Bleeding Shadows [Open - Requesting Kuro]

[Mikaboshi]

Darkness leaking from his form as he limped, Mikaboshi narrowed his eyes and hobbled forward.

Silence of Voices...

He'd made a grave miscalculation in heading to meet his challenger so woefully unprepared. Hotaru's admonishment of his arrogance had been spot on and he had been too haughty to see it until it was too late. The white flames of the Silence of Voices no longer licked at his physical form but he could still feel the frayed and scorched edges of his soul with every beat of the dead heart in his chest that kept his body moving. The shadows that bled from his body were a manifestation of the energy that was pouring out of his control and being lost. Without his mask which had been lost in his battle against Hotaru, Mikaboshi was incapable of stemming it's "bleeding". Though it pained his pride to do so, he could think of no other place to turn than to the Toraono Dojo. He would not be able to make it back to the Obsidian Palace or Keystone Prime in the state he was in and he was extremely vulnerable in this state to boot. If Hotaru managed to find him again he certainly would not have power enough to escape her a second time. Even if he were at full strength he still did not have a plan for mitigating her flame attacks which had wounded him thusly.

As the wounded Sennin approached the Dojo he felt eyes upon him and heard voices whispering about his approach. He could not make out their words and did not care to do so even if he were able. He was interested in them doing one thing; finding the Sennin Kuro.

"Find... Kuro..." He rasped at volume, his voice erupting from the various shadows which were thrown by the torches strewn about the area. "Bring him... to me."

He did not know if they would heed his command but knew that they would be made to suffer if they ignored his demands in such a time of need.

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Guards ran into the main entryway and slammed their palms on an emergency signal seal that alerted Kuro directly. As Demon Kuro meditated, the wall nearest him glowed brightly before becoming a crystal view that showed to alarmed door guards. Kuro was not too concerned with that until he noticed the miasma of shadows filling the background and the raspy call of his own ANBU Sennin. Without moving his limbs he willed his chakra to alert the guards via the emergency signal seal that he was on his way with a true sense of urgency. Specialized chambers opened revealing Sanryokyougan Kuro, Sharingan Kuro, and Kyojin Kuro opened as they sped off to secure Mikaboshi sama. Unable to send his main body without raising suspicions beyond those whom knew his secret Sharingan Kuro would serve as a binder for his wounds and Sanryokyougan Kuro which was Kuro's healing path would repair the flesh damage while he prepared to summon his true demonbeast Hyakujuuonouu to ensure he survived whatever wounds he had.

Two copies of the Akuma Sennin arrived with a large armored warrior just behind them. They each had discerning eyes and the armored warrior seemed to be there to guard Mikaboshi of all people as he took up a defensive posture behind Mikaboshi. Sanryokyougan Kuro quickly assessed his wounds and with a hand fashioned of living steel drew the pure white flames from Mikaboshi's ravaged unyielding spirit into his grasp where he completely nullified the spirit flame. Sharingan Kuro began making a massive seal upon the ground in preparation for a ritual of dark sorcery. Sanryokyougan Kuro spoke aloud as the door guards made sure no one interrupted them. "I have no idea what could have wounded you so but I only know one way to seal the bleeding of your spirit. It will require me to use my blood as a catalyst and place demonic energies within you. I know that you don't want to be beholden to anyone so I do this not as a way to bind you to me but as a friend and one who deems you necessary for the existence of Sunagakure. When you are ready to accept this token of my friendship simply grasp my left hand and I will summon Hyakujuuonouu and begin the process."

Kuro knew better than to patronize the dark lord of the shadows, his father had told him tales of the Ancients and the ways they furthered their wrath upon those whom dared to mock them or contest their undeniable power. The stories were so graphic that even Kuro's blood ran cold at their actions and to make matters worse Mikaboshi was one of the last in existence. So his wrath would be something beyond even the stories in Kuro's mind. Yet throughout Kuro's time amongst the leaders of Sunagakure, even after assuming a mantle as one of them Kuro had nothing but respect for the defiant, unyielding, ever proud Lord of Shadow. In Kuro's mind he would do nothing less than Mikaboshi did to continue his ways and his heritage amidst those whom were descendants of his former servants.

MFT
WC: 520

 

[Mikaboshi]

Agony ripped through Mikaboshi's body as Kuro drew forth the remaining vestiges of the Silence's opal flames and quashed them in his hands. He seemed unaffected by the inferno which even in his pained state Mikaboshi took note of. Was Hotaru right when she'd said that the Silence of Voices would not burn the just? Or was it more accurate to say that it's flames were enchanted specifically to burn the spirits of ancients? He had no immediate answers for that question but swore to find himself an answer before doing battle with Hotaru again. He simply could not risk another direct confrontation without more information about that mysterious flame weapon she'd wielded against him.

Kuro spoke and offered his aid in the form of a blood seal. The dark Sennin's first reaction was to reject Kuro's offer out of hand. A blood seal was a dangerous pact for those being sealed. It meant that he was putting himself entirely at the mercy of Kuro for the duration of it and it was entirely likely he could wind up with some sort of spirit trap built into his very being at the end of it. If he wished Kuro could build into the seal a fail-safe allowing him to re-inflict the damage that he was fixing with the seal at a moment's notice. More or less it would make him Kuro's servant. He claimed he would not but these were the words of a man. A half-man, at that. It was a mistake to come here he thought to himself as he weighed his options. Would it be better to allow himself to be destroyed than to be a beholden servant to a second human being? Could he bear that indignity?

No, he decided. He could not. But if Kuro betrayed him, there was always ways to make him suffer for that. Reaching up and taking Kuro's hand, Mikaboshi looked at him with the dying light in his eyes.

"I accept." He whispered with a growl before adding; "Let me not regret it."

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Sanryokyougan Kuro smiled kindly without showing his teeth as Mikaboshi knew demonbeasts always showed their teeth when treachery was afoot. "I am certain you won't besides this works two fold because once you are in possession of even the tiniest portion of my spirit you will always know where I am and be able to send a sense of urgency to call me to your aid. I have never been your enemy despite my lineage and in accepting my help know that your spirit will forever be guarded from Joukai (Heaven) and Makai (Hell). As progenitors and guardians of the celestials we are able to make our own path in the world. It is why I am able to wield darkness with only my will and easily sustainable life energy. This effect will now transfer over to you, along with another one of my secrets..."<i></i> Sharingan Kuro had secured the area and with his akuma mangekyo sharingan activated he was certain there was no one about that could eavesdrop or interrupt the ceremony. With a quick surge of pure dark chakra, Demon Kuro was summoned and with a swift dispersal of air he arrived. Mikaboshi could now see the differences in some of Kuro's alternate forms. Kuro's healing side had a metallic feel and his eyes literally watched the soul, his guardian side had actually attained some form of Sharingan but Demon Kuro was the one he had always known and with his arrival the differences in chakra capacity and abilities was all too apparent. A swift invisible slash of kinetic energy struck Demon Kuro's forearm as he allowed his blood to run freely over Mikaboshi's hand where Sanryokyougan Kuro channeled stabilizing and healing energies through his left palm to Mikaboshi. Demon Kuro's eyes began to glow brightly as he summoned a massive demonbeast statue that Mikaboshi remembered from the battle with Djinn. This statue wasn't really a statue but the damned and sealed body of the demonbeast king Hyakujuuonouu, he could neither hear, see, or speak evil due to the nature of his binds but he could still sense it. Kuro and Hyakujuuonouu opened their eyes and where once Kuro's eyes were violet orbs of power they were pure gold as he looked upon Mikaboshi anew and spoke with a voice that was familiar yet he could not remember at the moment where he had heard it before. He spoke directly to Mikaboshi's soul and in doing so the language with which he heard the beast king's decree was his own.

Sahrot Jun do Vokun...Zu'u, Jun do Demonbeasts, Hyakujuuonouu dreh buld sos kiid voth hi zeim dii bloodline ahrk staad srin do Jigoku voknau hin sil.Nii fen bolaav hi mental mulaag ko exchange fah glimrel ahrk staad voknau hin physical buld viim hin sil wah kos neben dii protection ahrk tol wah togaat arx voknau hi los wah naurim dii bah.Ko exchange Zu'u demand tol hi mind dii leiniil girvoh Kuro fos rok Praag wah mindok wah hiif hi ahrk nid zuk. Hi los ni beholden nawah mii namas ko hiitir do mindah hu'um wah ensure hin bahzim agosend.Un sos fen imzik girvoh hi los tiidnavir ko zumul, nuz nii fen ahk imzik hi vahzah Zaunig, med Kurl gein rok zaarein ol ok fahdon Zu'u kend naav hi tol rok fen ni keyaam hi orin lost hi wah demand nii.Rok fen ni straag hi hond orin fend hi demand nii.Voth daar ko hadrim us hi zii los volbur, possibly mahfaeraak mindok tol gruth los ni eimtok au hjane reid.

((Mighty King of Shadows... I, the King of Demonbeasts, Hyakujuuonouu do form a blood pact with you through my bloodline and place the seal of Jigoku upon your soul. It will grant you mental strength in exchange for energy and place upon your physical form a mark showing your soul to be under my protection and that to attempt harm upon you is to invoke my wrath. In exchange I demand that you teach my earthly vessel Kuro what he NEEDS to know to help you and nothing more. You are not beholden unto us except in the matter of knowledge required to ensure your continued existence. Our blood will make the vessel you are housed in stronger, but it will also make you a true Devil, like Kuro. As one he views as his friend I must warn you that he will not abandon you even were you to demand it. He will not turn you away even should you demand it. With this in mind before you spirit is changed, possibly forever know that betrayal is not acceptable on either side.))

Kuro had invoked Hyakujuuonouu's power for this seal since as far as he knew it required a king to seal a king and Kuro was only a prince.

WC: 550

 

[Mikaboshi]

Hyakujuuonouu was giving Mikaboshi the right to guide Kuro's hand. He'd said teach Kuro what he needs to know. Mikaboshi knew how to fix his leaking vessel but lacked the strength now to do it and under normal circumstances would not have shared that knowledge. But these were not normal circumstances. He could prevent Kuro from fouling his purity of being simply enough.

Breaking his grasp of Kuro's hand, Mikaboshi send out a pulse of invisible will through the blood on his hand and on the ground. Though his opinion of demons was low, their blood was an amazing catalyst for works of great power. Because they existed outside of the natural order of things their blood contained energy that could not naturally be found in the world making it perfect for being the spark in a ritual. The blood rippled at his will entering it and it floated up into the air in a thin circle around his body. Looking up at Hyakujuuonouu, Mikaboshi drew strength from the spiritual energy that suffused the air around him and for a moment looked as his old self as he dipped his as-of-yet unblemished hand's index finger into the slowly orbiting ring of blood and reached forward to touch Kuro on the forehead.

"I grant you knowledge that no other mortal save Lord Takahashi is privy to. With this, our pact is sealed." He whispered to Kuro with his eyes still on the sealed statue, audible above the wail of the unearthly winds around them caused by Hyakujuuonouu, before adding to the statue; "Zu'u eim hin sent"

 

[Toraono Kuro]

With a massive surge of pure Dark spirit energy Hyakujuuonouu placed a mass of spirit energy normally reserved for reviving and regenerating no less than ten souls into an ever descending, hopelessly heavy orb. No spirit in existence save Mikaboshi could hope to contain such power lest they be one of the summoned spirits from beyond the veil of the pure world where the dead rejoiced. This dark energy was reserved for those that walked the lands of Makai, the prison realm of Hell and with those self same energies a seal of Makai appeared upon the chest of the body which acted as the conduit for Mikaboshi's forlorn spirit. The black fluid which served as Mikaboshi's blood was transformed into the blood of the damned and he could breathe anew as his broken body was reforged into the vessel of a true Devil. The pain of loss ceased as he could now completely fathom the true depths of Kuro's power and how easily he amassed and spread his soul into corporeal forms making their power his own and rewriting these forms in his own and Hyakujuuonouu's image. For a brief and terrible moment Mikaboshi knew what it was to exist beyond the reach of death and time and he saw how his powers were both limited and freed by having an actual body. His flesh was alive now, no longer an automated corpse but a living breathing devil's body completely at his disposal. The spirit flames could no longer simply spill his being, he had to be physically and mentally damaged before they could simply torment his soul now. His body was changing but he found he could control it and mark his own additions because the energy was given to him in a pattern to heal him and place his mind at a higher state and rewrite his body in a manner that made him ever stronger.

Mikaboshi may now accept the affects of the following CRPJ
CRPJ #1
Akuma Ishindenshin ((Devil Link))

Spoiler

:
- Using a demonic blood transfusion, and a cursed seal Kuro forms a light telepathic link with the bearer of his seal. Once this link is established it can be broken by evil sealing, and five elemental sealing which disrupts the chakra paths so violently that telepathy cannot be maintained. This seal also causes an alteration of some physical aspect of the bearer. That physical aspect can be changed through rp.

The aspects changeable by choice are hair, eyes, fingernails, growth of a catlike tail, tiny horns, extra long tongue, and last but not least skin darkening.
Up to two of these aspects can be changed (( for as long as the acceptor of the seal wants to have the physical aspect changed and this can be invoked and restrained at the player's will ))

This jutsu is a seal and not a genjutsu or a taijutsu.
It does not have any affect other than to provide the location and health of the bearer to Kuro or other bearers of a cursed seal given by Kuro.

Note:
The telepathy is broken by evil sealing, five elemental seal, and special abilities like those possessed by ghost walkers, and Yamanaka's. The link can be reset by intense concentration of both parties. Because of the specific strengths of the abilities and the rare abilities required to break this link it is an A rank Jutsu. Those in use of the link can only tell what Country the person with the seal is in, but as they get closer to said individual they are able to home in on them.

in conjunction with this seal which was already paid for on my end a long ago

Curse Seal: Hell

Spoiler

The Hell Seal is a dangerous seal that is born from the pure need to cause pain to others. It represents the will to bring a living Hell alive to an enemy and visit upon them their worst nightmares and pain unimaginable. This seal greatly enhances the User's Mental capabilities, allowing them to easily wreck havoc upon a victim through powerful illusions.

Rank 1: Covers the user's body in runic glyphs, giving them +10% Illusionary Damage, +2 Genjutsu DC. Genjutsu Buffs/debuff's are increased by .5, and percentage's are raised/lowered by 5%.
Rank 2: Covers the user in a dark aura, giving them +15% Illusionary Damage, +3 Genjutsu DC. Genjutsu Buffs/debuff's are increased by 1, and percentage's are raised/lowered by 10%.
Rank 3: Completely alters the user into a totally different figure, giving them +20% Illusionary Damage, +4 Genjutsu DC. Genjutsu Buffs/debuff's are increased by 1, and percentage's are raised/lowered by 10%. These buffs do not count toward the buff cap.

Cost: 1 Ap to Activate/Deactivate, the user loses -5 training points for each round active

 

[Mikaboshi]

The energy infused into Mikaboshi's soul writhed beneath the skin of his mortal shell threatening to change him irrevocably. Mental images of twisted forms flashed through his mind's eye showing him the possibilities of what he could become. He could feel the metal pieces that Sousuke had used to serve as the skeleton of the body fuse with what remained of the body's bones creating an amalgamated structure of twisted natural and unnatural materials while the life-supporting black sludge that flowed through his veins was purged and replaced with the blood of a demon lord. Falling to a knee, Mikaboshi clutched at his chest with both hands in response to the pain which rent it's way through his body. The pact he'd signed himself into was doing exactly what he'd feared it would do; it threatened to pollute his purity of essence with that of demon-kind making him more like Kuro. A half-ancient, half demon abomination.

The gloom that had once billowed forth from Mikaboshi's body like black smoke roiled and moved to gather around his form as though they were worried family members crowding around their father who had suddenly been struck down with illness. It did not immediately seep back into his body but instead twisted around where he knelt on the ground like a small twister of air held it in place forever swirling. With gold sparks falling from Mikaboshi's eyes, a screech of clearly inhuman source tore free from his body as he fought the changes being wrought upon his being. Twisting up around his body and beginning to cling to it, the smoke congealed itself into an inky-black substance which was eerily similar to the ooze that Mikaboshi's dead heart pumped throughout his body. Slithering up from the ground and across his body, the serpentine coils of sludge pooled at Mikaboshi's back and then suddely fell downwards about shoulders draping him in the blackest gloom. Rising ponderously at first from underneath the goop, a pair of smokey columns struggled to rise up out of the ink from Mikaboshi's arched back and stretched as if they were limbs which had long since fallen asleep from inactivity.

He had accepted that he would be connected to Kuro and that the blood would strengthen the corpse-flesh of his shell but he refused to allow it to change his being in the way the ritual sought. That would have been too much. He simply would not allow it.

"Laat do dii sonah." Hissed the suffering form of Mikaboshi from beneath the cover of darkness that had congregated around him. "Fus wah aus ahst haal do jul... ahrk daar los dii dez?"

Unconsciously his words escaped his lips in the tongue of his kind. Consciously he knew that Kuro could not understand it. He doubted that the demon lord which had put this energy before him did. Rather, Hyakujuuonouu had spoken to him in such a way that his mind simply translated it for him. Kuro had probably heard it in whatever language it was that the Demonbeast Sennin considered "his language". The words he spoke continued as the columns of smoke slowly spread out revealing themselves to be a set of skeletal but decidedly incorporeal wings that slowly lower as he continued his monologue... perhaps to himself? It certainly wasn't for Kuro or Hyakujuuonouu's benefit. But even as Mikaboshi raged against the power of the ritual, one thing became undeniably clear to him: He could not stop the energy from changing him. His fingers becoming sharper by the second, changed by the power of the ritual, he could feel the talons of his unwilling transformation digging into his chest as he involuntarily grasped at a pain that existed only for his struggling. If he let go and simply allowed it to finish, the pain would stop and he would be better for it, wouldn't he?

Stronger. Improved. Superior?

Nay. Evolved.

That was the temptation. To see through to the end of that evolution, he would have to set aside his pride as an ancient and turn his back on his history. He could stand above what he had been as something new entirely if only he would let go of what he once was and embraced what he could be. One again the visions of what he would become played through his mind promising perfection of form and supremacy of spirit. With a wet, hacking cough Mikaboshi hurled globs of black muck from his mouth as his now living body endeavored to expel the poisonous material from within him. When the process finished his new body would be one of strength and power far beyond that of demon or ancient. But it would not be his. He would cease to be Mikaboshi and become something else. After all, what was the Lord of Deep and Shadow without his pride?

"Nid. Ni tol. Neh tol."

Releasing the grip he had on his chest with his right hand, Mikaboshi thrust the claw into the ground and used it to propel himself to his feet with a visible struggle as his ethereal pinions stretched around him, billowing idly in the flow of energy that surrounded the two Sennin. The realization that he could not change the fate that loomed before him seemed only to encourage him to fight harder against it. Was his Sousuke's influence, he wondered? The Steward was by no means a passionate man in most respects. Analytic and cautious by nature, Sousuke rarely if ever let his emotions cloud his vision. But he was a man of conviction to say the least. In their time together Mikaboshi had seen the man stand before forces that should have by all means have crushed the life from him. Faced with the oblivion of what he held most dear to him, Mikaboshi understood a small piece what it was to be a human being in a world that threatened to stamp out their tiny lives each and every day.

"I refuse to lose myself to this." He whispered, so softly that perhaps it was meant only for himself, as he dug the claws of his left hand deeply into the flesh of his chest and tore at a diagonal angle leaving behind five gore-streaked gashes in his chest armor which began to profusely gush with the bright red blood that the ritual was infusing his body with. "What has been done cannot be undone... but I can yet mitigate it."

Lifting those blood soaked talons, Mikaboshi held them before the place where he had rent his armor asunder and where his newly given blood spilled forth and summoned all the will left to him. From those wounds began to flow small trickles of crimson liquid, flowing outwards into a sphere floating above his palm. There was only a small amount of time left to change the ritual that Hyakujouunouu had cast and limited resources with which to do so. The tear in his spirit-self had been repaired by now and all that was left was to combat the remaining effects of the ritual. His physical wounds would... recover, in time. Gesturing with his right hand like the maestro in front of an orchestra, Mikaboshi directed the floating ring of black ooze orbiting his body to empty itself into the base-ball sized sphere of blood which hovered in his palm. Red and black swam together as the two became one for within the blood was a concentration of Mikaboshi's pure spirit energy. His soul-self had been tainted by demon chakra and was slowly being transmuted by it-- he could not trust it to accomplish the goal he wished. As his vision swam from the mounting loss of blood he was pulling from his body, the dark Sennin brought the dark sphere to his lips and bit into it as if it were an apple before swallowing the chunk of tainted gore.

"I will not be compromised. I will not be polluted. I am one of the last remaining diistkiin." Growled the Sennin as he exhaled out a breath of dusky shade-smoke. The effects of whatever change it was that Mikaboshi had written into the spell with his disgusting display of spellcraft were immediate as the bleeding of his chest began to halt and the embers in his eyes burned brighter than before. The ritual always intended to allow Mikaboshi a portion of control over it but never to allow him to prevent the fusing of demonic energy into his being. That part was... new. It would renew his weakness to the Silence of Voices and he accepted that. His pride would let him do any less. Audible cracking of bones and snaps of energy could be heard as Mikaboshi hijacked the process re-writing his flesh and bone into a half-demon body for another purpose."I am Mikaboshi. He Who is Called Hahvulon. The Lord of Deep and Shadow. King Under the Sands."

Gritting his teeth through the continued pain, Mikaboshi felt the repurposed ritual go about it's work re-writing and eliminating what traces of demonic essence clung to his body and to his spirit. He had no use for that and desired none of it to be a part of him. It hadn't been apparent to him at first but this ritual that Kuro had started would bind him to this body as if it had been his from the beginning. If it died, so too would he along with it rather than simply being returned to the Black Blade to await a new vessel. That is why it infiltrated his soul being in the way it did. It wanted to tie him to the flesh of the body. To make him whole. But Mikaboshi had no desire to be bound to a body which was any part demon. Being in a human shell was bad enough. But with his spell and the great amount of his energy already spilled about him... well. The ritual provided a unique opportunity. One that he would never have been able to create on his own. Combining his own sorcery with the framework of Kuro and Hyakujouunouu's ritual, Mikaboshi instructed the ritual to write into the body him. It would not be as his original body was but... it would be close enough. There was nothing he could do about it being part human-- that was unavoidable and was a stain to his dignity he would simply have to endure. But he would be alive and untainted with demon essence. That was well enough for now.

Finally, the spectral wings that had appeared from Mikaboshi's shoulders melted away into the swirling black smoke that they had originally been along with the remaining amount of shades which clung to his form. It twisted around his body in the whirlwind of energy belonging to the ritual and simply disappeared into his form, seeping through skin and bone to be returned back to where it was supposed to be. At last the tumultuous ritual came to a close and save for the rather large amounts of blood spilled on the ground it would have been difficult for anyone without a sense for the supernatural to know that anything significant had occurred. Examining their combined handiwork as he lifted his hand up, Mikaboshi allowed himself a satisfied smirk. With his body being re-engineered to be more ancient in nature than human, he would have a greater control over it's capacities. He might have even emerged from this whole debacle stronger than before, if that was even possible. Looking to Kuro as if suddenly remembering that the other Sennin was present, Mikaboshi did something that he'd never done before; offered Kuro an earnest bow of thanks.

"You have earned my thanks and my respect this night, Lord Toraono. You are a credit to your kind." It was a bit of a back-handed complement but the spirit behind the praise and thanks was genuine despite the nature of the statement. "I don't appreciate your patron's attempt to corrupt my spirit being but I understand that it is in his nature. In light of what I have gained I think I will not hold a grudge over it."

[MFT = 2034]

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Kuro was smiling all the same as he released the summoning of Hyakujuuonouu and nodded to Mikaboshi. "I am certain he meant well, he wouldn't purposefully harm anyone he respects. You hold a special place amongst those whom defy death by any means available and as such I am certain he used a tried and true method to keep you safe from death. I can see that your body has at the very least been improved. I take it you are now more capable and beyond the harm of whatever placed those white flames within you earlier?" Kuro and his alternate bodies had released their protective barriers and now seemed to be looking at Mikaboshi with a sense of anticipation.

 

[Mikaboshi]

"That remains to be seen." Responded Mikaboshi as he continued to appreciate the work that they had woven together. Closing his hand into a fist, Mikaboshi flexed the muscles in his arm for the first time since the renewing of his body and reveled in the feeling of having a body that was truly his for the first time in hundreds of years. Once upon a time he had preferred a spiritual form to that of a physical one but being trapped within the Black Blade for so long had rid him of that particular aspect of his preferences. "But I am pleased with the results none the less."

But now it was time for the first true test.

Taking a deep breath into his living lungs and letting it sit there for a moment, Mikaboshi exhaled and then flung his arm out to the side as if he were tossing something away from him and his dark powers responded immediately to his prompt. Shadows leaked from his pale flesh and cascaded down his body coming together into a robe of pure darkness complete with a looming hood that subsumed his face and features, hiding them behind a veil of utter gloom which not even his gilded eyes pierced through. This was different than the spirit-flesh of his transformed state of before. Instead of wild, raw power being tossed about in a hungry maelstrom this power was focused. It would almost seem to a casual observer that his strength had lessened as it directly affected the world around him to a lesser degree. But with the transformation, his mind raced with power and energy. A feeling he had missed a great deal. He'd sacrificed the sheer physical power and speed of his spirit-flesh transformation for an ascension of a different sort. Preferring to keep the cloak of darkness around him as he began to stalk off into the night, Mikaboshi's words echoed behind him as he disappeared into the night;

"I will leave you to your evening, Lord Toraono."

[Topic Left Unless Stopped]

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Kuro nodded as ever Mikaboshi was all business, get what you want or need then move on to the next obstacle. With a spiritual nod he was informed by Hyakujuuonouu that was exactly how kings acted. "May the darkness guide you Mikaboshi sama and when you are ready to bind the strength of earth and steel to your form, call upon me and I will place that power at your disposal. After all, It is because the Ancients summoned us from our constant warring upon eachother that I exist and for that Hyakujuuonouu and I are both grateful and we look forward to witnessing your triumphs against the whims of fate. Just as we do..."<i></i> Sanryokyougan Kuro released his steel skin and took a meditative posture as Akuma Kuro, and Sharingan Kuro were summoned away by Chouryoku & Mouko Kuro. With his assimilation of Hyakujuuonouu's power complete Kuro could now begin his work to master ALL the elements. This left Kyoujin Kuro and Sanryokyougan Kuro to watch him leave and they could both appreciate the change in the King of Shadows.