Chapter 5: Damian! Take the Wheel!

Groaning in pain, I tried and failed to escape my Earthen prison. The damn pile of rubble locked me in completely and gave me zero wiggle room whatsoever!

Akane slowly and weakly stumbled from behind the small pile of stone that encased me, her pitifully small reserve of chakra was completely exhausted, making her as feeble as a newborn.

Plopping her back against the boulder, she grinned weakly and gave a thumbs-up gesture to her sister before collapsing to the ground completely and wheezing heavily.

Akiko wasn't any better, walking slowly to her sister she folded her hands together into a release mudra and dispelled her Jutsu.

As soon as the light blue glow faded from her dismissal, it revealed that she had already turned ghostly pale and had trouble moving.

Plopping herself to the side of Akane, she groaned and tried and failed to massage her legs which were starting to swell and discolor from bruises appearing on the surface almost immediately.

"Ohhhhh, everything hurts! Please put me out of my misery and kill me now." Akiko moaned and groaned tearfully as the soreness overtook her.

"Hey, I don't think he's any better." Akane nudged her sister, much to her dismay, as she pointed to me who was fossilized.

"Good." She groaned, "That will teach him not to underestimate us all the time!"

"Wow, so cold-blooded! You have no remorse at all for beating me so much?!" My eyes widened as I looked at her from the corner of my eye, dumbfounded at her lack of sympathy for my situation.

"Would you go any easier? You probably gave Akachan a back injury, and Shira a concussion. Not to mention every single attack you made would have broken if not sprained bones if they connected with me head-on. You should learn from daddy not to hit girls so hard!" She complained leisurely from her position on the floor.

"Yep, yep! You should know how delicate we are!" Akane echoed, nodding hard in agreement

"..." I could only sit there in a cold sweat and stunned silence.

/It seems that Girls' ability to be extremely unreasonable when they want to be is common no matter what world you're in./ I groaned in my head.

I scrutinized these two little monsters who were human skin as a disguise, these two had beaten me into a pulp as well as broken multiple bones that left me in agonizing pain, while both of them were just exhausted and not even one scratch was left on them.

/Well not a scratch done by me, they did it to themselves! If they had just let me win, I would have just let them off with a light spanking./ I grumbled, ignoring my hypocrisy on the topic.

*Clap*

*Clap*

*Clap*

"Wonderful, absolutely wonderful! That was an excellent display of strength, Grandpa is looking forward to your growth In the future!" Ryū Clapped while laughing joyously at the two and gave me a curious look.

"It's unfair if you play favorites, I was taking all five of them alone and without help! You couldn't have stopped them before?" I growled at my grandfather.

"I could have but I didn't, and gladly so, I wouldn't have gotten to see such marvelous talent otherwise! You have taken your teaching in the clan well! Such strength and creativity, you will make the clan proud!" Ryū shrugged before looking again at the girls.

"Well." The two avoided their grandfather's praise-filled eyes hesitatingly.

"We didn't exactly learn our techniques from the clan." Akane hesitatingly revealed.

"Then where did you learn? Didn't your parents take you to the clan's school?" Ryū asked

"Hmph, they didn't want to go to the school. Instead, I'm the one who taught them what they know, and trained them in the mountains for days at a time! If I refined chakra I wouldn't be so miserable when fighting them." I exposed indignantly

Although I don't have any Golden fingers or Cheats like my predecessors, I have my own dignity in being reincarnated from an advanced technological and philosophical world! And the epitome of that pride is! Twenty-plus years of Education!

As if the regular teachings in the school can compete with me, who has already gone through most of the books in the clan and come from the age of information explosion.

Although I can't remake all the technology and knowledge from my last world, I know that I can do the same if not better than most of the teachers in the clan when it comes to learning and implementing high school to college-level subjects!

Ryū Mēkā was both confused and excited, what geniuses, to think they would be able to fight at this standard while being completely self-taught. It's practically a miracle!

Although their movements were incredibly fast and fluid for their age, and their form did tend to rely more they were still slow and predictable in the eyes of an elite of his caliber.

/This... Is truly impressive! the opportunistic fighting style, and those tactics. Every one of them is way beyond their age! newly promoted guardian samurai! And that movement technique that rivals Miko's Shunkuchi and those Ninjas' Body flicker technique. It's just amazing!/ Ryū admired.

"Now that the Quincerre is over, I'll release you and announce the results to your parents." Grandpa Ryū smiled as he said this optimistically.

"Yay, we won!" Akane jumped for joy but regretted it instantly and fell back down.

Akiko blinked once, and then as if remembering something, her pale face recovered some color as she blushed and lowered her head.

"Wait! Wait! Who says the fight is over?!" I exclaimed

The three of them looked at me in surprise and confusion.

/Did I hit him in the head too hard? I might have given him a concussion./ Akiko wondered

"What do you mean it's not over? You can't even move!" Akane exclaimed angrily, her eyes glaring and hands clenched to her side.

"You lost Kekkai! Just admit it generously." Grandpa Ryū rebuked lightly.

/Fuck you old man, this is my happy future in concern here!/ I thought

"I still haven't lost!" I stubbornly denied

"Then how are you going to get out? If you won't admit defeat we will leave you there all day until you admit it!" dismissed a similarly angry Akiko

"I don't need you to help me out. I can get out by myself!" I claimed with a toothy grin.

"How? You haven't refined chakra, so you can't use earth release to get out. Are you going to try and break through with raw strength?" Akiko immediately became vigilant as she saw his smile and inquired hesitatingly.

"That's right!" I confirmed

"That's impossible!" Akane denied

"She's right, and even if you could your in no condition to try such a feat, my child." Ryū also shook his head at my confidence and looked at me wordlessly.

"Just because you can't do it doesn't mean I can't! And also I have a trump card up my sleeve! Just because I taught you everything you know doesn't mean I taught you everything I know!" I grinned

Taking a long deep breath through my nose, ignoring the twitching pain from my ribs, I slowly released it from my mouth. When the breath released my head slumped to the side and my eyes emptied.

/Okay [Damian]! You take the wheel! It's time to rumble!/ I communicated with something deep inside my subconsciousness.

/#]%^{#%]^\*|/ A strange rumbling voice replied.

.

.

.

.

"Did he just pass out?" Akane hesitatingly questioned waving her hand in front of her cousin's face, to which he didn't respond at all.

"It seems like it?!" Ryū also looked at his blank eyes in confusion.

"Hmph, he's such a show-off, he must have tried to do something and ended up passing out from the pain. Let's get him out and bring him to grandma's to get treated. I'll laugh at him later.." Mocked Akiko, although concern touched her tone as she immediately asked to release him even though she had just joked about leaving him there all day.

Ryū nodded before raising his hand and placing it on the stone encasing his grandson.

But before he could release it. A change occurred, Kekkais eyes had regained their light.

Only the look in the eyes had changed, they had become sharp and bestial, turning from Kekkais regular confident and nonchalant face to something tyrannical and feral.

"#{^{*}>^{*]+}*^*{+{" His voice became hoarse and spoke gibberish in a speeding fashion.

"What is this?" Ryū lowered his hand and looked at Kekkai In the confusion at this sudden change in temperament.

"}^}*#+}€|%*|{>" Kekkai didn't stop speaking, growing more and more agitated as his words became faster and faster!

"What's happening?" Akane asked worriedly at her cousin who has gone seemingly insane.

As Kekkai's words became faster a dark red tint became visible and slowly expanded from his eyes to his face.

"Is this? Yokai possession?! But how?!" Ryū immediately guessed the worst when he saw the slowly spreading tint and pushed the two granddaughters back.

"Grandpa!? What's happening?" Akiko gasped in pain and surprise as she was dragged by the scruff by her grandfather.

"I, I don't know!" Ryu hesitated before lying his eyes growing darker as he examined Kekkai.

Under his vision a swarm of black and crimson energy was beginning to slowly leak out from Kekkais head and flow through his body, running rampant and unchecked as it stirred up his blood and temperature.

The already red face became deeper as sweat began to rapidly fall from his face and soon became steam.

/Break out Damian!/ I cheered from inside my mind.

When the tint grew into a deep burgundy shade as Kekkai's eyes became bloodshot and suddenly exerted force on the stone prison containing him.

With repeated grunts of effort, Kekkai gritted his teeth and pushed with all the might his muscles could bring.

*Snap*

*Crackle*

Under the strain, the stone encasement groaned and creaked from the effort. The sound of rock being ground against gravel deep within the shell.

"It is A Tainted!" Ryū whispered.

/Impossible! How can a Tainted Yokai infiltrate so deeply into the clan and possess somebody without alerting anyone?! And everybody in the main branch is baptized and Blessed by Ida from birth! There should be no way for one to possess Kekkai!/ Ryū's mind turned at a rapid pace as he tried to figure out what was happening.

"Akane, Akiko, have Kekkai ever brought you past the fourth mountain peek? If so did you ever separate for an extended amount of time?!" Ryū rapidly inquired about his Granddaughters in a hushed tone.

Both of them shook their hands and looked at their grandfather worriedly, by now they had realized that something had gone wrong with their cousin.

*Craackle*

*Crack*

*Crack*

The stone groaned even more as stress lines began to appear along the surface a savage growl leaked from Kekkai's throat and more steaming sweat began to pour out from his small face as it contorted in the effort.

/No?! Then how did it get in? If I had a clear spirit spring I can banish it from his body, but the only one within the clan land is within the breeding grounds! I can't let a Polluted Yokai enter and taint the other spirits. But If I can't banish it, this thing will kill Kekkai!/ Ryū sweated while thinking.

Slowly putting down Akiko and Akane, Ryū looked darkly at the form of his grandson, hesitating for a moment before his eyes became determined.

*Crrkck*

With a sweep of his robe, Ryū put a finger between his lips and bit down on the fingernail sharply, causing it to crack and bleed, raising his other arm, he revealed a long intricate tattoo printed along his arm.

Taking the bloody finger, he ran a long blood trail along the tattoo before slamming his hand against the ground, and a spider web array of black lanes spread from his arm and into the ground.

[Kuchiyose-No-Jutsu: Earth Reaver]!

With a small outburst of smoke, a massive Naginata appeared from within the center of the web.

"Akane, please take your little sister and go and see your grandmother at the main lodge, tell her to come as soon as possible. I'm going to need to restrain Kekkai for a while to keep him from hurting himself when he comes loose." Ryū ordered with no question in his tone as he picked up the weapon and swung it to the side, picking up large dust and dirt clouds from the air drafts from the swing alone.

"Yes, grandpa." Akane hesitated for a moment before nodding.

With a slightly shaky step, she managed to reach down and pick up her prone sister from the ground.

"Is Kekkai alright?!" Akiko asked worriedly

"I'll make sure that he will be fine. Now hurry-" Ryū was interrupted before he could finish his sentence.

*CRACK*

*BOOOOM*

With a sickening crack, the stone finally gave way and exploded in a cloud of dust and rubble, Kekkai had finally broken free.

"#^{#]#%]^|%{%%]!" With a roar of unknown words, Kekkai cried out in joy at release.

/Great job Damian! Let me take the wheel back now!/ I smiled my consciousness returned to my body.

"Hurry up and go!" Ryū ordered before leaping at the shaded figure that paused in the cloud of dust and batting it away with his Glaive.

The figure was slammed into the dirt of the mountain path like it was hit by a train, plowing a long line in the dirt.

"Let's see what type of Yokai you are," Ryū said coldly while spinning his Naginata in between his hands. A hot and bloody aura began to pour off him In waves as he prepared himself.

"Ouuuuchhhhh! Are you fucking trying to kill me, Grandpa! Foul! I call foul! This duel was between us and you interfered! Ouchhhh my face!!!!" A cry of despair and pain came as a small figure struggled to pull himself out of the dirt.

This sentence made The Imposing giant stop In a place as if petrified. His eyes blinked and his aura disappeared as he looked at his grandson in astonishment.

Dusty and mud-caked, I rubbed my eyes with a mishappen shoulder as tears ran down my eyes. My body was still bloody red but the color had toned down and slowly returned to a lighter shade.

"Grandpa, What the hell were you thinking?" I accused, deeply hurt that he would suddenly interfere and sneak attack me unawares.

And he fucking hits like a truck! I know because I've been in a car crash before and it hurts like a mother****.

My other arm is now broken as well and even though [Damian] Did some patchwork and healed my torn muscles and helped with the internal bleeding, there is nothing he could do about broken bones.

And all of his work was undone with a single blow from his grandfather. Now I stood there with two useless arms and pain flooding my side as I hunched over what I believed to be my bruised stomach and liver.

"Kekkai, Are, are you ok now?" Akane asked a little uneasily as she walked closer while carrying Akiko.

"Do I look ok? This damn old man nearly beat me into an early grave! Look! All I need is a post that says my name and age and engraved 'Killed By A crazy old man! Underneath it!" I gestured annoyed with my flopping arms and pointed my chin at the hole that was dug into the ground.

"She means are you ok in the head? You were practically foaming from the mouth just a second ago." Akiko explained plainly, her pale face saying 'We were worried about you Dumbass'.

"Umm, yeah. You like my secret technique, it's pretty powerful!" I grinned sheepishly, but my broken arms kept me from scratching the itch from the back of my head.

"Are You really ok?!" Ryū's eyes grew weirder as he examined me.

"No thanks to you!" I growled at him, this damn old man ruined everything.

/This, what the hell is this? I've never heard of a Possession stopping midway, much less in the state that he was in. It was practically feral!/ Ryū examined my body and found that the Red and Black aura had subsided and was quickly disappearing as if it was there to do a specific job and left immediately when it finished.

"Kekkai, are you sure? No uncontrollable rage? No impulsive thoughts running through your mind? Unknown whispers floating in your ears?" Ryū listed off before slowly approaching.

"No, normal amount of rage! As for the intrusive thoughts, I'm thinking of shoving your head into the Latrine! Whispers none." I apathetically listed off while glaring at him.

"How is this possible? Come! We need to bring you to your grandmother to examine you immediately!" Grandpa Ryū rolled his eyes at my comments while coming close before showing a hand that flickered with a blue fire and brought it up to my chest.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing old man!" I exclaimed while he pressed the flame close to my chest.

After a second of no reaction, His eyes grew weirder. Then despite my complaints, he picked me up like a kitten from my scruff and lifted me.

"Come! Let's go see your Grandmother!" He said

"What about the Quincerre!?" I asked

"You won! I can't move and Akane doesn't have any chakra to fight. Even though you only have your legs, with her record, you can still kick her ass." Akiko forfeited immediately while painfully caressing her swollen legs.

"She's right I give! Let's get you to grandma!"Akane forfeited as well while lowering her head slightly in defeat.

"And there you have it! No, move! No time to waste!" Ryū grunted before placing me on his shoulder and jogging towards the mountain path.

"Great! Mind if I doze off for a bit, I'm beat." I asked

But I didn't hear any answer because my vision already faded to black as I passed out.