The Immortal Swordsman

[Kuzuru]

"Kill him! Take his soul, feast on his blood!" Kuzuru's voice growled loudly, his rampant blood-lust drowning my own thoughts. A deep breath quieted his hunger and I focused on my opponent. I would say he was a younger man, but I've lived for over a thousand years and everyone seems young to me. Regardless of his age his name was Ken Takimi and he was a swordsman, that was all I needed to know. Our battlefield was the roof of a mega skyscraper, the air up there was thin enough to make breathing difficult.

The younger bladesman smiled arrogantly and asked "You look out of place here mate, are you sure you wanna fight me?"

Slowly I unsheathed by blade, Kuzuru's presence bombarded me but I pressed through it. "You're Ken Takimi right? The self-proclaimed 'sword-god' ?"

He smirked and pressed a button on his bracelet. The bracelet hummed and a bright blue energy blade formed in his hand. "I'm the one and only, that sword you have there looks like a relic. My cyber blade will cut through that piece of crap like paper, are you sure you want to do this?"

The cyber-blade was a recent technological advancement that came about because of recent advancements in armor. In this day and age the only thing that could crack through a good suit of armor was a skilled blade master with a cyber-blade, well that and a blade infused with the souls of thousands of dead warriors. Even with my demonic blade technology was finally starting to catch up with my power, maybe in a few more decades my sword would finally become obsolete. My daydreaming was interuppted by Kuzuru's booming voice.

"What are you waiting for? Slaughter him already Renji! Rip him to ribbons!"

My patience was thinning and I growled under my breath "Be quiet already you damned nuisance."

A stiff breeze howled across the rooftop and sent my wide-brim bamboo hat flying off the building. At that moment I knew, in my heart of hearts that that day was going to be a crappy day. Almost reluctantly I raised my blade and dashed towards Ken, like a crashing wave I was upon my poor opponent. He certainly wasn't an amateur but he didn't have a thousand years of experience. My blade matched his blow for blow, forcing him to stumble backwards as I continued my assault.

"Yes! Let me taste his blood, oh lord yes" Kuzuru cheered as one of my strikes found Ken's chest, spilling red across the ground. As much as I hate to admit it, I did enjoy seeing the fresh blood spill across the floor. A sinister grin crawled across my face and I could see the fear in Ken's eyes.
This was what I lived for, the perfection of my craft. The utter domination of my opponents. He swung at me blindly, his instincts were guiding him rather than any form of training. I ducked below the wild horizontal slash and punched him in the gut, stumbling him towards the edge of the skyscraper. This was getting pathetic, he definitely did not live up to the hype.

Taking a few steps backwards I asked him "Is this all you've got Ken? Is this what the famed 'sword-god' has to offer?"

"How, how is that ancient piece of crap deflecting my cyber-blade?" his voice trembled with fear as he pushed another button on his bracelet. The energy sword changed into a bright blue pistol. Swords, I can deal with swords but guns become tricky. I sheathed my sword and assumed a more traditional stance, taking deep slow breaths.

"Calling upon my power against someone like him? You must be losing your edge Renji!" the demon within my blade mocked me.

Ken fired a bright blue bolt, moving as fast as lightning it raced towards me. Time slowed down, or rather my perception of time slowed. The bolt almost froze in midair as I took another deep breath.

"Demon cut" I whispered as I drew my blade and slashed outwards.

Black and red demonic energy swallowed my blade. The energy of over a thousand souls coalesced into one beautiful attack. A line, thin as a razor cut forth from my slash. It moved fast enough to break the sound barrier several times over. The blue bolt was consumed by the oppressive force of my attack and Ken was cut cleanly in half. A deafening crack echoed across the rooftop, signalling the end of our battle. Kuzuru cheered as Ken's soul escaped its mortal coil.

"Delicious"

After Kuzuru was finished feasting I sheathed my blade and turned towards the exit. However there was no exit to be found, in fact I watched in horror as everything faded to black. My mind went numb and I found myself unable to move. Even Kuzuru's ever-present presence was oddly absent. Then before me a white silhouette materialized against the black void. It spoke about foreign concepts such as the Omniverse and Omnilium. Then as quickly as it began I found myself standing in front of a fountain, surrounded by starch white walls and floors.

"Where am I? Kuzuru, where the hell am I?"

My sword was silent.

"Kuzuru?" the demonic force that once consumed my every action was absent. In fact even my body felt slower and weaker. I took a step away from the fountain and looked around, several others were around the fountain lost in their own business. Cautiously I gripped the handle of my sword and Kuzuru's booming voice echoed into my head.

"Where did you go Renji!? I can barely feel your soul anymore, in fact I can hardly feel anyone's souls! Take us back!"

"I don't think I can Kuzuru" before he could object I released my grip and his corruption disappeared from my mind. Apparently even the great demon was weakened by the trip to the Omniverse. Perhaps this is a good thing, at least I'll get some nice peace and quiet.