The Necropolis (A)

[Gutsy]

Mission:

• Choose between what is right and what is easy (B-rank)

(Choosing between what is right and what is easy for Giyu)

---

Giyu’s torch was lying on the broken stone floor, the flames licking its cold surface while its cloth and oil were slowly spilling between the ridges and cracks, its light spreading out in a small circle around him. As he was kneeling before the mural, he felt the eyes of the stone watching him, the chains, the burning cities, the gods with their cold hands reaching for souls of men. Everything showed pictures and shapes of power and fear, the dynamic of pain and suffering of men at the hands of the gods, a world where mortals were told to bow and accept whatever the gods decided. A world where mortals had no say in their own destiny besides being enslaved, being used as pawns in the gods games, to be used as fodder.

Giyu lifted his head slowly, his breath still ragged and shivering in the cold deep of the caves of Necropolis. His chest was hurting, as if something within him was trying to break free, free from the chains that had held it back for so many years. A weight of every memory sat behind his ribs, in his lungs, in his heart. His mother, his father, their fear, their pain. The helplessness in their eyes, as their lives were forfeit from this world on the whim of a demon. Yet the gods did nothing for them. The gods never helped them in times of need, never looked after them or gave them a second thought. In reality the gods watched and let everything happen. True cruelty, true horror and evil was not just demons but it was the gods who let every dark thing in the world happen to those who worshipped them, those who tried to survive every day. Why would the gods do such horrors? perhaps it is because demons are offspring of gods, creations of the gods to instill fear and worship, to instill a need for their protection, but giving nothing in return. Perhaps the gods only saw humans as pawns, as meat to throw into the grinder of hell at their own whim.

Giyu pushed himself to his feet, his legs still trembled but he stood anyway. As he looked again at the murals the red paint cracked at its edges seemed as if it were glowing slightly in the dark. They all looked like warnings left by hands that had previously refused to kneel before divinity.

Giyu stared at them, hidden in the dark, his voice speaking out now, louder and more firm against the light and the dark.

“If this is the afterlife the gods made, then they are unworthy. Unworthy of our worship, unworthy of our aid, unworthy of being seen as divine. They are nothing more than beasts who think we are their play thing and they think they are giving us a wonderful world, but all they give us is suffering and pain and an afterlife filled with darkness.”

His voice echoed across the chamber, through the tunnels and the sound was unbroken, resolute, his voice had more determination in it, than it had, had for many years.

”No one has the right to chain the souls of mortals, not even the divine. No gods should be deciding my suffering or my love and joy in this world. No divine should be deciding who is remembered and who is forgotten. No one should be controlling me or anyone else against their free will. If gods claim the right to rule life and death, to rule us, then that right must be taken back.”

He placed on hand on his chest, the warmth within him felt more alive than ever. His other hand tightened around his katana that was resting in its sheath.

I’m done letting gods or anyone else choose the fate of me or any other living being. I am done letting them shape the world through creating fear all around us to only stay silent when anyone cries out for them. If what they call fate belongs to them, then I will tear fate from their cold dead hands.”

The air began to feel hotter around Giyu, as if he was radiating heat, his breath turned from a cold mist to a hot steam rising from his nose and mouth with every breath, the cold steel of his blade turned red hot, as wisps of steam rose from it.

”Humanity should walk its own path, a path they all choose for themselves, a freedom that the gods robbed them of. Since the gods are standing in their way, in my way, then I will turn myself into a blade that will sever their grasp on humanity. I do not intend to kneel ever again, not to those who refuse to help me, help my friends, family, the people who need it the most!”

As Giyu finished speaking, his hand fell from his chest, while he drew his katana, its red hot steel emanating a low light around him, the determination, and hatred toward the divine was more visible than ever. In the darkness that surrounded hima nd filled Necropolis, where the souls of the lost were kept like cattle, where souls were imprisoned for eternity for the crimes of the gods, Giyu made a choice to forsake and never believe in the divine again. He chose a path of freedom, a path that was the right one, the one that would break the chains of the divine and set him free. Giving him the ability to free those who were blinded by the deceiving light of the divine.

In the end Giyu chose to stand with the living, tho carry the pain in his chest and tho free the world from the tight grip of those who claimed to rule it, who claimed to protect every soul from damnation.

For humanity to take its rightful place as creators and free people, divinity had to be erased.

 

[Gutsy]

Mission:

• Fight someone stronger than you (S-rank)

---

The Sin of the White Wings​

As Giyu stood in the center of the dark chamber, the embers of his torch slowly fading to nothing on the cold stone floor, the only light left was the low red glow from his Katana as he stared intently at the mural depictions of these so called angels. His words had faded but the determination to carry it out was there. The dust was still hanging in the air around him, floating gently in the light of his blade. For a moment he was all alone in the dark, but then every single hair on his neck rose as a cold stinging fear stabbed through his stomach. A light began to grow behind, a light that became brighter, eventually so bright that it washed over the broken murals in white, almost so blinding that the murals were washed away, and the air cracked for a split second like thunder. Before Giyu could turn to see what it was, a streak of light tore through the dark chamber followed by a shape too fast to see. The light and shape blew past Giyu, slamming into him with a weapon that burned like judgement itself. Giyu staggered back, almost loosing the grip on his katana, while the figure landed in front of him as the ground cracked beneath its feet, and its wings unfurled in shards of light. The eyes that starred at Giyu was filled with rage and disappointment. The angel had arrived, it had heard is declaration, and it had come to punish his heresy.

”You dare challenge what the heavens have created! Your existence is now a stain to be washed away!” The angel raised its pure white spear pointing it directly at Giyu’s chest.

”If the heaven’s fear the choice I make, then you and your gods deserve to fall.” Giyu raised his katana to his side, placing his right foot in front of himself, ready for whatever the angel had prepared for him.

Before Giyu could fully comprehend the angels shape or form, it moved, its wings flashed like white fire and the air cracked like a whip once from the sheer force produced from its speed, as it flashed toward Giyu. Giyu barely managed, as his feet slid across the cold stone floor, as the spear strike threw him to the side, with burn marks and lines across his ribs and his arm from protecting himself. The spear had done nothing more than glance his ribs to deal just significant damage, Giyu knew immediately that he could not let it hit him directly. Giyu bit down in pain and pushed off the ground as the angel had already turned to swing the spear back in his direction in a low streak of light came for his head. However this time Giyu leapt over the spear as his katana drilled down slamming into the shoulder of the angel from above. Giyu’s katana struck the angels shoulder, yet all that happened was it glancing off with little to no effect, while the spear he avoided slashed the mural behind him in half. At the same time as his blade glanced off, the Angel sent a side kick into his side, sending him flying into a nearby pillar, the force almost cracking it in half.

( Rakkasui ) - Falling Water

Spoiler

Type: Offensive
Rank: C
Range: Short
Chakra cost: N/A
Damage points: 30
Description: The user will drop down upon the opponent from mid air pointing their sword downwards and drilling it down into the opponent.

The angel lifted off the ground and came down upon him in a dive before he could fully settle himself, the floor shattered under the impact. Yet Giyu was unscathed as he rolled to the side, barely avoiding the impact, as his blade swung sideways striking the angel once more, however again the same result, his blade struck metal. The sheer force of the impact vibrrated through his arms, pushing him back several steps as his wrist stung in pain. As Giyu looked up at the angel, it turned, its eyes flaring like a burning sun as it was fixed on him. A small grin came across its face as it lifted its spear once more, holding it as if the spear had no weight to him.

”Let the light of the gods bring you salvation.” it said, as a beam of light tore through the chamber. The light blasted through pillars and sent crackling light in all directions.

For Giyu it felt like a moment, a mere second in time, as he dropped his katana its blade striking the ground as he flashed through three hand seals, as a vortex of water rose around him, shielding him from the impact of the light beam. However the vortex was instantly vaporized as Giyu, manage to move under the remainder of the beam, while the vaporized water filled the chamber with a thick steam. Giyu using it to his advantage, caused three consecutive explosions of corrosive acid to erupt around the angel, spraying and causing its armor to begin to corrode away. Just at that moment, Giyu leapt through the steam, his katana in hand, drilling it through the shoulder of the angel. The blade did not manage to go through, however, as Giyu landed past the Angel, what he saw on his blade was a strange shimmering liquid, and he knew he had drawn blood.

(Suiton: Mizu no Tatsumaki) - Water Release: Tornado of Water

Spoiler

Type: Supplementary/Offensive/Defensive
Rank: A
Range: Short-Mid
Chakra: 30
Damage: 60
Description: After performing the Ram → Horse → Bird handseals, the user is able to create a technique that utilizes water to create a spinning water vortex around the user. The water vortex acts both as a barrier and an attack mechanism. The power of the vortex is enough to knock an opponent unconscious.

Futton: Tsumibukai Renge) - Boil Release: Sinful Lotus Technique

Spoiler

Type: Offensive
Rank: A
Range: Short - Long
Chakra cost: 30
Damage points: 60
Description: Mei manipulates her chakra to create vapour to be released from the ground that she then causes them to create corrosive explosions. the corrosiveness of the technique merely can cause some severe damage to the body of the target but not have full acid properties that could melt them instantly.
Note: Can only be used by Mei Terumi.

As Giyu glanced at his blade and the shimmering liquid, the angel had already moved as he heard it move, he turned to see what was happening, and only because of that did he survive or else the spear would have pierced his heart. Instead, it pierced his right shoulder, going through with such force that it struck the ground, splattering his blood across the ground and making Giyu cough up blood in an instant. Instinctively Giyu grabbed the spears handle, his hand burning, yet refusing to let go. As the angel attempted to pull the spear out, it did not budge.

”You are already dead, just let it go, you filthy heretic” the angel spat at him, as it kicked him pushing him off the spear by force.

Giyu forced himself to stand even as his vision was blurred, as he wiped blood from his face, as his blood continued to stain the floor below him. The angel glared at him, its grin gone, its eyes staring at him with such intent, it seemed like it was insulted by the sheer fact that Giyu was still standing. The angel began to circle him, its wings slowly beating, sending out small gusts of wind, scattering fragments of dust and steam across the chamber.

The angel came at him without restraint, without holding anything back, its movements formed blurred lines of light, its spear strikes hammered the air around him, sending waves of light and wind at Giyu, missing by inches, while Giyu leapt over, slid under and moved in every possible way to bend his body out of the way. The waves of light slashing through pillars and rocks alike as if cutting through butter. Giyu dodged, slid, rolled and stepped in and out of narrow spaces between each blow, every single one barely missing his vital organs, however some of the slashes did connect, drawing blood, slashing his skin, shredding it open. He felt as if any misstep would mean his demise, yet even concentrating fully he could feel his body slowing from the wounds, and the slashes getting closer. Giyu managed to move faster than his body should, every bone, muscle and every part of his body felt like giving out any moment.

( Sempai Oshie: Roku Sacchi ) Elder teachings: Sixth Sense

Spoiler

Type: Supplementary
Rank: S
Range: Short
Chakra cost: ( -10 per turn to keep active )
Damage points: N/A
Description: Elder teachings: Sixth Sense is a skill known only to those who have achieved mastery in meditation and fighting arts. The user unlocks the Sixth Sense, which is also known as a clear state of mind where the user eliminates the factors clouding the mind such as fear and regret, thus allowing the user to be able to increase their reaction to incoming Taijutsu attacks and not fear death, making the user possible to react fast to the attacks. This increases the user's reaction speed by x2, giving them heightened senses to attacks.
Note: Can only be used two times
Note: Lasts four turns

At last as Giyu felt as if he could not hold out much longer, the angel overextended. The spear blew past Giyu striking the ground at a deep angle and was stuck there for half a heartbeat. Giyu seized that single heartbeat, leaping forward, channeling his chakra through his blade, as he brought it down on top of the angels head. The angel ripped the spear from the ground, but it was too late, Giyu’s blade slammed into its head with such force it cracked the ground below it, as the sword blew through the angels body, tearing its head from its body. Causing dust and steam to scatter, as Giyu landed. As he stood there, angels light slowly fading, its head lying on the ground, Giyu’s breath was ragged, exhausted, his body crying out for rest.

”If this is what you do with non believers, then your gods do not deserve our prayers.” Giyu said as he turned and began to walk away.


(Kenjutsu: Chikyū Seishin No Mukui) - Sword Art: Earth Spirit's Reckoning

Spoiler

Type: Supplementary/Offensive
Rank: A
Range: Short-Mid
Chakra: 30
Damage: 60
Description: The user gathers a large quantity of chakra that is kneaded inside the body, then channelled into a sword held vertically behind the user's back with both hands. The chakra will pool to the edge of the blade that faces towards the user and be released all at once as the sword is swung in a vertical downward motion. The released chakra will appear as a quick flash of green that acts as a kind of thruster to increases the speed and force of the swing tremendously, so much so that it is able to shatter the ground around the user up to mid range, and destroy earthen structures B-rank and below. The shattering of the ground gives rise to a dust cloud that obscures the vision of both the user and the opponent. The main focus of this technique is to destroy the ground, but it also serves to unearth objects lying beneath the surface, such as people or summonings which are traveling through the earth. Due to the force of the impact and damage caused to the sword, this technique can only be used three times. Upon being used the third time, the sword's blade will shatter.

Note: Only useable thrice per battle.
Note: Cannot be used consecutively.
Note: Courtesy of Ańbu Juniør

As Giyu began to walk away, his eyes and body tired, he grabbed a hold of his right side where there was a gaping hole in his body from the spear, the blood had stopped trickling for now. Giyu felt anger, he wanted to find more of these bastards, more of these monsters so that he could remove their presence from the world.

Yet, as he began to walk away, with the light fading behind him, again the hairs on his back rose, as he felt it. He let down his guard, it was stupid of him, how could he have thought everything was safe. He managed to turn his body, just as he saw the spear of the angel fly through the hair, striking right through his shoulder, the same one that had been already pierced. It carried him across the room, pinning him to the wall. The pain was excruciating, as he almost cried out in pain.

As Giyu was stuck to the wall, he saw the angels head crumble to nothing, its body stumbling forward as it collapsed, its form dissipating into light, dissipating into nothing. The room was again filled with darkness. Giyu’s blade stuck in the floor next to him, the spear still stuck in the pillar. He grabbed a hold of it, yet for now, perhaps he just felt like staying put, staying there for a moment.

Giyu closed his eyes, if just to rest for a moment before he would move on.

 

[The Pervy Sage]

Mission:

• Fight someone stronger than you (S-rank)

---

The Sin of the White Wings​

As Giyu stood in the center of the dark chamber, the embers of his torch slowly fading to nothing on the cold stone floor, the only light left was the low red glow from his Katana as he stared intently at the mural depictions of these so called angels. His words had faded but the determination to carry it out was there. The dust was still hanging in the air around him, floating gently in the light of his blade. For a moment he was all alone in the dark, but then every single hair on his neck rose as a cold stinging fear stabbed through his stomach. A light began to grow behind, a light that became brighter, eventually so bright that it washed over the broken murals in white, almost so blinding that the murals were washed away, and the air cracked for a split second like thunder. Before Giyu could turn to see what it was, a streak of light tore through the dark chamber followed by a shape too fast to see. The light and shape blew past Giyu, slamming into him with a weapon that burned like judgement itself. Giyu staggered back, almost loosing the grip on his katana, while the figure landed in front of him as the ground cracked beneath its feet, and its wings unfurled in shards of light. The eyes that starred at Giyu was filled with rage and disappointment. The angel had arrived, it had heard is declaration, and it had come to punish his heresy.

”You dare challenge what the heavens have created! Your existence is now a stain to be washed away!” The angel raised its pure white spear pointing it directly at Giyu’s chest.

”If the heaven’s fear the choice I make, then you and your gods deserve to fall.” Giyu raised his katana to his side, placing his right foot in front of himself, ready for whatever the angel had prepared for him.

Before Giyu could fully comprehend the angels shape or form, it moved, its wings flashed like white fire and the air cracked like a whip once from the sheer force produced from its speed, as it flashed toward Giyu. Giyu barely managed, as his feet slid across the cold stone floor, as the spear strike threw him to the side, with burn marks and lines across his ribs and his arm from protecting himself. The spear had done nothing more than glance his ribs to deal just significant damage, Giyu knew immediately that he could not let it hit him directly. Giyu bit down in pain and pushed off the ground as the angel had already turned to swing the spear back in his direction in a low streak of light came for his head. However this time Giyu leapt over the spear as his katana drilled down slamming into the shoulder of the angel from above. Giyu’s katana struck the angels shoulder, yet all that happened was it glancing off with little to no effect, while the spear he avoided slashed the mural behind him in half. At the same time as his blade glanced off, the Angel sent a side kick into his side, sending him flying into a nearby pillar, the force almost cracking it in half.

( Rakkasui ) - Falling Water

Spoiler

Type: Offensive
Rank: C
Range: Short
Chakra cost: N/A
Damage points: 30
Description: The user will drop down upon the opponent from mid air pointing their sword downwards and drilling it down into the opponent.

The angel lifted off the ground and came down upon him in a dive before he could fully settle himself, the floor shattered under the impact. Yet Giyu was unscathed as he rolled to the side, barely avoiding the impact, as his blade swung sideways striking the angel once more, however again the same result, his blade struck metal. The sheer force of the impact vibrrated through his arms, pushing him back several steps as his wrist stung in pain. As Giyu looked up at the angel, it turned, its eyes flaring like a burning sun as it was fixed on him. A small grin came across its face as it lifted its spear once more, holding it as if the spear had no weight to him.

”Let the light of the gods bring you salvation.” it said, as a beam of light tore through the chamber. The light blasted through pillars and sent crackling light in all directions.

For Giyu it felt like a moment, a mere second in time, as he dropped his katana its blade striking the ground as he flashed through three hand seals, as a vortex of water rose around him, shielding him from the impact of the light beam. However the vortex was instantly vaporized as Giyu, manage to move under the remainder of the beam, while the vaporized water filled the chamber with a thick steam. Giyu using it to his advantage, caused three consecutive explosions of corrosive acid to erupt around the angel, spraying and causing its armor to begin to corrode away. Just at that moment, Giyu leapt through the steam, his katana in hand, drilling it through the shoulder of the angel. The blade did not manage to go through, however, as Giyu landed past the Angel, what he saw on his blade was a strange shimmering liquid, and he knew he had drawn blood.

(Suiton: Mizu no Tatsumaki) - Water Release: Tornado of Water

Spoiler

Type: Supplementary/Offensive/Defensive
Rank: A
Range: Short-Mid
Chakra: 30
Damage: 60
Description: After performing the Ram → Horse → Bird handseals, the user is able to create a technique that utilizes water to create a spinning water vortex around the user. The water vortex acts both as a barrier and an attack mechanism. The power of the vortex is enough to knock an opponent unconscious.

Futton: Tsumibukai Renge) - Boil Release: Sinful Lotus Technique

Spoiler

Type: Offensive
Rank: A
Range: Short - Long
Chakra cost: 30
Damage points: 60
Description: Mei manipulates her chakra to create vapour to be released from the ground that she then causes them to create corrosive explosions. the corrosiveness of the technique merely can cause some severe damage to the body of the target but not have full acid properties that could melt them instantly.
Note: Can only be used by Mei Terumi.

As Giyu glanced at his blade and the shimmering liquid, the angel had already moved as he heard it move, he turned to see what was happening, and only because of that did he survive or else the spear would have pierced his heart. Instead, it pierced his right shoulder, going through with such force that it struck the ground, splattering his blood across the ground and making Giyu cough up blood in an instant. Instinctively Giyu grabbed the spears handle, his hand burning, yet refusing to let go. As the angel attempted to pull the spear out, it did not budge.

”You are already dead, just let it go, you filthy heretic” the angel spat at him, as it kicked him pushing him off the spear by force.

Giyu forced himself to stand even as his vision was blurred, as he wiped blood from his face, as his blood continued to stain the floor below him. The angel glared at him, its grin gone, its eyes staring at him with such intent, it seemed like it was insulted by the sheer fact that Giyu was still standing. The angel began to circle him, its wings slowly beating, sending out small gusts of wind, scattering fragments of dust and steam across the chamber.

The angel came at him without restraint, without holding anything back, its movements formed blurred lines of light, its spear strikes hammered the air around him, sending waves of light and wind at Giyu, missing by inches, while Giyu leapt over, slid under and moved in every possible way to bend his body out of the way. The waves of light slashing through pillars and rocks alike as if cutting through butter. Giyu dodged, slid, rolled and stepped in and out of narrow spaces between each blow, every single one barely missing his vital organs, however some of the slashes did connect, drawing blood, slashing his skin, shredding it open. He felt as if any misstep would mean his demise, yet even concentrating fully he could feel his body slowing from the wounds, and the slashes getting closer. Giyu managed to move faster than his body should, every bone, muscle and every part of his body felt like giving out any moment.

( Sempai Oshie: Roku Sacchi ) Elder teachings: Sixth Sense

Spoiler

Type: Supplementary
Rank: S
Range: Short
Chakra cost: ( -10 per turn to keep active )
Damage points: N/A
Description: Elder teachings: Sixth Sense is a skill known only to those who have achieved mastery in meditation and fighting arts. The user unlocks the Sixth Sense, which is also known as a clear state of mind where the user eliminates the factors clouding the mind such as fear and regret, thus allowing the user to be able to increase their reaction to incoming Taijutsu attacks and not fear death, making the user possible to react fast to the attacks. This increases the user's reaction speed by x2, giving them heightened senses to attacks.
Note: Can only be used two times
Note: Lasts four turns

At last as Giyu felt as if he could not hold out much longer, the angel overextended. The spear blew past Giyu striking the ground at a deep angle and was stuck there for half a heartbeat. Giyu seized that single heartbeat, leaping forward, channeling his chakra through his blade, as he brought it down on top of the angels head. The angel ripped the spear from the ground, but it was too late, Giyu’s blade slammed into its head with such force it cracked the ground below it, as the sword blew through the angels body, tearing its head from its body. Causing dust and steam to scatter, as Giyu landed. As he stood there, angels light slowly fading, its head lying on the ground, Giyu’s breath was ragged, exhausted, his body crying out for rest.

”If this is what you do with non believers, then your gods do not deserve our prayers.” Giyu said as he turned and began to walk away.


(Kenjutsu: Chikyū Seishin No Mukui) - Sword Art: Earth Spirit's Reckoning

Spoiler

Type: Supplementary/Offensive
Rank: A
Range: Short-Mid
Chakra: 30
Damage: 60
Description: The user gathers a large quantity of chakra that is kneaded inside the body, then channelled into a sword held vertically behind the user's back with both hands. The chakra will pool to the edge of the blade that faces towards the user and be released all at once as the sword is swung in a vertical downward motion. The released chakra will appear as a quick flash of green that acts as a kind of thruster to increases the speed and force of the swing tremendously, so much so that it is able to shatter the ground around the user up to mid range, and destroy earthen structures B-rank and below. The shattering of the ground gives rise to a dust cloud that obscures the vision of both the user and the opponent. The main focus of this technique is to destroy the ground, but it also serves to unearth objects lying beneath the surface, such as people or summonings which are traveling through the earth. Due to the force of the impact and damage caused to the sword, this technique can only be used three times. Upon being used the third time, the sword's blade will shatter.

Note: Only useable thrice per battle.
Note: Cannot be used consecutively.
Note: Courtesy of Ańbu Juniør

As Giyu began to walk away, his eyes and body tired, he grabbed a hold of his right side where there was a gaping hole in his body from the spear, the blood had stopped trickling for now. Giyu felt anger, he wanted to find more of these bastards, more of these monsters so that he could remove their presence from the world.

Yet, as he began to walk away, with the light fading behind him, again the hairs on his back rose, as he felt it. He let down his guard, it was stupid of him, how could he have thought everything was safe. He managed to turn his body, just as he saw the spear of the angel fly through the hair, striking right through his shoulder, the same one that had been already pierced. It carried him across the room, pinning him to the wall. The pain was excruciating, as he almost cried out in pain.

As Giyu was stuck to the wall, he saw the angels head crumble to nothing, its body stumbling forward as it collapsed, its form dissipating into light, dissipating into nothing. The room was again filled with darkness. Giyu’s blade stuck in the floor next to him, the spear still stuck in the pillar. He grabbed a hold of it, yet for now, perhaps he just felt like staying put, staying there for a moment.

Giyu closed his eyes, if just to rest for a moment before he would move on.

Spy, Order of the Golden Amputation

---

The thick, heavy steam that had masked Giyu’s final attack still clung to the air, weaving between the broken pillars and catching the last vestige of light from the cooling katana blade on the floor. It was from this shifting curtain of vapor that a new presence emerged.

A figure, tall and utterly silent, stepped forward. They wore a heavy, dark cloak of an undefined material, the hood drawn so deep that their face was a pool of shadow. They moved without disturbing a single fragment of dust, stopping just short of Giyu, who hung immobilized on the wall.

“A remarkable spectacle,” a voice like dry leaves skittering across stone remarked, genderless and devoid of emotion. “To defeat an Archon, even an exhausted one, while carrying the weight of such defiant arrogance. Most break under the slightest touch of divine fire. But you, Heretic Giyu, you simply burn brighter.”

The figure raised a hand, making no move to help Giyu, only acknowledging the spear impaling him. “That conviction you cling to is a rare, precious thing. The sort that doesn’t fade, even when nailed to a column of judgment. That fire, Giyu, has a place. A purpose greater than mere vengeance.”

The cloaked figure straightened, their presence now commanding. “We are the Silent Tide, a sacred order dedicated to the obliteration of the heavens you just struck down. If you truly wish to continue on this path, if you seek to bring the gods to their knees, then prove your devotion to the Lady.”

The figure’s gaze, though unseen, felt heavy and demanding. “Sever the heads of five arali, the superior demons who serve as the foundation of the celestial court’s army. Bring them, five tokens of your resolve, to the Land of Water. Find the northernmost sanctuary, and you will find your brothers and sisters in the darkness.”

With that, the figure melted back into the steam and shadow as quickly and silently as they had come, leaving Giyu with a crippling wound, a broken world, and a terrifying new mission.[/spoiler]

 

[Gutsy]

Mission Start

- Heal the wounds and kill the Twins of Chains (Custom, A-rank)

---

Giyu was hanging agains the unforgiving stone pillar, the spear piercing his shoulder, his battered form a display of the brutal nature of the fight. His once beautiful outfit now torn, now a tarnished and scorched shell, bearing the scars of countless blows. Deep gouges and rents marred its surface, revealing the bruised and battered flesh beneath. Blood-soaked bandages clung to his wounds, a grim reminder of the relentless assault he had endured from the Arali that he had just encountered.

His raven-black hair, damp with sweat and clotted with dirt, clung to his furrowed brow. Beads of sweat mixed with grime adorned his face, and his once-resolute eyes now held a glint of despair. The earth beneath him was stained with his own lifeblood. He was hanging there, his mind thinking over the fact that whatever entity was telling him to move forward, now wanted him to strike down more Arali as a show of commitment and strength.

In that moment of vulnerability, something within him began to stir, something awakened, an unyielding determination. He tore the spear from his body, as he landing feet first. As his feet touched the ground, energy swirled from his feet, causing the dirt and dust to swirl around for a moment, as Yang energy entered his body, greatly enhancing his strength, however what was the true focus of this was that his wounds began to close, his blood stopped flowing and his shoulder came back into place, and after a minute of standing there, Giyu looked as good as new, after which the Yang Energy left his body.


(Yoton: Ken'i) - Yang Release: Power of The Sun

Spoiler

Type: Supplementary
Rank: S-Rank
Range: Short
Chakra cost: 80 (30 per turn)
Damage points: N/A (+40 to Taijutsu)
Description: The user will reinforce his own body with Yang natured chakra, empowering his physical abilities to the outermost limits. This allows him to become physically very strong (beyond the normal levels of chakra enhanced strength), increases his resistance to physical damage (decreasing 60 damage from any physical contact), his speed (boosted to 3.5x his normal speed), and grants him a passive healing of all minor wounds at 30 damage per turn. However, by infusing himself with the Yang Nature, he becomes unable to use Yin Release techniques or Yin/Yang Release techniques; he cannot use Genjutsu or non elemental Ninjutsu of any kind (including special fields like Fuuinjutsu).
Note: Can only be used twice per battle and lasts 4 turns per use.

As Giyu’s wounds mended, he walked out of the chamber and back towards the Necropolis, he could hear the sound of a bell tower in the distance, he could see the the soul cages out of the corner of his eyes. As he stood there in the midst of this dark world, enveloped by a scene of hatred and pain, a world where the soul was nothing more than a tool for them. He suddenly became aware of a chilling shift in the world around him, as an unsettling warmth began to permeate his senses, as if the lights of the souls around him had suddenly been snuffed out. It was a disconcerting sensation, a sensation akin to witnessing the rapid vanishing of life itself.

In an instant Giyu moved around the corner of a building and he was confronted with a nightmarish scene. An entity of sheer hatred. A colossal angelic entity its wings furled behind its back, its shining armor gleaming in the dark. It had two heads, and it loomed over the cages and the now vanished souls. It radiated hunger and despair. It had an insatiable appetite, and Giyu saw as it opened a cage, its massive hand reaching it to grab the souls to only devour them, and he saw the light of the souls pass through its body, as it began to emit more light.

This grotesque Arali, with its writhing form and its angelic spear, both its heads turned and immediately stared down at Giyu, with a grin on its face, and what looked to me some strange plasma dripping from its mouth. ”Food?” it said in unison, as he turned and began to walk towards Giyu.

Giyu knew he had to act,he knew he had to do something if he wanted to stop the Arali from devouring souls, for coming for him and taking him aswell. His hands moved swiftly, forming two quick hand seals, and as the angelic figure stepped forward its large foot immediately sank into the ground, its foot completely swallowed by the earth.

"I won't allow you to claim any more souls. Your reign of terror ends here and now."

( Doton: Yomi Numa ) - Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld

Spoiler

Type: Supplementary
Rank: A - Forbidden
Range: Short - Long
Chakra: 30 - 50
Damage: N/A
Description: The user will first perform Boar → Tiger and then by changing the surface of an object beneath an enemy into mud and creating a non flammable swamp, the user can sink his enemy into the mud. The adhesive, chakra-infused mud ensnares the enemy's body, making it almost impossible to recover one's strength and escape from the swamp. The size and depth of the created swamp depends on the user's skill and the amount of chakra used, but if the user is an expert in this technique, it will always be possible to make a thick, newer impossible to move in swamp which is extremely effective against a great number of enemies or when having to face gigantic creatures.
Note: A rank use can extend up to mid range and will cause a target to become engulfed after one turn and suffocate after taking 60 damage per turn.
Note: S rank use can only be used by Primary Earth Specialists and can extend up to a single landmark in range and will cause a target to become engulfed and suffocate after one turn, taking 80 damage per turn.
Note: Forbidden ranked use can only be used by Jiraiya and Komi bios. It can only be used 2 times and is causing targets engulfed to suffocate in a single turn and can be up to 100 meters deep and wide and/or up to two landmarks. After ending, the user cannot use for 2 turns.

With his katana now in hand, its blade gleaming with a red hot sheen and steam rising from the blade, he dashed forward toward the angelic being. His movements were erratic and unpredictable, as his body had a newfound strength after being healed, and as the angelic being lashed out with its hand trying to grab him, Giyu leapt between its fingers, severing two of them on his way, as he ran up its arm. And Giyu danced between being slammed by the angelic hand, or pierced by the spear. His speed and agility was pushed to its limits, as he slashed and cut along its arm, yet the battle was far from elegant. His movement were ragged, and every evasion was a desperate gamble, narrowly avoiding the angelic strikes by a hair’s length.

The angelic entity seemed to become more angry with every strike it missed, but also faster, each swing of its spear and every evasion, the angelic being inched closer. Giyu’s blade pierced its arm as he ran up, rending the flesh and as he ran up towards its head, he put the angel under an illusion, an illusion where wires shot up from the ground to bind and pierce its body.

(Genjutsu: Sen Soutei) Illusionary Technique: Wire Binding

Spoiler

Rank: B
Type: Offensive
Range: Short-Mid
Chakra cost: 20
Damage points: N/A
Description: The user will perform 3 handseals and the opponent will then feel as if several needles with metal wires attached have pierced through their limbs and the wires have wrapped around the limbs and pulled back as to leave the opponent with their torso thrust forward and their limbs behind them. Their body mimics the illusion in real life as the opponent's limbs pull back and they find it very hard to move. A strong enough ninja can fight back against the illusion and free themselves much like Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes. The stress on the body and the realistic illusion causes the opponent minor harm.
-Twice per battle.
-Lasts two turns.
-Only taught by Professor Sarutobi.

As the angel was caught in the illusion, Giyu dashed for its head and as he leapt up to strike, suddenly the angel shrank in size, its being suddenly human sized. Except now there was two of them, two angels, it had split in two and broken the illusion. And as Giyu was dropping towards the ground where they stood, the angels released a wave of light towards him, chains of radiant heat and fire. The chains slammed into Giyu, sending him into the air, as the chains wrapped around him and help him in place, dangling above the two angels.

As Giyu was dangling in the radiant chains, his skin heating up and burning, his body felt bruised and painful. The two angels laughed, as they grasped each their own spear, preparing to launch them at him. In that moment, a moment of ingenuity rose in Giyu’s mind, as he swirled around in the chains, he released multiple wind blades from his finger tips which sliced right through the chains, breaking them. As they broke, Giyu dropped down between the two angels.

(Fūton: Kaze No Yaiba) - Wind Style: Wind Blade

Spoiler

Type: Offensive
Rank: A
Range: Short-Mid
Chakra: 30
Damage: 60
Description: This technique is a pinpoint slashing strike, where the user emits chakra from their fingertips and materialises it into an near invisible weapon that assaults the enemy in a gust of wind. If the Sickle Weasel Technique can be regarded as a swarm of small wind kunai, then this technique is akin to a virtually unavoidable longsword which can leave the target's body mutilated. Just being in close proximity to the technique can cause minor cuts. The wind blades can be created and thrown, like projectiles, in rapid succession, although in this case, each one weaker than the single use application. The technique cannot be blocked by physical weapons and is insanely fast by not relying on the use of Hand seals but, because it still requires the user to perform hand gestures to use and is somewhat visible in the effect it produces, it can still be defended against by using appropriate evasion techniques or fast elemental ninjutsu.

Seizing this opportunity being between the two angels, Giyu landed and in a quick motion he swirled around counter clockwise, as he brought his katana around sprouting multiple chakra blades from it, as it slammed into the heads of the angels one at a time.

(Junrei no Michi) - Pilgrims Road

Spoiler

Rank: A
Type: Offensive
Range: Short - Mid
Chakra cost: 30
Damage points: 60
Description: The user by flowing their chakra into their sword will control and manipulate it to create multiple blades of chakra to extend from the initial blade branching out in front of the user up to 1 meter in length. The user can use this as a method of surprise by attacking with their sword to gain close quarters and then extending the various blades from various angles to attack their opponent.
Note: Can only be used three times per battle.

With every ounce of his strength he forced his katana and chakra blades to grind through the necks of the angels, tearing their flesh and bone apart, the sound of their flesh, their bone tearing and grinding down to dust as the katana flashed through their necks, and the cracking sound of bones was loud enough to echo through the Necropolis and beyond. Their smiling faces turned to limp, lifeless faces, as both heads dropped to the ground simultaneously.

In the aftermath of the duel between Giyu and the Twins of Chains, he let the blood splatter off his blade before sheathing it at his side. He glared at the two angel heads, as their bodies was lying lifeless, and small motes of souls drifted from their bodies, free from being devoured, perhaps they had a chance to flee this accursed world.

As Giyu stood there, silence once more took hold, as he grabbed the golden white hairs of the two heads, dangling them in front of him. He placed the heads in the satchel by his side, as it slowly soaked in the blood of the angels. As Giyu had placed the heads within the satchel, he turned his head to the Necropolis.

”Time to hunt some more angels.”

 

[Gutsy]

Mission Start

- Slay the Collector of Echoes (Custom, S-rank)

---

The Hall of Echoes was standing tall at the northern side of the Necropolis. It was a half sunken hall, that is littered with bones of the dead, and several carcasses of individuals whom were trying to drag themselves out. As Giyu had made his way through the Necropolis in search of angels, he found himself drawn to this Hall of Echoes, as thick coils of milky mist were drifting around his boots, and were clinging to his body. Even before his foot touched the threshold to the Hall of Echoes, he felt something unusual, a feeling of fear creeping into his mind. The fear of death, yet it was not strong, yet it remained in the back of his mind as he stepped over the threshold.

The doors of the hall hung half open, and they were carved from bones and polished until they were gleaming in the dim purple light of the void. As Giyu pushed the doors open, they groaned and creaked as they scraped across the cold stone floor.

Within the cathedral, a maze of pillars spread across the interior, pillars made of skulls, and motes of souls floating within the eye sockets. Tens of thousands or perhaps more of the dead had been used to create this spectacle. Their heads turned to face the lonely aisle leading to the altar, and on either side stood rows upon rows of benches, all carved with the same symbol. Low whispers could be discerned as Giyu walked inside, yet he could not discern any words from the voices. The whispers continued to grow in strength and became louder with each step until he reached the center of the hall, and without warning the hall fell dead silent.

For a moment he was wondering if this was just another quiet place, where there was only souls and no angels in sight. That was until he noticed the cages. The cages lined the arches above him, dozens upon dozens of them, suspended from chains that twitched and moved erratically, as if an invisible hand was constantly pushing or shoving them. Yet every cage was empty, every single one, and with their doors wide open like gaping mouths waiting to be fed, with souls.

It was clear to Giyu that something had already fed, and the souls had been lost to whatever had devoured them. It seemed to him that angels fed on souls to increase their power, and Giyu would have none of it.

Giyu’s gaze lowered as he looked toward the altar at the far end. He continued walking deeper into the cathedral, between the rows of the bone pillars and the benches. Occasionally he would pass a bench, where a couple of skeletons would sit in praying position, their faces looking skyward and their mouths wide open. The silence within the cathedral was quiet, but not normal, it was the quiet that existed when nature refused to make a sound when a predator was nearby. Even Giyu’s own breath felt muted as he was looking around, almost as if his chest and mouth had been wrapped in a cloth to hide his breath.

It was at this very moment that Giyu heard it, something that made his back turn ice cold, and sweat beginning to form around his neck. He heard the faint murmur, a whisper that reached him from within the cathedral.

It was his sister’s voice, so clear as if she was standing right next to him. ”Giyu… why didn’t you run back for me…?”

He immediately turned around to face the sound. Yet there was nothing there but the skulls of the pillars. Nothing but shadow all around him. His breath hitched in his throat, as he looked around for the source.

Then he heard another voice, this time i was his father’s voice. ”Protect your family, boy. You failed.”

Giyu grabbed a hold of his katana, his wrist holding it so tightly that you could see the whites in his knuckles. He exhaled slowly, as he was listening intently to his surroundings.

Illusions all around him, the voices, the whispers, his mother, father and sister, all of it was an illusion. An illusion that had been cast upon him the moment he had entered the cathedral. An illusion that had allowed whatever was in here to stay hidden and to feed upon his memories, steal them, and use them against him. Yet Giyu would not let it be so. With a swift hand seal he was released from the constraints of the illusion, and the voices faded away. And then he saw the angel.

It was standing at the far end of the hall, tall and thin, so thin, as if the bones beneath its skin had been stretched by unseen hands. Its body so tall and dangly, that it looked like a nightmarish humanoid. It wore a mask that was made of cracked porcelain, its eye slits were jagged and looked like fractures in ice. There was no mouth, and there was no visible emotions on the being, just a blank stare, as it was listening in silence.

Around the angels feet Giyu saw several broken soul cages, all of them had been crushed by what could have been a giant hand. There wa faint wisps of white that clung to the bars like remnants of blood or the remnants of soul motes. The cages had been stripped clean from all it had to offer.

The so called Choirless Seraph tilted its head the moment Giyu took a step forward. Its head tilting was a slow and deliberate action, as its head and limbs moved almost like a puppet being moved by an unseen string. Where bones and muscles should crack, there was no sound, only its broken gaze.

With its gaze locked onto Giyu, he began to feel this unseen pressure building up in his mind, almost like a headache, like something pressing within his skull, something pulling and tugging at his mind, his memories. Something trying to coax something forward from his mind. Whatever was happening, it seemed like the angel wanted something.

A single white strand lifted from Giyu’s head like steam rising from water, and it began to drift toward the angel in a slow wave. It carried with it a small whisper, a whisper that Giyu could hear. It was his mother laughing softly as she braided his hair by the river. The sound made Giyu stagger backwards, the angel was stealing his memories but not just any of them, it was his happy memories.

A cold shock was running through him, as his hand flew to his temple, trying to hold on to the memory as if it were something physical.

The angel twitched, its head jerking to the side and back as if it was savoring the taste of something delicious.

Without a second thought Giyu drew his sword, its steam hissed softly as the red glow returned to its edge. ”How dare you take anything from me.”

As Giyu spoke, the Choirless Seraph moved with a sudden burst of speed and the sound of snapping bones. Just a mere moment ago it stood still, now it had already glided through the cathedral, past the skulls, leaving not a single sound behind it. Its arm extended impossibly long, as its fingers stretched out toward him reaching for his face. Giyu took a step back instinctively, yet it never reached him, instead the cathedral dissolved.

It was not a physical dissolvement of the cathedral, rather it all occurred within his mind, as Giyu blinked once as he stepped back, and now the entire world around him was warped. The skulls on the pillars were all dripping like wax. The mist that was low on the ground had hands that rose and extended to wrap around him, as if to drag him into hell. Even the aisles began to stretch into corridors that had no ends.

In the distance he heard crying. It was his own sister, he saw the corridors warp into his childhood home, a door at an end leading into a garden. His mothers scream followed, yet every voice, every scream, every sound was twisted and unusual. Giyu knew this not only because of the distorted voices but the very wax skulls and walls looked like static, and moved erratically, he knew instinctively it was an illusion. Yet even so, it felt immense, and bathed in fear and the hairs on his neck rose.

”No…” Giyu muttered, forcing his body to move. He jumped backward, his chakra erupting from his every tenketsu, as his one hand rose to form a hand seal, and the illusion faded just in time for him to see the angel’s elongated body lunging at him. Its terrifying porcelain mask was split down the center, and there was no mouth, but a crack that continued to widen, revealing a vocal cord that was trembling and making strange noises as if it was screaming at him.

As its hand reached, Giyu formed another hand seal, as water formed beneath him (Suiton: Kyōfu Nagashi) Water Release: Flow of Dread, the water erupted from beneath him, shooting him up over the extended arm, while the water surged in a circular motion around the arm before piercing it from all directions and dragging it down into the water, pulling the angel towards Giyu.

The angel’s spear formed in its other hand as it pushed it forward, its gleaming white surface looking like a streak of light as it flew past Giyu’s shoulder, shredding the top of his shoulder as it past. From this moment on, Giyu and the angel continued to slash and move.

Every time Giyu came close to severing its head, his surroundings would melt in on itself, every time he avoided a strike, it felt as if something was burrowing into his mind. Every time his blade barely missing the head, the world changed from skull pillars to his childhood home, this time it was burning, beams breaking and the house collapsing in on itself.

Every time an illusion took hold, Giyu had to use the quickest means to be released, pain, doing so by wielding a dagger in one hand now and his katana in the other. Every time the angel put him in an illusion he would stab his own leg, while continuing to swing at it. The angel every time slipping into his mind, his memories, warping it, making his remember things that never happened and taking away memories he could no longer remember.

A strike hit Giyu, not a spear, but it felt like a hand punching him in the face, the figure looking like his own father.

Giyu screamed out as he stabbed his leg, the illusion breaking, yet blood dripped from his forehead. His breath hitched as he tried to focus, thoughts racing through him, the angel wanted to erase his mind, devour his thoughts. His teeth grinded against each other as he gripped his katana so tight that he could feel his knuckles pushing against the skin.

His eyes met the angels once more, this time his blue eyes swirled with chakra as it washed over his entire body. ”Breathing technique of Water: Tide That Remembers.”

A swirling wave of water erupted from his blade, as he dashed forward into the Choirless Seraph, the water pushing its arms aside, shredding his skin. The silence cracked, the skull of the angel slammed backwards. The angel staggered back, its mask splitting into two.

Yet the angel was not dead, not yet.

The angel stopped and clutched its chest, the cracked mask falling from hits head, revealing a torn and destroyed face and an open throat to its vocal cords.

It lunged forward once more, except this time its movements were desperate. It thrust its spear toward Giyu’s heart. This time Giyu stepped aside, his blade flashing upward in a red hot arch of steam.

Giyu slashed through the throat, through the silent gargling, and the darkness inside the being.

The angel collapsed behind him, its mask shattering into dust, as its head rolled across the stone floor. The silence that had been in the cathedral vanished as thousands of skulls began to whisper at once, as if they began to remember their past, began to remember how to speak, as if the fear that was in this place had vanished.

Giyu stood alone among the bones, among the cathedral, his breath slowing, while his sheathed his katana.

A single faint wisp drifted from the angel, a small cluster of memories had been freed and floated past him, disappearing into the mist like fireflies.

”One more down…” Giyu whispered, as he turned toward the exit, the mist following him as if it was alive, as he left the cathedral, having taken the angels head in his satchel, continued onwards to find the next angel to fall.

 

[Gutsy]

MISSION
Slay the Ascetic of Thorns (Custom, S-rank)

---

The road through the Necropolis toward the Garden of Nails was winding through a stretch of the Necropolis in which the mist was heavy and almost smelled and tasted metallic, as if it was made of something else than water. As Giyu walked through the streets, three heads in his pouch, he noticed the ground gradually shifting from cobble stone to regular soil with spikes of iron protruding from it. Each of these spikes were all shaped like a nail that had been forcefully pushed upwards. After a while of walking through this horrid landscape, he realized why all of it looked like this, he could hear the faintest sounds of pain that clung to the air like a stream after rainfall. When he finally reached the Garden of Nails, he stopped in his tracks as his breath caught in his throat. What he saw was petrified trees that stood like rigid formations, their grey and lifeless bodies only growing long coils of black metal, all of it looked barbed and twisted. But what made Giyu so disgusted, was the fact that souls were fixed to the trunks, crucified, their forms faint and flickering, dissolving slowly into the trees. The souls mouths were moving soundlessly, as if trying to scream, yet no sound left them, as their voices were swallowed before it could be released.

Giyu walked up to one of these trees, as one of the souls turned to him, its eyes dim. The moment their eyes met, a faint whisper clawed into Giyu’s mind; Help… please… pull me down. Giyu instinctively reached out, however, the thorns around the soul moved violently in response, twisting deeper into the form of soul, tearing it limb from limb. Giyu withdrew, whatever served here wanted to punish the souls of those who had passed on.

Somewhere not too far off, the sound of iron shifting and grinding against stone met Giyu’s ear.

Across the courtyard, Giyu saw something hanging from the largest petrified tree. It looked like a half cocooned figure wrapped in barbed chains. At first glance it looked like another captive soul, but then all of a sudden it began to move. It’s chains wrapping around it and tightening with the sound of clicks, pulling the creature upright. It’s wings unfurled in front of Giyu, or whatever remained of its wings, as they had been bound tightly to its body, shredded and featherless. Its flesh was even torn where barbed wire dug in to it. And its eyes were nothing more thant two hollow pits that were lit by two burning coals.

It began to speak, yet it had no mouth, its voice only being heard within Giyu’s thoughts. ”Purity is born through suffering, and only with pain are the stains of the living burned clean.”

As the angel descended from the tree the chains on its back slithered like snakes, each tipped with a hook shaped like a large iron nail. The very ground beneath the angel trembled, and cracked, as iron roots began to shift beneath Giyu’s feet as if preparing to ensnare him. As Giyu stood, his hand immediately reached for his blade out of instinct, as the souls around him writhed in pain, reacting to all the trees and chains moving. Giyu saw the souls evaporate as the angel took a step forward.
Then suddenly a chain snapped toward Giyu, and he ducked beneath it, only to feel another twist around his wrist. The hook tightened and tore into his flesh, cutting through his skin like it was butter. Then the angel jerked its hand, and the chain that was stuck in Giyu pulled him off his feet, dragging him through the dirt towards the angel. More chains reached for him through the air to come down to rend into his flesh, each one aimed for a different tendon, joint or a place that was mean to tear him into shreds. This angel wanted to tear him limb from limb, but do so slowly, to see how long he could endure such agony, yet Giyu had no intention of letting the angel test his endurance.

With the flash of his blade unsheathing, Giyu broke free as the chain was cut in half and he gracefully landed on the ground as another chain shot up through the ground where he had been. The iron in the dirt beneath his feet shifted as multiple roots or chains of iron rose to wrap around his ankles, making it impossible for him to move. The souls surrounding them began to fizzle out and scream in pain, as their energy was being siphoned, while it began walking towards Giyu who could not run at this moment.

The angelic figure known as The Ascetic of Thorns opened its arms wide as if it wanted to give him a hug, while its chains began to crack agains the iron floor around them. ”I can feel your soul trembling, swordsman… do not resist. The suffering I will bestow upon you will cleanse you and set you free.”

Giyu’s jaw clenched, his teeth grinding against one another, as steam rose from him and his katana turned bright red, while wisps of steam rose from it. His eyes glared at the angelic being, it wanted to purify him through pain, but he had already experienced enough pain for a life time, and he had walked through far worse and faced far more dangerous beings than this so called herald of light.

Giyu exhaled slowly, as steam came from his breath. ”I’m not here to be cleansed. I’m here to remove the stains of heavens from this place.”
The Iron Chains shot upwards, as the angel moved at the same time, and the chains swirled around Giyu.

As the iron chains shot up from the ground below, the sound of the metal groaned against rock and stone, twisting together like a mass of snakes as they moved towards Giyu. In the last moment, Giyu rolled to the side, landing on a slab of petrified bark that cracked beneath his weight. Just as he landed, the Ascetic of Thorns had glided across the ground without moving its legs, as if it was gliding, chains dragging behind it like a tattered cloak.

A chain flew at Giyu like a whiplash, the hook scrapping across his cheek as he stumbled backwards out of its way, as it drew a single line of blood. Before he could flinch from the stng, two more of the angels chains had already whipped towards him and wrapped around his left arm and ankle, tightening with barbed wire stitching into his flesh. And immediately after the angel ahd jerked its arm once more, causing the chains to fling Giyu into the air, while then shooting two more chains at him, aimed to pierce him and dangle him from above like a butchered carcass.

At that time, Giyu gritted his teeth, while he gathered his chakra and in a single flurry and twist of his katana and twirling in the air causing his blade to spin like a chainsaw through the chains, shredding them to dust as he would land a few meters from the angel and immediately dash at it.
” Stop resisting, you are being saved! let me save your soul!” The angel yelled as its body writhed forward. Its chains lifted off the ground behind it, spreading out creating a display of what would look like wings, with many hooks gleaming with the silvery blood of the souls and essence that had been stolen from the crucified souls in the trees.

Yet it was Giyu who struck first in this instant, as he dashed forward, steam bursting from his soles, giving him increased speed, as he twirled between the whiplashes of the barbed chains, his blade lit in red, as he sliced through the nearest chain with a hiss, yet as it fell it twitched and flung back at Giyu now as two chains, as every time he cut a chain it would multiply giving the angel more weapons to fight him. The chains continued to multiply with every cut, as Giyu tried to reach the angel.
Then as he continued moving around the chains, feeling the close sting and cuts of the edges, he exhaled, as he found an opening. Breathing Technique of Water: Shattered Current, and he spun like a whirlwind, slicing the air around him in a circular pattern. This created thin arcs of condensed water that shot outwards, snapping half a dozen chains in one swift motion. And as they recoiled, Giyu used that moment to push forward and in the blink of an eye he closed the distance between the two.

He almost reached the angel.

Just as he swung the blade at its neck, something grabbed his ankle, wa sit a root? it pulled him back, slamming him into a petrified tree, the sheer force and impact smashing the breath from his lungs, and before he could move, the chains wrapped aroun d his torso and squeezed, the barbed wire piercing deep into his stomach, as he coughed up a bit of blood.
The angel floated closer to the bound Giyu, its coals burning in its eyes. ”Don’t worry I’ll teach you that suffering will guide you.” The chains tightened around him, and he could feel that his bones were close to cracking.

Giyu’s voice came out as a low whisper, ”I’ve already learned enough. You are a monster.”

Once more Giyu’s chakra flared up, this time however, he turned into a fine mist of water as he warped through the chains and as he reformed just beyond the chains he formed a quick set of hand seals as his pam struck the ground, causing a massive amount of water to surge up from below the angel like a geyser pushing up and wrapping around it like giant tentacles holding it in place.

In that same moment he dashed towards the angel, drawing his blade once more, and again just as he was about to reach it, the angel crossed its arms causing the chains to wrap around it and tear through the water creating a cocoon of chains, which Giyu managed to cut straight through, causing the chains to crumble as the angel received a gashing wound on its chest, its blood spilling onto the floor, looking like black liquid.
The angel immediately staggered back, surprised by someone being able to cut its chest, let alone cut through its angel chains, and for the first time it made a sound, a sound that could only be described as someone experiencing pain for the first time, as its one arm held its chest.

Its head shot up, as it retaliated with a fury tenfold that of its previous attacks, every chain in the garden lifted up from the ground, hundreds of them, all of which were aimed at Giyu, aimed to hold him, tear him limb from limb, shred him down to his last atom.

Giyu put one foot in front of the other, breathing synchronized as he braced himself, and then he burst into a full sprint. He weaved between each chain, ducked under a single whiplash, and leapt over chains erupting from the ground. The thorns and chains tore at him, cutting small cuts on his arms, and carved lines across his back, ripping his haori. But he continued to move regardless of the pain.

A single chain managed to hook his shoulder, yet he could it with such ease that it made the angels eyes widen, as Giyu pressed on, another stabbed towards his throat, he snapped it in two, and a dozen chains erupted beneath him, which he simply vaulted over with steam erupting from his feet.

Giyu closed in on the angel one step at a time, and then he saw the opening. Steam began to curl around his red hot blade, as his stance dropped low and he dashed in. The angels chains came around it and burst forward to tear him apart. Yet he dashed through them as if they were nothing, for Giyu’s form had turned into hundreds of drops of water that exploded out in all directions, flushing through the chains unharmed.
And just as fast as the water erupted outwards, four Giyu’s formed around the angel, now through its defense, and in one quick motion all four Giyu’s slammed their drawn blades into its neck with such force that water streaks blasted through its head and skull from four different directions.
Then the copies of Giyu vanished, as only one remained, standing in the blindspot of the angel. He watched as the angels head slipped from its shoulders, it landed on the ground with a hot wet thud, and rolled through the dirt as barbed chains unravlled from its corpse. Its massive body collapsed and fell face first into the soil.

Giyu stood for a moment before he wiped the blood from his jaw and pulled a cloth from his satchel, wiping his blade before sheathing it.
Another angel had been slain and he placed its head among the rest in his satchel before he continued.

 

[Gutsy]

MISSION

Slay the Librarian of Pale Ash (Custom, A-rank)

---

Ash fell across the quiet section of the Necropolis, it fell like snow and the air was quiet, almost as if it was void of life in the city of mausoleums and bone carved temples. Every step he took echoed too loudly, it was impossible to hide. The cave above was a dull grey colorless and cold expanse, with only a few hues of purple shining in the distance.

At the very heart of this expanse stood the Archive, a colossal structure fashioned from marble. Its pillars were carved with the names of everyone who had been placed in the care of these so called angels. Or at least they used to be, it looked like most of them had been erased by someone, some more recent than others.

Giyu paused in his tracks, as a gentle breeze blew past him, beckoning him in. The ash that blew around him came from parchment, pages from books.

He stepped through the threshold and into the archive.

As he stepped inside he was welcomed by the silence, only broken by the sound of flames burning and licking the books and parchment within. The shelves all on fire, yet the fire did not spread. Every shelf was empty, every drawer slots gaped open, scroll tubes were cracked and empty. Ledgers stacked sat untouched.

Giyu continued past the burning shelves.

At first he thought he heard the sound of fluttering wings, but soon he realized it was pages crumbling into ash. He could see a dim glow flickering ahead.

He approached slowly, his hand already resting loosely on the hilt of his katana.

As he approached he saw it, hunched over a desk, sat the Librarian of Pale Ash.

The Librarian looked like a scholar long past deaths door, gaunt, skeletal figure draped in robes that used to be white, but is now stained by dust, ash and blood. Its wings shuddered periodically as if in pain, it looked as if it could not fly.

Every stroke of its quill upon paper looked as if it cut through it, it seemed to no longer care for its work. He could see every time it erased a name, and Giyu could feel the angels satisfaction with every name erased. Then as he stood there, the angel spoke without lifting its head.

”Another one forgotten. Another soul corrected.” Even from behind he could see the grin on its face.

Its voice was dry like parchment. Suddenly it paused mid stroke, as it slowly turned its head toward Giyu.

”Your name…” Ink dripped from its quill. ”... is misfiled.”

Its eyes expanded into hollow pits of pale flame, as its wings expanded and it slowly stood, one hand extended toward Giyu.

”I will rewrite you.”

Immediately the fight erupted, Giyu had no time to speak.

The so called Librarian or angel moved with a startling speed, especially for someone who looked as gaunt and emaciated as it, its hands manifested two blades almost resemblng that of quills. Giyu slipped between the first two swings aimed to slice his head from his body.

Immediately as Giyu passed, the Angel twisted its torso and lunged arm first, grabbing Giyu from behind and throwing him up into the air before using both its blades to pierce upwards aimed at him. Yet Giyu parried both strikes with his katana, drawing it in the last moment, steam hissing off of it as it slammed into both blades sending them sideways as he landed on the angels head using it as a springboard to push off, sending the angel stumbling forward as he landed behind it.

The angel stumbled and hissed, as it turned. ”Your page is still open, allowe me to correct it.”

This time the angel moved faster, more precise, its blades streaked past Giyu, they were not aimed at him. But as soon as they passed, they turned to ink like whips and chains that wrapped around him, pulling him toward the angel as its maw opened aimed to swallow him whole.

Giyu inhaled slowly, flow with it, do not resist, redirect, change trajectory. As he was flung towards the angel Giyu pulled his katana from its sheath once more, and twisted his body into a saw like motion, and the moment he met the angels face, the blade tore into it shredding its maw and letting Giyu passed through to the other side, as he landed on the desk.

The angel shrieked in pain, as its face began to reform.

Ink black liquid began to drip from the angels wings, pooling across the floor like a slick, shifting tide of water. The surface began to writhe as tentacles designed to snare an ankle, twist his balance, or drag him into this pool of darkness. The angel moved through the ink as it moved with it.

Giyu advanced anyways, no thought of protecting himself. As he dashed forward, first step on the ink and tentacles sprouted, all of them cut in an instant, hissing as they were burnt by the heat of his blade. Giyu slashed and batted the ink aside. And just as he reached the angel he cut for its ribs, yet it twisted its torso unnaturally, bending like a collapsing scroll. While at the same time its wings came down like a guillotine, forcing Giyu into a backwards slide that carved two clean lines through the inked floor as it amassed around him.

Then hundreds of tentacles sprung forth from his liquifying black form and the floor. Giyu braced, his breath was steady. As he began moving like water, twisting between tentacles, his blade slashing in wide circular motions, tearing the tentacles apart, while some of them may strike him, it was all minor bruises and cuts.

The angel leapt in between his slashes, closing the distance in a blur, its blade coming down fom above, a killing thrust aimed directly at Giyu’s heart.

Giyu’s katana intercepted the blade at an upward angle, causing the angels blade and hands to be flung upwards, sliding the strike off its path so cleanly, that the angel overextended. At the same moment, Giyu stepped in through its guard with perfect timing. His katana cutting across its torso, causing its innards to spill out.

Blood, ash and intestines stumbled out from the wound like marrow mixed with crushed parchment. Its body began to unravel, its skin peeling off its form as though someone were removing it from existence.

The angel recoiled, its movements were twitching and disjointed. ”Unacceptable… I have not finished my work…”

Its wings flapped as it wrapped itself around Giyu, causing multiple tentacles and spikes to erupt from its body, like the Iron Maiden, tearing and shredding into Giyu. It was only at the last possible moment that Giyu managed to amass his chakra causing his body to disperse into water.​

.As he reappeared outside the angels body, he reformed as four individuals, creating a quick four successive slashes that tore the angels head from its body.

The angel froze for just a heartbeat, as its body had stopped moving. ”Wait… that its not how its suppo…”

Its blade fell to the ground, a clean final stroke as its head tumbled to the ground. Its head separated from its body, the wings sagged as if losing tension, and its body fell limp into the black liquid. The head rolled to a stop in front of Giyu, whose breath was still ragged.

He could feel that his body had been pierced twice, once in the shoulder, and once in the leg before he managed to vanish. He had been slow, but still managed to defeat the angel.

He picked up and looked at the angels head for a second before putting it in his satchel with the others.

 

[Gutsy]

Travel Itinerary: #The Necropolis (A) -> #93 -> #87 -> #83 -> #81 -> #80 -> #62 -> #61 -> #262 -> #001 -> #259 -> #008 -> #259 -> #133

Departing: The Necropolis (A) at 03:30pm (10/12/25)
#The Necropolis (A): 03:30pm – 04.30pm
#93: 04:30pm - 05:30pm
#87: 05:30pm – 06:30pm
#83: 06:30pm – 07:30pm
#81: 07:30pm – 08:30pm
#80: 08:30pm – 09:30pm
#62: 09:30pm – 10:30pm
#61: 10:30pm – 11:30pm
#262: 11:30pm – 00:30am
#001: 00:30am – 01:30am
#259: 01:30am – 02:30am
#008: 02:30am – 03:30am
#259: 03:30am – 04:30am
Arriving at #133 at 04:30am (11/12/25)