As the first blush of dawn stretched across the sky, painting the horizon in hues of pink and amber, Kenshiro, Mei, and Nori emerged from the sanctuary of the ancient tree, dashing ahead, following Kenshiro. The world around them lay draped in the eerie, silent beauty of a post-apocalyptic landscape, its plains overgrown and twisted by decay and the passing of time untended.
Mei asked, "Kenshiro. Where are we going?"
"The Tribe Of Merchants. It's where Kiro wanted me to go. I know I know, it seems super sketchy, but for some reason I know he wouldn't bullshit me. Especially after everything he did. We have to pass through the Land of the Mist, and then the Hidden Temple is past it, and that's on the way to the Nine Tails."
Nori said, "T-The Tribe of Merchants… used to trade materials vital for my puppets," Nori explained as they dashed through a thickly wooded area, where the trees twisted skyward like the gnarled fingers of giants. "Silks that wouldn't tear, dyes as vivid as the sunset.. and woods that seemed almost eternal."
Kenshiro responded, "And those were for the children you made puppets for? Was it expensive?"
"It was…yes. But for them, it didn't matter."
"I bet."
Mei said, "What's so special about the Tribe Of Merchants?"
Kenshiro responded, "SoulSong Battle Art. Every member of the tribe has a certain variant of it, technically all the techniques do the same thing. They assisted the heroes and helped take down Ryujin during the first fall of Ryujin. And based on everything I've seen and heard, it seems Takeda can harness Battle Art. He might want theirs as well. Maybe even manipulate it."
Nori asked, "…W-What makes you say that?"
"I have the Battle Art: Runes of Vigor. Which Takeda had someone stake out because he wanted it. He had Kiro as a pawn for a while, but I bet he was gonna kill him and take his SoulSong Battle Art eventually after he had his uses for him. Runes of Vigor kept me alive for a while, it's useful. But he can't access a shadows Battle Art because of his rot."
"But you can.."
"Exactly. Maybe because they said I'm a Shadow Of God, whatever that really means."
'If we reach the Hidden Temple…what if there's answers there? There's gotta be a deeper reason Kiro wanted me to go there.'
Their path unwound through landscapes that whispered ancient secrets. Overgrown structures from a bygone era loomed on the horizon, their purposes obscured by the march of time and the encroaching rot that marred the land.
"It was Kiro's last wish, for me to find this temple," Kenshiro said, his voice low, almost lost amidst the rustling of the leaves. "I don't know why, but he insisted it was important."
"Isn't that suspicious though?" Mei interjected, her eyes scanning the dense mist that begun to curl around their ankles like living things.
"Maybe. But it's worth a shot, and it's on the way to the Nine Tails Chimera Fox," Kenshiro replied, his gaze firm and unyielding as he led them deeper into the mist.
As they progressed, the environment grew increasingly surreal. Vast mushrooms towered over them, their caps large enough to shelter a small house, casting strange, mottled shadows on the ground. The trees bore fruits that glowed faintly in the dim light, bathing their surroundings in an ethereal glow.
Mei was wiping her hands on them, horrifically amazed, saying, "Whoa…"
Kenshiro added, "This looks…surreal.."
Nori asked Kenshiro, "How do you know where to go?"
Kenshiro stopped, "Oh. Fuck. Um..I don't know. I'm just moving ahead."
"Oh my goodness..we're super lost."
"No, no, don't panic."
Mei said, "We're definitely screwed."
Kenshiro said, "Waitttt. Wait. I know where we're going, I'm still using what Kanbei gave me to track the Nine Tails. I'm just hoping we come across the Land of the Mist and that's how I know we're near the Hidden Temple."
Nori sighed, "Ohh..okay. Refreshing."
Mei walked past Kenshiro, "Hmph. Almost had us for a second."
Occasionally, they passed through villages frozen in time, their inhabitants long gone, leaving only the ghostly silhouettes of their daily lives etched into the landscape. In one small town, the market square was filled with stalls still stocked with wares, now covered in a thick layer of dust and cobwebs, as if waiting for customers who would never come. Kenshiro, Nori, and Mei spread out through the area, checking and making sure everything was clear, or looking for shadows they could use for accessing its Battle Art.
FWOOSH!
The wind blew slightly, and the dandelion on Kenshiro's hip blew away, but Kenshiro caught up instantly, saying, "Aghh. That was close. Mei would definitely fuck me up if I lost it."
Mei noticed what Kenshiro did, but she didn't hear what he said. She just stared, then kept searching around
Nori said, "I found…nothing."
Mei, arriving, "Me either."
Kenshiro was behind a market, seeing a large pit full of bodies covered in rot. He stared at it, and he took deep breaths. He moved away from it as he almost thought about his own village for too long. He knew that if he went into a carnage state, Mei or Nori would not be able to stop him.
As they ventured deeper, the forest gave way to a clearing where the mist was thinner. The ground was scattered with diamonds that glittered maliciously under the weak sunlight that filtered through the fog. However, the beauty of the scene was overshadowed by a gruesome sight: warriors and ordinary people alike were frozen within the diamonds, their faces etched in eternal horror.
Kenshiro knelt beside one of the diamond prisons, his expression somber. "These were not mere decorations," he murmured, "but traps, or perhaps punishments."
'They look familiar..'
Mei said, "Look!"
Among the statues, two figures caught their attention: a male and a female, each wearing masks—one white, one red. The masks were beautifully crafted, with intricate designs that hinted at high status or significant power. The figures were halfway encased in the diamonds, as if they had been interrupted in the midst of an escape.
Nori said, "They're..alive…"
Kenshiro commented, "We gotta help them!"
Looking up, the sky had begun to darken ominously, and in the thickening clouds, a shape coalesced. A diamond centaur, majestic and terrifying, her body carved from the same cruel diamond as the land below. A long blade, crafted from a single, flawless diamond, served as her arm, and wings made of countless sparkling shards beat slowly in the sky.
Her hair, long and flowing, shimmered like the rest of her—cold and beautiful. As she surveyed the group from her lofty position, her voice, resonant and chilling, descended to them on a gust of wind.
"New opponents... love it.." she declared, an edge of malice and anticipation coloring her tone. "Enemies….supply…souls…"
As the echoes of her words faded, the diamond-winged centaur retreated back into the swirling mists above, leaving a heavy silence in her wake. Kenshiro stood up, his resolve hardening. "We need to be cautious," he said to Mei and Nori, "We are not just observers here, but players in whatever game this land demands."
Mei said, "Battle Art: Flower Petal." Her scythe was created, covered in roses and other flowers.
And Nori got into a fighting stance, blades sticking from his arms and legs
Kenshiro asked, "So, does anyone know who she is? Because I don't."
Nori halted their cautious advance through the jewel-encrusted landscape, sensing Kenshiro and Mei's confusion at the sight of the formidable, diamond-encrusted centaur in the clouds. Noticing their puzzled looks, he began to unravel the lore of this mysterious creature.
"Her name is….Geminea," Nori began in a restrained tone, his eyes casting back to the fleeting glimpse of the diamond centaur. "Created by Fujin, the divine dragon head of Wind, Geminea was initially a guardian—a sentinel in the skies, meant to oversee and protect the realms of the earth below."
Kenshiro and Mei listened intently, their glances occasionally shifting to the ominous clouds that still whispered the presence of the centaur.
"I studied a lot. I know a few things, k-kinda. Fujin…crafted Geminea from the breath of the highest winds and the earth's hardest crystals. She was both beautiful and formidable, a perfect amalgamation of air's swiftness and earth's endurance. Her tasks were many, but mostly, she served as a protector against calamities from above, harnessing Fujin's power to divert storms and quell tempests that threatened the lands."
Mei, with a frown knitting her brow, asked, "Then how did she become... this? A threat?"
Nori nodded gravely, his expression darkening. "When Shikorin, the dragon head of Rot, began to extend its influence upon the world, nothing was wholly…immune. Even beings of divine origin could become corrupted if touched by its decay. Geminea, despite her strength and purity, fell victim to Shikorin's creeping rot, her essence turning from guardian to that of a harbinger of doom…The rot did not kill her innate abilities but twisted them. Her protective oversight turned into vengeful surveillance. She now sees living creatures as threats to her dominion, the jewels of her body mimicking the rot's spread, turning all she captures into crystal statues—forever frozen, forever part of her corrupted realm."
Kenshiro processed this, his grip tightening on his katanas. "So, she views us as invaders, or worse, as threats to be neutralized? Fuck…"
"E-Exactly," Nori confirmed. "Geminea's original purpose was preservation through…prevention, utilizing her mighty storms and winds to shield the land. Now, misled by Shikorin's rot, she likely believes she is still fulfilling her purpose, but through means that are... decidedly more fatal and permanent…"
Kenshiro thought, 'Shikorin's rot can even convert divine beings created by the heads of Ryujin. Like the Nine Tails. This is bad. Can we beat her at this level? Can I beat her at this level?'
As the weight of their situation settled around them, Mei looked up at the churning clouds, her determination reflecting in her sharp gaze. "Then we must kill her."
Kenshiro stood up fully, "I agree."
Mei asked, "You do?"
"Yep. Why wouldn't I? If we don't kill her, she's gonna get us. And I have my revenge that still needs to be dealt with. I have to kill Takeda. Nothings gonna stop me, not even this diamond bitch."
As Kenshiro, Nori, and Mei advanced cautiously towards the crystalline figures trapped in diamond, the sky darkened ominously. Geminea, with her diamond-encrusted form swirling ominously amongst the clouds, had noticed their intentions. Her voice, cold as the jewels she commanded, boomed through the trembling air, "You... are my biggest threat!"
With a wrathful snarl, Geminea's mouth opened, emitting a brilliant, chilling light. From within, massive lances of hardened diamond began to materialize, each one sharper than any blade fashioned by human hands. With ferocious force, she hurled these lances toward the earth, each one screaming through the air like a comet, leaving trails of icy vapor in their wake.
Kenshiro exclaimed, "Look out!" He pushed Nori and Mei out of the way fast, and a lance connected with him, but he stopped it with his katanas, but he was blasted away at fast speeds.
Mei exclaimed, "Kenshiro!"
Nori said, "Can't stay…in one spot!"
The ground erupted wherever these diamond lances struck—trees splintered and exploded into sprays of bark and splinters, the earth itself groaning and splitting open in violent fissures. Kenshiro, Nori, and Mei leapt and dodged, their bodies a blur of motion, narrowly escaping the chaotic destruction each lance left in its wake. The air was filled with the sounds of cracking wood and shattering crystals, punctuated by their own labored breaths.
"Go! Free the two survivors!" Kenshiro shouted over the din of destruction, nodding towards the imprisoned figures still half-submerged in the cruel crystals. Mei nodded, her eyes reflecting the resolve that Kenshiro's voice carried, and she quickly sprinted towards the trapped figures, Nori at her heels.
Kenshiro, meanwhile, turned his focus back to the sky, drawing Geminea's attention more firmly onto himself. He positioned himself strategically, a mere silhouette against the ruination around him. The high stakes of his plan weighed on him, but his resolve did not waver.
'I can use the lances she's throwing as vaults to reach up to her! But I have to time them right!"
Geminea, recognizing his challenge, focused her wrath more intensely on Kenshiro. "You… dare defy the winds of fate!" she cried out, her voice echoing as another lance, larger and more menacing than the others, formed rapidly in her mouth.
Kenshiro braced himself, his muscles tensed for the crucial moment. As the diamond lance shot forward, a deadly projectile aimed precisely, he sprinted with all his might. Timing his movement with breath-held precision, he leapt onto a shattered stump, then sprang from the debris of a splintered tree, catapulting himself into the air just as the lance tore through the space where he had been.
The lance's impact with the ground was cataclysmic, sending a shockwave of shattered diamond and earth outward. But Kenshiro, riding the chaotic wave of force, found his ascent fueled by the explosive power unleashed by Geminea's own weapon. Higher and higher he soared, a figure defined by sheer determination, closing the distance between himself and the twisted guardian of the skies.
As Kenshiro reached the apex of his daring ascent, eyes locked on the diamond centaur above, the scene froze—a tableau of destruction, courage, and a battle against darkened fate. Geminea's eyes, cold and hard as the jewels she wielded, met Kenshiro's in a moment charged with the unspoken acknowledgment of his challenge.
And there, high above the shattered landscape, with pieces of the earth still drifting downward and the remnants of obliterated trees settling into their new graves, Kenshiro was high above the clouds, actually standing on the clouds which the surface seemed to be a diamond platform, and Geminea a few feet away from him, the sky storming with lightning and thunder.
Kenshiro stretched out both katanas, and said, "You're done."
Geminea laughed, "You're an enemy to this land!"