From every orifice, leaking in from every pore, green suffused it all. Not a burning sensation or even painful per say but more like he was slowly becoming one with that color. Of verdant green, the same shade as mature leaves, of freshly grown grass. He was no longer Ikuse Tobio, instead he'd simply fused with the shade.
SLASh!
Almost without a say so, a scythe of inky darkness cut through the emerald world. Or...at least it tried to, as the moment his shadow broke off and dared to bare its fangs to the new world order, it was quickly dissolved like a thin napkin in churning water. Pointed tip only just barely scratching a small hole. And even then, that sliver of crisp blue skies was too much for his wavering mind to even fully register. Forcing him to only stare off blankly in that void.
Wasn't...wasn't he suppose to be doing something right about now? Some goal he was meant to achieve? A wrong to right? But soon even those worrying thoughts were flushed away in that oh so beautiful color.
Something moved in the distance, more green of course but it's massive form was impossible to miss in this lonely world. Stumbling on four legs, it's verdant fur emitted a thick haze around it. Swaying back and forth with some sort of fluffy tail that dragged behind it.
He could feel it just then, a pang in his heart and spike of concern that threatened to break through this oh so comforting haze. A voice hammered against the fog, futile as if it was pounding on a stone wall or door. All it accomplished was a slight buzzing to go through his mind, a bit of substance in that deafening silence.
It was then he could feel something damp roll down his cheek and ears, feeling both sticky and warm. Fingers damp and smelling of sickly sweet iron.
Blinking owlishly, the world of green grew a lot less blinding and with every blink, it retreated steadily. His vision swam back to the surface and he could only look on in mute horror to his surroundings.
There was no massive crater where he sat, no large circle of nothing but ash and dirt surrounding him. Instead, it was like he'd just been dropped head first into a grand forest never seen before on the mortal plane. Those previous trees he'd cut down were replaced by things more ancient and towering than ever before. Reaching high into the sky, those branches swayed in a supernatural breeze. Rustling in a way that made him believe he could hear giggling in the distance.
Every trunk so massive it would take a normal human ten minutes or more to walk around it's circumference, with roots jutting out of the ground in such a way that it looked akin to serpents frozen mid strike.
The energy, even dazed as he was, piratically oozing off every standing tree. And just then, as his mind was slowly stitching itself back together, a sudden loud and excruciating pop slammed into him. With that sudden flood of stimuli, that 'giggling' he thought he'd 'heard' faded into the gentle rustling of leaves above.
"Jin?!"
Heavy breathing hammered down onto him before a massive body fell towards him, it's form unraveling. Going from a fearsome hound the size of a truck to something heart breakingly familiar. At his feet, a small puppy no larger than his palm lay. It's blacken fur short and stubbly, claws tiny and snout shortened. Even gaing back that same tuff of stubborn bit of hair atop their head.
'I'm done.' Jin, despite his frankly cute appearance, still possessed that near growling timbre to his voice. Crimson eyes blinking rapidly as he rested his overly large head on his little iddy biddy paws. 'That man...that man is a monster, he's been toying with us both this entire time. I really, really hate to say it but we aren't his match. I won't be of anymore help for...awhile I say.'
As much as Ikuse didn't want to admit it, looking down at the wisps of shadows peeling back to expose heavily blister skin on his arms, he couldn't help but agree with the hound's statement. And diving deeply into his himself, he knew this fight wasn't going to last much longer. His reserves were nearly bottoming out, stamina rapidly depleting just to keep his Balance Breaker form from fading too quickly.
Despite that, despite the welling sense of defeat in his chest, he knew this wasn't over. If all else failed, then what about that…?
'Don't even think about!' Jin, no matter how spent he might've been, still hopped to his stubby legs with teeth bared. Maybe it would've looked intimidating and not just cute. 'Some clan isn't worth the price. You owe these people nothing. We tried our best and it just wasn't good enough. It happens, it's fine to fail! You know this.'
"You're right." Ikuse nodded, but he still smiled wanly at his companion. He didn't want to leave the spirit behind, didn't want to leave his friends behind but there really wasn't any other way. Without that voucher, he already wasn't going to live to crisp old age anyway. Burning through his lifespan to take down foes beyond him would do that. Hobbling to his feet, pain rippled across his body like a wave. Causing his world to warble slightly out of focus, but with an effort of will and spitting out a glob of deep crimson, he could finally stand fully. This would be it, he would either win here and get the promised reward or fail and die forgotten in this majestic forest. "But if I still have one card to play, then what kind of person would I be to not use it?"
'You're a fool Tobio Ikuse.'
"I know." Kanji lit across his entire body, ancient power seeping from his very bones as he visualized a key in hand. Blacken flames began to lick at his existence, the shrieking wailing embers of a dead god enacting their price. That same smile growing into something more genuine and sad as he companion slipped into the shadows like a smoky apparition. "But I'm a fool that for those I care about. I would do the same for you."
Crimson eyes only back up with a more severe look about them before they too disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Craning his neck back, Ikuse glared up at a nearby tree. That man just stood there atop an errant branch, watching the whole display like some sort voyeur or as if this was some soap opera to thoroughly enjoy. That stupidly broken bow still in hand but thankfully no arrows were notched, with his Balance Breaker flickering in and out of existence, he really didn't believe he could dodge another one of those deadly shots.
"You die here Heavenly Demon." There was not even a once of menace in his words, it was just simply a fact. It didn't matter how close to divinity this man might be, what he had in store had actually KILLED a god. A Kami at that. A single blade used to cut down the legendary, Hino-Kagutsuchi. The god of fire, his name used as the actual kanji for the element.
"I guess times haven't changed overly much." Yamato Iori shook his head ruefully, any bit of excitement or interest in this whole situation now thoroughly extinguished. Even going so far as to drop his bow, that black strand of hair unraveling and darting back to join in the….sea blurring in and out of sight. That stick, now no longer supported by whatever technique didn't even hit the ground before it turned into nothing but a pile of sawdust. "The young still throw their lives away for such pointless things….Well? Are you done watching or are you going to sit back and watch such a prodigy die fruitlessly?"
At first, Ikuse couldn't fully wrap his head around on what he was talking about. Did the clans send more aid? But when a comforting but firm hand fell onto his shoulder, he knew.
"Your senses are as strong as ever, oh honored one." A familiar voice could be heard, with that same infuriating teasing edge to it. Turning his head, he found himself looking into the youthful face that had spent the last couple of years training him. Those violet eyes mere slits, that wide smile stabled in place. With a mix of blonde and black hair, done in that nonsensical way like it had been a bad half done dye-job. Wearing a simple maroon suit, the tall man looked every bit the refined gentleman. "But forgive my impertinence, I simply wished to see how my disciple would react when facing such a figure of legend. If I don't let him break his toe on a steel plate, then he'll never grow to his full potential, wouldn't you agree, Maker of Monarchs?"