The Dead Have No Voice [ Takehiro | Musou ]

[Amakusa Takehiro]

The dead continued to rise, and the mercenary fell to one knee, holding himself with the sword he carried stuck in the ground. His breathing began to get heavier, but he couldn't allow himself to give up. If this wasn't all a dream, he couldn't die here, in a battle that would make no difference. Why was he being pulled into this, when there were so many who'd done worse than he had?

"Try it, you bitch," he smirked, standing to his feet as the dead continued to charge him. "Forget the small fry. I'll be coming for you." With that, he ran up the path and away from the decaying dead who chased him. He was going to find this goddess bitch and gut her.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Takehiro would make it up the path with no resistance, the dead would not follow, but their wails would haunt him in his ascent. The path before him would seem longer than the last, looking as though it was endless.

As he ascended the path, quick flashes would enter his head at random intervals. He would be haunted by the dead faces of those he killed, each one entering his mind accompanied by their final screams and pleas. And as Takehiro neared the end of the path, he would be greeted by a fictional, yet gruesome image. The bodies of the friends he had made since his new life as a mercenary would be littered along the entrance to the next arena. Their faces would be contorted, twisted, their bodies torn asunder as their blood stained the ground beneath them.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

When he proceeded along the path, Takehiro saw the deformed bodies of those he'd met in his new life, and even some he'd known when he was with the Hojo. Hiroshi, Shou, Haji, Yukimura, Hideyasu... they were broken and dead. Though, it was clear to him the sight was unreal. He'd seen what all of them were capable of, Shou aside, and he knew that if anyone was going to kill them, it wouldn't be someone who couldn't even take Takehiro down himself. The sight did not break him, but it angered him. This goddess was a cruel mistress, and Takehiro was going to enjoy gutting her for what she was doing to him.

Past the bodies, the mercenary encroached upon the next arena. He held the sword firmly in his hand, ripping a sleeve from his kimono and tying a makeshift tourniquet with it. Whatever he would face next, he was prepared.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

A multitude of wisps would appear as if from seemingly nowhere, striking to the ground with lightning speed. Up would rise more corpses, ones that Takehiro would recognize quite well. The entirety of the Yoritomo clan stood before him, and they advanced upon him without hesitation.

Izanami was determined to make Takehiro relive all of his worst nightmares and deeds.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Takehiro halted, sweat dripping from his forehead. His eyes widened at the sight of his new foes. The entirety of the Yoritomo clan was here to face him once again. His body shook and his grip on his blade faltered, and he nearly dropped it to the floor. Though, he steeled himself, taking the sword in his good arm and raising it to the army of dead.

"This is your chance for revenge!" He knew what he did to the clan was wrong, and now was the time he lived up to that mistake. "If you all best me here, my head is yours! Though it is not I who will be mourned this day!"

Fearlessly, the  warrior charged into the fray, slashing his sword through the air to parry any oncoming blades. He would try to rip through the crowd, decapitating and incapacitating anyone and everyone he could. If this goddess though she was going to make the man suffer, she was wrong. Every single thing she did fueled his anger, and he was waiting to gut her, more and more.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Takehiro's relentless assault would slay many, but there were far too many of the Yoritomo to deal with.

He would find himself grabbed from both sides, the claws of the dead digging into his flesh as they held him in place. One of the Yoritomo would be charging forward at him, blade drawn, ready to impale Takehiro. Flashes of Kamaitachi would strike at Takehiro's mind, reminding him of what he created.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

The Yoritomo man flashed through his mind. Kamaitachi. The man was a mess, all because of what Takehiro had done... and because he gave up all hope. He opted to become a monster rather than restore his clan to honor. What Takehiro had done was cruel, but what Kamaitachi had done to his own clan's name was worse. 

Using all of his strength, Takehiro would throw the man holding his right arm forward and into the blade. Hopefully, this would distract him from the hold, and Takehiro would rip his blade out, cutting the bastard clean in two, and ripping the head from the one holding his other arm. He would kick one of the bodies forward, slashing around him in a complete circle, before charging forward, cutting low and high, alternating his slashes.

"That all you bastards got?! MAYBE HOJO DIDN'T NEED AN ARMY TO WIPE YOU OUT! I COULD HAVE DONE IT ON MY OWN!"

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Izanami found it amusing that Takehiro wasn't breaking yet. And with a snap of her fingers, all the Yoritomo that Takehiro had previously killed just moments before would rise again, chasing after him as he cut a path forward.

A larger Yoritomo in armor would impede his path, wielding a larger sickle. He would attempt to slice Takehiro in two with it vertically as the Yoritomo closed in on every side.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Takehiro stepped to the side of the large sickle, shooting a hand out and grabbing its chain as it passed by. With one forceful tug, he would begin swinging it overhead in a wide circle to slay any who drew closer to him, before he hurled it at the larger man's neck, looking to take it clean off.

"YOU CALL YOURSELVES WARRIORS?!"

[Uesugi Kenshin]

The sickle would stop any of the advancing Yoritomo temporarily, those closest to him being slain once more. However, the sickle would find itself embedded in the larger creature's neck and getting stuck. He would reach down and grab Takehiro by the neck, lifting him up into the air and attempting to crush his throat as the others started to advance on him once more, planning on stabbing him to death.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Takehiro dropped his blade, and quickly sent an explosive punch to the bastard's neck, looking to blow it off. If that didn't work, he'd ram his fist into the guy's elbow, taking off the forearm and allowing him to fall back to his feet. From there, he'd take his blade back up and swat the oncoming weapons away, before tearing through the large bastard and continuing onward.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

"No matter what's thrown at you, you just seem to pull through. Impressive." Izanami mused. The man had a certain kind of resolve about him, and she figured it was a blessing that she pulled him into her realm before Izanagi himself could contact Takehiro. Yes, she had a plot brewing now...

Takehiro would successfully blow through the man, the exit to this arena being right in front of him now. However, as he approached it, a large group of the bigger armored samurai would show up to block his path, while the smaller Yoritomo advanced from behind.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Takehiro would throw his sword toward one of the guys' necks, sliding along the ground and offering an explosive punch to one's waist, looking to slam him back into the group. If he was successful, he'd continue his charge, punching their faces in as he did so, picking his sword back up in the process.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

The larger soldier would fly back into the others, but as Takehiro continued his charge, he would find himself grabbed and pinned by one of the larger samurai, they began to send fist after fist to his face.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Tak grunting, a bit of blood being coughed out from his throat. His good arm came up to block some of the blows, but eventually he would counter, striking the fists with his own with explosive results. From there, he would lean up and punch the bastard square in the chin to re-kill him, and push him off. If successful, he would return to his feet, taking his sword and cutting through whatever obstacle was left.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Takehiro would succeed in exploding the man off of him, returning to his feet and grabbing his sword. He would slay a couple more of the larger men with his sword, but one final one halted him in his path, slamming his fist directly into Takehiro's face.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

The fist slammed into Takehiro's nose, and he reeled back from the impact. Instinctively, his arm would strike outward, the blade slashing out toward the guy's arm. His body turned, his bad arm flying toward the bastard's, his gauntlet striking the enemy's forearm. If it hit, the arm would fall off, and Takehiro would send his good fist flying into the bastard's face, exploding yet another. From there, he would continue on the path.

"COME OUT AND FIGHT ME, YOU BITCH!"

[Uesugi Kenshin]

The final larger samurai was defeated as well, and the path lay open before Takehiro. The Yoritomo were advancing upon him quickly, preparing to stab at him if he did not take this chance to leave quickly.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Take his chance he did! Takehiro charged down the path, blade at the ready, willing to take down that fucking Goddess whenever he saw her. There was no looking back. The Yoritomo already lay dead and defeated, and ripping them apart a second time would only serve to rattle his conscience and deter him from whatever lay ahead. 

[Uesugi Kenshin]

The path would twist and turn, continuing for a longer time than the previous ones. But at the end of it all lay one final area. The floor would be literally be made of bones, and streams of blood would flow through here as if they were natural rivers of water.

In the center on a throne made of bone sat the Goddess Izanami. At first glance, she was a woman of great beauty. Her hair was long and black, and her lips were the same color as a contrast to her pale, white skin. Her eyes were black and dead, yet held much excitement in them as she looked upon her new toy. Wearing a black dress that looked as though it were made of the darkness herself, her bare feet touched the ground as she stood up at Takehiro's arrival.

"So you managed to make it this far. I am overjoyed. Now I get to see you suffer up close." Her lips curved into a twisted smile as she looked upon the battered man.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Upon seeing the Goddess, Takehiro would slow to a walk, approaching her fiercely, his blade tightly held in his hand. His own eyes looked fierce, betraying how tired he was from coming here. This woman was destroying him, and now he had a chance to ruin her.

"Well, at least one of us wants to see something. I can't stand the sight of your ugly face, but boy will I enjoy ripping your FUCKING EYES OUT, you BITCH!"

The blade he held in his hand was pointed in her direction, though he did not speed himself up. He had no idea what she was capable of, though he knew she was the Goddess of death.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Izanami would advance on Takehiro, her palm coming up to slam him in the face. The force would be enough to send him flying towards one of the walls, hard. Before he could fully recover, she'd be in front of him already, looking down on the beaten man.

"How dare you? Maybe I'll tear your eyes out and force you to eat them. Disgusting mortal."

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Takehiro flew backward, his back slamming into the wall. A large amount of blood shot out from his lips as he fell into a slump on the ground. In what seemed like an instant, this Goddess was already directly in front of him, spewing mad shit like nobody's business.

"Well you're stronger than your goons... that doesn't mean I'm - ugh - I'm gonna... give up..."

Using his sword as support, he would push himself to his feet, slashing at the woman, and following up with an explosive fist to her face.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Izanami didn't move an inch as Takehiro's sword slashed towards her. The blade would hit her, shattering against her body. Takehiro's fist struck her face, and an explosion ensued. In the midst of it, Takehiro would find himself grabbed by the chest and thrown through the smoke from the explosion, landing in front of the throne. Izanami would walk from the smoke, completely unscathed, and she would have that cruel smile on her face again.

"Those toys are fancy, but alas, they are useless. Now, I wonder what I shall do with you?"

She snapped her fingers, and Takehiro would soon feel a searing pain inside of his chest where his heart was.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Takehiro shut his eyes, stifling a scream as a hand rushed to his chest, fingers digging into the skin. Whatever the woman was doing to him, he didn't like it. His face buried into the dirt and he began to writhe in pain, eventually finding himself just laying on his back as he tried to shut all of the pain out. It was terrifying, thinking he might actually die here. This pain, it was all real. And this bitch... well, if he made it out of this, he was going to have a personal vendetta against her.

"Fuck... you..." he managed between gasps.