Glorious Chaos

The world was vast, offering plenty to those who were willing to put in the effort. Even those who were lost to the madness of dark arts could find many things appropriate for their interests. However, Kuro was no such individual. Her mind was sane, and clear. It needed to be, as she was preparing a rather complex spell. The magical circle was nearly finished, spanning across the entirety of the room, drawn in blood. Not hers, of course. It belonged to the corpse nearby, some young boy who was unfortunate enough to live in this remote cabin, hidden away in the woods.

A perfect location for the yōkai girl to temporarily seize and turn into grounds fit for experimentation. After all, she did not want to ruin the home she worked so hard to secure. Finally finishing, she took a step back and admired her handy-work for a moment. An intricate pattern laid on the wooden floorboards, just about ready to be activated. A spell that would tear apart the local space-time, opening up a portal to the realm of demons. That was the cat’s next destination. And why exactly would she be trying to travel to such an inhospitable land?

Naturally, it was to test the limits of her current powers. She had reanimated humans and even some other yōkai, but these demons were different. They worked on rules separate to those that governed beings such as the girl herself. And so she desired to find out just how they would react to her necromancy. Though waiting for one to just appear would take far too long. Hence the whole ritual. Extending her hand forward ever so slightly, the girl started whispering the incantation. And as magical energy gathered in the blood, forcing its pattern into the air itself, the gate had opened.

Not in a violent manner, just a swirl of smoke forming the eye of a vortex as if the ground had been turned into an ocean in the middle of a storm. And seeing how the girl had everything on her person, there was no need to stall. Taking a few steps forth, she had plunged into the abyss, feeling as if she had truly penetrated the surface of some liquid. Her crimson eyes remained open, darting around to make sense of her surroundings. But there was naught aside from darkness.

Thankfully, she didn’t have to swim in this eternal ocean of emptiness for long. As if pulled by some mysterious force, she had left the body of unseen water, falling out of a dark storming cloud high in the sky. One simple look revealed scorched lands beneath her, plagued by flames and ice alike. Using her cat-like agility, the girl turned the right way down and activated her ward, a round barrier around her entire body formed by smaller green plates of magic fit together like a hexagonal jigsaw puzzle. The magical barrier easily broke her fall, allowing her to not splatter upon her landing.

However, she was not alone. Gently tilting her head to the side as she narrowed her posture, a total of three figures was revealed. Two girls, by the look of it. And they were already talking to a rather tall individual, one who almost resembled a small titan. But despite such comparison, he didn’t appear to be a demon. Or at least he had a very different aura about him than the girls. It seemed that Kuro’s arrival forced their gaze on her as well, but this time they were a bit perplexed. Unlike the man, they were not expecting her. She entered this realm on her own.

“Looks like I have company already…”

There definitely a brief moment when Kuro’s crimson eyes quickly moved to the side, giving a neutral glance to the titan of a man who was standing nearby. However, she did not answer his question, partly because of the two very clear demoness’ that were standing in front of them. Though the words that spewed out of the mouths of these girls managed to only reinforce the idea the Bakeneko already had about this place. As she looked around, it seemed as if her expression had darkened a bit, her small figure taking a number of steps forward toward those two without a single hint of fear.

“I see, just another pair of demons who think themselves above all else. Willed it? I have entered this world of my own volition to pursue my own goals.” She had performed a whole ritual in order to open up the gate to this realm. It was by chance that she got involved in this charade and now she was being reduced to something akin to a worm, only here because of the greater will of some lowly demon? Naturally, no Bakeneko would stand for this. When she was close enough, Kuro swiftly pulled out a rather sharp-looking knife from a pocket in her dress and tossed it.

It was a surprisingly skillful and fast throw as well for someone like the cat girl. It would have gone right into the throat of the pink-haired one, easily ending the demon’s little speech. Though, instead, it simply flew through a poof of water that her form was replaced by. So that was her way of dodging, was it? A demon that could control water. Not something Kuro would be especially afraid of. The other demoness merely looked at the two and nodded.

“So you chose me - Chaos. Of course, it would be against our nature as demons to try and befriend those living above. I will join the back lines, for now, so do your best to fight your way to Masaki soon.” And with that, she disappeared as well. Though unlike her sister, this one faded away into flames. Kuro merely clicked her tongue in annoyance. “Pitiful demons, wasting their time with such unfounded squabbles.” With that, she turned around and walked right past Indra, as if he was not even there. It seemed that the armies of demons were slowly approaching them from two directions.

One would see them as allies, the other as enemies. And though the bakeneko had no interest in this war whatsoever, she realized that a war, even one lead in the underworld, could only be beneficial for her. After all, she came here to test the limits of her powers. Originally she planned to only kill one or two demons that would find themselves near here upon arrival, but having tens, if not hundreds of corpses all around her would be even better. Crossing her arms on her chest, the cat girl tilted her head and started thinking about how she could deal with this the best.

Kuro was always someone who looked at the actions of others before listening to their words. And so far, these individuals around her did nothing but spew out nonsense out of their mouths. This made it clear for her, they were probably not beings that she could get any use out of. She had little to no need for them. They were not worth her time, which was very precious as her opinion went. The armies of demons all around them were quickly approaching and it would be best if she didn’t sustain any damage here. She had to concentrate.

But then again… it was giving a lot of credit to these demons even thinking about being potentially injured. After all, she had her ward. There was absolutely no way that any of them could ever get to her. And then even more words came out of the large man. More nonsense, the bakeneko thought. Except… there was something much more amusing now. Turning her head a bit to the side so that she could see him with at least one of her crimson eyes, the cat lady suddenly smiled and turned around completely. Without a word, she once again walked past Indra, but not very far.

Stopping and facing him once more, she grinned like a predator. “Is that how it is? Very well. Go ahead and wipe these demons out, prove me that you are any more worthy than the worms crawling inside of this burned land.” With those words, the ground beneath her started eroding as something moved up. A throne of sorts, one made out of bones and sized exactly for the bakeneko. Seating herself on it as comfortable as one could on a chair of bones and skulls, she continued with her smile, observing Indra. This was nothing new for her.

She was always a bit manipulative, controlling. Though never was she this direct. She didn’t even try to deceive him in any way to do her bidding. She simply commanded and then took the place of a spectator, a queen who would evaluate the actions of her pawn. It was all because this man seemed different. And he boasted about his power, so why should she not let him have ‘his way’? If he were to back down now, it would be seen as cowardice, perhaps his earlier words were filled with confidence only because he knew that someone would be backing him up. Yes, she needed to figure him out…

“Yes, of course…” A simple answer to Indra’s words of how he wanted to show off. In Yuki’s mind, most males were like that. Savage beasts that were eager to demonstrate their ‘aplha’ nature to impress any females that might be around. At least until something bigger would show up and chew them into pieces. But the Bakeneko was no interested in that right now. Her eyes narrowed as she watched the man begin fighting. And she had to be perfectly honest, there was something about him that did surprise her in that very moment, as the carnage slowly unfolded.

“A dragon’s magic…” Not many could wield something like that. Perhaps there really was something to him, after all? Well, that was a topic for another time. It seemed that he managed to get at least a few of the demons by now, so the Queen of the dead slowly moved her hand higher, snapping her fingers. With that, the ground next to her became corroded as a black hole into an abyssal nothingness formed, and from it - a black hound crawled out. “Fetch me a fresh corpse, an intact one.” A simple command that sent the beast running.

It went around, avoided the thunder and destruction of a clash between Indra and the demons. All it needed was one not completely charred demon that was far enough from the immediate conflict. Once such a body was found, the beast would sink its razor-sharp teeth into its hand and drag it back. As far as demons went, these really didn’t look all that impressive. Kuro observed the corpse carefully from her throne. “They’re not disappearing… so their bodies are physical after all. But how much…” Taking in a deep breath, she extended her hand forth.

“Rise!” Her magical energy became visible in that one very moment, a green miasma that whirled and started assaulting the lifeless body, entering it. A few seconds later, a sadistic grin spread across the girl’s face. “I see. Ahahahaha! You are bound to this realm. As long as you die here, you will come back to life again. Your soul will form a new body out of the earth here and you can fight once more. But with my magic… your rotten soul is MINE!” And then, a magical circle formed beneath the demon as it stood up.

Its eyes shone in a mystical green light, a necrotic energy swirling around it. The demon was awakened by the necromancer. And so the girl leaned to the side in her throne, supporting her head with one of her hands. A satisfied smile remained on her face as she waved her other hand toward Indra and the demons. “Go. Slaughter your comrades with your bare hands. My question has been answered… now, for this idiotic war…  Let me observe that man a bit more before joining. His magic interests me.” After all, a power to kill dragons was a great one.

Once Kuro’s freshly awakened victim started slowly shambling over to the battle, the feline yōkai resumed her activity of watching from distance, cross one leg over the other on her throne of bones. Clearly she had no interest in joining the battle herself, watching her minions do the dirty deeds from afar making her plenty content. However, that sudden shout from Indra quickly grabbed her attention, her cat ears flinching a bit as the rather obnoxious shout got to them. And though he disappeared, Kuro herself showed no intention of moving a single inch. No, she remained on her throne and watched the blue demons from distance.

She watched their spell active and even as it did, she still moved not. The crystals slammed into the ground and shattered upon impact, leaving a bit of fog behind as the water from the spell started evaporating, even after it crystallized like that. Though, strangely enough, once this fog and steam dissipated, Kuro was still there, same as before. It was almost as if all of the crystals had missed her. Though her awakened demon was not so fortunate, a gaping hole in his stomach and a torn off leg suggesting he would not be able to do much more anymore.

The whole situation visibly confused the demon who cast the spell, his first clenching as he suddenly dashed forward. Once close enough, he pulled his hand back a bit and then threw his strongest punch, infused with that water magic from before. He hit, clearly. A loud splash echoed across the land and his hand was pressed against something firm. But Kuro remained uninjured, as there was now a visible bubble of necrotic energy surrounding her and the throne she sat upon. This was how she negated the previous attack as well.

“I suppose that is all one can expect from lesser demons like you. Out of might sight.” The demon clearly didn’t appreciate those words, anger filling him as he prepared for another strike. Though he didn’t get to finish it, as his body suddenly went limp, falling to the ground. A bit shorter than before, too - as it lacked a head which rolled a bit further away. The creature was beheaded by a scythe. Another of Kuro’s creatures, a flying reaper-like being that had no problem dispatching of enemies like this in a single, precise strike. Even if the demons possessed magic, they could not survive without their heads.

But to his credit, that punch did leave a bit of a crack in the girl’s ward. Not that she was bothered by it much, as she merely extended her hand towards the half dead awakened demon from before. It screamed in agony as it’s body suddenly withered away, a clear green life energy was siphoned from it and into Kuro, repairing the barrier in no time at all. “Now to slaughter the rest of them. I have accomplished my goals, so there is no need to lead this war any longer.” With that, the reaper would join Indra’s next assault.

When the girl was called a ‘necromancer’ by Indra, her gaze narrowed once more as it locked onto him, a displeased expression taking hold for the next few moments. “Do not insult me with labels like that. Necromancers are nothing more than a group of pitiful individuals that often struggle making a corpse into even the simplest of mindless dolls. My rite of awakening is quite different.” Although she didn’t really explain how it worked in comparison to regular necromancy. After all, they were still on a battlefield. Not much time for lengthy conversations at the moment. Especially since they were currently surrounded.

Not that it proved to be a problem, as their joined forces managed to wipe the water demons away in quite the flash. Such thing was of no surprise, not after Indra demonstrated his powers before. And the reaper was nothing to scoff at either, one of the most powerful awakened that Kuro currently had in her arsenal. In the end, even a monster like he had to sit down though, it seemed. The bakeneko did not change her position once since the very beginning, so she merely continued to gaze on him from atop her skeletal throne.

She had to admit one thing, he was easy to communicate with. Wearing his emotions on his sleeves, clearly expressing them through his words. He did not play around, did not use any fancy language, nor did he try to hide his intent. It did make things much easier than they were most of the time. Though she couldn’t quite share the sentiment. “I am afraid that opponents that provide no challenge whatsoever do no provide any excitement either. It’s like stepping on ants. Unless you get off on such a thing, there is nothing worthwhile about it.”

And with that, she finally decided to get up, the throne disintegrating behind her as she began her unhurried strut toward the castle ahead. “But perhaps there it will be different…” She didn’t even know why she said that. Was she actually looking for some enjoyment in this. No, that was impossible. There were things in Earthland that she needed to tend to now that her business here was concluded. Finishing this job as quickly as possible was in her best interest. Thankfully, the man would assuredly help her achieve just that with his silly desire to pummel all demons around them into nothingness. “Shall we?”

“They are demons. Manners mean nothing to them.” She simply replied when Indra mentioned that he hoped their opponent princess would be more welcoming. It was obvious just how much she was looking down on these creatures, placing herself on a pedestal high above where they could ever hope to reach. And that impression was not help at all by the sight of an seemingly abandoned castle into which they could oh so easily march into. The fact that they would allow the enemy to step into the halls of their home like that meant that Kurome lost any possible respect she could have ever had for them.

Perhaps that was for the best, however. She would not feel any remorse whatsoever once it would come down to fighting. And they did not have to wait too long either. Once they reached what appeared to be the throne room, something gleamed in the crimson feline optics of Kuro’s, the girl quickly stepping to the side as a concentrated streak of water narrowly missed her, almost like a blue laser. It merely left a hole through the door behind them, as well as the walls until it left the castle's grounds.

It seemed that the blue princess sat upon her throne leisurely, unsurprised by her army’s defeat. Did she think of them as disposable? Or maybe she was merely not worried because she knew they would be reborn soon. After all, this was the princess that wanted to have a positive relationship with the human world. It was hard to imagine her as a ruthless ruler who did not value the lives of her subjects. Regardless, Kuro had materialized the powerful barrier around her once more and stood back for a bit, looking at Indra to the side.

“Be useful and use those muscles of yours to beat her into submission, yes? I will finish the job if you prove to be unable of completing this task.” She cared not if she had to fight, but why would she bother if there was really no need? Then again, Indra might have not been strong enough to do this by himself. All she can do is wait and see, really. Her defense was already activated, so even far-reaching attacks would not be a bother to her in the slightest. And she was ready to see a spectacle of a fight, regardless of who would win.

He had to throw a cheeky remark, but at the very least he listened like a good little doggy. With that, Kuro was able to easily stay behind and enjoy the show. Or rather, start preparing for departure from this god-forsaken realm. After the princess was defeated, there was nothing left for them to do. And honestly, the feline lass was here for far longer than she wanted already. That said, nothing was ever as easily as it seemed. The necrotic field that protected the girl’s body suddenly received quite the hit. Still not exactly alarmed, Kuro turned around to see exactly what it was.

Another Masaki stood there, her first trying to drill into the shield. “I see, a clone made out of water. Your attempt to quickly take me down was a smart choice, but you simply lack the power to do so. Still, I have to commend you on this strategy. As a reward, I will destroy you quickly.” With that, the hand that attacked the shield suddenly came off, flying toward the ground before it impacted and turned into water. The clone stumbled backward, confused. At least until it took another look at the dark summoner.

A giant blade had suddenly appeared, one that was roughly of the same size as Kuro herself. Simply floating there, part of it was wrapped in bandages and among those, a singular moving eye peered at the summoner’s enemy. “Be my wrath, Ashen Iron. Reduce this pitiful excuse of a demon to nothingness.” Simply swinging her hand made the blade move on its own as if it was held by an invisible arm of a giant. The quick horizontal strike was deadly, cleaving everything in its path. That said, the clone managed to dodge it and swiftly move to the side, ready for its counter-attack.

But before it could even try, its chest was impaled by that very same greatsword. It must have underestimated its speed because of how large and heavy it appeared. But wielded by magic alone, it moved through the air like it was naught but a single feather. It seemed that Indra finished with the real deal roughly at the same time as well. Dismissing Ashen Iron, Kuro moved beside him and sighed when she saw the conquered water demoness. “Satisfied? Then I’ll be on my way. Everything I wanted from this place was already gained. And I’d rather not spend another second in the world of… inferior creatures. Farewell.”

Not exactly caring much for Indra and his own goodbyes, the yōkai quickly swiped her hand to the side as a tear in reality was opened, a warp gate leading back to the world of Earthland. Moving through it, the cat girl disappeared completely as she returned to the place where she desired to be. Indra was free to stay, as the demoness of flames would surely later reward him for the victory and send him back to Earthland as well.