Soul Edge is mine!

The wind blew quietly across the green view of a grassy field, void of life, save for the small forms of armored men grouped in a random circular pattern. Each of them holding weapons in their hands, obviously with murderous intentions, their eyes gleaming as they stared at what would be their target. A lone man clad in Samurai armor, for the most part at least. Other than wearing a Hakama and geta, there was a single red rectangular pauldron on his left shoulder, large in size as it covered all of his shoulder and part of his arm. A large hole in the chest portion of the piece of armor held a strap that went around the muscular Samurai's abdomen. Lastly, there was a katana in its scabbard at his left hip, tucked into a red sash. The only thing that was different about his usual appearance was that his hair was down, letting long black locks fall halfway down his back, far enough to the tips of his shoulders, and the front covering his face down to the bottom lip. Yet there was no mistaking the focus in his eyes, he knew what was coming.

The black-haired samurai looked around him, counting his enemies. There were five of them each armed with their weapons of choice. How they had gotten here to disturb the Samurai's travel was unknown to him, yet he felt an inhuman presence about them. There was such a thing as a look of murder, yet these were different. It didn't seem they had a reason for trying to kill, they looked as if they all just felt like killing. Each of their weapons were stained red with the blood of the unfortunate animals that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He could see their corpses off in the distance.

One of the five of them let out a howl before laughing, charging with what appeared to be a large broadsword in his hand. Holding the large weapon above his head, the black-haired samurai let out a sinister grin of satisfaction as he let his hand grip the handle of the purple-gripped katana, called the Shishi-Oh. In a moment, when that broadsword wielding fool came within a distance, the samurai let his katana fall out of his scabbard in a rush of motion. It wasn't his fastest, but with the heavy sword the other was wielding, it didn't have to be. The man was obviously stupid considering he was not a big guy either, he seemed little more than a civilian playing the hero.

The sound of metal splitting through the air marked the climax of the man's life as his arms fell from his shoulders, the large sword falling to the right of the samurai. It seemed he had anticipated it falling on him, so took the time to step out of the way before making his cut. His katana gripped in his right hand and extended outward, red liquid splattered on the ground and across the samurai's face, staining his sword as well as this now walking corpse soon fell to the ground.

The exhilaration of battle entered him yet went contained within his emotional control, not letting his own adrenaline push him over the edge he stepped forward to close the distance to his next target, the closest man located to his left. The idiot had not even drawn his sword yet, making him an easy target. His sword was a short-sword, assuming he knew how to use it he might have been able to know what was going to happen next. He attempted to draw his sword but found it in vain as the katana cut shallow across his neck, the samurai having held the sword within both of his hands during this time to avoid making an awkward cut to the left with his right arm. This way he looked to the right and saw his next opponent, one already within striking range and ready to cleave downward on his head. His trained reflex drove him to bring his sword in a horizontal blocking motion, yet with a twist. The moment the blades collided, he let his strength fail for a moment as he moved, the blade of his sword causing the other person to become temporarily helpless as his own strength drove him too far in the wrong direction. The samurai closed around his back and slashed his spine, another shallow cut, he at least expected this one to survive. Though he wouldn't ever move for the rest of his life. Considering where they were at the moment, he would either die of starvation or shock at the loss of his own movements.

Two left to go, one of them seeming dazed for a slight moment. He looked scared as the other hardly seemed to notice. Strange, he would expect both of them to start running at this point, not just one of them. The one to the right dropped his weapon and took off running in the opposite direction, drawing the attention of his comrade for a small moment. A stupid mistake. The samurai closed in the few yards necessary to come within striking distance, and drove his blade into the mans stomach in a smooth gliding motion which circled around his other side, allowing the samurai to continue running after the man that was attempting to make an escape.

"You're not getting away!"

The running man stopped abruptly. He stood still for a moment with his back turned to the samurai. Of course it would have been simple to cut him down where he stood, but the man was unarmed. The samurai at least planned on giving him an honorable demise. Although, what happened next was a shock to him. The man fell to the side, blood dripping from his mouth, his face frozen in a look of terror. Just what was going on?

Something made a noise behind the samurai, making him turn around with his blade at the ready. Surprisingly, he found nothing. A small rabbit-like creature tugged at the edge of his hakama down by his feet. Upon looking at it, it appeared like a creature he had never before seen in his life. Ruby eyes stared almost lifelessly back at him, the only thing preventing him from shivering was the look of a smile on it. Although, that normally would cause him to be even more spooked. Its large forked ears tilted backwards as if to narrow its gaze.

"You are Mitsurugi, the invincible Samurai. Are you not?"

.....?! His mind became plunged into a world of fantasy, as the creature spoke words without moving its lips. He heard the creature speak! That's impossible! He was prepared at any moment to cut this creature down without hesitation. He had bad experience with unknown things before, and was not about to let o fool him as they had tried before. Of course he let his curiousity drive him to speak before giving this tiny creature its final breath.

"Yeah..?"

He, she, or whatever it was smiled wider as it continued to look at him with those cold eyes. Did it know exactly what Mitsurugi was going to do?

"I know of what you search, and I am here to make your quest all the more easier. Do you not want to possess the ultimate power? Or is it that you claim your power is at its peek and wish only for a weapon that you think would suit you? I can make either come true, all you need is to form a contract..."

Mitsurugi smiled as his sword fell into its sheath. He liked what he was hearing. Ultimate power was of course limitless to him, he knew as long as he had training he could become endlessly powerful. He had faced gods themselves and struck them down, sometimes without effort. He still needed the sword that he had been searching for all of his life. Soul Edge. Is it possible that this thing could grant such an impossible wish? The samurai knelt down in order to get a closer inspection of this tiny white-furred creature. The tips of his ears were adorned with red, as were his eyes as previously mentioned.The rest of him was white, even the large furry tail which swung back and forth behind him as it was sitting down, staring back at the samurai. Mitsurugi couldn't help but grin, even if this was an impossible command he felt the need to say what he had been wanting to say for countless years.

"I want the ultimate weapon capable of destroying armies without effort. I want the kind of weapon that can make any standardized weapon appear little more than putty in the presence of its unearthly glory. I want the power to eliminate all of my foes in an instant! I. WANT. SOUL EDGE!"

He felt something happening around him. The creature grinned as it vanished in a white glow of magic. Mitsurugi felt power growing within him. And in a moment, within his hand was the form of a red katana, a few inches longer than his Shishi-oh yet lighter because of the godlike material it was composed of. It lacked the veiny appearance of the soul edge he had heard about in legend. There was, however, no mistaking that power. This was the weapon he had been searching for his entire life.

"Thank you for your contract. Now, it is your turn to hunt down that which is your true enemy. Destroy all witches..."

He heard the words whisper to him, commanding him from behind. It told him of his eternal enemy, something called a witch. He scoffed at such a command, brushing it off as an insignificant way of saying the creature could not handle his problems on his own. So what if these idiotic witches existed? They were no match for Mitsurugi with the power he now possessed!Looking down at where the creature used to be, Mitsurugi stood up and began walking, a smile crossing his face as he held his new weapon in his hand. In a moment, it vanished, nothing more than air where it used to be. Mitsurugi looked down at his empty hand and turned around, surprised. The sword was floating right in front of him, with the creature not far ahead of him, still staring.

"You're not listening....... If you don't listen, you don't get your sword back..."

"You filthy little coward! Give me my sword!"

"You will get it back when you slay a witch.... Then again, I want you to slay ten witches. Then you will get your sword back."

"This is no game!"

Mitsurugi gripped the handle of his katana, only to find that same flash of light envelop around him. IN a moment, it was nighttime, and he now stood in the center of a large town. He remained calm though confusion clouded him for a moment. He returned his sword back to its scabbard as he looked around, not given much of a choice he was now on a mission to slay witches for a sword he had been searching for for a very long time. He tasted that divine power for an instant, and it was taken away as fast as he had obtained it. He slammed his fist into the ground out of frustration, cursing to himself by giving in to this fate. He didn't know what a witch was, and any amount of safety in that power he had was now gone. What if they had a power that could destroy him instantly? What would he do then? Nevertheless, he was set on killing ten things he had no idea what looked like. Something told him, though, that he would know the moment he saw one.

Mitsurugi wasn't alone for very long, when he heard the voice of somebody mentioning a.... convention? Though being spoken to, he couldn't help but be confused. Of course in his timeline there was no such thing, he had never even heard of the word. He juggled the click of the tongue in the word for a moment, trying to make out this new word he had just heard. Straightening his posture and giving a stern expression to the one that addressed him, it was clear their intention was humiliation, which wouldn't work, in consideration towards Heishiro Mitsurugi's attitude. The only thing that ever made him humiliated was defeat, and if this is what they were aiming for..... What better way than to show he was being serious? He also, does not dress just for the sake of it. He personalizes the perfect warrior in every aspect. He defeated even the Tanegashima rifle several years ago with ease. If he could block a bullet with his sword, what couldn't he do? Sometimes people even questioned why he was searching for the perfect weapon. It was simple, he wanted it just for the sake of power. Hell, he hasn't even failed yet, and the sword was right in his hands!

The long haired samurai warrior turned to face this newcomer without a smile. His right arm tensed and reached over, grabbing the hilt of his sword and pulling it out of its scabbard. It shined for a moment as it gleamed against one of the streetlights before being held in front of him in the darkness, meaning Mitsurugi had a small light on him. When he stepped forward, he grinned, knowing there was a battle up ahead. Given the moment he was facing some wet behind the ears schoolgirl as far as he could see, he was going to take it easy. But if she wasn't careful, he might kill her.

"You look promising. Show me your skills!"

His odd geta footwear made a hard sound against the concrete street, giving him a weird sense of hearing, something he wasn't used to. He has never stepped on something like this before, not of this material. It was often a lighter sound produced when he stepped on what he would call a ground, sometimes it was even grass. That was more of a low sound he could barely hear. This he was hearing now was loud. He couldn't believe he was worrying about something like this. It DID catch him off guard, but he was never one to complain. Hell, this person would most likely laugh at his weakness if he said his ears were this sensitive. He never even realized it, at least until now. At least he knew he could handle it, and he wasn't fooled by this kid's little play, he could see all that power she had hidden away. Years of experience in war grants even a medical person who doesn't often visit the battlefield, with a gift of seeing and measuring strengths and weaknesses at a glance.

"And you better not hold back, or you'll be sorry, patty cakes."

Mitsurugi grinned as his challenge was accepted. What came next in words meant little to nothing to him, as he wouldn't pay much attention to them until after the fight was over. That rush of adrenaline came over him again in an instant, he had to remind himself he had to take it easy if he was to not accidentally cleave her in two. The only thing he could hear in terms of speech, was that she disliked the sudden nickname he had just given her. He had to refrain from laughing at that point in order to keep calm and make sure she wouldn't try a surprise assault on him. That would be bad for him. Knowing he's facing some kind of transforming girl didn't really help either. It seemed a lot of things was working against him at this point, which was just fine to him. He loved the object of a challenge, it's what he's lived for for all of his life. That, and finding the ultimate weapon. As he thought of that weapon, he got a good look at hers, a large spear-point being thrown in his direction. It had a good length to it for somebody that was so short compared to him. He could see some small segments where it looked like the thing could extend and reveal a chain underneath. That meant some trouble, but he didn't worry much about it. The weapon has a nice trick to it, but any form of defense was reduced to zilch, and if she tried that trick on him, she would lose very quickly.

"You call that wooden toothpick a weapon? That thing looks nothing more than what I shave with."

He blinked slowly for a moment as he let himself slip into the memory of his great battle with the demon-slaying ninja, Taki. She was the only person in the entire world to land a hit on him. He won't ever forget a fight like that one. It started with them facing each other, with Taki showing up with her arms crossed and Mitsurugi standing with his left hand at his hip, gripping his katana. In a flash of movement, they both crossed each other with lightning-quick speed. One could blink and miss the initiating strike. Mitsurugi had drawn his sword and Taki drew her twin daggers and locked them with the katana. They both pushed with perfectly equal force. They both shoved but went nowhere as they engaged in a barrage of slashes, each one being perfectly parried. Mitsurugi widened his eyes as he tensed his muscles for the next hit, shoving his weight into the swing of his strike, this throwing Taki off balance as one of the kunai that tried sloppily blocking it as she twisted her wrist too quickly was knocked out of her hand. She became too stunned to think of using her other hand for a moment while Mitsurugi brought his sword down across the arm that held the other weapon. A shallow cut meant for disarming, not dismembering. In a moment she was holding her arm and wincing in pain as Mitsurugi gave her a swift kick to the stomach, throwing her backwards into a wall. She was out-cold when that happened. Without smiling, Mitsurugi held his blade in his right hand and hoisted it over his shoulder, placing his left hand on his hip and cocking his head back.

"Soul Edge......... Is mine!"

His memory faded quickly as he didn't wait a moment longer for her reply as he pushed himself with his leading leg, his left, forward with a surge of speed. It wasn't the fastest he would go but it was near well enough that he would keep himself out of harms way if she had some kind of trick up her sleeve. Positioning his left hand near where the blade and the handle meet with the right hand just under where the left hand was positioned, he brought his sword down to his left to make sure he could maintain a parry by swinging if she decided to strike. When he came within striking distance he swung his sword in a medium-sized arc without extending his arms out too far which would reduce his speed, preferring to keep it at this length to make sure he does not go too fast to overwhelm his opponent and not slow enough to put him in any realistic danger, that is unless this person knew what they were doing with that spear. An easy parry, he expected this would come right away to her. Any real spear user he knew, knew every possible method of defending themselves against a katana-wielding samurai like himself, they were even the soldiers he had to watch out for the most. The length of their weapons was a real problem for him after all, so he had to move faster in order to keep himself alive. If she didn't block it, hell, it wouldn't even be quick enough a swing to do any real damage. Maybe it would be a small cut but that's where it would end. There was, for a fact, going to be no fatal attempts on his part, but he expected and wanted her to show every drop of skill she had. He couldn't tell if this was just a test for her or if he just didn't feel like killing anything at the moment. Or maybe, he was just curious to see her strength as best as he could before she became too tired to do anything more. Nevertheless, he was playing a risky game and he knew it, but it wasn't one he planned on losing his life to.

Mitsurugi was surprised to see her keeping calm even after he insulted her several times. Given that most warriors would have lost it by now, she even had the nerve to insult him back, which fueled his own aggression and added it to his power. The moment she had blocked his attack, even as she was talking, he tilted his sword inward which slipped past the wooden plank she held as a weapon, his body rushing forward as his sword was now free to strike her as he saw fit. But, he only wanted to teach her a lesson instead of just finishing her right away. With a flash of movement he swung near her face but moved backward just a fraction, making it miss completely. Knowing she was in the middle of being thrown off didn't give her much room to do more than stand there and hope not to lose her head, which she didn't. But she did find the long piece of pocky in her mouth fall to the ground. Mitsurugi rushed forward with his shoulder, proceeding to ram her while crushing the small food under his foot.

"You won't win like that, kid."

Shaking his head, Mitsurugi flashed a grin as he swung his sword multiple times at a speed thought was completely inhuman. It wasn't too fast nor was it as quick as he could go, but it was definitely not something anybody would expect. It even surprised him that he would push his own strength far enough just to teach some kid proper manners. His sword flashed white as it pierced the air countless times, each of the slashes falling short of the target but nevertheless hitting something, as thin strands of hair began flying off of her head. Before long even her ribbon split into pieces, what was holding her hair now being wasted meant that her hair would fall directly into her eyes. Heishiro wasn't sure if this would cause a distraction but decided to take the opportunity given to him anyway.

It had been a while since he displayed power like this. This was his soul acting out, giving him speed, momentum, and endless strength, and he was one of the few people both able to use this ability, and to make it last for long periods of time. Even though it made him sluggish afterwards, he let his adrenaline kick in after that, so it made little difference. He was used to the feeling of tiredness, it eventually had no more effect on him. Somebody could be singing him a lullaby after he would stay awake for weeks and he wouldn't even blink. His focus never dwindled, his power never dimmed. Some called him a Demon, he admitted to that as some truth. But he was still a human, even if he was called invincible.

Within half a second later his katana, the Shishi-Oh, had slipped back into its scabbard as his foot was sent flying forward towards this little girls solar-plexus, given that it would hit meant she would be sent flying backwards with the last bit of that pocky flying out of her mouth, a moment later exclaiming his ongoing quote for use only after delivering a devastating blow; "Kaaaatsu!" After that, his foot slammed into the concrete ground with enough force to crack it, his eyes staring forward while he turned his body to the left and his leading leg, the right, skidding forward. In a blinding flash, he drew his sword faster than the blink of an eye, cutting straight through the pocky in a demonstration of how serious he could be, not to mention how perceptive he would have to be to pull off this stunt so effortlessly. Now this was the invincible samurai people have come to know him by. For a moment, it looked as if his sword had caught fire, only an illusion-based effect caused by the strength of the power of his soul alone. Now without moving, he stared forward with his right arm extended with the sword in its hand, his left hand holding the scabbard to his left hip. Flashing his signature grin, speaking over to the kid which would have been on the ground from the force of his kick with a yell, he made it clear he was not one to fool around with.

"Know your place, cur!"