Heir to the Konpaku
His weapon resisted Roukanken---
Since there's no physical material alone that its edge can't cut, that has to mean there's some sort of magic or spiritual energy imbued into that staff!
The earth is under my feet once again, and I shift my stance, twisting my body in the same moment to take aim at his hands. I'm not planning on cutting them, but if I can disarm him then that'll be the end of the fight.
---The other side of the staff is careening right for my head. Intercepting it is no problem, I can deflect it easily with Roukanken, but the impact of the blow---
The world around me blurs again.
"Nnng---!"
I lean forward to catch myself. That was strong enough to nearly knock me off my feet, and he's opened a gap between us again. It's not that I can't close it, but if he summons more of those creatures to get in my way it'll delay the end of the fight again.
He keeps talking about having been dead. But he definitely seems alive again rather then being some sort of revived corpse or other creature, like that jiangshi. Was he some sort of immortal in his original world, and he just didn't know it?
Aside from that---
"If you don't want to get cut in half, then just stop fighting?!"
Isn't that the obvious answer?! Not that I mind taking him down, and I'm not planning on killing him, but he definitely raised his chances of being slashed by fighting in the first place.
Ugh, and that thing forming over his head---
It's nauseating. Just being touched by it could kill someone. I don't know what it is, but I'm sure of that. It's just like all those creatures all over the cemetery, but concentrated into a single mass. It's almost like a seething orb of decay and corruption.
Perhaps it's not just 'almost like'.
He's ready an attack, and if any of those spirits get in the way I don't know if I can reach him in my current state before that.
---But it's fine.
I don't need to reach him to stop him, at least for a moment. If I can disable him from here, that could end it.
I don't need to hit him, or to disarm him. I'll force an opening and stop him from unleashing his attack.
I suck in a deep breath, filling my lungs, and slowly shut my eyes.
My body is human. My soul exists both within and without. I'm a half-being, someone between life and death from birth.
Phantoms can perceive and touch those things that don't exist in a physical sense. Feelings. Sound. Line of sight.
It's not as if I can see them all the time. But if I give myself a moment to concentrate---
I can see it.
It forms in my mind as a white strange, extending outwards from his gaze.
Despite being a half-phantom, I don't think I could mount a direct attack on it just like this.
But the blades I wield certainly can. The swords possessed by the Konpaku family don't just cut material things.
Hakurouken leaves its sheath.
He can't aim that mass of corruption, if he can't see.
"Sense-cutting Slash - Sight!"
Hakurouken's edge flashes. Even with my eyes closed, my body dulling the rest of the world around me, I can see the sliver of moonlight that is its edge passing through the darkness, intersecting with the line representing his sight.
Like a thread, it snaps.
I open my eyes.
I don't know how long it lasts. Not really. Cutting a target's senses is usually plenty of time for me to attack, but with the injury inflicted on my spirit---
No.
Grandfather wouldn't want me to think like that.
So I'll reach him.
No matter what, I'll reach him, and stop this now.
@FujiwaraPhoenix@Raineh Daze
The Wandering Cat
The trio descended into the darkness.
But when they landed, they were greeted with a surreal, impossible sight.
"My, my," Qing'e commented, placing one hand to her cheek, "Now this is certainly a surprise."
It was sunset.
It shouldn't have been possible for it to be sunset in what had to be the building's basement, but that was what they were faced with.
There were no visible walls. Suddenly, they were outdoors.
Specifically, they were on a street. But nothing like a modern street, nor the ones above them in Nieve. To Sanae, it might remind her of the streets in the human village, only more aggressively flashy.
It was certainly a Japanese street, flanked by angular multi-level buildings and eyecatching tree plantings. For Sanae, if she thought of her history lessons, it might remind her of the Taisho era at the latest. There were brightly-colored banners hanging from the buildings, balconies overlooking the street, and larger trees planted further down the street.
The setting sun stretched the shadows longer, the trees almost looking like hands clawing towards them.
There was no-one else around.
Or rather, no-one else alive.
Ahead of them was a golden glow, a thick and sickly sensation hanging in the air as it approached.
It wasn't just butterflies, though the source of the glow was certainly surrounded by them.
There were figures. Burning, feminine figures, clad in fine kimono. At their head one carried a lamp, nothing more than a blackened skeleton beneath its unharmed clothing. It was followed by two figures no larger then young girls.
But the figure behind them---
Her face was concealed by a paper umbrella, carried by another skeletal maiden behind her. But her elaborate, patterned kimono was far more opulent and far more layered. Unlike the ordinary geta worn by her procession, these were tall with three thick teeth elevating the woman above her skeletal attendants.
"Mmmm."
The paper umbrella moved, and revealed the woman's face.
It could only be described as beautiful, a lady in bloom. The pale makeup and red lipstick made it stand out even more against the crimson fabric and golden flames. Her hair shone, wax and various decorations holding it up in a complex bun.But the whites of her eyes were instead black. Her irises were yellow and red.
"---Ugh."
The immediate reaction when she laid her eyes upon the three intruders was disgust.
"Worthless. No matter how you flaunt your looks, you're nothing but third-rate whores," she idly commented, flicking a fan open, "But you can rot and burn away for me, regardless."
A smirk crossed her red lips.
A distinct sensation of nausea would already be setting in already, as if affected by the early stages of an illness.
Of the three, Qing'e showed no reaction, and Sanae would feel it most weakly.
But if there was no effort to stop it, there was no telling how quickly it might worse, as a cloud of golden butterflies began to approach once again.
One thing was certain.
The horrible miasma originated from the beautiful, smirking woman.
"Well now, we've found the source of our curse," commented Qing'e, reaching into her cloak, "There's no need to be gentle towards a woman with
that attitude."
@FujiwaraPhoenix@DracoLunaris
The Scarlet Devil
Tch.
Even if I'm weakened, can't she tell?
Why would she assign someone like me to something so menial as retrieving some ingredients.
Hmph. I guess it's easy, so it's not like it's all that annoying when it comes to fulfilling the task in the first place. But isn't it disrespectful?
"Fine, let's get this over with."
There's no real need to hide my feelings. Regardless of the disrespect, or anything else, there's simply the obvious fact that this kind of task is banal in the extreme.
If I have to be stuck in another world, can't I at least have something exciting to do?
---That doesn't involve anything like those centipedes.
Some lazy shopkeeper forgetting his correspondence is the sort of task I'd assign to one of the fairy maids. And then they'd forget, and then Sakuya would end up doing it, and so it would turn out I might as well have just asked her to do it anyway.
Still, hardly the sort of thng I should be bothered with, but I guess at the moment---
Well, I'll just have to demonstrate my nobility to this princess in one way or another. And once she gets it, she'll be ready to apologize.
"Come along, let's not waste any more time then we will already."
---Besides, it's for the best we meet up with Lewa again, anyway. Hopefully, that girl is still doing alright. Her blood didn't taste as if she was suffering from any sort of illness.
It's probably an affliction in her mind, more than anything.
But for now, I just want to be done with this.
---Is this the right place?
It doesn't look shabby. Frankly, it is the sort of place that looks like I'd probably send Sakuya to pick up supplies from as needed.
But it's dark. Not that it's an issue for me, but I can tell all the candles and lanterns inside have burnt out. It look dusty, through the windows, and there's no-one at the counter. It's a fairly large, free-standing building, so I'm guessing it's also where the shopkeeper lives.
I can't help but be irritated, feeling my fingers curl into fists. He doesn't have the decency to be around?
"Hmph, is
everyone intent on wasting my time?"
If he knew someone of my status was here, surely he'd be around.
Then again...
"It looks empty, did he leave without fulfilling standing orders? How rude."
How---
Wait a moment.
It's faint.
But I'm already pushing the door open before I can even realize it.
The scent is very faint, but now it's clear that he probably didn't just abandon his shop.
I look back over my shoulder, towards my companions.
"I can smell blood."
@FujiwaraPhoenix@Drifting Pollen@Rezod92@Lugubrious