The three monks would lead the three men and their companions to the head monk. It would be there that they would all meet up with each other once again. It would seem like things were going in motion the right way. Yuurei was glad to see that they were all together; he did notice that there was someone different within the group. He would scratch the side of his head as he wasn’t sure who it was at first but had a feeling that it might be Benimaru.

If that was the case, then he could only wonder what had happened in that room. It would seem like they were going through a lot themselves. Renji had become stronger, but Yuurei didn’t know it would be in the cost of his own power for the time being.

“It seems like we made it. Now let’s free the monks from their isolation from the world, and reclaim what is rightfully mine.” He said to the group.

The head monk would hear this, and he was glad that they had overcome what they were facing. He wasn’t sure what it was, but they wouldn’t be here if they couldn’t move past what it was. He would move around the Monastery and soon enough they would be taken to another door. This door was bigger than the other doors within this place. The seals that were placed around them also kind of made it noticeable that this was the room.

The monk would sit in front of the door and he would be residing a chant. He was doing a ritual to unseal the door. The Head monk and one other person knew the ritual, to make sure that nobody would be able to break the seal no matter what. He would do this for a few minutes and soon enough the seals would start disappearing. When it was done, the Head monk would look at the group.

“The world’s fate is now within your hands. I wish you the best of luck and hopefully, you get what you came for.” He said to the group.

Yuurei would bow to the Monk as he was glad that he was cooperative with them. It was then that Yuurei would enter push the doors open and he would enter along with Renji. It was then they would see a huge open space. Within this open space of nothingness, there was but one being. He was just standing there infused with dark magic covering him. His eyes were filled with malice, and the grin on his face depicted that he was excited that the seal had finally been broken.

The Seraphim would see this, and he would have a smile on his face. He was going to have to take this guy out to get what he wanted.

“Are you going to stand in my way? You smell like a Starlight. You cannot beat me, as I took the body of the strongest of your kind.” He said to Yuurei.

The Requip mage would hear this and he would crack his neck a few times. He was the strongest, so it was time for Yuurei to prove that thing wrong.

“I guess we will find out soon enough.” He said as he would requip his items on him.

When the battle began, Yuurei felt his energy being taken and it was heading to Renji. Renji could feel the surge of energy coming from Yuurei and he wasn’t sure what was happening. Still, he knew with this power he would be able to help.

The Seraphim would take note of this and knew that he had to keep himself protected as he didn’t know how weak he had gotten. With his Berserker Suit, Drakkon Helmet, and his gauntlets on, he was ready to fight him. Akari would see this, and he also placed gears on him and was holding two spear-like weapons.

Yuurei was surprised that he was using Requip magic, but he would soon find out it wasn’t that.

674

Kaito followed along behind the monk and he wonders what was really going to be going on or the size of the thing they were about to have to take on or if there was something he had missed as his own task was coming to terms and forgiving his inner darkness, maybe Kaito couldn't allow himself to be be lost to the darkness or this foe could turn Kaito to the dark side of the battle against his friends but he was not sure if that had anything to do with it as this fight had seemed more a final show down when they were told about it. If the person in there could just turn people against the others what was the point of the tests and not just tell them that they needed to be mentally strong was that more a if they tell you that you focus too hard on the attempts to be strong that it is folded like a paper fan in the wind.

Revy was watching as the monks all gathered and they had started to remove the seals that held the one they must fight in and she was a bit dumbfounded as if it needed this many people to free the seal than what ever was in there must be very far off the scale did that mean that their chances of living were null or was there an actual chance that they will be able to do this. Both Kaito and Revy heard what Yuurei said about something that was rightfully his this kind of caused Kaito and Revy to think that what ever Yuurei went through must of made him change and maybe that was not for the best as it sounded more like he was power hungry instead of the usual level headed leader that they would follow in these kinds of times of need for a leader. They wonder if Yuurei had become lost or not.

The door opens as the seals fall and they are rushed into the room it seemed like it was just an empty room with nothing of usefulness in it. Kaito at first thought that the monks had tricked them and now they were about to be what was sealed in this room to stop anyone else from attempting to take on this mountain again, as hearing that the big three fell to it would mean it was impossible to take this trial on and come out on top as Yuurei was a nearly unbeatable force, Brone was a force of nature that could maybe split a country in two if he swung his weapon hard enough, and finally Kaito the one that if it all went wrong could have pulled them out of the danger and was strong in his own right, if all three couldn't make it back than who could.

Kaito than saw the man that waited in the room for them and it seemed that they were about to face a danger here and Kaito hoped that they would be enough as Revy turned back to her human form and Kaito handed her the shield once more to make sure that she would be able to keep herself safe as he didn't foresee this going well but he knows that he needs to make sure that he could make it if something was to go wrong to safe those that falter during this fight. Kaito drew his sword and he readied for them to engage in the fight with his monster and Kaito activated his mana vision and could see the monstrous amount of mana that this guy had, which probably meant that his power was off the charts of normal humans and beings. "Just watch out as this guy is no joke his mana is so bright it is nearly blinding."
(646)

The group was back together again after the trails, though they had an extra member with them. One of the monks stared at the human-looking Benimaru, who was pretending to not notice. "He's one of my personalities" Brone was quick to speak an explanation for the reason why he exited with one additional person. The monk raised an eyebrow, confused by the dwarf's statement.

"The enchanted cloak on the dwarf's back is the reason for his split personalities" Gnicholas the gnome added nonchalantly as they began to make their way to their next destination. The monk seemed to recede from that explanation; Brone seemed very proud of his lie, but the gnome didn't prefer to do such things to a monastery of people who were known to be wise and insightful, but he knew himself would more than likely be safe, given that his own statement wasn't a lie, but simply happen to provide a better cover for Brone's lie. The dwarf and the gnome noticed Yuurei had given Benimaru a look, but chose not to say anything, at least not yet, given that they were being accompanied by the monk still.

When Beni noticed Yuurei looking his direction, the human-looking oni winked at him before turning his focus back to where they were headed.

They reached the large door and the monk began to recite a chant in order to remove the seals. Brone sighed heavily, "How long is this gonna take?" he whispered impatiently.

"Don't start" Gnicholas knew well that Brone had a patience problem when he's actively thinking about the job at hand. If his hands weren't doing anything, or if he wasn't talking, then he'll just sigh and groan entire something eventually happened to take his focus, "Do some stretches since we're more than likely going to enter combat" he dare not allow him to start telling one of his annoying stories. Brone shrugged before he started to perform his usual stretches while the gnome would start mentally going through his tactical spells, thinking of different scenarios in order to find the best outcome for a win, but it was proving difficult given how they weren't aware of who their opponent was and how powerful they were.

Benimaru seemed more relaxed a moment earlier, save for whenever he was close to any of the monks. It was obvious to the gnome that he was still worry about being sealed away again. The sooner they got through this situation, the better for all of them. Gnicholas took a look at Benimaru and the oni returned the look. They dare not say a word to not risk breaking the chant the monk was working on, but the smile on the oni's face assured the gnome that he was ready for the fight. One less thing to worry about. When it came to strategy, he was speculating if Beni was a tactician, given this was the first time the gnome had witnessed him outside of his sealed form, he worried already too much for Brone, who barely ever focused on strategy unless he was in a dire situation.

The seals were removed and the door was opened. They all entered to find a vastly empty room, but another look and they spotted their opponent in the center. Benimaru stood behind Brone, trying to avoid eye contact. The malice he was sensing was too familiar, he couldn't tell who exactly it was, but he knew it was one of the higher ranking oni from back during the war. So long as he wasn't recognized, Beni was safe... hopefully.

"Looks like ye took an ugly body!" Brone taunted at the possessed man. He looked to Yuurei quickly and apologized about insulting his kin.


628

Yuurei would hear Brone’s remark about the choice of body takeover. It would seem like he was calling Yuurei handsome compared to the bloke in front of them. The Oni would look over the little man armored and all and he would laugh.

“You speak about ugly you midget? I cannot believe the race of builders is talking to the clan that started it all.” He said as he could see that there was an Oni amongst them.

“And then you have an Oni on your side. He’s hiding himself, which makes it funnier. Do you think I wouldn’t recognize you Benimaru?” He asked him, but before he could answer, he spoke.

“You got away from this mountain before you could be sealed here like the rest of your brethren. How did you get past the monks without them noticing you? Pathetic and weak is what you are.” He said to Benimaru.

Akari had examined his opponents and there was one of them that even though he had overcome the trial somehow still had doubt within himself. Still, before he could do something a smirk had occurred on his face. There was someone who was anxious to fight. Yuurei and Renji had appeared in front of Akari at the same time.

They looked at each other more so that they were surprised at how fast Renji could move in this fight. Still, they shook things off as they had looked over to Akari and would attack. Yuurei would go first and he would rapidly throw punches at the man. The Oni would see this and he would step back as he would block the attacks with the spears in his hand. They would feel the durability and the craftsmanship of their weapons.

While this was happening, Renji would get in there as well, and he would swing a hook to Akari from his left side. He would connect with the helmet, or so he thought. It was then an explosion would occur from the helmet and it would push the two of them away from Akari. Yuurei would see this and he would shake his head because his Berserker’s Suit started acting up.

It was then a surge would come out from it, and it would make its way toward Akari. Renji would shake his hand as he didn’t expect that from the man’s helmet. Akari would see the arcane energy coming to him and he would be hit by the attack and he would look at Yuurei.

“So, your armor does something similar to my helmet. It seems like whoever made that suit, knew what they were doing, but it won’t be enough.” He said to Yuurei.

He would look at Kaito and he would disappear and appear right in front of the man with a smirk on his face.

“Why do you doubt yourself so much, little one? You’re so strong but so weak, it disgusts me.” He said to him as a surge of energy came from one of his spears before he would use it against the Dragon Slayer.

513|1187

Kaito was sure to keep himself on guard as he was ready for this fight even if he had not known what was going to be ahead of them or my his trail was like it was, but he had no fear of this monster they were about to face as he was not one to worry about things like this if he didn't have to as his inner darkness was not a fear of his but it was a mission that he needed to make come true here for some reason to accept it. Kaito wondered if Emil had also struggled with his inner darkness or if that was where his berserker rage comes from and how he uses it a deep darkness that carves a hole in his soul so he can fight with no regret? Kaito still had a lot of learning to still do if he didn't want to feel like he failed the team and he was going to need to prove that he belonged here and that he can run with these wolves.

Kaito needed to focus as he saw the monster taught the human beni and then go for an attack and take damage from Yuurei and then it seemed to taught Yuurei about the helm doing the same as his does. Kaito took a mental not of that fact and he stayed ready for combat then the monster go up and close with him and asked him why he was doubting himself and then called Kaito weak and readied an attack with one of the spears and once that attack sprung forward toward Kaito it looked like it had burrowed through Kaito but in reality Kaito had phased the attack and in the flashiness of the attack Kaito had leaned back done a cast motion disappearing into invisibility but it looked as if Kaito had been vaporized by the monsters attack Kaito then pushed off from the ground taking flight still invisible so he wouldn't make a sound on the ground and give away that he was still alive so he could use it tactically.

Revy seeing the show that Kaito had just done not knowing it was a trick screamed Kaito's name and then she started running at the monster with the shield Kaito had given her. "You will pay for doing that to Kaito!!!!" She runs right at the man and she swings the shield at the man with all of her might trying to make contact with the man to try and get a little revenge for the death of Kaito even though she knows that the man will not stay dead as he can't stay dead even if he wanted to stay dead. She was unsure if she would feel better after this hit or not.

Kaito watches this feeling a little bad that he even tricked Revy with his trick there but he knows his role and that is support and to be more tactical with his uses as Brone was the smash anything in his way man and Yuurei was the leader that was a seeming jack of all trades, Kaito could only wish to reach Yuurei's leave as a leader, but Kaito knows that he is not the leadership type but maybe a first mate if he can handle earning that spot in some team but in this team the first mate and right hand man is Brone to Yuurei and Kaito knows that he needs to stay in his own lane and get ready to rain dimensional hell fire down on this monster when there is an .opening for him to do so.
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Brone was smirking from his own comment, however his expression was quickly dropped when Akari insulted his entire race, "I don't give two pyrites about ye getting at me height, ye damn ceiling-sweeper, but ye dang yokai ain't older than the world's first smiths!" The dwarf's ears and nose went red in anger. He would laugh off jokes about his height, but he, as his kin, take great pride in their craftsmanship, "We were molded from Dhurain's great forge! Blackmithing is in our very blood, ye second rate craftsman with third rate made spears!" Brone blurted out the insult in his fury, but Akari had already lost focus on him and mentioned Benimaru.

Beni flinched. He didn't to be identified let alone be noticed. But it was that same demeanor that the higher ranking onis had. That aura of intense power and malice. And now matter how many was amongst the ranks, the ones in power somehow kept track of all of them. Though the voice was that of the Starlight host, Beni could recognize the aura and the speech of the oni... Though a lot of onis, like many other yokai, don't tend to have 'birth names', their aura was enough of a signature to display their power. Beni didn't answer, afraid of what Akari would do despite the fact that he was at the back of the group, furthest away from the evil yokai.

Yuurei and Renji were the first to act as they close the gap between them and the opponent, all the while Brone was still barking insults. They clashed, exchanging blows which caused a simultaneous explosion which got the dwarf focused again, drawing his Spellcleaver and Jotun's Fang in his left hands while he had his Golden axe and golden spear in his right hands. He rushed forward trying to join everyone, but he was the last to react, maybe it was Akari's plan from the beginning to insult the dwarf and throw him off, at least that is what Gnicholas believes.

The gnome had hopped off the dwarf's shoulder and stood by Benimaru, "I suppose we'll be support" he smiled at his oni friend as he lit Brone's long smoke pipe he had snatched. He had a light demeanor to try and help settle Benimaru's nerves after he noticed how tensed he seemed.

Akari moved to Kaito and with one strike, the dragon slayer evaporated. With a scream from Revy, the tone of the battle shifted. Brone clenched his teeth and tightened his grip on his weapons as he lowered his head. A steel double double horn helmet suddenly appeared on his head and in the second second, he vanished from his position and bulleted to Akari, slamming into his torso and sending him flying back 10 meters, sending him flying back towards Yuurei. That helmet of his had allowed him to dart to Akari at great speed, ramming him as well as prodding him with both his spears and where the blue spear at struck him, a blue "I" appeared with a bit of frost forming around it, causing him to slow slightly.

"Kaito" the name escaped Gnicholas' mouth. He didn't think one of the three strongest in the North would ever be killed so quickly in such a way. Realizing how dangerous this battle is, he didn't hesitate to cast his Shroud of Darkness spell, causing a globe of complete darkness to envelope where Akari now was along with Yuurei.

Benimaru on the other hand froze in place. This was what he was afraid of, the power of a top ranking oni.

604 | 1,232

Akari would look at his attack landing or would look like it landed. When the man vanished after being hit, he would ignore him for the time being. The illusion of being killed didn’t hide the fact that Kaito was still strong enough to be sensed as a threat. The Starlight would look at the girl with the shield heading to him; it seemed like she was fooled, and he would chuckle as he would smack the shielded Exceed. Of course, the blow would be blocked by the shield, but the impact from Akari’s weapon would send Revy flying from the power and the effect it had.

Shuten-dōji would chuckle at the reaction of their friends. Yuurei would look at where Kaito was, and then he would look at the thing they were fighting. He didn’t have time for that, and he knew if Kaito was alive, it would be in another dimension that he created. He would see Brone closing the distance between the two of them and soon enough Akari would be right in front of him. It was then he figured he would use a powerful spell that would come from the gauntlet itself. Shuten-dōji would sense a dangerous attack coming, and he would turn around to face Yuurei.

It was then he would put his spear in the middle of the attack and he would watch it be destroyed as the blow would land on him. It was then Akari would cough up blood from the attack, but not before he would throw an attack with another spear. Yuurei saw this and his eyes widened as he was ready to avoid it, but it had moved too fast. He would feel it piercing his shoulder, bringing him to grit his teeth with pain before being kicked in the stomach and sent flying away from Akari.

As for Renji, his inability to be strong enough to help Yuurei had disappeared, but his ability to stay calm whenever something happened to Revy had not been the case. He would see what had happened to the woman he loved, and he would burst in anger. He could be heard screaming and shouting as he made his way to Akari. The Oni would notice and he would dodge the attack of the Exceed. The power from his attacks was impressive, but his inexperience in the front battle had shown.

He would headbutt the Exceed and he would try to stab him with the spear. The cape would see this and it would bring Renji downward to avoid the attack, which might be fatal. Renji’s forehead had blood running down from it Yuurei sighed with relief that he was safe. Yuurei had to switch his weapon, and he would get rid of one of his gauntlets and in return, he would bring forth his Zabimaru. The makeshift sword was ready to fight as it let out a roar to intimidate the enemy and show Yuurei that he wanted to be released.

The Seraphim knew this and he would get ready. As for Akari, he paid attention to his surroundings; he wondered if that little prick of dimensions would do something or if he would wait and linger more before attacking.

539|1726

Kaito knows that he is probably working on barrowed time as he doubted that he had truly tricked the monster but he knows that he had at least tricked a few with the quick witted move he had done it made the monster unsure of where Kaito is so it would have a distracted attention knowing he was missing from the line of sight of it. Kaito used the battle to make his way around the room a bit with his speed and readied himself with his fingers for an attack and he saw Revy get knocked away as the shield and her were knocked far away to the side of the room and Kaito was mad but he knew he had to wait to act as he was not like Yuurei he was weaker and slower but to end this fight Kaito needed to call upon something stronger in himself to help turn the tide but kaito wasn't sure that he could even do that if he was honest but he had to do it he has to pull up from the nose dive he has found himself in.

Kaito made sure that his aim as sure as he didn't want to miss his shot in all of the chaos and end up hitting one of his allies or just plan fully miss but he was going to make sure that he didn't let himself faulter as he needed to make sure that he put it all into this shot the dragon slayer combo attack flew from Kaito toward the monster as Kaito kept moving his spells seeming to just be appearing out of no where and heading for the man along with the other attacks that had been released before his assault on the monster had started. Kaito hoped those that did think he was dead would forgive him for what had happened there but Kaito knows that they should forgive him at least after a little bit of time Revy though might lecture him for awhile.

Kaito smirked as he thought that he had timed the assault correctly so that there was no chance that the creature could escape the damage of the attacks that had been let loose but had Kaito fully done it right it was yet to be seen. Revy having been launched back from the attack soon found herself against the wall the shield having saved her from the attack but she was still feeling roughed up from the attack that had sent her hard flying to the place she was. She got up slowly in case of any damage she might have, she seemed okay and nothing broken but she couldn't give up she had to do something. Then she saw the attacks starting to rain from the top of the area they were trapped in. Revy wondered if it was from Kaito or one of the others that were fighting but she had seen Kaito disappear like that.

Revy wondered if maybe another Kaito was watching and had jumped in to help since their Kaito had just died and this was life or death or maybe Kaito had called in a new Kaito knowing he was going to die here. Revy lifted the shiled back up and she moved to help the others right the oni that they were after she was not going to back down as long as she drew breath.
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Brone did his best to keep track of the oni, but he was proving too agile for even the dwarf's battle instincts to keep up. As he stood his ground, keeping his axes up to try and deflect any incoming attacks, he peered around the room to keep track of his allies and hopefully predict the foe's movements. Revy was distraught about Kaito's death, which threw her off and caused her to be struck and sent flying. The dwarf was put-off by the dragon slayer's death as well, but as a warrior in the midst of battle, he couldn't let it affect him, lest his own distraction would cause another's death, "Revy! We'll mourn for Kaito when this is done!" he didn't like shouting at the poor exceed, but the dwarf was heated and trying his best to anticipate the foe's movements.

Yuurei had exchanged blows but not as devastating as the seraphim normally delivers, but a hit is a hit. Then suddenly, magical energy was shot out from random directs, directed at the oni who was doing his best to avoid them. Given the color of the magical energy, Brone assumed Kaito somehow survived, possibly a dimensional space that took him to safety at the last moment.

Brone made a mistake by focusing too long on Kaito's survival, giving the oni a chance to close the distance in a blink of an eye and deliver a kick to the dwarf's stomach. To the dwarf's luck, a magical barrier appeared to soften the blow enough to keep the dwarf from dropping to his knees, Brone took this chance and quickly countered by stabbing his two spears into the oni's chest; though his body felt as tough as stone, he noticed a bit of blood being drawn. His other two arms were swinging the axes, but the oni was already backing off with great speed, dodging both blades. The dwarf looked back at Benimaru who had his hands up, just finishing gesturing a somatic sign which conjured that same barrier that saved him; they both nodded at one another before the dwarf returned his focus to the battle.

The dwarf lowered his head to bare his horns again before bulleting forward again, trying to ram the enemy with great speed, but this time, the oni sidestepped while grabbing onto one of the horns and forced the dwarf to turn, changing the trajectory of his charge while still moving. Brone, unable to stop his charge in time, ended up slamming into one of the walls of the chamber.

"Damn it!" the dwarf cursed as he tried to pull his helmet free from the wall which now had his horns imbedded into it. His instincts warned him of incoming danger, so he was able to quickly release his head from the helmet entirely to tumble out of the way before the oni slammed one of his legs into the ground where the dwarf just. Brone swung his axe as a counter but the oni was already speed blitzing towards his next target.

511 | 1,743

Akira would make his moves, he would be nicked by one of Kaito’s attacks. This brought him to chuckle due to this man’s tactic. He was a scared little dragon indeed if he couldn’t show himself while doing this. Still, that one attack allowed him to analyze and move around the remaining obstacles that were raining down on him. He moved to the dwarf and this man was holding back. Of course, this would allow him to play around with him a bit as he wondered what would happen next.

While he fought against Brone and tried to stomp his life out, Yuurei made his move. He wasn’t going to just stand there and watch things fight fairly. No, this was and always was a fight where they were attacking a demon as a group. When Akira had stomped the floor where Brone was, Yuurei would appear next to the Oni and he would swing his fist to punch the man in front of him. He saw this and he would dodge his attacks with ease.

Still, the Seraphim knew this might happen. He was ready for it and it was why his Zabimaru was in his other hand. He would swing the blade as Akira would move away from him. The blades of the sword would start to detach as it was rushing towards the possessed Starlight. It was then that he would see this and he would attempt to block it.

He didn’t think there would be a weapon that could do that. Impressive indeed and he would have to give the blacksmith an applaud for their uniqueness in creating it. He would slide on the ground picking up the debris from the impact and the attempt to be pushed further back. Renji was on the move too; he was inexperienced with this newfound power, but he was with Yuurei through everything he had experienced. He would go all out even if he continued to miss. If he could keep this man on his toes for a bit and allow the others to take him out that was all he needed to do.

He would swing and, he would land a blow, but the Oni would look at Renji, grab him, and then slam him on the ground. The Exceed would feel the blow from this, but he wouldn’t give up there. No, he would use one of his legs to thrust into the man. Akira would see this and he would block the blow and he would just look at Renji.

The Exceed would see this and he would get up from the ground. When he was about to be attacked, Yuurei had transformed his Zabimaru. The Baboon-like sword had appeared and it would reach Akira in an instant and it would take a bite out of him as he pushed away from Renji. The man would grunt from the blow and look at the group in front of him.

They were strong, but he wasn’t sure if they had the ability to beat him quickly.

509

Kaito not having let the enemy know he was still kicking needed to come up with a good plan. He called out to Revy to make her move and help with attacking just make sure the shield stays in front of her while she does it. Kaito starts building speed as she was going to make some quick attacks on the back of the man as soon as he can but he needs to make sure that they hit cleanly and that they leave a mark for Yuurei and Brone to use to make their foot holds at tearing him apart for it. Kaito needed to make sure that he kept on target as he was going to use a dash then another dash to aim for leaving two giant gashes with his sword which should turn to something stronger than the man they see in front of them and hurt him but he has to be quick with the double attack as he was only going to get one shot at it.

Revy listening to the Kaito she heard she made sure the shield was on tight and she made her way to help the ones that were fighting even if she is knocked back again she just needs to make sure that she keeps the shield up and that she doesn't stay down on her knee. Revy believed in Kaito and in the others that were here with them as this group had faced many tasks and things that required them to over come odds that were often stacked against them as they needed to make sure that it could be done and put to bed. Revy had been Kaito's travel companion for a long time and she had not always been the best friend to Kaito that she could be but she learned from him and she knows that he isn't just going to lay down and die for something that isn't worth it. Revy stayed strong as she can on her feet when she followed up Yuurei's attack.

Kaito having built up the pace flew in as the man was pushed back his sword at the ready to take his shots at the man, Kaito puts all his doubts aside and focused as this has to work there is no other option there is no plan B it is now or never. Kaito dashed in to go across the mans back then switched the blade of his sword around he used a dash spell to throw himself back across and for another strike if these strikes hit the sword changed to an element that would do a lot of damage to the man. Kaito hopes that they had hit true as he stumbles back a bit to catch his balance from the sudden change in motion that he had caused himself to do to get the second strike in without waiting to realize the damage he had down with the first strike but Kaito can't allow doubt to fill his mind for a second just trust that he had down something and that Yuurei and Brone can make the deal sealed.
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Brone tried to follow the sight of Akira as the oni was exchanging blows with Yuurei. The dwarf decided to take this small window as a chance to pull his helmet free from the wall. He grasped onto it and gave it a tug, but it was wedged in there tight. Then the dwarf looked back to see Akira had slammed Renji into the ground, "Damn it!" Brone cursed as he gave the helmet another strong tug; the wall cracked and the horns loosened.

"You're wasting a lot of time" Gnicholas walked up to the dwarf nonchalantly, having no concern about his safety, confident that he wouldn't be a main target at that moment.

"Then help!" the dwarf growled as he tugged the helmet one final time before it gave way and was released from the wall. As he turned about to face the battle, he slipped his helmet back onto his head and witnessed Kaito also engaging against Akira, trying to put pressure on the oni.

"Fine, just give me an opening" the gnome said before he inhaled from the pipe. The dwarf didn't say another word, already annoyed by the gnome; he rushed forward with is horns forward. Akira would have been impaled from behind, but he expected the attack, learning from his mistakes, so he turned and grabbed the dwarf by the helm, stopping him in his charge. The blue spear poked the oni's chest, drawing a bit of blood and freezing that spot, slowing him.

Akira then slammed the dwarf into the floor as he did Renji, finding the dwarf's attack pointless, but it wasn't until the next move that he realized it was simply a distraction; a black arrow flew across the room and slammed into the oni's chest. The shadow magic jutted from his chest and out his back. He growled in anger as he looked up to see the gnome with his hand raised, finishing his incantation. Akira narrowed his eyes and was about to jump across the room to destroy the gnome in an instant, but Brone didn't intend on letting that happened.

The helmet on the dwarf's head instantly replaced by another blue helmet. With a raised axe, Brone swung down an attack at Akira, forcing him to dodge to the side, but the swing was simply to activate the spell. As the blade hit the ground, a blizzard erupted from that spot and encircled everyone in the immediate area except Gnicholas and Beni who were out of range.

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Yuurei would see that his friends were also fighting. This was good, but he knew that they had to do more than this if they wanted to succeed. Yes, he could see their hard work with Kaito’s attack, and Brone’s charge with the teamwork of the gnome. This was good and he figured he would keep up with it. The Seraphim would push forward when he saw Brone clashing with Starlight. The Dwarf was a force to be reckoned with and he couldn’t deny that, and honestly, he never did. He would appear next to the Oni, ready to punch him with his offhand.

Akira would see this, and he would pick up his right arm and he would see that his armor was finally breaking from the blows. He would push back from this, but Yuurei would swing his Zabimaru once again towards him. The Oni-possessed human would see this, sucking his teeth from the onslaught. They were trying to beat him with constant attacks, but that wasn’t going to be enough. Renji was also ready to fight as he appeared next to Akira, and he would kick the man in the back.

“Let’s keep at it, and make sure that this is where he comes to rest.” He said this as Migi’s blades would extend from his arm.

Yuurei would move closing the distance between the two of them. There he would extend his blades from his arm straight to him. Starlight didn’t see this coming, and he didn’t even know someone could do something like this with their appendages and he would barely dodge the attack. Of course, Yuurei was also swinging his Zabimaru again as he would break through the man’s armor with the bite of the baboon.

He would laugh when he saw this as they were doing well. He was going to destroy them right here and now. Still, before he could change to his next armor, something happened. An arm pierced through his chest, and he would look down to see that he had been harmed by someone else. A man wearing a top hat was behind him. His face was serious and emotionless at first but would then break down as he was laughing maniacally.

“This is great; I was waiting for you guys to do this to him. An opportunity to represent itself. Now, Oni, join me and give me the power you gave Akira. Together we will defeat these fools and free the Onis from this Mountain. I want to see Joya plague with Onis destroying the human lives.” He said this.

Yuurei would see this as pissed this was happening. How the hell did they not see or feel his presence around here? How did he get here in the first place? Well, they were going to find out and they knew they were going to have to fight him now.

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[exit]

Kaito thought that they had them on the ropes than something had seemed to happen that they had not accounted for what was going to happen here. Kaito looked to Yuurei waiting for him to say something or tell him what he should do, Kaito had no idea what he should be doing here and it seemed Yuurei had known far more about all this so Kaito was going to have to stay back and help Yuurei if that man was to come up with a pan for this as it had fully looked like they had won the fight before the interruption had come in to spoil what should have been their moment of victory for them to have been able to relish in and celebrate. This feels more like they had just gotten defeated more than they had won. Kaito landed and he kept himself ready as this fight might be about to go to the next round and none of them can afford to be caught flat footed for it.

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The blizzard whipped up and acted as a wall to keep everyone, save for Beni and Gnicholas, within. The dwarf moved slightly to position himself so that he could flank Akira with his allies. Kaito had appeared visible again and Yuurei had summoned forth a giant bone snake that was assisting him. The dwarf yelled as loud as he could, flaring his adrenaline up and tightening his muscles. He ran forward as Akira was exchanging blows with the others. He swung an axe, but it was blocked by a kick and another kick slammed into Brone's chest and forced him to tumble.

He grunted angrily, irritable he was having difficulty landing a proper hit on the possessed Starlight even while his friends were assisting him. He stood back up just as the bone snake managed to land a hit, biting into Akira's armor, Brone cheered in celebration as he leaned forward, taking a three point stance and preparing to charge at the Starlight. He wanted to time it right so that everyone could land a simultaneous attack to hopefully finish Akira off.

But something surprising happened. A hand erupted from his chest, ultimately ending his life, but it wasn't done by any of them. The man in the top hat had appeared, though the dwarf wasn't sure how. The blizzard died out and the room fell silent for a moment. The dwarf's concern of the initial form had subsided, but he glared at the newcomer, having no trust in him, and he was right to be wary of him. Simply what he said was enough to confirm him to be the new antagonist.

"If it's not one thing, it's another" Brone growled.

"The Starlight isn't important, it's the oni, rid of him and you'll win" Benimaru called out to Brone with urgency. The dwarf understood his friend was fearful of his 'kin', probably because of his own issues with him, whatever it was, the dwarf knew one thing, to take down whoever held the oni's spirit. He tapped the blades of his axes against one another, revving himself up, keeping his adrenaline up. The fight isn't over.

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[Exit]