Chapter 5: The Red Bone Palace
Hisui stirred awake looking around, not seeing Ash in the tower like he was last night. He quickly stands and looks around before feeling a tap on his shoulder; turning he sees the hand responsible was coming from the roof. Hisui poked his head out to see Ash sitting there with Yamato looking over the village like an owl. "Good morning Hisui." He says without breaking his gaze.
Hisui carefully climbed up to join him and followed his gaze: the hut the half demon girl was in. "So-"
"Before you ask, I am keeping a watch over everything here. Not just her. Although I do have to keep her safe after all." He says. "Also I didn't want to stray too far, I figured you'd get backlash if you were to 'lose me' as it were." He tells the Slayer. He passes him a cup, a heated teapot courtesy of Lady Kaede having been poured for them to enjoy.
Hisui nods and takes the cup, swirling it around for a second before taking sips. "I heard from Uncle that you made a pact with that girl's father, Towa right? One that can hurt you if something happens to her; you must really cherish her to do something like that."
Ash thinks on those words for a moment. He takes a sip from his cup and looks to the clouds in the sky. "For a long time I was watching out for her. She'd get into trouble, as her senior I had to be sure she was pulled out of those situations. I knew she was a Demon from our first meeting just by her smell and feel. With no one else to look out for her when it came to that side of the world I took it upon myself to help her there too. It feels only natural to help her here as well." He says. "I owe it to them after all, they made me feel welcomed."
Hisui nods at this and stares off, seeing the villagers start to move about as the sun fully rises now. The Demon Slayers arrived with carts of assorted things: a skull, what looked to be books too. Ash spotted the two sisters starting to meet up now as well and headed for the group. He stood prompting Hisui to stand as well, but the young man's eyes widened as he suddenly disappeared.
Towa had asked Kohaku about the Dream Butterfly and he began to look through the books and notes the Slayers had gathered over the years. "Dream Butterfly...it doesn't look like it's an apparition." He says looking through a book he thought had the answers in it.
One of the Demon Slayers let out a yelp of surprise as Ash suddenly appeared behind the twins catching their attention. "If that's the case it may be something like a puppet, or whatever else you could classify it as." He says thinking to himself now.
Setsuna nods at this. "Yes, like a Shikigami." She adds in.
Kohaku nods at this while Towa was still looking at the sudden appearance of Ash. "It may be. According to this, it might be somewhere on Mount Musubi." He says getting Towa to snap out of her confusion.
She smirks and looks at Setsuna. "We can go there then!" She says.
Setsuna however is unfazed and looks to the Chief. "Do you have any slaying jobs available Chief?" She asks simply and straight to the point making Towa look shocked.
Kohaku was excited about this and confirmed he did, starting to gather the papers to explain it better. "As a matter fact I do! I was gonna send Hisui but...well he's supposed to be keeping an eye on Ash here. Where is he?" He asks as Hisui runs up.
Ash pats his back. "A for effort I suppose." He says jokingly as Towa speaks.
"Setsuna!" She says annoyed. She'd think that anyone would go after the thing that stole their dreams and prevented them from sleeping, she would after all.
"If you want to go bug hunting, do it on your own; I have my own path to follow." Setsuna tells her. "Besides, you have Ash with you. I will be doing my job." She says simply as Kohaku prepares everything and they start to head out.
Towa watches them as Ash stands nearby. "Going to follow them?" He asks her.
She smirks and looks at him. "Of course. You know me Ash, not gonna let her off that easily. We'll get her dreams back one way or another." She says running after the group.
Ash nodded at this and was about to get moving himself when he felt eyes on him. He looked around and only saw the village and some bushes and trees, but the feeling of being watched was there and it was heavy. He carefully began to walk forward to give whoever was watching him the idea he was leaving but quickly used an old trick he hadn't used for a while: summoned swords. Ever since he became a full Devil their color changed as did the energy of the Yamato itself, now being an ash grey to match his energy instead of the blue it once was. The sword went flying, nailing the onlooker who let out a pained grunt.
Ash moved toward the bush they were in to see an owl, it had four eyes in total and was able to move enough so the sword grazed it. "And who might you be?" Ash asked, looking down at it. The bird looked back up, meeting the tip of Yamato with all four of its eyes.
It sat there a moment, wide eyed before as quickly as it could cast a spell to teleport out. Ash huffed in annoyance as he kept an eye on the spot it was and dipped his fingers in the blood it left behind. He moved it around between his fingers before tasting it. "A demon huh...at least I know your scent." He says standing back up and vanishing himself to catch up with Towa.
After some walking the group arrived at a village where Kohaku was led to a group of bodies. He carefully inspected one while Ash poked at another. "The bones...they've been pulled out." Kohaku says as Towa looks on at him waving the flabby arm around in disgust.
Ash turns one over and inspects it. "No marks of cuts or bludgeoning. The entire skeleton was just ripped out." He says.
"This is the tenth victim by now." A villager says, three being there to have escorted them to the bodies. "I heard that the Demon looks like a beautiful boy." Another says. Ash didn't like the way the man said that, but couldn't do anything about it...for now at least. The last one leans forward to Kohaku. "Can we ask you Demon Hunters to take care of this?"
Kohaku stands and nods. "Leave this to us." He says.
Hisui, standing behind Ash, speaks next to his uncle. "Uncle, why won't you let me on this job?" he asks.
Kohaku points to his weapon. "The Hirakiotsu is the issue. My sister once fought a bone-eating Demon before, it simply chewed on the Hirakiotsu like food." He says.
Ash looks it over and sees how that could be an issue and nods to himself. "Where does this Demon appear?" He asks the villagers.
The oldest one looks to him. "You are a Demon Hunter? You don't dress like it..." he says, analyzing the Devil a bit.
Ash sighs at this. "I'll be assisting with this matter. Consider me a free lance slayer for now." He says getting Kohaku's attention.
Towa nods at this. "I'm helping too. We can't just let people keep being killed like this." She says.
"You both are willing to help us?" Kohaku asks, suspicious of Ash still. "It's dangerous work." He says.
Ash nods and looks at the bodies. "If whatever Demon is allowed to keep doing this, it will just grow in power until it can take an entire village's worth of skeletons with a simple wave of its hand. Now where does the Demon appear?" Ash asks again but with a bit more force as Kohaku nods and Setsuna steps forward informing the villagers she'd be going with them to make it official. Towa may join them, Ash however didn't plan on it; he'd protect her, but not join a group from the past to have toes and responsibilities to.
"It appears near the river, late at night." The old man says.
"I'll slay it." Setsuna says full of confidence.
Towa smiles widely to her sister. "Let's do our best Setsuna!"
Ash tunes the rest out as he discretely bends down and places a hand on the deflated body's face. Hisui notices and sighs covering for him by standing in the way. "What are you doing?" He whispers to the Devil as Ash concentrates.
"Just a bit of Devil magic if you will, it should help a bit." He whispers back as grey energy comes from his hand and he closes his eyes. A technique he had made on his first reincarnation: he can see the bodies last moments of the souls memories before death. This is thanks to the soul leaving a form of 'residue' in the carcass, it was a simple question of 'how can this be used' that led Ash to this power.
A young boy was walking across a bridge, it was night and water was below the wood rippling as bugs moved about in the moonlight. The boy was dressed in white, a veil over his face and a fan in his hand. Electricity shot out toward the man's eyes Ash was seeing through and then, he died.
Ash opened his eyes and sucked in some breath a bit as he came back to his body's perspective again. "I hate that." He says standing back up without anyone being the wiser. "I know the Demon's face." He tells Hisui in a whisper, getting a nod as he tells his uncle discreetly.
Ash is distracted as the normally small twin-tailed cat suddenly was engulfed in flames and grew larger. "Wow! You're awesome Kirara!" Towa says getting on the cat's back. "Come on Ash." She says.
Ash waves his hand looking at the cat and the small amount of room for all three of them present. "I'll be fine on my feet. Go on ahead and...go by Kirara? I guess?" He says unsure of how to phrase it without hurting the Demon Cats feelings. He moved up to her and petted her ear. "Keep them safe." He says silently in her ear getting a nod. Demon animals, loyal to who they choose and it looks like this one would do as told. "I'll meet you there." He says getting a nod from Setsuna as they launch forward and begin to fly.
Kohaku looks at them and listens to the antics of the sisters he could hear. Were it not for Ash next to him he'd even chuckle. "I hope this isn't just a way to get out from under Hisui's watch." He says with a warning undertone to his voice.
Ash scoffs as he takes his eyes off the girls and looks at the human. "Listen well human. Nothing and I mean nothing you do to me will have an effect. If I wanted to, the entire village would have been wiped from this world already; it's not hard for me and I've done it before to bigger places." He says going up to Kohaku's eyes, making his brown eyes stare into Ash's amber ones. "I have not because I am not one to simply do so. Aside from this, if I were to do anything without Towa's express permission on that large of a scale I'll have my pact to deal with. To suggest this is my way of getting free is laughable as you never could contain me to begin with."
Kohaku keeps their eyes locked together as he thought the words over. He sighs and conceded. "Your right. Even if we had a full company of Demon Slayers like we did when I was young we wouldn't be able to do anything against you. I guess...I guess it's just fear getting the best of me." He says, looking away.
Ash places a hand on his shoulder. "Fear is fine, it keeps people alive and I know you see the Demon Hunters as your family so I understand. But don't let it cloud decisions and muddle your vision; if you do then you can't see the great view that may be before you such as the fact you have me willingly working with you. Not for, just with. Consider me as I said, a free agent for whoever Towa heads." He says sticking his hand out.
Kohaku looks at it and smirks, shaking it. "Then I guess welcome aboard 'free agent'. Although we just call those mercenaries here." He says getting a chuckle from Ash. The Devil nods to him and looks off to where the girls went and vanished, doing this a few times between tree tops by throwing a summoned sword and teleporting to it or simply flash stepping.
Hisui walked up to his uncle as they watched him vanish. "That was surprisingly simple." He says to Kohaku who sighs.
"Sometimes it's best to just accept the situation. Ash is right on all he said, we would be better if having him as an ally rather than an enemy and to that length I won't make him one. You're free from watching over him in the village Hisui." He says walking away leaving the young man to look on where the Devil had went.
Ash was in his thoughts as he hopped around from tree to tree. Truth be told he could just teleport straight to Towa, the seal was on her too, just placed when she was asleep as this pact was meant to be kept secret from her as per Sōta's wishes. As such he decided not to so no questions were asked. "The sun is setting already. Traveling by foot does take a lot of time after all...I'm glad cars were invented." He said to himself looking at the orange sky. He stopped suddenly as he felt a presence, one close to his actually in terms of power. He looked down to the ground and spotted a man in white with fur around him followed by an Imp-like creature with a staff. His and Ash's eyes met, in that instant Ash knew who he was. "Sesshōmaru." He says.
The Imp stares up with his master and widens his eyes. "Lord Seashōmaru, who is that?" He asks.
Sesshōmaru keeps quiet as they stare at one another for a while longer. "Someone who is strong, Jaken." He says slowly unsheathing his Bakusaiga.
In an instant Ash was already on him with Yamato out and clashing against the Bakusaiga. The two were exerting enough force to make the blades heat up and spark against each other on the point of contact. The ground started to crack below their feet and they unlocked from one another and jumped back. The two landed but did not give each other a moment of rest and were back on each other again. They were for the most part matched and the Bakusaiga's decomposing effects don't work on the Yamato. Jaken had run and hid off to the side where he watched on in great interest. "Someone is keeping up with and even matching Lord Sesshōmaru!? This must be a servant to Kirinmaru." He says as a simple hypothesis for now.
Sesshōmaru sliced his Bakusaiga and unleashed its Explosive Corrosion Wave. Ash saw the attack coming and quickly sheathed Yamato and breathed in and out slowly. He dashed forward and cut through the attack, sending both ends away and into the trees making them corrode away. The two stared once again, trying to figure out a reasonable strategy against the other. Ash had an answer however now, he was on par with the two Great Demons of this era. With time he'll be able to end this request from the tree no issue.
Sesshōmaru looked at the Yamato and studied it for a moment. "That sword...it is not a fang." He says. Ash, not knowing what he meant by a fang, simply raised an eyebrow. "All Great Demons make their own sword from their fangs. My father did this, as did I. However, that sword does not feel like it was made from a fang. What is it." He didn't much ask as he demanded an answer.
Ash carefully moved it to the side to let the receding sunlight that was left reflect off it. "This is the Yamato. A weapon that once belonged to a very, very powerful Devil. He split his power, half went into this sword and the other half into another. His son inherited it, and eventually it was passed down to me. To say the least, it is very powerful after three generations and two temporary wielders." He says twirling it back into a defensive position. "Little word of warning, it can cut through the very fabric of space. Very few things can stop its cut, that sword of yours is special for sure." Ash tells him.
Sesshōmaru's mind immediately got to thinking. A sword that can cut through anything, even space itself...the Great Demon's eyes widened as an idea came to his head to save his wife. However he was stopped as a spectral sword suddenly flew at his face and nicked his check, Sesshōmaru having dodged just in time as he looked to Ash to see multiple summoned swords behind him. Sesshōmaru put a finger to his cheek and brought it to his eyes. "I let an opening be presented. It won't happen again." He says stealing his face and focusing on the fight before him. Anything else can be decided when this is over. He started to let out more of his power, unleashing a strong gust of wind and blowing up dirt beneath him.
Ash covered his face from it, as he analyzed his opponent. 'More power...then looks like in this form I'm not fully on par after all.' He says debating if he should Trigger. He shakes his head, putting the thought away. He needed to gauge just how far he could go in his human form. After all, Sesshōmaru had yet to leave his own as well. "You know for someone who apparently abandoned his kids you're oddly close with a keen eye. I guess you do care a bit at least." Ash says drawing out his own power to match Sesshōmaru's as best as he could without leaving his human form.
Sesshōmaru doesn't respond and simply dashed forward, his claws poised and secreting poison. Sesshōmaru sliced with Bakusaiga making Ash duck in an attempt to get him with the poison, but Ash simply teleported back with a summoned sword he'd shot backwards. Ash didn't expect the whip of light to shoot out of Sesshōmaru's claws next however, getting him across his face before wrapping around his arm. He felt it cutting into his skin as it lifted him off the ground and Sesshōmaru began to thrash him around through trees and the ground, ending by slamming him head first into a boulder cracking it open. Ash got back up to a knee and wiped some blood from his eye, a gash on his forehead now. Sesshōmaru had given him his receipt for the cut. Ash gathered power and looked up to the Great Demon extending his arm, making Sesshōmaru tense a bit for what may come next.
He snapped his fingers making Sesshōmaru raise his sword to defend, but it was in the wrong direction as summoned swords came from above him. He weaved between them and evaded with grace, almost like an ice skater in the ring. However these swords were ones Ash had conjured up for special occasions, not just any. normal ones. Sesshōmaru realized too late as they started to flow and exploded, demolishing the ground he stood upon. Ash knew that wasn't enough- he was at least hoping to have damaged the Great Demon at least, a good chunk of noticeable damage would be good enough of an indicator for Ash to where his power was compared to Sesshōmaru's and hopefully by extension Kirinmaru's as well.
The dust settled and Sesshōmaru stood there. His armor was damaged and kimono dirtied, the former would fix itself so it was of no conscience. The most telling detail was the small amount of blood coming from his arm where he raised it to block the explosion, and a line of blood from his head where it had nicked him with debris. He lowered his arm and presented the Bakusaiga's tip as he thrusted forward, Ash trick dodging to the right and thinking of what else he could possibly do to this Demon to hurt him. He smirks as he gets an idea, it works for Vergil so why not try it himself? He quickly swapped the Yamato to his left hand and slashing down quickly, getting blocked by Sesshōmaru. He tricked into the air and came back down, and repeated four times before finally the Bakusaiga's blade was pushed aside and he landed a definitive strike across Sesshōmaru's chest. Blood spilled out and Ash quickly used Sesshōmaru as a springboard. Even though the cut was made by Yamato he knew that wouldn't keep him down long.
Landing a few feet away he began to focus, hard. He visualized the Summoned Swords, then the Sparda- or Force Edge if you would. Sesshōmaru had used his other sword's power to heal himself as Ash did this, coming to a realization of what that sword could help him with. He looked up and saw power gathering to Ash as a new sword came into existence on his back, it was grey just like the ones he threw at him earlier but looked somehow more like a real sword than some summoned entity. It was a big curved sword with a ghastly appearance, demonic almost. Ash looked to his back and was shocked expecting to see Mirage Edge, not a mirage of the Sparda itself unsealed. He wasn't complaining though and popped his neck, getting ready to amp it up.
He dashed forward with Mirage Sparda and Yamato and...
"That's enough." Sesshōmaru says sheathing his sword. Ash gained a perplexed face and stumbled a bit forward before watching as Sesshōmaru simply walked over to a spot and sat.
"Uhh...what?" Ash asks simply as he holds his swords out.
Sesshōmaru looks up at him and gestures. "We will be at this all day at this rate and we both have somewhere to be. Instead of wasting my time fighting I'd rather get what I need done, done. Sit, let us talk a moment." He says, Ash carefully complying as the Sparda disappeared and the Yamato was sheathed.
Ash looked around a bit wondering what to do now. "Sooo...what is it we're talking about?" He asks.
Sesshōmaru keeps a steeled face as he answers. "Towa and Setsuna's mother. My wife, a human named Rin. She is currently held hostage by a Demon named Zero in a way that makes it so I cannot harm her, otherwise Rin will be harmed as well. Your sword, Yamato, if it can cut space and my attacks it can help me free Rin of this spell." He says as Jaken comes forward and sits to the side of him.
Jaken rubs his chin in thought. "That certainly is true Lord Sesshōmaru. On top of this, this lad is strong enough to push you as he did. Together there is no doubt Kirinmaru wouldn't stand a chance, after all if you kill his sister and come back without the pinwheel he will be enraged."
Ash started to think for a moment as the pieces fell into place. Sesshōmaru didn't abandon his daughters, he had no choice in the matter. If he so much as lifted a finger he'd lose his entire family: Towa, Setsuna, and this Rin woman he calls his wife. It made sense now, at least a bit. "You have a sharp mind Sesshōmaru, it can cut such a spell without harming the caster or the one it was cast on. It can save your wife." He says making Jaken's eyes widen at his willingness to admit such things. "Now if you're asking for my help in the matter...let me think on it. I have to protect your daughter after all." He says showing his pact symbol, making Jaken's eyes bulge even more.
"A pact!? Only Devils can make such things!" He yells out.
Even Sesshōmaru had slightly widened his eyes. "A Devil. What is the depths of Hell wanting to attack me for?" He asks.
Ash waves his hand causally. "It's not Hell, I was asked to stop you and Kirinmaru by the Tree of Ages. I'm sure you know of this whole 'other world'. I heard stories from a Demon Hunter that a woman a couple years ago came through a well from another world. Essentially I'm from that same world and that's where Towa has been this whole time. Root Head lived and attached itself to the tree allowing us to pass. Of course it's dead now, and I can take us back any time with Yamato if I want to. Essentially I am from the future." He says having the two's undivided attention. "In the future Hell is...a mess. Infighting caused it to become like that and low ranking peasant Devils hide in their own dimension now while the Mid to High rankers stay in Hell proper. I was a Duke of Hell, it's pretty boring actually." He says. He stands and stretches, looking to the sky. "In any case, I will think about this matter thoroughly. I'll find you when I have an answer." He says beginning to leave.
Jaken speaks up. "How will you do this Duke? And what's stopping Lord Sesshōmaru from just taking the sword himself?"
Ash chuckles. He waves his hand and a Magic circle appears over his and Sesshōmaru's right ears before disappearing. "A little Devil magic. And that second one, only I can wield the Yamato. Anything other than a Devil, no matter how powerful, will just be ripped apart by it." He says walking and waving. "Till then Sesshōmaru, Jaken." With that he disappears.
Jaken looks at Sesshōmaru. "Lord Sesshōmaru...will this work?" He asks.
Sesshōmaru simply stands and keeps white, lingering his gaze where Ash was before turning and starting to fly away, causing Jaken to jump onto his fur and leave as well.
Ash looked to see the moon out now, the fight having lasted long enough for it to go to the middle of the sky almost. "Damn, hope they haven't gotten into trouble yet." He says teleporting around as fast he could till he saw the bridge. The two girls were there before a young boy, Setsuna rushed forward and sent an attack out but the kid disappeared as it hit his clothing which floated to the ground, holes in it. It and Ash touched down at the same time, Setsuna rushing to the clothing and Towa looking to Ash. "I assume that that was the Demon?" He asks the white haired girl, getting a nod.
"Did you get him Setsuna?" She asks.
The younger of the two looked annoyed as she held the fine clothing. "No...he escaped." She says looking around for any sign of him.
Towa sighs in slight relief. "That's a relief. I didn't want to kill such a cute kid." She states shrugging with a smirk.
Setsuna looks back to her annoyed. "You're still saying such things?" She asks standing and letting the cloth fall back to the ground. "And you, where were you at? You said you wanted to help on this hunt." She says pointing to Ash.
The Devil noticed Towa looking at him too, and he couldn't just say he was fighting their father whom he found randomly taking a stroll in the woods just behind them. "I was...held up. I am adjusting to the new energy of this era, it's much richer than home. It's taking a while though; think the first time you had something sweet, it's essentially the same for me here." He explains. It was a lie of course, but not one without some truth. Devil's powers were a combination of things: their own training and effort, linkage and blood, and the natural energies produced by ley lines and the creatures that were dead which themselves had their power reabsorbed into the world. Ley lines in the future era were weaker as less and less creatures of magical abilities existed. Here however, where a Demon killed or was killed almost every other hour, it was rich and overwhelming.
The girl seems to ease up and accepts the answer. "I guess it can't be faulted then. I could feel the difference too in that era." She states.
Towa looks behind her sister, catching a gleam of red and pointing it out. "Is that...a trail of bone shards?" She asks carefully, looking closer at them. Ash could feel the faint power coming off of them too as he picked one up, only for Towa to hit it out of his hand. "Are you crazy?! You don't know what diseases that could have!" She says to the Devil.
Setsuna shakes her head at the two's antics simply staying focused on the mission. "He's at the end of this trial."
Ash scoffs looking it over. "Making it too easy, no? Well let's get a move on then." He says walking with the girls this time so they didn't get too suspicious of his lie from earlier.
They walk forward for a couple of minutes, following the trail of red bone shards arguably until they come across a mansion- Moroha standing out front it as well. She hears the trio approaching and twists around fast with her hand on her sword ready to strike when Towa surprises her with a flashlight beam to the face. "Look at that, the gangs all here." Ash says as the red-clad bounty hunter covered her eyes. He looks off to the house feeling not one but two different Demons inside. One was weak, but it had a great deal of power; below Seashōmaru and himself of course, but it wasn't too far down on the ladder. If it was at full strength it could be an issue. He heard Moroha talk about how the bounty held inside was her's and was worth a full bag of gold, but his attention was again diverted when he felt a sudden sting on his neck and swatted at the offending spot. He held out his hand to see a small flea in it, flattened before popping back up and making noise. Specifically it talked.
"Damiyon damiyom!" It called out as it stumbled a bit in Ash's palm. "That hurt! But your blood is rich and delicious!" It says jumping from his hand and over to Moroha's shoulder, all eyes on it.
"A flea just talked..." Ash says with a look of bewilderment and a twitching eye while he rubbed the bite spot.
"One of the Four Perils like Tokotsu's head is worth more than a bag of gold! It's worth at least an entire ingot!" The flea tells her, getting a glare and her telling him to shut up. He quivers in fear a bit as he almost falls off but righted himself, Ash still confused that at least Towa didn't question this with him. "The issue is that the other Perils won't stay quiet for long if one falls."
Ash thinks on this too, had been actually. If one is to die then they'll go after the killer if they have strong camaraderie. Otherwise it's a power vacuum where anyone could fill the role technically, peril or no peril. They all felt a shiver as Moroha started to scheme, and they knew it by her look alone. "In any case we must go in and kill the Demon. So let's not waste much more time." Ash says going up to an outer gate and pushing it open easily- it not being locked was a sign of preparation he didn't like. They proceeded into the compound as Myoga, the now introduced flea Demon, gave some information on its past. Ash barely listens to the family history, that much was none of his concern. He paid attention however when Myoga spoke of the Four Perils, and dropped the name Kirinmaru.
Towa looked back to the flea and spoke. "Kirinmaru? Did you just say Kirinmaru?" She asks shocked.
Myoga nods. "Yes I did, what about him?"
Setsuna answered, Ash knowing what he was told by the Tree of Ages already. "We heard Kirinmaru was trying to distort time and swallow this world into an age of degeneration." She says seriously.
Ash chimes in playing on his ignorance. "What? When was this heard?" He asks.
Towa snaps her fingers. "Right! You weren't there with us when we spoke to the Tree of Ages or to fight Root Head. Essentially Kirinmaru is working for what Setsuna just said, and it asked us to kill him and...and Sesshōmaru." She said faltering in her words. "We refused and it sent us to Root Head after waking it up to attack us."
Myoga thinks but shakes its head. "I find it hard to believe that such a resplendent Beast King would hold such an ambition." He says.
Ash feels a shift in the area, the weakened Demon was growing in strength while they sat talking like this. He was about to say something when Moroha began to tell the tale of how she killed Tokotsu: she didn't remember. Apparently she didn't remember the fifth at all, woke up near his body, and simply took the peril from its resting place. She was chased by his underlings but escaped with the body to a corpse dealer where she received a bag of silver and was told his name. Ash was being taken aback by this, but he chalked it up to being normal for the girl. She was strange, strong but never really using her full powers still. Setsuna mentioned how if they continued on this path they'd be following the Tree of Age's request and Towa mentioned how they'd need to fight Sesshōmaru then as well.
"What?!" Myoga says loudly, jumping to Moroha's head. "Then these two are Sesshōmaru daughters?" He asks, shocked.
Ash nodded as the other two had moved forward through an opened door frame. "Yes. But doesn't that mean then this one and them are cousins?" He asks putting a hand on Moroha's head much to her annoyance as she shakes him off.
Myoga nods violently at this as his head swirls from all the thinking and implications this had, Ash and Moroha joining the other two before a paper door, closed this time. Moroha walks forward over-exaggeratedly with a cheshire grin. "Sooo what'll you do?" She asks going to the door. "On the other side of this door is Kirinmaru's underling, a member of the Four Perils. Worth a full gold ingot! Let's split the bounty, we're bodies after all!" She says turning to the door. Ash readies Yamato and Setsuna tenses about to reach for her to stop when the bounty hunter puts her hands on the circular handles. "From here on we can help each other out!" With that she pulls the door apart to see...
The boy from the bridge, redressed and slowly bowing on a mat to them. "Welcome. My father Tokotsu has been patiently awaiting you as well." He says, actually rather politely Ash noticed, all things considered.
Moroha tenses and holds out a hand to the girls and Ash, advising them to be on their guard- but the Devil simply walks forward. He looks to Jakotsumaru who looks back up while the three girls speak on the matter at hand completely not paying attention. "Who are you?" He asks the Devil.
Ash looks around before stopping to stare at the wall to his right. 'That's where the other Demon is' he thought as he casually sat down and looked Jakotsumaru in the eye. "My name is Ash. Other details do not matter, for I have questions for you." He says as Moroha stepped forward slightly now. "Why were you collecting those bones? Carts full and not just human, they had a purpose."
Jakotsumaru smirks slightly. "Ahh, well who's to say why?" He says jokingly. "My real issue here is with her, you and the other two I could care less about."
"So this is all just revenge then? What a truly stupid reason. If you drop this now, I can see about letting you walk away alive." Ash says letting his power out a bit.
Jakotsumaru feels it, and a spine numbing terror overtakes him as he looks into Ash's eyes. He thinks, for the briefest moment, he might take the offer. But the boy turns, and locks eyes with Moroha. "A simple way to put it but yes. It is not stupid, it is responsible. This is mine and my fathers revenge."
The subtle hint was there, Ash knew now why he had collected the bones and as Moroha went to draw her sword he tricked back and grabbed her as the right wall collapsed under the weight of red bones. Hundreds of skeletons were in the mass as it knocked over the candelabra, human bones forming with swords in their hands as a giant red skull with glowing red eyes looked to the now standing Moroha. "My revenge will be had! Even if I haven't truly died yet!" It yells out in anger. Jakotsumaru stands to the side of his father with a new-found confidence. "I cannot forgive you for stealing my Red Rainbow Peril! And then you sold off my body! You are a lowly wretch, I will never forgive you!" He yells out.
Moroha at least looks slightly bad about it. "Oh come on, stop it! You're making me sound like a bad person!" She says.
Towa leans over to Setsuna and Ash. "But she is the bad person here." She says making Ash snigger slightly and Setsuna nods in agreement.
Tokotsu threatens the bounty hunter before roaring, making the building shake. Ash stood straight not letting it bother him as he watched the skeletons near their master. 'One, two, three, and possibly an infinite amount- at least until the bones run out. So long as we can coordinate this will be ea-' Ash was cut off however by Towa. "Moroha, you have to apologize. Everyone makes mistakes. Right Ash?" She asks turning to the Devil who sighed internally.
The Devil hesitates but answers anyway. "While it is an accident that led to these circumstances, such a thing won't really help at this stage." He says seeing the red skull stare in anger.
Setsuna however had her own choice words on apologizing. "Too naïve. Does your two's world forgive anyone when they say sorry?" She says simply.
Jakotsumaru even speaks. "Nonsense! If such a thing was true then we wouldn't have magistrates!"
Moroha unsheathes her sword and dashes forward. "I'm not apologizing! This is my job, so I'm just gonna keep moving forward with my own power!" She says slashing her sword with magic, making a red dragon appear. "Crimson Dragon Wave!" She calls out as it takes out a skeleton and hits Tokotsu causing his son to yell in worry.
Setsuna sees this and starts attacking herself, while Towa watches on, Ash next to her. "Ash...she's right huh?" She asks her friend.
Ash nods. "To a degree, yes. Things can't be solved how you'd normally do them, at least the civil way considering I recall you weren't always one for apologizing yourself." He says getting a small glare back. "However, that doesn't mean to lose that kindness. It's just the human in you- and that's nothing to be ashamed of." He says drawing his sword, getting a smile from her as she creates her own from the broken handle. "Now, like we used to?" He asks.
She nods. "Yeah, they're skeletons so I don't need to hesitate." She says as they join the fight now. She slashes through two as Ash tricked between the ones that were just formed and deployed, shattering them to pieces. He kept this up buying the girls time and getting Tokotsu's attention.
"He is more skilled and vastly more powerful than those three...he is the biggest threat right now!" It says raising more bones to fight. Ash looked behind himself as they formed before Tokotsu raised one of his bone arms and swatted him away. The Devil went through the paper and wood walls to the outside where he corrected himself and skidded to a halt on foot. He looked around as countless more skeletons came up from the ground around the house, even oversized ones of either people who were just that big, or other Demons. "Play with them for a while!" He heard Tokotsu's voice say from the other end of the hole, the entire length of the compound as it seemed.
Ash stood back up and cracked his neck. "Very well, but it won't take me long." He said as Mirage Sparda came to be again. He looked around and smirked dashing forward with a stinger, the blade of the Sparda extending slightly for more range as he hit a skeleton and sent it to pieces. He didn't have much time after this to recover as immediately a skeleton to his left charged with its broadsword. He brought the Yamato up in its sheath and intercepted the attack, spinning the skeletons arm so it lost the weapon and immediately used the Mirage Sparda to shatter it too. Feeling his instincts take over, Ash backflips over three attacking from behind, time slowing almost as he put Mirage Sparda on his back and drew Yamato letting out Judgment Cuts as he maneuvered in the air- one for the three below him, and then a few more in controlled directions to thin the horde he faced. When his feet touched the ground again his eyes were slitted as he started to amp up his power, going a bit more Devilish. "I think I wanna go stylish on this one." He said as grey energy surrounded him and his swords. A circle appears below him matching the hidden one on his torso allowing him to shoot forward at untraceable speeds, dashing as a grey blur between the skeleton horde before stopping on a big one. He sliced at one of its legs making it fall to the ground, using the bent knee of the other to jump up and take out its head. When he clicked Yamato back to it's sheathe over half of the horde behind him was obliterated into nothing. He turned to the other skeletons and chuckled. "Maybe I had too Sick Skills there for you to handle." He says chuckling at his own bad joke. He was preparing himself for the next batch when suddenly a pillar of light shot up from the main compound location. He heard Tokotsu's scream as the skeletons disappeared along with the entire compound.
He sighs, kicking a skeletons head as it disappeared a bit later then the others, seeing the clear day sky now and a flying creature with a shell. He simply didn't question it and met up with the three girls finding Moroha asleep on Towa's back. "Ah Ash! Are you ok? What happened after Tokotsu hit you?" She asks.
"He sent skeletons to fight me, turns out there were far more victims than we could see under the grounds. I took care of them. What happened to her?" He asks, gesturing his sword handle to Moroha.
Towa looked at the girl on her back and smiled. "She used some power with her rouge she had to kill Jakotsumaru. Unfortunately it takes her out of commission for a day she said so she passed out when she finished. Used her Demon Energy all up so Setsuna and I took care of Tokotsu; can you take her? She's actually a bit heavy and unlike me you barely seem to have broken a sweat." She asks. While it was a question he felt the pact tingle as he accepted and transferred the girl to his back now. Together they left for the Demon Slayers camp to report the news of the bone stealing Demon's demise.
—
Reviews:
Tenma Kirin on October 13th- Continued
Raidentensho on October 13th- As far as I've read and can remember from Inuyasha they were alive at the end. I may be wrong, however at the time of this being written we are well into Season 2, the date is January 26th and I'm backed up on the episodes to write these chapters. I completed season 1 however and will be starting season 2 either soon or when this finishes season 1. Making a weapon…considering season 1's end I don't think so, and I don't think he could or would anyway honestly. He's pretty broken as is, he'd need something from Devil materials to make a weapon like a Devils Arm.
Gry25 on October 13th- kk
Guest on October 24th- Trust=earned. I didn't want them at each other for much longer than they were as they both are logical enough to know that'd just get in the way. They aren't friends mind you, but now they can start to be at least allies.
Gry25 on October 28th- A good concept! I like it, and did actually plan to have a Devil or two show up eventually. After all something is needed to power check Ash eventually and he is already on par with two of the strongest Demons in the human world rn.
GoTeam on November 27th- First part is answered above thankfully, second part he'll leave it eventually but to leave his human form it will need either a very very strong opponent or strong emotional damage (Steven He lol). Again, the power check will come, as see-able this chapter I removed Ash from the main fight with Tokotsu and Jakotsumaru mainly because he could one shot them. Idk when the power check will be but I'm thinking in the near future, definitely before season 1 ends at least.
