Ko-chan’s Chronicles

In the woods, Zetsuna flew feebly on her chain wings. The faintly glowing white ribbons held her tightly, constraining her arms into a reverse prayer and keeping her legs frogtied. Finally, her mouth was filled and wrapped into a muzzle.

Goddamn those bastards...If I didn't sacrifice the ribbon power to save the last of my chain power, I would have been completely helpless and captured by now.

She faltered and fell to the ground roughly as the vibrators thumping between her legs brought her to yet another orgasm. "Hghhhh..Rhhhh" She squirmed on the ground, trying to calm her mind and ignore the constant pleasure.

"What a pathetic scene, Zetsuna. After all we've invested in you, this is the result."

She looked up and saw an older woman standing over her. She was floating slightly above the ground and clasped her hands behind her, looking stately.

"I'm actually rather impressed. You had those girls completely restrained, not only wrapped in dozens of layers of ribbons and latex, but also completely locked by the Power of Time. A crushing victory anyone could be proud of." The woman spoke with a mocking voice.

"But somehow, here you are, the absolute loser, fleeing through the forest while suffering orgasm after orgasm. How did this happen? Your opponents couldn't even move, and you still lost? Please, explain to me." Now her voice became accusatory.

Zetsuna growled into her muzzle and started to fly into the air again on her chain wings. Before she could get far, her wings rebelled against her and the chains shot into the nearby trees and ground, anchoring her helplessly in mid air in front of the woman.

"No one said you could leave, Zetsuna. Like I said before, we've invested quite a lot in you to help you raise not only your inherent power, but also gain the second one you specifically requested as well. Do you think they were given to you as gifts? They weren't. You are raised by the family, and then you repay the family with your service." Now it became a lecturing tone.

"If you had won, no one would have said anything about what you've been doing for the last few days. Instead, you would have been praised for reclaiming your honor from back then. But what was the result of your little tryst? One power lost, the other crippled. Do you think you still hold any value to the family?"

Zetsuna tried to respond, but she was effectively muzzled by the ribbons and couldn't make any intelligible response.

"What's that? A pathetic loser who can't even free herself from her opponent's restraints and needs help from her elders again? I'll give you one chance Zetsuna. Free yourself this second and come back to the family to repent for your crimes."

Zetsuna's eyes turned desperate, and she started to peel the ribbons on her body. After about a minute, she had only gotten about a hand's length freed, but when she stopped pulling to take a breath, it immediately went back down and readhered. Zetsuna let out a helpless cry of frustration.

The woman laughed coldly. "So, this is the limit of the former Chain Princess. Helpless. Crying. Humiliated. Crippled. The rest of your peers back at the family would love to see you like this."

"Now. Since you are obviously a failed project, let me get at least a little use out of you before you are disposed of." She held up her hand and a dark collar with red lines on it appeared. Zetsuna recoiled, but she was pinned in the air by her own wings.

"You have no choice, Zetsuna. You made your decisions and now you must pay the price. This will draw out your remaining potential and give you one last chance to reclaim your honor. It is already a crime for our chosen to lose a single time, but you've lost twice. Repent with your life and future." The woman threw the collar gently into the air and it snapped effortlessly around Zetsuna's neck.

As soon as it closed, her eyes started to emit crimson light, and the same crimson seemed to spread out through her blood vessels as well. Her power, which was flagging and dim, suddenly became lively again, and started to circulate faster and faster.

Her muffled cries of pain echoed through the forest as her future was consumed by crimson to raise her power to new heights, even higher than she had been just hours earlier.

* * *

"How is she?" Hinari came into the room where Matsuko was watching over Kogamo.

"The vortex is growing steadily. It is integrating all of her power into one. If she can pass this trial, she will ascend to a level none of us have even glimpsed." Matsuko seemed grim.

"You don't sound confident. What's the matter?" Hinari looked worried.

"The vortex is growing more violent and devouring everything it touches. If it escapes outside of her body, it will be a disaster." Matsuko frowned even more.

Naruyo heard this as she came in. "Notify ancestor. Evacuate area."

Matsuko sighed. "We will do as we must."

* * *

On a nearby hill, a number of people and one bed appeared in the blink of an eye.

"At least here, no one will get hurt." Sakari looked around at the field of grass covering the hill.

"...She's starting to consume the bed." Hinari was keeping a close eye on Kogamo laying on the bed.

Naruyo looked over. "Vortex growth accelerating. Not much time."

Within a minute, the vortex was several meters in width, and still growing.

"I must tell you something, girls. I know you want to save your friend, but I will not allow this to become a national disaster. If this vortex reaches the city, I will step in and put an end to it, regardless of the circumstances. I will not hear any objections. If you want to save her, now's your chance." The ancestor spoke up as the situation progressed to this point.

Matsuko's eyes trembled as she watched Kogamo and internalized what the ancestor said. She finally grit her teeth and spoke up. "...Tell me. How do I save her."

"Ha ha ha. Good. Your pride isn't so strong that you would lose those near to you. Her spirit is in disarray. Right now she is on the verge of ascending from the immortal to the divine. In history, 999 out of 1000 will fail. Most due to being unable to stabilize their spirits during the ascension. To help her, you must calm her spirit so she can cleanly fuse with her spirit body." The ancestor calmly explained.

Sakari immediately spoke up. "How do we do that? She's currently in a coma and also in the middle of a giant vortex that's consuming everything that comes close."

"Fine. I'll help you out this once out of appreciation of her admirable victory against Zetsuna. Prepare yourselves. I will allow you girls to enter her spirit space. Be careful, as you may know, spirit body injuries can be even harder to heal than physical ones." The ancestor lifted her finger, and the council floated into the air, and she took them about a kilometer away. You could still see the vortex, but just barely.

"Remember. You only have as much time as it takes for the vortex to endanger the city. Then I will forcibly remove you from her spirit space and end the catastrophe." The ancestor looked grim as she pointed again at the council. All of the girls suddenly felt like they were ripped clean out of their bodies and flew across the field straight into the vortex of destruction.

* * *

When their vision returned, they were in a fractured space. Huge chunks of rock floated around without gravity, and the sky was filled with crackling lightning, spatial fissures, and whirling tornados, all on the backdrop of a beautiful starry sky and nebula.

Sakari looked around. "Woah... what a strange place! I can see part of the school on that rock over there!"

Hinari turned the other direction. "There's the dorm too. It looks like fragments of places she is familiar with."

Naruyo looked towards the black sun in the sky. "Ko-chan there. Inside sun."

Matsuko frowned. "We have to get to her. Hinari, can you use the Power of Space?"

Hinari focused her power and shook her head. "Space is too fractured. Using spatial teleportation would be dangerous, we could end up in a fissure and be sucked out of this region. That would be guaranteed death. Jumping from rock to rock ourselves would be safer."

Sakari immediately ran forward and started evaluating the nearby large chunks of rock. "Shorter hops it is then. Let's get as close as we can and make more plans when we get there.

Naruyo gave a little hop and flew up several meters before floating back down. "Jumping feasible. Carefully aim. Missing the rock...tragic fate."

Hinari looked at Matsuko and frowned. "Can you even jump like that Matsuko? Do you need one of us to carry you?"

Hinari's face twitched as Matsuko flew into the air. "Oh yeah.. you can fly."

Sakari looked at Matsuko and realized she was still in the obsidian petsuit. Then she noticed her own state "Gah! I thought we were supposed to be spirit bodies! Why am I still tied up like this!?"

Naruyo quipped. "Lacking skill. Or maybe secretly desired it."

Hinari laughed but then raised her voice "I think that one is closest. It's large, and has a piece of the school on it. We should be able to get to another rock from there."

Matsuko followed her gaze. "So our first target is set. Let's hurry, we don't have much time. Remember to stay in touch with the white ribbons."

* * *

When they landed on the rock, they saw a portion of the school in front of them. It was only one wing, but the ripped off fragment of the school wasn't the most shocking thing. All around the school grounds were mannequins in school uniforms. Some were sitting on benches, some standing in the halls, some looking at the fountain, but all were missing their arms. Arms which were strewn around the ground, floating through the air, or sitting in lockers.

A faint voice could be heard in the wind as they took in the creepy scene. "I found myself attached to this position shortly after I entered the school. Even if it was Asami's prank at the beginning, I was the one who continued it."

As the voice petered out, Hinari noticed a shadowy figure slowly wandering across the courtyard.

Hinari ran over to it as it went behind a tree. "Hey! Wait!"

By the time she got close, it was gone. She looked around but saw nothing but broken dolls and arms.

"As time progressed, I used my arms less and less, until there were times when I forgot I even had them at all."

Sakari pointed to the school. "Up there, in the window!" They looked up and saw the figure in the window looking down at them.

Hinari looked up. "It's...Ko-chan? Let's hurry!"

The council members raced up the stairs, but she was gone again by the time they got there.

"Sometimes I regretted my decisions, but I always forged onwards to become the most amazing person that could catch My Lady's eye."

"Spotted Ko-chan. Entering council room." Naruyo pointed down the hall.

They entered the room to find the shadowy armless Kogamo staring at them.

"I wonder, did I succeed? Was it all worth it? Will I ever find my arms again?" The figure didn't speak, but her thoughts clearly echoed in their minds.

"You succeeded! I've always told you that you were the most amazing to me!" Matsuko ran forward and tried to talk to the figure.

"...my arms...where are my arms..." The shadowy figure just looked around, not seeming to acknowledge her surroundings.

Naruyo frowned. "Search for true arms? In a sea of doll arms?"

Sakari burst out at the question "We don't have time for a search of that level! There must be hundreds or thousands of arms in this school!"

Hinari looked up. "I can do it. Give me a second to sense the surrounding space." She put a hand on her forehead and closed her eyes.

Everyone stared silently for several seconds before Hinari held out her hand. In front of her the space quivered, then two shadowy arms appeared in front of her, folded wrist to shoulder. She guided the arms to the figure, where they rested at her back and merged together with her.

The shadowy Kogamo smiled and twisted left and right. "Ah... You found them! I looked in so many places..." She smiled, then looked over at Hinari. "I knew it.. Hinari-chan is always the coolest... Well, not cooler than My Lady, but you're okay being second place, right?"

The shadowy Kogamo faded out, and with her, Hinari faded as well.

Hinari smiled bitterly. "Sorry guys, I'm going on ahead..."

Naruyo frowned. "Her presence moved. Direction of black sun."

Matsuko looked up at the sun. "We're leaving. We need to get to the next rock quickly.