I cough up blood as we walk away from the remains of the colosseum. This wasn't because of the wounds I suffered from Yuji, it was mostly due to the amount of times Shinimaru had slapped me since then. Siken, oiling his katana with a cloth, spoke to me. "I'll relay the plan to you because you were sleeping like an idiot. " he points up to one of the many castle-like structures in the city. "That was where we last saw Oiran. We're thinking of heading there first. There's a pretty low chance that she's still there, but there's probably someone there who can give us information." I nod nervously. I should be even more confident now that I have Tamajutsu...but something about this place makes my skin crawl with fear.
The doors to the palace creak loudly as Siken opens them. I step in first- looking around the inside. It was almost exactly the same as before, with the exception of a toddler chugging a can of paint in the corner. Two guards stand at attention in front of the spiral staircase leading to the second floor. One of them turned their head, locking eyes with me. I freeze, and his mouth begins to move to alert the other guard-
SHUNK SHUNK
Two knives fly through the air, lodging themselves clean in the center of both of the guard's foreheads. They both fall to the ground, and Gin walks over to their bodies, retrieving his knives as they revert back into cards. He looks back over to me. "For once you're actually slow, huh?" I walk past him. "Whatever..."
As the staircase comes to an end, I once again enter the throne room. "You've come back so soon" I hear a voice say. I turn my head in the direction of the noise, and I once again come face to face with the queenly figure- Athra. "Missed me that much?" She smiles as she stands up, eyeing the rest of the group who had just entered. She throws off her royal robes as she continues to walk forward. Her body was concealed in bandages, resemblant of a bodybuilder, and her body was nothing to laugh at either. She was soon inches from my face. "What could you possibly have to do with me, boy?" I stare back at her blankly. "You know exactly what we've come for, and you're going to tell us what we need to know." She laughs shrilly, raising her clawed hand to my face. "And why would I do that?" I smile. "Because I'm the strongest." She laughs even louder- and I can feel energy begin to gather around her. "Your idiocy is second to none I see!!"
She flaps her wings as to distance herself from the rest of us, flying in the air. Shinimaru ignites his flames, but I stop him. "You guys stay back. I have something I want to test out."
Athra dives down from the air, claws outstretched. I close my eyes, and focus. Back at the colosseum, I could sense other people's souls. If I can utilize that for battle...
FWSH
I can feel the flame of Athra's soul. It burns and bends as it charges toward me. I smile, and open my eyes, dodging out of they way of the strike, causing her to slam into the ground behind me. I hear her scream in complaint. "TAKE THIS SERIOULSY!!" I smile. "I don't think you want me to do that." She dislodges her hand from the floor, and whips her head toward me. She looks as if she's about to explode with anger, but she quickly corrects this, covering her face in a calm expression. She swings once more with her claw- and once again, I dodge, sensing her soul. This repeats dozens of times- with each dodge, Athra's face becoming more and more angered. I smile to myself. My future sight rarely works in my favor- so if I can simply learn to predict movements of the soul instead of an entire timeline, it would be much less to have to comprehend.
SWSH
A sudden movement in Athra's soul catches my attention- it seems to extend. I quickly dodge out of the way, and as I open my eyes- Athra's arms had transformed into... tentacles. I stare at it. "That's kinda hot..." I look back to Athra, who is currently seething.
"JUST LET ME KILL YOU- AND STOP MAKING SEX JOKES!!" She swings her tentacles around pitifully as she attempts to hit me, and I weave and dodge through the strikes with ease now that I know they're coming. Athra notices this, and her strikes recede, her arms returning to their previous form. Athra looks completely disheartened- on her face, and expression of sheer helplessness. I begin to walk towards her again- and she screams in terror.
"STAY AWAY!!"
Heat begins to gather around her mouth, before she exhales a breath of concentrated flame.
"...A suit of armor around the soul..."
The flames part around me as the sheer force of my soul repels them effortlessly. Athra begins to shuffle backwards, increasing the heat of the flames. I ignite my hand in Tamajutsu, before raising it to the flames- redirecting its course like light on metal.
Athra's face goes dead white, and her flames cease as I continue to walk forward. Athra screams. "STAY AWAY!!" She sticks her arm out and it morphs into a tentacle that rushes toward me. I dodge out of the way, before slashing it in two, continuing to walk forward. Athra buries her face in her hands, as she begins to whimper. "P-please...please don't kill me..." I finally reach her, and place my hand on her head as it sparks with electricity.
"I'll ask you again. Where. Is. Oiran."