Beneath the late afternoon's light and the protective shadows of the alley, Shinobu managed to gather the remaining six cult members who were able to escape the police in time. Besides Keiichi, there were also four nerds and one jock. The small number annoyed her deeply. If only that stupid plushie would have been faster, she may have been able to inform more cultists in time. From where she stood, the only option was to move forward with what she still had and recruit new members when the opportunity arose once more.
"Are you all that's left?" Shinobu asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice.
"I'm afraid so. By the time you sent us all that text message, the police had already arrived on campus. I was lucky to have been in the bathroom then. The others were studying in the library, and Hojo here was busy running a few laps," explained Keiichi as he dusted his brown suit and white shirt. Coupled with a red tie, black pants and leather shoes, he looked so plain that he reminded the girl of all those preppy students from the council who disgusted her to no end.
She followed with another question, "What happened to the rest?"
"They've been caught by the police. They found damning evidence such as robes and bloodied knives in their lockers and dorm rooms. I'm afraid the cops will be after us next."
Shinobu clenched her fist and spoke through her teeth, "One way or another, I swear I'll have my revenge on that traitor Jack Thornton!"
"How are we going to do it?" one of the nerds inquired. "He hasn't even showed up today."
"Yeah, from what I heard, he and his girlfriend will be guarded by the police 24/7," another added.
"Besides, we only have a bunch of knives. What good will that do against trained armed thugs?" the third argued.
"Oh, do not worry about this, my faithful. I assure you, in due time, that Texan scum will get his comeuppance!" the raven-haired girl declared with a chilling thirst for blood in her cold yellow eyes. "Now I require your full attention. Today we will meet the master."
"You mean that spooky purple light thingy from last night?" Hojo asked in his deep masculine voice, trying not to laugh at the absurdity. "Did you find a good video projector to scare the living hell outta us or what?"
"Don't you dare mock our master Shishima!" Shinobu fixated the muscled good-looking young man with her murderous glare. "He is as real as each and every one of you!"
"Babe, babe, calm down. If he's real, all you have to do is show him to us." The jock approached the cult leader and gave her a seductive wink. "And besides, I wouldn't mind if we had some fun in these dark alleys right after that, if you know what I mean. It's certainly more moody than Hellhole."
"If seeing is believing, then just follow me, honey." She smiled back at him while slowly backing into the shadows. "And that applies to the rest of you!"
Heeding her demand, they all went deeper into the dark alley, trying to ignore the stench and humidity. After a few moments walk, they found a strange figure donning jeans, a T shirt and a jacket, standing against a metallic fence, its face covered by a hood and black hair. Shinobu stood aside for her goons to witness their master, but much to her disappointment, Hojo burst into laughter while Keiichi and the others began whispering among themselves in disbelief.
"This guy is gonna lead us? A filthy hobo hiding here with the rats?" the jock belittled while getting in the face of the hooded one. "Hey, tough guy, when was the last time you took a bath? And was it with trash or actual soap?" The figure remained silent, as if it did not even acknowledge their presence. "Hey asshole, I'm talking to you." The athlete grabbed his black shirt and pulled him closer. "What's the matter? You want us to call you 'master' and kneel down before you? Will that open your mouth?" When he saw that he could not get any word out of the strange freak, Hojo shoved him against the fence and walked back to his friends. "Shinobu, this guy's a faker. I don't know what made you think-"
A clawed hand came out of Hojo's crotch, holding his bloodied genitals and pelvic bones out for everyone to see. Once he got over the initial shock, the student was about to scream, but another clawed hand pierced his neck, tearing his vocal chords. In his peripheral vision he could notice a pair of black eyes with glowing red irises fixating him, and a mouth with sharp fangs grinning at him. A snake-like voice whispered into his ear, "This is the fate of all who dare mock me. I am this world's future, and you no longer belong there. Farewell."
The last thing Hojo felt was the two hands tearing into his body as they united in his stomach region. The two hunks of bloodied flesh collapsed on the ground, leaving the students stunned, with the exception of Shinobu, who eagerly awaited the gory punishment. Demon Subaru crossed his arms and stared at them expectantly. What they usually accomplished using knives and getting slightly drunk for courage, he did in mere seconds using only his hands. Truly this was no human, their leader was not lying. In awe at this creature's display of power and in fear for their own lives, each student fell on their knees and bowed their heads before him.
Police sirens echoed in Sagakin's historic center, bringing some life to the bleak and mostly abandoned neighborhood. Bochiborof, Demon Edo and Demon Sora peeked from the safety of an empty house at how the officers were raiding the Hellhole bar, searching for clues that would lead them to the rest of the cult.
"As expected, the Spawns of Shishima are now in need of a new base," the purple plushie remarked, trying to contain his amusement. "I wonder how that Shinobu girl will be able to rebuild her little group of fanatics."
"I'm more concerned about having humans aid our cause," the green haired one replied. "They are weak compared to us and, quite frankly, Shinobu seems untrustworthy."
Demon Edo burst into mocking laughter. "That's new, since when were you allowed to use your brain, huh?"
Demon Sora growled back at him, baring out her fangs, and then she lashed at her brown haired partner, who was quick to spread his wings and grab her claws. Bochiborof sighed at their immature conflict and swiftly punched both their heads.
"You idiots, now's not the time for your petty squabbles! Do you want the police to find us?"
"I'm sorry, Bochiborof-dono. It's just that he was-"
"I don't care about your fragile little ego, Demon Sora. Both of you need to focus on the mission at hand and not bother yourselves with the humans! Their cult is the master's responsibility, not yours."
"We understand, sir!" both duelists replied, giving him a polite bow.
"Now let's head back to the college, we've got work to do!"
The sunset had an eerie shade of red on that evening. Once the Computer Science course ended, Hajime decided to stay in the laboratory to fully focus on his research. Although the professor found his determination rather odd, the old man decided to leave the key at the guard, who would return to lock the classroom in two hours. Now left alone, the young one opened his laptop's case and took out two decks – the one Tsugumi had passed on to him and the other his main deck which he would upgrade with a few copies from the new card he received, Kirazeus Savark.
Hajime googled the name 'Shishima' on the internet, but the results were far from what he wished, since it was a fairly common Japanese name. Changing the search to 'Shishima demon', he had the displeasure of only finding articles about a manga character called Iihiko Shishime. After searching through a few more pages, eventually he discovered an obscure website dealing with the Japanese occult. It was there that he found a list of youkai which were split in different categories. Once he reached the category daiyoukai, which meant Great Demon, he found Shishima's name. After clicking on it, he was taken to a new page which contained crude old sketches of a creature which resembled a winged purple ogre. There was also information regarding the monster's past apparitions and powers, coupled with his own myth. A smile of great satisfaction grew on his face – he had finally found the information he so desperately craved. He quickly muted his phone so that nobody would bother him and then fully focused his attention on the texts.
The Fall
In a time long forgotten, in the space between Hell and Purgatory, there lived a race of beings known as youkai. For millennia they have waged war upon the Heavens, striving to control the empty fields of Purgatory as a launching point in their invasion of the enemy's territory. Among these demons, one particular royal couple conceived a child that would one day become the greatest evil known since.
On that cursed day, the nightmare they birthed crawled out of the Abyss, for its mother desired for utter fear to befall upon all those who dared oppose her rule.
But lo, her wishes were far too wicked even for the youkai, and she ended up in opposition to the father's will, who claimed ownership over their spawn of evil, taking it under his wings.
For a while, both son and father inspired their Twilight Kingdom of devil-kin to muster forward and invade the lands above, and by conquering Purgatory, the once delicate balance between the realms would shatter.
The war between the angels and demons was long and bloody, unlike any other from the past, spanning for thousands upon thousands of years... until the Twilight Kingdom broke Purgatory's gates...
On that fateful hour, the kings of both realms fought against one another till they drew their last breath, dying by each other's sword.
Having witnessed his father's demise at the hands of the most hated enemy, the son flew into a rage fueled by madness and thirst for blood, no matter whose blood he would spill. He massacred most of his enemies and many of his own soldiers.
The killings continued until the queen banished him from her kingdom, throwing the boy into the mortal realm, where he was bound to mankind forever.
The lands of men would come to know of this youkai as Shishima, a tale passed down from generation to generation, of the shadowy demon cursed in an endless cycle of reincarnation, forced to inhabit the body of a man.
But not any average mortal, for he would only be reborn inside the cruelest, most malicious and vile men known to Earth. His saga thus continued, for every great atrocity that befell mankind had its origin in Shishima.
But only the few monks who had the unfortunate luck to meet him knew of this. They were the only ones to keep him at bay, by spreading purified salt around their temples or homes, thus shielding themselves from the vile creature's influence.
It is said that the one whose body would inhabit this beast would bear its mark, the tiny scarlet embers lighting up the pitch-blackness of his eyes, the burning flames of Hell lit in the Abyss. The mark would manifest itself in moments of anger, cruelty or when the host would resort to the vilest of acts.
The demon's power is so vast, that it can make men see things which are not there, and plunge their minds into despair, fear and inevitable death. The creature wields the shadows like its puppets, and if it enters a man's mind, then that person is lost forever...
Let it be known, that whomsoever shall have the misfortune of encountering the daiyoukai, will have to be prepared beyond any measure, for only those with the strongest of wills can endure his vile torments and sweet whispers of temptation.
Students rushed out of the University of Sagakin, headed either for the bus or their own vehicles, each of them desperate for the safety and comfort of their homes and dorm rooms. No matter how much they struggled to hide their fear, Bochiborof could still see it on their faces from the bushes in which he and his cohorts were hiding, and it amused him to no end.
"Oh, I love it so much, the fear of these pathetic mortals is bringing me so much joy!" the plushie squealed with delight. "If only they knew what's in store for tonight..."
"I still don't get it. Why are we wasting our time putting up a huge show for Tsugumi's grandchild?" Demon Sora wondered.
"Stop worrying your pea brain with the master's intentions and just follow his orders. That's all you're good for anyway," Demon Edo dismissively replied.
The green haired girl put her sharp claws around his neck, a threatening tone in her voice as she uttered, "Don't you dare mock me again!"
"That won't be a problem, you don't have the brain power to notice most of my mocking anyway." He giggled at her expense, not in the least worried for his own safety. Angered by the arrogance of his words, she began tightening the grip of her claws, but then Bochiborof punched both of them in the head yet again.
"Quit your useless bickering and focus! Tonight we have an important mission on our hands, so you two best not screw it up! In just a few more minutes, the only ones remaining on campus will be the college staff. We must infiltrate the building as soon as the coast is clear. Once night falls, Shinobu and her lackeys will dispose of the staff and lock all the doors and windows."
"All fine and dandy, but how do we know that Hajime is still on campus?" Demon Edo asked while rubbing his now free neck.
"Sniff the air, moron. His scent is still coming from the inside," Bochiborof explained, slightly annoyed. "Besides, we will make sure that he won't leave the campus tonight, just as the master wishes."
"It seems that there are no more students coming out," Demon Sora noticed. "Has the time come?"
"Yes, split up and get in as quickly as possible. Kill whoever seems to notice you and be in your designated positions by 8 PM. I will keep you updated with each of your tasks by phone. Now go!"
Both duelists nodded. "Understood, Bochiborof-dono!"
Hajime finished reading the article on Shishima and was left in utter shock. How did this supernatural being get here? What does it want? How can I stop it? Those questions bothered him to no end, just like how they must have bothered his grandmother way back in her youth. It was at that point he realized the true gravity of the situation. He was not dealing with a murderer or mere evil spirit, but with a demon who could make even the sanest man doubt reality itself. Deep inside, he knew that no matter how strong and disciplined he would become, it may still not be enough to deal with this threat. For the first time that week he started to regret his stubborn decision of avenging Ken. Maybe this quest for justice was too much for someone like him, maybe Jack and Lori were right to let the police handle this case.
All of a sudden, the lights began to flicker and a chilling breeze filled the entire classroom. Looking around, Hajime saw that the windows were all shut. This was definitely a bad omen. He quickly packed his decks, laptop and course papers, put them all in the same suitcase and got up to leave. Upon opening the door, he noticed that the corridors were unusually dark and empty, save for the street lights coming from outside. As much as he did not want to admit, it may have already been too late for him to back out of this. The only option he had was to face his fears head first. Gulping, he stepped out and headed for the exit...