Malphegor
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Ch. 140: The Night of Genocide: Aku-Shin Kage
🕑 Added 2024-10-14 15:13:03 +0000 UTCThe scream broke the silence in the room instantly, but it soon stopped.
Because Fugaku immediately rushed to Sasuke's side, holding his body in his arms. "Sasuke, stay close!"
With a tactical roll, he brought both himself and Sasuke to the corner of the room. Just as they moved, the wooden floor where Sasuke had been sitting suddenly broke without warning.
Splintered wood burst out, and Fugaku saw it all clearly. Under the moonlight, he could make out that the floor had a sharp crack, as if something sharp had struck it. Something had just attempted to cut Sasuke.
What kind of jutsu is this? I can't sense any chakra...
What was more crucial was that the crack appeared out of nowhere on the floor. He hadn't seen any object in the air hitting that spot.
But as a ninja, especially one from the Uchiha clan, he knew that appearances can be deceiving. A skilled ninja never fully relies on vision alone. Even more importantly, Fugaku's sixth sense told him there was an abnormal presence in the room.
An invisible enemy?
He shielded Sasuke with his body, slowly retreating and placing Sasuke's small form in the corner, guarding him. He carefully observed the surroundings.
"Stay behind me, Sasuke. Whatever happens, don't move."
But the room seemed the same as before, except for Mikoto's dead body and the sudden crack in the wooden floor. Even though sight couldn't be entirely trusted, he also didn't hear any unusual sounds, except for his and Sasuke's heartbeats.
What could it be?
Suddenly, Sasuke behind him seemed to have noticed something and, pointed to Fugaku's left, "Father, there's something there! I can see... something!"
In such a situation, Fugaku didn't have time to think. He Instinctively raised his left arm to block the attack. In an instant, his left arm was cut off at the shoulder. His arm spun through the air, landing on the floor.
Blood sprayed from the point of separation between his shoulder and left arm, scattering across the room. As the blood splattered, Sasuke saw it hit something invisible.
The spray of blood revealed the outline of a hulking figure. It was a massive humanoid shape, holding a long, bloodstained weapon in its hand.
"I can see it... Father, it's huge!"
"So that's where you are..."
Fugaku was not in good shape. Though he clenched his teeth without making a sound, blood flowed like a stream from his shoulder wound. But he didn't cover the injury. Instead, he extended his right arm in front of him.
I won't let you harm my son!
Tonight, he hadn't planned to fight, so he wasn't carrying any ninja tools. With his left arm gone, he had no way to use any ninjutsu either. At that moment, he could only use his body to shield Sasuke from the unknown attack.
Suddenly, without giving Fugaku time to react, his other arm was cut off. The attack was so fast that he didn't even feel anything touch his skin before his entire arm flew off.
Now, with both arms severed, even the head of the Uchiha clan couldn't avoid looking utterly defeated.
I'm sorry, Sasuke... I couldn't protect you...
As more blood sprayed from his right shoulder, it once again landed on the unknown enemy. At that moment, Sasuke saw the figure become even clearer.
It was now almost fully visible.
The figure wore large armor, but its head, hands, and feet were shadows that moved like living creatures. For any brave yet foolish enough to glimpse its face beneath the dark helmet, all they would see were countless fanged mouths gnashing in the gloom.
Its body, covered in heavy armor, constantly dripped with blood, a stream that never ceased.
What is that thing?
Sasuke stared in horror at the figure wielding a blood-soaked katana, slowly approaching his father. Fugaku made a sudden move, kicking off the ground and throwing himself toward the enemy.
"Run, Sasuke! Don't look back!"
Overcome by shock and fear, Sasuke didn't see whether Fugaku hit the armored figure or not. He only saw his father collapsing weakly onto the floor.
"Father... no... please get up..."
He clawed at his head with his fingers, his eyes nearly bursting from their sockets in hysteria.
"Why?! Why is this happening?!"
Sasuke screamed in agony. The shock had far exceeded what he could bear, even making him forget to flee. During this process, there was a subtle change in his eyes.
Where his dark pupils had been, after witnessing the death of his family, his eyes transformed into a bloody red color with a single black tomoe in each.
But he didn't notice this transformation. His gaze remained locked on the approaching armored figure, unmoving, with his hands clutching his head and his hoarse voice breaking unevenly.
I can see every detail... every drop of blood...
Is this how I die? Alone, watching that... thing...?
Just when Sasuke was at his most desperate and broken, the window shattered. A figure rushed into the tearoom, grabbed the despairing Sasuke with lightning speed, and leapt out into the courtyard.
Sasuke felt the warmth of another person against him, his mind clearing slightly. He turned his head to see who was holding him.
"Nii-san? You came!"
Seeing his brother's face gave him hope again. He was not alone. Strangely, he felt his brother's embrace was warmer than it had ever been before.
Itachi looked down at Sasuke and immediately noticed the change in his eyes.
""Sasuke, you—""
"Mother and Father, they..."
"I know, Sasuke."
At that moment, Sasuke heard a distinct clinking sound from the tearoom's doorway. Only now did he understand what the sound behind him on the street earlier had been—it was the sound of armor plates clashing.
"It's coming, Nii-san! I can hear it!"
The figure in heavy armor slowly walked out of the tearoom, its shadowed helmet turning to face Sasuke and Itachi.
"He... he's watching us."
This gave Itachi, who wasn't fully aware of the situation, some insight. "You can see that thing?"
Sasuke nodded, "Yes, I can see everything..."
"Hold on to my back. You guide me."
---
Aku-Shin Kage was a manifestation of Nyarlathotep that could only be summoned when there was a full moon.
It was completely invisible, blending perfectly into the night and silently stalking its victims. This perfect invisibility could be considered one of its unique abilities. Unlike the invisibility of the Hunting Horror, it left no trace, not even the slightest distortion in the air.
Fascinating. Kagami's spider observed from its hidden vantage point.
Moreover, it emitted no detectable scent, sound, or physical trace when it touched objects, making it a true example of complete sensory isolation.
However, this perfect invisibility only applied to those unaware of its presence. Once victims began to sense it, signs of its existence intensified—sounds became audible, and its form became clearer until it was fully visible.
Seeing the humanoid form of Aku-Shin Kage did not cause a significant loss of sanity, but its true form beneath the armor was where the real terror lay. As stated in some old tomes, those who gazed upon its true form were described as brave yet foolish, a clear sign of reckless behavior.
But it was not easy to see, as its ability was a twisted paradox. The only way to see it was to first sense its presence. But if you could not see it, you could not sense it. Thus, detecting its presence from the start required extraordinary extrasensory perception, often referred to as a sixth sense or intuition.
Even if one person managed to see it, others could not detect it through that person's description. Its invisibility was personal, affecting individuals differently. 'You cannot see the fear I perceive' aptly described this situation.
Itachi grabbed Sasuke by the collar and placed him on his back. Sasuke instinctively gripped the armor strap on Itachi's shoulder.
"You're my eyes now, Sasuke. Tell me everything you see," Itachi instructed.
"I-I'll do my best, Nii-san!"
At that moment, Sasuke saw Aku-Shin Kage charging toward them and immediately shouted, "It's coming!"
Itachi understood and swiftly retreated with Sasuke on his back, attempting to avoid a direct confrontation. In Sasuke's view, Aku-Shin Kage didn't seem to be moving fast, but each stride it took was large, making its overall speed very quick. With each step, the red armor it wore clanked rhythmically, and blood splattered from the gaps, staining the courtyard.
However, he knew that only he could see and hear these sights and sounds. His brother was completely unaware. Sasuke's role now was to act as his brother's eyes, providing concise descriptions of the enemy's movements so that Itachi could respond accordingly.
The basic training Sasuke had received over the past few days had taught him some tactical vocabulary, which came in handy now.
"Eleven o'clock! Two meters away!" he shouted.
His guidance gave Itachi a direction to defend. He immediately raised his katana in front of him. The next second, he felt a heavy blow strike the blade. With both hands on the sword, he barely managed to parry the attack.
Fighting blind... What a strange feeling.
But with Sasuke's help, he was able to handle the situation. He smiled slightly, casting a quick glance at his younger brother, who was carefully watching their enemy.
"You're doing great, Sasuke. Keep it up."
Under Sasuke's direction, he parried several more of the enemy's attacks. The creature's combat style wasn't very agile, and against the nimble Itachi, its attacks seemed slow and cumbersome.
Aku-Shin Kage fought using simple techniques—its two-handed sword strikes were heavy and fast, but limited in frequency and direction. This was because the sword techniques it used were from the ancient combat styles of Japan's Sengoku period, emphasizing strength and the ability to overpower multiple opponents.
According to some tales, Aku-Shin Kage had once operated under the name of Oda Nobunaga, forging a blood-soaked path to unite the land. It was during this period that its combat techniques had focused on brute force, with ninja techniques emerging later.
Sasuke soon noticed something unusual—each time the enemy prepared to swing its sword, he could see the trajectory of the attack. These predictions became clearer and more accurate, allowing him to warn Itachi in advance of where the attacks would come from.
Itachi also realized this. You see it now, don't you, Sasuke?
"This is the power of the Sharingan."
Although Sasuke's single-tomoe Sharingan wasn't fully developed, it could still perceive simple attack patterns and predict future movements.
As the battle progressed, Itachi slowly began to see the vague outline of Aku-Shin Kage himself. Though much of its body remained invisible, it was enough for Itachi to discern its attack direction.
With both hands on his sword, Itachi blocked a heavy downward strike from it, deflecting the blade to the side. Seizing the opportunity, he delivered a sidekick that sent the creature staggering several meters back. While the hulking figure didn't fall, it was unable to immediately recover its stance.
"Now, brother! It's off balance!"
Itachi quickly leaped backward, creating some distance, then stabbed his katana into the ground and formed a series of hand signs with incredible speed.
"Sasuke, hold on tight."
So fast... I can barely see his hands move!
"Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Jutsu!"
A massive fire dragon shot out from Itachi's mouth, barreling toward Aku-Shin Kage. As the fire neared, the creature raised its hands to shield its face. Although its head remained hidden in shadow, the trembling slits in the darkness revealed its fear of the flames.
Boom!
The enormous fire dragon engulfed it, and its armored form disappeared in the flames.
So, it is vulnerable to fire, Kagami's spider observed everything.
But why are there so many avatars of Nyarlathotep here? Maybe I should try to kill Aku-Shin Kage with Cthugha's Flame Spirit...
Can I even handle the memories? Too risky... It's no normal creature. But the gains...
