In the Nozomu residence, Kaminari Nozomu was currently fitting himself into gray-colored armor, sliding his body through each piece of thick steel and tightening it around his limbs and torso. The idea of him returning to battle was immensely surreal. Years ago, he had given up fighting; however, the world demanded war. To Nozomu, retirement is merely a social concept, not a natural one.
*CLUNK!*
Eventually, Nozomu attached the leg pieces to the rest of his armor, fully garbing the Buraun military standard. The armor was extremely unpleasant to wear and greatly reduced flexibility. Perhaps he wore the wrong size. But, in the back of the white-haired man's head, he was desiring the white cloak that he used to wear in dire times.
Nozomu refused to complain too much. A war had been ignited, the sparks of its birth burning the nation to the ground. Tanjo was also still out there, somewhere. The boy was still inexperienced, and the stronger he got, the more unnatural everything would seem.
Unfortunately, Nozomu had to learn the hard way. And, with the way things were turning out, Tanjo may have to as well.
'Damned people and their problems…' The man huffed, finally encased in the gray-colored armor.
He had gotten word that most, if not all, of the village's warriors were being dispatched to the warring areas of Adonai. Apparently, the battles have only worsened over time—most of the murder-infested land is referred to as the "Blood Lands."
Haishi firmly believes that Nozomu will whisk away the war with utmost haste, and the Tansu vessel believed it as well. Nozomu was not so conceited as to think that any warrior would actually challenge him, considering the fact that a godly entity resided within his soul. It would take another Tansu to rival him.
*KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Nozomu perked up at the sound of knocking at his front door. Lazily, the man ambled toward the front entrance to his home, his senses picking up the presence of three people—and all three felt familiar. It unnerved him.
Picking up the pace, Nozomu swung the door open. "Who is it?"
The first person he saw was Tanjo.
"Hey, Old Man!"
Nozomu blinked repeatedly, dumbfounded. "...You came back?"
Now it was Tanjo's turn to blink dumbly.
"I expected you to be angry or surprised! Knowing how you practically tried to debilitate me just to keep me in the village and all!" The jet-black-haired boy shouted.
The man only narrowed his eyes. "Where's Asami and the other person? I sensed them before opening the door."
"Right behind you, Kami!"
Flinching at the nickname, the man turned around and spotted Asami lounging on his couch, her feet kicked up onto a glass stand in the middle of all the furniture.
"There are three of you. Where's the third one?" Nozomu queried sternly, his eyes zipping all around the home.
Asami only chuckled while Tanjo remained quiet, stumping and annoying the white-haired man. After a few moments, Nozomu could sense the presence of a third individual, his eyes darting to their location.
His eyes widened.
"Have your senses dulled that much, Nozomu?" Oritsu Ketsueki jested, smirking while leaning against a wall.
For several minutes, the entire house was enveloped in silence. Nozomu peered attentively and intently at the bearded man in his home, nearly doubting his own eyes. A man he thought had died sixteen years previously was in front of him, smiling as if nothing was wrong—or if everything was a big joke.
Of course, Oritsu used to be one of the humorous people Nozomu knew.
"...Have you gone senile, too?" Oritsu asked awkwardly, nervous under the white-haired man's intense gaze.
Nozomu gradually parted his lips to speak, "How are you… alive?"
Oritsu smiled brightly, reminding Nozomu of the times before the past king had been slain.
"Tanjo was the one to bring me back. Now I'm just concerned as to who he really sees as his father." The bearded man answered, ending it with a laugh.
Suddenly, Nozomu's eyes snapped toward Tanjo. "What did you do?"
The boy jumped at Old Man Nozomu's abrupt question. "That's kind of why we're here."
Slowly, Tanjo stepped further into the house, shutting the door behind him. The three visitors stood next to one another, staring at Nozomu.
"We need your help, Kami." Asami spoke up, "Imawashiki is our top priority right now, and I can't risk fighting him alone."
Nozomu stared at the three pensively. "There's a war going on. I can't leave until my duties are done."
Tanjo inhaled softly. "Imawashiki is one of the reasons the war started. He and the others at Furusato instigated Shanti into attacking Adonai. If he's gone, along with the Tansu vessel that controls wind, the war is over."
The white-haired man looked at the teenager. "How would you know this?"
"Because it's how he saved me." Oritsu declared, surprising Nozomu. "They're using zombie-like warriors from Adonai to attack Shanti and other locations. I, too, was one of those zombies, and Tanjo managed to free me."
Then, Tanjo's eyes lit up. "Old Man, remember the curse that Mizuki had? Kekkan no Sosei? They have that. The villages Furusato razed were to collect warriors for their own undead army."
Nozomu stood still for a few moments, proceeding to sigh and put a palm up to his face. "Of course…"
"We need your help, Kami." Asami pleaded, "Please. Maybe we can talk Imawashiki out of him—!"
"Impossible." Nozomu shut Asami down, "He's long gone. I've seen him with my own eyes."
Oritsu folded his arms over his chest. "But that doesn't mean you can't take him down. I know I can't; I tried."
The house grew quiet once again. The three visitors gazed hopefully at Nozomu, practically applying tons of pressure to the white-haired Tansu vessel. Fighting Imawashiki was one of the last things Nozomu wanted to do. A clash between Tansu was devastating to both lands and took a lot of energy. Add more than just two Tansu vessels, and the scene starts to look more catastrophic.
But, what else could be done?
"Fine," Nozomu reluctantly agreed, "but I'm bringing a friend."
Asami tilted her head to the side, arching a brow as she asked, "Who?"
"Your old best friend Reberu Manabu."
XXX
Sitting atop the Furusato castle, Regashi gazed into the distance calmly. Far away from the village, explosions and smoke could be seen flying into the air and destroying its surroundings, signifying that the war was closing in rapidly. The brown-haired male's eyes glimmered with joy and entertainment, a grin plastered to his face.
"Zebulun has stayed put so far, Regashi." Imawashiki suddenly said behind Regashi, summoned from a cyclone of fire. "But Shanti is more than vigorous."
Regashi hummed, "We don't need Zebulun to contribute. They never do anyway."
The fiery abomination nodded. "The casualties are through the roof."
"Good…" Regashi's grin widened, his green eyes shining brighter.
With the Detrimental War in motion, all Regashi had done was observe. The destruction and death were all he needed to know that his plan was working. The brown-haired male was quite excited, enamored with the sight of battle in the far distance. Nobody knows how long he had been standing on top of the castle to simply watch the war occur.
"Shall I go spy on the war some more, Regashi?" Imawashiki asked cordially, his brown eyes landing on the grinning male. "Perhaps the Five Great Kyuujo will pitch in."
Regashi shook his head. "No. I need you and Shoto for something."
Imawashiki grew curious. "For what?"
The brown-haired male's eyes shimmered brilliantly. "You have some friends coming to visit you, Shiki. I merely want for the lot of you to be… settle your differences."
Regashi always knew more than he let on, and this time the male knew something big was coming toward Imawashiki's way.
All the fiery abomination wanted to know was 'how?'
XXX
Things are gonna start to become spicy! With the war growing larger, the Tansu vessel's banding together, and Yuso on the prowl, who knows what will happen? How much damage will ensue with the sheer amount of power distributed to all of these characters? Stay tuned for more!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_