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Part 1[]
A rainless storm raged over the volcanic landscape, lightning bolts and gusts of strong wind together with the roar of magma creating a powerful, gut-wrenching noise. Several Kushanāda were wandering in the vicinity, overseeing groups of Togabito condemned to this Circle.
On top of one of the countless rocky pillars dotting the area, there was standing a single man clad in black robes with a black cape.
"This place brings memories", remarked Hikari Maebure.
Quite some time ago he had helped a large number of Sinners escape and invade the Soul Society, and their temporary headquarters used to be located in this realm. Despite his half-hearted support, however, they failed, and since he had freed them from the Hell's chains, once killed by the Shinigami they were returned to the circulation of Souls, apart for select few individuals.
Hikari smirked. He did not have any strong feelings regarding those wretches, one way or another, but he gained satisfaction from the fact that he had broken the order of Hell through his actions. As a Sōzōshin very long ago he used to maintain the balance of Souls, but now, as a Tsumikami, he was repeatedly disrupting it. For some vague reason it was a rich source of dark happiness, an emotion which he had not felt in any form since decades.
Won't you try to find them?, asked Jamansim within his mind.
"Their messenger didn't specify where should I go, so I've figured they'll come for me", replied Maebure calmly.
He had released a moderate amount of his Reiatsu, sufficient to be detected and to be able to detect as well. He remembered the peculiar signature of Gundan's spiritual pressure, and was now scanning the entire area in search for something similar. At first he found nothing, and time was passing slowly.
They might be sneaking on you, warned his Karadawaru spirit.
"Yes", blurted Hikari in response.
Then, with an abrupt motion he unsheathed his sabre and made a rapid turn. Wave of dark energy escaped from the blade during his manoeuvre and struck the ground behind him, causing it to crack and erupt into a cloud of ash. Right afterward five blurry silhouettes loomed within the shroud of dust.
"First you offer me challenge, and then you try to ambush me?", he commented with a slight frown. "How devious."
The five Yōkai emerged from the cloud, the stare of their inhuman eyes fixed on the Tsumikami.
"You're an escaped prisoner", retorted Gundan in a stern manner. "We don't owe you anything."
"So, this is your plan?", asked Hikari as he assumed a fighting stance. "Bring several comrades and attack me from behind?"
"We don't need any plansss", hissed a disturbingly feminine, sleek Daemon with light blue skin. "We can crush you with our ssstrength alone."
"You've been doing well eliminating the rebellious Togabito", said another Yōkai when he stepped forward, a tall and oddly rotund creature with orange skin and a crest of spikes on the top of its head. "But now's the time you know your place."
Once he spoke that, he lifted his hands outstretched. Maebure widened his eyes slightly when the peak of the pillar they were all standing on started morphing without a warning, sprouting a number of spikes that shot toward him. With the use of Shunpo he evaded the odd attack and jumped into the sultry air, his cape fluttering behind him. Seeing that, the Yōkai split up rapidly.
"Let's enjoy this", said Hikari with a dark smile.
All of a sudden, the rotund Daemon, who was the only one to remain on top of the rocky pillar, swung his hands rapidly, and the world around Maebure began rotating madly. Taken by surprise, he barely noticed two writhing objects darting toward him. When he swept away the first, he realised it was an extremely elongated arm. Then, the other one nearly pierced through his chest, but he had used Utsusemi just in time to avoid it.
However, as he reappeared a medium distance from his previous position, a barrage of kunai and shuriken descended upon him without a warning.
"Tsk", he uttered before using Kageho to escape the area-of-effect attack.
The volley of weapons struck nothing but air, and Hikari himself materialised above one of the rocky pillars. He plummetted controllably toward its peak, wanting to land on it. Then, as his feet were about to touch its surface, he heard a sizzling sound; rather than land firmly, his feet slipped on some black liquid and he promptly lost balance.
And as he was suddenly swaying backward, a spiral-like distortion appeared momentarily above him to unleash Gundan, wielding both of his swords, crashing down upon him like death itself.
Maebure froze in the air, suspended with the sheer force of his Reiatsu. Then, when the Yōkai fell on him with a powerful dual strike, he countered with an Agitowari. The amount of strength he had put into the slash astonished Gundan, who suddenly found himself launched back into the air.
The signature smirk had disappeared from Hikari's face. Within several moments he realised he had to fight seriously if he wanted to walk away alive. As such, he swiftly released his power and seized the initiative.
He somersaulted mid-air and landed softly on the ground, paying attention not to stand in the black liquid again. After an abrupt turn he spotted one of the Daemons, an unnaturally streamlined jet black being with white, featureless face. Unexpectedly a round maw opened on the immaculate white surface and the Yōkai spouted a stream of dense ink in Maebure's direction. The Tsumikami dodged and advanced onward, intending to cut down the pesky enemy with one strike.
Nevertheless, an abrupt barrage of projectile weapons stopped him in his tracks as it separated him from the black Yōkai with a shower of sharp steel. The moment Hikari halted, his surroundings began to deform and rotate, briefly throwing his senses into disarray. He closed his eyes and swung his sabre seemingly at random.
There was a clang. Maebure opened his scarlet eyes and saw the two serrated blades of Gundan locked with his own one. The world was stable again, so he proceeded to push back the opponent. However, when he lifted his blade to launch a Higure wave, a slender hand grabbed him by his forearm without a warning.
There was no time to hesitate, though. A single vein bulged out on Hikari's temple as he pulled the elastic Yōkai known as Hebi and, much to the surprise of the two Daemons, forced her to crash into Gundan with great force. Freed from the grasp, he immediately turned around to see another stream of ink gushing toward him. With a swift motion he raised his Karadawaru and pointed its tip at the liquid. An indigo energy projectile of Hadō #35, Aikadan, fired using the Mental Incantation, burst forth, vapourised the ink and then struck the Yōkai who had emitted it, causing a rather big explosion.
The peak of the rocky pillar they had been fighting on cracked and began collapsing around Maebure.
Then, another Daemon emerged swiftly from the rising cloud of dust, charging fiercely at the Tsumikami. Tall and extremely muscular, the grey-skinned Yōkai swung his right hand, unleashing a number of kunai at the somewhat surprised Hikari, who protected himself with an orange energy barrier in the nick of time. Just as the projectiles were bouncing off its surface, the Daemon approached him, a large kanabō materialised in his left hand.
Maebure widened his eyes slightly. Subsequently, there was a loud hiss and then a clang as the mace smashed into the blade of his elegant sabre, launching him upward. And when he was rapidly ascending due to the sheer force of the strike, his surroundings began rotating and distorting so that he completely lost orientation. A moment later he crashed into the slope of the pillar he had been standing on a while ago. The rocky formation split in half and then crumbled with a loud rumble, consumed by the lake of lava below.
"Did you get him, Tanken?", asked the orange Daemon once he appeared beside his muscular comrade.
"Not yet, Memai-san", replied the grey Yōkai with a deep voice.
In the meantime, the other three guardians of Hell assembled high in the surly air, watching in silence as the shattered pillar was immersed by the glowing magma. Soon afterward, a single figure emerged from the lake, and started ascending in a measured pace. Then, it halted once on the same level as the Daemons.
Hikari Maebure was still alive, but his robes were torn and singed. A slight frown distorted his scarred face.
"You win Round One", he declared in a grave tone.
Part 2[]
There was short period of relative silence, disturbed only by the background noise of the volcanic realm.
Then, the fight was resumed within an instant.
Numerous dark silhouettes sprouted from Hikari's body, quickly assuming identical shape and subsequently charging at the Yōkai surrounding him. Once their attention was drawn by the shadowy copies, the real Maebure could make his move.
Tanken swiftly defeated a few clones with fast swings of his kanabō, but immersed himself in a dark cloud as a result, obscuring his sight. Hikari utilised this opportunity and struck unexpectedly, landing a powerful side kick to the Daemon's jaw. Despite his impressive stature, Tanken swayed and plummetted toward the lava below. In the meantime, Maebure turned around rapidly and pointed his sabre at Memai.
The rotund Yōkai widened his eyes slightly when a wide column of dark energy burst forth toward him, but he did not even flinch otherwise. Instead, his surroudings began twisting madly, and the beam was lost amongst the distortions. Right afterward a portal opened next the Tsumikami, and his own attack erupted from it back at its sender.
Unfazed, Hikari swung his blade and redirected the technique at Hebi, who was plunging at him with her hands elongated to at least a dozen metres. Caught off guard she took the brunt of the attack and was deflected by the explosion it caused. Afterward, Hikari leapt in the air and turned to face the black abomination. A stream of ink gushed toward him, but he evaded it with a skilful Shunpo manoeuvre, which also brought him right in front of the Daemon.
The ebony blade of Jamansim sunk into the being's weird body without much resistance. However, after a short while it simply halted, and Maebure found himself momentarily stuck. This moment of hesitation was sufficient for the Yōkai to strike back with a left hook to the Tsumikami's face. Deceptively strong, the punch pushed him back several metres, but at the same time freed him from the entity's semi-liquid body. As Hikari was about to counter strike, he noticed something with the corner of his right eye.
Then, there was a clang of clashing blades. Twin swords of Gundan locked with his sabre; surprised that the Daemon used both of them for a single attack, Maebure put more strength into his arm to counteract them. All of a sudden, there was some movement to the left. He narrowed his eyes and quickly lifted his left arm, summoning an orange energy barrier just in time to intercept a powerful slash of... Gundan.
Before he had time to deliberate upon that fact, he heard the sound of sliced air from behind. Without much choice, he sank into non-existence ere the other set of blades could pierce him, both of them belonging to yet another Gundan. All three of them started looking around and fixed their stare onto him once he reappeared.
Using Kageho could be taken as a sign of desperation. Hikari would not have used it if Shunpo could do otherwise. The fact was, it could not. The Daemons were constantly holding the upper hand, even though he had released a large portion of his power. This fight was truly a challenge.
Nevertheless, he still had a card or two up his sleeve.
"Such wonderful teamwork", he commented with a smirk. "None of you could threaten me on one's own, but as a team you clearly overwhelm me. My only hope is to somehow... even the odds."
Afterward, he was enveloped by a whirlwind of dark energy wrapped with scarlet currents. The tempest rapidly rose up and began assuming a discernible shape: large, broad-shouldered torso, long sleek arms with clawed fingers, vast, skeletal wings and at last, a head. Featureless, oval head with a single gleaming eye in its centre.
"Jamansim", stated Hikari with solemnity.
The dark spirit immediately lifted its arms and before the Yōkai could react, Hebi and Makkuro were shot down by Aikadan blasts. When the two proceeded to plummet, followed by trails of smoke, Tanken launched an impressive volley of shuriken and kunai at the shadowy entity. However, Jamansim merely shielded itself with its arms, and the thick Reiatsu composing its physical form proved durable enough to withstand the attack.
Subsequently, Gundan and his twin plunged at the Karadawaru spirit with great speed. Seeing that, the latter rose its hands higher and blocked them with one forearm each. The Daemon and his clones attempted to wrestle with Hikari's summon, but Jamansim merely deflected them with little apparent effort. Within the consecutive instant one of the Yōkai was struck by a left jab, which dispersed its body back into spiritual energy. In the meantime, the real Gundan received a devastating right hook that sent him crashing down into the ashen wasteland below.
Somewhat shocked, Tanken tried to muster an attack, but was anticipated by Hadō #58, Tenran, promptly fired by Jamansim after it had dealt with his colleague. Meanwhile, Maebure himself turned in the opposite direction and glanced upon Memai, who had been observing the situation with his inhuman eyes wide open. Still, when Hikari launched an Aikadan bullet toward, he immediately lifted his guard and the reality in front of him began deforming.
Then, a medium-sized explosion blossomed on his back, throwing him off balance.
"Your special ability is a pain in the arse", stated Hikari whilst watching the Yōkai falling. "But you have to see where the attack is coming from to redirect it, don't you?"
He noticed something with the corner of his eyes and turned around quickly. Two incredibly flexible, elongated arms wrapped around Jamansim's bulky form, constricting him. The spirit flexed its shadowy muscles in an attempt to free itself from the impromptu tethers. All of a sudden, something black immersed his form, obscuring everything from Hikari's sight. Whereas brief, the moment of surprise was sufficient for the Daemons; as Hikari was preparing to do something, two blades pierced the blackened shroud of Reiatsu constituting Jamansim and nearly impaled the Tsumikami within, who defended himself with his sabre in the nick of time.
Without a warning, his Karadawaru spirit's back was torn as well, and Tanken emerged from it wielding an oversized kanabō. This time Maebure did not react in time, and was swiftly swept away when the Daemon swung his weapon with terrible strength. Launched like a bullet, Hikari almost crashed into one of the rocky pillars dotting the landscape before he stopped the uncontrolled flight with his Reiatsu. However, he barely had halted when the top of the formation split from the rest and fell on him. A mere second afterward it crashed on the ground with a reverberating rumble, crushing Hikari under tons of stones.
The Daemons assembled high in the air.
"It's like Kōken'nin-sama has said", commented Memai. "He may be stronger than any of us, but he can't win with five such opponents working together. He's doomed."
"Let's finish this, then", said Tanken, aiming both of his arms at the rubble far below.
Suddenly, the pile of rocks blew up violently, startling the Yōkai. Just as the cloud of ash began rising in the wake of the explosion, a barrage of black tear-like projectiles erupted from the shroud, forcing all of them to make abrupt evasive manoeuvres. Within the same instant a single silhouette darted upward in their direction.
"Kōken'nin-sama?", asked Maebure whilst swinging his sabre at his enemies.
Wave of smoke-like darkness erupted from the gently curved blade, expanding rapidly as it was approaching the group of Daemons. Still, they managed to dodge it with difficulty, but were forced to scatter as a result.
"That's the name of your superior, right?", continued Hikari.
Gundan and several of his clones leapt at him ferociously, but the Tsumikami repelled them with another Higure technique, swatting them away like flies. Makkuro spat a streak of ink into Maebure's eyes, but with a slight change to his stance he was able to avoid being blinded. Afterward, he was attacked by the incredibly outstretched Hebi, but vanished with the use of Shunpo before she could hit him. His move had been followed by Tanken, who caught Hikari's right arm with a chain whip the moment the Tsumikami reappeared.
Visibly angered, he grabbed the chain with his left fist and electric current of Tsuzuri Raiden surged through it right back to its wielder. Shocked by the Kidō, Tanken loosened his grip, allowing Hikari to free himself. Then, the latter prepared to launch a counter strike at the Yōkai, but realised that the reality around him began bending in impossible ways. However, by using Kageho Maebure sank into a dark portal, escaping from Memai's distorted space.
"Where is he?", he demanded in a grave tone shortly afterward.
His wounds were healing throughout the entire fight each time one was inflicted, but the dirt and his tattered robes were a good representation of the damage he had taken during the fight. Even though caught off guard by his abrupt counter attack, the Daemons once again gathered in a formation. The advantage was still on their side.
"You don't need to know", stated Gundan sternly. "You won't see him."
"You can't defeat usss", hissed Hebi.
"Consequently, you would not be able to beat our commander even if you managed to confront him", added Tanken.
"We will deal with you, here and now", said Memai with an ominous grin.
"Oh?", replied Hikari with mock surprise. "So you really don't know?", he asked, a wide smile outstretched on his scarred face.
"About what?", uttered Gundan in a severe tone.
Hikari did not reply. At first, he raised his eyebrows, and then let out a short, chilling laughter.
"Show, don't tell", he said eventually.
Afterward, he lifted his Karadawaru and pointed it at the stormy sky, prompting the Yōkai to assume fighting stances.
"Fall", he declared with solemnity, lowering the sabre with a fluent, protracted motion.
"Jamansim."
Part 3[]
Liquid darkness engulfed the man and spread outward. Something akin to tar seemed to flow from the thick shroud of stormy clouds upon Hikari's obscure form, adding to his ominous Reiatsu that began emitting a powerful gust of wind. Then, the blackness condensed into a rather large, immaculate sphere which appeared to be made from mercury.
"What's thisss?", asked Hebi, clearly astonished.
Gundan and Tanken made rapid motions, preparing to strike, but then the orb burst like a bubble with a loud, dull sound. Afterward, Maebure emerged transformed, and his spiritual pressure immersed all of the Yōkai like a vast, cold ocean.
His tattered robes changed into a set of ebony plate armour with scarlet ornaments. A pair of wings that were actually horribly distorted human arms protruded from his back, and his sabre, now a crude broadsword with serrated edges, was fused with his right hand. Slender tail was writhing behind him as if on its own.
"Come to think of it, I've never used this form where someone could see and inform you", stated Hikari in a voice that sounded noticeably raspier than before.
Subsequently, he abruptly swung his right arm to the side, unleashing a powerful torrent of wind.
"Some time ago I've learnt a vital lesson", he said, watching the anxious Daemons with his gleaming scarlet eyes. "You can overcome brute strength with skill. Still, when the difference between the two is too great, no amount of skill will prevent you from being crushed by overwhelming power."
The air around him started undulating perceptibly. Faint, smoke-like outline of Reiatsu slowly enveloped his body, infrequently releasing small currents of electrified, scarlet energy wrapping around his form.
"Now that my Reiatsu is comparable to your combined power, I may finally show you what is true skill", he declared, lifting the intimidating blade of his Karadawaru like an executioner's guillotine.
Makkuro was the first to snap from the shock induced by Maebure's horrific transformation. The Yōkai aimed both sleek arms at the Tsumikami and launched two strong streams of ink, intending to incapacitate the opponent, even if briefly. However, the next moment the latter simply was no longer there, and Makkuro lifted its head in confusion.
Behind...
The Daemon turned around rapidly, sensing the massive Reiatsu directly behind it. Then, as it stood face to face with Hikari, it noticed the man had already pointed his left palm at its chest.
A short, sped up command resounded within Maebure's mind: Hadō #88, Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!"
Gigantic beam of tempestuous, purple-tinted energy erupted from his hand and immersed the Yōkai whole, taking it with it as the devastating wave proceeded onward. Mere moments later the spell struck the volcanic landscape below, resulting in an enormous explosion that visibly quaked the earth and drowned out any other noise with its thunderous roar. A huge column of ash rose upward.
Makkuro's Reiatsu vanished.
"Four", said Hikari whilst turning to the other Yōkai.
"Makkuro!", screamed Hebi in distress.
A brief period of meaningful silence followed the death of the Daemon. Then, the remaining ones snapped out of the shock. All of them flexed their muscles, and auras of cold, dark Reiatsu enveloped their bodies as they grew both in muscle mass and size. Their warped armours expanded together with their owners, accomodating their abruptly increased statures.
"Oh?", uttered Hikari with a smirk.
Tanken was the first to attack. After he had pointed both of his arms at the Tsumikami, copious amounts of sharp projectiles materialised in the air in front of the Yōkai and subsequently burst forth with great speed. Maebure merely waved his left hand in response, and a non-verbal Dankū stood in the way of the volley to completely intercept the onslaught.
All of a sudden, Gundan and several of his clones appeared behind him and promptly plunged at the man with their swords aimed at various vital spots on his body. However, Hikari reacted immediately and with a meandering swing deflected all of the strikes in one fell swoop. Undeterred, the Gundans resumed their attack, showering the Tsumikami with countless slashes and jabs of their serrated swords.
Surrounded by a tempest of swirling blades, he seemed to slowly lose his ground. Then, without a warning, his sword emitted a powerful shockwave as it was speeding toward one of the Yōkai. Its force proved sufficient to deflect all of the assailants, and the semi-material bodies of the clones were dispersed soon afterward. The real Gundan recovered quickly and sallied, but Hikari evaded impalement with a swift motion, and with an equally smooth swing of his sword cut off the Daemon's left forearm. Briefly frozen in shock, the latter was then kicked in the chin by Maebure's armoured boot, sending him into a backward flight.
Without wasting a single moment Hikari pointed his blade at the helpess Yōkai. Although, a light blue fist crushed into his left cheek in a strong punch, throwing him off balance. Once the elongated arm of Hebi retracted rapidly, he turned around to her and aimed his left palm at the female Daemon, only to see her disappear in a distortion of reality.
Hikari narrowed his eyes. Then, Hebi materialised some distance behind him, and her outstretched hand grabbed his right wing. Much to her chagrin, though, he then pulled her with the additional limb with strength that instantly overwhelmed her. And as she was thrust toward him against her will, Maebure rotated quickly and rose his Karadawaru in a swift diagonal slash that cleaved her in half.
Now separate, the two parts of her body promptly plummeted toward the volcanic plain below. Maebure turned to her upper body; their eyes met for a brief moment as he was pointing his sword at the Yōkai.
Purple currents travelled across the length of the blade and escaped in the form of a potent lightning blast that struck the falling torso of Hebi, causing a large explosion in mid-air. Her body was eradicated, and her weakened Reiatsu vanished immediately.
"Three", announced Maebure.
Clearly enraged, Memai used his special ability to draw some scorching magma from a river below and launched it at the Tsumikami from a portal opened about a dozen metres from him. On the other hand, Tanken and Gundan plunged at the man with their weapons ready to strike, intent on assaulting him whilst or once he had dealt with their colleague's attack.
However, none of that came to pass as Hikari unleashed his horrifying Reiatsu in a powerful shockwave, which dispersed the lava and brutally repelled both Yōkai charging at him. Immediately afterward he himself leapt at Gundan with the use of Shunpo. Ever vigilant, the Daemon managed to block a broad slash that would have otherwise decapitated him. Seeing that Maebure wanted to continue the attack, he quickly summoned several copies to fight him.
Unfortunately for him, all his clones mirrored his one cut off arm, and as such the number of strikes they could make had been limited. Even though they swiftly engaged Hikari in a swirling tempest of blurred blades, the Tsumikami defeated all of them in a matter of seconds, one after another. Then, he plunged at the original Gundan, who had barely increased the distance between the two in the meantime.
Without a warning the reality in front of Maebure undulated and tore apart. Immediately afterward Tanken emerged from the distortion, intercepting him on his way to finish off the other Yōkai. Imperturbed, Hikari swung his crude Karadawaru, but its blade sank into a circular shield rather than Tanken's body. Once stuck, the Daemon forced it to the side and attacked with a large warhammer which crashed into the Tsumikami's chest with a loud clang.
Briefly stunned and pushed back by the sheer force of the strike, he had been nonetheless freed from the lock. Tanken quickly cast aside the split shield and darted forward with his hammer, but found the head of the weapon cut in half by Hikari's blade once he attempted to attack again. Still, before he could have been killed by the following slash, he sunk into a tear in reality. Maebure narrowed his eyes slightly.
Suddenly, there was a flash of scarlet light behind him. He smirked as he was turning around to see Tanken, emerging from yet another portal, with a long spear stuck into a barrier Hikari had erected to protect his blind spot at the beginning of the fight. The one-horned Daemon struggled to pull the weapon back, but it had been too late.
Maebure lifted his left hand. Then, a wide beam of dense, smoke like black energy erupted from his clawed palm and immersed the Yōkai whole. The spear was shattered, armour cracked, skin and flesh torn from the bones that subsequently crumbled into dust under the pressure of Hikari's dark energy. Tanken was no more.
"Two", announced Maebure.
There was a hiss of sliced air, and Gundan's sword swiftly bifurcated him from behind in a vertical manner. Before the Daemon could feel any satisfaction, though, the two halves flickered and vanished. Fooled by the Utsusemi, he did not notice Hikari manoeuvring behind him. Then, there was a loud thud as the Tsumikami sent him plummeting with a strong drop kick to the back.
After temporarily incapacitating one of the two remaining combatants, Maebure quickly turned to face the other one. With a smooth horizontal swing of his Karadawaru he fired three Aikadan blasts at the Yōkai. Despite being launched nearly simultaneously, each one assumed a vastly different trajectory as they were speeding toward their common target. However, Memai enveloped himself with a bubble of bent reality and absorbed all of the attacks.
Hikari raised an eyebrow. Then, the spells materialised around him and exploded within the following instant.
"My bad", he stated when emerging from the cloud of ash, singed slightly.
He charged at the Yōkai with rapidly increasing speed, much to the latter's surprise. While on the way, Hikari suddenly lost the sense of direction and began spinning. Without a warning he found himself flying toward a wall of solid rock.
With a single thought a Tsuriboshi sprang into existence, intercepting him before he crashed into the stone. Then, he simply rebounded from the cushion of spiritual fabric and darted toward Memai. Yet again, he was forcefully redirected from his path whilst approaching the Daemon, this time toward a lake of glowing lava. Having no time to adjust his trajectory, he sank into the extremely hot magma.
"Serves you... right", commented Memai, panting.
The constant use of his special ability, even with the aid of the Super Mode, had been putting a considerable strain on his mind. After an intense fight which had seen three of his comrades eradicated, he was exhausted and desperate. Unsure whether he had succeeded in defeating the terrible foe, he began looking around in the search of Gundan, his last remaining ally.
Then, a spiritual signature unmistakeable for anything else drew his attention.
"That was a close one", remarked Hikari with a cold smile.
He emerged from the pool of lava unscathed, enclosed in a semi-translucent, murky sphere of solid Reiatsu. Then, he quickly rose up to the level at which Memai stood in the air, gazing at him ominously.
Without any further comment he simply plunged forward.
"Fool!", yelled Memai at him, aiming both of his hands at the Tsumikami.
Reality started distorting itself around him yet again, but this time Maebure knew what to look for. Amongst the bending and twisting fabric of existence he noticed a single gleaming spot, and without hesitation he fired a single Shakkahō directly into it. The Yōkai uttered a short scream when struck by the spell into his face, and the distortions disappeared instantly. Hikari proceeded onward and approached him swiftly, but then vanished when the Daemon attempted to abruptly punch him.
"Hyōga Seiran", he then heard from behind.
He turned around just in time to witness several streaks of purple-tinted ice erupting from Maebure's sword. Then, they converged at crashed down upon Memai in a massive tidal wave that immersed him completely. Trapped in a giant, suddenly solidified block of ice, he could only stare at Hikari with overt terror as it shattered and broke apart, his body together with it.
"One", stated Maebure gravely.
For a while he observed the glittering crystals of ice falling to the volcanic wasteland below, so out of place in this realm of heat and fire. Then, without hurry, he turned to the last remaining Yōkai.
Gundan was standing suspended in the air a moderate distance away, breathing heavily. The stub of his cut off arm had closed by itself, but his regenerative powers were unable to regrow it in such a short time. Furthermore, despite the rapid boost granted by the transformation, his spiritual power had dropped noticeably as well.
"Seems you've been wrong", said Hikari calmly, watching his opponent with a slightly condescending face expression. "The fact you didn't get any intel on my abilities was a grave mistake, as was your hesitation to use that transformation. If you'd used that from the beginning, you might have defeated me. As such, you've failed your master, and to spare you the humiliation I'll conduct your summary execution."
Gundan did not reply. Instead, he fixed his intense stare at the Tsumikami. Then, without a warning he charged onward, several clones emerging from his body on the move. Right afterward they engaged Hikari in a vicious sword fight. That was all futile, though, because despite outnumbering the enemy, the Yōkai was too exhausted and injured to provide any real challenge at this point.
For a time Maebure let him vent his tranquil fury through the flurry of ferocious strikes. Nevertheless, after several seconds of intense combat he changed his stance almost imperceptibly and then cleaved one of the copies in half. Moments later another one perished in the tempest of swirling blades, and during the following few seconds Hikari was left alone with a single opponent.
The two leapt at each other. In the nick of time Gundan adjusted his grip on the serrated blade, so that Maebure's own manoeuvre did not pass past his edge. However, once the two clashed, a crimson outline enveloped Hikari's Karadawaru, which then proceeded to cut through both the Yōkai's sword and its wielder.
The copy disappeared.
The real Gundan plunged at him from behind, his sword lifted in preparation for a devastating vertical slash. Ominous glint flickered in the Daemon's inhuman eyes as the blade was descending upon the enemy. Suddenly, something struck his head from the side, throwing him off-balance - Maebure's tail had lashed him like a whip.
Sensation of pain exploded in Gundan's chest and travelled across his enlarged body with the speed of light. Once the Yōkai regained his concentration, he found that Hikari had pierced him with his crude sword. He loosened the grip on his own blade and let it plummet toward a river of lava far below.
"You have fought well", commented Maebure.
"My master shall murder you", replied Gundan gravely.
"Farewell", retorted Hikari in a calm manner.
Then, an aura of blinding light enveloped the Daemon moments before his body was completely vapourised.
Part 4[]
Back in his dark fortress, Kōken'nin had been waiting patiently for how the battle unfolds. Seated on his throne drowned in shadow, he had been "watching" the fight with the use of his keen spiritual awareness, using the easily detectable Reiatsu of both his subordinates and the enemy to visualise their combat. For a time it seemed the Yōkai had advantage, and it was good.
But then, Hikari's power skyrocketed and Makkuro died immediately afterward.
Kōken'nin remained calm. He knew that the rogue Sinner was strong, and expected that not all of his servants would walk away alive from the confrontation. He sensed their powers growing once they unleashed their own transformations, and was certain they would manage to defeat the Tsumikami.
But he was wrong.
One after another, the spiritual signatures of the Yōkai kept vanishing, and each time that happened Kōken'nin's composure was wearing down significantly. At last, when his most loyal subordinate and second-in-command, Gundan, perished, the throne room of the castle began shaking perceptibly. Faint aura emerged from the thick darkness surrounding the Warden's body, and the air in the room started undulating visibly.
The Daemons had failed utterly. Kōken'nin was not amused. His inhuman fury was like a lightning bolt rather than an all-consuming blaze, however, so he remained sitting on his throne. In the meantime, his tremendous Reiatsu wave after wave kept escaping his bulky body, quaking the entirety of his fortress and expanding far beyond its reaches.
If Maebure wanted challenge, Kōken'nin was now ready to provide him the hardest fight of his entire life.
Hikari was sitting with his legs crossed and his horrific wings spread, suspended in the air high above the volcanic landscape of the Fifth Circle. His eyes were closed, and his tail was writhing lazily behind him. Faint aura of smoke-like energy was enveloping his motionless body.
He's provoking you, said Jamansim within his psyche.
"Of course he is", replied Maebure in a quiet, calm voice. "He's just lost his finest men. He won't let that go unpunished."
His power is truly great. Those Yōkai were nothing compared to him, continued the Karadawaru spirit with a silent warning apparent in its otherwise melancholic voice.
The Reiatsu outlining Hikari's body became more dense. Using his meditative Kidō technique, Heuleum, he had been gradually replenishing the energy he had used up during the recent confrontation. Judging from the amount of spiritual pressure exerted by their leader, he would certainly need that energy to fight him.
Then, he smirked.
"The first few decades I'd spent here proved fruitful", he stated. "But I quickly grew too strong for the Togabito to be of any challenge to me. And without genuine challenges, my progress is severely hindered. I require worhty opponents to set up a benchmark and let me improve even further."
He might prove too powerful, retorted Jamansim.
Maebure opened his eyes.
"Maybe... I haven't sensed such volume of power since a long time... since I've faced him", he said with a menacing grin. "This won't be a mere challenge. This is going to be a test."
With those words, he stood up and turned slightly. Far on the horizon, looming above the countless rocky pillars was an immense, black castle with numerous spires shooting toward the perpetually clouded skies. There was no mistake that it was the source of the colossal spiritual pressure.
"Let's not keep him waiting anymore."
Subsequently, Hikari rebounded and flew straight toward the fortress with a wide smile on his scarred face.