60

AN: In short, work, school work, and the sudden notification of more school work delayed this. I had three essays due simultaneously and then got notified that I needed to finish my bibliography for my dissertation before we got back from the winter break. The bibliography wasn't even on my radar till the email came through smh. Onto the actual chapter though, this is the culmination of a lot of small things that were happening in the early parts of this arc and all those details will become clear in this chapter and the following ones. The contents might seem sudden initially but everything will make sense. I had a lot of fun with the latter half of this chapter and hope it turned out as good for you all as I think it did. Happy 2023 everyone and I enjoy this new chapter!

Chapter Text

"How did the call go?" Kintoki asks as I walk back into his office.

I smile, thinking back to the conversation I just had with my disciple, "It went well thanks. We should get back to business or else Yaeko will fall asleep."

Yaeko groans and slumps further down into the sofa she's lazing on. "Do we have to? We could do anything other than talk about profit margins and numbers in general."

Kintoki rolls his eyes and I snort in amusement, "You say that like you've been contributing."

"Contributing? Who do you think is keeping all the Oni in this gang under control when you're not here?" She scowls at me.

"I would've guessed it was Kintoki." I shoot back with a shrug, "Or are you saying he isn't stronger than you are?"

She grumbles at that but concedes the point. Kintoki chuckles only to catch a glare from Yaeko and instead smother the laugh semi-successfully.

The relationship between them sets a good precedent for the other Oni that have come to Kyoto recently. Hopefully, they look to them as an example and if they're interested in a relationship find someone who isn't a baseline human. That would be problematic for any number of reasons from the fragility of most humans to the monstrous disparity in power relationships.

"Where were we then?" I hum as I sit across from Kintoki and put my prior thoughts on the back burner.

What we had already covered was the majority of our income sources and how they had been affected in the wake of my sweeping changes. It has been long enough since my takeover and the implementation of my new policies that we could see the earliest results.

The gambling centres were relatively untouched and showed a consistent level of performance because of that. Pachinko is something that the people in our territory are going to spend money on regardless of what we do and the underground Majong and card game gambling are the same but with that added flavour that it's illegal and therefore more exciting.

The clubs and fighting rings experienced minor increases in profit due to side benefits caused by the change of our 'protection scheme'. This is in the sense that the actual protection rather than armed coercion created a safer environment where the people were more willing to spend their money in our territory.

The loosely veiled prostitution in the form of soaplands, love hotels with an affiliated escort service, and massage parlours suffered a decrease in income due to my distaste. The women who still wanted to work in those institutions kept their jobs but with greater pay and increased security.

Those that didn't were filtered out in three ways.

Some kept plying their trade and the skills they learned in seduction at newly opened hostess clubs.

There they can get paid to act interested in lonely people and ply them with food and alcohol. This came with the side benefit of being able to party without having to go all the way with the customers. In fact, it was more important that they never went all the way but rather hovered right on that tantalizing edge as though there was a chance.

They keep interested customers coming back and spending their wages again and again. All on the chance that the delusion these lonely people had was real and our girls were attracted to them.

Or sometimes, one-time customers would be goaded into getting blackout drunk. Then our girls can just max out the customer's cards once they've passed out and won't remember the rest of the night. On paper they would've simply spent a fortune on a wild night they don't remember.

Next, the women who wanted to get out of that sort of work altogether but still remain working for us were filtered into other businesses. Along with new territory, there is no shortage of new job opportunities.

The final group who wanted out of the Golden Dragons altogether were given a comfortable severance package that ensured they wouldn't mention their previous employer to anyone.

Still, all that reorganizing of those workers means that sector of our businesses took a large loss due to my orders.

The only thing left to cover is the spoils of war.

After looking over the data I shrug, "That's a decent haul."

Kintoki shakes his head with a grin, "I would say it's a lot more than 'decent'. We've made a ton of money since you started going after the Hell King Legion."

He holds glances at a paper on his desk, "Money, territory, weapons, and drugs have come into our control in massive quantities. Fighting with them has been great for business."

Yaeko chimes in sarcastically from the sofa, "Yeah, money is so great. Stupid human villages and their paper."

I try to laugh but my heart isn't in it.

The truth is all the waiting and slow fighting has been getting boring. Especially since the devils seem to have no interest in defending anything properly. The one property that was defended by a devil was Lillian who I defeated while Tobio watched.

The worst part is that I agree with Yaeko of all people.

This focus on profit for the gang is boorish and lame. The things I want in this life aren't ones I can buy with money. Not that I can't afford the things I do need money for, I'm actually comfortably well off.

The Golden Dragons are a group that runs on money, and ignoring the criminal aspect, is more or less a corporation. I understand that our members need money and therefore we need to keep expanding our profits. That doesn't change the fact it's becoming increasingly annoying to deal with in reality.

The idea of this turf war was fun but the scale and violence of it isn't enough to satisfy me. I want an actual fight, not some clandestine exchange of territory.

"The territory we've been taking has been less profitable lately but things are still looking good." Kintoki looks happy as he reads the report but I latch onto that last point.

"Less profitable?" I ask, sitting up straighter in excitement.

If I need to change the paradigm by latching on to this minute point, you bet I will.

Kintoki notices and looks at me warily, "Yes, the locations we've hit have had less inside them and have had fewer defences when we arrive recently."

I grin, "So they know where we're hitting before we do?"

Kintoki frowns, "It's possible."

"We should do something unexpected then! How about taking out their leaders?" I nod along with my own plan

While we're having this conversation, I start to sense someone I don't recognize sneaking through the club towards the office. It wouldn't be anything to note if not for the fact they're trying so hard to suppress their presence and the butler attire they're clothed in.

Of all the things to wear to sneak into a club, a prim and proper suit, finely coiffed hair, and crisp white gloves aren't the best disguise.

They're not carrying any weapons and even if they try something I can react quickly so I mostly ignore them while keeping my attention on Kintoki.

"We have no information on where they are." Kintoki rebukes with a raised brow, "Besides, the accountants say we will make more money if this conflict keeps going. It keeps our members busy and in fighting shape which is what we're paying them for."

"There's still another group to go after." I point out, ignoring his other more valid point. "Come on dude, don't tell me you enjoy this slow strategic crap."

"Why are you asking me, Ibaraki? You're the boss, if you want something then say it." He sighs combing his hair back with his hand.

"Don't do that compliant simpering." I shoot back with a frown, "I'm asking you about this because it is beginning to bore me. But if you think it's better to continue this way, I want to know."

"Yeah, Ibaraki, it fucking bores me to just order 'troops' to march and hear about our 'successes' from accountants, lawyers, and businessmen." He growls and static fills the air.

He glances at his axe which is resting up against his desk, "I'm the reincarnation of one of this country's greatest warriors but I'm playing around as a 'general' in this caricature of a war. I'd rather it be finished than continue this charade as it is."

"Is that so?" All three of us glance at the doorway to see a butler of all things standing there.

There is an explosive crack as Kintoki's axe embeds itself in the doorframe beside the butler's head. The butler seems unphased as he adjusts his necktie.

"Parley?" He asks and I laugh at his audacious entrance.

"Sure, come on in and introduce yourself." The butler bows slightly and enters.

At the same time, Kintoki's axe sparks again before rocketing back into his grip.

I turn to him with a raised eyebrow, wondering when he learned to do that but he waves off my interest.

I pout even if I recognize now isn't the time to ask. I'll ask him when he learned to do that later.

Focusing back on the butler, I sense the suppressed demonic power now that he's closer. I don't have much of a reference to compare their power to, considering Lillian is the only devil I've been around really, but his reserves contain many times the demonic power she has.

It's probably substantial, yet isn't overwhelming to the point where I would be astonished by the amount. Relative potency of Demonic power to say, mana, is something I have no knowledge of to base a power level off but if I had to guess… High, no Low-Ultimate Class levels on Demonic power.

His Ki is minuscule, lower than most humans so he probably isn't a fighter but Devils aren't naturally gifted in any facet of the Sage Arts as a rule. Lillian also has lower Ki than a normal human and, even if it's a problematic comparison, Akeno as a Fallen Angel hybrid has less Ki due to the conversion of most of it into Holy power.

Straightening out in front of us he dips down into a grandiose-sweeping bow, "Greetings, Ibaraki-Douji, Sakata Kintoki, and company."

I watch in mute shock and slight horror at the odd display of a fantasy-like, court-adjacent manner of introduction. It's so out of touch with the time and place it puts me on a back foot immediately and I only dimly notice the inaccuracy of information for my name.

I let that go without comment, however, because knowing they have gaps in their intel is more advantageous to me than pointing them out.

"I've come on behalf of my King. After long though she has decided that this conflict is no longer one she wishes to entertain, though I understand if my words are not enough." He clears his throat and pulls an honest to god letter with a wax seal out from the inside of his jacket.

Who besides supernatural nobility would entertain such an outdated formality as hand-delivered letters? Especially Pure-Blooded Devils.

"Dear Ibaraki-Douji, Leader of the Golden Dragons, Chief of the Oni, Dragonslayer,"

My eyebrows rise higher at each successive title uttered, internally wondering why they bothered with the formality.

The butler doesn't notice and continues to read the letter aloud.

"I hope this letter finds you well, and I apologize for any distress the sudden communication may have brought. As I could contact you at any time, I merely thought that it would be best to do so when you could discuss this letter's contents among your advisors."

My eye twitches at the blatant threat.

"You have been quite insistent with your efforts to interrupt my business recently and it has reached the point where I'm willing to spare a modicum of attention to it. To that end, I propose a small, informal meeting between us to lay down our differences and cease these games.

If you are amenable to a cessation of hostilities, you may follow my attendant after taking some time to deliberate with your advisors. Take care to arrive on time, for I'm quite busy.

Regards,

Yura-Ann, Daughter of the Great Marquis of Hell, Shax, 44th Family of the 72 Pillars"

The tone of the letter was grating and mocking the entire way through and now I definitely want to beat the smug attitude out of this Devil. The wording presented the current conflict between our groups as nothing more than an inconvenience and despite my earlier lack of interest in this war, the disparaging of it pisses me off.

"There are no objections to me leaving right?" I ask rhetorically as I stand up.

"No, we'll take care of things here while you're gone," Kintoki replies without hesitation.

"Yeah, don't worry about us and have fun, boss," Yaeko says with a wide smile, probably picking up on how angry I am and predicting a fight.

"Lead the way," The butler nods at my command.

"If you will be patient for a moment we can leave immediately." He then proceeds to draw out his demonic power, a glowing magic circle appearing beneath his feet and gradually growing large until both of us are standing on it.

In a flash of light, we teleport from Kintoki's office.

When my vision clears and we've arrived at the destination of the teleportation, I'm disappointed to see it wasn't an ambush.

Granted, it would've been a cliche trap but I would have enjoyed fighting my way out of it.

Instead of an army of enemies, the place we arrive in is a sanitised environment; pure white paint, devoid of decoration or people, save for those present at the lone table in the centre.

I take a moment to scan the area with both mundane and Ki senses. Everything seems fine at first glance but there's this faint buzzing at the edge of my perception, like a static or a veil. It isn't an illusion since I can't feel any active mana or Demonic power in the air but it's clearly a manipulation of perceived reality all the same.

The floor feels real to the touch but there's an impression of moisture, almost like a cold brick wall. The air smells clean and fresh yet at the same time, when I breathe in, there's a near imperceptible ache in my teeth like when the air is full of metallic elements.

At the head of the table sits a woman whom I have to assume is Yura-Ann Shax due to the collared servant who stands beside her holding a parasol.

Despite her odd decision of having a servant cover her with a parasol indoors, her taste in clothing is much more sound. She's dressed in a straight white gown that leaves her shoulders exposed and looks to be made from a combination of fine silk and pristine feathers. Along with her dress, she's wearing matching elbow-length gloves.

If you take into account her pale skin and European features, the only things about her appearance that aren't white are her black hair, yellow eyes, and the layered golden necklace that rests on her chest.

The servant is a tanned young man with fierce-looking features, a sharp look to his red eyes, scars on his face and a burning mane of red hair. The contrast between those wild aspects of his appearance and his rigid posture, the subservient task of holding the parasol, fitted suit, and collar reminds me of a chained wolf.

Everything about his vibe tells me that he's a fighter, and the only thing keeping him chained up is his King.

The last detail is the table itself which has a neat presentation without a wrinkle out of place along the long rectangular table. Across said tablecloth, a decadent feast is lain out with too many dishes for me to even try to recognize them all.

If the purpose of the display is to flaunt wealth, I suppose it looks impressive but it seems needlessly performative.

Trying to figure out small things like optics doesn't fit me though, so I stride up to the table without wasting any more time thinking about it. Without waiting for the butler, I pull out my own chair and take a seat.

"Thank you for coming so promptly following my invitation." Yura-Ann greets me with a melodic voice and a faint smile.

"I figured I'll get some entertainment out of this, no matter how it goes." I shoot back causing her lips to twitch in annoyance.

"I'm glad you're interested in coming to an agreement and I have no doubt our conversation will be fruitful." This a charitable interpretation of my statement but if that's her takeaway, that's fine.

"Before we begin, are you interested in any of the dishes in this arrangement?" She asks gesturing to the full table, "I wasn't aware of your specific tastes so I had a wide variety of dishes prepared, both local and exotic."

"Nah, I'm good," I say, remembering that things aren't as they seem, before leaning back on my chair and lacing my hands behind my head.

Whether by the blunt dismissal or my laid-back attitude, something clearly upsets her as her eye twitches.

I'll take that as an indication that she wanted me to eat from the dishes.

She could be trying to poison me. If I were to be charitable in my estimation of her intelligence, however, that would be a waste of poison and she should realize that. Without some specialized poisons which she would need to get from the Principal Clans or some more obscure organization, it's unlikely poison could harm me at this point.

I'll ignore the food either way since I'm not interested in following her plans.

"Very well then." She mutters, "As my servant stated earlier, I've called you here to discuss a cessation of hostilities and come to an agreement on the terms of that. In preparation, I've prepared a number of scenarios and divisions for discussion."

"My group are willing to forfeit the territories you've recently come to occupy, as well as the assets from said territory. This is a minor loss on our end but since it was a considerable effort for your side we're willing to take that loss." She appears unaffected as she states this but small changes in her inflexion show that she's pissed that any territory was lost.

"Should you agree, your group would accept this small victory and then remain in your territory from this point on and not come into conflict with us. What you do in the territory of the crows is none of our concern of course." She presents this as though it's a reasonable compromise, despite how ridiculous her suggestion is.

"Your thoughts?" After stating her goal, she calmly laces her hands together and waits for my response.

I take a moment to think it over because I do like the idea of moving on from this. Still, from the initial letter till now, her attitude has pissed me off.

To be honest, I don't know if I would ever be able to compromise in the first place.

"It isn't a bad suggestion," I muse aloud, "I've got a better idea though."

I grin widely at her and lean forward with my elbows on the table and my chin resting on my knuckles. "It's pretty damn simple, and it's a deal you should be thankful for."

"My group keep all the territory we've taken from you because your group has crumpled under any assault. We keep all your assets because the moment they came into my grasp, they were mine."

"Obviously I wouldn't just give that stuff back when you made it so easy to take." I snark.

"To end these hostilities, rather than us each 'staying in our lanes'," I make air quotes just to mess with her and continue my 'proposal', "I think that you and your peerage should fuck off back to the Underworld within the next week."

Her face is darkening with rage after each successive word and the man beside her is the same, barely restraining himself from trying to silence me by force.

"You'll leave behind everything of value; all your human members, your territory, and all your assets. You then hide in your parent's estate and never show yourself in my city again, lest I tear you and your peerage to pieces." I bare my teeth at her with pure amusement dancing in my eyes, a threat and a dismissal at the same time.

"Your thoughts?" I finish mockingly.

She sighs and shakes her head after collecting herself, "I had no real expectations of success, given I was speaking with a savage but you're far cruder than I had thought."

"A pitiful creature who knows nothing of subtlety, only touting your 'strength' as though it's true power." She looks down her nose at me disdainfully.

"True power is dealing with inconveniences like you without dirtying one's own hands." She smiles at me mockingly behind her hand. "A lesson you learned too late."

She snaps her fingers and the surroundings begin to shift.

Rather than a pristine, empty warehouse, the entire space is drenched in blood and viscera. From entrails in the rafters to half-eaten corpses scattered haphazardly, the space is a macabre display of 'art' that only a beast could find pleasant.

The table, which was covered in various delicacies, is actually a cannibalistic feast of organs and flesh, all lain out in a parody of those dishes. In the centre of the table is even an entire head of a teenage Japanese boy.

The servant who was holding her parasol appears almost the same as before if not for the blood that stains his lips and drips down his chin.

So that's what she was hiding.

Yura-Ann has stood up since she took down the illusion and her butler has also moved beside her. "Farewell, Ibaraki, I can't say it was pleasant."

Simultaneously, a barrier appears around me while she and her entourage teleport away, fading away after they've left.

All in all, it is a decent setup that she's got me in, but what I don't understand is her plan now. How would being in a warehouse full of corpses be a problem for me?

There is a loud crash behind me a hole is blown through the wall, almost in response to my question.

I laugh heartily as I use my Ki sense to probe through the destroyed wall and find a pleasant surprise.

A colossal Ki signature, of a similar depth to mine or Bikou's struts through the smoke and I get my first look at them.

The young man who enters the warehouse, wading through the rubble, is shirtless, absolutely shredded and around six feet tall. Combined with his shaved head, steely grey eyes, and the stubble on his chin makes him look like a gang member.

Ironic considering which one of us is in a gang.

He looks around at the gore and scowls, pure anger radiating from his eyes.

He barely notices me and instead stares straight at the severed head on the table. When he sees it his eyes slam shut and he takes a shaky breath.

His appearance and aura are vaguely familiar to me. Not only that, the nature of his movement isn't just skilled but causes such a strong sense of recognition that it's annoying that I can't immediately describe it.

"I'll give you one chance." He growls out at me suddenly, "Surrender yourself and I'll seal you away for eternity."

I tilt my head in confusion, still off balance from the sense of recognition, "I think you're misunderstanding something."

"Fine then," He cracks his neck and then his knuckles, "In the name of the Shinra Clan, I'll destroy you as punishment for murdering one of our clansmen."

Ah, Byakko Shinra, inheritor of the White Tiger of the West.

This was actually a pretty good trap, huh?

"At least the location is decent for handling you." He mutters.

With a tap of his foot, a metallic scent fills the air as a spell unfolds. The entire warehouse comes alive and all the metal buzzes with energy, glinting as though freshly polished as the paint flakes off.

Even the blood that has pooled onto the ground has the iron stripped from it as the entire warehouse turns into a cage, a massive barrier spell to lock me in here with him.

From my own experience with barrier magic and the knowledge that the barriers in Onmyoudo are primarily for impeding Yokai, I can tell that I would have to give my all to break this barrier down.

Despite that knowledge being intimidating, the fact that our fight can't spill out into the streets even if we go all out makes it exciting. This is a classic case of him being trapped in here with me, isn't it?

Byakko Shinra, and god is that going to be confusing, is slowly closing the distance between us as he tries to get a feel for my strength.

At the same time, I'm trying to decide how to handle this fight.

The space we're fighting in is too small to use my bow effectively and he's an unarmed fighter so he'll be trying to close the distance anyways.

I don't want to kill him since that would not only be a political fuck up of massive proportions, Suzaku said she's on good terms with him so that might upset her. That means that dropping a giant sword… manifestation on him, using my armour, or even the cursed flames aren't viable options.

I also don't feel comfortable using Kenmyoren to fight him, not only because the sword is too sharp and bloodthirsty but because I'm not used to it. If I can't use my skills to the fullest because I'm not used to the sword, I may just lose more than this fight.

That essentially leaves martial arts, Byakko's own speciality. The idea of seeing how my martial arts measure up against a specialist in intoxicating.

I empty my mind of such thoughts as Byakko steps within ten feet of me and the two of us start to circle each other. My focus is sharpened to a razor's edge as I catalogue every motion he makes, the length of his strides, and the smallest twitches of his muscles.

The tension gets to me first and I propel myself across the gap between us.

I lash out at him with a probing jab to test his reflexes, only to be surprised when he catches my fist casually. Rather than a meaty slap, a dull metallic thud rings out from the impact against his palm.

He doesn't sit idly and counters instantly. His free arm snaps outward, fingers crooked into a claw aimed at my throat.

I lean back and let his attack pass by while noting the blinding white Touki covering his fingers.

If he is going to go full power from the start then I can't sit back and mess around either. My own Touki manifests across my body and the eruption of energy dislodges his grip on my fist.

The concrete floor beneath us shatters as he also fully unleashes his Touki, causing the pools of blood and bodies on the floor to be launched away from us.

Byakko throws a straight right and I weave around it, stepping forward and hitting him with a body shot. The force of my punch causes him to slide backwards and grimace.

At the same time, I feel my cheek split open on my left side.

Despite throwing a punch with a closed fist, his Touki is sharp enough to cut me. Superficial as the damage is, the thought of how sharp a slash from his hooked fingers would have been brings a smile to my face.

Byakko, seeing my smile, scowls and pounces at me. I can't describe the motion as anything else, as it is so reminiscent of a tiger leaping at its prey.

The route his Ki takes as it bursts from his energy core, down through his hips and into his legs, crashing along with the movement of his muscles, and finally exploding through his toes is fascinating.

He's glowing like a shooting star as he launches himself through the air and crashes towards me, his Touki shining and flaking off like stardust.

Not only is movement visually imposing but it's ridiculously fast. Not yet at the level that I can't track him or even close to the Roc Demon King. Still, it's fast.

My excitement gets the best of me and rather than dodging or deflecting the blow, I block it instead.

His clawed hand digs into my forearm, ripping furrows in the flesh before exiting the other side dyed in blood. He seems shocked at the resistance as his claws were visibly slowed as they carved through my arm.

I ignore the flash of searing pain and rip him out of the air by his throat. With a snarl, I slam him down onto the concrete floor.

His eyes widen in surprise, whether at the sudden turnaround or because he expected to slash right through me I don't know, but he isn't flustered for long.

The moment I try and tighten down further on his neck, both his hands carve up my arm in a series of quick slashes. Without the run up the claws only pierce the top layer of my skin but that doesn't stop him and he simply slashes a path up my arm and towards my neck.

It's such a brutal and savage method of counterattack that I'm taken aback.

But who am I to argue with such a fun method of fighting?

I punch downwards and hit him in the temple. There is a sonorous clang as my knuckles dig into the corner of his forehead and I lean to the side as his hands reach my neck.

His fingers try to pierce straight through my neck and the audacity of him expecting a fatal wound is funny. Small cuts appear on my neck as his fingers slide along my neck failing to find purchase.

My arm is already healing the minor cuts from his claws and the neck wound isn't deep enough to worry about. He on the other hand looks dazed from my punch and continued pressure on his neck.

The natural durability I have and the boost from my Touki are enough to invalidate the power behind his attacks. Still, most would have been torn to pieces by him without similar protection.

He's someone I have to declare a threat and take seriously, lest I be caught unaware by a hidden move.

His Ki starts to move in odd patterns along his body again. This time it moves to his lungs, bouncing around in there before shooting up to his neck, the energy almost rippling against itself.

I brace myself for a Ki blast of some sort, only to be mistaken.

He opens his mouth wide and lets out the loudest roar I've ever heard, embodying the full majesty of a tiger's roar.

My vision doubles and my hearing cuts out as my eardrums shatter. I can feel my muscles stiffen, my organs shift, and my blood ripple as the sonic attack hits me.

All my senses go into disarray for a moment other than my Ki sense which allows me to retain perfect aim as I spit blood into his eyes.

Still, I stumble backwards to create distance and allow myself to heal the sudden internal damage.

By the time I've recovered, he is back on his feet wiping blood from his mouth. That roar of his evidently has significant backlash and I doubt I'll have to feel the power of another roar soon.

The biggest difference between us at the moment is that I've almost fully healed, with the wound on my neck slowly knitting together as I allow my natural regeneration to deal with it. On the other side of the fight, he still looks dazed from that punch.

He grimaces but pounces at me again.

This time, however, I'm not as excited by the novel way in which he circulates his energy. I'm starting to understand the method as he repeats the circulations of energy.

His pounce propels him into range and he ducks under my hook, not keen to catch another punch.

Once inside my guard, he tries to uppercut me in the chin. I brush his uppercut outwards with the back of my wrist and following the momentum I attempt to hit him in the chest with a palm strike.

The goal was to force my Ki through my palm and hopefully throw his heart out of rhythm.

Yet I'm not able to make contact as he hits me in the stomach with a quick push kick. That would normally only amount to separating us but he curls his toes and swipes downwards.

The attack turns the bottom of my shirt into ribbons and he does his best to disembowel me. My instinct to follow the push from his kick allows me to escape without any damage, other than to my wardrobe.

I shift my weight onto my toes and alter my breathing rhythm to what I've been practising recently. While doing that, I take inspiration from the Ki circulation pattern he has been using, only altering it to match my technique.

The difference in speed from my own rudimentary method is absurd and I have to turn my attack into a tackle that slams Byakko into the far wall. I hear his raspy gasp as the air is driven from his lungs through his torn throat.

Because of the sudden change in my movement, neither of us capitalizes on this moment.

Instead, we separate slightly again, and he unleashes a smooth combination of punches and kicks.

I navigate the flurry of strikes easily as I slowly understand his technique. I take note of every minute shift in his Ki flow or odd route it circulates along, gradually assembling a diagram of his martial arts.

His style which I can only assume was originally imparted to his family by the White Tiger of the West and adapted to the human form over time, undergoing millennia of refinement is the perfect distillation of tiger-style martial arts.

It takes the strength, majesty, cunning, and ferocity of the tiger and applies it to the human form so impossibly well it's baffling to witness.

Yet it isn't simply a tiger's strength that is replicated, it's that of the White Tiger: Guardian of the West, Celestial Beast, Destroyer of Evil.

The circulation of Ki is eye-opening and makes use of routes through the body I had never considered. Even simply mimicking the patterns as we fight and adapting them to my own martial art is increasing the power behind my motions rapidly.

The precise combination of motion, breathing, and energy circulation unlocks a level of power far beyond what my own attempts at creating a martial art had amounted to.

I'm devouring his martial art before his eyes and making it my own.

Every second the fight continues, I'm growing at a greater pace than the one prior.

It's incredible.

My fist crashes through his guard as power floods through my arm with incomparable depth and efficiency. My Ki feels like an unrelenting torrent and the force that my body emits with every motion feels almost alien.

Byakko almost disappears from my sight as he's launched away again. Yet with the movement technique I've cobbled together, between my own training and his family's inheritance, I appear in front of him as though he hadn't moved.

I don't give him any reprieve, immediately raining down shots to his abdomen. My forearm is wedged into his neck keeping him pinned to the wall and choking him even as he frantically tries to halt my assault.

He kicks me in the stomach, forcing me back slightly and slashes across my eyes. I don't even attempt to dodge, tanking the hit and sacrificing my sight to pin him down again.

He fights almost feral but his technique is masterful despite that. Every attack is precise as he attempts to dislodge me but the precision of my Ki sense allows me to block what I need to and ignore what I don't.

If the attack isn't going to dislodge me, kill me or cripple me I take the damage and continue trying to incapacitate him. The problem is his power comes up short of fatal every time.

He's slightly too weak or maybe I'm too durable but he's simply not getting it done. At the same time, I know that if my Touki were less dense or I had skipped a month of body refinement, his claws would be deadly.

I can feel his fingers cutting into my arm, or slashing across my chest and stomach, yet I don't stop.

His legs kick outwards wildly, cutting at my skin, bruising and chipping bone, yet I continue.

Even as his attacks start to lose power and his thrashing becomes less targeted, I continue.

He looks as though he's on the brink of passing out and I momentarily feel disappointment. The fight is exhilarating, and I want it to continue.

That wish is granted.

His eyes roll back in his head and I feel a sense of relief only for his entire aura to change. For all the ferocity of his martial arts, Byakko fought and felt like a human. Wild or savage certainly, but human.

As his muscles and veins start to bulge, he no longer feels like a human. His mouth opens in a silent scream and I watch his teeth sharpen in morbid curiosity.

My instincts are blaring warnings at me that I need to stop the fight now and despite my intrigue, I follow them.

I strike with my claws and tear Byakko's right arm off at the shoulder, there's a screech of metal tearing then I'm blasted away in an eruption of Touki.

As I rocket across the warehouse, Byakko appears above me in mid-air looking like a perfect mixture of man and beast in his humanoid tiger state. His Touki looks like a combination of a tiger's pelt and a sea of stars that shines outwards radiating an aura of supremacy and violence.

The thing I notice the most, however, is the completely blank look in his eyes. Byakko isn't even conscious at the moment as far as I can tell and is running on pure animal instinct despite the state of Spiritual Symbiosis.

I don't have any time to think about that as he lashes out with a kick that spikes me out of the air. I absorb the impact of the ground and roll to the side just in time for Byakko to slam into the spot I was only an instant ago.

He swipes towards me and the air ripples as ethereal claws follow the wake of his motion.

My mind blanks and I mimic his motion exactly, my Ki subconsciously doing the same. Against all odds, I reproduce the attack at least partially and mine slows his down.

He lurches forward, throwing out his other shoulder seemingly not realising he's missing an arm. I take advantage of that mistake and pounce onto him, knocking him on his back.

I'm barely able to land a single hit to his face before he digs his claws into my side and pulls me closer.

The claws that hadn't been sharp enough to meaningfully damage me have leapt beyond that level into a new realm. These are deadly sharp and burn like the stars glimmering in his Touki.

I instinctually know that these claws are meant to damage Yokai in the same way that Holy power is deadly to Devils. Destroyer of 'Evil' indeed.

I manage to catch him in the chin with my elbow on the way down but don't have the time or space to do anything else.

My head bounces off the floor and I try to get back up.

Meanwhile, he continues to try and dig his clawed hand deeper into my side. Not only that, he lunges his head forward to rip out my throat with his teeth. I lean far enough that instead of that he clamps his jaws around my shoulder.

His jaws are far stronger than a human's jaw has any right to be and his teeth are just as sharp as his claws now.

I'm able to free my hand and jab my fingers into his neck. The problem is that his Touki is stronger than earlier by a lot and his skin which was like steel is now incomparably more durable.

My claws skid along his neck and screech like nails on a chalkboard only ten times as shrill. The sound hurts me and thankfully hurts him even more.

His bite loosens and I throw myself sideways off the arm that's impaling my side.

While I slowly stand up, he shakes his head rocking back and forth, slashing wildly at the air.

I take the time to assess the damage and watch it heal at a glacial pace.

The fight has been taxing, exhausting my Ki reserves as time went on due to the sheer quantity of energy I've been pumping into techniques and my Touki defending me.

My natural healing is incredible compared to a human and my ability to survive fatal injuries is even more so. The problem is that proper healing requires me to use my Ki to fix the damage.

Without the energy to devote to that, I'm basically a slow regenerator that can fix ridiculous damage over a long time.

Still, if I don't knock out Byakko, then trying to meditate and refill my reserves is suicide. His defence is too hard in this form for me to actually do that though.

Sure, I could pull out Kenmyoren or manifest my sword and almost certainly chop him into pieces but that would kill him. My sword intent coating my claws wouldn't be any stronger than the White Tiger Touki-enhanced claws, so they aren't an option either.

I could increase my strength by summoning my armour too but if I lose my rationality because the armour is made from the divinity of an aborted apotheosis based on rage, I'll also end up killing him.

My tiger, the other Byakko, thankfully pipes up with a suggestion, 'Mimic the roar he used earlier. A sonic attack bypassed your defence so try the same on him. The sound from your claws has left him incapacitated even till now.'

I grin at the suggestion and send feelings of gratitude back.

With the remaining Ki I have, I repeat what Byakko Shinra did closer to the beginning of our fight; Drawing the Ki up through my lungs, creating ripples in the flow which now seem more reminiscent of an echo in hindsight, and force the violent waveform up through my vocal cords and out my mouth.

The ensuing roar is more powerful than the one Byakko used, whether as a consequence of using more energy or my inhuman biology. The air visibly distorts as a wave of pure pressure echoes out, almost glimmering gold from the concentration of Ki.

The booming roar atomizes the blood and concrete dust that fills the warehouse and I can feel the vibration through my entire body. It's an incredible power.

Finally, the wave collides with the half-tiger form of Byakko Shinra who is pressed violently into the ground and goes eerily still.

I'm half expecting him to get back up and force me to kill him. Thankfully, his appearance melts back into his regular human form and I heave a sigh of relief.

My throat is in agony as I let out a hysterical and euphoric laugh. That fight was one of the most enjoyable and terrifying ones I've had the pleasure of participating in.

I'll have to thank that devil who put together this trap personally. Then beat her to death, of course.

Before I can do any of that though, I need to figure out how to deal with this. After starting to meditate and recover my reserves, my mind drifts to examining this scenario.

First, let's get the facts straight; Byakko Shinra arrived here due to what I can only assume was a tip from Yura-Ann Shax or her peerage.

The reason he came was the head on the table who I would guess was either a friend or a member of his clan.

That means she took the risk of having all the Principal Clans take offence to her in order to get an outside party to get rid of me.

If she assumed that the fight could only end in death, since technically I shouldn't have had any reason to keep him alive and he definitely was trying to kill me, this was a perfect plan. Either Byakko killed me and Yura-Ann would have killed me without any effort on her part, or I killed Byakko and the Shinra Clan, if not all five Principal Clans would hunt me till the ends of the earth.

It's crazy that her plan fell apart because I didn't want to make things difficult for Suzaku.

Speaking of Suzaku, I pull out my phone and call her.

While the phone rings I heal and test my voice.

"Hey Ibaraki, it's good to hear from you." From the tone of her voice, I can tell she's smiling and that makes me want to either do the same or grimace.

"Mm, I'm glad you're in a good mood, though I hope I'm not about to ruin it." I feel bad about even calling her about this but I want her to know what's going on. It does involve her, at least tangentially.

"Are you alright?" She asks in a rush and I get butterflies in my stomach. The concern in her voice is audible and it makes me happy and guilty in equal measure.

"I'm fine, I just met Byakko Shinra for the first time and we had a wild fight. Would you mind, coming to help explain things to him when he wakes up?" There's a long silence after I say this and I pull my phone away to make sure I didn't drop the call.

An explosive sigh rings out and I bring the phone back to my ear. "It's my own fault for mentioning him to you, isn't it? I'm the stupid one for liking that about you though."

I'm grinning like an idiot now but Suzaku isn't done, "Tell me where you are, and then let's start this explanation again from the beginning. If the story is along the lines of, 'You went hunting for him after I told you he was strong', I will seriously consider breaking up with you."

With that threat acknowledged, I tell Suzaku everything she needs to know.