Torn Part
––
|| CHAPTER 17 | Torn Part ||
"How would it feel like to have one of your limbs torn away? Would it hurt so bad that you can't even feel anything? Or will it feel like nothing depending on how fast you tear it?
"Livings are weak and fragile creatures. The power they wield is nothing more than a sliver of false hope they hold onto for dear life.
"One sting would make some shout their lungs out and losing one or two limbs would shatter their whole world. One jab and they would gag their hearts out–– dying is better than suffering, they say.
"Truly, they are worth pitying, is what the others would say."
––
"Let's do this quickly, Kumo, Kyou!" Ruka commanded.
"Yeah."
"Aye, aye!"
Two of the younger Ichimoris spread out, leaving their eldest brother to stand in the middle. Trained from little, their speed made them look like they disappear from the demons' watchful eyes, leaving only hungry red orbs to set on Ruka's steady form.
The blonde kicked two of the demons by their stomachs and threw them towards several other demons as they stumbled back, falling into the pool of black.
He held onto one of the demons' horns and swing back while chanting quickly through gritted teeth, "Viridi Silva: Lignum Vitae!!"
A large towering tree grew quickly from the ground, beneath the blood.
Starting from some spiralling roots that slowly went up into a form of life that looked as if it had lived for thousands of years.
It cleared most of the dark liquid in the crumbling area.
The tree grew taller and bigger every beat until it finally stopped when it reached higher than where the cave ceiling used to loom over them.
Emerald-like leaves sprouted from the big branches of the tree, with similar-tinted blades of greens growing around the tree's wild roots. The stained gem-like leaves rustled against each other, giving them the feel of walking through a forest of fruits and blooms.
The way the tree whistles with the winds brought them to where the forests reside within Xenorynth. The echoing breeze that flew past them kissed their skin cold through the moonlit night.
Every wind that flowed, every bird that chirped.
–– it was as though they weren't standing in a cave in the first place.
Truly, what wonders magic could do.
Ruka wasn't a member of the Ichimori Clan for nought. Specializing in the attribute his family excels in the most was a must for an heir to the clan that the phoenix had blessed.
The tree the blonde cast let out a fragrant smell from its leaves as they covered the vermilion moonlight, preventing the demons from regenerating themselves.
Something about that tree was despised by the demons that let out blood-curling shrieks.
Some remained quiet and endured the pain, others couldn't take it and several disintegrated into ashes. However, seeing how those demons rivalled the Spirit Wielders in terms of power, most survived.
Ten down, 990 left...
The youngest of the three grimaced at how much was left, even after his brother's spell. To him, that one Rune-based spell was one of Ruka's strongest.
To see that only ten or so demons fell into the underworld made his stomach turn upwards.
Can they... win against those demons like this...?
Kumo swiftly elbowed one of them in the stomach, jabbed several in the eyes and then high kicking most of them in the head. The boy did that in mere seconds and gracefully land on top of one of their floating bodies above the blood flood.
Fourteen down, 976 left...
"This will take longer than expected..." Kumo muttered with worry and brought his thumb to his lips, taking a small bite of his nail. "Even Ruka-niisan's spell didn't take out much of their kind."
Standing nearby, Kyou seemed to hear Kumo's concerned mumbles and glanced back for a hot second. He looked back ahead and swept the ground with the tips of his fingers, letting Mother Nature's spikes do the work.
"Don't worry too much, Kumo," the older male yelled out and grinned. "All will pass due time! Though I'm not the smartest nor am I the cleverest one here, I know full well that this will be over soon."
Ocean-blue eyes widened at Kyou's statements.
How could their owner not notice it before?
Of course. Even if they're facing demons with unknown powers here, Kumo should really calm down and take a deep breath.
'Think of them just like your past missions,' the boy calmed himself down and locked his gaze with the crimson-eyed demons.
'They're nothing but enemies to be defeated.'
Kyou's grin spread wider on his face when he spotted the extremely focused gaze Kumo had, piercing through the demon's rotten core. 'That's it.'
The brunet looked at his own horde of enemies rushing towards him, racing to be the fastest to feast upon him. As much as he's flattered to be the centre of attention, now was really not the time to dally around in the middle of blood-hungry creatures.
"Spirit Summon: Mud Golem – Geyshuse!!!"
A giant figure made out of mud and dirt was formed. Some of the dark liquid was absorbed by it, making it grow bigger and bigger every second it stood there. Its beady eyes were black, glaring silently at the demons.
"Geyshuse!" Kyou addressed the giant figure, known as a 'golem,' this one was made out of dirt and mud to be exact.
He ran towards it, climbing quickly onto its head. Kyou stood straight on it while pointing his index finger towards the crowds of corrupted demons.
Kyou commanded the giant figure of mud, "Geyshuse, the Pillar of Wrath and Jealousy, I order you as your master to defeat those corrupted demons and protect my allies!! You are allowed to use any means necessary."
The golem of mud nodded curtly and ran towards the troop of black-winged demons. Its size and weight caused the ground to shook as the demons all flew rapidly, charging at the pair.
Kumo took this chance to cast his spell for the first time in this long battle.
With silver dust grouping on top of his soft palms, Kumo blew the bitters of white away with the winds and whispered, "Winter Magic: Glacial Sough."
A cold wind came out of his mouth as he blew towards the demons, aiming for their wings in particular. The ground became frozen, along with some of the demons' wings and feet. A few of them even froze completely inside an ice cube.
They fell to the ground hard, and the ice that glaciated their body parts shattered into pieces.
Those who were frozen completely also had the same fate, dying as they also broke into bigger parts. Broken ice crystals and pieced decorated the night air.
Nine down, 967 left...
"That was... colder than I expected." Kumo rubbed his two hands together and shivered. "Why did I use that spell again? It was bone-chilling."
He questioned his decision whilst he shivered from the cold. He sneezed a little before continuing to cast more–– aiming at the demons, of course.
"Ugh!! There's too much of them!!!" Kyou complained with an annoyed grunt, helping his mud partner to attack the demons that were swarming them.
The brown golem had crushed the demons, and it continued to do so, following its master's order. Little by little, it managed to crush the demons flat with its heavy body–– one of the few advantages of being a golem.
Twenty-three down, 944 left...
"Terram Formatam: Frangit Petram - Twenty Percent!!!"
Rocks gathered around Kyou's right hand, covering his entire arm, making it looked like he's wearing a stone gauntlet.
The stone edges around his knuckled thicken and sharpened the moment he punched one of the demons.
The red-eyed demon was thrown hard backwards, hitting the others in the process. They flew a good, miles away. Kumo went to check on them, confirming they were indeed lying there, dead and unbreathing.
Thirty-one down, 913 left...
"Ooh! That was a nasty punch to the face!" Kumo exclaimed from far away, loud enough for Ruka and Kyou to hear, "At least they're dead!"
"Really?? That was easier than I thought–– GAH!!"
He grunted the last part as he punched another bunch once again. "Would you guys stop coming from behind me?!" poor Kyou shrieked his lungs out towards the demons that charged at him.
"Terram Formatam: Frangit Petram - Thirty-five Percent!!!"
Stones and minerals covered his arm and half of his body, with the arm and hand being thicker and sharper. Blades emerged from his knuckles and elbow, replacing the sharpened rocks. He clawed three to five demons in one swipe of his hand.
–– in reality, he swiped three times.
Fifteen down, 898 left...
⠀
⠀
⠀
Two demons came up behind him and sank their teeth into his left elbow and arm.
Kyou didn't have any time to react as they brought him with them to the air. One of them sank their teeth deeper and ripped off his sleeve.
"W–– ARGH!!!"
An ear-splitting scream escaped his lips as the demons bit down harder and deeper, turning their teeth around to get a good taste of not only his blood but his flesh as well.
What seemed to be a black liquid was seen flowing through his veins, under his slightly toned skin. Protruding from below, they looked like they were about to burst upon contact.
Kyou grunted in excruciating agony and his magic was neutralized instantly. The rocks that were covering his body and the golem that he summoned before disappeared. Slowly, his energy was drained and his sense of sight began to blur out.
"GET!! OFF OF!! ME!!! U-URGHH...!!!"
The second one ripped his arm off right after his spell was neutralized.
He screamed more in pain and torment with his eyes wide this time as the two demons let go of him, causing him to fall from a great height.
Bulging eyes and opened mouth, Kyou felt like suffering in the underworld didn't count to the amount of pain he felt at the moment. The moment where everything went blurry and his mind wouldn't work the way he wanted to.
–– and the moment his powers were stripped away from him.
"ARGHHH!!!"
"Kyou-niisan...!!"
"KYOU!!!"
Kumo and Ruka ran towards their sibling but was stopped by demons blocking their path to the cacao-brown-haired male.
"AGAIN...!! WHAT IS WITH THESE MONSTERS...?!!" Kumo yelled to himself in frustration as Ruka yelled angrily at them.
The word "monsters" was an understatement of what they view the demons as. They weren't monsters, any longer.
Those blood-hungry creatures were something worse than a monster.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!" Ruka's face turned into those of fury and concern for his younger brother.
His hands swept through the see of demons coming at him. One throw to the side and the winds followed his command without much of a word.
Another swing to the left the demons without any room to breathe due to the holes forming in their bodies. It seemed that angering the heir to the Ichimori Clan was a bad step on their side.
They stepped on a landmine, that's for sure.
"COMMAND MAGIC: SEPARATE!!!"
Anger and horror were clear in Ruka's voice as he demanded quickly of the demons. His voice got hoarse from all the screaming of his brother's name he was used to hearing every day by all the ruckus made in their household.
⠀
The name he would say when the owner of that identity did something wrong.
⠀
The name he would call out to when trouble came.
⠀
The name he would speak each day upon the growing morning bells.
⠀
Memories of the past shattered upon seeing Kyou's deformed figure falling through the air, splitting it in half. The corrupted devils were forced to make way for the honey blonde boy. He ran rapidly towards his falling brother.
"KYOU!"
"WINTER MAGIC: FROST VEIL!!!" Kumo cried out while struggling to hold off the pesky demons.
A cold, soft cloth formed from thin air as it made its way towards Kyou, cushioning him while wrapping around his body. Parts of it were drenched in red as it covered the badly injured male.
"U-Urgh!!!" the wrapped boy yelped in pain as his blood kept flowing out of his wound.
The white-coloured cloth tightens itself around his wound, attempting to stop the bleeding. He was placed down gently by the cloak as if it had a mind of its own.
Unfortunately, it didn't stop bleeding.
Ruka hastily knelt beside the brunet, ignoring the stinging pain he got when his knees scraped the earth. He tore off the bottom part of his yellow-checker shirt, revealing some of his well-built body.
He bandaged Kyou's torn arm, wrapping it tightly yet carefully in hope of stopping the bleeding. "Kyou…!! Hang in there!" called Ruka in a slight panic.
Trembling hands repeated the same course that the cloth went through. Around and under, over and below, Ruka tried his best to support Kyou's fading energy with his own mana, despite not being a great supporter on the battlefield.
"Kyou-niisan, you're not allowed to die yet! Not now!!"
"U-Ugh!!! ARGHHH!!!"
The brunet was sweating profusely. His cacao-brown hair was sticking to his forehead because of the sweats, curling up at the end.
Clutched eyes craved for daylight, but alas, the scarlet moonlit night took over their dream. It was more of a fleeting hope that went away soon after seeing that the slightest energy reserved for seeing was no longer there.
"UGH!!"
"Kyou-niisan!!!" Kumo cried out from where he was, dealing with the rest of the demons. He kicked one in the shin, then elbowed him on the jaw, breaking it.
"Argh!"
His eyes turned red for a second as he stabbed his hand to that one demon. "A-Argh!!! YOU'RE JUST A MERE HUMAN!!! HOW DARE YOU––"
⠀
⠀
⠀
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!!
"I'll make sure that even the underworld doesn't welcome you to its home!!"
⠀
⠀
⠀
|| CHAPTER 17 | Torn Part - To be continued... ||
––