Author's note: Alright, the last few months were hectic with normal work, renovation work, my depression after my cat not even 3-year-old and with whom I was really close was killed by a car... and unable to stand the abscence, my welcoming a black she-devil with the power of a tornado... I mean an adorable kitten glued to me like a shadow... and trying to still prepare for xmas in the midst of all that... well you have it. Nonetheless, I decided to still go with my usual end-of-the-year mass release.
File 63: Makai Tournament – Continuation
Kurama was brought back to the stadium. His friends had insisted on bringing him to the infirmary but he had obstinately refused. He absolutely wanted to watch the next two matches. One was Akari's fight, and the other was Hiei VS Mukuro. He just couldn't miss them no matter what. His own path ended here as his victory had exhausted both his physical strength and spectral power and he was thus assured to lose in the next round. What recovery the infirmary could offer would not be enough to help him win against Kujou, his next opponent. And he wanted Akari to keep her spectral power for her own battles. She still healed him a bit though, just enough so that he could properly watch the matches.
However, they were not the only ones concerned about those next matches. The spectators were very excited and impatient too. For those who used to belong to a faction, this match-up was basically infighting within Mukuro's forces, a good thing for the others. Yusuke reminded Hokushin that he hated that way of thinking. But it couldn't be helped after all. The tug of war between Yomi, Raizen and Mukuro had been going on for hundreds of years, so that sort of strategic outlook must be ingrained to some extent.
This time, Akari's opponent was reptilian, just like a hydra, with blood red eyes, and pupils like slits. And this time, Akari was unexpectedly having trouble. Some could say it was high time for her to finally experience some struggle and rejoice about it, but to their disappointment, even though she WAS struggling, she was the one grinning and rejoicing the most about it. Now that opponent, Oroshi, had the most incredible regenerative abilities out of all the youkais she had battled in her life. Not only was he healing instantly no matter the severity of the injury but he could also grow additional limbs or heads. But that wasn't all. He could secrete various substances that protected him from fire or could melt the ice, or even acted as a powerful acid. His blood and breath were also extremely poisonous.
That was why Akari was currently on one knee, puking blood. Since she was so easily influenced, she had initially tried to imitate the myth of Susanoo slaying the Orochi, and materialized a sword to cut him apart. At first she could not even cut him because the scales had been so unnaturally hard. When she had become able to slice him, his blood had splattered her. She could dispel the poisonous breath with wind, but she had not been so wary of the blood. Besides, as she had built up a certain resistance to poisons, she had been somewhat complacent. However, the potency had exceeded her resistance. What more, Oroshi would regenerate immediately, so Akari would get stubborn and keep cutting, trying to find a weak point, getting splashed with blood, inhaling the thin red mist... accumulating venom. The girl would jump around to avoid being hit by acid jets. Given the lack of efficiency of her attacks, she had tried to use elements that were also countered using various secretions. When she tried to keep it in a barrier, he escaped with an underground tunnel. Indeed, Oroshi was quite the slippery and troublesome opponent... To the point that it was dangerous even for her. Her friends were quite agitated too. They knew she was the lazy and erratic one, but to think she needed that much of a kick in the butt to get a move... It was very upsetting seeing her in that state...
Right, she was trembling, her limbs were refusing to budge as she wanted, she had internal bleeding, and blood was also flowing from her ears, mouth, eyes, and nose. A few severe burns also dotted her body. Because of her weakness, she had taken several good blows. At this rate, there was a high and very real chance that she was going to die... It was bad... real bad... if she didn't get serious now, she was really going to die! Suddenly, she burst out laughing. So a good one finally appeared... an opponent who could properly shake off the rust and heat her up... She had been waiting all this time. This feeling was really great. As Koto and the audience wondered whether the pain or the fear of her impeding death had made go crazy, the girl stood up. Certainly her preference for big attacks hadn't changed as they were easier and showier... but it was not like she had not improved over these months. She had also worked on delicate and precise handling under a Spartan coach. Since the venom was actually a type of materialization of youki, she still had hands to play.
The girl levitated and deployed a forcefield. Then she focused on her own body. She sharpened her detection abilities, located the poison circulating in her blood, used her reiki to gather it and expel it from her palms. The dark liquid swirled in a sphere above her palms and condensed until it formed a large beautiful black pearl. She intended to give it to one of her acquaintances (Kurama) who was knowledgeable about poisons for study.
Now time to deal with that thing blocking her path... Akari flew higher and higher. Fortunately, Oroshi could not fly. But his regenerative ability was truly a pain. And it would also be a problem if he hid underground... Then the answer was simple. Let's make him come up too, trap him in the air, and let him keep burning until his regenerative ability could no longer keep up... Yep, let's do that! For today's meal, she was gonna enjoy grilled eel! Or she could simply blow him out of bounds? ...Nah. Certainly, she should avoid wasting reiki but after all she preferred properly settling the debt and returning the pain he had put her through, plus the interest. Yes, a debt paid was a friend kept.
So as decided, Akari used the wind to ferry her opponent to her level and she immediately imprisoned him in a kekkai. The eel was caught. She started broiling it. Except that the heat was without compare to the fire she had previously used. And she was still increasing its intensity. Really that pain she had gone through was one she had brought upon herself, because she had held back too much, although that was something she would never admit. Oroshi's protective secretions already could no longer keep up, and right now he was experiencing the torture of continually burning while staying alive. He was screaming and hissing, but that small humanoid monster showed no sign of stopping and on the contrary seemed to be having fun. It had been impossible for him to defeat her after all... even though he had been so close... or so everyone had thought. It was like a sluice gate had opened and she had changed. The excruciating pain would continue until his youki was depleted and he would die. But... he was the one who had managed to corner her and wrench that gate open.
However, the moment he thought that, she quenched her fire. Her opponent was a charred mess, but still alive, and left with enough youki to allow for recovery given enough time. She landed and gently deposited what was left of Oroshi a distance away. There was no way for him to recover before the end of the countdown. She raised her fist as once more, she was announced the winner. There were those who cheered, and those shocked and scared by her apparent cruelty.
Hiei was already standing on the arena, obviously eager to fight. When Mukuro joined him, Koto announced the start of the match. The man unsheathed his sword, tossed the scabbard and entered his battle stance. But the former king made no move. Of all the consciousnesses she had touched, his has been the most pleasant one so far. From his life of carnage, to the time he had met people precious to him and he had learned what it was to fight to want to protect someone, to care and yearn for someone... so maybe she too one day...
Just like him, she too had been abandoned as soon as she was born. Then although she didn't know how, she came to belong to the wealthy fat humanoid demon Chikou, a perverted one who had her insides surgically altered so he could do as he pleased... notably on her birthdays as a... 'present'... leading her to feel extreme disgust for both herself and that man... To escape him, she had poured acid over her left side, and indeed thanks to that Chikou tossed her out, which was for her a rebirth. She ran away, replaced her damaged limbs with mechanical ones and hurled all her hatred and rage at her surroundings, living for carnage. Before she noticed, drawn by her strength, followers had gathered behind her and she had grown enough to rival Raizen. Likewise, her territory had grown after winning against youkais who had their own turf. However, she didn't know that Chikou had implanted a microchip in her so that whenever she'd feel the urge to harm or kill him, (fake) memories of when he had behaved like a good father would flood her mind and confuse her. That was why even now she had been unable to exact her revenge even though she far surpassed him.
While she was pondering, Hiei attacked, though of course, all his swings and thrusts were easily avoided. She jumped and started raining energy blasts on him from the air. He did his best to evade and cut through them but they were highly concentrated... Yet, none went straight to him even though she could easily get him, they all narrowly missed him. She was definitely doing it on purpose. The fire demon bulled through the danger zone and kept charging but then the ex-king destroyed the rocks on either side of him and the large and sharp pieces (more than enough to impale him) zoomed towards him. The moment he sliced them, Mukuro appeared behind him, ready to strike. But when he turned to face her, she just went over him and landed further away without having dealt any sort of blow.
"Mukuro, why aren't you fighting at your full power? You obtained your freedom by fighting, right? It should be fine to take pride in that. Or is there something you can't leave behind that keeps you from doing so?" He challenged her.
"Don't say that."
"You're no longer under any curse. If anything, it's how you keep fussing effeminately over being a woman. What a wretched guy." The red-eyed demon kept provoking his opponent, with disdain in his voice, like she was stupid for still caring at this point even though she had gotten this strong and was no longer the one she had been then. However, he had just stomped on a landmine... that exploded at him. Before he could react, Mukuro howled and punched him in the guts with an energy-filled fist, blasting him away. He crashed in a rock formation and tumbled down to the ground. He coughed blood and stood up. His shirt had some tears from the blow and fall so he tore it completely. "Here goes." Now that that he had succeeded in making her more serious, time for him to get serious too. Black flames burned away the white fabric on his right arm. Both contestants thrust their fists forwards. Their respective youki collided and after a moment negated each other. So Mukuro still wasn't angry enough. Her earlier punch had only been a warning not to dig further.
Well, that said, Hiei still wasn't one to give up with just that and brought the duel to close combat. Again though, his relentless onslaught was effortlessly parried. Since he couldn't catch her with two eyes, Mukuro told him to open his Jagan as well. The small youkai swore in response and intensified his assault. The woman caught his fist and brought it down. Hiei jumped and tried to kick the side of her head. Although he failed, he had still made her let go, and he continued to attack with kicks... even if it proved ineffective. He had not been able to land a single blow on her. She gained distance and swung her arm. Hiei sidestepped instinctively in time, fortunately for him, as a line appeared behind, as if the very fabric of space had been cut. She swung her arm again. Her opponent dodged all of them but the 'gashes' remained, forming a net to cage the one inside... or rather, a forcefield, as the spaces between the lines were also affected. Hiei tried to attack Mukuro but with a wave of her hand, the forcefield changed shape and the fire demon's back was cut. Everything that came in contact with it was cut. She could control the location, shape, duration of the dimensional cutter. It was nothing as cute as Kuwabara's Jigen-tou. Her understanding and utilization of the technique was on a whole different level.
Her use of that technique at this point in time showed her will to bring this match to a close. The already overwhelming gap would only widen the more the fight dragged on. And cornered like this, Hiei only had one option left. He removed his headband and the white cloth around his right arm. His Jagan opened and a black flame hovered over his right hand. His whole body was soon engulfed in the black blaze. The black flames were Demon World flames, so using them here in their original world, their power was going to be magnified.
"Jaoh Ensatsu Kokuryuha!" Hiei unleashed his dragon. But even as it was charging her, Mukuro didn't move and instead confronted it head-on and grabbed its fangs. However, despite having braced herself for the impact, the power was greater than anticipated and the fiery beast soared in the sky with in its mouth the ex-king struggling not to be devored. She removed her limiter slightly and her youki gushed out. She directed it down the black dragon's throat. It traveled down its length, forcefully dissipating the black flames, and struck the source, Hiei, without losing in power. The black haired demon screamed as he was sent flying. His body tumbled to a stop. His opponent landed on her feet before him. With time and great effort, grunting in pain, he managed to rise again.
"Are you satisfied now, Hiei? As someone who was born in the Land of Glaciers, that great technique is too hard on your body. Hiei, you've lost."
"Hn. I'll admit it... for now."
"Have you heard, everyone? Contestant Mukuro is the victor. Her advance to the next round has been decided!" Koto declared.
"Hiei, don't go saying defeating me has become your reason for living."
"I won't fight you again. All your hatred is now a thing of the past. You shouldn't need it any longer. You've truly become boring."
"Unlike a certain demonstrative girl with a fiery temper?"
"That's right..." And with that, he collapsed and lost consciousness.
While Mukuro and Hiei were fighting, Hokushin lost againt Kokou, and Den Hou against Enki, in some Raizen faction infighting. Also, Kirin (Mukuro's former second in command) was defeated by Yomi. Apparently, Kirin, after losing his position to Hiei, had been forced to realize his complacence and had started training like hell. Of course, that wasn't enough to win against his former king's rival, but it did allow him to have a fairly good match with Yomi. Those were the most noteworthy matches of this second round that just ended in a flourish with Mukuro's victory against Hiei.
However, there was no time to cry as a most exciting third round began. It was unfortunate that Kurama quickly lost against Kujou, but it couldn't be helped. His victory against Shigure had simply been THAT costly. One of the great match-ups was Shu VS Souketsu, as those two counted among Raizen's old buddies. However, since they were of comparable power, their duel showed no sign of ending or of one gaining the upper hand even though they've been at it for hours already. And another was Mukuro VS Natsume who were engaged in a hand-to-hand combat, well, at their level, they were just playing around and feeling each other out. Since neither of them was seriously trying to go for the win, they too seemed satisfied with preserving the status quo for the time being. It looked like that one was going to turn into a drawn-out fight too.
Akari as well was matched up against quite the opponent... that was Kokou. From their appearance and conversation though, the audience could mistake it for a mother/daughter quarrel... a bit on the vicious side, but still cute... and somewhat childish... notably in their way of provoking each other... so maybe more a sisters' quarrel? Pretty (and) rambunctious kittens? Well, that was the case for those who could tell, but for others, it was already amazing enough. What more, it was Kokou who had started it saying Akari had unexpectedly struggled against her last opponent, and that she had still not outgrown her diapers.
"Oh my, is that how it looked like to you? I was only trying to turn it into a real fight. If you couldn't even see that then your senses must have truly dulled. How terrible old age can be... Granny Kokou... I guess I should hold back against you as well after all..."
"As usual you've got quite the big mouth... and lack of learning ability. Who was it again that I left half dead not a few weeks ago?"
"Who knows... that was such a long time ago. Don't you know as well? Humans grow much quicker than youkais, especially young ones like me..."
"Then let's see how much you grew. In consideration of your bravery, shall I give you a handicap? I'll let you absorb as much of my youki as you're able to... since even if you do, I'll still win easily..." Kokou coolly approached her and held out her hand.
"Really?" Akari accepted it and squeezed it as hard as she could. "I'm so happy our roles have finally reversed, and I am now in the position to teach you not to rest on your laurels, let your guard down, and underestimate your opponent... when I win I'll laugh saying 'serves you right, you idiot!' That should be fitting..." They were both smiling... while emitting a rather fearsome amount of bloodlust and energy... Suddenly, while still smiling and clasping hands, the two punched the other's face with their free hands.
And then, finally, it was time for one of the most awaited matches: Yusuke VS Yomi. Urameshi, who had been sitting on a rock and heightening his focus and senses, stood up and went to stand on the ring. As the founder of this tournament, the one who carried Raizen's blood, and a quite decent contender himself, he had garnered a solid base of supporters. However, Yomi, who joined him on the ring, was a King who commanded the fierce loyalty of his many subordinates. He also had the support of those who were against human mongrels, like Urameshi.
Yusuke was evaluating that King's strength... that was on a whole other league compared to his own. He was aware that no matter how he struggled, he was only at about the same level as Shura, Yomi's son. Since the difference was the same, between a child and an adult, that meant cheap tricks were useless! He unleashed his youki that expanded towards his opponent. But right before it reached him, Yomi also released his youki that pushed back Yusuke's. The boy roared and gave more juice, moving the line back again. The clash of powers was so great part of the energy had to be redirected upwards and formed a pillar. The discharge of energy was felt by Shu, Souketsu, Mukuro and Natsume too, and of course Kokou and Akari who were still playing around while leisurely increasing the level. The surprise made them all pause. Urameshi... so he had started... but to think his youki could be felt from their distant Okunen Trees... Raizen's boy wasn't your run-of-the-mill kid after all... his youki had slipped past their own as they were focused on their fights and had raced up their spine. Feeling a youki as charged up as his, they couldn't help but get fired up... so they all decided to stop scraping away at each other and go at it seriously. And soon, like a chain reaction, pillars of energy rose from their respective arenas.
But just as it happened to Yusuke, Akari's reiki was being pushed back. That was where there was the greatest disparity in raw spectral energy after all. However, Akari didn't get forced back. Instead, there was a shift in the current. The two energies started coiling around each other, forming a spiral, a whirlpool, with Akari at the center. She had taken control of all energy and was drawing it to her like a black hole eating away at a giant star, and the youki she was stealing from her opponent was forming an accretion disk. The human girl smirked as her power increased exponentially. That really made for quite the awe-inspiring show that Koto commented enthusiastically. Kokou clicked her tongue. She stopped radiating youki, cutting off her enemy's supply, and lunged at the sassy child who hardened part of the remaining energy into a shield, effectively stopping the demon.
"...Don't get fresh with me you brat!" Kokou suddenly raised her ouput to maximum level. The shield shattered, and her punch sent Akari flying and crashing away. However, her reiki acted as cushion. She was able to slow down, shift her stance, and bounce back against rock that shattered. She rocketed and slammed into the female youkai. The human girl was releasing the same amount of reiki as before but it was all condensed around her body like an armor, a spiked armor, so just crashing into people was enough to inflict damage... to lesser opponents, which wasn't the case for her current one. Akari wasn't stopped though. She had caught hold of her opponent and her momentum was enough to make Kokou crash through dozens of trees. Katsuyama kept accelerating, then she shifted her stance, placing her feet against Kokou's front, right as they reached the mountain so that when they crashed into it, her feet dug into the female demon's abdomen. Then Akari unleashed a volley of kicks and punches, that was until the voluptuous woman blasted both her contender and a hole in the mountain to break free.
"It can't be helped. I'm a lot fresher and cuter than you after all." The young, spry, and cheeky girl wisecracked.
"You damn brat!" The female demon charged again. So did Akari. Their collision and ensuing clash of blows generated a shockwave that cracked the ground over dozen meters below.
On the other hand, the 'fire starter' had been forced back. But right as Yusuke's feet reached the edge of the ring and he was about to fall back, Yomi smiled and stopped radiating youki. The sudden loss of pressure made the boy stumble forward. Many demons questioned Yomi's choice. If he had kept pushing, he could have inflicted the first strike of damage. They understood though when they saw him take a battle stance while standing his ground, clearly inviting his opponent to a brawl. That was the kind of challenge Yusuke loved more than anything, so despite knowing just how reckless it was, Yusuke smirked, roared, and charged head on, rising up to the challenge. When Urameshi arrived right below Yomi, he jumped and punched his cheek with a youki-charged fist, sending him flying. Yomi fell on his back a distance away and just stayed sprawled there. Everyone was shocked, the teen himself most of all. After all, the former king hadn't even tried to dodge or defend himself.
"Hey you! Stop messing around already! You let me hit you on purpose again and I'll kick you in the nuts!" The ex-Reikai Tantei angrily yelled. His foe sat up.
"Somehow, when fighting against you, my pacing is thrown off." Yomi smirked as blood trickled down the corner of his mouth. "You've allowed me to discover a new facet of myself. That's the first time I've ever wanted to try taking a punch head-on." He wiped the blood and stood up.
"Keh! Before long you'll get addicted to it."
"It's scary because it doesn't sound like you're joking." Despite that, the tall youkai chuckled slightly and tore his sleeves. "Now, shall we have at it?" He once more took on his fighting stance.
"Let's go!" Yusuke shouted, and the two lunged at each other. The youth's eyes widened when the one before him suddenly vanished, and the next second, a hand grabbed his shoulder from behind, turning him around. Yomi roared, created a condensed ball of youki that continuously fired volleys of energy projectiles, similarly to a shotgun, into Yusuke's front. Just from those few seconds, Yusuke was once more reminded that this guy was truly on a different level. And then Yomi hurled the ball itself that hit Yusuke's chest, blasting his shirt, as well as the man himself. The blow made Urameshi hit the floor with so much force that his body furrowed a deep trench in the ring before finally stopping. Yusuke was on the verge of losing consciousness. He could only tell he was losing strength and growing numb.
"And Contestant Urameshi is doooowwn!" Koto announced. The fallen man's friends were worried about him. He wasn't getting up or even moving at all! Had that amazing barrage of youki been too much for him! The great youkai walked over to him.
"What's wrong? Are you playing a prank on me this time?" He gripped his opponent's head in his large hand and lifted him. "What's with you? Are you already finished after only this much? You're the one who proposed this tournament, aren't you?!" He repeatedly punched his face to make him snap out of it. However, the damage dealt from Yomi's first attack had been so massive, both physically and mentally that he could no longer bring any strength to his limbs. That person was an insurmountable mountain, truly, a King. And that sudden despondency infuriated that former king who had thrown everything away for this tournament. It was Yusuke's existence, his presence here... that had lit the spark, so now he had to take responsibility! He could no longer settle for incomplete combustion. The demon fired his energy ball at point blank range, making Urameshi fly upward, and he jumped after him and started ceaselessly pounding him again.
Right, it wasn't the first time Yusuke had been in this situation of being one-sidedly mangled like this... Toguro, Sensui... in the end, they sought to be defeated by someone stronger than them... he had fulfilled their wish... then what about himself? Was he going to be defeated too, just like this? Did he come all the way here for that? The reason he had left Keiko in the Ningenkai, wasn't it to beat that old fart?! But his pops had died. And he had promised Keiko... three years... otherwise she'd really find another guy! But now, he could feel his blood running wild, the blood of the Great Youkai, the War God Raizen... that he still hadn't overcome... And Yomi and Raizen in his prime had been of equal power... If he wanted to return to Keiko, then...
"Why, you...!" The mazoku suddenly retaliated. His punch sent his opponent crashing down, although Yomi still landed on his feet. When Yusuke landed too demon markings, evidence of his demonkin heritage, were covering his body. Both contestants stood up. "What miserable blood. You've gone and badgered me so much that Raizen's blood inside me surfaced."
"I'm honored. From the outset, it wasn't you I wanted to defeat, but Raizen!"
"You're gonna regret this. I get more powerful the more I fight."
"That's my hope."
"Here goes!" The two charged again, but this time, it was Yusuke who disappeared... and reappeared at Yomi's right, surprising him. He fired a huge, intense rei-... yougun at point blank range that engulfed his opponent. The explosion blasted him away. But when the smoke dissipated, Yomi was enveloped in a sphere, unharmed.
"Renpa Hanshouheki! I thought you were watching my fight with Shura. My defense is flawless!"
"Bastard!" Urameshi grew stubborn and kept firing youguns non-stop... to no avail. Everything was being deflected by the forcefield. Yomi was just confidently standing there while his foe was wasting energy. But then, small gashes started appearing on his body. He gradually lost his composure. What was piercing his defense was the reiki mixed in Yusuke's attacks. The mazoku markings on Yusuke's body faded as the ratio of reiki increased while the youki decreased. And the more reiki he used, the more damage he inflicted. Yomi was the one being pushed back now. Urameshi unleashed an enormous reigun. The recoil propelled him backwards and made him roll on the ground. The ex-king shielded himself, but his 'flawless defense' was blasted. There was a huge explosion that engulfed both contestants. As amazed as the spectators were, they were also anxious to know what had happened to the fighters. An immense crater was left. The shockwave had also shaken the arena's foundations and caused deep and large gashes that reached down to the Okunen Tree's branches. A fire was raging on the surface around the crater and the smoke was obscuring the view. However, much to the shock and great joy of the audience, both duelists were alive and facing each other, smirking.
Author's note: Next chapter titled 'File 64: Makai Tournament - Progression' should be out on december 30.
The end of 2024 hasn't been all too nice for me, but as it had always been the case, going back to writing help me make me feel better and think of other things. They might not be much, but I hope you appreaciate my stories enough to consider them a gift in some way and that they will brighten your day a little when a new chapter comes out. With that, I wish all my readers happy end-of-year festivities.