Mentioned Characters: Mokou

Mizuchi Miyadeguchi is an evil spirit known as the jailbreak queen, a perpetual convict who broke out of Former Hell. True to that title, she's every bit as vicious and cunning as it sounds. She's easy to spot by her light-blue ponytail and an outfit reminiscent of a prison uniform. One has to wonder what those comically large handcuffs are actually for.

The oversized handcuffs Mizuchi Miyadeguchi wears are the physical embodiment of her ability to seize total control of both body and soul. She wears one end of the cuffs around her neck, and by closing the other end around the neck of her target, she can seize control of their mind and body. She can also drain magic from her victims once they're under her control, which causes some of them to fall into a deep sleep as a side effect. She used this ability to take over one victim after another, and the chaos that followed remains fresh in everyone's memory.

"...What a troublesome opponent," Mokou thought. The creature she'd run into in the dim bamboo grove had some seriously strange tricks up its sleeve. She should've had the advantage going in, but before she knew it, her opponent had pushed through every bullet she threw at her. Mokou could see a smirk on her opponent's face. Was she enjoying this, or did she simply know she'd already won? A cold, unpleasant sweat ran down Mokou's back. She needed to end this, and fast. "Expiation: Honest Man's Death" She was sure it was her best possible move. But her opponent had other plans... "...! Damn it!" A smile crept across her opponent's face. Before Mokou could react, the distance between them closed in an instant, and an oversized handcuff, gleaming faintly in her flames, locked around her neck.

(Damn it! Why won't it come off?!) No matter how hard Mokou yanked, the shackles wouldn't so much as budge. It was like they had a will of their own. "Well then, shall we finish this?" The vengeful spirit smiled at her. In an instant, her consciousness began to slip away, and she lost control of her own body. (I'm losing...) "Like hell I'll let you!" Something fierce stirred deep inside Mokou, and the crimson flames that erupted around her made her look exactly like the unyielding phoenix she was. "Wha—?!" Caught off guard, the vengeful spirit released the shackles and put some distance between them. It was an opening she hadn't expected, but it seemed she could still hold her own against this thing after all.

(She's even stronger than she was back then...) Mizuchi realized her opponent was an immortal human. Last time, she'd caught her off guard and possessed her without so much as a struggle. She never imagined a real, head-on battle with her would be this much trouble. Then again, why had she agreed to this duel in the first place? Ever since that incident, plenty of challengers had come looking for a rematch, and this human was no different. (Not bad at all, though.) Impressive, for a human, Mizuchi thought, though at this point, could she really still call her that? None of it mattered anyway. Right now, all she cared about was crushing the one standing in front of her. "Now then, shall we continue?"