"Aniko, is that you? It can't be." Remarked Kiyoshi to himself as the person standing in front of him was no longer Aina, the fallen warrior of Uragiri, but someone else. Standing before him was a woman with piercing green eyes, and long blackish brown hair with a pink flower. She was also of Japanese descent but look to be in her late thirties as well.
Kiyoshi continued calling out for the strange woman who, out of the blue, replacing Aina in Kiyoshi's mind. Aina, seeing the opportunity to strike due to Kiyoshi's sudden change in mental state, launches toward him, determined to finish him off quickly.
But even with Aina closing in on him, Kiyoshi could only visualize the other woman coming toward him. As he calls her name repeatedly, over and over Aniko Aniko as his mind becomes trapped within itself.
Realizing Kiyoshi's mental state and the coming problem, Aina will be. Lilly and Tyrook cry out for Kiyoshi to snap out of it but are drawn out because of Kiyoshi repeatedly calling out for Aniko.
With Aina only seconds away from completing her attack, with her sword-bearing down on Kiyoshi. Lilly makes one last cry out to him, waking him from his daydream, giving him enough time to jump back, dodging the attack with only a tear to his cloak being the only damage Aina could commit.
"Are you ok?" Lilly asked Kiyoshi as the young samurai still look taken back from what he had just encountered.
"Yes, she just reminded me so much of her of Aniko, that I lost myself for a moment," Kiyoshi replied, composing himself as he gets ready for another attack from Aina.
"I know, and I know what Aniko meant to you, Kiyo, but she is not Aniko. She is the enemy and a strong one at that, so you have to keep focus on what's important and ask yourself the real questions." Replied Lilly within the deeps of the swords as she tries to comfort Kiyoshi.
"Which are what?" Asked Kiyoshi, confused. "Simple, one why does a woman who is supposed to be in her late sixties or early seventies looks so young and could move so fast? Two, what is the object in her other hand, and finally, how did she only survive the attack on her family? Replied Lilly as Kiyoshi ponders the questions presented to him by Lilly in his head.
"Before we continued our battle. How did you survive? You didn't finish your story, and you promised me that at least?" Asked Kiyoshi as he was forward to Aina.
"Sorry about that. I saw the opportunity to finish this now, and I took it but sure I will finish my tale. To put it simply, this saved my life." Replied Aina as she raised her hand, relieving a Mempo masked in her hand.
"A Mempo, how come a Mempo save you?" replied Kiyoshi as Aina continued with her story.
"After I woke from my family and I being brutally attacked by the people of Uragiri. I check on my husband and children, only to realize that I alone survived. As I held my dead family in my arms, tears of both sorry and anger flowed down my face. As the only people who loved me for me were gone. I sat on the kitchen floor cursing and screaming, the deaths of those who robbed me of everything.
As my home burned, I resided myself to sit there and burn with my family, allowing ashes to burn together and become one. But suddenly a strange voice called out to me. It was a terrifying voice, yet it was warm and welcoming. The voice was coming from the cupboards under the kitchen. I crawled using what little strength I had remaining and opened the cupboards only to find this Mempo mask in front of me.
When I first saw the mask, I told myself I was just hearing things until the voice appeared again. It said to me that it was a high-ranking demon named Fukuji- Kuharibu and that it had the power to help me avenge my family." Remarked Aina as she look at the Mask.
"Fukuji- Kuharibu it can't be of all the demons she had to pair with was him." Remarked Kivuli. "What do you know about him?" Asked Kiyoshi, as he had never heard Kivuli be concerned about anything before.
"Fukuji- Kuharibu is one of the twelve commanders of hell alongside our own favorite Devivial. He is incredibly strong, smart, and paired with her bloodline. We're going to be in for a hell of a time. I don't know if we will win this one. It will be closed." Replied Kivuli as Kiyoshi stood in front of Aina in shock at Kivuli's words.
"Could this demon really be so strong?" Kiyoshi thought to himself as Aina continued with her story.
"With nothing to lose, I place the mask on my face and agreed to Fukuji- Kuharibu human vessel. After burying my family and with my newfound power, I quickly got revenge on the people who were there that night. I slaughtered them like pigs for Christmas dinner, but I left their families alive. I want to slowly torture the people of Uragiri for generations to come.
Whipping them out instantly won't have been a proper way to avenge my family.
So I killed any descendants of those who were there that night that tired to the town and I destroyed supply chains every so often just to make the torture slow and painful for those bastards.
Thus, I became the fallen warrior of Uragiri, a legend, a nightmare to those that deserve no mercy for what they have done." Remarked Aina as she finished the end of her tale.
But before Kiyoshi could reply to her, the Mempo mask began floating in the air next to her and began speaking.
"Kivuli, Tyrook, Lilly, I sense your presence within the samurai, and if that's the case, it means that that failure of a demon commander Devivial is there as well. So you are the one who wields the sword of the legion. You are just a kid but you must die not only for Aina to complete her revenge but now for me to complete mine as well." remarked Fukuji- Kuharibu
"What are you talking about? It's the first time we are meeting, so what could I do for you to want revenge on me? Asked Kiyoshi, who was confused by the demon's remarks.
"Not you, boy. Devivial is the who I have a problem with. He may portray himself as some grand commander of hell but it was he who misuse the ultimate weapon that made us lose the war. Causing demons such as myself to either be dead or resort to human vessels and for that, he could never be forgiven.
Inside the alternate dimension of the sword, Kiyoshi questions Devivial about Fukuji- Kuharibu's claims and remarks. But is quickly brushed aside as Devivial ignores Kiyoshi's questions only stating that both he and Fukuji- Kuharibu hate each other and Kiyoshi should use every power available to him including his own to kill them quickly as he hates Fukuji- Kuharibu far more than he hates Kiyoshi.
Kiyoshi agrees but states that he wants to rescue Aina from Fukuji- Kuharibu gasps and from her hatred, but Devivial laughs stating that it is impossible to free her since she chooses this and that only death can free her now. Kiyoshi walks off on the grand demon, stating he will be freeing her before leaving.
Back on the battlefield, Fukuji- Kuharibu advises Aina to put on the mask and to finish off Kiyoshi quickly and without mercy as he only stands in the way of both of them achieving their revenge. Aina agrees and grabs the mask from the air and places it on her face. The black mask with long white fang-like teeth, which only covers the lower half of Aina's face, begins glowing red and purple lights.
As Lilly and Kivuli warn Kiyoshi to watch his back and prepare for the worst, as this will be a fight for survival against these two. Fukuji- Kuharibu asked Aina if she was ready as she nod her head in approval.
And with that, an eruption of demonic aura and energy surge from Aina's body as a symphony of red and black lights flows around Aina. With the surge of power coming from Aina's body the very earth shook as the trees of the nearby forest rocked violently from left to right due to the demonic aura being generated from Fukuji- Kuharibu and Aina combine power as Kiyoshi prepares for the battle of a lifetime.