Soul of the Sword (Shadow of the Fox #2) - Julie Kagawa Page 0,137

you want your final duel, mortal, then I will happily give you an honorable death when I carve the head from your body.”

Oni no Mikoto hesitated a moment, then calmly stepped off the dais and sank into a high stance, his blade held parallel over his head, the tip pointed toward me. “Then let us dance.”

He lunged, a streak of motion across the wooden floor, coming in very fast for a human. I dodged the first blow, letting the sword miss my head by inches, then lashed out in kind, aiming to split the lean body in half. He spun with impressive grace, avoiding the counterstrike, and came at me again.

We danced like this across the floor for a few minutes, dodging, parrying, avoiding our opponent’s blade and responding in turn. Oni no Mikoto was quite skilled, I could admit that. I had encountered several master swordsmen in my long years in the mortal realm, and this Taiyo was among the best.

However, he was still only human. And I never agreed to play by the rules.

The Taiyo slashed at me again, a precise, rather vicious blow meant to sever the head from my body. I twisted to dodge it while bringing Kamigoroshi up to parry, and the screech of metal on metal raced up my arm. At the same time, I released my grip on the sword with one hand, clenched it into a fist and swung it at the human’s head. It struck him in the temple, lifting him off his feet and hurling him into a pillar with a muffled crack. The human collapsed to the base of the column, leaving a smear of blood on the wood, and struggled weakly to right himself.

Smiling, I strolled forward, stopping a few feet away to watch the human push himself to his knees. Blood covered the side of his face, staining his white hair, and a pointed shard of bone peeked through his right sleeve, indicating a broken arm.

“Oh, sorry, mortal,” I mocked, grinning as he raised his head and glared up at me. “Was that not allowed? I forgot to mention I don’t play by your human rules.”

“Demon.” The Taiyo gritted his teeth…and pushed himself to his feet, clutching the sword in his one good hand. His broken limb dangled awkwardly, but he raised the blade and braced himself, glaring at me in defiance. “At least give me the honor of dying on my feet.”

I smiled. “As you wish.”

Kamigoroshi flashed, a glint of steel in the darkness, and the human’s head toppled from his shoulders, hitting the floor with a thump and rolling behind a pillar. The headless corpse swayed in place for the briefest of moments, before it, too, collapsed and leaked blood all over the wooden planks.

I yawned. “Well, that was slightly amusing. Predictable, but amusing. Is that the only obstacle you’re going to throw at me, then? One human with a sword?” No answer from the seemingly empty shadows around me, and I sighed. “All right,” I muttered, turning and walking toward the now unguarded altar. “Then I’ll be taking the scroll and leaving now. Feel free to stop me if you—”

As soon as I set foot on the dais, there was an eruption of smoke at my feet, and the floor tiles under my feet changed. I looked down to see a glowing ring of power, surrounded by sigils and runes that I recognized instantly.

A binding circle.

With multiple eruptions of smoke throughout the room, the statues disappeared, writhing into nothingness as the illusions dissolved. Solemn, scowling tengu emerged from the dissolving mist, their expressions grimly determined as they surrounded me outside the circle. Multiple voices rose into the air, as they began chanting the words to bind a demon and send it back to Jigoku.

Despite the trap, I felt a savage grin cross my face. She was close. I didn’t see her, but the telltale signs of kitsune illusion magic couldn’t be more obvious. The statues and the floor all had the stink of fox magic, though I had to admit, she was getting more powerful with her illusions, to be able to control so many at once.

Your little fox girl is here, Tatsumi. I hope you’ll enjoy the show when I find her.

“Hakaimono!”

The shrine maiden stepped forward, a snarling komainu beside her, and brandished an ofuda at me. On her other side, red-faced and with a nose like a broom handle, stood the daitengu of the temple, both claws wrapped around a staff, holding