Something pulled Tomoe's body towards this church, on this day of all days. It wasn't any kind of destiny made manifest through the subconscious, and he wasn't on his way to burn it down, either. Thoughts rushed through his head, but he could not process them. Voices rang out inwardly, but he could not hear them. His mind was abuzz with a chaotic symphony he couldn't comprehend, but it was driving him towards Oakland Church. He was wearing all of the equipment that he had, because why wouldn't he with certain... societal complications thrust upon him? People mostly kept their distance, but he was always expecting a sneak attack at any moment. Thus, the only thing kept in his Pocket Dimension Ring was his bow, ready to be unleashed at a moment's notice.

The church appeared more imposing than usual, yet still so welcoming. It was like a looming shadow that politely asked for its victim to take a step forward. In that regard, the man standing out front felt hollow for some reason. More imposing... than usual? Have I been here before? No, I... I think I was., he'd think to himself, clutching at his head for a moment.

After that pause, and assuming nothing else would happen, Tomoe would take his steps forward and enter the church. However, immediately upon entering, he felt his blood rush when he saw somebody on the other side of the room. He'd made no effort to enter this place quietly when opening the doors, either, so it stood to reason that the individual would quickly notice him as well. "Uh, hey. It hasn't been so long, has it? What's goin' on with you?", Tomoe would say in a casual tone, waving towards Masami. He'd take a few steps forward, allowing the church doors to close behind him while still looking towards Masami. At the moment, at least, the cultist didn't seem to possess any malice, strangely. He also made it obvious that he didn't expect to see Masami here in the first place, and thus wasn't actively pursuing him.

The Joyan's head was filled with thoughts that only grew louder and more incomprehensible as time passed. It was as if reality was glitching, even though Tomoe knew how impossible that sounded. He clutched at his collar, loosening it somewhat to allow more room to breathe. The room wasn't hot, but it felt as if he could burn to ash at any moment, and he still had no idea as to why.

"This is one of the houses Illumin kicks her feet up in, eh? One of the places where her little dogs beg for treats and act in the name of love? The dogs whose knights were responsible for almost ending the world once and for all... what a joke.", Tomoe started after regaining his composure, standing tall while looking at Masami. "But we're both Joyan, yeah? So what's it matter to us? I'm guessin' you have a reason to be here that has nothin' to do with praising this false god?"

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Tomoe stood there, adjusting the collar on his armor as he watched his former pupil act like a literal child. Only after thinking that did he realize that, in fact, Masami was actually a child. Funny how life worked; perhaps, in the end, life was straightforward and easy in so many magical and inspiring ways. A child was, in the end, a child - only in Masami's case, perhaps one more gifted in magic than most. Despite this amusing revelation, the mad cultist was still stumped. Why, in fact, was he here right now? He simply felt a "pull", as it were, towards this particular spot at this particular time. Sure, Argo had done some quests in this location, but it wasn't as if that were influencing Tomoe. The very idea was laughable - so much so that Tomoe actually did let out a light chuckle, which unprovoked might seem unnerving.

"Heheh."

After a moment, assuming no attacks were made, Tomoe looked towards the Masami that was averting his gaze and leaned up against the back of a pew in the church. The plague doctor mask that Tomoe wore had disappeared at this point, absorbed back into his pocket dimension ring, and his expression possessed a furrowed brow and concern in his eyes. He wanted to see the face of his former student - no, his guild mate - no, his friend, and to be seen in response. The man hadn't been one for having many connections in his past, but he did consider his brief time with Masami under the same cause to be something worthwhile. Perhaps tucked away within Penumbral Guard and its quick flicker of ambition, there was something there all along that Tomoe could have cultivated. Maybe in another world, he would have been somebody who was satisfied with just having friendship and striving towards ideals that could never be reached. He'd burned away those chances, but knew that there was still always a part of him that wished that the idealistic approach was one that could truly work.

"I'm here because I wanted to be. Or maybe fate guided my hand, I suppose. Either way, guess I'm here because you are? Of everybody who survived Penumbral Guard's destruction, I'd say you're the one who persevered the longest and succeeded the most.", Tomoe would start, a smirk forming on his features. "But I'm sure you've realized by now that a life of fixin' some old church to a dead deity won't get anybody anywhere. For there to be real change, real evolution in the world, things need changing. For all your advancement in both the magical and the personal, can you really say things have changed in Fiore? In the world?"

Tomoe would stop leaning against the pew, standing up straight, and moving towards Masami slowly. There was no hint of aggression or an intent to kill in his posture and tone, though he would be ready to defend if something happened all of a sudden. The smirk on his face was false, as it hid pain behind it; the pain of somebody who had tried his hardest to overcome his past failings and couldn't. The pain of a man who wanted to believe in the world's potential for good, but couldn't. The pain of a human so despairingly aware of the limits of a single mortal. He saw his full potential and found it to be wanting. There was nothing he could do by himself or even with the help of thousands, to bring the world into a state of harmony. Only through HER and HER alone would the world finally see peace for all. All of this and more, was the implication that one simple failing smirk gave off to somebody who could see through it.

The cultist stopped in front of Masami if he would be allowed to. Looking down at the boy, whether they would meet each other's gaze or not, Tomoe would speak once again before allowing his former pupil to reply.

"This world can't be built on heroes. Can it be built on 'villains'? Can it be built on the whims of a dark goddess with all of her intentions? Nobody has convinced me that it can't. All of the pain and suffering I've caused will be rewarded if people would just allow HER revival. For every death, a new life. For every life, eternal peace and endless, boundless love. Can you see how that would be for the benefit of all? Well? Can you, Masami?!", Tomoe would inquire, ending his rant with a raised voice and a bead of sweat forming on his face, almost unsure where all this passion was coming from all of a sudden.

Maybe he had been tampering with the Ormus hoods too often and their personalities were compromising his own with their own developing needs. Maybe he was frustrated at how utterly alone he felt in the task before him. Maybe...

Maybe he had doubts.

At first Tomoe was convinced that he had won a verbal sparring match, but in truth, there was no match in the first place. He'd arrived at this realization after a few beats of silence after he'd finished, Masami clearly distraught and avoiding a conversation about such things. It was typical of children to avoid such discussions, as they weren't exactly the kinds of things people would discuss over jaunty tunes and delicious desserts, but Tomoe assumed Masami to be of a different sort than the average kid. This wasn't a conversation at the moment, it was more like a child listening to an adult's lecture out of fear that it could grow into something much worse if an argument sparked. Was the cultist truly that unnerving? He didn't intend to be, if that were the case. As his golden eyes were downcast towards the young boy, his smile still wide, he knew that he couldn't do anything if he was just being himself.

The crazed cultist wiped the developing bead of sweat off of his brow and took a step away from Masami to allow the boy to compose himself for a moment. Folding his arms, Tomoe then looked towards him once again. "Look at me, Masami. What do you see? Who do you see? Do you see a man possessed by evil? A lunatic? A madman screaming at the sky and praying it responds? In this moment, and answer honestly: what am I, in your eyes?", he would question, wanting an honest answer from the boy who hadn't said a single thing since they'd officially met face to face in this cathedral. "I've killed so many, and not once have I apologized or prayed for their eternal souls. Why would I, when they'll all return when SHE creates the perfect utopia for all those who have ever suffered?

Giving the boy a few moments, Tomoe would sigh. Regardless of the answer, and assuming that he wasn't attacked by now, he would ask an additional question. "And where's that other self from before, hm? Is he just gonna sit this one out, whatever the hell that was from last time? It's clear you ain't alone, but how deep does that rabbit hole go? What could be in there? A spirit? A guardian angel?"

Tomoe would take a step forward again, his golden eyes almost setting ablaze at the third possibility swirling about in his mind. Though, after their last battle, he already knew the true answer. He just needed to spit that treacherous word out of his mouth. A word representing a being so vile and spiteful that the very thought of it caused a tornado of flames to dance in the cultist's eyes as he leaned in towards Masami ever so slightly, peering forward to see if he could spot what he was looking for. The cause of so much of his hatred throughout years of his life.

"A demon?"

They were answers Tomoe expected. Well, mostly, anyway. The part that struck him as surprising was that he was only using HER as an excuse to do what he wanted. He knew it wasn't true, but there was a pang of guilt somewhere in his chest all the same. There was, maybe, a small part of him that bought into that idea. It wasn't enough to sway him even visibly, but it was like an annoying needle prick constantly digging into him as the words echoed across the chapel. He realized his actions came across as lunacy, but in the end, it was all for justice; it was all for HER. There was no more or less to it than that, was there? There couldn't be. In the end, he was on the side of good, even if it didn't seem like it at the moment. Everyone else would understand, in due time.

"Gotcha, gotcha. I get it.", Tomoe would mutter as Masami said what he would, scratching the back of his head and temporarily containing his own ember while Masami talked about being friends with a demon. After another moment, said demon would show himself right in front of Tomoe, and at that point it was almost impossible for the cultist to hold back his inner hatred at this being for simply existing.

This glare intensified when this thing talked of the Seraphim - another being that should be eradicated, or else bring about the end of life on Earthland. Agents of light and darkness alike should be purged, and neither heaven nor hell would be spared in the pursuit of a true utopia for mortals. His eyes, filled with resolve towards the eradication of holy and cursed beings alike from the strongest to the weakest, didn't waver even in the face of an all-consuming light. He felt himself be overtaken by an essence that felt... familiar?

"What?!", he would cry out in surprise.

Tomoe was brought to his knees, but there was no pain. In a moment, visions of his life had flashed before his eyes. Moments of torment like the screams of the innocents he had failed during the demonic incursions. Moments of happiness, like his time among friends of the past. Moments of regret, like the feeling that he had lost his purpose somewhere along the way.

All those and more flooded into him all at once. There wasn't a scratch on him, and as he stood, it was as if he possessed something new. He didn't know what, but it wasn't bad. He looked upon Masami - or Lucifer - and his body began pulsing with a strange light.

"...Seraphim? Get real. Nothing like that belongs here anymore. Demons, angels? Gods? Spirits? Fuck 'em all. Nothing good comes from devoting yourself to any of them, let alone becoming one of them.", he would state, taking a step towards the creature that had just attempted to end his existence. And then another step. The energy pulsing around Tomoe condensed into a clenched fist, and he grit his teeth while making eye-contact with this demon that had gotten too arrogant from going so long with a fully intact jaw.

"Stop cowering, and no more big talk. Let's settle this here and now as man and demon. No judgment other than what we make of ourselves.", Tomoe would continue, cracking his neck from side to side and clenching his magically-charged fist tighter. He wouldn't draw his bow for this, as this was something he needed to take care of personally. His punches could kill the average person, and he wouldn't hold back on somebody who had declared themselves equal to the heavens. "I'm going to eradicate you with everything you've stolen from me, you arrogant nonexistence!"

In a brief instant, the crazed cultist had understood everything. So much time operating without everything that he possibly could, allowing his own power to be split with another. He'd need to pay back that kind of thievery, and it was going to be rough. His golden gaze pierced into Lucifer's own, and after another moment, Tomoe would rush forward and aim to strike the demon with a hook to the left side of the creature's face with his magically-charged fist.