/jp/ - Otaku Culture

The winter cold whipped at my face as I travelled to the location of the challenge, but I was not perturbed, neither my celestial body nor my intrigue at the prospect of a powerful opponent would allow me to know the biting cold.

So it was to my grand disappointment that what awaited me was a man, idly reading an ominous-looking book, while low-class youkai Seija slept with her head rested in his lap. Well I suppose they had climbed all the way up to this peak in the midst of a Youkai infested forest, but just about everyone could fly nowadays, so that was hardly an accomplishment.

"Hey! Are you two seriously the challengers that sent this letter?" I yelled, holding up the cursed text.

The man smiled and wordlessly put a finger to his mouth, completely unsurprised at my sudden arrival, as if I was a child barging into a baby sibling's room.

"Seija, Seija, she's here." The man softly whispered into her ear.

The youkai got up and yawned, stretching out her fist which the man effortless and narrowly dodged. "Oh yea? The rotten celestial woman's finally come out to play?" She said, looking up in my direction and blinking.

"Well up and at 'em then!" Seija yelled, leaning back then forward, leaping into the air and deftly landing on her toes.

"Play? I'm here for a duel! You two sent me this awful thing and it slapped me in the face!" I yelled.

"Sorry about that Celestrial-kun, I'm still working out the kinks. However, It does work great as a letter of challenge, don't you think?" The man asked.

I pulled out the Sword of Hisou and ignited it, melting the letter in a scarlet heat. "On that, I'll agree, shame I don't think you two will prove worthy of it. Regardless, those uniforms, you're servants of Yukari yeah? If I take you two out, people will know how great I am once and for all! Prepare yourselves!"

Pulling out a ribbon with her trademark arrow pattern, Seija stepped behind Goro and tied it around his eyes as a blindfold. Then, the man started chanting something unintelligible and quiet spread from him.

It was not as if the noise of the world was sucked away like cold does to heat, the wind still howled and the trees still creaked, but it was as if quiet came from the two as a tangible thing. I smiled, how like a Yakumo to have such an obnoxious-looking ability, Perhaps this fight wouldn't be a disappointment after all?

"Don't hate us if we trash you Celestial, we've got some bitter losses to account for." Seija declared.

---

I was not disappointed, frustrated? yes, but also enthralled.

"Nice personal Jizou statue you have there Amanojaku!" I said, sending another flurry of bullets and beams her way, which she and her cohort nimbly dodged without a care.

"Nyahhh" Seija jeered, sticking out her tongue. "All that danmaku and no creativity! Next to Reimu, dealing with you is nothing!"

Me? Worse then the abusive shrine maiden hag who was past her prime? I grinned, knocking this little ogre down a few pegs was gonna feel really good.

Taking the Sword of Hisou, I jammed it in the earth and sent shockwaves through it, jettisoning boulders and rock shards into the air.

"So like a child to toss stones." Seija insulted.

Boulders charged with explosive energy that is, one of which should be detonating right about now....

But the boulders did not explode outward, instead they imploded, collapsing into ultra dense spheres that fell to the earth, felling trees and smashing lesser rocks in their wake.

"Nice faint newbie! Maybe it'll be useful on some fledgling Youkai!" Seija laughed aloud.

How had she down it? The Amanojaku's ability to invert excelled at counters, but her reaction shouldn't be so quick, accurate, and powerful. The quiet... that man... so the fugitive had found a new cheat item had she?

The question now was did I target Seija or her capabilities? They'd probably expect me to target the man, so may as well attack Seija! The Sword of Hisou had read her spirit and it formed into a jagged looking blade, edges coming off it like branches of a tree, the perfect tool to punish that little ingrate!

"Here I come you fiend!" I cheerfully yelled as I rocketed toward the pair who quickly fell into the forest to hide.

"That won't save you!" I yelled Reeling my floating keystone in front of me. "Beams of Non-Perception!"

From the keystone, a massive flurry of lasers unleashed themselves, scorching the forest below.

"And that's not all! Earth Sign: 'Sword of Unletting Soil'!" I roared, once again plunging the sword into the earth and causing huge rolling lumps of earth to upend the woodland.

To my left I saw Goro flee and to my right there was Seija. My plan had worked perfectly! The two have split up to try to counter my pincer with their own! Well, now's my chance to take away your little tool Seija!