The Okami Hero: Amaterasu

Arc 3: A Mind Divided

Chapter 7: Akuma-Hana Part 3

[Sunday 27th March 2280]

[The Astral Plain]

Faced with not one, but three fully transformed Demon Monkeys, Izumi couldn't help but narrow her eyes. Something wasn't right about this "Akuma-Hana"… He, or they, were different from the other Brush Demons she'd fought. Of course, with Hawks, Sakuya, Kacchan, Himiko, Master Onigiri and the Onikawa Brothers at her back, along with the rest of the Konohana Household, Izumi had zero doubt she would win…

But first, she'd need to get them a few minutes to strategise, and what better way to do it than by weakening the opponent?

"Kacchan!" Izumi yelled, causing the explosive boy to immediately run to her side; "Let's use our Flashy Combo."

Katsuki grinned and nodded, "On your mark!" he said, putting his palms together and gathering his explosive sweat there. Izumi created a small Cherry Bomb and tossed it at the Demons.

"NOW!" Izumi cried.

Her Cherry Bomb exploded with a blinding light, just as Katsuki roared; "Stun Grenade!" and released a similar blinding flash with his Explosion Quirk. The two rapid blinding flashes were enough to have the Demons reeling and howling, rubbing their eyes. This gave Izumi just the opening she needed to point her palm to the sky and cast Sunrise.

The Demons' shrieking grew louder and more pained as the Astral Plain was converted back to Izumi's side, but she knew they'd soon recover and transform it into the conflicted state, so Izumi signalled everyone to group up nearby. Everyone ran from the screaming Demons and took cover behind a makeshift crystal barricade made by the Maeda Sisters.

"Are any of you seriously injured?" Izumi asked immediately, looking over them all, "I can smell blood, but I don't have the energy to waste on minor wounds right now, so if you can still move and fight without risk, please endure." she said, frowning a little. Even if the Holy Bone Bites she'd eaten earlier had restored her stamina a lot, she was still far from running at full capacity.

Everyone looked themselves over, but other than a nasty wound on Aokiji's side (which he'd frozen shut), there was nothing serious enough that Izumi had to heal it.

"It'll be a few minutes before the Demons come after us, so we need a plan before then." Izumi said once she'd healed Aokiji.

"Why didn't you use their blindness to purify them immediately?" Torikago asked. It had been 8-9 years since she'd been possessed, and the details of how purification worked were foggy.

"It takes time and physical contact with their chests. If I don't stop their movements first, I'll just get smacked aside." Izumi explained.

"So we need to hold them down in order to purify them? With our numbers, we can likely manage it." Hitomi Maeda said.

Hawks nodded; "It's possible, but we need more information first. You guys were fighting him for a while; what can you tell us?"

The group thought carefully for a few minutes; "Well, other than Jin's cloning ability, we haven't seen much from them. They suddenly created those bizarre black instruments a little while before you all arrived." Gin Maeda answered.

Katsuki rolled his eyes; "You guys have no idea..." he shook his head, then looked to Izumi and Hawks; "The Original created two clones and put some kind of shadowy smoke inside them, turning them into the other two Red Eyes. The Original and the Red Eyes are identical in power, being able to make ten clones, but all other clones are normal and can only produce two, as if Jin wasn't possessed at all." he reported.

He'd spent enough time training to be a hero to know what information was most important to give. "Each generation of clones is weaker than the last, but most only take one hit to kill anyway. Also, they haven't shown what their Demon Powers are, or even given their title like "The Boar of Absorption" or "The Rat of Fusing", so we don't know what they can do."

"Also, while he can't do much, Jin-chan is still able to get a little bit of control over himself. He was crying when he was forced to try and kill me, and called my name." Himiko added.

Izumi took all this in, formulating a strategy while she listened and pulled at her lower lip. "Ishiko, without my memories, you're the expert of the Brush Gods. Considering their naming scheme, if this guy is Akuma-Hana, then he must be the Demon form of Hanagami. What can you tell us?"

The Poncle straightened up, "Firstly, there is no god called Hanagami… they are THE Hanagami; a triumvirate of Flower Gods that take the form of monkeys. I'm unsure why, but when the Brush Gods were born, the technique of "Greensprout" was seperated into three portions and so was the god that governed it. These gods are Sakigami; who wielded a Sho and could use "Bloom" to create flowers and trees, Hasugami; who wielded a flute and could use "Water Lily" to create various aquatic plants like Lily Pads, and lastly Tsutagami; who used cymbals and could use "Vine" to create vines to act as grapples and restraints. All three gods make up the Hanagami, and their techniques make up Greensprout". The only other thing I know about them is that they're very closely connected with one another… I suspect that what Katsuki explained, about the shadows going into the clones to make the other two Red Eye Clones, was the Demon's way of creating more vessels so all three could have their own." Ishiko explained.

"So, should we just blow up the Possessed Clones? It's not like destroying them would hurt Jin." Katsuki asked.

Sakuya shook her head; "Bad idea. Destroying the clones may send the Demon inside back to Twice, or it may try to possess one of us instead. We shouldn't risk it."

"What do we do then?" Doi Nazo asked.

"We should split into three teams. Two teams will distract two of the Demons while the third team works with Izumi to purify the last Demon. Once that Demon is purified, the third team can purify the second Demon while its distracted, and then we can all gang up on and purify the last one." Hawks suggested.

Suddenly, the Astral Plain was shaken by three loud roars, and the terrain was replaced by the conflicted version, showing the Demons had regained their sight and recovered enough energy to contest Izumi's control. It would only be a few moments before the Demons attacked them.

"We still don't know their powers!" Himiko pointed out.

"They're likely the opposites of the original powers. Greensprout is about creating plants of different kinds, so the Demon version will either be about killing plants or creating the logical opposite of plants." Izumi said.

"The opposite of plants? Would that be fire?" Himiko asked.

Before Izumi or anyone else could give an answer, a group of Twice Clones were suddenly upon them. The clones were completely human in appearance, so they lacked any Demon Powers, but they did still sport the weapons of the Demons who created them. Izumi, Katsuki and Himiko quickly destroyed the group with some Power Slashes, Explosions and knife strikes (courtesy of Himori's crystal knives, donated to replace the ones Himiko had lost), but the appearance of the clones proved the enemy was ready to fight.

Izumi psyched herself up; "We'll go with Hawks' team up plan with one addendum! All Non-Combatants stay on the sidelines until I signal you, then come help me hold down whichever Demon I'm purifying! Master Onigiri, stay and protect them. Aokiji and Sakuya, go for the Spider Monkey Demon. Akainu and Kacchan, go for the Mandrill Demon. Hawks, Himiko; come with me! We'll take the big Gorilla down first!" she ordered.

"Right!" everyone shouted, getting into position as Izumi ordered. In any normal disaster or battle, it would be Hawks who took charge as the Senior Hero; but when it came to Demons, it was up to Izumi to lead them. Assembling into their teams, they jumped from the crystal barricade and took a good look at what the Demons had created.

They were pumping out Twice Clones, but could only produce four now, one from each hand at a time, which of course meant the Original could only make another two, since he already had two clones. With a lower number of clones (and the clones acting more reluctant to fight and create more of themselves, knowing they'd be instantly killed), the army grew much slower than before, so the three combat teams were able to cleave through them in only a few moves to get at their targets, while the reserve team of non-combatants followed at a sedate pace so they wouldn't be caught in the fighting until Izumi called for them.

Aokiji and Sakuya threw themselves into battle with Akuma-Saki; the Spider Monkey Demon, while Akainu and Katsuki literally erupted as they attacked Akuma-Hasu; the Mandrill Demon and the one possessing Jin's real body. Both demons were sent flying by the initial attacks, separating them from Izumi's target; Akuma-Tsuta, the Gorilla Demon.

Once Izumi, Hawks and Himiko were left alone with their target, they learned two things; the first being that facing a six armed gorilla with three heads to see you coming from any direction made it nearly impossible to perform any kind of flanking manoeuvre…

The second was that Akuma-Tsuta's ability was disgusting.

The moment the trio engaged the Demon, Himiko went to his left and Hawks took to his right to keep him surrounded, while Izumi stayed in front of him and focused on drawing his attacks with her mirror. Just as Izumi moved towards him, either to attack or bait him into attacking so the others could strike, the Demon suddenly clapped his cymbals together, causing red ink to splash out from them with every impact. The ink rained haphazardly around the battlefield, seemingly staining the ground at random. Akuma-Tsuta didn't appear to have any control over where the ink fell, nor did he seem to care. Izumi's team dodged it and kept their distance, just in case, but the moment the Demon was done making the ink, they learned the disgusting nature of his power…

Intestines; fully formed human intestines shot from the ink, wriggling like giant pink worms and making horrible squelching sounds as they moved. The sight and smell of the organs nearly made both Himiko and Izumi puke on the spot, with even Hawks turning green at the sight of them. Worse still, Akuma-Tsuta could control them completely and used the Trio's disgust as an opening to shoot the intestines forward to bind them. The girls, too distracted by their protesting stomachs, couldn't dodge in time and were tied up, while Hawks barely managed to avoid the same fate by flying away and firing a few feathers at the disgusting tendrils, slicing them apart.

"Guts!?" Izumi shrieked; "Your power is making guts!?"

"Ehehe, not a nice power is it? The Hanagami were the Gods of Flowers! We Akuma-Hana are the Demon Apes of Flesh! We possess the power to create and manipulate the very building blocks of life! I bear the power of the flesh itself, allowing me to make anything from meat to organs. Akuma-Saki's power revolves around bones instead, while Akuma-Hasu is the Ape of Blood. Truthfully, our powers are weak and our transformations aren't strong enough to defeat you, Amaterasu… but you'll find we are impossible for you to defeat too! Our battle will rage forever, or until one of us escapes." Akuma-Tsuta declared, clapping his cymbals with one set of hands while pounding his chest with another and using the last pair to try and swat the flying Hawks.

Hawks directed some feathers to slice at the intestines binding Izumi and Himiko. He successfully freed Himiko, whom promptly began frantically waving her knives at anything pink or wiggly, but Izumi was suddenly jerked out of his trajectory, so only her arm was freed rather than her whole body. Whimpering and shuddering at the disgusting task, Izumi used her free hand's claws to shred the remaining intestine bindings. The feeling of her claws cutting through what was likely an accurate copy of Human Intestines made Izumi tear up in disgust and begin shaking with distress. She wasn't squeamish by a long shot; her healing efforts around Musutafu had ensured she had a strong stomach, but actually cutting guts with her own claws was taking things a step further than she was ready for.

Composing herself as best she could, Izumi said; "O-Okay, new plan. This guy's a clone right? Let's just slice off his limbs and purify him once he's just a torso. I am NOT dealing with this today!" she declared.

Himiko was fully onboard with this; "Let's do it! Blood I can handle, but the squishy innards? No thanks!"

"Agreed. Himiko, your knife won't be enough here, so stay back while Izumi and I prune this gorilla!" Hawks declared, drawing his now signature feather blades.

The Wing Hero flew forward at incredible speed, lopping off one of Akuma-Tsuta's arms before the Gorilla Demon could even react. He flew in a loop and sliced off another, but when he went for the third, Hawks found his attack blocked by one of the Demon's Cymbals. As his feather blade clanged against the black iron, the Demon spun his other one like a buzz saw and slashed it at Hawks, forcing the man to fly away. With Akuma-Tsuta's eyes focused entirely on following Hawks through the air, Izumi had a clear shot to Power Slash his legs, felling the Demon like a lumberjack felling a massive oak tree. The Demon roared like a Gorilla as he fell on his back, and Hawks used this opportunity to slice off two more arms while Izumi took the final two with another Power Slash. Reduced to nothing but a torso with three very angry and ugly heads, Akuma-Tsuta could do nothing as Izumi hopped on his chest. She didn't even need to call the reserve team to help her hold him down.

"Be purified! SUNRISE!" Izumi shouted, pressing the Mark of the Sun against Akuma-Tsuta's chest.

Akuma-Tsuta's body began to crack and darkness flowed out as mist, being chased by beams of light, just as the other demons had when Izumi purified them, but this time when he cracked, his host; a heavily damaged clone of Jin, simply melted into a puddle of goo, leaving the darkness to burn away in Izumi's Divine Light, and for the purified Brush God to take shape.

Tsutagami's body reshaped itself from the light that had chased the darkness from Akuma-Tsuta. The Monkey God's purified form took the shape of an unknown breed of ape, with a plump humanoid body, hand-like feet and thick white fur. It's shoulders and wrists had large wing-like crests of fur, similar to Izumi's Wolf Form, complete with the signature red Brush God Markings. Akuma-Tsuta's black iron cymbals had also turned into ornate golden ones with a smooth edge, instead of the old serrated edge. Finally, unlike the other Brush Gods, Tsutagami wore clothes in the form of a pink neckerchief and a matching pink pointed hat, similar to those warn by ancient Japanese Onmyoji.

"We did it!" Himiko cheered, "Just two more to go!"

Izumi nodded and turned to speak to the purified Tsutagami, intending on having him wait off to the side while she and her friends focused on the two remaining Demons, however the moment Tsutagami was fully formed and standing on the ground, something horrifying happened.

"AHHHHHH!" Tsutagami screamed, falling to the ground and writhing in horrible pain. Cracks began to appear in his pristine white body, and darkness flowed into him from Akuma-Saki and Akuma-Hasu, seemingly without the other Demons even noticing.

"Tsutagami!" Izumi yelled, rushing to try and do something to help him. She tried Rejuvenation and then another Sunrise, but to no avail, as the darkness swarming into him quickly exceeded and smothered Izumi's light.

Tsutagami, his body half distorted by the darkness, grabbed Izumi by the front of her shirt; "Get away from me, before I hurt you!" he bellowed, then threw her away from him with all his strength.

Hawks easily caught her and set her back on her feet, but by that time, Tsutagami had once again been fully corrupted, reduced to a shadowy black fog with no defining features beyond glowing red eyes.

Akuma-Hasu, having noticed all this while fighting Akainu and Katsuki, managed to blast them both back for a moment by using his ink technique to summon a small ocean of blood (ironically almost identical to the ink) and having it douse them, rendering them temporarily unable to use their fiery quirks. With his attackers distracted, the Demon used Twice's quirk to create a new clone and toss it to the newly re-corrupted Akuma-Tsuta.

"Tsuta! Take this!" he roared.

"Oh no you don't!" Katsuki yelled, shaking the blood off him enough to try and shoot an explosion at the clone before Akuma-Tsuta could possess it.

Before Katsuki could use his attack though, Izumi screamed; "Kacchan! Don't!"

This made him pause, and gave the re-corrupted demon just enough time to possess the clone and transform back into the massive Gorilla Demon he'd been before, complete with his black iron, serrated Cymbals. The moment his transformation was complete, Akuma-Tsuta began to laugh mockingly.

"Foolish girl, did you think I was merely bluffing when I said it was impossible to defeat us? We are the Akuma-Hana! A Single Brush Demon divided into three distinct forms! So long as even one of us remains filled with our Master's power, your attempts to purify us will be reversed!" he boasted.

Izumi paled and her eyes widened; she understood now… Purifying a Brush Demon was difficult, but purifying three at once? Did she even have that kind of power left in her? Even if she did, could she successfully hold all three Demons down long enough and close enough to use Sunrise on all three at once? Izumi felt panic began to build in her chest; she needed time to think about what she should do.

"Everyone! Fall back for a bit! Maeda Sisters, make us a barrier with your crystals!" Izumi yelled, turning to flee. Everyone reluctantly agreed, with the Demons howling with laughter as they fled. They didn't even bother attacking or pursing them, knowing full well that they had all the time in the world to slay Izumi's comrades. Once the group were a good distance away, the Maeda Sisters combined their quirks to create a large crystal wall, giving them some rudimentary protection from the Demons and their clones, since none but Akuma-Tsuta likely had the physical strength needed to knock it down.

"Things have taken a turn for the worse." Sakuya frowned, "Izumi, do you still have the power to use multiple Sunrises?"

Izumi nodded, though she looked unsure; "I think I can manage four or five, so our margin for error is slim."

Katsuki frowned; "Why'd you stop me blowing up that clone? Wouldn't it have been better to stop that Monkey Fuck from getting a host?"

"If the clone had been destroyed, Akuma-Tsuta would have looked for another host; namely one of you. That would make this fight even harder since not only would he have that person's quirk, but we'd have to hold back when fighting so as not to hurt the host. As long as he's possessing a clone, we could fight as hard as we like, so long as we don't destroy them completely." Izumi explained.

Himiko peeked over the barrier with a worried expression; "Poor Jin-chan… he must be suffering so much right now. Why aren't they attacking us?"

Izumi frowned; "You guys have been in the Astral Plain about an hour by this point, right?" they all nodded, "Well when I was learning how to come here, I was told that normal humans can only survive about three hours in this place, and they can't leave unless the person who brought them here leaves too. Those Demons want to kill you all to break me, but so long as they can survive for a couple more hours without being purified, you'll all die without them even having to lift a finger… what's more, I can't just take you with me and escape."

Everyone's faces turned grim. They hadn't mentioned it, due to the circumstances, but they were all feeling a little odd. It was becoming slightly harder to breathe, as if the air was becoming thinner, and their bodies felt heavier by the moment. They'd all independently dismissed it as the stress and exhaustion of the fighting, but now that they knew they couldn't survive here for much longer…

"Who the fuck cares!? We weren't running away like little bitches anyway!" Katsuki snarled, "That dumbass ape admitted that we just need to purify all three at once, right? So why don't we just team up, beat the shit out of 'em and then smack them together so you can fix them all at once? Jin'll get banged up, but speaking as a guy who got possessed; a few bruises are better than being some Demon Fuck's little bitch for the rest of your life!"

Hawks nodded; "Katsuki's crude, but he's got a point. Before he transformed earlier, Akuma-Hasu looked pretty scared at your arrival. If it really was impossible to defeat him, he'd have kept his composure."

Ishiko jumped up and down on Izumi's shoulder; "Hey, yeah! We know their abilities now, and we know what we need to do to purify them! Come on Izumi, you're our leader in this situation! You've got to have a plan! You took down Akuma-Baku and Akuma-Tachi by yourself after all!"

Izumi flushed, feeling everyone's support. They all believed in her, so she wouldn't let them down. Closing her eyes in thought, Izumi analysed everything she'd seen and heard from the Demons, coming up with the best strategy she could to defeat them. With all her friends with her, she had plenty of different tools to work with, and her only limitations were her own dwindling stamina and that of her comrades.

"I think I have an idea… The core of it is the same as before; we split into three main teams and a reserve team, but we'll need to be precise with our timing. I'll need to fight Akuma-Saki or Akuma-Tsuta, so I can use Power Slash to defeat them quickly without wasting more power. Hawks and/or Kacchan will need to fight the other one, since their quirks are the most damaging." Izumi began, "I was busy with Akuma-Tsuta, so I didn't see what Akuma-Saki could do."

Sakuya, who'd thought the Spider Monkey Demon, spoke up; "He's fast and nimble, able to easily jump over someone of Aokiji's height with a single bound. When he stops to play his Sho, red ink comes from the instrument's pipes and creates various types of bones. When Aokiji and I fought him briefly, he used ribs as spikes and to try and cage us, while also making a giant skull around himself to protect his body from damage. He can freely erase the bones he creates as well, but he can't manipulate the bones once their formed."

"The Mandrill Fuck can freely control the blood he makes, but aside from it being a fucking disgusting kind of hydro-kinesis, it isn't that big of a deal. He's also tough, but not that fast. Getting stabbed with his flute will be the biggest threat when fighting him." Katsuki said, explaining Akuma-Hasu's powers. The Onikawa Brothers, who'd fought alongside Sakuya and Katsuki, merely nodded.

Izumi gave a quick rundown of what Akuma-Tsuta could do (making everyone a little queasy at the mention of entrails) before turning to Katsuki; "Kacchan, your explosions don't actually need your arms to be free to move, so even if Akuma-Tsuta ties you up, you'll be able to break free. Akainu's fire attacks will work the same way, so you two should switch targets to Akuma-Tsuta."

"Got it." Katsuki nodded, "It's you and me again, Oni." the boy said, exchanging a fist bump with Akainu. Katsuki liked the Onikawa brothers; they were strong and didn't talk much, so they were his kind of guys.

"That leaves you to deal with Akuma-Saki. Your Power Slashes and Cherry Bombs should make bonemeal out of his attacks." Hawks said, "I'll support all three teams at range. So you should take Aokiji or Sakuya as back up."

Sakuya shook her head; "My power is based in the Natural World, so I'm weaker here in the Astral Plain. I'll hang back and assist Onigiri in defending the non-combatants. Aokiji, you'll be fighting with Izumi."

The Blue Oni Brother nodded, putting his fist up for a bump from Izumi, which she happily gave.

"Then it's decided, but I need volunteers for the team to take down Akuma-Hasu; he needs to be handled carefully, as his body is the real Jin Bubaigawara's." Izumi said, pulling on her lip.

"Let me do it." Himiko declared, "Jin-chan is my friend, and none of us would be in this situation if I hadn't stupidly brought him home without calling you all first… I want to help him!" she gave a determined grin, showing off her fangs; "Besides, he's the one with the Blood power, right? Who better to fight him then me?"

Izumi looked at her older sister with a small smile. She remembered what Himiko had said when she'd first decided to become a Hero...

"Yeah… I was never interested before, but..." Himiko paused, trying to find the right words; "But I feel so happy and light, like all my troubles are gone, and it's all because I was saved by a hero." she looked at Izumi with a beaming smile; "I want to give this feeling to others too. I want to live, love and die freely, knowing I've helped others do the same. I want that to be my new normal."

The Reborn Sun Goddess couldn't help but feel warm inside. Himiko was really trying hard to become a Hero… she wanted desperately to save Jin Bubaigawara, and prove she could live up to her dreams of sharing the joy she felt at being saved with others. Izumi dearly wanted Himiko to achieve that; to see the fruits of her labour come to fruition!

"With our current teams, you'd be going in alone. Sakuya or Hawks should assist you." Onigiri said.

"I can do this alone. Please trust me Izumi! You were able to save Kacchan from Akuma-Baku because you knew he was still awake inside the Demon, and you trusted him to fight with all he had to save himself and help you! I trust Jin-chan and Twicey to do the same! Please let me do this!" Himiko begged.

Everyone looked to Izumi, whose green eyes were staring into Himiko's golden ones. Perhaps it was just the colour, or the determination within them, but Izumi felt like she was staring into a pair of suns… She would trust her sister.

"I don't know Jin, but I do know you. I trust you, Himiko. Let's go save your friend!" Izumi declared.

Himiko's face broke into a blinding smile as she lunged and hugged her adoptive younger sister; "Thank you! I'll prove that you made the right choice!"

"I'm sure you will." Izumi said, gently pulling away, "We have our teams. Now, here's my plan."

Meanwhile, only a few yards away, the three Demons were grinning at the wall of crystal.

"It's been five minutes, brothers." Hasu grinned cruelly.

"Shall we go and put them out of their misery?" Saki asked, his high pitched chittering punctuating his words.

"I think we should. We'll wring the life from all of them; I was worried when Amaterasu purified me, but she is still too weak… if she was at the prime of her power, she'd have been able to purify all three of us when she used Sunrise on me. We were wrong to fear her." Tsuta added, scratching his large body idly.

Akuma-Hasu laughed madly; "Then let's go! We'll flay those pitiful humans and lay their skins at Amaterasu's feet! She'll be corrupted for sure!" he cheered, leading the other two as they bounded towards the crystal barricade protecting Izumi and her allies.

The Mandrill Demon stopped just short of the barricade and gripped his flute, winding back to smash it into the crystal like a baseball bat, but right before his swing could make contact, the crystal exploded from the other side. Akuma-Hasu and his fellows screeched in pain as the crystal shrapnel cut into their bodies.

"TAKE THAT, FUCKERS!" Katsuki roared, his palm smoking.

"Everyone, you know the plan! Go!" Izumi yelled. Immediately, everyone began fulfilling their roles in Izumi's plan, with the Non-Combatants being escorted further away from the fight by Sakuya and Onigiri. Once they were at a safe distance again, the Maeda Sisters (pushing their powers at this point) created another Crystal Barricade to protect them while the fighters got to work.

Akuma-Tsuta was immediately hit in the face by Akainu's flaming fist, while Katsuki used a massive explosion to launch him into the air a bit, causing Akainu's punch to knock the Gorilla Demon head over heels. Akuma-Hasu was surprised to see his old opponents fighting his brother, and even more so when Amaterasu leapt, in full wolf form, at Akuma-Saki with Aokiji on her back. The Spider Monkey Demon shrieked as he fled the Wolf and Oni duo, trying to get some distance so he could use his bone spikes without harming his fellow Demons.

The sight of an Ice Oni riding on Amaterasu, occasionally taking swipes at his Spider Monkey Brother with an ice club was probably the most amusing and pathetic thing Akuma-Hasu had ever seen… at least until he turned and found his only opponent was Himiko. Hawks was flying around above them, but he didn't seem to be focused on any of the Three Demon Brothers specifically.

"You?" Akuma-Hasu smirked, his three heads all twisting and turning to get a good look at the blonde girl, "Of all the people she could have sent to fight me… Amaterasu chose you!? BWAHAHA! This is hilarious! The only people more useless here were those fat humans with the gaudy gold kimono and turnips!" he mocked, referring to Gin Maeda and Doi Nazo, "Of everyone who fought today, the Sun Goddess sends the girl with nothing but knives to fight me? Me, the only part of the Akuma-Hana who isn't possessing a clone!? So what'll it be, little girl? Will you die like you were going to before Amaterasu showed up? Or will you muster the courage to kill my host?"

Himiko glared up at the Demon, who was probably twice her height. She got into her combat stance and took a deep breath, remembering the plan. "I'm not going to do either! I won't die to you, and I won't kill my friend! Jin-chan, Twicey! I'm coming to save you!"

Next Chapter: Akuma-Hana Part 4

To be Released: May 15th 2021

One last chapter to go, and the next one will be the climax of the battle. I hadn't intended for this fight to be so long, but with all the characters involved, I wanted to give them all at least a tiny bit of coverage. Next chapter will primarily be Himiko VS Akuma-Hasu.

The true nature of the Akuma-Hana were revealed, making this a much tougher battle than the others. Thankfully their arrogance and underestimating of the Heroes will have consequences for them!

I hope you enjoyed! Please Comment and Review; it really encourages me!