Rei looked at them in disbelief. His father has done it. He brought them back.
"For years the Akari family have stayed away from the Samurai factions and displaced themselves away from those laws. For now, we need to diminish every one of our enemies from Kamisugawa. We kill all the demons!" Haruto proclaimed pushing out his hands with power.
"You samurai have been taught to fight with the sword for years and honed the art. You earned enchanted weapons to help you all battle against the demons yet, sadly, none of you is at the level of the Akari family. We were a clan-"
"Let me explain, Haruto," Interrupted Hikaru Akari, the father of Haruto. He had looked unfit for battle with wrinkles under his eyes, his face looked like it was going to rot at any time and his hair were flakes of white strings.
"I am Hikaru Akari, the leader of the Akari family. Our family spanned centuries as popes for a great diety. A lord of lightning in a way to protect ourselves from the thunderous lands we were living in. The diety soon grew found of us with all family members giving sacrifices to it, soon we were able to ask it to aid us from dangerous clans aiming to invade us. With a thunderous clap, it smashed onto their tents while they slept and they all died like flies.
"We soon were given the ability to call for his thunder with a cry as the trust grew greater with the diety and us. It would soon go to us snapping our fingers and it would then evolve to the point where we could use it in a much more offensive way. We were able to wield it to the point we managed to hone our skills to our soul and connect it through katanas.
"And so here we are. With the deities power passing through our lineage and it was at than where the Akari family rose. I was a mere child all then but I could tell the tales I've lived such as it happened yesterday. However, now is not the time to ramble on for too long. What I seek to say is that we have been trained for years to come once we've been able to walk. Of course, hatred for demons has been a basis of our family leading to us to perform irrational actions to some and place people in danger. We have been in rough terms and soon most of the Akari family were all against fighting under the somewhat pitiful rule of Kamisugawa."
He has gotten a look from the Empress and he ignored it continuing his speech, "However we are with you now! That is is the reason as to why we shall become greater than any attack before with the ruthless force of the Akari and the samurai, by the time we're done, a demon would be a forgotten memory!" He ended his speech with unsheathing his katana cutting through the table until it nearly reached Rei who sat in the end alone.
He blocked the attack with a slash sending it out the window. It sent glass to the floor as all the samurai looked at it in shock and Saori looked in disbelief at the both of them.
"Thank you, father... Now, grandfather, I'll be leaving now that we've been able to go through your gloat..." Rei said as he left in silence to the broken scene and ended his conversation, "I'm not to blame for this if my pay is docked..."
"Goodbye Rei. I'll be seeing you soon on the battlefield..." Hikaru uttered looking at the rest of them afterwards, "I guess you need to listen to Haruto's battle plan," He pointed at the maid with his katana asking, "Get me a banquet to my room and then tell me what he said while I go to relax..." He walked away uncaring while Haruto watched the samurai ignoring his father.
"Let's start the plan then..." Haruto said coarsely looking at the destroyed table with the burnt map on it.
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"Akari..." Mazoku coldly vocalised his surname as his face began to lose colour as the realisation sank down into him. Another Akari has come and it's going to kill him.
"AKIO! AKIO HELP!" He said scrambling away in fear. He tried to run off but the fear dropped him on his legs.
"Excuse me...?" Haru asked quietly walking over to him slightly confused.
"Help! Don't come near me! HEEELLLP!!" He cried hysterically and filled in fear. He couldn't move as he felt death's hand creep on his shoulder.
"Haru..." Akio revealed walking towards the both of them, "I apologise for this but your brother has been a great pain for the both of us and, in all honesty, he has been a true annoyance to us.
"I see... I assume it's Haruto?" He asked looking at Mazoku, "What has he done?"
"I believe they've met but he has no memories of them battling when he was synthesised fully in his demon," Akio answered him.
"He was controlled fully by it?" Haru asked back at him.
"Yes. His demon is certainly different and slightly peculiar," He responded looking at Mazoku walking off, "Where are you off to?"
"I'm going to see Daichi and the others," He replied trudging weakly.
"Your ability must've triggered when you came in contact with him. You still didn't control it?" He questioned turning to Haru again and squinting his eyes at him with suspicion.
"It's not as easy as you think it is..." Haru remarked quietly.
"Your situation may be different to mine but it's been 2 years since we've met and I see no change..."
"Same can't be said to you." Haru looked over at the group sitting near the mountain, "Since when have you become a father..."
"I'm not a father. They're just people who need my guidance and help. Things have changed for me. This boy needs help from me and I can't leave him alone and so do everyone there; though I don't know perfectly what they need."
"I see, well you've come to the demon's hideout, why?"
"Well we had a situation with Haruto and he's coming for all demons."
"Oh that declaration, it's all words. He can't come over to our hideout and we both know that-"
"Don't underestimate your brother. He is very powerful and, remember, every samurai has come to his call if it has been met. There's a chance for a family reunion..."
Haru began to panic as his eyes focused on Akio and the words sank into his mind, "No no no no! They can't! They can't! He can't find this place!"
"I'm sorry but I as your comrade I can't lie to you," Akio retorted calmly putting his hand on his shoulder to reassure him, "However, I promise they won't come for you. I promise that we will protect but we need to fight and Mazoku is the key..."
Mazoku was looking back at them as he started to walk to the hill and thought to himself on Akio and the Akari man. No, he was a demon yet he was an Akari. Especially, as he heard Akio, he was the brother of Haruto - the mighty and murderous demon slayer. He would laugh in the irony if he wasn't shaken in fear.
What kind of ability did that demon have to make him talk and to fill him with so much maddening fear? Could this be a key to his power which affected Alutzumal, the manticore?
'You freed me from the spite within me boy... If I looked strong with a weapon of hatred then I was merely a fool to believe I was strong and it only just shows who I really was...'
He remembered those words the king told of him. Is he able to talk demonic power? What's different about him?
"What's so special about him? Why is he so different?" Haru asked after calming down for a little.
"We were all demons because we were sinners. We became our own demons because of our actions..."
"And your point? Why's Mazoku so different?"
"It's because," he took a breath looking at them, "He's an innocent."
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Yang Kwan stared at the creature eye him feeling an icy touch in him as he watched its eyes grow to illuminate the cave. He saw a gargantuan creature above him, made of small grey wisps and as it opened it's mouth revealing fangs, he saw it as colossal serpent seemingly created from shadows.
"What are you?" He asked looking at it.
"I live in the shadows-"
"That does not answer my question. What are you?"
"Quiet Kwan. Do not talk to me in such a fashion-"
"What are you and how do you know my name?" Yang repeated interrupting it again.
"Well then if I were to seek for a vessel, I'll need to answer your questions. I am Theothelm, the shadow diety..."