As Zakku was in the bed, slowly getting healed by his own breathing and by Kansuke's treatment, there was a clash outside. The noise couldn't be heard despite the aura and the presence that had vanished.
"While Zakku is asleep, I should plan on how to lure him as my ally and how to kill him without him seeing me seem suspicious around him. I can store his blood as I think." Kansuke drunk some of his bottles and summoned a small black hole to suck the blood that came out of Zakku's wounds and stored it in the bottle. It was just the same amount as the bottles he drunk.
"Like they say... You receive the same price of the things you give." Kansuke stood up and looked outside the window. He didn't seem to see any enemies nearby, but it was on the opposite side.
"What a night, no one worthy to be killed. Oh well, I guess that's fine. There's always tomorrow-"
Kansuke's words were cut off. He didn't notice that the house had already been broken, including the other villages. The monster's appearance was a giant red demon standing tall. It was 105ft, breaking the whole village and the others. It picked up Kansuke Okinawa as it broke Zakku's cabin. Then, the demon had squeezed Kansuke Okinawa like a squishy. Kansuke had witnessed his first great blood loss and most broken bones in his whole life, but that didn't stop him from fighting. Although, Kansuke had considered and self-proclaimed himself as the strongest. Kansuke's wounds would heal fast due to the dosage of blood bottles he had drunk. He reached out for Zakku, who was sleeping peacefully and not knowing about the situation.
"Zakku... Wake up!"
This was just a bluff. Kansuke really didn't need help, this was only to lure Zakku to activate his power.
"He won't wake up. He's just... sleeping peacefully! Wake up, you coward!"
Right before Kansuke would proclaim Zakku is a coward, Zakku already snapped out of it and woke up, Already had his wounds fully healed. Even with fully healed wounds, he still had struggled standing up.
"Kansuke, what are you doing? Go evacuate the villagers!" Zakku looked at the area where all the villagers should gather during grave danger, all he saw were corpses. That included Zakaria, Yorihiko, and Suchuwato.
"Zakaria? Yorihiko? Suchuwato?"
He ran over while Kansuke dealt with the giant demon. Clearly and naturally, tears rolled down his face after seeing his 3 most important people that now had died by the hands of a giant monster.
"Zakaria! Yorihiko! Suchuwato! Don't die on me, guys! You guys are too innocent and young to die..." He looked at the other villagers. He seemed furious, angry, and filled with hatred.
"The first slot, Modified enhanced speed, full speed."
He gathered all the corpses, even if he's struggling. Zakku laid all the corpses on the ground and prayed for them.
"God, please give the villagers, whom I consider my family a peaceful life in heaven and a new life filled with peace for them."
A few minutes and moments have passed, Zakku had finished praying for the corpses. He took out his sword and went to his stance as Kansuke went off.
"Your turn, Zakku!"
Zakku looked frozen, it was like he was in stopped time. He didn't froze, actually. He was only concentrating the light blood to cover and surround his sword. "Second slot, first blood, light sword!"
After a while, his sword was completely covered with light blood.
"Third slot, second form, claw slash!" Zakku slashed his sword towards the demon, though he was really far from it.
That damaged the demon, of course, but it only dealt a scratch to the demon.
"It wasn't effective? Oh no... This demon is a big problem!"
Zakku continued to use the same move, but that was all-for-naught. None of the attacks had hurt the demon, instead, it only got Zakku's stamina down and got him tired.
"What a demon, it's too durable, not even a physical attack can hurt it!"
Instead of using air slashes, he used his sword to actually physical hit the demon. Despite the demon's guard down, it was able to deflect the attacks.
"Third slot, remastered first form, Slice and Dice!" With great speed, he sliced and diced off the right arm of the demon.
"I did it, Third slot triumphs!"
But because of the demon's durability, getting its arm cut off was nothing to it. The effect didn't make the demon weaker, but made it stronger.
"That didn't weaken the demon? Crap!"
Kansuke looked at Zakku, planning something, "Leave! I will take care of the demon when I regenerate, now!"
he looked at Kansuke, nodded and ran off to the forest. As he was at the forest, hiding his appearance and presence, he looked back at the village. It was dark; he saw nothing at the village as he looked back. He stopped running and started to walk slowly around the forest. trying to survive despite his current state.
In the forest near the mountain
He looked the moon, shining his eyes. It was much more beautiful than before, it just looked beautiful in his eyes. Many minutes later Zakku came across a hill, he could see a figure sitting on something almost like a wooden chair, he would move closely to the figure, his eyes widened.
"A GIRL!?" he silently thought to himself,
her black as midnight hair would shine in the moonlight, it was long and wavy. her skin was pale almost like a vampires, Zakku froze, he didn't know what to do. He wasn't really good with girls.
"I know you are right behind me..." she reached for something, it was a katana, she turned around and pointed it at his neck.
"WHO ARE YOU!" her voice was a mid-tone voice,
"..My name is Zakku I meant no harm." his voice would shake a bit,
the girl would put her katana back in a holder. She looked at him, her eyes were deep blue, she had a little bit of freckles on her face.
"My name is Taiko Rose, call me Rose or just Taiko." she turned around and continued to paint.
"What are you painting?" he would walk next to her and watch her paint,
"The night, isn't it obvious?" she would turn her head around and looked at him, "Eh, I am bored." she would get up, she still had her paint brush in her hand. She would turn around and set it down on the ground.
"Anyways, we should get to know about each other, The name is Taiko Rose I am a goddess. You?" she looked at him, Zakku sat down.
"Ok then, my name is Zakku Seiji and I am a part of the human race."
Taiko seemed curious and suspicious, she sensed something from Zakku that wasn't part human. She thought to herself, "He doesn't seem like a human. Something suspicious in him... Is he a demon? Part of the light clan? Dark clan? Either?"
Zakku sighed as he found out what Taiko was thinking about, "I just said, I'm part of the human race. I don't know if I am part of the light clan or dark clan. What I'm doubting is that if I'm in the demon race or not."
Taiko looked at Zakku, impressed that he was able to read her thoughts.
"Here's a question, do you feel something inhuman in you?" Taiko asked.
Zakku hesitated for a bit, then looked back at her and nodded. "Yes, I feel something unusual. It wasn't anything harmful, though. But it feels like something that buffs my powers."
She smiled at Zakku and walked over to him "Hm, if that is... I'll try finding your real race. If there's something inhuman inside you, there's a slight chance you are one of the demon humans."
With just a slight tap of Zakku's shoulder from Taiko, She felt something suspicious from him. It was like a demon's presence coming from Zakku.
"...What is it? Anything you feel from my shoulder? Is it stiff?"
She shook her head, "No, it's not that..."
She thought in her mind, "He's a demon, and I know it. It seems like he doesn't realize that he's one though, and he has no intent to hurt innocent people."
Zakku pushed her hand away, placed his hand on her shoulder. "Are you good? You seem spaced out, Taiko."
Instantly tapping her-- she snapped back to reality. Noticing Zakku's hand on her shoulder, she turned red. "O-Oh! I apologize for that..." She rubbed her head and smiled, "I space out at sometimes..."
Zakku gets his hand off her shoulder, "Let's have a chat first... My village is in trouble! A mysterious creature appeared and snapped the villagers in an instant."
He sat down with her and talked with her for a bit.
~1 hour time skip~
"And so that's all I have to say-" He was then cut off by her-- hearing a question.
"Zakku... Please let me go on an adventure with you in Dungeon Doe!"
Zakku smirked, he looked at her as he gave a thumbs up. "I will! As long as you help me eliminate that demon raiding my village. And if you do that... you are my certified ally! Well, you have to go to Dungeon Doe with me and help me finish the expedition but it will take about years to finish it. The difficulty is--"
"Dungeon Master Level! The hardest difficulty of them all!"
Zakku nodded, "Let's get going then shall we, Taiko Rose?"
He took out his hand for her to take it and so she did,
"That's a yes." He held her hand tightly, both turning red.
They both look at the village as they walk towards the village-- but then starting to race there. "We can't afford to be slow! We have to destroy that demon as soon and as efficient as we could! Let's keep going!"
Taiko started to get ahead of him, and as that happened that was the only time Zakku noticed his hand on her chest and groping her. "WHA-- I'm so sorry!" he got his hands off her chest and just ran off without holding her hands,
"I didn't mean to do it-"
Before finishing the apology, Taiko hit Zakku and slapped him a few times while running; but he dodged most of the attacks. "Idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot!"
"I just said I'm sorry!!!" Zakku apologizes fully,
And while that Taiko was speaking to her mind while running, "That idiot... trying to be affectionate! It's not like I like him or anything, he just molested a woman, me! But... I guess I like him in some kind of way..."
As she spaced out, she almost hit a tree by accident and got pulled by Zakku towards him.
"Hey hey! Why are you spacing out at a time like this? Are you sick or something?"
Taiko holds on to Zakku just for this moment, she feels disappointed for almost getting herself hit by something that is so visible to her eyes. "I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean to..."
"It's not the time for that! We have to get there before any more destruction happens, you hear me?"
By those words, Taiko snapped out of it and got off of him. "I can run by myself you woman molester..."
They smile as their speed gradually increase and a few minutes later arriving at the village.
"So this is the village where you live? It's just cabins connected to each other..."
He points at the cabin where he lives, the half-destroyed one. "That one isn't connected to any other cabin, my cabin. I have to distance my cabin from the others because my estate is kind of dangerous when you get careless. It's not like traps are implanted in the cabin and outside."
He focuses first on the demon's movements and reading them. He looks around for its weaknesses. "Second slot, first blood, light sword." In his hands, his light sword appears.
"Zakku, is that a dungeon slot ability you are using?" He nods, but Taiko seems confused,
"Zakku is a demon, but he wields light blood? This is rare- no, this is a classified rarity! No demon except for this one wields both-- Both light and dark! He must be a descendant of the two ancestors... this is... a legend!" Taiko thought.
She looks at Zakku, preparing for an attack. She grabs out her shotgun and aimed it at the demon, she shot 2 warning bullets purposely for the demon to get lured and distracted. After she shot some bullets, Zakku ran around and trying to get behind the demon and assault attack.
"Get here, you demon!"
Taiko shouted out as the demon continued to approach her. Zakku continued running around, later then arriving behind the demon before it gets near Taiko's range. Instead of Zakku attacking the demon with aerial attacks, he used his own swordsman skill to attack the demon and create some wounds on the demon. While that's that, Zakku's sword was stuck, but that gave him an opportunity to knock the demon down but its weight is heavy. That didn't stop him and he double-handedly gripped the sword's handle and carried his sword up and whoop- he knocked the demon down with his force and impact he used on his sword. Well, the demon was still alive, but this is going as what Zakku has planned. Taiko and him jump up on the demon's body, it was big.
"This demon sure is strong, but it can't escape my force and so it got knocked down." He pulled his sword out of the demon, "But this sword is not strong enough... it's still weak and any attack won't affect him."
Taiko looked at Zakku, delighted and was surprised by his attack. "That was a great attack, Zakku! You really are worthy to enter dungeon premises. Well, we still have a long way. We have no idea how to kill this demon, attacks will just heal the demon. We just have to find a way..."
Zakku looked at the sword, and exchanged the light sword with his second blood. "Second slot, second blood, dark sword. I wonder if this sword will work on the demon... but I'm sure it will! Even if this blood is used by the demons and by evil like the dark ancestors... Jaka Doe too, this might do the trick!"
He pointed the tip of the sword at the demon's heart, inverting the blade and then stabbing the heart- but it was as hard as steel, it didn't do the trick.
"Wait... it didn't work!? The heart of the demon... no way! It's this strong?! Even the heart, it's too durable! It's as hard as steel, I guess I have to find a way to fight the demon and kill it in any other way besides stabbing it's heart."
The demon was still conscious, it stood up as Zakku and Taiko fall down, but Zakku's sword cushioned their fall just in case.
"It's still alive! Gah... Taiko, are you alright?"
Taiko thought she was about to get hurt by the fall so she closed her eyes, but she felt safe as Zakku wraps his arms around her.
"Taiko, Don't worry... As long as I am here, I will protect you because you are my ally, right?"
Taiko opened her eyes and looked at Zakku, she was completely red, "T-Thank you Zakku..."
"It's my pleasure to protect you!"
Taiko misheard- she thought that Zakku would protect Taiko as more than allies, or above friends? "L-let's just continue fighting the demon, Zakku..."
Zakku broke up the hug and helped her get up, "Yeah! We have to defeat the demon, but it seems like our attacks won't budge the heart or deal any damage to it. Rose, you can change your weapon to anything right? If yes, you should swap to a gun with a faster bullet, and a greater range so the possibility to shoot the demon's heart might be high. I can use the sword if any of your shoots can't attack the demon's heart, but it'll just be to lure the demon to me and you will continue attacking by behind the demon. We only tried attacking it by the front and so it didn't work."
Taiko smiled, agreeing to the plan with a nod, "That's a good plan, but this will destroy your neighbor's cabins-"
"Don't underestimate us, Rose! We are hardworking people who can almost finish a cabin in under a week."
"Yeah... I suppose I am right, I should not look down on you-" Then in her mind: "Because you are too strong... wielding two bloods despite being a full demon is really powered and buffed!" Taiko thought while giving the perks of a demon with two of the special bloods a description- light and dark.
"What's so special about that Taiko? I'm not the only one wielding both, there are more wielders of the blood around the world-- and stronger than me, probably!"
Taiko was shocked, Zakku knowing what she was thinking about by her reaction. She swapped to a XVR-460 Magnum and gave him a thumbs up. "I guess I am ready Zakku!"
Zakku nodded, getting ready and started to run around as Taiko started shooting the demon, just shooting the demon's heart and nothing elsewhere. There were some failed attempts but there were also some successful attempts; but they didn't hit the heart.
"Oh no, it still wouldn't budge! The heart is too strong, even if we use a strong gun!"
Taiko reloaded the gun as the demon follows Zakku, executing their second plan. "And now!"
When the demon turns around, Taiko finishes reloading her gun and started shooting the demon's back.
"Here we go, keep going Rose!"
She packed a lot of bullets in this one-- rapidly and continuously shooting the demon's back and immediately reloading when the ammo runs low. The back was easily wounded, except for the heart that is. While they were shooting and distracting the demon, an ominous wind would be felt nearby... for Zakku, it was familiar and in the other hand, it felt suspicious.
"This wind... it seems familiar! I don't have any idea who it is though, but she seems really familiar to me!"
Their weapons were blown away- then flew to the direction were the wind had started to blow. It was a black haired girl (Not Taiko.) with pale blue eyes and fair skin tone. It was Zakku's neighbor, or possibly his love interest, Yorihiko Kaze.
"Y-Yorihiko! I thought you died?! Y-you... You are still alive-" Yori scoffed,
"Me? Still alive? I am always alive, why did you think I died?"
Zakku hesitated. While that, Yorihiko uses her wind magic, or wind demon magic to chuck Zakku's sword to the demon's heart. It hit it! But the damage wasn't serious yet the demon is still alive! Oh man. Yorihiko didn't give up, she looked around the situation and uses a blood sword created or formed by her own blood. From the side, polar opposite to where Zakku's side was, Yorihiko makes a strong wind to distract the demon.
"Now, Zakku!"
Zakku felt the strong wind, it had a big impact, although, he was able to break through the wind and flee. He just followed Yorihiko's command to stay away and watched her. After Zakku had ran away, she flew towards the demon and dealt the "last" blow on the demon and seriously injuring the heart.
"Hiya!" The heart immediately squirted blood all over, though this still wasn't enough-- The only way to kill the demon is to break the heart and decapitate the head. Like before, the more injured the demon is the stronger it becomes. It easily blew Yorihiko Kaze, it left some scratches on her.
Zakku barely felt mana from her, "Yorihiko?"
"Zakku... don't worry, this is what happens when I usually use my blood sword. I lose my magic. So why don't you deal the final move for me, wouldn't you?"
Taiko walks up to Yorihiko, "Yorihiko Kaze was it? Have a bit of rest, Zakku will handle the rest-"
Well, it wasn't true, Zakku cannot handle it all by himself because of his sword's weakness.
"It's not possible for me to defeat the demon all by myself, my sword cannot even lay a damage on its heart, so why should I?"
Yorihiko slowly got up and walked up to Zakku, she smiled as she figured out a plan.
"Zakky, why don't you focus your magic power and blood into your second slot? You know how to use modified enhanced speed, right? It is like that but harder concentration and greater focus on the attack. Alright?"
Zakku places his hand on top of Yorihiko's head, smiled at her in thanks. He realized that normal slot wasn't enough, this lesson from Yorihiko thought him to break through his limits and his struggle using second slot. "Thank you, Yorihiko!"
Yorihiko fell down backwards and went unconscious, "Yorihiko, the lesson you taught me won't go to waste! Leave it to me as I beat this demon with my power..."
Zakku stands still in his spot, trying to not get moved by the demon's impact and speed. He focuses his power and blood into his second slot, this got him a great buff and great advantage. It was like a demon looking over to him and giving him such great power.
"Second slot... Modified enhanced first blood... Light sword!" His sword appears in his hand,
he gripped the sword's handle tightly and ran towards the demon, continuing to focus his magic to his sword and started to hit the demon's heart in different ways possible with different slash styles.
"Die, you demon! You filthy creature, laying a hand on my comrades! I will never forgive you, ever. The only way you will atone is by your death!!! Third slot, modified enhanced second attack, Claw slash!"
He took his sword back, gripped the sword the tightest he could and slashed the demon's heart. "DIE!!!"
And that is how the demon dies, the demon's heart shatters, as the body does too and disintegrates.
"This is your fault, demon." His sword disappears as he falls down, he used up most of his magic power and blood, but this was nothing but an exercise for him.
"That was... a strong sword! Yorihiko, how did you know about my powers- oh yeah... You're unconscious, I'll ask her when she wakes up!"
Without a warning, Taiko ran up to him and immediately hugging Zakku. "Zakku!!! That was so coo-"
She immediately broke the hug, "I-I didn't mean to! I'm sorry!"
"W-why did I break up the hug..." She thought.
Zakku knew what she was thinking, even without mind reading power. "Hehe! It's fine Rose! Allies support each other, even in battle or in vain!" Zakku hugged Taiko,
"Well, you wounded the demon the most by shooting it. Sorry if I stole all the glory!"
Taiko turned immediately red, her face was blood shot red. Her face slowly reverts back to normal, her eyes turning to green showing her happiness. She slowly hugged Zakku back,
"You didn't steal all of it, we're allies. If you try to steal all of the credit, people will still show credit to the person's ally! This demon is really strong, you can get merits in the dungeon!" She smiled,
he nodded- he just tagged along then was confused about what the merits are, "Merits!? What are those? Like a reward or showing glory to someone? Is that it? Sorry... I think I'm overreacting!" He rubbed his head.
Meanwhile... there was an army of demons coming to the village and one human-looking demon. He looks at the village and sees the blonde hair guy and the two black haired girls. "The two secondary elites of Dungeon Doe huh? I'll get a promotion of I kill them. And that boy, he must be the one Master Jaka taken a like on! I'll get a big promotion when I kill them, then Master will show me more glory and respect! Hahahaha!" He evilly laughed like a total maniac.
Who actually are Yorihiko Kaze and Taiko Rose? And are they these "Secondary Dungeon Elites" the strong demon army leader was talking about?
Will be revealed in the next chapter...
CHAPTER 5:
END.