In a Pinch

Kinnoko screeched in alarm at Kenzō’s sudden appearance on her and Kasane’s battlefield. She glanced beyond Kenzō, near the counter, and shuddered. Her employee, Shintarō the tanuki, lay dead on the floor, in the pool of his own blood. His body was slashed in the tiniest cuts, still bleeding into it. Kinnoko’s nine foxtails bristled. She snarled at Kenzō and deflected his incoming sword with her claws.

“You monster! How could you do this to him?” she shouted. “You, kami, call yourselves noble, but you’re worse than any demon!”

“Demons shouldn’t expect any mercy!” Kenzō grinned and slashed at her again. “All of you, sinful yōkai, will get your karma!”

“Karma, my foot!” Kinnoko growled. “You’re clearly enjoying this!”

“Oh, I am!” Kenzō laughed in his tinkling voice, which, combined with his rainbow-coloured reptilian eyes, made him uncanny. “I can’t wait to eat all of you!”

Behind Kenzō, Kasane sat on the floor, breathing heavily, recuperating from her recent battle with Kinnoko. She watched Kenzō fighting the golden fox, and her heart throbbed at the sight of his predatory smile. She had long known about his murderous streak as a half-dragon, but didn’t expect him to be this vicious. He was Auntie Nene’s son, loving and supportive, almost like a brother to her and Kazuya. So, his cruelty was frightening to witness.

Auntie Nene wouldn’t hurt a fly. Kasane thought. She’s far kinder than even I am! And yet… I guess, marrying a yōkai, even if it’s a kami, comes with a price. She glanced at Yukihiro battling Kasai in another corner. I’ve often wondered, if I tied the knot with Yuki, would our child turn out like Ken? She looked at Kenzō’s bestial smile again. I hope not… And yet, I love Ken! This is so complicated…

“Big Sis Kasane, please heal me when I get injured!” Kenzō shouted, waking her from her musings. He kept slashing at the fox, but seemed to be out of breath. “800-year-old nine-tailed foxes are no joke. I want to go all out, and I’ll need your support to keep standing!”

“Oh… Of course, Ken!” Kasane snapped out of it. She generated green light in her palms – her healing magic.

“As if I’d let you!” Kinnoko jumped at Kasane, but Kenzō’s water slash stopped her.

“I’m your opponent!” he said, the vile smile still on his lips.

Kinnoko winced, pushed back by Kenzō’s slash. She wanted to attack again, but momentarily froze. She stared at Kenzō, her ears twitching in surprise. He had cut his fingers and was smearing his blood on both sides of his blade.

“W-What the hell are you doing?” Kinnoko frowned. She readied her claws, suspecting some nasty trick.

“Well, you’re too powerful a spirit to die from simple injuries, unlike that fatso.” Kenzō pointed to the dead tanuki. “So, I’ll bet on my divine blood.” He grinned, passing his bloody fingers on his sword. “Big Sis Kasane has already poisoned you, stunting your regeneration. This should finish you off!”

He swung his sword at Kinnoko, cutting her torso. His divine dragon blood on the blade seared through her flesh, making her scream. She tried mending the wound with the little regenerative ability she had left, but failed.

Just as I suspected! Kenzō smirked, seeing her sizzling cut. The dragon scale bullets work in the Demon Realm, despite the suppression of kami magic. He glanced at Kazuya, who was shooting ogres with his dragon bullets. Therefore, I figured that our flesh and blood must still be effective against demons upon contact. Kenzō turned back to Kinnoko, who tried to stay on her wobbly feet, coughing up blood. My theory proved true. Now, I can cut this fox to pieces!

He slashed at Kinnoko again, but delivered smaller cuts. He wanted his bloody sword to singe her flesh enough to resist her regeneration but give her a slow death. This was a risky manoeuvre – Kinnoko put up a fierce resistance. She blasted Kenzō with light rays, light balls, and even crimson foxfire. However, Kenzō had asked Kasane for help just for this occasion. She sat on the floor behind him and sent him her healing energy, mending his wounds before they’d impede his movements. So, Kenzō could torture Kinnoko to his heart’s content. Kasane would’ve objected to his cruel methods if it weren’t for the questions he asked Kinnoko.

“Where are you holding Yumi Shinemori?” He growled, adding wider slashes to Kinnoko’s bleeding body. His rainbow eyes flashed, and his resonant voice shook the room. “I’m sure Kasai is hiding her here. You must know where she is!” He activated his Water Magic around his sword, making the slashes more painful. “I’ll give you a quick death if you tell me.” He emitted vapours from his nostrils, and his pupils narrowed to slits. “But if not, I’ll cut you up so hard that you’ll beg me for death!”

Kasane had stopped sending her energy to Kenzō by now, for he didn’t need healing anymore. Kinnoko had collapsed on the floor, in the pool of her own blood. And yet, Kenzō kept cutting her up until she opened her mouth to speak.

“S-She’s… underground…” she wheezed, coughing up more blood. “The door… un-under the counter. Please…” she purred, her pupils dilating as she eyed Kenzō standing over her. “H-Have mercy… Kami-sama…”

Kenzō’s watery blade pierced her heart, silencing her. Her eyes bulged and then lost their spark, lifeless. She lay still, disintegrating into ash from her burning wounds. Kenzō looked down at her, his eyes devoid of pity.

“That’s better,” he muttered, his voice so cold that it gave Kasane chills. He took his sword out of the dead fox’s body and shook it to get her tainted blood off its tip. He turned to Kasane, who had clasped her hand to her chest, staring at him. Kenzō recognised her troubled expression and smiled bitterly. “Sorry, they just piss me off, these demons!” He scratched the back of his head. “But we got Yumi’s whereabouts! I’ll go look for her, while you guys_”

His speech was cut – Yukihiro was hurled over their heads, hitting the counter and breaking it in half. He was burned all over his body, stained with blood. He breathed heavily, barely conscious.

“Yuki!” Kasane screamed. She jumped to her feet and ran to him. She clutched his limp shoulders and shook him. “Yuki, answer me! Please!”

Kasai, hurt much less than Yukihiro, walked towards them with a sadistic smile on his lips. He had defeated Ginrei, so now it was the brats’ turn. He didn’t seem at all concerned about Kinnoko’s death. He was rather gleeful, savouring his opponents’ despair. He ignited a crimson fireball in his palm, which smelled of burning spider lilies – the unpleasant odour of foxfire.

Kenzō frowned and lifted his bloody sword. He stood with his back to Kasane and Yukihiro, ready to protect them. Kazuya and Inuko, who had disposed of the ogres, joined him.

“Kasai will be hard to defeat,” Kenzō told them. Sweat streamed down his brow. “A 999-year-old yōkai is too close to the 1000-year bottleneck. The spirits’ power increases tremendously after each bottleneck, not to mention 1000 years, which they rarely reach.”

“But this guy is only 999 years old, as you said!” Inuko barked, knitting her brows. “Ginrei is the only nine-tailed fox who has passed 1000 years of age. How come he lost?”

She turned back, eyeing the injured Yukihiro. Kasane hovered over him frantically, fusing her green energy into his wounds. But he wouldn’t be healed anytime soon.

Kazuya didn’t ponder over the mystery of Yukihiro’s defeat. He aimed his pistol at Kasai and pulled the trigger. A thunderous shot echoed. But Kasai didn’t die. He swung three of his crimson tails, sending a gust of fiery wind. It collided with the bullet and redirected it back at the friends, piercing Inuko’s arm.

“Ah!” Inuko grunted, pressing her hand on the cut. But it healed fast, for she was Raijin’s guardian dog, immune to divine bullets. She snarled at Kasai. “You wretch!”

“I’m so sorry, Inuko!” Kazuya exclaimed, troubled that his bullet had hurt his girlfriend. He frowned at Kasai. “How come a godly bullet doesn’t affect you? You’re not a guardian fox!”

“If it doesn’t touch me, it can’t kill me.” Kasai chuckled. “You hear that, Ginrei?” He looked at Yukihiro, who lay helplessly on the broken counter. “I’ll slay all of these brats, and then I’ll claim your Herbal Mage girl!” He licked his fangs, glaring at Kasane. “She’s what, 25? – Their meat is the most delicious at that age…”

“You bastard!” Kazuya shouted, blood rushing up to his temples. He fired three consecutive shots, but Kasai parried every single one, laughing in his face. Why does this keep happening?! Kazuya snarled, the pistol trembling in his hand. Why am I so useless?

Inuko growled and charged her Lightning Magic into her clawed hands. Kenzō coated his sword with his Water Magic, his muscles tense. They watched the fireball in Kasai’s hand, ready to deflect it the minute it came.

“Yuki, stay with me!” Kasane begged the white fox behind them, fusing her energy into his bleeding wounds.

Yukihiro gazed into Kasane’s teary eyes, blazing at him from above. He took deep breaths, trying to hold on to his consciousness.

That bastard threatened Kasane. He thought, his fingers twitching in anger. I can’t keep holding back. I’ll have to… go all out.

He shut his eyes, concentrating his remaining energy into a powerful spell. He no longer cared what became of him. He must save Kasane and her friends.