at him, surprised by the sudden clarity of his thought.
Pluto raised an eyebrow, nodding slowly. “That’s… actually a very good idea. If we can control the environment, we might be able to draw the enemy out.”
Evangeline chuckled darkly, setting her teacup down. “Colour me surprised,” she remarked with a smirk. “You’re not just a walking collection of fetishes after all.” She leaned back, her eyes gleaming with mild amusement. “This is getting more interesting by the minute.”
Aqua of the Back crossed his arms, his expression grim. “Then we’d better act quickly. If we don’t find the Outer Senshi soon, it won’t matter what plans we have. If we are to stand the slightest chance against the modern hosts of Star Seeds, then we shall need every advantage we can take.”
It was that serious, then? The forces of Heaven and Hell and all manner of magical factions throwing in to help out. Touma took another look around at all of them. What an eclectic group they were turning out to be. Enemies and allies alike, and even some guy that was apparently perfectly ordinary.
Such misfortune!
======
Why is it that the bad guys cannot seem to afford good lighting? Is it because they think it looks good? The shadowy rooms, poorly light halls, the dark the creepy and the unsettling. Rias let out a sigh. She was meant to be a Devil, but honestly now, this was rather ridiculous. She struggled against the bonds. Tried to bring out some Destruction magic to free herself, but to no avail.
Next to her was Akeno. She looked across at her Queen, who was just as bound as she. It was strange. Neither of them could quite remember what happened. She knew there had been stalkers. Not uncommon when you're as pretty as they. Rather less common is the two of them losing a fight when they knew they were about to get jumped.
Akeno silently shook her head. Ah, is that so? In that case, she looked to the others in the room with her. Let's see. There was a rather annoyed looking girl over there with bright blonde hair and stars for pupils. Then there was a girl with brownish red hair, eyes screwed closed, an apron hanging around her neck... And another girl who looked absolutely terrified. She was wearing big round glasses, trembling a little, and looking around with absolute fear in her pretty eyes.
"It's alright," Rias said. "From the looks of it, the rest of us have been in situations like this before. We'll do our best to take care of you, Miss...?"
"I'm not t-telling you my name!" the girl said. Which was rather spoiled when a light flickered on over her head that read 'Yukari Tsukino'. She looked around at the rest of them. They all had the same things over theirs, which made Yukari jump a little. Or as much as she could with her feet shackled together to the wall and her arms bound above her head.
Let's see then, shall we...? Aside from Miss Tsukino, there was also Chizuru Naga and Misaki Shokuhou.
"When solving a mystery like this, always start by looking at what the victims have in common," Akeno chirped happily. "We all have something rather obvious in common, aside from being women. Don't you think so?"
Indeed they did. It was rather rude, but hard to ignore. Perhaps it was Issei's influence? That breast obsessed boy... But yes, they all had rather larger than average breast sizes. Substantially bigger, actually. It was a bit more obvious given the pose they were in, but...
The door opened. A pretty woman in a red evening gown slunk into the room, staying in the shadows by the door. All that was visible was the bottom half of her red dress, and she was very obviously deliberately standing to ensure that the slit up the side, which exposed her leg all the way to the thigh, was visible for them to view.
"Who are you?" Misaki demanded. My, my, this one was certainly used to taking the lead, wasn't she? Gave off the air of a real Queen Bee type. "I can assure you that if you don't release us, you'll regret it."
"Kukuku, how adorable," the mysterious woman said. "I am Cinder Falls. Once, I was a villain, but now I shall have a hand in saving the world. Through wisdom! Yes, such wisdom is for my mind alone... For it has brought me salvation from the corrupting influence that seeks to act through your friends."
Oh. She was one of those, was she? How tiresome. Rias stifled a yawn, and luckily Akeno coughed for attention to help her cover it.
"If you don't mind getting to the point?" Akeno asked. Sweet as sugar with a barb hidden underneath. "I'm terribly sorry, but mysterious nonsense causes me to come out in hives."
"Then I shall get to the point," Cinder said, strolling around the room. "Your friends... Koneko, Index, Kirino, and Mana. They have fallen victim to the insidious, addictive power of titnosis! A power which once clawed at my soul, and reduced an ally of mine to maniacal nymphomania..."
There was an air of genuine sadness to her tone, but it was rapidly swallowed up and devoured whole. Titnosis...?
"They have formed a group of would be superheroes," Cinder continued. "Would be heroes that would instead lead the whole world to ruination. Causing all women to think with their tits."
"I'm terribly sorry, but... Pardon?" Chizuru interrupted. "Think with their..." She looked down at herself, genuinely confused.
"It's not a joke!" Cinder yelled. "It's serious. Deadly serious. You wouldn't understand until you'd seen it, and by then... By then it's too late. It will have your mind. Your tits will start to whisper in your ear. Telling you what to do. Who to brainwash... and who to share this wonderful, addictive power with. Before you know it you'd be left helplessly gawping at them, playing with them in the mirror, using them to smother people just for the experience! It's addictive, more so than any drug, more so than even regular power itself! Sex cannot compare to the high, nor the afterglow!"
Come on, keep talking, keep monologuing, get distracted - Unfortunately, it seemed that Cinder had just enough awareness of herself to toss something across the room, landing right next to Rias' ear. She retracted her nail from the lock that was behind her head. It was a good attempt, but not enough apparently.
"Wh-What are you going to do to us?" Yukari asked.
"Do to you?" Cinder asked. "I am going to make you better. Improve you. Make you immune to titnosis, and through you, spread the Wisdom of the truth!"
She stepped out of the shadows graceful and mature, and... Totally and completely flat as a board. There wasn't a trace of a chest on her. Even her nipples were probably inverted. You could use that chest to draw a straight line. Ever see that Rick and Morty bit about 'true level'? It felt like she was staring right at it!
"Flat is justice!" Cinder announced with her hands on her hips. "And soon, very soon, the four of you will understand that it is the only justice to matter! That is the wisdom that our team of true heroes shall face - when you join the Black Moon Circus!"
Go back - Go to the parent episode.
Wed Apr 09 14:35:24 2025
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