The air around Yaima Castle was thick with the stench of rot and malice. Dark clouds swirled above like a vortex of despair, twisting and rumbling as if in response to the monstrous presence that festered within the ruins.
The shadowy mass writhed like a storm given flesh. Its form was a wriggling, pulsating chaos of tendrils and twisted, sinewy growths that lashed out with maddening fury. Talismans of parchment and ink clung to its rotting, spectral hide, their glowing symbols searing against the darkness like stars trapped within a nightmare.
Taro's grip tightened around the hilt of his sword, his eyes sharp and calculating. The blade was veiled in shadows, rippling with a power that mirrored his own.
With each swing, his sword carved through the writhing tendrils, dispersing them into nothingness. Black mist spilled from the severed appendages, only for new ones to sprout forth, thrashing wildly. But Taro's movements were flawless, his strikes efficient. Every parry, every cut was delivered with deadly precision.
"Hold it off, Taro!" Sayaka's voice cut through the storm of battle. She stood upon a jagged piece of the ruined castle wall, her small form barely more than a flicker of white against the darkness.
Her hands were clasped together in front of her chest as she chanted, her voice rising and falling like the ocean's tides. The talismans wrapped around the creature began to glow brighter, their light spreading across the monster's body in searing waves.
"O spirits of the pure flame! By my voice, I bind you! By my will, I command you! May the evil of this creature be laid to rest!"
The creature wailed, its bellowing voice trembling the earth itself. Its countless eyes—bloodshot, frantic, and filled with incomprehensible rage—darted wildly as if seeking an escape from the pain.
"ME... IT SHOULD BE... ME!" The monster's voice was a tortured wail, an echo of suffering twisted into raw hatred.
The tendrils conjoined into massive, slithering limbs, smashing and thrashing against the ruins. Stones shattered, walls crumbled, and what remained of the castle trembled under the monster's wrath. Dust filled the air, mixing with the monster's sickly aura.
Sayaka's incantations grew faster, her voice now a feverish chant. "Sever the ties! Bind the evil! Return to the abyss from whence you came!"
The talismans flared with blinding light, drawing agonized screeches from the beast. It twisted and turned, but Taro did not falter.
He leaped into the air, his sword gleaming with shadows as he ran along one of the creature's massive tendrils. The beast bucked and coiled, trying to shake him off, but he drove his sword into the fleshy appendage and held firm.
"Foul beast... you shall be slain this night!" Taro roared, his voice cold and determined.
He yanked the sword free and propelled himself forward, his feet light as feathers, his strikes swift as a hawk's talons.
Eyes. That was the key. He aimed for the beast's many eyes, slicing through them one by one. Each time his blade connected, a burst of dark mist erupted, followed by another guttural wail from the creature.
He cut its eyes, and they healed. He slashed at its tendrils, and they regenerated. He carved into its mouths, tearing through jagged fangs and gaping maws, but still, the wounds closed as if time itself bent to the creature's will.
And still, Sayaka's chanting continued, her voice raw but resolute. Yet even with her power binding the monster, its strength was monstrous.
Taro's muscles burned, his breathing harsh. He was relentless, but not foolish. His attacks served to buy time, to keep the creature distracted while he studied it. And then he saw it.
Far off, on the edge of the castle grounds, a figure swayed under the weight of his own ritual.
A man, cloaked and hunched, his hands weaving symbols in the air, blood smearing the ground around him in crimson arcs.
"Sayaka! Hold this thing down!" Taro shouted.
"What?! Are you crazy?!" she yelled back, her voice strained. "This thing's barely contained as it is!"
"Just do it."
Without waiting for her reply, Taro sprinted across the fractured stone, leaping over rubble and dodging the tendrils that lashed out in desperation. He pushed his body to the limit, his legs pumping with unnatural speed.
The cloaked figure looked up, his eyes widening with terror. He turned to flee, but Taro was faster.
In an instant, Taro seized the man by the collar and slammed him against the stone pillar. The cloak fell back, revealing a face weathered by age and twisted by madness. The Family Head.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Taro demanded, his voice like steel.
"Unhand me, you commoner!" the man spat, his expression equal parts fury and panic.
"Answer the damn question, old man!" Taro's fingers dug into the man's robes.
The Family Head gulped, his arrogance faltering. "I-I won't ever tell a commoner like y—"
Taro let go, letting the old man collapse to the ground with a thud. His eyes quickly fell upon the ritual circle the man had been working over. Blood smeared in intricate lines, twisted symbols etched with madness.
At the center lay a clay pot. Taro's stomach twisted even before he touched it.
He lifted the lid and instantly regretted it. The stench hit him like a physical blow. His eyes narrowed as he slammed the lid shut.
"Vile... Luckily it isn't a high level spell,if it was I wouldn't have been able to deal with it." Taro's voice was low, disgust clear in his tone.
He placed his hands on the ritual grounds. "Evil spirits that have gathered here, heed my warnings and leave... for all that shall meet you will be the steel of my sword!"
A burst of ethereal light spread from his hands, shattering the spell's power like fragile glass. The ritual was undone.
He turned and glared at the unconscious Family Head. "You're going to pay for this."
But there was no time to waste. Taro sprinted back toward the beast's writhing form. Sayaka's voice was raw with strain, but she still chanted, her talismans glowing so brightly they could've been mistaken for fire.
With a final leap, Taro plunged his sword deep into the topmost eye of the beast.
The creature let out one last unearthly howl before its shadowy mass disintegrated into nothingness.
All that remained was a shriveled, blood-soaked husk. No larger than a fetus.
Takeda approached, his face pale, but when he saw the grotesque remains, he bent over and vomited.
"What is that?" he questioned
Even Sayaka looked sickened, her ethereal form flickering. "That... was disgusting."
Taro walked back over to the unconscious Family Head.
"You are coming with me you pig!" he grabbed him by the hair,dragging him and the clay pot back to Takeda's trembling form.
"Now..." Taro dropped them both to the ground with a dull thud. "You want answers? Here's where you'll find them."
Takeda's eyes widened as he stared at his father and the foul ritual's remnants.
"Why have you brought my father?!" Takeda questioned eagerly.
"Takeda,kill this commoner!,he dared to lay a hand on me!" Takeda's father,who had gained consciousness ordered in his usual tone. Arrogant.
"Taro,please,what are you doing?" Takeda questioned with unease. He knew that he couldn't kill Taro so he he hated the idea of making him an enemy.
Taro got down to the ground and pulled the lid over the clay pot.
"No!" Takeda's father trued to stop him but,it was too late.
"Oh...no..." Sayaka said in weary tone.
"...." Takeda.was silent.