31Apologies to Lin T.T
"Almost there…" Goku strained as he made one final step to the peak of the hill that looked over the dark castle.
"No wonder no one attacked us on the way here." Tenpou mused as they realised what was in front of the castle to greet them. Thousands upon thousands of demons, unfortunately accompanied by a hundred or so giants, stood guarding the perimeter with dragons patrolling the skies.
"When are they going to realise that size doesn't matter?" Konzen sighed.
"How about we go and warm up before facing Sanzo-ikkou?" Nataku suggested as he casually wiped his sword. All of them smiled and bared their weapons, ready to fight.
"Here." Dokugaku presented Konzen with a sword. He had offered Kenren, but he declined while clenching his fists.
"Goku, we'll take to the skies and join you below afterward."
"Okay."
As Kougaiji-tachi lifted into the air, Goku and Nataku slid down the side of the hill with Konzen, Kenren and Tenpou following after. As they approached halfway, Goku jumped off and then landed, Nyoibou first against the head of a giant and caused it to slam down atop the demons below. Goku jumped off the giant and then hacked through the hoards of demons as he made his way to take down another giant. Not so far from him, Nataku was doing the same.
"NATAKU! A HUNDRED AND FIFTY!"
"BAKA! TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY-EIGHT!"
"WHAT? YOU'RE SUCH A CHEATER!" Goku took down another giant and mentally added his defeat to his total. Suddenly Goku flinched backwards as a dragon fell in front of him with a demon sandwiched under it.
"Goku-san, we've taken care of all the demons in the air." Yaone smiled. "There were more up there than we expected."
"Let's finish up here and meet at the doors."
"Hai."
The killing went by with almost thousands of demons falling every minute. Raw strength was presented every time Kougaiji, Yaone and Tenpou set their flames loose, every time Nataku, Dokugaku and Konzen swung their blades, every time Kenren threw a punch and every time Goku rammed the golden end of his stick through a demon. They were all fighters aiming to bring down the source of their problems. Pissed that years of their lives had been spent in torment, fighting and killing weak demons that were a waste of time. All the hate and determination that had built up through the years empowered their hands and there was nothing that could stop them now, neither of them broke a sweat.
Goku slammed his fist into a demon and it disintegrated in front of him and revealed Nataku, who at the same time finished a demon himself, unbelievably enough, the last one. He smiled and looked straight at Goku who lifted his index and middle finger right back at him.
"K.O.!"
"Let's go." Kougaiji called as he burnt down the doors. Their path was metal and cold, not in the least inviting. In front of them, not surprisingly, were a couple more demons. Not small fry that they just threw at them in the front, but trained, skilled and smarter.
"Be ready to shed blood." The leader stepped forward and bared his claws, smirking arrogantly at them. Goku made the first move; he ran straight towards him and brought his up his Nyoibou. He jumped though it caught everyone by surprise when the demon simply slapped Goku to the side and he crashed through the walls and landed somewhere in the darkness behind it, with heavy rocks covering the opening.
"GOKU!" Nataku's feet involuntarily brought him forward in rage and crossed swords with the demon that had brought Goku down. The two groups clashed and fought for their lives.
The demons were the first to draw blood from them.
'Deep and red…it still smells the same…'
But they weren't a challenge, just a little harder than usual.
'I still hate the smell…and so do the fighters that battled beside me.'
"Aaargh!" Kougaiji
"We need to find Goku." Nataku began.
"We'll go find him." The blond stepped forward with Kenren and Tenpou backing him up. "You idiots have to find that baka onna youkai before she starts up something else that will piss me off."
With nothing else but a simple nod from Nataku, the group split down two opposite paths.
'I still can't imagine what it must have been for Goku to go against…her.'
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"I swear I've seen this corridor before…"
"How can you tell if they all look the same Tenpou? Just admit it Konzen, we're lost."
"How can we be lost if we've been going down one path? There hasn't been a fork in the road at all!" Konzen was starting to get annoyed that for some reason, they hadn't seemed to be getting anywhere.
"Yare, yare…what are we going to do now?"
"Dammit Tenpou, you're carefree attitude really isn't helping right now!"
"Like I've told you many times Konzen, you're hair will fall out if you're too stressed out."
"Wait…" Tenpou and Konzen looked at Kenren as he turned a corner. There, at the end was a corridor with several doors on each side, but only one of them was open with light streaming out of it. "Looks familiar doesn't?" Tenpou smirked at him and cracked his knuckles
"I have a debt to pay."
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"Ugh…" Goku awoke from his bad, unexpected fall and stood groggily. "That little…" He looked around and everything was dark. The hole he made to get here must have collapsed and closed up again, but there was another light source. In the not so far distance, one spotlight hung over a door and there a figure stood waiting. He stared at it and soon it all became clear. "Lirin!" The figure watched him intensely as he began walking closer to her. "Lirin, what are you doing here! Are you okay?" He held onto her shoulders and started to shake her out of whatever trance she was in. "Lirin!"
"Go…ku…" Her eyes looked deep into his. He looked into hers in turn, but they were empty.
"What happened to you?" He began sadly.
"Get away…"
"Huh?"
"Get away from the door!" Lirin suddenly pushed Goku with enough force that knocked the wind out of him and slammed him against the wall.
"Lirin! What's gotten into you? What's wrong?"
"You can't…get near this door…" Lirin started moving towards him, grabbing his shirt, and lifting him up against the wall. Goku looked at her confused and almost afraid. 'What's going on?' Then the spotlight from the door glistened onto something on Lirin's neck. He looked at it with anger and knew exactly what needed to be done.
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"Kougaiji-sama, are you okay?"
"I'm fine." He said gruffly, slowly trying to overcome the pain. "Since when did they have demons that good here?"
"Let's move on." Nataku wiped the blood off his face and the group entered an elevator that would lead them down to the basement.
"How many more surprises do you think she'll throw at us Kou?"
"Plenty. If she and Nii haven't changed, then I'm sure Konzen and Goku are going to face as much trouble as we are."
"I'll bet you everything I've got that Nii gave the next bunch of demons the same thing Kou drank last time." Dokugaku wondered out loud. The elevator doors parted and the group stepped out. There in front of them, only two demons blocked there way, but unluckily, Dokugaku was right. The demons were large and it seemed like they were still growing, which meant that they didn't have much time.
"The nerve." Nataku scoffed. "She thinks she's weakening us, but all this is doing is making me angrier."
"Well, exercise always helps vent anger." Yaone chimed.
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"Lirin! Let me help you! We need to get that collar off!" She let him down, but only to hit him square in the face.
"Get away…get away from the door…"
"Lirin…" He looked at her with soft eyes, cautiously moving closer towards her.
"STAY BACK!" Tears started to fall and Goku watched her break apart with wide eyes. Suddenly, she advanced towards him too fast that he didn't have time to react. She punched him and it sent it soaring to the pile of debris he had made earlier. The rough, jagged rocks pierced into his back causing a pain that spread throughout his whole body.
'We all know Goku has been the one that suffered the most.'
"Lirin…" He stood up, even though the pain was getting unbearable, but he had to save her. "I don't want to hurt you, Lirin…" He assured, moving closer to her.
"Get away…" She was shaking, but it didn't take long for her to stand strong.
"I don't want to hit you, Lirin…"
'He has been torn from what was his family twice.'
"Stay away!" She charged at him.
"I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT YOU LIRIN!" Goku's eyes shut tight as he braced himself for Lirin's blow. Instead of falling back, he kept his stance and slid backwards on his feet. "I don't want to hurt you…but…" He looked at her, and she was breathing heavily with tears streaming down her face. He could see the pain, and the collar was the source.
'That pain he felt…he never wants anyone else to feel the same.'
"I'm sorry Lirin." Goku approached her shaking body once again, but this time with clenched fists.
I took long to update didn't I? Well, I have my exams up soon! Ugghh! It vexes me so!