Sureiyazu

Episode 18: Redemption

"I'll ask one more time," Aya said. "Let - us - in - the - castle."

"Yeah, that wasn't really asking," the guard replied. "And I still can't let you in."

The conversation had been the same for the last five minutes, and the Akuma and Kasai were feeling a sense of deja vu. 

"This is not happening again," muttered Kasai under her breath.

Aya sighed. "I am not going through this again." She raised her bo staff. The guard realized what was happening too late. "Sureiyazu - we're breaking our way into this castle."

Kasai grinned at the news, and Akuma found herself smiling as well at the fact that even Aya could be rebellious. They made their way through multiple gates leading to the castle, the guards falling easily, having never been trained to fight the most skilled demonslayers in Sekai.

"Sorry," Akuma apologized as she tripped a guard with her kyoketsu shoge, kicking another out of the way when he came at her. "I have to get inside."

Akuma ran through yet another gate and disarmed the guards with her weapon, their swords clattering to the ground. After Aya and Kasai joined her, the men were out cold in a few seconds.

"I almost feel bad," Aya said. "Though I will admit this is fun."

"See?" Kasai nodded. "If I was still allowed to break the fourth wall, I'd say that the readers enjoy this Aya a lot better too."

"But wasn't what you did just now . . ." Akuma started to point out. 

"Oh, right." Kasai sheathed her katana. "I'll stop. Last time I nearly destroyed the entire universe just by pointing out that our lives are -"

The metal door slid up to reveal yet another locked entrance in their way. Aya let out an exasperated sigh, but in mid-sigh she realized something different about these guards.

"Heishi." He was the only one guarding the door to Yuri. Aya hesitantly walked forward, brandishing her staff. "I don't want to hurt you -"

"No one told me you were the intruders!" Heishi threw up his hands. "Look, I don't want to be hurt, so I think we can work something out here."

"Where's Yuri?" Kasai demanded.

"With the queen," Heishi glanced behind him, jabbing his thumb backwards. "In there. That's where I should be, but I don't think they'll go through with the execution until the head guard is there. But there is always a chance they'll have to force me inside, and then I might lose my position . . ."

"So they are having an execution," Akuma noted grimly. 

"Yes, and I can't stop it. I knew from the beginning." Heishi looked as though he felt guilty of Yuri needing to be killed. "I was the only one the queen told. I hope Yuri can forgive me after she's . . ." He didn't add the word dead but the team understood. 

"There has to be something we can do," Akuma decided. "Just let us inside."

"I can't let you inside," Heishi told them. Three faces fell. "But you can force me to unlock it. Which is totally what happened." Three faces un-fell as the final door between them and the castle was opened, and a giant throne room revealed. 

"This way," Heishi directed, weaving through halls without thought, past golden statues, priceless paintings, and dusty family heirlooms. Finally they crept down a stone staircase into the dim dungeons. Akuma was reminded chillingly of when she had been possessed and made to go into the caves, working for Tsugu . . .

Heishi led the Sureiyazu past rows of cages, which were mostly empty except for a few scattered bones. Akuma tried not to wonder whose bones they had been.