9   Fiery Challenger

Gasping, Genrou looked up at the castle and glimpsed a figure that had just jumped off from there. Genrou ran.

Reirei swirled down in the air, the sleeves of her jacket fluttering. The 14 year old girl appeared to be smiling.

"What the hell is she doing?!!"

Genrou pushed off of the ground with all his might and jumped, aiming for 10 meters in front of him.

Thud...

A dull sound resounded in the rear garden of the castle. The tips of Reirei's shoes, a few centimeters from his outstretched hands, reflected in Genrou's eyes...

"......Why......why did...you...?!" Genrou moaned and continued pounding the ground making his fist bleed.

"......Gen...rou..."

Genrou gasped and stood up at that voice. He helped the stretched out girl before him sit up. "......Reirei...!"
Translation by Tasuki no Miko
"You...ca...me... Too...ba...d... A little long...er and you...would have...caught...me..." Reirei looked up at Genrou and faintly smiled. "But......I'm...happy..."

"Don't talk anymore." Just jumping off from there would've been fatal, but on top of that, Genrou saw Reirei's deep wound on her chest and caught his breath. "I'll take you to the city's doctor right now so."

"......Don't."

"What're ya saying?"

Reirei shook her head. "Hurry and get her... instead......"

And then he spotted something that she tightly grasped in her right hand.

"I...got it...back." On Genrou's chest, Reirei proudly smiled. "...So hurry, beat her... and protect...the moun...tain..."

"What're ya saying? Aren't ya coming back with me? Aren't ya gonna protect the mountain with me...?!"

"It...was...fun... The 3 of us...romping around...in the mountain... together..." Reirei smiled at Kouji who, arriving after Genrou, stood motionless. "Kouji...... Thank you......"

Kouji clenched his fists, unable to say anything. His shoulders shook.

Reirei looked at Genrou with clear eyes. "After... I saw...you 2 help...that woman in the city... I fell in love...with you Genrou... Kouji...was wonderful too but...Genrou...did it...because she was a woman... That...was really co...ol..."

And then she gave a weak chuckle. "That woman...was...a..you...kai."

".........Reirei..." Unable to find words, Genrou just chewed his lip.
Translation by Tasuki no Miko
Reirei said to him. "I'm ...sorry... I was always...... hanging around you... I was probably... annoying..."

"...I-idiot...! You weren't. I won't be able to sleep easy anymore without hearing you sleep...!"

Hearing that, Reirei beamed. "......I... wasn't afraid to jump... It... felt... good..."

"Reirei..." A tear ran down Genrou's cheek. "...That's right. You...were able to leave Mt. Kaou for Mt. Leikaku, right?..."

"...Hey... When... the Miko appears... you'll work... for her like you...should..."

"I won't."

"......You have to... But then....... come back right away...to...the mountain..."

Tears spilled over from Genrou's eyes. "Alright...alright..." Genrou said in a choked up voice and drew Reirei's head to his chest. "Don't worry... I'll protect Mt. Leikaku to the end... So... stay here forever...... Stay with me......"

"..............."

".........Genrou!?..." Kouji ran up to Genrou's side.

Genrou held Reirei, his body shaking greatly. A moaning voice escaped from Genrou's mouth. "...Just wait... I'll avenge you..." Genrou muttered and quietly lay Reirei's body there. Then he gently put her hairpin in her hair.

He took the tessen that Reirei had been holding in her right hand. Genrou gripped the tessen hard enough to break it, stood up, and then howled. "Where are youuuuu!! Where are youuuuu!!!!"

Nearby a chuckle could be heard. Then a woman appeared from the shadows of the rear garden's bushes. Her hair hung down and she tried to hide her face. "Thank you very much for helping me the other day in the city."

"What?!" Kouji took a step forward
Translation by Tasuki no Miko
The woman said to him. "I would like to say that but the truth is I was getting Ougi-sama to save me back then. When you 2 got in the way, a cold shiver instantly ran though me."

"Your scheme started after that...!?"

The woman gave a bewitching smile. "You know a lot. That's right. Humans are shallow creatures. Money, power, women... It's easy to manipulate them just by baiting those desires. And soon Kounan Country will be reduced to ashes and covered with the corpses of stupid humans who attacked each other. Now, give up already. Do I have to make you return the tessen?"

"Ya think we'll do that?! Kyouan...I mean...you ugly youkai woman!" Genrou brazenly stepped before Kyouan.

"Ugly!?" Kyouan lifted one side of her hair. Half of her beautiful face festered. "That girl is the one who did this to me." Kyouan glared at Reirei's dead body.

Reirei's young life had been dissipated at age 14 when she had rushed in to a heroic battle with the youkai with a disabled right arm... A flame of anger blazed up again in Genrou's chest.

Kyouan narrowed her eyes as she looked at Genrou's right arm. Hmf, a Suzaku Seishi is here too...

Even if the country that Ougi and Saihitei are fighting over is destroyed, it wouldn't be good if Saihitei and the Seishi lived. Unfortunately I didn't get the Universe of the Four Gods but if I could defeat one of the Seishi here no one would be able to oppose me... Kyouan chuckled.

Genrou took another step toward Kyouan. He exchanged a glance with Kouji and swung up the tessen.

"What do you think you're going to do...?" Kyouan raised her voice and let out a laugh. "You can't use the tessen."
Translation by Tasuki no Miko
"I can, stupid youkai. Listen up!" Genrou grinned and narrowed his eyes at Kyouan. "Mahariku..."

Kyouan stepped back. It couldn't be... That time 300 years ago... "...You...heard...the....incantation...!?"

"Maharita..." Genrou stepped forward and Kyouan retreated a step. Brandishing the tessen over his head, Genrou yelled. "Yamubara yayaya. Lekka Shinen~!"

Genrou and Kouji's gaze was fixed on the tessen.

"N...no...way... What happened?..." Looking at the tessen that didn't even ignite a spark let alone a blaze, Genrou's mouth gaped open. "Could this tessen be a fake too?..."

"That's not it!" Kouji snatched the tessen from Genrou's hands. "This isn't a fake. You're saying it wrong. Listen!"

And then Kouji turned to the youkai again. As he counted out a one, two, one, two, three, four rhythm with a finger from his left hand, Kouji began reciting the incantation in a loud sing-song voice. "Mahari~ku, maha~rita, yamubara, ya ya ya. Lekka Shinen~!! Die!" Kouji swung the tessen down. "Urya~."

"...............!?"

Only the face of the youkai who gave an ominous smile was in front of the tessen.

"Hmf, you're the fools. Come again after you hear the full incantation."

"What?... Then there's more of it?..." Kouji stared at the powerless tessen.

"But that's no longer possible either." Kyouan's eyes opened wide. "Hmf... Hakurou's chi is about to disappear..." As if her strength had been completely refreshed, Kyouan began to laugh in a loud voice. Her voice gradually went from a woman's to being...low and deep.
Translation by Tasuki no Miko
"The...the voice from that time..."

The laughter changed into a growl that seemed to well up from the depths of hell.

Kyouan's head made one revolution. What returned was no longer the face of a woman.

".........Dokuro...!"

Crimson flames burned inside the eye sockets in its skull. Its head continued to slowly revolve. With each revolution it added another head. From inside its sleeve, one, two, three skeleton arms smoothly stretched out. Its ribs protruded, tearing the garment that Kyouan wore. Before they knew it, the youkai become so big they had to look up at it.

Glaring at it, Genrou gritted his canines. "Is...is that your true form?!"
 
 

6 red flames flared up in the eyes of the 3-headed Dokuro.

"You damn kids." It moaned. Then something cut the air with a swoosh.

Clang!

"Ah........."

The tessen had been blown away from Kouji's hand. Dokuro's skeleton arm reached for the tessen.
Translation by Tasuki no Miko
"Ya think we'll let ya have it?!" Genrou pulled out a sword and cut off the arm. "Who'd give the tessen that Reirei gave her life to bring back to this skeleton bastard!"

Kouji quickly picked up the tessen and slowly shouldered it on his back. "Yeah... If ya want this, you'll have to beat us!" Then Kouji also pulled a sword out from his waist.

"Urya~~aaaa!" Genrou slashed at Dokuro's leg. Everything below Dokuro's knee fell down with a rattle.

"...What? It doesn't even have any form..."

Right after he gave a hmph, Genrou's eyes bulged.

The collapsed leg and the arm that had been chopped off earlier... were now rattling again and returned from where they came. Genrou and Kouji exchanged a solemn look.

"So, what will you do?" Dokuro's laughter echoed.

Swish, swish, whiz, whiz...! In the curtain of night that began to fall, something that shone white was thrown one after another at Genrou and Kouji.

"Its ribs...!"
Translation by Tasuki no Miko
Clang clang clang! They frantically blocked them with their swords. But as the eerie white tips shone, they returned to Dokuro again without even falling to the ground.

"Shit!!"

Whiz! Whiz! Clang! Clang!

Dokuro's 6 arms quickly sent forth the weapons. Just like the time with Reirei, it took all Genrou and Kouji had to ward them off with their swords. Their physical strength was gradually failing. If this kept up, even Genrou and Kouji's defense would give out.

"Kouji, you OK!?" Genrou looked back at Kouji who retreated, being pushed back by Dokuro's weapons.

"Don't worry 'bout me! Genrou, look out!" As Kouji shouted, he knocked down Genrou with a thud from behind. Kouji took a white blade right to the face. Blood flowed from his left cheek.

"Kouji...!" Genrou stood up quickly and ran up to Kouji.

"It's just a scratch. I'm OK. Now keep an eye out, ya idiot~~!"

Genrou looked forward with a gasp. Right before his eyes, Dokuro's rib flew for his throat. Genrou grabbed it with his left bare hand.

"......Unnnn...gh..." Blood flowed out from Genrou's palm. "Damn you... Did...did...you kill Reirei with thiiiis?!!!!"
Translation by Tasuki no Miko
Genrou gave a battle cry as he pushed off the ground. "Deyaaaaa~~!!" As he twirled in the air, Genrou swung down his sword at Dokuro's Adam's apple.

Crack... With the sound of breaking bones, 3 skulls were separated from the neck and rolled on the ground. At the same time its 6 hands also stopped suddenly.

"Huff huuff huff huff huff..." As he panted heavily, Genrou cursed "Stupid bastard..." and triumphantly went back before Kouji.

"......Look at th..." Kouji opened his mouth and pointed.

"What?" Genrou said turning around and opened his beady eyes wide.

The 3 skulls that had rolled on the ground floated in the air. As their teeth chattered, the 3 skulls uttered at the same time. "Foolish bastards. You think you can defeat me like that?" And then the heads were instantly restored to their original place.

"It's...immortal..." Kouji moaned and quickly whispered in Genrou's ear. "Take the tessen to the leader."

"Kouji..."

"With your speed you could probably outrun the army. Get the complete incantation from the leader and stop the army."

"What about you?"

"I'll hold it here somehow..."
Translation by Tasuki no Miko
"Don't be stupid!" Genrou held his sword ready. "You think I could do that? Look out, they're coming."

Swish, swish, swish, whiz, whiz, whiz! Clang Clang Clang!

As they blocked Dokuro's blades that came at them again, Genrou shouted. "We have to kill it here and now!"

Ougi was clothed in a combat uniform. When the horse that he rode tried to go past the Mt. Leikaku stronghold, a group of about 100 bandits appeared with a rustling in Ougi's way. In the middle of them one man stood in the lead seeming to be supported by his subordinates. He looked up at Ougi.

"Are you the Mt. Leikaku leader?..."

"I'm called Hakurou..."

Seeing a man who seemed discouraged, perhaps because he was suffering from an illness, Ougi gave a hmph. "We're in a hurry for the capitol. Clear the way."

The man shook his head.

"The number of your bandits must have been cut in half in the battle with Mt. Kaou. I have no intention of engaging in a pointless fight. Clear the way."

The man shook his head again.

Ougi saw his eyes looking at the fan that he held in his hand and said. "I can burn you to death in an instant with this."
Translation by Tasuki no Miko
"That's just a fake." Hakurou replied, having seen through the fake tessen at a glance.

"What...?" Ougi glared down at the man called Hakurou.

Hakurou said to Ougi. "This mountain, will never...ever forgive evil beings!!"

And then Hakurou pushed aside his men who held him up, opened his arms and legs out wide, and stood right in the way of Ougi and his thousands of soldiers.

Genrou now felt as if he heard the leader's voice.

Never forgive evil beings...

Dokuro's hands slowed as if the spirit of the leader had reached it.

Whii----z! Clang! Whi--z! Clang!

Genrou advanced step by step as he blocked Dokuro's blades. How... how... can I beat it?

Not finding any answers, Genrou charged. Genrou was charging as if guided by something.

"Genrou----! What're ya doing--------?!!" Kouji yelled in a loud voice at seeing that.

Before Kouji's eyes, Genrou threw away his sword and threw himself into Dokuro's chest.
Translation by Tasuki no Miko
Dokuro's 6 arms grabbed hold of Genrou's neck, arms, and legs.

"Kouji! Now! Use the tessen!" Genrou yelled to Kouji.

Dokuro's attack stopped. Taken aback, Kouji stood rooted to the spot.

"What's taking ya so long? Swing up the tessen and use your will!"

2 of Dokuro's arms began to strangle the neck of the shouting Genrou. The remaining 4 arms were just about to break Genrou's bones with all its might.

"It... isn't immortal... When I... tried to say the incantation earlier, it seemed like it was nervous... Like the leader said, it can be defeated...by a blaze. And so... it has only one weakness... It's obsessed... with the... tessen... unngh."

"Shut up!!" Dokuro's angry voice shook the ground.

"Kouji... Do... it quickly... will... ya. You... can do... it..."

Only the Lekka Shinen can defeat Dokuro... Kouji clenched his fists. E-even...if I could get it to come out, what would happen to Genrou!?

"You'll... die too..."

"......Forget about me... Hurry..."

Dokuro's arms tighten around Genrou's neck. Kouji bit his lip.
Translation by Tasuki no Miko
"Ko...u...ji... Are ya... gonna let me... die... in vain!?"

Kouji raised his head and quickly put his hand to his back. As soon as he took the tessen out, Kouji threw it up high above Dokuro's head. "Here's your tessen!"

Dokuro's 6 arms simultaneously reached up for the falling tessen.

Released from the evil hands, Genrou fell to the ground with a thud and bared his fangs at Kouji. "Wh...what're ya doing--------?! Son of a bitch!"

"Cause I didn't want to see ya burnt to a crisp." Kouji gave Genrou a grin and then threw him something he'd been holding behind his back. "That's yours."

"...Kouji...!"

Genrou looked over at Dokuro. The 6 hands that grasped the tessen that Kouji had thrown instantly turned the tessen into confetti.

Kouji's shoulders shook as he laughed. "Stupid idiot! You got taken in by the fake halisen you made to deceive us!"

Dokuro's growl thundered across Souun Castle. Its arms simultaneously reached for Genrou's hand.

Kouji said. "Genrou! Do it!!"

"......Kouji."

Genrou saw Kouji turn to him and give a reassuring nod.
Translation by Tasuki no Miko
Holding the tessen in his right hand he tighten his grip on it. He closed his eyes, and concentrated all his nerves.

Damn you...I'll take revenge for Reirei! I won't hand over Mt. Leikaku or Kounan Country! I'll never ever forgive evil beings!!!!

Genrou's hair instantly stood on end, and the red character on his arm glowed brightly.

".........Genrou." Seeing Dokuro's evil hands just in front of Genrou, Kouji swung up his sword.

A pure white area was born inside Genrou. Genrou's chi instantly gathered in that area and burst out.

He swung his right arm up high.
 
 

"Lekka, Shinen------------!!!!!!"

BUOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo.

The crimson flame produced in front of the tessen wielded by Genrou, rushed out like a coil, and mercilessly swallowed the body of its owner, Dokuro.

"Gyaaaaaaaaaa------!!"

At Dokuro's death cry, the ground shook as if it were breaking.

"Argh, I don't care. Attack!" Swinging up the fake tessen made of paper, Ougi's hand stopped midway as he gave orders to his subordinates. Then the Souun Castle Lord looked around and made a face that seemed to say... What am I doing here?
Translation by Tasuki no Miko
Seeing that, Hakurou fell to his knees. "......They... did it..."

"Genrou......" Kouji looked at the ashes at his feet and muttered. "It really burnt even the bones, didn't it?..."

"Yeah..." Genrou shouldered the tessen and walked to Reirei. "It's over... Reirei... Let's go back to the mountain together..."
Translation by Tasuki no Miko
Genrou quietly took Reirei up in his arms. A step behind him was Kouji who followed closely like he was submitting to a leader.