Chapter 20:Bloodbath
"It's been a while,Irai."
"Wait a minute…"I scratched my head,confused.His face,their faces seemed so familiar.
"Kibo?Red?Aizakku it's the bandit you fought and the suicidal man from my house!"Kibo chuckled.
A green aura illuminated his hands.A red aura coated…
Red's hand.A red aura being called Red while there's a blood red moon.
Strange.
Why after all this time would they come only now?
"WHERE'S CELESTIAL?"Aizakku demanded.
"Under our control.With another demon sorcerer you might have heard of,Sosu."
"How the hell did you manage to get two demon sorcerers under your control?""
"We stole Celestial's cursed moonstone and summoned a blood moon.Any that's not in a clan won't turn on each other and will be prey of raven. Or crows?But not us. We have ability manipulation for the past few hours,learning it bit by bit.But we still need to maintain our balance.Now enough talking,I'll let the puppet masters do the work!"
Kibo and Red stepped to the side.A large dome around Tokyo imprisoned us.Celestial and Sosu teleported rapidly from one place to another until getting close to us.
Other people and creatures were trapped in the dome too.
"EVERYBODY,LISTEN UP!THIS IS THE BLOOD MOON EVENT. NO FOOD OR WATER IS ALLOWED!"Celestial shouted across the area.
"STICK TO YOUR CLANS BECAUSE YOU'LL HAVE TO FIGHT OTHER ONES.THE BLOOD MOON WILL LAST FOR SIX HOURS BUT EVERY HOUR FEELS LIKE A DAY. SO THE BLOOD MOON WILL LAST FOR SIX DAYS!THATS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW."
Sosu finished off the speech and the two demon sorcerers teleported again from our sight.Everybody's eyes turned red.Including mine.
"Maku,Aizakku and Yanagi.You're all in my clan. We need to fight together.Our friends have turned against us."
"Where do we start?I pointed North.
"That forest is where we can get supplies."
"Follow me then."Aizakku stated. We chased after him like dogs on a leash.SPLASH!SPLASH!That was the sound of rotting mud going against our shoes.
Vines and large bushes covered most of the forest.Crows abandoned their nests and eggs,soaring off into the night sky.
Their eyes…the crows eyes were red.Not just the clans but animals too. It made sense because in a way they were apart of the cursed crow clan.Aizakku turned to see if anyone was following us and sighed in relief.
"It's the forest with the magical tree…I RECOGNISE IT!"Maku grinned under the moonlight's illumination. He laughed vigorously before wiping the sticky saliva from his lips.
"Welcome back Irai,Maku and…new faces."
"Magical tree don't worry,these two are apart of the Genshi clan."
"Understood.I sense an evil presence nearby."
"It's a bloodmoon."
"A BLOODMOON?OH MY EYES HAVEN'T SEEN SUCH AN EVENT EVER SINCE THE LUXURIOUS MOONSTONE LANDED IN TOKYO!"
"Everyone's scared. We had to abandon a serpent,one human and a draco because of this macabre madness."
"A gravity manipulation user?Such power…so much power.Nobody in history has fully mastered gravity manipulation due to it's complexity."
"Not even demon sorcerers?"
"Not even them…I'm quite impressed how quick that ranker mastered his manipulation,obviously he's nowhere near full potential but if he keeps this chaos up then he might be able to surpass everybody."
"Then what the hell do we do?"
"Hide in this shelter,I'll add a defensive bubble around which shouldn't let that ranker get through,what's his name?"
"Red,a criminal who has one hundred and seventy five million yen laying on his head."
"That's a high bounty,rankers aren't even trying to make a networth,they want power and control.Corrupt like-"
The tree stopped in his tracks,realising royal blood stood before him.
"Other corrupt governments.I'm not even sure how or why they get elected!"He chuckled quietly.Aizakku frowned in disbelief.What a jerk he must have thought!
We entered the shelter made out of tough thick wood which was durable for things like storms or wild animals scavenging.
"Cover your mouths."We all nodded and obeyed.Thunder roamed around the skies. It struck trees down and fire blazed within them.Flies circled the forest in attempt to chew down on the burning wood.I could hear trees being knocked over as if it were some chess game.
Chess…Kraven's favourite game.
"Do we just hide here until it's over?"Yanagi whimpered.
"We're not gonna hide here for six days straight are we?"
I giggled and placed my right hand on her shoulder.
"Yanagi don't stress.Everybody will make it out alive as long as we stick together."We all smiled yet lacked eye contact.
The humid air built up around the shelter.
The tiny gaps between planks of wood allowed smoke to entered.
I coughed and coughed with nothing to protect me from the smoke besides the silk I was wearing.
Irai breath.
"Just breath…"
I told myself to inhale and exhale repeatedly.
"My skin is so sticky.This weather practically makes us look like pre cooked dough waiting to rise while we're being burnt like crisp!"
"Yanagi it will be alright just like Irai said."Aizakku opened the palm of his hand.Ice sprouted out of it. He nodded and we all took a piece.
"Bite it,it's the only food we have right now.Besides,ice is crunchy and I tried not to make it too cold."
"Thanks Aizakku,although I wish…we wish you could have made this sooner."
"No problem sweetheart."
He kissed Yanagi on the cheek and continued craving the ice.
Cold mist emerged from it. So transparent and so cold. No more hesitating.I chomped down the ice and it tasted like nothing.
But that didn't matter.What mattered was the texture.Aizakku was right. It's frosty but really crunchy and feels good for the little bits to sit and melt inside your mouth.Finally,the noise began to wear off.
"There's still an eerie presence in the area."The tree shook his head to see where the aura was coming from.
"I can't quite place my finger on where the scent is coming from either…"
The sky was red.A painted canvas symbolising the curse of the bloodmoon.
Yes I felt hatred for my friends but there was still empathy in my heart.That was enough proof to show the curse was already wearing off.But six days?Six days of this crap and I'll turn mental.
"Irai come out it's safe!"The group had already left the shelter while I was left day dreaming.Damn that went fast.I stood up and patted the dust off from my lap and made my way down the wooden stairs.
"The sky,it's a light red.I can see the blood moon from a great distance."Aizakku admired.
"Now's not the time to gaze at astronomy,we've got clans to kill!"
Maku was automatically excited again.Unpredictable behaviour huh…my over thinking might be getting in the way again.But when was the last time where I overthinked and was wrong?Can't think of one memory.After drinking from the water we lurked through the dark spaces in the forest and waiting for the villagers to run off like mindless zombies.
"Shhhh."I placed my index finger on my mouth.
"Try to stay silent?"Maku shrugged.I nodded in response. It was like an elephant stampede.Not one villager noticed us which was perfect.
We went unnoticed and it was great.
After the villagers passed us,we stepped out onto the battle field to see nothing but a vast spread land with separate bodies covering the ground.
"Wait a minute…we left Kimiko in the castle."
I bolted back to the building and swung the doors open.Every room was empty,nobody was there.
"Irai wait!"Yanagi huffed and puffed.
"She escaped."
"She's in cursed chains,where would she go to?"
"Not sure.But she couldn't have run far."Maku and Aizakku caught up to us.
"Well…is she in there?"
"Nope.She escaped but she couldn't have run that far."
"What if she didn't run?What if she's hiding."
"Good point Yanagi. We should spread out to cover more ground."
"NO!"Aizakku shouted.
"Keep your voice down before others gather round this place!"
"We aren't splitting up. It's safer to stick together."
"Let's do a vote.I vote to spread out."Maku raised his hand in agreement.
"I vote to stay together."Yanagi joined Aizzaku obviously.
"Irai,everything's up to you,what do you want to do?"
"I suppose…"Aizakku looked me dead in the eye. He's still angry even when he's on our side. Is it himself or the bloodmoon?
"I suppose I'll stay together…"
"Smart choice.Now Irai and Maku,I'll be taking control."I didn't say anything.
We hurdled up like a bunch of lamb and crept along the dusty floors of the atmosphere. It was quiet,too quiet. An old man lunged at us with an axe in his hand.His teeth were decaying,I could smell it meters away.
"YANAGI OUT THE WAY!"I shoved her just before the man could slash her.
Aizakku's hand turned frosty blue and he threw a shard into the man's direction.SLASH!A faint noise covered the perimeter.Jam like blood poured down his eye vigorously. He fell to his knees and looked up at us in guilt.I stared back down as the wind blew my clothes.The man opened his mouth and stuttered against the wind's particles.
"What do you have to say for yourself?"I demanded.
"People like you…they don't deserve…to live…"He fell face first to the ground.
A wave of dust surrounded his face.I took a few steps back,nodded to Aizakku and we kept on walking. We had to be careful.The outsiders here are brutal.They'll jump out of nowhere.Whether it's alone or in groups you need to be careful.
The forest must have been raided by now. It was a smart choice to wait out the crowd so that there's less problems. We rested in the shade of an old rock.
"What now?"Yanagi wiped the sweat off her forehead.
"We need food…and water."Aizakku scratched his head.
"What do we eat and drink then?Red said we can't have any real food.."
"Well,there's not a lot of water in the dessert but since it's nighttime is should be cooler. We could start by looking for cactuses."
"Already found one."Maku cut open the massive plant and reached his palms out for fresh water."
"GREAT JOB!"I bolted towards the cactus and slightly shoved Maku.
"Save some for us!"The others ran towards the cactus and we surrounded it in a few seconds. We drained the entire thing to fulfill our thirst.
Meanwhile,Sosu and Celestial were on a killing spree.They entered a village full of strong,muscular humans who looked like they haven't slept once in their lives.
"Hey,you're not supposed to be here.Navajo I think?"One of the villagers dropped there basket and frowned.Commotion spread through the crowd but the two demons stood their ground.
Just like that,the strongest man pushed through the crowds and came face to face with Sosu and Celestial.
"Outsiders huh?"He questioned.
"Celestial,we've found more prey.More puppets to toy with!"
"Red aura for the strongest one,all the others are green."
"All the villagers should move aside then,we'll kill them last."
"You won't be killing anyone!"He took off his mask and revealed that he was Chief Lenny.
"A police officer protecting a village…you knew we were coming,didn't you?"Sosu laughed uncontrollably. He wiped a tear from his eye and looked at Chief Lenny again.
"Of course I knew you were coming!Any ranker with chromo visualling could sense a demon sorcerer's aura from a mile away."
"Admiring our strength huh?"Celestial finally spoke.
"That's one way to put it.Anyways enough blabbering.Everybody step back,I'll deal with this."
"Lenny,you're only a Tier four against special tiers!There's a big gap between you and them.Not even you're aura manipulation is enough defence against them!"
The villagers cried.They tried to persuade Lenny to stop but he was to ignorant.
"I may die in the process but…"He took his jacket off and threw it on the floor.
"I may die atleast I'll die as a hero with honour…"He took a stance and held his sword firmly.
"Go easy on him Celestial,he's not that easy to defeat remember?It'll take some time to kill him and he'll damage us so be strategic and fast."
"Got it."
Celestial placed her hand out and created and illusion grid,the dimension where she casts her powers against enemies.
All the villagers got pushed out and the wall acted as a barrier against the two dimensions.
The grid was made up of rainbow and black squares.Celestial and Sosu flew into the air and dashed towards Lenny. He blocked their punches using his enchanted electric sword.
Three birds fighting mid air.
Two against one.
The ratio was unfair.
Celestial kicked Lenny's head like a ball and he flew towards Sosu who grabbed him by the leg and twisted it.Lenny crashed into the illusion wall,creating dense cracks.
He wasn't going to flee from the battle though,if Lenny was going to die,then he was going to die with honour.Not by being a coward and running away just because he's on the brink of death.
Celestial snapped her fingers.Lenny couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't.
He was strapped down in cursed chains like a rat in a trap.Three velvet chairs for all of them to sit in.Celestial had a piece of paper with the tip of a dove's feather covered in ink.
Sosu crossed his arms and legs,tilting his head slightly to Lenny.
"What the hell is this?We were fighting a minute ago!"
"Take some time off Lenny."Celestial whispered.She was trying to manipulate Lenny but he was resisting it.
"Why did you guys strap me here?Why are you sitting down and resting!"
"It's a therapy session,only for two minutes then we'll kill you."Lenny widened his eyes. He gasped but didn't know what to say.
"What's on your mind Lenny?"
"Well…I'm doing alright.I get paid a lot for doing my job and protecting people in Japan."
"Do you work as a police officer to protect the people or is it just for money?Think about it really. Do youactually care about the citizens or are you doing it for money?"
"I suppose…"
"Make up your mind,be honest."
"Both.I care about both.I need the money to provide for myself.But I also care about the citizens."
"So would you rather save all the citizens in Japan for no money or kill all of them for loads of money?"
"Why are you asking me this?"
"Just answer the question please."
"The first option obviously,who do you think I am?"
"Fair enough,I guess you're human after all."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It just means that you're using your sentience for good.Anyways,what's the relationship with your family?Any of them still living?"
"Both of my parents are alive. My Grandpa died last November,two days after his birthday which was November 1st."
"I see…"
"I don't have any siblings but I had a pet lizard."
"Had?"
"My parents sold him for money when I was ten.I cried for days,hoping my pet lizard would come back but he didn't…"
"It must be devastating to lose a childhood pet.Luckily that's never happened to me."
Celestial chuckled.Lenny shedded a tear while still being restricted by the cursed chains.
"Anyways,what's your favourite food?"
"I suppose…enchaladas?Tacos?There's loads of foods that come to mind."
"Basic but ok.What do you do in your free time?"
"I do wrestling and poetry or I plant seeds for fruits to grow in my garden."
"That's a good mix.A bit of physical activity,one to express your thoughts and one to take care of nature."
"I suppose you could put it like that."
"Last question,do you think you deserve to live?"
"What kind of question is THAT?"
"Just answer it…"
"Of course I deserve to live."
"Give me three reasons why."
"To start off,I'm an officer protecting people from the evil in this world.I'm a good person who's kind to people and takes care of nature.Finally,I think I should live because all lives are equal.Nobody is above anyone else no matter how big of an impact you've made in this world or to other people.I think murderers should live just as much as I should because they have a chance to change."
Celestial nodded her head and wrote down a few things on the paper.
"Those are some good reasons.Better than I expected actually.And you said that without fear in the tone of your voice meaning you didn't realise I still wanted to kill you."
"You still want to…kill me?A hero of Japan?"
"I'll kill anyone I please,excluding my clan."
"No wonder your race has demon at the start of it.Because you're all evil!"
"No we aren't evil we're just eliminating outsiders to stay out of the picture and not get in the way of our killing spree."
"Perhaps it's the effect of the bloodmoon."
"Just because it's a bloodmoon…doesn't mean it makes us automatically evil."
"I'm one of the few that realised yet I still have to kill you."
"Then do it,be free I dare you."
Free?What did she mean to be free?Freedom?Is that what she meant?Lenny questioned his responses but twisted his sore wrists after the cursed chains retracted into two holes of the chair. He looked around and saw his enchanted electric sword broken in half.
"No!"
"Tsk,too bad that you don't have any weapons.You're revolvers disintegrated too when I activated the grid."
"I didn't notice…wait Celestial I have one more question!"
"What is it?"
"Why did you question me?You said it was a therapy session but that's not a good answer.Nobody in a fight would retreat in the first minute. So why?"
"You figured it out…"
"What exactly?"
"I wasn't going to tell you this but you're on the verge of finding out so I'll explain it.I take my victims and learn information about them to manipulate their mind,their dreams.Demon sorcerers like Sosu and I can appear in dreams,another dimension caused by the mind.After all the information is collected,I add a person to my Memory Lane.A dream world where I place all the memories of people I've interrogated."
"Where can I find this…Memory Lane?"
"Soon.I can activate it anytime I want at any person I want as long as I know them."
"What's the point of collecting information about people if you're just going to kill them?"
"Good point.I only kill the people with useless information."
"Then why am I still alive?"
"Because you're not useless.You have some type of childhood trauma and you gave me three reasons to live therefore I'm keeping you alive."
"YOU SAID YOU WERE GOING TO KILL ME!"
"I was testing you,to see how scared you were.But I can tell that you're also brave."
"Where did your friend go?"Celestial turned around and saw the chair empty.
"Wait here officer."Celestial ran out of the grid and saw a cloaked figure soaked in blood. It was Sosu. He turned around with his eye wide open. He was holding…an organ in both of his hands.
"Sausages!Who knew the human body could be packed with SO MUCH FOOD?"
He took a bite out of the organ despite not having a mouth,his body took it in as food and chewed it up.
"That's not sausages Sosu it's intestines."
"W-wh-what are you talking about Celestial?Try some,it's good!"
Celestial snatched a piece of the ripped intestine and took a bite.
"THATS…really good."
"TOLD YOU!TAKE SOME MORE!"
"No thanks I'm alright."
"Suit yourself,more for me!"
Sosu gobbled and chopped down the muscles of all the dead villagers.A bloodbath. It happened so quickly.Hearts,livers,guts were just splattered everywhere along with blood.
"Wow.I haven't had a meal this good in a while."Sosu wiped his face with his cloak.Just as Celestial turned around,the wall of the grid burst open.Lenny had sweat running down his forehead. He was sprinting for his life.
"ANOTHER ONE?"
"Sosu no!Let him live. He deserves to live."
"But why?"
"I know he's an enemy but I need to keep him for my Memory Lane."
"Can't I take one of his limbs atleast?"
"Nope.Don't lay a finger on him."Sosu sighed deeply.
"Y'know Celestial,you can be a bit boring sometimes."
"I'm boring for the sake of or lives."
"Oh please. As if anyone we know can kill us!Aizakku and Kraven are strong.They have a good chance of beating us.But if demon sorcerers had more endurance and stamina,we'd be unstoppable!"
"Alright Sosu enough blabbering,let's go now. Onto the next village I guess."