Chapter 51: Staircase to Hell

Lightning cracked the night sky, illuminating the snow-covered streets of Kyoto. Kaze's battered body collapsed onto the icy ground, his sky-blue kimono and black scarf stark against the white snow. Blood seeped from wounds on his arms and chest, turning the powder pink.

Kaze gritted his teeth, forcing his trembling limbs to push him up. He had to keep moving. The young Shogun's life depended on him making it to the castle.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kaze spotted a crawling figure leaving a trail of blood in the snow. As the man dragged himself closer, Kaze recognized the crest on his armor - he was one of the castle guards.

"Kuro...yama-sama," the man choked out between agonized breaths. "The Chinese...man-eater...Tan Lun..."

Kaze's eyes widened. Tan Lun - the notorious assassin rumored to have slaughtered hundreds. What was he doing in Kyoto?

The guard continued in a strained whisper. "Said he was sent...by Emperor...to retrieve...the Shogun."

Realization dawned on Kaze. This was worse than he thought. Tan Lun must be working with Gin Kagiri. They were making their move on the Shogun.

"And Kuroyama?" Kaze demanded. "What's happened to him?"

"They've found...away...to negate his Ryugami form....by-," the guard rasped before going limp.

Kaze clenched his fist. He had to hurry as this was really bad. Pushing past the pain, he stumbled to his feet. His full fusion transformation with the deity Fujin called 'Ryugami' had taken its toll, the aura of the wind god Fujin fading with each ragged breath. But he couldn't fail now. The Shogun's fate rested in his hands.

Kaze limped through the castle gates, using his staff to support his weary body. With each flash of lightning, a new horror was illuminated - the bloody and broken forms of maids, samurai, and guards littered haphazardly across the courtyard. It was a grim testament to the destruction Tan Lun had already wrought.

Kaze's jaw tightened, fury rising within him. These had been innocent lives, cut down without mercy. He had to stop the slaughter.

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As he reached the base of the main castle staircase, a sudden burst of light revealed two crumpled figures tumbling lifelessly down the steps. Kaze's breath caught in his throat as he recognized them - Namida and Misuki, the Shogun's closest confidants. Their ornate kimonos were ripped and stained crimson, their bodies bent at unnatural angles from the fall.

From above came a chilling, raspy laughter. Kaze's gaze shot upwards to see the silhouette of a robed man looking down at him. With a start, he realized it must be Tan Lun.

"I'm just taking out the trash," the man called out in a gravelly voice. He tapped his monk's staff menacingly on the wooden steps, the metal blade on its end glinting in the intermittent lightning.

Kaze met the man's gleaming eyes unflinchingly, hands tightening around his own staff. He would end this monster, no matter the cost. The Shogun would not become another of his victims.

"The Minamoto clan will be your downfall," Kaze shouted, crouching into a battle-ready stance.

Tan Lun merely smiled, his grin visible even at a distance. Kaze suppressed a shiver at the malevolence in that smile.

Tan Lun leapt down from the staircase, landing gracefully just a few feet from Kaze. Up close, the Chinese man-eater seemed almost frail - he was hunched with age, his robes hanging loosely off a skeletal frame with his bald head visible. But his presence radiated power and bloodlust, like a heavy weight pressing down on Kaze's shoulders.

"Let the boy go," Kaze said through gritted teeth, nodding towards the limp figure of the young Shogun slung over Tan Lun's shoulder unconscious.

The Chinese man-eater tilted his head, scratching it with the end of his staff. "Sorry, I can't hear well these days. Traded my hearing for a bit of power from a demon," he said calmly.

Kaze's eyes widened in surprise. This monster had willingly made a contract with dark forces for more strength?

No. He couldn't afford to doubt himself now. With a burst of wind, Kaze activated his half-transformation 'Hanketsu'. One small horn sprouted from his forehead as the aura of the wind god Fujin swirled around him.

"I won't ask again," Kaze said, his voice echoing with divine power. "Release the Shogun and surrender, or face my wrath."

Tan Lun squints, attempting to discern the words forming on Kaze's lips amidst the uncertainty. "So, if I'm reading your lips right. You're silently begging me to release the child? Foolish boy You have no idea who you're up against." With surprising speed, the old man slammed his staff into the ground. The force of the blow snuffed out several candles, plunging the hall into near-darkness.

Kaze stood firm, the light from his transformation illuminating his determined features. "I know enough - that you're just an old man who never learned when to retire," he shot back. Lunging forward, he swung his staff downwards, unleashing a powerful blast of wind. The ground cracked and crumbled beneath them as both combatants plunged into the depths below the castle.

The real battle was just beginning. Kaze focused his mind and steeled his resolve. Failure was not an option.