Chapter Thirty Eight

This might be longer than originally planned but hey. XD

Talpa sat in the study looking through the different books. She heard the door open behind her and she didn't have to look back to see who it was, "did you enjoy the ceremony, Kongo?"

He grabbed her hand and turned her to face him, "you don't have my children as leverage anymore, I can easily snap your neck."

"Would that be wise, let me explain something you missed out on," she said yanking her hand away. "You kill me, I will open the doors to the nether realm and keep them open. Raijin will invade and even if you manage to defeat him, it won't be easy. I can guarantee you a lot of you will die. You keep me alive, and you will have the Dynasty to support your campaign."

"And you'll be loyal?"

"Til Raijin is dead, yes," she smiled. "I can't defeat the old fool on my own. Years ago, when I invaded the Earth, it was to get an army of my own to defeat him. Then work my way up to three gods but you took care of them for me already."

"And what's your plan for Kayura?"

She smiled, "what plan for Kayura?"

"I know you're up to something."

"You question your Emperor, Kongo," she said standing on tip toe and touching his chest. "There are much less violent ways of procuring information, there could be an arrangement."

Kento pushed her off and she fell to the ground laughing, "god, you're sick."

"Me?"

He looked at her angrily, her eyes boring into him.

"I'm not the one who let his wife to suffer slowly by herself," Talpa grinned. "Her spirit may be beyond the gates, but there are still some memories in her head that won't even leave in death. Did you know that she would sob for you, even when Stark was holding her?"

Kento grabbed her up by the collar of her shirt and slammed her against the shelf, "you bastard, leave her..."

She giggled, "oh dear, Kongo. Such beautiful rage. I miss seeing warriors like you. Even my warlords have hearts of gold now. I could make you a perfect being. Free of regret and sadness, and free to fight for eternity with glory always by your side."

He dropped her, "you're mad."

"State something that's not obvious."

"Why would I even follow you, you killed my wife."

"I didn't, Kayura did," she said with a chuckle as she stood up. She could see his fist balled up with veins pressing against the skin, "I played no role in her death. Kayura foolishly gave her the armor far too early, when my soul still rested in it."

"She saved us though."

"Would your really equate your lives as equal of that Hoshi? I mean, the warlords are just the same killers they were when I took them into my army. Rekka and Korin have left their fighting spirits behind even Suiko has more of a will in battle than they do. Then there's poor Tenku, he died and left his armor to your unable son," she assessed. "Were these lives really worth saving?"

He slammed his fist into the shelf near her head and it shattered into splinters. She just closed her eyes and leaned her head to one side as he said, "I won't let you mess with my head..."

"Then why are you here with me?"

He pulled back and she opened her dark eyes. He stammered, "the way they look at me..."

"They accuse you of killing your wife quietly," she said leaning against the broken shelf. "Even Stark felt that way..."

Kento bit slammed his hand on the desk, breaking it down, "I said..."

She walked over to him and gently took his fist into her small hands, "these are truths Kongo that they won't even accept. They accuse you but won't say it. Can you really be a comrade of warriors who don't trust you?"

He lowered his hand as she looked at him with her big dark eyes. He kept reminding himself that she wasn't his wife. That whatever rested inside of her small body was the epitome of evil. The same being that invaded Tokyo and killed Yuli's parents. The same being the killed Anubis. The same being that kidnapped him, Sage, and Cye and tortured them for days. The same being that ate them whole, not once but twice. Her hands were just as soft as he remembered though. He thought back to the night the three of them were married.

"Big Faun," she gasped as Rowen held her.

He pulled away, "I don't fight for you. I fight for my children and for humanity."

"I have no interest in humanity anymore," she said abruptly. "Like I said, I only invaded so that I could fortify my army to defeat Raijin. All I want is to return to my thrown and kick off the people who took it from me. I won't touch your children or Earth if you join me."

He glared at her, "then why do you need me?"

"I need someone who can kill a God and her priestess, so I can return to my throne," she said with a soft smile. "Will you do that for me?"

He turned away and she saw his eyes glazing over, it only took the right set of words before her darkness would seep into his armor. She only needed one to fall for her power before they all fall back into her grip. He looked at her over his shoulder, "tell me what, I should do, Emperor."