Hirakata

[Bloodedge]

At this point, Takumi only awaited the moment he would face off against this armored 'heir' he was to dethrone. An order allowed this to begin, giving the one known as Akito the goal of eliminating the Devil. 'It's not that I don't believe her, but...' he thought briefly, readying himself for an incoming assault. As Akito's fist approached him, Takumi began calling upon a power that required him reaching deeper than within himself. The mark on his neck throbbed as he summoned this power for the second time, this time consciously and without using it to tame Dragons specifically. Both of Takumi's hands moved in unison, one reaching out to catch Akito's fist and stop its assault, while the other reached toward the armored assailant's neck. He would aim to pull the fist and push on the throat simultaneously while rotating counterclockwise, aiming to slam Akito into the ground. However, at the very start of this movement, he intended to share a moment of visual contact with the eyes within the helmet, through eyes that were glowing a deeper crimson than their normal shade at the time. Such a thing happening would trigger the ability he sought, which was one of a forced and powerful carnal attraction to himself... assuming his target was of the opposite sex.

[Apollymi]

Whatever the case, it was obvious that at least the start of a fight was about to happen between Takumi and Akito. Akito would find that their fist would be stopped at the same time that Takumi's other hand would find itself around its armored throat. This would evolve into a throw which would have this armored form topping to the ground but that wasn't all. In fact, strangely enough during this set of movements, eye contact would be made with the body within this armor, and the power flowing from the glowing crimson eyes of this lad would strike the person within. "I..." Akito's voice was caught in its throat as a moment of clarity happened, the extreme level of attraction forced upon her was indeed accepted as her body hit the ground within her armor. She felt as if she belonged to the Devil before her. "I'm yours..."

This was a strange thing to hear from that armored man's voice, but it would be the confirmation Takumi sought about the true gender of the person within the armor. This entire thing would be unheard by the crowd at large, but Shaoling heard it as well. She already knew the true identity of the person within the armor, she only had to wait for the moment of the reveal. "What are you doing, Akito!? I said kill him!" came the voice of this girl's father, which aimed to force her to act again, her hand twitched as if she wanted to stop the commands were contradictory to her own feelings at this point causing a hesitation the likes of which her father had never seen before. "Tou-sama..." the voice within the armor was being forced to acquiesce. "This Devil boy as bewitched our heir. What sort of ungodly things could he have planned? The outrage for one like Shaoling to accept such help, why aren't you all trying to kill her and get rid of this fiend as well!?" the old man asked. Of course, in so doing he hadn't moved an inch himself. And though the strengths of individuals were important they'd witnessed Shaoling fight her way up here, and none wanted to challenge her directly either. An en passe was reached in this way, and events would be allowed to unfold as they would.

[Bloodedge]

A single statement spoken by the armored fighter was all Takumi needed to be absolutely certain. He'd specifically used his power as if targeting a woman, and a woman it was indeed. "You're right," he said while standing, sparing a lingering moment of physical contact with the armor Akito wore. His attention was brought to Akito's father when the older male began speaking of killing the clan's true heir. Since it didn't seem like Akito would be attacking him right away by the man's order, he took the time to speak. "You said sow earlier, didn't you? I haven't forgotten that," he said, as if to convey the distaste that had constantly been building within him for this man, heightened by what had only just been heard. As he stared, his gaze was no longer that of a seductive force, but instead of a blazing inferno that reached the very soul of those in its path. "Dress... Break." With this phrase, and a click of his fingers, Takumi triggered a magical seal placed on Akito's armor. The armor itself, and in fact anything she happened to be wearing, would rip itself to shreds the moment his fingers snapped, revealing the body within in such a way as to leave no questions as to its gender specifications.

[Apollymi]

Akito's hand kept twitching, it was like there was a contradiction in her form. Her mind said to follow her father's orders and attack, but her body said not to do any such thing, being physically smitten with Takumi. It seemed that Shaoling was indeed right around this being a young woman within the armor and soon the rest of this group would be privy to that. The mention of the word sow seemed to have set Takumi off a bit, much to the surprise of Shaoling herself, who'd apparently gotten used to such distasteful things. 'Why... bother?' she wondered what kind of man this Devil was that something like that would even register on his radar. "She is a sow, my elder brother's sow of a chi..." whatever this man was about to say was lost completely as a snap of Takumi's fingers led to the breaking of the armor around the person known was the heir Akito. When all those pieces of enchanted armor shattered, this person's naked form was revealed to all present as obviously female, with long dark hair and large violet eyes. "AHHH!~" this girl's voice even shifted immensely. Small breasts, perfect skin, and a round bottom, her eyes widened and a blush immediately over took her face as she aimed to sit up and cover herself. One arm wrapped around her chest while she tucked her legs into herself.

Shaoling looked wide eyed and nodded. "See, she's a girl too. I was chosen, she wasn't, but that doesn't even matter. Uncle wanted all of your money, all of your backing, and all of your children to himself. Is this really the face of the man you want to lead you!?" she said pointing at the deranged old man who seemed like he'd try to talk his way out of it anyways. Even as the murmurs of the others began to get louder still. "What? She's a girl? Honestly I didn't know, my wife must have lied to me... yes that's it. I was led astray as well... I could still have a male heir anything is better than..." whatever this man was going to stay would not leave his mouth officially. Shaoling moved across the circle jumping behind him to kick him into the circle. His older body went tumbling in front stopping before the wakizashi. "Jinteki Shakusetsu..." the words themselves made the sword rise from before his eyes and transform around the girl's hand giving the middle finger of her right hand a singular long stinger which she held directly in front of this old man's face. "She wasn't just chosen by it, she can wield it properly... it's true form." said one person. "We were wrong to follow... our way is still obvious." said another. "This battle is void call it off!" finalized another voice. All of these things were exactly as she wanted. But her uncle looked up at the girl and frowned. "Akito! Kill her!" said the old man once more. This one went through loud and clear. And though she was naked, there was nothing Akito could do but try and follow the order. "As. You. Wish." she said those three words with tears in her eyes. Shaoling was her favorite cousin and she didn't want to harm her, but her body moved on its own as she aimed to close the distance between them, she spun around on a thick leg aiming to kick the smaller girl in the back of the head. In her father's mind it didn't matter what was seen here. If he managed to kill Shaoling before the end of this day, then he could continue the way he always had.

[Bloodedge]

Yet again, Takumi heard something rather disgusting from this old man. He'd deal with that later, as now there was the matter of the man's obvious daughter being exposed to the masses as one not suited to be heir by what they had already agreed upon. If Takumi meant to address the elder after this, he was stopped by two facts. Firstly, the man's ranting was met by the physical response of Shaoling. Secondly, he gave another order to his mind-slave of a daughter, which still took effect despite her being without armor. 'It wasn't the armor?' he thought while taking action of his own. Deft movements led him to Shaoling's side in time to reach out and hold off the leg of Akito. In doing so, he also aimed to thrust his palm into the dark-haired girl's abdomen, placing another, stronger magic seal on her. If he managed this, he would use the time of her being launched away by his attack to snap his fingers again. All the while, a statement from years ago was repeated in his mind. 'Haunted houses are my specialty because I can dispel curses and magical influence.'

"Dress Break, Astral," was spoken to utilize an enhanced version of the previous technique, which would shatter magical influences and the like to remove the mind-control plaguing Akito and cease her onslaught. In doing so, it would inadvertently swap the stress of manipulation with a pleasure equal in intensity to whatever strain was previously felt.

[Apollymi]

Though she'd tried to follow through on the order, Akito's kick was stopped again by this Devil she didn't know. There were tears in her eyes, but a look of appreciation on her face, even as his palm slammed into her abdomen. As she went flying backwards, she was put under another spell, but this one, was entirely different. As the girl went flying away her entire body felt numb and rush with heat, it was as if all the strain of fighting against her previous orders was translated into pure pleasure. "Uuuuuuuuaaaah~" left her open mouth as her body pulsed with relief and strangely freedom from her father's mind control.

Meanwhile the man referred to by Shaoling as 'uncle' was still pressed against the ground completely shocked by this happening. "Akito, get back up here and fight!" he yelled trying to order her, only to find that when she sat up, covering herself again, she didn't have to move by his order. "I'm free... Soifon, you actually found someone to free me?" she said looking to her cousin as she held a very poisonous stinger at her father's throat. "Hai, sorry it took so long, Aki..." she said, apparently what Shaoling had sold her soul for, was the freedom of her favorite cousin. All the while the rest of the elders seemed to be stirring even as this old man kept trying and yelling obscenities. "I can't believe you! All of you! I have done nothing but the best for you! So what if I wanted things! They were mine!" his greed an overwhelming cry for all of those who'd been afraid to see exactly the sort of cowardly beast he was. Shaoling for all of her part in this looked down at the man a sadistic grin coming to her face. "Nigeki..." she said as she pulled her hand back aiming to stab it first into this man's chest causing a large butterfly shaped crest to appear marking him in magic and causing him to scream out. "You can't let her kill me, you sow! You can't!" he tried. He looked to his daughter once more and pleaded "Akito, you can't let her kill me, I'm still..." Akito then said the first real thing she'd had on her mind since becoming a slave more than a decade ago. "You are dead to me! You always have been..." and these words were all Shaoling needed to hear. "Kessatsu." the secondary stab would inject within this man a magical poison which in combination with the first set seemed to begin dissolving him where he was. Shaoling stood after this and all remaining elders bowed to her, even in the fact of the screams of the dying man below her.

[Bloodedge]

With Akito both exposed and freed of her mental binding, Takumi's job here was basically done. The general population of the clan around them seemed to be finally favoring Shaoling as their true heir, as they should've done in the beginning by virtue of their own traditions. As Takumi watched Shaoling interacting with her uncle, he knew what would come the moment Akito spoke to the man. Takumi himself would have nothing to do with giving the man what he deserved, but that was fine. Shaoling herself deserved this moment, and he wouldn't dare take it from her if she sought to have it. The use of her weapon was something he found strange. As the older man faded away, Takumi was brought back to the teachings of Youmu regarding Sacred Gears and the like. 'Something that chooses its wielder. Independent Avatar?' he wondered. Strange though this situation might have been if he were correct, he believed he was still on the right track. 'Is that what she meant? It has a will of its own, and it decided to stay with this clan?'

Wrapping up the matter of being lost in his own thoughts, Takumi let his eyes wander between those involved. Shaoling seemed to have no problem wiping out the real problem in the situation, and the other clansmen didn't seem to have any more issues. Akito, however... "Oi," Takumi said as he pulled off his own jacket and held it out to the lass.

[Apollymi]

Having properly dispatched her uncle, the stinger at the tip of Shaoling's finger disappeared, turning into the small sprite-like creature it was before it flew off to amuse itself in whatever way it chose. Shaoling watched this and exhaled a sigh of relief having had this ordeal finish out in the least violent way possible and everything well taken care of. Akito on the other hand was soon enough offered a jacket by Takumi and the girl looked up at him confused but accepted it gently covering her still exposed nudity. With a word of thanks uttered. "Arigatou gozaimasu..." she said avoiding eye contact and skittering off to her cousin. Shaoling watched the whole of this confused by the Devil boy's nature. She turned to him confused by what he'd shown her of himself. "So, you're a Devil... with a japanese name, a strong sense of honor, weird unmatched wings, and the ability to break people's clothing and mind control. It has to be one hell of a story about how that happened..." she said finding this combination of things to be a bit ridiculous. "Whatever the case, thanks... for helping me free my cousin. I need to sign a contract for you... right?" she asked knowing that with his end of the bargain completed she needed to fulfill her own end. Still she snapped her fingers together and several men in black showed up. "Oi. Escort Aki back to my place and get her some real clothes..." she commanded. "Hai!" and with that the other girl got an escort with just another nod in Takumi's direction to thank him for his kindness.

[Bloodedge]

"Iia," he replied to the nude girl. Takumi was then assaulted by the confusion of Shaoling, regarding basically everything he'd revealed about himself to her thus far. Upon hearing these concerns, he supposed they made a lot of sense. For whatever it may have been worth, he explained a bit of the situation then and there. "I am Japanese. I grew up just on the other side of this mountain. I live right over there," he said, gesturing toward the incredibly tall building in view with an entire homestead atop it. He then continued with his explanation. "The wings are because I'm half Dragon, and that power... I got them from the Devil who reincarnated me into a Devil." A spare moment was taken for Takumi to return Akito's nod, before he returned his attention to Shaoling for the purpose of answering her final question. "If you think this is worth signing the contract for, then sign it. Whether you do or don't, I'll be on call if you need me for something else."

[Apollymi]

It appeared that Shaoling would have a few of her curiosities addressed. Apparently this boy had grown up just on the other side of the mountain and currently lived in the rather extravagant building she could see even from here. Her eyes widened at this news, but beyond this he went on to explain that he was half-dragon and that the powers he possessed at least in part came from the one who created him as a Devil. All of this was interesting news to her, but she lived in such a closed off little space, it wasn't really surprising to her that she didn't know very much about how such things worked. "Hm, that's kind of a lot, to be honest. But I guess the world is as big as the window you see it through..." she said, even so this lad had kept up his end of the bargain and as such she'd sign the contract, even though he'd given her an out. "Iie, I'll definitely sign it. You kept up your end of the deal, and I definitely couldn't have freed Aki without your help..." she said the contract she took out and signed magically, doing so made the paper disappear from her hands. Perhaps one day she'd get to know what adventure was like, and she'd leave these hills and see something besides the same old faces, but for now, there was something more important to her than her own desires. "I have everything I need now. But... if I change my mind... I'll let you know," this young woman said as she turned on her heels and sprinted down the hill to join her cousin. Strange as she was, she had to admit that the Devil known as Yasukawa Takumi had the makings of a man worth following.

[Bloodedge]

"You're right," Takumi said in regards to Shaoling's 'window' reference. He could very much agree with this notion, considering what he'd been through. "I was made to realize the same thing very recently. I wouldn't normally say this, but you should get out more. Your uncle wasn't the only bad seed, though... but the type of person you are might mean that'll help you really solidify your resolve." With that said, Takumi observed the signing of the contract. He could even feel it occurring within himself, as if some other-worldly bond had been created between Shaoling and himself. Shaoling went on to state that there was nothing else she needed at the time, but now that they were contracted, it didn't quite matter if she needed anything right this moment or not. "Do let me know. For someone like you... my contract will always be open. Ja ne," he said, taking that time to spread his wings and fly into the distance.