Seeing the public bin crushed made me realize I was so close to fatal injury.
The conjurer of the dark gargantuan was out to destroy me!
I somersaulted backward again for safety. However I landed badly and felt the impact on my ankles - somewhere I may have sustained an injury but I was not concerned..
I dug into my jacket's left pockets and pulled out a string of triangle-sized amulets. These are my protective tools and my soldiers whenever I cast a spell. Measuring no more than three inches at its widest they had been blessed and had the character 胜 written on all of them. I had them spread out in a row.
Then I commanded.
"Soldiers of the worlds, at my command and come to my rescue"
The row of talismans sprang into the air like a group of butterflies and lighted up.
I inhaled, drawing in the air around me. Instantly the energy began to blossom in my chest. I felt strength in my heartbeat which was beginning to gallop. I exhaled and then clenched my fists to steady my heartbeat and in one decisive push, I drew the energy into the 丹田abdomen area.
Then I raised my palms and lifted the energy upwards, aiming to drive them to my forehead. With one huff, I signaled with my sword fingers and cried out loud.
"Kōgeki -攻"
Instantly the energy waves flew out like rings at the dark mass. The projectiles sliced off an arm and shaved off masses from its waist and limbs. The impact threw the dark mammoth off balance and it fell onto its knees.
However, it regained its foothold in a split second, amazing me in the process.
Without wasting a breath, it slammed both fists on the ground sending ripples of dark energy toward the air.
The impact threw me, embarrassingly, to the ground. I noticed the lamppost nearby and ran over, swinging myself up the body. With as much agility as I could summon, I crawled up the lamppost.
My nimble moves had angered the colossal figure who reacted with a treacherous arm swing. The move knocked the lights off the lamp and shook the lamppost.
I did not have much chance to stop. As swiftly as possible, I leap into the air and executed a somersault before trying to land as far away as possible.
It was a gamble and I landed clumsily on the back of the figure.
It rocked its head backward and unleashed an ugly yell. Angered, it shook violently, trying to throw me off the back.
With a twitch of its left shoulder, I lost my balance and slipped backward. However, with my other hand, I held onto its shoulders. Barely.
The dark mammoth was no minion. It unleashed a summoning cry that elicited a chorus of shrieks. The dark forces are regrouping and their flapping wings grew louder with the passing second.
It is now or I will be their next meal.
In a swift motion, I raised my sword fingers to the sky and brought it with a loud cry "Kowasu 破!"
I stabbed it right at the nape of the mammoth creature. It paused and I focused my energies on executing the Kuji-in.
I commanded. "临兵斗者皆阵列在乾" and then in one robust blow delivered my powers with a stab on the spot beneath its skull.
An ugly crackling sound was followed by a shattering cry as the dark beast bellowed. I had inflicted real pain.
However, in a backstroke, the beast caught hold of my sleeves and tried to throw me to the ground.
I tried to land but the back draught had the better of me. I lost balance and landed badly on my back.
In my prone position, I found myself looking at the beast, eye to eye. It turned its head to get a better look at me
Close up, I found its eyes were a pair of burning crimson. It struggled to its feet and then drummed its chest. It tried to steady itself but I was more agile and leaped onto his back. I quickly removed my Buki brush and flicked it robustly before planting it on the back of its head.
Immediately the ground shook before there was a long beastly groan.
As I sat on its back, I noticed a mark, faint but visible, on the right shoulder of the mammoth figure. I drew closer to take a look but the mass soon disintegrated into streams of darkness that floated up into the atmosphere.
As I watched it dissipate, I felt weakness in my limbs and dropped to the floor. I folded my legs and quickly regrouped. I focused my energies on my forehead and executed three deep inhales and exhales to steady my energy levels.
It was a matter of seconds when I heard the flapping of wings again.
Who coordinated this? The mark. Could it be our arch-foes?
Why the ambush? And in Singapore?
I barely had time when the darkness regrouped into something more sinister. I checked to find a swarm of rodents squealing in front of me.
Thick-haired that stood like spikes, they flashed their sharp teeth their eyes were burning with malice.
I felt my stomach turned.
The conjurer is a person of dark vibes but a small-minded one with petty tricks.
Only someone dark can create something equally repulsive.
"You are disgusting," I mumbled as I extended a hand into my pocket and pulled out two yellow amulets nicely folded into rectangles.
"You asked for it," I said silently and raised the amulets above my head
"Powers of the worlds, I Adam Wong, Omyoji of the World command you. Destroy all darkness."
I directed my fingers at the dark mass and commanded
"Tobu 飞."
Instantly, streams of yellow energy rose from my palm cascaded into the air, and formed spirals of light. It then spread over the dark masses of rodents and incinerated them. A cacophony of sickening shrills rang in the air as it followed a dark smog.
Within minutes, the attacking hordes were gone. I felt a numb sensation in my fingers. I had over-exerted myself.
As I looked around, I remembered Kelly. I ran back to the bin and searched for her phone.
I picked it up and checked. I had better bring this back to the labs for retrieval.
I turned to head for my car when I heard footsteps behind me
"Adam Takahashi"
I swung around. A familiar voice but the next thing I saw was the foot of a shoe and a sharp pain on my cheeks that travelled up my nerves and bit my neuro senses.
I fell backward
I took seconds to recover as rounds of guffaw dropped over me like sharp pins pricking my skin and ego
"Call me Master Adam," I said " I deserved the title"
My attacker shook his head
"I just defeated you. I knocked that title off you."
"Who are you?"
"Adam, you have been spending too much time away from Japan that you forgot about me!"
I looked up as my eyes tried to figure out the person standing in front of me
Then my skin turned cold as I realized the identity of the person.
It cannot be but it is so. He is standing right in front of me, hands on hips in a triumphant pose.
"Ito? Yasu Ito?"
The lithe figure unleashed a hearty laugh.
"How are you, Adam? You still remember an old friend."
I struggled to my feet and soon tasted the iron at the corner of my lips. I am bleeding
"You have never changed. Still used to shadowy methods."
"That's an art. In our sect, the skills and craft that we are taught."
"You have the perfect excuse for everything."
"Just look at you now." Ito taunted "It seems after these years my craft is stronger than yours?"
"Beating me this way is not an honourable thing, Ito."
"Beating you is everything." Then he chuckled. I cannot help but witness the glow of relish on his cheeks like the children who won the bicycle race and keen to show off.
"You did all these just to beat me?"
"I last remembered our sects are arch-enemies. Remember 2018?'
Yasu was referring to 2018 when there was a clash between the forces of Ten-mon sō and the Dark Robes in Sapporo which resulted in considerable casualties for both parties.
"We are no friends." He repeated.
I reeked from the pain
"Yeah...no friendly would greet with a kick."
"It is my way of saying 'hello'
"Next time, you can drop a message and then we can meet for a meal." I delivered a dose of sarcasm
"You don't deserve a meal." Ito shook his head
"You are rude."
"You deserved a beating."
"What do you mean," I asked.
"Look!" He flashed his hands and pointed to the streets
"You damaged! DAMAGED my creation." He threw me a glare
I tried to suppress a laugh but Yasu had flared up. He raised his right hand and created a trail of blue flame.