Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Something pressed hard against Ryuichi’s chest. It felt as if his ribs were breaking.
Help me!
He couldn’t speak or see. Panic set in as he tried to struggle and couldn’t move at all. Never in his life had he felt anything like this. More than that, a thousand voices screamed in his head.
You’re not going to make it.
You were too weak.
Too small.
Who are you to think you can do anything?
Those doubts and voices shredded and strangled him even more than the dirt he was being dragged through.
Then, just as he was sure he could bear no more, he was released and left in a darkened room.
No. A cave.
He heard the sound of water dripping from the ceiling. The stench of decay and rot made his stomach tie into a knot.
Where am I?
The question was no sooner asked in his mind than he heard something coming toward him.
Raising his sword, he turned toward it, ready to do battle.
Until he saw the size of what he was facing. At least twenty feet high, it was a giant dragon unlike anything he’d ever seen before.
His heart was pounding in his chest. He took a deep breath, trying to quell the fear that threatened to send him into flight as eight sets of hungry dragon eyes stared him down.
“Orochi?” he asked, knowing this had to be his foe.
The dragon came closer. Then closer still.
“This is the Son of Shadows? Pathetic,” he said. “How can a weakling like you have the power to control the gate?”
Ryuichi was shaking and trying not to show it. “How can something as ugly as you be a World Eater?”
Rising up as if he’d slapped him, Orochi roared and flicked its eight tails. “Who are you to question me?”
“Mahōtsukai Ryuichi.”
That made Orochi laugh.
But Ryuichi would not be shamed. He had the blood of gods in his veins. His father was one of the greatest warriors ever born.
“Laugh all you want. I found my father and brought him back here to defeat you with a whole army. We won’t stop fighting until you’re beaten.”
The ground beneath Ryuichi shook hard. One second, he was in the cave, and in the next, Ryuichi was back on the battlefield, being strangled by one of Orochi’s tails. He fought against the hold, but his arms were also clamped down.
As a last-ditch effort, he bit Orochi’s scaly hide.
His attack was so unexpected that his enemy yelped and let go.
Ryuichi hit the ground hard, then rolled and sprang to his feet. He ran across the field, which was crawling with Orochi’s soldiers, toward his friends.
He didn’t get far before the dragon had him again.
“Let me go!” Ryuichi screamed, but he could barely get the words out.
“Open the gate!”
“Never.”
Orochi’s largest head reared up to strike, his jaws expanding like he intended to swallow Ryuichi whole.
Ryuichi tried to wiggle out of Orochi’s grasp, writhing around like mad. He was prepared to fight to the end.
But before Orochi could make a move, a flurry of razor-sharp arrows flew into the beast, striking him in the chest. Gasping, Ryuichi turned to see his father riding toward them, bow drawn as he fired more arrows into Orochi’s body.
Ryukage continued his assault as Shima, in his crow form, flew toward the beast and plucked Ryuichi out of his grip with his quick-moving talons.
Once they got some distance from Orochi, Shima said to Ryuichi, “Your father warned me if I didn’t save you, he’d skin me alive.”
Ryuichi was relieved to be free, but as he looked down at the chaos below, his heart sank. “My father needs help.”
“He does not.”
Ryuichi squeezed Shima’s ankle as hard as he could. “Yes, he does. Look!”
Shima surveyed the battlefield and cursed. “You’re right.” And yet he headed farther away from Ryukage and the heart of the action.
“What are you doing?”
“My orders were to get you to safety. I’m just following them,” Shima replied.
Ryuichi refused to let his father fight this battle without him. Even though obeying an order was a sign of disrespect, he couldn’t let Ryukage take the brunt of Orochi’s wrath.
Not when they had plans to start over.
“Shima! You have to take me to him. Now!”
* * *
Ryukage slashed his way through the yōkai as he saw his main target.
Orochi.
Their bad blood went back for centuries.
There were many rumors about what had started their rivalry.
But Ryukage remembered it all perfectly.
Long ago, he saw that Orochi was trying to charm Haruka.
Because of her kind heart, she’d been unable to reject him harshly.
Orochi had taken that as an invitation to pursue her.
Ryukage had to step in and tell Orochi that Haruka didn’t love him. She was Ryukage’s one and only, and if he didn’t leave her alone, Ryukage would be forced to take drastic measures.
Humiliated and hurt, Orochi had accused Haruka of leading him on. But she hadn’t done that. Not intentionally. She’d only been kind to the wrong type of creature.
Orochi had completely misunderstood her intentions.
From then on, he saw Ryukage as his enemy because Haruka loved him instead.
He’d won the heart of the kindest goddess ever born, and Orochi was incredibly envious.
Once Orochi had realized that Haruka controlled the gates, then he had become even more obsessed with making her his bride. He was convinced that with Haruka by his side, he could conquer any world.
But life didn’t work that way. Haruka had fallen in love with Ryukage the moment they met. And he’d been hopelessly hers.
If only he could go back to that day. See her one more time.
You have a son. Her son.
True. Ryuichi looked just like his mother. All Ryukage had to do was glance at the boy and he instantly saw her again.
It was like a punch to his gut.
Not that it mattered. Right now, he had a battle to fight and win.
Or die trying.
Orochi headed straight for him, knocking his own men out of the way to square off against Ryukage. He reined his horse to a stop and waited for the snake. Which wasn’t as easy as it sounded, as Orochi’s men kept trying to bludgeon him. Ryukage swatted them away like flies, one after the other.
Until Orochi came near. Then the old dragon blew fire.
“It’s been a long time.” Ryukage rested casually on his horse. “Did you enjoy your stay in the cave I picked out for you?”
That succeeded in enraging the beast. He lunged at Ryukage.
Unperturbed, Ryukage held his hand out and threw a blazing fireball at him. “I guess you didn’t like it. That’s too bad.”
“Prepare to die, demon!”
Orochi launched off the ground and hurdled toward him. Ryukage barely had time to duck and recover before he turned and lunged at one of its heads with his sword. Another one of Orochi’s “brothers” struck to the left, then darted away before Ryukage could land a blow.
This was so annoying. All around them, their soldiers were fighting and dying at the hands of their undead soldiers and Ryuichi’s friends.
Fire was raining down on everyone, which sent half of Orochi’s yōkai scurrying for shelter.
To his shock, everyone was standing strong: Koichi, Masaru, Haruki, Yumi, Katsu, and all the others.
They were as determined to protect his son as he was.
Ryukage felt an ache in his chest, the panging of some emotion he couldn’t quite place. It’d been so long since he’d last had any feelings at all. Now he knew why. Emotions clouded his judgment. They made him weak and vulnerable. He’d buried them so deep he thought they’d never resurface.
But the moment he saw Ryuichi, all of it had come rushing back. It was part of the reason he’d gone into seclusion. His feelings were so confused. He wanted to protect his son and destroy him at the same time.
None of that mattered right now. He had a fierce enemy to vanquish.
Orochi reared back, his heads moving into a strike position. Ryukage began pummeling him with as many fireballs as he could manifest. Time seemed suspended as he tried everything he could to vanquish his enemy.
Now he remembered why they’d been forced to entomb the beast.
Killing Orochi was next to impossible.
* * *
Koichi saw that the Ryukage was trapped in an unending battle with Orochi. He looked for Ryuichi but didn’t see him anywhere. Their undead samurai army was more vicious than Koichi would have expected. Oddly enough, their side might even be winning.
Masaru was fighting on his own, which was rather surprising. Koichi couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen the kitsune fly solo like this.
Without warning, Haruki appeared out of a thick dark cloud, her white hair pulled back with two red kanzashi. She was sitting on top of a horse, poised as though she were ready to do battle.
“What are you doing here?” Koichi asked.
“Trying to figure out if we’re winning or losing,” she replied.
“It’s kind of a tie, I think.”
“Well, I’m here to break it.”
“Oh really?” He stepped past her to intercept the oni that was about to take her head.
Sadly, he wasn’t fast enough, and the oni’s blade grazed his shoulder. Cursing, Koichi staggered back.
Haruki’s eyes flared as she realized he was hurt. “Koichi!” She started for him, then turned on the oni with a piercing shriek. “How dare you!”
In the next heartbeat, the oni blew apart. Stunned, Koichi ducked as entrails rained down over him.
“Looks like your powers are back,” he said as Haruki helped hoist him onto the back of her horse.
“How many more times are you almost going to die?” she asked him.
Koichi put his arms around her waist as they galloped ahead, blood seeping through his clothes. “I don’t know. Hopefully, we won’t find out.”
* * *
When Masaru heard Haruki scream, his blood ran cold.
That could only mean one thing.
Someone was dead. Or close to being dead.
He looked around the fray to try and locate members of their crew. But he was deep in the trenches of battle.
Changing into his kitsune form, he ran in the direction of Haruki’s voice. Dodging and swerving through flying arrows, swords, and clubs, he eventually found Haruki on a deserted hill. She was leaning over a bleeding Koichi.
In a puff of smoke, Masaru returned to his human body. “What happened?”
“I missed. The oni didn’t,” Koichi explained.
“Didn’t we just fix you? How very inconsiderate of you to go and get another hole in your body, little buddy.”
“Don’t, Masaru. In the mood, I’m in—”
“You’ll bleed on me?”
Haruki glared at Masaru. “Stop insulting him and help me get him to safety. Or protect him.”
Koichi waved them off. “I’m fine right here. You two keep helping the others.”
Haruki shook her head. “I can’t leave. Not while you’re hurt.”
Koichi took her hand in his, kissing her fingers gently. “Don’t worry. If I die, I’ll haunt you. Go save your nephew.”
She hesitated.
Masaru put his hand on Haruki’s shoulder. “The man said he’ll be fine. Besides, he’s too afraid of you to die.”
Koichi nodded. “Unfortunately, he’s right.” He grinned at Haruki. “Now go. Save our boy.”
She pressed her forehead against his, kissed him on the cheek, and then stood up, staring at Masaru. “If he dies, kitsune, I’ll make a coat of your fur.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Masaru mounted her horse and Haruki got on behind him. Then they took off into battle.
He heard a cry above them and saw Ryuichi, riding on the back of Shima in his crow form. Masaru nudged Haruki and she looked up, noticing the pair, soaring toward Orochi and Ryukage at a high speed.
“Is Ryuichi heading for his father?” Masaru asked.
Nodding slowly, Haruki stared at them, eyes wide. “Is he stupid?”
“I might have hit him too hard in the head a couple of times.”
“Then you’re stupid!” Haruki shot up from the horse and flew toward them.
Masaru cursed. Why couldn’t he fly too? He would have changed into a kitsune and run ahead, but the horse would be faster, so he kicked it and they galloped ahead.
He didn’t stop until he spotted a yōkai who was lifting a sword to go after Ryuichi, who was now on the ground, fighting. Masaru pulled out a naginata and used it to behead Ryuichi’s attacker.
“Next!”
Ryuichi looked up at the shadow over him. It took him several heartbeats to realize it was Masaru, and his aunt was with him. “Haruki-san! I need you.”
Masaru noticed Haruki’s face light up when she heard Ryuichi call out to her. “Need me for what?”
Ryuichi jerked his chin toward where Ryukage was fighting Orochi, who had backed the demon king into a corner. “Can you help my father?”
Haruki sighed, like she wasn’t sure if she wanted to help the person who had done her so wrong.
“Please. Do it for my mother,” said Ryuichi.
That seemed to warm her up to the idea. “I’ll try. But my powers aren’t as strong as my sister’s. If they were, I’d be able to control the gates.”
Control the gates . . .
Masaru beheaded another one of Orochi’s yōkai soldier. “I don’t like that look in your eyes, Ryu-chan. What are you thinking?”
“I know how to defeat the World Eater.”
Masura leaped down from his horse, used his naginata to lift himself up, and kicked the next yōkai who came near. Then he turned back to Ryuichi. “What’s your plan?”
Ryuichi scowled as he stared at Masaru and his awe-inspiring pose with his naginata. “Follow me.”
The kid had guts. He’d give him that.
Worse? He took off before Masaru could stop him.
Groaning, he immediately went after Ryuichi to stop him from getting killed. While he’d like to say he could take Haruki in a fight, Masaru knew better. The goddess had some impressive powers, and he didn’t want to end up as her coat.
“Ryuichi!”
The boy didn’t slow down at all.
Great. We’re all going to be slaughtered.