Two Sides Of Spiritual Flow

Kyo and I are still unscathed, however Zexis is looking pretty beat up sooner or later he will become accustomed to these attacks because that's how it was for me. The first time I encountered a enemy like him it was actually a little bit after I met Shiho. I believe it was a year after I met her the year fifteen-fifty two. I was going to war against a mercenary clan they were supporting a enemy clan of monks. They were known as the Senryo clan, one would even call them warrior monks and when I decided not to turn away the foreigners beliefs they became my enemies. The nation that I see for my people is equality, with no oppression for one another. People can believe in whoever they want, I'm positive there are multiple spirits and demons alike out there all across the world, how can we know anything isolated on this small island. That conflict between us caused them to hire a group of assassins, my life was targeted many times until we finally managed to find the land they secured for themselves a compound if you will. Ignorant as it may seem I honored them with a deal because they had children in their groups, I would know two of them would later become my adopted sons. Keisuke and Kaito, I named one of them after my late father seeing as he spent his time becoming a warrior and hanging around the soldiers listening to the tales of battle. Keisuke leaned more towards the scholar side of things, he became a disciple to his uncle Zexis of course Fumikage looked after them both in that time. He never found love that time around but I'm sure he's found it this time around weird how things could have ended up.

I struck a deal with the leader of the mercenary group that they would disband if I honored him in a one on one duel. I did reach out to them about a surrender or paying more than my enemy but they gave him something that was better than money. Spiritual awareness something I lacked at the time, and I just thought I was the best samurai to ever walk this land but I learned this time around I might've just been lucky to be born with a strong bloodline. So he didn't surrender that much is clear but he made a deal in a one on one deal to the death, his forces would back off and live peaceful lives if I won, and if he wont well he got his bounty and it was better than his people getting slaughtered. He also didn't want his children who were Infants to live a shitty life, Keisuke and Kaito's mother died of a illness, and their real father was a leader caught in a shitty situation. His name was Seikina Yohei, my very first encounter of spiritual flow. He was kind even for his occupation, but he did the only thing he knew how to while supporting a numerous amount of others. Upon our arrival he showed me around the village, it was relatively small compared to the numerous villages I owned by this time. "Win or lose, I would still like to support these people." I said as I looked at him, shaking his hand. "I know its to the death and if you lose, I'll keep sending money here, and I'll even protect them because without a doubt when your employers hear of your failure, they will wipe the existence of these people away and that's cruel." Still even this day I think about those words because after I lost Shiho I turned my back on those very words. The hypocrisy I betrayed my word on every aspect of it.

After a day of meeting those fine people, night fell and we made our way to the arena inside his house. It wasn't big enough to be a castle, so we made our way inside and he pulls out a matchlock and a tanto. After remembering that matchlock it makes me wonder what happened to Onnajo the first time around I didn't know her then, I wonder if she died in that cell or perhaps escaped and never returned. I unsheathed my katana myself, we circled around each other waiting for the sound of the gong that would signal the start of the battle. "Goooonnggg!" The sound of it vibrates through the air I quickly started to sprint at him preparing for him to shoot off the matchlock. Surely enough he does, and I swiftly turned and used my hand on the ground circle and spin around him and the bullet, the knock back from the matchlock propelled him back and he used that momentum to backflip behind me as soon as I slashed with my katana and he slashed down with the tanto cutting into my back. I stumbled before I shrugged it off, I turned and looked at him before I sprinted at him again, this time I had decided to feint a slash. He fell for it again that time he followed through by leaping over the attack I threw. He attempted to slash me in the shoulder, that time I knew it was coming so I grabbed his tanto as he flipped, the cuts in my hand were nothing and I slammed him into the ground. Blood dripped down my hand from the fresh cut, his body bounced off the ground and he dropped the tanto and the matchlock as his body echoed in pain, his whole body was vibrating no doubt.

He shakily got up and the look in his eyes I would never forget was the look of a man committing to something he might regret. I walked up more to him and I picked up his matchlock and broke it in half and the same thing with his tanto. He closed his eyes and I thought with this final slash it would be over. I heard him inhale to the regular person it would be a sign of surrender and defeat. My blood boiled for a split second as I drew my blade up to my chest, he pulled his palm up and I got forced back. I didn't know what it was at the time, he then formed a flintlock gesture with his finger, and aimed at my shoulder and something like air or a force broke through my skin like the bullets of a flintlock. My eyes lit up, I would never forget I was gushing blood from my shoulder it passed cleanly through. My blood started to get excited, I felt fear and excitement from battle, what if I die I thought. What if I leave Shiho behind what would become of everything. Fumikage and Zexis what would they do. I was dumb my ambition had just started, almost instinctively I could see the aura around him and myself. The thought of losing everything drove me to giving into my primordial rage. "What you are about to do I accept, the monks taught me the difference between the spiritual flows. Your relying on the power of negative emotions but you've awakened. I'll warn you that if you keep going down this path there will be nothing but destruction. Initially those urges are stronger but the sharpest katana made of the weakest metal can cut through the strongest of raw metal when tampered with skill." These words were a warning I just thought they were the ravings of a man about to lose his life. Just like with the battle against Dosarai, the Essence of Daimyo protected me and led me to victory but only with rage. It will be different this time.

I snap out of the trip down memory lane and I see this towering man still waving half of his naginata around and I inhale sharply. "Kyo and Zexis we have people to protect. Kyo I need you to make as many afterimages of yourself as you can or whatever you want to call them! Zexis take this and fire when you get the chance! Most of all don't break it!" I yell out as he turns his attention to me now deciding to wield his broken naginata like a kitchen knife. He begins to sprint at me as I swiftly bounce one foot after the other staying agile preparing to dodge his onslaught. Sure enough he slashes one after another, I duck the first one and jump over the second one, he starts to mix in punches with his combinations, I quickly spin past the punch. The corner of my eye I see Kyo's shadow clones slowly lining up across the room and she's sweating profusely her legs shaking as if she's about to collapse. "This is all I can do Lord Ishi, I cant keep up anymore than this at a time!" She yells before falling to the floor punching the ground in frustration. "Its fine Kyo, its enough I need you to try and restrain them with all your afterimages. I believe I can kind of use spiritual flow or one side of it but I need you to explain how you do it!" I yell back at her and she's taken a back. Shohide turns his focus to the weak Kyo, trying to charge at her I quickly block his route with a leap and throwing a hard headbutt into his face making him stumble back by surprise. "Its not that simple Lord Ishi, you need to meditate to unlock it even Fumikage is having a hard time and he has a natural aptitude for it!!" She exclaims yelling pretty much freaking out and I inhale turning at her before yelling back. "We don't have time so just explain it damn it!" I yell ordering her and turning my attention to the recovered giant.

I decide to fight back before he fully starts to rush again, I jump and latch my arms onto his head driving my knee into his face before kicking off his face like four different times and landing down. "You need to calm your emotions, and focus on the flow of your blood, your heartbeat just everything your breathing all of it. after a while it becomes second nature." I take what's she saying into my mind and then I calm down, I notice something similar the same feeling I get when I drink alcohol. Time begins to slow a bit and I can read opponents movements but this time I can see their flow and auras as well. Shohide is about to infuse his own energy into the broke naginata and make like a drill when he attacks. I quickly reach for his naginata and shifting the energy back into him pushing him all the way back practically sending him flying into the wall, in that split second I snap out of it. "Now Kyo use the afterimages pin him inside the wall!!" She was confused by the whole situation as I yell snapping her out of it she follows the order. "O-okay Lord Ishi!" she yells surprised and her afterimages pin down Shohide as he struggles to move. "Quickly now Zexis come on!" He's looking like he's about to crumble over and I force myself to his side dragging him along to Shohide who's about to recover. I grab the flintlock with his hand on it aiming it up to his head and I look at him in the eye. "Zexis for your people like we been talking about!" He nods as I shout out and I help him pull the trigger he shouts out. "No Lord Ishi this is for our people, I'll never forget this kindness!!" He shouts as we pull the trigger together sending a multiple bullets through the skull of Shohide Chitsu The Oppressor. Blood gushes from the multiple holes in his face you can barely tell it was him, all the afterimages fade away and Kyo actually collapses fully to the ground. Zexis himself succumbs to injuries and finds himself passing out too and I get up picking Zexis up with my arm hand. I pick Kyo up with my left arm because she's lighter. I walk out signaling our victory as our soldiers rush through the main gate.