[SIDE STORY 1|PRIMORDIAL CHAOS - [C20] NATURE OF THE SWORD

Covering Takemi's surroundings with a putrid hue of black, unable to shake the merchant's grasp.

He was shot by the massive ray of light head-on.

*BOOM!*

Smoke arises within the vicinity where the two were. The ray of light pierces through the heavy white smoke.

'Smoke? Why is there such a thing existing in this clash?'

The merchant thought as he tried to grasp what was happening; a subtle change of atmosphere rose behind him.

'Wait! Could it be?!!'

He turned his head as soon as he sensed the irregularities. However, with his mouth still wide open, exuding the ray of light, he inadvertently slashed something within the smoke that felt like he was cutting meaty flesh from the distance.

'?!!'

His eyes suddenly turned to where the ray was upon having felt the inexplicable pain.

Having shifted his attention to where his body was, a soft, cold voice spoke just above him.

"RAIKEN!"

Takemi appeared right above the head of the merchant, assuming that the core was hidden within his head; the God of Sword unleashed another intricate movement with a simple downward slash that involved various fake outs coming from all around the merchant's head as if he had created phantom images of himself in various positions.

With the unleashed 2nd technique, his blade glowed a bit hotter, opposite to the cold flash of lightning his blade was exuding in the first stances.

A red fierce phoenix started to form within the shadows of his sword, letting out a loud and eerie cry for battle.

*SLASH!*

Having been caught off guard, the merchant's head was successfully cut in half with another single stroke from his blade, yet, instead of blood murky hue of blood, the only thing he had seen after having sliced off his head in half was another fluid of ink, floating in suspension as it wriggles its way back like a magnetic force with different outputs of positive and negative attraction, magnetising itself back together.

With the straw hat falling to the ground near an old abandoned hut, close to the outer walls, the merchant's scar was out in the open. The other half of his hair was stained with unrecoverable burns, reaching down to his left eye.

The other half of the merchant's head flinched in anger as he saw the sight of Takemikazuchi dropping down to his level.

"YOU DAMN BRAT!"

A vein bulges at the temple of his forehead, biting half of his lips with his sharp teeth, resulting in self-injury.

"ANSWER ME!! HOW CAN A FAKE LIKE YOURSELF BE ABLE TO LEARN THE ACTUAL TECHNIQUES OF THE SWORD GOD?!"

As soon as their eyes met eye to eye, Takemi answered unhinged, fully relaxed and composed.

"Because I'm just built different from my ancestors."

Hearing his taunting answer, the merchant's eyes were filled with killing intent.

Whilst Takemi's blade was about to be pulled back into his sheath, the smokescreen Takemi used to block off his vision was suddenly getting sucked into a whirlpool where the merchant's lower body was left behind.

"GOOD! YOU'VE SUCCESSFULLY TRULY ANGERED ME! I! KILIN! ONE OF MY LORD'S 12 LOWER KINGS! SWEAR TO WIPE YOU OUT OF THE FACE OF THIS PLANET!"

The merchant's bloodthirsty eyes twitched as he reattached the rest of his body in a snap of his fingers.

His lower body, which is currently regenerating from Takemi's slash, and his slash, suddenly burst through out of the smoke, launching itself back to the head.

However, as Kilin was about to reattach the rest of his lower body to his head, Takemikazuchi switched the grip of his hands, staring emotionlessly towards the infuriated, sliced head of the merchant.

Closing his eyes, he spoke with a monotonous, cold, elegant voice.

"Third Form, Bakuza."

Suddenly, the air around them started to dry, as if the wind carrying over particles of water was being condensed into a single spot.

Having felt the change of momentum, the bulging eye of the merchant, stared at the eyes of his killer.

"YOU! DARE?!"