Chapter five: The Day of Trial

Up in Tenkai, Kami-sama was facing a serious problem, and everyone started to become tense. Even careless and calm Tenpo became rattled.

The army marshal entered the Tenkai library and went straight to the History section, where he took a couple of large, leather-covered books: Famous Fighting gods, and Wars Against Earth (2nd edition).

He carried them to a reading table, flipped both open, and scanned each page quickly. He didn't even stop for a while to read an interesting part on The War of 7000 B.C.

Several minutes later, he finally found what he was looking for, slammed the book shut, and went to find Kenren.

"It's amazing, how you cook so well." complimented Lei on Nataku's noodles.

Nataku had sent her to town to buy as pot and some ingredients, and had cooked up lunch for both of them. Lei had even been mistaken for a man (she dresses like one), and was flirted on before she irritatedly hollered the truth that made several girls faint in shock.

"I'm used to cooking." Nataku said as he slurped his noodles, sitting on the ground with his legs crossed.

He remembered how Li Touten would scold him for cooking too slow and shivered.

Suddenly, a glowing ball fell from the sky like a shooting star. Nataku and Lei stared at it and immediately knew that someone had descended.  Nataku stood up and walked to where the sphere landed, Lei following closely behind him.

Nataku led Lei to a clearing, where Kenren stood, a cigarette in his hand.

Nataku skipped the greeting part and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Kenren lighted his cigarette and answered casually, "Tenpo sent me to tell you of what's been happening. I don't know, though, since when a general became a messenger."

Lei stood behind Nataku, listening to every word.

"Tenpo? What did he say?"

"Well…there's a good news and a bad news. The bad news is, the Heaven and Earth Opening Sutras were stolen."

"What happened?" Nataku asked with less surprise.

"There was an attack on a major city miles away from the temples keeping the Sutras. We were sent to dispose of them, but while we were fighting, the Sutras were stolen. The West Army was quickly dispatched to prevent it, but I guess they were too few, since they had to be divided into five troops. It was like an all-out attack from the demons. Someone very powerful must be controlling them."

Nataku looked pensive for a while, and then, he said, "And the good news?"

"Zerev was spell-bound in south-east Togenkyo-somewhere at the foot of Mt. Jura."

"That's about fifty miles way. It will take us less than a day to fly there," Lei said knowingly.

As Nataku walked away, Lei felt Kenren's eyes on her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, slightly irritated.

"Since when is it illegal to look at you?" Kenren answered with a sarcastic curl of the lip.

"It's not. I just feel like you want to say something," said Lei.

Kenren inserted his hands into his pockets.

"I just can't get used to the idea that you're a girl."

"It's not very hard to get used to," Lei answered and turned away.

Zerev's most faithful follower, Jiro, knelt in front of his spell-bound master as if worshipping him. The Heaven and Earth Opening Sutras were laid around him, and candles were lit nearby, giving the cavern a shrine-like look.

A demon loomed into view around him. Hearing his footsteps, Jiro stood up and called, "Come."

As the demon walked nearer, Jiro took out a dagger. Unexpectedly, he turned around and slashed his fellow demon's neck. Jiro's victim clutched his throat and stared at Jiro with a horrified look on his face. Then, he fell to the ground.

Jiro tok a cup and filed it with the demon's blood. He slowly walked to his master and poured the red liquid around Zerev's feet. Then, he walked back to the Sutras and unscrolled each one. He then read the incantations. He didn't neen a Sanzo; he had already read one's memory.

A blinding, white light filled the cavern as Jiro read the incantations louder, and the Sutras began to float and glow. The blood, which was poured around Zerev's feet, began to get absorbed into Zerev's statue-like figure and climbed up his legs. The life-giving liquid flowed through his body like his own blood, reviving every part of his body ever so slowly. Little by little, Zerev's body became less stone-like and turned to flesh. The blood reached his head, and Zerev gave out a loud yell as he flexed the muscles that had been dormant for so long.

As Jiro finished his incantation, the Sutras slowly fell to the ground and Zerev stood alive as ever, before his loyal servant.

For the first time, Homura looked down from Tenkai. He gazed at the earth below and felt a pang of worry.

"It's started…it's really started…" he murmured.

Though an impending danger was felt throughout Tenkai, Kami-sama (and even more, Li Touten) didn't want the army to help Nataku. All Homura could do was say, "Good luck, Nataku-sama."

***

Mentor and apprentice flew swiftly through the sky. The humans below gaped at the two streaming paths in the sky and took it a sign of good luck. Though in truth, something very unlucky had already happened…

A pillar of smoke rose up in Nataku's view, half a mile from Mt. Jura.

"Something big is burning," said Lei as she judged the thickness of the smoke.

Nataku ignored it. Curious, Lei swooped down to investigate, but her mentor flew on, not noticing her dissapear from behind him.

Lei soon caught sight of a village that was being attacked by a gang of demons. She hadn't even landed and already, a few demons shot at her. Lei dodged them and landed quickly, but an arrow grazed her leg.

She ignored her minor injury and hid behind the ruins of a torn-down house. She looked around and saw that the town was in total chaos. Houses burned, children cried, women screamed, and demons ran all over the place.

Something in the corner of her mind told her to return to Nataku, but the villagers' pitiful state told her to help, and her thoughts of her master were all driven away.

"Jiro-sama, gods! They're here!" yelled an alarmed demon as he ran to his master.

"The Heavenly Army?" asked Jiro. "Don't worry, Master Zerev is with us. How many are they?"

"One. But we're not too sure. There may be more."

"What?" Jiro said, enraged. "How dare they under-estimate us! Send our best men to fight this god. We'll teach him not to under-estimate our master."

"What the-" Nataku exclaimed as he looked behind him. Lei wasn't there.  "Where is that stupid girl now?"

Irritated, Nataku began to fly back to find her, but stopped when he saw half a dozen demons gathered under a patch of trees at the foot of the mountain.

He remained suspended in midair for a few seconds and pondered on his choice. Then, he clucked his tongue and flew to the demons. Lei can wait; Zerev can't.

He swooped down, unnoticed, behind a tree. The demons were gathered in a circle at a mouth of a cave and seemed to be engrossed in a conversation.

"Why does the master need guards if he's as strong as they say?" complained one. "We should be enjoying in the village by now."

Another smirked and said, "Don't complain. He's weak. It's been 8000 years, you know."

"Should we give him a woman? He hasn't fucked for 8000 years." said one.

His companions laughed loudly.

Nataku gritted his teeth. He came too late to stop the revival.

He tried to inch nearer, but he stepped on a dried twig that made a very audible crack!

The demons jumped and looked at eh place where Nataku was. One of them pulled out a scimitar.

Finding no choice, Nataku went out in the open. The demons stared at the charka on his forehead, then pulled out weapons like knives, swords, and such.

Nataku assumed a stance, narrowed his eyes, and looked at his opponents. Then, a few more demons appeared. Atleast at first, it was a few, but more demons began to come out from the cave. Some jumped down from the ledge above the cave, while some came from the sides. What were once only six demons became more than 5 hundred. Nataku stared.

When the demons attacked all at once, Nataku yelled a battle cry, his fists held ready in front of him.

Just when the whorde of demons were about to attack, Nataku's eyes went wide, as if overwhelmed by his opponents' number. He dropped his fists, yelled in fright, turned around, and ran away.

"AAAAAH!!"

"Aaaaah!"

Lei was running away from her opponents, who were about 2 hundred. One of them was as big as two houses put together.

"I definitely didn't wish for this!" she muttered as she ran like hell, her swords hanging uselessly from her waist.

She looked back, and saw that the demons were gaining on her. She ran even faster, still looking behind her. Suddenly, she heard a familiar yell. She looked in front of her and saw Nataku's face a couple of feet from her.

"Aack! Nataku-sama, save me!" she cried and unconsciously hugged her master in fright.

Nataku was apparently shocked and blinked.

Next chapter: On, To The Battle Field!