Nezumi mumbled, "He's quick. I didn't sense his entrance."
"You turned me down last time," Tensai recalled as he walked forward, "but as desperate as you currently are, I know you won't refuse again."
"I'm not sure what you're planning this time," Nezumi slapped his hands on the ground, "but I won't be having any of it."
"Wood Prana: Dracaena's Burial!"
Multiple roots sprouted from the floor and enwrapped Tensai. The trees squeezed and twisted around his body, restricting his movements.
Excluding his face, Nezumi's roots confined Tensai's entire body.
Nezumi dashed forward, looking to end the fight with one blow. He coated his fist with prana, channeled his rage into the punch, and released it.
With a sigh, Tensai unleashed his gray aura.
His aura smashed Nezumi's roots, allowing him to move freely.
He lifted his hand and caught Nezumi's fist. The impact destroyed the wall behind Tensai. Now within range, Nezumi was crushed under the pressure of Tensai's aura.
Upon release, a saint's aura not only gives others an estimate of the caster's strength and abilities but also their feelings and emotions.
Tensai's aura felt calm. As Nezumi crumpled to the floor, he deemed himself hopeless. Tensai's calmness triggered fear within him. He felt as though, no matter what he did, he'd be unable to trouble Tensai.
Tensai stared down at Nezumi, leaving his aura untamed to keep Nezumi immobile. "Before you do something you'll regret, hear me out.
"Evacuate your people."
"What?" Nezumi asked
"You heard me. Evacuate your people."
"And why the hell would I do that?"
"Soon, these very mountains will become a battlefield. If you truly wish for your people to prosper, I suggest getting them far from here."
"Why're you telling me this?"
"You remind me of my old friend, Warui. Like you, he was someone with an unquenchable thirst for strength. Someone who would go to any lengths for his people.
"For that striking similarity, I'll let you live for old times' sake."
Nezumi stayed quiet, his mind racing.
Tensai's aura ceased, but Nezumi stayed on the floor, still trying to collect his thoughts.
Tensai turned to the window to exit.
"That's it?" Nezumi blurted, causing Tensai to stop in his tracks.
Tensai turned around.
"That's it? That's all you came here for?" asked Nezumi.
"My offer from before remains the same," Tensai said as he dashed away, "since you've already turned me down again, there's no point in repeating it. You know where to find me, Nezumi."
Nezumi blankly stared at the window before his rage took over.
"Fuck," Nezumi repeatedly bashed his fists into the floor, "what do I do? What do I do?"
His eyes flashed angrily, and his facial muscles became rigid. He tasted blood as he bit his lip, and his balled fists caused his knuckles to pale.
Nezumi grabbed his hair, his wrath causing him to rip out strands unknowingly.
"What do I do?" he screamed until he was hoarse, shaking from his encounter with Tensai.
Back underground, Tensai entered the room where Kurome sat, once again avoiding eye contact.
"Where is he?" Kurome asked.
"On the surface," Tensai answered.
"So, he turned you down?"
"Not necessarily," Tensai declared, "don't worry though, he'll be here."
Nezumi led his group of thousands through the dense forest. Although he stood at the forefront of the pack, he had no one accompanying him. He wore a green cloak with a hood, hiding his face.
His slouched posture and somber demeanor implied his gloomy mood to the rest of the family.
At the front of the crowd, just behind Nezumi, a little girl only six years of age tugged on her mother's blouse.
"What is it?" her mother asked, struggling to carry their belongings.
"Why are we leaving?" her daughter asked.
"I'm not sure myself," her mother answered, "but Nezumi demanded we leave, and he alone is responsible for our family's recent years of thriving.
"At the young age of thirteen, Nezumi became head of the family. Our situation has only gotten better during his six-year reign. We all trust him wholeheartedly," she motioned to the thousands of people following behind them.
"But look at Mister Nezumi," the girl countered, noticing Nezumi's odd attitude, "he's never like this."
She ran ahead to Nezumi, her mother unable to keep up while carrying their belongings.
The little girl tugged on his cloak, but Nezumi was too lost in thought to notice. She tried once again.
Nothing.
"Mister Nezumi!" the girl shouted at the top of her lungs.
Startled, Nezumi looked down at the girl and stopped walking, causing the others to do the same.
He got on one knee and patted her head, "What is it?"
"You seem sad, Mister Nezumi," she responded.
"I'm not sad," Nezumi said quickly.
"Yes, you are.
"Look," the girl said, pointing to her mother within the crowd, "that's my mom.
"Every day, she tells me how wonderful you are as a leader. She always says you'd do anything to get stronger and protect your people."
Nezumi smiled.
"Thank you, Mister Nezumi," the girl said.
"If my mom trusts you that much, I do too.
"I feel safe knowing our leader is always pushing himself to get stronger to protect us."
The girl's comment touched Nezumi. He felt frozen and rooted in place. All he could do was stare at the girl in a state of shock.
She smiled at him.
Nezumi looked behind him, and for the first time since their departure, he noticed the poor state of his people.
"They've walked all night without a break," Nezumi acknowledged, "I was lost in thought."
He placed his hands on the grass below him.
A series of wooden constructs emerged from the ground. The constructs assembled into a series of houses, ultimately forming a village large enough to house the whole family.
"We'll rest here for a bit. Then we will head to the northwestern shore, where I have prepared a fleet of ships to transport us to the new village I created. It's far larger than our previous one."
The entire Kamakura family rejoiced as they began settling into any homes of their choice. However, the little girl, her mother, and Ebisu stayed with Nezumi.
Ebisu was the oldest in the family. Consequently, he was also the wisest, often advising Nezumi by referencing past experiences.
The little girl looked around. The sight of Nezumi creating a village filled her with awe.
Nezumi got on his knee once again.
"Thank you," he told the girl.
Nezumi's eyes drifted away. In the distance, he saw an ax whiz through the air. There was a moment of stillness and almost eerie silence. An overwhelming eruption followed, echoing throughout the mountains.
Everyone except the girl quickly reacted by covering their ears and avoiding damage.
Noticing the girl's vulnerability, Nezumi placed his hands over her ears, sacrificing his own.
"You two should head inside," Nezumi said.
The girl followed her mother into one of the many houses, leaving Nezumi alone with Ebisu.
"I'm leaving you in charge. I need the family out of here and on those ships by sunrise," Nezumi explained.
"Where will you be going?" Ebisu responded.
"I've left a few things unfinished here. You know the plan. I've prepared a safe route to our new village. All you need to do is lead our people."
"Very well," Ebisu agreed.
Nezumi tossed his hood back on, and Ebisu went on his way, joining his family in one of the houses.
Before walking away, Nezumi felt something warm trickle out of his ears. He touched the substance, immediately recognizing the feeling.
"Blood."
The little girl peeked her head through a rectangular opening in the house, which acted as a window.
Nezumi hid his fingers, attempting to conceal the wounds he received on her behalf.
"You're strong, Mister Nezumi," she said appreciatively.
Nezumi stopped walking and turned around.
"Where are you going, Mister Nezumi?" she asked.
"To get stronger," he replied.
Teo leaned against a tree.
His body was limp and soaked in a mixture of his and the minotaur's blood. A trail of dark liquid made its way through his lips. He oozed blood like a bright red river.
He was panting heavily, and his heartbeat was erratic.
In front of him, the minotaur lay in a pool of blood. Teo's sword, which stretched to compensate for the size difference, pierced through its heart.
Raijah floated stationary in the air, flying directly over the gym.
Like Teo, he gasped and gulped for air. His breathing was rapid and choppy.
In one hand, he held the unconscious minotaur by its nose ring. Both Raijah's and the minotaur's blood drizzled onto the ground below them, covering the land in a thick blanket of liquid.
"As expected," Tensai said as he removed his glasses, "even without their spatiotemporal abilities, they're still formidable enemies.
"Unfortunately for them, I expected this."
The minotaurs' eyes flew open, brighter than before.
Teo's minotaur ripped Teiden out of its chest and tossed it in the distance. It picked up its ax and swung at Teo, whose muscles were too constricted to move.
All he could manage was a stunned expression while the minotaur's ax plummeted down at him.
Raijah tumbled through the air, smashing through trees, hills, and mountains. His momentum came to a halt when he slammed halfway through another cliff.
Although deep, the crater was also narrow, too thin for any sudden movements.
The hole had one escape point, the point of entry. That single glimmer of hope shattered when the minotaur shoved his horn through the entrance.
With seemingly no escape, Raijah watched as the minotaur's horn flew toward him, on the path to puncture his head.
"What'd you do?" Kurome asked.
"When I restored their lives, I also suppressed their thirst for blood to give Nezumi the chance to vacate his people. With his people now gone, I've restored their bloodlust while also lending them a slither of my own power."
"With them preoccupied," Kurome said, "we'll also need to take action soon.
"Originally, you planned to have Nezumi retrieve Ame-no-Ohabari using his ririsu, which allows him to conceal his appearance and aura.
"If somehow, this is the first time you're wrong, what will we do then. One of us will have to go to the surface and retrieve it themselves. Which of us will it be?"
Before Tensai could respond, they heard the footsteps of someone nearing the room.
"Neither of you," Nezumi entered the room, "I'll retrieve her blade."