Looks like I don’t have to visit Hell after all. Hell came to visit me. And it wasn’t friendly.

This afternoon, as my dad and I were out going grocery shopping (and getting caught in traffic, as usual), a disturbance caught my attention. Luckily, Knives and Ryoga were following us after the recent attacks, and they too noticed the problem. Boy was I shocked when I saw what was tearing up the highway.

It was Kumasogami.

For those of you who’ve never seen Toho’s “Yamato Takeru”, or “Orochi the Eight-Headed Dragon” for the English dub version, Kumasogami is the first monster the hero must face during the movie. He’s a demonic being who appears to be made up entirely of lava that’s hardened on the outside but still has some glowing “veins” all over his body. A lot like Maligore, the Flame of Destruction. But he’s only about six or seven feet tall. He supposedly died when the hero gained the ability to shoot laser beams from his eyes (thanks to a magical amulet he was holding) and sent him back into the fires he came from.

And did I mention he can shift his hands into weapons?

Luckily, we had backup. E.G. Mine showed up too and immediately shifted into diamond form, acting as a living shield. Fortunately, rock/hellfire arrows don’t have any effect on his new body. (Although I think the years its former bearer spent in Hell may have helped on the hellfire end of things.)

“Mouse!” Get out of here!” Ryoga hollered.

“Not on your life!”

“Get going, Mouse,” Knives grunted. “We can handle this clown.”

It was right about then that Kumasogami shifted its hand again, and I found myself wishing that Bankotsu and his big sword were here.

Well, he didn’t show... but Ryoga surprised us, using his umbrella to hold off the monster’s own giant blade. And then, he borrowed a page from several of his counterparts in other dimensions.

“BAKUSAI TENKETSU!”

Yes, he used the Breaking Point on a monster from Hell. Just like a few alternate Ryogas had done, seeing as their monsters were made of rock. Living rock, but rock all the same. And using the Breaking Point on any sort of rock will cause it to shatter. The explosion today was most impressive. Fortunately, Ryoga was unharmed. Unfortunately, the effects weren’t permanent... Kumasogami surprised even me and pulled himself together.

Then he left. I think getting blown up once today was enough for him.

I’m going to have to pay a visit down below and see why Kumasogami came after me. Was it an act of betrayal by the forces of Hell? Or did our unknown enemy free him? I suspect the latter, but I’d rather confirm it than jump to conclusions.

In the meantime, Ryoga told me not to worry about reinforcements: He’s going to make a few calls to other realities and find some backup. Now I’m really afraid... that explosion today was bad enough. But how much longer can I hide these guys from my Dad once the phone bill shows up?