A Stray Dog Meets the Devil

[Sengoku]

Buzz. Buzz.

A city-wide alert pinged in nearly everyone's phone in Kyoto, warning them of two rogue oni on the loose within city limits. Latest sightings indicate somewhere near the city outskirts with a man's half-eaten corpse already under investigation by both the Kyoto Police Department as well as the Ashikaga Clan that rules over the Kyoto Prefecture. Civilians are advised to stay within the urban areas and travel with caution, avoiding isolated routes if possible. The alert ensures everyone that Shinsengumi agents are already active within the city and are tracking down this rampant yokai.

This was one hour ago. Still no updates on incident.

On the edge of a park, there are sounds of a demonic roar as well as metal clashing against metal. Most civilians can go throughout their whole lives never experiencing a fight, blissfully ignorant of the violence the goes on beyond their mundane routines. For those well-versed in combat, this is all too familiar. Within the forest are a young man and a young woman, both half-dressed and holding each other in terror at the sight in front of them. Another young man around the same age as them was dressed in a red hoodie styled like samurai armor - except he was wearing actual plates on the shoulder while his arms were protected by actual guards. A menpō covered his face, though his scars remained on display. It isn't hard to connect the dots; this was a samurai, one that had more than enough spiritual energy to match a common yokai. And he was winning against this oni, one that was far above your ordinary lot.

Clang!

Another exchange between the oni's kanabo and his uchigatana. Any ordinary sword would have already shattered, but the fact that this katana remained unbroken was proof of his mastery over spiritual energy - it was his own will that was being channeled through the blade, not only protecting it from what should be lethal damage but also empowering it enough to cut that which ordinary warriors would be unable to strike at. The oni was breathing heavily, deep lacerations running across its body. The samurai had cuts and scratches all across his shoulder guards with a trickle of blood running down his forehead. The couple continued to cower in fear, yet they couldn't help but notice that despite the menpō covering the samurai's face, it felt like he was... grinning? Was he enjoying this? The oni roared once again as it lunged at the samurai. Yet the couple's eyes widened at the sight of what was to come.

Rank B Ability: Onigari「鬼狩り, "Devil Hunt"」

Another oni, this one armed with an uchigatana rather than a kanabo, manifested from the samurai's body and propelled forth at breakneck speeds, roaring with laughter. The sound of its blade striking the hostile oni's kanabo echoed throughout the forest. The sword-wielding oni was now behind the kanabo-wielding one, now staggered from the strike. The samurai then rushed forth at the same speed as the sword-wielding oni, mimicking both his speed and strength. Blood splattered against the trees, the leaves, and the grass beneath them. A few drops even got onto the barely-clothed couple, flinching and screaming at the warm droplets that hit their skin.

The rampaging oni growled, then let out a final breath as the top of its body slid diagonally onto the ground, leaving the bottom half to topple over the opposite direction. It muttered, "You... contract with prey...?" Its eyes met with the samurai's as the katana-wielding oni sheathed his blade, also looking at his dying kin with disgust. "You... slave to humans..."

"HA! HAHAHAHA!" The other oni bellowed with laughter. "The words of the weak and dying mean nothing! My strength will grow from this temporary servitude - meanwhile,  you die like the weakling you were born as. A disgrace to our kind, worm." The triumphant oni turns to the samurai. "What are you waiting for, boy? Put this maggot out of his misery! I grow tired of his barking!"

The samurai drives his uchigatana through the oni's head, right between the eyes. The blade runs straight through skull, flesh, and brain until it exits the other side and hits the dirt. At last, the rogue oni is still, its soul returned to the afterlife. The samurai wipes his sword with his sleeve and exhales slowly as his oni familiar spits on the rogue oni's corpse with contempt.

"You two need to find better areas to fuck," the samurai tells the couple as they still tremble in fear. "Get out. There's still another around. I don't have time to babysit civilians." The young man and young woman scramble to their feet and grab whatever clothes they can reach as they run out of the forest, not even bothering to dress themselves. Someone else's footsteps crunch upon the leaves and grass, approaching the samurai and his oni companion.

"Fresh meat," growls the oni as he turns to greet the newcomer with a sinister grin. "I think you've got a friend here, Naoyoshi my boy."

"If you're with the Ashikaga and Shinsengumi, then go fuck off. If I waited for you, there'd be two more civilian casualties on your hands," the samurai barks, not bothering to turn around.

[Umbraflamma]

The figure that was approaching was large, almost like an oni himself if a bit smaller. Standing at 6'4 and weighing half again as much as a standard person he walked at a slow methodical pace. AS they adjusted to his figure they would see a burning teal aura of flame  as he walked there was an odd gait, almost like a limp, and slung over his shoulder and across the back of his neck was a sign that was torn from the park grounds. It said "Clean up after your pets" and a picture of a dog littering with a red circle and cross through it. He wore a green trench coat that looked liek it had seen a lot of use and wear, beneath it was a black sleeveless shirt, cargo pants, and steel toed combat boots. Across his face the shadows from the leaves took on a strange shape as it looked like the shadows stitched a skull like pattern on his face, the shadows gathering around hid left eye so much it couldn't be seen, yet a matching glow existed as a pinprick where his eye should be.

"I... Just... want... five... fucking... minutes... of... fucking... peace..." each word of his dread rumble was punctuated with a step and his visible eye was wild with barely contained rage. A lit cigarette Emblazoned with the kanji "恐" symbolizing dread still hung in his clenched teeth. This man was not here for the joy of a fight, he was here to break someone or something, and it didn't look like he was overly discriminatory on who. "Who... The... Fuck... Started... This...?" The aura began to rage as he approached. "I... See Two Oni Fucks. Am I fucking breaking one of you or both of you?" he demanded. If someone dared to look at his feet They would see the beginnings of a shadow of a ten meter tall skeleton.

Naoyoshi's question answered it slightly, "I'm not with any of those chucklefucks. I'm here for some peace and quiet... but at this point." he turned to another oni skulking in the the trees. "I'll settle for your fucking corpse, or turning you into a kijo, I'm really not fucking picky right now..." he said this as he lifted the sign holding it like a battleaxe in both hands.

[Sengoku]

"Ho ho HO!" chortled the katana-wielding oni, his eyes widening with excitement. "I like this one, Naoyoshi my boy! He's got some bite to him! And he's even contracted like you!" The tree branches sway and the leaves shake as another ominous shadow looms over them, glowing eyes watching them like a wolf upon its prey. There was no need for the hunt to continue - it was time for the second clash.

With his back still turned, Naoyoshi's red hoodie had the Ii Clan's mon stitched in black in full display. When he turned around, he sported a cold, irritated expression, his eyebrows furrowed. He reached into his jacket's inner pocket and pulled out a golden badge with the same clan emblem now in his hand, brandishing it before the newcomer.

"Ii Naoyoshi. Ii Clan of the Kōzuke Prefecture. I'll deal with the disrespect later - now stand aside. This is samurai business." His voice carried authority and he spoke without fear. An unstoppable force meets an immovable object. "Akamaru, no fooling around. This one's weaker but smarter." As Naoyoshi walked past Ryo, Akamaru faded back out of existence, merging with Naoyoshi again. Once they were as one, Ryo would be able to detect a presence similar to himself - Naoyoshi and Akamaru shared an aura when they shared Naoyoshi's body as a vessel again. It felt as if Naoyoshi was the oni itself, complete with an aura of dread, though not directed at Ryo.

"Another day then, boy!" Akamaru's voice echoed to Ryo. "We're on the job today."

From the shrubbery emerges a grotesque humanoid shape that towers over both young men. A horrid visage of what could hardly be called a woman with horns, brandishing an oversized kitchen knife in her hand growls at them as she reveals her presence to them. The rancid odor of corpses stings Naoyoshi's nostrils, the entire ordeal offensive enough that Akamaru had to re-manifest himself to speak.

"FOUL HAG! This is an oni? Vile wretch!" Akamaru snaps at the monstrosity before it roars back at him. "Still, you'll make for a fine feast - your pathetic friend was not nearly enough to feed my thirst!" The red oni fades back into Naoyoshi as the samurai cracks his neck to the left then to the right. Without a word, he takes the jōdan no kamae stance, holding his uchigatana over his head. The stance for all-out offense, opening one's defense in a risky gambit for a powerful strike before being hit. The female oni gurgles for a moment at both Naoyoshi and Ryo - yet it chooses to lunge at Ryo. Naoyoshi can be heard shouting, "Fuck, MOVE!"

[Umbraflamma]

Ryo glared at them both, he was fearsome, but Ryo's face betrayed no sign of fear. Instead he simply kept glaring, unmoving. Even as naoyoshi walked past him he shrugged, "Don't give a shit who you're with." he said simply, he faced the figure in the bushes. And yet there was something different, There was some distinction between naoyoshi and akamaru, though conjoined it was possible to see and fell where one ended and the other began, for ryo there was no such distinction. They were not contracted they were fused, neither no longer completely what they once were.

The oni figure leapt at ryo who stood as still as a statue, his eyes following as it moved but making seemingly no move to avoid the attack, instead he shifted at the last second and the blade sunk into his shoulder. There was blood, but ryo didn't move, didn't scream in pain, didn't even blink as the blade bit into raw flesh. Instead he Spat his lit cigarette directly into the creatures eye, causing it to recoil as he brought the sign down with one hand, smashing it intro the creatures face narrow side first. Denting both it and the creatures skull as he tore the dagger out of his shoulder with the other hand. Good tendons were ok, he successfully took it in a non-critical area. He brought the sign down again, this time causing the sight to break off over the head of the oni, knocking it to the ground as the sign itself went spiraling off, missing naoyoshi by a millimeter as it half embedded itself in a tree twisted and stained with oni blood. Ryo however wasn't done, the flames gathering in intensity as he suddenly reverse the grip of the metal pole and plunged the sharp broken end through the yokai's back and stomach, nailing it to the ground as the flames gathered in his left hand. He crushed them as a Skeletal looking Kote with clawed fingers appeared in his hand.

[Rank B Ability: 魂喰い Tamashī kui (Soul Eater)]

He plunged his fist int the weakened skull of the oni, prying apart it's horns as his hands grasped and tore out some kind of flame from it, and the light of life in it's eyes died. Ge brought the flames to his mouth and bit into them, the wound on his shoulder burning away. "What was that about moving?" He asked the samurai his deep voice rumbling in an unyielding fashion, "And you think I aint respectful enough? You got a problem with me?" the kote around his left hand and forearms burned away, the aura from before was less intense now, and slowly beginning to subside. He then finished the bottle of tauriner xx he had half finished and stored in a chest pocket,before tossing it into a trash can.

[Sengoku]

And like that, the female oni was brutalized in mere seconds, despite successfully landing a strike on this vagabond-looking stranger. His choice to stay put and eat the knife head-on was bold, though one could argue it was foolish as well. Yet Naoyoshi respected the tactic. Such recklessness was part of the Ii Clan's playbook, forgoing one's safety if it meant they could land a harder strike on the foe. With both rogue yokai slain, Naoyoshi and Ryo were now surrounded by the serene noises of nature again. The sound of leaves rustling in the wind. The chirps and squeaks of wildlife. This also meant that their shared threats were disposed of - now came time to address the disrespect.

"Speaking to a samurai like that means you're either brave, stupid, or both," states the red-jacketed samurai, stepping forth. He was no gripping his uchigatana with both hands, but the fact that it remained unsheathed in his right hand was a hint for what was to come. "So which one is it?"

Now would come the aura of dread. Standing roughly three meters away from each other, a sense of fear and dread radiated from Naoyoshi - or was it actually Akamaru, the oni sharing his body? It was not strong enough to stun Ryo, though he could tell that most people below his caliber would very well be frozen in fear if faced with this dread. It was still enough to send the young man a clear message: Ii Naoyoshi is not a foe to be trifled with. He still stood there with his blade by his side, as if waiting for a challenge.

Plenty of samurai out there boast that they are high and mighty, though they often fall short when it is revealed that they lack the might to back up their pride. This one was different.

[Umbraflamma]

"I don't know a damn thing about your clan or whatever, frankly i couldn't care less." he said as he took a wide stance, he felt that formidable feeling and knew there was a lot to be concerned about with this young man should they come to blows, yet ryo wasn't one to back down. "Respect is earned, I dont care about your lineage your clan, or whatever isn't you. What have you done that I should respect. What have you done for me?" he asked. the flaming aura began to build again, his shadow elongating, "I dunno depends on whether or not I die i guess." he said answering Nayoshi's question.

Ryo was not going to take back his words, and it was likely naoyoshi wouldn't relent. In Ryo's mind the samurai didn't do shit to help him, and any respect he would have would be for the individual. He would grant respect on naoyoshi's own merits, and for now all he had seen was arrogance, immediately looking down on him as if he were lesser. "I don't like how you just talk down to me, when you don't know shit about me. You want respect, show me you deserve it."

He was clearly unbothered by the fear that naoyoshi's aura elicited, It was clear he was someone of uncommon willpower and determination. Whoever he was, he was clearly skilled. Still naoyoshi clearly had the advantage of actually having a weapon. Ryo wasn't going to make the first move but it was clear, if Naoyoshi wanted him to take his words back, Naoyoshi had to make him

[Sengoku]

Both hands gripped the uchigatana's handle once more. The middle stance, chūdan no kamae, was the basis of kenjutsu and the most well-balanced of the stances, with the sword poised for offense and defense in the center of the body. Naoyoshi's expression remained unchanging and emotionless. There was no anger behind the menpō - only intensity.

"Respect goes both ways, ronin. Not gonna waste my breath explaining protocol to civilian," Naoyoshi warned Ryo, his footsteps crunching on the fallen leaves and grass. For a moment, Akamaru reappeared behind Naoyoshi, arms crossed with a fanged grin on his face.

"FINALLY! Unfit to be appetizers, those weaklings!" The oni bellowed with laughter as he unsheathed his own uchigatana and mimicked Naoyoshi's stance. "Now we feast!" In his hands, Akamaru's blade would be classified as a full-sized nodachi rather than uchigatana, a testament to the size difference between a human and an oni. The standoff now escalated - violence was unavoidable now. For better or worse, this was the way of the warrior. The path of blood and steel.

"We settle this the traditional way - now make your move. For your sake, don't miss."

[Umbraflamma]

The two contrasted heavy, as ryo dropped his jacket, the garment falling to the ground with an audible thud. It sounded heavy, as he reached to the left and his left fist closed around the pole. There was a rictus grin on his face as if he was enjoying cutting loose. He realized that by issuing the challenge and taking that stance his opponent was planning two things. First was the fact that he took a more defensive stance than the one he used on the oni, meaning he respected ryo's strength. He was baiting ryo into an attack and if earlier was anything to go by, the oni behind him could move and strike independently. A head on attack would be suicide, but if he wanted to bring weapons into this... Ryo twisted the pole before wrenching it out of the dead female oni, with viscera twirled around it.

If he was going to survive the approach he needed to get tricky. Ryo started runnign towards naoyoshi, he was not fast however he didn't need to be. With a sudden twist as he got to about a meter and a half from naoyoshi he swung the pole around knocking the oni viscera loose as it aimed to splatter on naoyoshi's face and neck. Intending to go for the eyes. The same movement that dislodged the viscera also allowed him to shift it into a two handed grap spinning it around the other way as if it were a spear as he jabbed a measured attack from ryo's right, hollow metal whistling through the air as the sharp jagged spear tip aimed directly at naoyoshi's left kidney. He wasn't fast running, but the agility and violence of his sudden pivot was disconcerting coming from a guy as large as ryo.

[Sengoku]

Blood hit Naoyoshi in the left eye and forced it close. An unexpected move, but this was proof that Ryosuke was not a mere pretender - he fights for real. Which means Naoyoshi has no need to hold back as an equal. Though one eye was incapacitated, Naoyoshi could still see the sharpened end of the pole striking from Ryo's right side which aimed for Naoyoshi's left side. Combined with his remaining open eye and his reflexes, Naoyoshi was still able to react.

His katana screeched as it slid against the improvised spear, running its way up towards Ryo's arm and neck. One did not need to completely block or deflect an attack - to simply direct off-course is more efficient, even allowing the defender to perform a riposte. In most situations, the spear trumps the sword with its range advantage. But what happens when the swordsman gets past the lethal area of the spear and closes the distance? The incoming uchigatana was proof that Naoyoshi has beaten spearmen before. A redirection of a thrust and an immediate counterattack. Naoyoshi pushed the offensive once again.

[Umbraflamma]

Naoyoshi didn't try to avoid or knock away the viscera, he was trained and he wasn't squeamish. The sudden reversal would have struck true on most opponent's, those who had not lived most of their lives in duel to the death fights with no holds barred and weapons allowed would have taken the blow to the neck and died on the spot. it was an elegant strike but ryo knew better than to commit to such an attack, rather than holding firm, he twisted the spear knocking the strike off target as he stepped back, The blade biting into ryos left shoulder in a shallow cut as he stepped back, a crescent of crimson stained the ground as ryo didn't even flinch from the cut. Blood poured fresh down his arm, yet he paid it no mind, shifted the handedness on his pole from wielding it like a spear to wielding it like a fighting staff. The fight turned and now naoyoshi drew first blood, ryo was seemingly on the backfoot as he took a more defensive stance.

[Sengoku]

A shoulder cut, just enough to draw blood. But Naoyoshi still missed his mark. Rather, Ryo also redirected an attack. The man may have lacked formal martial arts training but these movements are that of an experienced fighter. Rookies seldom have such reaction speed, and fewer still can take a wound without even flinching. The one was tough, Naoyoshi had to give him credit there. The question remained: how long could his foe keep going? And how would he fare if Naoyoshi were to land a deeper cut?

Following through on the momentum of the deflected swing, Naoyoshi's uchigatana would arc down this time. In kenjutsu, this was the infamous kabuto-wari - the helm-splitter. Far faster than the previous swing, this downward stroke took advantage of the uchigatana's curved edge and gravity's pull on it. The blade was almost whistling as it came down Ryo's head - a killing blow.

[Umbraflamma]

Ryo saw the vertical attack coming and lifted his pole to defend, stopping the blade in the air as the hollow steel pole took the blow sparks flying as the force of the blow impacted. The two metals screeching as the pole started to crumple. Ryo saw it coming and had an idea. The blue flame aura gathering around him as his shadow lengthened. He stepped back for a second as the pole broke, naoyoshi's delayed strike moving through, however instead of striking at his head, the blade arced toward his chest.

[Rank C Ability: 死者の回復力 Shisha no kaifuku-ryoku (resilience of the dead)]

As the blade struck his chest a layer of bone armor appeared causing the blade to graze down ryo's body leaving a trail of bluish-green flame, bruising his ribs as it passed but otherwise leaving him intact as ryo wasted no time steeping in and swung an immediate right hook counterpunch directly at naoyoshi's chin on the side he had blinded earlier, hoping that the commitment to such a vaunted and powerful attack as the kabuto-wari, plus the fact that the eye on the side the punch was coming from would leave him open enough for ryo to break or at least bruise naoyoshi's jaw. Ryo was in real close now, and He was boith determined and unyielding, where others would be rushed down or bowled over, ryo stood his ground and struck back. Now ryo's massive fist was headed towards naoyoshi's face with all the force of both his arm strength and his core muscles.

[Sengoku]

Crrrack.

Ryo's fist chipped the oni menpō and left a jagged line running down the left side of the mouth, though much like its owner, the mask refused to shatter. An ordinary man should have died twice over against Naoyoshi at this point. Ryosuke's ability to cheat death and fight through pain was beyond that of a normal man, that much was given. No, his durability put him above most fighters that can manipulate spiritual energy. With that discovery, Naoyoshi now understood as he felt his jaw popping and tasted blood spilling between his teeth: to fight Ryosuke was to fight a brick wall that punched back.

But this fight was not over. A man like Naoyoshi will only admit defeat once his soul left his body. A samurai to the end. However, a diehard attitude alone was not enough to survive a punch with this amount of force behind it. This was still a solid hit, yet Naoyoshi moved with the punch, lessening the damage by just a miniscule amount. This was enough to make the difference between popping his jaw and outright shattering it - the menpō's cracked visage was also proof that Naoyoshi was a smart fighter, taking full advantage of what little armor he wore over civilian clothing. As Naoyoshi used his whole body to move with Ryosuke's punch, he allowed himself to tumble and roll across the grass. Not only would this create distance to reset their battle, but the momentum would help soften the blow.

Yet before Naoyoshi was knocked off his feet, Ryosuke would have seen a menacing glare even as his fist collided against Naoyoshi's skull. Most people who get punched for the first time in their life tend to get stunned, unable to process that they were struck by someone for the first time. But a seasoned brawler like Ryosuke would be able to tell: this was not Naoyoshi's first brutal scrap. The man was already preparing his next move, eating the punch as a tradeoff.

As the red-jacketed samurai rose back up to his feet by utilizing the momentum to bounce back up, he sheathed his uchigatana yet his hands remained on the handle and scabbard. Iaijutsu. The next move was Ryosuke's, but he would have to be careful. Countless battles throughout history have been ended by a single stroke of an iaijutsu practioner.

[Umbraflamma]

The satisfying crack was not quite what we wanted but he'd take it. Naoyoshi was sent rolling to avoid the worst of the damage and probably a concussion. Ryo had knocked men cold with that punch before, now he had someone that could roll with the punches.

That was a laugh that rose from ryo's throat as his body shook with both mirth and excitement. The adrenaline was pumping in a way he had rarely felt before, and there was something to this fight that was deeply satisfying. IT wasn't quite the kind of brawl he enjoyed but it was good to face someone that could take one of his punches and still have daylight in their eyes. He lifted his fist and licked his knuckles, slowing the blood drip from them as he raised his voice,  "You asshole... you're makin this fun." he said as he assesed the situation. An Iiai strike was likely going to be fatal to him, he had no proper weapon for dealing with that, however he did have the environment. Looking to the right he saw a trashcan on the path and started walking to the side, positioning it within reach on the charge. "I don't know about you, but man, this is the best fight i've had in a while. Maybe you do deserve some respect."

Ryo meant what he said but it was also a pretext, as he suddenly turned and threw one of the halves of the pole at him with enough force to embed into a tree if it missed. He started running immediately after, charging towards naoyoshi, a massive weight moving towards him like a train. as he neared the trash barrel he grabbed it. Swinging it in front of him like a plow, protecting himself as he came down on naoyoshi like a freight train. giving him precious little time to react or get out of the way.

[Sengoku]

The bottom half of Naoyoshi's face remained hidden behind the cracked menpō. As far as Ryosuke could tell, the samurai remained emotionless, eyes still trained on him. Sheer, unbroken focus. The eyes of a trained fighter. A warrior. When it came time to react to Ryosuke's makeshift javelin toss via the the broken pole, Naoyoshi side-stepped the jagged strip of metal as it whistled by his ear, nearly skewering a tree upon impact.

But that was a mere distraction. The beast of a man that was Ryosuke was bearing down an entire trash barrel made of metal onto Naoyoshi. Even if he had his full set of armor, this would end the fight if left unanswered. There was little else to do but to call forth Akamaru.

Onikiri「鬼切, "Devil Cutter"」

The red oni manifested behind Naoyoshi, holding the same iai stance as the samurai. When Naoyoshi drew forth his uchigatana, so too did Akamaru, roaring with laughter. Two blades struck the trash barrel, one of high-quality steel reinforced by Naoyoshi's spiritual energy and the other a spectral blade of fiendish energy fueled by Akamaru's natural yokai nature. The trash barrel was torn apart as if the samurai and oni had just cut through a bamboo chute as part of a kenjutsu demonstration. The sheer force of the strike sent a shock wave the cut down two trees while lacerating a third one with deep cuts. Ryosuke cheated death once again for had it not been for the metal trash barrel acting absorbing the brunt of the cuts, he himself would bear the full force of this combined strike.

Yet for all that power, Naoyoshi was now put in a moment of vulnerability: his arm was outstretched in order to provide the full motion of a proper iai slash.