Chapter 11: Ancestral Spirit
Chapter Text
Sadly, meeting the ghost of my ancestor in a cave with a blood ocean and black sun isn't the oddest thing I've experienced in this life. What a depressing thought that is. This is all made worse by how foreign the look of pure glee that has appeared on his face seems to the rest of his features. Well, it would seem foreign if it wasn't for the bloodlust seeping from his every pore, otherwise, this is par for the course as far as Oni go. I'd also need to ignore the fact that I'm just as excited given the fact I haven't been able to test myself lately.
"You've grown, child, shed the guise of humanity you once cloaked yourself in. Have your claws grown long and sharp since the connection was made? Have your fangs ripped and torn through your foes?" His fangs glint in the light of the shaded sun as he posed his riddles, yet not once did he pause to gauge my replies.
"When small you held potential but lacked power; I wonder if now that you've gained power if you still hold potential within you? Will you prove yourself worthy to inherit the burden of nobility? To lead our kind back into the world? I suppose it matters not, our people will roll over the world no matter the outcome here." Satisfied he stands, bringing himself to his full height and towering over me. Even with the distance between, it feels akin to David and Goliath.
"Do you think I will see your worth in the coming battle, Ancestor? Prove to me it won't serve our people best to wipe the slate clean and follow my own path." I sneer at the impetuous ghost who puts on airs before me. He bellows a hearty laugh as he hears my challenge.
"Well said little one. However, can you back it up?" He stabs his sword into the ground, stone parting like water, before rolling his neck. Smiling he stomps the surface of the sanguineous tide, splitting it and revealing a surface for battle.
In response, I follow his lead with my own sword. While honor is a concept foreign to ones such as us we can't help but enjoy fighting a worthy opponent as an equal. No matter how foolish it feels my body thrums with excitement as I meet my Ancestor on the freshly spawned field. "Just checking but you do have a corporeal form right? It'd suck to have to figure out how to punch ghosts right now."
"Cheeky brat, of course, wouldn't be fun otherwise." Shifting into my Tiger Style opening stance I watch my opponent. The bastard snorts and cracks his knuckles not even bothering to adjust his balance. He'll regret that.
The ground shatters beneath me as my legs flood with Ki, a crater forming as I rocket toward my foe. A clawed hand wreathed in Touki is thrust towards the heart of my Ancestor, a single strike to end the fight. My attack is stopped as he brings his arm up coated in Touki as well. Still, my claws sink into his arm down to the bone.
The retaliatory strike is a wild swing coming from the side. Seeing it, I create distance quickly and watch my opponent warily. The swing continues without a target and licking the blood off my claws I analyze the power behind it. This is made easy when the pressure coming off the swing carves a furrow into the ground along its path and the air screams in reply to the mighty blow.
"You're swift, little one. Your dodging is telling though. A real Oni would take the blow and strike back harder. I find you lacking so far." His taunts and the fact his wounds are visibly closing causes rage to blossom inside me. This is tamped down by cold rationality. One exchange is too early to lose myself in anger, especially when I came out ahead.
On the next rush, I shift past him raking my claws along his side, carving deep furrows. As he spins I flip up backward grabbing his horns. With a wide smile, I swing downward planting both feet into his stomach. The moment they collide with his midsection half of my Touki is shoved through each foot. With a blast of pressure, he's fired back to his rocky throne. With satisfaction, I watch as the monolith is reduced to dust.
My Ki sense warns me of the incoming attack and I dart to the side. A bolt of Ki rips through my previous position, a red vapor cone forming from the blood in the air. I continue my dash as a hail of bolts tracks my path. I turn and charge the cloud my foe lurks in, shifting my Touki to my hands I bat the projectiles aside.
When I get near the dust starts to fade and my eyes widen as they take in the black-colored magic circle in front of Ibaraki Douji. My Touki flares as I envision an impenetrable fortress, simultaneously a Yojutsu barrier covers me. A torrent of black flames bathes me in purgatory. My nerves singe, skin bubbling but the barriers blunt the heat enough for me to survive relatively unscathed.
Ancestor frowns as purified Ki flows through my broken skin mending it even faster than his wounds closed earlier. "Did you learn that yourself?"
"I learned everything myself." His frown deepens an expression of deep thought replacing his manic battle-hunger. He looks at me before shrugging, seemingly done with whatever issue stole his attention.
Within an instant, dozens of smaller magic circles form a dome around me, each carrying a small blue spark. My Youki surges outward in a powerful pulse, the space around me distorting as the air solidifies, shattering the magic circles. My fist snaps out, my Touki compressed around it and the shockwave staggers my foe.
The distance between us collapses once more and Ancestor braces himself. Stopping just short of him I launch a swathe of fire into his eyes then sweep his leg. Or I intend to as he hops over my leg. I dive to the side as his foot comes down barely getting away with my overextension. Rolling I launch myself back onto my feet and backhand a quick jab away from my torso.
Locking eyes with him, I see a concentration that wasn't present earlier and meet it with my full determination. I shift slightly out of line with the knee that rises toward my face and rake my claws across his thigh. I lean outside his reach as his hands grab for my neck. Moving inside his reach as he draws back I tear my way under both his arms then rising I ram my horns into the bottom of his chin.
Hearing the wet cough above me, I brace my feet on his knees then rip up and backward, throwing my head back. Landing I hear his lower jaw hit the ground behind me and stare at the grotesque image of his bloody maw. From the way his eyes are closed and his shoulders shaking, I think he's actually laughing. My suspicions are confirmed as the wounds heal and the sound gradually comes to life, once his mouth reforms in full.
"You've got spunk that's for sure. What do you say we move to weapons?" He nods approvingly at my feral smile. As I turn to go grab my sword he stops me. "You truly learned by yourself?"
"Mhm, the bastard Elder only, 'allowed my instincts to grow' and other such shitty excuses for training." The introspective look comes back and we both go to retrieve our swords. Once armed I get a good look at his weapon for the first time.
The sword itself is more similar to a hunk of metal than anything yet the edge seems absurdly sharp. Catching the scent of the sword I realize that there is no metal that was used in the making of the blade. Instead, it is forged entirely from bone, Oni bone to be specific. It is as big as he is if not bigger but it still is held with one hand. From the other billows flames that feel heavier than the ones from before, save the black ones.
Compared to his weapon mine is mundane. A simple steel Odachi. Of course, a sword forged by Oni is of rare quality compared to mortals but mundane materials can only go so far. So seeing the vast difference in weapons I sheathe my blade in sword intent. "Do you think you can show a proper fight with a sword Ancestor?"
Not reacting to my taunt he gazes at my blade curiously. "That isn't Touki or enhancement magic. What is it?"
"Secret~. Beat me and I may tell you." Unlike the combat from before, Ancestor is the one that rushes me. My Ki sense tells me that none of his Touki is being used to enhance his sword and all of it is being sent to his body. Seeing a flaw in his plan I focus my sword intent along the edge of my blade and lift my sword above my head, ready to cleave downward.
When he gets with a few feet of me my Touki manifests, roaring its might and I swing down with a roar of my own. He uses his blade as a shield pumping his Touki into it and forgoing his body's defense. A good call too as the ground nearly vaporizes around him, a gaping wound carved into the earth. On his blade is a thin white scratch.
He rotates his sword and I find a front kick screaming toward me. I'm able to block it with one arm, though I feel a stab of pain. The other arm thrust my sword forward toward his eye. I'm forced to abandon the thrust to parry a slash from him. The clash sends vibrations up my arm and my eyes catch the glint of steel powder in the air. Gritting my teeth I focus more on offense trying to limit the number of clashes.
I sacrifice a superficial cut on my leg to stab through his off-hand. I take a punch to the chest to slice the back of his thigh. I try a feint and when he falls for it I score a cut above his brow. So the fight goes, a flurry of action, a chess match between two experts. But even as his wounds rack up I watch earlier ones close, his regeneration beating out my damage.
Will hardened, I make a play for the victory. I drop any defense on myself as he swings down at me. Gone with my Ki goes my killing intent and as I step to the side slightly my sword bisects him at the waist. As this happens his sword continues downward, biting into my shoulder then through. The massive blade removes my arm and some of my hip from my body but the duel is mine.
Reaching down to grab my arm and reattach it I flinch when I hear clapping. The mad progenitor is lying as little more than a stump of a torso, applauding my victory with impressive nonchalance. "Excellent skill with the blade, little one. Self-taught again?"
"Why do you keep asking that?" I scowl at the maimed torso as it wobbles over to the lower half of its body.
He takes a moment to regenerate, becoming something more respectable for what I think is an important discussion. Taking stock of his range of motion he fixes me with a gaze devoid of anything but the utmost seriousness. "I ask because you should have been instructed. Because you all should have been instructed. Before I died I instructed my descendant to gift the future of our race the knowledge of Yojutsu, The Sage Arts, and Magic. All this was collected from what little I could recover during the slaughter at Mt. Ooe and my personal experiences. Imagine my surprise when one of my blood arrives with no training. With all their strength being gained through their own effort."
He glares at the sky before turning to me and snarling. "That bastard Elder you speak of is my son! That bastard Elder has spit on my grave and defiled my dying wish! That bastard Elder has attempted to steal away the future I planned to give my race!"
His glare slowly falls away before he stares at me with respect. "You, however, honor me in the only way that matters. You have grown strong and without a guide. For that, I will grant you a boon. Train for another month. When the time comes we will meet back here and fight to the death. Should you survive you will receive my techniques and my strength."
I scrutinize him, searching for deception, before asking the one thing that crosses my mind. "What do you get if you win?"
A terrifying smile lights up his face, "Why, your body of course!"