SHINOBU — PART 2

"I don't find the act of giving birth to be noble at all "  Hiroshi , a 35 year old man said 

" I mean think about it none of us choose to be born yet we are all here fighting this war called life we didn't choose to , its unfair" .

" What a dumbfuc— " Akira forced his mouth shut with both his hands .

" Yes you are right " he said with a changed tone .

 Another man  47 year old , Masato led them in front through the thick forest path , he tossed a coin ,"5 minutes " he said 

"10" said Akira

"there's nothing noble about deploying  random men to war without their consent, yet people keep having kids , keep bringing them here on this accursed world , and before they know it , they are supposed to be fighting one another in order to survive " Hiroshi said 

"well that's a very interesting thought"

"No , it's stup— " Akira once again covered his mouth struggling to force his mouth shut with his hands 

" I like your ideology there's actually a philosophical idea called antinatality that explains that idea" Akira said 

"there is ?", Hiroshi asked

" Yes "

"this is all a setup"

Masato pulled out a pack of cards from his left pockets , shuffled them and picked one random card , it's was a jack of heart , he smacked his lips . The sun hung low in the sky , the reddish hue of the sun painted the green ferns and shrubs a golden yellow . 

"We should go this way " Hiroshi blurted pointing at a pathway on thier left . 

Masato smacked his lips once again , glanced at him then turned towards Akira with a concerned look , Akira held his mouth shut with his hands, words about slip through his mouth but forced shut by his hands . Masato tiptoed towards Hiroshi 

"Hiroshi that path leads to the forest" he whispered softly " we will be there in a minute let's go straight, okay ".

Hiroshi didn't speak a word , he just stared straight into his eyes without a blink in his eyes, his gaze drifted to Akira , struggling with himself as if ready to throw up puke of slurs from his mouth, noone spoke a word ,the forest went silent ,he stared back at Masato, who had started to back off a little . 

" Okay " he murmured and moved ahead .

Masato released a faint sigh in relief. Akira released his mouth from his grasp 

"What .... The ... Fuck .. you ... Think .. you'..re doing .. " he said panting in between 

" let me handle this for now stay in there "

" it was..so ...scary " .

In a minute the dense shrubs and fern cleared up and they were out of the dark forest. 

"8 minutes 28 .. 29..30.. seconds " Masato said rolling his eyes in annoyance " luck was on your side" 

"win is a win old man "

Masato handed a 10000 yen note to Akira .From the road up high , the village was in sight nestled in the heart of lush green mountains from all sides , rice paddies and terraced fields arranged neatly around the village , traditional Japanese houses with thatched roofs scattered throughout , each of the houses embraced by coniferous tress, several empty dirt roads ran through the village connecting the houses,the lights from the houses illuminated the village in the dark , giving a warmth to the scenary. " Well would you look at that " Masato exclaimed at the sight .

"Looks like a place for fucking losers " Akira said .

Hiroshi couldn't take his eyes off "would be nice..." he whispered to himself drowning in imagination.

A boy ran upto them ," they are escaping!! " He exclaimed catching his breath .

" We have it covered " Masato said to him . " Where's the old man ? "

"He's heading this way " . Masato tossed his coin again , it was tails , he slurps his lips and said with an ominous smile ," it's gonna get interesting " .

The air was getting sharp , the sun went down the mountain , the darkness had crept in when they reached the edge of the village , a small gravel path led into the village , behind were the coniferous tress lined up together in a thick dense canopy, on either either side of path , there were overgrown shrubs , ferns , plants , within a few steps the paddy fields came on sight in either side , the air grew heavy , the village was filled by an eerie silence . A strong presence drifted along with the wind from up ahead , someone with a strong presence was troding in their direction. An unnerving breeze began to flow , a dark silhouette approached them, with each step he took , the sound of his steps hitting the ground symbolised the approach of a storm .

" He's here " Masato warned whispering in low voice .

Their hearts paced up ,their throats dried up , each step the man took , they prepared their hearts , body retaliating a little readying themselves for the destruction that was heading their way . They stood in a formation, masato in centre , Akira in left , Hiroshi in right  Knees slightly bent , palms up oozing the mana out of it , preparing for battle . The clouds started to lift up , as the man drew close the moonlight shone bright on him from behind that cast a shadow a menacing shadow over the paddy fields . The ripples of water on the fields disrupting the shadow symbolising it's inner choas in the midst of it all . 

"Remember me , old man " masato said with a mix of fear and arrogance in his voice .

" Masato Kiyomasa , you have changed " the old man spoke in a deep raspy voice.

" and these two must be your brothers ohh you all have grown so much" he murmured 

" how unfortunate that we have to meet like this , I wish we could have met some other time , not as enemies but as friends " 

" I would have let you in my house , we could have had a drink together "

" why ? Why do you we have to fight son ? "

" Enough chitchat old man , you know what we are here for , give us that and we don't have to fight " 

" I know what u here for son , but i can't give you that " 

" you were there son, you saw it too , the destruction, the chaos , the deaths , this thing it should not exist , it never should have " 

" You ain't fooling us oldman you won the fucking war , used the fucking jewel , and now u are telling us not to use it . You think we are fucking stupid " Akira snapped 

" how about this " Masato interrupted " i toss this coin , if it's heads we will fight you ,we will defeat you and take the jewels if it's tails we will fight you defeat you kill you kill your son and the burn down the entire village along with it " ,  he laughed menacingly and tossed the coin. 

it was tails ..

" oops " 

The oldman looked at him with utter disbelief and disappointment in his eyes," the power has consumed you " "Fine so be it , I have sworn to protect the jewels and to maintain peace in the sorcerer world "

 " i will be standing against you , I takeshi shohei the most feared warrior of the shohei family will show you my most fearful form , i summon you the seven spirits, come to me , lend me your power , and help me wipe out this evil " 

" brother i don't wanna wipe out this village , its so beautiful and peaceful, and that old man seem so kind ", Hiroshi spoke up with a soft concerned voice

"he made some good points shouldn't we just drink and chill with him instead of all this fights " 

"I have had enough of your bullshit , you dumb fucking peice of shit " Akira tried but failed to hold it in this time 

" listen here you piece of shit , you motherfucking half bred father 's doodkie hole smelling piece of shit don't have any idea what we dealing with here your father fucking sister's weinieee tasting dumb fucking ass goes on to dick ride every fucking thing u hear from somebody with even your tiny little pp sized brain" . 

" That thing you said about babies and stuff that wasn't even your opinion was it , it was posted by somebody on reddit on wasn't it " 

" your tiny pp sized brain can't even understand anything i am saying right now ,can you ?" 

" you are such a fucking loser you can't even answer when somebody questions your opinion ah ah but .. it..ahh..it.. yeh .. you fucking moron and you stare at them straight in their eyes like they are fucking your mother and sister right infront of your eyes looking like the guy from get out . What u looking at huh what the fuck you think you looking at— " 

Whoosh 

 AKIRA got shot across the night like a cannonball of red light, skidding through the paddy fields and tore a trail straight toward the treeline.Hiroshi had already transformed—red lines carved around his eyes like burning scars, and a bright blue U-mark gleamed on his forehead. An orange, beast-shaped aura wrapped around his arms, each spectral jaw lined with razor fangs.One of those jaws clamped onto Akira’s gut with a sickening crunch, digging deep. Blood sprayed but Akira reacted just in time, coated his torso with mana, stopping the fangs from tearing him in half.Behind Hiroshi, an evil black aura swelled like a demon blooming out of his spine, his eyes turned into bottomless pits. With the other fanged arm, he hammered Akira’s face, splashing blood into the air.Snarling, Akira transformed—his head transformed into three rotating severed heads, each spinning like demonic turbines. Hiroshi beat each head to pulp as they burst apart in chunks of flesh and flame but the heads regenerated instantly, they spun faster, biting into Hiroshi’s aura-fangs with snapping jaws. Each time they did, Hiroshi would send an energy waves down his fangs —the impact obliterated the regenerated heads, only for them to reform again.

Akira’s back ignited—two massive flame wings unfurled, glowing bright red against the night sky. His fists ignited next, burning a molten crimson, heat waves distorted the air.He swung his moltened blazing fist on to Hiroshi face , the orange black beasty aura soaked the impact of the fiery punch but even then, he staggered back, boots carving trenches in the dirt. For the first time, Hiroshi looked like he might lose ground. His arms erupted in a gush white energy waves and striked a punch at akira , they clashed midair and darted off at incredible speed obliterating everything on their path , the paddy fields , got blasted out of mud , revealing deep underground as they flew past it , everything caught fire. the tree get unrooted and burned up in flame.They slammed back down to the ground, skidding across torn earth before launching at each other once again, red light vs white-orange like 2 blades colliding sending sparks of flame , each impact send a pulse of wind that flattened everything in the surroundings , the branches snapped, every animal in the vicinity were send flying , the very ground trembled in recoil .And in the middle of the ruin,Akira and Hiroshi clashed again—two streaks of light carving the night apart.

MASATO was left alone as the other two vanished into the sky, crashing into the distant woods with their own storm of violence.

“Shit…” he hissed inside his head. 

“Of all times…”A shiver of frustration crawled down his spine. 

As the old man called for the seven spirits ,Fog rolled in like a living thing, swallowing the ground, coiling around Masato’s ankles. The air thickened—cold, heavy, unnatural. A low hum spread through the earth, as though something ancient had awakened beneath it. Shadows stretched where no light fell. The air grew sharp and then through the dense fog they appeared.

First came a towering man in a white robe, his face buried beneath a wild, heavy beard. His eyes sank deep within their sockets, glowing with a pale, ghostly white. A red sash hung at his waist, and in his hand he held a scabbard. To his right, three more spirits tore themselves from the mist: A Japanese woman in a flowing kimono, serpents slithering from within her robes, curling around her neck and wrists like living jewelery .A Buddhist monk in black and yellow robes, a massive round straw hat almost hid his face weilding a staff tipped with a metal ring .A ghastly ninja, his robes fluttering like torn shadows in a storm. His face drowned in darkness, a strip of green-striped cloth fluttering in his back. On one hand he held a swinging scythe that moaned through the air, two swords hung at his hips and kunai strapped on either thighs.

To the tall man’s left, the remaining three spirits materialized: A geisha draped in vibrant, layered kimono, patterns blooming like flowers in moonlight. Her hair was arranged in an ornate updo adorned with kanzashi that glimmered faintly through the fog, her face  painted white with soft red accents with a shamisen held against her chest, its wooden body pressed gently against her silk robes. A red-armored samurai, his greasy hair knotted into a rough man-bun. A demon mask with long white fangs covered half of his face, and his bluish-white eyes glowed through the hollow sockets  armed with 2 katanas . And finally, a massive, muscular sumo wrestler with thick white ceremonial rope draping his waist. He held a giant wooden club in his hand as he looked ready for battle.The fog curled around all seven of them, as though the world itself was bowing.Masato felt his heartbeat stutter.

The spirits dissolved in thin air , moving swiftly through the fog. In an instant they surrounded Masato from every direction.Masato drew three cards from his deck—Ace, Ace and......... Ace.He smirked.His lean body erupted his muscles popped up, ripping his shirt apart—first his chest, then his arms and then his shoulders. Crimson skin emerged beneath, carved with black markings that curled across his entire body. His neck grew thin as his traps popped rising like mountains toward his head, which grew slim and sharp-jawed. A third eye opened on his forehead, glowing with malice. Mana oozed from his hands in a frantic dance of energy and emitted a bright yellow light . From it emerged a monstrous sword its hilt made of ten clawed hands emerging outward, its blade an unholy thing with twin serrated edges and a second curved blade jutting from underneath like a row of needles. A blue serpentine engraving slithered along its length. the entire blade was forged on 2 energy orbs ensheathing it , blue and red each layering one over the other . Masato grabbed the sword , the hands from the hilt grasped his hand as if making the sword a part of his body itself .Something shifted in the fog.The tall bearded warrior cut through from behind, his blade slashing Masato’s back—but Masato’s hide was too thick. He spun, swinging his abomination of a sword, but the man had already vanished.A club burst out of the mist and smashed into Masato’s skull. Blood sprayed across the gravel path as he was thrown back. He stabbed his sword into the ground, halting his momentum just short of crashing into a house.A monk descended from above. His staff came swinging. Masato barely blocked. The impact sent a shockwave ripping through the village; thatched rooftops shattered, wooden walls split, the street erupted into clouds of dust and debris.They clashed staff and blade in a colorful fashion red and blue igniting in explosive bursts. Then the Snake Woman lunged from behind, binding his throat with a massive serpent. Her legs dug into his back, wrenching him backward as the serpent squeezed tighter. Masato gagged,his vision flickered.The monk and the warrior charged at him .Masato released his sword and transformed mid-air it took the form of a  warrior made entirely of blades ;its head a single glowing blue sword tip, its body forged into different shaped blades, a longsword , katana , a curved blade and so on . It intercepted them, clashing steel against staff and cutlass in a shower of sparks.Masato twisted, forcing his body against the serpent’s grip. His third eye flared and a massive beam of light blasted backward, ripping through the Snake Woman. She dissolved instantly into mist… only to reappear beside the Geisha with the shamisen in her arm ready to play it . She plucked the strings of her shamisen with each stroke sending a tri-slash of energy—vertical, horizontal, diagonal hurled towards  Masato, his arms crossed in front of him, blocking each wave, but each hit tore new wounds across his flesh. Blood leaked through dozens of cuts.The Snake Woman followed up, her arms rose and a frenzy of serpents took the shape of a wave and surged .Masato pulled his fist back, charged with blinding energy, ready to punch a hole through the swarm but the Sumo Warrior arrived first.The club hammered into Masato’s gut. He gagged out blood from his mouth as he was sent flying through the shattered remains of a house, rolling across broken lumber and stones. The snake-wave crashed toward him; serpents coiled around his legs, climbing toward his torso.His third eye detonated, releasing a beam so intense it carved through the terrain and vaporized the snakes. Masato kicked through the remnants and staggered upright but a new presence tore through the fog ,the sound of feet sliced through the foggy layers everywhere Masato collected energy on his eyes and shot a beam in the fog , but it didn't hurt him , he was too fast he moved from one side to another , from front to back, Masato kept on shooting his beam but noone of the beams touched him , frustrated Masato spun his head 360 degrees while sending the beams in all directions ,sure to hit him , the ninja emerged from the shadows but he was unmatched in pace even with the beams vaporizing everything around he slipped through the lights like water slipping out of hand reached Masato with its blade hurling towards him along with beams all pointing towards , he dodged them all and slipped through his legs and scratched a big wound on  his legs that made him falter and drop to his knees .Before he could recover, the Sumo Warrior barreled in, club aimed at his face. Masato blocked at the last possible moment; the force launched him several meters back. Huffing, bleeding from his mouth, legs, gut and face he summoned his sword back into his hand.The Sumo warrior charged again. They collided . when the sumo wrestler came again hurling his club at him he match his strike and then the club hit again on his face , he let himself drop down a little only to regain his footing and slice the legs of the guy then he drove his sword though his gut spilling out blood . But he vanished into thin air.

“You’ve improved, Masato,” the old man’s voice echoed.

“But you are still no match for me. Leave my village.”

“Stop hiding, old man!” Masato spat.

The seven spirits emerged from the mist, circling him ,unaware of who would deliver the final blow 

Masato frantically pulled seven cards.“Come on… come on… which one is it?!”

He picked one random card from the seven . 

He charged the Samurai, blasting a beam from his third eye. The samurai split the beam in half erupting an explosive shockwave behind but he was late for the sword it sliced him yet he vanished again, reappearing elsewhere.Masato cursed, grabbed another card, lunged at the Geisha ; tore her in half but she vanished too

“Shit! Shit!” he roared.

“Give up your futile struggle, son,” the old man said“I am giving you one last chance.”

Masato hesitated for a fraction of a second his confidence trembled but then he forced it down.

“Go to hell.”

“I am breaking my rule,” Masato blurted

He emptied his pockets ; thousands of yen scattered across the ground.

“FUCK!!!”

Both arms erupted with mana as he summoned a massive army of Kappa, Tengu, Jorōgumo. The ground trembled in their arrival .

“God forgive me,” the old man muttered.

The tall warrior alone cut through a hundred Tengu in one sweeping slash. Spirits darted, vanished, reappeared slaughtering the horde.In the chaos, Masato fled.He saw another single slash annihilate an entire row of Tengu.He transformed completely becoming Shuten Dōji. His head turned crimson, black stripes teared across his skin, horns burst out from his skull.

Meanwhile, Akira and Hiroshi were still fighting. Hiroshi had become monstrous ; nine tails unfurled behind him. Akira burned with molten power.Hiroshi formed a massive energy sphere in his fangs and launched forward; Akira answered with magma-dripping fists. Their collision was inevitable until Masato jumped between them.He blocked the explosion with crossed arms, but even his “indestructible” body was hurled miles away with Hiroshi pinned against him. Hiroshi, delirious, kept dragging him across the earth, carving a trench into the ground.Masato coughed blood.He tightened his grip halting with the earth unearthed several metres underground.

“Listen....Hiroshi....I'll give you what you want, okay?”

Hiroshi struggled to free himself from Masato .

“Akira! Hold him!”

“Why the fuck would I—this motherfucker’s gonna die in my hands!!”

“Yes...yes..I’m comin—”

“Where’s the other one?”

“He… he… hasn’t… been—”

Hiroshi’s tails wrapped around Masato's and ragdolled him onto the ground again and again. Akira jumped in, only to be hurled away by the flailing tails.Masato grabbed Hiroshi from behind. Akira rushed in. Together they pinned Hiroshi, but he charged a beam in his mouth. Masato moved his body over them and took the full blast point-blank.

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!” 

“We’ll give you the village, Hiroshi!” Masato screamed over the roar.

"With the jewels you can have whatever you want, this village , the peace whatever, please just help us beat that old man , i promise you I will bring everything just the way it was”

The beam pushed deeper. Masato endured every second.

"it is that old man he is trying to trick you he don't even believe in that kids thing you talked about remember, hell he don't even like AG no he just an old fart , I know you like them don't you ? ...but he doesn't you still gonna protect him ? ”

The beam died out.

Hiroshi lowered his head, finally still.

They arrived—dripping with blood from the yokai they had carved through on their way. The spirits looked more terrifying than ever, their return marked by a trail of carnage: hundreds of kappa scattered like broken dolls, the heavenly tengu lying in piles with their swords still glowing faintly, the gooey remains of spider-ladies smeared across the ground, their webs tangled into choking sheets that covered the entire expanse.The land had turned into a river of slaughter. The paddy fields were drowned in red.

“LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO.”

Masato, Hiroshi and Akira stared blankly at the devastation. Something had clutched their minds .

“We got a good hand,” Masato muttered.

“I’ll be taking over for a while,” Akira said.

Hiroshi said nothing, only stared at the blank.

Then their bodies erupted.

Masato’s horn grew larger, his body grew further in size , a crystal like protective armor ensheated his body that refracted the moonlight. His sword drank in a dark red aura that pulsed like a heartbeat.Akira’s wings stretched wider and sharper, feathers turned fiery and crisp. Heat rolled off him in waves, his entire body slimmed down into a form built purely for speed. Every flap unleashed a burst of flaming wind.Hiroshi grew monstrous arms yolked up , fangs lengthened , the aura of a giant nine-tailed kitsune now blazing behind him. With a feral snarl, he launched himself at the seven spirits, tearing across the blood-soaked ground at supersonic speed. The energy trail behind him illuminated the night like a colossal fox charging into battle.The tall, robed warrior met him head-on. His sword glowed a bright, blinding blue. Their auras collided—an impact so heavy the earth cracked open beneath them, mud exploding outward. Kitsune Hiroshi overpowered him, pushing him back meters across the broken ground. They clashed again. This time the bearded warrior kicked from the side—a brutal strike. Hiroshi staggered but stayed firm, caught the sword in his jaws, yanked the man close, grabbed his head, and crushed it. The body vanished into mist.Akira battled the snake lady, the monk, and the ninja. Her serpents rushed him in a great wave but he incinerated them instantly. The monk and ninja zig-zagged around him, trying to confuse him, but Akira matched their movements. Their three-way clash was a blur of kicks, punches, steel flashes, and fire.The snake woman ensnared Akira’s leg, freezing him in place. The monk raised his staff to shatter his skull; the ninja’s blade aligned for the killing slice. But Akira detonated into a burst of flame, throwing them all back. Before the snake lady could reform her coil, he ripped through her, turning her to ash. The ninja whirled in with two swords, but Akira moved faster circling him, engulfing him, burning him out of existence. The monk soon followed.Masato, meanwhile, was locked with the sumo warrior, the samurai spirit, and the geisha with the shamisen. Blades of sound shattered against Masato’s crystalline shell. He swung at her, but the sumo wrestler crashed in with his iron club ,their strength matched this time. They clashed exchanging blows with the club and sword , the wrestler parried  the sword every time ,but the third time masato caught his club with his hands and abolished it , the fight then moved to hand to hand combat they traded blows, the ground shook from the impact of each blow . The wrestler tried grabbing Masato by his waist but Masato drove a knee into his gut, followed by rapid strikes to his spine until his grip broke. Masato seized his face.

“It’s the samurai!” Akira shouted.

All the slain spirits reformed instantly  gathered around the samurai, shielding him. Masato grinned.

“Pon.” he shouted 

White energy exploded from his arm, gathering into a colossal punch. The air bent around it. The punch blasted through the spirits, launching them skyward and dragging the samurai across the ground, carving a trench for yards.

The samurai staggered up. The spirits swarmed back to him.

"Here it comes", Masato whispered 

Then the world shook.

Wind roared like a dying god. The ground trembled violently. One by one, the spirits fused into him ; fourteen hands emerged from his back, each hand armed with a different weapon: swords, scythes, serpents, shamisen, a club, and the monk’s staff.The staff spun in a slow, ritualistic arc, then struck the ground.

Everything went silent.

Darkness swallowed the world. The earth became a shallow ocean, ripples spreading under every step. The old man swung his staff again, summoning a spiraling vortex of waves. He skimmed across the water like a phantom, sword weaving a tide that slashed Hiroshi across the chest. Hiroshi tried to counter with his kitsune aura, but the waves smashed him away, throwing him across the water.Akira took to the air, but the water surged upward, twisting like living serpent, forcing him to weave, dodge, and fly off to stay alive.

“We have to work together!” Masato yelled.

Akira helped Hiroshi up. The three charged through the oceanic world as the old man rode a towering wave toward them, fourteen arms swinging, serpents emerging from below.They attacked from all sides.

“CHOW!” Masato roared, unleashing a massive energy punch instantly sliced apart by the water-forged blade.

Akira dove in from behind, molten fists blazing, flames spewing from his mouth. Every strike was countered by a different weapon—the club, the scythe, the serpents—each amplified by the endless waves.

They were losing.

Then Hiroshi made a choice.

He roared and hurled himself forward, tearing through the waves even as they shredded his body. Kitsune aura erupting, he grappled the old man, forcing his fourteen arms apart for just a moment. Masato seized it.

“KONG!”

Akira slammed in with fiery force but the old man turned the attack aside with the water-empowered club.

In that instant Akira let his transformation collapse. His body weakened but his fangs burned brighter than ever. He lunged and clamped onto the old man's shoulder, turning him just enough

“RIICHI!” Masato roared.

All the demonic energy—blue, red, and abyss-black surged into his blade. He drove it clean through the old man’s chest from behind.The water world shattered.

The World went back to normal, they returned to the normal realm .

Takeshi Shohei collapsed to the ground, blood pooling beneath him.Masato, barely holding himself up, whispered, “Mahjong…”

Takeshi weakly reached toward something lying beside him then fell still.

God i knew you would never do this , you would never abandon a child of yours, we were all born equal why would one be born with a boon while another with a curse , it wasn't you , i know now why you made me it was for this purpose, it was to cast  this evil out of my family but ohh God please forgive me for what I am going to do inorder to cure the curse of my family, i will , I have to acquire the jewels no matter what it takes . As she was praying in the shrine , a portal opened up and a small spider crawled out .

"Can you believe this blud really pulled a gashadokuro on me "

"for real dawg ,but this npc looking dude's meat do be bussin tho like gyatt damn , I wish that was my meat you know " , teishuku said sitting on his bed with a broken arm .

"Gotan did it again , he keeps slaying my preys , just like he did to that singer , it's been so long since I enjoyed a prey the temptation is making me crazy " satoru said 

"This shohei bussines is interrupting my gooning sessions , ffs , this side quest taking too long for real "

"I don't know but I am not going with gotan again " .

 Ppppppp... Phone rang he picked up

"Okay .. okay I will tell them " hangs up 

" who was it? " 

" SHINOBU , the last shohei has been found "