Jin II: Fire and Ice - Part 1

It had been some time since Jin slew the dreaded Kitetsu in battle. He had been guarding the Magatama of Genma for over two weeks, moving from village to village in his travels. In time, he came to his destination, the Temple of the Dragon, an ancient sanctuary held in the mountains. The temple was extensive, spanning a compound throughout the plateau. It could almost serve as a small city.

A small collection of huts built on wooden footholds connected by bridges leading to the mountain’s temple grounds.

Jin reached the main temple and presented the gem to the keepers. They placed it within the jaws of a great stone dragon resting in their temple’s heart. He decided to stay at the temple to rest and recuperate from his fight with Kitetsu. During his time, Jin came to find the temple’s inhabitants to be quite hospitable. They gave him food, tended to his wounds, and gave him new clothes with a new sword. It was a ninjatō, a fine blade attached to a black and blue wrapped hilt.

During his time, Jin learned new information from the keepers of the temple.

When it was time for him to leave the mortal world, Genma, a mighty Divine Dragon and protector of the eastern lands, allowed the humans to carve a curve-shaped gem out of his crystal-like eye. Imbued with the essence of the Divine Dragon, the Eye of Genma became known as a magical artifact that served as a way for humans to protect themselves from evil. However, wicked demons have simultaneously sought the dragon’s eye to bolster their power.

Jin sat alone in his small hut, a wooden shelter away from the temple grounds. Next to him rested his new sword on the floor as he scanned the writing on the paper.

“Incredible,” he said. “I had heard rumors of the jewel used to bring good fortune, but I had no idea it would be something so powerful. If it truly does possess the essence of a Divine Dragon, it might bear other powers as well.” Jin rolled more of the scroll from the bottom and continued to read. “I can only hope that it will remain safe in this temple. This scroll tells me that demons have been searching for it for centuries.” He rolled up the scroll and wrapped it tightly with a string.

Jin placed the scroll under the bed and stood up. He yawned, stretching his legs before climbing on the mattress. His body relaxed on the bed, and his eyes grew heavy. Jin placed his hands on his chest and gave a final yawn. His eyes closed shut, and he drifted to sleep.

Night fell, and the clouds grew dark as dusk approached. In the silence of the evening, a breeze gusted, and snow drifted from up high. Another draft coursed in the wake of the falling snow, carrying specks of embers in its winds.

*          *             *

A boom roared with fire raging from all directions of the temple grounds. People’s screams echoed through the area as the wooden fixings of the stone buildings’ roofs burned and collapsed into charred heaps. Gales of snow stormed through the temple, forming shards of ice that soared and struck the fleeing inhabitants, bringing them down hard.

In the hut, near the wooden area of the grounds, Jin’s eyes snapped open at the noise, head flying up from his bed. His eyes winced, and he looked around his abode. Clouds of smoke and frigid air surrounded him, and he looked around. Screams filled the air, growing with the falling snow and embers.

Jin jumped out of bed and grabbed his sword off the floor before placing it in his sash. He grabbed his kasa and wrapped his cloak around him before running outside to the bridge as fast as possible. Fire, smoke, icy fog, and snow scattered, and the people screamed, agony filling in their shrieks.

Jin continued to run, and the screams around him grew quiet. Far and wide, he looked. The people within their huts, men, and women, all fell off the wooden foothold. Some were alit, entire bodies blazing with fire, and others were frozen solid, unable even to scream as they fell to their end.

“What is happening?!” Jin said. He looked ahead as he ran, and his eyes went round. “The temple!” he said as she reached the temple’s entrance.

Fire and ice roamed the stone floor, walls, and buildings, and the people dispersed through the temple. Burned beyond recognition or frozen and shattered, the bodies remained motionless, unable to move nor do anything but serve as decoration for the carnage.

“Dead…” Jin said. He was almost breathless, eyes lit, trembling at the bodies. “All dead… But…how?”

He gripped his sword tight and looked towards the main temple, where he saw parts of the damaged ceiling covered in fire and ice.

“No…”

“Release me, demons!” the voice cried out. “Release me!”

Jin raised his head. “That voice..!”

“Release me!” the voice said.

“Master Setsu!”

Jin threw himself and rushed to the temple. His breathing quickened as he raced up the stairs and ran for the entrance. Reaching out his hands, Jin pressed onto the golden dragon-scale lined doors of the temple and forced them open. He ran through to the inside of the temple and stopped as he looked around. The once brown, wooden walls were burnt with fire running on one side and cracked and broken by the freezing ice that covered them on the other. He turned his attention to the floor and saw the bodies of the temple keeps.

Some were on the floor, parts of their bodies burnt, while others had sections frozen. Others had their backs and chests slashed with blood pouring from their wounds.

Placing his hands on the sheath and handle of his sword, Jin squeezed his hands tightly into fists around them. Although gripping the sword, his hands trembled around the handle. His hastened breath left his mouth in the form of a fog. His skin shook with the heat and cold passing over and through his body. His eyes trembled, and he looked at the bodies. He witnessed the destruction, and all noise dimmed with the sound of his heart pounding in his ears remaining.

Jin gnashed his teeth and closed his eyes. He tightened his lips and sucked in air through his nose. With an exhale, the trembling of his hand ceased. He inhaled again, and his chest filled with air. As he exhaled, his jaw unclenched, and his shoulders lowered. His heart settled, slowing into steady beats. He took in air and breathed out a third time. His body relaxed and stood against the hot and cold air mixture around him.

He opened his eyes and looked ahead. “Okay,” he said. With his hands still on his weapons, Jin ran up the stairs. He came to the main doors.

“The heart of the temple…if Master Setsu is in there, I’ll likely find the ones responsible for all of this destruction.”

Jin took his hands from his sword and pressed on the door. He pushed them open and stepped inside. The central heart of the temple was vast. Strong pillars connected from the floor to the ceiling stood in rows on opposite sides. Lit candles rested on the walls and lit the room.

Jin walked inside but stopped. Looking at the wooden floor, he found rubble of stone in pieces. On top of the pile was the broken head of a dragon with its wings shattered at the sides.

Jin looked into the mouth of the head and saw its empty mouth. “Gone?” He said. He stepped to and looked over the broken statue. “But where is the—?”

A voice shouted, erupting into a pain-filled scream that filled the room. Jin shot up from the noise and turned his head. In front of him stood two figures, one clothed in a black and blue garb and the other in black pants with red and orange hexagonal patterns. The one in black and blue blank held an older man wearing a yellow robe high in one hand while the other was jabbed into his body.

Jin looked at the older man in the assailant’s grip. His eyes lit up. “Master Setsu!” he cried out.

The figures turned to his voice and faced him.

“Jin!” Setsu gasped.

Jin’s teeth clicked together at the mention of his name. He looked at Setsu, seeing his bruised face and bloodied lip. His eyes then locked on the man’s yellow robe, torn at the chest and stained with blood.

He then looked at the two assailants and focused on the blue one. The figure’s eyes were large, round, and focused on him like a vicious tiger, with his left eye blue. Jin creased his brow at his muscular stature. Jin noticed something swing at the figure’s lower back, and his eyes bugged at the sight of a tiger’s tail. Jin then scanned the man’s whole body, finding his skin an icy pale blue.

As Jin looked at the figure, he saw his breath emerge as a cold fog passed through his mask.

Jin then set his sight on the other figure. He noticed his body was not muscular but still lean, fit for battle. Moreover, Jin saw that his skin was dark ash gray and that the right half of his upper body and arm were reminiscent of burning magma. Jin examined the long, black, jagged hair that reached the figure’s back and orange right eye. He noticed a red pauldron and gauntlet on his shoulder and arm.

“Well, look what we have here, Shimotora. Another human,” the long-haired figure said. “Perhaps he’s come to die like the rest of his kind.”

Shimotora lowered Setsu to his knees. He glared at Jin and laughed with more cold breaths leaving through his mask.

“Demons!” Jin growled. He widened his stance and gripped his sword. “Release Master Setsu! Now!”

The demon smirked, horrid fangs emerging through his grin. “Fine! We were done with him anyway.” He snapped his fingers. The bigger demon removed his bloodied hand from the old man’s body, showing a set of claws extended from his nails, and tossed him in Jin’s direction.

Jin gnashed his teeth as Setsu soared towards him. He opened his arms, and Setsu smacked into him. Jin grunted from the impact against his body but held Setsu. Relaxing his arms, he lowered one knee while holding Setsu.

“Master Setsu…” Jin called. “Are you all right?”

Setsu trembled in Jin’s arms, and he gritted his teeth in a hiss. His eyes flickered as they opened, and he looked up at Jin.

“Jin…” Setsu said, voice gasping, “You have arrived.”

Jin sighed with a smile. “You’re alive!” His brow creased, and he shot a dark look at the demons. “Wait here!” he said. “I’ll rid the temple of these monsters.” He stood to rise, but a hand gripped the collar of his tunic. He looked down and saw Setsu breathing as he wiped the blood off his lip.

“Jin,” he said. “Do not worry for me. You have to protect the Eye of Genma.” His eyes shot open, and he trembled with another hiss through his teeth.

Letting go of Jin’s shirt, Setsu reached into his bloodstained robe. He took out his fist and opened it, revealing the curved blue jewel in his palm.

Jin’s eyes lit up. “The Eye! But how did—”

“When the demons attacked, I rushed to the temple and grabbed the Eye. I managed to hide for a time, but they found me and…and…” Setsu’s voice broke into a rasp, and he clutched the wound in his chest with a ragged cough. Jin reached out to Setsu, only for the old man to clench his hand. “They cannot have this stone! Guard it with your life, boy! With your life!”

Jin looked at Setsu as he wheezed. His hand opened, and he reached for Setsu’s, setting his eyes on the gem, and his hand stopped. But, slowly, he drew his hand close and grabbed the gem.

“I will,” Jin said, his voice low and taut.

Setsu saw the gem in Jin’s hands. His breathing settled, and he looked at Jin’s face. He saw his hardened blue eyes and smiled.

“Good…” Setsu said. His breathing weakened.

Setsu trembled in Jin’s arms, and his eyes flickered. Jin gasped, and his eyes shot open.

“Master Setsu!” Jin held on to the elder, but Setsu kept his smile.

“It is all right… It is all right…” Setsu’s voice grew weak, and he touched Jin’s shoulder.

Another breath left him, and his eyes closed. Setsu’s hand fell limp off Jin’s shoulder. Setsu’s head turned to the side with a final breath, and his body grew still.

The demons watched the old man lay in Jin’s arms. The long-haired demon folded his arms and joined his teeth into a sneer.

“It seems the old one is no more, Entei,” Shimotora addressed. He retracted his claws and flicked the blood off his hands.

“Hmph! Such as the fragility of humans,” Entei scoffed. “It served that decrepit old buzzard right.”

Jin’s brows knitted together. He rested Setsu on the floor and rose to his feet. He looked at Setsu’s body, and his mouth formed a hard line. He held the Eye of Genma into his fist and placed it in his pocket before shooting his glare at the demons.

Shimotora narrowed his eyes at Jin, and he exhaled with another cold breath. “Entei,” he said, “I believe the other is willing to challenge us.”

“Him?” Entei said. He looked at Jin and saw his face bearing hate in his direction. “You’d best think twice when making that face at me, human. If you don’t wish to join the old man, I suggest you hand over the Eye to us.”

Jin kept his glare on the demons. “That’s not going to happen!’ he said.

Entei’s smile dropped into a scowl, and his right glowed. “A lot of nerve from a human who seems eager to meet his death. And what makes you think you have a say in the matter, boy.”

“I’m going to kill you!” Jin said, his voice gruff.

“Kill us?” Shimotora said, stepping to Entei’s side. “A small human like you?”

“I wouldn’t underestimate me,” Jin said. He opened the left side of his cloak, revealing the hilt of his sword. “I’ve dealt with your kind many times before. One recently fell by my blade some time ago.”

Shimotora titled his head. “Your blade?”

“Ah, so it was you,” Entei said. “I’ve heard rumors of how Kitetsu the Shadow Slayer met his end, but I never believed that it was at the hands of a mere human.” His teeth joined to a grin, and he stared hard at Jin. “It seems you’re a credit to your race, though not by much… Jin the Swordsman.”

“So, you know of me,” Jin said.”

“You have quite the reputation. Protecting the weak and downtrodden, all while cutting down our kind.” Entei sneered. “A would-be hero. It’s pathetic.”

“I prefer my position over that of a revolting beast.”

Entei gnashed his teeth. “And with a tongue as sharp as his wit and blade.” He settled his mouth and flexed his hand. “But, make no mistake, we will have the Eye of Genma, and I will have your heart!”

Jin scoffed, “Hmph. Kitetsu said the same thing to me before I killed him.”

“You might’ve bested Kitetsu, but I wouldn’t let that go to your head,” Shimotora breathed. “He was a weak and arrogant demon. He deserved to die if a fragile little boy like you defeated him.”

Jin stood firm. “All the same, you two are not getting the Eye.”

Entei breathed with smoke rising through his teeth. Everything grew quiet. The three stared each other down with the look to kill. Shimotora flexed his fingers, and his nails formed into razor-sharp claws. Next to him, Entei held up his hand. Smoke emerged from his palm, and it erupted into a fireball.

“In that case, we’ll just have to take it from your corpse,” Entei said.”

Jin stood silently and flexed his hands to grip his sword by its sheath and handle. He kept his eyes locked on the demons and pressed his thumb on the guard of his sword. He breathed through his nose and exhaled through his mouth, and his body steadied as he relaxed.

“Then come get me!”

Entei’s eyes flared at the words. He pulled back his arm and thrust it, throwing the fireball. It flew straight at Jin, and he jumped the side out of its line, leaving it to crash into a wall in a blast of fire and smoke. His feet scraped the floor upon touching down. His thumb pressed against the guard, and Jin drew it from its sheath. Jin gripped his sword and charged at Entei. He swung, and Entei guarded with his gauntlet against the blade. Metal scattered into glowing chipped metal from the clash.

Gnashing his teeth, Entei forced Jin’s sword off his arm, causing him to stumble back and pursue. He raised his clawed hand, swung at Jin, and missed his head as he evaded. Jin bared his teeth. Gripping his sword with both hands, he swung at Entei, only for his blade to strike his gauntlet again. Jin forced his strength against Entei and kicked him in his chest with a grunt.

Entei reeled from the strike, holding his chest. Next to him, Shimotora crossed his arms with his claws ready. He placed himself into a starting position, one foot in front of the other. Leaning, he disappeared in a dash.

Jin’s eyes bugged when the demon vanished. They looked in all directions but found nothing but Entei smiling in front of him. Jin continued to search, and a wave of cold air rushed behind him. His eyes widened with the quickening of his heart, and the hairs on his neck stood up. He quickly turned and saw streaks of light and raised his sword, hitting it against a set of claws.

Gritting his teeth, muscles tensing, Jin locked eyes with Shimotora, who wrestled with his claws against Jin’s sword. They buckled against each other’s might, but Jin was pushed back. His feet skidded against the floor, and his arm muscles burned to keep themselves steady. He yelled and forced Shimotora’s claw off him with a firm step.

Shimotora’s feet struggled to keep him balanced, but he aligned his position. He charged and swung his claw but missed Jin as he weaved to the side. Jin swiped his sword, and their arms collided in more sparks of light. They backed away and hit their weapons against each other.

Shimotora growled and pulled back his hand. He balled it into a fist and struck Jin across his face, sending him flying across the room. Spit flew from Jin’s shaken jaw as his head reeled, and he slammed onto the floor. A throb rushed at the side of his mouth, and Jin held his cheek as the pain coursed through it.

A shout rang out, caught his attention, and his eyes snapped open. He faced the ceiling and trembled upon seeing Entei high in the air. His fist was pulled back and ablaze with fire while plummeting down to Jin. Jin hardened his expression. Rolling, he kicked himself up, and Entei smashed his burning fist into the wooden floor.

Jin landed and rose to his feet. He saw Entei’s fist embedded in the floor. His nose twitched, and he smelled the pungent scent of burning wood filling the air. Jin looked to Entei, seeing the crater of smoking wood around his fist, its edges burning into cinders.

Jin creased his brow, and Entei pulled his fist from the hole. Entei turned to face him as Shimotora walked over to his side. Drawing his sword back, Jin charged. Entei swung with a punch, but Jin ducked to the side. With a mighty swing, Jin slashed across Entei’s body.

Entei shouted at the sharp steel running into his flesh, blood gushing from the wound as he staggered to his feet. His blood was glowing orange and thick and dripped onto the floor, burning holes like spurts of lava.

Bending on one leg, Jin jumped and struck his knee against Entei’s chin, knocking him back. Jin slashed Entei’s body again, gripping his sword tight. Entei roared in pain, with more lava-like blood gushing from his chest.

Jin touched down. He looked down at Entei, who clutched his chest. Hot breath after hot breath left his chest. He closed his eyes for a brief moment. A cold chill rushed up to his arm, and his eyes snapped open. He looked to the side and saw a blur of black and blue vanish.

“Dammit!” he hissed and gripped his sword with both hands.

Jin slowly turned and looked around but saw no trace of Shimotora. His eyes darted back and forth, but nothing came into their sight.

Shimotora reappeared behind in a blur and jabbed his knee into Jin’s back. Jin cried out and was flown from the kick, and Shimotora vanished in another burst of speed. He reemerged in the air. Jin headed in his direction, and Shimotora swung out and slammed his leg into Jin’s side, kicking him off to the far side of the room.

Jin slammed and rolled onto the hardwood floor and kicked up to his feet. Skidding, he dropped to a knee and balanced himself with his sword. His back and side throbbed from the kicks, pulsing. He shook his head and looked up at the sound of a roar. He saw Shimotora lunge at him with his claws at the ready. Jin swung high and clashed his blade against Shimotora’s claws with a quick thrust, forcing him away.

Shimotora lashed out his claws, but Jin swung his blade hard and fast and countered. Sparks of heated metal scattered, and Jin threw Shimotora’s arm away from him. Clenching his sword tight, Jin rushed at Shimotora and slashed at his body. Shimotora shouted out with a tiger’s roar as light blue-colored blood gushed from his open wound. The drops of his blood were a clod blue, thick with an icy fog surrounding it, almost like an icy slush. They dripped onto the floor, and tiny ice crystals formed as they dropped.

Jin saw Shimotora stumble at his feet and rushed at him. Clutching tight, he swung his sword in his run and slashed Shimotora across his body.

Shimotora rocked back from the cut and clutched at the wound where more of his frozen blood spilled, and he fell onto the floor,  growling like a tiger, and held his body as he shut his eyes and gnashed his teeth.

Behind, Jin panted. His chest pounded, heavy and burning from the fight. Tiny beads of sweat formed on his forehead and ran down the sides of his face. As he tried to catch his breath, he saw smoke and fog rise out of the corner of her eye. He looked to see sword bear specks of the burning and freezing blood of the demons. The lava-like blood ate at the metal of his blade, and his icy blood hardened into solid ice and broke off pieces of the sword.

“What?” Jin said. He pulled his sword and looked at the chipped metal closely. He looked back to the demons, who slowly picked themselves up off the floor. “Dammit!” He quickly placed his sword in its sheath. “They’re more dangerous than I thought. I have to get the Eye away from them.”

Standing upright, Jin turned and ran for the doors and pushed them aside as he ran past them. The demons stood at their feet. They faced the door as it slammed upon Jin’s leave. Entei’s right eye glowed, and a wisp of fiery orange energy surrounded it. Shimotora growled under his mask, and his left eye glowed, surrounded by a light blue fog-like energy.

“Wretched human!” they said in unison.

*          *             *

Outside, the temple remained, with the fires burning and the ice chilling the walls. The bodies of the inhabitants lay either charred or frozen from the attack. A wind fell upon the temple grounds and passed.

The temple’s main door slammed open in the silence, and Jin rushed through them. He hurried down the stairs, panting in his tread. He reached the end and ran to the exit at the front of the grounds. As Jin came to the grounds’ entrance, pillars of fire and ice shot up through the stone floor, and their power blew back Jin. Skidding on his feet, Jin braced his arms over his face. He bared his teeth, and his skin twitched from the hot and cold winds from the elemental pillars.

The ice pillar died down into snow-barring gales, and the pillar of fire faded into embers. Emerging, Entei and Shimotora stepped forth. They glared, setting their glowing eyes on Jin, who lowered his arms and balled fists.

“There is no escape,” Shimotora said.

“You really are a fool, Jin the Swordsman,” Entei said. “Did you honestly think you would leave these grounds with the Eye of Genma?”

Jin scoffed, “Actually, I did.”

Entei bared his teeth. “Humans. You certainly are an arrogant race of apes. However, you are skilled with the sword. I will give you that much credit.”

“But it is all vain,” Shimotora said. “Look.”

The wounds on their body glowed: Shimotora’s with blue light and Entei’s with red. Jin saw the radiance emit from their injuries. The cuts became smaller as they shined, shirking every second before sealing completely. Jin’s eyes bugged when the wounds closed. But it was more than that. No scab or scar remained. It was as if they were never cut.

Jin’s chest became weighted. His brown creased, seeing his efforts fade.

“Surprised?” asked Shimotora. “We demons of the Makai, the stronger ones, can recover from any wound, no matter how great.”

“A little piece of steel cannot kill us. Your sword is of no use,” Entei said. “I believe that our unique blood has already made certain of that.”

Jin gnashed his teeth and widened his stance. The wind blew around him, lifting his cloak and blowing his hair.

“The winds of change are blowing, swordsman,” Entei said. “You’ve put up a rather decent fight, but it was a futile effort. “Surrender the Eye to us, and I promise you a quick death.”

Jin stood, his lips sealed. He widened his stance and brought his hands onto his sword and sheath, gripping them tight. He stared hard with his blue eyes furrowed at the demons.

Shimotora chuckled, “It seems that he is unwilling to forgo the Eye, Entei. A foolish attempt to protect it.”

“Indeed,” Entei agreed. He narrowed his eyes. “Still, part of us still knows mercy, Jin.” Entei brought his legs close together with his arms spread and clenched his fist. “We will grant you a death befitting a warrior.”

Jin hardened his expression as Entei took his stance.

“You should feel honored,” Shimotora said as she stepped up. “You are the first to stir us into using our true abilities .”

Jin’s eyes widened as he said, “True…abilities?”

Entei and Shimotora then stood side by side.

“Prepare!” they said in unison.

Shimotora gripped his mask and pried it from his face. His mouth, fully exposed, housed the white fangs of a tiger, and he roared like an animal. Shimotora crouched and jumped high into the air, front flipping into a spin. His entire body shined with an icy blue light as he continued spinning. The light grew brighter and more prominent until Shimotora was enveloped. Jin braced a hand over his face to shun the light from his eyes.

The light died, bringing Shimotora into view. Jin’s eyes shot open at Shimotora, who ceased spinning and fanned his body out.

Shimotora dropped onto the ground hard. His hands and feet, now paws, crushed to the temple’s stone floors beneath them. Rising, Shimotora towered over Jin, standing twice as big. His upper body and arms were muscular, with his chest and abdomen pale blue. The rest of his body was changed, bearing icy blue and white fur decorated in pale blue tiger stripes. Shimotora’s head and face resembled a tiger, complete with large slit eyes, and his tail lay on the ground. His black garb was torn at the torso. Growling, Shimotora gripped the tattered remains in his claws and ripped them off his body.

Jin eye’s trembled. He examined Shimotora’s body from top to bottom and saw that he resembled a tiger standing like a man.

An orange light glowed without warning, and Jin and Shimotora turned the light. Entei glowed with an orange aura that blazed like fire around his body. His right eye glowed with fiery orange energy. Markings that resembled flames emerged and coiled on the sides of his body, and he hunched his back over. Bulges appeared under the flesh of his back. They grew more and more until they tore open. Lava-like blood gushed from the open wounds, and dragon-like wings jutted out from his back. The wings expanded and then closed.

Jin felt his heart quicken at Entei’s transformation, scanning the draconic wings and markings.

Grinning, Entei clasped his hands. His fingers were crossed and interlocked while his pinkies touched, and the left thumb was on top. A fire then enveloped his hands, and a fireball emerged. The fireball glowed brighter, and Entei grabbed it in his fist before he punched the ground. A torrent of fire blasted from below. The explosion faded with dying flames, and in their wake, a sword in its sheath floated in midair, an ōdachi sheathed in a long black scabbard. The scabbard yielded gold, metallic flames embedded on the length, and a tatted red cloth wrapped around the top.

Entei gripped the sword in his hand before he held in both.

Jin looked at the two demons. Horror filled his face, his mouth gaping.

Shimotora furrowed his eyes. “Behold, human!” he roared. “I am Shimotora. The Claw of the Ice!”

“I am Entei. Master of the Flame!” Entei said. He placed his thumb on the circular golden guard of his sword and pushed it up, revealing a hint of the blade.

Jin pressed his thumb on the guard of his sword and hardened his look at the demons.

“And you will not leave this temple alive!” the demons said.

Jin drew his sword as he prepared to fight. He looked at the dulled edges of his weapon and stared at the demons in their terrifying forms. Their declaration echoed, and their eyes surged with their elemental power.

• Shimotora (霜虎): 霜(Shimo = Frost) and 虎(Tora = Tiger)

• Entei (炎帝):  炎(En = Flame) (Can alternately be read as honō) and 帝(Tei = Emperor)

• Ninjatō (忍者刀): A single-edge Japanese short sword used by shinobi (ninja) of feudal Japan.

• Ōdachi (大太刀): Meaning large/great sword. It is a single-edged Japanese sword that is about 6 to 7 long.