Mt Iwaki Chapter 2

## Combatants

Yashamaru
???
Raktabi

## Powers & Abilities

Ars Manus
Ars Magna
Ars Manus
Anathema

## Synopsis

Surrounded by shadows of monsters loitering in the night, the only companion was the passing winds under the crimson moon. The cold moves to meet the warmth of their blood and the truth is revealed that they must continue to move in order to succeed, for those who stop moving in the battle will be frozen down to the bone. One foot will always move forward ahead of the other in defiance of the wind that raged against the winter-like atmosphere. The surrounding snow that covered every nearby home and piece of land, were nothing more than a prelude of the warmer days to come. Like the ambience of the village, the archdemon that towered over the two was indifferent and cold. There was something clear about monsters of these lands, that they were afraid to face the pain of loss and instead chose to become tools for the creation of hell on Earth.

The screams lost to the night were only getting louder, more intense as they entered into the realm of these hungry ghosts. These misguided souls required a healer, one that would guide them down the correct channel towards the peace that they deserved in death. In this eerie moment there is a chance to learn how to silence fear and for the eyes to see better than they ever have. During this new age of demons these two individuals became demon hunters, they took it upon themselves to make them prey so they deemed it necessary to return the favor.

There would come a time where mountains would crack and seas would dry, but the iron blades in their hands would not yield. Sparks flew as scorching incision marks ignited Yashamaru's katana, leaving a trail of orange-reddish heat scouring down the sharp edge of the blade. The loose vestiges illuminated the light, leaving only a trail of white and red streaks. Going blow after blow against the demon, open wounds began to appear on his leg, arms and chest but his partner did not have any noticeable injuries as of yet. Both himself and his vestments appeared like a blur since he had applied the technique called Senpo (閃歩, "Flicker Step") that had been taught to him by Takamimusubi, his master. The swordswoman seemed to have been talented at this art as well, being able to easily circle around the giant and strike the nape of it's neck within a hair's breadth.

Blue ichor splattered as the monster began to use it's Anathematic Art, unleashing a scream that bypasses the ears to speak directly to the heart. The wound it received healed in seconds but it had received damage to it's meridians, the network of the body that produces eir. As the blood had started to approach the girl with it's mutative properties, Yashamaru's concern for the girl became more evident than before.

Thinking nothing more of his actions as anything other than much needed support, he moved in the path of the sapphire-colored substance, allowing himself to be the target of the seithr-infused blood that was harmful to humans and halflings who did not have the proper physical constitution to handle the exposure. Though it seemed as if he had just gone up in a cloud of blue toxic fumes, he had defended against the poisonous substance by making good use of his Yin Style practices, diffusing the hostile energies found within the spillage. His aura halted the movement of the ichor, not allowing it to even get close to him.

*"I will handle the front lines, just come in and support me however you can."* Yashamaru spoke with a slightly cold tone as a result of his frequent run-ins with these monsters.

*"Make an opening for me and I'll strike him, don't get carried away and get yourself killed though."*

Yashamaru's attention returned to the monster that had been built like a human tank. It was salivating from the mouth and already healed from the previous strike. They figured something like that would not be enough to bring an Archdemon down for the count, but they needed to be sure of the type of healing capabilities that it had, so they could measure the amount of strength required to deliver a finishing blow.

*"So you're a third circle demon? From the looks of it, you were a martial artist in the past before someone mutated you."*

The fact that Raktabi was able to manifest an aura of might, something that was truly rare among martial artists was a dead giveaway that this archdemon had been an extraordinary human in their past life before their soul was lost to the demon blood that they ended up exposed to. Unfortunately, in this godless world, once someone is gone, they can never come back. It was time to lay the monster to rest, he wouldn't allow a human life to remain disgraced like this. With no more words to be shared, he assumed a stance of Gedan-no-Kamae (a low stance commonly used in Kendo) so that he could remain light on his feet without needing to worry about the position of his blade. In a normal situation, this would be effective for wearing out an opponent that happens to have more strength than the user but Raktabi was a beast of practically unlimited stamina, so instead the focus for now was finding a moment of vulnerability in his attacks.

Due to the exchanges earlier, Raktabi seemed to have been evolving as the fight progressed on, it was slowly but surely regaining it's memories of it's human existence. The great demon began to assume a stance that was expected of a Shaolin Temple Boxer. The style it used was called Shorinji Kempo, a modified version of Shaolin Kung Fu, invented in 1947, two years after World War II ended. This became a Japanese martial art and was used to help educate them in self-defense in order to maintain the proper way of living in their nation, taking people from the wrong path and setting them on the right one for the future. No longer using it's Anathematic Art to cause destruction of the immediate area, an aura of might appeared once again, now more vigorous than before.

*"Prepare yourself, you got me earlier but now I'm back for revenge. You won't desecrate the graves of my friends any longer."*