The OP Lich is a Returnee, Chapter 23 (Patreon)

Chapter 23 – Interruption

I decided that, for this little bit of ‘guidance’, I didn’t want to scare off whoever it was that might be coming to my door, by appearing in my full ‘lich queen’ form. Instead, I decided to appear in my human form, with my miko outfit. That outfit was still powerful enough that it could stop a round from a .50 caliber machine gun without suffering any damage, on top of any of my other protections, so it wasn’t like I was taking any foolish risks.

Also, instead of my signature staff, I decided to bring out one of my other weapons, a wakizashi with a pure white wooden hilt and no tsuba, allowing the hilt to flow seamlessly into the sheath, of the same design, slid into my obi. The blade I had just forged was not the first one I had ever taken the time to forge, after all. I didn’t bother with hand-to-hand, usually, because I was a magic user. However, one of the first lessons the Athelian trainers had taught us was that we should learn more than one means of fighting. Antimagic fields were a common way to stop mages, and there were many creatures that were healed by certain types of magics, or could only be harmed by one kind of attack.

They were trying to teach us to fight as a unit, to take on the Demon King’s forces, but I took it a different way. I learned to use many weapons during my exile in the other world. I was no master swordsman, of course, but I could hold my own against threats who were unphased by my necromantic powers. Well, at least long enough to have my army come to my aid.

In this world, however, I was too overpowered. My skills with a blade were still thoroughly average, but my body was leagues above and beyond what the people of this world could match, even without boosting myself with magic. So, really, I was just trying to give them a chance by using the wakizashi.

Stepping outside into the lights of the small parking lot, I was just in time to see a car pull up, a comfortable four-seater. As expected, four men got out of the car. No, wait. Three men and an oni. How very interesting.

The three humans looked surprised to see me. A miko standing in a parking lot at night did leave one wondering what was going on, sure. Still, the driver of the car started forward.

“This is no place for you, little girl. You need to go.”

I smiled at him, and said, “Ah, no, I am afraid you are the ones who are out of place. Especially your ‘friend’ in the back, there. Perhaps I can give you directions on someplace healthier to visit? The woods really aren’t safe at night. I hear there are bears, and worse, out here.”

The human who had been in the back seat with the oni sighed. “We had hoped to do this without blood. The clans exist in balance, now, but allowing the Inagawa-kai to further pervert the traditions that we have kept for over three hundred years threatens that balance. Understand that we have no animosity towards you, or the owner of this business, but we cannot allow the ascension of Nagai Tatsumi to shateigashira of the Inagawa-kai.”

Ah, that made more sense. This wasn’t something involving me directly, but internal Yakuza politics. These men were probably from a rival clan, one less than pleased with the ‘rebellious’ Inagawa-kai breaking with tradition, and allowing women to advance through their ranks, amongst other things. If the oyabun’s granddaughter were truly going to be put in as the shateigashira, or second lieutenant, of the entire organization, then the impact on the Yakuza clans as a whole would be huge. For the old guard and the conservatives, it would be like trying to stand against a typhoon.

The man continued. “We tried to speak with someone here, tell them that it would be in everyone’s best interests if the commission they were making for the Inagawa-kai were to be delayed, even offering lucrative contracts to offset the loss of face that the delay would incur on the studio’s part. Unfortunately, our diplomatic overtures were ignored.”

I nodded. Of course, I knew that those overtures, and the threats behind them, weren’t ignored. Lailah would have a copy of them, for legal cover. Anyone who physically attacked my businesses, or my people, would have to deal with me, after all. And we had such good press from my recent actions that social attacks would be difficult to pull off. Economic attacks had even less chance of working, thanks to my personal wealth. So, I had just told my people to forward any threats to the proper people, and ignore them.

“So, which clan do you represent? I wish to know, so I can send them a notice of my displeasure later, along with your heads.”

This insult did not sit well with the humans, but the oni? He just laughed. The leader turned to look at the oni, who began to walk forward. The humans cleared out of his path, with smug expressions on their faces. Clearly, they thought of this oni as a trump card.

As he stepped towards me, black smoke roiled off his body, obscuring him for a moment, before it revealed his true form. He was a giant ogre, blue-skinned and horned, with eyes that burned with flame. He stood almost three meters tall, and was well-muscled. In his hand, he carried a massive kanabō, that was as tall as he was, and looked to be as large around as a normal man’s arm.

“Oh, hoh! I had been hoping to meet the famous little undead girl these humans had been talking about. Ever since they brought me forth, I have never been able to fight against worthy prey! How lucky I am!”

“So, you know of me, and still, you approach me?”

“How can I fight you if I don’t approach you? Now, I get to crush you, and when I eat your bones, I will become even stronger than I am now! None can stop Regran of the Blood-Stained Hand!”

I yawned in the face of the oni’s preening. He took offense to this, for some reason. With a roar, he charged at me, swinging his massive club down in an attempt to drive me into the ground like a hammer meeting a nail. I stepped to the side, allowing the blow to strike the ground next to me, shattering the asphalt.

Sighing, I simply shook my head. “You have strength, but your skill is lacking.” The oni snarled, and swung his weapon to the side, but I hopped over it. “You telegraph your moves, to the point where even a schoolchild would be able to dodge your attacks.” Another blow, this time at an angle, and twice as fast as before. “Still sloppy. Are you relying on the odor of your breath to kill me, or were you actually trying to use a weapon?”

For two minutes, I played with the oni. I had yet to even draw my blade, and the demon was getting frustrated. However, he did start picking up the pace, moving faster, and displaying more skill as the battle went on. Perhaps he was just rusty from not having had to fight a true battle in far too long?

Finally, a blow came quick enough that it was finally at an acceptable speed. Instead of dodging, this time, I blocked, using my sheathed sword to stop the massive kanabō. I wasn’t worried about damaging the sheath, as it had been enchanted to be indestructible by any means this world had. My own frame easily took the impact, but I did have to use a touch of magic to keep from being launched backwards, due to the sheer force of the blow.

“Yes, that is more like it,” I smiled. “Finally, you meet the least requirements to have me draw my sword against you. I was starting to worry if you were ever going to prove worthy of getting killed by my blade, or if I was simply going to have to reduce myself to ripping your arm off and beating you with it.”

Regran snarled at me. “You’re speaking pretty tough for someone who hasn’t been able to do anything but just barely dodge all this time!”

“Oh, my. It seems I have misled you. I dodged all those blows so narrowly out of choice, not necessity. Like I said, you’re far too open. But enough about me. It is time you meet an old friend of mine.”

Slowly, I drew the wakizashi, moonlight catching the blade and making it shine with a silver light. I looked at the oni, and grinned. “Give thanks to whatever powers you pray to. Few beings have ever been allowed to witness the beauty of my blade. And then regret, for none have lived to tell of it, and neither shall you.”

The oni snarled, and was about to say something, but I cut him off, magic filling my voice in command. “Shine, Mangetsunoshi!” As I held the sword aloft, a beam of pure moonlight poured down upon the demon.

Regran screamed in pain as the light touched him. Smoke rose from his skin once again, but this time it was from silver flames that spread across his body, covering every part of him. He tried to throw himself out of the beam, but was rebuffed, the light forming a barrier that he could not escape with mere strength, not at his level.

He screamed, and screamed some more, as, over the course of thirty seconds, his flesh was burned away, leaving only an oversized skeleton. And then the skeleton, still screaming began to burn in silver flames, the demon somehow impossibly still alive, despite the damage done to him! He must have had an incredible vitality. A normal creature would have been slain in a fifth the time, and with far less pain.

In the end, all that was left was Regran’s skull, sitting upon a pile of ashes and bone dust that had once been a demon. There was no trace of his weapon, as it had been consumed long before. Still, it was good to finally have found someone in this world that had at least been able to go more than a few seconds against me without dying.

I sheathed my sword.

The sound of feet scrambling drew my attention to the three men. They had lost their smug expressions partway through the fight, as their champion didn’t simply flatten me, and then proceeded to get toyed with. Now, with his destruction, they found their senses, and began trying to get to their car.

Two bolts of black lightning struck the underlings, causing their soulless bodies to fall to the ground, and bringing the leader up short. I noticed a growing wet spot on the front of his trousers, but decided not to comment on it. No need to shame the soon to be dead, after all.

“Who sent you?”

“Betrayal is punishable by death.”

“Then you should jump at this chance I’ve given you. Your masters can only kill you. I will do far worse to you. Not even death will save you from me.”

As I spoke, I captured the souls of the two unfortunates in gems, causing the leader to shudder. He stammered wordlessly, trying to find a way out of this predicament. But I wasn’t finished with my ‘demonstration’. The two bodies rose as skeletons, the flesh melting off their bodies as they rose up in a sickening display.

The two skeletons stood next to the leader, and grabbed his arms. As they began forcing him to his knees, he finally remembered his voice. “The Sumiyoshi-kai will avenge us!”

“Ah, so the Sumiyoshi are the ones behind this? Well, don’t worry. I will be sure to give them reason to think twice about challenging me.”

One of the skeletons held the leader down, in a kneeling position, and the other had its arm become a blade made of bone, which it used to sever the leader’s head from his shoulders. A burst of magic as his head fell sealed the man’s soul inside his head. His head would not die or decay unless destroyed, trapping the man in a cursed immortality.

His body rose up, and picked up its severed head. The two skeletons then opened the car doors. As the reanimated corpses got into the car, I ordered them, “Drive to the home of the oyabun of the Sumiyoshi-kai, obeying all traffic laws as you do so, and then you may rest. As for you, my little severed head, tell your bosses everything that happened here. You will be the warning about what happens if they continue to provoke me.”