An encounter with Golden...
(-)
For Uzui Tengen, it is an extremely rare occurrence for him to encounter anyone whose 'flamboyantness' is able to meet his high standards. Even among his fellow Pillars, the Sound Pillar is considered to be especially eccentric, and that's before you take into account his flashy attire. Thus it came as a great yet also delightful surprise for him when he happened across his current traveling companion, who shares a similar appreciation for fanciful esthetics to his own. Though there just happened to be one point of contention between the two.
"Again, I'm telling you that diamond is the better option!"
"Bah! That clear rock holds no value outside of being resilient! Gold is the obvious choice! That's why it's called the Gold Standard!"
"At least a diamond doesn't scrunch up like putty when you squeeze it! Besides, gold is only able to present a single color, unlike a diamond which can create a rainbow!"
"That's just the rock stealing from others since it doesn't have a color of its own!"
"It's the other colors that are mimicking it!"
"I don't care how many times you try to prove it otherwise, gold will always be the more appealing of the two!"
"Diamond!"
"Gold!"
"DIAMOND!"
"GOLD!"
For anyone listening on, the two men seemed to be engaged in the most ridiculous argument imaginable, but for the participants of said argument it was a topic that neither were willing to back down from. In fact, if Uzui wasn't already convinced that his travelling companion had the strength to back up his words, he'd be heavily tempted to allow their argument to devolve into a fistfight just to enforce his stance on the subject. However if the blonde man's power lived up to his name -which he claimed to be Sakata Kintoki; as in, the legendary demon slayer- then there would certainly be massive collateral damage should a battle break out. Though whether or not the man was actually who he claimed to be -which was extremely farfetched- Uzui wasn't concerned with his probable delusions so long as he was able to properly carry out the mission. All that mattered was that his companion was competent when it comes to killing demons, which had already been demonstrated when he decapitated several demons with his odd-looking ax. Uzui wasn't really fussed about the burly man's unconventional choice of weapon -not like he was the only demon slayer who uses an ax instead of a sword- though he was curious about the odd design and how it seemed to perpetually hold a static charge. Lightning styles were mainly associated with fast movements and streamlined swords, not something as cumbersome as an ax.
Uzui threw up his hands in aggravation. "Forget it! We're almost at the red-light district, we'll finish this discussion later!"
The blonde released a huff of annoyance but conceded that the mission at hand was the more pressing matter. "Agreed. So what's the plan once we arrive?"
"First we need to make a stop at one of our safehouses before heading further in. We'll put together some disguises and review the intel my wives sent me."
Kintoki raised a brow at that remark. "'Wives'? As in plural?"
The Sound Pillar nodded. "Preliminary investigations turned up nothing, so my three wives, all of whom are top-class kunoichi, infiltrated some of the businesses as employees. However, they missed our regularly scheduled check-in. Hence why we are here."
Kintoki looked at Uzui with a grin of approval. "Three huh? That's totally Golden of you."
"On that we can agree."
(-)
Night had finally arrived by the time the duo made it into the red-light district proper. Uzui had been dressed up as a wealthy noble looking for a good time, while Kintoki was given the honor of being his bodyguard.
"There's definitely a demon here somewhere." the blonde (who was currently wearing a black wig, much to his ire) remarked under his breath.
Uzui gave him a half-glance. "You can tell for certain?"
He nodded. "I can't pin down the location, but there's something lingering in the air that I can't quite describe. Our target has been making their rounds here for quite some time."
"Well at least that gives us confirmation of my suspicions. Let's head to the first establishment that my wives were investigating." Uzui opined as he began moving towards his destination, only to pause when he noticed Kintoki hadn't moved from his previous position.
"What are you waiting for? Get over-"
Suddenly Kintoki ripped off his wig and shouted at the top of his lungs. "ATTENTION DEMON OF THE UPPER MOONS! MY NAME IS SAKATA KINTOKI, AND I HAVE COME HERE FOR YOUR HEAD! PRESENT YOURSELF IMMEDIATELY! IF YOU CHOOSE TO REMAIN HIDDEN, THAT WOULD BE VERY NOT GOLDEN OF YOU!"
Uzui practically blanched and nearly ripped out his hair at Kintoki's outburst. The damn fool had blown his cover almost immediately! There was no point in disguising oneself if you plan to reveal yourself the moment you enter the enemy's territory!"
The numerous people walking the street turned to regard Kintoki's outburst with confusion, thinking him insane. It didn't help that Uzui thought the same. And as if things could not get any worse, Kintoki pulled out his ax and slammed it against the ground. It was like a bolt of lightning struck the earth as a deafening thunderclap echoed through the district. The civilian confusion turned to panic as everyone within the vicinity fled in fear, leaving behind only Kintoki and Uzui. The latter had his hands at the formers throat in an instant.
"WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS FLAMBOYANT ARE YOU DOING!" he roared as he tried to wring the blondes neck.
"Summoning the enemy, of course!" he explained proudly. "There is no way that the demon will hide from us now."
Veins began to throb on Uzui forehead as he resumed his attempted strangulation in earnest. "My wives are gonna die because of you!"
"Oh, so these belong to you?" a sultry voice uttered from behind.
Looking down the street, the demon slayers spotted a lone oiran standing at a crossroads. She was breathtakingly gorgeous, but that beauty was clearly a façade. There was a dangerous glint in her eye as she blinked, and the kanji for the number 6 appeared on her pupils. Motioning her arms, several obi wrappings lifted up something from behind her. Presenting what she held to the two men, it was a trio of women bound in cloth. All three of them were Uzui's wives.
The Sound Pillar clicked his tongue in annoyance as he slipped his swords out from beneath his disguise.
"Damnit."
Kintoki's eyes narrowed in disgust beneath his glasses. "Hostages!? That is super not Golden of you!"
The demon woman scoffed. "At least I was smart enough to maintain my cover while I was here. You walked straight into the spiders web and just started plucking at the strings." lowering one of the bound women, the demon ran her fingers across her cheek. "These three thought they were so clever~. At least now they can be of use to me as more than just food."
The kunoichi tried to scream from beneath the bindings that bound her mouth, but only muffled rasps could be heard.
Looking at Uzui with a condescending gaze, the demon sneered. "How about a deal? You kill your golden friend there, and I will let one of your wives go free. I'll even let you choose which one you want to save and which you will let die~." she offered as she dangled the kunoichi in front of her as a shield.
Uzui was internally fuming. Had he faced this demon one-on-one, he was confidant he could beat her -making him ponder whether or not she was the real Upper Moon Six- but a hostage situation like this had thrown everything out of whack. He wouldn't be able to complete his Score without actual combat data, thus the odds of getting all of his wives out of this alive, let alone unharmed, was exceedingly low. He glanced at Kintoki, the reason why everything had spiraled out of control. The Sound Pillar was genuinely considering the offer the demon presented him with, if only to stall for time while he formulated a plan.
Yet the blonde man did not look the least bit worried, only disgusted at the demon's actions.
"You are the most un-golden person I have ever met." he remarked with disdain. Lifting his ax, he pointed it at the woman. "For your crimes, I shall punish you with my Golden light."
A roar of thunder could be heard in the distance.
Moving one of the hostage wives between her and Kintoki, the demon chuckled. "Just try it. One wrong move and this one's death will be on your hands."
Another thunderclap reverberated through the air. Uzui noticed something odd about the sound, it was getting closer.
"None of those women shall perish tonight, for that which is Golden always shines through the darkest of times!"
Thunder echoed yet again, even closer than before. The demon finally noticed the sound as well, glancing down the street to her left where it was coming from.
"In all the world, there is only one who is Golden enough to be my equal!" Kintoki exclaimed in pride.
They suddenly realized something; it was not thunder.
"My brother who rides upon lightning itself!"
It was the roar of a beast. An ungodly howl the likes of which none had ever heard before. A Golden light could be seen shining in the distance. Suddenly a great pillar of Golden flames erupted towards the sky, illuminating the night with its beautiful glow.
"GOLDEN DRIVE!"
Something sped past the intersection at high speed, something so fast that it was barely visible as a blur.
"GOODNIGHT!"
A massive wall of flames shot up from the ground where the light had traversed, forming a temporary barrier between the opposing fighters. It wasn't until the light began to die down did they realize something; the hostages were gone. The ends of the obi which had been holding them were singed from the blaze.
The demon lifted her gaze to meet Kintoki's. A look of excitement was plastered on his face. "Now I can't let him show me up, can I?"