The night cloaked the land in a shroud of darkness as the group strolled along a winding stone path. Toruri, leading the way, suddenly halted, his gaze fixed on a distant point.
"Guys, I think I see our first village," he announced, his voice barely a whisper in the stillness of the night.
"Are you using your reptile eyes?" Ryoshi inquired, skepticism lacing his words.
Toruri shook his head. "No, but I can," he replied cryptically, before closing his eyes momentarily. When he reopened them, his once brown eyes had transformed into eerie yellow reptilian orbs.
"Seems like a decent place," Toruri remarked, his voice tinged with an otherworldly quality. "Everyone in the village is asleep, but a hotel is open. Maybe we could stay there for the night."
"Good idea! Let's hurry before it gets any darker," Ryoshi agreed, motioning for Toi to stay hidden in the bush. "We don't need you to get stolen."
As they made their way towards the village, Ryoshi breathed a sigh of relief upon arrival. "Finally here," he muttered, scanning the surroundings for the hotel's location.
Suddenly, a tall figure emerged from behind a tree, startling the group. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?" Toruri exclaimed, his reptilian eyes narrowing in suspicion.
The newcomer introduced himself as Yoshiko Kuoto, the owner of the nearby hotel. Despite the initial shock, Ryoshi extended a polite greeting. "Hello there, nice to meet you?"
Yoshiko, unfazed by their apprehension, inquired about the reason for their concern. Ryoshi explained, "Sorry... you just scared me."
Yoshiko chuckled, dismissing the misunderstanding. "Oh my apologies, I'm just always up for business."
Kuroshi, seizing the opportunity, inquired about the cost of a night at the hotel. Much to their surprise, Yoshiko offered them a complimentary stay for the remainder of the night.
"Thank you," Kuroshi acknowledged gratefully.
"Don't mention it," Yoshiko replied casually.
Despite the generous offer, Toruri couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. "Ryoshi, isn't this weird?" he murmured, his voice barely audible.
"Yeah, but if he tried anything, we'd just send him to hell! It's not like he knows that we're trained in combat or anything," Ryoshi reassured him in a hushed tone.
Unconvinced, Toruri pressed further. "Hey uh... Yoshiko, what's in the bag?" he asked, his voice tinged with suspicion.
Yoshiko's cryptic response only fueled their apprehension. "Do I have to answer?" he replied with a sly grin.
Sensing danger, Toruri knew it was time to tread carefully. "That's a sign to leave if I've ever seen one!" he thought to himself.
Their curiosity piqued, the group followed Yoshiko into the hotel, their eyes scanning the interior adorned with posters of a renowned boxer named Habiwa Boko.
"I could piece him up if you want me to," Toruri boasted confidently, his bravado unwavering.
Kuroshi intervened, his voice calm yet authoritative. "Toruri, he didn't ask for you to do anything."
Undeterred, Toruri remained defiant. "That ain't gonna stop me!!!" he declared, his determination palpable.
Yoshiko led them upstairs to their designated room, requesting they surrender any dangerous items in their possession. Reluctantly, Ryoshi relinquished his sword, while Toruri claimed to possess nothing of concern.
With their belongings surrendered, they followed Yoshiko down a dimly lit hallway, each step echoing in the silence of the night.
Yoshiko's departure left the trio alone in the hallway, each contemplating the unsettling turn of events.
"This is so god damn suspicious, guys," Toruri voiced his concerns, his tone laced with unease. "We should run for it and set up camp."
Kuroshi nodded in agreement. "Oh, we're aware of that."
Ryoshi, ever the optimist, remained defiant. "Yeah, and like I told you, if he tries anything, we'd send him to hell! The only advantage he has is height, and that's it."
Seeking to devise a plan, Kuroshi turned to Toruri. "Toruri, summon your magical weapon and place them exactly at Ryoshi and my doorways. We need to be prepared for any eventuality. Your instincts should wake you up if anything goes awry."
Toruri considered the suggestion carefully. "That sounds... pretty flushed out! Let's just go to sleep for now."
And so, reluctantly, they retreated to their respective rooms, each grappling with the ominous feeling that lingered in the air.
Hours passed in silence until the tranquility of the night was shattered by a blood-curdling scream that pierced through the darkness, unmistakably Kuroshi's voice.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Instantly jolted awake, Ryoshi and Toruri sprang into action, their senses heightened with adrenaline.
"Ryoshi, before you do anything, don't step out of your room! I need to remove the trap!" Toruri's urgent warning echoed through the hallway.
"Ok," Ryoshi replied, his voice tinged with concern.
Summoning his weapons, Toruri's heart sank as only one of his Beakurou chains materialized. A troubling realization dawned upon him: someone had infiltrated Kuroshi's room.
"Uhhh, Ryoshi... come here!" Toruri called out, his voice strained with urgency.
Ryoshi hurried into Toruri's room, his eyes wide with apprehension. "What's wrong?"
Toruri grimaced, his brow furrowed in concern. "This is a problem. I only got one of my Beakurou chains back, which means someone's in Kuroshi's room."
Ryoshi's grip tightened on his sword, his resolve unwavering. "I don't know... but I'm assuming that your Beakurou hurts a lot, right?"
Toruri nodded solemnly. "It does, but it seems like this person managed to hold the pain in."
Determined to aid their friend, Ryoshi wasted no time. "Ok! We need to hurry up and help Kuroshi. That was definitely her scream."
"Agreed," Toruri affirmed, his expression steely with resolve. "You get your sword, and I'll see if this is an actual threat."
With a nod of understanding, Ryoshi hastily exited the room and dashed downstairs, while Toruri steeled himself and entered Kuroshi's room, ready to confront whatever lurked within.
Toruri's heart pounded with adrenaline as he confronted the imposing figure holding Kuroshi captive. With a surge of bravado, he called out defiantly, "Who's- THERE!!!"
His eyes widened in alarm as he beheld the sight before him—a giant, shirtless man adorned with scars, his head obscured by a leather helmet, gripping Kuroshi by the hair.
"Hey!... I'm the only shirtless guy around these parts," Toruri declared, his voice laced with bravado.
The man slowly turned his head to fix Toruri with a menacing glare, prompting a surge of panic within Toruri's mind.
"Oh shit! He's gonna be coming after me in 0.5 seconds. What should I do?" Toruri's thoughts raced as he assessed the situation. Spotting his second Beakurou on the man's foot, he formulated a plan to throw him out of the window.
Toruri yanked on the second Beakurou's chain, but to his dismay, the man remained unfazed.
"Ah shit," Toruri cursed under his breath, realizing his plan had failed.
"YOU'RE LOOKING FOR THIS CARDBOARD MEAT!? YOU CAN HAVE THIS PITIFUL PIECE OF GLASS!!! UNLESS YOU WANT TO STARE AT ME LIKE A DEAD ZEBRA!?" the man bellowed, his voice booming with fury.
Toruri wasted no time, activating his enhancement magic and launching himself towards the man with a flurry of punches. But to his shock, the man seemed impervious to his blows, retaliating by seizing Toruri by the head with a vice-like grip.
"I'LL SQUISH YOUR HEAD INTO A BLOODY PASTE, THEN I'LL PUT THAT BLOODY PASTE ON A SANDWICH MADE ENTIRELY OUT OF LIMBS AND I'LL ENJOY IT!!!" the man roared, his threats sending shivers down Toruri's spine.
Meanwhile, Kuroshi summoned her gun and fired at the man, only to find her efforts futile as he shrugged off the bullets and hurled her out of the window.
"K-Kuroshi!!!" Toruri cried out in horror, his heart pounding with fear and desperation.
In a last-ditch attempt to defend himself, Toruri sharpened his nails and slashed at the man's arm, but his efforts proved futile as he was thrown through a wall and into the hallway.
Amidst the chaos, Ryoshi leaped into action, conjuring an ice sword with his magic as he burst through the broken window.
"Ice magic: Ice sword!!!" Ryoshi declared, his voice ringing with determination as he struck the man on the back.
As the man recoiled from the blow, Ryoshi's voice faltered in disbelief. "Woah, what the hell are you?"
The man, now identified as Yoshiko Kuoto, let out a maniacal laugh. "MY NAME IS YOSHIKO KUOTO!!!"
Ryoshi's mind raced as he processed the revelation. "But you're much taller than him, and you don't even sound like him."
"AHAHAHAHAHA I DON'T CARE, YOU'RE GONNA DIE!!!" Yoshiko bellowed, his voice dripping with malice.
Undeterred, Ryoshi maintained his resolve. "Keep that same energy for when you're on the ground begging for mercy," he retorted, launching into another flurry of attacks.
But Yoshiko remained unfazed, effortlessly overpowering Ryoshi and seizing him in a vice-like grip, his intentions clear—vengeance, and perhaps something far more sinister.
The ferocious battle between Ryoshi and the enigmatic figure raged on, each blow exchanged with a fervor that bordered on desperation.
"Ew, let go of me!" Ryoshi protested as he continued to stab at his assailant, but his efforts seemed futile as the man effortlessly slammed him through the second floor and onto the first with bone-crushing force.
"AH," Ryoshi groaned in agony, his mind racing with questions. "Is he a vampire? No, his wounds would heal instantly if he was. What is he exactly???"
As the man leaped down from the second floor, his towering form casting a menacing shadow over Ryoshi's prone body, he let out a maniacal laugh.
"YAHAHAHAHAHAHA, SMASHING TIME!!!" he bellowed, his voice echoing with madness.
With another powerful kick, the man sent Ryoshi hurtling through a wall and crashing into a nearby tree outside, leaving him battered and disoriented.
"YAHAHAHAHAHA, YOU'LL MAKE A GREAT BLOODY THRONE!" the man declared, his words dripping with malice.
"What the hell does that even mean?" Ryoshi muttered, struggling to comprehend the man's cryptic intentions.
Suddenly, a chain snaked its way around the man's neck, halting his advance.
"WHO DARES DISTURB THE BLOODY COURSE OF A HUNGRY SOUL!!!" the man roared in fury.
"It's Toruri, you idiot," Toruri retorted, his voice tinged with annoyance as he emerged, his body adorned with lizard-like scales and his eyes ablaze with fiery determination.
"Toruri, are you okay?" Ryoshi inquired, concern evident in his voice.
"I'll be fine! but may I ask you a question, Ryoshi?" Toruri replied, his gaze unwavering.
"Make it quick!" Ryoshi urged, eager to assist his friend.
"Have you ever wondered what my destiny magic was?" Toruri questioned, his words laden with intrigue.
"No... but now I do," Ryoshi admitted, curiosity piqued.
"It's fire," Toruri declared, unleashing a torrent of flames that engulfed the man and ignited the hotel in a blazing inferno.
"RaaaHAAAAAAAAAA!!! EVEN AFTER MERCILESSLY BOILING THE BLOOD OF THE STRONGEST, THERE IS NO BLOOD!!!" the man bellowed, shrugging off the flames with ease.
"What does that even mean? How did you do that? I'M SO FRICKING CONFUSED!!!" Toruri exclaimed, frustration evident in his voice.
"OH OH, MY TURN," the man announced, summoning two swords adorned with ancient glyphs that emanated a red glow.
"MY MAGICAL WEAPON, FUTSU NO TE, WILL END YOU ALL!!!" the man declared, swinging one of the swords and unleashing a devastating wave of energy that sliced through Toruri's chest, leaving behind a deep, bloody scar.
"Toruri!!!" Ryoshi cried out, rushing to his friend's side as blood trickled from his wound.
"I-I'm fine," Toruri assured him weakly, his strength waning.
"Magical weapon, Yume No Ju, skill 1: light bullet," a voice rang out, and a beam of light shot through the man's forehead, revealing Kuroshi's timely intervention.
"Oh h-hey there, Kuroshi," Toruri greeted weakly, his voice barely above a whisper.
"What happened to you, Toruri?" Kuroshi inquired, concern etched into her features.
"Nothing bad..." Toruri attempted to reassure her, but the sight of blood pooling at his feet betrayed his condition.
"You should lay down," Kuroshi advised gently, her voice laced with worry.
"G-good idea," Toruri agreed, his strength fading as he settled onto the ground.
"FLASHY FLASHY BANG TO THE HEAD!!! INVITATION TO TOMORROW'S HISTORY!!!" the man declared triumphantly, his words ringing out amidst the chaos of battle.
As Kuroshi grappled with the revelation unfolding before her, fragments of memories danced at the edges of her consciousness, beckoning her towards a long-forgotten truth.
"I've remembered seeing a sword just like that... but where...?" Kuroshi murmured to herself, her mind racing to piece together the puzzle.
In a sudden rush, the world around her faded away, replaced by the vivid hues of a distant memory—a flashback to a classroom seven years prior.
"Today, we'll be learning about the Four Demons of Hidden Truth," the teacher's voice echoed in the recesses of her mind, each word laden with significance. "They're the strongest of the strongest, even though there's no such thing as the strongest because all demons have the same potential. These demons unlocked their full potential at an early stage in life and grew uncontrollably stronger ever since! They were treated differently by their people because their people saw them as special, so we sealed them in special ways."
As the teacher's words washed over her, Kuroshi's mind seized upon a particular detail, unraveling the threads of a long-forgotten tale.
"The first demon to be sealed was the demon of darkness, Kurai. He was sealed inside a newborn baby within the Negative Point. Next to be sealed was Kyojin, the biggest of the bunch, and he was sealed underneath the Negative Point. Then, the Buddha demon, Tsuko, she was sealed by the Great Ones and put into two magical swords from a corpse they found. The swords turned out to be magical weapons and vanished after three months because a newborn inherited them. The last one was Denshin, he was sealed 500 years after all of his teammates were sealed, and Denshin was sealed into a suit of armor by the Great Ones."
As the flashback receded, leaving Kuroshi reeling in its wake, a chilling realization dawned upon her.
"No... it can't be," she whispered, her voice barely a breath amidst the cacophony of battle.
"Kuroshi, you're just standing there, you okay?" Ryoshi's voice broke through her reverie, drawing her back to the present.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," Kuroshi stammered, her mind racing to make sense of the revelation. "Ryoshi, hide behind that tree," she instructed, her voice tinged with urgency.
"Ok," Ryoshi complied, vanishing into the shadows as Kuroshi grappled with the weight of newfound knowledge, her mind a whirlwind of uncertainty and dread.
As Kuroshi unleashed her magical assault, the air crackled with energy as a barrage of light bullets erupted from her weapon, filling the space with a dazzling display of illumination. The man, punctured full of holes, staggered backward, his form illuminated in the eerie glow.
But before Ryoshi could celebrate the apparent success of their attack, a sudden surge of dread gripped him as the man, unfazed by the onslaught, tore the ice crystal from his body with ease.
"SNACK TIME!!!" the man declared triumphantly, devouring the ice crystal in a single gulp, leaving Ryoshi to stare in horror at the realization dawning upon him.
"It is Yoshiko!!!" Ryoshi exclaimed, his voice trembling with disbelief as the man replaced his helmet.
Meanwhile, Kuroshi's voice cut through the chaos, her words laden with urgency. "He's paused right now," she explained, her expression grim.
"What do you mean by that?" Ryoshi demanded, his mind racing to comprehend the gravity of the situation.
"Yoshiko's Magical weapon is a sealed demon," Kuroshi revealed, her voice hushed with trepidation.
"What!?" Ryoshi gasped, his eyes widening in horror as the implications sank in.
As Yoshiko's right eye began to glow with an ominous red light, Toruri's voice rang out, his concern palpable. "What is he doing now?"
"Huh?" Kuroshi replied, her attention momentarily diverted.
With a deafening roar, Yoshiko unleashed a colossal red beam from his eye, the sheer force of the blast obliterating everything in its path, including several buildings behind Kuroshi.
"KUROSHI!!!" Ryoshi and Toruri cried out in unison, their hearts lurching as they watched their comrade fall to the ground, unconscious.
In a desperate bid to avenge their fallen friend, Ryoshi charged at Yoshiko, his sword raised high. But his attack was swiftly intercepted as Yoshiko effortlessly blocked the blow and shattered Ryoshi's sword into pieces, leaving him defenseless against the looming threat before them.
As Yoshiko unleashed his devastating attack, the air crackled with dark energy, the sheer force of his onslaught leaving Ryoshi and his companions reeling in its wake.
"Why isn't anyone hearing this and helping us?" Ryoshi cried out in desperation, his voice echoing amidst the chaos.
"They're used to the cries of a wet god," Yoshiko retorted, his tone dripping with malice as he closed in on Ryoshi, dropping one of his swords and seizing Ryoshi by the neck with a vice-like grip.
Toruri, gripped by a surge of determination, rose to his feet, his mind ablaze with resolve as he made his way towards Yoshiko, carrying the unconscious form of Kuroshi.
"ROUND AND ROUND IT GOES!!!" Yoshiko declared, his voice reverberating with manic glee as he transformed one of his swords into a gigantic chained axe, enveloping it in a menacing red aura.
"SAY SOMETHING, SMILING GARBAGE!!!" Yoshiko taunted, hurling Ryoshi into the air and setting his deadly weapon into a furious spin.
With lightning reflexes, Toruri leaped into action, intercepting Ryoshi mid-air and curling him into a protective ball as Yoshiko's chained axe whirled around them, generating a massive red tornado that tore through the sky and demolished the hotel in its wake.
Amidst the chaos, Ryoshi's mind raced with uncertainty as he struggled to make sense of the unfolding events.
"Am I alive..." he pondered, his gaze drawn to a figure emerging from the rubble—a lizard-like man with glowing yellow eyes and imposing horns.
"Huh? Who's that?" Ryoshi wondered aloud, his confusion mounting.
To his astonishment, the lizard man spread his giant wings and swooped down, scooping up both Ryoshi and Kuroshi in a single fluid motion.
"I-Is that Toruri?" Ryoshi whispered, his disbelief giving way to a glimmer of hope amidst the devastation.
Meanwhile, Yoshiko rose from the wreckage, his form shrouded in darkness as he prepared to unleash his next devastating assault.
As Yoshiko uttered his cryptic command, the air crackled with anticipation, the tension palpable amidst the chaos of battle. The lizard man, now revealed to be Toruri, responded with a powerful display of elemental mastery, engulfing his wings in flames as he prepared to unleash his next devastating attack.
"It is Toruri," Ryoshi breathed, relief flooding his senses as he recognized his friend's familiar form amidst the turmoil.
With a deafening roar, Toruri transformed into a spinning vortex of fiery energy, hurtling towards Yoshiko with unparalleled ferocity.
"THAT'S MY THING, MAY YOUR BLOOD SPILL JUICE," Yoshiko snarled in response, his voice laced with defiance as he braced himself for the impending clash.
As Toruri closed in on his adversary, Yoshiko seized him with a fiery grip, the searing heat scorching both combatants as they grappled with one another.
"HOT, HOT, HOT!" Yoshiko exclaimed in agony as Toruri delivered a powerful blow to his stomach, sending him hurtling into a nearby wall with bone-shattering force.
Despite the punishing impact, Yoshiko rose to his feet, his resolve unbroken as he unleashed another devastating attack—a searing laser beam that sliced through the air with deadly precision. But Toruri, swift as the wind, soared into the sky, narrowly evading the onslaught.
"Hell. Rain," Toruri declared, his voice resolute as he conjured a barrage of fireballs that rained down upon Yoshiko with unstoppable fury, engulfing the battlefield in a blazing inferno.
As the flames subsided, Ryoshi's eyes widened in disbelief at the sight before him. Yoshiko lay on the ground, his wounds miraculously healed, his helmet cast aside, revealing a figure that seemed smaller and more vulnerable than before.
Toruri, spent from his exertions, plummeted from the sky, only to be caught by Ryoshi in a gesture of camaraderie and support.
"Hey, Yoshiko," Ryoshi called out, his voice tinged with confusion as he approached the fallen figure.
"I'm so... sorry," Yoshiko whispered, his voice choked with emotion as tears welled in his eyes.
"What?" Ryoshi exclaimed, taken aback by Yoshiko's unexpected display of remorse.
"I'm so sorry!!!" Yoshiko cried out to the heavens, his anguish echoing through the desolate landscape as he grappled with the weight of his actions.