In the eyes of Imawashiki, his king had always provided a serious outlook on reality—a clean cut of how the world truly functioned and how indifferent it was to the suffering of its inhabitants. Regashi Ketsueki, once prince of the now-fallen village of Furusato, promised a new reality through the means of his own power. And, whether it was beneficial or not, Imawashiki aligned himself with his king's ambitions.
Which was why he stood before the brown-haired king at this moment.
"Regashi, we are finally prepared to continue." Imawashiki spoke cryptically, his head craned down cordially.
It was time to make things shift, to indoctrinate an order that has never existed. To mold the world into utter perfection and purge any traces of what currently exists. Not once has Regashi spoiled the major outlines of his plans, refusing to flap his mouth haphazardly at anyone. Anyone except his most trusted underling, Imawashiki.
Regashi grinned, repositioning himself on the throne he sat on. "Stage one is complete? Perfect. Do you know what to do now, Shiki?"
The fiery butler inhaled deeply, ensnared by an amalgamation of thoughts.
"Yes, Regashi. We are to release the motley soldiers. We only await your word." Imawashiki revealed, prompting a mischievous smile to spread on his king's face.
Regashi threw himself up from his golden throne, his cloak swaying behind him as he ambled toward the Tansu vessel. It was visibly clear that the brown-haired king was greatly pleased; the mirth in his stride and the glint in his eyes represented such.
"Even from day one I have never doubted you, Shiki." Regashi said with a factual tone, his green eyes meeting the fiery butler's. "I commend you for your efforts."
Imawashiki was hushed as he reflected on Regashi's gratifying words, only to then bow slightly. "Thank you, Regashi. Now, your word?"
The king chuckled, perplexing the fiery butler.
"I shall let you choose, Shiki. Who would you rather anger first: Shanti or Zebulun?"
XXX
Settled at the top of a tower marked as the capital of Heiwa no Kabe, Kyushiro gazed at the city beneath him from the highest window. Being one of the five Kyuujo, the dark-skinned man had several burdens placed on his shoulders, several responsibilities that he was tediously tasked with. All for the sake of the nation.
The morale of Shanti, extending far beyond the city of Heiwa no Kabe, was considerably low; riots against Adonai sparked like wildfire, and the rage of the nation's people surged. Even with the subtle collapse of Adonai's peace, causing Shanti to push the other nation away, conflicts were still teetering as damage from Adonai immigrants spurred.
Apparently the border was not enough to stop Adonai from seeping into their society.
Residents of Shanti argued for a war with Adonai in hopes of subduing the ongoing murder spreading around the world. It was quite clear to see how the razing of Adonai villages, stretching out to the neighboring nations, left room for debate about the topic—but none of the Kyuujo, including Kyoshiro, wished to enact such a violent solution.
"What happened to the good days…" Kyoshiro lamented, sighing as he reminisced of the past. "It's all gone to shit."
The mighty Kyuujo remained still for a few more moments before something bewildering caught his eye: civilians were running, fleeing from wherever they were previously. Kyoshiro could not see the reason why, his eyes scrambling everywhere for an answer.
"What is happening…?" The Kyuujo murmured, his eyes narrowing.
*BOOM!*
Suddenly, a massive explosion shook the border of Heiwa no Kabe, with debris soaring through the air dangerously. Kyoshiro could spot the incoming warriors that were nearby, rushing to the scene and scoping out the area.
Or they were.
*BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!*
More explosions ensued, wiping out the local warriors immediately. The Kyuujo instantly thought of the border being invaded, and if it was, the invaders belonged nowhere but Adonai. With utmost haste, Kyoshiro raced out of the tower and to the walls of Heiwa no Kabe, reaching the critically damaged border faster than any more of the swarming warriors.
An armored warrior hopped over to Kyoshiro. "Kyuujo, sir!"
Kyoshiro kept his eyes on the massive wall that outlined Heiwa no Kabe, scrutinizing the destruction that was present. Civilians were unfortunately pinned under the fallen debris, along with the numerous warriors that were seemingly slain by the unidentified enemies.
"We need to find the invaders immediately! Spread out and attack anybody in foreign attire on sight!" Kyoshiro ordered, lunging from his spot and onto the structures around him.
The border on this side of Shanti was erected for the sake of dividing the nation from Adonai, and with the attack being launched from the opposite side of the wall, it was rational to deduce the invaders as warriors of Adonai. However, the idea of why was extremely difficult to pinpoint.
Kyoshiro ran along the top of the border, his body flashing through the area at breakneck speeds.
"Gragh!" A guttural howl rang in the mighty Kyuujo's ears, stopping him in his tracks.
On the ground, far below where Kyushiro currently stood, local warriors were dropping like flies.
'The invaders!' Kyoshiro eyed the fights below him, observing closely.
The invaders the Kyuujo spoke of were garbed in armor that varied in color amongst each other, with the crests embedded in their armor also being quite different from one another—it was as if several villages were collaborating. What was more discernible were the headbands, verifying that the invaders did initially come from Adonai.
"Damn you, Adonai!"
With a battle cry, Kyoshiro leapt from the top of the border and down onto the invaders below—*BOOM!*—blasting most of them away with a blue beam. The Adonai invaders whipped their heads around and charged the mighty Kyuujo with blank expressions, all of the enemies' eyes being one color: green.
Even as Kyoshiro swiftly killed the invaders, not one scream or grunt was elicited by them. The dark-skinned man briefly matched the adversaries with mindless zombies, incapable of feeling pain or emotion.
"Stand down now and I will spare the rest of you!" Kyoshiro demanded, his hands glowing with a bright blue hue.
None of the invaders responded; their faces were as bereft of emotion as possible. In fact, the invaders from Adonai did not hesitate to rush toward the Kyuujo before them, angling their weapons or beams of light in an attempt to earn a new kill.
And, without effort, Kyoshiro slayed them off within a second.
The mighty Kyuujo had dashed through them all at speeds faster than light, his hands acting as cleavers as he ripped through the invaders' bodies. Kyoshiro glanced at his handiwork, kicking the lifeless corpses of the adversaries.
*CRUNCH!*
Off to the side, Kyoshiro could see one of the invaders still moving, fruitlessly trying to lift themselves up from the ground, but their torn body prevented any extra movement.
"You," Kyoshiro called out angrily, picking the invader up from the ground. "Why did Adonai send you!?"
The invader was still emotionless, his eyes as green as the rest.
"Answer!" Kyoshiro demanded once more, letting magic form in his hand to burn the invader's skin.
To no avail, the invader did not speak, unfazed by the searing of his skin. With his ire boiling ferociously, the mighty Kyuujo pulled the emotionless invader's head off of his shoulders, throwing the corpse to the side and keeping the head in his hands.
Kyoshiro instantly noticed something.
The eyes of the invader slowly changed, shifting from the bright green color to a darker blue.
"Who the hell are these warriors…?"
Perhaps Adonai was using forbidden curses from the era of the gods, Kyoshiro quickly thought. The warriors that the Kyuujo just fought did not seem normal, as if they were controlled from afar.
But if that were the truth, that would mean that Adonai had broken an implicit promise amongst the three nations to never indulge in the use of curses, the power that one simple curse harbors being far too extreme for anyone to handle responsibly.
However, one thing was for certain: the invaders were from Adonai, and not from just one village but multiple—Adonai had to have planned the attack, which would unfortunately force Shanti to retaliate.
And Shanti would not back down by any means necessary.
XXX
I have decided to up the pace of the story and forego the original wave of chapters I struggled to type out. I am quite sad to announce that my life is forcing me to move faster than ever before and I do not wish to abandon this novel for the life of me. So, to put it simply, I have to expedite the process of the plot. I do apologize if things appear rushed, but it is for the sake of having an actual end for the story—an end that will still happen according to plan, so do not worry about me arbitrarily deciding the rest of the novel. I love this story far too much to give up on it. Stay tuned for more!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_