[113] Dáinsleif Sword

Reika stood tall, her aura radiating newfound power, as if enveloped by the grand light of the legendary knight now fused within her. In her grasp, Dainsleif gleamed sharply, emanating a force far greater than before—the true power of the cursed sword had awakened.

By merging her spirit with the blade, Reika felt the techniques and skills of Charlemagne's knight, Oscar, flowing through her, enhancing her every move. The swordsmanship techniques of the Aslan Sword Style manifested instinctively, as if Reika's very reflexes were guided by the battle-hardened experience of the ancient warrior.

Koso sneered mockingly at her, though now clearly intimidated by the strength Reika wielded. Still, he remained confident, summoning the massive demonic doppelganger formed from his own powers—a monstrous figure with towering horns and clawed hands, its body emitting thick, ominous smoke with each movement. Koso hardened his metallic skin in preparation for battle, ready to fight with all his might.

Without warning, Reika lunged forward, her steps swift and precise. Dainsleif blazed as she swung her first strike, while her two spiritual Ashura hands cast purification talismans at Koso and his doppelganger, creating traps and sealing circles to confine them within her magic.

Koso's demon swung its massive claws in a counterattack, but Reika evaded gracefully, sidestepping and slicing downward with a technique from the Aslan Sword Style she had instantly mastered. Her blade cut through the air with swift precision, slicing into the demon's arm and piercing its hardened skin, causing it to roar in pain. Oscar's power made each stroke of the Aslan Sword Style lethal, amplifying her strikes with accuracy and devastating force.

Koso attempted to retreat and reset his defense, but Reika gave him no room to recover. With her Ashura technique giving her two additional arms, Reika unleashed a relentless flurry of attacks from all angles. One hand swung downward while the other two blocked the demon's claws, which attempted to shield Koso.

"You think that liquid metal will protect you from this?" Reika shouted furiously, her eyes blazing with the fighting spirit Oscar had inspired within her.

In a swift motion, Reika chanted a spell in her left hand, transforming the purification talisman into a blade of radiant energy. She slashed it through the demon's body, creating a streak of light that wounded the creature, while Dainsleif struck Koso's metallic form once again. Her blow was so powerful that cracks appeared in Koso's metal armor, creating a sizeable gap in his defenses.

Koso gasped, dark blood seeping from the cracks that had formed in his body. His face twisted in a mixture of shock and rage. "Impossible!?" he muttered in disbelief, struggling to maintain control over his form.

But Reika didn't give him a chance to gather his strength. With a fierce battle cry, she executed the final technique of the Aslan Sword Style she had inherited from Oscar. Dainsleif glowed with a concentrated aura, swirling with both cursed energy and purification, combining into a devastating strike.

"For the honor of the Onmyo Agency and this family, Koso, a traitor like you has no place here!" With those words, Reika delivered her finishing blow, slashing at Koso with all her might. The sword cleaved through his body, piercing the metal shell and flooding every fracture with purifying energy, sealing any means of recovery.

In a massive explosion of spiritual energy, Koso was thrown back, crashing against the wall, his body mangled, with thick black blood pouring out of his wounds. The demonic doppelganger he had summoned disintegrated into darkness, destroyed along with its master.

Reika stood firm, her breathing heavy, but her expression one of satisfaction for her hard-won victory. She wiped the blood from the edge of Dainsleif, looking down at Koso, who lay helpless on the ground.

Koso could only stare back at Reika, his gaze filled with disbelief, regret, and fury. For the first time, he realized that his blind ambition had ultimately been his undoing.

---

Amidst the shattered remains of the library, Shuten Douji struggled to stay on his feet, grievously wounded by Kaoru's unrelenting onslaught. After losing to Asmodeus months ago, he hadn't expected Kaoru to defeat him so easily without showing a hint of exhaustion. With the Luminous Spear of Lugh in hand, Kaoru had dismantled Douji's every defense, countering each attack until the demon was left with little chance to survive.

Sensing his inevitable defeat, Shuten Douji frantically sought an escape, especially as he noticed Kaoru summoning powerful familiars to surround the area. In his desperation, Douji cast his gaze towards the library, where he spotted Abe Koso lying sprawled on the floor, his body battered, the remnants of his metal form shattered from Reika's deadly attack.

Barely conscious, Koso looked up at Douji with a final, desperate gaze. With the last of his strength, he reached for the pendant around his neck—a relic he had taken from the mansion—and threw it toward Shuten Douji.

"Go!" he rasped hoarsely, throwing the pendant as a last hope for Douji to escape and carry out the plan with the relic essential to their scheme.

However, before Douji could react, Kaoru appeared behind him, his steps calm but radiating an aura of seething anger. Without hesitation, Kaoru drove the Luminous Spear of Lugh into Douji's back, thrusting it with full force until it pierced through his body. Kaoru's face was filled with blazing fury, especially after Shuten Douji's deception of disguising himself as Kaoru to assault Reika.

"You think I'd let you escape after everything you've done?" Kaoru hissed, his voice low and venomous as he twisted the spear, intensifying Douji's pain.

"Urgh—" Shuten Douji writhed in agony, but he held tightly to the pendant Koso had tossed him, clutching it as if it were his last chance to survive.

Just then, a flash of white appeared out of the darkness. A large white fox with nine tails, moving with incredible agility, leapt forward and snatched the pendant from Douji's grasp before he could react.

Shuten Douji, still writhing in pain, let out a furious scream as he watched the fox take the relic, the only thing left that could save them. "Kyuubi! You're betraying me again?!" he shouted, his voice filled with hatred and despair.

Kyuubi, the nine-tailed fox, paused briefly, casting a cold, calculating look at Douji. Her yellow eyes shone with sharp intelligence, and in a calm yet menacing voice, she replied, "Loyalty? I swore loyalty to no one, least of all to a creature like you, Douji."

Douji could only grit his teeth, black blood dripping from his mouth. He realized that all hope had slipped away. Kyuubi quickly disappeared, vanishing in a shimmering light, the relic now in her possession.

Kaoru observed the scene carefully but kept his focus on the weakened Douji before him. He pulled the spear out from Douji's body, and with a final, decisive thrust, he struck down once more, delivering a fatal blow that obliterated every last shred of Douji's power.

Douji collapsed heavily, his body going limp, unable to move any longer. Koso, lying nearby, stared in horror, finally realizing that there was no hope left for either of them.

Kaoru gazed down at the two with a cold expression, allowing his deadly aura to fill the room.