Fight for Life

Chapter 6

Izumi barked and jumped up and down. The dog growled and pawed at the earth. Yoru drew his black scythe and shield as a gate on the opposite of him opened.

"Yoru Musha, you must face your demons!" Amaterasu boomed.

"Confront your greatest fears," Jashin announced.

"And defeat them all," said Kurosawa

"Fight for your soul and win; be rewarded handsomely. Lose and be damned to an eternity of torture," Amaterasu and Jashin cried out. Yoru stared at the door and watched as a large clumsy beast stumbled out into the light.

"Ignorance and arrogance, your biggest weaknesses," Kurosawa said and waved a hand; the beast stood up on it back legs and looked about it stupidly. Yoru smiled and laughed.

"This should be easy," Yoru muttered and charged at the creature. It looked at Yoru and swung a great claw at him. It sent Yoru flying across the arena. He slammed into a wall and dropped his black scythe; the crimson one strapped to his back dug into his chest and burned him. Yoru cried out and tried desperately to remove the scythe.

"DAMN IT ALL!" he cried out. Izumi raced to Yoru's side and jumped up, attempting to help Yoru.

"IZUMI, WATCH IT!!" Yoru cried out as the beast ran at the dog. Izumi turned and snarled as he leapt at the creature and sank his teeth into its throat. The beast let out an ear splitting scream and hit Izumi, knocking the dog away from its throat. Yoru grabbed the snath of the scythe and tore it from his body. He cried out in pure agony, beginning to realize that his immunity to pain faded the minute he was killed. Yoru charged at the beast and swung his scythe; the beast smacked Yoru who jumped back and unsheathed his dagger. Yoru threw the dagger at the beast, hitting it the stomach, then ran at it, swinging his scythe and slicing its arm off. Yoru ran back and called for Izumi. The dog climbed on its feet and limped to Yoru.

“I’m sorry, boy.” Yoru patted Izumi’s helmet and pointed at beast he was fighting. “We can beat this thing.”

Yoru got on one knee, and Izumi let out a loud growl.

“Get him boy!” Yoru cried and sprang to his feet. The pair charged the beast. Izumi jumped up and latched onto the creature’s throat while Yoru swung his scythe and sliced off the creature’s other arm. Izumi tore at the beast’s throat, and Yoru sliced it again.

“Izumi, down boy”

Yoru raised his scythe and brought it down upon the creature, cutting off its head.

“Very good, Yoru.” Amaterasu cheered and clapped, “but you still have to face your fears and sins.”

Yoru picked up his black scythe and strapped it to his back. He walked over to the beast of ignorance and arrogance and pulled his dagger out of it. He smelt the burnt flesh of the creature from where his crimson scythe and dagger wounded it.

“So these weapons BURN whatever they cut, huh? That explains the pain.” Yoru made a pitiful attempt to look at his back over his shoulder; from what little he could see it seemed as though his wounds were completely healed.

“In case you haven’t figured it out yet,” Jashin began, “the Crimson armor heals you and mends itself when penetrated.”

Yoru smiled and placed the dagger back in its rightful place.

“So with armor I am basically unbeatable.”

“Watch yourself, Yoru; pride is a sin, even in Jashinism. If you let your pride take control of you in battle it will cost you your life, just like it did last time. You got too cocky and thought you were top dog and you died.” Jashin appeared before Yoru with her warning. She held out a small vial and handed it to Yoru. “Once you have overcome the sins that have evolved into the demons Lust, Pride, and Wrath, you will need it to defeat your last opponent, but before we can continue, you must confess to your sins”