Yet throughout the storm,

Hear the leopards and tigers tremble

They too know of the Earth's power

Gingerly they wade their way across dirt

Seiten Taisei lucked out his first time reaching the Heavenly Eastern Sea. Where the sea was on Earth had its own 'division' in Heaven's version of it. This time, he depended on the endless length of his staff. He towered Heaven, surpassing the palace's grand height. The entire landscape a feast for the eyes, Seiten Taisei found the clear sea's 'mark'. Not the sea itself, but something close to a 'gateway' to it. Goko valued his privacy, having a dimension within a dimension dedicated to his own space.

Using the staff to propel himself over, the sage landed flawlessly, and the land beneath him fell into water. Buildings and trees disappeared, leaving the beaming sun and vast blue sky uninterrupted. His long hair swayed like seaweed in the clear waters, and the dragon from before slithered beneath his feet.

Seishi Bosatsu's pagoda stood on long beams in the sea, with koi swarming below the floor boards. A long red walkway led the way down to its centre, where the Goddess of Wisdom sat upon an elaborately designed and cushioned chair. Her eyes closed, she appeared to be asleep.

Seiten Taisei smacked his staff on the floor, unintentionally cracking it. "Hey, wake up."

"I'm awake." Seishi didn't bother opening her eyes, instead propping her head up with her hand. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, Great Sage?"

Never one to beat around the bush, the sage answered her in a clear, strong voice. "I want a better position in Heaven."

She opened her eyes. "And what makes you think I'll do anything about that?"

"To be hoenst, I don't know. But you're the one who brought up the different between Earth and Heaven's time. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't know how much of a waste being some stable hand is. When I visit my village, I want to boast about what I do."

"So this is all for your pride's sake," she noted.

He didn't see the point in wasting time pretending he was humble. No one in Heaven was humble. Just look at them, the second they see dust on their clothes they freeze on the spot and can't go on about their day without cleaning their entire wardrobe. Even the Dragon Kings had immense sense of pride. It was Goko's very pride that gave Seiten Taisei an opening into Heaven's ranks.

So, yes, this was all for his pride's sake. He saw nothing wrong with that. There was nothing wrong with that. People were greedy. Trying to cultivate your conduct in a way depriving you of cardinal sense and nature was just its own sort of pride. One where you thought you could fool yourself into denying human nature. Living nature. Animals fought for food and territory. Lions took no liking to rogues to their pride. Humans are territorial too. Being undermined drove people up a wall.

There was nothing wrong with having enough pride to defend your standards and principles. And Seiten Taisei's absolutely did not stand for having a lowly stable hand job.

Listening to his tangent, Seishi laughed uncontrollably, holding a slender hand to her mouth to stifle her laughs.

"God, you're such a treasure." She pushed her bangs back. "Fine, fine. You know what? I'll see what I can do. There's plenty of things people don't wanna do in Heaven that they'd be more than happy to dump onto others. A bunch of officials who just bask in the feasts and luxuries of their titles. I'd love to see how they react to you of all things threatening that. Especially with this indolent lot."

This seemed rather... easy. Too easy. Seishi took this too easily, made up her mind too easily.

"Don't overthink I. I just wanna see what happens. To me, you're nothing but a novelty, so I wanna see how far you'll go before burning yourself out."

A capricious woman rampant with her own need for amusement. "Are you like this with everyone?"

She finally got her laughter under control, sitting nearly identical to how Kanzeon sat. "Let's put it this way. There is nothing in this world that I will ever tie myself to. Nothing, and no one. It's not because it's the easiest way to live or anything, I've just lived too long to feel attached to things. It's not my style."

"To the point where you don't bother worrying over a Heretic or naming your own son."

"Essentially. I'm just not concerned over the colour of your eyes, and, as far as the child goes..." She put a kiseru to her lips, gently blowing smoke.

"My own thoughts betrayed me." Seishi gave an odd smile. "I stared down at that little newborn, and all I could think was 'is that it?'" A chuckle. "I have lived too long to have an appreciation for the connections I make. The same goes for my sister."

The smoke from her kiseru rose up as a thin pillar, obsructing her face from the sage.

Finally, Seishi spoke up. "So, with that out of the way, what's all of today's fuss over?"

The change of topic made no sense, but satisfied with her word over his position, Seiten Taisei didn't complain. "The demon Gojjn met isn't normal, apparently."

"Yes yes, that, I could gather. The Dragon Kings didn't get their positions because of good looks, that's for sure." She put the kiseru to her lips again, maintaining graceful charm. "The infamous 'demon of Chaand' is out of our armies' leagues. Sealing him just won't do, right?"

Seiten Taisei nodded.

"Then they'll have to kill him. Or should, but God knows no one will volunteer. Not without a War God."

"War God?"

"The only one of heaven with explicit permission to kill. We've been without one for a few months or so because of Chaand's little friend, that's why no one wants to deal with and just dumps it all on Gojin's shoulders."

Ah, so that was why everyone was so ambivalent. Too scared to do dirty work so they had to give it to some specific person.

"What if I wanted to be the War God?"

Dirty work or not, it sounded more eventful. Better to boast about defeating Heaven's foes than being stable boy.

An incredible thing happened. Seishi's eyes widened. "Now, I know I said I'd hook you up with something better than 'protector of horses', but, really now, War God is no better."

Defeating Heaven's enemies and sending them to their grave. Sounded better to him. If he kept getting peaceful jobs, he'd die from the never-ending banal lifestyle up here. Not gonna happen. Bloodshed, fighting, that put a rush into one's life.

"Well, I suppose we do typically give the position to Heretics, but I'm telling you, it's nothing fancy."

"Will it keep me busy?"

"Most certainly." Seishi slipped out of her chair, walking down the pagoda's pathway . She stopped a few feet ahead of Seiten Taisei. She knew what he wanted.

He followed her.

Seishi Bosatsu never failed to drop a bomb.

"Give him a promotion," she said.

No one considered Monju Bosatsu an incredulous person. A spry, youthful appearance made him look no older than Seiten Taisei, lithe with handsome features. Yet Monju's bright eyes hid his composure.

Beside him, his lion stirred, tail slashing the air. It growled deep in its throat, keen to the immediate shift in mood with watchful, amber eyes. Its master's gentle hand, into which the lion nudged its head, ran through its mane. Powerful, controlled, well aware that the beast was no mere pet cat.

There was no beast that did know of Seiten Taisei's power. Leopards and tigers feared him, lions were no different. The moment Seiten Taisei stepped into the room, the lion went slack. On alert, but entirely against striking out or focusing on him. It knew that if it did anything to provoke Seiten Taisei, it'd just be delivering him a new set of clothing. Even the regulator couldn't bar the lion from his overwhelming power. Beasts were smart like that. More in tune with things than the people constantly lording over them.

"Seishi Bosatsu," Fugen rasped, "you're suggesting we allow this being take up the title of War God?"

The previous War God shared blood with the Dragon Kings. Against all odds, he gathered a fair amount of respect, even with his blood-soaked hands. He'd been an anomaly to Heaven's War God history, his descendents succeeding in preceding his reputation. Regardless, he'd been a rare instance. The best way to disconnect Heaven from indoctrining their no-kill laws more often rested solely on the shoulders of Heretics. Beings existing on a polar opposite plane from Heaven.

But this 'sage' was no ordinary Heretic, even – no, especially by Heaven's standards. Inside his body he harboured the Earth's will and Heaven's power. He demonstrated his powers in the Lower World so often that humans and demos revered him as a god. The aptly named Great Sage Equaling Heaven with the most golden eyes anyone ever laid their eyes on.

Giving him any place in Heaven proved an unpopular move, and gave him just enough space to think he could push his luck. As they said, give them an inch and they'll expect a mile. The Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Seiten Taisei, a War God? No one creature should harbour that influence. How could Seishi expect anyone to agree with her? And why did she decide to play accolade to the Heretic after voicing her disapproval of him?

"Surely you've heard of Gojin's condition?" Seishi spoke in a cloyingly pitched voice. "We need a War God, it's non-negotiable against powerful enemies that defy Heaven." She brandished a sunflower from thin air, gesturing to Seiten Taisei. "A Heretic. Powerful. Skilled. Clever. Experiened with bloodshed." The flower disappeared. "He's the perfect candidate."

Rings jangled. Adorned in loose, moss green robes, Jizo Bosatsu called for attention. His skin rich in colour from his usual post granting souls salvation, he spread a warm glow throughout the chamber. Ever patient, the Great Vower, Jizo Bosatsu. He was no naïve, idealistic fool, simply one who found the perfect balance between compromise and common sense.

His smooth voice swept the tension away. "I've met many a victim of the demon of Chaand, several of which being devoted monastics, man and woman; furthermore, some still accompanied by their young acolytes." The rings of his monk's staff swayed with his movements. "And the incident with the Dragon King of the North is greatly unfortunate. With great caution, I agree that a War God of sorts is necessary."

Triumph filled Seishi's eyes. The Goddess of Wisdom, for all her merits, cared not for the situation's details. Only the satisfaction of being right. However, when she heard Jizo pound the monk staff into the floor a second time, any semblance of a smile disappeared into cold disinteret.

"To reiterate, I say that with great caution." Artificial light highlighted the rings. "I won't blindly advocate the Great Sage's 'promotion'."

"Jizo, why are you here?" No warmth, no coldness. Seishi offered complete disinterest. A woman bored to death by the monotony of a meeting. She shook her head, long brown strands of hair falling over her shoulder. "We all know you don't bother with mundane meetings."

The Great Vower never left his post in Hell without good reason. He'd been the reason Heaven's Five met today, far before Seishi appeared in Seiten Taisei's favour.

"I regret to say..." Jizo cleared his throat, adjusting his position on the cushion he insisted to sitting on. "Not only has the demon of Chaand made his mark, but another creature wreaks havoc elsewhere in China."

Fugen furrowed his brow. "What such creature?"

"From what the deceased informed me, a bear-like demon that woke up from a deep, deep slumber just behind a hill near their village."

Seishi smiled. "How convenient."

A look that said she already knew of it. A look waiting for someone else to bring it up so she could use it to her advantage. The goddess' territories had crystal clear waters capable of seeing straight down to the Lower World. Of course she knew.

Cautiously, Monju repeated himself, "Why are you supporting Seiten Taisei?"

"Because he's here now." Infuriatingly vague. She yawned, twisting strands of her long brown bangs. "In any case, why pester me about that when there's a demon that needs taken care of?"

Finally, Seiten Taisei stepped forward, brandishing his confident, fanged smile. "I could take care of him. He's no challenge to me."

"Enough of your mocking, Seiten Taisei." Monju left his post next to his lion. "We both know you hold no care for humans not under you authority."

"The same holds for all in Heaven." Seiten Taisei held his arm up, wrapped in tattered, earthly sleeves. "Take a look at me. Is Heaven so afraid of me they allow me to mar its pearly columns in these rags?"

That had no relevancy whatsoever. If it was new clothing the sage wanted, he could have just asked.

"No," Seiten Taisei protested, "make me the War God, and I'll take the demon down and make new clothing out of his very own hide."

Fugen clenched his fists. "Fancy taking this wretch as 'War God'."

Nodding, Jizo directly addressed the sage, not shying from his intense gold stare. "Are you aware of how demanding the position is?"

"Doesn't matter. I get to do things on a regular basis, and you get to keep me out of your hair. It's a win-win."

Absolutely.

Ludicrous.

Who in their right mind would ever consider such demands? Who in their right would make such demands? The War God was a deplorable, lowly position. It demonised all Heaven stood for, damned to breaking the greatest taboo by taking life. Anyone in that position sentenced themselves to fear and rejection.

Seiten Taisei slowly tilted his head, venom dripping from his breath. "A Heretic, you mean?" From his laugh was danger that crawled over everyone's skin. "Sit there and sneer at me, were I a beast, I am still powerful. That's how all Heretics are, right? We're powerful beings born opposite of your ideologies, and eyes as bright as the summer day's sun. What could be more terrifying than people sitting in the luxury of their positions than beings capable of defying them without breaking a sweat?"

Seishi's slender hand pulled Seiten Taisei back. "Excellent speech," she praised, "but you're going about it all wrong, you rabid chimp." She blew smoke in his face, towering over him. "Don't misinterpret, we owe you nothing here. What I am getting at is that we can make this a mutual relationship, instead of you sucking the life out of us." She placed her hands on her bare hips. "Leaving this creature with mundane duties like horse-sitting will just make his energy fester in all the wrong places. Heaven hates getting its hands dirty and needs a War God."

Nothing she said was wrong, but agreeing with her didn't feel right. She was leading everyone down to Hell with this idea.

"It's up to you," Seishi continued, "if you're that scared, might I suggest a safety net?"

'A safety net'.

What Seishi Bosatsu called a 'safety net', Goko called babysitting.

Appointing the Great Sage Equaling Heaven and the Eastern Army's first platoon on the same assignment could not qualify as anything less or more than babysitting. According to Seishi, it was meant to be an evaluation of sorts for Seiten Taisei.

But it was, without a doubt, babysitting. Like a child, Seiten Taisei bounded ahead of the platoon, admring the Dimension Gate's grandeur. It gleamed of jade, corundum, and gold, expertly crafted with a height towering over all who entered its platform. Its lofty energy charged the chamber with air disconnected from Heaven's. In its presence, a knowing light brightened Seiten Taisei's eyes, and it seemed the gate pulled him forward.

Goko left him be. Even with his strength, Seiten Taisei couldn't force the gate open, instead fumbling with the split of the doors. Instead sleek machinery, well beyond the Lower World's existing advances, required a pass card and code, entrusted to trusted authorities within Heaven.

The likelihood that Seiten Taisei would never receive that extension of trust meant a disheartening future for the East Dragon King.

He entrusted the unit to depart as soon as the Gate opened, assuring he'd follow close behind. To no one's surprise, Seiten Taisei leapt through, his eyes dialated in the Gate's gold light. His quick acting discouraged the unit, but they nonetheless followed suit in an orderly fashion, leaving doubt in the footsteps they left behind.

The lot emerged in the undercut of a waterfall, where the overhang's roaring rush plunged into the river up ahead. The demon of interest was not far. Outside, trees scarred by deep claw marks signaled the demon's territory.

Some look different from the rest, though... Some were nearly pin-straight and medium in length, others curved and as long as a person's arm. Seiten Taisei observed them as well, tracing his claws inside the marks. At first, his face seemed calm, introspective, even. But he soon smile, flexing his claws. In an instant, he marked the tree himself. No, actually, the tree toppled over, cleanly cut down by the Great Sage.

Goko's steered clear of Seiten Taisei, and he couldn't blame them. Tree after tree, Seiten Taisei downed anything with claw marks on it. But only the shorter claw marks. Panicked birds flew away, and the flap of their wings melded into the sound of leaves violently rustling and roots ripping away.

Scowling at the senseless act, Goko finally spoke up. "You're awfully liberal for cutting something the Earth offers down."

Seiten Taisei froze, lowering his claws. When he faced Goko, he still smiled. "If we cut up where he lives, he'll show up here and we don't gotta worry about protecting people in the village."

He was not wrong. No one could deny his understanding of the Lower World. In some ways, that gave him a great advantage. To the left of the unit was definitely a path leading to the village. It wouldn't take much for the demon to run straight there.

Yet, with his strength and cunning, Seiten Taisei would easily deter it. His smugness stemmed from the fact that he could show off his power to a whole army unit, and prove Heaven he was right and fit for War God. He'd make Heaven's most damning role appear impressive.

A roar shook the entire forest. Seiten Taisei jumped to the top of an unmarked tree, with the poise of a bird of prey, smile absent.

He seems to take it seriously, at least.

Goko drew his revolver, but ordered the rest to not follow suit just yet. Ultimately, this was Seiten Taisei's mission. The army unit only accompanied him to prevent casualties or treacheries he'd possibly pull. Stay alert, not eager, holding their breath for Seiten Taisei's first move.

A sphantom among them, Seiten Taisei disappeared from sight. Replacing him was the downward smash of his staff, impaling the ground and lifting a mass of black smoke. In the wispy clouds, a pair of glowing red eyes snapped open, and the forest's roaring continued. The smoke snaked into a solid, massive form of soot-coloured fur and bony spikes. To call it a 'bear' wasn't close at all, but the demon resembled one close enough. Smoke extended from its paws and eyes, and it seemed more like its physical form was a sham, unstable and bulbous. But the impact of its size and claw marks were very much solid.

It locked eyes with Goko, but turned back to the true offender.

"What business do you have with me?"

Perched atop his staff, Seiten Taisei stuck his tongue out. "Beating you, naturally."

The demon rumbled. "You think you can defeat the Smoke Demon Tsuyoi?"

Seiten Taisei waved him off. "Who you are doesn't matter. Don't you know who I am?"

"I have no reason to know what my food calls itself."

The sage's gold eyes widened. "Food?" He chuckled, and it broke into bellowing laughter, with him holding his sides. "Really?"

Not acknowledging him, Tsuyoi dissolved into smoke once more, and the smell of burning wood filled the air. Vibrations shook the dirt beneath Goko and his unit. He braced himself for an attack, but Tsuyoi erupted beyond them, heading straight for the village. A shooting star,, Seiten Taisei followed in the blink of an eye, with Goko ordering the unit to follow him as promptly as possible.

He knew it impossible to keep up with Seiten Taisei, and much to everyone's chagrin, the distinctive sound of that demon crashing into wooden village shacks filled their senses, along with villagers' screams.

Goko never expected Seiten Taisei to go out of his way for humans not part of his own village, but disappointment nevertheless set in at his apparent carelessness.

A soldier well a way's ahead of the others reached the village's entrance first, stopping dead in his tracks. "Dragon King Goko, it's...!"

"What is it?"

"The Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Seiten Taisei, he's keeping the building from collapsing!"

There was no need to go into detail of the disbelief that rose in the pits of the unit's stomachs, and Goko wasted no time to reach the opening. Just as his soldier exclaimed, Seiten Taisei supported a building with the staff, impatiently yelling at panicked villagers to get out from under it. In front of him Tsuroi's body hardened once again.

Seiten Taisei didn't struggle with the building's weight. His gritted teeth flashed at Goko with fire in his eyes. "Don't just gawk at me, move!"

Realisation hit Goko, and he ordered his unit to move villagers out of the way. There wasn't any salvaging the building, only its former patrons. As soon as the area had been vacated, Seiten Taisei let the building collapse. No longer burderned by human lives, his smile returned to the thrill of battle.

He rushed in front of Tsuroi, flawlessly blocking the swipe of a massive right paw. The opposite paw swiped for him, forcing him to elongate and slacken the staff into its three-sectioned form. His speed allowed him to avoid both paws, and he twisted around the right paw, the three sections roughly wrapped around it until Seiten Taisei heard a bone snap as easily as a twig. With a growl, Tsuroi struck down with his left paw, but Seiten Taisei thwacked it back. He didn't linger, instead leaping away, returning his staff to its primary form. He could still feel the paw's impact pressing into the staff.

"You're..." He smiled. "You're stronger than you look."

Tsuroi stomped backward. His weight shifted more on the right than the left, all of the muscles contracted and rigid.

"Don't mock me."

"I'm not," Seiten Taisei replied, "I'm complimenting you. I'm not allowed to?"

Limping, Tsuroi thrust his head up. "You say that, but I can see the pity in your eyes. Don't look down on me!"

His body turned to smoke, disappearing completely. Like clockwork, Seiten Taisei wisely jumped back, landing beside Goko, still sporting that wicked expression. The creature next to Goko could end this with one fatal strike of his hand, but chose to play with his staff.

Witnesses to the scene, Goko's unit kept still, careful not to interefere. Goko, on the other hand, looked around the village. Too many villagers froze in fear, all likely victims if Seiten Taisei toyed with Tsuyoi any longer. He moved backward, leaving Seiten Taisei in front of him.

"Seiten Taisei."

"Hmm?"

Goko closed his eyes, his fingers stroke the barrel of his revolver. "Do as please against Tsuroi, but when I give the signal, move out of the way."

Not looking back at him, Seiten Taisei nodded. "What's the signal?"

"You'll know when you hear it."

Goko lifted his free hand, a gesture all in his units recognised with great respect. They straightened their posture, and he felt all their expectant eyes focus on his back and heard the clicks of their personal revolvers.

He paid no attention to the vibrations underground nor the roaring of the forest. Admittedly, Goko waited for one thing, and one thing only.

Ahead of them, what Goko called Seiten Taisei's 'hunting stance' returned. Eyes and hears keen, muscles braced for impact. Finger on the trigger of his revolver, Goko held his breath, as did his unit. A moment like this, one's heart pounds instinctively, your brain and nerves hoping that you can resist the urge to shoot at the wrong knee-jerk moment. This sort of position required that you played with fire.

Then the golden moment happened. Seiten Taisei jumped upward, thrusting the staff deep into the ground, and smoked out the bear-like demon.

"Shoot now!"

Like shooting stars, a flurry of bullets cut through the air.

"What?!" Having not landed yet, Seiten Taisei stiffened at the barrage, and Goko saw what might be the only instance of panic the beast ever expressed in his life. The staff and its owner grew into the sky above, quickly avoiding the bullets.

Tsuroi, on the hand, was no so fortunate. All tranquilisers dug deep into his solid body, and he wildly rolled to the ground in agony and anger. He dragged his body as close to the unit as he could, but another bullet from Goko stopped his movements.

Not giving the unit an opportunity to celebrate the success, Seiten Taisei landed right in Goko's face.

"What the hell kinda signal was that?!" Although he'd resembled a young man in his early 20s, anger somehow made Seiten Taisei seem younger. "Asshole! You can't just shout 'Now!' and have your groupies shoot when I'm in the middle of their fire!"

Taken aback by the beast filling the sight of his good eye, Goko blinked. He knew the beast for an impulsive one, but he didn't give off the impression of having a fierce temper. He always wore a smile and let things happen as they did.

"I thought you'd be flattered I knew you could avoid it."

"Who in their right mind would be flattered by a buncha goddamned bullets flying their way?"

"That's not what I meant, but I suppose your anger isn't unprecedented. I didn't want to alarm the demon prematurely, in my defence."

"Asshole."

"Killing him would've blown your change. You're not a War God yet. Killing is forbidden, and you have no means of sealing demons. Be thankful I acted."

That shut Seiten Taisei down quickly, and his body slacked as rigidly as possible. "None of those other gods mentioned that."

"Of course not." He left it at that, addressing his unit. "We're returning now!"

His unit followed his command to a T, and he followed behind, Seiten Taisei sulking beside him.

"I see you're still angry."

"You're an asshole."

"Hearing that from the creature-"

"I'm not just some creature!"

Humour him. "...hearing that from the sage that took my eye out leaves me feeling indifferent."

If anything, speaking to Seiten Taisei killed time, and they reached the forest and its toppled trees in no time. He glanced at an unharmed tree, one of the many with the deeper, longer claw marks. Nothing like Tsuroi's, and the only marked trees Seiten Taisei never laid his claws on. The trees stood out even more with those two qualities.

Why had those been the only marked trees he ignored? He didn't like the feeling that tapped the back of his head. A warning against an unseen force. But asking Seiten Taisei the logic behind his actions felt futile.

That isn't why I'm not asking him.

Goko sighed, walking through the waterfall.

It just means they're not done here.

After Dragon King Goko filed a report as soon as he returned, Monju and Fugen, left to the company of each other in the chamber, exchanged plain looks.

"Although there was some intervention, it seems Seiten Taisei succeeded in his task."

"Indeed." Monju stroked his lion, feeling its soft mane. "And knowing Seishi Bosatsu..."

"...we won't hear the end of it until we finalise our decision."

The Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Seiten Taisei, the former 'Protector of Horses'.

A new War God for Heaven's troubles.