InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Time Soul Exodus ❯ Chapter 19: =Fight for Survival= ( Chapter 19 )

Written by: Zelix

 

A/N: Alright, here is the beta-read version, enjoy! Big thanks for Osuwari00 for doing this for me, big huge thanks!

 

 

Alright, now we are getting to the serious stuff, this chapter was VERY hard to write, I put a shit load of effort into it and I sincerely hope that I will get honest reviews about it, since this is my very first time writing a HUGE battle scene with lot's of characters and a high number of enemies… so, be honest on how it went.

 

 

WARNINGS: Death, blood and action, need I say more? Oh yeah, NOT FOR THOSE UNDER 18… though, that hasn't stopped anyone in the past so why should it work now? LOL… Just remember that you are reading at your own risk!

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that's related to Inuyasha, I do own Arc though and if someone intends to copy him without my permission I'll F*** you up!

 

 

“Talking”

`Thinking'

[Check the bottom for details]

*Flashback/Switch in Time or place*

=Used when mentioning a technique, attack or something important=

 

 

If this was a TV series:

 

Opening: Chihiro Yonekura - Butterfly kiss

Ending: Hikaru no go - Bokura no boken

 

 

 

 

Time Soul Exodus

 

 

 

Chapter 19: =Fight For Survival=

 

 

 

Arcerdo could not believe how close that had been, he had been running with the Moon priests to reach the shrine before the insects did and from the looks of things he had made it just in time… well, if you don't consider killing a warrior insects just seconds before it would have killed two more people a nick of time, then what do you consider as nick of time?

 

 

Anyway, the main thing was that the insect was dead and the couple was alive… though there was about an army of more insects coming their way, so this one kill really did not make a difference but that was beside the point.

 

 

Next, after seeing the insect die and he caught the stench of death on it, Arc turned himself to the couple and said with commanding voice: “Go on, get to the shrine! More insects are heading this was, so hurry!” With those words, the couple quickly got up, bowed, said their thanks and hurried to the shrine along with the other villagers, leaving Arc there thinking: `The way he was ready to defend her… he was willing to die so he could protect her… Damn it, don't think like that now! I already swore I would NEVER hesitate again, so don't start with it now. For now, just focus, the insects will be here soon…'

 

 

Arc then noticed that all the surviving villagers had already reached the shrine and his senses could feel the barrier around it as well, Sumira did a good job, the barrier was strong and stable, not to mention he could feel the sacred ground beneath him as well… hehehe, right now he was thankful he could use holy powers himself, because if he was just an ordinary demon-human crossbreed, these grounds would affect him as well but because he could use holy powers, the sacred ground didn't neither boost his powers nor decrease them.

 

 

But, even though the barrier was strong and stable, it didn't seem like it was completely solid yet, meaning that until it became more solid, it wouldn't be able to hold these insects for long… which meant that Sumira needed a bit more time to complete the barrier, right now, it would probably hold the insects for about 5 minutes before collapsing, that was what his mother had taught him about barriers:

 

 

“Arcerdo, when you create a barrier, you must remember to do these three things in this order: First, you must draw the power to the barrier. Secondly, you must stabilise it, because if you create a strong barrier it must also remain stable, otherwise you will only waste unnecessary amount of strength and get drained dry too fast… not to mention, the barrier will not be able to hold back anything either. Then, thirdly, you must make the barrier solid, since even if the barrier is strong and stable, unless it's solid as well it will be like making a brick wall with cement but not allowing the cement to harden enough, thus leaving the barrier able to withstand a few attacks but that's it, it will collapse after that.

 

 

You must always remember those three, otherwise when you need to protect someone or protect yourself, you will be in for a painful experience… also, depending on the size of barrier will also determine how much time you will need to create it, a person-sized barrier can be created instantly with practice but larger barriers such as ones to protect a large building will take time,concentrationand in most cases you'll also need an amplifier or some sort, such as an Ofuda or an artefact. Also,during those times you must NEVER rush yourself or the barrier will fail.”

 

(I would like your opinion on something, are these *Lesson Flashbacks* a good idea or a bad idea?)

 

 

So, with that memory in mind, Arcerdo readied his swords, mind and body for the gruesome battle that was to come and soon. He needed to buy time for Sumira, each and every second would count now, since with each second that would pass, the more solid the barrier would become.

 

 

Before that though, Arcerdo looked behind to see Hanataro standing there with a bit uncertain look in his eyes, to this, Arcerdo simply smiled and mouthed the words: “You've won, take pride in it.” and then turned his face towards the Moon priests who had now caught up with him.

 

 

*With Hanataro*

 

 

Hanataro had seen Arcerdo save the couple, told them to head for the shrine and then prepare himself for the approaching battle… and after looking in the direction of the insects, he could only assume from their numbers and fast rate of approach that this was going to be a VERY gruesome battle, something that people like him couldn't even dream of being a part of.

 

 

Though, after seeing Arcerdo looking straight at him and mouthing those words, he felt a strange sense of… fulfilment, like something that had been empty within him for a long time had just been filled. It was his pride, something they all had lost long ago, now thanks to Arcerdo, his words and actions, he had managed to regain it and it fulfilled that hollow spot he had within him.

 

 

Feeling that, Hanataro couldn't help but smile at himself… even though he had been unable to help that couple, he knew that there just were things that he could not do no matter how hard he wanted to… since he was, after all, only a human. He smiled at himself because even though there were things he couldn't do, there was already something he HAD done, something to be proud and feel good about.

 

 

He would of course need to talk to that couple and apologise for not being able to do anything, it was the least he could possibly do.

 

 

So with that, he thought: `Good luck, Arcerdo-san, I will pray to the gods that you will succeed because… because I know you are a good person, a good person like you can't die here, so I will pray for the gods to protect you… please, fight and live, Arcerdo-san!' and with that, he ran off towards the shrine, looking back only once.

 

 

 

*With Arcerdo and the Moon priests*

 

 

“… so we need to buy time until the barrier has become fully solid, any ideas?” Finished Arcerdo as he had told the three Moon priests the situation and that they needed time until the barrier was completed, of course, after earning a few remarks from Flint as usual with Jei telling him without words to shut up.

 

 

Of course, as Arcerdo had explained the situation in detail, Arbel couldn't help but think: `This is too strange, it is like Flint says, Arcerdo is just a warrior wannabe and yet… he is talking about barriers, their forming and using like he was an expert at them! It doesn't make sense, there aren't even a handful of people besides us, Mikos and Houshis that know this much about barriers, yet, Arcerdo knows the basics of making a barrier like the back of his hand! Just who is he?'

 

 

During this time though, it was Jei who thought about what was the best plan of defence to buy the required amount of time needed for the barrier, he may not be able to understand or figure Arc out but when it comes down to combating Youkai, well, that was his field of specialty.

 

 

After looking at Flint, Arbel and Arcerdo with analyzing eyes, he finally spoke: “Alright, here is what we do: Myself, brother Flint and brother Arbel will form the first line of defence here and take on the main swarm on with full-force. Arcerdo, after seeing that even though you possess a decent amount of combat skills even though you lack experience, will form the second line of defence near the entrance to the shrine. Since even though we have more combat experience and we can function as a team better than you, we will not able to hold off each and every one of those Youkai, some of them will inevitably get through or past us and it will be your purpose to finish them off before they reach the shrine or the barrier, any questions?”

 

 

They were all silent, even Arcerdo, since he was amazed by Jei's ability to assess the situation so quickly and create a effective plan like that out of nowhere… he was right too, these three had more combat experience and they have functioned as a team for a while as well, also, considering that he and Flint did not get along at all, it would be better if he wasn't on the team at the moment, also, fighting a large quantity of enemies might lead to a situation were his inner demon might surface again and that, that was the last thing he needed right now, no one here, except Chizu, Renko and Sumira knew that he was a quarter Youkai and it was better if these fanatics would never find out about that.

 

 

So, the idea of him being the second line of defence would work nicely, that way, he would only need to kill 3-4 at max at a time and the risk of his inner demon breaking out would also stay down… and considering that those insects would be out to kill him rather than the Moon priests, they would not only be weakened by the sacred ground but also become confused about who to attack, since not only was the shrine behind him but the Moon priests were also in front of him, it would work at least for a little while to keep them disorganised and hopefully long enough for the barrier to fully become solid.

 

 

After the silence, Jei nodded and said: “May the god help us in this ordeal, now let's go brothers!” and then while Arcerdo ran into his position while the Moon priests got into theirs, he thought to himself: `Why? Why did it come down to this…? The insects had been calm for so long and now suddenly out of nowhere with no clear reason we have our backs against the wall, we fight and win or we will all perish… I am a quarter Youkai and yet here I am killing my own kind even though they are practically extinct as they are, it all boils down to a simple question: Why?'

 

 

`Why? Such a simple question, yet so damn hard to answer, just the rest of life is… it is always the simple things that cause so much hardship, it is always the simplest questions that are the hardest to answer: Why, how, who, what, when… they are so simple and yet so complicated at the same time. Yet for me, it is a simple question: Why am I doing this?'

 

 

Then, he arrived at his position, took his battle stance, hardened his eyes and senses before finishing that though the second the insects finally arrived:

 

 

{[ = Because there are those who believe in me and I will NOT let them down! = ]}

 

 

And with that… all hell broke loose.

 

 

*Where Heitaro is*

 

 

Heitaro had changed his position and was currently at a spot where he had a clear view of the shrine and the battle going on in front of it.

 

 

He had to admit to himself, this was getting good, even though it was a senseless bloodbath he still found it intriguing. He found it intriguing because right now, two sides with deep hatred for one another were in a way working together to stop the insects from getting any closer to the shrine… not to mention, the most interesting part was on how this stranger, Arcerdo would fare against an army of insects.

 

 

Heitaro was thinking: `Arcerdo has fought well until now, all his blows are well aimed and his movement is excellent… but, the way he holds his swords clearly shows he lacks experience, not to mention his movements are predictable. He may be strong enough to fight against Youkai such as these but if he were to face someone with skill and experience it would be bad for him, he has natural talent but not enough experience to properly use it.'

 

 

`But… there are things that puzzle me, one is the strength he possesses, true that Moon priest named Jei is strong, his strength is higher than a normal humans but it is still only human strength, that is clear from the aura he has… though his holy power is frightening, I give him that. But Arcerdo, his aura makes no sense, it is strong like a Youkai's would but also at the same time it is pure… I can't sense any You-ki, the sacred ground is not affecting him and the barrier around the village allowed him to enter the village and that barrier had so far stopped each and every kind of Youkai from entering.'

 

 

`Then what puzzles me are those swords of his, they are sheathed yet they cut like real blades would, that must be the technique where one uses holy power to make things cut like a blade would… but that is a high-level technique! It is not something an amateur could hope to use or master even with years of intense training, yet Arcerdo, who lacks combat experience does it so naturally, when he attacks the blades are infused with energy and when he stops the energy disappears right away, making sure his energy is not wasted. Not to mention, one of those swords looks familiar… I could swear I've seen it somewhere before… oh well, no matter, my mission is to observe this stranger, so for now I'll just enjoy the show.'

 

 

With that, Heitaro grinned and kept his eyes on the battlefield.

 

 

*Where Kedaru is*

 

 

Kedaru was least to say, frustrated beyond belief since this was taking far too long, the insects should have already razed the village to the ground and yet the reports the scouts had brought back now and then were only serving to annoy him further. The latest report was that the villagers and the `crystal' had taken refuge in the shrine outside the village and right now, all three Moon priests and the stranger, Arcerdo were blocking their advance.

 

 

Not only was there a barrier forming around the shrine but the area around was sacred ground as well, which meant that the insects were at a serious disadvantage there while the Moon priests and the stranger would have an advantage over the battle… since while under the effects of the sacred ground, the insects would not only lose about half of their strength but they would also become slower and a lot easier to kill.

 

 

This was getting ridiculous, there shouldn't have been a battle like this at all… this was supposed to be a one-sided bloodbath! Yet now, the ones who were getting massacred where the insects and not the villagers!

 

 

Kedaru then turned his attention to the four guardians that were buzzing around him, waiting patiently for orders. Kedaru looked at the four of them and just by staring at them he felt his insides shivering with anticipation, the guardians were by far the strongest insects in the entire hive and even he himself would not want to tangle with them, they were strong, fast and completely obedient since they lacked both a memory and the ability for independent actions, yet the reason they were lethal was because of a special ability they had…

 

 

Kedaru had hoped to use these guardians to rip the stranger, Arcerdo to pieces after he had recovered the `crystal' but now it seemed like there was no choice… oh well, it might be even better this way, this way the guardians would maim Arcerdo to a state of near-death and he would be forced to watch as the villagers would be torn into pieces in front of his eyes… yes, that would be very delightful indeed, just what he needed to get rid of this frustration he felt.

 

 

So, Kedaru looked at the guardians and said with a malicious, low voice: “Alright, the four of you, its time for your orders (cackles a bit): Go to the shrine and kill the three Moon priests and beat that stranger, Arcerdo into a state of near-death, do not kill him yet, only make sure he won't have any strength to fight back after you are done with him. Then, wait for me to destroy the barrier around the shrine and after that kill each and everyone you find inside it, leave the little girl alive though…”

 

 

To this, the red eyes the guardians had glowed briefly before they rose to the sky and started to head towards the shrine, their orders clear and understood.

 

 

Kedaru simply laughed by himself and said to no one in particular: “So, the four little swordsmen want to go through the hard way with this eh? Well, that's just fine with me… say your prayers, Arcerdo, for soon you will see just how powerless you are. You may have been able to stand against the scouts and the warriors but you do not stand even the smallest of chances against the guardians… hahaha… and that sacred ground you rely on, it will be of no use to you when you go against the guardians, hahahahaha!!”

 

 

Then, with that, Kedaru began to walk towards the shrine as well but he took his sweet time in getting there… why would he rush now? The battle would be over by the time he got there anyway, so why hurry at all?

 

 

(A/N: If someone is wondering how Kedaru knows Arcerdo's name, he learned it through the reports of the insects during the attack, since they reported to him everything that happened so one of them had heard his name, if that doesn't make sense then too bad.)

 

 

*Back with Arcerdo, the Moon priests and a very huge amount of stinking insects*

 

 

=For back round music: =

 

Anime: Noir

 

Track title (Or whatever is the right term): Salva Nos

 

Artist: Yuki Kaijiura

 

 

 

 

Words could not describe what Arcerdo was feeling at the moment, the sight of the insects coming closer and closer, the feeling of his heart beating fast and the adrenalin beginning to rush through his veins, hearing his own breath coming and in and out with immense volume due to the adrenalin and lastly feeling and smelling the fear of the people inside the shrine… let's just say that right now, Arcerdo could not even begin to describe it in words about how he felt at that moment.

 

 

As for the Moon priests, only Arbel felt fear at that moment, true he had battle experience and had faced Youkai before but this was the first time he was supposed to act as a shield for a large amount of people… so the pressure was making him nervous and a little afraid.

 

 

Flint wasn't feeling fear, he was still pissed off about Arcerdo's words which was why he wasn't afraid of what was going to happen next, all he wanted was to kill these insects so he could vent out his frustration and anger… and to be honest, he wasn't concerned with the villager's safety at all, he would kill these insects and if they still managed to kill the villagers it would mean nothing to him since weak people die and strong people survive, if these villagers died then it just meant they had been too weak to survive. There were enough weak people as there were already, if a few more die then it is gods will, that was all he needed to know.

 

 

As for Jei… well, he was just as calm and collected as always, since this wasn't his first time encountering a massive number of enemies. Though, he did question himself about how it turned out like this? Had this been a trial sent by their god to test his faith, his loyalty to the cause? If so then… did that mean this stranger, Arcerdo was the one who brought this trial with him, was he the embodiment of their gods will for this trial? No… that was too far-fetched.

 

 

Well, whatever it was, Jei only focused on one thing now: To destroy these Youkai and protect the innocent ones within the shrine, he would have all the time in the world to figure the rest out later.

 

 

Then, he pulled out his sword and both Flint and Arbel followed that example before he said: “Brothers… may god protect us.” and with that…

 

 

… The bloodbath began.

 

 

(Start the back round music now)

 

 

Arcerdo watched, his eyes intently focused on the movements of both the insects and the Moon priests as the battle began, the battle that was fought for the simple reason of survival alone… and those kinds of fights, they tend to get REALLY messy.

 

 

When the insects first attack wave collided with the three Moon priests, it was total chaos, it was like when a huge river comes first crashing down on a tight rock formation: The water sprays everywhere and becomes so thick that you can't see anything at all until something comes out of it.

 

 

In the middle of that chaos, the three Moon priests were cutting insects down like… well, like insects, there were so many that almost all the time Flint's, Arbel's or Jei's sword didn't cut just one insect with one sweep but instead sometimes 3 at the same time in a row. The insects were so hell bent on coming towards Arc and the shrine that barely any of them stopped to fight the Moon priests, not even when some of them lost an arm they still kept coming through.

 

 

The Moon priests didn't just use their swords, no, Arbel and Flint also used their holy powers to shoot spheres of concentrated holy power and they destroyed insects on contact without any trouble at all.

 

 

Both Arbel and Flint proved to possess a great deal of power in them, even though Arc had knocked Flint down yesterday with ease in his exhausted state, it wasn't right to say that Flint was weak… because right now, he was demonstrating that his power was not low at all. The way he cut an insect in half, the way he wounded them, they weren't the most accurate ones but they were lethal because of the holy power, not to mention each and every blow was aimed to points of the insects body where the damage would be lethal all the time, meaning that he wasn't aiming to fight these insects but instead was solely set on killing them.

 

 

Arbel on the other hand, he was not as powerful as Flint, but he did seem to have more control over his anger and his accuracy was higher than Flint's… though, it did seem like his emotions were not as controlled, it could be seen from how his holy power flowed around him: It was slightly frantic and unstable… but strong none of the less, it also didn't have that weird sense of `malice' that Flints aura had had.

 

 

While Flint and Arbel were doing rather well, killing insects with their swords and holy power, it was Jei that made Arc really start to get nervous…

 

 

Jei was simply put… in-humanly strong, his holy power was so well balanced and controlled that it seemed almost like an extension of himself, like using it was as natural as breathing to him, then… the thing that made Arc feel most scared about him was without a doubt when Jei swung his sword in front of a small approaching group of insects and then within less than a second, all of the insects suddenly fell into tiny, thin pieces of flesh, as if a hundred swords had cut them instantaneously!

 

 

After seeing that, Arcerdo truly hoped that he wouldn't have to face Jei as an enemy anytime soon, since if he wasn't 100% sure before, he was now absolutely positive that he wouldn't stand the smallest of chances against Jei in a one-on-one fight: Not only had Jei swung his sword more faster than his eyes could follow but how could he inflict over 100 cuts onto several targets instantaneously? Jei was no human, he was a freaking monster… a monster who dressed up like a human…

 

 

And if that wasn't enough, not only did Jei manage to scare the shit out of Arc with that insane sword technique of his but the next move scared him even further: Jei had used his free hand, gathered holy power into it and fired a truly massive, thick sphere of holy power onto a another group of insects, when the sphere hit the first target dead on, it didn't stop like Flint's and Arbels did but instead it kept going, like a hot knife through butter it just kept cutting through more and more insects, leaving them in pieces as far as eye could see until finally stopping… and when it stopped, it exploded, taking with it yet another group of insects.

 

 

Arcerdo could do nothing else except watch, while feeling both frightened and mesmerized at the scene of pure carnage taking place in front of him… three people, just three people were cutting down swarms of insect Youkai that were almost twice the size of humans without relenting one bit, it was like they weren't killing living creatures but instead were just crushing things that annoyed them, like this was something they did everyday! Yet… with each insect they killed, more and more kept appearing, the insects weren't trying to get through with power and force anymore but with their sheer numbers alone, dozens and dozens of their kind was laying there on the ground either cut up, in pieces or in ashes and yet they didn't stop or hesitate one bit… this was the true power of the insects, the ability to simply overwhelm your opponent with sheer numbers alone, it was effective too.

 

 

It was effective because as Arc kept watching the Moon priests effortlessly slay one insects after another… he could also clearly see that even though they were powerful, they were getting worn out little by little: It had been about… 6 minutes, roughly guessing, since this attack had began and the Moon priests had been killing these insects non-stop that entire time, so it was natural they were starting to get worn out and badly.

 

 

Out of three of them, it seemed like Arbel was at the worst state: He was starting to pant and heave rapidly and his aura was rapidly dimming as well. Flint wasn't much better off either, his anger was helping him ignore the strain his body was going through but it wouldn't last much longer either. Lastly, Jei, even though powerful like a monster and even though it wasn't showing outright, Arcerdo could see when focusing that his movements were slowly starting to get slower, not to mention his sword technique seemed to be killing less and less insects with each blow, at the beginning it slew about 7 insects at once but now it couldn't do anymore than 3 at once… this meant two things for Arc now:

 

 

1. Any moment now, the insects would start breaking through those three.

 

2. It would mean he would need to start killing them as they came as well.

 

 

Then as he had been expecting and slightly dreading as well: One warrior insect managed to slip through the three Moon priests and was heading his way really fast…

 

 

As it headed towards him, Arcerdo took his battle stance and thought to himself: `Mother, father… give me the strength to do this…' and with that, he let out a loud battle cry and charged towards the insect as it was charging towards him, this is where it would truly begin for him: The battle for survival…

 

 

*Inside the shrine*

(Small break in the back round music)

 

 

While outside the shrine there was a massive bloodbath going on, within the shrine itself there was a big group of people who were now more scared than they had ever been before. The few villagers that were wounded were currently being tended by Renko and Hanataro, though mostly it was Renko who did the work because she had some experience in treating wounds due to the fact she had collected the berries that worked against the insects poison and she had seen Sumira do these things a lot as well, so Hanataro was mostly assisting in however he could.

 

 

The very few children that had also made it to the shrine were the ones who were the most scared of them all though… since they had seen the insects kill the villagers and some of their parents were currently wounded here as well. Some of the other adults were trying to calm them down but they had very little luck with it, especially because outside the shrine they could hear very clearly the sounds of battle, the sounds of the insects buzzing wings and the sounds of them dying.

 

 

And in the middle of all this, there was Sumira, trying her best to concentrate on creating the barrier but because of all the panicked sounds of the villagers and the painful moans and groans of the wounded she had really tough time keeping her thoughts in check…

 

 

Yet, she did so because she thought like this: `Arcerdo, just hang on a little bit longer! The barrier will soon become complete… so please, just hang on until then. You stayed to help us even though you have no reason to, you are partially a Youkai and yet your heart is warm and kind, something that most human and Youkai alike lack completely and even now you are fighting for us outside this very shrine… so just hang on, just a little longer… please…'

 

 

While Sumira was thinking those thoughts, while Renko and Hanataro were busy attending to the wounded villagers, Chizu who was currently sitting with the other surviving village children was thinking… yet, her thoughts were not her own, since while no one noticed, one of the her eyes was faintly glowing and the thoughts that went through her head belonged to that ancient voice whose identity was unknown: `{[ I can hear and feel them, the pain of my children… they are dying, they are dying doing something they hate and yet they have no choice but to do it. My children are in so much pain and I cannot do anything for them, in addition to that my time in this body is running out, already I can feel it starting to reject me and soon it will start to show the signs of rejection outwardly as well… Kedaru already knows my location and whose body I inhabit, so this hiding is pointless as it is but because of the Moon priests, Jei inparticular, I cannot show myself orthey would destroy me… that young man, Arcerdo, is my final hope… the power that lays dormant within him is the only thing that can help us all, my children and the villagers themselves, yet… if he does not learn how to use it, even the little amount that it is giving out at this very moment… he has no hope of victory. Arcerdo, I hope for your survival, you must not die now… you must live, for the sake of these people andforthe sake of my children's survival… Survive: you must survive Arcerdo… please… ]}'

 

 

After that thought, the glowing in her eye stopped, who that voice was or what it wanted… will remain a mystery for now.

 

 

*Outside, the bloodbath continues…*

(Resume the back round music)

 

 

Arcerdo's could feel his body burning… burning because of the intensity his adrenalin was pumping throughout his body and mind, he wasn't thinking, all he could feel was the rush of battle for life and death as the insects kept coming at him, either in groups of 3 or alone.

 

 

When the first insect had broken through, he had felt scared and excited at the same time… but that passed the instant it got close enough to attack, for when its sickle like arm came down towards him, his combat instincts had kicked in, the instincts that he had inherited from his father, Inuyasha and who had in return inherited them from one of the strongest Tai-Youkai's to have ever existed: The great Inutaisho.

 

 

Right now, his instincts as a Youkai were overpowering his fear of battle, instead of feeling scared he felt immense amounts of concentration flowing through his mind, every last move made by the insects was seen by his eyes, no matter how small the movement, his eyes stayed focused on them like a true hunters would: Looking for a weakness, an opening to use, etc. In short, Arcerdo felt like his mind had started to turn into a high speed combat computer…

 

 

When the first insect had attacked and his instincts had kicked in, he had used Tetsusaiga to block the attack and without a seconds hesitation he showed Toukiji through the insects face, piercing it with its tip and thanks to the holy power empowerment it pierced through like it had been nothing but air.

 

 

The insect had shook and twitched violently before going slack and simply falling onto the ground in front of him, dead like a stone.

 

 

He had panted for a few seconds after that, his blood pounding in his ears and his mind feeling like it was melting from the heat it suffused with, the stench of the insects blood only served to add more fire into the raging fire that was consuming his mind.

 

 

After that first kill, more insects had started to get through the three Moon priests, the more he had killed the more just kept coming, at first they had come one at a time, then within groups of two and three but now, now they were coming in groups of 3 more often and often, since the Moon priests were starting to feel drained from the non-stop fighting they could no longer contain the insects from starting to break through… and oddly, all this time, the insects made no effort to strike down the already exhausted priests, they only focused on Arcerdo and the shrine, nothing else.

 

 

During this time, Arcerdo was forced to fight two battles at the same times: The first was to fight the insects and the other was within himself… as the fight was increasing in intensity, so was the risk of his inner demon breaking loose. In fact, right now as he was killing these insects while letting his instincts guide his movements, he could feel his inner demon pulsing deep within him, it was growing stronger and stronger and he was afraid he might not be able to keep in check much longer…

 

 

As he used his swords to keep slicing the insects in half, sideways, from top to bottom or making X slashed with both his swords while parrying and dodging at the same, he even began to feel his inner demon within his mind… he felt it as it kept spreading throughout his instincts, mind and body, like a non-corporeal presence that was slowly but surely starting to posses him… but he was fighting it, forcing himself to keep in control as the battle raged on around him.

 

 

But then, when he just thought he started to have it under control, a scout insect came out of nowhere and nearly managed to stab him, yet because of sheer instincts to survive alone he managed to just in spin out of the way and bring Toukiji crashing down onto the insect's neck, severing its head clean of its shoulders.

 

 

As it fell dead, Arcedo thought to himself while slightly panting: `Dear god, there is no end to this! Each time I kill an insect, more just keep on coming… just how many insects are there?! This is ridiculous, there can't be this many out there and to make it worse, my inner demon is about an inch away from breaking out and starting another genocide party! Damn it… damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!! How am I supposed to fight both against these insects and my inner demon at the same time?! Its… its… (Takes a deep breath)… okay, calm down, calm down Arc… you can't fight if you let your frustration get the best of you, just calm down, focus and keep your cool, the inner demon only has a chance of getting out if you loose yourself in battle but if I keep myself cool and focused I know I can keep from getting out… yes… that's it, just stay cool…'

 

 

Even though he kept those thoughts, they did not help to calm down the inner demon within him, even at this moment he could feel it clawing inside him, wanting to get out… but he couldn't let it, he was afraid that if he did then he wouldn't be able to restrain it, that it would kill indiscriminately and that he would loose himself forever within that immense, red haze of hatred and blood… but he had to, he had to keep it in control no matter what!

 

 

However, it was at that instant that something happened: As he struggled to maintain his inner demon after that last kill, which was proving to be equally to that of having a headache from hell, a warrior insect managed to get too close to him and before he had managed to notice it in time, its sickle came down from his upper-left corner… he had no chance of dodging it in time…

 

 

But as the mental image of that sickle with is dissolving poison hitting him in the head rushed through his already overloading mind, Arcerdo out of pure instinct managed to put Tetsusaiga sideways in its way just in time to avoid the critical damage but he had not been quick enough… because of the late timing and with his arm in a bad position, the block didn't stop it all together, it pushed down and cut his face just above his left eyebrow but thanks for the block it was only a shallow cut.

 

 

As Arcerdo felt the cut being made, he felt an immense sting of pain beginning to form almost instantly after it had been made but just before it started to become unbearable, he used Toukiji to blindly cut the insect somewhere and much to his luck, it managed to hit it straight into its head from the lower left corner to the right upper corner, making it stumble back, let out a loud gurgle like noise before finally dropping dead.

 

 

Then, after Arcerdo saw the insect die, the pain that had started to come out of the cut wound became just about unbearable… he didn't understand why the wound hurt so much, it hurt so much that he fell onto his knee and was forced to place a hand over the wound while shouting loudly from the searing, burning pain that came out of the wound.

 

 

As the pain racked through his mind while he tried to figure out how come it hurt so much… it clicked in his head: It was the poison, the dissolving poison that the warrior insects had in their sickle like arms! The wound was shallow but the minimum amount of poison that was now in it was enough to start melting its way into his head and give off excruciating amounts of pain while it as it too.

 

 

As he was starting to panic on the thought that something was literally eating its way into his head, another thing clicked somewhere deep inside him and he could feel through the hand that was covering the wound that his holy power was rushing through it and into the wound itself. At first it felt like something else had began to burn into his head but when it came in contact with the poison, the pain began to dissipate and calm down… he didn't know how, but his holy powers were neutralising the poison within the wound and what's more: He could also feel the skin that had been cut when the wound was made also starting to close, he was healing himself with his own power… out of pure instinct but he was doing it none of the less.

 

 

But… by healing that wound, he had done something that had the effect he had not wanted: When he had used his holy power to heal his wound, he felt his mind starting to go blank, he was too exhausted to keep going… since he had no real control over his holy powers and the non-stop killing had worn him out, not to mention his constant fight over control with his inner demon as well, he had used up whatever reserve power he had left.

 

 

But then… at that moment, the insects suddenly stopped their approach, they retreated slightly, leaving behind three very confused Moon priests and Arcerdo, who was struggling to just stand up straight.

 

 

When the insects were high enough away from the four, their antennas began to vibrate as they looked at each other, then, after a few moments of this they suddenly turned around and flew away… making them all think they had had enough for now…

 

 

But that thought was crushed when they all heard something… four sounds were approaching them and… what they sensed was not good either: They felt huge amounts of bloodlust coming out of the four as well, yet they felt no You-ki whatsoever, this wasn't good at all, they just knew, this wasn't good.

 

 

Because at that moment, through the forest in front of them, they saw the reason the insects had left right in front of them: Four insects had arrived, yet these four were completely different from what they had seen before… not to mention, even though they emitted no You-ki, they all with the exception of Jei felt a shiver of fear rushing through their spines at the feeling of their presence alone. These four insects, if they needed a ruff guess, were without a doubt the four best ones there were.

 

 

How could they beat them? They were all exhausted and the barrier was not yet complete… what should they do, could they survive the fight that was about to begin? We shall see…

 

 

 

To be continued…

 

 

“The guardians have come and we were all exhausted…

 

… What chances did we have against these four that had made the rest of the insects retreat?

 

Didwe have a chance against these four whose presence alone made us shiver with fear?

 

Could I fight them, even though my powers are exhausted and my inner demon is just about ready to break out…?

 

...Regardless of all this, we have no choice but to fightand fight we will, for ourbattle for survival was far from finished.”

 

- Arcerdo Higurashi

 

 

Next chapter: =Guardians, Priests and Demons=

(Chapter title might change)

 

 

A/N: Okay, that was hard to write… if this chapter wasn't good enough, then so be it, this is the best I could come up with for this one. Though, the next chapter will be a bit simpler to write since it will be more of an individual type of combat… oh well, just review and once again sorry for the immense delay.

 

- Zelix, see ya next time!