Fighting an Oni without Magic

“The crystal… is broken.”

Smoke still rose from the ground. Shards of crystal were everywhere, like bits of dead stars scattered in the dirt. They glowed for a second, then fading out, one by one.

A second of dead silence, then everyone started losing it at once, with shaky voice.

“Oh no, what do we do now?” , "Are we stuck here?", "Tell me there’s a way out!"

Someone stumbled back, boots crunching on stone. While another kid just stood there, staring at the golems in the distance, his chest tight, forgetting how to breathe.

Sarutobi raised his hand, his voice stayed steady.

"Relax. There’s another one. Past the ravine. Remember?"

The panic didn’t vanish but it slowed.

Murmurs spread.

"Right... yeah. There was another one,"

Kazuto didn’t look relieved.

"There’s an oni over there too."

That killed the mood fast.

Denryuu cracked his neck.

“And tons of golems standing between us and that damn crystal.”

Itsuki looked at the unmoving golems.

“Maybe… it would be safer to stay here.”

For a moment, no one argued then Sarutobi turned around sharply. His face hardened, his eyes sharp focus of a veteran who’d seen worse.

“No. We have to stop the Oni. If he destroys the other crystal  we’ll be trapped here forever.”

The word echoed longer than it should have. 

Candidates, examiners, everyone turned , eyes landed on Rei.

He just scratched his cheek and let out a little laugh. 

“Ahaha… don’t worry. I’ll figure something out.”

Time passed.

No one spoke.

Rei stepped forward, eyes scanning over the forest, the candidates around him, and gadgets still available.

Click.

He stopped.

“Okay. I got it.”

Heads snapped up.

“Already?” ,  “That fast?”

Rei started talking fast. His hands moved in the air, drawing lines, pointing at rocks, cutting angles. It was messy, but it made sense.

Itsuki hesitated, fingers tightening.

"I don't know if this is gonna work, Rei..."

Sarutobi nodded once.

"No choice. I’m in."

"Me too," Akira stepped up.

“Let’s do it.” Denryuu grinned.

“Tch , ok, I’m in.” Kazuto exhaled slowly.

They moved toward the golems, careful with every step.

They stood ahead like statues carved straight out of the mountain itself, waiting for a reason to crush something.

Denryuu stood up first and smirked

"Hey! You overgrown pebbles! Over here!"

Electricity sparked along his arms, he shot it into the group of golems. But not enough to stop them. On the contrary, every single one woke at once.

Denryuu’s grin faltered.

“Shit… my power is too weak.”

Rei screamed: "Run!"

Then chaos exploded.

The golems charged. Every step made the ground shake under their boots. Stone claws tore through roots and dirt.

The team ran like hell. Branches slapped their faces. Lungs burned.

Kazuto tripped on some moss. His foot hit nothing but air. He barely caught himself, fingers digging into dirt as his heart slammed against his ribs like a hammer.

Rei glanced back.

“Be careful everyone, if we stop for even a second, we’re dead”

Ahead, the land suddenly dropped away.

“The ravine… it’s right in front of us!” Akira shouted.

Rei grabbed the beads from his pouch and threw them hard.

POP

Thick, white smoke exploded everywhere.

The golems slowed down, confused, swinging. They were looking for magic that wasn't there anymore.

The smoke thinned enough to let the ravine came into view, but the golems didn’t notice. Step by step, stone bodies moved forward then the ground vanished beneath them.

One fell. Then two. Then three

THUD

A massive crashing sound came from the dark below, stone hitting stone. The ravine swallow everything like a hungry beast.

Then Silence.

The golems were gone.

But the oni was still there.

Standing near the crystal, his magic spreads from its hands, tainting it. Blue skin, pulsing with gross pink veins.

Sarutobi clenched his fists

“We need to stop him, fast!”

The Oni laughs, heavy and mocking.

“And how do you plan to stop me without magic?”

Rei grinned. A fake, cocky grin.

“Who said we don’t have magic?”

The Oni narrows its eyes.

“You’re bluffing.”

Rei gave the signal, and the show began.

Denryuu sparked electricity from his hands. Kazuto’s knives hovered in the air, held by thin, invisible threads. Sarutobi launched a glowing orb of light.

The illusion shimmered, flawless, like magic itself had come alive.

The Oni blinked, stepping back and eyes fixed on the crystal

"What? The boss said he blocked you... did you find the stones?"

Rei smirked, acting like he knew.

"Exactly. We’ve got thirty guys behind us. You really want to try your luck?"

The Oni hesitated. 

That was the window , Rei signals the team to attack. 

They lunged. A storm of fake fire, spinning knives, and blinding sparks erupted, forcing the Oni to throw up his massive arms.

He roared, his heavy feet shaking the earth as he swiped blindly through the smoke.

"Catch me if you can, ugly!" Rei shouted, bolting into the trees.

"I'll crush you, you little gnat!" the demon roared

Then he smashed through everything with his spiked club: trunks, rocks, whatever.

Rei was leaping and twisting, barely staying ahead of those massive arms. Then, he saw it. A white cloth on a branch.

“Great. It’s there.”

Rei tossed a smoke bomb but the oni didn't care. He charged into the cloud, yelling.

“Like smoke can stop me!”

Then—

THUD

He went straight into a hole. A dirty, hand-dug pit covered in leaves. The trap was finished just minutes ago by the exorcists left behind.

Itsuki jumped in to throw the heavy net over him.

Cheers erupted through the forest.

"We did it!"

"Holy shit, we actually got an Oni without magic!"

The relief lasted about three seconds.

A roar tore through the woods. The kind of sound that makes your teeth ache.

The ground exploded.

The Oni burst out of the pit like a demon out of hell, muscles bulging, eyes bleeding red.

He swung his club.

CRACK.

Three guys went flying like broken dolls. A second swing. Screams. Blood on the grass.

The ogre stopped and looked at the terrified faces around him. That's when he realized.

"I see..." he growled, a nasty, jagged smile spread across his face. "You never got your magic back at all."

He raised the spiked club over his head.

"I’m going to paint these trees with your blood."

Kaitsuki tried a fire blast. It fizzled out before it even reached the Oni’s chest. Akira lunged with his sword.

CLINK.

It didn't even leave a scratch. Useless like hitting a tank with a butter knife.

The Oni swung his spiked iron club and the swordman barely dodged, feeling the wind of the club whistle past his ear.

“Akira!” Rei shouted, stepping forward.

“Don’t … Rei, run!” Akira warned, shaking his head.

Sarutobi stepped in, teeth gritted.

"A leader doesn't fall. If he goes, we all go."

Sarutobi’s voice cut through the chaos.

The others formed a shield, holding the line, their bodies braced against the Oni’s fury.

This is when Rei felt for the first time the weight of his responsibility.

“I promise… I’ll find something, fast,” he muttered.

But he couldn’t focus. The blood, the noise... it was too much. His head was spinning.

Sarutobi leaned in, his voice low and steady.

"I know it's a mess. But look at them. They're waiting for you. So Focus."

Rei shut his eyes and took a slow breath. Then he opened them, sharp and determined.

“You’re right. So, what’s his weakness?”

Sarutobi nodded.

“That’s the spirit. He’s crazy strong, but really dumb. Oh, and loud noises… they mess with his head.”

Then he held up a pair of heavy handcuffs.

"If I get close, I can clip these on. They’ll drain his power. But I gotta be right on top of him."

Rei frowned, doubt creeping in.

“Will it work?”

Sarutobi nodded firmly.

“Magic’s still there. We just can’t use it.”

Rei’s eyes narrowed. A new plan formed in his mind, sharper this time, and he hoped, really hoped, this time it would work.

He turns to Kaitsuki.

"Kaitsuki! Gong sound! Make it loud!"

The white rabbit opened his mouth. A booming, ear-splitting GONG exploded out, like he was a massive speaker.

Rei lit firecrackers. They popped, sharp and loud, making the Oni clutch his ears. Then he tossed a smoke bomb, blanketing the forest in thick white haze.

"Now!" Rei barked.

He and Itsuki yanked a rope tight. It caught the Oni right at the ankles, sending the massive beast crashing forward into the dirt. 

Immediately, the other exorcists swarmed him. They threw their weight onto his limbs, pinning him down through sheer desperation as the demon thrashed beneath them.

CLICK.

Denryuu snapped the etched manacles around the Oni's wrists. And finally the ogre was caught. It struggled, but the manacles held, blocking all its strength.

Everyone exhaled, still shaking but relief. 

It was over.

And for real this time.

Itsuki and Rei held the prisoner tight, and they all moved toward the crystal.

But as they reached the crystal, a thick, oily black smoke swallowed the area.

No one could see. No one could breathe.

When the smoke finally thinned:

The Oni and Itsuki were gone.

Rei’s voice cracks.

"Itsuki… no!”