- War -

The wind blew through the young oni's hair as she looked down on the invading army. In the center she saw the leader- her father , who towered over the rest.

A great gray man about twelve feet tall of heavily scarred muscle commands his army. He wore no armor around his painted upper body, only a few ceremonial bracelets, baggy pants with sparse metal scraps wrapped around his pant legs and a great black mane twists and curls to his waist. Red piercing eyes emanates from his war mask which adorned his four distinctive black horns that protrude from the back of his head.

The demon sees Akari atop the hill and bellows:

“DAUGHTER! FOR TOO LONG YOU AND YOUR SISTER'S ESCAPE HAVE BEEN AN STAIN ON MY HONOR! TIME TO RETURN TO THE FOLD!”

The army roars at the declaration.

Akari spits to her side in disgust.

“I am not to be collected, father!” she yells back, “Here I bear my own strength! Come and get me!”

Akari turns and walks into the dungeon.

“Adda girl…” Ryo grins quietly,

The war hungry army roars even louder at the provocation, delighted at the prospect of proving their strength.

The Four Horn Demon then raises his blade to signal the beginning of the siege. The army rushes forth past him and into the dungeon.

The army spreads through the three routes of the dungeon sporadically like rushing water. Their leader stood at the crossroads to oversee the attack. Directly in front of him, he spots at the end of a long rope bridge, the frail human boy; Taro who defiantly stares back.

Ryo quietly smiles at him, it sent chills down Taro's spine.

The rope bridge itself was filled with the skeleton legion that Taro and his friends had prepared beforehand.

“Gahaha!” an oni laughs, “Skeletons?! We will make short work of this wretched mockery!"

He takes a great swing at the skeletons black skull.

*Thunk!

Though the impact disoriented the skeleton, its head did not crack!

“W-What? How can this be?!” the oni screeches,

Another one calls, “Their heads! They're made of iron?!”

“We can't break their inscriptions!” a third oni struggles with a head butting one.

“(Naturally we don't have enough iron for an entire skeleton army but with just their skulls we can manage a pretty sizable amount.)” Taro reminds himself,

Ryo silently watches from the crossroads.

…

Elsewhere, in the eastern route. Attack parties struggle to advance through the sludge with their heavy armor. Suddenly an adventurer couple appears before them.

“Davvvieed! These onies are shooo scaawyyy!!” the shrill woman yells,

“Don’t Worry baby! I will… FIGHT!” David swings at the immobilized oni,

“Gahh! Where did they come from?” the other stuck oni screams trying to get away, “How did they get here so fast without us seeing?! GyyyAA!”

The remaining oni were quickly dispatched as another adventurer’s party attacked the oni from behind.

“Ughh! Those two love birds are really starting to get on my nerves!” the lanky one shouts as he returns into the unseen halls with his party.

“Haha… it can’t be helped!” the healer reassures, “They are pretty strong admittedly,”

“Haah, I guess so.” The thief sighs,

“It is not a sin to proudly display your love, ” An bubbly nun adds, “Now settle down I need to reapply the [Unseen] buff again.”

….

On the western front a barrage of arrows coats the floors and wall of its route. The arrows and bolts came down like rain from all directions. It was impenetrable. As soon as a party would get close to one firing hole, they’d get shot in the back by arrow on the opposite wall.

“Agh! They don’t stop coming!” Cries the elven archer,

“Ugh! Fine!” the halfling relents, “Amata! More of that carbonated energy juice!”

“Hehe!” Amata laughs and scurries around filling the jugs on the sipping hats with her drink(as well as taking appropriate compensation from their pockets while their arms are preoccupied),

“New Amata Energy! Gives you the pep and strength to repel an invading army for 8 hours!” she says to no one in particular.

“Gahaha!” Dusty laughs “That’s why you elves have more ears than wit! Why tire yourself out peltin’ sticks at em’ when a crossbow will do ya for half the effort!”

“S-Shut up! Ale swilling dwarf!” the elf shoots back!

“I’d prefer a cool ale myself !” the adventurer dwarf quips,

…

Six hours had passed since the original siege was launched.

“My lord!” A commander Oni rushes to the leader’s side, “We are losing men fast!”

Ryo does not shift his gaze.

“...How many?” he asks,

“We are down 120.” the commander grovels, “We dishonor you!”

The gray oni does not speak.

“Oh great leader,” the commander continues, “The western front is a barrage of arrows at every direction. We cannot ascertain why they can loose so many without rest. The eastern front, attack parties are immobilized by the sludge and then attacked mysteriously, we cannot figure out where they are coming from?! Even the simple rope bridge ahead is giving us problems, skeletons are far lighter than us so that they far outweigh the number of our men that are available on the bridge at a time…"

“…” The horned one remains stoic before coming to a conclusion. He declares:

“They are spread us thin using irregular tactics to isolate and disorient. Pull all units from both eastern and western fronts. Have them remove their armor and launch a full scale attack on the rope bridge.”

“Y-Yes my lord Right away!” The commander pulls away.

The four horned demon still affixed his eyes to the defiant Taro.

“I can’t wait to snap you like a twig boy…” He says to himself.

True to Ryo’s words, a full scale attack on the bridge was a more than effective way to push back the skeleton army. The oni army was fast approaching the other end of the bridge.

“Hahaha!” an arrogant oni boasts his strength. “These lot are naught but dirty tricks!”

He crushes the skulls of the skeleton despite them being made of iron due to his great strength.

“We’re almost there! Only a few left!” he continues, “Look at the red one! Gahahaha! See how I’ll crush them like all the rest!”

The oni takes a swing at the skeleton.

*KABOOOOOMM

The rope bridge explodes, all of the soldiers on it fall to the depths of the cavern sans armor.

Another thirty men lost.

Taro couldn’t help but grin at the stoic leader who remained steadfast. But suddenly he moves.

He grins back at Taro. The Four Horned Demon lifts his unique sword and calls his men. This action made Taro’s blood run cold.

“BRIDGE!” he bellows.

The oni climb on top of each other with alarming speed, and the oni army begins to form a makeshift bridge with their bodies. It was only a matter of time before they breach the inner sanctums. Taro makes his retreat.

……

Taro arrives with the others in front of the ornate doors, he was out of breath.

“T-Taro what happened?” Akari asks, "Are you hurt?!"

“I-I’m fine!” he reassures her, “But this is bad!”

“What’s bad?” Shion interjects,

Taro had a face filled with dread. He could scarcely even speak.

“Ryo… The Four Horned Demon… H-His sword-…”

“Has a Serpent’s Tear in its hilt.”