Lilian ignored Iris and slid down the crater. The sound of shifting gravel beside her informed her that someone else had followed—Kevin. They reached the bottom together and ran over to Kotohime, who remained kneeling on the ground.
“Kotohime,” Lilian started, “I’m so glad you’re safe. I was rea… lly… worried…?”
Horror filled Lilian when she saw Kotohime tilt over and crumble to the ground. There was a large, gaping hole in Kotohime’s torso. She could see all the way through it. The organs and muscles were put on grizzly display, and a pool of blood was quickly expanding from underneath her.
“N-no,” Lilian whispered as she fell to her knees. She couldn’t believe it. Kotohime was… but there was no way! It couldn’t be! Beside her, Kevin’s expression mirrored the one she wore.
“That woman was tough. I really underestimated her.”
Standing up, and almost completely unharmed, Hebi looked down at his fallen foe. He almost absentmindedly pulled the katana from his chest and threw it at Kotohime’s feet.
“You were pretty good, for a kitsune,” he complimented the limp body. “But you should have realized from the very onset that I was not an opponent a mere four-tails could fight. Oh?” He turned to them. “It seems I have more guests. Have you come to avenge your fallen friend?”
Lilian switched her gaze from Kotohime to Hebi. A red film seemed to fall over her eyes. Lilian was not one for bloody rampages, but right then, she would have happily torn out this man’s throat.
“You… you killed Kotohime…”
“Well, I don’t know if she’s quite dead yet,” Hebi admitted, “but she’ll definitely die if she’s not healed soon.” His leering grin made Lilian want to grab his teeth and rip them out of his mouth. “What are you going to do?”
Lilian looked at Kotohime again. Even if, on the off chance, Kotohime was alive, there was no way Lilian could heal her. That was a fatal wound, and her strongest technique could not heal those kinds of wounds. Yet she was the only healer aside from Kotohime—who didn’t even appear to be conscious, and therefore couldn’t heal herself.
In short, Kotohime was going to die. She was going to die, and there wasn’t a thing that Lilian could do about it.
Well, there is one thing I can do.
“What am I going to do?” Surging to her feet, Lilian snarled at Hebi. “I’m going to kill you is what I’m going to do!”
Bang! Hebi’s head jerked backwards when a golden projectile slammed into it.
“No,” Kevin said, his silver gun raised and pointed at the albino yōkai, “we’re going to kill him.”
Lilian nodded, agreeing with his words.
“Heh…” Hebi smirked. Raising his left hand, he gave them a “bring it on” gesture. “If you think you can kill me, then come on. After facing the best your group has to offer, a human brat and a two-tailed vixen have no chance of defeating me.”
With those words fueling her desire to tear this yōkai apart, Lilian began her battle against the creature known as Hebi.
He’d been watching them. Ever since they first arrived in New Genbu, he’d kept his eye on them, observing how they interacted, studying their motives, and determining their character. Naturally, he’d also been studying their figures—the women’s at least—but that was neither here nor there.
The group who’d appeared before him, who Kuroneko herself had vouched for, were an intriguing bunch. Yet while the females beguiled him, it was, most unusually, the male of the group who fascinated him the most.
Orin was a pervert. He would freely admit that. If asked to choose between the life of a pretty girl and a boy, he would choose the pretty girl. Every. Single. Time. That being said, he wouldn’t deny that Kevin Swift presented an unusual puzzle, and he would be lying if he said that he didn’t want to see how that puzzle fit together.
Which was why he’d decided to follow the group as they went on their rescue mission—discreetly, of course.
As he sat on his golden cloud, observing the current battle, he narrowed his eyes.
That man is…
He sighed. No wonder this battle had been going on for so long. There was no way this group of ragtag would-be rescuers could win against someone like that, and this particular snake enjoyed playing with his food a little too much.
“I suppose I should step in,” he mused with sigh.
It looked like he was getting a lot more work than he bargained for.
Kevin already knew his role before they even attacked. Lilian, despite being a supernatural creature, was not a front-line fighter. She was talented, and she knew some close-quarters-combat maneuvers, thanks to sparring with him almost every day, but she lacked his talent for it. Her true talent lay in her specialized techniques and her ability to cast illusions.
“Celestial Art: Chameleon Masquerade.”
While he couldn’t see the technique as it was placed over him, Kevin could feel it as Lilian’s youki covered him like a thin layer of silk. Perhaps it was because of how intimate they were, but he’d gained a distinct sense of what Lilian’s youki felt like.
“Do you really think a pathetic illusion like that will work on me?” Hebi cackled.
“Celestial Art: Radiance!”
“Gya!”
Celestial Art: Radiance was a technique that he and Lilian had created together. It harkened onto the idea that came from how fighter pilots would fly at their enemies with the sun at their backs. The purpose was to blind their opponents.
Hebi stumbled back as he was hit with a full blast of the sun. Kevin used the opportunity to get in close. His guns were already charged, and so he slid underneath Hebi’s legs, leapt back onto his feet, spun around, and let go of the charge.
Fire lanced out of his barrels like bolts of lightning, striking Hebi in the back and exploding. Kevin smelled the charred flesh before he saw the damaged back. Hebi’s back was blackened, the scales cracked and worn. Abrasions appeared along his skin and blood seeped between them.
I knew it, Kevin narrowed his eyes. That last attack from Kotohime might not have killed him, but it did damage him.
Rather than be upset about being injured, Hebi laughed. “How intriguing! To think that you would be able to injure me! Let’s see you do that again!”
“Celestial Art: Sequential Movement.”
Kevin ran at Hebi, who tried to attack him by launching several snakes, which Kevin now realized were being produced by his body and not hidden on his person. The snakes missed, Lilian’s illusion doing its job, and he moved in close, pressing the barrels of his guns against Hebi’s stomach and unloading several fire bullets.
“Ha ha ha! What is this? To think such simple techniques would work on me!”
Breathing heavily, Kevin moved back and to the left, avoiding a snake that lunged at him. The creature blew up when he shot it in the head.
“You’re wide open!”
Hebi came in with a lunge, his hand sharpened into a claw. Having left his guard wide open, Kevin already knew where Hebi would attack and moved accordingly. Spinning around on the balls of his feet, he deftly swerved around the arm, then pointed the black gun directly at Hebi’s face and unleashed the charged round at point-blank.
The explosion produced when fire detonated off Hebi’s face was impressive. It washed over Kevin, singing his skin where the snake bites had torn his suit.
Hebi stumbled backwards, yet even then the albino still refused to give him any quarter. Six snakes emerged from his chest and shot at Kevin like pellets from an airsoft gun. Each one was shot out of the sky, but it was enough to give Hebi time to recover.
“Kitsune Art: Inversion.”
Inversion, a simple illusion that caused all perceivable colors to become inverted. Black became white. Red became blue. Green became orange. It was a disorienting technique to be under, and while it would only work on Hebi for a few seconds, those seconds were all Kevin needed.
Charging his guns once more, Kevin held the trigger for
one, two, three, four, five seconds, then unleashed two massive cones of fire that impacted against Hebi and engulfed him in a powerful eruption.
“Did… did that work?”
Kevin really hoped that would be enough to put Hebi down. Regardless of how quickly he’d jumped into this fray, Kevin was on the verge of exhaustion. He was tired, sore, and there was a dull ache in his left shoulder and a sharp pain in his right. His muscles felt abused, like he’d undergone Kiara’s “Training from Hell” for an entire month without rest.
Please tell me that worked.
It didn’t work.
“Ah ha! Ah ha ha! Ah-hahahahaha!”
Laughter. Fire swirled around him like demonic embryos swimming in lava. Embers flickered and burned. His skin, charred from all the damage he’d taken, bleeding in numerous places, looked like something out of Bloodborne .
“I can hardly believe it! It is inconceivable for a human to be capable of injuring me like this—even with the help of a yōkai.” Glowing yellows eyes stared at him with predatory inquisitiveness. “So, how is it possible? How is it that you can hurt me?”
Kevin didn’t have an answer for him. Personally, Kevin believed it was merely a combination of yōkai arrogance, his hard-earned skill at fighting, and the weapons that Kiara had given him. However, even if he were inclined to mention this, it really wouldn’t matter. He didn’t want to answer this man.
“Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter,” Hebi said, grinning. “You’ve proven to be an interesting diversion, but it’s time that I ended this.”
Kevin watched in shock as the Hebi in front of him turned into a pile of snakes, which then turned into mud.
“A-aaah!” a scream rose up behind him.
Lilian!
Spinning around, Kevin saw Hebi standing several feet away. She dangled several inches off the ground, and Hebi’s hand was clenched tightly around her throat. His mate kicked her legs and clawed at his arm to no effect.
“This vixen is important to you, yes? She’s your mate, if I’m not mistaken.” Yellow eyes held a sadistic gleam as Hebi spoke. “I’m curious to see what kind of face you’ll make as I slowly crush the life out of her. Ah, just thinking about it is making me dizzy!”
Kevin’s mind seized up. This was the worst possible situation that could have happened, a true worst-case scenario.
What should I do? There’s no way I can reach them before he kills Lilian, and if I shoot him, then he can use Lilian as a shield!
Lilian’s struggles were becoming weaker. Her hands were no longer clawing at Hebi’s arm but spasming at her sides. Drool leaked down her mouth and her eyes had rolled up into the back of her head. Even from this distance, Kevin could see how Hebi’s hand dug into her throat.
Damn it! What am I supposed to do?!
“That’s quite enough of that,” a voice said from above.
It happened before Kevin could even blink. Someone appeared before him, standing just a few feet from Hebi. Kevin recognized him. It was Orin, the old saru that was one of the Four Saints. His casual stance and unconcerned gaze startled Kevin, who couldn’t wrap his mind around how this man was here.
Lilian was no longer in Hebi’s grasp. She lay on the ground at his feet, coughing, a hand clutching her abused throat. Hebi was missing an arm. The albino yōkai stared at the missing appendage like he wasn’t sure what he was looking at. Blood gushed from the stump like a sprinkler system.
“Uh, I didn’t see this coming?” Hebi turned to Orin. “I had not expected to meet one of you annoying fools so soon. Orin, the oldest among the Four Saints. The descendent of Sun Wukong. Hailed as the wisest of the four.”
“Hebi,” Orin said, turning to face him, “or should I say Yamata no Orochi? You’ve changed quite a bit. You’re much smaller and more shriveled than I remember. Weaker.”
Hebi’s smile was bloodthirsty. “I have you to thank for that. You and the other Four Saints are the reason I’ve become so weak.”
“That is true. Hm, hm.” Orin nodded. “Then again, this is only a small portion of your body.”
“So you noticed.” Hebi chuckled. “Yes, this body you see isn’t my real body. I merely cut this piece off of myself to serve as a commanding officer to the foolish yōkai that follow me—well, I have several other pieces scattered around, but they’re inconsequential, much like this one.”
Kevin couldn’t even begin to follow this conversation. Cutting off pieces of himself? Not his real body? He and Lilian read a lot of manga, but this sort of ridiculous plot device was way too much!
Lilian!
Before the conversation could continue, Kevin darted for Lilian. Hebi saw this and grinned.
“Coming for some more, boy? Ha ha! Very well, let us see what you’re made of!”
“I am afraid,” Orin said, interposing himself between Hebi and Kevin. “That this boy is no longer your opponent. I am.”
“Well, that’s not fair,” Hebi whined. “There’s no way a small piece of myself is a match for one of the Four Saints. That’s totally cheating!”
“Indeed, it is,” Orin said, grabbing Hebi by the head before the man could move. Light emitted from his palms, and Hebi screamed as smoke poured out of his body like he was being cooked from the inside out. Several seconds later, the screaming stopped and Orin dropped what had quite clearly become a corpse.
Kevin ignored that and knelt down next to Lilian.
“Lilian!”
“Kevin,” Lilian muttered as Kevin pulled her to him. She sighed, leaning against his body. Her nose pressed against his neck, and despite how bad he knew he must smell, she breathed deeply, her body relaxing further into his embrace.
“I’m sorry.” Kevin felt tears sting his eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
“For what?”
“I shouldn’t have left you so unprotected like that. I should have been more careful and not let myself get carried away.”
Lilian shook her head against his neck. “There’s no way you could have known that would happen. Don’t blame yourself for something that isn’t your fault in the first place.”
“But—”
“If you argue with me, you’re going to sleep on the couch.”
Kevin blinked. That was the first time Lilian had ever threatened him with “the couch.” He didn’t think she’d follow through with it, but still, for her to make such a threat meant that he should probably follow her advice and not argue.
“I love you, Lilian. You’re the Moka to my Tsukune.”
He felt Lilian’s lips curve as they caressed his skin. “And you’re my Rito… though I don’t have nearly half the difficulty getting you into my breasts as Lala does with him.”
Kevin laughed. It was a laugh of relief and a release of tension. All the anxiety, all the fear, all the worry and uncertainty was disappearing. He was safe. Lilian was safe. Their friends were safe. They’d rescued Phoebe and Heather. They had accomplished what they’d set out to do.
Hold on…
“Kotohime!” he and Lilian shouted at the same time.
“If you are worried about your chaperone, then worry not,” Orin said. “She is not dead, and I have something that can heal even fatal wounds like hers.”
“W-what is it? Please, give it to her!” Lilian begged the old man.
“It’s this.” Orin held out a small bean. “This is a—”
“It’s a Senzu bean!” Lilian exclaimed.
“It is not a Senzu bean!” Orin shouted, then coughed into his hand. “This belonged to a plant that had been grown by my ancestor, Sun Wukong. Its healing properties are amazing. Unfortunately, this is the only one left. The rest have been used up or died out, and I do not have my ancestor’s divine talents. I have decided to gift it to you. Here.”
He tossed the bean to Lilian, who caught it and didn’t waste time in rushing over to Kotohime. Kevin took a bit longer to reach the woman. His body wasn’t up to the task of running right now.
Lilian knelt next to Kotohi
me. She tried to feed the woman the Senzu bean—erm, the medicinal healing bean, Kevin corrected himself—but…
“S-she won’t eat it,” Lilian said, despairing.
“It’s because she’s unconscious,” Kevin said. “She can’t chew or swallow. You have to make her swallow it.”
“H-how could I do that…?” she trailed off and stared at Kevin, who suddenly felt very uncomfortable.
“I know what you’re thinking, but if I do that, she’s going to kill me.”
“If you don’t do it, she’ll die. And Kotohime won’t kill you.”
“She’s still gonna hurt me.” Kevin sighed and held out his hand. “But, well, give it here.”
“Thank you.” Lilian handed the strange bean over.
“I don’t see why you can’t do this yourself,” Kevin mumbled as he put the bean in his mouth and knelt down.
“It’s because you’re the main character, of course,” Lilian lectured. “Everybody knows that only the main character can administer the kiss of life to people who aren’t the main love interest.”
“This isn’t a manga,” Kevin sighed. He chewed it up, grinding the bean into a paste. It tasted awful, and he couldn’t believe he was doing this, but, well, Kotohime was an important part of his family. If it meant saving her life, then he guessed this was a small price to pay.
He lifted Kotohime by the shoulders and situated her on his lap, then cupped her face with his left hand. Leaning down, he placed his mouth over hers and forcibly opened it. As he used his tongue to push the disgusting paste into Kotohime’s mouth, he massaged her throat with his other hand, helping the medicinal healing plant that was not a Senzu bean travel down her throat.
The wound on her stomach hissed as it closed up. Kevin didn’t know how this worked, but he wasn’t going to question such a convenient plot device. He kept pushing the paste into her mouth and down her throat. It wasn’t long before the wound was healed over.
“Ngg.”
Kotohime stirred in his arms. Then her eyes slowly opened. Dark irises met his bright blues. She blinked. Upon realizing her situation, and that Kevin was kissing her, she smacked him upside the head.
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