Road to Recovery (Part 4)

"Kain! Lady Yakumo is in a state called Oni Rage! Even if she hasn't been active for decades, she still have considerable amount of strength!" Kiri said.

"Yeah, I can see that." I replied.

I checked her stats to see what is happening with her right now.

Aura at L(50) seems pretty overwhelming against my Aura at Tier XX(20), but I better make sure this doesn't drag out.

To deal with the rage, one must have someone that is closest to them or have an item that relates to that someone.

"Aria, get Onizakura. You're the fastest out of all of us. If you can't find her, ask the onis around." I said.

Aria nodded. She spread her wings and dashed out of the cave, leaving dust behind.

"Young Kain, can you restrain her again?" Friis said.

Before I replied, a message popped out.

[Incoming attack!]

*STAB!!*

I looked down to see that Yakumo has pierced my stomach with her hand imbued by her aura. With such incredible speed, I couldn't react in time even with my Though Acceleration. Also, with my Extreme Endurance and Earth Elemental Armor couldn't fully protect me.

*COUGH!*

I coughed up blood, staining her white cloth even further and more messages pop up in my head.

[Warning! Body Armor - Adamantine destroyed.]

[Warning! Adamantine Skin Destroyed.]

[Warning! Elemental Armor - Earth Destroyed.]

[Danger! Your stomach has been pierced!]

[Warning! Aura contamination detected.]

[Warning! You are bleeding!]

"Kain! You're bleeding!" Friis exclaimed in horror.

I clenched Yakumo's arm with my left hand and slammed her into the stone wall.

"RAAAGH!!" Yakumo tried to swing her free hand at me, but I caught it and put it against the wall to entrap her.

I then used Earth Magic to restrain her further and began extracting the aura again. But this time, I finish the extraction.

[Aura Extraction complete.]

[Attention. Yakumo is recovering, but is still in a rage state. Mental Magic is not recommended.]

I pulled Yakumo's hand out of my gut and stuck it into the wall to restrain her.

[Damage detected, now regenerating...]

[Now absorbing aura...]

After the messages, my wounds quickly close and stops my bleeding. With her no longer affected by Stagnation, I began to increase my magic tiers.

"System, Elemental Magic to Tier XL."

[EP required for all elemental magic to Tier XL: 40,000,000]

"Do it."

[Acknowledged. All elemental magics now risen to Tier XL.]

[All elements at Tier XXX reached. Unique Skill, Veteran Elementalist acquired.]

[All elements at Tier XL reached. Unique Skill, Master Elementalist acquired.]

With this I used more of the Earth Magic to restrain her legs and arms completely.

But that was short-lived when it came to Yakumo breaking free with her white aura.

"What should we do?" Kiri said, stepping back.

"Leave the cave. This might get messy." I said. I kept my eye contact on Yakumo and she dashed at me again.

*BOOM!*

She strikes me with her claws out of her white aura, but I caught it. The impact of our hands caused a shockwave and reverberated throughout the cave.

{Meanwhile...}

Inside the yurt, Onizakura opens her eyes and slowly gets up, holding her head.

"I'm in my room? How?" Onizakura said to herself. She then remember the time when a dark-skinned Oni Warlord with red jagged horns entered her village.

Upon seeing that particular oni, the repressed memories of her tragic past many years ago has been resurfaced.

A flash of an image shows her father fighting his father to protect his people in a brief moment and the image of her father dying. Then her mother shielding her from the particular oni's attacks.

The screams, the blades tearing flesh, blood being scattered, bones being crushed, she can vividly remember it, despite how long she lived.

One of the onis called out to her through an adjacent room.

"Lady Onizakura, are you awake? Chieftain Aria is here!" a female oni said.

"Aria?" Onizakura said.

"Chieftain Onizakura, you have to come quick!" Aria said with urgency. "It's regarding to your mother."

With Aria's words regarding about her mother, her weary eyes shot wide open, removing any form of fatigue. She dashed out of the yurt and meets Aria to ask her again.

"Is she awake!? Did anything change for the better for my mother!?" Onizakura asked Aria with desperation. "Please! Anything! I already lost my father, I don't want to lose her too!"

Onizakura grabbed Aria's arms, pleading for her mother's safety.

Then she felt something. Something she never knew she'll feel that same sensation again.

"This feeling...the aura...it's her!" Onizakura exclaimed.

*Shoom!*

Onizakura began sprinting, kicking large amounts of dirt. Aria flapped her wings and followed suit.

They ran to where the massive torii gate lie in front of the cave entrance and senses a strong aura.

Metsuka, Gourai, Friis, Kiri, and the onis run out of the cave and the sounds of battle echoes through the cave.

"Metsuka, Gourai, is my mother okay?" Onizakura asked.

"She's awake, but she's in a state of rage. Young Kain is in there trying to contain her rampage." Friis replied.

"Only you are capable of calming her down. But it must be done quickly." Kiri said.

Onizakura was shocked, shocked that she was awake at all. However, her mother is in a rampage and knows of her internal injuries.

Before Onizakura could speak, another explosion rang out of the cave, flashes of white light illuminate in the distance despite the sun still atop the sky. In the end, it is confirmed.

"She really is awake..." Onizakura gasped.

{Now...}

*BZZOOOOM!!*

Another flash of light came before me and I created a wall of stone to block the blast and confine her. I stepped back to the entrance.

I look at myself to see that my a flesh has been torn to a point some of my bones were visible.

"That aura and Flash Magic is insane. Even my increased resistance was struggling." I said to myself as my flesh begin to regenerate quickly.

"Kain, I brought her with you." Aria said.

"Oh good!" I said, quickly putting my hood over my head to cover my horns. I then turned to Aria and Onizakura.

"Kain...is my mother okay?" Onizakura said with anxiety, hoping that her mother being alive is true.

"Good news! Your mother is alive and awake." I said with a smile. Onizakura's eyes light up with hope that she'll see her mother well again.

"Bad news is that she is off her rocker." I said.

"Off her what?" Onizakura said.

*CRASH!!*

A loud crashing sound was heard in the cave entrance and I saw that the wall I made is cracking.

"Meaning, she is enraged and is getting harder for me to contain the damage." I said.

The stone wall cracks again and showing signs of crumbling.

"No time to explain. Once I grab her, you get close and calm her down." I said.

With my gesture, the stone wall I created crumbled to dust and Yakumo dashed towards me, enveloped in white aura.

*THOOOM!!*

Our hands collide, causing a massive shockwave around us. I was pushed back by a couple feet and those around me shielded their eyes from the wind.

"RAAAAGH!!" Yakumo snarled at me with ferocity of a raging beast, devoid of rational thinking, only instinct.

I used my shadow to create a clone of myself and restrain the arms and legs of Yakumo. Seeing that it's at Tier XL(40), I can keep it for a little longer.

"Mother..." Onizakura said, frozen in place. She remembers that her mother always smiles upon her and takes good care of her, including her father. She even smiled when she was afflicted with Aura Stagnation until Yakumo fell into a coma.

Now she's awake after all these years and is now in a rage state. Tears ran from Onizakura's eyes, hurt from the fact that she is seeing her mother ignoring her as she expected that she could recognize her.

"Hey! Don't stand there! I can only hold her for so long!" I yelled, seeing my shadow clone becoming undone. Onizakura snapped out of it and looked at her mother struggling to break free.

Onizakura walked up to her mother who is thrashing and gnashing her teeth, growling at something that is holding her.

Onizakura immediately hugged Yakumo and called out to her.

"Mother, it's okay! It's me, Onizakura!" She called out.

"GRAAAAH!!" Yakumo roared again, but Onizakura still held tightly.

"We're no longer in battle anymore, so it's okay!" Onizakura exclaimed. "Please come back, mother!"

Yakumo's eyes widen and the rage inside her slowly faded away. The blazing white aura she had soon retreated back into her body.

"Oni...Onizakura?" Yakumo said, blinking. Onizakura looked up and see her mother's face.

"Yes...it's me, mother." Onizakura smiled and tears began flowing.

I cancelled my shadow clone and allowed the two onis to get closer than before.

"How...long was I asleep?" Yakumo said.

"You were unconscious for over 100 years. You had a terrible case of Aura Stagnation and yet you stayed that way." Kiri explained.

"I see...thank you, Kiri." Yakumo smiled, bowing her head. Kiri shook his head.

"No, Lady Yakumo. I didn't contribute much. Kain Void is the one who saved you." Kiri said.

Yakumo looked up at me while Onizakura is holding her tightly with the intent that she won't go anywhere.

"You are Kain Void, right?" Yakumo said.

"Yeah. I am an oni, but my horns may traumatize you and your daughter." I said.

"Please, I wish to see my benefactor's face so that I can thank you properly." Yakumo insisted.

"Alright...but my horns will scare you." I warned them, but since they insist, I'll do it.

I pulled back my hood and show them my jagged horns. Onizakura instantly remembered what happened last time and jumped in front of Yakumo.

Onizakura trembled as she remembered Oumetsu coming towards her in attempt to drag her to war. Yakumo notices her body language that in her eyes, Onizakura is a scared child.

Onizakura began emitting a deep blue aura around her, ready to fight for her life.

"Woah, hey, hey, hey! I did warn you!" I yelled, stepping back to assume my defensive wrestling position.

"Lady Onizakura, please calm yourself! Kain is not our enemy!" Kiri protested.

"You will not...you will not hurt my mother again!" Onizakura yelled, ignoring our words.

Before she began attacking. Yakumo places her hand onto Onizakura's shoulder firmly. She looked back and sees Yakumo shake her head.

With a simple gesture, Onizakura's aura faded away.