Kayden lifted his blade to the side, a jet black flames engulfed it with a crackling sound illuminating the place with a white haze. The shadows started dancing as the moonlight pierced the windows, the wind started blowing in and the flames consumed all the air making it hard to breathe.
Looking at the demonic flames, the mantis demon took a step back. 'What is this demon, why does he have that feeling?' she couldn't believe what she was feeling, the same feeling of standing before the demon king.
Kayden took a step, "I give up, learning a new style in one day is impossible, I need to hurry and finish this so I can get back to training."
The mantis demon took a step back bending her arms and getting ready to strike. 'I can see his flesh, I can cut him. There is nothing those blades can't cut.' she convinced herself.
Even Kayden wasn't that confident in his body durability, if asked he would say that he is pretty soft and easy to cut. That was a relative thing, as his flesh should be harder than steel with his current strength.
GRwaaa! The mantis demon leaped and swung her arm at him, Kayden stepped to the side and swung his blade cutting her arm as if it was made of better. Thud! He changed his stance and swung at her neck, legs, and other arms. SLASH!
GRWWWWWWWWWWA! The demon growled in pain and agony as her body bled, the demonic flames slowly consumed her flesh as Kayden watched.
"Demon! Water for him…keep your arrogance and one day you shall meet him!" she growled with her eyes blood red.
Kayden bent to stare at her face, "Meet who? Send him my way, can you?" He seemed uncaring, only itching for something to sate his blade's blood thirst.
Daraku approached them, "Finish her off, the more time you give a demon the more it's like they will run away." Pulling his dagger, he stabbed the demon in the chest finishing her off.
"Those are really useful, can't I use one?" Kayden said staring at Daraku's tanto.
"Those are blades blessed by Amaterasu, you can't wield them. Remember the last time you were tired? Your hands turned to ash." Daraku said with an exhausted face, Amaterasu has been busy spending a lot of her powers to make those swords and it yet isn't enough to arm all the samurais.
The blades were smithed under Amaterasu's shrine from pure steel and cooled down in the prayer basin filled with the water blessed by Miko. They acted like holy blades, burning demons as red-hot blades do to humans.
"Give me a try." Kayden waved his hand to Daraku asking him to hand the tanto over immediately. Daraku sighed, "Sure yourself, it will be the same as the last time."
Kayden grabbed the tanto, Sizzle! His hands started burning with a golden spark, his skin fell off, and his flesh turned to ask. After just a few seconds, he was only grabbing the tanto with his bare bones. GRAWAAAAA! Kayden growled as he forced his regeneration to accelerate. Daraku froze in place as he saw Kayden's flesh slowly regenerate.
Kayden's regeneration and the blade's blessed flames burning him, a battle of attrition that Kayden seemed to be winning for a moment. Sadly, unlike the blade that is connected to Amaterasu's divine blessing, Kayden had a limited MP and SP, soon his regeneration slowed and halted, and his bones turned to dust.
Kayden stared at Daraku, arms less. "Guess, I failed again."
Daraku shook his head, "No you idiot! Do you know how terrifying it is to see a demon hold our holy weapons for a couple of seconds like that?"
Kayden cocked his head giving Daraku a puzzled look. "What do you mean?" His arms immediately grew back as soon as he started regenerating MP.
"If the demon king had the same regenerative ability as you, no…If he was a bit stronger, that means we won't be able to finish him with a single stab!" Daraku stated the real problem they were facing, humans weren't strong enough to face demons. Not in potential, but in how fast they grow and durable they can get.
It didn't matter how high-level Takeshi got if he remained a human, he will die when beheaded. Demons were inherently dangerous, the moment you give them the chance to grow, they become unstoppable.
"Don't worry, I will kill him," Kayden replied, the Demon king was bound to be a good chunk of Exp.
"I can't imagine you reaching the strength of the demon king, that thing has been living for over a century." Daraku walked toward the mantis demon corpse and inspected the ashes, she was fully dead and wouldn't revive again.
"I can, I've been training after all." Kayden started walking behind Daraku as they left, just outside the surviving samurai glared at them from a distance.
"Forget it, you're way too young. Less than a year old demon killing the demon king is just ridiculous." Daraku snorted.
"I don't remember when I turned into a demon," Kayden replied.
"It can't be that long, it was after we met Cain right?" Daraku replied remembering Cain's words about demons. "He was right to kill that idiot Jack, look at how terrifying both you and the demon king are. How does your body work?"
Kayden cocked his head, "Was it better if I died? Sorry but I prefer to be alive, caring for my dogs. For how my body works…I eat, fight, shit and sleep."
Daraku laughed, "Yeah, sorry for that. You're an exception, we're really glad you're with us."
The samurais approached Daraku with worried faces as they held their blades, "You're Daraku right, from the sun's shrine…" One of them asked with a scared tone.
Daraku nodded and glared at them with a disappointed glare, "Sheath your weapons you bunch of idiots. The demon is dead, relax."
They all glared behind him at Kayden, "That one is still moving, we can't be at ease."
Daraku scratched his head in annoyance and rushed to grab one of them by the ear, "Listen, told you to sheath your weapons, you sheath them. If he wanted you dead, you will already be so be respectful to the one who saved your asses!"
Kayden walled toward Daraku and chopped him on the head, "Don't bully the cute dogs, look at the shaking in happiness." He only saw the samurais as a squad of kimono-wearing Shiba Inu with blades in their mouths.
Daraku pushed Kayden's hand and looked back at him, "Do you see them as dogs?" He was finding it hard to hold his laugh. From the time they stayed with him, Daraku was able to start using Kayden as an appraisal demon.
Kayden sees those who are fourth of his level as dogs, two-fourths as demi-dogs, and those who are three-fourths as humans with slight dog features. Kayden has already kicked level 80 earlier so those samurais were all lower than level 20.
The dragon fang party that has been with Kayden has already surpassed level 60 since they were always dragged into deadly fights with Kayden. There was one time that Miko had a hole blown in her guts by a demon named Raptor who tried to assassinate her. Yamauba was locked in a barrel and set on flames and Takeshi has been thrown off a cliff.
Daraku turned toward the samurais, "The demon is dead, let's head back to get some sleep. Tomorrow we're going to be busy."
They all headed back home.