Calling The Reaper

A Battle For Peace -Part 2-

Hotaru came at me full speed at I raised my sword which intercepted her attack. It was difficult to hold off. She was so strong! I struggled against it but was able to push it back and Hotaru along with it. Hotaru charged again and scratched me on my shoulder as I dodged. I knew she wasn't going to give me any time to call one of my techniques so I had to think of something else. But what? I looked around to find anything that might help me devise a plan. I looked at the wall which had a few cracks in it from the battling. I then had an idea. I evaded another attack but just barely. I went in front of the wall and decided to start off my plan by doing some taunting.

Me:What's the matter Hotaru? Can't finish me off? You must be weak and rusty from not battling for so long.

Hotaru:You really want to die don't you? Very well. Allow me to help!

Perfect. I had gotten her mad which was my intentions. I then waited as she spread her wings and began to create another gust of wind, trying to knock me off balance. I tried to hold my ground but ended up being pushed back into the wall. Hotaru then flapped her wings behind her making her gain speed and was in front of me within seconds. She brought up her claws and struck at me but I was able to dodge just in time making her hand hit the wall instead of me. I stepped back to admire my plan and how it worked so well. Making her mad so she would charge at me, not thinking, and, before I was hit, dodge so her attack went into the wall and she became stuck. Hotaru was struggling to get her hand free but to no avail. This was the perfect time to use one of my sword's techniques before she got free. I pointed my sword at her.

Me:Tenma Jigoku. Hell's demons.

Many small demons rose from the ground and surrounded Hotaru who was still having trouble getting her hand free from the wall. The demons lunged at her but some were destroyed by Hotaru hitting them with her tail and other free hand but a few were able to reach her skin and sink their teeth in. When I thought it was over though, the demons suddenly collapsed and vanished. Hotaru laughed while I stood there not knowing what had just happened.

Me:But how?

Hotaru:You really need to do your homework. I'm a rare type of demon who's scales produce a deadly poison. Not even your demons can stand up to it.

Me:That explains why I didn't know. I hate homework.

Hotaru smirked and raised her fist. She smashed the wall with her free hand and was able to free the one that was stuck. Crap. She looked at me with anger in her eyes. Something told me she wasn't too happy with my little scheme. She raised her fist again and smashed it onto the ground causing it to shake and crack. I tried to keep my balance but soon lost it because of a deep chasm forming under my feet and causing me to fall in. I looked up to see Hotaru standing over the chasm and looking at me with a frown.

Hotaru:You really are weak. I don't even know why I bother trying to kill you.

Me:Because you have nothing better to do?

Hotaru:Maybe. But it all ends here.

She balled her right hand and punched the walls of the chasm causing them to fall and nearly crush me. I was able to keep myself from being flattened by some of the rocks but they weren't stopping. I had decided to use them as leverage and began jumping from rock to rock, slowly getting closer to the top of the chasm. Hotaru must have figured out my plan because she soon stopped and I had run out of rocks to jump on. I immediately took my sword and rammed it into the chasm wall where it became stuck and I hung there. Hotaru glared at me and flew down into the chasm to the spot where I was. She then tried to punch me off the wall but I was able to avoid it. I knew she wasn't done since she then began to deliver a barrage of punches. I was able to avoid most of them but a few connected with my face, chest, and sides. She pulled away to examine the work she had just done. I was pretty beat up and bleeding from a few areas. I could taste the blood that was pouring from my now cut lip that was hit by one of her punches. A few drops fell off of my chin and into the chasm. Hotaru was still frowning at the sight of me.

Hotaru:Why do you keep fighting me when you have no chance of winning? You must really be stupid.

Me:That's not it. I fight because I have people to protect. If I don't defeat those who threaten to harm the people I care about then they'll die.

Hotaru:Very well. I'll make sure they join you after I kill you.

Me:Come on Hotaru. You really think I didn't have a plan in case I was on the verge of losing?

Hotaru:What?

I wiped the blood from my chin and rubbed it onto my sword which began to glow a bright red. Hotaru backed away a bit and had a look of terror on her face.

Hotaru:What the hell is going on? What is happening to your sword?

Me:When I mix my blood with the power my sword possesses I am able to unleash my sword's ultimate technique. Meihitogoroshi.

Hotaru:The dark killer? Why would you call it that?

Me:This is why.

I flipped myself to where I was now standing on my sword which was still stuck in the wall. Hotaru decided to not listen to me and was about to attack me when a dark veil as black as the night began to seep from my sword. At first it was just running down the wall and suddenly stopped. It then shot itself at Hotaru and latched onto her. She tried furiously to get free of the substance that had just stuck to her but it was useless. It kept building and building until Hotaru was completely covered in darkness. Now she was trapped and couldn't get free no matter how powerful she was. That was what I loved about the Meihitogoroshi technique. It steals the powers of the person it latches onto and uses them to kill that person. I only used this technique when it was absolutely necessary. I watched as a faint glow began to shine from the veil and it kept intensifying as it stole more power from Hotaru. I could hear her muffled screams of pain and how she was yelling at it telling it to get off. That wasn't going to do her any good. It only listened to me and I wasn't about to make it stop now. The glow was now so bright it was blinding. It kept getting brighter and brighter until it was as bright as the sun. Now came the part I loved. It then began to shrink around Hotaru and was getting smaller, still glowing with that white light. I heard Hotaru screaming louder and louder telling me to stop and that she surrendered. I just laughed.

Me:You really think that after all this I'm going to let you live? You must be an idiot.

The hell? Why am I talking like this? Inside I was suddenly scared yet the outside of me was loving the power I had over Hotaru. I knew this feeling. It was the same feeling I had when I had a tight grip on Miki's hand and was making him bleed. I tried to control myself but I was having too much fun. The veil got smaller and blood began to seep from the sides of the veil and dripped down into the chasm. Hotaru was still screaming but her voice was getting softer as she was being crushed. Before she really died I heard her say something I couldn't quite make out but still heard.

Hotaru:I'm sorry. If I had known that this was going to happen I wouldn't have done everything I did. I wouldn't have killed humans and eaten them. I wouldn't have destroyed houses and families. Why must I realize all this on the verge of death? I'm sorry.

That struck me like an arrow. My insides felt guilty yet my outside had yet to follow. I was still unable to control myself and even after feeling guilty I can't stop. What was happening to me? I heard Hotaru let out a few more screams and then silence. The veil was still growing smaller and the small streaks of blood had become similar to small waterfalls. I snapped my fingers and the veil unwrapped around Hotaru and went back into my sword. Hotaru's body fell into the chasm and I jumped down to see her mangled body lying there, lifeless. She had reverted back into her human form. I examined it and saw the lifeless cold eyes and the cuts and bruises that were all over her body. She had just landed in the chasm and she was already lying in a pool of blood. I wanted to throw up at the scene. I had just killed a demon I know but she had apologized for everything she did. I knew she meant it by the tone of her voice. I looked closer and noticed that there was something sparkling on her cheeks when the sun hit it. I gasped and took a step backward at the sight of the tear streaks that had stained her face.