'This is sick, these people are innocent beings. They have done nothing but do their best to live, but these damned Demons don't care about anything. They massacre men, women, and children without care or concern to the precious lives they're stealing from these helpless people. No one's done anything to deserve this.'
Still this was hardly the time to be contemplating the injustice I was witnessing. "Larou I want you and Iyana to try to buy me some time, I'm going to get Juuhachi-gou out of here." I said in what I hoped was the voice of a confident commander.
"It is the greatest of honors to make my last stand for you sir, "Larou saluted stiffly.
"Don't worry they won't get passed me Gohan-san," Iyana smirked confidently.
"Arigatou, I'm counting on both of you."
Both nodded a final farewell and rushed out of sight.
I wish there was time for proper farewells, because it was a suicide mission I had just ordered them on, and we all knew it. Just two more lives to be taken by the dark hand of Death and I sent them into his grasp. This war was wearing me down more and more everyday; sometimes I wonder if eventually I'll eventually erode into dust.
'Irrelevant' I reminded myself, this was a time for action not
sit around contemplating my miserable fate.
In a mater of seconds I was running full speed towards my room where
I prayed Juuhachi-gou would still be safe. It was hard to ignore the screams
of children in the throes of death and the anguished cries of their parents,
but there was nothing I could do. If I stopped long enough to try to lend
a hand there was no doubt that I to would be caught in a battle I couldn't
fight without Juu's knowledge.
'Whatever Juu-san knows it had better be good, because if these people have died for nothing I will never forgive her for bringing them upon us.'
A terrible howl tore me from my musings.
'Oh now this is just great, now I've got a Hellhound after me. Well they can't be that fast if Juu-san was able to keep ahead of them for as long as the chased her. I can probably make it to her before this one two...four...seven. Oh, this isn't good.'
Just like a pack of hunting dogs the Hellhounds used their howls to alert others to the discovery of the best prey. One by one they were abandoning their aimless rampages and focusing on their true target. It wasn't so bad at first, a few simply tagging on to the tail end of the chase, but after a few dozen began their morbid cries in earnest those ahead were alerted in time to attempt interception.
Maneuvering in such enclosed spaces as these tunnels would be hard enough if I was facing another person, but the Hounds themselves took up so much room I was lucky if I could find a way past them let alone avoid their carnivorous jowls. I dodged, ducked, weaved, and executed such tight flips that even good old elastic spine Vegeta would have been impressed. Still I only barely managed my way through the maze of fur, fangs, and claws. But there wasn't even time enough for a mental appreciation of my accomplishments because straight ahead of me was the Dark One himself.
"Golgotha."