*BOOM!*
*BOOM!*
*BOOM!*
Complete and utter chaos had inevitably encroached upon the borders of both Shanti and Adonai, resulting in catastrophic warfare that greatly reduced both habitable lands and troops. The recently titled "Detrimental War" was proving to be hazardous to the residents of both nations—especially Adonai. Shanti was unrelenting as its warriors advanced further into the woodland nation's soil.
"Don't let them in—!"
As one warrior began to shout—*BRRM!*—a purple beam of light immediately silenced him, slicing his body down the middle. The number of casualties increased exponentially within the past few hours, with the grass practically turning red as blood soaked it quite often.
Multiple villages in Adonai were quick to respond to the apparent violence, dispatching most of their militia to simply ward off incoming Shanti forces. Currently, the method of walling off the other nation with a mountain of brave warriors is not working as efficiently as initially hoped.
As entire forests were burned down, Adonai was given less time to act.
"Die, Adonai shitstains!"
Plummeting downward, A troop from Shanti proceeded to slice and dice any foreign warrior she came across. She flawlessly bounced around the battlefield, her sword spilling blood and viscera more times than she could possibly count. By merely glancing at the woman, Adonai warriors could easily determine that she was as lethal as a High-Class individual.
Shanti was not holding back.
"Take her out! Now!" A slightly-wounded Adonai warrior bellowed, pointing the palm of his hand at the enemy troop before unleashing devastating beams of yellow light ahead.
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
Effortlessly, the crazed troop from Shanti danced around the impending beams, dashing toward the Adonai warrior that had fired at her with a velocity comparable to lightspeed before eventually plunging her blade deep into the warrior's gut.
"Grah!" The Adonai warrior cried in pain, clutching his gut's wound.
*BRRRMM!*
Suddenly, the area around the female troop got brighter, prompting her to glance upward in shock.
"Open fire!"
A Genso-Kyu maintained by four Adonai warriors floated above the female troop—*KABOOM!*—and discharged a potent beam that fortunately blasted her to smithereens, with not a drop of her blood remaining.
"Watch out! More Shanti troops rolling in!"
It did not take long for the area to be encompassed by explosions once again.
XXX
"This isn't right and you know it!"
At the top of the Village Information Center tower, the Chief of Buraun's military was raging at the words of the village council. In immense fear and compulsion, the Council of Buraun mandated the presence of all aspiring warriors attending Buraunmajikku during the Detrimental War as reinforcements.
Along with such information, Haishi was expected to lead the village into war, dragging the teenagers into a nightmare.
Shinrai Shutoku, a council member, leaned forward in his seat. "Nothing in this nation is right anymore, Chief! We need power!"
Haishi clenched his jaw, glowering at every council member. "We have an entire Tansu vessel willing to cooperate with us! Shouldn't she have enough power!?"
"Principal Manabu is our last resort," a council member named Shikko spoke up, "there are other Tansu vessels in this nation who could very well be under the dominion of Shanti's forces. If we haphazardly release our Tansu vessel into the fray, she could be torn to pieces by enemy Tansu."
The Chief scoffed, "So keeping her here and sending teenagers is better?"
A withered man named Douji nodded. "In this current time, yes. If the village is suddenly run through, we need protection as well."
"So you're keeping her here for your own protection!?" Haishi accused pointedly, shifting his gaze to the old council member.
Douji scowled. "We still have people here, Chief. It'd be careless to leave them defenseless while our finest men are sent across the nation."
Haishi became mute for a handful of seconds, his eyes flickering between the Council of Buraun intently.
"Your offer for me to be king of the village." Haishi said abruptly, perplexing the people around him.
Shinrai narrowed his eyes. "What about it?"
The Chief stared back into the council member's soulless eyes. "I'll take the position. And, as king, I swiftly declare that we do not send the students out to war!"
"Denied." Shikko said without hesitation. "We're in too deep to make rash decisions."
Haishi wanted to laugh at how ironic those words sounded coming from a council member's mouth. Everything the Council of Buraun did was rash and selfish—and now it was going to cost them the price of teenagers' lives. The village's future was being watered down and oppressed by its own leaders.
The pony-tailed Chief grunted, "Unbelievable…"
"You and Kou will do great things with those kids behind you, along with the rest of our militia. I have good faith." Shinrai declared, folding his hands atop of the oval-shaped table.
Haishi stormed out of the tower, defeated.
XXX
"...What?"
Standing in bewilderment, Oritsu Ketsueki, who was recently revived through the means of Tanjo's Disruption of Reality, struggled to comprehend the current situation. Before being released by the curse of Kekkan no Sosei's power, Oritsu's mind was hazy.
"So you were directed to find me and my instructor and… fight us?" Tanjo took the liberty of questioning the past king, arching a brow in curiosity.
The bearded man swayed his head from side to side. "I wasn't directed to necessarily fight you. Before I woke up for the first time, if it can be considered such, all that was on my mind was finding a boy and his instructor and roughing them up. I had no drive to kill either of you."
Asami parted her lips to speak, "That doesn't make any sense! I assumed we'd be perceived as threats considering the fact that we invaded Furusato and lived to tell the tale. Why would they willingly let go of someone as strong as you?"
Oritsu rubbed the back of his neck. "I couldn't tell you for the life of me."
"I can think of two reasons: they don't believe that we've caught onto who's releasing the living dead, or whoever in Furusato has the Kekkan no Sosei curse likes to rile up their enemies." Tanjo voiced his thoughts aloud, adopting a pensive expression.
As the three became quiet, Oritsu spared a glance at the jet-black-haired boy. Toward the end of the fight between the past king and Tanjo, the boy disclosed the relationship that the two of them shared. Apparently, Tanjo was his son, and Oritsu did not know how to react.
Would he believe the boy? If Oritsu truly happened to be the jet-black-haired boy's father, he would be immensely elated to know that his son was still safe and alive. However, the past king has already been put through enough to make him doubt nearly everything in today's world.
"...You said I was your father." Oritsu changed the topic of conversation, garnering Tanjo's attention. "How?"
Tanjo remained quiet, blinking in response to the bearded man's question. How could he explain it without sounding crazy? Traveling to an alternate universe to see his true family would only work if the boy was speaking to one of the gods, like Aphrodite. But a man who was once a king? It seemed impossible.
"Before I answer, I want to know—what happened the day you died?" Tanjo replied with another question.
Oritsu hesitated to answer: "I was with my wife as she was giving birth… then the village was under attack and I died facing a man called Imawashiki."
Asami's eyes widened subtly, unseen by both Tanjo and Oritsu.
"What happened to the newborn?" Tanjo inquired softly.
The past king recollected his memory. "He… was left with my wife while I went off to protect the village."
Tanjo nodded slowly, imagining the bearded man's story as he lined it up with his own life. Somehow, the wife died, but the newborn escaped. It was not hard to deduce that Old Man Nozomu had rescued Tanjo from certain death, only to fall short on saving the wife as well.
"Did you happen to know anybody who wielded lightning?" Tanjo asked tactfully, his blue eyes surveying the past king.
Oritsu inhaled, "Yes, I did. Why?"
"Was his name Kaminari Nozomu?"
The past king nodded. "Yes. What about him?"
"Well, he's the man who raised me." Tanjo revealed, making Oritsu blink in confusion.
Then, something in the bearded man's head clicked.
"...He kept his promise…" Oritsu muttered under his breath, making the jet-black-haired boy crane his head.
"What promise?" The boy pondered.
Asami chuckled lightly. "From what I remember of Kaminari, he was never good with people, so I was surprised to learn that he managed to raise a child of all things!"
Oritsu put a hand on Tanjo's shoulder. "...Did he name you?"
Tanjo nodded.
The past king chuckled. "We… made a deal that if I were to ever die, he would fill in as a second father of sorts."
"So you believe me, then?" The teenager asked boldly.
As the words left the boy's mouth, he was pulled in for a hug.
"Without a doubt! I'm so happy you're alive… son!" Oritsu nearly shed a tear, a wide smile on his face. "Kaminari was like a brother to me, and knowing that he raised you leads me to believe that you're a good kid."
Tanjo was at a loss for words as he gradually hugged the bearded man back. "Old Man Nozomu is definitely a fighter. He makes life look easy!"
Oritsu laughed heartily. "That sounds like him! Always good at everything he ever did!"
Soon, the hug came to an end, the father and son stepping back from one another.
"Sorry to ruin the reunion, but from where we're standing, I can hear more people dying than I'd prefer. I'd like to get a move on and keep moving forward." Asami forced herself into the endearing moment, her hands on her hips.
The past king looked toward the blue-haired woman. "And where were you two heading?"
"To go pick up a friend."
XXX
I desperately needed to get that Oritsu and Tanjo scene out of the way. It stumped me greatly and all I really wanted to do was move on. Writer's block hit me hard and their encounter was the main impediment. Hopefully I won't stall for as long! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for more!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_