“The last time you and I fought, I was at a disadvantage,” Kotohime declared with quiet confidence. “You knew who I was, yet I knew nothing about you. Things will be different this time.”
“Do you truly believe that?” Li asked. Kotohime didn’t answer. It was a rhetorical question. “While I admire your courage in facing me again, you must realize that the power difference between us is too vast for you to overcome. I have more than five times more youki at my disposal than you.”
A kitsune’s power, or rather, the amount of youki they had, increased by a factor of the number of tails they had. Kitsune with three tails had two times more than they did at two. Consequently, a kitsune with five tails had five times more youki than a kitsune with four. While some four-tailed youki were born with more power than most, it was true that a five-tailed kitsune almost always possessed more youki. That was just the natural order of this world.
“Power is not everything,” Kotohime said softly. Click! Her thumb flicked her katana out of its sheath as she settled into battoujutsu stance. “Allow me to show you right now why I was once feared as the Blood Moon Princess.”
“I see there is no stopping you.” Li did not change his stance, merely stood there. “If you will not desist in this course of action, then I will show you the error of your ways through force. Know that I do not fight with you because I want to. I only do so because I must.”
Kotohime would have snorted at his words. If he did not enjoy battle, then he should not have come here in the first place. She said nothing, however, merely prepared herself for the second round of her battle against Li.
The two stood there on opposite ends, staring each other down. The waves washing against the beach created a gentle melody that contrasted starkly with the heavy atmosphere. This sand would soon become painted in blood.
“Ikken Hissatsu.”
Kotohime rushed forward in a burst of speed. She swerved around Li’s body, coming at him from behind.
“Eien Ni.”
Her blade flashed out quicker than most beings in this world were capable of following. An indeterminate number of sword slices struck at Li. None of them hit.
Kotohime narrowed her eyes as she saw each and every one of her attacks phase right through him. Her sword would move, vanish into his skin, then emerge from the other side without a single drop of blood on it. The only thing to signify what happened were the lines of light that her blade drew across his body.
Realizing that her attacks were doing nothing, Kotohime leapt back. Li still hadn’t moved.
“It seems my estimation of your ability was correct.” Kotohime nodded to herself. “You are not dodging my attacks at all, nor is this some kind of illusion, or even a power like the Ghost Step. You have simply turned your body into light.”
Li’s frown was the only indicator that let Kotohime know she had surprised him.
“You are correct. I am most impressed that you were able to figure out my ability after only one fight. You truly are a fierce warrior. However, knowing how my power works and finding a way around it are two different things. In the end, knowing will not matter. I will defeat you regardless. You might be fast and strong, but nothing is faster than the speed of light.”
Kotohime reached behind her and unsheathed her wakizashi. A strong feeling of bloodlust engulfed her. She did not fight it, but she also refused to let it consume her. She took those feelings, that desire to kill, and let her consciousness run alongside it, separate but together.
“We shall see,” she said, her eyes flashing as she and her opponent were bathed in moonlight.
***
Kevin and Lilian left the resort behind.
While he was worried about Camellia and the others, he knew neither of them would be able to help. In a battle such as that, he and Lilian would only be a hindrance.
They were nearly at the edge of the forest. He could see the thick line of trees and foliage, barely lit by the moon and stars. They appeared as little more than shadows of dark and darker.
Someone was already there waiting for them.
“You two didn’t honestly think I would let you escape back to your clan’s home, did you?” Fan gave them an ugly sneer. “I knew from the moment you started running that this is where you would be heading. This is the closest entry point into the forest. All I had to do was wait here.”
“Well, dang,” Kevin said. “And we were so close, too.”
“I knew I shouldn’t have used all those smoke bombs,” Lilian muttered to herself. “And I’m all out of stink bombs, too. What rotten luck.”
“Don’t start quoting Touma Kamijou,” Kevin muttered, his glare never leaving Fan.
“That’s an awfully scary look you have there, human,” Fan taunted, her face twisting into something so malicious, it didn’t look human. “But don’t think you’re going to be cowing me with a look. You may have gotten the best of me last time because I underestimated you, but I won’t fall for the same trick twice. I’m going to make you regret ever laying a hand on my beloved younger brother.”
***
“Spirit Art: Damned Souls, Colossal Thunder.”
The sky above Zhìlì became ominous. Dark shapes reminiscent of clouds but that were definitely not clouds appeared above him. Thunder that was not thunder crackled. Lightning that was not lightning flashed across the sky. Shapes appeared from within the cloud, a sea of tormented bodies, faces screaming in agony and hatred at the fate thrust upon them. The massive cloud of ectoplasmic bodies coalesced into a single point, and then a single bolt of white lightning struck the earth where he stood.
“Celestial Art: Celestial Dragon.”
The attack did not hit. Appearing from within the ether was a long, oriental dragon several yards in length. Its glowing white body crackled with repressed energy. It coiled around Zhìlì, protecting him from the attack.
“Celestial Art: Celestial Breath.”
The dragon opened its mouth and out spewed a bright torrent of flames. They consumed the spot Camellia stood on, spreading outward for several dozen yards to consume even more. Oddly enough, the attack did not burn anything that was living. The plants, grass, and trees caught within the conflagration remained unharmed. The same could not be said for the walkway.
Camellia was not there.
“Tch, an illusion,” Zhìlì mumbled.
“Spirit Art: Pandemic of a Soulless Night.”
The world shifted, morphing and twisting. It vanished, becoming nothing. Darkness consumed everything—until they appeared. Souls. The souls of those who had long since died. The souls of those who were doomed to never cross over. They sprung out of the nothingness and latched onto him—tried to latch onto him.
His youki flared. Its golden iridescence caused the souls in his vicinity to shy away. Damned spirits like these could not come near one representing divinity. They feared the light and all that it embodied. They would not touch him.
“Celestial Art: Divine Dispel.”
A wave of golden energy emitted from his tails. It expanded in all directions. Souls cried out, screaming in agony as they were burned by his divine power. He watched them writhe and moan, their terror-filled screams of pain like banshees wailing directly into his ear.
And then it was over. He once again stood in the Pnév̱ma Resort. Light returned to the world. All was as it should be.
Except for the several icicles that were racing toward him. Behind the icicles stood a woman, the one in the French maid outfit.
“River Art: Glacial Crystals.”
Zhìlì held up a hand.
“Celestial Art: Aegis of Divinity.”
Appearing in front of him was a spherical shield. Bright gold and glowing with power, it blocked the icicles set to impale him. They shattered upon his shield like glass being dropped from a fifty-story building.
“Celestial Art: Divine Serpent.”
The Aegis shrank until it was a tiny sphere the size of a baseball. He struck it with his f
ist, and suddenly, the sphere transformed into a serpent, which flew at Kirihime standing several yards away.
“Aegis.”
The serpent splashed against a barrier that appeared before Kirihime. The souls within the shield bit into the celestial attack. Even though it burned them with its divinity, even as they moaned and screamed, they still consumed it.
That woman must be around here somewhere. Where is she hiding?
“Spirit Art: Ghostly Tendrils.”
Six tentacle-like tendrils shot out from within the Aegis. They flew toward Zhìlì, who decided not to let those things touch him. He flashed away from the spot where he’d been standing—and appeared directly in front of the tendrils.
“What?!” he shouted.
The tendrils engulfed him.
“Celestial Art: Zhao Yun’s Determination.”
An explosion of energy erupted from within the tendrils. Rays of light shot out. The tendrils expanded as if they were swelling to incredible size. Then they exploded, bursting into particles of light and ectoplasm. Zhìlì stood in the center, still unharmed.
Kirihime appeared behind him, her twin daggers aiming right for his neck. Rather than slice him open in a spray of gore, they passed right through him.
She stumbled forward, the image of Zhìlì disappearing. Particles of light soon gathered around her. Within seconds, a dome of light surrounded her.
“Celestial Art: Sun Tsu’s Trap.”
Spikes emerged from the light too swiftly for Kirihime to follow. Within seconds, several spikes had impaled her from all sides. Her screams resounded throughout the resort.
***
“Kirihime!”
Camellia watched in horror as her maid and friend screamed from within what was essentially an iron maiden composed of celestial youki. She could do nothing to stop the technique, as any attack she had that could destroy one of that caliber would also harm her friend. All she could do was grit her teeth and wait it out.
A little ways to her left, Daphne and Zhìlì became locked within a battle of illusions. She could see them standing there, neither moving as they attempted to outmaneuver the other with their minds alone.
Illusionary battles were, by their very nature, not physical. They were a battle that took the concept of mind over matter to the next level. It was literally two people engaged in a fight that pitted minds together. Camellia knew that Daphne had directly engaged Zhìlì to give her time, and she would not waste that time.
When Zhìlì’s iron maiden technique finally cleared, it revealed a horrid sight to her. Kirihime was still standing, but her eyes were blank. She breathed, but it was clearly labored. Several holes had been burned into her body. They didn’t look as bad as they should have been—Kirihime’s regenerative abilities were stronger than even her sister’s—but the amount of blood pouring from her body was still cause for alarm.
“Extension.”
One of Camellia’s tails shot out and wrapped around Kirihime before the woman’s body could fall to the ground. She pulled her maid over to her, then set her gently down on her back.
“M… My…”
“Don’t try to speak,” Camellia said as she checked over her maid’s wounds. “You are incredibly injured right now. Any attempts at speaking could worsen your condition.”
Despite her words, Kirihime still tried to speak. “I… I…”
“Do you want me to make that an order,” Camellia snapped harshly, though the worry and tears in her eyes took out any sting they may have had. “Be quiet and let me look at you.”
Kirihime fell silent, though Camellia attributed that to her maid losing consciousness. The three-tail’s French maid outfit was covered in blood stains, which expanded the longer the wounds were left unattended. Kirihime must not have had enough youki to use her regeneration technique. She needed to act fast.
“Spirit Art: Soul Forging.”
Camellia didn’t know any healing techniques. Spirit Kitsune manipulated souls, not flesh. She could not heal these wounds, but she could plug them up.
Soul Forging was a simple technique that could be learned after a Spirit Kitsune gained their fourth tail. It took souls and turned them into something else. It was a surprisingly useful technique. Souls could be used to make just about anything—provided the person using Soul Forging had a mind keen enough and a will strong enough to create it.
Camellia, in that moment, created a needle and thread, which she used to deftly sew Kirihime’s wounds shut. It would not last for long. Souls only lasted for as long as their energy survived. Once they ran out of energy, any technique created by souls would dispel, but it should be enough to keep Kirihime from bleeding to death until they could get her to safety.
“Spirit Art: Soul Camouflage.”
White mist surrounded Kirihime. Hollow screams and quiet groans reverberated across the resort. The souls that Camellia called upon combined and then stretched out, as if someone was pulling on them. The white spirit matter soon became all but invisible, or rather, it took on the same properties as the ground. It was then laid over Kirihime’s prone body, which appeared to vanish before her eyes.
Camellia stood up. While she wanted to remain with Kirihime, there was still a battle being fought. They couldn’t get Kirihime to safety until Zhìlì was taken care of.
She turned to look at how the fight had progressed. At first glance, Daphne and Zhìlì seemed to be evenly matched. However, it was clear to Camellia that Zhìlì had an advantage. Where he remained upright and unharried, her sister-in-law was gasping for breath, sweat dripping down her body in large rivulets as her eyes fluttered rapidly.
Daphne had talent, just like any other seven-tails, but she wasn’t anything special. Her illusions were straightforward and simple. They might have been powerful, but they were easy to see through and thus overpower if the one she was fighting had more youki than her.
Zhìlì had more power. That’s all there was to it. What’s more, Shinkuro had clearly not let Zhìlì slack off on his training, just as Camellia would have expected from a martial-oriented family like the Shénshèng Clan.
Now, if only she could find the proper time to insert herself into this illusionary clash.
***
“Ikken Hissatsu. Ougi.”
Kotohime’s countless blade thrusts pierced nothing but light as Li stood there. When her attacks ended, he lashed out with a swift punch, but Kotohime had already anticipated this and moved around him.
“Ikken Hissatsu. Bunkatsu.”
Appearing above him, Kotohime’s blade went through Li’s head and out his crotch, splitting him in half—or it would have, if he was not currently composed of light. Instead of cutting him straight through the middle like it would have with a normal yōkai, all her attack did was phase through him.
Li turned to attack her again. His fist came at her straight and true, but all his attack did was pass through an afterimage. Kotohime had moved the moment her attack failed.
“Ikken Hissatsu.”
She once again appeared behind him, her body already spinning. With her wakizashi held within her left hand in a reverse grip, and her katana in her right, she became a tornado of razor death. This attack also phased through her opponent. A small line of light along Li’s body marked her sword’s passing.
Kotohime reinforced her body further, pumping even more youki into her muscles.
“Ichi no Ougi.”
Her body became all but invisible as her speed surpassed the boundary that everybody except the fastest yōkai could perceive. Her blade flashed out, phasing through Li’s celestial body. However, she could now see her attacks doing something. For every fifteen slashes of her blade, the light line from one of her attacks took .3 seconds longer to disappear.
So there is a limit to what he can do. Time to up the ante further.
“Ikken Hissatsu. Nii no Ougi.”
Her speed increased further, as did the number of strikes she attacked with. Li could no longer foll
ow her with his eyes. Several wounds opened up on his body. Small slits from which light emerged. One. Two. Three. For every thirty of her strikes, three wounds took .5 seconds longer to heal.
Faster. I need to go faster.
“Ikken Hissatsu. San no Ougi.”
Over and over again she appeared and disappeared at the same time. To the unknowing eye, her body would have looked like it was multiplying, with dozens of afterimages appearing all around Li, attacking him with dozens of sword swings that were launched within hundredths of a second of each other. Within one second, Kotohime had inflicted 2,436 cuts on her opponent. Her attack lasted for ten seconds.
Li stumbled. Dozens of cuts were now refusing to close. It was time for the finisher.
“Ikken Hissatsu. Yon no Ougi.”
She finally saw the damage she did stay. Her blade flashed out again and again and again, a never-ending stream that seemed to almost blur together into a single form of cohesive silver light. Wounds began appearing, and they did not go away.
Li tried to fight back. He turned and spun at the speed of light. He tried to pound away at the countless afterimages that she left in her wake, but none of his attacks landed. Every time he threw a punch, he would hit nothing but an afterimage. He could do nothing against an onslaught like this.
Finally, he fell to his knees. His body, no longer composed of light, leaked blood from several dozen wounds.
“I… I lost?” He stared at his cut up body with bulging eyes.
“It is just as I expected.” Kotohime stood several feet away, gazing at her defeated opponent. “If I am not mistaken, that technique you are using is Zhuangzi Harmonious Pacifism. It is a technique that allows you to change your body into that of celestial youki by becoming one with the divine. It comes at the cost of limiting yourself to becoming completely defensive. That is why your attacks are so slow, and why you can’t counter my attacks very well. In order to attack me, you must revert your body back to its original state, which is when you become vulnerable.”
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