Chapter 11: Red Senodokidatsu

The Senodokidatsu roared, the sound echoing through the cavern like a thunderclap. Cera, shouted, "What's with all the noise? Think that's gonna scare us, dipshit?"

With quick steps foward, her blade ignited in a blaze of flames that surrounded her like a comet. "Time to roast this overgrown bat!" she yelled, launching herself at the creature.

She moved with blistering speed and slashed rapidly at the creature. She zipped around the Senodokidatsu, her movements almost too fast to follow. "How's that? Got wings but can't keep up with me, huh?"

But while she continued her relentless assault, it became clear something was wrong. The creature's tough hide seemed unaffected by her strikes. Each swing of her flaming blade left no mark, no burn, no damage whatsoever.

Cera's confidence sunk to the bottom of the ocean "Impossible...”

The Senodokidatsu, unfazed by her attacks, turned its baleful gaze on Soujin. The realization dawned on everyone: Cera's attacks were having no effect. The monster's hide was too resilient for her flames.

Soujin, sensing the danger, stepped forward. "Cera, fall back!”

But the Senodokidatsu was already prepared. With a swift motion, it unleashed several quick blasts of energy in rapid succession, striking Cera before she could retreat. She cried out in pain as the blasts hit her, and then the creature swatted her away like an annoying insect.

"Cera!" Soujin shouted. He dashed forward just in time to catch her before she hit the ground and laid her down gently.

Xero wasted no time. "Mystcry arts #30, Cutting lights!" he shouted, sending a barrage of bright beams towards the Senodokidatsu. The beams struck the creature, but to their dismay, it seemed unaffected. The Senodokidatsu's tough hide absorbed the attack, leaving it completely unscathed.

Soujin's mind raced as he assessed the situation. The Senodokidatsu stood tall, its eyes filled with malice and confidence. "Damn it," he muttered. "Physical attacks and even some mystcry arts aren't working."

The creature sneered. "Is that all you’ve got?" it taunted, preparing for another assault.

Soujin helped Cera to her feet, her face twisted in pain and frustration. “Damn it.”

"Hang in there," Soujin said.

Soujin took a deep breath and summoned the power within his sword. "Kaze no Monogatari!" he shouted, and the blade glowed with a vibrant green light. He swung it in a wide arc, unleashing the Fujin Rasen. And directing a wind spiral with tip of his sword towards the Senodokidatsu.

The creature screeched and took flight. The creature’s wings flapped furiously within the confines of the cave. Though the space was limited, the Senodokidatsu made full use of every inch, darting and weaving through the stalactites and shadows. It swooped down with incredible speed, swiping at Soujin from behind.

Soujin's reflexes kicked in just in time. He spun around, blocking the attack with his sword. The force of the blow sent a shockwave through his arms, but he held his ground. The Senodokidatsu didn't let up, firing off a barrage of energy blasts at Soujin.

Soujin directed the wind with a slashing motion of his blade. From his sword, Small concentrated gusts of air were unleashed to intercept the incoming blasts. The two forces collided in mid-air, creating a display of light and wind.

The creature let out a frustrated roar, hovering above Soujin.

Soujin's mind raced. ‘Okay, how the hell do I get out of this one? If I don't think of something, my team will end up dead.’ He scanned the cave, his eyes falling on Bellar. Her sword magic was lightning-based… ‘Aha!’ An idea sparked in his mind.

"Bellar!" Soujin shouted over the noise of the battle. "Get ready with your lightning! Direct it towards me!"

Bellar nodded and gripped her sword tightly.

"Xero, I need you to create a distraction!" Soujin commanded. Xero immediately began chanting, his hands glowing with mystic energy.

The Senodokidatsu lunged at Soujin with renewed fury. Soujin dodged its attack using his wind to propel himself out of harm's way. Xero unleashed a barrage of light beams, drawing the creature's attention.

‘Now’, Soujin thought, positioning himself between the Senodokidatsu and Bellar. "Bellar, now!" he shouted.

Bellar's sword glowed brightly. "Clap, Inaminari!" she yelled, sending a surge of electrical energy towards Soujin.

Soujin channeled the lightning through his wind magic, creating a powerful, electrified vortex. The combined elements swirled together, forming a deadly storm around the Senodokidatsu.

The creature screeched in agony. The lightning and wind tore through its defenses. It tried to take flight again, but the confined space of the cave and the relentless assault left it no room to escape. Soujin pressed the attack, driving the storm forward with all his might.

The Senodokidatsu's roars grew weaker, its movements sluggish. It finally dropped to the ground, panting and trembling.

"We did it," Soujin declared, sheathing his sword.

Bellar glared at him, eyes wide with disbelief. "It's not over yet!"

Ignoring her protest, Soujin stepped forward.

Bellar glaref foward and shouted, "Yo Cap, you cray cray?"

Soujin ignored her and approached the fallen creature. "I need information out of this Senodokidatsu," he said calmly.

The red Senodokidatsu glared up at him. "Why should I tell you anything, human?" it spat, struggling to rise.

Soujin looked them in the eyes. "We both know you're no match for me. You may have made me struggle a bit but that's all you've done. "

The Senodokidatsu growled. "It's true. You haven't even used your Sword god form. You've been holding back immensely, knowing how dangerous I am. Why? Did you want to show off?"

Soujin's mind raced. 'Sword god form? Ah wait, when I was first made into a captain, that head captain will guy said something about mines being 'fastest'... I never knew what he meant.'

Soujin played along, his face impassive. "Maybe I did want to show off. Or maybe I just didn't see the need to go all out on someone who was already beaten."

The Senodokidatsu's eyes narrowed, but there was a flicker of fear in its gaze. "What do you want to know?"

"Tell me about Mother Miff. What is her plan? And what is this Divine Blade you mentioned?"

The creature hesitated, then sighed, knowing it had no other choice. "Mother Miff seeks to gather enough power to reshape the world. She's been searching for the Divine Blade, a weapon of immense power that can tip the balance in her favor. There are only 7 divine blades that exist in this world. Our leader Trom has consumed one of them, and you, Soujin, you used one of them yourself before you died to Trom. These blades used to belong to the Divine blade society and were used by them to eradicate any red Senodokidatsu in the past, but thanks to Trom overpowering and consuming one of them, he destroyed the previous Society, causing the Diother Divine blades to be scattered about the world. You may have rebuilt your society, but we still claimed 75% of this world. Mother Miff wants to make that 100%."

After extracting the information, Soujin cringed inwardly. He finally understood why at that captain's meeting the other’s looked at him like he'd just asked if water was wet. They probably thought he was about as clueless as a rock in a pond.

"Alright you. There's one more thing I'd like to know..."

"And what's that?"

"Tell me about Mother Miff. What type of Senodokidatsu is she?"

The Senodokidatsu's laughter echoed through the cave, its sinister tone sending shivers down Soujin's spine. "Mother Miff is no ordinary Senodokidatsu. She's one of the 5 most powerful under Trombone's command. Evolved, with the highest level of intelligence, and a body that matches her terrifying appearance."

Soujin's brow furrowed. "So, she sent you here. Where is she now?"

The laughter abruptly ceased, and the Senodokidatsu’s became deadly serious. Soujin's eyes widened as understanding dawned on him. He saw the faint glimmer of a green energy by the Senodokidatsu’s mask. It was charging up this whole time!

The cavern shook as the Senodokidatsu gathered a massive ball of energy within its gaping maw. Soujin and the others could only watch in shock.

"This cave is too limiting for our flight," the Senodokidatsu growled "Time to open it up a bit!"

Before anyone could react, the creature released the energy in its mouth and fired off a powerful blast that rocketed toward the ceiling of the cave. It was so strong that it ripped through the cavern, causing rocks to rain down upon them.

"Move! We've gotta get out of here!" Soujin shouted. He pushed his comrades aside as as chunks of rocks came raining down from the Senodokidatsu’s assault.

The team scrambled while moving through the cave. They narrowly avoided being crushed by the falling debris trying to make it to the outside. They emerged from the collapsing cave after a few minutes. Afterwards, they looked up into the sky seeing the monster soaring.

"We underestimated them," Soujin muttered.

Before they could react, the Senodokidatsu began to gather dark blue energy balls, one for every second it flew. In a sudden onslaught, it unleashed a barrage of blue energy blasts at them.

Soujin stepped forward, summoning his wind power to create a barrier, but the Senodokidatsu closed in fast, overwhelming their defenses. "Shit," he cursed under his breath.

Bellar leaped into action, slashing with lightning-infused strikes, but her efforts only managed to inflict minimal damage before she was sent flying by the creature's relentless assault.

“Shiiiit!!!!”

Soujin growled in frustration. "This one's clever. We need to come up with a plan, fast."

Xero stepped forward. "Leave the planning to me," he declared.

Soujin nodded. "I'm counting on you, Xero."

With a confident smile, Xero turned to face the rest of the team. "We need to stall it for as long as we can," he announced. "We'll buy ourselves some time to come up with a strategy. Everyone, stay on your guard and keep it distracted!"

The team nodded. Everyone with their swords drawn stood by Captain Soujin waiting for this Senodokidatsu’s next move.

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Meanwhile, far from the battle of Soujin and his squad, Muffet embarked on a mission alongside Hyorine and another girl, dressed in attire reminiscent of a witch. Her entire squad travelled behind her. They travelled through the remnants of a Village which had a dark cloud over it.

"This used to be Arkivar Village," Hyorine remarked.

Muffet surveyed the desolate landscape with an evil grin on her face. Bones littered the ground like macabre decorations, silent witnesses to the horrors that had unfolded here.

" On top of investigating for a Divine blade, we're here to investigate reports of werewolf-type Senodokidatsu," Hyorine continued,"Captain Will wants to know if there's any truth to the rumors. He always seems to give us the hardest jobs."

"Werewolf Senodokidatsu, huh?" Muffet chuckled darkly, her amusement evident in the glint of her eyes. "These creatures come in all shapes and sizes, but werewolves are a new one. It's like confirming the existence of vampires."

She turned to her squad with a mischievous grin while placing her hands on her sides. "Well, ladies, does the prospect of encountering werewolf Senodokidatsu excite you?"

Her squadmates, caught up in the thrill of the unknown, nodded eagerly. For them, the idea of facing such terrifying creatures only added to the adrenaline rush of the mission.

While continuing their exploration of the village, Muffet's keen eyes spotted something amidst the bones—a single carcass, fresh and still emitting a putrid odor.

"Well, what do we have here?" Muffet said with curiosity while approaching the fresh kill. "Looks like one of the culprits must be nearby."

Suddenly, a low growl echoed through the desolate village. The arrival of the werewolf Senodokidatsu was imminent, and despite the danger, excitement coursed through everyone’s veins like wildfire.

"Here they come!”

But when creatures emerged from the shadows, a frown creased Muffet's brow. These werewolf Senodokidatsu were unlike any she had encountered before—they were not color-coded, and their armor-clad bodies obscured any distinguishing features.

Hyorine's sharp observation cut through the tension like a knife. "They're not colorized like normal. That means their strength could vary widely."

‘Well, that’s not good. We won’t be able to determine weak from strong… did they paint themselves to throw us off?’

But then, amidst the sea of unknown adversaries, Muffet's gaze landed on one figure—the giant werewolf Senodokidatsu at the back, its crimson hue unmistakable. There was no mistaking the immense power radiating from its form, and a surge of adrenaline coursed through Muffet's veins.

"Well, well, well, looks like we've found our main target," Muffet said with a wide smile coming towards her face."Let's show these beasts what the Divine Squad 6 is made of."