Chapter 67 - Sacred Secrets
[Japan Senshado Federation Meeting - The Next Morning]
(Shiho, Chiyo and Mai were attending the emergency meeting of the Japanese Senshado Federation regarding the events that happened during the Semi-Finals)
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T STOP THE TOURNAMENT!?" Shiho shouted
"We can't..we're already in the second round of the semi-finals and stopping right now would have a big impact on the sponsors.." Yamato Himura said
"Are you really saying that Himura-san? Somebody just died! A tank crew was seriously injured and is currently in the hospital right now!" Mai said
"And this isn't just a random person that died! It's Kuromorimine's Tank Maintenance Chief and Nishizumi Gero's foster father!" Chiyo shouted
"I understand that this person is very close to you, but the board has already made the decision and I can't do anything about it.." Yamato Himura added
"Understand?! How can you understand what it means to lose someone?! You heartless bastards..do you not feel anything for the children?!" Shiho shouted
"A long time ago in the past I lost my wife and child in a traffic accident because I wasn't there to be the one driving..the same kind of heartless bastards forced me to go to work even though it was my day off so for your information, yes I do understand them Nishizumi-san.." Yamato Himura said
(The situation was getting worse as the arguments occurred. Shiho gave a look to Mai to confirm if what he was saying is true and Mai nodded in response)
"So those in favor of continuing the 64th National Senshado Tournament please raise your hands.." Yamato Himura said
(One by one the members of the board raised their hands. The only ones that didn't raise their hands were Shiho, Chiyo, Mai, Kodama, and Tsuji Renta. They were obviously outvoted and there was nothing else they could do)
"Kodama-san and Tsuji-san? What is the meaning of this?" Yamato Himura asked
"Calm down..even if I didn't raise my hand you'd still win the votes..I'm just showing how I also do not agree with how things are decided.." Kodama said
"If I may add something since there is already a clear winner?" Renta Tsuji said
"What is it?" Yamato Himura asked
"I'd like to strongly suggest that we give the students an opportunity to properly mourn the dead..and to give the dead a proper burial..we owe them that much..don't you agree? I'm sure you were given that opportunity when you lost your family weren't you?" Renta Tsuji said
(After hearing the suggestion the whole room went quiet because they were surprised that Renta Tsuji was the one that gave the suggestion. Yamato Himura after having a stare down with Renta Tsuji gave his answer)
"Very well..we will have the second round of the semi finals in two weeks from now just as planned..then after the semi-finals it will be two weeks instead of one before the finals..that would be a month of extension..that's the best we could give..do you accept?" Yamato Himura said
(Shiho, Chiyo, and Mai talked for a little bit after hearing the offer and gave their answer)
"We accept the offer.." Chiyo stated
"This meeting is now dismissed!" Kodama said
(One by one the members were leaving the room and Renta Tsuji was about to leave as well but he was called out by Chiyo)
"Renta-san.." Chiyo said
"What can I do for you Shimada-san?" Renta Tsuji asked
"Thank you for suggesting the extension..it wasn't what we had hoped for but it would give them a chance to mourn even if just for a bit.." Mai said
"I also lost people in the past..I know how it feels..those children are the future..and as the adults we have to guide them..." Renta Tsuji said
"Never thought I'd hear that from someone who wanted to close down my daughter's school twice.." Shiho said
"We all make mistakes..this is my way of repenting.." Renta Tsuji said
"That I agree..thank you.." Shiho said
"Can you let me know when the wake will be held? Kodama-san and I want to drip by and pay our respects.." Renta Tsuji said
"Of course, I'll let you know.." Shiho said
"Thank you..please excuse me.."
(After leaving the meeting room Shiho, Chiyo and Mai were in front the building waiting for their cars to arrive when Shiho asked Mai about Yamato Himura)
"So..it's really true about Yamato Himura's family?" Shiho asked
"Yes..his wife was my sister..they were caught in an accident.." Mai said
"I see..so he married into your family.."
"How old was his son?" Chiyo asked
"Four years old.."
"That's horrible..such a young boy.." Chiyo said
"They never recovered the bodies because the car caught fire and all they could find was the ashes.."
"How long ago was this?" Shiho asked
"I'd say about twelve years ago.." Mai said
(Shiho and Chiyo were surprised to hear that it was the same as when Gero's failed assassination happened)
"It was about the same time when one of our students suddenly disappeared.." Mai said
"Do you know what that student name was?" Shiho asked
"If I remember correctly, the boy's name was Tsukasa Eiji..a classmate of Kaede.."
(Mai then saw the expression on both Shiho and Chiyo's face)
"What's wrong?" Mai asked
"I guess it's not a surprise that you didn't know.." Chiyo said
"Know what?"
"That boy that suddenly disappeared in your school was none other than Shiporin's son.." Chiyo said
(Mai couldn't believe what she heard and though for a second they were joking but the expression of Shiho and Chiyo was telling her it was the truth)
"Twelve years ago my son was studying at Red Wings under the name of Tsukasa Eiji..to ensure that he would have a normal school life he changed his name.."
"You mean..the reason why he disappeared was.." Mai said
"The same people that killed Matsumoto Shin tried to kill him all those years ago but failed..that's why the student named Tsukasa Eiji was never again seen or heard.." Chiyo said
(As baffled as Mai was all she could do was accept the truth and feel agony for the fact that the son of her friend almost died while studying under her own school. As their cars arrived Chiyo went inside first and before Shiho climb in she had one last thing to say to Mai)
"I will admit that in the beginning we accused you..the Yamato Family for being the one responsible for what happened to my son.." Shiho said
"Shiho-chan you know I would never!" Mai defended
"I know..that's why I couldn't accept it at first..you are my friend Mai-san..but after I heard what happened to your sister..something became clear to me now..you are not my enemy.." Shiho said
"Whoever these people are..we'll make them pay for what they've done..I'll support you however I can.." Mai said
"Thank you..see you again soon..oh and by the way..your daughter seems to have forgotten my son..it's up to you if you want to tell her.." Shiho said
"But Shiho-chan..she never forgot about your son..at least not the name Tsukasa Eiji.." Mai said
"I see..I'll leave it to you then.." Shiho smiled
(Shiho then boarded her car and left so did Mai's car)
"A child from both the Yamato Family and Nishizumi Family was targeted on the same day? That can't be a coincidence right?" Shiho said
"I don't think so." Chiyo said
"Where were your daughters that day?" Shiho asked
"Both were at home, Mika was studying with her tutor..and Alice was taking her afternoon nap.." Chiyo said
"Then my deduction was right.."
"What do you mean Shiporin?"
"They didn't just target my son twelve years ago..they targeted every possible Senshado Family heir that could get in their way.."
"So my daughters were also targets?!" Chiyo said
"Your daughters were out of the picture because the Shimada Household would've been impossible to infiltrate.."
"That's right..so one succeeded and the other one failed..we have to let Gero-chan know about this.." Chiyo said
"Yeah..but first we have to inform the seven seats regarding what happened at the hospital.." Shiho said
[Nishizumi Household]
(The Seven Seats were called over by Shiho for a meeting except for Kaede and Oowada since they were just representatives. Kal, Takashi, Alice, Miho, and Maho were also there to listen in the meeting regarding their brother)
"Thank you all for coming on short notice..please have a seat.." Shiho said
"Of course Nishizumi-sama..what did you want to talk about?" Darjeeling asked
"I want to explain why you were attacked yesterday and what happened at the hospital.."
"Darling's eyes..right?" Kay said
"Yes..but first the reason why the Seven Seats were attacked.." Chiyo said
"Right before we were attacked a black flare was shot in the sky within the match..Kal and Takashi-kun said that it was a signal from Gero-kun?" Katyusha said
"Worst case scenario right?" Asparagus asked
"That's right..during the day that we went to dive into Gero-kun's memories with VMT..he asked me and Takashi to stay after right? Do you remember?"
"Yeah..what was that all about?" Anchovy asked
"He asked us to stay because he told us about two others that were being targeted by those people.." Takashi said
"Two more? Who are they?" Maho asked
(Before answering Maho's question both Kal and Takashi had worried expressions on their faces)
"You..you were the second target Maho-san.." Kal said
"Eh..?" Maho was shocked
(Everyone else was surprised as well)
"Onee-chan?! Then who's the third?! Is it me?!" Miho asked
"Alice-san.." Takashi said
"M-Me?" Alice was scared
"Yes..us bringing food to your room was just an excuse for us to guard you.." Kal said
"W-Why me?" Maho asked
"Think about it..Gero-chan, Maho-san, and my daughter Alice..what do you three have all in common?" Chiyo asked
"Heirs of each Senshado Family.." Darjeeling said
"Correct..the three of you are the next possible Masters of both the Nishizumi and Shimada Families.." Shiho said
"Why didn't onii-chan tell us about this?! We could've helped!" Miho said
"That's the reason Miho-san..if you knew about it you'd definitely had done something..endangering yourselves in the process.." Kal said
"Your brother couldn't bring himself to tell you the truth..he didn't want Maho-san and Alice-san to to know they were being targeted..he wanted to fix this without you guys knowing.." Takashi said
"Gero-chan said that there'd be two teams that would try and infiltrate during the semi-finals..one team to kill him and Alice during the match..and another to target Maho-san..after confirming that Crow's Nest was trying to kill him..he isolated himself with them inside the island to keep everyone else safe.." Chiyo said
"Then that's why nii-chan didn't want us to help him.." Alice said
"That's right..but he didn't expect that they'd brainwash the Crow's Nest commander and act as a diversion..that's when he fired the black flare to inform us and because of that we were able to get ready.." Kal said
"By the way where is that commander?" Chiyo asked
"He was sent to Gero's doctor to have him undergo VMT also..brainwashing can leave permanent damage to a person's brain if left unattended.." Shiho said
"Nothing ever goes according to plan.." Asparagus said
"The plan was flawless..if the security room saw those guys through the cameras they would've immediately activated the lock system to trap them inside the building..they won't be able to get out and they won't be able to enter the rooms also.." Shiho said
"But they were one step ahead of us..they targeted the Security Room first when they were distracted with the match..after they knocked out the security personnel inside they locked the whole building so you couldn't get out..then when they were ready they unlocked the doors..that's when they entered the room.." Kal said
"Why?! Why would they go so far to kill innocent high school kids?!" Kay shouted
"The answer is in their blood.." Shiho said
"Our blood?" Maho asked
"I want you all to keep an open mind, no matter how ridiculous it may sound what I'm about to tell you is the truth.."
(Everyone agreed and nodded in response)
"The Three Great Families, the Shimadas, the Yamatos, and us the Nishizumis go back in the past even before Senshado was invented, and even way back before gunpowder was invented.." Shiho said
"That's a very very long time ago.." Anchovy said
"We've had a long line of ancestors and predecessors..passing down everything we can teach to the next generations.."
"The Yamato Family's ancestors came from a family of Warriors..the strongest in Japan..their teachings of unbreakable formations and brute strength has been passed down to the current Yamatos.."
"While the Shimada Family's ancestors were feared Assassins and Shinobis..hired only by those in the government to take out enemies of Japan or to protect certain VIPs..hence why the teachings of the Shimada Family has been referred to as Ninja Tactics.."
(Everyone in the room then looked at little Alice-chan and thought about how this small girl has the potential of being an assassin or a ninja)
"Scary.." everyone said in their minds
"What about our family?" Miho asked
"The ancestors of the Nishizumi Family, our ancestors, consists of the best Hunters and Trackers..that's why Kuromorimine uses German tanks because they were named from different hunters of the animal kingdom..we specialize in hunting in large numbers and overwhelming our opponents both in skill and numbers.." Shiho said
"Ideals and teachings weren't the only ones passed down every generation..but also our blood..the very blood that flows through the veins of the Three Great Families is Sacred Blood.."
"Sacred Blood?" Katyusha asked
"That's right..you could say that the blood in our veins is special..it's the reason why they've been targeting the heirs of each family.."
"You mean the Yamato Family heirs were also targeted?" Kal asked
"Yes..twelve years ago the child of Yamato Himura died during an accident..around the same time Gero-chan was almost killed..we suspect that it was an assassination and was just made to look like an accident.." Chiyo said
(Everyone was shocked about knowing all of this information and they were trying their ebay to keep up with the flow of the conversation)
"What makes your blood so special? What makes you so different from us?" Asparagus asked
"At the hospital..what did you notice about my son?" Shiho asked
"Nii-chan's eyes..were glowing.." Alice said
"Like this?"
(Shiho gently closed her eyes and concentrated then after a few seconds she opened them and they were surprised to see them glowing just like Gero's eyes)
"H-How is that possible?!" Katyusha reacted
"Is there a problem with my eyes? Or is Nishizumi-sama's eyes glowing yellow right now?" Takashi reacted
"Your eyes are fine because I see it too.." Kal said
"Those eyes are called "Seinaru me" Sacred Eyes..it occurs when a member of the Nishizumi Family is able to harness the Sacred Blood's hidden strength.." Chiyo said
(Shiho then closed her eyes again and when she opened it returned to her normal black colored eyes)
"This phenomenon is called Sacred Possession..as the name says the body is possessed by a certain amount of time..you could say that it's the same with sports athletes being in 'The Zone' while playing.."
"Possessed by what?" Darjeeling asked
"By the souls of the previous owners of the blood..by the warriors, the assassins, and the hunters of the past..and when that happens they'll be able to use an enormous amount of strength and skill that you'd doubt if they were even human.." Shiho said
"Does this happen to the Shimada and Yamato Family as well?" Asparagus asked
"For us Shimadas yes it does..but it doesn't happen to the Yamatos.." Chiyo said
"So when Gero-kun's eyes were blinking at the hospital he was being possessed?" Kal asked
"That's another case..Gero-chan's eyes were blinking because his Sacred Blood was going out of control..he was trying with all his might to get it under control..that's why he wanted to kill himself before the worst happens..it was a great thing that Itsumi-san was there to calm him down..or else.." Chiyo explained
"Or else what?" Anchovy asked
"He would've killed every single one of us at that very moment.." Shiho said
(Everyone felt a grave chill down their spines)
"Why did onii-chan lose control? Miho asked
"The shock from the death of his foster father triggered it..it was too much for him to bear..his eyes were blinking on and off because Sacred Possession has already reached it's time limit of 7 minutes.."
"Why seven minutes? Such an odd number.." Anchovy said
"There is this thing called Seven Dimensions of Wellness..every human being has these dimensions and Sacred Possession revolves around it.."
"What are those dimensions?" Katyusha asked
"Physical, Emotional, Intellectual, Social, Spiritual, Environmental, and Occupational Wellness..the moment Sacred Possession activates the effectiveness of these dimension's is increased to surpass the limits of the body.." Chiyo said
Physical Dimension enhances the body to be able to exert more strength than usual and it heightens the body's reflexes..
Emotional Dimension suppresses the user's negative emotions and stress so that focus increases.."
Intellectual Dimension enhances the strength of the mind or the mentality of the user which enables him to do faster and better decision making..
Social Dimension in connection to Senshado enhances the user's communication skills and their charisma to motivate their crew of their whole team..
Spiritual Dimension strengthens the beliefs, principles, and the values that the person puts his faith on..in terms of Senshado it's the different techniques and strategies we learn..
Environmental Dimension enables the user to be aware of his surrounding twice as before and it increases the ability of the user to adapt to constant changes within the battlefield..
The last one is Occupational Dimension..it basically enhances your overall capabilities based on what role you have in Senshado..it gives you a huge confidence boost in what you do..so if you're a driver then it enhances your skills in driving..if you're a loader then you'll be able to put in the next shell twice as fast..if you're a radioman then you'll be able to relay non stop communication to your team..if you're a gunner then you'll be able to pull of insanely amazing shots..then if you're a tank commander then your skills in taking lead and commanding your crew will be enhanced..
"In other words..Sacred Possession turns you into a genius with monster-like capabilities.." Katyusha said
"Putting it simply then yes..I apologize for the amount of information I just dumped on you.." Shiho smiled
"It's alright ma'am..we have to know exactly what we're dealing with so that we can act accordingly.." Darjeeling said
"Good..does anyone have any questions?"
"So these 7 Dimensions are enhanced all at the same time?" Kay asked
"That's right.."
"Is there a chance of Sacred Possession lasting longer than seven minutes?" Asparagus asked
"It never happened to me before..so I don't know if it's possible to last longer than that..all we know is within those seven minutes he's unstoppable.."
"I see..so that's why nii-chan told us that during the match he'll buy us time..exactly seven minutes for us to cross over to that island.." Alice said
"He said that!?" Shiho reacted
"Yes.."
"Then Sacred Possession must've occurred during the match in order for him to survive..Crow's Nest was trying to kill him the whole time so it's understandable.." Darjeeling said
"That would explain why his heart stopped after the match.." Shiho said
"Eh? Why?" Maho asked
"The normal human being can exert physical and mental effort at 100% for 20 seconds only. More than 20 seconds and the body would burnout from exhaustion..Sacred Possession extends that 20 seconds into 7 minutes..can you imagine the state of Gero-chan's body and mind after those 7 minutes?" Chiyo explained
"He must've felt so much pain..onii-chan.." Miho said
"After the possession the toll on the body is applied which leads to both physical and mental exhaustion, it was the first time that he used it and so he couldn't take all the pressure making his heart stop.." Shiho said
"For seven minutes Gero-chan felt like both his body and soul was being ripped apart.."
"This is the truth about our families..we are not blessed with God given abilities..we are cursed by the blood in our veins..maybe even Gero regrets being born in this family.." Shiho said
"Okaa-san..I'm sure onii-chan doesn't think that way of you..I know he doesn't.." Miho said
"As bad as it sounds..as long as Sacred Possession doesn't happen again we can still prevent Gero from getting into more trouble.." Shiho said
"What do you mean?" Kal asked
"There are stages of Sacred Possession called 'Three A's of Possession' which has requirements before Sacred Possession activates.."
"What are they?" Maho asked
"The first A is "Awakening" and it means when the person experiences emotional stress or shock then Sacred Possession is activated..this is the first stage meaning it will be the first time his body and mind will experience the possession hence the toll on the body after.."
"The second A is "Activation" is the stage where before Sacred Possession the user is contacted by the voice of possession..the voice will convince the user to enter into a contract with the possession in exchange to be able to harness the power of the possession..this means the person uses his own will to activate and use Sacred Possession..out of the three stages this is the worst and this is what we have to prevent Gero from doing.."
"The third and last A is "Acceptance" but if we prevent Gero from reaching the second stage then this stage won't have to happen but I'll explain it anyways..this stage is when the user has to accept his existence as a Nishizumi, a Shimada or a Yamato..meaning he has to accept himself or herself and the curse that he or she bears.."
"How do we prevent Darling from reaching the second stage?" Kay asked
"We inform him of the dangers of Sacred Possession and convince him to ignore the voice that would want to create a contract with him.." Shiho said
"Okaa-sama..did you go through this as well?" Maho asked
"No..only the eldest male member of the family has to go through this..since I was an only child and a female I was saved from this curse.."
"Then how did you know all of this?" Miho asked
"My father's brother or my uncle was the eldest of the Nishizumi Family during their generation..he went through this and they weren't able to warn him about the second stage.."
"What happened?" Alice asked
(Everyone saw that Shiho clenched her fists as she remembered the past events of her uncle)
"It's alright Shiporin..you don't have to tell us something that bothers you this much..right Alice?" Chiyo said
"Of course..I'm sorry for asking something sensitive.." Alice said
"Thank you..so with that being said..no matter what happens we have to prevent Gero from entering the second stage of possession.."
"Understood!" everyone agreed
"I guess we're lucky that he only made it to the first stage huh?" Takashi said
"Yeah.." Kal said
"This is not the first time..." a voice suddenly said
(Everyone looked at the source of the voice and they saw Ono who was standing by the door together with Sheska and Kikuyo)
"Nakamura-kun and Sheska! What are you doing here?" Maho said
"I'm sorry for intruding..we also heard your conversations before entering.." Ono said
"What's the meaning of this Kikuyo?" Shiho asked
"Nakamura-kun insisted on joining this meeting..he said he has a very important matter to say to you.." Kikuyo replied
"What is it?" Chiyo asked
"What did you mean by saying that it was not the first time?" Takashi asked
(Ono, Sheska and Kikuyo then took a seat and joined the meeting)
"This is not the first time Gero's eyes glowed golden yellow..this is the second time.." Ono spoke
(A loud noise came from Shiho's direction because she accidentally dropped her teacup after hearing what Ono said)
"I-Impossible.." Shiho said
(Everyone then saw a very disturbing expression on Shiho's face field with fear and worry for her son. All of their plans to help Gero was already shot down by this sudden news from Ono)
Coming Up Next : Chapter 68 - Emotions
Author's Note:
Greetings everyone! How was the chapter? This is one of those informative type of chapters where there is so much explanations going on and I apologize if its boring.
Now we know what was the motive of those infiltrators! But is it only their motive or will there be more?
Everything you want to know about Sacred Possession is in here! I hope the questions you have about it was answered! If you are still confused about something leave a question in the reviews section!
I also uploaded another picture and this is a photo of Nishizumi Shiho activating her Sacred Possession in front of everyone. Be sure to check it out if you're interested!
Thank you for the wonderful support you all are amazing! As for the replies to your comments check the reviews section as always!
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