Sureiyazu

Episode 25: Mizuki's Master

Aya looked around at the people moving slowly towards her and her teammates."What have you done to them?" 

Nothing much . . . it really doesn't take any power at all to be able to control a weak, insignificant human . . .

"You possessed them?" Kasai guessed angrily, gripping her sword tightly.

Oh no, these people are acting entirely of their own will.

"You bribed them!" Yuri accused.

One could say that . . . But is it really bribery when all they know is on the line? And with all the odds in their favor? It's a game that's easy to win, and easy to want to win.

"What've you told them?" Akuma demanded, raising her kyoketsu shoge.

'What've you told them?' As if I would answer to you, little human. Now, my army . . . Attack!

"Wha -" Akuma barely registered what he had said before the once slow-moving people jumped to attention and charged the Sureiyazu and Heishi. 

One moved towards her, his sword drawn. She didn't want to hurt him; he was innocent. He probably had a wife, children, a family, a life . . . hopes and dreams and . . .

"Ouch!" She had moved too slowly, and he had hit her. As the blood dripped down her arm, she pushed thoughts of his innocence away and tried to attack.

Back and forth she moved, again and again, as one after another, they attacked. These men (and some women too) seemed to be skilled in their techniques, but not quite skilled enough to go against any of the Sureiyazu or Hana Firudo's ex-head guard. So one by one they challenged her, and one by one they fell. Amidst the slashing and clanging and banging, somewhere, was Mizuki, but there were too many people in the way for Akuma to get to her.

As more and more bodies fell to the ground, and as Akuma became splattered in more and more blood, she came to realize that a familiar laugh had been ringing in her ears for some time now. The demon!

What a show, what a show . . . Mizuki warned me of your power, she did. But I didn't listen, foolish of me . . . Oh, whatever will I do . . .

And he broke into hysterical laughter again.

"What are you laughing about?" Akuma yelled.

Some laugh in the face of death . . . And since you've so obviously defeated me . . .

Was he saying that he was going to die? No, demons never admitted defeat, something was wrong . . .

"Stand down! We've defeated your army!" Aya declared triumphantly.

Are you honestly that naive? I would have thought the best demonslayers in Sekai would know that when in a Demon's Domain, nothing is as it seems . . .

The fallen soldiers raised up from the ground, as if pulled by invisible strings. Their eyes glowed eerily, and a dark aura seemed to surround them.

You thought you could defeat my army? They cannot die! While in my Domain, they have immortality! 

"We'll just find you and slay you instead!" Kasai yelled over the renewed sound of battle.

The fight seemed to last an eternity. Slashing, running, turning, dodging . . . sudden pain that faded to a dull throbbing . . . would it ever end? Would the five of them be forever defending themselves against an unbeatable enemy that just kept getting back up, that couldn't die?

Another immortal soldier raised himself from the ground, and charged Akuma. She raised her weapon wearily, her limbs feeling like lead, and yet the need to stay alive giving her the impossible strength to keep fighting. She ran towards him, and then suddenly he had fallen back down.