Monster or hero ?

With a loud explosive thud , a pack of Bamboos snapped at the base and became airborne , clearing up the dark night sky. A tall dark figure stood at the epicentre, that was the horrible man who messed with his family. 

"I got a plan " kazanari muttured ," i will engage them in a fight , you focus on escaping " 

" But i can't leave you like this ", Naori said with heavy breaths , as he ran behind kazanari forming pathway through the thick bamboo forest. 

" You have to trust me Naori , they want you not me " 

They had retreated further back where the bamboos were still intact . 

" I will summon a kamaitachi and have it posses you " kazanari muttered 

" Wait i have never heard of this yokai" Naori said hesitantly . 

Behind them , the bamboo shoots covered the terrain as if feeble allies trying their last ditch effort to help them escape. 

" Ohh you have seen this one before " , he said with a faint smirk "Trust , MY instincts this time, okay " kazanari murmured turning back at Naori for a brief moment as reassurance before turning up ahead . The Bamboos were almost over , up ahead was a clearing and the pines were taking over . 

"Okay " Naori  mustured up a sliver of  courage 

" Escape . Remember that " he said . His feet came to a halt for a moment, his breath sounded heavy. He raised his arm up - shoulder height this time . A whirlwind began to blow out from his palms and inside it was a weasel like creature with 4 distinct sickles as it's arms .

With rapid continuous snaps the Bamboo shoots behind fell asleep left and right one after another. A pair of glowing red eyes approached them peeping through the thick crowd of bamboos sweeping them left and right with the 2 clubs like swords with pointy edges . He swung them in a cross cross motion, killing off 2 at a time as it came crashing down , with a unceremonious thud .  A Wooden slender body , face covered in brown hair flowing upwards and from in between a pair of crimson eyes glowed . The man drew closer and closer , his swings getting faster each second .

"Quick" kazanari muttered "posses him"

The twisted gush of wind along with the weasel disintegrated and slammed onto Naori's body . A strong tornado blew inside his body bumping onto the walls of his body as it pushed outwards, trying to spill out . A sharp pain overcame his entire body , thousands of needles poked on to his skin from under, a violent gush surged from the crevices in his arm then his legs , and further his chest gradually little by little , twisting and turning in a circular path creating a vortex around his arm. His legs churned into a tornado unable for him to control, he tried to move forward, the winds felt as if a heavy uncontrollable machinery on his body , he collided among the trees, snapping them , tossing them up in the churning winds . 

" ALL IN!!!! " The feral monstrous creature of a man galloped at Naori with his club hurled towards him with bloodlust written all over it . A scaly webbed hand blocked it . It was kazanari . A surge of water from each hand formed a water powered fist . Another swing, the watered fist stopped .  Masato swung both clubs at once . Water curled up onto his club , soaking it in water , the pointy edges stuck together and became soggy .

Naori still trying to propel his body forward but his wind engulfed legs refusing to budge . 

Kazanari packed a punch into Masato's gut ,with a popping sound he dropped him onto his knees. " Your hahakigami is weak against water " kazanari said . Masato pulled 2 cards again  , " you're a smart kid I give you that " he smirked " But can you handle my 2 aces ?" . A fiery red streak of light pierced through the darkness at sonic speed from behind taking a semicircular path towards them, crackling and popping as it incinerated and melted every bamboo that came between it's path. From another side a pair of yellow glowing eyes glared from bamboo to bamboo jumping, and moving forward at insane speeds. The Bamboos swayed rapidly in an unpleasant rattle , colliding with each other. It was untill it came close enough that it's features were conspicuous — a monkey like transformation, white furry, greasy skin, slender muscular arms , chest covered by a claw like armour with a red circular structure held on the centre , a long tail wrapping itself against the bamboo , lined by glowing red ornaments . And in his hand he held a golden staff with a metallic attachment on its top , shaped as  2 crescent moon joint one on top of another , it encircled 2 circular golden metallic knobs that rang as it moved . 

" Naori run " kazanari blurted. Naori barely got his transformation under control, his legs were churning rapidly, a big silvery sickle broke out from inside his arms and a violent gush of wind engulfed his body in circular motion. " What about you " he shouted over the howling winds . "Don't worry about m—" before he could finish , the monkey guy slammed his staff on him with a dead thump, kazanari blocked it with his arm , now transformed into a crimson heavy ,muscular, veiny arm , with a thick hide . It didn't hurt him at all , courtesy to his transfomed arm . the fiery guy arrived flying at incredible speed carrying an aftertaste of vile burning ash ,it's wings erupted with magma ,distorting the air along the way . With his other webbed hand , kazanari surged up a huge wave of water , a huge shield , akira slammed onto the water wall with a loud splat , the fire collided with the water . kazanari weared back . The flames screeched through the surface of water sheild . Droplets of hot waters splashed everywhere, accompanied by a reek of wet smoke . Another strike came from Masato 's club onto kazanari back . Just in time , he transformed his back too into  a hard rocky shell . Kazanari got pressed from both sides . " Naori..Go... without..me " kazanari gasped as he struggled through the pressure.

Naori who barely had a grasp on his new found power was in a dilemma. He froze in his step , unable to decide whether to run and live to fight another day or to help this kind stranger who has put his own life multiple times to save his . On one hand , he saw his father who still awaited his rescue and on the other his new found friend who needed his help . 

"YOU NEED ME KID , I CAN HELP YOU " an ominous beasty voice rang in Naori's head 

"Who is it ..." , Naori shouted

"YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN ME IT SEEMS" the voice said in a low echo . 

Kazanari was getting crushed under the pressure from all sides, Akira's blaze collided on his webbed arms, burning it at several places. Burnt Droplets splashed rapidly from the collision, burning his skin. On the other side , Masato was continuously pressing his pointy club on to kazanari hard shelled back , the continuous pressure made the hard shell crack with a crackle and pop from several places , kazanari held in a shreik . A faint wind  blew on his feet , churning it into a spiralling gust of wind , the sand underneath surged up in a violent tornado that soon engulfed him , giving him an opening. He undid his hands and back . The gust blew him further from the 3 . The three chased after . 

Masato swung his club , producing a slash of violent  wind that slammed onto kazanari , who was on the run. With quick reflex , the wind moved from legs to torso , which soaked some damage . It shook him slammed him onto a tree , before long , the monkey guy showed up , from him sprung out multiplte clones of him. 10s...20s...30s...left , right , up ,down . They smash their staffs on to kazanari. Transform the head , into a crimson hide , it blocked , quick shift it to legs , BAM .. blood oozed out .. another swing , transform the chest , then shoulder.. it wasn't quick, another hit connected . Kazanari dropped to ground with a thud , shivering, twitching in pain . The 3 of them encircled him .  

" Ur cooked  dawg ", the monkey guy spoke " let's be real bud , ur goofy ahh ain't doing shit against us , just let us take that NPC ahh mc looking dude , this whole business ruined by gooning streak , ffs man , I saw this real hot baddie today , her ginormous ass gyat damn ,it was bussin' . You know , When I think of a women's ass something comes out of me . You want me waste my precious time on this stupid ass thing or should I not cook your ass mid diff and go back to gooning at humongously large asses on the internet "

" Shut the fuck up , Teishuku you're pissing me off " Akira blurted .

A bit further from kazanari, Naori's half cooked transformation was put to test against an overwhelming animosity; Satoru , who had already transformed into his monstrous form — mascular tiger fangs , sharp teeth widening across the jaw , yellow scales gleaming on his torso, with fins emerging from back glowing in luminous teal . 

Hundreds of their men in black suits , and red shirts underneath swamped the area like scavengers , looking to chew at any remnants left by the beast in front.

" Ohh you look delicious boy , do u like to feel pain " satoru said with a sharp playful twang of the tongue.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY FATHER!!! " Naori shouted in anger , his winds rattling against the bamboos and knocking up fine dust particles around him.

" Ohh your father ,it was a pleasure, his screams , his SCREAMS!! it was marvelous " satoru slurped his lips his hands moving in a lusty motion , eyes rolled up reminiscing the incident . 

"Don't worry though I kept him..alive " satoru laughed in a beasty high pitched voice . 

"I WILL KILL YOU " , Naori roared as his winds did too " I WILL KILL YOU " .

"Uuu scary!!" , he said in an absent voice , raising his brows just for the show.

Naori surged like a tornado towards him. The difference of strength didn't cross his mind . With his fangs equipped with roaring, thunderous gale and a sickle shaped blade, intended to tear apart satoru's chest he charged.

Satoru grabbed both of  Naori 's wrist with his massive , yellow , tiger fangs . Holding him on his track . The winds howled. Chunks of his thick monstrous hide scraped off from the surface but he heed it no attention. He pulled him closer and sniffed him like a beast. Naori smelled his terrible breath , it was filled with vile smell of blood . 

" Hmmm.. I Smell...anger .. " slurps his tongue " I wonder... what..your.. screams ..would.. taste like " 

"YOU WOULD PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO MY FATHER" Naori roared in anger and hatred . 

He shot a fast kick towards satoru's gut . Satoru stopped it with his mere feet on Naori 's knees. He was way too much for a newbie in this sorcerers' world like Naori . Even then , the violent winds roared along his legs, and desparately wrung around this murderous beast tearing apart his thick scaly body with a shrill . The other leg swung up . With a swift flow it collided on it's torso from the side , Satoru grasped his legs and thrashed him violently onto the ground again and again. The world hazed left and right. 

Satoru released a menacing laugh . He enjoyed the thrashing thoroughly. Naori tried to clasp the ground , but the winds collapsed on his hand . 

" YOUR STRUGGLE IS FUTILE. YOU NEED ME , YOU CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT ME " The Voice once again spoke in Naori's head. 

"Who are you.. tell me ?" Naori only thought this in his head but he got a reply..

Satoru raised his arms , a wild surge of blue violent wave erupted from behind. Satoru danced his arm in a rhythm. The wave danced along with it and slammed onto Naori , submerging him upto his head .The water pressure was intense. His windy transformation was undone . His muscles started to collapse under the weight , tendons ripping off like strings of guitar . His bones started to crackle and pop , like twigs getting stepped on. Naori endured silently . His face squeezed to the pulp , holding in a violent scream . 

" Scream!!! Scream !!! WHY ARE YOU NOT SCREAMING ? " satoru roared in frustration . 

Naori had immense tolerance, his eyes looked blood shot . Tears rolled down his eyes . But screaming in that moment would have been his loss. 

The men around intervened "YOU CAN'T KILL HIM YET , SIR " they shouted in Unison . 

Satoru released a loud , thunderous roar that shook everyone .

"DON'T INTERRUPT WHILE I PREY!!!" he shouted. 

" Back into a kappa , hand into a shuten doji , other hand that of a  ningyo " Masato muttered to pain stricken Kazanari. He laid on the ground , his muscles twitching in pain. He helped himself up.

" I have never seen anyone use partial transformation lik—" 

A nasty gob landed on his face . Kazanari grinned at him as if saying Fuck you . 

Enraged he jumped and pressed him to the ground . In violent rage , he punched his face again and again and again . His face turned bloody . his nose broke , his face swelled up , vision started to glimmer . The ground turned into a tiny waterhole of blood. All Hope died down. Even if he manage to evade the three there were  hundreds of their subordinates waiting to finish them off .

BANG ..BANG. ..BANG..BANG... hundreds of bullets snapped in the silence , glowing a luminous blue in the dark. Several hundred men emerged from the shadows from within the dark forest. They conjured from thin air as if been hiding in plain view the whole time. They wore , olive green uniforms — khaki coats and pants . The buttons a bright red colour, over that they draped themselves with white baggy cloak , with golden ornaments encircling their arms , and a massive yellow circular beads hang on them as necklace . On their head they wore a structured peaked cap , a deep luminous blue circular stone embedded on the centre of their caps . Hands wrapped in white gloves with yellow stripes and prayer beads wrapping around it. Equipped with m16s and m4s that gleamed brilliantly with azure light . 

They fired another round . Blue bullets pelted on their skin. Deep dents emerged on the impact recoiling back into plains at great speed filling the air with loud bangs and cracks and ending with a metallic clangs as the bullets dropped down knocking against each other . The bullets had little effect on their monstrous skin . However every little impact of the bullet , accumulated into tiny scratches one after another as the bullets rained down on them , spilling blood from the minors wounds it caused.

Akira curled up in a ball , and cried in fear " ... I ...m ..scared" . The bullets that rained down on him melted on his eternal flame before they even got close to his skin.

" Where's the other two , Akira ? " Masato cried out as he swung his club in back and forth . Cross cross . Up and down trying to block every bullet that came towards him . Akira writhed on the ground . Hands tucked under his head. Teishuku was going on about his usual ramblings. Despite Masato's efforts some of the bullets pierced through his defence. His legs sprayed blood , his guts got needle poked , his shoulders scratched little by little. These were not normal bullet, normal bullets wouldn't have been able to touch them .

" Shit !! Shit!! My fucking luck" he cried out 

"We kinda cooked man " , Teishuku muttured 

" Cover me , for a minute " Masato said 

" What u up to ", he said 

" Just do as i say " , Masato said 

" Aight , my man getting serious", he said shaking his head in approval. 

Teishuku conjured hundreds and thousands of monkeys from within weilding strong staffs . The hoots and howls filled the air. They mindlessly galloped towards the hundreds of men like disposable soldiers. The bullets fired at rapid rate . One after another , the monkeys got shot down but their number was massive. They kept charging at them . A faction of men among the army of cloaked soldiers empty handed emerged. Dozens of pair of hands raised up gleaming bright blue light and a hundreds of the monkeys started to levitate in air.

The hundreds of kiyomasa subordinates came to their aid transformed into various different forms . some took the form of snakes , some one eyed monsters. Some with long extending necks . Some skilled swordsman while some others were four legged beasts . A violent war broke out between them .

Masato seized the opportunity and started shuffling his cards " Come'on.. Come'on.. just give.. me one.. good card " he huffed 

He pulled a single card at random — an ACE . 

his body erupted, his lean muscles popped and grew heavy and large . Black markings inscribed itself onto his crimson skin all over his body . His size grew towering everyone. 10 feet tall . 

...RWOOORRRRR..!!!!

a monstrous roar sliced through the air , sending shockwaves through the air. The tress went flying . The ground shook wavering the gun men . He charged on all four like a beast . The men gave way for an old rustic , clunky tank from behind.  It fired a huge laser beam towards Masato . He took the hit head on . His thick hide soaked the impact. The laser pressed him hard, pushing him back but his strength was unmatched. It was the strength of his Ace afterall. He power walked through the laser still beaming down on his chest through the beam unable to scar his thick hide. Soon the power walk turned into a full on run . The beam didn't matter anymore. Next, they bombarded him with hundreds of hand grenades . But instead of snapping and exploding each grenade blasted into living tree vines . Hundreds of tree vines , wrapping and tieing itself around Masato's massive arms and legs , hindering his movement and stopping him on his track . His hands pushed through. The vines would snap with a crack only for another set of vines to strangle around his arms. he forced past the strangling vines and broke free with sheer brute force. He charged at the men just about 2 - 3 feet away now ... The telekinetic faction worked again and held him on his track once again , the others fired bullets at him but his hide was too thick for anything to work on it . His movement slowed down but they couldn't keep him under the telekinesis he broke through it once again with sheer power . He lunged forward at them and almost reached them but just in time another faction pulled a huge magical shield infront of them , a bright yellow shield hundreds of metres tall shaped like dome , donned with several circular and star shaped patterns. Masato collided with the shield with a loud thud , he punched the shield with his huge monstrous fist , sending ripples through the shield, the punches started to form cracks on the shields but the men , tried everything on Masato , guns , fixing the cracks on sheild, trying to control Masato telekinetically , they did everything.

Kazanari laid on the ground , bloodied from the beating. He started to oozed out mana from his face gently healing his face . Bone by bone , wound by wound . His body shivered to make the slightest movement, somehow he got on his knees with great effort he began to crawl towards Naori . His vision blurry . His hands trembling as he crawled . Naori was crushed under the pressure of the waves. A huge wall of water blocked the bullets from the men .

Naori was out of breath. His body almost went numb from the pain. His vision flickered . His ear rang . The sounds of battle echoed in his ears and the world ? The world went dark . 

"Grandpa who is that over there ? " 

" Someone's standing there.." 

"Grandpa there is a monster in my room " 

Scenes from his childhood flashed before his eyes. Maybe it was the end of his life .he thought.

" Who are you..  Mr monster " 

"NAORI..COME TO ME " 

"Will you play with me " 

But why did only these memories surfaced as he was on the brink of death . Was it really that important to him . 

"REMEMBER NOW KID " , the voice echoed .

Naori opened his eyes and found himself in a dark realm. A huge dark face emerged from the dark curtain like world .

" Mr....mons...ter " Naori murmured in awe 

" MY NAME IS KIDOMARU, EVER SINCE YOU WERE A KID I SET MY EYES ON YOU , YOU COULD HELP ME GET INTO THE HUMAN WORLD, AND I CAN HELP YOU RESCUE YOUR FATHER." 

" BEFORE YOUR GRANDFATHER DIED I STRIKED A DEAL WITH HIM , HE IS STILL WAITING FOR YOU I CAN TAKE YOU THERE . BUT YOU HAVE TO ACCEPT MY OFFER " 

Naori thought for a moment 

" I will show them , I will make pay . I accept your offer , possess my body and show them hell" he raised his arm and Kidomaru in a violent fashion , the entire dark realm entered Naori .

Naori eyes opened , still under the grasp of satoru , his eyes glowed a vicious white .. and his body erupted in a dark black shadow , he shattered the intense water wave like a fragile glass, his body emerged into a huge shadowy figure , glowing with bright red skin , his figure was huge — almost 15 feet huge , his arms were absolutely massive , and muscular, his dark aura fluttered violent in the air , the winds started to blow violently. Satoru was like a tiny little creature to him now 

Satoru conjured up his waves and tugged his tails and tried to flee swimming through his waves . Few of the Kiyomasa's men tried to attack Naori . He thumped his massive legs on the ground , the ground shook , everybody dropped down to the ground, a black gooey liquid emerged from Naori's legs and swallowed the hundreds of men into it as if a devouring quick sand . Their screams and cries filled the air . Everybody stood still , looking at the monstrous form of Naori . The battle stood still . The black element emerged from Naori's hands and it pierced through the waters of satoru and grabbed Satoru . He screamed in agony , " what a... Monster .. you've become" he still smirked with arrogance. Naori thrashed him to the ground continuously just like he did to him before . He huffed and gasped. " Ohh.. you too love.. violence,  don't you " Satoru muttured. Naori 's massive arms grabbed satoru's tiger fangs that looked tiny and feeble infront of him . He grabbed it tightly . "Ahhhhhhhaaahaa" satoru screamed and rolled on the ground .  His arms , broke into crumbs , Naori grabbed another of his legs. Satoru struggled with little strength he had left . Naori tore apart his leg from his body , the blood gushed out everywhere, the blood spilled the entire ground . "Ahhhhhhhhhh " another scream left satoru . 

Everyone in the battlefield stood still , watching the brutal death in terror .

" No..no..no ...no..no..noo " Masato cried out . He came back to his senses after zooning out for a moment. He threw the soldiers that he grasped on his huge hands . The soldiers too came back to his senses and tried to hold him back with everything they got bullets , missiles , telekinesis grenades, everything they got , ..

Naori ripped apart satoru from his waist , the blood split on the ground immense. 

A loud roar erupted from him . It shook everyone to the core . It was something ominous like nobody has ever heard before . He threw the half split dead body of satoru into the ground and he ran towards the forest and from thin air a cave emerged it's entrance blocked by a huge boulder . Naori jumped into the boulder and got sucked inside . He vanished in front of everyone along with the cave