The abandoned hospital loomed before them, a decaying relic of the past. Its cracked facade reflected pale moonlight, casting jagged shadows over the flooded ground. Inside, the air was thick with dampness and the faint scent of mildew, each step echoing eerily in the empty halls. Water dripped rhythmically from unseen cracks, the sound magnified by the cavernous, desolate interior. Moonlight bled through shattered windows and fractured sections of the ceiling, casting fragmented beams across the warped, peeling walls.
As the group ventured deeper into the hospital, an oppressive aura seemed to grow stronger, pressing against their senses. Shadows danced unnaturally at the edge of their vision, and faint whispers, too soft to discern, teased the edges of their hearing. Behind them, a dark figure emerged from the gloom, its silhouette blending with the jagged architecture. It followed, its movements synchronized with theirs, a phantom predator stalking its prey.
Nami stayed sharp, her piercing eyes darting from corner to corner, her every muscle coiled and ready to spring. Lila was equally alert, her senses primed, though her hand trembled faintly against the hilt of her weapon. Katsuki, on the other hand, strolled with his hands buried in his pockets, exuding an unsettling calm, as if he were taking a casual walk through the park. Hikari, still new to the world of the supernatural, remained tense, her breaths shallow as her eyes flicked nervously around the corridor.
"The aura here… it's overwhelming," Nami muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. "But where are the entities? Supernaturals usually aren't this good at hiding."
Lila nodded. "It's strange. All I can feel is that suffocating aura. No movement, no presence… nothing. It's unnatural."
Katsuki's voice cut through the silence. "I think we should split up."
"What?!" Hikari blurted, her voice rising in panic. "Are you insane? That's literally the worst idea ever! Do you have any idea how new I am to all this? If you leave me alone, I'm dead meat!"
Katsuki sighed, rubbing his temple. "She's got a point."
Nami spun on her heel to face them, irritation flaring in her eyes. "Stop being dense, Katsuki. Fine. You and Hikari will check the upper floors. Me and Lila will stay here to cover more ground. If you see anything, you yell. Got it?"
Hikari nodded quickly. "Got it!"
"Whatever," Katsuki muttered, shrugging nonchalantly. "Let's go, newbie."
As the group split, Hikari followed Katsuki upstairs, her every step deliberate and cautious. The staircase groaned under their weight, as though protesting their intrusion. Katsuki's calm demeanor, by contrast, was maddening.
"So, girly," he asked casually, breaking the silence, "what's the plan if we actually find something?"
Hikari frowned, glancing at him nervously. "I'll… I'll channel my aura and use my psychic abilities to fight. I think."
"You think?" Katsuki snorted. "Don't get me wrong, you've got potential, but you're still learning the basics. You'll probably just flail around and hope for the best. But hey, once you've got control, you're going to be a serious powerhouse."
Hikari blinked at him, momentarily caught off guard by the backhanded compliment. "Uh… thanks, I guess? Honestly, I never expected my life to turn into some kind of monster-hunting nightmare. I thought my grandfather was just spouting nonsense all these years…" She trailed off, staring at her hand as faint traces of aura flickered around her fingers.
"Yeah, yeah, save the introspection for later," Katsuki interrupted, his tone suddenly serious. He stopped in his tracks, his sharp eyes narrowing.
"What? What is it?" Hikari whispered, her voice tight with fear.
He pointed ahead. "That."
Hikari's gaze followed his finger, and her heart nearly stopped. Standing at the end of the hallway, partially obscured by shadows, was a towering figure—a nightmare made flesh. The oni loomed over them, its form grotesque and unnatural. It stood nearly seven feet tall, its limbs impossibly long and twisted, as if its body had been wrenched apart and crudely pieced back together. Its skin was a sickly gray, marred with pulsating veins that glowed faintly red, like molten lava coursing through its body. Its face was a horrifying mask of malevolence, dominated by two glowing crimson eyes that pierced through the darkness. A twisted smile split its face, revealing rows of jagged, yellowed teeth.
"The hell…" Hikari breathed, her voice trembling.
Katsuki didn't hesitate. He took a step forward, his posture shifting as his aura erupted around him in a violent surge. His transformation was instantaneous and awe-inspiring. His brown hair flared upward, darkening to jet black with vivid streaks of electric purple. Jagged, pulsating markings spread across his face, crackling like living lightning. A shadowy jaw mask with razor-sharp teeth materialized over his lower face, exuding an almost tangible menace.
His clothing shifted as well, morphing into a dark, battle-ready ensemble streaked with flickering flames of yokai energy. The fiery patterns danced across his body, a chaotic blend of power and rage. The air around him seemed to distort, the pressure of his transformation making it difficult to breathe. He cracked his knuckles, his voice a low growl that sent chills down Hikari's spine.
"Let's do this."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Lila and Nami moved cautiously through the dilapidated halls of the hospital, their footsteps swallowed by the oppressive silence. The air was stagnant and thick, clinging to their skin like a warning. Every sound—the creak of a floorboard, the drip of water—was amplified, each noise carrying an eerie weight. It was too quiet. The immense aura that pervaded the building pressed on them, heavy and inescapable, as if the walls themselves were breathing.
Nami's voice broke the silence, low and edged with frustration. "Damn it. At this rate, we're not gonna fight anything. Just a lot of nothing and creepy vibes…" Her voice trailed off, the bravado not quite masking the unease that had crept in.
Lila suddenly stopped in her tracks. Her eyes widened as a shiver coursed down her spine—a chill unlike anything she'd felt before. Her breath hitched, her arms breaking out in goosebumps, an involuntary reaction that only came when something truly dangerous was nearby. Her instincts screamed at her, every nerve on edge.
"Nami," Lila whispered, her voice barely audible. "I don't think we're alone right now. I… I just got goosebumps."
Nami turned to face her, skepticism flickering across her face. But it quickly faded as she remembered the last time Lila's intuition had saved her life. With a resigned sigh, she muttered, "Goddamn. I wish your goosebumps weren't always right. Because now I've got no choice but to believe you."
The two of them continued down the corridor, their pace slower, their movements deliberate. The hallway stretched endlessly before them, the flickering moonlight casting elongated shadows that seemed to shift when they weren't looking. Each step felt heavier than the last, as if the air itself were conspiring against them.
Just as Nami opened her mouth to speak, it happened.
FOOOOSH!
A blinding beam of fire erupted from the far end of the corridor, tearing through the darkness with blistering heat. The flames roared toward them with terrifying speed, their fiery glow illuminating the hallway in an instant.
"Shit!" Nami hissed, bracing herself.
Before the fire could reach them, Lila leapt forward, her movements sharp and instinctual. She thrust her hands out, summoning a shimmering shield of psychic energy that materialized in front of them with a hum of power.
The fire collided with the barrier in a deafening explosion. The sheer force of the impact pushed them back, the flames licking at the edges of the psychic shield, threatening to engulf them. The heat was intense, a wave of suffocating energy that made it hard to breathe.
Lila grit her teeth, her arms trembling as she maintained the shield against the onslaught. "Nami," she ground out, her voice strained, "I think we found something after all!"
Nami smirked, drawing her weapon with a gleam of anticipation in her eyes. "About damn time."
As the fire finally dissipated, the faint glow of embers illuminated a hulking figure advancing toward them. Its heavy, deliberate footsteps echoed ominously through the hallway. The air seemed to tremble with each step, the oppressive aura now suffocatingly thick.
Lila and Nami froze, their gazes locked on the silhouette emerging from the shadows.
From the darkness, a deep, guttural voice rumbled, dripping with disdain. "My, my… I thought coating this entire building in my aura would keep you humans from entering. But…"
The figure stepped fully into the moonlight, revealing itself. It was an unholy amalgamation of flesh and molten rock. Its body was grotesque—rotting skin stretched tightly over volcanic stone, with veins of glowing, lava-like vines coursing through it. The faint crackle of heat radiated from its form, filling the air with the acrid stench of sulfur.
Its face was a horrifying fusion: a wolf's snarling maw merged grotesquely with the sharp, predatory features of an eagle's beak. The heads seemed almost to be fighting for dominance, shifting unnaturally as though trapped in eternal conflict. Glowing amber eyes, alive with malevolent intelligence, glared down at them.
The creature's voice deepened into a guttural snarl as it spread its clawed hands, embers dancing along its molten arms. "Yet here you are. You humans have found a way to invade my domain!"
Lila instinctively took a step back, her voice faltering. "Is that—?"
"Yup," Nami interrupted, her tone sharp and focused as she unsheathed her blade. Her eyes remained locked on the monstrosity. "That's it. That's the Kagutsuchi we've been looking for."
The entity let out a sound that was half a growl, half a laugh, its molten features twisting into something resembling amusement.
"These spirits," Nami muttered under her breath, recalling everything she'd learned about Kagutsuchi, "are chaos incarnate. Volatile, destructive… but capable of rebirth too."
"They embody flames," Lila added softly, her voice tight with unease, "both as tools of renewal… and devastation."
The Kagutsuchi tilted its head, its dual-faced visage contorting in eerie synchronization. "So you know of me. But knowledge will not save you. Prepare to burn in the fire of your own ambition, humans."
The air around them shimmered as heat began to rise, the temperature climbing unnaturally fast. Sparks erupted from the Kagutsuchi's body, scattering like seeds of destruction waiting to bloom.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Katsuki, still in his Turbo Form, was a blur of raw power and Yokai energy. His jet-black hair, streaked with vivid purple highlights, shimmered under the faint light seeping through the cracks of the dilapidated hospital. The jagged markings across his face pulsated with Yokai energy, glowing faintly like crackling lightning. His shadowy jaw mask flexed with every breath, its razor-sharp teeth glinting ominously as if thirsting for the fight.
From a dead standstill, Katsuki shot forward like a bullet, the sheer force of his movement leaving cracks spidering along the tiled floor. In an instant, he hit 445 MPH, the wind howling in his wake as he closed the distance between himself and the hulking oni.
The oni, towering and grotesque, swung its massive arm in a wide arc, its movements surprisingly swift for its size. The air seemed to split as the limb cut through it, sending a deafening shockwave barreling down the hallway. The force was so immense that walls crumbled, debris flying like shrapnel.
Katsuki reacted with fluid precision, his form a streak of dark energy against the chaos. His boots, now reinforced with the flickering flame-like Yokai patterns, found purchase on the wall. He sprinted sideways along it, defying gravity with ease, his purple aura flaring like a wildfire. The markings on his face lit up as he launched himself off the wall, spinning mid-air with acrobatic grace.
He struck.
His foot connected with the oni's grotesque face, the impact reverberating through the hallway like a thunderclap. The force whipped the oni's head to the side, but Katsuki didn't stop there. Twisting his body, he let the shadowy jaw mask come alive, its serrated teeth extending with a sickening snikt. With a savage bite, Katsuki sank the mask's razor teeth into the oni's neck, the creature's molten flesh hissing as the aura-infused mask clamped down.
Hikari stood frozen, her heart hammering in her chest as she watched the spectacle unfold. Her hands trembled at her sides, unsure of what to do. Katsuki was a whirlwind of power, the embodiment of chaos in motion, but she knew the oni wouldn't fall so easily.
The oni roared in fury, its grotesque limbs flailing. It grasped Katsuki by the ankle with terrifying strength, its massive hand engulfing his leg. With a snarl, it hurled him down the corridor like a ragdoll.
Hikari's breath hitched as she watched Katsuki hurtling toward her, his body twisting mid-air.
"Ok, Hikari," she thought, panic and determination flooding her mind, "this should be easy… just like in the manga. Visualize it. A stream of magic… flowing through me… and—"
She raised her hands, channeling every ounce of aura coursing through her. The energy felt raw, unrefined, but it surged through her body like an unstoppable torrent. Her hands trembled, glowing faintly with psychic energy, and then—
In an instant, Katsuki froze mid-air.
Hikari had caught him using her telekinesis, the invisible force cradling his momentum with surprising ease. Her eyes widened in shock, but there was no time for hesitation. She carefully lowered him to the ground, her breaths coming fast and shallow as her heart pounded in her ears.
Katsuki straightened, landing lightly on his feet. His jaw mask twisted into something resembling a grin, the purple flames flickering along his battle gear dancing in excitement. "Ha! I knew you'd be able to pull it off, Ari~!" he said, his voice carrying a dangerous edge of exhilaration.
The oni, watching the exchange, roared with renewed rage. Its molten vines pulsed with fiery light as it lowered itself, muscles coiling like a predator ready to strike. It charged, the ground trembling beneath its massive frame, each step a thunderous warning.
Hikari reached out with her telekinesis, her cyan aura shimmering as it wrapped around Katsuki and yanked him toward her with a sharp pull. Without thinking, she crossed her arms over her chest in a protective stance, and instantly, a radiant shield of psychic energy materialized around them. The shield, glowing in a brilliant cyan hue, expanded like a bubble, encasing them just as the oni barreled toward them.
The impact was like a freight train hitting a wall. The oni slammed into the shield with bone-rattling force, sending both Hikari and Katsuki hurtling down the hallway. The shield cracked under the strain before finally shattering as they hit the ground, tumbling in a chaotic heap.
Before they could fully recover, the oni clapped its massive hands together. The deafening sound reverberated through the ruined hospital, followed by an overwhelming force blast that tore through the air. The wave of destruction exploded outward, obliterating walls and ripping through the building's structure. Half the hospital collapsed in a rain of debris, dust clouding the air.
Katsuki, reacting in a flash, grabbed Hikari by the front of her shirt and yanked her up. His form blurred as he began sprinting down the hallway, his feet pounding against the unstable floor with an unnatural rhythm.
"Katsuki!" Hikari shouted, trying to steady herself as she was practically dragged behind him. "Where are we going? I thought we were going to fight!"
"Relax, Ari," Katsuki replied, his voice cool but tinged with urgency. His jagged jaw mask muffled his words slightly. "Just because you unlocked a bit of your powers doesn't mean you're unstoppable."
Behind them, the oni's heavy footsteps shook the ground, its molten body radiating an oppressive heat that made the air shimmer. Katsuki's speed ramped up, his Turbo Form enabling him to hit 600 MPH in a heartbeat. Yet, the oni was relentless, its massive frame surging forward with terrifying speed, easily keeping pace.
"Damn, this thing is fast!" Katsuki hissed through clenched teeth, his purple aura flaring brighter as he pushed himself harder.
Hikari, still being half-dragged along, gritted her teeth and extended her hand. Her cyan aura sparked to life, and chunks of debris from the crumbling building floated into the air. With a sharp flick of her wrist, she hurled them at the oni one after another, each piece smashing toward the charging monster.
But the oni swung its massive arms in wide, brutal arcs, shattering the debris like they were nothing more than paper. Each strike sent shockwaves rippling through the air, and Hikari's frustration grew with every failed attempt.
"Damn, these things really are tough!" she muttered to herself, her mind racing.
Katsuki glanced back over his shoulder, his glowing purple eyes narrowing beneath the jaw mask. "Hold on tight, Ari!" he shouted.
Before she could respond, he leapt toward a shattered window at the end of the hallway. The broken glass reflected the faint flicker of his aura as he shot through, clutching Hikari tightly in his arms. The two plummeted through the air before Katsuki landed on the ground outside with a heavy thud, his knees bending slightly to absorb the impact.
He released Hikari, his sharp markings still glowing faintly as he scanned their surroundings. The world outside was unsettling—pitch black and eerily silent, save for the faint crackle of distant flames. Katsuki's lips curled into a scowl as he took in the unnatural darkness.
"Tsk, of course this fucker put us in his domain," he muttered under his breath, his voice dripping with irritation.
Hikari stumbled out of his arms, brushing herself off before looking up at the oppressive sky. The darkness above seemed alive, swirling faintly as if the oni's presence extended to the heavens themselves. "What's a domain?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly.
Katsuki's jaw mask receded, the shadowy material vanishing into thin air and revealing his face. The jagged purple markings etched across his skin now extended down his eyes, accentuating the dangerous glow in his irises. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a vape, taking a long puff before exhaling a plume of smoke into the cold, still air.
"A domain," he began, his tone casual despite the tension hanging over them, "is something a supernatural entity can create to separate people with supernatural affinity from the regular world. It's like… a pocket dimension."
Hikari blinked, her mind racing to process the explanation. "Wait, you're saying they can just… do that? Like, create their own dimension whenever they want?"
Katsuki smirked slightly, his sharp features framed by the faint glow of his markings. "Yup. Those bastards know that causing property damage in the real world would be too blunt. So they use these domains instead—cleaner, more controlled."
Hikari glanced back at the blackened sky, a shiver running down her spine. This wasn't just a fight anymore—it was a nightmare.
As Hikari and Katsuki were standing outside, the ground beneath them trembled with an unsettling force. Suddenly, a beam of searing fire shot out of one of the windows of the abandoned building, cutting through the air with blinding speed. Before Hikari could even react, two figures flew out of the wreckage—a blur of motion that seemed to tear through space itself. Lila and Nami spiraled toward the ground, propelled by the force of the explosion.
In a heartbeat, Hikari raised her hands, her aura flaring around her like a protective shell. She focused, and with a surge of psychic power, she caught both of them midair. Their bodies hovered for a split second before gently touching the ground, their descent softened by her telekinesis.
Nami groaned, brushing dirt off her clothes. "Damn it," she grumbled, glaring at the towering silhouette of the Kagutsuchi. "That fucking Kagutsuchi is at least S-grade…"
Lila stood up shakily, eyeing the building with unease. "Why would Lady Sylvia send us on a mission to fight an S-grade entity?" she asked, her voice laced with frustration.
Nami didn't look at her, still glaring at the monstrous figure. "Because we have Katsuki with us. He's at least SS-grade." She turned her head to Katsuki, a devilish grin on her face. "But I won't let you outshine me, Katsuki!"
Katsuki simply smirked, his purple aura flaring brighter as he shifted into a more defensive stance.
Nami raised her palm towards the building, her energy surging around her like an inferno. Her eyes flashed with determination as she absorbed all the raw power around her into her hand. A swirling red orb of concentrated energy appeared, pulsating with destructive potential. Without a moment's hesitation, she unleashed it—a torrent of raw, unrefined force tearing through the air like a tidal wave. The impact of her blast was deafening, and as the explosion rippled outward, a fiery beam shot up from the roof of the building. The two beams collided, the sheer power of their clash sending shockwaves throughout the area, lighting up the sky with fiery brilliance.
Hikari's mind raced. "Go check for the oni, he should still be—" But before she could finish, the oni erupted from the wreckage of the hospital, its massive form launching through the air like a missile. Its fist shot forward, aimed directly at Nami, still locked in her beam clash with the Kagutsuchi.
In the blink of an eye, Katsuki appeared beside Nami, moving faster than the eye could follow. He swung his fist with terrifying speed and precision, meeting the oni's fist in mid-air with a sickening crack. The shockwave from the collision rippled through the parking lot, sending debris flying in all directions.
"Try again, you shithead," Katsuki growled, his voice low and dangerous beneath the jagged jaw mask.
The oni roared in fury, a guttural, primal sound that seemed to shake the earth itself. With an unnatural twist of its body, it swung its leg in a wide arc toward Katsuki, the sheer force of the strike creating a howling wind in its wake. But Lila was quick to respond. With a swift motion, she conjured a blade of wind and sliced through the oni's leg with a precision that left no room for mercy.
The oni screeched in agony, its massive form lurching as its severed leg crumpled to the ground. "ROOOOOOAHHHHHH!" it bellowed, its voice a thunderous roar that echoed across the desolate landscape.
Hikari didn't miss a beat. "Chop its head off!" she shouted, her voice commanding.
Lila darted forward, her eyes narrowing as she summoned her psychic wind blade again, aiming for the oni's throat. But before she could strike, the oni's other hand shot out, grabbing Katsuki in a vice-like grip. It threw him with terrifying force, sending him crashing into Lila.
The two tumbled in a chaotic mess of limbs and energy, but Katsuki was already on his feet in a split second, his aura flaring once more. Hikari, not wasting a moment, coated her fists with psychic energy. Her body hummed with anticipation as she closed the distance between herself and the oni.
Without thinking, she charged. Her fists collided with the oni's body in a flurry of lightning-fast punches, each blow sending shockwaves through the air. The force of her strikes rang out like a symphony of destruction, echoing off the ruins around them. With every hit, Hikari could feel the rush of adrenaline coursing through her veins, amplifying her strength, her speed, her power. It was as if her very blood was singing with energy, every cell in her body alight with the thrill of combat.
"MY BLOOD IS PUMPING, I FEEL SO POWERFUL!" she thought, a grin tugging at her lips as the battle raged on.
The oni roared again, swinging wildly at her, but Hikari's movements were fluid, almost instinctual now. She ducked, weaved, and struck with calculated precision, each punch reverberating through the beast's massive form. She could feel the heat of the battle consuming her, her every sense heightened to a razor's edge. The arena around them—this twisted domain—was alive with destruction, the air thick with the stench of burning buildings and the crackle of overwhelming power.
As the oni reeled back, its eyes filled with fury, Hikari's body hummed with a satisfaction that only a true battle could bring. Her aura burned hotter, brighter, and she couldn't help but feel unstoppable.
To be continued…