“Still right here, you know. I can hear every word you’re saying.”
Kevin knelt next to Justin, who turned his head to look at him. “Can you tell us what happened?”
“I most certainly can, but first…” Justin held out his hands “… can you help me up? I’m really tired and seem to have lost feeling in my legs.”
Sparks flew. Kotohime glared at her foe, who hid behind a metal fan, which was blocking her katana. She pulled her blade back and struck out several times in quick succession, but it was all for naught. Each attack was blocked by the kijo who went by the name Alice.
“You truly are skilled with a blade,” Alice said, her voice mocking. “I am most impressed.”
Alice took a step back, swinging her fan at Kotohime, who blocked each strike with ease and retaliated just as swiftly. They deadlocked again.
“Ufufufu, why thank you. I’m impressed that a sorceress such as yourself can keep up with me in close-quarters combat.”
This time it was Kotohime who moved. Two steps took her into Alice’s guard. Her katana, which she had quickly sheathed, was just as quickly unsheathed. A flash of silver was the only visible sign of the sword’s departure from the scabbard holding it. Despite that, Alice still blocked her attack.
“I believe you’ll find that I am different from regular kijo.” The woman wore a mocking smile as she redirected Kotohime’s katana.
Clicking her tongue, Kotohime leapt backwards, where she sheathed her blade and shifted into a battoujutsu stance. She felt her own youki surge through her veins. With her muscles reinforced, she launched herself forward and struck the woman like a guided missile.
“Ikken Hissatsu. Sen.”
“Dance of the Spider’s Web.”
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
Kotohime felt shock ripple through her when her attacks were not only blocked, but completely countered. Each stroke of her sword was met by a fan. She could feel her fingers tingle as steel clashed. Realizing that her attack had failed, she pulled back.
“It seems that you are, indeed, no ordinary kijo.” Her eyes narrowed. “What are you, then, exactly?”
Alice’s mysterious smile bothered Kotohime immensely. “Now that would be telling.”
Leaping backwards, Alice reached behind her back and pulled out another fan, which she unfolded. Both fans began to glow a bright blue. It was as if an ethereal flame had suddenly lit up around them. Kotohime tensed, preparing herself for whatever this woman threw at her.
“Dance of the Netherworld.”
The fans hovered in the air as Alice released them. They quivered as if struggling against the world’s natural order and her will, and then, without warning, they shot forward, straight at Kotohime.
“Ikken Hissatsu. Ein Ni no Tachi.”
Unsheathing both her katana and the wakizashi at her back, Kotohime wove an intricate pattern through the air. She swatted aside the fans, which soared back before attacking her again as if they had a will of their own. This pushed her to increase her speed. Pumping more youki through her arms, her blades became nothing but a streak of silver, and with each silvery streak, the fans were knocked aside once more, and once more they came back.
This is getting me nowhere.
“Ikken Hissatsu. Ougi.”
Spinning in a full circle, Kotohime unleashed a shockwave of condensed air from her blade. The fans that attempted to cut her down were blown away.
“Ikken Hisatsu. Hein.”
Knowing that she needed to act quickly, Kotohime launched herself at Alice and slashed at the woman with her wakizashi, which she’d resheathed and unsheathed in quick succession to build up speed and power. A small distortion passed through the air. It should have gone through Alice and torn her apart from the inside out.
“Dance of the Wind Blossoms.”
It didn’t. The fans returned to their owner, and Alice fully opened them and swatted the air in front of her. Not only was Kotohime’s attack dispersed, but Alice’s own attack slammed into her. Kotohime gritted her teeth as she struggled against the fierce gale of wind. Her feet slid across the ground as she held her katana and wakizashi protectively in front of her.
Even with her arms reinforced, Kotohime felt her muscles strain against the attack, which ripped apart the ground in front of her. Several pavement fragments hit her body, further distracting her. Fire burned along her left cheek as a sharp shard sliced through it. Pushing even more youki into her arms, Kotohime activated the technique that allowed her to break this one.
“Kitsune Art: Transient Counterforce.”
Two thin layers of youki that rotated in opposite directions cut through the wind. The technique was dispersed, though the damage that it had already done was immense. The road now had a giant trench running through it.
“Oh? What an interesting technique,” Alice murmured. “You created two layers of youki and had them act as rotating counter forces to cut straight through my technique, didn’t you? That’s quite genius. Like taking two buzzsaws and slicing through a giant tree, you can cut through something many times more difficult with relative ease.”
Kotohime grimaced. This woman was sharp. Still, it didn’t matter if she knew how her technique worked. Kotohime finally understood the mechanics behind her foe’s techniques, too.
It’s those dances. Each one is incredibly formidable, but they’re not without their weakness. I’ve noticed that she hasn’t used a dance more than once. It’s possible that she can only use each dance once a day.
Kijo were an unusual race. They didn’t have the elemental affinities of other yokai. What they had was sorcery, the ability to manipulate their youki into a specific form, which was oftentimes unique to each kijo. This woman’s sorcery was clearly those dances.
The question was: how many more dances did this woman have?
Kiara’s grin was a fierce one as she and the onikuma fought.
Chaos reigned all around them as the yama uba battled the Yamata Alliance’s yokai. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Phoebe and Polydora fighting side by side, tearing through the rank and file. Likewise, Thoe, Euryale, and Menippe used teamwork tactics to overwhelm their opposition, who clearly weren’t used to working together.
The onikuma, whose name Kiara had learned was Clawson, opened his mouth. A large ball of compressed youki appeared within his gaping maw filled with rows of teeth. Tendrils of energy swirled around it like a tornado that had been condensed into a spherical shape. With a roar akin to an angry deity, Clawson unleashed the ball of youki.
“Hahaha! Do you really think an attack like that is going to work against me?”
Her lunatical laughter echoing across the battlefield, Kiara charged her fist with youki and slammed it into the energy ball. She felt a moment of resistance. Then the ball was sent soaring backwards. Clawson yelped in shock as he jumped away from his own attack—and right into Kiara’s fist.
With a fierce grin plastered on her face, Kiara watched in satisfaction as Clawson’s face almost caved in. The onikuma was sent flying backwards. He struck the ground, which exploded with dust and debris, then burst out of the resulting cloud and tumbled for several yards across the pavement. Kiara stood still, allowing the other yokai to clamber back to his feet.
“I hope you plan on giving me a better fight than that,” Kiara taunted.
“Oh, don’t worry,” a voice said behind her. “I’m sure we can oblige you.”
Startled, Kiara turned around—and then her world exploded with pain as something heavy plowed into her stomach. All the air was forcibly expelled from her lungs. She felt something sharp puncture her chest, though it was not enough to be more than an annoyance. Blood spurted from the open wound as her feet left the ground. She flew back for what must have been several feet. When she hit the ground, her back squealed in protest and her vision went black for a moment, though even when in pain, she was still able to leap back onto her feet.
Wincing as she held h
er only remaining hand to her stomach, Kiara stared at her new enemy. The yokai before her was most unusual: a serpentine creature that reminded her of a mallet. Eyes like obsidian stared at her from an ugly face that had a mouth filled with sharp teeth.
That thing doesn’t have any arms. How did he hit me?
“With my head,” the yokai answered, his lips twisting into a macabre grin.
Did he just—
“Read your thoughts?” the yokai finished her thought. “Yes, I did.”
Now thoroughly unsettled, Kiara played off her anxiety by giving him a confident grin. “And what the hell are you? I’ve never seen your kind before.”
“That does not surprise me,” the yokai said. “My kind are quite rare. Most people have never even heard of a nozuchi, much less seen one.”
“Nozuchi, huh?” Kiara muttered. Louder, she said, “I don’t know what that is, but I don’t really care. If you think you can give me a good fight, then bring it.” Kiara gave him a “come on” gesture. “I’ll be happy to shove my foot up your ass.”
Kotohime felt the sting of numerous cuts. Blood leaked from her body. Her clothing was torn. Yet still she moved, remaining calm even though she was on the defensive. Even as her enemy bore down on her with powerful dances, she remained placid, taking attacks and doing her best to redirect them, minimizing the damage done to her body.
“Dance of the Crescent Moon.”
Two crescent waves of energy flew from Alice’s fan, slicing the air. Kotohime grimaced as she unsheathed her katana and cut them in half. She would have used Transient Counterforce, but she wanted to conserve her youki. The two crescent waves split and flew away from her. They struck the sides of a building, causing the wall to collapse. The entire building soon followed.
“What is wrong, dear?” Alice asked with a mocking laugh. “Are you having trouble keeping up?”
Kotohime did not respond. While it was not against her policy to banter with her enemy, she needed to conserve her energy. Thus far there had been no sign of Alice running out of dances.
“Kukuku, do try to keep up with me, dear. Dance of Many Petals.”
With a wave of her fan, Alice created millions of tiny flower petals that engulfed Kotohime, who cried out as she felt cuts appear along her body. Gritting her teeth, Kotohime realized that she could not afford to try and conserve youki right now. She would surely die if she did nothing.
“Ikken Hissatsu. Ougi.”
Spinning around, she unleashed a short but intense blast of youki from her blade in the form of a shock wave. The energy slammed into the petals. Most of them were sliced apart while the rest dispersed as they were blown away.
“So you do still have some fight left in you.” Alice laughed as she elegantly held a fan to hide her lips, which were no doubt smiling. “That is good. It would be a shame if you gave out on me now.”
This woman is sadistic.
“What are you doing now, I wonder.” Alice murmured as she opened her fans and revealed her next dance. “Dance of the Black Widow.”
A thousand “webs” seemed to shoot from Alice’s body. Taking a calming breath, Kotohime sheathed her katana and slid back into a battoujutsu stance. Her blade appeared as glimmers of light as she sliced the “webs” apart. Alice laughed.
“Yes! Fight! Struggle! More! Give me more!”
This woman… she is truly getting off on this. How vulgar.
“Dance of the Whirlwind!”
Kotohime warily watched as Alice began to spin. As the woman’s spinning picked up speed, streamers of wind appeared all around her, creating what looked almost like miniature tornadoes. One of those threads slammed into the road and cracked it, abrasions spreading along the surface.
Channeling her own youki through her blade and into her legs, she prepared her final attack. The threads attempted to strike her down, but Kotohime chose that moment to burst into action, launching herself across the ground in a sprint. Her arms protested as she cut through the threads that tried to cut her apart. She swerved left and cut a thread that came at her from above, juked right and spun around, striking another, then bent her knees and shot through a literal wall of threads that threatened to slice her into pieces.
Then she was past the threads, right in her opponent’s guard. There was a split moment in which their eyes met. Not even a second later, Kotohime was moving past Alice, her blade extended in front of her.
“Oh, my. It seems you even cut my whirlwinds.” Alice shuddered in post-orgasmic bliss as she licked her lips. “Truly, I am glad to have sided with Kanya and come here.”
Kotohime turned, facing her foe. “It sounds to me like there is division within the Yamata Alliance.”
“Fishing for information?” Alice laughed. “Not that I care. You know how we yokai are. We’re simply too different from each other to ever truly get along. There is always going to be division. You are correct, however. While Hebi seems more interested in fighting against the humans, there are many of us who see you as the greater threat.”
“So I see.”
“Let us not speak of this anymore. Come! Let me feel the joy of watching you suffer! Dance of the Lily Blossoms!”
Kotohime frowned as the world around her distorted. Swirling petals from water lilies appeared all around her, creating a sense of vertigo as colors mixed and blurred. This was most definitely an illusion. Flaring her youki, Kotohime tried to break the illusion.
It didn’t break.
“What—gya!!”
Kotohime screamed as the petals sliced into her flesh. Crimson ichor sprayed from the wounds. Her skin felt like it was on fire!
T-this isn’t an illusion—u-ugh!
Despite knowing that it was already too late, Kotohime tried to blast the petals away with a battoujutsu technique, but she couldn’t concentrate. The petals continued to come at her. Kotohime screamed as more cuts appeared along her skin. They were like fire burning her flesh. All she could do was impale her katana into the ground and grit her teeth, until the technique eventually ceased.
“You’re still standing, I see.” Alice licked her lips. “My, what resilience. I’ve never met another being who could take on each one of my dances and still survive. Be proud of yourself.”
Kotohime huffed. “That was… your last dance?”
Alice smiled. “Do not think it means you’ll be able to win, darling. You’re clearly exhausted, and I’m still fresh. Even without my dances, I still have other techniques.”
“No, I’m afraid you’ll not have time to use those other techniques.”
“Excuse me?”
Surging to her feet, Kotohime sheathed her blade, slid her feet across the ground, then lowered her center of gravity. Her youki surged. The wounds on her body healed over instantly, leaving behind pristine skin that was whiter than snow.
Alice faltered. “What the—”
“You seem to be under a misconception, Alice-san,” Kotohime said. “I have not exhausted myself at all. I’ve merely been saving up my youki for this moment.”
Alice’s eyes bulged. “What do—now, hold on! That can’t be—”
“This is the end.”
Kotohime burst forward, her body appearing as a mere flicker of light, an afterimage that not even Alice could follow. A flash of silver. That was all that could be seen as hers and Alice’s paths intersected for a brief moment. Then Kotohime was behind Alice, slowly sheathing her katana, which rang out with an ominous click.
“Ikken Hissatsu. Tsukuyomi no Shi no Sutoraiki.”
There was no scream of pain, no intense gurgling. All Kotohime heard was a loud squelch, followed by a wet plop as a body divided into numerous chunks hit the ground. This was Kotohime’s most powerful one-hit kill technique: Tsukuyomi no Shi no Sutoraiki. The Moon Goddess’s Death Strike. She didn’t even need to look behind her to know that Alice was nothing but a bloody chunk on the ground.
Kotohime took a deep breath, held it, then blew it out. The battle was finally ove
r. Sheathing her blade, she took a single step forward—then fell flat on her face, her exhausted body no longer able to hold itself up.
It seems I’ve overexerted myself…
Sighing, Kotohime decided that she would check on her companions after taking a few minutes to recharge her youki.
Kiara knew that she was in trouble. The nozuchi, Kanya, was quite possibly the worst sort of enemy for someone like her. It wasn’t that he was stronger than her, which he wasn’t, but that his strange ability to read her mind made it impossible for her to hit him.
She launched a powerful straight, but her slippery foe slithered around her fist, then slammed his head into her and released a powerful shock. The feeling of what felt like hundreds of thousands of volts traveling through her caused Kiara’s mind to blank. When her senses returned to her, she was forced to roll along the ground as an ice spike impaled the ground where her head had been.
Digging her hands and feet into the ground, Kiara channeled her youki to her mouth, which opened as she unleashed a ferocious howl. Force pressure winds blasted from her mouth. It tore apart the ground, ripping the floor to shreds and destroying everything in its path. Unfortunately, Kanya was no longer where she’d been aiming.
“What are you trying to hit?” a voice asked from behind her.
Kiara gritted her teeth as she created a shield with her youki. An intense red aura appeared around her body just in time. Something powerful slammed into her back, causing her to stumble, but Kiara used her own stumbling to launch a kick at Kanya. Despite the attack being straight and true, the serpentine yokai still managed to slip around her foot.
This isn’t working.
Kiara wanted to howl in frustration. None of her attacks were hitting. It didn’t matter how much more powerful she was than him if she couldn’t even hit him.
I need to do something unpredictable, but—
“You’re not sure if it will work?” Kanya finished her thoughts with a grin. “You’re right. It won’t work. Nothing you do will work against me.”
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