(22) A God Emerges (4)

Yuna's hydra head coiled about her body in a protective shell, and once the god's attack had ended, they began to uncurl, pushing off rubble and stone from her body as she held out her hand, her sword burning a scorch mark into the earth.

Ygdran, too, had been completely unaffected by the attack, kneeling down atop a large boulder. All around them were decimated trees fallen to their sides and massive chunks of earth torn up from their resting places.

"Huh. I guess I shouldn't of expected that to do the job. Oh well." Mashihashi shrugged.

"Aw, too bad. I guess maybe next time?" Yuna said with a tilt of her head. "So, whose turn is it to attack now?"

"Oh, we are taking turns, are we?" Mashihashi asked. "Hm. Fine, I'll play along."

"Well, I went first, then the god, so I'd say it's your turn, Yuna." Ygdran spoke.

"You know, I'd agree with you."

"Except that it's my turn." Tetsuno called out as he stepped forward from behind a chunk of rubble.

"You? What are you even gonna be able to do? You are just an Aberrant who hasn't even nurtured their Yin aspect." Yuna said, waving her hand.

"No, I assure you, I can do more than you think." Tetsuno said, drawing his katana.

"Ah, Tetsuno, so you finally show up. Although, I'd say you are a bit late, quite the coward you are." Mashihashi said.

"Oh, it's quite alright, Mashihashi, I just saw no reason to rush. I mean, if these guys died to you, they wouldn't be worth my time to recruit, would they?"

"Recruit?" Yuna asked.

"Yeah," Tetsuno shrugged, "sorry to say, but I've kinda been using you this whole time. You'll be my weapons to kill this god and get him off my back, and I mean, you've got no problem with that, right?"

A flash of dark aura flew at Tetsuno, who swiftly deflected the hydra head and danced away out of range as another came at him.

"Hey now, look, you can kill me after this is all over. Can we first kill the god please?" Tetsuno asked.

Yuna's eyes were narrow, cold and filled with wrath. "I do not like being played, Tetsuno. Or did I not warn you?"

"Oh, shit. Now you've done it." Ygdran said, backing away from the battle as dark aura curled up from Yuna's body in waves as the hydra heads seemed to grow larger, spikes growing from their writhing bodies and horns growing from their heads. "I'll kill you all."

Mashihashi's eyes widened. *Just how much aura does this girl have…? What the fuck is this..?* he wondered, *Just what kind of monster did the demons create…?*

Yuna heals out her sword at her side as her hydra heads coiled around her arm, their fangs sinking into her flesh. Her blood spilled onto the ground, soaking it dark red as the ground began to tremble at her feet and crack. The pressure she gave off caused the rubble to begin rising into the air as waves of dark blue and purple flames flew up from her sword, and then she raised it to the side.

Mashihashi felt the sudden need to leave, to run and get away, the feeling that whatever attack was coming would kill him in an instant. But he didn't have the time to get away, as the sword already began moving. Instead, he raised a wall of earthen rock to block the attack and, hopefully, protect him.

Tetsuno began to question his own choices as he saw the immense power Yuna had. He made an enemy out of the wrong person. He reached into his blood-soaked kimono and pulled out a folded paper, opening it.

Yuna swung her sword in a long sideways arc, and as it moved, a massive wave of crashing flames of blue and purple hellfire bulldozed across the landscape, decimating the forest as well as the village, Fiddle, beyond it, consuming everything in flames and destruction as the earth was torn asunder.

Mashihashi found himself coated in flames, his defenses quickly falling apart to dust and ash, the earth itself becoming molten rock. *What the hell..?!* Mashihashi thought, *How the hell is this girl so strong?! She's just an Aberrant!!*

Letting out an enraged bellow, Mashihashi waved his arms about, thrashing and pushing through the flames as they scorched his flesh. He pushed the flames aside and earth spikes jutted up from the earth all around him in a brilliant blaze as rock armor formed about his body. Then, Ygdran appeared above Mashihashi, throwing his sword down from the air. The blade cut clean through the stone armor around Mashihashi, severing it open instantly as it broke apart, leaving the god defenseless.

And then came Yuna, exploding forward and thrusting her sword straight through the god's heart, the flaming sword skewering through Mashihashi as Yuna slammed into him, sending him flying back and slamming into a burning Boulder as Yuna pushed the blade in deeper.

"What's wrong, Mashihashi, your divinity not healing you?" Yuna asked with a mad, crazed grin, and then she flicked her sword upwards, splitting the god's body in two as well as sending a deep gash through the earth, severing it open.

Yuna withdrew her sword as the god's corpse burned to ash. And there she stood, her dark serpents writhing around her body in coils of shadowy blue and purple as she laughed madly, her sword shifting in the light of the flames.

She… was insane.