Page 65 of Night of the Dragon

Sheathing the blade, I walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down. The valley was a roiling mass of demons and spirits; they crawled over the rocks and swooped through the air, leaving trails of flame behind them. The scar to Jigoku pulsed red and purple in the center of the chaos. And in the center of it all, the Dragon’s huge body lay in the midst of demons, giving off coils of light that spiraled toward the clouds. He was much fainter now, barely an outline of a once Great Kami, growing more transparent by the second.

And somehow, I had to get to him. Before he faded from the world entirely.

I took a deep breath, feeling my heart pound in my ears. I couldn’t fail. Not this time. This would probably be my final task, but I had made a promise, to Tatsumi, to Kiyomi-sama and everyone else on this island. I would resurrect the Dragon, or I would die trying.

Alone, I made my way down the mountain, uncaring of the scrapes on my skin, the blood I left on the rocks. For a brief flicker of thought, I considered using fox magic to conjure a giant leaf to float down the mountain, but that required concentration to hold the illusion together, and I was exhausted, numb in both body and spirit. It was all I could do to keep walking until I stood at the edge of the plains.

Gazing into the darkness, I could see the ocean of demons and tortured spirits spread out before me, a vast, unending flood, and beyond them, the faintest blue-green glow of the Dragon. Flickering, fading, completely beyond my reach.

I trembled, feeling ice creep into my veins, and closed my eyes.Tatsumi, I thought,Reika-san, everyone. If you can hear me, give me strength. I have to make it to the Dragon. Let me do this one last thing before I join you on the other side.

There was a sigh in the back of my mind, a tickle of consciousness, and my heart nearly stopped.What are you doing, fox?If you walk into that mess, you’re going to get yourself torn to pieces.

I gasped, and my stomach turned inside out. “Hakaimono?” I whispered, and felt the demon’s weary annoyance. “You’re here. Why...why aren’t you trying to possess me?”

Don’t make me answer that.The oni sighed.You know you’re not going to make it to the Dragon. Your fox magic isn’t going to work here, kitsune, not this close to Jigoku. With the portal open, the spirits and demons have been driven to a frenzy. They’re going to see through any illusion.

“I have to try.”

Typical.I could almost see the demon shaking his head.Then, I suppose I’ll have to help. This once.

His presence grew stronger; I could suddenly feel it pressing against my consciousness, powerful and overwhelming, like staring into the face of a monsoon. I shivered, and heard a quiet chuckle in my mind.

There’s no barrier around your soul at all, is there?Hakaimono mused.It would be so easy to take you over and be free of the sword again. What I could accomplish with the power of a kitsune.

I swallowed hard, knowing there was nothing I could do if the First Oni decided to possess me. I didn’t have Tatsumi’s training, the discipline needed to completely shut off my emotions. Especially now, when my insides were a churning mire of grief, determination and loss. “Please don’t, Hakaimono.”

You really are naive, aren’t you?the oni replied, though his voice wasn’t a threat; it just sounded tired.Kami, I hope this fades in time. I’m never going to forgive you and Tatsumi for making me feel this way.

I’m going to fully grant you my power, Hakaimono went on, even as my stomach twisted at his last words.But it’s going to feel strange, like you’re not in control anymore. Don’t resist. I’m not going to possess you, so you’ll still look like yourself, but you’ll need my strength if you want the barest chance of getting to the Dragon. Are you ready?

My arms shook, but I took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes.”

Power flooded me, an inferno rising up to consume me from the inside. For a moment, it felt like my blood would boil and my skin would split apart. Gasping, I sank to my knees, arms around myself, as a searing rush of heat filled every part of me.

Opening my eyes, I rose, feeling a strength I’d never experienced before, and a sudden, savage desire to cut down anything that stood in my way. I looked down and saw Kamigoroshi engulfed in violet flames, and a purple-black glow rising from my own skin.

Peering around the rock, I gazed into the valley at the army of demons between myself and the Dragon, and with Kamigoroshi loose at my side, I began walking. The snarls and screams of the demons pierced the night, and the cries of thousands of tortured spirits rose into the air, but I wasn’t afraid. Or rather, all my fear had been shoved down into a tiny corner of my soul and abandoned. I didn’t have time to be afraid now. Though I knew, even with Hakaimono’s strength, my chances of making it through the valley to the Harbinger were slim. I would give it everything I had, but I was walking to my death, and I was...all right with that. I understood now what it meant to sacrifice everything, to give your life to protect not only the ones you loved, but their world and what they cared for, as well.

All right, fox.Hakaimono’s voice was much clearer now, like he was walking right beside me. I was almost to the edge of the valley, and the wall of horrors stretching to either side.This is suicide, but I guess we take down as many as we can. Just get out of the way and let me do what I do best.

I gave a single nod and raised Kamigoroshi, the purple flames lighting the way forward.For Tatsumi, I told the demon, and myself.For Kiyomi-sama, Reika, Daisuke, Okame... Watch over me, everyone. Let me make it to the Dragon. Just one last thing.

Gripping the hilt of Tatsumi’s sword, I started to run.

29

The Spirits Answer

Yumeko

Ihit the edge of the demon wall with a snarl unlike anything I’d uttered before, fury singing through my veins as I slashed Kamigoroshi through the monsters in my path. They howled and split apart, as the sea of claws and fangs turned on me with a roar. I roared back and let the fiery hatred within carry me forward, the Godslayer a blur as it danced and sliced its way through heads, limbs and torsos. A trio of spirits rushed me, sobbing, reaching for me with grasping hands. I raised an arm, and foxfire seared forth, the sobs turning to wails as kitsune-bi consumed them.

Oh, well, isn’t that surprising. What else can this do?

I raised Kamigoroshi, and foxfire erupted down the length of the blade, swallowing the flickering purple flames. With the sword blazing like a blue-white torch against the night, I gave a savage grin and leaped forward.

I lost track of time. The demons closed in, and there was nothing but an endless sea of monsters surrounding me. I cut and sliced a bloody path through them, but there were always more, wave upon wave of them, slashing at me with weapons and claws. I struck a wanyudo from the air and felt a searing pain across my shoulder as a red-skinned demon with six arms hit me with one of its three swords. It lost two of its arms before I plunged Kamigoroshi through its middle and ripped it in half, then blasted a group of amanjaku with foxfire. They shrieked as they were burned to ashes in an instant, writhing into mist on the wind.

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