“You’re not gonna die on me right Kenji?!” Kanashi asked as he loomed over the broken Swordsman.

  “Of course not!” Kenji laughed through blood which bubbled in his throat.

  “...” Kanashi tried to smile at Kenji's optimist but found it impossible. The injuries he sustained were far too grave. While he managed to stop the Tsunami from attacking them he suffered an equally great cost. His legs looked like dried up tubes of toothpaste curled inwards and flat. Brown, Purple, blue and black in color with veins squiggling across the surface spurting out dark red nearly black blood.

  His arms likewise were gnarled and brutally injured. Like composed of multiple joints they changed direction sporadically along their length, the color also being the same mesh of dark ugly colors while leaking blood.

  “H-how long do you think until you’re healed?” Kanashi asked with a grimace, Kenji seemed to have naturally unlocked advanced enhancement but as to what level it was couldn’t be seen yet.

  Kenji raised his head and looked at his arms and legs, he didn’t even flinch at their current state nor did he express any pain. He just looked tired and exhausted. “About a month…” He muttered after a pause.

  “A month!?” Kanashi gasped. “We don’t even have a full week left!” He cried pulling at his hair. What Kenji had done was miraculous and the only heal from such injuries was just slightly less incredible. Kanashi could without a doubt appreciate such feats but he couldn’t also have the patience for them.

  “Ah, don’;t worry about that Kanashi-San. We can take care of it.” A voice came from behind, one which Kanashi, despite only hearing a few times, was familiar with. “Sekihara!?” he asked as he spun around to greet the tattooed man.

  “It’s been a few days.” Sekihara said meekly, rubbing a splash of water from his cheek where the Kaiju Tattoo was inked.

  “What’re you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at the meeting place?”

  “Well with the current events Akatora asked me to come and see if I could find you, and it looks like I just barely managed to. And this guy… must be Tatakayaiba Kenji right?” At the question which ended his dialogue Sekiharas throat seemed to tremble somewhat. Himself surly seeing just how ridiculous strong Kenji was and not wanting to step on his toes.

  “Who’re you?” Kenji asked with a scowl.

  “Wow, so aggressive already!?” Sekihara yelped, throwing his hands passively “I’m a friend not foe!” He argued, pointing to Kanashi who nodded.

  “Yeah he’s cool.” Kanashi shrugged.

  “Why’re you so nonchalant about this!?” Sekihara asked, turning to Kanashi.

  “You smell like Yakuza.” Kenji interrupted pointing his nose at Sekihara.

  “I do?” Sekihara asked, smelling the collar of his shirt but seemingly noticing anything.

  “You can smell something like that Kenji?” Kanashi asked, tilting his head confused.

  “No, but he sniffed himself when I said so, meaning he must at least be related to them right?” Kenji hummed mischievously.

  “Did you just ask a trick question!? You can do that!?” Asked Kanashi, jaw dropping open somewhat.

  “What made you think I couldn’t?” Kenji answered with a frown.

  “Oh, um well….” Kanashi covered his hand with his mouth as he mulled over his best way to answer but quickly noticed the growing crowd forming around them. Surly all bearing witness to Kenji's feat to some extent. Now whether they believed he actually did something or was just a mad man falling through the air to his demise was an entirely different subject. But nonetheless they have far too much attention on them. Something Sekihara also seemed to take notice of.

  “I’ll carry you back to our base now, Kenji-Dono. There we can heal you up while Kanashi speaks to Akatora.” Sekihara said.

  “And why would I let you do that?” Kenji asked. “I can walk perfectly fine on my ow-”

  Kenji tried to point his hand at Sekihara but instead when he lifted his arm it snapped somewhere in the middle and his hand instead pointed to the ground. An action everyone who witnessed took a deep breath and grimaced at. Breathing between their clenched teeth.

  “Alright then, Kanashi, you carry me.” Kenji said, turning to Kanashi.

  “Me?” Kanashi asked, pointing to himself.

  “Yeah, I don’t like that guy.” Kenji answered.

  “What did I do!?” Sekihara asked.

  “Your tattoos, people who have tattoos are normally the bag guy in movies.”

  “You’re basing my character on a trope!?”

  “Alright fine Kenji I’ll carry you.” Kanashi said, cutting into the conversation. “Since you’ve carried me last time this will make us even.”

  ? ? ? ? ? ?

  “You look terrible.” Akatroa said, breathing his cigar.

  “Thanks, real mood lifter you are.” Kanashi muttered, rubbing his cheek.

  “Well, if you can talk back to me like that I can only assume you don’t need one.” Akatora said, blowing black smoke from his mouth. Pressing the lit end up against the back of his hand with a sizzle Akatora put the now unlit Cigar back into its wooden box on his desk.

  “You didn’t need to do all of that, you know, I already know how tough you are.” Muttered Kanashi.

  “You really do have a nasty little tongue. But that’s fine, we’re supposed to be equals in this aren’t we?” Akatora sighed. Now reaching under his desk and pulling out a large green bottle from under his desk and pouring the golden liquid into his ice filled glass. “Do you want one?” He asked, looking at Kanashi.

  “After what happened last time? No thank you.” Kanashi answered, shaking his head.

  “You’re loss then.”

  Kanashi watched as Akatora downed the liquid in a single gulp, his teeth crunching the ice loudly before swallowing hard and putting the now empty desk down onto the desks top.

  “Well then, did you do it?”

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “Do what?” Kanashi asked, raising his brow.

  “Get Kenji.” Akatora answered with a frown.

  “Of course I did, who do you think it was that I brought back here with me? Santa. Claus?”

  Akatora frowned deeply at Kanashis tone but ignored it once more. “How is he?” He asked.

  “Strong, super strong. Probably more than you if I’m being honest.” Kanashi answered without remorse or hesitation.

  “Ha, that’s not a fair comparison to make when you haven't seen how strong I truly am now is it?”

  “Can you stop a tsunami?” Kanahsi asked, raising a brow.

  “Alright, I’ll give you that.” Akatroa sighed, lighting his cigar with his finger once more and then putting it in his mouth.

  “Well since we’re on the topic… Do you know what’s happening to cause all of this chaos?” Kanashi asked, half expecting a non answer.

  “The Vulracious Emperor launched an attack on the Dragon Gonds Palace in the Orochi Kingdom, along with him were two of his own men and the 5th Pillar God Lestat Q. Dragonking.” Akatora said.

  “5th Pillar God…” Kanashi repeated. With that new inclusion he now had five out of the then members ranked in his head.

  First Pillar God Jinen Lutece God Pillar Of Magic.

  Second Pillar God Randolph Sisyphus Freyr God Pillar Of Death.

  Fourth Pillar God Orochi, God Pillar Of Serpents.

  Tenth Pillar God, Rika Hanajo, God Pillar of Domination.

  El-Saber should be in there too right? He seems pretty strong so maybe he’s the 3rd? With him and Lestat added in that 6/10 accounted for.

  “What were the results?” Kanashi asked.

  “We’ve been able to confirm the death of ? of the Divine Generals, the remaining ones current status unknown. As for Orochi himself, he was killed by the Vulracious Emperor.”

  “!”

  At that revelation Kanashis face turned white.

  “Why would he do that?!” He asked with a shout. That simply made no sense to him. Randolph should have absolutely zero relation to the Orochi Kingdom and its emperor. So for him to go out of his way to not only invade the palace but also kill the five out of six generals and the emperor himself was truly bizarre and baffling.

  “I don’t know.” Akatora sighed with a shrug. “But the current situation which the world has been put in is evidence enough of Orochi's death.”

  “The whole world?” Kanashi asked, his hand clenching into his pants.

  “Taiponbo is getting it the worst, but the entire world is feeling the effects from this. The natural balance of power has changed far too much too quickly.” Akatora explained.

  “I.. I just can’t understand this. It’s so out of the blue! It throws a wrench is so many things! What about Edoland then? If Orochi's dead won’t they have to pull back and go figure out their problems back home? Then we can just get the spear and- no… the Toumeikan still exists. We still would need to deal with them.” Kanashi sighed in realization. Ruffling his hair.

  “If the Orochi Kingdom really does loosen its grip on Edoland then I’m sure Kobe won’t let the chance to do something grand slip by him.”

  “Won’t the other powers be upset by that?”

  “Maybe, but that’s only something they could no. I don’t know them well enough to answer that.”

  “So I guess that even if a lot has changed, nothing really has?”

  “It looks like that’s the case. The Liberation is still needed and the Toumeikan need to be defeated. The only difference now is how the Orochi Kingdom will move forward. They might return home and start a war with Vulracious or they might just dig their heels deeper here in Edoland.”

  “Well, putting aside that massive bombshell. Has anything else happened?” Kanashi asked.

  “There was a failed assation attempt on Tatematsumi Nordon by Domushi and Yamikawa.”

  “!” Kanashi nearly screamed out in surprise at this news but managed to keep silent, his eyes trembling in his head.

  “He managed to survive without significant injury and even arrested one of Yamikawas Joshin. Though he did have direct contact with Domushi.”

  “Ha, and he still survived!? Nordon’s awesome!” Kanashi laughed. Being blunt he thought Nordon was rather weak based on his appearance and general atmosphere but it seemed as though he was completely wrong and for the better too. “Well then, with you, Kenji and Nordon it looks like we’ve got an even better chance doesn't it?”

  “It really does.”: Akatora said with a slight smile.

  “Soooo what’s next then?” Kaanshi asked, leaning forwards.

  “You need to contact the Venator Society and seal our deal in stone. Other than that just keep your head down and don’t do anything.”

  “Those are two difficult demands.” Kanashi joked with a frown.

  “If you can’t secure either of them then this entire operation will crumble. So you must complete both of them.”

  “Got it, got it.” Kanashi sighed.

  “Well then, as long as you understand that then it looks like our talk here is done.” Akatora said, raising out of his chair. “Would you mind introducing me to Kenji?”

  “Right now? Are you sure he’ll be healed this quickly?”

  “I trust my healers.” Akatora answered, leaning his head he signaled for Kanashi to follow him through the now opened door out of office.

  Kanashi obeyed and followed Akatora into the small lobby which sat just outside, a few chairs and a coffee table in the center of the room. Standing there with a scowl on his face was Kenji who now wore a bright red brand new Kimono. His arms and legs which were covered in bandages trembled as blood seeped through them.

  “Kenji!” Kanashi laughed, jumping to the swordsman's side.

  “...”

  However Kenji ignored Kanashi and stared at Akatora who met his gaze. Their eyes both seeming to light a spark in the others.

  Akatora was tall and wide while Kenji was also tall but lanky with defined dense muscle rather than hulking bricks like Akatroa.

  Kanashi gulped down at the internet scene, his heart rate slowly increasing the longer the two men stared at each other without either saying a word. That is until-

  “It’s nice to be working with you.”

  “!?”

  In an action which shocked Kanashi it was actually Kenji who spoke the first word, Waving his hand casually as he did so.

  “Hmmm~ hahahahaha!” Akatora tried to hide his giggle but it quickly turned into a roaring laughter, an action which clearly upset Kenji who grit his teeth. Though Kanashi managed to calm him with a shake of his head

  “I’m sorry for laughing. I just assumed from your aura you were ready to strike my neck.” Akatora said as his laughter slowly died out.

  “Normally that would have been my first move but….” Kenji tilted his head towards Kanashi. “I’ve grown quite fond of him. So I’ll keep my questioned to myself for now at least.” Kenji finished his sentence with a slightly different tone, one which only Akatora managed to understand the hidden meaning of. If he stepped too close to the sun he’d get burned once Kanashi and Kenjis agreement had ended. Something Akatora noted in the back of his head.

  “I apologize if I offended you, I had no intention to disrespect you. I too am happy to be working with you.” Akatora said with a light bow.

  “Kenji.” Kanashi interrupted.

  “What's up?” Kenji answered.

  “Are you alright now?” Kanashi asked.

  “We barely managed to put them back together.” A voice called out suddenly interrupting the interrupter. From around the corner came a man dressed in a bloody surgical outfit, his brow soaked with sweat.

  “Can he fight, Koutoki?” Akatora asked the man.

  “I would advise against it but based on what I know and have seen that won’t stop him or you from trying. So at least rebandage the wounds regularly when they’re dirty… Honestly the fact he can walk and move around right now in itself is not only a miracle but the result of his hard headedness. All we could do was bend things back into place.”

  Kanashi, connecting the dots in his head, looked at Kenji's trembling legs which were covered in bloody bandages, analyzing them closely.

  Just existing is painful… to ask anymore of him after all he's done is cruel but… it’s just how things have to be… Kanashi thought with a deep frown. “Kenji, how about we take the rest of the day off? I don’t think you’re gonna be willing to lay in bed but don’t do anything to make yourself get hurt worse alright?”

  “Then what’re you gonna do?” Asked Kenji.

  “Make a phone call…” Kanashi answered with a sigh.