[Yoshitsune]

I swung my sword down in a sharp motion. The metal cut through the air with a soft splitting sound to create a song harmonious to the power that I channeled through it. I could hear the sparks crackling over the surface of the weapon, ready to inflict the rage of the Oni upon any who opposed me.

Despite the joy I felt from the new weapon, I still felt incomplete feelings towards the upgrade. I summoned a fragment of my shattered blade, the weapon that I fell from the world of the living with, and grasped it firmly in my hand. Grateful for the new blade but not wishing to besmirch the blade that brought me this far, I offered a short prayer to Bishamonten to look after the destroyed weapon and to support me in battle despite the dignity of the warrior that I no longer could claim to possess.

But, I would not let that fall from grace stop me from moving forward. After a few more practice swings, I made a satisfied grunt and allowed the grotesque fingers to pull the blade back up my arm. Each movement, each subtle crack that whistled through my ears like a condemnation from Fūjin himself, reminded me of the actions that brought me down to this place.

I could hear the sounds of the forge spread from deep below and vibrate through my geta and into my feet. Somewhere down there, Ishmael-san’s body was being merged with metal. It was a union of flesh and steel that I would not have been able to stomach myself.

It was also a decision that I could not stop from happening. He had little regard for the holiness within his flesh and would often have it torn asunder just to defeat his enemy that much quicker.

“You look more fierce, Miss Yoshitsune,” Capitaine remarked, his snickering voice interrupting my thoughts.

“And you appear to have gotten more arrogant,” I replied, moving my head up and down to regard them.

Though I could not see their physical presence, I could tell that the demon’s ego had grown. Their aura burned with even greater confidence than our first encounter. Sharp, bright emotions wreathed their body like harsh daylight and gathered around the ‘rifle’ in their hands. The weapon buzzed with a newborn power that rivaled and exceeded the energy that emitted off of my own weapon.

“What can I say?” Capitaine responded. I could hear their shoulders rise in a shrug. “Kowal does incredible work. He seems to have made you much fiercer as well. If we had the funds for his equipment, we would have had a far easier time against the Corpse-Watcher.”

“A pointless thought,” I answered before turning away from Capitaine and walking to a new, hopefully uninhabited location.

Capitaine had filled me with a deep unexplainable feeling of unease when we first met. Their words and actions reminded me of an unfinished painting or poem. Everything they did felt incomplete, as though there was something just behind them that would reveal the entire work but could not be felt.

For that reason, I was not surprised when Ishmael-san told me that Capitaine used me the same way that they would use an object or an animal. In the moment, with the Corpse-Watcher bearing down on me with its majestic ferocity, I could not spare thoughts about survival and tried to rip away as much of the beast in exchange for my own life. I even, for a moment, felt content when my consciousness returned to hear the news of our victory.

This betrayal hurt far less than Uragoe’s and gave me far greater rewards. Rewards that I have yet to determine how they would be of greatest use to me.

I felt Culuur near my presence, however, we did not exchange words. Their essence sent energy of approval towards me and I returned the favor with a brief nod. Without distraction, I could spread my senses throughout the basin by way of [Sensory Meditation].

The heavy slams of the forge below were slowly phased out to dull thuds. I could feel the damp air of the mist smothering my body in cold kisses and the paws of Capitaine’s animals run along the landscape. But, beyond the rim of the basin, the disorienting nature of the mist prevented me from feeling any further.

I thought that I felt a vibration near the furthest reaches of my senses. My muscles tensed in uncertainty. The tremendous pounding of metal beneath me made it difficult to discern anything from that range, even if I was using my skill.

Then, I felt it. Sharp intentions of aggression pierced the mists and reflexively caused my sword to slip into my hand.

Before I could call out my warning, Capitaine’s beasts were already howling out their own message to those of us gathered around the cabin. The energy around me lurched from tension to action like the snapping of a bowstring. Culuur and Bonnie got into position while Capitaine’s creatures began to congregate around a specific portion of the rim. I inherited my own stretch of the perimeter.

I felt eight presences emerge from the mist to descend upon my silently assigned territory. The innumerable footsteps told me that a few of them had more than the two legs that the gods had allotted them. Centipedes? Spiders?

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

They would not be permitted to get close enough for me to find out. My arm reached out and collected the lightning out of the air to solidify in my hand. I could feel the shape of the bow form within my hand. My fingers met thread and my muscles flexed as I pulled it until my knuckles throbbed. I released several of my [Lightning Arrows] towards my enemies. The loud booming of the following thunder did not carry the welcome message of their deaths. Since their presences were not overwhelming, I did not believe that they were of a higher overall stat total than us, but they were also not weaklings.

My grafted fingers drummed out a pattern of warning. A stepped quickly to the side as an unseen projectile disturbed the air where my head used to be. A loud crashing sound of the object striking the side of the cabin filled me with worry.

The worst thing a warrior could be was outnumbered. A samurai I knew and respected was felled when they were surrounded by a group of farmers.

An ear splitting sound of repeated gunfire pierced my concentration. Capitaine’s rifle, free from the constraints of reloading, could fire for as long as they had the mana to sustain it. His summoned beasts fell upon the invaders with gnashing teeth.

The disappearances of their energies told me of the deaths. I could kill the ones in front of me, I just needed to be perfect.

My fingers released more strikes of lightning against the charging enemies while the fingers led me away from the attacks that boomed past my head. I had managed to fell one of the eight before they closed in on me.

The leading attacker raised their arms above their head to strike me down. Thick crimson lines appeared across the demon’s wrists, offering me the perfect line to cut along to disarm my enemy. I did not have the time to feel disgust or shame towards my ability. My sword, guided by the path across the demon’s arms, arced beautifully. Hot blood splattered against my skin as the demon bellowed in pain.

Without allowing my opening to escape me, I released a direct shot into the demon’s face. I could feel their head and upper torso disappear as a message arrived to confirm the kill.

I jumped back immediately to avoid the retribution that followed the death. The side step was insufficient. I heard the whistle of a weapon and the rumble of the rocks beneath me being dragged to the surface. The air grew cold and crystals of ice formed on my wet skin.

I activated [Ride the Lightning] to give myself the much needed space before firing another of my magical arrows in their direction. Without stopping, I summoned a Mana Recovery potion from my inventory and snatched it out of the air. I quickly gulped down the contents and felt my mana quickly replenish to allow for another round of spells.

The only issue was that the pace of the fight was wrested from my hands. Fingers guided my body away from most of the rocks, icicles, and larger projectiles that were flung my way. Stones buffeted my skin and an icicle dug into my side to cause sharp pain to shoot up my abdomen.

Enemies began to press down on me from multiple angles. I charged forwards with my blade drawn to break through the attempted encircling. I felt flesh parted by the sharp blade as I released a burst of lightning into their body. As soon as the message of their death reached my eyes, I activated [Ride the Lightning] to escape the worst of the attacks that crashed down upon my position.

As soon as I came to a stop, I immediately had to hop away to avoid a spear of rock from piercing me from below. My slightly off balance hop left me unable to dodge the following icicle. I had to twist my body and deflect the ice with my sword.

My lungs struggled to get enough air in. I could only suck in a couple breaths before taking another evasive action. I was being worn down just by presence alone.

Pinned down, I felt like I had little left to lose. I hovered above the ability I got from the Corpse-Watcher but still felt slight hesitance. When I first learned how to fight, my father told me that, like an artisan using an improper tool, a warrior using an unfamiliar weapon would only result in death.

I supposed that, since death was no longer permanent, my father’s warnings were no longer as grave as it was when I was a girl. I activated my most cruelly ironic skill, [1000 Bleeding Eyes].

A multitude of red circles appeared in the blackness of my vision. They surrounded the amorphous shapes of my foes from all angles. I stepped in the one closest to my feet and felt myself warp from the basin.

Disorientation gripped my body as I floated inside of a pocket of space. Around me were portals that showed my foes from different angles. The strange perspectives made my mind swim with nausea as I tried to center myself. I could feel tension spread over them as they moved into defensive positions.

But, I was not going to give them that time. I burst out from one of the eyes with my [Ride the Lightning] at full power. My sword cleaved through the neck of a surprised demon before I leapt into a nearby portal. The triggered attacks landed helplessly around the portal and I was safe again within the subspace.

I drank another mana potion and reactivated [Ride the Lightning]. My thundering form appeared and disappeared over and over again without rest. My sword chipped away at flesh and bone as the surviving demons were unable to predict any of my movements. Knowing that remaining would only lead to their deaths, my enemies quickly tried to flee from the domain of my eyes. Fortunately, I was able to kill a couple more before they disappeared from the sight of my portals entirely.

After taking a moment to recover, I stepped out from a portal near the ground and unsummoned the draining eyes. A wave of exhaustion passed over me but I kept pushing. As soon as I stopped, I would die. I needed to continue to be aggressive lest I forfeit my pace again.

But, it was already too late. My time spent recovering allowed them to recover as well and my attack was repelled with another flurry of ice.

Suddenly, the air turned hot. The cool air of the mists and ice instantly evaporated and was replaced with a different kind of rain. It reeked of my worst nightmares and my throat closed from the memories of being submerged within it for so long.

An imposing aura that felt like the sun pressed behind me. I felt that if I turned around, I would be blinded again. It moved past me at great speed and tore into the enemies before me. Only when I saw the sight of the familiar ferocious assault with claws and teeth did I recognize the source of the intensity. And, against my training, a feeling of calm and relief washed over me to allow my tensed muscles to loosen just a little.

“Were you having all this fun without me, Yoshitsune?”