~92~ The Dark Kirigon

Inari strode up to Anubis, walking casually closer to him until she was an arm's length away. Then a shockwave blasted through the air as she backhanded the god, her hand cracking across his snout and causing his head to spin, the sound of his neck cracking and grinding as the flesh tore and his head spun like the head of a screw drilling into wood.

Anubis's body flew, spinning through the air before it crashed into one of the Hell Spires. His bones shattered on impact, his body contorted unnaturally as he fell back to the earth.

The souls suddenly began to swarm Inari, moving in on her.

"These pests.." Inari growled, "are so very annoying."

Black aura began to ooze from the bones on her arms and her horns, the aura taking the shape of her body, but blotting out her figure in shadow. White markings glowed within the aura as a black Kitsune mask formed over her face, white glowing eyes glaring across the battlefield while nine wisps grew from her back and formed into tails, each tail holding a white orb of aura within them.

Inari raised her hand into the air, palm facing upwards. As she did this, the earth began to erupt, stone fragments and chunks of the ground rising into the air as black flames flew, as if they were standing atop a volcano.

The flames immediately engulfed the soul army, burning them away. Ghastly screams filled the air as the souls burned away until they were nothing, the flames eating them away. Once the souls had been completely consumed in fire, the black flames began to fly into the air and swirl around Inari like a tornado before they all were sucked into and seemed to be absorbed into her body.

When the flames dispersed, her Aura Cloak began to churn in waves of fire, the ground she stood on breaking apart, rubble floating into the air. The white markings spread, becoming wider. She held out her hand, her short sword appearing in it.

Across from her was Anubis, who was now getting back to his feet, his bones snapping back into place while smoke rose from him.

Inari slowly lifted her sword and drew it back, then thrusted it forward. A sudden explosive gust of aura shot forward like a missile, the blast crashing through Anubis and tearing his body apart, flesh, bones, blood and limbs flying through the air. The blast also continued past the god, shooting through two of the Hell Spires, completely decimating one of them and causing it to topple over and crash to the earth while it struck a deep gash into the other.

"Damn you.." came Anubis's voice, his body reforming, blood swirling in the air and body parts repairing each other and snapping into place. "How the fuck did you get so strong just from becoming a demon?"

"I'm not sure. But I don't really care, the only thing I need to know is that I'm strong enough to kick your ass." Inari said. She felt an adrenaline, an excitement at the fact that she is, for once, able to fight on the same level as the others! It was exhilarating, the power she felt at her fingertips, it was like a drug.

Inari blasted forward, flying at Anubis, her sword crashing into the hook of his khopesh, the impact creating a crater at their feet as a loud metallic bang rang through the air. Inari thrust her sword upwards, knocking Anubis's khopesh into the air, then she spun on her heel and her foot swung around, crashing into his gut and sending him spiraling across the battlefield.

"Inari!!" Came a voice. She turned and saw Sedori, pinned to his knees, a ways off. "Be careful!! Every time you hit him he gets stronger!!"

At the exact moment as Sedori said this, Anubis flashed forward and into Inari, his fist crashing into her face….but it didn't even manage to make her flinch. It was like he'd struck an impenetrable wall.

"What..?" Anubis was dumbstruck, confused as to why his attack had zero affect.

Then Inari's tails began to glow.

"Allow me to show you.." Inari spoke, grabbing Anubis's wrist and twisting his arm, popping his shoulder from its socket. "My Dark Kirigon."

As the nine tails of the Kirigon filled Inari with power, her figure began to change..bone spikes began to grow from her body, forming around her and growing in size as she hunched over, looking down on Anubis as a fox-like bone armor formed around her, like a werewolf but instead of a wolf it was fox. The bone armor covered her completely, spikes and chains covering her body, massive bone talons growing from her hands and huge horns from her head. It was anything but majestic, it was the definition of demonic.

Nine chaotic tails of black aura came from her back, swirling and coiling about. Anubis stared up at Inari, his fist falling. "Well, I can't say I had expected this.."

Bone talons raked across Anubis's frame, shredding his flesh and sending him up into the air. Inari teleported above Anubis, her talons crashing down on him, skewering his body before slamming him to the earth. She lifted her blood soaked talons, leaving Anubis writhing in pain at the center of a crater.

"How.. why aren't.. my wounds healing..?" Anubis growled, blood soaking his body.

The way Inari's Dark Kirigon worked, was that, not only did it give her all nine blessings, but it also gave her that bone shell. Anything that was struck by her flames, as well as the bone talons, was permanently wounded. The damage she did to her enemies could not heal, not even if you are an immortal god.

Inari hunched over Anubis, and, when she spoke, it wasn't her voice. Instead it was the voice of Koiyga.

"Maybe I will enjoy being your familiar after all, girl." The Nogitsune laughed. "These gods shall cower before my power.."

"No.." Anubis hissed, black sand beginning to rise into the air above them, blotting out the sky. "I WILL NOT FAI-"

Koiyga's talons pierced through Anubis's throat, removing his head. The next moment, black flames engulfed his body, not only burning away his physical form but also his soul, destroying it.

"You guys really couldn't beat him?" Koiyga asked, turning to Onoma and Sedori. "It's either my power went up exponentially, or you are all weak."

"Who's.. voice is that..?" Onoma asked.

"Oh, my name is Koiyga. I have taken Makane's place as Inari's familiar."

"Koiyga..? What..?" Onoma asked in confusion.

"It's a lot to explain," came Inari's voice, "just forget it. I need to go help Darius."

"Darius is here too?" Sedori asked.

"Yes."

"Wait.." Sedori spoke as Inari turned to leave, "I'm sorry.. really.. I am.."

"It's okay. I forgive you. It was the only way." Inari said.

"Nope. I don't forgive you, asshole, cuz of you I've gotta be with this bitch for the rest of my life!" Came Koiyga's voice, "so fuck you!"

"Shut up!" Inari hissed as she jumped away, the sound of their back and forth arguing fading out as they left.

•

•

•

"Goddamn, let a girl talk," Hecate whined, "you are so rude."

"Do me a favor and just die already." Darius growled. "I'm not in a very good mood."

"Well that is evident. Let me guess.. it was because of that one kid, isn't it? What's his name again… Akuro was it?" Hecate spoke. "I imagine you are upset since you've probably realized no matter how strong you get you'll never be able to match him. He will always be ahead of you, out of your reach."

"Shut up." Darius growled, his body shimmering as it shifted between solid and not.

"Oh, I've struck a nerve, have i?" Hecate laughed, Gallatine's body healed completely now. "You know I'm right. You've thought the same thing yourself, haven't you? You may seem strong now, you may feel strong, but in comparison to him you are nothing. You'll never be strong enough to defeat him, he will always be two steps ahead of you.." Hecate laughed.

"Shut up!" Darius roared.

"You will always walk in his shadow.."

"I said.." Darius growled as shimmering glass began to grow over his body, his horns growing larger and an armor of glass covering his body. "SHUT UP!!!"

He waved both hands and as he did massive fissures split through the earth, cutting it open and making the earth tremble. Gallatine dashed at the angered Darius, talons outstretched for his head, but when Gallatine reached Darius his hand simply passed through his head, then, from above, a mirror formed in the air and Gallatine's own fist crashed into his back, slamming him into the earth at Darius's feet.

"Look at that." Darius growled, "you are knocked down, laying at my feet.. right where you belong."

Darius knelt down next to Hecate, glaring down at her.

"You can't even touch me.. if you can't beat me.. how do you honestly think you could take on Azazel? You mock me for being weak.. when you can't even scratch me. How pathetic. I pity you, a worthless god who can't do anything without using others. What a miserable existing you have."

"Don't try to change the subject.." Hecate hissed, "you know my words were-"

Glass spikes exploded out of the earth, skewering Gallatine's body.

"Im so sorry," Darius said, leaning down and putting his hand to his ear, "I didn't quite hear that. What did you say again?"

"You will never be him…" Hecate hissed.

Darius went silent. For a long moment he just sat there, the glass mask covering his expression. Then he stood.

"Don't talk to me like you are above me. You are nothing but a pathetic bitch who has no real power so she has to use others. You are absolutely pathetic." Darius said coldly.

"And you are just trying to be Akuro.. when in reality you are just a cheap impression.." Hecate laughed, lifting herself off the ground, the glass spikes sliding out of Gallatine's body.

Darius glared at his opponent. Then he held out his hand, a glass mirror forming in front of Gallatine directly in his face.

"What..?" Hecate began, but went silent.

"You can't deny what you are." Darius said. "This mirror captures everything you are, your essence, your being. Your soul."

As Gallatine, Hecate, looked into the mirror, she froze up. In the reflection was a small girl wrapped in cloth, deep wounds still bleeding and soaking her bandages. She held her knees into her chest, her head tucked into her arms.

"A goddess who can't even heal her wounds?" Came the echo of a voice, "how pathetic. What a disappointment."

"Yes," came another voice, "her existence will not last very long."

"That poor thing's body will decay and fade away and she will be left as nothing more than a powerless soul."

"How depressing. You think God will just shatter her?"

"It would be a kindness.."

Gallatine's body slumped. In the mirror the figure changed, it became the true form of Hecate, her real body, seen in the reflection. Gallatine's body went limp, no more than a corpse.

Hecate's soul had been imprisoned within the mirror.

"I pity your existence." Darius said softly. "So now I will end your sorrow."

The Hell Spires suddenly broke apart, crumbling to dust and falling to the sand below as the stars and moon in the sky returned to their original light.

Then the mirror shattered apart, along with it, Hecate's soul. She believed her soul to be unbreakable, but it seemed that Darius's Mirror of The Fates was an exception to that rule. As the shards of glass aura flittered through the air, breaking down until they were nothing more than shimmering flakes of light drifting through the sky, Darius couldn't help but feel bad for the girl. She had led a life of torture, distrust, loneliness and sorrow. It was truly… pathetic.