After the suddenly - erupting white flash from the little kid's box separated the two clashing blades of black and red, and white and gold, only Enya and the mysterious demon were left, the river of lava steaming and heaving like their hearts.
Enya was taken by that surprise for a while, longer than the demon was, as he rushed trying to trace that sliver flash or Noboru's aura and failing to detect a track. When she realized his intentions of going after the other disappearing three, the princess of fire regained her senses immediately, jumping and blocking the demon's path. And although he could fly, he chose to remain standing, knowing nothing would stop this particular princess from chasing and hindering his way.
"Are you protecting that man for real?"
Rinmaru asked seriously, and Enya seemed offended by the thought. She wielded her scorching whips in answer.
"I simply see another foe of mine in front of me, I am not a girl who wastes her time. I will get to the rest later, but you are here now, right in my grasp!"
"Do you honestly believe you can stop, let alone defeat me, Enya?"
A mix of emotions flared across the crimson eyes, taken by a desperately fought affection at the mention of her name by that man, then overtaken by rage at the second offense coming from the same lips who used to speak to her tenderly and kiss her passionately.
"You, of all demons and humans, know very well of high and far a person's frenzied lust for blood can take him."
The princess of fire chose to deliver a low blow in response to the offensive suggestions she had been receiving from the white - haired demon. And her delivery and choice of words made the wished for impact as Rinmaru, for the first time since his appearance, twitched in a barely controlled rage, his fingers sparing no strength in holding on to his sword.
"Precisely, do not try to hide your fangs and claws, you will never stop baring them whether for the sheer lust for killing or your pitiful attempt at redemption… and they will still be always tainted with blood and sin!"
Enya went on, globes of lava floating from the river and merging with her fiery lashes, sensing her growing desire for fighting and her angered feelings. She had laid a perfect bait that in the past would be more than enough to send the demon into a fit of madness and merciless slaughter. But to her surprise, the demon maintained his composure, sheathing his sword and stating definitively.
"I have no need or desire to fight you. I have no business with you."
The princess of fire huffed feeling insulted, her eyes widening as she bit her lips till she drew blood.
"You dare say this to me? Me?! You have as much business fighting me as much as you did while courting…"
The princess stopped mid - sentence, realizing the bitter lie and truth of her statement which made her cover her face and erupt in a soundless laughter.
"Actually, you really had no truthful business courting me back then…"
The woman was laughing at her own – self, not caring if she looked pathetic or crazy. She had known long ago that she had become a bit of both but was not bothered, these feelings always brewing in her heart lit her soul aflame, adding more strength and resentment to her powers, making her more formidable with every passing day possessed by rage, disappointment and an endless wish to get her revenge and return the wind she had received a double storm that would obliterate her enemies. Rinmaru could recognize exactly what was waiting to happen after that moment of self – pity, forced to unsheathe his sword again against scourging lashes that wiped every rock and every gravel that stood in their way. The sword soon clashed with the lassos of fire, the damage taken by the blade visible yet quickly fixed despite the ceaseless strikes and attacks from every angle, as Enya dominated the volcano like her territory, moving with a speed similar to a flying Hayabusa . After multiple attempts, her lassos finally managed to reach to the man wielding the sword, touching his precious armor, but as with his sword, the armor was burnt briefly before being rewoven and fixed. The princess did not stop for a second, leaving the demon who was fighting till that instant halfheartedly no second to catch his breath or get over her to search for the disappearing Noboru.
"Blessed by Norico's spiritual aura, I see? How ironic!"
Enya commented, deciphering easily the mystery behind the quick rejuvenation of the sword and the armor.
"Never mind, how long can a dead woman's aura stand my searing wrath!"
Exchanging blows with Rinmaru who finally put his whole heart and resolve into the fight, Enya did not back down nor did she seem at disadvantage, keeping on her taunts.
"Did you also seduce that woman into putting a protective aura over your armory? How long did that take you?"
"You are stuck in the past, and you refuse to change… you are truly pitiful!"
Rinmaru answered frowning at disrespecting the late priestess much to Enya's amusement.
"Does this mean that my fighting is as passionate as our lovemaking used to be?"
The princess spoke, coming face to face with the demon, only their panting breaths separating their lips but there was no affection or tenderness behind this closeness... Not anymore.
"Why are you stopping me from perusing Noboru and cooperating with him instead? He deceived you as much I did…"
"I am not cooperating with anyone, that sword was birthed from the element of fire, and thus is simply mine!"
"You realize your spouting nonsense! This sword never belonged to you… and I doubt you would be able to…."
"Why me?"
Enya was no longer interested in explaining her intentions, she saw an opportunity in gaining a powerful blade made from her element and so accepted Noboru's offer to re- forge his blade and cleanse it from Norico's lingering sealing aura in the river the sword had led him to. But that was of no importance anymore, if she could not obtain it now, she made her resolve to do so later. She had just come face to face with the man who betrayed her along her once upon a time friend.
Rinmaru heaved annoyed at the expected question that he hated the answer to it, but he was certain it would be asked repeatedly, and he had a responsibility to deliver that answer sooner or later, so he decided to just do that and get the burden out of his heart.
"Why deceive me with words of love and oaths of fidelity, and not her? Why me?!"
Rinmaru retreated few steps back, not out of defeat, but to prepare for the flames that were certain to follow his answer.
"Because you were easier to manipulate."
"What?!"
The word barely left the princess in a shaken whisper, and the demon went on explaining his reasons once and for all, ready to take on the cost.
"Your heart and eyes are rooted to the same tree, even now, what color the seasons dye the leafs with, it dyes both, showing brightly with no intentions of hiding or camouflaging themselves, whether against a storm or a tsunami. What you felt you believed, what you believed you said… carefree and sometimes even daringly… You denied any restraint or control over your emotions and easily trusted tender words and gentle gestures, turning away, by your own will, from the accompanying hideousness even when not concealing itself. Reiha… The princess of the wind… on the other hand… was different…"
Enya listened silently, unlike her still face, her lassos never stopped throbbing like the river running down the volcano. A mocking smile, mostly directed at herself, was drawn as she replied.
"Are you saying I was the only truthful one among the three of us?"
"And thus…"
"The weakest… and the loser…"
Enya finished the statement on her own feeling no weakness or shame. Instead, this explanation lit her will for revenge even more, justifying it further even when it never needed justification in the first place from her point of view.
"If you were seeking to wound me just now, you had failed miserably."
Enya spoke proudly, letting her attacks continue the talk. Reluctantly, Rinmaru had to resort to using his full power against his wishes, holding back no more because he realized there was no place for reasoning or forgiveness. His silver blade started emanating with its true aura, glaring in gold and red, harmonizing beautifully yet deadly with Enya's fire. As the fight intensified and Enya started to lose the upper hand, her Kasha drew closer ready to join the fight but she adamantly ordered them.
"Stand back! This is my own fight!"
The groups of Kasha backed away waving their two tails disappointingly. However, it was not a fair revenge the princess of the fire was after, she intended on keeping the creatures strength and seek their aid in case Rinmaru decided to turn into his true form. However, for some reason, she knew he would not go that far. She could not tell why she was certain of that, but just as Rinmaru had said, her feelings had never betrayed her and she felt that even now, even if she somehow through some sort of miracle managed to win, he would not retaliate or hurt her fatally.
Enya's earlier words proved true to a certain degree, with every collision between her flaming whips and Rinmaru's sword, the blade's ability to regenerate and heal itself became slower and less effective, but it was still a hindrance to winning for the princess, so she used another tactic she was trying since the battle had started and was able to accomplish it after many rounds; with one lasso she encircled the sword and the hand swinging it, then aimed for a direct hit to the demon with her second one.
However, the demon's sword, Katsuki , was not an ordinary weapon. Aside from being blessed by Norico later on, it was forged in the most twisted yet sorrowful way. Forged from the bones of a mystical dragon's tail, it was one of the deadliest blades, with the aura of an ancient mythical beast dormant inside of it and fueling it with constant hatred and wickedness stemming from the resentful soul of the dragon over being defeated and slain. But then, the blade fill into the hands of a woman whose family was too poverty – stricken she had to choose between saving her beloved husband or small child from illness, she had only enough money to buy the medicine for one, one gulp to give and one soul to save. Thinking she could have other children, the woman chose her husband. However, her beloved sill died afterward from the same illness, rooting itself deeper inside of him after the death of his child. Unable to bear the regret and blame, the woman killed herself with the same blade she had killed her child with, cleaning the cursed blade with her tears and blood, so now the blade bore two sides; good and evil and it was up to his wielder what residing entity within it to call upon while fighting. However, whomever fought the current wielder, Rinmaru, could not tell what soul he was calling forth, and to what extent his ability to control them extended.
Though pushed away by the demonic aura Rinmaru released to protect himself from the burning lasso, still receiving some wounds that would take days to heal, the princess smiled sneering as she watched her other lasso thwart the sword away from the demon's hand. Thinking she had weakened him, she was ready to re - bounce for a final attack but to her shock, she found her target right in front of her thrusting his claws in her chest, deep enough to leave a bleeding wound but not fatal to lead to her demise, just as she had predicted.
Rinmaru's claws were sharp and lethal, seeping with evil demonic aura that would render armies disabled and dead. Spitting blood, the princess dared him, still smiling.
"Come on, do not play the fallen redeeming himself role with me... Do it! Show me who you truly are… for the last time…"
"It is not the last time…"
Rinmaru calmly stated, pulling his hand away and noticing Enya's continuing sneering but he did not care. He jumped down the whole Ayumi had fallen through without adding another word or addressing the injured princess any further, neither threatening her to cease her foolish play for revenge, nor asking her for forgiveness.
The princess of fire had no left power or strength to keep the chase, the group of Kasha, enraged for the sake of their princess, wanted to follow the assaulter but she forbade them, so they cuddled by her side licking her wounds and purring softly against her heaving chest. Watching the scale of destruction the battle resulted in, Enya realized this place had lost all of its aura and would not be of any further help as an additional territory. Every landmark was planned like a plate, rocks were crushed into dust, the pillars and protrusions falling apart, only the traces left by her lassos and Katsuki were left to testify of the battle along the flowing river.
Enya sighed, not out of pain the pierced through her like a thousand knives, but out of frustration, or perhaps something else rekindling itself in her heart along all the other agitated feelings she had held for centuries, a feeling akin to longing as the flowing river of lava reflected with its burning light distant memories, deemed worthless and fake.