-
-
"I don't know about you Shintarou..." Myoujou whispered. "But something reeks of a set up."
"You might not be too far off on that, kid..." Shintarou raised his eyebrows in confusion.
Not at why this situation was happening, dead bodies and all, but at why it was happening here of all places.
Amidst the smoke and dust, Myoujou stood still as he gazed at his surroundings. "Holy shit."
Some bodies laid still, unmoving as the others that were alive retreated or were on their last legs.
Though he was used to this scenario due to living in The Inside, he still found it off. These people, they were fighting for a reason, no matter how silly it may seem to others.
Right?
Myoujou snarled as he took a good look at his surroundings. "Damn, even more…?" He muttered.
The amount of people dead here could pile on top of each other to make a small hill!
-vooooom!-
Saiga's Ki billowed off of him as his face contorted and twisted comically. He clenched his fists so hard Myoujou could hear the popping of ligaments and joints.
He didn't feel sorry for whatever scrub would be on the receiving end of those fists. After all, they were most likely to be the same ones behind this massacre, and as Myoujou would always keep in his mind;
-'Don't start shit you can't wipe.'
It was a crude and disgusting way to phrase that message, but he got the gist anyway.
So if their enemies wanted mercy, they shouldn't have attacked them in the first place.
Walking through the wreckage alongside Shintarou and a 'slightly pissed' Saiga, Myoujou gave a short prayer as he did per usual for those who lost their lives in these altercations before joining the group as they headed back, but as they neared their destination, a strange scent nearly invaded Myoujou's nostrils in all its foul ungodliness.
It was the strong scent of copper and metal wafting in the air as he could see a line of death that followed it.
"!"
'This smell-!' Myoujou's face warped into a grimace as he suddenly halted, bumping into a nearby mercenary. 'This is bad… Did those guys really…?'
"Huh, what's wrong? Did'ja smell somethin' strange again?" Taking a glance at the frozen Myoujou, Shintarou asked.
"No. Don't answer that question. It's blood isn't it?"
Myoujou gave a nod as Saiga turned to the entrance.
"I'm going to find Shizuha and Miu." He turned impatiently as he darted off towards the east wing of the ruined manor.
"Well, ain't he in a rush? Not that I can blame him." Shintarou sighed and exhaled turbid air from his lungs. "Let's look to see if there's any survivors 'round these parts, okay?"
"Got it." Myoujou nodded.
Walking in the opposite direction from Shintarou and Saiga, Myoujou made his way to look for survivors, but as casualties were at an all-time high, finding any would prove to be rather difficult.
"Hello! Is anyone even alive here?" Myoujou spoke up. "Hello-?"
After a not-so-long search, he eventually came across a bloodied woman with a gash in her chest that was buried underneath a pile of people.
"Urggghh…"
"Young Master Senzui… Saiga-dono…" she muttered coughing up bursts of blood.
'Her breathing and everything… It's so faint…' Myoujou frowned. He didn't know what it was, but he was able to see the sickness in others with just a glance. And by the looks of it...
This woman would definitely not make it to see another day.
But he tried to treat her regardless.
"You… You're a maid here, right? What the hell happened here? Are there any more survivors?"
"I…" she tried to mutter but was losing consciousness.
"Hey! Keep it together lady," Myoujou said, trying to get info "-Just hold on, keep your eyes opened, I'll do my best to help you-"
"…"
Rumbling through the small pouch he kept in his person he tried to help the survivor by patching up her wounds.
"…"
Trying to staunch the bleeding proved futile as blood was pouring throughout the heart as it was severally damaged, and the woman looked as if she was already beyond the point of no return.
"…"
In the end, despite his best intentions and improved abilities and knowledge, the severity of the damage and situation had prevailed as Myoujou soon realized that he couldn't do much except close her eyes and give a small prayer.
"…"
Looking at the woman he couldn't help but frown. He thought that they wouldn't kill their own so what the hell was this? He knew that this was one of the cruel truths of the world and that it wouldn't be the last time atrocities like this would happen again, but it didn't make it any more appealing.
"…"
'Shit.' He let out a curse as he drove his fist into one of the walls around him, splintering it into pieces. 'Calm down, Myoujou. This is the real underworld, and there's nothing you can do about as you are now.'
'Breathe in, breathe out, and focus on what to do next.'
Myuojou exhaled a large sigh.
'Everyone except me is dead and this place is destroyed. Simple.'
'So you gotta move on. There's nothing you can do about things that already happened.'
Myoujou got up, wiping the grimace off his face, but as he made his way to the exit, he came across a 'familiar' blond man wearing a striped suit that emerged from within the wreckage.
"Huh? What are you doing back here... Uncle... Saiga..."
-drip, drop-
Completely smearing the gauntlets he wore, blood dripped down Saiga's figure as he continued walking. And as he slowly turned to face Myoujou, he gave off an ominous presence even with the dull expression that was plastered onto his face.
'You... You gotta be kidding me…" Myoujou frowned. "That uncle already left here, I saw it with my own eyes..."
"So you..."
'You're not actually him?'
This 'Saiga' in front of him had killed everyone in here, and if Myoujou's judgment of the situation and 'Saiga's' bloody appearance could be trusted...
-Then that means that he was next.
And as expected, the bloodied man's next choice of action was-
"!"
A vicious blow launched at blinding speeds begging to be lodged through his chest with frightening power and accuracy.
It slightly unnerved Myoujou, to see how different this 'Saiga' in front of him was as he fought; being truly precise and vicious.
It was as if whenever the man sent out a blow he carried a wave of death alongside it, willing those struck by it to fall with each strike.
And seeing the man aim for his life, Myoujou knew what he had to do.
"Haaaa-!" Wasting no time, Myoujou hastily dodged as he retaliated, flinging his leg upwards with incredible force, using the spring that was generated from his ankle, knee, and then back.
-And its direction?
-The face of 'Saiga'.
Seeing this 'Saiga' crossed his arms to block it, however, this was exactly what Myoujou wanted.
Using his leg as a way of 'checking' the distance between the two, Myoujou used his opponent's crossed arms as a means of propulsion as he kicked off, leaping backwards as he created more distance between them.
And as the two stood motionless in the wreckage of the clan manor staring at each other, Graupel, or soft hail particles of snow began to fall, seating themselves throughout the mountain range they were currently situated at.
-flicker, flicker-
The last embers of the fire finally died out as darkness started to slowly overtake the two figures, slightly obscuring the vision of the two in the manor.
'Piece of shit…' Myoujou inwardly frowned. 'This guy's on a murder mission, and I won't be letting him take me along too...'
It was a thorough job, all right, but Myoujou found another thing odd with its execution.
'You've been deliberately avoiding landing killing blows aren't you?' Lowering his position a bit, Myoujou continued to stare at the silent man. 'You haven't tried to pierce my chest with that blow of yours yet, now have you…?'
'You're waiting for something…. You want to see more…. And after that… You want to counter my attack…'
It was merely a brief exchange, yet Myoujou was able to see that far into his opponent's mindset. To do so Myoujou had used everything that he was given, the man's strength, agility, fighting style, and most specifically what observable habits he saw.
It was an application of Precognition, and though he was nowhere near to being a master at it, it was a talent that Myoujou was becoming increasingly talented at.
'But I won't be swept up by your flow, so you can try all you want…' Myoujou went through his battle plan before dashing at 'Saiga', letting out a series of blows with nearly unpredictable trajectories.
"So… What's your end goal-?" He shouted, prying for more information.
To say that Myoujou was curious about the motives behind the civil unrest within the Kuremisago Clan would be a gross understatement, as when it pertained to the likes of hidden secrets and historical clans, he would more often than not find it very difficult to not be nosey and would greedily devour any details and information that came his way. In fact, he could remember it being the same as the other clan that carried a similar name to the Kuremisago.
'In fact, the clan that Shintarou said that he got a friend that hails from a clan kinda similar to this... What was itname, Kure?'
He had heard from Saiga that when he first came to this place he wasn't too liked by the clansmen who would often start fights with him, so Myoujou could see why there'd be 'bad blood', plus when it came to Kuremisago casualties; Saiga had a pretty sizeable body count as well…
-But what was this espionage, spy-like operation? Doppleganger? Disguise? Really?
"So, who's behind this-?" Myoujou prodded for more info. "Or, like what Shintarou said… You're actually a phony that was sent to cause some clan drama…'"
'Because now that I get a peek of your face, you look less and less than that Saiga guy…'
But no matter what he said, 'Saiga' before him stayed silent.
Unpeturbed, Myoujou continued planning to use a move to catch the blonde man off guard.. "I don't know much about you, and you're virtually a stranger to me, so this doesn't really affect me- But a good chunk of those guys seemed to really look up to you,"
But all of a sudden...
"!"
'He- He moved!'
Blocking a strike aimed at his throat, Myoujou was pushed back a few inches as steam emanated from the now bruised forearm that had taken all of the strike's impact.
'Holly hell. If I took that full-on... My throat would be crushed...'
"Ha...haha... Not the talking type, I see… But what I'm curious about is… For what reason? Judging by what I heard you were like, it doesn't seem like the kinda thing you'd do…"
"…"
-'Not the kinda thing you'd do?' It was a shameful bluff, especially coming by a kid that didn't even know the man personally, but it was a bluff that Myoujou had no issues using as it fit the situation quite well.
But once more, Myoujou received no response. Instead, the blonde just stared at him in silence.
It was not much of a response at all… But Myoujou once more got the point.
However, time for talking has ceased once more and he dashed at Myoujou with increased speed.
Barely dodging swift yet heavy blows while enduring the occasional cuts, Myoujou felt blood trickle down the small cuts and scrapes on his face gained from dodging the attacks aimed at his head and face as he was being pushed back bit by bit- his mouth sucking in the cool winter air as he noticed a rather bitter fact about this little 'confrontation' he was currently involved in.
-Everyone else but Myoujou in his group had bitten the dust leaving him alone as he faced this man.
-And if this kept up, he would be swept away by the man's momentum.
Tensing the muscles in his legs, he launched himself towards 'Saiga' aiming for an attack, but as he neared him, he suddenly tensed his arm muscles, being pushed back slightly after guarding against a tackle as the blonde had dashed forward into his guard before trying to pierce Myoujou's chest.
Narrowly escaping with a mere cut that tore through his red jacket and black shirt, blood slowly trickled down from the small wound on his chest. 'This guy… He wanted to counter the move I was going to use…'
He couldn't think for long as 'Saiga' launched towards him with another spear hand ready that nearly skewered him, and while he dodged it, the blow tore his clothes even more.
'Whew… I almost got skewered once more, but that's fine…' Myoujou realized that the man before him either was a master at prediction or he heard of the move he used against the guard and had now planned to use at this moment.
However, now that he knew that his opponent was aware of one of his techniques, he planned to play right into his hands.
'Because as crazy as it sounds….' Myoujou readied himself as he tensed his muscles. '-Now that I know that you're after that move that I'll use…'
'-I'll counter your attempts to counter my counter-!'
As they both ran at each other Myoujou went through the motions [SNAKE-BIND], the same move he used against the guard when he first arrived at the manor, and 'Saiga', who seemed to know of this technique prepared to combat it; however, Myoujou had a different idea in mind.
The technique he truly planned to use was specifically centered around movement and positioning, giving the user incredible speed, and agility along with swift and precise attacks.
'It's clear to me that you're not going all out; otherwise, this would've played out differently… But I won't be insulted…'
'Gotcha-!' Myoujou smirked inwardly as 'Saiga' repeated his previous actions by dashing into his guard before thrusting forth with a spear hand. 'I'll use your kindness well for my sake.'
'After all, all you're doing now is giving me a chance to live to see tomorrow.'
-[WATER MIRROR : OVERFLOW]-
Reaching for the spear hand the Saiga used, Myoujou clasped onto his forearm, waiting until he exerted his utmost before altering the trajectory of their opponent's attack by redirecting his flow of power.
And with that, 'Saiga' was sent flying upside down.
"!"
-THUD!-
"Gryaaaah-!"
Not waiting until the blonde regained his balance, Myoujou delivered a vicious swift kick aimed at the man's head, though it was blocked by the blonde's arms in the nick of time.
'Huh? Did I just see it move? I think I did…' Myoujou thought. The man's hair and face moved unnaturally before settling down once more. 'Was that, a wig… And a mask?
'This guy… wearing a mask and wig like that- He's not really Saiga, is he…'
Though, it looks like the man had realized that Myoujou had seen it, as he seemed more incensed to finally finish him off. 'But enough of that, this guy is still getting up… And here he comes-!'
"!"
But as the man once more sprinted towards Myoujou, he felt that something was off.
The stride the man took… It wasn't a stride filled with purpose as the one before it. It was an odd stride for someone that had a bit too much on their mind to deal with at the same time.
'Now he's planning something else, I just know it.' Myoujou thought as he studied his opponent's actions before him.
Now going on the offensive he wanted to perform a feint before attempting to strike him down, but before he could do that…
'Huh?'
Dodging Myoujou's checking strike as Myoujou stepped forward, 'Saiga' made space, retreating backwards instead of attacking him, striking down on the wooden floor beneath them on the very same spot he previously stood at.
-SHATTER!-
'Huh? Am I…. Falling?' Myoujou thought, feeling the absence of weight beneath his feet.
'You can't be serious.'
"Nnnggh-!" Falling through the floorboards down to the area that would be considered the cellar, if not the basement, Myoujou maneuvered and nimbly landed on his feet as if he were a cat, before looking around cautiously.
However as he gazed upwards, the man he was fighting was nowhere to be found.
And all that was left was the ruins and Myoujou all by himself.
"Huh… He's gone…?" Myoujou craned his neck looking around. "Shit. He really got away."
'But man...' Myoujou thought as he gripped his shaking hands. 'That guy was something else... Even when I pulled off that counter it didn't seem to even faze him one bit...'
He didn't believe he could fully defeat a 'Master' in a frontal fight just yet, that belief now being evident as he realized his foe was going easy on him, only trying to see what he would do, but he did believe that he could hurt him.
After all, he wouldn't have gotten into a fight otherwise.
So he raked his head for proper analysis and tips on what he could use to potentially improve his performance in the future.
Funnily enough, it was one of his shortcomings that he gained in his quest to eliminate all of his shortcomings that not only irritated him but also a free spirit type guy like his master Shintarou.
Fighting was something that was methodical but needed a lot of instinct too. Hence the reason why the first year was spent on Myoujou learning how to fight without thinking too much
In a way, his problem was akin to a smart student not getting full marks, not because they lacked the intelligence, but because they thought too much about everything but the basics.
Myoujou winced as he looked at the damage around him. 'Man, even more things were destroyed in this fight…'
'They won't deduct this from Shintarou's pay, now will they? Well, if he still might get paid to begin with...' Myoujou sighed after chuckling at his attempt at a joke. 'The world might end if he isn't able to drink cheap beer, you know...'
-creak…, creak…, creak…-
The floors creaked under the weight of Myoujou as he looked around the rut he fell into. 'Damnit, never mind that! I should get outta here and tell Shintarou about this faker that's impersonating Saiga!.'
Climbing out the pit that he fell in, Myoujou looked around as he tried to stay alert.
'They're really is foul play going on here… 'Saiga', or what looks to be someone disguised as Saiga has attacked us…'
Walking out of the compound he came across Shintarou with dirty apparel, stained with both blood and dirt (which was a familiar sight to Myoujou by the way), who was about to enter the ruined manor.
"Oi Myoujou!" Shintarou asked looking at the minor wounds Myoujou had racked up. "You look like shit! Which is also a familiar sight… But still! You alright kid?"
'Thanks for your concern, old man…" Myoujou soothed his forehead to ease the tick mark that was rising. "Things went south… What looks to be someone disguised as 'Saiga' just came in. and things ended up looking like this…"
"Saiga? You mean he came here?" Shintarou frowned. "That can't be the case, I was just with the blondie a while ago-"
"Wait…" Shintarou suddenly stopped himself before allowing himself a while to think. "You said, 'what looks to be'?"
"I see… So it's like that now…" He mumbled.
"Yup." Myoujou continued. "Hey Shintarou, don't you think that it's kinda funny? I mean why would they even try to do any of this? It's like both sides are trying to force each other to self-destruct!"
Shintarou nodded. 'If news of this were to get out it would make for quite the story. I'd fail to see Saiga getting out of this unscathed...
'Wait!' Shintarou's expression darkened briefly before smiling wryly.
"So what now? Mind enlightening your disciple in these hard times, Sensei" Myoujou asked.
Looking at Myoujou he spoke. "I see… So not only did the Senzui, the Kuremisago Princess, and her child have gone missing, but also Saiga disappeared somewhere as well…"
"Huh? Senzui? The Uncle's best friend? You mean…" Myoujou trailed off. "They're all gone…?"
'No way…' He thought whilst staring at the bodies within the manor. 'Did they all vanish? Or are they all in it?'
'Did the lady and her kid...'
He stopped his thoughts before they went bad. He didn't know the woman but if she was the princess of this clan, then could tell she was strong, so he doubted that the perpetrator could've easily killed her off with his spear hand, even if he was disguised as her husband.
-Though the possibility of it happening really irked him to no end.
It wasn't the act of killing itself, as he grew accustomed to such climates in his adventures into the outside world…
But it was the thought of even thinking of targeting a woman and her child.
It was a soft spot of his that he didn't like being poked whatsoever, and although it wasn't any of his business, the implications present within the air were something that he did indeed find frown-worthy.
And though he was able to control himself from acting impulsively even when he came across situations similar to it time and time again, he still would never be able to get used to it.
In essence, he disliked it before, during, and after he came across such scenarios.
Thoughts resurfaced as one of the main reasons he not only wanted to gain strength but also gain medical knowledge of herbs and their effects.
-All to heal and save a certain someone.
"I don't like this, Shintarou…" Myoujou said as his brows knitted in displeasure before regaining their usual calmness. "I'm not liking the sound of this one bit."
"Yeah Myoujou, I know." Shintarou sighed as he took a look at Myoujou as he scratched his head, knowing somewhat on why his disciple's mood had briefly darkened somewhat. "It looks like things are just getting even more complicated then."
"So… I guess it's time to bow out, huh…"
"Most likely, since this job turned out to be a bust."
"Still though..." Myoujou had a nagging suspicion in his mind. "Can we stay back for a bit? There's just something that my mind can't let go off..."
"Eh, why not? If you want a rematch with the fella', we can go and find 'im." Shintarou nodded.
"Well, it's not only that, but..." Myoujou relayed to Shintarou about his suspicions which caused Shintarou's eyebrows to rise.
"Ah, so you're worried about his girl and his kid, 'eh?" Shintarou mused, rubbing his chin. "Damn, those are some hefty suspicions... So you're saying there's still a chance that this phony we talk off could reach there before Saiga does?"
"Not bad." Shintarou smiled. "If we reach there before them all, then I could get a good look at just who dares to impersonate our pluckly friend."
After saying that, Shintarou turned to face the other way. "Though there's still one minor issue before we leave though…"
"You see, there are these guys that are out there…"
"They should be in here!"
"Quickly get in there and kill those outsiders along with those traitors!"
"Leave none of them alive!"
Shouts from angry clan members that were out for blood entered the ears of the duo.
"- And they don't seem to be so keen on letting us out either."
"There they are!"
The two had tried to explain their situation to the group, but their claims were met with deaf ears and eager hands that also held onto weapons.
"Quickly get rid of them and move on! The sooner we find that bastard Saiga the better!"
"These guys, they really aren't listening, aren't they? It's like it goes in one ear and comes out the next…. Hey, Shintarou. If we knock some sense into them, do you think to come back to bite us in the ass?" Myoujou spat. "Or do we have to send them to King Yama?"
"'Cause this right here… It's gonna make big news in the Underworld, now won't it?"
"Yep." Shintarou muttered. "Y'know kiddo, it's said that the Kuremisago clan doesn't really go with outsiders, but when they make big moves, everyone on the outside knows, but something like this… I'm sure that the world would know about it…
-There's no telling what kind of waves this news would make in the underworld.
"You Kuremisago clan fellas are horrible hosts, you know that?" Shintarou sighed as he alternated between looking at the sky, his pupil Myoujou, the furious clansmen, and then the sky once more. "Poor reception and service, and the workers are even trying to fight the guests…"
"Shintarou." Myoujou asked all of a sudden "Do you believe in 'Karma', or 'Luck?"
Shintarou took an incredulous look at his pupil. "Hahaha! What are you even asking at this point in time? Don't you see what's happening?"
He couldn't believe his ears. "Besides, look on the bright side! You and yours truly, your cherished Master right next to you get to go 'Tag-Team' battle with some idiots! Ain't you aware of how wonderful this is, kiddo?"
"Back to back, and shoulder to shoulder boyo-!"
"I'm well aware actually…" Myoujou said as he cracked his knuckles, gazing at the clansmen surrounding him.
Even at this moment, he didn't forget to retort to his teacher's senseless humor, even as all he had on his mind was a foreboding feeling that this incident would follow him for quite some time. "I'm aware that not only are we currently knee-deep in some serious shit..."
"-But that instead of getting out after this, we'll be even deeper in it for a long time afterwards…" Myoujou spat, humoring Shintarou with the same brand of humor that he seemed so fond of.
"In fact, we'll be stuck so deep in it, that even after months' worth of showers you can still smell the stench..."
"I'm betting a Hundred Million Yen…" Shintarou chuckled grimly. "I'm betting that this really is gonna be a pain in the ass for us in the future."
"Trouble or not though, I plan to do great things in the future, so I can't die here, old man… And neither should you." Standing next to Shintarou, Myoujou assumed a fighting position as he prepared himself to fight along with his Teacher.
"And also, while I try to be calm, collected, and cool, don't expect me to be nice to you all." Myoujou snarled as he looked at the encirclement of irate clansmen. "Especially since you're all out for blood!"
Shintarou was with him, yes. But he wasn't the type to coddle him whatsoever; meaning that he expected Myoujou to hold his own, and that was fine with him.
He studied the crowd of a dozen or so people, barehanded whilst others wielding weapons readied themselves to attack the duo of Master and Disciple, going over many methods of fighting within his mind.
-Positions.
-Movement.
-Weapons.
-Breathing.
-Body Type.
All of these were recorded within his head. And so he formulated a method of battle.
"So let me say this, fellas…" Myoujou muttered at the attacking group as they leapt at the two, ready to enact their personal 'justice' and 'vengeance'.
"-There's nothing more I hate in this world than losing."
-
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Chapter 14: Indiscriminate-Discriminate Bloodshed (REDUX) [END]
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14th Chapter Out!
Here We Are!
Beginning Of The Climatic End
This Arc Will End In About 4 Chapters.
Sorry About Not Posting, Personal Events (No Electricity + Hurricane) Really Tag-Teamed Me For A Couple Weaks
Thank You, And Stay Tuned~
Next Chapter Tommorow!
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