The winds howled and thunder cracked as Orochi issued its forces forward.

  Ryoma and the others approached the gate when a flock of amikiri flew overhead. A unit of archers readied themselves as one yelled, “For the shogun!” Each prepared a hamaya – a blessed arrow – and loosed them toward the swooping foes. The bodies of the demons that were struck crackled and sizzled away same as a fleeting firework. However, some managed to avoid the oncoming doom and retaliated against the archers, clawing at their necks and drawing immense showers of blood. As a result, both armies seemed to have lost equal footing, neither truly giving way nor gaining the upper hand.

  “Enough of their stalling tactics.” Ryoma said. “Let us continue forward.” The rear flank of samurai prepared a battering ram that had been graciously gifted alongside the men by Makoto. They aimed above a sizeable crack in the gate, hoping to exploit the structural weakness. Heaving the ram forward, the soldiers crashed upon the wooden door and it miraculously swung open, nearly completely off its hinges.

  “We can advance, everyone!” Ryoma exclaimed. “March into the courtyard!” He, Himiko, and Yuki stood by as the samurai not continuing the fight with the amikiri navigated around the trio and through the broken gate. There, a herd of imps rushed the mobilizing unit.

  Again, the demons clashed with the humans. The imps proved to be harder to hit especially for the provided spearman due to their low stature. They easily swiped at the legs of the warriors, causing them to fall to the ground where they could be swallowed up. However, the samurai equipped with katana were more capable of striking the smaller foes and did their best to protect their brethren.

  Eventually, a platoon of possessed soldiers appeared from the barracks alongside the edges of the courtyard. Ryoma gasped as he saw faces familiar from his past life. One countenance in particular among them belonged to Goro, his eyes amethyst. Tears began forming in Ryoma’s own eyes as he discovered the one he considered a close friend now devoured by darkness.

  “Goro.” Ryoma said softly. Himiko noticed the pain in her companion’s voice and reached for his arm, gripping him tightly. Yuki also saw his friend’s mix of anger and sorrow and decided to stand tall. “You two move ahead. Our soldiers and I will handle this band of demons.” Ryoma thought to protest, but Yuki threw a webbed finger toward his mouth and said, “Don’t argue with me. Orochi – no, the emperor – is waiting for you. Now, go.”

  And so, Ryoma and Himiko nodded toward Yuki and made their way across the courtyard. The demonic Goro laughed and asked, “Are you too scared to face your old friend, Ryoma? Come now, fight me like a man!” Ryoma, however, ignored it, and in return, the demon ignored the samurai. “Very well.” It said, “I’ll tend to killing the kappa traitor first. But mark my words, Ryoma: I’ll be back for you!”

  Rain started falling as Yuki smiled and said, “I won’t give you that chance.” Water slid down the demon’s face which once held amusement but gave way to ire. “We’ll see about that, kappa.” It said, raising a katana. In a burst of inhuman speed, it rushed toward Yuki with a stabbing motion. Yuki reacted as quickly as he could by throwing his palms down onto the stone floor and creating a wall of ice in front of him.

  Goro’s sword became trapped in the wall mere inches from Yuki’s head. He fell back in fear but then began laughing. “So, what’s your plan now?” He asked. He looked around, witnessing the remaining samurai beginning the brawl with the possessed platoon, and smiled. The tide of battle seemed to be turning in the mortal forces’ favor.

  The demonic Goro began laughing himself which quelled Yuki’s mirth, replacing it with confusion and slight fear. “Don’t worry about me.” It said. “You see, kappa, I’m no ordinary demon. I’m much stronger than a lowly imp or amikiri.” He flexed his arm and lifted up, breaking the katana clean out of the ice wall. He exclaimed, “No, kappa, I’m an onryo!”

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  Yuki gasped. He had heard of the onryo’s might before, but never encountered them in Yomi as demons tended to stick with their own kind. Worse still, it had been said that vengeful spirits inhabiting humans posed an extra threat, though he had yet to experience the phenomenon firsthand. Seeing Goro’s amplified strength caused him to believe the myth was true.

  “It’s time for you to die.” The onryo said. It raised its weapon and hacked down toward Yuki’s head. Once again, its action defied human skill, but Yuki had a plan. He thought to lean back from fear yet refused his own instincts, allowing the blade to approach his body directly. However, the instant Goro’s katana touched the water in Yuki’s dish, he froze it solid in a flash, the metal merely scraping his top. The blade had been trapped yet again.

  The onryo smirked and asked, “Do you think that will stop me? You’ve tried this stunt before, you know. Get some new tricks, kappa.” Yuki smirked himself and asked, “How about this?” He slapped his hand down on the ground and produced a wintry stalagmite that pierced through Goro’s arm, cutting it clean off from the elbow down.

  “Dammit!” The onryo exclaimed as the severed appendage dangled from the katana’s hilt. Yuki melted the ice around his head and the metal clanged on the stone below while the handle splashed in a rapidly forming puddle. He started crawling backward whilst smiling at his accomplishment.

  Then, however, the onryo began laughing which unnerved Yuki. “What’s there to laugh about now?” He asked hesitantly. In lieu of an answer, the demon grabbed the sopping arm from the stained, standing water. It shook the liquid off from Goro’s appendage and shoved it back into the stump. Miraculously, it reformed into position and the fingers began moving as if it were good as new. The newly minted monster waved with it to mock Yuki.

  “How’s that for a display of power?” The onryo asked. “Do you realize now that you have no chance of defeating me?” Yuki scowled at the demon and said, “So, it seems you have some arcane abilities over the human form. What does it matter? I’ll just have to tear you limb from limb.”

  The onryo cocked Goro’s head and asked, “How do you plan on accomplishing that?” It began to walk forward and stepped in a depression in the stone, Goro’s foot submerging all the way past the ankle. Only then did it realize the danger it was in.

  “So much water.” Yuki said. “Would you like to guess how I intend to use it?” The onryo tried to step back, but Goro’s foot had been completely frozen solid. With enough force, it wrested free of the icy grasp but fell backward until it landed supine, looking up as the sky cried over the stolen body.

  Before the onryo could move, four pillars sprung up and eviscerated Goro’s flesh, each tearing an arm or leg asunder. It cried out, unable to move with any momentum aside from miniscule squirms.

  “How dare you!” The onryo exclaimed. With no other options, it separated itself from Goro by bursting out from his chest. The sight reminded Yuki of Himiko’s parents, which only strengthened his resolve to finish the fight.

  The shadowy, humanoid figure stood tall, panting heavily from the exertion. It looked to Yuki and said, “You’ll die for that, kappa.” Instead of answering, however, Yuki coldly placed his palms into the water and the pillars surrounding the onryo began curving inward. They skewered the demon in four different spots in its torso.

  Yuki then released the magic from the water and the ice instantly melted. The onryo fell on top of Goro’s body, both dead. The kappa noticed that the samurai and possessed soldiers had stopped fighting to witness his own bout. He took advantage of their temporary stagnation and created a forest of ice chutes, killing all enemies at once.

  Falling to the ground due to fatigue, Yuki exhaled deeply. The samurai still standing rushed to pick him back up. “You did it, Yuki,” one of the samurai exclaimed, “you won us this battle!” Yuki, before slipping out of consciousness, said, “It isn’t won yet. It’s… Ryoma’s turn.”