Chapter III:
Sounga, the Great Demon
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When Hiromitsu woke up, all he could see was a solid wall of darkness. He tried to stand up, but his body ached all over, so the best he could do without blacking out was to force himself into a sitting position. Gradually, his vision began to clear, and he was able to make out more of his surroundings. He was in a large, unlit room. The walls, ceiling and floor were made of some rich, dark wood, but the entire place seemed to be overgrown, not with vines, but with strange lumpy red tendrils that resembled animal flesh more than plants. The entire place stank of anger, blood, and a strong undercurrent of raw evil. He also recognized the smell of the undead soldiers that had helped subdue him, and knew that this place had to be the home of Sounga, the Great Demon who had reanimated those monsters and sent them out to do his bidding.
As if on cue, something moved far back in the shadowy room, and a large man-shape stood up and started toward him. As it approached, Hiromitsu got his first good look at the Great Demon Sounga, self-appointed ruler of all the islands east of the Asian continent and the most feared being in the land.
Frankly, he was a little underwhelmed.
Hiromitsu had imagined the legendary Great Demon as being huge, barrel-chested, a strong and terrifying adversary befitting his reputation. The humanoid being in front of him was just a little over six feet tall, lean and lanky, covered in black and red-spiked armor in an attempt to make him look bigger and more intimidating; a human on horseback would have towered over him. The curved horns sticking out of his forehead were little more than decorations, and his long, ankle-length braided ponytail made Hiromitsu think of rich ladies the other kids had told him about, who had nothing better to do with their time and money than pay hairdressers and tailors to mess around with their appearance and call it "fashion".
Sounga noted the lack of fear in the boy's eyes and scowled. "So, you are the one supposedly destined to defeat me? You are the great dog-demon meant to kill the most powerful being this world has ever seen?"
"I hate to be the one to tell you this, but I'm no dog," Hiro growled, "and you don't look as powerful as you seem to think you are, pal."
Sounga snarled, lashing out with the spiked toe of his boot - and Hiro caught it before the Great Demon's kick could connect with his already-throbbing jaw. He had just been beaten up by a bunch of smelly walking corpses, and there was no way in hell that he was going to let this skinny, red-faced, porcupine-spiked wimp push him around, too. As Sounga's eyes widened in surprise - it had been centuries since anyone had dared attack him physically! - Hiro used his grip on the older demon's foot to shove him backward, off-balance, struggling to stand on one foot. Hiro started getting up, fully intending to pursue Sounga and give him what for, when a searing pain in his back brought him crashing to his knees, gasping for breath, multicolored spots dancing in front of his eyes.
Sounga's expression shifted instantly from stark surprise to smug, self-assured gloating. "So, dog-demon," he said, mockingly, "where are your swords of light? Are you going to change your shape for me?" He placed his foot on Hiro's aching back and pushed him to the ground. "Or do you just intend to scratch me to death with your pitiful little claws?"
"I don't ... know ... what you're ... talking about ... you jerk! I can't change shape, and I don't even own a sword! You just killed a whole village full of people for no good reason!"
Sounga's confident expression faltered for a moment. Could he possibly have miscalculated? Could the real dog-demon be running loose at this very moment, preparing for a sneak attack perhaps, still on course for the battle that was fated to bring about Sounga's downfall? Then he bared his teeth, bent down, and grabbed a handful of Hiro's long white hair. "What is your name, runt?" he hissed in the boy's ear.
"Hiromitsu. Why do you care?"
Satisfied, Sounga grinned in triumph, and shoved the boy's head to the floor with a heavy thump! The young demon was obviously lying about his lack of shape-changing ability, as well as not having two swords. His name was just what the blind girl had said it would be, and his coloration matched exactly with the description she had given. Of course, Sounga had no intention of letting the rest of the prophecy come to pass - the part where this dog-demon killed him with a pair of magic swords. He stomped down hard on the small of the runt's back, bringing forth a cry of pain. Encouraged, Sounga brought his foot down again, and again on the back of his head, and again on his shoulder blades, and finally kicked Hiromitsu in the temple so hard that the young demon flew through a wall, blacking out for the second time in one day.
For a moment, Sounga wanted to finish the brat off there and then, crushing him to so much ground meat beneath his boot heel. Then, he thought of how the boy had tried to assault him - to actually, physically hurt him! - and decided that killing Hiromitsu while unconscious was better than the impudent little runt deserved. At his silent command, two undead soldiers walked in and picked the fallen demon up, binding his wrists and ankles with a set of manacles inscribed with strength-sapping arcane runes. Then he pointed out through the entryway, and the two corpses carried Hiromitsu down to the dungeon Sounga kept in the lowest level of his citadel. Sounga walked back over to his throne and sat down heavily. For a moment, he had seen an enemy who held absolutely no fear of him, and it had almost made him feel ... frightened?
Impossible, Sounga thought to himself. I am a Great Demon, ruler of this land and the most powerful being east of the continent. Why should I fear some stripling without so much as a decent sword? Fear was something he had left behind him long ago, when he had escaped the underworld and emerged into a realm populated solely by weaker creatures. He was the most powerful being on this plane of existence, and soon this entire world would tremble at the merest whisper of his name.
So satisfied, Sounga allowed himself to relax, and called three more of his minions in to repair the wall he had just knocked down.
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Author's Notes/ "Bonus Material"
-Plot Development
This is where the hero and the villain meet each other. There's not too much more to it, really. Once Hiro meets Sounga face-to-face, their rivalry becomes personal.
I also thought that it would be interesting to re-introduce Sounga, but this time, from Hiro's perspective. It gives some insight into the way Hiromitsu gauges his enemies; not by how they try to appear, but by their actions.
By having Hiromitsu lose again, it reinforces his initial vulnerability, and gives him a very good reason to hate Sounga. It also provides a reason for him to stay in Sounga's citadel, where he'll find out just why all of this is happening to him.
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