Shuten-dōji panted heavily, each breath a ragged gasp that tore at his injured body, as he stared at the utter destruction surrounding him. Half the entire mountain range had been gouged out, a colossal crater where once stood ancient trees and solid rock.
Smoke and dust cloaked the world like a smothering shroud, obscuring the stars and painting the night in hues of grey and black. It was as if a giant, invisible hand had reached from the heavens and scooped a massive chunk of the earth away, leaving behind a horrifying, empty void.
The once-thriving hideout, the stronghold of the Flesh Ripper Gang, a base built over decades and fortified with magic, was gone, utterly annihilated.
"Damn it. Damn it, damn it!" he roared, his voice raw with fury and disbelief, slamming his massive foot into the fractured ground, sending tremors through the pulverized earth.
His roar echoed across the ruins, a primal scream of rage and despair as his fury boiled over, threatening to consume him. Why now? Why here? He was so close. Just hours ago, they'd been celebrating, victory had been within reach, the culmination of centuries of effort.
The resurrection of their queen, Hagoromo Gitsune, was near, the final tail secured, and now—now all his subordinates were dead, obliterated in a flash of cursed brilliance. Hundreds of his loyal followers were erased in an instant. All because of one human. One pathetic, fleeting mortal.
He had tried to hold back in the beginning so as to avoid this level of damage to the base and his subordinates, but that was a mistake, he should have gone full force and killed the human in the beginning.
Shuten-dōji trembled with rage, his massive form shaking, but forced himself to focus, to push down the overwhelming emotion. He couldn't stay here, not for a second longer.
The powerful protective barrier around their base, a ward that had stood for decades, had collapsed during the chaos, its magical integrity shattered by the attack. If Yasaka, the Kitsune Youkai leader and High Priestess of Kyoto, caught wind of this, she'd be on them within minutes, her forces descending like a vengeful storm. And if she came herself... no. He had to leave now. He had to secure Hagoromo's tail fragment, the last, most crucial piece of their queen's power. It was all that mattered now.
He moved quickly across the ruined terrain, his massive form staggering slightly as searing pain radiated through his wounded body. His internal organs had taken a brutal beating from the black hole's peripheral push and his desperate escape, and each step sent waves of agony up his spine, making his vision swim. Blood trickled from his nose and a deep gash on his arm, but he couldn't stop. He wouldn't let this disaster end in complete ruin; he would salvage what he could, even if it cost him his life.
But just as he turned, intending to salvage what little remained of his queen's legacy, a chill crawled up his spine. A familiar, yet impossibly faint, sensation of danger.
He pivoted instinctively, only to see a sword hurling toward him, a blur of silver light, faster than sound, impossibly fast. It pierced his chest, tearing through flesh and bone, driving him back with a guttural roar of pain and surprise.
From the swirling smoke and dust, Kenji surged out like a missile, his white-streaked mask a terrifying visage, now wearing a cloak billowing behind him, and pure, unadulterated fury blazing in his unseen eyes.
"You think I'm done, Shuten-dōji?" Kenji's voice was cold, lethal, devoid of any warmth.
Shuten-dōji barely had time to raise his kanabo, his massive weapon, but Kenji's gravity magic slammed it aside with an invisible force, sending it clattering away across the broken ground. Kenji was already upon him the next second, a blur of motion, his hands shooting out to grapple. Their hands clashed, fingers entwining in a brutal struggle for dominance, muscle against amplified muscle, will against ancient power.
Shuten-dōji growled, a deep, guttural sound, his massive muscles flexing, straining against Kenji's grip. Even wounded, his raw, innate strength gave him the upper hand. Slowly, agonizingly, he began to overpower Kenji, pushing him back, a triumphant sneer beginning to form on his face.
In one fluid motion, he lifted his right leg, shifting his center of gravity, and stomped down on the hilt of the Blightbreaker still embedded in the yokai's chest, driving it deeper, twisting the blade.
"AGHHHHH!" Shuten-dōji roared, a scream of pure agony that tore through the night, his single eye widening in shock and excruciating pain. The sudden, intense pain shattered his focus, his immense aura flickering.
Kenji used the opening to hurl himself away just before being flung by the enraged yokai, who thrashed wildly, desperate to dislodge him. But he wasn't done yet. The instant he landed, he unleashed the full force of his Gravity Field on the injured enemy, slamming Shuten-dōji to his knees, pinning him to the ground with an invisible, crushing weight.
Kenji charged again, stumbling a little mid-sprint, his body screaming from the exertion, but regaining balance instantly. He reached the kneeling yokai, grabbed the yokai's head, and slammed his knee into Shuten-dōji's face, a brutal, sickening impact that shattered his nose and jaw in a spray of blood and teeth. The yokai roared, a broken, gurgling sound.
The yokai lashed out in desperation, a massive, clawed hand swiping wildly, but Kenji spun around, ducked beneath the attack, and countered with a full-powered mana-infused punch, channeling all his remaining energy into a single, devastating blow. Shuten-dōji's head snapped sideways from the impact, a sickening crack, blood flying from his mouth, his single eye rolling back.
Kenji gripped the hilt of the sword still buried in his opponent's chest, his knuckles white.
"Let's end this," he muttered, his voice cold and resolute, his eyes burning with a fierce light.
He activated Spirit Slash, pouring his spiritual energy into the blade. The holy light burned into yokai flesh, searing it from within, causing Shuten-dōji to scream, a prolonged, agonizing shriek as his very essence was purified and consumed. He convulsed, thrashing against the invisible gravity field, desperate to break free.
He retaliated with a devastating punch, a last-ditch effort, that rattled Kenji's bones, sending a jolt of pain through his arm and shoulder, but the young warrior endured it.
He repeated the technique, this time with higher output, pushing his remaining mana to its absolute limit. Light seared out of the wound, blistering the surrounding flesh, the air hissing as it superheated. Kenji grit his teeth, forced his remaining mana into one final, desperate Spirit Slash, a last, all-consuming burst of purifying energy.
Light exploded from within Shuten-dōji. It tore through his core, blinding beams bursting from his back like rays of divine judgment, incinerating him from the inside out. The scream that followed was not one of pain, but of utter, absolute annihilation, a sound that echoed across the mountains, a final, despairing wail.
Then silence. Absolute silence, broken only by Kenji's ragged breathing.
Kenji stood, sword in hand, breathing heavily, his chest heaving, covered in blood, bruises, and grime. His heart pounded in his ears, a frantic drum, and every muscle screamed with exhaustion, his mana reserves completely depleted.
In front of him lay the shattered, smoldering remains of the once-feared leader of the Flesh Ripper Gang, reduced to little more than half a torso, with guts splattered everywhere..
"That... that was close," Kenji muttered, staggering slightly, his legs threatening to give out. To be honest, he half thought he was cooked right there. That serpentine general had held him down, and those chains really kept him in place, binding him with impossible strength.
'Fuck anime world bullshit logic, how the hell did his gravity not shatter those things?' he sighed, a weary exhalation. It was only thanks to his Haori of the Phantom and its partial intangibility that granted him partial intangibility that he managed to phase out of the chains at the last second, avoiding being completely pulverized by the combined attack. And while the haori got him out of the chains, it didn't last long enough to get him completely out of the blast, so he had to spend most of his mana on shielding himself. He only survived by sheer luck, by the skin of his teeth.
He sighed as he looked at the dead body before kicking it, watching it topple with a hollow thud, a final act of defiance. Anger still burned in him, at Shuten-dōji for forcing him to this extreme, at the situation for putting his family at risk, and at his own recklessness for nearly dying.
He'd pushed too hard, fought too aggressively, letting his emotions dictate his tactics. He'd been lucky. Reckless. He needed to be more careful in the future. He just hoped he didn't need to, as that meant more fights.
The pings from the system began to chime, signaling quest completions and EXP rewards, a rapid-fire succession of notifications. He ignored them for now, letting the adrenaline slowly fade, focusing on the lingering pain and the cold reality of his near-death experience.
Then a new prompt appeared, shimmering before his eyes.
[Auto Loot? Yes/No]
"...Huh. Sure, why not." He stared at the prompt for a moment, surprised. This was the first time this was happening. Was it because it was a large group he dealt with, like spoils of war kind of thing? He shook off the thoughts; he was tired, too tired for this right now.
He selected [Yes].
Golden motes of light surrounded him briefly, indicating items and valuables being added to his inventory. A sword fragment. Dozens of yokai cores. Gold. Some strange artifacts that he'd have to identify later. Interesting. He wondered if this was a new system feature.
No time to think about it.
He turned and began moving. Fast.
The barrier was down. Someone was definitely coming to investigate such a massive disturbance. He had to return to Kyoto without attracting any further attention. Thankfully, his mask was still active, hiding his signature. The last thing he wanted was attention from Yasaka or anyone.
Within five minutes of his departure, a squad of seven figures in black dropped into the ruined battlefield. Their forms flickered, yokai appendages twitching as they surveyed the scene. Their faces were hidden, but tension filled the air, a palpable sense of urgency.
From behind them, a woman arrived.
She was stunning, with long golden hair tied in a flowing spiral, eyes to match, and a regal air that commanded immediate respect. She wore a shrine maiden's outfit layered with a white coat, bound with a crimson ribbon. A golden crown adorned her head, and her shoulders were bare, exposing her considerable beauty and status. Her hair was held back by a traditional hair ornament, with six golden bira kanzashi and several red kanzashi. And most importantly, the nine bushy tails behind her.
Yasaka. The High Priestess of Kyoto. The leader of the Youkai faction in Kyoto.
She walked forward, her gaze sweeping over the devastation. Power radiated off her in subtle waves. She didn't need to speak to command the respect of everyone present, her presence alone was enough.
One of the yokai operatives knelt before her, his voice strained.
"Lady Yasaka. We found dozens of corpses. All yokai. All appear to be members of the Flesh Ripper Gang. And among them... we...we believe we found Shuten-dōji. His remains are… extensive."
Her eyes narrowed, lips tightening, a rare expression of shock and disbelief crossing her serene features.
"Shuten-dōji... killed?" That was not something she expected. Not easily, not by most. He was ancient, powerful, and slippery, a master of evasion. They had hunted him for decades, always just out of reach. And now, here he was, dead, reduced to a mere husk.
She floated above the ground slightly and scanned the wide crater, her brow furrowed in deep thought. Whoever had done this wasn't ordinary. This was power on a scale rarely seen, a decisive, brutal strike.
"Search the area. I want everything. Traces of who did this, how, and why. Leave no stone unturned. Go."
The agents shouted, "Hai!" before scattering, moving with renewed urgency, their forms blurring as they began their meticulous search.
Yasaka remained, eyes scanning the battlefield, a silent, powerful presence.
Just who did this? Her thoughts echoed in the desolate silence, hanging in the night air.
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