In a cabin far off from society rested a singular piece of mail. The contents within were missing, but there was quite the obvious reason why they were missing. The person the mail had been addressed to was currently reading the paper that was stored inside. To this person, it had been close to two months since she had last spoken to the individual who had sent this letter. Despite how short this interval was compared to the rest of their life they had lived without them, they enjoyed receiving a letter such as this. With a smile on their face, they finished reading out what had been written and commented on what was said.

Inkra: [I see. Mena didn’t pass, huh? She only really wanted to attend because of her brother, so I guess it’s not all that bad. Hell, with the way she wrote this, she sounded really excited about Nero’s progress.]

Inkra took the cigarette she had out of her mouth, and blew smoke into the air as a smile once again formed on her face.

Inkra: [That girl has quite the brain on her. She may be energetic, but I bet she’d be one hell of a scientist. Maybe even an engineer. She could really do some great things in the world.]

Inkra’s eyes looked back to the paper in front of her. Her eyes fixated on the statements regarding Nero. From what was written, it was unknown where he had been now in terms of progress. However, Mena had written that he was now on his fourth trial out of five. Should he succeed, there would only be one left for him to conquer.

Inkra: [So that little sprout made it that far. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. He really is something else.]

An image of a little boy she had known for a long time now had appeared within her head. Her smile rose much higher as she thought of him.

Inkra: [I wonder just how tall he’s gotten now. He already grew so much compared to when I first brought them here.]

Inkra had met the two in the middle of a harsh snow storm. Her clothes were not well equipped for such weather, but regardless she wore them. She had carried the two children towards her own home and allowed them to stay there. There were times where problems had occurred, mainly regarding Inkra and her past. However, these two were still her children even if they were not related by blood. Much like the way she had viewed them, they had viewed Inkra as their own mother as well.

While Mena was incredibly smart and energetic, she was not nearly as strong as Nero had been. His power, speed, matōki, everything that he was born with had seemed like a gift from the gods themselves. As Nero lived in this new home, he was trained by Inkra in using a specific fighting style that she had known. It was one that had been outlawed and was punishable if used but he had still begged her to teach him. By the time the two had left home to participate in school, Nero had already mastered everything Inkra had taught him. She felt proud. The boy who was once strong but did not have a proper outlet for his strength was now capable of much more than he could ever imagine. He was a true prodigy in the making.

Inkra: [He’ll definitely pass that fourth trial. If he’s made it this far, then nothing's gonna stand in his way!]

Inkra sat there, thrilled at the success Nero had been making. At that moment, an idea flared up within her head.

Inkra: [I know! I should do something for them! I can make a special dinner for when they get back! Let’s see, the deer we have is still good…All of our vegetables are still nice and fresh…Everything should keep well till the end of the month. Worst case scenario, I can just go out and hunt again. I’ll have to make sure to grab an extra large deer if that happens though. Don’t wanna disappoint them! I feel like this isn’t enough though. What can I do….What would they really enjoy…]

There had to be something.

Something that both Nero and Mena would enjoy

Something that could truly surprise the two of them.

She paced around her home over and over. Her own shadow reflecting onto the windows, or perhaps it was something else.

There wasn’t a single thing that came to mind…

But then, finally, there was.

She had always told Nero not to.

Nor did she ever plan on doing so herself.

However, this was not the time to be worried about such trivial things.

She realized what she could do for them.

Inkra: [I can go into the village and get them a gift! That’s it! It’ll be my first time…in a while that I interact with other people…However, those two have helped me turn things around! I would be a coward if I couldn't pay them back with even the smallest efforts of my actions alone! Alright, let me grab my cloak, and then I shall move!]

She quickly ran to her closet and pulled out a cloak she had. It was a cloak she had used often in order to travel on occasion, but now her focus was on the village she had avoided.

She was not prepared to show her own face to these people directly, especially with the consequences given to those who had participated in the exterminations. However, at some point in time, she would likely feel alright with doing so.

According to the papers that were tossed away by those who did not want them, there was supposedly a new selection of royalty that was happening. She was not sure how she felt about the candidate on the Tensetsu side, but the Bloodfire one had seemed rather kind with some clumsiness to her. It was not as though she did not view the current ruler, Devi Bloodfire, as unkind. However, she knew that certain punishments would still be an option within her book. Thus, she believed waiting would be a much better choice.

She headed towards the door.

For some odd reason, her scars started to grow irritated again.

The emptiness of her right eye socket had once again made its presence known.

It was odd. This had rarely ever happened in the past. However, she chalked this up to how she felt about entering the village. It would be a scary and intimidating task, but if the children she had raised could make it as far as they did, then this was nothing.

She reached towards the door, sliding it across in order to open it. She was then greeted by someone standing in front of her.

Inkra: [Oh. Uhhh…Hello! It’s nice to meet you. I don’t usually get guests often but–]

Her sentence was cut off. A sound was made. It was a small sound. The sound of something making its way through meat.

Warm. It was warm. Or was it cold? It stung. It stung a lot. Why did it feel like that?

She remembered this feeling. It was much worse than this, but regardless it still hurt. But why? Why was she feeling this once again?

Inkra looked down across her body to see the source. The person in front of her had moved forward.

They were holding a knife…

…and it entered her waist.

A knife was in her waist.

She had lived here with her two children without others knowing for so long.

Why?

Why did this all change now?

More importantly, why would someone do this?

She moved her quivering eyes up to look at the person.

She noticed two different things.

One, there was not a singular person. There were multiple. Multiple people were standing in front of her door.

But that part did not matter to her. There was something much greater.

Something that terrified her.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

It was a fear she had not felt in a long time.

Two…

The individuals standing in front of her…were oni.

Oni: [It took a while, but thanks to a tip, we found another survivor. We’ll make you pay for what you’ve done!]

Standing there in fear and in pain, Inkra was horrified by what she had seen. Despite trying to start a new life, her past had come back to haunt her.

Only this time…it would likely be putting her into the past as well.

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Behind a gate sat a guard who was incredibly muscular, and incredibly tall. They tore off pieces of the jerky in their hand with their mouth as they continued to draw on the floor with a small rock in their hand.

Their mind was only focused on this drawing. Not a singular other thought resided within their head at this current moment. There were certainly other things they could think about if they wanted to, but due to the circumstances they were in, this was the only thought they desired to think about.

As they continued to draw, loud shouting came from some of the lower class guards by the stairs nearby.

Guards: [Kiyomi! Gatekeeper Kiyomi! We have a problem!]

She did not pay attention to the guards that spoke. She merely focused on her drawing.

Guards: [Gatekeeper Kiyomi! This is urgent! We have a serious problem on our hands!]

Kiyomi: [Hey. Have you guys ever heard of Michopa? She’s believed to be just some folklore lady, but from what was written, she was an incredibly powerful woman.]

Guards: [Please! Our current circumstances are horrible!]

The woman grew annoyed. She wished to tell the tale of a folklore story she had known, but the guards insisted on her aid.

Kiyomi: [Haaaaah. I guess I really shouldn’t be surprised that none of you care. Nothing’s changed. Alright, what is it?]

Guards: [We have–]

Kiyomi: [Intruders, I assume?]

Guards: [Yes! But they’re not ordinary! They’re rather strong!]

Kiyomi: [Let me guess, you need me to go out there and handle it?]

Guards: [Please!]

She grew more tired as they spoke. As she stood up, she stretched her body before moving towards the gates that were only a few feet away.

Kiyomi: [Honestly, if you chumps want a higher up position, you really gotta put some work in. It gets boring when I have to do everything.]

She moved her feet back, cracking her toes against the floor, before pushing the gates open.

Kiyomi: [Fine then. Let’s see what I’m up against now.]

The mighty warrior prepared herself for the battle ahead. Satisfying or boring, it was her battle alone.

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In front of a castle, many guards were blasted back from blow after blow. Screams of pain followed as they were attacked and sent flying into the air. Every single one of them attempted to charge at their enemies, but were all met with the same fate. Each of them were knocked out cold from the blows they had received. Not all of them had been thrown into the air, as some were attacked in a swift but less forceful manner in order to be taken down. However, there were some who tried to challenge one individual in particular. When challenged, the foe had sent each and every one of them flying with one of their blows. As the guards attempted to fight the group, the party themselves began to bicker amongst each other.

Shiro: [So, how exactly is this a good idea?!]

Nero: [We’re making quite the loud ruckus. They’re surely going to notice us at some point soon.]

Guards: [Take this!]

Shiro: [Sleep! And you too!]

Two guards attempted to charge towards Shiro and Nero. However, before they could even react, Shiro was behind them. She delivered quick chops to their necks, causing them to fall unconscious in mere seconds.

Guard: [You’re wide ope–BLEH!]

From overhead, another guard attempted to strike down at Nero. As the guard moved their blade down, Nero swiftly dodged out of the way without looking. The guard was then met with a cake-themed hammer that hit them directly in the face. The user of this hammer being a red haired girl who was furious at the moment.

Yoro: [I agree with Shiro completely! From now on, any and all plans will be handled by someone else!]

Guards: [Get her while she’s not–]

More guards tried to move in from behind in order to attack Yoro. As they moved, they were met with a sturdy blow from a tail to their sides. They were promptly blown back towards the castle walls, making a firm implant into the bricks as they collided.

Silvia: [Assss much assss the lasssst time wassss recklessss, we sssshould have done the ssssame plan that Kaoru had lasssst time.]

Guards: [Now we’ve got–MMMMPH]

Without learning a single lesson from one another, the guards continued to try and attack the group from behind. Before they could land a blow against Silvia, a wide barrier pushed up against them, preventing them from moving downwards and holding them up in the air.

Kaoru: [Z-Zenko Barrier! My new technique that I have now prepared! Oh, and, thank you Miss Silvia! Although…I’m not sure if I should consider that praise. As much as I would not like to, I must agree with the others. This is a rather dangerous idea…Lady Kōkatsu.]

Though many of the guards attempted surprise attacks against the party, there was one individual who they did not strike from behind. An individual that was the one on the offensive. In fact, the guards had grown so terrified of this individual that they did not want to even attempt to attack her, and instead focused on the others around her. Every guard that stood in her path was met with either a mighty punch, a fierce kick, or the worst of all, a powerful clothesline. This individual had been the one to send each of the guards flying into the air.

This individual was Kōkatsu the Almighty.

Kōkatsu: [Yahahaha! Oh, this is good! Real good! I always imagined fightin’ grunts would be some real fun, but this is somethin’ else! I’m like a goddamn kaiju straight from a film! Rawr! Rawr! Here comes the not so rubber, rubber suit monster! This was my best plan yet!]

Shiro, Silvia and Yoro: [NOBODY EVEN AGREED TO THIS!]

Not long before this battle started, the group discussed a plan to move forward by a hilltop nearby.

Shiro: [Alright, I think it’s best if we figure out how we wanna move into the castle while we’re here. We could choose a much more stealthy route which has its benefits…]

Silvia: [A sssstealthy route would allow ussss to make our way in much eassssier.]

Yoro: [Plus, Daroma may be a big shot, but there’s no guarantee he’ll know we’re there. If we can get in without him noticing, we can just fight him head on right from the get go!]

Nero: [I do believe stealth might be our best option.]

Shiro: [Well, that’s all fair. We still have another option though, where we can just charge in. Now, there should still be a plan for something like that, but–]

Kōkatsu: [Done! Let’s go, Kaoru!]

Kaoru: [Huh? Lady Kōkatsu?!]

Kōkatsu had started to run down the hilltop and towards the castle, full of energy. Kaoru hesitated for a moment as she was unsure of what to do, but ultimately followed her lady a few seconds after.

Shiro: [Wha–WE WEREN’T EVEN DONE DISCUSSING OUR PLAN! HEY!]

Yoro: [There’s no way she’s actually just gonna charge in, right? Surely she came up with something.]

Silvia: [Yoro. The three of ussss have known her for ssssome time now. We can assssure you, sssshe doessss not have anything in mind.]

Nero: [Well, what do you suppose we do now?]

Shiro: [We’ll follow her! If she gets us killed, I’ll curse her soul till the day we both fade into nothing!]

And with that, their “plan” had begun. A full reckless charge towards the castle was imposed. The group had now dealt with the consequences of such a charge, as the guards were now aware of their presence and attempted to strike back against the intruders.

Kōkatsu: [Come on! Come on! Is that the best all of ya can muster?! This is nothin’!]

More and more, the guards stepped back in fear over the absurdly strong kitsune. Eventually, not a single one of them wished to fight back against the group.

Guards: [She’s a monster…]

Kōkatsu: [Damn right! I’m Kōkatsu the Almighty! If ya don’t bring someone strong enough, then ya might seriously regret it! I’m not done fightin’ just yet!]

As she spoke, the gate that was placed a few feet away from them slowly opened. The doors creaked as they moved, filling the new silence in the air with a brand new noise.

???: [Ho? In that case, what if I become your opponent?]

The group turned towards the gate to see a hulking figure with maroon colored skin moving past the gates. An incredible amount of muscle along their body, a towering height that they had been gifted with. They walked towards the group with cloth covering the pieces of their body that needed covering, but that was all. The only other thing they had worn was a collar with a large lock in front of it. They had long messy black hair. At the top of their hair rested two ears. Given that this woman had two tails, it was clear as day what she had been. A kitsune. Once again, a kitsune had appeared before them. Only this time, it was an enemy.

They turned to the woman with different emotions accompanying each of their faces. Some were scared of the woman walking towards them, while others were cautious. There was one however who had a devilish smile on her face as the woman walked. One who had many things in common with this woman. The monster herself, Kōkatsu the Almighty.

As she walked, the woman cracked her knuckles and neck. Loud sounds being produced with every pop. As she closed the distance between her and the group, each of them prepared to battle the muscular woman. However, an arm was placed in front of them by someone who had moved up.

Kōkatsu: [Remember that other plan we discussed? This one is mine.]

???: [That’s the spirit! I wouldn’t be satisfied with any cowardly opponents!]

While the two prepared themselves with what would come next, Shiro spoke to Kōkatsu regarding the situation at hand.

Shiro: [Kō, are you sure you’ve got this?]

Kōkatsu: [Trust me. I’ll be fine. If anythin’, this is a good time to test what I’m really capable of. Speakin’ of test…]

She looked down towards the items that she treasured, which she has used as arm rests while speaking. She then looked back up to face the towering woman before her.

Kōkatsu: [‘S fine if I use these, right? Haven’t had the chance to use ‘em yet, and what better way than cuttin’ down a beast?]

???: [Hehe. That’s fine. Just make sure you can cut with those toys.]

Kōkatsu: [Oh, let me assure ya…]

Kōkatsu quickly pulled out her katanas, swinging them fiercely in the wind. To the people standing around her, it had almost seemed as though the blurry blades that were being swung were bending as they moved. After a few moments, Kōkatsu had already moved them into a position to sheath them, slowly moving them down as she smiled before a loud clunk sound occurred.

Following this, the castle behind the woman received multiple cuts across this. Not only that, but pieces of the castle came falling off, both big and small.

Kōkatsu: [...These aren’t anythin’ like a toy.]

???: [Phweeee! Not half bad!]

Kōkatsu: [That ain’t the only thing I cut.]

???: [Hm?]

After she spoke, Kaoru felt something odd. It was as though her clothing was being ripped ever so slightly. She looked toward the right side of her collarbone on her kimono to see a flower made of nine tails cut out, with a circle of cloth in the middle still intact and being held onto by small threads.

Kaoru: [This is…]

Kōkatsu: [Startin’ today, that’s the brand new emblem for the Kōkatsu Family. I’ll have Yoro make some proper ones, with compensation of course, for when we really need it. In the meantime, that’ll be our first ever outfit with one. Ya get the first one, Kaoru. Of course, when we make the new ones, the first one will also go to ya.]

Kaoru: [T-Thank you, Lady Kōkatsu!]

The intimidating kitsune sat there, shocked at the sight she had just witnessed.

???: [Im-Impossible! She cut that off of her clothing with that much precision?! Plus, she wasn’t even looking at that girl. She was looking at me the whole time! How the hell?!]

Kōkatsu: [Am I up to yer standards, Oni-Kitsune?]

???: [H-Heh. More than just my standards. You’ve got my interest now.]

Kōkatsu: [Good. If ya want a fight, all I’m gonna ask is these peeps go through. Don’t worry, they’ll fight whoever gets thrown at them. They aren’t gonna chicken out.]

???: [I’m supposed to be a gatekeeper, so normally I’d just stop them. I have a feeling if I do though, I’ll have quite the problem on my hands.]

Kōkatsu: [Indeed. It won’t just be a one on one then, now would it? And ya already got enough on your plate as is.]

???: [Heh. Alright, fine. They can go. I’m too excited anyways to care. I’ve been bored all day, so hopefully this entertains me for a while.]

After she spoke, the group moved as Kōkatsu signaled them with a nudge of her head. They walked past her, but Kaoru stopped short in order to speak.

Kaoru: [Lady Kōkatsu…]

Kōkatsu: [I’ll be fine, Kaoru. Don’t worry.]

Shiro moved back to where Kaoru had been, politely taking her hand. Kōkatsu exchanged a nod with her, as the two of them had an agreement before coming to the castle. Kaoru and Shiro then joined the others in entering the castle, and now only two remained outside.

Kōkatsu: [I’m The Mother of All, Kōkatsu the Almighty. I may be young, but I’m the guardian of all lost children in the world! The only thing that comes second to the love for my children is my love for a good fight!]

Kiyomi: [Kiyomi. For certain reasons, I don’t have a last name nor a title. I’m the gatekeeper of this castle, so if you wanna get in, you gotta get past me. I guess we do have something in common. Both of us have fighting as our second love!]

Kiyomi entered a stance with her arms guarding her face and stomach as Kōkatsu crossed her arms to grab the opposite swords with her hands.

The first fight at Daroma the Dark’s castle would soon begin.

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