Kapitel 11: Chapter 11: The War & The Birth
'Filthy fucking monkeys.' I grabbed a spear by its point and snapped it with a twist of my wrist before plunging my hand into the wielder's chest, feeling the sickening crunch of bone and flesh. Another attack from behind to which I didn't even need to look at as I threw the dead body into the path of the incoming strike, raised my hand and slashed through the air.
"Cursed Slash"
The body, the attacker and anyone behind them were torn asunder, the air vibrating with the force of the strike. A small shout echoed through the downpour of rain and I turned to see a woman with short pink hair and green eyes standing defiantly before me.
"Sasaki Souta! I shall avenge my Sas—"
I cut her off. The words were nothing more than an annoying buzz in my ear. Raising my left foot slightly, I poured a fraction of my Cursed Energy into the ground.
"Cursed Technique: Half Step"
As my foot met the churned mud, the earth cracked violently beneath me causing the woman and anyone nearby to struggle to maintain their footing. I shifted my body into a stance, and with a low grunt, I punched forward.
The shockwave hit like a sonic boom, obliterating anything in its path. Silence fell briefly, but the sense of battle still lingered.
"Quite impressive, Eastern Bandit Leader." a voice called out, breaking the tension.
I cracked my neck, my gaze sweeping over the battlefield. The Coalition's Sorcerers, how many of them were there? Hundreds? Thousands? They kept coming, wave after wave, as if they had an endless supply of bodies to throw at me. I'd already slaughtered at least six hundred, but the dark sky and the pounding rain made it impossible to track the time.
Michizane Sugawara, the fucking Minister of the Right's clan was facing a threat and still, the Imperial Family had yet to make a move.
'Is this related to that weirdo from earlier?'
Another sword flew toward me. I didn't bother looking at its wielder, simply flicking it aside before grabbing their head and crushing it, tossing the body to the side like it was nothing.
'Doesn't matter. The old Taoist said I'd know when the 'blessed one' is born.'
I glanced at my empty hands for a moment and froze.
"Hey, Papa?" I looked down to see Snowball sitting in my lap, her wide eyes full of innocent determination.
"When will I be as strong as you?" she asked, her small voice cutting through the silence of my mind.
I chuckled softly, patting her hair. "When I'm old, and when you find what you want in life."
She looked up at me, a fire in her gaze. "Papa! When I grow up, I'll be so strong that you won't have to worry about anything when you're old!"
I laughed, the warmth of her words. "Thank you, Snowball. When I can no longer fight, I'll rely on you to protect me. Okay?"
She nodded eagerly and stood up, her determination shining through. "Come on Papa, I wanna learn the rest of Shundō!"
I shook my head, coming back to the present, where the storm still raged. The rain hit my face, mixing with the blood and grime of battle.
"Fuck, I need a drink." I muttered, scanning the approaching wave of Sorcerers.
~Scene Change/Pov Change~
"My~ He really is quite the rugged piece of meat, isn't he?" Tsukishiro's voice rang through the tension in the air, but the others who had heard it countless times merely ignored it. All except for one.
"Tch. Tsukishiro, he's barbaric and filthy." Takanami's voice was laced with disdain as she watched the spectacle of Sasaki Souta, carving his way through hundreds of Sorcerers without so much as breaking a sweat.
Tsukishiro, unfazed by the criticism only smiled wider, his platinum silver hair shimmering in the dim light as he sat on the backs of two burly naked men who struggled to hold his weight. His bright blue eyes glistened, locked on Sasaki and a low hum escaped his throat.
"Hm~ But just look at him, Takanami-chan! The way his muscles ripple with each strike, the blood pouring down, washing away in the rain..." Tsukishiro wrapped his arms around his waist in exaggerated delight, his voice dripping with excitement. He swayed almost theatrically, his breath quickening and though his excitement grew, the two men beneath him began to strain under his weight.
In a moment of sheer unpredictability the men collapsed, forcing Tsukishiro to stand before fell. He wobbled for a second, his heightened arousal evident as he tried to regain balance.
Before the men could utter a word, their necks seemed to tighten on their own, twisting violently until their heads were fully turned. No one blinked an eye at the grisly display, except for the Sorcerers who weren't familiar with Tsukishiro.
"Chan-chan~ Bring the backups~" Tsukishiro called out, barely a note of concern in his voice. A frail woman nodded, disappearing into the shadows without a sound.
"You aren't taking this seriously, Tsukishiro Ayato." a deep voice interjected. The sound of a chair scraping against the floor echoed as Mikazuki Raito, his light brown hair and silver eyes sharp with authority, fixed his gaze on Tsukishiro.
"Mou~ Raito-chan, I am serious! Didn't you see me stop the cutey for Haruto-chan to land two hits?" Tsukishiro's voice remained playful, but his body shifted with renewed energy. He glanced back toward Sasaki Souta.
Raito didn't seem impressed, cutting him off with a stern tone. "Yet he dodged the third one."
At the mention of the failed attack, all eyes turned toward the silent, masked man seated beside Raito. Shigeno Haruto, the only one who hadn't spoken up, seemed unmoved by the conversation. He paused, then quietly spoke up. "The best I can come up with is...instincts."
Takanami snorted, unimpressed. "So, he's a mutt." Her eyes turned back to the battlefield, where Sasaki Souta continued to wreak havoc with unrelenting precision.
No one seemed to notice Tsukishiro growing more visibly aroused as he ogled the blood soaked warrior.
Raito however, remained focused. "I see. Do we have an estimated time for the birth of the child from the Sugawara Clan?"
The question hung in the air, but no one had a definitive answer. They all had a vague sense that the child's arrival was imminent, but it remained an unspoken uncertainty.
Raito's eyes narrowed, his fingers tightening around the armrests of the chair as he turned back to the fight, still ongoing in front of him. "Send in half." he ordered coolly.
The messengers, though stunned by the order, didn't hesitate. They nodded quickly. "Very well, Mikazuki-sama."
Raito watched Sasaki's relentless slaughter with a calculating gaze. His voice steady and unyielding, rang through his mind. 'You will all face justice.'
~Sasaki Pov~
'Now they're just getting desperate.' The heavy rain pounded against me, but my senses remained sharp. Despite the downpour, I could still hear the unmistakable sound of hundreds- no, close to a thousand feet marching through the thick mud and gravel.
Cracking my neck, I tossed the dead body in my other hand into the ever growing pile, my focus shifting entirely to the massive army that awaited. With a roar, I bellowed over the battlefield, my voice cutting through the rain. "Fucking finally! The sooner you all die, the sooner I get to drink!"
To my surprise, the army didn't respond the way I'd expected. No words, no taunts just silence as they readied themselves. 'Seems like this lot might be different from the others.'
A grin slowly spread across my face as I brushed the soaked strands of hair from my eyes. Stretching my arms wide, I let the frustration and boredom leak out in a battle cry. "Well, come on, you fucking monkeys!"
The moment the words left my mouth, my Cursed Energy surged uncontrollably. It poured from me like a tidal wave, bringing the ground itself to shudder. Buildings collapsed under the pressure, and the water in the ground rippled violently before settling again. For a brief moment, I lost control, but I quickly reined it in and charged toward the army with deadly intent.
~Scene Change~
"Die-ack!" I snapped the throat of a young Sorcerer who had gotten too close, the sharp, metallic taste of blood on my lips as I swiftly sidestepped an incoming spear.
"Cursed Technique: Half Step"
The ground beneath me shattered as I caused a crater to form below my feet. The hundred Sorcerers surrounding me briefly lost their footing, and I used that to my advantage, launching myself toward one of the disoriented foes. Their eyes were wide with fear as they tried to react, but it was too late. My hand, like a sharpened lance pierced their neck, decapitating them effortlessly.
'They just keep coming.' I noted with growing annoyance, dodging another attack from behind. A reverse axe kick crushed the skull of my attacker.
I wasn't worried, I was pissed off. The incessant onslaught was wearing on my patience. 'At least I know it's been two days.' My mind briefly wandered to memories I'd rather not recall as the effects of the Sakurazawa sake was wearing off.
'Should I just use the Fifth Step—' "I want to believe there's still humanity in you... That you understand the catastrophe of war."
'Annoying woman.' I shook my head, dismissing the voice in my mind as a punch barely missed my head. Instinctively, I reached out grabbing the assailant's leg and slamming them into the wet earth. Their spine snapped with a sickening crack.
'Fine, I won't use the Steps. I'll use Div—'
Before I could finish the thought, the entire battlefield froze. Every single Sorcerer, myself included, paused, and for a brief terrifying moment, the world felt utterly still.
My eyes turned towards the Sugawara Clan Compound.
The rain began to lighten and within seconds, it stopped entirely. The grey clouds that had blocked out the sun began to part, and rays of sunlight broke through, casting an eerie glow across the battlefield.
'So, the woman's given birth. Fucking finally.' I couldn't feel the same drastic shift in balance that was described to me from decades ago, but something in the air was undeniably different. I could sense the truth in the Taoist and Sugawara Clan's words. 'A child that'll change history... Interesting.'
Turning to face the stunned Sorcerers, I let my grin grow wider. "The fuck are you all doing?!"
The shock lingered in their eyes for only a moment before I let my Cursed Energy explode outward. I raised my arms to my shoulders, letting the power surge uncontrollably.
"Twice Over: Cursed Slash"
To anyone watching, it would have seemed like I was surrounded by hundreds of enemies, only to see them split in half, bisected at the waist by a violent arc of red and purple dark energy.
'Seems like I'll have to stop being reactive and become active.' With that thought I turned to the other remaining Sorcerers.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein