Yamata No Orochi Emerges
Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of Breath of the Rifleman! For those wondering why this one took a little longer, well, just check out the chapter length on this baby. But putting that aside, we are approaching Ending A rapidly and it's looking like the next chapter shall be our finish line. But as said this chapter is already long, so I'll go ahead and give my usual shout outs to LoneTaker, groche9655 and Noble Eight for their contributions to this story. And to our guest reviewer Neo, a Happy Birthday to you (or belated depending on when you read this) and I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much as the last one. Now then, let's not dawdle anymore and get to the chapter!
The Domain: Onigashima
The mists of the island had lifted a good deal, though much of it was now replaced by the smoke from cannons and guns that were being fired almost continuously into the army of attacking demons. Both human and demon hybrids were falling into the water at random intervals, all of whom were devoured by the dragon carp that had been summoned by Mizuki. The giant catfish, Namazu, continued to wreak havoc against any ship it could find, turning away only if the mass of depth charges being dropped and gunfire in the water became too much. But for the more unfortunate ships that had somehow found themselves alone due to the turbulent waves, they fell victim to the combined efforts of the dragon carp or were overturned by the massive body of Namazu.
On land, Hizuki's other Kasha demons were riding their motorcycles around or through the ranks of soldiers and slayers. Many had been toppled from their bikes either by gunfire, bombs, or in some cases the efforts of exceptionally brave fighters leaping onto the bikes themselves. Thankfully for the landing forces a couple more ships had managed to land, or crash, themselves on the island and fresh reinforcements were pouring out. They were met with more crow demons and the arrival of Shuten Doji's personal Oni guards who were making any kind of advancement into the forest extraordinarily difficult. In fact, only a few of he sneakiest Izayois had managed to make it into the forest thus far.
This meant that even after running for a few minutes, Tanjiro still didn't see any other slayers or soldiers present in the area he was at. Though his focus was currently on finding a certain item the fox woman, Tamamo, had mentioned they'd need. And Tanjiro believed he'd just arrived at the exact spot that it was located: a one-story building with a traditional Japanese roof and a large, circular door that was clearly locked. It was a very ornate door with the Kanji for 'unrivaled' written in big letters on it.
The area was also decorated with what looked like mementos one would find on a battlefield. There were damaged and old weapons hanging on racks on either side along with mangled uniforms, multiple armors in varying states of repair, and a line of helmets on either side of the door. 'This looks like the treasure vault I was told about,' thought Tanjiro as he approached the circular door, 'Shuten Doji is supposed to always have this when his domain manifests, one of the few real items that aren't a part of his realm.' The swordsman was about to reach for the door when he caught a scent from the roof, then leapt back just in time to dodge a giant hand that tried to smash him like a bug.
"Well what do we have here," said the voice of Ibaraki Doji as a large shape moved on top of the treasure vault, "it looks like one of you little slayers has gotten very lost. We can't have that now if I'm gonna keep all the meat in sorted out piles." Ibaraki was sitting on a rather large demon with the body of a spider and the head of a bull, an Ushi-oni. It seemed to be her personal mount given the throne-like saddle she was sitting on that was strapped to the demon's body.
"Ibaraki Doji," said Tanjiro as he held his sword at the ready, "I thought you'd be closer to Shuten Doji."
"My dear husband desires a bit of alone time with his chosen adversary," replied Ibaraki as she commanded her mount to move down in front of the door while her hand shrank back and returned to her arm, "and if I'm being honest, it's probably not the best idea for me to be near him right now."
"That's something I don't understand," said Tanjiro, "why was he killing other demons? Why did he want to kill Yushiro and Mukago?"
"He said it was to ensure that no other demons rose to challenge him," replied Ibaraki, "at least that's the reason he gave me. It's been centuries since I've seen my husband sober and there's no prying secrets out of him when he's in that state. Though even if he was in the mood to tell me now, it'd be useless."
"Why's that?" Questioned Tanjiro, "are you not afraid that he might do the same to you?"
"Shuten would never harm me," said Ibaraki, "but the one wearing his skin right now, is not my husband." Tanjiro's eyes widened at the implication. "Though regardless, the one who asked me to protect this place was my husband, and I owe him at least that much." She signaled for the Ushi-oni to attack then with a quick kick of her foot to its side.
The monster roared in response before charging at Tanjiro who quickly dodged out of the way before countering with one of his breath forms. "Flame Dance," he said as he struck at the demon's back legs with a vertical and horizontal slash combo. The Ushi-oni roared in pain before trying to stomp on him with one of its other legs which Tanjiro dodged out of the way of before jumping up and spiraling in the air for his next attack. "Beneficient Radiance!"
The flaming slash surrounded the Ushi-oni's head, cutting off its horns before the technique was interrupted by the demon rearing up and knocking him out of the air with its snout. Tanjiro was quick to recover and land on his feet, only to roll out of the way as one of Ibaraki's enlarged hands tried to smash him again. "The Breath of the Sun is an impressive sword form," admitted Ibaraki as her enlarged head and other hand started floating around the battlefield, "Shuten had high hopes for Yoriichi once, but he discovered him too late. By the time Yoriichi was ready, he was already too old to fight at one hundred percent."
"Yoriichi probably knew that too," said Tanjiro as he resumed his stance, "that's why he chose to let it be passed down. Now here it stands today to slay the last of demon kind!" The demon woman's head merely grinned as she replied.
"You really think so," she said, "then come and try, little boy." The swordsman did just that as their battle turned into a deadly dance around the courtyard of the vault.
About the Same Time: Shuten Doji's Throne
Subaru dodged out of the way of a powerful slash that left a deep cut in the ground where he'd just been standing while continuing to unload with his Lewis Gun. Annoyingly, Shuten was using his umbrella to deflect the majority of the bullets and the ones that did manage to get through hardly dug into his skin at all. He took advantage of this by speeding forward suddenly with a vertical slash which the Matagi attempted to parry with his weapon. The result was that he was successful at diverting the attack slightly to his left where it missed him, but at the cost of losing the barrel on his gun.
Subaru leapt back to avoid the follow-up horizontal slash, dropping the other half of the gun as he flung the drum magazine at his opponent like a frisbee. The demon reacted by instinctively cutting it in half with a flick of his blade. In that same moment, the Rifleman drew and fired his revolver just as the two halves of the magazine were starting to fall. The rounds struck and set off the remaining rounds in both magazines, showering the demon with shrapnel while the Matagi leapt back even further to avoid getting caught in his own trap.
But the only movement Shuten Doji made was to cover his face with his sleeve as the rounds either bounced off or barely embedded themselves in his skin. "You have improved," noted the formerly Drunk Demon as he lowered his arm, "that quickdraw was much faster than the one at our last meeting."
"Better be after two years," said Subaru as he holstered his revolver and unslung his already bayonetted rifle, "it took me that long to become an above average slayer in the first place."
"Ah yes," said Shuten, "but despite being among the best of the slayers now, that's all you can amount to anymore. Gone is the hybrid nature that made you unique, and all that remains is a slayer with a gun. That won't be enough to stop me."
"Won't know until I try!" Said Subaru as he fired his Jaeger rifle at the demon. His opponent actually looked bored as he quickly raised his umbrella, only for his eyes to widen slightly as the rounds penetrated the demonic fabric. The Matagi quickly emptied his magazine into his enemy before quickly reloading and firing again. This time, Shuten Doji actually dodged, moving so fast that the umbrella he left behind seemed to be suspended in the air for the briefest of moments before getting shredded by the next round of bullets.
The Gunman was quick to shift his focus as the drunk demon came in with a high vertical strike aimed at his head. "Second Form: Bayonette Dance Ten-Fold!" The impact of the umbrella blade was jarring as Subaru felt the vibrations reverberate through his whole body. Sparks flew as blow after blow was deflected at blinding speed, with several of said blows carving up the ground near their feet from the impact.
Eventually, the Hunter was forced to jump away, dodging an attack which cratered the place he was just standing. "So you upped the power of those rounds," observed Shuten as he pulled some of the bullets out of his skin, "not bad. It's been a while since I've seen someone break through my umbrella defense."
"Nichirin bullets packed with the most powerful grain they could make," replied Subaru, "naturally they're laced with wisteria too, though I'm not expecting that to make a difference here."
"Quite right," replied Shuten, "at best wisteria will slow me down a little, especially given my current weakened state from maintaining this massive domain. But it is no longer capable of killing me, nor is the anti-demon drug effective against me either."
"Yeah, Yushiro explained that your blue blood and Muzan's blood are a bit different," said Subaru as he took another fighting stance, "if I want to kill you, I'll need to be a bit more forceful. Soaring Thrusts Tenfold!" He charged forward then with a barrage of bayonet jabs intended to tear the Drunk Demon's neck to shreds. His enemy responded by parrying and counterslashing as more sparks erupted from their clashing weapons.
For several moments, they held their ground as they continued to trade attacks, each one scoring glancing blows until Subaru finally managed to jam his bayonet into his adversary's throat. The blade went in far enough that the end actually stuck out of the back of the demon's neck. This caused Shuten to cough up a little bit of blue blood, before smiling at him with blue-stained teeth. The Matagi attempted to plant his foot and leap sideways, intending to spin his body and weapon like a drill that would finish tearing up Shuten's throat.
But he only got through a couple of rotations before he was stopped by the demon lord's grip on his rifle. "You should already know that decapitation is useless against me," he said with an odd distortion to his voice, "I conquered it before Muzan, before the three Calamities. All you shall accomplish in cutting this head off is a minor inconvenience to me."
"So you're finally rearing your true, ugly head then," said Subaru as he tried pulling his rifle away from his enemy to no avail.
"I've been here for a while now," said Shuten as his voice became even more distorted, almost as if someone was talking over him, "I wanted to see what Shuten thought of the one he believed could equal Raikkou. Suffice it to say, you're not."
"I don't have to be Raikkou's equal to kill you," said Subaru, "I just have to be strong enough."
"Brave words, boy," said Shuten with an audible hiss, "but how brave will you be once you realize just what you're up against? I am not just a demon but the original demon, the one from which all others spawned. I have fed off and manipulated some of the greatest evils of this world and heralded disaster whenever I appeared. In comparison to that, what are you? One of a countless number of cogs, in this case one of the larger cogs that helped end the era of a demon lord. But do you really think yourself a big enough cog in the machine that is the world to kill one who has moved it since the dawn of humankind?"
"Cog," said Subaru, "I am a Matagi, a husband and soon to be a father! Those are the only reasons I need to fight. I don't care if you're the biggest demon there is or a complete smallfry, if killing you is what it takes to protect my family and friends then that's what I have to do. So don't waste my time with your ravings on existential bullshit and show yourself so I can end you already!" The demon smirked as his neck split open and his head fell back. A giant white, triangular serpent's head emerged from the opening as Shuten's body went limp but still remained standing while the new entity turned its gaze downward, slit eyes sizing up the supposed prey standing to oppose it.
"SO WE MEET AT LAST!" Boomed the serpent, "LOOK UPON THE FIRST SIGNS OF MY TRUE FORM AND TREMBLE! FOR I AM YAMATA NO OROCHI!" Subaru was certain he didn't like the implication that this was just the start of the demon's transformation as their battle resumed.
About the Same Time: The IJA Slayer Fleet
"Fourth Form: Distance Thunder Resonance!" Declared Jinora as she unleashed several long ranged multi-directional lightning bolts at both the dragon carps and Mizuki herself who'd switched to attacking them with smaller but more numerous water drills. Her fourth form variant was even more powerful than the usual one as she increased the speed of her attacks and the intensity of the lightning, allowing her to blast through numerous longer ranged targets. In this case, her attack shredded and slightly cooked several of the dargon carp below while also tearing through some of Mizuki's water defense to strike her in the shoulder and leg.
While it certainly didn't kill the demon, it broke her concentration enough to cause the water tendrils to drop. But only for a moment as the irritated demon summoned another wave, attempting to either capsize the ship or at least pour several dragon carp on top of it. "Honoikazuchi No Kami!" Said Zenitsu as he charged forward, breaking through the wave with the force of his movement that was evaporating any water that got on him.
Mizuki just managed to duck the attack by quickly lowering the waterspout she was on, though she still felt much of the heat from the blond-slayer's attack. "Annyoing pests," Groaned the water demon as she spotted Zenitsu landing on some floating wreckage, "just drown already." She commanded the water to come up in several areas around Zenitsu then before closing around him like a massive hand.
"Oh crap," said the Slayer as he tried to find a way out of the quickly closing water trap.
"Zenitsu," called Jinora as she landed on the wreckage next to him, her sword in its sheath as she held it out for him.
"Got it," he said as he jumped up and put one foot on the sheathed weapon in midair, "Thunderclap and Flash Eight-Fold!" He zoomed off of Jinora's weapon, bouncing off several dragon carp who tried to stop him before landing back on the boat. That still left Jinora with the closing water trap to deal with.
"Second Form: Rice Spirit!" She declared as she drew her sword and cut through the arched water towers with five very quick lightning slashes, disrupting and evaporating much of the water as it returned to the ocean. Mizuki clicked her teeth in annoyance at the display as she raised her hand and formed a number of water orbs from parts of the waterspout she was standing on.
"Rain of Agony," she said before singing a note that sent the numerous orbs at Jinora.
"Sixth Form: Rumble and Flash!" Responded the dark-haired girl as she unleashed several long-ranged lightning slashes that cut through the orbs as they approached. But the liquid projectiles were numerous and continued to barrage her, gathering into a mass that threatened to overwhelm her and even electrocute her with her own lightning if it succeeded in touching her. And that wasn't even counting some of the orbs that had gotten through and bruised her body almost badly enough to break a bone.
"Thunderclap and Flash," declared Zenitsu as he came racing up to Mizuki, who'd nearly forgotten about him while focusing on Jinora. This oversight almost cost her as she leaned her head back, feeling the cut of a blade on her throat as it was partially severed. "Prime," finished the blond slayer as he sheathed his sword at the same moment a lightning bolt struck Mizuki. The aquatic demon howled in anger more than pain as Zenitsu and Jinora used this momentary respite to leap over more floating debris and demons to land back on the Haruna.
The ship and crew had proven themselves surprisingly hardy during this fight, managing to stave off most of the damage from the demon carp and surviving Mizuki's attacks up to this point. Though that might be about to change. "Now this is an irritation I haven't felt in a while," said Mizuki, "I can hardly remember the last time I faced opponents who were this difficult to deal with using just my base powers."
"Don't underestimate us!" Declared Zenitsu as he pointed at the demon, "we've fought demons for a long time and today we aren't holding back. We're gonna win…..so that we can finally retire from all of this scary stuff!"
"And you almost sounded cool for a moment," said Jinora with a sigh before addressing the water demon, "but he's right. If we're really this close to ending the presence of demons like you in this world, you better believe we're not going to give up."
"Oh I believe you," said Mizuki as she slowly lowered herself into the water, "and as a reward for your annoying resolve, I'll let you experience the true terror of the sea." She completely submerged herself then as Jinora, Zenitsu and a collection of slayers and soldiers all moved to the railing to see what she was up too. They didn't have to wonder long as a massive shape erupted from the water, towering several feet in the air as a pair of blood red eyes with slits now looked down upon them. "Behold, my monstrous sea serpent form that shall haunt your thoughts all the way to the bottom of the sea!"
She seemed to inhale then before unleashing a powerful stream of water at the ship. The force from it was enough to tear through the protective metal of the forward most gun turret as she swiveled her head towards the bow of the boat where everyone had gathered. "Shit, run for it!" Exclaimed Zenitsu as he, Jinora and anyone else lucky enough to be close to the railing leapt off the ship before it was torn and dented by the sea serpent's water stream.
The two slayers again found themselves jumping from one piece of debris or demon fish to another as the large sea serpent kept her gaze on them. "Run all you like. You cannot escape the wrath of the ocean!" The water seemed to respond to her sentiment as the waves grew even rougher, along with the battle.
On the Beach of Onigashima
"This is nuts!" Exclaimed Murata as he just managed to dodge out of the way of the ashen Mitsuri's whip sword, "never in a million years did I ever want to fight these guys!" He might've complained further but had to dodge to the side to evade ashen Obanai's blade. Meanwhile, Giyuu had his hands full taking on the ashen versions of Gyomei, Tokitou and Rengoku.
"Eleventh Form: Dead Calm!" He said, demon mark appearing as he deflected an onslaught of slashes from the Tokitou and Rengoku corpses before leaping back to avoid Gyomei's flail which cratered the ground.
"Oh this technique has always been my favorite demon art," laughed Hizuki as she sat on her motorcycle nearby, "reviving the ashes of the dead, especially against their former comrades always puts such an interesting look on the faces of slayers."
"Only a demon would find pleasure in forcing a fight like this," grunted Giyuu as he parried one of Tokitou's attacks before leaping over Rengoku's blade.
"Well you could've just let me tear you all apart with my cat-o'-nine-spines earlier," replied Hizuki as she wagged her finger, "but you decided you wanted to be difficult and so here we are."
"You haven't begun to see difficult," said Giyuu as he signaled Murata and the two leapt back before taking stances.
"Breath of Water Third Form," they said, "Flowing Dance: Shadows of Dawn!" The two swordsman advanced forward while moving their bodies in a flowing motion, unleashing several circular water slashes from their blades. The Ashen constructs went on the defensive, holding their weapons up to block the barrage of attacks. But instead of feeling the force of a continuous attack, they were merely met with a few slashes before Giyuu shot right past them, his true target being Hizuki.
He was still moving in the motion of his form as the ashen Obanai attempted to intervene with his own technique, Twin-Headed Reptile. And while he did succeed in stopping Giyuu's momentum, what he didn't expect was a secondary blade from, Giyuu's right side? "You're not the only one with tricks!" proclaimed Giyuu as he yanked the hidden blade across the ash clone of his former comrade, revealing the prosthtetic right arm he'd been hiding the whole time as 'Obanai' fell and dissolved back into a pile of ash.
"Oh, when did the slayers start investing in weaponized limbs," said Hizuki with a wry grin, "I haven't seen one of those too often. Not that it'll help you all that much." Giyuu would've replied to that except Rengoku was already rushing at his back. The water pillar turned to intercept until another blast of flame suddenly clashed with the ashen clone's blade.
"It might not," said Shinjuro, "but we can." His point was further emphasized as Ozaki's blade came out of nowhere, deflecting an attack by Mitsuri which had been aimed at Murata.
"Ya know I hate that we showed up late," said Ozaki, "how I would've loved kicking my sensei's ass."
"Turn that hatred on the demon before us," said Shinjuro as he broke his bladelock with the ashes of his eldest son, "her and this wretched demon art can not be allowed to exist any longer."
"Now don't be like that," purred Hizuki, "after all, you're getting a reunion with family, right?"
"My son would rather be dead than a puppet used against his friends," exclaimed Shinjuro as he readied his stance while ash Rengoku mirrored him, "Breath of Flame First Form: Unknowing Fire!" The two wielders of the flame style clashed, the impact of their blades shaking the ground while the others engaged in their own battles.
"Coil Choke, Love Pangs, Striking Tide, Sea of Clouds and Haze, Waterfall Basin, Stone Skin!" Each slayer and ashen clone unleashed their attacks as sparks, water, mist and flame engulfed the area which was slashed and torn up by the fighters using one technique after another. Murata was managing to hold his own but couldn't really push Tokitou's clone back due to his inexperience. Ozaki was skillfully weaving around Mitsuri's attacks while unleashing her own, being quite familiar with how her opponent fought due to her time with Obanai.
Giyuu dodged and flowed around Gyomei's attacks, his two years of training shining through as his increased speed and strength allowed him to actually bat away the large flail being used against him. His familiarity with his former comrade's fighting style also lent itself to his advantage, which is how he was able to spot an opening in not only Gyomei's defenses, but Mitsuri and Tokitou's as well. "Murata, Ozaki," said Giyuu as he dodged out of he way of a flail/ax pincer move, "when I give the signal, shift the tides!"
"Yes sir, got it," replied his Tsuguko and the new serpent Hashira as they continued to dodge, parry and trade blows with the manifestations.
"Breath of Stone Fifth Form," murmured the Gyomei Clone, "Arcs of Justice."
"Breath of Water Eleventh form," said Giyuu, "Dead Calm." Sword, flail and ax all clashed then, creating a rain of sparks that showered the area with each successive hit that connected. Their weapons were mere blurs, too fast for the normal human eye to see as the powerful attacks were repulsed repeatedly by a seemingly impregnable defense. It would last for several moments before the ashen clone decided to change tactics.
"Breath of Stone First Form: Serpentine Bipolar," said the False Gyomei as he threw both his ax and flail at Giyuu in yet another pincer maneuver. But this had been exactly what the Water Pillar had been hoping for.
"NOW!" Exclaimed the Water Pillar, also spotting a momentary lapse in the attack patterns of the other two clones. Murata and Ozaki broke off from their opponents during this time with the former deflecting the ax while the latter wrapped up the flail section of the chain with her own whip sword. This created a disruption in the attack pattern of the Gyomei clone that Giyuu took advantage of immediately.
"Fourth Form," said Giyuu as he took off at the fastest speed he could muster, "Striking Tide Turbulent!" He slashed the ashen clone's body several times in the familiar flowing motion of 'Striking Tide' but with even more consecutive slashes than normal before finally decapitating the faux slayer. By this point, the Tokitou and Mitsuri clones had closed in on their own prey, their weapons bared and thirsting for blood.
"Catlove Shower! Lunar Dispersing Mist." Declared the Ashen clones as they both leapt into the air and unleashed their attacks. It turned out that both of them were aiming at Ozaki who'd just managed to unwind her sword from Gyomei's chain, leaving her momentarily vulnerable. Thankfully, Murata moved in to counter the attacks.
"Eleventh Form: Dead Calm." Said the Tsuguko as he moved in front of Ozaki and began deflecting the mass of slashes aimed at her. It had taken him over a year to learn and hone the technique to a point that it was ready for the battlefield. Though that didn't mean it was ready for this battle, a fact which was quickly demonstrated as the two manifestations managed to get through Murata's defenses a few times. By the time they broke off, several cuts had been inflicted on the swordsman's body.
"Assholes," said Ozaki as she rushed in towards the now landing Kanroji, "First Form: Winding Serpent Spiral!" Ozaki assaulted the ashen clone with several spiraling slashes, far more than the usual Winding Serpent Slash. Because she'd caught the faux Mitsuri as she was hitting the ground, the clone couldn't put up a proper defense in time and was cut to ribbons after a few moments. On the downside, however, this left the new Serpent Pillar's back open to the faux Muichirou's Obscuring Clouds technique as he seemed to appear and disappear in a haze of mist.
Ozaki wasn't able to locate him in time before the former Mist Pillar moved in on her blindspot with a slash aimed at her neck. The sound of clanging steel woke the Serpent Pillar from her shock as she realized Giyuu just managed to block the blow in time. "Second Form," said Murata as he came in and jumped sideways, "Improved Lateral Waterwheel!" The force of the sideways spinning technique was enough to decapitate the ash clone before blasting the rest of its ashen body away.
"Oh, that was a close one," said Ozaki as she fell back into a sitting position, "I've never been on the receiving end of Breath of the Mist before."
"It is one of the more seldom used breath forms," admitted Giyuu, "but we can focus on that later. For now, we need to help Shinjuro." The group looked over to see a practical firestorm seemed to be occurring as the former Hashira clashed with the ashen clone of his son.
"Rising Scorching Sun, Blazing Universe, Blooming Flame Undulation, Unknowing fire, FLAME TIGER!" The fire from their blades danced and rampaged around the two of them, turning the sand beneath their feet into particles of glass from the scorching temperature. Each impact of their swords rang with a sound akin to a canon going off. The clashing of their most recent techniques built up a large amount of tiger-shaped flames until a small explosion occurred, forcing the two to disengage and back up for a moment.
Shinjuro's breathing was labored, and his body had suffered a couple of burns, though the ash clone was in a similar state as far as cuts went. "Damn, even after two years of getting back into shape, I still feel kind of old," Shinjuro breathed out as the others gathered around. "Guess that's what I get for all that drinking."
"No need to worry now, Shinjuro," said Giyuu, "we can dispose of this one quickly and then move on to-."
"No," said Shinjuro sternly, "you can all go ahead and take on that cat, but this one is between me and this poor imitation of my son."
"I think it's pretty lifelike, myself," said Hizuki while lazily twirling her weapon above her, "after all, I did take a little bit from his resting place to make that clone."
"You what?!" said Shinjuro as his gaze shifted from the clone to the Kasha demon.
"My blood demon art works by using bits of ashes from the dead," explained Hizuki, "had to break into that slayer graveyard and collect quite a bit from it before I was ready to use it. But like I said before, watching the reactions of my enemies when I use my blood demon art is worth the work." Shinjuro grit his teeth at the implications.
"I shouldn't have expected anything better from a demon, and a graverobbing Kasha at that," he said, "still, the insolence you have to defile the grave of the Rengoku family, must be punished!" The elder swordsman assumed a high stance then, focusing on the control of his breathing as he readied his next strike. The Rengoku clone mirrored him by taking the exact same stance as the air became charged with a quickly increasing heat.
Ozaki made to move forward but was stopped by Giyuu putting a hand in front of her. "No," he said, "this is something he feels he must do himself. And besides, if we step in now then we risk getting caught up in what's about to happen." The Serpent Pillar thought about protesting, but upon feeling the hot air radiating off the two she knew that her comrade was right. This was a battle of flames now and it would burn anything or anyone that dared to interfere with it.
"Hizuki says that you're the ashes of my son," said Shinjuro as he deepened his stance, the strength of his fighting spirit radiating off his body, "but you are not my son. He had a heart of flame like no other while you are nothing but embers. So return to the ground from whence you came, pale imitation of Kyojuro!" Flames seemed to explode from both fighters then as they raced forward, the fire around them forming into the head and body of a serpentine dragon that left a burning trail in its wake. "This is the technique that requires every last bit of a swordsman's spirit, the Ninth Form: RENGOKU!"
The two swordsmen clashed then, unleashing a firey explosion that shook the ground and sent dust and glassy sand particles flying everywhere. The group was forced to shield their eyes from all the of the debris for several moments before everything finally calmed down. The gathered slayers then looked at the scene before them as the smoke was clearing. The former Flame Pillar and ashen clone had gone past each other and were now standing a few feet apart with their backs to one another.
Shinjuro had a wound on his side which was slowly starting to bleed, but he didn't seem to care. As for the clone, it turned towards him to reveal that it was missing most of its stomach with only a few strands holding it together. That wouldn't be the case for long, though, as the faux Rengoku collapsed to the ground and slowly started to dissolve. "Had you really been my son," said Shinjuro as he relaxed his stance, "there's no way you ever would've lost to me in a battle of spirit."
"Whoa, damn if that wasn't a show," cheered Hizuki as she clapped her hands, "I haven't seen a flame pillar in action for some time and watching two go at it has gotten me super excited!"
"You shouldn't be," said Giyuu as he and Murata started to approach while Ozaki quickly tended to Shinjuro's wound, "all your puppets are gone now and by the looks of it, a number of slayers and soldiers have managed to make it into the woods of this island."
"Yeah, but Kazuki and Chizuki deserve to have some fun too," said Hizuki as she stood up from her bike, "and like I said, you got me excited." She took hold of her weapon with both hands then, "and when I get excited, I really want to cut loose. So here we go, DOMAIN!" She slammed her cat-o'-nine spines on the ground, causing a wave of heat to blast outward in all directions, temporarily blinding the gathered slayers as they moved back towards each other to keep from being separated.
When they could see again, the group found themselves in an area filled to the brim with embers and ash. "Welcome to my domain," said Chizuki with a manic grin as she held her arms out wide, "Ashen Pit-Burial Mound!"
"Oh come on, she's got one of these domain things too," said Murata as his eyes darted around the new area, quickly noting that several ashen forms were rising up.
"You already destroyed my best ash creations," said Hizuki, "but that doesn't mean I don't have a lot more regular ones. And word of warning, these ones can be a bit touchy when you destroy them. How many can you take down before succumbing to the burns?!" She pointed at the slayers then, signaling the march of her ashen servants to begin.
Within the Urban Section of Onigashima
"Will you just die already!" Exclaimed both Sanemi and Kazuki at the same time as their blades were currently locked in a stalemate. A stalemate that was generating wind slashes that were tearing up the surrounding area. The two fighters had been clashing for more than a couple minutes now and the location showed it. It was possible a cut from a stray windblade could be found on just about any surface within a hundred feet of their battleground.
And with each stalemate, their frustration grew. "Try this," said Sanemi as he broke their weapons lock, "Seventh Form: Gale Sudden Gusts!" A spiraling gust of cutting, gale force winds went towards the weasel demon as he responded in kind.
"Same to you, believe it," responded the Kamaitachi as he twirled his scythe in front of him, "Kusarigama twister!" A horizontal cyclone of wind was created by his spinning weapon, clashing with the Wind Pillar's technique before pushing it back. But to the weasel demon's surprise, his foe wasn't in his original location anymore.
"Ninth Form," said Sanemi from above as he backflipped in midair, "Idaten Typhoon!" He just barely missed, nicking the tail of the evading weasel demon with his downward air slash. But he wasn't done. As soon as the Wind Pillar landed, he launched his next attack. "Second Form: Claws-Purifying Wind!" He unleashed four, clawlike vertical slashes at the Kamaitachi who responded by spinning for his next technique.
"Spinning Blade Typhoon!" Announced the weasel demon as a small twister engulfed his body, the force of which held off the claw-like slashes until there was no more momentum behind them. The two moved and clashed blades again as their techniques ended, trying to overpower each other. This contest wouldn't last long as they separated again to try their next set of attacks.
"Fifth Form," said the Wind Pillar as he leapt into the air, "Cold Mountain Wind!" He released several arced slashes that got larger and larger as they approached his enemy, effectively cutting off any attempts for the demon to escape.
"Blade Vortex," responded Kazuki as he jumped and went into a stationary spiral, producing a horizontal twister that pushed back against the oncoming attack. Another small swath of destruction was cut into the ground as the two clashed again for several moments before Sanemi landed back on the ground, a very evident frown on his face.
"Damn you're annoying," he spat, "I'd hoped to be over cutting up that snake right about now."
"Stop trying to treat me like I'm some nuisance demon," said Kazuki, "I am one of the master's great generals and the most powerful shinobi the world has ever seen! Not counting the master and mistress themselves, only three other demons in this entire world even come close to the power I possess, believe it!"
"That's not saying a whole lot," quipped Sanemi with a laugh and a smirk, "the number of demons left in the world is getting lower and lower by the minute. So just being slightly more powerful than an average demon will make you high in the ranks right now. And I've seen way better shinobi than you."
"Heh, still doubting my skills," said Kazuki as he narrowed his eyes, "fine then. I was going to save this for someone worthy to witness my prowess, but you'll have to do. Behold my domain: Hidden Pilgrimage-Verdant Labyrinth!" A large funnel cloud came down from the sky then, encompassing much of the area they were fighting in. What was more, several stalks of bamboo grew up until they were much taller than either of the fighters.
"Wow, awful noisy for a 'shinobi'," mocked Sanemi as his demon mark appeared on his features, "the giant cannons on those ships have more subtetly than you. And what's with all this bamboo, you forget to do your gardening?"
"This is my bamboo maze," answered Kazuki as he readied his scythe from within the newly grown forest, "here I can pop out of just about anywhere I want, like a shinobi would. And this way, you won't see me coming so easily."
"You think I'll fall to this," he asked while preparing his next attack, "not a chance. SO BRING IT ON!" The sound of clashing steel and wind filled the domain then as their battle resumed.
The Front Gate of Shuten Doji's Fortress
"You two are surprisingly persistent," said Chizuki as he hit the ground with his palm again, causing a swath of it to turn into sand. But the two slayers evaded it, maneuvering around to flank him on either side. The earth demon responded by sending a shower of rocks in both directions.
"Crazy Cutting! Honorable Shadow Plum!" Declared the two slayers as they either diced up the boulders with mad cleaving attacks or rotating sword slashes that deflected the incoming projectiles, hardly being slowed down by the debris. Chizuki frowned slightly as he added sharper rocks to the mix. The slayers responded by dodging, sliding, and jumping out of the way of the larger rocks while still deflecting the smaller stones until they closed the distance with their foe.
Yet as soon as they got close, Chizuki sank into the ground with their swords missing him by mere inches. "Not again," said Kanao as she looked around, not for the first time wishing her left eye was still functional. They'd been at this for a while and had taken more than a couple hits the first time Chizuki had used this trick. Fortunately, they'd already developed a counter.
"Don't worry," said Inosuke as he planted his swords, knelt and held his hands out, "I'll just spot him again. Breath of the Beast Seventh Form: Spatial Awareness!" He extended his sense of touch in much the same manner that he had on Mt. Natagumo a few years back. But he'd learned a thing or two from Tengen Uzui since then on how to extend it further, even underground. And he could feel it, the minor disturbances as the demon moved beneath them before picking a spot to emerge from.
"There," Inosuke pointed the moment he felt a change in the movement pattern of their foe. Kanao didn't bother questioning whether or not he was sure this time as they'd lost an opportunity the last time she'd done so. Thus, the Flower Pillar rushed forward, her one good and still very keen eye spotting the location where Chizuki would emerge. When she got within ten feet of the location, she leapt into the air just as the Earth Demon began to surface.
"Now let us-," Chizuki was about to say until he noticed the moving shadow on the ground before him. His eyes widened as he realized Kanao was right above him and moved to generate a blast of earth. But as he did so, he was hit by a sword that came spinning out of nowhere, burying itself in his arm. This gave Kanao the opening she needed for her attack.
"Breath of Flower Third Form," said Kanao, "Dianthus Bloom!" She rained several slashes down on her opponent in a random, staccato-like pattern that made it difficult to predict how the next swing would land. The result was Chizuki suffering several cuts before he blasted himself backwards out of the ground and the swordwoman's range.
"Hah, Improvised Fang!" Cheered Inosuke after rushing over and retrieving his thrown sword which he held up proudly, "How do you like that!"
"Improvised indeed," said Chizuki as he blasted a trench in the ground around him to fend off Kanao, "I've actually noticed how rusty I am at this. I haven't had a serious battle in ages."
"We'll make sure this is the last," said Kanao as she reoriented herself before leaping over the trench. "Breath of Flower First Form: Perenial Dahlia!" Kanao attacked with a multitude of thrusts this time, shifting her stance from side to side as she did so to prevent herself from becoming an easy target. A fact which annoyed Chizuki as she'd move just as soon as he attempted a counter.
But his anger at Kanao was quickly redirected as he noted Inosuke coming up from behind him. "Breath of the Beast First Fang," he said as he readied his blades midrun, "Pierce!" The Earth demon simply dropped to one knee and touched the ground with his hand, causing the earth to shift to the side beneath the Boar Fighter's feet. This threw his aim off completely as he stumbled to the side. Strangely, the dual wielder still attempted a slash with his right arm despite being out of range.
Or so he thought until the Boar Fighter's arm suddenly stretched towards Chizuki. The Earth Demon dodged just in time to keep his head from getting cut off but still suffered a slash to his throat. He slammed his foot on the ground in response to the unexpected situation, destroying the area several feet around him as it came flying up in a barrage of stones and jagged pillars. Fortunately, the nimble slayers leapt and flipped out of the way, retreating several feet where the destruction of the ground stopped.
"Damn," said Inosuke as he relocated all of the joints in his arm, "I finally got good at aiming that technique and I still missed. He's kind of quick for a ground guy."
"I still don't understand how you're able to just do that with your limbs," said Kanao, "it cannot feel good to put all of your joints back in place."
"I hardly feel a thing anymore," said Inosuke proudly, "I could probably do all four limbs at once and still put them back into place!"
"Please don't," said Kanao as the dust cleared around their opponent. He now looked more annoyed than ever as he wiped the blood off of his neck.
"What in the world kind of a human being are you," questioned the Demon General, "I've seen people of all shapes and sizes, but I can count with the fingers on one hand the number of humans I've fought who could do that. I've also encountered few who could so easily read my movements underground."
"I told you before not to underestimate me," said Inosuke as he pointed at their foe, "I've wiped the floor with boss demons before, and when we take down the big boss demon here then I'll be the biggest boss there is!"
"So you say," commented Chizuki before turning his gaze on Kanao, "and you. It's been a long time since I've seen such swordwork from a wielder of the Breath of Flower. You're cutting through my rocks like they're more annoyances than anything."
"We prepared thoroughly for this battle," said Kanao, "after Muzan, we weren't about to take chances."
"Hmph, Muzan," said Chizuki, "it's insulting to think you're even comparing him to my master." The demon reached up and ripped off his robe top then, exposing even more burns on his body. "Well since you've apparently prepared so thoroughly then I can unleash my full wrath." He slammed his hands together in a prayer-like pose, the veins on his body bulging as his skin turned the same color as the ground beneath their feet and the symbol for 'earth' appeared on his forehead.
"Behold my true power as a demon general of Shuten Doji: Naraku Sanctuary-Abyss Path!" Exclaimed Chizuki as he shifted his hands and slid his fingers across each other. A veil of darkness fell over the area then almost as if they were in an underground tunnel. Chizuki then clapped his hands together, causing some of the ground to explode in a shower of sand which affected Kanao's already limited vision as she tried to rid her good eye of the foreign debris. This temporary distraction would turn out to be enough for her foe as she suddenly stepped onto a soft spot and sank into the ground, quickly realizing that it was quicksand.
The Flower Pillar reacted by sticking her sword into the ground nearby as the earth began to suck in her leg along with the rest of her. "PIG ASSAULT!" Exclaimed Inosuke as he barreled into her suddenly, the force of his charge yanking her leg out of the sand and sending them both rolling a few feet away. "Hah," he said while sitting back up with his arms raised, "the ground won't be eating anyone today!"
"Could you keep your voice down," said Kanao as she rubbed her side, "if our visibility is limited then he might also have a hard time seeing us. And how are your eyes not hurting right now?"
"The mask of the great boss of the mountain protects my eyes," Inosuke nearly shouted before being silenced by Kanao again.
"Alright," she said, "then let's move before he-." She was interrupted by the sound a stone pillar shooting up near them with Chizuki standing on top.
"You should know I can sense movement along the ground much more innately while I'm in this form," he said as he put his fingers on his other palm. Several more stone pillars erupted from the ground as he did so. "And my hands don't need to be on the ground to alter it." He emphasized his point by moving his fingers along his palm, manipulating the pillars to start moving in towards them like a pack of sharks. 'This,' thought Kanao, 'has just gotten a lot more difficult.'
The Throne of Shuten Doji
"How long are you going to persist with this nonsense," said Yamata No Orochi as he slammed what was now his fourth head on the ground in an attempt to crush Subaru, "I'm surprised you haven't run out of ammo with all the shooting you've done."
"You wouldn't be so surprised if you knew how to actually count bullets," quipped the Matagi as he loaded and fired another few rounds into the eye of the nearest head, causing it to wince slightly as it moved away to blink the projectiles out of its lense. Orochi attempted to take advantage of this by having one of his other heads come up from behind Subaru, but he quickly noticed something that was bigger than he was and leapt upwards. "Obsidian Snow Five Fold!"
The head grunted in pain as the explosives were set off on its face, causing the snake to rear up with Subaru still on it. The Matagi used this moment to slide along the body before leaping onto the next head which tried to take a bite out of him then throwing more explosives at the third head to drive it off. But Yamata No Orochi was on to him now and whipped the neck he was on, tossing the Rifleman into the air as the first head attempted to snag him while he was falling. Subaru twisted in the air, feeling the hot breath of the demon as its jaws just missed him before he plunged the bayonet on his rifle into the monster.
This more annoyed than actually hurt the beast as it began to sling him around for several moments, attempting to dislodge the slayer. But he had a death grip on his weapon and refused to let go, prompting the head to attempt another tactic: slamming its face on the ground. "Fourth Form," said Subaru as he braced his feet against the side of the quickly descending monster, "Mountain Stride!" The technique ejected the Matagi from the side of the snake head with incredible force, flinging him into the air as he took a moment to get his bearings.
He wouldn't have more than a few moments, however, as the remaining three heads were all converging on his about to be descending form. Time seemed to move slowly then as the Rifleman reached into his pouches and cloak before tossing out the largest assortment of explosives he possibly could as he executed his next technique. "Obsidian Snow Ten Fold!" For a brief few moments, the area around the Matagi lit up like the finale of a fireworks display as the serpent heads were bombarded by explosions, causing them to snarl in pain as they swayed violently in random directions.
Subaru was able to kick off of one neck then the other, raining down even more explosions as he descended before finally dropping another mass of explosives on the 'body' of Yamata No Orochi where his heads had emerged from in the first place.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he retreated to a safer distance while aiming his rifle at the demon, waiting to see what happened next. He didn't need to wait long as a fifth head suddenly sprouted from what had once been Shuten Doji. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA," cackled the evil incarnate, "what a splendid attack that was. Had I been a weaker demon it might've actually caused a problem."
"I mean it definitely made you uglier," quipped Subaru while cursing internally that the attack hadn't been at least a little more effective, "and you got one more head to put up with. Seriously, I think your new head came out of what used to be a drunk demon's dick."
"Oh such a vengeful tongue you have," replied Orochi, "how it BURNS ME!" The other four heads spat out yellowish green acid from their mouths then, spraying the area like a quartet of giant, lethal hoses. Subaru dodged and rolled out of the way of the first two and began circling around the beast, quickly noting that while the acid evaporated quickly it was still taking good bits of the ground with it. Though one problem became apparent very quickly: there wasn't a lot of space to run too far.
Subaru instead tried to keep close to the main body, dodging around and sometimes even diving between some of the acid streams. His luck wouldn't last forever, though, as one of the streams managed to splash his back, knocking him over where he rolled into the throne Shuten Doji had been sitting on earlier. The Matagi was quick to get back up, yanking off his quickly dissolving cloak and what was left of his uniform top which he used to try and wipe off any of the excess acid. But there was still a bit that got through as Subaru gritted his teeth against the pain of acid burning his left shoulder, right elbow, right knee and left foot.
Add on to that some of the acid getting on his back and there was enough pain to almost make him stagger as he kneeled to finish cleaning off the acid. "Hurts doesn't it, slayer," said Yamata No Orochi, "and the longer you fight the more painful this is going to be. Though if you surrender, I promise to make your death relatively quick in exchange for providing me with this good bit of entertainment. And if you beg well enough, I might make you a full-fledged demon like Shuten wanted. Shame he couldn't be totally alive to see it."
Subaru didn't answer as he tried to get his labored breathing under control. The stinging pain of the acid was receding and he was aware enough to note the condition of his weapons was still good. So he planted the butt of his rifle into the dirt and, with a groan of effort, pushed himself back up to his feet. "Like I said before," grunted the Rifleman, "I have no intention of letting you take the world with you. My wife, my friends and my children at the very least deserve a future, and they won't have that as long as you're around."
He raised his rifle then as the fifth head sighed. "Guess that means you won't be surrendering. Oh well, more fun for me." If it was possible for a snake to grin, Yamata No Orochi was doing it as their battle resumed with Subaru once again running and gunning against the now five-headed monstrosity. 'I really hope Tanjiro's found what we need,' thought the slayer, 'I don't know how much longer I can keep this up.'
Shuten Doji's Treasure Vault
"You are pretty persistent for a boy about to become a meal," said Ibaraki as Tanjiro dodged her large floating hand and foot, "you really should keep all of your focus on the battle."
"You think so," said Tanjiro as he maneuvered around before rushing at the treasure vault again. But he was stopped as Ibaraki's head landed upside down in front of the gate and started to spin towards him. "Bone Burning Sun!" His circular flaming slash impacted against his foe's head as the two pushed as hard as they could. Eventually, though, the swordsman couldn't maintain the flame on his sword and was pushed back.
He managed to roll to the side and reorient himself just in time to keep from getting rammed by the Ushi Oni's horns as he leapt over the demon and readied his next attack. "Fire Chariot," he said as he spun in the air with a flaming slash of his sword. But his intended target, Ibaraki's body, was blocked by another of the demon's floating hands which knocked him away. He hit the ground and rolled back up as the four limbs came racing towards him.
"Beneficient Radiance," said Tanjiro as he spiraled into the air, avoiding the limbs as they slammed into each other before unleashing a powerful slash that surrounded the limbs. "Got it," he said as he landed on the ground and again charged towards the treasure vault. The Ushi Oni, naturally, attempted to intervene as he charged towards him. "Parhelion Rainbow," said Tanjiro as the demon slammed its head into the ground, only realizing a moment later that it had hit a heat after image.
But Ibaraki herself wasn't fooled as her head got in front of the door. "Solar Heat Haze," said Tanjiro as he used a horizontal slash at the head. Surprisingly, Ibaraki caught the blade between her teeth instead of dodging.
"Nice try," she said as best she could while having a blade between her teeth before yanking Tanjiro off his feet by spinning around rapidly, throwing the swordsman several feet away where he went skipping along like a stone a few times before stopping. "My Ushi Oni might not be all that familiar with Breath of the Sun but I am, in case you've already forgotten. The blade isn't so hard to block when you know it's distorted."
"Wow," said Tanjiro as he got to his feet, "how old are you, anyway? Breath of the Sun was only seen centuries ago."
"And wow, your ability to trashtalk is subpar at best," said Ibaraki, "I'm certain the Genjirou boy tried his best to teach you, but it's always harder for nice guys like you."
"I usually didn't have to worry about it when Subaru was around," he said, "honestly, though, I pity you."
"You pity me," said Ibaraki's head with a raised eyebrow, "and why exactly do you pity me?"
"If what Subaru was told is true," said Tanjiro, "you're destined to be killed by your own husband. At least if we don't succeed, that's what's going to happen. It's honestly tragic because I think even someone as vicious as him wouldn't want that."
"Oh," said Ibaraki as a frown crossed her face, "and just who told you all of this? Come to think of it, how did you know about the location of this vault or the fact that it even existed in the first place?"
"Tamamo No Mae," answered Tanjiro, "she visited Subaru and my sister to warn them about all of this. She'd honestly prefer that her descendants are able to live happy lives." A vein appeared on Ibaraki's head at the mention of that name.
"Tamamo," said Ibaraki, "I'd thought that fox had moved on. Guess even in the afterlife she still has to have the last laugh. Well guess what, I don't think I like the idea of her descendants living happily ever after!" Her other limbs moved in now along with the Ushi Oni.
"Here we go then," said Tanjiro, making his decision as his demon mark appeared, "the thirteenth form." He shot forward as the first of the limbs came near him. "Waltz, Clear Blue Sky, Scorching Crimson Mirror, Bone Burning Sun," the flaming slashes of his blade succeeded in driving off the first two limbs, but he wasn't quick enough to stop the third limb as he was knocked into the air. But he used the momentum to backflip into his next form as another limb approached. "Setting Sun Transformation, Solar Heat Haze, Beneficient Radiance, Sunflower Thrust!"
By this point he was back on the ground and more than halfway through the form, but his thrust was embedded itself in one of the flying feet, stopping his momentum as he was flung backwards before being swatted once, twice and a third time towards the ground. He just managed to right himself and land on his feet as the demon limbs converged on his position. "Solar Halo Dragon Dance," he said as he flew through and inflicted flaming slashes on all the hands and feet before leaping up behind Ibaraki's attacking head. "Fire Chariot, Parhelion Rainbow, Flame Waltz!"
The last attack managed to blind Ibaraki's head which roared in pain before ramming into Tanjiro with all of her might, carrying the Breath of Sun user all the way into the door of the vault before slamming him 'through' it. Tanjiro gasped in pain as his back impacted against a type of shrine at the end of the vault, the wind knocked out of him as he tried to reorient himself. "That hurt ya little shit," said Ibaraki as her head rose into the air, "and I'm even more pissed off that you had to bring up Tamamo of all people. My husband never quite got over her and that just pisses me off. And when I get pissed off, I get HUNGRY!"
The area seemed to shake and shift then as the layout altered. Large, black metallic sloping walls in the shape of a pot encompassed the building as Tanjiro tried desperately to get back to his feet while also looking through the pile of debris. But what happened next was more than a little unexpected as several large slabs of meat the size of actual cows started falling into the apparent pot, more than a couple of which landed on the slayer's back and pinned him to the floor. The heat began to rise then as the realization struck Tanjiro as to what was happening.
"Welcome to my domain," said Ibaraki who now appeared to have a full, gigantic body hovering over the pot, "this is where I've made some of my most favorite and delicious meals. So consider it an honor that you'll be my latest masterpiece!" She produced a massive lid then and covered the pot, causing the heat to rise even faster as the outer edges of the vault caught on fire.
Still, Tanjiro persisted in his search under the rubble. 'If I can just find it,' he thought, 'I might have a chance. And not just a chance in this fight, but a chance to help Subaru as well.' It was then that his hands closed on something that seemed to send a shock through his body, leaving him no doubt whatsoever. He'd found it, the last piece they'd need for this battle.
Whew, and that's a wrap for this chapter. Perhaps I'll be a bit more accurate in my estimates about story length this time. But either way, I hope you all enjoyed this longer chapter and as always feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters. Be sure to stop in next time as the slayers unleash their own new, powerful weapons against Yamata No Orochi and his demons! 'Til then.