Ch 45 Shikigami Conquest

As the black goo poured out of Ichiro's mouth, it writhed and pulsed, taking on a life of its own. The viscous substance expanded and elongated, swiftly coalescing into the shape of a four-legged creature with imposing wings. Within moments, the goo solidified into the majestic and fearsome form of Griffin. Which ichiro gracefully rode on mid air

"Now it's your turn to taste your own medicine!" Ichiro shouted, his voice filled with a mix of excitement and vengeance, a hysterical grin spreading across his face.

As Garuda continue plummeting towards the ground, he maintained a surprising calm, quickly assessing the dire situation. With a series of piercing screeches, he commanded the remaining white birds to intercept Ichiro and Griffin. The sky filled with the flurry of white wings, each bird diving towards the advancing duo in a desperate attempt to protect their master.

Griffin, with a determined glint in its eye, executed a series of precise, swift maneuvers, twisting and turning through the onslaught of birds with breathtaking agility. Each dodge and weave brought them closer to their target, the sheer speed and grace of Griffin's flight leaving the white birds in disarray.

As they closed the distance, Ichiro tightened his grip on his blade, feeling the cold steel resonate with his cursed energy. The wind roared in his ears, but his mind was clear, focused solely on Garuda. With a final burst of speed, they broke through the last of the bird defenses, and Ichiro saw his moment.

"Now, Griffin!"

In a fluid motion, Ichiro raised his sword high and delivered a swift, decisive strike. The blade, glowing with cursed energy, sliced through Garuda's last remaining wing. Garuda let out a pained cry, the force of the blow severing the wing completely. His massive form spiraled downwards, unable to maintain flight.

As Garuda crashed to the ground, a plume of dust and debris erupted into the air. Ichiro and Griffin followed, landing gracefully a short distance away. Ichiro dismounted, his boots crunching on the dry, cracked earth. He turned to Griffin, giving the shikigami a nod of appreciation.

"Griffin, you've done well. Return now."

Griffin let out a soft, acknowledging growl before its form began to dissolve back into the shadow from which it came. Ichiro watched as the black goo retracted, leaving him alone to face Garuda.

Garuda lay on the ground, battered and defeated, his once regal form now a shadow of its former glory. But even in his weakened state, his eyes burned with a fierce determination.

"Now then, without your wings you can't fly anymore, so there's nothing else you can do than to fight me, right?" Ichiro taunted, a mocking grin spreading across his face.

Garuda's eyes blazed with fury at the insult. The king of the sky let out a ferocious growl, the sound reverberating through the dry, cracked landscape. In response, Garuda ordered his remaining white birds to swarm Ichiro, the air filling once again with their relentless flurry.

"Red Dragon," Ichiro called out, his voice steady and commanding.

As the white birds closed in on Ichiro, his shadow suddenly grew wider, expanding with a dark, ominous energy. From it emerged a massive red dragon, its scales shimmering with an intense, fiery hue. The dragon's chest glowed bright yellow, a fiery light emanating from deep within its core. With a deafening roar, the Red Dragon unleashed a torrent of flames, the searing heat incinerating nearly all the birds that dared to approach Ichiro.

The sky was filled with the sound of crackling flames and the screeches of birds being obliterated, the once-white swarm reduced to ashes in an instant. The display of power only served to fuel Garuda's anger. His eyes blazed with fury, his majestic form trembling with barely contained rage.

Without a moment's hesitation, Garuda hurled himself at Ichiro, his talons outstretched and his beak open in a ferocious snarl. He aimed to tear the young warrior apart, but Ichiro was ready. With lightning-fast reflexes, Ichiro drew his blade and swung it towards Garuda's neck. The blade glinted in the harsh sunlight, moving with deadly precision Garuda barely managed to dodge the strike, Garuda has no choice but to back off and regained it's composure

"You really getting at it, huh? Are you that mad about your birds?" Ichiro taunted, his voice dripping with sarcasm, attempting to provoke Garuda into a reckless attack. He wanted Garuda to lose his composure, to make a mistake he could exploit.

To Ichiro's astonishment, Garuda didn't rise to the bait. Instead, the majestic bird stood still, its golden eyes fixed on Ichiro with an unsettling calm. The silence stretched on, the tension in the air growing thicker with each passing second. Ichiro shifted his stance, ready for any sudden movement, but the seconds turned into minutes, and Garuda remained motionless.

A bead of sweat trickled down Ichiro's forehead. "What is he planning?" he muttered under his breath, his confidence wavering slightly. He wiped the sweat away, trying to maintain his composure.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Garuda moved. It was a slow, deliberate motion, a step forward that seemed to shake the very ground beneath them.

"Oh, you finally mov—" Ichiro started, but his words were cut short as a sudden, intense chill washed over him, as if he had been plunged into icy cold water. His breath caught in his throat, his heart pounding in his chest. The air felt thick, almost suffocating, and an inexplicable fear gripped him.

"What was that?" Ichiro muttered to himself, shaken by the sudden and unexpected resurgence of Garuda. He looked at the majestic figure before him, and his eyes widened in disbelief. Garuda stood tall, its white fiery wings blazing brilliantly, and in its hand, it held a flaming bow. The sight was awe-inspiring and terrifying all at once.

"How can that be? I've already cut off his wings, so there's no way they're healed," Ichiro said aloud, his voice tinged with confusion and frustration. He tried to make sense of what he was seeing. It didn't add up.

Garuda, however, showed no signs of his previous injuries. The great bird drew its bow, and as it did, an arrow materialized, burning with the same intense white flame as its wings.

"Oh, that's cool," Ichiro admitted, despite the dread gnawing at his insides. His fascination with the display was genuine, but it couldn't overshadow the growing sense of danger. He could feel it in his bones—a primal instinct screaming at him to move.

'Hmm, that's weird. Why am I getting nervous? It's like my entire body is telling me to dodge the attack,' he thought, every muscle in his body tensing up.

Ichiro felt a surge of panic and confusion as his instincts screamed at him to dodge the incoming arrow. Garuda, with a steady hand, pulled back the bowstring, and the tension in the air became almost unbearable.

"Well, for now, I'll just dodge it, given that I still don't know what that arrow is capable of—" Ichiro started to say, but before he could execute his plan, a searing pain exploded in his arm.

"Urghhhhhhh!!!!" The excruciating pain made him scream, his voice echoing across the barren land. The arrow had found its mark, embedding itself deep into his flesh.

"Ahhh!!! Fuck!!" he shouted, his body crumpling to the ground. He clutched his arm, trying to process the intense pain surging through him. Garuda, seeing his advantage, prepared to draw another arrow, his movements deliberate and unhurried.

Red Dragon, sensing its master's peril, roared and unleashed a torrent of flames towards Garuda, attempting to buy Ichiro some time. The intense heat and fire forced Garuda to momentarily retreat, shielding himself with his fiery wings.

"Urgghhhh!! Fuck! Fuck!!" Ichiro groaned, struggling to his feet. The pain was almost unbearable, but he forced himself to stand. His vision blurred with tears of agony, but he couldn't afford to show weakness now. He had to push through.

"Huff...huff... That's weird... ughh!! The arrow has disappeared, but why is the pain still there?" Ichiro muttered, gritting his teeth. "Guess I have no choice but to cut it off."

With grim determination, Ichiro grabbed his sword and, without hesitation, severed his arm at the elbow. Blood splattered the ground, and he watched as his arm began to regrow, flesh knitting back together. But the agony didn't abate.

"Damn it!! What kind of attack is this? Even after cutting my arm off, I can still feel the pain! And as soon as my arm regrows, the pain is still there. Ughhh!!" he groaned, clutching his newly formed limb.

Amidst the lingering heat and dissipating flames from Red Dragon's earlier assault, Garuda emerged, soaring majestically into the sky. The sight was both awe-inspiring and terrifying, a testament to Garuda's resilience and power.

"What—?" Ichiro's shock was cut short as another arrow struck, this time embedding itself in his right leg. The pain was immediate and overwhelming, a searing agony that made his earlier wound seem mild in comparison

""Aghhhhhhh!!!!!!!, that fucking hurts!" Ichiro screamed, writhing in agony on the ground.

Summoning all his willpower, Ichiro called forth his shikigami. "Black Tortoise! Fenrir!"

In an instant, the imposing forms of Black Tortoise and Fenrir materialized beside him. The Black Tortoise then enveloped Ichiro, with enhancement enhancing his speed, strength, and endurance.

"Whew," Ichiro exhaled, feeling the surge of power coursing through his veins. "With this enhancement, I can endure this much pain without succumbing to it."

Garuda, unfazed, drew his bow and fired another cursed arrow. But this time, Ichiro was ready. With newfound agility, he dodged the projectile, watching it sail harmlessly past him.

"Alright, this is doable," Ichiro said, a determined glint in his eye. "Given that I can now see the arrow, this is a game-changer. Alright then, my turn."

As Ichiro turned towards the Red Dragon, the mighty creature was swiftly sliced into pieces by his blade, "Alright, Fenrir, do it!" Ichiro commanded.

With a nod of acknowledgment, Fenrir unleashed its teleportation ability, allowing its attacks to materialize directly against Garuda's body. The sudden assault caught Garuda off guard, eliciting a roar of frustration and pain.

Meanwhile, the severed body of the Red Dragon began to regenerate rapidly. Within minutes, over a thousand Red Dragons emerged, filling both the land and the sky with their ominous presence.

"Attack!!" Ichiro bellowed, his voice cutting through the chaos. The Red Dragons wasted no time, descending upon Garuda from all directions. Their fiery breath and relentless strikes overwhelmed Garuda, forcing him into a defensive stance.

Garuda retaliated with a flurry of arrows, aiming to fend off the Red Dragons. However, their numbers and ferocity proved too much to handle. Each time Garuda focused on one group of dragons, another would swoop in from a different angle, keeping him constantly on the defensive.

Amidst the chaos, Fenrir seized every opportunity to strike. Utilizing its teleportation ability, it appeared unpredictably, delivering precise and devastating blows to Garuda's weakened form.

As the pain continued to throb in his arm and leg, Ichiro gritted his teeth and issued one final command to Fenrir. With a nod of understanding, Fenrir focused on Garuda, eyeing the fallen adversary like a predator stalking its prey. Ichiro stood firm, facing Fenrir directly, his grip tight on his sword.

"Fenrir," Ichiro called out, his voice steady despite the lingering pain. "Now."

In an instant, the air around Fenrir and Garuda crackled with energy as their positions swapped abruptly. Garuda, caught off guard by the sudden teleportation, found himself facing Ichiro, who wasted no time. With a swift, decisive strike, Ichiro cleaved through Garuda's form, leaving the once-mighty creature lifeless on the ground.

As Garuda's body dissolved into black goo, it slithered back into Ichiro's shadow, the pain also disappear along with Garuda's body completing the summoning process. Ichiro watched stoically, a sense of accomplishment washing over him as he absorbed Garuda's essence.

"Now that's finally done," Ichiro muttered to himself, the pain in his body momentarily forgotten amidst his triumph. He turned to Red Dragon and Fenrir, who had followed his commands faithfully throughout the intense battle.

"Red Dragon, Fenrir," Ichiro addressed his shikigami with a nod of respect. "Go back."

The two obediently returned to Ichiro's shadow, their forms merging seamlessly into the darkness. Ichiro observed the process with satisfaction, knowing his mastery over the shikigami was growing stronger with each conquest.

"Alright, let's try this, Garuda" Ichiro said with a grin, a mix of curiosity and anticipation in his voice. He summoned Garuda once more, marveling at the creature's regal appearance and the power it represented.

"Hoh, not bad," Ichiro remarked, impressed by his own summoning prowess. "Alright, go back."

Garuda's form dissolved again, melding into the shadow cast by Ichiro. With a sense of purpose and determination, Ichiro reflected on his journey to conquer the powerful shikigami.

"With this, I have only one shikigami left," Ichiro mused aloud, a confident smile spreading across his face. His resolve to succeed burned brightly within him, fueled by the victories he had achieved thus far.

"Alright, time to head back, Griffin," Ichiro said, summoning his loyal shikigami he then turns towards his loyal companion. The griffin, awaiting his command, lowered itself for Ichiro to mount.

"Now then, once I'm done here, I can finally return to Japan," Ichiro declared with certainty, his gaze fixed on the horizon where his homeland awaited. With a renewed sense of purpose, Ichiro and Griffin soared into the sky, leaving behind the battlefield where he had emerged victorious once again.