2:40

  Kanashi heard only the echo of his own footsteps as he walked down the dark and dank tunnel. He had only [Lamp Light] in his hand to guide to light the path but it seemed that there thankfully wasn’t going to be an issue with the oxygen. He’d yet to be consumed by a giant blast of fire from a sudden inpour nor did he feel himself choking and struggling for air. And though he liked to think he’d made the spell to avoid such a thing he didn’t feel like testing it out either.

  Hmmm, now that I think about it though I wouldn’t be able to tell if I wasn’t getting enough air… isn’t that what they say about gas leaks? Dogs or cats will know before a human? Same thing with canaries in a coal mine but I don’t think there’s any canaries near me… not that I would bring one down here just to die if I could… What am I even thinking about anymore?

  Shaking his head, Kanashi bet it had been no longer than maybe five or so minutes since he’d left Yuko and Yodan behind. The Dark tunnels seemed to dull the passage of time but he was always good at that sort of thing. He could generally gauge time off intuition alone- though it had failed him before. Most notably when a new video game came out and he stayed up all night playing it. He only realized the time when the sun began to poke through his morning blinds. He’d forced himself to throw up obnoxiously loud to skip school that morning.

  Man I was kinda bad huh? He laughed to himself as he kept walking. He could have been worse, he knew that, but for how much of a loser he was he got into his fair share or bad behavior. Reaching his hand out he ran it along the edge of the wall to his left, ice cold smooth concrete grating his fingers he pulled them back.

  Is this a storm drain or something? I remember reading an article about this kinda thing a few years ago and seeing some pictures, but they looked a lot cooler in the photos… Of course the thought that these were the tunnels of the Toumeikan didn’t escape him. No that was all too real in his mind but he forced himself to bottle those thoughts up. To crush them in a jar and force it down into the deepest pits of his mind.

  “What is that!?” He gagged, suddenly being hit with the smell of festering rot. Like he’d been punched in the face by the smell he instantly wrinkled his nose and tried not to fall over. Conjuring fresh air from his palm he forced that into his lungs and nose but the stench persisted even then.

  “[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]”

  With a loud scratching sound from above, which reverberated through the tunnels the intercom system of Shibuchi ward clicked on, to Kanashi sounding no more than muffled whispers he tried to discern the words. Anything to get his mind off that smell.

  “...”

  Then just as soon as it began the intercom went off, the last few words echoing coldly along the tunnels, incomprehensible muffled sounds filling Kanashis ears he frowned. Maybe it was just the Venator Society doing a last roll call? It’s probably been almost an hour since the whole thing started so if the civilians were all out it might end soon.

  “God it’s getting worse!” Kanashi grunted. Trying to hide his nose from the stench he found it impossible, only growing stronger the further down the hill he went. It smelled like death, a smell Kanashi had only smelt once when he found some roadkill when walking to school one day. An awful smell, from the corpse of a maggot infested Coatimundi. It was a pretty big shame too since that was the first time he’d seen one in person and it was a bloated corpse.

  He felt the urge to turn back to fill his mind with each shallow breath, the conjured air doing as much to help as covering his nose with his collar as he pushed forwards. But at this point his curiosity was too strong to turn back, a morbid curiosity which he knew would lead to nothing good but pushed his forwards anyways.

  I wanna make a joke about curiosity killing the cat but I can’t find a way to include Nejimaru… After another few dozen Meters he saw before him coming into view a fork in the road.

  One path was dimly lit in the distance while the other was pitch black. Squinting his eyes he couldn’t tell exactly where the horrid smell was coming from, it seemed to originate from every direction. But maybe if he went towards the path the light was leading down it would lead him out of here? He could climb up a man hole or something. Though those often had a bunch of giant America Roaches crawling around it which made him shiver at the thought of. He did not like Roaches, not one bit.

  But I also don’t wanna stumble around in the dark anymore… Frowning he wished Observation could also work like a telescope, sure it made things easier to see from far away but at his level at least it didn’t make it appear closer as much as smooth out the edges. Like sharpening a photo in an editing software he could see the outline better but not the finer details. Nodding his head as he came to a choice he began to walk down the left path which had a faint light in the distance. Though he soon came to regret it as the smell got worse with each step. Not only did the air stink it also became thicker, more coarse and black, vile even.

  “What the hell is this!?” He grunted out, waving his hand through the air he tried to increase the size of [Lamp Light] but found it impossible, in fact it seemed the deeper he went the more mana it took to keep the light afloat. Like forcing your hand through thick molasses he strained hard just to keep the flicker of light he now had activated.

  With a sigh he deactivated the light and it fluttered out quickly, I’ll be there in just a few minutes anyways… He sighed. The further he went the worse the smell became however until it was unbreakable, his eyes nearly rolling into his head at this point he was conjuring air straight into his lungs itself while pinching his nose but it didn’t matter. It was like the stench was seeping into the pores in his very skin at this point.

  Now that the light was just before Kanashi he rushed forwards into it where he felt instant disappointment as the light opened up to reveal a massive chamber with no way out. Just four walls and a roof of concrete with some odd machinery and furnace inside. Focusing on the furnace however…

  “N-now way…” He choked out as his eyes widened. Now he knew exactly where that stench was coming from. The chamber was a simple one, four concrete walls and a roof it had only a single large furnace in the back middle of the farthest wall it various conveyor belts leading into it, each convey belt looping back to a car sized hopper which was built just below a vent that dropped down the material which the furnace burned away to ash. And what that material was- what the stench originated from the ash which filled the air Kanashi breathed in were human bodies. All ages, all sized, all colors, all sexes with all kinds of mutations done to them, tattoos, scars, burns, cuts and brandings. Torsos with no limbs, decapitated heads, and so on.

  “Gyraaah!”

  Kanashi fell forwards and vomited, the stench filling his lungs fully now he felt his vision blur and stomach coil tightly. The air itself- the air which was in his lungs right now was full of ashes, the same ashes which the furnace funneled up into the sky above out of vents, into the sky and air people breathed every day. His teeth gritting to the point of being painful he saw only red then.

  These are them… the tunnels, the tunnels which the Toumeikan use. The tunnels which Kuroyama uses, the tunnels he runs! Veins spread across his hand, Kanashi yelled out into the void only one word.

  “KUROYAMA!!!” Echoed through the tunnels for miles around bouncing off all walls of concrete and falling onto deaf ears.

  # # #

  2:29

  Duncan yawned as he reclined in the middle of the asphalt road. His chin resting on his left shoulder while his right hand ran along the shaft of his crimson red spear [Ceirtlín] which had a raised snaking pattern of ribbons running up its shaft.

  The spear was one of a pair, its sister spear a bright ocean blue color named [Ceírtleog] had been lost in the world many generations ago but both no doubt looked the same except for their palette. About two meters in length and thick around as a man's wrist they were forged from the bone of a water dragon's rib, carved into with thousands of runes to give dozens of enchantments the spears were ranked Sidus. Second only in rank to those forged by the gods (Celestials) themselves.

  Along its length were snaking patterns raised slightly in the shape of two snakes in a mating ritual coiled around its shaft which lead up to its long and narrow end, more like a double edged short sword then a spears end it evenly. Not only that due to its material it was not only incredibly durable but also able to bend and warp with Duncans movements making it surprisingly flexible.

  “Oh?” Duncan raised his brow at the sound of a nearby scream and in a single clean motion leapt to his feet. Spinning [Ceirtlín] like a baton he tapped the ground with a loud click and spray of sparks as he walked. “I was getting tired of sitting around.” He muttered with a grin.

  About 100 meters down the road and from an alley way came a rather strange looking man, his long square nose akin to pinocchio dripping with blood.“Ah, I think I found it. Almost got lost there for a second…” He muttered with a sniff.

  ““Oi.” Duncan called out spinning [Ceirtlín] once more through the air and then slamming its base down onto the road with a crackle.

  Turning to look at Duncan the man's full appearance was clear and so was his identity. Mochizaki Bendo, Joshin under Chiba Iwainu. “Who’re you supposed to be?” Bendo asked with a frown, putting hands to his hips. He was a man of a very odd appearance, his nose long and square to the point of hanging over his face; he had blonde hair combed upwards into an almost crown-like shape, little bits of curled hair sitting where a gem would be on the crown's peak. Below that he wore a high collar leather coat which had the Kanji for Toumeikan written across both the back and front.

  “Jeez, what a freak.” Duncan sighed. “How many of my people did you kill on your way here?”

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  “Oi you talking to me like that!?” Bendo asked, his eyes narrowing and chest puffing out.

  “Who the hell else would I be talking to? Have you seen anyone else around here?” Duncan grumbled. “Now answer me.”

  “Tch, I’m only gonna answer because I want to, not because you told me so, okay? But I think about 9.”

  “Nine Huh?” Duncan said aloud, frowning. “Then I’ll have to stab you twice as much to make up for it.”

  “!”

  In a flash Duncan charged at Bendo, though to call it a charge would undersell the speed of it, more like a standing slide he quickly closed the distance and thrust forth his spear which shot towards Bendo's chest.

  “W-wow wait a minute!” Bendo yelped as he pulled his torso backwards, his body forming a C like shape to avoid the attack.

  [槍葉長: Yarihana!]

  “!?”

  In a flash Bendo's nose shifted to a rapier-like shape and shot out towards Duncan's Iris, nearly piercing it. “Tch.” Duncan spat as he twisted his own upper body and flicked his spear upwards, smashing it into Bendo's nose and pushing him away with a loud clack and rattle.

  “Ow damnit thar hurt!” Bendo screamed out as he clutched his now bright red nose which sent bolts of pain through his head.

  Duncan laughed as he spun his spear once again, “Good, maybe you’ll put that nasty thing away.” He himself was a man of somewhat odd appearance. His dark blue hair slicked back except for two locks which hovered over each of his sharp and narrow light red eyes. He wore a full body navy blue skin tight suit with padding around his vital organs and below that slipper like shoes with spikes on the bottom so he could better cling to the surface he walked on. Reading himself once more to thrust his spear, this time into Bendo's neck he paused when Bendo threw up both of his arms.

  “Wait!” He cried out. “At least tell me your name first!”

  At this Duncan raised his thin sharp brow and let a grin escape his lips. “My name huh?” He asked spinning [Ceirtlín] through the air. “Duncan, Duncan du’Lac Withertree.”

  “Hmmm, I don't know it so you must be lame.” Bendo said tilting his head to the side. “But my names, Mochizaki Bendo, Joshin of Chiba Iwainu.” With that title drop he looked almost proud, grinning widely but Duncan only frowned deeper.

  “Normally I’d spare you if you lead me to your boss, but right now I’m kinda in a bind to stab you 18 times… well maybe if I make you scream loud enough that mutt will come huh?” Duncan sighed with his own smirk.

  “!”

  At that provocation Bendo lunged forwards, his speed incredible he was right in front of Duncan before he could even register it. His nose like before growing long and sharp and his face as well morphing to become almost fish like- swordfish like.

  Clack!

  Throwing up [Ceirtlín] Duncan barely managed to avoid being stabbed in the throat by the man's nose. Twisting his upper body and using his spear like a dancing pole Duncan whipped around and slammed his legs into Bendo, sending him flying across the street until he crashed into a mall box which crumbled under the impact

  Not done yet, Duncan once more lunged at Bendo thrusting his spear forwards, the speed great enough for the spear to ungulate like a serpent, its head aimed straight for Bendo's mid section.

  “!?”

  However Bendo, as if bending his body like he had no internal organs to care for, was able to make a C shape with his torso once more, Duncan's spear embedding itself deep into the wall behind Bendo as if it were a needle piercing silk.

  [螺旋槍葉長: Rotating Yarihana!]

  Bendo’s nose once more grew though this time spinning like a drill shot for Duncan aiming straight for his eye again. And while Duncan managed to avoid any mortal injury, the needle-like nose of Bendo still shot right through into his left cheek and out the right, blowing his right ear lobe clean off.

  SPLASH!

  Blood spattered across the pavement and Duncan grit his teeth, without drawing [Ceirtlín] and while seeing pure red he ripped the spear through the wall. Concrete crumbling like a stick through mud the mid sections of the staff slammed into Bendo’s liver knocking him away with a wheeze and spray of bile.

  Eyes still glazed over with rage blood sprayed from the holes in Duncan's mouth, his right ear barely hanging onto his head he tore the spear from the wall with a spray of concrete and leapt at Bendo.

  [頓棒斬: Tonbogiri!]

  Using his spear like a glaive rather than a piercing weapon Duncan swung it down and the blade slashed into Bendo's side. Carving a deep gash which sprayed out blood the man howled out in pain.

  “Damn you!” Bendo screamed, his lower body suddenly morphing into a single limb akin to a fish's tail he sprung forwards at Duncan. The speed so great even the enraged Duncan couldn’t help to notice what had happened before a quarter sized hole had pierced his throat.

  “Urk!” Duncan's eyes widened and his lips turned blue, blood pooling out of his mouth as he staggered forwards.

  “I win, Duncan du’Lac.” Bendo laughed, his nose still piercing through Duncan's neck which gushed out thick dark red blood.

  However- Duncan, using the end of [Ceirtlín] like a baton, flicked the counter weight upwards and into the underside of Bendo’s nose. With a loud crack, the sound was painful to listen to like the snapping of fresh bone it crackled and splintered painfully. Blood gushed from his nostrils as the mid section of Bendo’s nose was broken clean in half, now cursing upwards like side way L.

  “U SUD E US YEN?” Duncan gargled out with a laugh, eyes blood shot and his legs shaking.

  “BLURARRGH!” With a primordial scream, Bendo having lost the literal edge of his blessing that of a [Swordfish] bestial mutation blessing he used his only remaning weapon. Launching forwards with his teeth ready to tear into Duncan.

  But Duncan even with this t throat piece, his trachea ruined and blood filling his lungs with each breath was not one to falter in his final moments.

  [劉の槍: Lugh No Yari!]

  Twirling his spear one final time, Duncan cast the blade sideways with his left hand, the shaft leaving his grip; it flew forwards and straight through Bendo’s skull. Skewering with a crackle and spray of brain and gore his head popped like a grape. The spear soared through the air and straight into a wall across the street upon which nearly all 2 meters of its length was buried into the concrete wall.

  “Blegh!” Duncan fell forwards as he choked on his own blood, he could barely see anymore, as if everything had been coated in a dark gray fog he felt his lungs nearly bursting from the amount of blood filling them. The only reason he had stood this long was a mix of pure spite and a lack of natural preservation.

  Using his index finger he pointed it at himself and thrust it into his chest. Cleanly avoiding his rib bone he carefully ruptured the cartilage between them and into the precious tissue which formed his sensitive lungs. Blood shot out from the hole like a geyser and Duncan felt his ability to breathe slowly return. Though breathing this way wasn’t exactly the best option and he was arguably now in worse shape in the long run.

  “Wuuuuu!”

  Pursing his lips which he licked with blood from his tongue he whistled a high pitch sound akin to a dog whistle. [Ceirtlín] upon hearing its master's call began to tremble and shake violently ripping itself free from the concrete wall it flew back into Duncan's hand and he grasped it, the spear acting as his support he felt his pain begin to fade as he slowly healed himself.

  [Ceirtlín] to Duncan was his everything, his pride, his joy, his very soul itself had been tied to the weapon per contract and as thus only when he held it in his hands would he be able to heal himself, and never could he wield any other weapon but [Ceirtlín]. Due to this restriction imposed his normally subpar healing was boosted to the point that after only a mere fifteen seconds his lungs had sewn themselves shut with scar tissue which was as good as new and the hole in his throat too filled itself in with new bone and skin.

  “Damn that guy, he was harder to fight than a bloody leprechaun.” Duncan sighed congealed chunks of blood still regurgitating into his mouth which he spit out onto the sidewalk. “I think I’m gonna take a break.” He laughed weakly. Using his spear as a cane to walk back to where he’d been defending the barrier before. His fingers caressing the raised patter work like winding serpents across [Ceirtlíns] shaft.

  The spear was the only possession Duncan had, the only one he wanted. Nothing else mattered as long as he had [Ceirtlín]. The spear itself being something he’d been given by his father, the man named Setanta MacGáe the best guardsman in Neverland.

  When Setanta had grown too old to work and protect the lord he served any longer he gave his spear the legendary Ceirtlín to his son Duncan MacGáe who at the time was no older than 15 yet already fearsome enough to ward off any robbers or aggressors by his mere presence.

  And Duncan was at once accepted by his fathers lord, one of the 3 Chancellors of Neverland. In particular this Chancellor was Connla MacChulainn. The 3 Chancellors main job being to support the Druid, the elected leader of the country akin to a president or prime minister.

  Though Duncan, unlike his father, was not one to take his job seriously, most of his time was spent sleeping in an old withered tree, thus earning him the nickname “Duncan Withertree.” A name which began to stick more than his own surname MacGáe until eventually replacing it entirely.

  By the age of 16 Connla was willing to cut his Duncan completely, him doing no patrols, showing no initiative and no honor; only sleeping in that same old withered tree he was named after.

  However one night when a gang of zealots angry over Connla's policies came to kill him in his sleep. A group of no less than 50 wielding daggers, shields, spears and even a few shotguns hadn't made it more than a meter into the hedge garden before the massacre began.

  With flashes of red in the dark night and the smell of blood, all men were killed before even a single shell was fired. The one to do such a brutal thing being Duncan. Upon this feat Duncan was granted the name Cú'Basset. For his lazy but great strength.

  Then one year later Connla would pass on after falling ill from the rare disease of Bloodbane and Duncan would be freed from his contract to the chancellor. Being recommended to the Venator Society by his lord on his death bed, Duncan would join the Venator Society quickly under their invitation to the Gamma Division. His spear [Ceirtlín] became the origin of his title [Du'Lac] Meaning “Of the Water.”

  And while Duncan proved to be a powerful asset he also was not a team player, to Sairo Aslakin the vice captain of the gamma Department he was a liability whose laziness far outshined his potential. While to Julius he was one who while not respectable as a person was able to complete his tasks as required and as such was permitted to benefit from the Venator Societies employment.

  But Duncan didn’t care, he would be fine as a wanderer, a hermit or beggar all he ever needed was his spear, the bright red twin spear [Ceirtlín] it’s sister somewhere in the world it was Duncan's dream to find it and claim it his own as well. But that day was far from now, as his current job was to guard the barrier entry and exit point which he now sat before, his legs crossed he let out a sigh as the last bits of pain from his chest and throat left.

  But he would not be permitted even a moment of comfort after that brutal battle he’d only just won.

  Coming to the ground with a crash which shattered the asphalt road sending large chunks of rubble into the air and with an aura like that of an unbearable weight being put upon your shoulders was a man with a bamboo basket over his head. And to that man's side having been released from his servants grasp was the one who Duncan wanted to claim the head of the most during this mission.

  Susanori Kobe, leader of the Toumeikan Yakuza and Kamotake Kyoso the Komuso priest, appeared.

  “Clear the path, Kyoso.”

  2:44 PM

  [槍葉長: Yarihana] - It’s a pun, Yari means spear and Hana 鼻 means nose, but I spelt Hana with 葉長 which means “Long Leaf Blade”

  [螺旋槍葉長: Rotating Yarihana] - The Yarihana is the same as above but the Kanji 螺旋 is for Spiral or a helix pattern. It can mean to screw something.

  [頓棒斬: Tonbogiri] - Tonbogiri also spelled as Tonbokiri is one of Japan's 3 legendary spears in myth. It’ said to earn it’s name 蜻蛉切 literally meaning “Dragon Fly Cutter” when a dragon fly landed on the spears end and was cut in half. I however used different Kanji but the same sound being "Sudden Rod Beheading"

  [劉の槍: Lugh No Yari] - This is a reference to the God of War in Irish mythology Lugh, the father of Cu’Chulain who Duncan heavily based on. The Kanji I used however “劉” means “To slaughter” or “Kill” so The Kanji together means “Spear of Slaughter.” I wanted to use Ame No Nobuko, another legendary spear from Japan but I already did for one of Otsuga's attacks back in the Izumika Incident Arc… So what can you do?

  [望崎勉撞: Mochizaki Bendo] - Idk what I was thinking with this name, Mochizaki the first two Kanji are from “Full Moon” and “Peak” while the 2nd set mean “Dillgience” and “Piercing”