Kyogai's House
The mist lay heavy around Kyogai's house, shrouding the twisted, eerie structure in shadows. Akira and Kanae stood before it, their figures cast in silhouette against the dimming twilight. Even from outside, the house emanated a sense of dread—a palpable warning to anyone foolish enough to venture near.
Akira glanced at Kanae, his eyes sharp with resolve. "I'm going inside, Kanae," he murmured, as though the decision had already been made.
Kanae hesitated, her eyes flickering with excitement tht she barely managed to conceal. A blush crept up her cheeks after realizing that akira is watching her, though she tried to shake it off. "No! Let's go together," she replied, her voice barely a whisper.
Together, they stepped into Kyogai's house, each stride taking them deeper into the unknown. A musty, almost decayed scent greeted them, and the faintest echo of drums beat somewhere far off, hidden within the maze-like halls.
"Would you like to explore on your own?" Akira asked, glancing sideways as they took in the dimly lit entry hall. The wooden walls seemed to bend inward, casting distorted shadows that shifted like watching eyes.
Kanae gave a small, playful nod. "Yup. We'll cover more ground that way," she replied with a soft smile before turning to disappear down one of the narrow hallways.
Alone now, Akira felt his pulse quicken. He'd sensed something sinister lurking within this place from the moment they'd arrived, and his instincts were rarely wrong. He moved quietly, his senses on high alert, scanning every shadow and listening for any sound beyond his own footsteps. Suddenly, a faint glimmer appeared in front of him—a flash of light accompanied by a soft chime. It was a notification from the system.
[From Ben: System update alert. Due to the system's increasing complexity, I'll need to reduce certain functions temporarily to prevent overload. You won't have access to the system during this time, but I'll compensate you generously.]
Akira sighed, half-amused and half-irritated. The system had grown more complex with each new addition, and Ben's message only confirmed what he'd suspected for a while now: sooner or later, it would need a serious overhaul to prevent a crash. "Just as long as the essentials stay… like the shop," he muttered to himself as he took his sword from the system, suppressing a wry smile before pressing on.
Then, he felt it—a dark presence nearby, simmering with rage. Rounding a corner, he came face-to-face with a demon standing nearly seven feet tall. It had thick, muscular arms and a single horn jutting from its forehead, its beady eyes narrowing as it took him in.
"Oi, fatty! Where's Kyogai?" Akira sneered, his voice dripping with arrogance, aiming to provoke.
The demon snarled, its eyes flashing with rage. With a guttural roar, it lunged forward, aiming its claws directly at Akira's throat.
Akira didn't flinch. Years of training had honed his reflexes beyond that of ordinary men. In one swift, fluid motion, he sidestepped the demon's attack, his blade flashing in the dim light as he countered with lethal precision. The demon staggered, momentarily stunned by Akira's speed.
Without missing a beat, Akira focused, "Teleport" he whispered, feeling the surge of energy rush through him as he darted forward, a blur of movement. His blade connected with the demon's neck in a single, decisive stroke. With a sickening thud, the demon's head fell to the floor, rolling a few feet before coming to a stop and turning to ashes.
He heard a rumbling in the distance—a set of heavy footsteps echoing through the wooden halls, growing louder with each step.
Akira grinned, a predatory glint in his eyes. "So, you're Kyogai, aren't you?"
A growl reverberated through the walls. "Intruder!" Kyogai's voice bellowed, filled with barely contained fury.
Kanae's Side
Meanwhile, Kanae was exploring a different section of the house, moving from one room to the next with a quiet, focused determination. Each door seemed to lead to an identical space, and after several minutes, she started to feel disoriented, as if the house itself were playing tricks on her. The dim light cast eerie shadows across the walls, each corner hiding something that seemed almost alive.
She paused, sensing something in the air—a faint, sickly sweet scent, almost like rotting fruit. She turned and saw a figure emerging from the darkness, its grotesque form barely recognizable as human. A tongue demon. Its bulging eyes locked onto her, and a long, twisted tongue slithered out from its mouth, stretching toward her with malicious intent.
Without hesitation, Kanae assumed her stance, her breathing calm and measured. "Flower Breathing… First Form," she murmured, feeling her body flow into the technique as if it were second nature. Her movements were swift and graceful, her blade slicing through the air with a precision that was almost poetic. In one fluid motion, she struck, her sword cleaving through the demon's neck before it had a chance to react.
The demon's body collapsed, vanishing into a pile of ash at her feet. Kanae exhaled, her heart pounding. Just then, she heard the echo of footsteps—heavy, uneven, and coming from the direction where she'd left Akira. She felt a surge of worry and immediately started toward the source of the noise, her hand tight on the hilt of her sword.
Akira's Side
Akira could hear Kanae's footsteps approaching, though Kyogai seemed oblivious, his attention locked solely on Akira. Seizing the moment, Akira smirked and raised his sword, pretending to be locked in battle with Kyogai. He knew Kanae was watching; this was his chance to impress.
Kyogai snarled, his drumbeat pounding in a frenzied rhythm. Suddenly, the walls and floors shifted, the entire room twisting and turning as Kyogai struck his drums with relentless speed. The house itself seemed to writhe, like some massive beast reacting to its master's commands.
Akira caught sight of Kanae just as she stumbled, the ground beneath her tilting at an impossible angle. Without a second thought, he sprang forward and caught her in his arms, holding her close as the room continued to shift around them.
She looked up at him, her face flushed, her eyes wide with surprise—and perhaps something more.
"Got you," he murmured, flashing her a grin before setting her gently on the ground.
Kyogai, frustrated that his drum attacks had failed to separate them, began drumming with renewed fury. The walls rippled, and the floor trembled as the entire house seemed on the verge of tearing itself apart.
Akira steadied himself, casting a quick glance at Kanae. "Stay close," he said, his tone serious. "This one's going to take a bit more effort."
Kanae nodded, her grip tightening on her sword. The two of them exchanged a silent understanding, then charged at Kyogai in unison.
As they advanced, Kyogai's drumming grew even more chaotic, each beat warping the space around them. But Akira remained focused, analyzing the demon's movements, searching for a weakness. With each step, he felt the familiar surge of adrenaline that came from facing a powerful opponent, a feeling that both exhilarated and sharpened his senses.
At last, he spotted an opening. With a swift nod to Kanae, he lunged forward, his blade flashing as he closed the distance between himself and Kyogai. His sword connected, slashing through the air with a precise, calculated strike aimed directly at Kyogai's head.
With a final, defiant roar, Kyogai's body crumbled into ash, his severed head rolling to the ground. Akira exhaled.
Kanae, watching him with a mixture of admiration and surprise, stepped forward. "Are you alright?"
He gave her a quick nod, wiping his blade clean before sheathing it. "The demon's dead. We should leave now before this place decides to collapse."
Outside Kyogai's House
The two of them stepped out into the night air, feeling the chill settle over them like a balm after the oppressive atmosphere within the house.
Kanae glanced at him, a flicker of curiosity in her eyes. "Where to next?"
Akira looked ahead, his eyes narrowed with a sense of purpose. "We'll head to the nearest village. There are rumors of more demons there. I want to track down Susamaru and Yahaba. With any luck, we'll get to them before they cause too much damage."
As they set off together, a comfortable silence settled between them, the bond they'd forged in battle lingering in the quiet night.
Note: sorry late update I've been busy lately with school and work and more things -_-