Low Noon Showdown Part 2
Fighting against the unnatural wind and rain, the militia of ronin, thugs and townsfolk stood their ground against the overwhelming mass of the undead horde. Spears, swords and other various weapons had to bite in hard to try to stem the tide as the front ranks barely held. Zōri and Waraji pushed past the back ranks, swords already drawn, and filled the gaps with their bodies. With wide arcs, they scythed through the hordes as so much wheat for the mill.
"Finally! A real battle!" Waraji roared as he swung into the seemingly endless horde with wanton abandon.
"Focus, Waraji! We need to kill these things fast!" Zōri shouted to his compatriot as he slashed into the horde with all of his strength.
"What!? I can't hear you over how much ass I'm kicking right now!" Waraji roared in almost a laugh as he used his great reach to cleave through more ghouls and beasts than most.
Zōri sighed at his partner's antics. "Idiot…" He muttered, gutting a ghoul like a fish.
As the line bent and nearly broke, the storm was parted for but a split moment of unnatural lightning. At speeds surpassing a thunderbolt, Kakashi shot through the enemy lines in a blur of movement. The cycloptic jōnin cut, slashed, stabbed, and pierced through enemies with such velocity that no normal person present could see his movements. He moved with such a speed that he seemed to disappear and reappear to the naked eye.
"By the gods, he's faster than a hiccup!" Waraji exclaimed.
"Damn shinobi showoff, stealing all the fun…" Zōri grumbled.
They didn't have time to marvel at Kakashi's pyrotechnic display of grand awesomeness. Feeling a sudden rush of air as two poor militia fighters were drove straight into the skies above, the two ronin stood in horror in the path of a Crypt Horror. The towering, fecund and degenerate brute roared as it wound its iron hard arm back to have them see the heavens personally.
However, before it could attack the two, a pair of massive and powerful jaws bit down on its head and neck. Shaking the Crypt Horror, the Tyrant King threw it like a rag doll across the enemy's side of the battlefield, flattening multiple ghouls and other enemies. Slowly, the Crypt Horror got back up, glared at the massive thunder lizard and roared. Roaring back in challenge, the Tyrant King charged at the undead abomination like a runaway locomotive as the Crypt Horror charged right back.
The two behemoths of raw power thundered down the battlefield, their very footsteps shaking the ground beneath their feet. The two clashed in the center of the battlefield, the Crypt Horror grappling at the Tyrant King and attempting to grab it by the neck. The massive thunder lizard threw off the undead monster before slamming its tail into it. However, the Crypt Horror caught the tail on impact and, despite being pushed, dug in its heels to avoid being thrown backwards. Pulling with all of its might, the Crypt Horror slammed the Tyrant King into the ground with the force of an earthquake, cratering and violently shaking the ground from the force.
Before the Crypt Horror could try the tactic again, the Tyrant King recovered and flung it with its tail, throwing it back. Charging in at full speed, the massive thunder lizard slammed its head into the undead abomination like a battering ram, smashing it through multiple buildings as the two titans left sight of the nearby smaller combatants. However, the sound of their battle could still be heard and felt in the distance as the two walking earthquakes dueled to the death.
"Such power…" Waraji muttered in awe.
"I've never felt more out of my league in my life…" Zōri muttered in agreement with his partner.
"If you two are done gawking, get back in the line and help the militia! We can't win a protracted fight! We have to beat them now!" Kakashi yelled above the storm and din of battle.
Zōri nodded and readied his blade. "Sir, yessir!" He replied, charging back into the battlefield with a roar.
"Don't have to tell me twice!" Waraji roared happily as he barreled into the ghoul, wolf and bat hordes with blissful glee.
'I'm surrounded by idiots.' Kakashi thought, wondering for but a moment how his master contended with the task of leadership.
With that, Kakashi noticed several blurs of movement. Looking with his Sharingan, he smiled as he saw his pack of loyal ninja hounds darting across the battlefield. They bit, tore, and clawed through enemies as they assisted the militia wherever they could. Refocusing on the enemy, Kakashi heard something up in the air. A roaring sound.
Up from the clouds came bloated and bleached forms of Crypt Horrors with red wings. Screeching like if one ear raped a Crypt Horror and bats calls together, they rocketed down into the lines, long black talons. Such iron hard and sharp meat hooks flayed open the flesh and bones of everything in their way with vicious windmill motions. Their fanged maws biting into flesh and tearing out chunks in a charnel display of unholy red streaked carnage.
"Well, those are new. Oda-san didn't mention them. I guess I'll call you… Crypt Flayers. Oh, gods I've been teaching Naruto for too long, haven't I?" Kakashi muttered to himself before acting.
Going through hand seals, Kakashi began molding chakra as he took in a deep breath. Kneading it and converting it to fire, he mentally called out the name of the technique he used. 'Fire Release: Great Flame Flower!' He thought as he breathed out a multitude of massive fireballs at the same time.
The fireballs shot up at the Crypt Flayers like giant firework rockets. The fireballs began to barrage the Crypt Flayers, exploding on impact and bringing them to the ground, their wings now too burnt to fly. Seeing their chance, Kakashi's ninja hounds rushed in at the grounded winged abominations and tore into them with the savagery of lions. The Crypt Flayers roared in pain as they swung and thrashed, trying to throw the hounds off as the dogs made their way up their bodies to attempt to go for their throats.
"And Guy said they wouldn't be worth the trouble. To that, I say "Guy, can your Gates do that?'" Kakashi muttered, as if remembering an argument from his long ago younger, stupider years.
Turning back to the enemy, he drew two kunai and went back on the attack. Slashing and stabbing, he cut down enemies one after another. Vampiric ghouls, wolves, and bats all fell to his knives one by one. However, no matter how many he cut down, more kept coming. It was like there was no end to them.
"What's the matter, speedy meat? Getting a bit tired in those mortal bones of yours?" A mocking, horrid, toned voice rang out.
Turning to look, Kakashi saw the unmistakable frame of a Strigoi surrounded by a cadre of Vampiric ghouls. It almost, to him at least, looked like a mockery of a Shinobi team.
'If I knew I would never get it, I'd march it into the Third's office and demand a raise.' Kakashi admonished in his mind.
"Got no witty quips, White Hair?" One of the Vampiric Ghouls sneered.
"Forgive me if you're not giving me a lot to work off of. I would take it from one of my books, but a man of culture doesn't read while on the job." Kakashi dryly answered.
"Are you insulting us, you ragged meatbag?" Another one piped up.
"I'm certainly not taking you to dinner." Kakashi answered.
"Can it, you fool, he's distracting us. The one who brings him down gets to eat him." The Strigoi growled out as orders.
"With pleasure, milord!" The other three chipperly answered, licking their blackened, sharp teeth and smacking their thin, emaciated lips.
"Gods give me strength if I can ever bring myself to eat meat after this mission." Kakashi sighed.
Readying his two kunai, Kakashi began running his Lightning Release chakra into each one. Molding and shaping the chakra sharpening the blades, he extended the Lightning Release chakra into two swords made of lightning extending over the knives. Readying his makeshift lightning swords, the cycloptic jōnin charged into the fray as the vampiric ghouls rushed at him. Slashing with his lightning swords, Kakashi cleaved the arm off of one ghoul before dodging a claw slash and hacking the leg off of another. Seeing them start slowly regenerating, the white-haired cyclops remembered the weaknesses a vampiric ghoul had.
'Damn it, have to kill the brain. Alright, Kakashi. Focus. Just like how Minato sensei taught you all those years ago.' Kakashi thought, digging deep inside of him for strength.
Readying his makeshift lightning swords, Kakashi ran one through the head of a ghoul before slashing downward, bisecting it and slicing it in half from the crown of its head to its groin. The abomination gurgled and groaned as it split apart in a shower of black blood. Dodging a slash from another vampiric ghoul, Kakashi kicked it in the head to temporarily disorient it long enough to slice off its head. As the head went flying, the cycloptic Leaf jōnin leapt up and sliced it into pieces in an instant with his two lightning swords.
Dropping back to the ground in a low crouch, he dodged around a claw swipe from the final vampiric ghoul. Using its momentum against it, he swept its legs out from under it before turning with his own momentum to swing his lightning swords at the ghoul from behind it to decapitate it.
"Go ahead. Just try to kill me." The ghoul's head choked out.
"Shouldn't have brought up your head." Kakashi answered.
Kicking the head up like a soccer ball, Kakashi diced it into pieces like a piece of sashimi before stomping down on the pieces as soon as they hit the ground, grinding them into the dirt. Looking at the strigoi, he faced his last foe with his lighting swords at the ready.
Meanwhile with the Tyrant King
Across the line from the cyclopean lightning thief, the titanic thunder lizard had found itself surrounded by the smaller, but more numerous, Crypt Horror contingent in a pentagon formation. Roaring in challenge, the tyrannical walking earthquake prepared for battle, as if daring its foes to make a move. Circling it like a pack of wolves, the Crypt Horrors began to surround it. One Crypt Horror rushed in and tried to slash the Tyrant King with its claws only to be met with a telephone pole thick tail to the face.
The blow disoriented the humanoid beast as it reared back, leaving it stunned and open to attack. Biting down, the thunder lizard tore with all of its strength on its foe's head and ripped it from its shoulder, flinging it away in the same motion as its body fell to the ground. Two more Crypt Horrors rushed in from different sides as the Tyrant King charged into the one on its left like a mad bull. Smashing into the abomination, the thunder lizard ran it down like a bulldozer as it pushed it through multiple buildings. Not allowing it to recover as it fell to the ground, the titanic lizard stepped its foot onto the monster's head with all of its weight and strength, flattening it like a pancake.
Looking at its enemies, the Tyrant King used what brainpower it had to make a nonverbal note of how many foes it had left to face. With three remaining after the deaths, the three frantically tried to shuffle about to change their tactics. This, however, allowed the lumbering and feral humanoids to give the towering ancient creature an opening.
Lashing out with its tail, the Tyrant King knocked a moving Crypt Horror off balance to disorient it. Turning with its own momentum, the titanic lizard rushed forward and bit down on the monstrosity. As another Crypt Horror, the biggest of the remaining three and the one the beast had dueled with before, rushed in like a lunging wolf to aid its compatriot, the Tyrant King flung the one in its jaws with a toss almost reminiscent of a judo throw right into the leader, bowling it over. The third leapt onto the thunder lizard's back in an attempt to overpower it but found itself shaken off.
Biting down on its fallen foe, the predatory walking earthquake bit down and tore off the head of its prey. Dropping the head from its jaws, it then stepped down on it and crushed it as the other tow got to their feet. The two roared in fury and challenged the Tyrant King as it roared back at them in defiance. Rushing in blindly, the two Crypt Horrors met the Tyrant King as it charged back, the two trying to overpower their reptilian enemy.
However, the thunder lizard's momentum and velocity carried it forward as it instead pushed its foes back through multiple buildings, smashing them through wall after wall and home after home. Bull rushing them, the Tyrant King forcibly pushed the larger Crypt Horror into the water, leaving the smaller one on its own as it was knocked to the ground. Stepping down on the smaller Crypt Horror's chest, it bit down on its head, crushing it into paste in its massive jaws. Releasing the mush that was its foes head, the thunder lizard turned to look at its final foe as it slowly dragged itself out of the water.
The two roared in challenge at each other as they rushed each other head on like charging rhinos. The two collided in a clash that seemingly unleashed a shockwave, rattling the windows of nearby buildings and shaking the ground. The two pushed with all their might, trying to outdo each other. However, the Crypt Horror began slowly losing ground as the thunder lizard began pushing it back. Finally, the Crypt Horror lost its footing as the Tyrant King bowled it over, knocking the sopping wet vampiric beast to the ground.
As the Crypt Horror tried to get up, the thunder lizard stomped down on its chest with a footstep as the cracking of bones could be heard. The abomination roared in pain as its ribs were broken, its eyes wide open as the Tyrant King's jaws came down on its face in a vicious chomp that silenced its agonized howl. Crushing the head of its prey just like the last, the thunder lizard threw its head back and let out a thunderous, victorious roar that could be heard from miles away.
With Kakashi's Pack
As the ears splitting roar rang around the battlefield, the hounds dodged the relentless, wild and frenzied ax murder swings. They leaped around to evade the blows as they carved into the ground, looking for their opening to attack. Soon, they spotted one of the Crypt Flayers that was larger than the others, the apparent leader of the group. Looking to the other members of the pack, the smallest one, a miniature pug with an old man looking face, began barking orders.
"Alright you guys, we got to send these white sheeted freaks packing! They want to get crazy, let's get crazy in kind! Flying crazy horse formation!" Pakkun barked, causing confusion among the ranks, "Yes I know it's not Tuesday, but do you want to see the boss sucked dry like a lemon!?"
Nodding, the hounds went on the attack. One of them summoned a double-bladed weapon that they held in their teeth while the others summoned weapons of their own. Kunai, swords, maces, and even a giant kanabo of all things. The massive black bulldog wielded the kanabo while the others wielded the other weapons. Charging in, the dogs raced around the large Crypt Flayer at the fastest speeds their four chakra-enhanced legs could carry them at, confusing it with their speed.
Finally, from the dust kicked up by their speed as they ran around it, the dogs leapt in at the Crypt Flayer one by one. They slashed, stabbed, and smashed at the beast before zipping back into the running formation, doing as much damage as they could. Finally, the ground beneath the Crypt Flayer cracked as the hound with the double-bladed weapon shot up from the ground and slashed upwards at the Crypt Flayer in a spinning attack. Were it not for its tough body, the beast would have been eviscerated by that attack as it was launched upwards a bit. Finally, the large black bulldog came crashing down and slammed the kanabo down onto the Crypt Flayer's head, smashing it into the ground and cratering the earth beneath them on impact.
However, the hounds' hopes of a swift kill were dashed as slowly, defiantly, the unnatural creature rose. Its lungs bulged its barrel chest to disgusting proportions as it took in great breaths of air, and exhaling rank, damp exhales. Its eyes burned with animalistic fury, and it bared its mostly broken, crooked fanged maw at them.
"Well that's troublesome." Pakkun grumbled.
The others looked to Pakkun to see if he had any other ideas.
"Welp, when in doubt, use the mantra of the boss's master. Hit it really, really hard." Pakkun barked out gruffly.
The others nodded and rushed in, going back on the offensive. Using all of their strength, they slashed, stabbed, and beat the Crypt Flayer, battering it around. Though their blows did visible damage, it wasn't enough yet to finish the job. Finally, the hound with the double-bladed weapon rushed in and slashed at the beast's throat with all of their strength, nearly taking off its head. Just to be safe, the bulldog wielding the kanabo used its heavy weapon to knock the head clean off its shoulders, then smashed it down on the head with all of its strength, crushing it.
The fellow undead hordes, seeing a great champion of their forces slain and such a way, became more pressed. Further still, as the militia began to gain ground as well. And all sensed on this side of the battlefield that much of the necromantic energies were being siphoned away. Right into the nearest Strigoi…
Back with Kakashi
The two combatants began to circle each other. Kakashi, flipping up his headband to reveal his Sharingan eye, began to look for weaknesses he could exploit. He had to get in, and go for the kill as quickly as possible. Mighty as he was, he was still a man. He still could get tired. That beast had no such dilemma. For the first time in his life, the clock was literally against him in a very uncompromising fashion.
Finally, he saw an opening. Rushing in, Kakashi slashed with his two lightning swords, damaging the beast. It growled in pain and anger as it turned to attack Kakashi, only for him to dodge and slash upwards to cut off its arm. Howling in agony and fury, the Strigoi attempted to rush Kakashi and bite him. Dodging again, he tried to take off its head only for it to pivot out of the way. Slashing to the side, Kakashi instead lopped off its leg, making it let loose another scream and a string of curses.
"You fucking stupid piece of cock sucking meat! I'm going to rip out your eyeballs, crush them like cherries, and rip your brain out through those two useless holes of yours!" It roared and cursed out in pain.
"That's very articulate for a mangy, sad dog that needs to get put down." Kakashi coldly answered.
"Good luck and try." It growled as it began to concentrate.
Soon dark, red tinted energies flowed into him as wounds healed faster than should be possible. Once the wounds healed, it smirked. It was as if Kakashi hadn't touched it.
"Well, you seem to be full of tricks…" Kakashi muttered.
"Our kind have mastered the winds of death mortal. So much so, death does not come for us. It's used to power us. The lore of vampires allows us to twist death with dark magics to rule the night and will be your downfall!" It roared in smug proclamation.
"Congrats, you can heal. Let's see how long you can keep it up." Kakashi shot back, digging in his heels.
"I'll flay the flesh from your bones and eat it right in front of you, meat!" The Strigoi roared as it charged at Kakashi.
To Kakashi's surprise, the beast was much faster and stronger than earlier. Even with his Sharingan, Kakashi barely managed to dodge the slash from its claws. It went for another slash that Kakashi barely dodged. When he slashed up with his lightning swords to cut off its lower arm, the wound healed much too quickly for Kakashi's liking. Seeing that he couldn't play around anymore, Kakashi saw that he had no choice.
"Not so confident now that those piddly little swords can't do anything, are you?" It asked in a mocking cackle.
"No. Just surprised that this is finally a real fight now." Kakashi replied in a droll tone.
A snarl gripped the vampire's thin lips as it lunged forwards to tear into this human. However, Kakashi simply dodged it and slashed at its throat. As it gurgled angrily while its throat healed, Kakashi slashed with his swords to cut off its arms and legs. As it began working on healing, Kakashi enacted a tactic he saved only for emergencies.
Dropping one of his kunai, he instead channeled the Lightning Release Chakra from that hand to his other arm before channeling more into his legs. Dropping into an iaijutsu style stance as the beast recovered and rushed at him, Kakashi took off at high speed towards it while cratering the ground beneath his feet. Faster than a lightning bolt, Kakashi slashed as fast as he could. As he passed by the now stationary Strigoi, he stood back up, held the lightning sword covered kunai in front of him with the blade pointing down, and dispelled the blade. As soon as the lightning sword flickered out of existence, the Strigoi split up into pieces and it's now sashimi'd body dropped to the ground dead.
Kakashi gave a small smirk beneath his mask. "Lightning Cutter: Primitive World Dividing Slashes." He simply said, uttering the name of his emergency technique as the necromantic energy began dissipating across part of the battlefield…
Apologizes for the wait, but me and the Hawaiian accomplice had gone through a rough several months. It seems it mostly has past, but now we have to get ourselves back in the rhythm of writing. Fun. Anyways, onto my friend and partner in this.
Uzumaki Ricky: Well, this chapter was one hell of a ride to write! This was so much fun! Sorry we didn't get this out sooner. Real life and our own brains have been getting in the way. The writing group is still going strong though, so expect our normal update schedule again soon.
Indeed, we are. Next time in part three, its Team Seven's turn in the frying pan as the Genin try their level best to hold off the hordes. Will Sakura continue her MacGyver streak, will Sasuke accidentally burn the town down with an errant fire release, and will Oda's advice to Naruto come to bite this operation in the ass? Well, one way to find out shall we?