“You’re lying…

The emperor?”

“Is it because of my appearance?” Cash’s voice distorts and his featureless face melts into the appearance of an old woman

“Do I look human now?” the crooky voice asks 

…

…

“How about now?” His face turns into a broad chiselled one with a booming voice

“I don’t like this one.” Pinoki steps back slowly tugging Shiryu to follow

“Is that a requiem ability?” Shiryu stands his ground

“Educated assumption,” Cash stands as still as a statue his face once again featureless

“Ghostface, 

I can take on the physical attributes of the people I killed,

And having killed many humans, I know you are not one, 

Are you a dog of Bakufu?

Or perhaps.

One of the new breed?”

(He knows…)

“I have been following you since first started climbing the wall,

I could have shot you down right there

But here you are

Answer me then I’ll turn one of you into a requiem and the other into a new face,” threatens Cash in the most stoic of tones

(I can’t make heads or tails of this man

Is he telling the truth?

Really is he the emperor?

So cold and emotionless

I thought Aki was but…)

“Unnnghh!”

Booowwwwwffff!

Unexpectedly the emperor leaps forward clocking Shiryu right in the temple sending him crashing out of the alley into a lit up but empty street

“Took to long to answer, death it is.” He unveils a small dagger that opposed to attacking Pinoki or Shiryu with the emperor sinks the blade into both of his palms creating an outpour of blood

“Blood magic blades.” sharp crimson machetes form out of the blood

“Hold on,” Shiryu gets up gingerly 

“Hold on before we fightuuhhggnnñ”

Fwhishhkk!

“Watch it!”

Pinoki’s shadow hand yanks Shiryu out the way 

One blade just grazing across his throat and the other pressed at his heart

“Wohh!” gasps Shiryu

“Thanks he’s fast and isn’t trying to fight, going straight for the kill.” 

“Hey! I thought you wanted to interrogate us?” Pinoki braces back next to Shiryu expecting another sudden charge

“I’m impatient, so die.

Hyyuhhgh!”

The emperor darts again thrusting a blade each into the chests of the pair

?

The bodies shimmer away now showing a wall where the blades stick 

“An illusion?” 

Whampp!

As words escape is mouth so does one of his teeth from an unexpected uppercut rocketing out of his own shadow

“That’s for punching me.” Shiryu taunts emerging from the shadow

“heh” Cash smiles spitting his blood near Shiryu who immediately dodges away from it, not taking any chances

“One with shadow magic, the other with illusion magic, 

I won’t slaughter you completely,

Your magics will be useful,” he takes back up his dagger pinning it on his wrist

*Slice*

Skhhtchtzz!

A spray of blood erupts from his wrist off raining down on the pair

“Pinoki back into your shadow!” hisses Shiryu,

“His blood it’s–”

“Blood nails.”

“Owghh!” the droplets begin penetrating their skin

“Shadow knives!” Pinoki fires back but the emperor doesn’t try evading, letting the blades impale him producing even more blood

“What the hell is this guy!?”

“Let me show you how it’s done.

Bloody darts.”

“agh Pinoki I said get down already!” barks Shiryu

“What about y–”

“–Down I said!”

Shwwickk!

Cash’s blood projectiles all fire into Shiryu as Pinoki slips down into his shadow

“I’ve had enough of this,” the violet patterns on his body start glowing

“Cupid spear…

Nah 

I don’t need the spear for this,

Dragon boost,”

Shiryu gets down on knee taking a deep breath is purple hair flaring up 

“Dragon you said?” the emperor had also been undergoing pseudo transformation of his own, changing his slimmer body to that of a broad hulking man, 

Red spikes of blood origin line his knuckles eagerly awaiting the skin they would puncture…

“Yes, and no,” Shiryu stands back up now nothing about him having changed besides his hair still glowing and pointing upward

“I said dragon yes, but if you think I am no,”

“Then wh–”

WHOOOMMM!

This time it’s Shiryu who rushes the man knocking him high into the air he leaps up after him 

THWWAMMMM!

His second blow creates a booming sound wave rupturing all Cash’s internal organs at once and sending him crashing out the air faster than he go whacked up

THUMMDD! 

He impacts into Wu-tang central, a park in the center of the city,

“Hey what’s that commotion?” guards are residents still active during the night raise alarm immediately

WHUMM!

But that is of no concern to Shiryu who lands atop the emperor’s body,

“Kskkhh,” he drools blood still conscious, 

“You are monster…

I will…..definitely turn you into a requiem….

Blood bom–

–gunhnnkk!”

Not giving him the chance to conjure another spell Shiryu drops an atomic fist into his gut before yanking him up into the air again,

(Why am I so angry?)

“Jyuhh!”

BWAAPPP!

Shiryu bats the emperor out of the air again sending him into the imperial castle

(I don’t need to be this violent do I?)

BAHHHHHSSHSSHSHHSSLKKKK!!!!

Cash meteors into the castle with Shiryu on top him raising up a thick cloud of dust from the destroyed roof debris

Vwoooshhh!

“What is the meaning of this!?” a man fumes as the dust blows away 

“You!?”

(The Wu Tang guy who was in Soterra,

Am I going have to fight him too?

I just want to find Ak–)

“Shiryu?” the woman’s voice snaps him out of thought

“..A… Aki?” he wipes the dust off his face

She frowns at him thankfully

“How did you get here, who is that?” Natsu presses instantly spotting the emperor’s pummelled body

“You!?

Kill them all at once!

They’re in league together!” Cappadona exclaims

“Look at our emperor!”

“You did that to him Shiryu?” Fuyu tugs on the young man’s hair

“What are doing here getting into my business!?” Aki pushes in front her sister

“36 chambers!”

“I wasn’t..

I’m here for something else”

“What kind of some—”

…..

…..

“Aki?”

Without warning Aki and everything around Shiryu disappears

“Aki!?”

(What the hell)

“Where did everything go?”

….

….

….