<Nocturnal Harmonia>

[Bloodedge]

The older sister of Irkalla was already in the world they were from. How interesting. There were a few candidates he considered who may have been in hiding, but that was something Yugi would give more consideration later. As for their mother, he hadn't a single clue what 'odd' meant in current context. It didn't matter anyway ─ not when Irkalla agreed to pass along the message if possible. "I'll look forward to it. I've got 'offerings' for days~" he claimed to the idea of meeting other goddesses, as well as the thought of Miko and Irkalla 'sharing' at some later time. For now, it was regrettably not to be. Yugi figured this dungeon wouldn't remain for too long after the job-change quest, and there was something he and Miko absolutely had to do. First though, he watched the goddess turn around and refit her dress. What was another brief gamble? "Oh I'll call. But uh... you dropped something?" he said with an upward inflection, not a sign of truth in his tone or visage.

Whatever came of that, Yugi would soon be standing over the Blood-Red Commander's corpse. There was a much larger darkness oozing from his body than the others ─ a sure sign of his superior power. He didn't even wait around for Miko's input or opinion; it was already clear what they both thought. As he loomed over the fallen knight, Yugi grimaced just slightly. "Sup bitch? You killed me. I'll give Soul Calibur logic a pass this time though, so c'mon. Be a good unlocked boss. Arise," he said. The knight's corpse rose slightly, trembling as if his soul were attempting to vacate that corpse. After a moment of thrashing and a burst of power strong enough to make Yugi recoil however, everything stopped.

[YOU HAVE FAILED TO EXTRACT A SHADOW.]
[YOU HAVE TWO CHANCES REMAINING.]

"Goddamnit!" he complained immediately. There wasn't prior mention of limited chances. It had been four hours since Igris's death, but the bonus from Irkalla should have made that fine. "Gotta be one of those bosses with an annoying unlock. Maybe he's mad you never actually twerked on his face."

[Apollymi]

With news that Irkalla would indeed pass along the lad's message to her family members, it would seem that all was well. The Players had quite a few things to do as well. He even claimed he had offerings for days, "Uh-huh... we'll see about that~" she teased lightly. With both the Players enjoying their new items and getting dressed, Irkalla figured it was about time for her to take her leave. Still she was quite surprised, that as she turned to leave she'd appearently dropped something. She gave a moment to look, there was no seriousness in his voice. Was this that human 'pretense' thing? Well, she'd not known she'd be actively involved in it. "Oh did I?" she bent over at the waist, the trail of that dress, sliding to the left and the short part beneath barely revealing the bottom of her rear as she reached for the floor.

"Oh, I know what that is..." Miko said while looking at that woman bending over after a single pause. Maybe the Death Goddess didn't see a lot of action? Or maybe goddesses didn't have to deal with pretense so much. A moment later she was standing and walking away... "Later," she called as she she waved and walked away. Miko waved, before she turned to head to that fallen commander. Yugi aimed to try at extracting his Shadow, but he failed at it. A second later and he was blaming Miko for maybe not twerking on his face. "Oi, I said... I have limits, no actual corpses!" she said stomping her foot like a disgruntled toddler, and having it look petulant instead because she was currently quite buxom even if still small. No matter, she soon approached Igris instead with a bit of a softer speech. "I get that you were doing what you had to do. We all have orders, but...you made me feel weird so it's only right if you... get up and come with us, Arise." Miko gave the command the Blood-Red Commander Igris's body shifted a bit the shadows condensing if only for a moment before his body fell back down. Miko would then receive a second message from the System.

[YOU HAVE FAILED TO EXTRACT A SHADOW.]
[YOU HAVE ONE CHANCE REMAINING.]

[Bloodedge]

Interestingly enough, the death goddess went right along with Yugi's randomness. She bent at the waist, far enough for the slit of that dress to tease just a sample of her backside. There was the slightest bit of familiar hesitation; something he'd seen in Miko that first day. How very strange. "Sou. Yeah, I'll call," he said as the goddess walked off. Strange as it was to see that form of hesitation from a goddess who spoke of 'offerings' and freely took a massive load to the body, he'd also seen the transition of Miko... and rather enjoyed the potential therein.

What Yugi didn't enjoy, was the Blood-Red Commander being a failed extraction. He didn't enjoy finding out only after a failure that there were only three chances. He especially didn't enjoy that it was a collective three chances, as seen when Miko's extraction also failed. "Why do we get three chances TOGETHER?! That's so fucking dumb!" he shouted. At that time, Yugi wanted to beat Igris's corpse for refusing. He didn't simply want to enslave the one who inflicted so much pain. No, he wanted Igris as an asset. Yugi looked to the corpse, then to the throne, then to the corpse again. "Knight, guarding a throne. Commander..." he chattered. That distant tone was returning once again ─ as was the light sheen in his eye. "This wasn't Igris's throne. This is the throne of the Shadow Monarch. Well it's our throne now." He looked to Miko before turning to Igris again, arm extended, hand palm-up. "The king is here..."

"ARISE."

[Apollymi]

Miko recognized a different habit of hers in the goddess. She could only wonder how someone like her ended up with that kind of hiccup, but she also thought it would be fine. If anyone could make you feel normal about how weird you were, she'd say Yugi was the best at it. And they could both agree to enjoying the shift towards something more open.

Just the same, Miko didn't enjoy what was happening either. The fact that individually they'd tried to raise the Blood-Red Commander Igris and it'd been counted against their apparently collective use of the technique was a crazy thing not to get a warning about ahead of time. "No warning that it's a collective thing? How are we supposed to know when we count as one or when we count as two?" Miko gripped. "Can't count as one when I wanna bang girls, but apparently it's fine for raising our army!" Miko griped. Ah but there was still one thing to try. If they counted as a singular individual then maybe they needed to raise Igris together. In fact, they'd been approaching him as one the entire time they'd known him, maybe they'd needed something. For their last attempt and Miko had her own two cents to add. "And so is the Queen," Miko asserted. Her hand extended and she also said the word, in perfect time with Yugi.

"ARISE."

[Bloodedge]

The command "Arise" was spoken simultaneously by the Players. Then, on their third collective attempt, the reaction was different. A rush of energy spewed from the knight's body, blasting both Players without being truly aggressive. The darkness swelled within crimson armor, bleeding out in Igris's original shape. The corpse would fall again, but only after the jet-black visual of Igris escaped it. It was only in the shape of armor, but... upon standing, a large cape of shadows erupted from its back. That was followed by the appearance of a red mane ─ one of Igris's defining features while he abused the Players earlier. There was so much power. It was grand, it was moving... it was theirs. The undertone of blue energy showing through armor segments had also become the glow in their new minion's eyes, mimicking their own.

[YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY ENHANCED THE SHADOW'S POWER.]
[THE SHADOW WILL START AT LEVEL 7.]
[SHADOW SOLDIERS THAT RANK KNIGHT OR HIGHER CAN BE NAMED.]

Those notifications took precedence over anything else. The appearance of an empty name slot/text box was the only thing that kept Yugi from entering a fit of manic laughter. They'd have to give a name to the only Shadow above Level 1, the only Shadow to reject summoning initially... their strongest Shadow. After hearing what Irkalla had to say about naming, Yugi thought back to the fight that should have taken his life. That kind of power and dominance demanded respect, he thought. What better name could there be? Blood-Red Commander Igris was the identity of their greatest challenge yet. "I don't think there's another name that could ever fit. Igris?"

[Apollymi]

The Players buckled down for a moment of combined power flexing and in so doing got a very different reaction than they'd gotten in the previous attempts. The power coming off that newly risen shadow as way more than Miko expected. She didn't know what it was like to get a boss from a video game at level, but it seemed like they were about as close to that as was possible in the moment. Miko looked up at the newly formed shadow while heairng the Systems notifications.

The body of Blood-Red Commander Igris had fallen, but now that she was looking at his risen shadow, she understood his strength. Of course, while she thought this over, she heard what Yugi was saying and she stared into those powerful eyes and up a body she maintained an odd desire to climb. "Definitely... Igris♪!~" Miko sang. Yes, he'd beaten them within an inch of their lives, or completely out of it Yugi's case. Even so, he'd made her feel something new and as such she'd be treating him to something at some point in the future. She could feel it. "Also unrelated but it's awesome that he kept the mane. It's like super badass♪~" Miko expressed her excitement quietly.

[Bloodedge]

And so, the Blood-Red Commander had risen not just as a Shadow, but as a Shadow rivaling or exceeding the Players' own power. Even at level 7, his incredible strength was clear. Both Players decided the name Igris was suitable, so Igris his name became. Tall, dark as night and imposing, Igris stepped beyond the players. Boots no longer made of metal still clanked across the stone floor. Yugi watched the knight pass, viewing an overhead display over their greatest servant.

[IGRIS LV. 7]
GRADE: KNIGHT

There were three grades of Shadows presently. The Infantry were Normal. The Mages who previously summoned the now-Infantry soldiers were Elite Grade, seeming more like B-rank Hunters in strength based on the Players' own strength several hours ago. Igris, however... was Knight Grade, and undoubtedly in the upper echelons of A-rank even after extraction in a form weaker than his earlier self. Yugi was already cracking up by the time Igris reached the Players' other side to kneel ─ an act that would be mimicked by the other 89 Shadows behind him. That cracking of Yugi's became a break, the lad no longer able to contain his laughter. "Ehaha... AHAHAHAHA!" he bellowed. "Unfair. This is completely unfair. We have to get rid of more Infantry, or take those stats. With this new gear on, we can probably afford to go back... to that Dungeon Break. You ready?"

[Apollymi]

Miko listened her eyes keyed into the rise of their once biggest opponent. A hard fought battle for the duo known as the Players had become a victory, she could feel it. In the same moment that he passed them, Miko was turning as well, seeing that title over the Knight Grade Shadow's head. On the other side of the Players in front of the other shadows, Igris took a knee, which made Miko grin. More than that her little hips were moving as she heard the sound of laughter.

Miko's hips swayed to that gorgeous sound as she spun around and found all the Shadows bowing before their new leaders. "Aaaah♪~ That's such a great fucking sound♪~" Miko chimed with a bit more flirt than general chipperness. No matter. They had things to do. "Definitely, unfair and we should go back to that Dungeon Break, there's a broke bitch there that needs to apologize for running his mouth with an eternity of servitude," Miko asserted, still more than a little annoyed by the A-rank tanker that had ruined her good afternoon with his nonsense. She didn't even currently have the presence of mind to call herself out on her aggression. No matter was she ready. "Just let me apply these stats, I'm trying to make sure we have as much storage room as possible," Miko said. Within a few seconds her physical form was filling out a bit more and she was placing even more points into her Intelligence stat. Once she was done, she finished her outfit with a new little purple zip-up hoodie. She really did need to think through some more magical clothing options.

[Bloodedge]

Yugi couldn't get over the ridiculous turn of events that gave them so much power, so much potential, so much... to be excited for. The job-change quest was a harrowing experience, but it was also oh so worthwhile in the end. Now, they both had a desire to return to that earlier Dungeon Break. Miko especially wanted to make use of the Tanker, Sato Kenta, better known as Dickhead to Yugi. He chuckled lightly when Miko spoke of subjecting that man's soul to eternal servitude. "We're stronger than him now. I'll let you have the satisfaction of that," he decided.

Miko decided to allocate her new stats. Yugi hadn't been keeping track of the levels they'd gained, mostly because of the thousand distractions around them. As such, he took the time to look into stats as well. "Level 58 already? Nice. It's just like a─OH GODDAMNIT 70 POINTS!" he said, switching to a firm complaint mid-sentence. The necessary stats for his build were a bit more uniform than he liked normally, but... even though the System was designed like a game, this was still life. "Extraction and Preservation both seem linked to our combined mana. I'm pushing up to 100 even for right now," he mentioned. "Can't really afford much physical right now. I want Agility, but I don't want my body to end up faster than my eyes. Goddamnit Brainface." He didn't really need to blame the administrator in this case, but he would anyway.

At the same time, a purple vortex similar to a Gate appeared next to the throne. The other side was appearing in the overworld, right in the middle of Makima's office where the Players were standing before they entered. The portal was large, swirling, dark mana cackling out and around it like an ominous storm of lightning. Yugi's Sharingan activated the moment there was a disturbance, but he calmed down upon seeing it was only their exit door. "Oh? There we go. Looks like we've got room for 25 more Shadows now, 92 total in storage. All of you... inside," he ordered before considering departure. All ninety Shadow Soldiers, Igris included, would be residing within the Players' shadows starting then. Interestingly enough, it seemed their individual shadows were being treated as one overall storage... in a way. "Separate vessels, but an path between them. Guess that means we don't have to argue over who's getting Igris. Good job Brainface."

[Apollymi]

The Players had suddenly hit the height of power creep. it took one harrowing Dungeon, a couple of near-death experiences and the abuse of every resource and brain cell they had, but now... the world was open. There was a moment of peace and time to actually think about real strategy it was an easy decision to go back for that A-rank Tanker, such a thing would be useful to either of them with their innate combat abilities, besides Miko's personal reasons of wanting that being in a groveling state for all eternity simply because he'd spoken out of turn about her. "You're the best, Daddy♫~" Miko flirted. In truth, she'd felt annoyed by the man previously known as Sato Kenta for the entire time she'd known of his existence, it was the least he could do to make use of himself in death.

Moving on from that a great number of skill points were available for allocation. Miko was moving hers around with relative ease, it would seem that though pleased Yugi was without question a bit annoyed by the overflow of points given the complexity of his build. "I kept my physical stats mostly even, I can't go around messing up what I look like physically until I know I'll have sliders or something to work with..." Miko said in general understanding. "I settled in with 130 Intelligence, to help with our combined stats," Miko explained of her own self. Just the same she gave a little turn with her body reaching a bit more firmness. "At least you won't have to worry about Endurance, it seems like the stat most likely to go up anytime a sex quest appears," she added knowing how many points they'd gotten for endurance today alone.

Still as that portal began forming the Shadows were put away and Miko remained, dressed in her little skirt and sleeveless turtle neck, a zip-up purple hoodie swaying around her curves, in a pair of thigh highs and some heeled booties. On her head that crown of nether flowers gently pulsing in that purple undertone and that deep curl. Her eyes, still gently glowing as if she was bristling just a little. "Yeah, Igris is really honorable too, so he'd probably just go to whichever of us was in the highest need of him," she said of the Knight who now belonged to them. With all of them in their combined shadow, there was a certain hum, Miko could hear and it felt comforting.

Just the same that disturbance opening up in Makima's office had an interesting thing happening. In front of Makima's desk sat a blonde girl her eyes covered by a techy visor hair up in a high ponytail. She was lightly dressed in a black pair of shorts and a white button up top with a bow loosely tied around her neck. She seemed mostly relaxed as she answered Makima's questions surrounding the incident the previous night. "It really wasn't so serious. i was trained in combat before... Ishigami-san simply pointed out a better use of my skills, and left me to handling the boss," she explained at the end. "Well..." Makima had been about to speak with that gate started ripping its way into the room. "Oh?" she smirked looking at the opening as if she was expecting something specific to come through it, surprising though the method was, she seemed completely unbothered. The blonde on the other hand felt immediately uneasy. That energy coming from that portal flowing over her skin, making her sense danger of an immediate nature. She reached for the magical gun she'd had leaning against Makima's des and hopped out of her seat, aimed and ready to shoot at whatever came out of that portal.

[Bloodedge]

"Don't forget it," Yugi flirted back after being called the best. He dumped 70 Skill points after that, mostly into Intelligence and Perception with a bit going into Agility. Overall, it seemed a decent enough build for what he needed. Yugi thought he'd be truly satisfied around level 70 or so, when they were well into S-rank territory by his own approximation. According to Miko, her own decisions about physical stats had much to do with her body. Yugi quirked a brow in that moment. "Hmm. I think I saw something zip by really quickly about that, probably at level 50. You might have to hit 100 in everything that affects your body before that comes up. You know, like... unlock the maximum, then you're able to tweak it down as needed? I think it was something like that," he mentioned casually.

Some moments later, the Players were standing in front of a purple gate not too dissimilar to what Hunters walked into every day. There was no reason to stay behind in the quest dungeon; they had a busy day ahead of them still. "Alright. Let's go," Yugi said, stepping forward. On the other side, the blonde young woman wasn't the only one having an aggressive reaction to the sudden Gate. Aki, who now worked directly under Makima, had recently returned to the office to perform his duties as a personal assistant. When that purple void appeared, he hopped back. Aki's right hand reached for the sword secured on his back, and his left moved forward with its thumb pressed to his middle and ring fingers, leaving the remaining digits extended. The Players hadn't left through anything resembling a Gate, and weren't expected to return via one. As such, when someone passed through, he'd be ready to dart forward and draw that sword, keeping his other hand at the ready for a summon. Ah, but a heightened Perception stat was worth a lot. Yugi didn't even need Sharingan to sense two sources of danger before they even finished passing through the portal. With that being the case, he erected Abyssal Frame around himself and Miko. Whatever was coming their way couldn't dream of breaking through that ribcage ─ he could easily tell that much.

[Apollymi]

Miko would never forget that Yugi was the best, not permanently. While they both allocated points, Yugi mentioned something he'd seen in the screen in the earlier times. According to him, she'd likely get her sliders after achieving the maximum in her physical stats that seemed fair enough, "Alright good to know... I kind of like what I feel like right now, but it'd be good to play around with~" Miko claimed, knowing she could have a decent bit of fun playing around with sliders and clothing options to dress herself up as she saw fit. The moment they walked through that gate with Yugi's Sharingan active there was an incoming attack.

Hayasaka Ai was a Ranger by her own choice. She jumped back magical rifle on he shoulder immediately. When that skeleton took on an appearance she immediately fired a number of those paralyzing rounds into it. It was a direct reflex connected to the perceived danger. Those incrases in Perception went a long way for Miko as well, she could tell how very skittish all but Makima were even before she properly scanned the room. Ai for her part in this fired those shots but she was still shaky. A gate opening in the middle of a building wasn't so abnormal, something so strong walking out of it, and not even seeming to care was very different. That power was so dark, so vast... it's depth was imperceptible. She couldn't shake the fear of that moment and felt like she was looking into the Abyss. "Oh? Shooting first and not asking questions?" Makima mentioned with extreme calm that she always seemed to have. She could see it... the pure power of the pair of Players within that skeleton. Those same two who hadn't said anything at all... "You didn't look like this an hour ago," Makima observed casually. Ai couldn't even immediately respond to Makima her eyes even behind that visor didn't want to look away from that powerful pair in front of her.

[Bloodedge]

Once the Players walked through that portal, an offense was formed against them. Ai fired multiple rounds that were promptly deflected by the ribcage and dense, purple aura protecting Yugi and Miko. That wasn't even the only assault. Aki had already launched himself, sword drawn mid-motion. He was upon them before he even realized what was actually walking out of the Gate, and then... he was stopped in his tracks. Aki had been grabbed by the skeletal left arm of Abyssal Frame and casually pulled away. Yugi had the construct drop him on the other side of Makima, who was the first to comment... and the only one in the room he thought to address right away.

They didn't look as they did an hour ago, the chairwoman claimed. Yugi glanced at the redhead and gave her a detailed once-over. "Neither did you," he said, not even realizing his left eye had developed its third tomoe. In addition to that, stat increases and an upgrade to the Players' very existence made everything seem quite different. Whatever the case, he was soon shifting that gaze toward one Hayasaka Ai. "I didn't take you as the type to shoot a guy before the first date. You'll put out before the second one though, right?" he asked. All the while, there was another great power quickly encroaching upon that office. It was none other than Gojo Satoru, who would be pulling that very expensive and very sealed vault door open by force, just to walk in casually with a canned cola in hand. "Woo! Smells like money in here!"

[Apollymi]

Quiet protection came from that Abyssal Frame. Miko stood within it, seemingly unbothered by the bodies that immediately moved to attack them. They must have truly registered as a threat if that was the response of two A-rank individuals to their sudden appearance. Aki was moved back into place behind Makima and after firing a series of shots, without seeing anything Ai began fighting with her own flight or fight response. "Chii♪!~ Fight or Flight response is really high. Ai-sen that's the second time you've drawn a gun on me... I'm going to need you to relax♪~" Miko sang gently. That voice was unmistakable but the aura didn't match what she'd seen the previous day, "MI-TAN?!" Hayasaka Ai's brows furrowed. As Miko continued to stand completely relaxed and gently amused. But it wasn't just that, the flirt that came from Yugi had her taking pause, pulling up that visor for a proper look because obviously they were too tinted for her to see properly. Curiously enough the first thing she saw was swirling Sharingan, and she relaxed her posture but outrage ensued. "I don't have those kinds of limits, I do what feels right..." Ai mentioned. "But no. Not even the point. He wasn't this hot yesterday! And you didn't look like this yesterday! And I was on duty the last time I pulled a gun on you, don't make me sound irresponsible, when you're walking around with Chiyo's real big brother!" Ai followed up completely thrown for a loop. Those eyes of hers with star crossed pupils like the Brain Chargers of the Series she'd just referenced and what was more she was definitely interested given her earlier conversation with Miko a route would be appearing for Yugi just the same.

[BOND ROUTE UNLOCKED: GHOST PROTOCOL]

A new connection has been forged.

Current Intimacy: 25%

Note:
This route's unlock condition was completed through Miko's friendship with Hayasaka Ai.
Ai has shown cautious interest after learning more about Yugi through Miko.
Additional Resonance will be gained.

System Message:
The boundary between secrecy and exposure has been gently breached.
A rare and useful connection has formed.

[ACCEPT] / [DENY]

"Ah, well, I bet a lot of things look different to you now. A friend of yours, little one?" she asked of Miko who only nodded. "Hai, Ai-sen is one of my besties♪~" Miko chirped. "I see, so Hayasaka Ai made your fake IDs then? Good girl~" Makima mentioned. What wasn't good however was the quickly approaching Gojo who forced open the doors of Makima's office to enter nonchalantly. "Did you break my door, Toru-pyon?" Makima asked, but she was so excited about the players that she couldn't even be mad. By the time Gojo was entering, Miko was peeking at him behind her, a cheeky smirk on her face. "There you are, Go-sei♪~" Miko greeted in that same flirty and detached tone she'd had since her ascension.

[Bloodedge]

An attempted sword attack and several gunshots were issues easily removed. Aki hadn't been so sufficiently stopped from attacking in months, and could only stand there aghast as a result. "What... the fuck is that?" was all he could ask after finally recognizing the Players inside that partial skeleton. "A thing," Yugi replied simply. Something was so far beyond wrong with those E-ranks. Luckily for Aki, his mind didn't have to be completely blown today. As an insider, he now had a bit of information that made it somewhat easier to process all this craziness... but Hayasaka Ai was not so lucky. No, she had an immediate fit about several things ─ including the Players' upgraded looks. That outburst came with a route Yugi had been waiting to activate since the previous night. "There it is. Not sure how I feel about having to wait for an in-person meeting. Accept."

One more surprise was the bursting entry of Gojo, who definitely broke Makima's door. "Are you worried about some cheap-ass door when all this MONEY is in the room?!" he replied when questioned. He was still wearing that blindfold, and even he had to lift it to look at the Players... or, more specifically, their shadows. Gojo's eyes processed information at impossible speeds. That rush to the brain was precisely the reason he kept his eyes covered, as he could see better than most even with closed eyes. As he stared... he counted. It only took a second for him to speak again. "That's about a hundred bands ya' got there... my precious students~" he said. Yugi, who was actively dispersing the Abyssal Frame, tilted his head to look Gojo's way as well. "We don't know how much time we've got to waste. Take us back to that Dungeon Break," he demanded calmly. As an immediate response, Gojo erected his posture in comedic fashion ─ even giving a strong, overexaggerated solute. "HAI! MAKIMA...CHAN!"