A Fox's Family (American Kitsune Book 4)

by Brandon Varnell

  The flames roared into an inferno. Kiara’s eyes bulged.

  “The Void! Is! Merciless!”

  Black flames rushed her, speeding across the ground, consuming everything in its path. She could feel its intent, its desire to consume everything, increase in potency the closer it came.

  Her body blurred. She rushed backwards, moving faster than she ever had before. The Void followed. Even as she kept track of it, the flames shifted and morphed to form a giant creature, long and serpentine, perhaps a dragon or a snake. It surged forward to swallow her whole. It did indeed appear to have a mind of its own.

  In an attempt to delay the all-consuming flames, Kiara’s fists smashed into the ground. A large chunk of earth jutted up to block its path. Black fire splashed against the pillar from all sides. The flames were slowed, but not stopped. They crawled along the earth pillar, creeping across its surface like the black tendrils of a demented god.

  Kiara moved backwards. Her incredible agility and speed allowed her to put a good deal of distance between herself and the Void fire. She hoped it would be enough.

  “You should never take your eyes off of your opponent.”

  Kiara jumped to her left just in time to dodge a tail that speared into the ground. She moved, her body twisting to face the Void Kitsune. Her fists shot forward. Her aura, the red flames that were the physical manifestation of her power, shot forward as well, taking the shape of a spear.

  It struck Shílì’s body, which exploded into dark tendrils, becoming rapidly expanding tongues of fire. The Void fire descended upon Kiara faster than she could move out of the way. Knowing this, Kiara launched her fist into the ground, causing it to explode just as the Void fire struck.

  ***

  Shílì watched the explosion of black flames from a distance, entranced as the sentient fire, full of malice and hunger, greedily consumed everything around it. When he felt that the flames had enough to eat, he forcibly dismissed them, grunting just a bit as his mind strained against the Void’s will. There was nothing left of the area struck by the malicious flames, just charred ground.

  “Ha…” Shílì looked disappointed. “Is that all she had? I had expected much more from someone who was proclaimed as one of the strongest warriors of this time.”

  “Then it’s a good thing I’m not the kind of gal who’s willing to disappoint.”

  Upon hearing the voice, Shílì turned, only for his left cheek to be met by a powerful fist.

  The attack struck, the blow clapping more loudly than thunder in the middle of a storm. Shílì’s face seemed to cave in where the fist met it, until the power generated from the punch sent him flying backwards.

  He struck the ground some distance away, plowing into the earth with undeniable force. Gravel exploded all around him. His body was propelled forcibly across the ground, dirt and debris spraying everywhere. He came to a stop several dozen yards away, lying on his back and looking at the sky.

  “Hehehe… hahahaha… HAHAHAHAHA!”

  He began to laugh, uproariously, joyously, like a child who’d just been told that Christmas was coming two months after it had ended. Shílì climbed to his feet, shaking his head and wiping the blood from his lips, still laughing. There was a grin on his face, which he directed toward the female inu warrior.

  “Excellent! Truly excellent!” He cried, spreading his arms wide. “Never have I been hit so hard. You are truly an exemplary member of your species!”

  “Glad to see you approve.” Kiara slid into another stance. “You’re pretty strong yourself, and since you’ve proven to be so capable, how about we take this up a notch?”

  “Very well. I look forward to seeing what you’ve got in store for me.”

  More Void fire appeared―small black dots that hovered around Shílì, orbs of infinite darkness that seemed to absorb all light; the absence and negation of concept.

  “Entertain me.”

  “Void Art: The Infinite Oblivion.”

  The orbs of darkness merged together, combining and growing, swelling like a rising tide. Actually, come to think of it, the Void fire looked a lot like a giant tidal wave…

  Kiara blinked.

  “… That cannot mean anything good.”

  “Sa…” Shílì grinned. “Die now.”

  ***

  The wave fell. The fire spread. Everything was consumed. Plants disintegrated within seconds. Animals were engulfed in darkness, disappearing beneath the encompassing wave of absolute destruction.

  Kiara avoided that fate.

  High above the ground consumed in dark flames, she flipped and corkscrewed through the sky. Kiara oriented herself towards Shílì, who stood within a small circle, a clear patch of undamaged, pristine land amidst a plane of annihilation.

  Shílì looked up as she descended, her body twisting and flipping. Her leg struck out as she dropped down on the black-haired fox-man with a powerful heel drop.

  The ground cracked underneath the power of her attack. A large crater formed in the earth, with Shílì standing at its epicenter. With his left arm raised above his head, holding the woman’s ferociously powerful leg back, the Void kitsune grinned.

  “Good. That’s very good. You’ve got some serious power.”

  Kiara pushed off the arm, flipping over and landing on the ground several feet away. All around them Void fire continued to burn, devouring everything within sight. Only the area they stood on was kept safe, protected by Shílì’s will.

  Standing up from her crouch, Kiara clapped the dust off her hands. “You’ll find that I have a lot more than just power.”

  She took a deep breath, her chest puffing up as oxygen filled her lungs…

  Then she roared.

  A storm emerged from her mouth. A torrential flood of powerful winds tore the ground apart. The land was ripped to shreds.

  Shílì jumped, ascending above the powerful tempest. The storm continued moving, even with its target no longer there. The five-tails then bore witness to something amazing. The gale-force winds smashed into his Void fire, pushing it, splitting it. The black fire which had no beginning and no end was blown apart, dissipating back into nothingness.

  “Well, now.” A low, impressed whistle emerged from between his lips. “That was impressive. I don’t know anyone else who can destroy Void fire like that. And to think, that was just an exercise in manifesting raw youki into a physical attack.” He shook his head. “Truly, your prowess continues to amaze me.”

  “Then allow me to amaze you some more!”

  A shadow fell over him. Shílì looked up in time to see Kiara descending from the sky head-first. Her hand was outstretched, forming a fist clearly meant for him. Covering her body from head to toe in red was her aura, blazing away like an infinite bonfire.

  Shílì tried to block the attack by crossing his arms, putting him in a disadvantageous position. When Kiara’s fist struck Shílì’s forearms, the fox with five tails was blasted away at speeds that surpassed even the fastest sports car.

  He hit the ground. A loud, earth-shaking rumble followed his descent. Another crater formed in the earth, this one nearly twice as large as the previous one. The earth shook violently. Rifts appeared as the ground split apart. Dust rose into the sky, a mushroom cloud of smoke that ascended like the aftermath of a nuclear explosion.

  Kiara landed on the ground some distance away. She walked over to the edge and peered down. A frown formed when she saw that Shílì was missing. There was only a small hole where he had been.

  “Did he dig a tunnel underground?” Kiara wondered, then shook her head. “No. He’s not an Earth Kitsune. He should not have the ability to dig a tunnel, and the Void is not something that can be used for such delicate work.” She pondered the problem a bit more. “Then it must be…” Her eyes widened. “An illusion!”

  “Exactly!”

  Kiara turned around and was just in time to see the fist before it smashed into her stomach with the strength of a cannonball. She didn’t even have
time to wheeze as she soared through the air and slammed into the ground several yards from the crater, creating yet another crater.

  Kiara tried to suck in a breath that would not come. She attempted to fill her lungs with oxygen that refused to enter her mouth. Everything hurt. Her lungs, her chest… they felt like something heavy, a 70 ton anvil, had been dropped onto her chest, crushing her bones and compressing her body.

  A groan escaped her. Blood leaked from between her lips. Kiara struggled to get up, wincing every time her muscles screamed in protest. That attack had been stronger than anything she’d ever felt before.

  “So, this is the strength of a kitsune with five tails.” A pained chuckle emanated from within her blood-filled mouth. “Damn. And here I thought Kotohime was strong.” Kiara spit out several globs of carmine liquid and climbed to her feet. Her legs wobbled, but quickly stopped as her youki began to strengthen her body. “I’m gonna need to be more careful.”

  “I am pleased to see that you are still alive.” Shílì walked over to her, seemingly both curious and happy. “Hehe… Truly, I have not faced an opponent as worthy as you in many years. To think you would survive my reinforced punch. I put everything I had into that attack, you know?”

  “We inu can never be outdone when it comes to physical strength,” Kiara boasted. “There are very few creatures in this world with more strength in their muscles than us. However, those few yōkai whose physical prowess exceeds ours all lack our durability, which is second to none.”

  “Indeed, your species appears to be a most hardy stock. That attack would have killed any kitsune with less than at least six tails, even if they were using reinforcement. You were able to survive it with nothing but the natural durability given to you by your species’ genetics. That’s very impressive.”

  “Let’s see if I can’t leave you even more impressed.”

  Without warning, Kiara rushed Shílì with every intention of bringing the fight to him. Her straight jab struck out with hurricane force. Her foe tilted his head, his hair getting blown in his face as he avoided the attack.

  He could not avoid the follow-up.

  Now!

  The fist that missed Shílì unclenched and grabbed the back of the now surprised fox’s head. The surprised face didn’t last long. It became replaced with a pained grimace as Kiara brought his head down to her knee, the loud crunch! of breaking cartilage echoing across the vast desert landscape.

  Shílì’s head snapped backwards. His spine arched along the curvature of his back as it also bent in an attempt to keep his head from flying off his body. Blood sprayed from his nose, a fountain of vermillion gore that splattered the ground, staining the earth.

  “That was a good hit…” His abdominals flexing, body contorting in a boneless manner, Shílì’s spine twisted back into its proper alignment. He grinned at the gobsmacked Kiara. “Very good indeed. Let’s see you do that again.”

  A fast and furious battle of fists followed Shílì’s proclamation. The air around them burst as their strikes canceled each other out and created miniature explosions of displaced air, sending their hair and clothes whipping about them as if caught within a terrible and mighty hurricane. Cracks formed along the ground as the displacement of incredible power lashed out at everything around them.

  Kiara saw the tail coming before it attacked. She hopped backwards, dodging the mighty blow that descended from above. The ground where the tail struck not only split open as if the mighty hammer of a god had smashed into it, but a gigantic pillar of Void fire ruptured from the surface.

  Kiara set herself in a wide stance; knees bent, center of mass lowered, fists tucked into her torso. She called upon her aura, and the red youki came to her, caressing her mind and soothing her body like the touch of a lover. She channeled her power into her fists, encasing them in a brilliant flame of the darkest crimson.

  “HA!”

  With a mighty shout, the fists shot forward. The aura extended from her fists and plowed into the pillar of Void fire, blasting a hole right through it. The fire, unable to maintain its consistency, dispersed into the wind.

  The aura attack continued forward, the ground breaking apart. Shílì saw the attack coming his way. His tails rose into the air, extending to incredible lengths and twisting around each other until they morphed into the shape of a drill. As the aura attack came near, the five combined tails smashed down on it, destroying the attack in a single blow.

  Kiara had to cover her face with her arms as dust and rubble flew everywhere. It pelted her skin. It didn’t hurt, but it was annoying.

  “More! MORE!”

  The dust parted as a large cylinder of Void fire lanced out of it. Looking more like a beam of black energy, the fire raced towards Kiara, who moved swiftly to dodge the attack.

  “GYAA!”

  She wasn’t fast enough. While she avoided getting smashed full-on, her left hand got caught in the cylinder of the malicious inferno. She gritted her teeth, fire lancing through her mind like a spear, and looked down at her now burnt appendage. Her hand was no longer there. What’s more, the Void fire was beginning to ascend up her forearm. It crawled across her skin, devouring flesh, muscle and bone with ease.

  Kiara flared her power and channeled it into the arm, which slowed the fire down, but did not halt its advance. The fire continued consuming her arm inch by agonizing inch.

  “G-nnngg!”

  Pain flooded her nerves as the fires consumed more of her appendage. Kiara dropped to her knees, her right hand grasping her arm just above the shoulder, as if that would somehow stop it from spreading.

  Shílì walked out of the dust. “It seems you were caught in my last attack.” He looked disappointed. “And here I was hoping you would last a bit longer.” The dissatisfaction only lasted for a few seconds. “Ah, well. Such is life, I guess. You’ve given me a good fight, and for that I am truly grateful.” His gentlemanly aura returned and he bowed at the waist, a show of respect for the first worthy adversary he’d had in centuries. “Thank you for putting up such a magnificent battle.”

  “It… this fight… isn’t over… yet…”

  “Eh?”

  Her teeth grit hard enough to make her gums bleed, Kiara glared at the five-tailed kitsune.

  “Don’t… underestimate… ME!”

  A roar filled with her tenacity and will resounded across the landscape. Kiara, in a move that stunned her foe, gripped her arm tighter and pulled. Flesh was torn, muscles were ripped, and bones were shattered in a spray of blood and gore that painted the ground. Kiara tossed the remains of her arm at Shílì, who was too stunned to do anything as it smacked him in the face.

  “Gah! Blood in my eyes!”

  “I’m not done yet!!”

  With a cry not unlike that of a samurai charging into battle, Kiara launched herself across the ground.

  With blood staining his eyes, Shílì completely missed the fist that plowed right into his chest.

  More blood was spilled, but this time, it wasn’t Kiara’s.

  Shílì stared at the arm stuck in his chest all the way up to the elbow, his eyes blatantly showing his disbelief. He then looked up, focusing not on the appendage sticking through him, but instead on the woman who’d just shoved her forearm into his chest.

  Kiara’s glare was fierce even though she was clearly in pain. Her sharp canines were bared, her nose was scrunched, and her eyes had narrowed into a look that screamed “I will not be beaten!” It was…

  “Beautiful…”

  “Wh-what?”

  Shílì’s shocked expression shifted into a sincere smile. “Thank you for allowing me this most beautiful release…”

  Kiara watched, blinking as the light faded from Shílì’s eyes. His body slumped against her, forcing Kiara to the ground as her exhausted legs were unable to hold their combined weight. She took a deep, shuddering breath, then slowly eased the corpse of her now deceased opponent onto the ground.

  After staring at the dead kit
sune for nearly a full minute, the pain and exhaustion finally caught up to her. Adrenaline, which had been pumping through her veins, keeping her body going long after it should have given out left, finally left her system. Kiara slumped to the ground, lying on her back, staring up at the midday sky…

  Wait. Midday sky?

  “Just… how long was I fighting that guy for anyway?”

  “I’d say you’ve been fighting for about an hour or so.”

  “Kotohime.” Kiara blinked as the woman in question marched into her field of vision. The raven-haired femme stared at her upside down, or was that right side up? Either way, she gave her rival and friend a smirk. “I figured you’d win your battle. Che, you only had to deal with that little three-tails.”

  “Indeed.” Kotohime seemed amused. Her eyes glittered mischievously. “I was most fortunate. I do not think I could have won against your opponent. It seems you’ve gotten much stronger since the last time we fought.”

  “Yeah, well…” Kiara would have shrugged, but she didn’t have the strength. “What can I say? Ever since you first defeated me all those centuries ago, I became determined to surpass you. Heh, I promised myself that I would never lose to you or anyone else ever again.”

  “It shows.”

  Several tails wrapped around Kiara, gently lifting her off the ground and cradling her body like a baby.

  “Now then, please allow me to heal you. After that, you and I can meet up with Kevin-sama and Lilian-sama.”

  “Oh? Has the kid rescued her already?”

  “Not quite.”

  Kiara was tempted to ask Kotohime about the strange smile that had appeared on her face, but decided she was too tired to even care.