[FFML] [yyh][rk][xover] Youtou Shinnoken Chapter 42: The Other Side of Bloodlust (Part 10)

[Abdiel]

Back in Akasaka, Minato Ward...

Even Hajime Saito (also known as Lieutenant Goro Fujita in the ModernHeisei
Era), who was a lot more durable than a regular human (and evenSuzaku was
beginning to have doubts about whether the Miburo was _still_human at that
point) couldn't take the heat and microwaves radiatingfrom the Crimson
Sparrow's body.
So the copper pulled his sword out before its steel ended up eithermelted,
disintegrated, or sublimated by the full electromagneticspectrum flowing
through the Master of Electromagnetism while he backedaway and made a
tactical retreat, for once.
At his fullest power, the Railgunner could microwave the surrounding airand
raise its temperature up to 538 degrees Celsius or 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit
in an instant, which in turn allowed him to vaporize skin,boil brains, and
blow skulls up in less than two-tenths of a second.From within his victims'
own bodies.
Gamma ray poisoning was deadly in its own right (and, contrary to claimsof
certain Western comics, it didn't give people superpowers), butcellular
mutation, radiation sickness, and cancer didn't nearly produceas fast of an
impact as microwaving one's insides did.
Seeing the supernatural happenings surrounding a policeman with a katanaand
what appeared to be a blond Yankee sporting hair bangs with frostedtips and
a bizarre Arabian-Nights-themed outfit, the surviving passersbyof the Red
Slope district fled in terror.
This allowed Suzaku to pick off the humans one by one withelectromagnetic
pulses to their organs, resulting in organ failure, fromthe lungs to the
heart. The others, he simply electrocuted.
"Run sheep. Run and hide." The youkai then sneered at his
designatedopponent in disdain. "At least _they_ know their place... unlike
you,Saito Hajime."
"You're acting just like Usui from the original Juppon Gatana. Now thatyou
have your back against the wall, you've resorted to bullying thoseweaker
than you in order to feel better about yourself... like thecoward that you
are," Saito rebuked.
Grinning, the Saint Beast mocked, "What's the matter, officer? Areyou...
upset? Does seeing me kill all your fellow humans _frustrate_you? Does it
open your eyes to how helpless you really are?"
"Knowing _him_, all you're doing is angering Battousai. He _hates_cowards
like you." Saito stared at his superheated, red-hot steel bladeand waited
for it to cool down. He shrugged. "But I have no problem withthat. It's
your funeral, after all."
"There you go again with your obsession with the Battousai. You sound
as obsessed with battling that overhyped swordsman as Udo Jine is!" said
asmiling (or perhaps smirking) and chuckling Suzaku, confident that aslong
as he had his  electromagnetic field superheating his surroundings,Fujita
couldn't touch him.
"Why should I care about some _human_ swordsman who had vowed not tokill
ever again? Why would any demon be afraid of _him_?"
"You have nothing to worry about as far as the vagabond or maybe
evenBattousai the _Manslayer_ is concerned. Battousai the _Demon-Slayer_,
onthe other hand, now _that's_ a whole 'nother kettle of fish. Hell,you're
even borrowing _his_ powers to reach S-Level in the first place.A mere
_fraction_ of his powers, at that."
Suzaku snorted. "The powers of the _Demon Sword_ are not his to
covet.They're mine to keep."
"...For now."
"No. For _good_."

========================================================================

Youtou ShinnokenA Rurouni Kenshin/Yuyu Hakusho Crossover Fan Fiction
StoryBy Chester Castañedachester.castaneda at gmail.comgabriel_gabdiel
@yahoo.comhttp://www.fanfiction.net/u/223441/Original concept by Chad
Yangchadjill at ms3.hinet.nethttp://www.fanfiction.net/u/56473/
Hajime Saito versus Suzaku is underway! Or is it Hajime Saito versussomeone
else...?

========================================================================
Chapter 42: The Other Side of Bloodlust (Part 10)
========================================================================

The Master of Electromagnetism's glowing electric aura... a plasma fieldand
magnetic bubble full of electrical discharges that branched out likecracks
made out of light... intensified while sparks danced on the steelsurface of
the Youtou Shinnoken.
'If he really is coating that blade with his reiki, then all I need todo is
absorb all that spirit energy or destroy his sword altogether towin against
him,' thought the Crimson Sparrow.
The demon then created a huge electromagnetic field around him in orderto
house a vast amount of overwhelming power that made his hairs standon end
and turn into sharp spikes due to the rising amount of static.
He shone like a star or some other heavenly body; he became the blacked-out
Akasaka's strongest and primary source of light.
After he transformed himself into the one true Lightning Lord, all thelight
particles and electricity around the area was absorbed unto him,up to the
point of him summoning a lightning storm with billions ofvolts of
electricity, granting him limitless power.
From there, a vast amount of plasma orbs from his electromagnetic
fieldstarted forming, superheating the whole area and killing almost all
lifearound them save for the ever-tenacious Fujita.
From gamma rays to electromagnetic radiation, Suzaku's body emanated
allsorts of different energies, waves, and rays while he turned the
curvedblade of the Youtou Shinnoken into the spine of his Ankoku-Raiko-Ha
bowbefore shooting irradiated lightspeed arrows with millions with
hugevoltage that could power entire cities.
The Wolf of Mibu charged again, this time with his low-angled,
downward-thrust Second-Style Gatotsu. This allowed him to attack from below
whileavoiding the Lightning Storms of Torment shooting straight from
Suzaku'sDemon Sword bow.
Suzaku harrumphed before he adjusted his aim. 'Even if Saito Hajimesomehow
manages to get through, he'll still be microwaved to death by
myelectromagnetic radiation bubble.'
Indeed, once the super cop came within range of the superheated air
andplasma, red steam flowed through his pores just as, unbeknownst to
thedemon, the boiling blood of Makoto Shishio evaporated after the
would-bedictator went beyond his own human limits in his battle with
KenshinHimura.
Or it would've remained unbeknownst to the Saint Beast had Himura notshared
his memory with the demon. 'Stop giving me those flashbacks andmemories
I've never made, Battousai! I don't need them! Get them out ofmy head!'
A sudden burst of speed... a supersonic speed that resulted in a sonicboom
after Saito's katana pierced right through mounting air pressureand the
sound barrier... allowed the policeman to shove his sword's tipat Suzaku's
calf.
Like a wolf whose fangs have bitten through his prey's legs toimmobilize it.
"GATOTSU NISHIKI!"
"!?"
"I forgot to mention, but maybe you've already figured it out:
Killinghelpless civilians is one thing. Killing _me_ is also a whole
'notherkettle of fish altogether," drawled Fujita, whose numerous
injurieshealed while his body resisted the heat wave that could melt
flesh,evaporate blood, and make heads explode.
Once more, even the full electromagnetic spectrum within Suzaku'scontrol
was not enough to keep the Immortal One of the Shinsengumi down.
"ANKOKU-RAIJIN-KEN!"
In panic, the Phoenix King stabbed Saito in the chest with the
Demon-Sword-assisted Storm of Torment Fist and electrocuted the human
withblood-vaporizing electric shocks powered by repeated lightning
strikesfrom above before the copper could do his signature
"GATOTSUZEROSHIKI!"
"GUAGHH!"
However, electrocuting the cop did _nothing_ to stop his Gatotsu. If hewere
anything like Kazuma Kuwabara, then perhaps shooting electricitythrough him
like with a cattle prod or even an electric chair empoweredhim instead of
hurt him.
At any rate, maybe it was survival instincts that prompted Suzaku toresort
to another superpower of his that he only recently discovered.
The Zero Form Gatotsu stopped short of its target, but this time notbecause
of magnetic forces (since Hajime did something to his steelsword that
prevented Suzaku from gaining complete control over it);instead, it was
through galvanism or electric-current-induced muscle contraction.
The Railgunner had his opponent on the ropes once more, turning him intohis
own personal puppet using electrical currents that the copper wassupposedly
immune to in order to control his nerves and muscles.
"You've used your trump card twice already. Are you getting desperate,Saito
Hajime?"
In biology, galvanism (at present referred to as electrophysiology)
wasmuscle contraction stimulated by electricity. This effect... named
afterscientist Luigi Galvani who researched the effects of
electricalcurrents on dissected animals during the Sixteenth Century...
inspiredMary Shelley's Frankenstein after people at the time mistook it as
ameans to bring organisms to life.
Regardless, this ability granted the Lightning Lord the power to turnthe
ex-Shinsengumi squad leader into his own personal puppet. "Let's seeyou use
that pointblank stab of yours on _yourself_ for once."
Instead of following the Master of Electromagnetism's mental orders,Saito
stood his ground while the electricity that traveled through hisveins
converged into the gaping, bleeding hole in the Miburo's chestwhere the
Demon Sword pierced him.
'What the HELL?'
Soon enough, the temporary paralysis on Hajime's body had worn off. Hethen
aimed his magnetism-proof sword at the Phoenix King's head.
It was only through a combination of his electromagnetic shield, whatlittle
control he had left on the steel of Saito's blade, a ball ofplasma, partial
galvanism, the full electromagnetic spectrum of energy,the Storm of Torment
Fist (Ankoku-Raijin-Ken), and an electromagneticshockwave that Suzaku
escaped the third Zeroshiki with his head intact.
The Wolf of Mibu's lanky frame flew back, juggled by the pillars oflight,
the hole in his chest spewing blood all over for a few secondsbefore
stopping altogether and mending itself then and there.
It was as if Suzaku were fighting against the Elder Toguro, who wasanother
perfect candidate for immortality.
Halfway through his unceremonious flight, the tumbling Mibu no Okamilanded
on his antelope-like legs, assumed his "southpaw" Gatotsu stance,and
attacked the midway-finished shockwave with his own supersoniccharge.
The sonic boom canceled out the remaining electromagnetic pillars oflight
after the pinpoint tip of his sword again acted like a singularitythat
sucked out all the energy around it.
"GATOTSU ISHIKI!"
Another flashback from Battousai assaulted Suzaku's senses,
particularlyHimura's supersonic attacks not piercing through Saito's
impregnableguard no matter how fast he got or how quick his reflexes were,
asthough the Miburo could read the ex-hitokiri's mind or could see intothe
future.
Dammit. What the hell did it take to defeat Hajime? Why was nothingSuzaku
did working?
As if he really could read minds, Fujita answered Suzaku's unsaidquestions.
"If you want to beat me, then you need to awaken HimuraBattousai... no, the
_Youkiri_ Battousai... to stand a chance. Anythingless than the Hiten
Mitsurugi Ryu will not work against me."
"I DON'T _NEED_ THE BATTOUSAI TO KILL YOU, HUMAN! I NEVER DID!"
shoutedSuzaku.
Goro raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh really? Then let go of the DemonSword.
Let's see how far you'll get in your attempt to defeat me_without it_."
"RAARGH! DIE! ANKOKU-RAIKO-HA!"
The lightspeed thunderbolts (or at least approaching lightspeed, sincethe
air slowed them down a little) flew all over Akasaka, which resultedin
widespread damage while also electrocuting or even outrightsublimating,
liquefying, or vaporizing organic and inorganic matter.
As this happened and the death toll rose, jaki or negative energyfurther
tainted the blade of the Demon Sword.
Suzaku couldn't accept it. Even if he were aware of his folly, his
pridewould nonetheless not let him be defeated by a human. Again. At
leastwith Yusuke Urameshi, it was "posthumously" revealed that the
"ningen"was a "mazoku".
A half-demon. To be defeated by a "full" human who possessed "four movesof
doom" was something the youkai wouldn't put up with.
The electromagnetic master hovered above Saito in his bubble that
lookedlike an oversized plasma dome.
His hovering body itself served as this plasma dome's electrode, whilehis
electromagnetic field contained all his electric might. He becamedeath from
the heavens, like Zeus or Jupiter hurling thunderbolts fromMount Olympus,
forged by Hephaestus or Vulcan himself.
"GATOTSU SANSHIKI!"
Saito aimed his sword upwards at a 45-degree angle and lunged forwardwith
his strong, horse-like legs. Apparently, like Superman, the supercop could
leap tall buildings in a single bound, but he alreadyshowcased as much (or
more so) when he launched himself and Suzaku highup the stratosphere.
Misjudging Hajime's speed in an eye blink, the Lightning Lord ended
upface-to-face with the business end of Lieutenant Fujita's katana.
The fight would've ended then and there, with Suzaku's head pierced
openlike a grapefruit, had the Demon Sword not swarmed Goro with
supersonicslashes that scourged and lacerated the copper, allowing the
demon toescape.
"RYU SOU SEN!"
That was _another_ one of Battousai's technique that Suzaku deployed
tosurvive. He didn't intend to do it, but he ended up following
Hajime'sadvice regardless.
"No. You can't trick me, Battousai! I will defeat Saito Hajime by_myself_.
I will kill him with my own hands and in my own terms, not_yours_. I,
Suzaku, will prevail and prove myself the one and onlyworthy successor of
the Demon Sword!" the Shisejyu Leader raved andranted.
This time around, like an electric Spider-Man, the Railgunner made
atactical retreat, swinging from (steel) building to building
usinglightning bolts as his "rope" or "webbing".
After Suzaku escaped and formulated a new battle plan, letting
Hajime'sfollow-up thrust miss him by a mile, he saw the cop stop in
midair,fall, somersault, scale the side of a nearby building, do a
horizontalpounce that broke the windows due to its sheer impact, and
continuedhis forward charge.
The Crimson Sparrow also noticed that his Dark Lightning Waves nearestthe
flying policeman bent and distorted around the tip of his sword, asthough
the plasma sparks and bolts were drawn right into the weapon oreven the
lieutenant himself.
Curious.
This had Suzaku thinking. At this juncture of his duel with Saito,
he'dalready received radio wave "transmissions" from the rest of his
sixclones, particularly the ones fighting against the Reikai Warrior
namedYahiko Myojin.
Initially, they were winning easily against the boy because he wasfoolish
enough to use a steel blade against them.
Come to think of it, wasn't that the same thing Hajime was doing rightnow?
In any case, for whatever reason, the boy found a way to
neutralizeelectromagnetism, thus allowing him to use a blunt metal sword
againstthe clones of a Master of Electromagnetism.
Didn't Fujita have the same power to neutralize Suzaku's abilities
everytime?
'No. I never lost my powers when I'm around him. Rather, whatever I
used against him was rendered ineffective because he keeps
absorbingeverything I throw at him. He's like... a sponge for energy, or
even aliving black hole that even light can't escape from.'
Energy absorption. Black hole. Was that Saito's superpower? Was he aliving
black hole? A void of darkness walking on two legs, faster thaneven the
speed of light because no matter how fast light traveled, itfound that the
darkness had always gotten there first, waiting for itall the while?
How fitting a power for the Immortal Shinsengumi who was able to defyFather
Time and Death themselves. Literally. 'Could he even be killed?'
No. This wasn't the time to panic. He was S-Level now. And
conventionalknowledge dictated that an S-Level demon would always trump an
S-Levelhuman every time. No exceptions. In fact, he predicted that Feng
Xinhaiwould probably succumb to the S-Level powers of Yusuke Urameshi in
theend... and he was right!
"I thought you swore you'd kill me. What's taking you so long?" saidGoro,
who continued absorbing lightning bolts from Suzaku as if theywere water to
a sponge. Like he was a Faraday Cage designed to soak upevery last volt.
"What's taking _you_ so long to kill _me_, Mister Kill Evil
_Instantly_?Besides, I don't need to kill you. You're already dead, aren't
you? It'sonly a matter of time before you rest in peace on your own, you
relic ofa bygone era!"
Regardless, Suzaku had to do something fast. He resorted to
hurlingsomething solider and more tangible at the cop, such as metal
scraptaken from all over Akasaka flung at every possible angle or
droppedusing gravity (so that he could conserve his power).
A ginormous (literal) wolf(!?) then materialized from behind
the(metaphorical) Wolf of Mibu and acted as his shield against
thebombardment of wreckage, debris, and  shrapnel.
The lupine beast stood tall and big enough to shield the airborne
Ex-Captain of the Shinsengumi, who continued onward, his blade
thrustforward while his back rested mere inches away from the snout and maw
ofhis spirit animal.
'What is even going on anymore!?' thought a leering Suzaku, who lookedover
his shoulder, his jaw unhinged by the ridiculous... _things_chasing after
him, hot on pursuit. How many abilities did this one humanhave?
Saito was almost like Rando with all the skills he possessed!
Fujita and Suzaku ended up in an open area somewhere in Akasaka far
awayfrom tall buildings and their lightning rods...  to be more
specific,Nogi Shrine... which allowed him direct and open access to the
nimbusclouds up in the heavens and their electrical discharges
withoutanything getting in their way.
"With all things considered equal, a demon will never be defeated by
ahuman. Urameshi lost the Demon World Unification Tournament because hewas
only a half-breed mongrel. Quit your posturing and succumb to
theinevitable."
Hajime rolled his eyes and smirked. "You really are Icarus. Your follyand
pride will be your downfall."
"Enough. RAIL SHOTGUN!" Energized by lightning storms, the
fleeingRailgunner upped the ante yet again by replacing his ineffective
Ankoku-Raiko-Ha with the rapid-fire version of his Chou Denjiho or
UltraElectromagnetic Cannon, firing off the metal wreckage of varying
massesand volumes he gathered after he and the lieutenant "toured" most
ofAkasaka.
He blasted the buckshot Railgun at a rate of eight shots per minute,which
succeeded in punching through the lithe, lumbering form of Saitoin a spray
of red. Even his pet lobo, as huge of a target he presented,was shot and
obliterated by the orange supersonic blasts that evenYusuke had to avoid
for fear of their destructive power.
Indeed, to Suzaku's relief and delight, Saito's limbs ended up
flyingeverywhere once shot after shot of the Rail Shotgun turned him
intosizzling giblets and smoking "long meat" bacon.
However, to the Phoenix King's chagrin, he confirmed his suspicionsearlier
on. The 31-mile drop using the blade of the Youtou Shinnoken ashis
Railgun's projectile _did_ completely disintegrate the formerShinsengumi
member once they landed in Akasaka.
However, within minutes, the Immortal Shinsengumi regenerated his bodyfrom
nothing at a rate that would make Toguro Ani proud.
Just like Saito was doing right that instant after the Rail Shotgunmelted
his skin and exposed his bones. What kind of creature was he?
"Who the hell are you? _What_ the hell are you? Are you even _human_?ANSWER
ME, SAITO HAJIME!"
Once gravity took hold of Saito... his momentum slowing due to themounting
air resistance, friction, and all the mach-three, red-hotmetal cannonballs
fired off by the Rail Shotgun that impeded hischarge... he bounded off of
his own familiar's head.
With a howl and a grunt, the burnt and bleeding gigantic okami frombehind
Hajime pushed the master swordsman forward with a shockwave-inducing
headbutt strong enough to hurl the officer and allow him tobreak the sound
barrier after the Saint Beast "railgunned" an entirescrap yard's worth of
metal at the copper.
"I'm someone you cannot tame. The one they called immortal among
theShinsengumi. A lone surviving Mibu Wolf among what was once the MibuWolf
Pack. You're not only fighting against me, you're fighting
againsteverything that I and the Shinsengumi stand for: Aku Soku Zan."
"You're not really immortal. You're a dead man in denial! An
earthboundghost! A shinentai! You died long ago along with the Edo and
Meiji Eras,the Bakumatsu, and the Shinsengumi!"
The massive laser beam pillar of supersonic metal traveling _way_further
and farther than the normal 50-meter range of an arcade coin ora metal bolt
hit the similarly supersonic cop right at the tip of hissword. "As long as
I'm alive, the Shinsengumi will never die."
"That's only because you're the last of your kind. With your death,
theShinsengumi will finally become extinct, like the Japanese wolf!"
Under normal circumstances, the sword would've melted, disintegrated,
or sublimated while the mere heat of the incoming projectile would'veboiled
the insides of the policeman before he himself became a vaporizedsilhouette
along with his gigantic pet dog.
As Suzaku should already know by now, this was not the case for
thesupernatural policeman.
Speaking of the wolf, the gargantuan lupine shikigami turned back
intospirit energy and hurled its entire formless mass of ki right into
thedueling Saito and the huge laser beam that threatened to not
onlysublimate the super cop and his super pet, but also wipe Nogi
Shrineright off Minato.
"Goodbye, Icarus. I'm going to melt your waxen wings now. GATOTSUISHIKI!"

===

Goro's glowing blade reduced the projectile into a rain of sparks andmolten
metal after it resisted the destructive force and continuedmoving forward
even while his regeneration went into overdrive thanks tothe mind-melting,
eye-popping, blood-vaporizing, and organ-burstingheat.
Just when the Crimson Sparrow thought there was nothing more the
Miburocould do to shock him, the southpaw came up with another tactic
that(figuratively) came out of left field (appropriately enough).
Using the strong gravitational field around him as well as the extraboost
from the sentient giant animal that turned into his battle aura,the Wolf of
Mibu shoved the shooting-star-like beam of orange lightright back at the
Shisejyu Leader, who only realized he himself was thelast of his kind while
his brain melted, his eyes popped out, his bloodboiled and vaporized, and
his organs exploded one after another.
The Demon Sword... the prideful Suzaku's waxen wings... slipped off
thePhoenix King's grasp after he got consumed by his own flames, burning
inits light. One word kept repeating inside the Railgunner's melting
mindwhile he got obliterated by the Miburo.
No.
He survived four whole centuries of demons attempting to best him andwas
reborn again and again thanks to his Restoration or Kaifuku powers.He was a
born survivor, such that even after Urameshi killed him for_real_, he still
found a way to resurrect himself.
The demon _refused_ to die. He was every bit _more_ an immortal thanthis
wannabe immortal human was, living multiple human lifetimes longerthan him.
Suzaku didn't remember using his Kaifuku, but for whatever reason, afterhe
magnetically summoned back the sword, grabbed hold of it, andmagnified his
powers to S-Level once more, he ended up with his brain,organs, and body
fully intact.
Saito turned around after punching right through the exploding, burning,and
screaming Suzaku, only to see him completely revived a minute later.Without
questioning anything or even reacting, the policeman chargedagain to finish
the job.
The stone pavement from the courtyard crumbling to powder underneath
hisfeet, Hajime again delivered his piston-strong, full-body
stabbingtechnique at the Saint Beast.
Suzaku dodged to the side, but the Hirazuki master had a counter forthat,
delivering a sideward slash to his opponent in case he missed (infencing
terms, that was a Reprise).
The Master of Electromagnetism blocked the katana with his black ironsand
blade on his free hand, his electromagnetic field turning the dirtymetal
particles into the form of a whip sword.
The youkai twirled around and moved right into the southpaw
swordsman'sblind spot in order to deliver an attack from out of _right_
field withthe Youtou Shinnoken.
"RYU KAN SEN!"
"...GATOTSU ZEROSHIKI!"
The Dragon Wrap Flash counterattack that Kenshin deployed against Saitoin
their duel in the Kamiya Dojo (after ten years of losing contact witheach
other) would've decapitated the policeman outright this time aroundhad it
landed (since the Demon Sword wasn't a reverse-edged blade).
However, the Zero-Style Gatotsu allowed him to anticipate, draw out,
and counter the counterattack (in fencing terms, a Counter Time) even
afterhis sideward slash failed. This resulted in a clash of swords
thatseparated the two in opposite directions, a spray of blood
waftingbetween them.
Fujita snarled at the laceration Suzaku gave him that he couldn't, forsome
reason, heal up, remembering the same unhealable cuts that thehitokiri
delivered against the monster Iehog, who also had regenerationpowers.
It wasn't totally unhealable, though. Not for the policeman.
Goro inwardly smirked. 'Finally. An opponent with the power to
killimmortals.' To Suzaku, he rebuked, "Whatever happened to using your
ownpowers to defeat me?"
Suzaku growled back, "Even if I have to forsake my pride and use
theBattousai's powers along with mine, I'm willing to do so as long as Ican
defeat you! I'll do whatever it takes to win!"
The Shin Ju member's floating iron sand then traveled from one hand tothe
other before covering the sharp blade of the magical sword with ablack,
jagged, and coarse swarm of vibrating metallic particles thatcould skin
people alive, peel off paint from a car like a sandblaster,cut lumber, and
grind metal and bones to dust.
The Saint Beast had his guard up, because according to Himura's
livingmemories, the decapitating Ryu Kan Sen counterattack that had
landedagainst Saito a century ago wasn't able to do so now, even with
theBattousai's present supernatural form.
Despite Kenshin's help, the policeman might already have the
formerhitokiri's number, thus rendering the assistance moot. 'He's been
usinghis Gatotsu Zeroshiki to block every one of my strikes. That's why
noneof my attacks could break through his defense.'
And indeed, as the Master of Electromagnetism resumed battle with theWolf
of Mibu and his sharp fangs, the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu moves heused, from the
two Ryu Kan Sen aerial variants... Tsumuji andKogarashi... to the
double-hitting, sword-and-scabbard Sou Ryu Sen wereall parried, block, or
otherwise dodged by the implacable ex-Shinsegumiswordsman.
'It wouldn't matter if you can hit him anyway, since he can regenerateat
will and absorb energy. Nothing I do seems to work,'
telepathicallyconversed Kenshin before Suzaku rebuffed, 'Go back to sleep
or...whatever! I'm only borrowing your powers! I don't want you to
takeover!'
It was at that point that Suzaku noticed from what little strikes he
didmake, it took longer than before for Saito to heal his wounds. In
fact,that Demon Sword stab the demon did when he tried to use galvanism
onthe copper was still there, a gaping red sore, even after he
regeneratedhis whole body.
Furthermore, even though the Railgun-blasted blade of the YoutouShinnoken
was something Hajime could survive from, the crescent-shapedburn scar from
the attack that made his chest look like beef jerkyproved he couldn't heal
everything immediately.
The Demon Sword was wounding him in a way that made it difficult toheal!
Emboldened by this window of opportunity, Suzaku delivered more and moreof
Kenshin's Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu moves, his iron sand whip sword aidingthe
cutting power of the blade to the point that he might as well havebeen
wielding a katana chainsaw.
Fujita chuckled to himself after he missed more and more of his
numerouscounterstrike Gatotsu while little nicks and scratches that
healedslower than usual started to form all over his body.
The appearance of these injuries even after Saito had his guard up
wassomething the A-Class Kenshin couldn't even manage in their
firstencounter in over a century.
Goro thought, 'That's more like it. With every strike of the DemonSword, he
becomes more and more like the Battousai I knew.'
"RYU KAN SEN: ARASHI! TSUI...!" Like with Kenshin's momentous battlewith
the megalomaniac Shishio, Suzaku combined the Dragon Wrap Flash:Storm with
the Dragon Hammer Flash in order to minimize openings andkeep Saito from
capitalizing on any gaps in his defense.
After the copper reeled, the Lightning Lord crouched down then
jumpedforward, his magical sword (and the vibrating black iron
swarmsurrounding) it held perpendicularly above his head and aimed
directlyat Hajime's throat.
"...SHO SEN!"
Before Suzaku decapitated the immortal Shinsengumi like how Hercules cutoff
the immortal head of the Hydra in order to defeat it, the battle-hardened
Saito ducked low and jumped back, leaving the Crimson Sparrowwide open.
From there, something curious (or rather, _curiouser_) happened
toLieutenant Fujita. His clothes changed.
While his aura turned into a gigantic wolf from behind him, howling atthe
sky, his standard-issue cop uniform changed into another
wardrobealtogether. He now wore a light blue (asagi-iro) haori with
"whitemountain stripes" trim and hakama over a kimono, plus a white
cord(tasuki) crossed over the chest and tied at the back.
In other words, the Miburo literally turned into one of the
Miburo,otherwise known as the Shinsengumi, his flashy Edo Era
outfitreemerging. Most importantly, to Suzaku's chagrin, Saito's
slow-healingwounds closed up in an instant, as though the officer's second
wind gavehim a new burst of energy.
"GATOTSU NISHIKI!"
"RAIL...!"
Before the Railgunner again turned the blade of the Youtou Shinnokeninto a
laser beam of supersonic, ultra-electromagnetic might, he gotlanced from a
downward angle, the toe-curling pain from the Second-Style Fang Thrust
driving him to the ground so hard his black iron whipsword dissipated right
then and there.
A red geyser painted Akasaka redder than its name suggested.
To add more injury to injury (as opposed to mere insult), the lean,mean,
and Shinsengumi-uniformed fighting machine didn't stop there.
After Suzaku crashed to the ground, vomiting blood all the while, theFormer
Captain of the Third Shinsengumi Unit dragged him across thetemple
courtyard like a plow, beating him from pillar to post, thedemon's entrails
spilling across the stone floor.
Dammit. He was so close. So goddamn close. Those were the last
thoughtswithin the dying Phoenix King's mind before his mind blanked out
fromthe torture of his body getting chopped up in four separate pieces.

===

Suzaku's eyes opened, his pupils glowing like amber orbs. Perhaps theyeven
shimmered like gold. Or shone like sunshine.
In an eye blink, the demonic entrails, guts, giblets, internal organs,and
intestines strewn all over the blood-covered ground (thedisemboweled,
emasculated, and beheaded Suzaku was a hanging short ofbeing hanged, drawn,
and quartered) disappeared.
Like they were an illusion.
'What...?'
In a second eye blink, Saito saw the Phoenix King revived, if a bit ofa
bloody mess regardless (but at least he was intact instead ofquartered),
the Demon Sword's blade right in front of the youkai, whoassumed the basic
kenjutsu Water Stance.
However, there was something different about the demon. Over hisshoulder,
like a specter that haunted him, was the transparent astralprojection of
Himura Battousai, clothed in his deep blue, Edo Era kimonoand white hakama,
like when he was still Battousai the Manslayer.
Strangely enough, the ghostly Kenshin's characteristic cross-shaped scarwas
missing from his cheek. He also looked a lot younger than he was inhis
"normal" form: Like a thirteen-year-old boy that looked like
aneleven-year-old girl.
Suzaku was no longer there. There was only... the Battousai.
As showcased again and again in the past, the super-powered "Id" ofthe
Guardian of the Demon Sword had emerged once more. Anyone who usedtoo much
the power of the Youtou Shinnoken would eventually succumb tobeing
possessed by its caretaker's dark side.
It happened with Yusuke. It happened with Kurama. And now it happenedwith
Suzaku as well. Whether it was by staining the Demon Sword with theblood of
the innocents or by becoming drunk with the Youtou Shinnoken'spower, the
demon-slayer would eventually emerge and control his latesthost's body.
Like a parasite.
'Your failure is now absolute, demon; you've eaten your own words. Inthe
end, you were devoured by the power you so foolishly thought you'dbe able
to contain. You flew too close to the sun, Icarus.'
Regardless of the transformation, the Wolf of Mibu was still able toread
Kenshin's bloodlust (the only one who had the natural ability tohide it was
Soujiro Seta, after all) and react to his supersonic chargewith his own.
"GATOTSU ISHIKI!"
"KUZU RYU SEN!"
It was said that the Nine-Headed Dragon Flash was the one HitenMitsurugi
Ryu technique that had about equal stabbing strength as theGatotsu.
However, a stab was only one of many features of the all-in-one attackthat
would've served as the succession technique of Kenshin's swordschool had
the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki not existed.
And just like that, blood stained the newly made uniform of the
NewlySelected Corps member, the wounds he'd earlier healed up with a
powerboost reopening, becoming lacerations that reached all the way to
thebone that were many times worse than they were before.
The Nine-Headed Dragon Flash almost chopped him up in eight instead
ofmerely four pieces, with a final ninth stab that would've crushed
hisspine and rendered him permanently paralyzed had he missed his window
ofopportunity to counterattack.
"GATOTSU ZEROSHIKI!"
The split-second opening was all Hajime required in order to againskewer
Battousai... or rather, his puppet, Suzaku... on the same placewhere the
Gatotsu Nishiki landed earlier. It hadn't healed completely;it still bled a
red stain on Suzaku's top that served as his target forhis Zero-Style Fang
Thrust.
Both combatants bid their time, waiting for their injuries to
healcompletely in order for them to deliver their final attacks... or,
inboxing terms, their Sunday punches... unimpeded.
"The Hitokiri Battousai, I presume? No, wait... You're actually
the_Youkiri_ Battousai, aren't you?" Saito chuckled despite
receivingserious bodily injuries that limited his mobility and took him a
whilefor him to heal.
Battousai the Demon-Slayer and the demon he possessed spoke as
one,resulting in an eerie chorus of voices. "You've got what you
wanted,Saito Hajime. Here I am. What now?"
"It's been a while, Battousai. Or maybe this is the first time we'vemet?
How different are you exactly from the vagabond or even themanslayer
version of Himura Kenshin? Are you the same man or are you adifferent
person altogether?" were the piercing questions Saito askedHimura.
"What do you mean?" Battousai the Demon-Slayer queried in kind.
"How much more of a monster are you than the Hitokiri Battousai? Fromwhat
I've investigated, the reason why the Demon Sword ended up in theShrine of
the Sword was because Koenma Daio _banished_ you there, withyour most
recent memories removed."
"...."
"To be more specific, _you_ almost broke the Spirit World Barrierseparating
the Demon World from the Human World _long_ before the BlackBlack Club or
Sensui Shinobu attempted to do the same thing... allbecause the U.S.
dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasakiabout 50 years ago. Why
is that?" asked Saito.
"Humanity had committed a great crime against nature back then. Had
I succeeded, it would've rectified the destruction of the Natural Order.A
portal to the Demon World would've led to America's _Tenchu_. Evennow,
because of the United States' folly, all that awaits the sinfulmasses of
this world is mutual assured destruction from the cruel bombsof their own
making: Mass suicide at the press of a button."
Tenchu. Heavenly Retribution. Even in his most demented, perverse,
and instinctual form, the Id of Kenshin Himura still grabbed hold of
hisCode of Honor and Ethics.
That was why the redhead ended up becoming the Legendary HitokiriBattousai
in the first place, despite his master's protests about theabuse of power
and the true nature of the Way of the Sword.
"If you believe in Tenchu, then I believe in Aku Soku Zan. You're maliceand
madness wrapped in a package of good intentions. So come at me. I'vebeen
waiting for a long, long time... beyond a lifetime... to crossswords with
you."
"The feeling is not mutual." The Youkiri Battousai made Suzaku sheathethe
Demon Sword before they went into Battoujutsu Stance. "I have biggerfish to
fry, whether it's the Chojin, the Ningenkai's reckoning, or theReikai's
interference. Balance must be restored. My justice won't beundermined by
anything or anyone, including you."
In turn, the Miburo went into Gatotsu Stance. "_Your_ justice?
Restoring _balance_? Listen to yourself. You sound as deluded as the
Chojin. Iliked you better when you were the vagabond who refused to kill!
Sowhat, are you going to plunge this world into darkness for the sake of
awar that was already over almost half a century ago?"
"No. I'm only here to punish crimes past and present in order to
cleanseNingenkai of its filth and restore the Natural Order. Humanity
hasbecome a nest of evil because they were separated from what
representedevil for them in the past: The demons. They lacked a yang to
their yin,so they became their own yang to compensate."
"Oh really? So let me get this straight. You're going to
_potentially_destroy the world with _demons_ in order to keep it from
destroyingitself with _nukes_?" Saito guffawed. "I'm almost glad you've
become_this_ completely insane. I was afraid for a minute there that we'd
endup on the same side yet again. That would've been... disappointing."
In the fraction of a fraction of a second, at a rate way faster thanbodies
of their weight and size had any right of traveling, Saito andHimura
delivered their ultimate attacks. Faster than the speed by whichinformation
traveled from the nerves to the spine to the brain and back.
Hajime waited for Kenshin to attack first in order to test his theoryabout
the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki after seeing it obliterate Shishioeven after
he used his own ultimate attack. The supersonic slash thatbegan on the left
leg to add extra torque and to catch the opponent bysurprise was so
powerful that it actually left a vacuum or vortex in itswake.
"GATOTSU NISHIKI!"
By using the knowledge that the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu used the left footas
leverage for the ultimate battoujutsu, Lieutenant Fujita attackedwith a
Second-Style Fang Thrust in order to completely block theinitial,
vivisecting slice with a downward thrust.
Then, as the maelstrom of air converged at the point of impact betweenthe
two swords, Goro sunk his stance low and plunged his sword in theground to
keep himself anchored. Like a crouching wolf ready to pounce.
It wasn't as low a crouch as how, say, Enishi Yukishiro would've sunkwith a
combination of Chinese martial arts leg splits and Japaneseswordsmanship,
but it was a low enough crouch to allow the Miburo tobypass the otherwise
inescapable vacuum that defeated even the ox-strong Shishio.
All that the Youkiri Battousai had now was his follow-up second
strike.Because Saito's movements weren't arrested by the localized
hurricane(or at least supercell) caused by the first strike, this allowed
theImmortal Shinsengumi to counterattack while Kenshin's back was
turned,right into the eye of the storm.
"GATOTSU ISHIKI!"
Just as he'd practiced with the Saint Beast known as Seiryu and his Funo
Senrei attack, Saito struck with precision timing, attacking througha blind
spot left by Himura having to turn around to deliver his secondstrike.
Betrayed by his own momentum, Himura (or rather, Suzaku) ended up havinghis
top half torn clean off, just like what happened to Uonuma Usui whenhe fell
prey to the Zero-Style Fang Thrust.
"!?"
Wait. That wasn't what happened. Like a mirage, Saito's vision ofvictory
faded from existence, replaced by the Youkiri Battousaisubstituting the
second sword slash with a scabbard blow. The First-Style Gatotsu tore apart
the Demon Sword's saya into an explosion ofsplinters.
The policeman was wide open for the _third_ slash.
"GATOTSU ZEROSHIKI!"
Powered by centrifugal force, the final attack cut so deep into Saito'sbody
that he ended up reverting to his police uniform and falling in apool of
his own blood, his complexion becoming as pasty as Rando's. Itwas only
because of the last-second Zeroshiki that Hajime didn't end upbisected like
Usui was after receiving his own Zeroshiki.
Just as the Hitokiri Battousai was the Strongest Hitokiri of theBakumatsu,
the Youkiri Battousai was arguably the Strongest Being of AllThree Realms.
Nevertheless, Kenshin's puppet, Suzaku, staggered, theZeroshiki able to
puncture a lung of his in the exchange.
"Like in the Bakumatsu, in order for things to change, the old worldmust
make way for the new world to be born," pontificated Battousai
theDemon-Slayer, who prepared to decapitate his century-old rival.
'...But what about those who only want to lead peaceful lives in
today'sera?' a voice at the back of the Youkiri Battousai's mind demanded.
'They're collateral damage. The consequences of a calculated risk.'
'...Don't you dare treat human life like it's just another statistic!You're
doing the same thing as the Americans did that led to the ColdWar! Or even
the Empire of Japan did with Asia in World War II.'
'It can't be helped. Death is an inevitability of any revolution or war.You
of all people should know that.'
'Saito was right. You're no better than the Chojin. Or Shishio.'
The distracted Youkiri Battousai then backed away so fast, he left
an afterimage of himself after almost having his eye gauged and his
brain lobotomized by another out-of-the-blue Zeroshiki stab from Fujita.
His breath ragged but his spirit unbroken, Goro's dark aura began tospread
far and wide the Nogi Shrine. Instead of just one elephant-sizedwolf, an
entire pack (arguably, herd) of these behemoths appeared,howling, giving
the unstoppable, unwoundable, and unkillable HajimeSaito renewed vigor, his
deep and otherwise fatal wounds alreadyhealing.
"It's too late for you to go ahead with your plans. The Spirit
WorldBarriers don't exist anymore, and demons are already walking
amonghumans. Yet no apocalypse actually happened, contrary to
yourexpectations. Your revolution was a lie," pointed out Saito.
Unfazed, the winded Battousai returned, "The apocalypse merely
hasn't started yet. The Black Ships of Commodore Matthew Perry had not
arrivedto herald this unknown change. If what you say about the
dimensionalbarriers is true, then the Isolationalism of Humanity has ended
and thebloody revolution between the demons and the humans is about
tocommence. All they need now is a little push."
'The Cold War is over. The U.S.S.R. had been dissolved only two yearsago.
The world is turning a new leaf. Are you really going to allowthese
innocents to die for a revolution they never asked for? Damn youif you want
that,' rebuked the Kenshin inside the Youkiri Battousai'smind.
Speaking of dimensional barriers, while the third exchange between
theKenshin-possessed Crimson Sparrow and the Immortal Former Captain ofthe
Third Shinsengumi Unit was ready to commence, a dimensional space-time rift
opened from behind the Shisejyu Leader.
Suzaku's hand was then chopped off by an invisible force before someoneelse
grabbed hold of the Demon Sword's handle, with the youkai's fingersstill
clutched around it.
"Ew! Gross! You could've at least taken the sword away from the
demonnormally!" complained Keiko Yukimura's astral body, who hid behind
the battle-worn Yusuke Urameshi while holding Puu in her bosom.
"Oh, come on! It worked, didn't it?" chided Kazuma Kuwabara, who
priedSuzaku's hand loose, himself wobbly from the epic war he and
Kuramawaged against the Suzaku clones and Karasu, the so-called "Mad
Bomber".
Kurama slapped Kazuma's back. "Good work, Kuwabara-kun.
Missionaccomplished."
"I didn't realize the Spirit World upgraded that old Spirit
Detectorwristwatch thingy I got from Botan back when I fought in
Genkai'sTournament! Technology sure advances fast," marveled Yusuke.
"Oh, Fujita! Thanks for keeping Suzaku busy and distracted long enoughfor
us to get the Demon Sword! We owe you one, buddy!" Kuwabaragreeted Saito.
"...." Saito scowled, his growing aura full of giant ghostly
wolvesdissipating into nothingness.
While he espied Suzaku collapse on all fours, the demon's body taken toits
utmost limits by the power of the Youtou Shinnoken, the copper'swolfish
eyes scanned the horizon from left to right and saw manydifferent Spirit
World Warriors emerge from a multitude of opened portalscare of Kuwabara.
Out emerged from the different wormholes a teenaged Yahiko Myojin
(asolidified spirit), the reincarnation of Yutaro Tsukayama (who
justhappened to be a mob boss daughter known as Natsuki Shinkai),
thedetective reincarnation of Aoshi Shinomori (named Detective-Investigator
Daiji Matsudaira), and Sanosuke "Rooster Head" Sagara(nee Higashidani,
another solidified spirit street fighter who was oncepart of the
Sekihoutai).
From a distance, Fujita also saw multiple shinigami... the
Reikai's"ferry-girls"... busy themselves gathering and _ferrying_ all the
soulsof the people that Suzaku, his six other clones, and the rest of
theShin Juppon Gatana killed to the afterlife.
'So each and every one of them won against the Suzaku clones and theirShin
Ju assistants, huh? Not bad, Reikai Senshi. I wonder if they gotsome sort
of assistance...' assessed Saito before he felt the multipledirty looks and
glares of malice bore down on him like daggers. Ordrills.
As expected, it was the impetuous Sano who voiced out everyone'sdiscontent
with the police officer when he grabbed hold of him by hisuniform's collar.
"What's the big idea, Saito? You almost corrupted the Demon Sword
and/orkilled Kenshin with your stupid death match! Aren't we allies here?
Areyou friend or foe? Whose side are you on? Reikai's or the Chojin's?"
"Neither." Hajime pushed Sanosuke away and straightened out his
ruffledwardrobe. Dammit, he needed a cigarette. "You and your Reikai Army
arerunning blind. You don't even know half of what's going on. I suggestyou
don't get in my way until you have a firm grasp of the big picture."
"We know enough to figure out that the New Ten Swords were probablyformed
with Shishio Makoto in mind. Or by Shishio Makoto himself," saidthe Aoshi
reincarnate. "Lieutenant Fujita Goro... no, Saito Hajime. Isit true that
the Chojin and Shishio Makoto are one and the same?"
The Wolf of Mibu smirked as he shrugged, took out a stick of cigarettefrom
his coat pocket, and lit it with a nearby piece of flaming debris.
"Who knows? But you're right about one thing. Shishio Makoto _is_involved
in all this. Because he couldn't conquer Japan back when he wasstill alive,
he laid out plans to conquer Hell instead after dying alongwith Battousai.
The ambitious bastard; I wouldn't be surprised if he_is_ the Overfiend."
"Why do you want to corrupt the Demon Sword when it could be the onlything
standing in Shishio's way of conquering all three worlds?"insisted Yahiko.
Lieutenant Fujita exhaled an exhaust pipe's worth of tobacco smoke,annoyed
that cigarettes in the present time had filters.
"The Demon Sword is every bit as dangerous, if not more so, than theChojin.
About 50 years ago, when Hiroshima and Nagaski were bombed, theYoukiri
Battousai almost opened up the portals leading the Demon Worldto the Human
World during a time when Yomi and Mukuro were looking forsome sort of
leverage to end their Cold War with Raizen. I wouldn't besurprised if _he_
ended up the Chojin as well."
"...W-What? You're joking!" said Myojin.
"You heard me, kid. I'm not being facetious. Anyone can be the Chojin
aslong as they fulfill the prophecy of uniting all three worlds
together," confirmed the policeman. "It might as well be a self-fulfilling
prophecy,at that."
Kuwabara blinked while receiving a telepathic message from Himura. Hethen
turned towards Yusuke and said, "Yo, Urameshi. Kenshin wants totalk. Hold
onto this for a minute, will ya?"
The sleek-haired Yusuke sighed, remembering the last time he served asthe
host to the Demon Sword. "Ugh. Fine. Give it to me." Like a genie ina
bottle, as soon as Urameshi got a hold of the Youtou Shinnoken, outpopped
Himura.
"Saito," said Kenshin after he retrieved his sword from Yusuke, theirspirit
energy synchronizing, "who is the Youkiri Battousai? Why am Iable to talk
to him like he's a separate entity altogether?"
The lieutenant scratched his chin. "Now isn't _that_ a mystery? Backwhen we
fought in the Meiji Era, the Hitokiri Battousai was nothing morethan you
getting serious and abandoning the silly notion that you candeal with
monsters without becoming a monster yourself. He's your _old_ self in the
Edo Era, in other words."
The familiar Friedrich Nietzsche paraphrase about monsters made Keikowince,
remembering what Feng Xinhai almost dared her to do in order tosave Yusuke
from his clutches.
"I don't remember my 'old self' wanting to become a mass murderer
byattempting genocide on an entire nation as revenge," said Kenshin.
"What are you talking about? You've always been a mass murderer.
You'vekilled hundreds, maybe even thousands, in your wake before you
reachedpuberty," retorted Saito.
The tall and slender policeman then moved right into the shorter,
cross-scarred spirit's personal space and sneered.
"If you kill four or more people at one time, you're already consideredby
the American FBI as a mass murderer. To see you go off that slipperyslope
of killing thousands more for revenge against the atomic bombs isnot that
much of a stretch. If you go mad with power again, I'll put youdown myself.
Like a rabid dog."
"...."
Sagara then interjected, "What _I_ want to know is why and how
_you're_still alive in Modern-Day Japan! How were you able to survive all
thistime? Are you a ghost like Yahiko and I are or are you a
reincarnationlike Cat Eyes and Aoshi Lite?"
Before Saito could answer Rooster Head's question (not that he wishedto,
anyway), lightning struck from behind the multiple Spirit WorldWarriors,
which made them jump back in unison.
Thanks to the trauma they suffered by anything related to
electricitybecause of their seemingly endless battles with the Lightning
Lord andhis doppelgangers, the Reikai Senshi were already on their toes.
Revived by the healing balm of a lightning storm delivered to him by oneof
the last surviving Suzaku and the "nutrients" from the planet's ownmagnetic
field, the Phoenix King was revived once more, like Lazarusrising from his
supposed untimely death.
Then, with glowing eyes and a demented grin, he shouted, "KAIFUKU!" andhis
missing hand was replaced with a new one.
"Aw, shit! He's still alive? We should've finished him off!" saidYusuke,
who wasn't nearly as averse to killing as Kenshin was,_especially_ when it
came to the demon that could revive himselfrepeatedly.
The souls of the Suzaku clones that had been killed so far (and eventhose
who weren't quite dead yet) traveled all the way from differentparts of
Minato Ward straight into the Phoenix King. Doing so raised uphis energy
levels so high, he became...
"Dammit. He's S-Level! He has reached S-Level without using the
DemonSword!" informed Yahiko after checking his Spirit Detector.
Suzaku gave Saito a sideways glance, his head tilted at a weird angle."You
were wrong, human. I am not Icarus. Instead of waxen wings, I grewmy own.
And once I get a hold of the Demon Sword and magnify my alreadyS-Level
powers, I'll be able to kill each and every one of you bastardswith little
to no effort at all! ANKOKU-YORO...!"
"INGA GAMI!"
After Myojin, the person who first noticed the spike in the
CrimsonSparrow's powers, attacked the blond with his sakabatou replica and
hisneutralization powers that kept the _almost_ unkillable youkai
fromsplitting off into seven demons, the Immortal Shinsengumi only had
thisto say to Suzaku: "Aho."
"Everyone! Don't let him get near the Demon Sword or use the Prism ofSeven,
no matter what happens! BANZEN GAMI!"
A disc slipped from Suzaku's spine from the impact of the
follow-up"perfect" strike that hit upwards from below following the
sametrajectory as the initial downward strike. However, a truck
felldirectly atop Yahiko, which was something he couldn't use
hisneutralization powers on.
After the Master of Electromagnetism flew to the air, away from
theshort-range area where Myojin's power neutralization worked,
hemagnetically snatched away the teen's sakabatou with the intention
ofusing it as his bullet for his Railgun.
"MUGEN DAI NO HYOGO!"
As swift as a coursing river, the androgynous Natsuki snatched awayYahiko's
sakabatou, crossed her wrists, and deflected the supersonic orange beam
with all the force of a great typhoon and all the strengthof a raging fire
by crisscrossing the reverse-edged sword and herceramic cane together.
The snaking Railgun shot blasted Suzaku into smithereens, but beforehis
internal organs popped like a hamster inside a microwave thanksto the heat
of the ray of light and disintegrating metal, he absorbedmost of the brunt
of the discharge since it was producedelectromagnetically.
He then scourged Xinhai's daughter with a swarm of black iron sand,
theparticles devouring her clothes and skin like omnivorous, "pico"termites
that ate anything and everything.
However, after Suzaku attempted to regain his bearings, a fist appearedfrom
out of nowhere and smashed itself on his face, breaking hischeekbones and
jaw. It was Sano's dominant fist, after he took Yahiko'sadvice to not let
up with the offense to heart.
"FUTAE NO KIWAMI! SANJO NO KIWAMI!"
The triple-hit combo (the first impact absorbing the incoming force,the
second impact dealing complete destruction since all resistance wasnegated
by the first impact, and the third impact adding even furtherdamage)
fractured Suzaku's skull almost to the point of caving it in.
Even through the concussion and red haze, Suzaku was able to attackSanosuke
with an electromagnetic shockwave. However, before the streetfighter was
blown away, he was still able to summon a ceramic zanbatouand do the
"ZANKUU ZANBATOU ATE!" at the youkai in retaliation, whichmade the demon's
body twist in opposing directions.
"JIGEN TOU!" shouted Kuwabara, who slashed at Suzaku and created aportal
from behind him at the same time.
"KAITEN KENBU ROKUREN!" declared Daiji after emerging from thedimensional
rift Kazuma created for him.
Protecting himself with an electromagnetic tempest made of pure whitemetal
ions stripped from all the nearby buildings he could summon, herained white
death on both the detective and the carrot-topped ex-delinquent.
Kurama delivered the vampiric Blood-Drinking Weed that killed Karasuback in
the Ankoku Bujutsukai in time before Matsudaira and Kuwabarawere themselves
killed by the metal debris. He got shot by bullet-fastshrapnel multiple
times for his trouble.
"GATOTSU ISHIKI!" Saito speared Suzaku forward, only for the copper toget
blasted back by his own blade after the demon finally found theopportunity
to turn the steel into a Railgun bullet.
The lower half of Suzaku's body ended up flying before him after Kenshinhit
him with the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki, his blood fountainingeverywhere.
He desperately clung to the sword like flotsam in the roiling seas,which
then allowed him to raise his power beyond S-Level.
Suzaku then superheated the entirety of the Nogi Shrine with
his electromagnetic microwave radiation, which rendered most of the
gatheredwarriors writhing in pain while their blood pressures rose.
Because he was closest to the Phoenix King, Kenshin howled and gnashedhis
teeth the most while Suzaku cooked him from the inside, his
ectoplasmboiling.
Meanwhile, even Yusuke felt the effects of the sudden deadly heat
wavethanks to the World of Suffering and his bond with Himura.
Nevertheless, Urameshi pointed his finger gun at the recovering Suzaku,who
was currently regenerating all the limbs he lost.
"Go ahead, Urameshi Yusuke. I'll just convert the energy of your Rei-Ganand
absorb it as electricity. Face it, you've lost."
The heat wave then suddenly stopped and Suzaku's recovery halted, so
hestill ended up three-fourths to half of a man, give or take a limb.
Kenshin actually had one ace left up his sleeve: The Kanashibari
sleepparalysis technique. "Now... Yusuke... dono..." the swordsman
spiritrasped.
"Right, Kenshin! REI-GAN!"
Unable to do energy conversion and absorption thanks to his
weakened constitution and Himura's body-freezing move, the Spirit Gun
blastedwhat was left of the Master of Electromagnetism's body into oblivion.
His last-ditch effort to triumph against the Spirit World Warriors hadended
in another loss.
"I-Is it over?" Kuwabara asked before seeing Suzaku's lifeless body
rolldown on the roof of the temple and flop like a fish on the temple
steps,his eyes glassy, and entire parts of his body missing.
A man in a skull mask then emerged from the shadows, his eyes narrowingat
the unmoving body of the last of the Saint Beasts. "Such a shame. Tohave
someone so gifted in cellular mitosis and natural cloning defeatedlike
this. What a loss."
"Who the hell are you?" Natsuki demanded while she favored her shoulderand
raw, bleeding skin. "Are you one of the Shin Ju?"
Unnoticed by her, the trio of Yahiko, Daiji, and Sanosuke turned pale atthe
presence of the masked man (or demon).
'Could he be...?' the three Meiji Era fighters pondered, trailing off atthe
same time.
"Oh, you must be Xinhai's daughter! I've heard so much about you! Youlook a
lot like your father when you're angry. I don't believe we'vemet, though.
I'm Gein. Edward Gein. Yes, I am part of the New TenSwords."
"YOU! You're the creepy-ass guy I met back in the hospital roof! Youalong
with that super cop who saved Keiko from Seiryu! And some othercreeper that
looked like a cross between a mummy and a spider!" realizedUrameshi.
"Yes. Quite. How do you do, Urameshi Yusuke?" Gein greeted, tipping theedge
of his cowl. "Thanks to you and your friends' efforts, I'vegathered quite a
lot of data! I can't wait for our next encounter."
While Edward chatted with Yusuke, he hoisted the remains of Suzaku uphis
shoulder. He appeared quite unassuming for someone who, as Saitorevealed to
Yusuke long ago, was part of Japan's infamous Unit 731 whodid human
experiments on prisoners of war.
"Don't forget what I said to you about your girlfriend."
"Wait. Yusuke! What did that freaky skull ninja tell you about me?"Yukimura
asked while Yusuke whistled and looked away. "Oh, come on! Thatmakes you
look even more suspicious!"
While Keiko argued with Urameshi, more people started coming out of
thewoodwork. First, there came the people the Spirit World Warriors
werealready familiar with, teleported to the Nogi Shrine by the Shin
Ju'svery own Gatekeeper, Itsuki.
There was Karasu the "Mad Bomber", Rando the "Master of Ninety-NineSkills"
(now more than a hundred with the addition of the Rei-Gan, theJigen Tou,
and potentially the Kokuryuha), and Feng "The One-Eight-TenKiller" Xinhai.
They along with Gein and Itsuki composed five of the tenNew Juppon Gatana.
Then came the unfamiliar faces. Or rather, the people that the
ReikaiTantei, the Oniwabanshu Okashira, and the Kenshingumi didn't
realizewere Shin Ju. The Reikai Warriors were about to come face-to-face
withthe rest of the New Ten Swords.

===

To Be Continued...
Next: The Doctors of Life and Death.
Yes, that "speed of light versus the speed of darkness" statement
wastotally a paraphrase of the famous Terry Pratchett quote.
Disclaimer: Yuyu Hakusho is the rightful property of Yoshihiro
Togashi, Shueisha, Fuji TV, and Studio Pierrot. Rurouni Kenshin is the
rightfulproperty of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shueisha, Shonen Jump, Viz, Sony
Studios,Fuji TV, Studio Gallop, Studio Deen, and ADV. This disclaimer
alsocovers all the other copyrighted material that are far too many
tomention here. Don't sue me please, I'm very poor.
So long! Farewell!Abdiel
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