There were a few things I noticed as I clashed swords with Futakuchi-Onna. First was that she was distracted. I figured that she would’ve been, but she was much worse off than I could’ve imagined. She kept her eyes on me and maintained her aggressive tone, but she was sweating and panting like she’d been running a marathon. The next, more important thing I noticed, was that she was wasn't hitting as hard as she was earlier. That isn’t to say she was weak – she was stronger than Hana had been in our battle –, but her initial attack wasn’t close to being as strong as her earlier attacks had been.
Despite all of this, that single attack of hers still broke my sword, but I didn’t let that distract me. I tossed the shattered blade to the side and sidestepped a chopping slice from her sword, landing a [WRAITH STRIKE] directly to her face. Thanks to that skirmish with Hana, I knew to cast [REINFORCE] just before impact for maximum effect. Futakuchi-Onna was still over Level 300, though. A buffed punch wasn’t going to deal significant damage. It would, however, give Hana the edge she could use to take Futakuchi-Onna down for good. When the ancient Myth recoiled with the attack, taking a few steps back while guarding her face, I knew that my approach was correct.
The advantage was brief. Futakuchi-Onna roared her frustration, charging aura in her sword and preparing that Aura Slash attack of hers. Now that I’ve had two separate experiences with it, I already knew how to avoid it. The moment before she’d launch the Wind-Attuned Aura Slashes at me, her sword would glow particularly bright. I used that indicator to my advantage, dodging through the projectiles while closing the distance between us with a [WRAITH STRIKE] fully charged.
When I reached her, Futakuchi-Onna shapeshifted into a snake before I could connect with my attack and slithered through my legs before reforming herself behind me. I dodged out of the way of a ground-splitting sword strike and charged a [WRAITH STRIKE] in my feet and kicked her in the head. This one was enough to send her flying, though she didn’t show any physical signs of damage other than her constant panting and sweating. Interestingly, though, she struggled to stand up despite that attack not even being [REINFORCED].
Maybe I landed a hit on her at the same time as Hana?
Futakuchi-Onna struggled to her feet, supporting herself with her Mythical Weapon. I charged in, eager to capitalize on her weakness only for the Myth to encapsulate herself in a cloud of purple poison. I stepped back soon enough and charged my own aura. It was a shame I had no ranged Skills.
“[SACRIFICE] IS STILL AN OPTION.”
I have nothing to [SACRIFICE]. I can’t afford to lose anything in this battle. She might be weaker, but she can still kill me if I’m not operating at 100%.
“WE WILL NEED TO FIGURE SOMETHING OUT SOON, THEN. AT THE CURRENT MOMENT, THIS BATTLE IS SIMPLY A REPEAT OF YOUR FIRST BATTLE WITH THE JIKININKI.”
I tried not to wince. Fallen Star was right. The best outcome of this battle was that Futakuchi-Onna would be incapacitated for a few seconds. Just like that battle with the first Jikininki, I had no way of ending this fight definitively. Unlike that fight, though, I had nothing I could [SACRIFICE] to close that gap.
“It seems we’re at an impasse, Curse,” Futakuchi-Onna spat.
“No, we aren’t,” I lied. “Hana and I are going to kill you, and–”
“Do you think she’s faring any better than you?” She took a deep breath and adjusted her gaze. “You two embody the naivety of youth. You believe in a childish version of the world that says kindness and empathy are the sole ways to advance society. Unfortunately, the real world is much crueler than you think it is. My aim has never been to conquer for the sake of power. I’ve never been childish enough to desire things so menial,” She stood taller, speaking more earnestly than I would’ve expected. “The landscape of this world is changing, faster than either of you realize. My goal since reviving has always been to protect my home from what is coming. Our neutrality kept us safe in the era of Typhon and the Demogorgon, and it will keep us safe in the era of what is coming after it. And like a squirrel before hibernation, it’s imperative that my home is secure and we have enough resources to survive the season. Such goals required more finances than we have and more land than we possess.” She narrowed her eyes and charged aura. I took a step back, bracing for whatever she was about to do. “And in your desire to ‘save’ Saikou from the person trying to defend it, and in the Curse’s attempt to play hero to you, you’re both making decisions that will lead to more death than anything I would have done. And that, I will not allow!”
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
I guarded against an attack that never came. Futakuchi-Onna released a barrage of aura at me, though none of it resulted in me taking any damage. Confused, I looked around, only to find what she’d actually been doing. She trapped me in a sea of poison bombs. They were like circular purple lights that each emanated a gaseous purple aura. I tried to run from them, but the orbs continued to gravitate towards me. Eventually, the bombs shifted into arrows of purple light and made a ringing sound like a tea kettle. Before I knew it, Futakuchi-Onna launched every arrow at me simultaneously. They stuck to my body for a few seconds before exploding on impact.
The attack brought me to my knees. A cloud of poison followed the explosion that absolutely zapped my [VITALITY]. I tried to stand, but Futakuchi-Onna made that impossible with all the Aura Slashes she pelted me with. I’d been forced to crawl away from them as the time it’d take to stand was likely to leave me vulnerable to a punishing attack. The onslaught ended abruptly, and when I turned to look at my opponent she was down on a knee with a hand covering her right eye.
“Rui!” Hana shouted. It came out of the mouth on the back of Futakuchi-Onna’s neck. “Get up now! We’ve gotta attack her at the same time! One attack is all we need!”
“Be quiet!” Futakuchi-Onna roared, but it was futile.
“Ready when you are!” I shouted. I stood to my full height, hoping I didn’t look as beat up as I felt.
Futakuchi-Onna did the same, gathering aura as gave me a challenging look, daring me to approach her.
“She’s weak to wind right now, so her Sword Dance is weakened!”
“Sword Dance?”
“Oh! Sorry! The Aura Slash attack. Don’t be too worried about them hitting you!”
Futakuchi-Onna laughed. “Are you trying to get him killed?”
I ignored her, warily closing the distance. I didn’t have the [VITALITY] to take any of those slashes, weakened or not. Interestingly, Futakuchi-Onna didn’t use the technique, though. Instead, she covered her body in a rapidly expanding poison cloud.
“Alright! Hit her with that punch attack in five seconds, okay?” Hana shouted.
“Got it!”
Futakuchi-Onna laughed once again. “Let’s hope you’re alive to follow through.”
Five.
I gritted my teeth and gathered as much aura as I could muster. Futakuchi-Onna sank into a battle stance with her sword, charging the Mythical Weapon with aura.
Four.
She slashed at the air twice. The first was a horizontal cut that I was forced to duck under. The second was a diagonal slash that I rolled out of the way of. When I stood back up, Futakuchi-Onna was gone, shapeshifted into a damn bird.
Three.
She flew behind me, reformed her body, then stabbed me in the shoulder. I grunted with pain as she kicked me to the ground. The Myth stood over me and shifted the blade in her hand, preparing to skewer me on the ground.
Two.
I charged a [WRAITH STRIKE] in my foot and swept her to the ground. She shapeshifted once again into a snake as I stood to my feet. I knew now what she’d do, and I anticipated it. I charged a [WRAITH STRIKE] and waited for her to reappear.
One.
Futakuchi-Onna appeared behind me and swung her sword at my head. I met her attack with a [WRAITH STRIKE], the attacks colliding with enough force to form a shockwave. She smiled a cocky grin as I did the same.
Zero.
I cast [REINFORCE] and used my freehand to hit her in the stomach with a [WRAITH STRIKE]. She dropped her sword and fell to the ground gasping for air. I didn’t have a whole lot of aura or [VITALITY] left, so I’d need to make do with what I had to end this fight before that all caught up to me.
“Foolish children!” Futakuchi-Onna yelled.
I ignored her. I reached down for her sword, only for the Myth to reach for my wrist at the same time. She squeezed it and stared at me with that same cocky smile as I tried to free myself from her grip. In the end, it’d been a useless attempt. Just like with Hana, Futakuchi-Onna pulled, and my vision was swallowed by black. When it returned, I found myself back in Hana and Futakuchi-Onna’s shared Mindspace. Hana and Futakuchi-Onna were both on their knees across from one another, but it was clear from a glance that Hana was in worse shape than her Grandmother.
“Much better,” the ancient Myth spoke softly. “Now, I can fight properly.”