Mt Iwaki Chapter 1

### Conflict

Yashamaru must find his way through the village, past the horrors that await him.

### Outcome

He encounters an Archdemon and begins to engage it in battle alongside a mysterious girl.

## Combatants

Yashamaru
Raktabi

## Powers & Abilities

Novice Level Manten Zetsuin-ryū
Ars Manus
Seithr
Ars Manus

## Damage Sustained/Casualties

Yashamaru begins the fight slightly injured.
Raktabi is not injured.

## Synopsis

This task was originally approached in a single-minded way: find his family and return back to camp, but it would not go this smoothly. There was something odd about the bandages that were wrapped around his torso, he does not remember tightening this well, which could only mean that someone else had found him within that cave during the time he was unconscious. Completely doing away with his initial objective, he headed through the snowstorm that got worse and worse as time went on, following a set of tracks that looked like they belonged to someone small in size, much like him. At the very top of the mountain he exited, away from the cave entrance stood eight silhouetted figures that gazed down at the youth who was headed towards the snow-covered village. After the incident leading up to the arrival of demons, people were only able to get by with limited resources and the watch of Orpheus who actively took means to make sure that everyone was protected as best as they could.

Getting closer to the village, the horror began to set in with blood splatter all over the alpine plants that were native to the location. The screams of those who were helpless fell on deaf ears, these creatures were merciless and did not have the level of rationality of demons higher on the food chain. Unable to gain power through worship, these primitive monsters only grew in strength by devouring humans that could not stand against their overwhelming might. A council of mages, spanning back as early as 931 B.C called the Götter Hexenkreis proposed the idea of incorporating a unique material made out of condensed eir into clothing to provide protection for at least a while against threats who could use eir or seithr, a material called Athrum. Athrum would create a thin-layered barrier around the individual that keeps them from being affected by demon blood spillage or attacks that are empowered with the quintessential force but this would only get so far.

In times like this, the defense only prolonged the inevitable. They could withstand a few attacks from demons, but since most of the population itself were nulls, another word for people without power, they had no way of going on the offensive and defensive tactics were not something that could be relied on forever. Even the clothing that Yashamaru wore had nearly been torn to shreds and despite this, he planned on hopping back into the action to see if he could meet the person who helped him.

*"They have to be out here somewhere. I hope they didn't go all the way back into the center of the village, it's not safe there, I barely made it out myself."*

The blade in Yashamaru's scabbard had seen better days, the edge was already completely chipped and it only had enough fight left in it for a few more swings. Having been trained by a rather meticulous mentor, he knew that his sword had been worse for wear but lacked the materials to fix them at the moment, even if he had the knowledge on how to do so.

*"That demon I fought earlier really gave me a run for my money, it's stronger than an ordinary one for sure and much faster than I expected. The story just started and already I'm being thrown through the wringer, what luck."*

Before the sound of shuffling snow could be replaced by heavy footsteps against solid floor tiles, a half-naked woman opened a sliding door, screaming while trying to fight against a demon that had invaded her home. Her nails dug into the solid tiles, practically scrapping up the asphalt. She was going to be slaughtered if someone didn't quickly come to her rescue.

*"HELP ME!!!"*

Yashamaru looked around to see who spoke those very words, but there was no one in sight, she had been on a completely different street. Following the noise, the pace of his steps became hurried as he clenched the saya in his hands. Unfortunately for the helpless woman the demon, almost the same size as a giant oni, had a grip that was incredibly tight. Without much effort, it was able to completely yank her back into the unseen interior closing the shoji right behind them. Approaching the sliding doors within such a short window of time, he spoke to clarify if this was the place.

*"Hello? Anyone here? I'm coming in."*

The smell of human blood was especially strong at the door and what awaited him beyond the sliding doors was a detached head, belonging to a woman who appeared to be in her early twenties. Her eyes were rolled back into her head as if she died from the fear of the attack itself. Slowly surveying the area with silent footsteps, the youngest Mikoto looked around, following the large trail of blood that lead to a storehouse in the basement. He opened the door steadily, creaking all the way until it was wide enough for him to pass through. Proceeding carefully down each stair, he came in contact with a demon who had been having his way with the separated body. The demon had grotesque features, such as multiple eyes, red skin and claws that looked like that they had not been trimmed since the day he was born. It's muscular back moving rhythmically while it mounted the corpse, trying to warm it up so that it would still be of use.

*'...I should have known...'*

When Yashamaru approached the demon who could not sense him, probably as a result of it being so low on the chain that it did not have good enough sensory skills, he accidentally stepped on a branch that had been in the basement, alerting the monster. The moment it tried to turn it's head, the ki within the young lad spiked tremendously so that he could utilize a technique belonging to the Manten School's Yin Branch.

*"First Form: Tsubame Gaeshi!"* (Tsubame Gaeshi otherwise known as Swallow Reversal is a famous technique used by Sasaki Kojiro. Since Yin Style is interchangeable unlike Yang Style, taking roots from the sword styles developed on earth, it was incorporated the practices of Yin.)

Mimicking the divine speed of a god, the chipped blade had been drawn as a glimmer of light passed through the medium. Numerous horizontal fissure tore through the fabric of space, cutting straight through the transverse process, spinous process and mandible regions of the spinal cord to have a clean beheading. The Tsubame Gaeshi was a technique that struck three specific places in the same instance at such a blinding speed, it appeared like a case of reality warping. A sizzling mark underneath the skull reflected how quickly he had been able to remove it's head from it's torso. The Manten Style is known for putting a lot of stress on the body to perform techniques, so he would have to be more careful when performing them in the future as he ended up caused slight internal damage just executing that one move without the proper physical build for it. Despite this, he hid the pain well.

Blue blood, scientifically called Isodyne, splattered all over the room and even began to disintegrate the human body that was underneath the nameless demon. As the blood sprayed onto Yashamaru, he was seemingly unfazed and had no signs of deterioration or decomposition. As a halfling, someone who descended from a human and a non-human parent, in his case, a demon parent, he was resistant to the effects of demon blood, especially ones that were lower evolutions than him.

*"I was late... again..."*

Staring at the corpses with the coldest eyes, he exited the home moments after and continued to go deeper into the village towards the center. The smell of a greater demon reached his nose, it was obvious that the demon he faced earlier and received an injury from had still be rummaging about. In the distance, he could make out a young girl, the same age as him who had been somehow keeping the archdemon occupied with her swordsmanship. She was dressed in a style one would have expected to see in the Meiji or Taisho era, with a crimson kimono top and a hakama of the same color. Her hair was braided into a forked ponytail, an aesthetic that gave her the air of a shinto devotee, similar to a miko or priestess. She made use of the Chudan no Kamae or middle stance, keeping her distance from the demon in the open courtyard but had a defensive posture in case it suddenly went on the attack.

*'I can help this time, I won't fail again, the future of this country is riding on me.'*

*"You know your way around a sword, miss?"*

*"Something like that, work with me."*

The sonic shout of the great demon by the name of Raktabi echoed throughout the night. Underneath the moon, they had nothing left to guide them to victory but their blades. However, Yashamaru knew to gauge how much more the sword could take. The mission now was to wrap things up as quickly as possible but with a monster that weights about eight-hundred kilograms, covered in spikes with an odd pair of hands, one being a razor and the other being tentacles it was not going to be an easy task. He had the advantage in overall power but their smaller frames gave them more agility and they had to weary of his anathematic art, the first scream was just a warning and nearby buildings had already began to crumble under the might of the creature. The old wounds he experienced began to ache having come in contact with the beast that originally inflicted them upon him, but a surge of strength came from within both of them as their ki began to rise to it's peak since they required the utmost concentration.

*"Let's go!"*

The valiant swordsman shouted while outstretching his left hand and holding his drawn katana with his right over his shoulder. With that, the chthonic monstrosity charged both of the adolescents at blinding speeds, intent on returning their souls to the wind.