Hellhound Finale
When I awaken it's to the steady scraping of a blade across a whetstone and the light throbbing of a fading headache.
My eyes stay shut and I lean back into the pillow placed beneath my head, allowing the sound to wash over me.
"If you're awake you should witness this," Muramasa calls out in a gentle rebuke, his voice sounding more solid and dignified than I remember.
I grin and sit up, gazing upon my master as my eyes crack open.
Formerly the body of a specter, transparent and lacking presence, held together solely by a fleeting dream; Muramasa's vessel is filled now. His entire body is filled to the brim with a vigor that was absent before. His hands and eyes, which had held the weight of his soul before and kept it from unraveling, now burn with a startling radiance.
His eyes blaze like furnaces and his hands glow like hot steel, filling his body with the essence of his craft. Molten iron flows through his veins, and his skin glows from the heat. Each inhalation causes his divinity to shine brighter and each exhalation dims it.
His presence is solid and vast, yet lacking the maddening intensity that he bore before this. If I were to describe it, there's a tranquility to his spirit as I watch him sharpen the sword we created together.
The blade is sharpened with the tender reverence of a parent holding their child for the first time, and perhaps for Muramasa, this is the same.
"I always wondered how this would feel… The completion of my dream." Muramasa states in a soft ponderous tone.
"I'm still trying to figure that out," He says with a laugh, "To unravel this tangled mess of feelings within me."
He glances down at the sword with a soft smile and holds it in his upraised palms. "At the very least, I am proud— I am filled with pride in myself, my skill, and my dedication, which allowed me to reach this point."
"Yet this point I've reached, 'The Realm of the Gods' that I had long awaited, it's a mirage." He pauses and shakes his head, "No that's not right either. It's like… I've climbed to the top of the mountain I was on and once I stood there, the clouds parted, and I realized there was a higher peak beyond that."
He finally looks at me, his eyes crinkling as his smile widens, "You'll understand that eventually, or perhaps you already do, Ibaraki. I won't spoil that realization for you. I'll merely offer this advice to you, my disciple…"
"This path you are walking down, becoming 'the strongest', isn't something you will reach through others. Your dedication to your art and the pursuit of excellence within yourself will take you there."
"Others may guide you and shorten your journey by placing you further along the path but the extremity of skill is within you already. Your body and your sword hold everything you need."
He stares at me as I digest that and nods sharply, "Now then, take a good look at our masterpiece!"
He holds out the sword to me and I get my first proper look at it, distracted as I was by Muramasa's words.
The sword is beautiful in its simplicity, lacking almost any ornamentation that would distract from its raw essence.
A long curved blade, dark as the abyss, with subtle waves of grey and silver that can only be seen with intense focus. Each divine metal, given to us by Izanami, is smelted into the sword; black flesh, grey veins, and silver bones, forging an immaculate body of steel.
The handle is bone white, crafted with wood from Izanami's garden, and carefully carved to fit my hand perfectly.
Upon the length of the handle, an inscription reads, 'Final Muramasa - Mortal Hands Grasping High Heaven'
"It's incredible…" I whisper, my hands itching to reach out and wield the sword.
Muramasa hums, "Look closer, you've yet to grasp it fully."
I look deeper, my third eye opening as the realm of the soul becomes visible.
The sword was beautiful before, but its presence in this realm is breathtaking. It's like the sword has a nascent soul, a small ember brightly flickering with possibility. Yet its essence is familiar, a blend of my sword intent and Muramasa's craftsman's spirit to create something new.
"It's alive?" I ask Murmasa hesitantly, not sure what this means for the sword.
I've heard stories of living swords, swords with egos, etc before but witnessing something like this is new.
Muramasa furrows his brows, "All swords are alive in a sense. They are records of their maker and every wielder they've had. They are vessels for the souls of swordsmen. Mirrors that reflect the bloodthirst and hatred of those dying on a battlefield. This one is simply slightly more alive."
I quirk a smile and shake my head, "So it won't start talking to me suddenly?"
He gives a challenging grin back, "All swords talk to their wielders. But if you mean will it start cursing you out, you'll probably have to go a little crazy before that happens."
I laugh at that, "Fair enough, old man. You mind if I hold it?"
"I'd be offended if you didn't," He says and hands me the sword.
"Wow…" The sword is a lot heavier than it looks, and considering it's as long as I am tall, itlookslike a heavy sword. That isn't what I find surprising though.
The little nascent soul inside is greeting me excitedly, eager to be wielded. I smile and start pouring my sword intent into the blade watching as it drinks and drinks. The sword is like a bottomless pit, the perfect vessel for my sword intent.
Rather than pour in the sword intent a trickle at a time, with a wild grin I manifest my soul sword inside the blade.
There's a faint hum as the blade vibrates and a silver glow pours out from it, but the blade can withstand and regulate the entirety of the immense soul sword. No, more than withstanding it, the blade eagerly embraces the soul sword. It's a perfect vessel.
"Well? How is it?" Murasasa cuts in looking smug.
"It's the greatest sword this world has ever seen," I tell him with complete seriousness. "Now I just need to prove it."
He raises a brow, "How do you plan on doing that?"
I smile and run my fingers along the flat of the blade, "I will prove that there's nothing this sword can't cut."
"I will cut down the strongest men, beasts, gods, demons, and dragons." My heart thumps excitedly along with my bloodthirsty declaration.
"Wouldn't that prove it?" I ask Muramasa, fangs gleaming in a feral smile.
"Hah, I almost forgot my disciple was a demon." Muramasa says with a laugh, "That would prove it for sure, kid."
"And I know exactly where to start." I say cheerily, "Come on, you should watch this."
"Are you sure about this, Ibaraki?" Izanami asks me with a mild expression. Rather than doubting my decision, it seems she's just asking for a final confirmation.
"Hell yes! Please release Otakemaru from the sword," I say vibrating with excitement.
I went to Izanami, not knowing how to release Otakemaru from his seal within Kenmyoren. I'm sure I could've figured out how to get him out eventually but this seems like a more practical method.
Both Tobio and Muramasa are here to watch Otakemaru being released and, with any luck, to witness my first battle with my new sword.
"I'll begin then." Izanami declares and the full weight of her divinity falls upon us all.
I breathe in sharply as her divinity hits me and Muramasa has to hold Tobio's shoulder and shield him from the weight of Izanami's presence.
Kenmyoren floats in the center of the courtyard, shaking under the sudden pressure as the golden glow of the Buddhist seal tries to defend against Izanami's divinity.
Izanami flashes me an awkward smile, "Just a moment, I'm not exactly the most skilled with seals or knowledgeable about Buddhist techniques. So… I'll overpower the seal rather than attempt to unravel it!"
A chill runs down my spine as Izanami's divinity swells further, an overwhelming aura of death falling upon us. It isn't nearly as powerful as Hades' divinity but it's nothing to scoff at.
The light emitted by the seal on the sword dims as the seal breaks down and a massive fissure in space begins to open around Kenmyoren. From that dark fissure, the titanic arms of Otakemaru reach through and rip the fissure open further, slowly making enough space for his body to enter this realm.
His steps are like earthquakes as his feet touch the soil and his booming laughter shakes the air as he is finally freed. "It's been too long since I've breathed the outside air!"
He stretches his limbs as he looks around, "Well, outside air is a bit strong of a statement. Yomi, huh? You don't plan on getting rid of me completely do you?"
A nervous expression slides onto his face as he notices Izanami, "Ah, forgive me for my disrespect, Lady Izanami."
He bows deeply towards her, "Thank you for releasing me and for allowing me to tread upon your land."
"Oh, it's no trouble! Ibaraki wanted to release you so I'm sure it'll be fine." Izanami demures with a smile.
Otakemaru turns towards me and smiles widely, "Thank you for releasing me so soon, little cousin! I was expecting you to take your time."
"You're welcome." I respond, awkwardly rubbing the back of my neck, "Why do you call me your cousin though? Are we related? Fujin and Raijin did the same thing."
With a look of deep confusion, he glances between me and Izanami before scratching his chin, "Odd, I would have expected you to know. I suppose it just hasn't come up yet. I don't mind giving you the history lesson, so long as Lady Izanami is fine with it."
Izanami sighs and nods, not making eye contact with me as I glance over at her.
"The Oni were part of the lineage of the original Thunder Gods, created in a fit of rage by Lady Izanami when her husband fled Yomi. They were sent to hunt him down and kill him, and to complete her revenge." Otakemaru explains slowly. "Thunder being the incarnation of divine rage means that Rage Gods could be a different name for them. Or since they were born in Yomi, Demon Gods also applies."
"Anyway, after the Thunder Gods failed they were left with a dilemma. Their entire purpose of existence was to destroy Izanagi, yet they were incapable of fulfilling that purpose. Therefore, they each decided to pursue that goal in different ways."
"Some ventured out to search for more power for themselves, the most tragic example being one who sought out the Fae. That Thunder God, now only knowable as the Blind King, lost their name, soul, and divinity; everything except their powerful body was lost in various deals."
"They entered the realm of the Fae in an attempt to gain power but due to their ignorance, they lost everything. After some time, they became the Progenitor God of the lesser creatures known as Ogres." Otakemaru pauses and squints, "Or Orcs maybe? I forget the exact name of the creatures. All they possess are strong bodies, with no real intellect or skill. Ultimately they're not much better than beasts.
"A few others stayed in the surface world and became worshipped as actual Kami, slowly washing away their demonic origin, like Honoikazuchi, some even changing their names to match their new identities like Raijin and Fujin."
"Some were killed in their pursuit of power. Whether wandering the underworld or out in the overworld." Otakemaru laughs at that statement, showing what he thinks of those deaths.
"Lastly, some thought that while they may not accomplish the revenge they were born for, they might be able to create beings who eventually would. Kuroikazuchi and Nariikazuchi -Dark and Booming Thunder- sacrificed themselves to create the Oni and pass down the seeds of their divinity."
Otakemaru scrutinizes me, "You've partially awakened the divinity of your progenitor Nariikazuchi and somehow stopped halfway into transforming into a Kijin. On the other hand, I awakened the divinity of the Thunder God I descended from, Kuroikazuchi, and became a fully realized Kijin. If we had descended from the same lineage, I would've called you sister rather than cousin."
"I hope that helps?" He laughs, looking embarrassed, "Honestly as a descendent of Ibaraki-Douji, one of the closest to apotheosis back in the day, I figured you would know all this already."
My head is spinning as I process all this knowledge. Given the potential for apotheosis, I had suspected some impressive origins for the Oni, but this is different than I expected. I'll unpack all that eventually, but I released him for something other than information.
"Otakemaru, you accepted your release and any conditions that might come attached." I say after shaking my head and schooling my expression, "Join my village and become its guardian."
Otakemaru raises a brow, "That's fine with me. Is that all you want though? That seems like a small request for releasing me from my prison of a thousand years."
I frown as the wind is knocked out of my sails, "Maybe teach whatever you see fit to the Oni there? You're pretty strong and the myths say you're quite adept at Black Magic."
"Of course, I'll need something to do," He shrugs and grins, "But seriously, what do youreallywant Ibaraki?"
I chuckle and grip my sword's hilt, "Ha, am I that obvious?"
With a flourish, I draw my sword and point it at Otakemaru, "Let's commemorate your release with a proper battle."
Otakemaru gives me a feral smile that matches my own, "Now you're talking! Be careful though, I'm not sure I'll be able to hold back after so long."
My eyes gleam excitedly at the challenge, "I'll be too excited to hold back either way."
Otakemaru lets out a booming laugh and holds his hands out, his divinity swelling in response. After a brief moment, two spatial rifts appear and a pair of swords fall into his hands; Daitoren and Shotoren return to their master after a millennium, completing the trinity of divine blades.
He glances at Kenmyoren and frowns, "You can keep that one. I've spent too long stuck inside it to wield it comfortably."
Shrugging, I deposit Kenmyoren into my subspace and clear my mind of all distractions, "Let's not waste any more time!"
I leap at Otakemaru's massive form, sword raised high above my head. My sword contains the full might of my soul sword, causing it to shine an intense silver as it ripples with power.
The sky darkens as Otakemaru covers Yomi in storm clouds, black lightning slithering through the storm like malicious serpents. Simultaneously, he shifts his dual swords into a defensive posture, his plan obvious to me. He will block my opening attack and strike me down with a torrent of lightning.
He underestimates me.
I hadn't simply spent the past month learning blacksmithing under Muramasa. I never stopped thinking of how to grow stronger; unceasingly sharpening my instincts and imagining the perfect technique.
As I slash downward, it isn't a simple slash. It's a strike that holds the full strength of a dragon-slaying sword combined with my imitation of divine technique.
Otakemaru senses danger at the last moment and deflects my strike to the side with crossed swords.
"Incredible!" He yells with a laugh as his arm is severed at the shoulder, the sword intent held in my blade carrying past our interlocked swords to cleave through his body.
The muscles in his remaining arm flex as he pushes me away with a roar, launching me into the air. Releasing his sword he rolls his wrist, a magic circle appearing as he points downward. "Fall."
A shiver runs down my spine and I instinctively slash upwards, meeting a flood of dark lightning with my sword. With a grin I apply more force, shattering the barrage of lightning into fragments of divinity, and twist my body to face Otakemaru as I fall.
His two swords have halted their descent and rotate to point towards me. Otakemaru's divinity wraps around the swords and they launch toward me with thunderous cracks as they cut through the air.
His severed arm swells and explodes, turning into a flood of miniature clones, hundreds of them, each laughing menacingly as they hit the ground running.
My grin widens and I bring my sword to bear, my muscles burning in protest as I deflect Otakemaru's swords, forcing them to embed themselves into the ground beneath me. I land on the hilt of one giant blade and launch myself into the approaching tide of clones.
I pass through a series of magic circles that suddenly appear in my path, each one sealing one of my senses until I'm left in complete darkness. Yet my Ki sense remains and if anything, this is just like my training.
My third eye opens, allowing me to see the divinity contained within each clone in detail, and with my Ki sense, I know exactly how much power I need to expend to cut them down. I don't allow myself to delve too deeply into the divinity, fearing I'd be overwhelmed with information like with Susano'o, I only pay enough attention to fully understand my opponent.
My Touki explodes into existence around me, stunning the frontlines of the flood of demons under the sheer pressure of my fighting spirit. The ground craters beneath me as I land in front of them and I surge into motion, my sword a blur as I slash through them.
Heads roll and bodies fall apart as my sword and I dance through the tide.
I laugh and laugh as the corpses pile up around me but my sword continues to slide through their flesh like it's slicing through air. This sword is perfect, beyond anything I could ever imagine.
Somewhere along the way, Otakemaru removes the curses sealing my senses, realizing they've had no impact on my fighting ability.
My legs begin to feel heavy like I'm moving through molasses, and when I look down I realize that the bodies I've been eviscerating have dissolved into a thick tar-like pool of divinity that is weighing me down. Tendrils of sludge stick to my legs, wrapping around my limbs and dragging me down.
Each tendril leaves inky symbols on my skin; increasing gravity, weakening my muscles, rotting my organs, and turning my bones brittle. But no matter the damage done to my body, my natural regeneration and directed healing with my Ki outpaces it.
Looking upwards I can see a wide smile glinting beneath Otakemaru's shadowed expression and a massive array of magic circles in the sky above him. "It's been too long since I've unleashed my magic properly. Witness the power of a calamity!"
The clouds above us shimmer like a mirage, morphing into a sea of abyssal flames. The flames swirl and bunch together forming dozens of fireballs. No, meteors would be a better word to describe them.
The titanic spheres condensing above me glow with a dense divinity, and I shiver with delight, my fighting spirit rising with my excitement.
I expand my Touki, destroying the sludge building up around me. I take in a slow deep breath and flick my wrist, cleaning my blade, before closing my eyes to focus.
I can see the meteors forming in my mind's eye, all prepared to smite me from above as they finish forming. Otakemaru is also visible, his blackened divinity filled with joy, his aura shifting along with his booming laughter.
Witnessing such powerful magic and its caster like this fills me with awe and an overwhelming desire to utterly crush them. To tear apart this display with my might.
With deceptive slowness and immaculate form, I draw a steady line across the sky with my sword, the Final Muramasa eagerly channeling the full power of my soul sword.
As I open my eyes, each black meteor is bisected by a razor-thin line of gleaming silver. The meteors all shake as the magic begins to unravel before they collapse into themselves. The sky of Yomi distorts and the winds howl as Otakemaru's grand weave of magic collapses.
I frown and shake my head, "Not good enough to be a finished technique yet."
"What are you letting yourself be distracted by in a fight?" Otakemaru's voice rings out behind me as he teleports.
Spinning on my heel, I bring my sword to bear just in time to halt his punch as it swallows my vision from above. His fist continues to drive downward despite me using all my strength to push it back.
"To think such a small body could exert such strength!" Otakemaru praises with a laugh, "You're forgetting something though."
My focus widens from stopping his attack and I notice his two swords flying in from both sides aiming to bisect me at the waist.
With a wide grin, I suddenly pull back my strength and shift my balance, deflecting his punch into the ground beside me. As his weight shifts with the strike, I leap upwards, slicing along his arm and leaving a wave of blood in my wake-
The air is driven from my lungs as I'm swatted sideways and spiked into the ground in the distance. My bones creak from the impact but it's nowhere near the hardest hit I've taken.
I roll my shoulders as I stand back up and see Otakemaru stretching out both his arms. I spit some blood onto the ground beside me and shake my head, "The swords were a distraction so I wouldn't notice you regenerating your other arm, huh?"
"Of course, that's just common sense in a fight!" He says proudly, gesturing beneath my feet, "Let's continue!"
A magic circle appears beneath me and I let go of my sword with my right hand and punch downward, my Ki erupting as I destroy whatever spell he was casting. At the same time, I raise my sword above my head, bringing my right hand back up to the hilt after I'm finished.
Otakemaru grimaces and starts to teleport but he's a step too slow.
I slash downward, my sword intent extending from my sword to create a towering blade that reaches Otakemaru just as he starts to teleport.
When he reappears, Otakemaru's flesh has been severed down to the bone in a clean line straight down the center of his body from head to groin.
Blood seeps down the centerline of his body and he grimaces as his flesh slowly knits back together. "That sword is dangerous…"
He squints at my sword and frowns before glancing at Muramasa who is watching from the sidelines.
After a moment he recalls his swords, "A sword on the level of my Sanmyoken is something I hadn't expected to see. For a mortal to have crafted that is one thing but exhibiting the skill to bring out its power is more impressive."
"Enough chatter." He says, a pair of magic circles forming on his wrists as he wreathes his swords in black lightning.
The two swords shrink from giant blades to match their wielder to normal-sized katanas, appearing like toys in his palms. I ready myself for the swords to fly at me again, planting my feet firmly.
The two swords fire from his hands far quicker than before and I'm barely able to deflect the one before the second pierces through my stomach. The lightning tears through my nerves, creating a pain far worse than the hole in my stomach.
I laugh under my breath and focus my Ki on the wound, feeling it rapidly heal.
Tilting my head to either side, I crack my neck, "It's probably time to go all out. I'm not familiar enough with my sword yet to give you a proper fight."
I flick my wrist to clean the blade and slip it back into its scabbard before depositing both into my subspace magic. I'll be able to hide it within my soul once I've had time to resonate with the blade but for now, this is enough.
Closing my eyes to center myself, I fall deep into the modified White Tiger Mystic Art, cycling my Ki to the limits and filling my body with power. My Touki expands into a towering aura, a fusion of Ki and Divinity colored in the darkest reds.
I can feel the rage bubbling up inside me, turning my desire to defeat Otakemaru into a desire to slaughter him. To rip his body to shreds and suck the marrow from his bones, to use his skull as a chalice-
I chuckle and shake my head, feeling the armor of crystalized Divinity—my Pseudo-Deification—snap into shape. My muscles tense as the visor covers my vision and paints the world red.
"Don't die,"I warn him, then dash at Otakemaru at blinding speeds.
I watch his Divinity seep from his body, rapidly streaming more and more from his pores. He smiles maliciously, his Divinity expanding into a towering aura of his own, "You think you're the only one who can combine Touki with Divinity, Ibaraki?"
The faceplate of my armor cracks as the mouthpiece splits into a smile overflowing with glee.
I throw myself at him, both arms drawn back, my fingers curled into claws.
As his fist again swallows my vision, I thrust my arms forward one atop the other. The powerful Touki imbued in my claws clashes with his Divine Aura. Sparks of black Divinity and dark red Touki lance outward from the clash in all directions, ravaging the environment.
While our raw power is similar enough to cause a deadlock, his technique is non-existent. My shoulders rotate, inversing my claws and slicing through his Divinity.
My aura rushes forward through the crack in his defenses, the Touki flowing off each arm takes the form of two giant spectral tigers. They leap past his fist and up his arm, biting and clawing their way towards his throat.
I kick off his fist, hitting the ground running as blood and flesh rain down around me.
I miss a step as Otakemaru's blades return, the first cracking the armor on my left leg and the second disintegrating the limb. I rotate forward with my momentum, pushing off the ground with my hands as I flip back onto my feet, my missing leg regenerating in time for me to continue running.
I glance upwards in time to see Otakemaru grind to dust the tigers mauling him with his other hand. I cut inward towards him, dashing at his ankles.
Above him, black lightning appears once more.
I can sense the Divinity striking downwards to smite me, and the claws on my feet dig deeper into Yomi's soil. I disappear in a blur, weaving through the storm. Dark red footprints burn into the soil behind me even as the rest of the soil turns to glass from the lightning strikes.
I leap and spin, my heel slamming into Otakemaru's shin. A massive paw manifests and crushes his shin as I strike, and I listen to the sweet sound of his bone breaking.
Otakemaru howls in pain and tips forward but I've already disappeared.
I reappear in the air behind him and launch a powerful punch into his spine. The totality of my Touki collapses into my fist and a spectral tiger's head forms around me. As my fist connects, the tiger opens its mouth letting out an enraged roar.
The flesh of Otakemaru's back bubbles as a beam of raw power burns through him and carves a long canyon through Yomi even after that.
I barely have time to savor the site before Otakemaru spins and swats me away like a fly.
It hurts my pride more than anything as I'm launched into the distance, flipping through the air.
Otakemaru's swords and dozens of spells light up in my soul sight, eager to shoot me down. Yet suddenly they all disappear.
Without warning, I'm embraced by Izanami's familiar Divinity and instantly I'm standing beside her rather than tumbling through the air.
Izanami's power pushes my armor back into my soul like the gentle hand of a chiding mother. It should make me angry that my power was suppressed so easily, but since it's Izanami, I get the urge to sulk instead. Only she's allowed to ruin my fun and get away with it like this!
She smiles at me with fond exasperation written on her face, "I think that was enough of a fight, don't you?"
I pout and nod, "Fine… Thanks for letting us duel in your backyard, Izanami."
"Anytime, Ibaraki." She chirps with a bright smile and ruffles my hair.
The ground shakes as Otakemaru walks over with an awkward expression, "Apologies, Lady Izanami. We used too much of our strength in your domain without permission."
"Oh, it's alright. I was only worried you'd get carried away." She responds, closing her eyes and gesturing towards Muramasa and Tobio.
Muramasa looks fine, his ascension to…somethinggreater had shored up his fraying spirit and made him far more durable. I would even have said he wasn't paying attention if I hadn't worked so closely with him during my time here. His eyes are gleaming with passion, and he keeps sneaking glances at Otakemaru's swords. Not only that but his chest is puffed up with pride, showing how pleased he is with his sword's performance in the fight.
Jin in the same, looking unruffled, only leaping around Tobio in excitement. That monstrous dog has learned something from our fight, and I'm not sure I want to know how much. It's disheartening to be around such a ridiculous talent.
Lastly, Tobio looks like he's struggling. A lot.
It isn't just physically, where he was buffeted by powerful waves of Divinity, Touki, and air pressure. No, it's mentally that's the issue.
This is the first time he's seen two strong individuals, truly strong in this world, go all out. I can't even say this was a spar where nobody could have died. Neither Otakemaru nor I had thoughts of our opponents well being clouding our minds.
If he died in the fight, I would've shrugged and moved on. I'm sure his thoughts were the same.
"Tobio," I say simply, getting his attention.
I stare into his eyes and sigh at what I see, "Don't focus on what you saw from us. The only person you need to surpass is yourself. Never judge yourself by the caliber of others."
He lets out a slow breath, and he nods as his resolve firms once more. "Thanks, that helps a lot."
With a cocky grin and a wink, I jab my thumb at my chest, "Besides! If your goal is to surpass me you'll always be disappointed."
A slap rings out through Yomi as he facepalms, "And there goes the moment."
My bright laughter rings out, followed by Izanami's dainty giggles and the deep rumble of Otakemaru's snicker.
Now all that's left is to return to Japan and toss Tobio to the wolves.