Homecoming, Part 4

"The Hell's Jaw Mountain Range? Sounds scary," Austin shudders.

"I'd love to go there to test out my strength against those powerful demons!" Jamie booms.

"No, it wasn't fun," I reply as I sheepishly rub the back of my neck with an awkward chuckle. "Those demons kicked my ass for months before I was able to go toe-to-toe with them."

"Should we go get Ella now?" Grover pipes up.

"Er…yeah…" I awkwardly reply.

Truthfully, I wanted to go see Austin before Ella because, well…I still don't know how to face Ella, exactly, not after what I did to her. Not after…how she lost her eye protecting me. I don't have the right to look her in the eyes anymore. Well…eye.

"Is Ella at work right now?" Jamie asks.

"Naw, she's new to this whole Medical Slayer business, so she's got the night shifts. She should be asleep at home right now," Grover answers.

"So why did you come all the way here to see me before getting Ella?" Austin replies as he rolls his eyes.

"Well isn't that kind of rude to go wake her up now?" I nervously ask.

"Nah, Ella would be glad to see us, it's fine!" Grover cheerfully answers as he grabs both Austin and I by our wrists and drags us out of Austin's office.

The four of us exit the Technologies Development Branch building of the Slayer Organization Headquarters, but we don't get very far before a cloud of smoke rolls in.

"What the heck is this?!" Grover cries as he frantically looks across the smokescreen.

"A demon attack?!" Jamie asks.

Through the smoke, I see Grover draw his kunai knives, Jamie punch her hands together and turn her fists and wrists into iron, and Austin ready his mechanical arm into a gun.

"Don't worry guys, I got this," I say as I hold an arm out.

"You sure?" Austin asks me.

"Yeah," I answer as I peer over my shoulder at him, Grover, and Jamie and smirk. "You guys did want to see my demon powers, right?" I then turn back around to face forwards, looking for the supposed enemy.

"Alchemy: Lighting Smoke," a voice says from within the smoke, and instantly, the smoke cloud around us begins dissipating then turning into electricity, shocking the four of us, who drop to the ground, conclusion from electricity.

When the smoke dissipates, and I can see clearly again, I see two men standing before us, one man in an ugly red and olive green plaid dress shirt, and one man with ash-gray hair.

"Hey, you're that one Assassin I fought during Luis' promotion exam, Slayer Chishiki!" Jamie cries as she points an accusing finger towards the man in the plaid shirt.

"And you're the Assassin Nick fought, Slayer Hai," Austin announces as he points towards the man with ash colored hair.

Yeah, I was too busy being held up in my room during my "promotion exam," so I never really got a chance to even see what my Assassins looked like.

"After your friend -that black-haired kid who controlled shadows- killed Slayer Nuru, my partner, and Slayer Hachi killed Chishiki's partner, Slayer Hitoshī, the two of us decided to team up," Hai growls.

"And now we've come for your head, half demon!" Chishiki roars as he touches his hand to the floor, which begins bubbling with olive green Cursed Power. "Alchemy: Tar Floor!" Chishiki shouts as the floor below his hand begins to turn black and goopy, like tar, then fly towards me in the form of a straight line, before forming a circle of tar around me, causing me to begin sinking deep into the tar.

"Luis, dodge it!" Jamie cries. "If you're stuck in Chishiki's tar, you have no chance of escape!" But it's too late. I begin sinking even further and further into the tar, until I'm up to my shoulders.

"I've got a better plan! I reply as my veins begin to glow blue. You know what that means. "BLUE DEMON!" A burst of dark blue Cursed Power explodes out of my body, sending the tar flying away and allowing me to step out of it. I then revert back into my human form seconds later, other than the veins of my right katana-wielding arm remaining blue.

"You're going to regret not staying in your half demon form for this fight," Chishiki growls. "You'll need it."

"Somehow, I doubt that," I smirk back.

"Only some of your veins are glowing blue, Luis?" Grover asks.

"Yeah, that's something new that I can do!" I explain. "I can use a partial-demon transformation to increase my strength and power without expending too much energy!"

Chishiki then sends another wave of tar stretching across the ground towards me, as Hai sends a blast of ash flying my way, but before the two attacks can make contact with me, a giant, towering tornado spawns around me.

"Woah, Luis, impressive wind!" Grover booms.

"No, that's not me," I scowl, causing everyone else to raise their eyebrows. But when I realize who's wind is flying around me, I smirk. And surely enough, a man in a flight jacket and flight goggles jumps off of the building standing above the tornado and lands in the eye of the tornado, right before me, using a gust of wind to catch him from his fall.

"So I see you've been copying me-" I begin to say as the man stands back up to face me. "-Kaze!"

Slayer Kaze smirks back at me. "It's been a long time, Fūjin," he replies.

"Uhh…Luis, who's this?" Jamie butts in.

"This is the guy who I told you about from the tournament, the wind user I fought in the second round," I answer as I turn to face Jamie while also motioning to my fellow wind user. "Slayer Kaze."

"Remember what I told you after we fought, Luis?" Kaze asks.

"Huh?" I reply. "What?"

"To just call me "Jay"," Kaze-I mean Jay answers, causing me to awkwardly blush a bit.

"Oh…right…" I sheepishly reply as I rub the back of my neck. It's sort of been a while since I've seen Ka-Jay, so I kinda forgot that we're on a first name basis…

"Pleased to meet you," Jay adds from behind me, to my friends.

"So what are you doing here?" I ask as I turn back around to face Jay. "And uh …why are these two Assassins attacking me?"

"I'm one of the Pro Slayers who patrol this area, so I was told that when you, Luis Tramontana, Slayer Fūjin, step foot onto Slayer Organization territory, Assassins would be sent after you," Jay answers.

"What?! I thought we were over this?!" I cry.

"Don't worry, they aren't going to kill you, they're just trying to kidnap you and take you to go see the Chairman," Jay finishes.

"Yeah, that makes me feel muuuch better," I grumble as I roll my eyes. "Jay, undo your tornado please."

"Why? I figured we'd use my tornado as a diversion and I'll bring you to go see the Chairman peacefully?" Jay asks.

"I have some payback to dish out amongst these two," I explain as I turn to Jay with a smirk.

"Very well," Jay smirks back with a small nod, before allowing his tornado to dissipate. When it does, I'm standing facing the dazed faces of Chishiki and Hai.

"Now…" I begin to say as I reach for my katana and slowly begin drawing it, unraveling my katana from the blue cloth wrapped around it as I do so. "Let's get this party started!"

"Smokescreen: Assassin's Haven!" Hai shouts as he aims both of his palms at me. A rush of smoke escapes Hai's palms as it wraps around me in a giant cloud of fog, fully obstructing my view. "I know of your abilities, Tramontana, and I know that your pathetic Cursed Power Sensing won't be able to help you inside of my Smokescreen!" Hai booms, causing me to sigh.

Weird, why aren't they just calling me Fūjin?

"I was a kid when the Chairman sent you Assassins after me…" I begin to say.

"And what are you now?" Hai snickers. "A teenager? A man?"

"A DEMON!"

With my Air Control, locating enemies through a cloud of smoke would be child's play. But with the enhanced senses granted to me from my powerful half-demon body, I don't even need it.

Using my half-demon eyes, I pick up on faint movements from Hai thay disrupt the smoke cloud. Using those faint movements, I dash towards Hai with my half-demon speeds, faster than he can react. Swiftly, I slash Hai across the chest with my katana, sending him flying backwards as his chest erupts in blood.

"What the-!" Hai cries.

As for Chishiki, I then bring my palm into the air and emit a barrier of Cursed Power around my entire body before spinning it around rapidly then changing ym Cursed Power into wind, forming a tornado around my entire body then expanding it outwards, larger than even Jay's tornado.