In Sickness and in Death

Shuten-Doji puffed heavy air into the man's face.

The man was gritting his teeth but showed no signs of fear.

Suddenly, a small but searing white pain shot through the hand holding the man. Shuten-Doji jerked his arm and lost his grip.

"HELL WAS THAT?!"

The man, landing on his feet, had a thin trail of smoke escaping his hands as a small glow of orange pulsed inside his palms.

Shuten-Doji dashed towards the man, dozens of cycles being crushed in his path.

The man picked up his katanas while dodging, stumbling a little after being squeezed so tightly. Multiple small circles of black mist surrounded him. All at once, the circles shot out beams of dark magic which seared in all directions.

The man vaulted over towards Shuten-Doji, dodging all the beams coming towards him, only to be rammed into a wall by a thick wave of even more dark magic.

Shards of wood pierced his back as he was pushed into the wall. Finally the wave slowly dissipated, and he fell onto the floor, now covered in debris from the oni's rampage.

He slowly pulled himself back to his feet, using his katana as support. Blood was dripping from his back in thick oozes. He looked up only to see Shuten-Doji's towering body preparing for a punch, his fist and shoulders pulled backwards as much as possible while his muscles bulged like they were about to pop.

The man flew backwards; he shot through the wall and landed on the cold asphalt street. The sun was just beginning to rise, bleaching the sky by the horizon.

Two glowing orange eyes emerged from the dust and debris that covered the shop like a thick blanket. The orbs radiated with violence and hatred.

The man got to his feet again, only to collapse immediately afterwards, not from the fatigue or injury but from something completely different. His face and mind were still ready for a hundred more blows, but it was only his body that couldn't manage.

"Something I guess I forgot to mention..." began Shuten-Doji in a slow but violent voice, like a wild dog's.

"Is that my dark magic is rooted in disease. With all those cuts you have, the germs are probably writhing every inch of body."

He dashed towards him.

The oni struck him with a powerful uppercut.

"First it's loss of motor skills..."

The man took a dizzying blow to the cranium.

"...Then it's internal bleeding..."

He was thrown into the air almost a hundred yards and landed in the middle of Tokyo.

"...Then it's complete organ failure..."

His body was crushed by the weight of Shuten-Doji slamming onto him from the sky.

"...Finally, Death."

Shuten-Doji took a step back from his rag doll of a human. People starting gathering around them in shock and curiosity, phones clicked and flashed. The man's body was completely covered in debris of the road, not a hint of his body was visible, even through the small cracks of asphalt.

Slowly, bits of the debris started crumbling out of the pile. A hand stuck out like a zombie escaping its grave. And as more pieces of rock tumbled out, the man hauled himself bit by bit.

He was covered in dust and blood.

The crowd gasped in surprise. That was probably at least 100 pounds of rock.

"Like you would know anything about death," he smirked.

"The fuck? Healing magic doesn't even work on Desolate Dread!!"

The man stood confidently like he wasn't just beaten to a pulp.

"Doesn't matter. I would've been pissed anyways if the person that killed most of my men just died like that. You need to feel true pain!"

Shuten-Doji punched the man straight on the nose.

He then pulled both his fists back and rammed them at the same time.

When he did, a white hot pain stabbed through both sides of his wrists.

The man had his hands placed on them after tanking the blow, and now, smoke was billowing from it like a bonfire.

"ARRGUH FUCKISTHATTHING???!"

He stumbled backwards, hands jerked out.

The man took that opportunity and pulled out both his katanas, leapt forwards, and sank his blades deep into the backs of his palms.

Shuten-Doji's hands were pushed to the ground.

"You think I'm going to die that easily??!!" he cried maniacally.

He brought up his hands, the blades sticking out of his palms, and almost like a hug, wrapped his arms around the man's back.

Both the man's shoulders were pierced and the wound was split deeper and deeper as he pulled tightly into the demonic figure's chest.

Shuten-Doji's cackle, awfully reminiscent of a hyena's laugh, boomed through the city. His guffaw slowly turned into a blood curdling scream as unbelievable pain like a thousand needles seared into his chest.

The man's hands, which have been shoved up the oni's abs, started that deadly touch that Shuten-Doji hated so dearly.

This time, the katanas held the monster's hands to the man's back and were lodged in almost perfectly.

Shuten-Doji tried to pull out with his strength amidst his cries of anguish.

Finally, after what felt like a century, he split open his palms just to escape the man's grasps.

He then began to notice those wounds from the touch weren't regenerating like all his other injuries, the charred torn skin was still perfectly visible from his wrists, palms, and most apparently, in his chest.

Just as he came to realize this, the man pulled out one of the katanas jammed in his shoulder blade, and sprinted towards the dazed giant.

Shuten-Doji looked up a moment too late, and with a clean slice, the beast's head came right off.

The body thudded to the ground, and the earth shook. Most of the bystanders had long run off in fear, but the few remaining had their phones out, and their eyes were round with shock.

A low and quiet laugh started behind the man; the bystanders pointed at something in bewilderment beyond the man's periphery.

The head of Shuten-Doji slowly floated upwards, eyes still aglow. It flew towards the man and took a powerful bite on the side of his back.

The man cried out in surprise and pain as he arched his katana backwards and sliced the head in two.

He turned around and saw the head turn into disgusting black goo which then slowly trickled away between the small crevices of the debris. The headless body followed suit.

The man finally pulled out the second katana from his flesh. Both weapons were caked with his and Shuten-Doji's blood.

The bystanders were looking on in wonder and horror.

The man slowly limped away, bruised and bloody, and the onlookers didn't dare to follow.