Not a Sayan
FourtyTwo
Neziul
Dane
ChevRyūnoko Keodis
Cleaning up is always the worst part of these "visits." The Lords and Consorts let the prestige of sitting at Michikatsu's right and left hands go to their head, and forget that physical power isn't the end-all be-all of strength. So, when they inevitably step out of line, and start playing with something ol' Oyajiji thinks works just fine, well, he has to slap them down a little to remind them not to touch his stuff. Too bad a "light slap" for a Yatsuchizuki is enough to cause a pressure wave so powerful, it detonated every sealed container in the building. Glasses? Shattered. Freezer? Blown open like a tin can. The repository of old, famous, vintage sake downstairs? Blown apart and wetting the floorboards.
"Alright, you lot know the drill. Code White is in effect, get this place cleaned up. Zanzi, take stock of what survived. Moro, take the Akimichi twins and get Ryoshu's newest gift in with the others at 9 Points. God knows this place will be razed in a week if we display a dead Hashira in a Meeting Ground. Parmis, check in with the other locations, and tell them I'll be unavailable for.... ahhh, say 3 days. Himiko, you're on replacement duty. Find where we can restock the good stuff, because I know I had a 1300 Sudo Honke vintage. Take whatever money you need, I'll make sure we aren't footing the bill for this. Petryov, Rengoku, you're with me."
Surprisingly, most of my workers are normal humans. Aware of the nighttime dance, sure, but they aren't all demons or rogue slayers. They get paid good money to do their jobs, not blab, and not question the mass property damage. With that being said, there are still quite a few demons in my employ. Petryov, for example, is a Russian immigrant who got converted after running from the USSR and getting capped for it. His art is a warping art, where if he has a good visualization and location, he can create a portal between here and there. The best taxi service you've ever seen, I swear. Best of all, he makes me able to communicate nigh-instantly, anywhere, securely, skipping the mail system.
To Lord Michikatsu Tsugikuni, formerly Upper Moon 1 Kokushibo, Oyabun of the Kyushu Yakuza, Sole Lord of Takamagahara, Demon King, Oyajiji, and about a million other titles both you and I hate;
You blew up $15 million US dollars of sake.
Alright, with that written, and off via portal express to the top of the mail stack on Oyajiji's desk in Kyushu, time to get to the realities of the situation. Things are heating up, and our little shadow dance may be becoming pretty bright soon. With my Blood Demon Art being the Final Word in almost any scenario, there's a reason I keep disgraced or converted slayers on payroll. Most of the time, it's as an effective threat against my demon customers from getting too rowdy, but they also serve a separate purpose. Picking up the nodachi from over the mantle of the bar, I gesture to the wall, where a swirling portal appears, and my entourage steps through.
"Again!"
"Flame Breathing. First Form. Unknowing Fire. Second Form. Rising Scorching Sun. Third Form. Blazing Universe. Fourth Form. Blooming Flame Undulation. Fifth Form. Flame Tiger. Sixth Form. Soaring Flame Haze. Seventh Form. Flaming Lotus Barrage. Eighth Form. Heavenly Flame Twister."
Sliding from strike to strike, the 60 in. blade flies about in an abandoned gym, the floor completely devoid of any obstructions besides the cuts in the floor from the blade passing through solid concrete.
"Now, Form Nine!"
"Flame. Breathing... NINTH FORM. RENGOKU!"
With the sound of a roaring fire, the flame detonating in on itself as it consumes all oxygen, a single strike cuts through the air.
"... Passable. Sloppy on the follow-through, but I doubt you'll be improving it."
Standing up from his crouched position, Keodis takes a towel and wipes down his forehead and face, before grabbing a bottle full of a viscous red liquid, which he proceeds to chug down.
"Hff... hff... you're one to say."
"I am. Now, I know you aren't settling for just the Flame Style. Tell me, what bastardization will you be making of it?"
"You say that as if I didn't just spend about 18 million yen to get you to teach me. As for the "bastardization," well, I've always done well with the alpha strike doctrine. One enormous, overwhelming blow that ends the fight. The style of Rengoku feeds well into the doctrine."
"You're trying to build an entirely new breathing style off of Rengoku? Are you mad?"
"I'm a demon. What you consider mad is my normal. Having a stronger base means I can push myself harder than you, even on the low end. Now, witness the birth of a new style."
"Nuclear Breathing. First Breath. Ignition."
