Sequence 5

The pair walked in silence towards their objective. Even Umeki could understand his dissatisfaction. Why hadn’t she told him that she would be his Lance Corporal? How had that slipped her ditzy little mind? Did she not register that as important information? Amongst all her ramblings she could’ve easily fit in that fact.

Since his meeting, Shuji had changed into proper mission-garb. Over his yellow T-shirt, he had thrown a padded white jacket. The padding wouldn’t stop anything serious, but it made hitting the ground easier. He had also slipped out of his loafers and changed into tight-fitting boots. He’d left his bag in the GUARDIAN office building. The receptionist didn’t argue with him putting it behind the desk, so he figured it would stay there.

As Shuji noted his clothing, he sneered at Umeki who was leading the way. The lobby worker had given her an area to lead him to as she was familiar with the city. But a smartphone could’ve done the job of providing a route. After being told they were to be deployed, Shuji was willing to give her a few minutes to change. However, she responded that she didn’t need to change. Oh well. If she wanted to die, that was her problem.

Shuji and Umeki walked at a brisk pace in their silence. Hopefully, the Oni hadn’t moved too much. An Oni’s trip from the underworld usually tired it enough not rampage for at least an hour. There should be no worry for the time being. On the note of which, Shuji didn’t even know how many they had to deal with. The lack of information given was not comforting.

“We’re almost there,” Umeki mumbled. Her usual manic demeanor was now absent. Good. Perhaps that would make this mission tolerable. As they rounded a corner, Shuji could tell how close they were. In fact, he saw the target dead ahead. The mere sight of them caused him to wrinkle his nose in familiar disgust. Oni always looked the same.

Their bleached skin was so pale it was almost translucent. This pale skin stuck to a stretched, emaciated frame which lumbered at least two meters tall. At the end of their dangling arms were three short claws. However, what was truly disturbing about an Oni’s appearance was its face. A grotesque mouth took up most of the Oni’s large triangular head. This mouth never seemed to shut due to the set of large, jagged teeth that these monsters possessed. This was still not as unnerving as their lack of eyes. Their translucent skin dipped where eyes should be, but there was nothing. It always unsettled him; no matter how many times the young Lancer saw it.

For the time being, the Oni looked docile enough. The trio was simply content to sway. This was typically the case for the first hour. Shuji had no clue what traveling from the underworld was like, but it left an Oni exhausted. Stronger Oni spent less time in this docile state. But based on their level of emaciation, Shuji guessed these three were fresh.

While they were in this docile state, they were no danger to anyone unless engaged. And since non-spiritually aware people couldn’t see them, GUARDIAN could engage at their leisure. However, not knowing how long it’s been since they materialized, it was best to act quickly.

Shuji walked forward with his eyes fixated on the Oni that stood in the small plaza in front of him. Then Shuji walked into something. He walked into it hard.

“Ouch. Sorry, Yotogi-san.”

Shuji took a quick step back and gazed at his subordinate. Umeki was… shaking. That was when he realized, as a Lance Corporal, this was her first deployment. She had never before fought an Oni. She might have never seen one in person before either. What was only mild disgust to Shuji must’ve been absolute horror for her.

Taking a step to the side to match her, Shuji looked over at his subordinate. He dreaded having to do this, but it was the only thing he’d been taught to do. With a swift gesture, he slid his right hand into her left and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“Yotogi-san,” she exclaimed in surprise. As she met his gaze, he detected just the slightest red in her face at this. It would’ve been adorable if it wasn’t kind of pathetic. He knew how doing this would make someone feel. But she was an adult, and they were professionals. Well… he was a professional at least. His Lancer had done this for him, maybe it helped.

“Just act natural. We’re just a normal couple out for a stroll,” he spoke quietly. Well, given the clear age disparity, perhaps “normal” wasn’t quite the word. As long as no one confronted them about it, everything would be alright. They didn’t have far to walk like this. Honestly, he hated holding her hand. It felt… wrong. Like he was betraying someone.

However, for the moment it should calm Umeki and serve as decent enough cover. It would look more natural for the two of them to stop and talk if they exuded intimacy. It was still a pain to put up this front. But, you couldn’t have the public asking too many questions.

“Let’s go over there,” Shuji pointed towards posts near the Oni. “Sweetie,” he added bitterly. Without waiting for her response, he started walking towards his destination at a brisk pace, dragging her there.

In moments they were there. As Shuji stood near one of the posts he had motioned to earlier, he figured he was mere meters from the closest Oni. Umeki was not taking it well.

“Alright, are you ready Umeki-san?” he asked under his breath.

“Not really…”

“Alright, well, watch me engage the first one. Then you take one of the remaining two. I’ll handle the rest, okay?” he asked in a quasi-cheery tone.

“I-I guess I can do that, Yotogi-san.”

“Okay. Set up the barrier and we’ll get started.”

“Yotogi-san, how do I do that?” she asked in an almost ashamed tone of voice. If she wasn’t ashamed, she probably should be.

“Are you serious?” he asked in annoyance. Her expression told him as much. “Fine. Watch closely.” He slipped his left hand into his pocket as he kept his eyes on the Oni. They were still docile. That would change when they attacked.

“We call these things barrier charms.” He found what he was looking for in his pocket and opened his palm to show it to Umeki. A tiny piece of brittle metal shaped into a cube rested there. On the center of one of its faces, a slight indentation glowed faint white. “These things create the barriers we use to trap Oni and prevent them from escaping. Once shattered, they create a dome out of your soul’s energy. Nothing with a spiritual presence can get in or out until you take down the barrier.”

Shuji turned the charm over in his hand absently. “Always carry a handful with you from now on. I’ll handle the barrier this time. Ready now?”

The Lance Corporal only offered a tentative nod. That was enough.

Shuji exhaled steadily as he dropped the charm onto the ground. He swiftly brought his left foot down over the charm. He smirked as he heard the familiar crunch of the energy-infused metal as it gave way.

Suddenly, a bright flash of white erupted from under Shuji’s foot. The light expanded rapidly forming a semi-sphere around them. Shuji exhaled slowly as it expanded. He felt it using his energy to form. When it seemed a safe radius of about twenty meters, he stopped feeding it energy. The barrier would sustain itself for a while. By design, those who weren’t spiritually aware couldn’t see the barrier, nor would they even notice it was there. But everything with spiritual presence inside the barrier might as well be on a different plane. The interior of the sphere shimmered a pale gray showing the soul of its creator.

“It’s… it’s beautiful Yotogi.”

“Thank you,” he said releasing her hand as he walked towards the first Oni. “Oh, and one more thing Umeki,” he spoke turning back to her. “Don’t get close to me while I’m fighting.”

With formalities done, Shuji turned now to the task at hand. He was grinning in spite of himself; this was always his favorite part. He outstretched his left arm and opened his palm towards the sky. “Please,” he asked quietly.

In response to his plea, a small white rift appeared directly above his palm. Out of the rift fell a small piece of white wood: a handle. Then, just as quickly as it opened the rift closed. The rift had served its purpose.

Shuji’s smile widened as he felt the familiar texture of his weapon. With a small flick of his thumb, the switchblade opened. He took measured steps while nearing the first Oni. This should be just close enough. “Deafen,” he whispered.

Suddenly, the nearest Oni began to scream violently. Its disgustingly large mouth opened as it hissed in pain. Any second now it would charge. But first, it would double over to make sure Shuji understood its anger. That was okay. The poor beast wouldn’t be in pain much longer.

Just as Shuji expected, the Oni did begin to charge at him. Its once docile nature cast aside as it lumbered towards him. It moved quickly for its size, its thin legs doing overtime as its arms dangled at its sides. Oni never liked to use their hands.

Once it was close, it dove after him. Shuji, being much smaller than the Oni, had no hopes of withstanding getting jumped on. As it dove at him, he dove towards its side. As he jumped, he landed a deep cut in the Oni’s right knee. Then he rolled to avoid landing on his face. Behind him, the Oni landed flat before attempting to stand on its now injured knee.

Again it screamed. It was unnerving how little an effect that had on the other Oni maybe ten meters away. Their companion was crying out in pain, and they continued to drift about slowly. That was the one thing that made hunting them so easy. Oni only seemed to react in their docile state if you harmed them. The apathy was truly hellish.

Once again the Oni went back to its tried-and-true method. Shuji had heavily injured its body but not its resolve. Regardless of its now limited mobility, the Oni still lurched towards him. The bastard must be hungry. Shuji narrowed his eyes as it came. He would take out its other knee this time. Then with its mobility limited it would be an easy kill.

This time he didn’t have to roll. With less speed, his pursuer couldn’t dive after him, instead, it bent to catch him. All Shuji had to do was duck. This gave him a bit more time for his cut on the beast’s left knee. He made it as deep as he was able. He heard the tendons being severed as the knife moved through the beast’s knee. It wouldn’t be walking again.

He stepped back to admire his handiwork. The Oni tried to stand once more but its left leg gave out beneath it. It could not move from that spot. It would die in that spot. But that didn’t prevent it from trying. The demon got to its knees as if that would matter. Shuji neared it slowly. They still liked to bite, regardless of how much abuse they had taken. He took a moment to notice the small pool of blood that had collected under his opponent. That would clean itself up in due time.

“You see Umeki-san, once you take out their mobility,” he spoke as he got close enough to the Oni to finish it. It took a snap at his midsection. He moved to his right and pushed the Oni’s head to the left, exposing its neck. “All you have to do is sever the head.” And in a quick motion, Shuji slashed the creature through the throat.

It tried to scream again but only blood came from its disgusting mouth, staining its elongated teeth. It flailed as best it could, but Shuji kept his pressure on. Again he cut at the neck. And again. Finally, what had once been one Oni was now just a body and a head. “Guess you should’ve stayed in hell.”

The weight he was holding slowly evaporated. This was how it went. Once you destroyed it, an Oni just dissipated. Even blood that had left its body ceased to exist. It was strange. But, no one was complaining about the lack of clean up.

“And that’s it. Limit its mobility and then take its head off. Simple enough?” he asked jokingly as he walked towards her.

She looked a bit shaken but not on the verge of breaking down. That was good news. Many passed out or vomited after seeing their first Oni kill; he’d done the latter. Shuji continued walking towards her and he was about to tell her to summon her weapon and handle her own Oni. But that was when she screamed.

His eyes widened as she clutched her ears and sank to the ground. The Oni weren’t the problem. They were too far away to do any harm to her. But he wasn’t.

Looking down at his hand, Shuji found the problem. After closing the blade, he approached Umeki. “Sorry about that.” Once he was close enough, he placed a hand on the top of her head. She continued to shake. “You’ll be okay. Trust me.”

Silence was all he was met with.

“What was that?” she asked slowly.

“That was one of my powers. My blade emits an incredibly loud noise, to the point of pain. I can’t control who it targets, only how far out it reaches. I forgot it was on. This was my fault.” Shuji added in that in as a concession. Sure, he’d walked back towards her, but he had warned her to stay away from him. “You’re alright enough to fight?” he asked as he outstretched his hand to her. Shuji hoped she wouldn’t ask for an in-depth explanation of how his power didn’t affect him. Everyone always asked that first.

“Y-yes,” she said taking his hand. He pulled her up and turned back to the task at hand. She’d be fine, probably. And more importantly, she didn’t need an explanation.

The two of them were somewhat close together, so Shuji would handle the task of separating them. His powers were perfect for this.

“I’ll pull one out, you take the other.” He didn’t wait for Umeki’s response. He approached the Oni quickly before opening his weapon. “Deafen.”

The effect was immediate. The Oni screamed and charged at Shuji. He’d finish this one off quicker than he had the last. He didn’t have to teach Umeki the basics this time. This time he’d just fight. This Oni wasn’t partial to diving at him. Instead it approached like it meant to trample him. Shuji closed his switchblade. All he did was smirk.

They collided. It should’ve been a flashy motion, but it wasn’t. Shuji simply stood his ground against the larger body. With his left hand, Shuji had stopped the Oni’s charge at him. With his right, he stopped the beast from biting his head off. The Oni wasn’t dissuaded in the slightest. It kept struggling to try to use its elongated fangs to make a meal out of Shuji.

But Shuji was stronger than he looked. If the Oni continued struggling like this, it would get nowhere. It continued its struggle regardless. After sighing at the bore, Shuji opened his weapon once again after he propped his elbow against the Oni’s torso. That should keep it from moving.

In a swift motion, he drove the knife into the Oni’s throat. Its blood dripped down his arm and over his jacket. That was a pain, but it would all be taken care of soon. Unfortunately, his prey didn’t just happily stand with a knife in its throat. It began to thrash in place.

Then he felt it. Something heavy had hit him from the side. But he only had time to process that before it took him off his feet. It knocked him to the side, and he smacked into the ground. This was getting annoying.

But his annoyance would have to wait. Now there was the problem of the cut in his side and the fact that he was on his back near an Oni. Luckily, he still felt his switchblade in his left hand. As long as he had his weapon, he’d probably be okay.

At least, that’s what he thought before the Oni was only a meter away from him. He gritted his teeth as he pointed his weapon at the lumbering mass in front of him. Shuji didn’t have a choice; he had to use that technique.

“Shriek.”

Shuji forgot to plug his ears. And the ringing in them quickly reminded him of this mistake. He sat up slowly; he wouldn’t have to worry about the Oni causes problems any time soon. They typically didn’t get up from that. The ringing was the only thing he could hear as he surveyed the situation. To his immediate right, he could see his opponent lying flat on its back. The large indentation in its chest was proof enough that the attack had landed directly.

In the distance, he could see Umeki also on the ground. The Oni he’d left for her to deal with was now snapping at her. His subordinate narrowly dodged by scooting away from the creature. But how long could she keep struggling to survive?

Damn. He couldn’t trust her to handle the simplest tasks. Would he get there in time? No. He didn’t have much in the ways of long-range fighting either. He only had the one…

Damn.

“UMEKI, COVER YOUR EARS.”

There was time to spare to make sure she heard him. Still wobbly as he stood. Shuji raised his left arm once again to point it at the Oni attacking his subordinate. As quickly as possible, he covered his right ear, hating what came next.

“Shriek.”