Ch24 Vs Manten
(Inuko POV)
I deflected another sting from a Saimyōshō with Tessaiga before cutting into it down.
Okay I have lost count of how many down, to I'd say only a couple left.
Still they weren't my biggest worry.
No, that was the columns of lightning that kept shooting up in the distance. That could only mean that one of the raijū must have found the others.
I needed to hurry up with this. I am confident that they could hold off one of them, but for how long I am not willing to find out.
With a quick swing of Tessaiga, two more Saimyōshō were bisected and was about to slice up a third one.
When that one was diced up to pieces on it's own.
"Lady Inuko..." Myōga said from my shoulder as the rest of the Saimyōshō were cut up.
"I know." I said while gripping Yura's comb, waiting to see what she was going to do. "How are you feeling ya hairy bitch?"
"Pain, nothing but pain. And being on your presence is only making it worse." Yura groaned out as I set her down to the ground.
"Good to see that you are alright if you can still say things like that." I said.
"Of course I am, just need some rest to pull myself together. If this was back around my nest I would be back to full strength soon." Yura said as her body began to piece itself back together and mending all of her burns. "I don't have enough hair on hand to mend myself back fully."
"Well as long as your able to fight then your good.
Still I hope that you can heal while moving, because we need to head to the others.
" I said, felt something tightening around my neck.
"Don't even think about threatening me or I snapping this.
" I said, showing Yura her comb. "I was against it for saving Y/N from that lightning bolt and he trusted me with this after one would have killed you and possibly him.
Now I would hate to break his trust after that, but if you kill me or give me reason to kill you that would also break his trust in you.
I would be disappointed in myself if I broke his trust, but killing you that I will have no problems with.
Still it is your choice, kill me and break the trust of the man who is the only reason you are still alive or drop the hair and let us reunite with the others? "
It was silent for a few moments as the tsukumogami complicated her choices before the hairs around my neck loosened.
"Now was that such a hard choice." I said with a grin and sheathing Tessaiga, getting Yura to glare at me.
"That was a close call Lady Inuko." Myōga sighed out, still on my shoulder.
"Maybe, but I've been around the hairy bitch long enough to know how to keep her in line without Y/N around." I said, secretly sighing internally.
Just as I thought, despite how insane she possibly is or how she reacts around Y/N she is still just as deadly to us as before her defeat.
And if given the chance to kill me or Kagome without getting on Y/N's bad side, she will.
"Anyway, what happened after that lightning bolt and why do I have so much dirt inside me." Yura sighed out as she started to grow back her arm.
"Short version, one of the raijū was smart enough to split us apart with a continuous wall of lightning, We were lured to a Saimyōshō hive while the other were lured to the other raijū.
As for the dirt, the kit covered you in dirt so that you would stop catching on fire.
" I said with a smirk, getting Yura to growl.
"I am going to line my nest with that kisune's fur." She said angrily.
"With how attached he seems to be getting with Y/N, I doubt you'll get the chance." I said, getting her to sigh as her legs started to reform.
"I suppose your right as much as I hate to admit that, but I also-" Yura grumbled our, barely audiable to myself and turning away.
No way, did she just say that...
"Say that again, I don't think I heard you?" I questioned with a grin.
Yura just grumbled once again.
"I can't help you if you continue to grumble like that. So can you please speak up?" I questioned once again with the same grin.
"Fine! I need you to carry me as much as I hate to admit it!
" Yura snapped, getting me to chuckle as she gestured to herself with her left arm.
"I am still fixing my other arm and the less said about my legs the better.
" Said legs being her left ending at the top of her shin and the right above her knee, guess she doesn't have enough hair to fixed that and fight.
"So I need you to carry me at least as far as to master! Are you happy now!?"
"Yes I am, let's just hope the others are alright when we get there." I said while picking her up and stringing her up on my back again before hoping into the treetops towards where the streams of lightning were coming from.
Hopefully the others will still be alright when we get there.
(Kagome POV - A few minutes earlier)
After the mist had spread out, Manten released burst after bursts of lightning in an attempt to hit one of us.
Sadly for him the lack of sight and the cold kept getting to him and he kept aiming wildly.
Of course we had to dodge a blast or two due to how wildly he was blasting electricity all over the place.
But it all paid off a minute later when he stopped, possibly out of breath.
Now was to opportune time to strike.
"Shippō, you know what do." I told him, as I notched an arrow into my bow.
"Right!" He shouted, foxfire in his hands.
I studied the mist for a few trying to locate Manten.
Until I saw him charging right towards us!
"Found you!" He shouted out, electricity building up in his maw.
Until Shippō threw foxfire into his eyes, causing the half-raijū to scream out in pain. But it only seemed to have sting his eyes. Still it was more then enough for him to discharge his lightning breath upwards.
"Take this!" Shippō shouted as he threw some firecrackers at Manten's face, which were ignited by his fire crackers.
"My eyes!" Manten shouted as the firecrackers exploded in his face. The explosion caused by them provided to be enough for me to fire and arrow and notch another incase I had missed.
The grunt of pain coming from the blast smoke was a definite.
And the burst of lightning coming towards us was a great cue as well. I grabbed Shippō and jumped out of the way before notching an arrow again.
The blast smoke cleared and I saw the damage we did to Manten.
He had small burns around his eyes due to Shippō and my arrow buried itself into his snout. Something which caused him to shake in anger, or the cold of Y/N's mist.
"That hurt you har-" Manten tried to say, only to dodge a few ice spikes rising from around his feet.
He quickly recomposed himself and launched a lightning burst at where he guessed Y/N was.
Giving me the chance to release my arrow and I quickly notched and launched another one for good measure.
The first one bounced off his armor, getting his attention..
The second found its mark and would have hit him directly into his brain, but it deflected off of his jewel shards and clipped two strands of his hair off of his hair.
As soon as he noticed this, he paled and started to tear up.
"Kagome we should run away from him now!" Shippō said, grabbing my hand and trying to drag me with him. "He is very sensitive about his lack of hair and from what I've heard he has killed for just brining it up!"
Great just great, this is the second time in a week that a hair obsessed yokai was going to kill me!
I ran even faster at that revelation.
"Die!!!" Manten cried out as he released his biggest stream of lightning yet, the two of us barley dodging it. When it died down, he rushed at us at deceptive speeds for someone his size.
With his speeds he soon caught up to us.
He kicked Shippō and he screamed out in pain as he was sent flying into the mist.
Okay then, raijū or not, I was going to send this bastard to the deepest pits of Yomi for that!
I saw red as I notched and released as many arrows into him as fast as I could.
So he had about three arrows embedded into his exposed shoulders, before he grabbed my throat and threw my bow away.
"I am going to enjoy this!" Manten snarled out, electricity charging in his maw as he attempted to blast me point blank.
Luckily I still had my pack with a few of the pockets open.
Especially one with a small camping knife.
I grabbed it and stabbed him in the hand.
Manten screamed out in pain as I was quickly let go and quickly rolled out of the way of his lightning breath.
I got back up and brandished my camping knife as Manten shook his hand in pain, dripping blood everywhere.
"That's it, you're dead you harlot!" He shouted, before a gigantic top slammed him into the ground.
"That was for kicking me!" Shippō shouted as he stood up next to me.
The raijū could only groan as he picked himself back up, only to scream out in pain as an ice spike scratched his arm.
Manten released a burst of lightning into where he thought Y/N was, but was proven wrong when Y/N struck him from the back with Shūsui. Manten quickly recovered and from behind him pulled out an old tantō from behind him.
Shippō tensed and backed away fearfully at the sight of the tantō, which Manten noticed and gained a sadistic glint in his eye.
"Glad to see that you recognize this blade, this is the exact same one I used to skin your father with.
Which I use on you after I gut your harlot and hanyo friends with this, especially the harlot!
" He shouted, before shivering uncontrollably as the mist began to lift and frost began to cover his armor.
"I warned you not to call Kagome that." Y/N said, as the ice started to spread faster over Manten's armor.
The raijū fearfully backpedaling away from him and tried to launch another lightning burst.
Only for a massive chunk of ice to go flying into his mouth.
While Manten hurriedly tried to dislodge it, I rushed forward and stabbed my camping knife into his arm, getting muffled screams of pain from him.
Not taking any chances, I ran back just as Manten got himself free and once again dodged another burst of lightning.
The raijū growled in pain as he removed the knife and chucked it away, before coming after me with his tantō.
Before a spear of ice slammed into his armor and pushed him back
Y/N came after the raijū as fast as he could, well as someone with a crutch could anyway.
With Shūsui leveled in his free hand and raining down ice spear after ice spear at Manten, who defended against the attacks by dodging them, blocking them with his tantō, or releasing short bursts of electricity.
The match between the two seemed to be reaching a stand still moments later though.
With the mist starting to fade rapidly and Y/N looked more and more exhausted with each ice spear being launched while the same could be said for Manten as the cold from the mist and his frost encrusted armor seems to have sapped his strength.
Still at this point it would like it would be a coin flip before either Y/N ran out of yoki or Manten was defeated.
Along with Shippō still paralyzed in fear the tantō, and Inuko nowhere it sight it left just me in order to help.
And I knew just the thing.
I quickly ran up to my pack and grabbed the items that I was looking for before running up to Manten.
The raijū released a burst of lightning at Y/N, but he barley managed to dodge out of the way.
Giving me ample time to reach Manten and pulled out the bug spray and lighter.
And promptly lit his face on fire.
"My eye!" He screamed out as the right side of his face started to burn and he sung his tantō wildly, trying to slice me up.
I cut off the makeshift flamethrower as he tried to slice me up.
After a few more swings, two ice spikes rose up from around me and cut Manten's arms, forcing him back.
"You alright Kagome?" Y/N asked from behind me.
"I'm fine, let's just finish him off." I said, getting him to nod.
"That's it!" Manten shouted, electricity quickly building up in his mouth. "I have had enough!"
He tried to release a massive burst of lightning at us, but something landed on his snout and forced him to discharge in to the ground.
The resulting explosion exploded the very earth beneath us and and me and Y/N flying.
We crashed into the earth a few minutes, and suddenly all I knew was darkness.
(Y/N POV)
"Kagome!" I shouted as I reformed my makeshift crutch and hobbled over to her probe form and breathed a sigh of relief.
She was only unconscious thankfully, but in our case this would spell certain death.
Though I saw to my surprise, it seems like we won't have to worry about that at the moment.
As Shippō stood next to the downed form of Manten, with a scorching and badly drawn jizo statue lying right next to the later. With the former holding Manten's tantō in his hands.
The kitsune looked between the blade and then rising form of Manten a few times before breaking it against the fallen statue, much to the surprise of Manten and myself.
"Why, why didn't you kill me with my own blade? You had the perfect chance to do so and avenge your father, so why didn't you?!" Manten asked while getting up, inadvertently voicing my own thoughts.
"Two reasons, you skinned my father with it. Just the fact that I touched it disgusts me!" Shippō spat out. "Secondly such a fate is too good for a pathetic yokai like you!"
"What did you say you brat?!" Manten shouted, anger clearly shown in his voice.
I began to hobble towards the two as fast as I could, focusing the rest of the mist around me, ready to condense at launch at the raijū when ready.
"I said such a fate is waste against a pathetic yokai like yourself!
I saw the look of your eyes when you killed my father and when Kagome was kicking your ass!
You enjoy on picking on weaker yokai and humans, but when one stronger then you comes around or someone stands up against you it's different.
It only pisses you off and fills you with fear if pushed hard enough.
So you are nothing more then an overgrown bully who is too pathetic to kill with his own blade!
" Shippō shouted, channeling all of his anger at Manten.
Damn, that kit has some guts to him when it counts.
As Manten charged a massive burst of electricity at the kit, Shippō sent me a quick smirk.
Before I could guess what he was doing, Shippō held something in his hands and I immediately figured out what he was aiming to do.
"Die brat!" Manten shouted angrily, ready to unleash his lightning breath.
Only to widen his eyes in fear when he saw Shippō throw firecrackers directly into his mouth.
I created a small chunk of ice and launched it at the raiju's jaw, slamming it shut and getting the fireworks inside to go off along with the electricity.
Manten let out a muffled scream of pain before he crumpled to the ground, his mouth smoking and him all but passing out.
However he quickly picked himself up and growled at us soon afterwards.
Dear Amaterasu, what would it take to bring this guy down.
His growls stopped once we heard the sounds of something bounding towards us in the distance.
Seems like Inuko has finally arrived.
"Damn it all! I'm cold, burnt, bladeless, and now outnumbered with no Shikon Jewel shards to show for it!" Manten roared out before glaring at me and Shippō. "I'll deal with you two later and next time I'm bringing sister Hiten!" He then grinned. "But I'm not leaving empty handed!"
He created a thundercloud beneath him and speed towards Kagome!
"No!" I shouted, launching a few ice spears towards him.
But Manten proved to be much faster on his cloud as he dodged all of them and scooped up Kagome before fleeing into the distance.
Damn it all!
First Yura, and now Kagome!
Damn it!
"Y/N what happened here and where is the girl?" Inuko asked as she landed next to me.
"We meet one of the Raijū Kyōdai, Manten and managed to injure him pretty badly Kagome especially and knocked her out in the process. After he heard you coming he took Kagome and ran." I said bitterly.
"How badly did she injury him?" Inuko asked.
"Burned his face, stabbed his hands and arm with a knife, and lodged a few arrows into him." I said with a small smile at the damage Kagome inflicted onto him, getting Inuko to let out a whistle.
"Damn, didn't expect the girl to have it in her." Inuko said. "Did they get the jewel shards?"
"No." Shippō said with a saddened expression. The drawstring pouch containing them in his hand. "I found this lying down on the field. So where were you while we were fighting for our lives!"
"Lady Inuko was lured into smashing a Saimyōshō hive by the other raijū." Myōga said from Inuko's shoulder, getting myself and Shippō to wince.
That would do it, thank Amaterasu that they were practically extinct in modern times.
"I can speak for myself, thank you." Inuko snapped at the old flea."Speaking of which, you can get off now."
"Finally!" Yura grumbled our as she slid off of Inuko's back, looking like she hadn't been struck by lightning although missing part of her legs. "Do you kn-"
I cut her off by hobbling up to Yura and hugging her.
"Master?!" "I was so worried when you took that lightning bolt!" I shouted, relief flooding through me, Yura was alright.
One of my biggest worries through this whole scenario was wether Yura would make or not. I mean sure she was practically immortal minus her comb. But spI saw what a single lightning bolt did to her, I was worried that she could actually die.
I'm so glad that she was alright.
Yura stood the shock for a second, before returning it.
"I'm just glad that you are alright master, I wouldn't know what to do if you had died...well maybe kill the bitch and the girl and take the kitsune's fur. But I would have been crushed anyway Master." Yura said, admitting without a shred of guilt.
Causing Shippō to hide behind Inuko and her to grunt at that, reaching for Tessaiga as if waiting for a challenge.
I honestly should of expected that response...
"Still Yura, minus that bit. I want you to promises me never to sacrifice yourself for me." I said to her, hoping for her not to do anything to worry me like that again.
"I am afraid I can't do that. As your vassal if you were in the same situation, I would do the same thing to protect you master." Yura said with the upmost seriousness. "But I suppose I could be a bit more careful in the future."
"...That's the best I'm going to get out of you isn't it." I sighed out as I broke off the hug.
"Yes it is master." Yura said without any form of shame, getting me to sigh.
"While that was touching and all, we have things to do." Inuko said, before facing Shippō. "Kit gather the girl's stuff and bring it all back here."
"Why should I?" Shippō asked haughty.
"Do you want to be around Yura right now, especially after what happen earlier?" Inuko said while gesturing to said tsukumogami, a dark glint in her eye.
"On it!" Shippō said fearfully before taking off.
"Good, Myōga how far is it to Raimei Valley from here?" Inuko asked.
"Judging by the position of the mountains in the distance about 5 Ri from here Lady Inuko." Myōga said, getting here to nod.
"Perfect, not that far then." She said, before facing me and tossing me Yura's comb and the jewel shards. "Ready to take back Kagome then and giving those raijū some much needed payback."
"You have no idea." I said with a smirk, getting one in return from her.
I hope you can hold on for a bit Kagome, because we are on our way.
(Chapter 24 end)
Hey guys Mukuro7 here and I hoped you enjoyed this chapter.
Anyway before anyone says anything about the battle just note that last chapter, I mentioned how the cold would play against Manten. Well it just slowed him down considerably and made him more of a punching bag to the walking rail gun he is.
Also give Kagome a chance to be badass as well.
Anyway this was supposed to be half of the chapter...but to put it frankly I am tired at the moment and I'll release the chapter next week.
Anywho next chapter will be Kagome being introduced to the deadliest of the Raijū Kyōdai and she and Manten inadvertently making things worse for a certain someone next chapter.
As for what that is...that's a surprise.
Anyway until next time, ciao!