10-50. A Tale from the Past 12: Akki Intervention
“WHAT!! THE HELL!!! ARE YOU DID!!! TO MY FRIEEEEEEEND!!!!!!”
“Blergh- chough- Ghhh-!!”
Renma, with tears streaming down, swung his sword.
His slash tore the ground, creating rifts, splitting mountains, and cleaving the sea.
Roku the voice, shattered into pieces repeatedly, struggled to resist. He tried to manipulate the earth from the attack, but it was sliced in two. He attempted to compress the air to trigger an explosion, but it was brushed away by an even stronger attack.
The demonic monsters, who had been assaulting the Gate of Akkis’ village, halted their onslaught. Yet, everything in their path was still devastated by the aftermath of Renma’s strikes.
Dacia was astounded by Renma’s transformation. Could he have become this powerful? It felt like a different force resided within him now.
Upon closer inspection, Renma’s eyes had turned pitch black. Wondering what had happened, Hinata explained,
“…He’s become the Akki.”
“The Akki? What’s that?”
“It’s the aftermath of an Oni’s tears. Their personality changes, and they gain immense power.”
“Can they return-…”
“No, they can’t.”
Returning was out of the question. That’s how it is. By shedding tears, they became Akki and obtained great power at the cost of their personality. Renma seemed to be holding onto himself for now, but it was probably only a matter of time.
The slashing continued relentlessly. Each time, the skills Roku attempted to use were destroyed, and his body was severed. Even if he quickly healed, he was sliced apart by the next slash.
Each regeneration consumed his strength. However, without recovery, it was challenging to continue the fight in this condition. He felt the urgency of being gradually worn down, but Renma’s attacks showed no sign of stopping.
“What happens to the Akkis afterward?”
“I don’t know… But they walk a different path than us.”
“What do you mean?”
“They don’t come back. Absolutely not. No matter how much you call them back, no matter how much you try to stop them, those who become Akkis will walk away somewhere. To a place we don’t know. As if they are being guided by something…”
“…Is there no way to stop them?”
“There isn’t. This is the price of their power…”
Dacia understood what she was saying but didn’t want to accept it. Just a while ago, they were laughing together happily, and she couldn’t believe they were parting in this way. She couldn’t believe it, especially in Renma’s case.
But that belief was shattered soon.
“GYAAAAAHHHAAHAHAHAHA!!! THIS IS F-ING FUN!!!”
“AGHH!!!”
A raised tone of voice emanated from Renma.
He wasn’t angry; he was enjoying himself. This made Dacia uneasy.
As if the Oni she knows has been possessed by a demonic being. Perhaps, that’s what becoming the Akki meant.
Renma swiftly grabbed Roku the voice, slamming him into the ground at the speed of sound, sending everything in the vicinity flying. Earthquakes and shockwaves had been assaulting them, but they managed to endure and watch the situation unfold once more.
Roku the voice couldn’t regenerate in time. Nonetheless, Renma continued his relentless onslaught, resembling a barrage of explosions happening repeatedly. There was likely no one who could withstand this.
“GYAAAHHHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!”
With a grip on the neck, Renma snapped Roku’s bones. He crushed his head, ripped off his spine, snapped the regenerated neck once more, and slammed him into the ground at the speed of sound.
Renma, the first Oni to master the art of combat, possessed a ferocity and strength that could truly be called god-like.
Squish, squish, squish, crack.
He continued to compress Roku the voice. Making him smaller and smaller until he became the size of a marble. With an eerie smile, Renma lightly tossed it. He adjusted it to fall right in front of his eyes.
And the moment it fell, he clenched his fists and crushed it. In that split second, he unleashed a flurry of twenty strikes, and the sound of twenty impacts echoed in the surroundings.
A blue sphere appeared gently. It wobbled through the air without strength, then dissolved like melting ice.
The eerie atmosphere disappeared. The souls that were once filled with wickedness vanished, and the surroundings returned to the normal state. The summoned monsters also melted away, and victorious cries could be heard from behind.
…
Renma, who had gone from a smile to a blank expression, confirmed the sensation in his fists. Then, he looked in their direction.
For some reason, he was sprinting toward them at an unbelievable speed.
Dacia and the others, who had lost their sense of boundaries, readied their weapons to protect the three who had fainted. They had no chance of winning, but there was someone who needed to be protected. That alone was reason enough to be reckless.
Everyone aimed and swung their weapons in sync with Renma’s approaching timing. But Renma’s shout stopped them.
“Wait!!”
“!!? Renma!? Your self-awareness is fine!?”
Renma, who was usually calm, came to a halt right before them. Unusually, he was panting heavily.
It was said that those who became Akkis couldn’t return. However, Renma was now conversing with them while still in control of himself. If that was the case, could there be a way for him to return to normal? This hope filled everyone present, but Renma shook his head.
“Sorry… there’s no time… I’m about to transform into a Akki soon…”
“…So, it’s true…”
“That’s why, please kill me one last time!! I want my bones buried here! I don’t intend to go to the world of Akkis!”
Upon hearing those words, Engetsu and Shisui readied their weapons and approached. However, Hinata stopped them.
“Both of you!?”
“We must act swiftly. There’s no time for hesitation.”
“Indeed.”
“B- but…”
“You see, Hinata. What these guys are saying isn’t wrong.”
They truly didn’t have time to hesitate. It was almost miraculous that Renma had temporarily regained his self-awareness after becoming an Akki. That’s why prompt action was necessary.
These two understood that. Their actions were driven by compassion. They couldn’t afford to waste his will.
“Farewell, Renma.”
“It was fun, Engetsu.”
Swish. Engetsu drew the katana from his back and beheaded Renma. Renma died with a satisfied smile. In return, they had to send him off with a smile.
“…Phew… Dacia.”
“I understand.”
Hinata took a deep breath, calming herself, and called Dacia’s name with more determination than ever. Just that was enough to convey what she intended to do.
“At this rate, the remaining three ‘gods’ will likely manifest. But there is a way to stop them. We’re going to attack the human castle.”
