PART 12
The fight in the Central District between Shiba and Basara had changed. That
is because Basara changed the way they fought. Basara adjusted his fighting
style to a mid-range fighter by using his Extinction Sword to adapt to Shiba,
who was able to channel his Ki for both close and mid-range attacks. By
doing so, if Shiba was to use his Ki like before which destroyed the building,
Basara would be able to evade and even use the Extinction Sword to counter
it.
But that did not mean that Basara had the upper hand. The Ki which Shiba
emits from his hands can manipulate the Extinction energy of Basara's blade
as well. Therefore, even if Basara was able to destroy the buildings
surrounding Shiba, Shiba himself was left unscathed. To a bystander, this
fight may have looked one-sided with Basara, who wanted to keep his
distance, and Shiba who continued to press him. But Basara was content with
that. After all, this was all part of his plan to lure Shiba into a trap.
Specifically, he was luring him towards Daimon Road, close to Zojoji
Temple.
By turning around and facing Shiba, Basara was now facing west while Shiba
faced the east. And as Basara was running at ground level while Shiba
pursued by hopping over buildings, Basara was looking up to Shiba while
Shiba stared down at Basara. Currently, Basara had his back to the Old Gate
of Zojoji Temple, while Shiba stood in between the World Trade Center
Building and the Cultural Broadcaster "Mediaplus" building. And that was
exactly how Basara wanted it to be.
"Oh… this is interesting."
Shiba let out a little chuckle, as if he knew what Basara was planning. Zojoji
and the Tokyo Tower were key buildings in the Central District. If they were
to be destroyed, it will cause a rupture in the Earth element in the area and
will risk weakening or breaking the barrier: something Shiba would have
wanted to avoid.
While the destruction of the barrier meant that the Four Gods will destroy
Tokyo, that wasn't Shiba's plan, but merely a last resort. His goal, after all, is
to absorb the Ki energy of the Four Gods to turn himself into an omnipotent
being. So this location right now should limit Shiba's liberal use of his Ki
blasts.
But this plan did have one big gaping hole.
That is, while Basara wanted to end the fight as quickly as possible, Shiba did
not mind taking his sweet time. As Shiba was absorbing Ki every moment,
the longer the fight was drawn out, the stronger he would get. But the fact
that Shiba gave chase to Basara meant that he did not want Tokyo Tower and
Zojoji Temple to be destroyed… Or he could have just been bored and
wanted to play cat and mouse.
Another issue was that, Basara himself didn't want the barrier to be
destroyed. The Four Gods destroying the city of Tokyo must be avoided at all
costs. And that is why he had his back facing Zojoji Temple and the Tokyo
Tower; to make sure his Extinction Blade did not accidentally destroy those
buildings.
With Basara wanting to avoid damaging Zojoji Temple and the Tokyo
Tower, Shiba could indeed use that to his advantage and corner Basara. But
making Shiba think he had Basara cornered was also part of the plan.
"!"
In the next instant, Basara Toujou made his move. As quick as the wind, he
dashed towards Shiba.
PART 13
Shiba stared down as Basara made his quick sprint towards him.
Hmmm?
Shiba sensed that something was off. Basara knew that his ability was to
manipulate Ki. And that is why he had been keeping his distance all this time.
Even coming out here to fight was to restrict his use of Ki.
But then why?
Why was Basara charging right at him?
Basara wasn't the type of person to just charge in blindly without a reason,
and Shiba knew that. That meant that this seemingly suicidal move was a
stepping stone to victory for Basara.
But what exactly was he plotting?
Right then, Shiba saw the trump card Basara had been hiding. A crimson hue
started to surround the charging Basara.
And in the next moment, he disappeared.
PART 14
Basara moved with an explosive burst, leaving behind sound and reaching
godly levels of speed. This was the anti-gravity "Universal Rejection" that he
used in his fight with Celis.
The only way to defeat an enemy who is stronger, and with a potential hidden
ace in the hole, was to defeat them with speed before they can play their
strongest card.
Appearing right in front of Shiba, Basara swung his sword to cleave Shiba
into two.
"Ah… the power you used to defeat Celis."
Basara heard Shiba's voice and looked up to see his hands enveloped with
golden particles. At that moment, Basara knew that whatever was coming,
was Shiba's ace in the hole. And this time, he was emitting Ki far greater
than the amount he used to blow up the buildings from before. Shiba must
have deduced that he would not be able to block Basara's blade with his bare
hands while he was rushing at him with the explosive speed of "Universal
Rejection".
With that amount of Ki charged in his hands, Basara knew that being hit by it
would mean his death.
"Arghhhh!"
Basara swung Brynhildr with all his might. And just as expected, Shiba went
in to stop the blade with his left hand covered in Ki.
"!?"
Shiba had a look of shock on his face when the Ki around his left hand
dispersed. It was Banishing Shift. Basara knew that Shiba was aware of him
being able to use Banishing Shift again, as well as "Universal Rejection". But
the reason why he was still able to catch Shiba offguard was because he was
holding Brynhildr in one hand.
Banishing Shift was an attack that needed two hands to activate. And Shiba
was keeping a keen eye on when Basara would change his grip to two hands.
And that is why Basara used a one-handed Banishing Shift. This was by no
means, a complete Banishing Shift. But ever since his fight in the Demon
World, Basara was aware that there may come a time when adversaries, who
have studied his Banishing Shift, would come after him. And so, Basara had
spent considerable time in practicing a one-handed Banishing Shift. But this
was by no means the same as the real Banishing Shift, but it did its job to
deflect an attack.
When the spiritual balance in his body was unbalanced due to his contract
with Hasegawa, he wasn't able to use this move during his fight with Celis.
So this made it the perfect opportunity to use it against Shiba.
As Basara's Banishing Shift cancelled out the Ki surrounding Shiba's left
hand, what resulted was a ear-piercing clash between Basara's Brynhildr and
Shiba's armguard. Their metallic weapons were of similar toughness, and
thus, the clash of their weapons made the both of them lose their balance.
"Got you."
Shiba let off a little smirk as his right fist came hurtling towards Basara.
Shiba was already preparing his fol ow up strike. And unlike his left fist that
had its Ki dispersed from Banishing Shift, his right fist was cloaked in a layer
of Ki.
"Kh!"
Basara activated Universal Rejection to the back of Brynhildr's blade to
quicken the slash. Not only that, the Universal Rejection that now surrounded
the blade will nullify any physical or magical property, meaning that Basara's
slash was going to strike Shiba once again.
"Rrrgaaaaaahhhhhhhh!"
Letting out a roar, Basara swung Brynhildr and felt their attacks collide. He
also heard a loud explosion like a cannon being fired, and one of them was
blasted away. Basara saw Shiba becoming smaller in the distance.
Except, it was Basara who was being blasted away.
"Rrrrgggaaaaaahhhhhhh wha!?'
He didn't even have time to comprehend it. Basara was blasted straight
through and destroyed the Old Gate, before being flung into Zojoji Temple.
He collided into into the main altar within the temple and everything went
black.
PART 15
"Ugh…gh…urk!"
Even as the dust settled after the impact of the collision, Basara did not get
back up. He just took the full brunt of Shiba's right hook, Ki and all, and his
body was not responding to anything. The inside of the temple was a mess
from Basara's collision and Shiba's Ki blast.
"You guessed right that I could manipulate Ki Basara… but you were off by
a bit."
Shiba spoke as he walked through the entrance that Basara just smashed
through.
"Although I use Ki, my attack itself is a physical blow and you can classify it
as such. And so, you used that same defensive move you used in the fight
against Celis, to nullify all physical and magical strikes."
"And I believe this ability comes from your mother, who was the younger
sister to the previous Demon Lord. You were able to combine your mother's
power to control gravity with the magic of one of the members from the
Demon Council.
"Huh…?"
Basara could only mutter weakly as Shiba picked apart the concept of
Universal Rejection so easily.
"Judging from your reaction, I guess you have no clue as to how I did what I
just did… I presume that you don't know the difference between "magic" and
"Ki". You probably think that they are two completely different things. You
are both correct and incorrect in that assumption."
"Ki exists in all things, and it also exists in magic. Magic is a type of Ki…
therefore it also existed in that Universal Rejection ability that you used."
"With my punches, I am able to manipulate the Ki of anything my fists touch.
So of course, when our attacks clashed, my punch was stronger than your
blade."
"Kh…!"
As Basara lay on the dirt floor, unable to move, he knew that Shiba simply
had the better hand when they revealed all their cards.
But one thing still confused him. Shiba didn't hesitate at all to blast Basara
into and destroy the Old Gate and damage Zojoji Temple. Destroying the
building will surely bring unbalance to the barrier. And as a Ki user, Shiba
should have been able to sense Mio and the others defeating the Four Gods. If
the balance for the Five Elements were broken, Shiba will no longer be able
to absorb power.
Shiba should have been able to send Basara into any direction. So that meant
that he deliberately send Basara to crash into Zojoji Temple.
But why?
Basara heard the answer from the man himself.
"Seems like it will all go well."
As Shiba gave a smile, the area was bathed in a golden glow.
PART 16
Nonaka Yuki, after defeating Seiryuu, made a beeline towards the Central
District where Basara was. After finding Mio and the unconscious Maria in
the Western District, Mio carried the unconscious Maria with her flight magic
and they all made their way towards the South District.
When they didn't find Kurumi there, they knew that she was successful in
defeating Suzaku as Suzaku was also nowhere in sight. They presumed that
Kurumi made her way to the north, so the group continued onto the North
District where they spotted Zest and Kurumi.
But their happiness to see each other was short lived. It wasn't that Kurumi
and Zest were waiting for them. But it was strange for the two to not give
chase after Basara in the Central District. Yuki soon found out why, when the
hand she stretched out to the barrier connecting to the Central District, was
rejected by the barrier. Although they never faced any problems going
through other barriers, this one was refusing to let them in.
"Then let's try this…!"
Yuki unsheathed Sakuya and let off a slash, only to see it being absorbed by
the barrier.
"Kurumi-san and I have tried with both magic and physical attacks but to no
avail. The barrier must be made from the same barrier protecting the four
directions."
"That means even my gravity magic won't work…"
Mio muttered a sigh from behind Zest.
"But that doesn't mean we can just twiddle our thumbs out here."
Basara was inside the barrier in the Central District. They had to do
everything in order to get in there.
Kurumi voiced her plan.
"The Central District's element is Earth right? Since the Eastern District is
the Wood element, the barrier might be weaker there."
"But there is a fissure between the Central and Eastern district. I'm afraid that
if we force our way through, the fissure will send us to another district."
Mio shook her head to Zest's concern.
"No, my gravity magic will be able to directly impact the fissure, so when we
attack the barrier, it'll get us through."
"… We should refrain from doing that."
All heads turned towards Yuki.
"We have no idea what will happen if we attack the fissure. It'll be good if
we can make our way into the Central District. But what if we end up causing
a fissure inside the district?"
"Even worse, there's a chance that the entire barrier will break down."
All of them had fought the Four Gods to make sure to stop the Four Gods
from going berserk. All that they had done would be for naught if they were
to accidentally destroy the barrier themselves.
"Right… sorry, I thought I had an idea."
Yuki places a reassuring hand on her sister's slumped shoulder.
"Don't worry, thanks to you, I was able to come up with a plan."
"Really, Yuki-san?"
Zest asked eagerly.
"Yes… this should work."
"First, we have to"
Yuki stopped her train of thought as she saw something at the edge of her
vision.
Seeing Yuki freeze up, Mio and the others fol owed her gaze.
They didn't know how it got there. But there was a bright gigantic golden
dragon wrapped around Tokyo Tower.
PART 17
Basara felt a ripple through his body.
This…is…?
Having the Ki inside his body destroyed, as well as having multiple organs
damaged by Shiba, Basara was in no state to move. The ripple was not his
heartbeat. It wasn't wild and erratic, but stable. And it was coming from the
very ground below him as if the earth itself was throbbing.
Basara looked up to see what Shiba was planning the whole time.
Right there, on the 300 meter tall Tokyo Tower, was a colossal golden dragon
that wrapped itself around the tower.
"No way…it can't be…"
"It is… That's "Kouryuu". You know about it don't you, Basara?"
The name uttered by Shiba was the name of the Divine Beast that held
dominion over the Four Gods. The Four Gods not only represented the four
directions but also the four seasons as well: Spring for Seiryuu, Summer for
Suzaku, Autumn for Byakko, and Winter for Genbu.
But in the Five Elements, there was another direction and another season.
The direction was the "center" and the season was "midsummer".
And Kouryuu was the very representation of both the center and midsummer.
The dragon was often used as a symbol for emperors, and its element of
"Earth" all owed it control over the destructive forces of volcanoes and
earthquakes.
Kouryuu's power was not limited to Japan. It was the Earth itself. That meant
it had control over the all the land on the earth. If it so much as willed it, it
could wreak havoc anywhere in the world.
So that was Shiba's plan. It all made sense now. If he had control of
Kouryuu, Shiba would be able to attack the Vatican while he stayed on the
other side of the world right here in Japan.
"But…how…?"
Ignoring his body's cry of pain, Basara stood up to face Shiba. Basara still
couldn't believe what he was seeing. After all, there was no sacred vessel for
Kouryuu. The idea of the Five Elements and the existence of Kouryuu was
not an idea that only Shiba knew of. Therefore, if there ever was an object
that would summon Kouryuu, the elders would have used it long ago, and the
Vatican would have never all owed the Village to be in possession of a power
so powerful that it could destroy the whole world.
That was the very reason why the Village in Japan was in possession of the
Four Gods and their four elements and not the Five Elements. They also only
had 4 sacred vessels.
While Shiba managed to forcibly turn the vessels and the Gods into part of
the Five Elements, surely the Vatican and the Village must have had their
own safeguards against situations like this.
But here they were, and Basara was seeing Kouryuu right in front of him.
The only possibility that Basara could think of was that Kouryuu was a
representation of absolute authority. It was said in Chinese history that
Kouryuu would often lend its powers to emperors.
Even in Japan, during the Heian Period, there are records of Kouryuu
appearing in front of the Uda Emperor. In short, Kouryuu at times would lend
its strengths to kings that were deserving of its power.
"Kouryuu…chose you…?"
Not to history's great leaders, not to heroes… not even to the strongest hero
Jin. The fact that Kouryuu would pick Shiba, a man who was trying to wipe
out the Hero Clan, was a baffling reality to accept for Basara.
"Oh no way… There's no way I'd leave it to a matter of chance like that."
"While it's true that in raw strength alone, I might be considered special, but
that alone won't make me an authoritative figure like a king. Even the kings
which Kouryuu served, some of them knew how to wield a sword and were
strong enough, but there were many warriors and generals under said kings
who were far stronger."
"Kouryuu merely lent its strength to the 'king'… In that case, you'd expect
the Elders in the Village to receive Kouryuu's blessings right?"
"Then…why…?"
"You have no idea…?"
Shiba smirked as Basara's face drew a blank.
"Kouryuu is the leader of the Four Gods, and is tasked to protect the center…
so it's not surprising for it to appear when it has to protect the center right?"
"That…"
That did make sense. But… there was no threat to the Central District. Shiba
had an absolute advantage over Basara currently.
"!?"
Then Basara realized something. Realized something he was ignoring ever
since he entered the Central District. That was for him to locate the girls'
positions using the Master-servant contract. He was able to sense the girls
around the barrier separating the Central District and the outside. The fact
that they were all there together meant that they had all won their respective
fights. Which meant that they had all succeeded in weakening the effects of
the Five Elements. While that was progress for Basara and the girls, to Shiba
and Kouryuu, that was a threat closing in closer and closer.
"It was because… Mio and the others…defeated the Four Gods?"
"Exactly… it's not up to me or you whether this area is in danger or not, it's
up to the Gods. And those Gods had had their spiritual reincarnations
destroyed by your friends. There's no greater threat than that, no matter how
much I was to beat you here."
Shiba's little talk did make sense, but there was just something off about it
for Basara. There was no way that the Elders in the Village or the Vatican
would have let something as simple as this happen. They would have had
safeguards for a situation like this. But then how did they…
"As I thought Basara,… you have it all wrong.'
PART 18
Shiba taught the confused Basara how Kouryuu was summoned. Secrets and
all.
"You and those Elders are all the same. You're all just running different
simulations in your mind, without ever thinking of how powerful Kouryuu
really is. You're all thinking of 'how to prevent summoning' Kouryuu."
"Meanwhile, I was always thinking of ways to summon it. So while you all
focused on the different 'situations', I was thinking of the 'requirements'
needed to cal forth Kouryuu."
The need for a worthy authoritative figure. The need to defend the center
from threats. That is when the leader of the Four Gods, Kouryuu, will appear.
"But Kouryuu is not borne from those requirements. Kouryuu has always
existed. It simply appears when those requirements are met. Then all I had to
do was present a situation where those requirements happened."
"The reason I chose to center my plans around Tokyo Tower wasn't because
it was the symbolic figure of Tokyo… It was because this building was one
of the tallest towers in Tokyo."
"A dragon lives in the heavens. So instead of 'summoning' Kouryuu, we
have to 'bring it down'
from the skies. In order to do that I needed the Tokyo Tower."
"That's not the only reason however. You see, the way this city is designed in
the Five Elements, Tokyo Tower has another very important role to play."
"Judging from your reaction before, I'm guessing that you knew Zojoji
Temple was used to repress the 'Rear Demon Gate' of Edo Castle? A popular
myth for these Demon Gates is that they were built to prevent demons from
entering an area. And that is why the two temples, Zojoji Temple and Kaneiji
Temple, were built to protect the 'Rear Demon Gate' and 'Front Demon
Gate' respectively… But that's not true."
"You see, the route from the Front Demon Gate to the Rear Demon Gate was
made as a path for the gods to take. Humans aren't meant to walk this path.
So in this Edo City, where the city itself was designed to incorporate parts of
the Five Elements, the path for the gods lay from the Northeast to the
Southwest. And Zojoji's role was to ensure that the gods can pass through
smoothly. But imagine if Zojoji was being used for exactly the opposite
reason?"
"What if Zojoji was used to trap a certain god that made its way into the
center?"
"Trap a god… you mean…"
Shiba smirked as realization dawned on Basara.
"Yes… Kouryuu itself. Kouryuu revealed itself in the Edo Period as well, not
just during the Heian Period. But Ieyasu Tokugawa wanted the power of
Kouryuu for himself and successfully trapped it by building Zojoji to block
Edo Castle's Rear Demon Gate. And in his grandson, Iemitsu's generation,
the city building based on the Five Elements was almost complete. Iemitsu
built the Kaneiji Temple to block the Front Demon Gate to make sure other
gods weren't able to make their way in."
"And so the Tokugawa family were able to rule for many generations to
come by rapping the power of Kouryuu."
"But with Zojoji now destroyed, the exits have been unsealed. Since Tokyo
Tower was built within the precinct of Zojoji Temple, it made it so much
easier for Kouryuu to appear."
That is why Shiba deliberately summoned the Four Gods, to make Basara and
the others fight them. Switching around the directions to threaten the group
with the god's rampage. The reason why Shiba didn't destroy Zojoji himself
was to make sure that Mio and the others defeated the Four Gods first, to
make way for an easier summoning of Kouryuu.
"But…that wasn't all I needed… I still needed a 'container'."
"A 'contai— No way!"
"Yes, Georgius."
Shiba couldn't hold back a laugh at Basara's shocked expression.
Basara looked towards Tokyo Tower and saw, right at the foot of it, Georgius
stabbed proudly upright.
"The 'Earth' that Kouryuu represents is made up from the other four
elements… therefore Georgius, which can harness all four elements at the
same time, makes the perfect vessel for Kouryuu."
"And while it's true that Georgius can only use the four elements of fire,
water, earth and wind, Georgius has proven itself to be easily manipulated in
the way it made a copy Byakko when pressured by the other gods and myself.
I knew that if I were to channel the four elements into the weapon, it will
know what it has to do and will act accordingly."
"Originally, Georgius was a Saint for Harvest. It has a natural affinity for the
earth."
"Kgh… Then when you left the village and left Byakko behind…"
Shiba almost pitied the way Basara was grasping for answers.
"I needed Georgius for my plan from the very beginning. But I didn't
forcefully bring it against my will in case it broke Byakko. That would have
ruined my entire plan. That's why I had you guys deliver it to me."
"I knew that you would have guessed my plans had I went for Byakko
myself. That is why I used Georgius to create a fake Byakko, to make it look
like Georgius was only a tool to be used for the sake of creating a fake
Byakko. And that is why even after Balflear removed the weapon, you paid
no mind to it, and thus, didn't realize what my plans were."
"If you had remained calm, perhaps you would have seen an another angle to
the whole event. After all, if the only thing I needed was the Four Gods, I
could have taken all of them from the village and just left."
"But I chose this moment to put my plans in motion. After hearing about my
story from Kaoru-san and my desire for revenge against the Vatican, you
would have thought that I made my move because the Vatican dispatched
Celis to the Village. That is kind of true. I did take advantage of all the
confusion to push forward with my plan."
"And even after your victory against Celis, and how our fight was cancelled,
I goaded you all by saying that I was able to escape because of you let your
guard down. By then all of you were thinking about the threat that the Four
Gods and I presented."
"Basara, with me as the enemy, that made things even worse for you didn't
it? Because you knew that it was not just you who had to fight against me. It
meant that your precious girls also had to take part."
When Basara assassinated the Demon Council during their fight against the
Current Demon Lord faction, Basara was able to attempt such a daring feat
precisely because he knew that Jin had his back. If something was to happen,
he could still count on Jin for backup.
But because he was late to his own fight, Kurumi ended up being hurt, and
Basara would never forget the consequences to his actions. This time, without
Jin, and without time to prepare against Shiba, Basara's mind was being
overtaken by his instinct to protect his girls. There was no way his mind
could think things through carefully and analyze every part of Shiba's plan.
The girls taking on the gods on a one-on-one fight did not help the stress he
was going through either.
"There was a small risk of you not figuring out how to use Byakko's power
or Byakko not lending you its strength. But I've already seen you tame
Byakko before when you fought Takashi, so I took my chances that Byakko
will help you out."
So Basara was the perfect worker ant. Dancing on Shiba's palm doing all of
his bidding.
"I'd like to thank you, Basara. Thanks to you and your friends, I was able to
cal forth Kouryuu."
Basara stared at Shiba's wicked smile. Then without saying a word, he
gripped Brynhildr and prepared for battle.
PART 19
Toujou Basara did regret that his action had led to Shiba accomplishing his
objectives.
But not yet!
He knew he couldn't give up just yet. And that feeling was stronger than any
regret that he felt.
And Kouryuu was still not fully summoned. It might have been that the
power of the Four elements were diminishing, or that the threat levels in the
Central District was not as high. Regardless, it wasn't over yet.
Over the course of history, Kouryuu had only lent its power to emperors
defending their own territories. If Shiba is indeed planning on using Kouryuu
to attack the Vatican, he would need to charge Kouryuu with a lot more
energy first. That meant that Basara still had a window of time to take out
Shiba.
"You're still going to fight me in that state of yours?… That's admirable. But
aren't you forgetting something important?"
With a snap of his fingers, Shiba materialized some sort of screen from
nothing, showing Mio and the others. The girls weren't in the Northern
District like they were before however.
"How smart of them. They're heading to the Southern District once they saw
Kouryuu being summoned. The Southern District shares an affinity for the
fire element, and that brown skinned girl you brought from the Demon World
is of the earth element."
"Naruse Mio is going to use her fire magic and Kurumi-chan will use her
spirit's power to neutralize Mio's fire affinity to send to that brown skinned
girl, which will then mimic the same flow of elemental channeling like the
Southern District to the Central District. Then the girls are planning on
slipping through with the channeling of the elemental magic. Not a bad idea
at all."
"But what a shame. It's not like the Five Elements are all about opposing and
complementing elements. Even the earth element from this Central District
can be channelled to the Southern District."
Shiba snickered as he spoke to Kouryuu.
"Kouryuu, as the one who presides over all four directions, you must see the
enemies who are trying to break into this place. The very enemies who
defeated the Four Gods."
The golden dragon twisted its neck to face south and Shiba's sickening smile
became even wider.
"Now show me… show me the power that defends the center of all things."
As Shiba gave his command, Kouryuu began to glow even brighter. Basara
saw this and screamed out
"No!"
The rest of what Basara was going to say was drowned out by the bright
beam of light that shot out from Kouryuu's jaws. The light from the beam
instantly enveloped all the girls.
PART 20
Kouryuu's beam razed everything in sight in the northern area of the South
District. The unblockable beam simply blew apart the ground itself and even
reshaped the very land that was Japan. A large chunk of land in southern
Tokyo was turned into one massive crater, and the sea water was already
flowing in like waterfalls to fill it up.
Shiba looked over all the destruction with a faint smile on his face.
"What a shame… They could have just forcefully dispelled the barrier by
killing one of the Four Gods. But they were so considerate by thinking of the
people outside the barrier. Such admirable girls. I'm sure you were… proud
to cal them your girlfriends Basara."
Those words were the last straw.
"Aaaarrghhhhhhhhh!!"
Basara ground his teeth and let out a howl of rage before flickering out of
Shiba's sight.
"Oh… that's the fastest you've been today. Even with such a battered body."
"But that won't be enough to reach me."
Shiba spun his arm guards in a circular motion, and like some invisible
forcefield, it deflected the sword slash that Basara hurled his way.
"That's enough Basara… You've done enough."
Shiba buried his right palm into Basara's torso and flooded in a wave of Ki
into his body.
"...!"
Unable to even let out a cry, Basara's eyes rolled into the back of his head
and his knees gave out. This time he was done for sure.
"Phew, well that settles that… But now to make sure…"
Shiba walked towards the collapsed Basara, and pointed his right palm at
Basara's back. A spherical ball of Ki appeared in his hand.
"Goodbye Basara…"
But Shiba's final attack never happened.
Because Basara's body just disappeared.
And it wasn't because of the super speeds that he showed before when he
moved. Basara was unable to move at all.
Then it only meant one thing. That another person was able to enter this
barrier.
"Wow… I'm surprised you were able to make it in here."
Shiba sported a smile on his face as he turned to face the uninvited guest.
Right there was a figure clutching onto the beaten and unconscious Toujou
Basara Hasegawa Chisato.
PART 21
As she clutched onto Basara, Chisato Hasegawa, also known as Afureia, was
relieved that she made a contract with Basara. Not long ago, Hasegawa and
Basara went to the hot springs resort together. There she revealed her secret
and the truth to him, and when he accepted, she erected a dimensional barrier
in their room and they spent a time together longer than night.
Through the contract they forged that night, Hasegawa, who was once one of
the Ten Gods, was now a subject to Basara's control. And by doing so, she
was now able to sense where Basara was at all times.
She was tracking him in secret ever since he left for the Village, and when he
used the power of Byakko to enter Shiba's barrier, she used a method only
known to the Ten Gods, to infiltrate within the barrier.
Hasegawa entered from the Northern District. When Hasegawa and Basara
made their contract together, they did so in the area of Nikko. While they
were traveling together, they prayed at two different shrines. One was to
bless them with happiness, and the other was the Nikko Toshogu, the shrine
that worships Tokugawa Ieyasu. As Hasegawa was a god herself, when
praying at the shrine, she was able to receive a divine blessing and was able
to sneak through the barrier undetected. And she was able to bide her time to
find the perfect opportunity to save Basara.
But judging from his wounds now, she wasn't quite sure if she should have
waited.
Basara's heartbeat was faint and he was weakening by the second. And his
bleeding wasn't stopping either. There was no denying that his condition was
critical.
"…How dare you."
The boy in her arms was the very reason for her life. Hasegawa glared at
Shiba. She was about to explode in rage.
"Wow, such killing intent… scary."
"Is it okay for a Ten God to favor an individual so much?… Or maybe that
behavior is in the blood?"
Shiba smirked.
"Your cousin also favored Jin-san didn't she? To the point of giving him a
child and being sealed away to pay the price."
"Am I wrong Afureia?"
Shiba spoke like he knew everything about her, and Hasegawa responded in
kind.
"If you find fault in me helping Basara, then what does that make you?"
"I sense a very familiar presence from you… A presence of a Ten God who
disappeared 20
years ago to visit the Human World, never to come back."
"Those arm guards of yours… must be Reginleif"
Shiba raised his arms to show his weapons and laughed.
"As expected of ex-colleagues. The Ten God Reginleif is now part of my
arms… since that time 20 years ago."
PART 22
The Vatican was taking part in forbidden practices 20 years ago. It was the
cloning experiment for Toujou Jin. And there was a god behind that
treacherous activity. The man who pulled the strings from behind Albareos,
one of the Ten Gods, Reginleif.
But as Shiba's power became too much that they couldn't control it,
Reginleif also disappeared. Many simply thought he returned to the Divine
Realm, but that was not the case.
It was not because they couldn't control Shiba, that Reginleif disappeared. It
was because his disappearance only made Shiba stronger.
How nostalgic. Shiba could never forget the time he was reborn 20 years ago.
Reginleif was interested in him as a vessel since his body was able to absorb
unlimited amounts of corruption. In fact, he wanted that body and ability all
for himself. So much that he was slowly converting Shiba's body into a
divine vessel without Albareos or anyone in the Hero Clan finding out.
But there was something Reginleif overlooked.
First was that Shiba's body did not only absorb and store corruption.
And that Shiba's body was not just a container, but that he was on a whole
other level.
Worst of all, Shiba was already aware of his abilities. So it was only natural
what happened after. Reginleif tried to use two arm guards to absorb Shiba,
but Shiba was able to absorb Reginleif instead.
And by absorbing a Ten God, Shiba became an entity that even the Hero Clan
did not try to mess with.
Now it all makes sense why the Four Gods, Georgius and even Kouryuu
itself, all decided to adhere to the wishes of Shiba. It was because of his
overwhelming strength.
So that was why Shiba was not scared of Afureia. Shiba currently had the
power of Reginleif and the Four Gods. So that is why he was able to give
Hasegawa a nice smile.
"So what will you do? If you're angry about your injured Basara, we can
fight right here. Although it'll be the first time I'd fight a Ten God."
Shiba looked down at Basara being held by Hasegawa.
"Threatening you by attacking an injured Basara might make the fight more
interesting. I really would like to know how powerful you are now that you
have the bloodlust and rage."
"I see…"
"But that won't be by my hands."
And she and Basara disappeared in an instant.
"Huh… she made a great escape after saying such things."
Shiba heard an answer.
"Don't worry, you'll find out soon."
And her voice disappeared with the wind. But there was a sound of
conviction from behind that voice.
"My feelings will definitely destroy you."