The Cursed Bloodline
The Beginning of an End Arc: The Cursed Heart of a Father

The battlefield raged again, the struggle of the Magic warriors against the Yurei demon was mounting. Ten began to stab Katakana, pointing the tip of the pointed sword in his hand right at the father. Two pairs of brown irises stared at each other sharply, they began to take steady steps, running to attack each other.

Traangg!

Sharp iron scratches sounding loud. Tanuki, nimblely swung his sword. Ten does not want to lose, as the new military chief of Sora, he risks the reputation of his sword skills to fight the former commander of the Red Cloud Cops.

Both father and son were so shrewd, their movements were very flexible and fast. They hit each other's bodies a few times. Not only relying on the sword ability, Tanuki attacked Ten several times with a magic fireball. However, Ten managed to block Tanuki's attack with elements of his estate.

Brasssh!

The two began to jump back. As if taking a pause, Tanuki and Ten began to reorganize their breathing. Tanuki glanced at the mere son of his puppet, he did not expect Ten's fighting ability to have greatly increased. If there was no Kurasu power supporting him (Through an artificial left hand), Tanuki might have already been defeated by Ten.

"Your abilities have improved greatly, Ten! " Tanuki praised his son, a thin smile etched on his wrinkled face. However, Ten just blasphemed the father's praise with a sharp look.

" I am not one who will forever bow down in your shadow father. In order to protect the people around me, I had to turn into a tough guy! "

Hearing Ten's reply, Tanuki seemed to see a younger version of himself. Ten's sharp glints of eyes, and words filled with emphasis in each of the spoken calamities.

Tanuki's back to attack Ten. Several times, the two swords clashed again. Ten uses elements of his estate to stop Tanuki's movements. But all in vain, despite his age, Tanuki is still a Veteran

Brassiere!

Tanuki jumped away to avoid Ten's land trap.

" Haha! You really are my son! You're right, without power. You'll only be underestimated by people out there. Ten, you're exactly the same as me. Come to my side, Daddy will- "

" No! " Ten immediately cut Tanuki's words. Making the smile on Tanuki's face disappear instantly.

" why? You know who the money is you're facing? Once Nue is resurrected, Kurasu will kill all the humans on earth. If you just have to come to me, hm?! "

" Even if I had to die, I would never turn into a demon like you. You and all that fun, I really hate it!

You killed Chairman Zen, the friend who always supported you. Because of you, too, I must see my mother die right before my eyes. You still can, call yourself a father?! "

Tanuki's body froze. Ten's words were like a sword piercing his chest. For some reason, the memories of Zen's death swirled back in his brain. Not only that, the memory of Mito's death moments also filled his mind.

" You're right, I killed all the precious people by my side because they dared to block my dreams. If only they would understand a little of me, and not let me down, I might not kill them" Tanuki said softly. His eyes are so empty. He chuckled for no reason, like losing his sanity.

Hearing Tanuki's reply, Ten became furious. Ten immediately shot towards the father, with a swing of the sword, Ten aimed at Tanuki's careless body.

Tranggg!

Tanuki's body fell to the ground. Ten doesn't seem to be able to actually kill Tanuki with both hands. Ten's sword swing missed. Tanuki looked towards the son. Two pairs of similar irises are now staring inside each other. Tanuki tries to get inside his son through a pair of sad eyes that are so similar to Mito's.

Even a demon, would knock on the door of his heart while gazing deeply into his son.

Tanuki's eyes seemed to tremble when he saw his son's pale face. Ten seemed to harbor so many emotions within him. Disappointment, regret, suffering. Tanuki was able to see all of it clearly painted from the look in Ten's eyes.

Ten began memorizing Tanuki who was still sitting down on the ground, kneeling slightly to align high with his father. Without taking his eyes off, Ten instantly removed the scarf of blue clouds on his arm. He dropped the scarf, took the sword and slashed it.

"Dad said, if you have this position (Head of Sora Country) you will be the most powerful person. When you hold the world in your hands, no one will ever underestimate you.

Your ambition has blinded you, to see more precious than power. "

Tanuki stared at the blue scarf that was stuck in the sword beside him. The blue scarf was a reflection of his ambition all along. There have been many things he sacrificed to achieve a high position in Sora. Early in his steps, he sacrifices the woman his best friend loves most, Yukio. As if he had already walked in the darkness, Tanuki was sacrificing more and more people beside him. Mito, Yoshiro, Aoryu they all die, because Tanuki indirectly opens the path of death with his scheming. In fact, the friend who helped her life, Kizuna. With his own hand, Tanuki slashed out a cold sword to kill Kizuna

Tanuki had thought, perhaps Zen is the only friend who will survive by his side. As much as possible, for 18 years after Kizuna's departure, he kept his only remaining friend. However, ambition again blinded his eyes. Tanuki, with his own hands also killed the friend he once helped at the expense of his one eye. In hindsight, what did Tanuki get all this time? Even his only son was intent on stopping and turning against him.

"If only you lived your life a little more honorably. I could have worn this scarf with pride. You don't have to be the strong man everyone fears. To me, even though you will only be a weak man and be scorned by many, I myself will proudly protect my father.

But, the fact that my father was a criminal and even helped a demon figure . It made me afraid to accept this responsibility (being the leader of Sora), even though the people around me said everything was fine. As much as I work hard for Sora, I still cannot accept any position because I am the son of a demon who intends to destroy Sora! "

" Tens...... "

Boooom!

A violent explosion occurred, the explosion seemed to have originated from the Mirai vs. Kurasu battleground. Tanuki frowned, he felt his left hand shrouded in overflowing power. A black aura enveloped Kurasu's hand of giving. Something bad must have happened.

"It's nasty! Kurasu must be planning something bad. We have to stop him immediately! " tanuki said suddenly.

Ten was surprised, why from the way Tanuki spoke he seemed to side with Sora. Isn't he Kurasu's ally?

" What do you mean? Isn't dad on Kurasu's side? "

Tanuki got up to his feet, he glanced towards the east. The sky there seemed to be shrouded in a thick black fog, the negative energy was so strong he felt. Tanuki raised Ten's sword, then took out a blue scarf bearing the cloud. Slowly, he hooked it to Ten's arm.

"I'm aware, compared to myself. You better wear this blue cloud scarf, Ten. Watching you grow up means a man who doesn't follow in my footsteps. Makes me able to let go of all my possessions" Tanuki said softly. For the first time, he was able to unleash his ambitions and dreams.

Tanuki smiled warmly. Seeing that his son had grown up, he somehow felt the warmth in his heart that had been frozen. Ten doesn't look like him. Its warm nature is actually so similar to Mito.

Perhaps Ten was unaware, and thought everything Tanuki did for him was a shackle to his people.

But, Tanuki had been paying attention to Ten all along, albeit indirectly. Tanuki deliberately put Yume on the side of Ten, to know all the activities and development of his Son. Although without Tanuki's presence, the competent Ten could even become the military captain of the White Cops at his current age.

Whatever the plan, Tanuki never involved Ten. Because of that, he deliberately hid the fact that he was his son. Ever since Ten was born, Tanuki prepared Red Cops to secretly watch over him. It was the only way to protect Ten.

Tanuki started to stretch out her hand. Gently, he rubbed the tops of his son's head. The same thing Tanuki did when little Ten cried first. Little Ten liked Tanuki's touch so much, that he would stop crying and smile at his father

"I in your eyes may not be a man, nor a father to be proud of. I'm just a bad guy who takes all your happiness away from you. Zen and Kizuna said, I am just a pathetic person.

I'm sorry, Ten. Sorry for not being a good dad to you. I learned a lot from my son. Even though it's too late, I want to be a father figure that my son can really be proud of. "

Ten was only stunned, for the first time he saw the figure of a father from Tanuki. The middle-aged man activated his Gyokunya. Smiling at the son for the last time.

You were right Mito. If only I could let go of my ambitions, and see you and our son as a new destination in my life. I may not choose this path of darkness.

It's possible, you're still by my side and watching our son grow up so valiant. If only I had realized it sooner. All that I can only regret until this moment......

" Thank you, my son. " Tanuki's body started to disappear.

Ten was about to reach his father's hand, but Tanuki first disappeared and turned into a wisp of black fog.