Kaoru: [I’ve finally made it in…]

Within the massive dessert shaped castle, a young kitsune girl had managed to sneak her way past the rooms that many would have to walk through via her own stealthy methods.

She managed to find some loose bricks on the outer wall of the building, and used an oddly open pathway from within. She then crawled through the tight space into a large tea room. This tea room was now the place which she had stood at this very moment.

Kaoru: [For a tea room…it’s rather odd to see only one chair here.]

In this grand room were walls that had been decorated beautifully. Not just the walls, but even the furniture looked rich in how it was crafted. Despite these things however, there were certain odd pieces that had existed within this room. For one, there was only one chair in the tea room. It was certainly a possibility that the owner likely enjoyed drinking by themselves, but there were often more chairs within a room such as this, regardless of one’s personal preferences. On top of this, there had been framed pictures placed on the walls. The girl who was shown in these pictures was dressed in beautiful, regal clothing. However, the expression that rested on her face seemed to be that of a saddened one.

After observing the room, Kaoru quietly moved towards one of the doors, opening it by the smallest amount in order to peek at what awaited behind it, only to see an empty open room. Slowly, she opened the door more and more, before sneaking her way past it, shutting the door behind her so as to not cause any suspicion.

Kaoru: [Either I’m a master at sneaking, or this castle doesn’t have many guards here.]

???: [No, my castle does not have many guards. Though I must credit your ability to sneak past my two guards, they’re usually quite effective at getting the job done.]

Kaoru: [Gah!]

Kaoru had been surprised by another voice from within the room, only to turn and see a girl with long, red pigtails, and a black slim dress, sitting on the throne at the end of the room.

???: [May I ask, how exactly did you enter this castle?]

Kaoru: [I snuck in!]

???: [Through a pathway in the walls, correct?]

Kaoru: [Ummm…..]

???: [I see. I was told that it had been covered up, but I suppose that wasn’t entirely correct. I do not mean to bombard you with questions, but who are you exactly?]

Kaoru: [I-I am Kaoru Teppen! The First Child of the Mother of All, Kōkatsu The Almighty!]

Kaoru declared her name, with her arms folded across her body in a confident stance. The girl turned her head in response to this.

???: [Oh, are you a notable hero or something?]

Kaoru: [Y-Yes!]

Kaoru answered the girl with a nervous resolve, but within her mind resided one singular thought.

Kaoru: [What am I saying?! There’s no way she believes that! She’s gonna make fun of me now!]

The girl then sat up on her throne before speaking once again.

???: [I see. It’s rare to hear about something like this. Well, not entirely rare, I guess I have killed a handful of heroes before, but still, it always remains a surprise.]

Kaoru: [She believed that?!....Wait…]

Kaoru’s shocked expression had slowly faded, and her face became pale as it rose to face the girl’s.

Kaoru: [K-killed…?]

???: [Huh? Yeah, I’ve killed a fair amount of heroes before. Though you seem to be a kid from what I can tell. Not that it makes much of a difference, I’ve done that too.]

Kaoru’s face only became more pale the more the girl had spoken.

Kaoru: [P-please wait…I believe we can t-t-talk this out…I do not enjoy violence, and I’m sure you do not either–]

???: [Nah. I don’t really care about violence or no violence. I have things I wanna do, but I never get to do them, so overall it’s all the same to me. It sucks I know, but hey, you stepped into my castle thinking it would just be some field trip. That’s your own fault.]

Kaoru: [P-please..this is rather much for me…My family recently was killed…I do not want their sacrifices to be in vain…]

???: [Damn, your family passed? That sucks. But wouldn’t dying be not that bad then? I mean after all, you’d get to see them sooner.]

Kaoru: [I-I love my f-f-family…and they love m-me…but I know deep down that they would not want me to pass without leaving my mark…]

???: [Well, you technically already left your mark, haven’t you? You said you were a hero.]

Kaoru: [I-I’m very sorry! I lied! I am no hero! I was only adopted by my new mother mere days ago!]

???: [For a kid, you sure know how to speak. You seem pretty smart. Well, anyways, you lied is what you’re telling me? Fair enough. I guess I shouldn’t believe every single person who walks into here.]

Kaoru: [Then…if I may…could I please exit your–]

???: [Huh? Oh, no, I’m still doing the whole killing thing. It’s just kinda more boring now knowing you’re not some big shot. Well, I guess it was already boring as is at this point. It’s always the same old scenario. Kinda becomes draining after a while.]

Kaoru: [B-but you have no reason to–]

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

???: [You snuck into here, right? I have plenty of reasons just from that. Had you not walked into this specific castle, you could have lived out your youth and grown into a smart, mature woman. Sucks, really, but that’s how it is.]

Kaoru: [I’m sure you understand that idea as well…Y-you are the same age as me, correct?]

The girl then looked towards Kaoru with her face completely red.

???: [W-What?!]

Kaoru: [I’m sorry…I did not mean to offend you, but you look as though you are the same height as I am…which led me to believe that you were the same age.]

???: [I’ll have you know that I am in my teens, thank you very much! I’m almost an adult, and therefore, I’ve lived a much longer life than you!]

The girl who had a face that now matched her hair shouted towards Kaoru. Kaoru answered her shouting by bowing before her.

Kaoru: [I-I’m very sorry!]

???: [Yeah! You should be! Honestly, I was starting to feel a little bad about the whole killing thing, but now I don’t care!]

Kaoru: [Ah-Please wait! W-we still have many other things we can discuss! F-For instance, what is your name?]

???: [Donut Lock.]

The girl’s embarrassed expression disappeared, leaving only an emotionless face. As she spoke those words, she moved her index finger in a circle.

Kaoru: [I-It is nice to meet you, Miss Donut-Gh!]

Before Kaoru could finish her statement, a glowing pink circle that looked similar to a donut, had tightly squeezed around her. Preventing her from moving in the slightest.

???: [I’m starting to get bored again. So if you don’t mind, I’m just gonna wrap things up now like I promised.]

The girl moved her hands into the air, preparing for another technique.

Yoro: [But since you asked, I’ll let you know before you die. My name is Yoro. Yoro Kobi. I’m often called Yoro of the Sand, or Demon Lord of the Sands. Whatever you choose is up to you, but I guess right now, that doesn’t matter too much.]

A pink aura of matōki slowly became visible around Yoro’s body.

Yoro: [I’ll try and make this swift for you.]

Kaoru laid on the ground, powerless and unable to do anything for what would come next. With tears streaming down from her eyes, she made one final cry for help.

Kaoru: [Lady Kōkatsu…Please save me!]

As Yoro started to move her arms downwards, the doors at the opposite end of where Yoro had been seated were destroyed.

Behind it were the sounds of boots and geta echoing through the room, along with the sound of rough skin slithering across.

???: [Touchin’ her is already enough to get yer ass kicked. But that shit? The shit yer tryna do now? Ya better fuckin’ pray to whatever god ya have.]

Within the smoke were three silhouettes that had been visible to the two in the room. One was a tall kitsune holding a kiseru, another was a figure with long hair that also had a ponytail tied to the side, and the last was a figure with who had a lower body resembling that of a snake

They were…

Kaoru: [Lady Kōkatsu!]

Kōkatsu: [Ya sure went out of the way to get yerself into some trouble. Might have to scold ya for that later.]

Kaoru’s ears lowered along with her eyes.

Kaoru: [I’m sorry, Lady Kōkatsu…]

Kōkatsu put her kiseru to her mouth before responding to Kaoru.

Kōkatsu: [Don’t worry ‘bout that too much. I’m not gonna hurt ya. Now, this girly, however…that’s a different scenario. I don’t give a shit if she’s a kid, I’ll teach her a lesson she won’t forget.]

Once again, Yoro’s face became bright red in embarrassment.

Yoro: [K-kid?! I’m not a kid! How many times do I have to tell you people?!]

Kōkatsu: [Ha? You’re clearly a kid. I don’t know what height ya are, but even for a girl, yer too short to be considered anythin’ else.]

Yoro: [Oh, I’m sorry! I spent a large majority of my life sitting in this real fun place here all thanks to my super great father.]

Silvia: [Sssshe issss assss rebellioussss assss mosssst children are.]

Shiro: [She’s even getting upset in the same manner.]

In response to their comments, Yoro stamped her foot on the ground constantly with her eyes closed.

Yoro: [I! Am! Not! A! Kid! I may be a teen, but I am not a kid! How old are all of you even?!]

Shiro: [Sixteen.]

Silvia: [Ssssixssssteen.]

Kōkatsu: [Eighteen.]

Yoro: [I’M THE SAME AGE AS TWO OF YOU! I WOULDN’T BE SHOCKED IF I HAVE THE ADVANTAGE IN MONTH!]

Shiro: [I was born on the fourteenth of March.]

Silvia: [The sixssssteenth of July.]

Kōkatsu: [I mean I know I’m already older but for me, seventeenth of September.]

Yoro: [CONGRATS! I WAS BORN ON THE FOURTEENTH OF FEBRUARY, MAKING ME OLDER THAN YOU TWO!]

In the midst of Yoro yelling at the group, Kōkatsu turned to see Silvia, and moved her hands as if giving instructions. Silvia nodded, and slowly moved to the left of where they were standing.

Shiro: [I mean, if I was born a month earlier, we would be on the same date. Actually when you think about it, our birthdays are similar since the celebra–]

Yoro: [BUT YOU WEREN’T BORN A MONTH EARLIER, WERE YOU?]

Kōkatsu: [Regardless, I’m still older. I was the one callin’ ya a kid in the first place, and to a certain degree I’m still right.]

Yoro: [OH DON’T TELL ME YOU’RE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO TELL OTHERS THEY’RE KIDS ALL BECAUSE YOU’RE A BIT OLDER! I HATE THAT THE MOST!]

Shiro: [She sure loves to yell…]

Kaoru: [Lady Kōkatsu, if it’s alright…]

Kōkatsu: [Huh? Oh right, lemme pick ya up.]

Kōkatsu moved towards Kaoru, picking her restricted body with her unoccupied arm and moving her towards the hole where the doors had once remained.

Kaoru: [Lady Kōkatsu, is it possible to remove this ring?]

Kōkatsu: [Not gonna risk it. It looks like somethin’ matōki related. I got no clue if it’ll explode as soon as I break it. For now, just lay there and we’ll deal with her.]

Kaoru: [As you wish, Lady Kōkatsu.]

Kōkatsu stood up and moved back to where Shiro was standing.

Kōkatsu: [By the way, are ya really Yoro of the Sands?]

Yoro: [Of course I am! Are you going to question that as well now?!]

Kōkatsu: [Actually, yeah, I am.]

Yoro: [Oh great! Let’s hear your rich reasoning for this!]

Kōkatsu: [For someone as big of a threat as ya are, ya sure are stupid.]

Yoro: [Stupid?!]

Kōkatsu: [Yeah. Stupid. Not just in the sense of throwing yer little fit though.]

Kōkatsu once again moved her kiseru to her mouth, blowing out smoke into the air. As the smoke dispersed, making Kōkatsu’s face visible once again, an intimidating gaze formed in her eyes,

Kōkatsu: [Yer real wide open.]

Yoro: [Huh–]

Yoro turned her head to see Silvia, who was rotating towards her direction. Her tail had started to resemble that of a whip with how fast she was moving. But to Yoro, it had felt as though everything was in slow motion. Much like Kōkatsu’s eyes, a horrifying glare had made its own home in Silvia’s.

Silvia: [Eat sssshit and die.]

Yoro: [...Kh!]

With a heavy thud scraping through the room, Silvia’s tail smacked Yoro’s cheek like a whip. The force of the impact caused Yoro’s teeth to grind, and the eye on the opposite side of the impact had widened. The cheek that had been whipped quickly gained a red color, and before she could truly react to this attack, Yoro was sent flying into the nearby wall, crashing into and destroying the area around where her body flew into.

Silvia rattled the end of her tail, sticking her tongue out and hissing, before turning to Kōkatsu.

Silvia: [On a sssscale of one to ten, how wassss that?]

Kōkatsu: [I’d give it a seven. Could have definitely hit her harder. The line was good though.]

The two smiled at each other.

Kōkatsu: [Well, guess I’ll figure out what to do with Kaoru now.]

Shiro: [Are we sure that she won’t get up from that attack?]

Kōkatsu: [The ring is still around Kaoru, so that missy is probably still okay. If we’re lucky, she can’t fight anymore.]

Shiro: [But I thought she was incredibly powerful.]

Kōkatsu: [I did too. But seein’ as she left herself that open, I get the feelin’ it was all bluffs and the like.]

Shiro: [I see…]

Kōkatsu moved towards Kaoru while Shiro looked around the room. However, after a few moments, a sharp rise in signature became apparent to Shiro.

Shiro: [Silvia! Watch out!]

Silvia turned to face Shiro, before quickly turning back to the hole in the wall.

???: [Hell Tarts!]

From within the hole, came a massive flurry of darts with a pattern that resembled that of a tart, aimed towards Silvia. Silvia tried to quickly move, while guarding the darts, in order to escape the attack. However, some of the darts had grazed her skin, along with a few landing in her arms and stomach. Small spurts of blood escaping from the wounds.

Silvia: [...Hk!]

Shiro: [Silvia!]

Shiro quickly ran over to Silvia, attempting to lift her up off the ground.

Silvia: [I’m…alright. Thesssse are minor injuriessss.]

The two of them along with Kōkatsu stared at the hole. Rubble continued to fall from the hole as the footsteps of heels could be heard from within.

???: [I was wrong about my own statement earlier. Those types of people are only second on my list of people I don’t like.]

From within the hole a figure had slowly started to become visible, before finally making its appearance known. Her hair disheveled, her clothes in tatters, blood moving from her forehead down the side of her face, and a red mark now adorning her cheek, the girl from once before had returned.

Yoro: [The ones I dislike the most…are those who underestimate me.]

The once dark hole now started to brighten in shade as a pink aura formed around Yoro.

Yoro: [Feel honored. Deathly Sweet, Yoro of the Sands will be the one to send you to your graves.]

Matching the same glare her opponents glanced at her with, the Demon Lord of the Sands, Yoro gave her chilling statement.

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