A Few Minutes before Koga arrived

"Koga!" Akuri had to shout to be heard over the thunderous sound of their horses' hooves. The two of them were riding their steeds hard, pushing them to their maximum gait across a gray rocky expanse. They had broken camp as soon as Silvia had left with Corelia, only taking a few moments to let the horses get some water before setting off at pace.

Koga didn't look back from his position in front of Akuri. He kept his body bent forward, his only intact hand gripping the reigns tight enough that, if he still had living flesh, his knuckles would turn white. He still responded to Akuri while keeping his focus on what was ahead of them, "What is it, Akuri?"

Akuri adjusted her grip on her steed, happy that she had gotten those riding lessons from Silvia when she still served her. She shouted in response to Koga, "Why are we moving so quickly? Wouldn't this tire our horses quicker?"

"We have already wasted the majority of the days we had before the Good Hunter planned to get involved with the defense of Pran," Koga explained while his eyes focused on the expanse before them. They had set out in a straight path towards the mountains in the distance. Perhaps it was simply the desperation setting in from not finding a single unique feature during their entire journey, coupled with the numerous stops they had been forced to make due to the issues they encountered. The meeting with that False Goddess alone had cost them a night and a day, as he needed time to let his legs heal.

He cursed under his breath. He needed to move faster.

"He-ya, Nobu!" he shouted to his steed, kicking it in the sides with his heels. It whinnied before accelerating by a slight margin. Even then, it pulled a few feet ahead of Akuri and Mimi.

Akuri groaned before doing the same to her own horse, leaning forward and directing her steed to the left. Mimi quickly moved to Nobu's left side, easily eating up the distance between them until she was back in her original spot. Akuri shouted back, "But that still doesn't explain why. What reason would we have to get back before she acts?"

"I am her servant," Koga began to explain, "and she is my mistress. If she intends to go to war, then I should be at her side. Ready and willing to do whatever she asks, and ensure that she sees victory in the coming conflicts. Something I cannot do if I am nowhere near her when she moves out."

Koga remained silent for a moment. Then he spoke again, "However, I cannot allow myself to return empty handed. I gave my word that I would discover something of interest to assist in Pran's defense. And I plan to keep that promise."

Akuri looked away from Koga with a frown. She somewhat understood where he was coming from. She wouldn't have forgiven herself if she had returned to Lady Silvia without accomplishing her own goals in the past. Briefly Akuri latched onto those last words.

The past.

Yes. As she was no longer Lady Silvia's servant. After what had happened at their camp, she doubted she would be welcomed back into her service. The idea made her mood fall further. She would likely never return to that manor nor see Corelia ever again. Even if Silvia didn't agree with Druella, she doubted her former mistress would allow her to leave Koga alone. Especially not after she fought against her own nature to avoid giving him that potion.

She cursed as a sharp ache shot through her heart. It brought with it whispers of how what she did was a mistake. But they were not as insistent as they were before, so it was easy enough to ignore them. Still it was a grim reminder that she was not totally freed of her feelings for Koga. She could at least say she was making progress.

"As you say, Koga," Akuri replied while turning her attention in front of her. Both to keep her mind off intrusive thoughts, and to look for anything of particular interest in their path. Something easier said than done. The land they found themselves in wasn't very interesting to say the least. Its primary features were large outcroppings of boulders and rocks formed into random structures. There were few green patches to be seen on the dry, stone earth. The main landmarks were the two mountains that got closer and closer the longer they rode towards them.

After a few more seconds of silence, Akuri spoke up once again, "Koga...about what happened. I must apologize. I let myself be guided by-"

"You have nothing to apologize for, Akuri," Koga interrupted her, not once taking his eyes off the path, "While I cannot fully understand exactly what you went through, I do recognize that you fought a battle against yourself. And you won. For that, you have my respect."

Akuri felt the weight on her shoulders lift at Koga's praise, "Koga, I...thank you."

"But you must remain vigilant. I doubt this will be the end of Druella attempting to corrupt me. And if you are near me, she will likely attempt to get you first," Koga reminded her. Akuri simply nodded, taking his words to heart as the two continued their trek. It was only two minutes later that they saw the first change in their environment. That being the fact that the path ahead of them had the tell-tale signs of being trampled by a large group of people. Rocks had been knocked out of place, weapons thrown to the ground and left behind, and the barest hint of footprints in the ground.

"What is this?" Akuri asked out loud, eyes taking note of the weapons left behind by their users. The vast majority were wooden spears and bows. As she observed them, she began to notice something else. A small line of damp earth that she would always find near the discarded weapons. Wherever the dampness would be, off-color vegetation would start to grow from within it. Purple grass or violet flowers that looked completely out of place in the barren ground.

Akuri's eyes bulged as she realized what it meant. Her head whipped to Koga, "Koga! I believe-"

"I have noticed," Koga said, taking his hand off Nobu's reigns to point straight ahead of them. Following his finger, Akuri saw what awaited them going forward. She felt her body tense as the small mining village came into view. There was no smoke, as expected, but even from where she was she could tell that the village was under attack. Even if she could barely make out the black dots that were likely individuals, she could still feel and smell it on the air. The feeling of corruption seeping into the air itself, while the smell of sex and musk drifted along with it.

Akuri frowned and tightened her grip on the reigns. The sound of steel leaving wood made her whip her head towards Koga. The undead pulled his blade from its scabbard, holding it high with one hand while his still missing other was held at his side. She shouted to him, "Koga? What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious? Getting ready for battle," Koga stated, lifting his still missing hand up to his face. By this point the bones of his wrist had reformed, but he was still missing his fingers and thumb. He scowled at the appendage, "Though I will not be able to fight with my full strength thanks to this slowly healing injury."

"But...you're not planning to...to...kill them. Are you?"

"Of course. Why shouldn't I be?"

"Because that's wr-"

"Akuri," Koga turned his sharp glare towards Akuri. She went silent as he continued, "I am not as merciful as the Good Hunter. And she has not bid me to be that way. In battle against a Mamono, I will not hold back. I will strike to kill. If you take issue with that, then I suggest you move to get in front of me. Your blade is made of Demon Realm Silver, is it not?"

"Ye-Yes, it is," Akuri said, slowly realizing what Koga was getting at.

Koga jerked his head towards the rapidly approaching village. They were half way there, and could see the two sentries that had been set up near the entrance. The gate hadn't manage to close before the Mamono, Amazons, they soon realized, were upon the humans. Already the two could see a pair of human men being ravished by two Amazons. The corruption in the air was getting thicker the closer they got to the village. To the point where Akuri had to shake her head periodically to keep her focus.

Koga didn't appear to be affected, however, as he just continued, "Then go. Strike them down before I get to them. I will be aiming directly for the leader. And any who get in my path will be cut down. Do you understand, Akuri?"

Akuri went silent for a moment. Her hands began to tremble as she took in Koga's words. She briefly considered trying to convince Koga to turn from his course, but one look at his eyes told her there would be no point to it. Gritting her teeth, she unsheathed her own ninjato, its silver glimmering in the sunlight. She held it to the side while spurring her horse onwards, "Let's go, Mimi!"

The horse whinnied as Akuri began to overtake Koga. Koga let her, putting his sword's hilt into his teeth to pull up on his reigns. Nobu let himself slow down and move to the back as Mimi went to the front. Akuri leaned over in her saddle, using her thighs to get her steed to move to the right. It was the side where her remaining arm was. Placing her sword in her teeth, she reached into her bosom and took out three Demon Realm Silver throwing stars that shined in the light of the sun. Once she was in range, she threw all three at the amazon on the left. Within moments the target arched her back, both from the shuriken hitting her and the immense pleasure that shot through her body. Akuri wasted no time turning to the remaining Amazon guard. That one barely managed to look up from the man she was riding, her movements far too slow to react to Akuri's swing.

Her blade went right through the amazon's neck, but the Mamono's head doesn't fly off. Instead, her sword phases through her bronze skin, leaving no marks behind. Yet the power of the Demon Realm Silver activates immediately. The amazon lets out an orgasmic scream before falling off the man she had captured.

The two thundered through the open gate, the corrupted air hitting both of them as they passed through. The small village had little in terms of side paths or otherwise. The only road ran straight from the entrance of the village all the way to the end. The buildings were built spaced five feet apart, all squat and made from stone mined from the mountains with wooden or thatched roofs. Carts and barrels, likely used in the mine, lay scattered about or turned over, spilling their contents onto the ground. Koga and Akuri took all these details in within seconds. Not because that was how quickly they could observe their surroundings, but because their attention was immediately taken up by what was happening at the other end of the village.

That being a literal orgy.

Akuri gasped, but immediately regretted the action. The air was thick with the musk of sex, carrying with it the sickly sweet scent of corruption. Her body shivered as her arousal grew in intensity. She tightened the grip on her blade to avoid dropping it as her hand shook. Mimi whinnied, likely feeling Akuri's unease as the smell in the air got thicker with each passing second.

"Calm yourself, Akuri," Koga appeared at her side, his sword once again sheathed so he could hold Nobu's reigns. His sharp gaze met her eyes as he spoke, "If this will be too much for you, then fall back."

"You...you don't feel that? The corruption in the air?" Akuri questioned, surprised that Koga seemed to be fine.

He grunted, "I do. And it makes me sick to my stomach. But it proves we are headed in the right direction. As I stated, I will be aiming for their leader. And I feel she will be at the farthest end of this disgusting display in front of us. And if you feel that the corruption is too much for you, then fall back and wait for my return. There is no need to risk yourself after you have made such progress."

"Koga...no. I will not falter. I promise you!" she kicked Mimi's sides, straightening her posture and steadying her blade.

Koga nodded, "Then, I shall leave the rescue of the humans to you. Nobu! Go!"

With a whinny, Nobu put on a burst of speed and overtook Mimi within a moment. The two steeds were neck and neck for a second, making it halfway to the orgy without stopping. Then, with a shout, Akuri jumped from Mimi's back with her blade raised high. It came down upon the back of an amazon, sending her falling forward and twitching with pleasure atop the man she was riding. Akuri wasted no time diving amongst the amazons, only getting their attention after she had taken out five of their number.

That was the last Koga saw of her before focusing his gaze straight forward. He paid no heed to the amazons that took notice of his passing. He had his sights set firmly on the path ahead. This proved to be the right choice, as he soon saw two figures coming into sight ahead of him. They stood side by side while over looking a circular pit directly in front of them. He focused on the taller of the two, specifically the rather obvious headdress she wore.

He frowned as his lone hand went to his blade. If she were the leader of this band, then one slice should be enough to end all of this. If she were not, then he'd have to fight without the element of surprise. Not an ideal outcome, but one he could work with. He just had to make his first strike count.

However, when he had only made it a third of the way there he heard it. The sound of a lustful scream being forced out of a man's throat. It was soon followed by a voice whose owner did nothing to hide her sadistic glee, "What'd I tell ya? Weak. Don't worry, though. I'm not gonna fuck ya. Promised I'd let the Chieftess over there have ya. But...well...I could at least get you ready for her."

The voice managed to reach his ears, making him believe its owner meant for all in attendance to hear it. His thoughts were proven true when he saw the two amazons standing at the edge of the pit look at each other. He was halfway to them, allowing him to see the grins they shared with each other. He grit his teeth as he considered the situation. He wasn't entirely sure what was happening in that pit, but he could tell that a human was about to be ravaged by a Mamono. Thankfully, it seemed the two amazons hadn't noticed his approach, their full attention given to whatever was happening in the pit. He still had the element of surprise.

But if he struck out at the Chieftess, he would likely lose it. Not to mention her companion would stand against him. Even if he managed to cut down both of them, that would give whoever was in the pit time to assault whoever she had captured. And if that happened, then there would be no saving him. The Mamono would rape him and turn him into an Incubus. The only way to save him would be to take him to the Good Hunter. And he doubted the man would be of the right mind to go along willingly.

Koga cursed under his breath, leaning forward to whisper into Nobu's ear, "I need you to buck me forward on my signal. Be ready." A whinny was what he received in reply. Koga chose to take it as affirmation. He adjusted his stance, keeping his remaining hand on the hilt of his sword while moving his feet and body up to be ready to jump. He didn't move his gaze from the approaching pit even for a single second. He counted in his head, starting from five and working his way down.

At three, he tensed his body up like a spring.

At two, he was close enough to see the sweat on the Chieftess' body.

Then he reached one.

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"Now!" he shouted loud enough for the two amazons to finally take note of him. They both turned around just in time to see Nobu skid to a stop and send its body forward. Koga jumped with the movement, using the force to launch himself up and over the two Mamono. He unsheathed his sword, holding it up in one hand as he flew towards his target. A Hellhound standing over a human with red markings across his body. The Hellhound had her foot in the human's mouth, while holding a massive hammer across her back. The hammer itself was more like a large lump of black steel than any kind of weapon. Its long black haft complimented the dark fur of the Hellhound. Its head was double sided, the material it was made of carved into the shape of an actual weapon. Despite its crudeness, the Hellhound wielded it with ease.

Koga landed a few feet away from the two of them. He rolled to his feet then kept running, his single hand holding his hilt tightly. When he was close enough he launched a horizontal slash at the Hellhound's mid section. She managed to sense him coming, and at the last minute jumped away from his attack. He wasted no time, moving to stand in front of the human on the ground.

"If you truly see him as weak, then why don't you reckon with me?" Koga spoke, taking a fighting stance as he stared the Hellhound down.

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Present Time

Silence fell upon the three of them as everyone took in what just happened. Koga wasted no time observing everything that was around him. The pit was a mine, he could tell that by the structures built around a hole in the mountain. Within he could see a few humans watching him as he stood before the Hellhound. At the top of the mine he saw the Chieftess staring down at them, while the other had turned around and seemed to be barking orders. No doubt they had finally realized Akuri was among them. Hopefully they'd be too preoccupied with her to interfere with his battle.

Behind him, he heard the human groan and start turning in the dirt. Koga spoke without looking at the man, "Be still. Your body needs time to recover."

"I-I can still-urgh," he crumpled to the ground a moment later, but stayed conscious in spite of how he was feeling. The grip on his pickaxe never weakened for a second.

"Please. Rest. I will handle this," Koga stated as gently as he could. Then he focused his eyes on the Hellhound in front of him. She was standing there, her eyes locked onto Koga while her hammer seemed to tremble in her hands. The flames across her body were still raging, but she didn't strike at Koga. She simply stood there without moving an inch.

Then a wide grin split her face.

"Oh. Oh my. Oh my, oh my, oh my," she spun her hammer in the air then slammed the handle of it into the earth. She bent forward while placing her free hand over her eyes, "What's that I spy with my little eye? Is that a male monster? A male Ochimusha? Is this my lucky day or what!"

She waved at Koga, "Hi ya, handsome! My name's Totha! Good to meetcha!"

Koga huffed while spacing his legs apart. Briefly, he took note of the state of his left hand. It had managed to regenerate the bones of his wrist and palm, but his fingers and thumb were still missing. He cursed under his breath. He wouldn't be able to utilize his quick-draw techniques like that. He would have to make do. He turned back to the Hellhound and pointed his sword tip at her, "I care not for your name creature. It will not matter after I slay you."

"Oh, it's gonna matter," her grin turned savage, "Because when I make you mine, you'll know what to scream as I fuck you into the ground!"

Totha released another Battle Cry, her lusts and flames exploding across the field. She shot forward, body blurring as she prepared to swing at Koga. Koga didn't falter, analyzing the approaching Hellhound as quickly as he could. Attempting to match strength with a Hellhound while he was missing an arm would be unwise. He couldn't put his full strength behind any defense he could muster, increasing the likelihood of her forcing his guard open.

When Totha got close enough to swing at him, he stepped into her attack and ducked under her swing. Using the opening he struck out with his sword, Totha just managing to make the cut shallow by moving to the side. Koga rolled away from her attempt to kick him, getting to his feet and backpedaling as she sent an upward swing his way.

Totha started to laugh, "Yes, yes, yes, yes! That's it! That's what I'm looking for! Keep struggling! It'll make it all the sweeter when I beat you!"

Koga didn't reply, focusing on avoiding Totha's attacks and looking for openings. When she over extended on a swing, he immediately moved to take advantage. With a short dash to her side he slashed his blade across her right thigh. The cut was deep but Totha didn't seem to care about the wound. She simply chased after Koga, eyes getting wilder by the second. She kicked at him with her right foot, aiming for his chest. He responded by folding his arm inward to block. He felt the force of the blow knock him back and Totha quickly followed up by moving to crush him with her hammer.

Koga let himself hit the ground then rolled to the left to avoid the falling weapon. He felt the force of the blow as it crushed the rocky earth where he had once been. He quickly got to one foot then sliced at her left thigh. However, the second he rolled to his feet, Totha was on him again. She made to swing her hammer at him and Koga dashed into the attack, planning to repeat what he had done before. Totha's response was to grab Koga's right shoulder with her free hand. She made to pull him in for a kiss, but Koga reacted by stabbing forward with his blade. She was forced to let him go lest she be skewered.

Koga advanced and slashed upward, his blade managing to catch Totha under her chin. With a grunt Totha backed up and swung her own weapon at Koga's left side. Koga felt no pain as the weapon crashed into his body, only the barest hint of lust trying to worm its way into his soul. Totha grinned, expecting to see Koga start feeling flustered or fumble as his Spirit Energy was corrupted.

Her grin turned into a confused frown as Koga simply grit his teeth and advanced closer. He brought his blade down in a diagonal slash, cutting a gash into Totha's torso. The Hellhound hissed and jumped away from the Ochimusha. She stood still for a moment hand going to her chest and feeling the blood leaking from her wound. She frowned, "Huh. That's weird. Is...hmm. Lets try this then!"

She grabbed her hammer with both hands, stomping one foot in front of her while placing the other behind her. Her muscles tensed as she pulled her hammer back, twisting her body along with it. Her weapon began to glow with a sickly purple light, corrupted mana coalescing around the weapon. Wind gathered around the head of the hammer and grew in intensity by the second. When it reached its peak Totha shouted as she unleashed one of the most basic techniques for a Dark Warrior: the Devilishly Powerful Strike.

In many ways the attack was similar to the Magic Cut of Dark Knights, where mana is passed through a weapon and launched at a distant opponent. However, Dark Warriors are unable to exercise the precise control of the Dark Knights. So instead of precise, focused projectiles made of magic, Dark Warriors simply put as much brute force behind the attack as possible. This creates enough air pressure to turn the attack into a veritable hurricane.

Said attack tore across the battlefield, gathering up rocks and debris in its wake as it stormed towards Koga. Koga grit his teeth as his clothes billowed in the rough wind. He discarded any thoughts of dodging this attack. It covered too much area to dodge around and dodging through it would likely result in him being buffeted by the magic within the attack. He could run away, but he could already see Totha getting ready to launch a second attack. If he ran, she'd likely follow his movements and fire at him when he couldn't run away anymore.

No choice then. He'd have to take the attack head on, or deflect it. And the only way to block a magical attack like this was with magic.

He looked at his left hand again. It was still just bone, but his index and middle fingers had regrown.

"Good enough," Koga grunted out while holding his weapon horizontally in front of his face. Then he placed his left hand on the blade starting near the guard. He closed his eyes and turned his focus inward. Towards that still burning fire within his soul. The blue flames that had been tempered by his own emotions and calmed into a small bonfire. He reached out for the fire and bid it flow into his arm. It increased in intensity, as a tendril of flame leapt to answer his call. His eyes shot open as his left arm was engulfed in blue flames. They did not burn him as he focused them onto his sword. He dragged his left hand across it, transferring the fire from his arm to his sword as he went. When his palm neared the tip of his blade, it touched the blood that had been left there from his battle with Hel.

Then something even Koga didn't expect happened.

The blood ignited.

A small explosion of flames rocketed from the end of his sword, the two orbs bursting into a small conflagration. The fires turned from their azure blue to a piercing white that shined brighter than the sun above. Koga briefly stared at the sudden change with confusion. But he pushed any questions he had to the side when he felt the Hellhound's attack closing in on him. With a short battle cry of his own, he swung his blade upwards to meet Totha's Devilishly Powerful Strike.

The moment his blade and the corrupted energy met, Koga felt the power behind the attack ripple across his body. It was like being charged by a large bear with nothing but your hands to keep it at bay. He grunted in exertion as his single hand struggled against the oncoming storm. He could feel the corruption within the attack. Smell its disgustingly sweet scent on the air. Feel it trying to seep into his skin even as he fought against it. However, he didn't stop pushing against the attack. Slowly, but surely he forced his weapon up and through the attack. The flames on his blade burned brighter and brighter as he went, burning away the corruption within the attack. A second later, Koga felt the attack give way.

With one final exertion he pushed his blade upwards and cut through the attack. The winds crashed into the earth around him, knocking up dust and leaving corrupted mana in the air behind him. But he was completely unharmed. Totha's mouth gaped open as she stared at Koga and his burning blade. Koga flourished his weapon as he started to approach the Hellhound, ready to continue their bout.

Then Totha held up a hand and shouted, "OK! Time out!"

"Hmm?" Koga stopped. Partially because he wanted to hear what the Mamono had to say, and partially because the longer she talked the more time his hand had to heal.

Totha slammed the head of her hammer into the ground. Then she leaned against its shaft while waving a hand at Koga, "What the hell is this?"

"What ever do you mean, monster?"

"This! What's up with this!? Aren't you feeling anything? Don't you want to stop fighting and skip to the good stuff?"

"What are you talking about?"

"What are you some kind of virgin?! I'm talking about this!" she grabbed both of her tits, pulling them up before letting them fall and comically bounce as she did so. Then she spread her legs to reveal the absolute mess that has become of her crotch. She shamelessly shows off her privates while still shouting, "And this! I'm raring to go and you're still making this difficult."

"This is a battle. Why wouldn't I do everything in my power to win?"

Totha rolls her eyes, "Urk, great. You're one of those types, then? Hate to break it to ya, but battlefields aren't places to kill each other buddy! They're places to court your lover. And I've been courting you this entire time! So stop being difficult and let me fuck you already!" Totha took up her weapon and prepared to launch another Devilishly Powerful Strike.

Koga rolled his eyes dashing forward to close the distance between them. However, Totha's weapon charged itself far quicker than before. She launched her attack as soon as it was ready, forcing Koga to stop and clash with the hurricane yet again. He knew what to expect this time, so it was easier to stop the attack in its tracks. But just as his blade reached the halfway point, he heard the sound of dirt and rocks being kicked up. He looked to his left and his eyes went wide the sight of Totha with a fully charged Strike standing a few feet away from him. With a smug grin on her face, she launched another Strike at him, the attacking move faster than before.

Alongside its immense strength, the Devilishly Powerful Strike had two aspects that made it a dangerous technique. The first was that the corrupted mana it used was scattered across the area where it hit. Using the technique allowed one to create pockets of mana across the field that amplified the lust of a Mamono's allies and their human enemies. The second was that the Dark Warrior could draw on the corrupted Mana in an area to increase the attack's effectiveness.

Koga swore as he deflected the first attack and immediately clashed with the second. This time he made sure to keep his eyes on Totha, who was already moving to a new position on his left. She readied another Strike and launched it. Koga couldn't do anything to stop this attack. His sword was still trying to withstand the second one, and his left arm still hadn't completely healed. He braced himself as the attack hit him full force, winds whipping about his body and tearing at his clothes. He felt the corrupting mana seep into his flesh and try to strike at his soul. However, his will was strong and the dark energy barely effected him. He felt little save a slight tingling across his dead flesh.

But the force behind the attack had made him stumble.

And that stumble made his sword falter.

The other attack broke through his guard and launched him to the side. He grunted as his body hit the earth, his grip on his weapon not wavering even as he slid across the ground. He got to one knee, only to get hit by another Strike, soon followed by a second and a third. It wasn't until the fifth Strike that the onslaught stopped and Koga was allowed to get to his feet. His grip on his sword was still strong and he easily got back into his stance. Totha growled as she saw him standing tall, "Come on! Fall over already! You're literally standing in a pocket filled to bursting with Mamono Mana. I put my own scent on one of those attacks. How are you still able to stand!?"

"Wouldn't you like to know, monster," Koga said with conviction in his voice. He easily ignored any feeling the corrupting mana tried to instill in him. He took up his blade once again, ready for whatever the Hellhound threw at him.

She growled again, "OK! That's it! You wanna be stubborn? Well guess what asshole? You're not the only one who can set their weapon on fire!" Flames gathered in the Hellhound's mouth. When her cheeks for full, she brought her hammer to her face and let out a torrent of flame. Rather than melt the steel, the fire swirled around the weapon. From shaft to head it was coated in a blazing red inferno, while its black steel gained a red aura. Totha got into her stance once more, winds gathering around her hammer's head. She shouted over the gathering storm, "Try this one for size. My own technique. Flaming Devilish Strike!"

She swung her hammer and launched a wave of fire towards Koga. It ate up the distance between them quickly, consuming Koga in its torrent within moments. Koga bit his lip as the flame started burning his clothes and literally licking at his skin. He gripped his sword and ready to strike out at the tornado of flames around him.

By chance he glanced down at his left hand...

...And instantly felt a sense of relief.

"Finally," he said, lips curling into a smile at the sight of this regrown thumb. While he was still missing his skin and pinky finger, the rest of his hand was back in working order. All he really needed was his thumb, but having the others wouldn't hurt.

With a flourish he sheathed his weapon and crouched low to get into a familiar stance. The stance he had been practicing with since he returned as Koga. A stance that had been with him for a long time.

It had a name, of course. One he had given it himself. One that he knew others would laugh at, but he would take pride in.

For it was his.

His Dragon Stance.

He placed his thumb on the guard of his sword while holding his right hand over the hilt. Then he closed his eyes. Even as the Mamono's fires raged around him, he felt completely calm. His focus never wavered. His senses remained sharp.

He took in a deep breath.

Then he opened his eyes.

"Roar; Dragon Of The Palemoon."

His blade flashed outward in a vertical slash that left a line of white-blue fire in its wake.

Within a second Totha's technique was completely deflected.

"What the fuck?!" was the Mamono's only response as she beheld Koga in his proper stance. He stood up as he sheathed his sword once more.

His shirt and pants were ripped to shreds. His decayed skin and ribs were revealed for all to see, while his pants barely kept his modesty intact. But he still stood strong and ready for battle. He pointed his still sheathed blade at Totha and spoke, "Now, my turn."

Koga ran straight at Totha. His eyes burned with a powerful want to end this battle. Totha stood tall, prepping another Flaming Devlish Strike and launching it at Koga. Then she dashed to his left, standing right in front of where Hagar lay, before launching another Strike at Koga. This time, however, she rocketed forward added her own body to the attack. If Koga blocked the first attack, she'd simply smash him flat in the second. If he blocked her attack, then the first strike would hit him and she could take advantage. She had him.

Then she felt something stab her in the back.

She screamed in pain, turning around to see what had hit her.

Her eyes went wide at the sight of a pickaxe sticking out of her back.

Koga didn't see what the human had done, but he did notice Totha falter. Not wanting to waste this opportunity, he quickly crouched back into his Dragon Stance. He waited for both of the attacks to get within inches of hitting him. Then he closed his eyes.

For this to work he would have to strike quickly enough to both deflect the first attack and cut Totha down. That would require attacking faster than a second.

He took a deep breath.

His thumb was on his guard.

His hand was steady.

He counted backwards from three.

Two.

One.

He opened his eyes.

"Rend; Dragon Of The Palemoon."

His blade flashed horizontally, leaving a half circle of white-blue fire behind it as he spun in place. It cleared both Devilish Strikes with each while cutting through Totha's body with little resistance. Totha stopped in mid-air, suspended by an invisible force. Koga didn't even look at her as he slowly returned his sword to its scabbard. His guard had almost hit the top of his scabbard when he stopped.

He was silent for but a moment.

Then he spoke with no emotion in his voice.

"Begone."

His blade clicked into place.

A second later, Totha's body fell apart. Her torso landed on Koga's left, while everything below her waist landed on his right.

He stood up and sighed as the tension left his body. Then he turned around to see how the human he had rescued was doing.

Hagar was up on one knee, his arm held forward in a throwing motion. He was breathing heavily and his erection was still visible through his trousers. But his eyes were defiant and sparkled with the light of triumph. Koga was confused, until the looked at Totha's dead body. After which he noticed two things.

First, the wound he inflicted had been cauterized. Smoke rose from the burned flesh, no blood leaking from either half whatsoever. He briefly stared at his blade, wondering how hot its flames would have to be to do that. Much less to a Hellhound.

However, it was the second thing that truly got his attention.

That being the pickaxe embedded into Totha's upper back.

Koga turned to the human. Then he shouted to the man, "You, human. What is your name?"

"Hag-Hagar," the old man shouted back.

Koga nodded, "Hmm, I see. Then well done, Hagar. And thank you for the assistance."

"Don't mention it. Just get the rest of these bitches out of my village, will ya?"

Koga smiled, "With pleasure."