Demon on Road

Raphael... What lies in his Soul is Domination


Shura...

I know you can hear me...

Shura, the demon warrior. The creature that had been known as Bloodlust. Shura. The one who hunted down demons and destroyed them. Now she was reduced to being a simple host for a power far greater than her own. But she would not admit it. After all it was not actually possible. She was Shura afterall.

You cannot ignore me Shura. You know you hunger for power. You want my power, but... I do not believe you deserve it. There it was again. The voice of Eternal. The creature that now existed within her body.

"I do not need your power." Shura replied, her words were barely audible as they left between her firm pressed lips.

But you want it. Don't you? Eternal replied in a some what seductive tone.

Shura could barely keep her mind focused in the real world now a days. She was forced to trudge along some dirt road leading across some land. Eternal told her which direction too walk and she was expected to obey. She could not very well refuse him after her pitiful excuse for a fight with him. But she would not accept that she needed him.

Her stomach wound still pained her. It was no longer the sharp firing pain as it once had been but it still ached. She wondered why Eternal had not bothered to heal it. She had already seen he had the power to keep her moving so why let her still suffer. Was it a reminder?

Shura kept on walking. That was all she could really do. Her surroundings never really seemed to change. The grasslands were the same green as they had been fifteen minutes ago. The wind still blew from the east, pushing at her back as if it was urging her forward. The only thing that really did change was the position of the sun. Not even the temperature had seemed to shift.

Her katanas rested in their sheathes upon her back. She had not touched them since the day she lost against Eternal. The blades had been cleaned before they were put away but other then that, Shura had no wish to draw them and remember her humiliation.

The sound of water caught Shura's ears. There was a river close by. Cautiously Shura picked up her pace, soon she came upon the river. The water ran south down stream. It was wide enough that a bridge had been built to cross it but it was not necessary.

The bridge spanned a short distance. Almost twenty to thirty meters in length and made of solid stone. It arched halfway through it in an upward hunch, with walls that came up to an average sized beings waist. On the bridge stood a lone figure dressed in a black laced up shirt trimmed in silver, and black pants. He wore a black coat over top that had its ends split in many different areas and trimmed in gold. The cuffs of his sleeve were white and he had black gloves. His boots were barely visible but the insignia embedded on them in a deep shade of purple was clear enough to make out on the base black material. The mans neck was covered by a dark green mantle that wrapped around his neck and stretched up and covered a part of his face. He wore a dark green hat, one that a musketeer may have worn in other lands. His hair was a blond colour and he had pale skin. At his side on his green belt hung a rapier decorated with fancy colours. The blade was also double edged and was a bit wider then the standard rapiers were.

Shura continued walking passing the man no mind but as soon as she stepped foot on the bridge the man looked up at her. Their eyes met and Shura felt recognition claw at her. She knew this man.

No! Eternal boomed in her mind but he was too late. Shura's hands flew to her Katanas at the same time as Raphael's flew to the hilt of his rapier. His green eyes recognized her at the same time as she did him.

Their blades drew and clashed, metal sparked as Shura's katana was parried by Raphael's mastery of fencing. A quick flick snapped the blade of his rapier up near her cheek almost scratching her had she not twisted in order to bring her left hand along with her second katana into the fight.

Raphael, in a smooth and solid motion ducked the second katana as he spined around, his rapier flowed with his body as he moved. As Raphael came out of his spin he thrust forward into a lunge, one foot forward and arm thrust out in a precise strike at Shura's right shoulder.

Shura's right katana managed to deflect the strike and knock the rapier away granting her a very short grace period in which she immediatly followed up with her left katana, swinging it in an arc infront of her, the blade cut into Raphael's side.

Blood burst out from the wound and for a second Shura saw Raphael's green eyes go wide in shock. Then he whispered a word. "Amy." With such devotion that Shura paused for a brief moment in confusion. His foster daughter? She wondered. Then she saw his eyes change colour. The green suddenly fazed out and red seemed to spark in his irises as they changed colour. Turning into the colour of blood, Raphael bared his fangs in a snarl before leaping forward.

His rapier seemed to move with unimaginable speed, each strike slowly seemed to move faster, and it took just a little bit longer each time for Shura to block the next strike. She felt her leg hit the side of the bridge, the blade of the rapier cut into her shouder. Shura tried to take another step back but now both of her legs hit the side. The blade cut into chest next, another in her side. Why was this happening. Where was her power?

The demon... That's where. She had relied on him for too long.

Suddenly the blade stopped striking and Shura fell to her knees. Her katanas dropped to the ground at her sides. Her arms seemed to be useless. Slowly she looked up at Raphael's face.

"Well then. It seems you are no longer a threat."

"Would you like...to have another go?" Shura replied, blood dripping down from her mouth, she spit out what was inside out onto Raphael's garbs. "Perhaps...you might actually do better"

Raphael merely smiled. His eyes fazed back to their usual green. "Well then." He said with a large flourish. "Shall we dance?" He asked in a mocking tone.

Slowly Shura tried to garb hold of her katanas but Raphael's blade at her neck made her stop.

"Or, I could just finish this right now. Purge you from this land. After all there is no need for one such as yourself in the new world." Raphael said.

How pathetic. Eternal merely said. Shura. So feared. So strong. I had thought you were weak only because you fought one such as me. But it turns out you were just weak altogether.

Shura could feel her anger rising. The creature in her body taunted her? Where was her strength? She stared at Raphael with determination as her blood lust began to rise. Give me your power. Shura said.

Eternal just scoffed at her.

I said give it to me! Shura shouted and she reached out. There it was inside of her. An enormous power just like the demons except stronger, far stronger and vast. It dwarfed the demons power in comparison. She grasped it she felt a surge of power, energy that seemed to flood her body.

You are not ready. Eternal said, but made no move to stop her. Shura ignored him. She drew on more and before she knew it her hands were around the hilts of her katanas and the sprung into action. The blades flew together and in one fluid motion she deflected the rapier from her neck and rose to her feet.

Raphael took a step back in shock but he quickly regained his composure and readied himself once again. Shura felt a smile touch her face as she drank in the power inside of her. She readied herself in her stance, waiting for Raphael to make the fist move. She was confident. She was prepared. She was Shura, once again.

"What's them matter pretty boy." Shura said coyly. "Can't use that sword of yours on a real woman?"

For a second all was still, all was calm. Shura could feel the beating of her heart. It pounded with the power she was drawing upon. Raphael stood there, as if he was judging the odds of his success. All it lasted for was a second, and then Raphael moved.

His rapier split through the air, Shura moved without thinking. Raphael's strikes were a blur, but she was lighting. She deflected every strike, parried every blow. Raphael could not touch her. Her skin began to warm, the power was exhilarating. Then suddenly Shura sprang into the air, dodging a strike she did a backflip and landed on the wall of the bridge. Rapael sprang forward, his rapier slashed in a horizontal arc at her feet but Shura merely leaped into the air, drawing on the power to teleport her far above Raphael. She crashed down upon him with her twin katanas, Raphael leaped to the side barely avoiding the strike. Rocks splintered and shattered apart as Shura hit the ground, a wave of power sprang out around her for a brief moment.

That is enough Shura. This time Eternal tried to block the power coming to Shura but it was too late. She was holding too much, and she would not allow the flood of power to stop.

Her skin was burning now, and she began to laugh. She could not think anymore. She just acted. Raphael tried to back away but Shura would not let him. One katana lashed out at his neck, his rapier barely blocked the strike but Shura's second katana was too fast for him to stop. The blade cut him across his right side, blood burst from the wound and Rapael stumbled.

That one opening was all Shura needed. She rushed forward, her katanas a blur. Raphael tried to block, tried to parry at least one of the blades but before he knew it, Shura had sliced his right hamstring and put a large cut on his left cheek. Raphael fell to one knee and Shura tried to savour the moment of victory. It was then she realized she could not stop.

She could not feel her body, the power had dwarfed any feeling she had. Just the warm tingling sensation was all that was there. Then her hands began to tremble. The rock beneath her was cracking. She tried to move but she could not. Slowly her whole body began to shake and she felt the power lift her into the air.

Raphael stared at her in horror and tried to get up onto his feet, to get away from what was happening. Shura let out a scream as the power ripped out of her, lashing at everything around her. Energy lanced through the air, a bolt struck Raphael and threw him into the air. Bolts struck the bridge until finally everything exploded around her from one final focused burst that came from Shura. The bridge exploded in a flurry of rock and Shura fell into the river, barely conscious as the current took her downstream.

You were warned. Eternal said.

Shura slowly felt the darkness coming for her. Her eyes began to shut, her breathing began to slow. A burst of pain laced through her body and Shura's eyes shot open. Her mouth was open in a wordless scream. She was in pain and she could not move, could not speak, could not make a sound.

Next time, you will die. Eternal said in a warning tone. The pain disappeared and Shura was left trembling inside. What was she now?

Rise Shura. We head to the city of Kiyosavia. There is a power there that I must find.

Reluctantly Shura felt her body begin to move. She slowly swam to shore and gathered her equipment. Eternal would not permit her to rest. As she began to walk in the direction of the city she pondered a single thought. There was a warrior in that city. One who never lost a fight. She had always wondered if she could best him in combat. But could she now, after how weak she had become. Could she really defeat, Mitsurugi.