CLANG
Shu's blade clashed with the ghilan's long nails. The black spiky material had extended beyond his fingers, forming claws. Multiple exchanges were made, loads of water flying in every direction. Trees were uprooted and the ground was torn open.
The young samurai waved his katana once more, leaving a clean cut on the ghoul's chest. Deckard jumped back to gain space. It was futile. Shu flashed right in front of him, his blade already in motion.
SLASH
A rotten hand fell to the floor. It was severed. The ghilan jumped back again. There was no movement from the lazy swordsman, which allowed him to gain some space.
"That flash step of yours is quite annoying!" Deckard exclaimed.
He stomped on the ground, and blood spikes rose from the wet grass. Shu flipped into the air with an elegant display of acrobatics. His body was twisting and turning, narrowly dodging all of the emerging spikes.
At this moment, the ghoul smirked. It was as if things were all going according to plan. The samurai noticed his expression and sensed danger. A greataxe was hurtling down toward him. It was one of the gargoyles! Shu was still in midair, so he raised both his sheath and blade to defend.
BAM
The heavy force caused his body to flip. He flexed his abdomen, using the momentum to further his goal. Shu's leg wrapped around the pole and allowed him to swing on top of it. The samurai was now standing on top of the axe.
Now that he had a second, he turned to Rin with a frown. The snow demon's surroundings were covered in ice. All of the grass and shrubbery had become coated in crystal blue. She was matching the other gargoyle blow for blow, but wasn't able to keep the other statue's attention. Her hair was slowly changing color, from her original black to an icy silver.
Shu could feel the change in her mana. It was becoming more beastlike. His eyebrows raised.
'Yuki-onna! She's a snow woman…' He realized.
A snow woman was a form of yokai who resided in the snowy mountains and plains. It would be winter all year round without a change in the weather. No wonder she didn't have any home training! No wonder she could smell his difference! It still didn't explain why she was so fixated on him though.
Saving these thoughts for later, Shu felt movement from the axe. The gargoyle waved its weapon in an attempt to force him off. The swordsman leaped toward its head and rotated a full 360 degrees. A heavy kick slammed against its face.
BAM
The statue flew toward the snow demon. Rin, who had just cleaved off an arm, kicked her opponent into the approaching stone beast. They collided with a splatter of stone chunks and fell to the ground. The yokai immediately dashed toward them, her odachi covered in frost. Each of her steps left trails of ice. All of the rain made it easier to freeze things. Barely any of her mana had been utilized.
Her blade severed both of the gargoyles in half. She then looked at her comrade to find him engaged in an intense fight with Deckard. The snow woman bided her time, waiting for a chance to assist.
Shu dodged more claw swipes with minimal effort. His arm blurred and another limb fell to the floor. The ghoul was slowly beginning to feel fear. He hadn't landed a single attack, but already lost a hand and an arm.
"You want to die so bad?! Fine! " The ghilan roared.
An arm of rotten mana grew from his bleeding stump. A saw blade grew from his wrist. He now had mana hands as weapons. His form bulged and twisted before bones sprouted from his back.
Both Rin and Shu looked at him with a deadpan. Was that supposed to make him stronger? It just made him uglier. And smell worse.
A pool of blood appeared beneath them. The young samurai jumped in the air and turned to the snow demon. She understood his look, and covered the ground in ice. Deckard's attack had been nullified.
"Graaahhh! Annoying!" The ghilan screamed.
"...."
Shu flashed behind the walking corpse and cleaved. It was a clean stroke. Deckard's legs were severed. The ghoul fell to the ground. Blood covered the frozen grass. He crawled to an upright position.
"Noooo! I wanna live! I wanna eat-"
SLASH
"...Your voice is annoying." Shu spoke.
The ghilan's head fell to the floor. It was now a corpse through and through. Both assassins heaved a sigh of relief. Mission complete.
"Shu…" Rin called out.
"Good job, little yokai." He answered.
"...You know?"
"Mnn."
"...Do you hate me now?" She asked with her head down.
The young samurai cupped her chin, forcing her to look up at him. There was a slight smile on his face. Of course, it couldn't be seen due to the mana breather. As he looked down at her now blue eyes, his thumb gently caressed her cheek.
"No. Why would I hate you? We're in Valsir, after all. We accept everyone." He soothed.
"......"
There was a moment of silence. Without further ado, they headed back toward the chancellor's home. A happy grin adorned her face the whole way.
…
…
…
"It-It was my son?!" Mason exclaimed.
"...Not your son. A ghoul possessing your son's dead body. He controlled the gargoyle statues." Shu's distorted voice rang.
"He's dead…He's dead…My son has been dead all along…" The chancellor muttered to himself.
The duo had already met with Mason to report. Everyone was now standing at the battle scene. The gray haired man could be seen staring at his son's corpse. Chunks of the gargoyle statues covered the grass.
"...Mason. The intel." Rin spoke up. She didn't really care about his loss.
"Right, right. Your damn intel." He growled.
The man reached into his coat and pulled out a scroll. There was also a usb-like device. Now that they had their reward, the two members of Silent Night made their exit.
Both of them spent a few more days in Lokni. They made sure to enjoy the sights and try most of the tasty foods. Once they had done everything they wanted to do, they left. It was time to return.
