The thin, translucent film of the Hollow Wicker Basket shimred around Kashimo, vibrating under the pressure of the domain.
"That was close," Sawara's voice drifted through the gloom. It was raspy, carrying the shaky relief of a man who had just looked into the abyss. His face was still a haze of white steam as his reverse technique worked to knit his features back together. Within the mist, his expression was a blur, but the raw, red outline of a new face was slowly taking shape. "You nearly took my head off."
Kashimo didn't bother answering.
His attention was on the shadows shifting at his feet. The Great Serpent erged from the dark, its massive, armored body coiling with a rhythmic, lethal grace. Above, Nue spread its wings, its feathers crackling with the sa blue-white electricity that humd through Kashimo's own veins.
The Great Serpent struck first.
Its maw opened in a wide, vertical lung, fangs glinting as it snapped at Kashimo's torso. It moved with a speed that defied its size, closing the gap in a heartbeat. At the sa instant, Nue dove from the sky, the lightning gathered between its wings discharging in a series of blinding pillars.
He was pinned between the earth and the sky.
Kashimo let his energy explode.
A blinding glare of blue-white light erupted from his skin, a violent discharge of cursed energy that tore outward in every direction. The Great Serpent's head was caught in the center of the blast, its scales and bone disintegrating into a spray of at before it could even finish the strike.
He reached upward with one hand. His fingers locked around Nue's talons with a jarring, tallic snap.
The bird struggled in his grip, its wings beating frantically as it tried to pull away, but the lightning it discharged simply grounded itself against the barrier of the Hollow Wicker Basket. Kashimo didn't give it a second chance. He drove a foot into the bird's chest.
The impact sounded like a cannon shot. Nue was sent hurtling through the air, a broken mass of feathers and bone flying toward Sawara.
Sawara stood his ground. His face was nearly finished healing, and his one functional eye tracked the incoming projectile. He didn't move.
Just before the bird's body could collide with him, a massive weight slamd into Kashimo from the side.
The force of the impact sent Kashimo spinning. It was a brutal, overwhelming montum that he couldn't brace against. He was sent tumbling across the domain, his body skipping over the dark ground like a stone over water. He slamd a hand into the dirt just before he hit the outer shell of the domain, using the friction to right himself and skid to a halt.
He looked up.
The Piercing Ox stood where he had been, its massive chest heaving. Under the influence of the domain, the beast had grown to a terrifying size, its breath coming in hot, cursed clouds.
A jet of water whistled through the air from his flank. Kashimo pivoted, the stream narrowly missing his shoulder and slamming into the domain's boundary with a sharp hiss. The ground where it landed was instantly eaten away, leaving a smoking, jagged pit.
Max Elephant. The massive creature stood a short distance away, its trunk raised and aid like a siege engine.
Kashimo spat into the dirt. He looked past the shikigami to the center of the domain, where Sawara was finally wiping the last of the steam from his face.
The user. If the user fell, the world fell with him.
Kashimo pushed off, the ground exploding beneath his feet.
He was a blur of blue-white light, moving with a speed that left the Ox and the Elephant behind. The Great Serpent was a mory, and Nue was still struggling to rise. He was a predator closing in on his prey.
Fifty paces. Thirty. Ten.
Sawara's new face was set in a grim mask. He watched Kashimo close the distance, the reflection of the lightning dancing in his pupils.
Suddenly, a massive shape lunged from the shadows to block his path.
Mourning Tiger.
The beast's eyes glowed with a predatory hunger, its fangs bared as a low, rumbling growl vibrated in its throat. Kashimo didn't slow down. He drove a lightning-wrapped fist into the tiger's chest.
Flesh tore and bone snapped as the blow buried itself in the beast's torso. Purple blood sprayed across Kashimo's robes, but the tiger was large enough to absorb the hit without falling. It roared, a sound that shook the domain, but Kashimo was already inside its guard.
He wrapped his arms around the beast's neck, locking his grip in a tight, rciless choke. His muscles coiled and his veins stood out against his skin as he funneled a concentrated charge into his forearms.
The tiger thrashed, its claws carving deep trenches into the earth, its tail whipping the air in a frenzy. But Kashimo's grip was like iron. He twisted.
The sound was a wet, sickening crack.
The tiger's thrashing stopped instantly. Its massive body went limp, collapsing like a fallen titan. Kashimo let go and stood up.
He was holding the beast's head.
Dark purple blood dripped from the jagged neck, pooling on the shadow-covered floor. The tiger's eyes remained open, frozen in a final look of primal shock.
Across the clearing, Sawara stared.
His new face twisted into a mask of pure, unadulterated rage. His eyes bulged, the veins in his forehead throbbed, and his voice ca out in a distorted, high-pitched scream.
"You brat!" Sawara's roar shook the very air of the domain. "I'll grind you down until there's nothing left but scraps for my Divine Dogs!"
Kashimo didn't answer.
He tossed the tiger's head aside, letting it roll into the shadows with a dull thud. He started to move forward again, his pace steady and deliberate. Each step made the ground beneath the shadows tremble.
Sawara moved to et him.
The distance between them vanished. At the sa ti, the Piercing Ox charged from the side, its bulk adding to the pressure of the exchange.
The two n collided.
The sound of their fists hitting ho was a series of heavy, muffled thuds. Sawara threw a punch at Kashimo's face; Kashimo slipped the blow and drove an elbow into the Zenin master's ribs. Sawara caught the strike on his forearm and countered with a hook to Kashimo's stomach.
Kashimo didn't dodge.
The blow landed with a heavy jolt, rattling his ribs and sinking into his gut, but he didn't even blink. In the sa heartbeat, he landed a punch of his own under Sawara's ribs.
They both groaned, retreating half a step before lunging back in.
The Ox's massive hoof slamd down beside them, but they moved through the chaos as if the beast weren't there. They traded strikes with a frantic, lethal rhythm.
Punches. Kicks. Elbows. Knees.
Every collision sent a shockwave through the domain, cracking the ground and churning the shadows. Sawara's taijutsu was formidable. You didn't beco the head of the Zenin clan through luck alone. Every move he made was the product of a thousand years of family history and a lifeti of brutal refinent.
But Kashimo was faster.
He was more savage. He was more willing to die.
His fists were always a fraction of a second ahead of Sawara's guard. His knees found openings before Sawara could pivot. He was willing to take a punch if it ant landing two; he would absorb a kick if he could respond with three elbows.
They tore into each other in a blur of motion that the Piercing Ox couldn't follow.
Another collision sent them reeling. They backed away, ten paces between them, both gasping for air.
Sawara was bleeding from the mouth. His left eye was swollen shut, a deep, bruised fist-mark was visible on his ribs, and his right arm was shaking.
Kashimo stood steady.
His face was cut and his robes were soaked in blood, but his eyes were wide and bright. A slow, jagged smile spread across his lips.
Sawara stared at that smile, a cold knot of dread forming in his stomach.
He had given everything. He had used the Ox, the Elephant, the Tiger, the Serpent, and the bird. He had used every scrap of his martial training.
And the man across from him was still smiling.
Even with the domain and the shikigami at his back, he was losing the physical exchange.
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A/n: Thanks for the power stones, guys. New goal: 600 power stones = 1 bonus chapter. Don't forget to vote with your power stones!!
For early access to 15 chapters ahead: p@tre~~/Demonic_Fiction (Link is in the synopsis and my profile).
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